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1992-11-23
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============================================================================
VESAVIEW - Keywords: VESA GIF PCX BMP TGA IMG TIF HPGL PRINT CATALOG VIEWER
PAN DESKJET LASERJET PAINTJET
Brief Desc: View and print GIF, PCX, BMP, TGA, TIF & IMG/GEM
images & HPGL plotter files. Arrays of up to 81 images/screen
can be generated and saved for easy cataloging. HPGL plot files
can be saved as IMG files. Mouse support. Requires a VESA driver
for your graphics card and enough extended memory to hold entire
image. Supports VESA modes thru 1280x1024x256. Size of image is
limited only by the amount of extended memory. Quick panning of
images larger than your screen resolution. Color/brightness/
contrast adjustments, scaling & cropping of color images. 24 bit
color reduction for BMP, TGA & PCX. Excellent B&W printing to HP
DeskJet and LaserJet. Superb color printing to HP PaintJet,
PaintJet XL,PaintJet XL300, and DeskJet 500C/550C,.
============================================================================
VESAVIEW - Copyright (c) William M. White 1992.
Compuserve ID: 71770,2340
This product is Shareware. If you find it useful, please register
your copy and tell your friends about it. This product may not be
sold or packaged, either individually, or as part of any other
product without the express written consent of the author. This
product may not be changed or altered and then distributed without
the express written consent of the author. The VESAVIEW.DOC file
must accompany VESAVIEW.EXE whenever the non-registered version is
distributed.
REGISTRATION:
Please send your $30.00 registration fee to:
William M. White
P. O. Box 2273
Glen Allen, VA. 23058-2273
By Registering your copy, you will receive an un-hindered copy of
the latest version of VESAVIEW and help support the continued
development of the product. Current shareware versions of the
product will always be available on Compuserve in the GRAPHSUPPORT
forum (GO PICS). Your registered copy of the program should never
be distributed since it will be encoded with your name.
DISCLAIMER:
VESAVIEW is offered to you on an as-is-basis without any guarantee
as to the correct functioning or fitness for specific purpose. The
author believes this program to work as described but you use the
program entirely at your own risk. The author will not be
responsible for any hardware or software damage, loss of data, or
incidental or consequential damage that may result from its use,
whether or not such use is in accordance with the instructions.
REVISION HISTORY:
v1.0 - v1.9 - Developmental versions
v2.0 (04/03/92) - First release to the Public as Shareware
v2.1 (04/10/92) - Changed algorithum used for arrays color palette.
Now uses color dithering for much more accurate
color reproduction.
v2.2 (04/21/92) - Added new option to Automatically generate
multiple pages of array images and save them
to GIF files without user intervention. Also
added a Scaling option.
v2.3 (04/27/92) - Fixed a minor bug while displaying multiple pages
of arrays.
v2.4 (06/05/92) - Changed GIF decoder so that files which do not
follow the standard of setting byte 13 of header
as a zero are decoded anyway.
v2.5 (07/06/92) - Added saving as PCX files (both 2 & 256 color).
Added cmd line qualifiers /FN, /FB & /FW so that
scaling of B&W images could retain more info of
the original. Can now read in Windows 3.X
.BMP files (256 color). Added ability to select
files for display with a search string. Added
AA (absolute arc) & CI (circle) cmds to HPGL
module & fixed minor bug in display size.
v2.6 (07/16/92) - Added decoding of TIF (2 color) files and fixed
bug with Filename Search option. Only decodes
non-compressed and run-length encoded TIFs.
v2.7 (10/09/92) - Added decoding of 24 bit PCX & BMP files and
decoding of 16, 24 & 32 bit TGA (Targa) files.
Added ability to change command line options from
within the program from a menu.
V2.8 (11/20/92) - Added qualifier to disable beep after displaying
images. Added print enhancements: Color printing to
HP Paintjet, Paintjet XL, PaintJet XL300, HP DeskJet
500C & 550C. REGISTERED VERSION ONLY: Added ability
to select plot size, resolution, rotation angle,
gamma correction and placement on page. Data being
sent to printer can now be compressed to reduce size
of transfer and speed up printing.
NOTE: The annoying beeps and NON-Registered notices will be removed
from registered copies. Also, the NON-Registered version does not
support the new printing options (sizing, rotating and positioning).
REQUIREMENTS:
- IBM compatible 286 or better
- Extended memory (and driver such as HIMEM). For 256 (& higher)
color files, you'll need 1 byte/pixel in your image. For 2 color
files, you'll need 1 byte per 8 pixels in your image. This program
conforms to XMS 2.0 specification.
- Will use a math coprocessor if available
- A graphics card that supports the VESA BIOS EXTENSIONS for the
'Super VGA modes' either through hardware or a software driver.
FEATURES:
- Will read in any size up to 1024 x 1280:
GIF (Compuserve 87a) - 256 color
PCX (Zsoft) - B & W, 8 & 24 bit
BMP (Windows) - 256 color & 24 bit (16 million colors)
TGA (Targa) - 16, 24 & 32 bit (non-compresssed RGB &
Run length encoded RGB)
IMG (GEM/Digital Research Inc) - B & W
TIF - B & W (non-compressed & run length encoded)
HPG - (Hewlett Packard) HPGL plot files (.HPG or .PLT)
- If the file is larger than the screen mode you selected, you can
quickly pan around the image. Size of image is limited only by
the amount of extended memory you have. NOTE: The entire image
is read into Extended memory to allow for quick panning of large
images. Black & White images are stored in memory with 1 byte
per 8 pixels. 256 color (8 bit) images are stores in memory with
1 byte per pixel. 24 & 32 bit images are stored in memory as 256
color images so only 1 byte per pixel is required.
- Black & White printing (color images will be halftoned) and Color
printing supported. In Registered Version, Prints can be sized,
rotated and positioned on paper.
- Red/Green/Blue/Contrast/Brightness values may be changed while
viewing a color image.
- Color screen images can be saved as a 256 color GIF or PCX file.
These images may be cropped & scaled before saving.
- Black & White images can be saved as an IMG or 2 color PCX file.
This is useful to save a HPGL file that is displayed on screen
out to a quicker retrieving raster file. If these images are
displayed in a color VESA mode they can also be saved &/or cropped
as 256 color GIF or PCX files.
- Arrays of up to 81 images can be displayed on a single screen at
once. This screen can then be saved as a single GIF or PCX file
for cataloging or printing.
- Supports VESA modes (assuming your graphics card can handle):
100 - 640 x 400 x 256
101 - 640 x 480 x 256
103 - 800 x 600 x 256
105 - 1024 x 768 x 256
107 - 1280 x 1024 x 256
- Will support a 800 x 600 x 2 color B&W mode if your card has one.
(See /SVn option below)
- Supports the use of a MicroSoft compatible 2-button mouse.
RUNNING:
Make sure you have enough extended memory available and that a
driver (such as HIMEM) is loaded. Make sure your graphics card
has VESA BIOS EXTENSIONS (VBE) either built-in or that you have
installed a VESA software driver.
Keyin VESAVIEW [/P1 or /P2] [/AB or /AW] [/LOmode] [/AMmode]
[/WN, /WH or /WF] [/Dn] [/SVn] [/FN, /FB or /BW]
[/CO or /CS] [/PTDJ, /PTLJ, /PTPJ, /PTPJXL,
/PTPJXL3 or /PTDJC] [/PWn] [/PAn] [/PRn] [/PTMn]
[/PLMn] [/PC] [/PGn] [/NB]
where items in brackets are optional.
NOTE: Options with an Asterisk (*) are only available in the
REGISTERED VERSION. The optional qualifiers can be changed
while in the program by pressing <Q> or pointing to QUALS
with the mouse. These changes are only for the current
session and will not be saved. If you wish to use the same
qualifiers each time you envoke the program, write a BAT file
such as:
CD \GIF rem Assumes your graphics files are here
\VV\VESAVIEW /P1 /NW /CO rem Assumes program in VV dir
The /P1 or /P2 designates which printer port to use for printing
(LPT1 or LPT2).
The /AB forces the array mode to use a black background and white
text for the filenames. The /AW forces the array mode to use a
white background and black text (saves black ink when printing).
The /LOmode (where mode is 100, 101, 103, 105 or 107) will lock
out a mode. This is useful if your VESA driver is designed for
a graphics card which has been fully populated with memory chips
but your card doesn't have all of this memory installed. You may
use more than one of these switches on your command line.
The /AMmode (where mode is 100, 101, 103, 105 or 107) will let you
default to a specific mode when displaying arrays. The program
will default to mode 101 if this switch is not used. Only use a
mode number that your card can support!
The /WN (no weight) will not display weights of lines in an HPGL
plot file if the SP (select pen) keyword was used when creating
the plots. This will greatly speed up the screen drawing if you
don't need to look at or print the weights. Some CAD programs
which generate the plot files create weighted lines by simply
drawing the lines multiple times in the plot file (each slightly
offset) and not by using the SP (set pen) command. The /WN & /WH
switches will have no effect on this type of plot files.
The /WH is similar to /WN except that the weights of lines will be
halved (divided by 2). The /WF (full weights) will display the
weights as originally drawn.
The /Dn is for setting the delay in seconds to use between
slides. The n is an integer number from 1 to 999 and defaults
to 5 seconds. This time is approximate and will vary depending
on the size of the image being read in.
The /SVn will allow you to use a 800 x 600 x 2 color mode to
display IMG or HPGL files in a high resolution mode if your
graphics card supports it. The n is the decimal mode number
that your card uses for this mode. Most Paradise cards use 41
decimal for this mode, and the Tseng cards (including Orchid)
use 89 decimal. This special mode and the standard 640 x 480 x 2
mode will allow faster panning on screen than the same resolutions
in VESA modes will for large B & W images. NOTE: The panning icon
which is available in VESA modes is not available for B & W modes.
The /FN, /FB or /FW specify the foreground color (N=none, B=Black
and W=White) of your Black & White images. By specifying foreground
color, the program will be able to save more of your image's
original context when scaling down. This qualifier works best if
your images are line drawings and not pictures. For example, if
your image appears on the screen as black lines on a white
background, use the /FB qualifier. If your images don't have a
main foreground color such as the case with pictures, use /FN. Note
that using either the /FB or /FW qualifiers will increase the
processing time for B&W scaling & printing. If you don't need the
increased quality, use /FN.
The /CS (color-standard) will force 16, 24 & 32 bit images to be
displayed using a standard palette. The colors will be adequate for
previewing, but for more exact colors, use the /CO.
The /CO (color-optimized) will force 16, 24 & 32 bit images to be
processed using an optimized 256 color palette. The process reads
in all the colors in your image, creates a histogram of the most
used colors, and then creates an optimized palette of the results.
The processing time is greater than if the /CS option is used,
but the results are spectacular. The color reduction method used
is much faster than that of other program that I have tested. After
the images has been displayed on the screen, you might want to save
it as a 256 GIF or PCX file, so that the next time you want to
display it, you can use the quicker GIF or PCX version.
The /PTx (printer type) is used to select your printer. It can
be one of the following: /PTDJ (HP DeskJet), /PTLJ (HP LaserJet),
/PTPJ (HP PaintJet), /PTPJXL (HP PaintJet XL), /PTPJXL3 (HP PaintJet
XL300) /PTDJC (HP DeskJet 500C or 550C).
* The /PWn (print width) is used to specify a print width. It is a
decimal value from 0.0 to 10.5. If you enter a number greater than
8.0, the print will automatically be rotated 90 degrees. The print
width represents the width that you want the horizontal image
dimension as seen on your screen to be printed, no matter what
rotation angle you use.
* The /PAn (print angle) is used to rotate your print on the printed
page. Values for n can be 0, 90, 180 or 270.
* The /PRn (printer resolution) is used to specify the resolution in
dots per inch (dpi) of your active printer. For the DeskJet series,
it can be 75, 150 or 300. For the PaintJet series, it can be 90 or 180.
* The /PTMn (printer top margin) sets the number of inches from the
current position of printhead that the image will start printing. It
is a decimal value from 0.0 to 10.0. If set to 99, your image will be
centered from top to bottom.
* The /PLMn (printer left margin) sets the number of inches from the
left side of page that the image will start printing. It is a decimal
value from 0.0 to 7.5. If set to 99, your image will be centered from
left to right.
* The /PC option will force the transfer of data from your computer to
the printer to be in a compressed (encoded) format. This will speed
up the transfer of data (especially for serial or networked printers)
and time-savings will vary depending on the type and size of plot. In
some cases, you may find no time-savings overall since the printer
has to decompress the data, but your CPU should be freed up from
processing sooner. (default is no compress)
The /PGn (print gamma) option will allow you to adjust the gamma of
your color print. Simply put, gamma correction will adjust the
intensities of red, green & blue values logarithmically since the
human eye's perception of color intensity is non-linear. The gamma
value is a decimal value between 0.5 and 2.0. If set to 0, no gamma
correction will be performed. If this qualifier is not used, gamma
defaults to a value best suited for the printer type selected. Using
higher values will result in the darker colors in your image being
printed lighter.
The /NB (No beep) option will disable the beep after displaying
images on the screen. Default is to beep.
SYSTEM DEFAULTS: /P1 /AB /AM101 /D3 /WF /FB /CO /PTDJ /PW8.0 /PA0 /PR0
/PTM0.0 /PLM0.0
Ex: VESAVIEW /L2 /AW /D10 - Will use printer port LPT2:, display
arrays with a white background, and
delay 10 seconds between slides.
Ex: VESAVIEW /LO105 /LO107 /AM103 - Will lockout modes 105 and
107 from being valid VESA
modes and will use mode 103
when displaying arrays.
The program will test to see if your graphics card supports the
VESA Bios Extensions by either hardware or software driver,
whether you have a HIMEM driver loaded and how much extended
memory you have available.
Use the <ESC> key to exit program. A mouse button can not be used
to exit the program.
CHANGING DIRECTORY:
While the list of files is on your screen, you can change your
current directory by placing the cursor on the lite blue entries
(which are directory names) and pressing <ENTER>. The . (single
dot) will take you back to the root directory, and the .. (double
dots) will take you back one directory level.
You can also press the <C> or <P> key to keyin a path that can include
a new disk drive. (Ex: B:\ or C:\GIF or C:\IMAGES\GIF or \GIF)
VIEW SINGLE IMAGE:
To view a single image move the cursor (with arrows, pageup,
pagedown, home or end keys) to the desired image file and press
<ENTER>. Then select a Vesa Mode from the Mode Menu. An asterisk
denotes the Best Mode (calculated by the program) which will display
the most of your entire image on a single screen in the best
resolution. After your image is displayed, press <ESC> to return
to main menu. Note that when viewing IMG files or HPGL files,
you can use a VESA mode (only B&W colors used), use the standard
640 x 480 x 2 mode or use the Super VGA mode that you optionally
entered on the command line. Entries in gray on the Mode Menu
are not available for your graphics card.
VIEW MULTIPLE IMAGES (slide show):
To view multiple images as a 'slide show', use the space bar to
select the images you wish to view. You can mark all images in
the current directory with the <M> key or unmark them with the
<U> key. These can include GIF, PCX, BMP, TGA, IMG, TIF, PLT and
HPG files. By pressing the <C> key, you can change your current
Disk &/or Directory. Press <ENTER> to start the slide show. The
files will be displayed one by one in the best VESA mode as
determined by the program (640x480x2 mode is used for PLT & HPG
files). The delay between slides will vary depending on the time
it takes to read in the next file while one is on your screen and
the value used in the /Dn switch. After the last file is
displayed, the program will loop back to first slide. Pressing
<ESC> during the display will stop the slide show after the next
slide is displayed. (this may take several seconds)
VIEW AN ARRAY OF IMAGES:
To view multiple images on a single screen at once, use the space
bar to select the images you wish to view. These can include GIF,
PCX, BMP, TGA, TIF and IMG files but not PLT or HPG files. Press
<A> to select array display. Select the VESA mode from Mode Menu
and then select the number of images to display per screen page.
Then sit back and watch your images appear. Pressing <ESC> will
abort the display after the current image is displayed. If more
than one page is required, you could press <G> to save the currently
displayed page as a GIF image or <Z> for ZSoft PCX image or
<PAGE DN> will continue to display the next page.
Since each image uses it own unique 256 colors, a special optimized
color table and color dithering is used to display arrays. Note
that when displaying a 2-color file in an array, the scaling down of
the original image (especially a line type drawing) will cause much
of the info to be lost on the screen unless the /FB or /FW command
qualifier is used.
AUTO ARRAY GENERATION/SAVING:
If you are going to have many pages (screens) of array images and
you will be saving them all out as GIF files, you can do this
automatically by using the <Gen> option. This will automatically
display the arrays on the screen and then save them out without any
user intervention until the last one is processed. You begin just
as you would for the standard array option by selecting the files
to display, the VESA mode, and then the number of images/page.
Then you are prompted for the first 1-6 characters of the filename
that the program will use for the GIF files it generates. The
system will append a 2 digit page number and '.GIF' to your input.
EX: You are going to have 3 pages of array images and you enter
TEST as the filename. The System will generate 3 files named
TEST01.GIF, TEST02.GIF & TEST03.GIF.
VIEWING HPG or PLT FILES:
To view a plot file created in a HPGL format, move the cursor to
the filename and press <ENTER>. Then choose the Display Mode and
Plot Mode you wish to use. The program will try and determine the
size of plot from the plot file header, but some CADD packages
don't supply this info in which case the program will assume a
"C size". The HPGL codes for Plot Sizes are:
PS4 = 'A' size
PS0 = 'B' size
PS1 = 'C' size
Choosing a display mode of FIT, 2X or 4X will speed up the drawing
process but the resolution of the image will be diminished. You
will only be able to plot an "A size" or smaller. As the image is
decoded, you will see it being drawn in a preview mode at screen
size. After the image is complete, pressing any key will swap you
to the actual image as stored in Extended memory for panning
around in. Pressing <ESC> as the image is being decoded will
abort it.
Currently supported HPGL commands are: PU,PD,PA,PR,PS,IP,SC,SP,
CI,AA
Even though the LB,SI,SR,DF,DI & DR commands are parsed and
used to display the image on the initial preview screen, they are
not supported as the drawing is being created in Extended memory.
This won't usually pose a problem since this program was designed
to view HPGL files created by CADD programs and most of those
programs represent Text, Circles etc. as vector elements.
WARNING: Only plot files which were created as C size or smaller
should be viewed, since the program does no checking for elements
which could be drawn 'off' the page if too big. This check was
omitted to speed up the drawing.
DELETING FILES:
While the file list is displayed on your screen, you may delete
a file by moving the cursor to it and pressing <DEL> on the
keyboard. To delete multiple files, mark them with the <spacebar>
or Right Mouse Button and then press <DEL>. You will be asked
to confirm each deletion.
SEARCHING FILENAMES:
While the file list is displayed on your screen, you may select
files by searching their filenames for a specific string. The
file will be selected if it contains the exact string anywhere
in its filename. Don't use the wildcard characters * or ? since
they will be search for literally.
SPECIAL KEYS WHILE VIEWING:
While viewing images in a VESA mode (other than arrays):
F1/F2 Increase/Decrease RED
F3/F4 Increase/Decrease GREEN
F5/F6 Increase/Decrease BLUE
F7/F8 Increase/Decrease RED
F9/F10 Increase/Decrease RED
ALT F9 Change to Gray tones
ALT F10 Restore original palette
P Send XMEM contents to printer as B&W image
J Send XMEM contents to printer as Color image
G Create a GIF file (256 c) of screen contents
Z Create a PCX file (256 c) of screen contents
C Crop an image and save as GIF or PCX file (256 c)
S Scale XMEM contents to screen and save as GIF or
PCX file (256 c)
V Display the current VGA palette
While viewing an array:
G Create a GIF file (256 c) of screen contents
Z Create a PCX file (256 c) of screen contents
C Crop an image and create a GIF or PCX file (256 c)
While viewing IMG or HPGL files in a B & W mode:
P Send XMEM contents to printer
I Create an IMG file (2 c) of entire XMEM contents. The 'I'
option may also be used if you are viewing an IMG or
HPGL file in a color VESA mode.
Z Create a PCX (2 c) file of entire XMEM contents.
In both Color and B & W modes you may pan screen with:
(make sure the NUMLOCK key is on to use keypad)
HOME Top left of image
END Bottom right of image
Page Up Move up approx. 1 inch
Page Dn Move down approx. 1 inch
ESC Return to File Selection Menu
The arrow keys on either numeric keypad or separate arrow keypad
pan the image approx. 1/4 inch in that direction. In addition, on
the numeric keypad, the 1,3,7 & 9 keys pan the image diagonally and
the 5 pans to center of image.
Use the Control key with left or right arrows to pan 1 inch to the
left or right.
SAVING SCREEN AS a GIF or PCX FILE:
While viewing an image in a VESA mode, pressing <G> will save the
current screen (not necessarily everything in Extended memory) to
a GIF file with the filename of your choosing. Pressing <Z> will
save to a PCX file. The dimensions will come from the mode you
are currently viewing the image in or the cropped size that you
used. The color table written to file will reflect any adjustments
you've made with the Function keys.
CROPPING SCREEN & SAVING AS a GIF or PCX FILE:
If you press <C> you will be able to crop your screen image before
saving as a GIF or PCX file. You will see a box drawn around your
complete image when you first press <C>. Press a <T> to move the
TopLeft corner of box. Press <B> to move the BottomRight corner.
Use the arrow keys to move a single pixel at a time, or PageUp,
PageDown, <CTRL>Leftarrow or <CTRL>Rightarrow to move 10 pixels at
a time. <HOME> will move the Topleft corner of box to Topleft of
screen. <END> will move the Bottomright corner of box to Bottomright
of screen. <ESC> will abort and a <CR> will start the screen save.
You will be prompted whether to save as GIF or PCX file. See 'Using
a Mouse' below.
SCALING XMEM CONTENTS TO SCREEN & SAVING:
If you press <S> you will be able to scale the entire image in
XMEM to your screen. You will see a box drawn the screen when you
first press <S>. If you just press the <CR> key at this time, your
entire image will be fitted to your screen at the current VESA
resolution. Use the arrow keys etc. (like in cropping above)
to move the lower right corner of box. Scaling always occurs
about the upper left corner of image, so you can't move this point.
<ESC> will abort and a <CR> will start the screen save. See 'Using
a Mouse' below.
SAVING XMEM CONTENTS AS a IMG FILE:
While viewing a 2 color Black/White image (either IMG, 2-color
PCX or HPGL files), pressing an <I> will save the entire eXtended
memory contents to a IMG file, or pressing <Z> will save as a
2-color PCX file. You will have the opportunity to reverse the image
before saving. It doesn't matter whether you are viewing the image
in a color VESA mode or one of the Black & White modes in order to
save with the <I> mode, as long as the original image was actually
a 2 color image. Currently, there is not a cropping option before
saving as a IMG file. However, if you are viewing the 2-color image
in a color VESA mode, you could save out as a cropped GIF or PCX file.
PRINTING IMAGES:
Before displaying an image that you will be printing, you should pull
up the Printer Setup Menu (submenu of QUALS menu) and make any
necessary changes for size, margins and rotation etc. After an
image is displayed, any adjustments to color/brightness/contrast will
be reflected in your print.
While a color image file is displayed on the screen,
pressing <P> will create a Black & White print on your active
printer. A halftoning process is used to achieve an excellent
reproduction of the screen. Pressing <J> will create a Color
print on your active color printer. You may cancel the plot by
pressing <ESC> during the plot. The port defaults to LPT1 unless
you specified a command line argument of /L2 when starting the
program. The actual plot will be of your entire image (stored in
extended memory) and not just what you may be viewing on your
screen.
While viewing an IMG (black & white), or HPGL (.PLT or .HPG) plot
file, pressing <P> will create a print. The maximum size of image
is limited only by amount of free Xmem you have. The maximum size
of print is 10.5 x 8.0 inches.
See description of /FB, /FW & /FN above to preserve image context
when your print is being scaled down from original size. You can use
any of the printer qualifiers (available as command line qualifiers
or from the Printer Menu within program) to change the defaults for
Printer Port, Printer Type, Resolution, Rotation Angle, Width and
Top & Left Margins. (See above descriptions)
If you select a Print Width greater than 8.5", the program will
automatically rotate print 90 degrees (unless 270 was already
selected). The program will beep if you try to use an invalid
combination of size, rotation angle or resolution.
MOUSE USE:
In most cases where the keypad is used to move the text cursor, a
MicroSoft compatible mouse can also be used. You must install
any required mouse drivers before running VESAVIEW.
The Left button is used just like the <CR> key on the keyboard to
display one image. It is also used to select choices from pop-up
menus, to select commands at the bottom of screen and to select the
PageUp and PageDown icons from the vertical bar on the right side
of screen.
The Right button is used just like the <ESC> key on the keyboard
to abort displays and menus. It is also used to mark files for use
in arrays or for displaying them as slides (like the <spacebar>).
If a large image has been displayed in one of the 256 color VESA
modes, holding down the Left mouse button will display a panning
icon on your screen. The green box represents your entire image
size and the red box represents your screen size. While holding
down the Left button, move the mouse and the red box will pan
around with the green box. When you let go of the button, the
screen with be moved to reflect your new window area. This mode
of panning is much quicker than using the arrow keys, although you
will probably use the arrow keys for fine tuning the pan. If a
double-beep is heard when trying to use this feature, your image
is probably smaller than your screen and no panning is possible.
When Cropping an image, the Left mouse button will move the upper
left corner of the cropping box and the Right mouse button will
move the lower right corner of box. Pressing both the Left and
Right buttons simultaneously will start the save (like pressing
<CR>). Scaling works the same except the Left mouse button is
not used (can't move the upper left corner of scaling box).
CAUTIONS:
The array used to store the files in current directory is limited
to 400 files.
The program determines the type of file to display by the extension
used on the filename. Supported extensions are PCX, GIF, BMP, TGA,
IMG, TIF, HPG and PLT. Any other extensions are ignored. Incorrect
extensions may cause program to hang (ie. Don't name a PCX file
with a GIF extension).
Even though your VESA driver thinks it supports some of the higher
resolution modes, your hardware may not have the required memory
to do so. Therefore, you need to lockout these modes from the
program with the /LOmode command line switch. If you don't lock
out these modes, the program may hang and you'll have to do the 3
finger trick (<CTRL> <ALT> <DEL>).
When printing, make sure your printer is online before pressing
the <P> or <J> keys, otherwise the printer may lose some of the
data or lock up the program.
ERRORS:
Most errors will display an appropriate message. However, if you
are in graphics (such as displaying an array of images), error
messages will not display but you will hear 2 beeps.
HINTS:
When creating arrays of images that include 24 bit files, you may
want to toggle the 24 bit palette option to STANDARD to speed up
the processing. The color detail will not be too apparent at this
small scale.
If you are using a printer supported by the DOS GRAPHICS command,
you can get a quick print of a Black & White screen by using the
GRAPHICS command before running VESAVIEW. Version 5.0 of DOS
supports the DeskJet & LaserJets and the syntax would be:
GRAPHICS DESKJET /r (the /r will reverse black & white)
Use <SHIFT><PRT SCRN> while graphics are on the screen to initiate
the print.
When printing to a color printer, if your image looks like it needs
to be lightened up slightly, try increasing the Gamma value instead
of the brightness. This will lighten up only the lower intensities
and leave the higher intensities as they are.
Besides using the SCALE option, there is a trick you can use
to scale down an image by 1/2,1/3,1/4...1/9. Mark just one image
and display it as an array. Select the Array Size according to the
scale factor you wish to use. (The color table used to display a
single image as an array will be the true color table of that image
and not the standard palette). After the image is displayed, use
the CROP feature to save the area you desire as a GIF image. Note
that when a single array image is displayed, the background color
and text colors will change according to the color table of the
single image being displayed.
If you need a VESA driver for your graphics card, login to
Compuserve and go to the IBMPRO forum (GO VESA). In Lib #12
(Vesa), you will find VESA drivers for almost any card.
If you are not sure what graphics card you have in your machine,
there is a great little program in the GRAPHSUPPORT forum on
Compuserve (GO PICS). In Lib #14 (Misc Util & Code) download
VDEOID.EXE. This program will try and determine the card
manufacturer & memory on it.
CARDS TESTED:
This program has been tested on the following computers and
graphics cards:
DELL 325D - Using built-in Paradise card
DELL 325D - Using a CompuAdd Hi-rez card
DELL 433D - Using Trident 8900 card
DELL 433P - Using built-in Paradise card
DELL 433P - Using a Video-7 VRAM II card
DELL 486D/50 - Using built-in Paradise card
NEC 386SX - Using a CompuAdd Hi-rez card
AST 286/386 Premium - Using Orchid Designer Pro card
AST 286/386 Premium - Using Diamond Stealth card
(has built in VESA Bios on card)
IBM 286 AT - Using a Paradise VGA Plus
IBM 286 AT - Using a ATI Wonder card & ATI Vantage
GATEWAY 2000 486/33 - Using an ATI Ultra card
SUPPORT:
If you have any comments, suggestions or questions, please leave
me a message in the GRAPHSUPPORT forum (GO PICS) on Compuserve.
My CIS ID number is 71170,2340. The current shareware version of
VESAVIEW will always be posted in the LIB #3 (Decoders & Encoders)
of the GRAPHSUPPORT forum on Compuserve. The Zipped archival of
VESAVIEW will usually be named VEVIxx.ZIP where xx is the version
number or VESAVW.ZIP. If you can't find it by filename, try
searching for the keywords VESA and HPGL. You can also reach me at
the P. O. Box listed in the Registration section.