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PC-SIG: Essential Home & Business
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OLDPCW.DOC
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1991-09-20
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Earlier Versions of PC-Write and Standard Level
If you have used PC-Write before, welcome to Standard Level 2.0! Here we'll
describe some of the changes since PC-Write 3.0 (and PC-Write Lite 1.0). Your
main decision is whether to use your old print control file, or install a new
one that handles margins and font sizes better.
Command Key Changes
Most function key menus haven't changed. The Alt key brings up the new pull-
down menus. The Esc key does nothing, but you can use the Customizer to make
Esc bring up these menus. This is handy if you find you're bringing up the
menu when you try to insert a font character (but if you do bring up the menu
by accident, press Alt again to remove it, or press the Alt-Letter you wanted
and PC-Write will clear the menu and insert the font).
Use Ctl-F2 (not F2) to edit the Ruler line. To embed a new Ruler, just press
Ctl-F2, edit the Ruler, and press F4 to embed it; this no longer affects the
prior Ruler line in the file. You can still modify the prior Ruler by
pressing Ctl-F2, editing the Ruler, and pressing F2 to finish.
The F2 key itself just handles windows. You can now have up to 10 windows!
F2, F4 splits the current window; F2, F2 still un-splits. Use F2 then PgUp
or PgDn to switch windows (F2 then Up or Down Arrow works, but is not
recommended). Use Alt-F6, F6 to read an edit control file, or F1, F7, F6 to
read a print control file (again, Ctl-F2, F6 works, but is not recommended).
The Shf-F6 key gives a file conversion menu. WordPerfect and DCA conversion
is built-in. Importing old PC-Write files (discussed below) and converting to
ASCII is done here, not with the old Alt-F5 menu. Alt-F5 still does tab and
line conversions. To remove extra spaces use Shf-Ctl-F8 (ASCII Ragged) and to
remove page breaks use Alt-F7, F9.
The Alt-F3 key-record menu has a few changes; use Alt-F3, F5 to both assign
the current macro to a key and (optionally) save the definition in your edit
control file. Alt-F3, F6 unassigns a key; Alt-F3, F7 (or Ctl-^) goes into
Numbers mode.
Find and Replace have some changes. A single space in the Find Text matches
any number of spaces, fonts, line boundaries, Guide lines, or Break lines.
To match just one space, press F4 (the "match exact" wild card) before the
space. Multiple spaces match only that exact number of spaces. To replace
within marked or boxed text, use Alt-F10, F7 (not Alt-F10, F9, F9).
In the Repage menu, Alt-F7, F5 repages the whole file (not Alt-F7, F5, F5).
And Alt-F7, F4 updates all the auto-number sequences (not Alt-F7, F5, F6).
Auto-repage is new (Alt-F7, F3).
There's no Alt-F6 formatting menu. The Layout pull-down menu replaces it.
Font Changes
If you have a newer HP LaserJet or popular dot matrix printer, there's a
better font system. With it, you can set the size of a font independently
from the typeface. For example, you can make a word bigger by just changing
the size, or use a bold typeface without changing the size. You also get many
more typeface + size combinations. This is handy for new files.
Converting old files takes some work, since every typeface (width) font must
be replaced with two fonts. For .R and .Q Dot lines, just replace each with
two new ones. For font characters, you should keep the fonts nested (if you
don't, they look funny on the screen and reformat poorly, but print OK). Say
M is the old 10pt boldface font, B is the new boldface, and E is the 10pt
size font. You need to change "the MbrandM new party" to "the BEbrandEB new
party".
When you install a printer, pick one with the note "{new}" to get these new
fonts. Or, pick the same printer but without {new} to keep the old fonts and
still take advantage of the new margins (below). Or, you can use your old
print control files, with old fonts and margins.
Margin Changes
Many printers (all laser printers) cannot print to the edges of the paper.
PC-Write now knows about these unprintable areas and takes them into account
when printing pages. If you set one-inch margins on all sides, that's what
you get. For old files, if you set a zero top margin with .XT:0 (knowing your
printer will skip the top half-inch anyway), PC-Write will warn you that a
zero top margin is impossible and reset it to the minimum, say one-half inch.
But it won't print this half-inch, since the printer will skip it anyway.
All 2.0 print control files contain unprintable area information. You now set
the page length to the actual paper length, such as .L:11i. The new system is
simpler, and makes it easier to move between printers. To convert an old
LaserJet print control file (such as a Font Selector file) to the new system,
use the HPFIX batch file: enter HPFIX pr.def at the DOS prompt.
A printer's unprintable area actually varies based on the feed mechanism.
Tractor feeding on dot matrix printers has no unprintable top or bottom area,
but bin or tray feeders on dot matrix or laser printers do. Single sheet
feeders may even have a larger unprintable top area. This means you need to
set the right feeder type in the menus (or F1, F7, F4). To use files with old
margins, just specify Tractor feed; then these unprintable areas are ignored.
Left and right margins work differently, too. The right shape letter in the
Ruler line (like R or J) now sets the right side indent position. The right
margin itself is set with a .W Dot line to set the paper width (say .W:8.5i),
combined with .XI and .XJ Dot lines to set the left and right margins (say
.XI:1.0i and .XJ:1.0i; .XI is the same as .X). It's easier to set a one-inch
right margin than to figure out where the R goes in the Ruler! Printing takes
unprintable left and right areas into account, so when you ask for a one-inch
margin that's what you get.
Paragraph reformat and justify go to the minimum of the right indent position
(set by the R or other shape letter in the Ruler), and right margin position
(set with .W less .XI and .XJ). When you're editing old files, press Ctl-F2
to see where paragraphs will reformat. If the highlighting ends before your
shape letter, the .XI/.XJ pair is making it smaller. During installation of
PC-Write, it asks if you want automatic document formatting; if you say yes,
you get one-inch margins all around, set in the edit control file. To fix
this, use the new pull-down menus to make the left and right margins smaller,
or remove the .XI and .XJ from ed.def.
You can use the pull-down menus to set paragraph shape or indents. PC-Write
then edits your Ruler lines as appropriate. It keeps existing tab stops and
spacing commands. You may never have to edit a Ruler line again, except to
set tab stops.
During install, if you indicate you want automatic formatting, you also get
auto-reformat, auto-repage, and Hide mode by default. Auto-reformat mode does
more than it used to. Pressing the Enter key normally inserts a paragraph
break (Alt-K) in this mode (unless you change this with the Customizer). And
changing the left or right margin, either by editing the Ruler with Ctl-F2 or
through the pull-down menus, automatically reformats to the next Ruler. You
don't need K, M, or Q "change margin" letters in the Ruler anymore.
Ruler lines now break paragraphs, unless you have an O letter somewhere in
the Ruler line. For old files that change indent within paragraphs (say, for
run-arounds) you must add this O.
Finally, the F7 reformat key now reformats the entire paragraph containing
the cursor, not just from the cursor to the end. Use marking or a paragraph
break to limit reformat.
Font and Margin Change Summary
| Old pr.def | New 2.0 pr.def | New 2.0 pr.def
| | but not {new} | with {new}
-------------+---------------+------------------+------------------
Old | Works O.K. | Fix margins | Fix margins
Documents | | | Fix fonts
-------------+---------------+------------------+------------------
New | Works, not | Use if not all | Best overall
Documents | recommended | your printers |
| | have {new} on |
You can use the Link file feature (.C:) to print existing documents with your
old print control file, and make a new print control file for new documents.
Control file lines that read print control files should end with /p (such as
!pr.def/p or .C:!laser.def/p). And if you read control files from the command
line with //, add a !, such as ED myfile //!laser.def.
Header/footer Format
All Header/footer margins, fonts, and spacing are now set from the margins
(.W, .XI, .XJ), fonts (.R's), and spacing (.S, .ST) in effect at the first
text line in the file. Ruler lines have no effect, nor do subsequent format
commands active when headers or footers are defined. The .HW and .FW commands
are no longer supported. Header/footer fonts can be changed with embedded
fonts, or set with .RH/.RF Dot lines (and cleared with .QH/.QF Dot lines).
Final notes on formatting
Files with .- and .+ for reformat protection need to be changed to <Alt-G>N
and <Alt-G>Y mini-rulers. If you use .R or .Q Dot lines with font characters
instead of letters, you need to convert these as well. Import Old PC-Write
(Shf-F6, F2) does this automatically. It also converts page break and Dot
command format for PC-Write versions before 3.0.
Printing is now fully integrated. There are no problems with incompatible
Ruler lines or Dot lines between editing and printing. We suggest you place
only printer-specific information in your print control files. Dot lines
generally should go in edit control files.
Dot lines not supported in PC-Write Standard Level, but expected in Advanced
Level (and often in PC-Write 3.0) are ignored with no message, so you can
edit these files with Standard Level.
Other items
Some old PC-Write macros may not work. Macros that use those menus which have
changed won't work (but F2, Up Arrow/Down Arrow macros work). In general,
operation numbers have not changed. If you're using macros, you may want to
get the PC-Write Wizards Book, available separately from Quicksoft.
Mouse support is fully integrated; you don't need any special PC-Write mouse
driver (just the standard mouse.com or mouse.sys system mouse driver). The
DOS SHARE command is automatically detected; you don't need &F:2 (or &F:3).