The 640 MEG Shareware Studio 2

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Viper - the Visual DOS Command Line Editor Table of Contents Page Introduction To Viper........................................ 01 Installing Viper For DOS..................................... 02 Installing Viper For Windows................................. 02 Uninstalling Viper........................................... 03 VP.DAT File.................................................. 04 Command Line Switches........................................ 06 The Visual Window............................................ 14 Editing Commands............................................. 15 Function Key Buffer Strings.................................. 16 Copy and Paste............................................... 16 KEEP and PLAYBACK Records.................................... 17 AUTO PLAYBACK Feature........................................ 18 Alarm Feature................................................ 20 Mouse Support................................................ 21 Battery Management Tips For Laptops and Notebooks............ 21 Registration Form............................................ 22 Technical Support............................................ 23 Hardware and Software Requirements........................... 23 License Agreement............................................ 23 Index........................................................ 24 Viper by Freshour Software 531 Main Street #306 El Segundo, CA 90245 310-640-1649 INTRODUCTION Page 1 Welcome to Viper, "The Visual DOS Command Line Editor". Viper (VP) remembers keystrokes you type in at the DOS prompt and by pressing the up or down arrow key (or the left mouse button if you have a mouse installed), Viper pops up a visual window to allow you to view, edit and select these previous DOS commands for re-execution. But you'll find that Viper has many other features and capabilities: o Pop-up window for better visual orientation o BATTery Watch digital readout for portable computers o Multiple commands executed from one record or command line o Full command line/window editing capabilities o Variable number of records in visual window (10 to 22) o Commands can be assigned to Function keys F1 - F10 o DEL command can first save files a into \TRASHCAN subdirectory o VP can be altered via command line switches o User can configure Viper's memory usage o VP.DAT file: permits pre-loaded commands you use most often o Tag command(s) for manual (group) playback o Tag command(s) for automatic unattended (group) playback o Built-in alarm for appointments o 386MAX, QEMM and DOS 5.0 compatible (to run in high memory) o Full mouse support When you use Viper, don't continue using your previous DOS history utility; DOSKEY, DOSEDIT, etc. You only need to use one of these types of utilities at a time. Viper can save you time and increase your daily productivity by relieving you of the task of re-typing the same DOS commands over and over again. With Viper, you can set and keep any DOS command you wish to use again. You can also use Viper to execute multiple DOS commands (including the running of other programs) if you have a series of commands that you need to run from the DOS prompt. Viper can do all of this without you having to re-type each one of the commands in each time you want to run them. If you already use a DOS history utility, you'll appreciate Viper's visual pop-up window. It's this visual window that makes Viper so easy and convenient to use, among it's many other features. INSTALLING VIPER FOR DOS Page 2 Copy all the files on the master diskette down into the root section of your hard disk. For example, from the DOS C:\> prompt, type COPY A:\*.* <RETURN>. This will copy the VP.EXE, VP.DOC and VP.DAT files down into the root section of your hard disk. From here, to start Viper, simply type VP <RETURN>. You may also type VP /? <RETURN> to see all of the switches available to alter Viper's operational behavior. Viper is a TSR (Terminate but Stay Resident) or memory resident program and therefore, must first be installed, or, loaded into memory, before it can be used. To install Viper into memory type VP <RETURN> at the DOS prompt. You may want to control some of the operational features by also including some command line switches when you install it. See page 6 on COMMAND LINE SWITCHES for a complete description on how these options alter Viper's operational behavior. Since you will most likely use some command line switches each time you start Viper, this task can be automated by placing the start-up commands in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file or another .BAT file. You could, for example, make a batch file called VIPER.BAT containing the line VP /D /F1 /R22 /MM. Then simply typing VIPER <RETURN> will install it with these command line switches. INSTALLING VIPER FOR WINDOWS 1. In the MAIN Group window, click on the MS-DOS icon to shell out to the DOS prompt. 2. You will usually be shelled out at the C:\WINDOWS subdirectory. Change back to the root subdirectory by typing CD\ <RETURN>. 3. Install Viper with a .BAT file such as VIPER.BAT that contains all of your start-up switches you wish to start Viper with. Or, you can manually start Viper like this: VP <RETURN>. Note that Windows is one of those applications that use the spare video pages, therefore, on color video systems, with Windows, Viper must not be started with the /VB1 or /VB2 switches. 4. Now we want to return to Windows but we don't want to close the DOS Prompt session we just created and started Viper in. Therefore, DO NOT type 'EXIT' <RETURN> at this point! 5. Instead, press CTRL-ESC to display the Windows Task List window. You will see the 'MS-DOS Prompt' listed as one of the current tasks that is running. Select 'Program Manager' or any other task from this list to switch you back into Windows. 6. Now, whenever you need to do some work at the DOS prompt, simply press CTRL-ESC to display the Windows Task List and select the 'MS-DOS Prompt' task. Windows will return you to your previous DOS Prompt session with Viper already loaded into memory. UNINSTALLING VIPER Page 3 Viper can be uninstalled or, removed from memory, by simply typing VP <RETURN> at the DOS prompt. It will make a number of internal checks to determine if it is safe to uninstall itself. If it is safe, Viper will remove itself from memory. If it is not safe, Viper will instead simply deactivate itself and display the message 'Viper deactivated'. When deactivated, Viper is still in memory but not operational. Typing Viper again will reactivate it back to it's normal functionality and you'll see a 'Viper reactivated' message displayed. Viper is a well-behaved TSR. If Viper can safely remove itself from memory, it will honor your uninstall request. If it can't, it won't. Don't blame Viper. The problem is being caused by other software running on your system. Well-behaved TSR's won't allow you to uninstall them if it isn't safe to do so. VP.DAT FILE Page 4 There is an optional file (VP.DAT) Viper will use if it finds it where VP.EXE is located. VP.DAT is simply an ASCII text file that allows you to setup default DOS commands that will appear in the visual window each time Viper is loaded. Thus, if you reboot your computer many times a day, you won't have to manually setup all of your personal DOS commands that you wish to use. If Viper does not find VP.DAT, installation proceeds as normal and the visual window will contain all records blanked out initially. You may make multiple copies of the VP.DAT file and keep different commands in each one. Then when starting Viper, you can simply enter Viper "VP3.DAT" <RETURN> and Viper will load into memory using the commands from the VP3.DAT file. If you wish to tag a record in this VP.DAT file as a KEEP record or PLAYBACK record, use the following ASCII byte codes: o To mark as a KEEP record.......: ASCII 04 decimal o To mark as a PLAYBACK record...: ASCII 17 decimal Place the code in column 1 of the VP.DAT file. Most ASCII text editors allow entering of these codes by holding down the ALT key while pressing the decimal value on the numeric key pad. For example, holding down the ALT key and pressing the 4 key on the numeric key pad, then releasing the ALT key will produce the ASCII 04 code at the cursor position. See page 17 on tagging records for more information. You may have from 10 to 22 lines of text in Area 1 of the VP.DAT file. You may have less than 10 lines and more than 22 lines are ignored. Note that 1 space must precede the actual text. This is because you must allow for a TAG character in this first position even if you don't use one. Notice the # characters in the file. These are special characters and MUST always be in the file, flush left, column 1. Here is a sample of some of the commands you might have in your VP.DAT file. The (---------- Area 1 ----------) text is for your clarification only and would not actually be in the VP.DAT file: VP.DAT File Format: del a:\*.* (---------- Area 1 ----------) copy *.dat a:\ format A: /U /F:1.2 chkdsk # Next Lines: Function Key string commands F1 - F10 dir /w (---------- Area 2 ----------) cls format A: /U /F:1.2 # Next Lines: Battery Watch strings (---------- Area 3 ----------) 02:30 C:\VPBATT.DAT # Next Line: /TrashCAN command string: COPY or PKZIP copy (---------- Area 4 ----------) pkzip /a c:\trashcan\trash VP.DAT FILE Page 5 (---------- Area 1 ----------): Commands entered into this area will appear in the visual window itself as pre-loaded commands. A minimum of 10 lines, a maximum of 22. (---------- Area 2 ----------): Commands entered into this area will be assigned to function keys F1 through F10, in descending order as they appear in this file. For example: F1 receives the string assignment: "dir /w" F2 receives the string assignment: "cls" F3 receives the string assignment: "format A: /U /F:1.2" (---------- Area 3 ----------): Battery time and name of the file where the battery time remaining string will be stored are entered in this area. See page 9 for more information. (---------- Area 4 ----------): If you enable VP's TrashCAN feature by invoking the /TCAN command line switch at Viper's start up, you may choose the method of how the DELeted file is moved or copied into the C:\TRASHCAN subdirectory. Only one line is read by VP upon start up in Area 4, thus in this case, the COPY command would be used. For convenience, you may keep other line commands after the top line in Area 4 such as shown; the PKZIP utility. You can swap these two lines and make PKZIP the active trashcan method when DELeting files. Remember, you may use any utility you wish for this feature that does what you want it to do with the file BEFORE VP actually invokes DOS's DELete command. See page 4 for more /TCAN information. COMMAND LINE SWITCHES Page 6 Viper's operational behavior may be modified to suit your own personal style via switches during installation. Listed below are the switches you may use to alter Viper's operational behavior: NOTE: Don't type in the optional bracket [] symbols. VP.................... install/uninstall Viper. VP "FILE"............. use this FILE instead of the VP.DAT file. VP /D................. Don't keep visual window up after playback. VP /C[L][R]........... set Cursor Left/Right flush on record: /CL. VP /T................. enable sliding Tone when visual window pops up. VP /F[1-4]............ set Fast cursor speeds: /F1 /F2 /F3 /F4. VP /B................. keep lightbar on Bottom record position. VP /R[10-22].......... set number of visual window Records: /R22. VP /U[00-12].......... set visual window Upper row position: /U00. VP /Wbg/fg............ set Window background/foreground colors: /W02/15. VP /Lbg/fg............ set menu Lightbar background/foreground colors. VP /S................. turn Snow removal on (eliminate screen flicker). VP /G................. force b&w screen attributes (for Gas plasma/LCD). VP /A................. use loud Alarm tone. VP /M[F][M][S]........ use Mouse support. Double-click rate:Fast/Medium/Slow. VP /X[1-9]............ eXclude 1-9 characters from being saved: /X2. VP /BATT[1-5]......... enable BATTery watch in visual window: /BATT2. VP /TCAN.............. copy deleted files to C:\TRASHCAN subdirectory. VP /VB[1-2]........... use Video Buffer area 1 or 2 for visual window. VP /On1/n2:n3/n4...... set Overtype/insert cursor sizes. See VP.DOC file. VP /SI[N-F]........... Start up Insert mode: oN or ofF. VP /? or /H........... this Help screen. You may use the / \ or - character in front of each command line letter. Viper will accept either one of these. "FILE"............ Allows you to have different VP.DAT type files available. Just start Viper like this: VP "VP2.DAT" <RETURN> and the visual window will use data from file VP2.DAT. BOTH DOUBLE QUOTE MARKS ARE REQUIRED. /D................ This switch will cause Viper to return you to the DOS prompt instead of popping up the visual window after automatically running any F6 Tagged records. /C[L][R].......... This switch controls where the cursor positions itself when the visual window is displayed and you move the lightbar up and down. L sets the cursor flush left within the record. R sets it flush right. No setting, (the default) causes the cursor to remain in the same relative position. COMMAND LINE SWITCHES cont... Page 7 /T................ If you like the sound of the sliding tone each time you pop-up the visual window, use the /T switch to enable it. Otherwise, there will be no sound each time the visual window is popped-up. /F[1-4]........... The /F switch will cause Viper to increase the cursor speed when Viper is operating (at the DOS prompt or when the visual window is up). When the /F switch is used, each time a program is started by Viper, it will first restore the keyboard speed to what it was before Viper took control and then start the program. There are 4 speed settings available: F1 - 10 CPS 500 ms delay F2 - 15 CPS 500 ms delay F3 - 20 CPS 250 ms delay F4 - 30 CPS 250 ms delay If the /F switch is not used, Viper will have no affect on cursor movement speed at all. /B................ This switch will keep the lightbar on the bottom record position each time you pop-up the visual window, regardless of which record it was on the last time the window was displayed. /R[10-22]......... This switch allows you to determine the number of visual window Records to be displayed. The number must be two digits (10, 12, 18) and cannot be less than 10 or greater than 22. The default number of visual window records is 12. /U[00-12]......... This switch allows you to place the visual window vertically on the screen (within limits). The number must be two digits (04, 08, 12) and cannot be greater than 18. The default placement row is 08. Viper will automatically adjust for incorrect /U and /R settings. /Wbg/fg........... This switch allows you to change the colors of the visual Window. /Lbg/fg 'bg' refers to the background color. You must use 2 characters, for example, 00 or 07. Background colors must be limited to values between 00 thru 07. 'fg' means foreground and these color values can range between 00 thru 15. Viper automatically sets the attributes on systems with monochrome video cards, thus, these switches (/W and /L) are intended for use on systems with color video cards only. COMMAND LINE SWITCHES cont... Page 8 Listed below is a color table for your reference: Value Color Value Color ---------------------------------------------- 00 black 08 bright black (gray) 01 blue 09 bright blue 02 green 10 bright green 03 cyan 11 bright cyan 04 red 12 bright red 05 magenta 13 bright magenta 06 brown 14 yellow 07 white 15 bright white /S................ Snow removal. If you have an older CGA color monitor, you can eliminate the screen flicker, or snow as it is sometimes called, by using this switch. Note that while enabling the snow removal code in Viper does eliminate the snow, it also causes the screen display routines to operate slower, therefore, don't use this switch unless you have to. /G................ Force black and white screen operation. Use this switch if you're running Viper on a Gas plasma or LCD screen. These type of screens (found on laptops and notebook computers, among others) are driven by a color video card but are attached to a non-color screen. This switch will force Viper to operate in a B&W video mode thus allowing you to easily see Viper on the screen. /A................ Force use of the louder alarm tone when you use the alarm-only feature (no records tagged as PLAYBACK). Different computer systems produce different sound levels for the same type of tone, thus you get some control and flexibility via this switch. The default setting is the lower tone. /M[F][M][S]....... Force Viper to use internal mouse support code if the mouse software driver is loaded before starting Viper for the first time. If this switch is not used, regardless of whether or not a mouse driver is loaded, Viper will not make use of the mouse. Immediately following the /M switch is an optional setting for controlling the double-click rate. Fast/Medium/Slow. No switch specifies the Medium double-click rate. COMMAND LINE SWITCHES cont... Page 9 /X[1-9]........... This switch determines how many characters are eXcluded from being saved in the visual window as DOS commands are executed. For example, /X2 would cause all commands entered at the DOS prompt that were 3 or more characters in length, to be saved within the visual window. Thus, ME or B or TC or DC would not get saved. The allowable range is 1 thru 9 characters. /BATT[1-5]........ The BATTery Watch feature of Viper is in the form of a digital readout on the top row of the visual window when it's popped-up. The digital reading represents battery time remaining in hours and minutes. The BATTery Watch feature is an approximation display only. It is a manually set system, initially set by you, based on the information contained in your computer owner's manual on expected battery life for your specific machine. There are no DOS or BIOS calls for software to "tap into" to determine accurate remaining battery life in 90% of the portable computers manufactured today. If your computer manual indicates that a full battery charge "should" last for 3 hours, you could set "03:00" hours in the VP.DAT file (Area 3). Viper in turn, based on this information, will start it's battery watch display with 03:00 as hours remaining on the the digital BATTery readout. As you use your portable, you'll get a better feel as to the "real world" expectations of battery life for your specific machine and how you use it. Many items affect battery life. For example, you may find that despite what your manual says, you can't get 3 hours out of your batteries. So, you can learn to "adjust" and start setting Viper's read out to 02:30 to reflect a more realistic expectation of battery life for your machine. Remember, you determine the battery setting for Viper. You can give yourself an extra margin of safety by setting a slightly lower battery time. For example, you could set 02:15 to provide an extra 15 minute margin of safety. [1-5] The optional values 1 thru 5 represent how often, in minutes, the "C:\VPBATT.DAT" file is written to (updated) on the disk. The default (no option) is 1 minute. For example, /BATT3 would enable the BATTery Watch feature and update the "C:\VPBATT.DAT" file every 3 minutes on the disk. COMMAND LINE SWITCHES cont... Page 10 Viper keeps track internally of how much time has passed each time you use Viper. Once every minute (or more if you've used the optional /BATTx switch), Viper updates the BATTery Watch file (C:\VPBATT.DAT) with current time remaining information. When you turn off your machine, the information is already saved. Upon starting Viper the next time, Viper checks this battery file and continues on from there. So, over time, the BATTery Watch readout provides a general estimate of the time remaining for your batteries. The following paragraphs instruct you how to correctly set up the BATTery Watch feature: SETTING THE BATTERY WATCH FEATURE THE FIRST TIME: To initially set the BATTery readout feature of Viper the first time, edit the VP.DAT file and set the time you want the digital readout to reflect, in this format: HH:MM. Thus, 02:30 would represent 2 hours and 30 minutes. The next line contains the text string of the filename Viper will save the time information in, once every minute. It's defaulted to "C:\VPBATT.DAT" but you can use any valid DOS file name. Be sure to use a fully qualified path name (include drive and path). Now, when you start Viper by typing VP /BATT <RETURN> (or an optional /BATT2 or /BATT3), Viper will know that you want to use the BATTery Watch readout feature. It will try to find the file "C:\VPBATT.DAT". When it fails to find it, Viper will assume you are requesting a fresh start on it's digital display and you will see the initial time string at the top of the visual window. Each time you start Viper, if it finds this "C:\VPBATT.DAT" file, it will check it and see if the time remaining is greater than 0 minutes. If it is, Viper will just continue to monitor the time as if Viper was never shut off. If the time remaining is down to 0, Viper will display 00:00, indicating "no battery life" remaining. COMMAND LINE SWITCHES cont... Page 11 SETTING A NEW BATTERY WATCH TIME: After you have re-charged your computer's batteries, you'll want to re-set Viper's digital BATTery readout to "full" again. To do this, simply re-check the time setting in the VP.DAT file to make sure the time is what you want to start with. Then delete or erase the "C:\VPBATT.DAT" file from the disk (NOT THE VP.DAT FILE). Now, when you start Viper, it will NOT find the "C:\VPBATT.DAT" file and assume you are starting from a full, fresh battery charge. /TCAN............. TCAN invokes the "TrashCAN" feature of Viper. This will copy file(s) to a subdirectory named TRASHCAN on your C: drive when you use the DEL command. AFTER the file(s) are copied into this C:\TRASHCAN subdirectory, VP will pass the DELete command on to DOS. Thus, TCAN is an additional safety feature for not losing files by accidentally deleting them. If your disk space is short, you may elect to use the PKZIP or some other file compression utility to pack the deleted file(s) into the C:\TRASHCAN subdirectory. /VB[1-2].......... use normally spare Video Buffer areas 1 or 2: MONOCHROME VIDEO SYSTEMS: Viper will normally use space within its own memory image as internal buffer storage. The visual window records and function key strings are also stored in this internal buffer area. However, this internal buffer area adds to the overall memory requirements of Viper. ON COLOR VIDEO SYSTEMS: Occasionally, on a color system, you'll notice that when an application uses these spare video pages you'll pop up Viper and all of your commands will be gone. The visual window will have the video characters displayed from the video page that the application made use of. These characters can be almost anything, but will always be a combination of readable characters and "junk" characters. You can now do one of two things: 1. Re-boot your machine to re-read the VP.DAT strings back into Viper and don't use the /VB1 or /VB2 switches if you plan on using the same application. or 2. Press CTRL-ALT-V to re-clear and reset to all blanks the visual window and function key string buffers and continue to work as usual. NOTE: To minimize Viper's memory requirements, when the above mentioned Video Buffer switch is used, this forces Viper to use the available memory areas contained within the color video card itself. This reduces Viper's memory requirements on a color system by approximately 8+K. COMMAND LINE SWITCHES cont... Page 12 /On1/n2:n3/n4..... In order to make use of the 'cursor sizing' switch, a basic understanding of cursor scan lines are in order. If you look closely enough, you'll see that the cursor is actually made up of very tiny horizontal lines. These lines are called scan lines. The following diagram shows a close-up view all of the scan lines available on color and monochrome monitors: Monochrome System Color System xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 00 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 00 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 01 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 01 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 02 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 02 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 03 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 03 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 04 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 04 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 05 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 05 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 06 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 06 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 07 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 07 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 08 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 09 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 10 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 11 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 12 xxxxxxxxxxx scan line 13 Notice that the scan lines are numbered from 00 at the top thru 07 or 13 at the bottom. The normal default cursor scan lines for a color monitor are scan lines 06 and 07 being visible. For monochrome, it's 12 and 13. If you look closely at your current cursor, you may see these tiny two scan lines. Line 06 or 12 is called the STARTING scan line and line 07 or 13 is called the ENDING scan line. 'n1' represents the starting scan line for overtype mode. 'n2' represents the ending scan line for overtype mode. The default values for color are 'n1' = 06 and 'n2' = 07. The default values for mono are 'n1' = 12 and 'n2' = 13. If you don't like the normal cursor size (size actually refers to the scan lines) you can change them in Viper. COMMAND LINE SWITCHES cont... Page 13 For example, if you want a bigger cursor, perhaps a 1/2 block size, then for COLOR systems, you would specify it like this: /O04/07 (for overtype). This example would have the starting cursor scan line begin at line 04 and include scan lines thru scan line 07, which is the ending scan line value. If you wanted the cursor as big as possible, you would do it this way: /O00/07. In this case, all scan lines would be visible. Viper uses this last example as it's default overtype cursor size. This means that when you press the INS key to toggle insert OFF, you'll see the cursor change to it's maximum size. 'n3' and 'n4' represent the starting and ending scan lines respectively, for the insert mode. /SI[N-F].......... Start up Insert mode: You can control what insert state Viper starts up with: use N for insert oN or use F for insert ofF. /? or /H.......... This switch will cause Viper to display a help screen showing every command line switch available to start Viper with. THE VISUAL WINDOW Page 14 The visual window is what pops-up when you press the up/down arrow keys, or the PgUp/PgDn keys or click the left mouse button when you're at the DOS prompt. This visual window contains 12 records as the default number of records. Each record holds a DOS command (or can hold a DOS command, since a record can be blank). Pressing the Up or Down arrow key simply pops-up Viper's visual window with the lightbar on the last selected record position. If you pop-up with the PgUp key the lightbar will be positioned to the top record position. If you pop-up using the PgDn key, the lightbar will be positioned to the bottom record position. Whenever this visual window is displayed, it is always in the edit mode for the record the lightbar is on. This means that you may immediately have full use of all editing capabilities Viper has (described on page 15). You can move the lightbar up and down by simply pressing the up and down arrow keys to position the lightbar on the record containing the DOS command you are interested in. You may move the mouse cursor to a record, click the left mouse button and the lightbar will position itself to that record with the editing cursor placed at the mouse cursor position. PgUp and PgDn will quickly move the lightbar to the top and bottom record, respectively. Pressing the <RETURN> key or double-clicking the left mouse button will cause the command the lightbar is on to be executed. You can also press the ESC key or the right mouse button to return to the DOS prompt without executing any commands. The visual window can also be used to type in your DOS commands directly. In other words, you don't have to always be at the DOS prompt to type in DOS commands. You can pop-up the visual window, move the lightbar to a blank record, enter a DOS command and then press the <RETURN> key to execute it. The command will stay in the visual window for future use. Viper also has the ability to group multiple commands in a single visual record. To do this, simply separate the commands with a semi-colon character or use CTRL-T. For example: cls;dir /w;chkdsk When you press the <RETURN> key on this record, Viper will clear the screen, do a DIR /W command and then execute the CHKDSK program. This feature permits you to group commands on the same record for execution and not have to use additional records for each single command by themselves. You may also run programs this way and/or .BAT files if other "chores" need to be run first or afterwards. To actually use the semicolon within a command and not have Viper interpret it as a command separator, use it back to back like this: ;; In support of laptop and notebook computers, Viper has the ability to turn the Print Screen capability ON and OFF. This feature prevents Print Screen dumps from accidentally occurring. You'll see the "PTRSCRN" characters in the top part of the visual window. ALT-P (while the visual window is up) will toggle the Print Screen feature On and OFF. "PTRSCRN" indicates ON and "ptrscrn" indicates OFF. EDITING COMMANDS Page 15 o Visual Window Record Editing: The visual window always pops-up in the edit mode. You may immediately edit the text (commands) in any record the lightbar is on. All editing commands are the same as when editing at the DOS prompt. o right arrow - moves the cursor to the right one character. o left arrow - moves the cursor to the left one character. o TAB - moves the cursor to the right one word at a time. o shift TAB - moves the cursor to the left one word at a time. o CTRL RT Arrow - moves the cursor to the right one word at a time. o CTRL LF Arrow - moves the cursor to the left one word at a time. o CTRL-B - blank all text from the current record o CTRL-Y - delete all text from the current record o CTRL-D - delete text from cursor position to end of line o ALT-D - delete text from cursor position to end of line o CTRL-T - multiple command separator. Optionally used in place of the semicolon character. o DEL - deletes the character the cursor is on. o BS - backspace. Deletes the character to left of cursor. o INS - toggles the insert mode ON and OFF. o ESC - clears current command, resets cursor, DOS prompt only. FUNCTION KEY BUFFER STRINGS Page 16 o "F2=Funct Keys": Pressing the F2 key will cause the 10 function key strings to be displayed in the first 10 visual window record positions. At the top of the visual window, "FUNCTION KEYS" will be displayed as a reminder that you have the function key strings displayed in the visual window. Along the left side of the window you'll see numbers that maps each string to their associated function key. You may edit any of function key strings while they are in the visual window. After editing or viewing them, press F2 or ESC to swap out the function key strings with the normal visual window record strings. You may display (only) the function key strings by pressing ALT-F or ALT-Z from the DOS prompt. This will list all ten function key assignment strings. Note that you do not have to make use of all 10 function keys. You may set and use whatever number you need. Note: As a closer key, ALT-Z will do the same thing as ALT-F from the DOS prompt. The ALT-Z keys are closer together on the keyboard and may be much faster to use on laptop and notebook computers. COPY AND PASTE o "F3=Copy" Function Key: Pressing the F3 key will copy the lightbar record text or the function key text into an internal clipboard buffer. A beep will confirm that the text got copied into Viper's clipboard buffer. o "F4=Paste" Function Key: Pressing the F4 key will "paste" the text from the clipboard buffer into the current lightbar record or the function key number where the lightbar is positioned, thus allowing you to copy text from one area into another. The same operation can be done via the mouse: 1. Move the mouse cursor to the record to be copied. Click the left mouse button. The lightbar now positions to this record. 2. Move the mouse cursor to the "F3=Copy" inverse video box. Click the left mouse button. Viper's internal clipboard buffer now holds a copy of the text. 3. Move the mouse cursor to the record you want to paste to. Click the left mouse button. The lightbar now positions to this record. 4. Move the mouse cursor to the "F4=Paste" inverse video box. Click the left mouse button. The text in the clipboard buffer will now get copied into the lightbar record. KEEP AND PLAYBACK RECORDS Page 17 o "F5=Keep" Function Key: Pressing the F5 key will toggle the highlighted record between a tagged and untagged KEEP record state. Each time you enter a command from the DOS prompt, that command is copied into the bottom record position within the visual window. Except if you started Viper with a valid /X (eXclude) command line switch. Each previous record is "bumped up" one position within the window. Thus, at some point, the record at the top will get "pushed off" and lost. If you have a command that you wish to always KEEP (never to get pushed off the top), tag that record as a KEEP record by pressing the F5 key or click the left mouse button on the lower inverse video box "F5=Tag Keep". A diamond symbol will appear in the left portion of that record, visually indicating that this record is now tagged as a "KEEP me around record" and it will not get pushed off the top. Remember that you may pre-load commands and TAG them by adding them to the VP.DAT file with an editor. Note that you cannot tag function key text strings since that serves no purpose. Pressing "ALT-F5" will clear ALL F5 tagged records at once. o "F6=Play" Function Key: Pressing the F6 key or clicking the left mouse button in the lower inverse video box "F6=Tag Play" will toggle the highlighted record between a tagged and untagged PLAYBACK record state. PLAYBACK records are records that you may manually start executing when you press either the ALT-F6 keys or click the left mouse button on the lower inverse video box "ALT F6=Playback" within the visual window. NOTE: F6 tagged records also have the same characteristics that "F5 Keep" records have. That is, an F6 tagged record will also be kept around and not get pushed off the top if it is tagged as a Playback record. The difference is that an F6 tagged record can additionally be manually played back by using the ALT F6 keys. A record can only have one tagged state: by either the F5 or the F6 key. o "ALTF6=Playback (MANUAL)": Combined with F6 tagged PLAYBACK records, Viper can be used to execute a series of DOS commands (manually) by simply pressing the ALT-F6 keys. When you do this, all F6 tagged PLAYBACK records will be executed starting with the top tagged record in the visual window. Viper can also be used to execute a series of DOS commands while your computer is un-attended. In the upper right corner of the visual window is a Date and Time field. At start-up, this field displays the string "MM-DD-YY HH:MM" to indicate the format expected. AUTO PLAYBACK FEATURE Page 18 The AUTO PLAYBACK feature uses the date and time set by you to tell it when to start executing any record(s) tagged as PLAYBACK records. AUTO PLAYBACK uses DOS's date and time, so be sure you have your DOS date and DOS time set correctly. Here's how to use AUTO PLAYBACK: (1) Move the lightbar to each record you want Viper to execute and press the F6 key or click the left mouse button on the lower inverse video box "F6=Playback". (2) Move the lightbar to a blank record (or a record already containing some text. It's okay to overwrite the text. Viper reads only the first 14 characters). We make use of a record as a "scratch pad" to provide the string input for the date and time format. (3) Enter the Date and Time you want AUTO PLAYBACK to start executing. Be sure to use the format: MM-DD-YY HH:MM Notice there is no provisions for entering seconds. You must use a 24-hour time format, listed here for your reference: When it's It's When it's It's (12 hour (24 hour (12 hour (24 hour time here) time here) time here) time here) ---------------------------------------------------- 00:00 AM .... 00:00 12:00 PM .... 13:00 01:00 AM .... 01:00 01:00 PM .... 13:00 02:00 AM .... 02:00 02:00 PM .... 14:00 03:00 AM .... 03:00 03:00 PM .... 15:00 04:00 AM .... 04:00 04:00 PM .... 16:00 05:00 AM .... 05:00 05:00 PM .... 17:00 06:00 AM .... 06:00 06:00 PM .... 18:00 07:00 AM .... 07:00 07:00 PM .... 19:00 08:00 AM .... 08:00 08:00 PM .... 20:00 09:00 AM .... 09:00 09:00 PM .... 21:00 10:00 AM .... 10:00 10:00 PM .... 22:00 11:00 AM .... 11:00 11:00 PM .... 23:00 (4) "F7=Timer" Function Key: Pressing the F7=Timer key will cause Viper to read the date and time string in the highlighted record and set it's internal timer. The date and time you entered will now appear in the upper right corner of the visual window. This verifies that this date and time is now set internally in Viper. If there were any syntax errors in your string, the message " SYNTAX ERROR " would have appeared in the upper right corner. No syntax errors means the date and time string format was correct and is now set. AUTO PLAYBACK FEATURE cont... Page 19 (5) AUTO PLAYBACK will only execute from the DOS prompt, so press the ESC key or click the right mouse button to remove the visual window and return to the DOS prompt. Now, at the date and time set, all records tagged with a PLAYBACK symbol will get executed. (6) CANCELING: To cancel a date and time already set, move the lightbar to a blank record and press F7 again or click the left mouse button on the lower inverse video box "F7=Timer". This will clear the date and time string from the upper right corner of the window and turn off the internal timer. Verification of the timer going off is the format string re-appearing in the upper right corner: "MM-DD-YY HH:MM". ADDITIONAL NOTES: o You can tell if the internal timer is set because the date and time it will trigger on will appear in the upper right corner. If the timer is not set, there will be only one of the following strings displayed: o MM-DD-YY HH:MM (format reminder) o SYNTAX ERROR o RUN WAS MISSED (the visual window was up) o RUN FINISHED o ALARM SOUNDED (alarm only - no records tagged) o After you set a date and time for AUTO PLAYBACK, nothing will ever happen until you ESC back to the DOS prompt. Remember, AUTO PLAYBACK only triggers into action from the DOS prompt. If you have a program running during the trigger time or you have the visual window up, Viper will not execute your tagged records. You may continue to use Viper as you normally would after setting a date and time, but as the trigger time nears, be sure your machine is idle at the DOS prompt so the PLAYBACK records can be executed. o "F8=DOS Date": This key is used to set DOS's current DATE into the AUTO PLAYBACK display when you load a Date/Time string from the VP.DAT file. EXAMPLE: Suppose you have the following string in the top record of the VP.DAT file - "06-15-92 21:00". Every day that you start up Viper, this record is initially prepared to set the AUTO PLAYBACK date and time for any records you have tagged with the "F6=Play" key. But since this date comes out of the VP.DAT file, this date would have to be changed each day to the current DOS date. You can either type in today's date into the lightbar record or the easier way to do it is to just press the F8 key (or click in the "F8=DOS Date" box) and the date in the upper right-hand window will change to today's DOS date automatically. Regardless of the date in the string coming out of the VP.DAT file, pressing F8 will set TODAYS DATE and the string time. ALARM FEATURE Page 20 Note that "F8=DOS Date" can be used in lieu of "F7=Timer" to automatically set the AUTO PLAYBACK feature using today's date instead of the date contained in the record string from the VP.DAT file. The time will come from the lightbar record format that appears in the VP.DAT file (if you set one). o You can have a date and time set and no records tagged for PLAYBACK. In this case, Viper will just activate a special "alarm tone". You can use this feature as an appointment alarm clock or other reminder. To use the Alarm feature, simply set your date and time as you normally would but don't tag any records with the F6 Playback key. Viper will sense that no PLAYBACK records are tagged and sound the alarm tone instead. The next time you pop-up the visual window, you'll see "ALARM SOUNDED " in the upper right corner of the visual window. Move the lightbar to a blank record and press the F7 key or click the left mouse button on the lower inverse video box "F7=Timer". This will clear this message and reset the alarm. Alarm Hint: Since only the first 14 characters of a record are read by Viper when you press the F7 key, use the rest of the record to make a note to yourself of what the appointment time is for. For example, your alarm record might look like this: 06-15-92 11:30 Meet with Ralph on the sales meeting. MOUSE SUPPORT Page 21 To prepare Viper for mouse use, load your mouse software driver first. Then install Viper using the /MF, /MM or /MS switch. Buttons available at the DOS prompt: 1. Click left mouse button to pop-up the visual window. Buttons available from the visual window: 1. Move the mouse cursor to the record row you want and click the left button. The lightbar will move to that record row and the editing cursor will move to the same column position that the mouse cursor is on. 2. Double-click the left mouse button to execute the command the lightbar is on. 3. With the record already highlighted by the lightbar: Click the left mouse button of any one of the inverse video boxes at the bottom of the visual window to cause that action to occur. 4. Click the right mouse button to exit the visual window. BATTERY MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR LAPTOPS AND NOTEBOOKS 1. Screen: The screen on your portable computer is the biggest drain on your batteries. Try to run the screen in the normal mode vs inverse mode. The inverse mode (black characters on a white background) can decrease battery life by as much as 25%. Turn the screen brightness down as low as possible for comfortable viewing. The brighter the screen, the more battery power it requires. 2. Hard Disk: If you have an option to control the power down interval for your hard disk, you may have to try different intervals to achieve a good balance between when the hard disk should power down vs keeping it running. This will depend mostly on the type of software you're using (and thus how often it goes to the disk). Generally, it takes almost 3 times as much power to start your hard disk up again as it does to just keep it running. The best solution is to try and make as much use of a RAM disk if you can. Using any RAM disk takes less power than using the hard disk. 3. CPU Speed: It varies by quite an amount, depending on which portable computer you have, but, if you can slow down your CPU speed, you will gain some additional battery life. This increase in battery life can range from 5 percent up to 30 percent. 4. Modem and Speaker: If possible, turn off your internal modem and the speaker, when you can. This will save battery power. 5. Battery Charging: Whenever possible, let your batteries charge over- night. "Quick charging" your batteries in most cases will only bring them up to 80-90 percent of their rated capacity. REGISTRATION FORM Page 22 Viper is being distributed as a Shareware product. Shareware is a marketing method only. It allows you to "try before you buy". Shareware is not Freeware or Public Domain software. If you use Viper, you are expected to pay for it. We don't believe in releasing special versions of Shareware until you decide to register for the "real" product. Examples of this type of software are: limited or demo versions of a product, Bannerware versions and other types of nuisance reminders that you haven't registered your copy yet. We trust that if you find Viper to be useful to you, you will support our efforts in bringing Viper to the marketplace by registering your copy. The version you have now is a full release version of Viper with no shareware reminders other than what's contained in this VP.DOC file. Viper is a fully copyrighted, commercial quality product. The only way for us to keep improving Viper and to advise you of future changes (enhancements, added features, etc.) is for you to support it by registering your copy. The registration fee is $20.00. Thank you. +--------------------------- REGISTRATION FORM ------------------------------+ | | |Name:_______________________________________________________________________| | | |Title:______________________________________________________________________| | | |Address:____________________________________________________________________| | | |City:__________________________________ State:_____________ Zip:____________| | | |Work Phone:____________________________ Home Phone:_________________________| | | |Viper Version:____________ Date Received:________________ | | | | | |Comments:___________________________________________________________________| | | |____________________________________________________________________________| | | |____________________________________________________________________________| | | |____________________________________________________________________________| | | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Please mail this form to: Freshour Software Viper Registration 531 Main Street #306 El Segundo, CA 90245 310-640-1649 TECHNICAL SUPPORT Page 23 We provide unlimited non-toll free telephone technical support. This means that when you call, you are paying for the call. Call 310-640-1649, west coast time. We'll be happy to answer your questions. Note: Technical support is provided for unregistered users as well. We strongly believe in supporting Viper. HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS Hardware: IBM-PC/XT/286/386/486/PS2 computer systems or compatible clone. Video system: Mono/CGA/EGA/VGA. Software: PC-DOS/MS-DOS 3.10 or higher. Viper runs in text video modes 2, 3 and 7, in 80 columns. VIPER LICENSE AGREEMENT GRANT OF LICENSE: Freshour Software grants to the legal purchaser of Viper the right to use this copy of Viper on a single CPU at a time. Viper is copyrighted (C) and owned by Freshour Software and is protected by United States copyright laws. You may make backup copies of Viper to protect your purchase. DISCLAIMER: Viper and any associated support files, including documentation files, are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. The entire risk as to the results and performance of Viper and any associated files is assumed by you. Freshour Software disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to the Viper software product itself, the diskette it came on and any associated files and/or materials. In no event shall Freshour Software be liable for any damages whatsoever (including without limitation damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, and the like), arising out of the use or the inability to use, this product, even if Freshour Software has been so advised of such damages. INDEX Page 24 ALT-CTRL-V (clear/reset video buffer area)................... 11 ALT-F5 (clear all tagged lightbar records)................... 17 ALT-F6 (execute auto playback)............................... 17 ALT-F (display function key strings at DOS prompt)........... 16 ALT-P.(Toggle Print Screen ON/OFF)........................... 14 ALT-Z (display function key strings at DOS prompt)........... 16 Automatic Playback, F7....................................... 18 Alarm Feature................................................ 20 BATTery Watch Feature........................................ 09 Battery Management Tips For Laptops and Notebooks............ 21 Canceling Automatic Playback................................. 19 Command Line Switches: "FILE".................................................... 06 /D........................................................ 06 /C[L][R].................................................. 06 /T........................................................ 07 /F[1-4]................................................... 07 /B........................................................ 07 /R[10-22]................................................. 07 /U[00-12]................................................. 07 /Wbg/fg................................................... 07 /Lbg/fg................................................... 07 /S........................................................ 08 /G........................................................ 08 /A........................................................ 08 /M[F][M][S]............................................... 08 /X[1-9]................................................... 09 /BATT[1-5]................................................ 09 /TCAN..................................................... 11 /VB[1-2].................................................. 11 /On1/n2:n3/n4............................................. 12 /SI[N-F].................................................. 13 CTRL-ALT-V (clear/reset video buffer area)................... 11 Color Settings............................................... 07 Copy Operations, F3.......................................... 16 Cursor Shape Options......................................... 12 Cursor Left/Right Positions Within Visual Window............. 06 DOS Date, F8................................................. 20 Don't Keep Visual Window Up After Playback................... 06 Editing Commands............................................. 15 eXcluding Characters To Be Saved............................. 09 Fast Cursor Speed Settings................................... 07 F2-Funct Keys................................................ 16 F3-Copy...................................................... 16 F4-Paste..................................................... 16 F5-Keep...................................................... 17 F6-Playback.................................................. 17 F7-Timer..................................................... 18 F8-DOS Date.................................................. 19 Function Keys................................................ 16 Gas Plasma/LCD Screens: Laptops and Notebooks................ 08 Hardware/Software Requirements............................... 23 Help Screen (VP /?).......................................... 13 Installing Viper For DOS..................................... 02 Installing Viper For Windows................................. 02 Internal Timer Messages (automatic playback)................. 19 INDEX Page 25 KEEP Tag, F5................................................. 17 Keep Lightbar On Bottom Record Position...................... 07 VP.DAT File.................................................. 04 "Viper Deactivated" Message.................................. 03 "Viper Activated" Message.................................... 03 Viper Help Screen (VP /?).................................... 13 License Agreement............................................ 23 MM-DD-YY HH:MM Internal Timer Format Syntax.................. 18 Manual Playback, ALT F6...................................... 17 Mouse Support................................................ 21 Number of Lightbar Records................................... 07 Other VP.DAT Files........................................... 04 Paste Operations, F4......................................... 16 PLAY Tag, F6................................................. 17 Portable Computer Features of Viper o BATTery Watch System................................... 09 o Gas Plasma/LCD Screen Settings......................... 08 o Cursor Sizing Options.................................. 12 o Print Screen ON/OFF (ALT-P)............................ 14 Registration Form............................................ 22 Semicolons In Visual Window (multiple commands executed)..... 14 Software/Hardware Requirements............................... 23 Snow (screen flicker) Removal................................ 08 Sound Tone /T................................................ 07 Tagged Records: KEEP Tags F5............................................. 17 PLAYBACK Tags F6......................................... 17 Automatic Playback of Tagged Records ALT-F6.............. 17 Manual Playback of Tagged Records........................ 17 Technical Support............................................ 23 Upper Row Positioning For Visual Window...................... 07 Uninstalling Viper........................................... 03 Visual Window: ALT-F5 Clear All Tagged Records.......................... 17 ALT F6-Playback (Manual)................................. 17 ALT-P Toggle Print Screen ON/OFF........................ 14 Audible Sliding Tone Sound............................... 07 Cursor Positioning Within Record (left/right flush)...... 06 Editing Commands......................................... 15 F2-Funct Keys............................................ 16 F3-Copy.................................................. 16 F4-Paste................................................. 16 F5-Keep.................................................. 17 F6-Playback.............................................. 17 F7-Timer................................................. 18 F8-DOS Date.............................................. 19 General Visual Window Information........................ 14 Lightbar Colors.......................................... 07 Semicolons............................................... 14 Upper Visual Window Row Positioning...................... 07 Visual Window Colors..................................... 07 Windows...................................................... 02 Windows is a tm of Microsoft