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FIX_DAT.DOC
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1989-04-14
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3KB
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66 lines
Documentation File for FIX_DAT.EXE
This program was written because I couldn't print 12 point
Helvetica and 12 Point Zapfhumanist on the same page on my HP
Laserjet II printer. It was a letter to the IRS and was sorta
important.
I called MS Support and was told that there was a "problem" with
the MERGEPRD program. Well, I though, I'll just write my own
download program that doesn't use the .DAT file where the problem
lies. I soon changed my mind. I decided instead to write a
program to fix the .DAT file that the DOWN program reads to send
control codes to the printer.
The problem with the .DAT file is a follows: When MERGEPRD
creates the .DAT file for the new PRD file, it doesn't bother to
assign each possible font a unique number as required by the
Laserjet. Consequently, if two fonts that you might want to use
happen to have the same number, the second font file overlays the
first in the printer and you no longer have use of the first font.
The syntax of the command line is:
FIX_DAT filename.dat [/F:P]
FIX_DAT.EXE fixes this problem by performing the following steps:
1. It looks for the .DAT file you specify in the current
directory. It makes no attemp at anything fancy. You have to run
the program from the directory where the .DAT file resides.
2. It immediately renames the .DAT file you specify by changing
the extension of the file to .OLD, i.e. HPFONTS.DAT becomes
HPFONTS.OLD. This is a precaution that will allow you to recover
the original .DAT file if you change your mind.
3. It writes a new .DAT file to the current directory with the
fonts renumbered in such a way that the Laserjet can use them
without overlaying them.
4. If you have specified the optional '/F:P' parameter, the
new .DAT file will create permanant soft fonts instead of the
normal temporary soft fonts that MERGEPRD and MAKEPRD create.
This will allow you to use the FONT PRINT capabilities of the
Laserjet to look at the fonts that have been downloaded. Again,
this is optional. If you specify nothing, the fonts will be
created as temporary.
It should be noted that this program is of the "Quick and
Dirty" variety, and as such, extensive error trapping and checking
are not performed. Don't use this on any .DAT file that doesn't
have HP Softfont codes. It is not a general all purpose
fix-it-all do everything kind of program. It fixes .DAT files
that were created by MERGEPRD which contain combined HP LJ
soft fonts. Period.
I hope you can use this program. Comments are welcome to:
Clark Hensley, 72177,622
or on MCI Mail to: CHENSLEY
My telephone number is 415-621-3700 from 9:00-5:00 (Pacific
Daylight Time). My idea of a great start to a great day is not to
receive a HELP call from some unthinking person calling from the
Eastern Time Zone at 8:00 AM THEIR time. (;{)