| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 23.1 | Scribble .. What it is. | PENNSY::MELLITZ | | Thu May 15 1986 09:42 | 22 |
| Scribble is a word processer. I do own it. I supports *mice* and
pop down menues. It has automatic on screen justification as well
as simple runoff style dot commands for more complex operations.
No header level though. There may be a way to build them though.
There's a good printing pop down menu that will let you preview
on the screen before printing. There's a method for geting
printer control characters into text. The print control
for Italic, Bold, and Underline are on screen and require
no special character. It has a multi-window approach to
support multi-edit buffers and data is easily cut and pasted
between them. They use a real "point and shoot" approach
to with mouse. To edit a place on the screen, just point the mouse
and start typing. There's no way to make the mouse scroll the window
though.
I do find the automatic justification gets in my way occasionally
<CR> really means "new paragraph". There is no way to toggle
the search mode out of exact search ( ie. capitals count)
I think it's the best WP for the Amiga today. Although I
do feel more comfortable in ED. My wife (a non-technocrat) likes Scribble.
... . . RICH
|
| 23.2 | Aha | HYSTER::DEARBORN | | Thu May 15 1986 09:51 | 12 |
| Sounds pretty good. I am really disappointed with Textcraft. I
have yet to figure how to merge files with it. Editing with the
mouse can become cumbersome at times because of the way the screen
scrolls.
Instead of the cute pointers, I would rather see a full character
sized cursor responding to mouse input for editing, highlighting,
etc. I find the icon-like pointers to be very imprecise.
It will be nice if CBM ever brings out the newer version
which will allow you to mix text and graphics in a document, like
MacPaint/MacWrite.
|
| 23.3 | More on SCRIBBLE! | PENNSY::MELLITZ | | Thu May 15 1986 14:02 | 7 |
| The *point and shoot* on Scribble! really only repositions the cursor.
A which time the arrow keys work. The the pencil icon is easy to
point with. The scissors and paste can is more dificult. However
they've put some recovery in. If your painting a cut region,
you may bring the mouse pointer to the boarder to abort the operation.
... Rich
|
| 23.4 | Scrolling?... | PENNSY::ASANKAR | | Thu May 15 1986 21:42 | 11 |
|
re .1 "there's no way to make the mouse scroll around
the window"
If you mean what I think you mean, try hitting the arrows
on the scroll meter or whatever they call it; the thing on the right
side of the screen. That should work.
SANKAR
|
| 23.5 | More on Scrolling with paint region on | LEHIGH::MELLITZ | Tazmanian Devil | Fri May 16 1986 12:09 | 4 |
| re .4 I'll try it but the manual says the only way to carry a paint
region beyond a window is with the arrow keys.
... . . Rich
|
| 23.6 | TextCraft | CYBORG::LAMBERT | | Fri Jun 20 1986 14:04 | 11 |
| Re Textcraft
Textcraft is one of the best word processing packages I've ever
used on a PC. Sure beats the WPS clone on my VT180. The controls
are straight-forward, and easy to use. I think you can merge files
by loading them on top of one another.
If you place the arrow on the right side of the screen you can scroll
thru the file easily.
Brian
|
| 23.7 | TextCraft awesome? | KAHLUA::SANTIAGO | Lemon curry? | Fri Jun 20 1986 14:26 | 21 |
| Are you using TextCraft or TextCraft Plus? I have TC, and find it
very limiting. It doesn't support mixing graphics+text, you can't
make your own form, you can't send your own escape sequences to
the printer, and its style is a tad too cutesy (read "Macintosh")
for me. Also, you can't change drive in the middle of a session
(MAJOR SCREWUP!!!). Also, the change-style icons (roller, glue,
camera, etc) are very difficult to position correctly, and the cursor
stinks (whatever happened to BLOCK cursors, the way they were meant
to be?). I'm desperately trying to think of something I DO like
in it, just so you all won't say all I can do is "grumble, grumble,
grumble, moan, complain", but nothing comes to mind offhand (funny
how bad things come to mind instantly, no?). Not to give everyone
the wrong impression, I don't regret having bought TextCraft, the
way I infinitely regret having bought Music Studio (but that's another
story...), especially since I got it for $49. It's reasonable, it
got me out of a helluva scrape (a paper for a class, due in two
days, all I had was EMACS to write it with!), and it's darn easy
to use. It's just not a powerful tool.
Seems I got a bit carried away, lengthwise, my apologies.
Gomen nasai.
|
| 23.8 | TextCraft woes and fixes | HYSTER::DEARBORN | | Fri Jun 20 1986 15:08 | 27 |
| Me too!
I don't like the horizontal scrolling of the screen. It always
scrolls when I don't want it to, like during ruler changes.
I finally figured out how to merge files. Simply 'cut' one document,
open another document and use paste.
I don't like the fact that you can't access the second drive through
the menus.
An intersting note: If you run Textcraft256, you can use preferences
to set the screen and text colors.
Also, Textcraft uses Version 1.0 of AmigaDOS, creating a few problems.
To correct this, create a version 1.1 workbench disk. Move the
TextCraft512 icon (or 256), and the TC drawer (contains the help
files) over to the new disk. There is more about this in the last
issue of Commodore Magazine, in their review of TextCraft.
Before I did this, I could not open a CLI window when the system
was started with TextCraft. It would open, and then instantly close.
After the change to 1.1, it would stay open.
Randy
|
| 23.9 | I like SCRIBBLE! too. | ANT::SMCAFEE | Steve McAfee | Wed Jul 30 1986 17:37 | 35 |
|
I just picked up SCRIBBLE! last night. I have to second the motion
that it is much better than TEXTCRAFT. Probably the best reason
is its usage of Intuition. Software on a multitasking/multiprocessing
computer should not restrict a user from utilizing the systems
capabilities (i.e. Multitasking/multiprocessing). The makers of
SCRIBBLE! have done a good job in making its interface very similar
to their spreadsheet package ANALYZE!. This kind of consistency
can make a package much more attractive to someone who is not
technically oriented and has already used one of that companies
products.
Also, the SCRIBBLE! package contained a letter stating that
there were going to be some upgrades in the near future (including
a spell checker and a mail merge option (?What is this?)). The
letter states that if I return my registration card I will be sent
a new disk and supplemental documentation when it becomes available
(Free of charge!!!).
The only complaint I have about the package is its use of requesters
for search and replace. This is nice to have, but I would also
like to have a mode where I can enter a search command at the keyboard.
After all the string has to be typed in at the keyboard anyhow.
As it is you have to: 1) select search with the mouse, 2) click in the
requester, and 3) use the keyboard to type the string. Last night I had
two windows on the display (using what SCRIBBLE! calls tiled mode) when
I tried to do a search. The requester came up with it partially
outside the window (I had the window sized down to about 15 lines).
Since the gadgets were off the screen I was finished with that window.
Every time I tried to select or resize the window it waited for me
to select a gadget in the requester. But they were off the screen...
Catch-22.
Steve McAfee
|
| 23.10 | MAIL MERGE | KAOM03::GOSLING | | Thu Jul 31 1986 10:27 | 67 |
|
Steve, I haven't got SCRIBBLE!, but their mail merge option
is likely similar to those included on alot of Word
Processors including DEC's own WPS, WPS-Plus, and third party
stuff running on the Rainbow such as Select, BenchMark and
the like.
What this option does is enables you to specify, in the body
of a letter, as an example, a number of constants to which a
variable, contained in another file, can be assigned. You
then create this other file referencing the constant and
specifying what the variables are. When you print the
letter, merged with the other file, the constants are
progressively replaced by the variables with each copy
printed.
If I've lost you, here is a simple example.
Lets say you have a form letter going out to your clients.
For argument sake, lets say that the content is to remain the
same for each letter with the exception of the Name of the
individuals and their City of residence. You would then
create the memo as follows:
<city>
Dear <name>,
Thank you very much for the interest shown in my note
file on SCRIBBLE!
Regards,
Steve McAfee
You would then create another file in the form as follows:
<city>New York
<name>Mary Smith
<city>Kanata
<name>Art Gosling
<city>Boston
<name>Joe Blow
Once both of these are created, one of your print menu
options would be to print your letter Merged with a mailing
list. Using the above examples, the first copy printed would
be to Mary Smith in New York, the second printed to Art
Gosling in Kanata, and the last to Joe Blow in Boston.
As you can see, this option has little value to the average
individual, but obviously would be a significant time saver
for a company, doctor, lawyer, etc., maintaining some sort of
mailing list. If you had included the full mailing address
in the above example, you could print out both the form
letters and mailing labels using the same technique.
Hope this helps.
Art Gosling - Kanata
|
| 23.11 | MAILMERGE + SPELL | DEXTER::MELLITZ | Tazmanian Devil | Tue Sep 09 1986 08:54 | 37 |
| I really didn't believe it! When I got home yesterday, what was
sitting the table?... A package from Micro-Systems. I opened it
to discover that it was a new SCRIBBLE! release with mailmerge and
spell. I really didn't think they would send it. I know that
the documentation promiced it, but I didn't even give them nasty
phone calls.
None the less. Heres the scoop. They fixed some problems. Heres
a brief list of fixes/features:
Right Amiga D= Save file when in edit mode (requester not rqd)
Right Amiga /= Project Status
Right Amiga L= Line-length
Right Amiga T= tabs
Right Amiga W = spell on a word
Ctrl-T =Delete word
Scroll with select regions using mouse.
Spell with select regions
Much quick requesters
Alphabitized file list
Spell works much like DecSpell but it is used while editing. Mailmerge
has a user request mode for variables. Mailmerge is based around
dot (.) commands one for opening a file and the other for reading
variables. Variables in your text file are delimited by dollor signs
($).
Oh, neet new Icons. In fact you can now save a file an have
an Icon associated with it. When you click that Icon SCRIBBLE!
is invoked with that file in the buffer.
They also claim some error recover for over running you memory
limit. I haven't experimented with the yet.
... Rich
.... Rich
|
| 23.12 | Invoke dotted command | UTRTSC::VIS | | Wed Feb 10 1988 04:16 | 10 |
| Hi there,
I know this topic is pretty old, can anyone help me with a minor
problem.
A few mounths ago I received a disk from someone. If contained
Scribble!..... so no doc.
It's quit an easy to use wp, but I've had a hard time trying
to invoke the dotted commands. Can anyone help me on this one?
Thanks in advance
Eric Vis
|
| 23.13 | Manual is no help | CIMNET::KYZIVAT | Paul Kyzivat | Wed Feb 10 1988 08:24 | 17 |
| Re: .12
Don't worry about it. If you had the manual you wouldn't be much
better off! It has to be the worst manual I have ever seen. It is
nearly impossible to find anything in it.
In reality it only pretends to be a WYSIWYG editor in the simple cases.
Hiding underneath it is just a brain damaged runoff style formatter.
You just type the dot commands on lines like you would in runoff,
except the format is
.XX=YY
You can probably get just as good an idea of what the commands are from
the help given by F2 as you can from the manual.
Paul
|