*HelpPerfect(tm) Version 9/90 *Pulldown Menus For WordPerfect 4.2 & 5.0 *With Microsoft(R) Mouse Support *Copyright 1990 Steve Lawrence Disclaimer HelpPerfect protected by U.S. copyright law and its foreign provisions. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or otherwise modify the program, documentation, or the supplementary files. This includes renaming the three files which comprise the software (as listed below). The software provided ASIS, no specific claims are made as to its suitability for any purpose whatsoever. The program is supplied containing the following three files: HELPWP.EXE REMOVE.COM MANUAL.WP You may distribute copies of HelpPerfect version 1.1 to anyone you wish. It is a demonstration version of the commercial software program HelpPerfect. If necessary, you may add additional explanatory files with the software. If companies which distribute "Shareware" software would like to include this software in their catalogues, they ABSOLUTELY MUST contact the author FIRST. Failure to do so means they will not be kept updated with current versions of the software. By failing to do so, these companies do a disservice to their clients by distributing outofdate software. The author does not make any monetary demands on "Shareware" distributors, so it is their best interests to contact the author prior to distributing this software. A registered version of HelpPerfect for either WordPerfect 4.2 or 5.0 may be purchased directly from the author for $20 + $1.50 shipping. Make checks/money orders payable to Steve Lawrence. Steve Lawrence 652 NW 78th Street Seattle, WA 98117 Credits HelpPerfect is a trademark of Steve Lawrence, (c) 1989 WordPerfect is a trademark of WordPerfect Corporation Microsoft Mouse is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation WordPerfect is a registered trademark of Word Perfect Corporation. Logitech is a trademark of Logitech Corporation REMOVE.COM is copyright 1989 MicroHelp, Inc.j܌Registered Version Vs. "Shareware" Version First off, there are actually FOUR different versions of HelpPerfect. There is a HelpPerfect version 1.1 for WordPerfect versions 4.1 and 4.2 and there's a HelpPerfect version 1.1 for WordPerfect version 5.0. These two version of HelpPerfect are considered demo (read: "Shareware") programs, and they don't offer as many features as the registered ($20) versions do. Still, there's enough there to give the user a good idea of what's available. Then there are the registered versions of HelpPerfect. There is a HelpPerfect version 2.0 for WordPerfect version 4.1 and 4.2 and there is a HelpPerfect version 2.0 for WordPerfect 5.0. Again, these two versions cost a paltry $20 + $1.50 shipping each and offer many more features than do the demo versions. What Is HelpPerfect? HelpPerfect is a memory-resident set of pull-down menus designed to assist users of WordPerfect with more than 70 WordPerfect commands. These commands are easily accessed through a series of eight pull-down menus. And, the program is fully Microsoft Mouse Mouse compatible. Many computer "rodents" sold today are Microsoftcompatible. In addition to the 70+ WordPerfect commands contained within these menus, we've built in a number of other unique features into the menu system, features which help set my program apart from the other pull-down menu systems currently available for WordPerfect. ̔Files Journal: We've designed what we call a "Files Journal," which is an electronic notebook for you to keep track of your WordPerfect documents. When you pop up the Files Journal, you're presented with a browse-able, user-maintained database (maximum of 200 entries) with all entries automatically alphabetized. The left-hand side of the Files Journal contains the file name you've entered (up to 13 characters long, including the period), and to the right of each name is a 61-character file description which you've entered. You can easily search through the database for a string (non-case-sensitive) of text, update an entry, remove an entry, or even load an entry (presumably a WordPerfect-compatible ASCII file or WordPerfect document) into WordPerfect, all at the press of a button! But again, you yourself must input the file names.J ̔Macros Journal: Same as above, only designed to help you keep track of your WordPerfect macros. Search through the list of macros, update it, remove an entry, or choose a macro and run it! J ̔Phonebook: The HelpPerfect phonebook looks and works much like the above, only it's designed to be an electronic phonebook. Use this feature as a quick reference for up to 200 phone numbers and descriptions. Search for text strings,j revise, erase, add new entries.J ̔Calendar: You'll find a handy pop-up calendar, which shows the full month and highlights the current day. J ̔Calculator: This is a simple addition / subtraction / multiplication / division calculator which displays an on-screen "tape" and can optionally send a copy of the "tape" to a printer connected to printer port #1 (LPT1). J ̔Full IBM Character Set Display: (HelpPerfect for WordPerfect 5.0 only.) This is essential for those of you who need to type characters that are not found on the standard computer keyboard. Use my chart to find out the number of the character that you want to type. Then, once you return to the typing screen, hold down the ALT key and, using the numeric keypad on the far side of your keyboard, type the number of the character that you want. When you've done so, release the ALT key. That character will appear on screen. For example, let's say you browsed through HelpPerfect's IBM character set display and discovered that the cent symbol () has the ASCII number 155. While holding down the ALT key, you would type the number 155 on the numeric keypad on your keyboard. Once you release the ALT key, the cent symbol appears!J Hot key Features HelpPerfect comes preassigned with the following hot keys: CtrlLeft Shift (this one can't be changed it's the "main" hot key; it also serves the dual purpose of being a "repeat" hot key that is, it returns you to the previous HelpPerfect menu, if there was one), AltQ, AltW, AltE, AltR, AltT, AltT, AltY, AltU, AltI. The registered version of HelpPerfect comes with a supplementary software program named "HWPSETUP.EXE". This program lets you choose nine different hot keys for HelpPerfect. The program is very easy to use and features Microsoft and Logitechcompatible mouse support. It creates a configuration file named "HWPSETUP.CNF", which stores the key codes for each of your nine hot keys. Memory Usage Features HelpPerfect is currently set up to automatically use active computer memory. This means that HelpPerfect eats about 180K of your computer's active memory. This might seem like a lot of memory, but if your computer has 640K of memory, that still leaves you with plenty of memory for WordPerfect. This method of memory usage is the fastest way of getting HelpPerfect to pop up. You have two other options for the way HelpPerfect utilizes memory. ̔EMS Swapping: If HelpPerfect discovers that your computer isj equipped with expanded memory swapping, you can tell HelpPerfect to swap out to expanded memory, leaving a tiny 10K "kernel" in dynamic memory. Usage example: J HELPWP /EMS ̔Disk Swapping: This method of memory utilization causes HelpPerfect to use only about 10K of computer memory, creating a special disk file (this file can be about 100K, so be sure you have room on your hard drive if you use this option) on your computer's hard drive (in the "C:\" root directory). If you use this option, HelpPerfect will be a bit slower when it pops up. However, it also means that you'll still have most of your computer's memory available for other uses. Usage example: J HELPWP /DISKSWAP WordPerfect Command Enhancements Rather than supply you with macros (quite a few WordPerfect users we know don't even know what macros are!), we've "hard-coded" some keyboard macros into HelpPerfect to accomplish the following tasks: Go to page #1 Go to last page in document Go to the bottom of the current page Delete from cursor position to top of current page Delete from cursor position to top of document Delete from cursor position to bottom of document List Macros (in current directory) and more! System Requirements For HelpPerfect We have tested HelpPerfect on XTs and ATs using a minimum DOS version of 3.2, but HelpPerfect should run just fine on 3.0 & 3.1, as well. Monitors All monitors should be fine. RAM Requirements We've only tested this software with 640K systems, with LIM memory and with extended memory. If your computer has a hard drive and less than 640K of RAM, we suggest you purchase the additional RAM chips. Your computer will thank you. Or, use the /DISKSWAP option to cause HelpPerfect to use less memory when it loads. Network Compatibility The only known network incompatibility is with the DNA network. However, there is currently NO network licenses available for HelpPerfect. Buy extra copies for everyone who needs/wants one. Contact the author for group discount schedule.j܌ LIM Memory This software has been tested with LIMcompatible memory using a version 3.16 EMS memory manager. It should also work with all later versions of LIM memory managers. How Do I Install & Use HelpPerfect? You'll be happy to know that there are no special installation procedures, no great number of data files or programs files to clutter up your hard drive. Simply copy the contents of your HelpPerfect 2.0 disk onto your hard drive, in the same directory where you keep your WordPerfect documents. HelpPerfect will create and access three of its own files: the Files Journal (HELPWP.FIL), the Macros Journal(HELPWP.MAK) and the Phone Notebook (HELPWP.PHN). When you access these three HelpPerfect options, HelpPerfect will check the current directory for the appropriate file--if the file is not found, one will automatically be created. Keep this in mind. Once you've loaded HelpPerfect 1.1 into your computer's memory, you'll see a message displayed on your screen indicating that HelpPerfect is loaded into RAM. If you try to reload it into memory again, you'll be informed that this cannot be done and the program will NOT be loaded (compare this to how many TSR programs behave; they'll allow you to reload over and over -- wasting valuable computer memory and possibly even causing a system crash!). You can unload HelpPerfect by selecting the "Unload HelpPerfect" option from the appropriate menu or you can use the "REMOVE" program we've supplied by typing REMOVE HELPWP and then pressing ENTER. Here's an idea you might want to try. Write a batch file to do the following (we'll show you how in a moment): 1) Load HelpPerfect into memory.J 2) Load WordPerfect. Depending on which computer system you're using, you may notice something odd at this point: If you are using WordPerfect 5.0, HelpPerfect will pop up before WordPerfect finishes loading. This is most likely due to WordPerfect 5.0's "tinkering" with the keyboard repeat rate. Simply press ESC and HelpPerfect will pop back down and WordPerfect will continue loading.J 3) Unload HelpPerfect from memory. This way, each time you wanted to load WordPerfect, you could also have the HelpPerfect menus available. And once you exited from WordPerfect, HelpPerfect would automatically be unloaded from your computer's memory!J Here's an easy way to write this batch file (but please note that you may need to customize it to include the proper subdirectory name): TYPE: COPY CON C:\WP.BAT PRESS: ENTER If you get a "Bad command or file name" message, it means you didn't type the first line correctly. Go back and try again. Ifj your cursor simply drops down a line, then: TYPE: CD\WP PRESS: ENTER TYPE: HELPWP PRESS: ENTER TYPE: WP PRESS: ENTER TYPE: REMOVE HELPWP PRESS: ENTER PRESS: F6 Once you press the F6 key, the batch file will be saved to your hard drive's root directory for easy access. This batch file assumes that you keep your WordPerfect program and all the HelpPerfect files in the C:\WP subdirectory. If you are using a different name, make the appropriate substitution. Here's a second example (just in case). In this example, we'll assume that you keep your WordPerfect program in a subdirectory called "C:\WP" and that you keep all your WordPerfect documents in a subdirectory within the "C:\WP" subdirectory called "C:\WP\LETTERS". First, you'll need to copy your HelpPerfect disk into the "C:\WP\LETTERS" subdirectory. Here's how: Exit to the DOS prompt on your C: drive. If you're not sure which drive you're on: TYPE: C: PRESS: ENTER Insert the HelpPerfect disk in the A: drive. TYPE: COPY A:*.* C:\WP\LETTERS PRESS: ENTER If you see a message reading "Bad command or file name," it means you typed something incorrectly. Try again. Now we need to create a batch file. The batch file we'll create will be located in your root directory "C:\" where it can easily be accessed at all times. TYPE: COPY CON C:\WP.BAT PRESS: ENTER If you get a "Bad command or file name" message, it means you didn't type the first line correctly. Go back and try again. If your cursor simply drops down a line, then: TYPE: CD\WP\LETTERS PRESS: ENTER TYPE: HELPWP PRESS: ENTER TYPE: C:\WP\WPj܌PRESS: ENTER TYPE: REMOVE HELPWP PRESS: ENTER PRESS: F6 How To Use The PreAssigned Hot Keys You have 10 different ways of telling HelpPerfect to "pop up", one main hot key (this hot key "remembers" the last menu you accessed and will return you to that menu) which is CtrlLeft Shift (Hold down both keys at the same time), and nine "secondary" hot keys which allow you to quickly jump to specific menus. You activate the secondary hot keys by pressing and holding down the ALT key on your keyboard and by then pressing one of these 9 letters: Q, W, E, R, T, Y, U, I, O. Whenever pressing hot keys, be sure to give your computer time to digest the keystrokes--don't be impatient and don't be alarmed if your computer doesn't immediately act upon the keystrokes. After you've run HelpPerfect a few times, you'll get the "feel" for how the hot keys respond in your particular system). Or, you can use the free utility we've provided, REMOVE.COM, which is designed to remove HelpPerfect from memory, from the DOS command line (don't try this while SHELL'd out of another program, or if there are other TSRs loaded on top of HelpPerfect. The preassigned hot keys are as follows: Ctrl+Left Shift is the main hot key, which simply pops the program up to either the first menu, or to the last menu that was opened. Alt+Q pops up the program and goes to item #1 on the "File" menu. Alt+W pops up the program and goes to item #1 on the "Style" menu. Alt+E pops up the program and goes to item #1 on the "Spell" menu. Alt+R pops up the program and goes to item #1 on the "Search" menu. Alt+T pops up the program and goes to item #1 on the "Macros" menu. Alt+Y pops up the program and goes to item #1 on the "Edit" menu. Alt+U pops up the program and goes to item #1 on the "Special" menu. Alt+I pops up the program and goes to item #1 on the "Help" menu. Alt+O causes HelpPerfect to try to unload itself from memory. If it can't be unloaded, you'll see a message on screen indicating so. How To Change HelpPerfect's Memory Usage This is done by passing a "commandline switch" to HelpPerfect.j Sounds complicated, perhaps, but it's really very simple. A commandline switch is usually a short "code" or "phrase" that you "pass" to a software program by including it after the name of the program. For example, with WordPerfect 4.2, in order to access the program setup menu, you have to pass WordPerfect the commandline switch "/S". This is done by typing (from the DOS prompt): WP /S and then pressing ENTER. Get the idea? HelpPerfect accepts two different commandline switches, as follows: HELPWP /EMS This tells HelpPerfect to use EMS swapping. This means that a small 10K "kernel" of HelpPerfect's will remain in active memory while the rest of the program is "swapped" out to expanded memory. If you don't know whether you have EMS or not, try using this switch. HelpPerfect will tell you whether or not it worked.J HELPWP /DISKSWAP Just as it sounds, this tells HelpPerfect to swap to a file on your hard drive, leaving a small 10K "kernel" in active memory. This means that HelpPerfect will be a bit slower to pop up, but it also means that you'll only be losing 10K to HelpPerfect. Note that when HelpPerfect swaps to disk, it creates a special database file for itself (that it erases when you unload HelpPerfect from memory). This file tends to be around 100K, so be sure you have enough room on your hard drive before trying this switch.J Using A Mouse With HelpPerfect Whenever a HelpPerfect menu is on screen, you can make a selection from it by pointing to your selection with the onscreen cursor (usually a rectangle) and then clicking your left button twice. If you click the right button twice, HelpPerfect considers this the same thing as pressing Esc, which HelpPerfect considers to be your request to abort. You'll also find that you can do a few other things with your mouse and these menus. Experiment! Technical Support We know how frustrating it can be to get a new software program and have problems understanding how to use it. If you are the verifiable owner of a copy of HelpPerfect 2.0, you can contact the author MondayFriday, 69pm West Coast time. Another WordPerfectRelated Product Available From S. Lawrence: WPHELP: Help System For WordPerfect 5.0 This is ideal for beginners and advanced WordPerfect users alike. It's a popup database containing an equivalent of the WordPerfect Reference Manual. To make the program extraj easy to use, it uses HyperText technology. HyperText allows you to quickly jump to related topics. The program also has a search capability so that you can search for a string of text and read topic(s) containing that string of text.J This program contains details and examples of how to use all of WordPerfect 5.0's commands, written in simple, daytoday English, not computer jargon.J You'll find this program has a very intuitive "feel," including hypertextlike feature that makes it a cinch to jump to related subjects. J This program includes support for Microsoftcompatible mice.J The price? A trifling $25 plus $1.50 shipping. What a deal! J Best wishes!