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MPE4WP MACRO PROGRAMMING ENVIRONMENT FOR WORDPERFECT Version 2.2 A Program by Michael H. Shacter 10309 Parkwood Drive Kensington, Maryland 20895-4041 MPE4WP is the Macro Programming Environment for WordPerfect. MPE4WP is a replacement for the WordPerfect Macro Editor that lets you create and edit WordPerfect macros on the full WordPerfect editing screen using all the advanced editing features offered by WordPerfect. MPE4WP brings virtually seamless integration with WordPerfect. In short, it is the macro editor that you wish had been included with WordPerfect. (You may also use create macros using any text editor or word processor that saves text in ASCII format.) This README file contains a brief description of MPE4WP with an overview of its features. The User Reference Guide (MANUAL.MPE) presents a complete explanation of all MPE4WP features. Incidentally, the length of the documentation is inversely proportional to the difficulty of using MPE4WP. In other words, the documentation is long in order to cover all topics completely, but MPE4WP is very easy to use. Until now, editing WordPerfect macros was not easy. The built-in WordPerfect Macro Editor lacks all but the most primitive editing functions. There are no search and replace capabilities, no utility for line drawing, no capacity to splice in routines from other macros. Some of these shortcomings are remedied by the ED program, available from WordPerfect Corporation for an additional fee. Unfortunately, using ED means leaving WordPerfect. Therefore, you must know in advance the keystrokes that are necessary for your macro. Among ED's other limitations are the absence of line drawing capabilities and the inability to view WordPerfect special characters. The optimal macro editor should support all of WordPerfect's editing features and should allow instant access to and recording of all keystrokes required to use WordPerfect's menus. MPE4WP fulfills these requirements and does much more. A few of the features offered by MPE4WP are: ˛ Insert Macro Commands, complete with tildes, using no more than three keystrokes ˛ Convert existing macros into WordPerfect or ASCII files for further editing or printing ˛ Draw boxed messages using WordPerfect's line draw feature ˛ Block, copy and move Macro Commands and text ˛ Easily cut and paste routines from other macros ˛ Use search and replace tools to debug and edit macros quickly ˛ Effortlessly control the position of macro messages ˛ Use numbers rather than control codes or ASCII characters to position macro messages ˛ Menu selection of commands to control the appearance of on- screen messages ˛ Draft, edit and spell check text of any length for inclusion in macros ˛ Create and edit macros that are too big for the Macro Editor ˛ Use DOS wild cards to process several files in one operation Because of MPE4WP's memory conservation techniques, macros may be created without ever leaving WordPerfect, by using the Shell/DOS Command feature. An MPE4WP macro automates the entire process, converting the source file on the WordPerfect editing screen into a macro. And MPE4WP's speed will considerably shorten the time required to create and edit macros. MPE4WP consists of three types of tools to overcome the inadequacies of the WordPerfect Macro Editor: (1) MC.COM, the Macro Compiler, compiles (converts) source files into WordPerfect macros. (A source file is nothing more than a textual representation of a macro as it would appear in the Macro Editor.) MC is blazingly fast and minimizes memory usage, so it can be used without ever leaving WordPerfect, by using the Shell/DOS Command feature. (An MPE4WP macro automates the entire process.) MC supports advanced features not available through the WordPerfect Macro Editor to simplify writing WordPerfect macros. Source files may be WordPerfect documents or ASCII files. (2) M2T.COM, the Macro Decompiler, performs the opposite task: it converts WordPerfect macros into WordPerfect files or simple ASCII text. Use M2T to examine, modify, or print macros created by yourself or others, outside the confines of the Macro Editor. (3) The Macro Programming Environment emulates and improves upon the desirable features of the Macro Editor. The Macro Programming Environment includes the MPE4WP keyboard and a series of macros to facilitate the creation of macros at the WordPerfect editing screen. Macro Commands are no more than three keystrokes away and are inserted in your macros complete with tildes and the cursor correctly positioned to take the next argument. Key Commands can be added by pressing the key represented by the command. You may record keystrokes and access menus in the same manner as you would with the macro recorder, without leaving the editing screen. Attractive presentations can be created and positioned on the screen with the same ease that WordPerfect supports for the printed page. Incorrect Macro and Key Commands can be deleted by striking one key. MPE4WP is fully compatible with all releases of WordPerfect 5.1. Of course, if you are still using WordPerfect 5.0, you must restrict yourself to the Macro and Key Commands available in version 5.0. For a list of commands available in both versions 5.1 and 5.0, please see the file COMMAND.LST. Regrettably, the MPE4WP macros will not work in WordPerfect 5.0. Even without the MPE4WP macros, you will find yourself more productive at the normal WordPerfect editing screen or in your favorite editor than in the Macro Editor. Information concerning registration and licensing of MPE4WP may be found at the end of the User Reference Guide in the section entitled "REGISTRATION/LICENSE/COPYRIGHT". In brief, there is a $20 registration fee for personal use of MPE4WP. A license is required for business use. QUICK START The following Quick Start information is for those who resist reading documentation or who at least want to get their feet wet before taking the plunge. More detailed information in simple English is presented in the accompanying User Reference Guide (see the file MANUAL.MPE). The MPE4WP package contains the following files: README.MPE MPE4WP Quick Start (this document) MANUAL.MPE MPE4WP User Reference Guide formatted as a WordPerfect document MC.COM Macro Compiler, described in MANUAL.MPE and README.MPE M2T.COM Macro Decompiler, described in MANUAL.MPE and README.MPE MPE4WP-I.WPK Integrated MPE4WP keyboard, described in MANUAL.MPE and README.MPE MPE4WP.WPK Alternative MPE4WP keyboard, described in MANUAL.MPE and README.MPE {ATTRIB}.WPM MPE4WP macro files for use with MPE4WP.WPK CMDS_A-L.WPM keyboard, described in MANUAL.MPE and CMDS_M-Z.WPM README.MPE {CREATE}.WPM {EXPAND}.WPM (Do not install these macro files if you {HELP}.WPM elect to use the MPE4WPK-I.WPK keyboard) {INSERT}.WPM {KEY}.WPM {POS}.WPM {RECORD}.WPM {SPCIAL}.WPM {CREATE}.DOC Sample source file for creating a customized {CREATE} macro, described in MANUAL.MPE and README.MPE (formatted as a WordPerfect document) COMMAND.LST List of Commands supported by MPE4WP, described in MANUAL.MPE and README.MPE COMMAND.WPM Diagnostic macro, described in COMMAND.LST REGISTER.FRM Convenient form for registering MPE4WP WHATS.NEW Information on changes from Version 1 MPE4WP is furnished with two alternative keyboard files: MPE4WP.WPK and MPE4WP-I.WPK. The MPE4WP.WPK keyboard works in tandem with an external set of macro files. In contrast, MPE4WP-I.WPK is an integrated keyboard in which the macros have been incorporated into the keyboard file, eliminating the need for the external macro files. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages. In favor of MPE4WP-I.WPK, fewer files are required, and the macros should execute more quickly on slower machines. The advantage of MPE4WP.WPK is better memory conservation since the external macros are loaded and released from memory one at a time. For most users memory economization will not be an issue, so MPE4WP-I.WPK will be the better choice. Complete installation instructions are set out in the User Reference Guide. Copy either MPE4WP.WPK or MPE4WP-I.WPK to the same directory as your other macros and keyboard files. If you opt for MPE4WP.WPK, the MPE4WP macro files (*.WPM) should also be copied to your macro directory. Ideally, MC and M2T should be placed in a directory on your path. Now start WordPerfect, if you are not in it already, select the MPE4WP or MPE4WP-I keyboard file in Setup, and you are ready to use MPE4WP. MC reads a source file and converts it to a WordPerfect macro. Source files may be WordPerfect documents or ASCII text files. MC automatically recognizes the correct file format. In general, a source file will look exactly the same as the text that appears on the screen when you edit a macro in the WordPerfect Macro Editor with the exceptions noted below. Use ordinary spaces, not the centered dots (ASCII 250) utilized by the Macro Editor. Tabs and hard returns are understood as formatting commands, just as they are by the Macro Editor. Case is not important when entering Macro and Key Commands, but spelling is. If you have any doubts about the correct spelling of a command, consult the COMMAND.LST file. Use the MPE4WP macros described below and you will never have to worry about spelling errors. MC expects that any text beginning with an open brace ({) is the beginning of a Macro Command, a Key Command, or one of the following special keys: {ALT x}, where "x" is any legal character, {KEY MACRO n}, where "n" is the number of a Key Macro, or {VAR n}, where "n" is a number from 0 to 9. If you want to treat the open brace as text, or if you want a command to appear as text, simply add an extra open brace, so your source file would look like this: {{. Failure to add an open brace before ordinary text will result in a harmless error message; MC will still treat the open brace as text. To treat a command as text (you usually won't), you must add the extra open brace. Instead of using cryptic Key Commands or ASCII characters in connection with the character positioning character code {^P}, you may use the notation {n} (where "n" is any number between 0 and 254) to represent column and/or row numbers. Thus, if you want to position a prompt at column 3, row 65, you simply type {^P}{3}{65}. The {n} notation may also used to enter any ASCII character between 1 and 254. The command {0} is correctly interpreted as the appropriate WordPerfect code (ASCII 254) to position the cursor at column or row 0. In addition to the WordPerfect macro comment ({;}), MPE4WP also supports silent comments, which are ignored when MC compiles your macro. The beginning of a silent comment is marked by a colon in braces: "{:}" and, like the WordPerfect comment, terminated by a tilde. For example, {:}This is a silent comment~. A macro may contain an optional description. The description should be preceded by the command {DESCRIPTION} (upper-case, lower- case or any combination of the two is ok) and terminated by either a tilde or a hard return. WordPerfect imposes a 39-character limitation on the length of a description, so MC will truncate any description that is longer than 39 characters. The description may be on a line by itself or on a line with other commands. To minimize complication, place the description at the top of the macro source file. The description may, however, be placed anywhere within the first 1000 characters of the source file. If you have a reason for using the command {DESCRIPTION} as text, precede it with an extra open brace, like this: {{DESCRIPTION}. You may also use the optional notation {MACRO CMD n} and {KEY CMD n}, where "n" is the number of a Macro or Key Command. The main use of this feature is to allow access to new Macro and Key Commands added in any future interim releases of WordPerfect. For more information on this feature, see the section entitled "Anti- Obsolescence" in the User Reference Guide. Once you have created your source file, you compile it (i.e. convert it to an operational macro) with MC. The easiest way to run MC is from within WordPerfect using the Create macro (CTRL-C). If MC is not on your path, you should edit the Create macro, following the instructions at the beginning of the macro, to specify the full path name of MC. Create is initially configured to place new macros in the same directory as the source file. The new macro will have the same root name as the source file and the extension ".WPM". Create may be modified to place new macros in another directory. For additional information about customizing Create, see the section entitled "Create" in the User Reference Guide. For your convenience, MC also permits you to enter optional commands when you start the program. The full syntax for MC.COM is: MC [/options] [source file] [macro file] Source The name of the file that will be converted to a file macro. Full path names and wild cards are permitted. If you specify a source file only and do not specify a macro file name, the new macro will be placed in the same directory as the source file with the same root name and the extension ".WPM". Macro The name of the new macro. If you specify the file destination directory only and do not specify a macro file name, the new macro will have the same root name as the source file and the extension ".WPM". If you specify a macro file name only and do not specify a path, the macro will be placed in the default directory. If you omit the extension of the macro file, the extension ".WPM" will be added. In wild card operations, only the destination directory may be specified. Valid options are: /P Pause to verify command line entry /V Verify before overwriting existing file /M Force monochrome display /N No error file /? Help The /P and /V options are required only if you specify a source file on the command line when you run MC. They are unnecessary when you enter the source file name from within MC. The /P option is more inclusive than /V in that /P always pauses, /V pauses only when a file may be overwritten. Options may appear before or after the source and macro file names and may be grouped under one slash. Thus /PNM is equivalent to /P /N /M. The brackets ([]) are not typed and indicate that the parameters are optional. You use M2T.COM to decompile macros; i.e. convert them to WordPerfect documents (or to ASCII text by using the /A option). M2T is similar in operation to MC. You run M2T by typing M2T at the DOS command line. You will be prompted for the name of your macro file and the name of your text file. Before processing a file, M2T will verify that it is a WordPerfect macro file. If an existing macro contains a description, M2T will add a description statement to the top of the output file. For your convenience, M2T also permits you to enter optional commands when you start the program. The full syntax for M2T.COM is: M2T [/options] [macro file] [text file] Macro The name of the macro that will be converted to text. file Full path names and wild cards are permitted. If you specify a macro file only and do not specify a text file name, the text file will be placed in the same directory as the macro with the same root name and the extension ".TXT". Text The name of the new text file. If you specify the file destination directory only and do not specify a file name, the new file will have the same root name as the macro and the extension ".TXT". If you specify a file name only and do not specify a path, the new file will be placed in the default directory. If you omit the extension of the text file, the extension ".TXT" will be added. In wild card operations, only the destination directory may be specified. Valid options are: /A Output ASCII file instead of WordPerfect document /P Pause to verify command line entry /V Verify before overwriting existing file /M Force monochrome display /? Help MPE4WP is supplied with a set of macros to simplify creating and editing macros at the WordPerfect editing screen. Each macro is assigned a key on one of the MPE4WP keyboards. The MPE4WP-I uses Key Macros exclusively. The MPE4WP keyboard uses a combination of Key Macros and file macros. The following table lists each of the MPE4WP macros, identifies the key to which it is assigned, and summarizes the use of each key. The macro file associated with the key on the MPE4WP keyboard is also listed. (Note: The macro file name is irrelevant to the MPE4WP-I keyboard because all its macros are Key Macros. Users of the MPE4WP-I keyboard will need to know the macro file name, however, to examine or modify a macro, because, as explained in the Manual, the MPE4WP-I Key Macros have been compacted.) You will notice that the root names of many of the MPE4WP macros are enclosed in braces. The purpose of the braces is to avoid name conflicts with existing macros. You may already have a macro named CREATE.WPM, but are unlikely to have one named {CREATE}.WPM. The operation of all macros is described in detail in the User Reference Guide. MPE4WP MACROS Name Key File name Summary Help CTRL-H {HELP}.WPM Just what its name suggests Record Mode CTRL-R {RECORD}.WPM Record keystrokes in WordPerfect in an analogous manner to macro recording Insert Mode CTRL-I {INSERT}.WPM Insert Key Commands in an analogous manner to the Macro Editor's Command Insert Mode Key CTRL-K {KEY}.WPM Insert a single Key Command in an analogous manner to pressing CTRL-V in the Macro Editor Special Keys CTRL-S {SPCIAL}.WPM Insert the commands {ALT x}, {KEY MACRO n} and {VAR n} Macro Commands CTRL-{ CMDS_A-L.WPM Help screen of Macro Commands from (A-L) A to L; insert a command (with tildes) by typing two-key mnemonic Macro Commands CTRL-} CMDS_M-Z.WPM Help screen of Macro Commands from (M-Z) M to Z; insert a command (with tildes) by typing two-key mnemonic Expand CTRL-X {EXPAND}.WPM Type two-key mnemonic then press CTRL-X to expand to Macro Command with tildes; uses same mnemonics as CTRL-{ and CTRL-}, but without help screens Delete CTRL-D Key Macro Delete Macro or Key Command on which cursor is located; if cursor is not on a command, delete first command to left Create CTRL-C {CREATE}.WPM Convert the source file on the editing screen to a macro Position CTRL-P {POS}.WPM Position message on screen Attribute CTRL-A {ATTRIB}.WPM Add attributes to messages Write CTRL-W Key Macro Save file in WordPerfect format, no verification for overwrite Clear Prompt CTRL- Key Macro Clear status prompt from screen in Print the event of unanticipated errors Screen Playback CTRL- Key Macro Play back recording in case of Insert unanticipated interruptions If you have questions about any instructions contained in the Quick Start section of this document, please refer to the User Reference Guide (MANUAL.MPE). The User Reference Guide also discusses subjects such as Key Macros and Programming Tips, that are not addressed in this document.