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OS/2 Help File
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1994-05-26
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18KB
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448 lines
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. PM Camera /2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The PM Camera /2 is a tool by which you can take pictures of OS/2 PM windows,
screens or screen parts. The pictures may be
o put into the Clipboard for use by other applications
o saved as OS/2 Bitmap files
o saved as PSEG38PP or PSEG3820 files for inclusion into BookMaster files
o saved as PostScript files for color or b/w printing on (color) PostScript
devices.
The most important facts about using PM Camera /2 are described in a how to use
section.
The menus of PM Camera /2 are ordered by the following main topics:
o Grab
o Options
o Help
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.1. How To Use PM Camera /2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Selecting Output Formats
There are four output formats supported ( OS/2 Clipboard , OS/2 BMP Bitmap ,
PSEG38PP/PSEG3820 and PostScript ). For each one checked, the system will
generate the appropriate output into the clipboard or into a file. Files have
the extensions '.BMP', '.PSE', '.PS' or '.EPS'.
Automatic Numbering of Files
PM Camera /2 was designed to be used like a camera, allowing to capture a
sequence of images. In this case the system automatically takes the first six
letters of the filename and appends a 2 digit number. The number is
automatically increased after a picture is taken.
This mode can be turned off, allowing you to enter an 8 letter filename.
Note: PM Camera /2 writes over existing files without warning.
Grabbing Fullscreen and Active Windows
Select the Grab item in the grab menu (fullscreen only), or press the
PrintScreen key.
Grabbing Partial Screens
Upon pressing the PrintScreen key a large cross-hair cursor and a rubberband
box at the location of the last partial grab (default full screen) is
displayed. To select a new box, move the cursor to a corner of the desired
screen part, press button 1 and drag it open to the size desired and release
button 1.
Pressing button 2 inside the box allows the box to be dragged around.
The cross-hair cursor will also display the size of the current box.
Pressing <ENTER> grabs the selected part, pressing <ESC> cancels the grab.
Using PSEGS in Publications
Once you have grabbed a binary '*.PSE' file, you must upload this file binary
to the host (using e.g. almcopy, this is favored over using the native
communication manager file transfer ). On the host the binary PSE file must be
converted into a real PSEG38PP file. The PBIN2PSE EXEC will do this for you.
The resulting PSEG38PP file can now be imbedded into a script file with the
'.si' command, or into a BookMaster file with the ':artwork' tag.
Note: PSEG38PP and PSEG3820 files are identical, they can be converted into
each other by renaming.
Scaling PSEGS
To generate nice black and white pictures from colorful PM screens, a
halftoning process has to be applied to the images. PM Camera /2 allows the
images to be scaled during this halftone operation. The scaling factor is
applied to the pixels. That means for the usual 92 pixels per inch (ppi) on a
screen a scale factor of 2.6 would have to be applied to obtain a page segment
the same size as the image on the screen on a 240 ppi printer (like 3820, 3812
...). A default of 2.0 was chosen, as in my experience this has lead to the
most useful illustration size for publications.
Scaling PostScript
The default scale for PostScript is 0.7 as this gives approximate the same size
pictures as onscreen (92 ppi on screen -> 72ppi postscript mapping). Optionally
you may specify fit to page, which scales the picture to fill the page
(currently only A4 supported) as well as possible by retaining the aspect
ratio.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.2. Save File Path ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The directory where the file should be saved. Default is the current directory
where PM Camera /2 is started.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.3. Save File Name ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The filename which is used to saved the grabbed images. When automatic file
numbering is used, the file name consists of up to 6 letters and 2 digits. The
digits are incremented automatically in this case. If file numbering is
inactive, the file name may consist of up to 8 characters.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.4. Save File Number ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This controls whether or not files are numbered automatically and allows the
setting of the current file nbr. Automatic numbering is similar to a camera,
where each picture you take increments the film counter.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5. Grab Type ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Camera /2 allows three types of screen shots:
Full Screen
An image the size of the display screen is generated.
Partial Screen
This is the most sophisticated option. It allows the selection of a a screen
part. A large cross-hair cursor and a rubberband box at the location of the
last partial grab (default full screen) is displayed. To select a new box,
move the cursor to a corner of the desired screen part, press button 1 and
drag it open to the size desired and release button 1.
Pressing button 2 inside the box allows the box to be dragged around.
The cross-hair cursor will also display the size of the current box.
Pressing <ENTER> grabs the selected part, pressing <ESC> cancels the grab.
Active Window
Grabs the currently active window.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.6. Sound ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The system generates per default audio feedback about the grabbing process. A
short beep is emitted a the beginning of the save thread and indicates that the
screen was grabbed successfully and that saving to a file has started. Two
short and one longer beep indicate the successful save of the image. This audio
feedback may be turned off.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.7. Grab Mouse Pointer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Per default the mouse pointer is grabbed along with the image. It may be turned
off, such that the mouse pointer is hidden before the grab is taken.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.8. OS/2 Clipboard ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
A grab can be saved to the OS/2 Clipboard in a 1.1 OS/2 BMP format with 1, 4 or
8 bit(s) per pixel depending on the display capabilities.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.9. OS/2 Bitmap (1.1) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
These files have the extension *.bmp.
OS/2 Bitmap files are saved in a 1.1 format with 1, 4 or 8 bit(s) per pixel
depending on the display capabilities.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.10. PSEG38PP, PSEG3820 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
These files have the extension *.pse.
PSE files are binary equivalent to PSEG38PP or PSEG3820 files on the host. They
are especially useful for inclusion into BookMaster Documents. To include them
into host documents, upload the .pse files binary to the host and convert them
into a real PSEG38PP or PSEG3820 by using the PBIN2PSE EXEC (PSEG38PP and
PSEG3820 files are identical, they can be converted into each other by
renaming).
To generate a PSE file, a halftoning process has to be applied. It is possible
to select among
o three sizes (4x4, 6x6 and 8x8)
and
o 4 types (Diagonal, Diamond, Circle and Square) of dither matrices.
The invert option allows a black and white inversion.
The output may be scaled by an arbitrary factor between 0.1 and 10.0 during the
halftone operation. Default is a factor of 2.0.
Note: This process may take quite some time.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.11. PostScript ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
These files have the extension *.ps, or *.eps.
PostScript files are either generated as color-images, black and white images
or by using a special technique which prints on either color or black and white
PostScript printers. The special technique maps each pixel to a colored square.
This method is used to generate pictures when it is not known whether a color
printer is available or not, however printing such pictures is extremely slow
and can take up to several hours!!! for larger pictures.
PostScript files can be generated in two flavors:
o PS which is printable and
o EPS which is for inclusion into other PostScript files (e.g. via Page Maker).
The pictures may be scaled by an arbitrary factor between 0.01 and 10.00 or fit
to the page (the program determines the scaling factor). Default is a factor of
0.7.
The invert option allows a color inversion (most useful to invert black and
white, e.g. when capturing OS/2 windowed command prompts).
Optionally the pictures can be rotated (Landscape) by 90 degrees if needed.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.12. Command Line Syntax ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PMCAM200 [/option] [/option] ...
The options are:
/PATH=... to choose the path for the file to be saved
/FILE=... to choose the filename of the file to be saved
(a file name of the form XXXXXXnn will take
XXXXXX as the name and nn as the initial
file number)
/NONBR suppresses incremental file numbering
/FULL or /PART or /ACTive grab the full screen, a part of it or
the active window
/CLIPboard or /NOCLIPboard enable/disable save of picture to clipboard
/BMP or /NOBMP enable/disable save of picture as OS/2 bitmap
/PSEG38pp or /NOPSEG38pp enable/disable save of picture as PSEG
/PSEGSCale=... choose scaling factor between 0.1 and 10.0
/PSEGINVert invert black and white on a page segment
/PS or /NOPS enable/disable save of picture as PostScript
/PSSCale=... choose scaling factor between 0.1 and 10.0
/PSFIT or /PSNOFIT enable/disable fit to page
/PSINVert or /PSNOINVert enable/disable inverting of colors
/PSFITA4 or /PSFITLETTER fit to A4 or Letter sized paper
/PSPS or /PSEPs save as printable (PS) file or as one for
inclusion into other PostScript files (EPS)
/PSLAndscape or /PSPOrtrait enable/disable rotation of picture by 90 degrees
/PSCOlor, /PSBW or /PSBOth save in Color PostScript, PostScript (black and
white) or a special form which uses squares to
represent pixels and prints on either color or
black and white printers (however very slow)
/SOUnd or /NOSOUnd enable/disable beep when picture is taken
/MOUse or /NOMOUse enable/disable capturing of mouse pointer
/DSIze=... select size of dither matrix: 4, 6 or 8
/DMAtrix=... select type of dither matrix:
DIAGonal, DIAMond, CIrcle or SQuare
/PRIority=... select the priority of saving the image
LOW or NORmal
/MIN minimize PM Camera /2 after start
/CMDfile=... specify the name of a .cmd file which will be
invoked after the files are saved. See the
POSTPROC.CMD file which comes as an example
with this package.
/LOGo or /NOLogo do or do not display a logo panel (default is
taken from system settings)
the default settings are:
/PATH='current directory' /FILE=PMGRAB00 /BMP /FULL
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.13. The Grab Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The grab menu can be used to stop an ongoing grab, or to exit this program.
o Grab
o Stop Saving
o eXit this program
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.13.1. Grab ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Alternate form to the <PrintScreen> key to start the grabbing action.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.13.2. Stop Saving ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Stops the saving of the current grab. The files are deleted.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.13.3. eXit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Quits this program.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.14. The Options Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The options menu allows the selection and setting of several general
attributes, reset to defaults and the saving and loading of the options.
o Defaults
o Dither Matrices
o Save Priorities
o Paper Size
o Save Options
o Load Options
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.14.1. Defaults ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Sets all the options of PM Camera /2 back to the following defaults:
PATH current directory
NAME PMGRAB00
NBR on, starting with 00
GRAB full screen
CLIP off
BMP on
PSEG off, scale 2.00
PS off, scale 0.70, PostScript, Landscape, Color
BEEP on
MOUSE on
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.14.2. Dither Matrices ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To generate a PSE file, a halftoning process has to be applied. It is possible
to select among
o three sizes (4x4, 6x6 and 8x8)
and
o 4 types (Diagonal, Diamond, Circle and Square) of dither matrices.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.14.3. Save Thread Priorities ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The grabbing off a screen or part takes only a short amount of time and is done
immediately. Saving this grabbed image to disk however may take quite some
time, especially for PSEG's and PostScript files. During this time no other
grabs can be invoked. To allow for other activities during this saving period,
the priority of the save thread may be varied:
Low
Saving takes only place only when there is unused processor type. The use of
other programs and user activities takes precedence and allows users to do
their work uninterrupted. This is the default setting.
Note: If there is enough activity on the system, the save thread may not be
working at all.
Normal
The save thread has a normal priority and gets thus his normal share of
processor time. This is much faster than low saves, may however limit the
responsiveness of the system to users requests.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.14.4. Paper Size ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
When grabbing PostScript images with fit to page selected, then this option
will determine the size of the paper to fit to. Either A4 or Letter size is
available. A border of about 0.6 inches (15mm) will be kept around the paper.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.14.5. Save / Load Options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Save
All the options and settings of PM Camera /2 may be saved in a PMCAMERA.INI
file and read back to be taken as defaults whenever a PM Camera /2 session is
started. The file will be saved in the current directory.
Load
The options are restored to the saved settings.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.15. The Help Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The help menu contains choices for fast access to special sections of this help
information. The following choices are available:
o Help for help
o Extended Help
o Keys Help
o Help Contents
o About
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.15.1. Help for help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Explains how to use the help facility.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.15.2. Extended help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Explains the working of this program, its options and how to use PM Camera /2.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.15.3. Help for Keys ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
<F1> Accelerator for getting help about this program
<F3> Accelerator to exit this program
<PrintScreen> Accelerator for starting the capture of a window, the screen, or
part thereof
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.15.4. Contents of the Help Document ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays the contents of this help document.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.15.5. Product Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This choice shows a panel with information about the version of PM Camera /2
and its author.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. IBM License Agreement for OS/2 Tools ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This version of PM Camera /2 is IBM internal use only. For a customer
distributable version get PMCAM2 from OS2EWS. From VM issue the following
command:
TOOLS SENDTO KGNVMZ OS2EWS OS2EWS PMCAM2 PACKAGE
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The communications manager file transfer is quite cumbersome, and its defaults
often lead to undesirable side effects. Especially the default of using fixed
record length to upload binary files adds undesired padding bytes to the last
record. This in turn leads to an error message of the PBIN2PSE EXEC, which
states that there is invalid data in the file (which is true: the padding bytes
are superfluous). The output PSEG38PP file however is usually correct (despite
the error message).