The 640 MEG Shareware Studio 2/The 640 Meg Shareware Studio CD-ROM Volume II (Data Express)(1993).ISO/comm/dlrk23.zip/DLRK23.DOC

Text File | 1992-10-14 | 19KB | 369 lines

DOWNLOAD RECORDKEEPER
Version 2.3
Telix 3.15 Usage Log compatible

by Allen Brown, CIS 72760,667

Welcome to Download Recordkeeper Version 2.3.  If you use Telix
as your modem/communication program, Version 2.3 is about to make
keeping track of your downloads a very simple and convenient matter.
If you don't use Telix, you can still use Version 2.3 (via option
4 from the main menu), but you won't be able to make use of the
new features which free you from all the manual data entry associated
with earlier versions of Download Recordkeeper.  Or, if by some chance
your modem program keeps a usage log in the same format as Telix 3.15,
then Download Recordkeeper can use that usage log just as well.  Version
2.3 reads the Telix Usage Log, pulls out the names of files you've
downloaded, and stores them in alphabetical order and/or extension
order to your hard drive.  The list(s) can easily be displayed or
printed, making for easy reference while you're on-line and ready
to download.

Before you do anything else, make sure you have received the proper
files.  The DLRK23.ZIP you've acquired should contain the following
five files:

DLRK23.EXE   --   the program
ALPHA.DNL    --   the alphabetical-sort data file
EXTEN.DNL    --   the extension-sort data file
DLRK23.DOC   --   the file you're currently reading
SETUP.DNL    --   the program's default configuration


NOTE:
Download Recordkeeper will not run properly unless the data files and
SETUP.DNL are in the proper form.  Make sure ALPHA.DNL and EXTEN.DNL
both contain only the following five records when you first receive them:

Download Recordkeeper v2.3
0
0
1
DLRK23.ZIP


SETUP.DNL should initially contain the following seven records:

TELIX.USE
C:\TELIX
1000
600
ENABLED
YES
no
3


A NOTE TO DOWNLOAD RECORDKEEPER V1.1 AND V1.2 USERS:
If you wish to use the data file from a previous version, it must
first be configured to run with Version 2.3.  Use option 5 from
the Configuration setup menu to configure an old data file.  Version
2.3 will create its own files.  Your old data file will not be
affected.  See the section below entitled OPTION THREE: CONFIGURATION
SETUP (5) for more information on this process.


DIFFERENCES BETWEEN V1.x AND V2.3:
The main difference is Version 2.3's ability to acquire, from the
Telix Usage Log, the names of the files you've downloaded, rather than
requiring that the user input all the filenames manually.  Version 2.3
still gives you the option to input filenames manually so the user can
record filenames that won't be accounted for by the Telix Usage Log.
The other main difference is that Version 2.3 will maintain a list
sorted by extension, if you want it to.  Using the sort-by-extension
feature can present a bit of a drawback, which will be explained later
in this document (OPTION ONE, paragraph two).  Other differences include
a menu screen and a configuration procedure.


Now that that's out of the way......


PROGRAM OPERATION
Running the program is very easy.  ALPHA.DNL, EXTEN.DNL, and SETUP.DNL
must be in the same directory as DLRK23.EXE, but the program does not
have to have its own directory.  The main menu presents six options.


OPTION ONE: UPDATE DATA WITH TELIX USAGE LOG
When you choose this option, the program first reads ALPHA.DNL which
contains an alphabetical list of the names of all the files recorded
previously.  Then it reads the Telix Usage Log and finds the filenames
to be added to the data files (ALPHA.DNL and EXTEN.DNL).  After updating
ALPHA.DNL, the program reads and updates the sorted-by-extension list
contained in EXTEN.DNL, provided you have enabled this feature from the
Configuration menu.  The alphabetical list will be updated regardless.
The pre-existing data file(s) will be backed-up if you choose the back-up
feature at the Configuration setup menu.

The sort-by-extension feature requires extra system memory because it
uses an extra string variable, containing the file extensions, in order
to sort the filenames.  This extra string variable is not engaged until
the program sorts the EXTEN.DNL file.  By disabling the extension sort,
you will have more system memory to devote to the rest of the program.
I mention this because Download Recordkeeper can use up a lot of memory
depending on how you set up the configuration.  By keeping the memory
requirements as low as possible (see Configuration setup), you'll be
better able to make use of the extension sort feature.  Also, the
extension sort takes a bit longer than the alphabetical sort because
of the extra variable, and with large data files and/or a slow CPU, the
sorting could become more time-consuming than you'd like.  If so,
you can always disable the extension sort in the Configuration setup.
I happen to believe that the program fulfills its purpose without
the extension sort, but I decided to include it in case anyone wants
it ardently.

Telix Usage Logs can grow quite large in a short amount of time.
To keep from having to sort through every bit of the log everytime
the program is run, Download Recordkeeper 2.3 remembers the date
and time of the most recent addition to its data file(s), and will
only analyze log entries made after that point.  So, an internal clock
or accurate date and time entries at startup are necessary for the
program to operate properly.

It's a good idea to either delete or rename your Telix Usage Log when
it becomes sizeable.  50 kb or so is about as big as you'll want Download
Recordkeeper to deal with.  If you want to keep your old usage log(s) for
posterity or whatever, just rename the active log periodically and let
Telix start a new usage log.  The smaller the usage log is, the better
your chances are of not running out of memory.  By the way, Download
Recordkeeper will not alter the Telix Usage Log in any way.

NOTE: Version 2.3 is compatible with the Telix 3.15 version's usage
log.  If you use another version of Telix (or any other modem program,
for that matter), its usage log will work only if it uses the same
format as Telix 3.15.


OPTION TWO: DISPLAYING THE DATA FILE
This option reads ALPHA.DNL from disk and displays it to your screen,
80 filenames at a time.  It will also display EXTEN.DNL if you have it
enabled.  You cannot send the data files directly to your printer, but
it's a simple matter to print the files using the <Print Screen> key.
This method offers you a much more flexible print option since you
aren't forced to print out the whole of a large data file; you can
print out just one or two screens if you want.  Also, you are given
the option to exit the listing after each screen.  Okay, so it's not
altogether convenient to have to hit <Print Screen> four, five, six, or
however many times, if you want to print out an entire data file, but
at 80 filenames per screen, you'd have to have a pretty large data file
before this method would become bothersome.  Besides, there's give and
take in everything.  And, you don't have to wait for the printer to
finish one page before sending the next.  You can hit <Print Screen> as
soon as the next screen is displayed, even if the printer is still printing.


OPTION THREE: CONFIGURATION SETUP
This option presents a menu of six choices.

(1) This choice asks for the name and location of the Telix Usage Log.
TELIX.USE is the default for both Download Recordkeeper and for
Telix itself.  (By the way, Telix does not automatically maintain
a usage log unless you set it up that way.  If you're not sure
if your copy of Telix is keeping a log, start up Telix, hit ALT-O,
choose General Options, and turn option G on.  Then go back one
screen, choose Filenames and Paths, and enter a name for the
usage log at letter E.  The default should be TELIX.USE.  Then
go back one screen and choose Write Setup to Disk.  Now Telix
will automatically keep a usage log everytime you run Telix.)

(2) This choice will ask you to input the maximum number of
records to be stored in the data files, and the maximum number
of usage log entries the program is to handle at one time.  The
values for these variables will depend on how large you expect
your data files to become and how much memory your computer has
at its disposal.  You may have to experiment with these values
to find our what works best on your system.  The smaller you
make your data file capacity, the larger you can make the chunks
of data the computer tackles at once, thereby increasing the
program's efficiency.  You can make the data file capacity as
large as 3000, but I recommend keeping it at a lower level so
that the system doesn't have to devote more memory to this
variable than necessary.  Besides, you'd have to do an awful
lot of downloading before you'd get anywhere near 3000 files.
Put it at around 900 or 1000 and you'll have room for plenty
of filenames, and the program's operations will benefit.  If
you need more room sometime in the future, just reconfigure
when the time comes.

(3) With this choice you either enable or disable the sort-by-
extension feature discussed above.  (OPTION ONE, paragraph two)

(4) This choice will toggle between backing-up or not backing-up
your old data file(s) as they are updated.  You can also choose to
always name the back-up file <filename>.BAK, or to input the back-up
filename each time a data file is updated.

(5)  Choose this if you have a data file from version 1.1 or version
1.2 that you want to convert to 2.3 compatibility.  If you have a
data file from version 1.1 or 1.2, it has to be reconfigured if you
wish Version 2.3 to make use of it.  At the beginning of the data
files, Version 2.3 stores the usage log's date and time for the last
file downloaded and recorded.  The older versions don't.  Version 2.3
will create ALPHA.DNL and EXTEN.DNL from your old file.  Your old
data file will not be affected, and any existing files named ALPHA.DNL
and EXTEN.DNL will be backed-up if you choose the back-up feature.
The new file EXTEN.DNL will not be sorted into extension order until
you update the files with the sort-by-extension feature enabled.
NOTE: If you reconfigure a large data file, it will take longer than
usual to sort it by extension the first time you update since the file
will initially be in alphabetical order with no regard to extensions.
After the first time, though, it won't take so long.

(6) Save configuration.  This choice will write a new SETUP.DNL file
and return you to the main menu.  Also, if you have chosen any of the
first four numbers on the Configuration menu, you will be reminded
about saving the changes should you try to return to the main menu
without choosing number 6.

NOTE: SETUP.DNL also contains a value used by the Filename Search option
which can be changed when you use that feature.


OPTION FOUR: MANUAL DATA ENTRY
This option will allow you to enter filenames into the data file(s)
that may not be in the Telix Usage Log.  You'll most likely have to
use this option at some point if you want your data file(s) to be as
up-to-date as possible.  When you choose this option, the program
reads the data file(s) and asks you to type in whatever filenames you
wish to be added.  You have the option of calling up a directory
of various types to make it easier to see which filenames need to
be input.  That's why, if you don't use the Telix Usage Log for
updates, it's a good idea to keep Download Recordkeeper and its
three support files in the directory you use to receive downloads.
That way, you can easily do a directory and see which files you should
add.  Enter filenames only one at a time.  Hitting <Enter> alone will
end the data entry.  The program will then list all the new entries, if
there are any, and ask if the new data are correct.  If not, it will
ask for a record number to change.  It displays the old data and asks
the user to input the new data for that record.  When the user is satis-
fied that all the data are correct, the program will then sort and save
the data just as it does after extracting filenames from the Telix Usage
Log.  After the new data are saved to disk, the user has the option of
viewing/printing the new file(s).


OPTION FIVE: FILENAME SEARCH
This option allows the user to search ALPHA.DNL for specified filenames.
When you input a filename, the program will look for that specific name,
plus any other filenames that begin with the same characters, up to a
range which you dictate.  You can also search for all filenames with a
certain extension.  The search feature is especially useful if you have
a large ALPHA.DNL file and you want to know whether or not you have a
certain file.  You can input that specific file's name, or if you can't
remember it exactly, you can input the first one, two, three, or however
many characters, and Download Recordkeeper will display all filenames
which begin with those characters.  Or, if you know it's a file with a
certain extension, just input the extension, including the period, and
the program will display all filenames which have that extension.  Then
you can print out the display using the <Print Screen> key.


OPTION SIX: QUIT THE PROGRAM
Don't worry -- I'll keep the verbage on this option to a minimum.
See?  It's over already.


To make the program most effective, keep a hard copy of one of
the data files at your computer so you can refer to it when you
decide to download files.  The sorted list(s) should make it easy
to find a filename.  In a pinch, you could even run the program
while you're on-line if you drop to the DOS shell by using the
ALT-J command in Telix.  REMEMBER: the program will not do you
much good if you don't keep the data file(s) updated!


THE ORIGIN OF DOWNLOAD RECORDKEEPER
I decided to write the program after I began to download files from
CompuServe and various bulletin board systems.  After I had downloaded
a certain number of files (some of which I kept, and some of which I
discarded), it became more and more difficult to remember right off
the top of my head which files I had already downloaded.  Specifically,
I would be looking through a BBS's list of downloadable files, while
on-line, thinking something like, "Hmmm, that file sounds pretty good.
I think I'll download it," only to discover later that I had already
downloaded the file previously.  Naturally this was pretty frustrating,
especially if I wasted long-distance time or added a debit to my
upload/download ratio by needlessly downloading the same file twice.
Surely I'm not the only one to suffer from such an experience.
I asked my friend and computer-communications guru, Bob O'Lary,
if there was any way to get Telix to alert me if I should tell it
to download a file I had already downloaded.  Cheerfully but incredulously,
he replied with something like, "You mean you want Telix to somehow
sort through a list of the all the hundreds of files you've ever
downloaded, everytime you download?"  I gave up on that idea.

Of course, many communication programs will allow users to display
a directory of their own files while on-line, and many times I used
this option to try to keep from performing repeat downloads.
However, this course of action can quickly become tiresome if you
have to search through multiple directories.  Furthermore, it is
of no use at all if you have already deleted the first download from
your hard drive.

So, after a number of wasteful repeat downloads, I decided to write
Download Recordkeeper.  I think it's comprehensive, effective, and
easy to use.  Plus, Version 2.3 is worlds above the previous versions.
If you've been using a previous version of Download Recordkeeper, you'll
appreciate this upgrade very much.

I've gone through the program many, many times and removed all the
bugs I could imagine, and even some I didn't imagine, but there
could still be some bugs lurking around.  If you find an error you
can't fix, drop me some e-mail or send me a letter as denoted below.
I've built in some error trapping routines to handle the most likely
errors you might encounter, but I realize that some could fall through
the cracks.  If an error pops up that Download Recordkeeper isn't
programmed to handle, it'll be announced as a "fatal error," and the
program will end.  This is most likely to happen if your SETUP.DNL,
EXTEN.DNL, and/or ALPHA.DNL files aren't in the proper form.  You
can find the proper form near the top of this document.  The files
are all ASCII, so use a standard text editor if you need to make
them right.  Also, the program will denote an "error code" if it
encounters a fatal error.  If you decide to contact me about an
error you can't solve, make note of the error code for me.


Download Recordkeeper was written by Allen Brown.
CIS 72760,667.  Prodigy MMMJ81A.  All rights reserved.

This modest program is SHAREWARE.  If you keep it and use it, you
are obligated to send $5.00 (a very reasonable price), or more if
you think the program is worth it, to:

Allen Brown
P.O. Box 681
Gulf Shores, Alabama  36547

This program is presented 'as is.'  The author will not assume
responsibility for any data mishaps.  Feel free to send comments,
suggestions, or bug reports.  Registered users who donate at least
$5.00 will receive notice of program updates.  Please include your
CompuServe or Prodigy ID numbers if you subscribe to either.

Feel free to upload DLRK23.ZIP to any BBS you like, as long as you
include all the original files.  The original data files and SETUP.DNL
are described at the top of this document.  Please be sure to include
the original data files and the original SETUP.DNL, not your own modi-
fied files.  If you no longer have the original DLRK23.ZIP, or the
original data files and SETUP.DNL file, you can easily create them by
using the first several paragraphs of this document as a guide.  If you
do not include the proper files in the proper form, then anyone who
acquires your upload might run into trouble, especially if they don't
read DLRK23.DOC.  Also, do not upload Download Recordkeeper without
including this documentation file.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
Bob O'Lary for his specific advice and for his general words of wisdom.
(Call Bob's BBS at 904-656-6178, 8-N-1, 2400 baud.)

Download Recordkeeper was written with MS QuickBasic 4.5.  I hope
it proves useful to you.  It works great for me.

Thanks for supporting the shareware concept!  Only you can make
shareware work!

Telix v3.15 is a Copyright (c) of Exis Inc.

THE END