M a s t e r P r i n t 1 . 0 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" Copyright 1994, Michel Forget Electric Storm Software """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" " The *BEST* ST/STe/TT/Falcon/MultiTOS Text File Printer! " """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" *-----------------------------------------------------------------* | There are no limitations placed upon the distribution of | | MasterPrint, except: | | | | MasterPrint may not be distributed on the cover disk of any | | magazine without the express written permission of the author. | *-----------------------------------------------------------------* | For more information about the distribution of MasterPrint, | | please read the section of this manual entitled "DISTRIBUTION". | *-----------------------------------------------------------------* - CONTENTS - I. INTRODUCTION II. DONATION-WARE III. INSTALLING MASTERPRINT A. SingleTOS B. MultiTOS IV. USING MASTERPRINT A. The Primary Queue B. The Secondary Queue C. Text Formatting a. Synopsis b. Description c. Options d. Indentation e. Output f. Print Method g. Dimensions D. Printer Control Codes E. Printing V. DISCLAIMER VI. DISTRIBUTION VII. CONTACTING THE AUTHOR VIII. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS IX. SUZY B'S SOFTWARE INFORMATION X. CLOSING I. I N T R O D U C T I O N =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Everyone who owns a computer and a printer has, at one time or another, needed to print the contents of a text file. The text file printer supplied with Atari computers will allow you to do this, but it is lacking in many respects. MasterPrint is a replacement text file printer for any Atari computer, in any resolution with a size greater than or equal to 640 X 200. It offers many features that the Atari text file printer does not: o MultiTOS/Geneva/Mag!X compatability and support: * MasterPrint uses windowed dialog boxes, so you can use other programs or desk accessories while MasterPrint is waiting for user input (or printing). * MasterPrint has support for the Drag & Drop Protocol (MultiTOS). * MasterPrint can be installed as the default text file printer under MultiTOS, using the SHPRINT environment variable. * MasterPrint has support for the AV-Protocol (VA_START) used by Mag!X. o There is no limit on the number of text files that MasterPrint can process. o MasterPrint can utilize the special features of your printer, such as multiple fonts, colour, or text effects. o MasterPrint can write a document to a file instead of printing it. With MiNT installed, this feature can be used to write a document to -any- device. o If you have more than one computer connected to a printer, MasterPrint can be configured to print an identification string before your document. o MasterPrint can print a four line synopsis before your document, making it easy to determine at a glance what the document contains. o MasterPrint has many options that can be used to improve the look of your document, such as: * Indentation * Page Descriptions * Page Headings * Page Numbers * Line Numbers II. D O N A T I O N - W A R E -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= OR: If MasterPrint is free, what is this section of the manual about? MasterPrint IS free; if you enjoy using this program, then please continue to do so. As you are no doubt aware, though, GEM provides you with two choices when you open a document; SHOW, or PRINT. MasterPrint is an "extract" from a larger program, called MasterBrowse, which replaces the GEM Text File Viewer. It has hundreds of options, such as: o MasterBrowse has an extremely fast GEM user interface, which makes use of raster copy screen updates, GDOS/SpeedoGDOS fonts, pull-down menus, windows, optional non-modal dialog boxes, colour, and more. o MasterBrowse can use the command line (of course) to open documents (or open a document batch). The ARGV, xArg, and standard command line formats are supported. o MasterBrowse works with all operating systems, including MultiTOS. It also works with MultiGEM, Mag!X, and Geneva. With MultiTOS, MasterBrowse can take advantage of MiNT (for communication between MasterBrowse and the special client-program which ensures that only one copy of MasterBrowse is in memory at a time) and the Drag & Drop protocol. The client-program can also be configured to call an alternate viewer for special types of files, such as pictures. With Mag!X, MasterBrowse can communicate with the desktop, so that only one copy of MasterBrowse will be in memory at a time (the copy of MasterBrowse already in memory will handle any new file display requests). o MasterBrowse supports the View Protocol, by Peter Seitz, which allows other programs (such as STZip, Lharc Shell, ShowImage, Disklist, and others) to instruct MasterBrowse to display a file instead of using their own default viewers. o MasterBrowse allows you to have a virtually unlimited number of documents open at the same time, restricted only by the number of free window handles and the amount of memory available. o MasterBrowse provides keyboard shortcuts for every menu entry. If you do not like the default keyboard shortcuts for menu entries, MasterBrowse will even allow you to change them! o MasterBrowse provides you with a Quick Document Access feature found in no other program. With this feature, you can instantly load any of the last seven files that have been opened (in case you need a document again after closing it). o MasterBrowse allows you to (optionally) save your configuration automatically when you exit the program, or even save a document batch that will automatically be loaded the next time you use MasterBrowse. o MasterBrowse allows you to use all of your familiar movement keys. You can use the arrow keys, the application keypad, or even the space bar and the return key. o MasterBrowse allows you to move in any direction inside a document, as you would expect. What you might not expect is that you can tell MasterBrowse how far it should move when the movement keys are pressed. How about moving two lines down instead of one? Or perhaps three lines suits you better? Do you still want more power? Keep reading. -You can jump to a specific line, a specific page, the start of a block, the end of a block, or any of ten personal "bookmarks" that MasterBrowse supplies for each text window. o MasterBrowse allows you to move through a document (by lines or pages) using a special Quick Scroll Mode. It uses the shift, control, and alternate keys so that the scrolling speed is not limited by the key repeat speed. o MasterBrowse also offers you the ability to search for up to three strings at the same time inside a document (case sensitive or case insensitive), starting at the top of the document or the current position. If a search is performed starting at the current position within the document, MasterBrowse can be told to search in forward mode or reverse mode. After the string is found, another command may be used to find the next (or previous) occurrence of the string. o MasterBrowse also has block functions. You can mark a block and then save it to disk, print it, or write it to the clipboard. You can control how the block is marked on the screen. MasterBrowse can also be told to remove the block markers after a block operation is completed. Blocks are marked using the -MOUSE-. More? A block can even be extracted from a larger document and placed inside a MasterBrowse window! In addition, MasterBrowse can append blocks (or entire documents) to already existing files. o MasterBrowse is a master printer. It can print a document (or a block) with page headings, page numbers, line numbers, a description of the file or block, a synopsis, or any combination of the five. MasterBrowse can even print an identification string for those people who share a printer between more than one computer. You can also save a block or an entire document to disk (or the clipboard), with all of the same options available. MasterBrowse can also be configured to use the special features of your printer, such as bolding, italics, underlining, colour, and specialized fonts. You want even more power? MasterBrowse can print on both sides of the printer page, and indent your text. o MasterBrowse gives you complete control over your windows. You can cycle through them, change their titles, shrink them, close one, close them all, or get information about them all using the keyboard (or the mouse). MasterBrowse also allows you to remove the vertical window scroll bar, the horizontal window scroll bar, or both scroll bars (since a window that has no scroll bars can scroll more than twice as fast as a window that does have scroll bars. In addition, each MasterBrowse window can have different scroll bar settings. The size of a window can be changed by clicking in the bottom right-hand corner of the window, even if the window does not have a "sizer" gadget. o MasterBrowse saves the positions of the first seven windows (if you want it to), so you have complete control over where your documents appear and how your screen looks. o MasterBrowse allows you to load and save bookmark lists. o Every window has a set of block markers and a set of ten bookmarks to itself. o MasterBrowse supports batch files! If you use a certain group of documents often, just load them up and tell MasterBrowse to create a batch file. One double-click on the batch file, and they will all be loaded again. o MasterBrowse also has support for the clipboard! A block can be written to the clipboard (with or without formatting) or the clipboard can be read into a MasterBrowse window. o MasterBrowse allows you to interface (transparently) with as many as four external archivers, so that you can save space by storing your text files in a compressed format. The features listed above -barely- scratch the surface of MasterBrowse! In addition to receiving an optimized, registered, personalized copy of MasterBrowse and a registered, personalized copy of MasterPrint, registered users also receive the following utilities and applications: AutoDate - A program that tracks the date, allowing the user to always have the correct system date. The date can be updated with a single keypress. ESS-Code - A powerful utility which every Internet/Usenet/BitNet user should have. This program was voted the fourth most popular utility of 1993. AccPad - A convenient notepad desk accessory, featuring the ability to save, load, or print all (or "selected") notes. ShadowTerm II - A powerful GEM terminal program, with many advanced options. By special arrangement, users who register MasterBrowse will also receive a coupon for a FREE catalog from Suzy B's Software and a $3 credit toward the purchase of a disk from the Suzy B's Software collection (which has over 8,000 files). For more information about Suzy B's Software, please read the section of this manual entitled "SUZY B'S SOFTWARE INFORMATION". When registering, please inform me whether the disk sent to you should be single-sided or double-sided. To register, send $15 to: Michel Forget #45-1503 Millwoods Road East Edmonton, Alberta CANADA T6L 4C2 If you do not live in North America, please send an international money order or the equivalent of $15 in your own currency. Please do not send a personal cheque unless you live in North America. There are several ways to upgrade MasterBrowse once you have registered it. If you have an Internet electronic mail address, upgrades can be sent to you at no charge. If you do not have such an electronic mail address, send $5 with your name, address, and serial number. A disk with the new version of MasterBrowse (as well as new versions of the other software given to registered users) will be sent to you promptly. When you upgrade your version of MasterBrowse, you will also receive a $3 credit toward the purchase of a disk from the Suzy B's Software collection. III. I N S T A L L I N G M A S T E R P R I N T -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A. SingleTOS """""""""""" Installing MasterPrint for single-tasking operating systems is very easy! If the desktop you are using allows you to install a program to handle the printing of text documents, place MasterPrint in a safe folder with the resource file and the configuration file and then install it as the alternate text file printer as detailed in the documentation of your desktop. If your desktop does not allow an alternate text file printer to be installed, but does allow files to be placed on the desktop as icons, you may install MasterPrint on the desktop. MasterPrint will then be invoked simply by dragging files to the icon. If your desktop does not allow an alternate text file printer to be installed, and also does not allow files to be placed on the desktop as icons, you must execute MasterPrint manually. After it has been loaded, you will be asked to select the document to print. B. MultiTOS """"""""""" MultiTOS allows you to replace the built-in text file printer with a text file printer of your choice. To do this, simply add a line with the following format to your GEM.CNF file. setenv SHPRINT=f:\m_print.10\m_print.prg MasterPrint will now be invoked when you double-click on a document (or group of documents) and select "Print". IV. U S I N G M A S T E R P R I N T -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Using MasterPrint is very easy, but there are a few concepts, terms, and features that bear discussion: A. The Primary Queue -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Primary Queue is a list of files given to MasterPrint by the program that called it (usually the desktop). If no Primary Queue exists (such as when the program is executed manually), MasterPrint will ask you to locate the file to be printed using the file selector. After the Primary Queue has been created, it cannot change. Thus, there is a need for a Secondary Queue. B. The Secondary Queue -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Secondary Queue can hold sixteen files. It is only used when you decide to print a document while another is being printed, or when MasterPrint receives instructions from an operating system (such as MultiTOS or Mag!X). C. Text Formatting -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= MasterPrint offers a variety of text formatting options. None of them actually change the "text" of your document, but they can vastly improve the appearance of your document on paper. All text formatting options are set in one dialog box: a. Synopsis -=-=-=-=-=- MasterPrint allows you to enter a four line synopsis of the document being printed, which will be printed immediately before the text of the document. The synopsis can be used by the reader to (very quickly) determine exactly what the document concerns. b. Description -=-=-=-=-=-=-= If any text is entered in this field, MasterPrint will print that text just above the page number/page header. It can be used to show the title of the document being printed, the author, or any other text that you deem appropriate. If no text is entered in this field, it will not be used. c. Options -=-=-=-=-= Page Numbers ------------ If this option is selected, MasterPrint will divide the document being printed into pages. The current page number is printed at the top right corner of each page. Line Numbers ------------ If this option is selected, MasterPrint will number the lines of the document as they are being printed. The current line number appears just to the left of the current line. Page Headings ------------- If this option is selected, MasterPrint will print the name of the file being printed on the same line that the page number is printed on. Form Feeds ---------- Form feeds should usually be turned on. They cause the printer to advance to the start of the next page when the current page is done. In some situations (such as writing a file to disk) they are not desirable and should be turned off. d. Indentation -=-=-=-=-=-=-= MasterPrint allows you to indent the text of your document. When printing on both sides of the page, indentation can be used to ensure that the left margin of the even pages does not appear too close to the spine of the document. e. Output -=-=-=-=- MasterPrint allows you to write a document to a text file, or the printer. If you elect to write the document to a text file, and the file already exists, MasterPrint will ask you whether it should overwrite the existing file or append the new information to the end of it, or abort the operation without changing the existing file. f. Print Method -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- This is the most powerful feature of MasterPrint; with this option you can print on both sides of the printer page. Not only does this make your documents look more professional, but it also saves the environment. Those who are not experienced with this method of printing need not worry (it is very easy to do with MasterPrint). Simply set your options as you desire, then select "Odd". After printing, remove the paper from your printer and insert it again upside down (so that the text you just printed faces upward and the letters are upside down). After positioning the paper so that printing will start on the back of the first page, set your options again and select "Even". The options for "Even" and "Odd" must be identical (though you should only enter spaces for the synopsis and printer identification) or the text on one side of the page will not match the text on the other side of the page (duplicate lines, skipped lines, and/or incorrect line numbers). g. Dimensions -=-=-=-=-=-=- You may have to adjust the paper length before you obtain satisfactory output from MasterPrint. To determine the maximum paper length that MasterPrint can use, you should initially set the paper length to 58, and then increase it to suit your printer. D. Printer Control Codes -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= You can make your documents look better on paper by defining some printer control codes. With these codes, you can make use of any special effect (uderlining, bold, italics, colour, fonts) that your printer can create. You can define printer control codes for the page heading, the page number, the line number, the description of the document being printed, and the current line of text being printed. You will need your printer manual to do this, since MasterPrint can not know what features your printer has. When defining printer control codes, there are four details to keep in mind: 1. You do not need to include the ESC (decimal 27) character in your printer control codes. MasterPrint will send this character to the printer before every printer control code. 2. Every printer control code must be a decimal number (no alphabetical characters or hexadecimal numbers are allowed). 3. If the printer control code you are defining consists of two or more separate decimal numbers (EX: ESC + 99 + 39), than each code must be separated by a space when typed. 4. A printer control code may consist of no more than four separate decimal numbers (not including the ESC character, which is sent automatically). E. Printing -=-=-=-=-=- When the "Print" button is selected, MasterPrint will remove the options dialog box from the screen and begin printing the file with the options you have selected. When MasterPrint has finished printing, MasterPrint will ask you to select options for the next file. MasterPrint will not interfere with multitasking while it is printing unless the printer buffer is full. If the printer buffer does become full, virtually all multitasking will stop while the computer waits for the printer to catch up. To avoid this annoying problem, you should install a printer spooler, which will increase the size of the printer buffer. V. D I S C L A I M E R -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= MasterPrint does not come with any warranty, express or implied. If you use MasterPrint, you do so at your own risk. Neither the author of MasterPrint (Michel Forget) nor any other party is responsible for any equipment damage, data loss, or other unforeseen consequence of the use or misuse of MasterPrint. VI. D I S T R I B U T I O N -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- There are no limitations placed on the distribution of MasterPrint, except: 1) When re-distributed, MasterPrint must contain all files found in the original archive. 2) MasterPrint may not be distributed on the cover disk of any magazine without the express written permission of the author. VII. C O N T A C T I N G T H E A U T H O R -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= If you would like to contact the author with bug reports, suggestions, or comments, you can do so through the following addresses: Internet/Usenet: mforget@elfhaven.ersys.edmonton.ab.ca ess@tibalt.supernet.ab.ca TurboNet: Lord Chimara @ 100:3/0 (Temple Of Doom) NeST: Lord Chimara @ 90:220/3 (Temple Of Doom) AtariNet: Lord Chimara @ 51:710/0 (Temple Of Doom) FNET: Michel Forget @ 236 (The B.E.A.C.H.) Mail: Michel Forget #45-1503 Millwoods Road East Edmonton, Alberta CANADA T6L 4C2 All messages received will be responded to. If you do not receive a response, please send your message again. VII. A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= There are several people who have helped me out over the course of the development of this program. I would like to thank Ian Lepore, who wrote the Heat & Serve C Compiler. I would also like to thank Leslie Hartmier and Thomas Kuenneth for giving me ideas and testing the program while it was being written. I would also like to thank the people who gave me advice on programming problems; Wolfgang Wander, Chris Herborth, William Fisher, Scott Bigham, Peter Seitz, Eric R. Smith, Denis Casanova, Erlend Nagel, and Waldi Ravens. The folks of comp.sys.atari.st were extremely helpful, as well. Thanks for being patient! I appreciate your help, everyone! IX. SUZY B'S SOFTWARE INFORMATION -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Suzy B's Software: "A Honey of a Deal" Suzy B's Software 3712 Military Road Niagara Falls, N.Y. 14305 U.S.A. Phone: 716-298-1986 716-297-8514 Suzy B's Software is buzzing onto the scene of the Public Domain and Shareware supply services with a difference. Supplying single-sided or double-sided disks as requested, we will fill the disks with compressed self-extracting files (compatible with all TOS versions). That in itself gives you a good deal, but Suzy B's Software goes on to give you what the owner, Susan Burkley, calls "a honey of a deal." She asks, "How many times have you wanted a utility and a game from a P.D. service but had to buy two disks to get them both? At Suzy B's we put your individual selections on a single disk so you can pick and choose and get more of what you want. Do you want a game, a children's program, a picture file or two, the most recent version of ST Writer, and a NASA press release? You can have them all on one disk! All our files are compressed in a self-extracting format to give you even more of what you want. Right now we have about 8,000 files from which to choose -- our catalog is about 950 pages long -- 2.75 Megabytes of ASCII text, and it keeps growing! It's a lot more work for us, but you get a honey of a deal!" X. CLOSING -=-=-=-=-= I hope that you are pleased with MasterPrint, and decide to continue using it after you have tried it out. I put a great deal of effort into the creation of MasterPrint and MasterBrowse, though, so I _also_ hope that you will seriously consider sending in the requested donation. If the Atari is going to remain a viable system, it needs more Shareware, Donation-Ware, Freeware, and Public Domain applications to compensate for the lack of commercial products available. In order to make programming for the Atari viable, though, the Atari community needs to support the programmers of these applications. -Michel Forget Electric Storm Software February 12, 1994 (Olympic Opening Ceremonies Day - GO CANADA!)