On Disk Monthly 76/odm76.zip/RESICALC.TXT

Text File | 1993-02-04 | 8KB | 163 lines

^C^1RESICALC HELP

^C^1Introduction
^C^1------------
ResiCalc is a handy "pop-up" calculator that will give you full
use of your keyboard's number pad while you are at the DOS prompt
or from within any 80 column text-mode program. This type of
memory resident utility is called a TSR.

^C^1What is a TSR?
^C^1--------------
The acronym "TSR" is short for "terminate and stay resident." In
plain English, this means that once ResiCalc is loaded into your
computer's memory, it will be available whenever you need it.

Many TSRs will not run unless they are loaded into memory. When
they are loaded, they "tie up" part of your computer's RAM or
random access memory--memory which is no longer available for use
by your other programs. Therefore, some computer owners avoid
TSRs. There is no reason to avoid ResiCalc, which gives you
several different "run" options.

^C^1Loading or Installing ResiCalc
^C^1------------------------------
There are three ways you can use ResiCalc: (1) as a TSR that is
available upon bootup (add ResiCalc to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file);
(2) as a TSR that you load into memory and remove from memory on
the fly from the DOS command line; and (3) as an ".EXE" file
(run it without making it resident). You must decide which is
best for you and your computer. Then follow the instructions
below that correspond with your choice.

^IHOW TO MAKE RESICALC RESIDENT UPON BOOTUP
STEP 1: Copy ResiCalc into a subdirectory that is in the PATH
        statement of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If you don't know
        which subdirectories are in the file, type "PATH" at the
        DOS prompt and note the list of subdirectories following
        the word "PATH."
STEP 2: At the root directory prompt in DOS (usually C:\), type
        "COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT AUTOEXEC.RES". This will create an
        extra copy of your file so that you can restore it
        (revert) later if necessary. To restore your old
        AUTOEXEC.BAT, type "COPY AUTOEXEC.RES AUTOEXEC.BAT" and
        reboot your system.
STEP 3: Add ResiCalc to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file by using the
        built-in DOS editor (type "EDIT AUTOEXEC.BAT") or a
        simple text editor such as Edit Meister (issue #72).
        Add the following statement to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:
        "RESICALC".

        NOTE: The DOS EDIT command is available in DOS versions
        5.0 and later. We recommend that you add the statement
        AFTER your "PATH" statement, AFTER any other TSRs, but
        BEFORE any statements that launch "shell" programs such
        as Windows. Also, LSHIFT+CTRL is the default hotkey.
        If you change the hotkey (as explained later in this
        document), you must use that hotkey in your AUTOEXEC.BAT.

STEP 4: Save the updated AUTOEXEC.BAT, exit to DOS and reboot
        your computer. ResiCalc is now installed as a TSR and
        will be available from DOS or from within any 80 column
        text-mode program. NOTE: It will not activate while you
        are running a graphics program.

^IHOW TO LOAD THE PROGRAM INTO MEMORY ON AN INTERIM BASIS
STEP 1: Change to the subdirectory of your hard drive or floppy
        drive where ResiCalc is located. At the DOS prompt
        (for example, C:\ODM76), type "RESICALC". ResiCalc will
        load into your computer's memory, and will remain in
        memory until you remove it (See Removing ResiCalc from
        memory) or until you re-start your computer.

STEP 2: Press the default hotkey (the Left Shift and Control
        keys at the same time). The ResiCalc calculator will
        "pop" onto your screen.

        NOTE: It will not be available the next time you boot
        your computer. To load ResiCalc again, follow these two
        steps again. Also, if you want to use a different
        hotkey, see Command Line Options below for help.

^IHOW TO RUN RESICALC WITHOUT MAKING IT MEMORY RESIDENT
STEP 1: Change to the subdirectory of your hard drive or floppy
        drive where ResiCalc is located. At the DOS prompt, type
        "RESICALC /N". The ResiCalc calculator will appear on
        the screen. This command line option, "/N," refers to
        "non-resident mode."

        NOTE: You cannot access ResiCalc in this manner while
        running another program. If you wish to activate
        ResiCalc only when using certain programs, follow the
        Interim instructions above.

^IREMOVING RESICALC FROM YOUR COMPUTER'S MEMORY (De-Installation)
STEP 1: At the DOS prompt, type "RESICALC /R".

        NOTE: Your computer will not remove a TSR unless it is
        the last TSR that was installed. If you have installed
        other TSRs since installing ResiCalc, you must first
        de-install them (in an order that is the exact reverse
        of your installation order).


^C^1How to Use ResiCalc
^C^1-------------------
Visually, ResiCalc looks like a standard hand-held calculator and
will operate in much the same way. ResiCalc does not have mouse
support, but it is a snap to use with your number pad or arrow
keys.

To activate your keyboard's number pad, "turn on" your keyboard's
Number Lock by pressing the "Num Lock" key. Most keyboards have a
status light to show when Num Lock is "on." You will see a
corresponding highlight on the Num Lock button on the ResiCalc
calculator on your screen.

You may use your keyboard's arrow keys to highlight the
calculator button you want to use. Press Enter to activate it.
You may also use one of the special keys shown below to activate
the calculator keys:

Note: Numbers in ResiCalc are limited to four (4) decimal places.

F1..............Help
Back Space......Deletes character to the left of the cursor
Num Lock or N...Toggles Num Lock (white=active, black=not active)
S...............Selects +/- (toggles between positive/negative #)
P...............Adds current number to memory (M+)
M...............Subtracts current number from memory (M-)
C...............Clears memory (MC)
R..............."Recalls" number in memory for use by calculator
A...............Clears all calculations (CA)
E...............Clears current entry or number (CE)
Enter...........Accepts calculations (acts as the equal sign)
                or carries out the function of a highlighted
                button (flashing text indicates highlight)
Escape..........Exits program or closes Help screen.

^C^1Command Line Options
^C^1--------------------
At the DOS prompt, type:
RESICALC /?.....To access this list of command line options
RESICALC /N.....To run ResiCalc in non-resident mode (like an
                executable program or .EXE), so that it is not
                installed in your computer's memory
RESICALC /R.....To remove ResiCalc from memory (see "Removing
                ResiCalc From Memory" above for details)
RESICALC /V.....To display version and author information
RESICALC /KEY=..To change the hotkey designation
    NOTE: The hotkey is composed of two parts: one or more of the
    following keys--right shift (RSHIFT), left shift (LSHIFT),
    Alt (ALT) or Ctrl (CTRL); plus any single letter, number or
    function key(F1-F10). You MUST include the first part when
    you alter the hotkey, but the second part is optional. If you
    use RSHIFT+LSHIFT in the first part of the hotkey, you cannot
    specify a second part. If you do not specify the first part
    of the hotkey, LSHIFT+CTRL will be used by default. For
    example, to change the hotkey to Ctrl/Alt/F10, you'd type
    "RESICALC /KEY=CTRL+ALT+F10". Use plus signs and no spaces
    between specified keys. Also, you can change the hotkey AFTER
    ResiCalc has been installed in memory, so if you forget your
    hotkey, just make a new one!