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                    Ruler              by           Rob W. Smetana
                                                    and Pro~Formance

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          Ruler is a free, RAM-resident (TSR) ruler to show you:

               1) the row and column your cursor is on.

               2) the colors on the screen at that row and column
                  (foreground, background and combined).

               3) which character is at that row and column.

               4) how wide text is, or how many rows and columns
                  are in a rectangular area of the screen


          NOTE:  This is an enhanced version of our original Ruler.
          This new version now lets you MARK columns and rows to
          determine the width or height of text, windows, menus, etc.
                        


                    Copyright (C) 1990-1997, Rob W. Smetana

                         All Rights Reserved Worldwide


          Pro~Formance, P~F, Sparkle and P~F Presents are Trademarks
                               of Rob W. Smetana

                                                                       


     ===================================================================

                                Introduction

     ===================================================================

     Included are:    Ruler.Exe & Ruler.Doc    (program and this manual)


     Purpose:         A handy, RAM-resident utility you can call up from
                      within other programs -OR- at the DOS prompt to:

                      1) display a "ruler" showing the row and column
                         the cursor is on.

                      2) display the colors on the screen at that row/
                         column (foreground, background and combined).

                      3) tell you which character is at that row/column.

                      4) let you mark areas of the screen to determine
                         you how wide a line of text is, or how many
                         rows and columns a rectangle consumes.

     Compatibility:   Ruler supports 25-, 43- or 50-line screens.  It's
                      designed for 80-column, text-mode screens only.

     Uses:            We developed Ruler as a companion to many of our
                      other programs.  For example:

                      * Our Sparkle batch file enhancer offers TWO
                        options to turn text screens into scrolling bar
                        menus!  Just display some text, then tell
                        Sparkle where on your screen the menu-portion
                        is and voila!  Ruler helps you determine on which
                        row and column your menu begins and ends.

                      * Our P~F Presents presentation program (PFP) also
                        offers scrolling bar menus.  As with Sparkle,
                        Ruler helps you tell PFP which portion of the
                        screen to turn into a menu.  And PFP also lets
                        you "paint" the screen, and re-map colors.  Here
                        again, just call up Ruler to tell you what
                        colors are at various places.

                      * Programmers, batch file users, etc. often need
                        to know how wide something is to, for example,
                        properly center it on the screen (or prevent
                        it from wrapping around to the next line).
                        Ruler's "mark" option helps you determine width.

                        You can also use Ruler to determine where you
                        should locate the cursor after, say, you've
                        drawn a window or displayed a prompt.
                                                                       


         =============================================================

                             WARRANTY & DISCLAIMER

         =============================================================

         This product is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind.
         The entire risk as to the results and performance of this pro-
         duct is assumed by you.  We warrant only that any disks we sent
         you are free from physical and workmanship defects under normal
         use and service for a period of 90 days from the date shipped.

         Our entire liability, and your exclusive remedy, as to the disk,
         shall be to, at our option, either (1) return the purchase price;
         or, (2) replace disks which don't meet our limited warranty.
          * Since you can try "user supported" versions of our programs
            before ordering them, we offer no other warranty beyond that
            stated here.  We'll gladly replace defective disks.  But no
            refunds or credits can be issued.

         Neither Pro~Formance nor RWS & Associates, nor any of their of-
         ficers or employees shall be held responsible for:  failures of
         this product to satisfy any needs, damages due to using this
         product, or any effects this program has on you, your business
         or operations.

         This product, its manual and any supporting materials may be
         modified or changed from time to time.  They may contain opera-
         tional inaccuracies or typographical errors which may be cor-
         rected by future versions, if any.  Registered users may be
         notified of available updates.


                                                                        


        ===============================================================

                                LIMITED LICENSE

         ==============================================================

         RULER is a copyrighted work.  It is NOT public domain software.

         However, you may use it free.  If you'd like to contribute some-
         thing, see the last few pages where we've described some of our
         other programs.  The last page has a registration form.

         ===============================================================

             Ruler MAY NOT be distributed with any other product or
             service without a prior license arrangement.

         ===============================================================

                               DISTRIBUTING Ruler

         ===============================================================

         Bulletin board Sysops, clubs and shareware distributors may
         copy and distribute shareware versions of Ruler, provided:

         *** Your company name IS NOT:   California Freeware         ***
                                           American Freeware
                                                 US Freeware

             or any other firm, group or association which uses terms
             like "free software," "freeware" or "free" to misrepresent
             "user-supported" software.

         (1) It is distributed in completely unmodified form.

         (2) You charge nothing other than a "disk distrubution fee"
             of up to $8.00 to cover distribution and handling.

         (3) You state YOUR fee is NOT payment or registration for
             OUR software.

         (4) You clearly encourage registration by stating that con-
             inued use justifies sending contributions to the developer.

         (5) You include all these files intact:  Ruler.Exe, Ruler.Doc

                                                                          


     ==================================================================

                                Using Ruler

     ==================================================================

     To run Ruler:      Type   Ruler <enter>   (It uses about 8k of RAM.)

     To unload it:      Type   Ruler  /u  <enter>

     To call it up:     Press  Ctrl-Esc  (sorry, at this time there's
                                          no way to change hot keys)

     NOTE:  If you use QEMM, 386Max or other memory-management software,
     you can usually load Ruler "high" (ie., into high memory) so that
     it consumes NO DOS memory.

     ==================================================================

     Run Ruler then press Ctrl-Esc to call it up.  Press:


         Left/Right   cursor keys to move the CURSOR Left/Right

         Home/End     to move the CURSOR to the Left or Right side
                      of the screen (column 1 or 80)

         Up/Down      cursor keys to move the RULER up/down

         PgUp/PgDn    to move the RULER to the top/bottom of your screen.

         M or Enter   to begin marking the width or height of something.
                      To turn OFF marking, press M or Enter again.


     As you press cursor pad keys you'll see numbers in the ruler change:

     * Ruler shows which row and column you're on.

     * It also shows 3 Color numbers:  the Foreground (FG) and Back-
       ground (BG) color at the row/column your cursor is at, plus
       the combination of the 2.

       - This can be useful to find when colors change, or when colors
         aren't what you expected them to be.

       - The combined color number is useful with our Sparkle program,
         which needs a combined foreground/background color for printing
         text, windows, Big! Font messages, etc.

     * Finally, it displays the ASCII code of the character beneath the
       cursor.  For example, 32 = Space, 65 = A, 97 = a, etc.  Consult
       your DOS or BASIC manual for a list of all 256 ASCII characters
       and their numbers.
                                                                       


     Determining the Width or Height of Something
     ============================================

     Once you press Ctrl-Esc to call up Ruler, you can press "M" (or
     Enter) to "turn on" [M]arking mode.  When you do:

     * Ruler will reverse the color of its 2nd line to let you know
       you're in "mark" mode.

     * Ruler will reset both Row and Column to 1 -- indicating you're
       at the first Row and Column of whatever you're marking.

     * As you move the cursor, the numbers beside Row and Column will
       change telling you how wide (# of Columns) or tall (# of Rows)
       something is.


       Note:  You may move in ANY direction.  Ruler shows the absolute
       number of rows and columns you've travelled since you turned
       "mark" mode on.  That means you need NOT move to the top left
       corner of something to begin marking.


     To turn OFF marking mode, press "M" or Enter again.  To mark
     something else, move the cursor to one corner of what you want to
     mark, then quickly press "M" twice -- once to turn it off, then
     again to turn it back on again.

     Marking mode REMAINS on or off between calls to Ruler.  So if
     you're in marking mode, press Escape to put the ruler away, then
     press Ctrl-Esc again, marking mode will still be on.  Just press
     M or Enter to turn it off.


     Uses
     ====

     Mark mode has many uses.  For example:

     * To print text centered on the screen, you need to know how wide
       text is, and then locate the cursor (or pad it with spaces) using
       the formula:   40 - (Width / 2).

     * Some programs need to be told how wide or tall something is (eg.,
       draw a window 30 columns wide and 15 rows high starting at column
       25, row 5).

     * Programmers or batch file users often need to know how wide
       things are.


                                                                     

                                    To Order
        ===============================================================

        Because we offer so many programs, our order form has 2 pages.

         * THIS PAGE lists our programs and the per-copy cost of each.
           Please read CATALOG.DOC for a description of each program.

         * THE NEXT PAGE is the actual order form.

           - On the next page, fill in the name of each program you're
             ordering.  PLEASE BE CAREFUL here and use the names listed
             below.  If we're not sure which program you're ordering,
             we may have to return you're order.

           - If ordering by Visa or MasterCard, fill in the section
             for credit card orders.  BE SURE TO SIGN it.

          Program Name                                          Per Copy
          ==============================================================
          Multi-Print      $19 if ordered w/ ANY other program  $19/$29

          Font Pak "Pro"   Programmer's Fonts & Mouse Shapes      $49

          Font Pak "DOS"   Hundreds of DOS text-mode fonts        $29

          PDT              The Pro~Formance Data Tool            $139
          PDT Tool Kit     (FREE when you order PDT!)             $39

          inform-Z         Professional Forms Design/Database     $29

          Mail Call        With MC Express                        $29

          Pro~Scribe & PS Express                                 $29

          P~F Presents     Professional Version                   $79

          P-Screen Professional                                   $49
              "    Plus                                           $29

          Pro~Stamp        Stamp Collection Manager               $29

          Ram-Man          RAM-resident Text File Browser         $19

          Sparkle AND Menu Magic                                  $29

          The Survey Catalyst                                    $395

        =================================================================
        PACKAGE DISCOUNTS  Call about quantity discounts & site licenses.
        =================================================================
          THE WORKS!  One of each program (except The Catalyst)  $299
          Sparkle -AND- P-Screen                                  $49
          inform-Z -AND- Mail Call                                $49
          P-Screen Pro -AND- P~F Presents (Pro versions of both)  $99  


     ============================= TO  ORDER  =============================

     For FASTEST delivery of your programs, CALL with a Visa/MC card number.


     F __________________________________________   M    Rob W. Smetana
                                                         Pro~Formance
     R __________________________________________   A T  132 Alpine Terrace
                                                         San Francisco, CA
     O __________________________________________   I O      94117
                                                         (415) 863-0530
     M __________________________________________   L
                                                         Make checks payable
     Phone (     ) ______-________ Date ___/___/___      to:  Rob W. Smetana

     =======================================================================
                           For Visa or MasterCard Orders
     =======================================================================

     Credit Card Number:  ________________________________  Expires: ___|___

     Signature (Required for credit card orders): __________________________

     Be sure your name at the top matches how it appears on your credit card.

     =============================================================== ruler =

     Name of Program or "Package"         # of Copies  Price/Copy    Total

     =======================================================================

     Multi-Print ($19 if ordered /w other pgm) _____  x  $19/$29 =  $_______

     _____________________________________  ________  x  ______  =  $_______

     _____________________________________  ________  x  ______  =  $_______

     =======================================================================

     Shipping & Handling: Total Number
     of Programs (and Copies)  ----->>   _____@ $4/copy             $ ______
     =============================+=========================================
                                  |                     Subtotal  $ ________
      INTERNATIONAL ORDERS: : :   |
                                  |    CA. residents, add 8.5% tax $ _______
      * US funds only please.     +-----------------------+-----------------
      * Money order, check drawn a                        |
        US bank, or VISA/MasterCard                       |TOTAL  $ ________
     =====================================================+=================

     WHERE did you got your copy of our program? _________________________
     This helps us learn the best way to get new programs to you.  And feel
     free to write comments and suggestions on the other side.   Thank you.



