Monster Media 1993 #2/Image.iso/cad/caddview.zip/CADDVIEW.DOC

Text File | 1993-06-22 | 19KB | 381 lines

DOCUMENTATION FILE FOR CADDVIEW.EXE                June 1, 1993


This copy of CaddView is a DEMO version and may be freely copied and passed
on to friends or put on your favorite BBS.  Have Fun!  See NOTICE!! below.


CaddView is a file management program with built in VESA MODE graphic routines
which will display .DWG, .GCD and .CMP drawing and component files which were
created with Generic CADD Level 3, CADD5 and CADD6.  This version of CaddView
will also work with a derivative drawing program called GrafiCAD.  The contents
of .HCH and .TXT can also be displayed.  Function key operations in this Demo
version are limited to a few select files.

ORIGIN & PURPOSE

The authors of CaddView are users of Generic CADD since the very first version.
Remember when it was the $99.00 CADD program with the 60 day money back
guarantee??

Since those early days, there have been numerous times when users have needed
to erase drawing files to free up hard drive space. Imagine the following :
After looking at the file names, wishing for an easy way to see what is in the
file before erasing it, you take a chance and destroy the large file taking up
several hundred Kbytes.....only to discover afterwards, that the erased file
wasn't the useless drawing you thought it was!  Oh!  What you wouldn't have
given for just a quick and easy way to see what was in that file before
destroying it!

Then there is the time when in a hurry, you quickly DS and QUNQ and leave
the computer.  The next day you come in and try to bring up the drawing but
can't remember it's name.  Try as hard as you can, you remember every other darn
file name but the one you need.  Wouldn't it be nice to pop into the directory,
sort the drawings by date and quickly look at the last two or three which were
made yesterday?  At these times, you wouldn't care if it was a low resolution
drawing or even if it was in Black & White.  Just as long as it is easy to get
a quick look at the drawing so that you can make a simple decision.  Nothing
fancy or too detailed...that's what you have CADD for.  Just a simple tool to
make running your system a little easier.

How about being able to select certain drawings or components, take a quick
look at them to make sure they're ok and the correct ones, and then move
them to another disk or directory of your choice?  Then again, how about a
quick way to check to see if you have enough space on that drive or disk
to move the files to?

How about an easy way to select a group of drawings and copy them to a floppy
without worrying about whether there is going to be enough space on the
floppy for them?  CaddView will simply ask for another disk...as many as it
needs to hold the files.  It will even catch an unformatted disk and give
you the chance to insert another one without aborting the copy operation.

CaddView is a program designed to do just these things.....and More!  Easy
to use??.....This Read Me file is the only manual you will need!   Many long,
late hours have gone into making CaddView operation very easy and intuitive.
When in doubt, play with it a bit!  You'll catch on very quickly!

SYSTEM HARDWARE & SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

VIDEO

CaddView, Ver 1.0, has been designed to be used with a VGA Video card and
Monitor.  A resolution of 640 x 480, 16 colors is the minimum configuration.
CaddView will not function with an EGA or CGA video card.  If your video
card will support the VESA standard and has internal or external VESA
BIOS extensions, CaddView will support 640 x 480 x 256 colors,
800 x 600 x 16 colors, 800 x 600 x 256 colors, 1024 x 768 x 16 colors and
1024 x 768 x 256 colors.  Consult your video card's manual to determine
if your card is VESA compatible and whether you need to load a VESA driver
prior to running CaddView to attain the Super VGA resolution modes.
CaddView will autodetect the maximum resolution available on start-up.  The
resolution can be changed by pressing Ctl-F9 when inside the CaddView program.

MEMORY

CaddView needs either XMS or EMS memory to display the drawing files.  If
you do not have enough memory to display a particular drawing, CaddView will
make you aware of the shortage.  1 megabyte of either XMS or EMS will usually
be enough for average drawings.  If you arn't sure, give it a try...CaddView
will let you know.  If you are using CaddView on the same computer that CADD
is installed on, you are probably all ready set up properly.

MSDOS & WINDOWS

MSDOS Version 3.3 or above is required for CaddView.  DOS 5.0 with a 1 Meg
or larger SMARTDRV really makes file and viewing operations fly!  For very
large directories (600 + files), a BUFFERS=35 statememt in your CONFIG.SYS
file will help a lot.

CaddView Ver. 1.0 was designed with MSDOS usage in mind.  However, our testing
under WINDOWS 3.1 did not turn up any significant difficulties.  Viewing files
worked flawlessly as well as did video mode switching.  We make no guarantees
when operating this version of CaddView under Windows.  But, there shouldn't
be any any serious problems.

INSTALLATION

For New Users:

    1.  Confirm that you have 350K of free space on your C: drive:

        a.  At your DOS prompt, type C: (return)
        b.  Type DIR (return)
        c.  If the Bytes Free number shown is greater then
            350,000 bytes free, then you have enough room.
        d.  If you don't have enough room, erase some un-needed
            files to make room.


    2.  Insert the disk containing CADDVIEW.EXE, CADDVIEW.DOC and
        INSTALL.BAT into your A: floppy drive and close the door.

    3.  Type A: (return)

    4.  When the A> prompt appears, type install (return).

    5.  The installation will create a sub directory on your C:
        drive named CADDVIEW and uncompress the necessary files
        and place them in the sub directory.

    6.  Upon completion of the installation, you will be logged
        into the C:\CADDVIEW directory.  To Run CaddView, just
        type CV (return).  That's all!


For Advanced Users:

CaddView is distributed in a self decompressing .EXE format.  Simply
copy the file CADDVIEW.EXE into the sub directory in which you wish to
run the program from.  Then, type CADDVIEW (return).  The program will
decompress itself.  Finally, type CV (return) to run CaddView.  (If you
are a new PC user and unfamiliar with DOS, read the step by step install
instructions which follow at the end of this file)

CaddView requires that all 5 files, CV.EXE, AHDIBMV.DSP, AHDVESL.DSP,
AHDVESP.DSP & AHDBASC.KRN reside in the same sub directory that the program is
run from.  This can be a separate sub directory named CADDVIEW or all five
files can be placed into the CADD sub directory (ex. CADD6) and the program
run from there.  Once installed, you can shell to CaddView from CADD6 or
run it as a stand alone program by typing CV (return) from your DOS prompt.
Windows users can run it from the Command Processor by clicking on RUN
and double clicking on CV.EXE once you select the directory containing
CaddView.


PROGRAM LIMITATIONS

CaddView Ver. 1.0 is quite complete for a Ver. 1.0 program.  However, some
features still need to be added.  The following is a list of known limitations:

Text slant is not supported; Fills and Hatches are not displayed; CADD5 & CADD6
dimensions are not displayed; Attributes; Text Strings; Line Widths & Line Types
are not displayed.


SALES PITCH!!

Many CADD Fans have said that they have wanted a program like CaddView
for a long time....but who is going to pay more than they paid for the CADD
program itself for a view utility?  That puts the programmer between a rock
and a hard place because a viewer takes many, many hours to develop and mucho
bucks!  However, here it is at $29.95!  We've worked for over a year to develop
it.  In the future, we have plans to improve and refine it and incorporate as
many features from our customer's "wish lists" as possible.  We have many
ideas for additional products and several products in the wings.  We will be
watching the response to our first widely distributed product, CaddView, as a
measure of user interest, support and need.  We hope you will like it!


    ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
    │                                                               │
    │     To obtain your full function version of CaddView call:    │
    │                                                               │
    │              Monumental Computer Applications, Inc.           │
    │            9 Genesee Street                        │
    │            Cherry Valley, N. Y. 13320                  │
    │                                                               │
    │     Phone  [phone]                FAX [phone]    │
    │                                                               │
    │           Master Card      Visa    Prepaid         │
    │                                                               │
    └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


NOTICE!!  The version of CaddView you have on this disk is actually a full-
function version with the functions "turned off".  When you place an order
for CaddView on the phone with a credit card, we can "turn on" the full
range of features right then!  This documentation is all you will need to
run CaddView.

PROGRAM UPDATES

Please check CompuServe ARETAIL Forum (the Generic Cadd Forum) for news
on updates to CaddView.  Also, watch for a program called PicView which will
view all bitmap formats soon to be released.


COMMAND DESCRIPTION:


Selecting A Directory:  (LEFT & RIGHT ARROW KEYS)

Once CaddView has signed on, the operator will want to chose a directory
containing the file(s) he may wish to perform an operation on (ex. to view it).

The operator can choose to immediately type in the drive letter and directory
name he desires in normal MSDOS fashion (ex. C:\DWG) and press return (Enter).
The files contained in the directory will be displayed on the screen.  While
the operator is typing in the MSDOS command, his keystrokes will be echoed
in the lower right corner of the screen which normally reads A:\.  The command
structure for changing directories is the same as regular MSDOS commands.

As an option, the operator can elect to use the Left and Right Arrow keys
to move the highlight selector at the bottom of the CaddView screen to choose
from among the 15 "Preset Directory Selections" displayed there.  Upon making
a choice, press return (Enter) to affect the change.  The Presets are initially
set to reflect the most common selections a CADD user may wish to use depending
on the version of CADD he has installed on his system.  (The presets can be
changed to reflect the operator's needs by pressing F9 and typing in the
alterations he desires.)  The TAB key will scroll the presets upward revealing
another 14 possible selections, turning the background screen color to
green.  Pressing TAB again will allow another 14 choices with a light blue
background.  TAB a third time will return to the original 15 selections.

The presets can be changed to reflect the operator's needs by pressing F9 and
typing in the alterations he desires.  Once the operator has pressed F9,
pressing the TAB key will change the background color and allow the operator
to change the preset entries which correspond with the same color of preset
displayed on the main CaddView screen.


Selecting A File:  (UP & DOWN ARROW KEYS)

Once a directory has been selected, pressing the Up and Down Arrow keys will
move the file selector arrow "up and down" the list of files contained within
the chosen directory until the operator allows the file selector to come
to rest "pointing" at the desired file name.  To speed things up, pressing the
END key will move the pointer to the end of the list of files and HOME will
move the pointer to the beginning.  Page Up and Page Down will move the pointer
18 files at a time.

Performing an operation on a file:

Once a file has been selected, the operator can choose from among 5 different
operations which can be performed by using the F1 thru F10 function keys
on the keyboard:

F1    "Pointing" at a file name and then pressing the F1 (View File) key
    will set up CaddView for the file viewing operation.  If the
    file is a CADD drawing or component file, pressing return (Enter)
    will cause the file to be graphically displayed on the screen.
    If the file is a .TXT file or a .HCH file, a text listing of the
    contents of the file will be displayed on the screen.

    Multiple files can be viewed sequentially by tagging several file
    names prior to pressing return.  See "Tagging Files" further on
    in this documentation.

F2    "Pointing" at a file name and then pressing the F2 (Copy) key
    will set up CaddView for the File Copy operation. Pressing return
    (Enter) will cause CaddView to prompt you for a destination to
    copy the file to.  You will note that the default is the A: Drive.
    Pressing return (Enter) will cause the file to be copied to the
    A: Drive.  The operator may choose the option of typing in the
    desired destination followed by a return, or use the Left & Right
    arrow keys to choose a preset followed by a return as two alternate
    ways to select the destination of the file.

    Multiple files can be copied sequentially by tagging several file
    names prior to pressing return.  See "Tagging Files" further on
    in this documentation.

Alt-F2    This command invokes the MOVE FILE operation.  It will work almost
    identically to the File Copy operation except that the file selected
    is copied to the new destination and then erased from the former
    place that it occupied on the drive.

    Multiple files can be Moved sequentially by tagging several file
    names prior to pressing return.  See "Tagging Files" further on
    in this documentation.

F3    This command invokes the DELETE FILE operation.  It will erase the
    selected file from the directory.  Just as in MSDOS, once erased,
    the file is GONE!  So be careful!

    Multiple files can be Deleted sequentially by tagging several file
    names prior to pressing return.  See "Tagging Files" further on
    in this documentation.

F4    This command invokes the RENAME FILE operation.  It will rename the
    selected file.  When using this option, remember to type in the file
    name extension or you will end up with a file name with no extension.
    Only single file operation is permitted when renaming.

F5    As soon as F5 is pressed, the file names in the chosen directory will
    be sorted alphabetically, by filename.  This command is simply a
    sorting option and is the CaddView default sort option when a directory
    has signed on for the first time.

F6    As soon as F6 is pressed, the file names in the chosen directory will
    be sorted according to size.  This command will re-arrange the order
    in which the file names appear on the screen.  The smallest files will
    appear at the beginning of the listing and the larger files at the end.

F7    As soon as F7 is pressed, the file names in the chosen directory will
    be sorted according to the date MSDOS puts on the file when it was
    created or altered.  This command will re-arrange the order in which
    the file names appear on the screen.  The oldest files will appear
    at the beginning of the listing and the newest files at the end.

F8    Pressing F8 will allow the operator to output the listing of file
    names to a printer in the order in which they appear on the screen.
    For example, if F6 has been pressed before F8, the print out will
    be according to the size of the file.  The output of CaddView is
    directed to the first PC Parallel Port (LPT1).  Nothing fancy has
    been attempted here.  Just a plain old Epson compatible, LaserJ II
    compatible 8 1/2" x 11" listing.  Prior to printing, a report of
    the number of pages required and estimated time will be given and
    the opportunity to abort the printing operation allowed.

F9    Pressing F9 will change the screen to a utility screen with a sliding
    bar style of input.  Through this option, the operator can change
    the directory name which appears on the main screen, the MSDOS path
    to that directory and the type of files to be displayed according
    to extension.  Normal MSDOS conventions apply.  Pressing the TAB key
    allows access to the second and third groups of preset directories.
    Alteration or customization of these presets is provided for.  Just
    use the arrow keys to select one of the three options provided
    for (Label Name, Path & Filter) and type in your preference.

F10    HELP!!  You know!  When you need quick Help, you gotta do something....
    so we gave you a button to press!  Press any key to exit help.

Ctl-F9    Allows the operator to manually select the video resolution desired.
    Providing that the video card and monitor can deliver the desired
    resolution, CaddView will view files from 640 x 480 16 colors up
    to 1024 x 768 256 color VESA Super VGA modes.  Use the arrow keys
    to highlight your selection and press return.

Alt-A    Displays the sign on screen and copyright message.


TAGGING    Allows the operator to select several files at a time for a group
    operation.  For example, one could select several files to erase at
    one time by tagging the file names for an erase operation.  The same
    applies for copy, move and view operations.

    To "TAG" files, one first presses the desired operation key (F1,
    F2, Alt-F2, F3).  Then, with the arrow keys, move the selector to
    point at the file name desired.  Then, press the + (plus) key.
    A "tag" will appear to the right of the file name to show that
    this file name has been selected for this particular operation.
    (if you wish to "un-tag" a "tagged" file, just select and press
    the + key a second time).  When all the desired files have been
    tagged, press return (Enter) to continue.  This is a very effective
    way to view files.  When a number of files have been tagged for
    the view operation, just pressing the space bar will flip through
    the files viewing one after another.

Ctl-A    Control-A works in conjunction with F1 thru F3 also.  Simply
    stated, after F1, F2, or F3 have been pressed, pressing Ctl-A
    will "TAG" all the file names in the directory in one movement.


Esc    The Escape key allows the operator to abort an operation or exit
    from a menu.  Two escapes in a row will usually exit the program
    entirely.


Copyright (c) 1993 Monumental Computer Applications, Inc.

Monumental Computer Applications, Inc . shall not be liable for incidental,
consequential, or other indirect damages which may or could occur through the
usage of CaddView.  Make sure that your system is backed before erasing
your drawing files with CaddView.

Generic CADD is a trademark of AutoDesk Retail Products.  There is no
affiliation between AutoDesk Retail Products and  Monumental Computer
Applications, Inc.