home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The World of Computer Software
/
World_Of_Computer_Software-02-387-Vol-3of3.iso
/
f
/
fmonitor.zip
/
FMONITOR.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1988-12-14
|
9KB
|
196 lines
==============================================================================
FMONITOR -- FontMonitor Documentation Version 1.03 December 14, 1988
==============================================================================
PURPOSE.
--------
FMONITOR is designed to work with DESQview, WordPerfect 5.0, and the
Hercules Graphics Card Plus when using the RamFont feature. As you switch
back and forth between DESQview windows with WordPerfect running in one of
them with the RamFont option selected, FMONITOR keeps track of the mode
required for the HGC+ card and changes it accordingly. This way most
screens are in the proper mode. There will be some cases when using less
than full screen windows that it is not possible to put the HGC+ in a mode
that satisfies all windows.
INSTALLATION.
-------------
FMONITOR must be installed. The file FMONITOR.ARC contains the following
files:
FMONITOR.COM ...... the executeable code
FM-PIF.DVP ........ the DESQview PIF for FMONITOR
FMONITOR.DOC ...... this file
FMONITOR.ASM ...... source code
W5-PIF.DVP ........ sample PIF for WordPerfect 5.0
Un-arc the files and copy FM-PIF.DVP to your DESQview sub-directory. Copy
FMONITOR.COM to whichever sub-directory you want. Suggest you put it in
your DV, WP, or HERC sub-directory.
FMONITOR PIF.
-------------
With DESQview loaded open an 'Add Program' window, select 'Other', enter
your DV sub-directory and select FMONITOR from the resulting list. Then
open a 'Change Program' window and enter FM for FMONITOR. On the
'Program' line either delete the path preceding FMONITOR.COM or put in the
correct sub-directory. You will need to edit the 'Parameter' line to
correctly reflect the name and location of your PIF for WordPerfect 5.0.
Make sure to leave the second parameter, '5' on that line. The second
parameter must be separated by one and only one space from the WP PIF
name. The third parameter must be either '2' or '3' depending on which of
the WordPerfect fonts you want to use. The number corresponds to the menu
option for fonts in WordPerfect which are accessed through <Shift-F1>DC.
'2' corresponds to 12 x 256 character fonts and '3' to 6 x 512 characters.
In turn these options load the font files HRF12.FRS and HRF6.FRS
respectively. The fourth parameter must be either 'Y' or 'N' depending on
whether you want FMONITOR to open the WordPerfect window or not. If you
use 'Y' then when you open FM it will also open WordPerfect. If you use
'N', then you must have WordPerfect loaded, in the foreground, and zoomed
to full screen when you open FM. In summary here is the syntax for using
FMONITOR:
Syntax: FMONITOR pif_filespec hgc_mode font_file open_win
^ ^ ^
(must have 1 and only 1 space at these points)
where pif_filespec is the d:\path\xx-PIF.DVP for the main application
being monitored and hgc_mode is the HGC+ mode you want the application
to use. The hgc_mode numbers are the XMODEREG numbers from page 70
of the HGC+ manual. WordPerfect uses hgc_mode 5. The font_file is
either 2 or 3 corresponding to the option numbers on the WP menu.
Font_file 2 is the 12 x 256 character file, HRF12.FRS. Font_file 3
is the 6 x 512 character file, HRF6.FRS. Open_win is either Y or N
(you must use upper case) where Y means that FM will open the WP
window. N means that FM will not open WP window and FM must be
opened when WP is zoomed to full screen and in the foreground.
The 'Directory' entry may be blanked if you included the path in
the 'Program' line. Otherwise put in the correct sub-directory for the
location of FMONITOR.COM. If you want to change the name of the FMONITOR
window from FM to something else, you may do that. Don't change any of
the other settings.
WORDPERFECT PIF.
----------------
Recommend you set the 'Starting Height' to 25 and 'Starting Width' to 80
in your WordPerfect PIF. FMONITOR works best when WordPerfect is using
the full screen. If you are using the graphics capability within
WordPerfect (e.g. View Document, or importing graphics), then don't forget
to set the 'Display Graphics Information' to 'yes'. Otherwise the
graphics information will not be saved when you switch away from
WordPerfect. You must also include the complete path to WP.EXE, HRF12.FRS
and HRF6.FRS in the 'Program' field of the WordPerfect PIF. For example:
d:\path\WP.EXE. A W5-PIF.DVP file is included in the FMONITOR.ARC as an
example. CAUTION: Don't get this PIF mixed up with your own.
USAGE.
------
As explained above there are two basic operating modes for FMONITOR. They
are selected by using 'Y' or 'N' for the open_win parameter.
The 'Y' option.
---------------
With DESQview loaded and WordPerfect not loaded, open FM (or whatever you
have changed the name). FM will load in a very small window (3k) and
automatically load WordPerfect. Now when you switch away from WordPerfect
to a window using normal text, the HGC+ mode will change if the current
window covers the upper left corner of the screen. When you switch back
to WordPerfect, the mode will change to RamFont. This also works if you
switch to a window using a graphics mode and back. With this option you
should have selected one of the RamFont modes in the WordPerfect menu and
exited from WordPerfect in this mode so it is saved before you try to use
WordPerfect with FMONITOR.
The 'N' option.
---------------
With WordPerfect opened in DESQview, zoomed to full screen and in the
foreground make sure it is in the correct RamFont mode. Then open FM. It
will immediately start monitoring to keep the various applications in the
correct HGC+ mode.
After you have exited from WordPerfect, don't forget to close the FM
window.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
-----------------
The Hercules Graphics Card Plus has some pseudo-modes for the various
RamFont text modes. Normally DESQview detects the mode for each window
and saves this parameter before it switches away. Unfortunately, the HGC+
has registers that are involved with the RamFont modes that can not be
read to determine its state. Therefore DESQview by itself can not make
automatic mode changes to and from RamFont modes.
Through the use of the DESQview Applications Program Interface (API) which
is built into DESQview, FMONITOR keeps track of which window covers the
upper left corner of the screen (0,0). FMONITOR assumes WordPerfect is
using RamFont mode 5 which is the '48k RamFont text, 9 dot wide, 48k
RamFont text attribute' mode of the HGC+. (The other RamFont modes will
be found on page 70 of the HGC+ manual. They are numbered 0..7.) If the
window at 0,0 is WordPerfect, FMONITOR sends the appropriate commands to
the HGC+. If the window at 0,0 is in normal text mode, FMONITOR changes
HGC+ to normal text, which is RamFont mode 0. If the window at 0,0 is in
a graphics mode, FMONITOR doesn't do anything since DESQview automatically
changes the mode.
If you are in a graphics window and switch back to WordPerfect, then the
mode of the HGC+ is changed as before and the RamFonts are reloaded. The
reason for this is that the RamFonts use the same video buffer space to
store the fonts as the graphics mode uses for its pixels. Since DESQview
does not know about RamFonts, DV does not save this video buffer space (even
if you have WordPerfect PIF set to 'Displays Graphic Information').
Therefore when you switch from a graphics window to WordPerfect the
RamFonts must be reloaded. FMONITOR must be able to find the font files
so they must be in the same sub-directory as WP.EXE.
Don't forget FMONITOR will put the HGC+ in whatever mode is appropriate
for the window that covers the 0,0 location on the screen.
If you are using DESQview 2.2, then the 'Share CPU when foreground' must
be set to 'Y' for all windows that you want monitored. Otherwise FMONITOR
can not run in background when an application that is not sharing CPU is
in the foreground.
APPLICATIONS OTHER THAN WORDPERFECT.
------------------------------------
Although FMONITOR is set up specifically for working with WordPerfect,
there is no reason you can not use FMONITOR with any program that uses
RamFont text mode in DESQview.
xMONITOR SERIES.
----------------
The author intends to write other xMONITOR programs for non-DV
applications that are running in DESQview. These xMONITOR programs will
provide DESQview capabilities to applications that were not written
specifically to operate in DESQview. For example another one is CMONITOR
for use with RBBS and other BBS systems. It will monitor the carrier. If
there is a loss of carrier, the RBBS window will be closed and reopened to
restart RBBS without having to re-boot the entire system.
COPYRIGHT.
----------
FMONITOR and the xMONITOR series are copyrighted by John Poindexter 1988.
John Poindexter
SIG004 The SOURCE
December 14, 1988
UPDATE HISTORY.
---------------
1.01 First public release.
1.02 Improved performance in testing for graphics mode and loading of
fonts.
1.03 Fixed problem when FMONITOR is last window to be closed.