Re: Differences between AppleWorks 3.x, 4.x, and 5.x

[gareth@vcn.bc.ca (Gareth Jones)]

Charles Stephens (devnull@dobbs.eng.sun.com) wrote:
: When I last left the Apple II universe, I was using some version of
: AppleWorks 3.x (the cool version that had all the Beagle Bros
: enhancements built in).  However, I have seen references to AppleWorks 4
: and 5.  What was added?  Where can I get a legit. copy of the latest
: version (not to stir up a flame war, but I like my software clean and
: honest)?
: 
: cfs

I recently got a copy of AppleWorks 4 to play with, so I'm still pretty
sensitive to the differences there. OK, built in are "Triple Desktop" (36
files in memory instead of 12), "Total Control" (filters and masks in the
Database) plus one database can pull information from another, or be
linked to portions of a word processing document. The spreadsheet has can
have comments in cells. The word processor replaces the omnipresent caret
symbol with specialized symbols for underlines, boldfacing, etc. and
allows you to split the screen into two windows for comparing two sections
of text. Glossaries are allowed in the wp and db. The ultramacros player
is included. All this extra power will reduce your desktop to about 20K in
a 128K system, so more is advised.

AW 5.x requires 256K or better to run. It has all of ultramacros, a 3d
spreadsheet, the fancy Beagle screensaver, and more. Here's a file on it I
found in the FAQs:

  ______________________________________________
 �                                              �
 � AppleWorks 5 by Randy Brandt and Dan Verkade �
 �______________________________________________�
 
  Available October 24, 1994 from
 
  Quality Computers
  20200 Nine Mile Road
  St. Clair Shores, MI  48080
 
  Phone: 1-800-777-3642
 
  Update from AppleWorks 4:        $59
  Update from AppleWorks 1-3:      $79
  First-time purchase              $99
 
 
This file may be distributed freely and reprinted in user group
publications.
 
==================
Specs and Features
==================
 
Requirements
------------
- requires IIgs, 256k+ IIc, or 256k+ enhanced IIe (65C02 and MouseText)
- ships on two 3.5" disks (no 5.25" disks)
 
Miscellaneous
-------------
- loads files from all older versions of AppleWorks
- files remain compatible with AppleWorks 4, except when a few new
features are used (such @Today in SS or background text in the DB)
- includes AfterWork screen saver engine with several sample modules
- includes Randy's Free Patcher for customizing AppleWorks a la SuperPatch
and Companion Plus
 
TimeOut
-------
- virtually all AW4-compatible TimeOut apps work with AW5 (updating to AW5
doesn't mean another TimeOut updating nightmare!). The pseduo-TimeOut apps
which appear on the TimeOut menu but are really macros (TAPL programs) are
an exception. Most of them will need to be recompiled and resaved as
TimeOut apps before they will work.
- if both apple keys are down at bootup, TimeOut loads only TimeOut
Utilities for maximum startup speed while allowing you to later add
TimeOut menus via Utilities' Add applications option
 
UltraMacros
-----------
- includes complete UltraMacros (allows recording, Debug)
- includes new dot commands including justify, password, window,
spellpath, topath, and initpath
- adds <aol> for outliner; a:<aol oa-J oa-R>! // show all with body text
- macro titles expanded from 512 to 768 bytes
- macros work at menus whether one-touch feature is on or off (macros act
as if the feature is off, so Return is always required in the macro)
- dropped #dirsort, added #totalfiles (count of all three desktops)
- compiler's #dbselrecs label fixed (AW4 bug)
- NOTE: macro sets must be recompiled, but source is 100% compatible
 
Desktop Organizer
-----------------
- "remember files" option keeps list of nine most recently-loaded files,
accessible by pressing OA-Return on Main Menu item 1, or by pressing OA-P
(pick file) from Add files menu. With one-touch menus active, you can load
any one of your nine most recent files with only two keystrokes after
booting up. These files can be on any disk or in any subdirectory, as long
as the disk is in a drive when the file is selected.
 
Printer Buffer
- optional print buffer is built-in; files print to the desktop and then
are output a line at a time while you're working (This is a much-improved
version of WaitLess, but still has some IIc problems, such as echoing to
screen. The IIc+ apparently works flawlessly.)
 
Spelling Checker Options
- Spelling Checker menu adds Thesaurus copy synonyms option
- thesaurus synonyms may be copied even if dictionaries are not
- long dictionary paths may now be defined (AW4 quirk)
 
Disk File Lists
- oa-A arrange listings adds Reverse option to invert the current order
- pressing Space Bar now toggles file picking at lists (also at
Save/Remove lists)
- OA-Space toggles all off, all on at file lists; OA-Right works from
cursor, while OA-Space works from the top regardless of position
- user chooses how lists are sorted (Misc menu of Standard Setttings)
- typeless files no longer display as ADB files (AW4 bug)
 
- when changing the path by picking subdirectories from a disk list,
pressing OA-Return opens the highlighted subdirectory and lists
subdirectories within it, allowing you to pick yet another subdirectory,
instead of just returning to the Change Current Disk menu
 
Display/Standard Settings
- MouseText option draws file cards, OA-Q menu, WP carriage return in
MouseText or original characters.
- foreign users may define currency, vertical character in Standard
Settings
- yes/no question order can be defined so Yes is the default, or the
Yes/No verification can be skipped completely
- date option allows spelled out months, as in "February 21 1994"
- formerly, defining standard setting pathnames could overflow the limit
in older versions, causing major problems (AW4 bug)
 
Misc
- AW5 auto switches desktops if more than 12 files are picked for current
desktop, or if you try to add a file to a full desktop index
- alarms may be set for any specific date and time, or for daily
repetition; at the appointed time, a message pops up on the screen
- OA-Q OA-P takes you to the change current disk option
- after creating a subdirectory, press OA-Space or OA-Return to set the
current path to the new directory and exit the subdirectory create mode
- file types may by changed using File Activities; if "???" is selected,
you can enter any file type from 0 to 255.
- using the mouse now resets the screen blanker delay (AW4 quirk)
- pressing OA-Escape during a file save is no longer fatal (AW4 bug)
- when Tab is pressed to change desktops at the Save or Remove files
menus, the files are no longer displayed as selected (AW4 bug)
 
Word Processor 
--------------
- a full-featured outliner is included; press OA-+ to activate, OA-/ in
outliner for help screen. This outliner is improved over the old AW 3
Outliner. Files stay in outline mode even when you leave and come back You
can load a file from disk and have it come up as an outline.
 
- MouseText mode allows you to type MouseText directly into a document
- AW5 prints imbedded MouseText on ImageWriter II printers
- OA-P now has an option to print odd or even pages only
- Set Marker 160 marks comment lines that don't print (end with 161)
- new print to screen preview shows actual text (handy for mail merge)
 
- new Ctrl-Q command sets marker 0, Ctrl-W finds marker 0; this is handy
for setting a "bookmark", like when you freeze the window, scroll around
in the bottom, and then want to return to the original location
 
- when using OA-O to enter printer options with a numeric value, such as
Indent or margins, pressing OA-Return after the number immediately returns
to the file instead of waiting for additional entries
- split screen splits on line above the cursor. Split windows are
preserved when you leave and return to the file. (much improved over AW4)
 
- AW5 preserves the last oa-F find text when you switch files
- find and replace supports MouseText (Control-T to enter it), tabs (^T),
sticky spaces (^ ) and wildcards (^?).
 
- the second word in a hyphenated word is spell-checked correctly using
check Word option when the cursor is on the second word (AW4 bug)
 
- text files are loaded with margins set to 0 for maximum width
- user now prompted when used OA-S to save AWP over TXT or TXT over AWP;
TXT over TXT and AWP over AWP save with no questions asked
- text files may now be saved in Merlin source format
 
- space tab (was Control-T) is now Control-S (Space tab)
- OA-T Tab editor now lets you edit the default ruler used for new files
(unlike pre-AW5 patches, you now have full control over the entire ruler)
- tab ruler editor has F for First tab ruler (the original AW3/AW4 style)
and S for the Standard tab ruler (currently stored in memory and SEG.ER)
- Standard Settings' Word Processor options allows setting default top,
bottom, left and right margins for new files
 
Spreadsheet
-----------
- now has individual cell memos (cell notes); press OA-G on a non-blank
cell to get a new memo or the existing one
- enhanced Find searches for memos and for text in memos
- OA-Return when selecting Text for finds restricts to whole words
- dynamic @Alert function updates each recalc
- new @Today functions updates each recalc
- @Find is now case-sensitive (use @upper or @lower for insensitive finds)
- new "recalc before saving" option (OA-O options menu)
- SS uses Standard Settings currency, decimal and comma settings. Values
must still be entered using comma and period, but they display using the
user-defined settings
 
Data Base
---------
- background text in SRL (single record layout) screens and in label
reports; can include MouseText and inverse characters for creating
attractive screens and forms for data entry
- new option allows category hiding in SRL layouts
- AW5 can create SRL layouts from SRL reports
- OA-M mixed mode in SRL shows a scrolling list of the current category
entries, with remaining SRL data updated live as you scroll through list
- single hires and double hires graphics can be displayed, a la DB Pix.
PrintShop graphics can be displayed as part of an SRL screen
- option to add new records at end of file instead of inserting at the
cursor (use OA-Return when entering the count of records to insert)
- enter category number at scrolling lists (great for macros)
- AW5 allows tab to accept newly-entered text in an edited category
- reports now have an OA-R menu just like RAC mode
- Control-T toggles MouseText entry in Review/Add/Change mode
- DB uses Standard Settings currency, decimal and comma settings
- new TimeOut app offers find & replace text in the DB
 
- cursor moves after auto-recalc category does its thing (AW4 quirk)
- copy or move to clipboard no longer cancels rules (AW4 quirk)
- the report editing screen shows the Group Totals heading on a line which
doesn't get erased (AW4 quirk)
 
- auto-recalc no longer blanks the top line (AW4 bug)
- MRL category widths no longer bunch up during layout change (AW4 bug)
- the glossary properly displays date/time categories (AW4 bug)


-----------------------------
Please note that "Quality Computers," the developers and publishers of
AppleWorks 4 and 5.1 are now called "Scantron Quality Computers."

-Gareth