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OS/2 Shareware BBS: 19 Printer
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19-Printer.zip
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pm2col1d.zip
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pmtwocol.inf
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OS/2 Help File
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1994-06-06
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
If you like and use PMTwoCol, please see BUYING THIS PROGRAM for how to pay
for it. This is a beta version so please report bugs/suggestions to Reporting
Bugs.
PMTwoCol is a multithreaded PM utility for concatenating text files (inputs)
into a multicolumn text file (output) and optionally creating conforming
PostScript output.
PMTwoCol is useful for making compact listings of programming code. For
instance, on my PostScript printer, I get four times the normal 66 line by 80
character positions of text by using 131 lines and 164 character positions
arranged in 2 (portrait) columns.
There is flexibility in the layout of the output files. See Options Dialog.
PostScript output is monospaced Courier font with auto-scaling.
Please use the SETUP dialog the first time you run the program. See Setup for
details.
The program displays the status of the conversions in progress in a Status
area.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. USAGE HINTS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This program is easier to use with a PostScript printer rather than a
non-PostScript printer, but then what is'nt.
The next 2 sections indicate how to use the program with these printers. (For
actually sending output to the printer, see Printing does not work.)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. PostScript Printers ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Note that you should create text output first, then create PostScript output.
When the PostScript output is ready, send the PostScript file to the PostScript
printer. The font will be auto-scaled to fit the paper size and
margin-adjusted in the printer.
i.e. with a PostScript printer, you do not have to match the number of
lines/character positions option to the paper size.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. Non-PostScript Printers ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
First make sure that the selected font in the printer is a monospaced font.
Next, you will need to make sure that the printer settings match certain
PMTwoCol option values. These are:
(1) Number of lines.
(2) Number of character positions per line.
You may save these settings, after figuring out appropriate values for your
printer. However, getting the right numbers will probably take a few
trial-and-error iterations.
NOTE: The output file created will not print correctly on other printers.
(That's the advantage in having a PostScript printer.)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Dialogs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
There are 4 dialogs through which you use the program.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. Main Dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This dialog comes up when you first start the program. The Setup Dialog, Add
Dialog and Options Dialog are accessed via pushbuttons in this dialog.
Besides these, the main dialog contains :
(1) a 2 line output file specification area where you type in the names of the
output text file and the output PostScript file.
(2) a 3 line status area, where you can monitor conversion status,
initialization status etc.
(3) an input area which displays the number of inputs, and has push buttons to
delete one or all inputs and one to start the Add Dialog.
(4) a save area with push buttons to save the output filenames and the input
filenames.
(5) a print area with push buttons to print the text and PostScript output
files. These do not work in this version (see Printing does not work).
(6) a view area with push buttons to view the output files that have been
created.
(7) a create area with push buttons to create the TEXT and PostScript outputs.
These push buttons convert into CANCEL buttons when conversion is started.
(8) Push buttons to start the Options Dialog and the Setup Dialog, to view help
and to exit the program.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1.1. Deleting from the Input File List ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
You may delete a file from the input file list in the main window by
highlighting it with the mouse and then clicking the DEL ONE button or pressing
the DELETE key.
Or you may delete all the files in the input file list via the DEL ALL button.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2. Setup Dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PMTwoCol needs several pathnames which are to be specified in the setup dialog.
When you first run the program, please push the SETUP button on the main dialog
and fill in appropriate values for the following (if the default values are not
appropriate for your setup):
(1) The program to use for viewing text output. It is called with the file to
be viewed as its sole argument.
(2) The program to use to view PostScript. If unspecified, the text viewer is
used.
(3) The program to use to view help, which resides in this file
(PMTWOCOL.INF).
If any of these names does not begin with a drive letter, colon and backslash,
then the PATH environment variable is searched for that name.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3. Add Dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This dialog is used to add input files. This dialog is accessed by pushing the
ADD choice on the main dialog. Files in the chosen directory may be added in
any of the following ways:
(1) clicking on the filename in the file list.
(2) selecting the file extension in the extension dropdown list adds all the
files with that extension.
(3) use the ADD ALL push button to add all the files in the current directory.
NOTE: Files are added to the main dialog's input file list immediately.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4. Options Dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
There are options for the format of the text and PostScript files. You may save
these options and also the input and output file lists.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4.1. Field Feed at EOF ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To save space you may want to start a new file immediately after the end of the
previous one. Or you may want to let the files stand out by leaving the rest
of the column blank when you reach the end of a file. This also allows each
filename to appear in the column heading.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4.2. Padding the archive ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The last page of a text archive may not eject from the printer if data only
fills part of the page. The option to pad the archive handles this by writing
blanks till the end of the last page.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4.3. Page Header ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The default is to print the string ARCHIVED on the top left hand side of the
first page. You may replace this header. Remember to save options if you want
it to appear each time.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4.4. Page Footer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The default is to skip this item. If you add a footer, it will be placed on
the bottom dashed line of each page of the output.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4.5. Table Of Contents ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
You may choose not to create the TABLE OF CONTENTS which lists the input files.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4.6. No Border (Plain) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
If this is checked, borders, table of contents and line numbers are not used.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4.7. Line Numbering ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Check this option to cause line numbers to appear in the output. Only every
tenth line is numbered explicitly - for other lines only the last digit is
shown.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4.8. Long Lines ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
You may choose to truncate lines that reach the right margin of the field. The
default is to wrap these lines to the next line and to change the usual right
margin delimiter to a backslash. The result looks like a wrapped line in
EMACS.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4.9. Unprintable Characters In Input Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The options are either to delete these from the output, to substitute a '*' for
them or to display them as they would appear in EMACS (for instance using a
caret for CONTROL) .
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4.10. PostScript Orientation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The orientation of PostScript output may be set to Portrait or Landscape. Note
that the margins are applied to the oriented output.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4.11. PostScript Output Margins ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
You may set all four margins for the PostScript output as percentages of the
imageable area.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4.12. Not Yet Implemented ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The following features are not yet implemented:
Printing from within the program
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Error Messages and Problems ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Error Messages
PMTWOCOL will complain if you try to modify information that is currently in
use. For instance, the input file list may not be modified while another
thread is using the list to create the output file. If you find any bugs, have
suggestions or code snippets to handle the problems listed in the next
sections, please see Reporting Bugs.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. Spawning A Process To Run A Batch File ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Please send me a code snippet to spawn a process to run a batch file. At
present the program may only run executable files. (see Reporting Bugs)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. Printing does not work ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Printing of the files created by PMTwoCol must be done manually. I do not know
how to send the output files to a printer. I usually do the following:
COPY PMTWOCOL.OUT PRN
If you have suggestions on this point, please let me know. (see Reporting Bugs)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.3. Running Help via the HELP buttons. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This program uses only dialog windows. I do not know how to associate a help
instance with such a program. Thus contextual help is not available. (Instead
the present solution is to spawn view.exe on pmtwocol.inf.) Does anyone have a
code sample that solves this? (see Reporting Bugs)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. SETUP ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
When you first use the program or remove its initialization file, please use
the Setup Dialog to set up the program.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. HELP IMPROVE THIS PROGRAM ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
I would really appreciate receiving code snippets to solve the problems listed
in Problems See Bug Reports on how to send them to me.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. BUYING THIS PROGRAM ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
You may pay for this program by making a tax-exempt donation of $10 or more to:
ASHA
1915 Napa Avenue
Berkeley CA 94707
100 percent of your donation will be used to support primary healthcare and
education of underprivileged children in India. All overhead incurred is paid
for by ASHA's part-time volunteers. For more information, please contact
asha@ocf.berkeley.edu
Do not send bug reports to ASHA. For that see Reporting Bugs
The program author has no connection to ASHA.
This is the full-function version of the program.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Bug Reports ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This is a beta version of PMTwoCol. Please report bugs as follows:
On INTERNET send email to:
fernand@cs.nyu.edu
Or by regular mail to:
Shuyi Chen
206 W99 St #6A
NYC NY 10025