HTMEPM

HTMEPM 0.99 README ================================================================= INTRODUCTION ================================================================= Back in 1995, I wrote the first version of the HTML extensions for EPM so I could use my favourite editor to create HTML documents. I released updates till I felt there was no demand for non-wysiwyg editors, though I continued to further develop it for my own use. Some months ago some people (specially Daniel Hellerstein) wrote messages in comp.os.os2.apps suggesting they will wellcome a new version of HTMEPM, so I decided to polish the code, add several features,... and release a new version. While HTMEPM98 was a simple update of previous versions (95, 96 & 97), HTMEPM99 represents a complete rewriting of the program. The major change is the use of "macros" written in C (available with EPM 6.xx versions). It is possible now to use the standard OS/2 facilities (standard and custom dialog windows, INI files, DDE, ...) from the user E macros calling C functions placed in DLLs. Some of the features of the new version are: - It supports most of the HTML 3.2 options and some of the new HTML 4.0 standard. - Preview of the document with Netscape/2 through Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE): edit your doc, press F2 and your file will be saved as usual and then loaded into Netscape automatically. While you remain in full control of the code you can easily see the result of your work. - Selection of the different options of the tags through dialogs (point and click) - User definable default options for images,tables,keyboard shortcuts,... - Free for non-commercial or educational use; shareware (25 Euros) otherwise (see Registration at the end of this file). ====================================================================== INSTALLATION ====================================================================== - Using the supplied install script: a. Unzip the htmepm99.zip file into a temporary directory. b. Open a OS/2 command window, change to the temporary directory and type : instHTM c. Follow the instructions below to Link the HTMEPM extensions to EPM. - Manual install: 1. Unzip the htmepm99.zip file into a temporary directory. 2. Copy HTMEPM.EX and HTMPOP.EX to a directory pointed by EPMPATH in your CONFIG.SYS (\OS2\APPS\ will work). 3. Copy HTMEPM.DLL to a directory along your LIBPATH (\OS2\APPS\DLL\ will work). 4. Follow the instructions below to Link the HTMEPM extensions to EPM. - Linking the HTMEPM extensions to EPM: Start the EPM editor, open a Command Dialog Window (select Command then Command dialog), then type 'link htmepm' (WITHOUT quotes). The editor should inform you of the success of the operation with a 'Link completed, module#n' message, and an HTML option should now be visible in the editor main menu. The extensions will last till the end of your session with EPM or until you unlink them using again a Command dialog window (you should now type 'unlink htmepm', WITHOUT quotes) and the HTML option will be removed from the main menu. If you want to have the extensions always linked, just open the settings notebook of the Enhanced Editor object in your Desktop and type as parameter to be passed to the program 'link htmepm' (WITH the single quotes now!). From then on everytime you launch EPM by double-clicking on its icon the HTML extensions will be linked at start time so you won't need to reinstall them manually. Those using profile.erx to customize EPM can add 'link htmepm' to this file if they want to have the HTML extensions linked at start time. ======================================================================== USING HTMEPM ======================================================================== The use of the HTMEPM extensions should be intuitive to anyone familiar with the HTML tagging. The different tags that constitute the HyperText Mark-up Language can be embedded in the text selecting the HTML tag from the new menu items that have been added to the editor main menu. If the tag to be inserted is a single one (new paragraph, horizontal rule,...) it is inserted at the cursor. If the tag is "double" (i.e. it needs a start tag and an end tag) then if there is no text area previously selected both tags are inserted at the cursor position and the cursor placed between the tags; if text is selected the tags will (usually) be placed encircling it and the cursor will be placed following the ending tag. Some options of HTMEPM may need further explanation: POP-UP MENU Rigt-clicking will bring up a menu with several of the HTML options directly available. If you dont't like it or wants to retain the standard EPM pop-up menu check the corresponding option in the User Preferences Dialog. KEYBOARD SHORT-CUTS By default, HTMEPM99 defines several shortcuts, and redefines F2 to "save & view" . They are enabled by EPM when the file being edited ends in .HTM, .HTML, .SHTM OR .SHTML. If you don't want the new keyboard mapping, check the corresponding option in the User Preferences dialog. You have to close and then reopen the current file to remap the keyboard. NEW DOCUMENT The NEW HTML DOC item offers three different possibilities: - NEW DOCUMENT asks initially for a name for the new doc, offering the possibility of using the standard OS/2 File Dialog to select the location and name of the file (beware that if you select an existing file, HTMEPM will not load it, it will create a new entry in the EPM file ring with the name; if you later save the new file it will overwrite the previous one. So if you want to edit an existing file just load it using the standard EPM way). Once you have selected a name, a new Dialog Window appears that allows you to define the title of the page, the Base URL, several META tags, and to select the colors of the page and/or a background image. Once you are done, press OK and the basic HTML code for the page will be inserted. - The SIMPLE DOC option asks a name for the new file and then inserts a minimal HTML code for the new doc. - The FRAMESET DOCUMENT option is a very simple implementation of the Frames Concept. It only supports two-frames pages, and allows to define the relative sizes, and the names of the source files. SETTING HYPER-LINKS When the LINK TO option is selected a list of different "destinations" is presented: the ANCHOR IN THIS PAGE option presents you with the list of the existing anchors in the page (the page is previously automatically saved). If there are no anchors in the page you are still offered the possibility of writing a non-existent anchor name as destination (it is up to you to create the missing anchor so there are no links to non-existent targets). When the LOCAL FILE option is selected a Dialog Window shows in its upper part the resulting TAG that it is updated whenever you modify any of the options available in the Dialog window: you can select a file using the standard OS/2 File Dialog, and if there are targets in this file they are shown as selectable targets in a listbox. You can also enter directly a target, even if it does not exist (beware of missing targets) , and you can also select the way of addressing the destination file: relative addressing to the current directory, absolute addressing or use the `alias` concept. The Alias concept: it allows the use of an alias for naming a directory. Let's say you give the alias name "samples" to your directory d:\httpd\docs\samples\ . If you select (in the local file dialog window) the file d:\httpd\docs\samples\demo.html and the Alias Addressing, the link will point now to samples/demo.html. INLINE IMAGES As in the link to local file dialog, the resulting tag is shown and continuously updated. The options available should be easy to understand. There is a checkbox to select whether you want (or not) the image file copied to the current directory. You can edit manually the resulting tag before inserting it into your file if you select the OK EDIT option. TABLES There are two options available for tables: 1. if you select the CREATE TEMPLATE item a dialog window is presented, allowing to select the number of columns and rows, the use of a caption, the border width, align, cellspan, cellpad,... If you check the WIDTH option the WIDTH option will be included in the TABLE tag with the value selected. If you check the VERBOSE option, a comment indicating the row and column number will be inserted at the correct place. Once you press the OK button the HTML code for the empty table will be inserted. 2. the FROM COMMA SEPARATED VALUES option generates html tables using data exported from other programs that conforms to a comma separated value format. To use it the data must be selected previously by mouse dragging, then the option selected; a dialog window will allow the selection of several options. When you press OK the data are commented out, and the HTML code for the table with the data inserted. If a caption for the table is wanted, it must be the first line of the selection. To see an example see the file README.HTM with Netscape PREVIEWING THE PAGE HTMEPM99 uses two different methods to preview the HTML code: the first method VIEW WITH EXPLORER creates a window that shows the aspect of the page using the WebExplorer rendering engine. Since developpement of the WebExplorer was stopped years ago, many HTML 3.2 features are not recognised (frames, java, ... ) and it will not be updated. The other method VIEW WITH NETSCAPE uses Netscape/2. The Navigator should be running, and the EPM editor will communicate with it via Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE), making it load and show the file being currently edited in EPM. The VIEW WITH NETSCAPE will make Netscape load the file with the NAME of the file you are currently editing with EPM. It does not save the file, so Netscape loads the file from the disk and shows the currently `saved` file. The SAVE AND VIEW option allows the saving and previewing of the current file by pressing a single key (F2) Note that this will only work if the file ends in HTM, HTML, SHTM OR SHTML. For other files to be `sent` to Netscape you will have to use the menus. HTML Reference This option simply calls the standard OS/2 view program passing it as parameter HTMLREF, so you need to have an INF file called HTMLREF.INF somewhere along the paths pointed by BOOKSHELF in your config.sys. My recommendation is that you download the HTML 3.2 and 4.0 references from the Web Desing Group website (http://www.htmlhelp.com). These are the direct links: - http://www.htmlhelp.com/distribution/wilburo2.zip for the HTML 3.2 Reference. - http://www.htmlhelp.com/distribution/html40os2.zip for the HTML 4.0 Reference. Once downloaded, unzip them and copy the selected one (3.2 or 4.0) to somewhere along the BOOKSHELF and rename it as HTMLREF.INF You can also define HTMLREF in your CONFIG.SYS as a set of files: SET HTMLREF=html32+html40+cssos2 then when invoked from EPM, `view` will load ALL the files defined. ======================================================================== REGISTRATION ======================================================================== The program is freeware for non-commercial or educational use. Otherwise, registration will cost 25 Euros. To register, please contact me : areitio@ibm.net ======================================================================== ======================================================================== Eduardo Areitio Bilbao, Spain