                       Plain Vanilla Browser 1.0
                                from
                       Plain Vanilla Corporation
                             P.O. Box 4493
                           San Diego CA 92164
                 Public Domain - No Restrictions on Use


1. Introduction
---------------

Plain Vanilla Browser is a simple Windows utility that displays as many
as ten text files in a single window.

     (1) You can scroll the window horizontally and vertically.

     (2) You can move the window and change its size.

     (3) You can "zoom in" to view small parts of the file with larger
         type.

     (4) You can "zoom out" to view large parts of the file with smaller
         type.

     (5) You can mark a rectangular block of text and then

          (a) copy it to the Windows Clipboard,
                    -- or --
          (b) print it on the default printer.

     (6) You can switch rapidly from one file to another.

     (7) You can open files for viewing by "dropping" them onto the
         Plain Vanilla Browser window or icon.

     (8) Yes, you can display files of any size.

You can't do operations (3), (4), (6) and (8) with the Windows Notepad.

Plain Vanilla Browser requires Windows 3.1. There are no specific memory
requirements, although program performance will suffer if you have too
little memory, or if you have too many other applications loaded at the
same time. The Plain Vanilla program and help files occupy approximately
41K of hard disk space.


2. Installation
---------------

Installing the Plain Vanilla Browser is easy, even though there's no
installation routine. Just copy the files BROWSE.EXE and BROWSE.HLP to
any subdirectory on your hard disk. You'll probably want to put them
into the Windows subdirectory (normally C:\WINDOWS) with other Windows
applications. Plain Vanilla Browser is not important enough to warrant
its very own subdirectory.

That's all. There are no DLL of VBX files to copy. Of course, the Plain
Vanilla Browser uses DLL files, but only the ones that come with Windows
3.1. These should already be on your hard disk.

If you are interested in source code, you should also copy the following
files:

     BROWSE.CPP
     BROWSE.H
     BROWSE.RC
     BROWSE.DEF
     BROWSE.RTF
     FILEDIAL.CPP
     FILEDIAL.H
     BROWSE.HPJ

You may also want to put a program item for the Plain Vanilla Browser
into the Windows Program Manager. First of all, decide which program
group to use for this purpose.

Plain Vanilla Browser is not important enough to warrant its very own
program group, but if you want to create a new program group for the
it, look for directions in Chapter 3 of your Windows manual or search
for the keywords "groups, creating" in the online help for the Program
Manager.

When you have decided which group to use, create a program item for the
Plain Vanilla Browser. Look for directions in Chapter 3 of your Windows
manual or search for the keywords "program items, creating" in the
online help for the Program Manager. The PVB does not use a working
directory, so you can leave this item blank.

If you want to create a program item which brings up the PVB with a
particular file displayed, just put the complete file specifications for
that file on the command line, as in the following example:

     C:\WINDOWS\BROWSE.EXE  C:\SOMEAPP\READ.ME

If there are files with a particular extension that you want to view
with the PVB, you can use the Windows File Manager to create an
association between files with that extension and the PVB. Look for
directions in Chapter 4 of your Windows manual or search for the
keywords "associating files" in the online help for the File Manager.


3. Bringing up the Plain Vanilla Browser
----------------------------------------

You can bring up the Plain Vanilla Browser in the same manner as any
other Windows program. For example,

     (1) If you have created a program item for the PVB, open the
         program group and double click on the PVB icon.

     (2) If you have created an association between the PVB and files
         with a particular extension, use the File Manager to find the
         file that you want to view and double click on the file.

     (3) From the File Manager, double click on the file BROWSE.EXE.

     (4) Drop the File menu in the Program Manager and choose Run. Then
         enter the file specifications of the BROWSE.EXE file or any
         file with which the PVB has been associated, and push the OK
         button.


3. Moving and Resizing the PVB Window
-------------------------------------

The PVB window can be moved and resized just as any other Windows
application window. You can also reduce the PVB window to an icon or
expand it to fill the entire screen.


4. Opening a File for Viewing
-----------------------------

To open a file for viewing,

     (1) Drop the File menu and choose Open, or strike the O key. A
         standard file dialog box appears.

     (2) Type the file specifications or choose the drive, directory and
         file from the boxes.

     (3) Push the OK button.

The new becomes the currently displayed file. Any files that
were already open remain open.

The number of open files is limited to 10. If there are already 10 open
files, this menu item is disabled.


5. Closing a File
-----------------

To close the currently displayed file:

     (1) Drop the File menu and choose Close.

The next file, if any, becomes the currently displayed file.

To close all files:

     (1) Drop the File menu and choose Close All.

 
5. Switching to Another Open File
---------------------------------

To switch the display to another open file:

     (1) To switch to the next file, drop the File menu and choose Next,
         or strike the Tab key.

     (2) To switch to the previous file, drop the File menu and choose
         Previous, or hold the Shift key down and strike the Tab key.

     (3) To switch to any open file, drop the File menu and choose List,
         or strike the L key. A list of currently open files will
         appear. Choose the desired file and press the OK button (or
         double-click on the desired file).


6. Using the PVB as a Blink Comparator
--------------------------------------

On a reasonably fast machine that is not overloaded with other
applications, the PVB can switch from one open file to another as fast
as you can strike the Tab key. If you want to compare parts of two
files, open both of them, position the displays to the parts of the
files you want to compare, and then hold the Tab key down. The display
will switch from one file to the other rapidly, and any parts that
differ will attract your attention by flashing.


7. Scrolling the Window
-----------------------

To scroll the window either horizontally or vertically,

     (1) Click on an arrow at one end of a scroll bar to scroll the
         window one row or column in the direction of the arrow.

     (2) Click on a blank area of a scroll bar to scroll the window
         approximately one window height or width from the position of
         the runner toward the position of the mouse cursor.

     (3) Move the mouse cursor to a scroll bar runner, depress the left
         mouse button and hold it down. Then move the mouse cursor to
         the desired position on the scroll bar. The runner will follow
         it. When the runner reaches the desired position, release the
         left mouse button.

The text cursor will not be moved when the window is scrolled in this
manner. To move the text cursor, just move the mouse cursor to the
desired position on the text and tap the left mouse button.

Note: The scroll bars will not respond to the keyboard. To scroll the
window with the keyboard, move the text cursor. The window will be
scrolled to keep the text cursor in view.

 
8. Moving the Text Cursor
-------------------------

To move the text cursor:

     (1) Strike one of the arrow keys (up, down, left, or right), to
         move the text cursor one row or column in the direction of the
         arrow.

     (2) Strike the Home key to move the cursor to the left end of the
         row.

     (3) Strike the End key to move the text cursor to the right end of
         the row.

     (4) Strike the PgUp key to move the text cursor up a distance
         approximately equal to the height of the window.

     (5) Strike the PgDn key to move the text cursor down a distance
         approximately equal to the height of the window.

     (6) Hold the Control key down and strike the Home key to move the
         text cursor to the left end of the first (top) row.

     (7) Hold the Control key down and strike the End key to move the
         text cursor to the right end of the last (bottom) row.

     (8) Move the mouse cursor to the desired position and tap the left
     mouse button.

     (9) Search for text to move the text cursor to the end of a
     specific word, number or phrase.

Note: The window will scroll, if necessary, to keep the text cursor in
view.

Note: The text cursor cannot be moved below the last row of the file or
farther right than the end of the longest row that has been read from
the file.

 
9. Marking a Block

To mark a rectangular block of text (to be printed or copied to the
Clipboard):

     (1) Move the text cursor to one corner of the block and use the
         keyboard to move the text cursor to the opposite corner, while
         holding the Shift key down.

           -- or --

     (2) Move the mouse cursor to one corner of the block and use the
         mouse to move the mouse cursor to the opposite corner, while
         holding the left mouse button down.

           -- or --

     (3) Move the text cursor to one corner of the block. Drop the Copy
         menu and choose Beginning, or strike the B key. Move the text
         cursor to the opposite corner. Drop the Copy menu and choose
         End, or strike the E key.

Note: To remove the mark, move the text cursor without holding down the
Shift key as described in (1), or move the mouse cursor over the text
and tap the left mouse button.

Note: Use method (3) when you must search for text to find the end of
the block.

 
10. Copying a Block to the Clipboard
------------------------------------

To copy a block to the Clipboard:

     (1) Mark a block.

     (2) Drop the Copy menu and choose Clipboard, or strike the C key.

Note: The Plain Vanilla Browser will not copy a large block (more than
about 10K).

 
11. Printing a Block
--------------------

To print a block (on the default Windows printer):

     (1) Mark a block.

     (2) Drop the Copy menu and choose Printer.

Note: The use of the Print Manager is suggested, since it allows you to
abort the printing.

Note: At most one page of text will be printed.

 
12. Search for Text
-------------------

To search for text:

     (1) Move the text cursor, if necessary, so the text cursor is
         before (above) the text to be found.

     (2) Drop the View menu and choose Search, or strike the S key. A
         dialog box will appear.

     (3) Enter the text you want to find, and check the Match Case box
         if you want the search to be case-sensitive.

     (4) Push the Search button.

The search will begin at the text cursor position and proceed forward to
the end of the file. If the text is found, the text cursor will be
positioned to the right of the text.

To search for the same text again:

     (1) Drop the View menu and choose Again, or strike the F3 key.

A search is case-sensitive if an exact match is required.

A search is case-insensitive if capital letters are not distinguished
from the corresponding small letters.

For example, "Hello" matches "hello" only if the search is
case-insensitive.

 
13. Zoom In or Out
------------------

To zoom in (i.e, to see a magnified view of a smaller part of the text):

     (1) Move the text cursor to the part of the text that you want to
         view more closely.

     (2) Drop the View menu and select Zoom In.

To zoom out (i.e., to see a less detailed view of a larger area):

     (1) Move the text cursor to the center of part of the text that you
         want to view .

     (2) Drop the View menu and select Zoom Out.

 
14. Help
--------

To view the online help table of contents:

     (1) Drop the Help Menu and choose Contents, or strike the F1 key.

To search for help by key word:

     (1) Drop the Help Menu and choose Search, or hold the Shift key
         down and strike the F1 key.

 
15. Exit
--------

To close the Plain Vanilla Browser window:

     (1) Drop the File menu and choose Exit.

               -- or --

     (2) Drop the system menu and  choose Close.

               -- or --

     (3) Double click on the horizontal line in the extreme upper left
         corner of the window.

               -- or --

     (4) Bring up the task list and close PV Browse.

 
16. Status Bar
--------------

The Status Bar at the bottom of the window shows:

     (1) The row and column that contain the text cursor. (If no file is
         displayed, these numbers are meaningless.)

     (2) If the file has been read to the end:

         (a) The file height:, i.e., the total number of rows.

         (b) The file width; i.e., the number of columns in the widest
             row.

The first (top) row is number 1. 
The leftmost column is number 1.

Note: To force the Plain Vanilla Browser to display the height and
width, hold the Shift key down and strike the End key to move the text
cursor to the end of the file.


17. Compilation Instructions
----------------------------

The Plain Vanilla Browser was compiled with Turbo C 3.1 for Windows. The
files BROWSE.CPP, BROWSE.RC, BROWSE.DEF and FILEDIAL.CPP were included
in a project named BROWSE.PRJ and compiled to a Windows application
BROIWSE.EXE in the Samll memory model. The files BROWSE.H and FILEDIAL.H
must be in the same subdirectory so they can be included as header
files.

The help file BROWSE.HLP was compiled from the RTF file BROWSE.RTF and
the Help Project file BROWSE.HPJ with the Microsoft Help Compiler.


San Diego, California
June 4, 1994

Philip J. Erdelsky
75746.3411@compuserve.com
