OdViEW 1.0į Documentation CoDE: ™DęSSšS ANSi Interface: ™DęSSšS ( I guess you can tell, huh? :) ) OdViEW is a full-featured ANSi viewer. Why is this viewer THE one for you? Supports: ž NDOS/4DOS style file descriptions ž ACiD's SAUCE ž ADLiB/SB FM MUSiC Features: ž Smooth text scrolling ž ANSis are loaded, then viewed - you can scroll through them ž Continuos smooth ANSi scrolling - use it as a screen saver? ž ANSis up to 400 (409.59375, to be exact) lines can be viewed ž Totally free - unless you want to pay for it ž Bugs - I am almost sure there are some, this is a beta.. Well, those are most of the features I can think of right now. Since this is a beta version, it cannot be used as an ANSi pack viewer, or for a similar cause. Also, I cannot be held responsible for any damages done by this program. You were warned. I don't think there are any serious bugs in this viewer, but there should be some minor ones. Anyhow, if you find any bugs in this program, try Raid Max, and then if that doesn't work, contact me. This program was written for those people/groups who can put together a decent ANSi pack, but don't have a nice viewer. Well, if you fit the description, this is the proggy for you. Just wait until the final version comes out. Right now, I need some beta testers. If you find any bugs or have some comments/suggestions, email me, and I will greet you, thank you, thank you again and put you on the beta testers list. Ok, now to tell you about all those little features of this viewer. NDOS/4DOS style descriptions. NDOS uses a DESCRIPT.ION file to store the file descriptions. This is a simple text file, which can be edited with any text editor. Each line of this file specifies the file name, and it's descriptions in the following manner: An example of a line describing this file would be: odview.doc OdViEW documentation The case of the filename doesn't matter. This viewer only shows first 57 characters of the description, so keep that in mind when writing them. 4DOS uses a similar description scheme, only I am not sure about the description filename. Actually, I am not sure if 4DOS has descriptions at all, but I think it does. Oh well, what do I know, anyway. ACiD's SAUCE. ACiDView, ACiD's ANSi/RiP viewer has introduced SAUCE - their format for file descriptions. They were all so happy about it in their info file, but in my opinion it's not that good. SAUCE info blocks are appended to the end of file, supposedly after it's end, so that it will not be seen normally. But that all depends on the way the file is being processed. Most viewers do show the description block at the end, and it's not a very pretty picture. Anyway, I had to add some code to ignore the SAUCE description. So how does OdViEW support it? Well, it doesn't show it in the file itself... Just kidding. A special program, SAUCE2ND, is included to convert SAUCE descriptions to NDOS/4DOS style descriptions. Just run it, and it will look through all the files in the current directory, search for SAUCE info blocks, and append descriptions to DESCRIPT.ION file. The program doesn't check if the description is already there, it just keeps appending, so I advise you to back up your DESCRIPT.ION file before running it. ADLiB/SB FM MUSiC I added this just for the hell of it. OdViEW will play .ADR (ADLiB RAW) music files in the background. ADLiB RAW is my own invention (sort of), which is a file containing raw data to be outputted to ADLiB. The format of the file is in the end of this document. A few .ADR files are included with the viewer so that you can see that it really works, but I don't think that you can get those files anywhere else, unless you can make them yourself. To see a list of music files in the current directory, press Alt-M. To return to the list of ANSi files, press Alt-A. Simple, eh? When the file is being played, you can press F12 to shut it up. OK, now that we're done with the main features, here's how to use this viewer. In the file selection screen: CurUp/CurDown - move the file pointer (Duh!) PgUp/PgDown - quickly move the file pointer Esc, Alt-X, Alt-Q - quit (you knew that, right?) Alt-M - show .ADR files in current directory Alt-A - show .ANS files in current directory Enter - Load ANSi/ADR file Alt-S - Toggle smooth scrolling ON/OFF F12 - Stop music from playing In the ANSi viewer: CurUp/CurDown - Scroll Up/Down 1 line PgUp/PgDown - Scroll Up/Down 24 lines Alt-S - Toggle smooth scrolling ON/OFF Esc - Exit to file selection screen Alt-X, Alt-Q - Exit to DOS Spacebar - Scroll ANSi continuosly. Any key to stop Plans for the future: ž RiP support I just need the specs for RiP files ž VGA/SVGA ANSi viewing Looks nice in ACiDView, will have it here ž PCX/GiF/TGA viewing I might, dunno for sure though.. If you think I should, email me. ž ANSi to COM conversion Dunno about this one.. A conversion from ANSi to COM with MUSiC, scrollers and special effects might be nice.. Email me on this one. ADLiB RAW (.ADR) specs, as promised: An .ADR file contains raw ADLiB tune data. The advantage of this format is that it can be played in a few lines of code in basically any programming language. The disadvantage is that the tune is not flexible at all, can't have any special effects, and the quality of the tune depends on the program that generated the file. Now, the actual format: The file consists of two-byte records, which contain the PortID and the Value for ADLiB. PortID is saved first, then the Value. A PortID of 0FFh is a special command flag, and the Value for that PortID is the actual command. Right now, there is only one command defined - 0FFh, which means that the row of notes is done, and now is the time to pause. There are no commands for changing the speed/tempo of the song, and that is only because I am too lazy to put them in. Therefore, only tunes of certain speed/tempo can be played. The .ADR player in OdViEW plays the tunes at the speed of 6/125, which means 125 BPM, 6 NPB. Here's some pseudo code to play an .ADR file: Begin If (PortID==0FFh) Begin If (Value==0FFh) do_pause; End; Else WriteAdlib(PortID, Value); // A routine to output data to Adlib End; Well, there you go. Like I said, a few lines of code. The only thing you need is a routine to output data to ADLiB, and a routine to pause the tune for needed time - reprogramming the timer works for me. It looks like this doc file has come to an end. If your group needs a coder, contact me. Bug reports, comments, suggestions, curses or a simple hello - send it all to me. Contacting info is right down there. Internet Email: ac329@dayton.wright.edu If you are a good ANSi artist, and would like to do the screens for this viewer - contact me. Also, if you have the specs for RiP files - I need them bad. Oh well, until next time - ™DęSSšS '95