Tidbits
BANNER COLORS 1 1
SG
tidbits static
delayicon
staticgraph 54,54
AG
tidbits animation
L #2 1 125,-60;125,171 5 2 B
L #6 1 312,-60;312,130 5 2 B
L #5 1 275,-60;275,167 5 2 B
L #1 1 60,-60;60,133 5 2 B
L #3 1 156,-60;156,127 5 2 B
L #7 1 358,-60;358,156 5 2 B
L #4 1 214,-60;214,133 5 2 B
L #8 1 214,0;135,159 10 4 B
R #8 1 0
L #8 1 135,159;131,151 2 4 B
L #9 1 411,0;297,158 10 4 B
R #9 1 0
L #9 1 297,158;292,133 5 4 B
L #11 1 437,226;174,226 10 4 B
L #10 1 -136,65;24,65 10 4 B

Editor's note: We always try to pack each program with all the
documentation and on-line help needed.  Overloading Tidbits with
information would cause it to consume valuable application
memory at an alarming rate.  While the program does contain
ample documentation, it does not contain the detail this 26k
text file has.  I suggest that you print this document and keep
it for reference when you are using TIDBITS.

TIDBITS is a memory resident utility (TSR) with 10 major screen
and keyboard functions all in one program.  Many other utilities
do only one minor function, but this utility does many things at
once and most of the functions can be turned off and on at will.


^CExactly what will TIDBITS do?

ALARM--
Sets an alarm and leaves a message at the top of the screen.

BLANK--
Blanks your screen ([ALT]-[RIGHT SHIFT] for instant blank).

CLOCK--
Time shows at the top right of the screen and refreshes every
second.

FILESCN--
Takes a screen snapshot ([ALT]-[LEFT SHIFT] to save a snapshot of
your screen to memory).

HELP--
DOS command syntax help.

LOCK--
Locks the keyboard until the correct password is received.

MEM--
Displays available memory without using CHKDSK.

RESET--
Reboots the computer from batch files.  (The same as [CTRL]-
[ALT]-[DEL]).

SETMODE--
Sets screen mode, foreground & background colors.

STATUS--
Displays status of TIDBITS' functions.

TRACE--
Displays the last 20 commands.

UNLOAD--
Saves the screen snapshot held in memory (taken with FILESCN) to
a disk file.

^CHOW TO INSTALL TIDBITS

^UOn Disk Monthly^U has a Copy function built into its presentation
system.  Copy TIDBITS to your system disk if you use a dual
floppy system or to a subdirectory in your path if you have a
hard drive system.

^CHOW TO USE TIDBITS

When logged to the directory in which TIDBITS.COM is located,
issue the command TIDBITS, to start the utility.  A pop-up Main
Window showing the major functions and their settings will
appear.  If TIDBITS has already been run, press the key
combination [CTRL]-[RIGHT SHIFT] to call up the window.  TIDBITS
is smart enough to know where it's not wanted.  TIDBITS menu will
only appear when you are running a text-based program that does
not use the [CTRL]-[RIGHT SHIFT] keypress itself.  If TIDBITS is
not allowed in a program, the [CTRL]-[RIGHT SHIFT] keypress will
be passed along as soon as you exit the program.

^BONCE INSTALLED, PRESSING [CTRL]-[RIGHT SHIFT] KEYS
WILL ACTIVATE THE MAIN WINDOW OF TIDBITS.^B

^CEXPLANATION OF THE MAIN WINDOW

This screen contains all the information you need to turn the
functions on and off, change screen colors, etc.  If you need
help with any of the functions, press the F1 key, and a context
sensitive help screen will pop-up.

^BSystem memory:^B Shows the total memory recognizable to DOS.

^BAvailable memory:^B  Shows the memory currently free for programs
to use.

^BBorder color:^B Allows you to change the color of the border
surrounding the screen text.  Use the up/down arrow keys or
numbers 0-7 to choose the color desired.  As you press the keys,
the new color will immediately be displayed.  When your choice is
made, use the [TAB] or [ENTER] key to move to next box.

^BForeground color: ^BLets you change the color of the characters and
symbols displayed on the screen.  Again, use the arrow and number
keys to choose and display the colors.  Note: YOU MUST HAVE
ANSI.SYS INSTALLED IN CONFIG.SYS to have the colors displayed on
your screen upon exiting TIDBITS.  Please refer to your DOS
manual for information about how to install ANSI.SYS.

^BBackground color:^B Lets you alter the color displayed behind the
characters and symbols on the screen. As in the border color, use
the arrow and number keys to choose and display the colors.
Note: If you have a MONOCHROME screen, then
BORDER/FOREGROUND/BACKGROUND colors will not be available.

^BKeyboard lock:^B When [ON], strike the [F10] key to lock up the
keyboard.  A beep will be the signal to enter the first
character.  Then each key stroke will return a blip until the
four character code and [ENTER] are keyed in.  If the wrong code
is entered, you will hear another beep signaling you to start
over.

^BTracer:^B When [ON], striking the up-arrow key at the DOS prompt
(before beginning to type in a command) will print the last 20
commands keyed in.  You may then scroll through and re-enter or
edit any one of them for use again or type in a new command as
usual.

^BAutomatic Screen Blanking:^B When [ON] the screen will turn blank
if the computer is inactive longer than a specified delay time.
If you choose 0 minutes, the delay time will be about 30 seconds.
Once the screen is blanked, touching any key that does nothing by
itself (usually ctrl or alt or shift) will bring the screen back.
Key commands that are active in the current program will be
processed normally, as if there were no interruption.  Note: You
may blank the screen at any time by pressing [ALT]-[RIGHT SHIFT].

^BAlarm:^B When [ON], at the specified Alarm Time the Alarm Message
will be displayed on the top line of the screen in reversed,
blinking text.  It will keep sounding out until a key is pressed.
To stop the alarm message from appearing, turn the alarm off.
Use the CLS command to erase the message.

^BClock:^B When [ON], the current time will be continuously
displayed in the upper right corner of the screen.  If the time
is not right, go back to the DOS prompt and enter the correct
time with DOS's TIME command.

^BFile Screen:^B When [ON], upon using the hot keys [ALT]-[LEFT
SHIFT], the currently displayed screen (along with the rest of
the display memory) will be saved and tagged for unloading to
the file specified in the File Screen Path (see below).  If you
choose to press the [F10] key at this time, the specified file
will be saved to disk when the program returns to the DOS
prompt.  A blip will confirm that the key was pressed.

^BFile Screen Path:^B This command chooses the file to which the
display memory contents will be saved. The file name is
required, and if no path is specified, it will be saved on the
current working disk directory.  Text screen files will include
all pages and all character attributes (blinking, color,
underline, etc), and graphics screens will include the entire
16k bytes of display memory.  The file will be saved in binary
format, and you can manipulate the information with ScreenMaker
from Issue #15. (Call 1-800-831-2694 to order back issues.)

^CTHE TIDBITS HELP SCREEN

TIDBIT'S help function makes it easy to use. Just type HELP at
the DOS prompt or [F1] from the TIDBITS main screen, and the
help screen will pop-up.  At the bottom of the screen, you will
find a list of available keys.  To read through the help
section, use the up/down arrows or page-up/down keys.  If you
wish to switch control to the lower half of the screen (the
command syntax section), then press the [TAB] key.  The cursor
will move to the bottom section, and you may scroll through it
with the same keys. You may also, at any time, type the first
letter of a command you wish to view, and the lower section will
scroll to that area.  These syntax statements are for quick
reference only.  Consult your DOS Manual for detailed
explanation of switches, etc.

^CADVANCED FUNCTIONS AND COMMANDS

The following functions and commands are provided for the
advanced IBM PC and compatible users.  Please read all commands
thoroughly before experimenting with TIDBITS.

^CSYNTAX OF THE TIDBITS COMMANDS

COMMAND {batch file use} [optional parameters]
(notes)

^CCOMMAND LISTING

TIDBITS [/N][/C][/L][/n]

/N NO DISPLAY. In other words skip past the opening screen.
/C TURN CLOCK OFF. Clock will not be displayed on startup
/L LOCK KEYBOARD. Keyboard will lock up and wait for code.
/n n=0-9 AUTOMATIC BLANK TIME SET. Set auto blank for n minutes.

For instance, if you wanted to start up TIDBITS without the clock
and set the automatic screen blanking for 5 minutes, you would
issue the command:

TIDBITS /C /5

^CUSING THE COMMANDS

STATUS  {TIDBIT}
(DISPLAY STATUS OF TIDBIT FUNCTIONS)

The STATUS command displays the current status of the TIDBITS
functions without using the main screen.  It's an easy way from
the DOS prompt to check the function status.

ALARM [ON/OFF/TIME ["message"]] {TIDBIT} (ALARM AND/OR MESSAGE)

The ALARM function lets the user set an alarm and create an
accompanying message that will sound and appear at a specified
time.  It will work whether or not the clock is displayed on the
screen, or whether or not the screen is blanked.  Assuming, of
course, that the computer's clock is set correctly, the user can
enter the time or time and message as above.

Example:

ALARM

Entering this command will display the status of the alarm, the
time and message if it is on.

ALARM OFF

Entering this command will turn the alarm off.

ALARM ON

Entering this command will turn the alarm on and display the
alarm's time and message.

ALARM 4:30 p.m.

Entering this command will turn on the alarm and set it to sound
at 4:30 p.m.  When the time equals the alarm's set time, the
computer will produce a beeping tone.  If the screen is blanked,
the message (if any) will flash as soon as a key is touched, and
the alarm will quit sounding. Otherwise, the alarm will sound and
the message (if any) will flash immediately at the top of the
screen.  If the computer is in graphics mode, there will be no
display, but upon entering ALARM, the message will be displayed
at the command line.  You may also hit the hot-key ([CTRL]-[RIGHT
SHIFT]), and turn off the alarm.

ALARM 12:23 a.m. "MY MESSAGE INSIDE QUOTATION MARKS"

Entering this command will turn the alarm on as above, and
display the message entered in quotes above.

Note: you must enter both the time and message to set a message
with the alarm.

If you enter the wrong format, you will get an error message, and
you'll have to try again.  If you enter the time and message
correctly, the computer will display that the alarm is on, when
it's set, and what the message is.

BLANK [ON/OFF][n]   {TIDBIT}
(AUTO SCREEN BLANK ON/OFF n=0-9)

n=Minutes; 0=30 Seconds, 1-9=1 to 9 Minutes (time until
autoblank) Default is set to 5 minutes.

Automatic blanking can be turned on & off just by entering BLANK
ON or BLANK OFF.  Instant blanking is still available (use the
[ALT]-[RIGHT SHIFT] key).  Users have control over the parameters
of this program.  TIDBITS' automatic blanking can be set from 30
seconds (0) to 9 minutes.

When the screen is blanked, touching the control, alt or shift
key will bring back the screen without affecting the current
program.  If you already know the next keystroke required for the
current program, you may proceed as if the utility is not
installed.

Instant blanking is available at any time - even if autoblanking
is turned off - by pressing the [ALT]-[RIGHT SHIFT] keys.
Information you don't want an approaching person to see is
instantly blanked away, without you having to escape out of your
program!

BLANK

The command by itself will prompt the computer to display the
status of the screen blanking function.

To change the autoblanking time, enter BLANK plus the number of
minutes for autoblank. Example:

BLANK 9

This will set autoblanking to 9 minutes.  If 0 is used,
autoblanking will be set to 30 seconds.  Some programs that
constantly refresh the screen (such as Lotus-type programs) will
not be blanked while running, however, as soon as the program is
exited, blanking will continue as normal.

CLOCK [ON/OFF][+/-] {TIDBIT}
(SWITCH DISPLAY CLOCK ON AND OFF)

This function is the simplest of all.  Just enter the command:

CLOCK

If the clock is on, it will turn off and be scrolled away as more
commands are entered. If it is off, the time will be displayed
at the upper right corner of the screen in hours:minutes, and
a.m.  or p.m.  Use the commands CLOCK ON or CLOCK OFF for direct
control.

CLOCK +

This option allows you to display the clock while the screen is
blanked.  If the clock is normally on, then when the screen is
blanked automatically or by hand, the clock will be displayed
while the screen is blank.  If the clock is normally off, there
will be no display during screen blanking. To turn this function
off, use CLOCK - and the clock will not be displayed during
screen blanking.

FILESCN  [ON/OFF] {TIDBIT}
(SWITCH SCREEN FILING MODE ON AND OFF)

When this function is on, whether you have graphics, mono or
color, pressing the [ALT]-[LEFT SHIFT] keys will save a snapshot
of the screen within TIDBITS' memory.  When the user exits the
program, entering the command UNLOAD will save the file on the
current drive.  The file's name will be SCREEN0.DAT.  If another
screen is saved, it will be named SCREEN1.DAT, and so on.  The
file will be a complete memory dump of the display card's
contents.  The user then can do what he/she wants with the
information.  The file size will be 16384 bytes.

FILESCN

Entering the command FILESCN will display its status only. If the
command FILESCN ON is used, the computer will turn the function
on.  If the command FILESCN OFF is used, the computer will turn
the function off.

Note: If a screen snapshot is taken, the automatic blanking
function will be turned off until the memory contents are
UNLOADed or the FILESCN function is turned off again.

UNLOAD  [DR:][PATH]FILENAME

When a screen image is taken,the image will be placed on the
current directory of the current drive in a file named
SCREEN0.DAT (if no file name is specified).  If a file by that
name already exists, then the contents of the first file saved
with that name will be lost.  However, if in the same session
(before the computer is turned off, etc), another screen image is
UNLOADed, that screen image will be saved to the file
SCREEN1.DAT, etc.  A successful UNLOAD will be reported on the
screen.

UNLOAD C:\DATA\MYSCN.DAT

As above, if a screen image was placed in memory with [ALT]-[LEFT
SHIFT] key, the screen image file will be saved to the file
MYSCN.DAT on drive C: in the subdirectory DATA.


?[COMMAND]

Type a question mark at the DOS prompt to prompt the computer to
list many of the commands available.  Then type a question mark
before any command in the list to view its syntax structure.

For example, if you want to find the syntax of the restore
command, enter:

?RESTORE

This will appear on the next line:

RESTORE DR: [DR:][PATH]
[/S][/P][/A:date][/B:date][/E:time][/M][/N]


LOCK [ON/OFF/X/"xxxx"] {TIDBIT}
(LOCK KEYBOARD UNTIL A FOUR CHARACTER CODE IS ENTERED)

To insure that the keyboard is not locked accidentally, the
default setting of the program is OFF.  To lock the keyboard,
first type the command:

LOCK ON

This will turn on the keyboard lock function, but not lock the
keyboard.  To lock the keyboard, the above command is entered,
then:

LOCK X

Now the keyboard will lock up, and only the 4 character code,
either default, (UNDO[ENTER]) or last entered code will allow the
keyboard to function normally again.

NOTE: Other TSR programs (such as the Sidekick variety) might
still function.  The memory placement and type will determine
whether or not another program will pop up.

LOCK OFF

This will turn the keyboard lock off. If the command LOCK is used
by itself, the status will be displayed on the next line.

LOCK "ab12"

Entering this command will change the four character code for
keyboard access to the data inside the quote marks.  The lock
function will then be switched on.  The keyboard will not be
locked, though.  You must enter LOCK X to lock out the keyboard.
You must be sure of what you have entered, or the only thing you
can do is reboot the computer to release it.  If you enter less
than four characters in the code, the keyboard will unlock after
the last key in the code.

IMPORTANT: IF YOU ENTER A CODE OF FEWER THAN FOUR CHARACTERS, BE
SURE TO END IT WITH QUOTATION MARKS, OR YOUR COMPUTER MAY BE
LOCKED OUT WITH UNKNOWN DATA IN THE LOCK CODE.

Once the keyboard is locked, this will appear on the screen:

KEYBOARD IS LOCKED, PLEASE ENTER CODE

If the wrong sequence is entered, the computer will beep after
the fourth keystroke.  When the beep sounds, it signals that the
code entered was wrong, and that it is ready for you to re-enter
the entire sequence.  The correct sequence MUST be entered after
the beep or the program will be out of sync and you will get
another beep.

"Lock X" works only if the keyboard lock is on to prevent
inadvertent or accidental locking of the keyboard.


MEM   {TIDBIT}
(DISPLAY DOS MEMORY SIZE)

MEM

Entering this command will place the total memory for DOS on the
first line, then the memory available to programs on the next
line. If you bought a 640k computer and the memory registers a
smaller amount, a program is most likely using the upper memory
for a print que, virtual device or other means.  The second line
will always be smaller than the first, and indicates what's left
in free memory for the next program you'll call up.  If you have
320k bytes left, and you want to load a program that requires
384k you'll have to take out some of the TSRs in order to use the
program.  It gives the user a good idea of how much memory
programs are using.


RESET [Q][0]  {TIDBIT}
(Q=QUIT TIDBIT & SOFT BOOT, 0=SYSTEM RESTART)

To insure that the computer is not accidently reset while
precious data is unsaved, etc, entering the command RESET by
itself will do nothing.

RESET Q

This command will take TIDBITS out of memory, then perform a soft
boot of the system.  It has a faster recovery than a cold boot or
the ctrl-alt-del function.  This type of reboot will start at
disk drive and load new config.sys files, etc.  It is useful when
making changes to system files to make use of other devices, etc
for other programs.

However, with multiple TSR programs such as Sidekick, etc.,
"warm" boots don't always work, and the following command should
be used:

RESET 0

This command will start a cold boot (just like turning off the
computer and turning it back on again), performing all the memory
and system checks normal for startup but without turning the
computer off.  It is the surest way to wipe out any memory
resident programs, etc., and start out with a cleanly rebooted
computer.

SETMODE [R][mode] [background][foreground] {TIDBIT}
(SET VIDMODE BY NUMBER)

Screen modes on the IBM and compatibles can be changed with this
command in a slightly different way than the MODE.COM handles
them.  This command is a supplement to the MODE.COM supplied with
DOS.  For instance, If you have two monitors on your system, you
may switch back and forth more easily with setmode.  You can also
use the graphics modes available on the color monitor and change
background colors on the screen, both of which you cannot change
using the MODE.COM.

SETMODE

Entering the command by itself will prompt the computer to return
the current mode (by number) set in the system.

SETMODE R

This command will reset the mode to it's original value (but not
necessarily the screen attributes).

SETMODE [mode]

[mode]=1,2...etc

Below is a list of possible modes and their equivalent to the
MODE.COM syntax.

    VID  TYPE          DIMENSIONS      (=MODE)
    MODE
    0    TEXT          40 X 25 CHR     (BW40)
    1    TEXT          40 X 25 CHR     (CO40)
    2    TEXT          80 X 25 CHR     (BW80)
    3    TEXT          80 X 25 CHR     (CO80)
    4    GRAPHICS      320 X 200       (NONE)  (4 COLOR)
    5    GRAPHICS      320 X 200       (NONE)  (4 COLOR)
    6    GRAPHICS      640 X 200       (NONE)  (BLACK/WHITE)
    7    TEXT          80 X 25 CHR     (MONO)  (MONOCHROME ONLY)

EXAMPLE:

SETMODE 4

This command will set the screen to graphics mode (assuming you
have a color monitor), and clear the screen.

Note: In graphics mode there is no cursor, but graphics images
and standard text can exist on the same screen.

If you have two monitors (mono and color) and the current screen
is monochrome, the computer will switch from the monochrome to
the color screen, leaving the monochrome screen as it was and
vice versa.

SETMODE 4,1

This instruction will set the background color to blue instead of
black.  If you select a text mode such as 2,1, the screen border
will turn blue and the text will still be white on black if you
don't have ANSI.SYS installed, or white on blue if you do have
ANSI.SYS installed.

SETMODE 6,5

In mode 6, the second number determines the color of the letters
on a black background. In this example, there will appear magenta
letters on a black background.

Below is the list of colors and their corresponding numbers:

    0  BLACK
    1  BLUE
    2  GREEN
    3  CYAN
    4  RED
    5  MAGENTA
    6  BROWN
    7  GRAY
    8  BLACK
    9  LT BLUE
    A  LT GREEN
    B  LT CYAN
    C  LT RED
    D  LT MAGENTA
    E  YELLOW
    F  WHITE


In modes 0,1,2,3 (text modes) you also may set the color of the
letters (foreground color).  However, only the first 8 colors are
available (0-7) for text colors.  Example, for setting brown
letters on a blue background:

SETMODE 2,1,6

The mode is 2 (text, CO80),background is blue (1), foreground or
letters are brown (6).  If the clock is on, the letters of the
clock will still be black on white.

TRACE [ON/OFF] {TIDBIT}
(SWITCH TRACER ON & OFF)

To use the Tracer, the first key used at the DOS prompt is the
up-arrow key.  A list of the last 20 commands will be displayed
at that time.  Then use the up-arrow and down-arrow keys to
scroll through the commands.

When the command you want to execute/edit appears, you may choose
to execute the command, or to re-edit it.  Pressing the <enter>
key will enter the command into the DOS command interpreter, and
execute the command immediately.  Pressing the [ESC] key will
enter the command into the command interpreter, advance to the
next line and await normal line editing (F1,F2,F3,all normal
keys, etc).  This makes the program extremely simple, and
transparent to all other operations.

If you enter many commands through DOS this can be extremely
useful, especially if you perform file maintenance often.  It
will keep track of your last 20 file moving activities for you.

EXAMPLES:

You were doing several string searches which required quite a few
key strokes on each command, and you want to repeat some of your
previous commands with a slight variation.  Using the up-arrow
key, you simply key back to the line closest to what you want,
hit the [ENTER] key to execute it exactly as it was, or hit the
[ESC] key and use the standard DOS editing keys to edit that
line.  You then execute the new command line and continue on!

You have just moved, deleted, added, and combined some files on
your hard drive.  An interruption occurs and when you come back
to the computer several moments later, you've lost track of where
you were.  At this point, you hit the up-arrow key at the DOS
prompt and the previously used commands appear in sequence,
showing what you just finished.  You don't have to re-check the
files to see what you moved where!

You deleted some files, added new ones, etc.  Then you look into
a directory for a file, and it's not there.  Did you possibly
move or delete it a few moments before?  Using TIDBITS, you check
your previous commands, and see that you indeed made a mistake
and transferred the file to the wrong directory you didn't have
to search the whole disk for the file, you traced the error with
TIDBITS.

^CINSTALLATION, DEACTIVATION:

TIDBITS can be executed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, or at any time.
If you have other memory resident programs, the choice is yours
as to when to load TIDBITS.  If you try to load it again, you
will receive a message that TIDBITS is already installed. If you
get an error message upon the first loading of TIDBITS, then try
loading it prior to loading another memory resident program.
This may resolve any conflicts with other programs.

^CUSING TIDBITS IN A BATCH FILE

You may start TIDBITS at any time, but you'll most likely want to
place it in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  With TIDBITS' switches, the
clock can be turned off, the startup screen can be turned off,
the keyboard can be locked and the autoblanking time can be
preset.

Once TIDBITS has been installed, commands can be given to TIDBITS
in any bat file through the TIDBITS.COM file. This is
accomplished by entering a recognizable TIDBITS command after the
command TIDBITS.

^CExample:  TIDBITS SETMODE 2,1.

In a bat file, TIDBITS will not recognize the TIDBITS commands
unless done through the TIDBITS.COM file.

Below is a sample batch file that loads TIDBITS with the keyboard
locked, runs a program when the keyboard is released, turns the
clock on, sets the alarm, changes vidmodes for another program,
runs it, and then resets the computer if there's an error or
shows a menu if no error.

TIDBITS /L /N
MYPROG1
TIDBITS CLOCK ON
TIDBITS ALARM 12:00 PM  "IT'S TIME TO EAT!!"
TIDBITS SETMODE 2,1
MYPROG2
IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO NOGOOD
GOTO END
:NOGOOD
TIDBITS RESET 0
:END
CLS
TYPE MENU.DOC

PARTING NOTES:

If any function seems to interfere with any program, deactivate
the function before running that program.  As with any memory
resident program, TIDBITS.COM should be checked for compatibility
with other memory resident programs.  The order of placement of
TIDBITS.COM with other memory resident utilities most likely
shouldn't matter, but there are always exceptions; test this
program before making it a normal part of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

It is good policy to ALWAYS backup files, or otherwise preserve
your data before trying any new program.  No program, no matter
how well written, is totally compatible with all programs on all
systems, and any new program should be thoroughly tested in
conjunction with the user's software.

^COutside ^UOn Disk Monthly^U

To run this program outside ^UOn Disk Monthly^U, type:
^BTIDBITS^B.

^BDisk files this program uses:^B
^FTIDBITS.COM
