Night Owl 6

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Night Owl 6 / Night Owl's Shareware - PDSI-006 - Night Owl Corp (1990).iso / 019a / bingo21b.zip / READ.ME < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1991-10-13 | 20KB | 431 lines

Read Me file for Bingo 2.10b ---------------------------- "I feel you have done a great programming job with Bingo ..." "I've chosen Bingo over most of its competition. It's fully featured and configurable and offers and extensive menuing system for access to infrequently used commands." "Enclosed is my registration for Bingo. This is a fine piece of work. I must especially compliment the mouse interface, which is the best I have seen." "Great editor! Exactly what I've been looking for. Please send the current version if I don't have the latest." "Keep up the good work, Bingo surely is one of the best editors around and deserves success." "Bingo's great!" "Bingo is an excellent text processor." "Couldn't live without Bingo now!" These are some of the things people have said about The Bingo Programmer's Text Editor. Now that you have this copy in your hands, you can see for yourself what all the excitement is about. This file list various pertinent information about the Bingo Programmer's Text Editor such as: --> included files --> features of Bingo, and what's new with this version --> major bugs fixed in this version --> some notes about registering --> author's comments --> how to contact the author --> how to acquire the latest version --> A Contest!! --> Version 2.10x Included files on disk/in archive: ---------------------------------- read.me : this file. chock full of *extremely* important stuff be.exe : Bingo Editor 2.10 overlay executable be.com : Bingo Editor 2.10 startup executable bingo.doc : documentation for Bingo; ready to be printed out on an ascii line printer, laser printers included. **************************************************************** ** The documentation in BINGO.DOC is essentially the version ** ** 2.10 documentation. The differences between 2.10 and ** ** its subsequent bug fix versions are minmal, and are ** ** delineated here in this file. ** **************************************************************** register.doc : copy of the license agreement and registration form, ready to be printed out on an ascii line printer. keycfg.set : compiled key configuration from BINGO.CFG, file Bingo looks for on startup bingo.hlp : help file for the supplied sample keyboard definition file (the one I use) bingo.cfg : sample keyboard definition file (the one I use) Additionally, there will be a number of additional *.cfg files. These may include, but are not necessarily limited to: emacs.cfg : sample keyboard definition file which mimics some of the EMACS command set wskey.cfg : sample keyboard definition file which allows Bingo to mimic some of the Wordstar/Borland command set. Features of Bingo through version 2.10 -------------------------------------- - high speed execution, with particularly fast searches, screen handling, and file I/O - virtual memory for file storage; up to 240 Megabytes of file storage possible - full color support - programmable integrated mouse support - support of VGA, EGA, & MCGA extended text modes - superb macro capability - large suite of utility functions: entab; detab; command repeat; shift; etc. - custom define your own keyboard setup - complete menu system supporting most Bingo functions - multiple files, multiple windows: view different sections of the same file, or different files at the same time - execute DOS commands, including command-line compilers within only ~3k of overhead - regular expression search and replace - completely configurable from within itself - use placemarks to mark positions in files - user definable help file - extensive block operation support, include point, line and column marking, and two different sets of block operations - one default block buffer, plus 26 additional named buffers - wordwrap, paragraph formatting, and autoindent support included for text processing work - C Mode supports programming in the C programming language - User-defined delimiter and indentation matching - directory list picker - execute *any* Bingo function from within Bingo whether it has been assigned to a key or not using a 'function picker' - interrupt Bingo at any point and exit, and when you restart Bingo it will pick up exactly where you left off - print files & blocks through the serial port, parallel port, or to a file, with or without line numbers - set printing left margin, top margin, and lines per page - automatic processing of errors generated by the Borland and Microsoft developmental tools. - undelete stack of deleted items - execute any command or macro "globally" over all files in the ring - profile files allow file extension specific settings. Features New and Missing in Bingo version 2.10a ---------------------------------------------- So many new things to talk about! Version 2.10 is essentially a complete rewrite of Bingo; less than half of the code made it to 2.10 unchanged. This necessitated a lengthy beta-test period, and accounts for the delay in releasing this version. The major change in version 2.10 is the (welcome) implementation of a virtual memory management scheme. Properly set up, with the available disk space, Bingo is now capable of handling up to 240 Megabytes (!) of file storage. That is a lot of lines of code. As a side benefit, file IO is *much* faster, and memory usage is more efficient. I'll think you'll like it. Several functions were dropped in release 2.10. They are: key_set_impress: This is now an unnecessary function, as key definitions have been offloaded into the 'keyset.cfg' file. Thus, 'key_set_save' can give you the same functionality. del_word: This was replaced by two functions, 'del_word_rt' & 'del_word_lt'. 'Nuff said. conf_null: This is now completely unnecessary, as the only control character Bingo dislikes is the EOF marker, control-Z. Nulls it handles with complete aplomb. conf_ctrl_display: This was dropped because we decided it was not being used by our users much, based on conversations with them. Part of its functionality has been provided by the 'conf_eol_display' function. conf_curs: This was dropped, because it did not work reliably on most machines. Look for the solid cursor, and better cursor control in general to return in a future version. conf_tabexpand: This was dropped because it was too slow, and fairly unnecessary. Simply use the 'detab' function once from the editing screen; this is a one-time deal anyway. Plus, though we were never able to verify it, there is a strong suspicion that the automatic tab expanding caused machines to crash in some instances. The following is a summary of the new features available in this version. Note that, since we had to re-implement so mych of the editor, there were not a lot of big, new, shiny functions added. Next time. - now you can redefine basic keystrokes to be any other printable character. For example the line a â in a .CFG file would redefine the 'a' key to be 'â'. This translation will occur when you are entering text directly into the buffer, and during string-entry for search and replace. This should please my international customers. - new command line switch added which will let you run a macro file automatically upon startup. "be <fname1> <fname2> -x[macro_filename1] -x[macro_filename2] ..." will run [macro_filename1] in <fname1>, and [macro_filename2] in <fname1> - a new configuration option 'conf_exit_to_pick' allows you to tell Bingo to pop up the edit file box, and the picker if desired, when the last file in the ring is exited. The exception to this is the 'abort_all' commmand, which simply exits Bingo as usual. - 'center_text' function added. centers the text on the current line, or the marked lines, relative to the right margin active for the current bufer. - whenever you are in a string-entry box, pressing the Tab key will insert the current contents of the first line of the current paste buffer. Very useful. - 'mark_last_found' will unmark the current buffer, then mark the last text found by the search algorithm, providing 1) the last search did not fail 2) you are located on the found position Also very useful when writing macros. - 'display_file' function added. Displays the named file in a box, similar to the popup help box. - word wrap mode altered so it triggers on the typing of a *non* space character rather than a space character. - point marking has been altered. The new method excludes the second endpoint from the region. This will make people from other editors more at home. - fixed the 'reform_para' command so that two spaces were preserved after '.' characters (end of sentences) as this is the accepted standard. - wild card loading is here. If you give Bingo a wildcard, when the pickdir box pops up, in addition to a 'New File Spec' option, there is a 'Load All Matching' option. - support for relative pathnames via '..' & '.' now implemented. - Alt-A in a string entry box leads to the ASCII table, to facilitate entry of control characters, and other wierdness. - ALL of the word functions have been rewritten to be more consistent. In particular, you can move word left or right, and delte left or right by word, by using 'del_word_rt' & 'del_word_rt'. Using the 'conf_word' function you may decide just what your idea of a word is. - 'scroll_up' & 'scroll_down' functions altered to keep the cursor on a constant line of text. - 'clean_file' & 'clean_all' will reset the modify flag of a file, or all the files, respectively. - 'pick_file' remembers the last 15 files you edited, in reverse order, even across editing sessions. 'conf_name_save' governs both whether the filename saving takes place, and where the file "recall.be" is placed. - 'mouse_scroll', the only new mouse functions, allows you to click and drag to move and mark. - 'conf_delims' lets you define you own delimiters for Bingo to balance, besides [{()}]. - 'repeat_last' will repeat the last executed function once. A nice shortcut. - 'conf_scr_save' allows you to tell Bingo to save and then restore the DOS screen. Costs some memory, but enough of you asked for it, so here it is. - 'conf_eol_display' lets you designate the decimal value of the ASCII character Bingo will use to display the end of the line. By default this is the space characters (ASCII 32). Fixed Bugs in version 2.10 -------------------------- - If the last line of the file was blank, it was being dropped from the file each time it was written to disk. Fixed. - problem with the 'cur_file' identifier causing unpredictable behavior with filenames 12 characters long. Fixed. - both the 'cursor_right' and 'cursor_left' functions were behaving incorrectly when in bounce cursor mode. Fixed. - 'place_mark' was incorrectly recording the column of the current position when the window was horizontally scrolled. Fixed. - default extensions were not being used on files loaded from the command-line or the 'New Spec' function of the file picker. This has been rectified. - problem with the 'chdir' function not working in certain situations fixed. - when you a window was closed, the position you returned to in the next window was not always accurate. Fixed. - auto tab expansion could cause Bingo to crash under certain situations, or at least that is the prevailing thought. We never found the coding error to support this, but sometimes you have to go with instinct. After polling a number of my users, this feature was deleted from version 2.10; if you wish to expand tabs into spaces, the entab/detab functions are available as always. - still (!) a persistent bug in the overwrite mode. Fixed, at least so far as we have been able to test. Registering ----------- Starting with version 2.10, there is a two-tiered registration method. You can register for the current version, one time only, for $40.00. This is called Single Version registering. This type of registration entitles you to use the current version of Bingo, and to support for that version. You can also opt for the Lifetime registration, for $75.00. This entitles you to subsequent revisions for a $5 shipping fee, and support for as long as the product is available. People who registered prior to version 2.10 are automatically upgraded to Lifetime registrations. When you register your copy of Bingo, you will get an executable with your name on the opening screen, so you can show everyone what an honest person you are. About the price increase. Let's face it folks, $40/$75 is still a great price. Version 2.10 is a near-complete rewrite; its genesis was very much like that of a new program, from scratch. Also, many of my users have said they think I was underpricing myself -- one even went so far as to pay over the requested $30 because he felt it was too little. Looking around, I doubt anyone will *not* by Bingo because of a $10 change in proce (in the cheapest form). Let me have your thoughts. Comments -------- Whether you are an avid user or an avid hater of Bingo, PLEASE do not hesitate to contact me. It is of tremendous use to me to get your feedback on Bingo. Seriously! Contacting the Author: ---------------------- Feel free to contact me any time about any problems, suggestions, or just plain discussions concerning Bingo, regardless of whether you are registered. Without users, any product, now matter how good, is so much raw data sitting on a disk somewhere. Either write or call to this address: Christopher R. S. Schanck PO Box 279 Hanover MD 21076 (301) 730-9874 if that number should give you any trouble, use: (215) 691-1070 9am to 6pm EST Compuserve ---------- As of 7/91, I am on Compuserve. Contact me at 70541,3614. This is the most reliable way to contact me, as I check my email regularly. Getting the Latest Version -------------------------- The best way to aquire the latest version of Bingo is by calling the Computer Connections BBS in Washington DC. This is a very fine, very large board which is excellently managed. It will always have the latest release, and E-Mail left for me their will get responded to. The phone number is: (202) 547-2008 Compuserve will also have the latest version. The Contest ----------- Folks, Bingo needs a slick icon design for Windows 3.x. So send me your icons, via Compuserve or the US Mail, and the best (my *purely* subjective decision ;-) will get shipped with the next version of Bingo. The designer of the winning icon will be entitled to free upgrades and registration for as long as he/she desires, and will get to beta-test future versions. This is a way to get in on the development of Bingo at the ground level. Hints ----- I would like to compile a list of hints to include with Bingo. Most users have discovered sharp little tricks about configuring Bingo, and about using the more complex functions. So send me your ideas for this file, and it may get included in the next release. This includes any nifty macros you come across. Version 2.10a ------------- - Fixed a bug in how Bingo handled the end of the file. This was a fairly serious bug, and is the prime reason version 2.10a was released so soon on the heels of version 2.10a. This affected any number of different functions attempted near the end of the buffer. - Added 'conf_prn_eol' function, to allow you to control whether Bingo's printing subsystem terminates lines with CR/LF pairs, or just LFs. - Added 'conf_prn_lineno' so line numbering is a configuration option rather than a question. - Added 'conf_prn_header' which if turned on will tell bingo to print a 2 line header at the top of each page, with the time, date, filename, and page number. Very handy if you work with a laser printer. - Added 'leap_forward' function. Very simple. It asks for a single keypress, then jumps forward to the next occurance of that character, case-insensitive. If you hit a function key, or return, the function will leap using the previous target. The 'leap_backward' function works exactly the same, except toward the beginning of the file. - a small, but *very* vocal group of users convinced to make Bingo's tendency to turn the filename 'test' into 'test.*'. So what we did was get rid of this design altogether. "Arrrgghhhh!" say the majority of my users. Worry not; I am not any less lazy than I used to be. Using the C)onfig, F)ile IO, e(X)tensions choice in the menu ('conf_def_ext' function), you can achieve the exact same functionality by defining the extensions '.*' as your last extension. This is the way Bingo comes configured. - Another small problem was with KEYCFG.EXE. When you used the defaults, the keyset filename was KEYSET.CFG, not KEYCFG.SET. This no doubt caused problems for which I apologize. - PAGESIZE now allows you more complete control over the memory allocation strategy Bingo uses. The syntax is now: pagesize X Y <filename> where X is the number of 'buckets' to allocate (in kilobytes), Y is the size of each bucket page (in kilobytes), and <filename> is the executable to modify, by default BE.EXE. For example, a bucket size of 4K and a pagesize of 2K gives a theoretical memory limit of 8 Megabytes. Version 2.10b ------------- - Fixed a minor display problem with the 'query_quote' function not updating the display. - When swapped out with the virtual memory enabled, Bingo was not always clearing the swapfile out of the way when swapping, thus chewing up disk space. Fixed. - Fixed the printer subsystem, so that it will dependably end pages when you are using a bottom margin. - Fixed a bug in the search routine. Basically, Bingo wouln't search past the 32,766th line of a file (used an int where I should have used a long, natch). - Fixed a bug in the info command, where it would on certain machines return truly large inaccurate numbers for the amount of RAM free when there was in fact no local RAM available. - from a string entry box, in addition to accessing the most recently entered strings via the Up_Arrow key, you can now access the file pick list via the Page_Up key. Very useful for the terminally lazy among us. - altered the 'scroll_up' and 'scroll_down' commands to *finally* work the way they were intended -- the screen moves but the cursor is fixed. Registration & the Bug Fix Versions 2.10(a,b,c ...) ----------------------------------------- For all intents and purposes, registering 2.10 and 2.10(a,b,c ...) entitles you to the same thing. Since versions 2.10a to 2.10(?) solely redress bugs, they do not count as upgrades.