Business Heaven/Business Heaven.iso/wordpro/psedit/psedit.hst

Text File | 1993-08-23 | 11KB | 241 lines

BEDIT version 2.3 modifications:


1.  Allow up to 32-byte character search strings (16-byte hex).

2.  Get the number of screen rows from the BIOS instead of fixing at 25.
    This allows users of larger screen sizes to take advantage of all of the
    lines being displayed.  The nature of the application demands that the
    row width remain at 80 characters.

3.  Make the TAB key swap between hex and ASCII edit mode.  This is more
    consistant with general usage conventions of other software.  For those
    who are used to the F10 key, or just like it better, it retains its
    original swap functionality as well.  I don't guarantee that it will
    retain this function, so get used to using TAB.

4.  Set the F7 key to toggle case-sensitivity for character searches.
    Display current state on top screen line.


BEDIT version 2.4 modifications:


1. Version 2.3 displayed the cursor in red (and cyan on the opposite screen
   side).  Although it had a flashing underscore cursor, this evidently didn't
   appear on some plasma screens.  Some screens (also plasma) do not even show
   highlighted text as do most b/w monitors.

   I added a /B switch to the command line that invokes balck and white
   (monochrome) mode. In this mode, I changed the main display to light-gray-
   on-black with balck-on-light-gray (reverse video) cursors.  I also added an
   indicator on the top line that tells whether you are editing in hex or
   ASCII mode.  This is to assist those who cannot see the flashing underbar
   on the active cursor.  The active cursor flashes if the video system
   supports the blink attribute.

2. It is too easy to save a file by pressing F2.  You can write over a file
   when you are not ready if you hit F2 by mistake.

   I added a prompt when F2 is pressed that makes you confirm the save and
   allows you to back out.

3. More than one user has said that I am not asking enough for BEDIT.  Since
   I feel that I have made the modifications and met the demands of most
   who have contacted me, I am going to raise the price to $15.  I think
   this is still very affordable.  At Parity Solutions, we want to offer the
   best products at affordable prices so that you don't have to be a Fortune
   500 comapny to use good software.


BEDIT version 2.5 modifications:

1.  Although the delay after the registration screen seemed to be very
    effective at bringing in registrations.  It was also very effective
    at bringing in complaints.  As a computer person, I am aware that
    nothing bothers you more than sitting and doing nothing, even if it
    is only for a few seconds.  I replaced the wait with a keyboard input
    command that requires you to press a key, then continues with no wait.
    I refuse to make it any easier to use BEDIT than this until it is
    registered.  The notice goes away when you register.

2.  Despite a heavy dose of warnings in the documentation, some people
    seem to blame me if they use BEDIT to corrupt their data.  They claim
    I make it too easy.  I have also had several users tell me not to
    clutter up their directories with .BAK files.

    Now when you select Save (F2), you will see a dialogue box appear
    with the file name in an input area.  This gives you a chance to
    modify the name and not save over the original file if so desired.
    If the file already exists, you will be prompted for overwrite.

3.  I have also had several requests for me to change the way you exit
    BEDIT.  Everyone seems to want to get out fast, but not by accident.
    Everyone seems to have a different preferred solution, so I a
    basically leaving it the way it is except for one small change.

    Currently you are prompted to "Exit to DOS?".  If you reply with
    anything other than "Y", BEDIT returns to edit mode with the cursor
    at the start of the file.  In 2.5 you will be returned to the location
    where the cursor was at the time you pressed ESCAPE.

4.  An international client requested access to the international character
    set.

    Specifying the /I switch allows displaying, entering, searching and
    printing of ASCII codes 128 through 168.

    Although this clutters the screen considerably for English-language
    users, it is absolutely necessary for many international users.


BEDIT version 2.6 modifications:

1. A user reported a problem when inserting data.  The remainder of the file
   beyond the insertion point was shifting too many bytes.

   The problem was in the shift calculations when the block of data shifted
   exceeded 32k.  Since EMS works within 16k page frames, no blocks over
   32k were shifted, and the problem did not occur when EMS was in use.  If
   data was inserted outside the last 32k of the file and EMS was not in use,
   the error always occurred.

   This problem has been corrected.

2. Changed screen writes to directly access the video memory unless BIOS is
   specified in the SET BEDIT= environment variable.  The makes screen writes
   four times faster.  The only area effected is the hex and ASCII edit area.

3. Rather than use the old process of specifying command line switches to
   configure EMS usage, international character set, and monochrome mode,
   the SET BEDIT= environment variable will now be used.  The switches
   will be used to reverse the effect of either the default or whatever is
   specified in the SET statement.  See the documentation file for details on
   the SET BEDIT= statement.

4. Use conventional memory when possible.  If the file fits in conventional
   memory, it will be loaded in conventional memory. This greatly improves
   performance.

5. Many calculations have been streamlined to improve performance, especially
   when EMS is in use.

6. A spelling error on the help screen has been corrected.

7. Added file size, date and time to top line of display.

8. Added ALT-X quick program exit.

9. Changed the registration nag menu to pop-up in a window after a file is
   successfully loaded.  This way you can see errors such as "file not found"
   with being nagged.  I'm such a softie!

10. Changed the "Unable to open for input" message to display the file name
    on a single line.  This prevents screen wrap on long paths.

11. When you sel F5 to print, the number of required pages will be displayed
    and you will be given a chance to abort at this time.

12. During print, you may press ESC to terminate the print job, excluding
    pages already sent to the printer or spooler.  The printing will stop
    at the end of the current page..

13. ALT-F6 now allows you to supply a starting and ending address range to
    print.  The actual pages printed will probably not start and end with
    the adresses you provided.  Rather the pages (as if you had printed
    the entire file) that contain your starting address through your ending
    address will be the only pages printed.

14. The page heading on printed output now contains the file size, date and
    time.

15. When you hit F9 (Search Next) when the cursor was at the end of the file,
    the page configuration shifted to just display the last 4 or 5 lines
    of the file.  Now it does nothing at all.

16. Overwrite verification was not functioning.  Fixed it.

17. For the sake of a modicum of consistency, I changed all pop-up windows
    to have no border and all but the exit window and help windows to be the
    same color.


BEDIT version 3.0 modifications:

Version 3.0 adds a major enhacement to BEDIT, the clipboard.  You can now
mark data to be cut or copied to the clipboard.  The clipboard contents may
then be pasted anywhere in the file as many times as you like.

You can also block data to be deleted or filled with a character of your
choice.

This brings new ease, power and capabilities to BEDIT not available in
versions 1.x and 2.x.

The F10 key can no longer be used to swap between the HEX and ASCII cursors.
Use the TAB key for this function.  F10 displays the status of the clipboard
and marked data.


PSEDIT version 3.1 modifications:

1. If you type PSEDIT without specifying a file name (you can include
   switches), you will get a pick list of all files in the current directory
   from which you can select the file you wish to edit.

2. The /G switch, GRPH SET command option and ALT-G key were added to
   allow you to display graphics characters as well as U.S. English and
   international characters.

3. The ALT-I and ALT-G keys now let you change the active display from
   U.S. English only to include international (ALT-I) and graphics (ALT-G)
   characters.

4. PSEDIT had trouble when a zero-length file was loaded or all bytes were
   deleted.  Now a single x00 byte will always remain in the buffer.

5. The name of the program was changed from BEDIT to PSEDIT to avoid
   confusion and confilict with another shareware program that was already
   using the name BEDIT.  PSEDIT still recognizes the BEDIT= SET statement
   and the BEDIT.SER file for the sake of compatibility.


PSEDIT version 3.2 modifications:

1. When you enter PSEDIT /? for the command line help display, it flashes
   briefly, then the screen is cleared.  Fixed.

2. Changed keyboard management routines which could have been causing some
   problems for those without 101-key keyboards.

Version 3.2a:

   We are moving.  Updated registration screen and documentation to show new
   address.  No functional changes.


PSEDIT version 3.3 modifications:

1. the Print feature caused a blank page between pages on a 60 line-per-page
   printer.  Fixed.

2. The wrong page number was displayed for the page being printed. Fixed.

3. If you invoke PSEDIT without a file name you are presented with a
   pick list of file names.  When you exited PSEDIT you went straight to DOS.
   Now you will first return to the pick list.  ESC will then take you to
   DOS if you don't want to edit another file.

4. The number of bytes deleted or inserted was limited to 9999 when the
   insert and delete function keys were used.  You may now enter up to
   32,767, the limits of the program.

5. Hex-to-decimal and deimal-to-hex conversion dialogue boxes are now
   available.  Use ALT-H and ALT-D respectively.

6. A hex/decimal calculator pops up when ALT-C is pressed.

7. The help display now allows paging back and forth with PgUp/PgDn.