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"README.DOC" File for the Test Drive version of AutoImport 2.1 Spalding Software, Inc. 154 Technology Parkway, Suite 250 Norcross, GA 30092 USA Voice: (404) 449-1634 Fax: (404) 449-0052 The Demo & Test Drive diskette kit includes a user's guide that provides introductory information about how to use the AutoImport Test Drive. This file provides additional and more detailed information about using AutoImport. REMEMBER: To run the Demo, type AIDEMO and press <Enter> To run the Test Drive, type AI and press <Enter> FILES -------------------------------------------------------------------- Three files are involved in a file translation using AutoImport: Input, Output, and Mask. The Input File contains the information that you want to translate. You use AutoImport to create a Mask, which is a set of instructions that tell AutoImport how to translate the Input File. During translation, AutoImport creates an Output File containing the translated data. >> INPUT FILES << The Input File contains the data you want to translate. The file can be any ASCII file. The Input File is typically a print file or output from another computer, such as a mainframe or a PC. The Printer Interceptor utility can also create Input Files by capturing output sent to a printer port. There is no limit to the record size of the file or the number of records in the file. However, information can only be translated from the first 1024 characters of each record. AutoImport can handle files that have their information formatted many different ways. Files that have their data in a columnar format are easier to work with. Utilities are provided that convert several types of non- ASCII and non-columnar files into ASCII columnar files. The Input File can contain printer control codes (ASCII characters 0 through 31). The control codes can be removed by using the Mask Screen's Exclude Characters option. SPECIFYING AN INPUT FILE FOR TRANSLATION The Input File containing the information to be translated can be selected from either the Mask Screen or the Translation Screen. When a mask is created, the name of the file that was displayed during the definition process is saved as part of the mask. AutoImport uses this as the default file name to translate. This file name can be changed or overridden at the Translation Screen. CONVERTING FILES FOR USE AS AN INPUT FILE Prior to displaying a file for mask definition, you may want to convert the file using the functions available from the Utilities Screen. These functions make mask definition easier and more effective for certain types of files. Following are the types of conversions that are available: LINE-SPLIT Splits the Input File vertically by producing two or more files, each with a shorter specified record length. RECORD-SPLIT Splits a file with a large number of records into several files, each with a specified number of lines. TABS Expands tabs by inserting spaces to align the data in columns. CSV Converts comma separated value file to fixed length column file. FIXED Breaks up a file with fixed length records without record separators into a fixed length file with record separators. UNSTACK Makes single-line items of multiple lines that logically go together. DBASE Converts a dBase II, III, or IV data file into an ASCII columnar file with the database field names above each column. EBCDIC to ASCII Converts a file that has been downloaded from an IBM mainframe or midrange computer that has EBCDIC encoding into an ASCII encoded file. CAPTURING PRINTER OUTPUT FOR USE AS AN INPUT FILE Some applications cannot print their output to a disk file. AutoImport's Printer Interceptor is a Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) program that intercepts output sent to a printer port and writes it to a Capture File. Printer Interceptor can be installed, modified and un-installed from either the Printer Interceptor Screen, or from the DOS command line. >> MASK FILES << A Mask File contains the set of instructions defining how the data in an Input File will be copied and translated into a specific type of Output File. These instructions indicate which columns and lines are included, and how they should be translated. It also contains either the specified or default Input File name, Output File name and type of translation. A Mask File must be saved to disk before a translation can be performed. SAVING AND NAMING A MASK FILE The default name for the Mask File is the same as the Input File name with the extension of .MSK, which is automatically added to the name of all Mask Files. When providing a name for a mask, the current mask name is displayed. A new name can be entered by typing over the existing name. This leaves the original Mask File on disk unchanged. Mask Files can be named and saved from both the Mask Screen and the Translation Screen. MODIFYING OR DUPLICATING A MASK A previously defined mask can be modified by retrieving the Mask File, making any desired changes, and then saving it. A file saved with the same name, replaces the original file. Entering a new name at the prompt for file name at the Save option, will save the mask as a new file and leave the original mask unchanged. The Mask File can be retrieved from either the Mask Screen or the Translation Screen. From the Mask Screen, all of the mask settings can be changed. From the Translation Screen, changes are primarily limited to selecting the Input File, Output File and translation type. REUSING A MASK AutoImport's method of translation using a defined set of instructions is especially useful when you regularly translate files with the same structure (e.g., periodic reports). Once a set of translation instructions is defined and saved as a mask, it can be used whenever it describes the data selection desired for an Input File. >> OUTPUT FILES << AutoImport places the extracted data in an Output File whose name, file type, and location on the disk are specified by the user. SELECTING OUTPUT FILE TYPE AutoImport can translate a file into many different file formats. The correct file extension is automatically appended to each Output File. The Output File type can be selected from either the Mask or Translation Screens. From the Mask Screen, the Output File type is selected with the Files Output Type option. From the Translation Screen, it is selected with the Type option. The available translation types are displayed. The currently selected type is highlighted. Examine the documentation accompanying your software application to determine the file type and/or file extension required. Use the cursor keys to choose the output type desired. AutoImport can translate data into the following file types: SPREADSHEETS Lotus 1-2-3 and Symphony, Microsoft Excel, and Borland Quattro and Quattro Pro. DATABASES dBase II, III, III-Plus and IV, FoxPro, Clipper, Alpha 4, and Clarion. Interchange Columnwise DIF, Rowwise DIF and Symbolic Link files (SYLK). TEXT Standard Data Format (SDF), fixed record format without delimiters, Tab Separated Variable (TSV), Comma Separated Variable (CSV), print image, and mailing label format. WORD PROCESSING WordPerfect secondary merge file, Microsoft Word data document, and DOS Text. SELECTING OUTPUT FILE NAME The Output File name defaults to the Input File name. You can change the name of the Output File to any name supported by the DOS naming conventions. AutoImport adds the file extension based on the type of Output File you want created when the translation is performed. When a mask is saved, AutoImport saves the name of the last specified Output File. This name is used when the mask is used for translation. The Output File name can be specified from the Translation Screen by selecting the Output File option. You may also specify the Output File name at the Mask Screen by selecting the Files Output Name option. TRANSLATING TO AN EXISTING OUTPUT FILE The output of a translation is usually to a newly-created file, however, you can direct the output to an existing file. In this case, you can direct AutoImport to Append the new data to the end of an existing file, or to Replace the data in the existing file with data from the current translation. AutoImport's File-combine option functions in the same way as the File Combine option in Lotus 1-2-3 and other spreadsheet programs. This option is valid only for spreadsheet Output File types. MASKING AN INPUT FILE ---------------------------------------------------- AutoImport offers extensive methods of specifying treatment for the data in Input Files. Information can be selectively included or excluded when the Input File is translated. The settings and selections are defined on the Mask Screen and saved in a file called the Mask File. The first step in defining a Mask is to select the Input File. The Mask Screen provides a "window" to view the Input File. The window can be moved to view any portion of the Input File. While the Input File is displayed, selections are made from the menus. AutoImport shows the effects of these selections by changing the foreground and background colors of the information in the Input File. >> MOVING AROUND THE MASK SCREEN << Many operations in AutoImport involve moving the cursor to a position on the screen and selecting an action to take place at that cursor position in the Input File. Several techniques are available for moving the window and positioning the cursor in the Input File. These techniques include the use of cursor keys, function keys and search routines. CURSOR KEY OPERATIONS The cursor keys provide an easy way to move around the Mask Screen when in the Ready mode. These keys are also used to define the ranges of lines and columns when in the Point mode. DOWN ARROW Moves the cursor down one line UP ARROW Moves the cursor up one line RIGHT ARROW Moves the cursor to the right one position LEFT ARROW Moves the cursor to the left one position PAGE UP Displays the previous 20 lines of the Mask and Input File while leaving the cursor at the same position PAGE DOWN Displays the next 20 lines of the Mask and Input File while leaving the cursor at the same position on the screen HOME Displays the first 20 lines on the Input File and moves the cursor to line 1 position 1 TAB Displays the next 77 positions to the right of the currently displayed lines while leaving the cursor at the same position SHIFT TAB Displays the previous 77 positions to the left of the currently displayed lines while leaving the cursor at the same position CONTROL RIGHT If the cursor is not in a column, moves to next word. If cursor is in a column, moves to first position past column CONTROL LEFT Moves cursor to previous word or column END Toggles the end mode on and off, redefining the movement keys to the following operations: END UP Displays the first 20 lines of the mask and moves the cursor to line one, in the same column position END DOWN Displays the last 20 lines of the Input File and moves the cursor to the last line, in the same column position END LEFT Displays the currently displayed lines, beginning at the first position of each line and moves the cursor to the first position in the line END RIGHT Displays the last position of the currently displayed lines and moves the cursor to the last position in the line END HOME Displays the last 20 lines of the right-most positions of the Input File and moves the cursor to the last line and position in the Input File END PAGE DOWN Displays the last 20 lines in the mask and moves the cursor to the last line, in the same position END PAGE UP Same as End Up MOVING THE CURSOR TO A SPECIFIC LINE Pressing the <F3> key will prompt for the line in the Input File at which to place the cursor. The Input File is redisplayed with the specified line at the top of the window. SEARCHING FOR A SPECIFIC STRING OF CHARACTERS To quickly find and display a line in the Input File that contains a particular string of characters, select the Search String option. At the prompt, enter the string of characters to be searched for. The search is not case dependent, upper and lower case letters are equivalent. The next occurrence of the string in the file, if any, is displayed on the top line of the window with the cursor on the first character of the string. To find the next occurrence, select Next. To find the first occurrence select First. NOTE: To search for a character string and replace it with another string, use the Mask Screen's Exclude Characters option. SEARCHING FOR A CHARACTER WITH A SPECIFIC ASCII CODE Characters, such as graphics characters, not easily entered from the keyboard can be located using their ASCII values. To find lines containing a specified character, select the Search ASCII-character option. At the prompt, type in the number (0-255) of the ASCII code representing the character. The next occurrence of the character in the file, if any, is displayed on the top line of the window with the cursor resting on the character. To find the next occurrence, select Next. To display the first occurrence of the character in the file, select First. >> DEFINING COLUMNS << Columns are used to define the positions, or cells, within each line of the Input File that will be translated to the Output File. Numeric data is translated only if included within the defined range of a column. A column encompasses all lines in the Input File for the range specified. A maximum of 256 columns can be defined in any one mask. Columns cannot overlap. To extract data from an Input File, columns must be defined. You can specify column ranges using the cursor key on the Mask Screen, or use AutoImport's Auto-columns feature as a basis for definition of a mask. You can also add columns or remove columns from an existing mask to suit a particular need. After a the range of a column is defined, the type of cells that comprise each of the lines within a column's range can be specified. The output sequence of columns can also be defined. MANUAL COLUMN DEFINITION Columns may be defined by pointing to the start and stop positions of each individual column. To define a column, move the cursor to the position at which the column should begin, select the Column Define option, move to the last position to be included in the column and press <Enter>. When defining columns using this method, remember that columns cannot overlap. If you wish to define a new column that overlaps an old column, you must first delete the old column. AUTOMATIC COLUMN DEFINITION You can automatically define columns by simply selecting a line in the file for AutoImport to use as a pattern to establish column positions. This method disregards all previous column specifications and defines columns for the entire length of the line used as a pattern. To define columns using this method, place the cursor on the line to be used as the pattern. Then select the Column Auto option. The Input File will then be re- displayed with the new column definitions. AutoImport can also be set to automatically define columns when an Input File is first displayed on the Mask Screen. The columns are based on the patterns in the first screen of data displayed. If the resulting columns are inappropriate (the complexities of some file structures may produce undesirable column definitions), you may want to modify the default definition. The automatic column definition feature can be turned on by selecting the Sign-on Screen's Settings Auto-columns option. REMOVING COLUMNS All columns or a specific column can be removed from the mask. To remove all columns from the mask, select the Columns Undo All option. To remove a specific column, move the cursor into the column and then select the Columns Undo One option. RESEQUENCING COLUMNS When a mask is defined, AutoImport orders the columns according to the sequence in which they are displayed on the screen. Default column order is A, B, C, D.... If this sequence does not put the information in the most usable order, you can resequence the columns. For example, you could switch positions of column C and column A. The new sequence would be C, B, A, D.... This option might be useful when the Output File will be a database file whose existing structure orders information differently from the Input File. Columns can also be skipped (e.g., A, D, E, K). To resequence a column, move the cursor into the column and select the Column Sequence option. SELECTING THE COLUMN'S CELL TYPES The cells or fields that comprise each of the lines within a column's range can be defined as one of five types. The type is selected from the Mask Screen by placing the cursor anywhere in the defined column and selecting Column Type, and then one of the types listed below. The selection applies to all cells or fields in a particular column, except for lines treated as Titles or Headings. NUMERIC This is the default type AutoImport gives to cells or fields. The program will attempt to treat all the data in a cell of this type as numeric values. (To specify attributes such as currency symbol, decimal position, and thousands separator, select the Sign-on Screen's Settings International option.) If AutoImport cannot translate the cells as numeric values, it will translate them as labels. LABEL This type instructs AutoImport to translate the data in the cells of a column as text characters. SIGNED-OVERPUNCH This type instructs AutoImport to convert cells in the column that contain signed overpunch numbers into numeric values. All other cells in the column for the selected lines are translated as labels. DATE This type instructs AutoImport to translate the cells in the column as dates. The format of the date must be specified when the type of column is defined. Eight formats are supported. If the program cannot translate the cells as dates, it will attempt to translate them as numeric values, then as labels. TIME This type instructs AutoImport to translate the cells in the column as the time of day. The time is translated to a decimal number between 0 and 1. 0 indicates midnight, and .5 indicates noon. Spreadsheets will show this number as a time. If the program cannot translate the cells as times, it will attempt to translate them as numeric values, then as labels. AutoImport interprets and recognizes the formatting used for decimal separators, thousand separators, currency, dates, and signed overpunch numbers. How AutoImport interprets and recognizes these formats is specified by selections made from the Sign-on Screen's Settings menu. FILLING BLANK CELLS WITHIN A COLUMN Some Input Files do not repeat information in a column unless it changes. For example, in a listing of salespersons, the column indicating the region in which the person works is included only for the first salesperson. Only when the region changes does the file list the new region. To tell AutoImport to fill all the blanks in the column with the most current information, select the Column Blank Duplicate option. ADDING INFORMATION FROM HEADINGS INTO COLUMNS Information from headings can be output as columns. During translation, each output line is "tagged" with the selected information from the headings. This information is called a Line Tag. You tell AutoImport where to find the Line Tag information by first defining a match string that is used as a Reference Point, and then defining the relative position of the Line Tag information to the Reference Point. The information in Line Tag columns is repeated on each output line until the Line Tag information is refreshed, by encountering another line that contains the Reference Point match string. Columns defined by the use of Line Tags precede the normally defined columns in the Output File. For example, if the Input File contains a date in the heading of each page, the date can be inserted on every output line. By defining a Reference Point and then the date as a Line Tag, every time the program encounters another occurrence of the Reference Point during translation, the next date will be output as the Line Tag. To use information tags, first define the Reference Point match string, then define the Line Tags associated with the Reference Point. Up to five Reference Point match strings can be defined. When a Line Tag is defined, it is associated with the closest Reference Point occurring before the tag. All Line Tag column letters are assigned prior to those of the normally defined columns. Line Tags are assigned column letters sequentially, in the order of their definition for each Reference Point. Options that can be selected for a normally defined column can also be selected for a column defined by use of Line Tags. This includes selecting the Type, Name, and @Function. NOTE: Because the sequencing of Line Tag columns is limited, it is often useful to perform two translations with AutoImport when using Line Tags. The first translation should create a print image Output File using the Files Output Type Text Prn option. This print image file should then be loaded into the Mask Screen as the Input File. The Line Tag columns that are added on the left side of the original file can then be sequenced as any normal column using the Column Sequence option. ASSIGNING DATABASE FIELD NAMES TO COLUMNS When creating a new database or mail merge Output File, the AutoImport column names are used as the field names. The column names initially default to be the column letters. The column names can be changed by moving the cursor into the column, selecting the Column Name option, and entering a new name. After the column name is entered, the column indicator bar above the Input File display window will include the column letter and the column name. For example, if column B is named "CITY" the column indicator bar will display "BCITY" above the column. ADJUSTING COLUMN WIDTHS GLOBALLY To display a numeric value, spreadsheets require that the width of the column is one position wider than the number to be displayed. If the column is the same width as the number, asterisks (*) will be displayed. To ensure that numeric values are properly displayed, the widths of all columns in a file can be widened by one character when translated with the Global Adjust-Widths option. This feature is useful if the Input File does not have spaces between the columns of data. >> SELECTING LINES FOR OUTPUT << Lines are the horizontal rows of data. In the upper left hand corner, the Mask Screen displays the line number on which the cursor rests. Lines are numbered sequentially from the beginning of the file. There are three ways to select lines for output. The default Global Mode Value setting can be used to output all lines. A particular line treatment can be manually specified on a line-by-line basis. Or, lines containing a specified string of characters can be automatically output. MANUALLY SELECTING LINES BY USING TREATMENTS A particular line treatment can be specified for each line in an Input File. The following line treatments select lines for output and specifies how the information in the columns on the line will be translated: VALUE The data within the columns on each Value Line is translated according to the column type. On a color monitor, numeric data is displayed with a dark blue background, text with a magenta background, dates with a green background, and times with a brown background. HEADING The data within the columns on each Heading Line is translated as text or labels (non-numeric). On a color monitor, the data is displayed with a magenta background. Notice that lines defined as heading include only data in defined column ranges, not data for the entire line. To include the entire line, see the Title treatment below. TITLE The entire line is translated as a single text string or label (non-numeric). Column definitions are ignored. On a color monitor, the entire line is displayed with a red background. GLOBAL MODE VALUE When an Input File is loaded in the Mask Screen, all lines are selected to be translated as Values. In Global Mode Value, which is the default mode, you can skip the lines, or exclude the lines you don't want included, based on a string of characters. AutoImport can also be used in Global Mode Skip, in which no lines are initially selected and you indicate the lines you want to include. In Global Mode Value, Include Lines have precedence over Exclude Lines. That is, if an include match string occurs in an Exclude Lines' range, the Include Lines will be translated. In Global Mode Skip, Exclude Lines have precedence over Include Lines. AUTOMATICALLY INCLUDING LINES WITH MATCH STRINGS AutoImport can be instructed to include all lines for translation that contain a specified match string. The match string can be a specific string of characters, or a pattern string that contains wildcard characters. This feature (usually combined with Global Mode Skip), is useful when selecting specific lines that all contain common information, or a range of lines from the line containing the specified string of characters. Lines included in this way are translated in the same way as Value Lines. A line already treated as a Title or a Heading containing the specified string is not affected by the use of the Include Line feature, they are always output. To include lines, examine the lines that are to be selected, and identify a string of characters or a pattern unique to these lines. Position the cursor on the first character of the string, select the Include Line option, move the cursor to the right, until all the characters in the string are highlighted, and press <Enter>. The program will prompt with Exact-match or Pattern-match. If Exact-match is selected, the program will then prompt with Positional or Not-positional. Select Positional if the lines should be included only when the string is found at the current position in the line. Select Not- positional if the line should be included if the string is found at any position in the line. If Pattern-match is selected, AutoImport displays the highlighted string for editing. The following wildcard characters are used to define the characters allowed in each position. All other characters in the pattern match string require that character at that position. Edit the string. Press <Enter>. ^ (caret) Any number (0 through 9) ! (exclamation) Any character except 0 through 9 ~ (tilde) Any character except blank _ (underscore) Any character including blank You are also prompted to specify how many lines, including the one in which the cursor rests, are to be included in the translation. An "I" in the left margin of each line that contains the specified string will indicate that the lines will be included in translation. You may manually confirm the Include Lines that are to be sent to the Output File during translation. To manually confirm Include Lines, select the Translation Screen's Confirm option before running the translation. Each time an Include Line is encountered during the translation, the program will pause and prompt for the line's inclusion. UNDOING AN INCLUDE LINE SELECTION To undo an operation that has defined an Include Line, from the Mask Screen, display the menu and select Include Undo. Use the Next and Previous options to display the Include Line strings currently defined. When the desired string is displayed, select the Stop-including-this-one option. INSERTING AND DELETING LINE TREATMENTS Once defined, a mask may be used numerous times to translate different Input Files with the same structure. This is frequently the case when reports are regularly issued from a host system using the same format; the Input File you work with will be the same as the previous one, so you don't have to create a new mask. However, if the Input File changes slightly or the segments of the Input File structure are altered, you can easily modify the mask without extensive redefinition. For example, to extract the sales activities of stores in a specific region from an alphabetical report that lists all stores, you can use a mask that selects and skips stores based on the line position of the stores you want. When a new store is added to the report of all stores, and it is not in the region in which you are interested, you can simply modify the existing mask definition by inserting line treatments for the lines containing the sales figures of the new store. In the same way, you can delete line treatments to match changes to the Input File. RESTORING THE DEFAULT LINE TREATMENT To restore the setting for a range of lines to the default (global value or skip) mode, position the cursor on the first line to be restored to the default treatment and select the Line Mode-default option. Then move the cursor down to the last line whose treatment is to be restored to the default treatment, and press <Enter>. >> EXCLUDING LINES FROM OUTPUT << There are four ways to exclude lines from output. The default Global Mode Skip setting can be used to exclude all lines. A particular line treatment can be manually specified on a line-by-line basis. Lines containing a specified string of characters can be automatically excluded. Or, lines can be excluded from translation that contain values in designated columns that are lower or higher than specified limits. MANUALLY EXCLUDING LINES BY USING TREATMENTS A particular line treatment can be specified for each line in an Input File. The following line treatments exclude lines from output: SKIP The line is not sent to the Output File during translation. The entire line is displayed with a black background. ABORT This line signals AutoImport to halt translation of the Input File, and close the Output File. This is useful when you know that you only want the first part of a long file. AUTOMATICALLY EXCLUDING LINES WITH MATCH STRINGS AutoImport can be instructed to exclude all lines from translation that contain a specified match string. The match string can be a specific string of characters, or a pattern string that contains wildcard characters. This feature (usually combined with Global Mode Value), is useful when excluding specific lines that all contain common information, or a range of lines from the line containing the specified string of characters. This feature can also be used to exclude recurring page titles and headers from translation into the Output File. Lines excluded in this way are treated in the same way as Skip Lines. A line already treated as a Title or a Heading containing the specified string is not excluded by the use of the Exclude Line feature. This permits sending a single occurrence (i.e. the first) of the lines containing the specified string to the Output File, while skipping all other occurrences. To exclude lines, examine the lines that are to be ignored, and identify a string of characters or a pattern unique to these lines. Position the cursor on the first character of the string, select the Exclude Line option, move the cursor to the right, until all the characters in the string are highlighted, and press <Enter>. The program will prompt with Exact-match or Pattern-match. If Exact-match is selected, the program will then prompt with Positional or Not-positional. Select Positional if the lines should be excluded only when the string is found at the current position in the line. Select Not- positional if the line should be excluded if the string is found at any position in the line. If Pattern-match is selected, AutoImport displays the highlighted string for editing. The following wildcard characters are used to define the characters allowed in each position. All other characters in the pattern match string require that character at that position. Edit the string. Press <Enter>. ^ (caret) Any number (0 through 9) ! (exclamation) Any character except 0 through 9 ~ (tilde) Any character except blank _ (underscore) Any character including blank You are also prompted to specify how many lines, including the one in which the cursor rests, are to be excluded in the translation. The file will be re-displayed with the lines to be excluded marked with an "E" on the left side of the screen. You may manually confirm the Exclude Lines that are to be ignored during translation. To manually confirm Exclude Lines, select the Translation Screen's Confirm option before running the translation. Each time an Exclude Line is encountered during the translation, the program will pause and prompt for the line's exclusion. UNDOING AN EXCLUDE LINE SELECTION To undo an operation that has defined an Exclude Line, from the Mask Screen, select the Exclude Undo Line option. Use the Next and Previous options to display the Exclude Line strings currently defined. When the desired string is displayed, select the Stop-excluding-this-one option. AUTOMATICALLY EXCLUDING LINES BY SETTING LIMITS IN COLUMNS Lines can be excluded from translation that contain values in designated columns that are lower or higher than specified limits. After a column is defined, limits are set by selecting the Column Limits option and entering either an upper limit, a lower limit, or both. How AutoImport prompts for limits is dependent on the column type; numeric, label, date, or time. Lines with values in the column that are higher or lower than the limits are displayed with a black background. An uppercase "E" also appears in the left margin to indicate that the line is Excluded. A line is tested for limits only if the line treatment is Global Mode Value as indicated by a lowercase "v" in the left margin, or if the line is Included as indicated by an either an uppercase "I" or a lowercase "i" in the left margin. If the column type is changed, the limits for the column are eliminated. To eliminate or undo the test for limits in a column, delete the limits entered in the column by selecting the Column Limits option and using the <Delete> key to blank out the limits. EXCLUDING BLANK LINES To remove all blank lines in an Input File, select the Exclude Blank-lines option. The current selection is indicated as either Yes or No (default). Select Yes to exclude blank lines, No to include blank lines. EXCLUDING DUPLICATE LINES Excludes the output of a line that is exactly the same as the preceding line. Some programs print a line, perform a carriage return without a line feed, and print the line again. This results in "bold" print that is used for emphasizing titles and headings on reports. The Exclude Duplicate- lines option removes the second line of print from this style of report. >> ADDING FORMULAS TO THE OUTPUT << AutoImport can include rows of formulas in spreadsheet Output File types. These formula rows can either replace existing rows in the Input File, or they can be additional rows that are output. Formula rows can be selected for output either when the information in a specific column changes, or a character string is matched. The default formulas that are output are the @Sum function for numeric columns, @Count function for label columns, and no formulas for date columns or time columns. Available functions for formulas are Sum, Count and Average. To change the type of @function that is output in a column, use the Column @Function option. An "@" symbol is displayed on the top left edge of the column indicator bar whenever an @Formula option is selected. INSERTING FORMULA ROWS BASED ON A COLUMN CHANGE Formula cells can be inserted into the output each time the character contents of a non-blank cell in a specified column changes. The column to be tested for a change in contents can be a normally defined column or a Line Tag column. This option is useful when the Input File is a list of records in a sorted order without subtotals. By selecting the @Formula Column-change option and specifying the column to test for a change in contents, AutoImport inserts a row of Formula cells in the output spreadsheet. A dashed line is output before, and a blank line is output after, the formula line. This formatting makes it easy to determine where AutoImport has inserted formulas. INSERTING FORMULA ROWS USING A MATCH STRING A row of formula cells can be inserted into the output each time a specified match string is encountered during translation. The match string can be defined to require an exact match, or a pattern match using wildcard characters. This option is useful when a report has groups of information without subtotals that is either on different pages, or is separated by headings. AutoImport can be instructed to insert formula cells in rows before each new page or heading. To insert formulas based on a match string, move the cursor to the first position in the string, select @Formula Insert-on-match, highlight the remainder of the string and press <Enter>. If the match string is always the same character sequence, select Exact-match, and then select either Positional or Not-positional. To define a pattern of characters, select Pattern-match, edit the string by including the appropriate wildcard characters and press <Enter>. REPLACING LINES WITH FORMULA ROWS A row of formula cells can replace the cell contents of an output line each time a specified match string is encountered during translation. The match string can be defined to require an exact match, or allow for a pattern match using wildcard characters. Many reports already contain totals. The @Formula Replace-on-match option can be used to replace the literal totals with the formulas for the totals. This facilitates "what if" analysis in spreadsheets by showing the new total after a change is made to a detail line. >> CONTROLLING PLACEMENT IN THE OUTPUT FILE << There are several options that provide for specific placement of information in an Output File. The sequence in which columns are output can be controlled with the Column Sequence option. The Files Output Existing-output options of Replace, Append, and File-combine control how AutoImport handles data in existing Output Files during translation. In addition, the starting cell for output into spreadsheets, and the row and column orientation (rotation of line/column aspects) of the Output File can be controlled. CHANGING THE SPREADSHEET'S STARTING CELL By default, AutoImport uses cell address A1 (first column, first row) as the starting position for output into a spreadsheet. By changing this starting position you can offset the first cell address used for output. For example, if the existing spreadsheet includes four columns (A, B, C, and D), you can offset the starting cell to define the three columns in the Input File to be output as columns E, F, and G in the existing Output File. To reposition the starting cell, select the Global Starting-cell option. Changing the starting cell from A1 to B1 would redefine columns A and B to B and C. Likewise, changing the starting cell from A1 to A30 would start placement in the output spreadsheet at row 30. This is useful for translation of a file whose output will be combined with the information in an existing spreadsheet. When file combining, information in the rows and columns of an existing spreadsheet that occur before the starting cell are not changed during translation. TRANSPOSING COLUMNS AND LINES For output used with a spreadsheet, AutoImport can transpose columns and lines. That is, data displayed as columns in the Mask Screen will be output as lines, and vice versa. If this option is selected, column widths defined in the mask are not used during translation. Data appended to or combined with an existing spreadsheet file will be in the columns already defined. An Output File opened as a new worksheet will be displayed using the spreadsheet program's default column width. >> REMOVING PRINTER CONTROL CODES << If the Input File is a report downloaded from another computer, or output from another PC program, the Input File may contain printer control codes (ASCII characters 0 through 31). These codes are typically used by printers for controlling line spacing, condensed print, emphasized print and other features that control how text is printed. When the Input File is displayed on the Mask Screen, the control codes usually interfere with the display of the file causing misalignment of the columns of numbers. AutoImport can remove printer control codes that are single characters, escape sequences, page ejects, and line printer carriage control columns. After the control codes are removed, the Input File is redisplayed on the Mask Screen without the control characters. SEARCHING FOR PRINTER CONTROL CODES Control codes, the ASCII values 0-31, are generally used for printer formatting and communications control. AutoImport will display these codes as graphics characters, ASCII 200-231. To find occurrences of control codes, select the Search Control-codes option. To display the first occurrence of any of the control codes, select First. To find the next occurrence, select Next. EXCLUDING ALL SINGLE CHARACTER PRINTER CONTROL CODES All single character control codes can be removed with the Exclude Special- characters option. This option removes all ASCII characters with codes of 0 through 31 except for the escape character (ASCII 27). EXCLUDING ESCAPE SEQUENCES Escape sequences are a string of two or more characters beginning with the escape character (ASCII 27) that provide control instructions to a printer. To remove an escape sequence, or any other string of characters, move the cursor to the first character of the string to be ignored. Select the Exclude Characters option. Then, move the cursor to the right, highlighting the desired characters and press <Enter>. AutoImport will prompt for an optional replacement string. If the highlighted string is simply to be ignored, do not provide a replacement string. FIRST POSITION CARRIAGE CONTROL Carriage control characters are another type of printer control that is included in reports created by some programming languages on certain computers. FORTRAN, for example, uses the first column of each line to indicate line feeds and form feeds to the printer. To ignore the carriage control character, select the Exclude First- positions option. The current setting of the number of positions to skip at the beginning of each line is displayed. Type in the number of character positions to ignore. The file will then be re-displayed with these positions removed. >> Shortcut Function Key Operations << The function keys labelled F1 to F10 are used for frequently-performed operations and menu selections while at the Mask Screen. Using these "shortcut" keys saves time in defining a mask. Pressing the following function keys at the Mask Screen while in the Ready mode performs the described operations. F1 Displays the Help screen. F2 The same as pressing / Column Define. F3 Prompts for a line number at which to begin display of the mask and the Input File. F4 The same as pressing / Column Undo One. F5 The same as pressing / Line Skip. F6 The same as pressing / Line Heading. F7 The same as pressing / Line Value. F8 The same as pressing / Line Title. F9 The same as pressing / Search First. F10 The same as pressing / Search Next. >> LISTING MASK SETTINGS AND SELECTIONS << AutoImport allows you to print the settings defined in your mask. The printed list of settings can be very helpful when trying to determine why the results of a translation are not as expected. The list is also useful for documenting the settings, in case the Mask File is lost or damaged. These settings include the file names, global mode, Include Lines, Exclude Lines, column types, Reference Points, and Line Tags. The settings will be listed to the currently-selected printer. Printer selection can be changed from the Sign-on Screen's Settings Printer option. The first line of the report indicates the date and time that the report was printed. The next section gives information about the Mask File, Input File, and Output File. The Settings section reports the global mode, whether blank lines or form feeds are excluded, the starting cell, and other significant definitions of the mask. The next section reports the number of columns in the mask. It also provides the column letter, starting position, width, type, name, and whether the non-blank information should be duplicated into blank cells. If any Include Strings or Exclude Strings are defined, the report lists the type and the number of each defined. Also shown are the number of lines to be included or excluded when the string is encountered at the defined position. If any Exclude Characters are defined, the report lists the string and the ASCII code for each of the characters. The ASCII code is a number between 0 and 255 decimal. The final item reported is whether any Reference Points have been declared, the Reference Point strings, and any Line Tags defined. The column letter, position, and type for each tag are displayed. Because as many as 16384 line treatments can be defined, line treatments are not reported. These can be viewed only from the Mask Screen. SETTING HOW AUTOIMPORT RECOGNIZES NUMBERS AND DATES ---------------------- AutoImport recognizes many of the methods used to express numbers and dates in the United States and in many other countries. >> RECOGNIZING NUMBERS << AutoImport understands how numbers are represented on reports and translates them correctly into the Output File. It understands that negative numbers can be represented several ways, either with a minus sign before or after the number, or with a CR or DR next to the number (credits and debits). AutoImport can also be instructed to recognize numbers that use a signed overpunch scheme for representing positive and negative values. It understands that a percent sign indicates the number should be divided by 100. It even handles subtotals that are marked with asterisks. AutoImport can also translate numbers that are expressed in scientific notation. Computer systems in the U.S. use the dollar sign ($) to express currency, a period (.) to indicate the decimal point, and a comma (,) as the thousands separator. AutoImport can be instructed to use other symbols for recognizing currency, thousands and decimals, as explained below. CURRENCY SYMBOL To change the character recognized as the currency symbol, select the Sign- on Screen's Settings International Currency option. If the symbol can be typed directly from the keyboard, select Key and press the appropriate key. The current setting for the currency symbol is displayed. If the symbol you wish to use is not on your keyboard, select ASCII-code and enter the ASCII value for the symbol (e.g. British Pound Sterling: 156, Japanese Yen: 157). To check your entry select the Settings International Currency Key option, and look at the symbol that is displayed. THOUSANDS SEPARATOR SYMBOL The symbol for separating thousands in the U.S. is the comma; also used in other countries are the period and the space. To select one of these three symbols, select the Sign-on Screen's Settings International Thousands option. The current setting for the thousands separator is displayed. Move the cursor to the symbol you wish to use and press <Enter>. DECIMAL POINT SYMBOL The symbol for separating the fractional or decimal part of a number from the integer portion of a number can be defined as either the period or the comma. To select one of these two symbols, select the Sign-on Screen's Settings International Point option. The current setting is displayed. Move the cursor to the desired symbol and press <Enter>. SIGNED OVERPUNCH TECHNIQUE By assigning special characters to either the first or last digit of a number, a program can indicate whether a number is positive or negative. This helps conserve file space; rather than outputing the minus sign, it is "coded" into the number as a signed overpunch technique. To specify the characters used to indicate the sign of the number, select the Sign-on Screen's Settings Signed-overpunch Characters option. AutoImport provides three options for designating the characters that are used to indicate that a number is positive or negative: 0 - 9 as positive, } - R as negative { - I as positive, } - R as negative Custom (user-defined) One of the first two options translates the majority of Input Files using signed overpunch correctly. Selecting the Custom option displays all 20 possible digits and the current character assignment. To create a custom format, change the characters to match those used in the Input File and save this setting by pressing <F10>. AutoImport can use either the leading (first position) or trailing (last position) digit of a number as the signed overpunch. To check or change the setting, select the Sign-on Screen's Settings Signed-overpunch Position option. The default is the trailing position. >> RECOGNIZING DATES << By default, AutoImport recognizes dates which contain characters that separate the month, day and year portions of the date. For dates which contain no separator characters, a user-defined format can be defined that specifies the positions in a string that contain the month, day and year. For dates that contain two digits for the year, the cutoff date that divides 19xx from 20xx can be defined. The spellings of the month names can also be defined for working with files from countries that do not use the English spellings. RECOGNIZING DATES WITHOUT SEPARATORS AutoImport recognizes 7 standard date formats, and 1 custom format defined by the user. The standard formats assume that the month, day, and year are separated by a space or a separator character ( / - : , etc.). The custom format is used when there are no separators. To define the custom date format, select the Sign-on Screen's Settings Date Custom option. Type in the format string using the letters D, M and Y as positional indicators for the day, month and year. YEAR FORMATS Most dates that represent years with two digits assume that the year is 19xx (or the twentieth century). However, in some files such as a worksheet set up to calculate maturity dates of bonds, the date 11/25/55 could mean 1955 or 2055. To define the two digit year that is the cutoff between 19xx and 20xx, select the Sign-on Screen's Settings Date Year option. MONTH NAME SPELLINGS AutoImport recognizes the standard U.S. spellings of the names of the months, but it can also be instructed to recognize different spellings, such as the German spelling of October as "Oktober". To specify the spellings of the month names, select the Sign-on Screen's Settings International Month-names option. TRANSLATING FILES -------------------------------------------------------- Translation of data from the Input File to the Output File is initiated and controlled from the Translation Screen. To display the Translation Screen, select the Sign-on Screen's Translate option. Before an Input File can be translated, a mask must have been defined and saved as a file. Information about the Input File and the Output File to be created by the translation process can be specified from either the Mask Screen or the Translation Screen. Translations can also be initiated from the DOS prompt using a command line or as part of a .BAT file. >> Selecting the Mask Used for Translation << When the Translation Screen is initially displayed, the last mask that was either saved on the Mask Screen or used in a translation is automatically selected. Information about the mask is displayed on the screen. To use another mask for translation, select the Mask Retrieve option. Then select either List to point to the Mask File, or Type-in to manually enter the file name. To change the currently selected directory for masks, select the Mask Directory option. >> CHANGING MASK SETTINGS ON THE TRANSLATION SCREEN Several of the Mask Screen's settings can be temporarily or permanently overridden by options selected from the Translation Screen. The Input File, Output File, translation type, and the handling of existing output files can be changed. When settings are changed for these options, they are displayed on the Translation Screen. The changes are used only for this translation unless the mask is saved. Saving the mask permanently changes the settings in the Mask File. To save the mask from the Translation Screen, select the Mask Save option. >> DISPLAYING THE FILE DURING TRANSLATION << Translation can be performed with or without displaying the Input File. To specify your choice, at the Translation Screen, select Display. The current selection is indicated as either Yes or No. Select Yes to display the Input File during translation or No to inhibit display during translation. >> CONFIRMING INCLUDE/EXCLUDE LINES DURING TRANSLATION << During translation, Include Line and Exclude Line selections may be manually confirmed on a line-by-line basis. To specify manual confirmation, at the Translation Screen, select Confirm. The current setting is indicated as either Yes or No. Select Yes to permit confirmation of all Include and Exclude Lines during the translation process. This must be done each time before translation; the mask does not save the confirm selection. Selecting confirmation also sets the Display of the file during the translation to Yes. >> PERFORMING THE TRANSLATION << After the proper Mask File is selected and the other information on the screen is correct, select the Go option to start the translation. If a file already exists that has the same name as the Output File and Existing- output Warning is selected (the default selection), AutoImport prompts for Cancel, Replace, Append or File-combine. If the Display option is set to Yes, the Progress Screen is displayed. This screen displays the selected lines of the Input File as they are being translated. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR TRANSLATING DATABASE FILES -------------------- Database files contain a database structure that provides information used by the database program to locate, store, and organize the data. The structure contains information such as field names, field lengths, and field types. This information is written to the database file when it is created. If the database file exists, AutoImport uses the current database structure. If the file does not exist, AutoImport automatically creates a structure. It is recommended that the database management system is used to create the Output File with the desired database structure. >> RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COLUMNS AND FIELDS << A field serves much the same function in a database that a column does in a worksheet. The information in a defined column will be sent to the corresponding field in the database file. For example, information in column A will go to the first field, column B's data will go to the second, etc. >> DISPLAYING THE DATABASE STRUCTURE << AutoImport offers two ways of displaying the structure of an existing database file. Both methods show field name, length, type, and the column letter that corresponds to the field in the mask. For a screen display of the structure select the Mask Screen's Files Output Type Database option and specify the type of database file. Then, select Files Output Database-Structure. The database structure of the Output File will be displayed along with the column settings defined in the mask. To output the structure to a file, from the Utilities Screen, select the Function Header option, and the database file as the Input File. Select Go and the database structure (header) will be written to a file. This file can be displayed on the screen or printed. >> TRANSLATION WHEN A DATABASE STRUCTURE EXISTS << CAUTION: If there are any indexes associated with a database, they must be re-indexed following a translation to the database file. AutoImport does not update indexes when it performs a database translation. AutoImport retains all characteristics of a database structure during a translation. If more columns have been defined than existing fields in the database, the information in the columns not associated with a field is not output. If fewer columns have been defined than fields in the database, some fields will remain blank. When instructed to perform a translation into a database file, AutoImport verifies that the Output File exists. If the file exists, you can specify that AutoImport either appends to the file by keeping the current records and adding new records, or completely replaces the records already in the file. >> TRANSLATION WHEN A DATABASE STRUCTURE DOES NOT EXIST << If the structure does not exist when a file is translated to a database Output File type, AutoImport creates the database structure by setting the field names, field length and field type to that defined in the mask. The database field names that are written to the structure are the Mask's column names. The column names initially default to the column letters (i.e., A, B, C, D,...). The names of the columns (data fields) can be changed to any valid field name (i.e., NAME, ADDRESS, etc.) by selecting the Mask Screen's Column Name option. NOTE: If the mask is later redefined to include more or fewer columns (perhaps results of the translation were not as desired), delete the database file and associated structure created by AutoImport with the DOS DELETE or ERASE commands. >> CREATING RECORDS FROM REPORT FILES << Some reports do not include information on every line for the lines to be used as individual database records. Some reports contain information in a heading at the top of the page that needs to be included on each line. Columns containing this information can be added using the Mask Screen's Line Tag feature. Some reports leave a column blank on a line if it would contain the same information as that for the preceding line. Information from previous lines can be duplicated into the blank cells on each line selecting the Mask Screen's Column Blank Duplicate option. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMAND LINE USE REFERENCE The Translation, Utilities, and Printer Interceptor functions can be performed using a DOS command line. The command line can be executed from the DOS prompt, included in a .BAT file, or incorporated into a software management system as one of its menu items. Using command lines makes it easy to perform repetitive tasks automatically. >> TRANSLATION COMMAND LINE << Once a Mask has been defined and saved to disk, the translation can be performed from a DOS command line. Syntax: AI mask[,[input],[output],[type],[display],[run],[confirm]] [/A] [/C] The command line parameters that follow the AI command are positional and separated by commas. If a parameter is skipped, a comma must be used to hold its place. The switches, /A and /C, are not positional and are not separated by commas. mask Mask File name, including the path if necessary. This is the only required parameter. If no other parameters are specified, the parameters specified when the mask was created (or last saved) will be used in the translation. input Input File name, including the path and extension if necessary. output Output File name, including the path if necessary. If an extension is specified, it will be used rather than the file extension AutoImport normally uses that is based on the type of translation. type Type of translation to be performed. Any of the following types can be specified: WKS Lotus 1-2-3 release 1 and 1A WK1 Lotus 1-2-3 release 2.x WK3 Lotus 1-2-3 release 3.x WRK Symphony release 1.0 WR1 Symphony release 1.1, 1.2 and 2.x WKQ Borland Quattro WQ1 Borland Quattro Pro XLS Microsoft Excel DBF dBase III DBF2 dBase II DBF3 dBase III DBF4 dBase IV DAT Clarion DIF Columnwise DIF CDIF Columnwise DIF RDIF Rowwise DIF SLK SYLK or Symbolic Link PRN Print Image ASC Comma separated with quotes around strings CSV Comma Separated Variable SDF Standard Data Format FXD Fixed record format without delimiters TSV Tab separated variables TXT ASCII text file LBL Mailing label format WRD Microsoft Word data document W50 Word Perfect 5.0 secondary merge file W51 Word Perfect 5.1 secondary merge file display Specifies whether the output is to be displayed on screen during translation: Y for yes, N for no. The default is Yes. program Launches another program immediately following completion of the translation. This is useful, for example, if after performing a translation to a spreadsheet file, the .WKS file will be opened with Lotus 1-2-3. confirm Specifies whether Include Line and Exclude Line treatments must be confirmed manually during the translation. Y for yes, N for no. The default is No. /A Appends the output of the translation to the end of an existing Output File. /C File-combines the output of the translation into an existing spreadsheet Output File beginning at the starting cell declared during mask definition. The only required parameter is the Mask File name. If no other parameters are specified, the parameters defined when the mask was created or last saved are used. To specify some parameters and not others, include the intervening commas as place holders. This is necessary to indicate to AutoImport which of the options you want to use. For example, if you want to use the name of the Input File stored with the mask, but want to change the name of the Output File, you would place two commas before the name of the new Output File. Otherwise, AutoImport would interpret the file name as that of an Input File. Commas, however, are unnecessary as place holders before the /A and /C parameters. If a parameter is not specified on the command line and the parameter has not been specified in the mask, the translation cannot proceed. In such cases when AutoImport aborts the translation, a message is displayed on the screen to indicate the missing or invalid parameter(s). The following four examples illustrate the ways translations can be initiated using a command line. TRANSLATION COMMAND LINE EXAMPLE 1 To perform a translation from the command line using the following parameters: Mask File name MYMASK Input File name AIDEMO.TXT Output File name SALESDAT Translation type WKS Display on Y (Yes) Program to run LOTUS Confirm include/exclude Y (Yes) Append to existing file /A The command line should read: AI MYMASK,AIDEMO.TXT,SALESDAT,WKS,Y,LOTUS,Y/A TRANSLATION COMMAND LINE EXAMPLE 2 To perform a translation from the command line using the following parameters: Mask File name MYMASK Input File name as specified in the mask Output File name as specified in the mask Translation type WKS Display on default to yes Program to run none Confirm include/exclude default to no The command line should read: AI MYMASK,,,WKS TRANSLATION COMMAND LINE EXAMPLE 3 To perform a translation from the command line using the following parameters: Mask File name MYMASK Input File name as specified in the mask Output File name as specified in the mask Translation type as specified in the mask Display on default to yes Program to run none Confirm include/exclude default to no The command line should read: AI MYMASK TRANSLATION COMMAND LINE EXAMPLE 4 To perform a translation from the command line using the following parameters: Mask File name MYMASK Input File name ORIGINAL.DAT Output File name GOOD Translation type as specified in the mask Display on default to yes Program to run none Confirm include/exclude default to no File-combine /C The command line should read: AI MYMASK,ORIGINAL.DAT,GOOD/C >> UTILITIES COMMAND LINE << The running of a utility can be initiated from a DOS command line. Syntax: AIUTIL option[=v1[,v2]] input [output] [/W] The option, input file name and output file name parameters are positional and separated by spaces. option Option or utility to be performed. AutoImport offers eleven options or utilities. L Line-split R Record-split T Tab-expansion C CSV (Comma Separated Variable) to columnar F Fixed length records S Statistics U Unstack D Dbase to ASCII columnar H Header of dBase to ASCII file A ASCII to EBCDIC E EBCDIC to ASCII The options and examples of their uses are described later in this section. v1 & v2 Required and/or optional values. Whether these values are used depends on the utility option specified. input Input File name, including the path and extension if necessary. output Output File name, without an extension, but including any drive and path specifications necessary to tell AutoImport where to find the file, if an existing file, and where to place the file, if a new file. If an Output File name is not specified, the Output Files will have the same path and name as the Input File. AutoImport provides unique, sequential file extensions (.A1 through .A99), as some options produce more than one Output File. /W Includes a Warning if AutoImport detects that the Output File name specified already exists. Stops the program and prompts whether to proceed. If not specified, any file(s) having the same name as the Output File will be overwritten. AutoImport offers eleven options or utilities. Descriptions of these options and examples of their use are provided below: L=v1 LINE-SPLIT Splits the Input File vertically by producing two or more Output Files with shorter record lengths. The value v1 is the maximum record length in the Output Files. For example, to split the file INFILE.DAT into files with a record length of 80 and output the data into files with the name of OUTFILE, the command line would read as follows: AIUTIL L=80 INFILE.DAT OUTFILE The number of files created depends on the length of the Input File and the number of characters specified as the maximum length for each Output File. The first Output File is named OUTFILE.A1, the second OUTFILE.A2, etc. R=v1 RECORD-SPLIT Splits the Input File into two or more files with fewer records in each Output File. The value v1 is the maximum number of records in the Output Files. For example, to split the file INFILE.DAT into files with no more than 8192 records per file, the command line would read as follows: AIUTIL R=8192 INFILE.DAT The number of files created depends on the length of the Input File and the number of records specified as the maximum for each Output File. The first Output File is named INFILE.A1, the second INFILE.A2, etc. T=v1 TABS Expands tab characters by the value indicated by v1. This value sets the number of spaces to use as tab stops. For example, to expand the tabs in the file INFILE.DAT with tab stops of 8, the command line would read as follows: AIUTIL T=8 INFILE.DAT C CSV Converts a comma separated variable file into a file with fields of fixed length. For example, to convert the file INFILE.DAT, the command line would read as follows: AIUTIL C INFILE.DAT F=v1[,v2] FIXED Converts a fixed length record file that does not have record separators into a sequential file with record separators. The value v1 is the length of each record in characters. The optional value v2 is the number of characters to skip at the beginning of the Input File before outputing records. This option is useful when the first part of the file contains header information or other data that should not be translated. For example, to convert the file INFILE.DAT into sequential records with a length of 16 and to skip the first 18 bytes in the file, the command line would read as follows: AIUTIL F=16,18 INFILE.DAT S STATISTICS Displays statistics about the Input File. The statistics include the length of the longest line, the number of lines, and whether the file contains tab characters. For example, to display statistics about the file INFILE.DAT, the command line would read as follows as follows: AIUTIL S INFILE.DAT U=v1[,v2] UNSTACK Unstacks a file containing multiple lines that logically go together, but are on separate lines. The value v1 specifies the number of lines to be combined into a single line. The optional value v2 is the number of lines to skip at the beginning of the file before combining lines. This option is useful if the first part of the file contains header information or other data that should not be translated. For example, to unstack the file INFILE.DAT by combining each pair of lines in the Input File, skipping the first 5 lines, the command line would read: AIUTIL U=2,5 INFILE.DAT D DBASE Creates a sequential file that is usable by AutoImport from a dBase II, III or IV data file. For example, to convert the dBase file INFILE.DBF to a sequential file, the command line would read as follows: AIUTIL D INFILE.DBF H HEADER Outputs the dBase file structure contained in the database file's header record. For example, to output the structure of the dBase file INFILE.DBF, the command line would read as follows: AIUTIL H INFILE.DBF A ASCII TO EBCDIC Converts a file whose characters are encoded in ASCII (used by PC's) into a file encoded in EBCDIC (used by IBM midrange and mainframe computers). For example, to convert the ASCII file INFILE.DAT to an EBCDIC file, the command line would read as follows: AIUTIL A INFILE.DAT E EBCDIC TO ASCII Converts a file whose characters are encoded in EBCDIC into a file encoded in ASCII, that is usable by AutoImport. For example, to convert the EBCDIC file INFILE.DAT to an ASCII file, the command line would read as follows: AIUTIL E INFILE.DAT >> PRINTER INTERCEPTOR COMMAND LINE << The Printer Interceptor terminate and stay resident (TSR) program that intercepts output going to a printer port and redirects the output to a file can be installed in memory from a DOS command line. Additionally, the current installation in memory can be modified from the DOS command line. Syntax: PI printer filename [/A][/Bv][/N][/P][/Q][/Tv][/S][/U] The printer and file name parameters are positional and separated by spaces. The switches are not separated by spaces, and can be in any order. printer Printer port to be intercepted. Valid printer ports are PRN, LPT1, LPT2, and LPT3. To intercept a serial port, the DOS MODE command must be used to redirect output to one of the parallel ports before starting Printer Interceptor. filename Capture File name, including the drive, path and extension if necessary. This file will receive the information intercepted from the printer port. If no drive or path is specified, the Capture File is placed in the current directory. If no extension is provided, PRN will be used. /A Appends the intercepted data to the end of the Capture File. The default is to overwrite the file if it exists. /Bv Specifies the size of the memory buffer with "v" that Printer Interceptor uses in writing to the Capture File. The larger the buffer, the faster Printer Interceptor operates. The default buffer size is 5,120 bytes. The buffer can be no larger than 62,000 bytes. The larger the buffer size, the more memory that is required to install printer interceptor, and the less memory that is available for other applications. With a larger buffer size, Printer Interceptor physically writes to the disk less often. NOTE: If the buffer size is not adequate, some applications on fast computers may overflow the buffer before Printer Interceptor can write its contents to disk. If this occurs, Printer Interceptor beeps and some data will be missing from the Capture File. /N Disables the hot-key combination of <Alt-Shift-P> that toggles interception on and off. NOTE: The /N switch should be specified if another TSR is using the same hot-key combination of <Alt-Shift-P>. /P Prints the data while intercepting to a file. The default mode only captures the data to the file and does not print it. The /P option should only be used if a printer is connected to the port from which output is being intercepted. /Q Selects quiet operation. To confirm that it is working, Printer Interceptor defaults to audible operation (speaker buzzes during interception). /Tv Times out after the number of seconds specified with "v" after interception of the last character. When time out occurs, the capture buffer is flushed and the Capture File is closed. Printer Interceptor writes from its buffer to the Capture File if the buffer fills, if time out occurs, or under certain other conditions. The time out can be set to any number of seconds between 0 and 3600 (1 hour). The default is 30 seconds. Time out does not stop printer interception. Time out has two uses. It can be used to verify that the intercepted data is physically written to the disk for protection from loss of electrical power. It is also used with interception of date and time stamped files (discussed later in this section). /S Stops interception by deactivating Printer Interceptor. /U Un-installs or removes Printer Interceptor from memory. PRINTER INTERCEPTOR COMMAND LINE EXAMPLE Following is an example of a command line for intercepting output normally routed to LPT1. This line sends the data to the file named CAPTURE.DAT in the directory MYDIR, as well as sending it to the printer. PI LPT1 \MYDIR\CAPTURE.DAT /P CHANGING PRINTER INTERCEPTOR'S SETTINGS Printer Interceptor does not have to be stopped in order to change the port from which data is being intercepted or the file that should receive the data. Simply, reissue the PI command with the printer and file name parameters, and any desired switches. DISPLAYING THE CURRENT SETTINGS To see the current settings for Printer Interceptor after it is installed in memory, issue the PI command with no parameters. TEMPORARILY STOPPING PRINTER INTERCEPTOR After Printer Interceptor is installed, it can be temporarily deactivated from the DOS command line by issuing the PI /S command. All interception stops. To restart Printer Interceptor from the DOS command line, simply re-issue the Printer Interceptor command with the desired parameters. To temporarily disable Printer Interceptor by using the hot-key, press <Alt-Shift-P>. To re-enable Printer Interceptor, press <Alt-Shift-P> again. Two beeps indicate when Printer Interceptor is disabled; one beep indicates when Printer Interceptor is re-enabled. If Printer Interceptor has been deactivated with the /S option, the <Alt-Shift-P> key combination will beep, but has no effect. DATE AND TIME STAMPED FILES Printer Interceptor can create Capture Files that have the date and time of interception as part of the file name. A new date and time stamped file is started after each "time out" as determined by the value of the /T switch, which defaults to 30 seconds. To activate the date and time stamp feature replace the file name on the command line with "D*". Examples: PI PRN D* PI LPT2 A:\D*.DAT PI LPT1 D*. /T5 The first example places the intercepted output into date and time stamped files in your current directory with a ".PRN" extension. The second example captures the output going to LPT2 and puts it into files on the A: drive with an extension of ".DAT". The third example intercepts LPT1 and puts the output into date and time stamped files in the current directory without an extension; the interception "times out" 5 seconds after the last character is received. The name of the Capture File is in the form of MMDDhhmm, where the first 2 characters are the month number. The next 2 characters are the day number, followed by the hour and the minutes. If the extension is not provided, it will default to ".PRN". For example, a date and time stamped file created on October 15, 1991 at 1:30 PM would be 10151330.PRN. Printer Interceptor creates a new file with a new date and time stamp if it times out after the last character is intercepted or if Printer Interceptor is temporarily disabled with the <Alt-Shift-P> key combination. UNINSTALLING PRINTER INTERCEPTOR After Printer Interceptor is installed, it can be uninstalled from the DOS command line by issuing the PI /U command. This removes Printer Interceptor from memory and normal operation of the printer will be resumed. ------------------------- END OF DOCUMENT -------------------------------