ARM Club 1/ARM_CLUB_CD.iso/_pipedream/documents/readme

Text File | 1991-05-22 | 17.8 KB | 1,115 lines

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%C%%H2%PipeDream 3 for RISC OS

%C%© Colton Software, 1989,1990


Filename:
%L%Last updated:


%H2%General

This file provides additional information to that in the PipeDream 3
User Guide.  Topics covered are:

















%H2%1. Acorn licence

The program !Chars and the modules Clib (the Shared C Library) and
FPEmulator are owned by and have been provided by Acorn Computers Ltd
for your use with PipeDream 3.  We would remind you that their use is
subject to the conditions of the standard Acorn End User Licence
Agreement as well as the conditions of the PipeDream licence agreement.
Copies of this are provided with the Archimedes computer and RISC OS or
can be obtained directly from Acorn.

We would like to thank Acorn for its help and cooperation in providing
these materials for your use.


%H2%2. Fonts

The PipeDream 3 User Guide implies that specifying fonts within your
text only has effect on the printer and has no effect on the screen.
This is not the case.  Fonts are also displayed on the screen.

To be able to display or print characters in fonts other than the
system font (the system font is the one used in the title bar of every
window) the Archimedes needs to have information about the shapes of
all the letters.  This information is supplied on disc and is read from
disc when needed.  The directory !Fonts on Applications Disc 1 contains
some fonts and others may become available from Acorn or other sources.

To speed up the operation of drawing fonts, RISC OS reduces the number
of disc accesses by keeping as much font information in memory as it
can.  The area of memory used for storing fonts is called the font
cache and you can vary the amount of memory available for the font
cache in the Task display accessible from the Archimedes 'A' icon bar
menu.  The memory that you allocate to the font cache becomes
unavailable to the rest of the system so it is best to keep it small.
However, if you find that fonts take ages to display because they are
continually being read from disk you will need to give the font cache a
little more memory.

In order to show RISC OS where to find the directory !Fonts it is
necessary to catalogue the disc or directory which contains it.  Then,
whenever RISC OS needs to read more font information, it will
automatically read it from that disc.

The file Readme_f in this directory contains a copy of this document
formatted in the font Trinity.Medium. Try loading that file into a
window to compare the text with that in the system font.  If you have a
dot matrix or laser printer and a suitable RISC OS printer driver, you
can try printing Readme_f .  You may find that to obtain a reasonable
speed in the display of fonts you need to allocate a lot of memory to
the font cache and that to print at a reasonable speed on a dot matrix
printer you need to allocate a lot of memory to the Module area.
Printing with RISC OS drivers works best when using version 1.12, or
later, of the RISC OS printer drivers which should be available from
your Acorn dealer.  These drivers do not require you to allocate memory
to the Module area before printing; they will use whatever memory is
free in the computer.


%H2%3. Graphics

Pictures (in the form of !Draw files) and images (in the form of
sprites) can be included in PipeDream documents and displayed on the
screen and printed.  To include a picture, position the caret in a
blank slot at the top-left of where you would like the picture and then
drag the picture file from the disc directory into the PipeDream
window.  The picture should then be drawn in the window.

Once inside the PipeDream window the picture can be rescaled.  The
picture is represented in the PipeDream document as a filename, like
this

@@G:filename@

(Note that you should use only a single @@ at the start, a double @@ is
used in the above slot to display the filename.)

To rescale the picture insert the scale factor after the filename like
this

@@G:filename,70@

This would rescale the picture to 70%PC% of its original size.  To delete
the picture, move the caret onto the slot containing the reference and
delete the reference.  To move the picture, delete the reference and
paste it into another slot.


%H2%5. Highlights in headers and footers

Highlights can be inserted into headers and footers (and the title) by
inserting ^n where n is the highlight number (similar to search and
replace).  For example ^4 would switch on italics.


%H2%6. Loading multi-file documents

The description given on page 211 of the PipeDream 3 User Guide on
loading multi-file documents is incorrect.  Sorry!

To load a multi-file document drag the list file's icon to the
PipeDream icon on the icon bar.  This loads the first file of the
multi-file document into a window.

To load the list file itself for editing click Select on the PipeDream
icon on the icon bar to open a new empty window and then drag the list
file's icon into the new empty window.


%H2%7. Macro files

The sample macro file given on page 325 of the PipeDream 3 User Guide
is incorrect.  It should read

\Cdk|i 35 |i "¢" |m
\Cdf|i "F1" |i "\R|m" |m
\Cdf|i "Shift F2" |i "\CGS |i C3 |m" |m
\Cdf|i "Ctrl F3" |i "\Q|m\Z|m" |m
\Cdf|i "Ctrl-Shift F1" |i "\FH|m" |m

Note the different way in which the function keys are specified.  It is
always easiest to generate macro files using the Record Macro File
command (Ctrl-FY) which is on the long cursor menu.  Also if you need
to know the syntax of macro files precisely, use the macro recorder and
then load the resulting macro file by dragging it to the PipeDream icon
on the icon bar.


%H2%8. Printing formulae

If you want to print your spreadsheet with the formulae showing rather
than the resulting values first convert the slots from numeric slots to
textual slots by using the Number <> Text command (Ctrl-ENT) which is
available on the long Blocks menu.  After printing you will probably
want to convert back to numeric slots by using Ctrl-ENT again.


%H2%9. Z88 Filing System

The Z88 Filing System provided on the PipeDream 3 disc enables you to
connect a Z88 computer to the Archimedes and load files from it and
save files to it as if it were a disc drive.  In order to do this two
extra pieces of hardware are required - a Z88-Archimedes lead and the
PC-LINK EPROM card plugged into the Z88.  Both of these components are
available separately from Colton Software.

To use the Z88 filing system, double-click Select on the Z88 icon on
the PipeDream 3 disc.  The Z88 Filing System will load and install its
icon on the icon bar.  Ensure that the lead is connected securely to
both computers and that the PC-LINK EPROM card is inserted and running
in the Z88. Now click Select on the Z88 icon on the icon bar.  A
directory viewer should appear showing the devices available on the
Z88.  Click Select on one of the devices and a directory viewer will
appear showing the files and directories currently in the device.

If you receive the message "Failed to synchronise with the Z88 (Is
PC-LINK running on the Z88?)" check that the lead is connected securely
in both computers, and that the PC-LINK EPROM is correctly inserted and
running in the Z88.  (To start PC-LINK press []L (square L) on the
Z88.)

With the Z88 Filing System running you can copy files between a
directory on an Archimedes disk and a directory in the Z88.  You can
create selections in directories on both the Z88 and Archimedes and
copy the selections.  You can also copy files from the Z88 to PipeDream
3 running on the Archimedes either by dragging the file to the
PipeDream 3 icon on the icon bar to load the file, or by dragging the
file into a PipeDream window to insert it into another document.
Similarly you can save a file from PipeDream 3 to the Z88 by dragging
the file icon from the Save dialog box to the Z88 directory viewer.

You can also drag files from the Z88 to other, but not all,
applications.  For example you can load files from the Z88 straight
into Edit by dragging files in a similar way to that described above
for PipeDream 3.  Some applications will not be able to load or save
Z88 files directly and the data will be corrupted when it is displayed
in the application's window.  Of course, you can copy the file into a
directory on an Archimedes disc first, and then load it into the
application.  (For the technically minded, this is because the PC-LINK
EPROM does not support random access, just sequential access.)

Not all of the filing system operations are supported by the Z88 Filing
System.  You cannot use the Access, Delete or Rename commands on the
Filer Selection sub-menu to operate on Z88 files.  Neither can you
create directories on the Z88 from the Archimedes; you must do this on
the Z88 itself, using its own Filing System.


%H2%10. Printer Drivers

Four PipeDream printer drivers are provided.  These are %H2%fx80%H2% for Epson
compatible dot matrix printers, %H2%juki%H2% for daisywheel printers, %H2%HPjet%H2% for
Hewlett-Packard Laserjet and compatible printers and BJ10 for Canon
BJ10 and compatible printers.  They are in directory !PipeDream (which
you can open by pressing Shift whilst double-clicking on !PipeDream).

These drivers are for PipeDream type printing only.  For RISC OS type
printing use the appropriate driver available from the Application disc
or RISC OS Extras disc.


%L%%H2%11. Printing with RISC OS printer drivers from 1Mbyte computers

A number of people have asked how to print using the "fancy fonts" and
the RISC OS printer drivers on dot matrix printers from an Archimedes
having only 1Mbyte of memory.

The general problem is that optimal use of RISC OS requires more than
1Mbyte of RAM.  This is true not just for usage of PipeDream but also
true for usage of most other Archimedes applications.  1Mbyte is
generally sufficient for a single application to run but expectations
constantly rise about fonts, screen and printer resolutions and
document sizes, and it also desirable to have several applications
running together now that applications are starting to communicate
between themselves intelligently.  Currently 2Mbytes is fine for most
users, enabling several applications to be run concurrently, with many
documents loaded, and generous caches for fonts and printer drivers and
so on.  Given past trends it may be expected that some time in the
future 2Mbytes will seem cramped and 4Mbytes or even more will become
the norm.  Decisions about upgrading are subjective and depend upon
need and finance but, at present, much more can be done in 2Mbytes than
1Mbyte.  After loading PipeDream 3 you can expect 250K free on a 1Mbyte
computer or 1,250K free on a 2Mbyte computer.  Note that memory for a
font cache and a RISC OS printer driver has to be allocated from this
area.  Remember that using the system font on screen and PipeDream
printer drivers  to print does not require any font cache or extra
memory for a printer driver.

We recommend you use PrinterDM 1.12, or later, which is available on
the RISC OS Extras Disc and FontManager 2.42, or later, together with
the outline fonts which are available on the Acorn Fonts disc or from
Acorn Desktop Publisher.  All of these should be available from your
Acorn dealer.

The key to printing with RISC OS drivers is to have memory free for the
driver to use as a buffer.  The more memory the faster the print.

A reasonable configuration for your computer is as follows.  Perform





and then do a Ctrl-Reset.  Your memory allocation in the task display
should now be  approximately:







Next, catalogue the disc containing !Fonts and then load PipeDream onto
the icon bar.  Version 3.07 of PipeDream requires 432K and there should
now be about 160K free.  Load PrinterDM onto the icon bar, select the
appropriate printer type and then select Quit on PrinterDM's menu.
There should now be about 128K free.  Load/create your document and
print.

Extra memory can be recovered by unplugging the Percussion, Stringlib,
Wavesynth,  SoundChannels and SoundDMA modules which yields about 24K.
Printing in modes 0 or 1 will free a further 56K for the driver buffer.
Printing sprites is best done in mode 1.


%H2%12. New features in PipeDream 3.07

%H1%Print scaling%H1%  A new option in the print dialog box enables you to
specify the size of print to be used.  Note that this only works with
the RISC OS printer drivers.

%H1%Grid printing%H1%  The grid can now be printed.  The print is not quite as
slick as the screen display as vertical lines are drawn through
overlapping text.  However printing numerical documents with the grid
can make a vast difference to the presentation.

%H1%Editing in fonts%H1%  If you have a printer font selected the current line
is also now displayed on the screen in that font.  If you find that
your monitor is not of a sufficiently high resolution for the editing
to be readable use the system font for editing and switch to your
favoured font before printing.

%H1%Caret colour%H1%  The colour of the caret can now be changed in the colours
dialog box.

%H1%Saving%H1%  Clicking Select on Save in the Files menu will now cause
PipeDream to save the file without prompting with a dialog box if it
can.  If the filename is ambiguous (ie there is no directory path)
PipeDream will put up a dialog box in the usual way.  This is a feature
of RISC OS and gives you the option of repeated saving with or without
changing the filename and with a minimum of mouse operations.  (On
other systems these are known as "Save..." and "Save as...".

%H1%Define command  (Ctrl CDC)%H1%

Define Command enables you to redefine the Ctrl key sequences.  For
example if you wanted Ctrl-C to perform a Copy Block command you would
specify

 Command to define:  C
 Define as:          BC

Think carefully before redefining the Ctrl sequences in this way.
Remember that PipeDream uses the letters F E L P B C and S as the first
character of multiple commands and so if you redefine any of these you
will be affecting a lot of commands.


%H2%13. New features in PipeDream 3.10

%H1%Border colour%H1%  The current row and column borders can be drawn in a
different colour to help the eye find the current slot more easily.
This colour can be set in the colours dialog box.

%H1%Overlaying pictures%H1%  Graphics files in Draw format can now be overlaid
by text in PipeDream.  An example of this is Whatif which is provided
in the examples.  In this example boxes have been created in !Draw and
these are used to highlight slots in PipeDream.  This feature is very
good for creating form templates.

%H1%Slot references%H1%  Slot references can now be put into header and footer
fields.  (Highlights can also be used in headers, footers, searching
and leading and trailing character fields; use ^1 to ^8 to specify
highlight 1 to highlight 8.)

%H2%14. New features in PipeDream 3.12

%H1%International Spelling Checker%H1% The spelling checker can now cope with
characters other than A-Z, hyphen and apostrophe.  The list of
characters, sorting sequences and endings is given in a file in
!PipeDream.Dictdefn.  There is one file for each type of dictionary.
We recommend that you do not try to modify these files and support may
not be given for problems that occur if you do.

When creating a user dictionary there is a new option in the Create
User Dictionary dialog box for you to specify a type of dictionary.
This is taken from the files in Dictdefn.  Normally you would just
leave it set to English.

A new command (User Dictionary Options - Ctrl-SQ) has been added to
enable you to make user dictionaries read-only.  This prevents you
adding new words to the dictionary.  It is of most use to Econet users
who can now have read-only user dictionaries accessable by multiple
users.

%H1%DTP Export

A new DTP Export has been written and can be accessed from the Save
dialog box.  The old DTP Export has been renamed as FWP export.  The
new exporter exports paragraphs and tabular data more appropriately
for Acorn DTP than before as Acorn DTP does not cope very well with
paragraphs and tabular data in First Word Plus files.

%H2%15. Known problem with printing

PipeDream is unable to correctly print multi-file documents with
many RISC OS printer drivers.  PrinterPS works ok, as do the newer
versions (1.12 upwards) of PrinterDM and LJ if enough memory is
available for a full page buffer.
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 1. Acorn licence
 2. Fonts
 3. Graphics
 4.
 5. Highlights in headers and footers
 6. Loading multi-file documents
 7. Macro files
 8. Printing formulae
 9. Z88 Filing System
 10. Printer Drivers
 11. Printing with RISC OS printer drivers from 1Mbyte computers
 12. New features in PipeDream 3.07
 13. New features in PipeDream 3.10
 14. New features in PipeDream 3.12
 15. Known problem with printing















































































































































































































































*configure spritesize 0
*configure fontcache 48K
*unplug SoundScheduler




Next+Free
Screen memory
System heap
Module area
Font cache
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%L%$.Documents.Readme
6 September 1990
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 Define key
 Define function key
 Define function key
 Define function key
 Define function key
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