! ASMED ASMED ASMED ASMED ASMED ASMED ASMED ASMED ASMED ASMED !
---------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to ASMED Three (3.0) from CHICAGO SOFTWARE! Version
Three represents a new programming environment, and comes
equipped with over 55 new features and additions to the previous
release. For those of you already familiar with ASMED, using it
is not much different, however, the capabilities have been
greatly enhanced. For new users, ASMED is an integrated
Programming Editor/Environment. It can be used with almost any
language, and goes far beyond conventional programming
environments. It is fast becoming THE EDITOR of choice for
programmers. Here's a brief overview of what you get with Version
Three:

A powerful new Editor kernel, supporting the mouse interface,
EMS/Extended memory, and two concurrent edit windows.

A 64K Cut/Paste Buffer that can be Edited, Printed, Appended-To,
Retained, and maintained just like an ordinary file.

Sophisticated memory management means ASMED will Assemble,
Compile, Link, Debug, and Run your applications in only 3.8k of
conventional memory.

Several fully-integrated features built-in, such as KLOOK - the
Key Scan-Code facility, a Programmer's Calculator, and File/Text
Find across all drives.

Copy and Move blocks between two windows.

Full support of Enhanced keyboards.

EGA/VGA 43/50 line modes.

Graphical Directory-Tree maps when selecting/changing
directories.

Keyboard Macros (up to 50000 keystrokes each.) Keep any number of
Macro files, each tailored to a particular language.

A virtually automatic Install/Setup facility that will seek and
configure for many popular language products, on all drives on
your system. Flexible setup means ASMED will find errors with
almost any Assembler/Compiler. Giving you a Turbo-C like
environment with ANY language(s), and more!

Integrate up to 7 of your favorite programs into ASMED. Run them
in their own windows, or using the full screen. Memory overhead
is only 3.8k when running these, and any DOS command(s) can be
added as well.

Custom options such as your choice of shadows, colors, cursor
type, key-click, mouse support, screen lines, and more.

A serious Help facility, with over 35 topics ranging from
Registers, Interrupts, ASCII charts, integrating Assembly with C
& Pascal, all the way through every ASMED command.

A 15 item pick-list that you can delete items from at will.

Built-In support for Linkers, Debuggers, and Profilers. Run them
automatically in 3.8k. EXE2BIN also supported.

An Error Log - view compile errors, select one and ASMED will
take you to the source-code line and display the error message.
You can also view a complete Journal of what happened while you
were Assembling/Compiling.

Compatibility with Desqview. ASMED has been verified to run under
Desqview. Testing was thorough, but not exhaustive.


WHAT ASMED DOES, IN A NUTSHELL
------------------------------

ASMED gives you the same type of environment that other
Integrated Development Environments (IDE) give you, only it
offers much more, and can be used with most ANY language. You can
Assemble, Compile, Edit, Debug, Link, and Run your programs. All
from ASMED, all in 3.8k. If errors are found during a
compilation, ASMED will take you to the error line and show you
the error message. For multi-pass products like Assemblers, ASMED
will keep a log of all errors (up to the last 40) and let you
select among them. In essence, it adds a Turbo C like environment
to most ANY language, and offers a multitude of features and
functions simply not found in similar products. Learn ONE Editor
for ALL the languages you program in.

REGISTER YOUR COPY OF ASMED
---------------------------

You MUST register to obtain the full benefits of ASMED.
Registration brings you a copy of ASMED with no opening/closing
screens, a Color-Setting program, and any updates/enhancements
from CHICAGO SOFTWARE. Registration costs $40.00 (U.S.) and can
be made via Check, MO, or Visa/Mastercard by calling 702-356-5852
during business hours. Remember, you get more than just peace-of-
mind when you register, a lot more.

GETTING STARTED
---------------

Before we go on, we'd like to stress the point that ASMED
contains a multitude of on-line help designed to take you through
every feature/option it offers. Just point to an option and hit
F1. Hit F1 again and you will be taken to the help index, where
you can select any of over 35 topics pertaining to programming.

You're going to need an IBM/Compat. with at least 415k AND a
Hard-Disk. EGA/VGA, EMS/EXT memory, and a mouse are optional.
The first step to take when installing ASMED is to copy ALL files
from the archive to your hard drive. Put them anywhere, but
putting them in their own directory (ASMED) is suggested. MAKE
SURE THE DIRECTORY YOU PUT THE ASMED FILES INTO IS IN YOUR PATH
STATEMENT IN THE AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE (PATH=C:\ASMED.....) This is
necessary in order for ASMED to be ran from any drive/directory
on your system and still function properly. Once you've fulfilled
the above obligations, you can run the ASMSETUP.EXE program.

INFO
----
ASMED uses CNF files to enable it to communicate with Language
products. These CNF's are created with a program called ASMSETUP,
which is the Install/Setup program. CNF's can be loaded at will
from ASMED, thereby letting you switch languages at any time.


The ASMETUP program is divided into 2 parts, Installation, and
Setup. Run the "INSTALL LANGUAGE PRODUCTS" option first. It will
search ALL hard drives on your system, looking for familiar
Language products. If any are found, it will create ASMED CNF
files for each product. These files can be loaded from ASMED when
you wish to use that particular product. The key will back-
up at any time (or abort a process.) At the end of the process,
the program will let you review the CNF files, and their
contents. Pressing will return to the ASMSETUP main screen.

The second part is "EDIT/REVIEW PRODUCT CNF'S." This feature is
used to go back and change/customize the CNF files that have been
created. You can choose from a menu of CNF files on your disk, or
elect to start a new product. While in this section, the
PgUp/PgDn keys will go forward/backward through the various
screens. This section covers items that let ASMED know what
languages you're using, where they're stored, and how to pick out
error messages from your Assemblers/Compilers. You can use this
section to change, or just review the CNF files on your disk.
Alt-X will leave the ASMSETUP program.
-----
NOTE: The ASMSETUP program will automatically setup ASMED for;
Turbo Pascal, Turbo Assembler, Turbo C, Microsoft Assembler,
Wolfware Assembler, Clipper, LINK, TLINK, Turbo Debugger,
Codeview, the Turbo Profiler (TPROF) and the Turbo Professional
Profiler (PROFILE.) If you wish to use ASMED with products not on
this list, you can use the above mentioned section (EDIT/REVIEW
PRODUCTS) to create your own custom CNF files. Just follow the
on-screen prompts, they'll lead you through the whole process of
configuring ASMED.

Once you have performed the above steps (created CNF files) you
are ready to use ASMED.


USING ASMED
-----------

ASMED is started by typing "ASMED" and hitting . You may
supply a filename on the command line "ASMED filename" if you
wish. ASMED's Editor operates much like the Borland Editors. Many
keystrokes are the same. ASMED, however, adds a wealth of
options. Individual Editor Commands will not be covered in this
document, ASMED has an extensive help facility that covers all
commands available from the program (F1.) When you start ASMED,
you will see a menu-line at the top of the screen. ASMED uses the
familiar pull-down menu style. The words on this line are the
main menu topics. They can be accessed by holding ALT-and the
first letter of each word. The first thing you'll probably want
to do is look at the Editor Options. Hit ALT-O and then select
Editor Options. From here you can set things like
solid/transparent shadows, small/large cursor, mouse support on
off, key-click (audible) on/off, fixed/smart tabs, right margin,
word-wrap, tab size, BAK files on/off, and choose if you want the
Cut/Paste Buffer remembered each time you start ASMED. Many
options in this window are toggles. Just point to one and hit
to 'toggle' between the various settings. Hit to
leave this window.

Now you need to load a CNF file into ASMED. Hit Alt-O, and select
"Load Language CNF." You will see a list of all CNF's you have
defined. ASMED will show not the filename, but a plain-english
description of each CNF file. Select one and it will be
remembered each time you run ASMED.

Next, you can go to the 'Directories" section. Select it and you
will be presented with a menu of the directories in effect. Be
sure these are correct, or ASMED will not be able to find your
compilers, debuggers, etc. Also ensure the ASMED directory is
correct. Hitting will leave this window as well. You can
hit ALT-E from almost anywhere and pop down to the Editor window.
The Editor window os where all file editing is performed. As long
as the ASMED directory is correct, all your Editor Options will
be remembered each time you start ASMED.

THE ASMED HELP FACILITY
-----------------------

ASMED has a very comprehensive Help System. It is designed to
take the place of a manual, and contains explanations of all
ASMED commands and functions. If you're in a menu, point to an
item and hit F1 for help on that item. While viewing a help
screen, you may hit F1 again to bring up a topic of Help commands
(Help Index.) This operates just like a standard menu, point to
an item and hit to select it. Hitting ALT-F1 will take
you back through the last 15 help topics you looked at.
Additionally, the Help System has many cross-referenced items.
These appear as a highlighted word, and operate just like a menu.
You can use the Arrow keys and to move to these cross-
referenced items. leaves the Help System. Take some time to
browse the Help System, almost everything you need to know about
using ASMED is there.

TIP
---
Keep your eye on the status line at the bottom of the screen. It
often changes to let you know specific information about the
current activity you're performing.


EXPLANATIONS OF SOME FEATURES
------------------------------

MACROS - ASMED supports unlimited Macro files that you can design
and edit. Macros are invoked by pressing ALT 1-0. ALT-1 for Macro
#1, and so on. Three files are supplied with ASMED. They are
specific to a language and come with some short-cuts to make
programming a little faster. The files are C.MAC, PASCAL.MAC, and
ASM.MAC. Each file has keywords such as IMPLEMENTATION, function,
void, PROCEDURE, SEGMENT, etc. defined so you don't have to re-
type them all the time. You can just hit the associated macro-key
and ASMED will insert the text into the current window. Macros
can contain anything from text to keystrokes, up to 50000
characters or keys. You can do just about anything with macros,
as long as you stay within ASMED. That is, they will not work
while in the Dos Shell. Creating a Macro is simple;

1) Select Macro from the main menu. The select Edit.
2) Select a macro number (0-9) to edit and press
3) You can type in anything you want for the Macro Name. This is
what is displayed on the Macro Menu.
4) A window will pop up, this is where you define the macro.
Letters and movement keys (home,end, A-Z, etc.) can be typed in
as usual. If you want to insert a literal key (such as an arrow
key or ) hit the ScrollLock key first. You will see the
word 'Literal' appear in the top frame of the window. While
Literal is in effect, ANY KEY you type will be inserted into the
macro. Pressing ScrollLock again will disable the Literal
feature. To end the Macro definition, press while not in
Literal mode. You can choose the 'SAVE MACRO FILE' option to make
the changes permanent, otherwise it will stand only until you
leave ASMED.

TIP
---
Temporary Macros can be created at any time to perform tedious
tasks like copying information to various lines, searching and
replacing, and formatting. They stay temporary unless you use the
'SAVE MACRO FILE' command.

CUT/PASTE BUFFER - This is a 64k general-purpose scratch pad. The
Buffer keeps getting appended-to, that is, added-to, each time
you Cut text into it. Once something is in the Buffer,
there are four commands that can be performed. They all start
with Ctrl-J (^J) ;

^J C = Cut block from document and append (add) to buffer.
^J F = Paste Buffer into document at cursor location.
^J P = Print Buffer contents.
^J D = Delete (clear) Buffer.

Remember, you can treat the Buffer just like any other file. You
can edit it, block read/write to/from it, print it, save it,
rename it, load it, or pick it from the Pick List (described
later.) You can even compile and link it!

TIP
---
The Buffer is great for taking 'parts' from many files and
merging them into one file. Each time you Cut to the Buffer, it
gets added to. You can then edit it and use the 'Write To' option
to write it to another, separate file. It sure beats having to
block write multiple chunks to multiple files.

THE PICK LIST - ASMED maintains a 15 item pick list. This list
remembers the last 15 files you worked with. Pressing ALT-F3
calls the pick list. You can select a file from it just like a
standard menu. NOTE: There are always two items on the pick list;
Load a File, and Paste Buffer. These items let you load another
file, or edit the Paste Buffer. Besides picking from the list,
you can delete files from it. Just point to one and hit the
key. While viewing the pick list, you can press the first letter
of any file to jump to that entry. 'Load a File' and 'Paste
Buffer' cannot be deleted from the pick list.

FIND FILE/TEXT - This feature lets you search all hard-drives for
either: Files, or Text-within-files. This is especially handy
when you forget filenames. When finding files, you can specify
any file mask, and whether you want to search the current
directory, the entire drive, or ALL hard drives. Finding text
takes the same parameters, plus you're asked to enter the string
you want to search for (within files.) Be aware that the Find
Text option may not find text in binary type files (EXE, BIN.) It
was designed primarily to locate strings within ASCII type files.

PROGRAMMER'S CALCULATOR - This is a general-purpose calculator
that can be used for Decimal/Hex/Binary/Exponential/Float
arithmetic. It is used much like a hand-held unit, and comes with
a memory option that can save/insert results. Using it is a
breeze - enter numbers as you normally would. On the bottom half
of the calculator window are some highlighted commands, press the
highlighted letter to activate that command. The Insert option is
used to Insert the number currently stored in the calculators
memory. To enter Hex numbers A-F, use Ctrl-A-F.

KLOOK - Although ASMED has a multitude of programming features,
perhaps the most handy is KLOOK (pronounced K-Look.) This is a
complete scan-code reference for ANY key, including the Enhanced
keyboards. Upon selecting KLOOK, a window will pop-up asking you
to press the key(s) you want identified. It will then show you
the Scan-Code in Dec and Hex, as well as the ASCII character
associated with the key(s). It works with F11, F12, and all other
combinations. Never again will you have to look in reference
manuals for the key scan codes.

TIP
---
There is a separate EXE file (KLOOK.EXE) that you can call from
DOS when not using ASMED. It performs the same functions as
mentioned above, but is available from dos.

HELP TOPICS - ASMED has over 35 Help Topics, some of which
pertain to ASMED commands, but many others that contain general
programming reference material. These range from ASCII charts, to
the Registers, to a full list of useful interrupts. There's also
a couple of topics to help you interface Assembly language
routines with Pascal or C. Additionally, ASMED has command
parameters for Turbo Pascal, Turbo C, MASM, TASM, Link, TLink,
Clipper, Quick-C, Turbo Debugger, Turbo Profiler, and the Turbo
Professional Profiler.

TIP
---
Hitting the Alt-F1 keys will let you review the last 15 Help
Topics you looked at.

EDITOR OPTIONS WINDOW - One of the items under the 'Options' menu
is 'Editor Options.' This lets you customize many things about
the way ASMED functions. Many of these options are self-
explanatory (such as Tab Size.) Others need some explaining;

Tab Style - Fixed/Smart. When you press the TAB key, Fixed tabs
will move the cursor over the positions in Tab Size. Smart tabs
will move the cursor over in accordance with the line directly
above the current one, in other words, Smart tabs follow the tab
pattern of the previous line.

Word-Wrap - This was implemented for two reasons; 1) in case you
want to use ASMED to write a letter or document, you can turn
this on and set the right margin to 70. 2) Many compilers (such
as Turbo Pascal) will not recognize a line longer than 120
characters. You should turn Word-Wrap on, and set the Right
Margin to 120 in these cases. It will not hinder general editing,
but you will be sure that no line will be too long for the
compiler.

Right-Margin - This setting is valid only if word-wrap is on.
Whatever value this is set to, word-wrap will occur at that
position.

Mouse Enabled - This feature is valid only if a mouse is
installed. ASMED makes use of a complete mouse interface that can
be used to select from menus, as well as position the cursor and
windows of the file being edited. Some people (with a mouse) may
elect not to use it with ASMED. Set this to "No" if you do not
wish the mouse cursor to be visible.

Cursor Type - This pertains to the shape of the text cursor. You
may choose between a standard-sized cursor (small underline) or a
full-block cursor (large block.)

Shadow Style - ASMED uses shadows around its windows for a 3d
type effect. The default shadow style is see-thru, that is, the
text underneath the shadow is visible, but appears in a darker
color (although with registration you can change ALL colors.) If
you do not like this style, you may set this option to Solid and
ASMED will use a narrow, solid shadow that will not show what's
underneath. Again, with registration, you can set the colors to
anything you wish.

Key-Click - This option has three settings;

Short = whenever a key is pressed, a short audible 'click' will
be heard.

Long = same as above, only a higher-pitched 'click' will sound
for a longer duration.

None = No sounds will be heard at all.

Feel free to experiment with this setting, you may find you like
a clicking sound.

Retain Buffer - Setting this to 'Yes' will keep the contents of
the Cut/Paste buffer intact each time you run ASMED. The default
is 'No', which will start with an empty buffer each time.

Auto-Caps-Lock - This little goodie is recommended to be 'On' all
the time. What it does is this; If the CAPS LOCK key is on, and
you hold the SHIFT key down and type, it will disable CAPS LOCK.
What it means is this; yOU wILL nEVER gET tHIS tYPE oF oUTPUT
aGAIN!!

Screen Lines - If you have an EGA/VGA, you can set this to 25, 43
or 50 lines. Basically, it lets you see more lines on screen, but
the size of each character is smaller.

Make BAKups - Normally, anytime you save a file, ASMED will first
create a backup (.BAK) file. If set to 'No', no Backups will be
made, saving disk space.


CHANGE DIR OPTION
-----------------
Under the 'Options' menu, the is an item called 'Change-Dir.'
This has three settings and operates like this if set to:

All - Anytime a file is loaded or picked, ASMED will change to
the directory/path of that file. So, whatever file you're
editing, you will be in the directory that holds that file.

Last - This tells ASMED to change to the directory you were last
in when you ran ASMED. It can be quite useful - no matter what
directory you run ASMED from, you will start in the same
directory as the last time you ran ASMED.

None - No directory switching will be performed. You will stay in
whatever directory you are in until you manually change it.

NOTE: If this is set to All or Last, ASMED WILL take you back to
the directory you executed it from when you quit the program. In
other words, if you start ASMED from C:\ASMED, you will end up on
C:\ASMED when you quit the program, no matter what directory you
switched to while using ASMED.

** Setting this to Last is recommended.

TIP
---
ASMED has one command-line parameter /N, that will disable
directory-changing when you first start ASMED only. From that
point on it will function normally. You can use this if you want
to start fresh in a new directory.


USING A MOUSE WITH ASMED
------------------------

If you have a mouse, ASMED will make full use of it. You can
select from menus, position the cursor, and scroll through your
files with the mouse. The mouse buttons act as follows;

Left = simulates the key.
Right = simulates the key.

To select a menu option with the mouse, point to it and left-
click, then left-click again to select it.

MULTIPLE WINDOWS
----------------

ASMED supports up to two concurrent windows in any mode. This has
obvious values for editing, but it goes one step farther for
programming. You can have a C program in the top window, and an
Assembly program in the bottom. By loading the right CNF files,
you can Compile the C program, and then Assemble the ASM program
right afterwards (or visa-versa.) You can also ZOOM two windows
so each takes the full screen. Switching windows is done with F6,
Zooming with F5, and Closing with F9. Additionally, you can Copy
& Move blocks between the two windows. Once you have defined a
block, Ctrl-G C will copy it, and Ctrl-G M will move it. The
procedure is to first mark a block (F7, F8) and then switch to
the window you will be copying/moving to and then using
Ctrl-G/C/M.

THE DOS SHELL
-------------

ASMED has a Dos Shell you can execute at any time by pressing
Alt-Z (or selecting Oper. System from the File menu.) While in
the Shell, the memory overhead is only 3.8k. Typing EXIT will
take you back to ASMED.

RUNNING EXTERNAL DEBUGGERS AND PROFILERS
----------------------------------------

ASMED is set up to accommodate the newest range of Debuggers and
Profilers. Under the 'Debug' menu, there are choices for
Debugger, Profiler, Debugger Parameters, and Profiler Parameters.
These settings will be remembered. To execute, just point to the
one you want (Debugger, Profiler) and hit . The correct
filenames will be passed automatically, as well as any parameters
you have specified. The ASMED Help System has command-line
references for Turbo Debugger and Turbo Profiler.

TIP
---
The ASMSETUP program will automatically setup ASMED to be used
with CodeView, Turbo Debugger, Turbo Profiler, and/or the
Profiler from Turbo Professional. Be aware you must have these
programs on your hard disk to run them, and you can change at any
time using the ASMSETUP program.

---------------------------------------------------------
THE ALT-I SCREEN (Useful, read on.)
---------------------------------------------------------

You may press Alt-I at any time to bring up the ASMED Information
window. This contains some very useful information such as;
Current Directory
Current File being edited
File Size/Date
Lines in File
Whether or not you should save the file (modified it?)
Available Standard, Extended, and EMS memory
Bytes currently in Paste Buffer, and Buffer max size.
Available Disk Space (logged drive)
What Assembler/Compiler ASMED it using currently.

This screen is the easiest way to find out what
Assembler/Compiler you are currently setup for, what directory
you are currently in, and if the Cut/Paste buffer has anything in
it.

COLOR SELECTION
---------------

The interactive program (ASMCOLOR.EXE) will let you select any
colors you wish ASMED to use for windows, menus, help, shadows,
fields, anything. It is available ONLY to REGISTERED USERS and
comes with its own instructions.

CHANGING DIRECTORIES (manually)
-------------------------------

Under the 'File Menu', there is an option 'Change Directory.'
Select this if you wish to log onto another drive or directory.
Once you select it, ASMED will show you a graphic-tree of all
directories on the current drive. To change to a directory,
simply choose it like a menu option ( key.) If you want to
log onto another drive, hit the drive letter (A-J) and ASMED will
show you a tree for that drive. The bottom status line will
change to reflect what drives you have available. will
abort without changing.

RUNNING OTHER PROGRAMS FROM ASMED
--------------------------------

Under the "Run Menu," ASMED will maintain up to seven programs
for you. Programs you can run from ASMED. These seven programs
can be ran in their own windows, or using the whole screen.
Overhead is only 3.8k when executing these programs. You can
hard-code parameters, enter parameters when running, and/or send
the current file as a parameter to these programs. These
'programs' can also be Dos commands (DIR, FORMAT....) Some
examples of programs you might want to put here would be;
utilities, documentation aids, version-control software, and
syntax checkers. Setting up the menu for these programs is
simple, just select "Run" from the main menu, then "Edit
Programs." A window will drop down - this is where you enter the
names of the programs you wish to store and run. When entering
the name, use the FULL DRIVE\PATH\NAME and any parameters.
Example:
C:\BIN\DIRLIST /p /o /2. Additionally, there are three flags you
can use as parameters;
? - this will send the current file as a parameter.
?? - this will ask you to enter parameters just before running.
*** - this will run the program in it's own window, meaning ASMED
won't clear the screen, it simply passes control to the child
program. Do not use this option (***) unless the program you're
running has it's own windows, or the screen will look quite
strange. Whatever you enter here is automatically remembered each
time you run ASMED. There are seven default programs on this
menu. All these programs come on the ASMED disk. Some are very
useful. You can, of course, change these to whatever programs you
wish under the "Edit Programs" option. The seven default programs
are as follows;

CT - Converts between hex/dec/bin/float

PR - Source-Code print program. Can toggle line#'s, print modes,
page-len, margins, and send a mask of files to print (*.ASM)

TL - Small Terminal Emulator program. Lets you communicate
through your serial port/modem.

CR - Cursor restore. If you ever loose your cursor, this will
bring it back.

MY - Memory available in system.

SE - Space available on logged drive.

FORMAT A: - This serves as an example, showing you can have ANY
Dos commands on this menu, not just programs.

TIP
---
DOS Commands work well in this menu. You can put a FORMAT command
in there, and format a disk without ever leaving ASMED. You can
run any of these without options (just prog. name) and they will
give you a list of available options. Note the above programs
(exept FORMAT) are supplied with ASMED, and can be ran from DOS
at any time.


ASMED AND TABS
--------------
Included with ASMED is a program called TABS.EXE. It will strip
tabs from any file, and you can specify the tab length. If you
have files that were created with older Editors, that seem to
contain control-I characters while using ASMED, run the TABS
program to convert these characters to spaces.


TIP - SWITCH SCREENS
--------------------
Pressing Alt-F5 will show you the last screen displayed before
ASMED came up. You can use it to review what happened when you
ran a program, when you compiled a program, anything. It comes in
quite handy. Give it a try.

USING PARAMETERS WITH AN ASSEMBLER/COMPILER/LINKER/DEBUGGER
-----------------------------------------------------------

Under each menu option (Code, Link, Run, Debug) there are options
to enter parameters. These parameters will be sent to the product
on the command line. While entering these, you can hit F1 and
ASMED will try and locate your product and bring up a list of all
parameters it uses.

Regarding Assemble/Compile parameters, there are two types;
permanent, and normal. Normal parameters are meant to be changed
as you need them for any given program. Permanent parameters are
meant to be entered once and left. These can include directories
for your compiler, include files, libs, etc., or memory switches,
things that are not apt to change from program to program. You
can edit the permanent parameters at any time by selecting the
"Options" menu, then selecting "Directories."


SETTING UP/CHANGING LANGUAGES
-----------------------------

Although we told you about using the ASMSETUP program in a
previous section, a couple of additional paragraphs here will
further outline the process of setting up and using ASMED with
various languages.

ASMED in an integrated programming environment that offers just
about everything other packages do, and a whole lot more. The
program ASMSETUP is used to Initially locate and configure ASMED
for any known languages on your hard disk, and also to go back
and view/change these settings to further customize the behavior
of the program. If you do not own any of the above mentioned
languages (mentioned under the ASMSETUP section above) you can
still use ASMSETUP to configure ASMED for your language. After
running ASMSETUP, select "Review/Edit Language Products." You
will then be led through a series of screens that will ask you
all the needed information to use ASMED with this product. Be
sure and read all instructions carefully. Later, if you decide to
upgrade your languages, or add a new one, you use this same
principal.

TIP
---
If you need to change something about a Language while you're in
ASMED, you can hit Alt-Z to go to Dos, then run ASMSETUP. Make
your changes, then type "EXIT." Once back in ASMED, you can re-
LOAD the CNF and the changes will take effect.

MORE INFO
---------
ASMED uses drivers, or "CNF Files" to let it interact with
various languages. These files (xxxxxxx.CNF) are maintained by
ASMED, and you may load one (via the Options Menu from ASMED) at
any time. Rather than having you select a filename, ASMED will
show you a list of descriptions (that you can change) pertaining
to the available CNF files. Both ASMSETUP and ASMED use this menu
scheme when loading CNF's.

---------
REGISTER!
---------

A SIMPLIFIED COMPILER RUN
-------------------------

We will now present a very simple scenario of the steps needed to
edit,debug,compile, and run a program. Assuming you have started
ASMED, and have a Language CNF loaded;

1) Edit your program, when you are ready to compile, press Alt-F9
(or select "Compile" from the Code Menu.)

2) ASMED will run your compiler, show you the output, and create
a journal of the compiler run. You will see what's happening with
the compiler at all times. When finished, you will pop back to
the Editor window. Now, let's say you had two errors while
compiling - ASMED will take you to the line with the first error
and display the error msg from the compiler. Any key will clear
the msg. Now, you fix the error. Since you had two errors, press
Alt-Q and ASMED will show you a list of all errors it found. Just
like a menu, you scroll through the errors, and hit on
the one you wish to go to. If it is in an include file (and the
"Find Include Files" option is turned on) ASMED will load the
include file, and again show you the error msg and line. There,
now you have fixed the errors. You can also select the "Code"
menu, then "Journal" to view a complete journal of what happened
while you were compiling. This Journal is much like a video-tape
of the compiler run.

3) Press Alt-F9 again to compile. There, no errors. You can now
press Alt-F2 to Link, or Alt-F4 to run the program right from
ASMED.

If you wish to use Debuggers, Profilers, and other utilities with
your program, just select them from the "Debug" and "Run" menus
within ASMED. They are setup and configured via ASMSETUP. The
current file will be sent to these products automatically.


DEBUGGING
---------
As stated above, ASMED can find errors and position the cursor on
the error line, while showing you the error message from the
Assembler or Compiler. But the debugging doesn't stop there.
After you Assemble/Compile your code, you have these options
available for debugging;

1) Next Error (Alt-F7) This will take you to the next error that
was found (if any.)

2) Previous Error (Alt-F8) This will let you back-up through all
errors.

^ Using the above two items, you can thoroughly navigate all
errors that occurred while compiling your code, in both forward,
and reverse directions.

3) Show Errors (Alt-Q) This will bring up a menu of the last 40
errors. You can point to an error and hit and ASMED will
take you to that error.

4) View Journal (from Code Menu) The Journal is a complete
transcript of what happened during the compile. It will show you
everything the assembler/compiler did. The size of the Journal is
10k, anything over that will not be shown.


USING ASMED WITH BATCH FILES
----------------------------

Some people (such as Clipper users) may wish to combine the
Compile/Link and/or Run processes into a single Batch file. This
way, if the compile was successful, linking will be invoked
automatically, etc. This can be achieved quite easy, and ASMED
will still flag your errors and keep a journal for you, as long
as you set up the Batch file correctly. All you need to do is add
two words to the Batch file. Consider this Clipper example:

Original Batch File (before ASMED)

ECHO OFF
Clipper %1
Link %1

Line 2 above calls the Compiler. IF no compile errors were found,
the next step calls Link to create the .EXE program. All you need

to do to this Batch file is change line 2 to;
Clipper %1 | AR

The "| AR" will enable ASMED to take control of the compiler, run
it, and create a journal of what happened. The new Batch file
looks like this;

ECHO OFF
Clipper %1 | AR
Link %1

As you can see, the only changes were to line 2. Depending on the
Compiler you use and the parameters you want sent to it, you may
have to experiment with the "Parameter Order" option, which is
available through the "Code" menu in ASMED. Some Compilers expect
the parameters and filename in strict order, and ASMED can
accommodate this via the "Parameter Order" option.

TIP
---
We'd like to stress a point regarding ASMED's Help Facility. It
is quite comprehensive and covers all available options within
ASMED, as well as providing a multitude of programming reference
material. If ever there's an option you don't understand in
ASMED, point to it (on the menu) and hit F1. The Help Facility
can effectively replace a manual in most cases. Hit F1 while

viewing Help to get to the Help Index - a table of contents with
over 35 topics of interest regarding programming. We tried to
design ASMED so you would never have to refer to a printed
reference manual. Everything including Scan codes, ASCII charts,
interrupts, command-line parameters, and language help is
contained in the Help Facility. The only time you may need to
refer to a printed manual is when looking up language-specific
comamnds for a given Assembler/Compiler.


ASMED FILES
-----------
Included in the ASMED archive are several files, some of which
are optional utility programs, and some of which are a neccessary
part of the ASMED system. There are four files that MUST always
exist in order for ASMED to function. Do not delete these files
from the ASMED subdirectory. The files are:

ASMED.EXE - Main program
ASMED.OVR - Overlayed code file
ASMED.HLP - the Help Text
AR.EXE - Compiler Control kernel
------------
ASMED.VAR - This file will be created by ASMED, and holds all
your current settings and preferences.


Again, be sure these files are present in the ASMED subdirectory
at all times. The other files supplied are this manual, and
several utility programs you may find useful. We recommend you
create a subdirectory called "ASMED" and keep ALL these files in
it at all times.




-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------


-- CHICAGO SOFTWARE'S CREATIVE REGISTRATION POLICY --
-----------------------------------------------

Ok, so you've downloaded this program from your favorite BBS and
now you want to use it right? But what's this? You keep getting
that opening screen that tells you to register ASMED. What a pain
huh? Oh, you've seen it before, there are hundreds of programs
out there that ask for a registration fee, but who wants to take
the time when you can use the program anyway? Well, we want to
get you involved in the 'User-Supported' concept by offering you
a flexible Registration policy that fits your needs. In order to
use ASMED legally you must register. Once you register you will
receive a clean ASMED software package and an invoice. You'll
also get low,low,low upgrade prices, and a 10% discount on
CHICAGO SOFTWARE'S commercial products, which range from
DataBase', to DOS Managers, to Programming tools. And the list is
growing all the time. Our Creative Registration Policy is part
business, part charity. Here's how it works;

ASMED costs $40.00 (U.S.) to register. Payments can be made via
check, M.O., Visa, or MasterCard. Ok, what if you want the
registered copy of ASMED, but you just can't afford $40.00? Hey,
this is your time of need, and we're with ya'. That's where the
'creativity' comes in. Send in whatever you can afford. And if
you just plain can't afford one red cent, then send in something
that you think is of equal value to ASMED; a few blank floppies,
your favorite utility program, some disk labels, a video, your
favorite recipe, tips on Trout fishing, some screwdrivers, onions
from your garden, unused printer paper, some fishing Fly's you've
tied....Whatever you can afford. If you can't spare a thing,
maybe you can volunteer a little of your time at a local
Hospital, or a service center for Senior Citizens - Send us proof
and we'll send you ASMED. The bottom line is this: ASMED is not
free, we understand how 'rare' money can be, especially for
'budding' programmers. But it costs us money to send out disks
and pay programmers. WE WANT TO KNOW IF PEOPLE ARE USING ASMED.
That's the only means we have of determining if the program is
decent, useful, and/or accepted.

A special note: Any canned goods will be donated to the Salvation
Army.

Well, that's the deal. It won't be around forever.
---------------------------------------------------------------
** CHICAGO SOFTWARE reserves the right to cancel this Policy at
any time. **

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Appendix A - Shortcut Key Commands
--------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: This is NOT a list of ALL editing commands, just a summary
of the Short-Cuts. For a complete list, hit F1 while editing a
file in ASMED.

Key What it does WordStar Equivalent
==============================================================
F1 - Show help
F2 - Save file
F3 - Load file
F5 - Zoom window(s)
F6 - Add/Switch window(s)
F7 - Block begin ^K ^B
F8 - Block end ^K ^K
F9 - Close window
F10 - Toggle main menu
Alt-F1 - Last help
Alt-F2 - Link code
Alt-F3 - Pick list
^ While in list, deletes item
Alt-F4 - Run program (current)
Alt-F5 - Swap screens
Alt-F6 - Switch file (load previous)
Alt-F7 - Show next error
Alt-F8 - Show previous error
Alt-Q - Show menu of errors
Alt-I - Information on system/file - USEFUL
Alt-V - Show ASMED version information
Alt-X - Leave ASMED
Alt-Z - DOS shell

Alt-F,
Alt-C,
Alt-L,
Alt-R,
Alt-D,
Alt-B,
Alt-O,
Alt-M - Jump to main menu item()

^J ^C - Cut block to buffer
^J ^F - Paste from buffer
^J ^P - Print buffer
^J ^D - Delete buffer

^ PgUp - Top of file ^ Home
^ PgDn - End of file ^ End

^G ^C - Copy block to other window Same
^G ^M - Move block to other window Same
---
^Q ^F - Find
^Q ^A - Find and Replace
^Q ^L - Continue last find

Find options are:
U - Upper or lower case
G - Search entire file
B - Start at end of file (search backwards)
W - Look at whole-words only
L - Local (search marked block)
1..x - Search x times
N - Don't ask to verify, just do it
---
Alt-1..0 - Execute macro (1-0)

While editing Assembler/Compiler/Linker/Debugger/Profiler
parameters, hit F1 and ASMED will try and locate the product and
display a list of it's command-line parameters.



Appendix B - Help Highlights
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Here are a few topics you should be aware of. All are available
by pressing F1, then F1 again for the Help Index.

ASMED Overview/Tutor = Come here first. It will tell you more
about what ASMED can do, and how to get the most out of it.

Editing Commands = Displays a *complete* list of all editing
commands offered within ASMED.

Registers = Displays a complete list of all PC Registers and
their meanings.

ASCII Chart = Shows all PC ASCII characters and there values.

xxxxx Interrupts = Displays common interrupts, and tells you how
to access them.

xxxxx Parameters = ASMED has built-in help for a number of
popular Language Products. You can view a list of their command-
line parameters at any time by selecting one of these.

Optimizing C/Pascal with Assembly Language = These tutors give
you some very useful information regarding integrating ASM code
in your C & Pascal programs. Additionally, they provide an ASM
shell program that you can refer to when setting up the Assembly
routines for use in a high-level language.


Appendix C - Using other programs with ASMED
-----------------------------------------------------------------
If you're using a Borland product such as Turbo C or Turbo
Pascal, you can run the THELP program (supplied from Borland) to
get even more help within ASMED. THELP lets you point to a
keyword in ASMED (such as INTERFACE or printf) and then will
bring up language help regarding that keyword. All programs of
this nature work great with ASMED, and you are encouraged to try
them. Other utility programs, such as pop-up language reference
programs can be called from ASMED (via the RUN Menu) anytime you
wish more information on a particular language. ASMED takes only
3.8k of memory when running your programs.



Appendix D - Technical Info
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Max edit file size : 64k (without truncation)
Max Paste Buffer size : 64k
Max windows : 2+Journal
Max errors ASMED will log for you: 40+Journal
Max Compiler Journal size : 15k
Undo limit : 1 Line
Max macros : 10 per file, unlimited files.
Max Pick-List entries : 15
Dos Shell memory used : 3.8k
Max Language CNF's supported : Unlimited
Max Bookmarks : 10
Max Block-Size : 63k
Max Line Length : 255 characters
===============================================================
===============================================================

ASMED is brought to you from:

CHICAGO SOFTWARE
1805 BRUNETTI WAY/STE 555
SPARKS, NV 89431
(702) 356-5852



--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECIAL THANKS TO: DAVID BIBBY & STEPHEN DIEBEL FOR THEIR UNDYING
TESTING ABILITY, HELP, & SUGGESTIONS. GOOD WORK GUYS!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

* All products listed is this guide are Trade/Service-Marks of
their rightfull owners and are used for refernce purposes only.