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SPOOL.COM The REAL Print Spooler Version 1.00 July 7, 1990 User's Manual Copyright 1990 by Tim Underwood All Rights Reserved Programs and Documentation Copyright (c) 1990 by Tim Underwood. All rights reserved. Published by: Tim Underwood 1719 S. Shiloh Wichita, KS 67207 USA (316)-687-5762 Electronic Mail to: Compuserve 73577,1554 The Source Connection BBS (316)-687-0012 24hrs 300/1200/2400 8N1 PC-DOS, PC, PC XT, PC AT, and PS/2 are trademarks of IBM Corp. MS-DOS, OS/2, and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. TurboC is a trademark of Borland International. TASM is a trademark of Borland International. SPOOL.COM 1.00 Documentation Copyright 1990 by Tim Underwood i Table Of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii Registration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv SPOOL License Agreement and Limited Warranty . . . . . . . . v Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Notes/Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 SPOOL.COM 1.00 Documentation Copyright 1990 by Tim Underwood ii Introduction SPOOL.COM is a REAL print spooler. It is not a print RAM buffer. SPOOL spools (prints) files directly from the disk, and deletes the file once it has been printed. To 'submit' files to SPOOL, simply copy or create them in the specified spool directory (specified when SPOOL is initially loaded). With the default buffer of 512 bytes, it only requires 2K of memory, and unless you have an extremely fast printer, 512 bytes is more than sufficient to keep the printer occupied. Even using on an XT class machine, there is hardly any degradation in processing speed. This is because SPOOL detects each time a disk I/O occurs, and will delay 'waking' up a successively longer length of time for each disk I/O. This will help speed up disk throughput for your application. SPOOL also detects each time a keystroke is entered, and again will delay 'waking' up as keystrokes are entered. Spoolers are about the lowest priority task in a computer, and should be treated as such. SPOOL.COM 1.00 Documentation Copyright 1990 by Tim Underwood iii Registration Information SPOOL is a copyrighted program protected by both U.S. and international copyright law. You are authorized to use it without charge for a limited period of time under the terms of the SPOOL license agreement. After this time is up, you must register and pay for SPOOL to continue using it. This method of distribution is known as shareware. It allows you _________ to determine whether SPOOL meets your needs before you pay for it. The registration fee for a single copy of SPOOL is $15. A paid registration of $35 entitles you to the full source used for SPOOL (Using TurboC 2.0 and TASM). SPOOL.COM 1.00 Documentation Copyright 1990 by Tim Underwood iv SPOOL License Agreement and Limited Warranty (1) The SPOOL program and all other programs and documentation distributed or shipped with it are copyrighted works protected by U.S. and international copyright law. In the rest of this document, this collection of programs is referred to simply as "SPOOL". You are granted a license to use your copy of SPOOL only under the terms and conditions specified in this license agreement. (2) SPOOL is a commercial software package. It is not free, and it is not in the public domain. It is distributed as shareware, which means that before you pay for the package, _________ you may try it and see if you want to continue using it. You may use SPOOL free for a trial period of up to 15 days. If you wish to continue using SPOOL after that period, you must pay the registration fee. If you choose not to pay the registration fee, you must stop using SPOOL and remove it from your computer, though you are still free to keep shareware copies and pass them along to others. (3) You may use your copy of SPOOL on a single computer. You may also install it on a computer attached to a network, or remove it from one computer and install it on a different one, provided there is no possibility that a single copy of SPOOL will be used on more than one computer at a time. Site, and corporate licenses are available from Tim Underwood. (4) You may copy SPOOL for backup purposes, and you may give copies of the shareware version of SPOOL to other individuals, which they may also use and copy under the terms of this agreement. If you copy the unregistered version of SPOOL for others, you must include all of the files distributed with it. (5) You may NOT give, sell, or otherwise transfer copies of the registered version of SPOOL to any other person for any reason. However, you may transfer ownership of your registered copy to another person, provided that when you do so, you stop using SPOOL and remove it from your computer, and notify Tim Underwood of the new owner. (6) SPOOL may be distributed by user groups or commercial libraries. You may charge for distribution or mailing fees, not to exceed $5. Only copies of the unregistered version may be distributed, and all files included in the unregistered version must be on the distribution diskette. (7) SPOOL is a powerful program. While all attempts have been made to build in reasonable safeguards, if you do not use SPOOL properly you may destroy files, or cause other damage SPOOL.COM 1.00 Documentation Copyright 1990 by Tim Underwood v to your computer software and data. You assume full responsibility for the selection and use of SPOOL to achieve your intended results; in no event shall Tim Underwood be responsible for any damages whatsoever due to errors in usage or your failure to read, understand, or follow instructions in the documentation. Tim Underwood limits his warranty to replacement of a defective program diskette or manual. (8) Like all useful computer software, SPOOL may contain errors in programs or documentation. If you find such an error or are otherwise dissatisfied with a registered copy of SPOOL, you may return the entire package at any time up to 90 days after purchase for a full refund of your original registration fee; such a refund shall be your sole remedy for any program error(s). Tim Underwood shall not be liable for any other costs incurred by you due to such errors. (9) If you do not agree with these terms and conditions, you do not have permission from the copyright holder(s) to use SPOOL, and you must stop using it and remove it from your computer. (10) You may not reverse-engineer, disassemble, modify, decompile or create derivative works of the product. You acknowledge that the product includes certain trade secrets and confidential information, all of which is the copyrighted intellectual property of Tim Underwood. (11) Any use or distribution of SPOOL which violates this license agreement will be considered a copyright violation, and prosecuted to the full extend of the law. SPOOL.COM 1.00 Documentation Copyright 1990 by Tim Underwood vi Technical Support Technical support for SPOOL is available to both registered and non-registered users. If you are not a registered user, limited assistance will be provided to help you get SPOOL installed if you contact me via The Source Connection BBS (see below). There is a special area on this BBS for registered users. If you are a registered user, you can contact Tim Underwood for support at the following electronic addresses: Compuserve: Easyplex to 73577,1554 The Source Connection BBS: (316)-687-0012 24hrs 300/1200/2400 8N1 Leave a message to Tim Underwood, or a comment to the 'SYSOP'. Or via U.S. Mail at: Tim Underwood 1719 S. Shiloh Wichita, KS. 67207 Support via electronic mail is strongly preferred, as it allows correspondence at convenient times regardless of time zones and work schedules, and it provides a record of the communication. SPOOL.COM 1.00 Documentation Copyright 1990 by Tim Underwood vii Installation To install SPOOL, simply copy it to a directory on your floppy or hard disk. It is suggested to install SPOOL.COM in a directory specified by your PATH statement. You should also check the BUFFERS statement in your CONFIG.SYS file. SPOOL will open and close files as necessary to perform its spooling functions, so a number greater than 20 for the BUFFERS statement is suggested. SPOOL.COM 1.00 Documentation Copyright 1990 by Tim Underwood 1 Usage When not installed, typing in 'SPOOL', 'SPOOL /?' or 'SPOOL -?' will display the following help screen: SPOOL.COM 1.0 Copyright (c) 1990 by Tim Underwood Switches: -d:device (LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, PRN, defaults to LPT1) -q<spool directory> (Must be explicitly declared) -b:buffer size (512 bytes default, 128 bytes min, 32K max) -u:ticks to wait (1 - 255, default = 1) -m:ticks to print (1 - 255, default = 2) -s:timeslice (1 - 255, default = 8) -h Put SPOOL on hold -g Resume SPOOL -? This help text The switches are defined as follows (Case is insignificant for the switches): -d:device Device to be used for printing. If not entered, SPOOL will default to LPT1. Enter either LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, or PRN as the device. Examples: -d:LPT1 -d:PRN -q<spool directory> This is the drive/directory SPOOL looks for files. This directory should be reserved EXCLUSIVELY for the use of SPOOL.COM, as any file found in this directory will be printed, and once printed, will be deleted. This is the only required parameter to start SPOOL.COM Examples: -qC:\SPOOL -qE:\FILES\SPOOL -b:buffer size This is the size of the read buffer, in bytes, that spool will use for file I/O. The default is 512 bytes, and unless you have a very fast printer, should be sufficient. The buffer must be between 128 bytes and 32K. -u:ticks to wait This is the number of timer ticks SPOOL will wait for the printer to be READY, SPOOL.COM 1.00 Documentation Copyright 1990 by Tim Underwood 2 if it is busy. Once this time has elapsed, SPOOL will give up its timeslice and return to the interrupted application/process. Setting this value very high will result in lengthy delays in running your applications if your printer is off-line, or is a very slow printer. The default value is 1. -m:ticks to print This is the number of timer ticks SPOOL will spend printing characters, unless the printer is busy, in which case the -u switch value will take over. A s with the -u switch, setting this value very high will result in processing delays. The default value is 2. -s:timeslice This is the number of timer ticks SPOOL will wait between attempts to print to the printer. The default value is 8, so SPOOL will only attempt to print to the printer every 8th timer tick. (Remember that there are approx. 18.2 ticks a second). Setting this value lower will cause SPOOL to 'wake-up' more often, thus resulting in processing delays. -h:hold SPOOL Once installed, you may type in 'SPOOL -h' to put SPOOL on hold. If SPOOL is currently printing a file, it will stop, print a form feed, and put itself permanently to sleep. This will allow you to regain control of the printer. Whenever SPOOL is loaded, any attempt to print to the printer SPOOL is printing to will result in an immediate return to the calling program with a 'Printer not ready'. This will usually result in the familiar 'Abort, Retry or Ignore' message. -g:resume SPOOL Once installed, you may type in 'SPOOL -g' to resume SPOOL. It will start printing, from the beginning of the file previously halted. Using -g and -h allow you to turn SPOOL on and off, so that you may print to your printer in the normal fashion. When SPOOL is installed, typing in 'SPOOL' will print out information about SPOOL's current status. SPOOL.COM 1.00 Documentation Copyright 1990 by Tim Underwood 3 Notes/Cautions Due to the nature of what SPOOL is and does, before attempting to load it, you should take the normal cautions of backing up your hard disk. With any TSR that performs DOS I/O in background (including PRINT.COM), there is always the danger that something may inadvertently get 'zapped'. PLEASE TAKE SENSIBLE PRECAUTIONS BEFORE LOADING SPOOL!! Once SPOOL has printed a file, it will automatically be deleted. If you desire to keep this file, put a copy only in the spool directory. SPOOL will only print to a parallel printer. There is currently no support for a serial printer. Also, there may be only one copy of SPOOL installed in the machine. SPOOL installs itself, using the same INT2F identification as PRINT.COM. This is intentional, to prevent SPOOL and PRINT.COM being installed for the same printer. However, there is no support for the 'Submit to Queue', 'Return Queue', etc. calls that PRINT.COM has. As there is no internal queue in SPOOL, no support is needed for these functions. The queue is simply the queue directory. SPOOL has been tested with DOS versions 3.3 and 4.01 ONLY. If you are using any other version of DOS, USE EXTREME CAUTION! (Also give some serious consideration to upgrading to DOS 3.3). When SPOOL is running (you have not entered the '-h' switch), you cannot print to your printer. An error will be returned to any application attempting to print while SPOOL is active. If you wish to use your printer for another application, use the '-h' and '-g' switches. SPOOL.COM 1.00 Documentation Copyright 1990 by Tim Underwood 4