›››››     ›                         VTEX - The Text Viewing Utility›                                   Version 1.3›                                     9/6/93›     ›                          Program and Documentation by:›                                Larry Richardson›                                5521 Madrid Ave.›                                Orlando, Fl  32807›                                ›     ›     ›     This program is distributed as SHAREWARE.  I have spent a great deal›     of time designing, coding, debugging, and modifying this program.›     Any donations I receive for my time and effort will encourage me to›     continue supporting this program, as well as writing new software for›     the Atari 8-bit computer.  Thank you.›     ›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››     ›     I.  What does it do?›     ›          VTEX is a utility that allows you to view any file on the›     screen.  If you have used DOS to view a file (copy from the file to›     E:), you already know how unfriendly it is.  VTEX is an attempt to›     give the Atari 8-bit users an easier and more powerful method to view›     a file.›     ›     II.  Features›     ›          VTEX can page through a file, both forward and backward.  It has›     the ability to skip to the last page and back to the first page, or›     to skip in increments of ten pages.  Since VTEX doesn't go through›     CIO to display on the screen, special characters (such as the clear›     screen command) will not interfere with the display.  VTEX has a›     pseudo-word wrap (I'll explain later), and can delete the leading›     spaces from the left margin (good for viewing files that have been›     PRINTed to disk).  VTEX also has string search capabilities, ASCII›     CR/LF handling, block mark and save, adjustable screen colors, a›     directory lister, and the ability to save its default configuration.›     It has been tested under both Atari DOS 2.5 (2.0) and SpartaDOS.›     ›     III.  Running VTEX›     ›          From any Atari type DOS, use the binary load command and load›     the VTEX executable file (VTEX.COM).  The program will clear the›     screen and the 'No File' indicator on the bottom line indicates that›     there is no file being viewed currently.  Press R and enter the›     directory mask to view the directory of a disk.  Press L and enter a›     filename to view and press RETURN.  After VTEX opens the file, the›     VTEX view screen will appear.  At the bottom of the screen is the›     VTEX status line.  It displays the version number of the program, the›     current page number of the file being viewed, and has an end-of-file›     (or No File, as appropriate) indicator.  It also indicates if the›     word-wrap, delete leading spaces, or ASCII/ATASCII options are active›     or not.›          From SpartaDOS, you may specify the filename to view on the›     command line.  Simply type - VTEX filename <RETURN>.  Under›     SpartaDOS, VTEX will look for the filename on the command line.  If›     it doesn't find the filename there, it will begin in its 'No File'›     state (as it always does under Atari DOS).  If VTEX encounters an›     error while trying to open the file specified on the command line, it›     will simply go to the main screen in its 'No File' state.›     ››››››››››››››››››››››     IV.  Commands›     ›          Once VTEX is running, you have a number of commands to choose›     from.  Note that the page movement commands are not enabled until a›     file is selected for viewing.  The commands are explained below.›     ›     PAGE FORWARD›     ›          Press the down arrow key (without holding down the CONTROL key).›     VTEX will display the next page in the file.  As VTEX moves forward›     through a file, it notes the position of the beginning of each page›     so that it can move backward (or jump forward) directly to that page.›     ›     PAGE BACKWARD›     ›          Press the up arrow key (without holding down the CONTROL key).›     VTEX will display the previous page in the file.›     ›     FORWARD 10 PAGES›     ›          Press <SHIFT> down arrow (without the CONTROL key).  Note that›     because of the way Atari 8-bit DOS's handle random access files, VTEX›     cannot just jump to a page that it has not yet read in a sequential›     manner (see the explanation in PAGE FORWARD).  It doesn't know at›     what point in the file the 10th page occurs, for example, until it›     has read pages 1-10.  Therefore, when you press <SHIFT> down arrow,›     VTEX will either:›     1)  Move forward 10 pages (if it has already read that far in the›         file)›         - or -›     2)  Move to the highest page it has read (if less than 10 pages from›         the current page)›     ›     BACKWARD 10 PAGES›     ›          Press <SHIFT> up arrow (without the CONTROL key).  VTEX will›     either:›     1)  Move backward 10 pages (if the current page being displayed is›         greater than 10)›         - or -›     2)  Go to the beginning of the file›     ›     GO TO THE BEGINNING OF THE FILE›     ›          Press B to return to the first page of the file.›     ›     GO TO THE END OF THE FILE›     ›          Press E to ATTEMPT to go to the end of the file.  VTEX can only›     go directly to the end of the file if it has already read the last›     page.  If the last page has not been read, pressing E will take you›     to the highest page number read at that point.  Once the last page›     has been read (using the down arrow to page forward), VTEX notes the›     position of this page so it can access it directly.›››››››››››››     DISPLAY THE CURRENT FILENAME›     ›          Press F to display the name of the file that is currently being›     viewed.  Press F again to see the normal VTEX status line.›     ›     WORD WRAP THE DISPLAY›     ›          Press W to turn on the pseudo-word wrap.  A 'W' will appear on›     the left side of the status line to let you know that word wrap is›     active.  This is not a true word wrap, so long words will hang over›     onto the next page.  VTEX will simply start looking for a space after›     column 31.  If it finds a space, it will break the line here and wrap›     the text at this point.  Pressing W again will turn the word wrap›     off.›          Note that because selecting word wrap (or the delete leading›     spaces option) will change the size of the displayed pages, VTEX›     resets the file to start back at page 1 when either of these options›     are selected.  This allows the program to re-build its pointers to›     the beginning of the pages (which will now be in different›     positions).›     ›     DELETE LEADING LEFT SPACES›     ›          Press D to turn on the delete leading left spaces option.  A 'D'›     will appear on the left side of the status line to let you know that›     this option is active.  Any spaces that would have appeared on the›     left edge of the page are now gone.  Also, the current page is reset›     to 1 (see the note under the word wrap option for an explanation).›     Press D again to turn this option off.›     ›     SEARCH FOR A STRING›     ›          Press S to perform a case sensitive search for a string.  Press›     I to perform a case insensitive search for a string.  The program›     will prompt you to enter a string.  Type the string you wish to›     search for and press RETURN.  The program will start from the current›     page and look forward for the search string.  The search will stop›     when the program has found your string, the end of the file has been›     reached, or the ESC key is pressed.  Each occurance of the search›     string is highlighted on screen.  The function will not search if the›     current page is the end of the file.›     ›     ASCII option›     ›     VTEX can optionally display ASCII carriage return/line feeds or›     carriage returns alone as it would ATASCII carriage returns.  This is›     useful for viewing text generated on IBM PC's, such as many text›     files that are on bulletin boards.  Pressing A will toggle this›     option on or off.  An 'A' will appear on the left side of the status›     line to let you know that the ASCII option is active.  As with the›     word-wrap and delete leading spaces option, the file will be reset to›     the beginning when this option is selected.›››››››››››››››     LOAD A NEW FILE›     ›     Pressing L will make VTEX prompt you for a new filename to load and›     view.  Enter the filename and press RETURN.  If the program›     encounters an error while trying to open the file, the buzzer will›     sound and the prompt will re-appear to allow you to try again.›     Pressing ESC at this prompt will exit the option and let you continue›     to view the current file.  When a new file is loaded, VTEX operates›     as if it has just been loaded (i.e. you begin at the first page in›     the file and all pointer information must be re-created).  If no›     drive specifier is given, the D: prefix is appended to the filename›     before attempting to load the file.›     ›     EXIT THE PROGRAM›     ›     To exit VTEX and return to DOS, press the ESC key.  VTEX will ask you›     if you are sure you want to return to DOS.  Press Y to exit to DOS,›     or any other key to remain in VTEX.  Note that if you choose the›     search option, pressing ESC while the program is prompting for the›     search string simply takes you out of the search function.  This is›     also the case with the load a new file option.  Pressing ESC while›     the program is prompting you for a filename will simply abort the›     command.›     ›     DIRECTORY›     ›     Press R to view a disk directory.  VTEX will prompt for a path (the›     initial default path is D:*.*).  This path is the drive specifier,›     subdirectories, AND file specifier.  For example, to view the›     directory listing all of the .BAS files on drive 2 in the BASIC›     subdirectory, the path would be:›     D2:>BASIC>*.BAS›     To view all of the files on the default drive in the current›     subdirectory:›     D:*.*›     Pressing ESC at the path prompt will abort the directory listing.›     Also, a new feature allows files to be loaded from the directory›     listing screen.  Just press L at the 'Press any key to continue'›     prompt and you are taken directly to the Load A New File option.›     ›     COLORS›     ›     VTEX now allows the user to customize the screen color and text›     intensity to his or her liking.  The < and > keys decrease and›     increase the screen intensity.  The 9 and 0 keys decrease and›     increase the text intensity.›     Finally, SHIFT < and SHIFT > decrease and increase the screen color,›     independent of the intensity level.›     ››››››››››››››››››     SAVE CURRENT CONFIGURATION›     ›     Press C to save the current configuration.  This command saves the›     state of some of the VTEX features, allowing you to customize your›     copy of the program.  The following are all saved by this command:›     - Word Wrap On/Off›     - ASCII/ATASCII state›     - Delete Spaces On/Off›     - Screen color and Text intensity›     Press C and VTEX will prompt for a VTEXfile name.  This is the name›     of the VTEX executable that you run.  After entering the filename,›     VTEX will update the executable file itself with the new default›     values for the above features.  So, to make a bright red screen and›     black text your default, simply set the screen colors and then press›     C.›     ›     HELP SCREEN›     ›     VTEX has a help screen built in.  Just press ? and the help will pop›     up on the screen.  All of the key commands listed in this DOC file›     are on the help screen, followed by a short explanation.  You may›     execute any key command from help by just pressing the key (you don't›     have to exit help first).  NOTE: To exit help without doing a›     command, press ?, or any other unused key.›     ›     BLOCK MARK AND SAVE›     ›     Press CNTL-S to set the start of a block.  Use the cursor keys to›     move the marker around, press RETURN to set the mark, or ESC to›     cancel.  The start mark will appear as an inverse 'S'.›     ›     Press CNTL-E to set the end block.  The end block will appear as a›     inverse 'E'.›     ›     Press CNTL-F to save the text between the start and end marks to a›     new file.  VTEX will prompt for a save filename.  This allows you to›     copy out part of a very large file that a word processor will not›     load completely, for example.  The end mark must be set after the›     start mark.  While saving the block, the number of characters›     processed is constantly updated on the screen (well, every 25›     characters anyway).  Note that this function was written mostly to›     handle smaller blocks of text and will run slowly on a single drive›     system.  If you must mark and save large blocks of text, a RAMdisk or›     at least a double floppy drive system is recommended.›     ››››››››››››››››››››››     NOTES ON VERSION 1.1 (3/10/92)›     ›     After many suggestions, I had to figure out what to add and what to›     throw away.  I wanted to keep the program still fairly small, but add›     enough of the good suggestions to make it more usable than before.›     The commands above were new to 1.1 (Directory, screen colors, save›     configuration, and help screen).  Also, a few things were fixed and›     improved.›     ›     - First, a bug that caused VTEX to sometimes exit to DOS before›     running was squashed!›     ›     - Another 1.0 bug... go to the End-of-file, select A, D, or W, and›     the program would not advance forward.  Squashed!›     ›     - The BREAK key is now disabled while  in the program.›     ›     - ESC will stop a string search before getting to the end of the file›     (I did a search on a 70+ page document one evening... I put the ESC›     feature in shortly after that!)›     ›     - When loading a file with L, the default drive is now D: instead of›     D1:.  Now SpartaDos users can specify a filename without a drive, and›     the default SD drive will be used instead of D1:›     ›     NOTES ON VERSION 1.2›     ›     After recieving a few letters from users who registered the program›     (you know who you are... Thank You All!) and talking to some local›     users, one gripe was pretty consistent.  In fact, this was the only›     suggestion that I really heard people want, so it is the main›     addition to VTEX 1.2.›     ›     Basically, everyone wanted to be able to start the program without›     having to remember a file name to give VTEX.  Once the program was›     running, you could look at the directory, but not until it had a file›     to process.  So, VTEX can now start up in a No File state where the›     page movement commands are disabled until a file is specified to view›     (with L).›     ›     Also, you can now load a file from the directory viewing option by›     pressing L.  This is great for people like myself who had trouble›     remembering the file name long enough to type it in!›     ›     NOTES ON VERSION 1.3›     ›     There were many little changes made to VTEX, and a few large ones.›     Here are some of the more important ones:›     - User can now choose either case sensitive or insensitive search›     - Search text is highlighted when found›     - Path from directory is used in loadfile›     - Block mark and save added›     - Prompt user before exiting to DOS›     - Position cursor at the end of default strings›››››››››››››     - Inverse entire status line›     - Scroller at top of screen added›     The scroller was added after I got a letter from a user that›     basically said "some people run the program and just don't know what›     it does".  I guess I can just forget updating the DOC file if no one›     reads it anyway!  At least the scroller will point users in the›     direction of the help screen.›     ›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››     V.  SpartaDOS X Notes›     ›          If you are lucky enough to own a SpartaDOS X cartridge, then›     this section will give you a few common sense ideas on how to best›     use VTEX.›          First, it is very easy to make VTEX behave as though it is›     simply another command by placing it on one of the active drives and›     setting the PATH to look on that drive.  I use a 256K 800XL, so I›     have an AUTOEXEC.BAT file that does the following:›     ›     1)  Set up a ramdisk as D8:›     2)  Copy VTEX up to the ramdisk and call it V.COM.›     3)  SET PATH=CAR:;D8:›     ›     With the path set up to look on the ramdisk for .COM files, I can now›     execute VTEX from the command line without having to tell SpartaDOS›     what drive it is on.  Since it is on the ramdisk, it loads and begins›     executing in a second.  Also, by calling the program V.COM, all I›     have to type to view a file is:›     ›     V filename <RETURN>›     ›          Second (and last), SpartaDOS X now handles the NOTE and POINT›     calls in the same manner for both SpartaDOS and Atari DOS disks (it›     uses a byte offset from the beginning of the file).  What does this›     mean to the end user???  It means if you use VTEX under the SpartaDOS›     X environment to view an Atari DOS formatted disk, you will notice›     BIG delays when paging backwards or forward.  This is because›     SpartaDOS X must re-read your Atari DOS file from the beginning each›     time a POINT command is given.  The solution is to copy the file to a›     SpartaDOS formatted disk before using VTEX to view it.›     ›     I hope this is as useful to someone else as it has been for myself.›     Drop me a line at the address given, or leave a message on Moonbase›     Alpha BBS at (407) 578-2811.  I would like to thank all of the people›     participating in the Atari 8-bit base on Moonbase Alpha who gave me›     feedback on VTEX version 1.0.  Also, thanks to those who registered›     version 1.0 and 1.1 and who wrote nice notes with good suggestions.›     Lastly, thanks to John Dickerson of DACE for a very encouraging›     letter and a couple of good suggestions.  I hope version 1.3›     addresses those suggestions.›     ›     Suggestions and donations are both welcome!›     ›     ›     Larry Richardson›     ›››››››››››››››