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VINSTALL.DOC
------------
[Supplement to VDE.DOC 1.52]
Instructions for Macros and VINSTALL utility
(c)1987-90 Eric Meyer
================================ CONTENTS ==================================
(continued)
6. MACROS. Explanation and examples of:
Function keys, Key redefinition files, Macros, Macro keys, Macro
programming, Recording macros.
7. RUNNING VINSTALL. How to use VINSTALL.COM to modify VDE.COM.:
A. INSTALLATION. Installing for different computer hardware:
============ Screen size; IBM compatibility; Colors; Fonts; Snow.
B. USER OPTIONS. Customization of many initial VDE settings.
C. PRINTER INSTALLATION. Using special printer features:
print modes, graphics, etc.
D. DEFAULT MACRO KEYS. Installing a default set of macro keys.
E. DEFAULT FUNCTION KEYS. Installing the function keys.
F. GRAPHICS. Modifying the default set of graphics characters.
G. CHARACTER WIDTHS. Modifying the default set of character widths.
H. RESTORE DEFAULTS. Undoing previous modifications.
================================ 6. MACROS =================================
(Command mode only)
Macros are a sophisticated and powerful tool for automating repetitive
tasks. A "macro" is a string of VDE commands and/or text that you can type in
once and then have repeated automatically. (Note: for large pieces of boiler-
plate text, read in disk files with ^KR instead.) A "function key" is a macro
assigned to one of the [F1]...[F40] keys, while a "macro key" is a macro
assigned to a key Esc0...9 or EscA...Z; these can all be defined either while
editing, or with VINSTALL. "Macro programming" involves the use of special
commands allowing a macro to perform more complex operations including loops
and conditional execution, much like a programming language.
VDE's 76 user-definable macros allow you to customize it for any task,
such as the formatting requirements of specialized professional writing, or
many programming languages. Many examples are given below.
To create a macro, while editing, you can:
(1) use the Esc[ command, and type the necessary keystrokes at the
prompt. You may want to plan or compose the macro first, using pen and
paper. Certain keystrokes, like [Ret] or ^X, are line editing commands,
and must be preceded by a ^P to enter them into the macro; the input line
has a 65-key limit. See MACROS, PROMPTS.
(2) use the Esc" command. Type the desired keystrokes, exactly as
you would while editing: no ^P prefixes are required, and you will see the
results as you type. There is a 128-key limit. See RECORDING MACROS.
Macros execute EXACTLY as though you had typed the given keys yourself.
EXAMPLE: to read in a letterhead file called LETTER.HDR at the top of your
file, you would type:
^QR to get to the top of the file
^KR to read in a file
LETTER.HDR to specify filename at the "Read file:" prompt
[Ret] to end the filename input
So this is exactly what you need to enter in your macro. Note that ALL the
input -- every keystroke, including answers to prompts, [Ret] keystrokes, and
so on -- MUST be included. For further details see MACROS.
Note that the results of a macro may depend on various settings at the
time it is run! A problem of sorts arises with "toggles" -- commands that
reverse a state -- since the macro doesn't know what state they were in to
begin with. So macros that employ ^OS, ^OV, and other similar commands must
be used with care -- be sure everything is set properly before invoking them.
There is one exception: the Insert toggles (^V,^]) are so much of a
problem that VDE actually turns INSERT OFF before running any macro, so you
can be sure that you are initially NOT in insert mode, or, that when the first
^V or ^] is encountered in the macro, you ARE. Thus the macro "Hello" will
overwrite any existing text, while "^VHello" will insert -- regardless of the
insert status when the macro is used. The previous status is restored when
the macro terminates.
Once again, ordinarily macros are completely self-contained, and NEVER
request input from the keyboard while running. There are two exceptions:
(1) If a reformat (^B) operation is in progress and
dehyphenation is required, the "Remove?" prompt will appear in
the header and a "Y/N" answer will be necessary to continue.
(This is a decision the macro can't make.) See REFORMAT.
(2) Using the AltR command in macros is tricky: input while
running a program must come from the keyboard. (VDE resumes
control only when the program ends.) See RUN COMMAND.
USING MACROS
FUNCTION KEYS ([F1]...[F40]) - Up to 40 macros can be assigned to function
keys; they can then be recalled and used with one keystroke. Each of the
10 IBM function keys can be used with Shift, Ctrl, or Alt, to produce:
Shift-[F1]...[F10] = [F11]...[F20]
Ctrl-[F1]...[F10] = [F21]...[F30]
Alt-[F1]...[F10] = [F31]...[F40]
The new Extended (101-key) keyboards actually have extra keys labeled
[F11] and [F12]; VDE will not recognize these keys.
Otherwise, function keys are defined (with the Esc[ or Esc] command,
or with VINSTALL) and used exactly like macro keys. See MACRO KEYS.
KEY DEFINITION FILES (AltU) - These files save sets of macro key or function
key definitions, and should be given file types of ".VDK" and ".VDF",
respectively. You can load any key file, along with your text file(s) to
edit, from the command line (see SYNTAX). In addition, they can be loaded
or saved with the AltU command while editing in VDE, and can also be
created or installed as defaults in your copy of VDE with the VINSTALL
program (see below).
The AltU command will ask whether you want to "L"oad or "S"ave such a
file, then prompt for the name of the file. The filetype MUST be ".VDK"
or ".VDF", and will determine whether MACRO or FUNCTION keys are affected.
If you load such a file, those definitions will replace any previous ones.
If you save, the current definitions will be written to the file.
MACROS (Esc[,]) - When you are in the middle of doing something in VDE, and
find that you need to do something many times, it may be less tedious to
have it repeated automatically. If you type Esc[ you will be asked first
for the string to execute; then, whether you want to Use or Store it. (On
storing keys, see MACRO KEYS.)
If you Use the macro, you will be asked for an optional "Quiet"
designation, then a "Repeat count". You can speed up macro execution by
specifying "Quiet" mode: only the header will be updated as the macro
runs. (Don't do this if the macro concludes by requesting user input --
the necessary prompts would not display!) For the repeat count, you can
type a number of times to repeat (0-254), or "*" for indefinitely. You
will see the results as the macro executes, and you can abort it at any
time by pressing Esc.
Macros also stop if an error occurs; the error message will be
visible, and can be cleared by pressing Esc. Many commands (like Find or
Reformat) are designed to generate errors at the end of the file so that
an indefinite ("*") macro containing them will halt there. Other indef-
inite macros may need to be aborted manually.
Once defined, a macro can be re-used with the Esc] command, which
again gives you the options to Use or Store the previously defined macro.
In order to include any input line editing characters (BS (^H), [Ret]
(^M), ^J, ^X, ^U, ^P) in a macro, you must prefix them with ^P. (NOTE:
To make them easier to read and understand, macro listings will be given
here as they function, not as they are typed in. ^P prefixes as needed
are NOT shown: remember that you need to add them! Keystrokes are often
separated by spaces for clarity; the "_" symbol is used to represent an
actual space character typed. Here are some sample macros:
1. Reformat an entire file (Wordstar ^QQB): after Esc[, just enter
^B
Specify quiet and indefinite repeat as options ("Q*").
2. View a file by scrolling slowly through it:
Esc; ^C
This will pause, then scroll down. (Use a repeat count of "*".)
3. Enter a long graphics border for a box. (This can get tedious by
hand.) Assuming graphic "Y" is the horizontal bar,
AltG Y
will enter one character. You can get a line 40 characters long by giving
a repeat count of "40" (and the "Q"uiet option will avoid unnecessarily
displaying the menu).
4. Can you figure out what this one does, if entered with a repeat
count of "*"? (Answer: .elif eht fo dne eht ta meht fo tsil a gnikam
elif a fo tuo sesehtnerap ni stnemmoc ekat lliw tI)
^QR ^QF(^J ^G ^KB ^QF)^J ^G ^KK ^QC [Ret] ^KV
VDE macros are very powerful tools, particularly given their program
ability and storage on macro Keys.
MACRO KEYS (Esc0...Z) - Both the Esc[ and Esc] commands also give the option
of storing the macro definition to a MACRO KEY. Up to 36 of these can be
stored on keys 0...9,A...Z; they can then be called up with two
keystrokes. (40 more can be stored on IBM function keys; see FUNCTION
KEYS.) Example: if stored to key 3, a macro can be reused simply by
typing Esc3.
Ordinarily, macro keys operate just like the original macro: they
will ask for a "Repeat count" when executed. In many cases (boilerplate
text, for example), you will want a key to execute only once when invoked;
if so, specify "N"o-repeat when storing the definition to a key. Or you
can instead specify "Q"uiet, if you also want the key to run in Quiet mode
(to increase speed and minimize display activity).
There is a total of 982 bytes available for all 36 keys, and a 128
byte limit for any one key. (VDE's own input line will only accept 65
bytes, but VINSTALL can handle up to the full 128.) Trying to use an
undefined key results in an error. You can delete a key definition by
entering an empty macro string (Esc[, CR) and storing it to the key. Keys
defined with Esc] are of course temporary. (VINSTALL lets you install
definitions permanently; see DEFAULT MACRO/FUNCTION KEYS.)
EXAMPLES: Besides simply storing any macro, these Keys are useful for
storing a frequently repeated phrase; "EscW" is much more convenient than
"World Wide Widgets Ltd. (N.A.)". You might also define one as a common
command like ^PS, for underlining; or a set of margins, like ^OR60[Ret]
^OL5[Ret]. A key defined as ^QR ^N AltD ^OF would place the current date
at the top right of a letter.
MACRO PROGRAMMING (Esc0...Z,!,=,~,(),+,-,&,;) - VDE has several commands that
operate only within a macro definition, and give you conditional control
over the execution of a macro, allowing real programming.
Esc0...Z, when placed IN a macro, function simply as "labels" 0...Z.
They have no effect, but can be "jumped" to by other commands.
Esc! followed by 0...Z is a "jump" instruction, causing macro
execution to resume with the command following that label. Example: Esc!2
jumps to label 2. As two special cases, Esc![ jumps to the beginning of
the macro, and Esc!] jumps to the end (aborts).
Esc= and Esc~ perform tests on the character at the current cursor
position. There are two ways to use them:
(1) Followed by a character, then a label 0...Z (or
"[","]"), they are conditional jumps: they jump IF the
character does (or for "~", does NOT) match the one
specified. Example: Esc~^M2 jumps to label 2 if the current
character is NOT a CR.
(2) Followed by a character, then ">" or "<", they are
search loops. They will continue to move the cursor right
(or for "<", left) as long as the character at the cursor
does (or for "~", doesn't) match, or until the beginning or
end of the file. Example: Esc=_> moves right as long as the
current character is a space (so it stops on a NONspace).
Several commands allow the use of a counter variable. Esc() sets
the value: for example, Esc(0) initializes it to zero. The Esc+ command
simply increments the value; Esc- (minus) decrements the value, then jumps
if it is zero to a specified label. (In addition to a number, you may use
"[" or "]" for the start or end of the macro, or "@" to avoid jumping
entirely.) Example: Esc-] decrements the counter, jumping to the end
(exiting) if it reaches zero.
Esc&, followed by 0...Z, is used to "chain" to another macro key. In
this way you can build up strings longer than the 65/128-byte limit on any
one key. This is a "jump", not a "call"; there is no returning. Example:
Esc&M causes key M to execute. (You cannot chain to function keys.)
Esc; (semicolon) gives a brief pause before execution continues,
presumably so the user can see what's happening on screen.
Macro programs are stored just like any other macro string (usually
as No-repeat). If you program an endless loop, you will at some point
have to abort by pressing Esc. Don't make macro programs Quiet until
you're sure they work.
EXAMPLE 1: here is a good macro program (best stored as a Quiet key)
to move the cursor to the start of the current sentence:
Esc~.1 ^S Esc1 Esc~.< Esc2 ^D Esc=_2 Esc=^M2
You could write this out in programmer's pseudo-code as:
If not "." goto label1
Move left ;move left if already on period
label1: While not "." move left ;move left to previous period
label2: Move right ;now move back right
If " " goto label2 ; as long as you see a space
If "^M" goto label2 ; or a Return
(all done)
EXAMPLE 2: a macro to move to the start of the current paragraph:
^QS ^S^S Esc=_[ ^D^D
EXAMPLE 3: if you have some text that you can't reformat because
every line ends in HARD CRs, here is a macro that will "soften up" one
paragraph's worth, leaving just one HARD CR at the end:
^QS ^X Esc=_] Esc=^M] ^S ^V_^V ^D Esc![
EXAMPLE 4: a macro to match parentheses. Many programming languages
use nested sets of parentheses, for example "{}" in C. This program, when
the cursor is placed on an open bracket "{", will move ahead to find the
closed bracket "}" that matches it:
Esc~{] Esc(0) Esc1 Esc~{2 Esc+ Esc!3
Esc2 Esc~}3 Esc-]
Esc3 ^D Esc!1
RECORDING MACROS (Esc") - As an alternative to composing macros and using the
Esc[ command to type them in, you can simply record a macro from a
sequence of keystrokes as you go about a task. Press Esc" to activate
recording; type away; then press Esc" again to conclude. You will then be
asked whether to use or store it, etc (see MACROS). No confusing ^P
prefixes are needed, and you can take advantage of the full 128-key length
limit. While recording, a quote mark (") will be visible in the upper
right (prefix) area of the header, if the header is displayed.
Notes: (1) Esc" initially turns INSERT OFF, so that your keystrokes
will behave as they would in the macro you are defining. See explanation
above under MACROS. (2) Function and macro key commands themselves will
not work while macro recording is in progress.
========================== 7. RUNNING VINSTALL =============================
VINSTALL is a utility that lets you customize your copy of the VDE
editor. A few choices will be important from the first: for example, VDE
operates by default in Command mode, and if you prefer MenuBar mode you will
need to change this with VINSTALL. There are many more options that you need
not concern yourself with at first: in the course of using VDE, you will
discover how you want these things set. However, there are important changes
you will need to make to VDE before using it, if you have a computer that:
* Is not fully IBM compatible (BIOS, video).
* Experiences "snow" problems with programs that write
directly to video memory (older style CGA adapters).
You should begin using VINSTALL soon; once you have modified VDE.COM, the
introductory messages in VDE and VINSTALL will no longer appear.
Your copies of the program files will be called VDE.COM and VINSTALL.COM,
though of course you can rename them (I usually call them V.COM and VI.COM).
To run VINSTALL simply type:
C>vinstall if your copy is still called "VDE.COM"
or C>vinstall V.COM if it's called "V.COM" (or whatever).
Notes: VINSTALL modifies the file VDE.COM; always keep an unmodified
original copy of all VDE files in case problems arise! The version numbers of
VINSTALL and VDE (and any auxiliary key or printer files, see below) must
agree, or you will get an error.
VINSTALL is fully menu-driven; it will present you with a set of
categories that corresponds to each section below, starting with Installation;
you select the values you want to change. The program is largely self-
documenting, and steps you through each item individually. If this is your
first time, take advantage of its "Help" option before you start in, for some
basic instructions. You may also find a good ASCII chart helpful for
deciphering your printer codes. VINSTALL uses several types of data entry:
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 a two-digit hex byte value 00-FF. (Don't omit lead zeros.)
BYTE STRINGS - fixed length: enter the required number of hex bytes.
variable: enter the (hex) count for the number of bytes,
followed by the bytes themselves. Example: (02)1B3D. This
format is referred to below as "(#),bytes".
VINSTALL can't check for illegal values; be careful what you enter!
At most points in VINSTALL, you can press Esc to return immediately to
the Main Menu, or ^C to abort the program.
----------------------------- A. INSTALLATION ------------------------------
VDE will not run properly on computers that are not 100% IBM compatible,
unless you use VINSTALL to provide the necessary display information. (Note:
the HP Portable Plus is also supported, as a "near compatible".)
The IBM PC installation gives the best performance, but requires an IBM
standard BIOS and a supported video adapter (MDA,CGA,EGA,VGA). You can
customize the display (colors, fonts etc) to your preferences.
The non-IBM installation will run on any system that supports ANSI
standard screen control sequences (eg, the ANSI.SYS screen driver -- you must
have the statement DEVICE=ANSI.SYS or equivalent in your CONFIG.SYS file).
You must also specify the size of your screen. This installation can of
course also be used on IBM compatibles, in the event that direct video access
is undesirable. It will even work in "remote" applications, such as high-
speed modem connections, with appropriate terminal software on the user's end.
IBM PC PARAMETERS:
Screen colors - you can select six video attribute bytes: one for normal text;
one for block text; one for soft CR markers; one for the header; one for
menus and prompts; and one for highlights (prompts, etc). Each is two hex
digits, for a background and foreground color. You will see a color
palette displayed on screen; the color digits are:
*0 = BLACK 4 = red *8 = GREY C = lt red
1 = blue 5 = magenta 9 = lt blue D = lt magenta
2 = green 6 = brown A = lt green E = yellow
3 = cyan *7 = WHITE B = lt cyan *F = BRIGHT WHITE
(* - All monochrome screens can display BLACK, WHITE, and BRIGHT WHITE; in
some cases, GREY may also be visible.)
Any digit may be used for the the foreground, but only 0-7 for
background (8-F produce blinking video... ugh). You will probably want
the header and highlight attributes to have the same background.
Make cursor "D"efault,"B"lock,"U"nderline (D/B/U) - You can choose the cursor
type you want during editing. Choose "D"efault to leave it whatever it
was before VDE was run.
Problems with CGA snow (Y/N) - Normally No. Some older CGA cards experience
ugly "snow" 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 slightly reduced.)
NON-IBM PC PARAMETERS: (automatically set for IBM PC)
Clock speed in MHz - Set this decimal value to reflect your CPU clock speed.
Common values are 5 (for 4.77), 8, 10, 12, etc. Adjust the value if
desired to change the length of delays in VDE. (At present this involves
only the "Esc;" macro command and the horizontal scroll delay.)
Terminal init - enter an optional string of code (#),bytes to be sent to the
screen after clearing the screen, whenever (re)entering VDE.
Terminal uninit - enter an optional string of code (#),bytes to be sent to the
screen upon exiting from VDE back to DOS. (Max. lengths: 0F = 15 bytes.)
Viewable columns (80-255) - normally 80; set to the column width of your
display, if different.
Viewable lines (16-255) - normally 25; if you have a shorter or longer default
display (on entry to VDE), enter the length here.
Fast scroll supported (Y/N) - Does your computer respond to the ANSI sequences
for insert/delete line (Esc-[-L,M)? If so, set this to "Y" for a faster
display. (Default is "N", as MSDOS ANSI.SYS does not support these codes;
some enhanced console drivers, such as NANSI.SYS, do. The display will
not work properly if you select "Y" with the standard ANSI.SYS.)
----------------------------- B. USER 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 user commands.
Use COMMAND mode (Y/N) - Do you want VDE to use its WordStar-compatible
command set? If not, MenuBar mode is used. See OPERATING MODES.
Autosave interval (min.) - Do you want VDE to save your work to disk auto-
matically at intervals? If so, enter 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 save
over 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 considered the
end of a file? MSDOS software should not require this, but some early
programs (like their CP/M predecessors) did use this convention. Normally
set this to No: VDE will ignore ^Z on input, and will not add ^Z on
output. If set to Yes, VDE will consider a ^Z encountered on input as the
end of the file, and will put ^Z at the end of each file on output.
Exclude COM/EXE files (Y/N) - Normally "Y": executable programs (files with
types of .COM or .EXE) will not show in the ^KF directory display (unless
the filetype is specified explicitly), and cannot be edited. This is a
protection feature; you can damage such files by trying to edit them. To
disable, set to "N".
Default file mode - Which of the six file modes (A,W,5,P,X,N) described in
VDE.DOC do you want as the default? (Originally "A".)
Auto mode select filetypes - You can specify four 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.
Insert mode (I/W/O) - Which insert mode setting do you want to start out with:
Insert, Word insert, or Overstrike (insert off)?
Header on (Y/N) - Do you want the header (^OQ) to start out ON? (Normally Yes)
Ruler on (Y/N) - Do you want the Ruler (^OT) to start out ON? (Normally No)
HCR display on (Y/N) - Do you want Hard CR display (^OB) to start out ON when
editing a Document ("W,A" modes) with VDE?
Hyphenation on (Y/N) - Do you want hyphenation (^OH) to start out ON?
Case-insensitive search (Y/N) - Do you want string searches (^QF) to be case
insensitive by default? Normally, No; if Yes, specifying the "U"ppercase
option while using ^QF will force a case SENSITIVE search.
Left and Right margin columns (1-255) - Default margin settings for "W/A"
modes. Set both to 1 to disable wordwrap and reformatting entirely.
Reserve status line (Y/N) - Do you want VDE to reserve the bottom (normally
25th) screen line for use as a status or function key line by special
software? (Normally No, VDE uses this line for text.)
Scroll overlap (0-255) - This is the number of lines overlap between screens
when scrolling: the smaller, the larger the scroll. Originally set to 2,
for a nearly full scroll. Keep this smaller than your screen size!
Ring bell on error (Y/N) - Do you want the bell to ring when a VDE error
message displays?
[BkSp] (^H) deletes to left (Y/N) - Do you want the [BackSpace] (^H) key to
delete characters? Originally No - it just moves the cursor left.
[Del] deletes to right (Y/N) - Do you want the [Delete] key to remove the char-
acter to the right? Originally No - it deletes to the left, as in
WordStar. (NOTE: whichever you choose, Ctrl-[Del] will do the opposite.)
[Home,End] move left/right on line (Y/N) - Do you want the [Home] and [End]
keys to move to the start or end of the line? Originally No -- they move
to the top or bottom of the screen, as in WordStar 4.
Variable tab stops - Enter up to 8 variable tab stop columns, in ascending
order. Fill unused values with 0. Defaults: 6, 15, 35, 55. (Note: hard
tabs display at intervals of 8 columns, and cannot be adjusted.)
Show time as AM/PM, not 24 hr (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.)
European date format (day,month,yr) (Y/N) - Do you want the date to display in
European format? Originally No, meaning US Format (month,day,year).
(Affects AltD command and ^D in print headers.)
Show date numerically (Y/N) - Do you want AltD to enter the date numerically
(eg 1/15/88)? Originally No, meaning verbose (eg January 15, 1988).
------------------------- C. PRINTER INSTALLATION --------------------------
Printers vary enormously. 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.) The defaults installed in VDE are a standard "IBM/Epson
FX" driver, and a "Simple" driver that can send plain text to any printer, but
does not support any print controls other than underline and strikeout. These
and several other pre-defined drivers can be selected from a menu within
VINSTALL. In addition, you can modify either of the drivers, or create your
own. (To modify the Alternate driver, you must temporarily make it the
selected one.)
If your printer is not on the driver menu, but emulates or resembles one
that is, start out using that driver, and refine it as needed. Failing this,
you must simply refer to your printer manual and install all the necessary
codes yourself.
NOTE: If you have to create or SIGNIFICANTLY modify a
driver for use with your printer, please send me the data
so that I can revise or add a new driver for it. Drop me a
postcard, or Email your VDP file to my CompuServe ID.
VINSTALL can use special Printer Installation files to store and retrieve
other printer definitions. These should have a file type of ".VDP". You have
the option to read in or write out such a file, as well as editing the
following values individually. This makes it easy to save your installation
and to pass it along to others.
Printer ID - Identify the printer you are installing. (16 characters)
IBM graphics printer (Y/N) - Normally No; if you can print the IBM extended
ASCII characters, set this to Yes. If No, VDE will "emulate" graphics on
printing, choosing standard character overstrikes that come close.
Send LF after CR (Y/N) - Normally Yes. But with some printers, which manufac-
ture their own LF on receiving a CR, you will want No here.
Page length (0-255) - Set the number of text lines to print on a page. (Does
not include another 3 lines for a header or page number, if used.)
Top margin (0-255) - Set the number of blank lines to skip as a top margin
before printing each page. This value (not included in the page length)
can be used to position the paper properly. Default is 0.
Reserve space for header (Y/N) - Default is Yes; when printing without header
or page number, 3 blank lines will be kept clear of text on each page, so
that the physical page layout is the same. If No, an additional 3 lines
of text will print.
Left margin (0-255) - Set the number of blank columns to skip as a left margin
before printing each line. Useful if you can't set the margin on your
printer with an initialization string. Default is 0.
Printer initialization - Enter an optional string of code (#),bytes to send to
the printer before each print job, to set default margins, print modes etc.
Max. length here and below is 1F = 31 bytes. (NOTE: the ^KP command has
an option to specify additional codes at print time. See PRINTING.)
Printer deinitialization - Enter another string (#),bytes to send to the
printer after each print job, to restore printer to desired state on exit.
Proportional printing - Enter the codes needed to set your printer for
proportional printing, when ^OJ is engaged, and then to turn this off.
Both strings are entered as (#),bytes.
Codes for toggles (on/off) - 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
^D doublestrike ^T superscript
^S underline ^V subscript
but you can use them for anything you want. Example: IBM/Epson printers
require three-byte sequences to turn continuous underlining on and off:
Underline on Esc - 1 hex 1B 2D 31 dec 27 45 49
off Esc - 0 1B 2D 30 27 45 48
You would enter the hex data, starting with the byte count:
Underline (^PS) on: (03)1B2D31
...and off: (03)1B2D30
You should find the necessary ASCII hex codes in your printer manual.
(NOTES: ^PS will underline text by overstriking with "_" if you do
not install printer codes for it. The ^PX toggle, for strikeout, requires
no installation at all.)
Codes for switches - The same idea, but for switches, which send the same
codes every time they are used. WordStar calls the switches:
^P^Q user1 \
^W user2 \ (no standard ^A alternate pitch
^E user3 / meaning) ^N normal pitch
^R user4 /
but once again, you can use them for anything you want: fonts, etc.
-------------------------- D. DEFAULT MACRO KEYS ---------------------------
VDE has a set of 36 Macro Keys (available in command mode only!), corres-
ponding to the commands Esc0...9 and EscA...Z. The default macro definitions
are those attached to these commands when VDE is first entered. By changing
them you can configure VDE to suit your own specialized writing requirements.
(Any Keys defined with Esc] while using VDE override these defaults.)
NOTE: If you have favorite macros or macro programs,
please consider sharing them with other users of VDE. Drop
me a postcard, or Email your macros to my CompuServe ID.
VINSTALL can use Key Definition files to store macro key sets. These
should have a file type of ".VDK", for ease of identification. You have the
option to read in or write out such a file, as well as editing the keys
individually. (VDK files can also be read or saved with VDE's AltU command,
but only VINSTALL can display the definitions.)
VINSTALL gives you a display much like this:
Macro Keys: (___ bytes free) <---- note room (up to 982)
[Esc0]<>
[Esc1]<> <---- "<>" flag means empty
[Esc2]<>
[Esc3]^[;^C <---- normal macro key
[Esc4]<>
[Esc5]<N>World Wide Widgets Inc. <---- "<N>" flag means no-rpt key
[Esc6]<>
[Esc7]<Q>^QR^KB^QC^KK^KC <---- "<Q>" flag means quiet key
[Esc8]<>
[Esc9]<>
Just select the number of the Key you want to redefine, then type in the new
definition, much as you would in VDE. All the same rules apply (but VINSTALL
will accept longer keys, up to 128 bytes). If the new definition is too long
to fit it will be rejected.
There are several different ranges of keys, which can be displayed and
modified in a range of 10 at a time (for example, keys 0-9, or A-J).
VDE.ARC comes with a macro key file EXAMPLES.VDK, containing several
macros discussed above under MACROS and MACRO PROGRAMMING:
[Esc0]<Q>^QR^NAltD^OF ;put date at top right
[Esc1]<Q>^QS^S^S^[= [^D^D ;move to start of paragraph
[Esc2]<Q>^[~.1^S^[1^[~.<^[2^D^[= 2^[=^M2 ;move to start of sentence
[Esc3]<Q>^QS^X^[=^M]^S^V ^V^D^[![ ;soften hard-CR paragraph
(Note that "Esc" displays as "^[".)
------------------------- E. DEFAULT FUNCTION KEYS -------------------------
VDE also has a set of 40 Function Keys (available in command mode only!),
corresponding to the [F1]...[F10] keys in their normal, Shift-, Ctrl-, and
Alt- usage (sometimes referred to collectively as [F1]...[F40]). These are
identical in features and functions to the Macro Keys discussed above. You
can easily configure these to match the standard function-key configuration
for Wordstar's key overlay, to correspond to Word Perfect function-key usage,
or in any other way you like.
VINSTALL can use Function Key Definition files to store function-key
sets. These should have a file type of ".VDF", for ease of identification.
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 VINSTALL can display the definitions.)
VINSTALL gives you a display much like this:
Function keys 1-10: (___ bytes free) <---- note room (up to 982)
[F1]<>
[F2]<> <---- "<>" flag means empty
[F3]<>
[F4]<Q>^OL5^M^OR60^M <---- normal function key
[F5]<>
[F6]<>
[F7]<>
[F8]<>
[F9]<Q>^PS
[F0]<Q>^PY
This works just like the macro keys above, with four sets of 10 keys to define
(Normal, Shift, Ctrl, Alt).
VDE.ARC includes sample function-key files which you can read in 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] ^V^PS^V ^L Upper-left corner
[F4] ^V^PB^V ^QI Upper-right corner
[F5] ^Y ^KY ^OL Lower-left corner
[F6] ^T ^KU ^OR Lower-right corner
[F7] ^KV Upper T graphic
[F8] ^KC Lower T
[F9] ^KS ^KB ^QS Left T
[F0] ^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 (eg, [F9]).
WP.VDF NORMAL SHIFT CTRL ALT
[F1] ^U Esc?Y AltR
[F2] ^QF ^QA
[F3] ^J Esc?C ^OD
[F4] ^I^OL^M Esc?B Esc?B
[F5] ^KF AltD ^PZ
[F6] ^V^PB^V ^OC ^OF
[F7] Esc?E Esc?P
[F8] ^V^PS^V Esc?T Esc?S Esc?S
[F9]
[F0] ^KS Esc?F Esc[
-------------------------- F. GRAPHICS CHARACTERS --------------------------
VDE allows text to contain a limited, but variable, set of 32 characters
in the range 80-FFh (on an IBM PC, these are typically graphics or foreign
characters; see GRAPHICS). In addition, the code ^Z (1Ah) must be treated as
a graphics character. VINSTALL lets you specify your own default graphics
set. Keep a fair amount of space free in it if you frequently work with files
with many graphics characters, in order to avoid overflowing the table.
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, 1-5) whether
vacant or not; furthermore, you may type "-" to clear them all. (Graphic 6
cannot be changed; it always remains a fuzzy block.) In VINSTALL, 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 "?". Simply pressing [Ret] means "free" or undefined.
Note that your Printer Installation determines how graphics will print.
--------------------------- G. CHARACTER WIDTHS ----------------------------
In order to judge the margins correctly when formatting, VDE's
proportional printing feature (^OJ) needs to know how wide each character is
when it prints. The default width table will probably work fairly well with
any standard ASCII font (eg, "m" is wider than "i", and so on).
If you would like to fine-tune this table to correspond to your own
printer instead, you can measure your own font and modify the width table as
needed. (You must know the character widths in 1/256"; the easiest way to get
this is to print out a line of 64 of each character, measure the length in
multiples of 1/16", and divide by 4. The result is typically between 10 and
30.) Just type the character, then enter the width as a decimal value.
Note that this doesn't affect how your printer operates -- just how VDE
judges the length of each line for wordwrap, when ^OJ is on.
--------------------------- H. RESTORE DEFAULTS ----------------------------
This option on the VINSTALL menu is provided in the event that you want
to undo any changes that you (or someone else) has made to your copy of VDE.
This should return VDE to the state it was distributed in: installation for
IBM PC, all User Options restored to their defaults, printer driver set to
Simple, no Macro or Function Keys, original Graphics characters and Character
widths.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Eric Meyer, 401 12th Ave SE #139, Norman OK 73071 ---
===================================[end]======================================