SText - Text File Reader for the ST ~Shareware - Please Contribute if you use SText~ ----------------------- Program by Arvin Castillo Documentation by Noel Saw & Arvin Castillo 3.16.91 Program Code and Documentation (c)1991 NuEdge Designs, Inc. All Rights Reserved ----------------------- This is the general documentation. Please read the UPDATE.TXT file in order to read about new features and bug fixes to SText which may not be mentioned in this manual. > Legal Mumbo Jumbo and Shareware Plea ------------------------------------ SText may be distributed freely as long as these files are included and are not modified in any way: STEXT.PRG : The actual program STEXT.TXT : This documentation file STEXT.CFG : A sample configuration file UPDATE.TXT : update text about SText DESKTOP.INF : sample DESKTOP.INF using SText as an installed application Please understand that I've worked long and hard in order make SText and I would like to compensated. If you find SText of any use, please make a donation of $15. I will continue to make updates to SText, and I do a lot of them, as long as YOU donate. Please make checks payable to Arvin Castillo and my address is written below. Any bug reports, ideas, comments please contact use at: GEnie : N.SAW CodeHead Quarters BBS: 1.213.461.2095 - Leave email for Noel Saw Omayver V BBS : 1.213.732.0229 - Leave email for Noel Saw Infoline BBS : 1.818.813.1053 - Leave email for Arvin Castillo FNET : Noel Saw @ node 592 Or Write to: Arvin Castillo 19509 Spinningwheel Rd. Walnut, Ca. 91789 > Intro ----- The Atari ST is great machine, but if you're like me then you're probably tired of trying to read a text file from the desktop. For one thing, if you accidentally pressed the spacebar, which moves on to the next page, the only thing you could do was quit and reload the file. That's why I created SText. SText was written to make reading text files (ASCII) a lot easier. This program has many features and was optimized to scroll up and down very quickly using the mouse buttons. The program was written in GFA BASIC 3.0 and runs in either medium or high resolution. > Using SText ----------- SText can be executed from virtually any shell; HotWire! and NeoDesk being prime examples. Just execute STEXT.PRG as you would any other program. Next a file selector box will appear. You can click on any text file you wish to view. If it is a legal text file, SText will begin loading it. A message will appear indicating which text file you loaded. Then a very fast routine called indexing will be executed. This will create at table of all the topics in the text file. Alternatively, you can now use SText to use view GEnie Lamp Online Newsmagazine. The indexing will take alebit long because of the more complex structure of TX2. SText will_not_support TX2 graphics or fonts. However you can press F10 to jump to the differenct topics. If you are using SText to view this file, press F10 now and you will see an example! As of version 1.4, you can now view Degas (uncompressed) and NeoChrome pictures from SText. You either view the pictures while reading a text file, or from the fileselector. > Viewing ------- Viewing a file with SText is easy! You have a variety of ways to scroll around SText! Key(s) or button ---------------- Left mouse button : line down Right mouse button : line up Space bar : page down Return key: line down backspace : page up cursor up : line up cursor dwn: line down insert : page down clr home : page up control g : goto page # t : goto top of text b : goto bottom of text control t : goto top of block control b : goto bottom of block > Index function and Topics ------------------------- SText supports topics, such as the ones found in STReport and Genie Lamp/TX2. Simply put, where ever SText finds " >" , it will recognize the line as a new topic. An index is for documents that follow the STReport or GEnie Lamp/TX2 topic structure. This allows you to jump around within a text file quite easily. You can access an index of topics and press an associated key to instantly jump to that topic. Key(s) or button --------------- n : jump to next topic control n : previous topic f10 : list of all topics (index) alt n : block current topic > Search String ------------- If you need to find a text string in SText, it's easy as you can find a text string really fast. Key(s) or button ---------------- f : start text string search from current position control f : start text string search from top of file > Print and Save -------------- SText can save to disk and print a current document or block easily. The block print or save feature is useful for saving only necessary text areas. Key(s) or button ---------------- p : print current file d : dumps current text screen to printer control p : print text in block s : save current file or marked block ESC : aborts printing e : edit lines per page control e : toggle print quality betwen draft and NLQ(LQ) h : toggle header on printout > Mark Positions -------------- This feature allows you to mark up to four positions within a text file. You can instantly jump to that position by pressing the corresponding number key. Key(s) or button ---------------- f1-f4 : mark text position 1-4 : jump to corresponding funkey text position > Block Functions --------------- With a block functions you have the power of text editor with the speed of a non-GEM program. Just press F5 and follow the onscreen prompts (point and click to the starting and ending of the block). You can also move around the text by position the mouse pointer to the top or bottom of the screen and pressing the right mouse button. There are also other available commands while you are in the block operation (go to top, bottom, line, marker). This makes it faster to define a rather large block (a lot faster that scrolling text). You can also append to a block by pressing F6. Key(s) or button ---------------- f5 : define a block t : goto top b : goto bottom g : goto line 1 - 4 : goto defined marker spacebar : abort block operation f6 : append to block control f5: block page # to page # f7 : resets or clears block DELETE : delete marked block from text > Launching or running an Application ----------------------------------- If you do need a text editor or word processor, SText will allow you to run that program. It will also pass on the file path and name so you can instantly start editing. Word Writer ST and STeno text editor both work fine when working with SText. (Note: I never knew that this feature would be considered powerful, but it seems that the two other popular text viewers (LookIt! and TX2) have also adopted this feature. Remember, you saw it on SText first.) There is an incompatability between SText and Abbreivator ST. Abbreviator ST is a neat little DA that lets you expand out abbrievated letters into there full form. The incompatability occurs when you launch STeno. After you quit STeno, the machine bombs and locks up the machine. Key(s) or button ---------------- l : Launches any application; passes on the file name and path(similar to the Desktop's Install Application). Alt L : Launches a default application. If there is none one can be assigned. r : removes a default application so you can assign another. control r : runs any program you want. Does not pass on file name or path. > Quitting -------- Key(s) or button ---------------- q : select another text file UNDO : quick exit from SText both mouse butons : select another text file > Preferences ----------- SText allows you to manipulate your enviroment. The config file remembers your inverse screen, status line on or off, print quality, default application, default text path. Key(s) or button ---------------- i : toggle inverse text on or off * : toggles status line on or off ) : toggles page number display on or off(faster display if turned off) + : increase text scrolling speed - : decrease text scrolling speed c : save SText configuration > Misc Commands ------------- Here are some more commands to SText Key(s) or button ---------------- v : toggle STX picture file viewing (see UPDATE.TXT) control v : view picture file (Degas uncompressed and NeoChrome) HELP : brings up a help screen containing all available commands TAB : brings up a status screen containing SText current configuration > SText as an installed application --------------------------------- SText can also be an installed application. This means that whenever you double click a text file from the desktop, SText will automatically load up and the text file you clicked will also be loaded. Just load up your trusty word processor and load the file 'DESKTOP.INF' from your disk and add the following lines to the end. #G 03 04 A:\STEXT\STEXT.PRG@ *.TXT@ #G 03 04 A:\STEXT\STEXT.PRG@ *.DOC@ #G 03 04 A:\STEXT\STEXT.PRG@ *.ASC@ #G 03 04 A:\STEXT\STEXT.PRG@ *.1ST@ The lines above informs GEM that whenever a file with the extenders 'TXT', 'DOC','ASC','1ST' are double clicked, to load STEXT.PRG from the folder STEXT. SText will then automatically load up the text file you chose. You can add other extenders by following the same format. Save your new 'DESKTOP.INF' and make sure you save it in ASCII format. Now, reboot your computer using the new file and SText will now be an installed application (I've included a 'DESKTOP.INF' file with the information above). > Current Updates --------------- Please read the UPDATE.TXT file in order to read about all the new features as well as bug fixes. SText - (C)1991 ~NuEdge Designs -Created by Arvin Castillo Atari, Atari ST, NeoChrome are the registered trademarks of Atari Corp. GEnie is a trademark of General Electric Corp. lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll