WordStar and vDos

[Robert J. Sawyer]

Our patron saint Jos Schaars has released a new version of vDos, and it has some added support for the word-processing program WordStar for DOS, allowing the on-screen display of italics, underlining, and strikeout.

This support is a wonderful gift to us WordStar users, but it's quite understandably unsupported and undocumented by Jos, who has already been more than generous with his time and genius.

However, I'll do my best to help other WordStar users get the most out of vDos, and I've provided fairly extensive documentation on using WordStar under vDos here:

http://sfwriter.com/ws-vdos.htm

Users of other programs might find a couple of these tips useful, too.

All best wishes -- and, again, many thanks to Jos!

Rob Sawyer (in Toronto)

[Jos Schaars]

I supplied two application specific (WP and WS) “enhancements”, I can’t really document on those. I myself departed from WP and WS for DOS a long time ago.
WP= isn’t documented, it’s left to Edward Mendelson (WP) and Robert Sawyer (WS) to inform users it’s there and how to use it. It’s not only setting these options!

Jos

[Robert J. Sawyer]

I've updated my "WordStar and vDos" page to include WordStar macros to automate copying to and pasting from the Windows clipboard under vDos.

The updated page is here:

http://sfwriter.com/ws-vdos.htm

All best wishes!

Rob

[Robert J. Sawyer]

In addition to my own page devoted to using WordStar under vDos at http://sfwriter.com/ws-vdos.htm, Bruce Hartford has put together a nice, beginner-friendly PDF document on using WordStar 6.0 under vDos and Windows 7. You can get it here:

http://ohfreedom.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/ws6-win7-vdos.pdf

However, Bruce has missed how to easily print files under vDos. I explain the system here:

http://sfwriter.com/ws-vdos.htm#printing

All best wishes!

Rob

[Robert J. Sawyer]

I have updated my notes on using WordStar under vDos, which previously only covered the final version, WordStar 7.0, to now also cover WordStar 4.0, 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0, including getting onscreen display of italics, strikeout, and underlining with all those versions:

http://sfwriter.com/ws-vdos.htm

(Non-WordStar users might find some useful vDos tips and tricks there, too!)

All best wishes.

Rob

[Anonymous]

Hello, my name is Klaus and I am from Germany. I use WS 7.0 for about 25 years in my company. No other writing program is so good as WS! We use WS only for writing. For printing and put pictures in text we use WORD, after transfer it from WS to a wordfile.
In moment I have troubles to change from WIN XP to WIN7 or WIN8.1
Now I am realy glad to see your blog about WS and vDOS!
Now my question:
Our WS run on a netware drive. The program files are on drive M:/WS7 the data files on drive N:/D_WS. Clients start the program from netdrive M:
Is it possible to run this with vDos and what will be the parameters for it?

:-( I know, my english is really bad, but I hope you will understand me and you can help me :-)

Best Regards
Klaus Adrian

[Robert J. Sawyer]

I've never personally used WordStar on a networked system, so I don't know if your networking software can work with vDos, but if it can, I believe these are the parameters you need in vDos's CONFIG.TXT for the system you describe:

WP=WS
LPT4=clip
LOW=ON
EMS=ON
MOUSE=ON

And these for vDos's AUTOEXEC.TXT:

USE M: M:\
USE N: N:\
PATH=Z:\;M:\WS7;N:\D_WS

As for specific customizations, please see my extensive notes here: http://sfwriter.com/ws-vdos.htm

All best wishes!

Rob

[Anonymous]

Hello Rob, many thanks to you for your quick reply. I will try it soon and will give you a feedback. Greetings from Germany. Klaus

[Anonymous]

Klaus from Germany

Hello Rob, in this moment my WORDSTAR 7.0 runs without problems in the Net !!!

Thanks a lot for your help!

config.txt is excact your suggestion:

WP=WS
LPT4=clip
LOW=ON
EMS=ON
MOUSE=ON

autoexec.txt must slightly modified like this:

USE C: .\
USE M: M:\
USE N: N:\
PATH=Z:\;M:\WS7;N:\D_WS
M:
ws.exe
EXIT

---

a little thing I do not like:

I cant minimized Wordstar with a mouseklick on the lower windows line like other programs. It is only posible to open the program on this way.

If I want to minimize I have to klick in a very little field in the upper right frame from Wordstar. Because you have to aim precisely!

Rob, I have thank you for your help!
Thanks a lot and I wish you all the best!

[Anonymous]

UUPPS - I see there is a little mistake:

autoexec.tex must slightly modified like this:

USE C: .\
USE M: M:\
USE N: N:\
PATH=Z:\;M:\WS7;N:\D_WS
M:
ws.exe
EXIT

[Edward Mendelson]

If I want to minimize I have to klick in a very little field in the upper
right frame from Wordstar. Because you have to aim precisely!

Add this line to config.txt:

FRAME = ON

That will give you a "frame" around the window, and you can minimize from the icon in the upper left corner.

[Anonymous]

Klaus from Germany
I do what Edward say and now my WORDSTAR runs on WIN 64 Bit System like I want.
Its great what vDOS can do for the 'old man' WORDSTAR. WS get a new live!
I love this program since time from CPM to today in time WIN 8 and this will be many many years now! WORDSTAR will never die!!😊😍😜

[Anonymous]

Hi, Klaus. I'm delighted it's working for you! And I agree! WordStar is the best! ;) Thanks for letting us know that it's working for you!

Rob in Toronto

[Anonymous]

Hi Rob, after I got these incredible tips to reanimation of WS with Win7-64 of you, I bought a book (FLASH) from you to see if your books are just as good as your tips! Now I read every evening before sleeping and I can say: great story, I highly recommend this book!
... Oh, I have still a questions about WS, maybe you can help me as well:
I mark a text and than I copy this, the marked text ist still the line I have marked and not the copyed line! Do you know how I can change this, that the copyed line is marked!? Do you know what I mean? Can I change this in the WInstall, but I dont find it! I remember that this will be so in Old-old-old WS version! So now I want to read in your book ...
Best wishes to Toronto from Klaus-Germany !

[Robert J. Sawyer]

Hi, Klaus! Very nice to hear from you! FLASH was published in English as FLASHFORWARD, and made into a TV series in the United States by ABC; I'm glad you're enjoying my novel! http://sfwriter.com/exff.htm

I do understand your question, yes: You want the block markers set with ^KB and ^KK to move to the copied block instead of staying with the original block. There's no WSCHANGE or WINSTALL setting to govern that behaviour, unfortunately.

This isn't a vDos-specific question, but I'm glad to help.

Here's a quick-and-dirty macro for WordStar 7.0 that will do it if the copy isn't going onto the very next line/space; I could try to refine the code so that it doesn't have that restriction if this is the sort of thing that would work for you.

REM Copies block with the copy, not the original
REM ending up marked
Sub Main
    AutoRestore(ON)
    Insert(ON)
   Key("^K6^QB^KY")
       IfException
         ACK: Key("{Enter}")
           stop
         End IfException
    Key("^U^Q6")
    Key("^KB ^KK^S^U^QK{Bksp}")
    Key("^K6^K6^B^QP")
End Sub

(If you have WordStar 4.0 through 6.0, you could do this with a Shorthand command instead of a macro; add ^Q~ at the beginning to force insert on while the Shorthand command is executing.)

This macro assumes you've (1) already marked your original block and (2) moved the cursor to where you want the copy to appear. It fakes copying the block by deleting it (and aborts if the block is too big to fit in the unerase buffer), then undeleting it twice, but putting the block markers around the version that appears at the new location.

All best wishes!

Rob

[Anonymous]

[Robert J. Sawyer]

I have updated my instructions on using WordStar 4.0, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 7.0 under vDos to reflect the changes Jos Schaars made in the April 2015 public release (including changes to how EMS and XMS memory are specified and the removal of the substandard faux-italics mode), and I've also given the document a general sprucing up and revision; even those who don't use WordStar might find some useful tips and tricks in it:

http://sfwriter.com/ws-vdos.htm

All best wishes!

Rob

[Robert J. Sawyer]

I have again updated my instructions for using WordStar 4.0, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 7.0 under vDos to reflect things I've learned inthe last few months, and also to deal with the fact that newer not-completely-open-source versions of vDos are now at http://vdos.info rather than here.

I've also added a section on using the keyboard-macro program SmartKey under vDos.

Even those who don't use WordStar might find some useful tips and tricks (such as suggested typeface/size combinations for different monitor types); have a look:

http://sfwriter.com/ws-vdos.htm

All best wishes!

Rob (in Toronto)

[Bruce Hartford]

I've updated my very-detailed newbie-oriented "Running Wordstar 6 on Windows 7 Using vDOS" with additional information about solving the no-parallel port printer problem. This PDF is posted at:
[http://wwwriters.com/ws6-win7-vdos.pdf].

Bruce Hartford

[Robert J. Sawyer]

I've made a small addition to my web page on running WordStar for DOS under vDos (which is here), to wit:

Most WordStar users prefer to have the Ctrl or Control key to the left of the A key; that is, they prefer to swap the positions of Ctrl and CapsLock.

WordStar for DOS comes with a TSR (memory-resident) program called SWITCH.COM to make the swap. Unfortunately, switch is also the name of an internal 4DOS command — and 4DOS is the command processor used by vDos. To use SWITCH.COM under vDos, you have to rename it to something else; I suggest SWAP.COM.

If you find that the program still won't load (or if it loads but does nothing), then I suggest you use a system-wide keyboard remapping utility. The one I use myself (tested by me under both Windows XP and Windows 7) is KeyTweak, available for free here. There are many other similar utilities available.

[Robert J. Sawyer]

I've extensively updated my pages on running WordStar for DOS under vDos / vDos-lfn to reflect the 2016.06.01 release of vDos and the 2016.06.04 release of vDos-lfn. Included, among other things, are new WordStar 7.0 macros for copying to/from the Windows clipboard; also, a lot of older stuff has been removed (such as the discussion of how to use 4DOS with vDOS, since 4DOS is now an integral part of vDos).

The address of the page remains the same: sfwriter.com/ws-vdos.htm

[Robert J. Sawyer]

I've revised my advice on WordStar cursor sizings for use under vDos and vDos-lfn. These new values solve the old problem of the cursor block sometimes appearing to look like a line ABOVE, rather than below, the current character. The updated advice follows, and is also on my page about using WordStar with vDos / vDos-lfn here.

WordStar 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 7.0 support separate cursor shapes for insert and overtype (or "Ins-Off") typing mode (WordStar 4.0 doesn't support changing the cursor shape). To set a size that works well under vDos or vDos-lfn, go to WSCHANGE menu E, = (Enter User Area address), type CURSIZ, and enter these six bytes if you like a block cursor for insert and an underscore for overtype:

FF 00 07 07 07 06

Or, if you prefer an underscore cursor for insert and a block for overtype, instead enter:

07 07 FF 00 07 06

The cursor cell starts at the top with pixel row 00 and goes down from there: the six bytes are, in order:

• bottom of cursor for insert
• top of cursor for insert
• bottom of cursor for overwrite
• top of cursor for overwrite
• bottom of cursor after you exit WordStar
• top of cursor after you exit WordStar

Values of FF 00 make sure the cursor block always fills the entire character cell; to turn off any cursor sizing by WordStar, set the first two bytes to FF FF instead.

[Robert J. Sawyer]

I've updated my instructions on using WordStar to reflect the renaming of vDos-lfn to vDosPlus. The page is here: Running WordStar for DOS Under Windows: vDosPlus to the Rescue!

Rob (in Toronto)