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! NEC 8023A UTILITIES MANUAL" (version 1.0) (c) Copyright 1984 by Michael L Hoyt All rights reserved L021 !Q> T16S0061Ç`00`└ÇN >T16S0206<~τ├├├├├├╟Ä└αp000000pα└└└└└ⁿ■╟├├├0000 0000Çⁿ■├├■<Ç└└ ├├├├├├├├≡≡└`000pα└≤≤└αp0000pα└≡≡└`000pα└└αp000000` ≡≡ÇÇ≡≡Q S0061└ ïV$&c`ÇÇ 0p α└ÇL╨α└ÇÇÇN S01938000000980000008??8000900137;310??????333333????8000000????└┴├τ~<Q S0068@α0Çä║■µ|Çxä▓·╬ⁿ°αÇ0└ S0070α└ αááá áá░░α╚±├<ª(╦P R 2 Box 65Q S0068╟8Çα @ÇÇÇÇâGOOGâÇ@ pⁿÇpÇxα S0070 @Ç0@`└≡àâB""$$èëE≥≡8?└P Solsberry INQ S0069!@ÇÇÇÇÇ@éqé┬"@`ÇÿxÇ└9 S0070@└á░ⁿ>@└p@ÇÇ@`(─P 47459Q S0065≡≡Ç└α╬ⁿ S0068 p^┴ >dα ! 0αÇ S0079 0Å`Ç@└ └Ç└@@└ÇP 812-825-7384Q S0088ÇÇÇ└≡Ç┴?└pÇÇα0`└ S0089└≡'<ⁿ└pÇ ÇyÇ■ S00916Öá8 8└ÿ0≡α`Ç S00948╪'H@ÇxÇ°`?└αx└ S0104@α╪╠ æßaÄ8αÇ≡└Φ|<└ p@@@@@@ÇÇÇ S0110▐9α`≡╛ÇÇ@@!"öTXhαƒÇ└ PHº@@@ÇÇ≡ S0110y╟ü°0LÇ└≡ß└ Çⁿy═αÇÇ└p<ê╚Df3Ç`£└`ⁿÇaÇ└@8 S0105 "T70 < NL008 A ! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: : : : WARNING : : : : This manual and software are both protected : : by U.S. Copyright law (Title 17, United States : : Code.) Unauthorized reproduction and/or sale : : may result in imprisonment of up to one year : : and fines of up to $10,000. Those who infringe : : may also be subject to civil liability. : : : ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: " The NEC 8023A UTILITIES are distributed with no guarantee that they will work correctly in all situations. In no event will the author be held liable for damages resulting from the use of these program procedures. !BUT!" It is the author's intent to fix any existing bugs and improve the software to the extent of his abilities. If you have problems, suggestions, and/or find bugs, please contact SOFT & FRIENDLY. To receive a copy of the latest version of NEC 8023A UTILITIES for evaluation, send 1 formatted double sided, or 2 single sided, diskette(s) along with a self addressed, postage-paid return mailer to SOFT & FRIENDLY. !OR!! Prepay your $45.00 registration fee, and a double sided diskette and mailer will be provided by the author." You have the permission of the author to make copies of the software included in this package for others to use in evaluation of the product. !It is then up to that person who receives a copy to either send a registration fee, pass along the copy to another interested user, or destroy the evaluation copy." !The entire distribution package, including the manual and each of the software procedures (as electronic data and/or hard copy), is (c) copyright 1983, 1984 by Michael L Hoyt of SOFT & FRIENDLY. All rights reserved. The author reserves the exclusive right to distribute this package, in whole or in parts, for profit and expects each person who uses any or all of the package to send the $45.00 registration fee to SOFT & FRIENDLY." Similar software is available from the author for use with other printers on the market. Please contact him for more information. i L008 X!PREFACE"Y This reference manual is for use with the !NEC 8023A UTILITIES" software. It contains a lot of very useful information. There are sections which deal specifically with the use of the accompanying software and other portions that contain informa- tion about using your dot matrix printer with other software !NOVICE USERS" E Especially if you are new to computing, you should be able to learn a lot of information about your printer and its use just by reading this manual. Don't worry about remem- bering everything on the first reading. The manual is designed so that you will be able to use it for future reference. Sure, there is a lot of of technical stuff, but you don't have to understand everything the first day to get great results from your printer. As you go along you will pick up the fine points of using a printer and learn about the advanced features of the !NEC 8023A". N !TECHNICAL USERS" E There is plenty of information in this manual for you also. Of course, some of you may want to skip a section or two(2) and probably already know how to use your printer. But, the software that accompanies this manual can prove to be very useful and a real time saver in many situations. Spending some time now reading about this software could save you substantially more time at some point in the future. This manual also contains technical information, that although possible to aquire from many other sources, is presented here in an organized form. N !ALL USERS" E The NEC 8023A UTILITIES are intended to be user supported. That is, even though the package is basically the work of one person, improvements, additions and/or deletions will happen because you the user have contributed in some way. Your contribution, besides the monetary part, may consist of suggestions, gripes, code changes, whatever... All will be appreciated and given due consideration. So help yourself and the others who use these utilities. !Please contribute!" N ii X!CONTENTS"Y !SOFTWARE OVERVIEW" ----------------------------------------- 1.1 List of Included Software ---------------------------- 1.1 Distribution ----------------------------------------- 1.2 System Requirements ---------------------------------- 1.3 Backup Copies ---------------------------------------- 1.4 !PRINT_SCREEN" ---------------------------------------------- 2.1 Program Use ------------------------------------------ 2.1 Installation ----------------------------------------- 2.1 Demonstration ---------------------------------------- 2.2 Direct Access from BASIC ----------------------------- 2.4 Technical Information -------------------------------- 2.6 !PRINT_CHARACTERS" ------------------------------------------ 3.1 Program Use ------------------------------------------ 3.1 Italics Characters ------------------------------ 3.1 The Extended Character Set ---------------------- 3.1 Installation ----------------------------------------- 3.2 Demonstration ---------------------------------------- 3.2 Technical Information -------------------------------- 3.4 !PRINTER_SET" ----------------------------------------------- 4.1 Program Use ------------------------------------------ 4.1 Setting Printer Parameters --------------------------- 4.1 Character Pitch --------------------------------- 4.2 Line Spacing ------------------------------------ 4.3 Horizontal Tabs --------------------------------- 4.4 Left Margin ------------------------------------- 4.6 Forms (Vertical Format) ------------------------- 4.7 Vertical Tabs ---------------------------------- 4.16 Installation ---------------------------------------- 4.19 Demonstration --------------------------------------- 4.19 !WORD PROCESSING" ------------------------------------------- 5.1 WordStar --------------------------------------------- 5.2 Volkswriter ----------------------------------------- 5.12 FinalWord ------------------------------------------- 5.13 ??????????? ------------------------------------------ 5.x !APPENDICIES" ----------------------------------------------- APX Printer Switch Settings ------------------------------ A.1 H Test ----------------------------------------------- B.1 Control Sequences (a list) --------------------------- C.1 General Printer Control ------------------------- C.1 Horizontal Movement ----------------------------- C.2 Vertical Movement ------------------------------- C.5 Manipulation of Printable Characters ------------ C.8 Bit-Graphics ----------------------------------- C.10 ASCII Character Codes (a list) ----------------------- D.1 Numbering Systems ------------------------------------ E.1 !INDEX" ----------------------------------------------------- X.1 !ADVERTISING" ----------------------------------------------- ADV iii X!SOFTWARE OVERVIEW"Y Put quite simply, the accompanying software is designed to enhance the value of your !NEC 8023A" when it is hooked to your !IMB PC, IBM XT or PCjr". The functions supplied by each program will prove to be very useful in many applications, both by themselves and when used with other software. !LIST OF INCLUDED SOFTWARE" !PRINT_SCREEN (PRNT-SCN.COM)" E This program will make it possible for you to make a print of any graphics screen that is visible on your display. N !PRINT_CHARACTERS (PRNT-CHR.COM)" E With this program loaded to memory, you will not only be able to print italics characters, but also print charac- ters from the Extended ASCII Set (those are the characters above ASCII 126 that IBM so kindly provided for your use). N !PRINTER_SET (PRNT-SET.COM)" E With this program running, you can set the most often used (and some not so often used) printer parameters. And it can be done with very few keystrokes; sometimes only one(1) is needed. N !SCREEN_DEMO (SCN-DEMO.BAS)" E This is a demonstration program which shows what can be done using PRINT_SCREEN. N !CHARACTERS_DEMO (CHR-DEMO.BAS)" E A demonstration program for PRINT_CHARACTERS. N !UNITED STATES (USMAP.PIC)" E A representation of a medium-graphics screen used with the SCN-DEMO program. N !PRINT MANUAL (PRN-MAN.BAT)" E The batch file that prints your copy of the manual. N !MANUAL (MANUAL.DOC)" E The ASCII file that contains the formatted manual. N !PRINT APPENDIX (PRN-APX.BAT)" E The batch file that prints your copy of the appendix & index. N !APPENDIX (APPENDIX.DOC)" E The ASCII file that contains the formatted appendix and index. N !NOTICE (NOTICE)" E A message to those who print the manual and/or appendix. N 1.1 (continued) !XSOFTWARE OVERVIEWY DISTRIBUTION The NEC 8023A UTILITIES is user supported software." This means that you, the user have the main responsibility for deciding whether the software continues to exist. If you feel that it is not useful, then of course, don't support it and don't use it! If, on the other hand, you do find it useful and think that others might also, contribute to its continued viability. !YOU are the distributor for this software." Yes, it is copy- righted, but you have permission to copy the NEC 8023A UTILITIES for others to evaluate as long as you copy the dis- tribution diskette in its entirety and make no charges or receive other considerations for doing so. If after receiving and evaluating the package, you find it useful, you are expected to send a registration fee of $45.00 to SOFT & FRIENDLY or discontinue its use. This registration entitles you to direct support from SOFT & FRIENDLY, if needed, and notification of all updates and improvements. Remember! Your money helps pay for FRIENDLY'S food so he can spend more time developing and updating software for your use. Without it, he'll have to spend less time on your software and more time on other income producing endeavors. Anyone may receive a copy of this utility package by sending 1 formatted double sided, or 2 single sided, diskette(s) along with a self addressed, postage-paid return mailer to SOFT & FRIENDLY. Or if you prepay your registration fee of $45.00, you will receive the NEC 8023A UTILITIES on a double sided diskette provided by SOFT & FRIENDLY. The source code for each of the procedures is available for an additional fee of $50.00. It is available directly from !SOFT & FRIENDLY who reserves the exclusive right to distribute the source code. Unauthorized duplication or distribution of the source code for any procedure from the NEC 8023A UTILITIES is prohibited and punishable by law." Although the NEC 8023A UTILITIES software is distributed on a one copy one user basis, !volume registration is available at a discounted price". For the discount registration rates, contact SOFT & FRIENDLY directly. This software/manual package is for use with the dot matrix printers NEC 8023 A-C. Other packages are available for other printers Contact SOFT & FRIENDLY for the current list of sup- ported printers. 1.2 (continued) X!SOFTWARE OVERVIEW"Y !SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS" Here is what you need to use this software. The software was designed so that almost no one with an IBM PC would be excluded from its use. !COMPUTER" - IBM PC or IBM XT or IBM PCjr !MEMORY" - 64 K !OPERATING SYSTEM" - DOS 1.1 or 2.0 or 2.1 !DISKDRIVES" - ONE(1) SINGLE SIDED !DISPLAY" - COLOR or MONOCHROME T12 * !DISPLAY ADAPTER" - COLOR/GRAPHICS or MONOCHROMEA !PRINTER" - NEC 8023 A-C T12 * Q If you have only the MONOCHROME ADAPTER you will not be able to use PRINT_SCREEN.T72 NA 1.3 (continued) X!SOFTWARE OVERVIEW"Y !BACKUP COPIES" It's a very good idea to have backup copies of all your valuable software. It will save you time and money you might have to spend trying to recover your losses if some- thing happen (god forbid). This software is no exception. Use the !DISKCOPY" or !COPY" commands which are included as part of PC-DOS to make as many copies as you need to feel secure in knowing that if your cat chews on a few diskettes, you won't be in !BIG TROUBLE". Let's start by making a !DEMOnstration diskette" to use with the tutorials contained in this manual. This will also produce your first backup copy of the software which is on the !NEC 8023A UTILITIES" diskette. !1)" Get out one(1) of your backup copies of the !DOS diskette" that came with your computer and a !blank unformatted diskette". !2)" Put the !DOS diskette" into !drive A". If your computer is not turned on, do that now. !3)" Make sure you have the system prompt !A>". !4)" Type !FORMAT B:/S" and press !ENTER". E This tells DOS not only to format your blank diskette, but also to put a copy of the DOS command system on the diskette. N !5)" The following message will be displayed. T12E ! * Insert new diskette for drive B:A and strike any key when ready N 6)" Follow those directions. E When the drive noise stops, you will have a newly for- matted diskette which contains a copy of DOS. N !NOTES * * * * * * * * * * * *" E If you are using a single drive system, you are going to have to do some diskette switching from here on out. Of course, if you have had your computer for a while, you are already familiar with the procedure required for file copying. If you are really new at this, you may want to open your DOS manual to the section about the COPY command. T12 * Q This will say !drive A:" if you have a single drive system.T72N 1.4A (continued) X!SOFTWARE OVERVIEW"Y !BACKUP COPIES" (continued) Now, before you put your original DOS diskette away, let's get a copy of !BASICA" on the newly formatted diskette. !7)" Put the !DOS diskette" into !drive A" if you took it out. !8)" Check to see if you have the system prompt !A>". You didn't lose it along the way, did you? !8a)" If you have a two drive system, put your newly formatted diskette into drive B: !9)" Type !COPY BASICA.COM B:" and press !ENTER". E This tells !DOS" to make a copy of the file !BASICA.COM" on the diskette in drive B: N !9a)" If you have a single drive system, you will be prompted: E ! Insert diskette for drive B: and strike any key when ready. " Q This seems like as good a time as any to stop reminding you about one(1) and two(2) drive systems!! N !10)" Now. Put the !NEC 8023A UTILITIES diskette" into !drive A" and your newly formatted diskette into !drive B". Make sure you have the system prompt !A>". !11)" Type !COPY *.* B:" and press !ENTER". E This tells !DOS" to copy all the files that are on the !NEC 8023A UTILITIES diskette" to the diskette in !drive B". (As DOS copies each file, it will display the filename on the screen). N When all the whirring and clicking stops, we're finished this part. You now have a new diskette that contains !DOS", !BASICA" and copies of all the software programs that came on the !NEC 8023A UTILITIES" diskette. Before we go on, put away the !DOS diskette" you have been using. We won't need it anymore. !ALSO" put your !NEC 8023A UTILITIES" diskette in a safe place. You are about to find out how valuable it really is. !NOW!! LET'S BEGIN!!!" 1.5 X!PRINT_SCREEN"Y PRINT_SCREEN is designed for one(1) purpose, and that is to !transfer" any !graphics screen" displayed !to the printer". (Com- uter types refer to that as a screen dump). As you may know, PC DOS has a built-in program to print text screens. But, until DOS 2.0 came on the scene, IBM did not supply a method for dumping graphics. And for some reason (an oversight I'm sure) the one they now supply doesn't work with an NEC 8023A. !Well!!" We will just ignore that fact, and use our own screen dump. PRINT_SCREEN is faster anyway. !PROGRAM USE" It is really very easy. You don't have to learn anything new to use PRINT_SCREEN. Just press !Shift-PrtSc" and it goes into action. Look familiar? That's right, the very same keystrokes that IBM designated for the printing of a text screen. So, all you have to do, is get the display just how you want it, either by programming the display yourself or by using another program that handles the generation of screen graphics, then press !Shift-PrtSc". There is even a way to access PRINT_SCREEN directly from within a BASIC program, but we'll save that for later. X!REMEMBER"Y ! When you have PRINT_SCREEN in memory, just press Shift-PrtSc to print any screen. It doesn't matter whether it's a text or graphics screen. The software will handle it from there. " ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !INSTALLATION" So, now that you know how easy it is to use PRINT_SCREEN, let's get it loaded into memory so we can use it. There are two(2) ways to get PRINT_SCREEN into memory. We will use the first method now, so we can run the !DEMO program". 2.1 (continued) !XPRINT_SCREENY INSTALLATION" (continued) XTHE FIRST WAY:Y !1)" Put the !newly formatted diskette" into !drive A" (I think it's time to start referring to it as !THE DEMO DISK"). !2)" Make sure you have the DOS prompt !A>" (or !B>" if you want to be different and use drive B). !3)" Type !PRNT-SCN" and press !ENTER". E Remember? That's the name of the PRINT_SCREEN file on the diskette. (Well, actually the file is named PRNT-SCN.!COM", but there is no need to type the filename extension when you are dealing with certain files directly from DOS). What you have done, is tell (command if you like) DOS to load the file to memory and start it running. When that happens, PRINT_SCREEN has a special section of code that immediately tells DOS where it is in memory and then tells DOS to not remove it from memory as DOS goes about its business. Therefore, PRINT_SCREEN is considered to be RESIDENT. It just sits there in memory waiting to be called on so it can do its stuff. N !That's it! Now to see it work! DEMONSTRATION 1)" Check !Appendix A" and make sure that the !printer switches" are !set correctly". !2)" You need to have !THE DEMO DISK" in !drive A" and have !DOS" running. !3)" Make sure your printer is turned on, has sufficient paper, and that the !SEL"ect light is on. !4)" Type !BASICA SCN-DEMO" and press !ENTER". E This loads BASICA to memory then loads the file SCN-DEMO, (a simple BASIC program that demonstrates the use of PRINT_SCREEN) and starts it running. N !5)" When you're prompted by the program, just !follow the directions" on the screen and you will soon have a copy of a graphics display. !Do you recognize the print out? Thought you might." 2.2 (continued) !XPRINT_SCREENY INSTALLATION" (continued) If you want to skip the next few pages and proceed to the chapter about !PRINT_CHARACTERS", go ahead. This information will still be here for later when you want to learn about using the famous and versatile !AUTOEXEC.BAT" file, !BASIC" sub- routines and other !technical stuff". XTHE SECOND WAY:Y This will probably prove to be the method you use most often to load !PRINT_SCREEN" to your computer's memory. It consists of creating a special file which will cause PRINT_SCREEN (or any other file, for that matter) to run automatically when- ever you turn on your computer. You may have heard of it. It's called !AUTOEXEC.BAT". To create this special file, do the following. !1)" Get out !THE DEMO DISK". Make sure it does not have a write protect tape on it. If we make a mistake it's no big deal. This is a backup diskette so we can always make a new copy if we make a serious error. !2)" Put !THE DEMO DISK" into !drive A" (or !B" if you prefer). !3)" Make sure you have the DOS prompt !A>" or !B>" if you decided to use drive B. !4)" Type !COPY CON: AUTOEXEC.BAT" and press !ENTER". E This tells DOS to copy whatever you type on the keyboard and put it into a file named AUTOEXEC.BAT. N !5)" Type !PRNT-SCN" and press !RETURN". E This is the name of the file that we want DOS to load and run when we turn on the computer. N !6)" Now press the !F6 KEY" and press !ENTER". E This tells DOS that you are finished inputing information to the file, so go ahead and create the file. N !7)" When the diskette drive stops whirring and clicking, you will have an !AUTOEXEC.BAT" file that will load !PRINT_SCREEN" to memory when you turn on the computer. ! You should probably study the section about AUTOEXEC.BAT files in your DOS manual. They are very useful and can save you much time and effort." 2.3 (continued) !XPRINT_SCREENY DIRECT ACCESS FROM BASIC" Being able to make copies of graphics screens is something that many programmers want to be able to control from within their programs. Since !BASIC", like some other programming languages does its own thing with the keyboard, you need to get temporary control of the keyboard to accomplish this. !BASIC" will allow you to gain that control if you use the !INKEY$" function. Now that you have control, what next? Well, here is a short subroutine that will allow you to call !PRINT_SCREEN" into action by asking the user to !"press any key"". A version of this subroutine is used in the !DEMO" programs that accompany this !NEC 8023A UTILITIES" package. The assembly language code that is loaded to memory by this subroutine, is nothing more than one(1) software method of placing a call to !INT 5H" which is the address of !PRINT_SCREEN". !DON'T WORRY!" You don't have to understand anything about assembly language to be able to use this method. Just add these lines of code to your own program (you might want to renumber them of course). You !do" need to know something about BASIC though. * * * * * * * * * * * * If you need to call PRINT_SCREEN from some other language, we'll leave the programming to you. But, by using the same or similar machine code in your subroutine, you should be able to knock it out in no time. 2.4 (continued) !XPRINT_SCREENY DIRECT ACCESS FROM BASIC" (continued) !XFrom BASIC to PRINT_SCREENY 10 GOSUB 65000" 'loads the machine code into memory 'when you start your BASIC program. 'this line should appear at the 'beginning of your program. !20 GOSUB 65100" 'calls the machine language 'interface to PRINT_SCREEN 'this line should appear wherever 'you wish to call PRINT_SCREEN 'appropriately numbered, of course !50000 END" 'be sure to stop program execution 'before it gets to the subroutines !65000 DIM PRTSC%(3)" 'define the variable for code storage !65010 FOR X=0 TO 3" 'load the code into the variable !65020 READ PRTSC%(X) 65030 NEXT X 65040 RETURN" 'the code is loaded now, so return !65050 DATA &H8955,&HCDE5,&H5D05,&H00CB:" 'this is the code !65100 LOCATE 25,4" 'place and display the prompt !65110 PRINT "Press any key to Print-Screen."" 'the prompt !65120 A$=INKEY$: IF A$="" THEN 65120" 'wait for a keystroke !65130 LOCATE 25,4" 'display blanks to cover the prompt !65140 PRINT STRING$(30,32);" 'a string of blanks !65150 LOCATE 1,1" 'this keeps the screen from shifting !65160 DEF SEG: SUBRT%=VARPTR(PRTSC%(0))" 'points to code !65170 CALL SUBRT%" 'places a call to our code !65180 RETURN" 'done with PRINT_SCREEN, so return * * * * * * * * * * * Here is the assembly language which tells what the machine code in our string is doing. Just in case you're interested! 55 !PUSH BP" ;save the pointer to our location 89E5 !MOV BP,SP" ;replace it with the stack pointer CD05 !INT 05H" ;now call PRINT_SCREEN 5D !POP BP" ;recover our original memory location CB !RET FAR" ;we're done, so we can return now !NOT VERY COMPLICATED, NOW WAS IT?" 2.5 (continued) !XPRINT_SCREENY TECHNICAL INFORMATION How it works" When PRINT_SCREEN is called into action, it checks the current display information to see if the screen is in a graphics mode. If not, it passes control to the text-screen print which is stored in the ROM memory of the computer. If a graphics screen is being displayed, the screen mode is stored for later reference and PRINT_SCREEN begins reading dots from the screen and sending information to the printer. !NOTES * * * * * * * * * * * *" !1)" Use of the !Ctrl-PrtSc" keystoke is not effected by having PRINT_SCREEN loaded to memory. !2)" If you want to load !PRINT_SCREEN" and !PRINT_CHARACTERS" to memory at the same time, (and most do), go ahead. Just be sure that !PRINT_SCREEN" gets loaded first. Otherwise graph- ics screen prints will be considerably slower. !3)" You might notice that a perfect circle displayed on the screen is very slightly squished on the print out. (It's so close you'll need a ruler to tell). If you are a perfec- tionist and need precise circles on your hard copy, just !change the aspect" of your circles to !43/48" instead of the default value which BASIC assigns of 5/6 (40/48). That's !43/96 for high resolution" graphics. !4)" For the !NEC 8023A UTILITIES" to work properly, you should make sure that your printer is hooked to the computer as !PRINTER 1". !5)" For those of you who want to make !transparencies" from the hard copy produced by !PRINT_SCREEN", it's a good idea to set the printer to !BOLD PRINT" so you will get a hard copy that will give the best results on your copy machine. Note that this does slow down the printing process though. 2.6 !XPRINT_CHARACTERSY" PRINT_CHARACTERS adds two(2) pretty useful features to your NEC 8023A printer. It will not only enable you to !print all of the characters above ASCII 126", but also adds !italic char- acters! to your library of print styles. So, now the technical types will be able to print all those funny little squiggles they use, (what are all those things anyway?), and we can all add a little variety to the things we print on the versatile !NEC 8023A" by using italics. !PROGRAM USE" And just how tough is all this anyway? Not very. !ITALIC CHARACTERS" Using the italic characters is simplicity itself. When you want !to start italics", just !send the printer a CHR$(18)" and all the normal letters (those are the ones we use to spell words in English) will be printed in italics. And !to stop italic"s and get back to (normal?), just !send another CHR$(18)". !THE EXTENDED CHARACTER SET" This is at least as easy as italics. To print the character you want from the Extended Set, just !send its code to the printer". That's it! You !do" have to know what the code of the character is, of course, but we have included a chart of these codes in !Appendix D" of this manual just for your convenience. !XREMEMBERY When you have PRINT_CHARACTERS loaded to memory: - To start or stop italics, just send the printer CHR$(18). - To print a character from the Extended Set, just send that character's code to the printer. You will notice that the ASCII codes have been refered to so far as !CHR$(xxx)", but probably are aware that these same codes are often alluded to by their !HEX"idecimal numbers. It's nothing to worry about. These are just two(2) dif- ferent counting systems which refer to the same number. The chart in !Appendix D has both listed" to make it easier for you until you feel at home with either system. 3.1 (continued) !XPRINT_CHARACTERSY INSTALLATION" As with PRINT_SCREEN, there are two(2) methods we can use to load PRINT_CHARACRERS to memory. And, as before we will use method one(1) to get it loaded now so we can run the !DEMO program". !You're going to need PRINT_SCREEN" loaded to memory to run the next demonstration program. So, if you have turned off the computer (or rebooted) since it was installed, you will have to re-install it before proceeding by typing !PRNT-SCN" and pressing !ENTER" when !THE DEMO DISK" is in !drive A". XTHE FIRST WAYY !1)" Put !THE DEMO DISK" (you remember, the one that has all our programs on it) into !drive A". !2)" Make sure you have the correct DOS prompt, !A>". !3)" Type !PRNT-CHR" and press !ENTER". E This tells DOS to load the file PRNT-CHR (no !COM" extention needed, thank you) and start it running. At this point our program PRNT-CHR.COM tells DOS where it is in memory and to please leave it there do do its thing. N !Now for the fun! DEMONSTRATION 1)" Have you already !set the printer switches"? !2)" You need !THE DEMO DISK" in !drive A" and have !DOS" running. !3)" Again, make sure your NEC 8023A is turned on, has suffi- cient paper, and that the !SEL"ect light is on. !It's always a good idea to make these checks before printing anything. 4)" Type !BASICA CHR-DEMO" and press !ENTER". E This causes DOS to load BASICA then load the CHR-DEMO file, (a BASIC program which will demonstrate PRINT_ CHARACTERS), and then start it running. N !5)" When prompted by the program, just !follow the directions". !Now you have hard evidence of PRINT_CHARACTERS' capabilities!" 3.2 (continued) !XPRINT_CHARACTERSY INSTALLATION" (continued) If you want to pass over this next part because you just can't wait to check out !PRINTER_SET", this is a good place to take a break from PRINT_CHARACTERS. See you later! But if you decide to continue, here is the other way to load PRINT_ CHARACTERS to memory. XTHE SECOND WAYY It's awful to keep repeating yourself!! Just this one(1) last time. !Using an AUTOEXEC.BAT file is the best way to load programs like PRINT_SCREEN and PRINT_CHARACTERS to your computer's memory." After all. Computers are great at doing your work for you. If you tell them what to do, they do it. And, an !AUTOEXEC.BAT" file can go that one step better. It will tell the computer what to do for you. Just put the information in the file and let the file take it from there. !Let's do it!" !1)" Do you still have !THE DEMO DISK" in !drive A"? Good. !2)" And we also have the DOS prompt !A>" I bet. !3)" Now. Type !COPY CON: AUTOEXEC.BAT" and press !ENTER". E As you know by now, this tells DOS to copy our keyboard input and put it into a file called AUTOEXEC.BAT. But what about the AUTOEXEC.BAT file we created for PRINT_ SCREEN? Won't it get written over by this one? Yes. It will. But we'll take care or that. Not to worry!! N !4)" Type !PRNT-SCN" and press !ENTER". !5)" Type !PRNT-CHR" and press !ENTER". E What you are doing is telling DOS to first load PRNT-SCN.COM and then load PRNT-CHR.COM. Remember? They need to be loaded in this order for graphics screen dis- plays to print faster. (If you think you will never want to print a graphics screen or never need to use italics and chacters from the Extended Set, just leave out the appropriate line. Most of us need both of these programs every time we use our computers). N 3.3 (continued) !XPRINT_CHARACTERSY INSTALLATION" (continued) !6)" Since we are finished putting everything we need in the file, press the !F6 KEY" and then press !ENTER". !7)" When the diskette drive noise stops, you've got a file which will load PRINT_SCREEN and/or PRINT_CHARACTERS to the computer's memory whenever you turn it on. !8)" To use this file, just !make a copy" of it, along !with PRNT_SCN.COM" and !PRNT_CHR.COM" on the diskette that you use when starting your system. A !BOOT DISK"ette. !XREMEMBERY If you ever reboot (restart) your computer by pressing the Ctrl-Alt-Del keystroke combination, you need to have your BOOT DISK in drive A." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !TECHNICAL INFORMATION How it works" Anytime information is sent to the printer, it is inter- cepted and checked out by PRINT_CHARACTERS. If that byte of information is not being sent to your NEC 8023A (printer 1), it's just ignored and sent on its merry way. But, if on the other hand it is going to printer 1, each byte of inform- ation is thoroughly tested. Should it be italics? Or maybe it's some graphics information. A control code? Ah! Some- thing from the Extended Set. Whatever, PRINT_CHARACTERS can handle it and takes appropriate action in each case. This program even makes sure that the Line Graphics Characters have connecting links for between the lines. 3.4 (continued) !XPRINT_CHARACTERSY TECHNICAL INFORMATION" (continued) !NOTES * * * * * * * * * * * * 1)" PRINT_CHARACTERS uses !connecting links" for the !line graphics characters" so that there will not be blank spaces between the horizontal lines of print. To do this the assumption must be made that the line spacing is set to the standard 1/6". Therefore, if you have done any printing of line graphics characters, the !line spacing will be reset to 1/6"" after the first line graphics character. !2)" If you want the best possible hard copy when printing line graphics, !set your NEC 8023A for unidirectional printing". !3) No special interface" is needed to use PRINT_CHARACTERS !with high level computer languages" (BASIC, PASCAL, FORTRAN, ETC) since it is an assembly language program that operates below the level of DOS. !4)" No method that is normally used to send information to the printer needs to be changed for PRINT_CHARACTERS to come into play, because it will intercept all calls to INT 17H. !5)" Of course if you want to !bypass" it, you can do so !by using the OUT command" to the printer adapter address. !6)" If you are an assembly language programmer, to make sure you will access PRINT_CHARACTERS with your programming, !use INT 17H" or one of the DOS level INTerrupts to send your bytes of information to the printer. !7)" All of the characters added to your NEC 8023A with this procedure will print in any of the character pitches. BUT!! If you try to print the !line graphics characters while using" the !proportional pitch", you !will get extremely strange re- sults" since the characters printed in proportional pitch are not usually all the same dot-column width. !8)" You can !use" the !Shift-PrtSc" keystroke to get a copy of a text screen which contains characters above ASCII 126. 3.5 !XPRINTER_SETY" PRINTER_SET is a program that allows you to easily set the var- ious parameters of your NEC 8023A. That is, you can !set" the !Character Pitch, Left Margin", the !Line Spacing, Horizontal Tabs, Page Length, Form Length", and of course, !Vertical Tabs". !PROGRAM USE" PRINTER_SET is entirely menu driven, which is to say, that instructions are included each step of the way. Now this doesn't mean that you cannot bypass the defining of set- tings for each possible parameter just to set the one(1) that you do want to set. But, we'll save that part for later. Once you start PRINTER_SET, you may !set" the !param- eters with a minimum of keystrokes". Some parameters only require one(1) keystroke. And so you will be able to re- member what settings you have made, !PRINTER_SET provides" you with !a print-out of your choices. SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" Before actually doing a !hands-on demonstration", let's learn a little about what it takes when not using PRINTER_SET to establish several of these parameters on the NEC 8023A. Even though you may not have thought of it in exactly this way before, your NEC 8023A is an intelligent printer, a computer even. In fact, it's at least as smart as many of the computers to which it is hooked. It has its own memory and even a built in operating system so that it can under- stand what you (your computer) tell it to do. The NEC 8023A is programmed to recognize specific informa- tion and take special actions when you send it these !COMMAND SEQUENCES" from your computer. There is a complete !list of command sequences in Appendix C", but for now, we will con- cern ourselves only with those that are used with the PRINTER_SET program. !NOTES * * * * * * * * * * * *" Most of the examples will be given in BASIC because that is generally everyone's first language. Whenever we need to send the ESCape code to the printer, we will use the !CHR$ function" which, as stated in your BASIC manual !"converts an ASCII code to its character equivalent"". So, !ESC" becomes !CHR$(27)" and is received by the printer as !1B HEX"adecimal 4.1 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) !XCHARACTER PITCHY" The !pitch" is the name for the number of !characters per inch" which appears in a line of print produced by the printer. There are four(4) available on the NEC 8023A and they are: !PICA - ELITE - PROPORTIONAL - COMPRESSEDT36 *T12 The character pitch is set by sending the printer an ESCapeA code, plus the ASCII code for a specific letter". That is the !control sequence" that the NEC 8023A recognizes as, !SET THE CHARACTER PITCH". The letter (and its decimal code) which corresponds to each pitch is as follows.T36 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --T12 | |A |!PROPORTIONAL - ESC + 80 - P" for proportional | |!PICA - ESC + 78 - N" for normal | |!ELITE - ESC + 69 - E" for elite | |!COMPRESSED - ESC + 81 - Q" for quintessential (what?)| | |T12 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --T36 So, if you wanted to set the pitch to XEliteY while usingA BASIC, you would use: !LPRINT CHR$(27)+CHR$(69) or LPRINT CHR$(27)+"E"" What the printer receives, in HEXadecimal is -- !1BH 45H" ESC E !NOTES * * * * * * * * * * * *" When you first turn on your printer, the !Character Pitch is determined by" the setting of !DIP switch 2-5". The choice at power on is between Pica and Proportional. Unless you have very specific printer needs, it is probably best to have the the switch set to give you Pica Character Pitch and if you need to !make any changes", do it !with control sequences". QL008T36 *T12 As you may know, any information going to the printer is sent in BINary. Your computer will take care ofA the translation (except on the assembly language level) from whatever numbering system you are using. So, from BASIC for instance, to send the letter A to the printer, you may use either LPRINT "A" or LPRINT CHR$(65). See APPENDIX E. NL008 4.2 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) !XLINE SPACINGY" The !Line Spacing" (line feed pitch) refers to the number of !lines per inch", in other words, the distance from the top of one line to the top of the next line. When you turn on the printer, the Line Spacing will be set to 1/6" which gives you 6 lines per inch (66 lines for the standard 11" page). Now, this is a good setting, and for most uses, the most practical. But every now and then, it's nice to be able to change to a different setting, such as when doing graphics printing. Here are the !control sequences" you need !for changing" the !Line Spacing".T36 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --T12 | |A | !1/6" SPACING - ESC + 65" | | !1/8" SPACING - ESC + 66" | | !CUSTOMIZED - ESC + 84 + [XX]" | | |T12 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --T36 [!XX"] is a !two(2) digit number" which determines for how manyA 144ths of an inch the Line Spacing will be set. To set the Line Spacing to 1/8" from BASIC, send: !PRINT CHR$(27)+CHR$(66)or PRINT CHR$(27)+"B"" and the printer will receive in HEX -- !1BH 42H" ESC B Or, to set the Line Spacing to 16/144", which by the way, is what you want for full page graphics so there will be no blanks between the lines, use: !LPRINT CHR$(27)+CHR$(84)+CHR$(49)+CHR$(54)" or !LPRINT CHR$(27)+"T"+"16"" or even !LPRINT CHR$(27)+"T16"" What the printer receives in any case, is -- !1BH 54H 31H 36H" ESC T 1 6 !NOTES * * * * * * * * * * * *" The Line Spacing does not change until you send the printer another control sequence which gives a new setting. 4.3 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) !XHORIZONTAL TABSY" The Horizontal Tab on the NEC 8023A is similar to a tab on a typewriter. The difference is, the tab stops on that old typewriter were set with levers, but on the NEC 8023A we use !control sequences" to set the positions. Here are the codes you will need !for using and adjusting the Horizontal Tabs".T36 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --T12 | |A | !HORIZONTAL TAB - CHR$(09)" | | !SET SPECIFIED TABS - ESC + 40 + [XXX],nnn,nnn,[XXX]." | | !CLEAR SPECIFIED TABS - ESC + 41 + [XXX],nnn,nnn,[XXX]." | | !CLEAR ALL TABS - ESC + 48" | | |T12 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --T36 [!XXX"] is a !three(3) digit number" which represents the numberA of character positions from position zero(0). So, a tab in !the 10th position would be 010. nnn" represents more !three(3) digit numbers" up to a total of thirty-two(32). Notice the !commas" and the !period" at the end. Those are so important that the control sequences will not work without having them included. Here is the code to set Horizontal Tabs at positions 10, 20, and 62 from BASIC. !LPRINT CHR$(27)+CHR$(40)+"010,"+"020,"+"062."" or !LPRINT CHR$(27)+"(010,020,062."" either way the printer receives: !1BH 28H 30H 31H 30H 2CH 30H 32H 30H 2CH 30H 36H 32H 2EH" ESC ( 0 1 0 , 0 2 0 , 0 6 2 . Now let's clear the Horizontal Tabs at positions 10 and 20. !LPRINT CHR$(27)+CHR$(41)+"010,"+"020."" or !LPRINT CHR$(27)+")010,020."" and the printer receives in HEX: !1BH 29H 30H 31H 30H 2CH 30H 32H 30H 2EH" ESC ) 0 1 0 , 0 2 0 . 4.4 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) Sometimes you want to clear all the Horizontal Tabs at once. This may be done with the following code from BASIC. !LPRINT CHR$(27)+CHR$(48) or LPRINT CHR$(27) "0"" the printer receives -- !1BH 30H" ESC 0 !NOTES * * * * * * * * * * * * 1)" You must !use" the !commas to separate each position." With- out them these control sequences will not work. And !don't forget the period" at the end. !2) The actual physical position of each Tab is entirely de- pendent on the Character Pitch which is in effect when the tabs are set." So, if you set tabs in positions 10 and 20 while the pitch is elite, the physical positions will be different from those which result from setting those same tabs while the Pitch is Compressed. !3)" It should also be !remember"ed that !if you set the tabs and then change to a different Character Pitch, the physical positions of the tabs do not change. 4) When you set new tab positions, all those which were previously set are cleared. 5) If you make an error" in sending the control sequence to set Horizontal Tabs, !all existing tabs are cleared. 6)" Setting tabs while the Character Pitch is Proportional, results in the same physical positions being set as if the Pitch had been set to Pica. !7)" Upon the reception of the Tab CHR$(09) the printer moves to the next preset tab position. !8) If no Horizontal Tabs are set" or the print head is at or to the right of the last set position, !the TAB code is ignored" by the printer. !9)" You are able to !set up to thirty-two(32) Horizontal Tabs" at one(1) time. 4.5 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) !XLEFT MARGINY" Setting the !Left Margin determines how close to the left side of the page you will be able to print". The !control sequence" needed !to set the Left Margin" is:T36 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --T12 | |A | !SET LEFT MARGIN - ESC + 76 + [XXX]" | | |T12 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --T36 [!XXX"] is a !three(3) digit number" which represents the numberA of the column in which you wish !to set the Left Margin". If for instance we want to set the Margin in the 7th column, from BASIC we would use: !LPRINT CHR$(27)+CHR$(76)+"007" or LPRINT CHR$(27)+"L007"" the printer receives -- !1BH 4CH 30H 30H 37H" ESC L 0 0 7 !NOTES * * * * * * * * * * * * 1)" When you turn on your NEC 8023A, the Left Margin is always to set position zero(0) the !print head home position. 2)" As with the Horizontal Tabs, the Left Margin is set in a !physical position" which !is dependent on the current" setting of the Character Pitch. !3)" Again, the !physical position remains constant" until you send the control sequence to set a new position, regardless of changes in the Character Pitch. !4)" Setting the Left Margin while the Pitch is Proportional will give the same physical location as if the Pitch had been set to Pica. 4.6 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) !XFORMS (Vertical Format)Y" Almost everyone knows about forms. We use them for every- thing imaginable; to order, purchase, collect, and worst of all, to pay taxes! But, what is a !Vertical Format"? Well, it !is the name" (definition, if you please) !given to the information kept in printer memory that determines the placement for Vetical Tabs (VT), page length, and the last printed line of your forms." And how do you tell the NEC 8023A where you want to put the Vertical Tabs and bottom of form (BOF) locator? If you're like most people, you will use PRINTER_SET. But, since one is only able to set thirteen(13) Vertical Tabs per channel when using PRINTER_SET, some may want to directly handle the Vertical Formating. So, for those people, and also for the rest of us who can always use more knowledge, here's how. !Background Information When you first turn on your NEC 8023A, there is a Vertical Tab (VT) set at line 7 and every 6th line after that." That means that you have available a VT at every inch mark as you proceed down the page (remember the power-on Line Spacing is 1/6" or 6 lines per inch). These are all in channel two(2) and may be accessed by simply using the VT code CHR$(11). !The bottom of form (BOF), is preset at either line 66 or 72 depending on how you have DIP switch 1-4 set." In this case, the Page Length and Form Length are set to the same line, but we'll get to that a litte later. Look at !XFigure 1Y" on page 4.8 to see an example of the !Vertical Format that exists when you power-on with DIP switch 1-4 set for a 66 line form". 4.7 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) X (edge of paper) Y 1 | !TOF" - (1st line) | | 2 | | | 3 | | | 4 | | | 5 | | | 6 | | | 7 | !VT" - (vertical tab) | | 8 | | | 9 | | | 10 | | | 11 | | | 12 | | | 13 | !VT" | | 14 | | | 15 | | | 16 | | | 17 | | | 18 | | | 19 | !VT" | | 20 | | | 21 | | | 22 | | | 23 | | | 24 | . . | | 25 | !VT" . . | | 26.| . . | . | 54 | . . . . | | 55 | !VT" | | 56 | | | 57 | | | 58 | | | 59 | | | 60 | | | 61 | !VT" | | 62 | | | 63 | | | 64 | | | 65 | | | X 66 | !BOF" - last line (bottom of 1st form) | Y | 67 | !TOF" - (1st line of 2nd page) | | 68 | | | 69 | | | 70 | | | 71 | | | 72 | | | 73 | !VT" - (line 7 of 2nd page) | | !XFIGURE 1Y" 4.8 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) Notice that in our example the TOF coincides with the first line of the page. This is not always true. Usually when you look at the hard copy produced by your NEC 8023A, the first line of print is on line six(6). There is an expla- nation. When you take hard copy from the printer, where is the top of the next page? Right! At the edge of the paper cutter. !Even if you know where the actual top of the page is located, the printer does not. The printer will always think that TOF is the leading edge of a page", and it is up to us to make sure that it is. It's not difficult to do, fortunately. !To set your NEC 8023A to print on the first line" of a page, (or form), make sure the leading edge of the page is at the edge of the paper cutter, and then send five(5) reverse line feeds to get into proper position. There are two(2) !special ASCII codes" that are !used when setting the Vertical Format", and they are:T36 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --T12 | |A | !GROUP SEPARATOR (GS) - CHR$(29) - 1D HEX" | | !RECORD SEPARATOR (RS) - CHR$(30) - 1E HEX" | | |T12 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --T36 The three(3) steps necessary !to set the Vertical Format" are:A !1) Send" the GROUP SEPARATOR code, !CHR$(29)." E This tells the printer that, until further notice, all information is to be used to set the Vertical Format. N !2) Send two(2) bytes of information for each line" of the form you are defining. !3) Send" the RECORD SEPARATOR code, !CHR$(30)". E This tells the printer that you are finished sending information about the Vertical Format, so go ahead with normal operations. N The second step is obviously the most complicated, so we'll go through the steps of setting a hypothetical form, as an example. Refer to !XFigure 2Y" on page 4.10 as you follow the example. 4.9 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) 12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789T36 -- -- -- !A" -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- !B" -- -- -- !C" -- -- --T12 |(perforation) voucher No. 11234 |A | | | | | | |!X DATE DESCRIPTION AMOUNT TOTAL | Y" 1 |(1) (2) (3) | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | F | 4 |X Y| O | 5 | check date | R | 6 |!X(4) |totals | |(5) Y"| M | 7 | | PT12 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 8 | !SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT INC" check No. !11234" | L AA 9 | !100 Any Street" | E G 10| !Hometown USA zipcode Date(6)" | N E 11| | G 12| !Pay" to the | T L 13| order of!(7)" Name | H E 14| !(8)" Address !Amount" | | N 15| !(9)" City, State Zip !(10)" |X |Y G 16| | T 17| X Y | H 18| | |T12 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 19|(perforation) voucher No. 11235 | |A 20| | | 21| | | 22| | | 23|!X DATE DESCRIPTION AMOUNT TOTAL | |Y" 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 |X Y| 4 | check date | 5 |X |totals | | Y| 6 | |T12 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 7 | !SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT INC" check No. !11235" |A 8 | !100 Any Street" | 9 | !Hometown USA zipcode Date" | 10| | 11| !Pay" to the | 12| order of | 13| | 14| !Amount" | 15| | 16| | !XFIGURE 2Y"T96 4.10A (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) Let's say that you have been hired by SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT to handle the software program necessary for their computer to handle all the check writing for the company. The checks and vouchers are continuous forms, which appear together as one(1) form. Here is the !information you have. 1)" You !know the order in which the information will be sent to the printer" and what that information is. Here is the list (in order). !A) Date" of the purchase !B) Description" of the purchase !C) Amount" of the purchase *** A, B, and C could be repeated 3 *** *** more times for different items *** !D)" current !Date E) Check Total F)" current !Date G) Name" of payee !H) Adress" of payee !I) City" of payee !J) State" of payee !K) Zipcode" of payee !L) Total" amount of check !2)" You also have !samples of the continuous forms. NOW WHAT!! First" of all, you're in luck. The !information will be sent from the computer in" just the !order" you need it. How con- venient. All you have to do is !determine the placing on the forms for each item" of information, !set the Vertical Format" and a few !Horizontal Tabs", then !add the correct control sequences to the existing computer program". Pretty straight forward. By looking at the form, (both voucher and check), you deter- mine that you only need to !establish the Top-Of-Form (TOF), Page Length (BOF), Form Length and three(3) Vertical Tab stops". Well, this is easy! We can set Vertical Tabs in channel 2 since we only need three(3), and the code to move to a tab in channel 2 is only one(1) byte, instead of the two(2) required for the other channels. 4.11 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) To make this easier to follow, the places on the form where we want to print information, are marked with numbers in italics, such as !(1), (2), ..." !FIRST - Establish the Top-Of-Form (TOF)" This amounts to finding out how many Line Feeds (LF) we would need to send to get from the 1st TOF to the 2nd TOF. !In this case, twenty-three(23). I prefer to refer to this as Page Length" so it doesn't get confused with the Form Length. But, aren't they the same? No! !XREMEMBERY PAGE LENGTH" is the number of lines from one TOF to the next TOF. !FORM LENGTH" is the number of lines from the 1st print posi- tion to the last print position (the last line that we will print on, if you like). !SECOND - Establish the Bottom-Of-Form (BOF) This is the Form Length." And how many lines are there from the top line to the last line of print? Right! Fifteen. So the !BOF will be set in line 15". E But why not use the same number for both Page Length and Form Length? We could. But if you want to make sure that nothing can be mistakenly printed below a certain point on a page, set the BOF at that point. When the printer gets to that line it will print on that line, but any Line Feeds, Vetical Tabs, or TOF commands will cause the printer to advance to the next TOF. N !THIRD - Set the Vertical Tabs" This time we only need Vertical Tabs in lines 6, 10, and 13. !FOURTH - Set the Horizontal tabs" Just three(3). !A" in column 11, !B" in column 37, and !C" in column 49. Remember, we already know how to set Horizontal Tabs from BASIC. Here's how. !LPRINT CHR$(27)+CHR$(40)+"011,037,049."" I love the easy parts. 4.12 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) Now that we know were everthing goes in our Vertical Format, we might as well convert it into code that the NEC 8023A can understand, and go to it.T36 *T12 !XFigure 3Y", on page 4-14, is a representation of how the codeA looks in !BINARY", which !is for the printer", with the !HEX and ASCII codes" included along side, so !we can understand" it. As we mentioned before, we need to send two(2) bytes ofA information for each line of our form. Lucky for us, the second byte of each line is always the same. That makes our job a little easier. As you see from the example, a !line zero(0) and line twenty- five(25)" have been included. These lines have the two(2) codes talked about previously (page 4.9) which tell the printer to start loading Vertical Format information 1D HEX and that we are finished loading 1E HEX. These are !the only lines that only require a single byte". !FINALLY" Here is a BASIC program to set the Vertical Format for the Example Form on page 4.10. !10 WIDTH "LPT1:",255" 'stops BASIC's extra Line Feeds !20 LPRINT CHR$(29);" 'GS code !30 FOR L=1 TO 24" 'number of lines - TOF to TOF !40 READ L" 'read the data bytes for each line !50 LPRINT CHR$(L);" 'send to printer wo/LF !60 LPRINT CHR$(64);" 'send 2nd byte of pair !70 NEXT L" 'repeat until done !80 LPRINT CHR$(30)" 'RS code w/LF to clear buffer !90 LPRINT CHR$(27)+CHR$(40)+"011,037,049."" 'don't forget the horizontal tabs !120 WIDTH "LPT1:",80" 'reset BASIC for printer width 80 !110 END" 'done !200 DATA "65,!64,64,64,64,"66,!64,64,64,"66,!64,64 210 DATA "66,!64,"67,!64,64,64,64,64,64,64,64,"65 QL008T12 * APPENDIX E contains information about converting numbers between counting systems.T48 NL008A 4.13 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) !LN" | !BINARY Bit Placement" | !HEX! | !ASCII" | !X# 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 - 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 | | |Y Byte 1 Byte 2" 0 !0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 (GS code-1 byte) - 1D - 29" 1 !0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1" - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 -!TOF-41" 40 - !65" 64 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 6 !0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0" - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 -!VT- 42" 40 - !66" 64 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 10 !0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0" - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 -!VT- 42" 40 - !66" 64 11 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 13 !0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0" - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 -!VT- 42" 40 - !66" 64 14 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 15 !0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1" - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 -!BOF-43" 40 - !67" 64 16 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 17 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 18 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 19 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 20 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 21 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 22 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 23 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 40 40 - 64 64 24 !0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1" - 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 -!TOF-41" 40 - !65" 64 25 !0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 (RS code-1 byte) - 1E - 30 XFIGURE 3Y" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Is this getting to be too much for you? But we're almost finished!! All we have to do is !add the proper control sequences to our computer check writing program", and we'll be done. Rather than try to guess how the check writing program may be coded, let's just make an ordered list of what the NEC 8023A needs to receive so it can handle the example check/voucher forms. You can worry about rewriting the computer program later. 4.14 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) !FIRST" you need to make sure that the perforation is right at the cutting edge of the printer. With our Example Form, that will put the print head in the correct starting position. A lucky break! !ASSUME" that we have already run the program to set the Vertical Format and the Horizontal Tabs. !ORDERED LIST" of information from computer to printer: !1) Date" of the purchase !a) Horizontal Tab" CHR$(09) to position (2) !2) Description" of purchase !a) Horizontal Tab" to position (3) !3) Amount" of purchase *** If there is more than 1 item being paid for *** *** with this check, then a Line Feed should be *** *** sent here, and 1 thru 3 should be repeated. *** !a) Carriage Return" CHR$(13) !b) Vertical Tab" CHR$(11) to line 6 - position (4) !4)" Current !Date a) Three(3) Horizontal Tabs" to position (5) !5)" Check !Total a) Carriage Return b) Vertical tab" to line 10 !c) Two(2) Horizontal Tabs" to position (6) !6)" Current !Date a) Carriage Return b) Vertical Tab" to line 11 !c) Horizontal Tab" to position (7) !7) Name" of payee !a) Carriage Return b) Line Feed" to line 12 !c) Horizontal Tab" to position (8) !8) Address" of payee !a) Carriage Return b) Line Feed" to line 13 !c) Horizontal Tab" to position (9) !9) City" of payee (!+ a comma and space") !10) State" of payee (!+ a double space") !11) Zipcode" of payee !a) Horizontal Tab" to position (10) !12) Total" amount of check !a) Carriage return b) Form Feed" to the next form - position (1) 4.15 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) There!! We did it. We actually made it through the setting of a Vertical Format, and it's even usable. Great!! Now you can appreciate the value of PRINTER_SET. It takes care of all the fun stuff you just learned about. !ALMOST FINISHED!" What if you need more that the limit of thirteen(13) Verti- cal Tabs that you can set in channel 2 while using PRINTER_ SET? What is the control sequence that lets you tab to the stops in the other four(4) channels? Never fear! !XVERTICAL TABSY" Here are the two(2) Vetical Tab codes. One of them is a control sequence that may be be used two(2) different ways.T36 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --T12 | |A | !VERTICAL TAB (VT) - CHR$(11)" [channel 2 only] | | !UNIT SEPARATOR (US) - CHR$(31) + [XX]" | | |T12 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --T36 [!XX"] !is" a number which describes !either the channel number"A which contains the Vertical Tab Stop !or the number of lines to advance". Here we go. BINary and HEXadecimal numbers again. Oh well. This time it really is easier to understand. Believe me? Look at !XFigure 4Y". * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * !SECOND BYTE (follows immediately after US code)" ! Xtype | 7 6 5 4 - 3 2 1 0 | limits | meaning Y" | !A" - 0 0 0 0 - 0 !x x x" - 0 < total > 7 - !Channel Number" | | !B" - 0 0 0 1 - !x x x x" - 0 < total > 16 - !Number of Lines" | !TYPE A" is always !greater than CHR$(00) - 00 HEX" channel number and !less than CHR$(07) - 07 HEX TYPE B" is always !greater than CHR$(16) - 10 HEX" number of lines and !less than CHR$(31) - 20 HEX XFIGURE 4Y" 4.16 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) Let's look at the two(2) ways in reverse order, just to be different. !TYPE B The 1st of the two(2) bytes" necessary, !is always the same. US - CHR$(31) - 1F HEX" It's !only the 2nd byte" that !changes" and that has a range which is between CHR$(16) and CHR$(31). In other words, we are allowed to tab a distance that is either greater than zero(0) lines, or less than sixteen(16) lines. So if for instance, we want to !tab vertically", using this method, for a distance of !10 lines", the code would be: !LPRINT CHR$(31)+CHR$(26)" and the printer will receive in HEX - !1FH 1AH" 1AH in BINary is !0001-1010" Obviously we are limited to a total distance of fifteen(15) lines at a time with this control sequence. !TYPE A" Again, the 1st of the two(2) bytes is always the same. !US - CHR$(31) - 1F HEX" This time, the 2nd byte has a range which is between CHR$(00) and CHR$(07). After all, we only have channel numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. So what's the CHR$(01) for then? Oh, you can use that to move directly to the next TOF if you feel like it. Now, let's use this method to move to a !vertical tab" which we have previously set !in channel 5. LPRINT CHR$(31)+CHR$(05)" and the printer will receive in HEX - !1FH 05H" 05H in BINary is !0000-0101 Don't forget that Appendix E has information on converting between counting systems if you need it." See, this was easier than you thought it would be! We'll just make a few notes, and then move on to PRINTER_SET. 4.17 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY SETTING PRINTER PARAMETERS" (continued) !NOTES * * * * * * * * * * * * 1) The maximum form length (number of lines) is 96. 2)" If certain !mistakes" are made setting the Vertical Format, the printer will !revert to the preprogrammed format. 3)" The !physical placement of Vertical Tabs is" entirely !dependent on the current Line Spacing". That is, the tabs are set in given line numbers. So, if Vertical Tabs are set in lines 1, 7, 13, ..., (power-on settings), the measured distance between tabs will be 1", assuming of course, that the Line Spacing is set to the standard 1/6". If the Line Spacing is then changed to 48/144", (1/3"), the measured distance will become 2". !4)" Likewise, !the combination of Line Spacing and Page Length" will !establish the actual" measured !length" of a page. !5) If the print head is at or beyond the last Vertical Tab, (any channel), upon reception of a VT, (to that channel number), the printer will move to the next TOF. 6)" Although it's true that when setting the Vertical Format, !bits 7" of !BYTE 1" and !bits 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1" of !BYTE 2 may be" set to !either 1 or 0", it appears to be much simpler to follow the logic if each is set to zero(0). !7) If the Line Spacing is 1/6"", (power-on value), !the print head will print on the 6th line from the paper cutting edge". Therefore, using five(5) Reverse Line Feeds, will place the print head on the 1st line of a page which previously had its leading edge posiotioned at the paper cutting edge. !8) It is the responsibility of the operator to adjust the beginning print position, (with software or by physical means), to enable the printer to utilize the Vertical Format correctly. 9)" It is essential that !the GS code precedes and the RS code follows the sending of Vertical Format information" to the printer. !10) If using BASIC to set the Vertical Format," be sure to disable !the automatic (Line Feed + Carriage Return) sequence" which !is sent after each group of 80 characters". 4.18 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY INSTALLATION" If you will only need to set your printer one(1) time for each computing session, then you may want to use the old reliable AUTOEXEC.BAT file to call it up when you turn on your computer. The line to call it should appear in the file after PRNT-SCN and PRNT-CHR and should read as follows: !PRNT-SET" I think though, that by now you should be able to make up a new AUTOEXEC.BAT file without further instructions or by referring back to those given on pages 3.3 and 3.4. So, to save you the druggery of more advice about AUTOEXEC.BAT files, I'll just forge ahead. !XREMBEMBERY Nothing extra!! Just follow the directions. DEMONSTRATION 1)" Put !THE DEMO DISK" in !drive A". !2)" Make sure you have the correct DOS prompt, !A>". !3)" Type !PRNT-SET" and press !ENTER". E What you now see is the mandatory copyright notice and title page. You are offered three(3) choices, but since you want to learn how to use this program, let's not press Q and stop just yet. N !4)" Press !I". E Do you feel reassured? N !5)" Press !S" for start. E eters other than during the setting of forms. But, since this is a tutorial on the program's use, it will be much simpler if you make the settings in the same order as the demonstration this first time. After that, it's up to you. So, with that in mind, let's go. N 4.19 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY DEMONSTRATION" (continued) !6)" Set the !Character Pitch" by pressing !P". E Did you notice a change in the screen? The !top portion" of the display !is your data storage area" and now the word !XpitchY" is high-lighted with reverse video. The !bottom portion" of the screen also changed. This !is our work area". Every time you choose which parameter to set, the top and bottom portions of the screen will change to reflect your choice. N !7)" So, follow the directions on the screen and make your choice. How about !Compressed" this time? Press !C". E Look at your printer output. You should see the sentence: Q The character pitch is now set to compressed. E Kind of small isn't it? Let's change it to Elite so you can read it. N !8)" Type !P" and then type !E", for Pitch and Elite. E Now look at the print out. A little easier to read? Good. You will probably have noticed by now that after you make a setting, The program moves back to the main menu automatically and waits for your next choice. How about setting the Line Spacing next? N !9)" Type !L" for Line Spacing. E As before, Both portions of the screen have changed to reflect your choice. Now we have to start dealing with numbers. If you want to set either of the most often used Line Spacings, You still only need letters, !S" and !A". But since that's pretty similar to what we just did with the Character Pitch and we will need to use numbers for some of the other set- tings, we might as well start now. As you can see from the display, we can set the Line Spacing on a NEC 8023A anywhere from 02/144" to 98/144". But the screen says !"decimal numbers between 01 and 99"." That's right. !BETWEEN !!" Let's try a setting of 48/144". N 4.20 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY DEMONSTRATION" (continued) !10)" Type !48" and press !ENTER". E Check the print out. See. The Line Spacing is changed. And our storage area at the top of the screen displays a reminder. Now to set the left margin. N !11)" Type !L". E! Did you do it?" Did you fall for the trick? Well there was a reason to trick you. It's time to explain about the line that keeps appearing at the bottom of your screen. !(X) to set other parameters." If for some reason you find yourself looking at a display for setting a parameter you don't wish to set, just type X, sometimes you also need to press !ENTER", and it gets you back to the main menu ready to make another choice. You should do that now !(press x)". N !12)" No more tricks! Type !M" for Left Margin. E Now you need a 3-digit decimal number from 000 to 120. And it does mean a 3-digit number. If you want to set the Left Margin at 2 spaces from the left of the page, !you must type 002 not 2". This time we will set the Margin at 10 spaces from the left of the page. N !XREMEMBERY The physical location of the Left Margin is dependent upon the Character Pitch in effect when the Margin is defined. Its physical location does not change if the Character Pitch is changed thereafter, unless it is redefined. 13)" Type !010" and press !ENTER". E See! The print out is set to a new Left Margin. How about a few Horizontal Tab stops. N !14)" Press !H" for Horizontal Tabs. E Again we need 3-digit decimal numbers like we used for setting the Left Margin. But this time, since we have more than one number, we also have to separate them with commas. Remember that from earlier? And I suppose you also remembered the period. Well, PRINTER_SET includes the period automatially, so it's not needed this time. Let's set the Horizontal Tabs that we used in our example on page 4.10. N 4.21 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY DEMONSTRATION" (continued) !15)" Type !011,037,049" and press !ENTER". E The screen changes to show our new settings. N !XREMEMBERY" Don't forget that you need to !enter 3-digit numbers" when you set Horizontal Tab stops, !(separated with commas)", and that typing !C will clear any tabs" that might be set. !When you set new Horizontal Tabs, all those previously set are cleared." So, if you need any that were set previously, you must include them. !The physical location of Horizontal Tabs is dependent upon the Character Pitch is effect when they are established." Changing the Character Pitch does not move the location of the tabs which are set. !16)" Press !F" and we'll set a Form. E This time we need 2-digit numbers to define our Page Length. You remember what the difference is between Page Length and Form Length is, don't you? !PAGE LENGTH = TOF to TOF" (1st lint to 1st line) !FORM LENGTH = TOF to BOF" (last line with print) We'll stay with our example (page 4.10), so !the Page Length is 23". N !17)" Type !23" and press !ENTER". E Now! If you remember, !the Form Length is 15". So,... N !18)" Type !15" and press !ENTER". E Check the screen. Does it display the Page and Form Lengths you wanted? Good. The print-out matches, of course. Now we'll set our Vertical Tabs. We still need 2-digit numbers, and again, commas to separate them. Staying with our example, we only need channel 2. N 4.22 (continued) !XPRINTER_SETY DEMONSTRATION" (continued) !19)" Type !06,10,13" and press !ENTER". E The upper portion of the display changes to reflect our choices, and the lower portion is now ready to accept more input from us. Since we only need to set Vertical Tabs in channel 2, (this time), we can use a short cut to finish with the setting of the Vertical Format. Of course we could type C and press ENTER, but that gives us extra print-out that we don't really need. N !20)" Type !N" for next, and press !ENTER". E See the change in the display. It changed to the next channel and is waiting for more input. Well, we don't have any more, so,... N !21)" Type !N" and press !ENTER". E Go ahead and !repeat this until you get to channel 6. Then, do it again." Did you notice the NEC 8023A do a Line Feed? That means that the information has been received by the printer. When you define Vertical Tabs for channel 6, you will get extra Line Feeds. That's normal, because PRINTER_SET clears the printer buffer with a LF each time it sends information. The Vertical Format is now set!! The PAGE LENGTH, FORM LENGTH, and each VERTICAL TAB is in place. It's all ready for you to use. How do you like PRINTER_SET? Is it easier than BASIC? It sure is faster. We're done with PRINTER_SET for now. Let's quit. N !22)" Type !Q". E Great! The printer even clears the paper with all the printing on it. Notice that the Form Feed (FF) will appear to be different from the Page Length that you have just defined. But it is only an illusion. PRINTER_SET establishes the new TOF after you have finished setting the Vertical Tabs for each channel. Therefore, this gives the appearance of an in- correct TOF. Not so! Of course, it does mean that you will have to use manual means, (turn the carriage until the paper perforation is at the edge of the paper cutter), to make sure the TOF and the edge of paper are the same. N 4.23 (continued) !XPRINTER_SET REMEMBERY" Now that you have made it through PRINTER_SET one time, here are a few pointers to keep in mind. !1)" PRINTER_SET is invoked (started) by typing PRNT-SET and pressing ENTER. !2)" Even though the Title Page makes no mention of it, !you are able to move directly to making settings by typing the letter of the parameter you wish to set". So,... !P" - Character Pitch !L" - Line Spacing !M" - Left Margin !H" - Horizontal Tabs !F" - Forms (page and form length plus vertical tabs) !3)" If you view the Instruction Page after making settings to the various parameters, the upper portion of the display, will no longer show the settings you had previously made. This does not, however affect the settings on the printer, but only the screen reminder. !4)" The Character Pitch in effect when the Horizontal Tabs and Left Margin are set, determines their actual physical position. Therefore, it is a good idea to set the Character Pitch first. !5)" It is possible to set Horizontal Tabs to the left of the Left Margin where they can not be accessed. For instance, if the Left Margin is set at 20 and Horizontal Tabs are set in column 5 and 15, the Tabs can not be accessed. Further more, you can confuse the printer by trying. !6)" Once you have begun to make setting to the Vertical Format, (Forms), you can no longer use the X to return to the main menu. You are still able to return before setting the Page Length, though. !7)" The Page Length and Form Length you choose are dependent upon the Line Spacing. If for instance, you currently have a Form and/or Page Length which is 66 lines, (the power-on settings), and then change the Line Spacing from the stand- ard 1/6" setting to a setting of 1/2", the measured Form and/or Page Length will triple from 11" to 33". The number of lines, however, is not changed. 4.24 (continued) !XPRINTER_SET REMEMBERY" (continued) !8)" When using PRINTER_SET to set the Vertical Format, (the Page Length specifically), you should enter the number of lines from TOF to TOF. That is, the length of one(1) page. For instance, if you refer to the example on page 4.10, this value is 23 lines. Don't be confused by the BASIC program example on page 4.13 which appears to be using 24 lines for Page Length. The program is just using the FOR...NEXT loop to set the next TOF, not defining a 24 line page. In short, PRINTER_SET will set the next TOF in the line which follows the number of lines you specify for Page Length. !9)" Even though the screen instructions do not mention it, you may use a CARRIAGE RETURN by itself to move to the next channel number. It is not absolutely necessary to use the "N" option. !10)" You are able to use the BACKSPACE key to make changes to previous input, but only before pressing ENTER. !11)" Any attempt to make keystrokes which are not acceptable, will result in a low pitched error tone. !12)" It is possible however, to make incorrect entries by not entering keystrokes in the acceptable formats. So, if for instance, you enter 5 instead of 005 in an attempt to set the Left Margin in column five(5), the Margin will not be set. Likewise, Vertical Tabs entered as 005,010,040 are incorrect, and will not be set. 4.25 !XWORD PROCESSINGY" There are an uncountable number of word processing packages on the market, some good, some not so good. But, they all share a common weakness. They make it difficult, if not impossible, for us to use the many advanced features of our printers. As a rule, this is because word processors don't have a way for us to send control sequences to the printer from within the docu- ments we have written. Fortunately, those who are bringing new word processor programs to market have realized this deficiency. Some of the newest additions have buit in "patch" areas which allow us to insert the codes our printer needs to do its thing. Others don't use "patches", but instead allow us to "imbed" our control sequences directly into the text. One thing you must remember about using your NEC 8023A with many, if not most of the newer word processors. The word processor usually is very greedy and wants to have total con- trol of your printer. What this means is that you should not use PRINTER_SET to establish any of the parameters on your NEC 8023A. The wordprocessor will take care of everything. For the remainder of this chapter, we will concern ourselves with specific word processing programs that are available. The inclusion or exclusion of a specific word processor in no way reflects on the quality of that program. If anything, the exclusion of a program means that the information just wasn't available at the time of publishing. !NOTICE" This is one of the most important chapters to many users of the NEC 8023A UTILITIES. Since it's practically impossible for one person to test PRINT_CHARACTERS with each word processor on the market, it is up to you, the user, to keep this chapter up to date. If after using PRINT_CHARACTERS with your word processor for a time, you feel able to either add to the information on one of the coverd word processors, or to add coverage for a new one, please send your information to the author for inclusion in future versions. 5.1 !XWORD PROCESSINGY T12 tm WORDSTAR"T48 A This is probably the most used word processor on the IBM PC. WordStar is very versatile. In fact, it probably has something for everyone. Unfortunately, there are many WordStar features that aren't recognized as being useable with the NEC 8023A dot matrix printers. Well, this section will correct that lack of recognition, by showing you how to use most of the advanced features of your NEC 8023A when you use WordStar. The newest version (3.3) of WordStar comes with an installation program which will allow you to set many of the features we will be discussing. But many people, for one reason or an- other, have never bothered to update to the new version. So, with that in mind, we will use the utility program DEBUG.COM which came with your copy of PC DOS, to make the patches. That way, everyone will be able to make use of this information even if they don't have the WordStar installation program. !Don't worry!" You won't have to know how to use DEBUG.COM to do these patches. Simple step-by-step instructions are provided for adding each individual feature. If you only want to add some of the features, instead of all of them, you will be able to do that too. We'll do these patches using only one(1) drive, even though you may have two(2) available. The first thing you need to do, is prepare a diskette to work on. Once the diskette is ready, you can use it repeatedly to prepare copies of WordStar that are configured differently for each of your word processing needs. Here's the list of what you need, to add the advanced features to your copy of WordStar. !A newly FORMATTED diskette that includes a copy of DOS. Add these files" to the diskette. !DEBUG.COM WS.COM" a working copy We'll call this the !WORK DISK". * * * * * * * * * * * * * Put the diskette into !drive A" and make sure you have the DOS prompt !A>". !XNow!! We are ready to begin.Y" 5.2 !XWORD PROCESSINGY T12 tm WORDSTAR" (continued)T48 A For most of the patches, you will need to make changes to several consecutive memory locations. This is easy to do by using the DEBUG command !E"nter. Here is an example, showing the exact keystrokes necessary to make a change. Note that all the numerical values are in !HEX"adecimal. Since that is how DEBUG displays them, we'll stick with the same numbering system. !XEXAMPLEY Set the Default Character Pitch to PICA XThe instructions will show:Y E xxxx:0770 02 1B 4E xxxx" = the segment of the current memory location It doesn't matter what the segment is. !XPrepare to make the changes by:Y" Typing !E 0770", and pressing !ENTER". !XThe screen will display:Y xxxx:0770 zz zz" = the current contents of the memory location !XTo make the changes, your keystrokes will be:Y" Type !02", press the !Space Bar", type !1B", press the !Space Bar", type !4E" and press !ENTER". E If !zz" is already set to the value you wish, then simply press the !Space Bar", or if you are at the end of the string, press !ENTER". N 5.3 !XWORD PROCESSINGY T12 tm WORDSTAR" (continued)T48 A !NOTES * * * * * * * * * * * * 1)" You only press !ENTER" after inputting the entire string. The !Space Bar" is used to move from one memory location to the next. !2)" If you make a mistake, !DON'T WORRY!" Just repeat the instructions for that particular patch until you get it correct. !3)" Although the section about DEBUG in your PC DOS manual may appear to be a bit cryptic at first, you will surely benefit from a close study of the chapter. !TO START 1)" Put the !WORK DISK" into !drive A". Make sure you have the correct prompt, !A>". !2)" Type !DEBUG WS.COM" and press !ENTER". E This starts DEBUG and loads the WordStar program to memory. N !3)" Now. Just follow the directions for each of the features you wish to set. You may set as few as one(1) or as many as are listed before ending. It's up to you. !TO END 1)" Type !W" and press !ENTER". E This !W"rites the changes to the !WORK DISK". N !2)" Type !Q" and press !ENTER". E This ends this session with DEBUG. !XTo make a copy of the changed WordStar program on anotherY Xdiskette, do the following.Y N With the changed WS.COM in drive A:" Type !COPY WS.COM B:" and press !ENTER". E Remember, these instructions are for a 1 drive system. N 5.4 !XWORD PROCESSINGY T12 tm WORDSTAR" (continued)T48 A !PATCH LIST XSet the Default Character Pitch to PICAY E xxxx:0770 02 1B 4E" - sets the printer to PICA !E xxxx:037B 00" - tells WS pica is the default !E xxxx:037C 0C" - tells WS the character width is 12/120" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !XSet the Alternate Character Pitch to ELITEY E xxxx:076B 02 1B 45" - sets the printer to ELITE !E xxxx:037D 0A" - tells WS the character pitch is 10/120" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !XEnable Mutiple-Strike printingY E xxxx:0746 FF" - allows CR with out a LF !E xxxx:0747 03" - sets ^PB to three(3) strikes !E xxxx:0748 02" - sets ^PD to two(2) strikes ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !XAllows ESC to be sent to the PrinterY E xxxx:0789 01 1B" - sets ^PE to ESC ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !XAllow Italics printing with PRINT_CHARACTERS installedY E xxxx:077F 01 12" - sets ^PQ to toggle italics 5.5 !XWORD PROCESSINGY T12 tm WORDSTAR" (continued)T48 A !PATCH LIST" (continued) !XEnable use of the printer's Continuous UnderlineY E xxxx:078E 02 1B 58" - sets ^PR to Underline ON !E xxxx:0784 02 1B 59" - sets ^PW to Underline OFF ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !XEnable use of the printer's Boldface printingY E xxxx:0793 02 1B 21" - sets ^PY to toggle !E xxxx:0798 02 1B 22" - Boldface print ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !XAllows a half line feed for ScriptingY E xxxx:075E 07 1B 54 31 32 0A 1B 41" - sends printer a half LF ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~T36 !scriptingT12 XEnable SuperYA E xxxx:08AD 03 1B 72 0A" - set ^PT for a reverse half line feed ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~T36 !XEnable SubYT12 scriptingA E xxxx:08A8 03 1B 66 0A" - set ^PV for a forward half line feed ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !XChange the Stike-out CharacterY E xxxx:07C1 5C" - changes strike-out character from a - to a \ 5.6 !XWORD PROCESSINGY T12 tm WORDSTAR" (continued)T48 A !PATCH LIST" (continued) !XChange the WordStar Underline to PRINT_CHARACTER's UnderlineY E xxxx:07C2" - changes WS underline]_________ to a true underline] ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !XSet Printer - InitializationY E xxxx:079D 10 1B 4E 1B 41 1B 4C 30 30 30 1B 66 1B 5D 1B 3C 0D" This will set the printer to: - PICA Character Pitch - Line Spacing at 1/6" - Left Margin at Zero(0) - Forward Line Feed direction - Logic Seek printing - Bidirectional printing - Carriage Return to Left Margin ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !XReset Printer - FinalizationY E xxxx:07AE 04 1B 4E 0D 0B" This will reset the printer to: - PICA Character Pitch - Carriage Return to Left Margin - Form Feed to end of last printed page 5.7 !XWORD PROCESSINGY T12 tm WORDSTAR" (continued)T48 A !PATCH ADDRESS SUMMARY" Here is a list of the storage locations which hold the printer codes that make up our NEC 8023A patches. !WS XADDRESS CODE FUNCTION HEX CODEY" :037B tells WS Pica is default !00" :037C set character width to 12/120" !0C" :037D set character width to 10/120" !0A" :0746 allows mutiple stike printing !FF" :0747 ^PB set WS for triple strike print !TOGGLE 03" :0748 ^PD set WS for double strike print !TOGGLE 02" :075E allows half Line Feeds !07 1B 54 31 32 0A 1B 41" :076B ^PA sets printer to Elite pitch !02 1B 45" :0770 ^PN sets printer to Pica pitch !02 1B 4E" :077F ^PQ sets printer to Italics !01 12" :0784 ^PW turns OFF printer underline !02 1B 59" :0789 ^PE sends an ESC to the printer !01 1B" :078E ^PR turns ON printer underline !02 1B 58" :0793 ^PY turns ON printer Boldface !02 1B 21"T12 !{TOGGLE" :0798 ^PY turns OFF printer Boldface !02 1B 22"A :079D initialize printer (set) !10 1B 4E 1B 41 1B 4C 30 30 30 1B 66 1B 5D 1B 3C 0D" :07AE finalize printer (reset) !04 1B 4E 0D 0B" :07C1 ^PX sets strike-out to \ !TOGGLE 5C" :07C2 ^PS allows a true WS underline !TOGGLE FF" :08A8 ^PV forward half LF for sub scripts !03 1B 66 0A" :08AD ^PT reverse half LF for superscripts !03 1B 72 0A" T48 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~A !WordStar TOGGLES" The WordStar printer control codes which are !TOGGLES" are always used in pairs. !ALWAYS!!" And unless you want to confuse both WordStar and PRINT_CHARACTERS, you should !NEST" these toggle codes. For instance. Instead of: !^Y^Q^B"Boldface, italics and tripple-strike.!^Y^B^Q" use: !^Y^Q^B"Boldface, italics and tripple-strike.!^B^Q^Y" 5.8 !XWORD PROCESSINGY T12 tm WORDSTAR" (continued)T48 A !PRINTER CONTROL CODE LIST" Here is a list of the ^P codes you use with WordStar and an explaination of what each one does. This list assumes that PRINT_CHARACTERS is installed and you have made all of the patches to your working copy of WordStar. !CODE ACTION" ^PA select Alternate pitch - Elite ^PB Triple strike printing - !TOGGLE" ^PC causes printer to pause ^PD Double strike printing - !TOGGLE" ^PE causes ESC to be sent to printer ^PF print Phantom Space character ^PG print Phantom Rubout character ^PH Overprint next character ^PL causes a Form Feed to top of next page ^PN select Normal pitch - Pica ^P0 insert a Non-break Space in text ^PQ selects Italics characters - !TOGGLE" ^PR Printer Underline - !ON" ^PS WordStar Underline - !TOGGLE" ^PT Superscript - !TOGGLE" ^PV Subscript - !TOGGLE" ^PW Printer Underline - !OFF" ^PX Strike-out characters - !TOGGLE" ^PY select printer Boldface - !TOGGLE" 5.9 !XWORD PROCESSINGY T12 tm WORDSTAR" (continued)T48 A !PRINTER CONTROL CODE LIST" (continued) There are several special printer functions that can be invoked only by using a !^P" code plus one or more of the key strokes that follow. Remember that ^PE sends the ESC character to the printer. !X KEY STROKES ACTION Y General Printer Control" ^PE[ sets printer to Incremental print mode ^PE] sets printer to Logic Seek print mode !Horizontal Movement" ^PE3C sets printer to Bidirectional printing ^PE3E sets printer to Unidirectional printing ^PELxxx sets Left Margin at column xxx !Vertical Movement" ^PEf sets Line Feed direction to Forward ^PEr sets Line Feed direction to Reverse ^PETxx sets Line Spacing to xx/144" !Manipulation of Printable Characters" ^PEP sets printer to Proportional pitch ^PPQ sets printer to Compressed pitch 5.10 !XWORD PROCESSINGY T12 tm WORDSTAR" (continued)T48 A !XREMEMBERY 1)" ALWAYS use the toggle codes in pairs. !2)" Be sure that you nest the toggle codes properly. !3)" Do not attempt to carry italics from one line to the next. Rather, use !^PQ" at the end of the first line and again at the beginning of the next line. E For instance, !^PQ"we'll use italics for part of this!^PQ" !^PQ"sentence for emphasis.!^PQ N 4)" Likewise, you must turn off the Printer Underline at the end of a line and turn it on again at the beginning of the next. E !^PR"We'll use the Printer Underline for this entire!^PW" !^PR"sentence to show how it is turned off and on.!^PW N 5)" In a line that has either Superscript or Subscript, you must use the WordStar Underline !^PS" for acceptable results. 5.11 !XWORD PROCESSINGY T12 tm VOLKSWRITER"T48 A If you're using one of the earlier versions of Volkswriter, it's very easy to make use of all the features added by PRINT_ CHARACTERS. In fact, the only special code you need to remem- ber is ASCII 18, used to turn italics ON and OFF. But, if on the other hand, you use Volkswriter Deluxe, things may be a bit more interesting, since this version reserves all of the ASCII codes below ASCII 32 for its own use. Although it appears that it may be possible to invoke italics by making use of the printer translation table, the obvious way to set the printer (PRINT_CHARACTERS) for italics is to use the !..verb (VERBatum) dot command" so that all reserved ASCII codes are sent unchanged to the printer. SO! To print a word, (or words), in italics, your document would appear this way on the screen. ![xx] = ASCII 18 E ..verb This is a test of [xx]italics[xx] printing. ..norm" N And it should print out like this. E !This is a test of italics printing." N 5.12 !XWORD PROCESSINGY T12 tm FINALWORD"T48 A This is one(1) of the few word processors available that will allow the use of the Proportional Characters available on the NEC 8023A. That is, it actually does print the proportional characters correctly, with microspacing if necessary. The only problem is that when we are using the proportional character set, we can't do italics printing or else FinalWord will get extremely confused as to where it is on a line of print. The only special thing that needs to be done when using this word processor has to do with our printer switch settings. If you look on page A.1, you will see that it is recommended that !Lever 6 on Switch 1 should be OPEN". Well, !FinalWord requires that this Lever(6) be CLOSED". Even though this appears to be an unusual setting, it should cause no problems with your other software. 5.13