home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
PC-SIG: World of Education
/
PC-SiG's World of Education.iso
/
wor
/
disk1398.zip
/
FB.MAN
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1990-04-14
|
51KB
|
1,312 lines
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual
FFiilleeBBrroowwsseerr
Version 2.00
(Shareware Version)
Copyright (c) 1988, 1989, 1990, David O. Tinker
All Rights Reserved
Table of Contents
Page
A. Introduction --- 1
1. Why FileBrowser? --- 1
2. Terms of Distribution --- 1
3. FileBrowser Features --- 2
4. History --- 3
B. Hardware and Software Requirements --- 4
1. Systems Tested --- 4
2. Memory Requirement --- 5
3. Technical Specifications --- 5
C. Installing and Running FileBrowser --- 6
1. Installing FileBrowser: --- 6
a) Specifying Temporary File Directory --- 6
b) Specifying External Editor --- 6
2. Running FileBrowser --- 7
D. FileBrowser Commands --- 8
1. HELP --- 9
2. PRINT --- 9
a) F - Print to File --- 9
b) P - Print to Lineprinter --- 9
c) Alt-P - Print to Notepad --- 10
3. BROWSE --- 10
4. SEARCH --- 10
a) Hints on using SEARCH --- 11
5. MARK --- 12
6. DOS --- 13
7. EDIT --- 13
8. NOTEPAD --- 13
(a) Load File into Notepad --- 14
(b) Edit Notepad --- 14
(i) Command Mode --- 14
(ii) Add Mode --- 15
9. QUIT --- 15
(a) QUIT Command in the Main Buffer --- 15
(b) QUIT Command in the Notepad Buffer --- 16
10. INFO --- 16
11. One-Key FileBrowser Commands --- 16
E. License and Warranty Disclaimer --- 17
F. Acknowledgements --- 18
G. License Registration Form --- 19
__________________________________________________________________
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page (i)
AA.. IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn
1. _W_h_y_ _F_i_l_e_B_r_o_w_s_e_r_?
FileBrowser is a utility to help you extract information
from text files: you can think of it as a "text spreadsheet"
program.
Like many people, I find that I often have to deal with
text files - LARGE text files: source code files, software
manuals, documents downloaded from such sources as USENET,
etc. As a university teacher, I have to cope with large
numbers of documents crossing my desk daily. But just
receiving a document is not the same as getting information
from it! In order to find and mentally process the
information I need, I have to read the document carefully, in
many cases going back and forth between sections,
highlighting words in the text, making notes in the margin,
and running down the hall to make photocopies of important
pages.
In many cases these documents are obtained in electronic
form, and the future prospect is that more and more documents
will be distributed online. Surely I ought to be able to use
my PC to get information out of such electronic documents
without actually printing them (which is time-consuming and
often not wanted)! However I found that the only available
way to read them is to load them into an editor or word-
processor, though only in very rare cases do I actually want
to edit the file I am reading - sometimes the file must NOT
be edited. And a text editor or word processor is not really
suited for the information processing task that I described
above.
To cut this story short, I found I needed a cheap and
effective file browser program! And so the idea for
FileBrowser originated. The outcome of that idea is in your
hands now. I use this program every day (not surprisingly,
since I wrote it to do what I wanted), and I hope you find it
meets your needs as well.
2. _T_e_r_m_s_ _o_f_ _D_i_s_t_r_i_b_u_t_i_o_n
Release 2.00 of FileBrowser is distributed under a unique
marketing scheme called Shareware. You are permitted to
distribute and share copies of this program under the terms
of the accompanying license, which mainly prohibit you from
altering the software or charging any fee for distribution.
You are permitted to use this software without charge for a
reasonable trial period, but if you decide to use FileBrowser
on a regular basis you are required to obtain a registered
copy. Individual users may register their license for a fee
of $20 (Canadian), ($15.00 U.S.). Corporate users should
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 1
enquire about a site license. If you wish, after
registration you may receive the latest version of
FileBrowser and a printed manual. Registered users will be
eligible to receive future updates to FileBrowser for a
nominal cost for materials and mailing. To register,
complete and mail the registration form in this document.
3. _F_i_l_e_B_r_o_w_s_e_r_ _F_e_a_t_u_r_e_s
FileBrowser allows you to load an ASCII or Wordstar (tm)
file into a buffer in RAM and scroll through it. You can
scroll and page forwards or backwards through the file, or
jump ahead or back any number of lines, or use an auto-
scrolling feature which rolls the text forward or back at an
adjustable speed.
Just as you do with a printed document, FileBrowser allows
you to "highlight" parts of the text, so you can quickly find
them again (you use the keypad arrow keys to leap ahead or
backwards to highlighted lines). (Any or all highlights can
be removed, something you can't do with a Highlite pen on a
paper document!)
If you want to copy some lines to another file, you can do
so. This allows you to make excerpts from the text as you go
along -including any highlights you have added. You can also
print a block of lines using your lineprinter - highlighted
words will appear as underlined words in the printed
document.
When browsing a big text file, I often want to locate a
specific section that's in there *somewhere*, so FileBrowser
has the ability to look for strings of text (it finds them
quite rapidly too). A special "Search-and-Mark" command
allows you to highlight all the instances of a given word in
the text, either automatically, or pausing for confirmation.
If you really *do* need to edit the file, FileBrowser
allows you to exit to the editor of your choice, work on it,
then re-load the edited file.
When you have marked up a document with highlights, you
may not want to lose all your work - thus FileBrowser allows
you to make a copy of your document in a new file so you can
print it, or return to it later.
FileBrowser 2.00 incorporates a special NOTEPAD buffer:
this is a buffer into which you may copy parts of the file
being browsed. Unlike the main buffer, the NOTEPAD buffer
may be edited using a simple internal editor, i.e. you can
add or delete lines of text. This allows you to make ex-
cerpts from the file you are browsing, and add comments or
notes. The Notepad buffer has all the features described
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 2
above - i.e. you can highlight, search, file or print its
contents. On quitting FileBrowser, the contents of the Note-
pad are automatically saved to a 'clipboard' file. Next time
you use FileBrowser, you can load your clipboard file (or any
other file) into the Notepad. The Notepad is one of the
features of FileBrowser I find most useful.
(_N_o_t_e: a "junior" version of FileBrowser, FBJR.EXE, is
included with this distribution. This has all the features
of FileBrowser except the Notepad: it may be used when RAM
memory is in short supply.)
Finally, you can leave the file in RAM and load another
DOS shell, so that you can go on to other tasks and still
return to your place by typing 'exit' at the DOS prompt.
This is a great feature for folks working with a two-floppy
system, as it means you can remove the disks containing the
FileBrowser programs and the original file. (You will need
to have the original file and the accessory program FBE.COM
available if you want to use FileBrowser's "edit and return"
feature).
FileBrowser is easy to use: all the commands may be
executed from a pop-up menu line, or using simple one-key
commands, and you get feedback from the program as to what it
is doing and what it expects next; it can detect a number of
input errors and either correct them or give you an error
message. On-line help is readily available for all commands.
If you have a color monitor, you can see all these features
in vivid yet tasteful color, and you can alter the color of
the text to suit your own tastes - if you really like bright
green text on magenta, you can have it!
4. _H_i_s_t_o_r_y
Version 1.00
- First Freeware version.
- Included WordStar (tm) compatibility, optional tabs
expansion, Menu Bar, On-line Help, Scrolling options,
Print-to-File, Print-to-Lineprinter, External Edit,
Search, DOS Shell.
- Released in December 1988. Jan. 1989, distributed on
"Usenet" network (comp.binaries.ibm.pc). Apr. 1989,
published by PC-SIG as disk no. 1398.
Version 1.10
- Internal development version.
Version 1.20
- Second Freeware version.
- Released in September, 1989 on "Usenet" network (comp.
binaries.ibm.pc).
- Backwards compatible with Version 1.00 except for two
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 3
changes in the keystroke commands (the command to load
external editor is now given in Browse mode by typing
"E", not "V", and the Help "Hot Key" is "F1" not "F2").
- Fixed bug that allowed clever users to scroll past end
of file into never-never land.
- Fixed bugs to allow more graceful crossing of Disk
boundaries.
- Improved dynamic memory allocation to conserve RAM usage.
- Added direct Video writes for extra speed.
- Made colour the default option.
- Added command line options to specify CPU Speed,
external editor (no longer necessary to use DOS
Environment variable).
- Revised FBE.COM to make return to FileBrowser optional.
- Revised Menu Bar, with Pull-Down menus to assist novice
users (experts will still be able to use one-key
commands).
- Added MARK and SEARCH-AND-MARK commands.
- Added commands to change text colours.
- Added option to save text in a disk file.
Version 2.00
- First Shareware version.
- Released in May, 1990.
- A few more minor bugs squashed.
- Added support for Monochrome (MDA) and Hercules video
cards (if specified in command line options).
- Isolated backspace characters now treated properly (pre-
viously they were ignored).
- Highlights may be added to text in the file using
Wordstar (tm) print control characters (^S and ^B).
- Added NOTEPAD features.
BB.. HHaarrddwwaarree aanndd SSooffttwwaarree RReeqquuiirreemmeennttss
1. _S_y_s_t_e_m_s_ _T_e_s_t_e_d
FileBrowser has been successfully tested on IBM-PC (tm) XT
and AT microcomputers and several 100% compatible machines.
It has been run using both CGA and EGA graphics adapter cards
for color display (a monochrome monitor may also be used with
these cards). It should run satisfactorily on any machine
using an IBM-PC (tm) or compatible BIOS, and a graphics
adapter which is compatible with the MDA, Hercules or CGA
text standards, but I make no claims or guarantees (see
Warranty Disclaimer, below). Since the I/O uses direct
writes to video memory, it may not run using other types of
graphics cards.
You can certainly use FileBrowser on a two-floppy XT
system, but file-loading is slow - a hard disk is better, and
it really shines on an AT-class machine!
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 4
FileBrowser requires MS-DOS (tm) or PC-DOS (tm) version
2.11 or later. This software is compatible with a number of
TSR programs such as Borland's Sidekick (tm), and the public
domain program SNIPPER.
2. _M_e_m_o_r_y_ _R_e_q_u_i_r_e_m_e_n_t
In order to calculate memory usage by FileBrowser, use the
following formula:
M = 112 + 2.5*F
where M is the memory required (KBytes) and F is the size of
the file (ASCII) to be loaded, in KBytes. This gives an
approximate estimate only, and actual requirements may vary
slightly. Thus if you have 580K of free memory remaining
after loading DOS, the maximum file size which may
theoretically be loaded is 175K. I have never had a text
file that large, but have successfully used FileBrowser with
a 100K file (which takes a while to load!).
(As the NOTEPAD is used, the amount of RAM used by
FileBrowser increases. The junior version of FileBrowser,
FBJR.EXE, requires about 20K less RAM than the full version,
and its RAM use does not increase during operation).
3. _T_e_c_h_n_i_c_a_l_ _S_p_e_c_i_f_i_c_a_t_i_o_n_s
FileBrowser consists of the following files:
FB.EXE : Main program executable file.
FBJR.EXE : Junior version of FB, omitting Notepad.
FBE.COM : Auxiliary program required to load an
external editor (cannot be run by itself).
HELP.FB : FileBrowser On-Line Help file. (Warning:
do not edit this file - it is best to make
it read-only).
FB.MAN : Documentation (this file).
README.FB : Brief description of FileBrowser.
The source code for FB.EXE, FBJR.EXE and FBE.COM is
entirely written in C. It was compiled with the Aztec C86
(tm) compiler, version 3.4a, (using the 'large code, large
memory' model in the case of FB.EXE and FBJR.EXE).
While the license for this software contains a legal
disclaimer of liability for damages, the author does not
believe that any portion of FileBrowser can lead to any
damage whatsoever to computer hardware or magnetic disk
media. In particular, all I/O is executed by C language stan-
dard I/O functions which operate via DOS calls or BIOS calls,
or by standard Aztec C (tm) peeks and pokes to Video RAM.
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 5
CC.. IInnssttaalllliinngg aanndd RRuunnnniinngg FFiilleeBBrroowwsseerr
1. _I_n_s_t_a_l_l_i_n_g_ _F_i_l_e_B_r_o_w_s_e_r_:
The first step in installing FileBrowser is to make a
working copy containing all the files, and put the original
disk away in a safe place!
If you are running FileBrowser on a two-floppy system,
simply copy the files FB.EXE, FBE.COM and HELP.FB to a disk
and use in the default drive.
For hard disk users, copy the files FB.EXE, FBE.COM and
HELP.FB to any suitable directory that lies on the DOS path.
If the junior version is required, copy the file FBJR.EXE
to the working diskette or hard disk. FBJR.EXE also requires
the presence of the files HELP.FB and FBE.COM for proper
operation.
a) _S_p_e_c_i_f_y_i_n_g_ _T_e_m_p_o_r_a_r_y_ _F_i_l_e_ _D_i_r_e_c_t_o_r_y
FileBrowser may write temporary disk files during
operation, e.g. when executing the PRINT command, (so
don't worry if you see the disk drive light come on).
These files will be erased after use; however, there must
be enough room on the disk for the temporary file.
Normally, such files are written to the current (default)
directory, however you may specify a drive and directory
for FileBrowser to use for its temporary files - e.g. if
you will be reading files from a floppy disk and want to
use your hard disk for temporary files. This is done using
a DOS Environment variable, 'FBT'. Suppose you wish to
use the directory "C:\TMP" as the temporary directory:
then, either at the DOS prompt or in your autoexec.bat
file, give the command:
set FBT=C:\TMP
(NOTE: If you wish to use the root directory of a drive
for temporary files, say drive A:, give the command:
set FBT=A:
NOT "set FBT=A:\").
b) _S_p_e_c_i_f_y_i_n_g_ _E_x_t_e_r_n_a_l_ _E_d_i_t_o_r
If you intend to use an external editor with
FileBrowser, it may be necessary to set a DOS Environment
variable 'EDITOR' using the command:
set EDITOR=<youreditor>
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 6
where <youreditor> is the calling name of a text editor
program.
As a default, FileBrowser attempts to use the 'VI' text
editor to edit files, but you may substitute another
editor as described above; alternately, you specify the
editor in the DOS command line when loading FileBrowser
(see below). Whatever editor you choose must be on your
DOS path, and must be capable of loading a file from the
DOS command line. You could even use the EDLIN editor
supplied with DOS! (The VI editor is not supplied with
this distribution).
2. _R_u_n_n_i_n_g_ _F_i_l_e_B_r_o_w_s_e_r
FileBrowser is started with the command line:
FB [-options] [speed] [editor] [d:][\path\]FILENAME.EXT
where FILENAME.EXT is the file to be loaded, with drive (d:)
and path specification if necessary. If a FILENAME is
omitted, brief usage instructions are printed to the screen.
The "options" currently available are 'q','c','m','b','s',
'e','w' and 't' as follows. Options may be specified in any
order, either separately or as a group (see below).
q : (Quiet Load) - Omit display of title screen before
loading the file.
c : Use colour windows. Only one of 'c', 'm' or 'b' may be
specified. This option is obsolete because colour is now
the default option, but it has been retained to preserve
compatibility with earlier versions. Cannot be used with
MDA or Hercules (tm) video cards.
m : Monochrome mode: use with MDA or Hercules card ONLY.
b : 'Black-and-White' mode for VGA/EGA/CGA cards.
w : load a Wordstar (tm) document file: if omitted, the file
is assumed to be an ASCII file. (The extended ASCII
character set is supported if 'w' is not specified).
t : Do not expand tabs. The 'Tab' character will appear as a
distinctive graphic (ASCII 09). If omitted, tabs are
expanded to spaces.
s : Specify CPU speed using the variable "speed".
e : Specify the External Editor using the variable "editor".
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 7
Variables : ("speed" and "editor") :
"speed" : An integer in the range 1 to 50 (inclusive)
specifying CPU speed. The default value is 5
(appropriate for a 5 mHz PC-XT). If running on a
10 mHz CPU, specify "10". This variable is used to
slow down the auto-scroll speed on fast machines.
To-gether with the internal speed control in
FileBrowser, this allows a 500-fold variation in
scrolling speed - enough for every possible
variation in eyesight!
"editor" : The calling name for the external editor that is
called from FileBrowser. The default calling name
is "vi".
The options may be given in one group preceded by a "-"
(minus sign), or separately, each preceded by a "-"; in the
latter case, options may be mixed with variables. Thus the
following are equivalent and correct:
fb -qse 10 myedit myfile.doc
fb -seq 10 myedit myfile.doc
fb -q -s 10 -e myedit myfile.doc
fb -e myedit -q -s 10 myfile.doc
all of these command lines load the ASCII file "myfile.doc"
with CPU speed specified as 10mHz, and the calling name of
the external editor specified as "myedit". But the following
is WRONG:
fb -qse myedit 10 myfile.doc
because when all the options are specified in a group,
FileBrowser expects the "speed" variable to be given BEFORE
the "editor" variable - you will get an error message.
Filebrowser has a maximum line length of 79 characters -
characters in excess of this limit are wrapped to the next
line. (Column 80 is reserved for special purposes in future
versions).
DD.. FFiilleeBBrroowwsseerr CCoommmmaannddss
All FileBrowser commands may be executed by choosing from a
Menu (which is activated by pressing the "Ins" or "/" key after
starting FB.EXE). In addition, all commands may be executed
from BROWSE mode using a one-key command. When the Menu bar is
visible, a command may be selected by moving the reverse-video
cursor to the desired command and pressing "Return", or by just
typing the first letter of the command. When you are in "BROWSE"
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 8
mode, the same one-letter keystroke will select the command just
as if the Menu Bar were visible. When the Menu bar is visible,
on-line help on any command may be obtained by selecting the
command with the cursor keys, and pressing the 'F1' function
key. The Menu Bar contains the following commands:
HELP PRINT BROWSE SEARCH MARK DOS EDIT NOTEPAD QUIT INFO
Each of these commands is described below.
1. _H_E_L_P
The HELP command gives a summary of the commands for
loading and running FileBrowser.
2. _P_R_I_N_T
When the PRINT command is selected, a pull-down menu
appears with three options:
a) _F_ _-_ _P_r_i_n_t_ _t_o_ _F_i_l_e
The "Print to File" command is used to copy part of
the current file to a new file. You will be prompted for
the new filename (which can include optional drive and
path, e.g. d:\path\file.ext). If the file specified
already exists, you have the option of overwriting it or
appending text to it. If you enter an illegal file name,
an error message will pop up. Press any key to remove the
error message.
After you have specified a file name, you will observe
that the top line of text in the main window is
highlighted in reverse video, and a blinking cursor
appears on the next line. You may move the cursor down to
subsequent lines - as this is done, the line above the
cursor is marked. When you have marked the desired number
of lines, press the <Enter> key, and the marked lines will
be copied to the designated file (in ASCII format).
The "Print to File" command may be given while in
'Browse' mode by simply pressing the "F" key;
b) _P_ _-_ _P_r_i_n_t_ _t_o_ _L_i_n_e_p_r_i_n_t_e_r
The "Print to Lineprinter" command is equivalent to the
FILE command except that the marked portion of the file is
copied to the lineprinter (device PRN), instead of to a
disk file. A temporary intermediate file is written to
the current (default) directory, and erased after the
PRINT command is complete. Note that the version of the
current file that is printed is the one in the FileBrowser
buffer - due to line truncation, tabs expansion, removal
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 9
of Wordstar (tm) characters, or MARKs, this may *not* be
identical to the file on your disk!
The "Print to Lineprinter" command may be given while
in 'Browse' mode by simply pressing the "P" key;
c) _A_l_t_-_P_ _-_ _P_r_i_n_t_ _t_o_ _N_o_t_e_p_a_d
The "Print to Notepad" command is equivalent to the
preceding commands except that the marked lines will be
copied (appended) to the FileBrowser Notepad buffer (see
below for details). Highlights in the text will be lost.
3. _B_R_O_W_S_E
The BROWSE command is used to view the current file - it
just causes FileBrowser to enter 'Browse' mode, (which is the
default mode). There are several options:
- To scroll through the file, use the Up and Down arrow
keys to move up or down a line; use the 'PgUp' and 'PgDn'
keys to move up or down by one page. The 'Home' and 'End'
keys move to the beginning or end of the file, respectively.
- To move forward or back by <n> lines (where <n> is an
integer):
first press the "+" key, then enter the value of <n>
(you will get a prompt to do this on the bottom line of the
screen), then press the Down arrow, or Up arrow as desired.
- To automatically scroll forward or backward, press the
"*" key (asterisk), followed by the Down arrow or Up arrow
key. To select the speed, type an integer from 0 to 9. [9 =
fast, 0 = slow, 5 = medium]. Press any key to stop
scrolling.
- To move forward or backward to the next or preceding
MARKed lines (see below), use the Right or Left arrow keys,
respectively.
When entering a value from the keyboard, use the Escape
key to cancel input. If the screen gets mangled for any
reason, press Ctrl-L (^L) to redraw it.
4. _S_E_A_R_C_H
When the SEARCH command is selected, a pull-down menu
appears with two options:
S - Search Only
Ctrl-S - Search and Mark
These options are similar in that both are used to search for
a string of characters in the text. The difference is that
the "Search and Mark" Option permanently MARKs the string in
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 10
the text (see below).
FileBrowser incorporates a simple pattern matching
function, which may be used to locate a string of text in a
file. A "pattern" can contain "words", (a "word" is defined
as a string of alphanumeric characters), and the wildcard
symbol "*".
It should be carefully noted that a "word" in a search
pattern is just a literal string of characters - NOT an
English word. Thus the pattern "mat" will match all of the
English words containing the letters 'm', 'a, and 't' in
sequence, e .g "match", "doormat", "matter". Words in a
pattern cannot contain embedded punctuation characters.
The symbol "*" matches any number of words, (including no
words!). Thus, the pattern "the * fox" will match all of the
strings: "the fox", "the brown fox", "the quick brown fox".
The symbol "*" is only legal inside a pattern, not as a
prefix or suffix.
When "Search Only" or "Search and Mark" is invoked, you
will be prompted to input a pattern. FileBrowser will
automatically process your input into a legal pattern (you
will have a chance to correct errors). The search then
proceeds forward from the Top Line displayed in the main
window, and is on a line-by-line basis (patterns extending
over two lines are not found). At each successful 'hit',
the line which matches the pattern will be highlighted, and
you will be asked if you wish to continue. Press 'y' to
continue, 'n' (or just hit the 'Return' key) to terminate the
search. (In "Search and Mark" mode, you have the option of
marking all instances of the pattern without waiting for
confirmation after each 'hit').
Note: The "SEARCH" command may also be given in BROWSE mode
by simply pressing the "S" key for "Search Only", or the
"Ctrl-S" (^S) keychord for "Search and Mark".
a) _H_i_n_t_s_ _o_n_ _u_s_i_n_g_ _S_E_A_R_C_H
- When searching for a given string of text in a file,
it is sometimes better to use a word stem rather than a
word: for example, the pattern 'enzyme' will match the
words "enzyme" and "enzymes", but the pattern 'enzym' will
also match "enzymology". For the maximum number of hits,
the second pattern may be preferred.
- If you are searching for a string consisting of two
English words in sequence, it is a good idea to place a
'*' in the pattern, in case the two words in the file are
separated by more than one whitespace character.
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 11
- FileBrowser does not like to scroll past the last
line of a file, which ends up at the bottom of the screen.
You may sometimes wish to "scroll up" the last lines of
a file: to do so, use the SEARCH command to 'search' for
a pattern which occurs only in the last line. The SEARCH
operation will move the last line to the top of the
screen, and you can then scroll the desired number of
lines back onto the screen using the Up arrow key.
5. _M_A_R_K
There are two commands possible in this mode: MARK and
UNMARK. The MARK command allows you to put a permanent 'mark'
on a line, and highlight any portion of it. The UNMARK
command is used to clear all 'marks' from the text in the
buffer.
A MARKed string of text will appear on a colour monitor as
amber text on a black background (in black-and-white mode, as
reverse video), contrasting visibly with the default text
colours. In FileBrowser's internal buffer, each MARKed
character is preceded by an Underline, "_", and a backspace
character, "^H" ("Ctrl-H", ASCII character 08). These
characters remain in the text when it is printed to a file or
the lineprinter - most printers will underline the marked
text. You may also place marks in a text file by editing it
with an appropriate editor, such as the "VI" editor -
FileBrowser uses the "_^H" sequence as a control sequence to
mark the next character. In the case of Wordstar (tm) files,
all text between pairs of print control characters (^S or ^B)
will be treated as highlighted text by FileBrowser.
When the MARK command is given, a cursor appears in the
upper left-hand corner of the main window; use the arrow
keys to move the cursor to the start of the text you wish to
highlight (you can only move to text which is visible -
scrolling is disabled), and press the "Return" key. Then
use the Right arrow key to add letters to the highlighted
area (the Left arrow key may be used to back up) and press
"Return" when you are finished. If a line is already marked,
you can unmark it by placing the cursor at the beginning of
the line and pressing "Return" or "Esc". At any time in the
MARK operation you may abort and return to BROWSE mode by
pressing the "Esc" key.
The SEARCH and MARK mode allows you to automatically mark
all instances of a SEARCH pattern within a file. It is
entered from the SEARCH menu.
The MARK and UNMARK commands may be given in BROWSE mode
by pressing the M and U keys, respectively; SEARCH AND MARK
command is given by pressing the "Ctrl-S" (^S) keychord.
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 12
6. _D_O_S
The "DOS" command suspends FileBrowser and returns to the
DOS operating system. To alert you that you have loaded
another shell, the cursor will change to a small flashing box
instead of the normal flashing underscore.
You may now carry out disk maintenance operations, run
another program, etc. The FileBrowser environment remains
resident in memory; to return to FileBrowser, type the
command 'EXIT' at the DOS prompt.
7. _E_D_I_T
The "EDIT" command has slightly different effects
depending on whether the Main buffer or the Notepad buffer is
visible. If the Notepad buffer is visible, a pop-up menu
appears with options to edit the Main file (using an external
editor) or edit the Notepad buffer (using the internal Note-
pad editor). For a description of the Notepad editor, see the
next section.
The "EDIT" command allows you to edit the current file
using the text editor of your choice. You may specify the
editor by setting the DOS environment variable "EDITOR", or
by using the "-e" option in the command line (see section C).
If the environment variable "EDITOR" is not set, or the "-
e" option is not specified in the command line, FileBrowser
will attempt to load the "vi" text editor. Whatever text
editor you choose, it must be one that can accept the file
name in the command line, e.g. "vi myfile.doc".
When the "EDIT" command is given, FileBrowser writes a
short Batch file in the same directory as the file being
browsed, loads the batch file and exits; the batch file then
loads the editor, and after exiting from the editor, re-loads
FileBrowser with the edited version of the file. The
auxiliary program FBE.COM is required in order to execute the
EDIT command.
Upon exit to an external editor, any text in the Notepad
buffer is automatically appended to a file called
"{CLIP}.OUT" in the current (default) directory.
The "EDIT" command may be given while in 'Browse' mode by
simply pressing the 'E' key.
8. _N_O_T_E_P_A_D
If the main file buffer is visible, the "NOTEPAD" command
causes FileBrowser to switch to the Notepad buffer (which may
or may not contain text). If the Notepad buffer is visible,
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 13
the "NOTEPAD" command causes a pop-up menu to appear with the
following options:
(a) _L_o_a_d_ _F_i_l_e_ _i_n_t_o_ _N_o_t_e_p_a_d
The current contents of the Notepad will be erased and
text loaded from a file. You will be prompted for the
name of the file to load - at this point, you may type
the name of a file, or type "Ctrl-R" (^R) to specify the
file "{CLIP}.OUT", or the last file loaded if different
from "{CLIP}.OUT". If no file name is given, the Load
command will be aborted.
(b) _E_d_i_t_ _N_o_t_e_p_a_d
Starts the internal Notepad Editor. The Notepad
Editor may also be started from the EDIT pop-up menu, or
by pressing the "Alt-E" keychord when browsing the
Notepad.
The Notepad editor is an extremely minimal text editor
(you definitely don't want to use it to write your next
novel!). Users familiar with the UN*X "ed" or "vi" text
editors will find the Notepad editor has some familiar
features. To use it, you must understand that the editor
when running may be in one of two "modes" - "Command
Mode" or "Add Mode". The Menu Bar at the top of the
screen will let you know which mode you are in. The
editor starts in "Command mode" if there is already text
in the Notepad buffer. If the Notepad buffer is empty,
the editor starts in "Add mode". The commands available
will allow you to do most things you might wish, though
some ingenuity might be required at times.
(i) _C_o_m_m_a_n_d_ _M_o_d_e:
In "Command mode", a blinking cursor always appears at
the beginning of a line of text, called the "current
line" and the first character of that line is highlighted
in reverse video. You may move the cursor up and down in
the visible window only, with the arrow keys. The
following commands are accepted:
- Pressing the "D" key will DELETE the current line.
- Pressing the "K" key will KILL the current line - that
is, it will be replaced by a blank line.
Text that is DELETED or KILLED is placed into a hidden
buffer called the KILL BUFFER - this holds exactly one
line of text, and its contents are overwritten by a
"D" or "K" command.
- Pressing the "Y" key will YANK the contents of the
Kill Buffer into the current line (the Kill Buffer is
not changed by this, so you may Yank out as many
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 14
copies of the Kill Buffer as you wish).
- Pressing the "O" key will OPEN a new (blank) line
beneath the current line. You may of course Yank text
into this line from the Kill Buffer.
- Pressing the "A" key puts the editor into "Add mode".
- Pressing the "Esc" key terminates the editor session.
- Pressing the "F1" key pops up a summary of these
commands.
(ii) _A_d_d_ _M_o_d_e:
On entering "Add mode" the notepad automatically
scrolls to the end of the buffer, a new line is opened
and a blinking cursor appears at the beginning of the
new line. You may now type in text in the normal way
(you can erase any mistakes with the "Backspace" key).
If you type past the end of the screen, the text will
wrap to the next line, otherwise the "Enter" or "Return"
key will start a new line. To stop entering text and
return to Command mode, you may press the "Esc" key at
any time, or you may enter a line containing only a
single period (".") character, as in the case of the UN*X
"ed" editor.
There is one "feature" to beware of: a line of text
should not start with a Right Parenthesis, "(" character,
else the editor behaves in a slightly oddball fashion.
We will leave it to the user to explore this, but a word
of explanation is in order: the editor was ported from a
small LISP interpreter under development by the author.
In LISP, expressions are delimited by parentheses, and
the editor treats a line of text like a LISP expression.
9. _Q_U_I_T
This command is used to exit from the Notepad buffer, or
to exit permanently from FileBrowser. To exit temporarily,
use the 'DOS' command. You may also give the "QUIT" command
when in 'Browse' mode by pressing the "Esc" key.
(a) _Q_U_I_T_ _C_o_m_m_a_n_d_ _i_n_ _t_h_e_ _M_a_i_n_ _B_u_f_f_e_r:
When the QUIT command is given by either method, you will
get a new menu with three options: "Q - Quit without Saving",
"S - Save Buffer and Quit", and "Esc - Return to
FileBrowser".
If the "S" option is selected, the entire text buffer is
printed out to a file named "fb.out" in the current (default)
directory. This option is useful if you have added highlights
to the text - these will be preserved in the saved file.
In either case, the contents of the Notepad buffer, if
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 15
any, will automatically be appended to a file called
"{CLIP}.OUT" in the current (default) directory.
(b) _Q_u_i_t_ _C_o_m_m_a_n_d_ _i_n_ _t_h_e_ _N_o_t_e_p_a_d_ _B_u_f_f_e_r:
When the Quit command is given by either method you will
get a new menu with three options: "Q - Clear and Exit to
File", "S - Save, Clear and Exit", "Esc - Exit to File". The
first option erases the Notepad buffer; the second appends
the contents of the Notepad to a file called "{CLIP}.OUT" in
the current (default) directory. The third option returns to
the Main buffer, leaving the contents of the Notepad intact.
An alternative method for quitting FileBrowser is to use a
'Ctrl-Break' interrupt. This causes an immediate exit to DOS.
Everything in the Main and Notepad buffers will be lost.
This method can also be used whenever FileBrowser is
expecting keyboard input, e.g. when entering a file name in
'File' mode, or entering a pattern in 'Search' mode.
10. _I_N_F_O
This will display additional information about your
FileBrowser license.
11. _O_n_e_-_K_e_y_ _F_i_l_e_B_r_o_w_s_e_r_ _C_o_m_m_a_n_d_s
The following is a summary of the one-key commands that
may be given in BROWSE mode. This summary can be viewed by
pressing the "F1" function key while in BROWSE mode.
"Down" Arrow - Scroll Ahead One Line Esc - Quit Menu
"Up" Arrow - Scroll Back One Line Ins,/ - Main Menu
"Right" Arrow - Scroll Ahead to Next Mark F - Print Block to File
"Left" Arrow - Scroll Back to Last Mark P - Print Block to LPT1:
PgDn - Scroll Ahead One Page Alt-P - Print to Notepad
PgUp - Scroll Back One Page S - Search for a String
Home - Jump to Top of Buffer Ctrl-S - Search and Mark
End - Jump to End of Buffer M - Mark a Line of Text
Ctrl-L - Redraw Screen U - Unmark All Lines
* - Scroll Continuously at Variable Speed D - DOS Shell
+ - Scroll Ahead or Back by <N> Lines E - External Editor
F3 - Toggle Text Background N - Notepad
F4 - Toggle Text Foreground
All of these commands have been discussed in preceding sections
except "F3" and "F4". If you have a colour monitor, you may use
these function keys to choose your own colour scheme.
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 16
EE.. LLiicceennssee aanndd WWaarrrraannttyy DDiissccllaaiimmeerr
The FileBrowser software package, Version 2.00, including the
files FB.EXE, FBJR.EXE, FBE.COM, HELP.FB, FB.MAN and
README.FB, is Copyright (c) 1988, 1989, 1990 by David O. Tinker,
(All Rights Reserved). This software is hereby licensed for use
and distribution subject to the following terms:
1. Users of FileBrowser Version 2.00 are granted a limited
license to use this software without charge for a reasonable
trial period, for the purpose of evaluating its usefulness.
Users who will use FileBrowser on a regular basis, or for any
purpose other than evaluating its usefulness, are required to
obtain a Registered License from the author.
2. All persons are granted a license to distribute the
FileBrowser software under the terms described in sections 4 and
5 of this license. All the files FB.EXE, FBJR.EXE, FBE.COM,
HELP.FB, FB.MAN and README.FB must be distributed to-gether.
3. No alteration of any portion of this software may be made,
and specifically, the Copyright notice must remain intact.
4. No charge may be made for any copy of FileBrowser, Version
2.00, save only that distributors of Public Domain and Shareware
software libraries, whether in the form of magnetic media or in
electronic form by remote access, are permitted to charge their
normal disk fee, access fee or membership fee for distribution
of software collections incorporating FileBrowser, Version 2.00.
5. FileBrowser, Version 2.00 may not be included in any
commercial software distribution other than libraries of Public
Domain and Shareware software as described in section 4, above,
without the express written permission of the author.
6. Use of this software is entirely at the risk of the user;
users of this software agree to absolve and hold harmless the
author, David O. Tinker, from all claims of liability for
damages arising from use of this software, including but not
limited to, special, incidental, consequential or other damages,
loss of profit or any other commercial damage.
7. The author reserves the right to alter the terms of this
license without notice.
8. Use of this software specifically implies assent to the terms
of this licence, whether or not this license is registered.
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED ``AS IS'' AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE.
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 17
FF.. AAcckknnoowwlleeddggeemmeennttss
The term "DOS" refers to the products Microsoft MS-DOS (tm) or
IBM PC-DOS (tm). MS-DOS (tm) is a trademark of Microsoft
Corporation. PC-DOS (tm) and IBM-PC (tm) are trademarks of the
IBM Corporation. Wordstar (tm) is a trademark of MicroPro
International Corporation. Sidekick (tm) is a trademark of
Borland International Inc. Aztec C (tm) is a trademark of Manx
Software Systems, Inc.
A small portion of the source code for FB.EXE, specifically
related to the Search algorithm, was adapted from the Public
Domain 'Strings' library written by Richard A. O'Keefe (1984).
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - Page 18
Page 19
GG.. FileBrowser - Version 2.00
License Registration Form.
Completion and return of this form is mandatory for users who
will use this software on a regular basis. A fee of $20
Canadian funds (or $15 U.S. funds if preferred) is charged for
registering each FileBrowser license. See next page.
Information contained in this form will be strictly
confidential, and will not be distributed by the author to any
other party.
Name:___________________________________________________________
Title:__________________________________________________________
Company:________________________________________________________
Mailing Address:________________________________________________
________________________________________________
(Country):_________________ (Postal or ZIP Code):____________
E-Mail Address:_________________________________________________
Nature of Business:_____________________________________________
I will use FileBrowser: At Home:__________ At Work:_________
On how many computers belonging to you
or your company will FileBrowser be used? ____________
Specify Type of Computer (Make, Model) and Video Display (e.g.
CGA, EGA, Hercules, Color, Monochrome):
________________________________________________________________
How did you obtain FileBrowser? (Check appropriate category).
Downloaded from a BBS:______ From a Usenet Posting:________
From a Software Distributor:____ (Specify):_________________
From another user:_____ Other (Specify):___________________
I hereby assent to the terms of the license for use of
FileBrowser Version 2.00
Signature:____________________________ Date:___________________
___ Check here if you wish a complimentary printed manual and disk.
Page 20
INDIVIDUAL USERS: Enclose a registration fee of $20 Canadian
funds, or $15 U.S. funds with this form.
CORPORATE USERS: Enclose a registration fee of $20 Canadian
funds, or $15 U.S. funds for EACH copy of
FileBrowser that will be used in your company.
Corporate users who will use more than 10 (ten)
copies of FileBrowser may enquire about special
site licenses. In the latter case, payment of
the registration fee may be delayed.
NOTE: Upon institution of the Goods and Services Tax (G.S.T.),
Canadian users will be required to enclose in addition, 7% of
the total registration fee in payment of the Federal G.S.T.
The registration fee for FileBrowser is not a charge for
merchandise but constitutes a fee for the service of registering
the FileBrowser license. If desired, registered licencees may
receive without charge a printed copy of the FileBrowser manual,
and a diskette with the latest version of this software. Please
indicate by checking the appropriate line on the registration
form if you wish this service; the software will be provided on
a 5.25" double-sided, double density disk, MS-DOS formatted to
360K.
Registered users will receive notification of the availability
of future versions of FileBrowser, and may obtain updates for a
nominal cost for materials and mailing.
Please use the reverse of the registration form to make any
comments or suggestions, report bugs, etc.
After completion of the form, please mail to:
David O. Tinker,
RR 2, Group Box 50,
GORMLEY, Ontario,
Canada.
L0H 1G0
FileBrowser 2.00 Manual - End
