TheDraw
Encyclopedia
TheDraw is a text editor
for MS DOS to create ANSI
and animations as well as ASCII art
. The editor is especially useful to create or modify files in ANSI
format and text documents, which use the graphical characters of the IBM ASCII code pages, because they are not supported by Microsoft Windows
anymore. The first version of the editor was developed in 1986 by Ian E. Davis of TheSoft Programming Services. The last public version of the editor was version 4.63, which was released in October 1993.
TheDraw was one of the first ANSI editors that supported ANSIs longer than 25 rows. The limit in the latest available version is still 100 rows. Other editors, such as ACiDDraw are able to support ANSIs larger than 100 lines for a single ANSI/ASCII (ACiDDraw supports 1,000 lines). The animation mode is limited to 50 lines (rows). The column width can be extended from the standard 80 characters to 160, but this also reduces the row limit down to 50.
and allows the user to maintain mouse control. Used with Windows Vista
however, TheDraw performs with less predictable results. It works with DOSBox
.
Text editor
A text editor is a type of program used for editing plain text files.Text editors are often provided with operating systems or software development packages, and can be used to change configuration files and programming language source code....
for MS DOS to create ANSI
ANSI art
ANSI art is a computer art form that was widely used at one time on BBSes. It is similar to ASCII art, but constructed from a larger set of 256 letters, numbers, and symbols — all codes found in IBM code page 437, often referred to as extended ASCII and used in MS-DOS and Unix environments...
and animations as well as ASCII art
ASCII art
ASCII art is a graphic design technique that uses computers for presentation and consists of pictures pieced together from the 95 printable characters defined by the ASCII Standard from 1963 and ASCII compliant character sets with proprietary extended characters...
. The editor is especially useful to create or modify files in ANSI
Ansi
Ansi is a village in Kaarma Parish, Saare County, on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia....
format and text documents, which use the graphical characters of the IBM ASCII code pages, because they are not supported by Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
anymore. The first version of the editor was developed in 1986 by Ian E. Davis of TheSoft Programming Services. The last public version of the editor was version 4.63, which was released in October 1993.
TheDraw was one of the first ANSI editors that supported ANSIs longer than 25 rows. The limit in the latest available version is still 100 rows. Other editors, such as ACiDDraw are able to support ANSIs larger than 100 lines for a single ANSI/ASCII (ACiDDraw supports 1,000 lines). The animation mode is limited to 50 lines (rows). The column width can be extended from the standard 80 characters to 160, but this also reduces the row limit down to 50.
Compatibility with Microsoft Windows
The program runs stably in a DOS Window on Windows XPWindows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
and allows the user to maintain mouse control. Used with Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
however, TheDraw performs with less predictable results. It works with DOSBox
DOSBox
DOSBox is emulator software that emulates an IBM PC compatible computer running MS-DOS. It is intended especially for use with old PC games. DOSBox is free software....
.
Significant features
Some of the features of the editor include:- Mouse support to select blocks of text within the editor (even under Windows in window and full-screen mode)
- For the selected area/block exist a number of unique functions
- Fill function to change the color of a whole section of the text
- Copy/Move and Paste function to copy/move entire blocks of text within the document.
- Erase function that clears the selected area of any characters without the surrounding characters changing position.
- Replace function to replace the content of the selected area with the content of the TheDraw "clipboard".
- Load/Save function to save only the selected area or load an ANSI/ASCII from the hard disk into the selected area (replace).
- Font manager to create/modify and organize ASCIIASCIIThe American Standard Code for Information Interchange is a character-encoding scheme based on the ordering of the English alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communications equipment, and other devices that use text...
and ANSIAnsiAnsi is a village in Kaarma Parish, Saare County, on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia....
fonts to be used within the editor - Additional file formats in addition to ANSI (.ANS) and text (.ASC).
- The proprietary PCBoardPCBoardPCBoard was a bulletin board system application first introduced for DOS in 1983 by Clark Development Corporation. Clark Development was founded by Fred Clark. PCBoard was one of the first commercial BBS packages for DOS systems, and was considered one of the "high end" packages during the rapid...
(.PCB) and Wildcat! BBSWildcat! BBSWildcat! BBS was a bulletin board system server application that Mustang Software developed in 1986 for DOS, and later ported to Microsoft Windows. By the release of Version 4 it was the basis for more than 50,000 bulletin board systems worldwide....
(.BBS) file formats. - The AVATAR (.AVT) file standard defined by FidoNetFidoNetFidoNet is a worldwide computer network that is used for communication between bulletin board systems. It was most popular in the early to mid 1990s, prior to the introduction of easy and affordable access to the Internet...
. - Save files for various programming languages, including AssemblerAssembly languageAn assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...
(.ASM), CC (programming language)C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
(.H) and Turbo PascalTurbo PascalTurbo Pascal is a software development system that includes a compiler and an integrated development environment for the Pascal programming language running on CP/M, CP/M-86, and DOS, developed by Borland under Philippe Kahn's leadership...
(.PAS). - Ability to save ANSIs as .COM binaryCOM fileIn many computer operating systems, a COM file is a type of executable file; the name is derived from the file name extension .COM. Originally, the term stood for "Command file", a text file containing commands to be issued to the operating system , on many of the Digital Equipment Corporation mini...
, .BIN and object codeObject fileAn object file is a file containing relocatable format machine code that is usually not directly executable. Object files are produced by an assembler, compiler, or other language translator, and used as input to the linker....
(.OBJ). - Other supported formats: BSaveBSAVE (graphics image format)A BSAVE Image as it is referenced in a graphics program is an image file format created usually by saving raw video memory to disk ....
(.BSV) and backup files (.BAK) - Comprehensive help screens
- Preset transition animations to wipe or change the image
- ANSI animation support (creation and modification)
- The "Draw Mode" used automatically the appropriate character from the currently selected set to draw lines and corners by simply using the cursor keys (up/down/left/right)
- The default character sets can be modified and extended
See also
- ASCII artASCII artASCII art is a graphic design technique that uses computers for presentation and consists of pictures pieced together from the 95 printable characters defined by the ASCII Standard from 1963 and ASCII compliant character sets with proprietary extended characters...
- ANSI artANSI artANSI art is a computer art form that was widely used at one time on BBSes. It is similar to ASCII art, but constructed from a larger set of 256 letters, numbers, and symbols — all codes found in IBM code page 437, often referred to as extended ASCII and used in MS-DOS and Unix environments...
- List of text editors (ASCII and ANSI art section)
- PabloDrawPabloDrawPabloDraw is a text editor for Windows, designed for creating ANSI and ASCII art, similar to that of its DOS-based predecessors; ACiDDraw and TheDraw ....
External links
- TheDraw V4.63 download page
- Interview with Ian Davis, creator of TheDraw, by RaD Man of ACiD ProductionsACiD ProductionsACiD Productions is a digital art group. Founded in 1990, the group originally specialized in ANSI artwork for BBSes. More recently, they have extended their reach into other graphical media and computer software development...