Language Studies Department
CharPad Text Editor Download & Guide
CharPad Windows Text Editor for
Working with Special and Foreign Language
Characters
Requires about 455K of free hard disk space
when installed.
Last Program Update 30 Jan 97
CharPad is a
replacement for Windows Notepad for rapid entry, printing and
saving of short (<33K) texts. Designed especially for foreign
language users, it provides a simple, intuitive method for entering
foreign characters. Text can be entered in CharPad and copied and
pasted to a full-featured word processor for further formatting
if required. CharPad has been tested with both Windows 3.1 and
Windows 95. Unlike Notepad, CharPad supports Search and Replace,
as well as font selection. For most learners it may be sufficient
for homework assignments and short papers.
Limitations.
CharPad does not support multiple font styles (underline, italic, various
sizes) within a single document), nor can it import documents
produced by Word Perfect or other word processors, unless the
document was saved as ANSI (Windows) or ASCII (DOS) text.
Currently, documentation is limited to two online help files,
which can be printed out from the program. Check back later for a
version with fuller documentation.
Installation Guide
- Print out and read all instructions before proceeding.
- Using Windows File Manager:
- verify that you have at least 455K free space on
the C: drive; delete unneeded files if necessary;
- create directory C:\CHARPAD
(File menu, option Create Directory).
- Click below to start downloading CHARZIP.EXE. (Download via
an ACU connection will take 3-5 minutes, during which time
computer response may be poor.)
- Save downloaded file to C:\CHARPAD directory
when your browser prompts you.
- From Windows File Manager, double-click on file C:\CHARPAD\CHARZIP.EXE
to start installing.
- Move file VBRUN300.DLL to directory C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.
This is the latest version directly from Microsoft, so
you can safely overwrite any previous version of this
file that may be installed there.
- Test CharPad by double-clicking on CHARPAD.EXE
from File Manager.
- If installation was unsuccessful, try downloading
again and reinstalling. If still unsuccessful, please let
me know by E-Mail (fletcher@nadn.navy.mil).
Include as many details as possible about what happened
(or didn't happen).
- If installation was successful, add CharPad to an
appropriate Windows program group by "dragging and
dropping" CHARPAD.EXE from Filemanager to
the Program Group.
- Please send me
feedback about your experience with the program, including
suggestions for improvement.
- When you are satisfied with the installation, delete C:\CHARPAD\CHARZIP.EXE.
- If you already have C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VBRUN300.DLL, download CHARPROG.EXE instead (only 28K vs. 275K). Proceed as for CHARZIP.EXE above, omitting Step 6.
Quick-Start Guide to Using CharPad
- Special Character Input
- Type the "basic" character, e.g. A
- Enter remap key \
- If more than one remap is possible, the
character will be highlighted. Enter the "modifier",
e.g. ' (apostrophe) for
acute accent Á, "
(quote) for umlaut Ä, ^ or 6
for circumflex Â, e
or E for e-ligature Æ
etc.
- If only one remapping is possible, the
character will be converted automatically (e.g. ?
is remapped to ¿ and N
to Ñ).
- If you select German or Spanish from the Language
menu, remapping to the most likely character
(Umlaut / ß for German,
acute accent for Spanish) will be automatic.
- Please refer to on-line help for additional character remapping information and a summary of additional features.
- Most other functions should be self-explanatory. Check
back later for a fully-documented (and perhaps improved)
version of the program.
If you already have file C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VBRUN300.DLL
EDITED BY: AssocProf William H. Fletcher, Language
Studies Dept., US Naval Academy
REVISION: 30 Jan 97
URL: http://www.usna.navy.mil/LangStudy/charpad.html