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Finally, a robust keyboard shortcut app!
Harrie:
ActiveWords ($49.95 USD :o) looks like a combination of parts of DC's FARR and AutoHotkey to me. It seems to aim at more novice PC users, right?
-brotherS (May 24, 2006, 05:27 AM)
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Hi, brother. I don't know that it aims at novice users so much as just the average person out there who wants a tool to automate a lot of tasks. It can do some things AHK can do, (but AHK is ten times more powerful and can do so much more), but the scripting in AW is so different. The way I always say it, if you know keyboard shortcuts, you'll have no problem with ActiveWords. The more advanced type scripts are fairly easy to figure out, too. Although, there are some AW gurus who just boggle the mind. They really take it to its max. So if you mean novice in the sense of someone who knows nothing about programming languages, then I would agree with your statement. I am actually only average with it, but I do feel I am "competent" when using ActiveWords. With AHK....wow, we better not go there. I'm better than I was but still in the "most pitiful" range.
rjbull:
There are so many good editors around... is it really worth running an old DOS editor?-brotherS (May 25, 2006, 07:04 AM)
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Yes - it's WordStar style, my fingers are used to it, it loads fast, and I prefer DOS-type screens for editing text. Despite the "crudity" by WInGUI standards, I find them easier on the eye. My particular editor, VDE, has been moderately updated so it can deal to an extent with LFNs, and a macro using Horst Schaeffer's ClipText command line tool takes care of interactions with the clipboard.
Harrie:
rjbull, would you mind giving examples of how you use ClipText? (Some diehard WordPerfect DOS users might be interested). I looked at the whole site (nice) and from what I see, it's not quite a program to make copying between Windows and DOS apps as easy as Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V, correct?
If you don't mind! ;D
rjbull:
rjbull, would you mind giving examples of how you use ClipText? (Some diehard WordPerfect DOS users might be interested). I looked at the whole site (nice) and from what I see, it's not quite a program to make copying between Windows and DOS apps as easy as Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V, correct?
-Harrie (May 26, 2006, 08:39 AM)
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Harrie, you're correct, ClipText is a command-line program to either take text from a file and send it to the clipboard, or to take text from the clipboard and send it to a file, with certain options. That's all it does on its own, but, I use Eric Meyer's Visual display Editor VDE. Like most good editors, VDE can be "programmed" with macros. Its macro language includes features like flow control, the ability to run external programs, and a degree of user input. The talented John Woodruff wrote an extremely clever macro to automate ClipText operations under VDE. That macro isn't on the Web site yet but details are in the quote below, which is from John's post in the VDE mailing list (hosted at Topica):
The [v.v:WRZ] macro below uses Horst Schaeffer's
ClipText utility to provide VDE with Clipboard access under Windows NT/XP. It also works with Win 95 and above.
After starting the macro, respond to the "? Esc!"
prompt in the header by pressing W, R, or Z:
[W]rite: Marked block in the current VDE file is the source:
Selected VDE text is APPENDED to file C:\V.V
ClipText then OVERWRITES the Clipboard with C:\V.V
Use [Z]ap before [W]rite IF ONLY the CURRENT marked
block should be copied into the Clipboard, not an
accumulation of entries.
[R]ead: The current VDE file is the target:
ClipText APPENDS the Clipboard contents to file C:\V.V
VDE then reads C:\V.V at the cursor and marks the
incoming text as a block.
Use [Z]ap before [R]ead IF ONLY the CURRENT Clipboard
contents should be pasted into VDE, not an
accumulation of entries.
[Z]ap: Erases file C:\V.V but does NOT access the Clipboard
======= Macro ====================================================
[F01]<Esc >[v.v:WRZ]<QN>
[Esc]:[Esc]!_
[Esc]W
^KW+C:\V.V[Enter]
[AltR]CLIPTEXT FROM C:\V.V /DOS[Enter][Esc][Esc]!]
[Esc]R^KS
[AltR]CLIPTEXT TO C:\V.V /APPEND /DOS[Enter][Esc] ^KB^KRC:\V.V[Enter]^QP^KK[Esc]!] [Esc]Z ^KJC:\V.V[Enter]
======= Notes ====================================================
File C:\V.V is an arbitrary choice, but whatever file is
used, it's necessary to state the full path in the macro. Reason: The ^KW and ^KR path is the path of the current file, whereas the [AltR] shell path is set when the VDE session is started, subject to being changed later by other DOS commands.
The ClipText /DOS switch causes extended ASCII characters
to be translated. I've included it in both the [W]rite and [R]ead routines, but it can be edited out. The ASCII/ANSI character conversion is similar but not identical to that in VDE's ^[ and ^] commands.
The initial ^KS in [R]ead is a safety feature, making
it possible to use ^KL^F to status back from a Read/Only lockup in case of Graphics Overflow due to too many different translatable extended ASCII characters in the source text.
In other words, being able to use ClipText seamlessly requires the editor to have reasonably good macro abilities of its own, but I believe WordPerfect has that. Obviously, the implementation would be very different, but skilled WordPerfect users should be able to adapt the principles. By the way, VDE can read and write WordPerfect files, and can even be made to behave with a degree of "WordPerfect-likeness" itself. Quoting VDE.DOC:
WORDPERFECT - /P mode reads and writes files in WP v.4 format. /F mode
reads WP v.5-6 or WP for Windows files, and writes v.5 format (which can also
be read by v.6, or imported into WPfW). Both modes support some formatting
features and underline, boldface, and super/subscript; /F also supports
italics and strikeout. You can edit in VDE using a command set much like
WordPerfect's by using the supplied WP.VDF key definition file, which makes
the function keys call up the MenuBar in a manner similar to WP commands.
Hence VDE might be a useful adjunct for WP users, even if they don't go over to it full-time.
Horst Schaeffer's software is excellent, and he's one of the nicest people you could deal with, very generous and helpful :)
Hope that helps.
brotherS:
rjbull, would you mind giving examples of how you use ClipText? (Some diehard WordPerfect DOS users might be interested). I looked at the whole site (nice) and from what I see, it's not quite a program to make copying between Windows and DOS apps as easy as Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V, correct?
-Harrie (May 26, 2006, 08:39 AM)
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Harrie, you're correct
-rjbull (May 26, 2006, 09:47 AM)
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:o I'd trash every program that tries to separate me from two of my best friends: Ctrl+C and Ctrl-V :D
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