WRITE STUFF TIPS, HINTS, ETC. BB vs BA: This applies only to the C64 spellchecker version of TWS. This disk contains two slightly different versions of the BB Writer program. BB is the default choice. It is the one that will load if you type LOAD"*",8,1; or load by pressing [COMMODORE][RUN/STOP] with a DOS wedge active. BB does NOT include the sort feature, and has about 19,500 bytes available for text. BA DOES include the sort feature, and has only 15,600 bytes free for text. You can select either BB or BA by typing LOAD"BB",8,1 or LOAD"BA",8,1. You can change the default in several ways. The simplest is to use a directory editor such as DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE or DAVID'S DIRECTORY DESIGNER to make BA the first file in the directory. QUICK COLOR SETUP: Immediately after loading the program, type or load a file with two or three paragraphs. Press [CONTROL]. Press b until you find the background color you like. Press \ until you find the letter color you like. Press and hold [COMMODORE] and press b until you find a border color you like. Press * to change the "edge effect." Press f. With the BA version ONLY, the appearance of the text will change. Press f again. It will change back. When you find the text and "edge" appearance you like, press [BACK ARROW]. Press [UP ARROW] p [RETURN], and immediately press [SHIFT LOCK]. The text should stop in preview mode. Press b till you find the background color you like. Press \ till you find the letter color you like. Press [SHIFT LOCK] and [BACKARROW] to return to the regular edit mode. Press [CONTROL] x s. This will immediately save whichever version of the program you loaded (BA or BB) with the changes you have made. It will also save any other changes you made after loading the program. If the file you loaded had printer control codes included, the default printer set-up will be changed. TWO FAVORITE FEATURES - QUICK INSTRUCTIONS SORT FEATURE: Using the original or BA spellchecker version, you can alphabetize a list of your great grandchildren, the animals in the zoo, or your Willy Nelson albums. First type the list (Example): fox zebra aardvark coatimundi SAVE your file "just in case." Press [CONTROL] e. Press p until the entire list has been "eaten." Press [BACKARROW]. Press [CONTROL] [SHIFT] r. The cursor will shift to the command line, and you will see: Restore & sort: [BACKARROW] A-->Z Z-->A Cursor to A-->Z and press [RETURN] You will see: Sort on column: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The cursor will be on 1, and to sort on the first column in your list (the usual choice), just press [RETURN]. After a period of time related to the size of the list, your list will appear in alphabetical order: aardvark coatimundi fox zebra SAVE IT AGAIN! TEXT MACROS: When a macro has been defined, you type one or two letters followed by a space, and the text that has been defined appears on the screen. This can save an enormous amount of time, particularly if you are typing something like Fresno Commodore User Group/64UM several times in a file. TWS comes with a file of 150 or so text macros already defined. You can add new ones and change them, and you can also define temporary macros to use during the current work session. To load the macro file for editing, type the following: [CONTROL] l [DELETE] bb macros [RETURN]. Add macros by typing one or two characters followed by = followed by the desired text. Example: fc=Fresno Commodore User Group Don't choose real words like "it" for macros. WARNING: The file ends with three return marks. Do not change this! When you've finished, save the changed file by typing the following: [CONTROL] s [DELETE] bb macros [RETURN] [RETURN] This will scratch the old file and save the revised version. The changes will not be in effect until the next time you load the program. To define a temporary macro, press [CONTROL] [SHIFT] M. This will place the cursor on the command line. Type the macro the same as above (x=example), and press return. The temporary macro will be in effect until you define a different one or quit the program. During any work session, macros may be toggled on or off by pressing [CONTROL] m. Remember, these macro instructions apply only to the 64 version. (via the Commodore Information Center, http://home.att.net/~rmestel/commodore.html)