DP Tool Club 18/CD_ASCQ_18_111294_W.iso/dos/prg/pas/pscrn55/what_s.new

Text File | 1994-10-09 | 17KB | 379 lines

                    What's New:  P-Screen version 5.x

                      Last edited:  October, 1994

  =======================================================================

  Version 5.x is a m-a-j-o-r update.  If you've used an earlier version
  of P-Screen, note:  We replaced ALL screen-display routines; and we
  also changed a few things.  So READ THIS THOROUGHLY!

  To print this, just copy it to your printer:   copy what's.new prn


  This is organized into 5 sections:
  ==================================

    1. New Language Support

    2. New "Display Screen" Features

    3. New "Design Screen" Features

    4. Changes (Pay CLOSE ATTENTION to this!)

    5. New or Enhanced Utility Programs


  New LANGUAGE Support
  ====================

  P-Screen now supports ALL popular programming languages:  C, Pascal,
  PowerBASIC and Microsoft BASICs (QuickBasic 4.5, PDS 7.x, VB-DOS).

  P-Screen Professional supports Microsoft's QuickBasic 4.x, PDS 7.x and
  VB DOS.

   * ALL assembly language routines are now in PSCREEN.OBJ -- which ALL
     languages may use.  Link PScreen.Obj to your programs to display
     P-Screen's compressed screens.  It also contains several other
     (small) functions.  P-Screen's main manual explains.

   * LoadScr?.?, a language-specific module, contains routines to
     display screens from screen libraries.

   * Demo programs are supplied for each supported language.  We also
     provide "include" files to help you declare and call our routines
     correctly.



  New Screen DISPLAY Features
  ===========================

  a.  We added a new SAVE-SCREEN option:  IMAGE data screens.

      * These are v-e-r-y easy to use (just merge them into source code).

      * You may save either compressed -or- uncompressed IMAGE screens.

      * We also include psDisplayData and psPaint routines.  Find them
        in Disp_IMG.BAS (BASIC), PScreen.PAS (Pascal) or Disp_IMG.H (C).

      * BE SURE to run Demo_IMG.? to see these in action.  We think
        you'll be v-e-r-y pleased with this new option.

  b.  We added new a DISPLAY option:  FADE in!  Run DemoFade.? to see
      how to FADE screens IN or OUT -- in TEXT mode!   This is n-i-c-e!


  Current P-Screen users:  PLEASE READ THIS THOROUGHLY.

  1.  We replaced ALL screen-display routines with more flexible ones.
      AND we added some new ones.

      Please read "Displaying Screens from your Programs" in P-Screen's
      manual for details.

      If you like, you may continue using the older "screen display"
      routines.  But we urge you to replace them with newer models.

  2.  All assembler routines are now in PSCREEN.OBJ (which ALL supported
      languages should use).  It contains:

       psRestScrn       (replaces older one)
       psSaveScrn       (new; complements psRestScrn; save/restore
                         ANY text-mode screen, or parts of one)

       psBrightBG       "Turn on" bright background screens.

       psRecolor        "Re-color" screens, on-the-fly, as you're
                        displaying them.  You can re-color "callable"
                        ASM/OBJ screens, screens you display from
                        screen libraries, or normal text-mode screens
                        you capture using psSaveScrn.

       psLoadBinary     Read screen images from disk directly into
                        integer arrays (or buffers); mainly for BASIC.

       psThereIsAMouse  Initialize the mouse; ensure our "screen restore"
                        routines are "mouse aware."
       psHideCursor     \ Turn the mouse cursor on/off -- as when you're
       psShowCursor     / displaying screens (we do this AUTOMATICALLY!).

       psColorsOff, psFadeIn, psFadeOut -- to fade text-mode screens IN/OUT.


  3.  We replaced the original "load screen" module with 3 functions.
      And you may now display screens by NUMBER as well as by name.
      This is VERY NICE, and is the basis for Demo.C, Demo.Pas or
      Demo.Bas -- which show how you can create "mini presentations"
      in 15-20 lines of code!

      Use these functions to display compressed screens from libraries:

       - NumScreensInLib   Determine how many screens are in libraries.
       - DisplayScreen     Easy-to-call way to display screens.
       - LoadScreen        Like the original, loads screens into a buffer
                           and returns it to you along with screen coordinates.


  4. ALL routines are called DIFFERENTLY than before!  That's one reason
     we STRONGLY URGE YOU to "include" the "include files" we provide in
     your programs -- to ensure you declare and call functions correctly.

      - All parameters sent to ASSEMBLER procedures must now be passed
        by VALUE (not by reference, as before).

      - And our "load screen" utilities are now FUNCTIONS which return
        values (return codes or error codes).  Because they're functions,
        you MUST declare them properly before using them.



  MANY New Screen DESIGN Features
  ===============================

  1. P-Screen now offers on-line help for EVERY OPTION in EVERY menu
     Both the menus and on-line help require the screen library called
     P-Screen.Psl.  We also offer LESSON SCREENS to help you q-u-i-c-k-l-y
     learn how to use P-Screen (requires Lessons.Psl).

     - Press "/" (or click the Left mouse button) to pull down the menus.

     - Then highlight an option and press F1.  Or click the RIGHT mouse
       button on an option.  We'll then describe what the option is,
       how to use it, and "subtleties" in using it, if appropriate.


  2. We added a new user interface with dialog boxes.  Dialog boxes are
     optimized for a mouse.  But the keyboard works fine also.  When a
     dialog box pops up:

      - Press TAB or SHIFT-TAB to move from area-to-area in dialog boxes.
        You may also press PgDn or PgUp to do the same

      - Press SPACE or ENTER to "select" items from menus, or to "select"
        one of the "buttons" at the bottom of the dialog box (e.g.,  OK).

      - If you use a mouse, click the LEFT mouse button to "select"
        options.  In menus, click Left once to highlight an item, and
        double click Left to "select" an item.


  3. Just for fun, we added some custom mouse cursor shapes from our new
     Font Pak Pro!  If you have a mouse (and an EGA, VGA or compatible
     monitor), notice the "Copyright symbol" as P-Screen starts up.  And
     notice the custom arrow that appears whenever a menu or dialog box
     pops up.  Of course these only appear if a mouse driver is loaded.

     P-Screen's manual describes the MANY OPPORTUNITIES Font Pak offers
     programmers.  We also offer Font Pak for DOS -- giving DOS users
     up to 100 fonts they can use with ANY text-mode program (DOS,
     WordPerfect, your menuing programs, in batch files, etc.).


  4. We added a teriffic multi-line editor to P-Screen -- with word wrap!
     If you just start typing, you'll edit text on the current line.

     But if you press Alt-T (Text) and mark a rectangular box (as you
     would when drawing a box), you'll be treated to a word wrapping
     editor inside the area you marked!  It's a very nice time-saver.


  5. New Options (press F10).  P-Screen now offers 3 different ways to
     draw boxes.  Press F10 (Options) then press <B> (Default Open or
     Solid Boxes) and/or <W> (Shadowed Boxes) to select which box-drawing
     option you prefer.  We also added a "keyboard speed-up" feature!
     Press F10 (Options) then press <C> to speed up cursor movement.
     And you may now press <S> to save all your preferences!


  New Screen DESIGN Features (continued)


  6. To complement the Insert/Delete ROW options, we added options to
     Insert/Delete COLUMNS.  And we enhanced both -- to "patch" or fill
     in empty lines or rows you insert -- so you don't have to manually
     patch lines and boxes.

     Both sets of options are useful not only to adjust the height or
     width of something, but also to SHIFT things up/down or right/left.

       Alt-I  inserts a ROW        Alt-X deletes a ROW

       Ctrl-I inserts a COLUMN    Ctrl-X deletes a COLUMN


  7. Now, when you mark something to move, copy, center, etc., we'll
     outline what you're marking with a "rubber-band."  This makes it
     much easier to see exactly which area will be copied, moved, etc.


  8. Thanks to our good friend Larry Brown of Colorado, you may now:

     - PREVIEW screens stored in screen libraries.  Since screen
       libraries store up to 100 screens, and since screen names are a
       terse 8 characters, it's sometimes not obvious what a screen is.
       Preview lets you glance at a screen to see if it's the one you
       want to load.

     - RENAME screens in screen libraries (press F8).  This comes in
       handy in MANY situations.  But it's up to YOU to ensure you NEVER
       duplicate screen names in screen libraries.  If you do, you may
       never be able to load the 2nd, 3rd, etc.  If you're not sure if
       a screen name already exists, press F9 and browse through the
       directory of screen names and descriptions.


  9. The "New Screen" option (or Clear Screen; F6) now lets you toggle
     between 25-, 43- and 50-line modes WITHOUT clearing the screen
     (although you can clear the screen if you like).  Of course you
     must have an EGA or VGA monitor to use 43-line mode, and a VGA
     monitor is required to use 50-line mode.


 10. You may now LOAD "executable" COM screens once they're saved.  And
     COM screens may now be 25-, 43- or 50-line screens.  Previously,
     all COM screens were saved as 25-line screens.


 11. You can now save screens 7 different ways (up from 4)!

     NOTE:  ASCII screen files are now saved with ".ASC" extensions (not
     ".PSS" as before).  We made this change to make extensions more
     easily recognizable.  "Rename *.pss *.asc" to simplify loading them.



 12. You may now press Ctrl-PgDn (Ctrl-PgUp) to quickly load the next
     (or previous) screen from a screen library.  This is a v-e-r-y fast
     way to browse through screen libraries to find the screen you're
     looking for.  Before you can do this, you must first load a screen
     from a library (to initialize the library name and screen counter).


 13. The Options window (F10) now shows you the row, column, color
     and character at the cursor.  This is handy to:

       - Determine where you are on the screen.

       - Determine which color to recolor (using Alt-N -- New Color)

       - Determine which color(s) to re-map in your program (using
         Recolor.Obj) or in your presentations (using the RECOLOR option).

       The Options window also now shows you the color numbers when you
       press F3 (Bright Backgrounds).  These color numbers can also help
       you with the recolor options.  NOTE:  We do NOT display color
       numbers if you select blinking colors, since your screen would
       turn into a blinking mess.  But blinking color numbers have the
       SAME numbers as do bright background colors.  So if you need to
       know the number of a blinking color, press F3 (toggle Bright
       Backgrounds ON), note the number, then press F3 again to toggle
       Bright OFF.


 14. To save you LOTS of typing, we now save the path and screen names
     for EACH type of screen you can save.  This means, for example,
     that if you, capture BSAVED screens to one path, and are saving
     them to a screen library on another path, you needn't keep typing
     in the paths each time you load or save different-type screens.


 15. Also to save you lots of time, if you load, say, a partial screen
     from a screen library, edit it, them move your cursor to the
     ORIGINAL top, left corner and press F3 to re-save it, we'll
     automatically mark the SAME AREA you saved last time.  Nice!

     Similarly, if the cursor is in the same row/column it was in
     when you last drew a box, shaded something, etc., and you start
     a new action, we'll "auto mark" the same area for you.  Just press
     <cr> to complete the new action -- assuming you really want to
     do it in the same area.


 16. Now, when you ask to save ASM/OBJ screens, we'll ask if you'd like
     to add "memory locate" function.   You can call these functions in
     your programs to determine the location (segment:address) and size
     of "callable" screens you LINK to your programs.

     The main use for these functions is to let you use psRecolor to
     "re-color" screens on-the-fly, as you display them.  You can re-color
     "callable" screens, screens you display from screen libraries, or
     any text-mode screen you save to a buffer using psSaveScrn.

     P-Screen.Doc explains how to re-color screens.


   Changes (Pay CLOSE ATTENTION to this!)
   ======================================

   We're always reluctant to change the meaning of a hotkey -- we know
   that current users may be frustrated by pressing a key that no longer
   does what it used to.  But sometimes the reasons for changes are very
   compelling.


   1. Press Ctrl-C to CENTER any block on the screen (or center single
      lines of text you're editing).  Earlier, Alt-A centered blocks.

   2. Press Alt-A (ASCII) to pop up an ASCII chart with almost all non-
      keyboard ASCII characters.  The previous command was Alt-J (Join)
      which, at least for now, still works.

   3. F8 now means Rename a Screen in a Screen Library.  It used to
      mean "display the current screen in 4 monochrome options."

      Because we now offer a "recolor" option to both programmers
      and users of P~F Presents, we did away with the "view in mono-
      chrome" option.  Recolor is a much more versatile option in that
      it gives YOU the option to re-map any of 384 colors to any other
      color -- which comes in very handy when you've designed screens
      with, say, bright backgrounds or blue foregrounds which would
      display poorly on monochrome or Hercules monitors.



   New or Enhanced Utility Programs
   ================================

   1.  We added REPAIR.EXE to our stable of utility programs.  And
       we revised both P-Screen.Exe and Manager.Exe to add some
       "security" to your screen libraries.

       Repair.Exe is a terrific (and v-e-r-y fast) way to repair
       damaged screen libraries.  Like any database file, screen
       libraries can get mangled.  Before version 5.x, some types
       of damage rendered the entire screen library useless.

       P-Screen and Manager now "mark" the beginning of each screen
       you save to screen libraries.  Then, if the library index, or
       the library itself is damaged, you can use Repair.Exe to
       retrieve at least most screens.  Utility.Doc explains how.

       NOTE NOTE NOTE

       Repair ONLY helps with screen libraries created with version
       5.x of P-Screen (or Manager dated 12/93 or later).  To safe-
       guard your work, we STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you use Manager.Exe
       to re-create any pre-5.x screen libraries you have.  There will
       be NO change in how you use these libraries.  We'll just add
       a few bytes to them to help you recover them in case of disaster.


   2. To MANAGER:  We added an option to "squeeze out the white space"
      in screens stored in screen libraries.  This can eliminate
      thousands of bytes from large screen libraries, and it's
      especially useful when you're ready to distribute the "final
      version" or when you "compile" presentations created with P~F
      Presents.

      We also corrected an oversight that let you specify the SAME name
      as the input and output screen libraries.  This dumb mistake
      gave you the power to destroy your incoming screen library.