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Text File | 1990-04-13 | 15.1 KB | 367 lines

WHAT IS IT? QL is one of the the most flexible and powerful file viewing utilities available for CP/M; it is not just another "typer". It combines some of the best features of the popular CP/M, ZCPR3, and MS-DOS utilities LUX, LT, VLU, and LIST with its own unique features including hex display mode and a unique, fast access, file reference by number system. Other features include: o Alphabetized display of all files in the current area; "select by number" eliminates mistyped filenames. o LBR support also features "select by number" for member names. o Transparent decompression of squeezed and crunched files. o Memory based design allows instant backwards or random access viewing o Locate sections of interest quickly using string (or byte) search. o Hex display mode allows inspection of non-ascii files, or closer inspection of 'ascii-ish' files. o Optional extraction to disk of LBR member files, with decompression. o Full wheel byte and BYE support allows program to be securely run online in an RCP/M environment. o Optional terminal attribute support greatly enhances display. o ZCPR3 version eliminates terminal and other hardware dependencies. o Instantly configurable / customizable by anyone, using the "Z1" assembler (included), or your own favorite. o If not satisfied, get rid of QL and keep the assembler as a gift. QUICK USAGE 1. Just type QL. A vertically oriented, alphabetized display off all filenames in the current drive/user will be displayed, with a number next to each one. 2. Pick a number of a file you'd like to view. If it's squeezed or crunched, it will be taken care of. If it's a library file... [2b.] ...you will be presented with a new screen with all the members listed. Again you get to pick a number. (This is all much easier than typing out the correct filename spelling). 1 3. Now you get to view the file, one screen at a time. You can go for- ward or backward a page at a time, forward line by line, or directly to a specific 'page' (ie screen) instantly. The latter can be done by just typing a 'page' number, or by using the "Find" command to scan for specific text. 4. If you want, type "?" for a new screen summarizing the commands available. This screen also gives current settings of the "toggles" (which may be changed) and a summary of the file- where it is, it's size in kilobytes and number of words and lines if appropriate. Hit- ting any key to returns you to viewing (right to the same spot). 5. Typing ^X (or ESC or Q) will always escape you back to the previous level. For example, if appropriate, hitting ESC while viewing a file will bring you back to the LBR membernames display. Another ESC will bring you back to the original list of all filenames. A third one gets you back to CP/M. Note that ^C (or ^K) will instantly bring you directly back to CP/M from any point. LIMITATION Due to it's memory based design and its original intent to be a 'Quick Look" utility, QL's main limitation is in the size of a file that can be viewed in it's entirety. The program will ACCEPT any size file, but sections of large files which are past the end of available memory can not be viewed. See QL-OLD.DOC for more discussion on this. Note that Extract Mode, described below, does NOT have this limitation. NOTES 1. The original invocation of QL may contain a filename specification, ambiguous or otherwise. Thus "QL *.DOC" will limit the "on screen" selection display to only those files with the ".DOC" extension. If the file is fully specified, or if only one file matches, the select by number process will be skipped, for obvious reasons. Note that, like a filesweep utility, just plain "QL" is equivalent to "QL *.*". This makes QL very fast and easy to use. 2. File Extraction (LBR files only). At the "View a member:" prompt you may enter "E", as indicated, which will put you in extract mode. The new prompt is "Extract a member:" and any members selected will auto- matically be extracted from the library to a disk file. The files will be unsqueezed / uncrunched along the way, if appropriate. Files are written to the originally logged drive (indicated in the prompt), even if the library resides on a different drive (eg if QL was orig- inally invoked "A> QL B:*.*" the files will be written to the "A" drive. The ZCPR version will accept a user number in the command line as well, and files will be written to the originally logged drive and user. QL will NOT over- write a pre-existing file without a prompt. 2 3. If a library file is to be specified on the command line, you should NOT type the .LBR extension. In this manner, QL will add the exten- sion and treat the file as a library, which is probably what you ex- pect. If you DO fully specify the filename (no wildcards, AND the extension typed out), the file will be treated like a miscellaneous [binary] file. The hex dump which will ensue will allow you to exam- ine the "guts" of the library's directory, if you are so inclined. All other combinations (including anytime an LBR file is selected by number) will result in the file being opened as a library. 4. Multi-file use: This version adds the ability to view several files, or LBR members, in succession; it can also be used quite successfully to extract some or all of an LBRs members to disk. "Multi" mode is activated from the file selection menu: a. To select all the files (or members) in the list, simply press *. QL will take off and open each one in turn. Once the file is open, everything acts normally; you can page forward or backward, extract members, whatever. When you decide you are finished with this file, simply hit ESC (or ^X); QL will pick the next one in the list. You can, of course, abort at any time back to CP/M with a ^C, and when all have been processed, you will be returned the the file selection menu you started at. b. To select just some of the files in the list, type a left parenthesis [(]. Then type file numbers from the list. If you type an invalid number, it won't be accepted; you'll hear a beep and it'll be erased. Type a comma [,] between each file number, and when you have listed all you want, type a right parenthesis [)] or just hit <CR>. QL will then open each in sequence, as above. 5. Sorting the file list: Another new feature of this version. You may re-sort the file list to another order if you so desire. At the file selection menu, type S. The prompt comes back, "Sort files beginning at:" This is asking for the character position, in the filename, of the start of the key. (The dot between the filename and extension is not included.) The most useful numbers to respond with are probably 8, to sort by extension, and 0, if you change your mind and want to sort by the entire name again after having sorted by extension. However, any number between 0 and 10 inclusive will work here, and may be useful with specialized filenames. You may repeat the sorting process as many times as you want, intermixed with file viewing in any order. A word of caution: the list of LBR members is read from disk AGAIN after each member is viewed or extracted. Therefore, before using the multi-file options, sort beginning at 0! Otherwise the file numbers will not be the same after the first member is processed, and you will miss members from your list, or possibly miss the first member if using *. 6. You can get a help screen describing how to maninpulate file numbers by pressing ? or / at the file selection menu. 3 COMMAND INFORMATION Following is a replica of a typical "help" screen, invoked by typing a "?" while viewing a file. More detail on some of the commands follows. ..................................................................... --- While viewing --- --- Toggle Commands --- <cr> Forward one page A Display ASCII / HEX: ASCII <sp> Forward one line T Truncate long lines: YES <##> Go to any page ## C Case sensitive find: NO B Backward one page F Find text or hex byte R Repeat find X Exit viewing File: B10:QL .DOC Size: 2419 bytes (3k) Approx: 53 lines, 396 words. Command, or <ret> to resume Viewing: ..................................................................... Toggle commands: Currently there are three 'toggle' functions (though more may be added in a subsequent release). They are "Display Mode" (ASCII/HEX), "Trunc- ation" (ON/OFF), and "Case sensitive find" (ON/OFF). 1. When "Truncation" is ON, lines longer than 80 characters will be chopped off (a character in the last column identifies these lines). This is the recommended mode of operation, as QL does not currently support left-right scrolling. Furthermore, if the lines are allowed to wrap the 'pagination' will be not work correctly- lines may scroll off your screen. This area may be improved in a subsequent release. 2. The "Case sensitive" toggle only involves the 'Find' function. When "OFF", no distinction is made between upper and lower case; otherwise the match must be exact. 4 3. "Display mode" is almost self explanatory; "ASCII" is the normal mode for viewing a text file. The "HEX" mode display emulates a typical debugger type memory dump, with 16 hex bytes/line and their ascii equivalents, if any, on the right part of the screen. QL will init- ially take an "educated guess" at the proper setting here based on the content of the first few bytes, but it may be "faked out". If a file comes up 'wrong', simply hit 'A' to alternate the display mode. Note: If the toggles are activated while the help screen is displayed, the value will be flipped and the screen will be redisplayed, showing the new values. The commands may also be executed direct- ly, right in the middle of viewing a file. In this event a word or two indicating the new mode is displayed briefly, and viewing may proceed immediately. ...... "While viewing" commands: The "While viewing commands" shown in the left hand column above are quite self-explanatory. Some "synonyms" (not shown) exist for some of the commands, eg "Q", "X", "^X" or ESCape will all act identically as "Exit". A few extra details are supplied below. 1. Just typing 1 or 2 digits causes QL to jump directly to that "page" (ie "screen") number. 2. The "Find" command requires some clarification not indicated above. The command results in the query "Find:", at which point you would normally enter word(s) or a part of a word to scan for. When found, the corresponding page is displayed (with the occurrence(s) of the string higlighted if possible), and operation proceeds from there. In HEX mode, it is possible to search for either ascii matches (right hand portion of display) or for a series of one or more hex bytes. Using the latter mode requires that the hex bytes be preceded by the character "$". If multiple bytes are being specified, do not use any commas or spaces between them. For example, to find the series of bytes 11H, 76H, 0ACH, you would respond to "Find:" by entering: $1176AC ..... Memory dump: Not shown above is the memory dump option, which can be initiated by invoking the program with the command line: QL CORE (You must not have any file on the current DU: called "CORE" or "CORE.LBR" for this to work. If by some chance you do, either rename it, or try something like QL B:CORE.) This will display the current system memory. In core dump mode, the addresses shown are the actual addresses. When a file is displayed in HEX mode, the addresses are correct for a file loaded at 100H, as is normally the case. Most commands are available during core dump, although some, notably switching to ascii, make little sense and would produce strange displays, and are therefore disabled. 5 INSTALLATION / CUSTOMIZATION While QL will run right 'out of the box', it is worth the extra few minutes to read the file QL-CFG.DOC. Most people need only read the first paragraph or two, and can then perform the "installation" in a matter of minutes. RCP/M USAGE Simply set your wheel address where indicated in the QL41.AZM file (ZCPR3 users need not bother) , and QL will instantly become a very vi- able online utility. This gives users new flexibilities: to examine HEX files online; to go backwards when one types 'too far'; and to save time by using the FIND command to skip right to a section of interest in a textfile. Plus no more annoying typographical errors of filenames. QL will sense the presence of BYE, and not send video specific sequences to remote terminals. The wheel byte is used to provide security by not allowing hex displays of files with .COM extension or a dump of the system's memory. Files with the SYS attribute are ignored as well. Ob- viously the LBR file extract mode is deactivated. Any 'menu' references to deactivated functions are eliminated from display. Note that the WHEEL and BYE checks are independent- SYSOPS may remotely examine system memory, etc. - Steven Greenberg 14 August 1988 QL41 additions- Ross Presser 26 January 1989 6