JCSM Shareware Collection 1996 September/JCSM Shareware Collection (JCS Distribution) (September 1996).ISO/dktoppub/digipad.zip/DIGIPAD.DOC

Text File | 1994-03-01 | 15KB | 307 lines

                          DIGIPAD ELECTRONIC NOTE PAD
                          """""""""""""""""""""""""""

DIGIPAD is the world's first auto-scrolling, digital notepad.  It was designed
to be used for information-display in schools, offices, stores, libraries,
museums, galleries, hospitals, etc., and to be used at trade shows, club
meetings, and other activities in which an easy-to-edit, vibrant, ever changing
on-screen display is desired.  Requirements:  IBM or compatible computer with
EGA, VGA or SVGA monitor.  This program can not be properly operated with CGA
or monochrome equipment.

To prepare your own text files, type your text into one of the three enclosed
DET files.  This package contains three pairs of files with the file extensions
DEB and DET.  Each such pair of files is called a DEB/DET module.  A DEB/DET
module is always needed in order to display a notepad.  Choose whichever
DEB/DET module you want to use, and load its DET file into your text editor or
word processor.  If you want to start with the yellow notepad, choose PAD1.DET.
To work with the cyan notepad select PAD2.DET; use PAD3.DET for the white note-
pad.  Avoid having your word processing program "convert" the file into the
word processor's special format.  You must maintain the file as a pure ASCII
text file (often called a DOS text file).  Some word processing programs ask if
you want to "convert" the file when you are loading it into the program.
Others accept the file "as is" and perform the conversion when the file is
saved, at which time you must be sure to save it as an ASCII or DOS text file.

Follow these steps:

A. Load the DET file into a word processor or text editor.

B. Note that the very first line is coded with 7 numbers.  This is the DET code
   and it must not be changed at all.

C. Delete the information text which begins on the line following the DET code,
   and set your word processor or text editor to a line-length of 48 charac-
   ters.  This is the same as a word-wrap of 49.

D. Before typing, be sure to study the section named TEXT-ON-THE-LINES on page
   two of this user guide.  This is extremely important.

E. Begin typing on line 2, leaving the top line, with its DET code, untouched.

F. After typing your text, save the file under its original name, being sure to
   save it as an ASCII or DOS text file.  Refer to your word processor's manual
   for information on this.  If you use the word processor's "default save" the
   resulting DET file will not be usable.  If you use a text editor, rather
   than a word processor, the default save should be an ASCII file.

Do not worry about "using up" the DET files.  They may be used over and over,
and the text may be revised or replaced.  If you like, rename them or, better
yet, make copies with new names.  For example, if you have a DEB/DET module
named PAD1.DEB and PAD1.DET and you want to maintain the original text while
making a new set with a new text, this is easy to do.  At your DOS prompt type:

                      COPY PAD1.DE? PAD1-A.DE? [Enter]

In a moment you will have two new files on your disk, named PAD1-A.DEB and
PAD1-A.DET.  Delete the text from PAD1-A.DET and type in your new text and
your job is done!


                                     - 2 -



                                THE BATCH FILE
                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The way to run your display is with a batch file.  As you know, the demo is run
with the batch file named GO.BAT.  Continue to use this exact batch file if you
do not change the names of your DEB/DET modules.  If you change the names, or
if you decide to use only one notepad, or if you obtain DEB/DET modules for
additional notepads, the batch file will have to be modified.  Here is GO.BAT:

echo off
digipad4
xl-show pad1 pad2 pad3
ega
vga

You may modify the above, or write your own batch file in your word processor
or text editor, being sure to save it as an ASCII file (DOS text file).  A
batch file may have any name, as long as it has the file extension "BAT."
Always begin with "echo off" to prevent the commands from appearing on-screen
between steps.  Current versions of DOS allow the use of "@ echo off" but
earlier versions of DOS did not recognize the @ symbol.  Therefore, if your
batch file may be run with an older version of DOS, use "echo off" as it
appears above in GO.BAT.

The line which reads "digipad4" loads our program DIGIPAD4.COM into the memory
of the computer.  This program places the text onto the notepad's horizontal
lines, and permits the use of stars, underlines and faces.  The line which
begins with the word "xl-show" loads our program XL-SHOW.EXE which is the
program which displays the text and graphics.  The words "pad1", "pad2" and
"pad3" tell the program the names of the DEB/DET modules.  For example, if you
want to omit the cyan notepad, remove the word "pad2" from the batch file.
Then, when the text on the yellow notepad scrolls to the point at which the
last line appears on-screen, the white notepad will appear.

Be sure to end your batch file with the last two lines of GO.BAT.  The commands
"ega" and "vga" run our special programs EGA.COM and VGA.COM.  These restore
your computer system's default font and video mode after the program ends and
the display is turned off.

                               TEXT-ON-THE-LINES
                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your text will automatically be placed on the lines of the pads.  However, the
lines will be broken between words unless you type the underline character
(next to the 0 key) wherever you would normally press the space-bar.  Also, if
the last letter on any line is not at position 48, add as many underline char-
acters as are needed so there are 48 characters in each line.  At first this
may be awkward, but after awhile it will become automatic.

This_is_an_example_of_a_line_of_text.___________

The above sentence contains 48 characters.  We had to add 11 underline
characters after the period.  Notice the absence of blank spaces.  Any blank
space will result in a broken horizontal line on the notepad.  The first time
you display your own text file with the DIGIPAD program, you will most likely
spot a few places where the lines of the notepad have missing segments.  To fix
these, edit your text and add the necessary underline symbols where you may
have inadvertently left blank spaces.


                                     - 3 -



                               BOLD UNDERLINE
                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To underline a word use the back-slash symbol (\).  When your text is displayed
this will be converted to underlining.

In_this_sentence_the_word_amazing_is_underlined.
__________________________\\\\\\\_______________

Note that you have to use two lines of characters in order to underline a word.
The first line has your text, and the next line consists of underline symbols
(_) and back-slash symbols (\) where you want the bold underlining.  If you
want to have a subject heading centered from left to right, and underlined, do
it this way:

_____________________HEADING____________________
____________________\\\\\\\\\___________________

Each of the above lines contains 48 characters.  The 2nd line contains enough
back-slash symbols so that the underline will be wider than the word "HEADING"
because this gives a nicer appearance.

                                    STARS
                                    ~~~~~
To have a five-pointed star appear in your text use the tilde symbol (~).  This
will be replaced with a star when the display appears on-screen.

                                    FACES
                                    ~~~~~
To type a male smiling face use the back-accent symbol followed by the pipe
symbol as shown here: `|  To type a female smiling face type two curly brack-
ets: {} These combinations will magically turn into faces when your text is
displayed.  To add a waving hand, type the carat symbol ^ before the face. For
example ^{} creates a waving female, whereas ^`| creates a waving male.

There is a third little smiling, waving guy which can not be typed with the use
of any of your keyboard characters.  He is shown in Digital Note-Pad Number 3,
and there are two ways to add him to your text.  Some text editors and word
processors allow the use of extended characters.  Such "extra" characters are
placed into the text by simultaneously pressing the Alt key and the keys on the
numeric keypad.  To create this graphic use ALT+224, ALT+225, ALT+226.  If you
can't manage that method, use block move ("cut and paste") to pick up the
graphic from PAD3.DET.

                                 POINTING HAND
                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may add a hand with a pointing finger wherever you want one.  Simply type
a set of square brackets followed by the "greater than" symbol like this []>
and when the text is displayed on-screen your pointing hand will appear.

                             UNAVAILABLE SYMBOLS
                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The symbols \~`|{}^[]> may not appear within your text, for they will auto-
matically turn into stars, underlines, parts of faces or pointing hands.  If
you absolutely must use some of these symbols in your text, let us know which
ones you need and we will make up a special version of the program for you.
Please do not request this unless it is absolutely necessary.


                                     - 4 -



                                 COMMAND OPTIONS
                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While the program is running, press the F1 key and a help box will appear
listing command options.  You may rarely use these, but they are available if
you need them.  Pressing F2 to shell to DOS allows you to temporarily exit the
display, but your text will still be underlined, and some characters (such as
the back-slash) will not appear when you type them.  It is recommended that you
not use this option unless absolutely necessary.  Pressing F3 will lock the
keyboard to prevent onlookers from stopping the display.  Pressing F3 a second
time will unlock the keyboard.

                    YOUR RIGHTS TO COPY AND USE THIS PROGRAM
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The program, which consists of DIGIPAD4.COM, XL-SHOW.EXE, PAD1, PAD2 and PAD3
DEB/DET modules, EGA.COM, VGA.COM, README.TXT GO.BAT and DIGIPAD.DOC, may be
copied and distributed freely, posted on BBSs, listed in shareware catalogs and
on CD ROM disks, as long as ALL the above files are included.  You may use the
program on a trial basis for 30 days.  After that time you must discontinue use
until you become a registered user.  See the registration form below for
information on obtaining a license for use of the program.

                                 REGISTRATION
                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
To become a registered user and receive the latest version of the program plus
additional DEB/DET modules for a greater variety of colored notepads, fill out
the registration form and send it, with your check or money order to Rexxcom
Systems at the address given.  If ordering from a country other than the
U.S.A., you MUST pay by a check drawn on a bank which has offices in the
U.S.A., or by International Money Order.

                                    XLSHOW
                                    ~~~~~~
XL-SHOW.EXE, the read/display program for DIGIPAD, is used in a separate
program named XLSHOW for continuous display of on-screen newsletters, notices
and topics, and is supplied with excellent DEB/DET modules, most of which are
full screen-width, with a large variety of professional headings.  If you like
DIGIPAD you will find many uses for XLSHOW as well.  You will receive an
evaluation copy of XLSHOW, complete with more than ten DEB/DET modules, when
you register DIGIPAD.

                                  DISCLAIMER
                                  ~~~~~~~~~~
All Rexxcom Systems programs are provided "as is" with no warranties whatsoever
either expressed or implied, including without limitation, warranties of merch-
antability or fitness for a particular purpose.  The entire risk as to the qua-
lity and performance of the programs rests with the user.

You may leave EMail with comments or questions at the following addresses:

CompuServe: 72656,2764  GEnie: C.WIEDEMANN  Internet: [e-mail]

                     Copyright (C) 1993 by Rexxcom Systems

                                REXXCOM SYSTEMS
                                  P.O. BOX 111
                            SCHOOLEYS MTN., NJ 07870


                           DIGIPAD REGISTRATION FORM
                           """"""""""""""""""""""""""
     Please enroll me as a registered user, and send me the following:

      Quantity              Software                    Fee     Subtotal
      ~~~~~~~~              ~~~~~~~~                    ~~~     ~~~~~~~~

      ________     REGISTERED DIGIPAD SOFTWARE         19.95    ________
                   Includes more notepad modules plus
                   registered copy of DIGIPAD, plus evalu-
                   ation copy of separate XLSHOW program.

          Registration includes a license to use DIGIPAD for non-
          commercial use for 5 years.  Includes use at club meetings,
          churches, synagogues, etc.

      ________     COMMERCIAL LICENSE                  50.00    ________
                   (For businesses, schools, government agencies)

          Commercial license permits use of DIGIPAD at stores, shops,
          business offices, libraries, schools, trade-shows, and other
          commercial, educational or government facilities, for 1 year.


      ________     Add if you use 3.5" disks           1.OO     ________

                    Subtotal                                    ________

                    Sales Tax (NJ Adresses)                     ________

                    Shipping & Handling                         ________
                     ($4.OO U.S.A. and Canada)
                     ($1O.OO elsewhere)

          Non-U.S.A. orders MUST be paid by INTERNATIONAL MONEY ORDER or
          bank check drawn on a bank with OFFICES IN THE UNITED STATES.
          Payment MUST accompany all orders.

                    Total Enclosed                              ________


                 Name: _________________________________________

 Co. or School if any: _________________________________________

       Street Address: _________________________________________

     City, State, Zip: _________________________________________

              Country: _________________________________________

  Area code and Phone: _________________________________________


                   Mail to: REXXCOM Systems
                            P.O. Box 111
                            Schooleys Mt., NJ 07870