Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!husc6!m2c!wpi!ggray
From: ggray@wpi.wpi.edu (Gary Gray)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: does anybody need this?
Keywords: documentation printer
Message-ID: <1644@wpi.wpi.edu>
Date: 2 Apr 89 14:25:05 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass.
Lines: 37

Last night I was printing out the documentation to Kermit, and had one hell of
a time trying to get it to fit on a page properly so I could stick it into a 3
ring binder.... Which gave me an idea.  Would anyone (especially you
shareware/freeware authors) be interested in a program that would print
documentation?  It would allow the user to state how s/he would like the stuff
printed (# of columns, margins (top, bottom, left, right) print style for
titles and such).  It would also account for stuff like diagrams and such that
should not be broken over page bounderies (it would print the diagram at the
top of the next page, and would fill the remainder of the current page with
text) Also, since the user can input his printer setup, the documentation
writer could have access to things like italics, underlining, wide printing
and such without having to think about what the different printer code are for
these.  Other features:

a) automatic header-footer generation
b) automatic page number printing (option for a time/date stamp)
c) the ability to redefine the page size
d) the capability of re-assigning print styles (in case your printer cannot
   handle a certain style or if you can't stomach it)
e) a startup for the printer to put it in special modes (letter quality,
   condensed, etc)
f) The generation of a table of contents that actually means something (the
author would mark the line of text to be referenced in the document, the 
table of contents would be printed last with this information...)

I am curious as to whether this would be used at all.  It would allow a simple
text file to be formatted in an attractive manner with only a small amount of
effort by the author of the document.  The user will get the documentation
printer the way he wants it, without having to re-edit the file.  Is this of
any use?  Has someone already introduced such a program?  I could go on and on
about the features I'd put in it, but if I am just covering old ground I don't
want to waste anyone's time....
-- 
_____________________________________________________________________________ 
 _        			|"Don't care if they say we are a dyin' race 
/ _ ar \/   ggray@wpi.bitnet    | I'd rather be here than any other place 
\_| ra /    ggray@wpi.wpi.edu   | Keep on working, Keep on working" P.T.