Media Share 9/MEDIASHARE_09.ISO/educatio/keystuf1.zip/KEY.DOC

Text File | 1992-10-19 | 16KB | 347 lines

                      ╔══════════════════════╗
                      ║  Welcome to KeyStuff ║
                      ║   Ver 1.0  12/20/91  ║
                      ║   (c) 1991 RSE Inc.  ║
                      ╚══════════════════════╝

Several users of my "Playback" program have asked if I'd write a program
that would take an ASCII file and stuff it into the keyboard.  Most of
these requests came from people who wanted to take data generated by one
program and enter it into another without having to type the data in.

Basically KeyStuff does exactly that.  It takes an ASCII file and feeds
it into the keystroke buffer as fast as the buffer will take it.
However, I've added other features that make KeyStuff much more powerful.
For example, you can insert special characters into the file that will
cause KeyStuff to wait a certain period of time before continuing.  You
can also include special keys in your data files like the function keys,
cursor keys, backspace, insert, and many more.  In addition you can tell
KeyStuff to initiate the stuffing immediately, when a hot key is pressed,
or even unattended at some later time.  The result is a program that can
automate most any task and execute it unattended at any time.  You can
create files that backup your hard disk at 3 am, or get your E-Mail
automatically and have it waiting for you when you show up for work.  The
uses are endless.  For example you could create a file that would gather
data from several remote sites via your modem and then enter that data
into your database or spreadsheet program, or printer, automatically.

How does "KeyStuff" differ from "Playback"?  Although the end results can
be similar, Playback operates on a completely different principle.
Playback works like a tape recorder.  You turn it on, complete the task
you want to automate, and then turn it off.  Your keystrokes are recorded
as well as the delay between keystrokes so that when you replay them they
do exactly what you were doing when you first recorded them.  You can
turn the key sequences into .COM files which can be run from the DOS
prompt or from within batch files.  You can replay the key sequences via
a hot key, or unattended at some later time.  You can also adjust the
playback speed, edit the keyfiles, rename them, and much more.  In
addition, Playback's method of stuffing keystrokes is more sophisticated
than KeyStuff's and may work in situations where KeyStuff won't.
Playback excels at task automation.

If you'd like to try Playback, look for it on your local BBS under the
name PB??.EXE where ?? is the version number.  If you can't find it
there, we will send you the unregistered version (along with our other 11
shareware programs) for $5.  Add $1 for 3.5 disk, $5 for overseas.   Send
check or money order (in US funds) to:

RSE Variety Pac
1157 57th Drive SE
Auburn, WA 98002

We have another keyboard stuffing program, of sorts.  It's called
"Nabbit" and it grabs characters off your screen and lets you send them
to your printer (to print addresses on envelopes, etc.) OR store the
characters in a buffer and later re-insert them through the keyboard.
This lets you grab information off the screen from one program, and then
reinsert it later into another program.  Nabbit goes by the file name
NAB??.EXE where ?? is the version number.  If you can't find it on your
BBS, the unregistered version comes on the Variety Pac mentioned above.

== How Much? ==

KeyStuff is shareware.  As such you are given the program without
obligation in order to evaluate it.  If after a 3 week evaluation you
decide to continue using it then you are obligated to become a registered
user.  You register by sending $25+ $1 shipping (add $1 for 3.5 disk, $5
for overseas orders) to:

 KeyStuff            │  Visa or MC customers:       │  Modem-It! to:
 1157 57th Drive SE  │  call or FAX [phone]  │  [phone]
 Auburn, WA 98002    │  Compuserve: 72371,1557      │  Product ID: KY

(Modem-It! (tm) is a free program that lets you use your modem to easily
place orders 24 hours a day with any participating merchant.  Look for it
on any bulletin board.)

As a registered user you'll get the following additional benefits:

        1. Technical support and the latest version of KeyStuff.

        2. The unregistered versions of our other shareware programs
           including Playback, Nabbit, FileNotes, Remind Me!, Trash-It,
           BriteLine, and others.

        3. No more "please register" messages.

Because KeyStuff is shareware you are encouraged to give copies of it to
others as long as you don't modify the program or these instructions
and you don't charge for the copies.  The only exception to the last rule
is for shareware vendors who may charge a reasonable distribution fee.

== Getting started ==

* Put KEY.COM in one of the subdirectories listed in the PATH statement in
  your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

To begin stuffing a file into the keyboard:

* Move to the subdirectory where the data file is located
* enter "KEY filename" where "filename" is the name of the data file you
  want to stuff into the keyboard.

For example to start feeding the data file "STOCK.DAT" into the keyboard
buffer you would enter "key stock.dat" at the DOS prompt.

You MUST move to the subdirectory where the data file is located when you
enter the "KEY ..." command.  DO NOT specify the full pathname of the
data file.

== Aborting the stuffing of data ==

You can abort the keyboard stuffing at any time by pressing the Left
Shift key and the Right Shift key at the same time.  In other words,
press both shift keys at the same time to abort the keyboard stuffing.

== Hot key activated stuffing ==

There may be times when you don't want the stuffing to begin immediately
but would like it to start when you press a hot key.  You can do this by
adding the "/h" command line option when you start the program.  For
example, entering "key store.dat /h" tells KeyStuff not to begin
stuffing the STORE.DAT file until you press the hot key.  The hot key is:
Ctrl-LShift-RShift.  In other words, if you use the "/h" (h for "h"ot key
activation) command line option you initiate the stuffing by pressing the
Ctrl key and both shift keys all at the same time.

== Time activated stuffing ==

If you'd like the stuffing to begin automatically at some later time you
use the command line option "/####" where #### is a four digit number
designating the time you want the stuffing to begin.  The #### must be in
24 hour military time (3am = 0300, 11:30pm = 2330) and MUST be 4 digits
long.  For example, entering "key getmail /0200" would cause the "GETMAIL"
file to begin stuffing automatically at 2am.

== Inserting delays into your data files ==

Inserting delays into the stuffing of your data files can add power and
flexibility to your files.  You can use delays to wait for programs to
load, digest the data you just gave them, wait for modems to dial and
connect, etc..

You insert a delay into the stuffing of the data file by using a special
notation.  Edit the data file by going to the place where you want a delay:

* Hold down the Alt key
* Type in 222 on the numeric keypad
* Release the Alt key
* Enter the delay time in seconds
* Follow the entry with a space

Consider the following:

Scott▐1.5 Chaney

KeyStuff would stuff "Scott" into the keyboard, wait 1.5 seconds, and
then enter "Chaney".  ▐ is the character that appears when you hold the
Alt key down while entering 222 on the numeric keypad.

== Delays at every carriage return ==

KeyStuff can also automatically pause after every carriage return.  This
allows the program into which you are stuffing data to digest the data
just entered before going on to the next item.

You signal the delay value when you start KeyStuff by using the "/c#"
command line option, where # represents the delay in seconds (1.2, .5, 3,
etc.).  For example, entering "key customer.dat /c1.5" would cause
KeyStuff to begin stuffing the CUSTOMER.DAT file while pausing for 1.5
seconds after every carriage return.  You may use this option and still
place special delay characters within your data file.

== Getting input from the user ==

There may be situations where you would like to get user input while in
the middle of a stuffing.  For example you may create a file that on a
daily basis gathers data from one source and enters it into another
program and you would like the user to be able to input the date.  Since
the keyboard is still operative during stuffing, all you need do is put a
delay in the file (at the point where the program requests the date) that
lasts as long as it would ever take for the user to input the date.

== Uninstalling KeyStuff ==

KeyStuff is a tiny TSR using only about 2.5K of RAM.  Once you run it,
this 2.5K portion of the program remains in memory until you re-boot or
uninstall it using the "/u" command line option.  In other words, to
uninstall KeyStuff enter

key /u

at the DOS prompt.  You MUST remove TSR's in the reverse order in which
they were loaded or you may lock up your computer, thus requiring a re-
boot.

== Help ==

If you forget any of the command line options, just enter "key /?" at the
DOS prompt and KeyStuff will provide you with a summary.


== Special keys ==

You can also add special keys, like Escape, the function keys, the cursor
keys, (see table for complete list) into your data files by using a
special notation.  The process for inserting a special key is:

* Hold down the Alt Key
* enter 232 on the numeric keypad
* release the Alt key
* enter the number of the special key as indicated in the following table
* follow your input with a space

For example, entering

Scott Φ70 Chaney

into your data file would tell KeyStuff to stuff "Scott ", then Shift-
F10, and then "Chaney" into the keyboard buffer.  Φ is the value that
appears when you hold down the Alt key and enter 232.  70 is the number
associated with Shift-F10 as shown in the table below.

== Special Character Table ==

We have moved the special character table to the end of this file because
on some printers the last few characters in the table were being
interpeted as printer codes and were changing such things as spacing and
typestyle.   While this wasn't causing any harm it did confuse, annoy,
and alarm some people.

== How KeyStuff interpets the data file ==

All characters are fed into the keyboard buffer except for linefeeds
(ascii 10) and the special notation characters ASCII 222 (▐) and ASCII
232 (Φ).

Whenever KeyStuff encounters a carriage return (ASCII 13) it simulates
the Enter key being pressed.  Keep this in mind when you're creating your
data files.  The temptation is to add carriage returns just to keep the
format of the file looking "good" when you really don't want an Enter
sent to the computer.

Make sure you edit your data files using an ASCII editor (like DOS 5's
EDIT program), or configure your editor to save in an ASCII format.  Many
editors insert special characters and/or compress the files when you save
them.  If you use such an editor to create or edit your data files
KeyStuff is not going to produce the results you want.  You can tell if
your editor is saving in a pure ASCII format by entering "type ????" at
the DOS prompt where ???? is the name of the file.  If the file looks as
it did when you created it then you're okay.  If it looks different than
when you use the editor then you need to find an ASCII editor or check to
see if you can configure your editor to save in an ASCII format.

== Troubleshooting ==

*  "I set up KeyStuff to stuff a data file at some later time.  I then
used KeyStuff to stuff another data file now.  The delayed stuffing never
occured.  Why?"

KeyStuff only acts on the last command line input.  All previous commands
are overwritten even if the stuffing hasn't occurred yet.

*  "I used your table to input a special key, but the host program never
reacted to it?"

Programs check for keys in a variety of ways.  A few go directly to the
keyboard and monitor each key as it is pressed and released.  Most
however use BIOS calls or directly check the keyboard buffer where the
BIOS service leaves the keystroke information.  KeyStuff won't work on
the former method but works great on the later method.  Most of the time.

Some programs when looking for special keys check a special byte to see
what the shift state is at the time the key was pressed.  The shift state
byte tells if Ctrl, Alt, and the Shift Keys are being pressed.  If the
shift state indicates Ctrl, Alt, or Shift is being pressed then they
check the keyboard buffer to see what key was pressed in conjunction.
For example, they would check for Alt-D by checking the shift state byte
for the Alt key being pressed and then checking the keyboard buffer to
see if the D key is being pressed.


On the other hand, the BIOS converts many special keys to special codes
that it puts in the keyboard buffer.  Programs that use this method would
ignore the shift state byte and just check for the special codes in the
keyboard buffer.  These are the keys that appear in our special key
table.  Because KeyStuff doesn't alter the shift state byte, it won't
work with the former method but will with the later.

*  "Sometimes when I abort a stuffing by pressing both shift keys at once
a strange character appears."

The host program is checking the shift state byte as described earlier.
It notices that you've pressed the shift keys and changes the
interpretation of the last key.

== Technical Support ==

Registered users can call [phone] for technical support or contact
us on CIS: 72371,1557

== Thanks ==

Thanks for your time.  I hope you find KeyStuff worthy of your support.

== Legal ==

KeyStuff is copyrighted 1992 by RSE Inc.
RSE Inc. specifically disclaims all warranties pertaining to this
software.  The software is released "as is".

== Special Character Table ==

To enter a special character: Enter Alt-232, enter the character # (as
derived from this table) and follow the input with a space.  See
examples at the end of this table.

     Normal  Ctrl    Alt     Shift  │     Alt         Alt         Alt
F1    1       21      41      61    │     1  71       A  83       N  96
F2    2       22      42      62    │     2  72       B  84       O  97
F3    3       23      43      63    │     3  73       C  85       P  98
F4    4       24      44      64    │     4  74       D  86       Q  99
F5    5       25      45      65    │     5  75       E  87       R 100
F6    6       26      46      66    │     6  76       F  88       S 101
F7    7       27      47      67    │     7  77       G  89       T 102
F8    8       28      48      68    │     8  78       H  90       U 103
F9    9       29      49      69    │     9  79       I  91       V 104
F10   10      30      50      70    │     0  80       J  92       W 105
                                    │     -  81       K  93       X 106
Home  11      31                    │     =  82       L  94       Y 107
End   12      32                    │                 M  95       Z 108
PgUp  13      33
PgDn  14      34
RtArw 15      35
LfArw 16      36
UpArw 17
DnArw 18
Ins   19
Del   20
Tab   51                      60
BS    52 ;also try non-special character (alt 8)
Esc   53 ;also try non-special character (Alt 27)

Examples:  Alt-F3 = Φ43    Ctrl-PgDn = Φ34    Alt-J = Φ92    Esc = Φ53
Backspace: Φ52 or  ;(alt 8)     Escape: Φ53 or  (alt 27)