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FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Database Duplicate Checking System _______ ____|__ | (tm) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER _________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Table of Contents _________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 DISCLAIMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 COPYRIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 LICENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 SHAREWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 REGISTRATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 TRADEMARKS and COPYRIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Environment Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 FLAG6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 F6OVM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 FLAG6/F6OVM Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 FLGFLT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Data File Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Pick a file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Type in name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 New File Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Drive / Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Field Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Deselecting fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Accepting your choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Options / Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Ignore Character Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Ignore ALL spaces when checking . . . . . . . . . 22 Ignore ALL punctuation characters while checking 23 Write report to a file . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Print report to printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Print Statistics to printer . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Print with Graphics characters . . . . . . . . . 27 _________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reservedi FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Table of Contents _________________________________________________________________ Mark EXACT duplicates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Verify Before Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Set HI and LO duplicate levels . . . . . . . . . 30 Pick fields to use in report(s) . . . . . . . . . 32 Check Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 APPENDIX A -- Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Picking Data Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Picking fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Number of checks to do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 APPENDIX B -- History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Revision History by Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Version 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 R.1.14.6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 R.1.14.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 R.1.10.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 R.1.9.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 R.1.8.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 R.1.0.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 R.1.0.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Version 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 R.0.3.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 R.0.2.8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 R.0.2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 R.0.1.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 R.0.1.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 APPENDIX C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Technical Support / Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 US Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Hours - Weekday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Hours - Weekend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 APPENDIX D -- Quick Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 APPENDIX E -- ASP - Ombudsman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 APPENDIX F -- Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Pricing, Site License, and discount rate chart . . . . 45 _________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reservedii FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Introduction _________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Welcome to FLAG Db Double Check Version 6! FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 is designed to check dBASE III+, and compatible, .DBF data files for dupli- cates. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 features: * Use dBASE III/III+, Clipper, QuickSilver, FoxBASE+, and other close compatible, data files * Check any field(s) in the table, character, numeric, date, and/or logical * Settings for: Where to start checking a field How much of a field to check Case sensitivity Ignore spaces within fields Ignore punctuation within fields * Identification of three duplication levels: Exact, Probable, and Possible * Reports: Settings for: Level(s) of duplication to include in rep- ort(s) Printing of duplication report(s) Write duplication report to a file Printing of statistics as a separate report * While checking, optionally, display statistics * Command line parameters for ease of operation _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 1:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Introduction _________________________________________________________________ There have been many changes in version six of FLAG Db Double- Check. It has been greatly enhanced to be more flexible and easy to use. In the interest of brevity I will start off with the usual: requirements, disclaimer, copyright notice, and acknowledgements. We will then run through an explanation of the menus in FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6. REQUIREMENTS FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 needs: An IBM or close compatible 512K RAM (640K is recommended) A hard disk is suggested You will need enough room on the disk to cre- ate an index file The file to check MUST be compatible with the dBASE III+ .DBF data file format. (This DOES NOT include dBASE IV or FoxPro data files). The file should not be encrypted or in any other way protected or altered. Networks: FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 is NOT a multi-user application. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 is network AWARE, that is the limit to its networking abilities. It, simply, knows if it is on a network, or not, and will take appropriate file locking action(s) if it is. The only network OS that FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 has been tested on, by me, is Novell's NetWare. NOTE: If you are running on a network it is your responsibility to ensure that you have Create and Delete rights in the directory where you will be work- ing. You will also need to be able to use the data file to be checked in NON-shareable (LOCKED/EXCLUSIVE) mode. NOTE: It will take time to index the data file. This will take even longer on networks, and with larger data files. Also, make sure you have enough room to create the index. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 will make an attempt to check if there is enough room and inform you if it doesn't think there is adequate space. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 2:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Introduction _________________________________________________________________ Known incompatibilities: I have disabled default use of exPanded memory because of exist- ing problems with some exPanded memory managers. DISCLAIMER I, Matthew G. Maier, hereby disclaim all warranties relating to this software (FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6), whether express or implied, including and without limitation to, any implied warran- ties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. I will not be liable for any special, incidental, consequential, indirect, or similar damages due to the use or misuse of this software or for any other reason, even if I or an agent of mine have been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall my liability for any damages ever exceed the price paid for the license to use this software, regardless of the form of the claim. The person using the software bears all risk as to the quality and performance of the software. COPYRIGHT FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6, the package, and any/all accompa- nying files are all copyrighted under U.S. and international copyright law by Matthew G. Maier. Defraud of the codes and terms of these copyright law(s) will result in criminal prosecu- tion. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 IS NOT placed into the public domain, it is SHAREWARE and you are obligated to register this software if you use it beyond the appointed trial period. The FLAG Db DoubleCheck version 6 package, including, but not limited to: FLAG6.EXE, FLAG6.OVL, FLAG6A.DAT, FLAG6B.DAT, FLAG6.CFG, FLAG6HIS.DBF, FLAG6.DOC, and (optionally) README.F6; files may NOT be reproduced, sold, copied, disassembled, reverse engineered, incorporated into, or bundled with, any other pack- age(s), or application(s), or in any other way modified without the express WRITTEN consent of the author. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 3:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Introduction _________________________________________________________________ DISTRIBUTION You may upload the FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 SHAREWARE ver- sion, in its unmodified archival form, provided all accompanying documentation and data files are included in the archive(s). Commercial distributors/vendors must obtain a WRITTEN distribu- tion license from the author before they may distribute FLAG Db DoubleCheck, (any version and/or release from Version 5 Release 1.0.0 forward), in any form; unless the distributor(s) are ASP approved/authorized vendor(s). Groups may charge a processing and handling fee, not to exceed $7.00 (U.S. Currency). LICENSE You are granted a limited license to use FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 for a trial period, 30 days, pending evaluation prior to purchase. Registered users may not reproduce or distribute their serialized copy of FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 or any accompanying files. You may install FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 on more than one computer, but are limited to ONE copy running/active/in use/in operation at the same/parallel time. SHAREWARE FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 is distributed as SHAREWARE. What is SHAREWARE? Well, SHAREWARE is a concept that allows you to test, for a trial period, a fully operational product before purchasing it. By using the product, beyond the trial period, you are agreeing to purchase the product. If you do not remit payment, and continue to use the product, after the prescribed trial period, you are breaking your part of the agreement. This makes it harder for SHAREWARE authors to produce quality software on a try-before-you-buy basis and you will have to live with your conscience. REGISTRATION Why should you register? When you register you will be sent the latest version/release of FLAG Db DoubleCheck, (all fixes are not uploaded). FREE major upgrade(s) and technical support for one year from purchase date. The SHAREWARE notice will be removed from your registered version(s) and it/(they) will be serialized with your registration ID(s) and name(s), or company name(s). At this time, printed documentation is not available, this may become a future option. If it does, all registered users will receive this documentation FREE of charge. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 4:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Introduction _________________________________________________________________ Registered users have priority in all dealings: technical sup- port, upgrades, enhancements they would like, etc... If you find FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 useful, would like to see enhance- ments made to it, and want to support the SHAREWARE concept, then register your version, and please, register all SHAREWARE you find useful. Registered users are licensed to use their version(s) of FLAG Db DoubleCheck, (whichever version/release they have), on one ma- chine at a time and may NOT, under any circumstances, distribute their copy. The price of FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 is $22.95 + $2.50 S/H, [$25.45], (U.S. currency). Please see the registration form, site licensing instructions, and pricing information, at the end of this documentation, for more details. TRADEMARKS and COPYRIGHTS The FLAG Db DoubleCheck Duplicate Checking System is distributed using LHarc 1.13c Large Model SFX. FLAG Db DoubleCheck is a copyright of Matthew G. Maier. Clipper is a registered trademark of Nantucket Corporation. FoxBASE+/FoxPro is a registered trademark of Fox Software. dBASE III/III+ is a registered trademark of Ashton-Tate. Quicksilver is a registered trademark of WordTech Systems Inc. NetWare is a registered trademark of Novell. LHarc 1.13c SFX is a copyright of Haruyasu Yoshizaki. DMSERR and DMSOOP are copyrights of DMS. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 5:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Up and Running _________________________________________________________________ Getting Started Installation: In order to install FLAG on your computer system, copy the .EXE file(s) from drive A: to the target drive (C: D: B: etc.) It is advised that you place FLAG in a separate direc- tory of its own to insure that the FLAG*.* data files stay with the FLAG6.EXE executable file, we suggest a directory name of 'FLAG6'. Unpacking: If you received a diskette containing a three .EXE files the following instructions pertain to you. Otherwise if you received FLAG in archived form (i.e. FLAG.EXE, FLAG.ZIP, FLAG6rrr.EXE, where rrr is the release number) all you need to do is ex- tract the file into the directory where you would like FLAG to live. To unpack the FLAG system, after copying the dis- tribution file(s), type the name of file(s) with an extension of 'EXE'. You will see each file(s) opening screen and will be prompted whether or not to continue. If you respond by pressing the 'Y' key, each file will un-archive itself into the current directory. (see INSTALL.TXT (if applica- ble) for un-archiving to different [drive]:[direc- tory] instructions.) Depending upon distribution method the FLAG archive may contain all of the FLAG files in an unarchived state or it may con- tain three separate archives. If you have recei- ved an archive which contains the following three files you will have one additional step in the unpacking process. Type: FLAG6EXE (the executable program) FLAG6DOC (this documentation) FLAG6DAT (the data files FLAG needs) _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 6:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Up and Running _________________________________________________________________ Configuration: Environment Variables FLAG supports three environmental variables / DOS variables. Two of these variables are for perfor- mance tuning. FLAG6 and F6OVM both have an impact on how FLAG will utilize your system resources. Each these three environment variables can be set from the DOS prompt or via a batch file (or the autoexec.bat file). The first controls FLAG's use of certain system resources, explained below. The second controls FLAG's overlay manager. The third variable 'FLGFLT', (Release 1.9.2 and onward), supports the setting of a filter which FLAG will use in determining which records to check. The general guidelines for the use of the FLGFLT DOS environment variable are outlined below. FLAG6 Some of you may wish to use exPanded memory for index buffering. As mentioned previously, I have disabled FLAG's default use of exPanded memory to avoid possible problems with some exPanded memory managers and/or other applications. If you would like to use exPanded memory, place the following statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, (or enter at your system prompt). SET FLAG6=E0000; Replace the '0000' after the 'E' with the amount of exPanded memory you would like FLAG to use. Use of exPanded memory can drastically reduce index/check time because FLAG will be able to buffer more of the data in memory rather than having to access the disk. In addition, for those of you who do not have exPanded memory, there is one other setting that you can experiment with to achieve maximum perfor- mance. This is the 'R' setting, the syntax for the 'R' setting is the same as for the 'E' setting above. The 'R' setting will determine how much of conven- tional memory FLAG will use for index buffering. Depending on total system RAM available and the _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 7:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Up and Running _________________________________________________________________ system itself, you can fine tune the speed with which FLAG will read and check your data file. FLAG's default setting is 45K of conventional memory devoted to index buffers. F6OVM This environment variable will allow you to have more of FLAG in memory. Depending upon how much TPA, Total Program Area, you have available you can have more of FLAG resident therefore allowing for greater execution speed since FLAG will not have to read from the disk as often. The syntax for this variable is: SET F6OVM=/OOxxxx Where 'xxxx' is a number. You will usually want to keep this number low, if it is too high there can be a performance loss by having too much of FLAG's overlay in memory and not leaving enough free memory for FLAG's requirements. Setting it to around 30-40 will improve performance in most cases. FLAG6/F6OVM Warning: If you have used the previous two variables to change FLAG's default memory usage requirements and you receive a 'Fatal Error' message, on the top line of the display, an 'Out of Memory' error has occurred. You need to adjust your set- tings accordingly, lowering the parameters that require conventional memory below the 640K mark. In most cases, the R parameter of FLAG6 and/or the /OO parameter of F6OVM. If you have NOT used the above parameters to re-configure FLAG look for a file called F6_ERROR.LOG on the drive and in the directory FLAG was working in when the error occurred. (It will be in the directory where you installed and execut- ed FLAG unless you changed the drive and/or directory from the Pick a file menu.) Please send this file to me so that I can assess the problem and find the solution. When 'regular' program error occurs a box will pop up con- taining a message informing you that an error has occurred and asking you to send the F6_ERROR.* files to me. I would greatly appreciate your cooperation in this as it is always possible that software is released with some errors that _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 8:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Up and Running _________________________________________________________________ only manifest themselves under certain conditions or that just plain slipped through testing. Thank you. FLGFLT This is a nice feature to have and thanks go to John V. Parker for suggesting (requesting) I pro- vide this ability. FLGFLT's intended use is to EXCLUDE certain records that you know you do not want included in a check. For example, lets say you did not want to check any records that have a blank address. (assuming you have a table with a field called ADDRESS in it, naturally.) You would put the following statement in your autoexec.bat, a batch file that calls FLAG, or type it at the DOS prompt prior to running FLAG. SET FLGFLT=EMPTY(ADDRESS) FLAG will then examine records prior to checking to determine if they meet this criteria. If the record does, it is skipped and another is tried. This loop will continue until a record that DOES NOT match the expression set in FLGFLT is found or the end of the file is reached. FLGFLT will support most dBASE III+ expressions. The only constraint being that the expression must return a LOGICAL (boolean, true or false). In the next revision of the manual, and the new release of FLAG due out soon, hopefully, I will go into more detail on the uses of FLGFLT. To illustrate another example: SET FLGFLT="1" $ address .or. empty(address) The above would skip all records that contain a 1 in the address or have an empty address. An empty field: empty(<field_name>) A certain value in a field: <field_name> == <value> Equal to <field_name> != <value> Not Equal to <field_name> $ <value> Contains .AND. and .NOT. are supported for the construction of complex expressions. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 9:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Up and Running _________________________________________________________________ Anyway that is the general idea. If you have questions, please, don't hesitate to write, call, or email me and ask. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 10:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Up and Running _________________________________________________________________ Starting: To start FLAG, type "FLAG6", and any command line argu- ments you require, at the DOS prompt. Command line arguments: FLAG will accept only three command line argum- ents; -Fd:\path\<filename>, -N, and -A. Each argument must be proceeded by a '-', (hyphen), and separated by a space. i.e. FLAG6 -A -Fd:\path\<filename> Instructs FLAG to use 'd:\path\<filename>' and go into Automatic mode. Command line argument(s) descriptions: -F File argument. syntax: <-F>[[d:]\path\]<filename> desc.: The -F parameter instructs FLAG to use <filename>. The drive (d:) and path (\path\) designations are optional. -N Non-Stop mode syntax: <-N> desc.: If the -N argument is found on the com- mand line, FLAG will start checking the last file processed immediately upon startup, provided the configuration information is accurate and in-tact. -A Automatic mode syntax: <-A> desc.: The -A argument tells FLAG to, fall, from section to section; not stopping at the main menu, you can press [ESC] to abort this process from any menu. NOTE: The -A and -N arguments cannot be used simultaneously, further, the -N argument will not be valid if the -F argument was used. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 11:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Up and Running _________________________________________________________________ After typing in the appropriate command line at the DOS prompt you will see the opening screen. If you have an UNREGISTERED version of FLAG you will see the shareware notice and will be required to press the 'F5' function key before further execution is possible. FLAG's main menu, if you have not specified the -A command line argument, will now come up. Main menu: FLAG's main menu consists of six choices. Data File Selection Field Setup Options ------------------- Options/Setup Start Checking Return to DOS Navigation: Highlight your selection with the cursor keys and press [ENTER] to confirm your choice. Alternately, you can press the first letter of your desired choice to make the selec- tion. Select 'Return to DOS' and press [ENTER], press 'R', or press [ESC] to abort and return to the operating system. Description(s): Data File Selection: In this section you will be able to select a file to check; from a list of the files in the current directo- ry; type in a filename; specify a new filespec to use in the pick window; type in the name of a file to check; change directories; or change drives. Field Selection: This section is where you will specify which fields in the selected file you would like to use in the checking process. Where to start checking, and the number of checks to preform on each of the selected fields. Included here, for ease of use, is the ability to mark fields for printing while selecting check fields. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 12:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Up and Running _________________________________________________________________ Options / Setup: Toggle FLAG's options for checking; set the duplication level(s); choose which field(s), if any, to include in the report(s); set display of statistics; etc. Start Checking: Start the check process on the currently selected file with the current setup. Quit to DOS: Leave FLAG and return to your normal operating environ- ment (DOS). _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 13:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 File Selection _________________________________________________________________ Section Title: Data File Selection Description: In the Data File Selection Menu you will select a file to check, there are six options in this section: Pick a file Type in name New File Spec Drive / Directory Quit/Return Navigation: Highlight your selection with the cursor keys and press [ENTER] to confirm your choice. Alternately, you can press the first letter of your desired choice to make the selec- tion. Select 'Quit/Return' and press [ENTER], press 'Q', or press [ESC] to abort. Menu item descriptions: Pick a file Display a list of files in the current directory, that match the filespec in the current configuration, and choose one to check. The display is organized by files first, followed by directories, and then drives. You can move around all of your disks and directories while selecting a file to check. (Changing drive/directory will not change the actual logged drive/directory from where you started FLAG. You will have to use the Drive / Directory option to change the physical drive and/or directory.) Highlight your selection with the cursor keys and press [ENTER] to confirm your choice. Alternately, you can press the first letter of your desired choice to make the selection. Press [ESC] to abort. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 14:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 File Selection _________________________________________________________________ Type in name Type the name of a file you would like to check. Any legal DOS filename is acceptable. If the file is not in the current directory then you must include the drive and directory designations. The file extension is optional. FLAG will assume an extension of ".DBF" and append it to the end of any filename given without an extension. NOTE: If you would like to check a file that does not have an extension you must include a period ('.') following the file's name. So that FLAG will not automatically append ".- DBF" to the end of the filename. Type in filename and press [ENTER] to confirm. Press [ESC] to abort. New File Spec Change the current filespec in the configuration file. This file specification is used in determining which files you see when you select the 'Pick a file' option from the 'Data File Selection' menu. Type in any valid DOS filespec and press [ENTER] to confirm. Press [ESC] to abort. Drive / Directory Change the current Drive/Directory by choosing from a list of the Drives/Directories available. This option is used to change the drive/directory to where you would like FLAG to place its scratch files, index, report, etc. Think of this option as changing the default drive/directory, as the Pick a File option will return you to the drive and directory from where you invoked it after you select a file or abort. Highlight the directory you wish to change to and press [F10] to confirm. Press [ENTER] to see a list of the subdirectories below the highlighted directory. Press [ESC] to abort. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 15:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 File Selection _________________________________________________________________ Quit Return to the main menu...... NOTE: FLAG will check the file picked, or typed, to determine if it is dBASE III+ compatible or not. If the file is NOT dBASE III+ compatible, or can NOT be USEd, you will be notified. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 16:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Field Selection _________________________________________________________________ Section title: Field Selection Description: Here you will be able to mark all of the fields you wish to use in the check process. You will set your starting and check lengths and, optionally, mark fields to be included in your report. You can mark from one to all of the fields in the table. NOTE: All fields with a length of ZERO or of type Memo will NOT be presented for selection. In addition there are a few conditions pertaining to the amount of fields you can check. One, the overall length of all of the combined field lengths must be less than (or at least close to) 200 characters (but MUST be less than 250). Two, the index expression cannot exceed 256 characters. This will only become a problem if you want to check lots and lots of fields or you are checking lots of fields of type other than character. A running tally of this information is presented on the top line of the screen. Keep an eye on the numbers displayed here and keep in mind that the higher these numbers are the longer it will take FLAG to build the index. Navigation: Highlight your selection with the cursor keys, or press the first letter of your desired choice, and press [CTRL-ENTER] to mark the field for checking. Press [ALT-P] to mark a field for printing. Press [ENTER] to edit the starting, check length, and print options. Press [F10] to confirm ALL of your choices. Press [ESC] to abort. Instructions: Whenever you mark a field FLAG will place a check mark in the 'Check Field?' column in the selection window, so you know that field is selected. In addition, FLAG will also assign a default starting position and check length. The last line of the screen is a short, one line, help and message line. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 17:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Field Selection _________________________________________________________________ Above the last line is the statistics box. Contained within this box are statistics on how many fields are available to be checked, how many are selected, fields selected to be in- cluded in the report, report width, and total number of checks. On the right side of the screen is the Instruction box, it contains brief instructions on the navigation of the field section. NOTE: Deselecting fields: Position the highlight over a selected field name and press [CTRL-ENTER]. The check mark will be removed from the 'Check Field?' column. Don't worry about the settings in the other columns, they will be ignored by FLAG if the field is not marked. With the exception of the Print Field column. This will be used to determine what fields to display in the Verify Mark box if that option is turned on. NOTE: Accepting your choices: After you have selected all of the fields that you wish to check and pressed [F10] to confirm your selections. FLAG will automatically make an estimate of how much disk space is needed, to build the required index file, and compare that to what is available. If there is not enough disk space you will be notified and returned to the main menu. What you will need to do now is either quit or select 'Data File Selection' from the main menu. When you are in the 'Data File Selection' section select the 'Drive / Directory' option. After you have changed to a different drive, se- lect the 'Field Selection' option again, verify that the fields you want to check are marked and then press [F10]. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 18:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ Section title: Options / Setup Description: This section allows you to customize the check process to suit your needs. By means of a series of toggles, prompts, and multi- ple choice options. Navigation: Highlight your selection with the cursor keys, or press the first letter of your desired option, and press [ENTER] to select/toggle your choice. Press [F10] to confirm ALL of your selections. Press [ESC] to abort. Instructions: In most cases all you will need to do is highlight the op- tion and press [ENTER] to toggle between ON and OFF sett- ings. There are two other options that are NOT toggles though, for these you will need to input information or make selections. Set HI and LO duplication levels: When this option is selected you will be prompted for duplication settings for Exact, Probable, and Possible levels. In addition, you can tell FLAG whether or not to include each of these levels in any reports being generated. (see option description for more details) Pick fields to use in report(s). When you select this option you will be presented with the same list of fields that you saw in the 'Field Selection' section of the main menu. You may pick as many fields as you would like, just make sure you have wide enough paper. (see option description for more details) NOTE: This option has the same functionality as the Print Field column in the Field Selection Sec- tion. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 19:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ Sample layout of Option Descriptions: Option number <default setting> ---------------------------------------- Name of Option ON -- Action if parameter is on OFF-- Action if parameter is off A longer explanation and/or an example. ---------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 20:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ 1 <OFF> ---------------------------------------- Ignore Character Case ON -- The case, upper or lower, of a character IS ignored OFF-- The case of a character IS NOT ignored If you turn this parameter ON then all letters will be trea- ted equally. Meaning, as one case, not as mixed case where an upper case 'J' is not the same as a lower case 'j'. This is good for names, addresses, etc. that do not require case sensitivity for uniqueness. i.e. data in the table looks like: field1 field2 record1 J JOnes 1122 ANy St record2 J Jones 1122 Any St With Option ON: record1 J JONES 1122 ANY ST record2 J JONES 1122 ANY ST ---------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 21:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ 2 <OFF> ---------------------------------------- Ignore ALL spaces when checking ON -- Matching spaces ARE NOT counted OFF-- Matching spaces ARE counted Normally FLAG will count spaces as matches if they occur, in the same place, in the same field, in both records. You can override this by turning this option ON. Telling FLAG that spaces are not important and not to count them. FLAG will then extract all of the spaces from the field(s) as they are to be checked. FLAG will try to extract a val- id, no spaces, string that is equal to the number of checks specified. The extraction will continue until either the correct number of characters are found, or the end of the field is reached. If FLAG searched until the end of the field, the remaining unfilled character places will be re- placed with a special character. When FLAG reaches this special character during the check of the field it will terminate that particular check and go on to the next. i.e. (start checking at character 1, with a length of 5) data in table looks like FLAG sees this field1 field2 field1 field2 record1 J Jones 1122Any St J Jon 1122A record2 JJones 1122 Any St JJone 1122 ||||| ||||| With Option ON: 12345 12345 ||||| ||||| record1 J Jones 1122Any St JJone 1122A record2 JJones 1122 Any St JJone 1122A NOTE: Keep in mind that FLAG does this extraction dynamical- ly, meaning for _every_ field to be checked in _every_ record. While this does yield a substantially improved check it will in turn reduce the speed of the check. ---------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 22:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ 3 <ON> ________________________________________ Ignore ALL punctuation characters while checking ON -- Punctuation characters IS NOT counted OFF-- Punctuation characters ARE counted Normally FLAG will count punctuation characters as unique. Punctuation is one place where mistakes are most common. This along with different abbreviation practices can lead to data that will not show up as being an even close match yet it is. FLAG now has the option of ignoring punctuation characters. Turning this option ON will instruct FLAG to take out any punctuation it finds and not include it in the check. FLAG will then extract all of the punctuation characters from the field(s) as they are to be checked. FLAG will try to extract a valid, no punctuation, string that is equal to the number of checks specified. The extraction will contin- ue until either the correct number of characters are found, or the end of the field is reached. If FLAG searched until the end of the field, the remaining unfilled character places will be replaced with a special character. When FLAG reaches this special character during the check of the field it will terminate that particular check and go on to the next. (This may sometimes cause 'strange' behavior with regard to what will then be considered a duplicate. This is caused by FLAG not having enough characters to check, and not being able to check these special characters we have determined are to be stripped out. This behavior is even more evident when spaces are ignored. I am currently working on a new approach that will alleviate this problem) Example: Field contents FLAG will see 122 W. 5th St. 122 W 5th St 122 W 5th St 122 W 5th St _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 23:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ 4 <OFF> ---------------------------------------- Write report to a file ON -- Write all duplicates found to a file OFF-- DO NOT write all duplicates found to a file You supply the name of the file to create, up to 225 charac- ters with drive and path designation. There are a few thi- ngs to consider when choosing this option: One, you will need to make sure there is enough room on the disk to create the file. I cannot estimate how large the file will be ahead of time due to the fact that FLAG may find no duplicates or it may find hun- dreds. Two, this is mostly for the multi-user environment, you will need to make sure you have CREATE and WRITE rights in the directory where you would like to create the file. ---------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 24:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ 5 <ON> ---------------------------------------- Print report to printer ON -- The doubles found WILL be sent to the printer OFF-- The doubles found WILL NOT be sent to the printer With this parameter ON any duplicates that are found, and whose level has been turned ON for printing, will be sent to the printer. FLAG will also include some statistics with each record, (record numbers; whether it was an exact, a probable, or a possible duplicate; how many matches [how many of the checks you designated were hit]). FLAG will also place the time and date at the top of each page along with the name of the file being checked, the field(s) checked, and headers for the column(s). At the bottom will be the total number of checks being done and counts of exact, probable, possible, total duplicates found. The 'printer' here is LPT1, or the default PARALLEL port on your computer. If you have a printer hooked up to a serial port you will need to use the DOS MODE command to redirect LPT1 to COMx (where x is the number of the serial port you have your printer hooked up to). The miscellaneous information on the report will follow this template: File name: Field names: Date: Time: Page # =========================================================== DL/H | Record # | Field heading(s)... =========================================================== Prob 99999999 9999 99999999 DL = Duplication Level: EXCT = Exact Prob = Probable Poss = Possible H = Number of hits on this comparison ---------------------------------------- 6 <ON> ---------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 25:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ Print Statistics to printer Print the statistics of the check to the printer. This option will print the end of check statistics to the same printer as the report, if the report option was enabled. These statistics include: The name of the file checked The time and date checked The fields with number of checks done on each field The total amount of checks The number of records to check The number of records checked A detail of how much of each duplicate level was detected by FLAG, and how many, if any, records were marked. ---------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 26:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ 7 <OFF> ---------------------------------------- Print with Graphics characters This option enables FLAG to use the extended ASCII graphics characters in its printouts. Some printers do not support these extended characters and will print odd replacement characters. If you see a double lined box below, then your printer sup- ports the extended ASCII character set and you can turn this option ON if you wish to. If not, then you should leave this option OFF for proper printouts. ╔════╗ ║ ║ ╚════╝ ---------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 27:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ 8 <OFF> ---------------------------------------- Mark EXACT duplicates during check <OFF> ON -- Mare EXACT duplicates for deletion OFF-- DO NOT mark EXACT duplicates found If you turn this option ON then records that are found to be EXACT AND ONLY EXACT, meaning every check on every field selected was a hit, will be marked. As they would be in dBASE III+ if you BROWSED a file and pressed [CTRL-U]. This DOES NOT mean the record is physi- cally DELETED, it is only marked for deletion in the same manner that dBASE marks a record for deletion. You would still have to go into dBASE, USE the file and PACK the file in order to literally DELETE the marked records. You can also retrieve, UNMARK, all of the marked records by, again, starting dBASE, USEing the file, and issuing the command RECALL ALL from the dot prompt. ---------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 28:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ 9 <OFF> ---------------------------------------- Verify Before Mark Verification before marking is only relevant if you have turned Marking of duplicates ON. When both options have been selected, turned ON, you will be presented with the actual data of the two records being compared and will be given a choice of deleting either of the two records or neither. The field(s) that will be displayed can be selected in two ways. FLAG will, by default, display the field(s) being checked. But, if you designate more fields to be printed than you are checking FLAG will then use those fields. You do not need to be generat- ing a report in order to select fields to print. The Print Field switch will be ignored if a report, to printer or file, is not being generated. When an exact duplicate is found FLAG will display the two records on the screen in a box. The interior boxes will be labeled with the record numbers the data represents. Within the interior boxes will be displayed the fields, selected to be checked or selected to be printed, for your perusal. In between the two interior boxes is a menu. Delete Orig., Delete Dupe. and Delete None. Delete Orig. applies to the TOP box, and Delete Dupe applies to the BOTTOM box. Selecting one of these two options will Mark the designated record. If there is more data in any given field than can fit in the box you can scroll, horizontally and vertically, by using the cursor control, arrow, keys. Pressing [SHIFT-TAB] will move you from one record box to the other record box. Pressing the [TAB] key will scroll the menu. To make your selection you can use the [TAB] key to highlight the appropriate choice or you can press the highlighted hot key of that menu choice. ---------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 29:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ 10 <Multiple choice> ---------------------------------------- Set HI and LO duplicate levels This option will present you with a list of the different dupli- cate levels that FLAG supports. You will be able to indicate to FLAG how many hits need to be made during the check, on each record in order to qualify as one of these duplicate levels. In addition you will be able to tell FLAG which, if any, duplicate levels to include in any report(s). Placing a 'N' in the print field will tell FLAG NOT to include any records found that match this level of duplication. Each level of duplication has a HI and LO setting, except for EXACT which only has a low (the exact HI setting is always the total number of checks being done). Designating levels: EXACT LO -- This number must be less than or equal to the total number of checks being made, and greater than the Probable HI setting. Probable HI -- This setting must be less than the EXACT LO setting, and greater than or equal to the Probable LO setting. Probable LO -- This setting must be less than or equal to the Probable HI setting, and greater than the Possible HI setting. Possible HI -- This setting must be less than the Prob- able LO setting, and greater than or equal to the Possible LO setting. Possible LO -- This setting must be greater than ZERO, and less than or equal to the Possible HI setting. All of the settings are dynamically updated by means of cascad- ing. So, if you change the EXACT LO setting to be lower than the Probable HI setting then all other settings will be changed, as needed, to conform the above conditions. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 30:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ ***** I M P O R T A N T ***** If you do not set the Print (Y/N) option ON for each of the separate duplication levels and have selected to generate a report, a blank report will be generated. You need to tell FLAG which of the levels to include in reports. The default is to include ALL levels. ---------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 31:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ 11 <Multiple choice> ---------------------------------------- Pick fields to use in report(s) Selecting this option will pop up a list of the fields in the file you selected to check. You will then be able to select which field(s) to include in the report(s). By positioning the highlight bar with the cursor keys, or pressing the first letter of the field name, and then pressing [ENTER] you will select that field to be included in any report. After you are finished press [F10] to confirm ALL of your selections and return to the options menu. Pressing [ESC] will abort back to the options menu. FLAG will calculate the amount of space needed to print the report for you and display it on the left side of the screen. This 'Page Width' number is how many spaces you will need in order to print the requested field(s). FLAG reserves the first 23 character spaces for: left margin: 5. level/hits: 7. record #: 11. Total: 23. spaces NOTE: This option has the same functionality as the Print Field column in the Field Selection section. ---------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 32:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Options Section _________________________________________________________________ 12 <F> ---------------------------------------- Check Type The check type instructs FLAG to use one of three different methods for checking. The Full option will run as you are used to using the full configuration to determine if two records are duplicates <exact, probable, or possible>. The Partial option will only use the check start and stop option for checking. The switches for case, punctuation, and spaces will be ignored during the check. Quick checking will ignore all of the options for check starting positions, check lengths, ignorance of case, punctuation, and space. The Full check is the most thorough of the three obviously because it is the most detailed. It is also the slowest. A partial check will result is a somewhat increased speed during the check but the accuracy of duplication identification will decrease. The Quick check can cut time in as much as half as compared to a Full check. The drawback of this speed gain is lost in the fact that a Quick check can find neither Probable or Possible duplicates. A Quick check will only identify EXACT duplicates, truly EXACT duplicates based upon the field(s) you have selected. A Full check, although more thorough, can come up with Exacts that are not Exact. The reason being that the records are exact to the Full check, at least the data checked is exact. The amount of data being checked, start and length of check, will have a bearing on what a Full and Partial check will return. In a Quick check length is never a consideration -- the entire field is compared. Testing of the three types is the best method of determining which type will provide the best results for your particular situation. ---------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 33:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Appendix A _________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX A -- Hints Picking Data Files Any table being checked must be dBASE III+ compatible. FLAG will not check a data file with less than 10 records in it, that sized table should not need automated checking. Be sure the data file is up to date, that any additions have already been made to it, and so on. There is little use in running a thorough check of a file, update it, and run the check again. Picking fields Try to pick a combination of fields that will present FLAG with the fullest possible picture of your data, without being exclu- sively unique or redundant. Any 'generated' primary key, by primary key I mean what you uniquely identify each record with (i.e. an id number, part number, series of letters, etc.), is not a good idea, but if the primary key is manually entered, or is composed of the raw data being entered then it is a prime candidate for FLAG to check. Remember not to go overboard on uniqueness either. If what you decide to check is overly unique FLAG will find few, if any, duplicates. The goal is to select the right amount of fields, and data in the fields, to present FLAG as complete a picture of what your ta- ble's theme, entity, without over burdening FLAG with too many checks to process. For instance: If your table is based upon the entity Customer, then the name and street address are pretty good choices to check. Why? Well, the last name is definitely NOT unique in most cases. While the combination of first+last names is slightly more unique it still provides too wide a margin for error. But, with the addition of the street address, the key com- posed of first name, last name, and street you get a pretty fair representation of what the whole table is about. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 34:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Appendix A _________________________________________________________________ What is needed is a good combination of fields that will give FLAG a good representation of the data in the table through a carefully selected sample. The fields chosen should be as unique as possible. Meaning, fields like zip codes, states, and some- times city will not be unique enough to generate an accurate duplication estimate. Fields like names, streets, phone numbers, etc. will produce the best results. These fields will provide FLAG with a key that gives a very good representation of the information contained within the record and yet the key is not so unique as to not generate any duplicates. Number of checks to do This is really pretty much based upon the amount of repetition in each of the fields you choose to check. With fields such as names or streets you would want to make the number of checks large enough to get past the part of the field that is likely to be similar in a large percentage of records. With version 6 you can now start checking deeper within the fields so the check length can remain smaller. With a field like street address. For example, there are likely to be many records with the first portion of the address, the digits, that will be exact or very similar. So, to circumvent this, you would want to designate a large enough check start value to get past the first part of the address, the number, and get into the street name. A portion of the street number combined with a portion of the street name would give an optimal check of a field such as ad- dress. But in fields like city the first three or four characters will generally be sufficiently unique. (This, of course, will depend upon the range or your address list. If all of your addresses are in one state then the cities in that state have a high like- lihood of being redundant and would therefore not be a good choice to include in the check.) _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 35:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Appendix B _________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX B -- History Revision History by Version Version 6 R.1.14.6 - Stop-n-Ask will display the field name to the left of the field data. - Fixed problem with selection of Delete Orig from Stop- n-Ask. - Fixed out of memory error problem that only evidenced itself when TPA was around or less than 425K and check- ing a file on a different drive. - Added control of FLAG's internal overlay manager for performance and memory usage tuning. R.1.14.0 - Different types of checks. Full/Partial/Quick. - Stop-n-Ask type marking. When an exact duplicate is found FLAG will stop and display the information in those records and inquire whether or not to mark it. R.1.10.0 - Changed file selection options. Added navigation to file pick window. Will now navigate across directories and drives while picking files. - Changed field selection section. Combined Number of checks and Field selection into one display. Added selection of fields to include in reports same display. - Eliminated display of statistics option. Statistics are always displayed now. Condensed statistics dis- played. - Timer and percent complete added to indexing. - Percent complete changed to numerical representation rather than bar in check section. - Timers include hundredths of seconds. (Mostly because during some testing I wasn't registering times.) - Status of FLGFLT, if implemented, is displayed during check. (Looking/Checking) R.1.9.2 - Implemented ignore punctuation option. I was saving this for the new release but figured what the heck. - Worked on the checking a little more and have fixed something that some of you may have run into. A prob- lem where you knew there were mixed case characters and they were not showing up in the check even with ignore case on. Well, that won't happen anymore. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 36:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Appendix B _________________________________________________________________ - Finally implemented the environment variable support that I intended to do awhile back. The new environment variable "FLGFLT" supports record filtering expres- sions. R.1.8.1 - Revs 1.x.x - 1.8.1 were minor changes that I have made along the line. None of which are worth mentioning. Most have to do with the an upcoming new release of FLAG and new versions of the compilers I use in FLAG's development. - Minor fixes to certain internals in the checking sec- tion, re-engineered the string handling for ignoring spaces and case. - FLAG was not saving configurations correctly. - Amount of area printed on each page has been condensed so that printers set up to print 60 lpp will not print a blank page for every full one. - FLAG now knows exactly (within reason, standard errors) what is wrong with your printer. (i.e. offline, not selected, out of paper, not on, etc.) R.1.0.1 - Corrected FLAG's inability to accept and use the drive correction if the data files were not in the current directory. - Added ability to print or pause to view the statistics shown on the screen at the end of a check. - Fixed problem while marking duplicates found, when the mark duplicate option was toggled ON. - Rewrote ignore space and check routines in C, this makes these two specific routines much faster. R.1.0.0 - Added configuration and history files. - Will now ignore ALL spaces not just matching ones. - Fields for report can now be picked. - Redesigned menus. - Enabled [ESC] to abort from all menus and data entry prompts. - Added command line arguments. - Settings for duplication levels added. - Report toggles for duplication levels. - Broke report into two separate pieces so a check can be run and ONLY statistics get printed (good for writing a report to a file and just printing statistics at the end). Version 5 _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 37:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Appendix B _________________________________________________________________ R.0.3.0 - Condensed/Optimize checking procedure - FLAG no longer has problems with ExPanded memory - Opening screen delays eliminated R.0.2.8 - Fixed internal problem with network compatibility. - FLAG was not recognizing that it had USEd a table, it now does what it should. - Added graphic/non-graphic character printing option. R.0.2.0 - Added watch for index key and expression lengths. - Fixed problem with numeric field conversions in the index expression during indexing and checking. - Added abort back to main menu from the field selection and number of checks section with left and right cursor movement keys. - Added recognition of a 'table in use by another user' for networks. R.0.1.3 - Statistics added to the end of text file. - Allowed ESCape to abort back to main menu from certain menus. R.0.1.0 - Fixed a problem that occurred when there were less than three fields selected for checking. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 38:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Appendix C _________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX C Technical Support / Author Any and all comments are welcome. I can be reached in any of the following ways: US Mail: Matthew G. Maier 19019 Capehart Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20879 Telephone: (301)869-1879 Hours - Weekday: 8:00 am EST/EDT - 9:00 pm EST/EDT (Leave a message with a phone number where you can be reached after 9:00 pm EST/EDT or during the day.) Hours - Weekend: 11:00 am EST/EDT - 10:30 pm EST/EDT (Generally, I am in and out all weekend long, so leave a message if I am not in at the time.) Email If at all possible please use Email, it is considerably easier to communicate via Electronic Mail. It is both faster, and more easily controlled. Thank you for your cooperation. CompuServe: 76370,743 75140,1627 GEnie: M.MAIER1 M.MAIER In the DBMS RoundTable (page 485) If one of the above IDs does not generate a response please try one of the others. I try to check my mail in all of the accounts each day but you know how things can get at times _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 39:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Appendix C _________________________________________________________________ BBS: I can be reached via InterLink in the Clipper conference. IDBUG BBS in the public section (long distance, so I do not check in very often.) Several local BBSs around the Mary- land, D.C., and Virginia area. Generally, calling my house will get the best results. After that it is a toss-up between CompuServe and GEnie. So have faith, I will respond to ALL email, phone calls, letters, etc. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 40:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Appendix D _________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX D -- Quick Reference Remember: [ESC] to ABORT File Selection: Pick a file: Pick from a list of files in the current directory. Press [ENTER] to select. Type in name: Enter any valid DOS filename. Change File Spec: Enter a valid DOS filespec. Drive / Directory: Pick from drives/directories available. Press [ENTER] to view subdirectories of the highlighted directory. Press [F10] when finished. Quit: Return to the Main Menu. Field Selection: Select/Deselect: Choose from list of fields in current file. [CTRL-ENTER] to select/deselect, [ENTER] to edit settings, and [F10] when finished. Changing checks: Select field from list, press [ENTER] to edit check start, length and print. Check Start: Where in the field to start checking. Enter a value greater than 1 and less than the total field length minus the amount of checks to do. Check Length: How much of field to check. Enter a value greater than 1 and less than the total field length minus the check start. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 41:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Appendix D _________________________________________________________________ Options / Setup Section: Toggle/Select: Highlight option press [ENTER] to tog- gle. Press [F10] when finished. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 42:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 ASP _________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX E -- ASP - Ombudsman The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP) -- Ombudsman This program is produced by a member of the Association of Share- ware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the share- ware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a CompuServe message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 43:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Registration _________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX F -- Registration Name: _______________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ City: _______________________________________________________ St/Prov: ______________________________ Zip: ______________ Country if not United States: __________________________________ Phone: ______________________________ Date: ______________ Email: CompuServe____________________ GEnie________________ ============================================================ Qty. Product description Price Total ____________________________________________________________ | FLAG Db DoubleCheck V6.1.14.6 | $22.95 | ____________________________________________________________ Shipping and Handling| $ 2.50 MD state residents add 5% state tax| ____________________________________________________________ Total enclosed| ============================================================ ALL order(s) must be accompanied by payment; no purchase order(s) accepted; all monies in U.S. funds; check(s) drawn on U.S. banks, or USPS certified money order(s). Please make payment(s) payable to: Matthew G. Maier Remit registration(s), accompanied with payment(s), to: Matthew G. Maier 19019 Capehart Drive Gaithersburg MD 20879 Comments: _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 44:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Registration _________________________________________________________________ Pricing, Site License, and discount rate chart (per registration) 1 - 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 22.95 ea. 11 - 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.95 21 - 35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.95 36 - 100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.95 101 - 500+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.95 Site License . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1500.00 All orders include $ 2.50 Shipping/handling per order. _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 45:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved. FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 Thank you! _________________________________________________________________ Thank You! for trying FLAG Db DoubleCheck Version 6 _________________________________________________________________ Rev: 30.09.90 Page: 46:45 Copyright 1988 Matthew G. Maier. All Rights Reserved.