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GR2PCX (tm)
GR2GIF (tm)
GR2ASCII (tm)
GR2ANSI (tm)
*********
Conversion Utilities for use with
the GRABBER (tm) Screen Capture Program
DOCUMENTATION
February 4, 1992
Copyright 1991, 1992 by
Gerald A. Monroe
1241 Bunts Road
Lakewood, Ohio 44107 U.S.A.
CompuServe Mail ID # 72321,1257
YOUR LICENSE TO USE THIS SOFTWARE
----------------------------------
The files GR2PCX.EXE, GR2GIF.EXE, GR2ASCII.EXE, GR2ANSI.EXE, and
this documentation, are all Copyright 1991, 1992 by Gerald A. Monroe.
All rights are reserved except those expressly granted here.
These files have been distributed as part of the GRABBER(tm) screen
capture package, under the terms of a shareware license that is fully
set forth in the file GRABBER.DOC. (GRABBER.DOC is the reference
manual for GRABBER.EXE, which is the main program module in the
package.)
The shareware license terms in the GRABBER.DOC file are incorporated
here by reference. This license permits you to copy and distribute
the files GR2PCX.EXE, GR2GIF.EXE, GR2ASCII.EXE, GR2ANSI.EXE and
CONVERT.DOC (this file) freely, provided that: these files are
always distributed together with each other and with the GRABBER.EXE
and GRABBER.DOC files; none of the files is modified in any way; and
no fee, premium or donation of any kind is charged or requested for
their distribution except as permitted on the terms described in the
GRABBER.DOC file.
Continued use of any of these programs for more than a 10-day trial
period requires you to register your use of the software with the
author. For more information about the benefits of registration
and how to go about registering, please refer to the full licensing
and ordering information in the GRABBER.DOC file.
GR2PCX /GR2GIF /GR2ASCII /GR2ANSI Documentation Page 2 of 11
Table of Contents
Overview: What are GR2PCX and GR2GIF? ........................... 3
The GIF file format .............................................. 3
The PCX file format .............................................. 4
What GR2PCX and GR2GIF can convert ............................... 4
Interactive vs. Command Line Operation ........................... 5
Using GR2PCX: Interactive Mode .................................. 5
Using GR2PCX: Command Line Mode ................................. 6
Using GR2GIF: Interactive Mode .................................. 8
Using GR2GIF: Command Line Mode ................................. 8
Using the Resize feature ......................................... 10
Using GR2ASCII and GR2ANSI ....................................... 11
GR2PCX /GR2GIF /GR2ASCII /GR2ANSI Documentation Page 3 of 11
WHAT ARE GR2PCX and GR2GIF?
----------------------------
GR2PCX and GR2GIF are companion utilities to the GRABBER screen
capture program. You can use them to convert graphic images,
captured from your video display in the form of GRABBER "offspring"
files, into either of the widely recognized generic image formats
called PCX and GIF.
In addition, if your computer has an EGA or VGA video graphics
adapter and a color monitor, the GR2PCX utility can also convert
80 x 25 text images captured by GRABBER to the PCX graphic format.
(If you are unfamiliar with how the GRABBER program works, or what a
GRABBER offspring file is, please consult the program manual GRABBER
.DOC before continuing.)
THE "GIF" FILE FORMAT
----------------------
"GIF" (pronounced like "Jif") stands for Graphic Interchange Format.
The GIF image format was developed by CompuServe, Inc., as a
generalized method of exchanging and displaying graphic images on
the widest possible variety of computer graphics hardware. GIF is
one of the most widely accepted formats for exchanging graphics
information among all makes and models of microcomputers, whether
IBM-compatible or not. One of the reasons for the popularity of the
GIF format is its very effective data compression method. Generally,
there is no other widely used file format which can compress a graphic
image into a smaller space than GIF can.
The GIF format is supported extensively on the CompuServe Information
Service and many other on-line BBS services that make graphic images
available for downloading. In addition to these on-line services,
however, there are several PC application programs which can employ
the GIF format. These include word processing, desktop publishing,
and "paint" programs, as well as numerous picture viewing utilities.
Therefore, you can use GR2GIF to convert almost any graphic image
captured by GRABBER into GIF format, so that the image can be imported
into any word processing, desktop publishing, or paint program which
"understands" the GIF format. If you want to find out whether a
particular application program you use can work with GIF files, and
therefore import the files created by GR2GIF, you should consult that
program's documentation or contact its publisher.
GR2PCX /GR2GIF /GR2ASCII /GR2ANSI Documentation Page 4 of 11
THE "PCX" FILE FORMAT
----------------------
The PCX image format was developed by Zsoft Corporation, which is the
publisher of the widely used graphics "paint" programs PC Paintbrush
and Publisher's Paintbrush. Both of these programs use the PCX format
for storing and retrieving graphic images to and from disk files.
However, many other PC applications which involve graphic data, in
addition to the two Zsoft products mentioned, also employ the PCX
format. These include other paint programs, word processors such as
WordPerfect Version 5.0 and above, desktop publishing programs such
as Aldus' PageMaker, and picture viewing utilities. The PCX format
uses a data compression scheme to reduce the disk space required to
store graphic images.
You can use GR2PCX to convert almost any graphic image captured by
GRABBER into PCX format, so that the image can be imported into any
word processing, desktop publishing, or paint program which "under-
stands" the PCX format. If you want to find out whether a particular
application program you use can work with PCX files, and therefore
import the files created by GR2PCX, you should consult that program's
documentation or contact its publisher.
WHAT GR2PCX/GIF CAN CONVERT
----------------------------
These programs are able to convert almost any GRABBER offspring file
containing a graphic image into a separate PCX or GIF file. This
includes any image originally captured in any CGA mode, any EGA
mode, any VGA mode, and the Hercules monochrome graphics mode.
Also, the GR2PCX utility can be used to convert text-mode images to
the PCX graphics format. To use GR2PCX to convert a text-mode image,
your computer must be equipped with an EGA or VGA adapter and a color
monitor, and the text screen must measure 80 columns by 25 rows.
On page 8 of the GRABBER program documentation, there is a list of
the various video modes which GRABBER supports. If a video mode
in that chart indicates "n/a" in the column which is headed "Graphics
Resolution," then that is a text mode, and GRABBER offspring files
captured in that mode cannot be converted to PCX or GIF (with the
exception of modes 2, 3, and 7, which can be converted by GR2PCX).
Note for technical users: If you have a Super-VGA (SVGA) adapter, you
should read page 9 of the GRABBER program documentation. Generally,
any 16-color or 256-color SVGA image can be converted to the PCX or
GIF formats using these programs if the SVGA manufacturer has
modeled the memory organization of its video modes after the IBM EGA
"four-plane planar" method (for 16-color screens), or IBM VGA "packed
pixel" method (for 256-color screens). SVGA memory organization
schemes which are unique to certain adapters are not supported by
these conversion programs.
GR2PCX /GR2GIF /GR2ASCII /GR2ANSI Documentation Page 5 of 11
INTERACTIVE vs. COMMAND-LINE OPERATION
---------------------------------------
If you enter the command GR2PCX or GR2GIF by itself on the DOS
command line or in a batch file, you will be running the program
in an "interactive" mode. This means the program will prompt you
on screen for the answers to several questions, detailed below,
before it goes to work converting your input image file to PCX or
GIF format. If you don't like working with command-line switches
or can't remember them all (there are quite a few), you will want
to use the interactive mode.
However, if you want to avoid having to answer each question
individually, you can run GR2PCX or GR2GIF in the "command-line"
mode, by following the GR2PCX or GR2GIF command itself with the
names of your input and output files, plus any of the optional
command-line switches, which are described below.
USING GR2PCX: INTERACTIVE MODE
--------------------------------
(1) Enter the command GR2PCX and press <RETURN>.
(2) Specify the name of the offspring file you wish to convert
(the "input file"). You may optionally precede the filename
with a drive and/or pathname if necessary. If the input file-
name ends with ".EXE" as it should, you may omit this exten-
sion from the filename. (E.g., entering SCREENXX is the same
as entering SCREENXX.EXE.)
(3) To give the "output file" the same name as the input file but
with a ".PCX" filename extension, press <RETURN>. If you wish
to give it a different name than the default which the program
shows you, or place it in a different drive or directory than
your input file, you must enter the full file specification,
including drive, path, and ".PCX" extension.
(4) If you want to convert the entire image to PCX, respond to the
"Resize image?" prompt by pressing <N> or <RETURN>. The
resulting output file will contain data for the whole image
as it is displayed when you execute the offspring image file.
If you want to crop out portions of the screen and create an
output PCX image that is smaller than the original image, press
<Y> at the "Resize image?" prompt. If you do this, the image
will be displayed with a rectangular "resize box," which you can
adjust to fit the shape and position of the portion of the image
you want to convert. Complete instructions for changing the
size and positioning of the resize box can be found below on
page 10.
GR2PCX /GR2GIF /GR2ASCII /GR2ANSI Documentation Page 6 of 11
GR2PCX INTERACTIVE MODE (continued)
------------------------------------
(5) If the input file contains a graphic image, and you have a VGA-
compatible system, you will then be asked to specify a color
or gray-scale output file. Press <C> or <RETURN> to choose
color, or press <G> for gray-scale. If you are converting a
graphic image, this is the last question you will be asked.
If the input file contains a text image, you are given the
additional choice of monochrome (black-and-white) output. If
you choose this option by pressing <B>, most color variations
will be stripped from the output file. Some word processing
and desktop publishing programs do not do a good job of dis-
playing or printing imported PCX files which contain color or
gray-scale information, so you may wish to experiment with this
option.
If you do choose black-and-white output, you will then be asked
whether you want to invert the black and white colors in the
output image. If the output PCX is destined to be printed on
paper, you may wish to experiment with this option also.
(6) Finally, for text-mode input files only, one last question:
You may choose the size of the screen font into which the
characters in the input file will be translated. These are
the menu choices and the results they produce:
Menu Option Font Cell Emulation Total Image Size
----------- --------- --------- ----------------
A 8 x 8 CGA 640 x 200 pixels
B 8 x 14 EGA 640 x 350 pixels
C 9 x 14 EGA/MDA/ 720 x 350 pixels
Hercules
D 9 x 16 VGA 720 x 400 pixels
USING GR2PCX: COMMAND-LINE MODE
---------------------------------
To avoid the GR2PCX menu prompts described above, you can specify
the name of your input .EXE image file on the DOS command line
immediately after the GR2PCX command itself. To select details
of program operation, you can follow the input file name with the
optional switches described here. Certain default parameters, also
described here, will take effect for certain program features if no
optional switch is specified. A GR2PCX command line looks something
like this (optional parameters are shown in brackets):
GR2PCX inputfile [outputfile] [/S] [/C] [/G] [/B] [/I] [/8] [/4] [/9] [/6]
GR2PCX /GR2GIF /GR2ASCII /GR2ANSI Documentation Page 7 of 11
GR2PCX COMMAND-LINE MODE (continued)
-------------------------------------
GR2PCX inputfile [outputfile] [/S] [/C] [/G] [/B] [/I] [/8] [/4] [/9] [/6]
"inputfile" is the name of your GRABBER offspring .EXE image. The
.EXE extension may be omitted.
"outputfile" is the full name of the .PCX file you want to create.
You must add the .PCX extension yourself. The name may be preceded
by a drive and/or directory path. If omitted, the output file will
automatically be named "inputfile.PCX" and will be placed on the
same drive and directory path as the input file.
/S tells GR2PCX that you will want to crop a portion of the image
using the resize box before actual conversion takes place. If
omitted, the entire image is converted to PCX format.
/C tells GR2PCX to produce a color output file (if the input file is
also a color image). If omitted, no big deal. Color output is the
default anyway for both graphics and text conversions.
/G tells GR2PCX to produce a gray-scale output file (if the input file
is a color image). This option is available only on VGA-compatible
systems, and is accepted for both graphics and text conversions.
/B tells GR2PCX to produce a monochrome (black-and-white) output PCX
file. This option is valid only for text screen conversions.
/I tells GR2PCX to produce a monochrome (black-and-white) output PCX
file, *and* to invert the white and black elements of the image.
White becomes black and vice-versa. This option can be useful if you
intend to print the PCX output on paper, and is valid only for text
screen conversions.
All of the remaining optional switches are used to specify screen font
choices and are valid only for text screen conversions. For more
information about the image dimensions associated with these fonts,
see the chart on the previous page under item (6) in the section
headed "Using GR2PCX: Interactive Mode."
/8 selects an 8x8 font cell which emulates CGA
/4 selects an 8x14 font cell which emulates some EGAs
/9 selects a 9x14 font cell emulating MDA, Hercules and most EGAs
/6 selects a 9x16 font cell which emulates VGA
GR2PCX /GR2GIF /GR2ASCII /GR2ANSI Documentation Page 8 of 11
USING GR2GIF: INTERACTIVE MODE
--------------------------------
(1) Enter the command GR2GIF and press <RETURN>.
(2) Specify the name of the offspring file you wish to convert
(the "input file"). You may optionally precede the filename
with a drive and/or pathname if necessary. If the input file-
name ends with ".EXE" as it should, you may omit this exten-
sion from the filename. (E.g., entering SCREENXX is the same
as entering SCREENXX.EXE.)
(3) To give the "output file" the same name as the input file but
with a ".GIF" filename extension, press <RETURN>. If you wish
to give it a different name than the default which the program
shows you, or place it in a different drive or directory than
your input file, you must enter the full file specification,
including drive, path, and ".GIF" extension.
(4) If you want to convert the entire image to GIF, respond to the
"Resize image?" prompt by pressing <N> or <RETURN>. The
resulting output file will contain data for the whole image
as it is displayed when you execute the offspring image file.
If you want to crop out portions of the screen and create an
output GIF image that is smaller than the original image, press
<Y> at the "Resize image?" prompt. If you do this, the image
will be displayed with a rectangular "resize box," which you can
adjust to fit the shape and position of the portion of the image
you want to convert. Complete instructions for changing the
size and positioning of the resize box can be found below on
page 10.
(5) If you have a VGA-compatible system, you will then be asked to
specify a color or grayscale output file. Press <C> or <RETURN>
to choose color, or press <G> for grayscale. This is the last
question the program will ask you before it goes to work.
USING GR2GIF: COMMAND-LINE MODE
---------------------------------
To avoid the GR2GIF menu prompts described above, you can specify
the name of your input .EXE image file on the DOS command line
immediately after the GR2GIF command itself. To select details
of program operation, you can follow the input file name with the
optional switches described here. Certain default parameters, also
described here, will take effect for certain program features if no
optional switch is specified. A GR2GIF command line looks something
like this (optional parameters are shown in brackets):
GR2GIF inputfile [outputfile] [/S] [/C] [/G]
GR2PCX /GR2GIF /GR2ASCII /GR2ANSI Documentation Page 9 of 11
GR2GIF COMMAND-LINE MODE (continued)
-------------------------------------
GR2GIF inputfile [outputfile] [/S] [/C] [/G]
"inputfile" is the name of your GRABBER offspring .EXE image. The
.EXE extension may be omitted.
"outputfile" is the full name of the .GIF file you want to create.
You must add the .GIF extension yourself. The name may be preceded
by a drive and/or directory path. If omitted, the output file will
automatically be named "inputfile.GIF" and will be placed on the
same drive and directory path as the input file.
/S tells GR2GIF that you will want to crop a portion of the image
using the resize box before actual conversion takes place. If
omitted, the entire image is converted to GIF format.
/C tells GR2GIF to produce a color output file (if the input file is
also a color image). If omitted, no big deal. Color output is the
default anyway.
/G tells GR2GIF to produce a gray-scale output file (if the input file
is a color image). This option is available only on VGA-compatible
systems.
GR2PCX /GR2GIF /GR2ASCII /GR2ANSI Documentation Page 10 of 11
USING THE RESIZE FEATURE: CONTROLLING THE RESIZE BOX
------------------------------------------------------
The following keys are available to you when using the resize feature
feature within GR2PCX and GR2GIF:
<Esc> . . . . . . . . . . . . Abort the conversion process and exit.
<Return> . . . . . . . . . . Accept the area enclosed by the select
box, and begin converting.
<Left Arrow>
<Right Arrow> Move the select box in the indicated
<Up Arrow> direction without changing the shape
<Down Arrow> . . . . . . . . of the box.
<Shift><Left Arrow> . . . . . Shrink the box horizontally.
<Shift><Right Arrow> . . . . Expand the box horizontally.
<Shift><Up Arrow> . . . . . . Shrink the box vertically.
<Shift><Down Arrow> . . . . . Expand the box vertically.
<Insert> . . . . . . . . . . Toggle between coarse and fine incre-
ments for moving or reshaping the box.
<Home> . . . . . . . . . . . Move the box to the upper left-hand
corner of the screen.
<End> . . . . . . . . . . . . Move the box to the lower left-hand
corner of the screen.
<Ctrl><PgUp> . . . . . . . . Move the box to the upper right-hand
corner of the screen.
<Ctrl><PgDn> . . . . . . . . Move the box to the lower right-hand
corner of the screen.
<PgUp> . . . . . . . . . . . Move box to top edge of the screen.
<PgDn> . . . . . . . . . . . Move box to bottom edge of the screen.
<Ctrl><Left Arrow> . . . . . Move box to left edge of the screen.
<Ctrl><Right Arrow> . . . . . Move box to right edge of the screen.
GR2PCX /GR2GIF /GR2ASCII /GR2ANSI Documentation Page 11 of 11
USING GR2ASCII and GR2ANSI
---------------------------
GR2ASCII and GR2ANSI are companion utilities to the GRABBER screen
capture program. You can use them to convert text images, captured
from your video display in the form of GRABBER "offspring" files,
into plain ASCII or ANSI formats, respectively.
These programs work only with character-based text images captured
by GRABBER. They do not work with pixel-based graphic images.
To create an ASCII text file from a captured GRABBER offspring image,
enter a command similar to the following at the DOS prompt:
GR2ASCII inputfile[.exe] [outputfile.txt]
"inputfile" represents the name of the GRABBER offspring image you
wish to convert. The .exe filename extension may be omitted.
"outputfile.txt" represents the name of the new ASCII text file you
wish to create from the contents of the input file. This output
file name is optional. If you do not specify it, the program will
create an output file which has the same name as the input file, but
with an extension of ".TXT". For example, the command
GR2ASCII C:\PICTURES\SCREEN99
will cause the program to read the SCREEN99.EXE file and generate
an output ASCII file called C:\PICTURES\SCREEN99.TXT.
To create an ANSI graphics file from a captured GRABBER offspring
image, follow the first command example shown above, substituting
GR2ANSI for GR2ASCII. (Each of these programs is operated the same
way as the other.) If you do not specify the optional output file
name on the GR2ANSI command line, the program will create an output
file which has the same name as the input file, but with an extension
of ".ANS". For example, the command
GR2ANSI C:\PICTURES\SCREEN99
will create an output ANSI file called C:\PICTURES\SCREEN99.ANS.
* * * End of CONVERT.DOC * * *