DP Tool Club 11/CD_ASCQ_11_0294.iso/maj/2145/view90.doc

Text File | 1994-01-16 | 26KB | 583 lines

                                      VIEW       ▌
                                                 ▌
                                   Version 9.0   ▌
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         File viewer for WordPerfect, Word, Write, Ami Pro; and Wordstar;
                        converter from these to ASCII


                        Copyright (c) 1994 Malcolm Drury

     Note: this package contains the following files:

                     VIEW.EXE (file viewer version 9.0)
                     VW90CFG.COM (customizer)
                     VIEW90.DOC
                     NEWIN90.DOC  - new features
                     TROUBLE.DOC  - possible problems, and solutions
                     (zipped with PKZIP 2.04g)



VIEW is a file viewing utility, allowing you to read ASCII,  WordPerfect
(5.0, 5.1/5.2, and 6.0, including Windows), Microsoft Word (4 and 5 and
WinWord 1 and 2), Ami Pro, Wordstar ,and Windows WRITE files, and to print
all or part of them to file or printer. VIEW also allows you to search for
text strings (both case-sensitive and case-insensitive), and print all lines
that include or exclude a particular text string. You can also print or
convert files to ASCII directly from the file selection menu. VIEW has a
direct interface to Tony Caine's compressed printing utilities 2COL and
JETCOL, which allow you to save trees by printing output in two columns.

VW90CFG allows you to customize display colors for VIEW and also allows you
to customize its printing, display and memory features.




IMPORTANT!!    ▌
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The author makes no warranty that the software in this package will work
with your particular hardware configuration.  You use the programs entirely
at your own risk, and the author will not be held liable for any damage
caused to your hardware or software through their use, nor for any
consequential damages, loss of earnings, or loss of life, limb or sanity.
Legalities aside, you should not run into difficulties with this software.




SHAREWARE      ▌
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These programs are distributed as shareware, AND ARE NOT CRIPPLED!!.  Nor
do they contain "nag" screens.  (Editorial note: I don't support
"crippleware" - I want to know EXACTLY what I'm expected to pay for!
Crippleware is, in my opinion, like test driving a Mercedes that's been
fitted with a lawnmower engine! There, that's said - but each to his own.)

You do not have to register as a user, nor are you under any
obligation to buy the program(s).  However, they are not free, and in
the spirit of shareware, you are requested to make a small
donation to the author if you find the software in this package useful,
and if you continue to use it after an evaluation period of 30 days. This
would both fulfill your moral obligation and help ensure the viability of
the shareware concept, from which we all benefit.

The suggested contribution is $20 (10 pounds sterling), but less
(or more!) would be fine. Pay what you think the software is worth to
you. If you pay the recommended amount or more, I will send you a 5 1/4"
diskette with the latest version plus a selection of other shareware for
you to evaluate, including Tony Caine's excellent 2COL and JETCOL
utilities, which allow you to print files in double columns.

Should you decide to make a contribution, please remit to:

                   Malcolm Drury
                   11 Adele Crescent
                   Nepean
                   ON  K2J 2T7
                   Canada

Internet [e-mail]
Compuserve 70574,3457

Bank notes would be fine!  Thank you. Please tell me where you got the
software from and, most importantly, which version it is.

Please contact me if you would like to negotiate a price for multiple
copies.

IF YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY PAID FOR AN EARLIER VERSION  -  THANKS, AND
OF COURSE YOU ARE NOT EXPECTED TO PAY AGAIN. YOUR INPUT, COMMENTS
ETC. ARE ALWAYS WELCOME.

Please note that at the low contribution requested, I cannot provide direct
technical support, nor automatically send upgrades, should they
become available. If you have comments, questions, bug reports etc., please
leave a message at my Compuserve or INTERNET address, or write to me via
snail mail. I will endeavor to fix any problems you might encounter.

The software is supplied on an "as is" basis. You are free to distribute
this software package provided that you distribute the ENTIRE package,
including this documentation file. (This is necessary for others to be able
to use it properly.  I've downloaded too many shareware packages that had
been posted without accompanying documentation!).

I hope you find this package useful.


Now to the fun stuff!






OVERVIEW       ▌
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Usage:  view [d:][path][filename] [text string to find]

If you just type VIEW you will get a list of files on the current drive and
directory, from which you can select the one to view. Similarly, if you
type VIEW plus drive and directory parameters, you'll get a list of files
on that drive and directory.  From the file selection menu, you can
change to any directory on the drive.

The text string to find MUST come after the filename. It allows you to
search for the string in all files viewed until the "text search" function
is switched off (see later). Text entered from the command line is assumed
to be case-insensitive.


You can use the * wild-card character in a file name. Then you will get a
list of files in the default or specified directory that match the
* criteria.  Any string identified on the command line for the text
search function will be active for all files specified by the wild
card option (unless it is changed or switched off when viewing one
of the files).

e.g.  view *.doc   -  list of files with extension doc in the current
                      directory

      view d:\docs -  list of all files on drive d, directory docs

      view d:\docs\*.txt  -  as above, but only files with extension txt

      view myfile.doc this is a string  - open myfile doc and search for
                                          "this is my string"

      view d:\docs\*.doc another string - open the first matching file and
                                          look for "another string". This
                                          search is in effect for all
                                          subsequent files until it is
                                          switched off.

Note: you can enter up to five words for the text search.  VIEW will only
find matches in complete lines, i.e. it will not find text that has
wrapped. For example, if the text to find is "cat sat on the mat" it would
find the following:

One fine day the cat sat on the mat and ate a rat.

but not:

One fine day, the cat sat on
the mat and ate a rat.

Note that VIEW reads as much of a file as possible into memory, but if
not all of a file can be read in it won't display the full file. This
allows you to skip instantly to any part of the file in memory without
disk reads. If you are not using DOS 5.0 or later, or a memory manager
such as QEMM386 or 386MAX, I strongly recommend you do so. If a file is
too big, an overflow file is created; you can switch quickly between the
two. The overflow should, in most circumstances, allow you to see all of
the original file, unless it is really big. If the file IS really big,
you can convert it to ASCII (from the file selection menu) and then split it
into smaller components using a text editor.

VIEW will automatically detect WordPerfect 5.0 and later, Microsoft Word,
Ami Pro and Windows WRITE formats. It attempts to detect other files that
may not be ASCII and gives you the opportunity to display them as straight
ASCII or as Wordstar - i.e. with the high-order characters stripped
out. It will automatically force to ASCII certain standard types of
non-ASCII file (e.g. EXE, COM, DLL etc.).

Using VIEW is pretty straightforward. Pressing F1 brings up a help menu,
and the key features of the menu are permanently displayed on the bottom
line. The help menu looks like this:


   ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
   │       VIEW version 9.0 Copyright (c) Malcolm Drury 1994          │
   │        Up and down arrow keys - scroll up or down 1 line         │
   │        PgUp, PgDn - scroll up or down 1 screen                   │
   │        Home, End - go to beginning or end of document            │
   │        Esc - exit to file menu                                   │
   │                                                                  │
   │                         FUNCTION KEYS                            │
   │       F2    -  text search (case insensitive)                    │
   │       F3    -  text search (case sensitive)                      │
   │       F4    -  switch string search off                          │
   │       F5    -  go to particular line                             │
   │       F6    -  write copy of file to printer or disk             │
   │       F7    -  print lines including/excluding string            │
   │       F8    -  print file directly via 2COL or JETCOL            │
   │       F9    -  toggle for selecting block to print               │
   │           (First time, top line is start of block to print)      │
   │           (Second time, top line is end of block to print)       │
   │       F10   -  leave menu                                        │
   │                                                                  │
   │                                                                  │
   │                 *** Press appropriate function key ***           │
   └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Every feature is accessible directly from the view screen, or from the menu
screen.



THE VIEW SCREEN  ▌
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The keys:

Navigate through the file using the cursor keys.

F1       -  help menu; all menu items are avaliable directly from this menu
            (i.e., while the menu is displayed, pressing F2 will activate
            the appropriate function for that key).
F2       -  case-INSENSITIVE text search - matching text is shown in the
            highlight color. Unless the string to find has been defined from
            the command line, the first time you press F2 the string is
            defined. Subsequent presses of F2 find the next occurrence.
F3       -  as for F2, but for case-SENSITIVE text.
F4       -  toggle off text search
F5       -  go to a particular line number
F6       -  print all of file to printer or disk
F7 -        print all lines that specifically include or exclude a
            particular text string
F8       -  print file directly via 2COL or JETCOL
F9       -  this is a toggle for printing (to printer or disk) a block of
            text. The first time you press F9, the current top line
            is set as the beginning of the block.  The second time, the
            current top line is set as the end of the block, and the block
            is printed to the location you specify.  While block select is
            on, you will see a message at the bottom-left of the screen
            telling you the starting line of the block.


If you have read in a large file that has resulted in a temporary overflow
file being created, the following keys are also activated:

n         - move to overflow file  ("n" means "next")
p         - move to original file  ("p" means "previous")

If you hear a "beep" the function is not currently activated (e.g. already
in that file, or you have blocked off text but not yet printed it).

When in "overflow" mode an identifying letter appears at the bottom-left
of the display. "p" means you are in the second level, i.e. overflow
file, and "n" means you are in the top level, i.e. original file.
Note that in the second level, you will be told that the file is ASCII, and
called overflow.viw. Not to worry: it still contains the overflow from
the file you called to read.  Pressing the letter takes you to the
<p>revious or <n>ext part of the file.




PRINT FUNCTIONS  ▌
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F6 - F9    allow you to print to file, to printer, or via 2COL/JETCOL. The
           latter function produces a file called cainelnk.fil, which is
           deleted when processing has finished.  If you have not set aside
           memory for 2COL/JETCOL (see configuration, VW90CFG) you can simply
           write a file (converted to ASCII) to disk and process it
           separately with 2COL or JETCOL.

F6         print entire file. You can include line numbers if you wish.

F7         print only those lines containing or omitting a text string you
           define.

F8         Allows you to access JETCOL or 2COL directly (assuming you have
           them of course!) to print the entire file.

           Pressing F8 allows you to enter a command line for JETCOL or 2COL,
           thereby allowing you to set switches individually.  You should
           NOT enter a file name - VIEW does this for you, as it uses a
           special ASCII file. The true file name will be added to the end
           of the printout.  If JETCOL or 2COL do not exist in a directory
           that your PATH statement specifies, you must include the full
           path in your command line.

           Example:   c:\jetcol\jetcol -W70     - prints the file using
           JETCOL, which is in directory c:\jetcol; the single W switch
           is activated.

           If when you try to print via JETCOL or 2COL nothing happens
           except that the display returns immediately to VIEW, one of
           two things is the probable culprit. Either JETCOL/2COL has not
           been found, or you have not set aside enough memory for VIEW
           to link to JETCOL/2COL. For the former, check that you entered
           the path properly. For the latter, reconfigure VIEW using
           VW90CFG.COM and set aside 50 or so "memory blocks" (the
           configuration program will tell you when to do this).


F9         This key is a toggle to allow you to select a block of text for
           printing.  The first time you press it the block starts at the
           line currently at the top of the display; the second time the
           line at the top is the end of the block.  Once selected, the
           block can be printed as for the F6 key.





IMPORTANT NOTE   ▌
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If you are viewing anything other than a straight ASCII file, it will not
look the same as the version that you print from the word processing
software. If the document uses a proportional font, or contains columns
or tables, the appearance under VIEW will in all probability be different.
This is because of the way VIEW simplifies the formatting built into such
documents. If VIEW were to be designed to show all formatting faithfully,
it would be at least as big as the executable files used by the word
processors themselves and would therefore lose its point as a quick viewer.

I have attempted to cover all formatting and embedded code possibilities,
but with the power of WordPerfect, Word and Ami Pro, the possibilities
are mind-boggling!  If you come across a file that does not seem to
display properly - e.g. hangs mid-way through or displays garbage -
please send it to me and I will attempt to fix the problem.

Note that Wordstar files may contain some extraneous characters,
including "dot commands" such as .PA - however, they should
certainly be readable.



AUTOMATIC DETECTION OF FILE FORMATS ▌
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VIEW will automatically detect Word, Ami Pro, WinWrite and WordPerfect text
files.  For others, it may tell you that the format is unknown, and give
you some options:

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │       Undetermined file format - please select display option:           │
 │F1 show as ASCII   F2 - assume Wordstar  F3 show modified  F4  don't view │
 │        Suggest F1 if you have not previously viewed this file            │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

F1 - means show the file as if it were a true ASCII file.  VIEW will
     automatically assign certain types of file (e.g.  EXE, COM,
     DLL) to this display mode.

F2 - means assume the file is Wordstar, and show it as a 7-bit ASCII
     file (i.e. with high-order characters converted to the appropriate
     low-order).  VIEW alerts you to the fact that the file MAY be
     Wordstar.

F3 - means show the    file with high-order characters omitted.  Useful for
     scanning for text strings.

F4 - means don't try to show the file.


If you choose F1 or F2, you will be asked which line wrap you want - that
coded directly into the file, or the VIEW default.  You should choose the
former first, as it will be appropriate for files with fewer than 80
characters per line.  If the file has more than 80 characters per line,
however, this display will cause lines to break within words.  In that
case, try choosing VIEW's defaults. Just go with whichever suits you!




THE FILE SELECTION MENU ▌
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If you have called VIEW without specifying a particular file, you have
access to the file selection menu, which looks like this:-

                     D:\VIEW90\*.*  -  6 item(s)  (0 read)
     Keys:      PgDn PgUp Home to highlight; Enter - select; Esc - exit
     ASCII line wrap OFF
   ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
   │ ..                                                                    │
   │ newin90.doc                                                           │
   │ trouble.doc                                                           │
   │ view.exe                                                              │
   │ view90.doc                                                            │
   │ vw90cfg.com                                                           │
   .                                                                       .
   .                                                                       .
   │                                                                       │
   └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
 ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │            UPPER CASE - directories        lower case - files              │
 │ F1 - Help!          F2 - change line wrap      F3 - toggle ASCII line wrap │
 │ F4 - Wordstar       F5 - convert/print         F6 - show memory parameters │
 └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


THE KEYS:

Use the arrow and cursor keys to scroll through the list of files, and
press Enter to view the highlighted file or to change to the highlighted
directory.

F1 - brings up a help menu

F2 - allows you to change the column at which lines wrap.

F3 - toggles line wrap on and off.  When toggled OFF, line wrap occurs
     according to the file's setting and ignores VIEW's setting.  In this
     mode, lines in ASCII and Wordstar files may wrap within words, if the
     file format calls for more that 80 characters per line.  However, in
     most cases it will prevent VIEW from wrapping lines too early.
     NOTE: line wrap toggle is only used for ASCII or pseudo-ASCII
     (e.g.  Wordstar) files.  It has no effect on WordPerfect, Word
     etc. files.

F4 - tells VIEW to treat the file as Wordstar.

F5 - allows you to convert a file to ASCII or print it directly without
     viewing it, including via 2COL/JETCOL.

F6 - tells you how many display lines are available and how many 2000 byte
     memory blocks you have set aside.

Esc- exit to DOS




CUSTOMIZING VIEW  ▌
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VW90CFG

usage:  vw90cfg [filename]

        where filename is view.exe or an exact copy with some other file
        name.  If the wrong version of VIEW is found, wv90cfg will
        tell you so.

This program allows you to customize VIEW.EXE.

Setting colors is self-explanatory.  However, VW90CFG also allows you to set
some print parameters, such as number of lines per printed page, number of
spaces to expand tabs, and number of spaces to leave for the left margin.

After setting colors, VW90CFG allows you to override the default number of
lines of display and display speeds.  VIEW as shipped is configured for normal
display speed and hard coded to display 25 lines by 80 columns.  Try
experimenting with the display parameters to get maximum benefit; if
your system crashes - and there's a lot of non-standard hardware and BIOS
software out there - just reconfigure VIEW to a lower display standard.

Next, you to choose whether the "delete file?" feature of VIEW is
activated.  As a safety measure, you may wish to set this to "off".  Even
with the feature on, a file will not be deleted until you have
answered an "are you sure?" question.  Protected (read-only) files cannot
be deleted directly from VIEW.

You can also configure some display and print parameters - the number of
lines per printed page, the number of spaces to which tabs are expanded,
and the offset from the left margin or printed output.

VW90CFG allows you to set the column at which lines wrap.  The default is
67 - that is, VIEW counts characters per line and if it is within 13 of
the rightmost screen column puts in a line feed if it finds a space.  This
is not absolutely foolproof; you may find that setting the line wrap column
to less than 66 gives better performance.  (NOTE: you can temporarily
over-ride the default setting from the file selection menu).

Next, VW90CFG allows you to change the default number of files that can
be read in sequence from the file selection menu. Each time you read a file
a small amount of memory is lost to the system (until you exit to DOS, when
it is fully restored). To prevent memory allocation errors VIEW exits to
DOS after a certain number of files have been read. The default is 50. If you
wish to experiment with a higher number, you can do so via VW90CFG. Don't
go above 100. If you find that your setting does cause a system freeze,
just reduce the number. There is no "best" value - it depends on the amount
of free RAM on your system, the nature and operations of any TSRs or memory
managers you have running, etc.  You should have no problems going with the
default of 50.

Finally, VW90CFG allows you to reserve some memory for use by 2COL
or JETCOL. When it loads, VIEW uses all available conventional memory for
displaying files, in 80 column lines.  You must set aside memory for
2COL or JETCOL, in 2000 byte blocks, equivalent to 25 lines of file.
There is a trade-off - the more memory you set aside for
2COL/JETCOL, the fewer the lines before getting a "file too big" message.
Currently, 2COL and JETCOL require you to reserve about 50 blocks;
if you don't want direct access to them you can reduce this.  However,
VIEW itself needs some memory in reserve.  When asked to enter a
number of 2000 byte blocks, you should enter at least 10, and
probably 13 or 14, and at least 48 for access to 2COL and JETCOL.
You may need to experiment a little to find the minimum number of
memory blocks you need to allocate, as this will depend to some
extent on how much conventional memory your computer has available.
PLEASE READ THE ACCOMPANYING FILE "TROUBLE.DOC" FOR MORE INFORMATION
ON THIS TOPIC.

SUGGESTION: Configure two versions of VIEW, one with and one without
2COL/JETCOL access.

Malcolm Drury
January 15th, 1994




**************************************************************************

            Look for the following shareware on Compuserve/Ziffnet or your
            favorite BBS.  I post it as ZIP files, but it may also appear
            as ARJ files if re-posted by others.

VGAPAL40.ZIP - customize up to 4 VGA text color palettes, choosing from more
               than 250,000 colors! (And see how many you can actually
               discern!).  One palette can be used to create a small (2k) TSR
               program that maintains your chosen scheme.  Alternatively, you
               can set any of the palettes, or a grey-scale scheme, from a
               non-TSR if memory is a problem.  (On CIS Ziffnet as vgacus.zip
               in ZNT:TIPS). BBS SEARCH: VGAPAL??.*

DDIR95.ZIP -  double-column directory display that highlights new files,
              flags system, hidden and read-only files, and optionally shows
              the "dead" space on disk associated with each file or the total
              space each file actually uses. Full file list sorting, and
              can scroll back and forth within the file list. Has file
              delete and protect/unprotect functions. (On Compuserve
              Ziffnet as dirdpy.zip in forum ZNT:TIPS) BBS search: DDIR??.*

DSPACE63.ZIP - shows graphically hard disk space installed, used and free,
               for all drives; second program shows graphically space on
               designated drive (including floppy), and reports on installed
               and available RAM, including XMS and EMS memory. (On CIS
               Ziffnet as dskspc.zip, in ZNT:TIPS).
               BBS SEARCH: DSPACE??.*

IF YOU DO NOT FIND ANY OF THESE, SEND ME A MESSAGE! USERS WHO REGISTER
VIEW WILL RECEIVE THESE (OR THE LATEST VERSIONS).

CIS 70574,3457
INTERNET [e-mail]

Malcolm Drury
11 Adele Crescent
Nepean
Ont.  K2J 2T7
CANADA