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
