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F i l e B U D D Y (tm)
More Than Just A File Viewer
Version 3.01
USER'S GUIDE
Copyright (c) 1992 Lenard Dean
All Rights Reserved
December 23, 1992
Warranty And License
====================
This software and accompanying documentation is provided AS-IS.
Even though the author has tested this software and reviewed its
documentation, NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION RELATING TO IT IS
MADE, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT
LIMITATION, THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR
ANY PURPOSE. THE AUTHOR ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES, DIRECT
OR CONSEQUENTIAL, WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE,
even if advised of the possibility of such damages. THE USER
BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THIS
SOFTWARE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY DAMAGES EXCEED THE PRICE PAID
FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THIS SOFTWARE REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF
CLAIM.
You ARE encouraged to pass along copies of FileBUDDY to friends
and favorite BBSs. Please keep all the files together.
Ombudsman (ASP)
===============
This program is produced by _______
a member of the Association ____|__ | (R)
of Shareware Professionals --| | |-------------------
(ASP). ASP wants to make | ____|__ | Association of
sure that the shareware | | |_| Shareware
principle works for you. |__| o | Professionals
If you are unable to resolve -----| | |---------------------
a shareware-related problem |___|___| MEMBER
with an ASP member by
contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP
Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP
member, but does not provide technical support for members'
products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road,
Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe
Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.
Trademarks
==========
Product names mentioned in this documentation are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective owners. FileBUDDY is a
trademark of Lenard Dean.
Table Of Contents
=================
Introduction ................................................. 1
Getting Started .............................................. 2
Using FileBUDDY .............................................. 3
Menus And Messages ........................................... 5
Editing Files ................................................ 6
Searching Text ............................................... 6
Capturing Text ............................................... 7
Printing Files ............................................... 7
Archiving And Extracting/Deleting Archived Files ............. 11
Viewing, Editing, Creating, And Printing dBase Files ......... 12
Viewing, Processing, Saving, And Printing Images ............. 16
Customizing FileBUDDY ........................................ 22
Contacting The Author......................................... 30
APPENDIX A: Registration Information ......................... 31
APPENDIX B: Color Chart ...................................... 32
APPENDIX C: Questions And Answers ............................ 33
Introduction
============
FileBUDDY is a unique file viewer that allows you to view and
manipulate several file formats from one program. If you do a
lot of "BBSing", you should find FileBUDDY very handy. Here is a
brief overview:
* FileBUDDY can view any size file, whether the file
is 1 byte or 1 gigabyte in length.
* FileBUDDY lets you capture text to a file by taking
a "snapshot" of it. When a snapshot is taken, it
is done "intelligently". That is, overlapping text
in consecutive snapshots will not be duplicated in
the destination file.
* FileBUDDY incorporates a printer setup facility
which allows you to configure any printer when
printing text files.
* FileBUDDY views dBASE files. Database management
support such as editing, adding, deleting, undeleting
records, creating and "packing" dBASE files, and
generating "quick & dirty" reports is also included.
* FileBUDDY views archive files. If the proper archiver
is available, ARC, ARJ, LZH, PAK, ZIP, and associated
self-extracting files can be viewed down to 5 levels
deep. Support for archiving files and extracting/
deleting archived files is also provided.
* FileBUDDY displays image files. If a VGA or a SVGA
(with an ATI, Paradise, Trident, Tseng, Video 7
chipset, or VESA compatible) video card is detected,
BIF (binary), GIF, PCX, TARGA, and TIF image files
can be viewed. If an ATI Wonder XL or a TSENG/Sierra
HiColor compatible video card is detected, TARGA and
24-bit TIF images are displayed in 32,768 colors.
If extended or expanded memory is available, it will
be used to hold the image. Images too large to fit
the best video mode can be navigated using the cursor
keys or resized to fit the best video mode. Other
image handling capabilities include processing,
cropping, saving across image formats (including to
EPS), and "slide-show" viewing. If a HP LaserJet or
compatible laser printer is available, images can be
printed out in 75, 100, 150, or 300 dpi with or
without a user-defined border. Printing to file is
also supported.
1
Getting Started
===============
To use FileBUDDY, you'll need the following minimum hardware:
* IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, or 100% compatible computer
* 640K bytes of conventional memory (1M+ of extended or
expanded memory for serious image viewing/processing)
* monochrome or color monitor
* hard drive or two floppy drives
* VGA or SVGA video card (to view image files)
* printer (optional, HP LaserJet or compatible to
print images)
* mouse (optional)
You'll also need the software below:
* MS-DOS 3.00 or later
* text editor or word-processor that can save in ASCII
Program files supplied in the self-extracting file are:
FBUDDY.EXE FileBUDDY Program
FBUDDYI.EXE FileBUDDY Image Viewer Program
FBUDDY.DOC FileBUDDY Documentation
SAMPLE.INI Sample Initialization File
SAMPLE.FRM Sample dBASE Print Form
README Important Information
REGISTER Registration Form
WHATSNEW.DOC What's New Information
SYSOP.DOC Sysop Information
FILE_ID.DIZ Special BBS Description File
INSTALL.EXE Installation Program
The quickest way to install or upgrade FileBUDDY is to run
INSTALL.EXE. When the installation program is run, you will be
asked about the following:
1) the directory to install FileBUDDY in. The default is
C:\FBUDDY.
2) whether you want FileBUDDY's location added to the
PATH statement in AUTOEXEC.BAT. (If it already exists,
it will not be added.) If so, the original AUTOEXEC.BAT
will be saved as AUTOEXEC.OLD.
3) if you have a monochrome monitor with a color card.
If so, you should select this option to force a "black
and white" color setup.
Check boxes are marked by clicking with the left mouse button.
To use the keyboard, select the TAB key to move between check
boxes and the SPACEBAR to mark them. When you are ready to
install, press ENTER.
2
If you prefer to install FileBUDDY manually, copy all of
FileBUDDY's files to the destination directory. If you are
upgrading from a previous version, please refer to the README
file. If this is your first install, type from FileBUDDY's
directory:
fbuddy
If you're installing on a system with a monochrome monitor and
color card, use the "/bw" switch to force a "black and white"
color setup as follows:
fbuddy /bw
Executing FileBUDDY for the first time will create the
initialization file called FBUDDY.INI. (For more information
about this file, refer to the section on "Customizing
FileBUDDY".)
Using FileBUDDY
===============
There are a couple of ways to view a file with FileBUDDY. The
first method is to type the file name on the command line:
fbuddy filename
The second method is to run FileBUDDY by itself:
fbuddy
In the latter method, files are selected from FileBUDDY's file
directory. To scroll through the files, press the left mouse
button and move the mouse cursor past the top or bottom of the
file directory box. If you prefer to use the keyboard, the
CURSOR, HOME, END, PGDN, and PGUP keys are supported. Files are
shown in lower case and subdirectories in upper case. Select
".." to change to the parent directory. Press ENTER or double
click with the left mouse button to select the file to view.
When the DOS file directory is displayed, a character between the
file name and its extension may appear. The small "dot"
character signifies that the file is read-only whereas the
"textured square" character signifies a hidden and/or a system
file.
3
To navigate through a text file, the following keys are
recognized:
HOME Positions the view window at the
beginning of the file.
END Positions the view window at the end
of the file.
CTRL+HOME Positions the view window at column one.
CTRL+END Positions the view window at the end
of the longest line in the current
view window.
UP CURSOR Scrolls the view window up one line.
DOWN CURSOR Scrolls the view window down one line.
LEFT CURSOR Scrolls the view window one character
to the left.
RIGHT CURSOR Scrolls the view window one character
to the right.
PGUP Pages the view window up.
PGDN Pages the view window down.
CTRL+LEFT CURSOR Pages the view window to the left.
CTRL+RIGHT CURSOR Pages the view window to the right.
To scroll using the mouse, press the left button and move the
mouse in the direction you want to scroll. Clicking on the
border around the text lets you scroll vertically a line at a
time or horizontally a character at a time. Word wrap mode is
invoked by pressing the BACKSPACE key. Whenever word wrapping is
selected (or unselected), you will be positioned at the beginning
of the file.
More files can be viewed by pressing ESC or CTRL+O. If you need
to refresh (re-read) the DOS file directory, use CTRL+R. By the
way, you can delete a file in the file directory by pressing
SHIFT+DELETE on the file you want to delete. To delete a group
of files, tag the files first with the SPACEBAR, CTRL+[LEFT MOUSE
BUTTON], or CTRL+SPACEBAR keys.
4
Menus And Messages
==================
Menus and messages are displayed at the bottom of the screen.
There are three menus in FileBUDDY: the View Menu, the Main Menu,
and the Utilities Menu. Below is a breakdown of commands under
each menu:
Located in the View Menu:
[M]ain Selects the Main Menu. (Pressing the
right mouse button does the same thing.)
Located in the Main Menu:
[O]pen Displays the DOS file directory to open
a file for viewing. (Pressing ESC from
the View Menu does the same thing.)
[E]dit Edits the file being viewed.
[F]ind Searches for a word or phrase in a
file.
[C]apture Toggles capture mode ON or OFF.
[P]rint Prints the file being viewed.
Util[s] Selects the Utilities Menu.
[D]OS Shell out to DOS.
[Q]uit Quits FileBUDDY. (Pressing ESC twice
or pressing the middle mouse button on a
3-button mouse does the same thing.)
Located in the Utilities Menu:
Confi[g]Prn Displays the printer configuration list.
Se[t]ConfigDefault Assigns a printer configuration to
DEFAULT.
CreateD[B]F Creates a dBASE file structure.
Pac[k]DBF Packs a dBASE file
5
All commands in each menu can be accessed three ways:
1. Pressing the command's highlighted letter.
2. Clicking on the command name with the mouse.
3. Pressing CTRL+[highlighted letter].
Use the ESC key to cancel commands or messages displayed. Note
that FileBUDDY interprets the right mouse button as the ESC key.
The only time this is not so is when the View Menu is displayed.
In this case it toggles to the Main Menu.
Editing Files
=============
Text files may be edited using CTRL+E. FileBUDDY does not
incorporate an editor so one must be defined in FBUDDY.INI.
(Refer to the 'Editor' parameter description in "Customizing
FileBUDDY" for more information). When attempting to edit very
large files, remember that your editor may not be able to edit
them. No harm is done if you try to edit such a file as the
editor will just abort and return you to FileBUDDY.
Archived text files may also be edited. Edit them like a normal
file. If the text file is modified, FileBUDDY will prompt you if
you want to update the archive file. If so, press "Y" or "y" or
the ENTER key. If not, press "N" or "n" (or any other key).
When an archive file is updated, the "xxxINFO" file (the first
file in the archive directory) is not updated. It can, however,
be refreshed with CTRL+R.
If a text file originates from an embedded archive or a self-
extracting archive, an error message will be displayed since
FileBUDDY cannot update such files. If you need to edit them,
make sure you save the modified files to your work directory
before exiting the text editor (or word-processor) or you will
lose all your changes.
Searching Text
==============
The Find command, CTRL+F, lets you search text files of any
"key". Search keys can be based on a character, word, or phase.
Multiple key searches are performed using the comma as the key
separator. For example:
Find: good,better,best
Note that you may insert a blank space after the commas if you
wish. Also, because the comma is used as a key separator, you
can not use the comma as a key in a multiple key search.
6
To treat a key as a "whole word" during a search, enclose it in
double angle brackets (ie. "<<" and ">>") like in the following
example:
Find: good,better,<<best>>
All searches start from the first line in the view window. If
you want to start your search from the beginning of the file,
make sure to press HOME before entering your search criteria.
When multiple key searches are performed, each line is scanned
with all keys.
Searches are not case sensitive so any occurrence of a key found
is highlighted. To continue a search, press TAB. New search
criteria are entered by pressing CTRL+F again. Previous search
criteria may be cleared with SHIFT+DELETE. (The contents can be
restored by pressing SHIFT+INSERT.)
Capturing Text
==============
Capture mode is invoked with CTRL+C. FileBUDDY will prompt you
for the name of the destination file for the text to be saved to.
The default file name is FBUDDY.CAP with the path being what was
specified in FBUDDY.INI under 'WorkDir'. If you want to modify
this, press SHIFT+DELETE to clear the file name and enter a new
one. When text is saved to a capture file, it is always
appended.
Snapshots are taken with the ENTER key. A large block of text
can be captured by pressing the PGDN and ENTER keys alternately.
If you prefer to scroll using the mouse or cursor keys, don't
worry about overlapping text between consecutive snapshots as
they will not be duplicated in the capture file. Snapshots not
consecutively taken are separated by a solid bar line. If you
are viewing a dBASE file and want to capture a record that has
more than 22 fields, you do NOT need to scroll down to capture
the rest of the fields. Pressing ENTER once is enough.
Capture mode is turned off by pressing CTRL+C again. It's not
necessary to turn capture mode off before exiting FileBUDDY as
it's done automatically.
Printing Files
==============
Before printing a file, you'll need to configure your printer.
Press CTRL+G and select the desired configuration from the menu
list. If you are just starting out, the only names you will see
are DEFAULT and NOSETUP. The configuration name DEFAULT always
appears at the top of the menu list and is used to store a
printer configuration that you want FileBUDDY to use by default.
7
To assign DEFAULT to a printer configuration, press CTRL+T. When
FileBUDDY is first installed, the NOSETUP printer configuration
is assigned to DEFAULT. NOSETUP is a "dummy" configuration used
to print text files that are already formatted. Since NOSETUP
contains no setup codes, your printer is not configured in any
way. NOSETUP merely "opens" the printer port (ie. LPT1) for
printing.
To configure your printer to print unformatted text files, you
will need to create your own printer configurations and add them
to the FBUDDY.INI file. The FBUDDY.INI file is modified using a
text editor or word-processor. Make sure when you resave
FBUDDY.INI, to save it in the ASCII format. Most text editors
will do this but if you are using a word-processor this will not
necessarily be true. Consult your word-processor manual on how
to save to ASCII.
Each printer configuration is distinguished by a unique name and
preceded by the "@" character. When creating a name, any
combination of upper or lower case letters may be used. The name
should be no longer than 12 characters in length. For example:
@CONDENSED
To setup a printer connected to LPT2, LPT3, or PRN insert a colon
after the name and type "LPT2", "LPT3", or "PRN" like:
@CONDENSED:LPT2
For each printer command line, type some descriptive text of any
length and follow it with the "=" character. Place the
appropriate control codes after the "=" character, separating
each value with a comma. (A list of printer commands and
formatting codes for your printer can normally be found in the
printer's user manual.) FileBUDDY recognizes printer codes in
decimal or hexadecimal format. If you decide to use hexadecimal
codes, make sure that you precede each value with "&H". Here are
some examples:
@CONDENSED:LPT2
Master Reset =27,64
Condensed ON =15
Left Margin =&H1B,&H6C,&H07
Right Margin 27,81,127
Text ="Condensed Mode"
Blank Line =""
Note the last two lines. If you need to send some text to the
printer before printing a file, that's how it is done. You can
have up to 10 of these lines. Also, notice how spaces (or TABs)
may be inserted between the text and "=" or between "=" and the
first control code value for alignment purposes. If you need to
temporarily prevent a line from being processed, leave out the
"=" as shown in the example.
8
Keep your printer configurations easy to read by separating them
with a blank line. Below is a copy of SAMPLE.INI showing what a
typical FBUDDY.INI file may look like:
[INITIALIZATION]
MouseSen=12
MouseSS=12
MouseLBSS=60
TabSpaces=8
ExitOnEsc=1
FileSort=2
PrnConfigSort=1
BeepSound=6
Shadow=1
Border=1
LBBorder=3
HelpBorder=2
TextColor=7
LBTextColor=7
BorderColor=14
LBBorderColor=14
HelpTextColor=7
HelpBorderColor=10
HMBarColor=27
HiLiteColor=30
FileNameColor=31
LBCsrColor=48
MouseCsrColor=71
[DEFINE]
OtherArcExt=LZH:QWK,ARJ:BAK,ZIP:DIF
FileEOLChar=PLX:10,DAT:227
[PATHS]
WorkDir=c:\workdir
Editor=c:\dos\edit.com
ARC=c:\utils\arc.exe
ARJ=c:\utils\arj.exe
LZH=c:\utils\lha.exe
PAK=c:\utils\pak.exe
ZIP=c:\utils\pkzip.exe
[ARCHIVE]
Compression=1
SFXModel=2
MoveFiles=0
[DBF]
DBFPackBackup=1
9
[IMAGE]
VRam1024=0
SlideShowPause=10
ImageRestore=0
ImageCsrRes=100
ImageLPT=1
ImageDPT=300
ImageSize=8
ImageRow=0
ImageColumn=100
ImagePrtMode=1
ImageBorder=0
[PRINTER]
PrnSetupDefault=NLQ
@NOSETUP
@NLQ
Master Reset =27,64
Select NLQ =27,120,1
Roman Font =27,107,0
Left Margin =27,108,5
Bottom Margin =27,78,7
@CONDENSED:LPT2
Master Reset =27,64
Condensed ON =15
Left Margin =27,108,7
Right Margin =27,81,127
Bottom Margin =27,78,7
Tab Increments =27,101,0,2
Text ="Condensed Mode"
Blank Line =""
@GRAPHICS:LPT3
Master Reset =27,64
Graphic Mode =27,116,1,27,6
Left Margin =27,108,5
Note how each printer configuration starts with 'Master Reset'.
This clears any previous settings in the printer to the setting
set by the printer's "dip switches". This is the same thing as
turning your printer off and then back on again. Keep in mind
that reset codes vary from printer to printer so the ones used in
the examples may or may not apply to you.
10
Archiving And Extracting/Deleting Archived Files
================================================
Assuming you have defined the archiver(s) you plan to use (if
not, see "Customizing FileBUDDY" under the [PATHS] parameter
heading), FileBUDDY allows you to archive files by positioning
the file directory's cursor bar on the file and then pressing one
of the following keys:
F2 Create a ARC archive.
F3 Create a ARJ archive.
F4 Create a LZH archive.
F5 Create a PAK archive.
F6 Create a ZIP archive.
CTRL+F2 Create a self-extracting ARC archive.
CTRL+F3 Create a self-extracting ARJ archive.
CTRL+F4 Create a self-extracting LZH archive.
CTRL+F5 Create a self-extracting PAK archive.
CTRL+F6 Create a self-extracting ZIP archive.
You'll then be prompted for an archive name. When entering a
name, you do not need to give the extension. If the archive name
already exists, the selected file is added to the archive. You
will also be asked for a "comment" file. A comment file is
simply a short ASCII file you create to describe the archive.
When creating the comment file, leave one or two blank lines at
the beginning and the end of the file so that the comment "block"
will standout when it is displayed. If you don't want to add
comments to an archive, leave the prompt blank and press ENTER.
(You can always enclose one later when you add other files to the
archive.)
Multiple files can be archived by tagging files with the SPACEBAR
or CTRL+[LEFT MOUSE BUTTON] (double-click) keys. To select all
the files in the DOS directory, press CTRL+SPACEBAR. (Tagged
files can be untagged by pressing the keys again.) Once the
files have been tagged, select the appropriate function key to
archive them.
When archiving, FileBUDDY relies on a few parameters in
FBUDDY.INI. For more information about these parameters, please
refer to "Customizing FileBUDDY" under the [ARCHIVE] parameter
heading.
To extract an archived file from the archive directory, press
CTRL+U on the file to extract. You'll be prompted to enter a
work directory path. Press ENTER to accept the default path (it
will be the one you specified under 'WorkDir' in FBUDDY.INI) or
enter a new one. To extract the file to the current DOS
directory, clear the path displayed at the prompt with
SHIFT+DELETE. (If you change your mind, SHIFT+INSERT restores the
path.) If you don't want to be prompted for
11
a path when extracting a file, press CTRL+ENTER. The file will
be extracted to the directory specified in 'WorkDir' (unless of
course it was modified earlier when you extracted a file with
CTRL+U).
To extract multiple files, use the SPACEBAR or CTRL+[LEFT MOUSE
BUTTON] keys to tag them. To select all the files in the archive
directory, press CTRL+SPACEBAR. Once the files have been tagged,
use CTRL+U or CTRL+ENTER to extract them.
No masking is performed when archiving or extracting files. If
hidden or read-only files are archived, that is how they will be
archived and extracted by FileBUDDY.
Lastly, if you want to delete a file inside an archive, press
SHIFT+DELETE on the file to delete. To delete more than one
file, tag the files first.
Viewing, Editing, Creating, And Printing dBASE Files
====================================================
Viewing dBASE files (including those archived) are no different
than viewing text files. However, make note of the following
four keys as they take on a different meaning when viewing dBASE
files:
HOME Go to the first record.
END Go to the last record.
PGUP Go to the previous record.
PGDN Go to the next record.
When modifying a dBASE record, FileBUDDY sends the record to your
text editor for editing. This method may seem a little
unorthodox at first but I think you will find it efficient and
very easy to master.
The first thing you'll probably notice after pressing CTRL+E is
the first line which contains the double angle brackets "<< >>".
This line determines how the record will be handled by FileBUDDY.
When the double angle brackets enclose a blank space, FileBUDDY
modifies the record (assuming changes were made). If you want
to delete a record, substitute the blank space with a "-" like
"<<->>". To undelete a record, simply substitute the "-" with a
blank space. If you change your mind after modifying a record,
remove the space between the double angle brackets like "<<>>"
(or delete the line entirely) and FileBUDDY will ignore any
changes made to the record. If you want to add a new record,
select any record in the database (with CTRL+E) and enter a "+"
between the angle brackets like "<<+>>". Modify the record
fields as desired. After you exit the text editor, FileBUDDY
will append the new record to the dBASE file.
12
It's a good idea when you modify a record to set your text
editor's cursor mode to INSERT so that when you edit a field, the
field boundaries (ie. "[" and "]") don't move. Keep in mind that
this is not manditory as FileBUDDY itself doesn't care if they
move. The field boundaries are there for your own visual
reference.
If you need to modify (or add) many records in an archived dBASE
file, FileBUDDY will "constantly" ask you whether you want to
update the archive file. To save time, answer the prompt with a
"no" until the last change you make to the file.
When a dBASE record is deleted, the record is only marked for
deletion. To physically remove deleted records in a dBASE file,
you need to "pack" it. You can do this in FileBUDDY using
CTRL+K. By default, FileBUDDY creates a backup copy before
packing the original dBASE file. If you have limited disk space,
you can tell FileBUDDY not to create the backup with the
'DBFPackBackup' parameter (see "Customizing FileBUDDY" under the
[DBF] heading).
When creating a dBASE file, FileBUDDY also relies on your text
editor. A dBASE structure is created by selecting CTRL+B from
view mode (or from the DOS file directory). A structure is
layed-out pretty much the same way a record is displayed in
FileBUDDY. Take the following structure:
MEMBER: [C ]
TITLE: [C ]
ADDRESS: [C ]
CITY: [C ]
ST_PROV: [C ]
COUNTRY: [C ]
PHONE: [C ]
JOINED: [D]
DUE: [D]
FEE: [N.2 ]
MAILLIST: [L]
NOTES: [M]
Note how everything is aligned and capitalized. This is not
necessary. As long as five components are present, FileBUDDY
will decode each line properly. The five components FileBUDDY
scans for are:
Field Name The field name should be no longer
than 10 characters. Any field name
longer than 10 characters will be
truncated. If there are leading
or trailing spaces in the field
name, they will be stripped.
13
Colon You MUST use a colon to separate
the field name from the left square
bracket. If not found, the line
will not be processed.
Left Square Bracket The left square bracket defines
the beginning of the field. The
number of spaces between the left
bracket and the right bracket
sets the field length.
Field Type Character This tells FileBUDDY what kind of
field it is. Five data field types
are recognized:
C Defines a character field.
Any field that is not
explicitly defined will be
will be defined as a character
field. Maximum field length
is 255.
D Defines a date field. Field
length is automatically set
to 8.
F Defines a "Floating-Point"
field (in dBASE IV only).
To assign decimal places to
this field, append a period to
"F" and follow it with the
number of decimal places.
Maximum field length is 20.
L Defines a logical field. Field
length is automatically set
to 1.
M Defines a dBASE III memo
field. To create a dBASE IV
memo field, append a "4" to
the "M" character like "M4".
Field length is automatically
set to 10.
N Defines a numerical field. To
assign decimal places to this
field, append a period to "N"
and follow it with the number
of decimal places (see
example). Maximum field
length is 19 in dBASE III and
20 in dBASE IV.
14
Right Square Bracket The right square bracket defines
the end of the field. The number
of spaces between the left bracket
and the right bracket determines
the field length.
After you have created the dBASE structure, you are ready to add
records to it. When you add your first record, FileBUDDY
displays a message to the effect that no records exist. Just
press ESC to cancel the message and then press CTRL+E. When
entering a date in a date field, the date must be organized in
the standard YYYYMMDD format so that it can be used by
FileBUDDY's expression evaluator (or others for that matter).
While we're on the topic of structures, you can display
information on an existing DBF structure using CTRL+F1. This can
be very helpful when printing a DBF file as you will see next.
To print a dBASE file (ie. CTRL+P), you have two options. If you
have a few records to print, you could use capture mode to
capture individual records to a file. Once the records have been
captured, they can be printed. The second option is to let
FileBUDDY select records based on an "expression" you provide.
The expression is placed in a "dBASE print form" file. The
actual name of this file is the same name as the dBASE file but
with a .FRM extension. For example, if the name of the file is
ADDBOOK.DBF you would give the dBASE print form file the name
ADDBOOK.FRM. (Make sure it's located in the same directory as
the dBASE file.)
The dBASE print form file also contains the formatting for each
record. The SAMPLE.FRM file which comes with FileBUDDY shows
what a dBASE print form may look like:
EvalExp: "@COUNTRY" = "CANADA"
===========================================================
Member: @MEMBER Title: @TITLE
Address: @ADDRESS
City: @CITY State/Prov: @ST_PROV
Country: @COUNTRY Phone: @PHONE
The first line of a dBASE print form contains the expression to
be evaluated. If it isn't found, FileBUDDY assumes that you want
to print all records in the file. Always precede your expression
with "EvalExp:" and make sure the colon "butts" up against the
"p". Case is not important, however. FileBUDDY's expression
evaluator supports both mathematical and logical operators and
evaluates expressions from LEFT TO RIGHT unless parenthesis are
used (which take precedence). Valid operators are:
15
> Greater than && AND
< Less than || OR
>= Greater than or equal to * Multiply
<= Less than or equal to / "Floating-Point" divide
= Equal to \ Integer divide
!= Not equal to + Add
~ Fuzzy search - Subtract
!~ Not equal to fuzzy search
Here are a few more "expression" examples:
EvalExp: "@JOINED" > "19920606" && ("@FEE" > "30")
EvalExp: "@MEMBER" ~ "DR."
EvalExp: "@FEE" > "100" && ("@FEE" < "200")
EvalExp: "@FEE" > ("@FEE" + "75.50")
EvalExp: "@ST_PROV" = "TX" && ("@COUNTRY" = "USA")
The rest of the lines in the dBASE print form formats how each
record will be printed. As you may have surmised, the "@"
character precedes a field name so that its contents are printed.
(Field names are displayed when viewing a dBASE file.) When
designing a form, make sure that you take into consideration the
field's total length. Thus, don't place normal text too close to
the right-side of a field as it may be overwritten by the field's
contents (ie. text or blank spaces). Use CTRL+F1 to get the
lengths of each field.
The location where page breaks occur when printing a dBASE file
will depend upon how you set up your printer. If you find your
records get broken up during page breaks, you can either adjust
the number of lines to be printed in your printer configuration
(see "Printing Files") or you can add a few blank lines in your
dBASE print form. With reference to the SAMPLE.FRM example, you
would add the blank lines after line 2. Please note that the
second line in the example is not necessary. You can replace it
with a blank line (or lines or whatever) since it is merely
serving to separate records printed. Alternatively, you can
delete the second line altogether and place the "record
separator" on the last line of the dBASE print form file.
Viewing, Processing, Saving, And Printing Images
================================================
Because there are so many SVGA video cards on the market, it is
impossible to support them all. If your video card is not
designed around the ATI, Paradise, Trident, Tseng, or Video 7
chipset, check for VESA compatibility. If your video card's
hardware isn't VESA compatible, look for VESA compatibility in
the form of a driver on the disks that came with your video card.
The driver allows FileBUDDY to select the video card's extended
modes when displaying images larger than 320x200x256. If you are
16
unsuccessful in locating the VESA driver, check with the video
card manufacturer (or call their BBS if they operate one).
Chances are one is available.
Nevertheless, FileBUDDY can display any image file size in the
standard VGA mode of 320x200x256 although you'll still need to
have enough system memory to hold the complete image.
If your SVGA card has 1MB of memory, set the 'VRam1024' parameter
(in FBUDDY.INI) to 1. This tells FileBUDDY to use the
1024x768x256 mode to display image files larger than 800x600x256.
When loading an image, FileBUDDY checks for expanded memory (EMS)
or extended memory (XMS), in that order. If found, it will be
used to hold the image. If not, the image will be loaded into
conventional memory (memory permitting).
If a TARGA or 24-bit TIF image is being loaded, FileBUDDY will
check for the presence of an ATI Wonder XL video card or a
TSENG/Sierra HiColor compatible video card. If detected, the
image will be displayed in 32,768 colors.
FileBUDDY always displays images in their proper aspect ratio.
If an image is too large to display on your video card's best
video mode, you will need to navigate through the image using the
following keys:
HOME Displays the top-left image corner.
END Displays the bottom-right image corner.
CTRL+HOME Displays the left image border.
CTRL+END Displays the right image border.
UP CURSOR Pans the view window up.
DOWN CURSOR Pans the view window down.
LEFT CURSOR Pans the view window left.
RIGHT CURSOR Pans the view window right.
PGUP Pages the view window up.
PGDN Pages the view window down.
CTRL+LEFT CURSOR Pages the view window left.
CTRL+RIGHT CURSOR Pages the view window right.
The cursor keys' resolution can be defined with the INSERT key.
Enter values from 1 to 1000. Because values represent "pixel"
units, the smaller the number the finer the resolution. The
default value is set at 100 but can be changed with the
'ImageCsrRes' parameter in FBUDDY.INI.
As an alternative to navigating through an image, you can get a
"bird's eye" view of an image using the TAB key. By pressing
TAB, the image is resized to fit the selected video mode. If you
are viewing a large image and are not at the top-left corner of
the image, make sure you press HOME first or FileBUDDY will
resize just the portion that is displayed on the screen.
17
If you would like to view images in a "slide-show" style format,
go to the DOS directory (ie. CTRL+O) and tag desired image files
with the SPACEBAR key. To tag all image files in the directory,
press CTRL+SPACEBAR. When files are tagged, no distinction is
made between image files and non-image files. Non-image files
are filtered out when CTRL+W is pressed to start the slide-show.
Note also that no fancy "footwork" is performed when displaying
images. Thus, if an image is too large to fit in the video
card's best resolution mode, not all of the image will be
displayed. You can, however, get around this by resizing the
image beforehand by creating a new file. When doing so, select a
new image size with the same proportions as the original so that
the image will look "right". For example, if your highest video
card resolution is 800x600, resize a 640x731 image to 509x600.
To stop the slide-show, press CTRL+W again. To bypass the delay
period between images, press ENTER after an image has loaded.
One of FileBUDDY's most powerful features is its ability to
process images (including 24-bit images). Image processing,
however, is "very" dependent on memory. If your computer system
does not have a lot of memory, don't be too surprised when the
"Insufficient Memory" message is displayed. If you plan on doing
any 24-bit image processing, keep in mind that a typical 24-bit
640x480 image requires over 900K bytes of memory just to HOLD it.
Below are the image processing functions available:
CTRL+A Adjusts the aspect ratio of "non-square"
image pixels which occurs after scanning
an image.
CTRL+B Changes the image brightness. Images
can be brighten four ways: 1=All:
brightens all the pixels in the image.
Values range from -255 to 255. The
higher the value, the brighter the image
becomes. 2=Midrange: brightens only
intermediate brightness levels.
3=Histogram: reduces brightness levels
according to the image's histogram.
This method is useful when you need
bring out detail hidden in shadows or in
objects lit brightly from behind.
4=Linear: brightens the darker areas
more than the lighter areas of the
image. This method is usually effective
on dark images.
CTRL+C Changes the image contrast by expanding
the brightness range. Lower and Upper
values range from 0 to 255, where 0 is
black and 255 is white and anything in
between are shades of gray.
18
CTRL+E Exchanges a selected brightness level
range to a new brightness level. Lower,
Upper, and New values range from 0-Black
to 255-White.
CTRL+G Grayscales the color image.
CTRL+I Inverts the image.
CTRL+K Creates a kodalith image. This is the
same thing as a high contrast image.
There are two ways to select an exposure
(threshold): 0=Auto: calculates the
average brightness level of the image,
1=Set: allows you to enter your own
exposure. Values range from 0 to 255.
CTRL+L Changes the image color palette. Red,
Green, and Blue values range from -255
to 255 and are separated by a comma.
CTRL+M Creates a mirror image.
CTRL+N Creates a "photographic" negative.
CTRL+R Blurs the image. Blurring values range
from 1 to 255, where 255=Max Blurring.
CTRL+S Sharpens the image. Images can be
sharpened two ways: 1=Gentle, 2=Course.
CTRL+T Traces image outlines. There are two
ways to select an exposure (threshold):
0=Auto: calculates the average
brightness level of the image, 1=Set:
allows you to enter your own exposure.
Values range from 0 to 255. Some
impressive line art drawings can be
created with this function. To create
a B&W drawing from a color traced image,
press CTRL+G and then CTRL+N.
CTRL+X Pixellizes the image. Values are from
2 to 63.
Most of FileBUDDY's image processing functions are irreversible.
That is, if you sharpen an image, you can't "unsharpen" it or if
you blur it you can't "unblur" it. To get around this, FileBUDDY
allows you to restore the image back to its original state by
pressing CTRL+BACKSPACE. By default, FileBUDDY reloads the image
from disk so that all available memory can be dedicated to
processing, rotating, and resizing the image. If you have lots
19
of memory or deal with small images, you may want to restore the
image from memory. This is done by setting the 'ImageRestore'
parameter to 1.
To aid in image processing, FileBUDDY lets you create a histogram
of an image using CTRL+H. An image histogram is simply a graph
showing the distribution of brightness levels relative to the
number of pixels in the image. Dark images (or images with dark
backgrounds) will have most of their pixels graphed at the low
end of the brightness scale. Bright images (or images with
bright backgrounds) will have most of their pixels graphed at the
high end of the brightness scale.
Another of FileBUDDY's powerful features is its ability to crop
images. Images are cropped by holding down one of the SHIFT keys
and then pressing an appropriate cursor key. The cursor keys
represent the 4 borders of the image: the UP cursor represents
the top border, the DOWN cursor the bottom border, the LEFT
cursor the left border, and the RIGHT cursor the right border.
The direction in which the image borders will move is determined
by the SHIFT keys. The left SHIFT key moves the borders OUTWARD
while the right SHIFT key moves the borders INWARD. To help you
remember, think of the left SHIFT as the furthest OUT from the
cursor keys and the right SHIFT as the closest IN to the cursor
keys. If you have any problems remembering, press F1 for help.
To undo any cropping, press BACKSPACE.
If you are cropping a very large image, say, by bringing the
right border in and you are viewing the top-left corner of the
image, it may seem like nothing is happening (except for the
image being redrawn). Don't be fooled. Remember that your
screen is acting like a window to the image. To see the border
being adjusted, position yourself at the right border with
CTRL+END. If you need to adjust the "cropping resolution", use
INSERT to adjust it.
You can rotate images using the CTRL+PGDN or CTRL+PGUP keys. The
CTRL+PGDN keys rotates the image clockwise where as the CTRL+PGUP
keys rotates it counterclockwise.
A by-product of the cropping feature is the ability to zoom in on
an area of an image. For example, if you have an image of a
person's face and wanted to zoom in on the left eye, crop the
image until only the left eye is showing. Then press the TAB key
to resize the eye to fill the display. To "unzoom", just press
the BACKSPACE key.
Images which have been processed or cropped, or those that need
to be converted to a different format may be saved with the
following function keys:
20
F2 Saves image as BIF (binary format)
F3 Saves image as GIF (GIF87a/GIF89a)
F4 Saves image as PCX
F5 Saves image as EPS (PostScript, EPSF-2.0/EPSF-3.0)
F6 Saves image as TGA (Targa, uncompressed/RLE)
F7 Saves image as TIF (uncompressed/LZW/PackBits)
F8 Saves image as TIF (24-bit color, uncompressed)
When saving an image, you'll be asked to enter the image's new
dimensions (like 320x200, 640x480, 1024x768, or whatever). Press
ENTER to accept the image's original dimensions. The default
location where the image will be saved is defined by the
'WorkDir' parameter in FBUDDY.INI. The default image name will
be the same as the original image name but with appropriate
extension.
When loading a BIF (binary) image, unlike the other image
formats, you'll be asked to enter its dimensions. This is
because the format does not save any information about the image.
The default image size is set at 320x200. You may have to
experiment with different sizes until you find the right size to
capture the complete image.
If a HP LaserJet or compatible laser printer is available, images
can be printed by selecting CTRL+P followed by "P" or "p". You
will then be prompted with the following:
1. Raise Overall Brightness Level (ROBL)
2. Raise Intermediate Brightness Level (RIBL)
3. Image Dimensions
ROBL values range from -255 to 255, where 0 is no adjustment.
RIBL values are either 0 (No) or 1 (Yes). When printing an image
for the first time, press ENTER to all three prompts. If the
image prints too dark, set ROBL to 20 and print the image again.
Adjust ROBL until you find the right exposure. (When setting
ROBL values, you may have to increment/decrement it in multiples
of 10 to see any change in the printed image.) If you find the
printed image low in contrast (ie. "flat" looking), try printing
the image with RIBL set to 1 and ROBL to 0. If you still need
more control over the image's exposure, experiment with both the
ROBL and RIBL settings. Generally, if the image is "flat" or
dark in appearance, setting RIBL to 1 will probably print the
image correctly. On the other hand, if the image is very
"contrasty" or bright looking, use ROBL to adjust the exposure.
Sometimes the printed image's aspect ratio may not look the same
as the image on the screen. This is NOT an error with FileBUDDY.
What's happening is that when an image is displayed on a video
monitor, the monitor's aspect ratio changes the image's apparent
aspect ratio. This is especially noticeable when printing an
image of a person's face. To compensate for this "distortion",
increase the length of the image slightly. For example, if the
image's dimensions are 320x200, change it to 320x225.
21
To print an image in landscape mode, rotate the image with the
CTRL+PGDN or CTRL+PGUP keys. If you want a border drawn around
the image, set 'ImageBorder' in FBUDDY.INI to 2. For more
information about this parameter (and other image parameters),
refer to the section "Customizing FileBUDDY" under the [IMAGE]
parameter heading.
If you do not have a HP LaserJet or compatible printer, you can
print the image to file by pressing "F" or "f" after selecting
CTRL+P. The file can then be printed from the command line on
another computer connected to a HP LaserJet or compatible printer
using:
copy imagename lpt1 /b
If the laser printer is connected to "lpt2" or "lpt3", substitute
accordingly. Make sure you use the "/b" switch to ensure the
whole file is printed. Whichever way you choose to print images,
be patient. This is especially true with large images or when
enlarging images.
Lastly, information about an image can be obtained using the
CTRL+F1 keys. For a list of image commands, press F1. To load
another image file, press ESC or CTRL+O to display the DOS file
directory.
Customizing FileBUDDY
=====================
FileBUDDY stores "modifiable" parameters in FBUDDY.INI. Since
the file is in ASCII format, you can easily customize them with
any text editor. Below is a description of each parameter:
[INITIALIZATION] The parameters under this heading are
required for FileBUDDY to run properly.
Make sure that you do not delete them
unless noted.
MouseSen Sets the mouse sensitivity. Useful
values are between 0 and 100, where 0 is
the most sensitive.
MouseSS Sets the mouse scroll speed. Use values
starting from 0. The higher the time
delay value, the slower the scrolling.
MouseLBSS Sets the mouse scroll speed for list
boxes (ie. DOS and archive file
directory). The higher the time delay
value, the slower the scrolling.
22
TabSpaces Sets the amount of spaces each TAB
character represents. If this parameter
is not found, the default is set
internally to 8.
ExitOnEsc Determines whether pressing ESC from the
DOS file directory will exit FileBUDDY
if no file is selected. 0=Don't Exit
On ESC, 1=Exit On ESC
FileSort Determines how file directory names will
be sorted. 0=Don't Sort, 1=Sort By
Name, 2=Sort By Extension
PrnConfigSort Determines whether the printer
configuration names will be sorted.
0=Don't Sort, 1=Sort
BeepSound Sets the type of "beep sound" for error
messages. Values range from 0 to 10.
0=No Sound
Shadow Determines whether a shadow will be
projected when a list box is displayed.
0=No Shadow, 1=Shadow
Border Sets the main borders in the program.
Five options are available:
0 = No border
1 = Single line all around
2 = Double line all around
3 = Double line horizontally, single
line vertically
4 = Single line horizontally, double
line vertically
LBBorder Sets the list box border type. (See
'Border' parameter for list.)
HelpBorder Sets the Help box border type. (See
'Border' parameter for list.)
TextColor Sets the main text color.
LBTextColor Sets the list box text color.
BorderColor Sets the main border color.
LBBorderColor Sets the list box border color.
HelpTextColor Sets the Help text color.
23
HelpBorderColor Sets the Help list box border color.
HMBarColor Sets the text color for the menus and
messages.
HiLiteColor Sets the highlight text color.
FileNameColor Sets the file name text color.
LBCsrColor Sets the list box cursor color.
MouseCsrColor Sets the mouse cursor color. (This
parameter will be set to -1 if FileBUDDY
is configured for "black & white".)
[DEFINE] Parameters under this heading defines
how certain files are to be treated.
OtherArcExt Lets you define an archiver to a file
extension. For example, if you wanted
to view a QWK file compressed with LHA,
you would set it up as:
OtherArcExt=LZH:QWK
(Should you decide to view a QWK file,
you must also include DAT:227 in the
'FileEOLChar' parameter.)
To specify more than one extension, you
would expand it using commas:
OtherArcExt=LZH:QWK,ARJ:BAK,ZIP:DIF
Notice how you can associate different
files to different archivers.
FileEOLChar Allows you to define an "End-Of-Line"
character to a file extension for
FileBUDDY to use when parsing lines.
For example:
FileEOLChar=PLX:10,DAT:227
Note the comma to expand the parameter
so that more than one file type can be
handled.
24
[PATHS] Parameters under this heading specify
paths and programs used by FileBUDDY.
When specifying program names, you MUST
add the PATH and EXTENSION or they won't
be located, even if they are in your
PATH statement.
When specifying archiving programs, the
following are recognized by FileBUDDY:
ARC v6.00
ARCE v3.1, v4.0g
ARJ v2.10-v2.30
LHA v1.14, v2.11-v2.13
PAK v2.51
PKZIP v1.10
Previous or future versions of the
archivers may or may not work. All you
can do is try and see.
TempDir Sets FileBUDDY's temporary work
directory path. By default, this
parameter does not appear in FBUDDY.INI,
thus the work directory is created in
FileBUDDY's directory. To use it, add
it manually and set it up like:
TempDir=c:
or
TempDir=c:\utils
When viewing archived files, FileBUDDY
temporarily decompresses them to its
work directory. If FileBUDDY is
installed on a floppy disk and you tried
to view a large archived file, you would
in all likelihood run out of disk space.
This parameter allows you to specify an
alternate path so that the file would
not be decompressed on the floppy disk.
WorkDir Defines YOUR work directory path. For
example:
WorkDir=c:\temp
25
Editor This parameter allows you to specify
the text editor or word-processor of
your choice. Assuming your editor is
called "edit.com" and located in c:\dos,
you would set it up as:
Editor=c:\dos\edit.com
ARC This parameter recognizes three
different archivers. They are ARC.EXE
by SEA, ARCE.COM by Wayne Chin/Vernon D.
Buerg and PAK.EXE by NoGate Consulting.
Below are examples to set each up:
- Assuming you want to use ARC for
"ARCs" and the archiver is located in
c:\utils\arc, set it up as:
ARC=c:\utils\arc\arc.exe
- Assuming you want to use ARCE for
"ARCs" and the archiver is located in
c:\utils\arc, set it up as:
ARC=c:\utils\arc\arce.com
- Assuming you want to use PAK for
"ARCs" and the archiver is located in
c:\utils\pak, set it up as:
ARC=c:\utils\pak\pak.exe
ARJ This parameter recognizes one archiver.
The archiver is called ARJ.EXE by Robert
K. Jung. Assuming the archiver is
located in c:\utils\arj, set it up as:
ARJ=c:\utils\arj\arj.exe
LZH This parameter recognizes one archiver.
The archiver is called LHA.EXE by
Haruyasu Yoshizaki. Assuming the
archiver is located in c:\utils\lha, set
it up as:
LZH=c:\utils\lha\lha.exe
PAK This parameter recognizes one archiver.
The archiver is called PAK.EXE by NoGate
Consulting. Assuming the archiver is
located in c:\utils\pak, set it up as:
PAK=c:\utils\pak\pak.exe
26
ZIP This parameter recognizes two archivers.
They are PKZIP.EXE by PKWare and PAK.EXE
by NoGate Consulting. Below are
examples to set each up:
- Assuming you want to use PKZIP for
"ZIPs" and the archiver is located
in c:\utils\pkzip, set it up as:
ZIP=c:\utils\pkzip\pkzip.exe
- Assuming you want to use PAK for
"ZIPs" and the archiver is located in
c:\utils\pak, set it up as:
ZIP=c:\utils\pak\pak.exe
[ARCHIVE] This heading marks the location of the
archiving parameters.
Compression Specifies the method of compression:
1=Size, 2=Size/Speed, 3=Speed. This
parameter only applies to archivers that
support it.
SFXModel Specifies the model that FileBUDDY will
use when creating a self-extracting
file: 1=Small Model, 2=Large Model.
This parameter only applies to archivers
that support it.
MoveFiles Determines whether files being archived
will be moved or copied to the archive:
0=Copy Files, 1=Move Files. When files
are moved, the original files are
deleted once they have been archived.
[DBF] This heading marks the location of the
dBASE parameters.
DBFPackBackup Determines whether a backup will be
created before packing a dBASE file:
0=Don't Create Backup, 1=Create Backup,
2=Create Backup Disk Space Permitting.
When set to "1" and there is not enough
disk space, packing will not proceed.
Incidently, the backup name created will
be the same as the DBF name but with the
".BAK" extension.
27
[IMAGE] This heading marks the location of the
image parameters.
VRam1024 If your video card has 1M (1024K) byte
of memory, set this to 1: 0=1M Not
Available, 1=1M Available. Video memory
information is normally found on the
first or second line of your display
when the computer is booting-up.
SlideShowPause Sets the delay period (in seconds)
between images when "slide-show"
viewing. Time values range from
0 to 2400.
Disable32K Disables the 32K color mode of a
detected 32K color video card when
displaying 24-bit images: 0=Enable 32K,
1=Disable 32K. Add this parameter
manually if you need to use it.
ImageRestore Determines how a processed image will be
restored. 0=Restore From Disk,
1=Restore From Memory
ImageCsrRes Sets the resolution of the cursor keys.
Pixel values range from 1 to 1000.
Thus, the smaller the value the finer
the resolution.
ImageLPT Specifies the printer port where the HP
LaserJet (or compatible) printer is
connected. 1=LPT1, 2=LPT2, 3=LPT3
ImageDPI Sets the resolution of the HP LaserJet
(or compatible) printer. Valid printer
resolutions are: 75, 100, 150, or 300.
ImageSize Sets the overall size of the image.
This parameter actually defines the
image's width. (The image's length is
automatically defined by the image's
aspect ratio.) Use values greater than
0. A value of 1 is equivalent to 1" or
2.54 cm. Printed images are
automatically limited to 2399 x 3149
(pixels) in size. To calculate these
limits manually, multiply 'ImageSize' by
'ImageDPI'.
28
ImageRow Sets the "row" coordinate where the
image will be printed on the paper.
Values are with reference to the top
upper-left corner of the paper oriented
in the vertical position. It is
expressed in 1/300 inch. A value of 300
would therefore represent 1 inch or 2.54
cm. Use values starting from 0.
ImageColumn Sets the "column" coordinate where the
image will be printed on the paper.
Values are with reference to the top
upper-left corner of the paper oriented
in the vertical position. It is
expressed in 1/300 inch. A value of 300
would therefore represent 1 inch or
2.54 cm. Use values starting from 0.
ImagePrtMode Valid print modes are: 1=Minimum Average
Error Technique, 2=Halftone Technique.
The minimum average error technique
also referred to as "error diffusion"
normally produces a sharper and more
detailed picture but takes 20% longer to
print. Use this mode for offset
printing. If you plan to photocopy the
image, use mode 2 (halftone technique).
ImageBorder Determines the thickness of the border
around the image in 1/300 inch
increments. A "2" for example
represents a "2-dot-border". The higher
the number the thicker the border.
0=No Border
[Printer] This heading marks the location where
printer configurations are stored.
Refer to "Printing Files" for help on
creating your own.
PrnSetupDefault Stores a default printer configuration
name. This is normally defined within
FileBUDDY from the Utilities Menu with
SetConfigDefault. Make sure this
parameter precedes all your printer
configurations.
The rest of the FBUDDY.INI file is used to store your
printer configurations.
29
Contacting The Author
=====================
If you are experiencing any problems with FileBUDDY or have a
suggestion or criticism you'd like to make, please write to me.
I would like to hear from you. Write to me at:
Lenard Dean
Box 73094, Woodbine Postal Outlet
Calgary, Alberta T2W6E0
CANADA
You can also reach me through one of the following electronic
services:
CompuServe ID: 70312,415
GEnie ID: L.DEAN1
Happy viewing!
30
Appendix A
==========
Registration Information
------------------------
FileBUDDY is being distributed as SHAREWARE. This method of
distribution means that you may evaluate FileBUDDY for a
reasonable period of time, normally 30 days. (In my case, I'll
leave the "reasonable" part up to you.) If you find that
FileBUDDY meets your needs and you continue to use it, please
register your copy.
The registration fee for FileBUDDY is $20 US. When you register,
you will receive a printed manual and the latest version of
FileBUDDY. As an incentive to register, the registration fee
applies to all future DOS releases of FileBUDDY. Since there is
no difference between the Shareware and Registered version, you
are free to upgrade as new versions are released. (If you wish
to order a new manual and disk for a major upgrade, I will be
more than happy to supply them to you at a nominal cost.)
Money orders or personal, certified, and traveller's checks are
accepted. If you are paying by personal check, payment does not
necessarily have to be in US funds. Local currency is acceptable
as long as the amount is equivalent to the amount in US dollars.
Check with your bank for the current exchange rate "for you to
buy" US dollars. If you are ordering outside North America,
please don't forget to add the additional $3.00 US for shipping
(even if you want it sent by registered mail).
Thank you for your support.
31
APPENDIX B
==========
Color Chart
-----------
BACKGROUND
Black Blue Green Cyan Red Magenta Brown White
Black 0 16 32 48 64 80 96 112
Blue 1 17 33 49 65 81 97 113
Green 2 18 34 50 66 82 98 114
F Cyan 3 19 35 51 67 83 99 115
O Red 4 20 36 52 68 84 100 116
R Magenta 5 21 37 53 69 85 101 117
E Brown 6 22 38 54 70 86 102 118
G White 7 23 39 55 71 87 103 119
R Grey 8 24 40 56 72 88 104 120
O BrBlue 9 25 41 57 73 89 105 121
U BrGreen 10 26 42 58 74 90 106 122
N BrCyan 11 27 43 59 75 91 107 123
D BrRed 12 28 44 60 76 92 108 124
BrMagenta 13 29 45 61 77 93 109 125
Yellow 14 30 46 62 78 94 110 126
BrWhite 15 31 47 63 79 95 111 127
32
APPENDIX C
==========
Questions And Answers
---------------------
Q: Why is there a delay when reading an archive directory?
A: Before FileBUDDY displays the archive directory, FileBUDDY
"asks" the particular archiver to create its "xxxINFO" file
(the first file in the archive file directory). Creating this
file is the reason for the delay. Unfortunately, there is
nothing that can be done as the file is not generated by
FileBUDDY. Incidently, LHA is the fastest at creating this
file, up to 6 times faster than PKZIP.
Q: When I try to run FBUDDYI.EXE nothing happens. What am I
doing wrong?
A: FileBUDDY is invoked with FBUDDY.EXE. Only FBUDDY.EXE has
access to FBUDDYI.EXE.
Q: When I try to view certain GIF files I get an "Unreadable
GIF format". Why is that?
A: Assuming the files are not corrupted, FileBUDDY cannot read
GIF images of less than 4-bit pixel depth.
Q: I'm having problems viewing certain TARGA files on my 32K
color card. What's wrong?
A: You have two options: You can disable the 32K color mode by
adding 'Disable32K=1' to your FBUDDY.INI file (see
"Customizing FileBUDDY" for information on this parameter).
Or you can refresh the TARGA file with FileBUDDY using F6.
Before you can resave the file, you will need to add
'Disable32K=1' to FBUDDY.INI. After the file has been
resaved, delete 'Disable32K' (or set it to "0") and reload the
image again. The file should now display properly. (If you
edit FBUDDY.INI within FileBUDDY, make sure that you restart
FileBUDDY so that FBUDDY.INI is re-read.)
Q: Can I view archived image files?
A: Sure. As a matter of fact depending on the image format (like
uncompressed TIFs), you can reclaim a significant amount of disk
space if you archive your image files.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you are having any problems displaying images
on a "supported" video card, install the VESA driver that comes
with your video board.
33
