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S I M P L Y D O C S
Users Manual
Version 1.6
SimpleWare
34 Earle Street
Grand Falls-Windsor, NF
Canada A2B 1E9
FAX / VOICE MAIL - (709) 489-9558
Support BBS - (709) 489-6018
┌─────────┐
┌─────┴───┐ │ (R)
──│ │o │──────────────────
│ ┌─────┴╨──┐ │ Association of
│ │ │─┘ Shareware
└───│ o │ Professionals
──────│ ║ │────────────────────
└────╨────┘ MEMBER
Copyright 1991-1993 by Robert E. Pitcher
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Let's get the required formalities out of the way first.
This software is not free and it is not in the public domain. It
is copyright (1991-1993) by SimpleWare and Robert E. Pitcher.
ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED.
This program is distributed as shareware. The shareware method
of distribution allows you to evaluate a program prior to
purchasing it. First time users of Simply Docs are granted a
license to use the program on a trail basis, without cost or
obligation, for the sole purpose of determining whether or not it
meets their needs. ANY AND ALL other use after a trail period of
30 DAYS requires registration to obtain a license for continued
use. Non-registered use of Simply Docs beyond the trail period
is strictly prohibited.
ANY FILES CREATED WITH A NON-REGISTERED COPY OF SIMPLY DOCS MAY
NOT BE DISTRIBUTED IN ANY MANNER. However, any files created
with a registered copy of Simply Docs may distributed without any
royalties or additional payments.
Commercial Distributors of Shareware or User Supported Software
and Bulletin Board Operators (Sysops) should refer to the file
VENDOR.DOC for information and restrictions on distributing
Simply Docs.
WARRANTY
SimpleWare makes no warranty of any kind, express or implied,
including without limitation, any warranties of merchantability
and/or fitness for a particular purpose. SimpleWare shall not be
liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or
consequential arising from the use of, or inability to use this
program by any user.
IN NO EVENT WILL SIMPLEWARE BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES,
INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE
THE PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.
ASP OMBUDSMAN
This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve
a shareware related problem with an ASP member by contacting
the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman
can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member,
but does not provide technical support for members' products.
Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at:
ASP Ombudsman
545 Grover Road
Muskegon, MI 49442-9427
Or send a Compuserve message via CompuServe Mail to
ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536
INTRODUCTION
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
What exactly is Simply Docs? Simply Docs is a very useful
utility that converts standard ASCII text files into executable
program files. You may ask why would you want to do that?
Consider the following:
Have you ever tried to view a large text file with the DOS TYPE
command?
Have you ever been in the middle of a program and wanted
information from a users manual on disk but it was too much
trouble to save your work, exit the program and try to find the
information? Ah, so you decided to print it.
Have you ever tried printing a 70 page manual only to run out of
paper or have the printer jam after 65 pages? Have you tried to
resume printing at the next page?
Have you ever wanted to print just one page from a users manual?
Of course the page you want is almost always at the back and
using "Print Screen" is not much help!
Assuming you managed to get the complete manual printed, how much
time have you spent searching fan-fold pages for information?
If you, or anyone who uses your text files, have experienced any
one of these frustrations then Simply Docs may be just the answer
you've been looking for.
Simply Docs offers an excellent solution to all these problems by
turning your text files into EXE files, turning README files into
RUNME files. Some advantages of Simply Docs files over standard
text files include:
■ The EXE files have a built in viewer that allow you to read
the document on screen. You do not rely on the user to have
a suitable viewer.
■ A search function allows you to quickly find any information
you may need.
■ The files can optionally be installed as a TSR to eliminate
the need to exit your program for information. You can
quickly switch between your document and the underlying
application with a single keypress.
■ Like to have the information on page 80 but you don't want
to print the complete document. It's easy! You can jump
directly to any page and then print it, even when installed
as a TSR.
■ When it comes time to print your complete document you have
the convenience of printing any range of pages or the
complete document. If you run out of paper or the printer
jams up, no problem, just restart printing at the next page.
You can print to any device or to a disk file.
■ Since the conversion to an EXE file also compresses the text
the size of the EXE file is usually smaller than the
original text file.
■ Because Simply Docs files are executable programs they can
be started automatically from a batch file.
Simply Docs was written with software developers, shareware
authors, computer consultants and sysops in mind. It has many
features to make it both easy and convenient to use. It can also
be of use to any person who distributes news letters, electronic
books or any other kind of ASCII text file.
Programmers, when you distribute your programs with manuals on
disk you must consider how convenient this really is for your
users. How many times have you been asked questions that you
know are answered in the manual. The problem is that the manual
is not convenient for users to get at when they need it. If you
used Simply Docs for your manual you could automatically install
it from a batch file and then users could easily pop up the
manual and search for anything they need. Remember a satisfied
user is more likely to buy your program and a user that has easy
access to your manual is more likely to be a satisfied user.
Developers and consultants, why use "readme" files that some
users never read, and others don't even know how to read.
Instead why not include your file as an EXE and display it
directly from within your INSTALL program or batch file.
Sysops, how many text files are on your BBS. File listings,
directories, help files, bulletins, etc. Most of these files
would be much more convenient to your users if they were also
offered as EXE files. Simply Docs can even create your EXE files
automatically during an event.
The following features make Simply Docs both easy to use and
suitable for any computer professional.
■ Very large documents (over 1000 pages) can be handled
easily. Also the document may include the complete IBM
character set for things like screen dumps, tables and
underlining without worrying if the user's printer is
capable of printing these characters.
■ The compiler can be operated in a batch mode for unattended
operation.
■ The programmer has the option of disabling the print
functions and/or the TSR function at compile time.
■ The programmer has control over the colors used in the EXE.
■ Compiled documents can be installed as a TSR from the
command line. This allows documents to be automatically
installed from a batch file before a program runs.
■ Documents can be given a descriptive name which is displayed
at the menu and while viewing the file.
■ The documents can be personalized with your company name. A
background for the menu screens is made from your company
name.
■ The compiler is easy to use and has on-line help.
The Simply Docs program consists of two parts. The first is the
compiler (SIMDOC.EXE) which creates the EXE files and the second
is the viewer which is built into your EXE file. Each part is
explained below in its own section.
COMPILING YOUR TEXT FILE (SIMDOC.EXE)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
To create your EXE file run the compiler as follows:
simdoc [filename] [/b]
The filename is used to specify the name of a configuration file
to use. If no name is specified the name of SIMDOC.CNF is used.
This file is used to hold all current compiler options.
You can optionally start the program with the /b switch (for
Batch file operation) on the command line. The program will then
use the information in the configuration file and automatically
compile your file. This allows automatic generation of EXE files
from within batch files. This could be used by a sysop on a
bulletin board to automatically create a new master file list
each day.
┌─────────────────────── Simply Docs v1.5 ────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ ┌──────────────────────── Input File ─────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Name of Text File [simdoc.doc ] │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Maximum Lines Per Page [64] [X] - New Page at Form Feed │ │
│ │ Current Left Margin [8 ] │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ ┌─────────────────────── Output File ─────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Name of EXE File [manual ] │ │
│ │ Document Name [Simply Docs Users Guide ] │ │
│ │ Company Name [SimpleWare ] │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ [ ] - Text Color (Color) [ ] - Skip Menu on Start-Up │ │
│ │ [ ] - Text Color (Mono) [X] - Enable Document Printing │ │
│ │ [ ] - Menu Background Color [X] - Enable TSR Option │ │
│ │ [ ] - Display Page Breaks │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ < F10-Make EXE > < ESC-Quit > < F1-Help > │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The dialog box shown above is displayed when you run the compiler
without the /b switch. This dialog box allows you to specify all
options for your text file and the new EXE file.
You can use the up and down cursor keys to move around this
dialog box to edit any field. You can jump directly to any field
by holding down the Alt key and pressing the highlighted letter
in the desired field. If you are not sure what a particular
field is for, just move to it and press F1 for help on that
field.
When you have finished editing the information you create your
EXE file by pressing F10. Pressing ESC at any time will quit the
program without creating the new file.
When this dialog box closes all information in it is stored in a
configuration file which is used as the default values the next
time you run the program. This allows you to edit your original
text file and create a new EXE file with the same options just by
pressing F10.
The following is an explanation of each field in the dialog box
shown above:
■ "Name of Text File" - Name of the ASCII text file you want
to convert into an EXE. You can include an optional path to
the file if you wish. If you press F10 and the program
cannot find the specified file you will get an error message
and a chance to correct the name.
■ "Maximum Lines Per Page" - is a number between 23 and 80 and
it determines where to split the text file into pages. This
is also the number of lines displayed per page within the
viewer.
■ "Current Left Margin" - Since the viewer allows the user to
set a left margin when printing it is best to remove the
current margin in your text file. This number is the number
of characters removed from the left of each line in your
text file. The number you enter here is also used as the
default left margin when printing from within the viewer.
■ "New Page at Form Feed" - If this option is selected the
program will start a new page each time a form feed
character is found in your text file. If it is not selected
page breaks are determined by the "Maximum Lines Per Page"
option explained above.
■ "Name of EXE File" - is the name for your new EXE file. You
may optionally specify a path for the file.
■ "Document Name" - is any name you want to give your
document. This name is displayed in the viewer at the top
of the menu and on the top line when actually viewing the
file.
■ "Company Name" - This field allows you to customize the
viewer for your name or the name of your company. It is
only used to display a background for the menu screens. You
can leave this field blank if you wish.
■ "Text Color (Color)" - Allows you to specify the default
color used when viewing text on a color system. To select a
color press the SPACE BAR when the cursor is on this field.
A small dialog box is displayed showing all possible colors.
To select a color use the cursor keys to move the cursor to
the desired color and press RETURN. At the bottom of the
dialog box you will see sample text displayed in the current
color. Press ESC to exit without selecting a new color.
When you return to the dialog box the field name is
displayed in the currently selected color.
■ "Text Color (Mono)" - Same as above but only used when a
monochrome system is detected.
■ "Menu Background Color" - Color used to display the menu
background made from the "Company Name".
■ "Display Page Breaks" - When selected this option will show
page breaks as a solid line of equal signs '======'. If not
selected, page breaks will just be a blank line. The only
reason you may want to turn this option off is if your file
uses lines of dashes or equal signs for highlighting in
which case it may appear cluttered.
■ "Skip Menu on Start-Up" - This option allows you to bypass
the opening menu and go directly to the viewer. The user
will see your text file as soon as the EXE file is executed
if this option is selected. Press the SPACE BAR to toggle
the option on and off.
NOTE: If both the printing and TSR options (see below) are
disabled, the compiled file will work this way regardless of
how this option is set. With both options disabled,
compiled files are a viewer only so there is no need for the
menu. Pressing ESC will then return you directly to DOS
instead of to the menu.
■ "Enable Document Printing" - This option is set on by
default and it allows the user to print out your document.
If for some reason you do not want the user to print your
file you can disable all printing with this option. Press
the SPACE BAR to toggle the option.
■ "Enable TSR Option" - This option must be set for the user
to be able to install the file as a TSR. It is set on by
default and can be toggled off with the SPACE BAR.
THE ASCII TEXT FILE
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Simply Docs was designed to process standard DOS text files with
the following restrictions on the file. Each line must end in a
carriage return/line feed pair. Only the first 108 characters
per line are used and any extra characters are ignored. The
screen may be scrolled left or right to view additional text.
The file may contain the complete IBM character set except for
the End of File marker (EOF = ASCII 26). When the EOF marker is
reached the program stops processing the file. The Form Feed
character (ASCII 12) may be used to split the file into pages.
An explanation of how and why the compiler splits your file into
pages is probably in order at this point. The compiler splits
your file into fixed pages which it uses when printing and
viewing your document. This assures that the user of your file
will get the document exactly as you intended it, with headers,
footers or page numbers intact. The compiled file also maintains
an internal index of pages which allows moving directly to any
page very quickly.
The compiler uses a fixed number of lines to determine page
breaks and it can optionally use the form feed character (ASCII
12) to start a new page. It will also use a combination of both.
If your document has fixed page breaks it should include a form
feed character at the end of each page and you should set the
form feed option when compiling. If you find that the page
breaks occur before the actual end of a page you should increase
the maximum lines per page option.
If your document has no set page breaks (like a file listing) you
should set the lines per page to a value that will give your
users a reasonable printout. Values of 58-64 seems to work quite
well for an 11" page.
You could also use a combination of both methods by adding form
feeds to force page breaks between major sections. This would
also require setting the "New Page on Form Feed" option.
It is important to note that when printing a document the viewer
will always print all lines on a page and then send a form feed.
The number of lines per page you set is also the number of lines
displayed per page in the viewer. If this number is set too high
you will get a lot of blank lines displayed inside the viewer.
You may have to experiment with the maximum lines per page and
form feed options to get the desired result.
USING YOUR EXE FILE - THE SIMPLY DOCS VIEWER
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
After you have created your EXE file you run it like any other
program, by typing its name. If the "Skip Menu on Start-Up"
option was not selected the following menu is displayed. NOTE:
If the TSR and printing options have been disabled the menu is
not displayed.
Note that the document name is displayed at the top of the menu.
There are 4 choices in this menu and they are very straight
forward. A choice can be made by pressing either the number in
front of the choice or the function key with the same number.
Pressing ESC is the same as choice 4 and will exit the program.
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Simply Docs Users Manual │
│───────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ │
│ 1) - View Document │
│ │
│ 2) - Print Document │
│ │
│ 3) - Install as TSR │
│ │
│ 4) - Exit Program │
│ │
│───────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ Enter Selection: │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────┘
VIEWING YOUR DOCUMENT
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Selecting choice number 1 brings you into the viewer and displays
your original text file. The top line displays the document
name, the current page and the total number of pages in the
document. The bottom line lists some of the active keys that may
be used when viewing. The following is a complete list of keys:
Up - Moves up one line
Down - Moves down one line
PgUp - Moves up one screen (23 lines)
PgDn - Moves down one screen (23 lines)
Home - Moves to the start of the document
End - Moves to the end of the document
Left - Scroll screen left
Right - Scroll screen right
Ctrl+Left - Scroll left to column 1
Ctrl+Right - Maximun scroll right
Tab - Move screen right 5 spaces
Shift-Tab - Move screen left 5 spaces
F1 - Jumps directly to a specified page number
F2 - Prints the current page if printing is enabled
F3 - Allows you to enter text to search for. Pressing
the SPACE BAR after a match has been found will
continue the last search. Note that the case of
the text is not important and that ESC will cancel
a search in progress.
F10 - Returns to the underlying program if viewer has
been installed as a TSR. This allows you to
return to the exact spot when you pop up again.
F - Changes foreground color. Cycles colors 0-15
B - Changes background color. Cycles colors 0-7
ESC - Exits back to the main menu or DOS.
PRINTING YOUR DOCUMENT
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
When you select choice "2) - Print Document" from the main menu
the following dialog box is displayed. (Only if printing was
enabled when the EXE was created) This allows you to print any
part of your file to any device.
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Print Document │
│───────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ │
│ Device or File Name: │
│ │
│ ASCII or IBM Char Set? (A/I) │
│ │
│ Left Margin: │
│ │
│ │
│ First Page: │
│ │
│ Last Page: │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The "Device or File Name:" field is used to specify the output
device. The default is "PRN" for the default printer but may be
changed to any device or file name.
The "ASCII or IBM Char Set" field is an option to convert the IBM
line drawing characters to standard ASCII characters suitable for
printing on ANY printer. The default is "I" for the IBM
character set.
"Left Margin" is the number of spaces to add to each line when
printing. The default is the left margin specified when the EXE
file was created.
"First Page" specifies the page to start printing at and it
defaults to page 1.
"Last Page" specifies the last page to print and it defaults to
the number of pages in the file.
INSTALLING FILES AS TSRs
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
If the TSR option was enabled when your file was compiled, you
will be able to install the file by selecting choice 3 from the
main menu. The following menu is then displayed to select the
hot key to use.
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TSR Hot Keys │
│───────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ │
│ 1) - Ctrl+Alt-D │
│ │
│ 2) - Ctrl+Alt-V │
│ │
│ 3) - Ctrl+Alt-Tab │
│ │
│ 4) - Ctrl+Alt-BackSpace │
│ │
│───────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ Enter Selection: │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────┘
After making a selection you are returned to DOS and a message
appears to tell you the program has been installed and which key
to press to activate it.
You can also install a file as a TSR from the command line by
using the following command line switch.
/tsr:x
The "/tsr:x" switch is optional and if specified will
automatically install the file as a TSR and return to the DOS
prompt. "x" is a number between 1 and 4 and it specifies which
hotkey to use for the TSR. This feature allows you to install a
file from within a batch file prior to running a program.
SUPPORT
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Support is provided by regular mail, FAX, voice mail or through
the WRH Consulting BBS. Whenever looking for support please
include your name, address, phone number and a description of
your problem.
SimpleWare
34 Earle Street
Grand Falls-Windsor, NF
Canada A2B 1E9
FAX / Voice Mail - (709) 489-9558
All responses from me will be by regular mail unless requested
otherwise, in which case you must provide a phone number where I
may call you collect.
You may also call the WRH Consulting BBS and leave a message to
the Sysop or myself. This bulletin board is available, for
support, free of charge to users of SimpleWare products. You can
also register on-line at the WRH Consulting BBS. To register on
line you must have a valid credit card. Instructions for
registering are provided on-line.
WRH Consulting BBS
PC Board 24 hrs a day / 7 days a week
12/24/9600 baud HST 14.4
(709) 489-6018
Please send any comments, good or bad, you may have about this
program.
The source code for this program is copyrighted and is not made
available to users.
REGISTRATION FORM Simply Docs 1.6
Mail To: SimpleWare
34 Earle Street
Grand Falls-Windsor, NF
Canada A2B 1E9
=================================================================
Qty. Description Amount
=================================================================
[ ] Simply Docs 1.6 Registration $25.00 _________
Foreign Orders Add $5.00 _________
Total _________
Orders outside Canada and the USA Please add $5.00
Payment: [ ] Check [ ] Visa [ ] MasterCard
Card No:________________________ Expiry Date:__________
Signature of Cardholder:________________________________
Disk Type: [ ] 5 1/4" 360k [ ] 3 1/2" 720k
=================================================================
Mailing Address: ______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
Phone Number: ________________________
=================================================================
Where did you obtain
Simply Docs: ______________________________________
What is your main use
for Simply Docs: ______________________________________
Comments or Suggestions: ______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
