XyWr Windows

[Mike Mcconkey]

I have posted several somewhat fragmented messages concerning XyWrite 4 for
Windows over the past several days, but, after the first one, you haven't had
anything to say in reply. So, I will try again. Also, I would be interested
in any comments from others reading this board.

 **** First, the GOOD STUFF ****

1. I work in Windows partly to have instant access to several programs at once.
I write microcontroller code in XyWrite, I run the support program for an
in-circuit emulator for the 8032, I run an EPROM programmer, I run Lotus
Organizer, and I run a file manager. Having immediate access to all of these
has become completely necessary. Three of the five are (have been) DOS
programs. Having XyWrite in windows has reduced this to two. The fewer DOS
programs, the fewer the crashes (usually). Things just work more smoothly.

2. Compared to other windows editors, XyWrite ........ well I have never found
a windows editor before that I thought was useful for code production. It is
possible to save from AMI to an ASCII file, but why try? And non-word
processing editors like Norton Desktop Editor (etc.) just don't have the things
I have come to depend on. I Edit files in groups of 5 to 7 to work on a
complete application.

3. Menus are nice. I wouldn't want to do without them for getting at all the
features of a program. However, constant reaching for a mouse to anything at
all is a pain in the wrist (literally). Long live the command line! Also, I
am lost without column selects for fixing up my code.

4. There are other good DOS code editors, but see #1 for DOS. Anyway, they
just are what I want and XyWrite is, after 7 years of personal customization,
most of which worked without any effort on XyWin.

5. Especially good things are Draft Mode (a must for coding), Graphics Mode
with True Type (beats Speedo all to pieces), 95% or better direct transfer of
the way things work from Xy 4 for Dos (I already got used to the keyboard
there), it conforms to Windows where important for easy use, the choice of how
text selections behave, real windows help files, and so on (much more).


 **** Next, Questions: HOW CAN I? ****

6. How can I prevent the insertion of default style formatting into every new
file?

7. How do I select a different fixed pitch font for draft mode? [Answered my
own question just before posting this: change OEMFONTS.FON= setting in
System.ini.]

8. How do I shell to a command processor other than Command.com for a DOS
shell?

9. Get the cursor to change style from insert to overstrike mode?

10. Setup a style sheet that includes snaking columns. Every time I try,
either the columns just don't happen.

11. Get you to post a "packing list" of XyWrite 4 for Windows files (and
 another for XyWrite 4 for Dos) to use for partial re-installations?


 **** Wish List ****

12. Make it possible to select a specific directory for creation of a new file
from within the New File dialog box, not just choose from the template list.

13. Put a position indicator on the ruler, like in XyDos. This should work in
draft modes as well as graphics mode.

14. Make it possible to compress the ruler scale (at least one alternate) to
get more of it on the screen in draft mode, when desired.

15. Setup a LOCAL clipboard which works the way the one in the Dos version did,
and give us a choice between it and the windows clipboard.

16. Put in an undo, redo stack at least 50 to 100 items deep and let us choose
what to put on it.

17. Put in a Tab mode that inserts spaces to the next tab stop.

18. Put in a way to do any of 6 thru 10 if I can't do them now.


 **** Important Bugs ****

19. Protection Violations, mostly when drawing graphics mode screen with
heavily formatted file.

20. Foul up of copy or move between windows when done immediately
following a window change by clicking with mouse at insert position in new
window. (This only happened to me editing startup.int files. I've been
avoiding doing it since.)

I have uploaded Mikesys.zip to the file area to show my system configuration in
case that gives clues to the bugs above.

               - Mike -