HOW TO ORDER BackGrounder ii
BGii COMMANDS
FOREGROUND and BACKGROUND
TASK SWITCHING
TRANSFERING DATA BETWEEN PROGRAMS
KEYBOARD EXTENSION FUNCTIONS
PRINT SPOOLING and BACKGROUND PRINTING
DIAGRAM OF BGii LEVELS
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		HOW TO ORDER BackGrounder ii

You can obtain a serialized copy of BackGrounder ii from 
Plu*Perfect Systems.  The complete version runs on all drives and
loads more rapidly than the demonstration version. It includes a
printed and indexed user's manual, as well as the Spooler and other
BGii utilities.

If you aren't yet using DateStamper to automatically time- and
date-stamp your files, consider adding this fundamental feature
to your system too.


	BackGrounder ii			$75
	DateStamper			$49
	6% sales tax in California	...
	shipping & handling, each order	$ 3

Please specify preferred		Plu*Perfect Systems
disk format with your order.		Box 1494
					Idyllwild CA 92349
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			  BGii COMMANDS

Type CP/M commands and parameters at the usual CP/M prompt.

Multiple commands may be entered on a single line, separated by
the command separator (by default, a semicolon),  for example:

	A0>dir a:*.com ; dir b:

If a Named DiRectory file is loaded, Backgrounder will show the
current directory with both the DU and named forms, for example:

	A0:BASE:>

You may use the convenient "DU" (drive-user) form or a named-directory
to specify a program:

	A0>b12:myprog     or     A0>PROGS:myprog

Both forms will look on drive B, user number 12 for MYPROG.COM,
(assuming the B12: directory is named PROGS).
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		    FOREGROUND and BACKGROUND

BGii operates at three levels, shown in the diagram screen.


1. FOREGROUND CP/M

This is the familiar "A0>" or "A prompt" level.

You type in a command and CP/M either executes it from its
repretoire of built-in commands (DIR, ERA,...) or loads the .COM
file of that name and starts executing it.


2. USER/APPLICATIONS TASK

This is the running COM program such as a text editor or
spreadsheet. The program needn't be on the currently-logged drive
(which is displayed by the  Foreground CP/M prompt, e.g. "B4>"). 

BGii will look for the named COM program along the BGii "search path"
(which is configurable with SETBG).  The default path searchs in
this order:

	1) the logged drive and user number
	2) user number 0 of the logged drive
	3) user number 0 of the A: drive

This means you can put commonly-used programs in A0: and BGii will
automatically find them, regardless of the drive/user you are
logged into.


3.  BACKGROUND CP/M
WITHOUT EXITING from an applications program, you can put it "on
hold" to run the built-in BGii commands.

To do this, press the <SUSPEND> key (default is CNTL-^), and you
will see the BACKGROUND CP/M prompt with the logged drive and
user number followed by a right-brace prompt character "}"
instead of the default prompt character ">", e.g. "A2}".

In Background CP/M you can use the usual built-in commands,
such as DIR.  In addition, special commands are available
to dump the screen, jot a note to a notepad file, and more.

To return to your applications program, press <SUSPEND> again.
BGii will restore the screen and the computer memory to exactly
what it was when you interrupted your program, and you can
resume just where you left off.

When you exit from your applications program you will, as usual,
return to the Foreground CP/M level and again see the familiar
prompt, e.g. "A2>".
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			 TASK SWITCHING

BGii lets you run a SECOND program while the original one is
still active.  This feature is called "task switching" and is
activated by the special SWAP command.

Suppose that you have started running a program, perhaps a
spreadsheet calculation, and need to interrupt it to write a
memorandum.  When the spreadsheet is running you are at level 2
in a user/application task (see diagram).  Press <SUSPEND> to get
to the Background CP/M (level 3).

Now, type the BGii command "SWAP<CR>".  BGii will save the complete
spreadsheet program in its swap file and in a moment prompt you
with a new LOWER FOREGROUND CP/M prompt: "a2>".


It's just like Foreground CP/M, except that the drive is shown
with a lower-case letter.  So you can start up your second
program  (perhaps a text editor, such as WS) by typing in its
name.

BGii will now be at the LOWER USER TASK level. It works just like
the normal user/applications level; behind the scenes BGii has
hidden away the first program for safekeeping.

Eventually, you will want to resume the spreadsheet.  If you've
finished the memo, you can exit from your editor to LOWER
FOREGROUND CP/M and the "a2>" prompt again.


But if you haven't finished -- perhaps you need some additional
data from the spreadsheet -- you can <SUSPEND> the editor to
reach Background CP/M and the prompt: "a2}". (The lower-case
drive letter indicates the lower task; the right-brace indicates
Background CP/M).

From either Foreground or Background CP/M, you can now use the
SWAP command again to put the current program (the editor) on
hold and resume the spreadsheet, exactly where you left off!

And you can repeatedly swap back and forth, each time by typing
<SUSPEND> and then SWAP.
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		TRANSFERING DATA BETWEEN PROGRAMS

Suppose you need a whole column of figures from the spreadsheet for
your memo.  BGii gives you several ways of moving data shown on the
screen of one program into another.

1.  SCREEN

First, you can use the background SCREEN command to write a copy of the
screen to a file.  The file will capture the complete (24-line) screen,
except for any graphics characters.  To do this, press <SUSPEND> at the
appropriate point in your program, then type:

	SCREEN filename <CR>

using some appropriate filename.  If your alternate program is a text
editor you can then SWAP to it, read in the screen-file, and add it to
your memo.


2.  CUT and PASTE
Second, you can use the background CUT command to mark a rectangular
region on the screen and have BGii save it for later use.  To do this,
press <SUSPEND> and type CUT<CR>.  The screen will be restored.

Now you should use the cursor keys to move to the upper-left corner of
the region you want to "cut".  When you get to the right point, type an
"X".  Then move the cursor (to the right, or down, or both) to trace out
the rectangle you need.  When you reach the bottom right corner, again
type "X" (or <CR>).  The region is now fully marked, automatically cut
and saved, and the screen restored.

Next, type SWAP to switch to your editor, which is the alternate task. 
Move the cursor to the point at which you want to put the just-cut
information.  Then type <SUSPEND> and this time type PASTE.  BGii will
now send each row of the cut region to your editor, followed by a <CR>
character.  If your cursor was at the left margin, the information will
look just like what you cut out; if it's indented, the extra rows will
be on the left, and you can move them as necessary.

3.  JOT

And there's a third way to move information between programs. 
BGii includes a built-in note-taking command.  To use it, type:

	JOT <CR>  or  JOT filename <CR>

If you don't type a filename, BGii adds the notes to a running JOTPAD
file.  The JOT function opens a blank screen-pad (with reminders of
commands at the top).  Type in your notes, moving around with the cursor
keys and using the insert and delete functions of your terminal.

You can use a version of the PASTE command to put the previously- cut
region into your jotpad, at any position on the screen.  To do so, just
type <CNTL-P>.  You can repeat this for multiple copies.

When you're finished, type <SUSPEND> to close the jotpad and
automatically write it to the file.
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		  KEYBOARD EXTENSION FUNCTIONS

BGii has a comprehensive "keyboard macro" capability, a means of
extending regular and numeric-keypad keys to include strings of
characters, text, and commands.  The KEYS command will show a menu of
Keys functions.

In response to the KEYS menu, type "D" to "Define" a key.
BGii will ask which key is to be defined; if it's a numeric keypad
key, just press it.  If it's on the main keyboard, press the
<ALT> key (initially set to "\", the backslash character) and
then the desired key.  BGii will show an equals sign ("=") and wait
for your definition.  Type in the characters you want to have
this key stand for, and terminate your definition by typing
<SUSPEND>.

Now type a "V" to View this new definition, as well as any other
keys already defined.

You can change a definition by re-defining it; edit any mistakes
using DEL and Control-X while typing it in.

To exit from the KEYS menu back to a CP/M level, type "X".

The key you defined is now available for use.  Test it out by
pressing the (numeric-keypad) key or <ALT> followed by the main
keyboard key.

Information about saving and loading definitions, special characters
for time, date, printer control, etc. is found in the user's manual.
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	     PRINT SPOOLING and BACKGROUND PRINTING

The BGii Print Spooler module takes output that normally goes to the
printer and "spools" (redirects) it into a disk file.  The file can be
printed later, or kept for a permanent disk record of a program's
printed output.

Files can also be "unspooled" and printed automatically from a
queue while other applications programs are running.  For
example, in addition to running the spreadsheet and text editor
as alternate tasks, you can be printing selected files.

The Q program maintains the queue of files to be unspooled.
Use it to add files to the queue, set format options, and
show files yet to be printed.

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	   Figure 1 -- Three BGii Levels and Two Tasks.


  >>>> ACTIVE TASK <<<<
	    |  
	    |  
	    V

   LEVEL	        PROMPT	   LEVEL		PROMPT

1.  Upper		A0>	   Lower		a0>
    Foreground CP/M		   Foreground CP/M

2.  Upper user		(1st	   Lower user		(2nd
    task	  	program)   task			program)

3.  Upper 		A0}	   Lower		a0}
    Background CP/M		   Background CP/M


NG

The BGii Print Spooler module takes output that normall