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Text File | 1993-09-21 | 97KB | 2,093 lines

──────────────────────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────── ──────────────────────── ──────────────────── ──────────────── Installation and "Quick Start" Guide for PDT (the Pro~Formance Data Tool) Rob W. Smetana ──────────────── ──────────────────── ──────────────────────── ──────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────────────────────── ** Version 2.6 (10/93) ** Copyright (C) 1987-1993, Rob W. Smetana and Pro~Formance. All Rights Reserved Pro~Formance Data Tool, PDT and Pro~Formance are trademarks of Rob W. Smetana and Pro~Formance. ┌───────────────────────── START HERE ────────────────────────┐ │ │▄ │ PDT comes with TWO manuals. This one explains how to │█ │ INSTALL, RUN, CUSTOMIZE and EXPERIMENT with PDT. │█ │ │█ │ Please read THIS manual thoroughly. Then, if you need, │█ │ refer to PDT.DOC -- the command reference manual which │█ │ has descriptions of all of PDT's options. But because │█ │ PDT offers on-line help for EVERY option, you may never │█ │ (or rarely) have to consult PDT.DOC. │█ │ │█ │ ALSO NOTE: If your printer CAN'T print the lines and │█ │ boxes in our manuals, BEFORE you print them, read the │█ │ section on using Translate.Exe -- a few pages below this. │█ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘█ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ a Thank you . . . ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Thank you for trying the Pro~Formance Data Tool (or PDT). PDT is the finest file editor available, with features NO other program offers (read PDT_REV.DOC for a competing author's views). We hope PDT becomes as indispensable to you as it has to us. If you have any suggestions or problems, please let us know. (415) 863 - 0530 (9 - 5 Pacific time please) Before you do anything else . . . ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ 1. Look on PDT's disk for a file called WHAT'S.NEW. If it's there, browse through or print it for recent improvements and changes which may not be mentioned in the manual. To print What's.New, make sure your printer is on, then type: copy what's.new prn <enter> 2. Read LICENSE.DOC. There we'll explain the MAJOR ADVANTAGES to you of registering PDT. 3. Read PDT_REV.DOC, which contains a review of PDT written by the author of a COMPETING PRODUCT! TWO Manuals: Start.Doc and PDT.Doc ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ PDT comes with TWO manuals. Read this one (Start.Doc) completely BEFORE you try to run PDT, and before moving to the second manual (PDT.Doc). PDT.Doc is a technical reference manual which describes each of PDT's options in detail. THIS manual explains how to: * INSTALL PDT Before you can run PDT, you must install it properly. So BE SURE to read Installing PDT in this manual. * RUN PDT We'll also describe here how to run PDT, get help and customize PDT. * EXPERIMENT Finally, we strongly urge you to run PDT and follow the examples. If you do, you'll see many of PDT's features in action. The technical reference manual (PDT.Doc) will then be easier to understand. b Introduction: A tale of unsuccessful Shareware ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ This is a shareware version of the retail program PDT -- the Pro~Formance Data Tool. And this may be the last shareware version released! What happens depends on you and others who try out and use this version. Very simply, PDT is the finest data file editor available! But please DON'T take our word for that. Read a review of PDT by the AUTHOR of a COMPETING PRODUCT! You'll find that review in the file called PDT_REV.DOC that came with this package. Previous Shareware Versions ─────────────────────────── Previous shareware versions of PDT had many of the features you'll find in this version (we've added a few since then). And THOUSANDS of copies were in use around the world. * We got support calls from many of these unregistered users asking how to use this feature, or accomplish that task. * And we found companies where 20, 50, up to 100 copies were being used almost daily. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │****** Guess how many people registered? 1! ******│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ That's right. Despite two years of distribution and the immense, unique powers of PDT, only 1 person registered. I'm sure you can understand that we simply can't give away software we've labored over for about 2 years. So, from now on shareware versions will be 2-3 generations behind registered versions. When you register, you'll receive the latest version with added features that can be of IMMENSE value. For example, the option to expand or shrink columns or fields is phenomenal! Some of the options you'll enjoy when you register may be mentioned in PDT's menus and help system -- since we're adding them now. Further, shareware version WILL let you open any-size file, browse anywhere in it, and use all available options -- if your cursor is above 25,000 bytes. Below 25,000 bytes, you can still browse around; but all editing options are turned off. In other words, shareware versions let you try out all available options. But they won't be available in every situation. For details on what you'll receive when you register, see the section called "The Benefits to You of Registering." c Terms and Conventions We Use in This Guide ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ This phrase: Means you should: ────────────── ─────────────────────────────────────────────── <cr> Press the Enter or Return key on your keyboard. <Esc> Press the Escape key on your keyboard. <F1> Press Function Key F1 (or F2, F3, etc.). <Y>es or (Y)es Press the key you see in brackets or parentheses. alt-[key] HOLD DOWN the Alt key, then press another key. ctrl-[key] HOLD DOWN the Ctrl key, then press another key. Sometimes "ctrl" is abbreviated "^" as in ^S. click Left Click the LEFT button on your mouse. click Right Click the RIGHT mouse button. ctrl-O; Whenever we discuss an option, we'll show you File/Open the "hot key" you'd press AND the menu option you'd select to begin that option. So, to open a file, EITHER press ctrl-O, or pull down the File menu and select the Open option. System Requirements ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ PDT runs on IBM XTs, ATs, PS/2s (and strict compatibles) running DOS 2.1 or later (DOS 3.1 or later is strongly recommended). Memory: A minimum of 330k free memory is required. If PDT detects too little memory, it ends, telling you there's too little memory. Monitor: Any Printer: PDT doesn't use your printer. Disk Drives: Hard disk recommended; floppy disks are fine d Printing PDT's Manuals; Using Translate.Exe ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ As you've already seen, PDT's manuals include high ASCII char- acters which we use for lines, boxes and shading. Most newer printers can print these -- if they're using an appropriate font. But Some printers CAN'T print these lines and boxes properly. Instead, they'll print italic or other characters, or they'll print blank spaces. If your printer CAN'T print high ASCII characters, we offer two options: 1. You could print PDT's manuals using our MULTI-PRINT program (MP), and save lots of paper in the process! (MP usually conserves 50% to 85% of the paper you'd normally use)! MP can print 2 - 10 pages of text on each sheet of paper, printing, if you like, on both sides of the sheet. And MP offers FIVE different ways to print text. MP offers 2 "portrait" options (2-Column Newspaper or Normal Portrait modes) and 3 "landscape" options (Booklets, Left-to-Right and Wide, 1-column modes). ALL of these work on LaserJet, or Epson or DeskJet printers! You can use Normal Portrait mode on ANY printer to print on both sides of the sheet if you like. If you frequently print "readme," "what's.new" or other text files (like on-disk manuals), please do yourself (and the Earth) a favor and use Multi-Print. You'll enjoy the many, convenient ways you can print. And you'll leave a few trees standing. 2. Or, you can run TRANSLATE.EXE that we included. It will translate the high ASCII characters to other characters ANY printer can print. For example: ┌────────┐ +--------+ │This Box│ will |This Box| ├────────┤ |--------| │ │ become | | └────────┘ +--------+ You can tell Translate.Exe to print our manuals, or send them to another disk file. The next page has details. e Using TRANSLATE.EXE ─────────────────── For help running Translate, just type: translate <enter> Translate will display the syntax to use to run it: translate filename newfile <enter> "filename" would be: PDT.Doc (or the name of any text file) "newfile" would be: LPT1, LPT2 or LPT3 to print PDT.Doc. or: a file name to tell Translate to send the translated output to a file. For example: translate pdt.doc lpt1 'prints PDT.Doc on the 'printer hooked up to LPT1. translate pdt.doc new.doc 'this tells translate to 'translate PDT.Doc and 'send the output to a new 'file called New.Doc, ┌─────────────────────── TIPS & NOTES ────────────────────────┐ │ │▄ │ You can use Translate.Exe to translate ANY file -- not │█ │ just our manuals. │█ │ │█ │ Translate does NOT check to see if "newfile" exists. If │█ │ "newfile" does exist, Translate will OVERWRITE it. │█ │ │█ │ Translate does NOT check to see if your printer is ready. │█ │ Nor will it tell you if your printer runs out of paper. │█ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘█ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Contents ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ This quick-start guide has 4 sections to help you INSTALL, RUN, CUSTOMIZE and EXPERIMENT with PDT. Please pay particular attention to Section IV: Examples. There we'll illustrate how to use many of PDT's most important features. SECTION I: Introduction, License, Benefits of Registering Introduction ...................................... 1.1 License ........................................... 1.3 The Benefits to You of Registering PDT ............ 1.4 SECTION II: Installing PDT What PDT Needs to Run ............................. 2.1 Setting PDTDIR .................................... 2.2 Using INSTALL.EXE ................................. 2.3 SECTION III: Running and Customizing PDT Customizing PDT; Getting Help ..................... 3.2 PDT's Menus and "Hot Keys" ........................ 3.3 Summary of PDT's "Hot Keys" ....................... 3.5 SECTION IV: Examples Opening Sample_1.Dat .............................. 4.1 Important Things about PDT ........................ 4.3 Moving Around in Files; Editing Files ............. 4.4 PDT's File Window (What you'll see) ............... 4.5 Opening Sample_2.Dat .............................. 4.7 EBCDIC Files; Structure Files ..................... 4.7 Creating Your First Structure File ................ 4.8 Summary of "Field Types" .......................... 4.10 APPENDIX I: Customizing PDT ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ SECTION I: Introduction Topics: Introducing PDT; The Benefits of Registering ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Introduction (Also read PDT_REV.Doc for another opinion.) ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Very simply, PDT is the finest file editor available! And if you ever have a need to edit database, binary or EBCDIC files, or repair any file, you won't be able to be without PDT. * You can view and edit ANY type of file: dBase or other types of data files, executable files (eg., .Exe or .Com files), EBCDIC files, ASCII files, font files -- any file. * You can view and edit ANY SIZE file -- up to two gigabytes -- with no need for extra memory! Jump from the top to the bottom of any size file instantly. And you can open up to 4 files at once. View and compare different files. Or work in different areas of the same file. Since each file can be up to two gigabytes in size, you can work with up to 8 gigabytes of data at once! * With PDT, you can manage database files like you've never been able to before. PDT's unique features help you manage dBase or ANY fixed-length file (data or font files, etc.). - PDT detects dBase ".DBF" files, formatting your "view" of them so fields are automatically laid out for you. - With other fixed-length data files (like those created by programs written in C, Pascal, BASIC, COBOL, etc.), PDT lets you easily and quickly define their "structure." Once you define a file's structure, which is easy to do, PDT formats your "view" of these files in logical rows and columns and offers other features as well. - Once PDT knows the structure of a file, you'll be able to: -- Easily view and edit the file, tabbing quickly from field to field. You can even press a key to edit numeric fields stored in "packed binary" form. -- Mark blocks (either columns or records) and then: Export them, Copy them, Erase or Fill them, etc. -- Expand or Shrink the width of fields. And, if you like, PDT will automatically update the dBase header and its own "structure" files to reflect the change. 1.2 Introduction (continued) ──────────────────────── * PDT even manages EBCDIC files -- like those found on, or downloaded from, large IBM computers. - PDT's dynamic EBCDIC-to-ASCII translation lets you view AND edit EBCDIC files in easy-to-understand ASCII mode. Changes you make to the file are saved to disk in EBCDIC. - PDT will even translate EBCDIC files to ASCII, or vice versa. * PDT can also help you: - Repair files -- regardless of their type or size. - Determine a file's structure (record or field length, etc.). - Edit executable files to customize their messages or options. * Finally, PDT makes editing all types of files safe and straight-forward. Move around files using cursor (arrow) keys -- as you would in any word processor or editor. Pull- down menus, keyboard hot keys and on-line help simplify and speed up operations. You should also know that PDT is VERY POWERFUL. This power can serve your needs very well. But until you learn how to use PDT, we urge you to make backup copies of files BEFORE you edit them in PDT. As an example of these powers, we've said you can edit files of ANY SIZE -- up to 2 gigabytes! * When you open a file, you'll be looking at what's on disk, NOT a copy of it in memory. * If you turn Edit mode ON and change something, that change is immediately saved to disk! This differs from, say, a word processor which loads files into memory. In a word processor, you can edit a file, then decide NOT to save the changes to disk. But try loading a 2 gigabyte file into a word processor. By not loading files into memory, PDT keeps memory requirements to a minimum and can help you can edit files of almost any size. But it also means that whenever you press PgDn, for example, PDT must read the next "screen full" of data from disk. It does this very quickly. But you'll enjoy PDT much more if you avoid editing files on floppy disks, which are 10 - 20 times slower than hard disks or RAM disks! 1.3 ┌───── Caution: Editing Numeric Fields in EBCDIC Files ──────┐ │ │▄ │ PDT offers three options to help you view, edit and │█ │ manage EBCDIC (Extended Binary Coded Decimal Information │█ │ Code) files. These options let you: │█ │ │█ │ 1. Translate EBCDIC files to ASCII format (for easier │█ │ viewing and editing). │█ │ │█ │ 2. Translate ASCII files to EBCDIC (to send them back │█ │ to your large IBM computer). │█ │ │█ │ 3. Dynamically re-display EBCDIC files in ASCII mode. │█ │ The file on disk is unchanged. PDT simply displays │█ │ it differently. │█ │ │█ │ All three options rely on special character-by-character │█ │ translation routines, which are very accurate regardless │█ │ of which direction you're going. │█ │ │█ │ You CAN safely use either EBCDIC-to-ASCII option (1 and │█ │ 3) to view AND edit any character (or text) fields in │█ │ EBCDIC files. │█ │ │█ │ You CAN also edit numeric fields that are stored in │█ │ normal text or character form. │█ │ │█ │ But, you should NEVER edit PACKED numeric fields! These │█ │ packed numeric fields should be translated on a field │█ │ basis rather than character-by-character. Later versions │█ │ of PDT may include an EBCDIC numeric-field-translation │█ │ feature. But only character-by-character translation is │█ │ offered in this PDT version. │█ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘█ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ 1.4 License ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ PDT (The Pro~Formance Data Tool) is Copyright 1987-1993, Rob W. Smetana, and is protected by both United States copyright law and international treaty provisions. PDT is NOT free software. Nor is it "public domain" software or "freeware." This is a "user-supported" version of retail software. REGISTERED VERSIONS ─────────────────── Registered users must treat this software like a copyrighted book. You may use it on any number of computers/CPUs, pro- vided there is NO POSSIBILITY that it will be running on two or more computers at the same time. Multi-user network ver- sions, and site licenses are available. Call for details. You may make a "backup" copy of this software for the sole purpose of guarding against the loss of this software and protecting your investment. SHAREWARE VERSIONS ────────────────── You may try out shareware (or "user-supported") versions to determine if this program satisfies your needs. After using the shareware version beyond the trial period (30 days or 20-25 sessions), you MUST register to continue using it -- or stop using it. This is NOT free software. Below we'll explains the benefits of registering. * PDT is copyrighted software that's distributed through both retail and shareware channels. Shareware versions let you try it out before buying it. We're adding new features right now to PDT. See the next page for a summary of how you'll benefit when you register. * If you paid a "shareware distributor" a $2-$6 fee for a disk that contained this program: - You paid them for copying the disk and sending it to you. - You did NOT pay for the software. NONE of the fees you pay shareware distributors go to the authors of shareware programs. If you use PDT, you must pay for it. 1.5 The Benefits to You of Registering PDT ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ When you register, we "say thanks" in many ways. * First, we send you the latest version of PDT, with the latest features. For example, we're now adding several new features: - EXPAND/SHRINK columns or fields (this is amazing!) - ADD or SEQUENCE number fields - COMBINE files or change file SIZES - CHANGE RECORD LENGTH by pressing a key. This helps you explore or determine file structures. - SYNCHRONIZE scrolling of two file windows to easily com- pare different files or different parts of the same file. - Translate EBCDIC files to ASCII. In shareware versions you CAN view EBCDIC files in ASCII mode but not translate them permanently. * Second, in shareware versions you CAN open ANY-SIZE file, browse anywhere in it, and use all available options -- if your cursor is above 25000 bytes. Below 25000 bytes, you can still browse around; but all editing options are turned off. In other words, shareware versions let you try out all available options above 25000 bytes. But editing options aren't available below that. Remember, the purpose of shareware versions is to help you "try out" all available options. You can easily do that with this version. * Third, we'll send you a FREE copy of the PDT Tool Kit. These terrific BONUS UTILITIES help you create, modify, and convert data files, or repair damaged database files. Create.Exe Create dBase database files with any structure. DBF-DBF.Exe Modify the structure of dBase files, create new ones, or save subsets of data. Delete or add fields, change field widths, etc. DBF-ASC.Exe DBF-ASC.Exe reads dBase files and creates ASC-DBF.Exe comma-delimited ASCII files. ASC-DBF.Exe does the opposite: it reads comma-delimited ASCII files and saves dBase files. Fix_DBF.Fld These PDT structure files are invaluable to Fix_DBF.Hdr fix, repair, or simply examine dBase files. 1.6 To Registering (order a copy of) PDT ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ You may register in several different ways: * Call us with your VISA or MasterCard number: (415) 863-0530. This can cut 2-3 weeks off delivery time since we needn't wait for your order to arrive by mail, and we needn't wait for checks to clear. * Complete To-Order.Doc or the form at the end of Catalog.Doc. * Or send your $139 registration fee plus $4 shipping & handling ($8 shipping outside the U.S. and Canada), along with your name, address and phone number to: Rob W. Smetana 132 Alpine Terrace San Francisco, Ca 94117 Disclaimer and Limited Warranty ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ We've made every effort to ensure that PDT (the SOFTWARE) is error-free. We warrant that it will perform substantially in accordance with the accompanying documentation for a period of ninety (90) days from the date you purchase the SOFTWARE. Rob W. Smetana and Pro~Formance DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFT- WARE IS ERROR FREE. AND EXCEPT FOR THE EXPRESS LIMITED WAR- RANTY ABOVE, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE SOFTWARE, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS. * PDT is a VERY POWERFUL program. You can view any file safely. But when you turn Edit Mode ON, any changes you make are immediately saved to disk! ALWAYS back up files BEFORE you make major changes to them -- especially while learning how to use PDT. IN NO EVENT SHALL ROB W. SMETANA, PRO~FORMANCE OR THEIR SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING OUT OF THE DELIVERY, PERFORMANCE OR USE OF THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF THEY'VE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT WILL ROB W. SMETANA'S LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY OF LIABILITY, EXCEED THE LICENSE FEE PAID BY YOU OR YOUR COMPANY. We reserve the right to revise PDT, its manual and/or support files (if any), and to change PDT's operation, interface or functionality, at any time, without notice and without obli- gation to notify any person or entity of such changes. ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ SECTION II: Installing PDT Topics: Installing PDT; Setting PDTDIR ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Installing PDT ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Installing PDT is easy. But if you don't install it properly, you may find that, under early DOS versions, PDT can't run. You MUST run Install.Exe to install PDT. Here's why. To run properly, PDT must be able to find many things: * Itself (PDT.Exe). * "Structure files" you create. * Help files (PDT.Psl and PDT.Ref). Running Install.Exe helps ensure everything is initialized properly and that PDT will be able to find everything it needs. PDT must be able to find itself for three important reasons. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── First, you can customize (or configure) the way PDT runs. PDT stores your preferences in itself (inside PDT.Exe). Then, the next time you run it, PDT finds itself and reads the settings YOU chose. Appendix I explains how to customize PDT. Second, PDT's "structure files" are crucial to many of PDT's advanced features (we'll explain "structure files" later). As long as you store structure files in PDT's special directory (PDT.DIR), these features are avail- able to you automatically. Install.Exe creates PDT.DIR for you. * We recommend that you save structure files with the SAME NAME as your data files! Then, whenever you open a data file, PDT can automatically find and read your structure file. But if you saved this structure file to the same drive/direc- tory containing your data file, you'd OVERWRITE (ie., destroy) your data! That's why structure files must be saved in their own sub-directory. NEVER copy data files to PDT.DIR. Store ONLY PDT's structure files in PDT.DIR. Third, PDT offers extensive on-line help, which requires two files: PDT.Psl and PDT.Ref. PDT looks for itself, and then looks only on that same drive/directory for these files. If it can't find them, PDT will run, but help won't be available. Until you're thoroughly familiar with PDT's many options and how they work, we urge you to install PDT.Psl and PDT.Ref. Later, if you no longer need help, you can delete these files. 2.2 How Does PDT Find Itself? SETTING PDTDIR ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ PDT uses two methods to locate itself (PDT.Exe). When you run it, PDT asks DOS to tell it where PDT is. But older versions of DOS (1.x and 2.x) can't provide this information. So if PDT can't find itself this way, it looks to see if you SET an "environment variable" (PDTDIR) telling us where we should find PDT.Exe. Therefore, if PDT tells you it can't find itself, just add the following line to your Autoexec.Bat file: SET PDTDIR=drive\directory Replace "drive\directory" with the drive and directory where you installed PDT.EXE. For example: set pdtdir=c:\pdt. Notice there are NO spaces except after SET. This format is required by DOS. If you'd prefer not to edit your Autoexec.Bat file, you could run PDT using a batch file (eg., runpdt.bat) like this: SET PDTDIR=drive\directory (replace "drive\directory") PDT SET PDTDIR= The last line clears "PDTDIR=drive\directory" freeing up environment space memory. Be sure to place this batch file on a drive/directory that's in your PATH so DOS can find it. 2.3 Using Install.Exe ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Disk Space Required ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ You need about 340k of disk space to install all of PDT's files. That means you can install PDT on ANY size disk -- on a floppy disk, or on your hard disk. FLOPPY DISK USERS: If you install PDT on a floppy disk, do NOT "write-protect" that disk. PDT needs to save options you select when you "customize" PDT. And PDT also needs to save "structure files" which are key to many of PDT's advanced features. If you write-protect the disk, PDT will be able to do neither of these. And floppy disk users (especially those using 360k disks) should keep data files on a DIFFERENT disk. That way PDT will have room on its disk to store structure files and create temporary files. And your data files can grow on the other disk. Decide Where You Want to Install PDT ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ A good place to install PDT is on a drive/directory already mentioned in your PATH statement (like your TOOLS or UTILITY directory). That way you can move around to different drives or directories and when you type PDT <cr>, DOS will be able to find PDT.Exe and run it. Type PATH <cr> to see what's on your PATH. And when you run Install.Exe, it also shows you what's on your path. Alternately, you could install PDT in it's own drive/directory, then add that drive/directory to your PATH statement. But please note that Install does NOT update the PATH statement in your Autoexec.Bat file (because many people dislike having their Autoexec.Bat and Config.Sys files tampered with). So if you create a new directory for PDT, it'll be up to you to edit Autoexec.Bat and add that directory to your PATH statement. If you're unsure about any of this, call us: (415) 863 - 0530. Also Note: ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ If you've installed an earlier version PDT, Install WILL ask you if you want files replaced. This gives YOU the option, on a file-by-file basis, of deciding which files to replace, and which to leave as-is. Perhaps the only file you may want not to replace is PDT.REF. This is a quick reference guide you may view from inside PDT. Since it's a simple ASCII text file, you can edit it and add your own tips and reminders, then review them while running PDT. If you've edited PDT.REF, you probably won't want to overwrite it with a new version. 2.4 Using Install.Exe: ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Log onto the disk/directory where you've unpacked ALL of PDT's files. You CAN'T run Install from another drive because when Install starts up, it looks for the files listed below ONLY on the "current" drive and directory -- the one you're logged onto. If any file is missing, Install displays an error message. If the main program file, PDT.Exe, is missing, Install will quit. PDT.Exe This file is required. PDT.Doc Technical reference manual. PDT.Psl These are your on-line help files. We PDT.Ref strongly recommended that you install them. Sample_1.Dat These are optional sample data files. We Sample_2.Dat recommend that you install them and use Sample_2.Str them to follow the examples in PDT's manual. Type INSTALL <enter>. ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Once you run Install.Exe, there are 3 simple steps to install PDT. On-screen instructions explain each step along the way. 1. Tell Install where you want to install PDT (ie., on which drive/directory). Install will suggest C:\PDT, but you can install PDT on any drive, in any directory. 2. Tell Install if you want to install sample files. These files are very small and we strongly urge you to say Yes, install them. In Section III we'll ask you to run PDT, load these sample files, then follow along as we describe how to use several of PDT's options. 3. Confirm that you want to proceed. If you say Yes, proceed, install will copy all files you selected to the path you specified. Install will also create PDT's special sub- directory (PDT.DIR) and copy your first structure file to it. Remember, NEVER put data files in PDT.DIR. Keep ONLY PDT's structure files there. ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ SECTION III: Running and Customizing PDT Topics: Running PDT; Your Main Screen Customizing PDT Getting Help Summary of Commands ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Running PDT ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ You can run PDT in two ways: PDT <cr> or PDT filename <cr>. Press ctrl-X to exit PDT. 1. PDT <cr> ──────────── If you run PDT the first way (pdt <cr>), when it begins, it displays it's main menu screen which looks like this: File Edit Search Block Define Options Help (F1) ┌───────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Pro~Formance Data Tool █▀█ █▀▄ ▀█▀ │ │ <══════════════════════════█▄█═█═█══█════ │ │ █ █▄▀ █ │ │ │ │ Copyright 1987-93 Rob W. Smetana │ │ Registered to: (your name here) │ │ │ │ Press Alt-[key] for menus (alt-F = File) │ └───────────────────────────────────────────┘ We'll explain how to open files in Section III: Examples. 2. PDT Filename <cr> ───────────────────── If you run PDT the second way (pdt filename <cr>) PDT will open and display the file you described in "filename." * If the file you want to open isn't on the "current drive/ directory," be sure to include the path in "filename." * For example, if you're on drive C: but want to open a file on drive B:, you'd type something like: pdt b:myfile <cr>. If PDT can't find the file you told it to open, an error message will appear. Press a key to clear the message, then press ctrl-O to open a file. 3.2 Customizing PDT ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The first time you run PDT, we urge you to "customize" PDT to your liking. Just press alt-O (Options) to pull down the Options menu. Then press the down cursor key to highlight the option "Configure." Press <cr> to accept it. For details, see Appendix I: Customizing PDT. Getting Help ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ PDT offers extensive on-line help. And you can get help in several different ways. * Pull down any menu and get help with (or an explanation of) each option in that menu. For example, press alt-F to pull down the File menu. Then: - Click the RIGHT mouse button on an option. (See, there IS a use for that right mouse button.) - Or press the Down/Up cursor keys to highlight an option, then press F1. * Press alt-H (or F1) to pull down the Help menu. - Press the Down/Up cursor keys to highlight a topic, then press either F1 or <cr>. If you press F1, we'll display a few help screens then return to the Help menu. If you press <cr>, we'll display the same screens, then exit the Help menu. - The last option in the Help menu is "Browse through PDT.Ref." Since PDT.Ref is a standard ASCII file, you can edit it with any editor or word processor, add your own reminders and tips, then browse through them while you're running PDT. * Begin most any option, then press F1 for help with that option. ┌─────────────────────── TIPS & NOTES ────────────────────────┐ │ │▄ │ If you ask for help and PDT can't find the files PDT.Psl │█ │ or PDT.Ref, an error message will pop up. │█ │ │█ │ The error message will show you the drive/directory PDT is │█ │ looking on to find these files (which should be where you │█ │ installed PDT.Exe). To correct the problem, copy PDT.PSL │█ │ and PDT.REF to the same "path" where PDT.EXE is stored. │█ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘█ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ 3.3 PDT's Menus and "Hot Keys" ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ This section briefly describes PDT's hot keys and how to use PDT's menus. PDT's main manual has a complete summary of each menu and all of PDT's options. Using PDT's Menus ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ At the top of your screen is PDT's menu bar. The first letter of each option will be highlighted: File Edit Search Block Define Options Help(F1) - - - - - - - To pull down a menu: ──────────────────── Click Left on a menu topic, or press alt-KEY, where "KEY" is the first letter of an option. For example: To pull down the: Press: Or click Left on: ──────────────── ───── ───────────────── File menu alt-F File Edit menu alt-E Edit Help menu alt-H (or F1) Help The FILE menu looks like this. FILE edit search block define options help (F1) ┌──────────────────────────────────┐ │ Open file (ctrl-O) │ <─┬─ Note the hot keys │ Close active window (ctrl-C) │ <─┘ ├──────────────────────────────────┤ │ Create a Directory │ ──┐ │ Create a File │ │ │ Delete a File │ │ │ Rename a File │ ├─ These options have │ Copy a File to a new location │ │ no hot key │ Combine two or more files │ │ │ Change File Size │ │ ├──────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ Translate File: EBCDIC-to-ASCII │ │ │ Translate File: ASCII-to-EBCDIC │ ──┘ ├──────────────────────────────────┤ │ Exit to DOS (ctrl-X) │ └──────────────────────────────────┘ Notice that some options have "hot keys," while infrequently- used options don't. For example, press ctrl-O to open a file. Hot keys are the fastest way to choose options. 3.4 To select an option in a menu you pulled down, either: ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── * Click Left on an option. * Or press the Up/Down cursor keys to move the highlight bar to an option. Then press <cr> to accept it. * Or press the highlighted letter in the option you want. Normally, the first letter of each option is highlighted. But sometimes, two or more options begin with the same first letter. For example, the File menu lets you Close a file, Create a file and Create a directory. In these cases, we'll highlight a different letter for each option. To pull down a different menu: ────────────────────────────── * Click Left on another menu topic. * Or press the Right or Left cursor keys. To exit a menu without making a choice: ─────────────────────────────────────── * Move the mouse cursor outside the menu and click either the left or right mouse button. * Or press <Esc>. To get help with (or an explanation of) an option: ────────────────────────────────────────────────── * Click the Right mouse button on an option. * Or press Up or Down to highlight it, then press F1. 3.5 PDT's Hot keys ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ PDT's frequently-used options have convenient, fast "hot keys." Some infrequently-used options have no hot key. Select these options, from a menu. NOTE: Pull down any menu. Beside each option you'll see the hot key for that option (if there is one). Here's a summary of PDT's hot keys. Notice that most of them are easy-to-remember mnemonics (O = Open, C = Close, E = Edit, etc.). And most are ctrl-[key] hot keys: Hold down CTRL, then press the key shown. FILE BLOCK ────────────────────────────── ────────────────────────────── ctrl-O Open a file ctrl-B mark a Block ctrl-C Close a file window ctrl-M Mark a column ctrl-U Unmark ctrl-W copy with overWrite SEARCH & REPLACE ctrl-I copy with Insert ────────────────────────────── ctrl-F Fill a block ctrl-S Search ctrl-P exPort a marked block ctrl-R Replace DEL Delete a marked block INS Insert spaces/records EDIT or VIEW OPTIONS DEFINE STRUCTURE ────────────────────────────── ────────────────────────────── ctrl-E turn Edit Mode on/off ctrl-H set Header length ctrl-T turn Text view mode on ctrl-L set Record Length ctrl-D turn Display Fields F2 Define Field mode on or off F3 Edit file structure F6 Edit a Numeric Field F4 Save a structure file F5 Read a structure file F9/F10 Adjust record len. 1 OTHER SWITCH FILE WINDOWS ────────────────────────────── ────────────────────────────── F7 ASCII Chart ctrl-PgDn/PgUp, or alt-# F8 Calculator "#" is the 1-4, or the ctrl-J Jump to another spot number of the file window ctrl-X Exit to DOS, quit PDT you want to switch to. ctrl-Y Synchronize windows These options have no hot key. Select them from the menu shown. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Create a Directory (File) Expand Column or Field (Block) Create a File " Shrink Column or Field " Delete a File " Rename a File " Force dBase structure (Define) Copy a File " Clear Structure " Combine Files " Change File Size " Configure/Customize PDT (Options) Translate file: EBCDIC-to-ASCII " ASCII-to-EBCDIC " ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ SECTION IV: Examples Topics: Example 1: Opening Files; Browsing Through Them PDT's File Windows Example 2: EBCDIC files File Structures; Structure Files ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ BEFORE READING THIS, we strongly urge you to run PDT. Then, as we describe things below, try them out using the sample files we included. Many things we'll describe below are easier to understand if you can see them happening. ┌─────────────┐ Boxes like this one │ Press ..... │ will explain what to do. └─────────────┘ To begin, log onto the drive/directory where you installed PDT.Exe and the sample files Sample_1.Dat and Sample_2.Dat. Logging onto PDT's drive/directory will simplify things. Run PDT by typing: pdt <cr>. If you haven't yet customized PDT, or if you have a monitor which renders certain colors hard to see, press alt-O (Options), select the Configure option, then select the features you want. Note: Most of the things you select in the Configure menu will NOT become effective until you exit PDT and re-start it. Just press ctrl-X, then re-run PDT. Example 1: Viewing Sample_1.Dat ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ┌──────────────┐ Run PDT, then press ctrl-O (Open File). A │ Press ctrl-O │ "file list" will appear which will look └──────────────┘ something like this: Press the Down ┌─\PDT─────────────────────────────────────────┐ cursor key to │ .. <DIR> 11-18-95 ...D. ▒ highlight │ PDT DIR <DIR> 01-01-95 ...D. ▒ Sample_1.Dat──>│ SAMPLE_1 DAT 1,769 01-01-95 ....A ▒ │ SAMPLE_2 DAT 1,769 01-01-95 ....A ▒ Press <cr> to │ ▒ select it. │┌───┤ Alt-(drive letter) = Change Drives ├───┐│ ││A: B: C: D: E: ││ You could also │└────────────────────────────────────────────┘│ click Left on │(^S)=Sort (.)=ParentDir (F1)=Help (Esc)=Cancel│ Sample_1.Dat └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘ to select it. 4.2 Sample_1.Dat, like all files, exists on disk as a continuous stream of data -- with NO structure. It will look like this: ╔SAMPLE_1.DAT════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ 13\^X OO FIRST_NAME C 0 LAST_NAME ▒ ADDRESS C k CITY C C STAT▒ ║ ZIP C , Kim Johnson 3300 South 18▒ ║ CO 31002 (714) 525-9933 Dennis Avery 127 Ea▒ ║George WA 98322 (801) 566-9112 Andrew Youngman, Sr. ▒ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ ┌─────────────┐ │ Press alt-D │ Pull down the Define menu. Highlight the └─────────────┘ option "Force dBase Structure" and press <cr>. Your screen should now look like this. ╔SAMPLE_1.DAT═════════════════════════════════════════════╗ 1 Kim Johnson 3300 South 18th Street Venice ▒ Dennis Avery 127 South Temple George ▒ ║ Andrew Youngman 945 Van Ness Street Concord ▒ ║ Sam Henderson 9800 South 1000 West Clarion ▒ ║ Cory Ruddman 4400 South Delridge Way Bellevue ▒ ╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ That's much better! Sample_1.Dat is actually a dBase file, but without the normal ".DBF" extension. By selecting the "Force dBase" option, you told PDT to read the dBase file "header" and re-format the way it displays Sample_1.Dat. If Sample_1 had a ".DBF" extension, PDT would have recognized it as a dBase file, and automatically formatted your view of it into logical rows and columns. Similarly, with non-dBase files, as long as they have a fixed structure, you can use PDT's "define structure" options to tell PDT how files are organized. Once you do this and save a "structure file," PDT will read that structure file each time you open the file and format your view of that file logically. Example 2 illustrates this process. 4.3 Example 1 illustrates important things about PDT ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── As we mentioned earlier, files exist on disk as continuous streams of data. How PDT displays files, and, therefore, your "view" of them depends on two things: * Whether files HAVE a fixed structure. * And whether PDT can determine that structure. By "structure" we simply mean: * Whether lines or records all have the same fixed length, or whether they're variable-length. * Whether there's a "header" at the top of files we should read to determine the record structure (as with dBase files), or should ignore (not display), If PDT knows the file's structure, it can take a continuous, chaotic stream of stuff and turn it into an orderly display of information that's easy to understand and edit. Some files have no structure. Executable (.Exe or .Com) files have no lines in the traditional sense. And text files often have lines of varying lengths. * For these types of files, changing the Record Length (by pressing ctrl-L) simply changes how wide a view PDT displays before it "wraps" the data around to the next row. But many database or data files have fixed-length records, with each record made up of fields (like Last Name, First Name, Address, Phone Number, etc.). * PDT automatically detects the structure of dBase files, provided they have a".DBF" extension. * For non-dBase files, you can easily tell PDT the file struc- ture. And PDT can help you figure it out if you're unsure. Example 2 shows how easy it is to specify a file's structure. ┌─────────────────────── TIPS & NOTES ────────────────────────┐ │ │▄ │ Our point here is that YOU can use several PDT options to │█ │ change your "view" of a file. You can change the Record │█ │ length (ctrl-L) or the Header Length (ctrl-H) and PDT will │█ │ display the file in different ways. Try it! │█ │ │█ │ But the data on disk never changes. It's still a continu- │█ │ ous stream of stuff. The only thing that changes is how │█ │ PDT displays it. │█ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘█ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ 4.4 Moving Around in Files; Editing Files ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── To move around, just press the cursor pad keys as you would in your word processor. As you move, watch the values change at the bottom of your screen. To move around, press: Right / Left to move 1 column right or left. Down / Up to move 1 row/record down or up. PgDn / PgUp to move 1 "screen" down or up Home / End to move to the beginning or end of a row. ^Home / ^End (^ = ctrl) to move to first or last record in a file, staying in the same column. ^Right / ^Left to scroll 1 full screen right or left. Press Tab or Shift-Tab to move right or left. If your file has fields, and PDT knows the file structure, Tab or Shift- Tab will quickly move you to the first column of the next or the last field. If your file has no fields, or you clear the structure, Tab and Shift-Tab move 10 spaces right or left. Click Left on the scroll bar on the right edge of the file window to scroll down or up (the equivalent of PgDn/PgUp). If you open 2 or more files, PDT displays each in its own window. The "active" window (the one the cursor is in, the one you can edit or move around in) is surrounded by a double-line box. Other windows are surrounded by a single- line box. For example: ╔══════╗ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ 1 This ║ 2 │ 3 │ 4 │ E is ║ │ │ │ ║Active║ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╚══════╝ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ To switch to another window (ie., to "activate it"): * Click Left in a window (or on its scroll bar). * Or press alt-#, where "#" is the number of the window you want to activate. * Or press ctrl-PgDn (or ctrl-PgUp) to switch to the next (or last) window. Edit Mode MUST be ON to change anything in a files. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── * Press Ctrl-E to turn Edit mode ON. "E" will appear at the window's left edge. Otherwise, this area will be blank. * In the examples above, Edit Mode is ON in window #1, but OFF in windows 2 - 4. 4.5 PDT's File Window ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── File Edit Search Block Define Options Help (F1) ┌──> ╔SAMPLE_1.DAT════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ├──> 1 Kim Johnson 3300 South 18th Street Venice ▒ ├──> Dennis Avery 127 South Temple George ▒ │ ║ Andrew Youngman 945 Van Ness Street Sabastole ▒ │ ║ Sam Henderson 9800 South 1000 West Clarion ▒ │ ║ Cory Ruddman 4400 South Delridge Way Bellevue ▒ │ ║ Bill Williamson 3300 East Western Ave. Syracuse ▒ │ ║ John Elsworth 2323 Indian School Dr. Warton ▒ │ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ ┌> Path:C:\PDT\ Row:1 Col:1 Depth:258 │ ├> Size:1,769 Header:257 Record Size:80 # Rcrds:23 │ ├> Dec: Hex: Field: Type: Value: │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─ We'll explain these three lines on the next page. │ │ │ └─ Near the top of the file window, PDT shows us that we opened Sample_1.Dat in file window "1." The double-line box around it tells us this is the "active" window. "Active" means we can browse through it and edit it. Edit Mode is OFF (the spot beneath "1" is blank). If we press ctrl-E, we'd see a blinking "E" there. The top line of file windows shows the file name OR field names. ┌──────────────┐ When you press ctrl-D, PDT replaces the file │ Press ctrl-D │ name on the top line with the names of each └──────────────┘ field (First_Name, Last_Name, Address, etc.). This is handy to see which fields are coming up, and which are behind you. But for narrow fields, there may not be enough room to display the full name above the field. So if you're not sure which field your cursor is in, glance at "FIELD:" at the bottom of your screen. ┌──────────────┐ TAB and SHIFT-TAB are fast ways to move to │ Press TAB or │ the next or last field. And as you move right │ SHIFT-TAB │ or left, at the bottom of your screen PDT dis- └──────────────┘ plays the name of the field you've moved into -- beside FIELD:. 4.6 The 3 lines at the bottom of your screen display information about: the "active" file, your position in it, and the field and character your cursor is pointing at. If you open 2-4 file windows, as you switch among them (by pressing alt-# or ctrl-PgDn), PDT changes this information to reflect the active window. And it displays this information in different colors (on color monitors) which match the color of the box around the active file window. / / ║ Bill Williamson 3300 East Western Ave. Syracuse ▒ ║ John Elsworth 2323 Indian School Dr. Warton ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ ┌> Path:C:\PDT Row:1 Col:1 Depth:258 ├> Size:1,769 Header:257 Record Size:80 # Rcrds:23 ├> Dec: Hex: Field: Type: Value: │ └─The first line shows the "Path" to the file ("C:\PDT" here). It also shows us where our cursor is in the file -- "Row:" (or Record number), "Column:" and "Depth:" (or how many bytes into the file we are). The second line shows us: Size: The file's total size in bytes. Header: How long the file header is. Record Size: What the record size is. # Rcrds: And how many records there are in this file. If we change Record Size (ctrl-L), the number of records might change as well. The last line provides information about BOTH the character at the cursor, AND the field the cursor is in. * "Dec:" and "Hex:" show us the Decimal (ASCII) and Hexadecimal values of the character the cursor is on. * If PDT knows about the fields in a file (ie., you open a dBase file, or a file for which you created a structure): "Field:" would show us both the number and name of the field the cursor is in (eg., Field: 2 FIRST_NAME). "Type:" would be a symbol indicating what type of field it is (eg., C = Character; we'll define "field types" later). * "Value:" shows us the value of that field. This is especially useful when looking at numeric fields stored in "packed binary" form. For example, a packed integer field might be stored as "n*" but "Value:" would show you it's really 10862. 4.7 Example 2: Sample_2.Dat; PDT's Structure Files ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ┌──────────────┐ Select SAMPLE_2.DAT from the file list window. │ Press ctrl-O │ Since you already have Sample_1 open in win- └──────────────┘ dow #1, PDT will ask if you'd like to open a (H)orizontal or (V)ertical window. Press "H". Sample_2 is a MESS, right? Could you easily edit it? Actually, Sample_2 has the same data Sample_1 has! ┌──────────────┐ │ Press F5 │ Open (read) the "structure file" SAMPLE_2.STR. └──────────────┘ NOTE: If you can't find or read SAMPLE_2.STR, do this: * Press ctrl-H and set the header length to 257. * Press ctrl-L and set the record length to 80. * Now press alt-O (Options) then select View EBCDIC in ASCII (be sure it reads ON). When you read Sample_2's structure file, your screen SHOULD be reformatted so you see exactly what you saw when viewing Sample_1: ╔SAMPLE_2.DAT════════════════════════════════════════════╗ 2 Kim Johnson 3300 South 18th Street Venice ▒ Dennis Avery 127 South Temple George ▒ ║ Andrew Youngman 945 Van Ness Street Sabastole ▒ ║ Sam Henderson 9800 South 1000 West Clarion ▒ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Notice the structure file dramatically changed our view of this data. The data hasn't changed, but the way PDT displays it has. Sample_2 is stored on disk in EBCDIC format. The structure file you loaded told PDT to display the EBCDIC file in ASCII mode -- and it's now easier to understand and safer to edit. The structure file also told PDT about the file's structure: Header Length, Record Length and Fields. 4.8 Now let's show you how easy it is to create structure files. ┌──────────────┐ Pull down the Define menu and select Clear │ Press alt-D │ Structure to clear the field structure. └──────────────┘ Fields should no longer be displayed in contrasting colors. Creating a structure file has 3 simple steps: 1. Set the Header Length; 2. Set the Record Length; and, 3. Define each field. ┌──────────────┐ Set the Header Length. When a window pops │ Press ctrl-H │ up, enter 257 -- the same sized header that └──────────────┘ Sample_1 (a dBase file) has. Press <cr>. ┌──────────────┐ Set the Record Length. When a window pops │ Press ctrl-L │ up, enter 80. Press <cr>. Just for fun, └──────────────┘ press F9 and F10 a few times. Be sure to reset the record length to 80 when you're done (press ctrl-L again, of F9 or F10). ┌──────────────┐ Finally, move the cursor to Row 1, Column 1. │ Press F2 │ Press F2. When a window pops up (see below), └──────────────┘ enter "C" in the "Type" column. Then press <cr> and type in "Deleted Record Flag" under "Name." BE SURE to press <cr> THEN <Esc>. Since Sample_2 has the same data as our dBase Sample_1.Dat, we preserved the dBase Deleted Record field. ┌──────────────┐ For EACH of the 7 fields in Sample_2: │ Now . . . │ - Move your cursor to the start of the field. └──────────────┘ - Press F2, then enter "C," press <cr> and type in one of these field names: First Name, Last Name, Address, City, State, Zip Code, Phone Number. BE SURE to press <cr> after you enter each field name. THEN press <Esc>. If you press <Esc> with your cursor still in the Name column, PDT assumes you want to CANCEL the action. As you enter the last field name, the window you're working in will look something like this: ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │Col Typ Name Types Length│ ├────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 1 C Deleted Record Flag (c)haracter ? │ │ 2 C First Name (t)iny Integer 1 │ │ 12 C Last Name (i)nteger 2 │<──┐ │ 26 C Address (l)ong Integer 4 │┌──┘ │ 50 C City (s)ingle MS 4 │└─We'll explain │ 62 C State (j)ingle IEEE 4 │ field "Types" │ 65 C Zip Code (d)ouble MS 8 │ shortly │ 71 C Phone Number (k)ouble IEEE 8 │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ 4.9 ┌──────────────┐ SAVE the structure file you just created. │ Press F4 │ When PDT asks for a file name, BE SURE └──────────────┘ it reads SAMPLE_2.DAT -- exactly the same name as the data file! This is important if you want to automate many of PDT's features. ┌──────────────┐ │ Press ctrl-C │ Now close the Sample_2 file window. └──────────────┘ ┌──────────────┐ │ Press ctrl-O │ Immediately re-open Sample_2.Dat. └──────────────┘ The first time you opened Sample_2.Dat, all you saw was EBCDIC data. This time, IF you followed the steps above exactly, Sample_2 should load in easy-to-understand ASCII format, in logical rows and columns. And you didn't have to press F5 to read a structure file -- it was all automatic because you saved the structure file with the SAME NAME as your data file. ┌─────────────────────── TIPS & NOTES ────────────────────────┐ │ │▄ │ PDT's structure features greatly simplify working with │█ │ data files. They also make editing files easier and safer.│█ │ │█ │ And most of the benefits of structure files are AUTOMATIC, │█ │ provided that you save structure files in PDT's special │█ │ directory, AND you save structure files with the SAME NAME │█ │ as your data files. That's the only way PDT can automati- │█ │ cally link a structure file to a specific data file. │█ │ │█ │ Some people work with many different data files which │█ │ share the same structure (eg., monthly sales data). So, │█ │ rather than save separate structure files for each data │█ │ file, they save a generic file, say, MONTHLY.DAT. Then, │█ │ when they load any month's data file, they can simply │█ │ press F5 and read the Monthly.Dat structure file. │█ │ │█ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘█ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ┌─────────────────────── TIPS & NOTES ────────────────────────┐ │ │▄ │ We created our structure file using PDT. But structure │█ │ files are simple ASCII files you can create with ANY │█ │ editor or word processor. For details, see the section │█ │ in PDT's main manual called: │█ │ │█ │ Appendix I: Creating Structure Files │█ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘█ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ 4.10 Field "Types" ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ When you press F2 to enter field names, you also have an option to specify what TYPE of field your cursor is in. If PDT knows the type of each field, it: * Can display field "values" as you move from field to field. * Lets you press F6 (Edit Field) to change it. This option is especially useful to help you edit numeric fields stored in "packed binary" form. The discussion of the EDIT menu has details on F6-Edit Field. Here are the symbols you'd enter to indicate different types of fields. Notice that CAPITAL letters are used for dBase field types, and lower case letters are used for non-dBase files. ══════ dBase Field Types ═════ ═══ Non-dBase Field Types ════ Use This For This Field Use This For This Field Symbol Type of Field Width Symbol Type of Field Width ──────── ───────────── ───── ──────── ───────────── ───── C Character ? c Character ? N Numeric ? t Tiny Integer 1 L Logical 1 i Integer 2 M Memo 10 l Long Integer 4 D Date 8 s Single MS * 4 j Single IEEE 4 d Double MS * 8 k Double IEEE 8 $ Currency 8 ┌─────────────────────── TIPS & NOTES ────────────────────────┐ │ │▄ │ Note that symbols for dBase files are UPPER case, while │█ │ symbols for non-Dbase field types are all in lower case. │█ │ │█ │ In the non-dBase list, note the s/j and d/k pairs -- indi- │█ │ cating Microsoft (MS) versus IEEE formats, respectively. │█ │ │█ │ CAUTION: In this version of PDT, numeric fields in EBCDIC │█ │ files aren't accommodated. See notes on this elsewhere. │█ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘█ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ "Field Width" indicates how many characters or columns each field has. Notice that Character fields (and dBase Numeric fields) are "?" wide -- they vary in width. But other fields have fixed widths. So, for example, Integers (which can range from -32768 to +32767 or 0 to 65535) are stored as 2 bytes. 4.11 File Structures in Summary ────────────────────────── If PDT knows the structure of a file, it offers many convenient, powerful features. * PDT displays rows and columns in orderly ways. * PDT highlights fields in contrasting colors so you can easily see where one field ends and the next one begins. * PDT can display field names both at the top of each file window and the bottom of your screen. * You can TAB from column-to-column, which makes getting around or editing fields faster, easier and safer. * PDT can display the "value" of fields, even numeric fields stored in "packed binary" form. And you may even edit these fields by pressing F6. PDT automatically saves what you enter in packed binary form! * PDT lets you expand or shorten the width of fields. It will even change your structure files or dBase "file headers" to reflect the changes. PDT automatically determines the structure of dBase (.DBF) files. If you're working with non-dBase files, PDT's easy-to- use "define" features let you easily map out a file's structure. Just set the header length (if there is a header) and the record length, mark the beginning of each field by pressing F2, then save the structure file. That's it! And if you prefer, you can create structure files with any editor or word processor. Appendix I in PDT's main manual (Creating Structure Files) has details. ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ APPENDIX I: Customizing PDT ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ You may change (customize) many things that affect how PDT runs. To customize PDT: * Run PDT then press alt-O to pull down the Options menu. * Select the Configure option (press "F" <cr> or click Left on Configure). * Select the options you prefer, then press <Esc> when you're done. For your choices to take effect, you must exit PDT (press ctrl-X) and re-start it. The Configuration menu looks like this. Note the letters in parentheses near the left edge. To select options, EITHER press the letter you see in parentheses, or click Left on an option. In either case, the right side of the menu will change to reflect your choice. ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ (S) Screen Rows: 25, 43, 50, Automatic : 25 │ │ │ │ (C) Color, Monochrome or Automatic : A │ │ │ │ (E) Default to EBCDIC ON? Y=Yes/N=No: N │ │ │ │ (D) Default to Edit ON? Y/N: N │ │ │ │ (F) Default to Display Fields ON? Y/N: N │ │ │ │ (A) Ask before File Change or Exit? Y/N: Y │ │ │ │ (R) Default Record Size C=<CR> W=Window: W │ │ │ │ (X) <Escape> means Exit or Chr(27) C/E: E │ │ │ │ ─────────────────────────────────────────── │ │Click Left on option or press S/C/E/D/F/A/R/X│ │ │ │ Most changes become effective next session. │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Notice that the first two options ("Screen Rows" and "Color or Monochrome") have an "Automatic" option. If "A" appears to the right of these options, whenever you run PDT, it will detect the type of monitor you're using and automatically: - Display things in color if you have a color monitor, or in combinations of white and black if you have a mono- chrome or Hercules monitor. - Use the highest number of rows your monitor allows (25-50). A.1.2 Here is a summary of each option. Press To Select PDT will display ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ (S) Screen Rows: 25, 43, 50, Automatic 25, 43, 50, A - Discussed above: How many screen rows, and therefore how much information, PDT displays. (C) Color, Monochrome or Automatic C, M, A - Discussed above: Whether PDT displays things in color or black and white. Users of laptop computers with MONOCHROME screens might find it easier to read the screen if you select the "M"onochrome option here. (E) Default to EBCDIC View ON? Y=Yes, N=No Y, N - If you'll never work with EBCDIC files (described elsewhere), ignore this option. - PDT offers two ways to turn EBCDIC view mode on or off. Here, you can set it permanently. If you turn it ON here, PDT will assume EVERY file you open is an EBCDIC file. It will dynamically translate files and display them in ASCII. - The Options menu also has an EBCDIC view mode option. Using this option, you can open 1-4 files, and then selectively turn EBCDIC view ON or OFF for each file. ┌─────────────────────── TIPS & NOTES ────────────────────────┐ │ As we've mentioned, this version of PDT does NOT translate │█ │ EBCDIC packed binary numeric fields! It DOES correctly │█ │ translate character fields in EBCDIC files. │█ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘█ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ (D) Default to Edit ON? Y=Yes, N=No Y, N - By default, when you open a file Edit Mode is OFF. If you prefer that Edit Mode be turned on every time you open a file, set the default to ON (or Yes) here. - WARNING: When edit mode is ON, changes you make to files are immediately saved to disk. So it's safest to leave this option set to OFF, and turn Edit mode ON only when needed (press ctrl-E). A.1.3 Press To Select PDT will display ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ (F) Default to Display Fields ON? Y=Yes, N=No Y, N - When working in data files, it's helpful to know which field the cursor is in. PDT can show you the field names in two ways. First, on the bottom line of your screen PDT displays "Field: -----". As you move left or right from field-to-field, "-----" changes to show you the name of the field you're in. Second, if you turn Display Fields ON, PDT also displays field names at the top of the file window. Here we can display several field names at once, helping you see what's coming next, and what's behind the cursor. - PDT gives you 2 ways to turn Display Fields ON. If you'll always want it on, select Yes here. Or you can open a file and press ctrl-D (Display Fields) to toggle this on or off. (A) Ask before File Change or Exit? Y=Yes, N=No Y, N - We've emphasized that PDT is a very powerful program, and that it immediately saves to disk many of the changes you make. - But, when you're about to make major changes, (like deleting a block), PDT will normally ask you if you want to proceed. If you want PDT to instantly do what you ask, select "No" (Don't ask me) for this option. Then, if you ask to delete a file or a block, it's gone. If you ask to Exit PDT to DOS, you're out. Etc. A.1.4 Press To Select PDT will display ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ (R) Default Record Size C=<CR> W=Window C, W - "Record size" refers to how long each logical line is in a file. And this, in turn, affects your "view" of files -- how PDT displays files before it "wraps" a line to the next row on your screen. - If you open dBase files, or files for which you've created a "structure file," PDT auto- matically sets the record size based on the information stored in the dBase or structure file. But if you open non-dBase files (and you haven't created a structure file), this option determines how PDT sets the default record size. This, in turn, affects your "view" of the file. - If this option reads "W," PDT sets the record size to the width of the window you're opening (78 for full-width screens). If this option reads "C," PDT scans the files you open for the first Carriage Return (CR, Chr$(13) or Line Feed (LF, Chr$(10)). If PDT finds one of these characters, it sets record size to that length. This is ideal if you work with fixed-length data files, AND each record ends in a CR/LF. (X) <Escape> Means Exit or Chr(27) C, E - This option lets you specify whether PDT should always exit if you press Escape, or whether it should treat Escape as a valid character (ASCII character 27). - The latter option (Escape = character 27) is useful when editing printer code data, or other data where character 27 is valid. You could enter Chr(27) by press F7 (Ascii chart), selecting character 27, then press <cr>. But tell- ing PDT that Escape is a valid character lets you enter character 27 much more easily than doing so via the Ascii chart. A.1.5 PDT is "Self-Modifying" ─────────────────────── When you choose options in the Configuration menu, PDT saves your settings to itself (ie., to PDT.EXE). Your choices will NOT become effective until the NEXT TIME you run PDT. * Because PDT changes itself, it's known as a "self-modifying" program. * Some virus-protection programs object to executable programs modifying themselves. They do this to prevent viruses from infecting your programs. - Many virus-protection utilities will alert you when a program is about to be modified. Most will ask you if they should allow the modification to continue. - Answer "YES, allow the modification" when PDT runs. PDT must be able to read and modify itself.