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1992-12-13
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Textshot Version 3.0
+++++++++
by McAdams Associates
*****************************************************************
**IMPORTANT**
To register Textshot, see "Registering Textshot" on page 10 of
this manual.
Contents Page
-------- ----
Description................................ 2
Hardware Requirements...................... 2
Loading Textshot........................... 2
Removing Textshot From Memory.............. 3
Activating Textshot........................ 3
Using Textshot............................. 4
Saving a Screen............................ 6
Image Editing.............................. 6
A Word About Palettes...................... 7
If There Are Problems...................... 7
Tips For Getting a Good Picture............ 8
Disclaimer & Agreement..................... 9
Registering Textshot....................... 10
Index...................................... 11
(C)Copyright 1992 by T.C. McAdams. All Rights Reserved.
Textshot Description
--------------------
Textshot is a pop-up TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) program
designed to be a text screen counterpart to ZSoft's FRIEZE(tm),
producing output files for use in word processors and desktop
publishing applications. The user loads Textshot into memory,
presses the hot key from within a character-based application,
and a menu pops up permitting entry of a filespec and a choice of
various file options. When the [ENTER] key is pressed, the
screen is restored and is saved to disk in the form of either a
16-color or monochrome (2-color) PC Paintbrush-format .PCX
graphics file. This file can be loaded into any application that
accepts .PCX files or into ZSoft's PC Paintbrush(tm) itself, for
editing. PC Paintbrush is not needed to use Textshot. Textshot
also permits image "clipping" prior to writing an image to disk,
as well as the optional preservation of image settings between
pop-ups. Textshot should work on any DOS computer running DOS
2.11 or above.
Hardware Requirements
---------------------
Textshot will work with any of the common PC video standards.
Specifically: MDA/Hercules, CGA, EGA and VGA. Textshot is
intended to work only in text modes, not in graphics modes.
Textshot will capture 80x25 screens (all standards), 80x43
screens (EGA and VGA) and 80x50 screens (VGA). Screen formats of
other than 80 columns are not supported.
Since Textshot relies on a computer's internal graphics fonts for
its output, the computer on which it's run must have, at minimum,
a complete CGA font set. In instances where this is not the
case, a DOS utility called GRAFTABL must be run to supply the
"upper half" of the necessary font set. EGA and VGA cards supply
their own complete font sets.
Loading Textshot
----------------
Textshot is loaded into memory by typing
TEXTSHOT [ENTER]
at the DOS command line. If you use an expanded memory manager,
Textshot will function happily in high memory, leaving your DOS
memory free for other things. For example, if you use
Quarterdeck's QEMM, you can load Textshot into high memory by
typing
LOADHI TEXTSHOT [ENTER]
2
When Textshot is loaded a message appears telling you so. As
mentioned above, on some machines a full (256-character) ROM font
set may not be available; Textshot checks to see before loading.
If this is the case, you are told to run the DOS GRAFTABL utility
before proceeding. Screen printing is disabled while Textshot is
resident.
Removing Textshot From Memory
-----------------------------
To remove Textshot from memory simply type
TEXTSHOT [ENTER]
from the command line, just as if you were loading it. Note: If
you loaded Textshot into high memory through a memory manager,
don't bother invoking the memory manager a second time to remove
Textshot. Just type "TEXTSHOT [ENTER]".
Textshot will tell you it's unloaded itself, else it will tell
you that it CAN'T unload itself. There are many reasons why a
TSR could be unable to remove itself from memory, but most of
them come down to some other program, used after Textshot was
loaded, altering the computer's interrupt table. In these cases,
the only way to unload Textshot is to reboot.
Activating Textshot
-------------------
Textshot's hot key is [PrScr] or, on some machines,
[SHIFT + PrScr], which means hold down the [SHIFT] key while
pressing [PrScr].
If the hot key is pressed while in a graphics mode, you'll hear
two beeps. This is Textshot's way of telling you to stop doing
that. You will also hear two beeps if your video adapter is in
other than an 80-column text mode. In the special case of the
Hercules adapter, it doesn't seem to be possible to tell with
100% reliability when it is and isn't displaying graphics;
sometimes, if you press the hot key while Hercules graphics are
being displayed, instead of hearing beeps you'll see "splotches"
appear at the top of the screen. This means that Textshot has
failed to accurately gauge modes and you'll see what ASCII
characters written to a graphics screen look like. Solution:
press [ESC] to leave Textshot. Your graphics screen will be
restored.
Another potential problem lies with other programs that play with
a computer's interrupt table, particularly the keyboard
interrupts. Textshot attempts to be good to your computer's
interrupt table, taking over and using no more of your computer's
resources than it absolutely has to; but it has to have access to
some things simply to function. If Textshot refuses to pop up,
or if you have trouble typing inside Textshot, try changing the
loading order of any other TSR programs you might be using. If
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you're not running any other TSRs simultaneously with Textshot
and it still refuses to function correctly, the problem probably
lies with the running application, and there may not be much to
be done about it.
Using Textshot
--------------
After pressing the hot key in text mode, a menu will appear at
the top of your screen. On the first line is a prompt saying
"Enter filespec:". This is where you type a name for your screen
capture file. Textshot's default pop-up mode is black-and-white.
Pressing [F6] (described a little later on) will switch you to
color output mode.
On the second and third lines are what might be called "status
prompts", giving you your options: [ESC] and [F1] through [F6].
Here's what they do:
[ESC] Leaves the program, "pops it down".
[F1] Controls image inversion in monochrome mode. Textshot
pops up with this option set to "OFF". The correct
setting of this toggle (called a "toggle", because
when you press it, it goes to its opposite state; pressing once
produces "ON", pressing again produces "OFF", and so on) can only
be determined by examining the final printed output of whatever
document or file you've loaded your screen image into. Some
applications will print a normally-output ("OFF" setting) screen
black-on-white while others will print it as white-on-black.
What you want your output to look like will determine the setting
of this switch. Try it both ways. Note that this option is
disabled ("NA", for "Not Applicable" is shown) when color output
is active.
[F2] The state of this toggle determines whether dot patterns
are used in the file to simulate, to the degree it's
possible, what the background colors of a screen look
like in monochrome mode. 6 of the 8 possible background colors
have their own pattern. No patterns are necessary for white-on-
black and black-on-white areas. Whether or not it's worthwhile
to use color patterns will depend entirely on the nature of the
screen you're taking a picture of and what you want the final
output to look like. Again, give both a try. This option isn't
available (or necessary) in monochrome screen modes, and "NA",
for "Not Applicable", is shown in color output mode.
[F3] On MDA/CGA-equipped machines, pressing this key does
nothing; CGA fonts are all there are. On EGA/VGA-equipped
machines, you can tell Textshot to use any font available
in your computer by pressing this toggle. For an EGA, this means
CGA and EGA fonts. For a VGA adapter, it means CGA, EGA and VGA
fonts. Where you have a choice, each option represents
tradeoffs: EGA or VGA fonts will give a higher-resolution
picture, but at the cost of increased file size. CGA fonts
4
produce the smallest output files, but with the coarsest picture
resolution. The resolution question must be decided by what
you're using the output files for, and what quality is necessary.
The file size issue might become important if you're loading
screen images into an application that already hogs most of
memory, when a change in font resolution could mean the
difference between using or not using a file. Also be aware that
.PCX file editors that don't use scroll bars may be unable to
load higher-resolution Textshot files.
Textshot pops up with the font switch set to the highest possible
resolution by default. This can be changed by using the [F4]
key.
[F4] This key preserves Textshot's toggle settings, including
the position of the clipping box (discussed next).
Filespecs are not preserved. The color mode (described
under [F6], below) is unaffected by this toggle.
[F5] Pressing this key enables you to tell Textshot which areas
of your screen to save. When pressed, it causes the menu
to (temporarily) disappear and a white "clipping box" to
appear on your screen. The first time this key is pressed, the
box will be as large as your screen; changing the box's shape
tells Textshot which part of the screen you want saved -- those
parts that are covered by the box. The clipping box is
"inclusive", which is to say that whatever is covered by the
edges of the box will be included in what is saved. This would
permit, for example, collapsing the clipping box down to the size
of a single character, if that's what you wanted, and saving that
single character to a file.
The clipping box is controlled by pressing the arrow keys. When
[F5] is pressed and the box first appears, the arrow keys control
the "upper left" sides of the box. The top and left sides.
Pressing [ENTER] with the box still visible "flips" the arrow
keys, which then control the "lower right" sides of the box. The
right and bottom sides. Pressing [ENTER] again toggles sides yet
again, which can be repeated as many times as necessary.
Pressing [SHIFT + ARROW] accelerates the clipping box's
movements, allowing you to "cover more territory" quickly.
After setting the clipping box, pressing [ESC] makes the box
disappear and the menu reappear.
If you should want to quickly restore the clipping box to its
default (whole screen) size without having to use the arrow keys,
make sure the [F4] toggle is set to "OFF", pop down Textshot, by
pressing [ESC] from the menu, and then pop it up again by
pressing [PrScr]. The box dimensions will then be reset.
Note: At least one older version of PC Paintbrush has
intermittent difficulties with less-than-full-screen (clipped)
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color Textshot files. No other editor or viewer we've tried has
any trouble with these images.
[F6] This toggle controls Textshot's color mode setting.
Textshot's default pop-up mode is monochrome, displayed as
"B/W". Pressing [F6] changes this to "COLOR", and all
subsequent output will be in color. Note that pressing the [F4]
toggle has no effect on the color setting, which will remain as
set until [F6] is pressed again.
Color output files are considerably larger than an equivalent
monochrome file, and so will take correspondingly longer to write
to disk.
Saving A Screen
---------------
Textshot doesn't care whether or not you use a .PCX file
extension in your filespec. So if you want your files to be
"real" PC Paintbrush files, it will be necessary for you to give
them a .PCX or .PCC extension.
Filespecs can be as long as the available screen space. The
cursor will stop automatically when you've reached the limit.
After entering your filespec and selecting the desired options,
pressing [ENTER] causes Textshot to restore the screen and write
the file you've specified. Since a high-resolution file might
take a little while to write, especially on slower machines,
Textshot will beep when it's finished writing to disk. That will
mean your picture is complete.
Textshot does not include the cursor in the pictures it makes.
If whatever you're using the picture for requires a text cursor,
one can be "faked in" by loading the file into PC Paintbrush (or
some another .PCX file editor) and drawing it. Concerning which,
be sure to read the "Image Editing" section immediately
following.
Image Editing
-------------
As with any other .PCX-format file, screen images produced by
Textshot can be loaded and edited inside a .PCX file editor.
Your editor may need to be reconfigured (PC Paintbrush through
PBSETUP) to match the color mode of the image.
Depending on the "match" between Textshot's output and the
current default aspect ratio of the .PCX file editor you load it
into, some image distortion may be apparent. If, for example,
you capture a VGA- or EGA-resolution screen image with Textshot,
in monochrome mode, and load it into a CGA-configured PC
Paintbrush, all the characters will seem elongated. Don't worry.
These files can be edited easily enough inside PC Paintbrush.
When, however, the images are imported into an application they
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will automatically assume the aspect ratio (the ratio of height
to width) of the "frame" into which they're "poured". A
computer's video screen has an aspect ratio of about 3:4. If the
frame you pour the image into, inside your application, has this
same aspect ratio, the screen images will look natural. If your
Textshot images are saved using the CGA font, the resulting
images would appear to have a "natural" aspect ratio inside PC
Paintbrush to begin with, when it is configured for CGA.
It may also happen that a Textshot image might not completely
fill the screen of an editor. A full 25-line VGA screen image,
for instance, will have a resolution of 640 x 400 pixels, less
than the standard VGA graphics screen resolution of 640 x 480
pixels. What this means is that if, after editing such a file in
VGA screen mode, the file is saved back to disk, those blank
areas on the bottom -- and on the right as well, if editing on a
Hercules-configured screen -- will go with it. This is something
to take into account.
Every word processor or desktop publishing program we are
familiar with has no trouble importing PC Paintbrush images,
regardless of resolution or mode, and that includes Textshot
images; mode translation is always automatic. Final judgements
regarding hardware and software compatibility, though, as with
any shareware product, must be yours. Please make sure Textshot
works with everything you might need it to work with before
committing to it.
A Word About Palettes
---------------------
In color output mode, when running on CGA- and EGA-equipped
machines, Textshot uses the default color palette. On VGA
machines, Textshot uses the active palette.
In monochrome output mode, Textshot uses a generic, default CGA
palette for its output, which has the virtue of at least making
Textshot images visible in all screen modes. The monochrome
palette has no effect that we've seen on how monochrome Textshot
images are handled in any word processor or desktop publishing
application.
If There Are Problems
---------------------
If Textshot has any trouble when writing the file, you'll hear
two beeps, a message window at the top of the screen will appear,
and whatever the problem might be is described. You are then
asked to press any key, and the message window disappears. Press
[PrScr] again to try the operation over.
Make sure you've typed a correct pathname (a directory that
exists) and that the disk you're writing to has enough room for
the output file. Textshot tells you specifically about most
common disk problems. If you see the general message "Disk
7
error", though, it's something sufficiently obscure that Textshot
(and probably you) can't do much about it.
Finally, if there ever should be any difficulty in loading a
Textshot file into an application, you might try loading it first
into a .PCX file editor, saving it back to disk with the same
filename, and then trying again.
Tips For Getting A Good Picture
-------------------------------
As mentioned previously, the first things to try when saving an
image is to use the toggle switches available when Textshot is
"popped up". In monochrome mode, image inversion, the use of
color patterns and changing the image resolution should make it
possible to get an acceptable image under most circumstances.
But what do you do if none of these work? This section has some
additional ideas.
If your video adapter is able, try switching to a monochrome
display mode (VGA, MDA, or Hercules). Most programs make their
screens differently, using ASCII characters and character
intensity only, when running in monochrome.
In cases where the color patterns aren't what you want, but you
don't want to switch Textshot to color output, you can sometimes
solve the problem by changing the patterns used by changing the
top application's screen colors. Since you are dealing with
Textshot's color patterns, remember that it doesn't matter what
the colors on the screen look like, whether they are pretty or
ugly; all that matters is that the color patterns turn out
acceptably. If all else fails, try changing the application to
sheer black-on-white, or vice versa.
If you need to put something into a captured image that wasn't in
the original, or take out something that doesn't belong, you must
resort to a .PCX file editor. There, it will be possible to add
cursors and to capture small bits of an original file as .PCC
(cutout) files.
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Disclaimer & Agreement
----------------------
Users of Textshot must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
"Textshot is supplied as is. The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without
limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of
fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no
liability for damages, direct or consequential, which
may result from the use of Textshot."
Textshot is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge
to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your
friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of
another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to
provide personal computer users with quality software without
high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to
continue to develop new products. If you find this program
useful and find that you are using Textshot and continue to use
Textshot after a reasonable trial period, you must make a
registration payment of $25 to McAdams Associates. The $25
registration fee will license one copy for use on any one
computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like
a book. An example is that this software may be used by any
number of people and may be freely moved from one computer
location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it
being used at one location while it's being used at another.
Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the
same time.
Commercial users of Textshot must register and pay for their
copies of Textshot within 30 days of first use or their license
is withdrawn. Site-License arrangements may be made by
contacting McAdams Associates.
Anyone distributing Textshot for any kind of remuneration must
first contact McAdams Associates at the address below for
authorization. This authorization will be automatically granted
to distributors recognized by the ASP as adhering to its
guidelines for shareware distributors, and such distributors may
begin offering Textshot immediately (However McAdams Associates
must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to-
date with the latest version of Textshot.).
You are encouraged to pass a copy of Textshot along to your
friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their
copy if they find that they can use it.
And since this is shareware and we are a member of the
Association of Shareware Professionals, please read the
following:
"This program is produced by a member of the
Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP
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wants to make sure that the shareware principle works
for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-
related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP
Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem
with an ASP member, but does not provide technical
support for members' products. Please write to the ASP
Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442
or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP
Ombudsman 70007,3536."
Registering Textshot
---------------------
Registering Textshot costs $25 and includes the latest version of
Textshot, a typeset manual, one year's free support by phone,
mail and CompuServe e-mail, free bug fixes, and TWO handy utility
programs: 1) SEARCH, a multitalented disk scanning file-finder
program, and 2) TO/RET, a "two-in-one" combo that work together,
enabling you to change to any disk/directory and return instantly
to your starting point.
To register Textshot, simply print and fill out the file
REGISTER.DOC and send it, along with $25 (checks or M.O.s drawn a
U.S. banks only, please) to:
McAdams Associates
P.O. Box 835505
Richardson, TX 75083-5505
CIS PPN 70353,1644
Textshot was created using QuickC and MASM, which are trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation.
10
INDEX
-----
Activating Textshot, see [PrScr] key
Beeps
One (signifying completion), 6
Two (disk error), 7
Two (graphics mode error), 3
Clipping (image), 2, 5
Color mode, 6
and [F4] key, 5
and Image inversion, 4
and Patterns, 4
Color patterns, 4, 8
Commercial distribution, 9
Commercial use of Textshot, 9
Disk errors, 7-8
Editing Textshot images, 6-7
[ESC] key, 4, 5
and Hercules "splotches", 3
[F1] function key, see Image inversion
[F2] function key, see Color patterns
[F3] function key, see Fonts
[F4] function key, see Preserve settings
[F5] function key, see Clipping
[F6] function key, see Color mode
File sizes, 6
Fonts
Aspect ratios of, 6-7
[F3] toggle, 4-5
File sizes using different, 4-5
Hardware requirements, 2
GRAFTABL DOS utility, 2, 3
Graphics file format, 2
Graphics modes, 2, 3
Hercules (determining), 3
Hot key, see [PrScr] key
Image inversion, 4, 8
Leaving Textshot, see [ESC] key
Loading Textshot, 2-3
Memory managers, 2, 3
Palette
Color, 7
Monochrome, 7
PCX file editors, 5, 6, 7, 8
PCX file extension, 6
PCX file format, 2, 6-7
Preserve settings, 5
[PrScr] hot key, 3
Registering Textshot, 10
Software compatibility, 3-4
Support, 10
Unloading Textshot, 3
Video
80-column modes supported, 2
11
Aspect ratio, 7
Hercules & PC Paintbrush, 7
Monochrome, 8
VGA & PC Paintbrush, 7
Standards (compatibility), 2
12
