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MANUAL.DOC
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1995-02-03
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Textshot Version 4.0
+++++++++
by McAdams Associates
*****************************************************************
Contents Page
-------- ----
Description................................ 2
Hardware Requirements...................... 2
Loading Textshot........................... 2
Removing Textshot From Memory.............. 3
Using Textshot With Multitaskers........... 3
Activating Textshot........................ 3
Using Textshot............................. 4
Saving To Disk............................. 6
Palettes................................... 7
If There Are Problems...................... 7
Tips For Getting a Good Picture............ 9
Disclaimer & Agreement.....................10
Registering Textshot.......................11
(C)Copyright 1992, 1995 by T.C. McAdams.
All Rights Reserved.
Description
-----------
Textshot is a DOS TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) utility that
will capture all or part of text-mode screens of from 80x25 (80
columns by 25 lines) to a maximum of 132x60. Textshot will use
the running custom or user-loaded fonts on any VGA-equipped
computer, or any available system font on any PC. Textshot saves
a screen to color or black-and-white PCX-format graphics files,
or to straight ASCII text files, making it a useful "DOS
clipboard".
Textshot uses a pop-up menu that lets you choose between
available fonts, among color and output modes, and selecting what
parts of a screen to save. All settings can be preserved between
pop-ups. Textshot should work on any PC running DOS 2.11 or
above, and with Standard Mode Windows and DESQview.
Hardware Requirements
---------------------
Textshot works with any of the common PC video standards.
Specifically: MDA/Hercules, CGA, EGA and VGA. Textshot is
intended for text modes, not graphics modes.
Textshot must find in its host computer, at minimum, a complete
CGA font set. Where this is not the case, a DOS utility called
GRAFTABL must be run to supply the "upper half" of the necessary
font set. EGA and VGA cards supply their own complete font sets.
Loading Textshot
----------------
Textshot is loaded into memory by typing
TEXTSHOT [ENTER]
at the DOS command line. If you use an expanded memory manager,
Textshot will function happily in high memory, leaving DOS memory
free for other things. Typing "LOADHIGH TEXTSHOT" if you are
using DOS 5.0 or above and HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE are running
(and the "dos=umb" command exists in your CONFIG.SYS file; refer
to your DOS manual if it isn't), or "LOADHI TEXTSHOT" if you are
using Quarterdeck's QEMM, loads Textshot into high memory.
When Textshot is loaded the message
Textshot is installed in memory.
Press [PrtSc] or [SHIFT + PrtSc] to activate.
appears telling you so. As already mentioned, on some machines a
full (256-character) ROM font set may not be available. If this
is the case, you are told to run the DOS GRAFTABL utility before
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proceeding. Screen printing is disabled while Textshot is
resident.
Removing Textshot From Memory
-----------------------------
To remove Textshot from memory simply type
TEXTSHOT [ENTER]
from the command line, just as if you were loading it. Textshot
will tell you it's unloaded itself, showing
Textshot is removed from memory.
Or it will tell you that it can't unload itself. There are
several reasons why a TSR could be unable to remove itself from
memory; most involve some other program, used after Textshot was
loaded, altering the computer's interrupt table. In these cases,
the only way to unload Textshot is to reboot.
Using Textshot With Multitaskers
--------------------------------
Textshot will work correctly (usually--see "If There Are
Problems" below) inside a Standard Mode Windows DOS box and
inside or beneath DESQview. Textshot senses Windows' Enhanced
Mode and will refuse to pop up from either inside or beneath a
DOS box in this mode. Textshot is a "real mode" DOS program and
will not work reliably in Enhanced Mode.
To use Textshot inside Standard Mode Windows, you must run
Textshot from the command line of a DOS box from within Windows.
It can be loaded high. It will not be able to pop up if run
before Windows.
When using Textshot with DESQview we recommend that you load
Textshot first, preferably into high memory, which will enable it
to pop up over any character-mode DESQview screen. This will
prevent Textshot from being dependent on the configuration of a
particular DESQview window. It is also recommended that you not
use Textshot to take pictures of DESQview screens of other than
80-columns. DESQview "knows" 80-column screens and manages the
computer's BIOS memory areas accordingly. Screen modes of other
than 80-columns will tend to confuse it, and Textshot as well.
Activating Textshot
-------------------
Textshot's hot key is [PrScr] or, on some machines (and always,
inside Windows), [SHIFT + PrScr], which means to hold down the
[SHIFT] key while pressing [PrScr].
If the hot key is pressed while in a graphics mode, you'll hear
two beeps. This is Textshot's way of telling you to stop doing
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that. In the special case of the Hercules video adapter, it
doesn't seem to be possible to tell 100% reliably when it is or
isn't displaying graphics; sometimes, if you press the hot key
while Hercules graphics are being displayed, instead of hearing
beeps you'll see "splotches" appear at the top of the screen.
This means that Textshot has failed to accurately gauge modes and
you'll see what ASCII characters written to a graphics screen
look like. Solution: press [ESC] to leave Textshot. Your graphics
screen will be restored.
Another potential problem lies with other programs that change a
computer's interrupt table, particularly the keyboard interrupts.
Textshot takes over and uses no more of your computer's resources
than it must; but it needs access to some things to function. If
Textshot refuses to pop up, or if you have trouble when typing
inside Textshot, try changing the loading order of any other TSR
programs you might be using. If you aren't running any other TSRs
simultaneously with Textshot and it still refuses to work as
expected, the problem probably lies with the running application,
and there may not be much to be done about it.
Using Textshot
--------------
After pressing the hot key in a text mode, Textshot's menu will
appear across the top of your screen. On the first line is a
prompt saying "Enter filespec:". This is where you type a
filespec for your screen capture file.
On the second and third lines are what might be called "status
prompts", giving you your options for the keys [ESC], and [F1]
through [F7]. Here's what they all do:
[ESC] Leaves the program, "pops it down".
[F1] Controls image inversion in black-and-white PCX mode.
Textshot's default is with this option set to OFF. The
correct setting of this toggle (called a "toggle" because
when you press it, it goes to its opposite state; pressing once
produces ON, pressing again produces OFF) can only be determined
by examining the final printed output of whatever document or
file you've loaded your screen image into. Some applications will
print a normally-output (OFF setting) screen black-on-white while
others will print it as white-on-black. What you want your output
to look like will always determine the setting of this switch.
Try it both ways. Note that this option is disabled ("NA", for
"Not Applicable" is shown) when color or text output is active.
[F2] The state of this toggle determines whether dot patterns
are used in a graphics output file to simulate, to the
degree it's possible, the appearance of a color screen in
black-and-white. Six of the 8 possible background colors have
their own pattern. No patterns are necessary for white-on-black
and black-on-white areas. Whether or not it's worthwhile using
color patterns will again depend entirely on the nature of the
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screen you're taking a picture of and what you want the final
output to look like. As before, give it a try. This option isn't
available, or necessary, in monochrome screen modes, and "NA",
for "Not Applicable", is shown for color or text output.
[F3] On MDA/CGA-equipped machines, pressing this key does
nothing; CGA fonts are all there are. On EGA/VGA-equipped
machines, you can tell Textshot to use any available font
in your computer by pressing this toggle. For an EGA, this means
CGA and EGA fonts. For a VGA adapter, it means CGA, EGA and VGA
and ACTUAL fonts. When a VGA adapter is being used, "ACTUAL"
becomes the default font, meaning that Textshot will use the
actual text font (or fonts) being used by your computer at that
moment. Where you have a choice, each option represents
tradeoffs: EGA- and VGA-resolution fonts will give a better
picture, but at the cost of increased file size. CGA fonts
produce the smallest files, but give the worst resolution. There
are occasions when you may not want to use the running ("ACTUAL")
font. For example, if your screen is showing more than 25 screen
rows, the characters of the font being used will probably consist
of 8x8 pixels. Sticking with Textshot's ACTUAL default would use
that 8x8 font. You can bump up the resolution by switching (by
pressing [F3]) to select either the EGA or VGA system fonts. This
assumes that no custom fonts are loaded and being used. To
accurately capture these the ACTUAL option should be used.
Although Textshot normally defaults to the ACTUAL font on VGAs,
and to the highest possible resolution on others, this can be
changed by using the [F4] key.
[F4] This key preserves Textshot's toggle settings between pop-
ups, including the position of the clipping box (discussed
next). Filespecs are not preserved. The color mode,
described under [F6], below, and output mode, described under
[F7], are unaffected by this toggle.
[F5] Pressing this key lets you tell Textshot which areas of
your screen to save. When pressed, it causes the menu to
(temporarily) disappear and a white "clipping box" to
appear on your screen. The first time this key is pressed, the
box will be as large as your screen; changing the box's shape
tells Textshot which part of the screen you want saved--those
parts that are covered by the box. The clipping box is
"inclusive", which means that whatever is covered by the edges of
the box will be included in what is saved. This would permit, for
example, collapsing the clipping box down to the size of a single
character, if that's what you wanted, and saving that single
character to a file.
The clipping box is controlled by pressing the arrow keys. When
[F5] is pressed and the box first appears, the arrow keys control
the "upper left" sides of the box. The top and left sides.
Pressing [ENTER] with the box still visible "flips" the arrow
keys, which then control the "lower right" sides of the box. The
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right and bottom sides. Pressing [ENTER] again toggles sides yet
again, which can be repeated as many times as necessary.
Pressing [SHIFT + ARROW] (holding down a SHIFT key while pressing
an arrow key) accelerates the clipping box's movements, allowing
you to "cover more territory" quickly.
After setting the clipping box, pressing [ESC] makes the box
disappear and the menu reappear.
Note: When you are clipping areas on a screen where custom or
user-loaded fonts are being used, the clipping box may change
appearance. This makes no functional difference. Whatever strange
characters the box may consist of, it will work as usual.
If you want to quickly restore the clipping box to its default,
whole screen, size without having to use the arrow keys, make
sure the [F4] toggle is set to OFF, pop down Textshot, by
pressing [ESC] from the menu, and then pop it up again by
pressing [PrScr]. The box dimensions will then be reset.
[F6] This toggle controls Textshot's color mode setting.
Textshot's default pop-up mode is black-and-white, shown as
"B/W". Pressing [F6] changes this to "COLOR", and all
subsequent graphics output will be in color. Pressing the [F4]
toggle has no effect on the color setting, which remains in
effect until [F6] is pressed again.
In a change from previous versions, Textshot version 4 will
switch to, and remain in, COLOR mode when running on a monochrome
VGA (a VGA feeding a monochrome monitor, or one switched manually
from the command line). "Color" output in this case will be
grayscale.
A color or grayscale output file will be larger than an
equivalent black-and-white file, and so will usually take longer
to create.
[F7] Pressing [F7] toggles Textshot's output mode from PCX
graphics to TEXT, or pure ASCII, creating output that can
be imported into any text editor or word processor.
Switching Textshot to TEXT output mode disables ("NA" will be
displayed) options [F1] through [F3], and [F6]. The clipping box
will work as usual, determining the screen area to be read. As
with graphics mode, toggling [F4] to ON will preserve the
clipping box setting between pop-ups. When [F7] is pressed again,
all other settings are restored unchanged.
Saving To Disk
--------------
Textshot doesn't care what filenames you use, or what extensions
you give them. So, if you want your output files to be "real" PC
Paintbrush files, or "real" ASCII files, readable by your
intended application, you will have to give them the correct
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filename extensions: "PCX" or "PCC" for graphics files, and
whatever your particular text editor prefers, for ASCII files.
In TEXT output mode, if an already-existing filename is entered,
that file will be appended to. This is useful for times when you
might want to build a text file of more than one screen, such as
when the DOS "MORE" filter is used, for example, and you want the
scrolled output to all go to the same output file. HINT: Use a
single-letter output filename, for speed. When the file is
complete, rename it to whatever it needs to be.
Also in the case of TEXT output, the "filespecs" (actually device
names) PRN and LPTx--where 'x' is a number, usually 1--will
output your screen text directly to a printer. You might have to
press the formfeed or eject button on your printer's control
panel to eject the page.
Filespecs can be as long as the available screen space on an 80-
column screen, and the cursor will stop automatically when you've
reached the limit. In a mode other than 80 columns, a white block
indicates the maximum length.
After entering your filespec and selecting the desired options,
pressing [ENTER] causes Textshot to restore the screen and write
the file you've specified. Since a high-resolution file might
take a little while to write, especially on slower machines,
Textshot will beep when it's finished writing to disk. That means
your picture is complete.
Textshot does not include the system cursor in the pictures it
makes. If whatever you're using the picture for requires a text
cursor, one can be "faked in" by loading the file into a PCX file
editor and drawing it.
Palettes
--------
In color PCX mode, when running on CGA- and EGA-equipped
machines, Textshot uses the default color palette. On VGA
machines, Textshot uses the active palette.
In black-and-white PCX mode, Textshot uses a generic, default CGA
palette for its output, which has the virtue of making the images
visible in all PCX editor display modes. But the black-and-white
palette has no effect that we've seen on how such images are
handled in any word processor or desktop publishing application.
If There Are Problems
---------------------
** Files
If Textshot has problems when writing a file, you'll hear two
beeps, a message window at the top of the screen will appear, and
whatever the problem might be is described. You are then asked to
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press any key, and the message window disappears. Press [PrScr]
again to try the operation over.
Make sure you've typed a correct pathname (a directory that
exists) and that the disk you're writing to has enough room for
the output file. Textshot tells you specifically about most
common disk problems. If you see the general message "Disk
error", though, it's probably something sufficiently obscure that
Textshot (and probably you) can't do much about it.
If there ever should be any difficulty in loading a Textshot file
into an application, try loading it first into a PCX file editor,
saving it back to disk with the same filename, and trying again.
In TEXT output mode, if you take a picture of a full screen (or a
part of the screen having full screen *width*) and then proceed
to TYPE that file to your screen, the text will appear double-
spaced. The reason for this is that when Textshot writes a screen
to disk it appends a carriage return/linefeed combination to the
end of each line, to demarcate each line from the next. When you
TYPE the file to your screen, the text (spaces are "text" too--
Textshot grabs a perfect rectangle of your screen's area) will
fill the entire width of the screen. The succeeding cr/lf will
then show up on line 2, which will cause the cursor to scroll
down to line 3, where the next line of text will appear. Loading
such a file into any text editor that can handle more than 80
columns (such as DOS Edit) will eliminate this, as will reducing
the width of the captured area (by using F5) in the first place.
** Fonts
It might happen that writing an image to disk seems to go
smoothly, but when you look at the resulting file, where the text
should be is all or partly blank, or has turned to "hash" or
meaningless nonsense. Or if a 512-character font set was in use,
even "partial hash" is possible, where one font was rendered
correctly and the other wasn't. This occurs only when the ACTUAL
font is used, and the BIOS has given Textshot incorrect
information concerning the location of one or more of the running
fonts. For reasons unknown to us, this problem seems to occur
most frequently while and after programs written in compiled
BASIC are run.
An immediate solution to this problem would be to switch the Font
toggle to VGA, or one of the other system fonts, which are always
available. If you absolutely need to capture the actual font in
use, any action that resets the screen--such as typing "MODE
CO80" at the command line--may correct the problem, but rebooting
may be necessary.
When in TEXT output mode and a screen containing custom or user-
loaded fonts is being displayed, the characters in the output
file, when displayed, MAY NOT resemble those on your screen. The
reason for this is that some programs assign their own bit
patterns to one or more ASCII codes, replacing the familiar ASCII
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character for that number to display special non-ASCII characters
on the screen. In these instances a file might require cleaning
up before use.
** Multitaskers
When used with a multitasker such as Windows or DESQview, there's
greater opportunity for error than under DOS.
If Textshot's menu pops up in a multitasker session looking
"scrambled", press [ESC] and exit, since it's unlikely any
pictures taken under these circumstances will be worth saving.
When Textshot is loaded underneath (prior to) DESQview, the
cursor may not be restored to the correct spot when you quit
Textshot. The fix for this is to do anything that moves the
cursor, such as typing a character. DESQview and the cursor will
then be "in sync" again.
The "hash" problem, mentioned earlier, can also occur within
multitaskers. The solution to it, here, is the same as that
already mentioned, except that closing and reopening the
multitasker session might suffice to correct the problem.
Tips For Getting A Good Picture
-------------------------------
The first things to try when saving an image are the toggle
switches in Textshot's menu. In black-and-white PCX mode image
inversion, the use of color patterns and changing the image
resolution should make it possible to get an acceptable image
under nearly all circumstances. But what do you do if none of
these work? This section has some additional ideas.
If your video adapter is able, try switching to a monochrome
display mode (VGA, MDA, or Hercules). Many programs make their
screens differently, using ASCII characters and character
intensity only, when running in monochrome.
In cases where the color patterns aren't what you want, but you
don't want to switch Textshot to color output, you can sometimes
solve the problem by changing the patterns used by changing the
top application's screen colors, if possible. Since you are
dealing with Textshot's color patterns, it doesn't matter what
the colors on the screen look like; all that matters is that the
color patterns turn out well. If all else fails, try changing the
application to sheer black-on-white, or vice versa.
If you need to put something into a captured image that wasn't in
the original, or take out something that doesn't belong, you'll
need to resort to a PCX file editor. There, it will be possible
to add cursors, make alterations, and capture small bits of an
original file as PCC (cutout) files.
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Disclaimer & Agreement
----------------------
Users of Textshot must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
"Textshot is supplied as is. The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without
limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of
fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no
liability for damages, direct or consequential, which
may result from the use of Textshot."
Textshot is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge
to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your
friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of
another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to
provide personal computer users with quality software without
high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to
continue to develop new products. If you find this program
useful and find that you are using Textshot and continue to use
Textshot after a reasonable trial period, you must make a
registration payment of $25 to McAdams Associates. The $25
registration fee will license one copy for use on any one
computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like
a book. An example is that this software may be used by any
number of people and may be freely moved from one computer
location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it
being used at one location while it's being used at another.
Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the
same time.
Commercial users of Textshot must register and pay for their
copies of Textshot within 30 days of first use or their license
is withdrawn. Site-License arrangements may be made by contacting
McAdams Associates.
Anyone distributing Textshot for any kind of remuneration must
first contact McAdams Associates at the address below for
authorization. This authorization will be automatically granted
to distributors recognized by the ASP as adhering to its
guidelines for shareware distributors, and such distributors may
begin offering Textshot immediately (However McAdams Associates
must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to-
date with the latest version of Textshot.).
You are encouraged to pass a copy of Textshot along to your
friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their
copy if they find that they can use it.
And since this is shareware and we are a member of the
Association of Shareware Professionals, please read the
following:
"This program is produced by a member of the
Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants
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to make sure that the shareware principle works for
you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related
problem with an ASP member by contacting the member
directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman
can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP
member, but does not provide technical support for
members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at
545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a
CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman
70007,3536."
Registering Textshot
---------------------
Registering Textshot costs $25 and includes the latest version of
Textshot, a typeset manual, one year's free support by phone,
mail and CompuServe e-mail, free bug fixes, and TWO handy utility
programs: 1) SEARCH, a multitalented disk scanning file-finder
program, and 2) TO/RET, a "two-in-one" combo that work together,
enabling you to change to any disk/directory and return instantly
to your starting point.
To register Textshot directly with us, simply print and fill out
the file REGISTER.DOC and send it, along with $25 (checks or
M.O.s, made payable to Craig McAdams and drawn on a U.S. bank
only, please) to:
McAdams Associates
P.O. Box 835505
Richardson, TX 75083-5505
Compuserve: 70353,1644
Internet: 70353,1644@compuserve.com
For more information: (214) 239-9646
Be aware that this is a home telephone number. While it is likely
that someone will be present to take your call, it cannot be
guaranteed.
Credit Card Orders Only
-----------------------
You can order with MC, Visa, or Discover from Public (software)
Library by calling (800) 2424-PsL or (713) 524-6394 or by FAX to
(713) 524-6398 or by CIS Email to 71355,470. You can also mail
credit card orders to PsL at P.O. Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-
5705. Request item number 11951.
THE ABOVE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERS ONLY.
Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order,
refunds, registration options, product details, technical
support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses, etc.,
must be directed to McAdams Associates. To insure that you get
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the latest version PsL will notify us the day of your order and
we will ship the product directly to you.
Ordering via CompuServe
-----------------------
CompuServe members can register Textshot directly through the
Shareware Registration Database (GO SWREG) by requesting ID
#5219.
Thank you for trying Textshot.
12
