The Datafile PD-CD 1 Issue 2

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

/ The Datafile PD-CD 1 Issue 2 / PDCD-1 - Issue 02.iso / _utilities / utilities / 004 / ansiedit / Documents_Text_UserGuide < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1994-10-02 | 110.9 KB | 3,042 lines

User Guide for AnsiEdit Version 2.30 Contents Section Title Introduction Various bits System Used For Testing Hardware Software Installation The editor and its resources The Editor's Desktop Front-End Loading The Editor Loading screens Entering The Editor Entering The Editor Errors Loading Without Resources Configuring the Editor Options on or off Changing the messages Setting The Options (Preferences Window) Load Resources Save Details Load Details Warnings Save Options Defaults Load Options Delete Options Colour Templates Dull Templates Hourglass Insert Draw Pattern Hot-Keys Extra Keys Mouse Buttons Control Panel Scrap Directory Contents (Continued) Section Title Update Block Transparent Delete Left Print LF Major Warnings Minor Warnings Setting The Options (Load Details Window) Ansi BBC Font Data Text Any CLS Prompt Archived Setting The Options (Load Resources Window) Font Palette AnsiSave Setting The Options (Save Details Window) Do Initial MODE Change? Include Font Data? Include Palette Data? Display End-Of-File Marker? Maximum ANSI Lines? Reverse Pause Setting The Options (Warnings Window) Block on alternate screen Copy block Move block Delete block Erase block Paint block / area Wash block / area Clear block Clear pattern Clear screen Select as pattern Draw box (Solid / Transparent) Regrab block Contents (Continued) Section Title Regrab block from alternate screen Same values User terminated Load errors Save errors Select corner 1 Select corner 2 Select block No block Help Screen modified No pattern Global colour change Position block Using The Desktop Front-End Menus Info File Info Print Clear Swap Screen Preference Quit Saving Files From The Desktop Front-End Using The Editor Cursor Movement Ctrl Key Plus Shift Key Plus Other Available Keys Function Keys Mouse buttons Available Commands Alt Key Commands Ctrl & Alt Commands Ctrl & Alt & Shift Commands The Editor Menu System Starting The Menu System Selecting An Option Sub-Menus Keyboard Equivalents Contents (Continued) Section Title Explanation Of The Control Panel Block Commands (Select menu options) Selecting A Block Hide Show Clear Block View Block Reselect If the selected block is on the current screen If the selected block is on the alternate screen Move Copy Delete Erase Wash Area Paint Area Transparent Shapes sub-menu Box (Transparent) Box (Solid) Block Update No Mouse Single Click Double Click Warning menu options Major Warnings Minor Warnings Colour menu options Select Background Colour Select Default Background Colour Select Foreground Colour Global Colour Change Selecting a new colour from the screen Select Line Type Misc options Clear Screen Swap The Screen Contents (Continued) Section Title Control Panel menu F1 - F8 Up Down All Star Commands Top Bottom Neither Ruler Change Mode Print Screen Draw Mode Pattern Mode Off Pattern Mode On Insert Hourglass CLS Prompt Cursor Edit options Erase Line Insert Line Paint The Screen Pattern Mode Off Pattern Mode On Transparent Character Solid Space Wash Screen Delete Line File menu options Change Directory Load File Screen Font Palette AnsiSave Save Screen Contents (Continued) Section Title Save Details Do Initial MODE Change Include Font Data Include Palette Data Add End-Of-File Marker Reverse Pause Maximum ANSI Lines Save Options Defaults Load Options Delete Options View Files Exit Editor Pattern Options Pattern Mode Select Pattern View Pattern Clear Pattern Errors Appendices Appendix A: Default option settings Editor Options Load Options Loaded Template File Miscellaneous Options Block Command Options Warning Toggles Save File Options Loaded Resources Warnings Other information IMPORTANT NOTE This is the user guide for 'AnsiEdit' version 2.30. The above lists the various section headings, to allow for easy access to each individual area, by using an editors search facility. When searching it would be better to turn 'Case Sensitivity' off. USE AND ENJOY!!!! Introduction Version 2.30 of 'AnsiEdit', is intended as the last release for this year. There are plans for new features for the editor, but there are other things I would like to do, after all, the editors now into its third year of development and the fourth year for me developing ANSI programs (how time flies when your enjoying yourself, (or does it seem like that because I am getting old (24 years))!!!!!) The editor was originally written because some people said it would be a nice idea to be able to create ANSI screens on an Archimedes, which could then be used on a PC, because of this the editor resembled a PC ANSI screen editor. However, these people have since moved over to only using PC's, and so this philosophy needed a rethink. The editor has now been written solely as a Archimedes colour editor. ANSI files are still catered for, but, the full 32 lines can now be used, plus some other features applicable only to the Archimedes and not the PC. Various bits If you want to configure the editor for your own personal use then it would be very advisable to read all of the section entitled 'Configuring the editor'. Turning some options on or off may have dire consequences if your not fully aware of what they do. The help provided by the '!Help' application does not give full information, and is only intended as a reminder for after you have read the 'UserGuide'. To ensure the editor runs as all previous versions have done then the options should be left in there default state. System Used For Testing Hardware Acorn BBC A3000 with 4Mb of RAM ARM 3 Watford Electronics Internal 20Mb IDE hard disk Risc OS 3 version 3.10 Standard resolution monitor (Microvitec Cub 3000) Amstrad DMP 2160 (Dot matrix printer) Canon BJ-10sx (Bubble-Jet printer) Software ArcFSr/w Edit version 1.44 1st Word+ version 2.01 StrongEd v2.51 - (Freeware version from 'Archimedes World') BasCompress v1.35b (BASIC compressor - Registered) MouseOpt v1.00 (Allows the cursor keys to emulate the mouse, (c) 1993 Neil Anderthal from Archimedes World) Installation The editor and its resources All the editors programs and resources used to be kept in the editors own directory, I have now decided to change this. The editors own directory will now just contain the files it really needs to run. The additional files will now only be held in sub-directories in the archive, the default resources will also be stored in the sub-directories in case a resource is accidentally erased. The directories are as follows: Directory Purpose !AnsiEdit The actual application Documents This contains all the editors documentation files such as the one your reading in both '1stWord+' and 'Text (ASCII)' format Examples This contains example 'BBC Font' and 'Ansi' screens MsgFiles This contains the default messages files Pals+Fonts This contains DOS and default Archimedes MODE 12 fonts and palettes SaveFiles This contains around 14 different 'AnsiSave' files for use with the editor The Editor's Desktop Front-End Loading The Editor The program can either be run from the archive using a program like ArcFS or SparkFS, or de-archived and run from a floppy disk or hard disk. Although its possible to run the program from the archive its best to de-archive it first. To use the program simply double-click on its icon or double-click on an Ansi or BBC Font file. The '!Boot' file has commands in it to intercept double-clicks on BBC Font, Ansi, Data and Text files. To stop it doing this just put a '|' at the start of the relevant lines. If the program is run from an archive, then the 'Archive' option should be turned on. This is the default setting. If not the editor may error or mess up the entire archive. The 'Archive' option just stops the application from gaining all the file information when saving or loading a file, this was causing the editor to crash. I believe the problem is possibly due to mixing archives created with both 'ArcFS' and 'SparkFS', this is because my program attempts to write to the editors directory by default. The editors desktop front-end is currently compliant with '!Help', except for help on menu options when using Risc OS 3, it is also compliant with the 'MessageTrans' module. The program has been tested under Risc OS 3 version 3.10 only, so any comments or bugs encountered using other versions of the Operating System would be appreciated. If the 'ImageOpts' and / or 'EditorOpts' files exist in the editors directory, and are incompatible, for example where created using a different version of the editor, an error message will be displayed. This could either be in an error box or a message on the screen. If its a message on the screen it can be cleared by pressing 'f12' and pressing return. After the message has been displayed the editor wil carry on loading but will instead use the default settings for the options and resources. Loading screens A file can be loaded by double-clicking on it. If the editor is not already loaded, then the editor will be loaded first and then the file. If a file is double-clicked on then the file will be loaded as a screen unless it is a 'AnsiSave' file in which case it will be loaded as the current save file, and the same goes for palettes and font files which only contain palette or font data, these will not update the details in the 'Load Resources' window. Entering The Editor When the editor is entered, the current mode is used for editing. This should preferable be a 16 colour mode with 80 characters across (0 - 79) and 32 lines down (0 - 31). If larger modes are used, only the first 80 characters across and 32 lines down are used. Small modes like 9 will result in the file not be correctly displayed. Modes with more than 16 colours, like 15 and 13, will also result in the displayed colours been wrong. If larger modes are used for loading, or modes with more than 16 colours are used for loading, simple exit the editor (Alt & X) and re-enter using mode 12 or similar, and the file will be correctly displayed. Using smaller modes will probably mean the file was loaded incorrectly. Alternatively, change the current mode from within the editor using Alt & Y. Entering The Editor If the editor is loaded by double-clicking on a file, the editor is entered while loading the file. To enter the editor from the desktop simply click on its icon on the icon bar, or, use whatever hot-key sequence you have set up, by default this is 'F11'. Errors Any errors in the desktop will result in an error box with 'Cancel' and 'OK' boxes. 'Cancel' will exit the editor, losing any changes you have made to a file, and 'OK' will ignore the error and carry on. If an error is displayed during initialisation which can't be cured it is best to click on 'Cancel', if a resource such as a 'Palette' or 'AnsiSave' file is requested but which is not available, then if the 'EditorOpts' and 'ImageOpts' files are deleted, this will stop the resources been requested and the editor should load with no problem. Some errors which used to display an error box with an 'OK' icon in now display an error window which can just be closed in the usual way. Loading Without Resources In previous versions, if a resource, such as a palette, was missing, the editor would not load. Now, if a resource is missing, the editor will still load and run. However, if the font is missing then the current system font is used, if the palette is missing then the default colours for the current mode will be used. This may mean the screen flashing if your in a mode such as mode 12. If the 'AnsiSave' file is missing then the file will be saved as if the file 'NormalSave' had been loaded. If any of the message files are missing, then the message that will be displayed will be the messages tag. You will be prompted with a message if any files are missing. If the missing files are font, palette or AnsiSave files then these files can be loaded manually after the editor has been loaded. If the missing file is a message file then the file needs putting back in the editors 'Resources' directory and the editor should then be reloaded. Configuring the Editor Before reading the following sections, make sure there are no files called 'EditorOpts' or 'ImageOpts' in the editors resource directory. To do this first load the editor on to the icon bar, and then click adjust over the editors icon. The 'Preferences' window should now pop-up on the screen. Click on the icon which says 'Delete Options', if any option files exist then this will delete them. If a window appeared saying no option files to delete then this means the editor has been setup with the default option settings. If the window informed you that files had been deleted then you should do one of the following: A. Exit the editor using the 'Quit' option from the menu and then reload the editor again. OR B. Click on the icon which says 'Defaults'. This will make sure your editor is using the default options which are mentioned in this user guide. Appendix A lists what all the default options should be. Options on or off If an option has a red square or blue asterix in the middle, then the option is on, otherwise the option is off. If you prefer the default icons, then you should do the following: 1. Hold down the SHIFT key and double-click on the editors icon in the filer window. 2. Now release the SHIFT key. Now drag the file icon for '!Run' to a suitable text editor, such as '!Edit' or '!StrongEd'. On the line which reads as follows: IconSprites <AnsiEdit$Dir>.Resources.OptSprs Place a '|' at the start of the line. This will stop the editor changing the default icons. Changing the messages The editors messages used by the desktop front-end, the editors menu system and help messages can now be edited. The 'MessageTrans' module is used for this purpose. The files are called: MenuMsgs - contains the editors menu messages, help messages and the hot-key information. ImageMsgs - contains the messages for the desktop front-end. EditorMsgs - contains the messages for the editor itself. The above 3 files can be found in the editors 'Resources' directory. To find these files you should do the following: 1. Hold down the SHIFT key and double-click on the editors icon in the filer window, now release the Shift key. 2. There should be a light blue (cyan) coloured directory viewer visible called 'Resources'. You should now double-click on this. The 3 files mentioned above should now be visible. Important Note: NEVER change what is before the ':', this is because the editor uses this for finding the correct message. Setting The Options (Preferences Window) To change any options click menu over the AnsiEdit icon on the icon bar. Now select the 'Preferences' option. A window will appear on the screen. You can now also click the adjust button while the mouse is over the editors icon to open the 'Preferences' window, instead of the 'Load Resources' window. By clicking on the icons you can toggle the options on and off. The editor now uses proper radio and option boxes like '!Edit', instead of the 'Yes' and 'No' boxes that previous versions used. Under old versions, clicking the options on or off had an immediate effect. Now to make your changes take place you should do one of the following: a) After you have made your changes to the options click on 'OK', the window will be shut and the changes will be made. b) Click on 'Load Options' or 'Defaults', these will either load any options from the options files or set the options to there default settings and shut ALL option windows. c) If you have made any changes and you then click on Colour / Dull Templates, the changes will take place, all windows open will be shut and any option windows that where open will be re-opened with the new templates. If any options have been changed, and none of the above have been done, clicking on 'Cancel' will ignore any changes and close the option window. Load Resources This leads to a sub-window which allows you to change the default 'Font', 'Palette' and 'AnsiSave' files which are loaded when the editor is started up. Save Details This icon leads to a sub-window which allows the setting of options for when saving files. Load Details This is a new option. These icons used to be on the main preferences window. The sub-window allows the setting of options for when loading files. Warnings This leads to a sub-window which allows the setting of major and minor warnings. Save Options Clicking this icon will save the options to the applications 'Resources' directory, on either floppy disk or hard disk. For this, the application should first be de-archived. Defaults Clicking this icon will reset the options to the programs defaults. Load Options Clicking this icon (previously 'Start Settings') will reload the options last saved to the applications directory. If no options have been saved then this option will do the same as the 'Defaults' option. Delete Options If you have saved the options for future use, but then decide you want to use the default options, this will delete the saved options from disk. If the option files are found then the editor will open a window informing you of the files it has deleted. This option should only be done if the editor has been de-archived. Colour Templates This is a new option. If the editor is using the 'Dull' templates, this will load the 'ColourFul' template file (the Authors preferred choice). If any of the main options windows are open, the windows icon settings are saved and then any open windows are closed and the main option windows that were open are reopened with the colourful templates loaded. This means this option will also have a similar effect to clicking on 'OK'. If the 'Colourful' templates are already loaded this option will do nothing. Dull Templates This is a new option. If the editor is using the 'ColourFul' templates, this will load the 'Dull' template file. If any of the main options windows are open, the windows icon settings are saved and then any open windows are closed and the main option windows that were open are reopened with the dull templates loaded. This means this option will also have a similar effect to clicking on 'OK'. If the 'Dull' templates are already loaded this option will do nothing. Hourglass If the 'Hourglass' option is turned on, then some commands will display a hourglass with a percentage of the command done underneath it. This has been greatly improved from previous versions. All commands will now display an hourglass, irrespective of this setting, when doing something which causes a slight delay. The hourglass option now tells the routines you wish a percentage to appear as to how much of the command has been done. You may find though, that this will cause a slight lengthening of how long the command takes. Insert If the 'Insert' option is on, then 'Ins' will appear at the bottom of the screen when using the editor. Any character now typed will be inserted at the cursor position. This option will cause the speed of typing to be reduced quite noticeably. This has no effect when 'Draw' (see below) is turned on. Draw If the 'Draw' option is on, then 'Draw' will appear at the bottom of the screen when using the editor. Now when using the cursor keys a line will be drawn using the currently selected line type. Pattern If the 'Pattern' option is on, then the '[?]' at the bottom of the screen, will be replaced with 'Pat'. If no pattern has been selected, then an error window will appear and the option will be immediately turned off again. The option is also turned off, if pattern was on when the options were saved and the editor is reloaded again. This is because no pattern can have been selected when the editor is first loaded. Hot-Keys The hot-keys option used to lead to a pop-up window, now instead there is a writable icon. To set the hot-key you can either: a) Click the menu button over the writable icon and select the function key from the menu OR b) Click on the left hand arrow next to the writable icon to go backwards through the list, or the right hand arrow to go forwards through the list. Clicking with adjust will do the opposite of clicking with the select button. Extra Keys The extra keys option allows you to select the use of 'Ctrl', 'Shift', both or neither. To set the extra-keys you can either: a) Click the menu button over the writable icon and select the function key from the menu OR b) Click on the left hand arrow next to the writable icon to go backwards through the list, or the right hand arrow to go forwards through the list. Clicking with adjust will do the opposite of clicking with the select button. Mouse Buttons This used to be 3 separate icons allowing the setting of 'Single', 'Double' or 'None'. Now you have 1 writable icon, in order to change the setting you need to do one of the following: a) Click the menu button over the writable icon and select the function key from the menu OR b) Click on the left hand arrow next to the writable icon to go backwards through the list, or the right hand arrow to go forwards through the list. Clicking with adjust will do the opposite of clicking with the select button. 'Single' means you only need to click the mouse button once when dealing with block commands, 'Double' means you need to double-click the mouse button and 'None' means the mouse pointer is turned off during block commands. Control Panel This used to be 3 separate icons allowing the setting of 'Top', 'Bottom' or 'None'. Now you have 1 writable icon, in order to change the setting you need to do one of the following: a) Click the menu button over the writable icon and select the function key from the menu OR b) Click on the left hand arrow next to the writable icon to go backwards through the list, or the right hand arrow to go forwards through the list. Clicking with adjust will do the opposite of clicking with the select button. 'Top' will display the control panel at the top of the screen, 'Bottom' will display the control panel at the bottom of the screen and 'None' will turn the control panel off. Scrap Directory You can either enter the name of your scrap directory, drag the scrap directory to the icon or clicking menu will display a window with the following commonly used scrap directories, <Wimp$ScrapDir>, <AnsiEdit$Dir> (Default), <AnsiEdit$Dir>.Resources. Update Block Using old versions of the editor, if a block was selected, and then changed in some way, the block needed to be regrabbed using Alt & G, or completely reselected using Alt & A. Turning 'Update Block' on, will mean any changes to the selected area are mirrored in the selected block, this is how most editors and word processors work. This is on a toggle, in case the old method was preferred. Transparent This option will toggle 'Transparency' on and off for the copying and moving of blocks around the screen. If a block been copied has 'transparent' areas, these will not effect the destination area. Delete Left Using old versions of the editor, the deletion of blocks always meant the moving of things from right to left. I often found I wanted things to move from bottom to top. If this option is turned off, then the deletion of blocks will result in the moving of things from the bottom of the screen to the top. Print LF Old versions of the editor used to add a line-feed as my printer required this. However, now I have a Canon BJ- 10sx a line-feed is no longer required. This option will toggle between printing a Line-Feed and not printing a Line-Feed. Major Warnings If this option is turned on, then any warnings listed as a major warning (MAJOR next to it), will be displayed. If this option is turned off, then these warnings will be ignored. Eg copy a block is listed as a major warning by default, so if major warnings where turned off and a block was copied, the command would be done with no prompting before hand. Minor Warnings If this option is turned on, then any warnings listed as a minor warning (MINOR next to it), will be displayed. If this option is turned off, then these warnings will be ignored. Eg no block is listed as a minor warning by default, so if minor warnings where turned off and a block command was attempted before a block was selected, the command would not prompt with a warning. Setting The Options (Load Details Window) The following options used to be in the main preferences window. Ansi If this option has been turned on, and you double-click on a Ansi file (filetype &120), then the editor will attempt to load the file. If the option has been turned off and a Ansi file (filetype &120) is double-clicked, then the editor will ignore it. BBC Font If this option has been turned on, and you double-click on a BBC Font file (filetype &FF7), then the editor will attempt to load the file. If the option has been turned off and a BBC Font file (filetype &FF7) is double- clicked, then the editor will ignore it. Data If this option has been turned on, and you double-click on a Data file (filetype &FFD), then the editor will attempt to load the file. If the option has been turned off and a Data file (filetype &FFD) is double-clicked then the editor will ignore it. Text If this option has been turned on, and you double-click on a Text file (filetype &FFF), then the editor will attempt to load the file. If the option has been turned off and a Text file (filetype &FFF) is double-clicked then the editor will ignore it. Any If this option has been turned on, then regardless of the above settings, an attempt will be made to load any file (except directories) double-clicked on. Turning this option on will result in Ansi, BBC Font, Data and Text be shaded out. CLS Prompt If the 'CLS Prompt' option is turned on, then when loading the user is prompted before any clear screen sequences. Archived If the 'Archive' option has been turned on then when a file is loaded or saved the file details are not gained from the disk. This is mainly for when using the editor from an archive. It was discovered that often programs like 'ArcFsr/w' would output errors which stopped the editor working and sometimes would corrupt the editors archive. If this option is turned on then the editors file info box will not contain information about the loaded files type or date and time saved, all other information is still filled in. Setting The Options (Load Resources Window) This window used to be called 'Load Details'. It now contains the name of the currently loaded 'Font', 'Palette' and 'AnsiSave' file. Font If a new font is to be loaded then drag the file to the 'Font' icon. Do not just drag the BBC Font file to the window, it may not load the file properly if you do. This may be changed in a later version. Palette If a new palette is to be loaded then drag the file to the 'Palette' icon. Do not just drag the Palette file to the window, it may not load the file properly if you do. This may be changed in a later version. AnsiSave This is a new icon and a new file type. 'AnsiSave' files are the files which contain information about how the current screen should be saved. Drag a 'AnsiSave' file to the icon to load it. If the 'Save Options' icon is clicked on, the files listed above will be saved as well. This means when the editor is next loaded, these files will be loaded automatically as the editors default files, this may mean being prompted for a disk if a file is not on the current disk. As well as dragging the files to the icons you can also type the files name and path into the icon box as well. If you do this, you MUST press [RETURN] afterwards to ensure the 'BBC Font', 'Palette' or 'AnsiSave' file is loaded, if the [RETURN] key is pressed but the name is the same as the file already loaded then nothing will happen. Setting The Options (Save Details Window) The 'Save Details' window allows the, 'Do Initial MODE Change?', 'Include Font Data?', 'Include Palette Data?', 'End-Of-File Marker?', 'Maximum ANSI Lines?', 'Reverse', 'Pause' and 'Display' options to be changed, for when saving files. These options can be either set from here or by using the 'Save Details' sub-menu from the editor. Any changes made using this window are reflected in the 'Save Details' menu, and any changes made in the 'Save Details' menu are reflected in this window. Do Initial MODE Change? When a file is saved as a 'BBC Font' file a VDU sequence will be sent to change the screen mode to the currently selected screen mode. If this option is not turned on then only a clear screen sequence will initially be sent. (BBC Font files only). Include Font Data? When a file is saved as a 'BBC Font' file, the entire currently loaded font will be saved with the file. If this option is not turned on then no font is saved. The font data will increase the file size by approximately 2240 bytes. (BBC Font files only). Include Palette Data? When a file is saved as a 'BBC Font' file, the currently loaded palette will be saved with the file. If this option is not turned on then no palette is saved. The palette data will increase the file size by approximately 120 bytes. (BBC Font files only). Display This option used to be part of the main preferences window. If this option has been turned on, then the file is displayed as its saved. For example, if a file is saved using the 'Gate' file, then the screen is cleared and the file is displayed as if it was been loaded. End-Of-File Marker? When a file is saved as 'Ansi', 'BBC Font' or 'Text' (ASCII) an End-Of-File marker ( CHR$(26) / Ctrl & Z ) is added to the end of the file if this option is turned on. Maximum ANSI Lines? When a file is saved as a ANSI file this option will decide how many lines are saved. The default value is 25. This is because there are normally only 25 lines on a PC screen. A 32 line ANSI screen will not be redisplayed properly by a PC or some Archimedes ANSI screen displayers. The displayers that have been written by me should be able to redisplay a 32 line ANSI screen correctly. If the value is set to '0' then it will be changed to the '25' line default. Any value which exceeds 32 will be automatically reduced to 32. (ANSI files only). Reverse If set this will save the file in reverse. For example the file 'NormalSave' which is loaded by default and saves top-left to bottom-right, would now save bottom-right to top-left (Ansi and BBC Font files only). Pause This will slow down the displaying of the file. This is because the '*Print <Filename>' can display the file that fast, that if a file was saved using, for example, the 'Gate' file you would hardly see it been displayed. The editor inserts reposition characters to slow the loading down. If you entered 10, then 10 reposition characters are inserted after every escape sequence and character placed on the screen. If the file is saved as 'Ansi' then save and restore escape sequences are used instead. It should be remembered that this can quite drastically increase the size of a file, so use with care. A value up to 999 can be entered as this was what a PC Ansi editor would allow, personally I find a value of about 5 or 6 is normally enough (Ansi and BBC Font files only). Setting The Options (Warnings Window) IF YOU INTEND ALTERING ANY OPTIONS IN THE WARNINGS WINDOW, I WOULD ADVISE YOU FIRST TO EXPERIMENT WITH THEM. If a option is clicked on in the 'Warnings' window then it will be toggled between major and minor. The reference to a warning being on means the option been set as major or minor and them warnings having been switched on in the 'Preferences' window. Clicking the 'Menu' mouse button over this window will result in a different menu been displayed. The menu options are 'All Major', 'All Minor' and 'Defaults'. All Major: This will set all the warnings to be major warnings. All Minor: This will set all the warnings to be minor warnings. Defaults: This will reset all the warnings to there editor defaults. Block on alternate screen If this option is on, then the warning about the block being on the alternate screen will be displayed. If this option is off then the message will be suppressed. This effects most block commands if the selected block is on the alternate screen and the command normally highlights the block first. Copy block If this option is on, then prior to copying the block, you will be prompted first. If this option is off then the copy will take place with no prompting, so you should use it with care. Move block If this option is on, then prior to moving the block, you will be prompted first. If this option is off then the move will take place with no prompting, so you should use it with care. Delete block If this option is on, then prior to deleting the block, you will be prompted first. If this option is off then the block will be deleted with no prompting, so you should use it with care. Erase block If this option is on, then prior to erasing the block, you will be prompted first. If this option is off then the block will be erased with no prompting, so you should use it with care. Paint block / area If this option is on, then prior to painting a block or area, you will be prompted first. If this option is off then the painting of blocks or areas will take place with no prompting, so you should use it with care. Wash block / area If this option is on, then prior to washing a block or area, you will be prompted first. If this option is off then the washing of the block or area will take place with no prompting, so you should use it with care. Clear block If this option is on, then prior to clearing the block, you will be prompted first. If this option is off then the block will be cleared with no prompting, so you should use it with care. Clear pattern If this option is on, then prior to clearing the pattern, you will be prompted first. If this option is off then the pattern will be cleared with no prompting, so you should use it with care. Clear screen If this option is on, then prior to clearing the screen, you will be prompted first. If this option is off then the screen will be cleared with no prompting, so you should use it with care. This also effects the desktop front-end. Select as pattern If this option is on, then prior to selecting the current block as the new pattern, you will be prompted first. If this option is off then the current block will become the new pattern without any prompting, so you should use it with care. Draw box (Solid / Transparent) If this option is on, then prior to drawing the box, you will be prompted first. If this option is off then the box will be drawn with no prompting, so you should use it with care. Regrab block If this option is on, then prior to regrabbing the block, you will be prompted first. If this option is off then the block will be grabbed with no prompting, so you should use it with care. Regrab block from alternate screen If this option is on, then prior to regrabbing the block from the alternate screen, you will be prompted. If this option is off then the block will be regrabbed from the alternate screen with no prompting, so you should use with care. Same values If this option is on, then if you try to paint or wash an area with the same characteristics as those currently selected, you will be prompted before the command is aborted. If this option is off then the command is aborted with no prompting. This test is not done when washing or painting a block. User terminated If this option is on and a command is terminated by the user, then you will be prompted. If this option is off then there will be no prompting. Load errors If this option is on and there are errors during loading, such as no file found, then you will be prompted. If this option is off then there will be no prompting, the command will just be aborted. This also effects the desktop front-end. Save errors If this option is on and there are errors during saving, such as an invalid filename, then you will be prompted. If this option is off then there will be no prompting, the command will just be aborted. This could mean the file not being saved and the user not been informed, SO BEWARE. This also effects the desktop front-end. Select corner 1 If this option is on, you will be prompted to select corner 1. If its off you will be expected to know to select corner 1. Select corner 2 If this option is on, you will be prompted to select corner 2. If its off you will be expected to know to select corner 2. Select block If this option is on, then prior to selecting the block, you will be prompted first. If this option is off then the select will take place with no prompting, so you should use it with care. No block If this option is on, and you attempt to carry out a block command before selecting a block, you will be prompted. If the option is off, the command will be aborted with no prompting. Help If this option is on, and you attempt to use help, and no help file was found during initialisation, you will be prompted with a warning. If the option is off, the command is aborted and nothing will happen. Screen modified If this option is on, and you attempt to load a screen or clear a screen, you will be warned first if the current screen has been modified. If this option is off, there will be no prompted, so use with care. This also effects the desktop front-end. No pattern If this option is on, and you attempt to carry out a pattern command before selecting a pattern, you will be prompted. If the option is off, the command will be aborted with no prompting. Global colour change If this option is on, then prior to doing a global colour change you will be prompted. If this option is off there will be no prompting. Position block If this option is on, then you will be prompted to position the block. If the option is off, then you will be expected to know that you need to position the block. Using The Desktop Front-End Menus Info This provides the usual 'Info' box about the program. File Info This provides information about the currently loaded file. Eg size, type, filename etc. If the 'Archived' option is on, then not all the fields in this box will be filled in. This is because the date and time and file type are not gained about the file. Print While in the desktop a multi-tasking print will happen. If while the screen is being printed the editor is entered, then the screen will be finished printing first. If a 'Clear Screen' is being done then a warning box will be displayed with a 'Cancel' box in it. Only one screen can be printed at a time. Clear While in the desktop a multi-tasking clear will happen. If while the screen is being cleared the editor is entered, then the screen will be finished clearing first. If a 'Print Screen' is being done, the screen will still be cleared because the print will finish before the clear. If the screen has been modified, the user will be prompted before the screen is cleared. Only one screen can be cleared at a time. Swap Screen If the current screen is 'Screen 1' then it will become 'Screen 2' and if it was 'Screen 2' it will now become 'Screen 1'. Preference This will open the 'Preferences' window which is described above. Quit This option has been changed from previous versions. If the currently loaded screens have not been modified then the editor will quit like the old versions. If any loaded screens have been modified, then a window will open with 'Discard' and 'Cancel' icons. Discard This will quit the editor and so lose any changes that had been made. Cancel This will just cancel the quit option. The 'Address Exception' error has now been fixed, so this is now quite a bit different from old versions. Saving Files From The Desktop Front-End Files can now be saved from the desktop front-end as well as the editor itself. This is done by clicking the middle button over the editors icon and displaying the 'Screen 1' or 'Screen 2' sub-menu. The option 'Save As' will lead to another sub- menu to allow the selection of the type of file to be saved. If any options such as 'End-Of-File marker' or 'Include Palette Data' need setting then these should be done via the 'Save Details' window (see above). After this just enter the name in the filename icon box and drag the file to the required directory. Since ANSI sequences do not support bold background colours, if these exist and a file is saved as ANSI these will be reduced to there none bold values. Before saving the file the user is informed of how many lines are going to be saved. This should be left as '25' if the file is to be reloaded on a PC and some Archimedes Ansi displayers can only cope with certain 'AnsiSave' formats, Ansi displayers written by me should be able to cope with any 'AnsiSave' formats. Some files, such as 'Gate', can only be redisplayed properly using one of my ANSI displayers. This is because my displayers allow the full 32 lines to be used. The problem being, that some files display so much at the top of the screen and then so much as the bottom and then return to the top of the screen again. This causes problems when displaying the file as 32 lines are needed and only 25 are visible. If no 'AnsiSave' file is loaded then the default file 'NormalSave' is used for the saving of 'Ansi' and 'BBC Font' files. Using The Editor Cursor Movement Ctrl Key Plus Cursor left Jumps to the 8th position to the left (ie 8, 16 etc). Cursor right Jumps to the 8th position to the right (ie 8, 16 etc). Backspace Delete a line. Shift Key Plus Tab Jumps to the 8th position to the left (ie 8, 16 etc). Space Prints a solid space (same as Character Set 'L' & 'F4'). Other Available Keys Cursor left Moves 1 position to the left (See also 'Draw mode'). Cursor right Moves 1 position to the right (See also 'Draw mode'). Cursor up Moves 1 position up (See also 'Draw mode'). Cursor down Moves 1 position down (See also 'Draw mode'). Page up Moves to the top of the screen. Page down Moves to the bottom of the screen. Tab Jumps to the 8th position to the right (ie 8, 16 etc). Insert Toggles insert mode on and off. Escape Toggles draw mode on and off. Terminates some commands as well (ie paint). Caps Lock Toggles the Caps Lock key status. Home Go to the start of the line. If already at the start then goes to the start of the text on the current line. End Go to the end of the text. If already at the end of the text then goes to the right of the screen. Function Keys F1 - F8 Various different characters depending on the current character sequence. F9 - F10 Scrolls through the available character sequences. F11 Displays a menu of all the available character sequences. F12 Displays a '*' command prompt like the desktop. Do not try to run other programs from here. If you do it may remove the editor from memory with no warnings. Mouse buttons Left & right Scrolls through the available character sequences. (Only when the control panel is on and the pointer is over the letter at the beginning of the line). If the control panel is not on or the pointer is not over the letter at the start then moves the cursors current position. If clicked on the 'F?' key or the character next to it then this appears at the current cursor position. If the character between the '[' and the ']' is clicked on then this character is displayed at the current cursor position. Middle Displays the main menu. Available Commands Alt Key Commands Key Action A Selects an area of the screen for block commands. B Selects the current background colour. C Clear the current screen. D Selects the default background colour. E Erase the current line. F Selects the current foreground colour. G Global colour change. H Help system. I Insert a line. J Change the default directory. K Force a redraw of the entire screen. L Load a file. M Display main menu. N Select cursor colour as the current colours. O Swap the current screen. P Paint the screen. Alt Key Commands (Continued) Key Action Q Display 'Control Panel' menu R Use the ruler. S Save the screen as a Ansi, BBC Font, Screen or Text file. T Select the line type. U Toggles pattern mode on or off. V View files. W Wash the screen. X Exit to desktop. Y Change mode. Z Use the transparent character. Ctrl & Alt Commands Key Action A Paints area using the current colours and last key pressed. B Put solid box around the area. C Copies area. D Delete area (Moves text to the right of the box to the left). E Erase area. H Hide area. K Clears the current block. L Put block temporarily at cursor position. M Moves area. P Displays the current pattern. S Show area. T Put transparent box around the area. U Make area into the current pattern. V Displays the current block. W Washes area to the current colours. X Clears the current pattern. Ctrl & Alt & Shift Commands Key Action N No mouse during block selection S Single click for block selection D Double click for block selection W Toggle minor warnings on and off M Toggle major warnings on and off L Toggle delete block left and delete block up C Turn cursor position on and off H Toggle the percentage under the hourglass P Toggle the CLS Prompt on and off The Editor Menu System The editors menu system has been written to appear and work in a similar way to the desktops menu system. The main difference is: You can not drag menus. This was experimented with, but if you dragged the menu really fast around the screen often options where selected by mistake. Starting The Menu System In order to get the main menu to appear one of the following should be done. Either click the middle mouse button or press Alt & M together. The main menu should now appear on the screen, if the mouse button was used to do this the menu will appear at the mouse pointer, otherwise it appears at the top of the screen if Alt & M where used. When selecting an option using the mouse or cursor keys, a short help message will now be displayed about the currently highlighted option. Selecting An Option An option can be selected by doing one of the following: (a) Pointing with the mouse pointer at the option you want and clicking the left mouse button. (b) Using the cursor keys to the select the option you require and then pressing [RETURN] or [SPACE]. The [RETURN] key acts like the left (Select) mouse button and [SPACE] acts like the right (Adjust) mouse button. (c) All options have a character like this '<S>'. If this character is pressed then the option will be selected. The character is not case sensitive, ie 'S' or 's' could be pressed. (d) Using the right mouse button (Adjust) will make some menus like the 'Save Details' menu reappear if a number of options need setting. If, like me, you prefer to use the keyboard then the [SPACE BAR] will do the same. If no option is wanted then press [ESC] or click outside the menu to clear it. When a menu is cleared, there is a short delay while the part of the screen that the menu occupied is redrawn. Sub-Menus In this program all sub-menus are denoted by a '>' at the end of the menu text. In order to get the sub-menu to appear simply select the option in the usual way as listed above or move over the '>' sign or use the right cursor key. Keyboard Equivalents All options, with a keyboard equivalent, also list them. For example, the load a file option will have at the end of the option text, Alt & L. (In case your wondering why I wrote my own menu system, and did not write a full multi-tasking editor the answers simple: Writing programs in the desktop is just to complicated). Explanation Of The Control Panel A F1: ? F2: ? F3: ? F4: ? F5: ? F6: ? F7: ? F8: ? Draw HTWU2L Ins C[!] 76 2 A This is the letter of the current character sequence. This letter goes from A through to P. ? This represents a character. If for example, F1 is pressed then the character the ? represents will be displayed at the current cursor position. Draw This means that draw mode has been turned on. H A percentage complete appears under the Hourglass for some commands. T This means that transparency mode is turned on. W A red W means both major and minor warnings are turned on. A white W means Minor Warnings are turned on and a yellow W means Major Warnings are turned on. U Update block has been turned on. 2 To select a corner of a block a double click is required. If its a 1 a single click is required and if its blank then the mouse will be turned off. L A block delete will move the screen contents to the left. If there is no L then the contents will be moved up. Ins Insert mode has been turned on. C When loading a file prompts prior to clearing the screen. [!] The ! is the character that will be used for painting. Pat Pattern mode has been turned on. 76 2 These are the cursors current screen position. Block Commands (Select menu options) Most of the block commands listed below will give the following warnings: (a) If no block has been selected, and the 'No Block' warning is on then the message 'No block selected' will be displayed. This is applicable to the following options: Hide, Show, Clear, View, Reselect, Move, Copy, Delete, Erase, Wash, Paint and Box (Transparent and Solid) (b) If the currently selected block is on the alternate screen and the warning 'Block on alternate screen' is on then a warning will be displayed. This is applicable to the following options: Show, Clear, Move, Copy, Delete, Erase, Wash, Paint and Box (Transparent and Solid) Selecting A Block Key short-cut: Alt & A Menu : Select -> Select Area A block needs to be selected before the block commands mentioned below can be used. What happens now, very much depends on how you have the warnings and options configured. If the option 'No Mouse' is chosen then the pointer will be turned off. If either 'Single Click' or 'Double Click' is turned on, then 'First Corner' will appear in the mouse pointer. If the warning 'Select 1' is off then no message will appear. However, if 'Select 1' is on, and the 'Control Panel' is on, then the message, 'Select Corner 1 or ESC to cancel' will appear on the control panel. If the warning is on and the control panel is off, then the message will appear in a box on the screen, pressing a key will remove the box and allow you to select the first corner. If 'No Mouse' is on then you must use the cursor keys to select the corner, otherwise use either the cursor keys or move the mouse pointer to the first corner of the block. If keys are being used then press [RETURN] or [SPACE] to select the corner. If 'Single Click' is turned on and your using the mouse then you only need to click the mouse button once and the cursor will be moved to the corner and the corner selected. If however, 'Double Click' is on, then the first click will move the cursor to the corner and the second time, if the pointer is not moved will select the corner. The mouse pointer will again change shape to say 'Second Corner 2 or ESC to cancel'. To select the second corner just use the same procedure as for the first corner. For details on the available block commands then refer to the section titled 'Block commands' below. Hide Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & H Menu : Select -> Hide If the 'Show' option has been used then this will return the block back to its normal colours. Only done if the current screen is the same screen as the block was grabbed from. Show Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & S Menu : Select -> Show This will highlight the current section of the screen in red that was grabbed as a block. Only done if the current screen is the same screen as the block was grabbed from. Clear Block Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & K Menu : Select -> Select Area If the 'Clear Block' warning is on, then the user is prompted first before clearing the block. If the warning has been turned off the block will be cleared with no warning. View Block Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & V Menu : Select -> View This option will display the current block on the screen. It then waits for a key to be pressed and redisplays the screen that was been edited. Reselect Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & G Menu : Select -> Reselect Grabbed Area If the selected block is on the current screen If the warning 'Regrab block' is on then a warning will be displayed prior to regrabbing the block, pressing 'Y' will result in the block being reselected, 'N' will abort the command. If this warning has been turned off, then the block will automatically be regrabbed. If the selected block is on the alternate screen If the warning 'Regrab From Alternate Screen' is on, then the user is first prompted weather to regrab from this screen. If they say 'N' then the block will be regrabbed from the alternate screen, if they say 'Y' then the block will be regrabbed from the current screen, if 'A' is pressed then the command will be aborted. If the warning is turned off the block will automatically be regrabbed from the alternate screen. Move Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & M Menu : Select -> Move If the warning 'Select Corner 1' is on then a message will appear telling you to select corner 1. If this warning has been turned off then no message appears and your expected to know what to do. If the option 'No Mouse' is on then the mouse will have been turned off. In this case the corner can be selected by positioning the cursor at the top-left corner and pressing either the [SPACE] or [RETURN] key. If the options 'Single Click' or 'Double Click' have been selected then the corner can be selected using the cursor keys and pressing the [SPACE] or [RETURN] keys or by clicking the mouse button once or twice respectively. If either of these two options have been selected the mouse pointer will also change shape to say 'Corner 1'. At anytime regardless of the settings of 'No Mouse', 'Single Click' and 'Double Click' you can press [ESC] to abort the command. Move (Continued) If the warning 'Move Block' has been turned on, then you will now be prompted to 'Move Block?'. If you press 'Y' then the block will be moved to the new position and the original will be removed. If you press 'N' then the command will be aborted. If the warning has been turned off then the block will be moved with no prompting. Copy Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & C Menu : Select -> Copy If the warning 'Select Corner 1' is on then a message will appear telling you to select corner 1. If this warning has been turned off then no message appears and your expected to know what to do. If the option 'No Mouse' is on then the mouse will have been turned off. In this case the corner can be selected by positioning the cursor at the top-left corner and pressing either the [SPACE] or [RETURN] key. If the options 'Single Click' or 'Double Click' have been selected then the corner can be selected using the cursor keys and pressing the [SPACE] or [RETURN] keys or by clicking the mouse button once or twice respectively. If either of these two options have been selected the mouse pointer will also change shape to say 'Corner 1'. At anytime regardless of the settings of 'No Mouse', 'Single Click' and 'Double Click' you can press [ESC] to abort the command. If the warning 'Copy Block' has been turned on, then you will now be prompted to 'Copy Block?'. If you press 'Y' then the block will be copied to the new position and the original will be left unchanged. If you press 'N' then the command will be aborted. If the warning has been turned off then the block will be copied with no prompting. Delete Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & D Menu : Select -> Delete If the warning 'Delete Block' is on then the user will be prompted to delete the block. If you press 'Y' and the option 'Delete Left' is on, then everything to the right of the block is moved left. If 'Delete Left' is off then everything below the block is moved up. If you press 'N' the command is aborted. If the warning is off then the block will be deleted with no prompting depending on the setting of 'Delete Left'. Erase Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & E Menu : Select -> Erase If the warning 'Erase Block' is on then you will be prompted to 'Erase Block?'. If you press 'Y' then the block will be blanked out but NOTHING will be moved like delete does. If you press 'N' then the command is aborted. If the warning is off then the block will be erased with no warning. Wash Area Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & W Menu : Select -> Wash If the warning 'Wash Block' is on then you will be prompted to 'Wash Block?'. If you press 'Y' then the block will be washed in the current selected colours like 'Alt & W'. Pressing 'N' will abort the command. If the warning is off then the block is washed with no prompting. Paint Area Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & A Menu : Select -> Paint If the warning 'Paint Block' is on then you will be prompted to 'Paint Block?'. If you press 'Y' then the block will be painted in the current selected colours and using the current character between the '[' and ']' like 'Alt & P'. Pressing 'N' will abort the command. If the warning is off then the block is painted with no prompting. Transparent Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & R Menu : Select -> Transparent If this menu option has a 'X' next to it, then if a block is moved or copied which has any 'Transparent' areas these parts are ignored. This means two parts of a screen can be merged together without one part automatically overwriting another. If the 'Control Panel' is on then a 'T' appears at the bottom of the screen as well. Shapes sub-menu Box (Transparent) Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & T Menu : Select -> Shapes -> Box (Transparent) If the warning 'Draw Box' has been turned on then a warning appears on the screen. If you press 'Y' then a box will be drawn around the selected block. If you press 'N' then no box is drawn and the command is aborted. If the warning is turned off then the box is drawn automatically with no prompting. The drawn box will use the currently selected line type and the currently selected foreground and background colours. This option should NOT overwrite what is in the centre of the box. Box (Solid) Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & B Menu : Select -> Shapes -> Box (Solid) If the warning 'Draw Box' has been turned on then a warning appears on the screen. If you press 'Y' then a box will be drawn around the selected block. If you press 'N' then no box is drawn and the command is aborted. If the warning is turned off then the box is drawn automatically with no prompting. The drawn box will use the currently selected line type and the currently selected foreground and background colours. This option will result in whatever is in the middle of the box being overwritten. Block Update Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & Shift & B Menu : Select -> Block Update Using old versions of the editor, if a block was selected, and then changed in some way, the block needed to be regrabbed using Alt & G, or completely reselected using Alt & A. Turning 'Update Block' on, will mean any changes to the selected area are mirrored in the selected block, this is how most editors and word processors work. This is on a toggle, in case the old method was preferred, if the menu option has a 'X' next to it the option is on. If the 'Control Panel' is on then a 'U' is displayed on the 'Control Panel'. No Mouse Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & Shift & N Menu : Select -> Mouse Buttons -> No Mouse If this option is turned on, when selecting a block the mouse will be turned off. This is because a friend found it confusing. If this option has a 'X' next to it then the option has been selected. Single Click Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & Shift & S Menu : Select -> Mouse Buttons -> Single Click If this option is turned on, then only a single click is required to select a corner of a block. If this option has a 'X' next to it then the option has been selected. Double Click Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & Shift & D Menu : Select -> Mouse Buttons -> Double Click If this option is turned on, then a double click is required to select a corner of a block, as in previous versions. If this option has a 'X' next to it then the option has been selected. Warning menu options Major Warnings Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & Shift & M Menu : Warnings -> Major Warnings If this option is turned on, then any warnings listed as a major warning (MAJOR next to it), will be displayed. If this option is turned off, then these warnings will be ignored. Eg copy a block is listed as a major warning by default, so if major warnings where turned off and a block was copied, the command would be done with no prompting before hand. If this option has a 'X' next to it then the option has been selected. Minor Warnings Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & Shift & W Menu : Warnings -> Minor Warnings If this option is turned on, then any warnings listed as a major warning (MINOR next to it), will be displayed. If this option is turned off, then these warnings will be ignored. Eg copy a block is listed as a major warning by default, so if minor warnings where turned off and a block was copied, the command would be done with no prompting before hand. If this option has a 'X' next to it then the option has been selected. Colour menu options Select Background Colour Key short-cut: Alt & B Menu : Colour -> Background To select the current background colour simply use the same procedure used in the desktop. Point at the required colour and click with the left hand mouse button. The currently selected background colour is marked with a 'X'. For more details about using the menu system refer to the section titled 'The Editor Menu System'. If this option is selected by pressing 'Alt & B' or by clicking on 'Background', rather then using the sub-menu arrow (>), then the currently selected background colour will be highlighted first. Unlike old versions the editor now 'remembers' each screens current background colour, old versions used to set the background colour back to black. Select Default Background Colour Key short-cut: Alt & D Menu : Colour -> Default Background To select the default background colour simply use the same procedure used in the desktop. Point at the required colour and click with the left hand mouse button. The default background colour is marked with a 'X'. For more details about using the menu system refer to the section titled 'The Editor Menu System'. If this option is selected by pressing 'Alt & D' or by clicking on 'Default Background', rather then using the sub-menu arrow (>), then the currently selected default background colour will be highlighted first. After the colour has been selected, the program scans the screen for all blank characters and changes there background colour to the new default colour. Also any commands which use a default background colour will also use the newly selected colour. A blank character is any character which is transparent. So if a screen is cleared and a new default colour selected all characters will have there background colour changed. Also characters that are gone over with the 'transparent' character (see Alt & Z below) will be changed. Hopefully now transparent characters work correctly. Also, each screen can now have its own default background. Select Foreground Colour Key short-cut: Alt & F Menu : Colour -> Foreground To select the current foreground colour simply use the same procedure used in the desktop. Point at the required colour and click with the left hand mouse button. The currently selected foreground colour is marked with a 'X'. For more details about using the menu system refer to the section titled 'The Editor Menu System'. If this option is selected by pressing 'Alt & F' or by clicking on 'Foreground', rather then using the sub-menu arrow (>), then the currently selected foreground colour will be highlighted first. Unlike old versions the editor now 'remembers' each screens current foreground colour, old versions used to set the foreground colour back to white. Global Colour Change Key short-cut: Alt & G Menu : Colour -> Global Change If the 'Global Colour Change' warning is on then you will be prompted prior to this command being executed. If you press 'N' then the command is aborted, otherwise, if the warning is off or you press 'Y' then, all characters with the same foreground, background and bold values as the character the cursor is currently on, will be changed to the values of the current foreground, background and bold values. Selecting a new colour from the screen Key short-cut: Alt & N Menu : Colour -> New Colour The colour of the character the cursor is currently on is taken as the newly selected foreground, background and bold values. Select Line Type Key short-cut: Alt & T Menu : Colour -> Line Type To select the line type simply use the same procedure used in the desktop. Point at the required line type and click with the left hand mouse button. The currently selected line type is marked with a 'X'. For more details about using the menu system refer to the section titled 'The Editor Menu System'. If this option is selected by pressing 'Alt & T' or by clicking on 'Line Type', rather then using the sub-menu arrow (>), then the currently selected line type will be highlighted first. The selected line type is used when draw mode is turned on and when solid and transparent boxes are used. Misc options Clear Screen Key short-cut: Alt & C Menu : Misc -> Clear Screen If the warning 'Clear Screen' is on then you will be prompted prior to the screen being cleared. If the 'Screen Modified' warning is on then you will also be prompted prior to the screen being cleared if it has been modified. If you press 'Y' to either of the prompts then the screen will be cleared. If you press 'N' then the command will be aborted. If the warnings are off then the screen will be cleared automatically. Swap The Screen Key short-cut: Alt & O Menu : Misc -> Swap Screen This will redisplay the alternate screen. The screen that was been edited is still kept in the editors internal tables. Control Panel menu F1 - F8 Key short-cut: F1 - F8 Menu : Misc -> Control Panel -> F1 - F8 These are the equivalents of pressing F1 through F8. Selecting any of these options using the [SPACE] bar will result in the character been placed on the screen at the current cursor position and the menu being reopened on the screen. These options are also shown on the screen when the control panel is displayed. Up Key short-cut: F10 Menu : Misc -> Control Panel -> Up This goes up one character sequence on the control panel display. Down Key short-cut: F9 Menu : Misc -> Control Panel -> Down This goes down one character sequence on the control panel display. All Key short-cut: F11 Menu : Misc -> Control Panel -> All This will pop up a menu containing all the available character sequences, this will make selection of the one you want easier. Star Commands Key short-cut: F12 Menu : Misc -> Control Panel -> Star Commands This is like 'F12' in the desktop, it will make the command line available for typing in commands. It should be remembered however, that attempting to run programs from here may result in the editor be removed from memory so should be used with care to avoid losing files. Top Key short-cut: <None> Menu : Misc -> Control Panel -> Top This will position the control panel at the top of the screen. If this option has a 'X' next to it then the option has been selected. Bottom Key short-cut: <None> Menu : Misc -> Control Panel -> Bottom This will position the control panel at the bottom of the screen. If this option has a 'X' next to it then the option has been selected. Neither Key short-cut: <None> Menu : Misc -> Control Panel -> Neither This will completely turn off the editors control panel. If this option has a 'X' next to it then the option has been selected. Ruler Key short-cut: Alt & R Menu : Misc -> Ruler This displays a ruler on the screen. It is both horizontal and vertical and crosses at the position where the cursor currently is. The ruler position can be moved around by with the cursor keys or by moving the mouse pointer and pressing the mouse button. If the [SPACE] or [RETURN] key is pressed the cursor is left in its current position and the ruler removed. If [ESC] is pressed then the ruler is removed and the cursor re-positioned in its start position. Going off the left side of the screen will make the ruler reappear on the right of the screen and vice-versa, going off the top will make the ruler reappear at the bottom of the screen and vice- versa. The following keys can now also be used: Key Action Page Up Go to the top of the page Page Down Go to the bottom of the page Home Go to the start of the line. If already at the start then goes to the start of the text on the current line. End Go to the end of the text. If already at the end of the text then goes to the right of the screen. Change Mode Key short-cut: Alt & Y Menu : Misc -> Mode Allows the current mode to be changed. When you return to the desktop, the desktops MODE will be left unaffected. Print Screen Key short-cut: Print Menu : Misc -> Print Screen The screen which is currently displayed will be output to the printer. Draw Mode Key short-cut: Escape Menu : Misc -> Draw If the control panel is on then 'Draw' appears on the control panel when draw mode is turned on, its removed if draw mode is turned off. Pattern Mode Off With draw mode on and pattern mode off the cursor will draw a line. The line drawn depends on the surrounding lines. For instance if there is a line above and below and the cursor moves to the right then the new character drawn will be a vertical line with a horizontal coming out the right of it. Pattern Mode On With draw mode on and pattern mode on the cursor will draw part of the current pattern relative to its source. So for example if on a blank screen a square is drawn and grabbed as a pattern, if draw and pattern mode are then turned on another square is drawn according to the dimensions of the grabbed pattern. Insert Key short-cut: Insert Menu : Misc -> Insert If insert mode is on then a 'X' appears next to this option. With insert mode on any text entered will be inserted instead of overwriting what is already there. This option will cause the speed of typing to be reduced quite noticeably. This option has no effect when 'Draw' mode is turned on. Hourglass Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & Shift & H Menu : Misc -> Hourglass This toggles the hourglass with a percentage underneath on and off. When this option is on then a 'X' appears next to the option. With this option on some commands may take slightly longer because of the calculating of how much of the command has been completed. CLS Prompt Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & Shift & P Menu : Misc -> CLS Prompt With this option on any clear screen sequences encountered during the loading of a screen will first result in you being prompted. If this option is on then a 'X' appears next to the option. Cursor Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & Shift & C Menu : Misc -> Cursor If this option is on then a 'X' appears next to the menu option and when the control panel is on the current cursor coordinates are displayed at the right hand side. Edit options Erase Line Key short-cut: Alt & E Menu : Edit -> Erase Line This will clear the current line of all text and reset the colours to the current foreground and default background colours. It will not delete the line. (To delete a line see Ctrl & Backspace). Insert Line Key short-cut: Alt & I Menu : Edit -> Insert Line A line is inserted where the cursor currently is. All lines are then moved down one line. When using this command it should be remembered that the bottom line will be permanently lost. Paint The Screen Key short-cut: Alt & P Menu : Edit -> Paint Screen If the current character and colour values are the same as the character and colour values of the current cursor position and the warning 'Same Values' is on then you will be prompted and the command will be aborted. If there the same and the warning is off then the command is aborted with no prompting. If the warning 'Paint Block' is on then a warning will appear on the screen first. If you press 'N' then the command will be aborted. If the warning is off or you press 'Y' then the command will be execute as described below. Pattern Mode Off All characters which surround the current character and have the same background, foreground, bold and character values as the current character are changed to the currently selected background, foreground and bold values. The characters are changed to what the last character printed was. This is the character on the control panel which is enclosed in '[' and ']'. Pattern Mode On Pattern mode on does the same as pattern mode off except the currently chosen pattern is used. The parts of the pattern are all positioned relative to where the pattern was grabbed from. For example, if a screen is blank and a square is drawn and grabbed as the current pattern, if the screen was then painted with pattern mode on (Alt & U) all the squares will line up with the source square. Transparent Character Key short-cut: Alt & Z Menu : Edit -> Transparent The character at the current cursor position will be replaced by a blank character with the currently selected foreground and the default background colours. Please note the blank character is NOT a space. Solid Space Key short-cut: Shift & Space Menu : Edit -> Solid Space The character at the current cursor position will be replaced with a solid space character. This is the same as using character set 'L' and pressing 'F4'. Wash Screen Key short-cut: Alt & W Menu : Edit -> Wash Screen If the currently selected colour values are the same as the colour values of the current cursor position, and the warning 'Same Values' is on, then you will be prompted and the command will be aborted. If there the same and the warning is off then the command is aborted with no prompting. If the warning 'Wash Block' is on then a warning will appear on the screen first. If you press 'N' then the command will be aborted. If the warning is off or you press 'Y' then the command will execute as described below. All characters which surround the current character and have the same background, foreground and bold value as the current character are changed to the currently selected background, foreground and bold values. This is not the same as 'Global colour change' (Alt & G) which will act on the whole screen and not just an area of the screen. This only changes colours and NOT characters like Alt & P does. Delete Line Key short-cut: Ctrl & Backspace Menu : Edit -> Delete Line This will delete the line the cursor is currently on and all lines below are moved up one line. File menu options Change Directory Key short-cut: Alt & J Menu : File -> Change Directory This allows the currently selected directory (CSD) to be changed. Load File Key short-cut: Alt & L Menu : File -> Load A new menu will be displayed giving the options: <S>creen <F>ont <P>alette <A>nsiSave All options will prompt for a filename. To abort the command simply enter a blank filename. If a file has been already loaded or saved the filename will default to this. If no file has been saved or loaded then a blank box will appear. Currently 75 characters are allowed for the full filename. WARNING: If when giving a default filename, the filename and pathname exceed 75 characters, then only the first 75 characters will be displayed. Screen Menu: File -> Load -> Screen This should be used for loading BBC Font (Screens), Text and Ansi files. If a BBC Font file contains any font or palette data then this will replace the currently loaded font or palette. Also if they do a MODE change, then this will be the new MODE. If the current screen has been modified, and the 'Screen Modified' warning is on then you are prompted about this before the next file will be loaded. If this warning has been turned off, then no warning is given and the file is automatically loaded. If font, palette or mode changes are in the file then these options are set for when the file is next saved. Font Menu: File -> Load -> Font This should be used to load BBC Font files which just contain font data. If it is not a BBC Font file only containing font data then an error will be displayed if the 'Load Errors' warning is on, if this warning is off then the command will be aborted with no warning. Palette Menu: File -> Load -> Palette This option is used to load palette files. If it contains more than palette data then an error will be displayed if the 'Load Errors' warning is on, if this warning is off then the command will be aborted with no warning. AnsiSave Menu: File -> Load -> AnsiSave This option is used to load new AnsiSave files for when a file is next saved. If it is not a 'AnsiSave' file then an error is displayed if the 'Load Errors' warning is on, if this warning is off then the command will be aborted with no warning. The screen option can also correctly load font and palette files, this means however that if the editor preferences are saved the loaded font or palette would not be saved as the default one. The screen now should also be left unaffected although there is a prompt if its modified just in case and the 'Screen Modified' warning is on. Save Screen Key short-cut: Alt & S Menu : File -> Save Once a file has been created it needs to be saved. There are a number of file formats that '!AnsiEdit' can save a file as. These are Ansi, Text, Screen and BBC Font. All file formats except Screen can be later reloaded. Screen will save the screen as a sprite. All formats are fully described below. A new menu will be displayed with the following: Ansi BBC Font Screen Text Save Details The saving of 'Ansi' and 'BBC Font' files have been changed from version 2.04. There are no longer menu options of 'Normal', 'Backwards' and 'Scramble'. Instead a 'AnsiSave' file is loaded which tells the editor how to save the file. In the directory 'SaveFiles' there are currently 14 such files. Ansi, BBC Font, Screen and Text will prompt for a filename. To abort this command simply enter a blank filename. If the file already exists then you are prompted for confirmation before saving the file. All the options which used to be prompted for, are now entered via the 'Save Details' menu. Since ANSI sequences do not support bold background colours, if these exist and a file is saved as ANSI these will be exchanged for there none bold values. Before saving the file the user is informed of how many lines are going to be saved. This should be left as '25' if the file is to be reloaded on a PC. Some files, such as 'Gate', can only be redisplayed properly using one of my ANSI displayers. This is because my displayers allow the full 32 lines to be used. The problem being, that some files display so much at the top of the screen and then so much at the bottom and then return to the top of the screen again. This causes problems when displaying the file as 32 lines are needed and only 25 are visible. If no 'AnsiSave' file is loaded then the default file 'NormalSave' is used for the saving of 'Ansi' and 'BBC Font' files. Since BBC Font files do not support ASCII codes '1' through '31' as characters, these will be replaced by a '|' symbol. BBC Font files no longer save a 3 character code because the editor no longer requires it to reload the file. If a file has already been loaded or saved the filename will default to this if the 'Archived' option has been turned off. Currently 75 characters are allowed for the full path and filename. WARNING: If when giving a default filename, the filename and pathname exceed 75 characters, then only the first 75 characters will be displayed. If no file has been loaded or previously saved then the file will give a default filename based on the type of file being saved. The defaults are listed below: Type Filename Ansi AnsiFile BBC Font FontFile Screen ScreenFile Text TextFile If the 'Save Errors' warning is on and there are errors during saving then you will be prompted about these. If the warning is off and the file already exists then the old file will be overwritten, also you will not be prompted about how many lines are to be saved, all other errors will result in the command being aborted but the 'Modified' flag should not be reset. Save Details Key short-cut: <None> Menu : File -> Save -> Save Details The save details option will provide a menu with the following options: Do Initial MODE Change Include Font Data Include Palette Data Add End-Of-File Marker Reverse Maximum ANSI Lines Pause Load Options Save Options Defaults Delete Options If an options needs setting simple click on it. Any options already set will have a 'X' next to them. These options can be either set from here or by using the 'Preferences' window from the desktop front-end. Any changes made using this menu are reflected in the 'Preferences' window and any changes made in the 'Preferences' window are reflected in this menu. Do Initial MODE Change Key short-cut: <None> Menu : File -> Save -> Save Details When a file is saved as a 'BBC Font' file a VDU sequence will be sent to change the screen mode. If this option is not set then only a clear screen sequence will initially be sent. (BBC Font files only). Include Font Data Key short-cut: <None> Menu : File -> Save -> Save Details When a file is saved as a 'BBC Font' file the currently loaded font will be saved with the file. If this option is not set then no font is saved. The font data will increase the file size by approximately 2240 bytes. (BBC Font files only). Include Palette Data Key short-cut: <None> Menu : File -> Save -> Save Details When a file is saved as a 'BBC Font' file the currently loaded palette will be saved with the file. If this option is not set then no palette is saved. The palette data will increase the file size by approximately 120 bytes. (BBC Font files only). Add End-Of-File Marker Key short-cut: <None> Menu : File -> Save -> Save Details When a file is saved as 'Ansi', 'BBC Font' or 'Text' (ASCII) an End-Of-File marker ( CHR$(26) / Ctrl & Z ) is added to the end of the file if this option is set. Reverse Key short-cut: <None> Menu : File -> Save -> Save Details If set this will save the file in reverse. For example the file 'NormalSave' which is loaded by default and saves top-left to bottom-right would now save bottom-right to top-left. Pause Key short-cut: <None> Menu : File -> Save -> Save Details This will slow down the displaying of the file. This is because the '*Print <Filename>' can display the file that fast, that if a file was saved using, for example, the 'Gate' file you would hardly see it been displayed. The editor inserts reposition characters to slow the loading down. If you entered 10 then 10 reposition characters are inserted after every escape sequence and character placed on screen. If the file is saved as 'Ansi' then save and restore escape sequences are store instead. It should be remembered that this can quite drastically increase the size of a file. Maximum ANSI Lines Key short-cut: <None> Menu : File -> Save -> Save Details When a file is saved as a ANSI file this option will decide how many lines are saved. The default value is 25. This is because there are normally only 25 lines on a PC screen. A 32 line ANSI screen will not be redisplayed properly by a PC. The displayers that have been written by me should be able to redisplay a 32 line ANSI screen correctly. If the value is set to 0 then it will be changed to the 25 line default. Any value which exceeds 32 will be reduced to 32. (ANSI files only). The following 'Save Options', 'Defaults', 'Load Options' and 'Delete Options' only affect the editors options and not the desktop options. The equivalent icons from the 'Preferences' window will change both the editors and the desktop front-end's options. Save Options Key short-cut: <None> Menu : File -> Save -> Save Details -> Save Options Selecting this option will save the options to the applications 'Resources' directory, on either floppy disk or hard disk. For this, the application should first be de-archived. Defaults Key short-cut: <None> Menu : File -> Save -> Save Details -> Defaults Selecting this will reset the options to the programs defaults. Load Options Key short-cut: <None> Menu : File -> Save -> Save Details -> Load Options Selecting this will reload the options last saved to the applications directory. If no options have been saved then this option will do the same as the 'Defaults' option. Delete Options Key short-cut: <None> Menu : File -> Save -> Save Details -> Delete Options If you have saved the options for future use, but then decide you want to use the default options, this will delete the saved options from disk. If the option files are found then the editor will open a window informing you of the files it has deleted. This option should only be done if the editor has been de-archived. View Files Key short-cut: Alt & V Menu : File -> View Files Displays the requested files. A directory pathname can be passed as well. Exit Editor Key short-cut: Alt & X Menu : Desktop / Quit (!RunEditor) If run using the multi-tasking front-end, then this exits back to the desktop. If run using '!RunEditor' then exits completely so work should be saved first. Pattern Options Pattern Mode Key short-cut: Alt & U Menu : Pattern -> Pattern Mode This toggles the pattern mode on and off. (See paint and draw mode for further information about patterns). Before pattern mode can be turned on a block must be selected as a pattern. See 'Block commands' for more information. If the control panel is on then the '[?]' is replaced with 'Pat' to signify that pattern mode is on. Select Pattern Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & U Menu : Pattern -> Select If no block has been selected and the warning 'No Block' is on then the message 'No block selected' will be displayed. If the warning is off then the command is aborted with no warning. If the 'Select Pattern' warning is on then the user is prompted weather the current block should be used as the new pattern. If you press 'N' then the command is aborted. If the warning is off or you press 'Y' then the block is copied to the pattern table. View Pattern Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & P Menu : Pattern -> View If the 'No Pattern' warning is on and no pattern has been selected then the message 'No pattern selected' will be displayed. If the no pattern is selected and the warning is off then the command is aborted with no warning. This will display the currently selected pattern on the screen. When a key is pressed then the edited screen is redisplayed. Clear Pattern Key short-cut: Ctrl & Alt & X Menu : Pattern -> Clear If the 'No Pattern' warning is on and no pattern has been selected then the message 'No pattern selected' will be displayed. If the no pattern is selected and the warning is off then the command is aborted with no warning. If the warning 'Clear Pattern' is on then you will be prompted first. If you press 'N' then the command is aborted. If the warning is off or you press 'Y' then the pattern will be cleared. Errors If something happens which causes an error, for example loading a file which exceeds the permitted screen size, an error is issued stating this. Now, instead of messily exiting the program and leaving the desktop in all the wrong colours the editor is quit back to the desktop. The editors icon should remain on the icon bar and clicking on it will re-enter the editor. Unlike a lot of editors, this means it should still be possible to save your work. The error message will remain until 'y' or the left hand mouse button is pressed. Appendices Appendix A: Default option settings Editor Options Insert Off Draw Off Pattern Off Cursor Off Hourglass On Load Options Ansi On BBC Font On Data Off Text Off Any Off CLS Prompt Off Archived On Loaded Template File ColourFul Yes Dull No Miscellaneous Options Control Panel Bottom Print LF Yes Mouse Buttons Double Scrap Directory <AnsiEdit$Dir> Main Key F11 Extra Keys None Block Command Options Update Block Off Transparent Off Delete Left On Warning Toggles Major Warnings On Minor Warnings On Save File Options Do Initial MODE Change On Include Font Data Off Include Palette Data Off End-Of-File Marker Off Reverse Off Maximum ANSI Lines 25 Length Of Pause 0 Display On Loaded Resources AnsiSave File <AnsiEdit$Dir>.Resources.NormalSave BBC Font File <AnsiEdit$Dir>.Resources.Font Palette File <AnsiEdit$Dir>.Resources.Palette Warnings Block On Alternate Screen Minor Copy Block Major Move Block Major Delete Block Major Erase Block Major Paint Block Major Wash Block Major Clear Block Major Clear Pattern Major Clear Screen Major Select As Pattern Major Draw Box (Solid / Transparent) Major Regrab Block Major Regrab Block From Alternate Screen Major Same Values Minor User Terminated Minor Load Errors Minor Save Errors Major Select Corner 1 Minor Select Corner 2 Minor Select Block Major No Block Minor Help Minor Screen Modified Major No Pattern Minor Global Colour Change Major Position Block Minor Other information Bulletin Board Distributors (That I know of) Odyssey BBs: +44 (0)482 870919 / 869085. Speeds: V21, V22, V23, V22bis, V32, V32bis & HST to 16.8K (FidoNet address 2:258/41) PD Library Distributors (That I know of) The Datafile, APDL, 71 Anson Road, 39 Knighton Park Road, LOCKING, Sydenham, Weston-Super-Mare, London. Avon. SE26 5RN BS24 7DQ I can also be contacted via the Odyssey bulletin board if you have any comments, bugs, improvements or suggestions for possible future features. I do listen to users problems and requests. That is why this application was written in the first place. Changes have been made in the past due to users problems if they have been possible. This program has been tested on a BBC A3000 with Risc OS 3, 4Mb RAM, ARM3 and a Watford Electronics 20Mb Internal IDE Hard Disk. This application has been written how I think it should work, if you want something changing then tell me, don't just sit there grumbling to yourself. If you want a feature adding then still tell me. That is the only way this application can evolve into something that is a pleasure to use. (c)1992 - 1994 Darran Hillerby. IMPORTANT NOTE You may NOT change this application or use ANY part of it in any other products without my approval. It is however 'FREEWARE' so it may be copied freely (with ALL files included), but not for any profit. This software is provided 'AS IS'. Using it is entirely at your own risk. Refer to 'Copyright' for full legal details.