Tame Revision History

 

Version 6.0f

December 2016

 

The following Changes are available with version 6.0f

 

·       The /ConsoleChange option has been enhanced.  The Work= parameter allows setting the number of recent changes that keep the app busy.  The boost= parameter may now be used to boost based on the number of screen changes.  1 or 2 numbers may be specified to define the number of changes that are boostable, and optionally, the number of changes that apply an extra boost.  Also set Watch=T or F to enable or disable monitoring console changes.  The UpdateInterval= option can set the maximum number of milliseconds for console updates to be visible.  The default is 250, or ¼ second.

·       The /Boost option has been updated to allow setting the number of ticks to boost with console changes.   Set /Boost Console = m,n where m is the number of ticks (default 2) for low number of console changes and n is the number of extra ticks when there are a lot of screen changes

·       The /WindowsPauseBoost option may now be used for apps that make the Windows YIELD API call while working

·       The default folder for diagnostic logs is now writable by all users.   Note the log folder can be changed by editing the registry key HKLM\Software\TameDOS and set LogFolder to a different path.

·       The Tame Settings folder is now writable by all users.   This allows default settings to be placed in that folder the first time each application is run.  Permissions on the folder may be restricted to allow users read only access after running each application that will be used.  If that is done, administrators should still be allowed to edit settings files in the folder if needed.

·       A problem with apps detecting the installation of the DOS SHARE has been corrected.  To obtain previous behavior regarding detection of share, use the following option:  /Lock SetShareStatus=T

·       The built in trace feature has been improved to provide more details when sending a trace to TameDOS support for diagnostics

·       Problems with missing or invalid Tame.ini file have been corrected

·       Text size changes made using the system menu or context menu are now saved

·       An Explorer file association was added so you can open a trace file and view a summary of its contents.  The summary includes keystrokes, and screen shots.  Note that this is a summary only - diagnostic details are not displayed.

·       A Built-in TAME command may be run from the command prompt, or under program control, to execute Tame options.  The Tame command with no arguments will display brief Tame status.  Note that [v] or [q] may prefix options to force the options to be processed in the VDM, which is slightly faster and allows output to the console.   e.g. TAME [q] /WriteTameStatus F=””.  Note that the [q] option is intended for action items such as /SendInput and may not be used if tame settings are updated.

·       A new /WriteTameStatus option was added.  Add File=<path> to specify which file to write status into.  Also, Version=, Gui= and Layout= may be set to ON or OFF to specify which values are included.  E.g. /WriteTameStatus F=”%temp%\TameStat.tmp” Layout=T

 

Version 6.0e

March 2016

 

The following Changes are available with version 6.0e

 

·       Multimedia keys may now be defined. Each key may be defined to do any Tame operation. For example send keystrokes to the application.

·       A new option allows the DOS app to access mouse coordinates above 50 rows and 80 columns.   Specify /DosMouse FixCoordinates=T       

·       Some apps hide the txt cursor at times.  In some cases, Tame would not hide the cursor.  A new Tame option provides additional steps to ensure the text cursor is hidden or shown correctly at all times.  /View TextCursorEnhancedVisibility = T

 

Version 6.0d

February 2016

 

The following Changes are available with version 6.0d

 

·       Screen copy to clipboard will now paste correctly into Paint

·       Keys may now be assigned to perform copy and paste functions, as well as screen save/print functions:

/MacroDefine onkey="Shift-Home"  Options=(/SendInput COPY)

Or do smart mark and copy with one key: 

/MacroDefine onkey="Shift-Insert"  Options=(/SendInput COPY COPY)

·       Option /Watch Console=F updated to prevent screen changes from blocking idle mode

·       Added the ability to capture BIOS printer output and spool for post processing when the app is idle   /SpoolFile LPT=1

·       Paste of control characters may now be configured.  Each control character may be ignored, passed through, or specify a substitute character/keystroke to replace it.   E.g. /PasteChar Ignore=ESC, LF   Also, character substitution is possible.  E.g. To use a space in place of TAB character:  /PasteChar CtlChar=TAB  Key=SPACE. 

·       Changes to the keyboard pace option will now be saved as default for the shortcut.  For much faster paste, try changing this option.

·       CPU Trimming capability is improved for some types applications that that do not use normal means to access the keyboard.

·       The /IdleIndicate TimePoll option is now functional for apps that constantly query time of day while idle

·       Context Menu Items for screen mark, copy and paste have been updated.  When text is marked, right-click context menu inside the marked region now gives more choices.

·       Added Win-cursor keys to easily mark text (e.g. Win-Left to start mark).  Option added to mark using Shift-Cursor keys.  Easily add smart mark keys (see above) for additional keyboard marking capability.

 

Version 6.0c

The following problems have been corrected

 

·       Screen changes were sometimes not displayed in a timely manner.   This has been corrected.

·       Corrected problems with keyboard entry using non-US keyboards

·       Corrected issue with alt-number pad entry for ASCII input.  This is when you press alt, and while holding alt down use the number pad to enter a number representing the ASCII code. 

Version 6.0

Word Processor and Text Editor support

The items listed here are available for all DOS applications, and are currently used mainly with text editing/word processing applications.  

 

·         Enjoy the benefits of on-screen text styles such as italics and bold, while working in a windowed environment.  Tame can examine your color scheme and automatically display text in a more readable fashion.  All text is displayed using the color of your normal text, and drawn with the style assigned to its original color. 

·         A menu item is provided to automate text style setup with supported applications,   For other systems, simply edit a supplied template, and add styles as noted (e.g. make the word “italics” have italics style). 

·         Drag/drop has been configured for several applications to effect paste or file open.  Edit verses paste is sometimes determined based on the file type, and may be changed by the user,

·         Direct access to the Windows clipboard is now provided.  Applications that use Windows 9x clipboard functions can automatically have that ability on NT based systems.   For other applications, Tame provides direct access to the clipboard using file redirection. 

·         Smart paste will automatically switch to the old keyboard paste when filling in data fields such as search strings or file names. 

·         Drag drop will always paste just the path if dropped on a data field.

·         Dynamic row and column change has been improved, and Tame that capability is now available with more applications. 

·          

Keyboard and Mouse Input

·     Keystroke response time and cpu overhead is greatly improved for most apps that require hardware keyboard compatibility

·     Map any key to perform multi-step functions or enter common text.  Support is not limited to standard keys - use the media keys provided ion new keyboards, function keys F13-F24, or any other key that windows applications can access.

·     Add items to the context or system menu.  Items may send keystrokes, run commands, or specify Tame settings.

Unicode and International Support

·         Tame can switch to the codepage appropriate for each application when it is run.  Codepage selection may be based only on the codepage assigned to the application, with no user setup whatsoever, and still allow exceptions by providing the codepage for those users.

·         Tame can also automatically switch keyboard layout based on application, user, or other criteria. 

·         Tame breaks the codepage barrier, and can display text from multiple codepages on the same screen.   Display based on the Unicode text without referencing a code page is also supported. 

·         If you use an application that uses the wrong codepage, you no longer need to choose between local codepage for data entry/display, and application codepage for correct linedraw characters and screen formatting.    Dos codes that have different Unicode representation may be displayed using the appropriate codepage based on attributes such as color, or by a run of adjacent characters that form a linedraw shape with the application codepage.  

·         Enter and display unique symbols such as the Euro, even if it is not included in your keyboard layout or codepage.

·         Keyboard translation provided in Tame can replace KB16, freeing up more conventional memory.

Other Additions

·         Tile or stretch bitmap images as background for text.  Eachimages may be displayed as a replacement existing colors or color combinations, or to replace text such as pattern characters that are commonly used. 

·         Use any font for screen display, including proportional fonts.    You may now adjust the display properties like aspect and scale, to improve readability with any size text. 

 

Add Features to your Favorite Application

Tame can provide access to basic Windows functions with no changes to the application and very little configuration.   Advanced capability is also available with a little effort, but that effort rarely requires changes to the application, because Tame works with functions already included in the application, perhaps for different purpose.  Here are come easily attainable enhancements:

·         Show different fonts in forms.  Highlight the active form field, or differentiate data verses form text/lines.

·         Add items to the system menu

·         Show a bitmap in place of blank areas, or use it as a background in any screen or area of the screen.

·         Process files that are dropped on the application window using windows drag/drop

·         Capture keystrokes, screens, and file operations as you run the app, and save as HTML text that preserves colors and format. 

More Advanced Capability

·         Tame provides a spooling function that will supply the app with a unique temp file name when the app opens a specific file name, like LPT1 or Outfile.   Pre-configured post processing will commence when the file is closed.

·         Utilize background execution of DOS or win32 commands spawned by the DOS app.  The DOS app can wait for each command to complete, or can run in parallel if synchronization is not needed.  If multiple commands are invoked, they may also be run as serialized or parallel.  Standard error/output may be saved for reference or post processing.

·         Handle Windows app events such as Open and Paste

·         Provide final cleanup for events such as shutdown, logoff or suspend.