
                   VmASC UTILITY -ver 1d
    (C)P. Mihok - VMV Ltd. - 5694-4 Hwy.7 E.,Unit 193,
            Markham, Ontario Canada L3P 1B4
                    12 Feb 1995

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:DESCRIPTION:

   This little utility lets you draw a colour screen of
IBM extended graphic characters with the mouse, to install in
your text mode software for example, or to provide a title
page or other screen for other software. To run it, type
GO-V at the prompt, and the batch file will run, giving a demo.

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:GENERAL REMARKS:

   I wrote it because I was frustrated at not being able to
examine for myself, on the screen, just how a combination of
colours and characters would look, without programming it in
detail in C code, a genuine waste of time; also, it struck me
it would be fun to use, and the results would be useful. Also,
I don't like having ANSI.SYS taking up RAM on my machine so
I didn't want an ANSI drawing package. Besides, it's impossible
to predict whether someone else has ANSI.SYS running, so you
can't distribute the result. I also thought it would be useful
to draw custom screens to add to C programs. I have a version
that writes the screen contents to two ASCII files containing
the character and the attribute, for that purpose, and also
wrote VMANSI to write ANSI files.
 
  Since then, I've found several other applications for this
utility, and have incorporated its functions into other software.

  VmASC files are almost, but not quite, compatible with THEDRAW
files. I tried THEDRAW once, but found it intimidating. Maybe
I wouldn't feel that way now. THEDRAW writes all kinds of files
and lets you animate, but it doesn't seem to allow clock control
of your animation. VmSHOW does, but I haven't had time to work
up a release version.

  This package, of course, only draws in pure character mode using
basic attributes available in EGA 16 colour character mode.
For the shareware release I decided to add the version that
writes to a pure ASCII file, but not the one that lets you
read or rename files from the software. (I need some incentive
for people to register!) I'm considering doing a self executing
file and adding more bells and whistles to the new version.
If you would like that version, send me a little folding green!

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:TO USE:
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:LOADING:
 You can load a file from the command line by typing its name
as follows:

VMASC FILENAME.EXT

on the command line.

It will try to load the file. However, you should only load
character mode screen capture files of 4k in length. The
utility writes files named ASCIIPIX.@V@, so you should type

VMASC ASCIIPIX.@V@

It will load the last file you saved, (unless you renamed
it.)

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:RUNNING:
 The software requires a DOS mouse driver to run, so be sure
to have a mouse driver loaded. (It detects if there is no
driver loaded.) It also requires a minimum of EGA to run, but
will run with a CGA or mono monitor. (However, you won't be
able to see the colours on a mono monitor, of course.) I no
longer have a CGA monitor to test things on, so I don't know
how it looks on one, but it works OK on a TTL monitor, though
the results look funny when viewed on something else. (Of
course a VGA and super VGA monitor will work, running in EGA
mode, which happens automatically when you start the software.)
I saw no reason to add special screen modes, such as 50 line
mode, when it leaves your user's screen in that mode and
upsets them. (I have some software that does that. That is,
I *HAD* some software that did that...)

 At the first screen (a HELP screen) push the mouse button to
start a screen. (Hitting a key returns you to DOS.) You'll
find the mouse button has different repeat rates depending
on what you are doing, but basically it works slower in menus
and fastest when you are drawing, so you don't leave artifacts
on the screen coming out of a menu. (If you do, you can hit
the DELETE key. If something else is in the last-button memory
and nothing happens, you can press the mouse button with the
mouse cursor atop the unwanted character to show DELETE what
you want to delete!)

 A more detailed HELP screen is available by hitting F1 inside
the software.

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:MENUS:

  There are three function menus and a HELP screen (F1).
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:MENU 1:PICK A CHARACTER AND COLOUR:

 The first function menu appears when you hit the right mouse
button. It lets you select a character and foreground and
background colour attributes. It redraws every time you pick
a character or colour (with the left mouse button) so you can
see how it will look. When you have the character and colour
you want, hit the right mouse button to exit this menu.

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:MENU 2:FILL OPERATIONS:

 This menu appears when you hit both mouse buttons at the same
time. (This can be a little tricky to get the hang of - I keep
ending up in the character/colour menu, myself.) The selections
let you fill the background, fill or clear the whole screen,
fill upper,lower,right or left halves of the screen, or mark
block areas of the screen to capture and copy, fill, change the
attributes of, or clear. The left mouse button activates and
the right mouse button escapes. There isn't a floating highlight
bar since I thought it would add needless complexity to the code,
but if people want it I can add it.

 Fill works only on areas that don't already have something in
them (cleared areas) except block fill, which overwrites. I felt
that it was better to have them each work differently so you
have more flexibility.

 The menu contains a Global Character Replace feature which lets
you replace all examples of a selected character, across the screen,
with the current character and attribute. Block character replace
is now available also, allowing you to mark a block and replace
characters only within that block.

 This menu also has an "UNDO" feature that undoes the last operation
that you performed which left something on the screen. It has only
a one button-deep memory, though.

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:MENU 3:FILE OPERATIONS:

 Only two of the file operations work in the shareware version -
save and exit, or discard and exit.


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:DRAWING AND WRITING OPERATIONS:

  When you are on the main screen, you can press the left mouse
button to paste the character and attribute where you want it.
If you want to delete the last character you pasted, try hitting
the DELETE key. You can put the mouse cursor atop any example of
the current character with attribute which you want to delete, and
press the mouse button then press DELETE. To delete a character to
the background value, hit the white background, the black foreground
and the zeroth character (which looks like a blank, at the upper
Left Hand corner) in the char/colour menu.

 Home and End keys are now added, and the mouse cursor is visible
now, but only so you can hit the RH button to exit this function.

 You can hit the INSERT key to insert typed text, using the keyboard.
The DOS cursor appears on the screen and can be moved around using
the arrow keys. Text appears where you type it. When you hit the
backspace key, it stores the character it found in the previous
location, in its restore memory, so you can hold the key down to
repeat that character backwards across the screen. You can also
move the cursor somewhere else and hit BACKSPACE to keep on repeating.
When you're done using the text insert mode, hit ESC to return to
the mouse cursor (which is usually still where you left it.) The
text insert mode uses the current colour attributes, chosen from
the first menu. Note this is not a word processor, so it lacks many
edit features. They could be added, but I don't really see any point.

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:SAVING AND VIEWING:

 When you leave (hitting ESC) you will be in an exit screen that
asks if you want to save. Hit Y or y and it will write a file
called ASCIIPIX.@V@. (If there is already a file with that name
it will overwrite it. So, if you want to save previous efforts,
you have to rename them from outside the software. The registered
version lets you rename from inside the software.) NOTE - now the
software renames old ASCIIPIX.@V@ files to ASCIIPIX.BAK and writes
a new ASCIIPIX.@V@ file. But it deletes old ASCIIPIX.BAK files when
it does so. It also writes a file, ASCIIPIX.TXT, which contains
only the characters without their colour attributes, but it just
overwrites old ASCIIPIX.TXT files.

 You can reload this file by typing its name after VMASC on the
command line when starting the software, as previously discussed.
(The registered version gives you a menu to select a file.) It
doesn't check whether you are loading the correct type of file,
so there is no telling what will happen if you fool around with
that! <g> (Actually, I tried it after adding some protection
to the software so it won't reach into uncharted regions if it
hits the end of the file it's reading... it looks interesting -
you get all kinds of blinking crap on your screen! And no harm
is done.)

 A utility is also included, VAVIEW, which will load a file called
ASCIIPIX.@V@ if there is one in the current directory, and then
it will display it. (The demo uses it.) VAVIEW has no options,
it merely displays ASCIIPIX.@V@ and nothing else. (I was considering
providing the ability to make a self displaying file out of your
drawings, but will wait and see how many people pay for registration
before I waste my time with that.)

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:DISCLAIMER:

                - VMV Ltd. assumes no responsibility for the 
consequences of any application of any software product. Although 
all software has been carefully and thoroughly tested before 
release, VMV Ltd. assumes no liability for any software or 
hardware incompatibilities, for loss of data, disc damage, nor for 
any other consequences resulting or claimed to result from the use 
in any manner of their software. Use of the software is entirely 
by the user's choice and at the user's risk. Resale, 
redistribution and copying of this software at cost only, is 
freely permitted, if the shareware package is entirely unaltered.

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 History:
Jan 22 1995 - first beta test release
Jan 23 1995 - first real release, fixed a number of irritating
  little quirks with the way the mouse worked. Added extra button
  memory processing to make DELETE work better. Added global char.
  replace feature. Fixed errors in documentation. Ver 1b.
Feb 12 95 - did some fine tuning of various functions, added a
  better help screen and horiz/vertical line capability, HOME and
  END and mouse cursor actions to TYPE/EDIT, and added a file menu.
  (This file menu is fully functional in the registered version.
  I completed it for another application, but needed some kind of
  incentive for people to register! Grin....) Unit now writes a
  text file without the colours.

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:REGISTRATION ETC.:

  VmASC can be registered for $15, paid by cheque/check or money
order to 

VMV LTD. - 5694-4 Hwy 7 E., Unit 193, Markham Ont., Can.,L3P 1B4

  Give your E-Mail address so I can post you an upgrade copy.
(Or if necessary I'll use snail mail, 3.5" disc preferred on
my part, but please specify. Give your name and address etc!)

  You can reach me by fax, 905-471-5440, or by E-Mail c/o

  NEIL 70107,3050@COMPUSERVE.COM

  Starting in March '95, I will be on Compuserve and will release
an upgrade version with my COMPUSERVE account, so the software
I've been releasing there can be registered online.

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