		
		DTPBrowser
       A multi-window  bitmap and  text viewer\editor.
                          1991, SJHDesign

	
     	We at SJHDesign would like to thank you
       for trying DTPBrowser.  Anyone who needs to keep
       track of a hard drive full of text and image files will 
       find this program quite useful. It has the ability to:

	 Load as many text(ASCII) and bitmap
                   (.BMP) files as memory permits.

	 Perform simple text editing on ASCII
	  files or create new ASCII files.

	 Display 2, 16 or 256 color bitmaps 
	  and copy them to the clipboard and 
	  other applications.

	 Perform case sensitive word searches 
	  on text files and replace search strings
	  with another user defined string.

	 Cut and copy text to the clipboard and
	   paste text between windows or into
	   other applications.

                 Load as many as 8 files from the 
	  command line.

       But best of all, DTPBrowser is compact and FAST. Since
       the program doesn't impose a large memory overhead,
       you can load more words and images and easily copy
       them into your DTP or Word Processing program.

       This text file contains a general overview of the program
        and is divided into the following sections:

	A) Installation(easy)	

	B) Registration(What's in it for you?)

	C) Tips(Memory, file types and stuff)

	
      A) INSTALLATION
        
	The following files should be included in the
	DTBR.ZIP archive:

	  DTPB.TXT- this file
	  2COLOR.BMP - sample 2 color bitmap
	  16COLOR.BMP - sample 16 color bitmap
	  256COLOR.BMP - sample 256 color bitmap
	  DTPBROWS.EXE - DTPBrowser executable 
	  DTPBROWS.HLP -DTPBrowser help file
	  REGDTP.TXT - Registration Form for your printer

          The best way to install DTPBrowser is to copy the files
        DTPBROWS.EXE and DTPBROWS.HLP to the directory 
        in which you keep the text and bitmap files you will be
        working with so you can find and load them easily. Note:
        if that dirctory is not in your PATH statement (this can be
        found in AUTOEXEC.BAT, an ASCII file on your root drive),
        you should either include it or move DTPBROWS.HLP to 
        a directory that is included in your path. If you will only 
        be loading the program from Program Manger, you don't 
        have to worry about this, but many third-party application
        launchers and Program Manager substitutes do not return
        a fully qualified filename when they launch a program and 
        thus Windows will have trouble finding the help file if it is
        not on your path.
          Here is a sample directory setup that I have found to be
        fast and practical:

	
	 C:
	  	               This dir has your Publishing or 
	  --PUBLISHER     word processing program. Put
	  	              DTPBROWS.EXE and DTPBROWS. 
	  	              HLP here and include in your path.
                                
                           DOCS         These directories contain  your text       
                                               and bitmap files and will always be
                          BITMAPS     visible in the file load box when you
                                                run DTPBrowser.

	Running DTPBrowser:
                ------------------------------------
                There are many different ways to load and run DTPBrowser.
	Drag the file DTPBROWS.EXE from the File Manager 
	to the Program Manager and run it out of there, or simply
	click on DTPBROWS.EXE in the file manager. If, like the
 	majority of Windows users, you use a third party application
	launcher that allows command line parameters like filenames,
	you can load DTPBrowser and concurrently open multiple text 
	and/or bitmap files by including the full filenames of the text or
	bitmap files you want to load in the box where you specify 
	switches or parameters. If your launcher supports long 
	command lines, you can autoload load as many files(up to
	255 characters)as will fit on the command line. Bitmap and
	text files can also be autoloaded by editing the [Extensions]
	 section of your WIN.INI file like so:
		[Extensions]
		TXT=C:\PUBLISHER\DTPBROWS.EXE ^.TXT
		INI=C:\PUBLISHER\DTPBROWS.EXE ^.INI
	 	BMP=C:\PUBLISHER\DTPBROWS.EXE ^.BMP

	  Of course, you have to substitute the actual drive and 
	directory where DTPBrowser is located on your system
	and be sure to delete any previous assignments of that
	particular file format in your Win.Ini file.  If you do this,
	you can also install text and bitmap files in Program 
	manager groups and load DTPBrowser with that file by
	clicking on the icon.
	Note:  Assigning the .INI extension to DTPBrowser is a
	timesaver- all you have to do is click on any INI file you 
	want to edit in the File Manager(or whatever third-party file 
	utility you use). Since DTPBrowser supports multiple edit
	windows, you can view and edit (for example) Win.Ini and
	System.Ini at the same time. For any situation where it is
	helpful to edit a number of inter-related files at once, it can
	save lots of time to assign the file extension to DTPBrowser
	in your Win.Ini file.  I personally find this program useful
	for editing complex DBase or Paradox database script
	applications which are often composed of many small,
	inter-related script files. As you use the program, you will
	find many uses for it other than browsing text and images
	for your Desktop Publishing application.

	  Using the RUN commands in Program Manager and 
	File Manager will also speed the loading of multiple files.
	For example, if your Windows directory is current and
	DTPBrowser is there, type this in the box that comes up 
	when you choose the run command:
	 
	 DTPBROWS WIN.INI SYSTEM.INI CHESS.BMP PAPER.BMP

	and DTPBrowser will load with with all four files ready for 
	viewing or editing.	

	Menu Commands : The menu commands are explained
	in detail in the DTPBrowser help file. Just run DTPBrowser
	and choose HELP(alt-H) from the menu.

      B) REGISTRATION
            It costs $29.00(US) to register DTPBrowser. I posted
          a limited function Demo version(DTPBRO.ZIP) on three
          CIS  forums with an offer for this fully functional version
          (for $29), had over 400 downloads and a whole lot less
          registrations than that.  I can only assume that this  was
          because either the Demo version was so fabulous that
          nobody wanted the real thing or else people need more
          of an incentive than that to spend their money. I'm going
          on the assumption that the latter is true, so in that spirit,
          here's what you get if you register DTPBrowser:

	1) Major upgrade for $5 - we are currently adding
	    an enhanced text editor, three image file formats
	    (.PCX, .TIFF, Aldus\Corel .MTF), easier loading
	    of multiple files, printing and other improvements.
	    Beta release is scheduled on or before 7/1/92,
	    at which time registered users will recieve an
	    offer to upgrade the program for  $5( to cover the
	    disk and shipping costs-$15 for orders outside
	    the Continental U.S.).

	2) VGAColor Clipart Collection - I don't know about you,
	     but I'm tired of little stickmen and stuff that looks
	     like it was lifted from greeting cards and such 
	     passing for clipart so we put together a collection 
	     of two hundred 2,16, and 256 color clipart images 
	     that we use frequently in our own work.  Polished, 
	     useful images for Desktop Publishers in .PCX 
	     format (available separately for $19.95).

	3) Unlimited Free Tech Support - we'll give you a special
	     number to call evenings and weekends if you have 
	     any questions about DTPBrowser. All you pay  is the
	     the phone company.

	4) There's more coming-we are working on quite a few things
	     here. In particular, a compact Desktop- type program that
	     actually leaves some memory for you to load programs
	     in, a full featured Windows metafile editor as well as a 
	     number of utilities to support the upcoming release of
	     Paradox for Windows. Registered users will be notified
	    of new products by mail and recieve substantial discounts.


       So if we have you convinced, print out the file REGDTP.TXT
       (a standard ASCII file that will output on any printer), fill out the
       information so we know where to reach you for upgrades, etc.,
       and send the form along with a check or money order for $29.00
       ($40.00 for orders outside the Continental US) to:
		
			SCOTT HANRAHAN
			326 E. 34th ST.
			N.Y. , NY 10016
	          (make checks payable to Scott Hanrahan)
	   Specify 5.25" or 3.5" disk.  Software will be shipped 
	    via US Mail or UPS(faster) within 5 business days.

     Or, if you would like us to send you a copy C.O.D.\Cash(it'll cost you 
     $4.00 extra) call SJHDesign at (212) 683-2264 or leave a request on 
     Compuserve (70144,3033). Any advice, suggestions, praise, criticism,
     etc. can also be sent to either of the above.  If you find a bug, please
     call me ( if you have a Dr. Watson log, it would be very helpful).


     C) TIPS

     Memory Issues
     -------------------------
     DTPBrowser was written in Pascal  in a manner that I think makes it as
     fast and compact as possible.  While the program itself doesn't take
     up much memory, bitmaps do. It takes over 159K to load a 320x200
     256 color bitmap-in theory, four of them would take up the entire lower
     640K of your computer's memory(and that's not counting the 130-160K
     overhead the Windows GUI imposes).  The following tips are based on
     what Microsoft calls an "average" Windows configuration : 20mhz 386 
     with an 80mb hard drive, SVGA monitor with 512k SVGA video card. (If 
     you don't have $2000 for that, write to Bill Gates and ask for a loan)

	1)Real Mode - a real problem for programmers. For programs
	   like this one that deal with extremely large files requiring
	   lots of memory, the choices are to limit what your program
	   can do so all of it's functions are available in real mode, or
	   to write a separate real mode compatible program. We have 
	   chosen the latter. If you are a real mode afficianado, DTPB16
	   has all of the text functions of this program but is limited to
	   2 or 16 color bitmaps. If you are a registered user we will
	   send this to you at no charge. This version of DTPBrowser
	   will run in Real Mode with full text functions, but will only
	   load the smaller  bitmaps.   

	2) 256 Color Bitmaps-a good rule of thumb is that a 
	    512k video card can load the palette table for
	    one 640x480x256 image with little loss of color.
	    Since DTPBrowser loads multiple bitmap images,
	    when two or three images of that size are loaded,
	    some loss of color(washing out) is inevitable. In
	    Enhanced mode, Windows compensates to some 
	    extent by making additional virtual memory available
	    to the Palette Manager, but this memory is slow and 
	    involves much disk thrashing. If you have two or three 
	    256 color  bitmaps loaded and want to copy one with a
	    full palette, maximize it, pull down the BITMAP menu
	    (alt-b) and choose the REFRESH command. This takes
	    all available video memory for the palette of that image
	    (at the expense of the other images, which will wash 
	    out further). If you still do not get a realistic palette, 
	    try closing the other bitmaps or minimizing any other
	    programs currently running and repeat the refresh 
	    command. If you have a 1024k video card and 8 megs
	    of ram, this is not as much of a problem, but the rest of
	    us have to find ways to work around it.

	2)Low Memory Warnings-there are two places where you
	   could get one of these: If you load a bitmap and the program 
	   can't find enough memory for the operation, a message box
	   saying "Not enough memory to load bitmap" will appear
	   and you will get an empty bitmap window, which you can 
	   close. Or, if there is not enough memory available to copy
	   a bitmap window to the clipboard, you will see a "Not enough
	   memory to copy image" message box and the operation will 
	   be terminated.  
	
	3)Text Files-at this time, DTPBrowser can load and save text 
	   files of 32k or less. If you load one larger than that, you will
	   see a message box saying "Unable to load entire File", and 
	   the program will load as much of the file as it can.  It is wise
	   not to edit and save files after you see this warning, as the
	   file will be truncated to 32k when it is written to disk.  For large	
                   text files, it is always better to work on copies of your original 
	   files.  As you load additional text files, this limit tends to 
	   become lower, so try to load the largest files first.  This and 
	   other editing limitations will be  corrected in the next version of
	   DTPBrowser(available around 7/92 for $5 to registered users).
 
	4)Text Clipboard-cut and paste operations are limited to 8192
	    bytes(characters) at a time. Anything over that will be cut or
	    copied from your document but will not be written to the
	    clipboard. Keep this in mind when using the CUT command-
	    when working with large blocks of text, it's best to use COPY
	    instead, paste the text to your destination file or check the
	    clipboard to make sure it's all there and then go back to the
	    source document and delete the text with the CUT command
	    (it will still be highligted). This way, there is no chance of
	    losing text in cut-paste operations.

	5)Text Searches-have the same 8192 byte limit as cut and paste
	    operations.


     File Types
     ------------------	
       There are as many of these as stars in the sky. Text files come in	       
     hundreds of flavors, but ASCII is the closest thing to a standard. Most
     Word Processors and DTP programs read and write ASCII files, often
     automatically converting them to and from their native format.  When
     you choose the Load Text command, the load box will have a wildcard
     (*) where the file extension normally is- this is because ASCII files are
     saved under many different extensions(*.txt, *.doc, *.asc, read.me...).
     This means that you can load any type of file (even binary) into an
     editor window, but be careful in editing non-ASCII files:
        ********************************************************************
        *        If you edit a non-ASCII file(such as a binary, bitmap,        *
        *        word processor or desktop publisher file) and save         *
        *        the changes to disk, chances are it will not be usable      *
        *        by it's native program, or in the case of a binary(.exe)     *
        *        file, it will not run correctly.                                                *
        ********************************************************************
     It's pretty simple to figure out which files are ASCII and which are
     not.  ASCII files (like this one) contain only readable text-if you see
     symbols like ǹ in your editor window, then it's 
     probably not an ASCII file, so if you make any changes in it, don't
     save the file, just close it (a message box will appear asking if you
     want to save your changes-hit the tab key so that NO is highlighted,
     and hit ENTER.  It would be a simple matter to add an ASCII-only 
     filter to the program that would only allow ASCII files to be loaded,
     but this is too restricting-after all, this is a BROWSER and most
     word processing file formats are quite readable in the editor - you
     see the actual text along with the strange characters described above,
     and you can even copy and paste the text portions-BUT DON'T TRY
     TO SAVE THE FILE!!!

	File Errors:
      	As mentioned above, the editor window will load any type 
	of file, but the Bitmap viewer is a little more particular-it
	will only load a Windows 3.x - type bitmap. If you load a 
	pre-Windows 3.0 bitmap, or some other file type with an 
	incorrect extension, you will get a message box that the
	file is "Not a Windows 3.0 Bitmap". Hit the OK button(or
	ENTER) and a blank bitmap window will appear, which 
	you can close by pulling down the system menu in the
	upper left hand corner of the window and choosing the 
	CLOSE command.  


	DISCLAIMER
	
	This software is offered for use as is, and no warranty
	is offered or implied.  We are not responsible for any 
	loss of data, damage to hardware nor any resulting loss
                of time or revenue.  Like all commercial software, this 
	program is utilized entirely at the user's risk.  

	Paradox, Paradox for Windows and DBase are
	registered trademarks of Borland International, Inc.


