PREC Manager is free, but it is NOT in the public domain. I reserve all rights to it.
PREC Manager was originally marketed by “Dreams of the Phoenix”, but they’re long gone, and the program is mine to do with as I please again. I please to give it away, and so can you, though there are a few restrictions:
(1) You must GIVE PREC Manager away; you can NOT charge anything for it.
(2) You must give away unmodified copies.
(3) You must include this documentation.
If you’re a national BBS’ such as CompuServe, Delphi, MacNET, GEnie etc., you have my permission to post PREC Manager and this document.
If you’re a local BBS that does not charge “per download” of a file, you have my permission to post PREC Manager (and this document) too.
If you are a NON-PROFIT user group, and your group sells compilations, (such as BMUG does), you have my permission to include PREC Manager and this document.
If you sell compilations of ShareWare/FreeWare you do NOT have my permission to include PREC Manager. You must obtain permission, in writing, before you can include PREC Manager in anything you market. This means you EduCorp!
A PREC (Print RECord) is a resource stored inside a file. The PREC resource holds the information on what size paper you are going to print on. The standard ImageWriter driver has room for 6 different paper types, and you can set how many of the six will display. Note that although you can set the number that are 'active' to less than 6, the PREC itself always contains 6. Apple provides a standard PREC resource in the ImageWriter file, which has 5 of the 6 paper size choices enabled. With PREC Manager you may modify and create your own PREC resources. (You can remove existing PREC resources with it too.)
PREC's come in two resource numbers. PREC ID#3 is used by Apple to hold the default settings, and is found in your ImageWriter file. Apple recommends that you not use PREC's with an ID# of 3, but rather that you use an ID# of 4. A PREC resource with an ID# of 4 will override one with an ID# of 3. PREC Manager reads and writes PREC resources with an ID# of 4, but can be instructed to operate with PREC ID#3's too. When you are in your application (not PREC Manager), the system searches for PRECs in a specific order, and you can use this info to your benefit. The system will search the the active printer driver for a PREC ID# of 4 first, then will search the current application next, and finally it will search the system file. If it doesn't find a PREC with an ID# of 4, it will then repeat the search (imagewriter, application, system), using an ID# of 3. If it still doesn't find a PREC, it will blow up. Because the system file normally doesn't contain a PREC ID# 3, you should not just remove the PREC, ID#3, from your imagewriter file. (At any rate, be careful not to leave yourself in a situation where there are NO available PRECs.) If you want to add a PREC that will effect everything you print, put it in the imagewriter file with an ID# of 4. If you want a special set of page sizes to be associated with one application only, put it in the application with an ID# of 4, and make sure there are no PREC #4's in your ImageWriter file.
The actual PREC editing/viewing window in PREC Manager is very self expanitory, so there are only a few comments here. The Width and Height fields accept entry in decimal inches, and the 'Number of Active Items' field accepts an integer from 1 to 6. There is input checking on all the numeric fields, and you will get an error dialog if you try to enter or paste anything inappropriate. The system limits the Height or Width to be between .008 and 546.125 inches, and although you can enter a smaller or larger number, when you save the PREC it will be adjusted accordingly. The sizes are stored in the PREC in 1/72ths of an inch, so some rounding will occur. PREC Manager takes care of this for you when it reads in a new PREC, and when it writes it out. 1/72" = .008", in case you're interested. I have not disallowed you from leaving a blank name, as the system will deal with it without any difficulty. I can imagine no reason anyone would want to leave the name of a given item blank though. The 'Show Me' button on the bottom will put up a typical ImageWriter style dialog, showing you what it will look like with the current names. If any of your names are too long, you'll see it here. A mousedown or keypress will dismiss this style dialog. The <Tab>,<Return>, and <Enter> keys will all advance the selection to the next item. You may have up to two open PREC windows at a time. You may open two PREC windows into the same file, though the values in any given window reflect the values at the time the file was opened, and are not updated if you change the values in the other window. The ID# used for writes corresponds to the current PREC Manager setting, not (necessarily) to the ID# used when the window was opened. PREC Manager will read and write from/to the active system file, as well as to itself. (Though I can see no need for the later.)
Note that some of the beta testers have reported that some programs have difficulty with extreme sizes. MacWrite 4.5 has been reported to have dificulties with extremely small sizes. (Smaller even than labels). Microsoft Word 1.05 had no trouble at all with tiny sizes. Be careful of confusing your word processor by specifying a paper size that is smaller than the header and footer, or make sure your header and footer are set to 0. PREC Manager has been tested under both HFS and the HD20, and works properly on both. PREC Manager has not been tested on the LaserWriter.
Apple Menu:
About PREC Mgr...
This choice will give you the same screen as is presented when you first launch PREC Manager. Mousedown to exit it. I left in one of my debugging routines which you may find useful. If you are holding down the option key while you mouse down to dispose the window, the heap will be compacted. If you hold down the cloverleaf key, the heap will be purged. If you hold down both, the heap will first be purged, then compacted.
File Menu:
New
This choice will open a new window, which contains default settings for all the items. If there are already two open PREC windows, this choice will be dimmed. If you need to open a new window, you'll have to close one of the ones that's open.
Open...
This choice will present you with a standard sfdialog asking you to choose a file to open. It will only present you with files that were saved by PREC Manager. If you want to get a PREC out of a file that was NOT saved by PREC Manager, you'll need to use the Open Resource command. If there are already two open windows, this choice will be dimmed.
Open Resource...
This choice, like Open, will present you will a standard sfdialog asking you to choose a file to open. Unlike Open, Open Resource will allow you to open ANY file. If the file doesn't contain a PREC (with the proper resource number), an error message will occur. If there are already two open windows, this choice will be dimmed.
Save
This choice will save the PREC in the file that it was opened from, without asking for any confirmation. If the PREC was opened with NEW (ie it didn't come from any file), Save will act the same as Save As, except that instead of defaulting the filename to 'Untitled', it will suggest 'Default PREC'. Note that Save works like Save In, not like Save As. When you use Save it will NOT replace a file, but just saves the PREC inside the file. If there is a duplicate PREC already in the file, Save will remove it before saving the new one. If there are no open windows, this command will be dimmed.
Save In...
This choice will present you with an sfdialog allowing you to choose what file you want this PREC saved in. If the file you choose already has a PREC with the same ID#, you'll be presented with a dialog box allowing you to cancel without replacing it. If there are no open windows, this choice will be dimmed.
Save As...
This choice will not be used much. WARNING: Save As, unlike Save and Save In, completely replaces the file if it already exists. Although you will be warned, if you continue, you will replace an existing file. For instance, if you select Save As, and specify ImageWriter, when you get thru you will NOT have an ImageWriter file with your new PREC inside, you will have a document file named ImageWriter with ONLY a PREC inside. Because of this you want to make sure you really want to Save As, not Save In. Save As normally uses PREC Managers creator and filetype when it saves a file, but you can change this if you want. This is covered under the Special menu. As with the other Saves, if there are no open windows, this choice will be dimmed.
Close
This choice will close the topmost window. If you've made any changes to the window since you opened it, you will be given a chance to save it before it closes. This choice will be dimmed if there are no open windows.
Quit
This choice will cause PREC Manager to quit and you will return to the finder. If there are open windows, and they have been modified since they were opened, you will be given a chance to save them before quitting.
Edit Menu:
The standard editting commands are found here, though UNDO is not supported by PREC Manager, and will be dimmed at all times except when a desk accessory window is on top. Edit operations are supported between PREC Manager and desk accessories.
Special Menu:
Change PREC ID# to 3
Change PREC ID# to 4
This choice (it is only one choice which toggles) allows you to tell PREC Manager which resource ID number to look for. Apple specifies that users should only use PREC's with an ID number of 4, but many have used an ID number of 3 in the past, and I wanted to provide access to both. PREC Manager defaults to using an ID# of 4. All reads and writes will be done using the ID number currently active. PREC Manager will allow you to read in a PREC with one ID#, and save it out using the other. Just change the number after you read it in. Note that some may find this choice scheme a bit confusing. If the menu currently says 'Change to #3', it means that PREC Manager is currently using #4. If it says 'Change to #4' it means that PREC Manager is currently using #3.
Change 'Save As' FinderInfo...
Save As normally creates a new file, holding your PREC, with the same creatorname and filetype as Save does. (Creator = QD19; FileType = pREC) Advanced users may have some need to save their PREC files with a different creator and filetype, and this command will allow you to change this info. Note that each field MUST be 4 characters. Note that this will only effect 'Save As'.
Remove a PREC from a file...
This choice will present you with a standard sfdialog showing you all files available. If the one you select doesn't have a PREC with the current ID#, you'll get an error message, otherwise the PREC will be removed from the file.
*** Special thanks to the people who helped me get PREC Manager up and running! Thanks to Steve Brecher, who helped me through some of the technical points involved with 68000 assembler and IM. Thanks to Robert Wiggins who yelled and screamed every time I did anything that was even a little 'non- interface'. Thanks to Tom DeFazio, who actually tested PREC Manager in a working environment, to verify how applications reacted to weird PREC sizes. ***
