›››››     ›                         VTEX - The Text Viewing Utility›                                   Version 1.0›                                     8/4/91›     ›                          Program and Documentation by:›                                Larry Richardson›                                P.O. Box 472›                                Aurora, Co. 80010›                                ›     ›     ›     This program is distributed as SHAREWARE.  I have spent a great deal›     of time designing, coding, debugging, and modifying this program.›     Any donations I receive for my time and effort will encourage me to›     continue supporting this program, as well as writing new software for›     the Atari 8-bit computer.  Thank you.›     ›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››     ›     I.  What does it do?›     ›          VTEX is a utility that allows you to view any file on the›     screen.  If you have used DOS to view a file (copy from the file to›     E:), you already know how unfriendly it is.  VTEX is an attempt to›     give the Atari 8-bit users an easier and more powerful method to view›     a file.›     ›     II.  Features›     ›          VTEX can page through a file, both forward and backward.  It has›     the ability to skip to the last page and back to the first page, or›     to skip in increments of ten pages.  Since VTEX doesn't go through›     CIO to display on the screen, special characters (such as the clear›     screen command) will not interfere with the display.  VTEX has a›     pseudo-word wrap (I'll explain later), and can delete the leading›     spaces from the left margin (good for viewing files that have been›     PRINTed to disk).  VTEX also has string search capabilities and ASCII›     CR/LF handling.  It has been tested under both Atari DOS 2.5 (2.0)›     and SpartaDOS.›     ›     III.  Running VTEX›     ›          From any Atari type DOS, use the binary load command and load›     the VTEX executable file (VTEX.COM).  The program will prompt for a›     filename.  Enter the filename to view and press RETURN.  After VTEX›     opens the file, the VTEX view screen will appear.  At the bottom of›     the screen is the VTEX status line.  It displays the version number›     of the program, the current page number of the file being viewed, and›     has an end-of-file indicator.  It also indicates if word-wrap or the›     delete leading spaces options are active or not.›          From SpartaDOS, you may specify the filename to view on the›     command line.  Simply type - VTEX filename <RETURN>.  Under›     SpartaDOS, VTEX will look for the filename on the command line.  If›     it doesn't find the filename there, it will prompt you to enter the›     filename (as it always does under Atari DOS).›          With either DOS, if VTEX encounters an error while trying to›     open the file, it will re-prompt you for a new filename.  If you wish›     to exit VTEX at this prompt, press ESC.  The program will then exit›     to DOS.›     ›››››››››››››››››››››››››     IV.  Commands›     ›          Once VTEX is running, you have a number of commands to choose›     from.  The commands are explained below.›     ›     PAGE FORWARD›     ›          Press the down arrow key (without holding down the CONTROL key).›     VTEX will display the next page in the file.  As VTEX moves forward›     through a file, it notes the position of the beginning of each page›     so that it can move backward (or jump forward) directly to that page.›     ›     PAGE BACKWARD›     ›          Press the up arrow key (without holding down the CONTROL key).›     VTEX will display the previous page in the file.›     ›     FORWARD 10 PAGES›     ›          Press <SHIFT> down arrow (without the CONTROL key).  Note that›     because of the way Atari 8-bit DOS's handle random access files, VTEX›     cannot just jump to a page that it has not yet read in a sequential›     manner (see the explanation in PAGE FORWARD).  It doesn't know at›     what point in the file the 10th page occurs, for example, until it›     has read pages 1-10.  Therefore, when you press <SHIFT> down arrow,›     VTEX will either:›     1)  Move forward 10 pages (if it has already read that far in the›     file)›     ›     - or -›     ›     2)  Move to the highest page it has read (if less than 10 pages from›     the current page)›     ›     BACKWARD 10 PAGES›     ›          Press <SHIFT> up arrow (without the CONTROL key).  VTEX will›     either:›     1)  Move backward 10 pages (if the current page being displayed is›     greater than 10)›     ›     - or -›     ›     2)  Go to the beginning of the file›     ›     GO TO THE BEGINNING OF THE FILE›     ›          Press B to return to the first page of the file.›     ›     GO TO THE END OF THE FILE›     ›          Press E to ATTEMPT to go to the end of the file.  VTEX can only›     go directly to the end of the file if it has already read the last›     page.  Once the last page has been read (using the down arrow to page›››››››››››››     forward), VTEX notes the position of this page so it can access it›     directly.  If the end of the file hasn't been read yet, the message›     NO EOF is displayed in the status line.›     ›     DISPLAY THE CURRENT FILENAME›     ›          Press F to display the name of the file that is currently being›     viewed.  Press F again to see the normal VTEX status line.›     ›     WORD WRAP THE DISPLAY›     ›          Press W to turn on the pseudo-word wrap.  A 'W' will appear on›     the left side of the status line to let you know that word wrap is›     active.  This is not a true word wrap, so long words will hang over›     onto the next page.  VTEX will simply start looking for a space after›     column 31.  If it finds a space, it will break the line here and wrap›     the text at this point.  Pressing W again will turn the word wrap›     off.›          Note that because selecting word wrap (or the delete leading›     spaces option) will change the size of the displayed pages, VTEX›     resets the file to start back at page 1 when either of these options›     are selected.  This allows the program to re-build its pointers to›     the beginning of the pages (which will now be in different›     positions).›     ›     DELETE LEADING LEFT SPACES›     ›          Press D to turn on the delete leading left spaces option.  A 'D'›     will appear on the left side of the status line to let you know that›     this option is active.  Any spaces that would have appeared on the›     left edge of the page are now gone.  Also, the current page is reset›     to 1 (see the note under the word wrap option for an explanation).›     Press D again to turn this option off.›     ›     SEARCH FOR A STRING›     ›          Press S to search for a string.  The program will prompt you to›     enter a string.  Type the string you wish to search for and press›     RETURN.  The program will start from the current page and look›     forward for the search string.  The search will stop when the program›     has found your string or the end of the file has been reached.  The›     function will not search if the current page is the end of the file.›     ›     ASCII option›     ›     VTEX can optionally display ASCII carriage return/line feeds or›     carriage returns alone as it would ATASCII carriage returns.  This is›     useful for viewing text generated on IBM PC's, such as many text›     files that are on bulletin boards.  Pressing A will toggle this›     option on or off.  An 'A' will appear on the left side of the status›     line to let you know that the ASCII option is active.  As with the›     word-wrap and delete leading spaces option, the file will be reset to›     the beginning when this option is selected.›     ›››››››››››››     LOAD A NEW FILE›     ›     Pressing L will make VTEX prompt you for a new filename to load and›     view.  Enter the filename and press RETURN.  If the program›     encounters an error while trying to open the file, the buzzer will›     sound and the prompt will re-appear to allow you to try again.›     Pressing ESC at this prompt will exit the option and let you continue›     to view the current file.  When a new file is loaded, VTEX operates›     as if it has just been loaded (i.e. you begin at the first page in›     the file and all pointer information must be re-created).›     ›     EXIT THE PROGRAM›     ›     To exit VTEX and return to DOS, press the ESC key.  Note that if you›     choose the search option, pressing ESC while the program is prompting›     for the search string simply takes you out of the search function.›     This is also the case with the load a new file option.  Pressing ESC›     while the program is prompting you for a filename will simply abort›     the command.›     ›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››     V.  SpartaDOS X Notes›     ›          If you are lucky enough to own a SpartaDOS X cartridge, then›     this section will give you a few common sense ideas on how to best›     use VTEX.›          First, it is very easy to make VTEX behave as though it is›     simply another command by placing it on one of the active drives and›     setting the PATH to look on that drive.  I use a 256K 800XL, so I›     have an AUTOEXEC.BAT file that does the following:›     ›     1)  Set up a ramdisk as D8:›     2)  Copy VTEX up to the ramdisk and call it V.COM.›     3)  SET PATH=CAR:;D8:›     ›     With the path set up to look on the ramdisk for .COM files, I can now›     execute VTEX from the command line without having to tell SpartaDOS›     what drive it is on.  Since it is on the ramdisk, it loads and begins›     executing in a second.  Also, by calling the program V.COM, all I›     have to type to view a file is:›     ›     V filename <RETURN>›     ›          Second (and last), SpartaDOS X now handles the NOTE and POINT›     calls in the same manner for both SpartaDOS and Atari DOS disks (it›     uses a byte offset from the beginning of the file).  What does this›     mean to the end user???  It means if you use VTEX under the SpartaDOS›     X environment to view an Atari DOS formatted disk, you will notice›     BIG delays when paging backwards or forward.  This is because›     SpartaDOS X must re-read your Atari DOS file from the beginning each›     time a POINT command is given.  The solution is to copy the file to a›     SpartaDOS formatted disk before using VTEX to view it.›     ›     I hope this is as useful to someone else as it has been for myself.›     Drop me a line at the address given, or leave a message on the Atari›     Clubs of Denver BBS at (303) 343-2956.  Suggestions and donations are›     both welcome!›     ›     ›     Larry Richardson›     ››››››››››››››››››››››