JCSM Shareware Collection 1993 November

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Text File | 1993-04-29 | 45.6 KB | 871 lines

╔══════════════════════════════════╗ ║ How Can AUTOMESSAGE Help Me? ║░░ ╚══════════════════════════════════╝░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ AUTOMESSAGE is a powerful, flexible, easy to use tool. (On top of that, it's fun too!). AUTOMESSAGE can be used in a wide variety of situations. The program can be used in Doctor's/Dentist's waiting rooms to inform patients about new treatments, provide general health information, outline changes in business hours, etc. AUTOMESSAGE can be used by restaurants to let customers know about specials, new prices, new menu items, waiting times, etc. AUTOMESSAGE can be used by educators as a kind of automatic flash card system for help in memorizing things like State capitols, the order of Presidents, or even Bible memory verses. AUTOMESSAGE can be used as an exercise tool to help keep track of the number of repititions you have performed, which exercise you should be doing, and how long you should wait between each set of repititons. AUTOMESSAGE can be used in office settings to let colleagues know when you will return from lunch, where you have gone, who to talk to in your absence, the phone number where you can be reached, etc. AUTOMESSAGE is also a good general tool for any business. It can inform customers when you will reopen, what your office hours are, new services or products offered by your business, etc. AUTOMESSAGE is only limited by your imagination. It takes very little work to produce attractive, attention-getting messages. Once you begin using AUTOMESSAGE, you will find more and more ways to take advantage of its features. The following section provides information on registering AUTOMESSAGE. Please read this section and consider registering if you find AUTOMESSAGE to be useful. ╔═══════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Thank You For Trying AUTOMESSAGE! ║░░ ╚═══════════════════════════════════╝░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ If you find AUTOMESSAGE useful and continue to use it, you are under legal and moral obligation to pay for it. The registration fee is only $35 (for 1 copy), and with registration you get a typeset manual, the latest unrestricted version of the program, free updates for a year, and my gratitude. If you are a shareware distributor and are interested in distributing AUTOMESSAGE, I have no restrictions on distribution. You can charge whatever you like (you know your business better than I do) to distribute the product. You do not need my permission before you begin distribution, and I do not require that you sign anything before you start. No guarantee is offered about the compatibility of AUTOMESSAGE. If the shareware version of the program does not work on your computer, then the registered version will not work either. I do guarantee that if you purchase the software and you find a bug, the bug will be fixed immediately at no charge to you. If I am not able to repair the bug that you find, your money will be refunded, and you can keep the materials you received with registration. Prices for AUTOMESSAGE go down with the number of copies you buy. The program costs $35 for 1 copy, $30 each for 2-5 copies, $28 each for 6-10 copies, and $27 each for more than 10 copies. The fastest and most convenient way to register AUTOMESSAGE is to call our toll-free order line and use your credit card. Our credit card orders are processed through Public (software) Library. You may pay using your Master Card, Visa, American Express, or Discover Card. The toll-free number is 800-242-4775. If you are an overseas caller, the phone number is 713-524-6394. To expedite your order, tell the operator you are ordering product #10827. There is a $10 shipping charge if you are ordering from outside the US and Canada. If you would like to FAX you order, the number is 713-524-6398. Public (software) Library will also accept credit card orders through Compuserve Information Systems. Their CIS number is 71355,470. If you would prefer to mail your order, I have provided a registration form in several formats. To print the registration form, you have 4 options. First, you can run the program INSTALL by changing to the disk and directory where the AUTOMESSAGE files are stored, typing INSTALL, and pressing Enter. (If you need further instructions on how to run the INSTALL program, refer to the section titled THE INSTALL PROGRAM which begins at line 203). This program will allow you to print out the form to an ASCII compatible dot-matrix or laser printer. (The INSTALL program also allows you to install the program to the hard drive and to read and/or print out this documentation). Second, you can continue viewing this file until the form (which appears between lines 144 and 166 of these instructions) is displayed on the screen. Then, you can print the form by pressing SHIFT-Print Screen. Third, the form has been provided in WordPerfect format in a file called REGISTER.WP. Simply load this file into WordPerfect and it will be ready to print. Finally, the form has been provided in a straight ASCII file called REGISTER.DOC. You may copy this file to your printer or load it into your word processor. ╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔ ╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝ If you don't have a printer or don't want to worry with one, you have the option of just writing out the information and mailing it in. If you choose to write out the information, here is all that I need: Your Name: Your Mailing Address: Floppy Disk Size: (5.25" high density, 5.25" low density, 3.5" high density, or 3.5" low density) Number of Copies: Total Amount Enclosed: Current Program Version: (Write: "Version 1.2") ╒═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕ │ The price will be: 1 copy - $35, 2-5 copies - $30 per copy, │ │ 6-10 copies - $28 per copy, more than 10 copies - $27 per copy. │ ╘═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛ Write this information down and mail it in with your check or money order. Make your check or money order payable to: Russell Holloway The mailing address is: Russell Holloway 305 Lindenhurst Drive Suite 1138 Lexington, KY 40509 ╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔ ╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The form can also be printed out at this point using Print Screen. Make sure that the form is aligned on the screen between the dashed line following these instructions and the dashed line following the form. Then, just press Shift and Print Screen at the same time and the form should be printed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dial 800-242-4775 for credit card ORDERS ONLY! Or print and mail in this form. (To expedite your order, tell the operator you are purchasing product #10827.) Other ORDER ONLY #s: Overseas 713-524-6394 : FAX 713-524-6398 : CIS 71355,470. DO NOT dial the above numbers for information! For INFO dial 606-263-2687. Your Name: ______________________________________________ Your Mailing Address: ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Floppy Disk Size: ( )3.5" High Density ( )3.5" Low Density ( )5.25" High Density ( )5.25" Low Density Number of Copies: _______ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Prices: 1 Copy-$35, 2-5 Copies-$30 each │ │ 6-10 Copies-$28 each, 11 or more │ │ copies $27 each. │ Total Amount Enclosed: $______ └──────────────────────────────────────────┘ (Program Version 1.2) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Make your check or money order payable to: Russell Holloway. The mailing address is: Russell Holloway 305 Lindenhurst Drive Suite 1138 Lexington, KY 40509 ╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔ ╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝ ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐ │ PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS AND LIMITATIONS │ └──────────────────────────────────────┘░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ To run this program, you must have 420 Kilobytes of free memory, and a VGA monitor and VGA video card. It is highly recommended that you run the program from a hard disk drive, and that you have a 80386-20 Megahertz computer or faster. However, the program will run from a high density floppy, and on a computer as slow as the original IBM PC. The program has a limitation of 300 messages. Each message can have up to 999 lines, and each line can have up to 20 characters. The registered version of the program does not have any restrictions, but this shareware version does not support the display of pictures between messages. Now, let's get to what you're really reading this file for: ╔═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╦═╗ ╠═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╣ ╚═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╩═╝ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ │ HOW TO GET AUTOMESSAGE TO WORK. │░░ └─────────────────────────────────┘░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ┌─────────────────────┐ │ THE INSTALL PROGRAM │░░ └─────────────────────┘░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ To get AUTOMESSAGE to work, you first need to run the INSTALL program that comes with AUTOMESSAGE. If you received this program through the mail, then you will be installing it from a floppy disk drive. If you downloaded AUTOMESSAGE from a bulletin board, then you will most likely be installing it from a hard disk drive. If you are installing from a floppy disk, first make sure that the computer is at the DOS prompt. This prompt will look something like A:> or B:> if you have a floppy-based system, or like C:> or D:> if you have a hard disk-based system. Next, make sure that the AUTOMESSAGE disk is in the floppy disk drive, and that the drive is ready to be used. Now, enter the name of the floppy drive that the AUTOMESSAGE disk is in. For example, if the AUTOMESSAGE disk is in drive A:, type A: and press Enter. If the disk is in drive B:, type B: and press Enter. Next, type INSTALL and press Enter. You should now see a screen with a heading at the top that says AUTOMESSAGE Installation Program. If you see this screen, you are ready to install the program. If you get an error such as FILE NOT FOUND, or BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME, you are either using the wrong floppy, or you are trying to run the program from the hard drive. If this is the case, go back to the top of this paragraph and follow the instructions again. If you are installing from a hard drive, first make sure that you are at the DOS prompt. The prompt will look something like C:> or D:>. Next, make sure that you are in the directory where you uncompressed the AUTOMESSAGE files. Now, type INSTALL and press Enter. You should see a screen with a heading at the top that says AUTOMESSAGE Installation Program. If you see this screen, you are ready to install the program. If you get an error such as FILE NOT FOUND, or BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME, you are most likely not in the proper drive or directory. Make sure that you are trying to run INSTALL from the proper drive and directory, then try typing INSTALL and pressing Enter again. When you start the INSTALL program, you are given a menu with 4 choices: 1) Install AUTOMESSAGE, 2) Read Documentation, 3) Print Documentation, and 4) Exit. You can select these choices either by pressing the number next to the choice that you want, or by moving the highlighted bar up and down with the CURSOR keys, and pressing Enter when the choice you want is highlighted. ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ 1) Install AUTOMESSAGE: If you select this choice, you will be presented with a screen that allows you to install the AUTOMESSAGE files to a hard drive. This option really doesn't do anything other than copy the AUTOMESSAGE files from one disk to another. So, if you already have the files in the directory where you want them, this step is unnecessary. The Install screen will ask you for the disk drive letter as well as the directory to which you want to install the AUTOMESSAGE files. AUTOMESSAGE defaults to copying the files to hard drive C:, and to putting the files in a directory called AUTOMESS (C:\AUTOMESS). These settings should work for most users. If these settings do not apply to you, change them to reflect your configuration. When the settings are the way you want them, press Enter and the installation procedure will begin. If the program detects that you don't have enough room, it will inform you of this, and return you to the Main Menu. AUTOMESSAGE needs about 1 megabyte of disk space to work properly. If you don't have enough room, clear up some disk space and run the INSTALL program again. If you prefer to do things the hard way, you can use DOS to install the program for you. To use DOS, go to the hard drive where you want to install the files, type CD \ and press Enter, type MD AUTOMESS (or whatever DOS name you want to use) and press Enter, type CD AUTOMESS (or whatever name you used) and press Enter, then type COPY A:*.* or COPY B:*.* (depending on which floppy drive the AUTOMESSAGE disk is in) and press Enter. After the files have been copied, AUTOMESSAGE should be ready to run. ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ 2) Read Documentation: This choice allows you to read the file you are reading now. Move through the document with the CURSOR keys, the Page-Up and Page-Down keys, and the Home and End keys. To exit back to the Install Menu, press the Esc (Escape) key. ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ 3) Print Documentation: This choice allows you to print the file you are reading now. This option prints only to a printer that accepts straight ASCII codes. This applies to just about every printer on the market with a few exceptions (Early HP-Laserjet printers, Postscript printers, etc.). If you have one of these printers, just load the file DOCUMENT into your word processor, and print it that way. ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ 4) Exit: This choice takes you out of the INSTALL program and back to DOS. ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ ╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔ ╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝ ┌───────────────────┐ │ THE SETUP PROGRAM │░░ └───────────────────┘░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ There are two ways to run the SETUP program. First, SETUP is run automatically the first time AUTOMESSAGE is run. The second way is to type SETUP when you are at the DOS prompt in the AUTOMESS Sub-Directory. SETUP can be run from the DOS prompt any time you want to change the defaults that AUTOMESSAGE uses to create messages. To run SETUP from DOS, first make sure that you are at the DOS prompt. The prompt will look something like A:> or B:> if you are using a floppy drive, or C:> or D:> if you are using a hard drive. Next, make sure that you are in the directory where you uncompressed the AUTOMESSAGE files. Do this by typing CD\AUTOMESS (or whatever DOS name you used to install the AUTOMESSAGE files) and pressing Enter. Now, type SETUP and press Enter. If you do not see the SETUP program screen, or you get an error such as FILE NOT FOUND or BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME, make sure that you are in the proper directory, and that you typed SETUP and pressed Enter. When SETUP is run, it presents you with a screen that asks for your preferences on Justification, Screen Color, Text Color, Display Speed, and Display Font. Remember, you are not locked into these choices when you run AUTOMESSAGE, you can change any of them as you are writing or editing a message. The SETUP program shows exactly how your choices will look as you select them. This is the same way the lines will look when AUTOMESSAGE shows messages. However, when AUTOMESSAGE shows real messages, you have 10 lines of display with up to 20 characters on each line. Don't worry if you're not exactly sure how you want things to look the first time SETUP is run. If things aren't the way you want, simply exit AUTOMESSAGE and run the SETUP program again. The SETUP program will give you an initial indication of how AUTOMESSAGE works. You are given all possible choices on the screen at the same time, and you can immediately see the results of any changes that you make. Written instructions are really not necessary in most cases, and options do pretty much what you expect them to. Next we will assume that you have run the SETUP program and are now ready to begin using AUTOMESSAGE. ╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔ ╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝ ┌──────────────────────┐ │ STARTING AUTOMESSAGE │░░ └──────────────────────┘░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ To start AUTOMESSAGE, first change to the disk drive and directory where you installed the program. Most likely, this will be a directory called AUTOMESS on drive C:. If you used a different drive or directory when you installed the program, just substitute that drive and directory for C:\AUTOMESS. To change to the AUTOMESS directory, first get to the DOS prompt. This will look something like A:> or B:> if you are running DOS from a floppy disk drive, or like C:> or D:> if you are running DOS from a hard disk drive. When you get to DOS, change to the disk drive where you installed AUTOMESSAGE. Most likely, this will be hard drive C:. After you have changed to the proper disk drive, type CD \AUTOMESS (If you used a name other than AUTOMESS, substitute it here) and press Enter. You should now be in the directory where you installed AUTOMESSAGE. AUTOMESSAGE will not run properly if it is run from another program. For instance, if you are running WordPerfect and you use SHIFT-F1 to shell to DOS, there won't be enough memory to run AUTOMESSAGE. However, AUTOMESSAGE runs fine under Microsoft Windows. Now, to start running AUTOMESSAGE, just type AUTOMESS and press ENTER. If you get an error like BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME, make sure that you are trying to run the program from the right disk drive and directory (refer to the first two paragraphs under Starting AUTOMESSAGE to see how to do this). If this is the first time that you have run AUTOMESSAGE, the program will automatically run the SETUP program. The SETUP program sets the defaults that AUTOMESSAGE uses during message creation. If you see the SETUP program screen, go back to the section titled THE SETUP PROGRAM. If you have already run SETUP, you should see a menu with four choices: 1) Show Messages, 2) Change Messages, 3) Create Messages, and 4) Exit Program. If you do not see this menu or the SETUP menu, read through the instructions under STARTING AUTOMESSAGE again. If you do see this menu, go now to the section titled Things To Remember. ╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔ ╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝ ┌─────────────────────────┐ │ THE AUTOMESSAGE PROGRAM │░░ └─────────────────────────┘░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ┌───────────────────┐ │Things To Remember │░░ └───────────────────┘░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ────┐ I:│ The first thing to remember is that just about any key that you are ────┘ allowed to press is marked on the screen. If the screen indicates that you are allowed to press function keys F1 - F4, then there will be no action when you press F5. The program is written this way because I know it will not be the only program that you run on your computer. There is no reason to have to remember the keys when the program is capable of displaying them on the screen for you. Leaving instructions off the screen does make for a prettier display, but after two or three uses, you really start wishing they were there. The only exceptions to the above rule are that you can press the Escape key to exit from the (Y)es, (N)o, or (C)ancel instructions, and in the Message Create section, you can press the Enter key instead of Escape to get out of the Message Format section. (It is also important to remember that when these instructions state that you should press SHIFT and a function key, i.e. SHIFT F6, make sure that you press and hold the SHIFT key while pressing the function key at the same time.) ────┐ II:│ The second thing to remember is that the Escape key can be used whenever ────┘ you run into a problem. For instance, if you accidentally ask the program to save a message and you don't want to, just press Escape to cancel. Repeatedly pressing Escape will eventually take you out to the opening menu from any screen you happen to be using. ────┐ III:│ The third thing to remember is that this is a graphical program. While ────┘ this won't make much difference on computers from 20-megahertz 80386's and up, the program will run a little sluggishly on slower computers. If you are using an older computer, don't be surprised if the program seems to have stopped momentarily. It just takes longer to process graphical information than textual information. The program was written this way both to improve its general appearance, and to allow you to see exactly what you are doing as you are doing it. Now, let's get the program to do something! ╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔ ╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝ ┌────────────────────────┐ │ AUTOMESSAGE Main Menu. │░░ └────────────────────────┘░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ After SETUP has been run and a configuration has been saved, AUTOMESSAGE will start by showing you the Main Menu. The Main Menu presents you with four choices: Show Messages, Change Messages, Create Messages, and Exit Program. ░░▒▒▓▒▒░░ ────────┐ STEP 1: │ The normal way to show messages that you have already created is to ────────┘ use SHOW MESSAGES. (The other way is to use SHIFT F10 Message Preview which is documented in the Create Messages section). When you select this option, the program checks the current directory for stored messages. If it does not find any, it informs you that you must first create a message and then takes you back out to the main menu. If the program finds one or more messages, it then presents you with a list of these messages in a window at the right center of the screen. This menu will list up to 50 messages at the same time. If more than 50 messages are found, you can list them by using cursor keys displayed on the screen. To aid in the selection of the proper messages for display, the first 22 lines of each message are shown in a window at the left side of the screen as you highlight them. To select a message for display, highlight it using the keys shown on the screen, and then press the space bar. The box to the left of the message will then be highlighted in red. If you change your mind, just highlight the message again and press the Space Bar. The box will then turn to black and the message will no longer be selected. You can highlight as many of the messages as you like. I have included 6 demonstration messages to serve as examples. You can modify these messages in any way you choose. The first message, ADVERTIS, will give you an example of how you can use AUTOMESSAGE to advertise specials, events, new products or services, etc. The second message, DEMO, gives an overview of the features of AUTOMESSAGE, and provides some ideas about how to create your own messages. The third message, EDUCATE, shows how you can use AUTOMESSAGE in an educational setting. AUTOMESSAGE can be used much like an automatic flash card system. The fourth message, EXERCISE, shows how to use AUTOMESSAGE to assist you when you are doing repetitious exercises. How often have you lost count when doing exercises? AUTOMESSAGE will keep up with your repetitions, as well as provide an accurate time delay between sets of repetitions. The fifth message, HOURS, is an example of how to use AUTOMESSAGE to inform customers about business hours. The colorful, animated messages in AUTOMESSAGE are much more attractive and attention getting than any paper sign. Also, AUTOMESSAGE gives a more professional image to your establishment. The last message, ILLBBACK, is a short message that can be used to inform others about what time you will return, how long you take for lunch, who to talk to in your absence, etc. You can change any of these messages to suit your tastes, or you can just delete them and make new messages from scratch. After you have selected the messages you want to display, press the Enter key to advance to STEP 2. If you press Enter and you haven't selected any messages, the program will take you back to STEP 1 where you can either select a message or return to the main menu. ░░▒▒▓▒▒░░ ────────┐ STEP 2: │ At this stage you are asked about the order in which you would like ────────┘ to display your messages. There are only two choices, but their differences are important. F1-RANDOM │ will display all of the messages you have selected, and do it ──────────┘ randomly. There is a possibility that a message can be shown several times in a row, but the odds of this happening decrease with the number of messages that you select for display. F2-ALPHABETICAL │ will display all of the messages you have selected, and do it ────────────────┘ alphabetically. Unless you have selected only 1 message, there is no possibility that a message will be displayed twice in a row. The alphabetical order is determined from the name of the message itself. ░░▒▒▓▒▒░░ ────────┐ STEP 3: │ At this stage you select the number of times that you want to display ────────┘ the selected messages. F1-CONTINUOUS │ will display your messages until you press a key. ──────────────┘ F2-TIMED │ will display messages in random or alphabetical order until the ─────────┘ amount of time you have entered has elapsed, or until you press a key. You can enter a time of up to 999 Hours, 59 Minutes. F3-COUNTED │ will display messages in random or alphabetical order the number ───────────┘ of times you have entered, or until you press a key. Each message counts once, so if a message is displayed randomly twice in a row, that counts as two messages. ░░▒▒▓▒▒░░ ────────┐ Step 4: │ At this stage, you select the amount of time you want to wait between ────────┘ messages. If you want messages to show with no break between them, just select a time delay of 0 Minutes, 0 Seconds. There will be some extra delay between messages depending on the size of the next message, and the speed of your computer. ░░▒▒▓▒▒░░ ────────┐ Step 5: │ In this step, you select the intermission effect that will be shown ────────┘ between messages. If you selected a time delay of 0 in the last step, this step will be skipped. If you want the screen to stay black between messages, select F1. If you want the program to randomly pick between the intermission effects, select F2. Otherwise, the program will show only the effect that you choose. For instance, if you select F3 Lines, the program will only show the Lines Intermission between messages. If you pick F2 (Random), each display will appear about 1 out of every 6 messages. ░░▒▒▓▒▒░░ ────────┐ Step 6: │ In this step you review the choices that you have made. If all looks ────────┘ correct, just press Enter and the show will begin. If something is not right, press the Backspace key until you get to the step that will correct it. Pressing Escape at any time will take you back to the Main Menu. During display, you can press any key to stop. You will then be returned to Step 6. From here, you can exit to the Main Menu, restart the display, or change the display settings. ╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔ ╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝ ┌────────────────┐ │CREATE MESSAGES:│░░ └────────────────┘░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ The first step to take in making a new message is to select Create Messages. When this option is selected AUTOMESSAGE will first present you with a Master Format window. This window will give you a preview of the overall format of the message. You can change each line as you enter the message, but each line will default to this Master Format. You can go back and change the Master Format any time you want while you are entering the message. However, you should remember that any changes you make will effect the entire message. If you change the colors in the Master Format, each line in the message will then take on these new colors. The same holds true for any changes you make in display speed and justification. If, for example, you have a message with ten lines already entered, and you make a Master Format change, each of these ten lines will take on this new format. This happens regardless of any changes you have already made to these lines. Since the Master Format initially takes on the values you saved using the SETUP program, you will not usually need to make any changes to this format. So, when you enter the Create Messages menu option, you will usually just want to press Enter or Escape immediately to start entering the message. However, this option will always be available if you want to make any changes. It is important to remember that each message is totally independent of any other messages. Any changes you make using the Master Format or the SETUP program will have no effect on messages you have already saved. O.K. we're now ready to start entering a message. Try entering a few characters and see how they look. For the purpose of speed, the program will let you keep typing as it draws characters at the bottom, so if it appears that the characters are disappearing, stop typing and they will quickly catch up. After you have typed a few characters, you can then see how some of the commands work (Note that all possible commands are listed on the screen). Cursor Up:│ This key moves up the display by one line. When you reach the ──────────┘ first line, this key no longer has any effect. Cursor Down:│ This key moves the display down by one line. When you reach line ────────────┘ 999, this key no longer has any effect. Page Up:│ This key moves the display up by 15 lines. When you reach the first ────────┘ line, this key no longer has any effect. Page Down:│ This key move the display down by 15 lines. When you reach line ──────────┘ 999, this key no longer has any effect. Delete:│ This key deletes the current line. Be careful, it doesn't ask whether ───────┘ or not you are sure you want to do this, it just does it. Insert:│ This key inserts a new line. It pushes any text below it down by one ───────┘ line and makes a new line that conforms to the settings made in the Master Format window. Home:│ This key takes you to line 1 of the message. ─────┘ End:│ This key takes you to the last line you have edited. ────┘ Esc:│ This key gets you out of Create Messages and takes you back to the Main ────┘ Menu. If the current message contains any text, you will be asked if you want to save the current message. If you do, press Y and follow the instructions. If you do not want to save, press N. Otherwise, press C or Escape again and you will return to the message without saving or exiting. F1: Justification│ This choice changes the justification of the text on the ─────────────────┘ screen. If you have typed less than 20 characters, pressing this key will move the text in both the Preview Window and the Entry Window. Try using this option a few times to see what occurs. Make sure that you refer to what happens in the preview window because this is exactly the way that the text will appear when the message is displayed. Remember, any changes you make with this option will effect only the line that you are currently editing. Any lines that have not yet been edited will default to the settings made in the Master Format window. Note that as you make changes with F1, the window just to the right of the Entry Window will indicate these changes. This window is also important for other functions because it reflects changes in Underline, Text Type, Font, and Speed. F2: Text Color│ This choice should be fairly obvious. When you press F2, the ──────────────┘ text color on the current line changes. There are 16 possible text colors, but the program will not allow you to set a text color equal to the screen color (If you want the text color to equal the screen color you really want a blank line). The text color will cycle through all of its colors as long as you press F2. Once again, any changes you make with this option will affect only the line that you are currently editing. F3: Screen Color│ This choice works in exactly the same way as the text color ────────────────┘ except that it changes the color of the text background. As with the text color, you cannot set the screen color to equal the text color. Also, once again, any changes you make with this option will only affect the line that you are currently editing. F4: Display Speed│ This choice changes the display speed of the line you are ─────────────────┘ currently editing. Changes to this setting do not appear in the preview window. The speed varies from 100% to 25%. At 100%, the message will display as fast as the hardware in your computer and display card will allow. However, at 75% and below, the message text will display with a delay between each character. This decreased speed should be about the same regardless of the hardware used to display it. Try using this option a few times and then preview the results. You can then better judge what speed settings do what on your equipment. As usual, any changes you make with this option will only effect the line that you are currently editing. F5: Text Size│ This choice allows you to select Normal or Double sized text. ─────────────┘ This is a good effect for calling attention to a particular line. One thing to remember about this choice is that it cuts down on the number of lines that can be displayed on the screen at the same time. Normally, you can have 10 lines of text from top to bottom. However, since Double text is twice as high as Normal, it takes up twice as much screen space. Therefore, if every line is Double size, you can only have 5 lines of text on each screen. The width of the display is not affected, you will still have 20 characters per line. And again, any changes you make with this option will only effect the line that you are currently editing. F6: Underline Text│ This choice allows you to turn underline on and off. Both ──────────────────┘ Normal and Double sized text is underlined. The only thing to remember about this option is that if you select Blinking Text (F9), the underline does not blink, only the text it underlines. Once again, any changes you make with this option will only affect the line that you are currently editing. F7: Pause Display│ This option is pretty straightforward. It will stop the ─────────────────┘ display for as many seconds as you tell it to. When you press F7, it will examine the line that you are currently working on. If this line contains information, Pause Display will insert a line so that this information is not lost. If the line is blank, then Pause Display will simply replace it. If you fail to enter a number when Pause Display asks you for a delay time, it will default to 0 seconds and have no effect on the message display. Pause Display is also used in conjunction with F9 (Blinking Text). To get text to blink, you must first select it with F9. This alone will not cause the text to blink. You must then issue a Pause Display. The text will not blink until the message reaches this pause. You can put the pause display on the line below the blinking text, or you can put it several lines below, just so long as the text that is to blink stays on the screen. F8: Clear Screen│ This option also does just what it says. It clears off the ────────────────┘ screen and starts the display from the top. There are a couple of extra things to remember about this option though. If you have selected a Top Title (SHIFT F6), a Bottom Title (SHIFT F7), or both, Clear Screen will not affect them. Only text that is between the Top and/or Bottom Title will be cleared away. However, if you issue two Clear Screen commands in a row, the Top and/or Bottom Title will be cleared away. F9: Blinking Text│ This option provides a way to make text on the screen blink ─────────────────┘ to attract special attention. Any text other than the Top and Bottom Titles can be made to blink, however, only one line on each screen can be made to blink at a time. Also, to get text to blink you must issue a Pause command (see F7 Pause Display for details) at least 1 line after the Blink command. F10: Next Font│ Unlike any of the above choices, Next Font affects the entire ──────────────┘ message. In this version of the program, 3 fonts are provided: Courier, Roman, and Helv. You can see what each of the fonts will look like by repeatedly pressing F10. The only restriction with this command is that you can only have 1 font per message. (When the following sections refer to pressing SHIFT and a function key, i.e. SHIFT F6, remember to press and hold the SHIFT key while pressing the function key at the same time.) SHIFT F6: Make Top Title│ This option allows you to make a title that will stay ────────────────────────┘ at the top of the screen regardless of what happens with the rest of the message. Text is scrolled beneath the top title, and if a Clear Screen command is issued, only the text below this title is cleared away. To get rid of this top title, you must issue two Clear Screen commands in a row. This function works along with the Make Bottom Title (SHIFT F7). One thing to remember about this function is that whenever it is used in the message it will clear away the rest of the screen. The only exception is if you have a Bottom Title. Selecting a new Top Title will not clear away the current Bottom Title. Also, the Top (as well as the Bottom) Title is not affected by the Blinking Text command. All other commands work normally. You can issue the Make Top Title command whenever you want in a particular message. Just remember that it clears away all but the bottom title (if there is one) when it is issued. SHIFT F7: Make Bottom Title│ This option allows you to make a title that will ───────────────────────────┘ stay at the bottom of the screen regardless of what happens with the rest of the message. Text is scrolled above the Bottom Title, and if a Clear Screen command is issued, only the text above this title is cleared away. To get rid of this Bottom Title, you must issue two Clear Screen commands in a row. This function works along with the Make Top Title (SHIFT F6). One thing to remember about this function is that whenever it is used in the message it will clear away the rest of the screen. The only exception is if you have a Top Title. Selecting a new Bottom Title will not clear away the current Top Title. Also, the Bottom (as well as the Top) Title is not affected by the Blinking Text command. All other commands work normally. You can issue the Make Bottom Title command whenever you want in a particular message. Just remember that it clears away all but the Top Title (if there is one) when it is issued. SHIFT F8: Master Format│ This option allows you to change the current Master ───────────────────────┘ Format. It calls up the same screen that is presented when you first select Create Messages. The functions work the same way when they are called from the message as they do when Create Messages is first selected. It is important to remember that any changes you make here effect the entire message. If you change the colors, all lines in the message are changed, including any lines you have already edited. The same goes for changes made in Justification and Display Speed. SHIFT F9: Save Message│ This option allows you to save the message you are ──────────────────────┘ currently editing. This option also comes up automatically when you press Escape to exit the message and the message contains information. The screen should then present you with any necessary instructions. It is a good idea to use a name that is indicative of the contents of the message so that you can find it more quickly. However, this is not absolutely necessary since all messages are automatically previewed before you load them back in. SHIFT F10: Preview Message│ This option allows you to preview the message you ──────────────────────────┘ are currently editing. This is the way the message will appear when displayed using the Show Messages selection from the Main Menu. The message will repeat until you stop it by pressing any key. ╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔ ╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝ ┌────────────────┐ │CHANGE MESSAGES:│░░ └────────────────┘░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ This selection works essentially the same way as Create Messages. The only two exceptions are: A Load Message menu initially appears in place of the Master Format menu, and a SHIFT F5: Load Message choice appears on the screen. Since Change Messages differs so little from Create Messages, I will only document the two exceptions listed above. Just refer to the Create Messages section for information on all the other functions. When you first select Change Messages, you will be presented with a menu asking you what message you want to load. The directory is searched for all messages that have been saved, and then they are presented on a selection list. You can move up and down through this list like you move up and down through a message. All of the applicable keys are displayed on the screen, and no other keys have any function. You can get an idea of the contents of each message as you highlight it in the Load Menu. At the left of the screen in the Entry Window, a preview of the first fourteen lines of each message will appear. When you have highlighted the message you would like to edit, press Enter and the message will load. SHIFT F5:│ Pressing SHIFT and F5 brings up the Load Messages menu. This can be ─────────┘ done at any time during editing. This menu is the same as the one that first appears when you select Change Messages from the Main Menu. You should remember that if you load a new message with this function, it will first erase the message that you are currently working on. When you first press this button it will ask if you want to save your current message. If you select (N)o, the program will then erase the message you are currently editing. It will not erase it from the disk, but it will erase any changes you have made. ╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗╔╗ ╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠╣╠ ╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝╚╝