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ShowBAT Ver. 2.12
-------------------------------
Slide show Batch file utilities
for all IBM compatibles.
Documentation and Technical Notes July 18, 1992
Copyright (C) 1991, 1992 by A & Z Management Service, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Legal Limitations
ShowBAT is provided on an "as is" basis without warranty of any kind
expressed or implied. In no event will A & Z Management Service, Inc. be
liable to you for any damages, including any lost profits, lost savings,
or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of or
inability to use the program, even if A & Z Management Services has been
advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other
party.
ShowBAT is copyrighted by A & Z Management Service, Inc. You are
encouraged to give copies to your friends and upload it to bulletin
boards, however, sale of the program for profit by anyone except A & Z
Management Service, Inc. is strictly prohibited, with the exception of a
small fee for duplication. That fee does not register you as a user of
ShowBAT. If you like ShowBAT and find it useful, you are asked to register
as a user with A & Z Management Service, Inc. A form is provided in this
document.
Shareware Notice--------
ShowBat is released as Shareware. This is copyrighted material: it is NOT
"free software." You are permitted to experiment with this package long
enough to determine if it suits your needs (up to three presentations).
This means you have the opportunity to use and evaluate it before you
decide to buy. If you regularly use ShowBAT then you are required to send
your registration fee to the author according to the instructions below.
(The cost as of this writing is $35.00 per single-user license including
handling). Using these programs to create more then three presentations
constitutes regular use under this license agreement, and requires the user
to register with the author.
LICENSE AGREEMENT:
-------------------
All ShowBAT EXE files, data files, and ShowBAT.DOC are Copyright (C) 1991,
1992 A & Z Management Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
Whether or not you become a registered user, you are permitted under
this license to copy and distribute all the ShowBAT files freely. The
ShowBAT files may be distributed via electronic Bulletin Board Systems and
other electronic information storage and retrieval services only under the
terms described above. No BBS or other storage and retrieval service may
request any donation, or charge any fee or premium, for the electronic
transfer of any of these files, excluding that service's ordinary connect
charges, if any, without the express written permission of the copyright
holder.
Any use, copying or distribution of the ShowBAT files, other than that
described above, is in violation of this license agreement.
Please REGISTER YOUR ShowBAT
Thank you for your interest in ShowBAT, slide show BATch file utilities
for the IBM compatibles. Please register by sending the order form below
with your check or money order for $35.00 per copy including handling for
materials, postage and handling, to:
A & Z Management Services, Inc.
4151 Bay Front Road
Mobile, Alabama 36605
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| I wish to license _____ copy/copies of the latest release of the |
| ShowBAT programs. I have enclosed $35.00 for each single-user |
| license including for handling etc. (Prices subject to change). |
| |
| Name ___________________________________________________________ |
| |
| Company (if applicable) ________________________________________ |
| |
| Address ________________________________________________________ |
| |
| City _______________________________ State ______ Zip ________ |
| |
| I prefer: _____ 3-1/2" disk; _____ 5-1/4" disk (check one) |
| |
| If you received your copy of ShowBAT from a Bulletin Board System, |
| User's Group, or software distributor, please supply its name and |
| location (if from a public BBS, please add the phone number): |
| __________________________________________________________________ |
| 07/92 |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
* To license one copy, for example, send $35.00; to license 10 copies,
send $300.00. Please use the order form above.
* U.S. funds only, please.
* These prices are subject to change.
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| To print a registration form: |
| 1. Make sure your printer is ready (on with paper). |
| 2. Type: PRINTREG<-' (the character: <-' is a short hand way of |
| saying to press the enter key). |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New in 2.12 |
| 1.Improved file-not found detection. Program executes when DATA |
| file is missing, displays message screen, and DATA file structure.|
| |
| 2.Price reduction through the elimination of a handling fee. |
| |
| 3.Addition, free updates for registered users for one year. Our |
| intent was to include this with older versions. All register users|
| of older versions have been given one year free updates. |
| |
| 4.BOX.EXE to create boxes anyplace on the screen. |
| |
| 5.RKEY.EXE added to replace PAUSE>NUL and reduce the number of |
| files needed in CONFIG.SYS file. |
| |
| 6.IFKEY99.EXE returns ERRORLEVEL 99 if key on keyboard pressed. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
Table of Contents
OVERVIEW ShowBAT ...................................
Installing .........................................
ShowBAT requirements ...............................
What ShowBAT Does ..................................
FOR Fast STARTERS ..................................
Preparing YOUR own Screens .........................
DATA.xxx Options ...................................
Using ShowBAT with other Programs ..................
DEMO.BAT ...........................................
REPORTING PROBLEMS/BUGS ............................
OVERVIEW ShowBAT--------------------
ShowBAT is a program set that provides you with the capability of
performing professional screen transitions when using BATch files for the
creation of presentations. An IBM Personal Computer or compatible PC using
MS-DOS or PC DOS version 3.0 or newer is required. ShowBAT may work on
some older versions of DOS, however, it has not been tested. The programs
in the current version of the ShowBAT program set:
BOT0.EXE and BOT1.EXE Replaces screen bottom-up moving-bar/wipe-out
BOX.EXE Creates a box on screen. Characters as specified
CENTER0.EXE and CENTER1.EXE Replaces screen center-out moving-bar/wipe-out
CURSOR.EXE Turns the cursor on after slide show
IFKEY99.EXE Returns errorlevel 99 to BATCH file=key pressed
LEFT0.EXE and LEFT1.EXE Replaces screen left-right moving-bar/wipe-out
RANRE.EXE Replaces screen randomly with/without banks
RIGHT0.EXE and RIGHT1.EXE Replaces screen right-left moving-bar/wipe-out
RKEY.EXE Substitute for PAUSE>NUL
SHOW1.EXE Moving display box for text.
TOP0.EXE and TOP1.EXE Replaces screen top-down moving-bar/wipe-out
Each program uses its own data file that requires either three to seven
entries. The data file tells the program: Display width (40 or 80), text
color, background color, the display delay in milliseconds, the transition
control selection (press any key, timed, or continuous), the American
Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) code number of the
character to be used for the moving bar and screen cover (not required by
SHOW1.EXE), and for RANRE.EXE (only) whether to include a random character
cover. In SHOW1.EXE the data files only have a limited control of the
color plan. The data required by BOX.EXE is not related to other programs
and is specified below.
DATA.B00 DATA.B01 DATA.BOX
DATA.C00 DATA.C01 DATA.L00
DATA.L01 DATA.R00 DATA.R01 DATA.RA0 DATA.S01
DATA.T00 DATA.T01
Typing the name of a program without a file name or DATA file results in a
help screen that identifies the required data file and the structure of the
DATA file.
All numbers in the data files must be left justified. The default values
in the DATA files were:
80 for an eighty character display
15 numbers 0 to 15, 15 for white text
* numbers from 0 to 7 for a variety of backgrounds
100 for an 100 millisecond character delay
0 requires user to press a key to continue
176 uses a open box character: ░ for moving bar (not required in
SHOW1.EXE)*
* Depending on the BIOS in your computer system you may have to execute
GRAFTABL.COM, a DOS utility by typing GRAFTABL<-' to get the character 176
to display as a box using dots (░).
in addition DATA.RA0 has a YES or NO on the line after the 176.
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| When you first receive ShowBAT, please make a backup copy and put it|
| in a safe place. When you make copies to pass on, please send a |
| copy of the original. Our explanation in this document depends on |
| starting with the original files. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
If you received your copy of ShowBAT from a friend, the data files may have
been changed. If you are getting strange results, such as a screen with no
letters, it may be that the prior user set the background and text colors
equal to each other. Please check your DATA.xxx file carefully when you
have problems.
Installing -------------------
ShowBAT may be executed from a floppy or hard disk. If the program comes
as a named SHOWBAT.ZIP or SHOWB212.ZIP etc file from a bulletin board, you
will need PKUNZIP.EXE to un-zip the files. The procedure is to place
ShowBAT on a diskette or in a subdirectory by itself and type:
PKUNZIP *.ZIP<-'
Once the ShowBAT files are available, you may use them directly on the disk
where they are stored, by including the disk or subdirectory, or by
including a path statement (please see your DOS manual for additional
information on paths) in front of the instruction. BUT BUT -- the DATA.xxx
file must be in the active subdirectory or disk. We designed the procedure
this way because DATA.xxx files are custom to an application.
ShowBAT REQUIREMENTS---------------------
To use ShowBAT, you need:
a) IBM PC "compatible" computer
b) at least one floppy diskette drive
c) IBM-PC DOS (Disk Operating System), or MS-DOS, version 3.0 or higher
You can use ShowBAT with both color or monochrome screens and with LCD
overhead projectors.
To execute one of the ShowBAT *.EXE files you need only that file and its
DATA.XXX file. In a given presentation we use a unique opening screen such
as SHOW1.EXE, we then alternate between two similar routines such as
LEFT0.EXE and RIGHT0.EXE. On a black and white LCD overhead, we use white
on black for LEFT0.EXE and then black on white for RIGHT0.EXE. The reason
to require individual DATA.XXX files with each XXX.EXE file is so that the
colors can be switched. To end the presentation we often selected
RANRE.EXE or add a box to our output using BOX.EXE.
ShowBAT is for use in BATCH files. Along with ShowBAT we use sound. We
recommend an external speaker system running out of the parallel port for
laptop systems. We have used used a directional microphone mounted on a
piece of Styrofoam and a Radio Shack amplifier speaker to enhance the sound
coming out of the internal speaker. At the beginning of a presentation a
loud blast of music helps get your audience attention. Digitized
(recorder) or synthesized sound are both effective, however, digitized
sound requires large amounts of hard disk storage.
WHAT ShowBAT DOES-------------------------------------
ShowBAT gives the computer user the capability of enhancing presentations
by providing custom screen transfer displays. Figure 1 below illustrates
the computer screen in the process of having its current display replaced
by a new display.
Figure 1 Screen Transfer
+---------------------------------------|
| I wish to license _____ copy/copies |----------------------------+
| ShowBAT programs. I have enclosed | |
| license. | and User's Groups: |
| |-------------------- |
| Name ________________________________|is document for important |
| |ns. |
| Company (if applicable) _____________| |
| |----------------------------+
| Address _____________________________|
| |UR ShowBAT
| City _______________________________ |
| |tm), slide show BATch file
| I prefer: _____ 3-1/2" disk; _____ 5|e register by sending the order
| |r for $35.00 per copy.
| |
| If you received your copy of ShowBAT |
| User's Group, or software distributor|
| location (if from a public BBS, pleas|
| _____________________________________|
| |
+---------------------------------------|
ShowBAT screen transition programs are: BOT0.EXE, BOT1.EXE, CENTER0.EXE,
CENTER1.EXE, LEFT0.EXE, LEFT1.EXE, RANRE.EXE, RIGHT0.EXE, RIGHT1.EXE,
TOP0.EXE, and TOP1.EXE. Each of these files require a DATA.xxx file to tell
them how to work and a datafile to tell them what to display.
SHOW1.EXE is a special screen display program that displays a text file as
a continuous moving group of letters. SHOW1.EXE simulates a number of
business display devices.
BOX.EXE may be used to add boxes to current displays. BOX.EXE may also be
used to create screen patterns.
CURSOR.EXE turns the cursor back on after a show is complete.
Batch file IF statements only examine the errorlevel code. IFKEY99.EXE may
be placed in a batch file to query the keyboard. It returns a 99 if any
key has been pressed and a 0 errorlevel code otherwise. Advance users will
find this program useful to control the process of a batch file.
When the DOS instruction: PAUSE>NUL is used to control the execution of a
batch file, the number of files require rapidly increase. RKEY.EXE stops
the execution of a batch file until some key is pressed. It is a useful
subsitute for the PAUSE statement.
FOR Fast STARTERS ----------------------------
The novice and power user may use ShowBAT to create slide shows with a
multiple of transition procedures. If your have not done so (at the DOS
prompt), type:
A>README<-'
After you type README and press the Enter key, you will see a demonstration
of one of our screen transitions and then a short message on the screen.
Our README file includes an overview of the package and some messages.
The README.BAT file is a simple example of how to use ShowBAT. At the DOS
prompt type:
A>TYPE README.BAT<-'
and examine the contents of the README.BAT file. You should see:
@echo off
center0 readme
cursor
@echo on
There are four instructions in README.BAT. The first instruction: @echo off
tells your disk operating system not to display future computer
instructions (on the screen). Our DOS 5.0 manual tells us that including
the @ in front of ECHO OFF means that this instruction will not be printed
and that not including the @ means the instruction will be printed. We
have found that some operating systems will not work right with the @ while
others have trouble working without it. Check your DOS manual, if the
instruction does not work as indicated. The second instruction in
README.BAT is: center0 readme. CENTER0.EXE is one of the ShowBAT programs.
The instruction CENTER0.EXE README executes the program using the README
file for data. The next instruction: cursor tells DOS to execute
CURSOR.EXE. CURSOR.EXE turns the cursor on. The last instruction @echo on
is the reverse of @echo off.
Note: DOS and ShowBAT instructions are not case sensitive. You may use
either upper or lower case.
DEMO.BAT is BATch file that illustrates the use of all of the ShowBat
transition screens. At the DOS prompt type:
A>DEMO<-'
to run the file. Press <-' to move from one illustration to the next.
Examine DEMO.BAT in the same manner as you examined README.BAT. Notice
that all programs (except CURSOR.EXE) in the ShowBAT collection require
that you type the name of the program and then the name of the file to be
displayed. For example:
A>BOT0 part.001
ShowBAT instructions may be entered directly from the keyboard as well as
in BATch file. Type BOT0 part.001<-', press <-' to exit, and then type
BOT0<-'. The first instruction executes BOT0 using the screen display
part.001, the <-' exist the program, and the BOT0<-' displays a copyright
and default help screen. On this help screen you will find the name of the
DATA.xxx file required by the program you are using.
Preparing YOUR own Screens---------------
A word processor or some type of text editor is required to create a
ShowBAT data screen. ShowBat programs display screen stored in the America
Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format. We recommend
formatting the text using 79 columns by 24 rows for 80 column output or 39
columns by 24 rows for 40 column output.
Almost all word processing, text editors, spreadsheet, and database
programs can create ASCII files. ASCII files may be called DOC, DOS, TXT,
text, PRN, and print files. If the file is readable when you:
A>TYPE filename<-'
then the file is an ASCII file.
An ASCII file may be created in an ASCII editor, some spreadsheet programs,
and some database programs.
DATA.xxx Options ----------------------------
With the exception of DATA.RA0 each DATA.xxx file contains six numbers.
DATA.RA0 requires one addition datum, a YES or NO (in upper case only).
Number 1:
The first number in the data set is the number 80 or 40. The number tells
ShowBAT that an 80 or 40 column screen is being used, it does not instruct
DOS to change to from one type of screen to another. The statement:
MODE 40 or MODE 80
must be used to change screen modes. MODE.COM is a DOS utility that comes
with your operating system. MODE.COM must be available to be used. You
may copy MODE.COM from your system disk or subdirectory or include the DOS
subdirectory in your path statement.
Number 2 and 3:
Table 1 lists the text and background colors available. We recommend you
experiment with the color controls and examine their effect on your screen.
We have found that the color displays vary from screen to screen. In
particular, LCD overhead screens should be checked out before use.
Table 1 Color Chart
Text Color Text Background
0 Black 0 Black
1 Blue 1 Blue
2 Green 2 Green
3 Cyan 3 Cyan
4 Red 4 Red
5 Magenta 5 Magenta
6 Brown 6 Brown
7 Light gray 7 Light gray
8 Dark gray
9 Light blue
10 Light green
11 Light cyan
12 Light red
13 Light Magenta
14 Yellow
15 White
----------------
Number 4:
ShowBAT's display speed is a function of the speed of your computer.
Experiment with the character delay speed to determine what is best for
your computer. We recommend you start with 100. The larger you make this
value the slower the operation.
Number 5:
Number 5 may take on values of -1, 0, or a slide show delay value. A value
of -1 means that ShowBAT does not include any slow down controls. It
should be selected when using sound files or the PAUSE statement to control
your show. A value of 0 means you must press <-' to proceed. The slide
show delay value is used for automated ShowBAT shows. We recommend you
select an initial delay value of 9000 and vary the value according to your
system performance.
Number 6:
Number six controls the character for your moving bar. Check a DOS ASCII
chart to determine what character you would prefer. The code number may be
from 01 to 255.
Word 7:
DATA.RA0 requires a YES or NO (all upper case) on line 7 of its data file.
If you include YES, RANRE.EXE first covers the screen with characters and
then its text. If you include NO, the first step is skipped.
BOX.EXE requires only screen width, text color, and background color. The
input file requires:
196 Code for outline of box (196 single line/205 double line box)
1 column left
1 row top
79 column right
24 row bottom
If the first number is 196 BOX.EXE draws a single line box, if the first
number is 205 BOX.EXE draws a double line box. If the first number is
any other number BOX.EXE uses the ASCII character for that number for the
box (222=▐).
RKEY.EXE, and IFKEY99.EXE do not use DATA files. RKEY.EXE is a substitute
for PAUSE>NUL. In your CONFIG.SYS file on your boot disk is the statement
FILES=10. IF PAUSE>NUL is used, this number must be increased. If your
system hangs up during execution of a large BATCH file, a common cause is
too few files.
IFKEY99.EXE may be used in batch files to determine if a key has been
pressed. The ERRORLEVEL returned is 99. An if statement may be used in the
BATCH file to control the order of execution by pressing a key.
Using ShowBAT with other Programs -------------------
Our original intent in developing ShowBAT was to integrate slide show
capabilities with sound and graphics show functions.
SOUND
Sound may be produced using the internal speaker, an external speaker-sound
printer (connected to your printer port), and an internal speaker add-on
board. Sound includes voice, music, animal sounds, and buzzing. Sound may
be recorded (digitized) or created from data files (synthesized).
Sound speakers, boards, and support software for recording, playback, and
voice synthesizing are available from both commercial and shareware
vendors. We have used several external speaker systems and have been very
satisfied with how ShowBAT and these systems work together.
GRAPHICS
The integration of graphics into a batch file requires a program that
displays a file and does not take over any other controls. There are a
number of shareware vendors that provide programs of this type.
DEMO.BAT ---------------------------------
Included on this disk is a sample BATch file: DEMO.BAT. A BATch file
contains instructions that tell the computer what to do. The instructions
in this file are listed in table 2. The first instruction @echo off tells
the operating system to execute instructions, but not to display the
instructions on the screen. Depending on your operating system, you may
find it necessary to leave off the @ when giving this instruction.
Table 2 DEMO.BAT
@echo off
prompt
cls
mode 80
show1 showbat.doc
cls
BOT0 part.001
box box1
rkey
BOT1 part.002
CENTER0 part.003
CENTER1 part.004
LEFT0 part.005
LEFT1 part.006
RANRE part.007
RIGHT0 part.008
RIGHT1 part.009
TOP0 part.010
BOT0 part.001
box box2
rkey
CURSOR
prompt $p$g
cls
The instruction: cls tells the operating system to clear the screen. Mode
80 changes the display from 40 to 80 characters across. The MODE.COM
command must be recorded in a subdirectory that is part of the PATH
statement, or recorded in the same subdirectory as ShowBAT. MODE.COM is one
of the utilities that comes with your operating system.
The instruction: show1 showbat.doc tells the operating system to start the
program SHOW1.EXE using the text file SHOWBAT.DOC SHOW1.EXE displays the
files indicated by scrolling it in a display box on the screen. The data
file DATA.S01 contains the information that tells SHOW1.EXE what colors to
use.
DEMO.BAT then proceeds with the execution of the other programs and
instructions as indicated.
REPORTING PROBLEMS/BUGS ------------------------
Please let us know (in writing, please) if ShowBAT ever fails to function
on your system as documented in these pages. Also, if you feel there is an
aspect of the program which is insufficiently documented here, I appreciate
your written suggestions.
If you submit a problem report, please be as specific as possible about
what happens and in what sequence or situation. Be sure to mention these
specific things: 1) your brand and model of PC; 2) your brand and version
of DOS; 3) your brand and model of video adapter and display screen; and
4) what software program you are running when the problem occurs.
Please send all correspondence to:
A & Z Management Service, Inc.
4151 Bay Front Road
Mobile, Alabama 36605
U.S.A.
