SynTax for Windows or SynWin as we call it The Manual by Alex van Kaam Welcome: Welcome to SynWin, a reader for SynTax designed for Windows using Visual Basic 3.0. The main objective was to make SynTax appeal to even more readers and to make it even more user friendly than it already is. The result of this is a program that : 1 - is completely mouse driven 2 - can print text files on any printer 3 - can print map files on at least 75% of the printers 4 - can display BMP pictures 5 - can change issues without restarting 6 - can load issues from any drive including your hard drive 7 - is programmed by me (if we are talking an upgrade) 8 - runs on at least 7 computers 9 - oh yes, it runs under Windows and Windows 95 (we're talking major user friendly here) SynWin will not write to your hard disk, it will not change any thing in your Windows setup, it will not change your win.ini, system.ini or any other file, SynWin doesn't include any code to write onto your hard disk. Requirements: - Any PC running Windows 3.1 or 3.11 - 0.5 MB of free hard disk space - A membership to SynTax - The file SYNWIN21.EXE - The file VBRUN300.DLL - The font TERMINAL - The font MS LINEDRAW The file SYNWIN21.EXE can be found on every SynTax disk from issue 38 and onwards. The file VBRUN300.DLL you have to supply yourself, this file can be found on many shareware CD-ROMs and also on some glossy magazine CD-ROMs, if you can't get this file you can always ask Sue to send it to you. The font TERMINAL is a standard Windows font and if you didn't remove it, it should be installed into your Windows setup, if not it can be found in your C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. The font MS LINEDRAW can be found on SynTax disk issue 38 under the name LINEDRAW.TTF. Installing: In this little install section we assume that you have Windows on your C: drive as C:\WINDOWS. Also note that neither I nor Sue can be hold responsible for any errors you make, installing and using this program is at your own risk!! - Copy the file 'VBRUN300.DLL' to your 'C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM' directory - Copy the file 'SYNWIN21.EXE' to your 'C:\WINDOWS' directory - Copy the file 'LINEDRAW.TTF to your 'C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM' directory - Select 'NEW' from your 'FILE' menu - Select 'PROGRAM GROUP' from the menu - Press 'OK' - Name this new group 'SynTax' - Press 'OK' - Select 'NEW' from your 'FILE' menu - Select 'PROGRAM ITEM' from the menu - Select 'OK' - Type 'SynTax' as the Description line - Type 'C:\WINDOWS\SYNWIN21.EXE' at the Command line - Press 'OK' - Open your 'CONTROL PANEL' found in your 'MAIN' group - Open your 'FONT' icon - Select 'ADD' - Go to your 'C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM' directory using the directory box at the bottom - Find and select the 'MS LINEDRAW STANDARD [TRUE TYPE] line and if needed find and select the 'TERMINAL' line, then press 'OK' You now should have a group called SynTax on your desktop with a wizard icon (made by Sue, not the editor, not the DTP'er, not the adventurer, not the helpline, not the RPG'er but the artist, although they all are one and the same person, are we talking a strange disease here...??). Launching SynWin: If you keep SynTax just on disk and you read it using your A: drive just put the disk in and launch the program by double clicking on it. If you keep SynTax just on disk and you read it using your B: drive (Hi Sue's mom, how do you like LOL?), just put this disk in your B: drive, make sure your A: drive is empty and launch the program by double clicking on it, you will then get a drive selection box and a directory selection box, select the B: drive using the drive selection box and press the button 'This Drive/Directory'. If you have copied SynTax to your hard drive make sure you have no disk in your A: drive and just launch the program by double clicking on it, you will then get a drive selection box and a directory selection box, select the drive and the directory into which you copied the issue you want to read using the two boxes and press the button 'This Drive/Directory'. Using SynWin: You will now see the main screen of SynWin, on it are the 5 (or 6 if there are pictures included with the issue) menu buttons, a 'Quit' button and 4 optional buttons. The Menu buttons: To enter a menu click on one of the menu buttons, you will then see a list of items for that menu, if the list is too large to fit the box a scroll bar will appear to the right, double click on a selection to display it on the screen. You will notice that the 'Quit' button will change to 'Go Back' as soon as you enter a menu, clicking on the 'Go Back' button will put you one step back, so from the text display screen to the menu or from the menu to the main screen. Note that if you are displaying a picture you will have to click on the picture to return to the menu. The Quit button: Pressing it will quit SynWin. The Print File button: This button will only be enabled if you are on the text display screen, if you press it the first time in each session SynWin will try to see if it can load the font MS LineDraw and/or the Terminal font into your printer driver, one of these fonts is needed to print map files correctly, they are not needed to print text files. After this search one of the following three things will happen: 1- you get a message saying that SynWin can load neither of the two fonts into your printer driver so it will print using your printer's default font. 2- you get a message saying that SynWin can load the MS LineDraw font into your printer driver and if you want it to do this. If you select 'No' the file will be printed using your printer's default font. 3- you get a message saying SynWin can load the Terminal font into your printer driver and if you want it to do this. If you select 'No' the file will be printed using your printer's default font. If you press Print File again there will be no search just the same message so you can choose to print the file with a different font. So if you are printing a text file there is no need for the MS LineDraw or Terminal font and you can select 'No' when asked if the font should be used, remember that the printer's default font is also the font the printer can print at full speed so it decreases the time you have to wait for a print out if you use the default font. The About SynTax button: Pressing this button will bring up some info on SynTax and on SynWin. The Change Issue button: Pressing this button will let you change the issue you are reading, it is like relaunching SynWin but without quitting from it. The same rules apply to this button as those described under Launching SynWin, so either insert a new disk in your A: or B: drive or select a different directory on your hard drive. The Change Colour button: Pressing this button will cycle you through different colours ---> Blue, Black, White Questions and Answers: Q: SynWin takes a long time to read a file from the disk.... A: To improve access time to your floppy disk install Smartdrive and be sure you have your floppy drive not disabled, a large text file without Smartdrive can take up to 7 sec, that same file with Smartdrive no more then 2 sec, to install smartdrive just add the line C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE to your Autoexec.bat file and re-run Memmaker if you have DOS 6.x or Optimise if you have Qemm. Q: SynWin will not launch..... A: You do not have the file VBRUN300.DLL in your C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory, this file is needed by SynWin to access the standard windows interface. Q: What resolution does SynWin need?..... A: SynWin was designed to run full screen at 640x480 but it will run at any other resolution, however it will not be full screen and the text maybe harder to read depending on your monitor's quality. Q: I have a strange colour spectrum...... A: SynWin uses your Windows colour setup for its scroll bars, menu buttons, the selected item in the menus and its top line (the one saying 'SynTax for Windows'), if for instance the scroll bar is purple YOU have made it purple in the 'Colour' icon found in your 'Control Panel', if you want it to be another colour change the colour of the scroll bar using your 'Colour' icon Q: I mean I have a strange colour spectrum when viewing pictures.... A: Oops, well if the picture is in 256 colours and your Windows is setup in 16 colours the picture depth is brought back to 16 colours, because of this pictures can look a bit funny, try setting up Windows in 256 colours, to do this either check your Windows manual if you have a regular graphics card or run the 'in control' program if you have a Diamond Stealth. But I don't think Sue will include any 256 colour pictures since these take up much too much space. Q: I get the message that neither of the fonts can be used....... A: The Terminal font is a standard Windows font so this is always installed unless you have removed it and if you have the MS LineDraw font installed this means that SynWin cannot load these fonts into your printer driver. Q: Why can't SynWin load these font into my printer driver?..... A: Right, VBasic can only use certain fonts with certain printer drivers, so this is not a fault of your printer but more a shortcoming of VBasic, We choose to use the MS LineDraw font because this worked on at least 75% of the printers we tried it on, if VBasic can't load this into your printer it checks to see if the Terminal font works so this increases the changes a bit. If you can not use both fonts I'm very sorry but as written above it is only needed to print maps and not for text files. An example is my own setup, I used to have an ancient Star LC-10, it could use both fonts, my new HP Deskjet 540 can only use the MS LineDraw. Q: I get the message 'MS LineDraw font usable' and/or 'Terminal font usable' but when printing with these fonts I get an error..... A: VBasic uses the standard windows printer manager, these days many printers come with their own drivers and managers and me being a humble home, garden and kitchen programmer without a multi million dollar team behind me can not foresee all these new drivers and mangers. Your best bet is to make a clean Windows start and try again, if this does work fine if not select 'No' at the question if you want to use this font. (that is why that question is there) Q: I WANT to print this map file but the fonts do not work. A: Quit to DOS and type 'PRINT FILENAME.XXX' and press return twice or buy a HP Deskjet 500, 540 or 660C. Q: Do you have shares with HP?..... A: No, but you can send some if you want..... Q: After reading the above....can I print?.... A: Yes, you have a 75% chance that you can use the MS LineDraw font and if you can't use it you have a small chance you can use the Terminal font, if you can't use any of these fonts you have a 100% change to print using your default font. (this was calculated on my pocket calculator, I got a 99.9999999999997% chance on my Pentium.......). Q: Why can't I resize the SynWin form?..... A: Because everything would look wrong, but you can still select 'Pictogram' and you will get Sue's wizard at the button of your screen, and this icon will start to move after 10 minutes, honest, yes, really........ Q: Is there another way to launch SynWin?..... A: Funny you should ask, yes there is, if you have installed SynWin in your C:\WINDOWS directory you can run it from DOS by typing SYNWIN21 at your DOS prompt and the program will run Windows for you and launch SynWin for you, long live modern technology, give me 3 cheers....hooray...hooray.....hooray. Q: I do not have Windows, can I still use SynWin.... A: Eh.....No Q: Can I have the source code..... A: No, and a very little maybe if Sue and I are absolutely sure about your intentions. Q: When installing I re-formatted my hard drive, my processor melted and our local electricity plant blew up, because of this the Russian space station MIR crashed into our back garden, can I hold you responsible ? A: No Q: Who is asking these stupid questions and who is answering them?..... A: eh...Alex and eh......Alex, ....got to get my medicine now, bye..... Enjoy SynWin Alex @~A short addition from me; if Windows 95 users experience @~problems in reading text screens due to the terminal font being @~scaled down, contact me and I'll send you a different version of @~SynWin ... Sue - o -