ftp.whtech.com/ftp.whtech.com.tar/ftp.whtech.com/articles/archives/limanews.exe/PLUS.TXT

Text File | 2006-10-19 | 21KB | 577 lines

 ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN LIMA
 NEWSLETTER APRIL 1988

      Turn on the real power of
 TI-Writer
 ^^and your printer with  PLUS!
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^A review
 by Charles Good
 .IN +4

      PLUS!,   a greatly enhanced
 version of what used to be
 called FUNLPLUS, is a fairware
 offering that consists of a DSSD or
 SSSD flippy disk filled with
 templates  designed to allow you to
 make maximum use of the advanced
 features of TI-Writer, particularly
 as it is used in v4.0 of Funnelweb.
 If you have a STAR printer (Gemini
 10X, SG, L series),  PLUS!  also
 allows you to do useful things with
 your printer's built in special
 graphics characters that go from
 ASCII 160-254.  The rest of
 the  PLUS!   disk is filled with
 personal and business letter
 templates, tutorials, and a diverse
 variety of extended basic utility
 programs.  Some of this XB software
 was written by the   PLUS!  author
 Jack Sughrue, and some is from the
 public domain.  Many know Jack
 Sughrue as the author of the IMPACT
 99 series that is published in many
 newsletters.  The heart of  PLUS!  is
 its TI-Writer enhancements.  If you
 wish to make the very most of
 TI-Writer and do not consider
 yourself skilled at utilizing the
 FORMATER and its .TL and .IF format
 commands, then read on!

      TI-Writer enhancements:
     With expensive word processors,
 such as WORD STAR there are format
 commands that you can type right into
 the body of the text that cause the
 printer to do special things.  You
 can, with these embeded format
 commands, turn on and off
 underlining, different fonts such as
 italics and near letter quality,
 switch in and out of subscript or
 enlarged lettering, etc.  You can see
 these format commands in your text on
 the screen, but they are not printed.
 Instead, when a format command is
 received by the printer, the printer
 switches on or off one of its special
 features.  In TI-Writer there only
 two such embeded format commands.
 All other formating is done with dot
 commands such as ".RM 75".  Most dot
 commands must be on a separate line,
 so they make your text look funny
 when viewed with the editor, and for
 many TI users the dot commands are
 difficult to understand.  Many
 members of my user group only use the
 TI-Writer editor and have never
 themselves written anything designed
 to be printed through the formater.

      PLUS!  contains a series of
 templates that each, among other
 things, allow the use of a wide
 variety of embeded formatting
 commands.  These templates are based
 on the use of the formater dot
 commands .IF and .TL and work their
 magic when your text is printed out
 via the TI-Writer formater.  You
 don't have to know anything about
 this stuff in order to use these
 templates, however.  Everything is
 done more or less automatically.

    If the  PLUS!  disk is in DSK1,
 then all you have to do to access one
 of these templates is to go to the
 TI-Writer editor.  From the editor's
 command mode (this is where you are
 when you first enter the editor) type
 LF <enter>, DSK1.X <enter> where X is
 the single digit number that loads
 a  PLUS!  template.  Then type FCTN 0
 <enter> to get rid of the line
 numbers on the screen, and you are
 ready begin typing your text.  This
 entire review was typed as one
 continuous TI-Writer editor text file
 using a single  PLUS!  template.  By
 loading a single key  PLUS!  template
 file, the following are automatically
 set up:
 .IN +0
    1-  Screen margins are set at 1
 and 38 with word wrap on and
 automatic paragraph indentation 4
 spaces each time <enter> is pressed.
 This means that the entire text is
 displayed on the screen with NO
 LEFT/RIGHT SCROLLING needed.  Proof
 reading is easy, since you can see
 everything at once (except for
 scrolling up and down) in an easy to
 read 38 column display.
    2-  Left and right margins and,
 with some templates, right
 justification are set up which you
 see when you print your text to the
 printer through the TI-Writer
 formater.  The final printout margins
 and the presence or absence of right
 justification vary depending upon
 which  PLUS!  template is loaded.
 Different templates give different
 results.
    3-  Special startup formats and
 type sizes are available in some
 templates.  Some templates start you
 off with emphasized print for really
 good looking text.  One template
 starts you off in condensed print in
 118 columns.  For really tiny
 printing, another template gives you
 condensed subscript with small line
 spacing (see below) in 134 columns!
 One of the neatest templates is in
 school term paper format.  This term
 paper template has emphasized print
 and prints to the printer double
 spaced with automatic page header and
 footer.  Try doing double spacing in
 the editor sometime.  It isn't easy!
 This term paper format is really
 great, and it, as with all
   PLUS!  templates, is totally
 automatic.  You don't need to worry
 about margins, or where one page will
 end and another begin.
    4- A complete series of embeded
 commands are available from each
 template.  Most of these embeded
 commands are the same in each of the
 templates.  You can print the very
 same text file via the formater using
 different templates and the
 differences you see will be mainly in
 startup format (font type, margins,
 double or single space, presence or
 absence of right justification).  All
 you do to embed a command is type
 CTRL/U, then SHIFT/x, then CTRL/U
 without any spaces between.  The "x"
 is a letter of the alphabet.
 Different SHIFT/x commands cause
 different things to happen.  You see
 a funny looking symbol on the screen,
 but this funny symbol isn't printed.
 You can turn on DOUBLE STRIKE and
 then turn it off again.  You can turn
 on EMPHASIZED PRINT, which the PLUS!
 docs call Near Letter Quality, and
 you can turn it off again.  If you
 really want dark print you can  turn
 on both emphasized and double strike
 at the same time by using both of the
 needed commands, one right after the
 other in the body of the text.   How
 about ITALICS on and then off.  Maybe
 you want to UNDERLINE part of your
 text and then stop underlining, all
 while maintaining right
 justification.  Normally CTRL/U
 special character mode messes up
 right justification, but Jack Sughrue
 has come up with a partial fix.  The
 only thing about his fix that you
 need to know is that IF YOU ARE USING
 A TEMPLATE WITH RIGHT JUSTIFICATION,
 DO NOT PUT ANY SPACES EITHER BEFORE
 OR AFTER AN EMBEDED FORMAT COMMAND.
 The only exception to this is embeded
 format commands that occur at the
 beginning and end of a sentence.  For
 templates that do not use right
 justification, you are supposed to
 leave spaces between all words that
 begin or end with a format command as
 would seem the natural thing to do.
 Some type fonts may alter the number
 of characters per inch and thus mess
 up right justification, but you can
 still embed commands to access these
 fonts.
     This is CONDENSED PRINT.
     This is enlarged print.
     This small print is in SUBSCRIPT
 size.  You can also
 have  SUPERSCRIPT .
      This is ELITE print, slightly
 smaller than normal pica print.
    .LM +5
    This tiny tiny dark print is in
 CONDENSED SUBSCRIPT DOUBLESTRIKE and
 has very tiny line spacing so that
 you can squeeze lots of words in a
 small space.  A special embeded code
 creates this small line spacing.  I
 have used the three embeded codes,
 subscript, condensed, and small line
 spacing codes at the beginning of
 this paragraph to create this
 text.
     .IN +0
     .LM 3
    5- Macro and graphic embeded
 commands are available, different
 ones in different templates, and
 tutorials tell how to make your own
 custom macros.  Shown here is a
 really neat example of a single macro
 command that creates emphasized,
 doublestrike, and underline.  You can
 have a single embeded command print a
 whole word such as   PLUS!  or a
 short group of words.  Graphic
 patterns that you define as printer
 download characters or built in
 printer graphics can be printed with
 a single embeded command.  Card suits
 (clubs, spades, etc) are included in
 one of the  PLUS!  templates as an
 example user defined graphics, and a
 hardcopy sheet inserted into
 the  PLUS!  disk envelope shows how
 to define such characters.  The
 following line shows predefined
 printer graphics (alternating
 black/white diamonds) accessed by a
 single embeded code:


    .IN +4
    These features are all available
 to you automatically at printout
 through the TI-Writer formater when
 you load a  PLUS!  template into the
 editor at the beginning of each text
 file you create.  After loading a
 template a non printing comment
 appears on the first few screen lines
 at the beginning of your text file
 listing the special features of the
 particular template you have
 selected.  All you need is a
 reference sheet listing what each of
 the CTRL/U,SHIFT/x,CTRL/U embeded
 formating commands does and you are
 ready to go!

     Printer Graphic enhancements:
    Have you ever been envious of the
 built in graphic patterns available
 to users of Commodore computers?  All
 they do is type a key, and the
 graphic pattern on the front of the
 key appears on the screen.  Such
 screen graphics are, of course, not
 easy with the TI994A, but they are
 easy to print out using the built in
 graphics available in most printers.
   PLUS!  has tutorials about how to
 access these printer graphic
 characters in STAR printers,
 including the Gemini, SG, and
 N^series (NL, NP, NX, etc).  Some
 very nice graphic templates are
 provided by  PLUS!  which permit the
 user of STAR printers to print out
 very nice looking boxes.  Although
 STAR printers are sometimes said to
 be "Epson compatable" this is not
 entirely true.  The graphic
 characters of STAR printers (ASCII
 160-254) are not the same as those of
 Epson, Panasonic, or other "Epson
 compatable" printers.  The printer
 graphic templates of  PLUS!  only
 work with STAR printers.
 .IN +0
 >mnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnm #
 >mnmn #^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >mnmnm #
 >mnmn #^^You^can^put^^anything^you^want^in^a^^box^like^^this,^but^if^ >mnmnm #
 >mnmn #^^the^box^is^to^be^printed^via^the^formater^^you^must^fill^up^ >mnmnm #
 >mnmn #^^every^empty^space^in^the^box,^including^those^between^words^ >mnmnm #
 >mnmn #^^with^the^included^space^character^(SHIFT/6).^^The^box^below^ >mnmnm #
 >mnmn #^^^^^^^is^a^letter^template^that^is^on^the  PLUS  disk.^^^^^^^ >mnmnm #
 >mnmn #^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >mnmnm #
 >mnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnm #
 .IF DSK4.C1
 >676767676767676767676767676767676767676767676767676767676767676767676 #
 >67 #^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >76 #
 >67 #^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ J A C K^^^^S U G H R U E ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >76 #
 >67 #^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Box^^459 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >76 #
 >67 #^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ East Douglas MA ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >76 #
 >67 #^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^01516^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >76 #
 >67 #^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >76 #
 >676767676767676767676767676767676767676767676767676767676767676767676 #
 .IF DSK4.C9
 You can also have single straight lines of graphics to ornament your text,
like these:
 >DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD #
 >}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~}~} #
 >WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW #

    .IN +4
    As with the TI-Writer templates,
 you don't really need to know how
 these graphics work, you just need to
 merge the  PLUS!  graphic template of
 your choice into your TI-Writer text
 and then use FCTN/3 (delete line) to
 delete the template graphic lines you
 don't want.  For those who want to
 know, the  PLUS!  docs explain everything.

     Letter Templates.
    Three letter templates are
 included in addition to the one shown
 just above.  Two of these use a
 little known feature of TI-Writer
 called "include prompt".  As you move
 down through the formater menu
 prompts, usually just hitting <enter>
 for each one, after you answer "PAUSE
 AT END OF PAGE: N" the printer prints
 the first part of the letterhead.  A
 prompt on the formater menu screen
 then appears and asks "Month".  After
 you answer, another prompt asks
 "Day", and another asks "Person".
 The month, date, the year 1988, and
 the "Dear_______," person are printed
 in their correct positions on your
 letter, and you can then begin typing
 your text, complete with embeded
 format commands.  There is no need to
 move the cursor around to the correct
 position for typing the month, day,
 and person.  This is done
 automatically! The only disadvantage
 to this "include prompt" way of
 entering data in your letter is that
 if you save your letter to disk for
 later reference, the "month", "day",
 and "person" names are not saved, and
 this is important information.

     Utility Programs in XBASIC:
    .IN +2
      CAT  is an extended basic LOADer
 menu program that reads the disk
 directory and allows one keypress
 load and run of xbasic programs.
 When it reads the disk directory CAT
 distinguishes between PROGRAMs and
 other types of files.  CAT allows you
 to print the directory to a printer
 and to delete a file.
      INSTALABEL  prints any six lines
 of text you want on a sticky label,
 making as duplicate copies of this
 label as you desire.
      INSTAPRINT  prints any D/V80
 file to the printer just as PF would
 from the TI-Writer editor.
      INSTADUMP  is the fastest
 XBASIC screen dump I have seen.  It
 can easily be added to any program.
 its only limitation is that it won't
 dump redefined characters.
      INSTAMAIL  prompts you for a
 person's name, street, city, state,
 etc., then the next person's name,
 etc.  All these data are printed in
 neat tabular format.
    .IN +4
    Two calendar programs are
 included.    YEARLY/CAL  prints
 four months per paper sheet, each
 sheet with a custom title at the top,
 while  DESK/CAL  prints one month per
 sheet and gives you the option of
 printing specific information, such
 as "Barb's birthday", in the box of
 any date.
    .IN +4
      BANNER  makes banners with large
 letters.  You can define the graphics
 of these letters if you want, and
 control their size.  Banner works
 with all STAR printers except SG
 models.  I don't know if it works
 with other printer brands.
      3/COL  will print a disk
 directory in 3 columns with a date
 and your name.  The result is
 suitable for pasting on a disk
 envelope.  I find this one very
 useful.
      IG!PAY  is just for fun!  Enter
 some text and the screen displays a
 pig latin translation.
      SETUP  will configure and test
 any Epson compatable printer (not
 just STAR printers) for margins,
 fonts, line spacing, etc.  SETUP will
 also print out a list of embeded
 commands you can use in edit mode
 with almost any word processor to
 access some of your printer's special
 features.
      tinyteeny  is a small word
 processor what prints very small
 letters on adding machine paper, just
 about the cheapest roll paper you can
 buy!
      PLUS!VIEW  is a razzle-dazzle
 screen presentation of the features
 of  PLUS!.   It is said to be
 adaptable to other types of
 presentations.
      P!  is only on the DSSD version
 of  PLUS!   since the disk is so full
 that there isn't room for P! on the
 flippy version.  P! makes a cursor in
 the form of the  PLUS!  logo, a goose
 head.
      MULTICOLUMN  allows you to print
 out text entered via a special
 TI-Writer template in neat two column
 side by side format.  This is great
 for newsletter editors.
      GOTHIC  allows you to print out
 really nice gothic lettering.
      SMALLIFY  is a two step program
 that squeezes single line xbasic
 programs into very tight multiline
 format, saving lots of memory.
 SMALLIFY is better than several of
 the PD programs of this type I have
 seen, and is at least as good as
 SMASH, a commercial program sold a
 few years ago for this purpose.
      MAX-RLE  is also part of
 the  PLUS!  package.  With it you can
 print many many graphic pictures to
 the screen, dump them to your
 printer, and convert them from one
 "artist" format to another.  A
 really good picture of Mickey Mouse
 (MICKEY) is included on
 the  PLUS!  disk so you can give
 MAX-RLE an immediate try.

    .IN +4
     My general impressions
 of  PLUS!
    Taken individually, none of the
 material found on the  PLUS!  disk is
 new.  Tutorials on the creation of
 transliteration files for use in
 TI-Writer have been published in
 newsletters and in MICROPENDIUM.
 Information about using the graphics
 built into STAR printers has been
 published Jim Peterson in his TIPS
 columns and of course can be found
 (if you look very hard) in the
 printer owner's manual.  XBASHER, a
 commercial program, will squeeze
 xbasic code tighter than SMALLIFY.  A
 fairware assembly language screen
 dump is faster than INSTADUMP and
 will dump redefined characters.
 There are fairware packages of disk
 catalog and calendar programs that,
 because of the size of the package,
 will do more things than the similar
 programs found in
 the  PLUS!  package.  Nevertheless,
 the combination of featues found
 in  PLUS!  makes it well worth the
 $10 fairware asking price.  The
 asking price of each one of the
 commercial and fairware offerings
 mentioned in the this paragraph would
 equal or exceed the cost of the
 entire  PLUS!  package.  Only
 in  PLUS!  can you find all this
 useful stuff all together in such an
 easy to use form at such a reasonable
 price.

     In spite of reading articles
 about making .IF and .TL templates,
 about TI-Writer's "special graphics
 mode", and about printer graphics, I
 never attempted to try these out
 before I got my hands
 on FUNLPLUS, the previous version of
 what is now  PLUS!.    The written
 descriptions of .TL files and printer
 graphics seemed too complicated.
 FUNLPLUS and  PLUS!  have taught me
 almost everything I know about the
 advanced use of of TI-Writer and
 printer graphcs.    PLUS!  is much
 improved over FUNLPLUS.
 The  PLUS!  templates are much more
 sophisticated and more logically
 organized than they were on
 on FUNLPLUS and all
 the  PLUS!  software works with a
 variety of printers.  Some software
 on the older FUNLPLUS only worked
 properly if you used a Gemini 10X
 printer.  It is all there on
 the  PLUS!  disk, templates,
 software, and tutorials on how to use
 everything.  You don't have to type
 in any program listings and you don't
 have to do any trial and error
 creating unless you want to make your
 own custom templates.

    If you use TI-Writer alot and if
 you feel adequately skilled in the
 creation of custom .IF
 transliteration files and the use of
 your printer's built in graphics, and
 if you don't think you need any of
 the xbasic software found on
 the  PLUS!  disk than you don't
 need  PLUS!.   If you use TI-Writer
 alot and, like me 10 months ago, you
 are not making your own custom .TL
 templates to .IF into your text
 files, then you really will benefit
 from what  PLUS!  has to offer,
 particularly if you are using a STAR
 printer.

    The requested fairware donation is
 $10 for first time registered users,
 and $3 plus a disk and postage paid
 return mailer if you have previously
 paid for FUNLPLUS.   Send your
 donation to:
    Jack Sughrue
    P.O. Box 459
    East Douglas MA 01516
    .PL 1