3. Edit Add/Strip 3.0.2 - An application to edit Add/Strip 3.0 resources.
Brief History:
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Add/Strip (A/S) was originally written to facilitate our desktop publishing area’s productivity. They use QuarkXPress to produce many of our company’s publications. The copy is written on Wangs, CPTs, and DOS-based machines. These text files are then sent to the Macs for page layout. Unfortunately, these files are seldom formatted properly for their particular needs.
A/S has been designed to automatically perform much of the work of cleaning up TEXT files destined for import to page layout, word processing, database, or spreadsheet programs, as well as export from these programs to a DOS-based or mainframe computer. All in a fraction of the time ordinarily needed to manually reformat using a word processor.
Version 3.0.2 of A/S is the product of many hours of work, and is available as Shareware. If you use it, please pay for it. See the section entitled “Registration” for more.
Commands:
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--> See the online help for a more complete description of current functions and limitations.
--> Please note that “Strip CRs” is NOT the same as “Make Paragraphs.” If you plan on importing the text file to a page layout or word processing program you probably need to use “Make Paragraphs” or “Make Paragraphs2.”
Order of Processing:
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Remap characters if required by chosen remapping set
Replacement set #1-150
Filter noise characters
Make ellipses
Make em dashes
Make ligatures
Leading string (done in main process if “Make Paragraphs” is chosen)
Strip trailing spaces
Quotes & apostrophes
Normalize spaces
Adjust case
Perform main process
Remap characters if required by chosen remapping set
New in A/S 3.0.2:
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1. Even better memory management, with warnings if too low to open a window
2. CRs no longer mistakenly removed by some processes - ouch!
3. Space Runs -> Tab process properly handles 0 allowed spaces
4. No bombs on Mac SEs when opening the Preferences window
5. Browse window size and location are accurately remembered
6. Converting to lower case works properly with pre 7.0 Systems
7. Selecting a help topic should no longer cause a bomb on 68000-based Macs
8. Settings files open properly from the Finder with pre 7.0 Systems
9. Trailing space removal is more reliable
10. Pop-up menus are drawn using the menu color
New in A/S 3.0.1:
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1. Settings folders can be on any drive, not necessarily the same as A/S
2. Remapping sets are properly displayed in the Mapping menu
New in Edit A/S 3.0.1:
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1. Personalized copies of A/S no longer display a bogus virus warning and quit
New in A/S 3.0:
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1. Process Select window is modeless
2. Expanded online help system
3. Expanded application preferences
4. System 7 support - Balloon Help, AppleEvents, color icons, drag & drop
5. 150 pairs of 32 character replacement strings, each opt. case insensitive
6. CRs and wildcards can be used in search strings
7. Specifying a folder for auto-processing its contents
8. Specifying a folder for favorite settings used for a hierarchical menu
9. Option to open to favorite settings folder when saving settings
10. Scanning for possible virus infection/damage of application upon opening
11. Progress bar uses patterns and system highlight color
12. List selections use system highlight color
13. Shareware registration form printing
14. Two program modes to help hide program complexity
15. Location and size of movable windows are remembered
16. Improved handling of low memory conditions during processing
17. Support for animated color cursors
18. Memory info/compaction when choosing About A/S… with the option key down
19. “Never merge lines to fit” checkbox for Force Line Width
20. “Remove all indention” checkbox for Make Paragraphs & Make Paragraphs2
21. Buttons are disabled in background windows
22. Improved processing speed by as much as 50%
23. Fixed all known bugs
24. Many cosmetic interface changes
25. Removed A/S TEXT file icon and customized Monaco font
New in Edit A/S 3.0:
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1. Importing of remapping sets from other copies of A/S
2. Scanning for possible virus infection/damage of application upon opening
3. List selections use system highlight color
4. Characters in characters chart of remapping editor can be drag selected
5. Selected character is drawn at 24 pt. in remapping sets editor
6. Font used in either chart of remapping editor is selectable
7. Remapping sets names list is alphabetized
8. Names in Mapping Sets picker are drawn in italic or normal style
9. Scrolling animated cursor installer/picker with color cursor support
10. A/S Balloon Help removal
11. Several cosmetic interface changes
12. Fixed all known bugs
New in A/S 2.9.4:
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1. Adjusted initialization code to fix occasional hangs when starting A/S
New in A/S 2.9.3:
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1. Begining or End of File insert strings
2. Adjusted initialization code to improve compatibility.
3. Fixed bug that could add spaces when making paragraphs
4. Warning if a line couldn’t be reduced when forcing line width
5. Default preferences are saved into the System Folder’s Preferences folder
6. Some code to support and improve compatibility with System 7.0.
New in A/S 2.9.2:
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1. Fixed conflict with some INITs which caused A/S to bomb when loading.
2. “Arrow” graphic in pop-up menus as per Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines
3. Rewrote portions of Edit A/S to clean up resource handling
New in A/S 2.9:
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1. Press return or tab key w/ command key down to insert #ASCII equivalents
2. Previous edit text fields may be selected by pressing shift-tab
3. Several options added to the output TEXT file creator pop-up menu
4. No more 255 character per line limit for incoming lines
5. “Strip bounding spaces” checkbox to zap leading/trailing spaces in fields
5. Removed 255 character per line limit for incoming lines
6. Current character remapping table is shown in the Process Select window
7. Remapping sets that remap characters immediately are italicized
8. Pointer becomes an I-Beam if over an edit text field
9. Pointer becomes a pointing hand if it’s over a pop-up menu.
10. “Fixed -> Tab Delimited” process was added
11. Fixed “fatigue” bug - out of heap memory error if processing many files
12. Pressing command-z undoes all changes made in a dialog window
14. Removed the 20 cursor limit for animated cursor sets
15. Fixed quote counting bug and improved quote and appostrophe curling
16. Pressing the Esc key selects the “Cancel” button
Operating Tips:
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1. Read the online help CAREFULLY.
2. Don’t trash the original TEXT file until AFTER verifying that A/S has done what was expected. The “Browse TEXT File…” option may be used to do this, though 10-25K can be displayed.
3. Be certain to verify ALL settings, including replacement strings, before processing a file.
4. Lines of text on Macs are generally terminated with a CR, while DOS-based machines use a CRLF sequence. Therefore, if a Macintosh TEXT file is to be transferred to an DOS-based machine, it would be appropriate to select the “Add LFs to paragraphs” checkbox when it’s available, or the “LFs” checkbox when “Add characters” is chosen. “Uncurl” quotes and apostrophes should also be chosen.
5. Consider processing a file 2 or more times to achieve the desired effect.
6. Because replacements are made blindly, use a word processor to do conditional character replacement instead of A/S.
7. Hold down the option key when choosing the “File” menu to access the “Browse ANY File…” and “Process ANY File…” menu items.
8. If you plan on processing more than one file using EXACTLY the same settings, hold down the Shift key when choosing the “Process a TEXT File…” or “Process ANY File…” menu items.
9. Make the most commonly used settings the default values by choosing “Save as Default,” and/or save them as separate files. Opening a settings file will open A/S, loading the values contained in that file.
10. Notify the author if you find a bug, or it may not get fixed.
Registration:
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Add/Strip is Shareware. This means that if you use it, you should pay for it. It’s as simple as that. I believe this a useful program at a reasonable price. I hope you feel the same. Please don’t rip me off.
Registering users receive a disk with the latest version (and a few other goodies), printed documentation, and may use future versions at no additional cost. Registration is $25. Site licenses, which allow for an unlimited number of copies to be used at a single location, are available for $100. Users who’ve already sent money and BBS operators may use this version free of charge.
If you choose not to send money, AT LEAST send comments, suggestions, and/or bug reports. I can be reached at:
Jon Wind (A/S 3.0.2) <-- let me know which version you’re using
2374 Hillwood Drive
Maplewood, MN 55119
or
America Online: JWind
CompuServe: 70167,3444
GEnie: JPWind
Internet: jwind@aol.com
MCI Mail: J.Wind
Acknowledgments:
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Thanks are extended to those individuals who’ve bothered to send money and (no less importantly) to those who’ve offered suggestions for improvements, especially Charles Vass, John Ware, Fastrax, and my beta testers. This version of A/S could not have been created without your support.
Mandatory Disclaimer:
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A/S SHOULD work on Mac Pluses or better. It works fine on the Macs I’ve tested it on, but I cannot guarantee that it will on yours. Still, if it doesn’t, please let me know and I’ll see what I can do.
