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FORM-GEN Form Generation Program (C) Copyright 1984, 85, 86 by R & S MacLean FORM-GEN Version 2.43 August '86 (C) Copyright 1984, 1985, 1986 by R & S MacLean 1. OVERVIEW FORM-GEN is designed to quickly and easily produce forms for home and office use. Many advanced features aid in the creation and printing of forms, price lists, maps and other useful items. In addition, FORM-GEN can be used to aid in the design of screens to be integrated with custom written programs and some popular software packages. Currently, forms can be created any size up to a maximum width of 79 characters and a maximum form length of 80 lines. 2. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 1. FORM-GEN will operate in all IBM PC, XT and AT Personal Computers and other IBM compatible computers. It requires a minimum of 128K of memory and will operate under PC-DOS 2.1 or higher. 2. FORM-GEN graphics can be displayed on all monitors supported by IBM such as RGB Color Monitors, Composite Type Monitors, as well as high resolution monitors such as the IBM Monochrome Monitor, the Zenith ZVM-1240 Monitor as well as Amdek and other monitor types. FORM-GEN will also support Hercules and equivalent display cards. 3. All printers in the IBM line and the Epson family of printers are currently supported. Other printers must either support IBM character set or the Epson dual density graphics mode. page 2 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 3. CONFIGURING FORM-GEN FORM-GEN will operate properly without the need to configure it, but users of color or composite monitors can enhance the performance of the screen display by configuring it specifically for their monitor types. Form-Gen is configured for the desired display type by typing in one of the following at the DOS prompt: MONO - for TTL monochrome monitors (such as the IBM monitor) COLOR - for color monitors of all types B&W - for composite monochrome monitors (including Compaq) 4. USING FORM-GEN To run FORM-GEN, simply type FORM. The light on the disk drive will light, and FORM-GEN's sign-on screen will be displayed. Press any key to begin. The screen will be blank, with the exception of the "Command Line" at the bottom. This is the blank drawing pad, and the command line is there to indicate the status of the program and to provide a reminder that pressing the [F10] key will activate the Help function FORM-GEN. There is a blinking square in the upper left corner of the screen. This is the cursor and it is the drawing "pen" in FORM-GEN. In the lower right corner of the screen, at the end of the command line, there is a box containing "Row 1 Col 1". This is the cursor position indicator and will track the row and column position of the cursor as it is moved around the screen. 5. KEYBOARD FUNCTIONS 5.1 TEXTUAL MATERIAL Of course, normal text can be typed directly onto the pad at any location. page 3 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 5.2 SPECIAL CHARACTERS Certain special characters are provided which broaden the usefulness of the forms can be created. These characters can be entered by using a special key sequence provided by IBM for this purpose. The special three digit code is entered on the numeric keypad while holding down the [Alt] key. When the [Alt] key is released, the desired character will appear on the screen. Codes for the special characters are: 016 - right arrow head - () 017 - left arrow head - () 018 - up/down arrow - () 024 - up arrow - () 025 - down arrow - () 026 - right arrow - (.) 024 - left arrow - () 176 - light texture - (░) 177 - medium texture - (▒) 178 - dark texture - (▓) These characters can be entered directly onto the pad, and then (if desired) duplicated using the Duplicate Mode and the Block Copy Functions. page 4 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 5.3 CURSOR CONTROL KEYS A number of the keys on the keyboard are used to move the cursor around on the pad: Move Cursor [Arrow Keys] The four arrow keys at the right side of the keyboard are used to move the cursor around the drawing pad. Carriage Return [Enter] The [Enter] key will move the cursor to the extreme left position of the next line of the pad. (Just like a typewriter.) TAB Right [->|] Tab stops are set roughly every eight columns across the drawing pad. (The tab stops are located at columns 1, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72 and 79) Pressing this key will advance the cursor across the pad to the right until it reaches the next tab stop. TAB Left [Shift] [|<-] The combination of [SHIFT] & [TAB] will move the cursor across the screen to the left until it reaches the nearest tab stop. Left Edge of Pad [Home] This key will move the cursor to the left side of the drawing pad. Right Edge of Pad [End] This key will move the cursor at the right side of the drawing pad. Top of Screen [Ctrl] [Home] Holding the [Ctrl] key while pressing [Home] will move the cursor to the upper left corner of the current screen. Bottom of Screen [Ctrl] [End] Holding the [Ctrl] key while pressing [End] will move the cursor to the lower left corner of the current screen. Top of Form [Ctrl] [Pg Up] Holding the [Ctrl] key while pressing [Pg Up] will move the cursor to the upper left corner of the drawing pad. page 5 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 Bottom of Form [Ctrl] [Pg Dn] Holding the [Ctrl] key while pressing [Pg Dn] will move the cursor to the lower left corner of the drawing pad. Word Left [F7] Pressing [F7] will cause the cursor to jump to the next word (or other non- blank item) to the left. Word Right [F8] Pressing [F8] will cause the cursor to jump to the next word (or other non- blank item) to the right. 5.4 DRAWING CONTROL KEYS Single Line [F1] Pressing this key will cause the cursor to draw THIN (single) lines on the screen. When pressed, a notation indicating this mode will appear on the command line. As long as the cursor is in this mode, it can be moved about the pad, drawing a THIN line wherever it goes. To stop the cursor from drawing, select [F1] again. Double Line [F2] Pressing this key will cause the cursor to draw THICK (double) lines on the screen. When pressed, a notation indicating this mode will appear on the command line. As long as the cursor is in this mode, it can be moved about the pad, drawing a THICK line wherever it goes. To stop the cursor from drawing, select [F2] again. page 6 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 Duplicate Character [F3] Pressing this key will cause the cursor leave behind a trail of whatever character was under the cursor at the time it was pressed. (For example if a "*" was under the cursor at the time the [F3] key was pressed, a trail of asterisks will be drawn on the screen when the cursor is moved.) When pressed, a notation indicating this mode will appear on the command line. As long as the cursor is in this mode, it can be moved about the pad, duplicating the character wherever it goes. To stop the cursor from drawing, press the [F3] key again, or select one of the other drawing mode keys. ([F1] [F2] [F4]) Erase [F4] Pressing this key will put the cursor in erase mode. While in this mode, the cursor will erase whatever it passes over while being moved around on the drawing pad. When pressed, a notation indicating this mode will appear on the command line. To stop the cursor from erasing, press the [F4] key again, or select one of the other drawing mode keys. 5.5 EDIT FUNCTIONS Delete Character [Del] This key is used to delete the character which is currently under the cursor. All characters to the right of the cursor will be shifted to the left by one position. Backspace [<-] The [<-] key will delete the character to the left of the cursor. The character under the cursor, and all characters to the right of it, will be shifted one position to the left. page 7 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 Insert Space [Ins] This key is used to insert a blank space at the current cursor position. The character under the cursor and all characters to the right of the it will be shifted to the right by one position. The right most character will be lost. Insert Mode Toggle [F5] This key toggles between INSERT and OVERWRITE modes. When INSERT is active, characters to the right of the cursor will be moved to the right to make room for new text as is is entered. When OVERWRITE is active, newly entered text will be written right over any old text under the cursor. Centre Function [Alt] [C] Holding the [Alt] key while pressing [C] will cause a temporary marker (^) to appear on the line that the cursor is currently on. Upon receiving this command, FORM-GEN locates the first non- blank characters on each side of the cursor. When these have been located, FORM-GEN measures the distance between them and places the marker at the mid- point between them. The marker is for visual use and will not be printed, or saved with the form. It should be noted that the centre marker will disappear if the operator changes screens (i.e., with [Pg Dn]) and then returns. The marker cannot be activated when the cursor is at the extreme left and right positions of a line. To find the centre point of a blank line simply move the cursor to the second character position and activate the command and the centre marker will appear at the centre of the line. If there is text in the area between the lines on the screen, it will be centred and no marker will be created. 5.6 ROW/COLUMN FUNCTIONS page 8 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 Insert Line [Alt] [I] Holding the [Alt] key while pressing [I] will insert a blank line at the position of the cursor. The line the cursor is on, and all subsequent lines, will be moved down one line. Any text or lines on the last (or 80th) line will be lost. (See also Stretch Function.) Delete Line [Alt] [D] Holding the [Alt] key while pressing [D] will delete the line which is currently under the cursor. All subsequent lines will be moved up by one line. Insert Column [Ctrl] [->] Holding the [Ctrl] key while pressing [- >] will insert a blank vertical column at the position of the cursor. The text and graphics in the column under the cursor, and everything to the right of it, will be shifted one position to the right. The contents of the right most column will be lost. (See also Stretch Function.) Delete Column [Ctrl] [<-] Holding the [Ctrl] key while pressing [<-] will delete the column which is currently under the cursor. All text and graphics to the right of the cursor will be shifted one position to the left. Stretch Mode Toggle [F6] This key toggles the stretch mode on and off. When STRETCH is enabled, lines in the form will be patched whenever a line in inserted in the form. The state of this mode will be indicated on the command line. 5.7 BLOCK OPERATIONS page 9 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 Define Block [Alt] [F6] Pressing this combination will allow the definition of a block to copy, move or clear. Move the cursor to the upper left corner of the intended block and then press the [Alt] [F6] combination. Once this is done, Form-Gen is in block define mode and the only keys allowed are the four arrow keys. As the cursor is moved down or to the right, the block will be highlighted. When the complete block area is defined, pressing [Alt] [F6] again will complete the definition and eliminate the highlight. At this point, FORM-GEN remembers the defined source block area and is ready to copy, move or clear the block. Copy Block [Alt] [F3] Once a block has been defined, it can be duplicated elsewhere in the form by moving the cursor to the upper left corner of the destination area and pressing [Alt] [F3]. Move Block [Alt] [F4] Once a block has been defined, it can be moved elsewhere in the form by moving the cursor to the upper left corner of the destination area and pressing [Alt] [F4]. Clear Block [Alt] [F5] The defined block area can be cleared by pressing the [Alt] [F5] combination. 5.8 PRINT FUNCTION Print Form [Alt] [F10] This will print the custom designed form. (This is covered in detail in the section entitled "Printing Forms". 5.9 FILE HANDLING FUNCTIONS page 10 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 Save Form [F9] Pressing this key will save a copy of the form on the pad on the diskette. Once saved, the forms can be recalled for modification or printing at any time. For Form-Gen data files, there is no need to type ".FRM" at the end of the file name as Form-Gen will automatically add it. (More detail on this in the section "Methods of Saving Forms") Load Form [Alt] [F9] This Function will load a previously saved form design from the diskette into memory for modification or printing. FORM-GEN will ask for the name of the form. There is no need to type ".FRM" at the end of the file name as Form-Gen will automatically add it. The default path to the data directory can be set using [Alt] [P] key combination. Set Data Path [Alt] [F9] Pressing this combination will cause Form-Gen to ask for a default path to the data directory where forms are to be stored. The path may optionally include a drive specification. (ie. B:\FORMDATA) Once entered, Form-Gen will remember the path during subsequent sessions. To clear the path so that Form-Gen will store forms in the current directory, simply enter "." at the prompt. Display Disk Directory [Alt] Holding the [Alt] key while pressing [F] [F] will cause FORM-GEN to display a directory of the data directory declared as the default. (See Set Data Path command.) 5.10 FORM-GEN ENVIRONMENT FUNCTIONS Help [F10] Help regarding FORM-GEN keys is displayed by pressing the [F10] key. FORM-GEN will display a complete list of useful function keys grouped according to function. This feature provides ready reference to all FORM-GEN functions. page 11 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 Set Screen Colors [Alt] [F8] Pressing this combination will prompt FORM-GEN to display a screen showing the possible colors available for the various FORM-GEN functions. Any selections made will be automatically saved for future use. (To exit without making any changes, simply press [Enter] for each of the 12 selections.) Clear Pad [Alt] [F7] Pressing this key will completely CLEAR THE FORM CURRENTLY IN MEMORY. FORM-GEN has a safety feature built in to eliminate accidentally loss of unsaved forms. It will ask for confirmation before clearing the current form. Enter Y(es) to clear or N(o) to cancel the command. 5.11 OTHER FUNCTIONS Exit FORM-GEN [Alt] [X] This combination is used to exit FORM- GEN. It is important to note that ANY FORM DESIGN WHICH HAS NOT BEEN SAVED WILL BE LOST. FORM-GEN has a safety feature built in to eliminate accidental loss of forms. It will ask for confirmation before exiting from the program. Enter Y(es) to exit or N(o) to cancel the command. page 12 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 6. PRINTING CUSTOMIZED FORMS When the [Alt] [F10] key combination is pressed, a print menu is displayed at the bottom of the screen: Printer: [1]-IBM Graphics [2]-Epson Pica [3]-Epson Elite Selecting any of these options will print a copy of the form currently on the pad. The use and differences between these options is detailed below. [1]-IBM Graphics Pressing [1] will, of course, cause the form to be printed. The copy produced will be of standard density for the printer. If the printer is an IBM Graphics printer, the dot density will be comparatively low, if it is an IBM Quietwriter, the print quality will be excellent. This selection will operate only with printers which have the capability to recognize and print the IBM PC graphics characters built in. The IBM Graphics printer, IBM Quietwriter, and many other printer brands feature this ability. Other printers commonly used with IBM PC's may not work properly with this option. [2]-Epson Pica Selecting this option will produce a high quality hard copy in the PICA (or 10 characters/inch) size. The lines will be produced using dual density graphics, alpha-numeric characters using emphasized mode. This combination will render high quality on an Epson or Epson-compatible printer. [3]-Epson Elite This option will also produce a high quality copy of the form, but it will be sized at 12 characters/inch. The form lines will be similar to option 2, but the text will be printed in double print mode. If one of the Epson options has been selected, a second menu is displayed at the bottom of the screen: Epson Printer Type: [1]-MX/FX [2]-LQ page 13 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 7. METHODS OF SAVING FORMS When the [F9]-Save key is pressed, a menu similar to that below will be displayed on the bottom line of the screen: Save File Type: [1]-Standard [2]-ASCII Text [3]-R:Base Data Form Each of these options is used as follows: [1]- Standard This is the standard and recommended method of saving forms for future modification and printing with FORM-GEN. The form may be given any eight character filename. If desired, a three character extension may be specified. If no extension is given, FORM-GEN will attach the suffix ".FRM" to the end of the filename. (ie. a file given the name SAMPLE would be saved as SAMPLE.FRM) If a file name is selected that is already on the data diskette FORM-GEN will produce a warning and ask if it is to be overwritten. Overwrite will replace the old copy of the form with the new copy. Choose Y (Yes) to complete this function. If the old form is not to be overwritten (and lost), select N (No). [2]-ASCII Text This option will save the form as a standard ASCII text file, complete with carriage returns. This method of saving forms can be used to make them available for use with other programs, for creating screens for BASIC, etc.. If no file extension is specified, FORM-GEN will attach the extension ".TXT" to the end of the file name. page 14 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 [3]-R:Base Format This option allows the creation of data input screens for use with the R:Base series of database systems from MicroRIM. When this option is specified, FORM-GEN will prompt for a filename, a form name, and a relation name. Unless otherwise specified, FORM- GEN will create the file with ".RBF" as the file extension. More detail on this in the section entitled "Creating R:Base 4000 Input Forms" 7.1 CREATING R:Base INPUT FORMS The following steps are necessary to create and transfer a data input form to R:Base: 1) Create the data input form. When creating data input forms, ensure that there are no quotation marks (") in the forms. (If quotation marks do appear in the forms, R:Base may have difficulty in loading, usually resulting in the loss of anything to the right of the quotation mark on that line) NOTE: If quotation marks are to be placed in the data input screen, leave space for them now, and edit them in using the forms command in R:Base. 2) Save the form using both the Standard format and the R:Base format. (This will allow for later modifications if necessary) Once the form design is completed, save the form design under [3]-R:Base format. FORM-GEN will ask for: a) File name b) R:Base Form name c) R:Base Relation name Please note these names for use with R:Base. 7.2 TRANSFERRING FILES TO R:Base 1 Enter R:Base. 2 Open the desired database for the input forms. 3 Type FORMS [RETURN]. (See R:Base 4000 Manual p. 3-9) page 15 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 4 R:Base will ask for a Form Name. Enter any name here. 5 R:Base will ask for a Relation Name. Enter any name BUT a name that has been defined. At this point R:Base will respond with, --ERROR-- "relation name" is an undefined relation. GOOD, this is normal. 6 Type LOAD FORMS FROM filename.RBF AS ASCII [RETURN]. (filename.RBF refers to the file name of the form saved in FORM-GEN) (See R:Base Manual p.3-25). 7 Type FORMS [RETURN]. 8 R:Base will ask for a Form Name. This is the name of form given when saving in R:Base format. 9 R:Base will respond with, "--ERROR-- You do not have any attributes defined for this form. Press any key to continue." DO NOT WORRY, THIS IS NORMAL, press [RETURN] 10 Your form will now be displayed on the screen. Press "Esc" to continue normal R:Base processing. The data input form created in FORM-GEN is now a part of the R:Base database. 8. AUTOMATIC FORM SAVE FEATURE If an error occurs during the operation of the program, FORM-GEN will automatically save the form currently on the pad in a file called RESCUED.FRM. This feature will prevent the frustration caused by loss of work in the event of a software or hardware failure. 9. WISH LIST Features on the list for future versions: - horizontal scrolling and support for forms up to 255 characters wide - specialized font commands to allow expanded and other special character formats to be utilized - ability to call DOS from within the program - support for other printers including laser - graphics support for all IBM characters page 16 Form-Gen ver 2.43 August '86 - condensed print support page 17