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Text File | 1993-06-29 | 12KB | 270 lines

STR 2.8 Memory-resident (TSR) string and file pasting program by Bob Eyer [73230,2620] Internet: 73230.2620@compuserve.com June 29, 1993 Syntax ------ STR [lines F=file C=cpt D=delayticks] [/U] Run batch job: Ctrl-Backslash Stop batch job: Ctrl-Esc Edit hot-key: Ctrl-Backspace - COLOR x selects edit-window colour - ENTER selects and pastes string - Esc key exits without pasting - Ctrl-Home clears all strings - C=cpt, D=delayticks If no parameter is given, STR simply returns the help screen above without going resident. Parameters may be entered in any order. lines A positive integer setting the number of strings to allocate in memory. If this parameter is not mentioned, STR defaults lines to 10. The maximum is determined by all free memory less 40K, and is limited to a maximum 300 lines in the shareware version (PFL may store as many as 6000 lines). Where the user loads an ASCII file whose linecount exceeds this parameter, STR will ignore the excess. May not be changed within edit mode. F=file The name of the file containing a list of strings to read by STR. Lines should be set higher than file's linecount. Linelength in this file is limited to the size of the edit buffer - 60 characters. Lines longer than 60 will be truncated to 60. (PFL has 80-character lines). Where STR stores a blank line containing only a carriage return (read by nearly all editors as a null line), it inserts a single blank prior to this sequence. The reason for this is to avoid having STR kick the user out of edit mode in the middle of a message upload when the user is logged into a remote BBS mail area. (Most BBS messagebase editors terminate an edit session on entry of a single null line.) May not not be changed within edit mode. C=cpt Sets the number of characters per tick STR allocates for pasting to the underlying application. The default for cpt is 13. The allowable range is 1-15. Assuming delayticks is zero (see next parameter), STR's output speed can thus be varied from about 180 baud to about 2700 baud. Increasing delayticks will, of course, reduce output speed below this range. This parameter may be changed 'on the fly' by entering 'c=x' (where x = 1, 2, etc) within edit mode. This feature allows the user to change the way STR injects characters to the keyboard buffer without having to unload STR and start over with a new command line sequence. D=delayticks The number of CPU ticks to be skipped as STR pastes lines to the underlying application. The default for delayticks is 0; that is, no tick is skipped. Because STR pastes lines by injecting characters into the keyboard buffer, the injection speed may exceed the rate at which the underlying application can receive information from the console. This may especially be a problem when using STR to type text to a remote BBS editor to which the user is connected at a low baud rate. When the problem occurs, STR may 'missfire' or overrun the underlying application. To correct this problem, simply stop batch processing (Ctrl-Esc), enter edit mode (Ctrl-Backspace), find a blank line, and enter delayticks in the window using your standard commandline syntax: D=delayticks Recommended values: 1, 2, or 7. Then hit Esc to get out of edit and start your batch job again using Ctrl-Backslash. STR injects characters to the keyboard buffer at the default rate of 13 characters per CPU tick [cpt=13]. This speed is equivalent to about 236 characters per second--just about 2400 baud. Generally, STR's default of zero delayticks should be right for this speed. Use 2 for 1200 baud and 7 for 300 baud. The reader should be informed that the standard PC keyboard buffer has a capacity of 15 characters. WARNING: DO NOT USE THIS PROGRAM WITH TSRs DESIGNED TO MODIFY THE CAPACITY OF THE KEYBOARD BUFFER. /U Unloads STR from memory. Not available within edit mode. ╔══════════ Added Features of PFL (Paste Full List) ═══════════╗ ║ ║ ║ - Line delay control parameter ║ ║ - Choice of timer interrupts ║ ║ - Application selector ║ ║ - Makes available all free memory ║ ║ - Uses 80-character lines ║ ║ ║ ║ See SHARE.TXT for ordering instructions. ║ ║ ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Discussion ---------- The primary purpose of STR is to provide a way of uploading a text file to a remote BBS messagebase where the user has no better way of doing such a job. The user familiar with Boyan, Telix or Procomm will know how to upload messages to a message base without using this program. However, in certain situations, such facilities may not be available. For example, when uploading description information to Compuserve from within OZBEXT, so as upload a binary file using Quick-B protocol. Although STR can also be used to paste files to a local standalone editor, such a use is not recommended. The main structural reason is that most editors have far more efficient methods of pasting files to another disk file than by direct use of the keyboard buffer. There is no advantage in having STR do such a job where there exist other means do it more efficiently. Further, most editors have some means of remembering where to put the cursor when the next line is typed after a carriage return, and this position is usually not column 1. As a result, the attempt to paste to many editors may result in text being forced over to the right of the screen in an uncontrollable manner, unless lines of the pasted text begin at column 1. There is the additional difficulty that many editors either do not use the carriage return to mark the end of a line, or use it to set up line insertion rather than line following. Experiment shows a large variety of different responses to the ENTER key, from editor to editor, even though each is designed to create only ASCII text files within the DOS environment. The enhanced retail version of this program is called PFL (short for Paste Full List). PFL supports a number of different specialised environments (such as the ROSCOE DOS-to-mainframe editor); moreover, it features full use of memory to store as many as 6000 lines of text, 80-character lines, and an expanded list of control options. See SHARE.TXT for ordering details. Edit Mode --------- In edit mode, Ctrl-Home clears all strings, if desired. Since this Ctrl-Home is INTERNAL to the edit window, it does not interfere with the Ctrl-Home used in some communications programs. Typing each string followed by the Up or Down cursors enters what was typed into the STR array. The number of the entry appears above the edit window to the extreme left. The backspace key operates as normal, as does the Home, End, PgUp, and PgDn keys (except that the Pg keys skip 10 lines instead of 24 or 25). STR uses the End key to put the cursor at the first space after the end of the line in the window, the Home key to put the cursor at the extreme left of the line, and the Tab key spaces over 10 positions in the edit field. ENTER pastes the string in the window to the underlying application, but does not delete it from memory. You may also enter certain command line statements within edit mode. These are C=cpt and D=delayticks (see above). Exercise -------- Try using edit mode to type in a batch file called SAM.BAT. Start by loading STR with, say, 20 lines, as follows: STR 20 Maybe your batch file has only 5 lines, which you enter manually using the Ctrl-Backspace hotkey and your cursor pad. When you're finished, return to DOS by using your Esc key (plus extra carriage return), then enter COPY CON SAM.BAT and hit the Ctrl-\ hotkey to load SAM.BAT from STR. When finished enter Ctrl-Z to return to DOS. Before unloading STR, re-enter the COPY CON environment using NUL as your device, thus - COPY CON NUL Then use your Ctrl-Backspace key to get into edit mode, find a blank line, and change your characters-per-tick parameter to C=1 and your delayticks to D=6. Now hit Esc and then Ctrl-\ to rerun your file in batch mode. Notice the difference on the screen. COLOR ----- The numbers to use for Color are determined by the following chart: Back Fore Bright Fore ---- ---- ----------- Black 0 0 8 Blue 16 1 9 Green 32 2 10 Cyan 48 3 11 Red 64 4 12 Magenta 80 5 13 Brown 96 6 14 White 112 7 15 Use of 0 (black on black) is always converted to 112 (black on white) by STR. The correct COLOR number is found merely by adding the Foreground number to the Background number desired. For example, Bright Green on Blue background is 10 + 16 = 26. Avoid setting COLOR above 127. Values above that limit will produce blinking displays. In my estimation the COLORs best for the eye are 10, 11, 14, 15, 26, 27, 30, 31, 74, 75, 78, 79 and 112. But you may have other ideas. Example, COLOR 75 sets the window to Bright Cyan on a Red background. ------------------------- End of documentation.