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FishMarket 2.1
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FishMarket v2.1 (Asimware Innovations)(1993).iso
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kingfisher
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1993-10-13
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SYNOPSIS
KingFisher is a specialized database tool for maintaining and searching
the 'Fred Fish' contents database. Among its major features are the
ability to add new fish directly from unedited(!) contents files, news,
and mail files, even if multiple such files are concatenated; it can also
store its database on any number of disk volumes; its search functions
include boolean expressions (search for multiple strings combined with
logical AND, OR, XOR, and NOT operations.)
Major configuration changes can be made from within the program. Many
additional and less transient features are changable in the
KingFisher.prefs file or can be specified as tooltypes.
NEW FEATURE OVERVIEW
KingFisher 1.30 is a major upgrade with more enhancements and features
than any previous upgrade has brought you:
KingFisher 1.30 can now serve any ARexx aware program as a fish-database
server (13 commands with numerous options,) and can call on external
programs with the use of 10 programmable function keys. It also has
extensive AmigaGuide support, greatly enhanced control via the keyboard
(moving around) and offers far superior console oriented operation under
Kickstart 2+, as well as some other features. Changes have also been
made to the 'Add Fish' function, which should both fix some bugs and also
make adding multiple disks a little less cumbersome. The majority of the
options that can be found in the KingFisher.prefs file can now also be
placed into the tooltypes of KingFisher's icon. Tooltypes will override
settings in the .prefs file.
BUG FIXES
Instead of using decimal-place version and revision numbering, KingFisher
now uses version numbering more along the lines of Commodore Guidelines.
The most recent KingFisher is, therefore, Version 1, Release 30: 1.30 for
short. Previous releases were: 1.0, 1.1, 1.11, 1.15, and 1.2 (that last
one should have been 1.20)
Version 1.2 failed to process version linking during 'Add Fish' and
'Reindex' operations if search options were set to "Case Sensitive"
(side-effect bug.) An adjustment to the 'Add Fish' algorithm also caused
1.2 to add signatures out of files containing fish to be added. Checked
items in the 'Output Format' menu could be unselected, creating
uncertainty with respect to which entry remained in effect.
All these problems have been corrected.
COMPATIBILITY
Kickstart: 1.3, 2.x, 3.x.
CPU : 68000 through 68040.
Display : PAL, NTSC, A2024 (Interlace/Non-interlace, Overscan support)
Display via database code. 2-8 colors (1-3 bitplanes.)
Tested with Enforcer. Compatible with GigaMem (virtual memory.)
DETAIL OF ENHANCEMENTS
With this version KingFisher introduces an ARexx port with 13 commands
(in some 40 variations) that are geared not only towards searching the
database, but also offer the ability to add fish to the database from
multiple files. KingFisher's facilities to serve as a fish-database
server for BBSs, for example, is enhanced by its ability to inhibit
critical commands for security reasons. Specifically, the QUIT command
could be disabled to prevent the server from becoming unavailable to
future callers.
The program now also offers extensive support for AmigaGuide: point mouse
at a gadget and press HELP, or press HELP during a menu operation, or
just press HELP whenever and wherever you feel like it.
The KingFisher.guide is now the only documentation available for
KingFisher. This file is a text file that you can type to the console,
read with MORE, print out, view with AmigaGuide, MultiView, or use in an
integrated manner with KingFisher's direct support of AmigaGuide. It
offers extensive subject linking to allow far easier and quicker access
to information. Try it: you'll not only like it, you'll love it!
Using the keyboard it is now possible to activate and deactivate string
gadgets (RETURN key), or move from one to the next gadget (TAB,
SHIFT-TAB), move forward and backwards through disks, versions, and fish,
as well as scroll up/down the display panel. Menu shortcuts are now also
available again (while a string gadget is not active.)
CLI commands can now be attached to the 10 function keys to perform
special functions such as editing, viewing, or printing of the export
file, interfacing with an ARexx-aware terminal program to download the
currently displayed fish, or other facilities that you might imagine.
The colors used by string gadgets under 2.0 can be selected for better
distinction of the currently active gadget. The highlighting color used
for distinguishing keywords from a search in the description is now also
selectable. The selections must be changed in the .prefs file.
The 'Add Fish' function no longer puts up so many requesters. Rather all
its output goes to the report file (by default a CON: window.) This
should make it quicker and less annoying to add many files to KingFisher.
It is now also possible to add fish via ARexx!
Using the icon tooltypes, changes to any of the YES/NO or ON/OFF options
in the .prefs file can be overridden. In addition, if the SETTINGS
tooltype is set to a null file (i.e. "SETTINGS=" (without the quotes))
then KingFisher will not load ANY information from the KingFisher.prefs
file, and instead resort to internal defaults, augmented by whatever
tooltypes you specify as overrides. If you operate with a near perfect
default environment, you can significantly speedup KingFisher's startup
by simply changing the few settings that you do prefer to alter.
Use of the NOABOUT keyword when invoking KingFisher from the CLI will
suppress the appearance of the About Window. This feature is implemented
specifically for use of KingFisher as a lookup tool with BBS software and
ARexx.
._. Udo Schuermann
( ) walrus@wam.umd.edu