home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- SCRCHED.COM v1.01 (c) J. Elliott, 29 August 1993
- ================================================================================
-
- SCRCHED.COM is a program which allows you to edit the screen character set
- displayed by LocoScripts 2 and 3. It runs on any Amstrad PCW. LocoScript 1
- users should use the programs SETFONT and ALTER (See ALTER.DOC).
-
- If you have used SCRCHED v1.00 already, read the "update information" section
- at the end of these instructions.
-
- GETTING STARTED (BEGINNERS):
- ============================
- (This goes into a lot of detail, so don't be frightened by all the explanations)
-
- 1. Format a disc in drive A with the f2=Disc menu. This will become your
- SCRCHED disc.
- 2. Using the f3=Copy menu in LocoScript, copy the files:
-
- SCRCHED.COM PROFILE.ENG MANUAL2.PIC SCRCHED.DOC (this file)
-
- from this disc to the new SCRCHED disc.
- 3. Copy the file DPRINT.COM from disc 2 to the new SCRCHED disc.
- 4. Insert your CP/M disc (8256 or 8512 users: Side 2) and copy the files
-
- SUBMIT.COM DEVICE.COM J(something)CPM3.EMS (or J(something)CPM3.EMT)
-
- to the new SCRCHED disc.
- 5. Insert your new SCRCHED disc, hold down [SHIFT] and [EXTRA] and press [EXIT].
-
- 6. Printing these instructions:
- When the message A> appears, follow this procedure:
-
- A) If you have a 9512 or 9512+ with a daisywheel, press [PTR]. Move the bar to
- 'Daisy' and press [+] to change it to 'Matrix'. Move to 'Impression' and
- press [+] until it becomes 'low'. Then press [EXIT].
-
- B) If you have an 8256, 8512, 9256 or 10 and are using the built-in printer then
- press [PTR]. Using the arrow keys, move the bright bar to "Draft Quality" and
- press [+] then [EXIT]. Now go to (D) below.
-
- C) If you have an external printer, type exactly the appropriate command below.
- 8256,8512,9256,10 with parallel printer:
- DEVICE LST:=CEN and press [RETURN]
- 9512,9512+ with parallel printer:
- DEVICE LST:=PAR and press [RETURN]
- Computers with serial printer:
- DEVICE LST:=SIO and press [RETURN]
-
- E) If you have a dot-matrix printer, type DPRINT SCRCHED.DOC and press [RETURN].
-
- F) If you have a daisywheel, type DPRINT SCRCHED.DOC /D and press [RETURN].
- After the picture has been printed, press [PTR], move to 'Waiting for paper'
- and press [-] followed by [EXIT].
-
- G) If you have a bubblejet, type DPRINT SCRCHED.DOC /B and press [RETURN].
-
- 7. Type exactly RENAME PROFILE.SUB=PROFILE.ENG and press [RETURN].
-
- You have now made a start-of-day disc for SCRCHED. When you boot this disc, a
- warning message will appear; ignore it and press ENTER to clear it.
-
- PEOPLE ACCUSTOMED TO CP/M:
- ==========================
-
- The syntax is
-
- SCRCHED
- or
- SCRCHED fontfile.typ (normally SCRCHAR.JOY)
-
- The first variant starts up SCRCHED with everything blank; the second loads
- the LocoScript screen character file.
- ________________________________________________________________________________
-
- Once it has started, SCRCHED looks something like LocoScript. You should read
- the section "MENUS" to find out the detail differences.
-
- When SCRCHED has loaded, the editor is entered straight away. Options are
- printed on the top lines, as in LocoScript. The large window at the bottom of
- the screen will contain the font if one is loaded.
-
- On startup, the options are:
-
- E=Edit character. Characters are edited one at a time.
- W=Whole font options. Characters are edited in groups.
- I=Edit Identity. For documents, you can do this in LocoScript with the
- f5=Document menu; With Screen Character files, the only way to
- do it is with this menu (or IDED.COM in PROGRAMS.ARK).
- L=Load font. Loads a LocoScript character set.
- S=Save font. Saves as a LocoScript character set.
- M=Merge font. This loads a CP/M character set saved in simple binary form (eg
- by ALTER) and transposes all its characters to the right place for
- LocoScripts 2 and 3. The files in FONTS.ARK which have a filename
- ending with .UDG can be loaded using this option.
- EXIT. Returns you to the A> prompt.
-
- MENUS
-
- There are some differences from LocoScript's own menus:
- 1. The keys for options are 1-5, not f1-f8, and the [+],[-] and [CAN] keys are
- not used.
- 2. When given a Selection menu like:
-
- Filename:______________
- Group no:__
- Drive: _
-
- the _ characters show that input can be made. Type the input as you would in
- LocoScript (all the normal editing keys can be used except [EOL] and [CUT])
- and press [ENTER] to finish making the input. To abandon an input, move the
- menu bar off the input line using the up or down key.
- 3. Use [STOP] instead of [CAN] to leave a menu without making a choice.
- 4. There are no Settings menus.
-
- The following picture shows a typical Commands menu and information lines from
- SCRCHED. Captions are written in a sans-serif font.
- $@manual2.pic$
-
- SCREEN LAYOUT:
-
- The screen has three information lines at the top. The first contains general
- information. The second contains information relating to the current function,
- and the third shows what keys to press.
- Immediately below these is the main window. This is used for editing
- characters or the disc directory.
- At the bottom of the screen is the font window. This shows the currently
- loaded character set. If the message "WAIT" is displayed in this window, then
- the character set is being updated.
-
- EDITING A CHARACTER:
-
- Press E to edit.
- A cursor will appear in the font window. Move to the right character and
- press [ENTER]. Note: the character number, printed in the information lines,
- is not the same as that used by LocoChar.
-
- The main edit screen now appears. The character, magnified x8, appears in the
- left-hand box; the right-hand box contains images of what the character looks
- like in real size. There are five options:
-
- 1=Get character. Copies the pattern of another character into the edit windows.
- 2=Reflect. Reflects the current pattern. You have a choice of horizontally or
- vertically.
- 3=Rotate. Characters can be rotated through 90 degrees in either direction.
- 4=Move. Slides the pattern up, down, left or right. The row that slides off the
- edge comes back on the other side.
- 5=Options. There are seven:
- (i) Invert. All dark dots go to light; all light dots go to dark.
- (ii) Predefined patterns. See below for these two options.
- (iii) Scratchpads.
- (iv) Bold. Thickens vertical lines in the character.
- (v) Doublestrike. Thickens horizontal lines in the character.
- (vi) Italic. Slants the character.
- (vii) Outline. Turns the character into a hollow version of itself.
-
- ENTER=Finished: saves the character and returns to the main menu.
- STOP=Abandon: returns you to the main menu; the character is left unchanged.
-
- The predefined patterns menu offers:
- Blank. The character is cleared.
- Speckled. The character is replaced with a "grey blur"
- AND speckled. The effect is as if all the "blank" dots in the blur have been
- transferred onto the picture. Try it on an A.
- OR speckled. As if all the "coloured" dots in the blur have been painted over
- the picture. Try it on an A.
- XOR speckled. This normally creates a messy effect; try it on a black blob.
-
- The scratchpad menu allows you to save the current character in a memory
- area. If the pad is empty, all you can do is save the current character to it.
- Otherwise, you can AND, OR, XOR the contents of the pad with the current
- character, replace the current character with the contents of the pad, or empty
- the pad.
-
- WHOLE FONT OPTIONS:
-
- Press W from the main menu. The "whole font" edit screen now appears. There
- are seven alternatives:
-
- 1=Place (or Remove) markers. Allows you to mark out a group of characters to use
- with the other options. If there are no markers set, the entire font will be
- used. The characters between the markers (inclusive) will be used. The markers
- appear onscreen as underlines.
- 2=Reflect. }
- 3=Rotate. } These options behave in the same way
- 4=Move. } as their counterparts in "Edit".
- 5=Options: Invert, Predefined, Bold, }
- Doublestrike, Italic, Outline }
-
- 5=Options: Scratchpads: The scratchpad options do not use markers and always
- affect the whole font.
- ENTER=Finish edit saves the font and returns to the main menu.
- STOP=Abandon edit returns you to the main menu; the font is left as it was.
-
- LOADING NEW SCREEN CHARACTERS:
-
- Press L to load. You will get no disc management screen; typing in names is
- the only way to type the filename in. Groups can only be specified by typing
- their numbers in. (SCRCHAR.JOY files are almost always in group 0).
-
- SAVING YOUR SCREEN CHARACTERS:
-
- Press S to save. The menus are like those for loading. To change the
- LocoScript character set, what you have to do is to save the character set to
- a COPY of your LocoScript start-of-day disc, in group 0, under the name of
- SCRCHAR.JOY.
-
- EDITING THE IDENTITY:
-
- A menu appears showing the current identity. You may move around using the
- cursor keys; RETURN moves you down a line. Press EXIT to finish editing the
- identity.
-
- MERGING WITH A CP/M FONT:
-
- The menus are the same as for loading.
- ________________________________________________________________________________
-
- Update information for users of v1.00:
-
- The important difference between this program and the previous version (1.00)
- is that the "checksum" options and displays are not present in v1.01. The
- checksum system is now entirely automatic and no characters are destroyed by
- it. The program no longer needs to be installed before use.
-
- "Whole font editing" has been added, as have the "emphasis" options Bold,
- Doublestrike, Italic and Outline.
- ________________________________________________________________________________
-