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╔════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ ┌──────────────────┐ ║ ║ │ │ ║ ╟──────────────┤ PCForm ├──────────────╢ ║ │ │ ║ ║ └──────────────────┘ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ The 'P'ick and 'C'lick Forms Generator ║ ║ and Management System ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ Version 2.0 ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ┌────────────────────────────────────────┐ ║ ║ │ │ ║ ╠═══╡ R E F E R E N C E M A N U A L ╞═══╣ ║ │ │ ║ ║ └────────────────────────────────────────┘ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ Copyright - 1991 - CareWare ║ ║ All Rights Reserved ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────┴───┐ │ (R) ──│ │o │────────────────── █▀▀▐ █ █ │ ┌─────┴╨──┐ │ Association of █▄▄▐▄█▄█ │ │ │─┘ Shareware Software └───│ o │ Professionals ──────│ ║ │──────────────────── └────╨────┘ MEMBER License and Warranty Page i ____________________________________________________________ License ------------------------------------------------------------ This material is not free and is distributed as a Shareware product. Shareware is an innovative idea allowing you to try computer software before you buy. Non-registered users of PCForm are licensed only to use this product on a trial basis, not to exceed 30 days, for the purpose of evaluating whether or not PCForm meets their needs. Continual non-reg- istered use of PCForm beyond this trial period by any person, business, corporation, governmental agency or other entity is prohibited. Please read Appendix B for information concerning your entitlements upon registration. Warranty ------------------------------------------------------------ CareWare MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT- ABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. CareWare SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL ARISING FROM A FAILURE OF THIS PROGRAM TO OPERATE IN THE MANNER DESIRED BY THE USER. CareWare SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO DATA OR PROPERTY WHICH MAY BE CAUSED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY BY USE OF THE PROGRAM. IN NO EVENT WILL CareWare BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGE, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY. Copyrights ------------------------------------------------------------ The PCForm software and Reference Manual are Copyright, 1991, to CareWare with All Rights Reserved. Acknowledgements Page ii ____________________________________________________________ ** The shareware principle works for you ** R. J. Crouch CareWare 10217 Ridge View Dr. Grass Valley, CA 95945 (916) 477-6024 -- CIS 74270,516 This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServe message via EMail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. ** Trademarks ** IBM and IBM-PC are registered trademark of the International Business Machines Corporation. Microsoft is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation. Epson is a registered trademark of the Seiko Epson Corporation. All registered and unregistered trademarks are the sole property of their respective companies. Introduction Page iii ____________________________________________________________ PCForm provides an easy means for creating tailored made professional looking forms. You have the ability to maintain forms in any style suited to your needs. PCForm offers a straight forward and easy approach to software use. Prompted displays guide you through any needed response. Two point line drawing simplifies form development. A fully mouse sensitive screen and pull down menus provide access to all features. An Auto-Tab service simplifies the filling in of existing forms. Block functions (copy/cut/paste) assist in easy form editing. A complete ASCII format insures maximum system and printer compatibility. PCForm's unique Form Management System allows you to store and retrieve your forms in an order setup and maintained, by you, to meet your needs. Your computer and its disk operating system (DOS) provide a means for organizing its files. PCform capitalizes on this service and brings it to you in an orderly way. Consider PCForm as a filing cabinet for your forms. This may sound complicated at first, but don't be discouraged. PCForm does all the work for you. Just pick what your want and you are on your way. With a little practice, the power of Form Management System is soon apparent. CareWare's goal is to produce software that is reliable and easy to use. PCForm is constructed with this in mind. We try to consider the user and what would make their task easier and more productive. If there is anything more we can do to accomplish this goal, let us know. User response is a major tool in our product development and refinement. On the other hand, if you don't like what this software offers, then by all means, don't use it. Fortunately, the choice is yours and you haven't lost a thing. This is what the Shareware concept is all about. Enjoy! Table of Contents Page iv ____________________________________________________________ License and Warranty ......................... i Acknowledgements ............................. ii Introduction ................................. iii System Requirements .......................... 1 Things to Know ............................... 2 Installing PCForm ............................ 4 Form Management System ....................... 5 PCForm Screen Organization ................... 7 Top Line ..................................... 8 Pull Down Menu ............................... 10 Forms ..................................... 10 Location .................................. 12 Pages ..................................... 13 Block (copy/cut/paste) .................... 14 Tab (Auto-Tab) ............................ 16 Make ...................................... 17 Setup ..................................... 18 Help ...................................... 19 Exit ...................................... 20 Control Line ................................. 22 Sgle, Dble, Char .......................... 22 Again, Line, Box .......................... 23 Undo, Menu, Title, Ruler, Help............. 24 Line Drawing ................................. 25 Editing Keys and Tab ......................... 26 Screen Blanker ............................... 29 Mouse Operations ............................. 30 Printer Use .................................. 32 PCForm and Windows 3.0 ....................... 33 Appendix A: Key Chart ................................. 37 Appendix B: Registration Information and Form ......... 38 System Requirements Page 1 ____________________________________________________________ Computer: An IBM-PC or close compatible (includes Tandy 1000 series) Operating System: DOS 2.1 or greater Memory: At least 256,000 bytes of available memory Video: CGA/EGA/VGA/MCGA/MDA card and monitor Disk Drives: One floppy disk drive - PCForm occupies about 190,000 bytes of disk space. For a larger form storage capac- ity, two floppy drives and/or hard disk is encouraged. Pointing Device: A mouse is recommended but not necessary. PCForm was tested using both Microsoft and Mouse Systems drivers. Printer: Any printer capable of producing characters from the ASCII standard and IBM extended character sets. Please consult your printer manual of specific information. PCForm was tested in both IBM and Epson modes. Note: The title page of this manual was developed using PCForm. If your printer reproduces this page correctly, it is likely your printer will perform properly with PCForm. If this is not the case, then we are truly sorry. PCForm is designed to product professional looking forms. In order to accomplish this task, it is necessary to use the graphics characters available to your computer. Things to Know Page 2 ____________________________________________________________ ** Program Files ** The following files comprise the whole of PCForm and was originally distributed in a self-extracting compressed format under the file name of PCF20.EXE. PCFORM.EXE - The main running program PCFORM.DOC - The PCForm Reference Manual (this manual) REGISTER.FRM - Software registration form FORMS.EXE - Sample forms (self-extracting) READ.ME - Quick start information (for non manual readers) VENDOR.DOC - PCForm distribution information PCFORM.ICO - Windows 3.0 Icon for PCForm PCFORM.PIF - Windows 3.0 Program Information File for PCForm ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Note: It is strictly prohibited to share or distribute PCForm without the above files present and in their original condition. The complete set of files may be distributed in there uncompressed form but may NOT be distributed in any other compressed form then the or- iginal supplied PCF20.EXE. Please DO NOT extract the files and then re-compress them for distribution without insuring file integrity. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Things to Know (cont.) Page 3 ____________________________________________________________ ** Operational File ** The following file is needed by PCForm for its proper startup initialization. PCFORM.EXE PCForm will look for this file either in the current directory or by using an environment variable (PCFORM=) established in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Note: If PCForm is unable to fine this file, you are asked to enter its location. ** Starting PCForm ** To start PCForm type its name at your DOS prompt and press <ENTER>. Example: PCFORM <ENTER> Note: Please see the section on installing PCForm for additional information before starting. ** Establish your startup search path ** To avoid root directory clutter, PCForm will organize your forms from an established directory. Use the menu options Setup/Path, within PCForm, to create this directory path. Example: C:\PCFORM Use the menu options Setup/Save to make this setting available for any subsequent use of PCForm. Note: The initial default drive and directory startup search path is set for: CURRENT DRIVE\PCFORM. Installing PCForm Page 4 ____________________________________________________________ PCForm is designed with the ability to install itself. This eliminates the need for other external programs. To start the installation process type the following command line at your DOS prompt and press <ENTER>. PCForm must be in the current directory to install properly. PCFORM INSTALL PCForm will present you with a window asking for the location to which you would like the program installed. Type in the appropriate drive and directories (if any) and press <ENTER>. The following is an example of what this entry might look like. C:\PCFORM If the location does not exist, PCForm will create it for you. Once this location is established, PCForm will copy itself to its new residence and return you to DOS. PCForm is self-contained and requires no other external files to operate. This is a design feature that eliminates the confusion associated with multiple program files. PCForm should be started from the current directory. If you always intend to start PCForm from a disk location other then where it resides, adding a line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file will stop PCForm's request for its location. SET PCFORM=location Replace the word 'location' with the appropriate drive and/or directories. It should match the location given for the above installation. Example: SET PCFORM=C:\PCFORM If you are unsure of this command, please consult your DOS reference manual for information on the use and placement of environment variables and the SET command. Form Management System Page 5 ____________________________________________________________ The Form Management System provides an excellent environment for the storage of forms already created and filled in. Your computer and its Disk Operating System (DOS) has the capability to effectively manage your disk files. The ability to group like material in the same area on a disk is a powerful tool. PCForm and its Form Management System capitalizes on this ability and breaks down the DOS file hierarchy for you in an organized manor. You only have to deal with one hierarchical level at a time. The process of selecting and storing your forms is made easy. Your computer disk truly does become a filing cabinet. PCForm uses the same naming convention as DOS in identifying the different levels of the Form Management System. The following analogy does best to demonstrate the four system levels. PCForm Comparison DOS ------ ---------- --- Directory Filing Cabinet Directory Subdirectory Cabinet Drawer Subdirectory Extension Folder Extension Form Contents File PCForm has a limit to the number of entries it will management at each level. However, the Form Management System still has the potential to catalog and present over nine million forms. Limit Level ----- ----- 54 - Directories x 54 - Subdirectories x 36 - Extensions x 90 - Forms = ------------------- 9,447,840 Form Management System (cont.) Page 6 ____________________________________________________________ It is important to note that DOS has limits on what it will manage and PCForm is bound by these constraints. These limits vary according to your DOS version and primarily with the type of disk drive used. For most normal density floppy disk drives DOS will allow 112 file or directory names per level. The maximum number of entries for a hard disk can be substantially more and is actually based on its partition size. A definitive answer to this is not possible for this manual without knowing all of your system parameters. Do not despair, PCForm will inform you if the DOS limit is reached. Even with the worst scenario, the Form Management System still can catalog over 320,000 forms. The number of forms you are able to save also is limited by the available disk space. The more disk space the more forms you are able to catalog. PCForm calculates the amount of disk space your form will require. If there is not enough room available to save the form, PCForm will inform you. This permits you the opportunity to change disks. Movement throughout the various levels of the Form Management System is accomplished with the 'Location' command from the PCForm Menu Line. Please read the section on The Pull Down Menu for detailed information on the use of the 'Location' command. PCForm Screen Organization Page 7 ____________________________________________________________ A lot of care and thought has gone into developing the screen you see when entering PCForm. PCForm's screen layout is designed to give its user all the visual information needed to easily create professional looking forms. A familiarization of the terms PCForm uses for its various visual components is helpful in the subsequent understand- ing of this manual. These screen components are discussed in more detail throughout this manual. Form Screen The main center portion of your screen used for form development and fill in. This area contains the text cursor. Top Line The top most line of your screen is shared by three services; Title Line, Menu Line, Ruler Line. You toggle between these services by pressing the <F9> key or by using one of the Control Line command. Control Line The bottom most line of your screen; This area provides the visual cues for activating the various PCForm commands and line drawing features. Position Window The small window at the bottom right of your screen; This area displays the row and column position of the cursor. Pressing the RIGHT mouse button will display the mouse cursor position. Marker Column The far right column of your screen; This area marks the relative position of the cursor within a form. It is used also for mouse scrolling and paging. Top Line Page 8 ____________________________________________________________ The Top Line of your screen is shared by three services; Title Line, Menu Line, and Ruler Line. These services are made available for display on the Top Line in any one of three ways. 1. Pressing the <F9> key will toggle through these services. 2. You can call a Top Line individually by holding down the <ALT> key and pressing the highlighted capital letter of the Control Line command word. <ALT> + <T> for Title Line <ALT> + <M> for Menu Line <ALT> + <R> for Ruler Line 3. Placing the mouse cursor over the desired Top Line title listed on the Control Line and pressing the LEFT button also will activate the service. Title Line This line displays the form name, its location within the Form Management System and the number of pages it occupies. The Title line contains the following subject designations. Frm: The name and extension of the form displayed Pth: The current drive and startup search path Dir: Your current directory location Sub: Your current subdirectory location Pg: The form page currently on display Of: The total number of pages occupied by your form Top Line (cont.) Page 9 ____________________________________________________________ Menu Line This is perhaps the most important Top Line service. This pull down menu provides you the means to access all of PCForm's supporting features. When the Menu Line is active, you are presented a line (level 1) with nine menu choices. Forms Location Page Block Tab Make Setup Help Exit Each of these menu items has a subset (level 2) of additional choices. It is from the subset the actual feature is selected. Use the arrow keys or roll the mouse to highlight your menu choice and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. Pressing <ESC> or the RIGHT mouse button will exit the Menu Line. Detailed information on what service each menu choice provides is discussed later in this manual. Ruler Line This line presents a graduated ruler on the Top Line. Used in conjunction with the Cursor Window, the Ruler Line provides a convenient way for organizing and constructing your forms. Pull Down Menu Page 10 ____________________________________________________________ The PCForm menu is one of the services offered on the Top Line of your screen. All the specialize features of PCForm are available from the Menu Line. The pull down menu is activated in any one of three ways. You may toggle to the Menu Line by pressing the <F9> key. You also can go directly to the Menu Line by holding the <ALT> key down while pressing the <M> key or by placing the mouse cursor over the word 'Menu' on the Control Line and pressing the LEFT mouse button. When the Menu Line is active, you are presented a line (level 1) with nine menu choices; Forms, Location, Page, Block, Tab, Make, Setup, Help, Exit. Each of these menu items has a subset (level 2) of additional choices. It is from the subset the actual feature is selected. Use the arrow keys or roll the mouse to highlight your first menu choice (level 1) and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. This will present a window with a list of menu choices (level 2). Use the arrow keys or roll the mouse to highlight your second choice and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button to activate this feature. Pressing the <ESC> key or the RIGHT mouse button will exit the Menu Line. Forms ----- This level 1 menu item provides the necessary tools for form manipulation. New A window will appear asking you to type in the name of your new form. You may enter any DOS acceptable file character up to a maximum of eight characters. PCForm will warn you if one of the characters is not valid. This service also is used to give an existing form a new name. The old form remains unchanged. Load A window will appear with a list of forms with the current extension and from the present location. To bring one of these forms to the screen, use the arrow key or roll the mouse and highlight the desired form name. Press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button to bring the form to your screen. Pull Down Menu (cont.) Page 11 ____________________________________________________________ Forms (cont.) -------------- Save This menu choice will save, to disk, a form of the name and to the location listed on the Title Line. If a form name is not present, you are asked to supply one. PCForm requests confirmation to overwrite a form if the form name already exists. Clear This menu item will clear form the screen the current form and reset the form name to none. You are given an opportunity to save your form before clearing begins. Any form activity will be lost if it is not saved. Clearing a form only effects what is on the screen and does not delete or alter a form already saved to disk. Merge A window will appear with a list of forms with the current extension and from the present location. To merge one of these forms with the current form on the screen, use the arrow keys or roll the mouse and highlight the desired form name. Press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button to merge the form. The form will load on the next available page. If no page is open the form will load on page four writing over the material on that page. A merged form will only load as far as available pages. Delete A window will appear with a list of forms with the current extension and from the present location. To delete one of these forms from your disk, use the arrow keys or roll the mouse and highlight the desired form name. Press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button to delete the form. PCForm will request confirmation before a form is deleted. Pull Down Menu (cont.) Page 12 ____________________________________________________________ Location -------- This level 1 menu item provides the necessary tools for form management. Extension This menu item will allow you to change existing form extensions or create a new extension. The upper window holds a list of extensions from the forms in your present location. To pick an existing form extension use the arrow keys or roll the mouse and highlight the desired extension. Press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button to make this the new current extension. The list of forms available for loading is now only comprised of forms with this extension. To create a new form extension type in the desired name and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. The new extension name becomes the current extension. Note: These form extensions are excluded from view or use - COM, EXE, (T) Drive A window will appear with a list of available disk drives. To change drives use the arrow keys or roll the mouse and highlight the desired drive letter. Press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button to change to this drive. If the default startup search path is present on the new drive, PCForm will ask for con- firmation to start from this location. Otherwise, the search starts from the root directory. PCForm will support up to seven disk drives. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Note: If you change floppy disks while in PCForm, you need to log back onto the drive where the disk change took place. PCForm must have the new disk information to function properly. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pull Down Menu (cont.) Page 13 ____________________________________________________________ Location (cont.) ----------------- Directory This menu item will allow you to move to an existing directory or create a new directory. The upper window holds a list of directories from the startup search path. To pick a new directory location use the arrow keys or roll the mouse and highlight the desired name. Pressing <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button will move you to that directory location. To create a new directory type in the desired name and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. Subdirectory This menu item will allow you to move to an existing subdirectory or create a new subdirectory. The upper window holds a list of subdirectories within the current directory location. To pick a new subdir- ectory location use the arrow keys or roll the mouse and highlight the desired name. Pressing <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button will move you to the new subdirectory. To create a new subdirectory type in the desired name and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Note: Some of the following menu services are accessible directly with the use of key strokes as noted by the key symbol next to the command wording. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pages ----- This level 1 menu item provides; access to your various form pages, the ability to clear and remove form pages and the means to change the page length. Go Page #1 - <F1> This menu item will take you to page number one. Pull Down Menu (cont.) Page 14 ____________________________________________________________ Pages (cont.) -------------- Go Page #2 - <F2> This menu item will take you to page number two. Go Page #3 - <F3> This menu item will take you to page number three. Go Page #4 - <F4> This menu item will take you to page number four. Clear Page - <F5> This menu item presents a window with a list of the pages your form occupies. To clear a page from your forms use the arrow keys or roll the mouse and highlight the desired page. Press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button to clear this page. You then have the option of removing this page from your form altogether (restacking) or just making this page blank. Page Size - <F6> This menu item presents a window with the two page lengths PCForm supports (11 and 14 inches). To change the page size use the arrow keys or roll the mouse and highlight the desired size. Pressing <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button will change your form to that size. The form length is noted on the Control Line to the left of the Position Window. Block ----- This level 1 menu item allows you to perform block editing operations (copy/cut/paste) on your forms. Copy - <CRTL> + <F1> This option allows you to copy large blocks of information from your form to another page or form. Pull Down Menu (cont.) Page 15 ____________________________________________________________ Block (cont.) -------------- Copy (cont.) After selecting this option, a box appears on the Control Line, "Mark Pos", indicating the service is active. Mark the area to copy by placing the cursor at one of its corners and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. A "+" will appear indicating the first position marked. Now place the cursor at an opposing diagonal corner and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. The information contained within this area is stored in a block buffer for later retrieval using the "Paste" command. Cut - <CTRL> + <F2> This option allows you to cut (remove) from your form large blocks of information. After selecting this option, a box appears on the Control Line, "Mark Pos", indicating the service is active. Mark the area to cut by placing the cursor at one of its corners and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. A "+" will appear indicating the first position marked. Now place the cursor at an opposing diagonal corner and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse botton. The inform- ation contained within this area is removed from your form and stored in the block buffer. The removed information can be placed on another page or form using the "Paste" command. Note: Any information incorrectly cut can be restor- ed by promptly using the Control Line "Undo" command <ALT> + . The information cut still remains in the block buffer for later use. Paste - <CTRL> + <F3> This option allows you to Paste (place) on your form information previously copied or cut. After sel- ecting this option, a box appears on the Control Line, "Mark Pos", indicating the service is active. Mark the position for the placement by moving the cursor to the upper left corner of the area to hold the information and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. Pull Down Menu (cont.) Page 16 ____________________________________________________________ Block (cont.) -------------- Clear - <CTRL> + <F4> This option allows you to clear the block buffer of any information previously copied or cut from your form. All information copied or cut remains in the block buffer until Cleared, with this option, or until overwritten with new information entered with the "Copy" and "Cut" commands. Tab --- This level 1 menu item allows you to define, load or delete an Auto-Tab set. You can set (define) and play back up to 60 tab stop per form page. A defined set can be saved and later applied for easy fill-in on commonly used forms. Auto On/Off If a tab set is currently defined or loaded, this option toggles between Auto-Tab on and off. A box on the Control Line is lit indicating Auto-Tab on. This service is the same as pressing the key combination <SHIFT> + <TAB> when a set is defined or loaded. Make/End Set This option allows you to make (define) an Auto-Tab set. Select the option first to begin defining a tab set. Move the cursor to each position you desire to have a tab stop and press <ENTER>. These position are recorded and subsequently played back, with "Auto On", in the order for which they are entered. Select this option again to indicated the end of your tab set. Load Set - <CTRL> + <F9> This option displays a window with a list of the tab set files you may use with Auto-Tab. Use the arrow keys or roll your mouse to select the appropriate file and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. The tab stops are loaded and Auto-Tab is set to on. Pull Down Menu (cont.) Page 17 ____________________________________________________________ Tab (cont.) ------------ Clear Set This option clears from memory the currently defined or loaded tab set. It does not remove a tab set from your disk. Save Set This option allows you to save for later use a defined tab set. When selected and a tab set is defined, a window appears asking for the name you would like to use for this tab set. Enter any appropriate DOS file name with no extension. All tab files are saved with the extension "(T)" and are stored in the same location (drive/directory) as PCFORM.EXE. example of tab set file name - MYFILE.(T) Delete Set This option allows you to delete from your disk any tab set file you no longer wish to use. A window appears with the list of available tab set files. Use the arrow keys or roll your mouse to select the file to delete and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. Confirmation is requested prior to deletion. Make ---- This level 1 menu item is used to print your form and to change the printer port (LPT) to which printing is directed. Print Form This menu choice will send to you printer the form currently displayed on the your screen. Printing is done from the screen so Load your form first. Note: You are notified if your printer is not on or connected to the selected printer port (LPT). Pull Down Menu (cont.) Page 18 ____________________________________________________________ Make (cont.) ------------- Set LPT A window will appear with the list of printer ports (LPT) supported by PCForm. To change ports use the arrow keys or roll the mouse and highlight the desired port number. Pressing <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button will direct any printing through this LPT port. See Mode A window will appear showing the current printer mode. Use the menu option Setup/Printer to change this setting. Setup ----- This level 1 menu item allows you to change the PCForm startup defaults. Path This menu item allows you to establish the disk drive, directory and form extension PCForm will use for its search upon each startup. This search provides PCForm with the information needed to organize the listings for the Form Management System. Follow the menu prompts and enter the necessary information. Note: If no directory is given, PCForm will search from and begin within the root directory. It is highly recommended hard disk users establish a separate directory for PCForm's use. The root directory of a hard drive generally should only consist of pertinent system files and other directories. Pull Down Menu (cont.) Page 19 ____________________________________________________________ Setup (cont.) -------------- Colors There are 19 color combination used in PCForm. This menu item allows you to change any combination to the colors desired. All necessary key commands are listed for you on the screen. It is recommended to select the default colors until you get a feel for the screen lay out of PCForm. Mouse By default, PCForm does not startup with mouse services in effect. Use this menu item to inform PCForm of your intent for mouse use. Press the appropriate key, as outlined by parentheses (), for your response. If the response is (Y)es, all subsequent use of PCForm will include mouse services. Note: If PCForm does not detect the presence of an installed mouse driver, it cannot provide mouse support. Printer This menu item allows you to select the printer type used with PCForm. Save This menu item will save to disk the above setup default settings. Note: Any changes to the above Setup items are session only and are not permanent unless saved with this service. Help ---- This level 1 menu item provides on-line help in the use of the various services offered by PCForm. These help windows are the same as provided by pressing the <ALT> + <M> keys, except you are taken directly to the help topic selected. Pull Down Menu (cont.) Page 20 ____________________________________________________________ Help (cont.) ------------- Quick Keys This menu item provides a list of the keys used by PCForm and a brief description of what they do. Top Line This menu item provides a summary description of the Top Line services of PCForm. Management This menu item provides a summary description of the Form Management System. Control Line This menu item provides a summary description of the various Control Line features. Pages This menu item provides a summary description of the various paging functions. Block/Tab This menu item provides a summary description of the various Block (copy/cut/paste) and Tab functions. Drawing This menu item provides a summary description of the line drawing capabilities and functions of PCForm. Note: All of these topics are discussed in more detail in sections of this manual specific to the help topic. Pull Down Menu (cont.) Page 21 ____________________________________________________________ Exit ---- This level 1 menu item allows you to exit PCForm in either one of two ways. Exit PCF - <ALT> + <Q> Use this menu item to quit your current session of PCForm and return to DOS. Before leaving, you are asked if you would like to save any form presently under construction. DOS Shell This menu item allows you to temporarily exit PCForm returning you to the DOS prompt. From this position you are able to issue any needed DOS commands. When finished, type EXIT at the DOS prompt and press <ENTER>. You then will return to PCForm from where you left off. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Note: For this service to operate properly, PCForm must fine a copy of the system file COMMAND.COM or whatever command processor is in use. It should reside in the location specified by the environment variable COMSPEC which DOS estab- lishes when you start your computer. PCForm will warn you if it is unable to find COMMAND.COM. If this is the case, the DOS Shell service is ineffective. Please consult your DOS reference manual for specific information on the use of the environment variables COMSPEC and SHELL. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Control Line Page 22 ____________________________________________________________ The bottom line of the PCForm screen is occupied by the Control Line. This area provides the visual cues for activating various commands and line drawing features. To invoke a Command Line service hold the <ALT> key down and press the highlighted capital letter of the command word or place the mouse cursor over the command word and press the LEFT mouse button. The entire command word now becomes highlighted indicating the service is on. To deactivate the service repeat the same key strokes or mouse action. The following is a list of the Control Line commands and a description of the service each provides. Sgle - <ALT> + <S> The command provides a single line, horizontal or vertical, for use in line drawing. Pressing the right or left arrow key places a horizontal line at the present cursor location. Pressing the up or down arrow key places a vertical line at the present cursor location. Dble - <ALT> + <D> This command provides a double line, horizontal or vertical, for use in line drawing. Pressing the right or left arrow key places a horizontal line at the present cursor location. Pressing the up or down arrow key places a vertical line at the present cursor location. Char - <ALT> + <C> This command displays an ASCII character chart from which you select the character used for drawing. Use the arrow keys or roll the mouse to select the appropriate character and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. After your selection, pressing any one of the arrow keys places that character at the present cursor location. Control Line (cont.) Page 23 ____________________________________________________________ Again - <ALT> + <A> This command will reinstate for drawing the last character selected for the ASCII character chart. This feature allows you to switch between line and character drawing without having to select the same character each time. Line - <ALT> + <L> This command will draw a continuous horizontal or vertical line between two marked points. The character used for the line is selected with the Sgle, Dble or Char command. To mark your two line points move the text cursor or mouse cursor to the first position and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. A "+" will appear indicating the first marked position. Now move the text cursor or mouse cursor to the second position and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. A line of the type selected is drawn between these two points. Note: The direction in which the marking occurs does not matter as long as they are in the same horizontal or vertical axis. Box - <ALT> + This command will draw a box between any two diagonally opposing marked corners. The character used for the box perimeter is selected with the Sgle, Dble or Char command. To mark your two box points move the text cursor or mouse cursor to the first corner position and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. A "+" will appear indicating the first corner position. Now move the text cursor or mouse cursor to the second corner position and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. A box is drawn connecting these two diagonally opposite corners. Note: The direction in which the marking occurs does not matter as long as they are not in the same horizontal or vertical axis. Control Line (cont.) Page 24 ____________________________________________________________ Undo - <ALT> + This command will remove from your form any activity performed since the last Save or the last mark and draw. Using the Undo service immediately after a "Cut" operation will retore the edited portion of your form to the screen. Menu - <ALT> + <M> This command will display the Menu Line at the top of your screen. The menu is now ready for use. Title - <ALT> + <T> This command will display the Title Line at the top of your screen. Ruler - <ALT> + <R> This command will display the Ruler Line at the top of your screen. Help - <ALT> + <H> This command will display the help window allowing you to page through the various help topics. Note: You can reset all Command Line activity by pressing the <ALT> + <X> keys or by placing the mouse cursor over the letters ALT+, at the far left, and pressing the LEFT mouse button. This provides a convenient way for switching between line drawing and text entry. Line Drawing Page 25 ____________________________________________________________ Line drawing is essential for good form appearance. The whole item behind a form is to organize information. One of the best type of boundaries for this organization is the drawn line. PCForm tries to made computer line drawing as easy as possible, but as with most things in live, a little practice does help in making this a simple task. The main point to this manual section is to aid you in the line drawing process. If you have not read the section on the Control Line commands, you should do it at this time. All key and mouse commands needed for line drawing are discussed in that section. PCForm makes a valiant effort in calculating what line character is needed to join or cross another line. Because of the numerous possibilities and the time involved needed to perform these comparison, not all characters are placed by PCForm. It is felt that time is the most important goal and with proper form layout and design, a minimal of clear up is required. You are always given at least the line or box marked. The text cursor will change to a small box when any line drawing command is active. This gives you an instant visual indication of what mode you are in. Drawing Tips: Draw all perimeters of boxes first then add any divisional lines. Repetitive line drawing is best done by drawing the first line, loading it into the line buffer <CTRL> + <F8> and then placing the contents of the line buffer <CTRL> + <F7> at the next line location. Only draw with the arrow key for non-joining lines. Arrow key drawing is suspended while the <CAPS LOCK> is on. Double clicking the same cursor location while 'Char' and 'Line' are highlighted will place the selected character at that position. Editing Keys and Tab Page 26 ____________________________________________________________ PCForm is not a word processor but does employ a modest array of editing abilities common with most text entry. The following is a list of the keys used for editing and a des- cription of their function. <INSERT> or <INS> Pressing this key will toggle the insert mode. While insert is on, pressing a key will place that character at the present cursor location. All characters on the current line from the cursor position are pushed to the right to accommodate the new character. The shape of the cursor is taller while in insert mode. Note: The characters pushed off the right of your screen while inserting are not lost but stored in an extended line buffer. These stored characters will roll back on screen as deleted space becomes available. The extended line buffer only is available for one page at a time. Changing pages will clear the buffer removing any saved material. <DELETE> or <DEL> Pressing this key will delete the character at the present cursor location. All characters to the right of this location will move left one space filling the void created by the deletion. <F7> - Insert Line Pressing this key will insert a blank line at the current cursor line location. All subsequent lines will move down to accommodate the newly inserted line. Note: You cannot insert more lines than the length of your form page. PCForm will warn you if the page length limit is reached. The two line length PCForm supports are 63 and 75. This allows for a 1/4" margin top and bottom on an 11 and 14 inch page respectively. Editing Keys and Tab (cont.) Page 27 ____________________________________________________________ <F8> - Delete Line Pressing this key will remove the line at the current cursor line location. All subsequent lines will move up filling the space created by the deleted line. <CTRL> + <F7> - Place Line Buffer Pressing this key combination will place the contents of the line buffer at the current cursor line location overwriting the old line. <CTRL> + <F8> - Load Line Buffer Pressing this key combination will save the contents of the line at the current cursor line location to a storage buffer for later retrieval and placement. The present line remains unchanged. <CTRL> + <F5> - Insert Column Pressing this key combination will insert an entire blank column. All characters on and to the right of the column are pushed right to accommodate the new space. <CTRL> + <F6> - Delete Column Pressing this key combination will delete an entire column. All characters in the column are deleted. All characters to the right of this column will move left one space filling the void created by the deletion. Note: When inserting or deleting a column, you have the option of marking your column positions. If you respond (N)o, the column adjustment begins at the current cursor location and continues to the end of your form page. If you respond (Y)es, place the cursor at the first position and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. Now move the cursor to the second position and press <ENTER> or the LEFT mouse button. Column adjustment will take place only between these two marked points. Editing Keys and Tab (cont.) Page 28 ____________________________________________________________ <TAB> Pressing the <TAB> key moves the cursor left to the next tab stop. The default tab setting is eight making its stops 8, 16, 24, 32 . . . and so on. If a tab stop is beyond the line limit, the cursor wraps to the next line stopping at the first column. <SHIFT> + <TAB> You can change the tab spacing by placing the cursor in the appropriate column and pressing the key combination <SHIFT> + <TAB>. If the cursor is in column 12 when this occurs, the new tab stops are 12, 24, 36, 48 . . . and so on. Note: The above two standard tab features are not available while "Auto-Tab" services are active. Keyboard ASCII Characters Like DOS, PCForm can display ASCII characters using your keyboard. Holding down the <ALT> key while typing the ASCII code, using the numeric key pad, produces the character at the present cursor location. Screen Blanker Page 29 ____________________________________________________________ PCForm is equipped with its own key activated screen blanking function. This blanking service is not hardware dependent and should work on any monitor supported by PCForm. The screen blanker merely places a black window over the entire screen. The contents of the previous screen are saved for later retrieval. The following key combination activates the screen blanking service. <CTRL> + <F10> (While holding down the <CTRL> key press the <F10> key) Once this service is active, pressing any key will restore the previous screen allowing you to continue your work. Mouse Operations Page 30 ____________________________________________________________ A main design feature of PCForm is its integrated use of the mouse services available to your computer. Using any type of pointing device makes software interaction must easier. To take advantage of these services you need a mouse connected to your computer and its software driver installed. If these two conditions are met, PCForm will attempt to provide you with mouse support. PCForm was tested using both Microsoft and Mouse Systems drivers. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Note: An aggressive effort was made to make PCForm compat- ible with as many mouse devices and drivers as possible. If you have informed PCForm of your intent to use a mouse, through the Setup facilities (see Pull Down Menu), and your mouse still does not work, then we are truly sorry. PCForm can only query DOS (Interrupt 33H) about the status of your mouse. It is the responsibility of your mouse software to work hand in hand with DOS to provide the needed mouse information. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ All commands and selections within PCForm can be achieved with mouse movement and/or buttons. The only key action required is the entry of specific text. The following is a description of the various mouse operations offered. <ENTER> or <ESC> Key Prompt Your mouse buttons will supply the necessary response to these key prompts. LEFT button = <ENTER> RIGHT Button = <ESC> Arrow Key Prompts (up, down, right, left) Any mouse movement will have the same effect as any directional arrow key prompt. Mouse Operations (cont.) Page 31 ____________________________________________________________ Text Cursor Movement Placing the mouse cursor anywhere on the Form Screen and pressing its LEFT button will move the text cursor to that location. Scrolling Up or Down Placing the mouse cursor on one of the Marker Column arrows and pressing the LEFT button will scroll your form in that direction. Top or Bottom of Form Placing the mouse cursor on one of the Marker Column arrows and pressing the RIGHT button will take you to the top or bottom of your form. Paging Up or Down Placing the mouse cursor in the Marker Column above or below the Marker Column Indicator and pressing the LEFT button will move your form up or down one screen page (23 lines). Mouse Cursor Coordinates Pressing the RIGHT mouse button anytime during form creation or fill-in toggles the display for the mouse cursor coordinates in the Position Window at the lower right of your screen. Printer Use Page 32 ____________________________________________________________ The design of PCForm makes it as generic as possible to most printers. The fundamental standard for computer character interaction is the ASCII standard (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). PCForm saves and prints all form designs in ASCII format. PCForm is designed to produce professional looking forms and it is necessary to use the ASCII graphics characters avail- able to your computer to accomplish this. The front cover of this manual was developed using PCForm. If your printer reproduces this page correctly, it is likely your printer will perform properly with this program. You have the option of directing printing through any one of three printer ports (LPT1, LPT2, LPT3). Printer port #1 is the most common standard and the default for PCForm. If your printer requires a different port, you can use the Make/Set LPT option from the Pull Down Menu to change printer ports. All printing within PCForm is done from internal buffers. You need to Load your form first before any printing is done. Once a form is loaded use the Make/Print option from the Pull Down Menu to print your form. Because PCForm saves all forms in ASCII format, the printing of your forms also is possible from the DOS command line. This is an example of what this command line looks like. COPY [form name] PRN <ENTER> Replace "[form name]" with the appropriate file name and extension (eg. TIMECARD.FRM). To avoid any problems be sure your printer is on before issuing any printing commands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Note: PCForm was tested in both IBM and Epson (graphic) modes. It must be noted, however, that the default setting for most Edson printers is the Italic Char- acter Set which does not provide graphics characters. Use the menu option 'Setup/Printer' to select an Epson printing mode or please consult your printer manual for information on selecting the Epson Graphics Character Set. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PCForm and Windows 3.0 Page 33 ____________________________________________________________ PCForm works quite well as a "Non-Windows Application" from within the Windows 3.0 environment. It must be noted that PCForm is not a "Windows Application", but a separate .EXE file that can be started and used from within Windows. The following two files, supplied with PCForm, provide Windows with information it needs on the location of PCForm within your system, its operating parameters, and the Icon to use for PCForm. PCFORM.PIF (Program Information File) PCFORM.ICO (PCForm Icon) You need to copy both of these files to the Directory where your Windows program is located. The following is an example of what this DOS command line might look like. COPY PCFORM.PIF C:\WINDOWS COPY PCFORM.ICO C:\WINDOWS Please note that you may need to change the Drive and Directory information (C:\WINDOWS) to the location you have established on your computer for Windows 3.0. PCForm must be installed on you computer before proceeding with the following installation steps. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Note: The following two installation steps are accomplished from within the Windows environment. This text is not meant to be a tutorial but merely outlines the procedures required to install a working application for Windows. A general working knowledge of the Windows environment is helpful in the installation process. Please consult your Windows User's Guide for any specific information or commands you do not understand. Both of these steps are performed from the Windows' "Program Manager" and all words in quotes (" ") are as they appear in Windows 3.0. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PCForm and Windows 3.0 (cont.) Page 34 ____________________________________________________________ Establishing PCForm as a "Non-Windows Application" --------------------------------------- Start Windows 3.0 From the "Program Manager" window * Click on the "Non-Windows Application" icon * Pull-Down "File" from the "Program Manager" menu bar * Click "New" * From the "New Program Object" dialog box - Select "Program Item" - Click "OK" * From the "Program Item Properties" dialog box - For "Description" type --> PCForm - Press <TAB> - For "Command Line" type --> PCFORM.EXE - Highlight and Click "Change Icon" - From the "Select Icon" dialog box + For "File Name" type --> PCFORM.ICO + Click "OK" - Click "OK" This completes the first step in the installation of PCForm. PCForm and Windows 3.0 (cont.) Page 35 ____________________________________________________________ Changing the Program Information File (PCFORM.PIF) -------------------------------------------------- The only information you may need to change in the PIF file is the location on your computer where you have installed PCForm. The rest of the information in this file is established based on the operational requirements of PCForm and Windows and should not be changed. The default settings in the dialog boxes for the PCFORM.PIF file supplied are as follows: 1) "Program Filename:" --> C:\PCFORM\PCFORM.EXE 2) "Window Title:" --> PCForm 3) "Optional Parameters:" --> WIN 4) "Start-up Directory:" --> \PCFORM Items 1 and 4 may need changing based upon the Drive and Directory location of PCForm on your computer. If this is the case, then the following steps are used to edit the PCFORM.PIF file. From the "Program Manger" window * Click on the "Accessories" window * Select and Click the "PIF Editor" Icon - Pull-down "File" from the "PIF Editor" menu bar + Click "Open" + From the "Files" selection box select PCFORM.PIF Change the following two dialog boxes 1) "Program Filename:" --> type proper location and \PCFORM.EXE (example: C:\PCFORM\PCFORM.EXE) <TAB> <TAB> <TAB> 4) "Start-up Directory:" --> type proper location (example: C:\PCFORM) PCForm and Windows 3.0 (cont.) Page 36 ____________________________________________________________ Changing the Program Information File (cont.) ---------------------------------------------- - Pull-down "File" from the "PIF Editor" menu bar + Click "Save" - Pull-down "File" from the "PIF Editor" menu bar + Click "Exit" This concludes the steps necessary to install PCForm as a "Non-Windows Application" for Windows 3.0. Starting PCForm from within Windows 3.0 --------------------------------------- From the "Program Manager" window * Click on the "Non-Windows Application" window - Select and Click the "PCForm" Icon PCForm will start directly from its form screen bypassing the Title page. To return to Windows exit PCForm as you would normally. Pull-down the 'Exit' command from the menu bar and select 'Exit PCF' or press keys <ALT> + <Q>. Appendix A: Key Chart Page 37 ____________________________________________________________ The following chart provides a quick reference for the keys used by PCForm. Detailed descriptions of these key functions are discussed elsewhere throughout this manual. ------------------------------------------------------------ Normal <F1> - Go to page #1 <F2> - Go to page #2 <F3> - Go to page #3 <F4> - Go to page #4 <F5> - Clear page <F6> - Change page size <F7> - Insert line <F8> - Delete line <F9> - Toggle top line <F10> - View help pages <INS> - Insert character <DEL> - Delete character <HOME> - Start of line <END> - End of line <PGUP> - Up one screen <PGDN> - Down one screen <CTRL> + <F5> - Insert column <F6> - Delete column <F7> - Place line buffer <F8> - Load line buffer <F9> - Load Auto-Tab file <F10> - Blank Screen <PGUP> - Top of form <PGDN> - Bottom of form <HOME> - Top of screen <END> - Bottom of screen < -> > - Far left screen < <- > - Far right screen <ALT> + <S> - Draw w/single line <D> - Draw w/double line <C> - Draw with character <A> - Use previous <ALT>+<C> <L> - Draw marked line - Draw marked box - Undo last draw/edit <M> - Display Menu Line <T> - Display Title Line <R> - Display Ruler Line <H> - View help pages <Q> - Quit PCForm <X> - Reset control line ------------------------------------------------------------ Appendix B: Registration Information and Form Page 38 ____________________________________________________________ Registration of PCForm grants a user the license to use this product on a single computer. A registered user may use PCForm on a different computer, but may not use it on more than one computer at the same time. Registrants for the disk version of PCForm ($30.00) also receive the following items on disk. o Latest version of PCForm o FFU.EXE - A small (7623 bytes) and very fast find-a-file utility; will find any file anywhere on a disk and return its location. (versatile and very handy) All registered users of PCForm will receive prompt and courteous support from CareWare. Notification of upgrades, when available, is provided. There is no additional reg- istration fee for any upgrades you may obtain. A nominal disk duplicating and mailing fee of $5.00 (U.S.) must be charged if you acquire your upgrade from CareWare. Product information and support line: (916) 477-6024 Discounts for multiple registrations are available. The cost per copy is figured on the base price for PCForm ($25.00). Two disks are provided with more avialable upon request ($3.00 each less applicable discount). Use the following chart when figuring total cost for registration. # Copies -- 5-9 10-25 26-50 51-75 76-99 100+ Discount -- 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% Customized versions of PCForm for specific needs also are available from CareWare. Please contact us regarding feasibility and cost for implementation. Please use the registration form supplied. It contains information we need to provide the support you deserve. PCForm Version 2.0 Software Registration Form ____________________________________________________________ CareWare 10217 Ridge View Dr. Grass Valley, CA 95945 Date: _____________ Count Description Amount Total ----- ----------- ------ ----- _____ PCForm registration only $25.00 ea $ _______ _____ PCForm registration and latest $30.00 ea $ _______ version on disk (includes Find File Utility) Disk size: ( ) 5 1/4" (360K) ( ) 3 1/2" (720K) Please add $4.00 for disk shipping outside of U.S. $ _______ Total submitted $ _______ Name: ______________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Phone: _____________________________________________ Where did you find PCForm? _________________________ ____________________________________________________ Comments: __________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Please make payable to the author - R. J. Crouch ORDERS OUTSIDE OF THE U.S. - Please send international money orders in U.S. dollars. Thank you for registering PCForm.