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FLOWCHARTER 1.45 by J. C. Justin Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION FLOWCHARTER Overview ................................. 1-1 FLOWCHARTER files .................................... 1-2 2. FLOWCHARTER Installation Initialization ....................................... 2-1 FLOWCHARTER execution ................................ 2-2 FLOWCHARTER Command Options .......................... 2-3 3. Flowchart Files Flowchart Command Structure .......................... 3-1 Flowchart Commands ................................... 3-2 Special Format Commands .............................. 3-8 4. FLOWCHARTER Messages Error Messages ....................................... 4-1 1-1 INTRODUCTION FLOWCHARTER OVERVIEW The purpose of a flowchart is to provide a method of displaying complex procedures or events in a graphical manner using standard symbols which are easy to understand. The most common use of flowcharts is in the design of complex computer programs. These flowcharts show the basic design of the program independent of the computer language in which they will later be written. In this way, other programmers can translate the design into the actual program using the flowcharts. FLOWCHARTER is designed to provide a programmer with the capability to easily produce flowcharts using simple commands which are then translated into the actual flowchart symbols and output to a dot matrix printer. This method allows flowcharts to be easily updated as the program design changes and eliminates the tedious job of drawing and re- drawing flowcharts while maintaining up to date drawings. Updates or corrections are made to the flowchart using any standard text editer such as Word Star, PC Write etc... and then re-printed with minimal effort. The FLOWCHARTER was developed for use on the IBM Personal Computer or any compatible such as the PC XT, PC AT, Sperry PC, etc.. and the Epson FX-80 or compatible dot matrix printer. This software is user-supported software and copies of this diskette (but not of the printed manual) can be freely copied and used by anyone who wishes to do so. Because of this, FLOWCHARTER is changing to respond to the requests of its users. If you feel this program has benefited you or or you wish to recieve the most current revision, we encourage you to register for your own copy. Registration costs $25 and provides you the following benefits: * Current FLOWCHARTER manual * FLOWCHARTER support for a year * Current FLOWCHARTER diskette * Telephone support for questions To register for your copy send $25 to: JJ Enterprises(tm) 13133 Thomas Circle, Burnsville, Mn. 55337 PO, COD, Minnesota residents add 6% sales tax. Quantity discounts available. If you have any comments concerning FLOWCHARTER they would be greatly appreciated and can be sent to the above address. Rights to commercially market this software remain with the programmer. 1-2 FLOWCHARTER FILES Included with the FLOWCHARTER program is a number of other files which enable it to be used with different printers or allow the user to tailor the program to their specific needs. The following list contains a brief description of each file supplied with the FLOWCHARTER program. FLOW.COM This file is the actual FLOWCHARTER executable program. PRINTDVR.000 This file contains the printer driver to be used by the FLOWCHARTER program (see page 2-1). EPSON.DVR This printer driver can be used with the Epson FX80/RX80 or compatible printers. OKIDATA.DVR This printer driver can be used with the Okidata Microline 192 and 193 or compatible printers. GEMINI.DVR This printer driver can be used with the Gemini 10X or compatible printers. PRINTER.DVR This printer driver is a general purpose printer driver that can be used with almost all printers. This is possible because this driver reads the text file PRINTER.DAT to find the printer command codes used to control the printer. The PRINTER.DAT file can be edited by any word processor (PC-WRITE, Wordstar, etc.) to change the printer commands to those used by your printer. Instructions on how to change this file are at the biggining of the PRINTER.DAT file. PRINTER1.DVR This printer driver operates the same as the PRINTER.DVR driver except that all characters are printed in graphics mode. This allows you to define your own character set but the quality of the printed characters are slightly less. When this driver is used it searches for the FLOWFONT.DAT file which defines the character set. The current directory is searched first, then the directory where PRINTDVR.000 file was located. If the file is not found, the default character set is used. The PRINTER.DAT file can be edited by any word processor (PC-WRITE, Wordstar, etc.) and the instructions on how to change this file are at the biggining of the PRINTER.DAT file. 1-2A FLOWFONT.DAT This file contains data which is used by some of the printer drivers to print all the characters. If desired this data can be modified with a text editor to provide a custom character set. The instructions on how to change this file are at the biggining of the PRINTER.DAT file. FLOWDEMO.FLO This file contains a sample flowchart, which can be printed by the FLOWCHARTER program, and demonstrates the various options possible. 2-1 FLOWCHARTER INSTALLATION INITIALIZATION Before using the FLOWCHARTER program you should, for your own protection, make a working copy of the distribution disk before proceeding. Before the FLOWCHARTER program can be run you must copy the printer driver for your printer into the file called PRINTDVR.000. Refer to page 1-2 for the descriptions of each printer driver. If your particular printer is not listed try each driver supplied to see if they work with your printer. If none of the drivers supplied function correctly and you have purchased or wish to purchase this program please contact us and we will correct the problem or supply a new driver for your printer if possible. Locate the driver for your printer (all drivers end with the extension .DVR) and enter the following command replacing the ???????? with the name of the driver for your printer. COPY ????????.DVR PRINTDVR.000 When the FLOWCHARTER program is started, it searches for the PRINTDVR.000 file in the current directory. 2-2 FLOWCHARTER EXECUTION The following section describes the operation of the FLOWCHARTER program and assumes that the FLOWCHARTER program (FLOW.COM), printer driver (PRINTDVR.000), and Hi Res graphics driver (GRAPHX.DVR) are located in the current directory. If the FLOWCHARTER program cannot locate the file PRINTDVR.000 the following message will be printed. PRINTDVR.000 File not found!! To run the FLOWCHARTER program enter the command: FLOW The FLOWCHARTER program should now be running and displaying the following menu at the bottom of the screen: ┌──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┐ │ F1 │ F2 │ F3 │ F4 │ F5 │ F6 │ F7 │ F8 │ F9 │ F10 │ │ Add │ Plot │ Scan │Delete│Queue │ Help │ Edit │ eXit │Graphx│prinT │ └──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘ Below the menu is a brief one line description of the currently highlighted command. Each menu option can be sequentially highlighted by pressing the space bar or the cursor keys. Each menu option can be executed by the following three methods: 1) Using the space bar or cursor keys to highlight the desired option then pressing the RETURN key. 2) Pressing the option letter capitalized in the command word. (Example: A for Add, T for prinT, etc.) 3) Pressing the indicated function key. (F1 = Add, F2 = Plot, etc.) If a menu option requires more information (such as a filename) another message requesting the needed information is displayed above the menu. Any other information or error messages are also scrolled onto the screen above the menu. The FLOWCHARTER program processes two types of files. The first type contains the flowchart commands which are used to plot the actual flowchart symbols. Example: START .$H EXAMPLE OF A FLOWCHART FILE .$P PROCESS BOX SYMBOL .$D DISPLAY SYMBOL .$E END 2-3 The second type is a batch file which contains FLOWCHARTER menu options. This file can be used to load the Plot Queue with the names of flowchart files which are to be plotted. This file type must have a filename extension of (.BAT). Example: A (Add DEFAULTS.FLO file to Plot Queue) DEFAULTS.FLO A (Add DEMO1.FLO file to Plot Queue) DEMO1.FLO Q (List Plot Queue) P (Plot files) When the FLOWCHARTER program is first started it searches the current directory for the batch file AUTOFLOW.BAT and starts executing it. This file can be used load a flowchart file which initializes the FLOWCHARTER defaults (such as margins, position of title, etc.). If the example above was named AUTOFLOW.BAT and the file DEFAULTS.FLO contained the following flowchart commands, the FLOWCHARTER program would automatically initialize the margins, set the title position, and enable the printing of the file date before plotting the DEMO1.FLO file. In this way, a common file can be set up which initializes the program defaults for all flowchart files before they are plotted. Example: .$XM 1.0,0,1.0,1.0 .$XH F1,2.0,9.0 .$XD F1,7.0,9.0 2-4 FLOWCHARTER MENU OPTIONS The following pages describe each of the options available in the menu. In the following paragraphs each option is activated by pressing the corresponding function key. MENU OPTION (F1),(A) (Add File To Plot Queue) The FLOWCHARTER program is capable of printing any number of flowchart files by adding the names of all files to be printed to the Plot Queue using this menu option. To add a filename to the Plot Queue press F1 and the following message will be displayed: Enter Filename > Now enter the name of the flowchart file to be printed. You can use a file name with a drive (like C:DEMO) or an extension (like DEMO.FLO). With DOS 2.00 you can also use a pathname ( \TEST\DEMO.FLO ). FLOWCHARTER uses standard DOS files and filenames. However, the entire file name must not be longer than 50 characters. An optional field follows the flowchart filename which is used to specify the first and last sheets of the flowchart to be printed. A (/) must separate the filename, first sheet number, and last sheet number. If this field is omitted all sheets are printed. In the following example, only sheets 2 through 3 of FLOWDEMO.FLO will be printed. Enter Filename >FLOWDEMO.FLO/2/3 The FLOWCHARTER program searches for the filename entered before it is entered into the Plot Queue and if the specified file cannot be found the following message will be displayed: FILE NOT FOUND... 2-5 MENU OPTION (F2),(P) (Process Plot Queue) Pressing F2 causes all flowchart/batch files entered in the Plot Queue to be plotted/executed. As the Plot Queue is processed, the menu is replaced with a running status showing the name of the file being processed, the sheet being printed, the total number of sheets to print, the total number of files in the Plot Queue left to process, and the total number of flowchart errors and warnings printed for all files processed so far. The format of the running status is as follows: ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │Currently printing sheet ... 1 of 3 Error Count ..... 0 │ │Files not yet Plotted ...... 0 Warning Count ... 0 │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Pressing any key while the Plot Queue is being processed causes the following message to be displayed and allows you to either terminate or continue processing the files in the Plot Queue. **Abort (Y/N)? If Y is pressed, the current file being processed is terminated and removed from the Plot Queue and the status is replaced with the menu. If N is pressed, processing continues where it left off. 2-6 MENU OPTION (F3),(S) (Scan Plot Queue) Pressing F3 causes all files entered in the Plot Queue to be be scanned for any errors. If the print option (F10) is enabled (highlighted) all error messages will be outputted to the printer and the screen as the flowcharts are scanned. If the print option in disabled all error messages will be output to the screen only. As the Plot Queue is processed, the menu is replaced with a running status showing the name of the file being processed, the sheet being printed, the total number of sheets to print, the total number of files in the Plot Queue left to process, and the total number of flowchart errors and warnings printed for all files processed so far. The format of the running status is as follows: ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │Currently printing sheet ... 1 of 3 Error Count ..... 0 │ │Files not yet Plotted ...... 0 Warning Count ... 0 │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Pressing any key while scanning causes the following message to be displayed and allows you to either terminate or continue scanning the Plot Queue. **Abort (Y/N)? If Y is pressed, scanning is terminated and status is replaced with the menu. If N is pressed, scanning continues where it left off. Unlike the Plot option (F1), files are not deleted from the Plot Queue as they are processed so when scanning is complete they can be plotted without re-entering the filenames. 2-7 MENU OPTION (F4),(D) (Delete filename from Plot Queue) This menu Option allows you delete a filename from the Plot Queue. To delete a filename from the queue you must know the number of the filename in the Plot Queue. To find this, list the Plot Queue by pressing F5 (See menu Option F5). **1 \TEST\DEMO.FLO PAGES 1 - 999 **2 DEMO1.FLO PAGES 1 - 6 **3 DEMO2. PAGES 1 - 1 Now press F4 and the following message will be displayed: ENTER NUMBER OF FILE TO DELETE > Now enter the number of the filename to delete from queue. For example: Enter 1 to delete \TEST\DEMO.FLO Enter 2 to delete DEMO1.FLO Etc... If you deleted filename number 2 and then listed the Plot Queue it would now be: **1 \TEST\DEMO.FLO ALL PAGES **2 DEMO2. PAGES 1 - 1 MENU OPTION (F5),(Q) (List Plot Queue) This menu option allows you to verify the filenames and sheet limits entered in the Plot Queue. Each filename listed is preceded by a number which represents the order in which the files will be processed. This number is also used if you want to delete a filename from the Plot Queue. (see menu option F4). To list the Plot Queue press F5 and FLOWCHARTER will print all files currently in the Plot Queue. EXAMPLE: **1 TEST.BAT BATCH FILE **2 \TEST\DEMO.FLO PAGES 1 - 999 **3 DEMO1.FLO PAGES 1 - 6 **4 DEMO2. PAGES 1 - 1 2-8 MENU OPTION (F6),(H) (Display Help screen) Pressing F6 causes the FLOWCHARTER program to display a help screen which gives a brief description of each menu option. If the RETURN key is pressed when the help screen is displayed it is replaced with a screen showing the copyright/order information. Pressing any other key will cause the menu to be re-displayed. MENU OPTION (F8),(X) (eXit FLOWCHARTER program) Pressing F8 causes the FLOWCHARTER program to be terminated and control returned to DOS. MENU OPTION (F9),(G) (Enable Hi Res Graphics mode) When this menu option is enabled (Graphx highlighted) each page of the flowchart will be displayed on the screen in high resolution graphics. This allows you to inspect each page without having to wait for it to be printed. Pressing F9 will toggle this option between enabled/disabled modes. Since it is impossible to display the entire page at once the cursor keys are used to slide the page across the display. In addition the Home, End, Pg Up, and Pg Dn are used to move the page immediately to the four corners. If an illegal key is pressed the last two lines of the display will be replaced with a help line showing all possible options. When you want to display the next page press ESC. If the print option (F10) is enabled during Plot mode (F2) then the current page will be printed before the next page is displayed. MENU OPTION (F10),(T) (Enable prinT mode) When this menu option is enabled (prinT highlighted) each flowchart will be printed during Plot mode (F2) and all error messages will be printed during Scan mode (F3). If this option is disabled nothing will be printed and all error message will be output to the display only. Pressing F9 will toggle this option between enabled/disabled modes. 3-1 FLOWCHART FILES FLOWCHART COMMAND STRUCTURE The FLOWCHARTER program automatically generates three columns of flowchart symbols which fit on a standard 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. When a chain of flowchart symbols takes more than 1 column, the first column ends in a numbered circle and the next column begins with the same numbered circle. Any connecting circles going to another sheet will be indicated by writing the word "SHEET" and the coresponding sheet number. Each printed sheet will automatically be numbered by placing "SHEET __ OF __" in the lower right corner. Flowcharts are generated by creating a text file which contains the flowchart commands which are used by the FLOWCHARTER program to draw the individual flowchart symbols. This file can be created/edited using any text editer such as Wordstar, PC Write etc... Each line in the flowchart file may contain only one flowchart command and consists of the following three fields: Label : This field is optional but must begin in column 1 if used. The label may contain any characters to a maximum of 10. If the label field is used, a space must separate the label and the command field. When the FLOWCHARTER finds a label, a numbered connector circle is generated with the label printed to left of the circle. Command: This field must begin in any column except 1. It can contain any legal flowchart command. Comment: This field must follow the command field and consists of any string of characters to be printed with the flowchart symbol specified in the command field. If all the comment does not fit on one command line, the continuation character (;) must appear at the end of that line and the next line must contain only a (.$) in the Command field and the remaining text in the comment field. The FLOWCHARTER program automatically divides the text string to fit in each flowchart symbol. In the case of the Test/Decision symbol the text is centered both horzizontally and vertically. 3-2 FLOWCHART COMMANDS The following section describes all of the flowchart commands available and examples of how they can be used. The examples used are contained in the file called FLOWDEMO.FLO supplied with this program. This file can be printed before this section is read in order to make the examples easier to understand. HEAD OF CODING (.$H) The .$H command is used to start (or Head) a new flowchart. It causes a terminal symbol to be drawn at the top of a new sheet to designate the entrance to the flowchart. If a label is present it will be printed inside the terminal symbol. If there is no label, "ENTER" will be printed instead. The text in the comment field is used as the title of the flowchart and is printed on the lower left corner of the sheet. The title may be up to 90 characters in length and will be printed on all sheets until the flowchart ends or another .$H command is encountered. PROCESS BOX (.$P) The .$P command is used to draw a process box symbol. The normal symbol size contains four lines of twelve characters from the comment field. If the comment field consists of more than four lines, the box is increased in hight to accommodate up to ten lines of text. Example: .$P COMMENT IN PROCESS BOX LISTING (.$L) The.$L command is used to draw a listing/documentation symbol. The normal symbol size contains four lines of twelve characters from the comment field. If the comment field consists of more than four lines, the symbol is increased in hight to accommodate up to ten lines of text. Example: .$L THIS IS A LISTING SYMBOL 3-3 SUBROUTINE BOX (.$S) The .$S command is used to draw a subroutine box symbol. The symbol can contain a maximum of four lines of twelve characters from the comment field. Since the subroutine may have more detailed coding elsewhere in the same set of flowcharts, the symbol can be labeld by placing the label of the subroutine followed by a (/) as the first word in the comment field. The label can be a maximum of ten characters and will be printed just above and to the left of the subroutine symbol. The word "SHEET" followed by a sheet number will be printed just above and to the right. The sheet number is the sheet where the label of the detailed coding is located. If the label is not located in the current flowchart file a question mark will be printed instead of the sheet number. Example: .$S SUBLABEL/ COMMENT IN SUBROUTINE BOX PREPARATION BOX (.$W) The .$W command is used to draw a preparation box symbol. The symbol can contain a maximum of four lines of twelve characters from the comment field. Since the preparation routine may have more detailed coding located elsewhere in the same set of flowcharts, the symbol can be labeled by placing the label of the preparation routine followed by a (/) as the first word in the comment field. The label can be a maximum of ten characters and will be printed just above and to the left of the preparation symbol. The word "SHEET" followed by a sheet number will be printed just above and to the right. The sheet number is the sheet where the label of the detailed coding is located. If the label is not located in this flowchart file a question mark will be printed instead of the sheet number. Example: .$W PREPLABEL/ COMMENT IN PREPARATION BOX 3-4 INPUT/OUTPUT BOX (.$I) The .$I command is used to draw a input/output box symbol. The symbol can contain a maximum of four lines of twelve characters from the comment field. Since the input/output routine may have more detailed coding located elsewhere in the same set of flowcharts, the symbol can be labeled by placing the label of the input/output routine followed by a (/) as the first word in the comment field. The label can be a maximum of ten characters and will be printed just above and to the left of the input/output symbol. The word "SHEET" followed by a sheet number will be printed just above and to the right. The sheet number is the sheet where the label of the detailed coding is located. If the label is not located in this flowchart file a question mark will be printed instead of the sheet number. Example: .$I INOUTLABEL/ COMMENT IN INPUT/OUTPUT BOX JUMP (.$J) The .$J command will cause a jump to the label specified in the comment field. The specified label must exist within the current flowchart file. The .$J command draws a connector circle containing a FLOWCHARTER generated number with the label and sheet number of where that label is located printed to the right of the circle. On the sheet where the label is located another connector circle is drawn with the same FLOWCHARTER generated number. If the label is located on the same sheet as the .$J command the word "SHEET" will not be printed. Example: .$J LABEL COMMENT (.$C) The .$C command draws a comment symbol which can contain up to ten lines of eighteen characters from the comment field. The size of the comment bracket expands to accomodate the amount of the text. Example: .$C THIS IS THE COMMENT 3-5 MESSAGE (.$M) The .$M command prints a message or note of up to ten characters above and to the left of the next flowchart symbol. Example: .$M MESSAGE TEST (.$T) The .$T command draws a test/decision symbol which can contain up to three lines of eight characters. If more than two branches are required, the number of branches required are specified immediately following the .$T as part of the command field. The branch alternatives/conditions are specified using the .$A command. Examples: .$T THIS IS A TEST SYMBOL .$T3 MULTIPLE BRANCH TEST Default conditions occur when using the .$T command without the .$A command. When not using the .$A command, tests are assumed to have two alternatives/conditions associated with the test symbol, "YES" (test passes) and "NO" (test fails). When a .$J command or .$E command follows the .$T command the word "NO" is printed to the right of the test symbol and the word "YES" is printed below the test symbol. If followed by a .$J command, a connector symbol and the label specified in the comment field of the .$J command is printed to the right of the test symbol. If followed by a .$E command, a end of coding symbol is drawn to the right of the test symbol with the text from the comment field of the .$E command printed inside the end of coding symbol. If the comment field of the .$E command is blank the word "EXIT" will be printed instead. Examples: .$T GOOD .$J GOODONE .$T BAD .$E ERROR GOODONE .$D DISPLAY DATA When the .$T command is not followed by a .$A, .$J or .$E the word "YES" is printed to the right of the test symbol and the word "NO" is printed below the test symbol. A connector symbol is drawn to the right which branches to the point following the next flowchart symbol. Example: .$T PRINTER OFF? .$P PRINT LINE .$P GET NEXT LINE 3-6 ALTERNATIVES (.$A) The .$A command is used to specify the branch alternatives for the test symbol. This command must directly follow the test (.$T) to which it applies. The format for the comment field of the .$A command is as follows: .$A Alternative,Label Alternative,Label etc... The alternative can be a maximum six characters and specifies the branch condition out of the test symbol (for example, YES, NO, PASS, FAIL, etc.). The label can be a maximum of ten characters and specifies the destination for the associated alternative. The label must exist elsewhere in the current flowchart file. When two labels are specified in the .$A comment field the first alternative with a label is printed to the right of the test symbol, and the second alternative and label are printed below. Each alternative produces a connector circle containing a FLOWCHARTER generated number and the label and sheet number where the label is located. If only one label is specified the alternative with the label is printed to the right of the test symbol. The alternative without the label is printed below the test symbol allowing a continous flow of symbols. Examples: .$T PASS 1 .$A YES,BRANCH1 NO .$P PROCESS ONE .$T PASS 2 .$A YES,BRANCH2 NO,BRANCH1 BRANCH1 .$P PROCESS TWO BRANCH2 .$P PROCESS THREE When multiple branches were selected by the previous .$T command (ie .$T4), the number of alternatives specified in the comment field of the .$A command must equal the number specified in the .$T command. Also, more than 2 alternatives cannot be specified without labels. Example: .$T4 BRANCH ON CODE .$A CODE=4,ROUTINE4 CODE=3,ROUTINE3 CODE=2,ROUTINE2 CODE=1 ROUTINE1 .$S FUNCTION 1 ROUTINE2 .$S FUNCTION 2 ROUTINE3 .$S FUNCTION 3 ROUTINE4 .$S FUNCTION 4 3-7 When the .$A command is used with two labels unspecified, the first alternative without a label is printed below the test symbol and the second alternative without a label is printed to the right and branches to a connector symbol after the next flowchart symbol. Example: .$T DATA READY? .$A YES NO .$P GET DATA .$P PROCESS ANY DATA ALTERNATE END OF CODING (.$AE) The .$AE command is used to generate an end of coding symbol to the right of the test symbol. This command must immediately follow the .$T command to which it applies. The format for the comment field is the same as the .$A command except the first alternative appears to the right of the test symbol and it's label is printed inside the end of coding symbol. If the label is omitted, the word "EXIT" will be printed instead. Example: .$T STOP .$AE YES,HALT NO DISPLAY (.$D) The .$D command draws a display symbol which can contain up to three lines of eight characters from the comment field. Example: .$D THIS IS A DISPLAY SYMBOL END OF CODING (.$E) The .$E command indicates the end of the current flowchart and draws the end of coding/terminal symbol which can contain a maximum of ten characters from the comment field. If the comment field is blank the word "EXIT" will be printed in the terminal symbol instead. 3-8 SPECIAL FORMAT COMMANDS Special format commands do not generate any symbols, but allow you to change the defaults for margins, positioning of text, and adding special text. Once changed, the new values remain in effect until reset by another command. Care must be taken when repositioning or adding text so as not to write over any existing text on the page. In addition, some of the commands allow you to change the font of the text being printed (Bold, Expanded, etc.). Depending upon the printer driver being used, only some of the 16 font types may work. It is suggested that the FLOWDEMO.FLO file be plotted which will print text in all font types. You can then examine the printout to see which font types are available for your printer. MARGIN COMMAND (.$XM) This command is used to change the margins on the sheet. This command must appear before the .$H (Head of Coding) at the beginning of the flowchart file or between a .$E and .$H command. Once changed, the new margins remain in effect until changed by another command. The FLOWCHARTER program automatically reduces the length and number of flowchart columns drawn on each sheet so all symbols are within the specified left, right, top, and bottom limits. The format for this command is as follows : .$XM L.LL,R.RR,T.TT,B.BB where: L.LL = This parameter specifies the left margin in decimal inches. The Default is 0.25 inches. R.RR = This parameter specifies the right margin in decimal inches. The Default is 0.0 inches. T.TT = This parameter specifies the top margin in decimal inches. The Default is 0.20 inches. L.LL = This parameter specifies the maximum length of the flowchart in decimal inches from the top of the sheet. The Default is 9.4 inches. All fields must contain a value and commas must seperate each field. 3-9 POSITION TITLE COMMAND (.$XH) This command is used to change the font and reposition the title generated by the .$H command. This command must appear before the .$H to which it applies. The titles on all sheets following this command will be printed at the specified position until another .$XH command is encountered. The format of this command is as follows: .$XH Fx,X.XX,Y.YY where: Fx = This parameter is optional and is used to change the font that the title will be printed in (boldface, condensed, etc.). The font type is specified by "x" and can be any value between 0 and 15. X.XX = This parameter specifies the horizontal position in decimal inches from the left edge of the sheet where the title should be printed. The Default is 1.0 inches. Y.YY = This parameter specifies the vertical position in decimal inches from the top edge of the sheet where the title should be printed. The Default is 9.75 inches. All fields except the Fx field must contain a value and commas must seperate each field. 3-10 POSITION SHEET COMMAND (.$XS) This command is used to change the font and reposition the (SHEET _ OF _) on each sheet. This command must appear before the .$H of the flowchart to which it applies. The (SHEET _ OF _) on all sheets following this command will be printed at the specified position until another .$XS command is encountered. The format of this command is as follows: .$XH X.XX,Y.YY where: Fx = This parameter is optional and is used to change the font that the (SHEET _ OF _) will be printed in (boldface, condensed, etc.). The font type is specified by "x" and can be any value between 0 and 15. X.XX = This parameter specifies the horizontal position in decimal inches from the left edge of the sheet where the (SHEET _ OF _) should be printed. The Default is 6.0 inches. Y.YY = This parameter specifies the vertical position in decimal inches from the top edge of the sheet where the (SHEET _ OF _) should be printed. The Default is 9.75 inches. All fields except the Fx field must contain a value and commas must seperate each field. 3-11 TEXT COMMAND (.$XT) This command is used to print additional text on each sheet. Unlike the other special format commands this command can appear after the .$H of the flowchart on which the text is to be printed. More than one .$XT can be used to generate the desired text. Once defined, the text will be printed on all sheets following the .$XT until the next .$XT command is encountered with no parameters specified. When more than one line of text is to be printed, each line must be terminated with a semicolon (;). The next line must contain a (.$) in the command field and any additional text. The example below would print four lines of text starting at positions specified. Example: .$XT X.XX,Y.YY,LINE 1 OF TEXT; .$ LINE 2 OF TEXT; .$ LINE 3 OF TEXT; .$ LAST LINE OF TEXT where: Fx = This parameter is optional and is used to change the font that the text will be printed in (boldface, condensed, etc.). The font type is specified by "x" and can be any value between 0 and 15. If not specified, the program default is used. See 4-1 on changing program defaults. X.XX = This parameter specifies the horizontal position in decimal inches from the left edge of the sheet where the text should be printed. Y.YY = This parameter specifies the vertical position in decimal inches from the top edge of the sheet where the text should be printed. All fields except the Fx field must contain a value and commas must seperate each field. If no parameters are specified, previously defined text is not printed on following sheets. 3-12 RESET DEFAULTS COMMAND (.$XR) This command is used to reset the parameters changed by the .$XH, .$XS, .$XT, .$XM, and $XP commands to the original program defaults. This command must appear before the .$H of the flowchart to which it applies. Each parameter can be selectively reset by entering its corresponding letter in the parameter field of the command. The format of this command is as follows: Example: .$XR HSTPM where: H = Set Title position and font to original program defaults. S = Set 'SHEET OF SHEET ' position and font to original program defaults. T = Disable printing of any special text. P = Sets all page numbering parameters to original program defaults. M = Set margins to original program defaults. 4-1 FLOWCHARTER MESSAGES ERROR MESSAGES When a flowchart file is plotted each command line is scanned for any errors. If any are found, the line number, the part(s) of the actual line in error, and a message describing the error are scrolled on the screen above the prompt line. The following section describes all the error messages that are generated and the format of each one. 1 >TOOLONGLABEL .$P PROCESS BOX LABEL EXCEEDED MAXIMUM LENGTH OF TEN CHARACTERS This message is displayed if the label starting in column one or the label in the comment field of the .$S, .$W, or .$I commands exceed the maximum length of 10 characters. The first line displays the line number where the error occurred and the label in error. 2 >COMMENT TOO LONG FOR TEST SYMBOL COMMENT TOO LONG FOR SPECIFIED FLOWCHART COMMAND This message is displayed if the comment will not fit within the specified symbol. In the above example the comment supplied will not fit inside the test symbol which can only hold a maximum of 3 lines of 8 characters. The first line displays the line number and the line where the error was detected. 3 >ENTER .$H TITLE TOO LONG..... TITLE EXCEEDED MAXIMUM LENGTH OF 90 CHARACTERS This message is displayed if the comment for the .$H command is longer than 90 characters. The first line displays the line number and the line where the error was detected. 4 > .$M MESSAGE TOO LONG MESSAGE EXCEEDED MAXIMUM LENGTH This message is displayed if the comment for the .$M command is longer than 10 characters. The first line displays the line number and the line where the error was detected. 4-2 5 > .$M MESSAGE TOO LONG EXCEEDED MAXIMUM MESSAGE COUNT This message is displayed if more than 10 sequential .$M commands are found are found in the flowchart file. The first line displays the line number and the line where the error was detected. 6 > .$F ILLEGAL FLOWCHART COMMAND ILLEGAL FLOWCHART COMMAND This message is displayed if an illegal flowchart command is found in the flowchart file. The first line displays the line number and the line where the error was detected. 7 > DUPLABEL DUPLICATE LABEL This message is displayed if a the label on the current line appeared elsewhere in the same flowchart. The first line displays the line number and the line where the error was detected. 8 >LABLE LABEL NOT FOUND IN THIS FLOWCHART FILE This message is displayed if a the destination label (END) on the current line cannot be found in this flowchart file. The first line displays the line number and the line where the error was detected. 9 > .$J END WARNING--LABEL NOT FOUND IN THIS FLOWCHART BUT DOES APPEAR IN ANOTHER This message is displayed if a the destination label (END) on the current line cannot be found in this flowchart but did appear elsewhere in this flowchart file. The first line displays the line number and the line where the error was detected. 4-3 10 > .$P PROCESS UNABLE TO REACH THIS FLOWCHART COMMAND This message is displayed if a the current line cannot be reached. Example: .$J NEXT .$P PROCESS NEXT .$S SUBROUTINE In the above example the .$P command cannot be reached because no label was specified and the previous command jumped around it. The first line displays the line number and the line where the error was detected. 11 > .$P PROCESS COMMENT EXPECTED TO BE CONTINUED ON THIS LINE This message is displayed if the previous lines comment field ended with a (;) indicating the comment continued on this line and this line did not contain a (.$) in the command field. The first line displays the line number and the line where the error was detected. 12 > .$T2, TEST SYMBOL BRANCH COUNT FOLLOWING .$T COMMAND IN ERROR This message is displayed if an error was detected in the branch count following the (.$T) command. The first line displays the line number and the line where the error was detected. 13 > .$A ALT1,BRANCH1 ALT2 ALT3 ALT4 MORE THAN 2 ALTERNATIVES SPECIFIED WITHOUT LABELS FOR PREVIOUS TEST SYMBOL This message is displayed if the previous test command (.$T) specified more than 2 branches and the following alternative command (.$A) specified more than 2 alternatives without labels. The first line displays the line number and the line where the error was detected. 4-4 14 > .$A ALT1,BRANCH1 ALT2 NO TEST COMMAND SPECIFIED FOR THIS ALTERNATE This message is displayed if the previous flowchart command was not a test (.$T). The first line displays the line number and the command line where the error was detected. 15 > .$A ALT1,BRANCH1 ALT2 ALTERNATE EXPECTED This message is displayed if the previous test command (.$T) specified more than 2 branches and the following alternative command (.$A) did not specify an equal number. The first line displays the line number and the command line where the error was detected. 16 >LONGALT ALTERNATE EXCEEDED MAXIMUM OF 6 CHARACTERS This message is displayed if the alternative specified contains more than six characters. The first line displays the line number and the command line where the error was detected. 17 > .$XM 0,0,0,0 SET MARGIN COMMAND ILLEGAL IF NOT AT BEGINNING OF FILE This message is displayed if the .$XM command was found after the first .$H command in the file. ----------------end-of-author's-documentation--------------- Software Library Information: This disk copy provided as a service of The Public (Software) Library Disks in the library are updated monthly. For a copy of the latest monthly software library newsletter and a list of the 800+ disks in the library, call or write The Public (Software) Library P.O.Box 35705, Rm. F Houston, TX 77235-5705 (713) 721-6104 We are not the authors of this program, nor are we associated with the author in any way other than as a distributor of the program in accordance with the author's terms of distribution. Please direct shareware payments and specific questions about this program to the author of the program, whose name appears elsewhere in this documentation. If you have trouble getting in touch with the author, we will do whatever we can to help you with your questions.