SAVSCR.COM - A Documentation Aid
                       --------------------------------


A  common documentation task is to describe the appearance of  the  computer's
display  screen as it appears in the midst of running a program.   SAVSCR is a
utility  that makes that job easy by saving any text-mode display screen in  a
disk file when the Shift-PrtSc keys are pressed at the same time. An editor or
word  processing program may be used to incorporate the saved screen  image(s)
into your documentation,  or the screen image(s) could be sent to a printer at
a later time (which means that you can make slides for an overhead  projector,
even on a PC which doesn't have a printer directly attached to it).

SAVSCR is started by typing

     SAVSCR [[d:]\path\]filename.ext

to the PC/MS-DOS command line interpreter (COMMAND.COM).   As  indicated,  the
disk device and the pathname specifications are optional,  however SAVSCR will
automatically default them to the current disk and current directory if you do
not specify them.

The  first time that SAVSCR is invoked it will make itself resident in  memory
and, if the specified output file does not already exist, will create an empty
file  by that name.   Thereafter,  SAVSCR "traps" the PrtSc interrupts (IBM PC
BIOS interrupt 5),  and each time Shift-PrtSc is pressed the text contents  of
the display screen will be appended to the specified output file (each display
screen  image  is  separated  from  previous  screen  images  by  a  form-feed
character).

It  is not possible to remove memory resident programs such as SAVSCR  without
rebooting PC/MS-DOS, but if SAVSCR is run after it is installed, then you will
have  the  opportunity  to make it inactive and restore the  normal  PC/MS-DOS
function  of  the  PrtSc key (i.e.,  the screen image is sent  directly  to  a
printer),  and you will also have the opportunity to request instructions  for
running SAVSCR.

SAVSCR  is  quite  different from the public domain program on  which  it  was
based,   SAVSC.COM.   SAVSCR   uses  DOS V2.0  features  to  support  a   path
specification  in a filename,   works correctly with any of the eight  display
pages  allowed on IBM graphics adapters (Color Graphics Adapter,  Professional
Graphics Adapter, and the Enhanced Graphics Adapter), dynamically supports the
Enhanced  Graphics  Adapter  in 43-line  mode  or  25-line  mode,  dynamically
supports  40- and  80-column video modes,  and has changed the activation  key
sequence from Shift-Scroll Lock-PrtSc to Shift-PrtSc because some  third-party
keyboards  will  not  transmit the former key sequence and it  could  also  be
difficult  for  certain handicapped people to enter a 3-keystroke sequence  at
once (software developers should be careful about that sort of thing...).

The full assembly source code,  SAVSCR.ASM, has also been placed in the public
domain.  It is unfortunate that so many public domain utilities do not include
source code;  we can all learn from useful programs,  and including the source
code also allows people to improve or customize programs for their own use.


        -------------------------------------------------------------

               V1.1 12/31/85 - Vince Cuomo, Chino Hills CA
               V1.0 09/27/85 - Ted Shapin, Orange CA
                             - And,  of course, thanks to the unknown
                               author   of  the  original   SAVSC.COM
                               program.

        Note:  If  anyone makes changes to SAVSCR and would  like  to
               place  them  in the public domain,  or if  anyone  has
               suggestions  or comments concerning SAVSCR,  then  the
               above-named  authors  may be contacted by  writing  to
               them at the following address:

                         c/o North American Software, Inc.
                             P.O. Box 3309
                             Tustin, CA  92680