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Text File | 1990-08-04 | 20KB | 498 lines

MANUAL for AlphaSort The FASTEST sorting program ever Copyright 1990 by Arrow Connection PO Box 899 Pollock Pines, CA 95726 All rights reserved DISCLAIMER Arrow Connection hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this software, whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Arrow Connection will not be liable for any special, incidential, consequential, indirect or similar damages due to loss of data or any other reason, even if Arrow Connection has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall Arrow Connection's liability for any damages ever exceed the price paid for the software, regardless of the form of the claim. The person using the software bears all risk as to the quality and performance of the software. DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE Shareware distribution gives you a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. If you wish to register, see the ALPHA.REG file. As a registered owner, you receive the lastest update and you qualify to earn commissions for distributing AlphaSort. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. AlphaSort is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find this program useful and find that you are using AlphaSort and continue to use AlphaSort after a reasonable trial period, you must make the registration payment to Arrow Connection. The registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time. You are encouraged to pass a copy of AlphaSort along to your friends, upload it onto bulletin boards, and publicize it in your trade association newsletter. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find that they can use it. Remember, as a registered owner, you earn a commission for each one who registers from your copy. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction--Getting Started....................... 1 2. How to Get Help..................................... 1 3. The Opening Menu.................................... 2 4. Input File Options.................................. 3 5. Output File Options................................. 4 6. Format Options...................................... 5 7. Saving the Current Options.......................... 7 8. Common Problems and their Solutions................. 7 9. How to Obtain the Source Code....................... 8 1. INTRODUCTION--GETTING STARTED To use the program, type ALPHA at the DOS prompt. Example: C:>ALPHA Finish with ENTER (or RETURN) and the program will start. The program is menu-driven; so you can probably use it without reading this manual. -1- The files on disk are: ALPHA.EXE (The main program) ALPHA.DOC (The documentation file you are now reading) ALPHA.REG (The registration form) This program can sort data from these kinds of files: 1. Text file in which each field is on a separate line 2. Comma delimited file, such as a WordStar mailmerge file 3. A WordPerfect mailmerge file If yours is a database file, then use your database program to export it into one of these three formats. Text files should have one field per line, and one and only one extra line space between records. Comma delimited files may contain a comma within a field if that field is surrounded by quotes, a field may contain single quotes if the field is surrounded by double quotes, and a field may contain double quotes, if that field is surrounded by single quotes. All files should have no extra junk at the top of the file--the first line of the file should have the first field. A record is a set of data, such as name and address. A field is part of a record. For example, three fields in a record might be name, city, and zip code. Each field can be a maximum of 30 characters wide. Each record can have a maximum of 10 fields. Each file can have a maximum of 8000 records. This program sorts on any one field. Output can go to a file, printer, or to the screen. You may select any field in any order to be output. You may skip fields. You may repeat fields. Output to a file can be either mailmerge or a regular text file. To avoid answering a prompt on the screen, press ENTER. That will take you back to a previous menu. Pressing ESC has the same effect if the computer is expecting a one- keystroke answer. 2. HOW TO GET HELP To get help send a description of your problem, along with a sample of files you are using, and return postage to: Arrow Connection P.O. Box 899 Pollock Pines CA 95726 Telephone support for 90 days is available by calling: (916) 644-2341 -2- 3. THE OPENING MENU The opening menu looks like this: ----------------------------------------------------------------- To change any option, press the corresponding letter. To begin sorting, press ENTER. N Name of file to sort: I Input file type: (Options are text file with each field on a separate line, comma delimited file, or WordPerfect mailmerge file.) T Total fields in each record: K Key field to sort on: V View first record of file on screen D Destination file name: O Output: (Options are printer, screen, text file, comma delimited file, or WordPerfect mailmerge file.) F Format of output: (Options are any field in any order. If not a mailmerge file, then you may also specify spaces or returns to follow each field. S Save current options on disk for automatic recall H Help (view or print documentation) Q Quit Enter choice (press ENTER to begin sort): ------------------------------------------------------------ This menu allows you to select only the choice or choices that you want. Usually you will not need to go through all the choices. If any option is OK as is, then leave it alone. Change only what needs changing. When the choices are set up the way you want, then you are ready to sort. To sort, just press ENTER when the prompt at the bottom of the screen says in parentheses: press ENTER to begin sort. When the computer is done sorting, it will display the number of records sorted. To run the program again, either type ALPHA at the DOS prompt or press F3 and ENTER. -3- 4. INPUT FILE OPTIONS The first 5 options on the opening menu relate to your input file, namely N, I, T, K, and V. To name an input file, press N. On the screen you will see: Enter filename to sort (press ENTER to quit): Path names are OK as part of your answer. When you enter a filename the computer will read the first part of the file in order to figure out what kind of file it is. It will decide if the file is a text file, comma delimited file (such as a WordStar mailmerge file), or a WordPerfect mailmerge file. When it decides what kind of file it is, it will display that information next to the I option. So if the computer decides correctly, then you do not need to press I in order to tell it what kind of input file it is. If the computer decides incorrectly, then press I, and tell the computer what kind of input file it is. As the computer checks the file for what kind it is, it also checks to see how many fields it has. If the file is a comma delimited file, then it counts commas that have no space after them in order to figure out how many fields there are. If the file is a WordPerfect mailmerge file, then the computer counts lines until it reaches a control E which signals the end of the record. In this kind of file, if you have two lines in one field, then AlphaSort will count them as two separate fields. That being the case, make sure that all your records are consistent. In other words, if one record has a two-line field, then all of them must have the identical two-line field in order to keep things from getting mixed up. If the file is a text file, then the computer counts lines until it reaches a blank line in order to calculate the number of fields. So make sure that your first record of a text file has no blank lines in the wrong place. If you have no data to put on that line, then put a hyphen there. The first blank line should be after the last field of the first record. Thereafter, blank lines may occur within records, and one (and only one) blank line MUST occur between records. After the computer calculates how many fields your file has, it displays that information after the T option (total fields). If the computer figures incorrectly, then press T to tell it how many total fields are in each record. Any time that you name a new file or change the number of total fields in a file, you should also press F (explained later) to check the format of the output. The computer will not automatically take you to F like it does some of the other options. -4- To summarize, first press N to name the file to sort. Then look at the display of the opening menu to see if input file is of the correct type (option I) and to see if the total fields in each record is correct (option T). The next option, the K option, specifies the key field to sort on. Do you want to sort by last name, by zip code, or by what? Sorting will take place on any one field you specify. If the number of the field displayed there is not the number you want, then press K, and the computer will ask you: Enter number of field by which to sort: Whenever the computer asks you for a number, it has decided ahead of time what numbers are valid answers. If one-digit numbers are the only possible answer, then one keystroke answers the question--no RETURN is needed. But if a two- digit number is a possible answer, then you must press RETURN (or ENTER) after you enter the number(s). Suppose you want to sort by company name, but you forget if that is field 2 or field 3. That is why option V is on the menu. Press V to view the first record of your file. That let's you see what your file looks like without exiting AlphaSort. When you view your first record, note what number each field is, and then go back to the main menu to choose other options. 5. OUTPUT FILE OPTIONS The next three options on the menu are for your output file, namely options D and O and F. Option D (destination file) and option O (output) are discussed in this section; option F (format) will be discussed in the next section. To name a destination file press D, and the computer will ask you: Enter destination file name (press ENTER to quit): If a destination file of the same name already exists on disk, the computer will warn you and give you the option of erasing it or not. Also, any time an existing file is in danger of being erased, it will display on the main menu next to the destination filename in blinking letters: EXISTING FILE WILL BE ERASED -5- To specify the type of output, press O. The computer will give you five choices: ------------------------------------------------------------ Your output choices are: T Text file C Comma delimited file, such as a WordStar mailmerge file W WordPerfect mailmerge file P Printer S Screen Enter choice: ------------------------------------------------------------ These choices will also appear automatically after you choose a destination filename if the computer does not yet know what kind of file you want. 6. FORMAT OPTIONS The F option lets you format your output. Formatting lets you do two things: it lets you specify the order in which the fields will be output, and it lets you specify whether spaces or returns should follow each field. In other words, you can make the output look entirely different than the input. When you press F the computer displays the current setup at the top of the screen. The display shows consecutive numbers in the left column, the field number to be output in the second column, and what follows the field (either returns or spaces) in the third column. If the output type is a comma delimited file or a WordPerfect mailmerge file, then the third column is missing because it does not apply in those cases, and the F option below the display will also be missing. An example of this display is: ------------------------------------------------------------ 1: Field 1 1 space(s) follows 2: Field 2 1 return(s) follows 3: Field 3 2 return(s) follows Press O to change the order of the fields. Press F to change the returns or spaces that follow the fields. Enter O or F (ENTER to exit): ------------------------------------------------------------ Notice that this setup has one space following field one. You will want to do this after your city field, so that the state follows on the same line with only a space between them. Notice that two returns follow field 3. You will want to set up yours this way if you want an extra return between records. You are not limited to one or two spaces or returns after each field--you can have several. This sample setup has the fields output in order, field 1 is first, field 2 is second, and field 3 is third. But you can change the order if you wish. -6- To change the order, press O. Then the computer will ask you: ------------------------------------------------------------ You have 3 fields. You may output them in any order. You may skip fields. You may repeat fields. Enter number of first field to output (press ENTER to exit): ------------------------------------------------------------ After you enter the number of the first field, the computer will ask you for the number of the next field, and so on. The computer will let you specify up to 10 output fields. When done, press ENTER in response to the question. Then the computer will display the new order of fields and give you a chance to change them again if they are wrong. The order of the fields is the first half of formatting. The second half is deciding whether returns or spaces follow each field. (Remember, this applies only if your output goes to a text file, printer or screen--it does not apply for comma delimited files or WordPerfect mailmerge files.) To format returns and spaces, you have first pressed F at the main menu. This yields a display of the current setup as shown above. Then given a choice to press O (to order the fields) or to press F (to format returns and spaces) you press F again. The computer gives you this prompt: Enter number from left column (ENTER to exit): Enter the number of the line that you want to change. Then the computer asks you: Press R if you want return(s) to follow this field. Press S if you want space(s) to follow this field. Enter R or S (ENTER to exit): After you enter R (for return) or S (for space) the computer will ask you how many. For example, if you had pressed R, the computer will prompt you: Enter number of return(s) to follow: After you answer this question with a number, the new information will display at the top of the screen. Then you can change another line or press ENTER to go back to the main menu. -7- 7. SAVING THE CURRENT OPTIONS Saving the current options on disk today saves you time tomorrow. The options that are saved are automatically recalled so that you don't have to set them all over again. When you press S, the computer saves on disk all that it currently knows, including the filename to sort, the destination filename, the number of fields, the order the fields are output, and the format in which they are output. These options are saved in a file called ALPHA.OPT. When you press S a prompt at the bottom of the screen will assure you that the job is done: Options are now saved for automatic recall next time. 8. COMMON PROBLEMS AND THEIR SOLUTIONS If the last part of some fields are getting chopped off, remember that the maximum width of fields is 30. If the last part of the file gets chopped off, remember that the maximum length of a file is 8000 records. If fields get jumbled up, check to make sure that your file has no more than 10 fields per record. If yours is a text file that is not a mailmerge file, then make sure that the first line is the first field, and make sure that one and only one blank line occurs between records. If you have blank fields, then in the first record insert hyphens there; in later records leave a blank line there. If the computer has trouble reading your file, check to make sure that no extra junk is at the top or at the bottom of the file. If yours is a database file, remember to use your database program to create a regular text file. If the output comes out looking funny, check the F option (to format your output). If output won't go to the printer, then press D to name a destination file, and answer with either PRN, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3 (all these are parallel ports going to your printer), or COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4 (all these are serial ports going to your printer). When the computer asks if you want to delete the existing file, answer Y. Then press O (to specify output type) and answer with T (for text file, NOT P for printer). One of these combinations should direct output to the proper printer port of your computer. -8- 9. HOW TO OBTAIN THE SOURCE CODE AlphaSort is designed to demonstrate the speed of its new sorting algorithm. It is an enhancement of the old radix method of sorting. If you know anything about the old radix method you know that it was potentially efficient, but it had some limitations and shortcomings. Those limitations have now been overcome. The Turbo Pascal source code of the sorting algorithm is available to programmers who want to use it in their own programs. There is a nominal fee and nominal royalties. For more information, call me, Al Beechick, at (916) 644- 2341. Or write Arrow Connection, PO Box 899, Pollock Pines, CA 95726.