We've developed a series of tutorials to help beginning users get the most out of Boxer. These tutorials are task-oriented, and illustrate how to solve several different common editing tasks. Even experienced users may learn some new techniques by studying these tutorials.

List of Tutorials

• I sometimes need to insert a character that can't be typed from the keyboard. I know the character's value, but how can I enter this character into a file I'm editing in Boxer?

• There's a command in the main menu that I use all the time, but it doesn't have a shortcut key assigned to it. How can I add a key assignment to a command so I don't need to issue the command from the menu?

• I have a file that used to look fine under DOS, but when I look at it using various Windows programs all the accented characters are mixed up. How can I make this file look right in Windows?

• I am frequently given files that need to be imported into a word processor. But when I do so, the paragraphs don't flow properly, and I need to delete the line enders manually after importing. How can I use Boxer to remove these line enders so that importing goes as expected?

• Each month we're given a new part list that differs from the previous month's list in just a few small ways. My job is to find the differences so that I can make the necessary adjustments. How can I use Boxer to compare two files and locate the differences?

• There are several standard text blocks that I'd like to be able to insert into the files I edit. I've got them in separate files right now, but it's cumbersome to open these files every time I need to insert the text. How can I use Boxer to store and then insert these text blocks into any file I'm editing?

Inserting special characters

Boxer offers several different ways to enter special characters into a text file.

Option 1

• Choose the Edit|Insert|Character command from Boxer's main menu
• Type the value of the character into the box provided
• Click OK

The Insert Character dialog will remember the last value typed in case the value needs to be entered again later.

Option 2

• Choose the Tools|ANSI Chart command from Boxer's main menu
• Locate the character to be inserted in the table displayed
• Press Enter or double-click to insert the selected character into the text

The ANSI Chart can be left on-screen as you work in case additional special characters must be entered.

Option 3

If you find yourself repeatedly entering the same special character, you can make that character accessible with a shortcut key.

• Choose the Configure|Preferences command from Boxer's main menu
• Click the Editing 2 tab
• At the upper right, notice the eight pre-defined special characters
• Enter the value of your special character into one of these locations
• Click OK

The eight characters defined as Insert Symbols are accessible at any time by pressing Shift+Ctrl+1 to Shift+Ctrl+8.

Adding a key assignment

Here's how to add a shortcut key to a command that doesn't have one:

• Choose the Configure|Keyboard command from Boxer's main menu
• Locate and select the command in the list titled Commands
• Select a key for this command in the list titled Unassigned keys
• Click the Change button
• Click OK

OEM and ANSI character sets

Files created under DOS may look different when viewed in a Windows program because the two environments use different character sets. A character set is a table that determines how each character appears on-screen, or when sent to a printer. All modern character sets agree on how the standard characters, digits and symbols will appear, but accented characters and special symbols are typically not the same across different character sets. DOS programs use a character set called OEM; most Windows programs use a character set called ANSI.

There are a two different options for dealing with the ANSI/OEM character set issue, and which option you choose is dictated by how you need to use the older DOS/OEM files. If you still need to use the files with a DOS program, you'll want to adjust Boxer's screen and printer font so that the files appear properly. If you no longer need to use the files under DOS, you can permanently convert the files to the ANSI character set.

Option 1: Configure Boxer to display files using an OEM screen font

• Choose the Configure|Screen Font command from Boxer's main menu
• Locate and click on the font named Terminal in the Font list
• Click on a suitable font size in the font size list
• Click OK

Changing the screen font will ensure that DOS/OEM files are displayed properly on screen. If you need to print such files from within Boxer you'll also need to change the Printer Font to an OEM font:

• Choose the Configure|Printer Font command from Boxer's main menu
• Locate and click on the font named Terminal in the Font list
• Click on a suitable font size in the font size list
• Click OK

Note: Terminal was named above because it is a widely available font that uses the OEM character mapping. However, it's not a font that's generally considered easy on the eyes. You may have other OEM fonts already installed on your system. As you click on each font, look at the box labeled Script to see if the font offers an OEM mapping. You may also be able to find and download other fixed width OEM fonts from the internet. Please note that Boxer requires the use of a fixed width font; proportionally spaced fonts cannot be used. (This requirement derives from Boxer's ability to select and process text in rectangular blocks.)

Option 2: Permanently convert the older OEM/DOS file to ANSI

• Load the file for editing using File|Open or by dragging and dropping the file onto Boxer
• Choose the Edit|Select All Text command from Boxer's main menu
• Choose the Block|Convert Other|ANSI to OEM command from Boxer's main menu
• Verify that the file displays properly and then use the File|Save command to save the changes

Preparing text for importing to a word processor

When text is imported to a word processor, the word processor expects that each paragraph is a long, flowing line without intervening line enders. However, many text files have line enders which enforce the width of the paragraph. Boxer can be used to prepare such files for importing:

• Load the file for editing using File|Open or by dragging and dropping the file onto Boxer
• Choose the Edit|Select All Text command, or manually select the lines of interest
• Issue the Paragraph|Unformat command to process the selected lines
• Use the File|Save command to save the changes

Your file is now ready for importing into a word processor, or into any other application that requires flowing text without line enders.

Compare two similar files and locate the differences

Boxer has a built-in command to compare the text of two or more files. Here's how to proceed:

• Load the files for editing using File|Open or by dragging and dropping the files onto Boxer
• Issue the Window|Tile Across command to situate the windows side-by-side across the full window
• Ensure that the cursor is sitting on line 1 in each file
• Issue the Search|Find Differing Lines command to locate the first differing line among the open files

If the change involves a difference in the text along the line, the first point of difference will be indicated and you'll be able to continue by issuing the Search|Find Differing Lines command again to move through the file. If the change is the result of added or deleted lines, you'll need to reposition the cursor on an identical line in each file before issuing the command again.

To make the process go more smoothly, you might wish to make note of the shortcut key for the Search|Find Differing Lines command (typically Ctrl+D) so that it can be issued directly from the keyboard.

For some files, it might be easier to use the Window|Tile Down command to orient the windows in a top to bottom configuration rather than a left to right configuration.

Storing and inserting standard text blocks

Boxer has multiple private clipboards, and the content of these clipboards is preserved from session to session. These clipboards are a great place to store any text blocks that you need to have access to as you're editing.

To store text on a private clipboard:

• Load the file that contains the text to be saved, or type the text into a new file
• Select the text that's going to be saved
• Issue the Edit|Set Clipboard|Clipboard 1 command to make clipboard 1 active
• Issue the Edit|Copy command to copy the selected text to clipboard 1

Repeat the steps above, saving each text block to a different private clipboard. There are eight private clipboards available.

Important: when you're done, remember to use the Edit|Set Clipboard|Windows command to reset the active clipboard to the Windows Clipboard. Otherwise, all of Boxer's cut/copy/paste operations will be performed on a private clipboard, and Boxer won't be able to “see” text placed on the clipboard by other Windows programs.

To insert the text from a private clipboard, simply do this:

• Issue the Edit|Paste Clipboard|Clipboard n command to paste the content of clipboard n

As you cursor across the various Edit|Paste Clipboard|Clipboard n commands in the main menu, you'll notice that the current content of the clipboard is displayed in a popup tool tip window. This makes it easy to recall which text block resides on which clipboard.