home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Night Owl 6
/
Night Owl's Shareware - PDSI-006 - Night Owl Corp (1990).iso
/
007a
/
dmtr57.zip
/
PCLIBRY.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-09-26
|
33KB
|
1,015 lines
- D o c u D r a f t r -
__________________________
Document Assembly System
(The Electronic Forms Library)
USERS' MANUAL
for the
PC-LIBRARY PROGRAM
Copyright 1990
William W. Blackledge
3704 Edgewater Drive
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
73116
(405) 840-3563
***************************************
** TABLE OF CONTENTS **
***************************************
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Summary of PC-LIBRARY'S Features . . 2
PC-LIBRARY Program Startup . . . . . 4
Variable Files . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Text Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Source Text Rules . . . . . . . . . 10
***************************************
WordStar is a trademark of WordStar International Incorporated.
WordPerfect is a trademark of WordPerfect Corporation.
VDE Editor is copyrighted by Eric Meyer of Boulder, Colorado
PC-Write is a trademark of Quicksoft.
FriendlyWriter is a trademark of Friendly Soft Inc.
Copyright 1990
William W. Blackledge
3704 Edgewater Drive
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
73116
(405) 840-3563
OVERVIEW
PC-LIBRARY is a companion program to the DocuDraftr PC-
FORMS program. It is used to create and maintain the
Forms Libraries used with PC-FORMS for document assembly.
The program assists the user in creating variable files
for Forms Libraries after the text sections have been
entered in the ".LEX" files with their .TXn heading/index
lines. It also assists in up-dating the variable file for
a particular Library after text and/or variable names have
been added.
In addition, the PC-LIBRARY program, PCLB.EXE, may be used
to print, or to create files containing, the Text Indexes,
the Text Library, the Variable Prompts and the Variable
Help Messages from a DocuDraftr Forms Library. These
lists can be used to collect information from clients for
a particular document. They may also be used to provide
instructions to a secretary or typist for completing the
document.
This program automatically links to the WordStar, Word-
Perfect, VDE, PC-Write or FriendlyWriter word processing
program if it is in the same directory with one of those
programs. If linked with WordPerfect the CONVERT.EXE
program file of that system must be in the same directory.
If linked with FriendlyWriter a special conversion pro-
gram, FWCNV.EXE by the author of the DocuDraftr programs,
must be installed.
1
The program will access only those library files (with
the .VBL and .LEX suffixes) which are in the current
working directory so you must change to that directory
before starting the program.
SUMMARY OF PC-LIBRARY'S FEATURES
PC-LIBRARY is started by entering the command "PCLB" at
the DOS prompt. The opening screen displays a list of the
forms libraries available in the current directory. The
user is asked to enter a form name or, if help is desired,
a question mark.
Entering a question mark displays the general program help
file FMHELP.MSG which may be browsed more conveniently
from the PC-FORMS program. You may read the help messages
a screen at a time in the PC-LIBRARY program but you
cannot scroll backwards in the messages as is permitted in
PC-FORMS. The <ESCAPE> key is used to exit the help
screen.
After entering a form name the PC-LIBRARY menu screen
appears with the following options:
1. Text Index for <formname>
2. Text Library for <formname>
3. Variable Prompts for <formname>
4. Variable Help for <formname>
5. Quit - Start Another Form
6. Quit - Exit to Word Processor
2
Your selections are made from this menu by entering the
appropriate numeral. Selections 1, 3 and 4 create files
listing the contents of the index, prompt and help sec-
tions, respectively, of the variable file for the desig-
nated forms library.
The Text Library selection, (Selection 2), is used for
creating a file of the text sections in the .LEX files of
a forms library. While doing so, a numbered blank is
placed in the text for each variable name and the variable
prompt for that name is numbered with the number of that
blank. This makes it possible to dictate or list the
responses for each variable by number. These prompt
numbers are displayed as the document is being assembled.
The program also saves the text heading lines in alphabet-
ical and numeric sequence as it proceeds through the .LEX
files with the file and selection numbers related to them.
This information is used to update the index section of
the variable file.
When the Text Library file is completed the program asks
the user if he, or she, desires to update the variable
file for the designated forms library. A (Y)es answer
results in the program renaming the old variable file with
a .BAK suffix. It then creates a new variable file con-
taining the following information:
3
1. In the Prompt section (.QN heading line) the variable
prompts are numbered in sequence as they appear in
the text sections.
2. In the Help section (.HP heading line) the variable
help messages are listed in alphabetical sequence
according to the first letter of the variable name.
3. In the Index section (.IX heading line) the text
heading lines are listed in numeric and alphabetical
sequence.
These files can be revised to fit the needs of a particu-
lar forms library using a word processor capable of pro-
ducing a plain ASCII text file. For Example, the user may
wish to include capitalized headings in the Text Indexes
to assist the user in selecting text sections for inclu-
sion in a document.
This concludes the summary of PC-LIBRARY'S features. The
remainder of this manual consists of detailed instructions
for the use of PC-LIBRARY users who want more information
about how the program works.
PC-LIBRARY PROGRAM STARTUP
The PC-LIBRARY program is started by entering "PCLB" at
the DOS prompt. If you do not include a form name the
program will ask for one.
The following are correct start-up entries at the DOS
prompt for the PC-LIBRARY program:
C>pclb
or
C>pclb wills
4
The PC-LIBRARY program will display on the screen and
store in a file one or more sections of a forms library
variable file. The output file is named with the form
name plus one of the following suffixes:
.INX - for the Text Indexes,
.TXT - for the Text Library,
.PMT - for the Variable Prompts and
.HLP - for the Variable Help Messages.
If requested, these files may be printed as they are being
prepared. If the user has a word processor, it is recom-
mended that they be printed using it.
After the PC-LIBRARY program is started and a form name
entered the following menu is displayed:
1. Text Indexes for <formname>
2. Text Library for <formname>
3. Variable Prompts for <formname>
4. Variable Help for <formname>
5. Quit - Start Another Form
6. Quit - Exit to Word Processor
The Text Library routine substitutes a numbered blank for
each variable name in the library files. It assigns the
number to the prompt for that variable. The text is then
revised and saved in a file with its menu and text selec-
tion numbers shown in the heading. While doing this the
5
program saves numeric and alphabetical listings of the
text headings with which to up-date the variable file if
asked to do so. This means that the language of the text
headings should be selected carefully with the knowledge
that it will be used as an index line to that section of
text in the variable file.
The Text Library routine of the PC-LIBRARY program also
may be used to enter or update variable prompts in the
variable file for a particular forms library. That rou-
tine checks for a prompt for each variable name in the
forms library. If no prompt is found for a variable in
the variable file the user is asked to enter one. At the
end of the routine the user may then instruct the program
to update the variable file.
After you have prepare new text files, or added variable
names to existing ones, you should run the Text Library
routine. It will number the variables in sequence and ask
you to input prompts for those without prompts in the
variable file. After updating the prompt section of the
file you can then add help messages in the help section of
the variable file for the new variables, if desired.
VARIABLE FILES
There is one variable file for each forms library. This
file is named with the formname followed by the suffix
".VBL". The file contains a section of variable prompts
6
headed by the dot command ".QN", a section of variable
help messages headed by the dot command ".HP" and a sec-
tion of the text heading lines in numeric and alphabetical
sequence headed by the dot command .IX. Each time a
GLOBAL VARIABLE appears in the selected text, the prompt
for that variable will be displayed unless a response for
it was entered previously.
Each time a LOCAL VARIABLE appears in the text the user
will be prompted for a response for that variable in that
text. If the variable name begins with a punctuation mark
other than a question mark or the tilde (~) character, the
user will be reminded of the previous entry for the varia-
ble and permitted to retain it or change it. If the
variable name begins with the tilde (~) character the
Standard Response shown in the prompt section of the
variable file for that name will be displayed and the user
permitted to retain or change it.
Each prompt is entered in this file on the line immediate-
ly after the line containing the variable name in curly
braces.
The help sections of variable files contain brief state-
ments for each variable name explaining what data should
be entered in response to the prompt for that variable.
These messages must also be entered in the file on the
7
line immediately following a line containing the variable
name in curly braces. The variable help messages are not
required for the program to run properly. If there is no
help message for a variable name the user will be advised
of that fact if help is requested for it.
TEXT FILES
Text files are named with a form name of six or less
characters plus a two-digit number plus the suffix '.LEX'.
The files supplied with the programs should demonstrate
most of the features of the system. They may be used as
templates for the development of other user-prepared
files. There may also be a sample file called
SAMPLE01.LEX on the disk which you may use as a template
to create a Forms Library.
Text files may begin with one or more dot command lines
for formatting the documents. A format line in this sec-
tion of the text file will be applicable to all of the
following text sections unless a different format line is
included in them.
Each text section of these files begins with a .TX number
followed by one or more asterisks and a heading/index line
in capital letters followed by one or more asterisks. The
file may contain WordStar, Version 3.3, dot command lines
for formatting the final document. If you use WordPerfect
as your word processor and the DocuDraftr programs are
8
linked with it these codes are converted to WordPerfect
codes when your listing or document is complete.
If WordStar dot commands are used in the text files they
will be passed through to the output document without
modification. In addition, the programs utilize the .FT
command line to display a formatting ruler line consisting
of a capital L for the Left Margin marker, a capital P for
the Paragraph Margin marker, a capital R for the Right
Margin marker, exclamation marks for regular tab stops and
the number mark # for decimal tab stops.
Following are some of the dot commands which may be incor-
porated in the text files:
.FT followed by a format ruler line.
.HE followed by a header line for each page.
.FO followed by a footing line for each page.
.MTn for number of lines in top margin.
.MBn for number of lines in bottom margin.
.HMn for number of lines between heading and text.
.FMn for number of lines between footing and text.
.PLn for number of total lines per page.
.POn for number of characters to offset left margin.
Text files must be in ASCII characters. The document
format section is not required in every file. In Versions
prior to 4.0 the special ".FT" dot command was required to
9
be the first line in the file or the first line after a
".TXn" command line. This is not required in later ver-
sions.
SOURCE TEXT RULES
The following are the rules which must be followed in the
preparation of the source text section of text files:
1. The text must be in ASCII characters.
2. Paragraphs and lines which stand alone, such as for
matting lines, MUST BE TERMINATED WITH A CARRIAGE
RETURN IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE LAST CHARACTER OR
PUNCTUATION MARK.
3. EACH OF THE LINES WITHIN A PARAGRAPH, OTHER THAN THE
LAST ONE, MUST END WITH A SPACE BEFORE THE CARRIAGE
RETURN.
4. The text within a paragraph may be arranged for
display right-justified by the insertion of not more
than one extra space between words and an unlimited
number after any period, colon, exclamation mark or
question mark. These extra spaces are removed by the
revision process.
5. Variable names must be enclosed in curly braces and
must not exceed 23 characters in length, including
the curly braces. If the first character after the
first brace is the greater-than sign ">" the response
10
will be centered on the page. THE VARIABLE NAME MUST
BE PLACED AT THE LEFT MARGIN IN THE TEXT LIBRARY
FILE.
6. If the first character of the variable name is a
question mark the variable prompt will be displayed
for a new response each time the variable name ap-
pears in later text sections. This type of variable
name is for use in sections of text which may be
repeated in the output document where the variable
response will not be based on the user's previous
response.
7. If the first character of the variable name is a
tilde (~) character the line following the name will
be displayed as a standard variable response each
time the name appears in a Forms Library. This type
of variable name may be used in forms libraries for
information such as names and addresses which will
usually be inserted in the documents prepared with
PC-FORMS. The PC-FORMS program permits the standard
response to be changed for a specific document during
document preparation.
8. If the first character is a non-alphanumeric charac-
ter other than a question mark (including >), the
user's previous response to the variable prompt will
11
be displayed each time the name appears in later
sections of text. The user will be given an opportu-
nity to retain or change the earlier response. This
type of variable name is used where the name may
appear in later sections of text and the response
should be based on the user's previous response. An
example of such use would be for Article, Paragraph
or Section Headings.
9. Other dot commands may appear in the format section
of the file or in a text section. Dot commands may
not appear within a paragraph of text since, if
placed there, they will be merged with the text when
it is revised.
10. Permissable format line characters include the fol-
lowing:
L = Left Margin
P = Paragraph Margin
! = Ordinary Tab Stop
# = Decimal Tab Stop
R = Right Margin (also a Tab Stop)
- = Spacing (Fill) Characters
If your word processor supports hanging indents, as the
latest versions of WordStar do, you can use the paragraph
margin to begin the first line of each paragraph to the
left of the left margin, leaving the paragraph number in
the margin. You must remember to re-configure the word
12
processor for this style of paragraphs before revising the
document with it.
The numbered paragraphs above are examples of text done
with hanging indents.
###
13
INDEX for PC-LIBRARY Manual
Arranging Text for Display, 10
Asterisks in Text Heading Lines, 8
Beginning Text Sections in Variable Files, 8
Characters in Text Library Files, 10
Contents of Variable Files, 4
Coversion of Document to WordPerfect, 9
Creating Variable Files, 1
Dot Command Lines, WordStar Vers. 3.3, 8
Dot Commands in Text Files, 8, 12
Entering or Updating Variable Prompts, 6
Entering Prompts in the Variable Files, 7
Entering Variable Help Messages
in Variable Files, 7
Exiting the Help Screen, 2
Extra Spaces in Text Selections, 10
Files
Text Index, 1
Text Library, 1
Variable Help, 1
Variable Prompt, 1
First Character of Local Variable Names, 11
Format Line in Variable Files, 8
Forms Libraries Available, 2
General Program Help File, 2
Global Variables, 7
Heading/Index Lines, 1
Index Section, 7
Local Variables, 7
Menu of PC-LIBRARY Program, 5
Menu Screen, 2
Modifying Variable Files, 4
Naming Text Files, 8
Numbered Blanks in Text Library, 3
Opening Screen, 2
OVERVIEW, 1
PC-LIBRARY Menu, 5
PC-LIBRARY Output Files, 5
PC-LIBRARY PROGRAM STARTUP, 4
Permissable format line characters, 12
14
Question Mark for Help, 2
Selection of Text Headings, 6
Selections from Menu, 3
SOURCE TEXT RULES, 10
Standard Response, 7
Starting PC-LIBRARY, 2
Start-up Entries, 4
Suffixes of Output Files, 5
SUMMARY OF PC-LIBRARY'S FEATURES, 2
Terminating Lines within Paragraphs, 10
Terminating Paragraphs, 10
TEXT FILES, 8
Text heading lines, 3
Text Headings
Alphabetical Listings, 6
Numeric Listing, 6
Text Index Files, 1
Text Library Files, 1
Text Library Routine, 5
Text Library Selection, 3
Updating Index Section of Variable Files, 3
Updating the Variable File, 6
Updating Variable Files, 1
Use of Hanging Indentation, 12
VARIABLE FILES, 6
Variable Help Message Files, 1
Variable Help Section, 7
Variable Names, 10
Variable Prompt Files, 1
Variable Prompts Numbered, 3
Variable Prompts Section, 6
WordStar,
Version 3.3, Dot Command Lines, 8
.FT Command Line for Formatting, 9
15
