Subject: 'what'--locates tag strings in files
From: [email-masked] (Rick Coates)
Date: 31 Aug 88 17:30:55 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc

[ Version 2.0 of 14 August, 1988.  I edited the following description.
-- R.D.]

Here is a Unix-like utility (with source) for MS-DOS.  I compiled with
MSC 5.1, but it is ANSI C with only file opening MS-DOS specific code.

It looks for a key text string in a file (any file: source text, binary
object, or executible).

Why what?  First of all, to identify executible files.  This utility
lets you know what version an executible is.  It is also very useful for
library routines, both for checking which version is used and also to
see what routines actually get loaded at link time.  The programmer
must include a key string in the source code, which may be in C,
assembldy, or other language.

This would be handy if people sending things to comp.binaries.ibm.pc
used it.  Executables could be easily identified even if the original
distribution were lost, or confused with updates.

The .COM file included uses MS-DOS wildcard expansion, so 
"what *.exe" should work.

Rick Coates

tektronix!reed!percival!agora!rickc
OR
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