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repeat_ansi_screens
    Iniquity uses a certain set of functions that can be used to display a
 large amount of information, that is similar, but not the same. This is
 called a repeat ANSI screen, what is it? Well you have an ANSI screen made
 up of three, sometimes four, files, a header file, having a file name of
 ?????TOP.ANS where '?????' is anyone of the predetermined set of characters
 used by Iniquity that allows it to determine where to display the file. The
 second file is called a middle file, or ?????MID.ANS, where again Iniquity
 will use those characters, only this time the file will be displayed
 immediately after the header file, and will continue to be displayed until
 Iniquity runs out of information to display. Some screen's have a high light
 file, or ?????HIL.ANS, this file is used to show information that pertains
 to the current user, say they are listing messages in the message base,
 Iniquity will high light those messages that are to the user, via the high
 light file. The last and final file is a footer ANSI, or ?????BOT.ANS. This
 file is displayed immediately after Iniquity runs out of information for the
 middle file, and is usually the last file displayed.
   The section that I will be dealing with will be the middle file, mainly
 because you need to set it up a specific way in order to be displayed
 properly, or you could find weird screen displayed, of a blank line where the
 should be information. The best way to fix an ANSI file for the middle, is
 by not using the regular ANSI drawing programs, and just going into a text
 editor, like DOS edit, or any other editor that you prefer to use. Next find
 the listing of all the MCI code's and Control code's as well as the Wave
 code's that will be displayed in the middle file. You'll want to use that AT
 code's as well as the Limit and Padding codes, so hold them close to you.
 Look at the example below.


     |08@02:|11@06{23~NM|15@09~BN|04@33~PN|09@48~BR|07@56{21~SN|08@78:

 The code's that are preceded by a '|' character are the control codes, the
 are used to change the colours between characters by Iniquity's internal
 control code function. The number's preceded by an '@' character are used to
 place the cursor 'at' the location specified on the current line, that way
 no vertical movement is used, therefore not destroying the desired display.
 The code's that are preceded by an '{' character are used to limit the length
 of the string, that way you wont have string running into one another, and
 makes for a neater display. The last type of code used are the wave code's,
 they are preceded by a '~' character, and are file specific, so be careful
 what code's you use, or some of them wont work. All other character's, like
 the ':' are used for normal screen enhancement's, to make it look like a
 screen.

 I can guarantee you, that when you use an editor and just used all of
 Iniquity's internal codes the screen will work every time, it's just a matter
 of lining up you're display to match the header and footer file's. It's as
 simple as that, no animation is needed, nor the manual editing after you've
 saved it in ANSI, nor will you need to use an external utility to fix the
 screen. Only a one time edit, that's it.
repeat_ansi_screens.txt · Last modified: by admin

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