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APrf v2.62 - User's manual This file describe release 2.62 of the utility APrf. This program is public domain, and permission is granted to freely distribute and copy it, provided no charge or fee is ask for, and no modification is done to this package. APrf is copyright (C)1988-1990 by Denis GOUNELLE, any commercial usage or selling of this program without writing authorization is forbiden. APrf uses release 1.3 of ARP library, which is (C)1987-1988-1989-1990 by ARP authors. No warranty is made that there's no errors in this program. YOU USE THIS PROGRAM AT YOUR OWN RISKS. In no event will I be liable for any dammage, direct or indirect, resulting of the use of APrf. This file is a quick translation of the french documentation file, and no warranty is given about the quality of this translation. Summary : --------- 1. Introduction 2. Installing APrf 3. User's manual 3.1 Running from CLI 3.2 Running from WorkBench 3.3 Program starting 3.4 Gadgets 3.5 Menus 3.6 Presentations 3.7 The preview mode 4. Memory management 4.1 The file to print 4.2 The output buffer 5. Miscellaneous 1.Introduction : ---------------- APrf is a text file printing utility, developped for the Amiga. Major features include header or footer management, margins setup, line numbering, and a preview mode. Since release 2.10, APrf uses the ARP library (release 1.3), which can be found in public domain. If you can't find the ARP package, just send me a diskette and I will return you a copy of ARP (ONLY AVAILABLE FOR EUROPEAN USERS). You can send suggestions and criticism (or gifts...) writing to : M. GOUNELLE Denis Boite n° 71 6, rue des cailloux 92110 CLICHY - FRANCE 2. Installing APrf : -------------------- To use APrf, the file `arp.library' must be is the LIBS: directory. This is the only installation required. 3. User's manual : ------------------ APrf can be called from CLI or from Workbench. If you run APrf from CLI, I suggest to do it with a `RunBackGround' or `ARun' command, because APrf won't detach itself from CLI. To my mind, the best thing to do is to define an alias in your `S:Shell-Startup' file, like : Alias APrf C:RunBackGround SYS:Utilities/APrf [] APrf can also be called by some public domain sofwares : if you use SID (Copyright 1989 par Timm Martin), just add the line : Print=SYS:Utilities/APrf to your `S:SID.Config' file (assuming that you have copied APrf in the directory `SYS:Utilities'). 3.1 Running from CLI : ---------------------- When calling APrf from CLI, you can add some arguments to modify default options. The command line syntax is : APrf [filename][-c#][-f][-l#][-n#][-oF][-p#][-q{d|l}][-r#][-sP] [-t#][-B{k|p}][-C][-D#][-N#][-P#][-R][-T{f|s}] If you give the <filename> argument, the corresponding file will be taken as the file to be printed. Here's the description of the others arguments : -c# (Copies) Prints # copies of the file. Default value : # = 1. Minimal value : # = 1. Maximal value : # = 99. -f (Filter) The control characters (ASCII code lower than 32 or greater than 126) found in the file are not printed. -l# (Left margin) Sets a left margin of # characters. Take care that the margins setup in the Preferences is ALWAYS used. Default value : # = 0 Minimal value : # = 0. Maximal value : # = 99. -n# (line Numbers) Adds a # digits line number for each line printed. Default value : # = 0 (no line number). Minimal value : # = 0. Maximal value : # = 5. -oF (Output) Prints to file F (instead of printer). -p# (Page length) Sets page length to # lines. Default value : `Paper length' setup in Preferences. Minimal value : # = 5. Maximal value : # = 99. -q{d|l} (printing Quality) Selects the printing quality : -qd for draft quality -ql for letter quality Default value : `Print Quality' setup in Preferences. -r# (Right margin) Sets a right margin of # characters. Take care that the margins setup in the Preferences is ALWAYS used. Default value : # = 0 Minimal value : # = 0. Maximal value : # = 99. -sP (Selection) Selects the pages to print. P can be one of : x : only page x x-y : pages x to y x,y,z,... : pages x,y,z,... (maxi 10 pages) -t# (Tabulation) Sets tabulation width. Default value : # = 8. Minimal value : # = 1. Maximal value : # = 99. -B{k|p} (output Buffer) Selects output buffer size : -Bk for a 1 Kb buffer -Bp for a 1 page buffer Default value : 1 page buffer. See §4.2 for more details. -C (Condensed mode) Prints in condensed mode, that is line width is multiplied by 165% (e.g. 132 characters instead of 80). -D# (Date format) Sets date format in header. # can be one of : 0 : AmigaDOS format (dd-mmm-yy) 1 : International format (yy-mm-dd) 2 : American format (mm-dd-yy) 3 : European format (dd-mm-yy) Default value : # = 3. See §3.6 for more details. -N# (page Numbers) Sets first page number to #. Default value : # = 1. Minimal value : # = 1. Maximal value : # = 99. -P# (Presentation) Selects presentation. # can be one of : 0 : no presentation 1 : header (filename/page number/date) 2 : footer (page number) 3 : underlined header Default value : # = 1. See §3.6 for more details. -R (Raw mode) Lines too long are truncated, instead of be wrapped. -T{f|s} (paper Type) Selects paper type : -Tc for fandfold paper -Tf for single paper Default value : `Paper Type' setup in Preferences. If you make an error in the command line, a window will appear on the Workbench screen, with the message "Bad arguments ! Please read the documentation". Click into the window to make it disapear, and correct your command line. The `Tools' menu has a command that gives the command line corresponding to the current option settings (see §3.5 for details). 3.2 Running from WorkBench : ---------------------------- There's three ways to call APrf from Workbench, when you want to specify the files to print : - double-click on a `Project' icon which `Default tool' is APrf - click on one or more file icons and double-click on APrf icon, holding the SHIFT key down - click on APrf icon (and, if required, on some file icons) and double-click on a file icon, holding the SHIFT key down The files selected are transmitted to APrf, who displays the first filename in the `File to print' gadget (see §3.4). The `Next file' command of the `Project' menu allows you to skip to the next file, and the `Default options' command of the `Tools' menu will go back to the first selected file (see §3.5). As when running from CLI, you can give arguments to modify default options. To do this, click on the file icon and select the command `Info' of the `Workbench' menu (on Workbench screen). Then click on the `ADD' gadget of the `TOOL TYPES' zone, and add the arguments with the following syntax : APRF=[-c#][-f][-l#][-n#][-oF][-p#][-q{d|l}][-r#][-sP] [-t#][-B{k|p}][-C][-D#][-N#][-P#][-R][-T{f|s}] The description of these arguments can be found at the previous paragraph (§3.1). 3.3 Program starting : ---------------------- If all goes well, a new screen is opened, and you'll see several gadgets and a small box with the message `<CONTINUE> to start printing, <CANCEL> to quit program'. Else, a window will apear on the Workbench screen with a message telling you what problem occured. Click into the window to make it disapear, APrf stops and returns the value 10 (ERROR, see `If' command of AmigaDOS). If the message is `Can't open arp.library' please read §2. APrf can return the value 10 without displaying any message, but in only three situations : a) APrf couldn't open `intuition.library' b) APrf couldn't open `graphics.library' c) APrf couldn't open the error window However, I don't think this things will occur very often... I will now suppose that APrf is running well. The two following paragraphs are going to explain you how to use the gadgets and the menus of APrf. If you use APrf for the first time, I suggest to run the program in order to understand the explanations. 3.4 Gadgets : ------------- This paragraph describes all the gadgets from top to bottom and left to right : File to print : This gadget shows the name of the file to print. To modify its value just click on it, and a file requester appears. If you click on the CANCEL gadget of the file requester, or on the OK gadget without giving a file name, the previous name isn't modified. A '*' character appears on the right of the file name, when the file is loaded in memory (see §4.1). Output file : This gadget shows where the file will be printed. Default value is `PRT:' (printer), but can be changed with the -o option (see §3.1). To modify its value just click on it, and a file requester appears. If you click on the CANCEL gadget of the file requester the output file will be `PRT:'. Pages selected : This gadget shows which pages will be printed. Default value is `*' (all the pages), but can be changed with the -s option (see §3.1). To modify its value just click on it, and a small window with a string gadget will apear. Press Amiga-X to erase old value, and type the new one. Licits values are : * : all pages x : page x only x-y : pages x to y x,y,z,... : pages x,y,z,... (maxi 10 pages) To validate the new value press <RETURN> and to cancel it click on the close gadget of the window. Trunc : This gadget tells how will be treated lines too long. By default such lines are wrapped on several lines, but this can be changed with the -R option (see §3.1). To modify its value just click on it. Filter : This gadget tells if the control characters (ASCII code lower than 32 or greater than 126) found in the file to print will be send to printer or not. By default the filter is off, but this can be changed with the -f option (see §3.1). To modify its value just click on it. Presentation : This gadget shows the selected presentation (see §3.6). By default the presentation is `HEADER', but this can be changed with the -P option (see §3.1). To modify its value just click on it. Date : This gadget shows the date format in the header (see §3.6). By default the format is the european one, but this can be changed with the -D option (see §3.1). To modify its value just click on it. Condensed : This gadget tells if the file will be printed in condensed mode or not. By default it won't, but this can be changed with the -C option (see §3.1). To modify its value just click on it. The seven next gadgets specify : the number of lines per page, the left margin size, the right margin size, the tabulation size, the first page number, the line numbers size, and the number of copies to print. Each gadget shows the current value. To augment this value click on the plus sign, and to reduce it click on the minus sign. If the value doesn't change, you have reached the lower or the higher limit ! Lines per page : (see §3.1, -p option) Default value : `Paper length' setup in Preferences Lowest value : 5 Highest value : 99 Left margin : (see §3.1, -l option) Default value : `Left margin' setup in Preferences Lowest value : 0 Highest value : 99 Right margin : (see §3.1, -r option) Default value : `Right margin' setup in Preferences Lowest value : 0 Highest value : 99 Tabulation : (see §3.1, -t option) Default value : 8 Lowest value : 1 Highest value : 99 First page nbr : (see §3.1, -N option) Default value : 1 Lowest value : 1 Highest value : 99 Line numbers : (see §3.1, -n option) Default value : 0 (no line numbers) Lowest value : 0 (no line numbers) Highest value : 5 Copies : (see §3.1, -c option) Default value : 1 Lowest value : 1 Highest value : 99 Remains only three gadgets : Paper type : This gadget shows the paper type (single/fandfold). Default value is taken from `Paper type' setup in Preferences, but can be changed with the -T option (see §3.1). NOTE : paper type is significant only if you don't send output to a file. See §5 for details. CONTINUE : Click on this gadget to start or restart printing (see §5). CANCEL : Click on this gadget to quit program or to stop printing (see §5). 3.5 Menus : ----------- APrf has three menus : `Project', `Tools' and `Options'. Each command can be selected by mouse or by keyboard shortcut, but options have to be selected by mouse. Here are the options of the `Project' menu : `Next file' (Amiga-N) : If you have called APrf from Workbench and selected several icons, this command allows you to skip to the next file in the list. The `File to print' gadget is updated (see §3.4), and the previous file is removed of memory (if it had been loaded, see §4.1). `Print' (Amiga-P) : Start printing. `About...' (Amiga-A) : Displays some informations about APrf. `Iconify' (Amiga-I) : APrf go sleeping, freeing about 32 Kb of CHIP memory and some other workspace (the current file is removed of memory if it had been loaded). The screen is closed, and a small window (which title is `APrf v2.62') appears on the top left corner of the Workbench screen. To awake APrf, activate this window and click on the right mouse button. You can quit APrf without having to awake it, by clicking on the close gadget of the small window. `Quit' (Amiga-Q) : Quit APrf. Here are the options of the `Tools' menu : `Default Options' (Amiga-D) : Returns to default options (loads Preferences and scans command line). If you have called APrf from Workbench and selected several icons, the first file of the list becomes the file to print. This command may be useful, for example, if you modify the Preferences setup and want APrf to know about it. `Load file' (Amiga-L) : Loads the file to print in memory. If the file was already loaded, reload it (see §4.1). `Unload file' (Amiga-U) : Removes the file to print of memory (see §4.1). `Preview' (Amiga-V) : Actives the preview function (see §3.7). `Command line' (Amiga-C) : Displays the argument list to give to make the current options beeing the default options (see §3.1). Here are the options of the `Options' menu : `Quality' : Selects the printing quality. Default value is taken from `Print Quality' setup in Preferences, but can be changed with the -q option (see §3.1). A sub-menu apears, with two options (`letter' and `draft') and a checkmark on the left of the current quality. `Buffer' : Selects the buffer size. Default value is one page, but can be changed with the -B option (see §3.1). A sub-menu apears, with two options (`1 Kb' and `1 page') and a checkmark at the left of the current size. See §4.2 for details. 3.6 Presentations : ------------------- You can choose the presentation of the file to print between three : with a header (file name, page number, date), with a footer (page numer), or with a underlined header. You can also choose to make no presentation. The presentation choice can be made with the -P option (see §3.1) and with the `Presentation' gadget (see §3.4). Please note that any presentation takes two lines on the page (e.g. if the page is 60 lines long only 58 lines will be used to print text). When you choose a header, you can then choose one between four date formats : AmigaDOS format, International format, American format, or European format. This choice can be made with the -D option (see §3.1) and with the `Date' gadget (see §3.4). 3.7 The Preview mode : ---------------------- This function allows you to see the final aspect of the text, depending upon the current option settings. To use it, after option settings choose the `Preview' command in the `Tools' menu (or press Amiga-V). A window apears in the middle of the screen, and shows you how will look the first page selected. To see the next page, click inside the window. To stop the preview mode, click on the close gadget of the window. The size of the window is function of page size. The only thing you won't see with the preview mode is the line under the header, if you have chosen the underlined header presentation. +------------------------------------------------------------------+ | IMPORTANT NOTE !!!! | | | | If you work in NTSC mode (640x200), you won't be able to use the | | preview function if page length is greater than 86 lines. | +------------------------------------------------------------------+ 4. Memory management : ---------------------- This section describe how APrf uses memory. 4.1 The file to print : ----------------------- Before printing or previewing a file, APrf loads it in memory. Once it has been printed or previewed, the file is kept in memory in prevision of another print or preview operation. The great advantage is that APrf have not to load the file each time you ask a preview, or when you ask for printing after a preview. The file is removed from memory when : - APrf is iconified (see §3.5) - you choose a other file to print (see §3.4) - you select the `Next file' command of the `Project' menu (see §3.5) It can also be removed, but not always, if you select the `Default options' of the `Tools' menu. In addition, the `Load file' command of the `Tools' menu enforces APrf to load the file (it is reloaded if it was already in memory), while the `Unload file' command of the `Tools' menu makes APrf unload the file from memory. To let you know if the file to print is or isn't loaded in memory, APrf displays a `*' character on the right of the file name when it is loaded in memory. This behaviour can have two inconvenients. First of all, the file occupies memory even if you don't need it anymore. The solution is to iconify APrf (see §3.5) or to select the `Unload file' command of the `Tools' menu. The second inconvenient is that if you modify the file on disk, these changes will be ignored (because APrf won't load the file again). The solution is here to select the `Load file' command of the `Tools' menu. 4.2 The output buffer : ----------------------- APrf uses an output buffer, in order to send less "write" commands. With a 1 Kb buffer, printing to a file is twice faster than with the older releases of APrf whose buffer contained only one line. Even if printing to printer doesn't seems to be faster, the number of "write" commands is divided at least by 5 (at most by the number of lines in a page). Tests have proved that system charge was greatly reduced, and though that THE OTHER TASKS WERE LESS SLOWED DOWN. This release of APrf uses an output buffer of one page (see §3.5). When you change page size, the output buffer is automaticaly re-allocated. If you iconify APrf, the output buffer is desallocated and will be re-allocated the next time you'll ask for printing. If there's not enough memory to allocate this one page buffer, APrf tries to allocate a 1 Kb buffer (a message tells you about this). If there's still not enough memory, APrf will stop with the error message `Not enough memory'. 5. Miscellaneous : ------------------ If `Paper type' indicates `single', here is the behaviour of APrf : at the end of each page, the program displays the message `Please insert a new sheet of paper'. When printer is ready, just click on CONTINUE to print the next page. Click on CANCEL to abort printing (WARNING : there's no confirmation asking). You can abort printing at any time, by clicking on the CANCEL gadget. APrf will stop to send data to printer (but the printer will still have to flush its buffer) and display the message `<CONTINUE> to restart printing, <CANCEL> to stop printing'. Please note that this message can be quite long to apear (the program can be write-blocked). You can then click on the CONTINUE gadget to restart printing, or on the CANCEL gadget to definitly abort printing.