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Text File | 1990-03-10 | 22.8 KB | 619 lines

AmigaFox -------- DOCUMENTATION for version 1.00, finished on the 21st of January 1990 This manual is relatively long, not (only) because, I can not express myself clearly, but you have to know, that the program has many options. Because of this, try to print this manual out, OK? By the way, I am german, and because of this, just think about the fact, if you see any mistakes, OK? This manual has the following structure --------------------------------------- A.) Installation B.) The pull-down-menus C.) Setting up your hardware configuration D.) The texteditor E.) The commands for formatting F.) The usage of external Charsets G.) The graphicseditor H.) The print-out I.) Some sentences about copyright J.) The authors final sentences ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A.) INSTALLATION ---------------- If you have a harddisc... ------------------------- ...then you have to copy the file "AmigaFox" (the program itself) some- where onto your harddisc, just remember, that you must find it. You need the drawer "AfoxSys" in the root-directory. This drawer contains a.) the file "ConfigSys" (greetings from MS-DOS) and b.) the subdrawer "Drucker" (german, means printer in english). Here AmigaFox looks for any printroutines. You have to know, that AmigaFox can not make use of the AmigaDOS-printer-routines from SYS:DEVS/PRINTERS/, because they are too low resoluted. Through this, can´t mix up the printer-routines for AmigaDOS and for AmigaFox. You also need the following files: "parallel.device" in SYS:DEVS/ "printer.device" in SYS:DEVS/ "diskfont.library" in SYS:LIBS/ "Port-Handler" in SYS:L/ If you can not boot from your Harddisc, then you have to "Assign" all system-directories from df0: to dh0: or leave your boot-disc in df0: and start AmigaFox after giving the CLI-command "cd dh0:". If you work with floppy discs... -------------------------------- ...then you just do it the way, you would do, if you had a bootable harddisc. How can you start AmigaFox? --------------------------- You can start it from CLI or by making a doubleclick on the tool-type- icon from AmigaFox How many memory do I need? -------------------------- AmigaFox runs theoretically on a 256 KB RAM-machine. You will see very soon, that you can not even make use of more than 512 KB RAM. Does AmigaFox accept multitasking? ---------------------------------- Yes, but other tasks will be slowed down, because AmigaFox needs some time for math operations. Which expansions does AmigaFox not like? ---------------------------------------- If you want to use proportional charsets, than you need to know, that you have not to use FastFonts (from the Workbench 1.3). Otherwise those charsets will not be accepted. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- B.) THE PULL-DOWN-MENUS ----------------------- 1.) Project ----------- Here you can do everything to control or set up the program. 2.) Texteditor -------------- Here you can do everything to handle with texts. 3.) Graphicseditor ------------------ Here you can do everything to handle with the graphics, which is build up from the text by converting it. 4.) Charsets ------------ Here you can do everything, which has to do something with the external charsets. PROJECT - Texteditor -------------------- Jumps into the texteditor. Can be used as a refresh for the texteditor, if errors appear. PROJECT - Graphicseditor ------------------------ Jumps into the graphicseditor. Here you can draw and print out your graphics. PROJECT - Converting -------------------- The text in the texteditor will be converted into a graphics, which can be printed out. After converting the program jumps into the graphicseditor. While converting the program looks for commands for formatting, charsets and splits the text up into the pages. PROJECT - printer set up ------------------------ Here you can set up your printer. AmigaFox makes no use of the AmigaDOS-printer-routines, because they are not highly resoluted enough. You have to enter the ESC-sequences of your printer, which command the following: NQ (Normal Quality) : 640-dots-graphics 24/216-Line spacing HQ1 (High Quality 1) :1920-dots-graphics 1/216-Line spacing HQ2 (High Quality 2) :1920-dots-graphics 23/216-Line spacing You can also select the following: Overlay-printing (printer a line 1,2 or 3 times) 1,2 or 3 Automatic or Not-Automatic Line Feed CR or CR+LF Number of needles 9 or 24 These printer-routines can saved under the printers name and can be loaded under the printers name. You can look for a printer in the drawer AFoxSys/Drucker, but remember, only this drawer is valid for AmigaFox-printer-routines. If you have problems with setting up your printer, then send me a copy of your printer-manual (just the page with the summary of the printer-commands) and a empty disk and I will send you the printer-routine for your printer, which has to be copied in the drawer AFoxSys/Drucker. PROJECT - Save preferences -------------------------- Here can save your current settings such as: a.) the path for the charsets b.) the printer c.) the amount of text memory If you then start AmigaFox next time, your settings will be auto- matically made. PROJECT - End ------------- After asking you, if you are sure to end the program, it will be ended. TEXTEDITOR - load texts ----------------------- If you select this one, then there will appear an Requester with the following Gadgets: DF0: load directory from df0: DF1: load directory from df1: DH0: load directory from dh0: LIST brings the directory on the screen PARENT brings the parent directory on the screen CANCEL goes back without loading any text LOAD goes back by loading the selected text The four images below let the directory scroll up and down. By the way, you can also load texts, that fit into the text memory! TEXTEDITOR - save texts ----------------------- The text will be saved. If there exists a text with the same name, you will be asked, if it shall be overwritten. TEXTEDITOR - save texts as -------------------------- just as above, but before saving, you will be asked for a file name TEXTEDITOR - clear text ----------------------- If you really want it (AmigaFox asks you), then you can clear the text in the memory. TEXTEDITOR - Find ----------------- You can enter strings, which have to be found and showed in the text. You can also enter a string, which will be entered in the text for the find-text. TEXTEDITOR - Next ----------------- The search goes forward after the find-text TEXTEDITOR - Previous --------------------- The search goes backwards after the find-text TEXTEDITOR - Replace -------------------- The search-text will be entered for the find-text. TEXTEDITOR - Helping page ------------------------- A helping page will appear, on which you can reread all the keyboard commands for the texteditor. TEXTEDITOR - Change text memory ------------------------------- Here the amount of memory for the text can be changed. You have to enter a decimal-number between 500 and 65535 (minmum and maximum) and select change, if you want to save the whole by PROJECT-save preferences. If there is not enough text memory, you have to enter new numbers till there is enough memory for your amount. GRAPHICSEDITOR - load IFF-picture --------------------------------- You can load pictures in the common IFF-ILBM-standard. The special- chunk-formats of the common programs can be loaded, because AmigaFox only uses the chunks BMHD and BODY. AmigaFox accepts compressed and uncompressed pictures. In spite of the fact, that AmigaFox works in the b/w-mode, the colors of 4 bitplanes can be converted into shadings. For the last two possible bitplanes I hade no more ideas. Just write me, if you have one,OK? The picture will always be loaded from (0;0). Because of this, I have to admit, it is up to date nearly unpossible to put pictures into a text. But you can be sure, that this will be a feature of forthcoming version. GRAPHICSEDITOR - save IFF-picture --------------------------------- Here you can save the current (!) screen or the whole bitmap as a IFF-ILBM-picture, compressed or uncompressed, just what you like or need. You will be asked, if there´s already a file with the same name. If you save the whole bitmap, then Deluxe Paint III will load it as Interlace-graphics. The remaining 100 Bytes (PAL-resolution, NTSC: 220 Bytes) then can be scrolled by the cursor keys. But I recognized, that DPaint III is not willing to load some of the pictures. This is the case, if there is a horizontal line in the first bitmap line. But don´t panic! It´s only DPaint III, that makes the troubles, just because of the super-special-chucks such as DPPS, DPPV. (To Dan Silva: Stop it! Please use the ´normal´ Chunks!) AmigaFox always loads those IFF-pictures! A small hint: Try to save pictures uncompressed, if DPaint makes trouble. GRAPHICSEDITOR - clear picture ------------------------------ Here you can clear the bitmap or the current screen. Don´t panic! You will be aksed, if you are sure, before the command will be executed. GRAPHICSEDITOR - print out -------------------------- The graphics will be printed out via the "PAR:"-device. You can read more about in sector H.) GRAPHICSEDITOR - helping page ----------------------------- There will appear a list of the keyboard commands. CAHRSETS - load CS from Disk ---------------------------- One by one all charsets AmigaFox can find the given path will be displayed. AmigaFox only accepts AmigaDOS-format. Ensuing these charsets can be brought to the screen or loaded into memory. For this you firstly click the option (Show CS or load CS) and then the charsets name. You can also change the disk and leave the requester. A small hint: Create yourself a disk, on which there are only charsets. Optimize this disk with the help of XCopy II and then you have a disk, with which you can reach a speed, which is ok. Otherwise you sit up to two minutes in front of your screen, while AmigaFox loads 110 char- sets. Bur don´t panic! For the time AmigaFox is in memory, this operation only needs to be done one time. CHARSETS - Show CS in RAM ------------------------- The charsets, which have been loaded into ram, will be displayed. They even will be numbered. You can select the following options just like the way before described: "Show CS" display charset, just to look on it "Use CS" Creates a formatline at the current cursorposition. While converting the selected charset will be activated. This makes the use of external charsets very easy! "Clear CS" not activated! CHARSETS - clear charsets ------------------------- if you are sure (you will be asked before), the charsets, which have been loaded into RAM, will be cleared. This is necessary, because there are only 60 charsets in RAM possible. CHARSETS - enter path for CS ---------------------------- Here the path for the charsets can be changed! It will be saved at PROJECT - Save preferences. possible exemples: "df0:fonts" "df1:fonts" "dh0:fonts" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- C.) SETTING UP YOUR HARDWARE CONFIGURATION ------------------------------------------ After installing AmigaFox to your Disk or Harddisc, start it. Now click the menu >TEXTEDITOR - Change text memory< and enter the amount of text memory you wish to have in decimal numbers. Then click >change< to execute the changing. Now go to >CHARSET - enter path for CS< and tell AmigaFox, where it can find your charsets. At the end you now install your printer: Click >PROJECT - Set up printer< and enter the ESC-Sequences,AmigaFox wants to know, click, if you want your printer to print one line 1,2 or 3 times, if your printer works with unautomatic or automatic line feed (if you can switch your printer, switch the whole to unautomatic linefeed (CR+LF)) and if your printer has 9 or 24 needles (Attention! The routines for 24-needle-printers has never been tested!). When you are ready, enter the name of your printer, click >save< to save your settings. By clicking >OK< you can leave the requester! If you are lucky, someone else has made this. Perhaps there is a printer routine in the drawer AFoxSys/Drucker with the name of your printer. On this disk you find the printer-routine >Epson-kompatibel<, which should work with most of the printers. Now save all these settings with >PROJECT - Save preferences< and you are ready. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ D.) TEXTEDITOR -------------- Keyboard commands of the texteditor: CTRL + Y Clear this line PgUp One page backwards PgDn One page forward Home To the beginning of the text End To the end of the text F1 Mark the beginning of the block F2 Mark the end of the block F3 Clear that block F4 Copy that block to the actual cursorposition F5 Clear the definition of the block All keyboard keys like the cursor keys, the Delete key, the Backspace key, the return key and all the other keys, that make the entering of text possible, are active. AmigaFox does not make use of the actual keyboard map, selected via Setmap from CLI. Because of this the american version always has the correct keyboard map. The several versions of AmigaFox V1.0 are: Country TV mode Name SetMap-keymap ---------- ------- --------------------- -------------- Germany PAL AmigaFox PAL V1.00 d german (d) USA NTSC AmigaFox NTSC V1.00 e american (usa0) England + Rest of World PAL AmigaFox PAL V1.00 e american (usa0) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- E.) THE COMMANDS FOR FORMATTING ------------------------------- There are several format commands. With the help of these commands the user can select bold or italic CTRL + f (an invers f will appear) FORMATLINE. This is the most important command. The content of the formatline will not be converted, but will change the settings of the following variables: X = ... Distance from the left border for the text Y = ... Distance from the upper border for the text L = ... Length of the line in bytes I = ... Tabulator (Sorry, only one) V = ... Distance between the lines H = ... Distance between the letters S = ... Mode of formatting S = 0 : on the left border S = 1 : block-printing S = 2 : centered S = 3 : on the right border Z = ... Here you can select charsets for formatting We will discuss this in sector F.) Wo ever had a C64. already recognized, that AmigaFox is widely compatible to Printfox ---------------------- Example for a formatline: <CTRL-f>x=0 y=0 l=420 s=1 v=2 h=1<Return> (ideal Setup for a DIN A5-print out) The presettings are for a print-out of a letter. CTRL + e (an invers e will appear) Till the next CTRL + e the text will be printed bold. CTRL + k (an invers k will appear) (This command does not exist at Printfox) Till the next CTRL + k the text will be printed italic CTRL + u (an invers u will appear) Till the next CTRL + u the text will be printed underlined CTRL + i (an invers i will appear) Jumps to the tabulator-mark. Will be the left margin till next return. CTRL + c (an invers c will appear) This line will be printed centered CTRL + p (an sign showing up and down will appear) Here stops one page and begins another. The selection of the page to be converted is made at the beginning of converting. There are 30 pages possible. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- F.) THE USAGE OF EXTERNAL CHARSETS ---------------------------------- AmigaFox is able to use the common AmigaDOS-Format for charsets. Because of this, the user can use a great number of charsets. As well as on PD-series-disks and commercial productions you can find several charsets for your AmigaFox. For the beginning you have to be satisfied with the topaz.font, the fonts from your Workbench and the printfox.font (Height 9) on this disk. Work this way and it is very easy for you: 1.) Write your text 2.) Move your Cursor to that position, where you want to change the charset. 3.) click "load CS from Disk" 4.) After AmigaFox finished his work and has all charsets on the screen (the zzz-symbol vanishes), click the option "Show CS" and look at each charset till you found, what you have been looking for. 5.) Click the option "Use CS" and then click the charset one time. Don´t get worried by the fact, that nothing happens! 6.) Leave the requester and move to next position where you want to change the charset. Then continue with 3.) At 5.) a new formatline will be inserted into your text: >CTRL-f< Z = "charsetname.font",Height >Return< (Example: >CTRL-f< Z = "printfox.font",9 >Return< While converting the charset will be loaded into RAM. So each charset has to be loaded only once till it will be cleared. Of course the following text will appear in the letters of the charset. You can also write the formatline yourself, but this way it is much easier. At a time, when you are a professional AmigaFoxer, you will write them yourself. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- G.) GRAPHICSEDITOR ------------------ In the graphicseditor you can manipulate your picture, which has been build up out of your text and format commands. In the graphicseditor there are several keyboard commands possible: CrsrDn With this key you can scroll through the Bitmap (640 x 800 dots) down to the end. CrsrUp like CrsrDn, but the other way PgDn Fast scrolling down PgUp Fast scrolling up d By pressing the left Mousebutton a dot will be set. While pressing and moving the mouse many dots will be set. z like d, but the dots will be connected l Here you can draw lines. Move to the starting point of your line, press the left mousebutton, move to the ending point of your line, release the button and...ready! r Drawing rectangles, functiones like l p Flooding. Move the area to be filled and press mouse. 1-9 several patterns for the flooding. try 7-9! i Inverting the actual screen I Inverting the whole bitmap (no UNDo possible!) w Overview. The Bitmap of 640 x 800 dots will be split up into two times 640 x 400, which are reduced to 320 x 200. If you forget to press F10 (=UNDO) after looking at the overview, the Bitmap will be destroyed. F10 UNDO-function. Makes the last action undone. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- H.) THE PRINT-OUT ----------------- After clicking GRAPHICSEDITOR - print out the parallel.device will be loaded into RAM, where it is kept until the end of AmigaFox. AmigaFox asks you, if the print-out shall be in normal- or high quality. Resol.screen Resol.printer 9-Needles: ---------- Normal Quality 640 x 8 640 x 8 High Quality 640 x 8 1920 x 16 24-Needles: ----------- Normal Quality 640 x 8 640 x 24 High Quality 640 x 8 1920 x 24 AmigaFox always lets you know how far the print-out is. So you never have to stand up and look after your printer. Just look on the screen. The colored block shows you, where the printer is so far. The print-out can be stopped by pressing the left mousbutton. After printing the current line to its end, you will be asked, if you are sure to end the print-out. The print-out is up to date not that good as it could be, but look for fourthcoming versions. --------------------------------------------------------------------- I.) SOME SENTENCES ABOUT COPYRIGHT ---------------------------------- AmigaFox V1.0 is a PUBLIC-DOMAIN-FREEWARE-PROGRAM ================================================= this means, that everyone has to have the chance to get this program. Someone is allowed to get his expenses back, he has for giving the program to someone else, but it is not allowed to make profit!!! If someone wants to release AmigaFox in a super-special-version with a printed manual, then he has to have my written assent. To Mr.Ossowski (german PD-dealer) --------------------------------- Mr.Ossowski does not get this assent. He only is allowed to release AmigaFox on his TAIFUN series-disk. To the people of Markt & Technik (german publishing house for comp.magaz.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you decide to test PD-programes objectively in future, then you are allowed to test AmigaFox too. If not, then not. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ J.) THE AUTHORS LAST SENTENCES ------------------------------ To the users of AmigaFox, that want to make me happy: ----------------------------------------------------- Please send me your printer-routines, your charsets and your graphics, but everything has to be designed or created by yourself. For that, I send you a nice letter and the latest version of AmigaFox, which I will copy on your disk with the printer-routines, charsets and graphics (3,5" and 5,25" possible). I also would be very happy, if you sent me a greeting card from your home town, so that I can see, where me users are living. AmigaFox´s History ------------------ AmigaFox has been written to 100% in Assembler. I took the HiSoft- DevPac-Assembler. The sourcecode has over 200 KByte and exactly 10038 lines. What a length! By the way, I will not give away the sourcecode of AmigaFox! The programming of AmigaFox V1.0 took nearly a half year. Firstly, I programmed AmigaFox for myself, because I found DOCUMENTUM not that good. What I wanted is Printfox on the Amiga and I think, it´s a nice program I made. But it will spend much time to make AmigaFox to that program, I think it should be. Next will be the programming for Moving and Making graphics bigger and smaller, a Circle- and Ellipse-routine and and and... Now, I wish you the greatest fun on earth with AmigaFox. If you find a bug, then tell me! PLEASE! Here is my adress (only written contact, I am never at home!): Michael Wüst Kastanienweg 2 BRD-8055 Hallbergmoos WEST GERMANY BYE, BYE, BYE, BYE, BYE, BYE, BYE, BYE, BYE, BYE, BYE, BYE, BYE, BYE, BYE