ftp.update.uu.se/ftp.update.uu.se.2014.03.zip/ftp.update.uu.se/pub/rainbow/msdos/decus/RB130/sedsup05.arc/SUPLMENT.DOC

Text File | 1988-11-27 | 24KB | 470 lines

                              A Supplement To SEDT

                                       By

                                 David P. Maroun
                               9395 Windsor Street
                                 Chilliwack, BC
                                     Canada
                                     V2P 6C5
                             Telephone [phone]

                           Version 5.00,  8-Apr-1988



           I use Anker Berg-Sonne's SEDT editor as a word processor; in
      particular, I use it to prepare the Vancouver Area Rainbow Users
      Group's newsletter, and to write letters in either English or
      French.  To these ends, I have developed modified key definition
      and help files, ruler files, and fairly involved command files
      that prepare documents for printers.  I am making these available
      to others to help them adapt SEDT to their own purposes.  It is
      unlikely that anyone besides myself will want to use my command
      files as they are.  However, I hope that other people will be able
      to use them as beginnings for command files that they want.  I
      also hope that my work will allow others to appreciate SEDT, which
      has become one of my favorite pieces of software.

           In this package you should find the following:

           CHAR                 A list of special characters that
                                LTR05C.105 can handle;

           HISTORY              A brief history of this package;

           LTR05C.105           A command file that prepares an SEDT
                                document as a letter to be printed on a
                                Tandy DMP-105 printer;

           RBHLP.TXT            The help file for the key definition
                                file;

           RBKEY.TXT            My modified key definition file;

           REVIEW.DOC           A review of SEDT 3.3(219) that I wrote
                                for the VARUG newsletter;

           RNL05AC.LSR          A command file that prepares the first
                                twenty pages of an SEDT document as a
                                VARUG newsletter to be printed on a
                                Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printer with a
                                92286J Math Elite font cartridge;

           RNL05B.LSR           A command file that prepares the second
                                twenty pages of the VARUG newsletter for
                                the LaserJet printer;

           RNL05C.EPS           A command file that prepares the first
                                twenty pages of an SEDT document as a
                                VARUG newsletter to be printed on an
                                Epson or Epson-compatible printer;

           RULER0.TXT
           RULER1.TXT
           RULER2.TXT
           RULER3.TXT
           RULER4.TXT
           RULER5.TXT           Six ruler files;

           SUPLMENT.DOC         This document.


           Comments are included in the command files LTR05C.105,
      RNL05AC.LSR, and RNL05C.EPS but not in RNL05B.LSR since that last
      file uses commands very similar to those in RNL05AC.LSR.  If you
      wish to reduce the size of a file by leaving out the comments,
      note that each comment line begins with ';'.


      Why Use SEDT?
      -------------

           SEDT appeals to me because it is fast, allows editing up to
      four files at once, allows horizontal scrolling (I have used over
      20 000 columns), and has an extensive command language that
      permits the user to tailor the editor to his or her own purposes.
      Furthermore, SEDT allows saving a fully-formatted document in
      ASCII format, with printer controls embedded, so that one can
      print without using SEDT for the final task.  That last feature
      has allowed me to prepare the Vancouver Area Rainbow Users Group
      newsletter on a Rainbow but print it on an IBM-compatible computer
      connected to a laser printer.  I carry out the interchange between
      the two computers by using the Rainbow to put the IBM 40-track
      single-sided format on a diskette, copying the formatted
      newsletter to that diskette, and taking the diskette to the
      IBM-type computer.  The MS-DOS COPY command serves to send the
      file to the laser printer.  Thus, SEDT helps arrange compatibility
      between a DEC Rainbow and so-called IBM compatibles or actual IBM
      PCs.

           Many other SEDT features also attract me.  Among them are the
      various undelete commands, the learn mode, the ability to deal
      with any ASCII character in a document, the ability to repeat the
      same command a specified number of times, and the ability to deal
      with columns as well as with lines.  I also very much like seeing
      text on the screen as it will appear on paper, and SEDT lets me do
      that.  Since SEDT saves files in ASCII format, it is compatible
      with any printer that I have ever used.


           Version 3.3(219) has three other very valuable features:
      (1)  The program can edit non-text files.  I find that convenient
      in many cases.
      (2)  The version of SEDT included in this package will run on
      either a Rainbow or an IBM-compatible machine, and make use of the
      special features of each computer.  The editor itself is thus
      quite portable.
      (3)  SEDT allows using context files, thus permitting me to leave
      an editing session and return to the same set-up I left.


      Why Did I Develop Supplementary Files?
      --------------------------------------

           My key definition file is a modification of the RBKEY.GLD
      file supplied by SEDT's author with previous versions of SEDT.  I
      developed my own version partly to correct some apparent mistakes
      in the original, and also to incorporate some features that I find
      useful.  I changed the RBHLP.GLD help file to suit the new key
      definition file.  Of course, much of what is in those files
      remains just as Anker Berg-Sonne wrote it.

           The command files allow me to set up a document with ANSI
      codes that the Rainbow recognizes, then convert these codes to
      printer codes.  Thus, I can insert the screen code for bold type
      into text, use the MS-DOS TYPE command to display the text with
      the bold sections evident, and then use a command file to prepare
      the text for a printer.  I could use the printer codes at the
      beginning, but that would not allow me to preview the printed copy
      on the screen.

           Another purpose of the command files is to provide page
      breaks, page headings, and page footings, sparing me the need to
      insert each one individually.

           SEDT's author suggests using a formatter like TEXTF to
      arrange page breaks, headers, and footers.  I tried TEXTF and
      found that it inserted control characters (such as form feeds)
      which some printers I used did not recognize.  TEXTF also
      eliminated many other control characters that I wanted preserved.
      Besides, SEDT's command language is extensive enough to provide
      plenty of formatting, so I prefer not to use a separate program if
      I can avoid it.

           The printer I usually have available is a Tandy DMP-105.  At
      the time I got it, it was the cheapest plain-paper printer I could
      find.  I like it, but it lacks many features of more expensive
      machines.  It does not recognize form feeds or tab characters, has
      no codes for subscripts or superscripts, cannot backspace, and
      cannot make the paper move backwards.  It also uses different
      codes for some characters that both it and the Rainbow can
      produce.  My command file LTR05C.105 allows overcoming many of
      these limitations, and so may be a good starting point for anyone
      wanting to adapt to a variety of printers.  I suggest, for
      example, that users of DEC LA100s may want to study my way of
      getting subscripts and superscripts on the DMP-105 since the
      LA100, without a special reverse-feed tractor, provides these
      features only with friction feed.

           The LaserJet is perhaps at the other end of the price and
      features scale from the DMP-105, but has its own peculiarities.
      For example, it does not recognize tab characters, and requires a
      form feed to print the last page.  The LaserJet also does not
      provide double-width print with the Math Elite font cartridge that
      I use.  My RNL05AC.LSR and RNL05B.LSR files are designed to deal
      as well as possible with these limitations.

           Epson printers use codes that have become an industry
      standard.  I developed RNL05C.EPS to make my package and SEDT more
      versatile.  Note also that a printer operating in IBM-compatible
      mode, even if it is an Epson brand printer, does not use the same
      codes.  However, IBM-compatible and Epson codes are similar enough
      that converting for IBM compatibility becomes relatively (I
      emphasize that word) simple.


      How To Use SEDT
      ---------------

           In this section, I shall provide some general directions for
      using SEDT with the files I developed.  Please note that more
      documentation is included in LTR05C.105, RBHLP.TXT, RBKEY.TXT,
      REVIEW.DOC, RNL05AC.LSR and RNL05C.EPS.  I assume that you have
      SEDT-33.ARC and SEDT-DOC.ARC, which contain Anker Berg-Sonne's own
      documentation.

           To begin editing, you should have SEDT.EXE version 3.3(219),
      RBKEY.TXT, and RBHLP.TXT available on disk.  SEDT.EXE is not
      included in the present package; it is distributed in the archive
      SEDT-33.ARC.  You may also need the ruler and command files
      supplied in the present package.

           Enter the command

           SEDT [OLDNAME.DOC NEWNAME.DOC -Lxxxx -J -E -F -B -R -xx]  .

           The items in square brackets are all optional.  OLDNAME.DOC
      is the original name of the document that you wish to edit and
      NEWNAME.DOC is the name you wish to give to the edited version.
      -Lxxxx limits the amount of memory used for editing to the number
      xxxx, so that -L300000 allows use of no more than 300 000
      characters of memory.  The -L option helps assure that enough
      memory is left over for, say, making a temporary exit to MS-DOS.
      The -J option disables journaling--the automatic recording on disk
      of progress during editing.  The -E places a control-Z at the end
      of the document when it is saved.  The -F keeps the cursor on the
      middle line of the screen with the text scrolling away from it.
      The -B suppresses creation of a backup copy of the document being
      edited.  The -R places a carriage return at the end of the
      document.  Finally, the -xx places the cursor on line number xx at
      the start of editing.

           There are other options, as Anker Berg-Sonne's documentation
      mentions.

           According to my trials, specifying both '-E' and '-R' places
      a carriage return after a control-Z, thus nullifying the return.

           You probably should not to use the '-E' and '-R' options if
      you are editing a non-text file.

           What you do when you have SEDT loaded is, I think, reasonably
      clear from RBHLP.TXT and the documentation included in SEDT-33.ARC
      and SEDT-DOC.ARC.  However, I would now like to point out some
      features of my adaptation.

           There is a keystroke sequence, <PF1> <Interrupt>, defined in
      RBKEY.TXT for saving a portion of text.  You can also execute an
      SEDT command to get the same effect.  In either case, you must
      first move the cursor to one end of the section to be saved and
      press the <Select> key.  Then move the cursor to the other end of
      the section.  If you wish to delete the section from the document
      and copy it into memory, press the <Remove> key; if you wish to
      copy without deleting, press <PF1> <Remove>.  Then press <PF1>
      <Interrupt> and, in response to the prompt, give the name of the
      file to which you wish to save the text.  Alternately, press <PF1>
      <Do>.  In answer to the prompt, type

           :PS\d:filename.ext\<Return>  ,

      with 'filename.ext' being the name you choose for the saved text
      and d: the drive on which you want it saved.  If you type

           :PS\PRN\<Return>

      you will send the text to the printer.  Similarly,

           :PS\CON\<Return>

      will send the text to the screen.  You can use a variety of other
      characters besides '\' as a delimiter, as long as you use the same
      character at each end of the name.

           Generally, you can execute an SEDT command (by the <PF1> <Do>
      sequence) rather than by typing a keystroke sequence specifically
      set up for the command.

           Suppose that you wish to separate two items by a blank but
      otherwise keep them together; for example, suppose that you want
      to keep '18 km' on the same line despite any later insertions into
      the same paragraph or reformatting.  Enter the '18', type <Ctrl>
      <]>, then enter 'km'.  On the screen you will see either a ']' in
      reverse video or '<GS>' between the '18' and the 'km', depending
      upon how SEDT displays control characters.  SEDT will treat
      everything from the initial '1' to the final 'm' as one word and
      keep it together.  When you run one of the command files to
      prepare the document for printing, the control-] character will be
      turned into a space.

           To insert superscripts, press <ESC> <ESC> <M> (that must be a
      capital 'M'), type in the superscript, then press <ESC> <ESC> <D>
      (again, use upper case for the 'D').  Pressing the <ESC> key twice
      inserts an escape character.

           For example, the sequence

           <P> <ESC> <ESC> <M> <5> <ESC> <ESC> <D>

      will insert a 'P' with a '5' as a superscript into the final text;
      that is, the final text will show P raised to the power 5.  For
      best results, skip a line before each line that has superscripted
      symbols on it.

           To insert subscripts, press <Ctrl> <K>, type in the
      subscript, and then type <ESC> <Up-arrow>.  The <ESC> <Up-arrow>
      sequence inserts '<ESC>[A' into the text.  For example,

           <P> <Ctrl> <K> <5> <ESC> <Up-arrow>

      will produce 'P' with '5' as a subscript in the final text.  For
      best results, leave a line blank after each line that has
      subscripted symbols on it.

            You can see the superscripts and subscripts on the screen by
      saving the file to disk, leaving SEDT, and using the MS-DOS TYPE
      command to display the file.  If you can accept a screen width of
      eighty characters, you can use TYPE without leaving SEDT.  First,
      press the <Do> key, and respond to the prompt with

           TYPE d:filename.ext<Return>

      with d: being the drive on which the file is located and
      'filename.ext' the name you have given to the document.

           To make a line appear double-width on the screen, insert the
      sequence '<ESC>#6' (without the quotation marks) into the text.
      You must repeat the sequence for each line that is to appear
      double-width.  To insert the 'ESC' character, press the <ESC> key
      twice, just as for superscripts or subscripts.  To see the
      double-width, proceed as for seeing subscripts.  You will likely
      have to adjust your margins to suit double-width lines.

           To prepare a document as a letter for the Tandy DMP-105
      printer (or another printer that uses Tandy codes), load SEDT and
      edit LTR05C.105.  Use search and replace operations to put in the
      page headings and footings that you want.  Then save the file to
      disk.  Next, load the document that you want formatted.  Type
      <PF1> <X> and in response to the prompt type in

           LTR05C.105<Return>  .

      Wait until the commands complete their job.  You will be able to
      inspect the final document on the screen before sending it to the
      printer, just in case something went wrong.

           The procedure for formatting a document for the LaserJet
      printer is similar, but you must use the RNL05AC.LSR and
      RNL05B.LSR command files.

           When it is time to send the finished document to the printer,
      perhaps the best procedure is to save to disk (say, under the name
      'B:FILE.DOC'), leave SEDT, get the printer ready, and enter

           COPY B:FILE.DOC PRN<Return>  .

           If you prefer to print without leaving SEDT, you can press
      the <Do> key and then enter the above MS-DOS command in response
      to the prompt.

           Alternatively, while SEDT is loaded, you can use the print
      command, <PF1> <Ctrl> <P>, and specify

           PRN<Return>

      in response to the prompt.  SEDT will send the file to the
      printer, and will send a form feed at the end.  If your printer is
      a Tandy DMP-105, it will respond to the form feed by printing a
      small hourglass-like figure, not by advancing the paper.

           My advice:  Spare yourself trouble; use the MS-DOS COPY
      command.

           If you wish to adapt the command files for some other
      printer, you must go through your printer manual and replace the
      printer codes in the command files by those for your printer.
      Plan to make a number of trials before you use a new command file
      for serious purposes; you probably will not get a satisfactory
      command file the first time.

           As a matter of fact, I am not completely satisfied with some
      aspects of my own command files, notably the treatment of
      subscripts and superscripts on some printers.  On the Tandy
      DMP-105, subscripts and superscripts are just as big as the main
      symbols.  I would prefer to have smaller print for the raised and
      lowered characters.  Failure to skip a line before superscripts
      and after subscripts may not only result in characters touching
      each other, but in some cases may cause an incorrect number of
      lines on a page.  These are perhaps minor problems; I can live
      with them, but I would like to solve them someday.

           The LaserJet, of course, provides a somewhat more appealing
      treatment of subscripts and superscripts as well of most other
      text.

           The command file RNL05C.EPS for Epson printers produces
      subscripts that are too high and superscripts that are too low.  I
      sometimes have a bit of trouble recognizing them as subscripts or
      superscripts.  Subscripts look best on capital letters and
      superscripts on lower-case letters.

           A great many printers use Epson codes, and the results of
      printing depend on which printer is used.  On an Epson FX-80, I
      did not get bold type; apparently the printer would not provide
      bold (or "emphasized") type while in near-letter-quality mode.
      That problem did not arise with an Epson FX-286e nor with an Epson
      LQ1050.

          Certain other features of this package should be noted.  One
      involves the use of control-B to fix a blank in place.  While
      editing, you can see an inserted control-B (usually as a B in
      inverse video), but if you save the file to disk and use the TYPE
      command to display the file, you will not be able to see the
      control-B.  Running the command files converts control-Bs into
      blanks, which you can again see.  Another feature to note is the
      use of inverse video.  Typing control-V inserts the escape
      sequence for inverse video into the text being edited; typing
      <PF1> <ESC> <ESC> inserts a sequence which causes a return to
      normal video.  The inverse video passages can be viewed by saving
      the file to disk and using the TYPE command.  The LTR05C.105
      command file converts inverse-video passages into condensed
      characters on the Tandy DMP-105 printer.  You should therefore
      adjust the margins and line lengths of such passages accordingly.
      The command files for the laser and Epson printers convert inverse
      video sequences into codes to produce italics.  The italic
      passages end with the code for normal video.

           Note also that this package uses control-K for subscripts,
      thus conflicting with Anker Berg-Sonne's suggested use with
      TXFINDX.

           LTR05C.105 is the most nearly complete of the command files.
      This is so because it is designed for the Tandy DMP-105, which I
      happen to own, while the other command files are designed for
      printers that I cannot use so often nor so freely.  Perhaps in the
      future I can add more conversions to the command files for the
      laser printer and Epson printers.


      Computers On Which These Files Run
      ----------------------------------

           I have tested the files in the present package only on DEC
      Rainbow 100s.  SEDT 3.3(219) will also run on IBM PCs and
      compatible computers.  I expect that the command files would work
      well enough on such machines if they have ANSI.SYS, or an
      equivalent system, installed, and if ANSI codes were used in the
      documents being edited.  I also expect that RBKEY.TXT and
      RBHLP.TXT would have to be adapted--perhaps a great deal--before
      they would be useful on a computer much different from a Rainbow.
      If anyone tries my files on other than Rainbows, I would very much
      like to hear about the results.


      Distribution Policy
      -------------------

           The parts of this package that were written by others should
      be treated according to their rules.  I retain the copyright to my
      own contributions, but grant a license to anyone to use or modify
      them under the following conditions:
      (1)  He or she should give me credit for my work, and
      (2)  if he or she makes modifications, he or she should so
      indicate.

           I make no restrictions on using my work for commercial,
      government, or private purposes.  No one should feel obliged to
      pay me for what I have done (though I will gladly accept
      donations!).  I would appreciate being told what experiences--
      either favorable, unfavorable, or neutral--anyone has with my
      work.

           Although I have tested this package, I provide no guarantee
      whatsoever about the suitability of my files for any purposes.  I
      provide the files only as the results of my own work and as
      starting points for other research.  As I mentioned previously,
      some parts of my files are so specialized that someone else will
      most likely be obliged to make changes.