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1992-06-10
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┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ GEdit 1.00.05Γ - PUBLIC Gamma Release Wed 10 Jun 92 │
│ Copyright 1992 by Chris Patterson, All Rights Reserved │
│ │
╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ GProduct Support Sites │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 1:170/301 (FidoNET) 1-918-251-6252 2400..14400 (v.32bis/HST/v.42bis) │
│ 1-918-251-1033 2400..9600 (Hayes V-9600/v.42bis) │
│ │
│ All program updates are available from the above numbers. All bug reports │
│ and suggestions can be sent via FidoNET NetMail addressed to the author, │
│ Chris Patterson. Reports may also be made via the BBS or by US Mail. │
│ │
╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ « 1.0 » What is GEdit? │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ GEdit is a full-screen external message editor for use with RemoteAccess, │
│ QuickBBS, SuperBBS, and any other BBS system that uses the QuickBBS-style │
│ external message editor interface. GEdit will allow users to edit their │
│ messages in a comfortable, full-screen editing environment. GEdit │
│ includes support for both ANSI and AVATAR emulation codes, making it a │
│ very fast alternative to the other editors which are available. │
│ │
│ After becoming tired of using an available but under-utilized AVATAR/0+ │
│ emulation, I decided to develop a full-screen editor which fully used the │
│ advanced capabilities of AVATAR/0+ to provide the smooth, easy-to-use │
│ interface of GEdit. The simple, yet powerful capabilities of this │
│ program, as well as the speed of the displays should bring it to the front │
│ of the message editor arena. │
│ │
╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ « 1.1 » General Features │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Here are some of the great features of GEdit. While this list is not │
│ complete, it gives a basic summary of the powerful design that went into │
│ the program. │
│ │
│ ≡ Full support for both ANSI and AVATAR/0+ emulation codes, including │
│ automatic detection of advanced ANSI capability beyond the basic │
│ support provided by DOS ANSI.SYS. │
│ │
│ ≡ Keyboard commands almost 100% compatible with TopED, as well as │
│ support for the DOORWAY/AVATAR keyboard and VT-100 keypad codes. │
│ │
│ ≡ Automatic word-wrap and line-wrap while entering text, including │
│ paragraph reformatting. │
│ │
│ ≡ Screen length adjusted to users setting to provide maximum editing │
│ area for fewer screen redraws. │
│ │
│ ≡ Extremely simple interface provides a short learning curve for new │
│ as well as experienced users. │
│ │
│ ≡ Sysop commands for shelling to DOS, adjusting users time remaining, │
│ disconnecting user, and importing text files from the local disk. │
│ │
│ ≡ Easy-to-use quote window with full-navigation is available to make │
│ replying to messages easier. │
│ │
│ ≡ Message information is displayed when used with QuickBBS, SuperBBS │
│ or RemoteAccess. The message information is displayed on status │
│ bars while the message is being edited. │
│ │
│ ≡ The quote option is only displayed when quote text is available. │
│ │
│ ≡ Multi-node systems are not a problem with GEdit. No special │
│ configuration is required. Setup is the quickest around. │
│ │
│ ≡ Very minimal screen output for excellent response time on slow │
│ modem connections. │
│ │
╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ « 1.2 » Technical Features │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ≡ Built-in support for RemoteAccess, QuickBBS and SuperBBS EXITINFO │
│ files. MSG.INF, MSGINF, and MSGED.BBS are read by GEdit to display │
│ message information. │
│ │
│ ≡ All communications are performed using the FOSSIL driver for best │
│ compatibility with system configurations. │
│ │
│ ≡ Carrier, user time remaining and idle timeout are all monitored │
│ internally for safe operation. │
│ │
│ ≡ All video routines are handled internally, including the ANSI and │
│ AVATAR/0+ emulation decoding. What you see locally is what the │
│ user should see as well. │
│ │
│ ≡ The program is written in Borland C 2.0. The video and keyboard │
│ functions are all written in high-speed assembly language for the │
│ fastest operation. The entire program was written by the author. │
│ No external libraries or toolkits were used. │
│ │
│ ≡ DESQview aware. Idle time-slices will be handed off to the other │
│ processes. │
│ │
╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ « 1.3 » Hardware and Software Requirements │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ GEdit can be run on any MS-DOS based system that uses an 8088 or higher │
│ processor. │
│ │
│ GEdit has been tested with the following software packages: │
│ │
│ QuickBBS 2.75, 2.76 (Beta-II) │
│ RemoteAccess 1.11+ │
│ SuperBBS 1.15, 1.16 (Gamma-2) │
│ │
│ The remote terminal programs which have been tested with GEdit are: │
│ │
│ Telemate 3.01 ANSI or AVATAR modes can be used │
│ Qmodem 5.01 ANSI mode only (limited ANSI implementation) │
│ ProComm Plus 2.0 ANSI mode │
│ Telix 3.15 ANSI mode only (AVATAR is not AVT/0+ compatible) │
│ FDTerm 2.02 AVATAR mode recommended, ANSI mode okay │
│ Lync 2.0 ANSI mode only │
│ Commo 4.5 ANSI mode │
│ Desterm 2.0 ANSI mode (on Commodore 128) │
│ │
│ GEdit has no problems working in multitasking or LAN environments. It │
│ has been tested under DESQview/386 as well as Novell NetWare 386 and │
│ NetWare Lite. │
│ │
╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ « 1.4 » Warranty and Disclaimer │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ GEdit is provided to the user "AS IS" with absolutely no warranties or │
│ guarantees of any kind. The entire risk as to the results and │
│ performance of GEdit are assumed by you. I, Chris Patterson, do not make │
│ any claims, promises or guarantees as to the usability, or inability to │
│ use GEdit or any other GProduct. I cannot and do not accept any │
│ responsibility for system damage, loss of profit, or any other special, │
│ incidental or consequential damages resulting from the use or inability │
│ to use this product. │
│ │
╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ « 1.5 » Copyright and License Agreement │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ GEdit is distributed under the ShareWare concept. You are licensed to │
│ use GEdit for a period not exceeding 30 days. After that time period has │
│ expired, you must either register GEdit or stop using it. By using GEdit │
│ beyond this evaluation period, you are in violation of United States │
│ Copyright laws and may be subject Federal Prosecution. Any blatent │
│ attempts to violate this copyright WILL result in prosecution to the │
│ fullest extent of the law. │
│ │
│ GEdit, and the original distribution archive, may not be modified in any │
│ way, shape, or form by any means. The archive format may be changed, but │
│ no files may be removed or inserted. The archive header should remain │
│ intact if possible. │
│ │
│ I, Chris Patterson, retain all rights to GEdit and it's source code. No │
│ disassembly or reverse-engineering of the executable images is allowed. │
│ The source code is not available and remains the property of the author, │
│ Chris Patterson. No fees may be charged for the distribution of GEdit or │
│ any GProduct without obtaining prior written permission. │
│ │
╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ « 1.6 » Registration │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ GEdit is a very powerful editor with a lot of enhanced features designed │
│ into the code for future enhancements. Because of the time and energy │
│ required to develop and maintain such a powerful product such as GEdit, I │
│ am asking for a registration fee of US$15. │
│ │
│ If you are a software developer, an alternative to paying the registration │
│ fee would be to send a registered version of your product to the author of │
│ GEdit. Files may be sent via FidoNET to the above listed address or may │
│ be mailed to the registration address below on either 5¼" or 3½" disks. │
│ The software product must be approved before being submitted to the author │
│ in exchange for registration of GEdit. │
│ │
│ If you are a registered user of TopED or QuickED, you can move up to GEdit │
│ for only US$10. You must provide proof of registration to qualify for │
│ the upgrade price. │
│ │
│ Registrations, along with the US$15 registration fee, should be mailed to │
│ the following address. Checks and money orders are accepted. │
│ │
│ Chris Patterson │
│ P.O. Box 1660 │
│ Broken Arrow, OK 74013-1660 │
│ USA │
│ │
╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ « 2.0 » Program Installation And Configuration │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ GEdit does not require any configuration before use. │
│ │
│ To execute GEdit, you must include the full name and path of the │
│ program file GEDIT.EXE. This can be set using RACONFIG or whatever │
│ your BBS configuration program might be. │
│ │
│ An example of this would be: │
│ │
│ D:\RA\GEDIT.EXE │
│ │
│ Or: │
│ │
│ D:\RA\GEDIT.EXE *M │
│ │
│ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! │
│ !!! DO NOT USE THE *N MACRO (Node Number) WITH GEDIT !!! │
│ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! │
│ │
│ When the offline editor is invoked from the BBS, the configuration │
│ information is read from the EXITINFO.BBS files created by QuickBBS, │
│ SuperBBS or RemoteAccess. The format is automatically recognized. │
│ │
│ If you wish to examine GEdit's functionality from DOS, you can specify │
│ the command line as: │
│ │
│ GEDIT TEST [A<1=ANSI,2=AVATAR>] [R<screen length>] │
│ │
│ The above command can also be used to allow GEdit to be used with an │
│ offline editor I imagine. I have added a command line parameter to pass │
│ a filename to GEdit for editing. The interface is crude at the moment, │
│ but if enough people are interested in this option, it will be expanded │
│ to become more user friendly. An example command line to use GEdit to │
│ edit a standard DOS text file would be: │
│ │
│ GEDIT.EXE TEST A3 R25 F<filename to edit> │
│ │
│ The help files for GEdit (GEHELP.A?? and GEQUOTE.A??) must exist in the │
│ same directory where the program is executed from. The files are checked │
│ in the order of AVT, ANS, ASC. The appropriate file will be displayed │
│ depending on the emulation mode selected by the user. │
│ │
╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ « 3.0 » Operation │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ The following keys are available while editing using GEdit. The keys that │
│ are preceeded by a caret (^) are to be pressed with the control key. │
│ │
│ ^A (^Left) Move the cursor to the previous word │
│ ^B Center the current line │
│ ^C (PgDn) Move the cursor down one screen length │
│ ^D (Right) Move the cursor one column to the right │
│ ^E (Up) Move the cursor up one line │
│ ^F (^Right) Move the cursor to the next word │
│ ^G (Del) Delete the character under the cursor. If the │
│ cursor is at the end of the line, the following │
│ line will be brought up onto the end of the │
│ current line. Depending on the structure of the │
│ paragraph, the lines may be reformatted. │
│ │
│ ^H (Backspace) Delete the previous character. If at the beginning │
│ of the line, will move to the end of the previous │
│ line, bringing the line up with it. │
│ │
│ ^I (Tab) Move the cursor to the next horizontal tab stop. │
│ ^K (F4) Close the quote window if it is open. │
│ ^L Redraw the screen. │
│ ^M (Enter) Move the cursor to the beginning of the next line. │
│ If the cursor is not at the end of the line and the │
│ editor is in insert mode, the text will be moved to │
│ the next line as well. │
│ ^N (ShiftTab) Toggle autoindent mode. In this mode, while typing │
│ a paragraph, if the text wraps past the last column │
│ on the screen, it will be indented equal to the │
│ indention of the previous line. The result would │
│ look like this reference section. │
│ ^O (ESC) Bring up the editing functions menu. │
│ ^P (End) Move the cursor to the end of the current line. │
│ ^Q (F3) Open the quote window (if quote text is available). │
│ ^R (PgUp) Move the cursor up one screen length. │
│ ^S (Left) Move the cursor left one column. │
│ ^T (AltK) Delete the word or space to the right of the cursor. │
│ ^U (Ins) Insert deleted lines from the scrap buffer. │
│ ^V (AltI) Toggle insert mode. │
│ ^W (Home) Move the cursor to the beginning of the line. │
│ ^X (Down) Move the cursor down one line. │
│ ^Y (AltD) Delete the current line to the scrap buffer. │
│ ^Z (ESC/S) Save the message and exit the editor. │
│ │
│ (^Home) Move the cursor to the top of the edit window. │
│ (^End) Move the cursor to the bottom of the edit window. │
│ (^PgUp) Move the cursor to the top of the message. │
│ (^PgDn) Move the cursor to the end of the message. │
│ (Grey+) Copy the current line to the scrap buffer without │
│ deleting it. │
│ (Grey-) Cut the current line to the scrap buffer (the same │
│ as ^Y and AltD. │
│ (AltQ) Quit without saving or asking any questions. │
│ (AltX) Bring up the command menu (like ^O and ESC). │
│ (AltW) Save message and exit without any questions. │
│ │
╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ « 4.0 » SysOp Specific Operation │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ GEdit has a number of functions which are available to the system │
│ operator while the program is executing. These functions are only │
│ available from the local keyboard and cannot be activated in any way by │
│ the caller. │
│ │
│ AltF2 Allows a text file to be imported from the local disk. │
│ The sysop is prompted for the filename in the command │
│ area of the screen display. While the program is │
│ waiting for a filename to be entered, the program is │
│ no longer checking any time limits. This function is │
│ available from the local keyboard at all times. │
│ │
│ AltC Invoke an external chat utility to chat with the user. │
│ In the unregistered version, GCHAT.EXE is hard-coded. │
│ In future registered versions, any external chat program │
│ will be able to be specified. │
│ │
│ AltH Hangup on the current user and return to the BBS. The │
│ modems DTR line will be dropped until the carrier is │
│ lost or until the hangup routine times out. │
│ │
│ AltJ Swaps the editor to EMS/XMS/Disk and invokes a DOS │
│ shell. If insufficient memory is available to swap │
│ the editor, the shell will still be attempted but the │
│ amount of available memory will be reduced. │
│ │
│ AltU Toggles the users keyboard on/off while user is online. │
│ │
│ Alt- Decrease the users time remaining by one minute. │
│ │
│ Alt= Increate the users time remaining by one minute. │
│ │
│ ShiftF1.. Sysop macro keys. These keys, when pressed locally, │
│ ShiftF12 will send the respective keyboard macro string to the │
│ editor. The macros are kept in a standard DOS text │
│ file. The first 12 lines of the text file are assigned │
│ to the Shift-F1 throught Shift-F12 function keys. │
│ │
│ The text file "GEDIT.MAC" must be located in the same │
│ directory as the GEDIT.EXE file. │
│ │
│ The following characters are recognized as special │
│ characters in the macro string. These characters are │
│ identical to those used by FrontDoor in the editor │
│ keyboard macros. │
│ │
│ | - insert [Enter] key │
│ ~ - begin control sequence using next character │
│ ~ - insert tilde (~) │
│ | - insert pipe (|) │
│ ! - invoke DOS shell │
│ > - cursor right │
│ < - cursor left │
│ ^ - cursor up │
│ V - cursor down │
│ } - delete to end of line │
│ S - save message │
│ # - save message │
│ U - insert user's name │
│ │
│ │
│ ««« NOTE the following keys are temporary kludges until the GEdit »»» │
│ ««« Customization Program is completed. NO BUG REPORTS ON THESE »»» │
│ ««« KEYS PLEASE!!! »»» │
│ │
│ AltS Select color to change. The name of the color item to │
│ be changed is displayed in the lower-right corner. │
│ │
│ AltF Increment the foreground color by one (cycles). │
│ │
│ AltB Increment the background color by one (cycles). │
│ │
│ AltW Write color information file (GEDIT.CLR). The file is │
│ created in the directory from which GEDIT.EXE was loaded. │
│ To reset the defaults colors, delete this file. │
│ │
╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ │
│ Thank you for trying GEdit. I hope that you find it useful and make it │
│ the default editor on your system. If you have any problems or │
│ suggestions for future versions, please feel free to contact me at any of │
│ the locations mentioned in this document. │
│ │
│ I would like to personally thank all of the beta testers that helped with │
│ the testing of GEdit. Your patience and dedication is appreciated. │
│ │
│ - Chris Patterson, GEdit Author │
│ │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘