<< NationView v3.1 >> Copyright (C) 1994 by MindCrime of Chemical Youth All rights reserved < Disclaimer > This software is presented to you as-is. I make no guaruntees of any kind. I cannot be held responsible for any damages resulting from the use, abuse, or inability to use this program. < What is NationView? > NationView (NV) is a general file viewer. It's not just an ANSi viewer. It currently supports text files, BIN format files, and 320x200 resolution PCX files. Current display resolutions include 80x25 and 80x50 text modes, and 320x200x256 VGA mode. NV also supports scrollback, variable speeds, slideshow, grey scale, ASCII mode, iCE color, the option to change the default file mask and path, and the ability to copy/move/delete files. NV has full command-line support, and also has full mouse support, even while viewing an image. SAUCE v00 and ACiD's old description format are also supported. < Note > In the little info box on the right side in the middle of the screen is the current date and time, and the file's size. The date and time are NOT the file's date and time, rather the CURRENT date and time. < Key listing > F1 : Help (List keys) F2 : Change display mode F3 : Toggle scrollback F4 : Change speed F5 : Change file mask F6 : Toggle slideshow F7 : Change path A : Toggle ASCII mode G : Toggle grey scale I : Toggle iCE Color Alt-C : Copy tagged files (or current file if none are tagged) Alt-M : Move tagged files (or current file if none are tagged) Alt-D : Delete tagged files (or current file if none are tagged) : Tag or untag the current file : View the current file, or tagged files (if slideshow is active) : Exit the viewer < Keys while viewing > F4 : (not Scrollback) Change speed A : (Text modes, non-PCX file) Toggle ASCII mode G : (Any mode, non-PCX file) Toggle grey scale I : (Text modes, non-PCX file) Toggle iCE Color : If done scrolling, return to menu or view next file (slideshow) : Abort scrolling; If scrolling done, return to menu : (Scrollback) Scroll up one line : (Scrollback) Scroll down one line : (Scrollback) Scroll up one page : (Scrollback) Scroll down one page : (Scrollback) Scroll to beginning of file : (Scrollback) Scroll to end of file Note: When viewing a file, especially pure text files, the action may not occurr immediately when you hit a key. If there's a pause, it shouldn't be too long, but there may be one. The reason for this is that keyboard and mouse checks are only done after 256 bytes have been written to the screen. The program would have been much too slow if keyboard/mouse checks were done after every character was printed. < Variable speeds > The variable speeds simulate baud rates. Unlike other viewers, however, NV does not accurately simulate the baud rate. NV only pauses after a character is printed to the screen, not after each character is read. Also, you can change speed while viewing in ANSi if scrollback is inactive by hitting F4. Speed 1 2 3 4 5 Baud rate Local 14400 9600 2400 1200 < ASCII Mode, Grey Scale, and iCE Color > ASCII Mode and iCE Color can be toggled from the menu or while viewing a file (if in text mode). Grey scale can be toggled at any time, regardless of display mode. < Copy, Move, and Delete > Copy and move will copy or move all tagged files to a directory you specify. If the directory is invalid, the operation will be unsuccessful. If no files are tagged, then the current file will be copied or moved. Delete will delete all tagged files. If no files are tagged, then the current file will be deleted. < File Storage > Currently, the program uses a temporary file on your hard disk called 'SCROLL.DAT' to store the image as it is being decoded. Once you are done viewing the file, 'SCROLL.DAT' will be deleted. It is suggested that you have a decent amount of room on your hard disk for this file. If you do not have enough room, the program will most likely generate a run-time error and shutdown immediately. Each line of the ANSi takes up 160 bytes, so a 400-line ANSi would require 64000 bytes of space on your hard drive. Due to the way the file is saved, scrolling (when scrollback is active) may appear choppy. It is suggested that you use a disk cache program when running NV to eliminate the choppiness, and to increase the speed. You will achieve maximum performance from NV if you run it from a RAMDrive. < Mouse support > NV has FULL mouse support. When viewing an image, the left button acts as the [ENTER] key, the right button acts as the [ESCAPE] key, and the middle button (if available) acts as the 'G' key, toggling grey scale. When in the menu, the left button will act differently according to where the mouse cursor is. If the cursor is over any of the options (F1 through F7, A, G, I, or ESC), then the program will act as if that key had been pressed. If the cursor is over the current file, then the file is viewed. If the cursor is over a file other than the current file, then the file under the cursor becomes the current file. < Command-line support> NV has FULL command-line support. A list of available parameters is listed below and may also be shown by typing 'NV /?' (without the quotes). Parameters must not include spaces. Spaces are only allowed between parameters. For example, '/M 25' is incorrect; it would be '/M25'. - Available Parameters - /M:25|50|VGA25|VGA50 This specifies the display mode when the viewer loads up. 25 is 80x25 text mode; 50 is 80x50 text mode; VGA25 is 25-line aspect ratio VGA mode; and VGA50 is 50-line aspect ratio VGA mode. /B:ON|OFF This specifies whether ScrollBack is active or inactive when the viewer loads up. /SS:ON|OFF This specifies whether SlideShow is active or inactive when the viewer loads up. /SEC:## This is only in use when SlideShow is active and ScrollBack is inactive. This specifies the number of seconds which should pass before the next file is viewed, regardless of any keypresses. /A:ON|OFF This specifies whether ASCII Mode is active or inactive when the viewer loads up. /G:ON|OFF This specifies whether Grey Scale is active or inactive when the viewer loads up. /I:ON|OFF This specifies whether iCE Color is active or inactive when the viewer loads up. /S:1|2|3|4|5 This specifies the speed when the viewer loads up. 1 is no delay (local); 2 is 14400 baud; 3 is 9600 baud; 4 is 2400 baud; and 5 is 1200 baud. /V If this is specified, then the file mask will be viewed then the viewer will be exited. /L:## This is only in use if the '/V' parameter was used. This specifies the number of times to loop through the list of files before the viewer exits. A '0' as ## would loop until [ESCAPE] was pressed. /P Retrieve your system's palettes instead of using the internal ones. This may take up to 10 seconds depending on your system's speed. Use this only if the default palettes are not the same as your video card's palettes (if the colors don't seem right). Any other parameters will be interpreted as the filespec. The filespec may contain a path and mask, so it may be something as simple as '*.ANS', yet may also be something like 'C:\NATION\0794\ANSI\*.*'. If you wish to specify a path, but no mask, make sure there's a backslash at the end of the filespec. < Closing > Well, that should do it. Below is what I plan to (hope to) include in future versions of NationView. - Allocate Conventional or XMS memory for file storage instead of disk - ASCII Mode in VGA mode - Change Screen Mode While Viewing - FLI - GIF - RIP Most likely, not all of these will be included in next month's viewer, but hopefully they will all get added in due time. NEXT
NV.DOC MindCrimeNationNationView v3.1 Documentation€ 00000000000000000000000000