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                       PRNSTAT Version 1.3, January 1991

             Chuck Burkett, PO Box 7452, Fairfax Station, VA, 22039
             ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ


                            SECTION I - Introduction
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  PRNSTAT was designed to provide quick and easy access to basic printer
functions.  It can operate from the command-line using arguments or it can
operate interactively with the user.  Currently it supports four printer
specifications: Epson LQs & FXs, IBM Proprinter, IBM Quietwriter, and standard
printer (generic).

  Listed below are the two files in the PRNSTAT package along with their
directory entries (the time fields should be blank for MS-DOS version 3.30 and
below and 12:00a for version 4.00 and above).

           PRNSTAT.EXE   20732  01-01-92  12:00a  The program.
           PRNSTAT.TXT    4854  01-01-92  12:00a  This documentation.


                         SECTION II - Command-Line Mode
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  The first mode that PRNSTAT works in makes use of command-line switches.
Switches are composed of a letter (upper or lower case) preceded by a dash or
a slash ('-' or '/').  The valid switch letters are listed below:

  Cx  Output ASCII character x.  x must be in the range 0 through 255.  Use
      this switch to output characters that would normally be interpreted by
      the operating system (i.e. '<', '>', ';', '"', '?', and '*').
  Ex  Output escape code x.  The escape codes are listed in the interactive
      mode.  Since the printers may have different lists of escape codes, the
      valid range for this switch may vary according to the type of printer
      selected at the time.
  I   Initialize port.  Some printers respond to a port initialization by
      resetting.
  Px  Select printer port x.  x must be in the range 1 through 4, and must be
      a valid port for the current system.
  R   Return status.  Although the program returns the printer status every
      time it executes, this switch allows it to be used solely for that
      purpose.  Using the ERRORLEVEL environment variable from the operating
      system, a batch file may check the status of the printer and branch
      accordingly (values of 1 & 2 signal printer not ready & printer ready,
      respectively).
  Sx  Output string x.  The entire argument may be enclosed in quotes to allow
      spaces and other special characters (i.e. "/sThis is a <test>.").
  Tx  Select printer type x.  x can be 1 (Epson LQs & FXs), 2 (IBM Proprinter),
      3 (IBM Quietwriter), or 4 (standard printer).
  ?   Print help.  Prints a quick overview of the command-line syntax and
      switches.


                         SECTION III - Interactive Mode
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  PRNSTAT also works in an interactive mode.  When executed without any of the
command-line mode switches (C, E, I, R, or S, since P and T can be used in
either mode), it displays an interface box for the user.  For each operation, a
list of important keys appears at the bottom of the box.

  The operations include: 1) status display/character input, 2) display ASCII
character chart, 3) output escape code, 4) initialize port, and 5) change port
(if other ports are available).


                        SECTION IV - Technical Reference
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  PRNSTAT was written in C and compiled using Turbo C Version 2.0.  It uses
interrupt 11h (get equipment status) to determine the number of available
printers and functions 0 (write character to printer), 1 (initialize printer
port), and 2 (request printer port status) of interrupt 17h for all I/O
operations with the printer.

  Each printer specification consists of 20 arrays of 11 characters each.  The
first character specifies how many of the remaining 11 characters are to be
output.


                    SECTION V - Comments, Suggestions, Etc.
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  Any comments on PRNSTAT or suggestions for improvements (including printer
specifications for future versions) are welcome and encouraged.

  PRNSTAT is distributed as shareware.  You are free to try the program and
make copies for others.  If you continue to use the program, however, you must
send the author a registration fee of at least $5.  Users registering with $10
or more will be notified of future versions of the program.  When registering,
please indicate where your copy came from.

  Vendors may include PRNSTAT in their catalog only if they supply the author
with a copy of the catalog.