GSX Macro Controller version 1.0a July 25, 1991 Skip Denny For those of you who have been awaiting the first completely operative release of GSX, here it is. The save and load features are now working (I think). It will still require some touch-ups, but I figured as long as it will save and load the macros to disk, I should make it available. I still list future inhancements below, with those met via this release so indicated. I should note that Radio Shack has a color 24-pin dot matrix printer that looks exactly like the Citizen printer, and is probably the exact same printer (for a lot more money). Both are probably made by some un-named third party. As such, this program should also control the Radio Shack printer too, but as I don't have a Radio Shack printer, I cannot test it. This program is freely distributable, but not public domain. That is, you can use it yourself, give it to a friend, even tinker with the binary code. But if you do tinker, DO NOT upload or distribute anything but this authorized code. And this is not available (as yet) for commercial distribution, although if you sell Citizen printers to Amiga users, you are permitted to give, free of charge, a copy of this program with the printer. But as Citizen has not supported this program, Citizen should likewise not be mentioned in association with the program. (I do have the program available from Citizen for the IBM compatible computers, that supposably does what this program does. Pathetic!) Anyway, I really appreciate feedback, constructive critism, encouragement, etc. Postcards, E-Mail is fine. Suggestions great, especially from Amiga C prgmrs. I note that at last check there have been 64 downloads of the earlier version (file 11870, GSX001.LZH). I have, to date, received only one E-mail response! Don't you like it? Do you use it? Is anyone listening??? Address: Skip Denny 1851 Jadwin Ave. #405 Richland, WA 99352 Genie: S.DENNY Future Developements: 1.) The text gadgets work, but nothing is really done with them. I'm still learning text and integer gadgets. You might as well ignore them for now. These are the Short Name, Long Name, margins, Variable TOF, Page Center. >> The text gadgets now work. Short names, Long names, margins, etc. Please note that the Citizen macro codes only permit certain limits to the margins, in particular, the right margin value can only be between 3 and 80, calculated on a 10 cpi pitch. If you set the pitch at 12 cpi, it would make since that the right margin should be allowed to reach 12 * 80 / 10 = 96. I plan to add this at a later date, ie, changing the pitch will change the RMargin correspondingly. But when transmitting to the printer, it will have to be scaled to 10 pitch. Small change, but would be nice, rather than figuring it in your head. 2.) There is no Load, Save, Save As or About, even though they are menu items. These will come later. Currently these only print to the standard out (screen CLI) to let me know the menus do work. I want to incorporate someone else's file requester, rather than re-invent the wheel. >> IMPLEMENTED!! No printing to the CLI required. This is still beta. 3.) WARNING!!! As explained in the manual for the printer, if you set the gadget for Citizen ESCape codes to OFF, the program will do this but the next time the computer tries to send macro commands to the printer, since the printer will not accept these special Citizen unique commands, the program will be worthless. You will have to manually reset this setting on the printer via the printer's touchpad. (YECH) I plan to add a requester to warn the user when he/she tries to set this gadget to OFF. 4.) Command line flags, etc. I hope to add the ability to direct the program to retrieve an existing macro/macroset from some directory, probably within the S: directory, and sending this set to the printer without even opening the screen, etc. This way, via some ARexx command, the user can send a macro/macroset to the printer straight from some other program. Other command line flags will also be considered.