Software Vault: The Diamond Collection/The Diamond Collection (Software Vault)(Digital Impact).ISO/cdr37/chk4d100.zip/PRODUCTS.DOC

Text File | 1995-04-05 | 10KB | 183 lines

   CHK4DES v1.00                  PRODUCTS.DOC                       04/05/95


   NOTE:  Enter COPY PRODUCTS.DOC PRN to print this file.  It is formatted to
          print 3 pages with approximately 60 lines per page.


   This document lists products from HAL SoftWare that are either currently
   available or in development.  Six of these programs, ADDTODAY, CHK4DES,
   MERGESYS, SORTSYS, KILLVER, and TIC2PCB, are specifically designed for
   sysops to help manage their bbs filelists.


   MergeFile (tm)

   MergeFile will merge two sorted ASCII text files of any size.  The user
   can select order (ascending/descending), fixed or variable length records,
   case sensitivity, and to keep or remove duplicates.  The merge key can be
   the entire line or any of the first nine fields, with multiple fields in
   sequence of priority, e.g., merge first on field three, then field seven,
   followed by five (the fields do not need to be specified by columns since
   one or more spaces act as delimiters).  A single file can also be "merged"
   on itself, e.g., to remove duplicates from a sorted list.  MergeFile can
   detect four types of errors in the input files:  blank or empty line and
   missing key or field.  The user will be prompted before the overwrite of
   an existing file (the prompt can be disabled for batch processing).


   MergeFile Professional and MergeFile for Sysops (tm)

   MERGESYS can eliminate ALL duplicate descriptions from your bbs file lists
   automatically, and facilitates adding files downloaded by satellite or
   from CD-ROMs.  MERGEPRO could be considered more general purpose, but the
   only real difference between these two is their default switch settings.
   MERGEPRO is set for one line records with the entire input line as the
   merge key, while MERGESYS is set for multi-line records of the PCBoard DIR
   format (continuing lines of a record start with a "space") with the first
   field (file name) as the merge key.  By changing their settings, each can
   handle the other's default type files, and many additional types as well.
   Descended from MergeFile, there is no other merge program like them!  Even
   calling them merge programs now is not accurate, although they will merge
   almost ANY kind and size of sorted ASCII text files.  They are more like
   list management tools, capable of comparing two files without merging them
   and removing cross file duplicates (records from one file whose keys match
   those in another), or retaining the cross file duplicates but removing all
   others, or even merging into a file only records that match, which can
   replace the existing records with others.  To give a full accounting of
   all their features here would nearly DOUBLE the size of this document, but
   a brief list includes select order, multiple merge keys (and the order for
   each, along with date or time fields), fixed or variable length records,
   delimiters, case sensitivity (including lexical, as in a dictionary), skip
   over a heading, to keep or remove duplicates, error checking, write a
   "trash" file of stripped duplicates and/or records with errors, write a
   log file of all activities, and read or write a configuration file.  The
   basic MergeFile may be enough to satisfy your requirements, but if not,
   MERGEPRO/MERGESYS should be the LAST merge program you will ever need!





   Check 4 Description

   CHK4DES runs on a list of file descriptions generated by a "diz" extractor
   such as WGM-MAKE, which will search a directory full of zips and write a
   PCBoard type description file with the information from the FILE_ID.DIZ's.
   However, if WGM-MAKE doesn't find a DIZ, it writes "Description is unknown
   at this time." in place of where the description would go.  CHK4DES goes
   through the generated list and removes all of the "no description" names
   to another file, which can be dealt with later.  The finished list will
   contain only file names with descriptions that can then be added to your
   bbs file listings.  You can change the "no description" phrase to anything
   you need, including an "empty" phrase, which will locate file names where
   the description area is blank (nothing is there).  CHK4DES can execute an
   optional batch file with the name of each file that has a description,
   such as moving the parent file to another directory.


   Addtoday's Description

   ADDTODAY can be run daily (e.g., from a batch file) on a list of new file
   descriptions and add to a specified list those whose "day of month" number
   matches the current system day (e.g., the system date is 11-30-94 and the
   description date is 08-30-93).  When ADDTODAY appends the descriptions, it
   changes the description date to the current date (e.g., 11-30-94).  As far
   as callers to your bbs are concerned, they just see new files every day.
   ADDTODAY can execute an optional batch file with the name of each file
   whose description has been added, such as moving the parent file to your
   uploads directory, and be set for a minimum, maximum, or fixed number of
   files to add each day.  As descriptions are added, they are removed from
   the new files list and when it is empty, you are notified to replace it.


   SortFile Professional and SortFile for Sysops (under development)

   These programs are complimentary to MERGEPRO and MERGESYS, with very
   similar options.  They will sort ANY size of ASCII text file.  You can
   select the order, multiple sort keys (and the order for each, along with
   date or time fields), case sensitivity (including lexical, as in a
   dictionary), delimiters, skip over a heading, fixed or variable length
   records, error checking, and read or write a configuration file.


   Tic2PCB (under development)

   This program will search a directory for TIC files and examine each one
   for the accompanying file name, area, and description.  Then it will read
   a command file that you have created looking for the area name.  If the
   area is found, Tic2PCB can write and append wherever directed a PCBoard
   type "dir" description from either a "diz" within the accompanying file if
   there is one, or the TIC description.  Then it can move the accompanying
   file to whatever directory you desire.  Or you can command Tic2PCB to
   delete the files if you don't want to keep a particular area.  If a TIC's
   accompanying file is not found, you can also specify what should be done.
   The last commands in the command file will be executed for any area that
   you do not specifically name, such as moving them to a "holding" directory
   for later examination.  Tic2PCB also writes a log its activities.





   Kill Earlier Versions (under development)

   KILLVER will INTELLIGENTLY search a bbs filelist and automatically locate
   (and remove) descriptions of earlier versions of the same file.  It will
   run totally on its own without you having to sit for hours scanning
   directories to look at descriptions as possible earlier versions of the
   same file.  If KILLVER isn't sure about a name it finds, the description
   will be kept but also written to an "unknown" list that can be checked
   later.  All deleted descriptions will be written to a "removed" file and
   the version and description it thinks is the latest will also be written
   so you can compare them easily if desired.  A third file will contain only
   the file names of removed versions so you'll know what files need to be
   deleted (KILLVER won't delete any of the parent files for obvious
   reasons, but a utility program that will come with the fully registered
   version will read the file names from the list and invoke a file search
   program with each file name to locate and delete the file).


   All the bbs utilities will also handle WildCat! format filelists, but with
   an extra step.  The descriptions in the database must first be written to
   an ASCII text file, which can then be converted back to the database
   format after running the utilities.  For ADDTODAY, if the descriptions to
   be added are already in a text file, only the list created daily would
   need to be incorporated into the database.  All the bbs utilities except
   perhaps CHK4DES should work on most other types of bbs file description
   lists (CHK4DES truncates any line over 80 characters).


   MERGEFILE, MERGEPRO, and MERGESYS are trademarks of HAL SoftWare.
   PCBoard is a registered trademark of Clark Development Company, Inc.
   WildCat! is a trademark of Mustang Software, Inc.
   WGM-MAKE is copyrighted by Wayne G. Maas.


   If you cannot locate any of these fine programs,

   Write to:  Hal Parks                  E-Mail:  8:970/201           RBBSNet
              HAL SoftWare                        1:11/157            FIDONet
              404B W. Oak                                   InterNet
              Carbondale, IL 62901                [e-mail]

   OR leave a message for me with InfoQuest BBS at 618-529-0000
   OR contact me through InfoQuest's sysop (safest bet for all E-Mail)

            InterNet:  [e-mail]
            RBBSNet:   8:970/201       FIDONet:  1:11/157
                            USERNAME:  Charles Strusz
            FIDO NODELIST CORRECTION:  Phone should be 618.529.0000

   OR you can always download the latest versions by calling:

   InfoQuest BBS, Carbondale, IL, 618-529-0000 (sign on as a GUEST USER and
                                                   join the HAL conference)
   Shawnee Free-Net BBS, Carbondale, IL, 618-549-8448
   Rusty-n-Edie's BBS, Youngstown, OH, 216-726-2620