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FCOM 2.1 - The File Combine - (c)Copyright 1992 Rand Nowell RaLin Enterprises "Putting Little Bits Together" (tm) 40728 Sundale Dr. Fremont, Ca. 94538 (510) 651-0253 - Program Documentation - - Typeset May 6, 1992 - - Manual Index - Copyright,Legal Stuff.................1 System Requirements...................1 Command Syntax........................2 Speed Figures.........................2 Program Prompts.......................2 Sample.Bat............................2 Append Form Feeds.....................2 Overwrite File........................2 Print the File......................2,3 Errors................................3 FCFILE.BAK............................3 File Not Found........................3 Print and View........................4 Appending to File.....................4 The Future of FCOM....................6 Why Register..........................6 Support...............................7 FCOM.DOC Program Documentation Page 1 FCOM 2.1 - Is NOT Public Domain, Nor Free,It is being distributed under the shareware concept. This means that you are free try the program for a specified time and evaluate is usefulness to you. Should you find the program a valuable asset and wish to continue using it a registration fee is usually in order. - The Legal Stuff - FCOM.EXE the Combine program, and FCOM.DOC the documentation, are all the Copyrighted work of the author: Rand Nowell dba RaLin Enterprises. You are licensed to use this program, as long as it is not modified. Please do not disassemble, recompile or otherwise change the visable or mechanical format of FCOM. While, as stated above, you are licensed to use this program, doing so beyond a TWO WEEK evluation period causes the Registration Fee to be due the Author. I feel that two weeks should be a sufficient period to allow you to determine if this program "meets your needs". If it does, and you wish to continue to use FCOM beyond the two week period, Please Register It! This will induce me to further enhance the program, and also bring you new versions at a savings from normal registration. This SHAREWARE copy of FCOM may be freely distibuted as long as you distribute the program with all accompanying documentation and sample files. You may not modify any of the above either. Adding a comment text file is allowed, as long as it is seperate from the authors files, and states that it is a "USERS" comment. Distribution of the REGISTERED version of FCOM violates Federal Copyright laws and should not be done. Support the Shareware Concept! - DISCLAIMER - FCOM 2.1 is supplied "AS IS" and no warranties are expressed or implied. Rand Nowell, the author, and RaLin Enterprises, the authors company assume no liabilities for the use of this program. Much effort has gone into providing a "BUG" free program, but the user assumes all risk for its use. OK, thats enough of this stuff.... System Requirements: Hard Disk Dos ver 3.0 or above Memory: Suggest 300k, FCOM reads files 1 line of 132 charecters at a time, then writes that line to NEW file. More DISK intensive than MEMORY intensive. Consequently a fast hard disk will get you faster combine times. Printer: If you want to be able to print files. Monitor: So far all tests show that FCOM will operate on both Color and Mono monitors. FCOM writes directly to video, so older CGA's "MAY" experience some "snow". FCOM.DOC Program Documentation Page 2 FCOM is a utility to combine multiple text files into one large text file. It was designed to be used on text files, but will probably work with binary files too. But this is NOT reccomemded, it wouldn't do you much good and it would most likely stop at the first End-Of-File it encoutered, of which there are usually several, in binary files. So lets just use it for what it was designed for....Text files! FCOM is not a super fast "speed demon", but it gets the job done! The largest file test I have performed was to combine two BBS listings, one at 216,261(k) and one at 151,893(k) a total of 368,154(k) into one file, and that took aprox 1 min 20 secs. Command Syntax: FCOM by itself with no parameters will generate a screen of instructions, with the proper syntax and examples shown. Three sample text files have been provided for you to experiment with. If you have already read the READTHIS.1st file, then you have run SAMPLE.BAT and seen a demonstration of FCOM. To combine these three files; File1 File2 and File3 into one file called NEW (or any other name) you would type, at the command line: C:> FCOM NEW File1 File2 File3 (Seperate names with a space only) FCOM will accept \Path\Filenames as parameters. The NEW \path\file is limited to 64 charecters. The input files may also be \path\filenames. The number of input files is limited to a command line length of 126 charecters, including the NEW file spec. The first filename is the name you want to assign your NEW file, the filenames after that are the existing files that you want to combine. When entering the input filenames, type them in the order you want them to be put into the single NEW file. Before FCOM starts the combine process you will be asked if you would like a Form Feed appended to the end of each INPUT file. Depending on your situation this could be useful. You answer this prompt by either pressing <Y> for Yes,append form Feeds or <N> for No, do not append form feeds. Next FCOM will ask if you'd like to Print the completed file. If you press <Y> for yes, FCOM will print your completed file. Please be sure your printer is on. If its not FCOM will ask you to turn it on, then continue. Next you will be asked if you'd like to view the new file when done, answer same as above. After you have answered these questions you will see the message Combining Files....... as FCOM does its job. If the first filename, that you specified for your NEW file already exsits, you will be asked for permission to overwrite it. Answering <Y> for Yes will allow FCOM to proceed and overwrite the existing copy, pressing <N> for No, will end the program, your existing file will be untouched and the combining process will be aborted. If <Y> was pressed to allow overwrite, FCOM displays a message saying Overwrite Confirmed... often you will not see this message, if the file being overwritten is small. Sometimes it just flashes by...... FCOM.DOC Program Documentation Page 3 If you tell FCOM to Overwrite the existing file, it first backs up the original to a file named FCFILE.BAK. This is explained further in the next section ERRORS. Once the combine process has been completed, FCOM will display a messgae telling you Files Have Been Combined..... ERRORS: There is really only one error that FCOM reports, should you include the name of a file that does not exist, for input into your new file, FCOM will beep and display an ERROR! message, and ask you to press Enter. FCOM will abort and erase the NEW file, as it will not be complete! Whenever you tell FCOM to OVERWRITE the existing file, it will first copy the original to a backup file. This file is named FCFILE.BAK. Then if FCOM aborts, because you typed an invalid file name for a input file, even though it deletes the master file that you told it to create, you can recover your original data by renaming FCFILE.BAK, then you can start the process over again. If you have a LOT of files you want to combine into ONE file, you can lessen the chance of input file name mistakes by creating a simple batch file. Call the batch something like MAKEIT, MASTER, BOOK or whatever. then in the batch file enter the same thing you would at the command prompt, but you will have the chance to exit and double check file names. Just be sure to remember FCOM's limits, the NEW file is limited to 64 charecters, and the complete command is limited to 126 charecters, includeing the NEW file spec. This is one of the problems that will be remedied in a future release of FCOM, ie we want to add the option of using *.txt *.doc or *.* FCOM.DOC Program Documentation Page 4 Print and View: FCOM uses its own internal print and view programs. When you begin the view, FCOM will display 22 lines of the file, then prompt you to press SPACEBAR to continue or ESC to abort. Pressing the spacebar will display the next 22 lines to the screen. Displaying only 22 lines this way always keeps the bottom two lines on the screen, sort of an overlap effect. You won't miss anything this way. If you press ESC, FCOM will go directly to the Printing of your NEW file. You will be asked if you want to continue with the print job, this allows you to abort, in case you saw a problem while viewing. Then you can go back, fix the problem, and re-combine. Appending: FCOM does not have, at present, the option to append vs overwrite the new file. But you can accomplish this by re-combining. Assuming your original file is TEST.TXT, rename to TEST1.TXT then enter: FCOM Test Test1.txt file1 file2 file3.......file? This will effectivly "append" the original and new files together into a 'modified' file TEST. I know its a hassle, but at present its the only way. A future version of FCOM will address this option to append files. FCOM.DOC Program Documentation Page 5 The Future: Future enhancements for FCOM: I mentioned in the documentation for FCOM 1.1 that I was working on having settings passed from the command line, as Formfeeds yes or no, printing yes or no etc. I have decided against this. There is less confusion, and less chance for mistakes if the settings are prompted for, by the program, within the program. In mind for a future release, is the ability to combine multiple files using wildcards, such as *.TXT , *.DOC etc. As mentioned earlier, some CGA monitors may experience "snow" due to FCOM's writing directly to video. Since there are not a whole bunch of these monitors out there, I have left things as they are. But if users notify me of an ongoing problem with this, I'll put in a fix to allow configuration for older CGA systems. A future version of FCOM will allow you the option of appending new files to an existing file, instead of deleting (after backup) the file. And I have a couple of ideas for other enhancements too, but for now they will remain my secret. heh heh! NOTE: FCOM tries to let you know what its doing most all the time. But when files being combined or printed are small the information messages it displays may just flash by! But on bigger combine or print jobs, these messages will let you know what FCOM is up to currently. FCOM.DOC Program Documentation Page 6 Why Register? There are several reasons to Register: 1. You will receive a new copy of FCOM on disk. If there is a newer version than the one you have, you'll get it. The copy you receive will not have any annoying SHAREWARE screens bugging you. 2. You will be entered as a registered user of FCOM. This will get you notifed of new program releases, and if you have a modem, will get you pre-registered on our BBS. * The BBS is not online yet, but we hope to have it up * in the next few months. 3. Along with your new copy of FCOM, you'll receive a standalone version of the viewer and print portions of FCOM. The Simple Viewer is better than using the DOS more command, and the Simple Printer is better than using the DOS type or copy to prn. You will also receive QDC, Quick Directory Change. This is a simple but FAST changer for multiple directory level changes. I think you'll find them very useful! 4. You will receive a DISCOUNTED upgrade to the next major version release of FCOM. Minor fixes to the program will be sent to all registered users. 5. Full Support. Registered users get full support, if you call and I am not in, I will return your call at my expense. Unregistered users will receive a collect call, and after any calls to Registered users. To register FCOM 2.1 fill out and mail the Registration Form on the last page. Thanks for using FCOM! FCOM.DOC Program Documentation Page 7 SUPPORT: I can be reached several ways. If calling by phone: If I am not in, or you get an answering machine, please leave your name, phone, program name and version and brief description of the problem, or question. If you call on the weekend, I may not return your call until the next weekday. But I WILL call soon as possible. I return REGISTERED users calls at MY expense....others be prepared for a COLLECT call. Voice Phone: (510) 651-0253 : Ask for Rand Net Mail: 1:215/777 -or- 1:161/42 : Rand Nowell FidoNet Shareware Echo : Rand Nowell Compuserve User ID: 76124,761 Note on Compuserve: I do not check Compuserve every day, usually once a week. The above methods are quicker. US Mail: Rand Nowell RaLin Enterprises 40728 Sundale Dr. Fremont, Ca. 94538 - RaLin Enterprises - - Registration Form - Program: FCOM 2.1 Yes, register FCOM 2.1 to me, and add me to your list. I will also be eligible to receive the next major version of FCOM at a DISCOUNTED price. And pre-register me on your Support BBS if the Modem? box is marked Yes! ( When its On Line.....SOON I HOPE!! ) Name: ______________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ City: _______________________________________________ Province: _______________________________________________ State: ____________________ Postal/Zip Code: ________________ Phone: ___________________________________________ Do You Have a Modem? Yes( ) No( ) Registration must be paid in U.S. Dollars FCOM 2.1 Registration Quan_______ @ $10.00 Amount _____________ Orders outside the U.S. Add $5.00 Total: ____________ Mail payment and completed registration form to: RaLin Enterprises 40728 Sundale Dr. Dept FCOM Fremont, Ca. 94538 Our Voice Phone: (510) 651-0253 ask for Rand