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Text File | 2000-06-30 | 16KB | 518 lines

FOREVER Záì by Rick Charnes Appearing in Morrow Owners Review Aug.-Sept. 1987 issue 1165 Shotwell St. San Francisco, CA 94110 826-9448 or 821-4345 approx. 2300 words Copyright (c) 1987 by Rick Charnes. All rights reserved SUBMISSION DATE: 6/8/87 áì I very much appreciate all the letters I've been getting with theáì áì large number of excellent suggestions. This is the stuff of whicháì áì real communication is made and makes being involved in this Z-áì áì adventure such a joy. Please continue to send mail to the MORáì áì office and phone calls to my home. Something as delightful as Z-áì áì System -- as life in general -- feels best when done with theáì áì support of a concerned, vital, passionate and enthusiasticáì áì community, and that is what we are building here. Whether by BBS,áì áì phone network, or mail, staying in touch with and learning fromáì áì others fundamentally enhances the pleasure and meaning of theáì áì entire computing experience. Communication and understanding,áì áì remember, were the great promises of the computer revolution.áì áì Let's work to make that a reality and take it away from those whoáì áì would use computers primarily as a tool in their plans foráì áì military armament as they bring us closer and closer to globaláì áì holocaust.áì áì One of the odds and ends culled from discussions on the MOR BBSáì áì was a question about error handlers. Error handlers are a little-áì áì used but very powerful Z-System feature. If you're a less thanáì áì perfect typist and are tired of CP/M's "????" response when youáì áì type something it finds incomprehensible, then error handlers areáì áì for you. When an error handler is "installed" in your system andáì áì ZCPR3 cannot understand what you've typed in, you're then -- in ì áì the words of Jerry Maloney, error handler enthusiast in Boston --áì áì "given a second chance." Simply correct your typing error, hitáì áì <CR>, and your command line is run again. I'm not aware ofáì áì anything comparable to this in the MS-DOS world.áì áì This may not seem so important for those used to CP/M 2.2 witháì áì which only a single command may be typed on any one line.áì áì Remember, however, that in ZCPR3 many commands may be strungáì áì together, separated by a semicolon. I take advantage of thisáì áì feature as often as I can. If you have a series of commands toáì áì run that you don't use very often and therefore for which anáì áì alias is not appropriate, simply type them all together at theáì áì ZCPR3 prompt. This can be very enjoyable and can save a lot ofáì áì time especially on floppy systems. Rather than sitting staring atáì áì the screen while I am waiting for the results of one commandáì áì before I can run the next, I often try to anticipate my nextáì áì several moves and type in as many commands as I can foresee intoáì áì the future. For instance, If I'm cleaning up my disk and thenáì áì want to rename a file before working on it I can easily findáì áì myself doing something like:áì ERASE *.BAK,MARY.LTR;REN JOE.LTR=JOE;NW JOE.LTR áì This may look difficult and confusing but if you study it you'lláì áì see it's quite straightforward and is a real time-saver. You mayáì áì find it an enjoyable challenge to discipline yourself enough toáì áì anticipate and plan out your next few commands. In this exampleáì áì we take advantage of a capability of many ZCPR3 but not CP/Máì áì utilities, that of accepting a [bold]file list[end bold]áì áì parameter. Here, ERASE.COM is given a parameter ofáì áì "*.BAK,MARY.LTR", a list of two files, one ambiguous and oneáì áì unambiguous, separated by a comma. A quick browse througháì áì [underline]ZCPR3: The Manual[end underline] will reveal that aáì áì dozen or two utilities have this ability. After ZCPR3 has erasedáì áì these, JOE is renamed to JOE.LTR and then loaded in with NewWord.áì áì It's our multiple command line feature that permits us to doáì áì this.áì áì But to my point: with long command lines such as these typingáì áì mistakes happen rather easily! Enter error handlers. The mostáì áì common error handler is VERROR, for Video ERROR. To installáì áì VERROR, simply type "VERROR<CR>". From then on VERROR isáì áì "installed." From then on, anytime you make a mistake, oráì áì anytime any of your VFILER or other macros contain a mistake,áì áì your error handler is invoked. You are then put into a one-lineáì áì Wordstar-like editor within which you can then use all theáì áì familiar cursor motion commands to correct your input anywhere onáì áì your command line. When finished, simply hit <CR> and youráì áì command(s) are sent out again.áì One warning, though: with ZCPR3.0 you cannot be running anáì áì extended command processor such as ARUNZ if at the same time youáì áì have an error handler installed. With the new ZCPR3.3 thisáì áì problem is remedied.áì By the way, if you're feeling that you never manually string aáì áì series of commands together on the command line and can't imagineáì áì why you would ever want to do so, here's an easy one to start outáì áì with in order to see how much time you can actually save. Supposeáì áì you're on one directory and want to log on to another, do a diskáì áì directory, and then perform various operations from there. Ifáì áì you're on A0: and want to work on B0:, without ZCPR3 you wouldáì áì type "B0:<CR>", wait for the system to log you in, then "DIR",áì áì etc. Instead, try simply "B0:;DIR<CR>". Why complicate mattersáì áì with an extra carriage return and a wait, when you could beáì áì having fun watching the computer do all the work for you?áì I can hardly believe I've let three columns come and go without aáì áì mention of the famous "POKE 'N' GO" technique. This is one of theáì áì very nicest features of Z-System, something that you easily runáì áì the risk of taking for granted. It's especially useful for savingáì áì disk space on floppy systems. Suppose you normally run WordStaráì áì or NewWord in single space mode and a right margin of 65, butáì áì occasionally use double spacing and a right margin of 78. You areáì áì tired of having to remember to manually type in your "^OS" toáì áì change the spacing, set your new ruler line with "^OR", andáì áì finally put in your ^PA code to change the printer pitch to 12. Iáì áì always end up forgetting to do this when using settings otheráì áì than my default and find it extremely frustrating. One solutionáì áì of course is to make a completely new WS.COM or NW.COM disk fileáì áì with these new settings, but with disk space precious this isáì áì silly. With Z-System's alias-making capability there is an easyáì áì solution.áì Let's take the above situation and see how we can handle it witháì áì ZCPR3. The first step is to find the exact patch points in ouráì áì *.COM file where the values for line spacing and right margin areáì áì held. This is done with NewWord by extracting the informationáì áì from the relevant section in the "patch menus" in NWINSTAL.COM,áì áì and with WordStar from one of the many public domain docsáì áì providing this kind of information. To set NewWord 2.16 to theáì áì above values we find that 0762h should be set to 02, 0713h to 4eáì áì (4eh=78 decimal) for the ruler line, and lastly both 0721h andáì áì 0723h should be changed to 0A to modify the standard printeráì áì pitch from 10 to 12.áì Now for the beautiful part. Make either a free-standing aliasáì áì using our trusty VALIAS or BALIAS or -- my preferred method -- anáì áì entry in your ARUNZ.CMD, as follows:áì GET 100 NW.COM POKE 0762 02 POKE 0713 4E POKE 0721 0A POKE 0723 0A GO $1 With ARUNZ/ALIAS.CMD all this is strung together on a single lineáì áì separated by semicolons, beginning with its name. I have calledáì áì mine NW78. Here's what happens: in Z-System we have a memory-áì áì resident GET command. GET is one of those seemingly arcane ì áì features that really performs when called on. It will load theáì áì file given as its second parameter at the location in memoryáì áì given as its first parameter, but [bold]without running it[endáì áì bold]. We here load NW.COM at 100 hex, the spot in memory whereáì áì all COM files load when they run. But here it doesn't actuallyáì áì run; it simply is suspended there, awaiting further instructions.áì áì Now we use ZCPR3's resident POKE command, which CP/M also lacks.áì áì "POKE 0762 02" will insert the hex value 02 at memory locationáì áì 0762. Since we have loaded NW.COM into memory we are in effectáì áì patching NW! Then GO is the final memory-resident command usedáì áì in our holy trinity. GO takes whatever is sitting there at 100áì áì hex and runs it, and the "$1" is of course the name of our fileáì áì to be edited.áì Suppose we wanted to work on our file JOE.LTR. At the ZCPR3áì áì command line we simply type "NW78 JOE.LTR<CR>" and sit back andáì áì watch. Our command processor gives us a pleasing visual displayáì áì of all this POKE-ing, NewWord loads, and we find ourselves ináì áì JOE.LTR, double spaced, margin set to 78.áì You can have as many of these POKE 'N' GO aliases as you like,áì áì setting your wordprocessor to as many default values as you like.áì áì Disk space used for all this sophistication? If entered as anáì áì entry inside your ALIAS.CMD, 0k.áì A couple of notes inspired by letters I have received: the Morrowáì áì KEY.COM will not work with the hard disk Z-System. The Morrowáì áì BIOS was reworked much more fundamentally than the floppy versionáì áì in order to Z-ify it. A decision was made in its development thatáì áì the amount of space KEY.COM took up in the BIOS was not justifiedáì áì by what it did, that this space was more important usedáì áì elsewhere. Backgrounder II, which has an extensive keyáì áì redefinition capability, or Echelon's NUKEY are the programs ofáì áì choice for hard-disk users.áì Some confusion has developed about the public directory feature.áì áì The best way to learn about it is with the PUBLIC.HLP file on theáì áì Z-System disk. If you're logged onto the same drive but aáì áì different user area than your public directory, DO NOT create aáì áì file with the same name as a file on the public directory. Z-áì áì System will assume you are working on the public file and willáì áì make any changes to it that you make to your file, such asáì áì deletion, etc.áì Another caution: declaring a directory public in Z-System worksáì áì only for all user areas [bold]on that drive[end bold]. In otheráì áì words, if you are logged onto D6: and your public directory isáì áì A1:, everything that goes on in your A: drive will have access toáì áì the files in A1:, but do not expect your files in A1: to haveáì áì anything significant to say to operations running on your D:áì áì drive. However, there is one "out" here: in their search foráì áì overlays, a small number of programs, most notably WordStar, haveáì áì enough smarts to check also on drive A: of whatever user numberáì áì you're logged into if they don't find them on the currentáì áì drive/user. So in our case putting the WordStar overlays into aáì áì public directory on the A: drive will do an yeoman's job ofáì áì servicing your entire system. Other programs, however, such asáì áì Correct-It and SuperCalc as I mentioned last time, do not performáì áì this "search on A:" operation and must be dealt with otherwise.áì áì Very briefly, an alias should be set up in which the very firstáì áì command logs on to drive A: of the currently logged user area.áì áì Then the source file is accessed from drive A:. I have created aáì áì number of aliases that are available on the MOR BBS that dealáì áì with this problem.áì I'd like to emphasize how much easier and quicker the utilityáì áì VFILER makes running your entire computer operation, in the timeáì áì it saves lost to typing errors. Without VFILER, if you haveáì áì incorrectly typed the name of a file to be edited, for instance,áì áì time is wasted retyping your command line. With VFILER and theáì áì macros you have written, simply position the pointer on youráì áì target file, and hit the macro number or letter. "Point andáì áì shoot," as Ted Silveira very appropriately calls it. Nothingáì áì could be simpler.áì One final comment about VFILER. The command recall and editingáì áì program HSH will not and cannot be made to work when runningáì áì programs from its "Z" option.áì As I write (early June) ZCPR3.3 has been released, written by theáì áì extraordinarily prolific Jay Sage of Boston. One of the featuresáì áì I like best about it is its incredible flow control package, witháì áì more "IF options" than one could possibly imagine. In addition toáì áì the "IF INPUT", 'IF EXIST", "IF NULL", etc. that we've all comeáì áì to use and love, it is now possible to test if a file isáì áì compressed (squeezed or crunched), ambiguous (wild cards presentáì áì in the name), and for the presence of any of the three fileáì áì attributes: system, read-only, and archived. We now welcome IFáì áì COMPR, IF AMBIG, IF SYS, IF RO, and IF ARC to an already-packedáì áì pantheon of conditionals. Additionally, we now have two entirelyáì áì new commands related to "IF": "AND" and "OR". As an example ofáì áì their use, Z-System aliases are traditionally set up so that helpáì áì messages will display if the user enters the command with eitheráì áì a "//" parameter or no parameter at all. To create an ARUNZ entryáì áì for our by-now classic "COPY" alias to do this our line used toáì áì have to read:áì COPY IF //=$1;ECHO SYNTAX: "COPY [SOURCE] [DESTINATION]<CR>"; ELSE;IF NU $1;ECHO SYNTAX: "COPY [SOURCE] [DESTINATION]<CR>"; ELSE;CP $2=$1;FI;FI Whew! How boring. Now we need only enter: COPY IF //=$1;OR NU $1; ECHO SYNTAX: "COPY [SOURCE] [DESTINATION]<CR>" ELSE;CP $2=$1;FI One other feature of ZCPR3.3 for which alone I would want it isáì áì its memory-resident ECHO command. It can finally display loweráì áì case characters. I've always felt the upper-case only ECHO-ingáì áì looked silly and infantile; we now have the capability to makeáì áì professional-looking displays, status reporting messages, etc. --áì áì a very important part of every fully-utilized Z-System.áì Contact MOR for the terms of a ZCPR3.3 upgrade. áì By the way, I recommend that you start writing aliases witháì áì either VALIAS or BALIAS (or, of course, as I will never fail toáì áì suggest, ARUNZ). I recommend you not even touch ALIAS.COM; thisáì áì program is very much outdated.áì More news on the Z280 front. I just learned of this a few daysáì áì ago and know very little about it, but there is a company by theáì áì name of Zedux in Van Nuys, California that apparentlyáì áì manufactures a generic Z280 add-on board. And as if that weren'táì áì enough to get the adrenaline going, the real shocker to me cameáì áì as I browsed through their documentation: they have a genuinelyáì áì multi-tasking operating system already written for it as well. Iáì áì know nothing more than what I've read, and merely pass on theáì áì information to you. I immediately sent them off a missiveáì áì requesting more information and a possible Morrow beta-test, butáì áì for those whose interest is as piqued as mine their address isáì áì 14402 Hamlin Ave., Suite #C, Van Nuys, CA 91401, telephone (818)áì áì 787-0113. This could be a real gold mine.áì I hope your summer is going well. Z you next time...