Fritz: All Fritz/All Fritz.zip/All Fritz/FILES/DESKHING/RUBICON1.LZH/RUP22C.EXE/MANUAL.2

Text File | 1991-06-07 | 29KB | 627 lines

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               |  Section 2: OPERATION AND STRUCTURE  |
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CONTENTS

2.1 General Description
2.2 Operating Environment
2.3 Outline of Operating Procedure
2.4 Run-Time Options
2.5 Tag Command Syntax
2.6 Units of Measurement
2.7 "Include" Files
2.8 Default Style Sheet: SETUP.TAG
2.9 Order of Processing Text and Instructions
2.10 "Push" and "Pop"

2.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Publisher is a computer software product which performs
functions equivalent to the traditional task of typesetting: that
is, the formatting and arrangement in type, page by page, of written
text, in the page layouts, type fonts, etc., chosen by the user.

The Publisher consists of two main parts: (1) a typesetting language
consisting of "tags" (instructions) concerning page layout, font
selection, etc., which can be inserted by the user at appropriate
locations in a computer text file; and (2) an executable "batch
processor" program which, upon command, accepts a computer text file
including such tag instructions, interprets and acts on the tags, and
transmits the results directly to a printer (or, optionally, to ther
screen for preview, or to a disk file for later transmission to a
printer).

The Publisher is both user-friendly and sophisticated. The novice,
or casual user, who has no detailed technical knowledge of typesetting
techniques, and is familiar with only the most basic of the Publisher's
instruction tags, can copy or adapt the examples given later in this
Manual to generate documents of professional appearance in a variety
of single- and multi-column layouts and formats. In the hands of a
more knowledgeable user, the Publisher is capable of producing work
equivalent to the finest conventional typesetting, as found in books
and magazines of high quality.

2.2 OPERATING ENVIRONMENT

HARDWARE

The hardware environment required by the Publisher is described in
detail in Section 1.2 of this manual.

OPERATING SYSTEM

The Publisher supports the MS-DOS operating system, version 2.1 or
newer.

FONTS SUPPORTED

The Publisher supports a variety of fonts: the available selection
depends on the type of printer (or other output device) being used.

For Postscript devices, the 35 standard Postscript fonts are supported,
using Adobe font names.

For LaserJet III printers (installed using the LaserJet-3 installation
option) the Publisher supports the Hewlett-Packard Type Director
scalable fonts.

For all other printers, the Shareware Edition of the Publisher supports
the Rubicon Trajan (serif) and Renner (sans serif) fonts supplied with
the Publisher. These fonts are supplied in point sizes 6, 8, 10, 12, and
14, in Regular, Bold and Italic, and in sizes 18, 24 and 30, in Bold
only. For laser printers installed using the LaserJet-2 installation
option, the Publisher also supports the Courier and Line Printer ROM
fonts which are built in to some models.

The Commercial/Registered Edition also includes Rubicon's Times, Helv,
Courier, Classic and Nova font families, in point sizes 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 30, 36 and 48: all sizes are provided in
Regular, Bold, Italic and Bold Italic. Utilities to install third-party
soft fonts are also included in the Commercial/Registered Edition.


TEXT INPUT

For efficient use of the Publisher, the available software should
include a good text editor or word processor capable of producing and
editing standard ASCII text files. Most well-known MS-DOS based word
processors will produce standard ASCII files, either in normal operation
or in an available optional mode of operation.

2.3 OUTLINE OF OPERATING PROCEDURE

     2.3.1 PREPARING THE TEXT FILE

The Publisher is designed for the batch processing of ASCII-format text
files. Accordingly, the first step in publishing a piece of text (or
"document"), is to produce or obtain the desired text in the form of a
plain ASCII text file.

Text files are, of course, created on computers, using text editing,
word processing, or other software. If a text file is being created for
the purpose of eventual publication using the Publisher, it should be
created in plain ASCII format. If a document to be published is
contained in a text file originally created for some other purpose, it
may or may not be a plain ASCII file, depending on the software
originally used to create it, and on whether it includes any
enhancements, such as bolding, underlining or italics, supported by the
original software. Fortunately, simple procedures are usually
available to convert non-ASCII word processor text files to ASCII
format, and to locate and delete embedded commands, etc., used by the
original software.

Once this has been done, the plain ASCII text file containing the
document is further edited, using a suitable word processor or text
editor, to insert the embedded instructions (known as tags) required to
set up the desired page layout and format, and to implement all desired
font changes and enhancements.

A file ready for publication will typically begin with one or both
of: (1) A set of tags setting up page layout and format, running headers
and footers, the page numbering scheme, etc.; or (2) An <include> tag
implementing a "style sheet", i.e. a collection of tags setting up page
layout and format, running headers and footers, the page numbering
scheme, etc., which has been previously prepared and stored in a
separate file, so that it can be utilized in any desired document file
without being repeated each time.

After this, the text will appear, with tags inserted at appropriate
locations to implement font changes, enhancements, changes of paragraph
style, special effects, and other such features.

When the document file is believed to be ready for publication, it
is saved to disk in its final form.  The user then exits from the
word-processing software to the operating system, and logs on to the
directory on which the publisher has been installed (if not already
there).

If the Publisher's VGA Preview is available, the usual next step is to
use the Preview to examine the document in published form, on the
screen, before actually printing it, as described in Section 2.3.2.

If the Publisher's VGA Preview is not available, you proceed directly to
printing the document, as described in Section 2.3.3.

     2.3.2 PREVIEWING THE DOCUMENT

The Preview feature provided by the Shareware Edition of version 2.2C of
the Publisher is limited to previewing documents being published using
Rubicon's Trajan and Renner soft fonts in "Portrait" orientation. It
will not accept documents which are in "Landscape" orientation, or are
being published using scalable fonts, that is, using the PostScript or
LaserJet-3 printer options.

A document is Previewed using the Publisher command with the /P switch:

                      PUBL [filename] /P [return]

EXAMPLE: The document file is named SPECIMEN.TXT, and is located on a
directory named WORK on Drive C. The Publisher is installed in the
directory RUBICON on Drive C [standard setup].  After reaching the DOS
prompt "C>", the command syntax to Preview the document would be:

                    CD\RUBICON [return]
                    PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT  /P [return]

The Preview displays each standard (8.5x11 inch) document page in 4
overlapping views: Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, and Bottom Right.
The initial display is the Top Left view of Page 1. The cursor control
keys (UP, DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT) are used to move from one view to
another on the same page. For example, to move from Top Left to Top
Right, press [CURSOR RIGHT]; to move from Top Right to Bottom Right,
press [CURSOR DOWN], and so on. If your document consists of more than
one page, the [PAGE DOWN] key is used to move from one page to the next.
When you are on the last page, pressing [PAGE DOWN] will conclude the
Preview session and return you to the DOS prompt.

To end a Preview session without viewing all pages of your document,
simply press "Q" or "X". This will conclude the Preview session and
retgurn you to the DOS prompt.

     NOTE 1: BE PATIENT! The Publisher takes a significant amount of
     time to format and digitize a page, especially when fonts are being
     downloaded. The time required depends on your hardware setup, the
     number of different fonts used in your document, etc.. During much
     of this processing time, the Publisher may not appear to be doing
     anything.  If you are worried that the program may not really be
     running, we suggest that you make use of the run-time switch "/T"
     to invoke the "Tracers" option, as described below in Section 2.4.

     NOTE 2: For technical reasons, the Preview display is compressed
     vertically by about 40%: that is, the letters will appear taller,
     and the vertical spaces wider, in the printed document, than they
     appear on the screen. In other respects, the screen display
     closely resembles what you will get from your printer, although
     there may be minor variations in line, column and page breaks if
     your printer is a 180x180 or 300x300 dpi device (e.g. a 24-pin dot
     matrix printer or a laser printer).

     NOTE 3: The Preview supports movement from view to view in any
     direction WITHIN a page, but movement FROM PAGE TO PAGE is
     available in ONE DIRECTION ONLY, namely, to the next page in
     sequence. That is, the Preview does not support a [PAGE UP]
     function. You should therefore make sure that you have finished
     your inspection of each page, before moving on to the next.

If the Preview discloses typographical or typesetting errors or
omissions, you use your word processor to make the necessary changes,
and then Preview the document again. This process is repeated, if
necessary, until the document appears satisfactory.  Remember that you
can terminate the Preview session at any time by pressing the "Q" or "X"
key. If your preview of the first page of a multi-page document reveals
some problem, such as a basic error in the format, your don't have to
take the time to Preview the whole document: you can terminate the
Preview session as soon as you see the problem, and use your word
processor to correct the error, before proceeding further.

     2.3.3 PRINTING THE DOCUMENT

A document is printed by using the Publisher command:

                      PUBL [filename] [return]

EXAMPLE: The document file is named SPECIMEN.TXT, and is located on a
directory named WORK on Drive C. The Publisher is installed in the
directory RUBICON on Drive C [standard setup].  After reaching the DOS
prompt "C>", the command syntax to print the document would be:

                    CD\RUBICON [return]
                    PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT [return]

     NOTE: BE PATIENT! The Publisher takes a significant amount of time
     to format and digitize a page, especially when fonts are being
     downloaded. The time required depends on your hardware setup, the
     number of different fonts used in your document, etc.. During much
     of this processing time, the Publisher may not appear to be doing
     anything.  If you are worried that the program may not really be
     running, we suggest that you make use of the run-time switch "/T"
     to invoke the "Tracers" option, as described below in Section 2.4.

The output from the Publisher ordinarily goes directly to a printer
which produces a hard copy of the document in the layout, format, etc.
specified by the tags in the file. (Optionally, the output can be stored in
a disk file for later transmission to the printer, as described under
"Run-Time Options".)

If the document was carefully Previewed before printing, it is quite
likely that the first printing will conclude the publication process. If
Preview was not available, it is more likely that a careful proofreading
of the hard copy will reveal errors or omissions in the text, or in the
typesetting, or both. You can fix these by using your word processor to
make the necessary changes in the text file, saving it to disk in its
amended form, and printing the amended version. This process may be
repeated as necessary, until a satisfactory result is obtained. The
degree of perfection which is "satisfactory", and the number of "proof"
copies needed to attain it, will of course depend on such factors as the
availability of Preview, the nature and purpose of the document, and its
length and complexity.

2.4 RUN-TIME OPTIONS

In addition to the normal operating mode described above, the program
can be instructed to implement certain options, by means of "switches"
added to the Publisher command line. The following switches are
currently available:

/P   Preview. This option has been described in detail in Seciton 2.3.2.

/D   Print to Disk. This option directs the Publisher not to send its
output directly to the printer, but rather to send it to the computer's
disk for storage, under the file name PUB.PRN

For example, entering the command:

PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT /D [Return]

will cause the Publisher to process the file SPECIMEN.TXT from the
directory WORK and store the resulting formatted version on disk under
the file name PUB.PRN. The file thus stored can be printed later by
entering the command:

COPY PUB.PRN PRN /B [Return]

That is, "copy the file PUB.PRN to the printer". The /B is the MS-DOS
"binary" option for printing files containing nontextual binary codes.

/T Tracers. This option causes the Publisher to generate a running
screen display of its activities, as a document is being printed or
previewed. The command syntax to invoke this option is illustrated by
the example:

PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT /T [Return]

In general, the Tracers option enables the user to watch what the
program is doing while it is actually running. Its main use is as a
diagnostic (or "trouble-shooting") tool: if the Publisher is having a
problem with some document, Tracers may reveal the nature of the problem
and the exact point in the document where it is happening.

/L Load Font. This option is applicable only to LaserJet-2 printer
installations. It enables the automatic font downloading function. If
selected, the Publisher automatically deletes all soft fonts from the
printer's memory before printing the file, and then downloads each soft
font used in the document, as it is required. The command syntax to
invoke this option is shown by the example:

PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT /L [Return]

This option may also be selected by inserting the instruction tag
<download=1> at the beginning of the document file being typeset. Note
that if either of the run-time switches /L or /X is used, any
<download=> tag in the document file will be disregarded. Note also
that, as supplied, the Publisher's setup file includes the tag
<download=1>, that is, downloading fonts is the default option. The
switch `/L' is required only if the default option has been changed.

/X Cancel Load. This option is applicable only to LaserJet-2 printer
installations. It disables the automatic font downloading function; that
is, the Publisher will not delete any soft fonts from the printer's
memory, nor will it download any fonts to the printer. If selected, the
only available fonts will be those which are resident in the printer, or
have previously been downloaded and not deleted. The command syntax to
invoke this option is shown by the example:

PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT /X [Return]

The automatic deletion of all soft fonts from the printer's memory
before printing a file, and subsequent downloading of each soft font
used in the document, is a lengthy process, particularly if numerous
fonts are used. If several successive drafts of the same document, or a
series of documents each requiring the same group of fonts, are being
formatted and printed, this results in the repeated deleting and then
downloading of the same group of fonts, which is obviously inefficient
and a waste of time. To avoid this, the /X option may be invoked after
the first document in the series has been processed, that is, for the
second and all subsequent drafts or documents in the series. Of course,
this option will work successfully only if the group of soft fonts being
used is small enough (or the printer's memory large enough) that the
printer can store the whole group in memory at the same time.

This option may also be selected by inserting the instruction tag
<download=0> at the beginning of the document file being typeset. Note
that if either of the run-time switches /L or /X is used, any
<download=> tag in the document file will be disregarded.

/num  Multiple copies. This option is available for LaserJet-2,
LaserJet-3 and PostScript printer installations only. Selecting this
option causes the printer to print "num" copies of each page of the
document, where "num" is an integer (that is, a whole number) in the
range of 1 to 99. For example, entering the command

PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT /7 [Return]

will cause the printer to print 7 copies of each page of the file
SPECIMEN.TXT. After a file is printed the formatter automatically resets
itself, and the attached printer, to the default state of single copy
printing.

2.5 TAG COMMAND SYNTAX

As previously explained, a major component of the Publisher is a
typsetting language, in the form of instruction tags which can be
inserted into an ordinary text file using any suitable text editor. When
such a file is submitted to the Publisher's batch processor program, it
prints the file using the fonts, format and page layout specified by
these tags.

The tags are identified, i.e. delimited from the rest of the text, by
being enclosed between a left-chevron "<" and a right-chevron ">", as
follows: <Tag>. The first element of any tag is a "keyword", which may
be an abbreviation of one or more letters.

Some tags consist of nothing but the keyword. EXAMPLE: <RC> Rag
Center (Center each line of type on the page, so that both left and
right margins are "ragged").

Some tags require other elements, such as parameter names and values,
and designations of units, to give them meaning.  EXAMPLE: the tag
<margin> means nothing by itself, but the tag
<margin top=20mm left=15mm bottom=230mm right=190mm>
defines the sizes in millimeters of the top, left, bottom and right
margins which form the limits of the page interior.

There are three basic kinds of tags: isolated keywords, keywords with
a single parameter, and keywords with one or more sub-parameters.
Examples of each are, respectively:

<XR> Cancel Rag

<Trajan10B> Trajan 10 point bold

<underline thick=2pt descent=1pt> Underline thickness and descent

SYNTAX FLEXIBILITY

Tag keywords may be entered in upper or lower case, i.e. the tags
<XR> and <xr> represent the same instruction. Subparameters are optional,
and may be specified in any order. This margin tag is equivalent to
the one just above:
<margin bottom=230mm right=190mm top=20mm left=15mm>

This margin tag is permissible:
<margin bottom=230mm right=190mm>

PARAMETER TYPES

Parameter input types may be single characters, character strings
(like the name of a file), or integers (like the number 10). "Rational
numbers", that is "floating point decimal numbers" like 2.664 are
also used; these will be referred to simply as "numbers", as opposed
to integers.

The various tags included in the Publisher's typsetting language, and
their functions, are described in the ensuing sections of this manual.

PUNCTUATION OF INSTRUCTIONS

Lines in a document or instruction file which consist entirely of
instruction tags, must normally be punctuated by means of Quad tags
at the end of each such line, to prevent unwanted blank lines and
spaces from appearing in the published document, or other undesirable
results. The tag most commonly used for this purpose is:

<QZ> Quad left, zero advance.

This is particularly important in lines of instruction tags located in
the initialization sequence, or in files INCLUDED in the "initialization
sequence" (the basic setup and format instructions which must be given
to the Publisher at the start of processing) , since the initialization
sequence MUST NOT CONTAIN ANY PRINTABLE CHARACTERS. (To the computer, a
blank space is a printable character: ASCII character number 32.)

The following Publisher tags are classed as DIRECTIVES and do not
require Quad tags for punctuation.

<include>     include file

<header>      start header definition

<footer>      start footer definition

<end>         end header or footer definition

<NP>          New Page (insert hard page break)

<NC>          New Coluomn (insert hard column break)

Unlike other tags, A DIRECTIVE MUST APPEAR BY ITSELF ON A SEPARATE LINE.
That is, there should be no other material whatsoever on the same input
line as the directive tag, either before or after it.

2.6 UNITS OF MEASUREMENT

Some parameters represent a LINEAR MEASURE or distance, such as margin
width or column width. When giving a value for such a parameter, you
MUST SPECIFY THE UNIT OF MEASUREMENT you are using.

To specify a measurement unit, you insert the Publisher's abbreviation
for the unit immediately after the paramenter value. EXAMPLES: the tags

 <margin top=0.5in>
 <margin top=36pt>
 <margin top=1.27cm>

all specify a top margin of one-half inch. You can use any unit
recognized by the Publisher, but naturally you must tell the Publisher
which one you are using.

The units recognized by the Publisher, and their abbreviations, are:

ABBREVIATION    NAME OF UNIT        SIZE OF UNIT

in              inches              1in = 1 inch

cm              centimeters         2.5400cm = 1 inch

mm              millimeters         25.4001mm = 1 inch

pc              picas               6pc = 1 inch

pt              points              72pt = 1 inch

ln              lines               the interline leading (line spacing)

em              em-widths           the point size

cl              column-widths       the column-width

ex              ex-height           height of `x' in current font


The first 5 units listed are "absolute" units; that is, they always have
the same fixed value. The remaining 4 units are "relative" units; their
values depend on the values of other parameters, such as the point size
(size of lettering) or the column width in the document in which they
are used.

2.7 "INCLUDE" FILES

One of the most important convenience features of the Publisher is its
ability to read and act upon sets of instruction tags which have been
previously stored in disk files separate from the text file being
processed. This is accomplished by means of the tag:

<INCLUDE filename>

If a set of instructions is stored in a file called (say) COMMAND.SET,
the set can be invoked at any point in any text file by inserting the
tag <include command.set> in the text file.

This means that any set of tags which is going to be used frequently
only needs to be entered once, and stored in a separate file with
a suitable name. It can then be invoked whenever needed by means of
a single <include> tag.

The include tag is a DIRECTIVE, and must appear by itself on a separate
line. That is, there should be no material on the same line as the
<include> tag, either before or after.

A form of instruction file which is particularly useful is a STYLE
SHEET, which contains complete instructions for the format and layout of
some particular type of document. The user can easily maintain style
sheets on disk for the most frequently used document layouts, and
utilize them as required by means of the <include> directive tag.

2.8 DEFAULT STYLE SHEET: SETUP.TAG

When the Publisher starts to process a document file, it automatically
"includes" the file SETUP.TAG. This file normally contains a "style
sheet" (a set of document format and page layout instruction tags)
intended to govern the operation of the Publisher in the absence of
instructions to the contrary. It also usually contains special publisher
"system" tags, regarding the model of printer being used, the location
on disk of the available soft fonts, etc.. The file SETUP.TAG is
generated automatically during the installation of the Publisher, based
on the printer option, etc., which you choose during installation.

The style sheet contained in the file SETUP.TAG is known as the "default
style sheet", since it provides the format and page layout which the
Publisher adopts when you have not specified anything else. To use a
different style, you can simply place over-riding instruction tags at
the beginning of your document file; alternatively, you can place such
tags in a separate instruction file which can be incorporated into your
document file by an <include...> command.

         [Note: SETUP.TAG is a plain ASCII text file, and you can amend
         it by means of your word processor, to change the "default"
         style. However, you should wait until you have become familiar
         with the Publisher, and know exactly what you are doing, before
         attempting any amendment to SETUP.TAG, and you should always
         keep a copy of the original SETUP.TAG as a backup.]


2.9 ORDER OF PROCESSING TEXT AND INSTRUCTIONS

The Publisher processes the input text and instructions in the following
order:

1.   The file SETUP.TAG (which must not contain any printable matter,
including blank lines or blank spaces).

2.  The initial part of the document file, preceding the first printable
character or space. (When an <include> instruction is encountered, the
effect is the same as if the entire contents of the "included" file were
inserted in the document file at the point where the <include>
instruction is located.)

3.   Runtime switches (Described in Section 2.4.)

4.   The text and embedded instruction tags in the document file, in the
order in which they appear, starting with the first printable character
or space.

Note: Certain commands may only be placed in the "initialization
sequence", which consists of the SETUP.TAG file, the initial portion of
the document file (preceding the first printable character), and files
"included" in the initial portion of the document file. EXAMPLES:

<margin top= bottom= left= right= >   Location of page margins.

<landscape=>    On or Off

Common sense can be used here: Any information the printer needs to
start printing must be given to it before it actually prints anything.

The operation of the Publisher as it proceeds through the document
file is continually governed by the MOST RECENT instructions it has
received. It will therefore operate in accordance with the instructions
in SETUP.TAG unless and until these instructions are replaced by new
instructions contained in the document file, or in a file "included"
in the document file, or conveyed by means of run-time switches. When
new instructions are encountered, the Publisher will start operating in
accordance with them at the point in the document file where they are
encountered, and will continue to so operate until they are replaced by
still further instructions.

If a document file contains no format or layout instructions, the
Publisher will process the whole document in the format and layout
prescribed by SETUP.TAG, subject to any run-time switches.

2.10  "PUSH" AND "POP"

The tags:

<push> and

<pop>

can save substantial amounts of time and effort, and reduce the risk
of inadvertent errors and omissions, when publisher parameters are
being changed temporarily: for example, when a heading is being printed
in a different font, or when a passage of text is being printed with
a different paragraph style from the rest of the document.

The tag <push> saves a record of the current state of many publisher
variables, including font and indentation, and the tag <pop> restores
the state of the publisher which was most recently "pushed".
Accordingly, if a <push> tag is inserted BEFORE the instruction tags
which are used to implement the temporary changes, it will be possible
to cancel the temporary changes (after they have served their purpose)
by means of a single <pop> tag, instead of using a series of instruction
tags to change the publisher variables back to their previous values one
by one.