S U P E R F O R M S





Version 3.xx

Reference Manual




Powerful and user friendly forms manager for creating and using
all kinds of forms.

Word processing features and protected data fields make it easy!
Super Forms is user supported software (Shareware). If you use
it past the initial 15 day evaluation period you are required to
register it. No exceptions!





Super Forms

"The Worlds Easiest to Use Forms Generator and Manager"

is published by

Super Software
403 East NASA Rd 1, Suite 377
Webster, TX 77598 U.S.A.
Voice: (713) 488-0210
FAX: (713) 280-0525

Published and printed in the United States of America.

Copyright 1990 Super Software as a licensed, unpublished,
proprietary work. All international rights reserved.











1






The printed Reference Manual and associated registered software
may not be copied, resold, reproduced, disclosed, archived,
transmitted, or transferred in any form, electronic or otherwise,
without the expressed written permission of Super Software. You
may freely distribute the Shareware version.

NOTICE TO REGI$TERED USERS:
Super Software hereby grants a "book" license to the original
individual (even if purchased by a company) user of this copy of
Super Forms. You may use the program on your computer and make
one backup for storage as long as there is no possibility of use
or residence on more than one machine at any time. Just like two
people cannot read the same book in different locations at the
same time. Every registered copy of Super Forms has a unique
imbedded serial number for traceabililty. You may not sell or
give copies of the registered program or printed documentation
to anyone. No exceptions.

Pricing, specifications, and conditions are subject to change
without notice.

Send all registrations and inquires for site (multiple CPU or
network) licensing to Super Software at the above address.

Disclaimer:

Super Software makes NO claims AND offers NO warranties of any
sort with Super Forms. Super Software assumes NO responsibility
for any sort of damage resulting from the apparent or actual use
of Super Forms (mental or physical). The forms and program
provided are not guaranteed as to merchantability or fitness for
their ultimate use. The user accepts all responsibility for use
and may not resell the program or any supplied form.

IBM PC/XT/AT are registered trademarks of the International
Business Machines Corporation.

Etch-a-Sketch is a registered trademark of Ohio Art. Super Forms
is a trademark of Super Software. Other trademarks belong to
their respective owners.



















2







PREFACE

This manual is dedicated to Mae and Dave of MaeDae Enterprises
without whose never ending perseverance, Super Forms would not be
possible.

ABOUT THIS MANUAL

You will notice that this manual is concise. This is intentional
as we have strived to make Super Forms the easiest program of its
type to use. We have opted to provide an on-line manual and
extensive context sensitive user help. Feel free to use this
reference manual to install and get acquainted with the program.

For many of you, this may be your first exposure to Shareware.
To help eliminate possible confusion, we have included a short
description of the Shareware marketing concept, explaining what
it is and why it relies on you for its survival.

What is Shareware? Shareware is not a kind of software. It is a
revolutionary method of marketing Commercial software. Our
software is Commercial software that we are allowing you to
examine for 15 days before you make the purchase decision. With
traditional marketing methods, you have to purchase Commercial
software from a computer store or through mail order businesses,
then try it out, and hope it does what you want. Shareware
allows you to "try before you buy!"

We rely upon you, the customer, to examine our software. If you
find our software useful, please register. Your support is
needed for us to continue to improve our products.

Enough of this verbage. The real fun and learning begin when you
use the program. So enjoy, live long, and prosper.

With warmest regards,

The gang at Super Software.




















3






Table of Contents
=================

Page Description
==== ============

5. What is Super Forms?

5. Hardware Requirements.

6. Installation - Introduction.

6. Installation for the Shareware Diskette

7. Installation for Floppy Disk Drive Systems

8. Installation for Hard Drive Systems.

10. Getting Started

12. Editor Command Summary

14. Printer Installation

16. Tutorial

19. Additional Features

24. Print Options

25. Troubleshooting

29. Pre-Designed Forms Listing. (May be optional).

30. APPENDIX A, Laser Printer Support
























4






WHAT IS SUPER FORMS?
====================

Super Forms is a powerful forms generation and management system
that allows you, the user, to create a form on your screen and:

1. Print it on your printer,

2. Store the form for future use,

3. Edit or change the form,

4. Fill in data on a previously created master form,

5. Preview output on your screen for error-free results, or

6. Fill out your own or other's pre-printed forms.



Super Forms comes with pre-designed forms (optional forms packs
are also available) that you may:

1. Use immediately with no modifications,

2. Edit or change for your custom needs, or

3. Ignore and enjoy the fun world of creating your very own
forms quickly and easily with the world's most user friendly
forms manager.



HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
=====================

1. IBM PC/XT/AT or fully compatible computer.

2. A minimum of 384K RAM.

3. Any monitor. Super Forms has been written to accommodate
monochrome, color, and enhanced graphics adapters. Some
"autoswitch" adapters must be in "manual".

4. A printer (unless you only want to stare at forms on your monitor).

5. At least one double sided floppy disk drive. This will limit
the amount of forms you can process. Two floppy disk drives or
one floppy and a hard disk (500K free space minimum for the full
system) are strongly recommended.









5






INSTALLATION
============

Two 5.25" diskettes are normally included with Super Forms.
This may vary if you have the 3.5" diskette version. Also, some
copies sold thru various distributors may vary in disk quantity
and make up, but all the files will be there.

The diskette with the bright green label contains a Shareware
version of Super Forms with all features enabled. The purpose of
this diskette is to check your entire system for proper
operation before you break the seal on the registered system
diskettes.

Please read the label for instructions.

Usually the information is in a "README" file. Just put the disk
in A: drive and type:

A:README This file may supercede these docs.

It is a self running text file and will detail everything you
need to know.

If you purchased optional forms or font disks, they will be self
documenting. Please read the label instructions.


INSTALLATION FOR THE SHAREWARE DISKETTE Type A:README
=======================================

1. Make sure the DOS has been loaded into your system and you
are at A:> (system prompt). DOS means the Disk Operating System.
If you are confused, consult your computer manual or your local
PC "guru" first as we can only help you with Super Forms. If you
need help with DOS, try a local community college, adult
continuing education course at a local high school, or a "Puter-
Tutor" type training service.

2. Insert the Shareware diskette into DRIVE A.

3. Type

SF

and press

RETURN (ENTER on some machines, also, <>, )

The opening screen of Super Forms will ask you to press any key
to continue. Pressing any key will allow you to scroll through
various opening screens with important information. When Super
Forms's Main Menu appears on your screen, go to the "GETTING
STARTED" section of the manual (this section is just after this
installation section). Follow the easy to understand




6






instructions and welcome to the world of Super Forms!

Some packaging may not contain the Shareware diskette, so just
ignore this section of the manual if you do not have one. Reasons
include site licensing and/or other distributor arrangements.

P.S. The Shareware version of Super Forms will do everything the
full version does. However, only a few sample forms are
included. Forms can be printed in order to help you determine if
your system and printer are compatible with Super Forms. Feel
free to share ONLY the Shareware version with friends and
potential users of Super Forms for evaluation purposes only. You
may not use the Shareware version on other machines in order to
avoid purchasing additional copies of the registered program. You
may not give away any copies or make more than one copy of the
fully operational program for other than archival purposes. The
registered version of Super Forms has a unique serial number
embedded in each copy for traceability.


INSTALLATION FOR FLOPPY DRIVE SYSTEMS (NO HARD DRIVE)
=====================================================
Always run the README.EXE file on the distribution disk first!
The information contained therin supercedes this document.

Please read through the entire installation procedure before
proceeding. This may save you some frustration later.

1. Make sure DOS has been loaded into your system and you are at
A:> system prompt. DOS stands for Disk Operating System. If you
need help consult your DOS manual or find a local computer "guru"
to help you out.

2. Make a backup copy of the diskettes. ONLY operate from backup
copies!

3. Insert Main Distribution Diskette #1 into DRIVE A.

4. Type A: README . This file will detail all of the
information you will need to get started. You will be able
to print it to your printer. If you do not have at least a 2
floppy system, all on-line help and only a limited amount of
forms may be available to you at any time.

5. When you need to call up additional forms disks, etc.,
(Basic Forms may be optional), you'll have to put it in B: drive
as above.

Please sign and mail your registration card to the address on it.
Make a copy for your own records. User support and updates cannot
be provided UNTIL the registration form is on file.

Although Super Forms is not copy protected, you may make copies
for archive purposes only. The purchase of one copy does not
authorize you to install Super Forms on more than one machine or
on a network. If you intend install Super Forms on a hard drive
but first run the program from a floppy drive, delete the file


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SF.CNF (if it exists) before loading Super Forms on your hard drive.


INSTALLATION FOR HARD DISK SYSTEMS
==================================

1. Make sure DOS has been loaded into your system and you are at
C:>. (Note: Installation on a hard disk will require a minimum of
500K of free disk space for the full system.)

2. Create a subdirectory called "SF". If you are not familiar
with creating a subdirectory, simply type

MD C:\SF followed by Enter

If your drive is other than C:, substitute the appropriate
letter.

3. Place diskette #1 (bright red label) into DRIVE A and type

COPY A:*.* C:\SF followed by Enter

The program, on-line manual, context sensitive help, and forms on
diskette #1 will now be copied to your hard disk.

4. Insert diskette #2 (if it exists) into DRIVE A and type

COPY A:*.* C:\SF followed by Enter

The files on diskette #2 will now be copied to your hard
disk.

5. When finished, type

C: , the CD C:\SF , then UTILITY .

Some utilities you may need later will now be extracted to your
hard disk. You can delete unneeded ones later.

6. If you have an HP LaserJet or compatible printer, type

HP-LASER

7. Perform the same operation as in step #7 for Disk #3. If you
have any optional disks that involve Super Forms associated
files, like extra forms or fonts, copy them to your hard drive in
the same way. When in doubt, read the label.

8. Type

SFHELP

This will extract the HELP files to the \SF subdirectory.

9. Type




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SF followed by Return.

Admire the glittering opening screen and select one of the
options on your screen.


IMPORTANT INSTALLATION NOTES:

1. The distribution diskettes contain many files in addition to
SF.EXE. Because Super Forms is a massive program, the additional
files SF_HM.TXT and SF_HM.INX (compressed into a file called
SFHELP.EXE, which is self extracting) are required for the context
sensitive help the on-line manual. So please make sure that
these files are in your default directory when running the program.

If you have only one floppy drive, you can build a work diskette
containing: SF.EXE, SF_HM.TXT, and SF_HM.INX. Do not copy
SF.CNF, if it exists. A new SF.CNF will be saved when you select
a printer. Copy only those forms you wish to use to the work
diskette. There should be sufficient space allow several forms
on the diskette.

2. If your Super Forms does not run properly:

A. Delete the SF.CNF file and try to run again. Check out our
troubleshooting section near the end of this manual.

B. Your machine may not be totally IBM PC operating system
compatible. This is not always disastrous and a quick call to
our phone support staff may solve your problem.

C. You may have a slightly incompatible "EGA" card with auto
switch features. Usually, turning off autoswitch and forcing the
system into the EGA mode solves the problem.

D. If you have any memory resident programs or system drivers,
try running without them loaded in your computer. On some
computers, ANSI.SYS is suspect.

3. If your monitor appears to be losing certain characters or
features, you may have a "color" system with a composite
monochrome (green, amber, LCD, etc.) monitor. Adjust the
contrast and brightness of the monitor until the screen is
readable. In some cases, you may have to go to the Install Menu
to chose acceptable "colors". See the "Troubleshooting" section.

4. This Manual is designed to give you a general overview and
familiarity with the program. More complete, up-to-date
information is available to you through the context sensitive
help (F1) and the on-line manual. When using the more advanced
features of the program, the help screens will guide you through
the toughest questions with ease. As Super Forms continues to
add more features, you can be sure that the on-line manual and
context sensitive help will give you the guidance needed. This




9






way everybody wins. We don't spend money continually revising
manuals and charging you higher prices, and you get what you want
and deserve: accurate up-to-date information. So fire up the
computer, dig in, and welcome to Super Forms!


GETTING STARTED
===============

After you type SF <> (Enter or Return), the opening screen
of Super Forms will appear. At the bottom of your Super Forms'
opening screen you are instructed to press any key to continue.
The MAIN MENU will appear on your screen.

The Main Menu options with descriptions are below.

On-Line Manual: This is an on-line manual covering features of
Super Forms in more depth than the documentation available in
this manual.

Create: This option allows you to create a new Master Form. You
will be able to designate the form size (maximum size is 88
lines by 130 columns), add (or delete) a border and draw
horizontal or vertical lines, add other graphic characters, etc.
The cursor keys are enabled, so you can "walk around" a newly
created form.

Edit: The Edit option allows you to recall a Master Form and
further modify or just take a look at it. The Create option
above ONLY works on new forms - the Edit option can ONLY be used
on a form after it has been created.

Fill out a Master Form: With this option, you can retrieve and
complete a copy of a Master Form. Text added to the original
Master Form can be manipulated. However, any text which is part
of the Master Form can't be changed.

Revise a Completed (filled out) Form: Here you can recall a
completed form for revision. This option is the same as the Edit
option, except you're not starting with a "clean slate" Master
Form. You have complete freedom to revise any portion of the
form except for the Master Form outline and text which remains
protected.

Print a Form: This option gives you full access to the computer
drives to allow you flexibility in searching out and printing
forms. If you have an Epson or Epson compatible printer, then
you can take advantage of the solid lines and compressed print
format for larger forms.

Install: The installation portion of Super Forms allows you to
customize the colors, editor defaults, printer type, directory
defaults, and other options.

Quit and exit to DOS: All good things must come to an end.




10






Choose this option if you want to leave Super Forms and return
to DOS.

You may choose any of the displayed options by pressing the first
letter or by moving the light bar (the giant cursor) with your
cursor keys or space bar to the desired option and pressing
Return.

(If you have a "color" system with a composite monochrome monitor
and don't see a light bar or other features, try adjusting the
brightness or contrast of your monitor. You may also need to
install special colors for your system. See the Install Menu.)















































11







Now let's do something simple to demonstrate how Super Forms
works.

Press F (FillOut)

Then press S for SelectForm. Press return to accept the default
data path. Your screen should now show several choices of
available forms. Using your cursor keys move the light bar to

SALESORD

(Note: SALESORD may not be on the Shareware disk. Just select
another that is suitable.)

Press

Return

and a Sales Order form will appear on your screen. You are now
filling out a Master Form. A Master Form is one that has already
been designed and stored so that you may recall and place
information in the spaces allotted.

Move the cursor down (or use the tab key) eight lines to fill in
your name under "Sold To". Just type as you would on any word
processor. You will see how easily your report can be filled out.
At the top of your screen, you'll notice the actual size of the
form is sixty-four lines long by eighty characters wide.

You may practice moving around this form by using your cursor
keys, the Tab key and Shift-Tab.

Return to where you typed your name and press the TAB key on your
keyboard. This automatic tabbing feature moves you to the next
logical place for inserting information. This is especially
helpful for filling out forms quickly.

Now move the cursor over a line or text. Try typing data over a
line or text. Nothing will happen in these protected areas except
for audible beeps. When the cursor is over a protected area, a
"P" appears on the status line at the bottom of the screen. These
protected areas prevent someone from placing data in unauthorized
areas of your custom form. When you create your own custom form,
you will find this feature very helpful.


COMMAND SUMMARY (you must be in the editor, see above directions)
===============

Press

F1

for help and a help screen appears, providing help for many




12






areas. Throughout Super Forms, help screens will be available.
You must remember to press F1. The help screens are not going to
leap out and force you to read the information.

Please notice that the message at the bottom of the screen tells
you the total number of context sensitive help screens for this
location. Also you will see which page you are on (e.g., page 1
of 5).

You will not be able to execute any of the commands here because
you are in HELP.

So press

Esc

to exit. This brings you back to the editor and your form.

Press

Ctrl+P (Crtl+P means to hold down Ctrl and tap P once)

and a menu of printing choices appears. After admiring the
flexibility offered by the numerous options, press

P

for print and your form should now be printing on your printer.
If your form does not print, a printer error screen will appear.
Please correct the problem then press any key to continue. If
Super Forms "senses" the error a second time the printing will be
abandoned.

As you can see, Super Forms has constant on-line help to guide
you through its powerful and easy to use features.

Take a look at your printed form. If you do not have solid lines
for borders, etc., now is the time to install the special printer
features. (Note: not all printers allow solid lines.)

Press

Esc

to leave your filled out form and then press

M

for the Main Menu without saving. You are now at the Main Menu.

(Of course, if you had wanted to save this sales order, you
merely could have pressed S (SaveExit) and type in a description
and a different unique name such as "Sales01". This sales order
would then be filed away for future reference. An ideal feature
for making file cabinets obsolete in your business.)




13







Printer Installation
====================

Highlight Install on the Main Menu.

To install the special enhancements for your particular printer.
Press

P

for printer and your printer installation menu appears. Press

U

which means use predefined printer type, and choose the option
most compatible with your printer. (Hint: EPSON Fully Compatible
printers are the most popular. So when in doubt, try it.) You may
also try the various drivers in turn to find out which works
best. Extensive context sensitive help will guide you through
this. Simply press F1.

Select a printer type and press its corresponding letter or
number, then press

E (Exit)

Press

R

(Retain), which means retain all changes for future use. Use the
default configuration file name (SF.CNF) and press return.

Comments on printer installation:

You may test your printer capabilities at any time by installing
a printer driver and printing the PRT-TEST form supplied on the
distribution diskettes.

If your printer is fully Epson bit-image compatible try selection
type "1". See your printer manual for details.

If your printer is IBM graphics compatible, try selection type
"C" (IBM graphics with all escape codes). Most low volume (i.e.,
rare) and industrial printers fit this description.













14






If you have an "LQ" or 24 pin printer that emulates the Epson LQ
series, try printer type 3. If you are using a laser or other
unlisted printer with soft or resident fonts that have the line
drawing character set (also know as extended ASCII), select the
type "B" printer (IBM Graphics, No Escape Codes). The optional
soft fonts (for HP LaserJet Plus and Series 2 and compatibles
only) supplied by Super Software require the "E" installation
option. The font must be selected before printing with Super
Forms. See the Appendix for further information on Laser Printer
support. You may also install custom codes for Alt+1 thru Alt+4
to change fonts, etc. on the fly. On-screen representations may
not always follow if you use proportional fonts, so check your
output before proceeding.

Also, if you want to customize a printer driver for your
particular needs, Super Forms allows you to install all of your
own control codes. Just select "M" (Modify Printer Defaults)
from the Printer Installation Menu. First select the basic
printer type under "Use printer type". You can then modify
and/or add appropriate control codes for your applications. The
on-line help screens will guide you. This is definitely not for
beginning users. Do not use this option without proper
preparation. Study your printer manual thoroughly to make sure
that you have set up the proper codes for your printer.



































15






TUTORIAL (creating a master form named TEST)
============================================

Now let's create a new custom Master Form for your personal use.
Don't worry about being fancy or being intimidated; this first
form is only for practice. We will revise it later.

From the Main Menu, press

C

(Create) a new Master Form. The screen will clear and you will be
asked to type in a unique name for your form.

Instead of YOURFORM.FRM, Type

TEST

and press (Super Forms automatically adds the .FRM extension)

Enter (or Return or <> depending upon how the manufacturer
labeled the keyboard key on your machine.)

A menu will appear asking you to define the form size. (Don't
forget that F1 is there to help you get through this if you get
confused.) Type 40 for the number of lines and press Return. We
want 80 columns per line so accept the default number of columns
per line and press

Return

You are now in the edit mode for creating a new custom Master
Form.

Press

F7

You will be asked if you want to draw a border around the newly
created form. Answer

Y

A border will then appear around the entire form. Notice the
bottom of the form is missing. We are only looking at the first
twenty-four lines of a forty line form.

Press

PgDn

The rest of the form will now appear. Press

F5





16






to start a line. Move the cursor to the extreme right side of
the form (use Ctrl+Right Arrow) and then press

F5

again. We have just drawn a horizontal line on line 18 of our
form. Notice your horizontal line has damaged the left side of
your border. No problem. Again we simply press

F7

then

Y

for yes. Notice that now your border is again solid.

Be creative. "Walk around" in the form using the four numeric key
pad cursor keys and type in text, make vertical lines, or
anything else you desire. Press

F1

and a whole screenfull of commands appear. These commands will
help you move around the screen quickly. Please notice, this is
only Screen One of several. Press

Return

to see the other screens. After the last screen you will be
returned to the editor. Press

Esc

to return to the editor without seeing the rest of the help.

You are now back to your practice form (TEST). Press

Alt+G

Now use your cursor keys to "walk around" and draw lines
throughout your practice form. This is similar to using an ETCH-
A-SKETCH. Press G to start the graphic drawing. Did you notice
that the mode is displayed on the bottom right corner of the
screen?

Press F1 for detailed information on available commands. Press

Esc

to return to regular mode.

Now to get used to some of the other graphics available,
experiment by pressing





17






Ctrl

and the function keys F1 through F10, one at a time. Use F1 to
see the available keys! Any function key with a N/A will insert a
space, so don't expect any graphics.

F1 (Help) for Graphics shows the actual characters available.

Next press

Alt

and the function keys F1 through F10, one at a time.

Now your newly created form (which probably looks strange) is
ready to be saved.

Press

Esc

(Exit). We are ready to save our masterpiece. Press

S

(SaveExit). Type in a brief description of the form if desired.
When asked for the file name press

Return

to default to your old name. TEST will now be saved and we will
return to the main menu. Press the right arrow to highlight Edit
then press

S

(SelectForm). Press enter when asked for the path. A screen of
form choices will appear. Using your cursor keys, move the light
bar over your newly created form, TEST. Now press

Return

Here is your chance to redeem yourself and restructure the form
to your liking. Take your time and continue to experiment with
the many graphic and character features of Super Forms. When
finished, press

Esc

then press

S

(SaveExit) and press





18






Return

You have now overwritten your old form and replaced it with your
newly edited version of TEST.

(Of course if you wanted to save your original form AND your
revised copy, you could have saved your new version as TEST01 or
some other unique and different name.)


ADDITIONAL FEATURES
===================

PROTECTING AREAS IN YOUR MASTER FORM

Protecting areas (where no text is allowed in FillOut mode) is
easily done in either Create or Edit modes. By protecting areas
of the Master Form, tabbing quickly to the next logical area (in
the FillOut mode) is easy and efficient. It is nice to have a
form in which information can only be inserted in areas
designated by you.

HOW TO DO IT THE EASY WAY:

Call up the Master Form on the screen. Press

F3

Answer Yes when asked. That is, press the "Y" key.

All available areas of your form have now been filled with tildes
(~s). When your form is filled with tildes, no text or data can
be entered over these characters in the FillOut mode. If you were
to save your Master Form now, you would be unable to insert text
or data when you recalled this form in FillOut mode.

Since we do want some information on our forms, all we have to do
is erase selected tildes with the space bar in those areas or
fields where we wish to allow information to be placed by our
FillOut user. If you make a mistake by taking out too many
tildes, simply use your "tilde key" (yes, there is one on your
keyboard, it is the Shifted `) to reinsert individual tildes.

When you have completed putting tildes in your Master Form, save
your form. When you recall the Master Form in FillOut mode, these
tildes will not appear on the form. However, even though they do
not appear on the screen in FillOut mode, they remain effective
in preventing text or data input in protected areas. (If you have
a color monitor, notice the different colored cursor.)

If you wish to see an example of tildes in action, go to the Edit
mode and view the form "SalesOrd" (or any other Master form with
protected fields). You will see tildes in the protected areas.
Next, go to the FillOut mode, and view the form "SalesOrd" again.
Here the tildes do not appear on the screen, but still prevent




19






text or data input in the designated protected areas.

Tildes (field markers to technically oriented individuals) will
not show up in the printed forms. Also, when exporting a form, or
exporting only a block from a form, tildes can be converted to
spaces at your option.

AUTO NUMBERING

To set up auto numbering in the Master Form press

Ctrl+N

Make sure there is enough space to insert the number between the
cursor position and the right side of the form. (Auto Numbering
will appear just to the right of where the cursor is located when
you press Ctrl+N.)

Each time you FillOut the Master Form, the number will increment
in the Master Form. The next number will be inserted in your
Master Form. While editing the Master Form, if you need to start
at a specific number, just type in the number you wish. Your
future forms will increment from the number you have chosen. To
delete, just select the proper item from the menu.

The number you choose must be a valid number. For example, if
you choose a five digit number, it must be between 00000 and
99999.

Auto Numbering is the perfect feature for accounting control of
purchase orders, sales orders, etc.

An auto-numbering field is required for Increment Print. This
means print a batch of forms, each with a different number.

AUTO DATE

To set up the Auto Date function in the Master Form press

Ctrl+D

This will bring up a menu with various options. (F1 = help). Make
sure there is enough space to insert the date between the cursor
position and the right side of the form. (Auto Date will appear
just to the right of your current cursor position when you press
Ctrl+D.) Each time you FillOut a Master Form, Super Forms will
insert the date from your computer's clock. (So, make sure your
computer's clock is accurate.)

AUTO TIME

To set up the Auto Time function in the Master Form press

Ctrl+T





20






This will bring up a menu with various options. (F1 = help).
Again, make sure there is enough space to insert the time between
the cursor position and the right side of the form. (Auto Time
will appear just to the right of where your cursor position is
located when you press Ctrl+T.) Each time you FillOut a Master
Form, Super Forms will insert the time. (So, make sure your
computer's clock is accurate.)

FORM COMPRESSION

When saving or recalling forms from disk, you will notice a
slight pause and a small message in the middle of your screen.
Super Forms has a special routine that compresses your forms
and conserves valuable disk storage space. This means you can
store over three times as many forms in the same area as
uncompressed forms.

COLOR CONTROL

For users with color monitors, the color option in the Install
menu gives you total color control of text, background, borders,
highlighted areas, etc. Just press C from the install menu.

WORD PROCESSING & EDITING COMMANDS

When using Create, Edit, Revise, or FillOut modes, your familiar
word processing commands and function keys will perform normally.
Try different combinations of your favorite commands using:
Insert, Delete, Space Bar, Home, PgUp, PgDn, End, Backspace,
Cursor keys, etc. Notice how some functions will perform
differently when in the insert mode. For example, when creating a
form, the space bar will overwrite a text area unless insert mode
is functional. Remember, for additional details, see the Editing
Help Screens via F1.

(Note: When a form has a border around it, many commands will
cause the cursor to stop one character away from the border. This
is to protect the integrity of the border. This is just one of
the features that makes Super Forms a forms processor versus a
plain word processor.)


BLOCK OPERATIONS

Super Forms supports a whole range of block commands. These are
briefly described below.

A block is defined by marking the upper left corner of the block
with

Alt+S (for start block command)

and then marking the lower right corner of the rectangle with

Alt+E (for end block command)




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Once the block has been marked, the following commands may be
used:

Alt+M (move block command)

Alt+C (copy block command)

Alt+D (delete block command)

Alt+H (hide or disable block command)

Alt+V (visible or enable block command)


PATCH MODE

Occasionally the intersection of lines and corners may not be
perfect. Super Forms has an almost magical feature that shaves
off unsightly "nubs" and connects lines that didn't quite reach
their marks. To activate this feature, press

Alt+P

You'll be asked to confirm your choice. This feature will not
overwrite any of your text, it affects only the graphic lines in
your form. So make sure this is what you want before you confirm
the action.


UNDERLINE

Not available on graphic characters. To underline, press

Alt+U

while the cursor is under the character that you want underlined.
To undo an underline, place the cursor over the character and
press Alt+U again.

Note: For the Underline, Boldface, and Alt+1 thru Alt+4 commands,
a status character shows up at the bottom of the screen, when the
cursor is under the space for which the attribute is set. i.e.,
U, B, 1, 2, 3, and/or 4. Multiple attributes may produce strange
results on certain printers, so you will have to experiment.


BOLDFACE

Not available on graphic characters. To boldface, press

Alt+B

This operates in a similar fashion to underline.





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Alt+1 through Alt+4

These four attributes come pre-installed for superscript,
subscript, italics, and double wide for those printers which
support them. These commands have their status displayed on a
character by character basis and work the same as Alt+U and
Alt+B. Look for the U, B, 1, 2, 3, or 4 on the status line at
the bottom of the screen. Alt+1 through Alt+4 (control codes
sent to your printer during printing when one of these attributes
is present) are user installable via the Printer installation
Menu. You can see what they are by pressing Alt+I.


DOS Window or "Shell"

This area of Super Forms is for the power user. WARNING: may
not work with all hardware and software. Press Ctrl+X at any
prompt within Super Forms and you can call up a DOS "shell". Be
sure the file COMMAND.COM is available on your disk, or your
path. You will be given the standard DOS prompt. At this point
you can delete old forms, rename forms, format a diskette, etc.
Type EXIT and press Return to return to Super Forms.

Example use:

1. While saving a form you get a file error. Super Forms
displays the warning. At this point we will assume you are out of
disk space and don't have any more formatted floppies. Press
Ctrl+X, then delete some unwanted files or format a floppy using
the standard DOS FORMAT command. When you are done type EXIT and
press return. You will be returned to Super Forms at the error
message. Try to save the form again to the current disk or the
newly formatted floppy.

2. You have been using Super Forms for a long time now and have
a lot of old master forms you would like to get rid of. At any
point press Ctrl+X. You are now in a DOS shell. Type DIR *.FRM/W
and press Return. Take note of the forms you would like to
delete. Type DEL OLDFORM.FRM (your form name goes here) and press
Return. After you have deleted all the unwanted forms type EXIT
and press return. This is just a couple of examples. All of the
power of DOS is in your hands, assuming you have sufficient
memory available. Refer to your DOS manual for the wide variety
of commands and options available.

WARNING: Two conditions MUST be met before you can use the DOS
shell! You must have 10-20K of free RAM and COMMAND.COM must be
available. If either of these conditions are not met, the shell
may not be successful. Some versions of DOS may not support this
command.

IMPORTING FILES

Super Forms can import normal ASCII text files into any form.
For instance, you may want to get some information from the a




23






word processor. Just save your word processor file in ASCII
format (see your word processor manual). This area of Super
Forms should be reserved for the intermediate user.

You can import ASCII text files produced by word processors or
even other commercial software packages like data bases or
spreadsheets. Steps for importing text files are listed below.

1. Ensure the text file to be imported is in ASCII format.

2. Create a new Master Form using the Create option from the
main menu. A good size is 84 lines by 130 columns, you can always
use F2 later to resize the form.

3. Move the cursor to line 2, column 2, allowing room for a
border you may want to add later.

4. Press Ctrl+R to read in a file at the current cursor
position.

5. Resize form and insert field markers (~=tilde) as needed.

6. Use F7 to draw a border around the form.

7. Press Esc when finished. Repeat these steps until you have
all of the text files converted into the Master Form.


PRINT OPTIONS
=============

There are many Print Options available to the Super Forms user.
These are accessed from the Main Menu by selecting Print by
either typing a "P" or highlighting the choice and pressing
Return. (You may also press Ctrl+P from within Editing or
Filling Out a forms modes. This brings up the final Print Options
Menu.) This takes you to the Expanded Printing Menu with the
following choices:

Master - Print a Master Form. This can be used if you want to
have a print shop make blank forms based on your design. Use the
tag option to print more than one form at a time. If you tag
multiple forms, the default print attributes stored in each form
will be used. This option allows you to start printing a whole
group of forms and just walk away. No interaction is required.

Completed - Print a Completed Form. This can print forms in final
form or can be used for Clear Forms Overlay for filling out pre-
printed forms (more about that shortly). Also supports the tag
option like on printing master forms.

Master and Completed are fairly self-explanatory except for Clear
Forms Overlay. Suppose you had a large supply of very expensive
forms that you really didn't want to waste. With Clear Forms
Overlay, you could develop a Master Form that duplicates your




24






expensive form. Then you could FillOut the form and, using the
Clear Forms Overlay or "C" option, printing out only the items
you entered.


Print Option Menu

The Print Options Menu allows you to set all attributes for any
printing performed with Super Forms. The menu consists of the
items shown in the previous screen image. A few, however, require
further explanation.

D - Draft Mode. This prints out a form as fast as your printer
can go for test or alignment purposes. No graphics are printed to
enhance print speed.

C - Clear Forms Overlay. This might better be labeled "Fill-Out
pre-printed forms". That is because with this option, only the
data entered from the FillOut form mode will be printed to your
paper, whatever it is.

A - Alignment. Prints a dot (period) to align your paper. This
feature may be ineffective on printers whose print head does not
retract to the "home position" after a single character is
printed.


Troubleshooting
===============

Displays

If, after loading Super Forms, you see text and no borders, or
nothing at all, you may have a compatibility problem. Super
Forms uses high speed screen updates which may cause a problem
with some not-too-close IBM PC operating system compatibles. For
example, the Tandy 2000 and Sanyo 555 series computers are not
compatible with Super Forms.

IBM type monochrome, color, and EGA (enhanced graphic) adapters
are known to work with Super Forms. If you are using a
compatible color video card with a green or amber screen, or LCD
monitor, you may need to adjust your brightness and contrast, or
Install other "colors" from the color installation screen. Also
see the BWVIDEO.DOC file on the UTILITY subdirectory of disk #2.
BWVIDEO.COM is a "color killer" that works especially well with
composite monochrome monitors, and lap top computers with LCD
monitors. Sometimes executing the DOS "MODE BW80" command works.

Some "autoswitch" Enhanced Graphic Adapters and "Hercules" type
mono-graphics cards may need to have their auto modes disabled
for proper operation.

If Super Forms will not run, you may have insufficient memory,
or too many memory resident programs. Try running Super Forms




25






with no memory resident programs.

If Super Forms just stops running or "freezes", you may have
removed the program diskette from the disk drive. The program
disk must be available to read information from additional files
to perform many of the program functions. Of course, if Super
Forms is on your hard drive, this will probably not be a problem.

Occasionally, certain memory resident, TSR, or "pop-up" programs
conflict with Super Forms. In general, there is no problem, but
there are many new programs being written without regard to the
system requirements of Super Forms. Remove them from memory, and
try again. If that fails, try getting rid of device drivers in
you CONFIG.SYS file. ANSI.SYS is a prime suspect for some not-
so-compatibles.

The latest information on monitors and displays may be put on a
distribution diskette (see Disk #1, #2 and the UTILITY
subdirectory) file called MONITORS.EXE. To print this
information on your printer, just make sure the file is in the
default directory and type MONITORS <>. Follow instructions.

Printer & Miscellaneous

If you have a letter quality daisy wheel type printer, solid
vertical lines and many graphics characters are probably not
possible. If you are not satisfied with the printed forms you are
getting from your dot matrix printer, try going to the Printer
Installation Menu and select the other available printer options.
The distribution diskettes may also contain a file called
PRINTERS which can be printed to your printer as above.

If you own a rare or non-graphics printer that is not compatible
with our pre-defined printer choice, you may custom install for
your printer as discussed in the printer install section. If you
mail the printer code summary from the Install Menu/Show Printer
Codes Screens, after you have debugged and tested it on your
printer, we will try to include direct support for your printer
in the next software revision.




















26






If you are using a serial printer, use the DOS MODE command to
route the serial printer to LPT1. See your DOS manual for
details. Make sure you use the "P" option. The following
statements should be in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

MODE LPT1:=COM1:
MODE COM1: 96,N,8,1,P (9600 baud, adjust if necessary)

Super Forms defaults to output printer port LPT1:. We now have
built-in support for LPT1-4. If your printer is on any parallel
printer port other than LPT1, you will need to use the
installation section to tell Super Forms where it is.

Only certain printers (IBM, Epson, etc.) can take advantage of
the compressed printing and other special features. Don't expect
a daisy wheel printer to print any graphics.

If your printer is double spacing, you may be putting out too
many characters per horizontal line to the printer, so it just
finishes the line on the next one. Also, make sure you turn off
the Auto Line Feed after Carriage Return feature of your printer.
Refer to your printer manual for details. Some Tandy 1000 series
computers require the DOS command: MODE LF ON <>

Some resident print spoolers may not work properly with Super
Forms. This is probably because of its unique text and graphic
printing abilities. Try the spooler (PRTSPOOL) we provide on the
on one of the distribution disks. Depending on your particular
computer and printer combination, there is a good chance it will
work and speed up your processing.

Some printers have micro-justification features (proportional
spacing) that are controlled by a switch inside the printer.
Make sure this switch is off before running Super Forms; micro-
justification will destroy the vertical alignment of your form.

Although the HP LaserJet with "Y" cartridge is supported directly
by Super Forms, some other laser printers may require that you
save the form to an ASCII file via the export provisions in Super
Forms. Then after proper printer initialization and font
selection, you can print the ASCII file from the DOS prompt with
the command COPY "filename" PRN: <> (or LPT1:, COM1, etc.).

HP LaserJet owners may use font cartridge "Y". Compressed print
and 84 lines per page are supported. Other font cartridges may
not give the intended results. Not all cartridges support the
graphics characters used in Super Forms. If you see "error 22"
(printer buffer overflow) flash on the LaserJet display, then you
need to press Esc to stop printing, take the printer off line,
and perform a form feed. This will allow you to get your printer
set up directly to begin printing another form. Note that
landscape printing on your laser printer depends upon the font
selected and active in your printer. Also see the files called
MOREFONTS.EXE and HPGRDOC.EXE extracted to your working directory
during installation.




27







Sideways (landscape) printing (with the aid of Sideways 3.0+ from
Funk Software - not supplied by Super Software) will work if you
export the form before it is printed sideways. To do this:

a. Call up a form in the FillOut mode.
b. Press Ctrl+W. Do not translate the border characters.
d. Specify a temporary file name. eg. TEMP
e. Exit Super Forms and run Sideways.
f. Tell it to print your exported file not the Super Forms' form.
g. Using normal sized print, you should be able to print a form
130 columns wide by 53 lines long in the sideways mode.
h. Consult the Sideways manual for more details

Comment: Super Forms does not directly support landscape (or
sideway) printing on dot matrix printers because we have found
that, although the graphics and text look great in the portrait
(normal) position, we are not pleased with the quality in the
landscape position. This is probably because the printer is
optimized for the normal printing position. This comment does
not apply to laser printers with true landscape fonts.






































28






PRE-DESIGNED FORMS LISTING
==========================

Please refer to the directories (within Super Forms) of the forms
disks for a complete list of forms and their descriptions. Note
that the form names are mnemonic. That is, the form name is
indicative or an acronym of the forms function. Also, there is a
description of each form displayed on the directory. In any
case, it is an easy task to call up each form for a quick
examination in order to determine its suitability for your
application. And remember, you can always create your own forms.
The form names and contents are subject to change without notice
as they are added or improved. To get a complete description of
each form supplied, do a form directory using the Edit Menu and
take a quick look.


Optional FORMS PACKS

The basic Super Forms package comes with several general purpose
pre-designed forms. However, we realize that there are numerous
application areas where Super Forms will be used. Because of
that, we have come out with several application form packs
specifically geared toward an application area. Please refer to
our information files for more information on these. Hundreds of
forms are available to make your work easier.

































29






APPENDIX A -- Laser printer support.
====================================

HPGRAPH

Included with Super Forms is a memory resident utility called
HPGRAPH. This utility may be found on a distribution disk in the
HP-LASER archive. (If you do not understand subdirectories
or files, etc. see or call you local DOS "guru".) When loaded
from the DOS prompt before running Super Forms, HPGRAPH
intercepts the upper ASCII graphic characters to allow line, and
block (no shades) graphics on almost any HP LaserJet or
compatible printers. Its limitation is that it is only in the 10
pitch, 6 lines per inch portrait orientation, and it uses the
currently resident font selected for the printer being used.
What this means is that as long as there is a fixed space font,
10 CPI, 6 LPI, then everything on the screen will look and work
OK. But if you have a proportional, etc. font selected as
default in your laser printer, things may really get strange.
However, you can experiment to your hearts content. Also make
sure that you install Super Forms for the the proper type of
printer from the install menu. Be careful because HPGRAPH might
clash with other resident programs. To disable HPGRAPH, just run
it again from the DOS prompt. Do not run it from the DOS shell
(Ctrl+X), as strange things may occur.

LASER66.COM, also provided in the HP-LASER archive of the
distribution disk, allows you to get 66 printer lines (@ 6.4
lpi) on the laser printer instead of the usual 60 or 62. Just
type LASER66 <> at the DOS prompt before running HPGRAPH or
Super Forms. If you install Super Forms for HPGRAPH emulation,
you do not need to run LASER66, as Super Forms sends equivalent
instructions to the printer right before printing. LASER66
defaults to LPT1:, so if you are using any other printer port,
use the DOS "MODE" command or LPTSWAP to redirect the printer.
It does this by sending codes to slightly compress the line
spacing. You may see some overlap.






















30







SOFT FONTS

For you LaserJet Plus, Series 2, and compatible users, we now
provide a file called -SFSET.BAT. When executed at the DOS
prompt (all of the associated HP-LASER subdirectory files on
distribution disk #2 must be in the default directory), it will
send LASER66 to the printer and download a 12 pitch height (10
CPI), 6 LPI "Line Printer Bold" soft font to your printer. Just
type -SFSET LPT1: <>. You will be able to print 80 columns
by 66 lines on your printer. Underline is enabled (IBM Graphics,
no escape codes), but Bold is not applicable as the entire font
is bold. The shading characters are also supported. Install
Super Forms for HP LaserJet With Soft Fonts (also try FONT1.BAT
and FONT2.BAT when you print). If you use this along with
HPGRAPH activated, you may get strange results. You may also
review the file named MOREFONT.EXE (at DOS type; TYPE
MOREFONT <>) for the latest information on these
utilities and about additional soft fonts, etc. available from
Super Software.


MORE ABOUT SOFT FONTS

The use of soft fonts is limited to those fonts which are mono-
spaced and contain the extended ASCII character set. This is the
set of characters which includes the single line, double line,
shade and block characters. To use this feature, install Super
Forms for HP LaserJet with soft fonts. Then you can use the Down
load feature by creating batch files named FONT1, FONT2, etc. up
to FONT255. If specified from the print option menu, Super Forms
will execute a batch file so named before printing the form.
Thus you can have a different font for each form if desired. A
complete discussion of soft fonts, etc. is beyond the scope of
this manual. So seek out the help of your local computer "guru"
and/or the instructions that come with your soft fonts (such as
the Optional HPLJ Font Support Disk available from Super
Software). Also, remember to size the form in conjunction with
the horizontal and vertical spacing of the font you have
selected.

Optional Soft Font Pack

At press time, a "HPLJFSD" soft font support disk is available
from Super Software for the HP Plus and compatibles. It contains
5 portrait and 5 landscape "LP bold" soft fonts with all of the
line drawing characters and some other useful utilities. Contact
Super Software for the latest pricing, details, and availability.
Cost is $29 +S&I at press time.

Note: HP LaserJet, etc. are trademarks of the Hewlett Packard
Corporation.

All pricing, terms and conditions are subject to change without
notice.




31