cfx
Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: 01-20-92
Index
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NAME
cfx - CP/M File eXpress
SYNOPSIS
cfx
[-bdinpw] [-c
n]
[-m
afn]
[-t
minutes]
[files ...]
DESCRIPTION
Cfx
provides convenient access to the various file archiving methods
presently associated with computers based on Digital Research's
CP/M
operating system and its descendants.
By default,
cfx
steps through the target file and extracts all human-readable
information to the screen.
File extraction is also supported as a command line option.
The following types of archives are supported
(note that the file extents given below are merely conventions;
cfx
reads a file's data to distinguish its archive type):
- Extent
-
Typical archive type
- .lbr
-
Novosielski
library
format file.
This format is similar in purpose to the familiar MS-DOS
.arc
and
.zip
archives.
A set of related files is stored as a single "library"
for convenience and efficiency.
The format is comprised of a binary
directory
one or more 128-byte CP/M
records
in length, followed sequentially by one or more
member
files, also comprised of one or more CP/M records.
- .?q?
-
Squeezed
files.
Squeezed
files contain Huffman-encoded text or binary data.
Squeezing
has generally been replaced more efficient compression
methods.
The first two bytes of CP/M squeezed files are guaranteed to be
76 and FF hex, respectively.
- .?z?
-
Crunched
files.
Crunching is similar to squeezing, but uses the Lempel-Ziv-Welch
algorithm, adapted for CP/M use by Steve Greenberg.
The first two bytes of CP/M crunched files are guaranteed to be
76 and FE hex, respectively.
- .?y?
-
LZH-compressed
files.
LZH-compression uses a combination of Lempel-Ziv-Welch and
Huffman techniques.
The first two bytes of CP/M LZH files are guaranteed to be 76
and FD hex, respectively.
Cfx
will also display non-compressed (ASCII) files.
High bits are stripped during display, but not during
extraction, so WordStar and other forms of text which store
information in 8-bit form are handled reliably.
OPTIONS
- -b
-
Brief output only.
When processing library (.lbr) files, suppress initial directory
display.
- -c n
-
Monitor COM
n
for carrier (MSDOS only).
- -d
-
Extract files to current disk directory.
Compressed files are extracted to the filenames stored
at file compression time.
(See option -n).
- -i
-
Display file information only.
Overrides most other options.
- -m afn
-
Specify a subset of library members for processing.
Limited to one ambiguous or unambiguous parameter.
- -n
-
Don't uncompress library file members.
Intended for use in conjunction with option -d (disk
output).
- -p
-
Display file name, compression method and datestamp to the
screen and prompt the user before processing each file.
- -t minutes
-
Allow only
minutes
time.
Intended for use on remote systems which limit the
amount of connect time a caller is allowed.
- -w
-
Wait for keystroke before returning control to the parent
environment.
BUGS
- Screen length fixed at 24 rows.
-
- Does not prompt before overwriting files.
-
- Does not display embedded file datestamps.
-
- Does not restore datestamps of output files.
-
- Not yet extensively tested with nested .LBR files.
-
SEE ALSO
Cfx User's Manual,
arc(1), unzip(1),
compress(1), pack(1).
AUTHOR
Carson Wilson
..!uunet!ddsw1!carson
carson@sputnik.uucp
Index
- NAME
-
- SYNOPSIS
-
- DESCRIPTION
-
- OPTIONS
-
- BUGS
-
- SEE ALSO
-
- AUTHOR
-
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