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VIEW ▌ ▌ Version 9.2a ▌ ▌ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌ File viewer for WordPerfect, Word, Write, Ami Pro; and Wordstar; converter from these to ASCII Copyright (c) 1994 Malcolm Drury Note: this package contains the following files: VIEW.EXE (file viewer version 9.2a) VW92ACFG.COM (customizer) VIEW92A.DOC NEWIN92A.DOC - new features TROUBLE.DOC - possible problems, and solutions (zipped with PKZIP 2.04g) VIEW is a file viewing utility, allowing you to read ASCII, WordPerfect (5.0, 5.1/5.2, and 6.0, including Windows), Microsoft Word (4 and 5 and WinWord 1, 2), Ami Pro, Wordstar ,and Windows WRITE files, and to print all or part of them to file or printer. VIEW also allows you to search for text strings (both case-sensitive and case-insensitive), and print all lines that include or exclude a particular text string. You can also print or convert files to ASCII directly from the file selection menu. VIEW has a direct interface to Tony Caine's compressed printing utilities 2COL and JETCOL, which allow you to save trees by printing output in two columns. VW92CFG allows you to customize display colors for VIEW and also allows you to customize its printing, display and memory features. IMPORTANT!! ▌ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌ The author makes no warranty that the software in this package will work with your particular hardware configuration. You use the programs entirely at your own risk, and the author will not be held liable for any damage caused to your hardware or software through their use, nor for any consequential damages, loss of earnings, or loss of life, limb or sanity. Legalities aside, you should not run into difficulties with this software. SHAREWARE ▌ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌ These programs are distributed as shareware, AND ARE NOT CRIPPLED!!. Nor do they contain "nag" screens. (Editorial note: I don't support "crippleware" - I want to know EXACTLY what I'm expected to pay for! Crippleware is, in my opinion, like test driving a Mercedes that's been fitted with a lawnmower engine! There, that's said - but each to his own.) You do not have to register as a user, nor are you under any obligation to buy the program(s). However, they are not free, and in the spirit of shareware, you are requested to make a small donation to the author if you find the software in this package useful, and if you continue to use it after an evaluation period of 30 days. This would both fulfill your moral obligation and help ensure the viability of the shareware concept, from which we all benefit. The suggested contribution is $20 (10 pounds sterling), but less (or more!) would be fine. Pay what you think the software is worth to you. If you pay the recommended amount or more, I will send you a diskette (5 1/4" unless you specify otherwise) with the latest version plus a selection of other shareware for you to evaluate, including Tony Caine's excellent 2COL and JETCOL utilities, which allow you to print files in double columns and save lots of trees! Should you decide to make a contribution, please remit to: Malcolm Drury 11 Adele Crescent Nepean ON K2J 2T7 Canada Internet drury@gsc.emr.ca Compuserve 70574,3457 Bank notes would be fine! Thank you. Please tell me where you got the software from and, most importantly, which version it is. Please contact me if you would like to negotiate a price for multiple copies. IF YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY PAID FOR AN EARLIER VERSION - THANKS, AND OF COURSE YOU ARE NOT EXPECTED TO PAY AGAIN. YOUR INPUT, COMMENTS ETC. ARE ALWAYS WELCOME. Please note that at the low contribution requested, I cannot provide direct technical support, nor automatically send upgrades, should they become available. If you have comments, questions, bug reports etc., please leave a message at my Compuserve or INTERNET address, or write to me via snail mail. I will endeavor to fix any problems you might encounter. The software is supplied on an "as is" basis. You are free to distribute this software package provided that you distribute the ENTIRE package, including this documentation file. (This is necessary for others to be able to use it properly. I've downloaded too many shareware packages that had been posted without accompanying documentation!). I hope you find this package useful. Now to the fun stuff! OVERVIEW ▌ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌ Usage: view [d:][path][filename] [/mem] [text string to find] If you just type VIEW you will get a list of files on the current drive and directory, from which you can select the one to view. Similarly, if you type VIEW plus drive and directory parameters, you'll get a list of files on that drive and directory. From the file selection menu, you can change to any directory on the drive. If you include the switch /mem you will be able to allocate more memory for use by JETCOL or 2COL (see below). The more memory you allocate for these programs the less is available to VIEW for loading files. If you only use JETCOL or 2COL occasionally you should leave the memory allocation at the default level and use the /mem switch when you do want to use them. If you use them frequently, you should probably permanently allocate sufficient memory using the configuration program VW92CFG.COM. See later in this information file for more information on running JETCOL and 2COL. IMPORTANT: if you use the /mem switch, you MUST include at least a drive letter first on the command line. NOTE: if you have configured VIEW to run by default with enough memory allocated for JETCOL/2COL, you can temporarily reduce this using the /mem switch. The text string to find MUST come after the filename, and after the /mem switch if it is used. It allows you to search for the string in all files viewer until the "text search" function is switched off (see later). Text entered from the command line is assumed to be case-insensitive. You can use the * wild-card character in a file name. Then you will get a list of files in the default or specified directory that match the * criteria. Any string identified on the command line for the text search function will be active for all files specified by the wild card option (unless it is changed or switched off when viewing one of the files). e.g. view *.doc - list of files with extension doc in the current directory view d:\docs - list of all files on drive d, directory docs view d:\docs\*.txt - as above, but only files with extension txt view myfile.doc this is a string - open myfile doc and search for "this is my string" view myfile.doc /mem - open file myfile.doc after allocating extra memory for use by JETCOL or 2COL view d: /mem - list all files on root directory of drive d: after allocating extra memory for JETCOL/2COL view d:\docs\*.doc another string - open the first matching file and look for "another string". This search is in effect for all subsequent files until it is switched off. view d:\docs\*.doc /mem yet another string - open the first matching file after allocating more memory for JETCOL or 2COL, then look for the string "yet another string" Note: you can enter up to five words for the text search. VIEW will only find matches in complete lines, i.e. it will not find text that has wrapped. For example, if the text to find is "cat sat on the mat" it would find the following: One fine day the cat sat on the mat and ate a rat. but not: One fine day, the cat sat on the mat and ate a rat. Note that VIEW reads as much of a file as possible into memory, but if not all of a file can be read in it won't display the full file. This allows you to skip instantly to any part of the file in memory without disk reads. If you are not using DOS 5.0 or later, or a memory manager such as QEMM386 or 386MAX, I strongly recommend you do so. If a file is too big, an overflow file is created; you can switch quickly between the two. The overflow should, in most circumstances, allow you to see all of the original file, unless it is really big. If the file IS really big, you can convert it to ASCII (from the file selection menu) and then split it into smaller components using a text editor. When you convert to ASCII from the file selection menu the entire file is converted even if it is too big to view via VIEW. VIEW will automatically detect WordPerfect 5.0 and later, Microsoft Word, Ami Pro and Windows WRITE formats. It attempts to detect other files that may not be ASCII and gives you the opportunity to display them as straight ASCII, as Wordstar - i.e. with the high-order characters stripped out, or in preview mode, or in preview mode. It will automatically force to ASCII certain standard types of non-ASCII file (e.g. EXE, COM, DLL etc.). Using VIEW is pretty straightforward. Pressing F1 brings up a help menu, and the key features of the menu are permanently displayed on the bottom line. The help menu looks like this: ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ VIEW version 9.2a Copyright (c) Malcolm Drury 1994 │ │ Up and down arrow keys - scroll up or down 1 line │ │ PgUp, PgDn - scroll up or down 1 screen │ │ Home, End - go to beginning or end of document │ │ Esc - exit to file menu │ │ │ │ FUNCTION KEYS │ │ F2 - text search (case insensitive) │ │ F3 - text search (case sensitive) │ │ F4 - switch string search off │ │ F5 - go to particular line │ │ F6 - write copy of file to printer or disk │ │ F7 - print lines including/excluding string │ │ F8 - print file directly via 2COL or JETCOL │ │ F9 - toggle for selecting block to print │ │ (First time, top line is start of block to print) │ │ (Second time, top line is end of block to print) │ │ F10 - leave menu │ │ │ │ │ │ *** Press appropriate function key *** │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Every feature is accessible directly from the view screen, or from the menu screen. THE VIEW SCREEN ▌ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌ The keys: Navigate through the file using the cursor keys. F1 - help menu; all menu items are available directly from this menu (i.e., while the menu is displayed, pressing F2 will activate the appropriate function for that key). F2 - case-INSENSITIVE text search - matching text is shown in the highlight color. Unless the string to find has been defined from the command line, the first time you press F2 the string is defined. Subsequent presses of F2 find the next occurrence. F3 - as for F2, but for case-SENSITIVE text. F4 - toggle off text search NOTE: when the text search function is enabled an asterisk (*) appears at the bottom right corner of the screen. F5 - go to a particular line number F6 - print all of file to printer or disk F7 - print all lines that specifically include or exclude a particular text string F8 - print file directly via 2COL or JETCOL F9 - this is a toggle for printing (to printer or disk) a block of text. The first time you press F9, the current top line is set as the beginning of the block. The second time, the current top line is set as the end of the block, and the block is printed to the location you specify. While block select is on, you will see a message at the bottom-left of the screen telling you the starting line of the block. If you have read in a large file that has resulted in a temporary overflow file being created, the following keys are also activated: n - move to overflow file ("n" means "next") p - move to original file ("p" means "previous") If you hear a "beep" the function is not currently activated (e.g. already in that file, or you have blocked off text but not yet printed it). When in "overflow" mode an identifying letter appears at the bottom-left of the display. "p" means you are in the second level, i.e. overflow file, and "n" means you are in the top level, i.e. original file. Note that in the second level, you will be told that the file is ASCII, and called overflow.viw. Not to worry: it still contains the overflow from the file you called to read. Pressing the letter takes you to the <p>revious or <n>ext part of the file. PRINT FUNCTIONS ▌ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌ F6 - F9 allow you to print to file, to printer, or via 2COL/JETCOL. The latter function produces a file called cainelnk.fil, which is deleted when processing has finished. If you have not set aside memory for 2COL/JETCOL (see configuration, VW92CFG) you can simply write a file (converted to ASCII) to disk and process it separately with 2COL or JETCOL. Alternatively, you can load VIEW with the /mem command to allow to to allocate (temporarily) enough memory to run 2COL or JETCOL. F6 print entire file. You can include line numbers if you wish. F7 print only those lines containing or omitting a text string you define. F8 Allows you to access JETCOL or 2COL directly (assuming you have them of course!) to print the entire file. Pressing F8 allows you to enter a command line for JETCOL or 2COL, thereby allowing you to set switches individually. You should NOT enter a file name - VIEW does this for you, as it uses a special ASCII file. The true file name will be added to the end of the printout. If JETCOL or 2COL do not exist in a directory that your PATH statement specifies, you must include the full path in your command line. Example: c:\jetcol\jetcol -W70 - prints the file using JETCOL, which is in directory c:\jetcol; the single W switch is activated. If when you try to print via JETCOL or 2COL nothing happens except that the display returns immediately to VIEW, one of two things is the probable culprit. Either JETCOL/2COL has not been found, or you have not set aside enough memory for VIEW to link to JETCOL/2COL. For the former, check that you entered the path properly. For the latter, reconfigure VIEW using VW92CFG.COM and set aside 50 or so "memory blocks" (the configuration program will tell you when to do this), or load VIEW with the /mem command. F9 This key is a toggle to allow you to select a block of text for printing. The first time you press it the block starts at the line currently at the top of the display; the second time the line at the top is the end of the block. Once selected, the block can be printed as for the F6 key. IMPORTANT NOTE ▌ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌ If you are viewing anything other than a straight ASCII file, it will not look the same as the version that you print from the word processing software. If the document uses a proportional font, or contains columns or tables, the appearance under VIEW will in all probability be different. This is because of the way VIEW simplifies the formatting built into such documents. If VIEW were to be designed to show all formatting faithfully, it would be at least as big as the executable files used by the word processors themselves and would therefore lose its point as a quick viewer. I have attempted to cover all formatting and embedded code possibilities, but with the power of WordPerfect, Word and Ami Pro, the possibilities are mind-boggling! If you come across a file that does not seem to display properly - e.g. hangs mid-way through or displays garbage - please send it to me and I will attempt to fix the problem. Note that Wordstar files may contain some extraneous characters, including "dot commands" such as .PA - however, they should certainly be readable. AUTOMATIC DETECTION OF FILE FORMATS ▌ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌ VIEW will automatically detect Word, Ami Pro, WinWrite and WordPerfect text files. For others, it may tell you that the format is unknown, and give you some options: ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Undetermined file format - please select display option: │ │F1 show as ASCII F2 - assume Wordstar F3 preview F4 don't view │ │ Suggest F3 if you have not previously viewed this file │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ F1 - means show the file as if it were a true ASCII file. VIEW will automatically assign certain types of file (e.g. EXE, COM, BIN, DLL) to this display mode. F2 - means assume the file is Wordstar, and show it as a 7-bit ASCII file (i.e. with high-order characters converted to the appropriate low-order). VIEW alerts you to the fact that the file MAY be Wordstar. F3 - means show the file with high-order characters omitted. Useful for scanning for text strings and previewing files of unknown format. F4 - means don't try to show the file. If you choose F1 or F2, you will be asked which line wrap you want - that coded directly into the file, or the VIEW default. You should choose the former first, as it will be appropriate for files with fewer than 80 characters per line. If the file has more than 80 characters per line, however, this display will cause lines to break within words. In that case, try choosing VIEW's defaults. Just go with whichever suits you! THE FILE SELECTION MENU ▌ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌ If you have called VIEW without specifying a particular file, you have access to the file selection menu, which looks like this:- D:\VIEW92A\*.* - 7 item(s) (0 read) Keys: PgDn PgUp Home to highlight; Enter - select; Esc - exit ASCII line wrap OFF ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ .. │ │ file_id.diz │ │ newin92a.doc │ │ trouble.doc │ │ view.exe │ │ view92a.doc │ │ vw92acfg.com │ . . . . │ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ UPPER CASE - directories lower case - files ? - show memory parameters │ │ F1 - Help! F2 - set line wrap F3 - toggle ASCII line wrap on/off │ │ F4 - Wordstar F5 - preview mode F6 - convert/print F7 - new drive │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ THE KEYS: Use the arrow and cursor keys to scroll through the list of files, and press Enter to view the highlighted file or to change to the highlighted directory. F1 - brings up a help menu F2 - allows you to change the column at which lines wrap. F3 - toggles line wrap on and off. When toggled OFF, line wrap occurs according to the file's setting and ignores VIEW's setting. In this mode, lines in ASCII and Wordstar files may wrap within words, if the file format calls for more that 80 characters per line. However, in most cases it will prevent VIEW from wrapping lines too early. NOTE: line wrap toggle is only used for ASCII or pseudo-ASCII (e.g. Wordstar) files. It has no effect on WordPerfect, Word etc. files. F4 - tells VIEW to treat the file as Wordstar. F5 - tells VIEW to treat the file as "unknown format". High-order characters are stripped out and error trapping routines are initiated during the file read (e.g. missing end-of-file) F6 - allows you to convert a file to ASCII or print it directly without viewing it, including via 2COL/JETCOL. F7 - allows you to change to another drive. A list of available drives is displayed. Just type in the drive letter you want and press "Return". Note: this function default the file listing parameter to *.*, i.e. it results in all files on the drive and directory shown being listed. ? - tells you how many display lines are available and how many 2000 byte memory blocks you have set aside. Esc- exit to DOS CUSTOMIZING VIEW ▌ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌ VW92ACFG usage: vw92acfg [filename] where filename is view.exe or an exact copy with some other file name. If the wrong version of VIEW is found, VW92ACFG will tell you so. NOTE: you may wish to rename this file to something like vwcfg.com This program allows you to customize VIEW.EXE. Setting colors is self-explanatory. However, VW92ACFG also allows you to set some print parameters, such as number of lines per printed page, number of spaces to expand tabs, and number of spaces to leave for the left margin. After setting colors, VW92ACFG allows you to override the default number of lines of display and display speeds. VIEW as shipped is configured for normal display speed and hard coded to display 25 lines by 80 columns. Try experimenting with the display parameters to get maximum benefit; if your system crashes - and there's a lot of non-standard hardware and BIOS software out there - just reconfigure VIEW to a lower display standard. Next, you to choose whether the "delete file?" feature of VIEW is activated. As a safety measure, you may wish to set this to "off". Even with the feature on, a file will not be deleted until you have answered an "are you sure?" question. Protected (read-only) files cannot be deleted directly from VIEW. You can also configure some display and print parameters - the number of lines per printed page, the default printer port, and the offset from the left margin or printed output. VW92ACFG allows you to set the column at which lines wrap. The default is 67 - that is, VIEW counts characters per line and if it is within 13 of the rightmost screen column puts in a line feed if it finds a space. This is not absolutely foolproof; you may find that setting the line wrap column to less than 66 gives better performance. (NOTE: you can temporarily over-ride the default setting from the file selection menu). Next, VW92ACFG allows you to change the default number of files that can be read in sequence from the file selection menu. Each time you read a file a small amount of memory is lost to the system (until you exit to DOS, when it is fully restored). To prevent memory allocation errors VIEW exits to DOS after a certain number of files have been read. The default is 50. If you wish to experiment with a higher number, you can do so via VW92ACFG. Don't go above 100. If you find that your setting does cause a system freeze, just reduce the number. There is no "best" value - it depends on the amount of free RAM on your system, the nature and operations of any TSRs or memory managers you have running, etc. You should have no problems going with the default of 50. Finally, VW92ACFG allows you to reserve some memory for use by 2COL or JETCOL. When it loads, VIEW uses all available conventional memory for displaying files, in 80 column lines. You must set aside memory for 2COL or JETCOL, in 2000 byte blocks, equivalent to 25 lines of file. There is a trade-off - the more memory you set aside for 2COL/JETCOL, the fewer the lines before getting a "file too big" message. Currently, 2COL and JETCOL require you to reserve about 50 blocks; if you don't want direct access to them you can reduce this. However, VIEW itself needs some memory in reserve. When asked to enter a number of 2000 byte blocks, you should enter at least 10, and probably 13 or 14, and at least 48 for access to 2COL and JETCOL. You may need to experiment a little to find the minimum number of memory blocks you need to allocate, as this will depend to some extent on how much conventional memory your computer has available. PLEASE READ THE ACCOMPANYING FILE "TROUBLE.DOC" FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC. SUGGESTION: Configure two versions of VIEW, one with and one without 2COL/JETCOL access. Malcolm Drury March 4th, 1994 ************************************************************************** Look for the following shareware on Compuserve/Ziffnet or your favorite BBS. I post it as ZIP files, but it may also appear as ARJ (or other format) files if re-posted by others. VGAPAL40.ZIP - customize up to 4 VGA text color palettes, choosing from more than 250,000 colors! (And see how many you can actually discern!). One palette can be used to create a small (2k) TSR program that maintains your chosen scheme. Alternatively, you can set any of the palettes, or a grey-scale scheme, from a non-TSR if memory is a problem. (On CIS Ziffnet as vgacus.zip in ZNT:TIPS). BBS SEARCH: VGAPAL??.* DDIR96.ZIP - double-column directory display that highlights new files, flags system, hidden and read-only files, and optionally shows the "dead" space on disk associated with each file or the total space each file actually uses. Full file list sorting, and can scroll back and forth within the file list. Has file delete and protect/unprotect functions. (On Compuserve Ziffnet as dirdpy.zip in forum ZNT:TIPS) BBS search: DDIR??.* DSPACE63.ZIP - shows graphically hard disk space installed, used and free, for all drives; second program shows graphically space on designated drive (including floppy), and reports on installed and available RAM, including XMS and EMS memory. (On CIS Ziffnet as dskspc.zip, in ZNT:TIPS). BBS SEARCH: DSPACE??.* IF YOU DO NOT FIND ANY OF THESE, SEND ME A MESSAGE! USERS WHO REGISTER VIEW WILL RECEIVE THESE (OR THE LATEST VERSIONS). CIS 70574,3457 INTERNET drury@gsc.emr.ca Malcolm Drury 11 Adele Crescent Nepean Ont. K2J 2T7 CANADA ============================================================================== This document was prepared using the BOXER (TM) text editor version 6.0a