README.TXT for TextPad 1.27
===========================

Thank you for choosing to evaluate TextPad.  It got the PC Plus Gold
Award in the May '95 issue, and it's a finalist in the 1995 Ziff-Davis
Shareware Awards competition.

Have you got the latest release?  Updates are available from CompuServe
forums WINSHARE, WINUTIL and PCAPP as TPAD16.ZIP and TPAD32.ZIP.  You
can also get it using FTP from oak.oakland.edu and other SimTel mirror
sites as /simtel/win3/editor/txpad???.zip.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
    INTRODUCTION
    MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
    INSTALLATION
    BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY
    RESTRICTED FEATURES
    REGISTRATION
    SETTING COLORS
    TIPS
    ENHANCEMENTS
    KNOWN PROBLEMS


INTRODUCTION:
-------------
TextPad aims to provide the power and functionality to satisfy your most
demanding text editing requirements.  It is Windows hosted, and comes in
16 and 32-bit editions.  Huge files can be edited by either - just choose
the edition that works best with your PC.  The 32-bit edition is only
limited by virtual memory, and it will work with Win32s and Windows 95
(Beta 3 or later).

TextPad has been implemented according to the Windows 95 user interface
guidelines, so great attention has been paid to making it easy for both
beginners and experienced users.  In-context help is available for all
commands, and in-context menus pop-up with the right mouse button.  The
multi-document interface allows multiple files to be edited simultaneously,
with up to 2 views on each file.  You can drag and drop text between files.

In addition to the usual cut and paste capabilities, you can correct the
most common typing errors with commands to change case, and transpose
characters and lines.  Other commands let you indent blocks of text, split
or join lines, and insert whole files.  Any change can be undone or redone,
right back to the first one made.  Visible bookmarks can be put on lines.

It also has a customizable tools menu, and integral file compare and search
commands, with hypertext jumps from the matched text to the corresponding
line in the source file (ideal for integrating compilers).

To find out more, install TextPad by referring to the instructions below,
and then read the introduction in the on-line help file.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
---------------------
    16-bit Edition:             32-bit Edition:
      o 386SX with 4MB RAM        o 486SX with 12MB RAM (only for NT)
      o 1MB free disk space       o 1MB free disk space
      o Windows 3.1 in 386        o Windows NT 3.1 or
         enhanced mode               Windows 3.1 with Win32s 1.2
                                    (See Backwards Compatibility below)

INSTALLATION:
-------------
    From a ZIP File:
        1) Unzip into a new temporary directory, with PKUNZIP 2.04g.
        2) Run SETUP.EXE using File Manager or Program Manager.
        3) Follow the on-screen instructions, but install into a
           different directory from that in step 1 above.
        4) Delete the files unzipped in step 1 above.

    From Floppy Disk:
        1) From Program Manager, choose the Run command from the
           File menu.
        2) Type "A:\SETUP" to run the TextPad setup program.
        3) Follow the on-screen instructions.

    You can install both editions into the same directory.
    There is no need to modify your search path.

    You can associate various file extensions with TextPad, so that File
    Manager starts TextPad when you double click a file.  To do this, you
    must enable TextPad's DDE capabilities.  You can use REGEDIT to merge
    the corresponding TXTPAD16.REG or TXTPAD32.REG file (or double click
    the file with File Manager), but you must edit it first to give the
    correct path to the TextPad executable.  It assumes that your
    installation directory is C:\TEXTPAD.  See the on-line help for more
    information.

BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY:
------------------------
    The 32-bit edition needs NT 3.5, Win32s 1.25 or Windows 95 (Beta 3
    or later).  If you have NT 3.1 or an earlier release of Win32s, you
    must patch the Windows subsystem in TXTPAD32.EXE using PATCHSYS.EXE
    from the installation disk as follows:

        A:\PATCHSYS -3 TXTPAD32.EXE

    You can change it back again using "-4" instead of "-3".

RESTRICTED FEATURES:
--------------------
    The following features are only available to registered users:

    1) OLE2 drag and drop editing.  Local drag and drop editing is always
       available, but scrolling has not been implemented.  This means that
       you can drop text in the visible view, but you cannot scroll the
       view whilst dragging.
    2) Searching of subdirectories with the Find in Files command.

REGISTRATION:
-------------
    If you make use of TextPad you must register it.  Registered users
    will receive a copy of the latest releases of both the 16 and 32-bit
    editions, along with the Win32s and OLE2 files necessary for running
    in 32-bit mode on Windows 3.1.

    Click the "How to Purchase" button in the About dialog box, or see
    the file REGISTER.TXT for details.  

SETTING COLORS:
---------------
    The foreground and background colors used by TextPad can be modified,
    but there is no user interface yet.  To make changes, you must edit
    the [Colors] section in TEXTPAD.INI.  Each color is specified by 6
    hex digits in the form BBGGRR, so black is 000000, green is 00FF00,
    light gray is C0C0C0, and white is FFFFFF.  You can only use the
    sixteen standard Windows colors, so the nearest color will be used if
    you specify anything else.  The defaults are as specified in Control
    Panel.  Note that if you use TextPad to edit TEXTPAD.INI, your
    changes will be overwritten when you exit, so use NotePad!

TIPS:
-----
    - Ctrl+Left button in the left margin selects the whole file.
    - Double left click in the left margin selects the line.
    - Ctrl+Shift+O brings up a simple dialog box for file opening.
    - When the File Open dialog box is enabled for multi-file opening,
      it does not show long file names (except on Windows 95).  This
      setting can be changed on the Configure/Options dialog box.
    - After you have saved the Search or Command output results as an
      ordinary file, it loses its hypertext jump property, but you can
      always load an ordinary file into the Command output window by
      capturing the output from the DOS TYPE command.

ENHANCEMENTS:
-------------
    A Select All command has been added to the Edit menu.

    You can now print multiple copies to printers that don't support it
    in hardware.

    If a file containing null characters is edited, you get warned that
    they will be replaced with spaces, rather than getting a hex view
    of the file.

    You can now make TextPad stay on top of all other windows.  This is
    set from the View tab of the Options dialog box.  NB. It stays on top
    of online help as well!

    The maximum number of files on the Files menu has increased from 9
    to 16.

    The 32-bit edition can now edit files with more than 32,000 lines,
    up to the limits of virtual memory.  Word-wrap mode still retains
    the original limit.

    The Save As command has been implemented for the Search and Command
    output windows.

    You can now set/clear bookmarks using the right click menu, and the
    Transpose and Insert Line commands have been added to it.

    The 32-bit edition now uses the new File Open dialog under Windows 95.

    You can now delete backwards or forwards to a start of word using
    Ctrl+Backspace and Ctrl+Delete respectively.

KNOWN PROBLEMS:
---------------
    The 32-bit edition cannot print to HP DeskJet 500 printers using the
    HP driver under Win32s.  This is an HP/Win32s problem.  The workaround
    is to install the Microsoft driver for this printer instead.


Enjoy using TextPad!  Please send any comments to us at:

_______________________________
Helios Software Solutions
Carr Brook House
Chorley Old Road
Brindle
Chorley
Lancs.   PR6 7QZ
England

Phone/Fax:  +44-(0)1772-324353
CompuServe: 100041,235
Internet:   textpad@heliosof.demon.co.uk
________________________________________________________________________
Helios Software Solutions is an approved vendor and associate member of
the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP).
________________________________________________________________________

