ProfitPress Mega CDROM2 Shareware Freeware (MSDOS)(1992)(Eng)

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Text File | 1992-03-31 | 18.9 KB | 423 lines

.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. : AS-EASY-AS Version 5.01 Copyright 1985-92, TRIUS, Inc. : : P.O. BOX 249, North Andover, MA 01845 : : ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ : : Orders ONLY!: 800-GO-TRIUS (800-468-7487) : : Info: 508-794-9377 FAX: 508-688-6312 BBS: 508-794-0762 : ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This READ.ME file contains a variety of recent changes, and other useful information. It also lists the files distributed with Ver 5.01, and explains how to upgrade from previous versions. Please READ THIS FILE THOROUGHLY! It contains very important information, and reading it now will probably save you time and trouble later on! The topics covered in this file are: - Shareware Concept - The ASP - Highlights - Getting Started - Ordering Information - Files Included on the disk - Installation - On-Disk User's Manual - New Features (not covered in the manual) You can print this file by COPYing it to your printer with the following command: copy READ.ME prn If you want to look at the other On-Disk AS-EASY-AS documentation, see the file list below, which lists all of the documentation files. See the end of this file regarding the On-Disk User's Manual. Shareware and the Association of Shareware Professionals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _______ ____|__ | (tm) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER The shareware concept has made it possible for you to obtain extremely powerful software at a price you can afford, and it gives you the opportunity to try the software before you register. Shareware is kept alive by YOUR support. Evaluate the program for 30-days and give copies to your friends for evaluation. If, after the 30 days, you continue to use the program, then register it by sending us the registration/order form included in this help file or by calling 800-468-7487 (Orders Only!). You will receive the Latest version, Printed manual, 90-day free Technical Phone Support, BBS Technical Support, Quarterly Newsletter, and Reduced price Upgrades. Support new developments in AS-EASY-AS, register your copy today! Thank you for your support, AS-EASY-AS is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware- related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for member's products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at: ASP Ombudsman 545 Grover Road Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 or send a Compuserve message via CMail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. GETTING STARTED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The information provided below is to help you start the program for your hardware configuration. For more details about the operation of the program press the F1 (function) key once you have started the program. The following files are absolutely essential to run AS-EASY-AS: ASEASY.EXE ASEASY.MSG ASEASY.MNU These three files need to reside in the same sub-directory. In addition to that, if the files ASEASY.HLP, ASEASY.PRT, ASEASY.CFG, HTREE.EXE, and any Addins, are going to be used, they HAVE to reside in the same (ASEASY) directory as well. AS-EASY-AS is started from DOS using the command: C:> ASEASY /Option1/Option2/Option3/..... [ENTER] Where Option can be one or more of the following: /P - Use alternate menu file (ASEASY.MN2) which provides command compatibility with version 4.00 of AS-EASY-AS. /ATT - Enables ATT display graphics, video mode $48 /ATT2 - Enables ATT display graphics, video mode $40 /AUTO=File... - Specify the worksheet to be loaded when the program is started /BK=x - Set screen blank-out period to x seconds /BM - Bypass Mono Detection Scheme /CFG=xxx - Specify the configuration file to use /CTR - Center column identifying letters /DIR=Path.. - Set the Path to the WKS files /E - Enables graphics for EGA /EM - Enables mono EGA Mode /EV - Enables Graphics for VGA /EVM - Enables Graphics VGA mode /H - Enables graphics for Hercules /H2 - Enables graphics for Hercules, Video Pg. 2 /MONO - Changes colors to white on black (CGA card) /NE - DO NOT use EMS even if found /NT - No Turbo Keyboard. Also disable status blinking. /Q - Quick screen updating for CGA /RA - Round Absolute (e.g. 1.6 to 2., -1.6 to -2.) /UK _ Set the currency to £ and @DATE to DD/MM/YY /VM=nn - Use Virtual (disk) EMS model, nn-Pages (4k each) /VP=Path - Set Path for Virtual (disk) memory File /V1 - Force CGA Emulation (normally on VGA Monitor) Example: A> ASEASY /H2/DIR=C:\Data [ENTER] Starts AS-EASY-AS for a Hercules type monitor, using the second page for graphics, and instructs the program that the data files will be located on drive C, in subdirectory "Data". Ordering Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Remember that a shareware copy is an EVALUATION copy that you can use for up to 30 days. If you continue to use the program, Registration is Required! You may register using the order form in the ORDER.ME file, or by calling TRIUS, Inc. and charging your purchase on your credit card. We suggest that you call, since prices are subject to change without notice. You may also order your copy on-line by calling our TRIUS Support BBS at (508) 794-0762 [2400,N,8,1 - 24 hrs]. If you live outside the US and Canada you may want to check the list of international dealers in the help file, or contact TRIUS, Inc. for a dealer in your country. Purchasing through these dealers can save you the delay and inconvenience which may be involved in dealing with currency conversions and international shipping and in many cases will provide you with faster technical support. Files Included with AS-EASY-AS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following files are included on a distribution disk obtained directly from TRIUS, Inc. If the AS-EASY-AS diskette you got did not contain all of the files described below, please let us know. Note, however, that from time to time the contents of the diskette will change, with regards to the sample worksheet files and other utility programs may be added. ASEASY5.FLS - Compressed Archive used by LHA.EXE READ.ME - Start-Up instructions (This file) ORDER.ME - Ready-to-print order form LICENSE.DOC - Please Read This!! VENDOR.DOC - Info on Distributing Shareware Copies INSTALL.EXE - Automated SetUp File LHA.EXE - Compression Program (c) Haruyasu Yoshizaki, 1991 ........ - Other files, from time to time To Install on Floppy or Hard Disk: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Although the program will work if installed on 360k diskettes, we recommend that the program is installed either on a hard disk, or a high density floppy diskette, since this will permit the help file, the printer setup files, and other auxiliary files, to be available to the user without swapping disks. If installing on 360k disks, you need a minimum of 2 - 360 drives, e.g., A and B. * Place the AS-EASY-AS original diskette in drive A: (or B:) * Make sure the current logged drive is A: (Type A:, or B:, and press ENTER if it is not). * Type INSTALL and press [ENTER]. Then, follow the simple on-screen instructions to install your copy of the program on the desired disk(s) and/or subdirectory. If you are experiencing difficulties with the installation program you can try to manually install the program from DOS. To do so, for example, place the original disk in drive A, log onto the drive and/or directory that you want to install the program, type A:LHA e A:ASEASY5.FLS and press ENTER. NOTE: If you are trying to extract the files on 360K diskettes, you will need more than one diskette! On-Disk Documentation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The installation process extracts a file called ASEASY.MAN. This is a ready-to-print formatted, User's manual for the program. Following the installation, make sure that the ASEASY.MAN file is indeed on your default directory. Then, to print this manual: (1) Make sure that the your printer is ON and there is enough paper in it (the manual is about 102 pages). (2) From the DOS prompt, type COPY ASEASY.MAN PRN and press [ENTER] Note that if your printer is connected to a SERIAL port, then you need to use the command COPY ASEASY.MAN COM1, or COPY ASEASY.MAN COM2 (depending on which serial port your printer is connected to). New Features and Main modifications in Ver 5.01 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A number of new features have been incorporated in Version 5.01 of AS- EASY-AS. A brief description of these features is provided below: <A> The EMS/VM module of the program was completely overhauled. With version 5.00, users many times run out of conventional memory, and could not enter any more data, even though they had megabytes of EMS, or VM available. A new, proprietary technique, developed by TRIUS, continuously performs an intelligent allocation of the Conventional/Expanded memory pool. The end result is the capability to load worksheets up to 10 times larger that with version 5.00 (provided the user has enough EMS). In addition to that, the maximum amount of VM (virtual disk memory) that may now be used by AS-EASY-AS was increased from about 400k to 800k. Although users might think that even more virtual memory should be accessible, complex applications, using more VM, would result in inordinate amounts of disk thrashing. Based on benchmarks and internal testing, about 800k of VM is reasonable. An increase in speed was achieved in version 5.01, by going from 2k EMS/VM pages to 4k pages. In particular users with VM applications should welcome this speed increase. <B> Two new prefixes were added to the program, ASCII characters 174 («) and 175 (»). Label (string) entries preceded with one of these characters will result in the string being padded to the left («) or to the right (») with dots, filling the column width. For example, for a column width of 10, the entry «Total would result in .....Total while the label entry »Total would result in Total..... These two prefix options, just like all others, are also available options under the /Range, Prefix command. <C> A Godsend to network administrations! A new command line switch, /CFG=Path\Filename now permits the user to specify which confi- guration file for AS-EASY-AS should be loaded. Now, each user, on a network, can have his/her own configuration files with meaningful names and in their own directories. For example, ASEASY /cfg=F:\MYFILES\JAMESQ.CFG would start the program and get the default configuration from a file called JAMESQ.CFG, in a subdirectory \MYFILES on drive F:., while ASEASY /cfg=E:\GENERAL\HENRY_M.CFG would start the program and get the default configuration from a file called HENRY_M.CFG, in a subdirectory \GENERAL on drive E:., while If the specified file is not found, the program will use the built- in default configuration parameters. <D> New variables are now calculated and displayed when performing a linear regression analysis. The new variables are the X and Y standard deviation, the Regression Error, the Slope Error, and the count of samples used in the regression (so the user does not have to use the @COUNT function). <E> The Data sorting routine was modified so that it now includes an additional two sort key selections; Third and Fourth. These two additional sort keys should be enough to cover the sorting needs of even the most demanding user. In addition to that, the maximum sort range was expanded to 8192 rows. <F> A new command was introduced; Range, Copy, Formula. This command will copy cell containing formulas, while maintaining the original formula references (/CopyCell translates the formula references). Examples: Original /C A10 to B15 /RCF A10 to B15 contents of A10 Contents of B15 Contents of B15 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (A1+C13) (B6+D18) (A1+C13) +C11/$E21 +D16/$E26 +C11/$E21 +A2/$B$11 +B7/$B$11 +A2/$B$11 <G> A new parameter was introduced in the /Sheet, Text, Find/Replace command. In addition to the PU options, a new option, R, if specified, will now prompt the user to specify the range upon which the Find/Replace command is to operate. If the R option is not specified, the command works as before, i.e., it operates from the current cursor location to the end of the file. <H> A new option is now available under the User, Install menu, the CMdStr command. When this command is selected, the user is prompted to enter the default startup command line switches desired (remember to save the configuration file). Then, when the program is started NEXT TIME, it would work as if all the specified switches were placed at the command line. For example, setting the CMdStr parameter to: /VM /E /RA would, next time, start the program using virtual disk memory, with EGA graphics enabled and the Round Absolute option ON (see earlier section for command line switches). Note that if ANY command line switches are specified when starting the program from DOS, the CMdStr specified parameters are ignored. Furthermore, the new /CFG command line switch is not supported, i.e., it is ignored if placed in the CMdStr parameter string. <I> The @LINK function was modified to utilize the path specified using the /DIR= command line switch (or the /File, Dir command), as the default - if no path is explicitly specified as part of the @LINK entry. In earlier versions the current directory was assumed if the path was not specified. <J> A new menu option "None" was introduced under the "/PrintTo, Printer, Options, Pitch" menu. This allows the user to disable the pitch control codes, normally sent to the printer, when using generic print drivers. <K> A modification was made to the /Data, Bin command so that it now correctly handles both positive and negative values. <L> A new dimension of capabilities was given to the @USER defined functions. In earlier versions, these functions could only return a value. In this new implementation, user defined functions are capable of returning a string result as well. <M> A modification was made to correctly save and read the mode specified by the user (/User, Install, Video, X-User) from the ASEASY.CFG file. <N> A new video mode was implemented (CGA 40x25) for users experiencing trouble reading fine print. This feature is something that many visually impaired users would welcome. <O> Given the two new sort keys and the expanded sort range, a rotating status indicator appears in the upper left hand corner of the display during prolonged sort operation. --* 5.01b *------------- <a> A new function was introduced, @MEMAVAIL which returns the number of bytes of memory available at the time of call, as follows: @MEMAVAIL(0) - TOTAL memory available @MEMAVAIL(1) - CONVENTIONAL memory available @MEMAVAIL(2) - EMS/VM memory available. <b> A modification was made to permit saving the user installed color options in the ASEASY.CFG file. <c> PICKLIST macro was modified to handle entries up to 21 characters. <d> The THIRD and FOURTH sorting keys are now stored with the file. <e> A new command line switch (/BM) was introduced for systems using EGA/VGA monochrome monitors but were reporting Herc, NON-Graphic monitors to AS-EASY-AS. <f> A significant modification to the EMS/VM model will permit a larger number of formulas (linked cells) in a worksheet. The modifications resulted in a more robust model that will correctly intercept any memory allocation errors, out-of-memory conditions, etc. <g> A specific modification was also made to the VM (virtual memory) model to flag allocated pages as READ-ONLY which results in a significant increase in speed when moving around the worksheet, printing, etc. <h> File loading speed was significantly increased (15-50% depending on the contents of the worksheet, the storage medium, CPU type, etc. <i> A modification was made to Print, View to correctly display condensed print and wider than 80 column pages. ------------------------ END OF READ.ME --------------------------