CLIPMAC.TXT
                        documenting the [v.v:WRZ] macro
                               for the VDE Editor

                   as distributed in the compiled macro file
                                  CLIPMAC.VDK

                             revised 23 March 2007

                                 John Woodruff
                             desuetud@mail.onr.com

  ==============================  INTRODUCTION  ==============================

  The [v.v:WRZ] macro below uses Horst Schaeffer's ClipText utility to provide 
  VDE with Clipboard access under Windows NT/2000/XP.

        Downloading and installing ClipText:

        http://home.mnet-online.de/horst.muc/wbat32.htm#cliptext

        Put CLIPTEXT.EXE anywhere on your path. Please see the section, 
        "WINDOWS 2000 AND XP ENVIRONMENT" below.

  After starting the macro, respond to the "? Esc!" prompt in the header by 
  pressing W, R, or Z:

  [W]rite: Marked block in the current VDE file is the source:

        Selected VDE text is APPENDED to file C:\V.V
        CLIPTEXT then OVERWRITES the Clipboard with C:\V.V
        Use [Z]ap before [W]rite IF ONLY the CURRENT marked
          block should be copied into the Clipboard, not an
          accumulation of entries.

  [R]ead: The current VDE file is the target:

        CLIPTEXT APPENDS the Clipboard contents to file C:\V.V
        VDE then reads C:\V.V at the cursor and marks the
          incoming text as a block.
        Use [Z]ap before [R]ead IF ONLY the CURRENT Clipboard
          contents should be pasted into VDE, not an
          accumulation of entries.

  [Z]ap: Erases file C:\V.V but does NOT access the Clipboard

  ===========================   [v.v:WRZ] MACRO   ============================

  [F01]<Esc >[v.v:WRZ]<N>
  [Esc]:[Esc]!_
  [Esc]W
  ^KW+C:\V.V[Enter]
  [AltR]CLIPTEXT FROM C:\V.V /OEM[Enter][Esc][Esc]!]
  [Esc]R^KS
  [AltR]CLIPTEXT TO C:\V.V /APPEND /OEM[Enter][Esc]
  ^KB^KRC:\V.V[Enter]^QP^KK[Esc]!]
  [Esc]Z
  ^KJC:\V.V[Enter]

  ================================   NOTES   =================================

  File C:\V.V is an arbitrary choice, but whatever file is used, it's 
  necessary to state the full path in the macro. Reason: The ^KW and ^KR path 
  is the path of the current file, whereas the [AltR] shell path is set when 
  the VDE session is started, subject to being changed later by other DOS 
  commands.

  The ClipText /OEM option causes extended ASCII characters to be translated. 
  I've included it in both the [W]rite and [R]ead routines.

  The initial ^KS in [R]ead is a safety feature, making it possible to use 
  ^KL^F to status back from a Read/Only lockup in case of Graphics Overflow 
  due to too many different translatable extended ASCII characters in the 
  source text.

  The macro is as useful for communicating among multiple VDE sessions as it 
  is between VDE and Windows applications, but since file C:\V.V accumulates 
  in both Write and Read, remember to Zap just before Read so that only one 
  copy (which will be the one in the Windows Clipboard) of the text from the 
  other VDE session will be pasted.

  ==========================   USING A .VDK FILE   ===========================

  A .VDK file contains one compiled VDE macro. While using VDE, you can 
  install a macro from a .VDK file by simply loading it with VDE's AltU 
  command. It can be assigned to any function key you choose. If you wish you 
  can then save the complete macro set, including the new one, again using 
  VDE's AltU command.

  Quoting from VINST.DOC:

    VINST can use Function Key Definition files to store function-key sets, 
  which should have a file type of ".VDF". You can read in or write out such a  
  file, or edit the keys individually. During the editing process, you can 
  also read an individual key definition from or write it to a data file, 
  which should have a type of ".VDK"; thus you can move a single definition 
  from one set to another. (Note that the Quiet/No-repeat setting and label 
  are included in a .VDK file, but any Autoexec designation or alias is not.)

  Quoting from VDE.DOC:

  DATA FILES (AltU) -  AltU allows you change various settings in VDE by Using 
  (loading or saving) data files containing options, function keys, graphics, 
  character widths, or printer drivers.  VDF,K,G files can be loaded and 
  saved; .VDP,C,I files can be loaded.  [VINST can also create these data 
  files; see VINST.DOC for further explanation of them.]  If no directory is 
  specified with the filename, files must be in the current or VDE directory 
  (see DIRECTORIES).
      At the prompt for a data file to load, you can also access the FILE 
  BROWSER with [Enter], wildcards, or a directory name.  In this special case 
  the directory defaults to the VDE directory instead of the current one, and 
  the filespec to *.VD? instead of *.*.

  DIRECTORIES -  At any VDE filename prompt, you can always specify a 
  directory as well.  Otherwise, the default directory assumed by the file 
  commands (^KL,^KR,^KE,^KF,^KJ; AltL) is that of the current file; when 
  editing multiple files, this can differ from one to the next.  The directory 
  doesn't display in the header, but is shown by the AltK or ^KF commands.

      The current DOS directory remains unchanged, and is shown by the AltR 
  command, for which it is the default directory.  (It can be changed at the 
  AltR prompt.)  You will return to this directory upon exiting VDE.

        THE "VDE DIRECTORY": Sometimes other files associated with VDE need to
    be located in order to perform certain functions: AltU (or ";" on the
    command line) needs to be able to find .VDx data files; AltH,AltJ require
    the speller overlay and dictionary files.  Normally, all you need to do to
    enable VDE to find these files is to keep them in the "VDE directory", the
    same one from which VDE.EXE itself will be run.  But here are the
    additional details:
        If you do specify a directory along with the .VDx filename, the file
    will (only) be sought or put there.
        You can use the "SET" command to define an environment variable "VDE"
    designating a different VDE directory instead. For example:
                        C:\> SET VDE=C:\UTIL
    (It's convenient to put this in your AUTOEXEC.BAT.) [but see below - jw]
        If the file needed is not found in the VDE directory, it will be
    sought as a last resort in the current DOS directory.
        If you use AltU to SAVE a data file without specifying a directory,
    the first file by that name found in the above search will be overwritten;
    if no such file is found, a new one will be written to the VDE directory.

  ==================    WINDOWS 2000 AND XP ENVIRONMENT   ====================

  The [v.v:WRZ] macro depends on the DOS path to find and run CLIPTEXT.EXE.

  To adjust your path statement under Windows 2000 or XP:
  1. Right Click on the icon "My Computer" on your desktop or Start Menu.
  2. Select "Properties" after the context menu is exposed.
  3. Within the resulting dialog box choose the "Advanced" tab.
  4. Click the button "Environment Variables".
  5. In the "System Variables" list box that appears, scroll until your path 
     statement is visible, then double click it.
  6. Edit as needed.
  7. Click "OK" as needed to save your changes and return to the desktop.

  I recommend defining the environment variable "VDE" so that AltU will 
  default to a single directory for storing and retrieving *.VDK and other 
  *.VD? data files. The way to set this variable has changed under Windows 
  2000 and XP, and it's not (to me, anyway) intuitively obvious.

  To set the VDE Directory system variable under Windows 2000 or XP:
  1. Right Click on the icon "My Computer" on your desktop or Start Menu.
  2. Select "Properties" after the context menu is exposed.
  3. Within the resulting dialog box choose the "Advanced" tab.
  4. Click the button "Environment Variables".
  5. Under the "System Variables" list box that appears, click "New..."
  6. In the resulting "New System Variable" dialog box:
     for Variable Name, enter VDE
     for Variable Value, enter the path where you 
       want VDE to store and retrieve *.VD? files by default; example: C:\VDE
  7. Click "OK" as needed to save your entries and return to the desktop.