The Business Master (3rd Edition)

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______________________________________ | | | Section 2: OPERATION AND STRUCTURE | |______________________________________| CONTENTS 2.1 General Description 2.2 Operating Environment 2.3 Outline of Operating Procedure 2.4 Run-Time Options 2.5 Tag Command Syntax 2.6 Units of Measurement 2.7 "Include" Files 2.8 Default Style Sheet: SETUP.TAG 2.9 Order of Processing Text and Instructions 2.10 "Push" and "Pop" 2.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION The Publisher is a computer software product which performs functions equivalent to the traditional task of typesetting: that is, the formatting and arrangement in type, page by page, of written text, in the page layouts, type fonts, etc., chosen by the user. The Publisher consists of two main parts: (1) a typesetting language consisting of "tags" (instructions) concerning page layout, font selection, etc., which can be inserted by the user at appropriate locations in a computer text file; and (2) an executable "batch processor" program which, upon command, accepts a computer text file including such tag instructions, interprets and acts on the tags, and transmits the results directly to a printer (or, optionally, to ther screen for preview, or to a disk file for later transmission to a printer). The Publisher is both user-friendly and sophisticated. The novice, or casual user, who has no detailed technical knowledge of typesetting techniques, and is familiar with only the most basic of the Publisher's instruction tags, can copy or adapt the examples given later in this Manual to generate documents of professional appearance in a variety of single- and multi-column layouts and formats. In the hands of a more knowledgeable user, the Publisher is capable of producing work equivalent to the finest conventional typesetting, as found in books and magazines of high quality. 2.2 OPERATING ENVIRONMENT HARDWARE The hardware environment required by the Publisher is described in detail in Section 1.2 of this manual. OPERATING SYSTEM The Publisher supports the MS-DOS operating system, version 2.1 or newer. FONTS SUPPORTED The Publisher supports a variety of fonts: the available selection depends on the type of printer (or other output device) being used. For Postscript devices, the 35 standard Postscript fonts are supported, using Adobe font names. For LaserJet III printers (installed using the LaserJet-3 installation option) the Publisher supports the Hewlett-Packard Type Director scalable fonts. For all other printers, the Shareware Edition of the Publisher supports the Rubicon Trajan (serif) and Renner (sans serif) fonts supplied with the Publisher. These fonts are supplied in point sizes 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14, in Regular, Bold and Italic, and in sizes 18, 24 and 30, in Bold only. For laser printers installed using the LaserJet-2 installation option, the Publisher also supports the Courier and Line Printer ROM fonts which are built in to some models. The Commercial/Registered Edition also includes Rubicon's Times, Helv, Courier, Classic and Nova font families, in point sizes 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 30, 36 and 48: all sizes are provided in Regular, Bold, Italic and Bold Italic. Utilities to install third-party soft fonts are also included in the Commercial/Registered Edition. TEXT INPUT For efficient use of the Publisher, the available software should include a good text editor or word processor capable of producing and editing standard ASCII text files. Most well-known MS-DOS based word processors will produce standard ASCII files, either in normal operation or in an available optional mode of operation. 2.3 OUTLINE OF OPERATING PROCEDURE 2.3.1 PREPARING THE TEXT FILE The Publisher is designed for the batch processing of ASCII-format text files. Accordingly, the first step in publishing a piece of text (or "document"), is to produce or obtain the desired text in the form of a plain ASCII text file. Text files are, of course, created on computers, using text editing, word processing, or other software. If a text file is being created for the purpose of eventual publication using the Publisher, it should be created in plain ASCII format. If a document to be published is contained in a text file originally created for some other purpose, it may or may not be a plain ASCII file, depending on the software originally used to create it, and on whether it includes any enhancements, such as bolding, underlining or italics, supported by the original software. Fortunately, simple procedures are usually available to convert non-ASCII word processor text files to ASCII format, and to locate and delete embedded commands, etc., used by the original software. Once this has been done, the plain ASCII text file containing the document is further edited, using a suitable word processor or text editor, to insert the embedded instructions (known as tags) required to set up the desired page layout and format, and to implement all desired font changes and enhancements. A file ready for publication will typically begin with one or both of: (1) A set of tags setting up page layout and format, running headers and footers, the page numbering scheme, etc.; or (2) An <include> tag implementing a "style sheet", i.e. a collection of tags setting up page layout and format, running headers and footers, the page numbering scheme, etc., which has been previously prepared and stored in a separate file, so that it can be utilized in any desired document file without being repeated each time. After this, the text will appear, with tags inserted at appropriate locations to implement font changes, enhancements, changes of paragraph style, special effects, and other such features. When the document file is believed to be ready for publication, it is saved to disk in its final form. The user then exits from the word-processing software to the operating system, and logs on to the directory on which the publisher has been installed (if not already there). If the Publisher's VGA Preview is available, the usual next step is to use the Preview to examine the document in published form, on the screen, before actually printing it, as described in Section 2.3.2. If the Publisher's VGA Preview is not available, you proceed directly to printing the document, as described in Section 2.3.3. 2.3.2 PREVIEWING THE DOCUMENT The Preview feature provided by the Shareware Edition of version 2.2C of the Publisher is limited to previewing documents being published using Rubicon's Trajan and Renner soft fonts in "Portrait" orientation. It will not accept documents which are in "Landscape" orientation, or are being published using scalable fonts, that is, using the PostScript or LaserJet-3 printer options. A document is Previewed using the Publisher command with the /P switch: PUBL [filename] /P [return] EXAMPLE: The document file is named SPECIMEN.TXT, and is located on a directory named WORK on Drive C. The Publisher is installed in the directory RUBICON on Drive C [standard setup]. After reaching the DOS prompt "C>", the command syntax to Preview the document would be: CD\RUBICON [return] PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT /P [return] The Preview displays each standard (8.5x11 inch) document page in 4 overlapping views: Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, and Bottom Right. The initial display is the Top Left view of Page 1. The cursor control keys (UP, DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT) are used to move from one view to another on the same page. For example, to move from Top Left to Top Right, press [CURSOR RIGHT]; to move from Top Right to Bottom Right, press [CURSOR DOWN], and so on. If your document consists of more than one page, the [PAGE DOWN] key is used to move from one page to the next. When you are on the last page, pressing [PAGE DOWN] will conclude the Preview session and return you to the DOS prompt. To end a Preview session without viewing all pages of your document, simply press "Q" or "X". This will conclude the Preview session and retgurn you to the DOS prompt. NOTE 1: BE PATIENT! The Publisher takes a significant amount of time to format and digitize a page, especially when fonts are being downloaded. The time required depends on your hardware setup, the number of different fonts used in your document, etc.. During much of this processing time, the Publisher may not appear to be doing anything. If you are worried that the program may not really be running, we suggest that you make use of the run-time switch "/T" to invoke the "Tracers" option, as described below in Section 2.4. NOTE 2: For technical reasons, the Preview display is compressed vertically by about 40%: that is, the letters will appear taller, and the vertical spaces wider, in the printed document, than they appear on the screen. In other respects, the screen display closely resembles what you will get from your printer, although there may be minor variations in line, column and page breaks if your printer is a 180x180 or 300x300 dpi device (e.g. a 24-pin dot matrix printer or a laser printer). NOTE 3: The Preview supports movement from view to view in any direction WITHIN a page, but movement FROM PAGE TO PAGE is available in ONE DIRECTION ONLY, namely, to the next page in sequence. That is, the Preview does not support a [PAGE UP] function. You should therefore make sure that you have finished your inspection of each page, before moving on to the next. If the Preview discloses typographical or typesetting errors or omissions, you use your word processor to make the necessary changes, and then Preview the document again. This process is repeated, if necessary, until the document appears satisfactory. Remember that you can terminate the Preview session at any time by pressing the "Q" or "X" key. If your preview of the first page of a multi-page document reveals some problem, such as a basic error in the format, your don't have to take the time to Preview the whole document: you can terminate the Preview session as soon as you see the problem, and use your word processor to correct the error, before proceeding further. 2.3.3 PRINTING THE DOCUMENT A document is printed by using the Publisher command: PUBL [filename] [return] EXAMPLE: The document file is named SPECIMEN.TXT, and is located on a directory named WORK on Drive C. The Publisher is installed in the directory RUBICON on Drive C [standard setup]. After reaching the DOS prompt "C>", the command syntax to print the document would be: CD\RUBICON [return] PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT [return] NOTE: BE PATIENT! The Publisher takes a significant amount of time to format and digitize a page, especially when fonts are being downloaded. The time required depends on your hardware setup, the number of different fonts used in your document, etc.. During much of this processing time, the Publisher may not appear to be doing anything. If you are worried that the program may not really be running, we suggest that you make use of the run-time switch "/T" to invoke the "Tracers" option, as described below in Section 2.4. The output from the Publisher ordinarily goes directly to a printer which produces a hard copy of the document in the layout, format, etc. specified by the tags in the file. (Optionally, the output can be stored in a disk file for later transmission to the printer, as described under "Run-Time Options".) If the document was carefully Previewed before printing, it is quite likely that the first printing will conclude the publication process. If Preview was not available, it is more likely that a careful proofreading of the hard copy will reveal errors or omissions in the text, or in the typesetting, or both. You can fix these by using your word processor to make the necessary changes in the text file, saving it to disk in its amended form, and printing the amended version. This process may be repeated as necessary, until a satisfactory result is obtained. The degree of perfection which is "satisfactory", and the number of "proof" copies needed to attain it, will of course depend on such factors as the availability of Preview, the nature and purpose of the document, and its length and complexity. 2.4 RUN-TIME OPTIONS In addition to the normal operating mode described above, the program can be instructed to implement certain options, by means of "switches" added to the Publisher command line. The following switches are currently available: /P Preview. This option has been described in detail in Seciton 2.3.2. /D Print to Disk. This option directs the Publisher not to send its output directly to the printer, but rather to send it to the computer's disk for storage, under the file name PUB.PRN For example, entering the command: PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT /D [Return] will cause the Publisher to process the file SPECIMEN.TXT from the directory WORK and store the resulting formatted version on disk under the file name PUB.PRN. The file thus stored can be printed later by entering the command: COPY PUB.PRN PRN /B [Return] That is, "copy the file PUB.PRN to the printer". The /B is the MS-DOS "binary" option for printing files containing nontextual binary codes. /T Tracers. This option causes the Publisher to generate a running screen display of its activities, as a document is being printed or previewed. The command syntax to invoke this option is illustrated by the example: PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT /T [Return] In general, the Tracers option enables the user to watch what the program is doing while it is actually running. Its main use is as a diagnostic (or "trouble-shooting") tool: if the Publisher is having a problem with some document, Tracers may reveal the nature of the problem and the exact point in the document where it is happening. /L Load Font. This option is applicable only to LaserJet-2 printer installations. It enables the automatic font downloading function. If selected, the Publisher automatically deletes all soft fonts from the printer's memory before printing the file, and then downloads each soft font used in the document, as it is required. The command syntax to invoke this option is shown by the example: PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT /L [Return] This option may also be selected by inserting the instruction tag <download=1> at the beginning of the document file being typeset. Note that if either of the run-time switches /L or /X is used, any <download=> tag in the document file will be disregarded. Note also that, as supplied, the Publisher's setup file includes the tag <download=1>, that is, downloading fonts is the default option. The switch `/L' is required only if the default option has been changed. /X Cancel Load. This option is applicable only to LaserJet-2 printer installations. It disables the automatic font downloading function; that is, the Publisher will not delete any soft fonts from the printer's memory, nor will it download any fonts to the printer. If selected, the only available fonts will be those which are resident in the printer, or have previously been downloaded and not deleted. The command syntax to invoke this option is shown by the example: PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT /X [Return] The automatic deletion of all soft fonts from the printer's memory before printing a file, and subsequent downloading of each soft font used in the document, is a lengthy process, particularly if numerous fonts are used. If several successive drafts of the same document, or a series of documents each requiring the same group of fonts, are being formatted and printed, this results in the repeated deleting and then downloading of the same group of fonts, which is obviously inefficient and a waste of time. To avoid this, the /X option may be invoked after the first document in the series has been processed, that is, for the second and all subsequent drafts or documents in the series. Of course, this option will work successfully only if the group of soft fonts being used is small enough (or the printer's memory large enough) that the printer can store the whole group in memory at the same time. This option may also be selected by inserting the instruction tag <download=0> at the beginning of the document file being typeset. Note that if either of the run-time switches /L or /X is used, any <download=> tag in the document file will be disregarded. /num Multiple copies. This option is available for LaserJet-2, LaserJet-3 and PostScript printer installations only. Selecting this option causes the printer to print "num" copies of each page of the document, where "num" is an integer (that is, a whole number) in the range of 1 to 99. For example, entering the command PUBL \WORK\SPECIMEN.TXT /7 [Return] will cause the printer to print 7 copies of each page of the file SPECIMEN.TXT. After a file is printed the formatter automatically resets itself, and the attached printer, to the default state of single copy printing. 2.5 TAG COMMAND SYNTAX As previously explained, a major component of the Publisher is a typsetting language, in the form of instruction tags which can be inserted into an ordinary text file using any suitable text editor. When such a file is submitted to the Publisher's batch processor program, it prints the file using the fonts, format and page layout specified by these tags. The tags are identified, i.e. delimited from the rest of the text, by being enclosed between a left-chevron "<" and a right-chevron ">", as follows: <Tag>. The first element of any tag is a "keyword", which may be an abbreviation of one or more letters. Some tags consist of nothing but the keyword. EXAMPLE: <RC> Rag Center (Center each line of type on the page, so that both left and right margins are "ragged"). Some tags require other elements, such as parameter names and values, and designations of units, to give them meaning. EXAMPLE: the tag <margin> means nothing by itself, but the tag <margin top=20mm left=15mm bottom=230mm right=190mm> defines the sizes in millimeters of the top, left, bottom and right margins which form the limits of the page interior. There are three basic kinds of tags: isolated keywords, keywords with a single parameter, and keywords with one or more sub-parameters. Examples of each are, respectively: <XR> Cancel Rag <Trajan10B> Trajan 10 point bold <underline thick=2pt descent=1pt> Underline thickness and descent SYNTAX FLEXIBILITY Tag keywords may be entered in upper or lower case, i.e. the tags <XR> and <xr> represent the same instruction. Subparameters are optional, and may be specified in any order. This margin tag is equivalent to the one just above: <margin bottom=230mm right=190mm top=20mm left=15mm> This margin tag is permissible: <margin bottom=230mm right=190mm> PARAMETER TYPES Parameter input types may be single characters, character strings (like the name of a file), or integers (like the number 10). "Rational numbers", that is "floating point decimal numbers" like 2.664 are also used; these will be referred to simply as "numbers", as opposed to integers. The various tags included in the Publisher's typsetting language, and their functions, are described in the ensuing sections of this manual. PUNCTUATION OF INSTRUCTIONS Lines in a document or instruction file which consist entirely of instruction tags, must normally be punctuated by means of Quad tags at the end of each such line, to prevent unwanted blank lines and spaces from appearing in the published document, or other undesirable results. The tag most commonly used for this purpose is: <QZ> Quad left, zero advance. This is particularly important in lines of instruction tags located in the initialization sequence, or in files INCLUDED in the "initialization sequence" (the basic setup and format instructions which must be given to the Publisher at the start of processing) , since the initialization sequence MUST NOT CONTAIN ANY PRINTABLE CHARACTERS. (To the computer, a blank space is a printable character: ASCII character number 32.) The following Publisher tags are classed as DIRECTIVES and do not require Quad tags for punctuation. <include> include file <header> start header definition <footer> start footer definition <end> end header or footer definition <NP> New Page (insert hard page break) <NC> New Coluomn (insert hard column break) Unlike other tags, A DIRECTIVE MUST APPEAR BY ITSELF ON A SEPARATE LINE. That is, there should be no other material whatsoever on the same input line as the directive tag, either before or after it. 2.6 UNITS OF MEASUREMENT Some parameters represent a LINEAR MEASURE or distance, such as margin width or column width. When giving a value for such a parameter, you MUST SPECIFY THE UNIT OF MEASUREMENT you are using. To specify a measurement unit, you insert the Publisher's abbreviation for the unit immediately after the paramenter value. EXAMPLES: the tags <margin top=0.5in> <margin top=36pt> <margin top=1.27cm> all specify a top margin of one-half inch. You can use any unit recognized by the Publisher, but naturally you must tell the Publisher which one you are using. The units recognized by the Publisher, and their abbreviations, are: ABBREVIATION NAME OF UNIT SIZE OF UNIT in inches 1in = 1 inch cm centimeters 2.5400cm = 1 inch mm millimeters 25.4001mm = 1 inch pc picas 6pc = 1 inch pt points 72pt = 1 inch ln lines the interline leading (line spacing) em em-widths the point size cl column-widths the column-width ex ex-height height of `x' in current font The first 5 units listed are "absolute" units; that is, they always have the same fixed value. The remaining 4 units are "relative" units; their values depend on the values of other parameters, such as the point size (size of lettering) or the column width in the document in which they are used. 2.7 "INCLUDE" FILES One of the most important convenience features of the Publisher is its ability to read and act upon sets of instruction tags which have been previously stored in disk files separate from the text file being processed. This is accomplished by means of the tag: <INCLUDE filename> If a set of instructions is stored in a file called (say) COMMAND.SET, the set can be invoked at any point in any text file by inserting the tag <include command.set> in the text file. This means that any set of tags which is going to be used frequently only needs to be entered once, and stored in a separate file with a suitable name. It can then be invoked whenever needed by means of a single <include> tag. The include tag is a DIRECTIVE, and must appear by itself on a separate line. That is, there should be no material on the same line as the <include> tag, either before or after. A form of instruction file which is particularly useful is a STYLE SHEET, which contains complete instructions for the format and layout of some particular type of document. The user can easily maintain style sheets on disk for the most frequently used document layouts, and utilize them as required by means of the <include> directive tag. 2.8 DEFAULT STYLE SHEET: SETUP.TAG When the Publisher starts to process a document file, it automatically "includes" the file SETUP.TAG. This file normally contains a "style sheet" (a set of document format and page layout instruction tags) intended to govern the operation of the Publisher in the absence of instructions to the contrary. It also usually contains special publisher "system" tags, regarding the model of printer being used, the location on disk of the available soft fonts, etc.. The file SETUP.TAG is generated automatically during the installation of the Publisher, based on the printer option, etc., which you choose during installation. The style sheet contained in the file SETUP.TAG is known as the "default style sheet", since it provides the format and page layout which the Publisher adopts when you have not specified anything else. To use a different style, you can simply place over-riding instruction tags at the beginning of your document file; alternatively, you can place such tags in a separate instruction file which can be incorporated into your document file by an <include...> command. [Note: SETUP.TAG is a plain ASCII text file, and you can amend it by means of your word processor, to change the "default" style. However, you should wait until you have become familiar with the Publisher, and know exactly what you are doing, before attempting any amendment to SETUP.TAG, and you should always keep a copy of the original SETUP.TAG as a backup.] 2.9 ORDER OF PROCESSING TEXT AND INSTRUCTIONS The Publisher processes the input text and instructions in the following order: 1. The file SETUP.TAG (which must not contain any printable matter, including blank lines or blank spaces). 2. The initial part of the document file, preceding the first printable character or space. (When an <include> instruction is encountered, the effect is the same as if the entire contents of the "included" file were inserted in the document file at the point where the <include> instruction is located.) 3. Runtime switches (Described in Section 2.4.) 4. The text and embedded instruction tags in the document file, in the order in which they appear, starting with the first printable character or space. Note: Certain commands may only be placed in the "initialization sequence", which consists of the SETUP.TAG file, the initial portion of the document file (preceding the first printable character), and files "included" in the initial portion of the document file. EXAMPLES: <margin top= bottom= left= right= > Location of page margins. <landscape=> On or Off Common sense can be used here: Any information the printer needs to start printing must be given to it before it actually prints anything. The operation of the Publisher as it proceeds through the document file is continually governed by the MOST RECENT instructions it has received. It will therefore operate in accordance with the instructions in SETUP.TAG unless and until these instructions are replaced by new instructions contained in the document file, or in a file "included" in the document file, or conveyed by means of run-time switches. When new instructions are encountered, the Publisher will start operating in accordance with them at the point in the document file where they are encountered, and will continue to so operate until they are replaced by still further instructions. If a document file contains no format or layout instructions, the Publisher will process the whole document in the format and layout prescribed by SETUP.TAG, subject to any run-time switches. 2.10 "PUSH" AND "POP" The tags: <push> and <pop> can save substantial amounts of time and effort, and reduce the risk of inadvertent errors and omissions, when publisher parameters are being changed temporarily: for example, when a heading is being printed in a different font, or when a passage of text is being printed with a different paragraph style from the rest of the document. The tag <push> saves a record of the current state of many publisher variables, including font and indentation, and the tag <pop> restores the state of the publisher which was most recently "pushed". Accordingly, if a <push> tag is inserted BEFORE the instruction tags which are used to implement the temporary changes, it will be possible to cancel the temporary changes (after they have served their purpose) by means of a single <pop> tag, instead of using a series of instruction tags to change the publisher variables back to their previous values one by one.