Frostbyte's 1980s DOS Shareware Collection

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Frostbyte's 1980s DOS Shareware Collection / floppyshareware.zip / floppyshareware / GLEN / VDE162.ZIP / VINST.REF < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1991-10-27 | 42KB | 713 lines

VINST.REF --------- Instructions for VDE Installation Utility: version 1.62 (27 Oct 1991) (c)1987-91, E. Meyer ================================ CONTENTS ================================== 1. RUNNING VINST. What VINST is, and how to use it. 2. INSTALLATION. Installing for different computer hardware, colors, etc. 3. MENUBAR MODE. Choice of operating mode; customization of User menu bar. 4. USER OPTIONS. Customization of many initial VDE settings. 5. PRINTER INSTALLATION. Using printer features: print modes, graphics, etc. 6. DEFAULT MACRO KEYS. Installing a default set of macro keys. 7. DEFAULT FUNCTION KEYS. Installing the function keys. 8. GRAPHICS. Modifying the default set of graphics characters. 9. CHARACTER WIDTHS. Modifying the default set of character widths. 10. RESTORE DEFAULTS. Undoing previous modifications. =========================== 1. RUNNING VINST =============================== VINST is a utility that lets you modify your copy of the VDE editor: * Installing for use on non-standard computers * Selecting or customizing a driver for your printer * Configuring settings and options to suit your tastes VDE comes configured for a standard IBM PC; you will need to make some changes before using it on a non-IBM compatible computer, or a graphics card (like old IBM CGAs) that experiences snow (see INSTALLATION). You will want to choose the correct driver for your printer, and may eventually want to make some small modifications to it. And, once you start editing with VDE, you will probably discover some of its many settings and options that you would like to change. For example, if you intend to use MenuBar mode, you can make this the default instead of Command mode. NOTE: VINST allows VDE to be customized for best performance on a variety of computer hardware. If you are using equipment (computer, graphics card, printer, etc) which VDE does not work well with, or does not seem to be taking full advantage of, please provide the appropriate technical or programmer's information from your manual so that future versions of VDE can support it. You should begin using VINST soon; once you have made changes to VDE, the initial welcome/copyright messages in VDE and VINST will no longer appear. Your copies of the program files will be called VDE.COM and VINST.COM, though of course you can rename them (I usually call them V.COM and VI.COM). To run VINST simply type: C>vinst if your copy is still called "VDE.COM" or C>vinst V.COM if it's called "V.COM" (or whatever). Notes: VINST modifies the file VDE.COM; always keep an unmodified original copy of all VDE files in case problems arise! Because new features are added to every release, the version numbers of VINST and VDE must agree. When VINST cannot read an auxiliary data file (type .VDx, see below) created with an earlier version, you will get a "<Version error>" message, and must re-create the file. VINST is fully menu-driven; it will present you with a set of categories that corresponds to each section below, starting with Installation; within each category, each value is named and displayed, giving you the opportunity to change it. The program is largely self-documenting, and steps you through each item individually. The main menu also offers a "Help" option, which displays some of the following information on screen to assist you. VINST uses several types of data entry for different parameters: TEXT - Just type in the character(s). LOGICAL - Yes/No. Just type "Y" or "N". DECIMAL - Enter a number from 0 to 255. HEX - Enter two-digit hexadecimal byte value 00-FF. (Don't omit lead 0's.) BYTE STRING - The value shown in (parentheses) is the length of the current string. Enter a new series of byte values. Each may be entered either in HEX, as above, or by pressing the single quote key (`) followed by the appropriate ASCII character. (To enter a null value, press ^J or ^[Enter].) In each case, the current value will display, and then you will be prompted for a new one. (Just press [Enter] to leave the existing setting.) VINST can't always check for illegal values; be careful what you enter! At most points in VINST, you can press [Esc] to return immediately to the Main Menu, or ^C to abort the program. For the entry of codes in the Printer Installation, you may find the following equivalence table for hexadecimal and character values helpful. ASCII/HEX TABLE Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 0 00 ^@ 26 1A ^Z 54 36 6 80 50 P 106 6A j 1 01 ^A 27 1B ^[ 55 37 7 81 51 Q 107 6B k 2 02 ^B 28 1C ^\ 56 38 8 82 52 R 108 6C l 3 03 ^C 29 1D ^] 57 39 9 83 53 S 109 6D m 4 04 ^D 30 1E ^^ 58 3A : 84 54 T 110 6E n 5 05 ^E 31 1F ^_ 59 3B ; 85 55 U 111 6F o 6 06 ^F 32 20 space 60 3C < 86 56 V 112 70 p 7 07 ^G 33 21 ! 61 3D = 87 57 W 113 71 q 8 08 ^H 34 22 " 62 3E > 88 58 X 114 72 r 9 09 ^I 35 23 # 63 3F ? 89 59 Y 115 73 s 10 0A ^J 36 24 $ 64 40 @ 90 5A Z 116 74 t 11 0B ^K 37 25 % 65 41 A 91 5B [ 117 75 u 12 0C ^L 38 26 & 66 42 B 92 5C \ 118 76 v 13 0D ^M 39 27 ' 67 43 C 93 5D ] 119 77 w 14 0E ^N 40 28 ( 68 44 D 94 5E ^ 120 78 x 15 0F ^O 41 29 ) 69 45 E 95 5F _ 121 79 y 16 10 ^P 42 2A * 70 46 F 96 60 ` 122 7A z 17 11 ^Q 43 2B + 71 47 G 97 61 a 123 7B { 18 12 ^R 44 2C , 72 48 H 98 62 b 124 7C | 19 13 ^S 45 2D - 73 49 I 99 63 c 125 7D } 20 14 ^T 46 2E . 74 4A J 100 64 d 126 7E ~ 21 15 ^U 47 2F / 75 4B K 101 65 e 127 7F del 22 16 ^V 48 30 0 76 4C L 102 66 f --graphics:-- 23 17 ^W 49 31 1 77 4D M 103 67 g 128 80 24 18 ^X 50 32 2 78 4E N 104 68 h 129 81 25 19 ^Y 51 33 3 79 4F O 105 69 i 130 82 ... ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ============================= 2. INSTALLATION ============================== VDE can display text on the screen in two very different ways: on an IBM PC (and some "near-compatibles") it can write directly to video RAM for greater speed; otherwise, it will run on any MSDOS computer, using normal character output with ANSI codes for screen positioning. The IBM PC installation requires an IBM standard BIOS and video adapter (MDA,CGA,EGA,VGA). A Hercules (HGC) card should also work, as it is MDA compatible. On an EGA/VGA system the use of color mode is recommended, even with a monochrome monitor (MODE CO80 or BW80, not MONO). You can adjust the keyboard handling, display colors, and cursor type to your preferences. Special installations are available for certain "near-compatibles": HP Portable Plus, HP 95LX palmtop, and Otrona 8:16 with IBM video emulation. The Generic Terminal (non-IBM) installation will run on any MSDOS system that supports ANSI standard screen control sequences (you must have the statement DEVICE=ANSI.SYS or equivalent in your CONFIG.SYS file). You must also specify the size of your screen. This installation can of course also be used on IBM compatibles, in the event that direct video access is undesirable. It will even work in "remote" applications, such as high-speed modem connections, with appropriate terminal software on the user's end. VINST can use Installation files to store your installation, menubar, and user option settings. These should have a file type of ".VDI", for ease of identification. You have the option to read in or write out such a file, as well as proceeding to edit your installation. IBM PC PARAMETERS: Screen colors - you can select seven different colors: for normal text; block text; place marks and printer codes; soft CRs and hyphens; header; menus and prompts; and header/menu highlights. Each is specified by an "attribute byte" consisting of two hex digits, for a background and foreground color. ("17" = "1", blue background, & "7", white text.) You will see a color palette displayed on screen; the color digits are: *0 = BLACK 4 = red *8 = GREY C = bright red 1 = blue 5 = magenta 9 = bright blue D = bright magenta 2 = green 6 = brown A = bright green E = yellow 3 = cyan *7 = WHITE B = bright cyan *F = BRIGHT WHITE (* - All MDA screens can display black, white, and bright white; in some cases, grey may also be visible.) If you have an EGA/VGA display, the palette will include all 256 colors (00-FF). Otherwise, you will see only 128 (00-7F); on MDA/CGA systems, the background attributes 8-F produce blinking video (ugh). Border colors - you can select two border colors: one to operate within VDE, the other to restore on exit to DOS. Each is one digit from the list above. Example: to set a white border within VDE, then return to black on exit, enter "70". To keep a black border at all times enter "00". Cursor type (D/B/U) - You can choose the cursor type you want during editing. A full "B"lock cursor is more easily visible on the LCD displays of laptop computers; some prefer "U"nderline. Choose "D"efault to leave it whatever it was before VDE was run. (In 40+ line mode, it is always a block.) Screen size (A-G,blank) - You can choose your default screen size; normally this is BLANK, " ", meaning whatever is in effect when VDE is loaded. The letter codes have the same meaning as at the AltE command prompt: "F", for example, automatically changes to 50 lines on entering VDE. On VGA: A...G = 20,25,28,33,40,50,57 lines (UltraVision: B,D,F,G = 25,36,50,63) On EGA: A...F = 17,25,29,35,43,50 lines (UltraVision: B,D,E,G = 25,34,43,60) Video card for 132 col mode (N...) - VDE's AltA command (132 column toggle) works only with supported types of video cards. Choose: "S" for Boca SVGA and other cards that use the "standard" video modes 23h and 22h for 132 column text "P" for Paradise VGA+ "C" for Cardinal VGA (Chips & Tech chipset) "A" for ATI (e.g. "EGA Wonder") -- also works with Diamond Speedstar VGA (Tseng chipset) If you have a different card, you can experiment to see whether any of these will work; if not, enter "N" for none -- AltA will work only if you are running UltraVision. Need to avoid "snow" (Y/N) - Normally No. Some video cards (like old IBM CGAs) experience ugly "snow" or noise when programs write directly to video memory. If this happens to you, select "Y", and VDE will time its video access according to horizontal retrace intervals. (Display speed will be somewhat reduced.) Keyboard type (A/X/T) - Normally "A" for AT; actually, VDE detects whether you have an AT (enhanced) or XT keyboard, and uses the appropriate input. But some "popup" (TSR) programs do not work properly with AT keyboard input; if you have this problem, set this to "X" for XT. (F11, F12, and a few other key combinations will not work.) Finally, the Tandy 1000 uses different scan codes for its F11-F12 keys; set to "T" if you have a Tandy. Retain basic Print Screen (Y/N) - Normally No; if you have EGA/VGA video, VDE selects the enhanced routine in the video BIOS so that the [PrtSc] key will print the correct number of lines with different screen sizes. But this appears to conflict with use of [PrtSc] by some other software, including the Intel Aboveboard print buffer, and possibly DOS 5.0. If VDE interferes with your use of [PrtSc], set this to Yes, then reboot. SPECIAL INSTALLATIONS: The "near-compatible" installations have no parameters: everything is preset for the particular computer. Special considerations for each follow: HP 95LX PALMTOP - VDE is a DOS application, and runs best from DOS with SYSMGR unloaded, though it will run in a DOS shell. To save disk space, omit VDEOPT.DAT, and do not use backup files (see OPTIONS); the VDE.COM file can also be compressed with LZEXE or PKLITE, but VINST will not work on it in this state. See remarks on narrow screens under SCREEN SIZE. VDE uses only the 40x16 visible area of the display, so use of the HP Alt-Arrow keys for scrolling will not be necessary while editing. The 95LX Shift key cannot be used with cursor movement to mark a block; the standard block begin and end commands must be used. The ^[BkSp] function does not work on the 95LX. OTRONA 8:16 - This is for the model with IBM video emulation only. The standard model 8:16 must use the Generic Terminal installation. GENERIC TERMINAL PARAMETERS: Clock speed in MHz - Set this decimal value to reflect your CPU clock speed. Common values are 5 (for 4.77), 8, 10, etc. For faster 286/386 CPUs you may want to set this even higher than the clock speed. Adjust the value if desired to change the length of delays in VDE. (At present this affects only the horizontal scroll delay and the "Esc;" macro command.) Screen colors - you can select seven different colors: for normal text; block text; place marks and printer codes; soft CRs and hyphens; header; menus and prompts; and header/menu highlights. Each is specified by an "attribute byte" consisting of two hex digits, for a background and foreground color. ("17" = "1", blue background, & "7", white text.) You will see a color palette displayed on screen; the color digits are: *0 = BLACK 4 = red 1 = blue 5 = magenta 2 = green 6 = yellow 3 = cyan *7 = WHITE (* - Monochrome screens can only display black and white.) Terminal initialization - enter an optional string of code (#),bytes to be sent to the screen after clearing the screen, before (re)entering VDE. Terminal deinitialization - another string of code (#),bytes to be sent to the screen upon exiting from VDE back to DOS. (Max. lengths: 15 bytes.) Viewable columns (80-255) - normally 80; set to the column width of your display, if different. Viewable lines (16-255) - normally 25; if you have a shorter or longer default display (on entry to VDE), enter the length here. Fast scroll supported (Y/N) - Does your computer respond to the ANSI sequences for insert/delete line (Esc[L,Esc[M)? If so, set this to "Y" for a faster display; otherwise "N". (MSDOS ANSI.SYS does not support these codes; some enhanced console drivers, such as NANSI.SYS, do.) DEC VT/Rainbow keyboard (Y/N) - If you have a DEC computer or terminal, answer "Y" here. VDE will then support its arrow keys for cursor movement, plus the following special keys: "Help" = help menu; "Find" = find; "Select" = cut; "Insert Here" = paste; "Remove" = block delete; "Prev/Next Screen" = page back/forward. (NOTE: the VDE command to define a macro will be changed from Esc[ to Esc{ if you select this option.) ============================= 3. MENUBAR MODE ============================== You can choose which operating mode you prefer (MenuBar or Command). In addition, the "User" menu bar can be configured to your taste: to provide different keywords for accessing functions, or to add functions that are not otherwise available in the existing menu bars. (The default installation has the "Ruler" function (^OT) in place, the other four left blank.) VINST can use Installation files to store your installation, menubar, and user option settings. These should have a file type of ".VDI", for ease of identification. They are accessed through the INSTALLATION menu choice. Use MenuBar mode (Y/N) - Do you want to start out in MenuBar mode? If not, Command mode is used. See OPERATING MODES. "User" menu bar - If you will be using MenuBar mode, there is a special menu bar provided for you to configure yourself. The five items on this bar are referred to as {User: item 1-5}. To define each, you have to provide two things: a "keyword" and the "command" to execute. (As usual you can just press [Enter] to leave the existing value alone.) The keyword appears in the menu bar display, like "Center" or "rUler" in the "Text" menu: it describes what the item will do if selected, and the capital "C" or "U" indicates which key letter must be pressed to select it. Your keyword can be up to 12 characters long, and must contain exactly ONE capitalized letter (A-Z), which will be the selection key. (Don't use the same key for more than one item.) An unused entry may be simply left blank, or filled with "---" if you prefer. The command determines the function which will be performed when the item is selected from the menu. (See COMMAND MODE for a full listing.) Each command consists of one or two keystrokes. For example: the "sCreen" menu has an item "Window" which gives you a split window on two files, but there is no way to split the window on two locations in the SAME file (as you can with the ^OW command) via existing menu bars. However, you can easily add this to the User menu bar: For "{User: item #}" type "One-file win" For "Command:" type "^OW" You now have a new MenuBar command, {User:One-file win}, which is invoked by pressing [Esc],U,O. ============================= 4. USER OPTIONS ============================== You can change a variety of default settings in your copy of VDE, according to your taste. "Default" means the state assumed when VDE is first run, or in the absence of any previous user commands. VINST can use Installation files to store your installation, menubar, and user option settings. These should have a file type of ".VDI", for ease of identification. They are accessed through the INSTALLATION menu choice. Autosave interval (min.) - Enter your choice for the interval in minutes. A value of 0 turns this feature off. Preserve BAKup files (Y/N) - Should a backup file (.BAK) be kept when you save over an existing file? Choose "Y" to play safe, "N" to save disk space. Use ^Z as EOF mark (Y/N) - Should an EOF marker (^Z, 1Ah) be considered the end of an ASCII file? (In modes other than /A,/N it is always treated so.) MSDOS software should not require this, but some early programs (like their CP/M predecessors) did still use this convention. Filetypes to exclude - You can specify six filetypes (or type masks, using "?" wildcards) to "hide" from VDE. (Originally set to ".COM" and ".EXE".) Such files will not show in the ^KF directory display (unless the filetype is specified explicitly), and cannot be edited. This is a protection feature, for non-text files which can be damaged by trying to edit them. To leave an entry unused, type "...", NOT blanks. Default file mode - Which of the file modes (A,U,N,C,W,5,P,X,M) described in VDE.DOC do you want as the default? (Originally "A"SCII.) Auto mode select filetypes - You can specify six filetypes (or type masks, using "?" wildcards) as exceptions to the above default: for example, you could declare all ".ASM" files to default automatically to "N" mode, or all files ".89?" to "W" mode. To leave an entry unused, type "...". Header on (Y/N) - Should the header (^OQ) start out ON? Ruler on (Y/N) - Should the ruler (^OT) start out ON? Insert mode (I/W/O) - Which insert (^V) setting do you want to start out with: Insert, Word insert, or Overstrike (insert off)? Auto format (Y/N) - Should auto format (^OM) start out ON? Double spacing (Y/N) - Should double spacing (^OS) start out ON? Proportional spacing (Y/N) - Should proportional spacing (^OK) start out ON? Hard CR display (Y/N) - Should Hard CR display (^OB) start out ON when editing in document modes? Hyphenation (Y/N) - Should hyphenation (^OH) start out ON in documents? Case-INsensitive search (Y/N) - Do you want string searches (^QF) to be case insensitive by default? Normally, No. (If Yes, specifying the "U"pper- case option while using ^QF will force a case SENSITIVE search.) Left and Right margin columns (1-255) - Default margin settings for Document modes. Set both to 1 to disable wordwrap and reformatting entirely. Fixed tab display width (4,8,16) - Hard tabs display at fixed column intervals. (Normally 8; 4, 8, and 16 are the ONLY legal choices.) Reserve status line (Y/N) - Do you want VDE to reserve the bottom (normally 25th) screen line for use as a status or function key line by other software? (Normally No, VDE uses this line for text.) Scroll overlap (0-255) - This is the number of lines of overlap between screens when scrolling: the smaller, the larger the scroll. Originally 2, for a nearly full scroll. Must be smaller than your screen size! Align new page with screen (Y/N) - When you use the page find commands ^QI, ^QL, ^QN, do you want the first line at the top of the screen? Originally No, it is positioned in the same way as an ordinary Find. Beep on error (Y/N) - Do you want a beep when a VDE error message displays? [BkSp] (^H) deletes to left (Y/N) - Should the [BackSpace] (^H) key delete characters? Originally No, it just moves the cursor left. [Del] deletes at cursor (Y/N) - Should the [Del] key delete the cursor character? Originally No, it deletes the previous one. ^[BkSp] deletes word left (Y/N) - Should ^[BackSpace] delete the word to the left? Originally No, it deletes only the previous character. [Home,End] go to screen top/bottom (Y/N) - Should [Home,End] move to the top or bottom of the screen? Originally No, they move to line start or end. Variable tab stops - Enter up to 8 variable tab stop columns, in ascending order. Fill unused values with 0. Originally: 6, 15, 35, 55. Show time as AM/PM (Y/N) - Do you want the time stamp to display in 12 hour format (AM/PM)? Originally Yes. If No, the time shows in 24 hour format. (Affects AltT command and ^T in print headers.) Show date in Euro format (day,mo,yr) (Y/N) - Do you want the date to display in European format? Originally No, meaning US Format (mo,day,yr). (Affects AltD command and ^D in print headers.) Show date numerically (Y/N) - Do you want AltD to enter the date numerically (1/15/88)? Originally No, meaning verbose (January 15, 1988). ========================= 5. PRINTER INSTALLATION ========================== Printers vary enormously. VDE can accomodate two printer drivers, each of which can be installed to take advantage of your printer's special features. (Within VDE, the AltV command can be used to select the driver to use when printing.) The defaults installed in VDE are a standard "IBM/Epson FX" driver, and a "Simple" driver that can send plain text to any printer, but does not support any print controls other than underline and strikeout. (The "Simple" driver is also recommended for Diablo, Juki, and other daisy-wheel or typewriter style printers.) These and several pre-defined drivers for other printers can be selected from a menu within VINST. Most of the drivers in the VINST menu implement only basic codes for print effects like italics and proportional printing; you can, however, modify them to your taste, to implement any additional features (fonts, etc) you have available. After choosing a driver from the Menu, return and select "Edit current driver". (To modify the Alternate driver, you must temporarily switch it to the selected one.) An example of a more fully configured driver is "HPLJ-PacPg 25in1". This can be used with a HP LaserJet printer equipped with a Pacific Page 25-in-1 cartridge (or any other that provides the fonts indicated below). It offers the following effects: CODE EFFECT Normal print Prestige Elite 10 point font, printer margin set to column 6 ^OK Times Roman 10 point proportional font ^B,^S,^Y Boldface, Underline, Italics (all fonts) ^T,^V Superscript, Subscript using 7 point Prestige font ^D switch to Times Roman from Prestige and back ^A,^N switch to Courier 12 point from Prestige and back ^Q Mini Gothic 3.6 point ^W Presentation Bold 18 point ^E Math Elite 10 point ^R return to Prestige from ^Q,^W,^E If your printer is not on the driver menu, but emulates or resembles one that is, start out using that driver, and refine it as needed. Failing this, you can start out with the "Simple" driver and, referring to your printer manual, install all the necessary codes yourself. (In this event, please consider sending this information so that a new driver can be added to VINST.) Adobe Postscript is not supported; you may be able to add the codes to switch into your printer manufacturer's native mode, then return to Postscript, to your printer initialization and deinitialization (see below). VINST can use special Printer Driver files to store and retrieve other printer definitions. This makes it easy to save your installation and to pass it along to others. These files should have a type of ".VDP". When editing in VDE, the AltU command may be used to load such a file, putting any number of different printer drivers at your disposal. In VINST, you have the option to read in or write out such a file, as well as editing the following values individually. Printer ID - Identify the printer you are installing. (16 characters) Printer device - Normally "PRN", but you can choose a specific port (like LPT2) if your system has several printers. Extended character set (P/R/N) - Specifies how "extended ASCII" characters 80- FF (graphics or foreign characters) will print. This depends on the sequence of characters in your printer's fonts. Your choices are: <P>C8 - the standard IBM PC character set. <R>OMAN8 - an arrangement common in laser printer fonts. VDE will translate IBM graphics into Roman8 equivalents where possible. <N>one - your printer doesn't print characters in this range at all. VDE will "emulate" IBM graphics, choosing overstruck pairs of standard characters that come close. Note that if you are using a customized screen font that agrees with your printer font, whatever it may be, you should choose "P". Printer type (H/F/L/O) - Enter "H" for HP LaserJet or DeskJet, "F" for Epson FX (9 pin) or compatible, "L" for Epson LQ (24 pin) or compatible, or "O" for any other type. Send LF after CR (Y/N) - Normally Yes. But with a few printers, which manu- facture their own LineFeed on receiving a Return, you will need No here. Page length (0-255) - Set the number of text lines to print on a page. (Does not include another 3 lines for a header or page number, if used.) Top margin (0-255) - Set the number of blank lines to skip as a top margin before printing the number of text lines set above. Default is 0. Reserve space for header (Y/N) - Default is Yes; when printing without header or page number, 3 blank lines will be skipped at the top of each page, so that the page layout is the same as when headers are used. Left margin (0-255) - Set the number of blank columns to skip as a left margin before printing each line. Useful if you can't set the margin on your printer with an initialization string. Default is 0. Printer initialization - Enter an optional string of code to send to the printer before each print job, to set default margins, print modes etc. Maximum length here and below is 31 bytes. (NOTE: the ^KP command has an option to specify additional codes at print time. See PRINTING.) Printer deinitialization - Enter another string to send to the printer after each print job, to restore printer to desired state on exit. Envelope setup - This string will be sent in place of the usual initialization when you address an envelope with ^KPA (see ENVELOPES). For many printers you will need no special codes here; or, you might find that a linefeed or two, perhaps also a left margin command, is useful to position the print properly on the envelope. You should use a pica font (fixed, 10 cpi). The setup codes in the HP LaserJet drivers assume that you will insert the envelope end-on in the default paper tray, and consequently they use a landscape font (Courier 12). They do not specify "envelope size" forms, so there is no need to change the form size on the printer panel. If you have a LaserJet with a second paper tray for envelopes, you will have to add codes here to specify this tray, and to your deinitialization to return to the default tray. Printing envelopes can be complicated. See your printer manual. Proportional printing - Enter the codes needed when ^OK is engaged, to set your printer for proportional printing, and then to turn this off. Codes for toggles (on/off) - For six of the seven printer toggles (not ^X), you need to tell VDE the codes to send to your printer to produce the desired effect, then turn it off again. The conventional meanings of the toggles are: ^B boldface ^Y italic/ribbon color ^D doublestrike ^T superscript ^S underline ^V subscript but you can use them for anything you want. Example: IBM/Epson printers require three-byte sequences to turn continuous underlining on and off: Underline on "Esc - 1" hex 1B 2D 31 dec 27 45 49 off "Esc - 0" 1B 2D 30 27 45 48 You would enter the data, starting with the byte count: Underline (^PS) on: (03) 1B 2D 31 <--- entry in hex format ...and off: (03) `Esc `- `0 <--- or by character You should find all necessary codes in your printer manual. (NOTES: ^PS will underline text by overstriking with "_" if you do not install codes for it. ^PX requires no installation at all.) Codes for switches - The same idea, but for switches, which send the same codes every time they are used. WordStar calls the switches: ^Q,W,E,R user 1,2,3,4 ^A alternate pitch (no standard meaning) ^N normal pitch but once again, you can use them for different fonts, printer bin selection, or anything else. ========================== 6. DEFAULT MACRO KEYS =========================== VDE has a set of 36 macro keys assignable to the commands Esc0...9 and EscA...Z. The default macro definitions are those attached to these commands when VDE is first entered. By changing them you can configure VDE to suit your own specialized writing requirements. (Any keys defined with Esc] while using VDE override these defaults.) VINST can use Key Definition files to store macro key sets. These should have a file type of ".VDK", for ease of identification. You have the option to read in or write out such a file, as well as editing the keys individually. (VDK files can also be read or saved with VDE's AltU command, but only VINST can display the definitions, or change those in VDE.COM itself.) VINST gives you a display much like this: Macro Keys: (___ bytes free) <---- note room available [Esc0]<> [Esc1]<> <---- "<>" flag means undefined key [Esc2]<> [Esc3]^[;^C <---- normal macro definition [Esc4]<> [Esc5]<N>World Wide Widgets Inc. <---- "<N>" flag means No-rpt key [Esc6]<> [Esc7]<Q>^QR^KB^QC^KK^KC <---- "<Q>" flag means Quiet key [Esc8]<> [Esc9]<> Just select the number of the key you want to redefine, then type in the new definition, much as you would in VDE. All the same rules apply; there is a 128-character length limitation. There are several different ranges of keys, which can be displayed and modified in a set of 10 at a time (for example, keys 0-9 as above, or A-J). You can also copy definitions from one macro or function key to another. VDE comes with a macro key file EXAMPLES.VDK, containing several macros discussed above under MACROS and MACRO PROGRAMMING: [Esc0]<QN>^QR^NAltD^OF ;put date at top right [Esc1]<QN>^QS^S^S^[= [^D^D ;move to start of paragraph [Esc2]<QN>^[~.1^S^[1^[~.<^D^[= 2^[=^M2 ;move to start of sentence ^S^S^[!1^[2^D^[= 2^[=^M2 [Esc3]<QN>^QS^X^[=^M]^S^V ^V^D^[![ ;soften hard-CR paragraph (Note that "Esc" displays as "^[".) ========================= 7. DEFAULT FUNCTION KEYS ========================= VDE also has a set of 48 Function Keys (available in command mode only!), corresponding to the [F1]...[F12] keys in their normal, Shift-, Ctrl-, and Alt- usage (referred to collectively here as F1...F48). These are identical in features and functions to the Macro Keys discussed above. You can easily configure these to match the standard function-key configuration for Wordstar's key overlay, to correspond to Word Perfect function-key usage, or in any other way you like. VINST can use Function Key Definition files to store function-key sets. These should have a file type of ".VDF", for ease of identification. You have the option to read in or write out such a file, as well as editing the keys individually. (VDF files can also be read or written with VDE's AltU command, but only VINST can display the definitions, or change those in VDE.COM itself.) VINST gives you a display much like this: Function keys, #1-10: (___ bytes free) <---- note room [F1]<> [F2]<> <---- "<>" flag means empty [F3]<> [F4]<QN>^OL5^M^OR60^M <---- quiet, no-repeat key [F5]<> [F6]<> [F7]<> [F8]<> [F9]<QN>^PS [F0]<QN>^PY This works just like the macro keys above, with four sets of 10 keys to define (Normal, Shift, Ctrl, Alt), and if you have an enhanced keyboard, a separate additional set of 8 keys for the [F11],[F12] keys in each of those states. In addition, you can copy definitions from one macro or function key to another. VDE includes sample function-key files which you can read in to define the function keys according to the usage of WordStar or Word Perfect. The WordStar default definitions (for version 4 and later) in WS4.VDF are: WS4.VDF NORMAL SHIFT CTRL ALT [F1] ^J ^OB ^QF Vertical bar graphic [F2] ^U ^OC ^QA Horizontal bar [F3] ^PS ^L Upper-left corner [F4] ^PB ^QI Upper-right corner [F5] ^Y ^KY ^OL Lower-left corner [F6] ^T ^KU ^OR Lower-right corner [F7] ^KV Upper T graphic [F8] ^KC Lower T [F9] ^KS ^KB ^QS Left T [F0] ^KD ^KK ^QD Right T The WP.VDF file will not "turn VDE into Word Perfect", but it does provide a considerable degree of keystroke compatibility. You can assign any other functions desired to unused keys (e.g. [F9]): WP.VDF NORMAL SHIFT CTRL ALT [F1] ^U Esc?Y AltR [F2] ^QF ^QA [F3] ^J Esc?C ^OD [F4] ^I^OL^M Esc?B Esc?B [F5] ^KF AltD ^PZ [F6] ^PB ^OC ^OF [F7] Esc?E Esc?P [F8] ^PS Esc?T Esc?S Esc?S [F9] [F0] ^KS Esc?F Esc[ ========================== 8. GRAPHICS CHARACTERS ========================== VDE allows text to contain a limited, but variable, set of 32 characters in the range 80-FFh (on an IBM PC, these are typically graphics or foreign characters; see FOREIGN CHARACTERS and GRAPHICS). In addition, the code ^Z (1Ah) must be treated as a graphics character. VINST lets you specify your own default graphics set. Keep a fair amount of space free in it if you frequently work with files with many foreign or graphics characters, in order to avoid overflowing the table. VINST can use Graphic Definition files to store graphic character sets. These should have a file type of ".VDG", for ease of identification. You have the option to read in or write out such a file, as well as editing the keys individually. VDE can load such files with its AltU command. You will be shown the current definitions, in the same format as the VDE Graphics command. You may select any entry to redefine (A-Z, 1-6) whether vacant or not; or, you may clear them all. In VINST, new graphic codes must be entered by hex value, from 80 to FF (and 1A); a full list of graphics characters (80-FF) can be displayed for your selection if you need it, by typing "?" at the definition prompt. Simply pressing [Enter] means "free" or undefined. Note that your Printer Installation determines how graphics will print. =========================== 9. CHARACTER WIDTHS ============================ In order to judge the margins correctly when formatting, VDE's proportional printing feature (^OK) needs to know how wide each character is when it prints. The default width table, based on a 10-point Times Roman font, will probably work fairly well with any proportional font ("m" is wider than "i", and so on). If you would like to fine-tune this table to correspond to your favorite font instead, use VINST to modify the width table as needed: you can select each character, then enter its width (in units of 1/360") as a decimal value. The easy way to determine these widths is to print out a file with lines of 60 of each character. (Don't type that out by hand; use the macro command to repeat each letter 60 times.) Measure the length of each line in inches, and multiply by 6: that is the character width in 1/360". The result is typically between 16 and 48.) Note that changing the width table doesn't affect how your printer operates -- just how VDE judges the length of each line for reformatting in proportional mode. VINST can use Character Width files to store width data for the proportional font(s) you use. These should have a file type of ".VDC", for ease of identification. You have the option to read in or write out such a file, as well as editing the width table. VDE can load such files with its AltU command. ========================== 10. RESTORE DEFAULTS ============================ This option on the VINST menu is provided in the event that you want to undo any changes that you (or someone else) has made to your copy of VDE. This should return VDE to the state it was distributed in: installation for IBM PC; Command mode; all User Options restored to their original defaults; no Macro or Function Keys (except, for convenience, [F1]=help); printer drivers IBM/Epson and Simple; original Graphics characters and Character widths. ===================================[end]======================================