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Programmable Printer PopUp Users Guide
(c) Copyright 1987, 1988 Mark Allen Neil, All Rights Reserved
Revision 1.08
6/03/88
Programmable Printer PopUp Users Guide Version 1.08
Welcome to PPP - Programmable Printer Pop-Up
This program is being distributed as user-supported software.
A limited license is granted to all users of this program, to make
copies of this program and distribute them to other users, with the
following conditions :
1. The program is not to be distributed to others in modified form.
2. No fee is to be charged (or any other consideration received) for
copying or distributing the program without an express written
agreement with :
Mark Allen Neil
5627 Silver Leaf Road
San Jose, CA 95138
You are encouraged to copy and share this program with other users.
If you find this program useful, please consider sending a contribution
of $20.00 to the above address to support future enhancements. Thanks.
(c) Copyright 1987, 1988 Mark Allen Neil, All Rights Reserved 2
Programmable Printer PopUp Users Guide Version 1.08
Table Of Contents
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Features
2.1 Important files
2.2 The PPP Main Menu
2.3 The Help Menu
2.3.1 The HotKey Menu
2.3.2 The Printer Selection Menu
3.0 Command Line Switches
4.0 Printer Definition Files
5.0 Acknowledgments
6.0 Revision History
(c) Copyright 1987, 1988 Mark Allen Neil, All Rights Reserved 3
Programmable Printer PopUp Users Guide Version 1.08
1.0 Introduction
Programmable printer popup (PPP) is a utility which allows you to send
configuration codes to your printer. PPP can be loaded as a resident
utility (60K), or it can be executed from a run time prompt with command
line parameters. This document will explain in detail what PPP does, and
how to use it to your advantage. First, however, I would like to give you
some background on why I wrote this program.
I recently purchased a dot-matrix printer, the Toshiba P321 to be exact.
I bought this printer because it has beautiful letter quality print and a
very fast, very legible draft mode. Unfortunately, many software
packages fail to support this printer, and I did not purchase an
emulation option. I immediately began searching through the bulletin
boards to which I belong for a resident printer control program for the
P321. I found a few programs which would configure the printer, but none
which were resident, and to be honest, none which had a sensible screen
layout (well, in my opinion).
It occurred to me that others might also have printers which weren't
commonly supported, and might like a utility to allow them to configure
their printers.
I started off by writing a simple program in TURBO PASCAL to send
configuration codes to the printer. Then I made the whole mess resident
using some PASCAL source routines downloaded from a local BBS (see
acknowledgements). Finally I sped the screen I/O up with some different
source routines, also downloaded (again, see acknowledgements).
One last note : I will be using trade names in this document (e.g. EPSON)
without designating the owner, but I will clearly designate trade names
in capital letter. I hope my use of the trade names doesn't step on
anyone's toes.
(c) Copyright 1987, 1988 Mark Allen Neil, All Rights Reserved 4
Programmable Printer PopUp Users Guide Version 1.08
2.0 Features
PPP was designed to be as easy to use as possible. There are now two or
three printer popup programs on the market which have more features, but
there are advantages to a program with fewer features :
- Easier to learn
- Easier to use
- 80 % of the "nifty" features are useless day to day
- PPP costs less
2.1 Important files
There are 2 basic file types which make up the PPP package. The first is
the PPP executable file, called PPP108.COM. The other type of files are
called "printer definition files". Each one of these files has the
extension ".PPP", e.g. P321.PPP. The printer definition files define the
control codes which PPP will send to the printer. You may have several
printer control files, and you can switch between them at will.
2.2 The PPP Main Menu
When PPP is invoked, either from a command line or by pressing the
"hotkey", the user is presented with a menu of choices. This menu consists
of a list of "options" from which the user can select. Any combination of
options can be selected. An option is selected by moving the ">" character
up or down to the desired option and pressing the space bar. Options can
be toggled off and on by pressing the space bar repeatedly. An option is
"selected" when it appears in reverse video.
An "option" is something you would like to tell the printer to do. For
example, turning on bold print, enabling compressed mode, or even sending
the string "Dear Sir," to the printer. The definition of each option is
completely under the users control, because the user can customize his
option menu (Section 4).
When finished selecting options, the user can either hit <RETURN> to send
the codes to the printer, or <ESC> to exit PPP with no action.
(c) Copyright 1987, 1988 Mark Allen Neil, All Rights Reserved 5
Programmable Printer PopUp Users Guide Version 1.08
Below is an example of a PPP main menu designed for use with the Toshiba
P321 printer :
+============================+
Title -------> | P321 Printer Control |
+----------------------------+
Options -----> | > Eject Page |
(up to 50) | High Speed |
| Quality Elite |
| Quality Courier |
| 10.0 cpi |
| 12.0 cpi |
| 16.7 cpi |
| Italics On |
| Italics Off |
| Bold On |
| Bold Off |
F1 key brings up | "Dear Sir," |
Help Menu ----> +=[ F1 - HELP ]====[ 01/12 ]=+ <-- Current/Total options
The <Page Up> and <Page Down> keys can be used to scroll through multiple
page options.
2.3 The Help Menu
If you have trouble remembering what to do, pressing the F1 key will bring
up a help menu screen.
This is the PPP Help screen :
+==========================================+
| PPP Help Screen |
+------------------------------------------+
| <UP ARROW> Scroll to previous option |
| <DOWN ARROW> Scroll to next option |
| <PAGE UP> Previous page of options |
| <PAGE DOWN> Next page of options |
| <SPACE BAR> Toggle highlighting |
| <ESC> Exit without action |
| <RETURN> Send highlighted commands |
| to printer |
+------------------------------------------+
| F9 Change Hotkey |
| F10 Change Printer File |
+========[ Hit any key to exit help ]======+
This screen gives a short description of the keys used in the PPP main
menu. There are 2 functions which can be accessed from this menu, changing
the "hotkey" (F9 key) and changing the current printer file (F10 key).
Hitting any other key will return you to the main menu.
Please note that the HotKey menu and the Printer File menu can be reached
directly from the main menu by using F9 or F10, bypassing the help screen
entirely.
(c) Copyright 1987, 1988 Mark Allen Neil, All Rights Reserved 6
Programmable Printer PopUp Users Guide Version 1.08
2.3.1 The HotKey Menu
The HotKey menu appears if the user presses F9, either from the Help menu
or the Main menu. The "hotkey" is the key, or combination of keys which
causes PPP in a resident mode to appear on the screen. The hotkeys which
can be recognized by PPP are the function keys F3 through F10, <ALT> F1
through <ALT> F10, and <CTRL> F1 through <CTRL> F10. The hotkey is
unimportant when PPP is used as a non-resident utility. The default hotkey
used by PPP is <ALT> F8.
When the HotKey menu appears, hit the key combination that you want to
invoke PPP. Choose a combination which doesn't conflict with the software
you use most often. When you enter the new combination, the keyboard scan
code for the chosen hotkey will appear on the menu for three seconds, and
then control will return to the Main menu.If you enter the HotKey menu and
decide not to change the current hotkey, press the <ESC> key.
To permanently change the hotkey, use the following table to determine the
scan code for the desired hotkey, and edit this number into the batch file
which starts PPP108 (Section 3). PPP will only accept the key
combinations defined in the table below.
HotKey Scan Code HotKey Scan Code HotKey Scan Code
F1 RESERVED <CTRL> F1 94 <ALT> F1 104
F2 60 <CTRL> F2 95 <ALT> F2 105
F3 61 <CTRL> F3 96 <ALT> F3 106
F4 62 <CTRL> F4 97 <ALT> F4 107
F5 63 <CTRL> F5 98 <ALT> F5 108
F6 64 <CTRL> F6 99 <ALT> F6 109
F7 65 <CTRL> F7 100 <ALT> F7 110
F8 66 <CTRL> F8 101 <ALT> F8 111
F9 RESERVED <CTRL> F9 102 <ALT> F9 112
F10 RESERVED <CTRL> F10 103 <ALT> F10 113
This is the PPP HotKey screen :
+======================+
| Hit Key Combination |
| for New HotKey |
| |
| Current Hotkey = 108 |
| |
| New Hotkey = |
| |
+==[ <ESC> to Abort ]==+
(c) Copyright 1987, 1988 Mark Allen Neil, All Rights Reserved 7
Programmable Printer PopUp Users Guide Version 1.08
2.3.2 The Printer Selection Menu
The Printer Selection menu appears if the user presses F10, either from the Help
menu or the Main menu. This menu presents a list of all of the printer
definition files (*.PPP) in the PPP default directory (where PPP was
invoked). A maximum of 20 files will be displayed. The first printer
listed appears in reverse video. Use the up and down arrow keys to
highlight a new printer, and hit <RETURN> to select the new printer. PPP
will default upon initialization to the first printer definition file it
finds in the current directory.
To permanently change the default printer definition file, edit the name of
the file into the batch file which starts PPP (Section 3).
This is the PPP Printer Selection screen :
+==========+
| Printers |
+----------+
Printer definition | P321 |
files ------ > | EPSON |
| OKIDATA |
| CITIZEN |
| PROPRT |
| NEC-P5 |
| PRISM |
+==========+
(c) Copyright 1987, 1988 Mark Allen Neil, All Rights Reserved 8
Programmable Printer PopUp Users Guide Version 1.08
3.0 Command Line Switches
The default configuration of PPP can be modified by entering new defaults
on the command line, preceded by "switches". The command line switches
recognized by PPP are defined as follows :
-R [\R,/R] nnn : This is the Residency switch. If you want PPP to be a
resident application, include this switch. The default
is non-resident. The "nnn" is the 3 digit hotkey which
causes PPP to appear (Section 2.3.1).
-D [\D,/D] fname : This is the Default printer configuration file name
switch. This switch tells PPP which printer
configuration file to use. If this switch is omitted,
PPP will find the first "PPP" file in the directory
-Q [\Q,/Q] : This is the "quick" startup switch, and disables the
startup screen. PPP would be an impractical
tool if you had to see my name all the time, but at
least the first time you will see who wrote PPP.
Examples :
A>PPP invoke PPP, non-resident, default to first .PPP file
A>PPP -Q -R 108 invoke PPP, resident with <ALT> F5, no startup screen
A>PPP \Q -D EPSON invoke PPP, non-resident, default to EPSON.PPP
configuration file, no startup screen
A>PPP -Q /R -D P321 invoke PPP, default resident with <CNTL> F9, default
to P321.PPP configuration file, no startup screen
(c) Copyright 1987, 1988 Mark Allen Neil, All Rights Reserved 9
Programmable Printer PopUp Users Guide Version 1.08
4.0 Printer Definition Files
PPP is useless without a definition of control commands to send to the
printer. Each printer must have at least one printer definition file
defining the control commands. Printer definition files must have the
extension ".PPP", and they must exist in the directory from which PPP is
invoked. Printer definition files are in ASCII format, e.g. they can
contain no control characters nor tabs. When editting or creating a new
printer definition file, edit your work using a "non-document" mode, or
use a straight ASCII editor, such as PC-Write.
The first line of a printer definition file contains the title. This title
appears in the PPP main menu. The title cannot be more than 40 characters
in length.
Examples :
P321 Printer Control
Mark's Special Control Menu
The next sequence of lines define the printer control options. Each line
defines a separate control option. There can be up to 50 options in each
file. Each control option has two parts, the option name, and a sequence
of decimal byte (< 256) values to send to the printer when that option is
selected. The option field occupies the first 40 characters of the line,
and the byte values follow on the same line anywhere after column 40.
There can be no additional spaces following the last control byte on a
line.
Examples :
Option name 40 Control bytes
Eject Page 12
10.0 cpi 27 42 48 27 69 49 50
"DEAR SIR," 68 69 65 82 32 83 73 82 44 13 10
The last example above send the string "DEAR SIR," to the printer.
After the last option line, the next line must contain a star "*",
signifying the end of the printer definition file.
(c) Copyright 1987, 1988 Mark Allen Neil, All Rights Reserved 10
Programmable Printer PopUp Users Guide Version 1.08
Sample printer definition file for Toshiba P321 printer :
P321 Printer Control
Eject Page 12
High Speed 27 42 48
Quality Elite 27 42 49
Quality Courier 27 42 50
10.0 cpi 27 42 48 27 69 49 50
12.0 cpi 27 42 48 27 69 49 48
16.7 cpi 27 42 48 27 69 49 48 27 91
Italics On 27 18
Italics Off 27 20
Bold On 27 75 51
Bold Off 27 77
"DEAR SIR," 68 69 65 82 32 83 73 82 44 13 10
*
(c) Copyright 1987, 1988 Mark Allen Neil, All Rights Reserved 11
Programmable Printer PopUp Users Guide Version 1.08
5.0 Acknowledgments
This program would not have been possible were it not for the superior
programming skill of the following individuals :
STAY-RES routines written by Lane H. Ferris of San Francisco, Ca. These
public domain routines allowed me to make PPP a resident application.
Q SCREEN routines written by Jim LeMay of Ft. Worth, Tx. These routines
sped up my screen displays tremendously.
My thanks to these individuals.
Also, thank you to all those of you who made suggestions to help improve
this product, and contributed sample *.PPP files. And most of all, thanks
to those of you who were honorable enough to contribute the $20.00 fee for
continued development of this product.
(c) Copyright 1987, 1988 Mark Allen Neil, All Rights Reserved 12
Programmable Printer PopUp Users Guide Version 1.08
6.0 Revision History
6/03/88 Rev 1.08
PPP now remembers the drive as well as the path in which the *.PPP
files reside. Previous versions required that you be logged on to
the correct drive to change printer files.
PPP now recognizes "/" as a valid command line switch, as well as
"\" and "-".
If no byte value follows the "-R" option, a default value of 111
will be used (<ALT> F8).
The "Change Hotkey" and "Change Printer File" options can be
accessed from the main print menu directly by using F9 and F10.
F1, F9, F10 are now reserved for menu control, and cannot be used
as hotkeys. F2 is now available as a hotkey.
PPP now supports 50 different printer options (instead of 20), and
up to 20 printer definition files.
Display of printer definition files is now handled correctly for
many files.
<Page Up> and <Page Down> are now supported to allow paging through
complex printer definition files.
The bottom line of the main menu now displays the number of the
option which is next to the option pointer, and the total number of
options.
Other various changes, including graphics characters for a classier
display.
2/05/88 Rev 1.07
Rewrote PPP to take advantage of newer version of STAY-RES routines
to eliminate "Interrupt xx already in use" error message.
Option pointer ">" was written in wrong place after returning from
help menu. After help, default is now option 1.
Only F3 - F10, <ALT> F1 - <ALT> F10, and <CTRL> F1 - <CTRL> F10 are
now recognized as valid hotkeys. This was done to prevent common
keys like "J" to be defined as hotkeys (which is a real pain). F1
and F2 are reserved for menu control.
5/06/87 Rev 1.06
Initial product release (internal rev level 1.06).
(c) Copyright 1987, 1988 Mark Allen Neil, All Rights Reserved 13