Category : Word Processors
Archive   : QASCII.ZIP
Filename : QASCII.DOC

QASCII.ZIP -- An internal ASCII table for QEdit version 2.08+

Author: Tim Farley
Revision: 1.0
Date: August 28th, 1989

THIS FILE MAY BE DISTRIBUTED FREELY, WITH NO RESTRICTIONS.

QEdit is Copyright (C) 1985-1989 by SemWare.
QMAC is Copyright 1988-1989 by Sammy Mitchell and Karl Brendel


DESCRIPTION
-----------
This set of files implements a "built in" ASCII table for QEdit (version
2.08, or OS/2 version 1.00).

It allows you to place the cursor on a key to be looked up, press one
key, and have the Decimal, Hexadecimal, Binary, and English
representation of that character appear. The format of the ASCII chart is
completely up to the user, but a sample file is supplied.

The files contained within this set are:

QASCII.DOC -- This file.
QASCII.QM -- Text version of QEdit ASCII chart macros.
QASCII.MAC -- Binary version of QEdit ASCII chart macros.
QASCII.LST -- Sample ASCII chart for use with above.

QASCII.QM can be "compiled" with QMAC.EXE to form QASCII.MAC. However, for
those without QMAC, a precompiled copy of QASCII.MAC, which assumes the
ASCII chart is called QASCII.LST and is always in the current directory, is
supplied.

*** *** ***

QUICK INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
-------------------------------
EITHER: (1) Edit the macros in QASCII.QM to match the location of your
QASCII.LST file on disk. You will probably want to specify a
full path to QASCII.LST in the macros, so that they will
operate correctly from any directory.

Compile the macros to QASCII.MAC by invoking QMAC:

QMAC QASCII.MAC QASCII.QM B N

Load the QASCII.MAC into QEdit when editing, using the
MacroRead command, and execute the two keys as needed.

OR: (2) Add the macros from QASCII.QM into your QCONFIG.DAT, and use
QCONFIG to configure them permanently into your copy of
Q.EXE. Then you will not have to load QASCII.MAC to operate
these macros, as they will be "permanent" in Q.EXE.

As above, be sure to change the string 'QASCII.LST' to a full
path specification to your ASCII chart file.

After compiling the macros, or running QCONFIG, just make sure that your
QASCII.LST file is present in the appropriate directory, and you are ready
to use the macros.


ABOUT THE ASCII CHART
---------------------
The QASCII.LST file is free-form, with one ASCII character represented per
line. The only restriction is that each character appear between
parentheses in QASCII.LST, only once.

The Control-F4 macro requires that the ASCII character itself appear in
Column 24 of each line, and that the first ASCII character appears on line
6 of the file. If you change the format of the ASCII chart, you will have
to edit the third macro appropriately, particularly the GotoLine and
GotoColumn commands.

The rest of each line in QASCII.LST can contain numeric or other
descriptions of that ASCII character, subject to your whim. The sample
QASCII.LST displays the character in Decimal, Hexadecimal, Binary, and by
Name.

Due to restrictions on ASCII text files, and the way QEdit reads them, the
Carriage Return, Line feed and Tab characters cannot appear "literally" in
the QASCII.LST file. The sample file has these characters translated to
00h, but their descriptions are left in for completeness.


WHAT THE MACROS DO
------------------
The three macros work as follows:

(1) Control-F2 opens the ASCII chart as a window below the current one,
and moves the cursor to the line containing the ASCII character on which
the cursor was sitting in the first file.

You can then scroll around in the ASCII chart and look at other characters.
It is up to you to close the window to the ASCII chart when you are done
with it.


(2) Control-F3 opens the ASCII chart just long enough to copy the
information on the character, and then it displays it in a dialog box
near the character itself in the original file. The user can press
Return or Escape to continue editing.


(3) Control-F4 opens the ASCII chart, allowing the user to scroll
around within it. The user can chose an ASCII character he would like
inserted into his original file by moving the cursor to that line.

Then, just press RETURN, and that character will be inserted into the
text of the original file at the cursor, exactly as if you typed it. This
can be much more convenient than having to "type" the character with the
ALT-numeric keypad.


Try all three macros out to see which one(s) you like best.

*** *** ***

If you have any problems with these files, please contact us via the
SemWare QEdit Support Board, at (404) 641-8968, 2400 bps, 24 hours.

*** END ***