Shareware Super Platinum 8

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Shareware Super Platinum 8 / Shareware Super Platinum 8.iso / mac / DATABASE / ER302.ZIP;1 / README.DOC < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1993-04-28 | 16.3 KB | 417 lines

EDITRAND 3.02 By CMD Data Services ⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒø ≥ ⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒø ≥€ ≥ ⁄ƒƒƒƒ¡ƒƒø ≥ (R) ≥€ ≥ ƒƒ≥ ≥O ≥ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒ ≥€ ≥ ≥ ⁄ƒƒƒƒ¡–ƒø ≥ Association of ≥€ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ƒŸ Shareware ≥€ ≥ ¿ƒƒ≥ O ≥ Professionals ≥€ ≥ ƒƒƒƒƒ≥ ∫ ≥ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒ ≥€ ≥ ¿ƒƒƒ–ƒƒƒŸ MEMBER ≥€ ¿ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒŸ€ €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ Welcome to EditRand Version 3.02. I hope you find this program to be quite useful. EditRand will run on any IBM PC/XT/AT/PS2 or 100% compatible, and requires MSDOS version 3.0 or greater and 400K available RAM. EditRand will run on either a hard disk or floppy disk system, and automatically detects the default monitor type (color or monochrome), and uses an appropriate color scheme. A full list of the files supplied with EditRand, and a brief description, can be found in the accompanying file PACKING.LST. Important files for users: SHR-WARE.DOC LICENSE.DOC WARRANTY.DOC Important files for distributors, vendors, and BBSs: FILE_ID.DIZ DESCRIBE.DOC SYSOP.DOC VENDOR.DOC PLEASE REGISTER EditRand is a shareware program. The version you have is for evaluation purposes only, but is a fully functioning version. Support the shareware concept. If you use this program beyond the 30 day evaluation period, you are required to register. For your registration fee you will receive: (1) A printed, bound up-to-date copy of the documentation, (2) the latest version without the UNREGISTERED VERSION reminder, (3) the next release free, (4) unlimited support, (5) a copy of the NUMRECS utility. NUMRECS will tell you the number of records of any size that will fit on the total and available disk space of any (or all) drives. Read the file SHR-WARE.DOC for information on the shareware concept and industry. To register, read the file LICENSE.DOC. If you agree with the terms, print a copy of the accompanying file REGISTER.FRM, fill it out and mail the form with payment to the indicated address. THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THE SHAREWARE CONCEPT. VIRUSES Anyone concerned about the validity of any of these files may call or write to me for a list of the correct CRCs (Cyclic Redundancy Check) for these files. You must have a program that will tell you what the CRCs are for the files you possess, then compare against the CRC numbers I give you. This will help protect against viruses or accidental corruption. If you received your shareware evaluation copy of EditRand from an ASP approved vendor or BBS, the chances of virus infection are very small. The very best way to assure that you receive valid files is to REGISTER your copy with CMD Data Services. See the file SHR-WARE.DOC for more information about viruses. EDITRAND DOCUMENTATION To print the EditRand documentation, use the DOS PRINT command, or issue the DOS command "COPY ERDOC.PRN PRN". The file ERDOC.PRN is formatted for 60 lines per page. SAMPLE DATA FILES The supplied sample data files are called 1099.DAT and 1099.DBF. As the name indicates, they contain 1099 records as reported by banks and other institutions. Also on the distribution disk is an initialization file ER.INI that contains the working environment created for 1099.DAT. Please look at Appendix C in the manual for a tutorial that will demonstrate some important EditRand operations using 1099.DAT and 1099.DBF for experimental purposes. SUPPORT Registered EditRand customers receive unlimited support. That is, there is no time limit. Before calling for support, please read the manual thoroughly and follow through the supplied tutorial in Appendix C of the manual. For technical assistance with EditRand, the preferred channel is on Compuserve, ID 70701,2123. Email is checked several times a week, and more thought can be given to questions and concerns before responding in this way. For licensing or customization questions, or technical support questions from registered customers, please call or write to Scott Whitehead CMD Data Services 10413 Firethorn Lane Austin, TX 78750 (512) 335-0579 For a bug report or enhancement request, it is preferable to fill out and send the supplied Report Form (see the file REPORT.FRM). EDITRAND 3.02 DESCRIPTION EDITRAND can be used to analyze data files in ways not possible using the program that created the data. Using EDITRAND, data can be viewed exactly as it exists on disk, allowing speedy verification of program output and intelligent troubleshooting of problem situations. Avoid long hours of testing - use EDITRAND to peek at those data files and find the exact fields and records that are suspected of being corrupt or invalid. Have you found that an application will not allow a change that is desired? Load the data file into EDITRAND, swiftly make the desired changes, and put the data back into operation without a lengthy waiting period. Highlights: * Browse and edit random files produced by any program, regardless of record structure. A RANDOM file is any file whose records are all the same length. * Flat data files, data files with any proprietary header, or dBASE III format files. * Display an entire record on the screen at one time. * Determine exact location of data fields with the use of ruled display and user definable tab stops. * Full text, hexidecimal, binary numeric and ASCII data editing. * Cursor key navigation just like ordinary text editors. * Perform standard editing functions such as Search, Replace, Word Count, Cut and Paste. * Make global changes to specific fields, such as case conversion, character fill, or paste from scratchpad. * Perform record functions such as Append, Delete, Copy, Move and Sort. * Full featured binary number operations (IEEE or Microsoft Binary Format). * Restrict operations to a range of records and/or range of columns (this allows the user to focus operations on a particular data field) * Globally convert entire records or specific fields to upper or lower case, or fill with any character. * Undelete/Undo changes to records * Create backup files for security purposes * On line help screen showing all defined function keys * Works on files up to 2 billion bytes in size, record size up to 3600 bytes per record. * Maximum record length is: - 1600 bytes per record in standard 80 X 25 text mode, - 3040 bytes per record in 80 X 43 mode (EGA required), - 3600 bytes per record in 80 X 50 mode (VGA required). PROGRAM CHANGES Version 3.0: * Maximum record length increased from 1600 to 3040 bytes (EGA monitor required), or 3600 bytes (VGA required.) * Specify a header offset from the beginning of the file from which to begin viewing of records (tested and debugged since version 2.0). * Improved file selection window. * Addition of Currency numeric data type. * Improved color scheme. Allows forcing of monochrome attributes. * Enhanced Replace options. Globally convert to upper and lower case; globally delete records that contain specified string; globally fill any field with a string of any character. * Enhanced Append. Append any number of records with single Append operation. Optionally fill each appended record with content of scratchpad. * Enhanced dBASE III mode. * Improved Range Delete and Undelete/Undo. * Improved method of handling and purging of deleted records. * Option to force EDITRAND to maintain one centrally located copy of the initialization file (ER.INI), instead of, by default, creating it in the subdirectory from which EDITRAND is executed. * As of version 2.1, the name of the EDITRAND defaults file has been changed from ER.DEF to ER.INI. There is no method of converting ER.DEF files to ER.INI format, so you will have to go on a search and destroy mission for those instances of ER.DEF on your disk(s). * EDITRAND has always made backup files with the extension .BAK. Beginning with Version 2.1, backup files now have the extension .ERB. This was done to help users spot EDITRAND backup files more easily, since many other software programs use .BAK as their backup extension. * No manual changes have been made since version 2.1. The jump in version numbers was made primarily to indicate the exhaustive testing, debugging, and refinement that has taken place. Version 3.01: * The only additional functionality is the ability to increase a data file record length by inserting a new field anywhere in the record structure. This is done through the Save As function (Alt-V). Previously Save As allowed saving only portions of a record, which in effect meant you could "collapse" a record structure. Now you can do the opposite. The prompt for adding a new field appears only if no field bound is set: Do Simple Copy, or insert New field at cursor position ? If New Field is chosen, you will be prompted for size of new field and whether you want it inserted before or after the current cursor position. If the scratchpad is not empty, you will be asked if you want to paste the scratchpad into the new field. It is possible to create a Save As output file that is too large for EditRand to handle (greater than 3600 bytes per record). Version 3.02: * If Dynamic fields are turned on, the current field is highlighted. This allows easy determination of the record area that is the current "focus". * Dynamic fields are now turned on by default. Ctrl-F toggles dynamic fields. * When in edit mode, the PageUp and PageDown keys can used to adjust the foregound and background colors. If the cursor is on a highlighted field, only the highlight foreground and background are changed. If the cursor is out of the current field bounds area, only non-bounds area colors are changed. These colors are saved in ER.INI. * Most typed responses are recallable and editable now (long overdue). For example, when in edit mode and you issue a Replace command (Alt-R), the next time you type Alt-R, the previous Replace string will be presented for editing. To use the previous string, use the left cursor or backspace key first; typing a character first erases the previous string and starts over. * When specifying a Replace string in Hex or Bin mode, it is now possible to specify a non-Hex or non-Binary target or replacement. In other words if you have pressed Alt-R then either F1 or F2, the target or replacement must still be hex or binary, but one or the other can be a normal character string. For example, in hex mode: /0C 0A/\!!/ This will cause the next occurrence of carriage return/line feed to be replaced with a pair of exclamation points. The backslash is used as a special character that tells EditRand to treat what follows as literal characters (that is, don't try to interpret them as hex characters.) The reverse would be /\!!/0C 0A/ * "Byte Locate" (Alt-B) now allows either decimal or hexidecimal representation. Decimal is still the default. If you wish to express a hex value, precede it with a "H". For example, to locate byte 3E8 (decimal 1000), enter "H3E8". * The file and record offset numbers on the right side of line 2 can be toggled between decimal and hexidecimal with Alt-F1. This setting is recorded in ER.INI. * The Offset number, which appears only in Edit Mode, always meant the offset of the cursor position from the beginning of the current record. This number can now be toggled to represent the offset from the beginning of the current field (if field bounds are set) with Alt-O. This setting is recorded in ER.INI. * Until version 3.02, if you tried to load a Read Only file, you would be forced into Browse Mode. You can now place the cursor into the record display area of a Read Only file, but no alterations are allowed. * New with Version 3.02, you can tell by looking at the file name on line 1 of the display if you have made any changes to the file. After the cursor leaves the record in which the first alteration is made, a special character (ASCII 241: Ò) appears to the left of the file name. * Prior to version 3.02, if you edited a file, then pressed "Q" to exit, changes were kept automatically and EditRand exited to DOS. Now in such a case, the user is prompted: Save changes (Y/N/Esc) [Yes] ? Yes is the default answer if carriage return is pressed. EDITRAND Customization If you have special editing requirements that EDITRAND does not address, CMD Data Services also provides customization of the EDITRAND program. For example, EDITRAND could be tailored to: 1. Intelligently load and handle specified proprietary data file formats. 2. Handle alternate character sets. 3. Generate indexes or format/prefill records and fields to specification. 4. Generate custom reports. 5. Calculation functions. If interested, please submit a letter of intention, outlining your requirements to: Scott Whitehead CMD Data Services 10413 Firethorn Lane Austin, TX 78750-1740 Please include a summary technical description of your requirements. An immediate response will be sent to verify that your request has been received, and a detailed response, including cost estimates, will be forthcoming 2 to 4 weeks later.