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1989-12-25
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GEN
Test Character Generating Utility
Version 1.2
Released 11-12-89
Herron Software
P.O. Box 1288
Battle Ground, Washington 98604
COPYRIGHT 1988, 1989 Phil Herron. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
__________________________________________
THIS PRODUCT IS PROVIDED FOR EVALUATION, AS IS
AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THE AUTHOR
MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO MERCHANTABILITY
OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL
THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR LOSS OF PROFIT OR ANY
OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGE ARISING FROM EITHER
THE USE OF OR THE INABILITY TO USE THIS PRODUCT.
This product should be thoroughly evaluated
using backed up or noncritical data and files.
______________________________________________________________
Evaluation Preface Section
______________________________________________________________
Shareware............................................... 0.1.0
What it is............................................ 0.1.1
License Terms......................................... 0.1.2
Registration.......................................... 0.1.3
Benefits, Forms, Registration fees,
Quantity discounts, Combined orders
Evaluation.............................................. 0.2.0
Evaluation Version.................................... 0.2.1
Evaluation Menu....................................... 0.2.2
Virus Prevention...................................... 0.2.3
_____________________________
0.1.0 Shareware
_____________________________
0.1.1 The SHAREWARE Concept
_____________________________
"Shareware" is a software distribution method which enables
the potential user to obtain software at very low initial
cost, for evaluation on a trial basis.
You can evaluate the software in your own environment, on your
own machine, with the programs and data that you normally use.
You're not required to become a registered user unless the
software meets your needs.
Another benefit of Shareware is lower pricing. By minimizing
the marketing and advertising expenses associated with more
traditional software distribution methods, Shareware products
can be priced lower. You don't pay for what you don't need or
use.
You are encouraged to share the evaluation version of this
software with others, so long as you follow the limitations
set forth in the LICENSE TERMS section below.
0.1.2 LICENSE TERMS
_____________________
This product and its documentation are copyrighted and owned
solely by the author, who reserves all rights to any benefits
derived from it. It is distinctly separate from, and should
not be confused with, those categories of software known as
"public domain" or "freeware."
You are granted the right to use the evaluation version of
this software on a trial basis for a limited amount of time,
to decide whether to continue using (and therefore whether
to register) the product.
You can transmit this evaluation version to associates by
copying on diskette or uploading to electronic bulletin board
services, so long as the following CONDITIONS are met:
(a) The program and its documentation file must be
distributed together.
(b) The program and its documentation must not be
altered in any way. If you wish to include
notes for other evaluators, please add them in
a separate file and include that file along
with the program and documentation files.
0.1.3 REGISTRATION
____________________
When you send in the registration form and fee, you'll
receive by return mail a diskette containing the latest
REGISTERED version of the program and documentation.
BENEFITS OF REGISTRATION
The registered version WILL NOT include the Evaluation Menu
front-end, startup time-delay or forms-printing sections of
this version. Thus it will be more convenient to use, from
either the DOS prompt or from batch files. It will also be
12k-15K bytes smaller, for more efficient disk storage and
faster loading.
The registered version WILL include any new functions
or enhancements made to date.
You will receive notification of future updates and
new products.
You will be able to upgrade to newer versions at a
reduced cost.
REGISTRATION FORM
The registration form and a pre-addressed mailing cover
can be printed from the "Forms Printing" selection of
the Evaluation menu, discussed in section 0.2.2 below.
FEES
The single-quantity registration fee is displayed on the
initial Evaluation Menu screen. Higher quantities are
discussed below.
QUANTITY DISCOUNTS
Each registered copy of this software will be licensed for
operation at a single location (on a single terminal or
computer) at any one time. If you need to run the software
on more than one terminal or computer at the same time, the
appropriate number of registrations must be made.
Multiple-quantity registration fees are displayed in the
"QUANTITY DISCOUNT" section of the Evaluation menu.
You can take advantage of quantity discounts by ordering
multiple registrations of one program or single
registrations of several different programs at the same
time. You also save on shipping and handling charges
by registering several products together.
COMBINED ORDERS
You can also take advantage of quantity discounts by
combining orders with associates:
(1) Complete a separate registration form for each person.
Each person's name, address and programs to be
registered are needed for support and update
notification purposes.
(2) Include only one standard shipping and handling charge.
Cross out the "Shipping & handling" amounts on
all but ONE registration form; the combined
order will be sent to the name and address on
that form.
(3) Mail all the forms together, with a single check/money
order for the total, in one envelope/mailing cover.
_____________________________
0.2.0 Evaluation
_____________________________
0.2.1 EVALUATION VERSION
__________________________
This software contains the complete and fully functional version
of the program, the latest available at the time of this release.
The program itself is identical to the REGISTERED version.
An Evaluation Menu and forms-printing section were added
to ensure that:
(a) Registration information and forms will not
become separated from the program file.
(b) Users who might be unfamiliar with the process
of displaying a file's contents on the screen or
printer will have no difficulty learning about,
evaluating or registering this product.
0.2.2 EVALUATION MENU
_______________________
The program is invoked from the DOS prompt by typing its name
and pressing the RETURN or ENTER key.
The initial screen displays the warranty section and some
information about the program:
Program name,
Version number,
Release date,
Single-quantity registration fee.
It next displays the Shareware Product EVALUATION MENU.
A single key press will select the following functions
from the menu:
ESC - EXIT to DOS without evaluating this program
R - READ the documentation (THIS file)
x - EVALUATE this program
Q - QUANTITY Discount information
F - FORMS printing menu - registration & mailer
When you press "R" to READ the documentation, this file will
be shown one screen at a time. The display pauses whenever the
screen becomes full, and prompts...
<downArrow> or Esc
The <downArrow> character is similar to the "MORE" prompt in
other DOS utilities. It indicates that more is available.
Press ESCape to exit back to the Evaluation Menu, or any normal
typing key to continue (space bar is a convenient key to use).
0.2.3 VIRUS PREVENTION
________________________
If you'd like to evaluate this software but you're not sure
where it's been, you can order a copy straight from the source.
See the SHAREWARE PRODUCT CATALOG section at the end of this file.
_________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents Section
_________________________________________________________________
Gen........................................................ 1.0
Introduction............................................ 1.1
Explanation............................................. 1.2
System Requirements..................................... 1.3
Installing........................................... 1.3.1
Help.................................................... 1.4
Syntax.................................................. 1.5
Examples................................................ 1.6
Operating screen..................................... 1.6.1
Output Format........................................... 1.7
Applications............................................ 1.8
Error Messages.......................................... 1.9
DOS ErrorLevel.......................................... 2.0
Version History......................................... 3.0
Support.................................................... 9.0
Problem Resolution...................................... 9.1
Before Reporting........................................ 9.2
Reporting a problem..................................... 9.3
Custom Modifications.................................... 9.4
Correspondence.......................................... 9.5
Shareware Product Catalog................................. 10.0
*******************************************
NEW in this version: corrected Elapsed Time
*******************************************
Following a run during which midnight occurs, prior versions
of this program were displaying incorrect elapsed times.
The oversight is corrected in this version.
______________________________________________________________
GEN
1.0
Test Character Generating Utility
______________________________________________________________
1.1 INTRODUCTION
__________________
There are a number of ways to produce disk files of some
given size for testing or experimentation. The methods
available vary in speed and ease of use.
METHOD 1 - Text Editor
This method is pure trial-and-error: run your word processor
or text editor, type some random characters, save the result,
then check on the size of the saved file. If it's not right,
go back into the editor and add or subtract some characters.
Repeat until you get the file size just right.
METHOD 2 - DEBUG or SYMDEB utilities
If one of these utilities is available, you can use a script
like this to generate a 1000-byte file named OneK.Txt...
C>debug
-n OneK.Txt name the file
-rcx set file size
CX 0000
:3E8 hexadecimal size of file
-f 0 L 3E8 2E fill space with a char (2E hex for dots)
-w write the file to disk
Writing 03E8 bytes
-Q quit back to DOS
This method works well for files up to FFFFh (65,535 decimal)
bytes in length; for larger sizes, you must also set register
BX, and go through some calculations to fill the space with
known characters.
The schemes above do work, and they might be acceptable for small
files. However, they're so much bother that you'll probably end up
saving the generated files on a disk just in case you ever need
them again. But next time you'll probably need a file of a
different size.
GEN can remove all the bother. It generates files of any size from
zero to twenty million bytes (20Mb), and generates them much faster
than you can type random characters into a text editor.
Besides generating files on disk, it can send a specific number
of characters directly to the console screen, printer or other
DOS device. When finished, it displays elapsed time.
1.2 EXPLANATION
_________________
GEN sends a specified number of characters to a specified
destination. The default destination is the monitor screen;
others are accessed using the DOS redirection characters
> and >>
from the command line. For more information on using
redirection, see your DOS manual and the sections below
covering syntax and examples.
The basic character that GEN generates in quantity is the
period, ASCII 2E hex. It was selected for no particular
reason other than possibly minimizing ribbon wear during
printer testing.
The final characters sent during each run depend upon the
output size specified, and are either CR (carriage return)
or CR LF (carriage return followed by linefeed).
See section 1.7, OUTPUT FORMAT, for additional information.
The character count is displayed on screen after every twenty
thousand characters. This count display is sent only to the
screen, and does not become part of the output to a file or
device.
The ESCape key can be used to exit at any time. GEN will
terminate at the end of the 1000-character block it was
processing when the Escape key was detected.
1.3 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
_________________________
PC, XT, AT or compatible.
DOS version 2.1 or later.
64K free memory.
1.3.1 INSTALLING
___________________
The program can be run from diskette or from hard disk.
No installation is necessary, other than copying the
files to a drive and directory of your choosing.
1.4 HELP
__________
Can't remember the command line syntax?
Issue the program's name without any parameters; it
will display a help screen, then return to the DOS prompt.
1.5 SYNTAX
____________
GEN [length] [>[>filespec or device]]
Parameter explanation:
[length]
Length must be a positive number,
0 through 20000000 (twenty million),
with no embedded punctuation.
[>] or [>>]
DOS redirection characters.
> Sends output to specified file; overwrites the file
if it already exists.
>> Appends output to the end of the specified file.
[filespec]
The string needed to reference a file;
can also be shown as [d:][path][filename.ext].
The minimum filespec needed is filename.ext. If the file
is to be generated in another directory and/or on another
drive, the drive name and/or pathname must also be given.
The complete filespec for a file named TestFile.Txt
residing in drive A: in a subdirectory named TestSub is
A:\TestSub\TestFile.Txt
For further information on filespecs, see your DOS manual.
[device]
A particular DOS device:
PRN, LPT1, LPT2 - sends output to specified printer
CON sends output to console (default)
NUL discards the output
1.6 EXAMPLES
______________
GEN 1000 Sends 1000 characters to screen.
GEN 1000 >PRN Sends 1000 characters to printer.
GEN 1000 >OneK.Txt Creates 1000-byte file on current
drive, in current subdirectory.
GEN 1000 >>OneK.Txt Appends another 1000 bytes to an
existing file.
GEN 1000 >A:OneK.Txt Creates 1000-byte file on drive A:
GEN 0 >Zip.Txt Creates a file of zero length.
1.6.1 OPERATING SCREEN
________________________
The operating screen appears whenever "GEN" is issued from the
DOS prompt (or from a batch file) with a size specification;
in this example, the complete command line is:
Gen 56789 >Dummy.Txt
and the screen displays:
__Gen_________________________
|______________________________|
Generating 56789 characters
Kbytes completed: nn
\
Running count of current size, in 20K steps
Upon completion (or when ESC is pressed to terminate early),
elapsed time is normally displayed. An exception is when GEN's
output is being redirected to a disk which has insufficient
space for the specified file size: the file is generated until
the disk has zero bytes free, then GEN terminates, but elapsed
time is not displayed.
1.7 OUTPUT FORMAT
___________________
GEN generates the specified number of characters by blocks of
one thousand (if any), followed by any remaining characters
needed to make up the required size.
Each 1K block consists of 998 dot characters (ASCII 2E hex)
followed by CR (ASCII 0D hex) and LF (ASCII 0A hex).
Sizes in excess of even multiples of the basic one-thousand-
character block are generated as shown below:
Size Characters sent
------------ -------------------
1 CR
2 CR, LF
3 1 dot, CR, LF
4 2 dots, CR, LF
. .
. .
999 997 dots, CR, LF
Example:
Output length of Will Contain
---------------- ----------------------
1 CR
1000 998 dots CR LF (the basic 1K block)
1001 One 1K block plus CR
1002 One 1K block plus CR LF
1003 One 1K block plus 1 dot CR LF
2001 Two 1K blocks plus CR
10001 Ten 1K blocks plus CR
It should be noted that if GEN is issued without being
redirected to a file or device, the number of dots appearing
on the screen will be fewer than specified in the length
parameter.
A length of 1 or 2 will show no dots; 3 or higher will show
two fewer dots than specified, since the CR and LF are not
explicitly displayed on the screen. However, the correct file
length will always be generated when the output is redirected
to a file or device.
1.8 APPLICATIONS
__________________
GENerated files can be used for:
Printer speed tests
Printer buffer capacity tests
Print Spooler tests
Disk file copying speed tests
Disk capacity tests
RAMdisk tests
Dummy files for any purpose.
Below are some average output rates measured while generating
360Kb files on a 4.77 Mhz PC/XT compatible system:
Bytes per Bytes per
Destination Second Minute
----------- --------- ----------
Floppy disk 2.3Kb 137.8Kb
Hard disk 12.6Kb 756.3Kb (45.4Mb/hour)
NUL device 25.2Kb 1.5Mb (90.6Mb/hour)
1.9 ERROR MESSAGES
____________________
Command Line parameter error messages:
- Length parameter error at digit nn
An illegal character (non-decimal or punctuation) was
found in the length parameter, at position nn.
- Length cannot be negative
Length parameter begins with a minus sign.
- Length cannot exceed nn
Length parameter is larger than the maximum permitted.
Output error messages:
- Write fault error writing device PRN - Abort, Retry, Ignore?
Redirected to printer, but printer is not ready.
Make ready, then Retry.
- Note: if GEN is redirected to a file on a disk which has
insufficient space for the specified size, no error
message is displayed. The resulting file will
(obviously) not be of the specified size, but will be
whatever size will fit on the disk. At completion, the
disk will have 0 bytes free.
2.0 DOS ERRORLEVEL
____________________
Upon termination, the program returns a DOS ErrorLevel value
which indicates how the program ended, and which can be used for
subsequent operations in a batch file. For further information,
see the "IF ERRORLEVEL" batch command in your DOS manual.
ErrorLevel list:
0 - Successful completion.
1 - No parameters specified on command line.
4 - Error in input parameter(s).
27 - Early termination; ESCape key pressed.
254 - Cannot set up for Dos Redirection
3.0 VERSION HISTORY
_____________________
1.00 Initial release.
1.01 Early termination via the ESCAPE key.
1.1 DOS ErrorLevels added.
1.2 Modified to correct elapsed time when midnight
occurs during a run.
_________________________________________________________________
9.0 Support
_________________________________________________________________
9.1 PROBLEM RESOLUTION
________________________
Please document and report any anomaly in program operation,
whether it's a genuine "bug" or just some feature of the
program that particularly "bugs" you.
If you're the first person to document and report a problem
that we agree needs attention, you'll receive a free upgrade
with the correction when it's been made. If you're a
registered user, you'll get the upgraded registered version;
if you haven't yet registered, you'll get the upgraded
evaluation version.
9.2 BEFORE REPORTING
______________________
Things to try prior to reporting a problem:
1 - Reread the documentation to make sure you understand
what we thought we understood when we wrote it.
2 - If the system reports "Bad command or file name" when
you attempt to run the program, its executable file
(or at least the file name you specified) was not found.
First, make sure no typos or misspellings have crept
into your command line; next, try changing your PATH
setting, or make the drive & directory where the program
resides the "current" drive & directory.
3 - If the program is being run from a batch file, try
deleting lines previous to the line that actually
invokes the program, to see if some prior activity
is causing the problem.
4 - If you have any memory-resident or "TSR" utilities
installed (pop-up calculators/note pads, keyboard
enhancements, etc.), try removing them from memory
and running the program again to see if the problem
reoccurs.
9.3 REPORTING A PROBLEM
_________________________
If the problem persists, please document it as completely and
accurately as possible; we have to be able to duplicate it
before we can begin to resolve it.
Include at least the following:
1 - Version of DOS you are using.
2 - Machine type, drives, memory, etc.
3 - Programs executed prior to the problem.
4 - Problem program's name and version number.
5 - Where and how you obtained the problem program.
6 - Address and/or phone number where you can be contacted.
7 - Anything you can think of that might relate to the problem;
for example, listings of your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS
files, or any batch files used to run the program.
8 - Any relevant printouts.
NOTE: If you're a registered user, you'll find the utility
UserResp.Exe on the distribution diskette; it can be used
to print a pre-addressed mailer and a problem report.
If you have not yet registered, send problem reports to the
address below (or print the pre-addressed mailer from the
Evaluation Menu).
9.4 CUSTOM MODIFICATIONS
__________________________
If you need custom modifications to this software for your
particular application, please write to the below address
with complete details of your requirements.
9.5 CORRESPONDENCE
____________________
We welcome any comments or suggestions you might have
concerning improvements and future enhancements to this
product. Send all correspondence and orders to:
Phil Herron
P.O. Box 1288
Battle Ground, Washington USA 98604
_________________________________________________________________
10.0 Shareware Product Catalog
_________________________________________________________________
This section contains a list of our other Shareware products;
it may be updated whenever products are added or changed.
____________________________________________
If you'd like to try any of the programs in this catalog, but
can't find them locally, you can order evaluation copies
straight from the source...
Five programs and their associated documentation will fit on each
5.25 inch 362Kb diskette; the basic single-disk fee of $4.00
covers the cost of the first disk, shipping and handling. Add an
additional dollar for each additional disk of programs you want to
evaluate ($4.00 for 1 to 5 programs, $5.00 for 6-10, $6.00 for
11-15, etc.; all payments in U.S. funds). If your address is
outside the U.S. and Canada, add an additional $3.00.
Include your mailing address and the names of the programs. By
return mail you'll receive the latest versions of those programs
for evaluation.
____________________________________________
"Shareware" is a software distribution method which enables the
potential user to obtain software at very low initial cost, for
evaluation on a trial basis. You can evaluate the software in your
own environment, on your own machine, with the programs and data
that you normally use. You're not required to become a registered
user unless the software meets your needs.
____________________________________________
PROGRAM SPECIFICATIONS AND REGISTRATION FEES
MAY CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
____________________________________________
ChkD v1.1
Check_Disk_space reports disk drive space usage. It reports drive
cluster size, then drive space TOTAL, FREE and USED by actual value
and by percentage. It is faster and more convenient than the DOS
"dir" or "chkdsk" utilities for displaying drive information.
ChkM v1.1
Check_Memory_space reports standard system memory (RAM) space usage.
It reports memory space TOTAL, FREE and USED by actual value and by
percentage. It is faster and more convenient than the DOS "chkdsk"
utility for displaying system memory information.
CleanOut v1.3
CLEANOUT searches all directories of the default drive for file(s)
specified on command line (wildcards * and ? are legal). Each time
a matching file is found, the user is prompted for disposition:
Delete or Save. File contents, either text or binary, can be VIEWED
before deciding. A single press of the "S" key saves a file; a
double press of the "D" key deletes it. An optional mode allows
deletions without confirmation. Useful for cleaning out .BAK file
leftovers, among others.
CleanTxt v1.1
CleanTxt converts WordStar text files to straight ASCII. It strips
out certain control characters, and will optionally expand tab
characters to the appropriate number of spaces.
CleanZ v1.2
Most text editors won't read files beyond the first control-Z end-
of-file character. Control-Z's can become embedded in a text file
when several files are combined using the DOS "type" command.
CleanZ will strip out each control-Z, or it will optionally replace
each with a seldom-used character, to ease the task of locating the
former boundaries in combined files.
FindF v1.1
FindFile searches the default drive for specified files, and writes
the file information to screen or disk. Useful for locating
misplaced files or for generating a listing of all files and
subdirectories on the default drive.
Gen v1.2
Gen replaces several trial-and-error methods of building specific-
sized files for printer, storage or timing tests. It generates
files of any size from zero to twenty million bytes, much faster
than typing random characters into a text editor. Besides
generating files on disk, it can send a specific number of
characters directly to the console screen, printer or
other DOS device.
KeyCode v1.1
KeyCode responds to each press of a key or combination of keys by
displaying the key or combination pressed, its associated Ascii
character (if any), key type (normal or extended), Ascii code and
Scan code.
KeySet v1.1
KeySet's interactive mode displays the current settings of the
CapsLock, NumLock, ScrollLock and PrtSc (Print Screen) keys, and
allows them to be changed. The command line mode directly sets the
keys to specified states, allowing use of a batch file for
presetting at system bootup or between applications.
PrinTest v1.2
PrinTest repetitively displays the status of ports assigned to
parallel printer interfaces. It can be used to isolate problems to
the printer interface card, the cable or the printer itself. It
reports printer and port number, status byte and status condition.
Qscr v1.2
QuickScreen converts a single text screen to an executable file for
more rapid display. The resulting .COM file will write a screen of
text much faster than batch file ECHO statements. Useful for
setting up compact menu systems, demos and tutorials.
ScanF v1.1
Scan_File speeds up the search for ASCII text strings within
executable files. It filters out the unintelligible control and
extended characters, allows user definition of minimum string length
for display, and pauses after each screen of information.
ScanM v1.1
Scan_Memory speeds up the search for ASCII text such as ROM
copyright statements and machine identification, anywhere within
standard system memory space. It filters out the unintelligible
control and extended characters, displays each string longer than
three characters, and pauses after each screen of information.
Split v1.1
Split breaks huge text files down into smaller ones that will fit
into your text editor or onto a diskette. Useful for working on
large files with a limited-filesize memory-resident notepad utility.
StoRm v1.1
STOrage_RooM reports the amount of disk space required for storage
of a specified file or group of files on any disk, using any version
of DOS. It takes into account all of the factors involved in
determining file storage size. It locates files specified on the
command line and determines their actual total size and the amount
of room needed to store them. Useful for determining the number of
files that will fit on a disk.
PhLBL v0.75 (not yet released)
Label printer using text stored in ASCII files. Each label/card/
tag can contain embedded commands for date, time, series (nn OF nn),
consecutive serial numbering, left margin, and selectable printer
attribute for each line; 5, 10, 12, 17 or 20 characters per inch
pitch, normal/bold/underlined on Epson compatible dot-matrix
printers.
_______________________________________________________________
| |
| COPYRIGHT 1989 Phil Herron. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |
|_______________________________________________________________|