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Text File | 1994-07-13 | 29.8 KB | 668 lines

============================================================================== [ THE KAY*FOG RBBS | KEYSTOWS.ART | published 22/12/85 | 665 lines 30k] KEYS TO WORDSTAR: The Use of Macros by Dick Ezzard Copyright (C) 1985 __________INTRODUCTION__________ WHY USE MACRO COMMANDS? Macros make WordStar into a much more powerful tool than most people realize. To speed up your text editing automate strings of WordStar commands with a keyboard enhancer such as Xtra-Key, SmartKey, ProKey, ManyKey, QuikKey, SuperKey or the public domain FK.COM. Then the touch of a single key can cascade several WordStar commands, speeding up the performance of some desirable process which would be slow and cumbersome if you had to enter each command separately. (The WordStar command buffer can receive and store a number of commands faster than any human can type.) Accuracy is an important benefit: pre-set strings of commands eliminate typographical errors when keying-in complex sequences -- no small advantage since mistakes made when entering complex WordStar commands can damage important files. While the number of potential combinations is astronomical, you'll probably come up with a small set of favorites that you know well and use often. I keep these tools in "sets" which are appropriate to particular kinds of activities, one set for use during high speed text entry, another set for editing existing text. I find especially useful a set I use for re-arranging mishmash text files. OTHER IMPROVEMENTS In addition to macros, there are two more ways to supercharge WordStar: Using a ram disk, and eliminating some of WordStar's files. Both are discussed below. MACRO OVERVIEW Let's take a look at some of my favorite macro types: * Text entry keys (reversing two transposed letters, fetching special ruler lines, deleting a word to the left); * Editing keys used when traversing a file (jumping cursor to the next paragraph, jumping a given number of lines, jumping a given number of paragraphs); * Massive deletions (delete from cursor to beginning of file, delete from cursor to end of file, delete to end of paragraph, delete to beginning of paragraph, delete a block with retrieval option); * Re-arranging text (mark current sentence as a block, mark paragraph as a block, move block to cursor and swap, move line to end of file, move block to end of file, install several sorting bins, move block to bin); * Indexing a file (copy line to end of file, copy block to top of file); * Multiple file editing (view another file, add a note to another file); * Other editing aids (tag marked block for later re-marking, re- mark a tagged block) * Miscellaneous keys (remove ghost lines from screen, print marked block, remove carriage returns not followed by line feeds); * Formatting keys (re-form current paragraph, underline a single word); * Finally, supercharging WordStar: Using a ramdisk to get the most out of these macros; eliminating WordStar's WSMSGS.OVR, MAILMERG.OVR overlays; and removing WS.COM to make space on a disk. __________TEXT ENTRY KEYS__________ REVERSE TWO TRANSPOSED LETTERS ^Kk^S^Kb^S^Kv^Kh This reverses two letters entered in transposed fashion, a common occurrence. For example, if you type the sequence teh, you can use this key to correct it to "the." It may be useful during high speed text entry if this is one of your common mistakes. However, it is probably more trouble than it is worth since it requires that you position the cursor carefully just to the right of the two transposed letters. The quickest ways to correct errors detected during text entry: If you are still in the word where the error occurred, use your deleting backspace to erase back to the error is and retype the error. If the error is several words back on the same line, use ^A to jump back to the beginning of the word which contains the error, then retype the whole word (unless it is a monster like Brzeniski or something) inserting it in front of the error, then use ^T to delete the word with the error. If you notice an error back further on your screen, let it go till you go through on your proof read. Especially if you are going to do a spell check anyway. FETCH SPECIAL RULER LINES ^Qs^Kb<CR>^KK^Qb^KrR<CR> This baby marks a tiny empty block, then reads in a file called R which is where you keep formatting stuff like special ruler lines. This is very useful to people who have to adjust their tabs and margin settings often, like script-writers and people who make up highly formatted tables and lists. Also useful if you edit directly on data base files which have to line up. Your collection of ruler lines comes in as a marked block. Place the cursor on the example ruler line of your choice and do ^Of to reset your margins and tabs. Then do ^Ky to erase the ruler line collection out of your current file until you need 'em again. DELETE WORD LEFT ^A^T Another error corrector for use during text entry. Will "eat up" words to the left, as many times as you hit it. If you want to start over just a little way back, comes in handy. __________EDITING KEYS__________ JUMP CURSOR TO NEXT PARAGRAPH ^Qf^N^N<CR><CR> This actually does a find of two cr/lf line endings in a row, so it jumps to the next paragraph only if your standard format is to include a blank line between paragraphs. As a matter of policy it is quite useful to standardize a format for your own "manuscript" files, to work in conjunction with a collection of special function keys. Postpone matters of formatting for printing until the last thing you do to a file. When doing text entry and conceptual editing, leave justification off, and hyphen help off -- those "features" will just slow you down. After you have used this key once to jump to the top of the next paragraph, you can just hit ^L to repeat and traverse your file paragraph by paragraph. JUMP N LINES ^Qf^N<CR> This is the front stub of a FIND command that looks for line endings. After hitting the key, you enter a number to tell WordStar how many lines to find, then hit the <RETURN> key again. For example, after hitting the defined function key enter 55<RETURN> and you will jump 55 lines, the normal length of a WordStar page. To go to the 10th page enter 550. After one use, if you want to jump the same number of lines use ^L. JUMP N PARAGRAPHS ^Qf^N^N<CR> Similar to the previous two keys, this one jumps paragraphs if they are delimited by double carriage return/ line feed sequences. After hitting the defined key, enter the number and <CR>. Repeat by ^L. __________MASSIVE DELETIONS__________ There are two useful ways to make deletions so that the deleted material can be retrieved later if needed. The first is simply to shift the "deleted" material to the end of the file. At the end of the editing process, it's a simple matter to clean up the end of the file. The second method: Set up a "delete" macro so that the file is first saved before the deletion takes place. Use another macro to yank back the earlier version if the deletion proves unsatisfactory. Both methods are described below. DELETE FROM CURSOR TO BEGINNING OF FILE ^Kk^Qr^Kb^Ky Dangerous. It picks out a small section of text or data for retention, from a larger file. For example, say you have captured a log of messages from KAY*FOG and there is one in there you want to keep for future reference. You could use WordStar to browse down to the file until your cursor is at the top of the material you want to retain. Hit this key and everything above it in the file disappears. This key is so dangerous that I have taken it off my keyboard, preferring to in the command sequence myself when I really want to do a massive delete. An accidental delete from the bottom of a valuable file could be trouble, when you haven't yet backed up the fresh work. DELETE FROM CURSOR TO END OF FILE ^Kb^Qc^Kk^Ky This cleans out everything in a file below the material you want to retain. Another example of a useful application for massive deletion is boilerplating. You keep a monster file of all the paragraphs you might use in a business letter. Open a new file in which to write a current letter. Then read in the file which is your collection of boilerplates. Select the few paragraphs you want to use this time, move them to the top of the file, and delete the rest using this special function key. Like its sister which deletes everything to the top of the file, I find this too dangerous to have around. I use the command sequence a lot, but don't want to be able to do it with one key! Would rather just type the commands as fast as I can. DELETE TO END OF PARAGRAPH ^Kb^Qf^N^N<CR><CR>^Kk^Ky This will get everthing from where the cursor is to the end of the paragraph, if you format your paragraphs with double <CR>s as recommended. Note that it uses both block operations and find operations which are in separate incompatible parts of the WordStar overlay file, so your disk will be accessed a couple of times with this one. However, it is not bad with a RAM disk. Note also that where your cursor lands after a find operation differs slightly between versions of WordStar. Probably more trouble than it's worth. I get the same effect just as fast with a sequence of ^Qy to lop off the current line, followed by repositioning the cursor down and hitting ^Y the required number of times. Paul St. John notes that ^Kb^B^Kk^Ky does the same thing just as effectively. DELETE TO BEGINNING OF PARAGRAPH ^Kb^Qf^N^N<CR>B<CR>^Kk^Ky Similar to the just preceding key, only the FIND operation searches with the B for backwards option to find the double <CR>'s which define a paragraph. Again, maybe not worth the trouble in most cases. DELETING A BLOCK, WITH RETRIEVAL OPTION ^Ks^Qp^Ky ^KqYD^R<CR> When performing a block-delete, it's nice to have the ability to yank back the deleted portion if you change your mind. These two macros give you just this ability. The first macro, ^Ks^Qp^Ky, first saves the file in its pre- delete form before making the actual block deletion. If you don't like the result, and want to return to the previous version of the file, the second macro, ^KqYD^R<CR>, takes you out of the file and back in so fast that the effect is nearly like yanking back the deleted text. This nifty key was added to the collection by David Lewiston who says he picked it up from a Kaypro User's Group file. __________RE-ARRANGING TEXT__________ MARK CURRENT SENTENCE AS BLOCK ^Qf <CR>B^D^D^Kb^Qf <CR><CR>^Kk Note that there are two spaces after each ^Qf. This key is dependent on the user being consistent in ending each sentence with two space characters. Does not work on the first sentence in a paragraph. Probably more of a stunt than anything useful. MARK PARAGRAPH AS BLOCK ^Qf^N^N<CR>B<CR>^X^X^Qf^N^N<CR><CR>^Kk The lazy man's block marker. Provided your paragraphs are configured separated with double carriage returns as recommended, place the cursor anywhere in a paragraph and hit this key. The paragraph will be blocked for you, ready to move. Some cautions: Won't work unless the paragraph is preceded and followed by double <CR>, which is usually not the case for the first and last paragraphs in a file. And may not be the case at all if you don't format your manuscript files the same way I do. Then re-design of this key may be necessary. Also, this key works with WordStar version 2.26. The positioning of the cursor after a find operation differs slightly for some other versions of WordStar so some tinkering will be required. I don't use this one anymore because I am proficient enough at block marking to make better time just zinging the cursor up and down to mark blocks. MOVE BLOCK TO CURSOR ^Kv^Qv Proceeding through a file you can mark and move blocks in sequence. After you mark the first block, you prowl around moving the cursor till you find where you want the block to light. Hit this key and the block comes to the cursor location, the cursor snaps back to where the block was and you are ready to mark your next block. You may not wish to tie up a special function key for a command sequence as simple as ^Kv^Qv which is easy to type. MOVE LINE TO END OF FILE (HOLD OFF ERASE) ^Qs^Kb^X^Kk^Qr^Kv^Qv^Kh Provides an option on erasing lines: Marks the current line as a block and moves the marked line to the end of the file, for later consideration, instead of permanently obliterating the line, as with ^Y. It then returns the cursor to where you are working. This jewel is the prototype for text re-arrangement. If your file is short enough to exist entirely in RAM, it is very quick indeed, and you can move several lines by hitting this key several times in quick succession. Since each line goes to the end of the file, it appears under the one which was previously moved. Since you return to the place you just came from, you are on the very next line. So hit this key five times in a row and you move a five line paragraph to the bottom of the file. About five or six lines seems to be the limit of WordStar's command buffer and you will be signaled that the buffer is full by a beep and the appearance of some !!!!! marks at the top of the screen. Not to worry. Just slow down a little and then you can move some more lines. One of WordStar's stickiest pitfalls is the ^Y erase key. David Giunti has an ingenious solution to this problem if you use a full-fledged keyboard redefiner: program this sequence to the ^Y key so that the line is moved to the end of the file and Word Star never finds out that a ^Y was entered! This can save the day for the heavy-handed typist, because holding ^Y down for just a little too long results in WordStar deleting more than one line. When you end your edit, use ^Qc to go to the end of file, and delete the really unwanted lines from the bottom of the file (with Block mark and delete). First you throw stuff in the wastebasket, later on you get a chance to reconsider before you irrevocably burn it up. MOVE BLOCK TO END OF FILE ^Qr^Kv^Qv^Kh Used after you manually mark a block, this will move that block to the end of the file. And bring you back to where you are working. Aids tremendously in the re-arrangement of text. For example, let's say you have a file which is a mishmash of notes on roughly the same subject, but in no particular order. Starting at the top of the file, mark blocks that you think belong in the middle of the file and use this key to send them to the end. When you get done with the first pass, go back to the top and go through again sending down stuff that you think belongs to the end of the file. You have just done a rough sort. The stuff that "belongs to the beginning" you never touched so it is in the front of the file. The middle stuff went down first but was bumped back up to the middle when you sent the end stuff down on the second pass. Now you can do the same kind of sort on just the beginning stuff. Pretty soon you will see some kind of sequence. Use this one as an alternative to deletion. As you edit a file throwing stuff to the bottom is equivalent to putting it in the wastebasket. Use this technique as the poor man's "UNDO" command. SETTING UP SORTING BINS ^K1 ^K2 ^K3 ^K4 ^K5 All this key does is post a sequence of WordStar's place markers. This is preparatory to using the markers as targets for text block movements. Note that there is a space between each of the markers. MOVE BLOCK TO A BIN ^Q1^Kv^Qv^Kh ^Q2^Kv^Qv^Kh This set of keys moves marked blocks to pre-designated place markers. I have these key definitions installed on some of my number keys. When I want to move text to more locations than just the top or bottom of the file, I set up place markers, then move through the file marking blocks as I go. After a block is marked (by the lazy man's block marker key if you like) just hit the appropriate dispatcher key and the block will be moved to the corresponding place marker and the cursor will snap back to where you are working. __________INDEXING A FILE__________ COPY LINE TO END OF FILE ^Qs^Kb^X^Kk^Qr^Kc^Qv^Kh This very useful key is sister to the key which moves lines to the end of file. This one sends a copy of the current cursor line to the end of file and leaves you ready to continue prowling the file. Why copy lines to the bottom of the file? It is an easy way to make a table of contents for a text file. Every so often I signpost my manuscript files with headlines (usually using WordStar's double dot comment line format). After a file is more or less complete I start at the top and place the cursor on each heading line, hit this key and send a copy to the bottom of the file. After browsing through the entire file I find a collection of the headings at the bottom. When they are moved to the top they become a table of contents for the file and help me to jump down to a specific location by use of the ^Qf find operation, by showing me what I'm looking for. COPY BLOCK TO TOP OF FILE ^Qr^Kv^Qv After markig a block, this key will send it to the top of the file. Often used to move a collection of redundant headings to the top of the file to serve as a table of contents for the file. __________MULTIPLE FILE EDITING__________ These macros create "window shades." The first, View Another File, uses O as the name for the Outline file relating to the project in progress. The second, Add a Note to Another File, uses N as the name of the file containing Notes, to which additional material can be added. The same techniques can be used with other files, omitting O and N from the macros, and simply entering the wanted filename. VIEW ANOTHER FILE ^Kb<CR>^Kk^Qb^KrO<CR> This key pulls down a "window shade" into a pre-marked block. The shade it pulls down is a file called, by convention, "O". I always keep my outline for my current project in a file called O so when I use this key I get to glance at my outline. It appears in the text file in which I am working and is distinguished from the current text by being pre-marked as a block. When I am done looking at the outline, I hit ^Ky and the outline goes away until I want to glance at it again. ADD A NOTE TO ANOTHER FILE ^Qb<CR>^KrN<CR>^KwN<CR>Y^Ky This allows writing to the tag end of a file different than the one you are working in. By convention the other file is called N. If I am working away and think of something not pertinent to my current project, or if I get a phone call and want to remember something about it, I make a note right in the file I am working in. Mark the note, whatever it is, as a block and then hit this key. The file N will be read into the block at the top, and the file N will be written out again, as an entire block and therefore encompassing the new note. It happens so fast you won't see file N come in, just the blocked note will disappear. But when you later look at File N, all notes will be in there in the order you sent them out. There must be a file N in existence before you use this key the first time, even if that file consists of only one <CR>. You need not send just "odd notes" to that N file. I often use this key in culling operations, to run through a copy of a mishmash file and extract the paragraphs which pertain to a particular topic. After extracting all material on one topic, you can rename N, start a new N, and go through the mishmash to cull out notes on a second topic. __________OTHER EDITING AIDS__________ TAG MARKED BLOCK FOR LATER REMARKING ^Qb^K0^Qk^K9^Kh This key gets around the fact that WordStar only permits one "active" marked block at a time. Sometimes you will want WordStar to be able to "remember" the current marked block while you do something with another block. This often arises for me when I read in an outline as a marked block, then want to move some text around to conform to the outline, but know I will want to erase the outline again in a little while. Hit this key and the block markings are removed, but the "old block" is tagged with place marker 0 at the beginning of the block, place marker 9 at the end. I select these place markers because I often use the lower place markers, 1, 2, 3, 4, as targets for block moves when re-arranging text. Thanks to Ed Greenberg of MicroPro for this "chipping off the old block" capability. RE-MARK A TAGGED BLOCK ^Q0^Kb^K0^Q9^Kk^K9 This key is the sister to the previous one, re-marks the previously marked old block, after you are done with block operations elsewhere in the file. If the old block was an outline or notes which have now served their purpose, they are now ready for a ^Ky delete. __________MISCELLANEOUS KEYS__________ GHOSTBUSTER--CLEAR GHOST LINES ^K0^Qe^Qs^Kb^Qx^Qd^Kk^Q0^K0 or ^K0^Qe^Qs^Kb^Qx^Qd^Kk^Q0^K0^KH This key marks the entire screen as a block, moving the cursor to the top left, then to the bottom right, but remembering where it was in the beginning and going back there after marking the block. Once in a while when WordStar is being run fast, its screen display buffer will get caught with a duplicate line in it. These extra characters are _not_ in the file, they are just in the stuff that WordStar is showing on the screen, and will disappear if the area they are in is marked as a block -- an operation which modifies the contents of the screen buffer (on most systems). To unmark the block, either hit ^KH or hit the ghostbuster SFK a second time; it works as a toggle. The same idea can be used to delete an entire screenful, or to dump a screenful to the printer. PRINT MARKED BLOCK ^KwP<CR>Y^KpP<ESC>^X This will send a marked block to the file called P and then print the file called P. Unless you have included formatting dot commands in the block, the block will print as a page in WS's default format. Note that if you use this one in conjunction with the previous full screen block marking, you get what amounts to a screen dump to the printer at the touch of two keys, while in WordStar. REMOVE CRs NOT FOLLOWED BY LFs ^Qa^P^M^P^O^P^J<CR><CR>GN<CR> This is an example of the highly specialized filtering which can be accomplished from within WordStar. This was the answer to a guy who had to process some files which had been downloaded from a remote system in a format which did not include linefeeds on many lines. By knocking off the odd carriage returns he was ready to re-form the files in a more standard manner. This solution came from Mojo Jones of MicroPro. __________FORMATTING KEYS__________ REFORM CURRENT PARAGRAPH ^Qf^N^N<CR>B<CR>^X^X^B This will re-form the paragraph you are working in. Often when editing text you will add new words, delete something so that the lines have changed in length and the paragraph needs reformation. This key will do it. Presupposes you follow the convention to separate paragraphs with two CR/LF sequences (blank line between paragraphs). This one is for WordStar version 2.26. Some versions of WordStar may put the cursor in a different location after a backwards Find operation looking for two CR/LF. If so, the number of ^X's in the key definition may vary. UNDERLINE A WORD ^A^P^S^F^P^S This puts the printer control codes ^S for underscore at the beginning and end of a word just typed. A variation might be to put the underscore or boldface or alternate type size controls at the beginning and end of a marked block -- left as an exercise for the reader. Thanks to Ted Silveira for this formatting key. A note concerning formatting in general: this is often best left to be the final task before a file is output for printing. Such matters as justification, hyphen-help and underscoring or boldfacing, just slow you down during the "manuscript" drafting phases of word processing. My standard manuscript files are configured to be easy to work with, standardized so I can use certain special function keys I find useful (especially block marking and moving to place marker targets), and jam as much context as possible onto the limited screen window. It is only later that I bother to make a copy of the file which is then gussied up for display with printer control gadgets like underlining and boldfacing, centering, justification, etc. __________SUPERCHARGING WORDSTAR__________ RAM DISKS AND WORDSTAR Because WordStar was originally built for use on computers with limited memory space for holding programs, it consists of the COM file (the program proper) and some overlay files. The COM file holds the basic nut of WordStar, the most-used functions. The overlay files hold auxiliary routines and materials portions of which are loaded into memory when needed. For example, many of the help menus are located in the file called WSMSGS.OVR. Due to this overlay construction, WordStar makes frequent disk accesses. When you use a sequence of commands that come from different parts of the overlay file, you will be subjected to annoying disk accesses. The FIND or FIND AND REPLACE functions are incompatible with BLOCK MOVE functions, and if you are continually finding, then block moving, then finding and moving again, you will be listening to a lot of disk accesses. On top of that, although WordStar is very fast (especially on 8-bit CP/M computers), and can buffer a sequence of commands for later execution, as fast as you can type them in, it is NOT able to receive commands while an actual disk access, a read or a write, is going on. So although you can usually type ahead a sequence of commands for WordStar to perform in turn (no, you don't have to wait for each step to be completed before giving the next command) pauses for disk access will slow you down. The solution to this disk access problem is a RAM disk-- either a portion of memory configured as a disk or an add-on piece of hardware. Macros really shine when you operate them on a RAM disk. NAKED WORDSTAR RUNS FASTER Make yourself a lightweight working WordStar disk using only WSOVLY1.OVR and WS.COM. If you are accustomed to WordStar you don't need WSMSGS.OVR file which contains only help menus, command menus, and messages which are posted during execution of some commands. Leaving out WSMSGS.OVR speeds WordStar operations considerably. After the first attempt to access that file, WordStar modifies itself to remember that the messages are not available and will not go to the disk for that particular kind of stuff during the rest of the session. If you make a cribsheet of common WordStar commands and keep it and a WordStar book close to your computer, you will soon have the most-used commands well memorized. Continuing to rely on the menus will only train you to use menus. The practiced WordStar user no more looks at menus than a touch-typist looks at typewriter keycaps. Okay, the WordStar expert is down to two files for booting: WS.COM and WSOVLY1.OVR. If you really need all the disk space you can find, you can erase the MailMerge file MAILMRGE.OVR, and even erase WordStar itself! After WordStar is booted up and esconced in RAM, use the WordStar command Y at the main WordStar menu and instruct the system to erase the file WS.COM. Now you are down to the nub: WordStar is in RAM and the one file it needs, WSOVLY1.OVR is on the disk. And you are still in the word processing business. The ability to run WordStar without WordStar may just save your neck if a drive goes bad and you are forced to operate on a single drive temporarily. Also, if you ever back yourself into a corner and end up with a "disk full" error or a bad disk, and have to save some new work, you can create some emergency space by erasing that WS.COM file. (To erase WS.COM from within a file, use the ^KJ command.) This trick should be especially useful to people who are operating with single density disks. A final tip: WordStar is powerful. The power requires many commands to control, so many that the new user can be overwhelmed at first. Even the well versed WordStar user forgets commands she hasn't used for a while. Take a clue from high performance sports: the best batters take the most batting practice. Before a WordStar session, take a few minutes to think ahead about what operations you will be using for the task in mind. Then take a few cuts at the ball before the game. To groove any skill takes practice and what we know how to do best is what we practiced most recently. It pays to warm up. ------------------------- End of KEYSTOWS.ART Text ------------------------