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Back & Forth Version 1.70 31 December 1990 Copyright (C) 1990 by Progressive Solutions, Inc. All Rights Reserved Progressive Solutions Sandi & Shane Stump Box 276125 San Antonio, Texas 78227 Sales: (800) 833 4400 : (512) 670 0882 Technical Support: (512) 670 1061 Fax: (512) 670 1061 BBS 1200/2400: (512) 670 0954 BBS 2400/9600: (512) 670 1809 Compuserve: GO ZENITH section 13 Back & Forth version 1.70 page 1 ______________________________________________________________________________ The Shareware Principle Shareware is one alternative to the increasingly high price of commercial software. Good software is made available for a limited test period to users for their evaluation. Once that test period is over, you should determine if you think the program is useful. If you use the program, you should send the requested contribution to the author of the program. Otherwise, you should delete the software from your machine. This software is not intended as a "freebie". Just as you work hard for a living and do not want people taking advantage of you by not paying you for your work, this is our occupation and it takes a TREMENDOUS amount of time, $$$money$$$, energy, and effort. If software authors are not reimbursed for their work, they will eventually quit writing for the shareware public. Unregistered All unregistered copies of Back & Forth display a registration Copies information screen and require a randomly generated key to be pressed. Unregistered versions also allow only 1024k of swap space for use. When you register your copy of the program, you receive a key file which eliminates this nuisance. This key file may be used with all later versions of Back & Forth. This lets you easily update B&F whenever you find a new version. Single User On the opening screen of Back & Forth, our name, address,phone Registration number, limits, and requested registration price is displayed. The phone number is only provided for use in registering your copy or for REGISTERED users to call for phone support. We cannot give extensive phone support to unregistered users. If you have a question or a problem, we will try to help you, but if you do not intend to register your copy, please do not call Registered users receive the latest version,full phone support, and a complete, printed manual. Registered users also get a key file which is used to remove the annoying Shareware screen from all future versions of the registered product. Registration We accept Mastercard, Visa, AMEX, checks, money orders, and purchase orders. The registration fee is $69.95 plus shipping. If registering by mail, please send your name and address printed clearly along with a check or money order for the registration fee plus $5.00 shipping. When ordering outside of the United States, either send a check or money order drawn on a US bank in US funds or use your bank card. For overseas orders, please add $15.00 for Air mail delivery. Otherwise, we have to send it by boat (and you know how long that can take!). Back & Forth version 1.70 page 2 ______________________________________________________________________________ If you wish to make any comments or suggestions, we recommend that you write us a letter rather than phone so that we can keep a record. If you are not a registered user and you wish a response to your letter, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE). Corporate & Registration is based on the number of users using the program Multiple and the number of systems that the program is installed on. Copy/ What this means is that the single-user registration fee does Network NOT register an entire user group, business, school district, Registration or any other multiple user/computer organization. For cases like these, we have quantity pricing. Please see ORDER.DOC for volume purchases, network pricing, and site licenses. Dealers!!! Please call our 800 # for dealer pricing! Back & Forth version 1.70 page 3 ______________________________________________________________________________ Section 1: Introduction Program Back & Forth is a versatile program management tool that gives Description you the power to load up to 20 programs at once. Now you can switch between your favorite word processor, spreadsheet, database, graphics program, and TSR utilities at will without having to exit one to open & use another. Its features include: * Delivers a flexible task management environment where up to 20 programs may be open in memory, with each provided as much memory as needed. * Occupies only 15-22k of memory, less than 1k if loaded high. * Offers an easy-to-use, colorful, & customizable environment. * Supports CGA, MCGA, EGA, Hercules, VGA, SVGA, and 1024x768 video modes. * Enables the use of a Microsoft-compatible mouse. * Uses expanded memory (EMS), extended memory, RAM disks, hard disks, and conventional memory to store swapped programs. * Permits you to select the hot keys used to pop up Back & Forth, the Cut & Paste commands, and all defined programs. * Accepts the definition of 50 programs for use within B&F. * Runs a selected list of programs automatically when loaded. * Lets you cut text from a running program and either place it in a folder for later pasting, print it, or write it to a separate file. * Allows you to edit the contents of the cut buffer, save text to selected key folders, & replay keystrokes to simulate commands. * Uses your modem to dial a number from the screen. * Permits color customization where you can choose the colors that suits your tastes rather than someone else's. Supports all video modes provided by UltraVision. * Allows you to set up DOS environments for use in executing programs, utilities, and/or DOS commands. * Works with UltraVision, DR DOS, QEMM, 386-to-the-Max, 4DOS, PCED, and other computer enhancement programs. * "Cleans up" expanded memory used by programs executed and exited inside B&F. * Is network compatible. * And much more... System To run Back & Forth, your computer system must meet or exceed Requirements the following specifications: * IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, or 100% PC compatible with at least 256k of main memory. * EMS memory, RAM disk, or hard disk for use in storing file information swapped to disk. * MS-DOS 3.0, PC-DOS 3.0, or later version of DOS or 4DOS. * A Microsoft-compatible mouse is optional. If a mouse is to be used with Back & Forth, its driver must be installed in memory before Back & Forth is run. * A color monitor is optional. * A modem, if the dialer is to be used. * EMS memory with either QEMM, QRAM, 386-to-the-Max, or Move'em, if Back & Forth is to be loaded into high memory. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 4 ______________________________________________________________________________ Back & Forth The Back & Forth package contains the following files. Files BNF.EXE The Back & Forth program, run using B&F.BAT. BNFHIGH.EXE The part of B&F loaded into high memory. BNFLOAD.COM Back & Forth high memory loader. BNFEGA.EXE Video driver TSR used by Back & Forth to BNFHERC.EXE correctly store EGA & Hercules video settings. BNFLITE.EXE Version of Back & Forth without the print BFHILITE.EXE buffer, clock, screen blanker, keyboard buffer, key click, and [Ctrl][Alt][Del] restriction. This reduces the amount of memory Back & Forth needs by 5k. BNFLOW.COM The part of B&F loaded into lower memory. This must be run immediately after BNFHIGH. B&F00#.OVL The Back & Forth command overlays. B&F00#.HLP The Back & Forth help files. B&F.SN Removes shareware notices from the screen. HD-SETUP.EXE Creates the executable batch files. HIMEM.SYS Microsoft XMS driver, needed for XMS usage. HISTORY.B&F Delineates the changes made to each version. INSTALL.EXE Installs B&F onto the disk. README.B&F Last second hints / additions to Back & Forth. *.DOC, *.B&F Other files including order form, product list, etc. Permanent Back & Forth creates several files which are used to store Data Files configuration information for various aspects of the program. B&F.BAT The batch file used to set up and execute Back & Forth. Run this way, B&F uses 15-22k. B&FHI.BAT The batch file used to set up, load high, & run Back & Forth. Run this way, B&F uses 1k. BFVARS The file that holds all Back & Forth settings including swap space allocation, program list, hot keys, color scheme, cut&paste options, etc. CLIPBORD.### The contents of the Cut & Paste buffer. KEYFILES.### Master list of all Cut & Paste key folders. KEY#####.### Individual Cut & Paste key folders. Temporary Back & Forth also creates several temporary storage files which Files are deleted after B&F is exited. AUTOTYPE.### Keystroke files used by B&F to pass data to DOS B&FVIDEO.### The video storage files for swapped programs. DIRTREEx.MAP The directory tree of the named disk. DOSVARS.### The system storage files for each open task. SWAPFILE.00# The files used to store program data. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 5 ______________________________________________________________________________ About this Two divergent philosophies exist about the writing of program Manual manuals. Some manuals are written from the point of view that a user intends to sit down with the book and read it from cover to cover before attempting to use the program. When a writer adopts this attitude, the manual can be written without excessive detail, since the writer assumes that once the process of using a menu or invoking a quick key has been described, the user will remember that procedure and not need to have it described again. This assumption can significantly streamline the writing process. Unfortunately, it has been our experience that most users jump right into their recently-purchased program, perhaps only skimming the first pages of the manual for information about installing the program. These users may never open up the manual until a problem occurs. The big problem with this attitude is that the writer cannot ever be sure that the user has read a particular page describing the use of a particular aspect of the program. With this in mind, this manual has been written in the style of a reference book, with each section treated as if you have not read the rest of the manual. Instead of describing the process of invoking a command or menu once then assuming throughout the rest of the manual that you have read and understood that paragraph, we detail the process step-by-step within each command as needed. You occasionally will be referred to other parts of the manual for more information on specific commands when the subject in question is more involved than a single paragraph can cover. Most of the time, however, you only will have to go to one section of the manual to find the answer to your questions about the operation of a command. This manual has been broken down into six parts. Section 1: Introduction contains a program description, the system requirements, the program files, and this description of the manual. Section 2: Installing Back & Forth delineates the steps necessary for installing Back & Forth on your system and setting up the swap space requirements. Section 3: Setting Up Back & Forth details the [F7] Setup menu and the information necessary to setup and use Back & Forth. Section 4: Running Back & Forth describes the use of Back & Forth once it has been set up. Section 5: Back & Forth Commands contains descriptions of the command stack, used within DOS partitions, and the Cut & Paste option, used to transfer text data between programs. Appendices A-E contain our program credits, a list of error messages and their probable causes, a troubleshooting guide, a description of the use of memory resident programs (TSRs), and network installation instructions. For those of you who habitually read a software manual from beginning to end before using the program, we apologize for the excessive detail. If it is any consolation to you, while sifting through some of the necessarily extraneous information, you may find many useful commands which may not be obvious to other users who do not read the manual. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 6 ______________________________________________________________________________ Other Three other reference utilities are available for use in Reference locating program information. These are the table of contents, Information the index, and the help utility included with the program. Each is sufficiently detailed to make the process of locating seemingly elusive items of information about any subject a relatively painless task. The README As with most programs, the version of Back & Forth that you File have in your hand (or on your disk drive) may have already undergone a few modifications and additions since the printing of the manual. We also use this file to answer some of the most often asked questions. A description of any such changes is provided within the Back & Forth README.B&F file. All users should read this file before using Back & Forth. In this way, you are notified of any interesting changes to the program and you may pick up some useful tips on using Back & Forth. If You If you experience any difficulties with any of the commands, Experience first read the more detailed explanation of the command and its Problems usage contained in the appropriate section of the manual or refer to the extensive help provided on-line. A list of error messages produced by Back & Forth can be found within Appendix B. If this does not help, consult the README.B&F & HISTORY.B&F files. These cover additions and modifications made to Back & Forth since the manual was printed and provide helpful tips. If the above suggestions do not help, then consult Appendix C: Troubleshooting. This section lists common problems and ways to overcome them. Please read this section before contacting us. Remember, the more unnecessary phone calls we take, the less time we have to produce more features. Common Below is a brief definition of a few of the most commonly-used Terminology terms: Program, Task All refer to the program being run. Task and Application Application are generic words describing a program and its use. Partition Partition refers to the system environment used by the program; it covers the swap space, memory, and program in use. DOS partition A partition where you are placed at a DOS prompt within Back & Forth. At this prompt, you may run any program and still use the hot keys to swap to other programs. Execute, Run All refer to running a program within Back & Open, Load Forth. Open refers to opening a new partition for the program's use, Load places the program into memory either by running it or by retrieving it from the swap drive. Switch, Swap Used in conjunction with hot key use. These Pop back words refer to the process of switching from one program to another. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 7 ______________________________________________________________________________ Section 2: Installing Back & Forth The Install An Install program has been included to assist you in Program installing Back & Forth onto your system. This copies the compressed files to a selected hard disk directory, extracts them, and cretes a batch file for use in running Back & Forth. The Installation program does NOT modify the AUTOEXEC.BAT. To install Back & Forth, place the B&F Install diskette in a floppy drive, log to that drive, and type INSTALL. A: INSTALL Selecting When Install is loaded, you are prompted to press any key. It the B&F then seeks out the SET B&F variable. If found, the B&F files Directory are copied from the diskette to the path designated by that variable. Else, you are prompted for the path to be used to store Back & Forth. The default path is C:\B&F. Extracting Once the directory is chosen, the Back & Forth files are B&F extracted from the storage file and listed to the screen. Creating the Now that the files have been placed within the B&F directory, Back & Forth either one or two batch files are created for use in running Batch File Back & Forth. The first batch file, named B&F.BAT, runs Back & Forth using conventional memory; the second batch file, B&FHI.BAT, loads Back & Forth into high memory. This file is created only if high memory is detected on your system. Once the batch files are created, copy them to a directory along your DOS path. The SET B&F The top lines of the batch file clear the screen and sets the Statement Back & Forth program path. The SET B&F statement is used by Back & Forth to locate its executable files, overlays, help, and data without having to rely on the DOS PATH command. In the example below, the C:\B&F directory is identified as the path holding B&F. ECHO OFF CLS SET B&F=C:\B&F Changing The next two lines in the batch file contain the commands used Directories to log to the drive and change to the directory containing the Back & Forth files. C: CD C:\B&F Back & Forth version 1.70 page 8 ______________________________________________________________________________ Running B&F The last line within the B&F.BAT file runs Back & Forth. It from B&F.BAT allows for the specification of any of the four command line options, "GO", "FILE", "LITE", and "USER". This line appears within B&F.BAT as follows: BNF %1 %2 %3 %4 The GO Option The "GO" option, when invoked, bypasses the Swap drive setup screen and goes directly to the Program List window. To run B&F.BAT with "GO", type the following at the DOS prompt. B&F GO The FILE The "FILE" option lets you specify a different BFVARS file for Option use by Back & Forth. To run B&F, bypassing the Swap drive setup and using the data file named MYFILE, type the following at the DOS prompt. B&F GO FILE:MYFILE The LITE The "LITE" option executes a smaller, "stripped down" version Option of Back & Forth. This version is 5k smaller than the standard version of Back & Forth with the following features removed: print buffer, clock, automatic program loading, screen blank, key buffer, key click, and [Ctrl][Alt][Del] restriction. To run this version of Back & Forth, use the following command line option. B&F LITE The USER The "USER" option is documented under Appendix E: Network Option Installation and Use. Running B&F The contents of the B&FHI.BAT is the same as that of B&F.BAT with B&FHI except for the method in which Back & Forth is executed. The last two lines of B&FHI.BAT load Back & Forth into high memory then load B&F into conventional memory if no error occurs. These lines appear as follows: BNFLOAD IF errorlevel == 0 BNFLOW %1 %2 %3 %4 Loading B&F If you choose to use QEMM, QRAM, 386-to-the-Max, or Move'em to High load Back & Forth into high memory, you will not be able to free the high memory used by Back & Forth when B&F is exited. Back & Forth can remove itself from high memory only if BNFLOAD.EXE is used. Other high memory loaders do not free the high memory used by a program. Back & Forth must be the last program loaded into high memory. To load Back & Forth high, use the high memory loader to load BNFHIGH.EXE, then run BNFLOW.COM immediately after it. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 9 ______________________________________________________________________________ Copying the Once the batch files have been created, copy them to a location Batch Files along the DOS path. This makes it possible for you to invoke Back & Forth at any time, irrespective of the drive or directory. Changing the Before running Back & Forth for the first time, check the CONFIG.SYS CONFIG.SYS file for the following lines. FILES=60 Important: The amount shown for FILES command above is the minimum required by Back & Forth. Multiply the number of tasks you expect to run by 8 and use this value. Some programs open more files, keep this in mind when you set the FILES variable. Any text editor that creates ASCII text like EDLIN.COM may be used to modify the CONFIG.SYS file. If you do not have an ASCII editor, you may be able to use a word processor that lets you save a file in non-document (unformatted) mode or export the file to an ASCII text format. Editing the Once you have checked the CONFIG.SYS, examine the contents of AUTOEXEC your AUTOEXEC.BAT. Most TSRs should be run within Back & Forth. Exceptions include: disk cache programs, mouse and other device drivers, and DOS commands like MODE, PATH, PROMPT, and SET. Consult the Program Setup section for information on setting up memory resident programs for use within Back & Forth. Adding Back To load Back & Forth automatically each time the computer is & Forth to turned on, append the contents of B&F.BAT or B&FHI.BAT to the AUTOEXEC end of AUTOEXEC.BAT. Remember to include "GO", if used. If the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS is changed, exit all open programs and reboot the system to reset this information. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 10 ______________________________________________________________________________ Back & Forth Once Back & Forth has been installed onto your system, type B&F Swap Drive at the DOS prompt. This runs Back & Forth and displays the Swap Setup drive setup window. The Swap drive setup screen is shown each time Back & Forth is run without the "GO" command line option. The first time B&F is run, swap space must be earmarked. When a program is run from Back & Forth, all but 15-22k of B&F is removed from memory and swapped to a storage file. This space is allocated within the Swap drive setup. If loaded into high memory, less than 1k of main memory and 17-23k of high memory is used. DOS occupies an additional 3-4k of memory. All programs run from Back & Forth are provided with a specified amount of system memory, which is declared when the program is defined. When a hot key is used to switch to another program or back to Back & Forth, the contents of memory and the DOS/video states are saved to disk swap files. The space for these program swap files is also allocated within the Swap drive setup. Disk When selecting the drives to be used as swap locations for Back Selection & Forth, the fastest storage devices available on your system Criteria should be chosen. We recommend that you use EMS memory, RAM disk, and hard disks, in that order as available. Of course, you must balance Back & Forth's need of swap space with the needs of other programs that you use. If your other programs are configured to use EMS memory or other disk space, you must make certain that the amount allocated to Back & Forth does not conflict with the amount needed by those other programs. Swap Drive The Swap drive setup identifies the drives used to store Setup Screen swapped program information. Most of its entries require the selection of a swap path and the allocation of disk space. Swap Drive The following options are shown within the Swap drive setup. Setup Menu Below this is shown a help window describing each menu entry. Manage EMS If set to Yes, Back & Forth removes programs memory from EMS memory when they are exited. Set this option to No if unexplained "lock-ups" occur that cannot be resolved using the procedures outlined within Appendix C: Troubleshooting. Save EGA/VGA Saves screen information set by programs that fonts either use their own screen fonts or use screen modes other than 80x25, 28, 43, or 50. Set this Off if you are mapping B000 as high memory on 80286 systems, are using a laptop computer, are using UltraVision, or are not using any programs that change screen fonts. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 11 ______________________________________________________________________________ Print buffer Sets aside the specified amount of allocated size EMS/XMS memory for use by Back & Print, the printer redirection and buffer utility. This amount is removed from the total amount of EMS and XMS allocated below. DOS/video swap Selects the path used to store Back & Forth path system and video data. The amount of swap space needed depends upon the programs loaded globally, the video mode in use, and each screen's complexity. See Video Swap Space Requirements on the next page for more data. Swap to XMS Sets whether extended memory (XMS) is to be memory used, and if so, how much is to be assigned to Back & Forth. If HIMEM.SYS is not detected, this is not shown. Swap to EMS Sets whether expanded memory (EMS) is to be memory used and if so, how much is to be used by B&F. If none is found, this option cannot be selected. Program swap Selects the paths used to hold the program paths 1-3 swap files and the amount of disk space allocated. This swap space is used as an extension of memory, holding programs that are open but not currently in use. Up to 3 swap areas may be chosen. Total swap Shows the total swap space allocated above space plus conventional memory. Conventional memory is the memory available for use by a program after DOS, device drivers, TSRs, and Back & Forth are loaded. Total swap space should not exceed 16 + 20 * the amount of conventional memory. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to highlight the setting to be changed. When entering a path, either type in the directory path or press [F7] to use the directory tree. When selecting the swap space amount, type in the amount to be allocated. When choosing between Yes and No, use the [Left] or [Right] cursor keys to change the setting shown. [F7] If the [F7] Directory tree is used to select a path, the Directory directory structure of the specified drive is displayed on the Tree screen. If a drive letter has been specified on the path line, that drive is used. Otherwise, the current system path where Back & Forth is located is used. Use the [Up], [Down], [Left], [Right], [Home], and [End] cursor keys to move the selection bar to highlight the desired directory and press [Enter] to set. To display the directory tree of another disk, press [F8] and select the drive letter from the menu. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 12 ______________________________________________________________________________ DOS & Video When a program is swapped out of memory, Back & Forth saves an Swap Space exact replica of the system environment and program screen. For Requirements this purpose, two swap files per partition are created, DOSVARS.### which contains the system settings for each partition and B&FVIDEO.### which contains the video information. If UltraVision has been loaded globally, the size of each DOSVARS.### file is 19k, else each is 4k. Also, if PCED has been loaded globally, between 32k-60k per task is added to each DOSVARS.### file. The amount of video storage space required for each partition depends upon the video mode in use. If UltraVision is in memory, add 20k to the estimated space requirements for each task. Below is an approximation of the amount of disk space required to store a screen generated by each of the various video modes. Video mode Graphics mode Text mode Monochrome, MDA N/A 16k CGA 16k 16k Hercules 64k 64k EGA 3-256k 40k VGA 3-256k 40k SVGA 3-512k 40k 1024 x 768 mode 1024k To estimate the amount of DOS and video swap space needed, multiply the number of tasks (maximum of 20) that you intend to have open at once by the estimated amount of DOS and video storage space needed as outlined above. Normally, the programs most users run are text-based, with only a few graphics based programs used at a time. Select the fastest drive available with that amount of space free, preferably a RAM disk if you have one. Extended memory is not allowed as video swap space for the simple reason that the video files generated are variable in size and are created and deleted as programs are entered and exited. When each task is configured within the Program Setup (covered in the next section), an option may be activated that compresses graphics screens up to 90%. This feature does increase the amount of time needed to swap the programs in and out of memory, so only set it for those programs using excessive amounts of swap space. The higher the graphics resolution of the screen image, the greater the amount of memory needed to store its information. Maximum Swap The maximum amount of possible swap space needed is shown Space Needed within the description window of the Program swap disk entries. This total shows the amount needed to swap 20 programs using the maximum amount of system memory. If more than this amount is specified, the excess is not allocated. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 13 ______________________________________________________________________________ When Back & Forth is run, the specified amount of swap space is automatically allocated to files named SWAPFILE.00# on each respective drive. This ensures that enough swap space is available when a program is swapped and lets Back & Forth manage the contents of those files efficiently. The drawback to this is that the space is occupied and not released until Back & Forth is exited. What this means to you is that you must be careful to allocate only the amount of swap space needed, so that you do not run out of disk space for your other programs. If you normally run less than 20 tasks at once, multiply the number of tasks that you expect to run by the amount of memory needed and add 16k to arrive at the amount of swap space to be provided. If using Back & Forth on a network, only specify swap directories where you have read and write privileges. Swap File When Back & Forth is run, the specified amount of swap space is Creation automatically allocated to files named SWAPFILE.00# on each respective drive. This ensures that enough swap space is available and lets Back & Forth manage the contents of those files efficiently. The drawback to this is that the space is occupied and not released until Back & Forth is exited. What this means to you is that you must be careful to only assign the swap space amount needed so that you do not run out of disk space for your other programs. If using Back & Forth on a network, do not specify the root directory of a disk unless you have full access to that drive. Function Keys Three function key commands are shown at the bottom of the screen. They are: [F1] Help Shows Help for the Swap drive setup menu. [F9] Accept Saves the selected settings, exits the Swap drive setup menu, and runs Back & Forth. [F10] Cancel Exits the Back & Forth Swap drive setup menu without saving the changes made. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 14 ______________________________________________________________________________ Section 3: Setting Up Back & Forth Running Back After pressing [F9] to save the changes made within the Swap & Forth for drive setup, control is passed to the main Back & Forth screen. the First You are now ready to not only define the programs that are to Time be made available for execution from Back & Forth but also configure other operational aspects of Back & Forth, including its hot keys, colors selection, et cetera. This section describes the Setup command of Back & Forth. The Back & The following is a description of the main Back & Forth Forth Screen screen. This screen is composed of four distinct parts. The top lines show the date, time, and name of the registered user. Below this is shown two program lists, the top one identifies all open programs whereas the bottom one lists all defined programs available for execution. At the bottom of the screen, the function key commands are shown. Program List The Active Program list identifies all active programs open Windows within Back & Forth. Up to 20 tasks may be open at once. Programs are "active" when they have been executed within Back & Forth and have not been exited and removed from memory. When Back & Forth is first run, a message is shown stating "No tasks are active". The Program List window names all programs defined for use within Back & Forth and their relevant hot keys, command ID codes, and swap space amounts. The first time Back & Forth is run, both of these windows should be empty. To define the programs that are to be made available, press [F7] to enter the Setup menu and select the Program option. Function Keys The following function key commands are shown at the bottom of the Back & Forth screen. [F1] Help Shows help information for Back & Forth. [F5] MemUse Summarizes the memory and swap space use. [F6] Print Shows the Back & Print print buffer settings menu. This menu lets you select where printer output is directed, the printer port to be trapped, the throughput speed, the amount of time to wait for error recovery, removal of the high bit, the file used to capture the printer output if sent to a file, and the three print buffer hotkeys. [F7] Setup Displays the Back & Forth Setup menu. This includes the program definition option, autoload list, color setup, mouse toggle, Back & Forth hot key selection, etc. [F10] ExitBF Removes all programs run from Back & Forth from memory and exits Back & Forth. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 15 ______________________________________________________________________________ Cursor Keys Use the cursor keys to move the selection bar to highlight the desired item. Press [Enter] to make a selection. Using a Mouse For those of you with mice scampering around on your desks, with Back & Back & Forth may be set up to run with a Microsoft compatible Forth mouse. When a mouse is used with Back & Forth, a separate blinking block mouse cursor is shown on the screen. With it, you may move to and select any option shown on the screen including function key commands, program list entries, and Setup menu options. To select an item, position the mouse cursor within the desired command and press the [Left] mouse button. To exit a menu, press the [Right] mouse button. A scroll bar is shown on most Back & Forth windows for use in positioning the selection bar on the screen with the mouse. This vertical bar is found on the far right side of the screen with up and down arrows located at each end. When the mouse cursor is moved to one of these arrows, the selection bar highlights the previous or next entry in the active window. Moving the mouse cursor to a location within the scroll bar and pressing the [Left] mouse button moves the selection bar to highlight the entry at that relative position within the window. To use a mouse, the mouse driver must be installed on your system before Back & Forth is run. This driver should be placed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS for automatic installation. Consult your mouse documentation for more information. The mouse support toggle is located within the [F7] Setup menu. [F1] Help The [F1] Help key displays information describing the use of selected Back & Forth options. The screen is divided into two parts. The left side lists all help topics. The right side shows the information available for the highlighted topic. The help text is a compilation of the contents of this manual. To change the help index, use the [Up], [Down], [PgUp], [PgDn], [Home], or [End] cursor keys. Pressing one of these moves the highlighted index selection bar. Press [Enter] to display the help information for the highlighted index. To scroll the help text one line at a time, use the [+] or [-] keys. Use the [Ctrl][PgDn] or [Ctrl][PgUp] keys to show the next or previous pages of the text. When you have finished reading this information, press [Esc] to exit Help. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 16 ______________________________________________________________________________ [F5] Memory The Memory Usage summary details the maximum amount of memory Usage that can be allocated to a single partition, the total amount of swap space allocated within the Swap drive setup, and the amount of swap memory left over after opening the tasks shown in the Active Program list. The amount of memory available for a single partition is based on the amount of memory installed in your computer, the version of DOS being executed, the device drivers and programs run before Back & Forth, and the amount of memory Back & Forth itself requires (approximately 16-20k if not loaded into high memory, 1k if loaded high). Back & Forth occupies about 168k of the allocated swap space, the rest is used by the open tasks. Swap space is allocated when Back & Forth is first executed, thus ensuring that enough is available to run any desired tasks. These swap files are removed from the disk when Back & Forth is exited. To change the amount of allocated swap space, exit and execute Back & Forth without the "GO" option to modify the Swap drive setup values. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 17 ______________________________________________________________________________ [F7] Setup The Setup menu contains the information required to set up and Menu smoothly execute Back & Forth. The first time Back & Forth is run, the Setup command must be used to define the programs executable from the Back & Forth shell and to configure the other variable aspects of Back & Forth. Autoload Specifies the programs run automatically when Back & Forth is loaded. Back & Print Contains the Back & Print settings including: destination of printed output, port trapped, throughput, the print buffer hot keys, etc. Color Contains the color setup of Back & Forth. Select from five preset color combinations or customize your own set of colors. Hotkey Sets the hot keys used within Back & Forth including the Cut & Paste keys, Hercules keys, the clock toggle, and Back & Forth hot key. Keyboard Chooses keyboard options provided within Back & Forth. These options include: key click and keyboard speed-up mode. Mouse Activates/deactivates mouse support. This is not shown if a Microsoft compatible mouse is not detected. When a checkmark is shown to the left of this entry, mouse mode is On. Options Shows a menu listing miscellaneous toggles such as: background character selection, CGA snow checking, [Ctrl][Alt][Del] reboot restriction, and screen blank timer. Program Opens the Program editor, where programs are defined for listing within the Program List. Time Shows a menu listing the clock settings. Save Saves the above settings to the BFVARS file. Quit Exits the Setup menu without saving the changes made within this menu. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move the selection bar to highlight the menu option and press [Enter], or press the first letter. To save changes made within this menu,press [F9] or [S] Back & Forth version 1.70 page 18 ______________________________________________________________________________ Autoload The Autoload setup option is used to select the programs for Setup automatic loading when Back & Forth is first run. Select only those tasks used routinely. The Program Setup must be used to define the programs to be utilized within Back & Forth before they can be chosen for automatic loading. Programs requiring user-input, i.e. those with the Program Setup "Ask for Options" entry turned On, cannot be loaded using this option. Autoload List When the Autoload option is selected from the Setup menu, the Window screen clears and displays the list of programs available for selection. Screen The top window shows the number of programs chosen for Description automatic loading, the amount of swap memory they require, and the total amount of time needed to load them. The bottom window contains the program list defined within the Program setup. Programs marked for automatic loading show the » character immediately to the left of the program description. Function Key The function keys shown at the bottom of the screen contain the Commands commands available under Autoload setup. [F1] Help Presents help describing Autoload setup. [F3] Set On Activates the autoload capability for the highlighted program entry. You are then asked for additional Autoload information. [F4] Set Off Removes the autoload designation from the highlighted program entry. [F5] Start Marks the highlighted program entry as the last program to be loaded using Autoload. This leaves control within the selected program rather than returning to the Back & Forth Active program list. [F10] Quit Exits the Autoload setup and returns to the Setup menu. Cursor Keys Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor keys to scroll the selection bar through the list of defined programs. The [PgUp] and [PgDn] keys move up or down 11 entries in the list. The [Home] and [End] keys move to the first or last entry in the list. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 19 ______________________________________________________________________________ Selecting a Move the selection bar to highlight the program to be Task for automatically loaded and press either [Enter] or [F3] Set On. Autoloading When selected, a menu is opened in the center of the screen identifying three entries. These are: Task description Describes the highlighted program entry in the Program list. This field is not editable from the Autoload setup. Action type Allows you to select the action used to determine the end of program loading. The options are: Wait for keyboard request and Time countdown. The "Wait for keyboard request" option waits for the program to request a key before loading the next program. Most programs can be loaded using this method since they do not request a key from the keyboard until they are completely loaded, but this may not always be the case. This method is faster since it is based on the actual amount of time needed to load the program rather than your best guess. The "Time countdown" option waits a specified number of seconds before loading the next program in the Autoload list. This should be timed carefully, so that the computer is not left waiting too long but, at the same time, leaving some leeway to allow for deviations in load time due to changes in data file size, etc. We recommend that you first try loading your programs with this option set to "Wait for keyboard request". If a program does not load completely, switch to "Time countdown". Press the [Space] key to toggle between these two values. Time to wait: Designates the number of seconds needed to load a program when "Time countdown" is used. To determine the amount of time needed, we recommend that you load the program while our clock is displayed on the screen. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move to the field to be edited. Press [F9] to save the changes and exit this window, press [F10] to exit without saving the changes. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 20 ______________________________________________________________________________ Back & Print The Back & Print setup menu contains the settings used to Setup control the operation of the printer redirection utility included with Back & Forth. This menu lets you select where printer output is directed, the port to be trapped, the throughput speed, the amount of time to wait for error recovery, removal of the high bit, the file used to capture the printer output, and the three print buffer hot keys. Mode of Chooses the destination of output printed once operation Back & Print is activated via the Back & Print hot key. The options are: Straight to printer, Print buffer, Redirect to file, or Bit bucket. The Straight to printer option does not affect the operation of the printer. This should be used when printing to printers that have no hardware buffer or when printing long graphics files using downloadable fonts, like that produced by desktop publishers. The print buffer option uses EMS/XMS memory set aside within the Swap drive setup to buffer output destined for the printer. This reduces the amount of time the system is tied up waiting to finish printing. The Redirect to file option sends the output to a file instead of the printer. This file can later be edited or printed using a print utility. The last option, Bit bucket, discards the output being sent to the printer. This is useful when a program has an automatic print command or when printing is inconvenient. Press the [Left] or [Right] key until the desired setting is shown. Printer port Picks the parallel port used by the program as a destination for the printed output. Select either LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3. Use the [Left] or [Right] cursor key to scroll the entries until the desired one is shown. Throughput Measures the speed in which output is fed to the printer from the buffer. This is measured in multiples of 18 characters/second. If set too high, printing may slow down because not enough time is given to the program; if set too slow, the printer will not make optimal use of its time. On 8088 machines, set this to 54-100, on 80286s, set to 100-200, on 80386s, set to 200-300, on 80486s, set to 300-400. Use the increase and decrease hot keys to fine tune the print speed. Once you are finished printing, return to the [F7] Setup menu to save the final throughput setting. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 21 ______________________________________________________________________________ Wait time on Designates the number of seconds (1-9) that errors Back & Print will wait when a print error occurs before aborting print. Strip 8th bit Sets whether the 8th (or high) bit is stripped from printed output. The 8th bit represents the 127th - 255th part of the ASCII character code and is often seen in program output where control characters are used to format text. A notable example is the text of WordStar files. Redirection Names the file used to store print output when filename the operation mode is set to Redirect to File. This file contains exactly what is sent to the printer. In the case of more sophisticated printers (i.e. laser printers), this output may not appear the way you expect it to. Back & Print Sets the hot key used to activate/deactivate hot key Back & Print. Once pressed, any output sent to the printer is processed by using the options set within this menu. The default hot key is [Alt][Bksp]. Increase print Selects the hot key used to increase throughput speed key without having to stop printing and return to Back & Forth to reset the Throughput value. The default hot key is set to [Alt][+]. Decrease print Chooses the hot key used to decrease throughput speed key without having to stop printing and return to Back & Forth to reset the Throughput value. The default key is set to [Alt][-]. To move the cursor to a field within this menu, use the [Up] or [Down] cursor keys. Use the [Left] or [Right] cursor keys to change the menu setting. Press [F9] to save the changes made to this menu, press [F10] to return to the Setup menu without saving. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 22 ______________________________________________________________________________ Color Setup The Color setup contains the color options of Back & Forth. Several preset color combinations have been included for you to choose from, or you may create your own color scheme. Color Setup When the Color option is selected from the Setup menu, a menu Menu is pulled down containing the following options: A Customize colors Lets you select your own set of colors to be used to display Back & Forth. B Black & white Sets the mode to black and white for computers having composite monitors or liquid crystal displays. C Blue & cyan set Selects the blue and cyan color set. The main background color is blue with text in cyan and white and the menus are cyan background with blue text. D Black & blue set Selects the black and blue color scheme. The main background color is black with text in cyan and white and the menus are blue background with cyan text. E Black & green set Selects the black and green color scheme. The main background color is black with text in green and yellow and the menus are blue background with green text. F White & black set Selects the white and black color scheme. The main background color is white with text in black and blue and the menus are cyan background with black text. To select, use the [Up] and [Down] cursor keys to move the highlighted selection bar to the desired option and press [Enter], or press the label letter. To exit this menu and return to the Setup menu, press [Esc]. Customize When [A] is selected, the screen is redrawn showing a menu on Colors the left side breaking down the screen regions of Back & Forth. On the right, a sample Back & Forth screen is shown. This is provided to help you in deciding not only what each named region and text type is, but also what colors would look best there. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 23 ______________________________________________________________________________ Color Regions The menu options shown below select the screen region whose colors are to be changed. Application screen Selects the main Back & Forth screen. Error colors Selects the error window. This window is popped up when an error is detected. Function key colors Selects the function keys shown at the bottom of the screen. Help colors Selects the help information window. Input colors Selects the input menus, which are used to gather information. An example is the Edit Program definition window. Menu colors Selects the menu colors used with the Setup menu and its sub-menus. Pop-up colors Selects the pop-up menus, which are used to list options for selection. An example is the Setup option Program list. Verify colors Selects the verify windows. These are the Yes/No windows, like the Setup Save and Setup Quit windows. Restore original Restores the colors found in the Back & colors Forth configuration file, before the latest changes had been made. Quit,don't save Exits the Customize color setup without changes saving the changed color settings. Save changes and Saves the colors settings and returns to exit the Setup menu. You must use the Setup menu Save command to permanently save the color settings to the BFVARS file. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move the selection bar to highlight the desired option and press [Enter] to select, or press the first letter of the menu option. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 24 ______________________________________________________________________________ Region Items When a screen region is selected, a list of up to four items are shown describing the different parts of the region. Each region has slightly different items. The following list shows the color region and the selectable items that it contains. Application screen Border, Normal Text, Selected Item, Title & Prompts Error colors Border, Message Text, Title Function key color Function key number, Name of command Help window Border, Index, Normal text, Title Input colors Border, Prompt text, Response text, Title & instructions Menu colors Border, First letter, Normal & unavailable, Selected item Pop-up colors Border, Normal & unavailable, Selected item, Title & first letter Verify colors Border, Prompt text, Selected item, Title & first letter Use the [Up] and [Down] cursor keys to move the selection bar to highlight the desired option in the displayed menu and press [Enter], or press the first letter of the option. Press [F10] to exit and return to the color setup menu. The Color Once one of the above specific screen items is selected, a menu Palette is displayed on the left side of the screen showing the 128 color options available. These show the various color combinations produced when mixing the eight possible background colors with the sixteen foreground colors. Use the [Up], [Left], [Right], and [Down] cursor keys to move the selection bar around the palette until the correct color is outlined. At the same time, the sample Back & Forth screen on the right shows you an approximation of what that item in the actual Back & Forth program would look like. Once the color is set, press [Enter]. You are then returned to the region item menu. Exiting the Once all of the color regions and their items have been Customize customized to your liking, press [S] to save the changes made Command and return to the [F7] Setup menu. If you would prefer to restore the colors to those shown before you began customizing the color set, press [R]. Press [Q] to return to the Setup menu without saving the color changes made. Saving the Once you have returned to the [F7] Setup menu, you must use the Color Set Save command to save the color scheme to the Back & Forth configuration file. If you do not save the changes to the configuration file, they are abandoned. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 25 ______________________________________________________________________________ Hot Key Setup The Hot key setup menu lets you select the combination of keys used to invoke the Cut command, Paste command, Cut & Paste menu, clock, Hercules video display, next and previous tasks in the Active Program List, and the Back & Forth main screen. For example, while within a program, to return to the Back & Forth main screen using its default hot key setting, press the [Alt], the [Ctrl], and the [Space] keys simultaneously. Before continuing, make sure that the hot key combinations to be set do not conflict with the commands of programs that you normally use. If a hot key is set to the same key combination as a command of a program run from Back & Forth, that command is deactivated in favor of the hot key. Hot Key Menu When pressed, a menu is displayed listing the following general Back & Forth program hot keys with their default settings. Back & Forth super key [Alt][Ctrl][LShift] Back & Forth menu key [Alt][Ctrl][Space] Cut & Paste menu key [Alt][LShift][C] Cut command key [Alt][Ctrl][C] Paste command key [Alt][Ctrl][P] Clock toggle key [Alt][LShift][\] Next task [Ctrl][Down] Previous task [Ctrl][Up] Hercules text key [Alt][Ctrl][T] Hercules video page 0 [Alt][Ctrl][0] Hercules video page 1 [Alt][Ctrl][1] Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move the selection bar to highlight the hot key to be changed and press either [Enter] or [F7] to open the hot key selection window. Press [F10] to exit this menu. B&F Super Key If the Back & Forth super hot key entry is selected from the above menu, you are shown a short list of possible key combinations. The super hot key is used to pop back when the program, like XYWrite, intercepts all key input. The available keys are: [Alt][Ctrl] [Alt][LShift] [Alt][RShift] [Ctrl][LShift] [Ctrl][RShift] [Alt][Ctrl][LShift] [Alt][Ctrl][RShift] [Alt][Ctrl][LShift][RShift] Back & Forth version 1.70 page 26 ______________________________________________________________________________ Hot Key When one of the other hot keys is selected from the menu, you Selection are asked to choose the key combination to be used as its hot key. Select either [Alt], [Ctrl], or both along with one alphanumeric or function key. The [LShift] and/or [RShift] keys may also be used as hot key flags. For example, to select [Alt][Ctrl][F10] as the Back & Forth hot key, at the hot key prompt press the [Alt] key, the [Ctrl] key, and the [F10] key simultaneously. The names of these keys should be shown within the prompt box as they are pressed. Each hot key is key specific. What this means is that if you use the [Shift] key found on the left side of your keyboard with the [Alt] key and the [1] key found on the number keypad, these are the only keys that can be used to invoke the hot key command. [F7] Hot Key To display a list of all hot keys already assigned to Back & List Forth, its commands, and defined programs, press the [F7] key found on the numeric keypad. [F9] Save Hot Once the desired hot key has been selected, press [F9] to save. Key Press [F10] to exit the hot key screen without changing the set hot key. When you exit the Hotkey setup option, remember to use the [F7] Setup menu Save command to save all changes. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 27 ______________________________________________________________________________ Keyboard The Keyboard setup contains the keyboard configuration options Setup of Back & Forth. Keyboard Menu When the Keyboard setup is selected, the following options are displayed. Buffer When On, expands the size of the keyboard buffer to 128 characters. The keyboard buffer is the storage area used to store the keys typed ahead of the computer response. For example, when you type DIR then type another command like COPY, the COPY command is stored in the keyboard buffer until the DIR command finishes listing to the screen. Click When On, activates a key click, which sounds each time a key is pressed. Fastkey When On, speeds up key entry. When the keyboard buffer is filled, the acceptance of key entry is halted until it empties. Delay Sets the time interval used to control repeating keystrokes. This determines how long a key must be held down before it begins typing the repeating character. Repeat Sets the repeating character rate used to control the number of repeating characters allowed per second. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move to the option to be selected or press the highlighted letter. Press [F9] to save the changes and exit this window, press [F10] to exit without saving the changes. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 28 ______________________________________________________________________________ Mouse Setup The Mouse support toggle allows you to set whether a Microsoft compatible mouse is available for use on your system. If toggled On, a checkmark appears to the left of the Mouse entry in the Setup menu. All screens will then show a block mouse cursor along with the highlighted selection bar. Moving the mouse cursor to any command shown on the screen and pressing the [Right] mouse button selects that command. To toggle this option, move the selection bar to highlight the Mouse entry and press [Enter]. If no mouse is detected, this option is not shown within the Setup menu. Using a Mouse For those of you with mice scampering around on your desks, with Back & Back & Forth may be set up to run with a Microsoft compatible Forth mouse. When a mouse is used with Back & Forth, a separate blinking block mouse cursor is shown on the screen. With it, you may move to and select any option shown on the screen including function key commands, program list entries, and Setup menu options. To select an item, position the mouse cursor within the desired command and press the [Left] mouse button. To exit a menu, press the [Right] mouse button. A scroll bar is shown on most Back & Forth windows for use in positioning the selection bar on the screen with the mouse. This vertical bar is found on the far right side of the screen with up and down arrows located at each end. When the mouse cursor is moved to one of these arrows, the selection bar highlights the previous or next entry in the active window. Moving the mouse cursor to a location within the scroll bar and pressing the [Left] mouse button moves the selection bar to highlight the entry at that relative position within the window. To use a mouse, the mouse driver must be installed on your system before B&F is run. This driver should be placed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS for automatic installation. Consult your mouse documentation for more information. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 29 ______________________________________________________________________________ Options Setup The Options setup contains the miscellaneous Back & Forth operation toggles. Options Menu When the Options menu is chosen, the following selections are shown. Boot watch Deactivates the [Ctrl][Alt][Del] DOS reboot command, if toggled On. Fillchar Sets the character used to fill in the background of the Back & Forth screens. When chosen, the 254 ASCII characters available are shown. Use [Left], [Up], [Down], [Right] to move the cursor to highlight the character and press [F9] to accept. Lines Determines the number of text lines shown within Back & Forth. If an EGA video card is detected in your system, you may choose either 25 or 43 line mode. If a VGA card is detected, you may choose either 25 or 50 line mode. If UltraVision is detected, a list of all 80 column screen mode settings for your video card is shown. Programs run from Back & Forth are not affected by this display mode. sNow checking Toggles screen snow checking On or Off. This option is only shown when a CGA video system is detected. "Snow" is the flickering seen when the screen is redrawn by a program. Screen blank Sets the number of minutes between the last keystroke entered and the blanking of the screen. The contents of the screen are not affected. To redisplay the screen after it has been blanked, press any key on the keyboard. Blanking the screen after several minutes of inactivity prevents monitor burn-in. Set this to 0 to deactivate the screen blank function. Use [Up] or [Down] to move to the option to be selected or press the highlighted letter. Press [F9] to save the changes and exit this window, press [F10] to exit without saving the changes. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 30 ______________________________________________________________________________ Program Setup The Program Setup option is used to define the programs listed under the Program List. Up to 50 tasks may be defined. When selected, a program list naming all defined programs is shown. Programs to Some programs should not be run from within Back & Forth, be Cautious others require special treatment. These categories are listed Of below. Disk cache program and programs that optimize, edit, check, or diagnose disks should not be run within Back & Forth. Many programs open temporary disk files without properly allocating them at the DOS level. By deleting or moving these files, precious data may be corrupted or lost. Asynchronous communications software can only be used while it is on-screen and in memory. Once the program is swapped out of memory, it is deactivated and disconnected. Programs that intercept all keystrokes may be run, but they will intercept all hot keys. To return to B&F, either exit the program or use the B&F super key, [Alt][Ctrl][LShift]. Programs that directly change EGA video settings may cause garbled screens. Try to avoid this problem by setting the program to a standard text format before switching partitions or by redrawing the screen. Memory resident programs (TSRs) may be run from within Back & Forth as long as they are set to stay at DOS when done. Cursor Keys Use the [Up] and [Down] cursor keys to scroll the selection bar through the list of defined programs. The [PgUp] and [PgDn] keys move up or down 11 entries in the list. The [Home] and [End] keys move to the first or last entry in the list. Function Key The function keys shown at the bottom of the screen contain the Commands commands available under the Program Setup. [F1] Help Presents help describing the Program Setup. [F2] Add Adds a new program to the list. [F3] Copy Copies the highlighted program entry to a new program entry. This is useful when you have to define several entries using the same program. [F4] Delete Deletes the highlighted program entry. [F5] Move Moves the highlighted program entry to another selected position in the Program List. [F8] Sort Sorts the program entries in the Program List by program description, hot key, or ID. [F7] Edit Edits the highlighted program entry. [F10] Quit Exits and returns to the Setup menu. Edit Program Once [F2] Add or [F7] Edit is selected, the screen is again Entry cleared and a window is displayed on the screen showing the program information window. If [F7] was selected, the information shown is that of the program highlighted in the Program setup list, if [F2] was selected, the program information is blank. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 31 ______________________________________________________________________________ Entry Fields A description of the Program entry fields is provided below. Task description Describes the program in the Program list. This field is 20 characters long. ID Designates a 2 character identification code used to run this program from the Program list. This ID may also be used to switch between partitions via the SWITCH program. SWITCH is described within Section 5. Memory needed Defines the amount of memory needed by the program to run. If left at 0, the program is allocated the maximum partition size. Environment size Sets the amount of extra space allocated for the COMMAND.COM. When set to 0, the default DOS amount is used. If the program being defined sets any DOS variables, this value should be set to 1024. Partition type Determines the type of task. The options are: Program, Program without Comspec, DOS partition, and Special TSR. When set to "Program", the program defined is run after a second copy of COMMAND.COM or 4DOS.COM is loaded. Batch files must be run using this option. The "Program without Comspec" option does not load COMMAND.COM or 4DOS.COM before the program is run. This should be used when more memory is needed, especially when 4DOS is used as the command processor. The "DOS partition" option opens a DOS environment where any program can be run. The "Special TSR" option should only be used when running TSRs that require a program to be run within them (like Sidekick Plus). This option loads the defined TSR then runs a dummy program. DOS command Identifies the program entry as a DOS or 4DOS command when set to Yes. Use [Left] or [Right] to select between Yes or No. DOS commands include COPY, DIR, DEL, CHDIR, but do not include FORMAT, DISKCOPY, or CHKDSK. Program path Locates the directory where the program can be found. The field is 57 characters long. Either type in the entire path at this prompt or press [F7] to use the directory tree. If the tree is used, move the selection bar to highlight the directory and press [Enter]. To change disks while using the tree, press [F8] and select the drive letter. If defining a DOS command, leave this path blank. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 32 ______________________________________________________________________________ Program name Identifies the program to be run. Executable files end with the extension EXE, COM, or BAT. Either enter the file name at this prompt or press [F7] to select from a list of executable files found within the Program path. If using the file list, move the selection bar to highlight the file and press [Enter]. If the program is not shown in this list, change the program path. Work path Names the directory holding the data files of the program. This field is 57 characters long. Some programs must be run from their program directories; for these tasks, leave this field blank. To name a work path, either enter the entire path at this prompt or press [F7] to use the directory tree. If the tree is used, move the selection bar to highlight the directory and press [Enter].To change disks within the tree window, press [F8] and select the drive letter. Fixed options Accepts information usually entered with the program name when the program is run. This field is 57 characters long. For example, to define the DOS FORMAT program to format a 3½ inch, 720k diskette located in drive A:, the fixed options should be set to: A: /n:9 /t:80 Ask for options When On, prompts each time the program is run for additional program information. Use the [Left] or [Right] key to select Yes/No. Custom prompt When "Ask for Options" is On, this is the prompt shown when the program is selected for execution. This should be used to describe the command line information needed by the program. The field is 57 characters long. Action when done Establishes what happens after the program is exited. The options are: Return, Pause, or Stay at DOS. "Return" returns to Back & Forth once the program is exited. "Pause" returns to B&F after a key is pressed, letting you see the screen produced when the program is exited. "Stay at DOS" is used to run TSRs that exit to a DOS prompt after installing themselves in memory. Use [Left] or [Right] to set this option. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 33 ______________________________________________________________________________ Compress Sets whether graphics screens are compressed graphics screens when the program is swapped from memory. This takes longer than saving the uncompressed file to disk. Set this to Yes when the program uses high resolution graphics modes and when the amount of swap space used is important. Set this to No if the program does not go into graphics mode or if a lower resolution graphics mode is used. This is a tradeoff between disk space and time; when set to Yes the amount of time needed to swap the program in and out of memory is greater but 1/10th of the swap space is used. Hot key Designates the hot key used to jump to and run this program. Press [F7] to show the hot key prompt and press the key combination to be assigned as the program hot key. The hot key must be a combination of one or more key flags [Alt], [LShift], [RShift], [Ctrl] combined with an alphanumeric or function key. To list all hot keys already assigned to other programs or Back & Forth commands, press [F7]. Press [F9] to set the program hot key, press [F10] to return to the program edit window without setting the hot key. UV mode Presets an UltraVision video display mode. This is only shown if UltraVision has been loaded into memory before Back & Forth. If shown, pressing [F7] lists all possible UltraVision text display modes. Use the [Up] and [Down] cursor keys to move to the desired setting and press [Enter] to set. The default setting is 80x25. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move to the field to be edited. Use the [Left] or [Right] cursor key to move the cursor within the field. Press the [Ins] key to switch the text entry mode between Insert (small block cursor) and Overwrite (underline cursor). Press [F9] to save the changes and exit this window, press [F10] to exit without saving. Function Key The function keys shown at the bottom of the Add or Edit Commands Program entry window are as follows: [F1] Help Displays help information describing the Add/Edit Program Entry window. [F9] Accept Saves the defined program entry and returns to the Program list window. [F10] Cancel Exits the Add/Edit Program entry window and returns to the Program list without saving the changes made. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 34 ______________________________________________________________________________ Time Setup The Time setup option presents a menu listing the available clock display options for use within the programs run within Back & Forth. The clock, if turned On, is shown in the designated format at the selected spot on the screen of each program run within Back & Forth. Time Menu When the Time option is selected from the [F7] Setup menu, the following items are displayed within a sub-menu. Don't display time Turns off the clock displayed in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. AM/PM clock display Displays a clock showing the hour and minutes based on the 12 hour, AM/PM system. This appears in the top, right corner of your program screens. Military (24 hour) Displays a clock showing the hour and clock display minutes based on the 24 hour system. This appears in the top, right corner of your program screens. Seconds clock display Adds a seconds display when either the (use with A & M) AM/PM or military clock is selected. This is not available when the "Don't display time" option is toggled. Row Sets the row where the clock is shown within each partition. Col Sets the column where the clock is placed on the screen within each partition. If the column value entered is greater than can be correctly displayed, it is adjusted to fit on the screen, ending in column 80. cLock colors Sets the color of the clock shown on the screen within each partition. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move the selection bar to highlight the option to be selected or press the first letter. Press [F9] to save the changes and exit this window, press [F10] to exit without saving the changes. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 35 ______________________________________________________________________________ Save Setup The Save command saves the information set within the Setup Information menu to the Back & Forth configuration file. When selected, you are prompted by a confirmation window. Press [Y] to save the information to disk, press [N] to return to the Setup menu. Quit Setup The Quit command exits the Setup menu without saving any of the Menu changes made while within this menu. When selected, you are prompted by a confirmation window. Press [Y] to exit without saving the changes, press [N] to return to the Setup menu. Once you select [Y], all changes made within this menu are lost and the previous settings are restored. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 36 ______________________________________________________________________________ Section 4: Running Back & Forth Using Back & This section assumes that you have run Back & Forth at least Forth once, at which time you had set up the swap drives to be used and had used the [F7] Setup menu to define a list of programs to be run, Autoload sequence, color scheme, hot keys, and other settings. If you have not, please refer to Section 2: Installing Back & Forth and Section 3: Setting Up Back & Forth. Back & Forth is a task switching program which lets you open and switch between as many as 20 different programs. Switching between tasks is easy, either use the hot keys, the ID codes, or the Program list. You can move "back & forth" between programs smoothly and efficiently without the inconvenience of exiting one program when you need to use another. When Back & Forth is loaded into conventional memory, using B&F.BAT, only 15-22k of system memory is occupied. Using B&FHI.BAT to load Back & Forth into high memory requires only 1k of system memory. If the high memory loader included with Back & Forth is used, upon exiting Back & Forth, all high memory used by B&F and programs run within B&F is released. B&F Command Several command line options are provided to make executing Line Options Back & Forth easier and more flexible. These options let you bypass the Swap drive setup menu, use multiple B&F data files, run a reduced memory version of B&F, and specify network users. The GO Option The "GO" command line option bypasses the Swap drive setup, moving you directly into the main Back & Forth screen. If you need to reset any of the swap settings, do not use the "GO" option. To bypass the Swap drive setup, type the following: B&F GO (or) B&FHI GO The FILE To run Back & Forth using a different Back & Forth data file Option (for instance MYVARS), type the following: B&F FILE:MYVARS (or) B&FHI FILE:MYVARS The LITE A separate version of Back & Forth has been provided for those Option of you who have no need for the print buffer, clock, automatic program loading, screen blanker, keyboard buffer, key click, and [Ctrl][Alt][Del] restriction. Removing these features reduces the amount of memory Back & Forth needs by 5k. To execute this version of Back & Forth, use the following command line option with the B&F.BAT or B&FHI.BAT. B&F LITE (or) B&FHI LITE The USER Back & Forth was written to function as a single-user task Option switching environment. To use Back & Forth on a network, a unique Back & Forth data file must be configured for each user. This file contains the swap area settings, the program list, and other Setup options. The "USER" option is used to identify each user and his or her data file when Back & Forth is loaded. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 37 ______________________________________________________________________________ Assign each user a unique number between 1-999. For instance, to run Back & Forth using the fifth user's data file. B&F USER:5 (or) B&FHI USER:5 For more information about setting up and running B&F on a network, consult Appendix E: Network Installation and Use. Note If multiple users will be using Back & Forth on a network, a special network version must be purchased for each file server. Otherwise, each user will have to suffer through the shareware notices and swap space limitations. Autoloading If programs had been selected for automatic loading within the Programs into [F7] Setup menu Autoload option, once Back & Forth is active, Back & Forth those programs are loaded. The amount of time required to load each task depends upon the method chosen to end program loading. If Back & Forth does not completely load a program within the Autoload list, use the [F7] Setup menu Autoload option to either change the load method to "Time countdown" or increment the number of seconds needed to load the program. The program is not affected by the interrupted load process, when you switch back to that partition, it will finish loading and be ready to run. The Back & The following is a representation of the Back & Forth screen Forth Screen with a list of sample programs. This screen is composed of four distinct parts. The date, time, and program serial number are shown at the top of the screen; the function keys are shown at the bottom. The rest of the screen is devoted to the two program lists. Active The Active Program List identifies all active programs open Program List within Back & Forth. Up to 20 tasks may be open at once. Programs are "active" when they have been run within Back & Forth and have not been exited and removed from memory. When no tasks have been opened, a message is shown stating "No tasks are active". Program List The Program List window names all programs defined for use within Back & Forth, the estimated amount of memory and swap space needed by the program to run, the program ID code, and its hot key. Press the [Tab] key to move the selection bar into the Program List from the Active Program List. If the program you wish to run is not shown within this list, you must either run the program from an established DOS partition or use the [F7] Setup command to select the Program setup option to define the program entry. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 38 ______________________________________________________________________________ Program List At the bottom of the current program list (the one with the Commands selection bar), the following commands are shown. Quick Run Allows the entrance of a 2 character ID code used to jump to & run a program. This code is shown on the right side of the Program list. [Tab] Change Moves the selection bar between the Active windows Program List and the Program List [Down][Up] Move Moves the selection bar to highlight the bar next or previous entry in the list. [Enter] Open Runs the highlighted program entry as configured. The [Ins] key may also be used. [Del] Close Removes the highlighted task. Do not use this as a replacement of the program's exit command. Instead, use this to close memory resident programs, DOS partitions, programs with no means to exit, or "locked" programs. This is shown only within the Active List. Types of When a task was defined, it may have been set up as a program, Programs DOS partition, or Special TSR. If a task defined as a program entry is picked, Back & Forth executes the program defined within the Program Setup; whereas if a task set up as a DOS partition is chosen, a DOS environment is created where any program or DOS command can be run. If the task configured as a Special TSR is selected, the program defined within the Program Setup is run followed by a special dummy program. This dummy program stabilizes some TSRs, like Sidekick Plus, that require a program to be run after them before they allow the system to be switched from. Program entries provide quick, easy execution of commonly used programs set up within Back & Forth, Special TSRs take care of special cases of TSR programs, and DOS partitions allow flexible access to a DOS prompt for execution of random programs, utilities, and DOS commands. Command Line Some programs require user input before they can be run. For Options instance, to format a 3½ inch 720k diskette, select the 'Format disk' option from the sample B&F screen with the following command line information B: /t:80 /n:9. When a program requiring user input is selected from the Program List, a prompt is shown asking for this information. Running a To run a task from the Program list, move the selection bar Program into the Program List by pressing the [Tab] key, if necessary, use the [Up] or [Down] cursor keys to move the selection bar to highlight the desired task, then press [Enter] or [Ins]. You can also run a program by typing its two character program ID or by pressing its hot key. If the program needs user input, you are prompted for it as explained above. Back & Forth then runs the program. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 39 ______________________________________________________________________________ While within the programs, several Back & Forth features are available. These include: cut & paste, screen clock, and a command stack for use within a DOS partition. The command stack and Cut & Paste are described in the following section. Switching Back & Forth may be used to open up to 20 tasks in memory at Between Open once. To switch between tasks, either use the Back & Forth hot Tasks key to return to the Active Program List to select a program, or use the hot keys assigned to each program to open and switch between them at will. To switch from one program to another, press the program's hot key. Hot keys are assigned to programs when they are defined within the Program Setup, and are shown on the right side of the Program List. Pressing the hot key assigned to an open program swaps the current program out of memory to disk and swaps the program identified by the hot key into memory, restoring it to the state that it was in before it has been swapped out. Switching To pop-back to Back & Forth, press the Back & Forth hot key. Back to This is set within the [F7] Setup menu. To use the default Back Back & Forth & Forth hot key to pop back to Back & Forth from a running program, press [Alt], [Ctrl], and [Space] keys simultaneously. When you exit a program, you are returned to the Back & Forth Active Program List. From here you may return to another open program within this list or you may use the Program List to select other programs for execution. Caution! Do not pop-back while a program is writing to disk or while a communications program is connected to another system. When a program is swapped out of memory, it ceases execution until recalled to the screen. One other caveat, do not use disk modification programs while Back & Forth is open and other tasks are in memory. Many programs create temporary files while open which are deleted when the programs are exited normally. These files could be altered, truncated, or removed by programs like disk optimizers or CHKDSK /F. Using one of these programs may result in loss of data or a program "lock up". The Function The following function key commands are shown at the bottom of Keys the Back & Forth screen. [F1] Help Shows help information for Back & Forth. [F5] MemUse Summarizes the memory and swap space use. [F7] Setup Displays the Back & Forth Setup menu. This contains the program definition option, autoload list, color setup, Back & Print setup, mouse toggle, Back & Forth hot key selection, etc. This is covered within Section 3. [F10] ExitBF Removes all programs run from Back & Forth from memory and exits Back & Forth. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 40 ______________________________________________________________________________ Cursor Keys Use the cursor keys to move the selection bar to highlight the desired item. Press [Enter] to make a selection. Using a Mouse For those of you with mice scampering around on your desks, with Back & Back & Forth may be set up to run with a Microsoft compatible Forth mouse. When a mouse is used with Back & Forth, a separate blinking block mouse cursor is shown on the screen. With it, you may move to and select any option shown on the screen including function key commands and program list entries. To select an item, put the mouse cursor on the desired command and press the [Left] mouse button. A scroll bar is shown on most Back & Forth windows for use in positioning the selection bar on the screen with the mouse. This vertical bar is found on the far right side of the screen with up and down arrows located at each end. When the mouse cursor is moved to one of these arrows, the selection bar highlights the previous or next entry in the active window. Moving the mouse cursor to a location within the scroll bar and pressing the [Left] mouse button moves the selection bar to highlight the entry at that relative position within the window. To use a mouse, the mouse driver must be installed on your system before Back & Forth is run. This driver should be placed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS for automatic installation. Consult your mouse documentation for more information. The mouse support toggle is located within the [F7] Setup menu. [F1] Help The [F1] Help key displays information describing the use of selected Back & Forth options. The screen is divided into two parts. The left side lists all help topics. The right side shows the information available for the highlighted topic. The help text is a compilation of the contents of this manual. To change the help index, use the [Up], [Down], [PgUp], [PgDn], [Home], or [End] cursor keys. Pressing one of these moves the highlighted index selection bar. Press [Enter] to display the help information for the highlighted index. To scroll the help text one line at a time, use the [+] or [-] keys. Use the [Ctrl][PgDn] or [Ctrl][PgUp] keys to show the next or previous pages of the text. When you have finished reading this information, press [Esc] to exit Help. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 41 ______________________________________________________________________________ [F5] Memory The Memory Usage summary details the maximum amount of memory Usage that can be allocated to a single partition, the total amount of swap space allocated within the Swap drive setup, and the amount of swap memory left over after opening the tasks shown in the Active Program list. The amount of memory available for a single partition is based on the amount of memory installed in your computer, the version of DOS being executed, the device drivers and programs run before Back & Forth, and the amount of memory Back & Forth itself requires (approximately 15-22k if not loaded into high memory, 1k if loaded high). Back & Forth occupies about 168k of the allocated swap space, the rest is used by the open tasks. Swap space is allocated when Back & Forth is first executed, thus ensuring that enough is available to run any desired tasks. These swap files are removed from the disk when Back & Forth is exited. To change the amount of allocated swap space, exit and execute Back & Forth without the "GO" option to modify the Swap drive setup values. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 42 ______________________________________________________________________________ [F7] Setup The Setup menu contains the information required to set up and Menu smoothly execute Back & Forth. These options are documented within Section 3. When [F7] is pressed, the following options are shown: Autoload Specifies the programs run automatically when Back & Forth is loaded. Color Contains the color setup of Back & Forth. Select from five preset color combinations or customize your own set of colors. Hotkey Sets the hot keys used within Back & Forth including the Cut & Paste keys, Hercules keys, the clock toggle, and Back & Forth hot key. Keyboard Chooses keyboard options provided within Back & Forth. These options include: key click and keyboard speed-up mode. Mouse Activates/deactivates mouse support. This option is not shown if a Microsoft compatible mouse is not detected. When a checkmark is shown to the left of this entry, mouse mode is On. Press [Enter] to toggle this option. Options Shows a menu listing miscellaneous toggles. These include: background character selection, [Ctrl][Alt][Del] reboot restriction, CGA snow checking, and screen blank timer. Program Opens the Program editor, where programs are defined for listing within the Program List. Time Shows a menu listing the clock settings. Save Saves the above settings to the BFVARS file. Quit Exits the Setup menu without saving the changes made within this menu. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor keys to move the selection bar to highlight the menu option and press [Enter], or press the first letter. To save changes made within this menu,press [F9] or [S] Back & Forth version 1.70 page 43 ______________________________________________________________________________ [F10] Exit To exit Back & Forth, first remove all programs active in Back & Forth memory. To do this, move the selection bar to highlight each program entry within the Active Program List and press [Enter]. Once within that program, save any open data files and use the program's Exit command to remove the program from memory naturally. If the highlighted task is a DOS partition, type 'EXIT' at the DOS prompt. Once the program has been exited, control is returned to the Active Program List. Continue this procedure until the Active Program List shows the message "No tasks are active". Now press the [F10] ExitBF key. If all tasks have been closed as recommended above, the swap files are deleted, Back & Forth is removed from memory, and the program is exited. If any tasks are still open when the [F10] key is pressed (either because of accidental oversight or because the program is unwilling to relinquish memory), you are then prompted to verify whether you wish for all open programs to be forcibly removed. Press [Y] to exit Back & Forth and remove all programs, press [N] to remain within Back & Forth. You should make every attempt to exit all open programs naturally so that you can ensure that all data files are properly closed and all temporary files are correctly handled. Caution! If all open programs are not exited normally, i.e. via their own exit command, all data files may not be updated and closed, and temporary files may still exist on the disk. If this occurs, upon running CHKDSK /F or other disk checking software, you may find a number of lost clusters or unidentified program swap files. Do not turn off your computer before exiting Back & Forth. If Back & Forth is not exited normally, i.e. via the [F10] ExitBF key, not only may lost clusters occur but also its swap files will still occupy space on your disk. The On/Off power switch is not a viable alternative to the [F10] ExitBF command. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 44 ______________________________________________________________________________ Section 5: Back & Forth Commands Overview Several commands are available for use while running programs or DOS environments within Back & Forth. These commands let you save and re-use commands issued from the DOS prompt, cut and paste selected text from one program to another, and turn off the screen when you leave your computer idle. A separate program, SWITCH.COM, has been furnished to aid in switching to Back & Forth or to another task from the command line. The command stack may only be used while running a DOS partition within Back & Forth whereas the Cut & Paste option is available to any text-based program run from within Back & Forth. At this time, no provision has been made to allow the cutting or pasting of graphic screen elements. The hot keys assigned to the Cut & Paste command are set within the [F7] Setup menu Hotkey option. The ID characters used by SWITCH.COM to switch directly to a program are defined within the [F7] Setup menu Program setup. Screen Blank To blank the screen, press the [5] key located on your numeric keypad while the [Num Lock] key is off. This blanks your screen immediately until a key is pressed. Any key can be used to turn the screen back on, we recommend that you use the [Shift] keys. Clock Toggle You may sometimes wish to remove the clock from the screen, especially if it covers some important information on the screen. If it is inconveniently placed for many of your most-often used programs, you should change its placement on the screen by using the [F7] Setup menu Time option. But if it only interferes with a particular screen, you can simply turn it off within that task by pressing the clock toggle key. The default clock toggle hot key is set to [Alt][LShift][\]. To reset the clock toggle key to another hot key, use the [F7] Setup menu Hotkey option. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 45 ______________________________________________________________________________ The Switch The Switch program has been furnished to aid in switching to Command Back & Forth from the command line. This is useful when running certain applications which cannot be swapped out of memory directly by Back & Forth due to their own inherent limitations. It is also useful for those of you who wish to build batch files that will automatically switch to another program within Back & Forth. For programmers who wish to adapt this command for use with their own utilities, the 'C' source code file has also been provided. This code is written in Turbo-C and should be compatible with Microsoft-C and Watcom-C. Please consult the SWITCH.C file for more information. Before using for the first time, copy the SWITCH.COM file to a location along your DOS path. This allows you to use it from any directory location on your system without having to change directories back to the Back & Forth directory. To view a list of all identification codes assigned within Back & Forth, type the following at the DOS prompt: SWITCH LIST To switch to a specific program defined within the Back & Forth Program list, type SWITCH followed by the two letter identification code assigned to the program. For example, to switch to Menu Commando (Id code set to MC), type the following at the DOS prompt: SWITCH MC To switch directly back to Back & Forth, type: SWITCH MENU Back & Forth version 1.70 page 46 ______________________________________________________________________________ The Command Stack The Command stack is available when a DOS partition is opened. It is used to store and recall commands issued at the DOS prompt. This is like using the [F3] key at the DOS prompt, except the [F3] key only remembers the last command typed. Command stacks are useful when performing repetitive tasks or correcting improperly typed commands. Our command stack stores the last 512 bytes of commands issued at the DOS prompt (about 30-40 commands) in a circular buffer for re-use. If a command is entered more than once, it is only stored once. The following keys control the use of the stack. If 4DOS, PCED, CED, or ANARKEY is detected, the Back & Forth command stack is disabled. This lets you use the command stack provided by those programs. [F3] or [Up] Displays the previous command in the stack. [Down] Displays the next command in the stack. [Left] Moves the cursor one character to the left. [Right] Moves the cursor one character to the right. [Ctrl][Left] Moves the cursor to the previous word. [Ctrl][Right] Moves the cursor to the next word on the line. [Home] Moves the cursor to the beginning of the line. [End] Moves the cursor to the end of the line. [Ins] Toggles the text entry mode between Insert and Overwrite. [Del] Deletes the character at the cursor. [Ctrl][BkSp] Deletes all characters from the cursor to the first space encountered to its left. [Ctrl][T] Deletes all characters from the cursor to the next space encountered. [Ctrl][End] Deletes from the cursor to the end of the line [Esc] Deletes the contents of the entire line. [Ctrl][Enter] Runs the command without putting it in the stack. [Ctrl][R] Clears the stack of all previous entries. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 47 ______________________________________________________________________________ The Cut & The Cut & Paste command lets you pick up information shown on Paste Command the screen of one program and copy it into another program. For example, when using a word processor to type a letter, you may wish to enter the database to retrieve an address. With the Cut & Paste command, you can simply mark the beginning and end of the desired address, switch to the word processor, and press a key to insert it into the letter. The Cut option also allows you to dial a number from the screen. This is done using the Cut option to highlight the phone number to be dialed then selecting the Cut Dialer command. Three main components make up the Back & Forth Cut & Paste command. These are the Cut & Paste menu, where both its options may be set and commands may be chosen; the Cut command, selectable by pressing the Cut hot key or by using the Cut & Paste menu; and the Paste command, selectable by pressing the Paste hot key or by using the Cut & Paste menu. The Cut & Paste information is stored within a folder named CLIPBORD.###. Other folders may be used for storage & retrieval. Cut & Paste The default hot keys assigned to Back & Forth for use with the Hot Keys Cut & Paste option are as follows: Cut & Paste menu [Alt][LShift][C] Cut command [Alt][Ctrl][C] Paste command [Alt][Ctrl][P] The hot keys used by the Cut & Paste commands are set within the Back & Forth [F7] Hotkey Setup menu. To change these keys, pop-back to Back & Forth (default hot key is [Alt][Ctrl][Space]), press [F7] to enter the Setup menu, and press [H] to select Hotkey. More about hot key selection is detailed within Section 3 of the manual. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 48 ______________________________________________________________________________ Cut & Paste To display the Cut & Paste command menu, press its hot key. The Menu default key sequence is [Alt][LShift][C]. This menu contains the Cut & Paste commands along with the settings used to control each command. Cut Exits this menu and displays the program screen for cutting. Move the cursor and press [+] to mark the first character. Now move the cursor to highlight the last character to be marked and press [Enter] or [F9]. Cut may also be used to pick out and dial a number from the screen. Dialer Configures the dialer settings, including the baud rate, the dial mode, the communications port, and the three phone codes. Edit Displays and allows you to edit the contents of the default folder (selected within the Folder option). This editor allows you to imbed special keyboard commands into the text which are invoked when the text is pasted. Folder Lists all available keystroke folders. Keystroke folders are used by the Cut & Paste commands for storage and retrieval of text. CLIPBORD.### is the default storage folder used. Manual Dials a number entered at the prompt. Options Defines the settings used to control the cut process. These include rectangular or text cut modes, end of line treatment, numbers-only cutting, and the display of the cut help window. Paste Exits this menu and moves the contents of the selected folder (default is CLIPBORD.###) into the running program at the cursor. Quit Saves the settings, exits the cut menu, and returns to the running program. Use the [Up] and [Down] cursor keys to move the selection bar to highlight the desired option and press [Enter], or press the first letter. Press [Esc] or [Q] to exit the Cut & Paste menu and return to the running program without cutting or pasting. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 49 ______________________________________________________________________________ Cut Command With the Back & Forth Cut command, it is easy to select text displayed on one screen and move it into another program. Cutting text is a multi-step process. These steps are: * Use your program to show the text to be cut on the screen. * If the cut mode, key folder, or other Cut & Paste option needs to be changed, press the Cut & Paste menu hot key (default is [Alt][LShift][C]) and press [O] to set the cut mode. The cut mode may be set to either Rectangle or Text. This is described on the preceding page. * Select the Cut command. If within the Cut & Paste menu, press [C], else if within the program, press the Cut hot key (default is [Alt][Ctrl][C]). * View the cut help window (if On) and press [Enter] to remove it from the screen. This is shown only if toggled On within the Cut & Paste Options menu and is described on the following page. * Move the cursor to the first text position to be marked and press [+]. * Move the cursor to highlight the end of the text block to be cut and press [F9] or [Enter] to mark. As the cursor is moved, the text between the marked position and the cursor is highlighted with a contrasting background color. * A menu is then shown listing the possible cut destinations. These include appending or overwriting the contents of the selected folder, creating a new file to store it, or printing it. The folder is stored for later editing and/or pasting. This menu is described in more detail following the Cut Help window. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 50 ______________________________________________________________________________ Cut Cursor Once the Cut command is selected, if the Cut help option has Key Help been toggled On within the Options menu, a window lists the cursor keys and how they can be used within the Cut command. The Cut command is selected either from the Cut & Paste menu or via the Cut hot key (default is [Alt][Ctrl][C]). [+] Marks the beginning of the cut block. [F9],[Enter] Marks the end of the block to be cut and shows the Clipboard status menu. [F10],[Esc] Aborts the cut operation and returns to the Cut & Paste menu. [Left] [Right] Moves the cursor left or right one column. [Ctrl][Left] Moves the cursor to the left or right one [Ctrl][Right] word. A word is a series of characters terminated by a space or punctuation. [Home] [End] Moves the cut cursor to the first or last column on the current row. [Up] [Down] Moves the cut cursor up or down one row. [PgUp] [PgDn] Moves the cursor to the first or last row on the screen, leaving the cursor in the same column. [Ctrl][Home] Moves the cursor to the first row and column [Ctrl][End] or the last row and column on the screen. [#] Searches for the first string of three or more digits for use in dialing. Once the desired number is highlighted, press [D] to dial. [D] Dials the number within the highlighted block of text using the modem settings chosen within the Cut & Paste menu. Press [Enter] to clear this window and display the program en. The cut cursor is then placed at the top corner. Use the keys described above to move the cursor to the first character to be marked and press [+]. Now move the cursor to the last character to be cut. As the cursor is moved, the text between the first character marked and the cursor is highlighted. Once the desired text block is highlighted, press either [Enter] or [F9] to cut. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 51 ______________________________________________________________________________ Cut Once [Enter] or [F9] is pressed, completing the marking of the Destination text, a menu is displayed listing the possible destinations for Menu use in holding the cut text. Append Places the cut text at the end of the CLIPBORD file without deleting its previous contents. This is used when cutting several blocks of related text from different screens for pasting within another program. Dial Dials the number highlighted within the cut buffer. This is the equivalent to the Cut Dial command. File Creates a new data file or overwrites the contents of an existing file for use in storing the cut block of text. This is useful when you need to store the cut block separately from other data. This file cannot be pasted directly using Back & Forth, but you probably can read its contents into a program by accessing the file by name. Overwrite Clears the contents of the CLIPBORD.### file and moves the cut block of text into it. This should be the option most often used when cutting text. Print Sends the contents of the block of cut text to the printer for printing. Quit Exits the cut command and returns to the running program or Cut & Paste menu without saving the cut block of text. Use the [Up] and [Down] cursor keys to move the selection bar to highlight the desired item and press [Enter], or press the first letter. Press [F10] or [Q] to exit and return to the running program without saving the cut text. Press [O] to clear the cut storage file and save the cut text for future pasting. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 52 ______________________________________________________________________________ Dialer Menu The Dialer menu, shown within the Cut & Paste menu, establishes the baud rate, communications port, dial mode, and phone codes used when a number is selected for dialing from the screen. The following settings must be set before using the Dial option for the first time. Comm port Sets the serial port to be used. Baud rate Chooses the baud rate of your modem. Choose between 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600. Dial mode Selects the dial method, either Tone or Pulse. Dial codes Defines the description and contents of each of 1-3 the three dialing codes. The dialing codes are useful in prefacing a phone number with the proper dialing sequence for calling the number. For instance, long distance numbers must be prefaced by a "1". Use the [Up] and [Down] cursor keys to move the selection bar to highlight the desired item to be changed. Use the [Left] or [Right] cursor keys to scroll the available options. Press [F9] to save the settings and return to the Cut & Paste menu, press [F10] to exit without retaining the settings. These settings are saved within the BFVARS file. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 53 ______________________________________________________________________________ Editor The editor included with the Cut & Paste module of Back & Forth Command is a simple-to-use text and macro editor. It is useful in creating and editing key folder containing keyboard commands along with Cut & Paste text. The modified keystroke folder may then be replayed by selecting the Paste command. Keyboard commands are used to pass actual keystrokes to the program where the text is being pasted. For instance, imbedding a [Home] key at the beginning of the Cut & Paste text emulates the [Home] command in the program when the text is pasted. This editor includes such features as: an ASCII table, list of command keys, text movement commands (Block), displayed column ruler, text wrap, folder & file functions, delete options, and search and replace commands. Limitations The maximum folder size allowed within this editor is 80-100k (depending on the amount of free memory available). Another limitation is the line length. The maximum line length accepted and displayed is 512 columns. Any line whose length is greater than this will be continued on the next line. Please note, the folder is saved in this form. Editor Screen When the Editor is selected from the Cut & Paste menu, the first page of the keystroke folder is shown in the center of the screen. At the top of the screen appears the menu options, available when the [F2] Menu command is selected. Below this appears an editor information box containing the row and column cursor position, the editor settings (set under the Options menu), the amount of memory left, and the keystroke folder description (an asterisk appears to the left of the folder description once its contents have been changed). A representation of the screen appears below. Entering Text The main reason for an editor's existence is the entrance and modification of text. This is easy to do. Text is entered into the folder by positioning the cursor and typing the desired characters. To end a line and begin a new one, press [Enter]. The cursor keys can also be used to move the cursor to another location. The contents of a folder is made up of two parts, text and key commands. Key commands are enclosed in <brackets> and represent the actual command they describe. For instance, <Up> emulates the action that occurs in the program when the [Up] cursor key is pressed. The limitation imposed is that all carriage returns in the text must be specified by placing <Enter> at the end of each line. Key commands may be imbedded into the text in one of three ways: either by manually typing the name of the key exactly, selecting the key from the [F4] KeyLst command, or by pressing [F9] KeyRet and pressing the desired key. To enter an ASCII character at the cursor, either use the ASCII table or press the [Alt] key down while typing in its decimal value. For example, to enter "¢", press [Alt] while entering the number 155 from the keypad. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 54 ______________________________________________________________________________ Text Entry When text is entered into the folder, the editor uses the Modes format settings defined within the Options menu to control text entry. These settings include the wrap mode, indent mode, and tab treatment within the editor. Inserting / Text is entered into the folder according to the selected edit Overwriting mode, either Insert or Overwrite. When in Insert mode, typing a Text character inserts it before the character at the cursor. When in Overwrite mode, typing a character overwrites the character at the cursor. To change the edit mode, press the [Ins] key until either "Ins" or "Ovr" is shown at the top of the screen. Indenting The Indent mode determines where the cursor is placed after the Text end of line is reached. When "Ind" is shown, upon reaching the end of a line, the cursor is positioned directly below the first non-blank character of the line above; otherwise, when "Ind" is off, the cursor is moved to column one of the next line when the end of line is reached. This is toggled when [Shift][F10] is pressed. Wrapping Text The text wrap mode determines the way text is treated when the right margin is exceeded. When a character has been typed past the right margin, the last word entered is moved to a new line along with the cursor. When off, the line of text is ended only when the [Enter] key is pressed, a cursor key is pressed,or the line length reaches 512 characters. To reformat an altered paragraph, use the [Ctrl][F7] Format command. Treatment of The [Tab] key lets you enter a set number of spaces at the Tabs cursor. Tabs are commonly used to indent the first lines of paragraphs or separate columns of information. The tab size may be set under the Options menu. Cursor The cursor keys are used to move the highlighted cursor around Movement the folder and within the menus. When the editor is in text mode, the following keys moves the text cursor in the indicated direction. [Up] or [Down] Moves the cursor to the character directly above or below its current position. [Left] or [Right] Moves left or right one character. If the cursor is at the beginning of a line, pressing [Left] moves to the end of the above line. If the cursor is at the end of a line, pressing [Right] moves to the beginning of the line below. [PgUp] or [PgDn] Shows the next or previous text page in the folder. A page is the amount of text (20 lines) that can be shown on the screen at one time. [Ctrl][PgUp] or Moves the cursor to the first or last [Ctrl][PgDn] character on the displayed page of text. [Home] or [End] Moves the cursor to highlight the first or last character on the current line of text. [Ctrl][Home] or Moves the cursor to the first or last [Ctrl][End] character of the folder. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 55 ______________________________________________________________________________ Wordstar This editor supports most of the basic commands of the Wordstar Cursor Keys editor. The Wordstar cursor movement keys are shown below matched with their cursor key equivalent (as defined above). [Up] [Ctrl][E] [Down] [Ctrl][X] [Left] [Ctrl][S] [Right] [Ctrl][D] [PgUp] [Ctrl][R] [PgDn] [Ctrl][C] [Ctrl][PgUp] [Ctrl][Q][E] [Ctrl][PgDn] [Ctrl][Q][X] [Home] [Ctrl][Q][S] [End] [Ctrl][Q][D] [Ctrl][Home] [Ctrl][Q][R] [Ctrl][End] [Ctrl][Q][C] Invoking the The editor enters command mode when the [F2] menu is invoked or Editor when a quick key is pressed. When in command mode, the Commands highlighted selection bar is shown within the active menu. Commands may be invoke in one of three ways, by either selecting from the [F2] Menu, typing the Wordstar emulation quick keys, or pressing the function key quick keys. Invoking a The command mode ordinarily used is the menu mode. This mode Command via lets you select a command by sequentially stepping through the [F2] Menu menus and choosing the desired options. To invoke a command using the menu mode, press the [F2] Menu key and, using the [Left] or [Right] cursor key, move the selection bar across the menu line to highlight the desired option. Press [Enter] or the [Down] cursor key to list the contents of the menu. Now use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move the bar to highlight the desired command in the pull-down menu & press [Enter] to select. Invoking a The other two command selection modes use quick keys to invoke Command via the desired commands. One set uses the [Ctrl] key coupled with Quick Keys the designated alphabetic keys to invoke commands similar to the quick keys used by the Wordstar editor. To invoke a command using this set of quick keys, press the [Ctrl] key down while pressing the alphanumeric character(s) assigned to the command. These are listed within the command menus. The other set of quick keys uses the [Shift], [Ctrl], and [Alt] keys coupled with the 10 function keys to invoke commands. These keys are shown at the bottom of the editor screen. To see the commands assigned to each set of function keys, hold down either the [Shift], [Ctrl], or [Alt] key. After a brief delay, the function keys shown at the bottom of the screen are changed to display those corresponding to the key being pressed. To invoke a command using these quick keys, press the function key with either [Shift], [Ctrl], or [Alt] key. All quick keys may only be issued while the editor is in text mode. The editor is in text mode when a cursor key or character entered from the keyboard is shown in the text of the folder. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 56 ______________________________________________________________________________ Function Key Most of the function keys shown at the bottom of the screen Commands correspond to options found under [F2] Menu. [F1] Help Displays Help about the editor. [F2] Menu Invokes the menu at the top of the screen [F3] SavFil Found under File menu: Save folder [F4] KeyLst Found under Options menu: List of keys [F5] AddLne Found under Line menu: Add a line [F6] DelLne Found under Delete menu: Line [F7] Find Found under Search menu: Find [F8] Replac Found under Search menu: Replace [F9] KeyRet Inserts a key into the text. [F10] Exit Exits the editor. [Alt][F1] AscTbl Found under Options menu: ASCII table [Alt][F2] GoLine Found under Jump menu: Line number [Alt][F3] InsFil Found under File menu: Read in file [Alt][F4] WrtFil Found under File menu: Write to file [Alt][F5] DupLne Found under Line menu: Duplicate line [Alt][F6] DelBol Found under Delete menu: Front of line [Alt][F7] JoinLn Found under Line menu: Join line [Alt][F8] SplitL Found under Line menu: Split line [Alt][F9] LineShl Found under Line menu: Left Shift [Alt][F10] LineShr Found under Line menu: Right Shift [Ctrl][F1] BlkBeg Found under Block menu: Begin block [Ctrl][F2] BlkEnd Found under Block menu: End block [Ctrl][F3] BlkHid Found under Block menu: Unmark block [Ctrl][F4] BlkCpy Found under Block menu: Copy block [Ctrl][F5] BlkMov Found under Block menu: Move block [Ctrl][F6] BlkDel Found under Block menu: Delete block [Ctrl][F7] Format Formats the paragraph using Wrap. [Ctrl][F8] BlkWrt Found under Block menu: Write block [Ctrl][F9] BlkShl Found under Block menu: Shift left [Ctrl][F10] BlkShr Found under Block menu: Shift right [Shift][F1] Ruler Found under Options menu: Ruler [Shift][F2] CenLin Found under Line menu: Center line [Shift][F3] SetMrk Found under Jump menu: Set marker [Shift][F4] GoMrk Found under Jump menu: Goto marker [Shift][F5] InsLne Found under Line menu: Insert line [Shift][F6] DelEol Found under Delete menu: End of line [Shift][F7] TopScn Found under Jump menu: Top of screen [Shift][F8] CenScn Found under Jump menu: Center of screen [Shift][F9] BotScn Found under Jump menu: Bottom of screen [Shift][F10] SetInd Found under Options menu: Indent mode Back & Forth version 1.70 page 57 ______________________________________________________________________________ [F1] Help The [F1] Help key displays information describing the use of the Cut & Paste editor and its commands. The screen is divided into two parts. The left side lists all help topics. The right side shows the information available for the highlighted topic. The help text is a compilation of the contents of this manual. To change the help index, use the [Up], [Down], [PgUp], [PgDn], [Home], or [End] cursor keys. Pressing one of these moves the highlighted index selection bar. Press [Enter] to display the help information for the highlighted index. To scroll the help text one line at a time, use the [+] or [-] keys. Use the [Ctrl][PgDn] or [Ctrl][PgUp] keys to show the next or previous pages of the text. When you have finished reading the help information provided, press [Esc] to exit Help. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 58 ______________________________________________________________________________ [F2] Menu The [F2] Menu contains the command menus for the editor. When selected, the editor is placed in command mode and the selection bar appears at the top of the screen. The options are as follows: Block Contains the block commands which let you define, copy, delete, move, unmark, write, and shift one column to the left or right the block of text. Delete Contains the delete commands that allow you to delete characters, words, parts of words, lines, parts of lines, and blocks. File Contains the commands that let you read, write, or view a list of files or keystroke folders. Jump Contains the commands that let you mark a location in the text, and move to a marked location, line number, or the top or bottom of the file. Line Contains the commands that allow you to add, center, duplicate, insert, join, shift left or right, and split the line at the cursor. Options Contains the list of command keys, ASCII table, and miscellaneous editor settings such as: left/ right margins, tab ruler, indent, insert, and wrap modes. Search Contains the find, replace, and continue commands. Use the [Left] or [Right] cursor key to move the selection bar across the menu line to highlight the desired option. Press [Enter] or the [Down] cursor key to display the contents of the highlighted menu. Menu Quick The following list shows the quick keys that have been assigned Keys to the command menu options. These quick keys may be used only while in text entry mode. Block [Alt][B] Delete [Alt][D] File [Alt][F] Jump [Alt][J] Line [Alt][L] Options [Alt][O] Search [Alt][S] Back & Forth version 1.70 page 59 ______________________________________________________________________________ Block Menu The Block menu contains the text manipulation commands of the editor. They are used to copy, move, delete, shift, and write to disk a selected group of lines of text. The word "block" refers to the rectangular appearance of the highlighted text, selected by defining the top and bottom lines of contiguous lines of text. The minimum size of a block is one complete line of text; the maximum size of a block is based solely on the amount of memory available. When selected, the following options are shown: Begin block Defines the top line of a block of text. End block Defines the bottom line of a block of text. Copy Copies the highlighted block of text to the line where the cursor is located. Delete Deletes the highlighted block of text. Move Moves the block to the line where the cursor is at, deletes the block from its former location. Unmark Unmarks the highlighted block of text. Write Writes the highlighted block to a file. Left Shift Moves the block of text to the left 1 column. Right Shift Moves the block of text to the right 1 column. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move the selection bar to highlight the desired option and press [Enter], or press the first letter of the menu option. To exit this menu, press [Esc]. Block Quick The following lists the quick keys that have been assigned to Keys the Block menu. These keys can only be used while in text mode. Block menu [Alt][B] [F2][B] Begin Block [Ctrl][K][B] [Ctrl][F1] End Block [Ctrl][K][K] [Ctrl][F2] Copy Block [Ctrl][K][C] [Ctrl][F4] Delete Block [Ctrl][K][Y] [Ctrl][F6] Move Block [Ctrl][K][V] [Ctrl][F5] Unmark Block [Ctrl][K][H] [Ctrl][F3] Write Block [Ctrl][K][W] [Ctrl][F8] Shift Block Left [Ctrl][F9] Shift Block Right [Ctrl][F10] Back & Forth version 1.70 page 60 ______________________________________________________________________________ Begin block Selecting Begin Block defines the top line of a block of text, based on the cursor location. If a previously defined block exists and is located below the cursor (even if it is not shown on the screen), this option redefines the top line of that block. If a block exists but is located above the cursor, selecting this option unmarks the previously defined block and defines the top line of the new block. For example, if the cursor is located at the first letter "u" occuring in this paragraph, selecting Begin block defines the first line of this paragraph as the top line of a new block. End block Selecting the End Block option defines the bottom line of a block of text, based on the cursor location. Once the top and bottom lines of the block have been set, the block of text is highlighted. Continuing the above example, if the cursor is then moved to the letter "w" in the word "between", selecting End block defines the last line of this paragraph as the last line of the block and highlights the text in the three paragraphs between. Copy When Copy is selected, the highlighted text is copied to the line where the cursor is located without removing it from its original position in the folder. If this command is issued using the block defined above and the cursor is moved to appear at the beginning of this paragraph, the contents of the three paragraphs would be copied to appear between the above paragraph and this one, leaving the first copy of the block in place but unmarked. Delete When Delete is selected, you are first asked to verify the block delete request. Answer [Y] to delete the defined block. Be careful when deleting text since no Undo command is provided. Continuing the example shown under the Copy command, selecting Delete deletes the three highlighted paragraphs that were copied between the two Copy block paragraphs. Move When Move is selected, the highlighted block of text is moved to the line where the cursor is located, removing the block from its former position. The Move option is a combination of the Copy and Delete block commands. If this command is issued using the block selected under the Begin and End block examples and the cursor is moved to appear at the letter "u" in the "issued", the three marked paragraphs would be deleted from their original position and moved between this paragraph and the one above. Unmark When Unmark is chosen, the block is unmarked and shown in the normal text color. This text is no longer grouped together as a block and any block commands issued no longer affects this text. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 61 ______________________________________________________________________________ Write When Write is selected, you are prompted for the name of the file to be used to store the block of text. You may either enter a file name at this prompt or select a file from a picklist. To select from a list of available files within the directory, type the "*.*" at the file name prompt. If the selected file already exists, you are asked to select one of the following actions: Overwrite Replaces the file's contents with the block. Quit Exits the block menu without writing the block. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move the selection bar to highlight the desired option and press [Enter] to select. Left Shift When the Left Shift option is selected, the highlighted block of text is moved one column to the left. Be careful when using this command; any text appearing in column one will be replaced by the contents of column two. This command may be used to reposition a block of text on the screen. Right Shift When the Right Shift option is selected, the highlighted block of text is moved one column to the right and a space is placed in column one. This may be used to indent the block of text. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 62 ______________________________________________________________________________ Delete Menu The Delete menu contains the text deletion commands available under the editor. These commands, with the exception of the Block command, operate on the specified text located at the cursor. Therefore, before selecting any of these commands, first move the cursor to the desired location. In the case of the Delete Block command, a block of text must first be defined by using the Begin and End Block commands. You should use caution when selecting any of the text deletion commands, since no Undo command is available to restore accidental deletions. When selected, the following options are shown: Character Deletes the character at the cursor. For example, if the cursor is located at the letter "x" in this sentence, the "x" would be deleted. Previous Deletes the character to the left of the Character cursor. For example, if the cursor is located at the letter "m", "p" would be deleted. Word left Deletes all characters in the word up to the cursor. For example,if the cursor is at the "s" in "cursor", the letters "cur" would be deleted. word righT Deletes the rest of the word from the cursor. A word is delimited by a space. For example, if the cursor is located at the "c" in "located", the letters "cated" would be deleted. End of Line Deletes the text from the cursor to the end of the line. For example, if the cursor is at the "e" in the word "end" above,the words "end of" would be deleted. Front of Line Deletes the text from the beginning of the line to the cursor. For example, if the cursor is located at the "F" in "For" above, the words "to the cursor." would be deleted. Line Deletes the entire line of text where the cursor is located. For example, if the cursor is located at the "F" above, the entire line from the word "cursor" to the word "cursor" is deleted. Block Deletes the highlighted block of text. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move the selection bar to highlight the desired option and press [Enter], or press the first letter of the menu option. To exit this menu, press [Esc]. Delete Quick The following lists the quick keys that have been assigned to Keys the Delete menu. These keys can only be used while in text mode. Delete menu [Alt][D] [F2][D] Character [Ctrl][G] [Del] Previous character [BkSp] word righT [Ctrl][T] Word left [Ctrl][BkSp] End of Line [Ctrl][Q][Y] [Shift][F6] Front of Line [Alt][F6] Line [Ctrl][Y] [F6] Block [Ctrl][K][Y] [Ctrl][F6] Back & Forth version 1.70 page 63 ______________________________________________________________________________ File Menu The File menu contains the commands used to identify, read in, and save text files and keystroke folders. When selected, the following options are shown: Read text file Reads the selected text file and inserts its contents into the editor at the cursor. Write text file Saves the file to a selected file name. Get key folder Reads the selected key folder and inserts its contents into the editor at the cursor. Save key folder Saves the file to a specified keystroke folder. Directory Displays all files found in the current directory matching a user-specified wildcard. List key folders Lists all keystroke folders available from Back & Forth. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move the selection bar to highlight the desired option and press [Enter], or press the first letter of the menu option. To exit this menu, press [Esc]. File Quick The following list shows the quick keys that have been assigned Keys to the File menu. These keys can only be used while in text mode. File menu [Alt][F] [F2][F] Read in text file [Ctrl][K][R] [Alt][F3] Write text file [Alt][F4] Get keystroke folder Save keystroke folder [Ctrl][K][S] [F3] Directory [Ctrl][K][F] List keystroke folders [Ctrl][K][L] Read text The Read text file option reads a selected text file into the file open keystroke folder. Before selecting this command, move the cursor to the position in the open keystroke folder where you wish the contents of the selected file to be inserted. When selected, you are prompted for the name of the file to be read in. Either type the file name and path at the prompt or enter a wildcard and use the resulting picklist to choose the file. The most commonly used wildcard is "*.*", which is used to list all files located within the current directory. To use the picklist, use the cursor keys to move the selection bar to highlight the desired file name and press [Enter]. Write text The Write file option allows you write the contents of the open file keystroke folder to an ASCII file. When selected, you are prompted for the file name where the contents of the open folder are to be saved. A file name, a name with complete path, or a wildcard may be entered. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 64 ______________________________________________________________________________ Once a file name is entered, the editor determines whether the file already exists. If it is not found, the edited file is then written to a newly created file. If the file exists, you are then prompted to make a selection from a menu showing three choices. These are: Append to end of file Places the contents of the edited file at the end of the selected file. Overwrite existing file Deletes the previous contents of the file and writes the open folder to the now-empty file. Quit without writing to Exits the file write command without file writing the edited file or changing the selected file. Use the [Up] and [Down] cursor keys to move the selection bar to highlight the desired option and press [Enter] to select. Get key The Get folder option reads a selected folder and inserts its folder contents into the current one at the cursor. Before selecting this command, move the cursor to the position where you wish the contents of the inserted folder to appear. When selected, a list of available key folders is shown. Use the [Up] or [Down] key to move the selection bar to highlight the desired keystroke folder and press [Enter] to select. Save key The Save folder option saves the contents of the open keystroke folder folder to the Cut & Paste folder storage file. Directory The Directory option displays all files found in the current directory matching a user-specified wildcard. This lets you use a picklist to see what files exist in the current directory without invoking one of the above commands. When selected, you are prompted for the wildcard to be used to display the picklist files. The most appropriate wildcard would be either the "*.*" or a wildcard combined with the most prevalent (and useful) file extension like "*.DAT" or "*.TXT". Once a wildcard has been chosen, all matching files within the current or specified disk/directory are listed. Use the cursor keys to scroll this list and press either [Enter] or [Esc] to return to the edit screen. List key The List keystroke folders option lets you view the list of folders keystroke folders that have been initialized under the Back & Forth Cut & Paste option. When selected, the list of folders is displayed. Use the cursor keys to scroll this list and press either [Enter] or [Esc] to return to the edit screen. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 65 ______________________________________________________________________________ Jump Menu The Jump menu contains the commands used to move the cursor other than the cursor keys themselves. These commands let you move the cursor to various locations within the folder. When selected, the following options are shown: Top of file Displays the first page of the file. Bottom of file Displays the last page of text in the file. Jump to line Moves the cursor to the specified line number. Set marker Links one of the 9 available markers to the cursor position in the file. This is used in conjunction with Goto marker. Goto marker Moves the cursor to the selected marked position in the file. First line on Moves the line containing the cursor to the screen top of the editor screen. Center of Moves the line containing the cursor to the screen center of the screen. Last line on Moves the line with the cursor to the bottom screen line of the screen. Use the [Up] or [Down] key to move the selection bar to highlight the desired option and press [Enter] to select. Jump Quick Below is a list of the quick keys assigned to the Jump menu and Keys its entries. Jump menu [Alt][J] [F2][J] Top of file [Ctrl][Q][R] [Ctrl][Home] Bottom of file [Ctrl][Q][C] [Ctrl][End] Jump to line [Ctrl][Q][L] [Alt][F2] Goto marker [Ctrl][Q][1..9] [Shift][F4] Set marker [Ctrl][K][1..9] [Shift][F3] First line on screen [Shift][F7] Center of screen [Shift][F8] Last line on screen [Shift][F9] The [1..9] key shown above represents a numeric key between 1 and 9. The first digit entered is accepted. Jump to Line The Jump to line number option lets you move the cursor to a specified line number in the folder. When selected, you are prompted to enter the line number where the cursor is to be moved. This appears as follows: Which line (0..xxx)? 0 The numbers appearing in the parentheses constitute the range of line numbers contained in the folder. Enter the desired line number and press [Enter]. Press [Esc] to exit this prompt and return to the Jump menu. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 66 ______________________________________________________________________________ Set Marker The Set marker option allows you to set an place marker at the cursor position to mark the beginning of an important section of text. This may be likened to a bookmark used in a book to mark the point where you stopped reading. Markers are used to quickly locate marked sections of text for easy movement. Up to nine markers may be set, each at any location in the folder. These markers are used in conjunction with the Goto marker command, described below. Before selecting this command, the cursor must be moved to the location in the folder that you wish marked for future reference. When Set marker is selected, a menu displays the settings of all edit markers. If no marker has previously been set, the marker values default to the last line of the folder. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move the selection bar to highlight the marker to be redefined and press [Enter] or enter the marker number. Press [Esc] to exit this prompt and return to the editor window. Goto Marker The Goto marker option moves the cursor to one of 9 preset markers in the folder. These markers are defined using the Set marker command. When Goto marker is selected, the marker menu lists the 9 markers and their defined line positions in the folder. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to highlight the desired marker and press [Enter] or enter the marker number. Press [Esc] to exit this prompt and return to the editor window. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 67 ______________________________________________________________________________ Line Menu The Line menu contains the line manipulation commands. These commands let you add, center, copy, split, shift and join lines of text at the cursor. When selected, the following options are shown: Add a line Adds a blank line to the folder at the cursor and moves the current line beneath it. Center line Centers the line of text using the length of the text and the left and right margins as a guide. Duplicate line Duplicates the current line. Insert a line Adds a line after the current line. Join line Joins the current and next lines together. Left shift Shifts the contents of the current line one column to the left. This may be used to emphasize a line in the text, distinguishing it from the remaining indented text. The character appearing in column one is deleted when this command is issued. Right shift Shifts the contents of the current line to the right one column. This command is used to indent lines of text from those shown above and below it. Split line Splits the contents of the current line between two lines at the cursor position. Use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to move the selection bar to highlight the desired option and press [Enter], or press the first letter of the menu option. To exit this menu, press [Esc]. Line Quick Below is a list of the quick keys assigned to the Line menu and Keys its entries. Line menu [Alt][L] [F2][L] Add a line [F5] Center line [Ctrl][O][C] [Shift][F2] Duplicate line [Alt][F5] Insert a line [Shift][F5] Join line [Alt][F7] Left shift [Alt][F9] Right shift [Alt][F10] Split line [Enter] [Alt][F8] Back & Forth version 1.70 page 68 ______________________________________________________________________________ Options Menu The Options menu contains the miscellaneous settings and tables of the editor. When selected, the following options are shown: ASCII Table Lists the 256 ASCII characters. Each character is shown with its decimal, octal, hexadecimal, and binary values. Multiple characters may be entered into the text using the buffer shown at the bottom of the window. List of keys Lists all available keyboard commands that can be imbedded into the text. Such keys include [Enter], [Up], [F1], and [Esc]. Ruler When On, displays a ruler marking the columns and tab stop positions on the screen. This is helpful when positioning text on the screen. Tab Ruler Displays a tab ruler with the defined tab stops. To define irregular tab stop intervals, position the cursor and press the [Tab] key. Editor setup Displays a menu listing editor settings such as the edit mode, indent mode, wrap status, left and right margins, and tab width. Save settings Saves the editor settings to EDITOR.CFG. Use the [Up] or [Down] key to highlight the desired option and press [Enter], or press the first letter of the menu option. To exit this menu and return to the edit screen, press [Esc]. Options Quick Below is a list of the various quick keys assigned to the Keys Options menu and its entries. Options menu [Alt][O] [F2][O] ASCII Table [Alt][F1] List of keys [F4] Ruler [Ctrl][O][R] [Shift][F1] Tab Ruler [Ctrl][O][T] Indent mode [Ctrl][O][I] [Shift][F10] Insert/Overwrite mode [Ins] Wrap mode [Ctrl][O][W] ASCII Table The ASCII Table displays the IBM ASCII character set. This table may be used to enter selected characters into the body of the text. When selected, the first 15 characters are listed. Each character is shown with its decimal (base 10), octal (base 8), hexadecimal (base 16), and binary (base 2) values. Use the cursor keys to scroll the selection bar. Press [Esc] to exit the table. Entering To select a character from the ASCII table for addition to the Characters folder, highlight the character and press [Ins]. This places into the Text the character into the text buffer shown at the bottom of the window. Pressing [F9] inserts these characters into the folder at the cursor. To exit without inserting the selected characters, press [F10]. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 69 ______________________________________________________________________________ List of Keys The List of keys option shows all keyboard command keys available for imbedding within the folder. Keyboard command keys include such keys as the cursor keys, function keys, [Ctrl], [Alt], [Shift] combination keys, [BkSp] key, [Esc], and [Enter] keys. This table may be used to enter any listed keystroke representation into the body of the text. When this text is pasted, these keys are translated into their command action. For instance, if [Enter] is imbedded in the text, the [Enter] command is sent to the keyboard when the folder is pasted. Tab Ruler The Tab ruler lets you customize the tab spacing. Up to 16 tabs may be set. When chosen, a ruler is shown with numbered columns, the 16 tab positions, and the available commands. Use the [Left] or [Right] key to move the cursor and press [Tab] to set a tab stop. Pressing [Ins] inserts a space at the cursor in the ruler; pressing [Del] deletes a space. These two commands affect the spacing of all tab stops to the right of the cursor. To remove a tab stop, move the cursor to highlight the tab and press [Tab]. Several function key commands are also available. Use [F3] to reset the tabs to their original settings. Use [F7] to clear all settings. Press [F9] to store the tab stops and returns to the editor screen. To save these tab stops to the editor configuration file, use the Options menu Save command. Press [F10] to exit the Tab ruler without storing the tab settings. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 70 ______________________________________________________________________________ Editor Setup The Editor setup contains the settings responsible for controlling various aspects of text entry and formatting within the editor. When selected, the following options are shown: Edit mode Determines the way in which text entry affects surrounding text. When set to Insert mode, typed text is inserted in front of the text at the cursor. When set to Overwrite, typed text writes over the text at the cursor. Indent mode Places the cursor when text is wrapped or when [Enter] is pressed. When On, the cursor is moved under the first column of text in the line above; when Off, the cursor is moved to column one. Wrap mode Determines the action taken when the right margin is exceeded. If Wrap mode is set On, typing a character past the right margin moves the last word entered to the next line. When set Off, the right margin setting is ignored. To wrap a contiguous block of text, move the cursor to the top line of the block and press [Ctrl][F7] Format. Left margin Specifies the leftmost column of the folder. Only blanks are shown to the left of this position. This value must be less than the right margin value. Right margin Specifies the rightmost column of the folder. This is used by word wrap and the [Ctrl][F7] Format command to determine the column where text wrap takes place. When text is typed past this column, the last word typed is moved to the next line. If Wrap mode is turned Off, this value is ignored. The maximum number of columns is 512. Tab width Specifies the number of spaces used to expand tabs. Press the [Up] or [Down] key to highlight an option and use the [Left] or [Right] key to change its setting. Once all options have been set, press [F9] to set these options and return to the edit screen or press [F10] to abandon them. To save these settings to the editor configuration file, use the Options menu Save command. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 71 ______________________________________________________________________________ Search Menu The Search menu contains the text search commands of the editor. You can select to either search for a match to an entered string, replace text matching a specified string, or continue a previously defined search or replace command from the cursor position. When selected, the following commands are shown: Find Searches for a match to the specified search text. Replace Searches for a match to the search text and replaces it with the specified replacement text. Next match Continues the last issued Search or Replace command from the current cursor position in the folder. This uses the information set when the Search or Replace command was initiated. To make a selection, either use the [Up] and [Down] cursor keys to move the selection bar to highlight the desired option and press [Enter], or press the first letter of the menu option. To exit this menu and return to the edit screen, press [Esc]. Search Quick Below is a list of the quick keys assigned to the Search menu Keys and its commands. These keys may only be used while within text entry mode. Search menu [Alt][S] [F2][S] Find [Ctrl][Q][F] [F7] Replace [Ctrl][Q][A] [F8] Next match [Ctrl][L] Back & Forth version 1.70 page 72 ______________________________________________________________________________ Find and When either the Find or the Replace command is selected from Replace the above Search menu, a menu identifies the applicable search Prompts parameters. The only difference between the two menus is the Replace text string entry within the Replace command menu. The Find and Replace parameters are as follows: Search string Identifies the text string that is used to search the file. This may be up to 50 characters in length and may contain any typeable character. Replace string Defines the text used to replace the located search string. This may be up to 50 characters in length and may contain any typeable character. This entry is only shown within the Replace menu. Direction Sets the direction in the folder to be searched. The search may begin from the cursor and move forward to the end of the file, it may begin at the cursor and move back to the beginning of the file, or it may begin at the beginning of the file. Case Sensitive Determines the treatment of case differences in the text. If set to Yes, the file is searched for any text matching the search string, regardless of case. If set to No, the file is searched for an exact match to the search string, including its use of capitalization. For example, if looking for the word "Cats", searching with case sensitivity set to No ignores occurrences of "CATS" and "cats". Whole words Restricts matching text to only whole words separated by spaces or punctuation. If set to Yes, only whole words are matched. If set to No (default), any matching text is located. For example, if this is set to Yes and the search string is set to "the", only the word "the" is located in the file, not text such as "their" or "other". To make a selection, use the [Up] or [Down] cursor key to highlight the desired entry and press [Enter] or [Space]. To begin searching the file using these settings, press [F9]. To exit this menu without searching the file, press [F10]. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 73 ______________________________________________________________________________ [Ctrl][F7] Pressing [Ctrl][F7] formats the current paragraph of text from Format the cursor onward. Formatting text is the process of redefining the end of each line of text to fit between the left and right margins. This is necessary when text has been inserted or deleted from the middle of a line of text or when the left or right margins have been changed. For example, if the right margin has been reset to 60 and you wish to reformat a paragraph, move the cursor to the beginning of the paragraph in question and press [Ctrl][F7]. This wraps all text at column 60 up to the first empty line (a line consisting only of spaces or a carriage return). When the text is wrapped, a ragged right edge results. This editor does not support right justified text. [F9] KeyRet The [F9] Key Return command allows you to enter a selected keyboard command into the text at the cursor. For example, to enter the [Enter] key into the text, press the [F9] key followed by the [Enter] key. This inserts the [Enter] keyboard command into the text. [F10] Exit Pressing [F10] exits the editor. If the keystroke folder has any unsaved modifications, you are prompted whether you wish to save the changes made before exiting. Answer [Y] to save the changes made to the folder, [N] to ignore the changes made and exit anyway, or [Esc] to abort the exit procedure and return to the editor. Once [F10] has been pressed, control is returned to the Cut & Paste menu. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 74 ______________________________________________________________________________ Folder List The Folder option lists all folders that have been created within the Back & Forth Cut & Paste command. A folder is a storage area for cut text and imbedded keyboard commands. Separate folders may be created and kept to store often used blocks of text (like addresses) or strings of keyboard commands used in a program to perform specific tasks. The default folder used by Back & Forth to store cut & paste text is CLIPBORD.###. When selected, a description of the available folders and their creation dates are shown with the following function key commands. [F1] Help Displays help for the Folder option. [F2] Add Adds a new, empty folder entry. [F3] Copy Copies the contents of the highlighted folder to another folder with the same name. After this is copied, use the [F6] Edit Description command to change the name of the newly created folder. [F4] Delete Deletes the highlighted folder and its contents from the list. [F5] Move Moves the highlighted folder to another position in the folder list. [F6] EdDes Allows you to edit the folder description. [F7] Edit Lets you edit the contents of the highlighted folder. [F8] Sort Sorts the list of folders by its description or date. [F9] Select Selects a default folder for use with the Edit, Cut, and Paste commands. [F10] Exit Exits this list and returns to the Cut & Paste menu. Manual Dial A phone number may be dialed using Back & Forth in one of two ways: either manually or by cutting the number from the screen and selecting Dial. Dialing using the Cut command is described in the Cut Command section. The manual dial option allows you to type in a telephone number at a menu prompt and select a phone code for dialing. When this option is selected, you are prompted for the telephone number to be dialed. This number may be up to 30 digits in length. Once the number has been entered, press [F9] or [Enter] to accept, press [F10] or [Esc] to exit. A menu is then shown listing the typed phone number and the possible dial codes. Either select to dial the number as it appears, or choose one of the defined phone codes. These dial codes are defined within the Cut & Paste Dialer menu. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 75 ______________________________________________________________________________ Options Menu The Cut & Paste Options menu defines the settings used to control the cut and paste commands. These include rectangular or text cut modes, end of line treatment during pasting, numbers-only pasting, and the display of the cut help window. Rectangle Selects the Rectangle cut mode. The Rectangle mode marks the upper left and lower right corners of the text, cutting the highlighted text. Text Selects the Text cut mode. The Text mode marks the first and last character of the text. Normal EOL Ends each cut line of text using a carriage return ([Enter]). This is the character used by most programs to end each line. Spreadsheet Ends each cut line of text with a carriage return and down arrow ([Enter][Down]). This is usually used to enter data into a spreadsheet cell. Word Selects to remove the end of line character and processor excess spaces from the cut text. This is used when pasting text into an editor, word processor, or text formatter having word wrap capability. Digits only Sets whether to strip characters from the cut text except digits 0-9 and periods. This removes text, $$$, and commas from data for planting within spreadsheets and other number-based programs. Cut help Toggles the cut help window, which lists the cut cursor commands. This window is shown when the Cut command is chosen using either the Cut & Paste menu or the Cut hot key. Once you have become accustomed to using the Cut command, set this Off. Paste speed Sets the rate in which characters are pasted to the program. If random characters are dropped while pasting text, reduce the paste speed. Use the [Up] or [Down] key to highlight the menu option and press [Enter], or press the first letter. This places a checkmark to the left of that option. Only one option within each delimited section may be set. Press [F10] to exit and return to the Cut & Paste menu. These settings are saved within the BFVARS file. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 76 ______________________________________________________________________________ Paste Command Once the cut text has been placed within the CLIPBORD.### storage file, you can begin the paste process. The Paste command simply feeds the contents of the CLIPBORD.### storage file through the keyboard to the running program. This simulates the process of typing in the text directly from the keyboard. Once the Paste command has been selected, you can stop pasting into your program by pressing [Esc]. The contents of the clipboard may be pasted as many times as you wish as long as the clipboard file is not deleted from the disk. To paste the contents of the clipboard file, observe the following steps. These are: * Open the program that is to accept the pasted text and move the cursor to the position within the program where the cut text is to be written to. * Press the Cut & Paste menu hot key (default is [Alt][LShift] [C]) and press [O] Options menu key to set the end of line treatment and number mode. The end of line treatments includes Normal EOL, Spreadsheet, and Word processor. This is described within the Options menu. The Digits-only option should be selected if the data is to be entered into a spreadsheet. This step is only necessary when one of these entries must be changed. * Select the Paste command. If still within the Cut & Paste menu, press [P], else if within the program to be pasted to, press the Paste hot key (default is [Alt][Ctrl][P]). * Now the contents of the CLIPBORD.### file is pasted into the running program. When the text is pasted, it is entered through the keyboard, just as though you were typing it into the program. To abort the Paste process, press [Esc]. You may paste the contents of the clipboard as many times as you wish. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 77 ______________________________________________________________________________ Dialing a The Back & Forth Cut command allows you to dial a phone number Phone Number selected from the text screen of a program. The steps to do this are similar to those of cutting text. They are: * Display the text containing the phone number on the screen with your program. * If the modem settings or dialing codes need to be changed, press the Cut & Paste menu hot key (default is [Alt][LShift][C]) and press [D] to open the Dialer menu. Now select the correct communications port, baud rate, dial mode, and dial codes to be used. * Select the Cut command. If within the Cut & Paste menu, press [C], else if within the program, press the Cut hot key (default is [Alt][Ctrl][C]). * View the cut help window (if On) and press [Enter] to remove it from the screen. This is shown only if toggled On within the Cut & Paste Options menu. * Move the cursor to the first digit of the phone number and press [+]. To search automatically for the first numeric sequence, press [#]. * Move the cursor to highlight the end of the phone number to be dialed and press [D]. * A menu is then shown listing the highlighted phone number and the possible dial codes. Either select to dial the number as it appears, or choose one of the defined phone codes. These dial codes are defined within the Cut & Paste Dialer menu. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 78 ______________________________________________________________________________ Appendix A: Program Credits Back & Forth was created by Sandi & Shane Stump for Progressive Solutions, Copyright (C) 90. This program and manual could not have been written without the significant help of our eleven indoor & four outdoor cats: Wickett, Princess, Mr. Moby, Allegro, Panda Bear, Merlin, Tabitha, Bagheera Jr., Rocky, Fela, Genghis Khat and Toby, Oscar, Mama-Cat, and Buster. A few people also helped along the way. We would like to thank the following individuals for their invaluable aid in testing, suggesting, and supporting Back & Forth. They are (alphabetically) Michael Ash, Rick Berenstein, David Brinner,Mike Brydon, Mike Callahan,Andrew Chalk, Ted DeCastro, Henry Diecker, Dave Fredericks,Larry Hayden, John Jurewicz, Charles Kleis, Jerry Powell, Ted Thompson, Randy Wallin, Bob Willoughby and many, many more. This program was written using Turbo-C and Debugger, Microsoft Assembler, and vLIB by Pathfinder Associates on the Toshiba T5200/100, Digitron 486, ALR 80386, and the Compaq Portable 80386. This manual was written using Lotus Manuscript on a Digitron 80486 with a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet III. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 79 ______________________________________________________________________________ Appendix B: Error Messages A hot key must be selected! This error occurs within the Hot key setup when you attempt to exit without selecting a hot key. Hot keys must be selected for Back & Forth, the Cut & Paste menu, the Cut command, and the Paste command. A program description must be entered. Press Esc This error occurs within the Program Setup Add/Edit command when [F9] is pressed before a task description is entered. Either press [F10] to exit without defining the task entry or enter a task description before pressing [F9]. A program name must be entered. Press Esc This error occurs within the Program Setup Add/Edit command when [F9] is pressed before a program name is entered. Either press [F10] to exit without defining a task entry or enter the program name before pressing [F9]. A program path must be entered. Press Esc This error occurs within the Program Setup Add/Edit command when [F9] is pressed before a program directory is entered.Either press [F10] to exit without defining the program entry or define the program directory. A 2 letter/digit program ID must be specified. This error occurs within the Program Setup Add/Edit command when [F9] is pressed before a program id is entered. Either press [F10] to exit without defining the program entry or enter a 2 character id before pressing [F9]. AUTOLOAD exceeds total swap space! Swap space needs to be at least xxxk! This error occurs when not enough swap space has been allocated to load the tasks selected within the Autoload setup.Control is then returned to the Swap drive setup window, where more swap space should be allocated. B&F definition file has been corrupted! This occurs when the BFVARS file has been corrupted or deleted. Do not delete any files created by Back & Forth while it is running. If this error occurs, B&F closes all tasks and returns to DOS. To correct the problem, copy BFVARS from your most recent backup or re-install B&F. B&F only supports PCED version 2.0 or higher. Back & Forth cannot swap earlier versions of PCED from memory. We recommend that you update your copy of PCED. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 80 ______________________________________________________________________________ BNFHIGH must be loaded HIGH! This error occurs when BNFHIGH is run without the necessary high memory loader. Instructions on loading B&F high are outlined in Section 2. Back & Forth currently only supports 20 open tasks! This error is shown when attempting to run more than 20 tasks within B&F. You must close one of the 20 open tasks before running a new one. Back & Forth only allows 50 programs to be defined! This error occurs when adding program entries within the Program Setup. At this time, only 50 program entries may be defined. Define only those programs used regularly. Please contact us if more are needed. Cannot find COMSPEC environment variable. This error is shown when Back & Forth cannot locate COMMAND.COM or 4DOS.COM. Back & Forth uses the COMSPEC (DOS command processor) to run programs or to load a secondary copy of DOS. If this error message is shown, exit Back & Forth and use the SET command to specify where COMMAND.COM or 4DOS.COM can be found. COMSPEC file does not exist! This error message is shown when the file specified in the COMSPEC environment variable does not exist. This could happen if you used a floppy disk to boot up your machine. In this case, you must copy the COMMAND.COM or 4DOS.COM file to the hard disk, RAM disk, or installed floppy disk and reset the COMSPEC command to that location. DOS/Video swap drive must be specified! This error is shown within the Swap drive setup when [F9] is pressed before a DOS/Video swap path has been set. The DOS/Video swap path is used to store system and screen information for each open task. The path selected should have between 144k-2304k unused disk space available, depending on the programs loaded globally and each program's screen mode and complexity. More information is provided within Section 2. 'File' cannot be found in the program directory. Press Esc This error occurs within the Program Setup Add/Edit command when typing in the program name. This may be due to two different problems; either the file name was misspelled when being typed in, or the program path specified is incorrect. To check the contents of the program directory, press [F7] to display the file list. If the desired program name is not shown within this list, then change the program path and try again. Internal task handle table is full. Please contact PSI for help! This error should never occur. If it does, contact us. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 81 ______________________________________________________________________________ Invalid path has been specified! This error occurs within the Program Setup Add/Edit command when typing in a program or work path. Most likely a typographical error crept into the path name specified. Use the [F7] Directory tree to select the desired path. Memory allocation error -> label. If this error occurs, Back & Forth will close all tasks and exit to DOS. Contact us and tell us how it happened, what was loaded, and the label shown so that we can correct the problem. No executable file exists for the specified program name. Press Esc This error occurs within the Program Setup Add/Edit command when the program name cannot be found within the defined program path. Either press [F7] to pick the file from the file list or select a different program path. No matching files found in 'path name'. This error occurs within the Program Setup Add/Edit command when typing in the executable program name. This probably means that the wrong program directory is specified. You must change the program path to one containing executable files and try again. No programs defined for use within B&F. Use Program Setup. This error occurs when you attempt to use the Autoload setup without defining any program entries. To solve this problem, use the Program setup to define the programs that you wish to run within Back & Forth. No swap drives have been specified! This is shown within the Swap drive setup program when [F9] is pressed before any swap space has been allocated. Program swap paths are used to store program information when switching between tasks.The selected swap paths should have enough unused disk space to hold the prospective number of running tasks using the maximum amount of memory. Not enough disk space on drive 'x' for Program Swap Drive # This error occurs when Back & Forth attempts to create the program swap files.If not enough space is available within any of the selected paths, you are returned to the Swap drive setup to correct its value. Not enough memory to run Back & Forth! Back & Forth needs at least 192k of free memory to run. If this error occurs, check the AUTOEXEC.BAT for unnecessary TSR programs. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 82 ______________________________________________________________________________ Not enough swap memory available to run 'program name'! This error occurs when attempting to run a program from the Program List which needs more swap memory than is available. To run this program, you must close enough active partitions to accumulate enough swap memory for the program. If this happens on a regular basis, you should use the Swap drive setup to allocate more program swap space. Only 20 programs can be AUTOLOADed! This error is shown when more than 20 tasks are selected for within the Autoload setup. No more than 20 tasks can be loaded at one time. Program does not exist in specified path! This error occurs within the Program Setup Add/Edit command when typing in the program name. This may be due to two different problems; either the file name was misspelled when it was typed in or the program path specified is incorrect. To list the executable files within the program directory, press [F7]. If the desired program is not shown, check the program directory. Specified ID is not unique! This error occurs within the Program Setup when you press [F9] to save the program definition with the two character ID set to one that has previously been used. Change the ID to another two character code. Swap file on drive 'x' does not exist! This error message is shown when one of the swap files has been deleted from the disk or corrupted. Do not delete any files created by Back & Forth while the program is running. If this error occurs, Back & Forth closes all tasks and exits to DOS.Once Back & Forth has been exited, you may re-enter Back & Forth and begin using the program again. The program name must end with COM, EXE, or BAT. Press Esc This error occurs within the Program Setup Add/Edit command when the program name is given a file extension other than EXE, COM, or BAT. Press [F7] to select the file from the file list. If the desired program name is not shown, change the program directory to a new path and try again. Unable to create AUTOTYPE file. This is shown when a program is selected for execution and not enough disk space is available within the Back & Forth directory for use in storing the AUTOTYPE.### file. The AUTOTYPE.### file is used to feed keystrokes between Back & Forth and the DOS prompt. Check the amount of disk space available within the Back & Forth directory. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 83 ______________________________________________________________________________ Unable to create clipboard file! This error occurs when you run out of disk space while using the Cut & Paste command to store cut information. Check the amount of disk space within the Back & Forth directory. Unable to create swap file on drive 'x'! This error message is shown when there is not enough space on a disk to create the swap file. If this error occurs, you can delete unnecessary files on the swap disk in question, change the amount of swap space allocated within the Swap drive setup, or use another swap path. Unable to create task environment file! This occurs when no space is left in the DOS/Video swap path for use by B&F in creating a system swap file. Exit Back & Forth and either remove some of the files on the drive used by the DOS/Video swap path or use the Swap drive setup to select another swap path. Unable to find Back & Forth overlay --> B&F00#.OVL When Back & Forth is first invoked,it searches the B&F directory for all of its overlay files. If one is not found, Back & Forth is exited and this message is shown. Check the B&F directory for all program files, if any are missing, re-install Back & Forth onto your system. Unable to load B&F00#.OVL! Unable to load Back & Forth module! This error message is shown when one of the Back & Forth overlay files or the program itself has been deleted from the disk or corrupted. Do not delete the BNF.EXE file or any of the B&F00#.OVL files while the program is running. If this occurs, Back & Forth closes all tasks and exits to DOS. Without these files,Back & Forth cannot run. To fix this problem, use your backup copy of Back & Forth to reload the lost or damaged files. Unable to save the B&F definition file (disk may be full). This error appears when the BFVARS file cannot be created, opened, or saved either when [F9] is pressed within the Swap drive setup or when the Save command is selected from the [F7] Setup menu. To fix this problem,exit Back & Forth and check the amount of disk space left within the Back & Forth directory and the status of the BFVARS file. Unrecognized A20 hardware. This error occurs when the HIMEM.SYS device driver does not recognize the A20 hardware of your system. The A20 line is the 21st address line of the 80x86 CPU. If this error occurs, it is probably means the system is not one supported by this release of Microsoft's HIMEM.SYS. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 84 ______________________________________________________________________________ Unsupported hot key combination. Try again This error occurs within the Hot key setup when an disallowed hot key combination is selected. The hot key must consist of at least two keys, one alphanumeric or function key and one or more of the following keys: [Alt], [Ctrl], [LShift], [RShift]. User ## is already in use. This error occurs when the network version of Back & Forth discovers already created and in use for the user number in question. See the Back & Forth Network manual for more details. You cannot AUTOLOAD a program that requires prompting! Programs requiring user input, i.e. those whose program definitions have the "Ask for options" field set to Yes, cannot be loaded automatically using the Autoload option. You cannot edit an active program entry! This error occurs when you select the [F7] Edit program entry command within the Program Setup.Back & Forth does not allow the modification of a program entry while that program is open within the Program List. You must close the program entry before you can edit its information. You cannot delete an active program! This error occurs when you select the [F4] Delete program entry command within the Program Setup. Back & Forth does not allow the deletion or modification of a program entry while that program is open within the Program List. You must close the program before you can delete it. You must run BNFHIGH first! This error occurs when you try to execute BNFLOW before BNFHIGH. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 85 ______________________________________________________________________________ Appendix C: Troubleshooting Can't Run Here are some suggestions to help you if you can't get Back & B&F Forth to run. * Type B&F at the DOS prompt. This is one of two batch files created during installation. If DOS reports that the file cannot be found, then the batch files have either been deleted, never been copied to a directory along the path, or never been created. To create the batch files, type HD-SETUP at the DOS prompt within the Back & Forth directory. * If B&F.BAT and B&FHI.BAT do exist and are located along the path, check their contents. Each should change to the drive and directory containing the Back & Forth files, set the DOS SET variable to the Back & Forth directory, and run B&F. These batch files are described within Section 2. * Some keyboard enhancement programs do not approve of the use of the "&" character in file names. In this case, rename the batch files to BF.BAT and BFHI.BAT. Can't Load If you experience problems loading Back & Forth into high B&F into EMS memory, check the following: * Make sure the EMS manager has been properly loaded. Consult the EMS software manual for more information. * Now check that you have enough contiguous high memory available. Back & Forth requires 24k of contiguous high memory, the "Lite" version requires 20k. * Some high memory managers, like DR DOS EMM386.SYS, cannot be used with BNFLOAD. In this case, you must use the loader provided by your EMS management software to load B&F into high memory (with DR DOS, use HILOAD). Using a loader other than BNFLOAD disables Back & Forth's ability to remove itself and other programs from EMS after exiting. * BNFLOW must be run immediately after BNFHIGH is loaded. Can't Load If extended (XMS) memory is available on your system but B&F B&F into XMS cannot detect it, this probably means either HIMEM.SYS was not used to initialize the memory or it has all been earmarked for use by some other program. Check your CONFIG.SYS for the statement DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS. DOS 4.0 Back & Forth runs with DOS 4.0 with two restrictions. DOS 4.0 Usage includes an EMS memory manager that is not fully compatible with standard EMS usage. For this reason, do not use their EMS manager or load any of the DOS commands into EMS memory using the /X option. Instead, purchase a third-party EMS manager like 386-to-the-Max, QEMM, Move'em, or QRAM. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 86 ______________________________________________________________________________ Exception 13 This error may occur when using QEMM to load Back & Forth or Error is another program into high memory. An Exception 13 error occurs Reported when memory has been incorrectly referenced by a program. If this occurs, check the following: * Check the number of programs being loaded into high memory, the amount of space they occupy, and their position in extended memory. Try running Back & Forth using the LOADLOW command line option. * If you have Stacks=0,0 in your CONFIG.SYS, remove it, reboot, and retry Back & Forth and your other programs. Some programs need the DOS stack area. * If it still doesn't work, deactivate all device drivers from your CONFIG.SYS except the FILES, BUFFERS, and hard disk drivers. Also deactivate all entries within your AUTOEXEC.BAT except the PATH, SET, and PROMPT statements. To deactivate a line within these files, type REM at the beginning of the line. DOS will then bypass this statement. * Now reboot your system. Add each device driver and program, one at a time, re-running Back & Forth after each addition. When the error returns, remove the last program added and add the rest of your programs. Check the manual for the program in question. If this offers no help, try reloading the programs and drivers in differing orders. Lost or Many programs open temporary files to store intermediate Corrupted information like unsaved changes to files, data scrolled off Files the screen, memory information, and program settings. Use of disk altering programs such as CHKDSK /F, disk optimizers, disk editors, etc, may adversely affect these files. These temporary files are usually reported by CHKDSK as lost clusters. Try closing and exiting all open programs before using such programs. Diskette If a program is using a diskette, close that program or file Swapping before removing that diskette or swapping the program from memory. Back & Forth does not keep track of the identity or status of removable disk media on your system. Changing diskettes without warning can cause the contents of that disk to be overwritten or corrupted. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 87 ______________________________________________________________________________ Can't Run A When defining a program entry within the Program setup, you are Program asked to enter a lot of information about that program, some of which may not be obvious to you. If the program does not run properly when picked from the Program list, check the following: * Press [F7] to enter Setup, select [P] Program, move the bar to the program giving you trouble, & press [F7]. Examine the program information. Make sure that enough memory has been allocated to the program. If you do not know how much is needed,set this value to 0 to give it all available memory. * Set the partition type to "Program". Some TSRs require a program to be run after it is loaded before they function properly. In this case, set the partition type to "TSR". * Check the program name, path, work path, fixed and user-specified options. Some programs, like WordStar, cannot be run outside their program directory. For these programs, leave the work path blank. * Some programs may need an indeterminate amount of disk or EMS space to store their own temporary files. Make sure enough disk space is left over for the program after the amount used by Back & Forth is allocated for its swap area. * If the program will not run as a defined task within Program setup, select a DOS partition from the Program List and try running the program from the DOS prompt. * If the program still won't run, or will run only if another program is removed from memory, you may be running out of DOS file handles. Check your CONFIG.SYS and set the FILES variable to a minimum value of 60. Increment this value by 20 and try running B&F and your programs again. Programs to Below is a list of programs that either should not be run from Be Careful within Back & Forth or require special treatment. Of * Disk caches, network drivers, and video enhancement programs like UltraVision should be run before Back & Forth if they are to be used by all of your programs. * Print spoolers, background communications, electronic mail programs, or other programs run in the background must be run before Back & Forth is loaded. * The mouse driver should be loaded before Back & Forth if it is to be used with B&F. If it is used only with a few of your programs, load it within a program partition using a batch file. In this case, the mouse is not available within Back & Forth. * QEMM, QRAM, 386-to-the-Max, or Move'em should not be used to load programs into high memory after B&F. * Disk altering programs like CHKDSK /F, disk optimizers, disk editors, etc, should not be run within Back & Forth. * Other TSR programs, menu programs, utilities such as PC-Tools or shells such as DOS 4.0 DOSSHELL should be set up as a program entry and run from within Back & Forth. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 88 ______________________________________________________________________________ Hot Key Back & Forth uses "hot keys" to jump between the programs and Doesn't Work B&F. The default B&F hot key is set to [Alt][Ctrl][Space]. If you cannot pop back to Back & Forth, try doing the following: * Press the selected hot key simultaneously. For instance, if the hot key is set to [Alt][Ctrl][Space], hold down the [Alt] key and the [Ctrl] key while pressing the [Space] bar. * Some programs intercept all keyboard activity and do not pass these keys along to the other programs in memory (namely B&F). In this case, use the B&F Super key, whose default setting is [Alt][Ctrl][LShift]. * If you hear a high-pitched beep, the video swap disk is full. This symptom is described under "Can't Swap Program". * If pressing the hot key does not return you to Back&Forth, exit the program naturally. This should automatically return you to the Back & Forth main screen. * Now press [F7] to enter the Setup menu and select [H] to open the Hot key menu. The B&F hot key is shown at the top of this screen. If [Shift] is used, the exact one must be pressed. Hot keys may also be assigned to other programs run from the Program List. If the hot key assigned to an open program does not seem to work, check the following: * Pop back to B&F either by using the B&F hot key or by exiting the program. Examine the hot key shown for the program in the list to make sure that you tried the correct combination. * To define a hot key for the program, exit that program naturally. Once you have returned to B&F, press [F7] to enter the Setup menu, press [P] to select Program, highlight the program entry in the list, and press [F7]. Move the cursor to the hot key and press [F7] to open the key selection window. Choose an appropriate hot key for use with that program and press [Ins], press [F9] to save the changed program entry, exit the Program Setup, press [S] to save the changes to the Setup menu, and try again. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 89 ______________________________________________________________________________ Can't Swap Back & Forth makes a single, high pitch beep when an error Program occurs during swapping. If you hear two beeps, this indicates that a problem has been encountered in swapping the video settings. Either the drive set aside for your video swap files is full, or you are using an unsupported video display mode. Try the following: * First, exit the program naturally. This obviates the need to store a video image of the task. * Once you have returned to the B&F Program List, exit and close all open tasks. Then exit Back & Forth. * Now run B&F again without the "GO" option to enter the Swap drive setup menu. Check the drive used to store the video files. A table is included within Section 2 which quantifies the range of file sizes created by each video mode when saved. The higher the video resolution, the more space needed to store the resulting image file. If not enough space is free on that disk, either remove unnecessary files from the disk or select a different disk with more space free. * If plenty of space is available on the drive, use a disk diagnostics program to check for disk read/write problems. * If the problem is due to an unsupported video mode, contact us with the pertinent video information and we will try to help you. In the meantime, use a different display mode. EGA Graphics Back & Forth restores graphic screens generated by well-behaved Aren't programs on CGA, VGA, and most EGA systems. Unfortunately, some Restored programs designed for use on EGA systems write directly to the video system, bypassing DOS and the ROM BIOS. The video settings cannot be read by B&F, therefore it cannot be stored. When one of these programs is swapped, the screen may not be restored properly. We suggest you take the following actions: * If the program has a redraw command, use it to refresh the screen when you return to it. * Force the program into text mode before swapping. * Run the program or the monitor in black & white mode. Screen is not Do not use any extended video mode other than those provided by Restored when UltraVision within a partition where UltraVision is activated. UV is Loaded The video modes set within partitions where UltraVision is loaded are regulated by UltraVision, not by B&F. If you wish to use a video mode that is not controlled by UltraVision, turn UV OFF. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 90 ______________________________________________________________________________ Lose Text When pasting text, Back & Forth feeds the keystrokes through When Pasting the keyboard to the program receiving the text. Sometimes, if the text is being fed too quickly, random characters can be lost. To slow down the paste speed, press the Cut & Paste menu key (default is [Ctrl][LShift][C]), select the Options menu, select the Paste speed entry, then enter a value less than the one being used. Text may also be lost when third-party keyboard buffers are loaded before Back & Forth. In this case, exit all loaded programs, exit B&F, remove the keyboard buffer program (comment it from the AUTOEXEC.BAT if necessary), reboot the machine, and try Back & Forth again. Lose Text Some programs fetch keystrokes directly from the keyboard While Typing buffer, bypassing the BIOS. An example of this is early versions of BASIC. These programs may not be compatible with the extended keyboard buffer function provided with Back & Forth. The solution to this problem is turn the keyboard buffer option Off. To do this, return to Back & Forth, press [F7] to activate the Setup menu, press [K] to select the Keyboard setup option, and toggle the keyboard buffer Off by pressing [B]. Lost Mouse Back & Forth uses a textured background character to display Cursor the screen. Sometimes this makes it difficult to see the block mouse cursor. In any case, check the following: * Make sure mouse support has been toggled On within the [F7] Setup menu. It is on when checkmark appears to the left of the Mouse menu entry and when a scroll bar is shown on the screen. To toggle mouse support On, move the selection bar to highlight the Mouse entry and press [Enter]. * Determine if the mouse cursor is blending into the screen background. If this is the case, try setting the background fill character to a space or other innocuous character. * Exit Back & Forth and make sure that the mouse driver is correctly installed and that the mouse works. First try running another program that uses the mouse. If the mouse still does not work, reboot the system and install it again. Consult your mouse manual for more information. * Make sure that your mouse is Microsoft-compatible and that it is in Microsoft mode. Mouse Use in When Back & Forth is used to execute a program that goes into Graphics extended graphics mode, it is necessary for you to position the Programs mouse cursor at the top left-hand corner of the screen before swapping back to Back & Forth. If this is not done, upon returning to the program, moving the mouse may result in "mouse droppings" trailing the mouse as it is moved across the screen. This occurs because many mouse drivers do not properly save the mouse settings for extended graphics modes. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 91 ______________________________________________________________________________ B&F 'Locks Up Back & Forth has been extensively tested and should provide no trouble to you if it has been properly configured. If you do experience a problem running Back & Forth, check the following: * Remove all memory-resident programs from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Close all open programs, exit Back & Forth, and reboot the system by pressing [Ctrl][Alt][Del]. Now run Back & Forth again. If the problem goes away, try replacing the TSRs one by one, until you determine the culprit. Most memory resident programs should be run within Back & Forth. This lets Back & Forth swap the TSR from memory which increases the amount of memory available to all of your programs. This also diminishes the chance of conflicts occurring when running those programs. * If the problem still occurs, make a copy of your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS so that you can refer to them later when you are ready to rebuild them. If you use BUFFERS /X within CONFIG.SYS, remove the /X. Edit and remove all non-essential statements from your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT by typing the word "REM" at the beginning of each line. Any ASCII text editor may be used to change these files, if you do not have one, you can use your word processor if it allows you to save the file in ASCII format (either in non-document mode or by exporting it in ASCII format). Leave in statements that are necessary by your system. These include FILES, BUFFERS, and hard disk drivers. Within your AUTOEXEC.BAT, remove everything (using "REM") except PATH, SET, and PROMPT. Reboot your system with the modified CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files by pressing [Ctrl][Alt][Del]. Try running Back & Forth within this "clean" environment. You may have to change the Swap drive setup options. If Back & Forth now runs without a hitch, try reinstating the statements, one-by-one to the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. Be patient and systematic. Once you find out which program, command, or device driver is causing the problem, first check its manual. It may mention command line switches that may be used to reconfigure it. Or, it may no longer be needed on your system. Also, try changing the order of the device drivers within the CONFIG.SYS. Strangely enough, this can affect how the drivers interact together and with Back & Forth. Try contacting the developer of the software in question. They may know what your problem is. If all else fails, contact us. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 92 ______________________________________________________________________________ Technical If none of the above suggestions help you solve your problem or Support answer your question, then contact us by mail, fax, BBS, Checklist Compuserve, or phone at the address listed at the beginning of the manual. When you contact us, please have the following information ready and available. Remember, the longer we stay on the phone with you, the less time we have to write and release new updates, features, and products. - The make and model of your computer. - The type and size of all storage devices available, including conventional RAM memory, EMS memory, RAM disks, and hard disks. - The video board in use. - The version of DOS that you are using (if you do not know, type VER at the DOS prompt). - The contents of your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. - The sequence of events leading up to the problem and the programs in memory at the time the problem occurs. Please include all TSRs, device drivers, disk cache, and EMS management software run before Back & Forth is loaded. - The version number and serial number shown at the top of the Back & Forth screen. - And the error message (if one is produced) exactly as shown. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 93 ______________________________________________________________________________ Appendix D: Memory Resident Programs Memory resident programs are small applications that remain in memory, ready to be invoked and used at a moment's notice. They encompass such tasks as file maintenance utilities, appointment calendars, calculators, address books, keyboard macro programs, et cetera. Also known as TSR (terminate and stay resident) programs, these utilities are very convenient but may also be equally troublesome, especially if you use more than one. A prime source of irritation often lies in the amount of memory each one occupies. Memory is a precious commodity on personal computers, very few (dare I say none) of us have enough of it to do all that we may wish to. Many programs gladly gobble up all memory available on the system and are still hungry for more. Types of Memory resident programs may be divided into several different TSRs classes: file and system drivers, keyboard enhancers, and accessories. File and systems drivers are usually found within the CONFIG.SYS file and include commands used to set the mode or path and device drivers used to set up and maintain expanded memory, RAM disks, disk caches, mice, print spoolers, etc. These should be loaded before Back & Forth. Keyboard enhancers, like SuperKey and ProKey, are programs that learn and repeat keystroke sequences when activated. These programs may be loaded before or after Back & Forth. Accessories have been created to do almost anything imaginable and include such tasks as DOS command stacks, file maintenance utilities, desktop utilities, calculators, notepads, telephone dialers, etc. These programs should be loaded within a partition. Running a Running memory resident programs within a program partition TSR provides the following benefits: * Frees the maximum amount of memory for the programs that really need it like word processors, desktop publishing packages, databases, spreadsheets, etc. * Reduces the conflicts that occur between TSRs, other programs, and Back & Forth. A common problem is hotkey conflicts, where more than one program uses the same key combination to perform a command. * Minimizes screen conflicts. Many TSR programs do not store and redraw graphics screens correctly. These TSRs either will not pop-back when a graphics screen is shown or will not restore the screen properly. * Removes the programs when desired. Some TSRs do not provide an easy way to remove itself from memory once you no longer need it. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 94 ______________________________________________________________________________ Loading a You can run memory resident programs in several ways. To load a TSR TSR into a partition then go to a DOS prompt (the way a TSR is normally loaded), define a program entry within the Program Setup naming the TSR as the program to be run and setting the "Action when done" to Stay at DOS. To load one or more TSR programs before an application, create a batch file naming the TSR programs and the application program. Use this batch file as the executable program name when defining the program entry within the Program Setup. Finally, you can run any program (including a TSR) from the command line within a DOS partition. Removing a To remove a TSR from memory, exit all programs run after that TSR TSR in that partition, return to Back & Forth, move the selection bar to highlight the task entry containing that TSR, and press [Del]. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 95 ______________________________________________________________________________ Appendix E: Network Installation and Use Network Use Back & Forth has been designed to function on Novell-compatible networks as well as single-user systems. To use Back & Forth on a network, a unique B&F data file must be configured for each user. This file stores the swap area information, the program list, personal color and customization options, etc. To make Back & Forth easier for the network users to use, we recommend that the network supervisor set up a batch file containing a series of batch statements matching the name of the user with his or her user number. This batch file can then execute Back & Forth and pass it the correct user number. Note Back & Forth supports up to 256 users per file server on networks that use the NETBIOS. When Back & Forth Net is registered, you will receive a security number file that allows a specified number of users. B&F's executable files and swap areas can be placed in common areas. If multiple users will be using Back & Forth on a network, a special network version must be purchased for each file server. Otherwise, each user will have to suffer through the shareware notices and swap space limitation. Ordering information can be found within the ORDER.NET file. Setting Up The Back & Forth configuration file can be created either by the Network each individual using Back & Forth or by the network Version supervisor. Once the file is created, each user can customize the settings at any time. Each data file contains the program list, color settings, autoload setup, swap settings, and other program settings. To set up the network version of Back & Forth, follow these steps. Logging On First, log onto the network before running Back & Forth. This provides Back & Forth access to the network. Installing Install the Back & Forth files by following the instructions at Back & Forth the beginning of this section. Please note: The B&F002.OVL and B&F005.OVL overlay files must be set to read-only, otherwise multiple users may not be able to use B&F simultaneously. If you do not use the INSTALL program provided to install Back & Forth on the system, you must make certain that the file attribute of both files are correctly set and that HD-SETUP is used to create the Back & Forth batch files. Creating the Now run Back & Forth without specifying a user number. This BFVARS Data creates the default BFVARS file, which can later be used to File initialize all other user data files. To run Back & Forth using the default BFVARS file, enter one of the following. The B&F.BAT file sets up, changes directories, and runs Back & Forth using conventional memory. The B&FHI.BAT file runs Back & Forth using high memory, if available. B&F (or) B&FHI Back & Forth version 1.70 page 96 ______________________________________________________________________________ When run, the Swap drive setup screen is shown. This is described in Section 2. Once [F9] is pressed,control is passed to Back & Forth. You are now ready to set up the general data file used to initialize each new user file. Press [F7] Setup to set the default settings used to run Back & Forth. This should should include the programs that most (or all) users regularly run. Once this information has been set, exit Back & Forth. Creating the Now re-run Back & Forth using the first user number to be User Data defined. To do this, type one of the following: Files B&F USER:1 (or) B&FHI USER:1 If that user data file has not yet been created, you will be prompted that the file does not exist. The two choices are: "Default values" and "User 0 values". To use the default BFVARS file to initialize its contents, select "User 0 values". Control is then passed to the Swap Drive setup, as before. Check the settings shown and change them, if necessary. Each user must have "create file" privilege for each of the swap paths specified. Press [F9] to save these settings to the first user's data file. Control is then passed to the main Back & Forth screen. To set up the programs to be made available to the first user, press the [F7] Setup key and select [P]. Other program settings may also be customized within the [F7] Setup menu. After you finish setting up the first user's data file, re-run Back & Forth using the next user number to be defined. Continue this process until all user data files have been created. Running Back Once the data files have been created for each user, you are & Forth ready to begin using Back & Forth. To bypass the opening Swap drive setup screen, add the "GO" command line option when running Back & Forth. To do so, type: B&F USER:### GO (or) B&FHI USER:### GO User=### designates a number between 0 and the number of registered users. If the number is already in use on the network, B&F terminates and shows an appropriate error message. Back & Forth uses the network user number to create a unique swap file for each user. These files aren't randomly generated, however. If Back & Forth is abnormally terminated, these files are automatcally overwritten the next time B&F is loaded. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 97 ______________________________________________________________________________ Appendix F: Command Line Options Used Within Back & Forth Four command line options have been made available to you for use in making Back & Forth easier to use. These options are: GO, FILE, LITE, USER, CACHE, and OVERLAY. The GO Option The "GO" option, when invoked, bypasses the Swap drive setup screen and goes directly to the Program List window. To run B&F.BAT with "GO", type the following at the DOS prompt. B&F GO The FILE The "FILE" option lets you specify a different BFVARS file for Option use by Back & Forth. To run B&F, bypassing the Swap drive setup and using the data file named MYFILE, type the following at the DOS prompt. B&F GO FILE:MYFILE The LITE The "LITE" option executes a smaller, "stripped down" version Option of Back & Forth. This version is 5k smaller than the standard version of Back & Forth with the following features removed: print buffer, clock, automatic program loading, screen blank, key buffer, key click, and [Ctrl][Alt][Del] restriction. To run this version of Back & Forth, use the following command line option. B&F LITE The USER The "USER" option lets you specify the individual user using Option Back & Forth on a network. See Appendix E for more information on the use of this option. Back & Forth version 1.70 page 98 ______________________________________________________________________________ Appendix G: Fine Tuning Performance of Back & Forth Two special options have been provided for use in fine tuning the swapping speed of the Back & Forth program. These options, available through use of SET statements at the DOS prompt, allow you to use EMS, XMS, or RAM disks for storage of the Back & Forth swap information and let you use a RAM disk for holding the most commonly accessed Back & Forth overlays. To use these options, add the following lines to the batch files created for use in executing Back & Forth. These lines should appear after the SET B&F statement and before the BNF program. SET BNF_CACHE=xxx /* xxx=EMS,XMS,or RAM disk path*/ SET BNF_OVERLAY=x:\path /* x:\path=RAM disk path */ The CACHE The "CACHE" option is used to specify EMS, XMS, or a RAM disk Option path for use by Back & Forth in storing its program information. This cache is 256k in size. If no cache is set, the default swap area used is the B&F program directory. This cache is used to speed up swapping and operation of Back & Forth. To specify EMS memory for use by the cache, type the following at the command line: set BNF_CACHE=EMS To extended memory with an XMS compatible interface: set BNF_CACHE=XMS A RAM disk may be similarly specified by typing the following: set BNF_CACHE=F:\ (assuming F: is set up as a RAM disk) The OVERLAY The "OVERLAY" option is used to specify the location of the Option three program overlays most commonly used within Back & Forth. On slower machines with large RAM disks, the amount of time needed to swap Back & Forth in and out of memory may be daunting. Copying the following three overlay files to a RAM disk and using the OVERLAY option to specify their location will significantly speed up the swap process. If no overlay path is specified, the general B&F program path (where the program files are located) is used. The three program overlays most commonly swapped in and out of memory are: B&F002.OVL -- B&F main program B&F004.OVL -- Video overlay B&F005.OVL -- Cut/paste overlay For example, to specify the path F:\ for all three overlays, type the following at the DOS prompt: set BNF_OVERLAY=F:\ A path may be specified for each of the overlay files. For example, to specify F:\ for B&F002.OVL, G:\ for B&F004.OVL, and H:\ for B&F005.OVL, type the following. set BNF_OVERLAY=F:\;G:\;H:\ Back & Forth version 1.70 page 99 ______________________________________________________________________________