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# This is a specially formatted file, and should not be edited.
# This file provides On-line help for HANDBOOK.
~Main
#
Help 1.37
HANDBOOK prints a personalized Handbook from an ASCII file created with
a word processor (Wordstar, VDE, QEdit, etc.).
The Handbook is printed on both sides of 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper.
Print/View options allow three layouts:
1) Handbook: Approximately 3 inch by 5-1/2 inch Handbook designed for
staple binding
2) Mini-Manual: Approximately 5-1/2 by 8-1/2 inch double-sided
Mini-manual pages. On LaserJet Printers, Landscape mode is used to
allow staple binding.
3) Letter: Letter-Size, 8-1/2 by 11 inches, double sided loose-leaf
binder pages.
Special Features:
Centered Headers
Major Headers Printed Double Width
Alphabetic Index
Multiple Copies During Single Run
Support for Epson, C.Itoh, IBM, and HP LaserJet Printers
Supports LaserJet Landscape and Duplex modes
Accepts Continuous Forms or Cut Sheets
Automatic Page Numbering
Set Initial Page Number
Configurable Month Calendar
View feature helps identify flaws before printing
Blank Line and Pagination Control
Configurable Tab Interval and Wrap Indentation
Partial Printout
"NOTES" pages
To print the entire document, select (P)rint All from the Main Menu.
A portion of a document can be printed by selecting Print (S)ome, then
tagging the front, back, page or range of pages you want printed.
Tagging either the front or back pages resets all previous tags.
HANDBOOK tries to make tagging a bit easier by only requiring that a
single page number be manually tagged to tag all the pages printed on
that sheet. I hope this is a suitable method and not too confusing. The
tagging routines have been tested using handbooks of up to 400 pages
with no problems.
To Enter your personalized Handbook text:
You may edit a text file by selecting (E)dit from the HANDBOOK Main
Menu. You must first have configured both the text file name and the
Editor path/name. Choose (C)onfigure from the Main Menu for access to
those parameters.
To begin a new Handbook text file, select "New File" from the list of
available Handbook files, then enter the new file name when prompted.
Note: This choice will NOT overwrite an existing text file, and it
will NOT erase any existing Handbook text, even if you enter an
existing text file name.
A text file may also be edited outside HANDBOOK using any ASCII editor.
If your editor of choice is a large program, there may not be enough
free memory to run it from within HANDBOOK. You could still use that
editor by exiting from HANDBOOK and running the editor from the DOS
prompt. Open a file using the ASCII or Non-document mode of a word
processor such as WordStar.
An excellent shareware editor, VDE, written by Eric Meyer, is included
with HANDBOOK. If you elect to use VDE, please refer to the VDE
documentation for registration information.
The default text file name used by HANDBOOK is SAMPLE.HBK, however you
can configure HANDBOOK to process any file ending with ".HBK".
Format your text just as you want it to appear. The Handbook has 36
columns, Mini-Manual pages have 46, Letter size pages have 66. Longer
lines wrap to the next line.
Use Dot commands starting in column one to enter Headers, etc. :
.bl <number> Blank line(s) (Number is optional, default is one)
.ca <parameter> Insert Six Month Calendar based on <parameter>
.cm # Set the number of months per calendar page
.cp <number> Set number of pages for next calendar
.dt Insert Current System Date
.dw Print Major Headers double width (default)
.h1 <text> Major Header line (major index entry)
.h2 <text> Minor Header line (minor index entry)
.ix <text> Major Index entry
.mn <0-20> Minimum NOTES pages after index, default 3
.no Insert NOTES page
.ni No Index (Index is disabled)
.ns Do NOT sort index
.pa <number> Start new page if less than <number> lines left on
on current page. If no <number>, start new page.
.pn <number> Set inital page number. Must be used at start of
text file.
.qu Quiet Mode (No advertisement on final NOTES page)
.sw Print Major Headers single width
.ta <2,4,8> Set tab interval in columns
.tr Disable word wrap; truncate at page width
.wi <number> Set word wrap indentation in columns
.wr Enable word wrap (default)
.. <text> Comment (not printed)
Command examples:
.pa (Unconditional new page)
.pa 5 (Start new page if less than 5 lines left)
.h1 Phone List (New major header, Index, Start new page.
.h2 Local Nmbrs (New minor header, Index, Start new paragraph.
.bl 8 (Leave block of eight lines blank)
.ix Special Mod (Index text using current page)
.ca (Insert calendar starting system month)
.ca 07-04-1776 (Insert calendar starting July, 1776)
.ca Prompt (Prompt for calendar starting date)
.dt (Insert current system date)
.mn 1 (Minimum of 1 NOTES page at end of Handbook text or Index)
.no (Insert "NOTES" page)
.ta 4 (Set tab interval to four columns)
.wi 0 (Set wrap indentation to zero columns)
Each page contains 36 (Handbook), 46 (Mini-Manual), or 56 (Letter) text
lines, including headers and page numbers.
Header (.h1) commands begin a new page with the header centered at the
top.
A blank line is always printed between the Headers and surrounding
text.
All major header (.h1) commands will create a major index entry, if the
index is enabled.
All minor header (.h2) commands will create a minor index entry under
the preceding major header (.h1) major index entry, if the index is
enabled.
The Handbook Index is limited to a maximum of ten pages containing no
more than 200 .h1 entries and no more than 55 .ix entries.
When the blank line (.bl) command is used with a parameter, and there
are not enough lines left on the current page, a new page will be
started.
Blank lines that happen to fall at the top of a page will be printed
only if the blank line (.bl) command is used.
Default tabs are set each 8 columns. This can be adjusted using the .ta
# command. Valid #'s are 2, 4, or 8.
A NOTES page can be inserted anywhere using the notes (.no) command
Select (P)rint all to print the entire Handbook. Print (S)ome is
intended to allow the reprinting of selected Handbook pages if
necessary.
When printing side two, insert the paper to print on the back side, and
when using Cut Sheets, ensure the pages feed in the same order as side
one.
Select (R)eset to force Handbook to process the Handbook text before
viewing or printing. The main use for this is to allow you to manually
enter a new calendar date, if configured, between printings.
#
~Config
#
HANDBOOK looks for a file called HANDBOOK.CFG on the default drive,
expecting to access user configuration parameters.
If the access is successful, HANDBOOK accepts that configuration and
displays the Main Menu. You can change the configuration parameters
after selecting (C)onfigure from the Main Menu.
If the file is not found or is corrupted, HANDBOOK will Display the
default configuration and allow you to accept or change the parameters.
When you exit to the Main Menu, a new HANDBOOK.CFG file will
automatically be created. Note that the file is AUTOMATICALLY created
only when it does not already exist.
(S)ave the parameters to make changes available to HANDBOOK. When
HANDBOOK.CFG is found as HANDBOOK starts, HANDBOOK will skip directly
to the Main Menu.
Select e(X)it from the Configure Menu to go to the Main Menu WITHOUT
SAVING any changes (unless HANDBOOK.CFG does not already exist, in
which case it will automatically be created, saving the configuration).
(D)ata Drive refers to the drive which contains your Handbook text file.
The default text file name is SAMPLE.HBK, however you can configure
HANDBOOK to process any file ending with ".HBK".
(W)ork Drive refers to the drive which will be used to contain the
temporary work file, HANDBOOK.WRK.
You can select any valid drive, including a RAMdisk, as either drive. A
RAMdisk has a considerable performance advantage over a Flex Disk,
which makes a big difference when processing the Handbook file.
Work Drive Capacity:
Layout: Required per page:
Handbook ≈ 1.3 Kb
Mini-Manual ≈ 2.2 Kb
Letter ≈ 3.8 Kb
Select a drive from the displayed menu of valid drives, or press <Enter>
to select the Default Drive.
HANDBOOK can be configured for different printers:
Select (P)rinter from the Configuration Menu, then choose a printer by
menu number. If the printer is "H-P LaserJet IId/IIId", you can use
Duplex mode and print both sides of the paper without having to reload
the paper to print side two.
Multiple copies of the Handbook can be printed during a run:
Select (C)opies from the Configuration Menu, then enter a number from
"1" to "9".
HANDBOOK can be configured to use Continuous Forms or Cut Sheets.
Select (F)orms from the Configuration Menu, then enter "F" for
Continuous Forms, or "S" for Cut Sheets.
When "Cut Sheets" is selected, HANDBOOK will pause for you to change
the paper and press a key between pages.
Select "Continuous Forms" when using Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers
and most cut-sheet feeders.
The Handbook can be printed in three different layouts:
Handbook layout prints a set of 3" by 5-1/2" pages, arranged for staple
binding.
Mini-Manual layout prints a sheaf of 5-1/2" by 8-1/2" pages, suitable
for a medium size loose leaf binder. If you use a LaserJet printer,
Landscape mode will be used to conserve paper and make staple binding
possible. If you use a dot-matrix printer, you can select Landscape
mode at the expense of speed and fancy fonts you may have available.
Letter layout prints letter-size (8-1/2" by 11") pages, suitable for
loose leaf binders. Each page has 56 usable lines, including the page
number. Text lines can be up to 66 characters long.
Select (L)ayout from the Configuration Menu, then enter "H" for
Handbook, "M" for Mini-Manual, or "L" for Letter. Minus, Plus, and
Vertical Bar signs are printed around the printed pages when
appropriate to show you where to cut out the pages or where to fold
and bind them.
HANDBOOK can be configured to process any text file ending with ".HBK".
Select (T)ext file from the Configuration Menu, then select one of the
file names displayed, press <ESC> to retain the original name, or
select "New File" to create and select a new Handbook text file.
HANDBOOK can display in four video modes.
Select Video (M)ode from the configuration menu, then select the mode
by menu letter.
25x80 mode is always available and displays both Handbook and
Mini-Manual and Letter layout pages split when using (V)iew.
43x80 requires EGA video, and allows 36-line Handbook pages to be
displayed as facing pages.
50x80 requires VGA, and also allows 46-line Mini-Manual pages to be
displayed in one column on a single screen.
60x80 requires VGA, and allows a Letter layout page to be viewed on
a single screen. This is a graphics mode, and displays somewhat
slower than the other modes. Only one background color can be used
at a time, so it may be necessary to adjust text colors when used
this mode. When (E)dit is selected in this mode, 50-line mode is
selected during the editing operations, but 60-line mode will be
used upon return to the main menu.
Select Video (A)ttributes to adjust Colors, and Bold and Blink
attributes for the color video display.
Attributes can be set for:
Normal Text, such as this Help Text
Bright Text, such as the Key Selections at the bottom of the Help Screen
Hot Keys, displayed with various menus
Borders and Boxes, displayed with several screens
Input Fields
Error Messages
Brief instructions for key usage are displayed on the configuration
screen.
You can configure HANDBOOK to use any ASCII editor. Select (E)ditor from
the configuration menu, then enter the compete path and filename of
your editor program. If your editor of choice is a large program, there
may not be enough available memory to run it within HANDBOOK. You can
still use such an editor by exiting HANDBOOK and running the editor
from the DOS prompt.
VDE, Video Display Editor, is provided with HANDBOOK. VDE is the
copyrighted property of Eric Meyer. If you wish to use this editor,
please refer to the documentation on the VDE disk for detailed
operating and licensing instructions. If you are familiar with
Wordstar, you should be comfortable with VDE as well.
The default configuration parameters can be restored by selecting
(R)estore from the Configuration Menu. These are the same parameters
displayed initially when HANDBOOK.CFG, the configuration file, does not
exist.
Configuration parameters can be saved to HANDBOOK.CFG on the default
disk by selecting (S)ave from the Configuration Menu. You must select
(S)ave to make configuration changes available to HANDBOOK. If the save
fails, you will see an error message and be prompted to (T)ry again or
(A)bort. Some operating systems error traps may take precedence over
this message. If an operating system message is displayed, recover
using operating system procedures.
Disk Drive Assignments:
HANDBOOK.EXE, the program file, can be in any valid drive, including a
RAMdisk, if present. However, it makes sense to have this file on the
default drive along with its support files.
HBKCFG.EXE, the configuration program file, should be in the default
drive, and must not be renamed. If it is not found, the "Configure"
selection on the Main Menu will not operate. This program can be run
from the Main Menu or from the DOS prompt. When the configuration is
saved, the configuration file, HANDBOOK.CFG will be written to the
default drive.
HANDBOOK.CFG, your configuration file, should be in the default drive.
If it is not found, you will be prompted for configuration data. You
may accept the default configuration or enter your own. The selected
options will automatically be saved upon exit to the Main Menu,
creating HANDBOOK.CFG. On subsequent runs, HANDBOOK.CFG will be found
and HANDBOOK will immediately display the Main Menu.
HANDBOOK.HLP, the help text file, this file, should be in the default
drive. If it is not, no on-line help will be available.
HBKPRT.EXE, the HANDBOOK printing module, must be in the default
directory and must not be renamed. The print module is called
automatically by HANDBOOK and is not intended to be run from the DOS
command line.
HANDBOOK.PRT contains all the configurable parameters for each of the
printers supported by HANDBOOK, with the exception of the fonts used
by the dot-matrix printers for Mini-Manuals printed in Landscape mode.
ITOH.FNT, EPMX.FNT, and IBM.FNT are the fonts used by the dot-matrix
printers for Mini-Manuals printed in Landscape mode.
HBKSET.EXE is a bare-bones utility which allows the sophisticated and
patient user to modify or create new fonts for the dot-matrix
printers, and to alter the control codes, from HANDBOOK.PRT, sent to
all the printers during printing. I wrote it only to ease the
development of HANDBOOK, and have mixed feelings about including it.
However, it seems justified because it may allow the use of printers
which do not conform to any of the supported standards. A potential
problem is that it is really, really easy to disable HANDBOOK by
corrupting either font files or HANDBOOK.PRT. With this in mind, I
STRONGLY suggest that you NEVER modify your original HANDBOOK disk,
and that any changes to HANDBOOK.PRT be accomplished ONE at a time,
with printer manual in hand, and with a clear record of the changes.
Your personal Handbook text files can be on any valid drive, including
a RAMdisk, if present. The default text file name is SAMPLE.HBK,
however you can configure HANDBOOK to use any file ending in ".HBK".
HANDBOOK is limited to a maximum of 26 Handbook text files in any
single directory.
HANDBOOK.WRK and HANDBOOK.MXP, temporary work files, can be assigned to
any valid drive, including a RAMdisk, if present.
#
~ViewHbk
#
Viewing a Handbook provides a preview of what will be printed without
having to print. This should help in correcting errors, especially in
formatting, before both time and paper are wasted printing a flawed
Handbook.
Use the "Page Up", "Page Down", "Home", and "End" keys to scroll through
the viewed Handbook.
Jump directly to any page by entering the page number and pressing
"Enter".
To search for text in the Handbook, select (S)earch, then enter the text
you want to locate and the parameters for the search.
Valid parameters are (G)lobal, (I)gnore case, and (B)ackward.
With no parameters specified, the search begins on the NEXT page and
proceeds to the LAST page.
(B)ackward causes the search to begin with the PREVIOUS page and
proceed to the FIRST.
To search the ENTIRE file, specify (G)lobal.
(I)gnore case means that Upper and Lower case letters are treated
alike.
"Found" text is displayed highlighted (Color) or using UPPER case
(Monochrome).
The (V)ideo Mode selected from the Configuration Menu affects how the
Handbook will be displayed.
In 25-line mode, each page is presented on a single screen, split into
top and bottom halves. This mode is available using any video card and
monitor, and is the default mode.
43-line mode is available when using EGA and VGA video hardware. This
allows 36-line Handbook pages to be viewed as facing pages.
50-line mode, available only when using VGA video hardware, offers no
advantage when viewing a Handbook, but is useful when working with
46-line Mini-Manual pages.
60-line mode, available only when using VGA video hardware, offers no
advantage in other than Letter layout, when a full page can be viewed
on a single screen. This is a graphics mode and is somewhat slow to
display. Also, only one background color can be used at a time, so
text colors may be different when using this mode.
#
~ViewMini
#
Viewing a Mini-Manual provides a preview of what will be printed without
having to print. This should help in correcting errors, especially in
formatting, before both time and paper are wasted printing a flawed
Mini-Manual.
Use the "Page Up", "Page Down", "Home", and "End" keys, to scroll
through the viewed Mini-Manual.
Jump directly to any page by entering the page number and pressing
"Enter".
To search for text in the Mini-Manual, select (S)earch, then enter the
text you want to locate and the parameters for the search.
Valid parameters are (G)lobal, (I)gnore case, and (B)ackward.
With no parameters specified, the search begins on the NEXT page and
proceeds to the LAST page.
(B)ackward causes the search to begin with the PREVIOUS page and
proceed to the FIRST.
To search the ENTIRE Mini-Manual, specify (G)lobal.
(I)gnore case means that Upper and Lower case letters are treated
alike.
"Found" text is displayed highlighted (Color) or using UPPER case
(Monochrome).
In 25-line and 43-line modes, select (T)op and (B)ottom to view the
entire Mini-Manual page. These options are not used with 50-line mode.
The (V)ideo Mode selected from the Configuration Menu affects how the
Mini-Manual will be displayed.
In 25-line mode, each page is split between two screens, each
displaying either the top or bottom half. This mode is available using
any video card and monitor, and is the default mode.
43-line mode is available when using EGA and VGA video hardware. This
offers no advantage when viewing 46-line Mini-Manual pages, but allows
36-line Handbook pages to be viewed as facing pages.
50-line mode, available only when using VGA video hardware, allows an
entire 46-line Mini-Manual page to be viewed on a single screen.
60-line mode, available only when using VGA video hardware, offers no
advantage in other than Letter layout, when a full page can be viewed
on a single screen. This is a graphics mode and is somewhat slow to
display. Also, only one background color can be used at a time, so
text colors may be different when using this mode.
#
~ViewLetter
#
Viewing a Letter size page provides a preview of what will be printed
without having to print. This should help in correcting errors,
especially in formatting, before both time and paper are wasted
printing a flawed book.
Use the "Page Up", "Page Down", "Home", and "End" keys, to scroll
through the viewed text.
Jump directly to any page by entering the page number and pressing
"Enter".
To search for text in the Handbook, select (S)earch, then enter the text
you want to locate and the parameters for the search.
Valid parameters are (G)lobal, (I)gnore case, and (B)ackward.
With no parameters specified, the search begins on the NEXT page and
proceeds to the LAST page.
(B)ackward causes the search to begin with the PREVIOUS page and
proceed to the FIRST.
To search the ENTIRE file, specify (G)lobal.
(I)gnore case means that Upper and Lower case letters are treated
alike.
"Found" text is displayed highlighted (Color) or using UPPER case
(Monochrome).
In 25-line mode, select (T)op, (C)enter, and (B)ottom to view the entire
page. These options are not used with 60-line mode.
In 43-line and 50-line modes, select (T)op and (B)ottom to view the
entire page. These options are not used with 60-line mode.
The (V)ideo Mode selected from the Configuration Menu affects how the
book will be displayed.
In 25-line mode, each page is split between three screens, each
displaying either the top, center, or bottom third. This mode is
available using any video card and monitor, and is the default mode.
43-line mode is available when using EGA and VGA video hardware. This
allows pages to be viewed as top and bottom halves.
50-line mode, available only when using VGA video hardware, allows
pages to be viewed as top and bottom halves.
60-line mode, available only when using VGA video hardware, allows
Letter size pages to be viewed on a single screen. This is a graphics
mode and is somewhat slow to display. Also, only one background color
can be used at a time, so text colors may be different when using this
mode.
#
~PageRange
#
This menu selection provides a means of printing a portion of a Handbook
text file. The idea is that you can reprint pages that may have printed
poorly during a full text file printout, perhaps due to a paper jam or
ribbon failure. You could also use this option to print a section of
pages which required minor editing after the initial printing. However,
if the editing moves text to or from a later page, you will also need
to reprint whatever additional pages are affected by the editing.
To print selected pages, select (T)ag. Enter "F" or "B" to print the
Front or Back page set, or enter the page number or page range and
press Enter. When you select "F" or "B", any previous tags are reset.
If you are using a Duplex printer, "F" and "B" are not available. When
you select pages by number, Handbook tries to make the job a little
simpler by automatically tagging all the pages to be printed on a sheet
when any one of them is tagged. Hopefully this is an appropriate method
and not too confusing.
(U)ntag works the same way as (T)ag, deselecting a page or range of pages
in response to your input, except it doesn't make much sense to untag
the front or back page set (all tags are reset with either choice).
If you are working with a very large Handbook, the entire range of pages
may be divided among more than one screen. If you select a page number
which is not currently being displayed, it will still be tagged. You
can select PageUp or PageDn to display the additional page numbers,
though it is not necessary in order to print them.
To print tagged pages, select (P)rint.
If you change your mind, press ESC to cancel the print job and return to
the Main Menu.
#
~EndOfFile
f