JCSM Shareware Collection 1996 September/JCSM Shareware Collection (JCS Distribution) (September 1996).ISO/screenut/pcdesk56.zip/PCDESK.DOC

Text File | 1996-01-17 | 18KB | 315 lines

                            PCDESK INSTRUCTIONS

   PcDesk lets you organize your time with a monthly calendar and weekly
   planner to which you can add memo notes, maintain an address book data
   base, manage files on your computer, and edit ASCII text files. The
   program requires an IBM compatible computer with an EGA or VGA color
   monitor. If a mouse is detected, it is automatically supported.

   You can use the mouse by placing the MOUSE CURSOR on the item to be
   selected and clicking the LEFT button. In general, the LEFT MOUSE button
   is treated as an ENTER key press, and the RIGHT MOUSE button is treated
   as an ESCAPE key press. Also, you can press ESCAPE, or the RIGHT MOUSE
   button, to back out of any prompt in the program.

   The PcDesk Main Menu contains the following options. You can scroll
   through the selections using the ARROW keys, press the highlighted HOT
   KEY, or place the MOUSE CURSOR on the desired menu item and click the
   LEFT MOUSE button.

                        (C)alendar and Weekly Planner

   This option takes you to a menu from which you can select several types
   of calendar, and a weekly planner. Press R, or ESCAPE, or the RIGHT
   MOUSE button, from the Calendar Menu to return to the PcDesk Main Menu.
   The available items are as follows:

   1) Display the (M)emo Calendar. A Monthly Calendar is presented to which
   you can add memo notes. The month and year are initially set according
   to the current DOS clock. You can scroll through the months (and years)
   by pressing the PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN keys, or by positioning the MOUSE
   CURSOR at the TOP or BOTTOM screen border and clicking the LEFT button.

   Press ENTER, or click the LEFT MOUSE button, to add memo notes to the
   current month's calendar. The BLUE editing cursor can be positioned
   anywhere by moving the MOUSE CURSOR and clicking the LEFT MOUSE button.
   Alternatively, you can use the ARROW keys, ENTER, HOME, END, PAGE UP
   and PAGE DOWN to position the editing cursor.

   Whatever notes you type will be automatically recorded for that month,
   and saved on disk in the default directory in files with .CAL extensions
   (example: JAN96.CAL). Whenever you arrive at a month with memo notes
   stored, your notes will be automatically displayed. Note that files
   created for EGA and VGA monitors are not interchangeable. This is because
   each adapter can display a different number of lines on the screen. Also
   note that commas (,) and double quotes (") are not allowed in memo text.
   These characters compromise the file structure of the memo notes on disk.

   Press ESCAPE, or click the RIGHT MOUSE button, when you are done adding
   notes to the calendar. Press ESCAPE, or click the RIGHT MOUSE button, to
   return to the PcDesk Calendar Menu.

   To get a printout of your Memo Calendar (and the Weekly Planner described
   below) press P when you are done adding notes. Be sure that your printer
   is set up to print the EXTENDED ASCII box drawing characters used for the
   calendar cells and borders. Most printers allow fonts to be selected using
   a front panel menu, DIP switches, or by setup software. Select the printer
   font that shows ASCII characters 176 through 222 to be for line drawing
   (for example, ASCII 209 would be "╤").

   2) Show Calendar for the (Y)ear. This option presents a calendar for the
   entire year. The year is originally set according to the current DOS
   clock. You can scroll through the years by pressing PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN,
   or by moving the MOUSE CURSOR to the TOP or BOTTOM screen border and
   clicking the LEFT MOUSE button. The legal range of years is from 1899
   to 2099.

   Whatever year is last displayed becomes the default year for the Monthly
   Memo Calendar. Also, if you position the MOUSE CURSOR on any month, and
   click the LEFT button, you will be presented with a Memo Calendar for
   that month and year (see option 1). Press P on the keyboard to get a
   printout of the Yearly Calendar. Press ESCAPE, or the RIGHT MOUSE button,
   to return to the Calendar Menu.

   3) Display the (W)eekly Planner. A Weekly Planner is displayed on the
   screen. The columns are divided into the five days of the work week
   (MON through FRI), and the rows are divided into nine hour blocks
   (8:00 AM through 5:00 PM).

   Press ENTER, or click the LEFT MOUSE button, to add notes to the Weekly
   Planner. The BLUE editing cursor can be positioned by moving the MOUSE
   CURSOR and clicking the LEFT MOUSE button. Alternatively, you can use
   the ARROW keys, ENTER, HOME, END, PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN to position the
   editing cursor. Whatever notes you type will be automatically saved on
   disk in the default directory in a file called WEEK.CAL. Note again that
   files created for EGA and VGA monitors are not interchangeable, and that
   that commas (,) and double quotes (") are not allowed in the memo text.

   Press ESCAPE, or click the RIGHT MOUSE button, when you are done adding
   notes to the Weekly Planner. Whenever you select this option, your notes
   will be automatically displayed. To get a printout of the Weekly Planner,
   press P on the keyboard. Press ESCAPE, or click the RIGHT MOUSE button,
   to return to the PcDesk Calendar Menu.

   4) Show (T)ime of Day Clock. An analog clock showing the current DOS
   time is displayed, along with a calendar for the current DOS month. The
   clock uses the EGA graphics mode. Press ANY KEY, or ANY MOUSE BUTTON,
   to return to the Calendar Menu.

                       (A)ddress Book and Data Base

   This option lets you maintain a detailed data base of names, addresses,
   phone numbers, and other personal information for up to 100 entries. The
   address book file, ADDRESS.CAL, is automatically created in the default
   directory.

   You can use the UP/DOWN ARROW or PAGE keys to scroll through the data
   base screens. Press ESCAPE, or the RIGHT MOUSE button, to return to the
   PcDesk Main Menu. Press ENTER, or click the LEFT MOUSE button to edit
   the current entry. Press one of the following keys, or place the MOUSE
   CURSOR on the item and click the LEFT button, to activate the address
   book features:

   F1 = EDIT (same as pressing ENTER). You will get the BLUE editing
        cursor. Use the ENTER, HOME, END, PAGE and ARROW keys to position
        the cursor and fill in the data fields. Alternatively, you can
        position the editing cursor by moving the MOUSE CURSOR and clicking
        the LEFT button. Note that when you open the address book for the
        first time, you will have a blank data screen ready for you to
        select F1 for editing. Press ESCAPE, or the RIGHT MOUSE button,
        when you are done.

   F3 = ADD. Use this option to add a new entry to the address book. Note
        that entries in the address book are sorted automatically according
        to the first character in the NAME field, so you can use "Lastname,
        Firstname" to keep your address book alphabetized. Press ESCAPE,
        or the RIGHT MOUSE button, when you are done adding the new entry.

   F5 = SEARCH. The address book search feature is NOT case sensitive. If
        a match is found, you will be taken to the screen containing the
        matching information. The last search string entered becomes the
        default for the next time you press F5.

   F7 = DELETE. This option deletes the current address book screen. Press
        [N] or ESCAPE, or the RIGHT MOUSE button, at the confirmation prompt
        to cancel the deletion.

   F9 = PRINT. The current address screen will be sent to your printer,
        using the same format and field labels as you see on the screen.

   L = LIST. This option lists just the NAME and ADDRESS of all entries
       in your data base. Press ENTER, or the RIGHT MOUSE button to continue
       the listing. Press ESCAPE, or the RIGHT MOUSE button to quit. If you
       have used "Lastname, Firstname" format for any entries, the names
       will be displayed as "Firstname Lastname." If you have a MOUSE,
       placing the cursor on any item, and clicking the LEFT button, will
       take you immediately to that address screen.

   ESC = QUIT. Press ESCAPE, or click the RIGHT MOUSE button, to quit the
         Address Book and return to the PcDesk Main Menu.

                       PcDesk (F)ile Manager Utility

   This option gives you convenient access to a number of standard and
   enhanced DOS utilities without having to quit the program. You can MOVE,
   COPY or DELETE files, SORT directories by file NAME, EXTENSION, SIZE or
   DATE, VIEW text file contents (using the PcDesk Editor described below),
   and SEARCH for files on the current drive. The File Manager was created
   in part using the QuickPak Professional subroutine library from Crescent
   Software, Ridgefield, CT.

   Features can be selected by either clicking the LEFT MOUSE button on
   the highlighted item, or by pressing one of the defined FUNCTION KEYS.
   To MARK a file for an operation, place the highlight bar on the file
   name and either press the ENTER key or double-click the LEFT MOUSE
   button. Press ALT-M to mark all files, and ALT-C to unmark all files.
   Select the ".." token to go back one directory level. Following is a
   summary of the File Manager options:

   F1 ...... Enter the path name of a directory you want to view. If the
             directory doesn't exist, it will be created.
   F2 ...... After you have marked your selected files, enter the name of
             the target directory where you want the files copied.
   F3 ...... After you have marked your files, enter the name of the target
             directory where you want the files moved.
   ALT-F4 .. Enter the name of the directory you want removed. The directory
             must not have files in it.
   CTRL-F4 . Be sure you only mark the files you want to delete. When you
             press CTRL-F4, you will get the chance to confirm the deletion
             of each file.
   F5 ...... Find all files on the current drive (or directory, if you
             enter a path as part of the filename) that match the filename
             you enter. You can use DOS wild card characters (? and *).
   F6 ...... Sort files in the directory by name in descending order.
   F7 ...... Sort files in the directory by extension in descending order.
   F8 ...... Sort Files in the directory by size (largest first).
   F9 ...... Sort files in the directory be data (newest first).
   F10 ..... View ASCII text files (only) using the PcDesk Editor.
   ENTER ... Mark/Unmark the file on which the highlight bar is sitting.
             You can also do this with the SPACE bar, and by double-
             clicking the LEFT MOUSE button.
   ALT-M/C . Mark (M) or clear (C) all the files in the directory. The
             combined size of the marked files is reported.
   ESC ..... Press ESCAPE, or click the RIGHT MOUSE button, to quit the
             File Manager and return to the PcDesk Main Menu.

   If an operation causes a DOS error (such as trying to delete a read
   only file), an error message will be displayed on the bottom of the
   File Manager screen. Press ESCAPE, or click the RIGHT MOUSE button,
   to exit the File Manager and return to the PcDesk Main Menu.

                       Create or (E)dit Text Documents

   PcDesk also lets you view or edit ASCII text documents. The file
   selection menu allows you to navigate to all drives and directories.
   Use the UP/DN ARROW KEYS, PAGE UP/DN, HOME/END or the MOUSE CURSOR to
   highlight an item (selecting the ".." token moves you up one directory).
   Select items by pressing the ENTER key, or by double- clicking the LEFT
   MOUSE button. If you press ESCAPE from the menu, you will get an input
   prompt at the bottom of the screen that lets you enter a filename
   manually. If you specify a filename that does not exist, you will be
   asked if you want to create it.

   The editing cursor can be positioned anywhere by moving the MOUSE CURSOR
   and clicking the LEFT button. Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys, or place
   the MOUSE CURSOR on the upper or lower screen border lines and press the
   LEFT button, to scroll the editing cursor. Use the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN
   keys, or place the MOUSE CURSOR on the UP or DOWN arrow ICONS and click
   the LEFT button, to scroll to the next full screen of text.

   The LEFT and RIGHT ARROW keys move the cursor along the lines of text.
   CTRL-LEFT ARROW and CTRL-RIGHT ARROW give you a fast cursor. HOME puts
   the cursor at the start of the current line, and END puts the cursor
   at the end of the line. CTRL-HOME puts the cursor at the beginning of
   the document, and CTRL-END puts the cursor at the end of the document.

   Press ESCAPE, or F10, to end your editing session. If you have made
   changes to the document, you will be asked if you want to save the file.
   Press ENTER to save the document under its present filename, or type
   a different name. To bypass the file save, press ESCAPE again. You are
   then asked if you want to quit the document. The default answer is [N]o.
   It you press [Y]es, or ESCAPE, you will be asked for the name of another
   file to edit. Press ESCAPE again to return to the PcDesk Main Menu.

   Press F2 to change the color of the text in the editor. Use the INSERT
   key to toggle the insert or typeover mode. The TAB key will insert or
   typeover five standard spaces, but does NOT insert the ASCII TAB char-
   acter. Use the ENTER key to start new lines. If you toggle the automatic
   indenting feature using the F12 key, the cursor will be aligned with the
   starting column of the line above the current line. Use the DELETE and
   BACKSPACE keys to delete text one character at a time.

   Pressing CONTROL-Y will delete the current line and put it into the
   editing buffer. Text in the editing buffer can be inserted anywhere
   by pressing SHIFT-INSERT. To MARK a block of lines for cutting and
   pasting, press SHIFT-DOWN ARROW to highlight the lines (use SHIFT-UP
   ARROW to unmark the lines), or highlight the text by holding down the
   LEFT MOUSE button and dragging the MOUSE cursor. Press ESCAPE to cancel
   the block edit. Press SHIFT-DELETE to cut the text into the buffer,
   and SHIFT-INSERT to paste the text from the buffer into your document.

   The editor offers a simple search and replace feature. Pressing F3 will
   give you the prompt: SEARCH FOR. Press ESCAPE to cancel the search,
   otherwise enter the search string. Note that case is significant. The
   string you enter becomes the default target for the next time you press
   F3. For large files, all segments are searched. If the search is success-
   ful, the line containing the string will be displayed as the top line on
   the screen, with the string highlighted. You will then be asked: REPLACE
   WITH, where the default response is the current search string. Pressing
   ENTER or ESCAPE cancels the string replacement feature. If you type a
   different string, then that string becomes the default replacement until
   you change it.

   The editor will not alter any special ASCII characters embedded in the
   document, but certain characters are treated in special ways. Existing
   TAB characters (ASCII 9) are displayed as single HARD SPACE characters
   (ASCII 255). Control codes, such as NEW PAGE (ASCII 12), are shown as
   the equivalent control character in braces.

   When you edit a large file (approximately 30K bytes or more), a set of
   temporary files is created in the default directory with filenames of
   the form {@}R****, where the asterisk is the segment number. Press F9
   to go to another segment. Depending on the density of the text in the
   original document, each segment can be up to 1500 lines long. When you
   end your session, the original file is reconstructed, and the temporary
   files are erased. If your document becomes so large that you are about
   to run out of FREE work space (as reported on the prompt line) you will
   be prompted to save the file and then read it again. When you read the
   file again, it will be displayed in segments.

   Pressing F7 sends the current document, segment, or marked block of
   text to your printer. You can press ESCAPE to cancel the print option,
   or you can press ESCAPE during printing to stop the process. A device
   error, file access error, or disk access error will cause a warning
   message to be displayed on the prompt line at the bottom of the screen.

                          (I)nstructions for PcDesk

   The text file PCDESK.DOC contains the instructions for PcDesk (you are
   presently reading the file). Press the UP and DOWN ARROW or PAGE keys to
   read through the file. Alternatively, you can put the MOUSE CURSOR on the
   top or bottom border lines or arrow icons and press the LEFT button to
   scroll through the instructions. Press ESCAPE, or the RIGHT MOUSE button,
   to quit the Instructions and return to the PcDesk Main Menu.

                             (Q)uit the Program

   Press Q, or ESCAPE, or the RIGHT MOUSE button, to quit the program and
   return to DOS. Have a great time getting organized with PcDesk!

                                 SHAREWARE

   PcDesk is distributed as Shareware. Feel free to share the program and
   its files with others. However, if you continue to use PcDesk, you must
   register the program by sending $19 US to:

                            Robert Lindsay Wells
                            1405 Lynn Avenue
                            Clearwater, FL 34615

   When you register, you will receive the latest version of PcDesk, a
   booklet summarizing features in the program, one free upgrade to any
   future version of the program, a stand-alone ASCII Text Editor as a
   bonus utility, and three months of technical support by telephone or
   E-Mail. Please register today!