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MacroPIK'r 1.5 Quick Reference Guide
Copyright 1992 Samkhya
S A M K H Y A // Software Research & Development
27005 Highway 1, PO Box 13
Tomales, CA 94971
USA
Data Formats
MacroPIK'r can read, browse, convert, extract, edit and write:
o Standard (ASCII) text (up to 2000 characters wide, any
length), mainframe reports;
o Lotus WKS, WRK, WK1, & WR1;
o dBASE;
o DIF (Data Interchange Format);
o Delimited (with any delimiter);
o SYLK (Microsoft); and
o Fixed length record files.
Notational Conventions
The function keys F1 through F10 issue commands. Thus, "Xit-F9"
refers to function key F9 when the picture of the key on the
screen has the label "Xit".
Other conventions are:
DO-IT Press the Enter (return) key or click the
left mouse button -- either "does".
Enter the return key
Tab the Tab key
Shift+Tab the Shift plus Tab keys
Ins the Ins key or the "0" key on the keypad
Del the Del key or the "." key on the keypad
Esc the Escape key
Shift the Shift key
Ctrl the Control key
MacroPIK'r 1.5 Quick Reference
Getting Started With MacroPIK'r
To start MacroPIK'r, be sure a copy of mpik'r.exe, and any batch
files needed, are somewhere in your current directory, or PATH,
then type:
mpik'r ...by itself, should work for most users
mpikbw a black & white screen on a color adapter
mpikm fast monochrome
mpikc fast color
mpikb for a BIOS compatible computer (rare)
mpikd for a DOS compatible computer (even rarer)
You may include arguments on the command line:
file By itself: open 'file' as a flat ASCII file
-flt file (ditto)
-wks file Open 'file' as Lotus worksheet
-dif file Open 'file' as DIF file
-csvX file Open 'file' as delimited with optional
delimiter 'X'
-slk file Open 'file' as SYLK
-fxlNN file Open 'file' as fixed record file, record
size 'NN'
-dbf file Open 'file' as a dBASE file
-plNN Open with page length 'NN' (default 66 for
-flt, 0 for all others)
-nm Don't look for or try to use mouse
-hdwr Use direct hardware video writes instead of
BIOS
-bios Use BIOS calls for video access
-dos Use DOS calls for video access (needs
ANSI.SYS)
-t path Use 'path' for temp and virtual memory
files
-h file Use 'file' as MacroPIK'r's Help file
@mfile P1 ... Pn
Start executing macro 'mfile' with
parameters 'P1' ... 'Pn'
You should see the copyright/shareware message displayed within a
few seconds. If not, try one of the other batch files or video
switches, or see the "Errorss & Questions" section of the User
Manual.
Page 2
MacroPIK'r 1.5 Quick Reference
Using MacroPIK'r
MacroPIK'r has two "work" areas: the Report Area and the Paste
Area. In the Report Area you can look at a report, pick the data
you are interested in, and copy it to the Paste Area where it is
saved along with any previous data you have picked. You can pick
data from several places in a report, or from several different
reports. In the Paste Area you can look at the data, edit and
rearrange it, and save all or part of it for your spreadsheet or
database program. Your original reports are not altered;
MacroPIK'r formats their data into a form that the other programs
can use.
The function keys represent MacroPIK'r's menu of commands. These
commands can be used in two ways: you can press one of the
function keys on the keyboard, or you can move the cursor to the
picture of the function key on the screen and press DO-IT.
Whenever the cursor enters the key, MacroPIK'r displays a brief
description of the key's command in the status line at the top of
the screen Some of MacroPIK'r's commands are accessed from Sub-
Menus. To select one of these commands, first select the command
that displays the appropriate Sub-Menu, then select the command.
To return to the original menu press Esc.
Getting Help
To display Help information, press function key Hlp-F10. A Help
Page related to what you are currently doing is displayed with
instructions on how to see other related Help Pages. To return
to where you left off in MacroPIK'r, press Esc. (Be sure that
mpik'r.hlp is in the same directory as mpik'r.exe.)
Leaving MacroPIK'r
To stop MacroPIK'r, press function key Xit-F9 from either the
Report Area or Paste Area Menu. Type a Y or the right button on
the mouse to exit (or anything else to stay in MacroPIK'r). Make
sure that you have saved any data you want to keep before
exiting, by using one of the Output commands.
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MacroPIK'r 1.5 Quick Reference
The MacroPIK'r Screen
o Top left: the Esc key is used to cancel commands and Sub-
Menus.
o Top left, just below Esc: the Menu Indicator shows the
name of the menu currently displayed.
o Left side of screen: the Function Keys show the current
menu of commands.
o Bottom left: the highlighted portion of the Map Area shows
what part of your data is currently displayed in the Text
Window.
o Top of screen: the Status Line displays current status
information or brief descriptions of function key
commands.
o Second line, below Status: the Column Marks or Column
Names -- where the data is divided into columns -- press
DO-IT to toggle a ">" mark to change a Report column
division, or to adjust column widths in the Paste Area
(select columns first).
o Main part of screen: the Text Window is a window into your
data; it can be moved or "scrolled" to look at different
parts of your data.
o Data in a picked region is always HIGHLIGHTED (dark
characters on a light background).
Cursor Movement
The cursor is displayed as either a blinking box or cross on the
screen. The arrow keys on the keypad move the cursor to any
position on the screen, while the other cursor movement commands
move the cursor (and the Text Window) to any position in the
current report page or Paste Area. Also, when the cursor is near
the edge of the Text Window, DO-IT will move the Text Window so
that it's centered over the cursor.
Arrow keys move cursor by single characters
+ (Plus) moves by half a screen, when
followed by an arrow key
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MacroPIK'r 1.5 Quick Reference
Ctrl+Arrow move to edge of current data, then edge of
area
Home to the upper left corner
End to the lower right corner
PgUp up a screen
PgDn down a screen
Tab to the next cell (or word)
Shift+Tab to the previous cell (or word)
Keyboard Commands
F1-F10 Select a Command or Sub-Menu
Enter DO-IT -- Perform command under the cursor,
or move the Text Window, or NO (for yes/no
questions)
Esc Undo current activity (cancel commands &
Sub-Menus)
Shift Stretch (adjust) a picked region -- use
with movement keys
Ctrl-G Goto a specified location in Report Area or
Paste Area.
Ctrl-R Begin recording a MACRO; use Ctrl-R again
to finish. See the User Manual for
details.
Ctrl-X Execute a MACRO. Use Esc to interrupt.
Ctrl-Q Resume an interrupted MACRO.
Ctrl-S Temporarily leave MacroPIK'r and spawn to a
new copy of DOS.
Mouse Commands
If a mouse (and its driver) are installed on your PC, MacroPIK'r
will automatically use it.
motion Move cursor to any position on screen
left button DO-IT -- Perform command under the cursor,
or move the Text Window, or NO (for yes/no
questions), adjust picked regions, etc.
middle (If present) NO
right YES (for yes/no questions)
Page 5
MacroPIK'r 1.5 Quick Reference
Picking Data
Many of MacroPIK'r's commands need a region of data to be PICKED
first. You can PICK any rectangular region of data, then ADJUST
or stretch the picked region if need be.
Data in the picked region is always HIGHLIGHTED (dark characters
on a light background).
To pick a column, row, or cell, press function key Col-F2, Row-
F4, or Cel-F6 from any menu, then move the cursor to the data and
press DO-IT. To pick the entire page in the Report Area, or the
entire Paste Area, press All-F8. To cancel the picked region of
data, press the function key again.
To adjust (stretch) a picked region, hold down the Shift key and
move the cursor to the boundary of the picked region (or hold
down the left mouse button and move the mouse). The boundary
will move with the cursor until Shift (or the mouse button) is
released.
When you switch from the Report Area to the Paste Area, the data
in any picked region is copied into the Paste Area too. The new
data is still picked (highlighted) so you can use the Paste Area
commands immediately.
Moving and Copying Data
To move or copy data in the Paste Area, press Cut-F7 from the
Paste Area menu to display the Cut Sub-Menu. Pick a region of
data using the Column, Row, Cell, or All command, then press
Mov-F1 to move, or Cpy-F3 to copy. An outline tentatively shows
where the picked data will be moved to. Adjust this by moving
the cursor to the upper left corner of the place you wish to move
or copy the data to and press DO-IT. The outline is moved to
this place, but no data is moved yet. Continue to move the
cursor and press DO-IT until you are satisfied with where the
data will be moved, then press Mov-F1 or Cpy-F3 again to complete
the command. To abort the Move or Copy command before it has
been completed press Esc.
To MOVE data,
1. press Cut-F7 and pick a region to move from.
2. Press Mov-F1.
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MacroPIK'r 1.5 Quick Reference
3. Move the cursor to where the data is supposed to go, then
press DO-IT.
4. Press Mov-F1 again to complete the move.
To COPY data, use Cpy-F3 instead.
Commands
To select a command, either press the corresponding function key,
or move the cursor to the picture of the function key on the
screen and press DO-IT.
Some commands are accessed from Sub-Menus. To use these
commands, first select the command that displays the appropriate
Sub-Menu, then select the command. To return from a Sub-Menu (or
cancel a command), press Esc.
Commands Common to Many Menus
Col-F2 Pick a column
Press Col-F2, move the cursor to a column, and press DO-IT.
Adjust picked area with Shift + cursor motion.
Row-F4 Pick a Row
Press Row-F4, move the cursor to a row, and press DO-IT.
Adjust as needed.
Cel-F6 Pick a Cell
Picks a single word, number, or cell. Press Cel-F6, move
the cursor to a cell, and press DO-IT. Adjust as needed.
All-F8 Pick Everything
Press All-F8, adjust as needed.
Hlp-F10 Get Help
Displays Help information. To return to where you left off,
press Esc. Needs file "mpik'r.hlp".
Xit-F9 Exit
Exits MacroPIK'r and returns to DOS.
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MacroPIK'r 1.5 Quick Reference
Report Area Menu Commands
Pst-F1 Transfer to Paste Area
Switches to the Paste Area, and copies any picked data from
the Report Area to the Paste Area. Adjust/toggle the column
markers for the breaks you need. Copies to left or bottom
in Paste Area.
Inp-F3 Select Input Menu
Selects a (new) input file. Select the file's type, then
type the name of the file followed by Enter -- Wildcards OK,
then pick from list.
Fnd-F5 Find a String
Search for a "string" (word or phrase) in Report Area. Type
the string to search for, followed by Right Arrow to search
forwards, or Left Arrow to search backwards.
Pag-F7 Go to a New Page
Displays another page in the report file. To display page
N, type N followed by Enter. To go forward N pages, type N
followed by Right Arrow. To go backward N pages, type N
followed by Left Arrow.
Paste Area Menu Commands
Rpt-F1 Go to Report Area
Switches back to the Report Area.
Out-F3 Select Output Menu
Displays the Output Sub-Menu. Select data to output first.
Fix-F5 Select Fix Menu
Displays the Fix Sub-Menu (for adjusting data).
Cut-F7 Select Cut Menu
Displays the Cut Sub-Menu (for deleting, moving).
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MacroPIK'r 1.5 Quick Reference
Fix Sub-Menu Commands
Mrg-F1 Merge Columns
Pick columns then press Mrg-F1.
Div-F3 Divide a Column
Pick a column, press Div-F3, move the cursor to where you
want the picked column divided, then press DO-IT. The
column is divided to the immediate left of the cursor.
Edt-F5 Edit Data Manually
Pick the region of data you want to edit, then press Edt-F5.
To save the changes you make, press Edt-F5 again. (To
"undo" the changes, press Esc instead.)
Num-F7 Convert Data to Numbers
Force data to be numeric; clean up numbers. Pick the region
of data you want to convert, then press Num-F7.
Txt-F9 Convert Data to Text
Converts data to text (labels). Pick the region of data you
want to convert, then press Txt-F9.
Cut Sub-Menu Commands
Mov-F1 Move Data in Paste Area
Pick the region of data you want to move, then press Mov-F1.
Move the cursor to the upper-left corner of where you want
to move the data to, and press DO-IT. To finish the move,
press Mov-F1 again.
Cpy-F3 Copy Data in Paste Area
Pick the region of data you want to copy, then press Cpy-F3.
Move the cursor to the upper-left corner of where you want
to copy the data to, and press DO-IT. To finish the copy,
press Cpy-F3 again.
Trn-F5 Transpose Rows/Columns
First begin a Move or Copy command as above, then press
Trn-F5. Move the cursor to the upper-left corner of where
Page 9
MacroPIK'r 1.5 Quick Reference
you want the transposed data to go, and press DO-IT. Finish
like Move and Copy: (press Mov-F1 or Cpy-F3 again).
Ins-F7 Insert Empty Columns or Rows
Pick column(s) or row(s) and press Ins-F7.
Del-F9 Delete Data in Paste Area
Deletes a picked region of data.
Output Sub-Menu Commands
Before using any of these commands FIRST you need to pick the
data to be output, THEN enter the Output SubMenu, THEN write your
data.
Flt-F1 Save as Flat Text File
Saves picked data as an ordinary text file.
Wks-F3 Save as Lotus File
Save picked data using 1-2-3 format. Will adjust
automatically for WKS, WRK, WR1, WK1. Specify file type.
Dif-F5 Save as DIF File
Save picked data using Data Interchange Format.
Csv-F7 Save as CSV File
Save picked data using 'delimited' or Comma Separated Values
format. You can specify delimiter to use.
Slk-F9 Save as SYLK File
Save picked data using Microsoft "Symbolic Link" format.
Fxl-F2 Save as Fixed Length Record File
Record length is implicit in picked data.
Dbf-F4 Save as dBASE DBF File
You can Append to, or Replace, the data of an existing DBF
file, or Create a new file.
Page 10
MacroPIK'r 1.5 Quick Reference
Editing Commands
To edit data in the Paste Area, or to add new data from the
keyboard, press Fix-F5 from the Paste Area Menu to display the
Fix Sub-Menu. Pick the region of data you want to edit using the
Column, Row, Cell, or All command, then press Edt-F5.
If the cursor is inside the picked region of data, characters
typed on the keyboard replace the characters under the cursor.
If the cursor is outside the picked region, or on the vertical
"divide" line between columns, characters typed on the keyboard
have no effect. The mouse, arrow keys and other cursor movement
keys (except the + key) can be used to position the cursor, as
usual. Inside the picked region, DO-IT will move the cursor to
the "next" cell from left to right, top to bottom, in the picked
region.
To finish editing and keep the changes you made, press Edt-F5
again. To stop editing and restore the old contents of the picked
region, press Esc. The following table summarizes the keyboard
characters and their functions while editing:
Letters, Overstrike character at cursor
Digits, and
Punctuation
Enter Go to next cell
Backspace Delete character left of cursor
Ins Insert single space at cursor
Del Delete character at cursor
Edt-F5 Exit editing session, keep changes
Esc Undo editing session
Page 11
MacroPIK'r 1.5 Quick Reference
Menu Structure
The diagram below illustrates each of MacroPIK'r's menus and
their relationship to each other in a manner similar to how they
actually appear on the screen.
REPORT <----------------------> PASTE
+---+---+ +---+---+
|Pst|Col| |Rpt|Col|
|1 |2 | |1 |2 |
|---+---| |---+---|
|In |Row| |Out|Row|
|3 |4 | |3 |4 |
|---+---| |---+---|
|Fnd|Cel| |Fix|Cel|
|5 |6 | |5 |6 |
|---+---| |---+---|
|Pag|All| |Cut|All|
|7 |8 | |7 |8 |
|---+---| |---+---|
|Xit|Hlp| |Xit|Hlp|
|9 |10 | |9 |10 |
+---+---+ +---+---+
| / | \
| / | \
| / | \
| / | \
INPUT OUTPUT FIX CUT
+---+---+ +---+---+ +---+---+ +---+---+
|Flt|Fxl| |Flt|Fxl| |Mrg|Col| |Mov|Col|
|1 |2 | |1 |2 | |1 |2 | |1 |2 |
|---+---| |---+---| |---+---| |---+---|
|Wks|Dbf| |Wks|Dbf| |Div|Row| |Cpy|Row|
|3 |4 | |3 |4 | |3 |4 | |3 |4 |
|---+---| |---+---| |---+---| |---+---|
|Dif| | |Dif| | |Edt|Cel| |Trn|Cel|
|5 |6 | |5 |6 | |5 |6 | |5 |6 |
|---+---| |---+---| |---+---| |---+---|
|Csv| | |Csv| | |Num|All| |Ins|All|
|7 |8 | |7 |8 | |7 |8 | |7 |8 |
|---+---| |---+---| |---+---| |---+---|
|Slk|Hlp| |Slk|Hlp| |Txt|Hlp| |Del|Hlp|
|9 |10 | |9 |10 | |9 |10 | |9 |10 |
+---+---+ +---+---+ +---+---+ +---+---+
Page 12
MacroPIK'r 1.5 Quick Reference
Page 13