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