
















                                S I M P L Y    D O C S

                                     Users Manual

                                     Version 1.6











                                 SimpleWare
                                 34 Earle Street
                                 Grand Falls-Windsor, NF
                                 Canada  A2B 1E9


                           FAX / VOICE MAIL - (709) 489-9558
                             Support BBS - (709) 489-6018




                                 Ŀ
                           Ŀ                   (R)
                         ĳ         o    
                              Ŀ   Association of
                                         Shareware
                           ĳ    o        Professionals
                         ĳ        
                                  MEMBER





                       Copyright 1991-1993 by Robert E. Pitcher
                                 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED




          Let's get the required formalities out of the way first.

          This software is not free and it is not in the public domain.  It
          is copyright (1991-1993) by SimpleWare and Robert E. Pitcher. 
          ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED.

          This program is distributed as shareware.  The shareware method
          of distribution allows you to evaluate a program prior to
          purchasing it.  First time users of Simply Docs are granted a
          license to use the program on a trail basis, without cost or
          obligation, for the sole purpose of determining whether or not it
          meets their needs.  ANY AND ALL other use after a trail period of
          30 DAYS requires registration to obtain a license for continued
          use.  Non-registered use of Simply Docs beyond the trail period
          is strictly prohibited.

          ANY FILES CREATED WITH A NON-REGISTERED COPY OF SIMPLY DOCS MAY
          NOT BE DISTRIBUTED IN ANY MANNER.  However, any files created
          with a registered copy of Simply Docs may distributed without any
          royalties or additional payments.

          Commercial Distributors of Shareware or User Supported Software
          and Bulletin Board Operators (Sysops) should refer to the file
          VENDOR.DOC for information and restrictions on distributing
          Simply Docs.


          WARRANTY

          SimpleWare makes no warranty of any kind, express or implied,
          including without limitation, any warranties of merchantability
          and/or fitness for a particular purpose.  SimpleWare shall not be
          liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or
          consequential arising from the use of, or inability to use this
          program by any user.

          IN NO EVENT WILL SIMPLEWARE BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES,
          INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR
          CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE
          THE PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.


          ASP OMBUDSMAN

          This program is produced by a member of the Association of
          Shareware Professionals (ASP).  ASP wants to make sure that the
          shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve
          a shareware related problem with an ASP member by contacting
          the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman
          can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member,
          but does not provide technical support for members' products.
          Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at:

                             ASP Ombudsman
                             545 Grover Road
                             Muskegon, MI 49442-9427

                Or send a Compuserve message via CompuServe Mail to
                           ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536




          INTRODUCTION
          

          What exactly is Simply Docs?  Simply Docs is a very useful
          utility that converts standard ASCII text files into executable
          program files.  You may ask why would you want to do that? 
          Consider the following:


          Have you ever tried to view a large text file with the DOS TYPE
          command?

          Have you ever been in the middle of a program and wanted
          information from a users manual on disk but it was too much
          trouble to save your work, exit the program and try to find the
          information?  Ah, so you decided to print it.

          Have you ever tried printing a 70 page manual only to run out of
          paper or have the printer jam after 65 pages?  Have you tried to
          resume printing at the next page?

          Have you ever wanted to print just one page from a users manual?
          Of course the page you want is almost always at the back and
          using "Print Screen" is not much help!

          Assuming you managed to get the complete manual printed, how much
          time have you spent searching fan-fold pages for information?


          If you, or anyone who uses your text files, have experienced any
          one of these frustrations then Simply Docs may be just the answer
          you've been looking for.

          Simply Docs offers an excellent solution to all these problems by 
          turning your text files into EXE files, turning README files into
          RUNME files.  Some advantages of Simply Docs files over standard
          text files include:

              The EXE files have a built in viewer that allow you to read
               the document on screen.  You do not rely on the user to have
               a suitable viewer.

              A search function allows you to quickly find any information
               you may need.  

              The files can optionally be installed as a TSR to eliminate
               the need to exit your program for information.  You can
               quickly switch between your document and the underlying
               application with a single keypress.

              Like to have the information on page 80 but you don't want
               to print the complete document.  It's easy!  You can jump
               directly to any page and then print it, even when installed
               as a TSR.

              When it comes time to print your complete document you have
               the convenience of printing any range of pages or the
               complete document.  If you run out of paper or the printer
               jams up, no problem, just restart printing at the next page. 
               You can print to any device or to a disk file.




              Since the conversion to an EXE file also compresses the text
               the size of the EXE file is usually smaller than the
               original text file.

              Because Simply Docs files are executable programs they can
               be started automatically from a batch file. 


          Simply Docs was written with software developers, shareware
          authors, computer consultants and sysops in mind.  It has many
          features to make it both easy and convenient to use.  It can also
          be of use to any person who distributes news letters, electronic
          books or any other kind of ASCII text file.

          Programmers, when you distribute your programs with manuals on
          disk you must consider how convenient this really is for your
          users.  How many times have you been asked questions that you
          know are answered in the manual.  The problem is that the manual
          is not convenient for users to get at when they need it.  If you
          used Simply Docs for your manual you could automatically install
          it from a batch file and then users could easily pop up the
          manual and search for anything they need.  Remember a satisfied
          user is more likely to buy your program and a user that has easy
          access to your manual is more likely to be a satisfied user.  

          Developers and consultants, why use "readme" files that some
          users never read, and others don't even know how to read. 
          Instead why not include your file as an EXE and display it
          directly from within your INSTALL program or batch file.

          Sysops, how many text files are on your BBS.  File listings,
          directories, help files, bulletins, etc.  Most of these files
          would be much more convenient to your users if they were also
          offered as EXE files.  Simply Docs can even create your EXE files
          automatically during an event.

          The following features make Simply Docs both easy to use and
          suitable for any computer professional.

              Very large documents (over 1000 pages) can be handled
               easily.  Also the document may include the complete IBM
               character set for things like screen dumps, tables and
               underlining without worrying if the user's printer is
               capable of printing these characters.

              The compiler can be operated in a batch mode for unattended
               operation.

              The programmer has the option of disabling the print
               functions and/or the TSR function at compile time.

              The programmer has control over the colors used in the EXE.
           
              Compiled documents can be installed as a TSR from the
               command line.  This allows documents to be automatically
               installed from a batch file before a program runs.

              Documents can be given a descriptive name which is displayed
               at the menu and while viewing the file.




              The documents can be personalized with your company name.  A
               background for the menu screens is made from your company
               name.

              The compiler is easy to use and has on-line help.


          The Simply Docs program consists of two parts.  The first is the
          compiler (SIMDOC.EXE) which creates the EXE files and the second
          is the viewer which is built into your EXE file.  Each part is
          explained below in its own section.





          COMPILING YOUR TEXT FILE (SIMDOC.EXE)
          

          To create your EXE file run the compiler as follows:

                         simdoc [filename] [/b]


          The filename is used to specify the name of a configuration file
          to use.  If no name is specified the name of SIMDOC.CNF is used.
          This file is used to hold all current compiler options.

          You can optionally start the program with the /b switch (for
          Batch file operation) on the command line.  The program will then
          use the information in the configuration file and automatically
          compile your file.  This allows automatic generation of EXE files
          from within batch files.  This could be used by a sysop on a
          bulletin board to automatically create a new master file list
          each day.  



           Simply Docs v1.5 Ŀ
                                                                           
            Input File Ŀ 
                                                                         
            Name of Text File [simdoc.doc                        ]       
                                                                         
            Maximum Lines Per Page [64]     [X] - New Page at Form Feed  
            Current Left Margin [8 ]                                     
            
            Output File Ŀ 
            Name of EXE File [manual                             ]       
            Document Name [Simply Docs Users Guide            ]          
            Company Name [SimpleWare                         ]           
                                                                         
            [ ] - Text Color (Color)     [ ] - Skip Menu on Start-Up     
            [ ] - Text Color (Mono)      [X] - Enable Document Printing  
            [ ] - Menu Background Color  [X] - Enable TSR Option         
            [ ] - Display Page Breaks                                    
            
          Ĵ
             < F10-Make EXE >         < ESC-Quit >          < F1-Help >    
          





          The dialog box shown above is displayed when you run the compiler
          without the /b switch.  This dialog box allows you to specify all
          options for your text file and the new EXE file.

          You can use the up and down cursor keys to move around this
          dialog box to edit any field.  You can jump directly to any field
          by holding down the Alt key and pressing the highlighted letter
          in the desired field.  If you are not sure what a particular
          field is for, just move to it and press F1 for help on that
          field.

          When you have finished editing the information you create your
          EXE file by pressing F10.  Pressing ESC at any time will quit the
          program without creating the new file.

          When this dialog box closes all information in it is stored in a
          configuration file which is used as the default values the next
          time you run the program.  This allows you to edit your original
          text file and create a new EXE file with the same options just by
          pressing F10.


          The following is an explanation of each field in the dialog box
          shown above:

              "Name of Text File" - Name of the ASCII text file you want
               to convert into an EXE.  You can include an optional path to
               the file if you wish.  If you press F10 and the program
               cannot find the specified file you will get an error message
               and a chance to correct the name.

              "Maximum Lines Per Page" - is a number between 23 and 80 and
               it determines where to split the text file into pages.  This
               is also the number of lines displayed per page within the
               viewer.

              "Current Left Margin" - Since the viewer allows the user to
               set a left margin when printing it is best to remove the
               current margin in your text file.  This number is the number
               of characters removed from the left of each line in your
               text file.  The number you enter here is also used as the
               default left margin when printing from within the viewer.

              "New Page at Form Feed" - If this option is selected the
               program will start a new page each time a form feed
               character is found in your text file.  If it is not selected
               page breaks are determined by the "Maximum Lines Per Page"
               option explained above.

              "Name of EXE File" - is the name for your new EXE file. You
               may optionally specify a path for the file.

              "Document Name" - is any name you want to give your
               document.  This name is displayed in the viewer at the top
               of the menu and on the top line when actually viewing the
               file.  

              "Company Name" - This field allows you to customize the
               viewer for your name or the name of your company.  It is




               only used to display a background for the menu screens.  You
               can leave this field blank if you wish.

              "Text Color (Color)" - Allows you to specify the default
               color used when viewing text on a color system.  To select a
               color press the SPACE BAR when the cursor is on this field. 

               A small dialog box is displayed showing all possible colors. 
               To select a color use the cursor keys to move the cursor to
               the desired color and press RETURN.  At the bottom of the
               dialog box you will see sample text displayed in the current
               color.  Press ESC to exit without selecting a new color.
               When you return to the dialog box the field name is
               displayed in the currently selected color.

              "Text Color (Mono)" - Same as above but only used when a
               monochrome system is detected.

              "Menu Background Color" - Color used to display the menu
               background made from the "Company Name".

              "Display Page Breaks" - When selected this option will show
               page breaks as a solid line of equal signs '======'.  If not
               selected, page breaks will just be a blank line.  The only
               reason you may want to turn this option off is if your file
               uses lines of dashes or equal signs for highlighting in
               which case it may appear cluttered.  

              "Skip Menu on Start-Up" - This option allows you to bypass
               the opening menu and go directly to the viewer.  The user
               will see your text file as soon as the EXE file is executed
               if this option is selected.  Press the SPACE BAR to toggle
               the option on and off.

               NOTE: If both the printing and TSR options (see below) are
               disabled, the compiled file will work this way regardless of
               how this option is set.  With both options disabled,
               compiled files are a viewer only so there is no need for the
               menu.  Pressing ESC will then return you directly to DOS
               instead of to the menu.

              "Enable Document Printing" - This option is set on by
               default and it allows the user to print out your document. 
               If for some reason you do not want the user to print your
               file you can disable all printing with this option.  Press
               the SPACE BAR to toggle the option.

              "Enable TSR Option" - This option must be set for the user
               to be able to install the file as a TSR.  It is set on by
               default and can be toggled off with the SPACE BAR.




          THE ASCII TEXT FILE
          

          Simply Docs was designed to process standard DOS text files with
          the following restrictions on the file.  Each line must end in a
          carriage return/line feed pair.  Only the first 108 characters
          per line are used and any extra characters are ignored.  The
          screen may be scrolled left or right to view additional text.

          The file may contain the complete IBM character set except for
          the End of File marker (EOF = ASCII 26).  When the EOF marker is
          reached the program stops processing the file.  The Form Feed
          character (ASCII 12) may be used to split the file into pages.

          An explanation of how and why the compiler splits your file into
          pages is probably in order at this point.  The compiler splits
          your file into fixed pages which it uses when printing and
          viewing your document.  This assures that the user of your file
          will get the document exactly as you intended it, with headers,
          footers or page numbers intact.  The compiled file also maintains
          an internal index of pages which allows moving directly to any
          page very quickly.

          The compiler uses a fixed number of lines to determine page
          breaks and it can optionally use the form feed character (ASCII
          12) to start a new page.  It will also use a combination of both.

          If your document has fixed page breaks it should include a form
          feed character at the end of each page and you should set the
          form feed option when compiling.  If you find that the page
          breaks occur before the actual end of a page you should increase
          the maximum lines per page option. 

          If your document has no set page breaks (like a file listing) you
          should set the lines per page to a value that will give your
          users a reasonable printout.  Values of 58-64 seems to work quite
          well for an 11" page.  

          You could also use a combination of both methods by adding form
          feeds to force page breaks between major sections.  This would
          also require setting the "New Page on Form Feed" option.

          It is important to note that when printing a document the viewer
          will always print all lines on a page and then send a form feed. 

          The number of lines per page you set is also the number of lines
          displayed per page in the viewer.  If this number is set too high
          you will get a lot of blank lines displayed inside the viewer. 
          You may have to experiment with the maximum lines per page and
          form feed options to get the desired result.
           




          USING YOUR EXE FILE - THE SIMPLY DOCS VIEWER
          

          After you have created your EXE file you run it like any other
          program, by typing its name.  If the "Skip Menu on Start-Up"
          option was not selected the following menu is displayed.  NOTE:
          If the TSR and printing options have been disabled the menu is
          not displayed.

          Note that the document name is displayed at the top of the menu. 
          There are 4 choices in this menu and they are very straight
          forward.  A choice can be made by pressing either the number in
          front of the choice or the function key with the same number. 
          Pressing ESC is the same as choice 4 and will exit the program.




            Ŀ
                       Simply Docs Users Manual            
            ĳ
                                                           
                       1) - View Document                  
                                                           
                       2) - Print Document                 
                                                           
                       3) - Install as TSR                 
                                                           
                       4) - Exit Program                   
                                                           
            ĳ
                        Enter Selection:                   
            






          VIEWING YOUR DOCUMENT
          

          Selecting choice number 1 brings you into the viewer and displays
          your original text file.  The top line displays the document
          name, the current page and the total number of pages in the
          document.  The bottom line lists some of the active keys that may
          be used when viewing.  The following is a complete list of keys:

                    Up - Moves up one line
                  Down - Moves down one line
                  PgUp - Moves up one screen (23 lines)
                  PgDn - Moves down one screen (23 lines)
                  Home - Moves to the start of the document
                   End - Moves to the end of the document

                  Left - Scroll screen left
                 Right - Scroll screen right

             Ctrl+Left - Scroll left to column 1
            Ctrl+Right - Maximun scroll right 




                   Tab - Move screen right 5 spaces
             Shift-Tab - Move screen left 5 spaces

                    F1 - Jumps directly to a specified page number
                    F2 - Prints the current page if printing is enabled
                    F3 - Allows you to enter text to search for.  Pressing
                         the SPACE BAR after a match has been found will
                         continue the last search.  Note that the case of
                         the text is not important and that ESC will cancel
                         a search in progress.
                   F10 - Returns to the underlying program if viewer has
                         been installed as a TSR.  This allows you to
                         return to the exact spot when you pop up again.

                     F - Changes foreground color. Cycles colors 0-15
                     B - Changes background color. Cycles colors 0-7

                   ESC - Exits back to the main menu or DOS. 





          PRINTING YOUR DOCUMENT
          

          When you select choice "2) - Print Document" from the main menu
          the following dialog box is displayed. (Only if printing was
          enabled when the EXE was created)  This allows you to print any
          part of your file to any device.  



               Ŀ
                               Print Document                 
               ĳ
                                                              
                  Device or File Name:                        
                                                              
                  ASCII or IBM Char Set? (A/I)                
                                                              
                  Left Margin:                                
                                                              
                                                              
                  First Page:                                 
                                                              
                  Last Page:                                  
               





          The "Device or File Name:" field is used to specify the output
          device.  The default is "PRN" for the default printer but may be
          changed to any device or file name.

          The "ASCII or IBM Char Set" field is an option to convert the IBM
          line drawing characters to standard ASCII characters suitable for
          printing on ANY printer.  The default is "I" for the IBM




          character set.

          "Left Margin" is the number of spaces to add to each line when
          printing.  The default is the left margin specified when the EXE 
          file was created.

          "First Page" specifies the page to start printing at and it
          defaults to page 1.

          "Last Page" specifies the last page to print and it defaults to
          the number of pages in the file.






          INSTALLING FILES AS TSRs
          

          If the TSR option was enabled when your file was compiled, you
          will be able to install the file by selecting choice 3 from the
          main menu.  The following menu is then displayed to select the
          hot key to use.



                Ŀ
                                TSR Hot Keys                   
                ĳ
                                                               
                           1) - Ctrl+Alt-D                     
                                                               
                           2) - Ctrl+Alt-V                     
                                                               
                           3) - Ctrl+Alt-Tab                   
                                                               
                           4) - Ctrl+Alt-BackSpace             
                                                               
                ĳ
                            Enter Selection:                   
                




          After making a selection you are returned to DOS and a message
          appears to tell you the program has been installed and which key
          to press to activate it.

          You can also install a file as a TSR from the command line by
          using the following command line switch. 

                      /tsr:x

          The "/tsr:x" switch is optional and if specified will
          automatically install the file as a TSR and return to the DOS
          prompt.  "x" is a number between 1 and 4 and it specifies which
          hotkey to use for the TSR.  This feature allows you to install a
          file from within a batch file prior to running a program.





          SUPPORT
          

          Support is provided by regular mail, FAX, voice mail or through
          the WRH Consulting BBS.  Whenever looking for support please
          include your name, address, phone number and a description of
          your problem. 

                              SimpleWare
                              34 Earle Street
                              Grand Falls-Windsor, NF
                              Canada  A2B 1E9

                         FAX / Voice Mail - (709) 489-9558

          All responses from me will be by regular mail unless requested
          otherwise, in which case you must provide a phone number where I
          may call you collect.

          You may also call the WRH Consulting BBS and leave a message to
          the Sysop or myself.  This bulletin board is available, for
          support, free of charge to users of SimpleWare products.  You can
          also register on-line at the WRH Consulting BBS.  To register on
          line you must have a valid credit card.  Instructions for
          registering are provided on-line.


                              WRH Consulting BBS
                     PC Board 24 hrs a day / 7 days a week
                          12/24/9600 baud  HST 14.4
                               (709) 489-6018


          Please send any comments, good or bad, you may have about this
          program.

          The source code for this program is copyrighted and is not made
          available to users.




          REGISTRATION FORM                    Simply Docs 1.6


                   Mail To:    SimpleWare
                               34 Earle Street
                               Grand Falls-Windsor, NF
                               Canada  A2B 1E9


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