(c) Copyright MG Software, P.O.Box 939, Lake Shore, MD 21122 SETUPPRN.EXE INTRODUCTION ------------ MG Software developed this program to solve a report printing problem many computer users encounter. THE PROBLEM: Some programs do not let users change margins or select fonts and other printer features when printing a report, EVEN when their printer supports such commands. SetupPRN solves this problem for most programs by providing a simple user interface which sends commands to printers. It works with any printer properly connected to an MS-DOS based computer running DOS 3.x or Windows 3.x. The READ.ME file describes installation. METHOD OF OPERATION ------------------- To setup a printer you must send commands to the printer. The commands take the form of strings of printable and non printing ASCII characters. These commands are sometimes called escape sequences and are typically listed in a table or appendix in your printer manual. Frequently such tables include decimal, hexadecimal and the ASCII equivalent of each command. SetupPRN has a text box in the center of the screen labeled DECIMAL PRINTER COMMAND. You may type decimal values between 0 and 255 into this text box and edit them with your backspace keys, cursor, home key, end key and mouse. When you press the EXECUTE button, all of the text in the DECIMAL PRINTER COMMAND text box is converted to ASCII characters and sent to your printer. A list box holding printer functions and several other buttons are available to make your work easier then just typing decimal numbers. Each feature is described briefly in the table below. Detailed instructions follow the table. BUTTON ACTION ------ ------------------------------------------------------------ About Displays information about SetupPrn and MG Software. Append... Converts characters to decimal and appends the result to the to the DECIMAL PRINTER COMMAND text box. Colors Changes the foreground and background colors. Clear Clears FUNCTIONs or DECIMAL commands. Execute Sends DECIMAL command to printer. Help Displays this text. Load Loads printer FUNCTIONs from disk. Quit Ends SetupPrn.exe. Save Writes the decimal command and an identifier to disk. Test Page Prints a test page. PRINTER FUNCTIONS LIST BOX -------------------------- The list box on the left side of the screen holds printer functions like Bold, Italic, Underline and Form Feed. On program startup it includes four functions common to almost all printers: Carriage Return, Escape, Form Feed and Line Feed. To select a printer function from the list box place the mouse pointer over the desired printer function and click once. The matching decimal command will be added to the printer commands list box. If you are not using a mouse TAB to the list box, move the highlight to the desired function and press ENTER. The LOAD button (below the list box) loads previously saved commands into the list box. One printer command file HP.CMD is included in the shareware distribution. HP.CMD is loaded automatically for windows users. You can build your own command file by pressing the save button. You will be sent a list of available free printer command files when you register. Details on building printer command files are provided below. The CLEAR button (below the printer functions list box) clears the list and returns it to its original state with four generic commands. PRINTER COMMAND TEXT BOX ------------------------ The printer command text box holds the current printer command represented as a set of decimal numbers separated by spaces. You can type digits into this text box and you can edit any digits in the text box. Editing keys include backspace, home, end, and the four cursor keys. Highlighting keys are available for deleting or replacing a group of digits. Highlighting keys are shifted cursor keys. The mouse is also useful for highlighting and moving the insertion point. The CLEAR button (below the printer command text box) deletes all text from the text box. The APPEND CHARACTERS button allows you to enter a set of printable ASCII characters which are then converted to decimal and appended to whatever is in the text box. The SAVE button saves the printer command currently in the printer command text box to the file you select. If you do not select a file (e.g. press cancel), you will be asked if you want to create a new printer commands file. The EXECUTE button converts the contents of the printer command text box to ASCII and sends the ASCII string to the printer. It also clears the printer command text box, so it is wise to save your printer command before executing it. OTHER BUTTONS ------------- The ABOUT button gives a brief description of the program and its origin at MG Software. The COLORS button helps you change the foreground and background screen colors. The HELP button gives a brief description the program and each button. The TEST PAGE button prints lines from the document in setupprn.txt as a test of your current printer settings. The QUIT button exits the program. CREATING A PRINTER COMMAND FILE ------------------------------- SetupPRN will append to an existing printer command file. The format of the printer command file is: | | | . . . If you press cancel on the save dialog box you will be asked if you want SetupPRN to create a new command file for you. You may also use any text editor to make your own command file without SetupPRN. We advise you to look at HP.CMD first. COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS ---------------------- Two command line arguments are supported: (1) default printer file name and (2) colors. These arguments allow you to customize SetupPRN so that it always loads your command set and colors. USAGE: SetupPRN [ [ ]] Command file name is the complete path and file name of the command file you want to load at startup. Foreground and background colors are numbers separated by spaces. The easiest way to derive good color numbers is to press the COLORS button on SetupPRN. After selecting colors you will be told their numerical equivalent. CAVEATS ------- The DOS version of SetupPRN works like a Windows program. If you are familiar with Windows you will know how to use it when you see it. Any digits between 0 and 255 which you type into the printer command text box will be converted to ASCII and sent to the printer. SetupPRN does not validate printer commands. If you make an error it will be sent to the printer! Although you are given two opportunities to abort before execution. You may want to send a reset command to clear all settings and try again when you send an incorrect string to the printer. SetupPRN will always send its command string to the printer. Some programs like to reset the printer before printing a report, in this case any settings made with SetupPRN will be lost. Printers are usually reset when power is interrupted. So if you turn your printer off and then back on, you will loose any setup you did with SetupPRN. So, save your settings and rerun SetupPRN each time you power up your printer. Sometimes you may configure your printer with SetupPRN and then decide you want a completely different configuration. In such cases execute a reset command using SetupPRN followed by the new configuration. Your configuration command my be several thousand digits and spaces long, so you may want to save difficult configurations as ONE printer function. MG Software does have a native Windows version of SetupPRN. It is available to registered users. The DOS version is the most useful version even to Windows users because: most Windows programs which print do so using Print Manager. Most Print Manager printer drivers send a RESET and then re configure the printer so configuration via SetupPRN is replaced before the report is generated. The DOS version of SetupPRN is most useful under Windows when run in an MS-DOS window since printer commands go to the printer via DOS. When running under Windows you may find that your mouse does not work on SetupPRN in "windowed mode". In that case change to full screen mode and your mouse will work. To change to full screen mode change the "settings" in the Windows control menu box (click once on the box in the upper left corner of the Setup Printer window). You can use the TAB and ENTER keys instead of a mouse. The borders of the 3D buttons on SetupPRN don't always appear on LCD screens in monochrome mode. The COLORS button will allow you to try different combinations of fore and background. Try the color in row 1 column 1 for foreground and row 3 column 4 for background, that works nicely on our monochrome laptops. SHAREWARE --------- This version of SetupPrn.exe is shareware developed by MG Software. PLEASE copy and distribute it freely. To register your copy please send $9.95 to: MG Software PO Box 939 Lake Shore, MD 21122-0004 Registered users will receive early notice of upgrades and have access to other shareware programs developed by MG Software. MG Software sponsors a BETA TEST PROGRAM. Participants receive free copies of new software in exchange for their comments and suggestions. To join send your request and registration to the address above, ATTEN: BETA TESTING. REWARD ------ As always, the first registered user to report an unreported bug in an MG Software product will receive a credit toward any future purchase from MG Software. The value of your credit is your registration fee squared. SUMMARY OF LICENSE AGREEMENT ---------------------------- Anyone may copy and distribute this program freely as long as they do so at no charge to the receiving party. You only need to distribute the file: SETUPPR.EXE since this archive holds all the files and documentation needed to run SetupPRN. The purpose of shareware is to provide computer users the opportunity to try a program before buying it. Should you find this program useful and desire to continue to utilize it please register as described above. If you want to include this program in a commercial product please contact the MG LICENSE GROUP at the address above. MG Software warranties that this software will function substantially as described in its on-line help text. No warranties for specific use or purpose are given or implied. In no event shall MG Software be responsible or liable for damages, claims, or problems which are the result of use or misuse of this product beyond the purchase price or registration fee for the product. A copy of the complete license agreement is available to registered users of this product upon request. A SCREEN REPRESENTATION ----------------------- +¦_¦ SETUP PRINTER ¦¦+ ¦+--------------------+---------------------------------------+---------------+¦ ¦¦ Printer Functions ¦ Decimal Printer Command ¦ ¦¦ ¦¦+------------------+¦+-------------------------------------+¦+-------------+¦¦ ¦¦¦ Carriage Return ¦¦012 ¦¦ About... ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ Escape ¦¦ ¦+-------------+¦¦ ¦¦¦ Form Feed _¦¦ _¦ ¦¦ ¦¦¦ Line Feed _¦¦ _¦ ¦¦ ¦¦¦ _¦¦ _¦+-------------+¦¦ ¦¦¦ _¦¦ _¦¦ Colors ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ _¦¦ _¦+-------------+¦¦ ¦¦¦ _¦¦ _¦+-------------+¦¦ ¦¦¦ _¦¦ _¦¦ Help ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ _¦¦ _¦+-------------+¦¦ ¦¦¦ _¦¦ ¦ ¦¦ ¦¦¦ _¦+-------------------------------------+¦ ¦¦ ¦¦¦ _¦+------------++-----------------------+¦+-------------+¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦ Clear ¦¦ Append Characters ¦¦¦ Test Page ¦¦¦ ¦¦+------------------+¦+------------++-----------------------+¦+-------------+¦¦ ¦¦+--------++--------+¦+------------++-----------------------+¦+-------------+¦¦ ¦¦¦ Load ¦¦ Clear ¦¦¦ Save ¦¦ Execute ¦¦¦ QUIT ¦¦¦ ¦¦+--------++--------+¦+------------++-----------------------+¦+-------------+¦¦ ¦+--------------------+---------------------------------------+---------------+¦ ¦(C)Copyright 1993, MG Software Inc. PO Box 939, Lake Shore, MD 21122 ¦ +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+