Suzy B Software 2

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Suzy B Software 2 / Suzy B Software CD-ROM 2 (1994).iso / prntutil / 2columns / 2columns.doc next >

Wrap

Text File | 1995-04-25 | 27.6 KB | 642 lines

Two Column Printer, Release 6 1/94 by Jonathan Corey Distribution: FREEWARE - Please include documentation and printer drivers with any copies you give out. Language: GFA BASIC 3.5E New stuff in Release 6: The file README_6.TXT describes new features and enhancements in this release. The major one is the user interface which has been "GEMized" to allow better multitasking operation and greater flexibility. New users: Read the "Introduction" section and then the "Getting Started" section below. Old users: The readme file should be enough to get you going. -=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=- INTRODUCTION * What does it do? TWO COLUMN PRINTER prints text files (ASCII) in a two column "magazine style" format. This saves paper and makes long listings much easier to refer to. To save even more paper, it has an option that simplifies two sided printing, even on continuous form paper. TWO COLUMN PRINTER works very well with program documentation, source code listings, bulletin board captures, and "online" magazines. It's not designed to do fancy "desktop publishing" work. * What kind of files does it print? ASCII text files. Basically, these are files that are readable when displayed by the Desktop SHOW option. TWO COLUMN PRINTER will warn you if you try to print the wrong kind of file. There are several variations in the way text files end lines. Release 6 can handle the following: carriage-return/line-feed (Atari & IBM), line- feed/ carriage-return, line-feed only (unix), carriage-return only (Apple), and those that don't have any of these in the middle of paragraphs. * Will it work with my printer? That's likely. One of the drivers supplied with the program will work if your printer is Epson compatible (FX or LQ), is a DeskJet, or can emulate a HP LaserJet II. Instructions for writing a driver for other printers are included in this file. It's not difficult. Ideally, your printer should be able to print at least 20 characters per inch (CPI) to get the most out of TWO COLUMN PRINTER. Standard printer output is usually at 10 or 12 CPI. So called "compressed" print is 17 CPI. Compressed type works fairly well but being able to go to 20 CPI gives better results with many files. Not all printers can do this. IMPORTANT: Some printers (such as the Panasonic KX-P1091i and KX-P1191) have control panel settings that cannot be changed by software. TWO COLUMN PRINTER will not function properly unless they are set to a programmable mode (the Panasonic KX-P1091i calls this "Std Pgm", the KX-P1191 calls it just "Pgm"). * What resolutions does it run in? All of them (ST/TT/Falcon and non-standard) as far as I know. I do not have the hardware to test all possible displays, let me know if you find any that do not work. Don't use a resolution that shows less than 80 columns of text (e.g. ST low resolution) unless you are familiar with the program since most of its help screens won't be readable. * What are its memory requirements? Release 6 uses between 260k and 330k bytes plus either enough RAM or disk space for a work buffer. The buffer ranges from about 20% larger than the print file to as much as 75% larger than it. The bigger one is used with files that have tabs in them. When TWO COLUMN PRINTER gets over 300k bytes to work with it can do printouts that require as many as 30,000 lines. With less than that it can do up to 15,000 line printouts. * Where can I send comments, questions, bug reports, or thousands of dollars? For electronic mail, my GEnie address is JWC-OEO. For the other kind, write to: Self-Styled Software, 321 J Street, Sparks NV 89431. TWO COLUMN PRINTER is free. No payment is requested. -=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=- GETTING STARTED The first hurdle for new users is the printer driver (see "Will it work with my printer?" in the introduction section above). You can start 2COLUMNS.PRG and check out its drop down menu items but you cannot load a file until after you choose a printer driver. Don't worry about "config files" for now. Several printer drivers are available. One of them should work well for you if your printer is "Epson compatible", a HP Deskjet, or a laser that can emulate a HP LaserJet II. If not, you'll have to do some editing. See the "Printer Codes and Drivers" section below for instructions. All these drivers are set up for printing on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. You can make a driver for other sizes if you want (see the "Printer Codes and Drivers" section below). Make sure you printer is in its "Epson mode" if you use an Epson type driver. Here is a list of printer types and associated drivers. The printer on which the driver was developed is listed in parentheses, this does not mean it won't work on other similar printers. (Pan = Panasonic) Printer Driver(s) Comments 9-pin Epson EPSON_FX.DAT Has a 20 CPI font (Epson FX85) compatibles KX_P1191.DAT similar, adds 15 CPI font(Pan KXP1191) KXP1091I.DAT no 20 CPI font (Pan KX P1091i) EPSFX_LC.DAT LC=Long Columns (124 lines) (FX85) 24-pin Epson EPSON_LQ.DAT Generic LQ driver with 20 CPI font compatibles (Epson 1050 & 950) HP DeskJets DJ_BASIC.DAT Internal 6 & 12 point fonts, pre 500 DJ_500.DAT similar, has 6 & 12 point Letter Gothic fonts as well as Courier DJ_GOTHC.DAT 9.5 point font from Ltr Gothic card DJ_PE.DAT 10 point font from Prestige Elite card LaserJet II LJ2BASIC.DAT Internal fonts, mainly 8.5 point "line compatibles Printer", (HP LaserJet II) After you load a printer driver, the next step is to run through the items in the "Help" drop-down menu. Follow that with some short printouts to test your printer driver (start with single sided printouts). Print the "Readme" file and after you get that working okay, print this file and read them. When you are reasonably satisfied with a printer driver, choose the "Merge printer driver" option so it will become the default and won't have to be loaded each time you run TWO COLUMN PRINTER. After you have used TWO COLUMN PRINTER for a while, you'll likely find that most of your printing is done with one particular font and one set of format and print settings. You can set it up so that these setting are the defaults (the ones that first appear in the control dialog). There is an item under the "Help" menu that explains how to do this. -=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=- MORE FEATURES, DETAILS, AND SOME TECHNICAL STUFF * Automated Operation (Batch file,TOS,TTP,CLI,Shells) In addition to running as a full GEM program TWO COLUMN PRINTER also can be run as a TTP type program and as a TOS program through a CLI shell. There are no prompts for user input when it's used this way, the various format and print options are set with a configuration (config) file. The "command line" for this needs to be in the following form: FILE.TXT #config.CFG -R FILE.TXT - The file you want to print (the drive/full path needs to given if it's not the default). Only one file at a time can be specified. #config.CFG - (optional) "#" indicates that the name of a config file follows. If no config file is included, 2COLUMNS.PRG tries to find a file named "2CL.CFG" by looking first in the print file's path and then in the default path. This This same routine is followed with config files that don't include a path (print file path first, then default path). -R - (optional) tells 2COLUMNS to return directly to the calling program when it's done. The default is to wait for a key press. The "manual paper feed" mode does not work in "automated operation mode" and any error or other condition that would generate a request for user input in the GEM mode will cause 2COLUMNS-TOS/TTP to terminate. * Binding Width TWO COLUMN PRINTER tries to offset the margins to the outside of the sheets to make room for binding but it can do this only when column widths are set smaller than their maximum size. * Blank Sheets of Paper Your printer may eject a blank sheet of paper at the end of one or both sides of a printout. This is caused by a couple of things. The first affects both direct and "to disk" type printouts. Two Column Printer sends its "initialize printer" code sequence at the end of a printout to put your printer back into its startup mode. This results in a form feed at the end of a printout with some printers. The second only happens with "to disk" printouts that are printed with the desktop "Print" function. The desktop "Print" routine used in newer TOS versions (2 or more I think) sends a form feed at the end of a printout, older versions do not. Two Column Printer does its own ejecting so an extra sheet comes out at the end of each side of a printout with these newer TOS version. Be careful that you don't include these extra blank sheets when printing the second side of a two sided printout. Two column printer prints "blank page" on sheets that really do belong with a printout but would not otherwise have anything on them. * Column Dimensions TWO COLUMN PRINTER calculates the maximum column WIDTH for each font from information supplied in the printer driver (the entry for the number of characters that fit on a full line). The maximum column LENGTH comes directly from the printer driver. Printers vary in how close they can print to the top and bottom of a page so maximum column length is not a direct function of line spacing and paper length. The section on printer codes below explains how to figure maximum column lengths for your printer. Default column dimensions initially are set a little smaller than their maximum sizes. With column widths, this is so there will be more room on the sheet for binding. With column length this a safety factor to help avoid having a column run beyond the bottom of a sheet or having the printer loose its grip on the last sheet. The default setting can be changed, see the "Default Settings" entry under the "Help" menu item. * Configuration (config) Files Config files contain all the format and print options currently in effect when they were created (see the "Help" menu item in the program). They also have all printer codes needed to put your printer into the font that was being used at that time. They do not include the NAME of the font however, so the box that normally displays the font name will just say "From Config" when a config file has been loaded during normal GEM type program operation. * Customizing the Default Settings The "Help" drop down menu has an item that explains how to customize the default setting to fit your needs. * File Preview (+ TABs) Besides letting you confirm you've loaded the file you were supposed to, the file viewer lets you see how many blank spaces need to be stripped from its left margin (if any) and gives you visual feedback that helps in adjusting the tab spacing. It is not meant to be a full featured file viewer though (you can't scroll sideways for example and its window is not adjustable). TWO COLUMN PRINTER supports true tabs (a tab will cause printing to skip to the next tab stop instead of being expanded into a fixed number of spaces). Tab spacing is adjustable but only regular tab spacing is supported. The file display reflects the current tab setting but will not show blank line filtering or left margin shifting. * Fonts The term "font" here refers to a particular grouping of type face, size, pitch, and sometimes line spacing. You can have up to 6 different fonts in your printer driver. * Format Method Sometimes file lines are too long to fit in a column. TWO COLUMN PRINTER splits off the part that doesn't fit and moves it to the next line in the column when this happens. The "format method" determines exactly where this split occurs, if and how it's marked, and whether this runover can be combined with the next line in the file. A program "HELP" option explains the different format methods and the types of files recommended for each. Split line marking is done in different ways with each of the three different format methods. With the "Source Code" method all split lines end with these three characters; ``> . Continuation lines all begin with; >`` . With the "Text, No Reformat" method, the ends of split lines are not marked unless the splits have to occur in the middle of words; the words get hyphenated in this case. Continuation lines begin with a tilde (~). If splits fall between numbers instead of letters, a vertical bar (|) is used in both places to avoid the possibility of a hyphen being mistaken for a minus sign. The "Text, With Reformat" method works the same way as "No Reformat" except continuation lines are marked only in the "|" case. The different format methods only come into play when file lines are too long to fit a printed column. It is usually best to choose a type size that will allow most, if not all, file lines to be printed without splitting. * Line Spacing Line spacing is not set explicitly. The default spacing is usually 7 lines per inch (LPI); this normally shifts to 6 LPI when a column length of less than 61 lines is chosen. Any line spacing codes included as part of a font's definition will override these settings. Several fonts that come with TWO COLUMN PRINTER use this method to set a spacing of 8 LPI. * Print Options Manual vs. Automatic/normal vs. Automatic/sorted paper feed MANUAL FEED: Printing pauses before each page and you get a chance to skip each the page. This lets you go back and fix a page or two in a printout that may have gotten messed up the first time around without having to fully reprint it. Pages always print sequentially even when the Two Sided print option was chosen. You cannot print to a disk file with manual feed. Manual feed does not work in the automated operation mode. AUTOMATIC FEED (Normal): With single sided printouts, the pages come out in order from page 1 to the last. With double sided printouts, the odd number pages come out first (side 1) and then the even ones (side 2) (first 1,3,5 . . . then 2,4,6 . . . ). The only pause comes between sides. Use this with continuous form paper and some automatic cut sheet feeders. AUTOMATIC FEED (Sorted): Like "Normal" except the first side comes out in reverse order (...5,3,1 if two sided or ...6,5,4,3,2,1 if single sided). This keeps users of HP DeskJets and other printers that stack printed pages face up from having to re-sort them top to bottom at the end of each side. Some (most?) laser printers stack their printed sheets face down. Don't use the sorted option with single sided printouts with this type of printer but sorting helps with two sided printouts. With "sort" you only have to turn each sheet over at the end of the second side. Without it, you have to do this at the end of each side. Print To Disk - This is useful when you want to print several files in a single session or have one very large one to do. Printing to disk creates a file (or files) that can be printed later via the Desktop PRINT option (and also can be printed on different model computers). A print spooler can be used so the printing can go on while you are doing something else. If the file does not print correctly it is usually because you used a method that filtered out the control characters (some spoolers do this). Front and back sides of two sided printouts go into separate files. Be careful not to mix one and two sided printouts in the same output file. * Merging Printer Codes with 2COLUMNS.PRG You will probably want to merge your primary printer driver with your copy of 2COLUMNS.PRG (for faster loading and to save default settings). Their are a few things that have to be considered before doing this: 1) None of the items in your printer driver can have more than the maximum number of code groups indicated in the printer driver section (unlikely). 2) Your printer driver can't require any codes that use decimal ASCII values of 237, 238, or 240 (very unlikely). 3) Your copy of 2COLUMNS.PRG cannot have been "packed" or "squished". Keep a full sized version of 2COLUMNS.PRG around to use when you want to do a merge if you do this to your programs. Merging SHOULD work okay if you are using a program like DATAlite or Data Diet because they are supposed function in a way that keeps 2COLUMNS.PRG from ever knowing that it has been compressed. I don't own these programs and so have not been able to test this. * Multiple Printers Release 6 lets you load printer drivers whenever you want rather than just when the program starts. It automatically loads a driver called 2COLUMNS.DAT the first time you choose "Load Printer Driver" (under the "Setup" menu). This makes it very easy to load the driver for a second printer. It puts up a file selector at other times or if it cannot find 2COLUMNS.DAT in the same path as 2COLUMNS.PRG. You also could use a config file to set things up for alternate printers. ************************************************************* *************** Printer Codes and Drivers *************** ************************************************************* HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN PRINTER DRIVER Read the sections on line spacing and column dimensions above if you haven't already done so. General Information You'll need a manual for your printer that includes information on how to program it (shows what printer codes it uses). This whole process will be much easier and the instructions will make more sense if you start by editing an existing driver, even if it's for an unrelated printer. Follow its general format exactly. Give your driver a new name and save it as a text file when you are done (ASCII format, not in any special word processor mode). The codes for each item and the remarks that follow them must fit on a single line. Each line can be up to 255 characters long. The number of codes allowed for each item varies. See below. Use 3 digit decimal ASCII values for printer codes. Separate them with a single space and put a comma after the last one. Remarks may follow the comma (the comma is mandatory, the remarks are optional). THERE MUST NOT BE ANY OTHER COMMAS IN THE DATA SECTION, including in the remarks themselves. The "-----CODES AND DEFAULTS----" line must be left intact. Example: A printer function that requires the code "Escape A" would be encoded as: 027 065, REMARKS The ASCII value of Escape is 27, A is 65. Again, no commas are allowed in the remarks themselves. If your printer requires ASCII 238, 239, or 240 as code values (unlikely), see the section b on merging printer codes above. Printer functions may require a combination of several codes. In the Epson FX driver, the "definition" for type size #2 includes both the codes for both compressed type ( 027 015 ) and for wider margins with this type size ( 027 081 137 ). Line-By-Line Editing Instructions (*) The number in parentheses following each item below is the maximum number of code groups allowed for it. A code group is one three character ASCII value ( "027 081 137 009" would count as 4 ). These limits only apply to codes that will be merged with the program. Default Option Lines There are two special lines that you can use to set the defaults for various format and print settings. These lines need to come before the "--- CODES AND DEFAULTS ---" line and they begin with special characters. The first of these begins with "$". This line lets you set the maximum number of consecutive blank lines that will print, the spacing of tab stops, and the default column length. All that's needed here is: $ MB=x, TS=x, CL=x "x" is the value you want. MB is the default Max Blank line setting and can range from 0-9, TS is the Tab Spacing and can range from 2-9, CL is for the default Column Length. Enter the number you want subtracted from the maximum column length for each font; range 0-9. The second line is new to Release 6 and begins with the "@" symbol. It looks like this: @ SORT=*, 2SIDES=*, DRAFT=*, DATE=*, DISK=*, EQUAL=*, EUROPE=* "*" should be either y or n (yes or no) depending on how you want these defaults to be set. Leaving one of these out is the same as setting it to no. They can come in any order and can be in caps or lowercase but they must be spelled as shown above. If this line is missing then Release 6 acts like previous releases and gets the defaults for these options from the resource file. Sort=y means use the "Auto Feed - Sorted" paper feed option (see "Print Options" above), 2SIDES=y means print on both sides of the paper, DRAFT=y means draft mode printing, DATE=y means include the date in the printout heading, EQUAL=y means print equal length columns on the last page (as opposed to printing the left column first). EUROPE=y means the date on the printouts should be in European format (day.month.year instead of month/day/year). This is the only place you can set this option but you can change all the others while the program is running. Paper-Out Sensor (20)* The first two entries in the "CODES AND DEFAULTS" section are: 1) Disable (turn off) the paper-out sensor, and 2) Enable (turn on) the paper-out sensor. If your printer does not allow its paper-out sensor to be turned off, just enter a single blank space followed by a comma (see the drivers for the HP Deskjet). Line Spacing (20) Next enter the codes for a line spacing of 7 lines per inch. You may find that you can only use a value equivalent to slightly more or slightly less than this (7 lines per inch is a spacing of 0.143 inches). In this case choose the next smallest value available. For example, the Epson-FX definition uses 10/72 (0.139) inch spacing. Printer Initialization (35) Certain settings have to be in effect before printing begins. These initial conditions are: A pitch of 10 characters per inch (CPI); Draft print; 6 lines per inch line spacing; and top-of-form reset. These are the standard "power up" settings for most printers. TWO COLUMN PRINTER sends an "initialize" sequence to ensure that these conditions are met. The codes that are needed in this sequence vary somewhat from printer to printer and also depend on how you normally have your printer's DIP switches and control panel buttons set. As a minimum, you should include: "Reset Printer" (also called "Initialize Printer"); 10 CPI printing; and draft mode. Unless you have your printer's DIP switch set at 8 lines per inch you probably don't need to set 6 lines per inch. If you use a Super/Sub-script font for one of your type sizes, you also need to add the codes to cancel this font to the "initialize printer" sequence. The Epson FX driver does this. There are some other codes in the "initialize" sequence for the Deskjet, see the note at the bottom of one of the DJ drivers. Skip-Over-Perforations (20) Enter the codes to turn OFF your printer's "skip-over-perforations" function. TWO COLUMN PRINTER handles page breaks itself. Output will be totally messed up if "skip-over-perforations" is not turned off. Fancy Print for the Heading (20) TWO COLUMN PRINTER puts a heading (usually consisting of the name of the file being printed and the current date) on the first printed page. For this to print properly you'll need to enter the codes for Double Width (expanded/5 CPI) printing here. The heading will not be centered if you don't. Enhanced Print (20) Use either Letter Quality (LQ), Near Letter Quality (NLQ) or double strike printing. Ideally, your "enhance print" codes should work with all the fonts in your driver. Some printers can't do LQ/NLQ with the small type sizes that work best with TWO COLUMN PRINTER. Default Extension Only files that have this extension show up in the File Selector the first time you're prompted for a file to print. This entry must not exceed three characters and has to be surrounded by quotes. If you prefer that all files are shown, enter "*" or just "" here (don't forget the comma). Number of Type Sizes/fonts Six is the maximum, there can be fewer. Make sure the number you enter here is not larger than the number of fonts in your driver. Entries for Each Font (35 codes allowed for font definitions) ****==> Proportionally spaced fonts will not work <==**** Name The name of each font must not exceed 25 characters. Put whatever descriptive information you like here and surround it with quotation marks. Like all other entries the name MUST be followed by a comma and optional descriptive remarks may follow the comma. Definition (35) This is where you put the codes that actually set the font. You are limited to 35 codes if you want to merge this driver with the program. Width The entry for the number of characters that will fit on a full line is mandatory. Get this value from your printer manual if possible (sometimes given as the maximum value allowed for the right margin). If you can't find it there then try 160 for 20 CPI, 136 for 17 CPI, 120 for 15 CPI, 96 for 12 CPI, and 80 for 10 CPI. Arithmetically inclined individuals will be able to discern a pattern here. These values are for narrow carriage printers. If you are using a wide carriage model you probably can add a character or two to them. Length (optional) On the next line you may enter a number equal to the maximum column length possible with this font (up to 125). This optional entry is useful if the font's definition includes a line spacing (say 8 lines per inch), if your printer can fit more or cannot reliably get as many lines in a column as the default (72 lines), or if you will be using something other than 11 inch paper. Like all entries, it must be followed by a comma and remarks may follow the comma. Maximum Column Length How do you know exactly how many lines long that columns can be with YOUR printer? This depends on two things. 1) Line spacing, and 2) How close to the top and bottom of the page your printer can print. Included this release is a test file (LPC_TEST) that can help you determine this. You can set any column length up to 125 with this file no matter what limits are defined in your driver. You must select the "Unequal-Column-Length" print option for the test to work. You also must use the version of LPC_TEST that came with Release 5 or 6. You'll probably find that you can't get quite as many lines on cut sheets as on continuous form paper since your printer will loose its grip near the end of a cut sheet. The last sheet in a two sided printout will be a cut sheet so the smaller value may be the best choice. IMPORTANT: If your printer will not allow its paper-out sensor to be deactivated (like the HP Deskjet and Epson LQ-850/1050 series) then you MUST choose a value one less than the maximum column length indicated by this test. Columns are too long if the line number at the top of the right column is not just one more than the line number at the bottom of the left column. If you don't want to do this test, use the following values: For the program standard line spacing of 7 lines per inch; use 72 lines (this is the default). For fonts that use an 8 line per inch spacing; use 82 or 83 lines.