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▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ╓──┐ TM ╙──╖┌╥┐╥╖ ╓─╖╥─╖╥─┐ ║ ║ ╟╨╖║ ║╟─╢╟┤ └──╜ ╨ ╨ ╨╙─╜╨─╜╨─┘ Cursor Enhancement Software ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ User's Guide ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ █ /Bn - Cursor bli█ █ /C - High contr█ █ /D - Display cu█ █ /I - Don't use █ █ /R - Restore st█ █ /S - Display Sh█ █ /U - Uninstall █ █ /? - Display th█ █ █ █ █ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Version 1.0 Copyright (C) 1991 KJL Software All Rights Reserved ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ NOTICE The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. KJL Software makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. KJL Software shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material. Copyright ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Strobe is Copyright (C) 1991 KJL Software. All rights reserved. This document is Copyright (C) 1991 KJL Software. All rights reserved. Trademarks ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Strobe is a trademark of KJL Software. All brand and product names referenced within this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ TABLE OF CONTENTS LIMITED LICENSE AGREEMENT Registration Information ...................................... ii Site Licenses ................................................ iii NETWORK USERS ............................................ iii Special Requests .............................................. iv What is Shareware? ............................................ iv How to Contact the Author ..................................... iv LIMITED DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT .................................... vi WARRANTY DISCLAIMER .............................................. vii ABOUT THIS MANUAL The README File ............................................. viii Symbols and Conventions ..................................... viii INTRODUCTION About Strobe .................................................. ix How it Works .................................................. ix CHAPTER 1, GETTING STARTED What You Need .................................................. 1 Included Files ................................................. 1 Installing Strobe .............................................. 2 Modifying the AUTOEXEC.BAT File ................................ 3 Loading Strobe ................................................. 4 Software Conflicts ............................................. 4 Resolving Conflicts ........................................ 5 Uninstalling Strobe ............................................ 5 CHAPTER 2, OVERVIEW Cursor Attribute ............................................... 7 Blink Rate ..................................................... 8 High Contrast Cursor ........................................... 8 Display Settings ............................................... 9 High Intensity Background Colors ............................... 9 Restore Standard Cursor ....................................... 10 Display Shareware Information ................................. 10 Uninstall ..................................................... 10 Help Screen ................................................... 10 APPENDIX A, COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS .................................. 11 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Strobe User's Guide i APPENDIX B, ERROR MESSAGES ........................................ 13 INDEX ............................................................. 15 REGISTRATION FORM ................................................. 16 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Strobe User's Guide ii ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ LIMITED LICENSE AGREEMENT Strobe is provided at no charge for evaluation purposes only. It is a copyrighted program and is neither free nor public domain software. KJL Software hereby grants you a limited license to use this software for evaluation purposes only for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days. If you intend to continue using this software and/or its documentation after the 30-day evaluation period, you MUST make a registration payment to KJL Software. Using this software after the evaluation period has ended without registering is a violation of the terms of this limited license. Registration Information ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── You may register Strobe using the form found at the end of this manual (or in the file REGISTER.FRM). Payment of the $15 registration fee licenses one copy of the software for use on one computer. Additional sites, or additional computers including those on a network, must be licensed separately unless a site license is ordered. Company purchase order are also accepted. As a registered user of Strobe, you will receive: 1. The registered version of the software which omits all registration reminders, and therefore uses less memory. 2. The most current version of the program. We are always improving our products, and registration ensures that you have the very latest version. 3. Shareware versions of our products absolutely free. 4. Notification of significant upgrades to Strobe. 5. Low-cost upgrades to the latest version of Strobe (typically 20-30% of the registration cost) 6. Special offers on other products from KJL Software. 7. Free technical support. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Strobe User's Guide iii Site Licenses ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── If you require multiple copies of Strobe for use within your organization, you must either register each copy or buy a site license which allows you to make a set number of copies. To order a site license, you can use the agreement located in the file SITELICN.DOC or you may provide your own for our evaluation. NETWORK USERS If you will be installing Strobe on a network, each machine which has access to Strobe must have a license to use the software. So if you have 25 machines networked together and all will be able to use Strobe, then either 25 separate copies (at $15 each) must be registered or a site license for ($14 x 25 users = $350) must be obtained. Use the following table and estimate the number of copies of the program you will require. Additional copies can be added at any time based on the number licensed thus far. ┌────────────────────────┬─────────────────┐ │ Number of copies │ Price per copy │ ╞════════════════════════╪═════════════════╡ │ 1 │ $15 │ │ 2 to 10 │ 15 │ │ 11 to 25 │ 14 │ │ 26 to 50 │ 13 │ │ 51 to 75 │ 12 │ │ 76 to 100 │ 11 │ │ 101 to 125 │ 10 │ │ │ │ │ Unlimited at one site │ $1500 │ │ Additional sites │ 750 per site │ └────────────────────────┴─────────────────┘ Note that for each site, only one set of materials will be provided. A contact within your organization will be provided with a serial number, the registered version of Strobe, and two years of free upgrades. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Strobe User's Guide iv Special Requests ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Special requirements such as customized versions of Strobe or inclusion with hardware products should be submitted in writing to KJL Software. What is Shareware? ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Shareware is a marketing scheme based on the concept whereby people can have a legal but limited trial period to evaluate software before they purchase. During this period you can try the program on your own equipment to see if it suits your needs. If you continue using the program after this period, you must pay for it. Please understand that a Shareware program requires just as much effort to produce as a program you buy off the shelf, so please help keep the concept alive by registering the quality software you use. How to Contact the Author ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The most efficient way to contact the author is through the Compuserve Information Service. Type GO IBMSYS or GO IBMHW at the main menu for the IBM Sys/Utilities or IBM Hardware forums, respectively, and post a message or send a private Compuserve Mail message to the following ID: 71570,1012 If you do not have a Compuserve account or would prefer to write a letter, send it to: KJL Software 2970 Mira Place Burnaby, B.C. V3J 1B6 Canada When requesting support, the following information may be helpful in resolving the problem: ■ Program version number (see disk label or program screens) ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Strobe User's Guide v ■ Computer make, model, and amount of available memory (use the CHKDSK command to determine the amount of free memory) ■ Operating system and version number (type VER at the DOS prompt) ■ Contents of your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files ■ List of any other programs loaded, in order loaded Unregistered users of Strobe will have their questions answered but priority will be given to registered users. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Strobe User's Guide vi ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ LIMITED DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT Please note that the Strobe package is defined as a complete collection of all the files listed in the PACKLIST.DOC file. If any of the files listed in the file are missing, or the PACKLIST.DOC file itself is missing, then the package is not complete and distribution is forbidden. Please contact us if you would like to obtain a complete package suitable for distribution at nominal cost. KJL Software encourages you to freely copy and distribute the UNREGISTERED version of Strobe subject to the following restrictions: 1. The package, as outlined above, CANNOT be modified in any way and must be distributed as a complete package, without exception. 2. No programs or files can be included which modify or describe how to modify any files in the package, for example to by-pass the Shareware notices or delays. 3. You may charge a distribution fee for the package, not to exceed $10 US, but you must not represent in any way that the fee is for the purchase of the software itself. 4. KJL Software reserves the right to withdraw permission from any vendor to distribute our products at any time and for any reason. All rights not expressly granted here are reserved by KJL Software. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Strobe User's Guide vii ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ WARRANTY DISCLAIMER THIS PRODUCT IS LICENSED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. KJL SOFTWARE DOES NOT ASSUME ANY LIABILITY FOR THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE BEYOND THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE PRICE OF THIS SOFTWARE. IN NO EVENT WILL KJL SOFTWARE BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS, OR ANY OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES) ARISING FROM THE USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS SOFTWARE AND ITS ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF KJL SOFTWARE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Strobe User's Guide viii ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ABOUT THIS MANUAL The README File ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Please examine and/or print the file README included with the Strobe package first, it contains important information regarding the program. Symbols and Conventions ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The symbols used throughout this manual have the following meanings: ■ Square bullets indicate lists of items. <Brackets> indicate keystrokes, for example <Esc>, <Enter>, or <K>. ALL CAPITALS indicate names of files. When you type the names, you can use any combination of upper and lower case. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── About This Manual ix ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ INTRODUCTION This section describes the features and benefits of Strobe, the cursor enhancement program. About Strobe ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Strobe is a memory-resident program which converts the standard blinking cursor to an inverted block which is much easier to see, especially on laptop displays. The following is a partial list if its features: ■ Change cursor blink rate to anything between non-blinking and extremely fast. ■ Cursor can be set to any color, including attributes with high intensity backgrounds. ■ High contrast option for a truly visible cursor. ■ Strobe is compatible with Lotus 1-2-3. ■ Strobe can be deactivated at any time for compatibility with all application programs. ■ Strobe can be removed from memory at any time. ■ Uses only 1.5K bytes of memory when resident. ■ Works with all 100% IBM-compatible computers. ■ Supports Monochrome, CGA, Hercules, EGA, MCGA, and VGA video adapters operating in text-mode. How it Works ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The blinking cursor in text modes is generated by the video adapter hardware and the blink rate and attributes of it cannot be readily changed. Strobe replaces this hardware cursor entirely with a software version that can be modified to make it very easy to see. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Introduction x Laptop owners have long struggled with the tiny cursor available on most machines. This cursor tends to turn nearly invisible due to the low-contrast and slow refresh rate of LCD displays. With Strobe installed, the cursor blink rate can be adjusted to better match the display. Strobe is not of course limited to use with laptop computers, anyone who has every thought to themselves, "wouldn't it be nice if I could change the blink rate of that cursor" is a possible user of this software. Also, if you find the incessant blinking of the cursor to be annoying, Strobe can replace it with a soothing block cursor that doesn't blink. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Introduction xi CHAPTER 1 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ GETTING STARTED This chapter will allow you to get Strobe set-up on your system and operating as quickly as possible, you will learn: ■ The equipment necessary to run Strobe ■ How to install and load Strobe ■ Compatibility with other software If you are an experienced user, please feel free to skip to the section "Loading Strobe" on page 4. What You Need ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── To use Strobe, you must have the following: ■ A 100% IBM-compatible computer ■ PC-DOS or MS-DOS, operating system, version 2.0 or later ■ A minimum of 1.5K bytes of available RAM ■ A 3.5 or 5.25-inch floppy disk drive Included Files ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The Strobe software package consists of the following files: README Important information about Strobe INTRO .BAT Introduction, installation, and file printing STROBE .COM The Strobe program PRINTEXT.COM Document printing utility BBS .DOC Distribution of Strobe on a BBS LICENSE .DOC License agreement STROBE .DOC Strobe User's Manual PACKLIST.DOC This list of files PRODUCTS.DOC List of other products available from KJL Software SITELICN.DOC Site license information and agreement VENDOR .DOC Distribution of Strobe by a disk vendor SCRSHOW .EXE Window display utility for INTRO.BAT REGISTER.FRM Registration form INTRO .SCN Windows for INTRO.BAT 14 Files ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Chapter 1, Getting Started 1 Be sure that all of these files are included with your Strobe package. If files are missing, you can contact KJL Software to obtain the full package for a nominal charge. Installing Strobe ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The Strobe program can be installed on a hard-drive or diskette using a few simple DOS commands as outlined below. If you are installing Strobe on a floppy disk and do not have a hard drive on your system, it is recommended that you install Strobe on the DOS boot disk that you use to start-up the computer. Follow these steps to install Strobe on a floppy diskette: 1. Insert the Strobe distribution diskette into your computer's diskette drive. This installation procedure will assume that drive A: contains the Strobe distribution diskette and that drive B: is the destination drive where the files will be installed. 2. Type the following command to copy the files from the distribution disk. COPY A:*.* B: and press <Enter> If your system is equipped with one drive, you will be prompted to swap diskettes several times (you may wish to use XCOPY instead to reduce the amount of swapping required). █▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█ █ HINT █ █ █ █ If you are short of space on your boot diskette, you only require █ █ the following file to run Strobe: █ █ █ █ STROBE.COM █ █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█ ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Chapter 1, Getting Started 2 Follow these steps to install Strobe on a hard-drive: 1. Insert the Strobe diskette into your computer's diskette drive. 2. Log onto the hard-disk drive, for example if it is drive C: then type: C: and press <Enter> 3. Create a new directory for the Strobe distribution files by entering the following command: MD \STROBE and press <Enter> 4. Change to the newly created directory by typing: CD \STROBE and press <Enter> 5. Copy the files from the distribution disk to the new directory: COPY A:*.* and press <Enter> Modifying the AUTOEXEC.BAT File ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The AUTOEXEC.BAT file is a special file that is automatically executed by the operating system every time the computer is started or re- booted. By adding one line to this file, Strobe can be loaded automatically each time you turn on the computer. The following steps will modify the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: 1. First, let's make a back-up of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file as a precaution as follows: COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT AUTOEXEC.OLD and press <Enter> 2. Load your AUTOEXEC.BAT file into a text editor (or a word processor capable of saving ASCII files). ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Chapter 1, Getting Started 3 3. Add the following line to the file, preferably at the end: STROBE Numerous options can be included after the program name, but we will defer their discussion until Chapter 3. 4. Save the file to disk. If you are using a word processor, remember to select the "Save as ASCII" option to prevent formatting codes from being saved to the file. 5. Now, every time the computer is started or re-booted, Strobe will be automatically loaded into memory. Loading Strobe ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── After you have installed Strobe, you must still load it into memory since the installation procedure merely copies the files to your working disk drive. If you have re-booted your computer after changed the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, then just read the following section. To load Strobe into memory, do the following: 1. Type STROBE and press <Enter> The Strobe installation screen will appear showing the program version number, copyright notice, and a list of command-line entries. The Shareware version of Strobe will also display a registration reminder. Finally, the message "Strobe installed" tells you that the program is running and the cursor should have changed to a large non-blinking rectangle. █▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█ █ NOTE █ █ █ █ Strobe will not change the cursor in graphics programs. █ █ █ █ It can remain in memory when running a graphics program, but the █ █ cursor will not be modified. When you return to a text mode, █ █ however, Strobe will be waiting. █ █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█ ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Chapter 1, Getting Started 4 Software Conflicts ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── If you have other memory-resident programs on your system, such as mouse drivers or print spoolers, please load them before Strobe. This will allow Strobe to be uninstalled easily and may prevent possible conflicts with these other memory-resident programs. Many programs access the video adapter directly to improve performance, when these programs write to the screen, Strobe is usually able to detect the action. However, when the program reads directly from the screen, such as to display a pop-up window, Strobe has no way of detecting this so the cursor will also be read from the screen. When the screen under the window is restored, Strobe may inadvertently hide the cursor or leave a cursor remnant on the screen. This is not as terrible as it sounds since the next time the cursor is moved or the screen scrolled, Strobe will instantly restore the cursor. The cursor may disappear at times after returning to the DOS command- line from a program. This occasionally happens even without Strobe installed, the solution is to simply reset the display with the command: MODE CO80 or MODE BW80 or MODE MONO depending on the video adapter installed. █▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█ █ NOTE █ █ █ █ You may wish to turn Strobe off when running communications █ █ programs to prevent the loss of transmitted characters. Please █ █ refer to the command-line switch /R in Chapter 2. █ █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█ Resolving Conflicts If you should discover a conflict after Strobe is loaded, the order in which your memory-resident programs are loaded into memory may be a contributing factor. It is therefore important to remove all memory- resident programs from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file (by placing a REM statement before each line) and add them one at a time until the conflicting programs are discovered. Uninstalling Strobe ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Chapter 1, Getting Started 5 If you need to reclaim the memory used by Strobe, the program can be easily removed from memory. The following procedure is used to remove Strobe from memory: 1. Change to the directory containing STROBE.COM 2. Type STROBE /U and press <Enter> 3. The message, "Strobe uninstalled successfully" should be displayed. █▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█ █ NOTE █ █ █ █ Strobe can be removed from memory only if it is the last installed █ █ program. So if you loaded another memory-resident program after █ █ Strobe, it must be uninstalled first. █ █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█ ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Chapter 1, Getting Started 6 CHAPTER 2 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ OVERVIEW This chapter describes the options available for Strobe and how each is used. You will be able to tailor Strobe to your own preferences and hardware. Cursor Attribute ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── For most application programs the inverse cursor is probably the easiest to see since it changes to suit whatever color is on the screen. However, you may prefer to have the cursor set to a specific color (or attribute) and not change. For example, you might want a cursor with a bright yellow background. To set the attribute, even after Strobe has been loaded into memory, you can use a command with the following format: STROBE /A [BRIGHT] foreground [ON [BRIGHT] background] Don't worry, it looks more complicated than it really is, the "/A" is called a command-line switch and it selects a Strobe command, Change Attribute in this case. After the switch you will see the word BRIGHT in square brackets which means that is optional and can be used to select a bright color. Next, the foreground color (the color of the character at the cursor) is specified in English and selected from the following list: Black Blue Green Cyan Red Magenta Yellow White You can optionally specify the background color for the cursor (the color behind the character) using the same format as for the foreground color. Here are a few examples: 1. STROBE /A BLACK ON BRIGHT YELLOW This would set a very visible cursor on color displays with a bright yellow background. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Chapter 2, Overview 7 2. Strobe /A on red Change the background color of the current cursor to red, without changing the foreground color. 3. strobe /a BRIGHT White Change the foreground color of the current cursor to bright white, without changing the background color. After you select a cursor color you may want to restore the inverting cursor, this is done by using the following command: STROBE /A OFF Blink Rate ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The ability to change the rate at which the cursor blinks is one Strobe's finest features. The rate can be set to zero so that the cursor will not blink at all or one of ten faster blink rates, roughly ranging from 1 to 20 blinks-per-second. The blink rate is specified with the command switch /B followed by the rate in the range 0 to 10, as show below: STROBE /B 0 or STROBE /b 7 or STROBE /B10, etc. High Contrast Cursor ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── You may also want an even bolder cursor than just inverting the current color. The high contrast option uses bright backgrounds to make the cursor stand-out even more from the other characters on the screen. Here are some examples: 1. STROBE /C ON Turns the high contrast option on. 2. STROBE /C This is the same as in the previous example, since the ON is assumed. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Chapter 2, Overview 8 3. STROBE /C OFF Turns the high contrast option off. Display Settings ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── With all these options to keep track of, this command will display the settings of all of Strobe's options. Just type the following at the command line: STROBE /D and press <Enter> High Intensity Background Colors ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── If you have done any programming using colors in text modes, you may have noticed that 16 colors are available for the foreground color but only 8 for the background plus 8 with the character blinking. By accessing the video adapter directly it is possible to obtain 16 background colors. However, a problem arises from the fact that you cannot have both blinking attributes and 16 background colors, only one can be selected at a time. If for some reason you would prefer to have blinking characters displayed within programs instead of 16 background colors, the /I command will turn the high intensity mode off. By default, this command is OFF, so that high intensity background colors are used. Here are some examples: 1. STROBE /I ON Don't use high intensity background attributes option on. 2. STROBE /I OFF Use high intensity background attributes Please note that there is no reason other than aesthetics to avoid using high intensity background colors. If a program tries to use blinking characters they will just be displayed on the screen with bright backgrounds, the results may sometimes be ugly but does not cause any compatibility problems. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Chapter 2, Overview 9 Restore Standard Cursor ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── For compatibility with some software, you may wish to restore the standard hardware cursor. The /R option does exactly that and is used as follows: STROBE /R ON The standard cursor would be restored. Please note that Strobe remains in memory when this command is used, if you want to reclaim the memory used by Strobe the /U option as discussed later should be used instead. Display Shareware Information ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── This command displays a notice for the Shareware version of Strobe about registering the program. The command line switch is /S and it takes no further parameters. Uninstall ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The /U option is used to remove Strobe from memory. If Strobe will not function with a certain program, you can remove Strobe from memory, run the program, then reload Strobe. Note that for Strobe to be uninstalled, it must be the last installed memory-resident program. Help Screen ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The /? option displays an information screen listing all of the available command-line options just discussed. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Chapter 2, Overview 10 APPENDIX A ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS This section provides an overview of the command-line options available when you initially load Strobe and after it is resident in memory. The command-line format is: STROBE [/switches] Command-line Switches: /? Displays a help screen showing all of the available command line options. /An Selects an optional cursor attribute. The format of n is as follows: [[BRIGHT] foregrd [ON [BRIGHT] backgrd] | OFF] Choices for foregrd and backgrd are: Black, Blue, Green, Cyan, Red, Magenta, Yellow, or White Use /A OFF to restore inverting cursor. /Bn Set the cursor blink rate, acceptable values are decimal values between 0 and 10. A blink rate of zero is a non-blinking cursor. /C [ON | OFF] Turns on or off the high contrast (extra bright) cursor. /D Displays the current Strobe settings. /I [ON | OFF] Don't use high intensity background colors option on or off. /R [ON | OFF] Restore standard hardware cursor on or off. Strobe remains in memory, however. /S Display a Shareware notice. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Appendix A, Command-line Options 11 /U Uninstalls Strobe from memory. The switches can be used in any combination and the switch character itself does not have to be capitalized. Also, note that switches that allow ON/OFF selection default to ON if neither ON nor OFF is specified. Here are some sample command-line entries: STROBE /B 7 Sets the blink rate to 7 (on a scale of 0 to 10). strobe /a bright white on red Forces the cursor to remain as a bright white on red color. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Appendix A, Command-line Options 12 APPENDIX B ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ERROR MESSAGES This section details the possible error messages you may encounter while using this program. ■ Can't uninstall, not last program Strobe couldn't be removed from memory with the /U command line option because other programs were loaded after it. Programs can only be unloaded in the reverse order that they were loaded. Strobe also cannot be uninstalled from a DOS shell or application program. ■ Invalid command-line option specified You have entered a command which is not recognized by Strobe. Refer to the COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS section of the manual for proper syntax. ■ Memory allocation error This is a critical error, please re-start your system and try installed Strobe again. ■ Strobe already installed Strobe is already installed as a memory-resident program. Only one copy can be resident at a time. ■ Strobe not installed The /U command-line option cannot be used until Strobe is installed in memory. ■ Not enough memory to install Strobe There is insufficient memory left over to install Strobe as a memory-resident program. You need at least 1.5K bytes of available RAM to install Strobe. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Appendix B, Error Messages 13 ■ This program needs DOS 2.0 or later You have tried to install Strobe while running an incompatible or outdated operating system. ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Appendix B, Error Messages 14 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ INDEX /? 11 Settings 9 /A 11 Shareware iv /B 11 Shareware version 4 /C 11 Site license ii, iii /D 11 SITELICN.DOC iii /I 11 Special requirements iv /R 11 Support iv /S 11 Switches 11 /U 12 Symbols viii Attribute 7 Technical support ii AUTOEXEC.BAT v, 3, 5 Uninstall failure 13 Background colors 9 Uninstalling 5, 10 Blinking attributes 9 Upgrades ii Color 7 Version number iv Command-line 13 Warranty disclaimer vii Command-line options 11 What You Need 1 Compuserve iv Conflicts 4 Contacting the author iv Contrast 8 Distribution vi fee vi restrictions vi Error messages 13 Evaluation ii Graphics 4 Installation 2 floppy disk 2 hard-drive 3 Installation screen 4 Insufficient memory 13 Inverting cursor 8 Loading 4 Mailing address iv Memory-resident programs 4, 5 Operating system 1 Package vi PACKLIST.DOC vi README viii Registration fee ii Registration form 16 Removing from memory 5, 10 Required equipment 1 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Index 15 STROBE 1.0 REGISTRATION FORM ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Send to: KJL Software 2970 Mira Place Burnaby, B.C. V3J 1B6 Canada Strobe Registered Version Qty ____ @ $15 $_________ Strobe Site License Qty ____ @ $________ ea. $_________ British Columbia residents add 6% sales tax $_________ Shipping and handling USA/Canada: $4 All other countries: $10 $_________ TOTAL $_________ Note: All payments must be in U.S. funds, drawn on a U.S. bank Payment method: ( ) Check/money order ( ) PO # ____________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Name Last First Middle Initial ______________________________________________________________________ Title Company Name ______________________________________________________________________ Street Address ______________________________________________________________________ City State/Province ______________________________________________________________________ ZIP/Postal Code Country [ ] 5.25", 360K diskette requested (3.5", 720K diskette is standard) Where did you get your copy of Strobe? _______________________________ Please write any comments, suggestions, or bug reports on the back of this form or on a separate sheet of paper. [FORM: SB10-0991-RF] STROBE 1.0 REGISTRATION FORM ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Send to: KJL Software 2970 Mira Place Burnaby, B.C. V3J 1B6 Canada Strobe Registered Version Qty ____ @ $15 $_________ Strobe Site License Qty ____ @ $________ ea. $_________ British Columbia residents add 6% sales tax $_________ Shipping and handling USA/Canada: $4 All other countries: $10 $_________ TOTAL $_________ Note: All payments must be in U.S. funds, drawn on a U.S. bank Payment method: ( ) Check/money order ( ) PO # ____________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Name Last First Middle Initial ______________________________________________________________________ Title Company Name ______________________________________________________________________ Street Address ______________________________________________________________________ City State/Province ______________________________________________________________________ ZIP/Postal Code Country [ ] 5.25", 360K diskette requested (3.5", 720K diskette is standard) Where did you get your copy of Strobe? _______________________________ Please write any comments, suggestions, or bug reports on the back of this form or on a separate sheet of paper. [FORM: SB10-0991-RF]