P_A_M_P_H_L_E_T By Steve Wilcox A utility to create pamphlets from a WordStar text file. (This pamphlet, for example!) WHAT DOES IT DO? Anyone who has tried to create a folded pamphlet of even moderate length can appreciate the utility of this program. The uninitiated may wonder what's so difficult about printing up a few pages and stapling them together. Hardened veterans, though, will tell you a story like this: The first and last page of the pamphlet go on the front of the first printed page (in reverse order, of course). Then the second and next to last page goes on the back of the first printed page. And if there are any blank pages at the end they go in place of the last or second to last pages. Then the second page... 1 Well, you can see it's a bit like juggling billiard balls while trying to put them in order! Even those with word processors that allow side-by-side pasteups may find the assembly logic confusing, and at best time consuming. With the PAMPHLET program all the dirty logic is done for you. The text for your pamphlet is written as a straightforward WordStar file. No tricks or ugly maneuvers. Just type in what you want to write from beginning to end. When the pamphlet is printed and stapled, it will read just as you typed it, first page through the last page. GEE, WHAT CAN'T IT DO? Granted, you will have to do some planning. Things such as paper size, margin width and the like always have to be dealt with when creating a 2WordStar document. But more on that later. You can't use selective page breaks (.PA) and (.CP), change pitch (CTRL-A) and (CTRL-N) or other special format commands in the middle of the text. The reason is simple: Since you will be printing two pages side-by-side on one sheet of paper, any such change to one side of the document will also affect the other side. You also can't use WordStar's automatic page numbering (just type your own numbers at the bottom of each page). Finally, as with any document having columns in the middle of the page, you can't take advantage of your printer's micro justification. PAMPHLET doesn't demand plain vanilla though, since you can underline, bold- face and doublestrike. Text can be centered, justified, unjustified, single spaced or double spaced. Right and left margins may be reset at will, 3allowing you to indent or leave picture boxes. Your pages can be as wide or narrow as you choose, within the capability of your printer. HOW SHOULD MY TEXT LOOK? After you've written the text and formatted it for size, it's ready to be run through PAMPHLET. But first, just a few words on formatting. Determine the dimensions of your pamphlet and how text will fit on the page. The text width should be narrow enough to allow two of the pages you see on the screen to fit side by side in the pamphlet. Set the new text width with CTRL-OR and the page length with the (.PL) command and reformat the document. Printshop professionals like to have the number of pages divisible by 4 so that there are no blank pages at the 4end of the pamphlet. If the pamphlet doesn't have a cover, they change the rules a bit and leave the very last page blank. You might be able to add or subtract a few lines to reach this goal. A Table of Contents is a hefty space filler, as is a Title Page (and you always thought they were there for the reader's benefit!) Remember that you can't force page breaks, Dot Commands (.PA) and (.CP), so you need to fill any blank space at the bottom of the page. Just keep entering carriage returns until the page line shows up (see, that's not much of a limitation). If your last page doesn't end at the bottom, that's okay. PAMPHLET treats anything beyond the final page marker line as an additional page. To be sure there are no extra carriage returns dangling at the end, go to the end of the text (use CTRL-QC) then delete backwards until the cursor 5is right below the last page line. Your file should begin with a couple of necessary Dot commands. Turn page numbering off with (.OP). If your printer supports micro-justification, turn it off with (.UJ OFF). Any other formatting command that will be carried through the entire file should be entered BEFORE THE TEXT BEGINS. Pitch controls (^PA or ^PN) should be on the same line as the first text line. SO HOW DO I USE IT? This is the easy part you read about earlier. After you've saved your file and exited WordStar, run PAMPHLET. On the screen you will be presented with just three questions to answer. 1) The name of the SOURCE file (the one you've just sweated over!) Be sure to use the drive identifier if the file disk is not on the logged drive. Like this: [B:HARDWORK.TXT] 6 2) The name of the DESTINATION file (the one that's so easy). This is the file that will contain your completed pamphlet. Be sure to use a name different from the source file. Again use the drive identifier if necessary: [B:PISAKAKE.TXT]. 3) The STARTING COLUMN for the right page. This is the where the left-most column of the right page will be printed. This number is equal to your text width plus the number of spaces in your center margin. For example, 45 (text width) + 12 (center margin) equals 57, which is the number you enter. Answer Y(es) or N(o) to the question "Are all entries correct", and that's all! The disk drives will whir for a few seconds and then the program will end. Use WordStar to examine the completed 7file. Since the document will have an unusual width, each line may wrap to the next line. It may look like a cruel hoax, but it isn't as it appears! That's just WordStar's way of display ing wide documents on the screen. NOW TO PRINT IT! The pamphlet can now be printed page- by-page on both sides of each sheet. The file will be in proper order; all you have to do is flip each sheet horizontally to print the second side. After each sheet has been printed on both sides, make a stack by piling them with the first-side printed facing down. Continue adding to the stack in the same manner through the end of the file. When the last sheet is on the stack, simply fold the pile in half so that the last sheet is in the middle. There's your pamphlet! 8 WHAT CAN GO WRONG? On occasion, PAMPHLET may quit early and leave you a message on the screen. Most are self-explanatory, but here's a list of what can go wrong: SOURCE FILE NOT FOUND: Maybe you spelled it wrong, or didn't use the drive identifier. If it's there, PAMPHLET will find it. SOURCE FILE TOO BIG: That's not a pamphlet you're making, it's a booklet! PAMPHLET's capacity depends on the system you're using. Even on smaller systems, though, it should accommodate a couple dozen pamphlet-sized pages. DESTINATION DISK FULL: You've run out of space on your disk. The source file is retained on the disk. Since the newly created file is even larger than the source, space is used rapidly. 9 PAGE BLOCKS OVERLAP: This means that the STARTING COLUMN number you entered for the right page isn't large enough and the right side of the page is overlapping the left side. Or sometimes extra spaces may be lurking unseen to the right of your text. THREE OR MORE PAGES REQUIRED: PAMPHLET doesn't work with documents smaller than 3 pages ('cause it wouldn't be a pamphlet, right?) WHAT CAN GO RIGHT? If creating pamphlets sounds complicated, try making one out of an old text file. You'll find it easy once you get the hang of formatting. Best of all, now you won't have to worry about how to put the pamphlet together. With PAMPHLET, even the pros are freed from the drudgery of page pasting and file fiddling! 10