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- V D E 1 6 4 C S P
- =================
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- Screenplay Macros for Eric Meyer's
- Video Display Editor, Version 1.64c
-
-
-
- NOTES TO VERSIONS 1.64b AND 1.64c
-
- This latest version of the VDE-SP macros for writing and printing screenplays
- has a couple of minor improvements in the macros themselves, particularly in
- those that set different margins. It occasionally happened, when a single line
- of description or dialogue was mistakenly reformed, that it could not be
- reformed correctly by the use of the ESC-0 or ESC-2 macros. The fixes in this
- version work pretty well to eliminate the majority of such cases, although I'm
- not sure they do in all. A similar problem occurred sometimes with the
- reforming of the trailing piece of dialogue after a page break. Again I'm not
- sure whether the fix works in all cases, but it certainly does in most.
-
- In addition, I have added some batch files which the curious user can employ
- to test VDE-SP without going to all the trouble of completely installing a
- program. See QUICKSTARTING VDE-SP below.
-
- For all of these fixes and innovations I am indebted to Joel Anderson, who
- solved some of the problems and put me on the right track on the others. He
- also thought of the quickstart batch files.
-
- Improvements to the macros of v1.64c are largely internal - a number of the
- macros have been shortened, which allows more room for customized character
- name macros - but a feature has been added which lifts the cursor to the
- middle of the screen on the exercise of any macro.
-
- In addition I have added a DUMMY character name (type ESC-D to see how it
- works), which makes it easier to add character name macros to VTK (textfiles
- created with VMC) files - just copy the macro for DUMMY and adjust the key and
- name to suit. In my personal batch files I load the relevant VTK file for the
- particular project along with the actual text files so I can easily switch to
- that file, add one or more character names macros, and, by shelling out via
- ALT-R, compile a new VDK file, load it with ALT-U, and continue working.
-
- The function key overlay file, VDF, also includes my macros for running
- ShareSpell on the F11 key and calling up a timed and dated notes file on F12.
- These will have to be rewritten to reflect your system's path or they can
- simply be deleted if you have no use for them.
-
-
- NOTES TO VERSION 1.64
-
- In VDE 1.64 the 'place mark' commands have been revised to remove confusion
- between them and the ^Z character (1Ah). ^KM (not ^PZ) now sets a place mark.
- ^QM (not ^QZ) goes to a place mark. The mark displays as a highlighted '!.' ^PZ
- now inserts an actual ^Z, as you would expect. Since these were used in some
- of the macros of VDE-SP 1.63, they have had to be changed for v1.64.
-
- Also in v1.64 the definition of 'ASCII document' has been 'corrected.'
- Filemode /A is now truly ASCII text, and therefore will NOT interpret control
- codes as printer commands, allowing them to display and print directly. A new
- filemode /D (Document) is now the default; it DOES interpret control codes (as
- /A used to do). Since underlining or italics are often used in screenplays,
- VDE-SP should now be installed with the new 'document' mode as the default.
-
- In v1.64 of VINST, the printer driver option for 'Reserve header space?'
- option has been replaced (and thus there is no longer an 'R' option in the
- Print command ^KP). Instead there are two new driver settings, 'Top margin if
- header used' and 'Lines between header and text', which in combination offer
- more flexibility. These should
-
- NOTES TO VERSION 1.63
-
- These screenplay macros have been revised to take counteract a new feature in
- version 1.63 of VDE, which automatically runs whichever macro is assigned to
- ESC-0. In earlier versions of VDE-SP ESC-0 was used to position the cursor to
- write a character's name and change the margins to those for dialogue. Since
- that clearly causes problems if it runs automatically every time you load VDE-
- SP, I have switched ESC-0 with the former ESC-1, which merely resets the
- margins to those used for description and action. Those who have been using
- the macros will probably find it only takes a few minutes of working with the
- new set up to get used to it.
-
-
- INTRODUCTION
-
- VDE-SP is a set of macro and function key definitions that makes Eric Meyer's
- Video Display Editor into a screenplay processor which writes, formats, pages,
- and prints out screenplays in standard industry format.
-
- VDE allows you to define ten macros you invoke by typing the ESCAPE key and
- any one of the ten numeral keys from 1 through 0. VDE-SP uses all ten of them.
- Only the five macros ESC 1, 2, 3, 9, and 10 are used for writing the
- screenplay. ESC 4 through ESC 8 are used afterward, for paging. In addition
- eleven of the 40 function keys have been programmed to be helpful, though they
- aren't strictly necessary.
-
- The files produced by VDE-SP are simple ASCII files, nearly WISYWIG (What You
- See Is What You Get), and with no embedded control codes other than occasional
- ^S underline codes. They are compatible with Scriptor (c) and can be imported
- into other MS/DOS (c) word processors such as WordStar (c), Microsoft Word
- (c), or WordPerfect (c).
-
-
- LIMITATION OF VDE-SP
-
- VDE-SP does not number shots. If you find that necessary - it usually isn't
- for reading scripts - you either have to do it by hand or run your finished
- VDE-SP files through Scriptor (c).
-
-
- WRITING AND EDITING MACROS
-
- Here's what the five writing and editing macros do:
-
- ESC 0 sets wide margins for scene description and action at columns 1 and 60
- and reforms the paragraph under the cursor to conform to the new margins.
-
- ESC 2 sets narrow margins for dialogue at columns 11 and 44 and reforms the
- text under the cursor.
-
- ESC 3 inserts a parenthetical, or "wryly." Type the text you want inside the
- parentheses, delete the space before the close parenthesis, and exit with ^X.
- If there is dialogue text beyond the parenthesis, it will be reformed to the
- dialogue margins.
-
- You continue in dialogue with no further command. Pay no attention to the fact
- that the cursor is column 1 - the margins are still set for dialogue.
-
- VDE-SP doesn't set special margins for parentheticals. They are positioned at
- the first tabstop, within normal dialogue margins. If your parenthetical is so
- long you have to wrap it with a carriage return to a second line, you can do
- that, but you should consider going back to description margins and writing it
- out as a sentence.
-
- ESC 9 spaces down two lines and types CUT TO in the correct position for a
- transition, at the third tabstop. CUT TO is the only transition I ever use -
- to suggest a radical change in time or place. You can use DISSOLVE TO or FADE
- OUT by typing F7 (function key 7) or F8 respectively. These work the same was
- as ESC 0.
-
- If you really want to get wild and use something like CHINESE DOLLY TO, do it
- by hand. Just type two carriage returns, three tabs, and type whatever
- transition phrase you like.
-
- ESC 1 sets dialogue margins and positions the cursor to the point where you
- type the character's name. As with ESC 9, you may do ESC 1 at the end of a
- block of description or a block of dialogue, the result is the same.
-
-
- FUNCTION KEYS
-
- Eleven function keys have been programmed.
-
- F1 puts the line ahead of the cursor into upper case. This allows you to type
- the character's name or a shot line in lower - or in upper and lower - case,
- then upcase it all retrospectively, so to speak, with a single keystroke. It
- makes no difference whether you do this before or after typing the carriage
- return after the character's name or the two carriage returns after the shot
- line.
-
- SHIFT F1 reverses the action of F1 in case you made a mistake. It puts the
- entire line into lower case though, so, if you had any capital letters in the
- original line, you will have to go back and replace them by hand.
-
- F3 types out INT. and leaves the cursor in position to type the description of
- the location. F4 types out EXT.
-
- F5 types - DAY, including the space in front of the dash. F6 types - NIGHT.
- Both of these keys will also capitalize any description you have typed in
- lower case between INT. or EXT. and - DAY or - NIGHT.
-
- As described above, F7 inserts DISSOLVE TO and F8 inserts FADE OUT in the
- appropriate place.
-
- Function keys 2, 9, and 10 are used only during paging.
-
-
- PAGING MACROS
-
- VDE-SP no longer produces one long file with no page breaks. This new version
- requires a default page length set with VINST, but, before printing it out,
- you have to page it by hand with the help of the ESC 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 macros.
-
- There are four kinds of page breaks in screenplays, each corresponding to one
- of the ESCAPE sequences 4 through 7.
-
- The simplest is a break between scenes, which inserts nothing but a header
- line and page number at the top of the trailing page (ESC 4).
-
- The most frequently used is a break within a scene, which requires the
- addition of a CONTINUED string at the bottom right of the leading page and
- another at the top left of the trailing page two lines below the header and
- page number line (ESC 5).
-
- Most of your page breaks will be one of these two, but occasionally the
- natural place to break the page falls in the middle of a block of description
- or dialogue which is so long that pushing all of it over to the trailing page
- would leave far too much white space at the bottom of the leading page. VDE-SP
- has macros for these cases, one for dividing a long block of description (ESC
- 7), two more for dividing a long speech (ESC 7 and 8).
-
- Whether to divide is your decision, but the general rule is to divide if not
- doing so would leave more than five lines of white space in addition to the
- normal minimum bottom margin of two lines.
-
- ESC 4 starts a new page between scenes, by embedding a ^L formfeed, and adds a
- header line and page number symbol # at the top of the new page.
-
- ESC 5 starts a new page in the middle of a scene by putting in a CONTINUED
- string, embedding a ^L formfeed, reading in your header line, and adding
- another CONTINUED string at the top of the new page.
-
- ESC 6 divides a long paragraph of description between sentences, adds
- CONTINUED strings, formfeed, and header, and reforms the text pushed over to
- the new page to the description margins.
-
- ESC 7 divides a long speech between sentences, adds CONTINUED strings and
- header, then stops to allow you to type the character's name at the top of the
- trailing part of the speech - in upper or lower case. You must then type ESC 8
- to reposition and reform the trailing part of the speech.
-
-
- RULES FOR PAGING
-
- You need only decide which of the four kinds of page break is appropriate and
- type the corresponding ESCAPE sequence. VDE-SP will find the correct place to
- insert the page break and advance the cursor to the next page end. To make
- your decision you need to keep a few simple rules in mind.
-
- The macros which make the page breaks automatically advance you to line 1 of
- the next page. In all other circumstances function key 10 advances to line 1
- of the next page, and function key 9 backs up to line 1 of the preceding page.
- Use F10 to find the first page break starting paging at the top of a file.
-
- Since all the paging commands automatically advance you to the last line of
- the next page, you will normally need to measure off a page this way only when
- you start a new file. Since the cursor always falls on line 1 of the next
- page, the actual page break will always be made one or more lines above.
-
- To find the actual page break, examine the text above the cursor line - line 1
- - to find either one or two blank lines. VDE recognizes a single blank line as
- an appropriate place to insert a page break in a scene, and two blank lines as
- an appropriate place to insert one between scenes.
-
- If two blank lines - a break between scenes - are first above the cursor line,
- type ESC 4. Otherwise type ESC 5. In the first instance VDE-SP will make the
- page break at the shot line, which it identifies by the fact that it is
- preceded by two blank lines. In the second case, VDE-SP will make the break at
- the beginning of the description or the dialogue, depending on which is
- closest above the cursor line. It identifies the correct location by the
- single blank line above blocks of description or dialogue.
-
- In a small number of cases there will be no blank lines in the first five or
- six lines above the cursor, in which case you may want to divide on the text,
- whether it be description or dialogue. As a rule such breaks are permitted
- only between sentences, and VDE-SP will make them only there.
-
- In the case of description there must be a break between sentences at least
- three lines above the cursor line before you can use ESC 6. If there isn't,
- use ESC 4 or 5 and accept a lot of white space at the bottom of the preceding
- page. With dialogue there must be a break between sentences at least four
- lines above the cursor line before you can use ESC 7 and 8. If there isn't,
- use ESC 5.
-
- To identify a break between sentences VDE-SP looks for a space preceded by a
- period, question mark, or exclamation point. Anything else - semicolons,
- quotation marks, dashes, commas - won't work.
-
- The three and four-line limits are required by the extra (more) and CONTINUED
- strings inserted when you divide long description or dialogue.
-
-
- PAGING FUNCTION KEYS
-
- Several function keys have been programmed to assist with paging. If you fear
- you made a mistake, or just want to see what the last page break looks like,
- F9 will return you to it. F10 will then position the cursor to the top of the
- next page. A simple way to check the paging script is to start at the top and
- type F10 repeatedly to step through the script page by page.
-
-
- MAKING A PAGE BREAK BY HAND
-
- From time to time there are cases so atypical - a song text, for example -
- that you will have to make the page break by hand. Just move all left over
- text down below line 1 of the next page. Move the cursor to line 1 of the
- next page with F10, then ^KR (to read in a file), then, at the "filename"
- prompt, HEADER, and carriage return. Dress up the damage and type F10 to get
- to the bottom line of the next page.
-
-
- THE HEADER FILE
-
- At every page break VDE-SP searches for and reads in a file called HEADER
- which must be available in the directory in which you are working. You make up
- this file yourself before you start paging. If you wish to use VDE's automatic
- header, the HEADER file should be zero-length, but it must be there. To create
- a zero-length file, open a file called Header, type something and save it,
- then delete everything and save it again.)
-
- If you prefer to use custom headers, HEADER should be a simple text file which
- looks like this:
-
- Your Title Here - rev. 4.8 #<
- <
- <
- <-- return cursor to this point before saving file
-
- If you want to use VDE automatic numbering feature, the # symbol should be
- embedded in the file with a CTRL-P rather than simply typed.
-
- I've put in the left angle brackets to indicate where you would see Hard
- Carriage Returns if you toggled them on with ^OB. So HEADER consists of the
- header line with a number symbol in column 56 (at the fourth and last
- tabstop), plus two blank lines below it.
-
- The standard screenplay format used by SCRIPTOR uses a top margin above the
- header of just two lines, and a two-line margin at the bottom of the page.
- Ideally the header line should print on line 3 of your page. My Hewlett-
- Packard LaserJet IIp printer, and, I suppose, other page printers will not
- allow anything to be printed until line 4, and I just have to live with that.
- If your printer allows printing in line 1 you must set VDE's top margin
- default with VINST (VDE Install) to 2.
-
- Note that the page number symbol should be embedded - type CTRL-P, then the
- number symbol. This facilitates automatic page numbering with the ^K# command.
-
- If this file isn't present in the default directory with your screenplay
- files, VDE-SP will report an I/O (input/output) error at every attempt to make
- a page break. It tries to read the file in, but can't find it. Incidentally,
- you can always make up a HEADER file on the fly - just go to the bottom of
- your file, type out an appropriate header, mark it as a block, and write it to
- the disk as HEADER with the ^KW command, then delete the block.
-
- If you need a two-line header VDE-SP will automatically compensate for the
- extra line - or lines.
-
- If you need only a single-line header and do not have to deal with A and B
- pages for inserts, you may prefer to use VDE's automatic header feature. If
- so, set your page length to three lines less than normal and make up a zero-
- length HEADER file. Preceding the header text with < will set the text flush
- left:
-
- "<Survive the Savage Sea v3.0" ns
-
- Be sure to set the wide, scene description margins before paging, because the
- page number will not appear in column 56 when dialogue margins are set.
-
-
- NUMBERING THE PAGES
-
- If you use VDE'S automatic header and page numbering, you can ignore this
- section.
-
- Otherwise, when you have finished paging every page will still have a # symbol
- embedded (probably highlighted) where the page number should be. Make sure
- that margins are set wide by typing ESC1, mark the entire file (or that part
- to be printed) as a block, then type the command ^K#. You will be prompted for
- a starting number, 2 if you're still in the first file, since page 1 does not
- carry a header or page number.
-
- In the event you want to number the pages manually, return to the top of the
- file with ^OR, turn INSERT mode off with ^V (the INS flag will disappear from
- the status line), and set NUM LOCK on so you can use the keypad to type
- numbers.
-
- Type F2 to take you to the first #, which should be on the second page, since
- there is neither header nor page number on page 1. Type 2, then F2 again, type
- 3, F2, 4, F2, 5, and so on.
-
- This is slightly cumbersome, but once you get the hang of it you should be
- able to number forty pages in as many seconds, and you retain full control -
- if you have to preserve the numbering of an earlier draft, it's easy to number
- A and B pages where you need them.
-
-
- FINISHING OFF A FILE
-
- When you come to the end of any file but the last one you will probably end
- with a page that is less than full length. Cut this last, partial page off and
- paste it into the top of the following file before you page it. This permits
- you to print each file out separately, without having to chain them.
-
- Note that a complete screenplay is too long to fit into a single VDE file,
- which will run to about 80K, but should be kept shorter to allow plenty of
- room for cutting and pasting whole scenes and pages. You should break your
- screenplay into three or more files, all of which can be loaded into VDE-SP at
- once, permitting easy cutting and pasting among them. A search or search and
- replace started in one file can be carried on in the following files by the ^L
- (continue search) command, or - new in v1.63 of VDE itself - you can simply
- use the M (Multifile) option to run the operation through all loaded files.
-
- To load your entire screenplay as three separate files, use this command at
- the DOS prompt:
-
- VDE-SP SCRIPTa.SCR,SCRIPTb.SCR,SCRIPTc.SCR;SCRIPT.VDK
-
- The three files A, B, and C will be loaded as a ring - use ^N to move to the
- Next file in the ring, ^B to move Back to the preceding file. See the VDE163
- documentation for windowing, cutting and pasting, and other features.
-
- The ;SCRIPT.VDK part of the command loads a set of VDE-SP macro keys
- specifically for the project if you choose to install characters' names on the
- alphabetical macro keys.
-
-
- KEEPING TRACK OF WHERE YOU ARE
-
- VDE's running page count will give you an approximate figure. It cannot be
- exact because the actual paging changes the line count. The ^KI (information)
- command will show you the length of the file in K, the number of words in it,
- the number of bytes used, and the percentage of the available space used.
-
-
- SETTING PAGE LENGTH WITH VINST
-
- The page length should be set with VINST (in the printer driver section) to
- the highest number your printer can print on the page, up to 64 lines. If your
- printer is capable of printing on line 1 of the paper, you set VDE's top
- margin to 2 with VINST. Most page printers do not allow printing on lines 1,
- 2, and 3 of the paper, forcing a 'top margin' of three lines, so you do not
- want to set any additional top margin in your printer driver. Since a sheet of
- paper measures 66 lines, and my LaserJet does not allow printing in the top or
- bottom three, my maximum usual page length is 60 lines, and that's the number
- I set in the printer driver in VDE.
-
-
- PRINTING OUT
-
- To print out, type ^KP and, at the "options" prompt, a carriage return. The
- correct margins and placement on the page will have been installed in the
- printer driver by VINST.
-
- I always rename my master files with the ^KN (name) command before paging and
- printing out, from, say, SCRIPTa.SCR to SCRIPTa.PRN, leaving my master files
- unpaged. This makes it considerably easier to rewrite, restructure, and
- repage.
-
- This is also the best way to print out the day's work - just mark the new work
- as a block and write it out to a temporary file, then page and print that out
- instead of your whole master file. If you just want a quick and dirty printout
- of a couple of pages and don't care whether they're page or not, mark them as
- a block and type B (for block) at the options prompt. You can also invoke the
- VDE automatic header with "" or "<text>" to give yourself a top margin and
- page numbers. If you include ^T, ^D, or ^F inside the quotes the time, date,
- or filename will be printed in the header.
-
-
- QUICKSTARTING VDE-SP
-
- For a limited test of VDE-SP without the bother of fully installing the
- program, you can use one of the three batch files called WRDINSRT.BAT,
- INSERT.BAT, or STRIKOVR.BAT included in this library.
-
- You must first copy the VDE.COM you use for your normal word processing into
- the directory with these files. Select the batch file which corresponds to the
- way you have installed VDE.COM to work in Word Insert, Insert, or Strikeover
- mode. Then type at the command line, for example:
-
- WRDINSRT TEST
-
- The batch file will temporarily covert your VDE.COM into a VDE-SP.COM and load
- a fresh (empty) file called TEST.A. The temporary installation of VDE.COM will
- be set up for a monochrome monitor (although it should work well enough on a
- color monitor for test purposes) with no VGA or EGA compatibility. None of the
- batch files employs a printer overlay, so, while you can see how the
- pagination macros work on the screen, they are not likely to work correctly
- when you print out.
-
-
- INSTALLING VDE-SP
-
- To install VDE-SP make a copy of your installed VDE with the DOS COPY
- command:
-
- COPY VDE.COM VDE-SP.COM
-
- Then type
-
- VINST VDE-SP
-
- At this point you must whether you wish to work principally in INSERT, WORD
- INSERT, or STRIKEOVER mode. VDE16xSP contains three different VDK overlays for
- the macro keys and three different VDF overlays for the function
- keys. They are called INSERT.VD?, WRDINST.VD? and STRIKOVR.VD?.
-
- Select M for Macro Key installation, then R to read in one of the three VDK
- overlays. Exit, select F for Function Key installation, and read in the
- equivalent VDF overlay.
-
- Exit and select O from the menu for Options, and set
-
- Default insert on: Y
- Left margin column: 1
- Right margin column: 60
- Align new page with screen: N
- Variable tab columns: 16 : 21 : 41: 56 ... and all the rest 0
-
- An option new from VDE v1.61 on allows you to determine whether the ^QI, ^QN,
- and ^QL commands, which take you to the top of a new page, also place that
- first line of the new page at the top of the screen. Do not select this option
- for VDE-SP, since, when you are paging, you will want to see a number of lines
- above the new page to decide which kind of page break is required. Therefore,
- 'Align new page with screen' must be set to 'N.'
-
- Select P from the menu for Printer and set
-
- Page length: actual printer page length <= 64
- Top margin: 0 or 2, depending on type of printer
- Reserve space for header: N
- Left margin, columns: 18
-
- If your printer cannot be adjusted to print at the left edge of the paper -
- many dot matrix and page printers can't - adjust the left margin figure to
- whatever will start printing 1.8 inches from the left edge of the paper. This
- will seem very far over to the right until you bind the script and lose half
- that white space on the left.
-
- A very simple printer driver suffices, since the only printer control codes
- used in a screenplay are those to turn underlining or italics on and off. In
- some cases you may want to install different printer initialization strings in
- both of VDE's printer drivers, one to print in fast draft mode, the other to
- print in your highest quality mode for finished copy.
-
-
- TABSTOPS
-
- Four tabstops are set, for the parentheticals position (column 16), the
- character's name (21), transitions (41), and for the page number column (56).
- When you are editing, rather than writing, it's usually easier to get where
- you want to go with tabs than trying to adjust your position for VDE-SP's more
- automated functions.
-
-
- CHARACTER NAME MACROS
-
- Many writers like to put the names of their major characters on key macros.
- You can do this by programming the alphabetical keys in VDE itself. If you
- want to follow the pattern I used to program the ESC 0 key, it is:
-
- ^[*I^M^M^Ol11^M^Or44^M^N^I^I^[*W<character's name here>
-
- There are several ways to program a key or keys. At the beginning of a
- project, if you know what many of the most used names will be, it's probably
- most efficient to use the macro key installation feature of VINST. When you
- have some names entered, use the (W)rite VDK file command to write
- SCRNPLAY.VDK out to a file in the subdirectory where you will create the
- other SCRNPLAY files. It can then be loaded into VDE-SP - ideally from a
- batch file - whenever you want to work on that project.
-
- You can also program an additional character's name on the fly by using VDE's
- ordinary ESC-[ and ESC-] commands, or you can 'record' the macro with ESC-".
- Macros programmed in this way will be lost when you exit VDE unless you
- remember to save them to SCRNPLAY.VDK with the ALT-U command. It's probably
- good practice to use the ALT-U command immediately after creating the macro.
- It only takes a second and avoids the risk of a failure of power or your
- memory before you get a chance to save all the new macros entered in a given
- session with VDE-SP.
-
-
- BATCH FILES
-
- Building VDE-SP into batch files can be particularly efficient. The following
- batch file can be invoked anywhere in the system with a simple two-word
- command to put you into your screenplay, and at the end of it too, where you
- are most likely to be working:
-
- rem FILM.BAT (MS/DOS COMMAND.COM)
- rem loads all files of current project into
- rem VDE-SP
- rem
- c:
- cd \work\film\%1
- if exist %1c.scr goto 3_files
- if exist %1b.scr goto 2_files
- if exist %1a.scr stackey 17 "c"
- d:\vde-sp %1a.scr;%1.vdk
- goto end
- :2_files
- stackey ^Q "c"
- d:\vde-sp %1a.scr,%12b.scr;%1.vdk
- goto end
- :3_files
- stackey ^Q "c"
- d:\vde-sp %1a.scr,%1b.scr,%1c.scr;%1.vdk
- :end
-
- \WORK\FILM\ is the path in my system to the directory area where all my
- screenplay projects are kept in separate subdirectories named with a
- four-letter mnemonic which I use not only for the subdirectory but for the
- individual files A, B, and C. The full pathname of a file might be
-
- c:\work\film\four\four3.scr
-
- In this case, if I typed 'film four' at any DOS prompt, the batch file would
- supply the filename 'four' to the batch file at every point where you see '%1'
- in the commands. The next to last line would be expanded to:
-
- d:\vde-sp foura.scr,fourb.scr,fourc.scr;four.vdk
-
- This would load all three files of the screenplay text and the key macro file
- for the 'four' screenplay.
-
- Stackey (c) is a shareware program available for downloading as SKEY22.ZIP. It
- supplies keystrokes to the next program to be invoked, in this case VDE-SP,
- and the two codes following the command mean ^Qc - VDE's command to go to the
- end of the file - positioning you at the point where you are most likely to
- want to start work, at the end of the last file, where you most probably left
- off the last time you worked on the project.
-
- You can use this batch file by marking it as a block and writing it out to
- \BAT\FILM.BAT - or to any other directory which is on your path. If you don't
- have a \BAT directory on your path, it might be a good idea to create one. If
- you don't have Stackey, either delete those lines or comment them out by
- typing the word 'rem' (remark) in front of them.
-
-
- BATCH FILES FOR HACKERS
-
- The same batch file of those using 4DOS as a replacement for MS/DOS
- COMMAND.COM would be:
-
- rem FILM.BAT (4DOS)
- rem loads all files of current project into
- rem VDE-SP
- rem
- pushd \work\film\%1
- if exist %1c.scr goto 3_files
- if exist %1b.scr goto 2_files
- if exist %1a.scr keystack 17 "c"
- d:\vde-sp %1a.scr;%1.vdk
- goto end
- :2_files
- keystack 17 "c"
- d:\vde-sp %1a.scr,%1b.scr;%1.vdk
- goto end
- :3_files
- keystack 17 "c"
- d:\vde-sp %1a.scr,%1b.scr,%1c.scr;%1.vdk
- :end
- popd
-
- SCRIPTOR COMPATIBILITY
-
- Some writers will also prefer to use Scriptor (c) for paging, scene numbering,
- and printing. VDE's ASCII files are compatible with Scriptor (c).
-
-
- MODIFYING THE MACROS
-
- You may eventually want to modify these macros. Evan Slawson has graciously
- permitted me to include his VDE Macro Compiler VMC v1.10 in this package. This
- simple but powerful program allows you to compile macros written out as text
- in an ordinary VDE nondocument file into working overlays which can be loaded
- into VDE or VDE-SP with VINST. Please see Evan's excellent documentation,
- which is also in VDE16SP.ZIP.
-
-
- LAST THOUGHTS
-
- Neither VDE nor the VDE-SP macros nor Evan Slawson's VMC are shareware. All
- have been made available to the community of personal computers users for all
- reasonable purposes, but please do not abuse the privilege. Give credit where
- credit is due, and don't distribute either program as part of a commercial
- package or without its original documentation.
-
- If you have problems, comments, or suggestions, contact me on the Writer's
- Guild Bulletin Board (user 161) or on
-
- FRED HAINES
- Glendale Litera RCPM/QBBS
- Sysop Abel Iwaz
- CAGLE 818 956-6164
-