Hall of Fame/HallofFameCDROM.cdr/util3/textbuf.lzh/TEXTBUF.DOC

Text File | 1988-06-02 | 19.4 KB | 517 lines

                          *****   TextBuf   *****
                                Version 1.1

                  Copyright (c) 1985,1986 by Gary Chapman
                           All rights reserved

             ******************************************************
             TextBuf is "User-Supported Software".  If you use this
             software, a contribution of 25 dollars would be appre-
             ciated.  Send to

                             Gary Chapman
                             484 Seventh Street #1
                             Brooklyn, New York 11215

             Please feel free to duplicate and distribute this
             software (although NOT for profit) to other PC users.
             ******************************************************


                                  Contents
                   *************************************
                   About TextBuf

                   About This Manual

                   Hardware Requirements
                   Software Requirements
                   TextBuf  Restrictions

                   How TextBuf Works

                   Configuring Your Disks

                   How to Use TextBuf
                   Loading TextBuf
                   Quitting TextBuf
                   TextBuf Commands

                   A Sample TextBuf Session

                   The Startkey Utility Program

                   Error Messages
                   *************************************


About TextBuf
*************

TextBuf is a program which augments the other software you use. It allows you
to:

     -> select text from your screen and save it in memory;
     -> edit that text, if you wish; and later
     -> paste that text directly into another program.

The idea is akin to the "cut-and-paste" operation which is part of most
wordprocessing programs.  With TextBuf, however, it's really "copy-and-paste",
since no text is actually "cut" (i.e. deleted).

For example, a column of numbers from a spreadsheet can easily be transfered
into a word processing document.  Or you can store text which you see on your
screen during a communications session; later you can insert that information
into a database or a wordprocessing document.

You can also use all of TextBuf's features within a single program (e.g., to
retain text which you want to use later).

Unlike some programs which offer primitive "copy-and-paste" facilities, TextBuf
provides you with an assortment of features for setting the copying and pasting
options to your own preferences.  TextBuf allows you to:

     -> select columns of text (important for spreadsheet applications)
     -> select non-adjacent sections of text from your screen
     -> paste text all at once or a "line at a time"
     -> save in succession a number of text selections from the screen
     -> edit text that you have saved
     -> print the saved text
     -> use the "text buffer" as a simple word processor for short documents.


About this Manual
*****************

This manual gives instructions for using TextBuf on your personal computer.  It
begins with a description of how TextBuf works, then tells you how to start the
program on your machine, and finally describes each TextBuf command or option.

It is assumed that you have a basic familiarity with the PC and the DOS
operating system.


Hardware Requirements
*********************

To use TextBuf, you should have an IBM PC (PC/XT/AT) or close compatible
running PC- or MS-DOS (version 2.0 or higher) and containing a minimum of 256Kb
of RAM memory.  Since TextBuf itself uses approximately 34Kb of RAM, you must
have sufficent memory to accomodate your operating system (approximately 20Kb),
TextBuf, and whatever application program you wish to run.


Software Requirements
*********************

You must also be using text-oriented software on your PC, such as most
wordprocessing, spreadsheet, database, and communications programs.  Although
TextBuf will not function when your PC is producing graphics, it will not
interfere with the operation of such programs.


TextBuf Restrictions
********************

TestBuf can store a maximum of 4000 characters in its text buffer, enough for
two completely full screens of text.

You must load TextBuf before running your own PC software; do not try to run
TextBuf from "within" another program.

TextBuf may or may not work in conjunction with certain PC software packages
which take direct, very low-level, control of the computer.  For example, other
"resident" software packages may conflict with TextBuf.


How TextBuf Works
*****************

TextBuf must be installed before you run your other software.  It then waits in
the background until you press a special sequence of keys to "wake it up" and
use one of its features.

After TextBuf is loaded, it looks at each of your keystrokes to see if you are
calling upon it.  If not, the keys you press are passed along to your main
application program (just as if TextBuf were not present):

If you press the special "start keys", however, TextBuf knows that you wish to
use one of its commands for saving, pasting, editing, or printing text.

Say that you give the command to select text from the screen.  TextBuf takes
direct control of your screen, allows you to select the text you desire, and
then stores that text in a reserved area of memory we call the text buffer:

Later, if you then tell TextBuf to "paste" the saved text into your main
application, it takes characters from the text buffer (instead of from the
keyboard) and reports them to your application program, just as if you had
typed them on the keyboard:

In each case, after you are done with a TextBuf function, control of the
computer is returned to your main application.


Configuring Your Disks
**********************

Normally, in order to use TextBuf, it will be most convenient if you load
TextBuf into memory when you first start your computer.  You should therefore
put a copy of the TextBuf program on any disks you use to "boot" your system.


How to Use TextBuf
******************

You begin by loading TextBuf into memory before running your main application
(e.g. a word processor, spreadsheet, etc).  Later, when you wish to use
TextBuf, you press its special start keys.  At that point, TextBuf's various
commands (invoked by pressing function keys) become available to you.

The "factory-set" start keys for TextBuf are

                                 Alt  Z

although you may change this default setting if Alt Z is used by one of more of
your other applications (see the section below on the Startkey utility
program).

Please note: to use Alt Z, press down the "Alt" and "Z" keys simultaneously.


Loading TextBuf
***************

To load the TextBuf program, first be sure you are in a disk directory which
contains the file "TEXTBUF.COM"  (the root directory of drive A, or drive C if
you have a hard disk). Then run the program by typing the command:

                                 textbuf

followed by a carriage return.  You should see a message on your screen with
the name of the program and a copyright notice.  If, on the other hand, you see
an error message, there has been a problem in loading TextBuf (see the section
below on Error Messages).

Assuming that you have encountered no problem, TextBuf is now loaded into
memory and is waiting for you to "wake it up" by pressing the Alt Z key
combination.


Quitting TextBuf
****************

Once Textbuf is installed, you can only remove it from your system by
rebooting the computer (by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del), or by turning the machine
off and then on again. You need do this only if you find that, with Textbuf
installed, you have insufficient memory to run an application program.


TextBuf Commands
****************

In order to use one of TextBuf's functions, you must first press the start keys
(Alt Z, unless you change it with the Startkey program).  You can then give a
specific Textbuf command depending upon what you wish to do.

After pressing Alt Z, you can do the following:


F1 --  Select
*************

The Select command lets you choose what text on your screen you wish to save.
Use the cursor arrow keys to move to the location on your screen where you wish
to begin the selection; then press F1 again if you wish to begin "normal"
selection of text lines, or press F2 if you wish to begin selecting a "column"
of text.

As you move the cursor, selected text will be highlighted on your screen.  If,
however, you press F1 or F2 again, your previous selection will be cancelled
and the current cursor location will be taken as the beginning point for
subsequent selection.

With TextBuf you can make "disjoint" selections of text.  For example, you can
select a column of text on the left-hand side of your screen; you can then move
the cursor over to the far right-hand side of your screen and select another
column of text.  The procedure is as follows:

     Press Alt Z to start TextBuf.

     Press F1  (the Select command).

     Move the cursor to the first location where you wish to begin a
     selection, and press F1 or F2 (for normal or column selection).

     Move the cursor, selecting text as you go.

     If you wish to stop the current selection, and wish to move to a
     different region of the screen for a second selection, hold down the
     Ctrl key on your keyboard and use one of the following keys to move the
     cursor:

                        Direction Key

                        Up                Home
                        Down              End
                        Left              Left arrow
                        Right             Right arrow


     Let go of the Ctrl key when you reach the location where you wish to resume
     selecting text.

     Use the cursor arrow keys to select additional text in the new location.

     When you have finished selecting text, press the F10 key to exit and
     return to your normal application.  You may subsequently examine the
     text you have saved by using the F5 (Show) command.


F2 --  Paste
************

The Paste command lets you insert saved text into your current main
application.  When you are ready to paste text, move your cursor to the
location on your screen where you intend text to be inserted.  Then press Alt Z
followed by F2.  You will see text being inserted rapidly.

Remember that pasting text from the text buffer is exactly like typing the
characters in at the keyboard.  Do not attempt to paste text at a point in your
main program which is inappropriate for keyboard input.  If you observe a
problem in pasting text, or if you make a mistake and give the paste command at
the wrong moment, you can cancel the paste operation by pressing any key on
your keyboard.

There are several options pertaining to pasting text which you can change.  See
the description below of the Options command (F8).


F3 -- Append
************

The Append command works exactly like the Select (F1) command described above,
with the exception that any text you select does not replace the previous
contents of the text buffer, but rather is appended to it.

The maximum number of characters which the text buffer can hold is 4000
(including carriage returns at the end of each line).  If you repeatedly append
new text to the end of the text buffer, eventually you will see a message from
TextBuf informing you that the buffer is full!


F4 -- Zap
*********

The Zap command transfers the precise contents of your current screen to the
text buffer, without your needing to select the text.  This is the quickest way
to "capture" the contents of your screen.

Before pasting such text into another application, or before printing it, you
may with to edit (or delete) some of the text (see the Show command below).

Zap, combined with the TextBuf Print command, gives you the same capability as
the PC's Shift-PrtSc key combination which prints the current contents of the
screen. TextBuf, however, offers you the additional option of easily making
small changes or deletions to the screen before printing.


F5 -- Show
**********

The Show command allows you to examine, and to edit, the contents of the text
buffer. If you type characters at the cursor location, the keys you press will
"write over" the displayed text.

Each line in the text buffer ends with an "invisible" carriage return; you can
only change text on each line up to this point.

At the bottom of the text buffer screen, you will see a highlighted "status
line".  This line tells you whether there is "More ..." text in the buffer than
can be displayed on the screen at one time (use the cursor arrow keys to scroll
down), the number of characters saved in the text buffer (not including
carriage returns), and what pasting options have been set (see the section
below on the Configure command.)

Press F10 to exit the text buffer and return to your main application.


F6 -- Note Pad
**************

The F6 command erases any text which is stored in the text buffer and converts
the buffer for use as a "single-page" note pad.  You can type text anywhere you
wish on the screen, and later print or paste that text.

Use the cursor arrow keys to move around the screen;  the Del key will erase
the character located before the cursor; pressing the space bar will erase the
character at the cursor location.

Note that the simple word processor thus provided by the Note Pad command is
always in "over-write" mode.

Press F10 to exit the Note Pad and return to your main application.


F7 -- Print
***********

The Print command will print text saved in the text buffer; if your printer is
not "on-line", however, you will see an error message when you give this
command.

Warning: during printing, the TextBuf's print function does not continue to
check for "out-of-paper" or "off-line" conditions.  Try to make sure, before
beginning to print, that your printer has sufficient paper to print the contents
of the text buffer (a single page of paper will usually sufice).


F8 -- Options
*************

There are four factors pertaining to "pasting" text which you can alter with
the Options command:

1.  Include a Carriage Return at the end of each line pasted?            (CR)
2.  Paste "Leading Blanks" at the beginning of each line pasted?         (LB)
3.  Paste the entire text buffer, or just Paste a single Line at a time? (PL)
4.  Paste a "Down Arrow" keystroke at the end of each line pasted?             (DA)

(An abbreviation for each of these options is given in parentheses; the "status
line" in the text buffer shows which of these options have been "turned on".)

Experimentation with these options will show you which are best for you in
different situations.  For example, if you "select" a column of numbers from a
wordprocessing document, and wish later to paste these numbers into a
spreadhseet, you may prefer (or not depending upon your spreadsheet) to end
each line (each number) with a carriage return and/or a down-arrow keystroke.
In such a situation, you may also not wish to include "leading blanks" before
pasting each number into the spreadsheet.

Alternatively, if your text buffer contains a column of numbers which you are
going to paste into a wordprocessing document, you may wish to paste a few
numbers in one location, and the rest in another.  For this purpose, you may
want to paste one line at a time, changing your pasting location as
appropriate.

When you are "pasting one line at a time", the next line to be pasted will be
highlighted if you examine the text buffer with the Show (F5) command.


F9 -- Help
**********

Pressing the Help key during TextBuf operation will provide you with a brief
reminder of your current options.  You can exit from this help facility by
pressing one of the keys which the help suggests, or by pressing the Exit key
(F10).


F10 -- Exit
***********

When you are using TextBuf (e.g. when you are selecting text or examing the
text buffer), pressing the F10 key will return you to your main application
program.


A Sample TextBuf Session
************************

If you wish to give TextBuf a quick tryout, follow these steps:

     -> Start up your computer as usual.

     -> Start TextBuf by giving the command:  'textbuf'.

     -> Start an application program, preferably a word processor for learning
        purposes, and put some information on the screen.

     -> Press Alt Z to invoke TextBuf.

     -> Press F1 to pick the Select command.

     -> Use the cursor arrow keys to move to some spot on the screen.

     -> Press F2 to indicate you wish to begin a "column" selection.

     -> Move the cursor with the arrow keys to the left or right, up or down;
        text will be highlighted as you go.

     -> Press F10 to end the selection process and return to your main
        application.

     -> Press Alt Z followed by F5 to examine the contents of the text buffer.

     -> The screen should clear and you should see the text which you selected.

     -> Press F10 to exit from the text buffer.

     -> To paste your text, move to a location in your main application where
        it would be appropriate for you to actually type in the text which you
        stored in the text buffer.

     -> Press Alt Z followed by F2 to begin pasting.  If you wish to abort the
        paste operation, press any key on the keyboard.


The Startkey Utility Program
****************************

Startkey is a utility program which comes with TextBuf.  It allows you to
choose what keys you will press to "start" TextBuf.  The "default" setting is

                                 Alt Z

as described above.  There may be a problem, however, with this setting if one
or more of the programs you normally use has defined "Alt Z" as one of its
commands.

Actually, TextBuf has been cleverly designed so that if you press Alt Z twice
in a row, TextBuf will ignore the command, and your main application software
will "see" your Alt Z keystroke.

You may, however, wish to change Alt Z to some other key combination.  To do
this, run the Startkey program by giving the following command at the DOS
prompt:

                               startkey

You will see instructions and a description of the various possible keystroke
combinations which you may designate as the as the "start keys" for TextBuf.

The next time you load TextBuf, your new "start keys" will take effect.


Error Messages
**************

TextBuf contains the following error messages:


     -> TextBuf cannot be installed!

You will see this message if you try to install TextBuf more than once on your
computer, or if you have previously loaded certain other resident utility
programs which utilize the same DOS interrupt which TextBuf wishes to reserve
for its own use.


     -> Text Buffer Empty!

This message appears if you give the paste (F2) or print (F7) commands and your
text buffer is empty.


     -> Text Buffer Full!

If you attempt to append text to a "full" text buffer, you will see this
message.


     -> Printer Not Available!

If you give the print (F8) command and your printer is turned off, is set
"off-line", or is "out of paper", you will see this message.