Hi All,

Does anyone use sempoint? I'm not understanding how the external
editors work. Is it possible to use a different editor? Or how do I run
the message through say a spell checker before I send?

The docs are not clear on this feature.

Shawn

--- Grumble
* Origin: If at first you don't succeed, blame your parents! (1:229/452)

On 01 Nov. 2024 07:44, you wrote to All:

Hi All,

Does anyone use sempoint? I'm not understanding how the external
editors work.

I revisited sempoint and tested it extensively just a handful of years ago. But I don't think the external editor feature was working. Will check my notes and past messages on this in the echos.
--- AfterShock/Android 1.7.5
* Origin: Mobile Pixel 3aXL (2:221/1.59)

August Abolins wrote in a message to Shawn Highfield:

Does anyone use sempoint? I'm not understanding how the external
editors work.

I revisited sempoint and tested it extensively just a handful of
years ago. But I don't think the external editor feature was
working. Will check my notes and past messages on this in the echos.

Ahhhh! That would explain why I can't figure it out. :) It's not a deal breaker for me as I can just configure the areas for qwk/bwave into another reader if I wanted to. I'm just too lazy to add them all manually to my areas.bbs.

If you do find your notes I apreciate your hunting it down for me, I don't have an archive for this area. :(

Shawn

... Most self-made men worship their creators.
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+
* Origin: Dirty ole' Town (1:229/452)

Hello Shawn!

Ahhhh! That would explain why I can't figure it out. :)
It's not a deal breaker for me as I can just configure the
areas for qwk/bwave into another reader if I wanted to.
I'm just too lazy to add them all manually to my
areas.bbs.

Did you check the context-sensitive HELP? Click on that and a
whole panel on the configuration pops up. The key is to pass
$TMP$ properly to your editor.

External Editors configuration

Menu: Configuration | External Editors


Use

With this function you can configure SemPoint for use with up to nine different external
editors (e.g. WordPerfect) or spell checkers or grammar checkers or anything else that
can apply to the text of a message.


Instructions

Use the buttons Add Change Delete to call the function you need.
Note that the first line, corresponding to the "PGP encrypt" function can not be deleted.



Click the Close button to save configuration and exit.

If you do find your notes I apreciate your hunting it down
for me, I don't have an archive for this area. :(

Nothing sofar based on some key words. I don't delete anything
that I have posted myself. I'll keep looking.

I have sempoint here too. I'll see if I can trigger notepad as
my editor or something.
--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.58
* Origin: The ONLY point that matters! --> . <-- (2:221/1.58)

Hi August,
On <Sat, 01 Nov 24>, you wrote me:

Did you check the context-sensitive HELP? Click on that and a
whole panel on the configuration pops up. The key is to pass
$TMP$ properly to your editor.

Yes I've read it many times through. I have notepad configured
but.... how do I call it?

Click the Close button to save configuration and exit.

See? No instructions on how to use the said external editor.

I have sempoint here too. I'll see if I can trigger notepad as
my editor or something.

That would work.

Shawn

--- Grumble
* Origin: If everything seems to go right, check your zipper. (1:229/452)

Hello Shawn!

Yes I've read it many times through. I have notepad
configured but.... how do I call it?

True.. invoking it seems to be a mystery.

I have sempoint here too. I'll see if I can trigger notepad as
my editor or something.

That would work.

I dunno how to do it. I went through Preferences and anything
else that looked obvious. No setting or information on how to
invoke any of the "configured" external programs. It's
probably a hidden hot-key sequence.

Personally, I found the internal editor quite nice and never
pursued anything further.

Maybe chatgpt can scour for the long lost info?

--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.58
* Origin: The ONLY point that matters! --> . <-- (2:221/1.58)

August Abolins wrote in a message to Shawn Highfield:

configured but.... how do I call it?

True.. invoking it seems to be a mystery.

I'm glad you couldn't find it either. I really thought I was losing my mind.

invoke any of the "configured" external programs. It's
probably a hidden hot-key sequence.

Must be yes.

Personally, I found the internal editor quite nice and never
pursued anything further.

It's fine. I want to run things through a spell checker and maybe use a normal tagline instead of the origin thing it does internally.

Maybe chatgpt can scour for the long lost info?

Well, How would it know? Someone would have had to feed the source code into it and if they did that why wouldn't they release it so we could look at it? I don't care if it won't compile, just want to know the magic. :)

Shawn

... Pros are those who do their jobs well, even when they don't feel like it. --- timEd 1.10.y2k+
* Origin: Dirty ole' Town (1:229/452)

I'm glad you couldn't find it either. I really thought I was losing my mind.

It's really weird that the internal Help documents it and the program allows configuring it, but there seems to be no obvious way to trigger it.

It's fine. I want to run things through a spell checker and maybe use a normal tagline instead of the origin thing it does internally.

I thought Sempoint's own Tagline feature was pretty good.

Maybe chatgpt can scour for the long lost info?

Well, How would it know? Someone would have had to feed the source code into it and if they did that why wouldn't they release it so we could look at it? I don't care if it won't compile, just want to know the magic. :)

I thought maybe chatgpt had tentacles that would reach a variety of sources on the net.

--- AfterShock/Android 1.6.8
* Origin: Mobile Blackberry Q10 (1:153/757.22)

August Abolins wrote in a message to Shawn Highfield:

It's really weird that the internal Help documents it and the
program allows configuring it, but there seems to be no obvious way
to trigger it.

Exactly why I posted here. I was hoping someone had used it in the past and could remember if there was a key stroke, or if maybe it was disabled when he released it free....

I thought Sempoint's own Tagline feature was pretty good.

I don't like how it puts it in the origin line, and shortens it to like 50 characters.

I thought maybe chatgpt had tentacles that would reach a variety of
sources on the net.

Ohh true. I don't have a chatgpt account and have no interest in figuring out how to get one. I suppose I could ask the bing bot it's been helping me program. hahaha

I asked it to convert a console program I wrote to lazarus, it did and it compiles. But it's now just a much larger console app. hahahaha

Shawn

... Illiteratets of the wlord. Untie!
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+
* Origin: Dirty ole' Town (1:229/452)

Maybe chatgpt can scour for the long lost info?

Well, How would it know? Someone would have had to feed the source code into it and if they did that why wouldn't they release it so we could look at it? I don't care if it won't compile, just want to know the magic. :)

Chatgpg seems think there is a .CFG file:

I asked: sempoint 2.26 is a fidonet echomail program. what is the trick to invoke an external editor with sempoint?

ChatGPT said:

To configure Sempoint 2.26 to use an external editor for writing or editing messages, follow these steps:

Select an Editor: First, make sure you have a text editor that can be launched from the command line, like EDIT.COM, EDIT.EXE, or any DOS-compatible editor of your choice.

Set Up the Editor in Sempoint:
Open your SEPOINT.CFG file (Sempoint's configuration file) in a text editor.
Look for a line that defines the editor setting, usually something like EDITOR=.
Specify the path to the external editor. For example:

plaintext

EDITOR=C:\DOS\EDIT.COM

Ensure that the editor path is correct and accessible from the command line in your DOS environment.

Configure Editor Parameters (Optional):

Some external editors accept parameters for the file to edit or the initial cursor position. Sempoint should be able to pass these to your editor.
If your editor supports this, specify any necessary parameters alongside the editor path. For instance:

plaintext

EDITOR=C:\DOS\EDIT.COM %f

Replace %f with the variable Sempoint uses to represent the message file. This can vary, so consult the documentation to confirm if Sempoint supports %f or a similar placeholder.

Testing:

Once configured, open Sempoint and try to edit a message. It should now invoke the specified editor.

Troubleshooting:

If the editor doesnÆt launch or if Sempoint produces errors, double-check the editor path and file parameters.
Ensure youÆre not running into memory limitations if youÆre on an older DOS environment.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

August Abolins wrote in a message to Shawn Highfield:

To configure Sempoint 2.26 to use an external editor for writing or
editing messages, follow these steps:

I mean yeah.... The .cfg file is a database or binary file or wahtever the heck they are called.

If I view it with a text editor I can see the editors I have configured.

Ensure that the editor path is correct and accessible from the
command line in your DOS environment.

Done.

EDITOR=C:\DOS\EDIT.COM %f
Replace %f with the variable Sempoint uses to represent the
message file. This can vary, so consult the documentation to confirm
if Sempoint supports %f or a similar placeholder.

It uses something else. The default setup is looked for $TMP$ in the main sempoint directory. This file is never created. I've watched the filesection step by step. No files are created in any of the temp or sempoint directory structure.

Ensure youAEre not running into memory limitations if youAEre on
an older DOS environment.

Lots of memory.

Thanks for helping though August, I appreciate it.

Shawn

... Good: You get a three-day weekend. Bad: You get the flu on Friday.
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+
* Origin: Dirty ole' Town (1:229/452)

Hello Shawn!

I thought Sempoint's own Tagline feature was pretty good.

I don't like how it puts it in the origin line, and shortens it to like
50 characters.

Huh? You can change the default prefix "SemPoint @VER#+" to
anything you want, or delete that string. Then you will have a
few more chars for your own tagline.


--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.58
* Origin: The ONLY point that matters! --> . <-- (2:221/1.58)

ChatGPT said:

To configure Sempoint 2.26 to use an external editor for writing or editing messages, follow these steps:

Select an Editor: First, make sure you have a text editor that can be launched from the command line, like EDIT.COM, EDIT.EXE, or any DOS-compatible editor of your choice.

Set Up the Editor in Sempoint:
Open your SEPOINT.CFG file (Sempoint's configuration file) in a text editor.
Look for a line that defines the editor setting, usually
something like EDITOR=.
Specify the path to the external editor. For example:

[...]

I just checked my own /SEM dir, and although there is a
sempoint.cfg file, it's binary. AI is a big fail. :D




--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.58
* Origin: The ONLY point that matters! --> . <-- (2:221/1.58)

Hello Shawn!

[...] The default setup is looked for $TMP$ in the main
sempoint directory. This file is never created. I've
watched the filesection step by step. No files are
created in any of the temp or sempoint directory
structure.

That was a good idea to watch for the creation of any new
temporary files.

As you mentioned in another msg, perhaps the external call was
a salient feature of a registered copy. But when the updated
ver 2.26 was simply released free, maybe the external call was
missed.

--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.58
* Origin: The ONLY point that matters! --> . <-- (2:221/1.58)

Hi August,
On <Mon, 03 Nov 24>, you wrote me:

created in any of the temp or sempoint directory
structure.

That was a good idea to watch for the creation of any new
temporary files.

My thought process was if I could at least find the temp file, I
know the external editor feature is there.

As you mentioned in another msg, perhaps the external call was
a salient feature of a registered copy. But when the updated
ver 2.26 was simply released free, maybe the external call was
missed.

That's all I can think of. Oh well thanks for spending the time to
check into it with me! If nothing else at least it was a way to help
kill some time. LOL

Shawn

--- Grumble
* Origin: Heresy is only another word for freedom of thought. (1:229/452)

Hi August,
On <Mon, 03 Nov 24>, you wrote me:

As you mentioned in another msg, perhaps the external call was
a salient feature of a registered copy. But when the updated
ver 2.26 was simply released free, maybe the external call was
missed.

I found it!!!!!! I'm writing this message using TSE as the editor
from within Sempoint.

After you hit reply to the message. Right click the mouse and from there
the external menu shows up! I just right clicked by accident and found it
and can say this is working.

Shawn


--- Grumble
* Origin: If we agree on everything, one of us isn't thinking. (1:229/452)

Hello Shawn!

I found it!!!!!! I'm writing this message using TSE as
the editor from within Sempoint.

After you hit reply to the message. Right click the mouse and from there the external menu shows up! I just right clicked by accident and found
it and can say this is working.

Now that sounds familiar - that is, extra right-click for
hidden menus. Thx.

But it doesn't seem to work for me. It just stalls, and I have
to force a kill on the program to get out of that. I guess it
can't find the simple notepad.exe.

--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.58
* Origin: The ONLY point that matters! --> . <-- (2:221/1.58)

Hi August,
On <Mon, 17 Nov 24>, you wrote me:

Now that sounds familiar - that is, extra right-click for
hidden menus. Thx.

No problem. When I found it I wrote to you right away since,
you spent so much time trying to find it as well.
I am using TSE again as I type this.

But it doesn't seem to work for me. It just stalls, and I have
to force a kill on the program to get out of that. I guess it
can't find the simple notepad.exe.

I get that as well, it seems to be the PIF file that it's attempting to
launch. I configured another editor called TSE and it always works.

Shawn


--- Grumble
* Origin: A straw vote only shows which way the hot air blows. (1:229/452)