ProfitPress Mega CDROM2 Shareware Freeware (MSDOS)(1992)(Eng)

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Text File | 1991-06-21 | 24.1 KB | 676 lines

PAFAbility Version 1.0 Fri 21 Jun 1991 (c) Copyright 1991, Barbara A. Bennett. All Rights Reserved. PAFAbility v1.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Contents -------- Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hardware Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Using PAFAbility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 WARNING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Program options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Single line vs. cascading chart . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Paging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Reset the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 What's it doing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Random thoughts on data entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 FIELD USE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 NAMES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 MARRIAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 HOW2READ.TXT file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Problem resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 PRINTALT program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Printing the report with a word processor . . . . . . . . . . 9 Printing the report on an unsupported printer . . . . . . . . 9 Liability Statement and Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Shareware Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 --------------------------------------------------------------- Page i PAFAbility v1.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction ------------ PAFAbility is an accessory program for users of Personal Ancestral File. PAFAbility reads the Family Record (FR) data files to produce a Record (also known as Modified Register) System format descendants report. The user has the option of creating a single line report (listing the descendants of one individual) or a multiple line report (listing the descendants of each ancestor of a specified individual). Personal Ancestral File is a registered trademark of the Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Hardware Requirements --------------------- PAFAbility runs on all classes of MS-DOS compatible computers. If memory above 640K is available, it will be used to hold the NAME2.DAT file so that the maximum amount of conventional memory is available for the program's use. The program supports Epson compatible dot matrix printers, Hewlett Packard LaserJet compatible printers and provides an option for no printer codes to be used. Using PAFAbility ---------------- No installation or configuration is required to run this version of PAFAbility. This version of the program assumes that the FR data files are in the current DOS directory. For example, suppose the data files you wish to use are in the C:\PAF\BENNETT directory and the PAFAbility program is in the C:\PAF\OTHPGMS directory. To execute PAFAbility, you must do the following: cd\paf\bennett \paf\othpgms\pafablty --------------------------------------------------------------- Page 1 PAFAbility v1.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- WARNING: This program has the potential to print hundreds of pages. You may wish to capture the report to disk and look at the output before sending it to the printer. PRN2FILE.COM, a free utility from PC-Magazine which intercepts printer output, is included in the distribution packet. Program options --------------- There are no command line options in this version of the program. After the program loads, it will ask a few questions to gather the information needed for the current run. The answers may be entered in upper or lower case. Notes ----- All notes, Fgs notes, No notes? This question refers to how much text from the NOTES2.DAT file should be included in the report. Enter "A" to include all notes in the report. Enter "F" to include only Family Group Sheet notes, i.e., those notes which are flagged with "!". Enter "N" to ignore the notes file. Note: This version of PAFAbility does not print notes that are stored in text files. It assumes the notes are in the NOTES2.DAT file. Printer ------- Do you want Dot matrix, HP Laser printer, or None? The answer to this question determines which, if any, printer codes are included in the report. Enter "D" if you have an Epson compatible dot matrix computer. Enter "L" if you are using a Hewlett Packard compatible laser printer. Enter "N" if you have an incompatible printer or don't want to include printer codes in the report. --------------------------------------------------------------- Page 2 PAFAbility v1.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- The report is designed for compressed print (17 characters per line) with eight lines per inch. The codes used for the dot matrix printer are: ESC SI - to turn on compressed print ESC 0 - to turn on 1/8-inch line spacing ESC @ - to reset the printer to its normal settings The codes used for the laser printer are: ESC (8U ESC (s0p16.66h8.5v0s0b0T - to select the line printer font ESC &l8D - to select 1/8-inch line spacing ESC E - to reset the printer to its normal settings If your printer is not compatible with these codes, choose "N" for no printer and use PRN2FILE to capture the output to disk. Then, set up your word processor program with the correct settings, import the report file and print it. Single line vs. cascading chart ------------------------------- Do you want a Single line or a Cascading Chart? Enter S or C: Enter "S" if you want to create a single line report that shows the descendants of a specified individual. Enter "C" if you want to create a chart for each end-of-line ancestor for a specified individual. If you enter "S", you will be asked for the RIN of the individual whose descendants you want to list. For example, if I wanted to create a report of all descendants of John Bennett, I would enter "270" which is his RIN. If you enter "C", you will be asked for the RIN of the base individual to use for the cascading chart. For example, my RIN is 3. To create a report that contains a descendants chart for each of my end-of-line ancestors, I would enter "3" in response to this question. If I wanted to create a report of just my father's side of the family, I would enter "1" which is his RIN. --------------------------------------------------------------- Page 3 PAFAbility v1.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Paging ------ Start each generation on a new page? Enter Y or N: Enter "Y" if you wish to have a page break between generations. This would have the effect of creating a chapter for each generation. However, be aware that this can cause a significant increase in the number of total pages printed. Enter "N" if you wish to save paper. Reset the printer ----------------- Reset printer when report is finished? Enter Y or N: If you are printing directly to the printer and you want the normal printer settings restored when the program ends, enter "Y". If you are capturing the report to disk with PRN2FILE or a similar program with the intention of printing your report on both sides of the paper, enter "N". If the printer reset code is included in the disk report, it will probably cause undesirable results when you try to print alternate pages. What's it doing? ---------------- After you've selected the options to be used for the report, the program reads the data and writes the report. A page counter reporting the progress is displayed on the screen. An index entry for each individual named in the report is built and held in memory. --------------------------------------------------------------- Page 4 PAFAbility v1.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- After all the descendants' information is printed, the index entries that were held in memory are reformatted and sorted. The message "Sorting index" appears on the screen. If there is not enough memory to sort all the names at the same time, temporary disk files will be used. If there is not enough free disk space for the sort work files, the program will fail. Unfortunately, there is no way to calculate how much disk space will be needed. After the index entries are sorted, the index is printed. A page counter reporting the progress is displayed on the screen. If nothing went wrong during the sort phase, the program terminates with the message "Program successfully completed." Random thoughts on data entry ----------------------------- FIELD USE The program assumes, as does PAF, that each field contains what it was intended to contain. That is, the surname field contains a surname; the title field contains a title; etc. If you've done as I have and used fields in ways they weren't intended - I enter (twin) in the title field to indicate multiple births - then the report output may not make sense. NAMES This version of the program considers the title to be part of the surname when the index entries are sorted. Therefore, some names in the index will not appear in the order you expect. Names that don't follow the expected pattern, such as "William the Conqueror", will probably not appear in the index as one would like. How it will be sorted depends upon what was entered in the surname and title fields. I don't know of a solution for this problem, since existing versions of PAF don't provide well for this type of name. --------------------------------------------------------------- Page 5 PAFAbility v1.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- MARRIAGES PAF assumes that a liason that produces children is a marriage. Since PAF provides no way to indicate otherwise, that assumption is also used in this program. NOTES I have not always been consistent in the way I entered data in the notes file. I quit using the FGS Note indicator back when version 2 of PAF was released because I figured I always wanted all my notes printed. However, that's not appropriate for my purposes with this report. I've decided to enter any biographical narrative text as the first FGS note(s) for an individual. The next FGS note is: "Sources for <individual's name>:". This note is followed by the FGS notes containing the source citations for the data. Each source citation is followed by the data extracted from that source. This data is NOT marked as an FGS note. Here's an example: !John J Arbaugh says: Adam was born on the farm one mile north of Jewett, Ohio, owned in 1946 by Ira Arbaugh (gson of Adam's brother, John). Adam received a meager education in the Orr School. Rev. Benjamin Pope, Lutheran minister officiated at his wedding. !Sources for Adam Arbaugh: !RESIDENCE-PARENTS: Commemorative Biographical Record, Harrison, Ohio, containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and of many of the early Settled Families; Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co., 1891; Arbaugh/OH/0001; p. 163, 513. "Of the children of John Arbaugh two are living - ... and Adam, in Van Buren County, Iowa." "... Adam ..." --------------------------------------------------------------- Page 6 PAFAbility v1.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- !BIRTH-MARRIAGE-OCCUPATION-RESIDENCE: 1885 Iowa State Census; Van Buren County, Iowa; p. 357-8, Family 175, Dwelling 166; Lick Creek Twp, Township 70, Range 10, Section 19; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Family History Library, microfilm #1020187 Age 62, married, farmer, entitled to vote. Living E side NE 1/4 ?? HOW2READ.TXT file ----------------- A file named HOW2READ.TXT is included in the PAFAbility distribution package. This file is a one-page explanation of how to read the report. You may wish to print this file and include it with reports that you send to others. Problem resolution ------------------ If you have any problems running the program, the most likely reason is that there isn't enough memory available for the size report you requested. An error message that says "Failed to init <something or other>, Status = 8" means that there wasn't enough memory. Try making more memory available by removing any TSR programs that you have loaded into memory. I was able to create a report with 3393 subjects and spouses on a 640K 8088 class machine with 511K available before the program was invoked. The resulting report, which included all notes, was 1124 pages long; captured to disk, the file was over 4 megabytes. If you need help, please contact me. The following items will help in resolving any problems: description of your hardware: class of machine (8088, 80286, etc), amount of memory, printer model, etc a screen print showing any error messages the options you selected and a copy of your PAF data files --------------------------------------------------------------- Page 7 PAFAbility v1.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- If you find something wrong with the report, please send me the following information: a description of the problem a copy of the report page showing the problem the option you selected and a copy of your PAF data files Send the information to: Barbara A. Bennett 6426 Pound Apple Court Columbia, MD 21045 PRINTALT program ---------------- My PAF database currently contains over 6000 individuals. A report for my mother's side of the family is about 800 pages. In order to save paper, I wanted to print on both sides of the paper. None of the public domain or shareware programs I have tried have worked successfully for me. So, I wrote a program called PRINTALT which is included in the distribution packet. PRINTALT reads the report file captured by PRN2FILE and prints the odd pages. It then prompts the user to turn the paper over and prints the even pages. PRINTALT is what one of my coworkers calls a "hurry up quick" or others call "quick & dirty". It is a no frills program and does very little, if any, error trapping. It works for me but I don't guarantee that it will work for you. I would not expect it to work on any file other than the report created by PAFAbility. If you have a printer jam or run out of paper on page 500 of a 600 page report, there's no way to recover. If your word processor is capable of printing alternate pages, I recommend you use it for this purpose. --------------------------------------------------------------- Page 8 PAFAbility v1.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Printing the report with a word processor ----------------------------------------- The report may be captured to disk using PRN2FILE or a similar utility. If you wish to print the report using a word processor, you must set the word processor as follows in order to properly print the report as formatted: 17 characters per inch 8 lines per inch 0" left and right margins 0" top and bottom margins The report is designed for a monospaced font such as Courier. Use of a proportional spaced font will produce unexpected results. Printing the report on an unsupported printer --------------------------------------------- If you captured the report to disk and chose "no printer" because your printer is not supported by the program, then you must send the proper control codes to your printer before attempting to print the report. You must set the printer for 17 characters per inch and 8 lines per inch. Using PRN2FILE -------------- PRN2FILE intercepts data sent to the printer and writes it to the designated disk file. To send the report to a file named BOOK, enter the following command at the DOS prompt before invoking PAFAbility: prn2file book After PAFAbility has ended, enter the following command to flush the last bit of the report to the file and terminate printer interception: prn2file --------------------------------------------------------------- Page 9 PAFAbility v1.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Liability Statement and Disclaimer ---------------------------------- The author of this program hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this software, whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The author will not be liable for any special, incidental, consequential, indirect or similar damages due to loss of data or any other reason, even if the authro or an agent of the author has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall the author's liability for any damages ever exceed the price paid for the license to use 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. The Shareware Concept --------------------- PAFAbility is distributed as shareware. Shareware is commercial software distributed in an unconventional manner. Microcomputers copy information very easily. Instead of trying to frustrate this through copy protection, shareware takes advantage of it to reach as many users as possible at the lowest cost. Anyone may copy a shareware program and distribute it to whomever they desire, provided they do not charge a fee or alter it. Shareware isn't free. Serious shareware is as polished as any conventional commercial product, and represents just as much programming effort. If you use it regularly, the authors expect compensation. However, unlike conventional distribution, shareware allows you to evaluate the product before you decide to purchase it. The price is often lower, as well, because there are no advertising, packaging, or distribution costs. But it can only work with your support. If you are still using a shareware product after a couple of weeks, then it is obviously worth something to you, and you should register it. --------------------------------------------------------------- Page 10 PAFAbility v1.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Registration ------------ To register your copy of PAFAbility, send in a completed copy of the enclosed order form (ORDER.FRM) with a check or money order for $10. --------------------------------------------------------------- Page 11