TextForm is a text formatter. It takes a plain text file, and formats it, making it more readable.
It is loaded in the usual way. Then, any text file dragged onto the application icon, either from the filer or from another application. If the file is being transferred from another application, the filer must first have 'seen' the !Scrap application. If there is insufficent memory for the file, this will be reported.
Once the file is loaded, a save dialogue box appears, and the file can be saved in the usual way.
When a file is loaded, the application's Wimpslot increases to accomodate the file. Once the file has been saved, or the save box removed by clicking the mouse anywhere on screen other than the box, the Wimpslot returns to 16K.
The application menu, accessible from the iconbar icon, contains a 'Width' entry. This allows the user to set the width the text is formatted to. Values between 1 and 999 can be entered. The default is 77, the width of an !Edit window (and of this text). A 'small' !Edit window, that is, as the window appears when first opened, is 52.
The source text file
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The source file is a text file, created in !Edit or a similar text processor. Paragraphs to be formatted are entered with no linefeeds between words. Lines are split by TextForm at a soft space (ASCII 32, produced using the spacebar). To prevent two words being split, such as 'Mr. Widdas', a hard space must be used (ASCII 160, produced by holding down the ALT key, typing 160 on the numeric keypad, then releasing the ALT key).
Paragraps may be indented, and tables produced. The indentation will not be affected by the formatting, neither will the table.
A line feed (ASCII 10, produced using the RETURN key) will no be affected by the formatting. For this reason, text to be formatted must not contain linefeeds, except where they are wanted (such as the end of paragraphs). For this reason, it is recommended that the formatted file be given a different name to the original file. The original may them be re-edited at a later date, rather than having to remove each linefeed that the formatter placed at the end of each line.
The original help file for this application is contained within the applicatiom direcory, under the name 'Original'.
