JCSM Shareware Collection 1996 September

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ADMAN! The Ultimate in Personal Computer Advertising TAN$TAAFL(TM) Software Company Version 1.10 ■ 1 Dec. 1995 A Shareware Distributed Test Program (Try Before You Buy) CUSTOMER SERVICE Page 2 --------------------------------------------------------------- If you experience any problems with any of the ADMAN Programs, please write to: TAN$TAAFL(TM) Software Company Sto. Nino Palauig, Zambales 2211 Philippines (C) Copyright 1995 TAN$TAAFL(TM) Software Company All Rights Reserved Program and manual written by MacGregor K. Phillips Trademark Acknowledgements --------------------------------------------------------------- Epson is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc. IBM is a registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. ADMAN! Logo: ADMAN! is a trademark of TAN$TAAFL Software Company and may only be used to identify the ADMAN! programs. Any other purpose requires the express written permission of TAN$TAAFL Software Company. ABOUT THE AUTHOR --------------------------------------------------------------- MacGregor K. Phillips was born in South Bend, Ind. USA in 1944. Retiring after 22 years of service in the US military he now does what he loves best, writing computer software. He lives with his wife and daughter in the Philippines. LIMITED WARRANTY --------------------------------------------------------------- THIS SOFTWARE AND MANUAL ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS. TAN$TAAFL(TM) SOFTWARE COMPANY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NEITHER TAN$TAAFL(TM) SOFTWARE COMPANY NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE, EVEN IF TAN$TAAFL(TM) SOFTWARE COMPANY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. U.S. Government Information: Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government of the computer software and documentation in this package shall be subject to the restricted rights applicable to commercial computer software as set forth in subdivision (b)(3)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at 252.227-7013 (DFARS 52.227-7013). The Contractor/manufacturer is TAN$TAAFL(TM) Software Company; Sto. Nino; Palauig, Zambales 2211; Philippines TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 3 --------------------------------------------------------------- Features.....................................................4 Association of Shareware Professionals.......................5 ASP Ombudsman................................................5 Available by the same Author/Pass it Along...................6 Virus and Tampering Checks...................................7 Welcome to ADMAN!............................................8 Shareware and Registered Versions............................9 Computer Requirements.......................................10 Special Note on ADMAN.EXE and VGA Adapters..................10 Changing Your Name..........................................10 Installing/Deinstalling ADMAN!..............................11 Executing ADMAN.EXE and ADEDIT.EXE..........................11 ADMAN.EXE and Disk-Caches...................................12 What You Need To Know to Use ADMAN.EXE and ADEDIT.EXE.......12 Running ADMAN.EXE...........................................21 Using ADEDIT.EXE............................................23 Ad Edit Concepts........................................23 Main Menu...............................................26 Creating a New Ad.......................................26 Selecting an Ad to Edit.................................29 Switching Between the Display and Command Windows.......30 When the Display Window is Active.......................30 When the Command Window is Active.......................32 Modifying Color Attributes..............................34 Using the ADMAN Editor Color Selector...................34 Some Ad Design Considerations...........................36 A Little Practice Never Hurt Anybody....................37 Startup/Termination Errors..................................39 Program Errors..............................................41 Critical Errors.............................................44 Printer Errors..............................................47 Index.......................................................48 FEATURES Page 4 --------------------------------------------------------------- The ADMAN! software package contains many features. Here are just a few of them. Setup your computer as your own personal Advertising Agency with the ADMAN! Package. Advertise your products and/or services. Get your message out to your customers and the public. Great for trade shows, conventions, and everyday use. No expensive hardware to buy. No Megabytes of RAM required. All you need is your computer, a color VGA video system, and the ADMAN! programs. Create full color scrolling or panning Ads in text mode with ADMAN Editor. Copyright and Contact information is embedded in the Ad Header and it cannot be changed by anyone. Your intellectual property rights are protected. Play one Ad in a continuous loop or que up to 2,048 Ads to play in a continuous loop by ADMAN.EXE. A scrolling Ad takes approximately 1 minute to play and a panning Ad approximately 2 minutes at a comfortable viewing speed. Four character sizes to choose from. 1x1, 8x8, 8x14, and 8x16. Save full color screen images in text mode for importing into an Ad with SNAPSHOT.EXE. Change color attributes on a Global, Zone, Window, or Character basis. Change only the background, the foreground, or both at the same time. Define up to 8 new colors of your choice for use in an Ad out of the 262,144 possible colors with a VGA System with the ADMAN Editor Color Selector. The Space Bar can be assigned as any of the 256 possible characters to facilitate easy entry of repeated characters. All 16 available colors can be used as either background or foreground colors. Initial screen delay and Ad speed can be set when you create an Ad. Ads many be speeded up or slowed down while they are being viewed with ADMAN.EXE. ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS Page 5 --------------------------------------------------------------- This software is produced by MacGregor K. Phillips who is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). 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 contact the ASP Ombudsman in any of the ways shown below: ASP Ombudsman FAX: (616) 788-2765 (24 Hrs) 545 Grover Road CompuServe: 70007,3536 Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 INTERNET: 70007.3536@compuserve.com U.S.A. _______ ____|__ | (R) ADMAN! is distributed --| | |------------------- as a Shareware Test | ____|__ | Association of Program. This allows | | |_| Shareware you to try it out for |__| o | Professionals a reasonable period -----| | |--------------------- of time before you |___|___| MEMBER register it. Please refer to the TRIAL USE LICENSE section of the VENDINFO.DIZ File. If you continue to use ADMAN! regularly you are expected to register the program. You can use the instant order form in the ORDER.DOC file. Just print it out on your printer, fill it out, and mail it. The registration fee is $18.00, plus $7.00 shipping and handling. For complete details on registration see the ORDER.DOC file. Registration Incentives --------------------------------------------------------------- Any Ad created with the Shareware version of ADMAN Editor can only be played by ADMAN.EXE when you shell out to ADMAN.EXE from the ADMAN Editor. And it can only be played once before you return to ADMAN Editor. The Copyright Notice in the Ad will also read "Shareware Test Ad!". When you register, your name, or your company's name, will be embedded in your copy of ADMAN Editor and will appear in the Copyright Notice. Any Ad you have created with the Shareware Test Version will be converted over to a regular Ad with your name in the Copyright Notice and ADMAN.EXE will be able to play it at any time as a regular Ad. This means any work you have done with the Shareware Version will not be lost. This will protect your intellectual property rights as well as anyone else who creates Ads. No one else will be able to edit and change your Ads, nor will you be able to edit and change Ads created by others. Page 6 --------------------------------------------------------------- Once you have registered any version of ADMAN! you will be notified of any major upgrades by the TAN$TAAFL(TM) Software Company and the only cost to you for a new version will be the cost of a disk from the TAN$TAAFL(TM) Software Company and a small postage and handling fee. Program support by mail will also be provided for 90 days after registration. I am currently living overseas in the Philippines and do not have access to a telephone, fax, or CompuServe. If it seems to take a long time for me to answer your letters please remember the slow pace of mail between foreign countries. If your registration form or letter gets returned because of a change of address please contact ASP for my current address. This will be greatly appreciated by all. All registrations will be acknowledged. Site Licenses are provided for companies, offices, workgroups, government agencies, etc. who need to register and use more than one copy of ADMAN!. Unlimited Site Licenses are available for $100.00. See the ORDER.DOC File for details. AVAILABLE FROM TAN$TAAFL Software Company --------------------------------------------------------------- StopWatch. It has Up Timers, Down Timers, Lap Timers, Game Timers and Split Timers. Date, Calendar and Holiday information too. Three levels of precision. The highest depends on your computer. Time events with accuracy to millionths of a second on most computers above 16Mhz. 16 and 32 bit registered versions available. Includes Holiday Editor, Speed Calculations for Up and Lap Timers, and a Printer Options menu. For the best data security program on the market check out Global Security. Registered versions of Global Security come in a 32 bit version and a 16 bit version which can be used on all 80x86 computers. Encipher a file, transmit it, and then decipher it at the other end. Your data is safe even from the dreaded National Security Agency (NSA) and their super computers. Privacy by mathematical law in now a reality. Also prepares files for transmission by E-Mail. Includes Pack/UnPack Files for compressing multiple files into one and separate Wipe/Delete Files routines. Now has Disk Security for wiping all unused areas on a floppy or hard disk. PASS IT ALONG --------------------------------------------------------------- BBS SYSOPs, Vendors, Computer Clubs, and Shareware Distributors please refer to the VENDINFO.DIZ File for information. Individuals who wish to distribute the "ADMAN!" package to friends or associates may do so in accordance with the restrictions outlined in the LICENSE section of the VENDINFO.DIZ File. Page 7 --------------------------------------------------------------- All the files listed in the PACKING.LST section of the VENDINFO.DIZ File, plus the VENDINFO.DIZ file, must be included when distributing this program. If you archive the program for distribution through BBS's, please use the name ADMAN!11.EXE (or .ZIP, .LZH, .PAX, etc. as appropriate). VIRUS AND TAMPERING CHECKS --------------------------------------------------------------- Both ADMAN.EXE and ADEDIT.EXE perform a virus and tampering check upon themselves when they are first executed. This check cannot be turned off. If you could turn it off you would be able to get around the internal property rights checks built into the programs. If you use a virus checking program that appends check data to the end of executable files do not use it on ADMAN.EXE and ADEDIT.EXE. If you do they will think they have been tampered with or infected by a virus and will not execute. WELCOME TO ADMAN! Page 8 --------------------------------------------------------------- The ADMAN! Package turns your computer into your own personal advertising agency. Create Ads the way you want them to look and play them when you want to play them. You already have the computer, now put it to work advertising your products and services to your customers and the public. Along with the Documentation and Ad Files the ADMAN! Software Package consists of the following four executable programs: ADMAN.EXE - This is the program that plays the Ads created with the ADMAN Editor. ADEDIT.EXE - This is the ADMAN Editor that you create your full color text mode Ads with. SNAPSHOT.EXE - This is a small TSR program that will capture a full color image of your display in a file to import into an Ad. See the TSR.DOC file for instructions. SHFTCAPS.COM - Another small TSR program that controls how your shift key works. See the TSR.DOC file for instruction. Six Ad files are also included to give you some idea of what is possbile with ADMAN Editor. I do not pretent to be an expert designer of Ads, but they can give you some starting ideas of what can be done. In the hands of a creative person there is no limit on what can be done. EVERYONE NEEDS TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------------------------------------- A retail store can advertise their specials for the day. A financial consultant or a lawyer can advertise their services and fees. A bank can advertise their loan and interest rates. A book store could advertise their new books. A car dealer can advertise their new and used cars. The list is endless. Anyone that owns or runs a business of any type needs to advertise and get their message out to their customers and the public. With the ADMAN Editor you can create full color Ads that can be run on your computer at any time of the day or night to get your message out to the public. Just set up your computer monitor anywhere in your store or office where people will see it. Que up the Ads you want ADMAN to play and run them in a continuous loop. If you are in an area where people will look in your store or office windows after you are closed que up your Ads to run all night long. The ADMAN! package is not limited to Ads. Any type of display or message can be created and played. Create a personal Ad to play on your computer while you are out to lunch. If you have an environmental, political, educational, or personal message that you want people to see do it with ADMAN! There is no limit to your imagination and creativity and what you can do with ADMAN! You can even setup your own small business creating Ads for other people and make money in your spare or full time. SHAREWARE AND REGISTERED VERSIONS Page 9 --------------------------------------------------------------- ADMAN.EXE is the Ad player and there is no difference between the shareware and registered versions. This program may be freely passed along to anyone that wants a copy. There are built in restrictions in ADMAN.EXE which only allows it to play an Ad created with the shareware test version of ADEDIT.EXE when you shell out from the shareware test version of ADEDIT.EXE. When you register you are authorized to distribute ADMAN.EXE with any of YOUR Ads without royalties. This may even be inside another software package. Please read the restrictions on the use of the ADMAN Logo or Name on page 2. ADEDIT.EXE is the Ad editor and it comes in a Shareware Test Version and a Registered Version. This is to protect your intellectual property rights. In the shareware version the Copyright Notice says "Shareware Test Ad!". An Ad created with the shareware version can only be played by ADMAN.EXE when you shell out to ADMAN.EXE from the shareware version of ADMAN Editor. The Ad will be played once and you will be returned to the editor. When you register, your name, or your company's name, will be embedded in the registered version of ADMAN Editor. Once you receive your registered version your name will appear as the Copyright owner of every Ad created with the program. Any Ad you created with the shareware test version of the ADMAN Editor will be converted over to your name in the Copyright Notice the next time you edit it. This ensures that you will not loose any work you did with the shareware version of ADMAN Editor. An Ad created with a registered version of ADMAN Editor may be played by any ADMAN.EXE program at any time with no restrictions. Any Ad created with your registered version of the ADMAN Editor can only be edited by your registered version of the ADMAN Editor. This prevents anyone else from modifing or tampering with your Ads. It also prevents you from modifing or tampering with Ads created by someone else. This ensures that all intellectual property rights are maintained and enforced. When an Ad is being played anyone can pop up a window with information about the current Ad which includes its Copyright Notice and Contact Information. This allows others to get in contact with you if they liked your Ad and want to know more about you, your company, or the products and services advertised. If you give a copy of your registered version of the ADMAN Editor to someone else they will be creating Ads under your name that you have no control over. They could destroy your reputation and/or your business. Guard your registered version of the ADMAN Editor so this will not happen to you. Any attempt to modify or tamper with ADMAN.EXE or ADEDIT.EXE will render then unexecutable. Any attempt to modify or tamper with an Ad, except by the owner of the Ad with his/her registered version of ADEDIT.EXE, will render the Ad unplayable. COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS Page 10 --------------------------------------------------------------- ADMAN.EXE - An Intel 80386 CPU or above, DOS 3.0 or above, and a 100% register compatable Color VGA adapter and monitor. ADMAN.EXE does not use a mouse or a printer. ADEDIT.EXE - An Intel 80386 CPU or above, DOS 3.0 or above, and a color VGA adapter and monitor. SNAPSHOT.EXE - An Intel 80386 CPU or above, DOS 3.1 or above, and any video system except a CGA. SHFTCAPS.COM - Any Intel 80x86 CPU and DOS 3.0 or above. Disk Drives - A hard disk is recommened, but a one floppy disk drive system is supported. Printer - Any printer that can accept CR, LF, and FF control characters. If your printer accepts the IBM line drawing characters they will print out correctly. Laser Printers - All printouts from this program are designed for printers with fan fold paper and may not print correctly on laser printers. If you still wish to try it on a laser printer make sure it is setup for IBM or EPSON emulation mode. Mouse (optional but recommended) - Any Microsoft or compatable mouse. SPECIAL NOTE ON ADMAN.EXE AND VGA ADAPTERS --------------------------------------------------------------- ADMAN.EXE completely takes over, at the register level, a VGA adapter and reprograms it for its own use. This is why a 100% register compatable VGA adapter is required. If you have a VGA adapter that is not 100% register compatable with the VGA standard damage could result to your adapter and/or monitor. Since the VGA standard has been in effect for a long time I doubt if there are any VGA adapters that are not 100% register compatable with it. This caution is inserted just in case one does exist. CHANGING YOU NAME --------------------------------------------------------------- People and companies do change their names from time to time and for various reasons. If you change your name and want to get a registered version of ADMAN Editor in your new name please send a copy of your old ADMAN Editor along with your new name and $15.00 to TAN$TAAFL Software Company. The fee is $35.00 for changing the name for an Unlimited Site License. When you edit your old Ads your new name will replace your old name in the Ad Header and Copyright Notice. INSTALLING ADMAN! Page 11 --------------------------------------------------------------- The INSTALL.BAT program will not be present on the ASP CD-ROM Disk. Use the installation features on the ASP CD-ROM disk to install the ADMAN! Files on your hard disk. It is assumed that you are familiar with the operation of your computer and content of your DOS manuals. If not, now is the time to become familiar with your computer and DOS manuals before you begin installing and using ADMAN! The installation procedure for ADMAN! is very simple. You will need at least 1,040K of free disk space to store the programs, Ads, and documentation files. Use the INSTALL.BAT file to install the files on any disk drive. The INSTALL.BAT command line format is: INSTALL [source:] [destination:]. At the DOS prompt type INSTALL A: C: followed by a carriage return if you are installing the files from the A: drive to the C: drive. A directory called "ADMAN" will be created on the destination drive and then the files will be copied into it. DEINSTALLING ADMAN! --------------------------------------------------------------- To deinstall ADMAN! from a hard disk just erase the files from the directory they are in. EXECUTING ADMAN.EXE AND ADEDIT.EXE --------------------------------------------------------------- ADMAN.EXE and AEDIT.EXE may be executed from either a floppy or hard disk drive. To minimize loading time it is recommended that they be run from a hard disk drive. ADMAN.EXE may be executed from a CD-ROM Disk but you cannot execute ADEDIT.EXE from a CD-ROM Disk because you cannot create Ads on a CD-ROM Disk which is a read only media. If you desire to execute them from any directory, the directory name that they reside in must be placed in the "PATH=" environment variable. Check your DOS manual for more details on how to set this up. If the Directory is not in the "PATH=" environment variable you will first have to log on to the required directory with the following DOS Command: "CD ADMAN" assuming that "ADMAN" is the directory name you have the EXE files in. At the DOS prompt type ADMAN or ADEDIT followed by a carriage return to execute the desired program. ADMAN.EXE has one Command Line Argument. See page 21 for details. ADMAN.EXE AND DISK-CACHES Page 12 --------------------------------------------------------------- If your computer has a disk-caching program all of your Ads selected for play may be placed in the disk-cache which means there will hardly be any noticable time switching from one Ad to the next. If you do not have a disk-caching program an Ad will have to be read from disk every time it is played. If it has to be read from a floppy disk the time lag will be very noticeable. Up to approximately 10 Ads can be placed in a disk-cache that is 1 Mbyte in size, or 20 Ads in a disk-cache that is 2 Mbyte in size. (Most disk-caching programs do not cache floppy disks.) WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO USE ADMAN.EXE AND ADEDIT.EXE --------------------------------------------------------------- Before doing anything with ADMAN.EXE or ADEDIT.EXE there are many things about the programs you need to know. Multitasking Operating System Compatabilty --------------------------------------------------------------- Neither ADMAN.EXE nor ADEDIT.EXE are compatable with any multitasking operating system. Both programs manipulate the VGA adapter at the register level which multitasking operating systems do not allow. Functions of the "F" Keys (ADMAN.EXE only uses F1 thru F5) --------------------------------------------------------------- F1 Key - may be used at any time to pop up the current Quick Help Reference System screen. F2 Key - brightens the color intensity level. F3_Key - dims the color intensity level. F4 Key - resets color intensity levels to their original settings. F5 Key - blanks the screen. Sets all color intensity levels to 0. F6 Key - appends the current screen image to the end of a disk file called ADEDIT.PRN. If is does not exist it will be created. The only screen images you cannot save to disk are the Critical Error Reporting System Screen. This file is created in the ADEDIT.EXE directory and is compatable with any text editor that can read ASCII files. F7 Key - is used to print the ADEDIT.PRN disk file. When all the screen images have been successfully printed the file will be deleted. The F7 Key will only function from one of the main menus. While you are editing files the F7 Key is disabled. F8 Key - Displays the Printer Options Menu. F9 Key - cycles through five different mouse cursors. Page 13 --------------------------------------------------------------- F10 Key - used to toggle between the computers default cursor and a full size block cursor. For those hard to see cursors on laptop computers. Other Keys --------------------------------------------------------------- ESC Key - always backs you out of the program the way you came in, all the way to DOS. Can be used at any time except when a Critical Error Reporting System screen or Printer Error Reporting System screen is active. Print Screen Key - (ADEDIT.EXE Only) Allows you to print the current screen at any time while the program is running. Two screens can be printed per page of paper. After two screens have been printed the paper will have advanced so the next two screens will appear on the next page. There is room at the top to use a two hole punch and save the screen shots in a folder. Ctrl C and Ctrl Break Keys - are trapped by the program and have no function. The Pause Key - will pause the program. To start it up again press any other key. The Pause Key is trapped in ADMAN.EXE and has no effect. The Mouse (ADEDIT.EXE Only) --------------------------------------------------------------- A menu item or command bar is selected by using the left mouse button. Selection is made on the release of the left button and not the press of the left button. Right Mouse Button - Toggles between hiding and showing the mouse pointer on screen. The Mouse Pad is a replica of a numeric keypad and is only displayed if your system has a mouse installed. Clicking on a number enters that number into the computer the same as using the keyboard. Any mention of the mouse in the rest of the documentation does not apply to ADMAN.EXE. The Chime --------------------------------------------------------------- A chime will sound at the top of the hour, when an invalid key is pressed during keyboard entry, and when other procedures are completed. HOT Keys --------------------------------------------------------------- Most Command Bars have a Hot Key that may be pressed to select the indicated Command Bar. Command Bars that indicate a keyboard key such as Home, End, PgUp, etc. do not have a Hot Key. For computers with a Mouse clicking on any Command Bar mimics the behavior of the indicated Hot Key or keyboard key. Command Bars Page 14 --------------------------------------------------------------- Command Bars such as Help, Quit, Escape to Quit, etc. are shadowed bars that appear throughout the program. They indicate the available commands for use. They may be selected by their Hot Keys or by clicking on them with the left mouse button. When the mouse pointer is on a Command Bar and you press the left mouse button the shadow will change from black to grey. When you release the left mouse button it will change back to black and the command will be carried out. If you move the mouse pointer off of the Command Bar before releasing the left mouse button the shadow will change back to black but the command will not be executed. Command Bars such as Up, Down, Left, Right, PgUp, PgDn, etc. indicate the keyboard keys that may be used. The mouse may also be used on these Command Bars. Clicking the left mouse button on one of these Command Bars performs the same function as using the keyboard key. Pressing and holding the left mouse button on one of these Command Bars is the same as pressing and holding the keyboard key down. Repeated commands are issued but not as fast as from the keyboard. File Selection Screen --------------------------------------------------------------- The File Selection Screen is central to all parts of ADMAN.EXE and ADEDIT.EXE. Every time you need to create or select a file to use the File Selection Screen comes into play. The File Selection Screen is in three parts: The Drive Panel, the Directory Panel, and the File Panel. There is a row of Command Bars below the panels and an Instruction Line below the Command Bars. The following are examples of the different sections of the File Selection Screen taken from screen shots on my computer. (They look better in full color.) The Drive Panel --------------------------------------------------------------- ┌────────────────────────────────────────── │ A: ▄ B: ▄ C: ▄ D: ▄ │ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ├────────────────────────────────────────┬─ The Directory Panel --------------------------------------------------------------- ├────────────────────────────────────────┬ │\ (Root) │ │ ├─ADMAN │ │ ├─ADMAN10 │ │ ├─ASM │ │ ├─ASP │ │ │ └─ASPCAT │ │ ├─BIN │ │ │ └─DRIVERS │ │ ├─FORMGEN │ The File Panel Page 15 --------------------------------------------------------------- ┬─────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ADMAN1 ADM 11-05-95 13:09:40 A │ │ ADMAN2 ADM 11-06-95 14:06:40 A │ │ GLOBAL1 ADM 11-05-95 13:06:50 A │ │ GLOBAL2 ADM 11-06-95 14:06:56 A │ │ SWATCH1 ADM 11-06-95 13:28:12 A │ │ SWATCH2 ADM 11-06-95 15:06:18 A │ The Command and Instruction Panel --------------------------------------------------------------- ╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ ║ ADMAN EDITOR ■ 32 V1.10 WEDNESDAY 08 NOV 1 ║ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ║ Up ▄ Down ▄ PgUp ▄ PgDn ▄ Home ▄ End ▄ ──┘ ▄ Q ║ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀ ╟───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ║ Select an ADMAN Ad File to edit. ╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Use the TAB Key to move from one panel to the next or click the left mouse button anywhere within a panel to select that panel. As a panel becomes selected, or active, the drive boxes or lettering in a directory or file panel changes from light white to bright white. The lettering in the drive boxes or the highlighted selection bar in the directory and file panels changes from blue to red. This way if there is only one directory and one file you can tell which panel is active by the color of the lettering in the highlighted selection bar. The Drive Panel: The drive panel lists all disk drives available to the system. Make the drive panel active and highlight whichever drive you want by using the left and right arrow keys or clicking the left mouse button on the left and right arrow Command Bars below the panels. Then press the enter key or click the left mouse button on the " <──┘ " Command Bar to make that drive active. When the new drive becomes active the Directory and File Panels will be updated with information from the new drive. Substituted Drives: Substituted drives for directory names will produce an Extended Error Reporting System Screen which tells you to use drives that have not been substituted. If you try to execute ADMAN.EXE or ADEDIT.EXE from a substituted drive the program will display an Extended Error Reporting System Screen and then abort the program. This applies to Assigned Drives also. The Directory and File Panels: Select whichever one you want to be active and use the Up, Down, PgUp, PgDn, Home, or End keys to move through the different directories or files. Clicking the left mouse button on the appropriate Command Bar does the same. Pressing and holding down the keyboard key or left mouse button on a Command Bar will quickly move you in the desired direction within the active panel. You can also use the Ctrl Key plus the first letter of a directory or file name as a Hot Key to quickly move to a known directory or file. Once you have the correct Page 16 --------------------------------------------------------------- drive, directory, and file highlighed use the enter key or click the left mouse button on the " <──┘ " Command Bar to send the drive, directory, and file name back to the calling program as a fully formated ASCIIZ file specification. The Mark, UnMk, AltM, and AltU Command Bars allow you to mark, unmark, mark all, or unmark all files for selection. These Command Bars only appear when using ADMAN.EXE and you are selecting multiple files to play. If no files are marked the file under the highlighted selection bar is marked and returned for processing. Below the first line of Command Bars is a place for a full line or half a line of instructions telling you what type of file(s) to select depending on what function the program is performing. The Sort Command Bar is only active when the File Panel is active. It allows you to sort files in ascending or descending order by file name, file extension, date, time, or size. ┌────────────────────────┐ │ File Sort Criteria │ Use the indicated Hot │ │ Keys or the mouse to │ Sort Files By: │ select the way you want │ [ ] Name │ to sort the files. The │ [√] Extension │ File Sort Criteria Screen │ [ ] Date │ will stay displayed until │ [ ] Time │ you get them sorted the │ [ ] File Size │ way you want and then │ │ select the Quit Command │ Sort Order: │ to return you to the File │ [√] (A..B..C...Z) │ Selection Screen. Each │ [ ] (Z..Y..X...A) │ time you sort the files │ │ the results are displayed │ Sort ▄ Quit ▄ │ in the File Panel. │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ └────────────────────────┘ The Critical Error Reporting System --------------------------------------------------------------- The Critical Error Reporting System reports on all critical errors generated by DOS. When a critical error is encountered a dialog box will appear with the critical error information displayed. Below is an example for trying to create a file on a write protected disk. Disk Drive: A: Disk Operation: Write Disk Area Affected: Directory Error Code: 00H Error Message: Disk Write Protected Below this information will be displayed four Command Bars: Retry, Cancel, Abort, Help. Page 17 --------------------------------------------------------------- If you can correct the criticial error select Retry and DOS will try to perform the operation again. In the above example remove the write protection from the disk and select Retry to allow DOS to perform the disk operation again. If you cannot or do not want to correct the error select Cancel. DOS will cancel the operation and the program will return you to an appropriate menu in the program. If the error is severe enough select Abort and the program will try to perform a controlled exit and return the computer to a stable condition. 99.999% of the time the program will be able to do so. If for some reason the computer has locked up your only recourse is to reset or reboot the computer. If you have a hard or floppy disk that is constantly giving you critical error messages other than Disk Write Protected or Drive Not Ready you can pretty much tell which area of the disk is going bad and take steps to preserve the data on the disk. The Print Screen Key functions within the Critical Error Reporting System, but the F6 and F7 Keys do not because disk access is not allowed during critical error processing. The Extended Error Reporting System --------------------------------------------------------------- The Extended Error Reporting System is used to report DOS errors and program errors. It incorporates all known DOS errors plus errors that pertain to the program. Because of the inclusion of the File Selection Screen in the program it is hard to generate a DOS error because you cannot enter a bad path or file name. I have included program errors in this reporting system to present a common format for reporting errors. In the example below the error is generated because you have tried to edit an Ad that does not belong to you. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Extended Error Reporting System │ │ │ │ DOS/BIOS Interrupt: 21H - 3FH: Read File │ │ File Name: ADMAN1.ADM │ │ Error Locus: Block Device │ │ Error Class: Authorization │ │ Error Message: Attempt to Edit an Ad That You do Not Own │ │ Recommended Action: Select an Ad File That Belongs to You │ │ │ │ │ │ Ok ▄ Help ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Page 18 --------------------------------------------------------------- There are two Command Bars displayed that you can use at this point. One is "Ok" and the other is "Help". Help calls up the Quick Help Reference Screen and Ok returns you to an appropriate menu in the program. All program generated errors are listed and explained in the Errors Section of the documentation. To get a listing of all DOS errors you will have to purchase a book on DOS. At the present time there are close to 100 different errors that can be reported by DOS. Most are self-explanatory. The Printer Error Reporting System --------------------------------------------------------------- The Printer Error Reporting System will report on any errors encountered while printing. See the Error Section for complete details on all printer errors. The following screen was generated because the printer was not turned on. ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Printer Error Reporting System │ │ │ │ Printer [LPT1] Status │ │ │ │ NOT SELECTED │ │ │ │ │ │ Retry ▄ Cancel ▄ Help ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ └──────────────────────────────────────┘ At this point you could turn the printer on and select Retry. Or you could select cancel and be returned to an appropriate menu in the program. Using a Printer --------------------------------------------------------------- All printing is designed for printers using fanfold paper. They may or may not print correctly on printers that print on only a single sheet at a time or have paper trays that feed single sheets of paper. Printer Setup: All printers should be setup for 80 columns by 66 rows. Use the font of your choice. All laser printers will have to be set for IBM or EPSON emulation mode prior to printing with the program. Commom Setup Problems: 1. Printer prints double spaces between lines. The printer is setup for an automatic line feed after a cariage return. Consult your printer manual on how to turn this off. Page 19 --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Printer does not print the extended ASCII character set. Consult your printer manual on how to turn this feature on. Printer Options Menu --------------------------------------------------------------- The F8 Key pops up the Printer Options Menu and can be used prior to any printing. Use the Up and Down Arrow Keys to select an option to change and use the Plus or Minus Keys to change an option. When all the options are set as desired use the Enter Key to enter the Options. At this point if the Enter Edit PRT Startup Cmd? is set to Yes a separate dialog box will appear that allows you to enter or edit a printer startup command. ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ADMAN Editor Printer Options │ │ │ │ Pause After Each Page? No │ │ Enter/Edit PRT Startup Cmd? No │ │ Select Printer To Use: LPT1 │ │ │ │ ▄ ▄ + ▄ - ▄ ──┘ ▄ Help ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ └──────────────────────────────────────┘ Pause After Each Page? --------------------------------------------------------------- If set to Yes this stops output to the printer at the end of each printed page. A dialog box will pop up and when you are ready to print the next page click the left mouse button on the Continue Command Bar or press the "C" Key to print the next page. Enter/Edit PRT Startup Cmd? --------------------------------------------------------------- When set to Yes a separate dialog box will pop up as you leave the Options Menu which allows you to enter or edit a command that will be sent to your printer prior to any and all printing done by ADEDIT.EXE. Once a command is entered this option will be set to No. If you need to change or delete the command later on set the option to Yes and you can edit, change, or delete it. Up to a 20 byte command string can be sent to a printer. This startup command is sent to the printer prior to every printing job started by ADEDIT.EXE including printing done with the Print Screen Key. This feature is particularly usefull for laser printers or printers on a network. The following example is for my printer. Any character code from 0 to 255 (00 Hex to FF Hex) may be entered. As each command code is entered it is displayed in hexadecimal format. To enter the character code of 0 (NULL) (00 Hex) use the Control Key plus "@" key combination. To enter any character code above 127 use the Alt Key plus the decimal number for the desired code. To enter character code 255 (FF Hex) press and hold the Alt Key down while keying in the number 255. Character codes below 32 (20 Hex) may be entered with the Control Key and appropriate Page 20 --------------------------------------------------------------- letter key. All other codes can be entered with the regular keyboard keys. Full editing features of the command string are available just as in entering regular data. The "1B 40" is my printers reset command. "1B 7E 31" selects printing 0's with a slash and "0C" is a form feed to make sure printing starts at the top of a page. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Printer Command String │ │ │ │ Enter up to a 20 byte command string to be sent to the printer │ │ prior to any printing. Press the Enter Key for no change. │ │ │ │ 1B 40 1B 7E 31 0C ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ Escape to Quit ▄ Overlay ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Select Printer To Use: ---------------------------------------------------------- If you have more than one parallel printer attached to your system you may select which one to print to. If only one or none are attached this option is skipped and cannot be changed. The Mouse Pad --------------------------------------------------------------- ┌─┤ Mouse Pad ├─┐ The Mouse Pad allows easy entry of │ │ numbers with the mouse for those lazy │ 7 ▄ 8 ▄ 9 ▄ │ people who do not use a keyboard when │ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ │ they do not have to. Use the Mouse │ 4 ▄ 5 ▄ 6 ▄ │ Pad the same as you would a keyboard │ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ │ numeric pad. When you press the left │ 1 ▄ 2 ▄ 3 ▄ │ mouse button on a number the shadow │ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ │ changes from black to grey and when │ 0 ▄ ─ ▄ │ you release the left mouse button on a │ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ │ number the shadow changes back to │ Esc ▄ ─┘ ▄ │ black and the number is entered the │ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ │ same as it would be from the keyboard. └────────────────┘ The " ─ " pad is for backspacing, erasing the last digit entered. The " Esc " pad needs no explanation. The " ─┘ " pad is the enter key. RUNNING ADMAN.EXE Page 21 --------------------------------------------------------------- ADMAN.EXE has one Command Line Argument you can enter when it is executed. It is /O:x where x is a number from 1 to 9. If you have some Ads that you want to que up that run too fast or too slow you can set all of your Ads Initial Delay and Speed Values to be the same with this Command Line Override Setting. The settings for x are: Initial Initial Speed x Delay Panning Scrolling ------------------------------------------------------- 1 1/2 Sec. 7 9 2 1/2 Sec. 8 10 3 3/4 Sec. 7 9 4 3/4 Sec. 8 10 5 1 Sec. 9 11 6 1 Sec. 10 12 7 1 1/2 Sec. 13 15 8 2 Sec. 16 18 9 2 1/2 Sec. 19 21 When the Command Line argument is entered and any part of it is invalid the program will return to the DOS prompt showing you the correct format to use. The "O" may be a capitol or small letter. When ADMAN.EXE is first executed you are presented with a Caution Screen about ADMAN.EXE taking over, and reprogramming at the register level, your VGA adapter. Please read and understand the following before running ADMAN.EXE. Beginning with DOS 5.0 you have been able to load TSR's and Device Drivers into high memory above the 640 Kb level. A lot of people who only use their computers in text mode may use the memory from 0A0000 Hex to 0B8000 Hex assigned to the VGA adpater for use in graphics mode to load TSR's and/or Device Drivers into this region of memory. If this is the case with your computer you cannot run ADMAN.EXE because it uses all of the memory from 0A0000 Hex to 0BFFFF Hex assigned to the VGA adapter. Any TSR or Device Driver loaded into this region of memory will be overwritten and wiped out and it will probably cause your computer to freeze and you will have to reboot. Before running ADMAN.EXE you will have to load these TSR's and Device Drivers into a different section of memory and then it will be safe to run ADMAN.EXE. You are also cautioned not to pop up any TSR programs while ADMAN.EXE is running. They will not run correctly since ADMAN.EXE runs in a video mode they will not understand. Do not run ADMAN.EXE when you are using a multitasking operating system. ADMAN.EXE will refuse to run under most multitasking operating systems, but it may not be able to recognize all of them. Page 22 --------------------------------------------------------------- Now that all of the precautions are out of the way and your computer is setup correctly your may enter "Proceed" at the Cautionary Screen to continue with ADMAN. Because ADMAN.EXE runs in a non-standard video configuration it is not possible to get any screen shots to put into this documentation file. Since it is a fairly straight forward program to use this should not present any problems. The Main Menu will be displayed and the ADMAN Logo will be scrolled or panned onto the screen. If you just leave this screen alone it will pan or scroll the ADMAN Logo onto the screen every 10 seconds from a different direction. The Main Menu has four Command Bars which you can select by using its Hot Key. Remember, there is no mouse in ADMAN.EXE. They are Select, Help, About, and Quit. SELECT will pop up the File Selection Screen and you can select from 1 to 2,048 Ads to que up and play. Once you have marked the Ads you want to play press the Enter Key to make your selection final. You will be returned to the Main Menu and an Ad Validation Screen will be displayed and each Ad that you have selected will be put through the validiation process. If an Ad fails the validation process an Extended Error Reporting System Screen will pop up informing you of why the Ad failed. The Ad will be unmarked and will not be played. All of the Ads will be validated prior to playing any of the Ads. Once all of the Ads have been validated the first one will be played, followed by the second, etc., etc. The selected Ad or Ads will be played continuously until ADMAN.EXE is told to stop. HELP will pop up the current Quick Help Reference System Screen. ABOUT will pop up Copyright and other information about ADMAN.EXE. QUIT will exit the program, returning the VGA video system and your computer to their normal configuration. While an Ad is playing the Play Menu will be displayed which has six Command Bars. They are Pause, Restart, Slower, Faster, About Ad, and Quit. PAUSE pauses the Ad that is currently playing. Its shadow will change from black to grey, and the shadow on the Restart Command Bar will change from grey to black. The Ad will automatically restart after 45 seconds if no Restart Command is given. RESTART restarts an Ad that has been paused. Its shadow will change from black to grey and the shadow on the Pause Command Bar will change from grey back to black. SLOWER slows down the speed at which an Ad is playing. FASTER speeds up the speed at which an Ad is playing. Page 23 --------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT Ad pops up a screen that displays the Copyright Notice and Contact Information. This screen has a 45 second automatic restart of the Ad if it is left displayed. QUIT returns you to the Main Menu. USING ADEDIT.EXE --------------------------------------------------------------- Before we get into the actual editing of an Ad with the ADMAN Editor we need to understand a few basic concepts about the Ads you can create. Ad Edit Concepts --------------------------------------------------------------- There are two types of Ads you can create with the editor. They are scrolling and panning Ads. SCROLLING AD - A scrolling Ad is 80 columns wide by 811 rows, or lines, long. This is equal to 64,880 bytes. 129,760 bytes when you add in the attribute information. Scrolling Ads scroll up from near the bottom of the screen to the top. Columns are numbered from 1 to 80 and rows are numbered from 1 to 811. PANNING AD - Due to the nature of the VGA adapter a panning Ad has to be split into 14 sections, or Zones, as I call them. Each Zone is 254 columns wide by 17 rows deep. Each Zone has to be treated as a separate section of an Ad. This is equal to 60,452 bytes. 120,904 bytes when you add in the attribute information. Panning Ads are panned in from right to left. Columns are numbered from 1 to 254, rows from 1 to 17, and Zones from 1 to 14. AD WINDOW - The Ad Window is 80 columns wide by 17 rows long. This is how much of an Ad is visible at any given moment. CHARACTER SIZES - There are four character sizes you can use. The 1x1 size is the size of these characters you are reading. The 8x8, 8x14, and 8x16 character sizes are based on the bit patterns in video ROM used to generate 8x8, 8x14, and 8x16 characters. Each bit in the character bit pattern is translated into one character space. So an 8x8 character takes up 8 columns by 8 rows; an 8x14 character takes up 8 columns by 14 rows; and an 8x16 character takes up 8 columns by 16 rows. Every one of the possible 256 characters, except character 0 and 255 which are the same as a space, are available in all four character sizes. Examples of the 8x8 character size: 1 ██ ███ ██████ ████ 2 ████ ████ █ █ ██ 3 ██ ██ ████ ██ ██ █ █ █ █ ██ ██████ 4 ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ █ █ ██ ██ 5 ██████ █████ ███████ █ ████ █ ███ ██ ██ ███ 6 ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ █ ██ █ ██ ██ ██ ██ 7 ██ ██ ███ ██ ████ █ █ ████ ██ ██ 8 ██████ ███ ██ ██ Page 24 --------------------------------------------------------------- Examples of the 8x14 character size: 1 2 ████ 3 █ ██ ██████ ██ 4 ███ ███ █ █ ██ 5 ██ ██ ████ █ █ █ █ ██ 6 ██ ██ ████ ██ ██ █ █ ██ ██████ 7 ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ █ █ ██ ██ 8 ███████ █████ ███████ █ ████ █ ███ ██ ██ ███ 9 ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ █ ██ █ ██ ██ ██ ██ 10 ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ██ 11 ██ ██ ███ ██ ████ ██████ ███ ██ ██ 12 ██ ██ 13 ██ ██ 14 ██ ██ Examples of the 8x16 character size: 1 2 ████ 3 █ ██ ██████ ██ 4 ███ ███ █ █ ██ 5 ██ ██ ████ █ █ █ █ ██ 6 ██ ██ ████ ██ ██ █ █ ██ ██████ 7 ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ █ █ ██ ██ 8 ███████ █████ ███████ █ ████ █ ███ ██ ██ ███ 9 ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ █ ██ █ ██ ██ ██ ██ 10 ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ █ █ ██ ██ ██ ██ 11 ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ██ 12 ██ ██ ███ ██ ████ ██████ ███ ██ ██ 13 ██ ██ 14 ██ ██ 15 ██ ██ 16 ██ ██ OVERLAY MODE - All editing is done in the overlay mode. A new character overlays whatever is in the Ad at the position it is to be entered into the Ad. NO WRAPAROUND - When you reach the last column of an Ad, you do not wrap around to column 1 of the next row. The cursor will stay at the last column and if you continue to type characters they will replace the character in the last column. DISPLAY WINDOW ACTIVE - When the Display Window is active you are in editing mode. A half block blinking cursor will mark the current row and column for data entry. The boarder around the Command Window that holds the Command Bars will be light white. The size of the characters entered along with their background and foreground colors will depend on the current settings of the appropriate Command Bars. Page 25 --------------------------------------------------------------- COMMAND WINDOW ACTIVE - When the Command Window is active its boarder will be bright white and there will be no half block blinking cursor in the Display Window. All of the Command Bars will be available for use except the Zone Command Bar when you are creating a scrolling Ad. UNDO PROCEDURES - There are four separate Undo Procedures. Normal editing of characters has 100 Undo Levels, attribute or color changing has 100 Undo Levels, Color Palettes has 20 Undo Levels, and importing of IMPORT Files has 50 Undo Levels. Each Undo Procedure is independent of the others. Where required all of the Undo Procedures use dynamic memory allocation and deallocation. It is possible, but not likely, that you could run out of memory. If you do you will be notified and the best thing to do is Quit editing the Ad which will free up all of the memory the Undo Procedures were using. Once the memory is free select the Ad for editing again. SPACE BAR ASSIGNMENT - When you are in the 1x1 character mode the character entered when the Space Bar is pressed depends on the character in the Assign Command Bar. If the character in the Assign Command Bar is a space, spaces will be entered. If it is a ═ then the ═ will be entered every time the Space Bar is pressed. This makes it very easy to enter lines or boarders or shadows around windows or bars. The Space Bar can also be used to erase selected lines of text or change the color of selected lines that do not have characters in them. When the space is still assigned to the Space Bar just select the new background color you want and then you can change a colored line to a new color. CHARACTER FILL - When you are in the 8x8, 8x14, or 8x16 character mode the fill character used to display the character with depends on the character in the Assign Command Bar. When you initially select one of the large character sizes the fill character is a █. You can create interesting characters by using different fill characters. If you use character 223 or 221 (▀ and ▌) your large characters will look like this: ▀ ▌ ▀▀▀ ▌▌▌ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▌▌ ▌▌ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▌▌ ▌▌ ▌▌▌▌ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▌▌ ▌▌ ▌▌ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▌▌▌▌▌▌▌ ▌▌▌▌▌ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▌▌ ▌▌ ▌▌ ▌▌ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▌▌ ▌▌ ▌▌ ▌▌ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▌▌ ▌▌ ▌▌▌ ▌▌ You can then use the Modify Command Bar to make large characters with two or more colors by selecting to change the foreground and/or background colors on a 1x1 character basis. Main Menu Page 26 --------------------------------------------------------------- When ADMAN Editor is initially executed the Main Menu will be at the bottom of the screen with the New, Edit, Adman!, Credits, Help, and Quit Command Bars. ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ ADMAN EDITOR ■ 32 V1.10 THURSDAY 09 NOV 1995 ■ 13:16:16 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ (C) Copyright 1995 ■ TAN$TAAFL(TM) Software Company ■ All Rights Reserved ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ New ▄ Edit ▄ Adman! ▄ Credits ▄ Help ▄ Quit ▄ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Selecting New - takes you through the steps required to setup a new Ad. Selecting Edit - pops up the File Selection Screen which lets you select the Ad you want to edit. Selecting Adman! - shells out to ADMAN.EXE so you can test an Ad you have been editing. ADMAN.EXE must be in the same directory as the ADMAN Editor. This is the only way you can play or test an Ad created with the shareware test version of ADMAN Editor. Selecting Credits - pops up a window with Copyright and other information about the program. Selecting Help - pops up the current Quick Help Reference System Screen. Selecting Quit - exits the program and returns you to the DOS prompt. CREATING A NEW AD --------------------------------------------------------------- ┌────────────────────┐ │ Enter File Name: │ The first step in creating a new Ad is │ │ to give it a name and select the drive │ ADMAN3 ▄ │ and directory to place it in. The File │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ Selection Screen will be displayed and │ Escape to Quit ▄ │ you will be asked to enter a name for │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ the new Ad file. No file extension is │ Overlay ▄ │ required. The program will supply the │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ file extension of ADM. └────────────────────┘ Page 27 --------------------------------------------------------------- You will next be asked to select the type of Ad it will be. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Ad Parameters │ │ │ │ Ad File Name: ADMAN3.ADM ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ Type of Ad to Create: │ │ [√] Scrolling │ │ [ ] Panning │ │ │ │ Ok ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────┘ Enter the Delay Value for the first screen next. This is a value from 1 to 9,999 with 2,048 equal to 1 second. This delay value is how long the first screen of the Ad will be displayed before the scrolling or panning action starts. The Mouse Pad will be displayed for your use if a mouse is present. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Ad Parameters │ ┌─┤ Mouse Pad ├─┐ │ │ │ │ │ Enter/Edit the Delay Value for the first │ │ 7 ▄ 8 ▄ 9 ▄ │ │ screen of an Ad. The maximum value is │ │ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ │ │ 9,999 . One second is equal to 2,048. │ │ 4 ▄ 5 ▄ 6 ▄ │ │ │ │ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ │ │ Enter Initial Delay Value ── 2,048 ▄ │ │ 1 ▄ 2 ▄ 3 ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ │ │ │ │ 0 ▄ ─ ▄ │ │ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ Esc ▄ ─┘ ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ │ └────────────────┘ You will then be asked to enter the Initial Ad Speed. This is a value from 1 to 99. 1 is so fast that you cannot read the Ad. 99 is so slow it is more fun to watch grass grow. For a scrolling Ad an initial value of 12 is a comfortable viewing speed, and for a panning Ad an initial value of 10 is comfortable. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Ad Parameters │ ┌─┤ Mouse Pad ├─┐ │ │ │ │ │ Enter/Edit the Initial Speed Value the Ad │ │ 7 ▄ 8 ▄ 9 ▄ │ │ will start with. The maximum value is 99. │ │ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ │ │ Slow is above 40 and fast is below 15. │ │ 4 ▄ 5 ▄ 6 ▄ │ │ │ │ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ │ │ Enter Initial Speed Value ── 12 ▄ │ │ 1 ▄ 2 ▄ 3 ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ │ │ │ │ 0 ▄ ─ ▄ │ │ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ Esc ▄ ─┘ ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ │ └────────────────┘ Page 28 --------------------------------------------------------------- Next is four lines of Contact Information. Each line has a maximum length of 67. You may enter anything you wish here. Who created the Ad, your company's name and address, telephone numbers to call, etc., etc. When someone hits the About Ad Command Bar while playing your Ad the Copyright Notice and this Contact Information will be displayed. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Contact Information │ │ │ │ Enter/Edit up to four lines of contact information for the AD Header. │ │ │ │ MacGregor K. Phillips ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ TAN$TAAFL Software Company ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ Sto. Nino; Palauig, Zambales 2211; Philippines ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ The Best Little Software Company in the Whole Wide World! ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ Escape to Quit ▄ Insert ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ A Preview of the Copyright and Contact Information will them be displayed. The Contact Information Lines you entered will be centered in the Preview Window. This is the same way it is displayed in ADMAN.EXE when About Ad is requested. The copyright year is automatically entered for you. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ADMAN3.ADM ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ (C) Copyright 1995 │ │ TAN$TAAFL Software Company │ │ All Rights Reserved! │ │ │ │ Contact Information: │ │ MacGregor K. Phillips │ │ TAN$TAAFL Software Company │ │ Sto. Nino; Palauig, Zambales 2211; Philippines │ │ The Best Little Software Company in the Whole Wide World! │ │ │ │ Ok ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Page 29 --------------------------------------------------------------- You will then be placed in the Editing Mode with a blank screen at the top and the Command Window at the bottom. The Command Window will be active. ══════════════════════════════════════════╤═══════════════════════════════ ▄ ▄ PgUp ▄ PgDn ▄ Home ▄ End ▄│ THURSDAY 09 NOV 1995 ■ 13:19: ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀└─────────────────────────────── Type: 1X1 ▄ BKGD ▄ Import ▄ Undo ▄ Help ▄ Palette ▄ Row: 1 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Assign: ▄ FRGD ▄ Modify ▄ Save ▄ Quit ▄ Zone: ▄ Col: 1 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ╡ ADMAN EDITOR ■ 32 V1.10 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════ SELECTING AN AD TO EDIT --------------------------------------------------------------- When you elect to edit an existing Ad the File Selection Screen will be displayed and you can select the Ad you wish to edit. The Ad Validation Window will then be displayed and the Ad will be validated to make sure it belongs to you and that no unauthorized changes or tampering has been done to it. If you attempt to edit an Ad that does not belong to you the following Extended Error Reporting System Screen will be displayed: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Extended Error Reporting System │ │ │ │ DOS/BIOS Interrupt: 21H - 3FH: Read File │ │ File Name: ADMAN1.ADM │ │ Error Locus: Block Device │ │ Error Class: Authorization │ │ Error Message: Attempt to Edit an Ad That You do Not Own │ │ Recommended Action: Select an Ad File That Belongs to You │ │ │ │ │ │ Ok ▄ Help ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Once the Ad has passed all of its various validation tests you will have the chance to edit the Initial Screen Delay Value, the Initial Speed Value, and the Contact Information. If the year has changed the Copyright year will be changed to reflect the new year. If you want to leave the values the same just press the Enter or Escape Key as each is presented for editing. Once this is accomplished you will be placed in the editing Mode with the initial screen of the Ad displayed at the top and the Command Window displayed at the bottom. The Comman Window will be active. SWITCHING BETWEEN THE DISPLAY AND COMMAND WINDOWS Page 30 --------------------------------------------------------------- The Tab Key or the Mouse may be used to switch between the Display and Command Windows. When you use the mouse just click the left mouse button in the window you want to make active. If you are making the Display Window active the cursor will be moved to where you clicked the mouse. This way you can make the Display Window active and position the cursor all at the same time. When you use the Tab Key to switch to the Display Window the cursor remains in its old position. If you have the cursor positioned at a particular spot for data entry use the Tab Key and the cursor will remain at its old position. WHEN THE DISPLAY WINDOW IS ACTIVE --------------------------------------------------------------- The mouse can be used to position the cursor when the Display Window is active. Just click the left mouse button where you want the cursor to be. The Keyboard Keys have the following functions when the Display Window is active: The Cursor Keys, the Up, Down, Left, and Right Arrow Keys, will move the cursor 1 row or 1 column in the desired direction. In a scrolling Ad this from column 1 to 80 and rows 1 to 811. In a panning Ad this is from column 1 to 254 and rows 1 to 17. The Page Up and Page Down Keys will move to the next or previous page in the Ad. In a scrolling Ad one page is equal to 17 rows up or down. In a panning Ad one page is equal to 80 columns to the right for Page Up and 80 columns to the left for Page Down. The Home Key will move the cursor to the 1st column in the current row. The End key will move the cursor to the last column in the current row. In a scrolling Ad this is column 80 and in a panning Ad this is column 254. The Insert Key will insert a blank space at the current cursor location after moving everything under and to the right of the cursor to the right 1 space. Any character at the end of the row will be lost. This function can be undone with the Undo Function. The Delete Key will delete the character at the current cursor location and move everthing to the right of the cursor left 1 space. A space in the current background color is then inserted at the end of the row. In a scrolling Ad the end of a row is column 80 and in a panning Ad it is column 254. This function can be undone with the Undo Function. The Ctrl Insert Key and Ctrl Delete Key are only available on an extended keyboard. If you do not have an extended keyboard they have no function. Page 31 --------------------------------------------------------------- The Ctrl Insert Key will insert a blank line at the current row or column position after adjusting the display. The line inserted in a scrolling Ad is a horizontal line while in a panning Ad it is a vertical line. The new line will be in the current background color. This function can be undone with the Undo Function. The Ctrl Delete Key will delete the line at the current row or column position and then adjust the display. The line deleted in a scrolling Ad is a horizontal line while in a panning Ad it is a vertical line. This function can be undone with the Undo Function. The Ctrl Insert and Ctrl Delete Key Functions are great for adjusting the spacing between the large sized characters and centering a whole word. The Ctrl Home Key moves to the first page of the Ad or Zone and the cursor will remain in the same position within the new page. The Ctrl End Key moves to the last page of the Ad or Zone and the cursor will remain in the same position within the new page. The Ctrl U Key, or Backspace Key, will Undo the last editing function. There are 100 editing undo levels. The Ctrl I Key will Undo the last file Import function. There are 50 import undo levels. The Ctrl M Key will Undo the last attribute modification function. There are 100 modify undo levels. The Ctrl P Key will Undo the last palette change. There are 20 palette undo levels. The Ctrl S Key toggles the SHFTCAPS.COM TSR program on or off if it is installed. A small display window will be displayed for 1 second informing you of its current status. The regular keyboard keys enter the proper character in capitol or small letters in the selected type size and in the selected background and foreground colors. To enter characters above 126 (~) or below 32 ( ) hold down the Alt Key while entering the decimal value of the desired character. As an example, to enter character 01 or hold down the Alt Key and enter the number 1. To enter character 251 or √ hold down the Alt Key and enter the number 251. You cannot change Zones in a panning Ad without making the Command Window Active and using the Zone Command Bar to change to the desired Zone. WHEN THE COMMAND WINDOW IS ACTIVE Page 32 --------------------------------------------------------------- When the Command Window is active its boarder will be bright white and there will be no blinking cursor in the Display Window. This enables the Command Bars for use. You may use the keyboard equivalent key, the Hot Key, or the mouse on the Command Bars. On many of the Command Bars holding down the left button of the mouse works the same as holding down the keyboard key. The functions of the Command Bars are: Command Bar: Moves the display window up one row for a scrolling Ad. Command Bar: Moves the display window down one row for a scrolling Ad. Command Bar: Moves the display window left one column for a panning Ad. Command Bar: Moves the display window right one column for a panning Ad. PgUp Command Bar: Moves the display window up one page, which is 17 rows for a scrolling Ad and 80 columns for a panning Ad. PgDn Command Bar: Moves the display window down one page, which is 17 rows for a scrolling Ad and 80 columns for a panning Ad. Home Command Bar: Moves to the first page of the Ad or Zone. End Command Bar: Moves to the last page of the Ad or Zone. Type Command Bar: Allows you to select the size of the type face to use. They are 1x1, 8x8, 8x14, and 8x16. Using the Ctrl T Key or clicking the left mouse button on the first space of the Command Bar reverses the direction of the selection. Assign Command Bar: Assigns a replacement character for the Space Bar when the 1x1 character size is active, or assigns the fill character to use on the larger character sizes. Any of the possible 256 characters, except character 0 and 255, may be selected. Using the Ctrl A Key or clicking the left mouse button on the first space of the Command Bar reverses the direction of selection. BKGD Command Bar: Selects the current background color to use. The color of the "KGD" letters is the color of the current background color. If you cannot see the letters "KGD" the current background color is the same as the Command Bar. Using the Ctrl B Key or clicking the left mouse button on the first space of the Command Bar reverses the direction of selection. FRGD Command Bar: Selects the current foreground color to use. The color of the "RGD" letters is the color of the current foreground color. If you cannot see the letters "RGD" the current foreground color is the same as the Command Bar. Using the Ctrl F Key or clicking the left mouse buttin on the first space of the Command Bar reverses the direction of selection. Page 33 --------------------------------------------------------------- Import Command Bar: Pops up the File Selection Screen which allows you to select an IMPORT.xxx file to import into the Ad at the current row. If you are importing the file into a panning Ad only the first 17 rows of the file are imported. Ctrl I Key: Undo the last Import function. Modify Command Bar: Pops up the Modify Attributes dialog box which allows you to modify the background, foreground, or both attributes at the same time on a global, zone, window, or character basis. See Page 34 for complete details. Ctrl M Key: Undo the last Modify Attributes function. Undo Command Bar or Backspace Key: Undo the last editing function. Save Command Bar: Saves to disk the Ad file you are working on and then resumes editing. If you live in a country that has a lot of unexpected power interuptions like I do it is a good idea to save you work every few minutes so it will not be lost to incompetent government owned power companies. Help Command Bar: Pops up the current Quick Help Reference System Screen. Quit Command Bar: Saves the Ad to disk and returns you to the Main Menu. Palette Command Bar: Pops up the ADMAN Editor Color Selector which allows you to redefine 8 colors for your Ad. See page 34 for complete details. Ctrl P Key: Undo the last Palette Change. Zone Command Bar: The Zone Command Bar is only active with a panning Ad. It allows you to select which of the 14 Zones you want to work in. Using the Ctrl Z Key or clicking the left mouse button on the first space of the Command Bar reverses the direction of selection. Row and Col Command Bars: are for information only. They tell you what row and column your cursor is currently on which is where data entry will take place. MODIFYING COLOR ATTRIBUTES Page 34 --------------------------------------------------------------- Prior to selecting the Modify Command Bar the BKGD and FRGD Command Bars must be set to the desired background and/or foreground colors you want to change to. If the current background is blue and you want to change it to yellow the BKGD Command Bar must be set to yellow. When you select the Modify Command Bar the following screen will pop up. You may use the indictated Hot Key or the mouse to select the Type of Modification to perform and the Attribute(s) to Change. The Zone Change will only be active when you are editing a panning Ad. Once you have made your selection use the indicated Hot Key or click the left mouse button on the Ok Command Bar to make the change. The Help Command Bar pops up the current Quick Help Reference System Screen and the Quit Command Bar exits without making any changes. You can select to change the background only, ┌───────────────────────────┐ the foreground only, or both at │ Modify Attribute(s) │ the same time. When you make a │ │ Global Change it changes the │ Type of Modification │ selected attributes in the whole │ [√] Global Change │ Ad. When you make a Zone Change │ [ ] Zone Change │ in a panning Ad it changes the │ [ ] Window Change │ selected attributes in the │ [ ] Character Change │ current Zone only. When you make │ Attribute(s) to Change │ a Window Change only the attributes │ [√] Background │ in the current Window are changed. │ [ ] Foreground │ When you elect to change attributes │ [ ] Attribute (Both) │ on a Character basis you enter into │ │ a special editing mode. The Modify │ Ok ▄ Help ▄ Quit ▄ │ Attributes Window will be closed, │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ the Modify Command Bar's shadow will └───────────────────────────┘ change from black to yellow which indicates that we are in this special editing mode. The Display Window will become active and the cursor will be turned on. This is the mode that allows you to make two color characters or change colors one character at a time. You may use the mouse or the keyboard to make the color changes. If you use the keyboard position the cursor using the cursor arrow keys to where you want to make the change and then press the Enter Key to make the change. If you use the mouse just click the left mouse button on the position where you want to make the color change. To exit this mode you have to make the Command Window Active. USING THE ADMAN EDITOR COLOR SELECTOR --------------------------------------------------------------- While reading about the ADMAN Editor Color Selector it is best to execute ADEDIT.EXE and use the Palette Command Bar to pop up the ADMAN Editor Color Selector Screen. At the top of the display you will see 16 Command Bars that represent the 16 available colors. 8 of these Color Command Bars have a grey shadow which means they cannot be modified. This is because ADMAN.EXE and ADEDIT.EXE use these colors. The other 8 Color Command Bars have a black shadow which means they can be modified. The Color Command Bar you are currently modifying will have a yellow shadow. When the Color Selector screen is first popped up the Magenta Color will have a yellow shadow and be ready to modify if you want to. Use the Tab Key or click Page 35 --------------------------------------------------------------- the left mouse button on the Color Command Bar you want to change. As each different color is selected its three color components for red, green, and blue will be reflected in the three long red, green, and blue bars below the Color Command Bars. The larger rectangle to the left of the three color bars represents the actual color. The top bar is for red, the middle for green, and the bottom for blue. Each color component has a range of from 0 to 63 for a total range of 64 values for each color component. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████▄ 63│ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ ██████████████████████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▄ 42│ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ █████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▄ 21│ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Below the three long color bars are the Command Bars you use to modify the color with. They are: Red ▄ Green ▄ Blue ▄ All ▄ Help ▄ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ++++ ▄ ---- ▄ Original ▄ Save ▄ Quit ▄ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use the Red Command Bar to select the red component to change, the Green Command Bar to select the green component to change, and the Blue Command Bar to select the blue component to change. Use the All Command Bar to change all of the color components at the same time. The active color component bar will have a black shadow and the inactive ones a grey shadow. They will all have a black shadow when the All Command Bar is selected. If you find a particular color you like but want it a little lighter or darker select the All Command Bar to change all three color components at the same time. This will allow you see what the various shades of the color look like. The Help Command Bar pops up the current Quick Help Reference System screen. The ++++ Command Bar will increment the value of the active color component by 1, but not greater that 63. If all of the color components are active it will stop when one of the color components reaches 63. The ---- Command Bar will decrement the value of the active color component by 1, but not less then 0. If all of the color components are active it will stop when one of the color components reaches 0. Page 36 --------------------------------------------------------------- The Original Command Bar will return the color component bars and the color to their original values. The Save Command Bar will save the current definition of the the active color. This will now become the new original color. This is the only way to make a color change permanent. You can change all 8 of the colors, but if you do not save each one individually they will not take effect when you quit. A beep will sound to indicate that the new color was saved. The Quit Command Bar returns you to the editing menu. Only those color changes that you saved will become permanent. On the VGA adapter there are 262,144 possible color combinations. When you multiply 64 x 64 x 64 you get 262,144. A value of 0 for all three color components is black while a value of 63 for all three is bright white. There are many interesting colors between these values. SOME AD DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS --------------------------------------------------------------- 1. When you are creating a scrolling Ad the maximum sized word you can use with the 8x8, 8x14, or 8x16 character sizes is 10 letters. This is because each character takes up 8 columns and the Ad is only 80 columns wide. 2. There are 811 rows in a scrolling Ad. Using the regular spacing of the 8x8, 8x14, and 8x16 character sizes you can get 101 lines of 8x8 characters, 57 lines of 8x14 character, and 50 lines of 8x16 characters. 3. In a scrolling Ad you can import 32 images that are 25 rows long, 18 images that are 43 rows long, 16 that are 50 rows long, and 13 images that are 60 rows long. 4. In a panning Ad there is a problem which I call pixel overwrite. I do not know if this is a problem on all VGA adapters but it is on mine. A pixel overwrite writes one extra pixel to the right hand side of the screen. In a Zone, if the first pixel in the first column is filled with a foreground color, when you get to the end of the Zone, column 254, this first line of pixels from column 1 of the Zone will be displayed on the right of the screen. To get around this problem do not put anything in the first column of any Zone in a panning Ad and make sure the background color of the first and last columns are the same. 5. You can get 31 letters of the 8x8, 8x14, or 8x16 character sizes in each Zone of a panning Ad. This leaves 6 extra columns so you can skip the first and last three columns of the Ad. This will ensure you will never encounter the pixel overwrite problem. 6. When designing a panning Ad you should not have a word that is too large in the first or last section of the Ad. A person should be able to read the first word without waiting for the rest of it to be panned in, and no part of the last word should be panned out of the display window. Page 37 --------------------------------------------------------------- 7. If there is not enough room to enter a large sized character into the Ad a chime will sound to tell you that there is not enough room. If you try to import a screen image and there is not enough room an Extended Error Reporting System Screen will be displayed. 8. The proper use of color is probably just as important as what an Ad says. The color can reach out a grab someone's attention so he will want to read the Ad to see what it says. A LITTLE PRACTICE NEVER HURT ANYBODY --------------------------------------------------------------- To get the feel of how ADMAN Editor works start it up and create a new Ad. Then just try out the different features of the Editor without trying to design a good looking Ad. Use the different sized characters in different colors to see what they look like. Start up SNAPSHOT.EXE, take a few snapshots of different text mode programs you use and import them into an Ad. Use the Undo features so you can get used to them. Make color changes on a global, Zone, Window, and character basis. Practice with the ADMAN Editor Color Selector. Create shadowed lines, and boarders around a group of letters. Create different character fonts using different fill characters. Create large sized characters with 2 or more different colors. Once you get the feel of how all the features works together then it will be time to put your imagination and creativity to work designing your own Ads and special effects. I am sure that there are a lot more special effects that can be thought of than I have used in my Ads. Creating a Line with a Shadow --------------------------------------------------------------- To put a shadow around a colored line of 1x1 text assign character 220 (▄) to the Space Bar. To put the shadow at the end of the line set the background color to the same color as the current background and set the foreground color to black or whatever color you want the shadow to be. Position the cursor at the end of the line and press the Space Bar. Then set the background color to black or what ever color you want the shadow to be and the foreground color to the current background of the display. Set the cursor below the line and 1 space to the right of the start of the line. Then press the Space Bar to enter the shadow on the bottom of the line. Creating a Boarder --------------------------------------------------------------- If you want to put a boarder around a word that has its own background color to make it stand out use the Assign Command Bar to assign the proper boarder characters to the Space Bar and then enter them in the proper place. You can create a single or double lined boarder. A single lined boarder consists of the characters 179, 191, 192, 196, 217, and 218 (│, ┐, └, ─, ┘, ┌). A double lined boarder consists of characters 186, 187, 188, 200, 201, and 205 (║, ╗, ╝, ╚, ╔, ═). Creating a Character with Two Colors Page 38 --------------------------------------------------------------- To create a character with two colors you have to create the character with a fill character like character 223 (▀) or 221 (▌) or 177 (▒). You then have to change the background color on a character basis to the desired color. If you want to create a large character with the top half one color and the bottom half another you have to change the top or bottom half to the desired color by modifying the foreground color only. The middle of the character has be changed to character 223 (▀) in the desired backgroud and foreground colors. You really do not have to be restricted to only two colors. You can use as many different colors in a large sized character as you want to. Startup/Termination Errors Page 39 --------------------------------------------------------------- There are a number of startup errors that pertain to both ADMAN.EXE and ADEDIT.EXE. Unless otherwise stated the following startup errors pertain to both ADMAN.EXE and ADEDIT.EXE. 1. Sorry! An 80386 or above is required to execute ADMAN ■ 32. You have attempted to execute the program on an 8086 or 80286 computer. 2. ADMAN ■ 32 requires DOS 3.x or above. You have attempted to execute the program using DOS 2.x or 1.0. 3. ADMAN ■ 32 needs to be in 25 rows by 80 columns Mode. You video display was not in the proper display mode when the program executed. Return the video display to 25 rows by 80 columns by using the DOS Command "MODE CO80" then execute the program again. 4. ADMAN ■ 32 requires a VGA color monitor. A video system other than a color VGA system was detected. The program will only execute with a color VGA adapter and monitor. 5. ADMAN ■ 32 cannot find itself at the end of the Environment. In DOS 3.0 and above a copy of the programs full drive, path, and name are placed at the end of its environment. The program could not find it there. 6. Insufficient extra memory to run ADMAN ■ 32. The program checks to make sure it has at least enough extra memory to display a few windows with. If it cannot find enough it will not execute. 7. ADMAN ■ 32 will not run under a multitasking environment. If a multitasking operating system is detected the program will refuse to run. Exit the multitasking operating system and return to DOS. Then execute the program again. 8. ADMAN ■ 32 cannot determine system configuration parameters. The program uses BIOS Int 15H Function 0C0H to determine if a real time clock and a 2nd PIC (Programmable Interrupt Controller) are present in your system. If this BIOS call is not supported the program will not run. (ADMAN.EXE ONLY) Page 40 --------------------------------------------------------------- 9. ADMAN ■ 32 requires a Dallas Real Time Clock. If your system does not have a Dallas Real Time Clock or compatable the program will not run. (ADMAN.EXE ONLY) 10. ADMAN ■ 32 requires a 2nd interrupt chip (PIC). If your system does not have two PIC's the program will not run. There are some boards that change an 8086 or 80286 into an 80386 that do not supply a 2nd PIC. (ADMAN.EXE ONLY) 11. ADMAN ■ 32 cannot run with a nonfunctional Real Time Clock. If the real time clock does not work the program will not run. (ADMAN.EXE ONLY) 12. Invalid Command Line Argument entered for ADMAN ■ 32. Correct Format is "/O:x" where x equals a number 1 to 9. Enter a correctly formated Command Line Argument when you execute the program again. (ADMAN.EXE ONLY) 13. ADMAN ■ 32 terminated due to memory allocation\release error. The programs use dynamic memory allocation and deallocation for windows, file buffers, undo levels, etc. If there is not enough memory to perform its function or the memory control blocks become corrupted the program will terminate. PROGRAM ERRORS Page 41 --------------------------------------------------------------- The following program errors pertain to both ADMAN.EXE and ADEDIT.EXE. 1. Suspected Computer Virus Attack! Every time ADMAN.EXE or ADEDIT.EXE is executed it calculates a CRC32 value for it's EXE file on disk. If it does not match the one stored in the program this message will be displayed in an Extended Error Reporting System Screen and then the program will perform a controlled exit to DOS. 2. Drive Index Too Large for Drive Table When the program first determines which drives are installed in your system (substituted drives included) it builds a drive table and an index for the current drive. It checks for a maximum of 26 drives but only the first 12 are usable by the program. If the drive you loaded the program from has an index greater than 12 the program will display this error and then exit the program. 3. More than 1,000 Directories on Disk If you load ADMAN.EXE or ADEDIT.EXE from a disk with more than 1,000 directories the Extended Error Reporting System will display this error and then exit the program. If you select a disk drive within the program to use that has more than 1,000 directories you will be returned to the File Selection Screem to select another disk drive. 4. Substituted Drive While selecting a drive to use in the File Selection Screen you selected a substituted drive (ie. a drive letter has been substituted for a path name). You will be returned to the File Selection Screen to select an unsubstituted drive. This applies to Assigned drives too. (See DOS ASSIGN and SUBST commands in your DOS Manual) 5. More than 12 Levels of Subdirectories If you have more than 12 levels of subdirectories the program will exit upon startup after displaying the above error message. After startup if you use a disk that has more than 12 levels of subdirectories the program will display this error message and return you to an appropriate menu. 6. Suspected Ad File Header Tampering When you edit or play an Ad various checks are performed on the file header. If any of these checks fail this error message will be displayed and you will not be able to play or edit the Ad. This means someone has tampered with the information in the header or it has been corrupted. Page 42 --------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Selected File is Not an ADMAN Ad File Not a Valid ADMAN Ad file The Ad File you have selected to edit or play is not a valid ADMAN Ad File. Select another Ad to play or edit. 8. Insufficient Memory to Continue While poping up the File Selection Screen there was insufficient memory to hold all of the directory and file tables. The following errors pertain to ADMAN.EXE Only. 1. Suspected Ad File Tampering While all of the Ad File Header is correct the contents of the actual Ad failed its validation checks. The Ad will not be played. 2. Only ShareWare Test Ads Authorized When you shelled out from the Shareware Test Version of ADEDIT.EXE to ADMAN.EXE you have attempted to play a regular Ad. Only playing of one shareware test Ad is authorized. 3. Shareware Test Ads Not Authorized You are trying to play an Ad created with the Shareware Test Version of ADEDIT.EXE as a regular Ad. This is not authorized. 4. All of the Selected Ads Failed All of the Ads you selected to play have failed their validation tests and cannot be played. The following errors pertain to ADEDIT.EXE Only. 1. Insufficient Space on Disk for File While trying to create a new Ad File there was not enough room on the destination disk. Select another disk to put the Ad on or free up enough room on the selected disk. 2. Attempt to Edit an Ad That You do Not Own You have attempted to edit an Ad that does not belong to you. This in not authorized. 3. Ad Information Changed Since Last Edit The Ad failed its CRC32 validation check. It may have been changed by a different program or become corrupt. Since the Ad belongs to you you can still edit it. Page 43 --------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Unsupported IMPORT File Size An IMPORT File that has an odd length cannot be imported. This should only occur on a corrupted file or a misnamed file. 5. Not Enough Room in AD to Import the File There are not enough rows at the end of an Ad to hold all of the IMPORT File. CRITICAL ERRORS Page 44 --------------------------------------------------------------- The following errors are reported by the Critical Error Reporting System. Possible remedies are also suggested. 1. Disk Write Protected Remove the write protection from the disk and select Retry from the Critical Error Reporting System menu. 2. Unknown unit With the File Selection Screen this error should never be encountered. But if it is select Cancel from the Critical Error Reporting System menu and you will be returned to an appropriate menu. 3. Drive Not Ready You have selected a drive without a disk in it. Insert a disk in the drive and select Retry from the Critical Error Reporting System menu or select cancel and you will be returned to the File Selection Screen to select another drive. 4. Unknown Command A device has received an unknown command. If you ever encounter this critical error select Cancel from the Critical Error Reporting System menu and you will be returned to an appropriate menu. 5. Data Error (Bad CRC) A data error as indicated by a bad CRC value has been encountered. You may select Retry from the Critical Error Reporting System menu and DOS may be able to overcome the error. If it still reports Data Error after a few attempts select cancel from the menu and you will be returned to an appropriate menu. The process you were trying to do will be cancelled and all files being worked on or created will be taken care of. If you continue to get this error regularly on a floppy or hard disk it indicates that the disk is going bad in the area reported by the Critical Error Reporting System. 6. Bad Request Structure Length Select cancel from the Critical Error Reporting System menu and you will be returned to an appropriated menu. Page 45 --------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Seek Error A disk drive is having problems finding a specific track or cluster on a disk. Select Retry from the Critical Error Reporting System menu a few times to see if DOS can overcome this error. If it cannot select Cancel and you will be returned to an appropriate menu. If you continue to get this error regularly on a floppy or hard disk it indicates that the disk is going bad in the area reported by the Critical Error Reporting System. 8. Unknown Media Type A disk with an unknown or improper format type is being used. This may also happen because of different format programs being used which are not compatable with all computers (ie. my 386 will not read any disk formated by my brothers IBM PS/2 286). Select Cancel from the Critical Error Reporting System menu and you will be returned to an appropriate menu. 9. Sector Not Found A disk drive could not find the sector it was looking for. You can select Retry from the Critical Error Reporting System menu a few times to see if DOS can overcome this error. If it cannot select Cancel and you will be returned to an appropriate menu. If you continue to get this error regularly on a floppy or hard disk it indicates that the disk is going bad in the area reported by the Critical Error Reporting System. 10. Out of Paper Will never be reported by ADEDIT.EXE because it does not use DOS to print with. 11. Write Fault Select Retry to see if DOS can overcome the error. If it cannot select Cancel and you will be returned to an appropriate menu. If you continue to get this error regularly on a floppy or hard disk it indicates that the disk is going bad in the area reported by the Critical Error Reporting System. Page 46 --------------------------------------------------------------- 12. Read Fault Select Retry to see if DOS can overcome the error. If it cannot select Cancel and you will be returned to an appropriate menu. If you continue to get this error regularly on a floppy or hard disk it indicates that the disk is going bad in the area reported by the Critical Error Reporting System. 13. General Failure May be caused by a floppy disk drive going bad. This is the only time the author has seen this critical error on his system. Select cancel to be returned to an appropriate menu, or abort to exit the program. PRINTER ERRORS Page 47 --------------------------------------------------------------- The following errors are reported by the Printer Error Reporting System. 1. TIMEOUT - Printer has timed out. Select Cancel from the menu in the Printer Error Reporting System, reset your printer and try again. 2. I/O ERROR - Printer has encountered an I/O Error. Select Cancel from the menu in the Printer Error Reporting System and try again. 3. NOT SELECTED - Printer not turned on. Turn your printer on and select Retry from the menu in the Printer Error Reporting system 4. OUT OF PAPER - Put more paper in your printer and select Retry from the Menu in the Printer Error Reporting System. 5. BUSY - Usually means that the printer is turned on but is not on line. Put the printer on line and select Retry from the menu in the Printer Error Reporting System. INDEX Page 48 --------------------------------------------------------------- Ad Design Considerations....36 Modify Command Bar..........33 Ad Edit Concepts............23 Modifying Color Attributes..34 ADMAN.EXE Command Line......21 Multitasking Operating ADMAN Editor Color Systems Compatability.......12 Selector....................34 ADMAN Logo...................2 Overlay Mode................24 Ad Type Selection...........27 Ad Window...................23 Palette Command Bar.........33 ASP Ombudsman................5 Panning Ad..................23 Assign Command Bar..........32 Pause Key...................13 Association of Printer Error Shareware Progessionals......5 Reporting System............18 Printer Options Menu........19 BKGD Command Bar............32 Print Screen Key............13 Changing Your Name..........10 Registration Incentives......5 Character Fill..............25 Running ADMAN.EXE...........21 Character Sizes..........23,24 Chime.......................13 Save Command Bar............33 Command Bars................14 Scrolling Ad................23 Command Window...........25,32 Shareware and Registered Computer Requirements.......10 Versions.....................9 Contact Information.........28 SHFTCAPS.COM................31 Creating a New Ad...........26 Sort Command Bar............16 Critical Error Space Bar Assignment........25 Reporting System............16 Substituted Drives..........15 Ctrl Break Key..............13 Ctrl C Key..................13 The Mouse...................13 The Mouse Pad...............20 Delay Value.................27 Type Command Bar............32 Disk-Caches.................12 Display Window...........24,30 Undo Command Bar............33 Undo Procedures.............25 Editing Menu................29 Using ADEDIT.EXE............23 Errors Using a Printer.............18 Critical Errors.........44 Printer Errors..........47 VGA Adapters and ADMAN.EXE..10 Program Errors..........41 Video Memory from Startup/Termination.....39 0A000H to 0BFFFFH...........21 Escape Key..................13 Virus and Tampering Checks...7 Extended Error Reporting System............17 Welcome to ADMAN!............8 Features.....................4 Zone Command Bar............33 File Selection Screen.......14 File Sort Criteria..........16 FRGD Command Bar............32 Function Keys...............12 High Memory.................21 Hot Keys....................13 Import Command Bar..........33 Initial Ad Speed............27 Installing/Deinstalling.....11 Intellectual Property Rights.....................5,9