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VINST.REF
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VINST.REF
---------
Instructions for VDE Installation Utility:
version 1.8F (21 Feb 1996)
(c)1987-96, E. Meyer
=============================== CONTENTS ==================================
1. RUNNING VINST. What VINST is, and how to use it.
2. INSTALLATION. Installing for different computer hardware, colors, etc.
3. USER MENUBAR. Customization of User menu bar.
4. OPTIONS. Customization of many initial VDE settings.
5. PRINTER INSTALLATION. Using printer features: print modes, graphics, etc.
6. DEFAULT FUNCTION KEYS. Installing the default function keys.
7. GRAPHICS. Modifying the default set of graphics characters.
8. CHARACTER WIDTHS. Modifying the default set of character widths.
9. RESTORE DEFAULTS. Undoing previous modifications.
========================== 1. RUNNING VINST ===============================
VINST is a utility that lets you modify your copy of the VDE editor:
* Installing for use on non-standard computers
* Selecting or customizing a driver for your printer
* Configuring settings and options to suit your tastes
VDE comes configured for a standard IBM PC; you will need to make some
changes before using it on a non-PC-compatible computer, or a graphics board
(like old IBM CGAs) that experiences "snow" (see INSTALLATION). You will
want to choose the correct driver for your printer, and may eventually want
to make some small modifications to it. And, once you start editing with
VDE, you will probably discover some of its many settings and options that
you would like to change.
NOTE: VINST allows VDE to be customized for best
performance on a variety of computer hardware. If you are
using equipment (computer, graphics board, printer, etc)
which VDE does not work well with, or does not seem to be
taking full advantage of, please provide the appropriate
technical or programmer's information from your user's
manual so that future versions of VDE can support it.
You should begin using VINST soon; once you have made changes to VDE, the
initial welcome/copyright messages in VDE and VINST will no longer appear.
Your copies of the program files will be called VDE.EXE and VINST.COM,
though of course you can rename them (I usually call them V.EXE and VI.COM).
To run VINST simply type:
C>vinst if your copy is still called "VDE.EXE"
or C>vinst V.EXE if it's called "V.EXE" (or whatever).
Any changes you make while running VINST -- choosing different options,
reading in data files, etc -- are in memory only. You can choose "Quit" from
the main menu and VDE.EXE will remain unchanged. Only when you choose "Save"
(or "Restore defaults") does VINST modify the file VDE.EXE.
VINST can also read and write various "auxiliary data files" (type .VDx),
for user options, macro definitions, graphics, and printer support; see DATA
FILES. VDE's ability to load such files allows modifications to these
features during editing. In addition, they can make updating to a new
version of VDE easier: just save your old settings to files with the old
VINST, and then install them in your new copy of VDE with the new VINST.
Because installation features change with almost every release, the
version numbers of VINST and VDE must agree. Auxiliary data files (.VDx)
change format less often, and VINST can often read files created by other
recent versions. In either case, if VINST can't load an older file, you will
get a "<Version error>" message, and must re-create the file.
VINST uses the same search technique as VDE to find a data file if you
don't specify a path yourself: it looks in the "SET VDE" directory, if set,
then in the directory VINST.COM was run from, then the current DOS directory.
This order applies equally to writing data files, if no path is specified.
VINST is fully menu-driven; it will present you with a set of categories
that corresponds to each section below, starting with Installation; within
each category, each value is named and displayed, giving you the opportunity
to change it. The program is largely self-documenting, and steps you through
each item individually. The main menu also offers a "Help" option, which
displays some of the following information on screen to assist you.
VINST uses several types of data entry for different parameters:
TEXT - Just type in the character(s).
LOGICAL - Yes/No. Just type "Y" or "N".
DECIMAL - Enter a number from 0 to 255.
HEX - Enter two-digit hexadecimal byte value 00-FF. (Don't omit lead 0's.)
BYTE STRING - The value shown in (parentheses) is the length of the current
string. Enter a new series of byte values. Each may be
entered either in HEX, as above, or by pressing the single
quote key ['] followed by the appropriate ASCII character. You
can also press ["] to duplicate the existing value. (To enter
an empty string (00), press ^[Enter].)
In each case, the current value will display, and then you will be
prompted for a new one. (Just press [Enter] to leave the existing setting.)
VINST can't always check for illegal values; be careful what you enter!
At most points in VINST, you can press [Esc] to return immediately to the
Main Menu, or ^C to abort the program.
For the entry of codes in the Printer Installation, you may find the
following equivalence table for decimal, hexadecimal, and character values
helpful.
ASCII TABLE
Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
0 00 ^@ NUL 26 1A ^Z EOF 54 36 6 80 50 P 106 6A j
1 01 ^A 27 1B ^[ ESC 55 37 7 81 51 Q 107 6B k
2 02 ^B 28 1C ^\ 56 38 8 82 52 R 108 6C l
3 03 ^C 29 1D ^] 57 39 9 83 53 S 109 6D m
4 04 ^D 30 1E ^^ 58 3A : 84 54 T 110 6E n
5 05 ^E 31 1F ^_ 59 3B ; 85 55 U 111 6F o
6 06 ^F 32 20 SPACE 60 3C < 86 56 V 112 70 p
7 07 ^G 33 21 ! 61 3D = 87 57 W 113 71 q
8 08 ^H BS 34 22 " 62 3E > 88 58 X 114 72 r
9 09 ^I TAB 35 23 # 63 3F ? 89 59 Y 115 73 s
10 0A ^J LF 36 24 $ 64 40 @ 90 5A Z 116 74 t
11 0B ^K 37 25 % 65 41 A 91 5B [ 117 75 u
12 0C ^L FF 38 26 & 66 42 B 92 5C \ 118 76 v
13 0D ^M CR 39 27 ' 67 43 C 93 5D ] 119 77 w
14 0E ^N 40 28 ( 68 44 D 94 5E ^ 120 78 x
15 0F ^O 41 29 ) 69 45 E 95 5F _ 121 79 y
16 10 ^P 42 2A * 70 46 F 96 60 ` 122 7A z
17 11 ^Q 43 2B + 71 47 G 97 61 a 123 7B {
18 12 ^R 44 2C , 72 48 H 98 62 b 124 7C |
19 13 ^S 45 2D - 73 49 I 99 63 c 125 7D }
20 14 ^T 46 2E . 74 4A J 100 64 d 126 7E ~
21 15 ^U 47 2F / 75 4B K 101 65 e 127 7F DEL
22 16 ^V 48 30 0 76 4C L 102 66 f --Graphics--
23 17 ^W 49 31 1 77 4D M 103 67 g 128 80 Ç
24 18 ^X 50 32 2 78 4E N 104 68 h 129 81 ü
25 19 ^Y 51 33 3 79 4F O 105 69 i 130 82....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
============================ 2. INSTALLATION ==============================
Because VDE responds to the special keys of a PC keyboard, and writes
directly to video RAM for greater display speed, its default installation
requires an IBM PC compatible BIOS and video adapter (MDA, CGA, EGA, or VGA).
A Hercules (HGC) board should also work, as it is MDA compatible. On an
EGA/VGA system the use of color mode is recommended, even with a monochrome
monitor, to take advantage of a wider variety of "grey shades".
Special installations are also available for certain "near-compatibles":
the Hewlett-Packard 95/100/200LX palmtops, the HP Portable Plus, and the
Otrona 8:16 with IBM video emulation.
Versions of VDE prior to 1.7 also supported a "Generic" installation
using standard MSDOS output, requiring only compatibility with ANSI standard
screen control sequences. This worked on non-PC compatibles, as well as on
compatibles in situations where direct video access is undesirable -- even in
"remote" applications, with appropriate terminal software on the user's end.
If you require such capabilities, VDE 1.65 remains available.
VINST can use Installation files to store your installation, menubar, and
user option settings. These should have a file type of ".VDI", for ease of
identification. You have the option to read in or write out such a file, as
well as proceeding to edit your installation. VDE can load such files with
its AltU command; only the computer choice (IBM PC, etc) remains unaffected.
IBM PC PARAMETERS:
Screen colors - you can select different colors for: normal text; block text;
markers and printer codes; soft CRs/hyphens, tabs, and EOF; header; menus
and prompts; header/menu highlights; and error messages. Each is
specified by an "attribute byte" consisting of two hex digits, for a
background and foreground color. ("17" = "1", blue background, & "7",
white text.) You will see a color palette displayed on screen.
*0 = BLACK 4 = red *8 = GREY C = bright red
1 = blue 5 = magenta 9 = bright blue D = bright magenta
2 = green 6 = brown A = bright green E = yellow
3 = cyan *7 = WHITE B = bright cyan *F = BRIGHT WHITE
(* - All MDA screens can display black, white, and bright white; in some
cases, grey may also be visible.)
If you have an EGA/VGA display, the palette will include all 256
colors (00-FF). Otherwise, you will see only 128 (00-7F); on MDA/CGA
systems, the background attributes 8-F produce blinking video. On some
portable computers, colors instead produce underlining or grey shades.
(Note: if your soft CR color has the same background as normal text,
VDE will adjust its background to match block text as well.)
Border colors - you can select two border (overscan) colors to frame the
text: one to operate within VDE, the other to restore on exit to DOS.
Each is one digit from the list above. Example: to set a white border
within VDE, then return to black on exit, enter "70". To keep a black
border at all times enter "00". (Note: no border is visible under
DESQview or UltraVision.)
Cursor type (D/B/U) - You can choose the cursor type you want during editing.
A full "B"lock cursor is more easily visible on the LCD displays of laptop
computers; some prefer "U"nderline. Choose "D"efault to leave it whatever
it was before VDE was run. (In 40+ line mode, it is always a block.)
Screen size (A-G,blank) - You can choose your default screen size; normally
this is BLANK, " ", meaning whatever is in effect when VDE is loaded. The
letter codes have the same meaning as at the AltE command prompt: "F",
for example, automatically changes to 50 lines on entering VDE.
On VGA: A...G = 20,25,28,33,40,50,57 lines
(UltraVision: B,D,F,G = 25,36,50,63)
On EGA: A...F = 17,25,29,35,43,50 lines
(UltraVision: B,D,E,G = 25,34,43,60)
Video board for 132 col mode (N...) - VDE's AltA command (132 column toggle)
works only with supported types of video boards. Choose:
"A" for ATI (e.g. "EGA Wonder, VGA Wonder")
"C" for Cardinal VGA (Chips & Tech chipset)
"D" for Diamond Speedstar Pro SVGA
"P" for Paradise VGA+
"T" for Trident SVGA
"S" for some other SVGA types
If your video board is not among the brands named, you can experiment
to see whether any of these will work; if not, enter "N" for none -- AltA
will work only if you are running UltraVision.
NOTE: Users of older Paradise VGA boards may need to keep the border
color black, to avoid a bug affecting 132 column display colors.
Need to avoid "snow" (Y/N) - Normally No. Some video boards (like old IBM
CGAs) experience ugly "snow" or noise when programs write directly to
video memory. If this happens to you, select "Y", and VDE will time its
video access according to horizontal retrace intervals. (Display speed
will be somewhat reduced.)
Keyboard type (A/X/T) - Normally "A" for AT; actually, VDE detects whether
you have an AT (enhanced) or XT keyboard, and uses the appropriate input.
But some "popup" (TSR) programs do not work properly with AT keyboard
input; if you have this problem, set this to "X" for XT. (F11, F12, and a
few other key combinations will not work.) Finally, the Tandy 1000 uses
different scan codes for its F11-F12 keys; set to "T" if you have a Tandy
and VDE does not recognize these keys.
SPECIAL INSTALLATIONS:
HEWLETT-PACKARD 95/100/200LX PALMTOP - You could run VDE on these
palmtops as IBM compatibles, but in screen sizes other than 80x25 you would
have to use the HP scroll feature to see different parts of the screen.
Choosing one of these installations provides direct support for 40x16 and
64x18 modes. You can pick the "colors" (shades or video attributes) of your
choice in these installations; other parameters are preset.
Note that on LX's, the keypad [+],[-] keys and the Alt-arrow combinations
cannot be used to scroll or shift the screen; on the 95LX only, the ^[BkSp]
command will not work, and the shifted cursor keys cannot be used to mark a
block. The 100/200LX's "zoom" feature will confuse VDE and should not be
used while editing. Like all standard DOS software, VDE is designed to
operate in code page 437: on the 100/200LX, you should choose this setting in
Setup; on the 95LX, you will have to set your VDE printer driver to <R>oman8
character set instead. See also remarks on narrow screens under SCREEN SIZE.
Users whose primary need is for an editor for the LX palmtops should
consider the customized "fastWRITE" version of VDE, marketed by ACE
Technologies. See VDE.UPD for details.
HEWLETT-PACKARD PORTABLE PLUS - all models. Do not try this installation
on any other computer. All parameters are preset.
OTRONA 8:16 - Only the Otrona model with IBM video emulation will work;
the standard model 8:16 is not supported. This installation may also work on
other older "near-compatibles" with an 80x25 display that lack EGA/VGA BIOS
compatibility. All parameters are preset.
============================ 3. USER MENUBAR ==============================
The "User" menu bar can be configured to your taste: to provide different
keywords for accessing functions, or to add functions that are not available
in the existing menu bars.
VINST can use Installation files to store your installation, menubar, and
user option settings. These should have a file type of ".VDI", for ease of
identification. VDE can load such files with its AltU command. VINST can
access them under the INSTALLATION menu choice.
"User" menu bar - The five items on this bar are referred to as {User: item
1-5}. To define each, you have to provide two things: a "keyword" and the
"command" to execute. (As usual you can just press [Enter] to leave the
existing value alone.)
The keyword appears in the menu bar display, like "Driver" or
"preView" in the "Print" menu: it describes what the item will do if
selected, and the capital "D" or "V" indicates which key letter must be
pressed to select it. Your keyword can be up to 12 characters long, and
must contain exactly ONE capitalized letter (A-Z), which will be the
selection key. (Each of the five entries must use a different key.) An
unused entry may be simply left blank, or filled with "---" if you prefer.
The command determines the function which will be performed when the
item is selected from the menu. (See COMMAND SUMMARY for a full listing.)
Each command consists of one or two keystrokes. The default user menu
includes the sample entry "Autosave", which invokes the command ^KA if you
press "A".
Example: The command ^OE, which makes the cursor line the top line on
the screen, is not accessible via existing menu bars. However, you can
easily add this to the User menu bar:
For "{User: item #}" type " make Top "
For "Command:" type "^OE"
You now have a new MenuBar command, {User:make Top}, which is invoked by
pressing ^[Esc],U,T.
============================== 4. OPTIONS =================================
You can change a variety of default settings in your copy of VDE,
according to your taste. "Default" means the state assumed when VDE is first
run, or in the absence of any previous user commands.
VINST can use Installation files to store your installation, menubar, and
user option settings. These should have a file type of ".VDI", for ease of
identification. VDE can load such files with its AltU command. VINST can
access them under the INSTALLATION menu choice. (Note that the file format
and screen settings below are defaults, and loading a .VDI file will not
change settings for files already being edited.)
Prompt for filename if none (Y/N) - When you invoke VDE with no filename,
should it prompt for one? Normally No, you get an "untitled" work area.
Autosave interval (min.) - Enter your choice for the interval in minutes. A
value of 0 turns this feature off.
Preserve BAKup files (Y/N) - Should a backup file (.BAK) be kept when you
modify an existing file? Choose "Y" to play safe, "N" to save disk space.
Use ^Z as EOF mark (Y/N) - Should an EOF marker (^Z, 1Ah) be used to mark the
end of an ASCII file (modes /A,D,U,N,C)? Normally "N"; set to "Y" to
produce files for older MSDOS programs that used this convention.
Filetypes to exclude - You can specify six filetypes (or type masks, using
"?" wildcards) to "hide" from VDE. (Originally set to ".COM" and ".EXE".)
Such files will not show in the ^KF directory display (unless the filetype
is specified explicitly), and cannot be edited. This is a protection
feature, for non-text files which can be damaged by trying to edit them.
To leave an entry unused, type "...", NOT blanks.
Default file mode - Which of the file modes described in VDE.DOC do you want
as the default? (Originally "D"ocument.)
Auto mode select filetypes - You can specify six filetypes (or type masks,
using "?" wildcards) as exceptions to the above default: for example, you
could declare all ".ASM" files to default automatically to "N" mode, or
all files ".89?" to "W" mode. To leave an entry unused, type "...".
Header on (Y/N) - Should the header (^OQ) start out ON?
Ruler on (Y/N) - Should the ruler (^OT) start out ON?
Function key labels on (Y/N) - Should the key labels (^OU) start out ON?
Insert mode (I/W/O) - Which insert (^V) setting do you want to start out
with: Insert, Word insert, or Overstrike (insert off)?
Auto format (Y/N) - Should auto format (^OM) start out ON?
Right justify (Y/N) - Should right justification (^OJ) start out ON?
Double spacing (Y/N) - Should double spacing (^OS) start out ON?
Proportional spacing (Y/N) - Should proportional spacing (^OK) start out ON?
Hard CR/tab display (Y/N) - Should Hard CR/tab display (^OB) start out ON
when editing in document modes?
Hyphenation (Y/N) - Should hyphenation (^OH) start out ON in documents?
Ignore case in searches (Y/N) - Do you want find and replace (^QF,^QA) to be
case INsensitive by default? If Yes, specifying the "C"ase option while
editing will force a case sensitive search.)
Left and Right margin columns (1-255) - Default margin settings for Document
modes. Set both to 1 to disable wordwrap and reformatting entirely.
Fixed tab display width (4,8,16) - Hard tabs display at fixed column
intervals. (Normally 8; 4, 8, or 16 are the ONLY legal choices.)
Scroll overlap (0-255) - This is the number of lines of overlap between
screens when scrolling: the smaller, the larger the scroll. Originally 2,
for a nearly full scroll. Must be smaller than your screen size!
Beep on error (Y/N) - Do you want a beep when a VDE error message displays?
Cut (AltC) deletes block (Y/N) - Should the block Cut command (AltC) delete
the block after copying it into the cut buffer?
Variable tab stops - Enter up to sixteen variable tab stop columns, in
ascending order. Fill unused values with 0. Originally: 6, 15, 35, 55.
Show time as AM/PM (Y/N) - Do you want the time stamp to display in 12 hour
format (AM/PM)? Originally Yes. If No, the time shows in 24 hour format.
(Affects AltT command and ^T in print headers.)
Show date in Euro format (day,mo,yr) (Y/N) - Do you want the date to display
in European format? Originally No, meaning US Format (mo,day,yr).
(Affects AltD command and ^D in print headers.)
Show date numerically (Y/N) - Do you want AltD to enter the date numerically
(1/15/88)? Originally No, meaning verbose (January 15, 1988).
Strikeout (^PX) character - Specify the character you want to use for the
strikeout effect when printing. Originally "-"; some prefer "/", etc.
======================== 5. PRINTER INSTALLATION ==========================
VDE can accomodate two printer drivers, each of which can be installed to
take advantage of your printer's special features. (Within VDE, the AltV
command can be used to select the driver to use when printing.) You can use
these for two different printers, or as two different "style sheets" to print
in different ways on the same printer. The default is a "SIMPLE" driver that
can send plain text to any printer, but does not support any print controls
other than underline and strikeout. (The "SIMPLE" driver is also recommended
for many daisy-wheel or typewriter-style printers.) Many pre-defined drivers
for other printers can be selected from a menu within VINST.
Today's printers are numerous, complex, and vary widely; a comprehensive
set of fully configured drivers for them would be prohibitively large and
require constant updating. Instead, VINST offers a number of basic drivers
which will allow you to get started printing on most printers; you can choose
one of them as a skeleton to build upon as you customize your own driver.
Your printer manual should tell you what standard printer yours emulates in
general (what language it speaks -- HP PCL or Epson FX, for example), and
list the specific codes needed to control each of its features.
If your printer is not listed on VINST's driver menu, but emulates or
resembles one that is, then start out using that driver, and refine it as
needed. Failing this, you can start out with the "SIMPLE" driver and,
referring to your printer manual, install all the necessary codes yourself.
(In this event, please consider sending this information so that a new driver
can be added to VINST.) VDE does not support Adobe Postscript; but you may
be able to get VDE to talk to your Postscript printer in its native mode
instead, by adding the codes to switch into that mode, and then those to
return to Postscript, to the driver's initialization and deinitialization.
Every VDE user will probably want to customize their printer driver in
some way. You will probably want to add codes to your printer initialization
to establish the default settings (page margins, tab settings, paper source,
etc) you prefer. Since most of the drivers in VINST implement only basic
codes for print effects like italics and proportional printing, you may want
to modify or add to these codes to implement any additional features (fonts,
etc) you have available. After choosing a driver from the menu, return and
select "Edit current driver". (To modify the Alternate driver, you must
switch it to the primary one, then switch back afterward.)
An example of a fully configured driver is "HPLJw/PacPg25in1". This can
be used with a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printer (or compatible) equipped with
a Pacific Page 25-in-1 cartridge (or any other that provides the fonts
indicated below). It offers the following effects:
CODE EFFECT
Initialize Prestige Elite 10 point font, printer margin set to column 6
^OK proportional Times Roman 10 point font
^B,^S,^Y Boldface, Underline, Italics (any font)
^T,^V Superscript, Subscript using 7 point Prestige font
^D switch to proportional Times Roman from Prestige and back
^A,^N switch to Courier 12 point from Prestige and back
^Q Mini Gothic 3.6 point
^W Presentation Bold 18 point
^E Math Elite 10 point
^R return to Prestige from ^Q,^W,^E
The "HP LaserJet 4P" driver is also fully configured, with similar effects
(using the built-in Courier, Garamond, Gothic, and Albertus fonts).
VINST can use special Printer Driver files to store and retrieve other
printer definitions. This makes it easy to save your installation and to
pass it along to others. These files should have a type of ".VDP". When
editing in VDE, the AltU command may be used to load such a file, putting any
number of different printer drivers at your disposal. In VINST, you have the
option to read in or write out such a file, as well as editing the following
values individually.
Printer ID - Identify the printer you are installing. (16 characters)
Printer device - Normally "PRN", but you can choose a specific port (like
LPT2) if your system has several printers.
Extended character set (P/R/N) - Specifies how "extended ASCII" characters
80-FF (graphics or foreign characters) will print. This depends on the
sequence of characters in your printer's fonts. Your choices are:
<P>C8 - the standard IBM PC character set. No translation in printing.
<R>OMAN8 - an arrangement common in laser printer fonts. VDE will
translate PC graphics into Roman8 equivalents where possible.
<N>one - your printer doesn't print characters in this range at all.
VDE will "emulate" PC graphics, choosing overstruck pairs of
standard characters that come close.
Note that if you are using a non-standard screen font that agrees with
your printer font, whatever it may be, you should choose "P".
Printer type (H/F/L/O) - Enter "H" for HP LaserJet or DeskJet compatible, "F"
for Epson FX (9 pin) or compatible, "L" for Epson LQ (24 pin) or compat-
ible, or "O" for any other type.
Send LF after CR (Y/N) - Normally Yes. But with a few printers, which manu-
facture their own LineFeed on receiving a Return, you will need No here.
Page length (0-255) - The number of text lines to print on a page. An 11"
sheet gives 66 lines of print at a standard spacing of 6 lpi; most
printers can actually print about 60-64 lines. Be sure also to leave room
on the page for the following margin settings, if used. Default is 58.
Top margin (0-255) - The number of blank lines to skip as a top margin before
printing the number of text lines set above. Default is 0.
Top margin if header used (0-255) - The number of lines to skip instead as a
top margin before printing the header, if one is used. Default is 0.
Lines to skip between header and text (0-255) - Blank lines to leave between
header and text. Also determines lines between text and bottom page
number, if used. Default is 2.
Left margin (0-255) - Set the number of blank columns to skip as a left
margin, shifting the entire printout to the right. Default is 8. (Note:
most printers offer an Esc command to set an internal left margin in dot-
columns or inches. If you need a left margin, you can get more consistent
and reliable results by including such a command in your initialization
string. If you can't do this, install a value here and VDE will print
spaces for a margin.)
The following menu allows you to modify the codes that are part of your
printer driver. Whichever function you select, the existing code sequence
(if any) will display, first in more or less readable "character" form and
then as a string of hex digits, preceded by the length in parentheses. For
example, if you are examining the Doublestrike code in the "HP LaserJet"
driver, you will see:
^[(s7B <--- ASCII representation
(05) 1B 28 73 37 42 <--- hexadecimal values
(Note that in this context, "^[" indicates "Esc".)
At the prompt, press [Enter] to leave this code sequence unchanged, or
press ^[Enter] to delete it entirely, or enter a new one -- either in
hexadecimal, or as character values by pressing the single quote ['], then a
character. Note that the double quote ["] will duplicate the existing code.
When finished, press [Enter]. Any one string can be up to 127 bytes long;
the total available for use is about 450 bytes.
[A]-Initialization, etc - This is an optional string of code to send to the
printer before each print job, usually to set default margins, line
spacing, font, etc. (NOTE: the ^KP command has an option to specify
additional codes at print time. See PRINTING.)
[B]-Deinitialization - This is another string to send after each print job,
to restore the printer to the desired state on exit.
[C]-Envelope setup - This string will be sent in place of the usual
initialization when you address an envelope with ^KPA (see ENVELOPES).
For many printers you will need no special codes here; or, you might find
that a linefeed or two, perhaps also a left margin command, is useful to
position the print properly on the envelope. You should use a pica font
(fixed, 10 cpi).
The setup codes in VINST's HP LaserJet drivers assume that you will
insert the envelope end-on in the default paper tray, and consequently
they use a landscape font (Courier 12). They do not specify "envelope
size" forms, so there is no need to change the form size on the printer
panel. If you are feeding envelopes from a different paper tray, you will
have to add codes here to specify this tray.
You must also be sure that your deinitialization contains any codes
necessary to return to the default tray, orientation, etc. after
addressing an envelope. Printing envelopes can be complicated; see your
printer manual.
[D]-Proportional (^OK) - Enter the codes needed to produce a proportionally
spaced font when you print while in proportional mode (^OK). Like the
"toggles" below, you also need to supply a second string to turn this off
and return to fixed spacing afterwards.
TOGGLES: [E]-Bold, etc - For six of the seven printer toggles (not ^X), you
need to tell VDE the codes to send to your printer to produce the desired
effect, then turn it off again. The conventional meanings of the toggles
are: ^B boldface ^Y italic/ribbon color
^D doublestrike ^T superscript
^S underline ^V subscript
but you can use them for anything you want. Example: Epson FX printers
require three-byte sequences to turn continuous underlining on and off:
Underline on "Esc - 1" hex 1B 2D 31 decimal 27 45 49
off "Esc - 0" 1B 2D 30 27 45 48
You can enter the data in hex or characters, or any mixture thereof:
[G]... : 1B 2D 31 <--- entry in hex format
...and off: 'Esc '- '0 <--- or by characters
You should find all necessary codes in your printer manual.
(NOTES: ^PS will underline text by overstriking with "_" if you do
not install codes for it. ^PX requires no installation, but see USER
OPTIONS to specify the strikeout character.)
SWITCHES: [K]-User1, etc - The same idea, but for switches, which send the
same codes every time they are used. WordStar calls the switches:
^Q,W,E,R "user 1,2,3,4" (no standard meaning)
^A,N alternate, normal pitch
But once again, you can use them for different fonts, printer bin
selection, or anything else you like.
======================== 6. DEFAULT FUNCTION KEYS =========================
VDE has a set of 48 Function Keys, invoked by the [F1]...[F12] keys in
their normal, Shift-, Ctrl-, and Alt- usage, which can have macro definitions
assigned to them. The default definitions are those that will be active when
you first enter VDE. By changing these, you can easily customize VDE for an
approximate match to the standard function-key configuration for Wordstar or
Word Perfect, or to suit any special requirements of your own. (Any keys
defined with Esc[ while using VDE will override these defaults.)
VINST can use Function Key Definition files to store function-key sets.
These should have a file type of ".VDF". You have the option to read in or
write out such a file, as well as editing the keys individually. (VDF files
can also be read or written with VDE's AltU command, but only VINST can
display the definitions, or change those in VDE.EXE itself.)
VINST gives you a display much like this:
Function keys: (___ bytes free) <---- note room available
F1:<>
F2:<> <---- "<>" means undefined
F3:<>
F4:< Scan >[Esc];^C <---- " Scan " is key's label
F5:<>
F6:<QN>^OL5[Enter]^OR60[Enter] <---- Quiet, No-repeat key, no label
F7:<>
F8:<EscU><Undrln ><N>^PS <---- "EscU" also invokes this key
F9:<EscB>< Bold ><N>^PB
F10:<QN>^QS[!v] <---- "[!v]" means Shift-Downarrow
You can select one of several ranges of definitions to display: Normal,
Shift(!), Ctrl(^), Alt(@), and if you have an Enhanced keyboard, a separate
additional set of 8 keys for the [F11],[F12] keys in each of those states.
Or at any time you can press the [F]-key you want to define, and type in the
new definition. While doing this, ^[Break] aborts; ^P must be used to enter
[Enter], [BkSp], or ^P itself.
The Esc key and special PC keys like PgUp will display by name within
brackets: [Esc], [>], [PgUp]. Shift, Ctrl, and Alt combinations are
indicated by "!", "^", and "@", as in "[!v]", "^J", "@D". (Many of these
keys merely display as "*" at VDE's macro definition prompt, but VINST
identifies them more clearly.)
To keep the existing definition, Esc key, label, or Q/N option, just
press [Enter]. To blank (remove) a definition, press ^[Enter]. To blank an
existing Esc key, label, or Q/N option, use [Space].
Any definition can be up to 253 bytes long; the total space available is
about 2000 bytes.
By default, VDE comes with [F1] installed for command help (^J), [F10]
for the MenuBar (^[Esc]), and other definitions blank. Sample function-key
files are also included; EXAMPLES.VDF contains several macros discussed in
VMACRO.REF:
F2:<QN>^QS^S^S[Esc]= [^D^D ;move to start of paragraph
F3:<QN>[Esc]~.1^S[Esc]1[Esc]~.<^D[Esc]= 2[Esc]=^M2 ;move to start
^S^S[Esc]!1[Esc]2^D[Esc]= 2[Esc]=^M2 ; of sentence
F4:<QN>^QSEsc(0)Esc1Esc+^DEsc~^M1Esc2Esc-]Esc-] ;move to center
^SEsc!2 ; of line
F6:<QN>^QR^N@D^OF ;put date at top right
F7:<N>[Esc]$3^QF@@^[Enter][Esc]$$^D^D[Esc]=A1[Esc]~N[ ;Mail-Merge
@N^KB^QD^KK@C^QS@N[Esc]!2[Esc]1@N^X^KB ; (see instructions)
^QF^M^M^[Enter]^KK@C^QB^E@N[Esc]2^A^G^G^G
@P[Esc]![[Esc]3^KP[Enter]^KL^F[Enter]@N
^QF^M^M^[Enter]^D^D[Esc]<_]@N[Esc]![
F8:<QN>[Esc]*f^QR[Esc]B]Esc]>~X[Esc]=^MN[Esc]<_X ;convert file to
[Esc]N^D[Esc]!B[Esc]X^G[Esc]!B ; pure ASCII
The files WS4.VDF and WP.VDF can be used to define the function keys
according to the usage of WordStar or Word Perfect. The WordStar 4 default
definitions in WS4.VDF are:
WS4.VDF NORMAL SHIFT CTRL ALT
F1 ^J ^OB ^QF Vertical bar graphic
F2 ^U ^OC ^QA Horizontal bar
F3 ^PS ^L Upper-left corner
F4 ^PB ^QI Upper-right
F5 ^Y ^KY ^OL Lower-left
F6 ^T ^KH ^OR Lower-right
F7 ^KV Upper T graphic
F8 ^KC Lower T
F9 ^KS ^KB ^QS Left T
F10 ^KD ^KK ^QD Right T
The WP.VDF file will not "turn VDE into Word Perfect", but it does provide a
considerable degree of keystroke compatibility. You can assign any other
functions desired to unused keys:
WP.VDF NORMAL SHIFT CTRL ALT
F1 ^U [^Esc] AltR
F2 ^QF ^QF AltJ ^QA
F3 ^J [^Esc]V ^OD
F4 ^OG [^Esc]B [^Esc]B
F5 ^KF AltD
F6 ^PB ^OC ^OF
F7 [^Esc]F ^KP
F8 ^PS [^Esc]S [^Esc]T [^Esc]S
F9
F10 ^KS [^Esc]F Esc"
========================= 7. GRAPHICS CHARACTERS ==========================
VDE allows text to contain a limited, but variable, set of 32 characters
in the range 80-FFh (see FOREIGN CHARACTERS and GRAPHICS). In addition, the
code ^Z (1Ah) must be treated as a graphics character. VINST lets you
specify your own default graphics set.
VINST can use Graphic Definition files to store graphic character sets.
These should have a file type of ".VDG", for ease of identification. You
have the option to read in or write out such a file, as well as editing the
keys individually. VDE can also write such files with its AltU command.
You will be shown the current definitions, in the same format as the VDE
Graphics command. You may select any entry to redefine (A-Z, 1-6) whether
vacant or not; or, you may clear them all. In VINST, new graphic codes must
be entered by hex value, from 80 to FF (and 1A); a full list of graphics
characters (80-FF) can be displayed for your selection if you need it, by
typing "?" at the definition prompt. Simply pressing [Enter] means "free" or
undefined.
Note that your Printer Installation determines how graphics will print.
========================== 8. CHARACTER WIDTHS ============================
In order to judge the margins correctly when formatting, VDE's
proportional printing feature (^OK) needs to know how wide each character is
when it prints. The default width table, based on a 10-point Times Roman
font, will probably work fairly well with any proportional font ("m" is wider
than "i", and so on).
If you would like to fine-tune this table to correspond to your favorite
font instead, use VINST to modify the width table as needed: you can select
each character, then enter its width (in units of 1/360") as a decimal value.
The easy way to determine these widths is to print out a file with lines
of 60 of each character. (Rather than type that out by hand, you can use the
macro command to repeat each letter 60 times.) Measure the length of each
line in inches, and multiply by 6: that is the character width in 1/360".
The result is typically between 16 and 48.)
Note that changing the width table doesn't affect how your printer
operates -- just how VDE judges the length of each line for reformatting in
proportional mode.
VINST can use Character Width files to store width data for the
proportional font(s) you use. These should have a file type of ".VDC", for
ease of identification. You have the option to read in or write out such a
file, as well as editing the width table. VDE can load such files with its
AltU command.
========================= 9. RESTORE DEFAULTS =============================
This option on the VINST menu is provided in the event that you want to
undo any changes that have been made to your copy of VDE. This will return
VDE.EXE to the state it was distributed in: installation for IBM PC; all User
Options restored to their original defaults; no Function Keys (except, for
convenience, [F1]=help and [F10]=menu); SIMPLE printer driver; original
Graphics characters and Character widths. VINST prompts you to confirm that
you really want to do this before proceeding.
=============================[end VINST.REF]=================================
