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Precise Point Graphical Text Mode Mouse Cursor Driver ─────────────────────────────────────── (C) Copyright 1992 Andy Hakim All Rights Reserved U S E R M A N U A L Version 1.15 For interactive help, type PP /H For a brief summary of options, type PP /? ┌───────┐ ┌────┴──┐ │ (R) --│ │ │------------------- │ ┌────┴──┐ │ Association of │ │ ├─┘ Shareware └──┤ o │ Professionals -----│ │ │--------------------- └───┴───┘ MEMBER TABLE OF CONTENTS ADDRESSES .................................................... 1 CREDIT CARD REGISTRATION ..................................... 1 SOFTWARE LICENSE ............................................. 2 VENDOR INFORMATION ........................................... 3 ASP OMBUDSMAN STATEMENT ...................................... 3 DISCLAIMER/WARRANTY .......................................... 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................. 4 WHAT IS PRECISE POINT ........................................ 5 REQUIREMENTS ................................................. 5 INSTALLATION ................................................. 5 COMMAND LINE OPTIONS (PP.EXE) ................................ 6 /? ............................................... 6 /H ............................................... 6 /U ............................................... 6 /E ............................................... 6 /D ............................................... 6 /EGA[43] ............................................... 6 /VGA[50] ............................................... 6 /R ............................................... 7 /S ............................................... 7 /N ............................................... 7 /F ............................................... 7 COMMAND LINE EXAMPLES ........................................ 8 CONFIGURATION FILES ......................................... 9 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ................................... 10 ERROR MESSAGES ............................................... 12 CONFIGURATION PROGRAM (PPCONFIG.EXE) ......................... 13 Buttons ............................................... 13 Bitmap Editing ........................................... 15 Sacrifice Map ............................................ 15 Ascii Table .............................................. 16 Sensitivity .............................................. 16 VGA Considerations ....................................... 16 SMD PROGRAMMERS KIT .......................................... 17 TRADEMARKS ................................................... 19 REVISION HISTORY ............................................. 19 Precise Point Documentation Page: 1 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ADDRESSES ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Direct all correspondence to: │ US Mail │ Andy Hakim │ 816 Pecore Street │ Houston, TX 77009-6034 │ U.S.A. │ Telephone │ +1 713-880-3059 │ Internet │ ahakim@uh.edu DECnet/THEnet │ uhou::ahakim │ CompuServe and │ Send a message to the Internet address listed MCI Mail │ above. │ FTP site │ karazm.math.uh.edu (129.7.128.1) directory │ /pub/Incoming/PP/ │ Use login name "anonymous" and give your email │ address for the password. │ Bulletin Board │ Sands BBS │ +1 713-961-1604 │ 2400 through 16800 baud, HST/v.32bis │ Use login name "precise point" and "mouse" for │ the password. To send me a message, address it │ to "Andy Hakim" │ CREDIT CARD REGISTRATION ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── You can register directly from the author or from Public (software) Library with your Master Card, Visa, American Express, or Discover Card by calling 1-800-242-4PSL (4775) (from overseas: 1-713-524-6394) or by FAX to 1-713-524-6398 or by CompuServe to 71355,470 or by Internet to 71355.470@compuserve.com. THESE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERING ONLY. The author can NOT be reached at those numbers. For information about site licensing, the status of the shipment, technical support, or to discuss returns contact the author at the addresses listed above. Precise Point Documentation Page: 2 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ SINGLE USER SOFTWARE LICENSE ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── You are granted a limited license to use this software for evaluation purposes for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days. If you intend to continue using this software (and/or it's documentation) after the sixty (60) day evaluation period, you must make a registration payment to its author, Andy Hakim. Registered users will receive an invoice, an official Precise Point diskette containing the latest version, and free updates for a period of one (1) year from the registration date. The registration fee for Precise Point is $20.00 (US Currency). If you are located outside the US, please add $4.00 for shipping and handling. For your convenience, a MAILER.DOC file contains a pre-addressed mailer. Simply print it, fill it out, enclose a check or money order (payable to Andy Hakim), and mail it to the address at the beginning of this document. If you prefer to use your credit card, you can also place and order from PsL (see above.) PLEASE! Show your support for Shareware by registering the programs you actually use. The author of this program depends upon and needs your support. Thank you! SITE LICENSE ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── A site license is an inexpensive way for more than one person to legally use one copy of a program on more than one computer at a time. Site licenses are designed for companies, offices or workgroups where more than one person in the organization needs to use a product, but does not need additional manuals or disks. Site licensing enables companies, departments, government agencies, etc., to equip their personnel with the tools they need at a minimal cost. To obtain a site license, please contact the author at the addresses listed at the beginning of this document. Precise Point Documentation Page: 3 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ VENDOR INFORMATION ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Software vendors, BBSs, FTP sites, and User Groups may distribute copies of Precise Point as long as all files from the original package (those files listed in the PACKING.LST file) are included and are unmodified. If you wish to distribute Precise Point with your software or hardware product, please contact the author for licensing agreements. Generally, there is no charge if you are a non- commercial software developer, but you must obtain written authorization from the author. ASP OMBUDSMAN STATEMENT ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── This program is produced by a member of the Association of shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants 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: ASP Ombudsman 545 Grover Road Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 U.S.A. or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe MAIL to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. DISCLAIMER/WARRANTY INFORMATION ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Users of Precise Point must accept this disclaimer of warranty: Precise Point 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 Precise Point. Precise Point Documentation Page: 4 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The following individuals have contributed their time, effort, and helpful advice in the development and testing in this program: Mark at A&M Russell Mace Tony Acero Scott Mace Peter Arien Manfred Marriot Rod Bartlett Steven A. McCluney James E. Bennett Tobias Oetiker Ralf G. R. Bergs Graeme Paton Chad A. Bersche Bryan J. Petty Ralf Brown Jeroen W. Pluimers Frank Burleigh Gene Pope Travis Cobbs David Purnell Wayne J. Doust David Rawling Patrick Dussud Eric Raymond Matthew J. D'Errico Michael Ring Leonard Erickson Tim Rowley Steve Faiwiszewski Mike Scheidler Peter S. Fales Robert Stalder Thomas Greiner Bruce Stenning Tony Heydeman Patrick Taylor Olaf Hintz J. Eric Townsend Ping Huang Trenton Tuggle Shan-Chiao Huang Brian in UK Robert B. Israel Sarat Vemuri Jari P. Karjala Nico E. de Vries Michael L. Kaufman Stephen A. Weatherford B. Kelly Pete Wenzel Aki Korhonen Lachlan Wetherall Joseph Kruckenber Garry V. Wiles Noah Lermer Philip Wu Rob Lizak Jr. John D. Zitterkoff Thank you all! Precise Point Documentation Page: 5 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ WHAT IS PRECISE POINT ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Precise Point is a DOS TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) utility that enhances the text mode mouse cursor. Normally, the mouse cursor is shaped like a block, and is hard to control. With Precise Point this block is transformed into a sooth moving graphics style pointer. Precise Point remains in memory until the computer is reset or turned off. Almost all text mode mousable applications make use of the new mouse cursor. Graphics applications are not affected. REQUIREMENTS ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ■ IBM PC XT, AT or compatible computer ■ DOS 3.0 or higher ■ EGA or VGA video adapter ■ Any mouse or pointing device and driver software examples of driver software are named: mouse.sys, mouse.com, gmouse.com. Refer to your computer manual for more information. ■ Precise Point will take up approximately 6500 bytes of core memory when loaded. This memory can be saved by loading in high memory (see INSTALLATION) INSTALLATION ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── To load Precise Point, type PP at the DOS prompt. It will remain in memory until the computer is reset or turned off. To automatically load PP each time your computer is started, add it to the autoexec.bat file. The Auto Load button in PPCONFIG can perform this installation step for you. PP may be loaded in high memory using DOS 5.0, DR Dos, or a memory manager such as QEMM/386 or 386 to the Max. This will eliminate the 6k memory overhead required by PP. Precise Point Documentation Page: 6 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ COMMAND LINE OPTIONS ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Usage: PP [options] [config file[.ini]] Options are not case or order sensitive, and may be preceded by a slash (/) or dash (-). Words in brackets [] are optional. /? Displays a brief summary of options that can be used from the DOS command line. The status line indicates whether PP is loaded in memory and activated. /H Invokes a comprehensive interactive help system. Allows the user to select and view help topics. Help on PP and PPCONFIG is available. /U Restores the block mouse cursor and removes PP from memory, if it was the last application loaded. /E, /D Activates or deactivates PP, if it was previously loaded. PP continues to remain in memory. When running under DESQview, PP is automatically deactivated. /EGA[43] /EGA sets 25 line EGA mode, using 8x14 matrix character set. /EGA43 sets 43 line EGA mode, using 8x8 matrix character set. /VGA[50] /VGA sets 25 line VGA mode, using 8x16 matrix character set. /VGA50 sets 50 line EGA mode, using 8x8 matrix character set. Both options cause the hardware video font to be loaded. /R, /S These fonts eliminate the VGA character distortion problem. It is valid in VGA 25 line mode only. The font reverts to the default hardware font when the video mode changes. Precise Point Documentation Page: 7 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ /N, /F Microsoft mouse drivers versions 7.04 or greater pause for about one second whenever they are reset by software. This annoying pause is most noticeable when applications are started. The fast mouse option uses an alternate method of resetting the driver which is instantaneous. PP automatically determines if your mouse driver is capable of this feature at install time. Older drivers, such as Genius 9.01 and Microsoft 6.24 do not support this feature. Certain rare driver/software combinations do not work properly with the fast mouse option. In such cases, the /N manual override should be used. Normally, these switches are not necessary. > nul Prevents messages from being displayed on the screen. This must be the last option on the command line. (ie: PP /S > NUL) Precise Point Documentation Page: 8 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ COMMAND LINE EXAMPLES ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── C:> PP Precise Point is loaded in memory and settings from the configuration file PP.INI (if present) are used. ................................................................. C:> PP STAR Settings from the configuration file STAR.INI are used. ................................................................. C:> PP /VGA50 Changes to VGA 50 line text mode. The character font reverts to the computer's built in font. ................................................................. C:> PP /VGA /S Changes to VGA 25 line text mode. The Sans Serif character font is used. ................................................................. C:> PP /EGA Changes to the EGA 25 line text mode. ................................................................. C:> PP /D > nul Precise Point is disabled, but remains in memory. The block mouse cursor is restored. No messages are displayed on the screen. ................................................................. C:> PP /U Precise Point is removed from memory. The block mouse cursor is restored. Precise Point Documentation Page: 9 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ CONFIGURATION FILES ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Configuration files contain the shape of the mouse cursor and other related information. The .ini file extension is optional. While loading, PP uses the config file PP.INI if present and if no other config file is specified. Files are searched in the following manner: ■ explicit path if specified ex: pp c:\mouse\face.ini ■ current directory ■ pathname from which PP was executed ex: c:\mouse\pp face.ini looks for c:\mouse\face.ini Advanced users may wish to add or remove certain sections using a standard text editor. This is especially useful in creating independent sacrifice maps, or bitmap shapes. Precise Point Documentation Page: 10 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Question: The PP cursor appear on more than one part of the screen. Cause: Occurs when the application is using a character that is part of PP's sacrifice map. Solution: Modify PP's Sacrifice Map using PPCONFIG. There are also several config (.ini) files which contain custom sacrifice maps. For example, the file FOXPRO.INI has a specially defined sacrifice map to avoid conflicts with the FoxPro Database. ................................................................. Question: When I move the PP cursor over certain characters (ex: 0, A, M, w) their right edge grows thick. Cause: This problem only occurs in VGA 25 line mode. The hardware design of the VGA does not allow programmers to precisely control the 9th pixel of each character. Solution: Use another character font. Two specially designed fonts are built into PP and can be activated by the /S and /R command line switches. Fonts can also be activated from PPCONFIG using the Default Font button. Example: C:> PP /S loads the Sans Serif character font ................................................................. Question: The PP cursor leaves droppings when I drag a window or move a pull-down menu, how do I solve this? Cause: The application is designed to work with a one cell mouse cursor. PP's cursor may occupy as many as nine adjacent cells. Solution: Choose a smaller mouse bitmap (ex: small.ini) whose size is less than 8x14 pixels. Many Borland applications have a useful screen "refresh" menu option which also fixes this problem. Precise Point Documentation Page: 11 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Question: Why does the color of the PP cursor change as I move over different parts of the screen? Cause: PP uses the foreground color of the character underneath the mouse cursor. Solution: Due to hardware limitations, it is not possible to superimpose a totally different color mouse cursor in text mode. If your program allows the color scheme to be changed, try choosing similar foreground colors. The background color does not affect the color of the PP cursor. ................................................................. Question: I see a block mouse cursor even after PP is loaded. Causes: The application may be using the hardware cursor (example: CompuShow 8.4) PP only affects the software mouse cursor. You may be running DESQview. The current version of PP does not support the DESQview multitasker. Some applications, such as WordPerfect 5.x, XTreeGold 2.5, Telemate, and Quattro Pro 4.0 simulate their own mouse cursor instead of using the one provided by the mouse driver. Solution: None. Software developers are encouraged to utilize the software mouse cursor and other services from int33h. See also: SMD Programming Kit from the Help Index. ................................................................. Question: In a windowed DOS session in Windows, or OS/2. I see squiggly characters in place of the mouse cursor. Cause: PP works closely with the video system, and many of the video 'tricks' it uses are not possible in graphics mode. Solution: Switch to full screen mode. Preferably, close the window and start a new full screen DOS window. Precise Point Documentation Page: 12 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ERROR MESSAGES ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The following messages may be displayed at the DOS prompt: 1: Cannot run under DESQview PP does not work with DESQview or DESQview/X. If DV is run after PP is installed, it will disable itself. 2: Installation failed PP could not be installed successfully. Your mouse driver is probably too old. Upgrade to a new mouse driver. 3: Precise Point already installed (PP /? for help) You tried to install PP when it is already installed in memory. 4: Precise Point not installed, option invalid You tried to use a command line option, such as /E, that requires PP to be installed in memory. Only the following options /EGA /VGA /S /R can be used without PP being installed. 5: Precise Point unloaded from memory This message informs you that PP has been successfully unloaded from memory. 6: Mouse driver not installed The regular mouse driver (mouse.com or mouse.sys) must be loaded before PP is installed. 7: Cannot remove Precise Point from memory You may have another program installed in memory after PP. The system may be unstable at this point, you may want to reboot. 8: This program requires an EGA or VGA video card You must have an EGA or VGA compatible card. 9: This option only works on VGA cards Options /VGA /S and /R require that you have a VGA video card. 10: Configuration File not found The configuration file you have specified cannot be found. If you forget to use a slash (/) or dash (-) in front of a command line option, you may also get this message. 11: Unrecognized option (PP /? for help) You have used an invalid command line option. For a list of options, see the topic "PP Command Line Options." Precise Point Documentation Page: 13 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ CONFIGURATION PROGRAM (PPCONFIG) ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The PPCONFIG program allows you to do the following tasks: ■ Create or edit bitmaps ■ Edit the sacrifice maps ■ Adjust the mouse sensitivity ■ Select a new screen font Various features are controlled by buttons, which can be depressed by the click of the mouse. Blue buttons perform general actions which affect the entire program. Green buttons are used to manipulate the active bitmap at the center of the screen. The two white buttons are associated with the sacrifice map. And the orange button chooses between various screen fonts. Buttons ─────── UNDO Allows you to revert to the way things were just before the last action you took. LOAD/SAVE CONFIG Allows you to save your work to disk in a configuration file. The bitmap, sacrifice map, and sensitivity settings are saved. You may also load any previously-saved .ini file. TOGGLE BITMAP Switches between the cursor (foreground) or screen (background) bitmaps for editing purposes. DEFAULT FONT/SAN SERIF/ROMAN Switches between the Default (system), San Serif (custom), or Roman (custom) character font sets. AUTO LOAD Adds PP to your autoexec.bat file for automatic loading. A backup file is saved as autoexec.bak. HOTSPOT Allows you to alter the center point of the bitmap. The hotspot location appears in yellow spot in the bitmap area. DEFAULT SACMAP Lets you select from one of three predefined Sacrifice Maps which Sacrifice Map you want to use. Precise Point Documentation Page: 14 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ TEST BITMAP Allows you to test the Hotspot, and to see the cursor (foreground), and its screen bitmap (background). DUPLICATE Replaces the visible bitmap with the hidden bitmap. For example, if you are editing the screen bitmap the cursor bitmap will be copied over, or vice-versa. ASCII VALUES Toggles between viewing entries on the Sacrifice Map as values or as their character representation. FLIP X/FLIP Y Affects the currently displayed bitmap as follows: ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ ■ │ │ ■■ │ │ ■ │ │ ■■■ │ │ ■ ■■ │ │ ■■■ │ │ ■■■■■ │ │ ■■■■■■ │ │ ■■■■■ │ │ ■■■■■■ │ │ ■■■■■ │ │ ■■■■■■ │ │ ■ ■■ │ │ ■■■ │ │ ■■ ■ │ │ ■■ │ │ ■ │ │ ■■ │ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ Original Flip Y Flip X INVERT/GROW Affects the currently displayed bitmap as follows: ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ │ │■■■■■■■■■■■│ │ │ │ │ │■■■■■■■■■■■│ │ ■■ │ │ ■■ │ │■■■■ ■■■■■│ │ ■■■■ │ │ │ │■■■■■■■■■■■│ │ ■■ │ │ │ │■■■■■■■■■■■│ │ │ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ Original Invert Grow Precise Point Documentation Page: 15 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Bitmap Editing ────────────── The bitmap editing area in the center of the screen, allows you to create or edit the shape of the mouse cursor. The 'screen bitmap' determines the background area to be erased. The 'cursor bitmap' is then superimposed on top of the same area in the foreground color. The Toggle Bitmap button selects between these two maps. The 'screen bitmap' is generally used to create a border around the 'cursor bitmap'. For this reason, the former should be slightly larger in size than the latter. A typical sequence of steps in creating a mouse cursor are: ■ Draw the cursor bitmap ■ Press Toggle Bitmap \ screen bitmap is ■ Press Duplicate > generated automatically ■ Press Grow / by these steps ■ Set the Hotspot ■ Use Arrow keys to shift bitmap if necessary The four arrow keys shift the entire bitmap in the indicated direction. For optimization purposes, the bitmap should be shifted to the upper left corner of the screen. Sacrifice Map ───────────── Up to 9 characters, from a collection of 256*, are redefined for use with the mouse cursor. These characters cannot be used by other applications -- they must be 'sacrificed.' By default, PP chooses 9 least used characters for the sacrifice map. In rare cases, an application uses a character that is in the sacrifice map. When this occurs, the mouse cursor appears to be in more than one area of the screen. To remedy this, a new character must be selected from the ascii table. ┌───┬───┬───┐ │215│216│208│ Items in the map may be viewed as numeric values ├───┼───┼───┤ or as character by using the Ascii Values button. │210│212│213│ ├───┼───┼───┤ There are several configuration files which │211│198│199│ contain predefined maps for some applications. └───┴───┴───┘ * Characters 32 to 126 represent ordinary text patterns and should not be used in the sacrifice map. Precise Point Documentation Page: 16 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Ascii Table ─────────── This window appears when you click on an item in the sacrifice map. It contains a table of the 256 available characters and their corresponding values. Gray bars indicate a currently chosen sacmap value. The black bar indicates the cursor-select position. Double click on the black bar to select the character. Press the right mouse button to cancel the window. ┌─────────────┐ │ ... │ │ 130 VGA │ <- 'VGA' indicates character is │ 131 --- │ suitable for VGA 25 line mode. │ 132 --- │ Choosing a '---' designated │ 134 VGA │ character may cause vertical │ ... │ lines in the mouse cursor. └─────────────┘ Sensitivity ─────────── Certain combinations of mouse drivers, mice, and operating systems may affect the sensitivity of the mouse while PP is activated. The yellow bars allow you adjust the horizontal and vertical sensitivity. These settings are saved in configuration files. To automatically load sensitivity settings each time PP is loaded, save the configuration file as "PP.INI" VGA Considerations ────────────────── The VGA 25 line text mode is organized into character cells arranged in a 9x16 matrix. The VGA was designed such the 9th column in each cell cannot be directly controlled. This complicates matters somewhat and affects PP in two ways: Visual Side Effect: When the mouse cursor is moved over certain characters (ex: 0, M), their right edges grows thick. This can be remedied by using a new screen font. See also /S, /R, and Command Line Options. Choosing Sacrifice Map Characters: When choosing new sacrifice map characters, you are limited to those characters which are designated as 'VGA' on the ascii table. Selecting a '---' character has the effect of disabling the 9th column, and results in vertical lines in the mouse cursor. Precise Point Documentation Page: 17 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ SMD PROGRAMMING KIT ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The Smooth Mouse Driver (SMD) kit is available for programmers who wish to use a PP style mouse cursor in their own application. SMD libraries provide the functionality of PP in embedded form. They are compatible with C (Borland and Microsoft), assembly language, and Clipper. C and assembly source code for all libraries, example programs is provided. For ordering information, please contact the author. The following new function calls are added to interrupt 33h by all programs using SMD (Note: PP and PPCONFIG use SMD): Excerpt from Ralf Brown's Interrupt List edition 31: │----------333000----------------------------- │INT 33 - Smooth Mouse Driver, PrecisePoint - INSTALLATION CHECK │ AX = 3000h │Return: AX = FFFFh if installed │ BX = version number (BH = major, BL = minor) │Program: SMD is a programmer's library by Andy Hakim which │ provides a graphics-style mouse cursor in text mode. │ PrecisePoint is an SMD-based TSR which replaces the │ block mouse cursor in text applications. │SeeAlso: AX=0000h,AX=3001h,AX=3003h │----------333001----------------------------- │INT 33 - Smooth Mouse Driver, PrecisePoint - ENABLE SMOOTH MOUSE │ AX = 3001h │Return: AX = status (0000h = disabled, 0001h = enabled) │Note: SMD remains disabled if running under Desqview or in │ graphics │SeeAlso: AX=0001h,AX=0002h,AX=3002h │----------333001----------------------------- │INT 33 - Smooth Mouse Driver, PrecisePoint - DISABLE SMOOTHMOUSE │ AX = 3002h │Return: AX = status (0000h = disabled, 0001h = enabled) │SeeAlso: AX=0001h,AX=0002h,AX=3000h,AX=3001h │----------333003----------------------------- │INT 33 - Smooth Mouse Driver, PrecisePoint - GET INFORMATION │ AX = 3003h │ BL = data structure selector │ 00h Primary Bitmap (used for 25 line mode) │ 01h Secondary Bitmap (used for 43/50 line modes) │ 02h Sacrifice Character Map │ 03h Program Information │Return: ES:DI -> selected data structure │SeeAlso: AX=3000h Precise Point Documentation Page: 18 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │Format of Primary/Secondary Bitmap [SMD_BITMAP_STRUCT] │Offset Size Description │ 00h BYTE vertical size of bitmap (00h - 10h) │ 01h BYTE horizontal size of bitmap (00h - 10h) │ 02h BYTE vertical hotspot position (00h - 10h) │ 03h BYTE horizontal hotspot position (00h - 10h) │ 04h 16 WORDs cursor bitmap data │ 14h 16 WORDs screen bitmap data │ │Format of Sacrifice Character Map [SMD_SMAP_STRUCT] │Offset Size Description │ 00h BYTE bytes are character values (00h-FFh) used in │ 01h BYTE place of the actual character for the │ 02h BYTE +--------------+ screen occupied by │ 03h BYTE | 0h | 1h | 2h | of the mouse cursor │ 04h BYTE |----+----+----| │ 05h BYTE | 3h | 4h | 5h | │ 06h BYTE |----+----+----| │ 07h BYTE | 6h | 7h | 8h | │ 08h BYTE +--------------+ │ │Format of Program Information [SMD_INFO_STRUCT] │Offset Size Description │ 00h WORD segment of old interrupt 33h handler │ 02h WORD offset of old interrupt 33h handler │ 04h WORD PSP of SMD │ 06h BYTE ENABLE/DISABLE manual setting status │ 07h BYTE ENABLE/DISABLE internal usage status │----------333004----------------------------- │INT 33 - Smooth Mouse Driver, PrecisePoint - RESERVED FUTURE │ AX = 3004 EXPANSION │SeeAlso: AX=3000h │----------333005----------------------------- │INT 33 - Smooth Mouse Driver, PrecisePoint - RESERVED FUTURE │ AX = 3005 EXPANSION │SeeAlso: AX=3000h Precise Point Documentation Page: 19 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ TRADEMARKS AND PRODUCTS ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 386 to the Max is a product of Qualitas, Inc. Compushow is a product of Canyon State Systems and Software DESQview and QEMM/386 are products of Quarterdeck Office Systems DR Dos is a product of Digital Research Genius Dyna Mouse is a product of KYE Corporation MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation OS/2 is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation Quattro Pro, Turbo C, Borland C++, and Turbo Pascal are registered trademarks of Borland International, Inc. Windows is trademark of Microsoft Corporation WordPerfect is a trademark of Wordperfect Corporation XTreeGold is a product of Xtree Company REVISION HISTORY ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── October 18, 1992 0.970 Final Beta Release December 9, 1992 1.00 Initial Release December 25, 1992 1.00ASP ASP Release January 7, 1993 1.10 Ultravision support, restores blinking attribute, doc update. March 1, 1993 1.11 Maintenance Release March 9, 1993 1.12 Maintenance Release March 26, 1993 1.13 Maintenance Release April 16, 1993 1.14 Bug fix: works with Q&A 4.0 detects os2 windowed dos mode June 10, 1993 1.15 PSL ordering information added. Removed os2 windowed dos mode detection due to inconsistancy in checking routine.