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1992-07-11
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In The Winning Corner:
The Boxer Editor
____________________________
by
Michael Callahan
(aka Dr. File Finder)
Reprinted from Shareware Magazine, November/December 1991, Volume VI,
No. 6, with permission. Copyright 1991-92.
[Please Note: this review describes version 3.10 which was current at
the time of this review. The current version of BOXER is 4.0, and is
even more full-featured than the version reviewed.]
There are quite a few text editors floating around "The Wires," and some
are better than others. There are certain features, however, that most
users look for in a really useful text editor. These features include
multiple windows for editing, block commands, a configurable keyboard,
search and replace functions, and mouse support. If you think no
shareware text editor can meet all these criteria, watch out! Shareware
author David R. Hamel has come out with precisely such a program.
Appropriately called Boxer, this editor just might knock you out.
Mouse Support
You can use Boxer's full mouse support to access pull-down menus, travel
around the screen, mark blocks of text, and respond to queries from the
editor. If you don't have a mouse, don't worry - all of Boxer's
pull-down menus are easily accessed from the keyboard. Just press F1 to
toggle the top menu to its active state and use the cursor keys to move
around the screen. This option for mouse support gives you real
flexibility when switching between your desktop machine which may have a
mouse and your laptop which may not.
Keyboard Configurability
Boxer comes with its own default keyboard settings. However, this is
one flexible editor - you can configure Boxer to use any keys you want
it to use. Want to make your own variation of the often-used WordStar
command set? You can do it with the keyboard reconfiguration program
that is included with the Boxer Editor. Boxer isn't limited to using
just two keys for a command, either. You can use up to three keys, not
counting the use of the Shift key. For example, the WordStar command
Ctrl K-S saves a file. With Boxer, you could make a command like Ctrl
K-S-T.
For those of you who don't feel comfortable doing your own keyboard
reconfiguration, Boxer comes with several alternate keyboard definitions
besides the default configuration. There are key definitions that
approximate the keys used by Brief, WordStar, and WordPerfect. An
impressive aspect of Boxer's reconfiguration feature is that the program
will automatically create a command reference showing the keys you
defined.
Dynamic Help and Menus
The Boxer editor has a truly dynamic help system. Let's say that you've
assigned all new key definitions to Boxer's commands. When you bring up
the online help, your new key definitions are displayed on screen. This
way you don't have to get along with help screens that show different
key configurations from the ones you're using. Better yet, there are no
help files to edit. Boxer's menus are also dynamic in nature. Your
keyboard configuration changes are also reflected in the pull-down
menus.
Dynamic Reference
Key configuration and other features are explained thoroughly in the
bound manual you get with registration. For use during your trial
period, another utility program included with the Boxer editor prepares
the online help file for printing as a reference manual. The result is
a nicely formatted help document that explains each command, and it show
shows the keys you're using. As far as I know, no other shareware text
editor has such a feature - I'm impressed!
Configurable Options
Boxer lets you change the colors used throughout the program. To help
you make your choice, a miniature screen pops up and shows what your
color changes look like as you make them. Also, you can set the screen
mode to 25, 28, 43, or 50 lines, depending on your video display. You
decide whether or not Boxer makes backup files while you work by
commanding Boxer to save your document automatically after you've made a
given number of changes. Tabs can be set, wordwrap can be toggled on
and off, and you decide whether searches are case sensitive or not.
Boxer 3.10 also has a maximum line length of 1,024 characters, not just
512, which is the case in most other editors. And Boxer is totally
compatible with MS DOS 5.0. Printing with Boxer
Boxer is compatible with dot matrix and laser printers, and many of its
printing options are also configurable: number of lines per page or
columns per page; headers and footers; number of copies to print; print
margins.
With Boxer you can write a document single-spaced and then print it as
double-spaced if you like - a nice feature many text editors don't have.
You can tell Boxer to pause between pages while printing and even tell
it at which page to start printing and at which page to stop printing -
a nice feature when you only want to print part of a document.
Word Processing Features
Boxer offers quite a few options that are generally exclusive to word
processors. For example, you can choose exactly how you want to justify
your text. Pick from ragged right, ragged left, ragged center, or
smooth. You can set the paging overlap, control the sensitivity of
searches, and even do math! That's right - you can multiply and divide
numbers right inside the editor.
Lots of Extras
Author David Hamel has added extras many text editors are missing.
Boxer has a calculator, calendar, ASCII chart, graphics drawing mode, a
macros chart, word/line count feature, the ability to show the ASCII
value of any key and its shift state value, and more.
You can call up Boxer's keyboard definition file right from inside the
editor, giving you the ability to change a keystroke definition on the
fly. In addition, you can use Boxer as a typewriter, sending your
keystrokes directly to the printer; useful for printing envelopes and
labels. Boxer even lets you shell to DOS or issue DOS commands from
within the editor, and will tell if you have a network active when you
request a shell to DOS, thus prompting you to save your file(s) before
doing so. A great feature!
What's Old, What's New?
Ever have a problem remembering what text you've changed and whether or
not you've saved those changes? To help eliminate the confusion, Hamel
has added a feature which gives you the ability to configure three
different colors for text. For example, when I loaded this file, I had
the existing text in bright yellow. That's my color for standard text.
As I add text or make changes to the file, that new text appears in red.
When I press a keystroke to save the file, all of the new text that's in
red turns to green. The colors let me know exactly what's old, what's
new, and if it has been saved. This is a wonderful feature for
programmers because they can instantly see changes they've made to their
code.
Summing It Up
Boxer 3.10 comes with many handy extras, like the calculator, calendar,
ability to multiply and divide, ASCII table, and so on. The full mouse
support is excellent. Add in box drawing, word processing features such
as the ability to use different types of justification, a dynamic help
system, and you have one high-powered editor! Based on these factors
and having used Boxer exclusively for over three months, I can only come
to one conclusion. Feature for feature, I consider Boxer 3.10 to be the
best shareware editor currently available. Check out Boxer 3.10 and
come to your own conclusion. I think you're going to like what you see.
Dr. File Finder, known offline as Mike Callahan, regularly accesses
thousands of bulletin board systems and has been a major force in
promoting shareware. His book, Dr. File Finder's Guide to Shareware,
is available from Osborne/ McGraw-Hill.
____________________________
Registration Options:
Standard:
Boxer, Lefthand Man, Quick Reference card, and upgrade notices $35.00
U.S. shipping & handling 4.00
Premium:
Also includes a printed reference manual and one FREE upgrade $50.00
U.S. shipping & handling 6.00
Site Licenses are available. Contact BOXER Software for information:
BOXER Software
P.O. Box 3230
Peterborough, NH 03458-3230
1-800-98-BOXER
(1-800-982-6937)
603-924-6602