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|A |6Helpware |A ^1ConvertR |Aͺ |6Helpware |A
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^Cby
^CGordon S. Buck

    ^1NOTE:  ConvertR is a memory resident utility.  To use this program, exit
 ^1the Big Blue Disk menu system and type ConvertR at the DOS prompt.  A short
 ^1message will be displayed and the DOS prompt will return.  ConvertR can be
 ^1activated by simultaneously pressing the <ALT><F9> keys.

^C       ConvertR        Version 2.0      ^N

^C1.000000 acres     =43560.0000 sq ft    ^N
^C1.000000 acres     =  0.001562 sq miles ^N
^C1.000000 acres     =4046.85600 sq meters
^C1.000000 acre ft   =325900.000 gallons  ^N
^C1.000000 atmos     = 14.700000 psi      ^N
^C1.000000 atmos     = 29.920000 in Hg    ^N
^C1.000000 barrel oil= 42.000000 gal oil  ^N
^C1.000000 bar       =  0.986900 atmos    ^N
^C1.000000 bar       =100.000000 K Pa     ^N


    Somewhere there must be a law that says the available information is always
 in the wrong units.  For example, it seems that if I know a temperature in
 degrees Fahrenheit, the computer program I'm using wants the temperature in
 Centigrade.  Sometimes the first step in using a computer program is to find
 my set of conversion tables and calculator.  While looking for these elusive
 items, I wish the program had a built-in conversion routine.  ^1ConvertR^0 is what
 I really needed, so I wrote it.


 ^1Presenting --> ConvertR^0

    ConvertR is a memory resident program which does simple calculations such
 as converting quantities from one set of units to another.  For example,
 ConvertR will show you that 1 cubic foot of volume also equals 7.48 gallons,
 but more importantly, ConvertR makes it easy to determine that 12.3 cubic feet
 is 92.01 gallons. To do this, ConvertR looks and acts much like a small
 spreadsheet.

    When activated, ConvertR opens a window in the upper right hand quadrant of
 the screen.  This window displays ten equations at a time from the one hundred
 available equations.  Use the arrow keys, Home, End, PgUp, PgDn, <CTRL>Home,
 <CTRL>End to select a conversion factor.  Change a number, press <ENTER> and
 the corresponding value will also change.  When you are finished, just press
 <ESC>. That's all there is to using ConvertR!

    You almost know enough to use ConvertR now, but before getting into the
 details, there is some business to attend to.



^CGetting Started

 ^1The Manual^0

    ConvertR is a simple program.  The disk file you are reading is the
 complete instruction manual.

    Most ConvertR users load it from their AUTOEXEC.BAT file by simply
 including the command CONVERTR in that file.  No matter how you load
 ConvertR, you must have the data file CONFILE.FAC on the same disk or
 directory as ConvertR.


 ^1Hard Disk Systems^0

    ConvertR can be easily used with a hard disk system.  The recommended
 method is to make a directory for ConvertR and then copy the files to that
 directory.  For example, the procedure below would create a directory named
 CONVERN and copy the files from drive A: to the CONVERN directory.

           MKDIR C:\CONVERN
           COPY A:CONVERTR.*   C:\CONVERN
           COPY A:CONFILE.FAC  C:\CONVERN
           COPY A:HOT-KEY.*    C:\CONVERN       <= FILES TO CHANGE "HOT" KEY
                                                      * * OPTIONAL * *

 If you use this method, then the following procedure will load ConvertR
 correctly and return to the root directory.

           CD C:\CONVERN
           CONVERTR
           CD C:\

 Notice that the first step must be to change to the CONVERN directory.  This
 directory has the conversion factor database CONFILE.FAC.  If CONFILE.FAC is
 not in the current directory, it will not be loaded properly!


 ^1Using ConvertR with Other Resident Programs^0

    Resident programs sometimes have conflicting memory and keyboard
 requirements with other programs, especially other resident programs.
 ConvertR has been used sucessfully with many programs, including Lotus 1-2-3,
 Sidekick and SuperKey.  However, conflicts may occur and cannot be easily
 predicted.

    If you suspect that a conflict has occurred between ConvertR and other
 resident programs, try experimenting with the order in which the programs are
 loaded into memory.  For example, load ConvertR first or last.  ConvertR has
 been successfully used when loaded after a number of public domain resident
 programs and before SuperKey and Sidekick.


 ^1Activating ConvertR^0

    Because it activates ConvertR, the ^1<ALT><F9>^0 combination is called the
 "hot" key.  To activate ConvertR, simply press <ALT><F9> simultaneously.
 When activated, ConvertR opens a window in the upper right hand quadrant of
 the screen.  This window displays ten equations at a time from the available
 equations.

    Once activated, ConvertR takes over your keyboard and restricts keyboard
 entry to acceptable ConvertR commands.  These are limited to the cursor
 control keys, signed numbers, alphabetical characters, <ENTER>  and <ESC>.
 Keying in a number actually changes ConvertR to a data entry mode.  Keying in
 an alphabetical character changes ConvertR to a search mode.


 ^1De-Activating ConvertR^0

    To de-activate or leave ConvertR, press the escape key, <ESC>. The
 ConvertR window will clear and your screen will return to its previous
 display.

    If you are in the process of entering a numerical value into a ConvertR
 cell, pressing <ESC> will restore the previous value of that cell.  Pressing
 <ESC> again will de-activate ConvertR.


 ^1Using ConvertR^0

    When activated by pressing <ALT><F9>, ConvertR opens a window in the upper
 right hand quadrant of the screen.  This window displays ten equations at a
 time from the available equations.  Use the arrow keys, Home, End, PgUp, PgDn,
 <CTRL>Home, <CTRL>End to select a conversion factor.  Change a number,
 press <ENTER> and the corresponding value will also change.  When you are
 finished, just press <ESC>.  That's really all there is to using ConvertR,
 but perhaps some elaboration on the details will be helpful.


 ^1The ConvertR Display^0

    The ConvertR display is a framed window occupying the upper right hand
 quadrant of the screen.  The first line of this window identifies the version
 of ConvertR you have installed.  Below this are ten lines of conversion data,
 such as

                     1.000000 acres     =  0.001562 sq miles
                     1.000000 acre ft   =325900.000 gallons
                     1.000000 amp hr    =3600.00000 coulomb
                     1.000000 atmos     = 14.700000 psi

 You can see that each line contains five different pieces of information: Two
 numerical values, two text identifiers and an "=" sign.  These are called
 cells, just like the cells in a spreadsheet.  One of the numerical cells will
 be highlighted.  If this is the first time that ConvertR has been activated,
 the upper left hand numerical cell will be highlighted.  The highlighted cell
 is called the active or selected cell.  Later you will see how to move around
 in ConvertR and select any cell you wish.


 ^1Keyboarding^0

    Although it should be somewhat transparent to you, there are three
 distinct modes of keyboard controls when using ConvertR.  These are:

        1.  Selecting a cell
        2.  Entering data
        3.  Searching for a conversion factor.

 The first thing you should realize about working with ConvertR is that you may
 move to and change only the cells which contain numerical values.  (To revise
 the available conversion factors, you can modify the file CONFILE.FAC with a
 word processor.)

    When ConvertR is first activated, the keyboard is in the cell selection
 mode.  In this mode, the arrow keys, Home, End, PgUp, PgDn, <CTRL>Home and
 <CTRL>End keys will let you move to any numerical cell. If you press any
 numeric key, + or -, the mode changes to allow data entry for that cell.
 To return to cell selection, press the <ESC> or <RETURN> key.

    When moving from cell to cell, the acceptable key strokes are just as you
 might guess:

        Up Arrow       -  moves up one line
        Down Arrow     -  moves down one line
        Left Arrow     -  moves left one cell
        Right Arrow    -  moves right one cell
        Home           -  moves to upper left corner
        End            -  moves to lower right corner
        PgUp           -  moves to next page of ten lines
        PgDn           -  moves to previous page of ten lines
        <CTRL>Home     -  moves to first line of factors
        <CTRL>End      -  moves to last line of factors

        Esc            -  exits from ConvertR

        0 to 9,+,-     -  change to data entry mode
        A to Z         -  change to search mode

    Pressing any other key will produce a warning sound, but no action.  In
 addition, warning sounds occur when an attempt is made to move outside the
 ConvertR window.

    When a number (or + or -) is pressed, the selected cell clears and that
 number appears in the selected cell.  This is the data entry mode.  In this
 mode, the acceptable key strokes are limited to those necessary to entering
 data into that cell.  These are:

        0 to 9         -  numerical values
        .              -  to indicate a decimal point
        +              -  to indicate positive values (default)
        -              -  to indicate negative values
        E              -  to enter data in scientific format
        Backspace      -  to erase the preceding character

        Esc            -  restores the previous cell value and
                          returns to cell selection mode

        Enter          -  enters the new cell value, calculates
                          the corresponding value and returns to
                          the cell selection mode.

    Notice that the only editing key is the backspace.  Insert, delete and the
 arrow keys are disabled while in the data entry mode.

    If an alphabetical character is pressed while in the cell selection mode,
 ConvertR changes to the Factor Finder mode.  In this mode, the acceptable key
 strokes can be any ASCII character used to describe conversion factors.  That
 is:

        A to Z         -  upper case characters
        a to z         -  lower case characters
        0 to 9         -  numerical values
        +,-=!@$        -  etc

        Backspace      -  to erase the preceding character

        Esc            -  restores the previous cell value and
                          returns to cell selection mode

        Enter          -  enters the desired identification,
                          initiates a search for that factor and
                          moves to the cell for that factor

 Again, the only editing function is the backspace.

    To use the Factor Finder, just type in the units of the factor you need.
 If those units are in the data base, the Factor Finder will locate them for
 you.

    You do not have to enter a complete identification of the factor. For
 example, you could enter "met" for meter -- or even "m".  The Factor Finder
 simply locates the next occurrence (in either column) of the characters you
 enter.  The Factor Finder is case sensitive; that is, "Meter" is different
 from "meter", etc.  Also, it does not know about abbreviations so "ft" is
 different from "feet" or "foot".  If the characters you entered cannot be
 found, the Factor Finder beeps a warning and displays a short message.

    If you accidentally trigger the Factor Finder, you can cancel it by
 pressing <ESC>.


 ^1Editing the Conversion Factors^0

    The conversion factor data used by ConvertR is contained in a simple ASCII
 (pure text) file named CONFILE.FAC.  This file is read when ConvertR is loaded
 and must be on the default disk drive. After CONFILE.FAC has been read, it is
 not needed again (until your computer is re-booted and ConvertR is loaded
 again).

    The CONFILE.FAC file supplied with CONVERTR contains many commonplace
 conversion factors used by students and scientists alike.  Should you wish to
 add, change, or delete any of this information you will need a word processor
 that can save a file as pure ASCII text.  An example of a portion of
 CONFILE.FAC is shown below:

                   1.0       foot      inch      12
                   1.0       cu in     cu m      1.639E-05
                   1.0       cu m/hr   gpm       4.403
                   20        Deg C     Deg F     1.8       32
                   1.0       cp        lb/ft sec 6.72E-04
                   1.0       cp        reyn      6.9E+06
                   1.0       deg angle radian    .01745329

    You will recognize from the first line that 1 foot is converted to inches
 by multiplying by 12.  Now look at the fourth line.  To convert 20 degrees C
 to degrees F, you multiply by 1.8 and add 32. Notice that each line is
 divided into five columns of ten characters each (however most lines only
 contain four items). That is the entire logic of the CONFILE.FAC file.

    CONFILE.FAC may contain up to 1000 lines of conversion factor data, but
 only 300 will be read by ConvertR.  This data may be arranged in any order for
 your convenience.  You can use any word processor to edit CONFILE.FAC but
 you must remember to store the edited file as a pure text (ASCII) file.



^CExamples

    ConvertR is so simple and easy to use that you've probably already used it
 and do not need any examples.  Still, just in case ......


 ^1Example 1^0

    You wish to convert 38.6 degrees Centigrade to Fahrenheit. ConvertR is
 resident in your computer and waiting to help you. Press <ALT><F9>.  The
 ConvertR window appears.  Press PgDn twice. The top line of the ConvertR
 window now shows that 20 degrees C equals 68 degress Farenheit.  The left hand
 cell (containing 20) is highlighted.  Press the number 3.  The cell clears and
 a 3 appears.  Finish keying in 38.6 and press <RETURN>; the right hand cell
 now contains 101.48.

    Press <ESC> and the ConvertR window disappears.  Press <ALT><F9> again and
 the ConvertR window re-appears.  The selected (highlighted) cell is still
 38.6 degrees Centigrade.


 ^1Example 2^0

    Suppose you need to convert meters to feet.  Type "m" (omit the quotation
 marks).  The first line of the display will change to: Find: m.  Now type the
 rest of the factor ("eter") and press <ENTER>.  The display will change to
 include the following:

                             ConvertR -- Version 2.0

                      1.000000 ft        =  0.304800 meter
                      1.000000 ft H2O    =  0.882600 in Hg
                      1.000000 ft H2O    =  0.433500 psi

 The selected cell is the meter quantity in the upper right hand corner of the
 ConvertR window.   If you press the <TAB> key, the Factor Finder will locate
 the next occurrence of "meter".



^CAdvanced Features


 ^1Removing ConvertR from Memory^0

    Removing a memory resident program from memory is a tricky procedure
 because of the "hole" that is left behind.  For this reason, ConvertR does
 not contain a procedure for removal.


 ^1Changing the "Hot" Key^0

    ConvertR uses <ALT><F9> as the "hot" (activating) key.  This hot key can be
 changed by using the program DEBUG from your operating system disk.

    If you use DEBUG to look at the CONVERTR.COM file (please use a backup
 copy!), you will find the "hot" key code is located at offset 1A8D.  For
 <ALT><F9> this code is 70h.  As you might expect, <ALT><F10> is 71h,
 <ALT><F1> is 68, etc (Remember these are hexadecimal numbers).  An easily
 remembered hot key is <ALT><=>; this is code 83h.  (However, this will
 conflict with SuperKey from Borland.)

    If you are not familiar with using DEBUG, you can use the batch file
 HOT-KEY.BAT contained on the disk.  This batch file will load DEBUG and use
 the HOT-KEY.SCR file as DEBUG instructions for changing the hot key to
 <ALT><=>.  To use the HOT-KEY batch file, just enter HOT-KEY.

    Naturally, HOT-KEY.BAT, HOT-KEY.SCR, DEBUG.COM and CONVERTR.COM must all be
 in the default directory or disk.  (DEBUG.COM could be in the path on your
 hard disk.)


 The HOT-KEY batch file is listed below.

          echo off
          cls
          echo       This changes the "hot key" for ConvertR.
          echo       You must have DEBUG available.
          echo.
          echo       ConvertR uses ALT F9 as the hot key.
          echo       The key code is at offset 1A8D.
          echo       ALT F9 is 70h.
          echo       The included patch, "HOT-KEY.SCR" will change
          echo       the hot key to ALT = (83h at offset 1A8D).
          echo.
          echo       Work from a back-up, not from the original!!
          echo       To stop, press CONTROL BREAK now!
          echo.
          pause
          debug < hot-key.scr
          echo.
          echo       Patch is complete, new hot key is ALT =

 The file HOT-KEY.SCR acts as a "script" to issue instructions to DEBUG.  These
 instructions are

          nconvertr.com
          l
          e1a8d
          83
          w
          q

 The fourth line of HOT-KEY.SCR contains the code for <ALT><=>, 83h.  (Notice
 that the "h" is not necessary.)  If you wish to experiment with other codes,
 this is the line to change.

 It is important to realize that this patch works from the disk file, not the
 resident program.  This procedure reads the disk file, modifies it and then
 writes the modified code back to the disk.  Therefore you must load the
 modified version of ConvertR before the changes take effect.



^CWhen There is a Problem

    In order to minimize the memory requirements and maximize speed, ConvertR
 does very little error checking.  However, ConvertR is so simple that there
 should be few problems.  Still, if something can go wrong, it will, so here
 are some things that have happened.


 ^1It Beeps^0

    ConvertR will make a two tone sound whenever an undefined key is pressed.
 For example, pressing the "F1" key will produce this sound because that key
 is not used by ConvertR.  Similarly, the arrow keys are not defined while
 entering data into a cell.


 ^1File Not Found^0

    ConvertR reads the data file CONFILE.FAC from the default directory in the
 default disk drive when first loaded into memory; this file must be present.


 ^1Interrupt in Use^0

    ConvertR uses the StayRes program by Lane Ferris.  It cannot be loaded
 after other resident programs which use similar procedures. ConvertR uses
 interrupt 16.


 ^1Run Time Error 02^0

    A multiplying factor in CONFILE.FAC is zero.  ConvertR cannot be
 reactivated without booting your computer.


 ^1Cannot Enter a Large Number^0

    The range is limited to 1E-38 to 1E+38.


 ^1ConvertR Display Messed Up^0

    CONFILE.FAC is not stored as a pure text file.


 ^1Cannot Activate ConvertR^0

    Some programs completely take over the keyboard and may not accept the
 <ALT><F9> keystrokes.  Try to invoke another resident program (Sidekick or
 SuperKey will probably work), then activate ConvertR on top of that program.
 You will have to use this method with programs written in BASIC which use the
 INPUT procedure.


 ^1The License^0

    You purchase a license to use ConvertR.  ConvertR is protected by the
 copyright laws of the United States.  You must treat ConvertR like a book;
 that is, in such a manner that there is no possibility that it is in use in
 more than one place at any given time.  The only exception to this rule is
 that you may make archival (backup) copies for the sole purpose of protecting
 your investment in ConvertR.


 ^1Hardware and Software Requirements^0

    ConvertR was written for IBM PC and true compatible computers using MS-DOS
 Versions 2.1 and higher.  It occupies approximately 36K of memory.  It
 requires one disk drive.

    Resident programs sometimes have conflicting memory and keyboard
 requirements with other programs, especially other resident programs.
 ConvertR has been used sucessfully with many programs, including Lotus 1-2-3,
 Sidekick and SuperKey.  However, conflicts may occur and cannot be easily
 predicted.


 ^1Acknowledgments^0

    ConvertR was made resident by adapting portions of the StayRes program
 written by Lane Ferris.

    IBM and IBM PC are trademarks of International Business Machine
 Corporation.  Lotus 1-2-3 is a trademark of Lotus Development Corporation.
 MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Sidekick and SuperKey are
 trademarks of Borland International. DESQview is a trademark of Quarterdeck
 Office Systems.


     To run this program outside ^1Big Blue Disk^0, type:  ^1CONVERTR^0.

DISK FILES THIS PROGRAM USES:
^FCONVERTR.COM
^FCONFILE.FAC
^FHOT-KEY.BAT
^FHOT-KEY.SCR
