Super Shareware Collection/Super Shareware Collection.iso/os_2/pcx2ex14.zip/PCX2EXE.DOC

Text File | 1994-02-01 | 14KB | 369 lines

PCX2EXE by Mike Williams, August 1993.


Overview.


PCX2EXE is a program for turning certain PCX files into self-displaying
executable programs ( referred to as 'host programs' ).
For best results, the files should be compatible with one of the following
screen modes:-

 -  800 by 600 16 colour SVGA mode.
    The host file supports systems by Ahead Technologies, ATI, Chips &
    Technologies, Everex, Genoa, NCR, Oak Technologies, Paradise, Trident,
    Tseng, Video 7, and any VESA compatible system.

 -  640 by 480 16 colour VGA mode

 -  640 by 350 16 colour EGA mode.

 -  320 by 200 by 256 colour VGA/MCGA mode.
    256 colour images up to a resolution of 640 x 480 will be scaled to fit
    the 320 x 200 x 256 mode. This may reduce image quality unacceptably.

The following two modes should work on any register compatible VGA card.

 -  320 by 400 by 256 colours.

 -  360 by 480 by 256 colours.

Some other modes will also work, though the aspect ratio may be altered.

The program works by adding the image to the end of one of a number of
possible 'stub' files. If you use an executable file compressor such as
PKLITE, LZEXE or DIET, then you can greatly reduce the file size.

For example, the PCXHELP.PCX file starts as a 8K byte PCX file.
PCX2EXE then produces a host file 16K in size. Use DIET on the
program and it reduces to under 5K !

Other utilities provided include :-

      - GET-PCX, a TSR screen grabber which saves images directly
        to the PCX file format.

      - SCALEPCX, a utility to adjust a PCX file to a given size.

      - PACKPCX, a utility providing lossless compression of a 256
        colour PCX file.


Shareware.


PCX2EXE is not free software. This means you can try it out to see if it
fits your needs before deciding to buy. If you regularly use PCX2EXE, or
distribute any of the host programs, you are required to register with the
author. Registration entitles you to the latest version of the software,
and technical support by phone.

There are two main registration options.

a. Single User, individual use only. This licence permits use of
   PCX2EXE on one system only. The slideshow program SHOW.EXE,
   and any host files you create, may be freely copied and
   distributed as long as:-

   1. No charge is made.
   2. They are not used for promotional purposes, such as
      producing a demonstration program.

   A single user licence is currently 12 pounds ( 20 US dollars ).

b. Corporate User. This licence permits use of PCX2EXE on one
   system only. SHOW.EXE, along with any host files, may be
   freely copied, distributed or sold without any preconditions.

   A corporate licence is currently 25 pounds ( 40 US dollars )


Shareware libraries, bulletin boards etc. may freely distribute
this program as long as all files are included without alteration.


If registering from outside the UK, please send either an
International Money Order, or cash by registered mail ( in pounds
sterling, or your local equivalent in notes ). DO NOT send a
cheque, unless drawn from a UK bank and in pounds. It costs so
much to cash them that they are effectively worthless.


Order Form.


Use the following form to order ( also in ORDER.FRM ).


    +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
    |                                                                    |
    |  I wish to license _____ copy/copies of PCX2EXE.                   |
    |                                                                    |
    |  I have version _____.                                             |
    |                                                                    |
    |  Number of copies:                                                 |
    |                                                                    |
    |  Single User      _____ at £12/$20                                 |
    |                                                                    |
    |  Corporate User   _____ at £25/$40                                 |
    |                                                                    |
    |  Name ___________________________________________________________  |
    |                                                                    |
    |  Company (if applicable) ________________________________________  |
    |                                                                    |
    |  Address ________________________________________________________  |
    |                                                                    |
    |  Town/City ______________________________________________________  |
    |                                                                    |
    |  County/ State ______________________  Post/Zip Code ____________  |
    |                                                                    |
    |                                                                    |
    |  Please Send:  _____ 3.5" disk(s);  _____ 5.25" disk(s)            |
    |                                                                    |
    +--------------------------------------------------------------------+


Please send the form, with your remittance, to :-

     Mike Williams
     36 Laithwaite Close
     LEICESTER LE4 1BX
     England


Installation.


Simply copy the program files into a directory on your hard disk.


Running the software.


There are two ways to convert PCX files.

1. Running the program PCX2EXE produces a Windows-like dialog box.
Clicking on the arrow to the right of the Drives box allows you to
select the drive containing the file you wish to convert.
Click on the directory containing the file, and it should appear
in the 'files' box. You may need to use the scroll bars.
Click on the file name, then select either the "Make EXE" button
to produce the host file, or "Make EXE and test" to produce the
host file and try it out immediately.

2. If you don't need a fancy front-end, mouse support, etc.
then P2E.EXE is all you need ( and it's much smaller ! )
Simply supply it with the path name of the file to convert,
and it will do the hard work. For example,

P2E C:\ART\NICEPIC.PCX

NOTE: Both methods leave the .EXE file in the same directory
as the PCX file. In the above example, P2E would produce the
file C:\ART\NICEPIC.EXE .


Selecting the host file.


The system currently automatically chooses an appropriate host
file depending on the type of image file you pass to it.

This may cause problems under certain circumstances.

For example, if the image was created in 640 x 480 x 16 colour
VGA mode, but the image depth is less than or equal to 350 pixels
( i.e. 640 x 300 ) then the software will use the EGA host file.
The image still appears,but will be stretched vertically.


The Self-Displaying Files.


A self-displaying file may be run like any other DOS program,
either by typing its' name at the command line, or including
it in a batch file. After displaying the PCX picture embedded
within it, the file waits for a keypress OR a mouse click
( either the left or right button ). When this occurs the
file restores the screen to text mode, and ends.

The file will only display correctly if the system on which it
is being run has a display capable of showing the stored image.
For example, you cannot show a 320 x 200 x 256 colour VGA image
on a CGA monitor. ( Though a monochrome VGA would be fine ).


Compressing the Self-Displaying Files.


PCX files have an unusual distinction in that they always use
a form of compression ( to make the disk file smaller ), yet
often make the file actually larger than it should be.
The worst offenders are scanned 256 colour photographs.

PCX2EXE uses a separate utility, PACKPCX, to shrink such files
to a more manageable size, before converting them into an
EXE file. Sometimes there is no saving, but other images can
be reduced by 20 to 30 percent.

The most significant benefit is acheived by using an executable
file compressor. This works like an archiving program. You tell
it the program you want to compress, and it shrinks it by a
significant amount ( typically 20-60% ).  The beauty of the system
is that the program decompresses automatically when you run it, so
the only change you notice is that you have more free disk space.

The most effective two programs are DIET and PKLITE; if having
the smallest possible file is important, get hold of both.

Note ! DO NOT compress the host files ( STUB*.EXE ) or the PCX images.
If you do, the system will not work correctly.
Only compress the finished image, like this.

P2E logo.pcx            'Convert logo.pcx to an EXE file
DIET logo.exe           'Compress logo.exe


Creating more advanced displays.


The standard behaviour of a self-displaying file is of little
use if you want to display a number of pictures in succession
without user interaction ( i.e. for some kind of rolling demo ).
Alternatively, you may need more user interaction, such as
providing the means to step back through a list of files.
The program SHOW.EXE is provided to fulfill these requirements.


Using SHOW.EXE.


Command Format: SHOW filename [/Pnn] [/NOTEXT] [/NOCLS] [/NOBLANK]

filename may be either :-

  a) An individual PCX2EXE-created executable, or

  b) A script file. This is a plain ASCII file containing
     a list of all the files you wish to display. A script
     file must have the extension '.SCR'.

/Pnn is an optional switch which causes SHOW to pause for nn
seconds before moving to the next image.

/NOTEXT prevents SHOW resetting text mode between images, which
can sometimes cause unsightly screen 'judder'.

/NOCLS prevents SHOW clearing the screen between images. This can
produce a smoother transfer, as long as all images use the same
video mode.

/NOBLANK prevents SHOW blanking the screen while an image is loading.
This is done so that even when loading from a floppy, an image appears
to just 'pop' onto the screen. However, if your system is very fast
then using this switch can make for a smoother transfer between images.


Examples:-


SHOW PIC .............. Runs the file PIC.EXE. Equivalent to
                        Running PIC.EXE directly.

SHOW PIC /P10 ......... Runs the file PIC.EXE. Terminates the
                        program automatically after 10 seconds
                        if no keypress or mouseclick has occurred.

SHOW PICS.SCR /P8 ..... Create a rolling demo of all the files named
                        in PICS.SCR, giving each image a maximum of
                        8 seconds before moving on.


Run the batch file DEMO to see an example of SHOW.


Help Facility.


SHOW also contains a rudimentary HELP facility. If the user
presses the F1 key when a picture is displayed, AND the current
directory contains an embedded file called PCXHELP.EXE, then
that file will be displayed. When the user presses another key,
the previous picture will be restored.


Obtaining PCX files.


PCX images are commonly produced by many graphics packages.
You may use the package to produce the picture, save it to disk,
then convert it using PCX2EXE.

DOS users may find GET-PCX, included with the PCX2EXE package,
quite useful. It is a TSR screen grabber which can be used to,
er, grab screens from other packages, and save them as a PCX file.

Windows users are in the best position. Alt-<PrtSc> will copy the
current window to the clipboard. Paste the image into PaintBrush,
and you can then save it as a PCX file. There are a few pointers
that will help you, though ( see below ).


Windows-produced PCX files.


If you want to use an image from Windows, bear in mind that
PCX2EXE only works with standard VGA modes. To get results
using ( for example ) PaintBrush, try the following BEFORE
importing/creating your picture.

1. Select 'Options' and 'Image Attributes'.

2. Click on the 'Pels' option button.

3. If your standard Windows video mode uses 256 colours,
   enter a width of 320 and a height of 200. If you only
   use 16 colours, enter a width of 640 and a height of 480.
   If you aren't sure, click on the 'Windows Setup' icon
   which should be in your Main group, and check the current
   display setting.

4. Click on 'OK' to save. PaintBrush will now restart with
   the new parameters.

When you save your image, give it an extension of '.PCX', and
select 'PCX Files' from the 'Save Files As Type' list box.


A New Windows Logo ?


You can use a PCX2EXE host file to display a new customised
Windows logo when Windows is loading. Follow these steps.

1. Create the host file as normal; call it NEWLOGO.EXE and
   save it in the \WINDOWS directory.

2. Change the batch file command that calls up Windows from

   WIN

   to

   WIN :

   This will suppress the standard logo.

3. Create a batch file called WINSTART.BAT, again in the
   WINDOWS directory. When Windows loads, this batch file
   is automatically executed. If the file reads

   NEWLOGO

   then the logo will be displayed until a key is pressed,
   or the mouse clicked.

   To display the logo only briefly, use something like

   SHOW NEWLOGO /P2