23NOV92 Laughing Dog Screen Maker READ.ME file: This file contains any miscellaneous last minute information that did not make its way into the manual. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRINTING THE DOCUMENTATION FILES: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All of the Laughing Dog Screen Maker documentation files, having the extension .DOC, are ready for printing. They are already formatted using 1" margins and page breaks. To print a file, use either the DOS copy command: COPY LDOG.DOC LPT1 or the DOS print spooler, which will allow you to run another application, while the document is printed in the background: PRINT LDOG.DOC Each file is described in the file PACKING.LST. Most files are just a few pages long, with the exception of the Users Manual (LDOG.DOC), which is about 100 pages in length. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Instant Registration of the Laughing Dog Screen Maker via CompuServe --------------------------------------------------------------------------- As a convience to those of you that have CompuServe accounts, you may now register the Laughing Dog Screen Maker instantly via CompuServe's Shareware Registration Service. >>>It is not necessary that you download LDOG from CompuServe to use this service. >>>Registration Fee will be billed to your CompuServe account. Here is how you do it: -- Just log on as usual, then at the ! prompt type "GO SWREG" -- You will then see the Register Shareware Menu. -- Choose "Register Shareware" or "Instructions to Register Shareware" for more information. -- When you choose the "Register Shareware" option, you will be presented with another menu allowing you to scan the registration database and specify the program to register. -- There are several options: Search for: Registration ID 344 Title Laughing Dog Screen Maker File Name LDOG.ZIP Author's User ID 73650,104 Author's Name Jeff Sloan Keywords Laughing or Dog or Screen --When you have located the description of the Laughing Dog Screen Maker, just follow the directions to register it. The registration fee will be automatically billed to your CompuServe account, and Yardbird Software will be notified within 24 hours of your order, which will be shipped the same or next day! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Features that did not make it into manual: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --Added ASCII Text output to the Generate Code/Export Menu. To use it, select the ASCII Text File option from the Generate Code/Export menu. You will be presented with another menu which allows you to choose the line termination method (Carriage Return and Line Feed, or Carriage Return Only) and change the Last Screen Row included in the file from the default (whole screen). You then select the "Write Text File" option to save the file. You will be presented with the standard Save File dialog box to enter a filename. ASCII Text files are saved with the extension: "TXT" NOTE: The following characters are filtered out, as they will not print out correctly in a text file: (Hexadecimal values): $07, $08, $09, $0A, $1A, & $1B. These values will be replaced with spaces ($20). --Added the ability to automatically insert WildCat! and PCBoard @variables into a screen. These are only of use to you if you are intending to export the screen as a PCBoard or WildCat! BBS file. To insert an @variable: place the cursor at the position where you would like to insert the @variable string. Press the hot key: -V. You will be presented with a menu allowing you to specify which BBS software you are using (PCBoard or WildCat!). This setting only needs to be specified the first time you enter an @variable during the current LDOG session, it will be set as the default for any subsequent insertions. You may also set the method of coloring the string from this menu (this setting will also be remembered for subsequent insertions). The two choices are: 1. Use the current color, that is, the color selected via the color attribute selection box. or 2. Use the color at the cursor position. Choose the method you prefer. NOTE: It is very important that the entire @variable string be of the same color because if it is not, a color change @code will be inserted into the middle of the @variable string when written to a file causing the @variable to become corrupted. Some @variables contain "fill" characters that are to be filled in by you. The filler character used is the pound sign "#" Replace the #'s with the appropriate numbers, USING THE SAME COLOR AS THE REST OF THE @VARIABLE STRING! --Also note that the last row of screens exported as WildCat! or PCBoard BBS screens is truncated. This will allow the screens to be displayed correctly when the background is a color other than black. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes Made in the Manual --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --The PostScript output now contains a feature which allows you to easily specify the number of printouts to produce from a single file. The line: /#copies 1 def tells the printer how many copies of the upcomming page to print. Change the "1" to any other positive integer to print multiple copies. --The color Pascal code and mono Assembler source code produced by the Laughing Dog has been changed. The listings in the manual are no longer correct. They should read: ============== Pascal Code: ============== { C:\LDOG\TEST.PAS -- Laughing Dog Screen Maker Pascal-Code file} { Created: 9/25/92 } PROGRAM test; uses Crt, Dos; VAR ch : char; Xpos : byte; Ypos : byte; ScnIndx : integer; Regs : Registers; CONST ScnRows=25; ScnCols=80; test_SCREEN : ARRAY [1..4000] OF byte = ( 131, 196, 131, 196, 131, 196, 131, 196, 131, 196, 131, ...etc.... 126, 219, 126, 219, 126, 219, 126, 219, 126, 219, 126, 126, 219, 126, 219, 126, 219, 126, 64, 126, 66, 126); BEGIN {Set-Up Vars} ScnIndx := 1; Xpos := 0; Ypos := 0; {Main Loop} repeat {Position cursor--> Interupt: $10, Function: $2} Regs.AH := 2; {Func 2} Regs.BH := 0; {Video Page 0} Regs.DH := Ypos; Regs.DL := Xpos; Intr($10,Regs); {Write Char/Attr to Screen--> Interrupt: $10, Function $9} Regs.AH := 9; {func 9} Regs.AL := test_SCREEN[ScnIndx]; {char} Regs.BH := 0; {video page 0} ScnIndx := ScnIndx + 1; Regs.BL := test_SCREEN[ScnIndx]; {attr} Regs.CX := 1; {# chars} Intr($10,Regs); {Point to Next Screen Pos & Char/Attr} ScnIndx := ScnIndx + 1; Xpos := Xpos + 1; if Xpos = ScnCols then {end of row?} begin {yes, wrap} Xpos := 0; Ypos := Ypos + 1; end until Ypos = ScnRows; read(ch); {wait for a keystroke} ClrScr; {clear the screen} END. ====================== Mono Assembler Code: ====================== ; C:\LDOG\TEST.ASM ; -- Laughing Dog Screen Maker MASM Assembly-Code file ; Created: 9/25/92 TEST_LENGTH EQU 2000 .MODEL small .STACK 100h ;256 byte stack .DATA TEST_SCREEN LABEL WORD DB "This is the first line in the screen..... " ...etc... DB "and, this is the last line in the screen... " .CODE ;STARTUP CODE (Set up DS, SS and SP Regs) dogstart: mov dx,@data mov ds,dx mov bx,ss sub bx,dx shl bx,1 shl bx,1 shl bx,1 shl bx,1 cli mov ss,dx add sp,bx sti ;Actual program begins here push es ;save es register mov ah,0fh ;get current video mode int 010h cmp al,7 ;is it a monochrome mode? jz mono ;yes mov ax,0B800h ;color text video segment jmp SHORT setup mono: mov ax,0B000h ;monochrome text video segment setup: mov es,ax ;point to video memory sub di,di ;zero indices sub si,si doit: mov al,[offset TEST_SCREEN+si] ;get ch mov ah,7 ;attr to use mov es:[di],ax ;write to video memory add di,2 ;point to next pos in video memory inc si ;point to next ch in array cmp si,TEST_LENGTH ;at end of screen? jnz doit ;no, keep going mov ah,02h ;all done, hide cursor mov bh,0 ;assume video page 0 mov dx,1A00h ;moves cursor past bottom of screen int 010h ;wait for a keystroke lup: mov ah,1 ;function 1 (read kbd status) int 016h ;interrupt 16h jz lup mov ah,0 ;clear kbd buffer int 016h ;Clear the screen mov ah,6 ;function 6 (scroll window up) mov al,0 ;blank screen mov bh,7 ;use mono attribute mov ch,0 ;starting row mov cl,0 ;starting column mov dh,25 ;ending row mov dl,80 ;ending column int 10h ;call interrupt 10h mov ah,02h ;puts cursor back where it belongs mov bh,0 ;assume video page 0 mov dx,0 int 010h ;DOS exit function w/exitcode = 0 mov ax,4c00h int 21h END dogstart ================== End source code ================== --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Command Line Switch added to LDOGSHOW.EXE --------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is a new command line option (switch) which has been added which may be useful. It is: /X exit program with screen intact (don't clear screen) If a single screen is being displayed, LDOGSHOW will simply terminate, leaving the screen displayed. It will not require a keystroke, and it will not clear the screen. If multiple screens are being displayed via the /L listfile.ext option, the list will not continually loop, but will instead simply end upon displaying the last screen in the list. It will not wait for a keystroke after the last screen, and it will not clear the screen. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BONUS PostScript UTILITY ADDED AT LAST MINUTE! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The file BLK2EPS.EXE is a utility program which will convert a block file into an EPS (PostScript) file. The resulting file may be imported into other programs accepting EPS files just like the full screen EPS files produced by the Laughing Dog Screen Maker. USAGE: BLK2EPS infile.PUP outfile.ext NeedFont? Where infile.PUP is the full filename of the block file to convert, outfile.ext is the full filename of the resulting EPS file (recommend using the EPS extension), and NeedFont? is the digit 0 or 1 (1=include font information in EPS file, 0=DO NOT include font). EXAMPLE: BLK2EPS BLOCK1.PUP BLOCK1.EPS 1 This example will take the file "BLOCK1.PUP" in the current directory and convert it to an EPS file including the font, and save the new file as "BLOCK1.EPS" in the current directory. NOTE: You may also convert a full screen xxxxxxxx.DOG file to EPS using this utility. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mind Boggling Example of what can be done with the IBM extended chars! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out this file: MAGIC.DOG I found it originally as ANSI art on a local BBS, and I haven't been the same since. I didn't know such things were possible! This is just an example of the fantastic images you can create using the Laughing Dog Screen Maker (NOTE: MAGIC.DOG was not created with LDOG, it was captured from the original ANSI using LDOGRAB.EXE) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Attention BBS SYSOPS! -- New program for Wildcat! or PCBoard BBS Sysops from Yardbird Software. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> WCView -- Wildcat! BBS screen @code screen file viewer. This program allows you to view @code screens with any embedded @variable codes like @USER@, @CITY@, etc. automatically replaced by text which you can specify. View individual or multiple screens. Toggle between color and monochrome views of your screens. Change replacement text by simply editing a text file. Program reacts to your input keystrokes and embedded screen control codes like @PAUSE@, etc. EXACTLY as the BBS software does! You can now preview screens offline. A great companion program to The Laughing Dog Screen Maker! >> PCBView -- Same as WCView for PCBoard BBS @code screens. Look for: WCVIEW.ZIP or PCBVIEW.ZIP on your local BBS, CompuServe, or GEnie (in the BBS forum/roundtable software libraries). Keywords: WILDCAT WCVIEW PCBOARD PCBVIEW BBS SCREEN @CODE If you can't find on a BBS, send $10 + $3(s&h) [California residents add $0.83 to cover sales tax] check, cash, or money order direct to: Yardbird Software PO Box 4646 West Hills CA 91308 --sorry, at this low price, we can't send out evaluation copies for free, but would be glad to send one if you send us $5 to cover disk, shiping, and handling.