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LyneWriter version 2.3
Evaluation Version
R E F E R E N C E M A N U A L
Copyright (c) 1988-1990 Roger Cope
All Rights Reserved
Mr J R Cope
6 St Margaret's Drive
Craig-y-don
LLANDUDNO
LL30 1YD Great Britain
CompuServe : 100010,277
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 1
LyneWriter 2.3 is a text utility. It can be used as a typewriter
replacement, in which case it offers a powerful emulation of an
electronic typewriter environment. In this mode, it can also be used
as a printer setup utility and is particularly suitable for
experimenting with printer control sequences.
Increasingly though, LyneWriter's development is concentrating on it's
text editor mode, in which it offers all of the basic text editing
functions in a simple to use package. New for version 2.3 is the
ability to embed printer control sequences in text files, beginning
LyneWriter's move towards the goal of being a quality low end
wordprocessor.
This version of the software and the documentation was completed
during December 1990. This documentation is distributed with the
Shareware version of the program in order to allow a full evaluation
to be made. A separately written, desk top published manual is
included with the registered version.
The names of hardware and software used in this manual may be
trademarks or trade names of specific manufacturer's or publishers.
All such names are acknowledged.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 2
LICENCE
LyneWriter is NOT public domain or free software, but is distributed
through the Shareware system. This means that you may copy the
shareware version freely and give the copies away to anyone you wish,
at no cost. They in turn are requested to use the software for
evaluation and to register their copy if they use it regularly.
The user supported software concept (often referred to as Shareware)
is an attempt to provide software at low cost. The cost of offering
a new product by conventional means is staggering, and hence dissuades
many independant authors and small companies from developing and
promoting their ideas. User supported software is an attempt to
develop a new marketing channel, where products can be introduced at
low cost.
If user supported software works, then everyone will benefit. The user
will benefit by receiving quality products at low cost, and by being
able to 'test drive' the software thoroughly before purchasing it.
The author benefits by being able to enter the commercial software
arena without first needing large sources of venture capital.
But it can only work with your support. The money you may have paid to
obtain this evaluation copy of LyneWriter was a distribution fee only.
None of it will go to the author. If you find this, or any other,
shareware program useful you should register the program with the author
or his/her registration agent. The benefits to you of registering
LyneWriter are described in Appendix A together with a scale of fees
and registration forms. A standard single user registration costs £25
Sterling.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 3
DISCLAIMER
This software is supplied as-is for the purposes of evaluation
only. Users have not purchased the right to claim support from the
author, other than that required to enable a reasonable evaluation of
the software to take place. No warranties, expressed or implied are
given with this software. The author assumes no liability for any
damages, either direct or consequential, that arise from the use or
misuse of this software product.
If you are having problems when evaluating this software, please
contact the author at the address given in the appendix headed
'Registration'. Please bear in mind that you have NOT paid for this
software and that support is only guaranteed to registered users.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 4
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
...Installation
Modes of Operation
Editing Keys
...Extended ASCII Characters
...Shell to DOS
...Block Functions
...Reformat Paragraph
...Search and Replace
...Using Printer Control Sequences
The Menu System
...Fonts Menu
...Printer Menu
...Options Menu
......Print
......File
......Tabs
Appendix A
...ASCII Character Set
Acknowledgements
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 5
INTRODUCTION
LyneWriter was originally written to fulfil a simple need: although
computers are generally good at most things, they tend to be lousy
when it comes to typing labels, envelopes and short notes. Today's
powerful wordprocessors are fine for most jobs, but they are far too
clumsy to efficiently emulate an electronic typewriter.
Early versions of LyneWriter concentrated on combining an easy to use
'correctable electronic typewriter' interface with an equally easy to
use printer setup capability. Version 2.1 expanded on the basic idea
by adding a text editing mode to the program and subsequent versions
have enhanced this text editing mode so that LyneWriter is now a
capable low end text editor featuring search and replace and block cut
and paste, in addition to a full range of editing commands.
The original concept has not been ignored and LyneWriter still boasts
one of the best electronic typewriter emulations on the market.
Printer support has also been enhanced to include full Hewlett Packard
support and printer macros - a feature allowing total control over
your printer with the minimum of fuss.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 6
INSTALLATION
Before installing LyneWriter take a backup of the original shareware
disk using DISKCOPY. Note that LyneWriter is not archived when
delivered to shareware libraries - if it is delivered to you archived,
you should unarchive it before proceeding. You should also review the
README.LW text file for any last minute information.
The following files are required for using LyneWriter:
LYNE.EXE
LYNE.CFG
The LYNE.CFG should contain information pertinent to the printer you
will use with LyneWriter. Files are provided for the HP laser/inkjet
type, the Epson FX type, the Proprinter type and the Diablo daisywheel
type. The supplied LYNE.CFG file sets up some suitable system
defaults, but doesn't contain any printer information.
The file LYNE.MAC is optional and contains sample printer macros. You
are likely to want to create your own version of this file using the
supplied file as a guide.
Floppy disk systems:
On a floppy disk system, format a new floppy. If you wish to make the
floppy bootable, format it using the command:
FORMAT A:/S
Copy the file LYNE.EXE from the distribution disk to the new floppy
disk. Select the configuration file appropriate to your printer and
copy it to the new floppy, renaming it LYNE.CFG. If you have the
distribution disk in drive A:, a suitable command would be:
COPY A:LYNE.PRO B:LYNE.CFG
assuming that you have a Proprinter type printer. Copy the LYNE.MAC
file to the new floppy if desired. LyneWriter is now ready to go.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 7
Hard disk systems:
Create a subdirectory called \LYNE and copy the LYNE.EXE file into it.
Select the configuration file appropriate to your printer and copy it
to the subdirectory, renaming it LYNE.CFG. If you have the
distribution disk in drive A:, a suitable command would be:
COPY A:LYNE.PRO C:\LYNE\LYNE.CFG
assuming that you have a Proprinter type printer. Copy the LYNE.MAC
file to the subdirectory if desired.
Finally, you should create an environment variable to tell LyneWriter
where to find it's support files. This allows you to run the program
from any directory on your hard disk (assuming that LYNE.EXE is in
your PATH). The following command creates an evironment variable
called LYNE:
SET LYNE=C:\LYNE\
Note that the directory name (\LYNE\) must be sandwiched between
backslashes. You should amend your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to contain a
command setting this environment variable. LyneWriter is now ready to
go.
LyneWriter is started by typing the command LYNE. When you start up
LyneWriter you are presented with a copyright message, a shareware
message and a message asking you to press a key to start.
If you start LyneWriter with a filename as a command line parameter
(e.g.: LYNE TEXTFILE.TXT), LyneWriter will load that file immediately
it starts up. The filename is remembered for later use.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 8
THE MAIN SCREEN
LyneWriter's main screen has a inverse video bar at the top. This bar
contains a reminder to press [ESC] to enter the menu system and, on
the right, a display of the current line and column position of the
cursor (the cursor is the flashing line or block showing you where the
next type character will appear).
The next line of the display is blank. This is used for system
messages telling you that you have begun defining a block or are
positioned on a printer code, or asking you whether you wish to delete
a printer code or make a replacement. In Screen mode, most of the
remainder of the display is the editing window.
In File and Typewriter mode, the editing window occupies seven lines
at the bottom of the display. In all modes the editing window has a
border.
The bottom line of the display contains a ruler line showing left and
right margin positions, tabs and bells.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 9
MODES OF OPERATION
LyneWriter has three distinct modes of operation. The first mode is
called TYPEWRITER MODE. In this mode you can type and edit one
complete line of text. If you type the line beyond the right hand
margin it will print on the printer and if necessary will wordwrap the
last word on the line. A line can also be sent to the printer by
pressing [RETURN]. This mode emulates the type of display found on
electronic typewriters with a single line LCD display which can be
edited before committing it to paper. When a line is sent to the
printer it scrolls up the screen and cannot be re-edited (though it
can be reprinted).
Mode 2 is called FILE MODE. This mode is a full text editor mode
allowing all the features of LyneWriter to be used, but the text is
contained within a seven line window. This mode is specifically
designed for people using LyneWriter for typing labels or envelopes.
The window (or part of the window) can be printed and users will
probably create a file containing names and addresses that can be used
in conjunction with the search feature to locate individual addresses.
Mode 3 is called SCREEN MODE. This is the default mode. Although
LyneWriter has no pretensions to be another QEdit, it has all the
basic text editing functions and users should find it perfectly
adequate for simple tasks like editing batch files and writing short
letters.
The user can change mode while working through the Options Menu.
As mentioned above, the default mode is Mode 3. The default mode,
along with many other start up parameters, can be changed by
editing the configuration file 'LYNE.CFG'. There are full details
about this file later in this manual.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 10
EDITING KEYS
Using the keyboard editing keys.
Where appropriate the editing keys are available in all modes. The
HELP menu lists the additional editing keys over and above the
accepted IBM editing keys.
The cursor keys are fully supported in Screen and File mode and
restricted to left/right in typewriter mode. Users should note that
LyneWriter does not allow you to cursor into 'free space'. If the
cursor is moved from the end of a long line onto a shorter line, it
will move to the end of the shorter line.
In Screen and File mode, the cursor reacts slightly differently when
it is moved onto a printer control sequence. The sequences are not
displayed on screen, so the cursor pauses when it encounters a
sequence and the type of control code encountered is displayed on the
message line at the top of the display.
A faster method of traversing a text line is available in all modes.
Holding the [CTRL] key down when pressing the left or right cursor key
produces cursor movement by word. When moving leftwards the cursor is
biased to the end of a word and when moving rightwards it is biased to
the beginning of a word.
To get to the beginning of a line use the standard [HOME] key and to
get to the end of a line use the standard [END] key. Both these are
situated on the numeric keypad cluster. (Extended keyboards also have
standalone editing keys.)
When editing lines that extend beyond the right hand margin in Screen
and File mode, you should note that cursor movement will not affect
the line, but if you begin to enter text the line will wordwrap at the
right margin. Typewriter mode will not allow text to be edited beyond
the right hand margin.
The [BACKSPACE/DELETE] key deletes text to the left of the cursor,
closing up the line as it does so. The [DEL] key (on the keypad)
deletes characters at the cursor position. Note that when you are
deleting printer codes, you are asked to confirm the deletion (a
prompt is displayed on the right of the message line). This prevents
the codes being accidentally deleted.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 11
In Typewriter mode the [RETURN] (or [ENTER]) key sends a line to the
printer, provided that the cursor is at the end of the line. Some
cheap keyboards have a tendency to 'double bounce' the [RETURN] key
and care should be taken when selecting menu items. In Screen and File
mode [RETURN] splits the current line at the cursor position inserting
the text in a new line below the old. If the cursor is at the end of a
line it simply inserts a new line. Note that you cannot cursor beyond
the last line typed in Screen and File mode and that a text file must
be extended by the [RETURN] key or the natural word wrapping action.
The [TAB] key will send the cursor to the next tab stop (if any).
Tabbing actually inserts the required number of spaces into the text.
If the cursor is in the middle of a line of text the text to the right
of the cursor position is pushed to the next tab stop (in Typewriter
mode there must be enough space on the line as text is not allowed to
go beyond the right margin).
The [INS] key toggles the typing mode between INSERT and OVERTYPE. The
default is overtype, but this can be changed in the LYNE.CFG file. The
current mode is indicated on the status line at the top right of the
screen. The cursor is a solid block in overtype mode and an underscore
in insert mode.
In Screen and File modes The [PgUp] and [PgDn] keys scroll the edit
window up or down by one screenful. To get to the end of a file use
[CTRL] in conjuction with [PgDn], and to get to the top of a file use
[CTRL] in conjunction with PgUp.
The final editing key is [ESC] which takes the user into the menu
interface. Once in the menu system. [ESC] will take you back up one
level, ultimately bringing you back to the text window.
Special editing keys.
The function key [F1] is the delete text key. [F1] on it's own will
delete text on the current line from the cursor position to the end of
the line. Pressing [SHIFT] in conjunction with [F1] will delete the
whole of the current line. In Screen and File modes any text lines
below the current line are scrolled up to fill the gap. Pressing [ALT]
in conjunction with [F1] will delete the whole of the current document
in memory (any version on disk is not affected). Before LyneWriter
deletes the document it asks you to confirm your decision.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 12
Extended character set
The function key [F2] gives access to the extended character set
feature. The pop up menu is self explanatory. You will of course need
to have the extended characters available on your printer in order to
print them. Some low cost printers do not have double line graphics
built in - they simply repeat the single line graphic set. Characters
below character 32 are not supported, though LyneWriter can edit
documents that contain control characters without problems. Extended
ASCII characters can also be entered using the [ALT] key in
conjunction with the numeric keypad. For example, holding the [ALT]
key down and keying 156 on the keypad will produce a '£' symbol.
Shell
Holding down [SHIFT] in conjuction with [F2] will allow you to 'shell'
out of LyneWriter and return to MS-DOS. The MS-DOS file COMMAND.COM
(or an equivalent such as 4DOS.COM) must be available. Although this
feature returns you to DOS, LyneWriter (and any text) is still in
memory and you can return to it by typing EXIT and pressing [RETURN]
at the DOS prompt.
Block functions
[F3] enables the block feature. This is disabled in Typewriter mode.
Press [F3] once to mark the start of a block of text (the words 'Block
On' appear at the left side of the message line), move the cursor to
the end of the text you wish to mark (or continue work) and then press
[F3] again to mark the end of the block ('block on' disappears).
If you have pressed [F3] by accident and do not wish to mark a block
you should press it again before you move the cursor. This will cancel
block mode.
Once you have selected a block the text will be highlighted and you
are presented with a menu. If you wish to move or delete the current
block you should select REMOVE. If you wish to copy the text block
select COPY. You can cancel the operation by pressing [ESC].
Pressing [SHIFT] in conjunction with [F3] will paste a previously
selected block of text into the text at the cursor position. Paste
operations can be repeated as often as required with the same text
block. If there is no selected block the operation is ignored. This
function is disabled in Typewriter mode.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 13
Switching into Typewriter mode and then out again will preserve any
block in the paste buffer.
You can move text from one document to another by blocking it,
deleting the document in memory, loading the second document and
pasting the block into it.
Deleting a text block is accomplished by selecting it as above,
REMOVEing and then ignoring it. The block is deleted from memory when
you select the next one.
Reformat paragraph
[F4] reformats the current paragraph. It always reformats the complete
paragraph, irrespective of the cursor position. LyneWriter 2.3 does
not support justification.
Paragraphs are text blocks separated by either blank lines at top or
bottom, or by indents on the first line. Note that text to the left of
the current left margin will be incorporated in the new paragraph.
Moving the left margin leftwards will create indents in front of each
line of the old paragraph, and you will have to delete these indents
before reformating the paragraph.
Search
[F5] starts the SEARCH/REPLACE function. Selecting SEARCH from the
menu brings up a dialogue box where you can type in the word to be
searched for. Having typed the text to be searched for you are
presented with an options box. The options are:
W - search for complete words only (the default is to search for
any occurence of the search text).
I - ignore case (the default is to be case sensitive).
N - no query on replace (ignored in SEARCH mode).
G - global search (the default is to search from the cursor
position to the end of the document).
To select an option, simply type the key letter. Thus 'WG' would
select a Global search for Whole words.
You can press [ESC] at any stage to abort the operation. If the search
text is not found a message is displayed. If the text is found it is
displayed and the search stops.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 14
The search feature is disabled in Typewriter mode.
The search can be repeated at any time by pressing [SHIFT] in
conjunction with [F5].
Replace
If you select REPLACE from the SEARCH/REPLACE menu you are asked for
the word to be searched for. When you complete this dialogue box you
are asked for the replacement text. The replacement text need not be
restricted to a single word. When the replacement text has been
entered, you are presented with the options dialogue box. The options
are:
W - search for complete words only (the default is to search for
any occurence of the search text).
I - ignore case (the default is to be case sensitive).
N - no query on replace. The default is to query each
replacement. In addition to saying yes or no to each
replacement, query also allows you to abort the search.
G - global search (the default is to search from the cursor
position to the end of the document).
To select an option, simply type the key letter. Thus 'WG' would
select a Global search for Whole words.
If you have not switched query off, LyneWriter will display each
occurrence of the search text and at the right of the message line you
will see the prompt 'Replace Y/N/ESC >'. Typing Y will replace the
text as specified and go on to the next occurrence. Typing N will
leave the text as before and go on to the next occurrence. Pressing
[ESC] will abort the search.
You can repeat the replace operation by pressing [SHIFT] in conjuction
with [F5]. This should be done with caution if you previously
specified no query on replace.
[F6] is the Centre Text function. It centres the text on the cursor
line between the current margins and places the cursor at the end of
the line. Note that subsequent changes of margins do not update the
position of the text. Leading and trailing spaces are stripped from
the text line being centred.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 15
THE MENU SYSTEM
LyneWriter has an interactive pop up menu system consisting of a main
menu and five submenus. These are: the Lyne Menu, the Fonts Menu, the
Printer Menu, the Options Menu and the Help Menu. The Help Menu has
been referred to previously and contains help prompts for the editing
keys. The Lyne Menu contains a copyright message. The main menu is
accessed through the ESC key. Menu choices can be selected by either
pressing the highlighted (and capitalised) key, or by moving the
lightbar down through the menu using the cursor keys and pressing
[RETURN]. You can exit from any menu by pressing [ESC]. This interface
is standard throughout the program.
Additionally, the Main menu has a Quit option which asks you for
confirmation before exiting in Typewriter mode or asks you if you wish
to save your file in File and Screen mode. If you do wish to save the
file before exiting you are asked for a filename and can either use
the name you gave the file when it was loaded, or change it to
something else. Pressing [ESCAPE] aborts the save and returns you to
the main menu.
The three interactive menus are the Fonts Menu, the Printer Menu and
the Options Menu. These menus are traditional 'light bar' menus in
which you move a light bar through the choices using the up and down
cursor and press RETURN to select. Alternatively, press the
highlighted letter key. All the lightbar menus remember the last
position of the lightbar when they are called up again.
The Fonts Menu
All the choices in the Fonts Menu work in the same way. Pressing
RETURN selects a printer effect and brings up a pop-up menu where you
select whether to send the printer control code sequence to turn the
effect on or off. The printer control sequences are set up in the
configuration file, LYNE.CFG. A number of tailored configuration files
are supplied with the evaluation version and the LYNE.CFG file itself
is covered later in this manual.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 16
Effect name Control sequence names
NLQ NLQON/NLQOF
Elite ELTON/ELTOF
Enlarged ENLON/ENLOF
Condensed CONON/CONOF
Bold BLDON/BLDOF
Underline UNDON/UNDOF
Double Strike DBLON/DBLOF
Proportional PROON/PROOF
Italic ITLON/ITLOF
Superscript SUPON/SUPOF
Subscript SUBON/SUBOF
Codes can be sent one after the other for multiple effects, provided
that your printer supports them.
LyneWriter operates slightly differently in Typewriter mode to how it
works in the remaining modes. In Typewriter mode, all the printer
control sequences are sent directly to the printer when they are
selected. In File and Screen mode, all Fonts menu printer sequences
are embedded in the text file at the current cursor position. You
cannot see the printer codes on screen in File and Screen mode, but
you can move the cursor left one character after selecting a control
code and see the code name displayed at the right of the message line.
The Printer Menu
The Printer Menu can be used to alter printer defaults.
Line Feed Moves the paper up 1 line
Form Feed Moves the paper up 1 form (page) length
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 17
Character Set This option can be used to alter the character
set on many printers. The character set is what
makes printers print £ signs instead of # and
creates even bigger headaches for our continental
cousins. The pop up menu is self explanatory. The
parameter can be between 0 and 15, though most
printers offer less than 15 character sets. See
your printer manual for details of the available
character set.
This is the first of the options asking for you to enter a parameter.
If you enter a parameter larger than the maximum LyneWriter will tell
you. You can use the delete key in the entry area as normal if you
make a mistake. If you decide you don't wish to send the code sequence
press [ESC].
Line Spacing Default is usually 1/6 inch - i.e. 12/72 inch
To use this option enter the number of 1/72
inch increments per line. E.g. To alter the line
spacing to 25/72 inch enter 25.
Micro Spacing Similar to above in smaller increments.
Page Length Enter the page length in lines. Note: this
command sets the page length at the printer
(the number of lines the printer will feed
after a form feed) and has no effect on
LyneWriter's own page length setting. You can
alter LyneWriter's page length setting by
altering the NOLIN and TOPMG parameters in the
configuration file LYNE.CFG or by using the Set
Paging option in the Print option of the
Options menu.
Reset Printer This command resets the printer as if you had
switched it on and off.
Note that the Line Feed, Form Feed and Reset commands are always sent
directly to the printer. The remainder are embedded in text in File
and Screen mode.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 18
Options Menu
Print Text
This option is used when you wish to print text in File and Screen
mode (or when you wish to reprint text in Typewriter mode). On
selection you get a pop-up window asking whether you wish to print the
whole text (the complete file), the contents of the edit window or
whether you wish to set the page length parameters.
In Typewriter mode you can only print the contents of the window. In
File mode you can print either the text in the window or the whole
file in memory. In Screen mode, you can only print the complete file.
If you decide to print the text in the window you are offered a pop-up
menu with the numbers 1 to 7 in it. These correspond to the 7 lines in
the edit window. If you only wish to print the TOP 4 lines of text
select 4 on the menu. Typewriter mode you may need to press RETURN a
couple of times to put the text in the window in the correct position.
In this case you'll have to re-adjust the paper in the printer before
printing the window.
In File and Screen mode you can print the document in memory by
selecting 'Print' from the menu. Printing starts straight away.
LyneWriter defaults to printing 56 lines of text per page with a top
margin of 6 blank lines. At the bottom of a page LyneWriter uses a
formfeed to move the paper to the top of the next page.
You can alter the default page length and top margin values by
selecting the 'Paging' option from the menu. You can permanently
alter these settings by editing the LYNE.CFG file.
File Utilities
Use this option to load a file into LyneWriter, or save one out. If
you wish to create a pure ASCII text file from a file with LyneWriter
printer sequences embedded in it you should use the ASCII save option.
It is not necessary to have an ASCII load option as LyneWriter edits
ASCII files as well as it's own directly. Naturally, these options are
not available in Typewriter mode.
Selecting any of the options will produce an entry field asking for a
filename. If you are saving a file previously loaded through
LyneWriter the original name will be displayed and you can just press
[RETURN]. The delete key functions normally if needed. Filenames
should be specified using standard DOS conventions and can include
pathnames.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 19
If a file doesn't exist when you try to load it LyneWriter will
produce an error message. Error messages will also be produced if
LyneWriter encounters a physical error while trying to load or save a
file. In these cases LyneWriter will attempt to recover from the error
without losing your text.
When saving text LyneWriter will erase any file with the same name as
the one being saved. (In effect overwriting the old file.)
In between loading and saving files LyneWriter closes all disk files,
therefore files on disk are safe if your computer crashes while
LyneWriter is operating.
Change Mode
The change mode option is used to swap between LyneWriter's three
modes of operation. You can switch between all modes without losing
text in memory. Switching into Typewriter mode will clear the document
on the screen, but it will be recovered when you switch back to File
or Screen mode.
Set Tabs and Margins
This option is used to set tabs and margins. Pop up help is provided
if you press [F1] (this is noted at the left of the message line). The
pop-up help is self explanatory. Moving the cursor left while at the
left margin moves the margin left, while moving right at the right
margin moves the margin to the right. The maximum line length is very
long indeed (but you'll only get one line in a document!).
Setting a bell will produce a two tone bell when the cursor passes
during text entry in Typewriter mode.
Altering the margins has no effect on text already entered, but if you
alter the left hand margin to the right you will make it impossible to
edit text that is now to the left of the new margin. More importantly,
pressing [BACKSPACE/DELETE] when the cursor is at the new left hand
margin will erase any text to the left of the new margin when the line
is attached to the one above. To join two lines together in this
instance you should position the cursor at the end of the line above
and press [DEL], which will join the two lines without loss of text.
Change Output Port
This option is self explanatory. LyneWriter supports LPT1:, LPT2: and
LPT3:. To use a serial port you should redirect output using the MODE
command as described in your DOS manual.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 20
User Codes
This option is where users can send their own codes to their printers.
Codes to be sent should be in decimal (eg ESCAPE=027). Enter the
control sequence one code at a time and conclude by pressing [RETURN]
when there is no code number in the User Codes box. You can abort the
User Code feature at any time by pressing [ESCAPE].
Pressing [RETURN] immediately in the User Codes box will invoke the
printer macro facility. This feature is intended to let users store
common printer sequences on disk where they can be sent to the printer
at any time. Modern printers are so complex that the LYNE.CFG file
cannot possibly cope with all the possible printer sequences. Macros
are discussed later in the manual.
In Typewriter mode all User Codes are sent directly to the printer. In
the two remaining modes, the codes are embedded in the text at the
cursor position. The printer sequence name displayed on the message
line when a cursor movements runs over a User Code sequence is USRCD.
Load Configuration File
The option to load a new configuration file can be used to change
LyneWriter's default settings while the utility is being used. After
selection, you are asked to specify the name of the new configuration
file. The default is the standard LYNE.CFG file, and can be changed.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 21
THE CONFIGURATION FILE
The LyneWriter configuration file is called LYNE.CFG and is a plain
ASCII file containing keywords and data. The configuration file must
be available to LyneWriter when it is run. If it is not then
LyneWriter will display an error message and use it's defaults for the
system parameters. Note that there are no defaults for the printer
control information so you will not be able to use the printer control
functions.
We strongly recommend that if you use LyneWriter as a general purpose
text editor, including the LYNE.EXE directory in your PATH statement,
that you use the LyneWriter environment variable as described in the
installation section of this manual. This will allow you LyneWriter to
locate it's support files whenever it is run.
The LYNE.CFG can be created and edited using LyneWriter. Each line of
the file should contain a keyword and an optional set of parameters.
The basic pattern of a line is:
KEYWORD=/nnn/nnn/.../
All possible keywords are listed and explained below. Some keywords
are optional, but we recommend that you use all of them in your own
configuration files, keeping the defaults where you're happy with
them. To the right of each keyword is a note of the type of parameter
required.
NLQON - NLQ text on Printer control sequence
NLQOF - NLQ text off Printer control sequence
ELTON - Elite (12 CPI) on Printer control sequence
ELTOF - Elite off (10 CPI) Printer control sequence
ENLON - Double width on Printer control sequence
ENLOF - Double width off Printer control sequence
CONON - Condensed on Printer control sequence
CONOF - Condensed off Printer control sequence
BLDON - Bold text on Printer control sequence
BLDOF - Bold text off Printer control sequence
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 22
UNDON - Underlining on Printer control sequence
UNDOF - Underlining off Printer control sequence
DBLON - Double strike on Printer control sequence
DBLOF - Double strike off Printer control sequence
PROON - Proportional text on Printer control sequence
PROOF - Proportional text off Printer control sequence
ITLON - Italic text on Printer control sequence
ITLOF - Italic text off Printer control sequence
SUPON - Superscript on Printer control sequence
SUPOF - Superscript off Printer control sequence
SUBON - Subscript on Printer control sequence
SUBOF - Subscript off Printer control sequence
RESET - Reset printer Printer control sequence
LFEED - Linefeed Printer control code
FFEED - Formfeed Printer control code
CHCAR - Change character set Variable printer sequence
LNSPC - Linespacing Variable printer sequence
MSSPC - Microspacing Variable printer sequence
PGLEN - Page length Variable printer sequence
Where numeric parameters are required to follow the keyword they MUST
be in the form /nnn/ - that is, a '/' character followed by 3 numbers
followed by a '/' character. If a parameter has less than 3 figures
you should add a leading zeros to it.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 23
A printer control sequence is a set of numeric parameters. Each number
represents a decimal ASCII code for a character. These codes form an
escape sequence and are used to control printers. Most printer manuals
list the sequences used to perform various functions to the printer.
An example is:
SUPON=/027/083/000/
Where 83 represent ASCII 'S'.
A printer control code is a single ASCII number implying that the
keyword will only need one character to perform that function:
FFEED=/012/
LyneWriter will accept a full printer control sequence on these
keywords if necessary.
A variable printer sequence is a printer sequence which requires a
variable parameter to be supplied. These take the form:
PGLEN=/027/067/NNN/
where /NNN/ is replaced by a user supplied variable. This is entered
in the dialogue box which LyneWriter provides when these functions are
accessed from the Printer menu. This parameter allows Hewlett Packard
type printers to contain variables which are not at the end of the
printer control sequence e.g:
PGLEN=/027/038/108/NNN/080/
Some printers do not support all the keywords offered by LyneWriter.
For example, standard Hewlett Packard series 2 lasers do not have an
Italic font. In these cases you can delete all the keywords which are
not supported by your printer, but it is recommended that you give
them a dummy parameter instead. The dummy parameter is /999/ this will
prevent LyneWriter sending any code to the printer, even if the
function is accessed by the user e.g:
PROON=/999/
Comments can be added to the file by prefacing them with an asterisk
(*), e.g:
*This is a comment
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 24
All good printers should list their printer control sequences in an
accompanying manual. The parameters in the control sequences listed
above are decimal numbers representing ASCII values. This is the
format that almost all printers expect to be used for control
sequences. LyneWriter includes a small number of printer drivers
that should allow most major makes of printer to be used with the
utility. If you need a special printer driver for your printer, we
are willing to write one provided that you supply us with a manual
(or a photocopy of the relevant pages). All manuals will be returned
when the driver is delivered.
The following keywords set LyneWriter's default characteristics.
RITMG - sets the right margin
RITMG=/100/ sets the right margin to column 100.
LEFMG - sets the left margin
LEFMG=/010/ sets the left margin to column 10.
TBPOS - sets tab positions
TBPOS=/020/040/060/ sets three tabs at columns 20, 40 and 60
respectively.
RITMG, LEFMG and TBPOS are used to create a 'default' ruler for
LyneWriter.
START - a series of control codes to send to the printer before
the first print is started.
START=/027/120/001/027/067/070/ selects NLQ and A4 paper at
startup on Epson printers.
TOPMG - sets the default number of lines to skip at the top of a
page when printing
TOPMG=/006/ causes six lines to be skipped at the top of
each page.
NOLIN - sets the number of lines of text to be printed on each
page
NOLIN=/054/ allows up to 54 lines of text to be printed
before a form feed.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 25
The number of lines on a page minus TOPMG minus NOLIN equals the
bottom margin.
SMODE - sets the starting mode
SMODE=/001/ - Typewriter mode
SMODE=/002/ - File mode
SMODE=/003/ - Screen mode (Default).
OPORT - sets the default output port
OPORT=/LPT1/ sets LPT1: (default)
OPORT=/LPT2/ sets LPT2:
OPORT=/LPT3/ sets LPT3:
COLnn - allows the default colour scheme to be changed. There are
8 keywords controlling the colour scheme - COL01 through
COL08. There are 8 possible colours to choose from:
000 Black
001 Blue
002 Green
003 Cyan
004 Red
005 Magenta
006 Brown
007 White
COL01 and COL02 describe the text editing window, COL03 and COL04
describe the main menu, COL05 and COL06 describe the second level
menus and COL07 and COL08 describe the third level menus and dialogue
boxes.
*FSIZE - sets the maximum file size in lines. Version 2.3 of
LyneWriter can edit large files, but the maximum file
size must be predefined. Having a large number here is
wasting memory if you do not edit large files. The default
is 1000 and the minimum is 100 lines.
The following keywords do not take parameters.
INSRT - sets insert mode as default at startup.
NOBEP - this 'silences' LyneWriter by switching off the warning
beep that comes with error messages.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 26
TSTPN - stops LyneWriter checking the printer status. This is a
work around for a failing in the program. If you always
get an error message when trying to print anything, even
when your printer is on line, you should insert this
keyword in your configuration file.
HPGLN - tells LyneWriter you have a Hewlett Packard type printer.
This is necessary to ensure that variable parameters are
used correctly.
All users with Hewlett Packard compatible printers MUST have this line
in their configuration file.
PRINTER MACROS
Printer macros are held in a file called LYNE.MAC. This file must be
available to LyneWriter when you attempt to use a macro. LyneWriter
will use the environment variable to locate this file if the
environment variable is being used. If LyneWriter cannot find the
macro file it will give you an error message and return to the Options
menu.
Printer macros take a similar form to entries in the LYNE.CFG file.
The file can be created with LyneWriter and should have one macro per
line. The basic layout of a line in the file is:
PRINTER MACRO=/nnn/nnn/nnn/.../
Note that the printer macro name should be in CAPITAL letters and not
longer than 64 characters. The macro parameter consists of several
decimal numbers separated by a backstroke. The numbers should have
three figures and you must add leading zeros to the numbers if
required. Most printers require decimal numbers to be used in command
sequences, where each number represents an ASCII value. Most good
printer manuals include information on command sequences in a
'programming' or 'technical reference' section. A typical macro may
be:
HP DOWNLOAD 10 POINT SCRIPT=/027/040/048/085/027/040/115/048/117/
049/112/057/046/057/054/118/049/115/048/098/055/116/050/081/
Note that the command sequence is split onto multiple lines for layout
purposes only and must be on a single line in the LYNE.MAC file.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 27
The above macro would be sent to the printer by entering 'HP DOWNLOAD
10 POINT SCRIPT' in the macro dialogue box. Incidentally, it
represents the following Hewlett Packard command sequence:
<ESC>(0U<ESC>(s0u1p9.96v1s0b7t2Q
but no-one ever said printer programming was easy!
A selection of macros for several printers is included in the LYNE.MAC
file on the LyneWriter distribution disk. Each printer section is
headed by a comment line.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 28
APPENDIX A - REGISTRATION
Although you may have paid to receive this evaluation version of
LyneWriter, none of that money will reach the author, and you
will not have 'purchased' the product in the usual sense of the
word. Registration is the name given to the actual purchase of
a licence to use this software from the author. Registration
offers the following advantages:
1. Support. Registration of a version of LyneWriter entitles
you to support for that version for as long as my
memory holds out, or as long as I have a copy of the
version to hand. Support is by post, enclosing an SAE (or
International Reply Coupon) in the first instance. We
endeavour to reply as soon as possible, on average a week
after receiving your letter.
2. Upgrades. We are continually developing LyneWriter and
our upgrades usually represent major enhancements. All
registered users receive notification of upgrades to
LyneWriter and may also have the chance to upgrade at low
cost.
3. Last but not least, a desktop published manual with
illustrations which covers LyneWriter in more detail than
this document file.
Registration costs £25.00 Sterling. We are happy to accept
registrations from (and give support to) users worldwide.
Registrations from outside the UK should be by International
Money order or equivalent.
Bona fide shareware organisations suggest writing to authors to
confirm their continued existence before sending any money.
Since we do not have the stability of the major organisations we
can only agree with the sense in this. All such enquiries must
be accompanied by an SAE (in the UK) or an International Reply
Coupon from your local post office. A form is included with this
shareware release called REGISTER.TXT which can be used for
registration purposes. To create a paper copy type
COPY REGISTER.TXT PRN: and press [RETURN]
at the DOS prompt, or load the file into LyneWriter and print it
out.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 29
CORPORATE LICENCES
LyneWriter is licenced for personal use only. All corporate,
business, government or other commercial organisations using
LyneWriter must be registered.
A standard LyneWriter registration fee covers small businesses
and organisations for simultaneous use of LyneWriter on up to 3
machines.
Using LyneWriter on 4 to 10 machines costs £75 sterling, an ex-
tra £50 is charged for every 10 machines up to 50 machines and
an extra £30 on top of that for every 10 machines to 100. The
licence fee for 100 machines costs:
£
75.00 10 machines
200.00 50 X 4 (additional 40 m/c)
150.00 30 X 5 (additional 50 m/c)
---------
425.00
Organisations with greater needs should contact the author.
We will only accept purchase orders from bona fide companies or
similar organisations, and only for amounts of £75.00 and over.
All other orders should be prepaid.
Special arrangements are possible for registered charities and
educational institutions - contact the author for details.
UK organisations - VAT is not currently chargeable.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 30
APPENDIX B - ASCII CHARACTER SET
For best results your printer should be able to print the full
extended IBM character set.
Decimal 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42
├──────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII <SP> ! " # $ % & ' ( ) *
Decimal 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII + , - . / 0 1 2 3 4 5
Decimal 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ? @
Decimal 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII A B C D E F G H I J K
Decimal 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII L M N O P Q R S T U V
Decimal 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII W X Y Z [ \ ] ^ _ ` a
Decimal 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII b c d e f g h i j k l
Decimal 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII m n o p q r s t u v w
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 31
ASCII TABLE - CONTINUED
Decimal 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII x y z { | } ~ Ç ü é
Decimal 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII â ä à å ç ê ë è ï î ì
Decimal 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII Ä Å É æ Æ ô ö ò û ù ÿ
Decimal 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII Ö Ü ¢ £ ¥ ₧ ƒ á í ó ú
Decimal 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII ñ Ñ ª º ¿ ⌐ ¬ ½ ¼ ¡ «
Decimal 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII » ░ ▒ ▓ │ ┤ ╡ ╢ ╖ ╕ ╣
Decimal 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII ║ ╗ ╝ ╜ ╛ ┐ └ ┴ ┬ ├ ─
Decimal 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII ┼ ╞ ╟ ╚ ╔ ╩ ╦ ╠ ═ ╬ ╧
Decimal 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII ╨ ╤ ╥ ╙ ╘ ╒ ╓ ╫ ╪ ┘ ┌
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 32
ASCII TABLE - CONTINUED
Decimal 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII █ ▄ ▌ ▐ ▀ α ß Γ π Σ σ
Decimal 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII µ τ Φ Θ Ω δ ∞ φ ε ∩ ≡
Decimal 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251
───────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼
ASCII ± ≥ ≤ ⌠ ⌡ ÷ ≈ ° ∙ · √
Decimal 252 253 254│
───────┼────┼────┼────┤
ASCII ⁿ ² ■ │
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 33
APPENDIX C - MISCELLANEOUS
Acknowledgments:
LyneWriter 1.0 was compiled in Turbo BASIC 1.0
LyneWriters 1.1 - 2.2 were compiled in Turbo BASIC 1.1
LyneWriter 2.3 was compiled in PowerBASIC 2.0 and 2.1
The source code was edited in the PowerBASIC environment and in QEdit
V2.1 when I needed a real editor.
Hardware used was an Amstrad PC2286 in the early stages, a Dolan 386SX
(Taiwanese clone) for the later stages and an Amstrad ALT-286 portable
for the moving stages.
All documentation was written using LyneWriter 2.3 (for the first
time!).
Much of the development was, as ever, inspired by comments from YOU -
the users. Keep 'em coming!
I continue to be indebted to my brother, Andrew, for his technical
suggestions and criticism. He's now hacking his own PC code, though
not working on text editors, thankfully. Check out his 'organiser'
software, File O' Facts, from shareware dealers or from me.
LyneWriter 2.3 Page 34