VmASC UTILITY -ver 1b (C)P. Mihok - VMV Ltd. - 5694-4 Hwy.7 E.,Unit 193, Markham, Ontario Canada L3P 1B4 Jan 23 1995 --------------------------------------------------------- :DESCRIPTION: This little utility lets you draw a colour screen of IBM extended graphic characters with the mouse, to install in your text mode software for example, or to provide a title page or other screen for other software. To run it, type GO-V at the prompt, and the batch file will run, giving a demo. --------------------------------------------------------- :GENERAL REMARKS: I wrote it because I was frustrated at not being able to examine for myself, on the screen, just how a combination of colours and characters would look, without programming it in detail in C code, a genuine waste of time; also, it struck me it would be fun to use, and the results would be useful. Also, I don't like having ANSI.SYS taking up RAM on my machine so I didn't want an ANSI drawing package. Besides, it's impossible to predict whether someone else has ANSI.SYS running, so you can't distribute the result. I also thought it would be useful to draw custom screens to add to C programs. The package, of course, doesn't have all the features of ANSI - for example, it doesn't have fast or slow blink nor detailed control of foreground and background blink. It just uses the basic attributes available in EGA 16 colour character mode. For the shareware release I'm not distributing the version that writes to a pure ASCII file and lets you read or rename files from the software. I'm also considering doing a self executing file and adding more bells and whistles to the new version. If you would like that version, send me a little folding green! --------------------------------------------------------- :TO USE: --------------------------------------------------------- :LOADING: You can load a file from the command line by typing its name as follows: VMASC FILENAME.EXT on the command line. It will try to load the file. However, you should only load character mode screen capture files of 4k in length. The utility writes files named ASCIIPIX.@V@, so you should type VMASC ASCIIPIX.@V@ It will load the last file you saved, (unless you renamed it.) --------------------------------------------------------- :RUNNING: The software requires a DOS mouse driver to run, so be sure to have a mouse driver loaded. (It detects if there is no driver loaded.) It also requires a minimum of EGA to run, but will run with a CGA or mono monitor. (However, you won't be able to see the colours on a mono monitor, of course.) I no longer have a CGA monitor to test things on, so I don't know how it looks on one, but it works OK on a TTL monitor. (Of course a VGA and super VGA monitor will work, running in EGA mode, which happens automatically when you start the software.) At the first screen (a HELP screen) push the mouse button to start a screen. (Hitting a key returns you to DOS.) You'll find the mouse button has different repeat rates depending on what you are doing, but basically it works slower in menus and fastest when you are drawing, so you don't leave artifacts on the screen coming out of a menu. (If you do, you can hit the DELETE key. If something else is in the last-button memory and nothing happens, you can press the mouse button with the mouse cursor atop the unwanted character to show DELETE what you want to delete!) --------------------------------------------------------- :MENUS: There are two function menus and a HELP screen (F1). --------------------------------------------------------- :MENU 1:PICK A CHARACTER AND COLOUR: The first function menu appears when you hit the right mouse button. It lets you select a character and foreground and background colour attributes. It redraws every time you pick a character or colour (with the left mouse button) so you can see how it will look. When you have the character and colour you want, hit the right mouse button to exit this menu. --------------------------------------------------------- :MENU 2:FILL OPERATIONS: This menu appears when you hit both mouse buttons at the same time. (This can be a little tricky to get the hang of - I keep ending up in the character/colour menu, myself.) The selections let you fill the background, fill or clear the whole screen, fill upper,lower,right or left halves of the screen, or mark block areas of the screen to capture and copy, fill, change the attributes of, or clear. The left mouse button activates and the right mouse button escapes. There isn't a floating highlight bar since I thought it would add needless complexity to the code, but if people want it I can add it. Fill works only on areas that don't already have something in them (cleared areas) except block fill, which overwrites. I felt that it was better to have them each work differently so you have more flexibility. The menu contains a Global Character Replace feature which lets you replace all examples of a selected character, across the screen, with the current character and attribute. I may have added block character replace by the time of release. This menu also has an "UNDO" feature that undoes the last operation that you performed which left something on the screen. It has only a one button-deep memory, though. --------------------------------------------------------- :DRAWING AND WRITING OPERATIONS: When you are on the main screen, you can press the left mouse button to paste the character and attribute where you want it. If you want to delete the last character you pasted, try hitting the DELETE key. You can put the mouse cursor atop any example of the current character with attribute which you want to delete, and press the mouse button then press DELETE. To delete a character to the background value, hit the white background, the black foreground and the zeroth character (which looks like a blank, at the upper Left Hand corner) in the char/colour menu. You can hit the INSERT key to insert typed text, using the keyboard. The DOS cursor appears on the screen and can be moved around using the arrow keys. Text appears where you type it. When you hit the backspace key, it stores the character it found in the previous location, in its restore memory, so you can hold the key down to repeat that character backwards across the screen. You can also move the cursor somewhere else and hit BACKSPACE to keep on repeating. When you're done using the text insert mode, hit ESC to return to the mouse cursor (which is usually still where you left it.) The text insert mode uses the current colour attributes, chosen from the first menu. Note this is not a word processor, so it lacks many edit features. They could be added, but I don't really see any point. --------------------------------------------------------- :SAVING AND VIEWING: When you leave (hitting ESC) you will be in an exit screen that asks if you want to save. Hit Y or y and it will write a file called ASCIIPIX.@V@. (If there is already a file with that name it will overwrite it. So, if you want to save previous efforts, you have to rename them from outside the software. The registered version lets you rename from inside the software.) You can reload this file by typing its name after VMASC on the command line when starting the software, as previously discussed. (The registered version gives you a menu to select a file.) It doesn't check whether you are loading the correct type of file, so there is no telling what will happen if you fool around with that! A utility is also included, VAVIEW, which will load a file called ASCIIPIX.@V@ if there is one in the current directory, and then it will display it. (The demo uses it.) VAVIEW has no options, it merely displays ASCIIPIX.@V@ and nothing else. (I was considering providing the ability to make a self displaying file out of your drawings, but will wait and see how many people pay for registration before I waste my time with that.) --------------------------------------------------------- :DISCLAIMER: - VMV Ltd. assumes no responsibility for the consequences of any application of any software product. Although all software has been carefully and thoroughly tested before release, VMV Ltd. assumes no liability for any software or hardware incompatibilities, for loss of data, disc damage, nor for any other consequences resulting or claimed to result from the use in any manner of their software. Use of the software is entirely by the user's choice and at the user's risk. Resale, redistribution and copying of this software at cost only, is freely permitted, if the shareware package is entirely unaltered. ----------------------------------------------------------- History: Jan 22 1995 - first beta test release Jan 23 1995 - first real release, fixed a number of irritating little quirks with the way the mouse worked. Added extra button memory processing to make DELETE work better. Added global char. replace feature. Fixed errors in documentation. Ver 1b. --------------------------------------------------------- :REGISTRATION ETC.: VmASC can be registered for $15, paid by cheque/check or money order to VMV LTD. - 5694-4 Hwy 7 E., Unit 193, Markham Ont., Can.,L3P 1B4 Give your E-Mail address so I can post you an upgrade copy. (Or if necessary I'll use snail mail, 3.5" disc preferred on my part, but please specify. Give your name and address etc!) You can reach me by fax, 905-471-5440, or by E-Mail c/o NEIL 70107,3050@COMPUSERVE.COM Starting in Feb '95, I will be on Compuserve and will release an upgrade version with my COMPUSERVE account, so the software I've been releasing there can be registered online. ---------------------------------------------------------