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Big Blue Disk 35
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PCG.TXT
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1989-07-17
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12KB
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|A╔══════════╗════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╔══════════╗
|A║ |6Helpware |A║══════════════ ^1Printer Converter Generator |A═════════════║ |6Helpware |A║
|A╚══════════╝════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╚══════════╝
^Cby
^CDavid Leithauser and George Leritte
There are many different models and brands of computer printers on the
market, giving users a wide variety of features. Unfortunately, such an
assortment of printers and features also creates compatibility problems. The
control codes that tell one printer to perform a certain function, such as go
into italics mode, can have a totally different effect on another printer. A
piece of software designed for one printer may not work correctly on another.
The program could be sending a message to the printer, such as a code for "Go
into graphics mode," and your printer interprets it as something else, like
"Spit out a sheet of paper."
The most common example of printer/software incompatibity is how line
feeds are handled. Some printers automatically provide a line feed each
time they receive a carriage return. This is fine unless you have a version
of DOS that also provides the line feed each time a carriage return is sent
to the printer, resulting in two line feeds and an extra blank line after
each printed line.
^1Printer Converter Generator^0 provides a solution to this type of
problem. It creates memory resident programs (also known as TSR programs, for
Terminate and Stay Resident) that convert one printer code to another. For
example, suppose you have a program that supports the ABC printer and you have
the XYZ printer. The ABC printer uses the code 27 25 to go to italics mode,
but the XYZ printer uses 0 1 96. You could use Printer Converter Generator to
create a memory resident program that intercepts 27 25 every time it is sent
to the printer and converts it to 0 1 96.
Consider the line feed example. You could create a program that converts
13 10 (carriage return followed by line feed) to just plain 13 (carriage
return alone) or a program that converts the line feed (10) to nothing at
all, thus deleting all line feeds going from the computer to the printer.
This program can also be used to create codes you can put in your documents
to control the printer. Let's say that your word processor does not have any
features for creating special effects, like italics, in your documents.
Select a character that you do not use in your documents, such as the
asterisk or caret, and create a memory resident program that will convert
this character to the desired control code for your printer. Place the
character in your document wherever and whenever you want to send the control
code to your printer. If there is no character you are willing to sacrifice
to this cause, you could make it a string of characters like "=+=" instead.
Just pick a string that is very unlikely to occur in your document.
In order to make it easy to experiment with the control codes, I have
written Printer Converter Generator (PCG) so that it creates files of
conversion pairs. Each conversion pair consists of two strings of ASCII
characters. The first is the string of characters that your computer
(actually your program) is sending to the printer to cause a certain effect
(like a page feed). The second is the string of characters that you want the
computer to send to produce this effect. For example, there might be three
strings of ASCII characters that your program sends to the printer that do
not work right on your printer. In this case, you would create a file
containing three conversion pairs. After you have created this file, you
would have PCG use the data in this file to create the TSR program that
changes each of the code strings output by your computer to the desired code
string. You can also save the file of conversion pairs, so you can correct
any mistakes you make or add to it later.
^CUsing Printer Converter Generator
^1Moving around the menu^0
You can move around the menu by using the left and right arrow keys or by
pressing the first letter of the option you wish to execute. When the
highlight bar is on the desired option, press ENTER. The large box on the
screen contains the list of conversion pairs currently in memory.
^1Load^0
This option allows you to load into memory a file that you have previously
saved. The computer will show you a list of conversion pair files in the
current default path. Move the highlight bar to the file you wish to load
and press ENTER. If you do not wish to load a file, press ESC. Once you
have loaded a file, you can add to it, delete from it, or edit individual
pairs. You can then use the modified file to create a new TSR conversion
program. If you have made changes to the list currently in memory, you will
be prompted to save the list if desired.
^1Edit^0
This allows you to change any part of any conversion pair currently in
memory. When you choose this, the computer moves the highlight bar to the
list of pairs on the screen. The list consists of a description you provide
for each conversion pair. Move the highlight bar over the description of the
pair you wish to edit and press ENTER. If you wish to add conversion pairs,
go to the bottom of the list where it says "Add conversion Pairs" and press
ENTER. If you wish to delete a conversion pair, press the DEL key and you are
prompted with a "Delete this entry?" prompt. To delete the highlighted pair
press "Y". If you wish to insert a pair or series of pairs, press the INS key
and you are taken to the input screen. To return to the main menu, press the
ESC key.
When you edit or add conversion pairs, the computer will display an input
screen. Near the top is a long square where you can enter a short description
of the conversion pair you are entering. For example, suppose the conversion
pair changed the code that causes a line feed. You would put something like
"Line Feed" in the description box. If the conversion pair was for the code
to go into the graphics mode, you could put "graphics mode" in the description
box. The program will use this description to refer to that particular
conversion pair later.
Below the description box is a row of small boxes for the characters in the
code string that your program is sending to the printer. Put one character of
the code in each box, starting with the leftmost box, until you have input all
the characters in the code. For example, if there are three characters in the
control code, put one character in each of the first three boxes. If the
character is an easy one to type on your keyboard (such as the letter "A"),
just type the character in the box. If it is an ASCII code that you cannot
easily type (such as the Esc key), press the F2 key to put that box into ASCII
mode and type the ASCII code for that character (such as 27 for the Esc key)
in the box. ^1Note: There must be at least one character in this row of
^1boxes in order to get the program to save the data (the pair).
Below this row of boxes is another row of boxes for the string of
characters you WANT the computer to send to the printer. Input this series
of characters in the same manner as mentioned above.
You can move around the screen from box to box using the cursor keys (up,
down, right and left). The ENTER key acts the same as the down cursor key,
except in character mode (versus ASCII mode which is the mode you are in
after pressing the F2 key), and the backspace key acts the same as the left
cursor key. When you have filled all the necessary boxes, press the F4 key
to save the pair. If you are adding codes, you will stay in the input screen
until you press F10.
^1Save^0
This saves the file of conversion pairs that you have created onto disk.
Note that this is the list of conversion pairs that PCG uses to create a TSR
conversion program, not the TSR program that uses them.
When you select this option from the main menu, the computer will display a
list of conversion pair files in the current default path. If you wish to
overwrite an existing file, move the highlight bar over the file you wish to
overwrite and press ENTER. If you wish to create a new file, move the
highlight bar over the words "New File" and press ENTER. You can then enter
any legal file name, up to eight letters. Do not use an extension, since PCG
adds its own extension.
^1Generate Conversion Program^0
This option creates a TSR Code Conversion Program from the file currently
in memory. The computer will display a list of COM files on disk. If you
wish to overwrite one, press enter and the program will overwrite it. To
create a new program, place the highlight on "New File" and press enter.
Enter any legal name up to eight letters. The PCG program will automatically
add the COM extension and save the program on disk.
^1New^0
This erases the file currently in memory. You would use this option when
you have created and saved a file (and presumably also generated a TSR
program) and you now wish to create another, totally different file. If you
have made changes to the list currently in memory, you will be prompted to
save the list if desired.
^1Quit^0
This allows you to exit the program. You can also exit the program by
pressing ESC. If you have made changes to the list currently in memory, you
will be prompted to save the list if desired.
^CUsing the Memory Resident Programs
Once you have created a memory resident program, you can return to DOS.
To install a program, type its name and press ENTER. The computer will load
the program and then return to DOS. Nothing visible will have happened.
However, any time you send one of the old codes controlled by this program to
the printer, it will be replaced by the new code. This will remain in effect
until you remove the TSR program from memory. You usually do this by
rebooting the computer or turning it off.
^CSample Conversion Files Provided
We have included several sample conversion files. If you want to be
able to print text from an issue of Big Blue Disk using some other program
besides the Big Blue Disk menu, just generate a conversion program using the
^1BBDCODE.CPF^0 file. This program will clean up the printout by "stripping"
out all the control codes we place in the text. Many printers do not handle
printing the box character set (the characters you see around all titles in
our text files). The files ^1BOXASCII.CPF^0 and ^1BOXBLANK.CPF^0 will give
you the ability to either convert the Box character set to a corresponding set
of characters that your printer can handle (BOXASCII.CPF) or to "strip" them
out altogether (BOXBLANK.CPF). Finally, more in line with its designed
purpose, we have included ^1EPSONCDE.CPF^0 which contains the Epson printer
control codes. Just add the control codes for your printer before generating
a conversion program from this file.
^1NOTE:^0 Since we have provided so many sample files on this disk, there is
limited room for saving any additional information. If you need to create and
save several conversions files, you should plan on moving this program to
another floppy disk or to your hard drive.
To run this program outside ^1Big Blue Disk^0, type: ^1PCG^0.
DISK FILES THIS PROGRAM USES:
^FPCG.EXE
^FBBDCODE.CPF
^FBOXASCII.CPF
^FBOXBLANK.CPF
^FEPSONCDE.CPF