Monster Media 1993 #2/Image.iso/print/undrbar.zip/UB.DOC

Text File | 1993-06-04 | 13KB | 387 lines

                                              ┌─────────┐
    ┌────────────────────────────┐      ┌─────┴───┐     │              (R)
    │                            │    ──│         │o    │──────────────────
    │          UnderBar          │      │   ┌─────┴╨──┐ │  Association of
    │     by Larry Pendarvis     │      │   │         │─┘  Shareware
    │                            │      └───│    o    │    Professionals
    └────────────────────────────┘    ──────│    ║    │────────────────────
                                            └────╨────┘    MEMBER


This program installs a TSR which prints Postal ("POSTNET") Bar Codes.
The Resident portion of UnderBar takes up less than 3K of memory.

You may use it freely, without charge, for non-commercial purposes.

You are encouraged to give away UNALTERED copies, if you are careful to
include all 5 of the distribution files:

                   1.   UB.COM
                   2.   UB.DOC  (this file)
                   3.   TESTUB.BAT
                   4.   TESTUB.TXT
                   5.   CONFIGUB.EXE


Commercial and Government users may use this program for a reasonable time,
without Registration, for evaluation purposes.  If you decide to use it on
a regular basis, you must then Register it by sending a $35.00 Check to:

                       ┌─────────────────────────────┐
                       │                             │
                       │   BINARY SYSTEMS            │
                       │   P.O. Box 1621             │
                       │   Brandon, FL  33509-1621   │
                       │                             │
                       └─────────────────────────────┘

I will then send you a Licensed (personalized) copy.


Registration is not necessary for private use by individuals.  Enjoy.

Non-profit organizations: There is a good chance I will give you a free
License, if I approve of your goals.  Write.
(Libertarians, Iconoclasts, and merciful charities preferred.)









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To use UnderBar, first run UB.COM; then you can print anything you wish.
When UnderBar sees a ZIP+4 code come to the printer as the last thing on
a line, it will print the corresponding Delivery Point Bar Code on the
next line.

Version 2.1 will AUTOMATICALLY find the last two digits of the Delivery
Point Bar Code on the line above the Zip Code Line and make the correct
11-digit Bar Code.


To see how UnderBar will work with your printer, first run CONFIGUB.EXE
and select the proper printer type.
Then run UB.COM, to start the TSR program; and run the Batch file TESTUB.

UnderBar is designed to work with whatever program you are now using to
print your address labels or envelopes.  It will work with font
cartridges and downloaded "soft" fonts.  However, it will not work with
programs which send graphics page layouts to the printer instead of
characters.


    To run, type:
                     UB
            or type
                     UB /U    (to remove UnderBar from memory)
            or
                     UB /D    (to Deactivate it, leaving it in memory)
            or
                     UB /A    (to Re-activate it after Deactivating).


UnderBar will work with the PrintScreen key, and will even work in
LandScape mode on the Laser Printer.

The program CONFIGUB.EXE will let you configure UnderBar for HP-compatible
laser printers, 24-pin Epson-compatible printers, 24-pin IBM ProPrinters,
or 9-pin Epson-compatible printers.  It will also let you choose to print
a narrower Bar Code than usual, or thinner bars.

If you need to place the Bar Code in any position other than Under the
address, try WonderBar (another fine product of BINARY SYSTEMS).
Wonderbar is also needed if you wish to use side-by-side (2-up, 3-up,
4-up, etc.) labels, or if you want to print Bar Codes of sizes other than
11 digits.  WonderBar will work with ANY size Zip Code and will let you
print POSTNET Bar Codes anywhere you wish.







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              How to use UnderBar with WINDOWS Applications




Run UB.COM before you run WINDOWS.


There is no problem running UnderBar with regular DOS programs under
Windows - just proceed normally.


When using WINDOWS programs which send certain fonts to the printer as
graphics, rather than downloading (such as SuperPrint, Adobe Type Manager,
and TrueType, under certain conditions), you must not use such fonts for the
address line or the city, state, zip line.  Select a font which is built
into your printer, or one which is downloaded to it.





WINCFGUB.EXE is a Windows Program which does the same thing as CONFIGUB.EXE.
I just wrote it to get practice on my new Visual C++ compiler.
You have to run it from Windows.
























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                        ASP OMBUDSMAN

UnderBar is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve
a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
does not provide technical support for members' products. Please
write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI
49442 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP
Ombudsman 70007,3536.





                       ABOUT SHAREWARE

Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software
before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue
using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs
differ on details -- some request registration while others
require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With
registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue
using the software to an updated program with printed manual.

Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software,
and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific
exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished
programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are
of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs
and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of
distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy
and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a
specific group. For example, some authors require written
permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their
Shareware.

Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You
should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook,
whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes
fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy.
And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware
has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the
product, you don't pay for it.





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             DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT


Users of UnderBar must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
"UnderBar is supplied as is.  The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation,
the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose.
The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or conse-
quential, which may result from the use of UnderBar."


UnderBar is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge
to the user for evaluation.  Feel free to share it with your
friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of
another system.  The essence of "user-supported" software is to
provide personal computer users with quality software without
high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to
continue to develop new products.

































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                 TECHNICAL STUFF / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


Requirements: IBM-Compatible computer with DOS 2.0 or above.


UnderBar is written entirely in 8086 Assembly Language
and assembled with Borland's Turbo Assembler.
I started with a tiny tightly-coded program called PRSWAP, from a
1985 issue of PC Magazine.  I disassembled it to learn just how
it managed to cram itself into 256 bytes and run Resident.
I then wrote WonderBar 1.0 using what I had learned.


UnderBar is a simpler-to-use, more automatic, and less flexible
derivative of WonderBar.

Version 2.0 incorporated two major improvements over earlier versions:

First, it now determines the last two digits of the 11-digit Delivery
Point Bar Code (DPBC) automatically, by examining the Address Line
above the Zip Code Line.  Therefore all you have to print is the normal
address, with a 9-digit ZIP+4 code ending the last line.
This miracle has been accomplished by the use of a Deterministic
Finite State Demon.
(See the article "Build Applications Faster with State Transition
Automatons," by Alan Cline, in the December 1992 edition of The C Users
Journal.)

Second, this version fixes a problem with certain printers.  Most
printers printed at normal speed with the earlier version, but some were
very slow, printing each of the 62 bars individually and sort of backing
up before printing the next bar.  It all came out looking okay, but it
took the better part of a minute to print each complete Bar Code.
Some whiners deemed this unacceptable.  Picky picky picky.
Version 2 stores up all the information to print the bars until
the time comes to print, then it shifts into Graphics Mode only once and
prints the entire Bar Code at that time.  This ought to solve the
slo-mo problem for all printers; let me know if you find one that still
has a problem.


Version 2.1 fixes a problem with the MAILLIST shareware program, and it
also has a better set of command-line switches, allowing deactivation.

Version 2.2 fixes a problem determining the correct Delivery Point Code
from P.O. Box numbers, in some rare cases.


CONFIGUB is written in C Language and compiled with MicroSoft C/C++ 7.0.
It uses The Window BOSS routines (by Star Guidance) for the popup windows.


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If you find this program useful, and you are using it for your
own personal affairs, please feel free to enjoy it, with my
blessings.  If you are evaluating UnderBar for use in a
Commercial or Government environment, then after a reasonable
trial period you must make a registration payment of $35.00
to BINARY SYSTEMS.  The $35.00 registration fee will license
one copy for use on any one computer at any one time.
You must then treat this Registered software just like a book.
An example is that this software may be used by any number of
people and may be freely moved from one computer location to
another, so long as there is no possibility of its being used
at one location while it's being used at another (just as a
book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time).

If you are in Florida, the $35.00 price will include the Sales Tax
of 6% (6.5% in Hillsborough County).  Don't bother including an extra
amount, I will just adjust the base price so that the total amount to
be paid is $35.00.  I will then pay the Tax out of that.  I promise.

Site-License and multiple-distribution arrangements may be made by
contacting BINARY SYSTEMS.

Anyone distributing UnderBar for any kind of remuneration should
send me a note describing how that can be done.  More power to you!

You are encouraged to pass an UNALTERED copy of UnderBar along
to your friends for evaluation.  There is no need to register it
or pay for it unless it is used by a Commercial or Government entity.

Registered users will receive a serialized, personalized copy of
the latest version of UnderBar.  Registered users also will
have the right to 6 months of support from the date of registration.
If you have any problems with UnderBar, write to me at the address
on the initial screen.  Registered users will get a prompt reply.
OR you may send mail to me on CompuServe; my ID is 72775,240.
OR on GEnie, I am XKY90082.
The preferred method of getting support and the latest version is
to call our WonderBoard: [phone].  Access is free.

Even if you are not a registered user, please feel free to tell me
of any suggestions for inclusion in the next Version of UnderBar.
In particular, if your printer is not one of those supported by the
current version, send me the Control Code specifications for your
printer; there is a good chance I will make it work with your
printer soon, once I get the specs.







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