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J O T Version 1.4 - March, 1993
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Small, Quick And Easy Personal "Note-Pad" For Your Computer
SHAREWARE EDITION
(C) Copyright 1993 by Kirk Lawrence. All Rights Reserved.
If you like to jot quick notes to a disk file, here's your handy answer: JOT!
It allows you to rapidly type a short note and save it to disk, without having
to load a full-blown word processor or text editor. JOT is not memory-resident
...so it doesn't eat up precious computer memory. You can load it fast from
the command line anytime you need it. JOT also lets you READ the notes in
your file on the screen, if you wish!
JOT is not "public domain" or "free" software. JOT is a fully copyrighted
program, protected under the laws of the the United States and most other
countries world-wide. JOT is released as SHAREWARE. This means that you may
make copies of the program and distribute them, provided that all files in this
set remain intact and unaltered. You may also USE JOT on your own computer for
a trial period of 30 days. At the end of the trial period, if you've found JOT
to be useful, and you wish to continue using it, payment must be sent to the
author. The price is only $US 5.00 (cheap!). Complete details are at the end
of this file.
QUICK-START FOR "TECHIES" AND EXPERIENCED COMPUTER USERS: JOT is so intuitive,
you'll do just fine if you simply SET the environment variable
JOT=[drive]:\[path]\filename
...indicating where you want your notes saved. Then invoke JOT and go for it!
The following documentation is designed for less-experienced users.
But DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER!
WHAT COMPUTER EQUIPMENT YOU NEED:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JOT will run on ANY IBM-compatible computer...from the oldest, slowest 8088
to the newest, fastest 586 and up.
JOT works with ANY video system: Herc monochrome, CGA, EGA, VGA and SVGA.
JOT checks the type of video card your computer has, and acts accordingly.
Total video compatibility is assured, even for Herc monochrome (which is
too often neglected in today's shareware).
JOT uses DOS services for all disk accesses, so it doesn't do any low-level
"funny" stuff. Just be sure that you're using DOS version 2.1 or higher.
HOW JOT WORKS:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JOT looks at an environment variable, which YOU set, to find out what drive,
what path, and what filename you want your notes to be saved to. An environ-
ment variable is a brief line of data, held in an area of your computer's
memory called the ENVIRONMENT. DOS, and other programs (like JOT), can refer
to this area for information...it's sort of a "road map."
If you'd like to see what's currently in your environment, you can type SET
at the DOS prompt, and then press ENTER. Your current environment will dis-
play on the screen.
Setting an environment variable is real easy! First, decide what DRIVE and
what SUB-DIRECTORY you want your JOT notes to go into. Let's suppose you
select C:\STUFF. Then, pick a name for the file where you want to save your
notes. Let's suppose that the filename you've chosen is MY.TXT. Now: at the
DOS prompt, type the following:
SET JOT=C:\STUFF\MY.TXT
...and press the ENTER key. That's all there is to it! JOT will now know
where to save your notes.
You may give your note-file ANY legal name that you wish, on any drive that
you wish. You don't even have to specify a sub-directory, if you'd rather
have the file in the disk's ROOT directory. For instance, if you wanted your
notes saved to a file named PERSONAL.JOT in the root directory of drive A:,
here's what you'd type at the DOS prompt:
SET JOT=A:PERSONAL.JOT
...and press the ENTER key. See how easy it is?!
One thing to keep in mind: JOT cannot CREATE a sub-directory that doesn't
already exist. So be sure the sub-directory you specify is already there!
The FILE NAME you specify, however, does NOT have to exist. JOT will check
to see if there's a file of that name. If there isn't, JOT will offer to
create it for you. When you're asked, just press Y for yes (create the file).
If you'll be using JOT on a regular basis, it's more convenient to put the
SET JOT= command into your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. This way, the environment
variable will be automatically set every time you "boot up" your computer.
So you won't have to manually type it in each time! Use your regular text
editor or word processor to write the command
SET JOT=[drive]:\[path]\[filename]
into your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
You may change the drive, the path, and/or the filename to which your notes
are saved ANYTIME YOU WISH...merely by typing the SET JOT= command, specifying
the new parameters. Entering a new SET JOT= command automatically cancels the
previous one.
HOW TO USE JOT:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After you've set the environment variable, just type JOT at the DOS prompt,
and press the ENTER key. JOT will check for the presence of the filename you
specified in the environment variable. If the file doesn't exist, JOT will
ask your permission to create that file. Press Y (for YES) to create the
file. Once the file is in existence, JOT won't ask you about the file again,
unless you later erase that file.
You'll find that JOT is so simple and easy to use, it's easier to just run the
program than to READ about it! However, complete written instructions follow.
At the bottom center of the screen is a "dialogue box." This is where infor-
mation and instructions are displayed. The information displayed in this
"dialogue box" is always context-sensitive. That means, whatever messages
show up there, relate directly to what it is you're doing at the moment.
So if you're ever unsure, just consult the message in the "dialogue box!"
The first JOT screen...the Main Menu...gives you three options:
[W]rite a note to this file (the note file you've designated)
[R]ead this file (display the file contents to the screen)
[Q]uit JOT; exit to DOS (just what it says!)
Press the letter key (W, R or Q) that corresponds to what you want to do,
and you're off and running!
If you press [R]ead, all the notes in the file will be displayed on the
screen, one screenful at a time. To continue reading the file, press any
key except ESC...and the next screenful of text will be displayed. You may
press the ESC key at any time, to return you to the initial options menu.
If you press [W]rite at the Main Menu screen, JOT brings you to the text
entry screen. This is where you type the note you wish to save to disk.
JOT allows you to type up to 10 lines of text. As you approach the end of each
line, press the ENTER key to move the cursor down to the next line. Remember,
JOT isn't a word processor or a text editor: it's a simple little note-pad...so
there's no automatic word-wrap from line to line! You must press the ENTER key
to change lines, just like you would on an electric typewriter (remember?).
When you've finished typing your note, just press ENTER with the cursor on an
empty line (that is, a line where you haven't typed any text). This tells JOT
that you've finished typing all the text you want to type, and that you're
ready to save your note to disk.
At this point, the message in the "dialogue box" will give you four choices:
[S]ave your note to disk.
[C]ontinue typing more lines into your note.
[R]e-do your note (type it over again).
[G]o to the Main Menu; abandon the note you're currently working on.
Press the letter key (S, C, R or G) that corresponds to your choice...and
that's it! If you choose "[G]o to Main Menu," JOT will ask you to confirm
that you REALLY want to abandon your current note...just to be sure!
Press Y(es) to abandon, or N(o) to return to your note.
One more thing: if you've used all 10 lines in your note, JOT "knows" that...
and won't present you with the [C]ontinue option, above. Obviously, you
can't continue typing more lines if you're already at the maximum!
SOME HELPFUL INFORMATION:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JOT has excellent error-handling abilities. If a problem ever arises, JOT
will almost always present you with a choice of what you want to do about the
problem. Or, JOT will gracefully exit to DOS. In the rare event that there's
a physical problem with a disk, a DOS error message might pop up on the screen.
But even then, you'll be presented with options as to what you want to do. So
if you're a new or inexperienced computer user, relax! It's extremely diffi-
cult to ever "mess anything up" using JOT.
While you're typing on any line, you can make corrections to what you've typed
by using the BACKSPACE key. But once you've ENTERed a line of text, it's not
possible to go back and make changes to it. So if you're typing along, and
discover that you've made an error in a previous line...and you just can't
"live with" that error...press ENTER twice, then select "[R]e-do note" (from
the options in the "dialogue box"). You can then re-type your note.
JOT allows a maximum of 79 characters on any one line. If you attempt to type
any more than that, JOT will "beep" at you, and won't accept the additional
characters!
If you need to have a blank line in the note you write, you must type at least
ONE SPACE on that line! Remember: if you simply press ENTER on a blank line,
JOT will think that you're through writing, and are ready to save the note.
So type at least one space on the line you wish to have "blank."
~~~~~~~~~
For each new note you write, JOT appends it to the specified file (that is,
JOT "tacks it on" to the end of the file you've told it to use). JOT leaves
two blank lines between each note in the file. JOT also writes a "header"
before each separate note, consisting of the date and time the note was
written. So when you view the file, you'll easily be able to tell "which
note is which."
You can "start fresh" with a new note file anytime you so desire. You may
either erase the current note file (naturally, this will destroy all the notes
presently in the file), or you may change the environment variable to point to
a new file name (issue the SET JOT= command at the DOS prompt).
JOT saves your notes to the file as "flat ASCII." You may edit your JOT note
file, using a text editor or word processor program, if you want to. But if
you do, make sure you SAVE it back to disk as flat ASCII...don't let any of
those funny-looking control codes get into the file! EVERY text editor and
word processor has the ability to save a text file as flat ASCII. If you don't
know how to do that, consult the program's documentation (your text editor or
word processor might call the flat ASCII option another name, such as "DOS").
You can put the executable file JOT.COM anywhere within your assigned PATH.
Then when you need to write a note...no matter WHAT directory you happen to
be in...you can simply type JOT at the DOS prompt, and JOT will "pop up"
fast! The drive and directory where your note file is located does NOT
have to be within your PATH.
That's about all. Enjoy using JOT! If you find the program useful and
want to "make it your own," please register and pay for it. Thanks!
Special thanks to T. J. Leitz, Anita Taylor, and all the other beta testers
who helped perfect JOT.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: The software program JOT.COM and this documentation file
are copyright 1993 by Kirk Lawrence. All rights reserved.
SHAREWARE NOTICE: JOT is NOT "free" or "public domain" software! It is a
fully copyrighted program, protected under the laws of the United States and
most other countries world-wide. JOT is released as SHAREWARE. You are
hereby granted a license to use JOT on a trial basis for 30 days. At the
end of this trial period, if you've found JOT to be useful to you, and you
wish to continue using it, you must send payment to the author. The price is
only $US 5.00 (cheap!). Upon receipt of payment, you'll be sent a proprietary
version of the program, personally registered to you, with all those annoying
time delays and shareware notices removed.
For your convenience, an order form is included with this package. To print
the form, turn your printer's power on and set the printer on-line (making sure
that paper is loaded in the printer). At the DOS prompt, type:
COPY ORDER.JOT PRN ...then press the ENTER key.
Thanks for your honesty in paying for JOT. Registration of shareware provides
independent programmers the incentive to keep producing quality, inexpensive,
"try-before-you-buy" computer software.
For a registered copy of JOT, please send $5.00 (in U.S. funds) to:
Kirk Lawrence
P.O. Box 2558
Hayden Lake, Idaho 83835
U.S.A.
Specify 5.25" or 3.5" media. If a newer version has been released, you'll
be provided with the very latest version.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: JOT.COM is offered strictly "as is." The author
makes absolutely no warrantees of any kind whatsoever regarding this program
and its accompanying documentation; including, but not limited to, implied
warrantees of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. You use
JOT.COM solely at your own risk.
DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY: Under no circumstances shall the author be liable to
you or to any third party for losses or damages of any kind, type or descrip-
tion whatsoever, including but not limited to pecuniary losses, and including
but not limited to incidental and/or consequential damages, arising from the
use of, or inability to use, JOT.COM.
AGREEMENT TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS: By using the program JOT.COM, you thereby
agree to the following terms and conditions: All disputes shall be adjudicated
under the Laws of, and in the Courts of, the State of Idaho. All costs asso-
ciated with any legal action, including attorneys' fees, court costs, and other
associated expenses for both sides, shall be borne by the person(s) and/or en-
tities(s) instituting such legal action, regardless of the outcome of said
action. In no case shall awarded damages exceed the amount originally paid for
the program. If any part of this agreement, the Disclaimer of Liability, or
the Disclaimer of Warranty is subsequently found to be invalid by a court of
proper jurisdiction, all other terms and conditions contained in these docu-
ments shall remain in effect, and binding on all parties. By using JOT.COM,
you thereby agree to hold the author harmless from any and all consequences
that result from such use. Your use of JOT.COM shall be prima facie evidence
that you have read these terms and conditions, understand them, and agree to
be bound by them.