CONTENTS:

      INTRODUCTION
     GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
     ERROR MESSAGES
     FINDING ME
     LEGAL STUFF

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 INTRODUCTION:
      "Cat" is a shareware program. If you use "Cat" for more than one week, please support the continued development of this and other shareware programs by sending ten dollars ($10) and an unformatted floppy disc, or twelve dollars ($12) (and no floppy disc) to:

      Eric Shelden
      PO Box 185         
      Tolland CT 06084
      USA  

WHAT YOU GET:
      Registered users will receive the most recent version of "Cat" along with a password which will shut of the registration notice and the "Unregistered Copy"  statement on the start-up image. Registered users will also receive a copy of "Cats" companion program, "Creator", available ONLY to registered users of "Cat". "Creator" allows you to automatically load any number of text documents into any program that accepts text documents, using the same file search strategy as "Cat". Unlike some commercial programs which specify a default application that open all 'TEXT' files (and cost a lot more than $5), "Creator" allows you to specify any creator type or "ownership" for the specified text files. The files actually appear on the desk-top with the icon appropriate to the program you want the files to load into. You can then drag select or shift click on these files in the usual way to automatically load them into the specified application. If you don't know what the creator type of an application is, "Creator" also allows you to determine this information for any program or document on your computer. Complete on-line instructions are included. If you need to open a lot of text documents into different programs, using "Creator" really beats scrolling through a list of files using the applications own "Import file" or "Open" menu commands for every file. Registered users of "Cat" get both of these programs for ten bucks.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

     "Cat" is a utility program that allows you to combine any number of specified files within a selected folder into a single new text document. This program only works on plain 'TEXT' documents, so programs, spreadsheet data and formatted text documents are ignored.

Selecting Folder: 

     To select a folder, choose the "Set Folder" button. This puts up Apple's standard "Get File" dialog box. Use the dialog box in the usual way to get into the folder which contains the files you wish to combine. Then click the "Set Folder" button. The name of the chosen folder will appear at the top of Cat's dialog window. You can also choose any file within the designated folder and select "Open". If you select "Cancel", "Cat" does not change the default working folder, and the current folder name at the top of the "Cat" dialog box will not change.

Selecting Files:

     Cat searches the designated folder for all filenames which match the search string entered in the dialog item labeled "Search For:". For those familiar with Unix, the strategy is similar to the "cat" command on a Unix OS (Hence the name of "Cat"). Basically, a set of characters should be entered as a search pattern, which can include the "wild-card" character "?". The radio buttons enable you to specify whether the string of characters should be located at the start of the filename, end of the filename, or anywhere within the filename.
                   
                                 EXAMPLE:

Suppose a folder contains text files named: Atest1, Atest2, Atest3, Atest4, Btest1, Btest2, Btest3, Btest4.
 
The search string "test?" will find all files if the "at end" or "anywhere" radio buttons are set, but will find no files if "at start" is chosen. Similarly, the search string "A" will find all the "A" files if "at start" is chosen, but will find nothing if any other radio button is chosen. For safety reasons, a search string of at least one character must be entered to prevent unintentionally combining all text files in the selected directory. If this is what you really want to do, enter the search string "?" with any radio button selected. 
     
OPTIONS:

Cat now allows you to search both the current folder (the folder whose name is displayed at the top of Cat's dialog box) and any internal folders by checking the "MultiFolder Search" check box. The resulting output TEXT file will appear in the current folder.

ERROR MESSAGES:

     Like all programs running on the Macintosh family of computers, "Cat" uses data stored in the form of program resources to figure out how to put up dialogs and generally act like it's supposed to. In the unlikely event that such program resources are missing or altered beyond recognition, "Cat" will (generally) inform you of this fact, as well as the nature of what it was looking for before it's untimely demise. If a message indicating that not enough memory is present should appear, it may be possible to use Get Info (located in the Finder's Apple Menu) to increase the amount of memory allotted to "Cat". "Cat" requires that at least one character is entered into the "Search For" search string. If no characters are entered, an error message will result. "Cat" also warns you if you try to overwrite and existing file, and requires that some type of output file name is entered.

Finding Me:

     Please send me your comments and questions about this program as well as any bugs. I am very interested in hearing from you and will continue to release new and updated versions of this program to address the responses I get. I can be reached by "real" mail at the address given above, as well as erics@wmc5600.zool.umass.edu on internet and I can also be found through CompuServe, where my user ID is 70661,255.

LEGAL STUFF:

     This software is licensed to you, for your own use. This is copyrighted software. You are not obtaining title to the software or any copyright rights. You may not sublicense, rent, lease, convey, modify, translate, convert to other programming languages, decompile, or disassemble this software for any purpose.
     You may make as many copies of this software as you need for back-up purposes. In addition, you may use this program on more than one computer.

THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER THE AUTHOR NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN IF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH  DAMAGES OR CLAIMS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE 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.

     Some states may not allow the exclusion of the limit of liability for consequential or incidental damages, so the above limitation may not apply to you. This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the state and county where the author claims residence and shall inure to the benefit of the author and any successors, administrators, heirs and assigns. Any action or proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a STATE or FEDERAL COURT of competent jurisdiction located in the state and county where the author claims residence. The parties hereby consent in personam jurisdiction of said courts.