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-
-
-
- FSPRINT
-
- Freescape data file printer
-
-
- Incentive Software
-
- 11 February 1991
-
-
-
- 1. OVERVIEW
- -----------
-
- FSPRINT is designed to allow you to print out your data files
- saved from the 3D Construction kit.
-
- It allows you to print out selected ranges of areas and objects,
- along with various other useful information, from several files
- at once if necessary.
-
-
- 2. NOTES FOR NON-PC MACHINES
- ----------------------------
-
- All the examples in this file are for the IBM PC, which uses the
- MS-DOS operating system. The command line interpreter prints a
-
- C>
-
- prompt whilst expecting input from you, the user. Do not type
- this in! Other command line interpreters (CLIs) may give a
- different prompt.
-
- The Amiga has a CLI built in, so the usage is exactly the same.
-
- The Atari ST has various public domain CLIs available, or you
- can run FSPRINT from the desktop as follows: Double-click on
- FSPRINT.TTP. You will see a dialogue box appear. Type in the
- command line without the initial FSPRINT. So, for an example
- reading:
-
- C> FSPRINT -pz -h- test.all
-
- you would start FSPRINT by double-clicking and then type
-
- -pz -h- test.all
-
- into the dialogue box. After all input, don't forget to press the
- ENTER or RETURN key !
-
-
- 3. USAGE
- --------
-
- To use FSPRINT you will need a printer. Any printer which can
- be connected to your computer will work, although the small print
- and bold modes will only work with EPSON compatible printers.
- Since most printers are indeed EPSON compatible, this should not
- pose too much of a problem.
-
- In its simplest form, you can print out a data file by starting
- the program from the command line, with just the name of the file
- you wish to print:
-
- C> FSPRINT TEST.ALL
-
- This will print the file TEST.ALL to the printer. Make sure the
- printer is on line otherwise you will get an error message (see
- below).
-
- You can print out several files at the same time by specifying
- each of their names in turn:
-
- C> FSPRINT FIRST.ALL SECOND.ALL THIRD.ALL
-
- If you find that the printer output comes out double spaced, the
- `r' option will fix that for you. To introduce an option, start
- it with either `-' or `/', so that it can be distinguished from a
- filename. Upper and lower case letters are taken to be the same:
-
- C> FSPRINT -r TEST.ALL
-
- or
-
- C> FSPRINT /R TEST.ALL
-
- The `r' option stops extra line feed characters being sent to the
- printer. The `r' option may be followed by either `0', `1' or
- `2'. The option `r0' sends both a carriage return and a line feed
- to the printer when a new line is needed. This is the default at
- the start. Option `r1' ( same as `r' on its own ) sends only a
- carriage return. `r2' sends only a linefeed. One of these will
- certainly work with your printer:
-
- C> FSPRINT -r0 TEST.ALL ( same as no `r' option at all )
- C> FSPRINT -r1 TEST.ALL ( same as `r' on its own )
- C> FSPRINT -r2 TEST.ALL
-
- For most purposes, these will be enough. For the adventurous -
- read on !
-
- In a large file, you may wish only to print out a specified range
- of areas. The `a' option accomplishes this:
-
- C> FSPRINT -a1 TEST.ALL Print area 1 from TEST.ALL
-
- You can specify entire ranges of areas:
-
- C> FSPRINT /A1-5 TEST.ALL Print areas 1 to 5 from TEST.ALL
-
- C> FSPRINT -a-5 TEST.ALL Print all areas up to area 5
-
- C> FSPRINT -a5- TEST.ALL Print all areas from area 5 on
-
- As you can see, a range consists of either a single number, or of
- a start and an end number separated by a dash. If you omit the
- start, the first item is assumed, and if you omit the end, the
- last item is assumed. If you specify no range, no areas are
- specified: an `a' on its own means "print none of the areas". If
- you don't even include the option itself, everything will be
- printed.
-
- You can specify different ranges for different files on the same
- command line by preceding each file by the range you require:
-
- C> FSPRINT -a1 FIRST.ALL -a3-7 SECOND.ALL
-
- would print area 1 from FIRST.ALL and areas 3 to 7 from
- SECOND.ALL.
-
- You can print only specified objects, too, with the -o option:
-
- C> FSPRINT -a1 -o10-50 TEST.ALL
-
- This would print only object numbers 10 to 50 from area 1 of
- TEST.ALL. You can join options together, so that the previous
- example could also be written as:
-
- C> FSPRINT -a1o10-50 TEST.ALL
-
- Entrances and animators can be specified by the `e' and `m'
- options:
-
- C> FSPRINT -a1e1-9o10-50m5-7 TEST.ALL
-
- Going through this one thing at a time, we have area 1 only,
- entrances 1 to 9, objects 10-50 and animators 5 to 7, all from
- the file TEST.ALL. You can similarly limit the local conditions
- that are printed using the `l' option.
-
- On each printout, the data file header is printed with
- information about the world as a whole, the key and icon
- information, the instruments, the colours and the global
- conditions. The header, key, instrument and colour information
- can be turned on or off using the `h', `k', `i' and `c' options.
- On their own, or followed by a `+' sign, they turn each part of
- the printing on, and if followed by a `-', they turn it off. The
- global conditions are specified as a range following the `g'
- option.
-
- C> FSPRINT -h-i-k-c-g4-6a1-9 TEST.ALL
-
- This prints no header, no istruments, no keys and no colours, but
- does print global conditions 4 to 6 and areas 1 to 9 from file
- TEST.ALL.
-
- Don't worry if you can't remeber all this. Just typing
-
- C> FSPRINT
-
- will give a quick reminder of all the options.
-
- It is quite useful to be able to print out several ranges of
- things, from the same data file. Obviously, you will not want the
- header, etc, on subsequent ranges, so you could do it like this:
-
- C> FSPRINT -a1-5 TEST.ALL -h-k-i-c-a10-15 TEST.ALL
-
- Which would print the header , etc, plus areas 1 to 5, then areas
- 1 to 10. There is a much easier way of doing this. Just separate
- the options with a semicolon:
-
- C> FSPRINT -a1-5;a10-15 TEST.ALL
-
- This has exactly the same effect. The first range is printed
- using the options you have given plus the default header, etc.
- The second range is printed using only those options you supply.
- Nothing defaults. If you explicitly want the header, you can turn
- it on using `h+':
-
- C> FSPRINT -a1-5;h+a10-15 TEST.ALL
-
- The headers, keys, instruments and colours default on at the
- start of each file:
-
- C> FSPRINT -a1-5;a10-15 FIRST.ALL SECOND.ALL
-
- Would print the header, etc, and areas 1 to 5 and 10 to 15 of
- file FIRST.ALL and all of file SECOND.ALL. The options revert to
- normal when a new file is printed. If you wanted to print only
- areas 1 to 9 of SECOND.ALL, you would use:
-
- C> FSPRINT -a1-5;a10-15 FIRST.ALL -a1-9 SECOND.ALL
-
- If you have an EPSON compatible printer, you can print all the
- titles, object names, etc, in bold type. This will make them
- easier to pick out from the listing. To do this, use the `b'
- option:
-
- C> FSPRINT -b TEST.ALL
-
- Right, now for the clever bits. You can use each of the following
- options only once - they do not switch off and they cannot be
- cancelled. Firstly, the `s' option. For EPSON compatible
- printers, you can print in very small type, which squeezes almost
- twice as much listing on a page of paper. To do this, specify the
- -s option before the first filename:
-
- C> FSPRINT -s TEST.ALL
-
- Also, you can redirect the printer output to a file, or the
- console (screen) using the `p' option. This is followed
- immediately (no spaces) by the name of the file that will act as
- your printer:
-
- C> FSPRINT -pPRINT.OUT TEST.ALL
-
- This will create a file called PRINT.OUT which will contain
- exactly what would have been sent to the printer.
-
- You cannot specify multiple print files, and the -p option must
- be on its own and the first option on the command line. The
- following examples are wrong: Why?
-
- C> FSPRINT -s -pPRINT.OUT TEST.ALL `s' before `p'
-
- C> FSPRINT -spPRINT.OUT TEST.ALL `p' not alone
-
- C> FSPRINT -pL.1ST FIRST.ALL -pL.2ND SECOND.ALL Two `p's
-
- C> FSPRINT -pPRINT.OUTs TEST.ALL `s' part of name
-
- In the last case, the computer will try to create a file called
- `PRINT.OUTS', and will probably fail. This example is OK:
-
- C> FSPRINT -pPRINT.OUT -s TEST.ALL
-
- To direct the output to the screen, specify `CON:' as the
- filename:
-
- C> FSPRINT -pCON: TEST.ALL
-
-
- 4. ERRORS
- ---------
-
- In addition to the usual operating system errors, such as
- write protected disks, there are several situations that FSPRINT
- will recognise as errors. You will then get one of the following
- messages:
-
- ERROR: Cannot open file <filename>
- The file <filename>, which is to be printed out, cannot
- be opened. Check that it exists.
-
- ERROR: `<letter>' is an invalid option
- The letter displayed is not one of the allowed option
- letters (abceghiklmopr or ;).
-
- ERROR: Invalid range
- The range following the option letter shown is wrong -
- the start is larger than the end.
-
- ERROR: Cannot open <filename> for output
- The alternative printer output cannot be opened for some
- reason. Check that it is a valid filename.
-
- ERROR: Only one alternative printer output allowed
- The printer output has already been redirected to an
- alternative file. It cannot be redirected again.
-
- ERROR: Cannot allocate enough workspace
- There is not enough memory for FSPRINT to use as
- workspace.
-
-
- 5. CREDITS
- ----------
-
- FSPRINT was originally written using Turbo C on the IBM PC by
- Sean Ellis, then ported to Lattice C for the Amiga and Atari ST
- by Paul Gregory.
-
- FSPRINT is Copyright Incentive Software 1991.
-
-