home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Club Amiga de Montreal - CAM
/
CAM_CD_1.iso
/
files
/
389.lha
/
View80_v1.1
/
Instructions.eng
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1990-07-02
|
13KB
|
299 lines
View80
----------
v1.1
by Federico Giannici
View80 is a fast and comfortable ASCII files reading program.
It allows you to visualize 80 columns texts and to use the scrollbar at same
time.
View80 is entirely written in C language, except for a little routine for the
screen writing, that, from the version 1.1, has been rewritten in assembly
language in order to obtain the maximum speed. So, 3 different scroll-modes are
available: SMOOTH-Scroll with gradual appearing of the lines, FAST-Scroll rapid
but fluent, and TURBO-Scroll that gives you the fastest speed, obtained by not
refreshing the scroll-bar which is positioned only when you release the keys.
View80 gives you the best when there is some FAST-RAM available. It is due to
the fact that it's a multiprocessor program (in Amiga almost every program is
multiprocessor), in fact, while the Blitter is scrolling the screen, AT THE SAME
TIME, the CPU (680x0) is writing the next line in a temporary buffer. So, if
View80 is forced to work in CHIP-RAM, the CPU and the Blitter will come into
conflict for accessing the memory. This causes, with long lines, a slowing down
of the Fast and Turbo scroll. No problems with the Smooth-Scroll.
Another peculiarity of View80, from the version 1.1, is the ability of loading
up to three files in memory, and to switch among them by simply pressing a key.
View80 is a Public Domain program and you can copy and utilize it freely. You
don't have to pay to me anything (every monetary contributions however will be
well accepted) but you can't modify, sell or incorporate it in any commercial
program without my written authorization. Again, I am not responsible for any
damage, direct or indirect, derived by the utilization of View80.
And now, formalities off, let's start with the program description.
LOADING
---------
You can run View80 both from CLI or Workbench.
Files can be automatically loaded in the usual way:
From CLI, typing View80 followed by the filenames (up to three). The CLI can
immediately be used, as if the "Run" command has been used to load the program.
From Workbench, using the multiple selection procedure with the SHIFT key, or
typing "View80" into the Default Tool of the file to be loaded, and then
double-clicking it. You surely know what and where the Default Tool is (it is in
the INFO window that is activated by the first menu of the Workbench, under the
"Info" label, do you remember?).
If no file is supplied, the program will automatically activate the
File-Requester (File-Finder by FG, of course!). We'll examine it later on.
View80 automatically recognizes if it has been loaded on a PAL or NTSC Amiga and
adapts its screen dimension. I haven't actually tested my program on a NTSC
machine but I think there should not be any problem.
MOVING
--------
You can move up and down trough the textfile both by keyboard or mouse.
KEYBOARD MOVEMENTS
By using the UP - DOWN arrow keys you can scroll the text in SMOOTH-Scroll.
If you press them with the SHIFT key you obtain the FAST-Scroll, and pressing
the ALT key you obtain the TURBO-Scroll.
By using the LEFT - RIGHT arrow keys you can move through the text, page by page
(the last line of the previous page will be showed at the top of the screen in
order not to loose the thread of what you was reading). If you press the SHIFT
key the movement will be carried out in FAST-Scroll.
By using the ALT key with the LEFT - RIGHT arrow keys you can jump to the top or
to the bottom of the text.
The SPACE bar will activate/deactivate the automatic scroll. Again, you can use
the SHIFT or ALT keys to speed up the scroll.
With the F4 and F5 keys you can jump to a mark that was previously set by
pressing the SHIFT and F4 or F5. When a new file is loaded, F4 and F5 are
initialized to the first and last line of the file. So, initially, they are an
easy substitute for the ALT and LEFT - RIGHT keys.
MOUSE MOVEMENTS
By using the mouse you can operate on the scrollbar and on the arrow gadgets (a
double-click activate the FAST-Scroll). Besides, you can enable the scroll by
clicking with the mouse in the top or the bottom halves of the screen (if this
is done just near the borders the scroll will turn to the FAST-Scroll).
The TURBO-Scroll isn't available with the mouse, because for long movements it's
more convenient to use the scroll-bar.
MENUS
-------
LOAD FILE
(Obtained also with F9)
This option allows you to load a new file in memory replacing the previous one.
To Load a new file without delete the previous one, you have to change the File#
(with the F1, F2 and F3 keys, see later...), then you can choose the LOAD FILE
command.
The File-Finder window will appear as you select this option (File-Finder is a
File-Requester I had created some time ago) and the current directory filenames
will be displayed.
File-Finder works like many other file-requester so I will tell you only its
peculiarity.
The "Suffix" gadget allows you to select only those files which end with the
suffix you chose (obviously, if no suffix is chosen every filename will be
displayed).
If you let File-Finder complete the last directory reading, the next time you
recall it, the current directory list will be immediately displayed.
Again, since it's difficult to select by mouse one of the filenames during the
directory reading (the filenames scroll down as they are arranged in
alphabetical order), File-Finder stops reading as you click in the filenames
window in order to let you select, among the filenames read until now, which one
you want to load.
QUIT
(Obtained also with F10)
It leaves the program clearing all the files in memory.
It will appear a requester asking you to confirm your intentions. You can answer
positively by pressing any key but the function and arrow ones.
SEARCH STRING
This option allows you to search a string in the file with no care for upper or
lower case.
The search starts from the second displayed line on the screen downward (we'll
see why later).
If the search is successful the line containing the string is displayed on the
screen in Reverse Mode.
SEARCH NEXT
Like "SEARCH STRING", but without request for the string to search. Since,
usually, the last line founded is displayed on the top of the screen (first
line), and the search starts from the second screen line, the result is the
usual "SEARCH NEXT" function. (Q.E.D.)
PRINT RANGE
This option allows you to print a selected range of lines.
You will be asked for the number of the first and the last line to print.
Usually these lines will be previously chosen positioning the screen and
pressing the F6 and F7 keys respectively. By default the F6 and F7 values are
assigned to the first and last line of the file.
View80 makes a 80 columns print (with no care for the Preferences settings) so
to reproduce exactly what is on the screen, expanding the Tabs properly and
replacing the unprintable characters with the "X" character. (see TABS)
Commonly the print will be sent to the "PRT:" device (the printer), but it's
possible to redirect the output to any file you choose by the "Send to" gadget.
If the file already exists the output will be appended to the end of the file.
So, it's possible to make a collage of several pieces of different files. It's
recommended, for speed problems, to make this operations in RAM:.
The printing can be aborted at any time by clicking on the CANCEL gadget.
PRINT LINE
When this option is selected the first line on the top of the screen is printed,
and automatically the whole text is scrolled up of a line.
It is useful for printing a small amount of lines avoiding the line range
requester.
You pay this advantage in terms of speed, because, for each line View80 has to
open and to close the "PRT:" (or other) device and this operation requires a lot
of time.
USE MY COLORS
By default, View80 uses the Workbench colors.
If they result no good for reading or simply you don't like them, you can choose
another pre-defined set of colors (nearly the default of Preferences) by
selecting this option.
JUMP TO
A requester will appear asking you the line number to which to jump. If the line
isn't accessible as the first of the screen, the line you chose will appear in
reverse (try to jump to a pair of line before the end of file).
CLEAR FILE
Clears the file corresponding to the current File#. The other files in memory
will not be affected.
ABOUT KEYS
(Obtained also with the HELP key)
By selecting this option, View80 will show an help window with the list of the
keys (and their functions) you can make use of in the program.
It is also showed the total amount of free memory.
You can get rid of this window by pressing any key.
FILE# (1, 2, 3)
(Obtained also with F1, F2 and F3)
This command let you switch from a file to another in memory.
Note that everytime you come back to a File# you will find it EXACTLY as you
left it. In particular it will be memorized: the current position, the marks
(F4, F5), the print line numbers (F6, F7), the Word-Wrap and the Tab.
WORD-WRAP (OFF, ON)
When this function is active (ON) View80 doesn't split the word at the end of
the line, but puts it into the following line.
TAB (OFF, 1, 2, 4, 8)
This option allows you to select the way the Tabs will be displayed.
If you select "OFF", View80 will consider the Tabs like the others unprintable
characters (it will display them in a single vertical "09" character) (look at
the next topic: MISCELLANEA).
If you select one of the other numbers (1, 2, 4, 8) View80 will display the
right number of spaces in order to adequately tabulate the text.
Note that each time you either change from one TAB setting to another or
activate/deactivate the Word-Wrap, View80 has to reformat the whole text and
this requires some time. Besides, the values of F4, F5, F6 and F7 will be
brought back to the default (first and last line of the file).
MISCELLANEA
-------------
If the scroll is obtained by the keyboard, View80 makes the mouse pointer
temporarily invisible. At the first movement of the mouse View80 re-makes the
pointer visible.
In the drag-bar of the screen the following information are always displayed:
the name of the program (View80); the Version number; the number of File#; the
name of the loaded File; its dimension in bytes and its length in lines; the
number of the current line, that is the first line on the top of the screen
(View80 updates this number only when you release the mousebuttons or any key).
View80 makes use of a special set of characters which shows any unprintable
character contained between 00 and 1F and between 80 and 9F with a single
"vertical" character showing the proper hexadecimal value of the character (it
seems difficult but it is not; try to load a non-text file and you will see).
During the print these special characters are replaced with the "X" character.
Sometime a requester with some message for you can appear. You can get rid of it
by clicking on the "Continue" gadget or simply pressing any key.
When View80 meets a CR and LF characters sequence (Carriage Return and Line
Feed) it considers them as a single LF character.
FINAL NOTE
------------
For any suggestion, criticism, bug reporting, contribution and, most of all,
praises you can contact me at the address shown on the top of the menu of
View80. You can also contact me on the Italian BBS Mc-Link (06-4180440), my code
is MC4080.
I enjoyed very much programming View80. The result has exceeded all my
expectations. I hope you like it, too.
Federico Giannici
Viale Francia 4
90146 Palermo
Italy