Re: Dosemu, Linux, XyWrite -- another clipboard kludge

[junja junja@xxxxxxxx]

Hear!, hear!
junja

peregrine@xxxxxxxx wrote:
Attaboy, Bob (and Paul, too)! This will be a big help to me, and I
greatly appreciate your efforts at resolving this and sharing your
solutions.

My experience with Linux has been very satisfying, too. My first
experience with macros of any kind was in XyWrite III+, and it stands to
reason that more than 20 years later there'd be a reliable Linux
solution for building macros. Thanks for the heads-up on Xmacros, Bob.


Jeff

Date: Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:08:24 -0500

From: Bob Zimmerman mailto:zimmerman@xxxxxxxx>

Subject: Dosemu, Linux, XyWrite -- another clipboard kludge

To: xywrite@xxxxxxxx xywrite@xxxxxxxx

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From: Paul Lagasse mailto:pglagasse@xxxxxxxx>

In an attempt to avoid having to open a file to transfer text to/from


XyWrite in Linux, I have come up with with what I think is a somewhat


easier, more automated kludge for transfering text to and from the Linux


clipboard when running XyWrite under Dosemu......[snip]


To clip from say "Firefox," I highlight the text, do ctrl+c, then


doubleclick "To Xywrite Clipboard," and then do ctrl+alt+v to insert the


text in XyWrite.

Paul's method above certainly works for cutting and pasting in and out of

Xywrite in Linux, but it requires too many keystrokes and mouse actions for my


taste.
However, his kludge suggestion to clip into a file, clip.txt, save it, and then

MErge the file into Xywrite, was brilliant, and led me to come up with my own

cut-and-paste kludge that, by using a Linux macro program, reduces the number of

keystrokes for placing text into Xywrite to two, the same as you would have with


any program.
The macro program is called Xmacros. It is part of the Debian package, which

means it should also be available in Ubantu. (At the command prompt: sudo

apt-get install xmacros) I should also note that Xmacros has been incredible

useful for running a lot of other macros in all my Linux programs, thereby


reducing the number of repetitive keystrokes I have to do.
Xmacros allows you to create macros two ways. 1. You can run a subprogram,

xmacrorec2, to record your keystrokes. I have had problems getting this to

function properly. 2. You can write the macro in any plain text editor. The

commands are simple (see http://xmacro.sourceforge.net/), and I have found this


method to be quick and easy.
To make the whole operation work I keep a text editor with the file clip.txt

open at all times. I use Kwrite, but any plain text editor will do. In Linux, it

is easy to place this open file/program in Desktop 4, out of the way, where it


functions as my silent dos clipboard.
The full macro for copying text to Xywrite is as follows. Note that anything


after the pound sign is a comment and can be deleted:



# Switches from command prompt to window where text is selected:

KeyStrPress Alt_L

KeyStrPress Tab

KeyStrRelease Tab

KeyStrRelease Alt_L

# Copies the selection into Linux clipboard:

KeyStrPress Control_L

KeyStrPress C

KeyStrRelease C

KeyStrRelease Control_L

# Switches to Desktop 4, where I keep clip.txt open all the time:

KeyStrPress Control_L

KeyStrPress Alt_L

KeyStrPress 4

KeyStrRelease 4

KeyStrRelease Alt_L

KeyStrRelease Control_L

# Pastes selection into clip.txt:

KeyStrPress Control_L

KeyStrPress R

KeyStrRelease R

KeyStrRelease Control_L

# Saves clip.txt:

KeyStrPress F12

KeyStrRelease F12

# Selects all (necessary to make future selections work):

KeyStrPress Control_L

KeyStrPress A

KeyStrRelease A

KeyStrRelease Control_L

# Switches back to Desktop 1, back where I started:

KeyStrPress Control_L

KeyStrPress Alt_L

KeyStrPress 1

KeyStrRelease 1

KeyStrRelease Alt_L

KeyStrRelease Control_L



I created a text file of the above and named it doscopy.macro.
I then used the KDE menu editor to create a shortcut to doscopy.macro in the

Start menu. (Sidebar: I use Debian Etch with KDE as my Xwindows GUI. The KDE

menu editor allows me to create a menu of program shortcuts accessible by

pressing the Start key. I put all my macro shortcuts in Start - System - Macros.

Each macro gets its own shortcut menu item.) For the doscopy shortcut the


command line should read:



cat /home/bob/programs/macros/doscopy.macro | xmacroplay -d 15:0
The "-d 15:0" puts a 15 millisecond delay between each command. I have found

with testing that this can sometimes be as low as 0, and sometimes must be as

high as 30, for the macro to work reliably. I try to keep the number low to

speed things along. It just requires a little experimentation to find the right


number.
I also check "run in terminal" in the shortcut options. I then assign a shortcut


key to this shortcut menu item. For my doscopy.macro, I gave it Ctrl-Alt-C.
In my Xywrite 3.55 keyboard.kbd file, I created a keyboard macro at Ctrl-Space,


like so:



57=BC,m,e, ,E,:,\,x,y,w,r,i,t,e,4,\,x,y,4,\,c,l,i,p,.,t,x,t,XC,CH
In my Xywrite 4 xy4.kbd file, I created the following keyboard macro for


Ctrl-Space:



57=BX,(,m,e, ,D,:,\,x,y,w,r,i,t,e,4,\,x,y,4,\,c,l,i,p,.,t,x,t,)
Thus, to paste some text into either Xywrite 3.55 or Xywrite 4, I select the

text in any Linux program and press Ctrl-Alt-C. Then in Xywrite I press


Ctrl-Space and the text is inserted. Very simple.
Sidebar: I use DosBox as my Dos emulator. I have found it very stable, reliable,

easy to use, and very flexible. However, this system should also work very


easily with Dosemu.
As for pasting out of Xywrite into Linux, I don't need to do it very often. If I

do, I find I generally have to paste the whole file. In that case it is easier


to save it, and then upload it directly using another program.
I also use Xmacros to run two macros for allowing me to write all my emails in

Xywrite. With one keystroke I tell my email program to reply, quote the text of

the original email, and then using clip.txt cut and paste this into Xywrite.

Once I've finished writing my email it takes two keystrokes to cut and paste my

written email out of Xywrite and back into my email program, ready to send. If

anyone is interested I can write up the details on how these macros work for the


listserv.
It is now three weeks since I began working in my Linux box full time. All told,

I am very happy with Linux, especially when I read about the numerous problems

others on this list are having adapting to Vista. Linux is not perfect, but it

works. And in those cases where something goes wrong, I have found that the

solution is almost always transparent and obvious, not hidden behind the

typically inexplicable error messages of Windows that provide no information at


all.



Bob

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4708 Montgomery Place

Beltsville, Maryland 20705

301-937-0394

See my books and essays at:

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3cxxp/zimbib.htm http://members.bellatlantic.net/%7Evze3cxxp/zimbib.htm

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