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FORM-GEN
Form Generation Program
(C) Copyright 1984, 85, 86
by
R & S MacLean
FORM-GEN
Version 2.43
August '86
(C) Copyright 1984, 1985, 1986
by R & S MacLean
1. OVERVIEW
FORM-GEN is designed to quickly and easily produce forms
for home and office use. Many advanced features aid in the
creation and printing of forms, price lists, maps and other
useful items. In addition, FORM-GEN can be used to aid in
the design of screens to be integrated with custom written
programs and some popular software packages.
Currently, forms can be created any size up to a maximum
width of 79 characters and a maximum form length of 80
lines.
2. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
1. FORM-GEN will operate in all IBM PC, XT and AT
Personal Computers and other IBM compatible
computers. It requires a minimum of 128K of memory
and will operate under PC-DOS 2.1 or higher.
2. FORM-GEN graphics can be displayed on all monitors
supported by IBM such as RGB Color Monitors,
Composite Type Monitors, as well as high resolution
monitors such as the IBM Monochrome Monitor, the
Zenith ZVM-1240 Monitor as well as Amdek and other
monitor types. FORM-GEN will also support Hercules
and equivalent display cards.
3. All printers in the IBM line and the Epson family of
printers are currently supported. Other printers
must either support IBM character set or the Epson
dual density graphics mode.
page 2
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
3. CONFIGURING FORM-GEN
FORM-GEN will operate properly without the need to
configure it, but users of color or composite monitors can
enhance the performance of the screen display by configuring
it specifically for their monitor types.
Form-Gen is configured for the desired display type by
typing in one of the following at the DOS prompt:
MONO - for TTL monochrome monitors (such as the IBM
monitor)
COLOR - for color monitors of all types
B&W - for composite monochrome monitors (including
Compaq)
4. USING FORM-GEN
To run FORM-GEN, simply type FORM.
The light on the disk drive will light, and FORM-GEN's
sign-on screen will be displayed. Press any key to begin.
The screen will be blank, with the exception of the "Command
Line" at the bottom.
This is the blank drawing pad, and the command line is
there to indicate the status of the program and to provide a
reminder that pressing the [F10] key will activate the Help
function FORM-GEN.
There is a blinking square in the upper left corner of
the screen. This is the cursor and it is the drawing "pen"
in FORM-GEN. In the lower right corner of the screen, at
the end of the command line, there is a box containing "Row
1 Col 1". This is the cursor position indicator and will
track the row and column position of the cursor as it is
moved around the screen.
5. KEYBOARD FUNCTIONS
5.1 TEXTUAL MATERIAL
Of course, normal text can be typed directly onto the
pad at any location.
page 3
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
5.2 SPECIAL CHARACTERS
Certain special characters are provided which broaden
the usefulness of the forms can be created. These
characters can be entered by using a special key sequence
provided by IBM for this purpose.
The special three digit code is entered on the numeric
keypad while holding down the [Alt] key. When the [Alt] key
is released, the desired character will appear on the
screen.
Codes for the special characters are:
016 - right arrow head - ()
017 - left arrow head - ()
018 - up/down arrow - ()
024 - up arrow - ()
025 - down arrow - ()
026 - right arrow - (.)
024 - left arrow - ()
176 - light texture - (░)
177 - medium texture - (▒)
178 - dark texture - (▓)
These characters can be entered directly onto the pad,
and then (if desired) duplicated using the Duplicate Mode
and the Block Copy Functions.
page 4
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
5.3 CURSOR CONTROL KEYS
A number of the keys on the keyboard are used to move
the cursor around on the pad:
Move Cursor
[Arrow Keys] The four arrow keys at the right side of
the keyboard are used to move the cursor
around the drawing pad.
Carriage Return
[Enter] The [Enter] key will move the cursor to
the extreme left position of the next
line of the pad. (Just like a
typewriter.)
TAB Right
[->|] Tab stops are set roughly every eight
columns across the drawing pad. (The
tab stops are located at columns 1, 8,
16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72 and 79)
Pressing this key will advance the
cursor across the pad to the right until
it reaches the next tab stop.
TAB Left
[Shift] [|<-] The combination of [SHIFT] & [TAB] will
move the cursor across the screen to the
left until it reaches the nearest tab
stop.
Left Edge of Pad
[Home] This key will move the cursor to the
left side of the drawing pad.
Right Edge of Pad
[End] This key will move the cursor at the
right side of the drawing pad.
Top of Screen
[Ctrl] [Home] Holding the [Ctrl] key while pressing
[Home] will move the cursor to the upper
left corner of the current screen.
Bottom of Screen
[Ctrl] [End] Holding the [Ctrl] key while pressing
[End] will move the cursor to the lower
left corner of the current screen.
Top of Form
[Ctrl] [Pg Up] Holding the [Ctrl] key while pressing
[Pg Up] will move the cursor to the
upper left corner of the drawing pad.
page 5
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
Bottom of Form
[Ctrl] [Pg Dn] Holding the [Ctrl] key while pressing
[Pg Dn] will move the cursor to the
lower left corner of the drawing pad.
Word Left
[F7] Pressing [F7] will cause the cursor to
jump to the next word (or other non-
blank item) to the left.
Word Right
[F8] Pressing [F8] will cause the cursor to
jump to the next word (or other non-
blank item) to the right.
5.4 DRAWING CONTROL KEYS
Single Line
[F1] Pressing this key will cause the cursor
to draw THIN (single) lines on the
screen. When pressed, a notation
indicating this mode will appear on the
command line. As long as the cursor is
in this mode, it can be moved about the
pad, drawing a THIN line wherever it
goes. To stop the cursor from drawing,
select [F1] again.
Double Line
[F2] Pressing this key will cause the cursor
to draw THICK (double) lines on the
screen. When pressed, a notation
indicating this mode will appear on the
command line. As long as the cursor is
in this mode, it can be moved about the
pad, drawing a THICK line wherever it
goes. To stop the cursor from drawing,
select [F2] again.
page 6
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
Duplicate
Character [F3] Pressing this key will cause the cursor
leave behind a trail of whatever
character was under the cursor at the
time it was pressed. (For example if a
"*" was under the cursor at the time the
[F3] key was pressed, a trail of
asterisks will be drawn on the screen
when the cursor is moved.) When
pressed, a notation indicating this mode
will appear on the command line. As
long as the cursor is in this mode, it
can be moved about the pad, duplicating
the character wherever it goes. To stop
the cursor from drawing, press the [F3]
key again, or select one of the other
drawing mode keys. ([F1] [F2] [F4])
Erase
[F4] Pressing this key will put the cursor in
erase mode. While in this mode, the
cursor will erase whatever it passes
over while being moved around on the
drawing pad. When pressed, a notation
indicating this mode will appear on the
command line. To stop the cursor from
erasing, press the [F4] key again, or
select one of the other drawing mode
keys.
5.5 EDIT FUNCTIONS
Delete Character
[Del] This key is used to delete the character
which is currently under the cursor.
All characters to the right of the
cursor will be shifted to the left by
one position.
Backspace
[<-] The [<-] key will delete the character
to the left of the cursor. The
character under the cursor, and all
characters to the right of it, will be
shifted one position to the left.
page 7
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
Insert Space
[Ins] This key is used to insert a blank space
at the current cursor position. The
character under the cursor and all
characters to the right of the it will
be shifted to the right by one position.
The right most character will be lost.
Insert Mode Toggle
[F5] This key toggles between INSERT and
OVERWRITE modes. When INSERT is active,
characters to the right of the cursor
will be moved to the right to make room
for new text as is is entered. When
OVERWRITE is active, newly entered text
will be written right over any old text
under the cursor.
Centre Function
[Alt] [C] Holding the [Alt] key while pressing [C]
will cause a temporary marker (^) to
appear on the line that the cursor is
currently on. Upon receiving this
command, FORM-GEN locates the first non-
blank characters on each side of the
cursor. When these have been located,
FORM-GEN measures the distance between
them and places the marker at the mid-
point between them. The marker is for
visual use and will not be printed, or
saved with the form. It should be noted
that the centre marker will disappear if
the operator changes screens (i.e., with
[Pg Dn]) and then returns.
The marker cannot be activated when the
cursor is at the extreme left and right
positions of a line.
To find the centre point of a blank line
simply move the cursor to the second
character position and activate the
command and the centre marker will
appear at the centre of the line.
If there is text in the area between the
lines on the screen, it will be centred
and no marker will be created.
5.6 ROW/COLUMN FUNCTIONS
page 8
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
Insert Line
[Alt] [I] Holding the [Alt] key while pressing [I]
will insert a blank line at the position
of the cursor. The line the cursor is
on, and all subsequent lines, will be
moved down one line. Any text or lines
on the last (or 80th) line will be lost.
(See also Stretch Function.)
Delete Line
[Alt] [D] Holding the [Alt] key while pressing [D]
will delete the line which is currently
under the cursor. All subsequent lines
will be moved up by one line.
Insert Column
[Ctrl] [->] Holding the [Ctrl] key while pressing [-
>] will insert a blank vertical column
at the position of the cursor. The text
and graphics in the column under the
cursor, and everything to the right of
it, will be shifted one position to the
right. The contents of the right most
column will be lost. (See also Stretch
Function.)
Delete Column
[Ctrl] [<-] Holding the [Ctrl] key while pressing
[<-] will delete the column which is
currently under the cursor. All text
and graphics to the right of the cursor
will be shifted one position to the
left.
Stretch Mode
Toggle [F6] This key toggles the stretch mode on and
off. When STRETCH is enabled, lines in
the form will be patched whenever a line
in inserted in the form. The state of
this mode will be indicated on the
command line.
5.7 BLOCK OPERATIONS
page 9
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
Define Block
[Alt] [F6] Pressing this combination will allow the
definition of a block to copy, move or
clear. Move the cursor to the upper
left corner of the intended block and
then press the [Alt] [F6] combination.
Once this is done, Form-Gen is in block
define mode and the only keys allowed
are the four arrow keys. As the cursor
is moved down or to the right, the block
will be highlighted. When the complete
block area is defined, pressing [Alt]
[F6] again will complete the definition
and eliminate the highlight.
At this point, FORM-GEN remembers the
defined source block area and is ready
to copy, move or clear the block.
Copy Block
[Alt] [F3] Once a block has been defined, it can be
duplicated elsewhere in the form by
moving the cursor to the upper left
corner of the destination area and
pressing [Alt] [F3].
Move Block
[Alt] [F4] Once a block has been defined, it can be
moved elsewhere in the form by moving
the cursor to the upper left corner of
the destination area and pressing [Alt]
[F4].
Clear Block
[Alt] [F5] The defined block area can be cleared by
pressing the [Alt] [F5] combination.
5.8 PRINT FUNCTION
Print Form
[Alt] [F10] This will print the custom designed
form. (This is covered in detail in the
section entitled "Printing Forms".
5.9 FILE HANDLING FUNCTIONS
page 10
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
Save Form
[F9] Pressing this key will save a copy of
the form on the pad on the diskette.
Once saved, the forms can be recalled
for modification or printing at any
time. For Form-Gen data files, there is
no need to type ".FRM" at the end of the
file name as Form-Gen will automatically
add it. (More detail on this in the
section "Methods of Saving Forms")
Load Form
[Alt] [F9] This Function will load a previously
saved form design from the diskette into
memory for modification or printing.
FORM-GEN will ask for the name of the
form. There is no need to type ".FRM"
at the end of the file name as Form-Gen
will automatically add it. The default
path to the data directory can be set
using [Alt] [P] key combination.
Set Data Path
[Alt] [F9] Pressing this combination will cause
Form-Gen to ask for a default path to
the data directory where forms are to be
stored. The path may optionally include
a drive specification. (ie. B:\FORMDATA)
Once entered, Form-Gen will remember the
path during subsequent sessions.
To clear the path so that Form-Gen will
store forms in the current directory,
simply enter "." at the prompt.
Display Disk
Directory [Alt] Holding the [Alt] key while pressing [F]
[F] will cause FORM-GEN to display a
directory of the data directory declared
as the default. (See Set Data Path
command.)
5.10 FORM-GEN ENVIRONMENT FUNCTIONS
Help
[F10] Help regarding FORM-GEN keys is
displayed by pressing the [F10] key.
FORM-GEN will display a complete list of
useful function keys grouped according
to function. This feature provides
ready reference to all FORM-GEN
functions.
page 11
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
Set Screen Colors
[Alt] [F8] Pressing this combination will prompt
FORM-GEN to display a screen showing the
possible colors available for the
various FORM-GEN functions. Any
selections made will be automatically
saved for future use. (To exit without
making any changes, simply press [Enter]
for each of the 12 selections.)
Clear Pad
[Alt] [F7] Pressing this key will completely CLEAR
THE FORM CURRENTLY IN MEMORY. FORM-GEN
has a safety feature built in to
eliminate accidentally loss of unsaved
forms. It will ask for confirmation
before clearing the current form. Enter
Y(es) to clear or N(o) to cancel the
command.
5.11 OTHER FUNCTIONS
Exit FORM-GEN
[Alt] [X] This combination is used to exit FORM-
GEN. It is important to note that ANY
FORM DESIGN WHICH HAS NOT BEEN SAVED
WILL BE LOST. FORM-GEN has a safety
feature built in to eliminate accidental
loss of forms. It will ask for
confirmation before exiting from the
program. Enter Y(es) to exit or N(o) to
cancel the command.
page 12
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
6. PRINTING CUSTOMIZED FORMS
When the [Alt] [F10] key combination is pressed, a print
menu is displayed at the bottom of the screen:
Printer: [1]-IBM Graphics [2]-Epson Pica [3]-Epson Elite
Selecting any of these options will print a copy of the
form currently on the pad. The use and differences between
these options is detailed below.
[1]-IBM Graphics
Pressing [1] will, of course, cause the
form to be printed. The copy produced
will be of standard density for the
printer. If the printer is an IBM
Graphics printer, the dot density will
be comparatively low, if it is an IBM
Quietwriter, the print quality will be
excellent. This selection will operate
only with printers which have the
capability to recognize and print the
IBM PC graphics characters built in.
The IBM Graphics printer, IBM
Quietwriter, and many other printer
brands feature this ability. Other
printers commonly used with IBM PC's may
not work properly with this option.
[2]-Epson Pica
Selecting this option will produce a
high quality hard copy in the PICA (or
10 characters/inch) size. The lines
will be produced using dual density
graphics, alpha-numeric characters using
emphasized mode. This combination will
render high quality on an Epson or
Epson-compatible printer.
[3]-Epson Elite
This option will also produce a high
quality copy of the form, but it will be
sized at 12 characters/inch. The form
lines will be similar to option 2, but
the text will be printed in double print
mode.
If one of the Epson options has been selected, a second
menu is displayed at the bottom of the screen:
Epson Printer Type: [1]-MX/FX [2]-LQ
page 13
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
7. METHODS OF SAVING FORMS
When the [F9]-Save key is pressed, a menu similar to
that below will be displayed on the bottom line of the
screen:
Save File Type: [1]-Standard [2]-ASCII Text [3]-R:Base
Data Form
Each of these options is used as follows:
[1]- Standard
This is the standard and recommended
method of saving forms for future
modification and printing with FORM-GEN.
The form may be given any eight
character filename. If desired, a three
character extension may be specified.
If no extension is given, FORM-GEN will
attach the suffix ".FRM" to the end of
the filename. (ie. a file given the
name SAMPLE would be saved as
SAMPLE.FRM)
If a file name is selected that is
already on the data diskette FORM-GEN
will produce a warning and ask if it is
to be overwritten. Overwrite will
replace the old copy of the form with
the new copy. Choose Y (Yes) to
complete this function. If the old form
is not to be overwritten (and lost),
select N (No).
[2]-ASCII Text
This option will save the form as a
standard ASCII text file, complete with
carriage returns. This method of saving
forms can be used to make them available
for use with other programs, for
creating screens for BASIC, etc.. If no
file extension is specified, FORM-GEN
will attach the extension ".TXT" to the
end of the file name.
page 14
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
[3]-R:Base Format
This option allows the creation of data
input screens for use with the R:Base
series of database systems from
MicroRIM. When this option is
specified, FORM-GEN will prompt for a
filename, a form name, and a relation
name. Unless otherwise specified, FORM-
GEN will create the file with ".RBF" as
the file extension.
More detail on this in the section
entitled "Creating R:Base 4000 Input
Forms"
7.1 CREATING R:Base INPUT FORMS
The following steps are necessary to create and transfer
a data input form to R:Base:
1) Create the data input form. When creating data
input forms, ensure that there are no quotation
marks (") in the forms. (If quotation marks do
appear in the forms, R:Base may have difficulty in
loading, usually resulting in the loss of anything
to the right of the quotation mark on that line)
NOTE: If quotation marks are to be placed in the
data input screen, leave space for them now, and
edit them in using the forms command in R:Base.
2) Save the form using both the Standard format and the
R:Base format. (This will allow for later
modifications if necessary) Once the form design is
completed, save the form design under [3]-R:Base
format. FORM-GEN will ask for:
a) File name
b) R:Base Form name
c) R:Base Relation name
Please note these names for use with R:Base.
7.2 TRANSFERRING FILES TO R:Base
1 Enter R:Base.
2 Open the desired database for the input forms.
3 Type FORMS [RETURN]. (See R:Base 4000 Manual p. 3-9)
page 15
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
4 R:Base will ask for a Form Name. Enter any name
here.
5 R:Base will ask for a Relation Name. Enter any name
BUT a name that has been defined. At this point
R:Base will respond with, --ERROR-- "relation name"
is an undefined relation. GOOD, this is normal.
6 Type LOAD FORMS FROM filename.RBF AS ASCII [RETURN].
(filename.RBF refers to the file name of the form
saved in FORM-GEN) (See R:Base Manual p.3-25).
7 Type FORMS [RETURN].
8 R:Base will ask for a Form Name. This is the name of
form given when saving in R:Base format.
9 R:Base will respond with, "--ERROR-- You do not have
any attributes defined for this form. Press any key
to continue." DO NOT WORRY, THIS IS NORMAL, press
[RETURN]
10 Your form will now be displayed on the screen.
Press "Esc" to continue normal R:Base processing.
The data input form created in FORM-GEN is now a
part of the R:Base database.
8. AUTOMATIC FORM SAVE FEATURE
If an error occurs during the operation of the program,
FORM-GEN will automatically save the form currently on the
pad in a file called RESCUED.FRM. This feature will prevent
the frustration caused by loss of work in the event of a
software or hardware failure.
9. WISH LIST
Features on the list for future versions:
- horizontal scrolling and support for forms up to
255 characters wide
- specialized font commands to allow expanded and
other special character formats to be utilized
- ability to call DOS from within the program
- support for other printers including laser
- graphics support for all IBM characters
page 16
Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86
- condensed print support
page 17