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The BOSSKEY Package Version 1.0 (January, 1989) R E F E R E N C E M A N U A L Stephen Meredith Data del Mar P.O. Box 17881 San Diego, CA 92117 (619) 272-2506 _______ ____|__ | (TM) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER Copyright 1989 by Stephen Meredith The BOSSKEY Package Page 2 Table of Contents Preface............................................3 Chapter 1: Legal Information License............................................4 Warranty...........................................4 TesSeRact..........................................4 Chapter 2: General Inforamtion Shareware..........................................6 Association of Shareware Professionals.............6 Technical Support..................................7 E-Mail Addresses...................................7 Ordering Information...............................7 Order Form.........................................8 Chapter 3: SCRSAVE What it does.......................................9 How to use it......................................9 Chapter 4: BOSSKEY and NEW-IMG What it does......................................11 How to use it.....................................11 Changing the screen...............................12 Chapter 5: SHOW-IMG What it does......................................13 How to use it.....................................13 Chapter 6: CONV-IMG What is is........................................14 How to use it.....................................14 Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989 The BOSSKEY Package Page 3 Preface The Bosskey Package consists of five programs. These programs include a text screen saver, a saved screen viewer, a 'bosskey' program, a bosskey utility program, and file conversion utility for programmers. The programs are named as follows: BOSSKEY.EXE SCRSAVE.EXE SHOW-IMG.EXE NEW-IMG.EXE CONV-IMG.COM The BOSSKEY program is a program which allows you to pop-up a previously saved screen of your choice when you hear the boss coming. When he is gone, you can get rid of the screen and get back to whatever you where doing before he came in. The SCRSAVE program is a program for saving text screens to disk. First you run SCRSAVE, which loads into memory and returns you to the DOS prompt. Then you run whatever program you wish. When you want to save a screen, you hit a special key combination, and a snapshot of whatever is on your screen is saved to a file. You can use these files with BOSSKEY, SHOW-IMG, NEW-IMG, and CONV-IMG. SHOW-IMG shows you one or more saved screen snapshots. You can use it as a poor-man's demo program. NEW-IMG is used to change the snapshot in use by the BOSSKEY program. The CONV-IMG program (CONVert IMaGe) is a utility for programmers who write in C. It takes a screen image file and converts it to an array. It writes the array out to a file which you can include in your C program for easy manipulation. Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989 Chapter 1 Page 4 Chapter 1 Legal Information License: The BOSSKEY Package, consisting of the included programs and all supporting documentation, is copyrighted by Stephen Meredith, 1989. The copyright owner hereby licenses you to use the software for evaluation purposes, make as many copies of the software and documentation as you wish, give exact copies of the original to anyone, and to distribute the software and documentation in its original unmodified form via electronic means. This software is shareware: it is not free software. This license allows you to use this software without charge for a period of 30 days. At the end of this trial period, you are trusted to either register your copy of the BOSSKEY package, or discontinue using it. You are specifically prohibited from charging or requesting donations for any copies of this package. Exceptions may be granted to organizations which charge a small fee for materials, postage and handling. No organization is authorized to charge any amount for distribution of the software or documentation under any other conditions. In addition, no part of this package may be include with another package. You may not use any screen image file created with the SCRSAVE program in any other program, or in demonstration of some other product, whether commercial, public domain, shareware or other, until you have paid the registration fee. Warranty: There is no warranty of any kind associated with this software. By using it, you agree to this. Every effort has been made to make this product error free. However, it is impossible to guarantee bug-free software. TesSeRact: This product uses the TesSeRact(TM) Ram_Resident Library and supports the TesSeRact Standard for Ram_Resident Program Communication. For information about TesSeRact, contact the TesSeRact Development Team at: Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989 Chapter 1 Page 5 TesSeRact Development Team 1657 The Fairways Suite 101 Jenkintown, PA 19046 Phone: 215-884-3373 CIS: 70731,20 MCI: 315-5415 FAX: 215-886-4225 If you are a programmer considering writing a TSR, I highly recommend this package. It is not for the complete novice, but it simplifies the creation of TSR programs by one or two orders of magnitude! The time you save by using this package will be immense. There are TesSeRact libraries for C, Pascal, and assembly language. And it's another shareware package, so you can try before you buy. Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989 Chapter 2 Page 6 Chapter 2: General Information Shareware: This package is marketed as shareware, also known as user- supported software. Shareware is a method of marketing software which allows potential buyers to try out programs before actually purchasing them. If you use the software for a while, and like it, you are trusted to mail in the registration fee. If you don't like it, you don't have to buy it. What could be better for you? The shareware method is also benefitial to software authors. It keeps the costs of marketing and packaging to a minimum. The savings are reflected in the low price tag that comes with the software. Registration for this package is only $10.00! Payment of this fee entitles you to: 1: A disk with the latest version of the BOSSKEY Package. 2: The right to use the software as much as you like. 3: The right to distribute screen image files create with this package as part of other products. 4: Upgrades to future versions for a nominal fee. 5: The satisfaction of helping the shareware system work. Association of Shareware Professionals: Stephen Meredith is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). This organization was formed in April of 1987 to strengthen the future of shareware as an alternative to commercial software. Its members, all of whom are programmers who subscribe to a code of ethics, are committed to the concept of shareware as a method of marketing. ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006, or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989 Chapter 2 Page 7 Technical Support: If you have a problem with the software, please let me help. You may call, write, or send E-Mail. I have several E-Mail addresses, and will answer with support as soon as I can. The only way I can learn about (and fix) bugs is if you let me know what's happening. I can't test every possible machine configuration with the BOSSKEY product. So please let me know what kind of problems you have with the software (and documentation.) I am also looking for suggestions and improvement ideas. E-Mail Addresses: Compuserve: [72571,1512] GEnie: s.meredith UUCP: uunet!serene!pnet12!meredith ARPA: crash!pnet01!pnet101!pnet03!meredith@nosc.mil INET: meredith@pnet03.cts.com Ordering Information: To order, please fill out the order form on the next page. Send it to me with a check or money order for $10.00 made out to Stephen Meredith. Sorry, I don't take credit cards yet. (U.S. Funds, please.) Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989 Registration Page 8 The BOSSKEY Package Registration NAME________________________________________________________ STREET ADDRESS______________________________________________ CITY, STATE, ZIP____________________________________________ Where did you get this copy of BOSSKEY (if BBS, say which)? ____________________________________________________________ What would you do to improve this product? ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Would you benefit from a full screen editor for image files? ___YES ___NOT REALLY Would you like to see BOSSKEY.EXE cover graphics screens? ___YES ___NOT REALLY ------------------------------------------------------------ Please send this form with a check or money order for $10.00 to: Stephen Meredith Data del Mar P.O. Box 17881 San Diego, CA 92117 Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989 Chapter 3 Page 9 Chapter 3: SCRSAVE What it does: SCRSAVE is a memory-resident program (also called a TSR, short for Terminate but Stay Resident) which can be used to save a snapshot of a program's non-graphics screen to a file. This snapshot file may then be used with BOSSKEY, or as part of a demo, or in some other way. The screen is stored in the standard CHAR-ATTRIBUTE format. How to use it: You invoke SCRSAVE just as you would any other program. First, make sure you are in the directory which contains the SCRSAVE program (or be sure it's in the DOS search path.) At the DOS prompt (A> or C> for example) type SCRSAVE and press the [ENTER] or [RETURN] key. The program will load into memory, and you will be returned to the DOS prompt. SCRSAVE is now ready to go to work saving screens to disk at your command. You save the image of a screen by pressing [ALT] [PRN-SCREEN]. If SCRSAVE has already been loaded into memory and you try to load it in again, it will tell you. Only one copy of the program will be loaded into memory at one time. You can remove the program from memory by typing SCRSAVE OFF at the DOS prompt. In order for the program to be removed from memory, it must have been the last memory resident program loaded. If you type SCRSAVE OFF, and some other programs have gone resident since you loaded SCRSAVE, it will be told to leave memory as soon as the other programs have also been removed. While it is in this waiting state, the SCRSAVE program is essential off--it will not continue to save screens. To reactivate the program, type SCRSAVE again. After the program is loaded into memory, you can take a snapshot of any screen from most any program. The only exceptions are that you can't take a snapshot of a screen which is using graphics mode and you can't take a snapshot of another memory resident program's pop-up screen. If you attempt one of these illegal operations, you will hear a short series of descending tones (I'll call them 'error tones' from now on.) To take a snapshot of a screen and save it to disk as a screen image file, simply press the [ALT] key and hold it, and then press the [PRT- SCREEN] key. You will either hear the error tones (telling you that you can't take a picture of this screen) or you will see a prompt at the very top of your screen. At this point, the snapshot has already been Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989 Chapter 3 Page 10 taken. The program is asking you for the name of the file to save the screen under. Enter a filename. Only one screen is saved in each file. Filenames are limited to eight characters, and an optional '.' (period) followed by another three letters (commonly called the 'extension.') If you enter a filename that already exists on the disk, you will hear the error tones, and the screen will not be saved. You may also press [RETURN] by itself at the filename prompt. Doing so causes the screen to be save in the current directory. A filename will be chosen for you for this screen and all others you wish to save after this. SCRSAVE will try to save the screen in a file called 1.IMG. If that file exists, it will try the name 2.IMG, then 3.IMG, and so on, until it finds a number which does not exist as a filename. From now on, each time you press [ALT] [PRT- SCREEN] the snapshot of the screen will be given one of these automatic filenames. This feature comes in handy when making many snapshots of a program's screens for use in a demo or some similar application. It is a good idea to name all your screen image file with the .IMG extension. This makes it easy to keep track of them. If you have some other naming convention which you already use, that's fine; none of the programs in this package require the .IMG convention. Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989 Chapter 4 Page 11 Chapter 4: BOSSKEY and NEW-IMG What it does: BOSSKEY is another TSR which is used to hide the screen of whatever program you are using by covering it with the image of a screen from some other application which has been saved to disk. Use SCRSAVE for the job of saving the screens--see chapter 3. How to use it: To invoke BOSSKEY, type BOSSKEY at the DOS prompt, followed by the filename of the screen to use as the cover, followed by [RETURN] or [ENTER]. The filename you give it must be the name of a screen image file saved with SCRSAVE (or some other compatible program--all that matters is that the image file is in CHAR-ATTRIB format.) It easy to recognize screen image files. They are 4000 bytes long. Those created with the SCRSAVE automatic naming feature will end in .IMG. BOSSKEY will read the screen image file and itself into memory. If you still have the SCRSAVE program in memory when you call this program, you will have the chance to release it. Do so by answering 'Y' to the 'SCRSAVE still in RAM. Release it (Y/N)?' prompt. If something goes wrong during the load process, you will be given an error message. In this case, you may not have given the program the correct filename, or no filename at all. To cover up a screen with the screen read from the image file, simply press any [CTRL] or [CONTROL] key and press the shift key located on the right hand side of keyboard. Pressing the left shift key will not work. If the disk drive lights are not on and you are not in graphics mode, whatever you where doing will be suspended and you will see the screen from the image file on your screen, just as it appeared when you saved it. To get back to whatever you where just doing before covering up the screen, hit [CTRL] [RIGHT-SHIFT] again. This will unfreeze your program. Its normal screen will come back. You can now continue where you left off. Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989 Chapter 4 Page 12 Changing the screen: You can press the [CTRL] [RIGHT-SHIFT] keys as many times as you like. The same screen will pop up each time. If you are done with BOSSKEY, type BOSSKEY OFF to mark it for removal from memory. If you would like to change the screen which pops up, type NEW-IMG filename. Replace the word 'filename' with the name of the new image file which holds the screen you would to pop-up when you press [CTRL] [RIGHT-SHIFT]. For example, if you origianlly loaded BOSSKEY with the image file SCREEN1.IMG but would rather see the image stored in SCREEN2.IMG, type NEW-IMG SCREEN2.IMG Now each time you hit [CTRL] [RIGHT-SHIFT] you will see the screen stored in SCREEN2.IMG. Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989 Chapter 5 Page 13 Chapter 5: SHOW-IMG What it does: SHOW-IMG is a utility program for viewing screen image files, like those created with SCRSAVE. You can use it as a poor-man's demo program. How to use it: To view a screen image file, type SHOW-IMG filename. Replace the word 'filename' with the name of the image file you would like to view. The screen saved in the image file will appear on your screen. Press any key to return to the DOS prompt. To use SHOW-IMG as a demo program, list all the names of the screen images you wish to view. For example, to see the three file 1.IMG, 2.IMG, and 3.IMG, type: SHOW-IMG 1.IMG 2.IMG 3.IMG 1.IMG will show first and wait for you to press a key. Then 2.IMG will appear. Press a key one more time to see 3.IMG. You may also use wildcards in the names of the screen image files. For example, SHOW-IMG *.IMG will show all the image files ending in the .IMG extension. It shows the files in the order in which they appear in the directory. Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989 Chapter 6 Page 14 Chapter 6: CONV-IMG What it is: CONV-IMG is a utility program for C programmers who wish to use saved screens in their programs. Actually, there are 2 ways to accomplish this. First, you can use the CONV-IMG to turn a screen image file into an array and compile it into your program. The other way to do it is to read the screen from disk as your program is running. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method. How to use it: To use CONV-IMG, you must first have a screen image file saved to disk. You can create screen image files with SCRSAVE. To convert an image file to an array, type CONV-IMG filename where filename is the name of the screen image file. The resulting array will have the same filename as the original image file, except that it will have the extension '.H' instead of the original extension. The resulting .H file will be quite a bit larger than the original image file. The array will be named screen_filename, where filename is the name of the image file, less any extension that may be present. The .H file created from the image file s2.img will look something like this: char screen_s2[] = { 0x20,0x70,0x20,0x70,0xE2,0x70,0xC2,0x70,0x20,0x70,0x20, 0x41,0x70,0x72,0x70,0xE2,0x70,0xC2,0x70,0x20,0x70,0x20, . . ( 246 more lines of similar stuff ) . 0x20,0x70,0x20,0x70,0xE2,0x70,0xC2,0x70,0x20,0x70,0x20, 0x41,0x70,0x72,0x70,0xE2,0x70,0xC2,0x70,0x20,0x70,0x20, }; /* 4000 bytes */ Note that the array name is screen_s2[]. To use this .H file in your programs, you use the #include directive. You can then refer to the variable name in your program. Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989 Chapter 6 Page 15 Here is a short example program written for Turbo C 2.0: #include <conio.h> #include "S2.H" /* your screen will be loaded */ /* at compile time and is */ /* called screen_s2 */ void main() { puttext(1,1,80,25,screen_s2); /* display the screen */ getch(); /* wait for key */ } This short program displays the screen and waits for a keystroke. It uses the Turbo C library function puttext(), which puts a block of text on the screen. Using this technique, you can switch between several screens very rapidly for animation. Or you can create stand-alone demos which don't require disk access for each frame. You might also find it handy to make help screens this way. You can also compile the .H files into object modules which you link with your program. To do this, you must treat the variables as extern. This will save compilation time. Here is another short program demonstrating how to read an image file from disk at run-time and display the screen stored in the file. Again, I am using the example S2.IMG, which is assumed to be on disk. #include <conio.h> #include <stdio.h> void main() { FILE *fp; char scr_buff[ 4000 ]; fp = fopen( "S2.IMG", "r" ); fread( &scr_buff, 4000, 1, fp ); fclose( fp ); puttext( 1,1,80,25, scr_buff ); getch(); } The utility SHOW-IMG is written similary, but the image read directly into screen memory. Copyright by Stephen Meredith, 1989