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| N A M E | | V I E W |
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ver 3.03
A Message Reader/Printer/Sorter which will
highlight in reverse video every occurrence
of every search word/name which is entered
in the support file search list. Messages
can be printed immediately, or stored in
any of 20 user defined archive files.
REQUIRES DOS 2.11 OR LATER!
Files included in NAMEVIEW version 3.03
NAMEVIEW.EXE - The main program file.
NAMEVIEW.DAT - A sample of the type of file used to support
NAMEVIEW.EXE. You'll have to write your own .DAT
file(s) or modify this one in order for the
program to search for your list of names and
other words.
NAMEVIEW.DOC - This documentation file. Do not be intimidated
by the size of the DOC file. There is much more
information in the documentation than you need to
run the program. The only MUST READ section is
the chapter on Set Up. The rest of the informa-
tion has been made available for those who would
like to know more about the program, its numerous
features, and how it runs.
DEMO.KDM - A file included so you can immediately run a
quick demo of NAMEVIEW. It includes information
on what is new for this version, a quick tutorial
on what you need to know to use NAMEVIEW, and a
few actual messages to let you see how NAMEVIEW
really works.
DEMOVIEW.BAT - A batch file which will start NAMEVIEW and run a
demo using the other files provided for this pur-
pose. Type DEMOVIEW + <ENTER> for the demonstra-
tion.
README.1ST - An ASCII file containing any last minute documen-
tation corrections or other information that you
should be aware of (may not be present).
TED.COM - A simple text editor (by Tom Kihlken of PC maga-
zine). TED is distributed free with this package
to make it easy to write and/or modify your NAME-
VIEW.DAT file. TED is not a part of the NAMEVIEW
package.
TED.DOC - Documentation for the TED text editor.
NAMEVIEW Documentation
This documentation file can be easily printed by using your DOS PRINT
command. Line your paper up so that your printer's print head is
approximately one inch down from the page perforation. If started in
this manner, NAMEVIEW.DOC will print with one inch top and bottom
margins.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Copyright 1990 - 92 by
Ray Cox
17410 Huntersglen
Humble, TX 77396-1622
713-454-6074
The NAMEDROP and NAMEVIEW set of programs are copyrighted and will
remain my property. This program is not FreeWare!
You may use, copy, and distribute the NAMEDROP and NAMEVIEW shareware
program files provided that:
1. ALL of the original files are included WITHOUT MODIFICATION
when you copy and distribute the shareware version of the
program.
2. You do not charge for use, copying, or distribution.
3. Registered versions of NAMEVIEW are not to be distributed,
but backup copies may be made for your own use.
If you find that the NAMEVIEW program is useful, saves you time,
and in general makes your message hunting easier, you can register in
one of two ways:
1. You can become a life-time user for a registration fee of $10.
This is a "paper" registration only. The shareware version is fully
functional, so no "registered" version will be sent with a $10 regis-
tration.
2. If you would like a personally serialized copy of NAMEVIEW (beg
message is also removed) then send $15 with your registration. You
will be sent a personal copy of the latest version.
Either type of registration entitles you to download and use any and
all future versions which you find on your BBS system. If you want
to upgrade to a later version of your personally serialized copy,
then send $5 for this service.
I have spent countless hours writing, revising, testing, documenting,
uploading, etc., this program - hours which I could have spent on
genealogy! It is also very reasonably priced. If you try NAMEVIEW
and decide to use it regularly, the only ethical thing to do is to
register. Your only other choice is not to use it.
A form is provided in Appendix E (last page of documentation)
for your convenience in registration.
NAMEVIEW BBS Message Searching/Reading/Storing Program
Table of Contents
Page #
1. Background
a. Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
b. What is NAMEVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
c. Program speed considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. Quick Start
a. How to run a quick demo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
b. NAMEVIEW Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3. Set Up - Preparing to Use NAMEVIEW
a. Saving your message downloads. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
b. Converting *.MSG files, Blue Wave packets, etc . . . . . 10
c. The NAMEVIEW.DAT Data File in General. . . . . . . . . . 10
d. NAMEVIEW.DAT file - Message Format Section . . . . . . . 11
e. NAMEVIEW.DAT file - File Name Section. . . . . . . . . . 13
f. NAMEVIEW.DAT File - Search List Section. . . . . . . . . 14
g. Sample NAMEVIEW.DAT File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
h. NAMEVIEW.DAT File Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
i. Floppy disk set up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
j. Hard disk set up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4. Start Up - How to start NAMEVIEW
a. Command Line Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
b. Command Line Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
c. Configuration Line Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
d. File Menu Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
e. Set Up Menu Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5. Program Operation - How to use NAMEVIEW
a. Information Line - Action Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 23
b. Information Line - Additional Message Lines Incication . 24
c. Information Line - Messages Processed. . . . . . . . . . 24
d. Information Line - Names Found . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
e. Information Line - Hot Key Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
f. Help System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
g. Early Termination of Program Execution . . . . . . . . . 27
h. Normal Program Termination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
6. NAMEVIEW Features
a. Active Parameter Switching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
b. AutoLoad Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
c. Automated Caps Lock/Num Lock Adjusting . . . . . . . . . 28
d. Automatic DESQView Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
e. Book Mark Feature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
f. Command Line Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
g. Custom Message Screen Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
h. Display Adapter Detection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
1
i. Enhanced DAT File Capability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
j. Error Message Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
k. Escape Key Function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
l. Extended Keyboard Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
m. Fail Safe Message Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
n. Floppy User Enhancement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
o. Force Mono Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
p. Help System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
q. Intelligent End-of-File Detection. . . . . . . . . . . . 31
r. Line Wrap Check. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
s. Mark File Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
t. Message Display Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
u. Message File Deletion Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
v. Message Review Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
w. Name(s) Found in Message Indication. . . . . . . . . . . 33
x. NoEcho Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
y. Print Device Customizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
z. Print Message (using "P"). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
aa. Print Message (using "F"). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
bb. Reverse Read (Back Up) Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
cc. Search List Tailoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
dd. Search Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
ee. Smart Point & Shoot Download File Selection. . . . . . . 35
ff. Sort Files: User or Default Naming. . . . . . . . . . . 35
gg. Sort Files: Writing to Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
hh. Sound. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
ii. Special Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
jj. Upper Case Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Appendix A - Ways to Write Your NAMEVIEW.DAT file
a. Word Processing Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
b. TED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Appendix B - Problems and Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
a. Information Line Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
b. Miscellaneous Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
c. Specific Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Appendix C - Upgrade Enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Appendix D - Registration and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
a. Registration form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
b. Upgrade form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
2
*** Background ***
Glossary
Current File - The file which was most recently chosen from the Smart
Point & Shoot file listing. The full path and filename will be
displayed on both menu screens. In addition, it will be displayed on
the Sort File List Help screen.
Download File - a file downloaded (captured) from a BBS which con-
tains multiple messages. Your modem software may call this a capture
file or a log file. For maximum efficiency, select the BBS option
for continuous read while capturing the file.
File Menu Option Screen - the first screen you see on loading NAME-
VIEW (if the AutoLoad command line parameter is not used). This menu
is used to change directories, list and choose download files, list
and choose DAT files, toggle the AutoLoad parameter, and when ap-
plicable, delete or mark files.
Help Screen - any of the three help screens which can be called up on
your display.
Hit - occurs when one of your search words is found in a message that
is contained within your download file.
Message(s) - the individual message(s) which are contained within
your download file.
Message Format Block - a four (optionally five) line section of the
NAMEVIEW.DAT file which contains one or more filename extensions, the
First Line key word(s), the Subject Line key word(s), the Last Line
key word(s) of each message, and optionally, a Configuration Line.
Message Screen - the screen seen while you are reading messages. It
includes 24 lines for message viewing plus an Information Line at the
bottom.
Message Unit - a "message" created by NAMEVIEW to contain the "Over-
flow" from a previous message which exceeded 238 lines in length.
Program Disk - for floppy disk users; the disk on which your
NAMEVIEW.EXE and NAMEVIEW.DAT files are kept.
Program Files - refers collectively to NAMEVIEW.EXE and
NAMEVIEW.DAT; it does not include the download file or any of the
files written by NAMEVIEW.
Search Name(s) - this term is synonymous with "search word(s)".
Since NAMEVIEW was originally designed for use by genealogists, and
they are principally interested in searching for names, this term
3
will occasionally be used.
Search Word(s) - (a) word(s) from the list you create in the
NAMEVIEW.DAT file. All messages in the download file will be search-
ed to see if they contain any of the search words. Search word is
synonymous with search name.
Set Up Menu Screen - seen only after a download file has been chosen
(from the File Menu Option screen or the AutoLoad feature) and if the
"X" command line parameter is not used. This menu is used to enter
Special Search items, and to change operating parameters, if desired,
prior to searching and reading the download file.
Sort Files - The user defined filenames which are stored in and read
from the NAMEVIEW.DAT (or NAMEVDAT.*) file(s) and assigned to the 10
Function keys (and 10 ALT + Function keys). Individual messages are
added to these files at the user's discretion.
What is NAMEVIEW?
NAMEVIEW is a message reader/printer/sorter combined with the
search capabilities of NAMEDROP (primarily a searching program). It
was originally created so that genealogists could read rapidly
through large download files with the program highlighting all in-
stances of names/words contained in an essentially unlimited (in
size) search list. NAMEVIEW is adaptable enough to be useful to
anyone who needs to search message downloads for large or small
numbers of interest items. While using NAMEVIEW to read messages,
you can select output of individual messages to the printer, or to
any of 20 user definable Sort Files. As program operation and
searching are quite fast, your time saved in searching for important
words/names with this program will probably be substantial.
Simplicity of set up and use were foremost in my mind when the
program was written. Only one support file is necessary
(NAMEVIEW.DAT, to be detailed later) regardless of the number of
message formats which will be searched. Also, there is no practical
limit to the number of search words (also stored in the NAMEVIEW.DAT
file), so the program need only be run once for each downloaded file
to be read.
Program Speed Considerations
Speed of operation was, in most cases, the primary consideration
during the programming of NAMEVIEW. My objective was to make use of
any time available for searching. While you are viewing and paging/-
scrolling through an onscreen message, NAMEVIEW is rapidly scanning
ahead finding and searching the next message to be presented. In
most cases, the search will probably be completed before you are
finished with the present message, making the next message immediate-
4
ly available whenever you ask for it.
There are, however, many variables which will affect the speed
at which NAMEVIEW will do its job. Microprocessor speed, disk speed
(hard or floppy), the number of names in your search list, the size
of each message in your download file, and other choices that can be
made from the menu will all affect the speed of operation.
NAMEVIEW's work is disk intensive, as it is constantly reading
through your download file. Thus, the biggest difference in program
speed depends on whether you are using a floppy or a hard disk sys-
tem.
NAMEVIEW is not a throughput program. Once it is started, it
doesn't work steadily until it is finished. Instead, it accepts
input from the operator as to when to continue after a message is
presented onscreen. For this reason, no benchmark tests are really
possible. If you have an 8088 system running at the original
4.77MHz, you may not be overly impressed with program speed. If you
have an 8088/8086 running at 10MHz, program speed becomes more im-
pressive. If you have an 80286 or better machine, regardless of
speed, hold on to your hat!
5
*** Quick Start ***
How to run a quick demo
Enough files have been included in the NAMEV###.ZIP set to
enable you to run a quick demo of the program prior to setting up
your own NAMEVIEW.DAT file. You will need the NAMEVIEW.EXE file, the
NAMEVIEW.DAT file provided (which happens to include my own list of
names), the DEMOVIEW.BAT file, and the DEMO.KDM file (a tutorial
combined with a set of sample messages to show you what the program
will do with them).
Floppy disk users:
Place these four files on one disk and place the disk in drive
A. Make sure that drive A is the default drive if you have more than
one floppy drive. If you are looking at the DOS prompt on your
screen, merely typing "A:" (don't include the quotes, just type the
A and the colon!) followed by the <ENTER> key should do it. See
your DOS manual for details on default drives if you have questions.
Hard disk users:
Place all four files in the same subdirectory on your hard disk,
then make that drive and subdirectory the current one. If you have
questions on making subdirectories (MKDIR or MD) and/or changing
directories (CHDIR or CD), see your DOS manual.
All users:
Now type "DEMOVIEW" (again, don't type the quote marks, type the
word between quotes) and press <ENTER>. A short instruction screen
will give you enough directions to get started, and then NAMEVIEW
will be loaded. Once the Set Up menu is onscreen, you can experiment
with the menu selections if you like by pressing any highlighted
letter until the setup shows the desired options. You can get help
by pressing "H", and in fact, most of the program's operation can by
understood by looking through the three available help screens (<Esc>
gets you out of Help). When you are ready to start, press <ENTER>
and the demo program will begin.
The first "message" you will see is a "what's new" rundown on
the current version. This is followed by a tutorial section to
familiarize you with the NAMEVIEW commands. When you have finished
with the tutorial, you will see some actual messages which will show
how NAMEVIEW's highlighting normally works. When all messages have
been seen, the "Last Message.." action indicator will appear. Press
the <Esc> key to exit NAMEVIEW, or "M" to go back to the "File Menu
Options" screen.
If you like what you saw on the demo, then continue on with the
set up chapter so you can customize the program for your own use!
6
NAMEVIEW Conventions
This section pulls together many items which are found scattered
throughout the documentation file. Use it to help your overall
understanding of what NAMEVIEW needs to give you the most benefit
from its features, or as a quick answer to questions which may come
up from time to time. Information is available in more detail in the
individual sections covering these items.
Support Files -
The only support file NAMEVIEW requires is NAMEVIEW.DAT. It may
also use NAMEDROP.DAT if you have one, or you may create addi-
tional support files (usually so you can use different search
lists) using the naming convention NAMEVDAT.*. NAMEVIEW.DAT
must be in the default drive and directory when NAMEVIEW is
started.
Download Files -
You may name your download file anything you want, but it is
suggested that you use mmmdd.xxx format where mmm is a three
character month identifier, dd is a two digit day (of the month)
identifier, and xxx is a file extension which is found in at
least one of the Message Format Blocks in your support file.
This naming convention must be used for the AutoLoad feature to
work. If you use another naming convention, do not use the "!",
"$", or "#" characters. NAMEVIEW needs to have these characters
reserved for its own use. Also, filenames should not be over
seven characters long (to the left of the period), as NAMEVIEW
needs to add an additional character at times.
Message Format Blocks -
These are in your support file(s) and tell NAMEVIEW how your
messages are configured. You must have at least one, and up to
ten can be stored in each support file.
You must have a Message Format Block listing a particular file
name extension before a file using that extension will show up
in the file list to be loaded.
Command Line Parameters -
A = Activate (A)utoLoad feature
Cdddd = Set Custom Message Screen (C)olors as specified
M = Force Display into (M)ono mode
Pd = Set (P)rint device as specified
X = Start reading without stopping at Set Up menu
7
Configuration Line (in Message Format Block) Parameters -
D Display default is - Messages containing SEARCH WORDS
U Upper Case Check - default is YES
L Line Wrap Check - default is YES
S Sound - default is OFF
E NoEcho Mode - default is OFF
All Configuration parameters return to their defaults when a new
download file is loaded, unless a Configuration Line in the
appropriate Message Format Block dictates otherwise.
8
*** SET UP - Preparing to Use NAMEVIEW ***
Saving your Message Downloads
I will not attempt to cover the use of a modem and communica-
tions program in downloading message files. There are, however,
certain conventions which must be followed, and others that are
recommended in order for NAMEVIEW to function correctly.
Dial into your BBS and set your terminal program to capture (or
log) to file. Then download your messages by using the (BBS) command
to read messages without stopping. For ease in cataloging, it is
suggested that your capture file be named as follows:
MMMDD.NNN (example - JAN01.TRS)
where -
MMM = the first three letters of the month (i.e. JAN)
DD = the two digit day of the month (i.e. 01,28, etc.)
NNN = a three letter abbreviation of the conference or
BBS from which the message file was downloaded
(i.e. NGC for National Genealogical Conference, KDM
for The Kingdom BBS, etc.)
For example, a file which you download from the Kingdom BBS on
January 1, would be named JAN01.KDM.
NOTE: This format is mandatory if you plan on using the Autoload
feature! In addition, the exclamation point (!), the pound sign (#),
and the dollar sign ($) are reserved filename characters to be used
by the NAMEVIEW program only. If you use these characters, certain
NAMEVIEW features will be negated, and the program's usefulness to
you will be greatly reduced.
If you don't ever plan on AutoLoading, then the format described
above is not mandatory, as any filename will work. It will, however,
reduce confusion and help catalog your downloads.
If you choose to use another filename format, it is recommended
that the length of your filename (the portion to the left of the
"period") be restricted to seven characters or less. Certain fea-
tures of NAMEVIEW cause download file names to be changed by the
addition of a character. If your filename is eight characters long,
the eighth character is replaced with NAMEVIEW's special character.
When other NAMEVIEW features remove the extra character, NAMEVIEW
does not replace the originally deleted eighth character.
The filename extension (portion to the right of the "period") is
the one place where you must be consistent. The extension that you
use MUST be found in the first line of one of the "message format
blocks" (see the next section for details) stored in the NAMEVIEW.DAT
9
file. Otherwise, NAMEVIEW will not show the file in the selection
list, and you will not be able to read it.
Converting *.MSG files and Other Formats
If you download messages as a "point" or via a "mail handler"
then your messages may be saved individually in *.MSG or similar
format, or in a special continuous format such as a QWK packet.
NAMEVIEW will not work on files saved in these special formats, but
several programs are available which will convert them to a con-
tinuous ASCII format file which is compatible with NAMEVIEW. The
following programs have not been tested by me, but the information
listed has been taken from message traffic describing their use:
Program Use
-------- -------------------------------------------------
SAVECHO combines *.MSG files into 1 continuous ASCII file
Mexport combines *.MSG files into 1 continuous ASCII file
B2T converts BlueWave packets to continuous text
QWKTXT40 converts QWK packets to continuous text
HARDCOPY (unknown - but designed for NAMEVIEW compatibility)
The NAMEVIEW.DAT Data File in General
In discussing the NAMEVIEW.DAT file, all items apply to any
support file which you create for use with NAMEVIEW. There is no
limit to the number of support files you can create and use with
NAMEVIEW. The only requirement is that additional support files must
follow the naming scheme of NAMEVDAT.*. You can use anything you
like for a file extension, but a numbering (NAMEVDAT.1, NAMEVDAT.2,
etc.) or lettering (NAMEVDAT.A, NAMEVDAT.B, etc.) system is recom-
mended for easier cataloging. Support files in general will be
referred to as DAT files, even though your file name extension may be
other than DAT.
NAMEVIEW.DAT begins with an optional Comment Line. If this
Comment Line is included, it must begin with the "@" character, so
NAMEVIEW will recognize it as a comment, and consist of no more than
78 characters. When the DAT file list is onscreen, this comment may
be displayed for the DAT file which is highlighted by pressing "R"
(Remark).
After the optional Comment Line, the NAMEVIEW.DAT file consists
of three sections: the Message Format section, the File Name sec-
tion, and the Search List section. Users of NAMEDROP, who have
already made a NAMEDROP.DAT file, will find that the formats are very
similar. The only differences between the two are the addition of an
optional Configuration Line in each Message Format Block, and the
File Name section in the NAMEVIEW.DAT file. In fact, if NAMEVIEW
cannot find a NAMEVIEW.DAT file, it will automatically look for a
NAMEDROP.DAT file and use it if it is available! If you add a File
10
Name section to a NAMEDROP.DAT file, it can be used by both NAMEDROP
and NAMEVIEW (NAMEDROP will ignore the File Name section).
Perhaps the easiest way to make your personalized NAMEVIEW.DAT
file, once you have read over the following instructions, would be to
load the NAMEVIEW.DAT file provided with the demo and simply make any
necessary changes. Several message format blocks are included in the
sample, and chances are that one of them will work with the message
format your BBS uses.
NAMEVIEW.DAT File - Message Format Section
The Message Format section is composed of one or more (max of
10) Message Format Blocks. If you download messages from only one
conference or one BBS, or if all of your download files will have the
same format, regardless of source, then you may need only one message
format block. Multiple message format blocks are necessary only if
you download messages of more than one format, or if you desire
different configurations, as defined in the Configuration Line (we're
coming to that!), for different files. In this case, a separate
message format block is needed for each different format.
The first line of your NAMEVIEW.DAT file (other than a Comment
Line) will be the first line of your first (and possibly only) Mes-
sage Format Block. The first line of a Message Format Block lists
the filename extension(s) which you use for message download files
which are formatted in accordance with that message format block.
A complete Message Format Block (MFB) is composed as follows:
Sample MFB Explanation (NOT part of the NAMEVIEW.DAT file!)
------------ ------------------------------------------------
TRS - the filename extension(s) using this format block
From: - First Line key word (or group of characters)
Subject: - Subject Line key word (or group of characters)
* Origin: - Last Line key word (or group of characters)
DULSE - Configuration Line (optional)
~ - separates multiple message format blocks (use ^ to
start filename section if only one message format
block is used)
Your First Line key word should be a word (or group of charac-
ters) which is consistently found at the beginning (on the leftmost
side of the top line) of each message contained in your download
file. This entry is used by NAMEVIEW to determine the beginning of
each message in turn to be searched. Some typical First Line key
words are: "From:", "Message #:", "Date:", "Msg #:"
Your Subject Line key word should be a word (or group of charac-
ters) which is consistently found at the beginning of the line that
states the subject of each message.
11
Your Last Line key word should be a word (or group of charac-
ters) which is consistently found on the leftmost side of the last
line of each message contained in your download file. This entry is
used by NAMEVIEW to determine the end of each message being searched.
Although the line found containing your Last Line key word is not
searched, this line is written to any Sort files chosen, is printed
if either Print option is chosen, and is shown onscreen, if appli-
cable.
The Configuration Line is optional and can contain as many or as
few (or none!) of the letters D, U, L, S, and E as you desire. Any
letter placed on a Configuration Line will cause the parameter con-
trolled by that letter (covered in the Configuration Line Parameters
section) to be toggled to the opposite of the default setting when a
file with an extension listed in that same Message Format Block is
loaded. See the Configuration Line Parameters section for more
details about the use of these settings.
Filename extension(s) (on the first line of each Message Format
Block) must be in UPPER case. Upper and lower case MUST BE ACCURATE
when entering the rest of your message format block information.
NOTE: If your downloaded messages have NO key word which consistent-
ly appears on the leftmost side of the last line of each message,
then leave a blank line (with NO spaces) for the Last Line key word.
In this case, you will have to run NAMEVIEW with NoEcho mode toggled
ON while reading download files which use this Message Format Block.
NOTE: The entry for "Last Line key word" (" * Origin:" in sample
above) must be entered EXACTLY as it appears in your messages. YOU
MUST INCLUDE ANY LEADING SPACES, IF ANY, WHICH APPEAR ON THIS LINE.
If NO leading spaces precede your key word, then DON'T include them.
NAMEVIEW will not be able to correctly identify individual messages
if this is not done.
NOTE: Although the term "key word" is used in the descriptions of
the parameters discussed above, do not be misled. It is not neces-
sary for these "key words" to end with a space character or to con-
sist of a complete word (some users have been under the impression
that the space was necessary so NAMEVIEW would recognize the "key
word" as a stand-alone word). If your "key words" end with a colon,
as most of them do, then using the colon character as the last char-
acter of your "key word" will work fine. Using as many characters as
consistently appear at the end of each message will improve NAME-
VIEW's accuracy in defining message separation.
Enter up to ten message format blocks as necessary for your
needs. Use a single tilde (~) on a line by itself to separate the
preceding message format block from the next message format block.
12
NAMEVIEW.DAT File - File Name Section
The second section of the NAMEVIEW.DAT file is the File Name
section. A single caret (^) on a line by itself signals the end of
the Message Format Block section and the start of the File Name
section (the caret should be in between your last Message Format
Block and the first file name you wish to assign). You can enter up
to 20 file names, which will be assigned to function keys 1 - 10 and
then to ALT + function keys 1 - 10 in the order in which they are
found in the .DAT file. The file name section is composed as fol-
lows:
Sample Block Explanation (NOT part of the NAMEVIEW.DAT file!)
------------ ------------------------------------------------
^ - signals start of file name section
C:\NGC\SENT - first file name (assigned to F1)
A:RECEIVED - second file name (assigned to F2)
TO_CHECK - third file name (assigned to F3)
TO_ANSER. - fourth file name (assigned to F4)
GENERAL.DAT - last file name (assigned to F5, as 5th filename)
~~ - signals end of File Name section and start of name
(search) list section
If you enter file names without an extension, as in the first
three file names in the example above, NAMEVIEW will automatically
add the extension "NMV" (NaMeView). If you would prefer not to have
the default extension added, simply end your file name with a period,
as in the fourth file name assigned above (TO_ANSER.). If you want
your own extension on your file name, simply enter the full file name
+ extension, and NAMEVIEW will assign your full file name, as in
"GENERAL.DAT" above.
In the above example, only five file names are assigned from the
DAT file, but the first 10 functions keys will all be assigned a file
name. If you enter any number of file names less than 10, the re-
maining file names (up to a total of 10) will be assigned the program
default names of the function key pressed + the extension "NMV".
Notice also that full drive and path specifications can be given
as well as file names. Any file name entered without a path will be
written to the default drive and subdirectory, but any file name
entered with a [drive][path] will be written to in accordance with
those directions. Your file name entries can be checked at any time
by calling the (Filename) Help Screen. All file names are shown in
their complete format (the last 24 characters are shown, if your
entries are longer than that) on the NAMEVIEW Filename Help page (see
Help section for details).
13
With a File Name section in your NAMEVIEW.DAT file as described
above, file names would be assigned to the 10 function keys as fol-
lows:
F1 - C:\NGC\SENT.NMV (default extension added)
F2 - A:RECEIVED.NMV (default extension added)
F3 - TO_CHECK.NMV (default extension added)
F4 - TO_ANSER. (no extension added - suppressed with period)
F5 - GENERAL.DAT (your extension added, as it was specified)
F6 - F6.NMV (default filenames and extension used for
F7 - F7.NMV remainder of files, as no more filenames
F8 - F8.NMV were specified)
F9 - F9.NMV
F10 - F10.NMV
NAMEVIEW.DAT File - Search List Section
The last section of the .DAT file is your search list. The end
of the File Name section and the start of the Search List is signaled
by a double tilde (~~) on a line by itself. Each search list item
(or name) is placed on a separate line. Search words may consist of
any sequence of characters (letters, numbers, and punctuation) which
you wish to find. Search words may be entered in UPPERCASE, lower
case, or MiXeD Case, as only the sequence of characters is important.
There is no practical limit on the length of a search word, and there
is no practical limit on the number of search words in your list.
More than one word can be entered on the same line as a single
search list item. For example, if you use Family Roots software, and
would like to be shown all instances of "Family Roots" as you read
messages, then "Family Roots" (without the quote marks, of course)
should be entered on a line by itself.
NAMEVIEW is not confused with multiple occurrences of the same search
word in separate entries. In other words, you can have the following
entries in your search list without causing problems:
North
South
North Carolina
South Carolina
Carolina
Virginia
West Virginia
14
Sample NAMEVIEW.DAT File
In order to clarify the above separate examples, a complete
(almost) NAMEVIEW.DAT file is given below:
NAMEVIEW.DAT Explanation (NOT part of the NAMEVIEW.DAT file)
------------ ------------------------------------------------
@Sample comment - Comment line (optional, up to 78 characters)
TRS PAS KDM \ (notice that more than one file name extension
From: \ may be included in a MFB)
Subject: - First Message Format block
* Origin: /
D / - (Configuration Line)
~ - Divider for additional format block
HPC \
Msg #: \
Topic: - Second Message Format block
* Origin /
U / - (Configuration Line)
~ - Divider for additional format block
EDH MSC \
Message #: \
Subject: - Third Message Format block
* Origin: / (contains NO Configuration Line)
^ - signals start of File Name section
SENT \
RECEIVED \
TO_CHECK - File Name section
TO_ANSER. /
GENERAL.DAT /
~~ - signals start of Name List section
Archer \
Atwood \
. - Name List (Search List) section
. /
. /
. (names until list is completed - no end marker required!)
NOTE: In the above example, the AutoLoad feature (to be described in
detail later) would initially load a file with the extension TRS.
Successive attempts to AutoLoad files would search for files with
extensions of PAS, KDM, HPC, EDH, and MSC (in that order).
When you have completed your NAMEVIEW.DAT file, save it in ASCII
format. See Appendix A, "Ways to Write Your NAMEVIEW.DAT File" for
help in doing this if you have questions.
15
NAMEVIEW.DAT File Tips
If you have a name with several spelling variations (for ex-
ample, BASYE, BASEE, & BASEY) you can easily put all variations in
your search list, as the number of entries is essentially unlimited.
By doing so, you'll catch a message containing your name regardless
of which version the originator used. Although there is no real
reason to do so, I put all of the primary spellings of my names at
the beginning of my list. The secondary spellings are started when I
have finished entering all of my primary ones.
Entering just the root of a name will probably result in no
finds at all. If you tried to cover the three variations given above
on BASYE by using BAS as one of the search items, your search would
be unsuccessful. NAMEVIEW does not find imbedded words (example: it
will not find "the" in "theatre"). A "hit" is made only when it is a
stand-alone word.
Other items you may want to consider putting in your search
list are county names, city names, the name and/or abbreviation of
your favorite genealogy program, and things like LDS. If there is
anyone on your echo who's messages are always of interest to you, put
their full BBS name in your search list. If you like to read mes-
sages addressed to ALL, then figure out the spacing which will appear
on your messages' TO line. For example, you would enter something
like "To: ALL" in your search list.
Beware of search words which may turn out to be a nuisance. For
example, I have the names "Page" and "North" in my list. Every time
there is a reference to a page number, or North Carolina, etc. I get
a hit during my search. Even when I check for uppercase (see fea-
tures section), there are still many useless hits on the Page (for
obvious reasons) name. It's up to you to decide if a name like that
is important enough to keep in your list.
See the Search Parameters description in the Features chapter
for information which may give you additional ideas on what needs to
be included in your search list.
If you have only one Message Format Block, including NMV (or the
extension you choose to use with your sort file names) in the first
line will enable you to use NAMEVIEW to read any of the Sort Files
which you save to.
Floppy Disk Set Up
NAMEVIEW works fine on a floppy disk system, but there will be
limitations on the size of the download file that can be handled due
to the limited capacity of a floppy disk.
If you have two floppy disk drives, one drive can be used ini-
tially to load the program. The same drive can then be used to read
16
your download file, and the second can be used to write your Sort
files (specify the correct drive when entering file names in your
.DAT file).
In any floppy configuration, your floppy drive light will prob-
ably seem to light up at unusual times. This is normal, as the
program will be continuously reading and searching for the next
message until it is found and readied.
Hard Disk Set Up
NAMEVIEW works best on a hard disk system due to the speed ad-
vantage and the numerous ways in which the files can be set up. The
simplest set up is for all files to be in the same directory. If you
desire, the program, DAT, download, and sort files can all be in
separate directories, depending on how you like to manage your hard
disk.
NOTE: The only hard set up requirement is that your NAMEVIEW.DAT
file MUST be in the default drive and directory when you start NAME-
VIEW. NAMEVIEW will not search your DOS path until it finds your
NAMEVIEW.DAT file!
17
*** Start Up - How to start NAMEVIEW ***
Command Line Entries
To start NAMEVIEW from your DOS prompt simply type:
[drive][path]NAMEVIEW <ENTER>
No additional parameters are required to start the program. The
drive and path parameters are only necessary if you wish to load
NAMEVIEW from other than the default drive and/or directory. This
could also be done via your DOS PATH command if you prefer. Addi-
tional command line parameters MAY be added if you desire. Consult
the "Command Line Parameters" section for details.
At this point NAMEVIEW will load and commence. If a
NAMEVIEW.DAT or NAMEDROP.DAT file cannot be found, then the program
will produce an error message and stop. See Appendix B for explana-
tions of all possible error messages.
Command Line Parameters
After you have run NAMEVIEW several times, you might wish to
customize certain aspects of its operation. This can be done by
including certain parameter characters on the command line when you
start NAMEVIEW. Automatic repetition of these characters can be
accomplished via your menu program or a simple batch file.
To enter your customizing changes on the command line, type a
space after "NAMEVIEW" and then type the appropriate characters (case
does not matter). Using the menu letters on the command line will
take the configuration out of its default mode the same as if you had
pressed the letter once when stopped at the NAMEVIEW menu. If you
want a particular feature to run in the default mode, then don't
include that menu letter on the command line.
Allowable Command Line entries are as follows:
A = Activate (A)utoLoad feature
Cdddd = Set Custom Message Screen (C)olors as specified
M = Force Display into (M)ono mode
Pd = Set (P)rint device as specified
X = Start reading without stopping at Set Up menu
In order for the AutoLoad feature to work, the following condi-
tions must be met:
1. The "A" parameter must be specified in the command line or
you must toggle AutoLoad ON at the "File Menu Options" menu.
2. Your system (DOS) calender must be correctly set (NAMEVIEW
uses the current system date to formulate the filename to
search for).
18
3. The file name extension(s) of the file(s) you wish to Auto-
Load must be found in the current DAT file.
4. There must be at least one download file in the current
drive and directory named in accordance with the method
described in the "Saving your Message Downloads" section
(mmmdd.ext) with a name reflecting the current date.
Custom Message Screen Colors are set with the "Cdddd" command
line entry where "dddd" consists of 2 two-digit number entries. The
first two digits following the "C" specify the foreground color
(color of the actual characters themselves) to be used. The last two
digits specify the background color (space surrounding the actual
characters) to be used. These colors are reversed to create the
highlighted parts of your messages.
Enter numbers as follows to customize your Message Screen:
Color Number Foreground Color Background Color
00 Black Black
01 Blue Blue
02 Green Green
03 Cyan Cyan
04 Red Red
05 Magenta Magenta
06 Brown Brown
07 White White
08 Gray Black
09 Bright Blue Blue
10 Bright Green Green
11 Bright Cyan Cyan
12 Bright Red Red
13 Bright Magenta Magenta
14 Yellow Brown
15 Bright White White
Notice that "bright" colors are only available for foreground
colors. However, if the numbers 08 - 15 are used to specify the
background color, high intensity characters will appear when the
colors reverse temporarily for highlighting. If you specify numbers
other than those given in the chart above, NAMEVIEW will refuse to
process them and revert to the default (Cyan letters, black back-
ground) settings.
NOTE: Enter numbers exactly as shown. BOTH digits must be specified
for each color (include leading zeros)! Otherwise, NAMEVIEW will
probably ignore your settings!
The Print device may be customized with the "Pd" entry, where
"d" is a single digit specifying the number of the LPT device to be
used. If, for example, your entry is "P2" then all print requests
will be made to LPT2. If no entry is made, the default LPT1 is used.
Notice that the last command line letter entry will allow the
program to bypass the Set Up Menu without the requirement for user
19
input from the keyboard. If no "X" is present in the command line,
the program will make its normal pause at the menu.
For multiple command line entries, merely type all of the de-
sired parameter letters one after the other without separating them
with spaces or punctuation. Command line letters can be entered in
any order.
Example: entering the following on the command line -
NAMEVIEW AP2C1402X
would load NAMEVIEW, activate the AutoLoad feature, set the printer
option to LPT2, set Message Screen colors to Yellow on Green, and
bypass the Set Up Menu. Providing that the AutoLoad feature found a
file name reflecting the current date, NAMEVIEW would load that file
(bypassing the File Menu), bypass the Set Up menu, and go directly to
the Message screen, which would be the first thing you would see!
Configuration Line Parameters
Configuration Line parameters are the same as those items which
appear on the Set Up menu for you to toggle ON/OFF or YES/NO. They
include Message Display (ALL or Messages Containing Search Words),
Line Wrap Check, Upper Case Check, NoEcho Mode, and Sound. Downloads
from different BBS systems and different echos may require different
parameter settings based on your needs and wishes.
NAMEVIEW operation can be further customized/automated by in-
cluding Configuration Lines in the Message Format Blocks of your DAT
files. Configuration Lines may contain any or all of the characters
D, U, L, S, and E. When a file is AutoLoaded, or you choose a file
from the Smart Point and Shoot File Selection menu, that file's
extension dictates which Message Format Block is selected for message
formatting. If Configuration Line information is included in the
selected Message Format Block, it will be used to automatically set
the Configuration Line/SetUp menu parameters.
Each time a new download file is loaded, any parameters not
included in the Configuration Line will be set to their defaults. If
no parameters are found, all settings will return to their defaults.
If you return to the Set Up menu via the File Selection menu without
selecting a new download file, no changes to Configuration Line
parameters are made. This lets you retain any interim changes you
might have made and wish to repeat until you change files. The
Special Search parameter is always retained, regardless of any of the
previous conditions. These parameters, regardless of how they were
initially set, can always be changed while stopped at the Set Up menu
or while reading messages.
20
The default settings for Configuration Line/Set Up menu parame-
ters are as follows:
Display - Messages containing SEARCH WORDS
Upper Case Check - YES
Line Wrap Check - YES
NoEcho Mode - OFF
Sound - OFF
When the following letters are included in Configuration Lines, the
associated actions are accomplished:
D = Display ALL messages
U = Upper case check will NOT be done
L = Line Wrap Check turned OFF
S = Sound will be turned ON
E = NoEcho Mode Activated
The current settings of these parameters are displayed on the
Information line while reading messages.
FILE MENU Operation
After a few moments to load, the NAMEVIEW File Menu will appear.
This menu allows you to select the drive and/or path for your down-
load or DAT file listing, list files in the default (or optionally
selected) drive and directory (Smart Point & Shoot), list DAT files
in the default (or optionally selected) drive and directory, toggle
the AutoLoad parameter, mark the current file, and delete the current
file. In addition, pressing <Esc> will allow you to exit NAMEVIEW,
if desired, even though this option does not appear onscreen. All
menu features are activated by pressing the highlighted letter as-
sociated with the feature. See the features section for full details
on all of the menu items.
The Mark file and Delete file options will not be available
unless the current file has already been read during the current
session. Additionally, these options are not available when the
current file has been "Book Marked." You will be asked to verify
these two selections for safety before action is taken.
When the (L)ist Files feature is selected, NAMEVIEW shows you
its Smart Point and Shoot file list. Use the Up and Down arrows to
highlight the desired file, then press ENTER to select it.
When the (S)elect New DAT File feature is selected, NAMEVIEW
shows you all of the NAMEVDAT.* files which it finds in the default
or optionally selected drive and directory. Use the Up and Down
arrows to highlight the desired support file, then press ENTER to
select and load it. For any highlighted file, pressing "R" will show
the first line remark on screen, if present. See the "The
NAMEVIEW.DAT Data File" section for details on entering a remark.
21
To quickly reselect your default path after initially making a
change, press "P" followed immediately by <ENTER> (make a null en-
try).
The AutoLoad feature can be toggled ON or OFF at any time.
NAMEVIEW will attempt to perform an AutoLoad any time this feature is
changed to an ON setting. If this parameter is left ON, successive
AutoLoads are automatically attempted whenever a return to this menu
is accomplished and the current file is "marked" or deleted, or if a
new DAT file is loaded.
You cannot proceed beyond the File Menu until a download file
has been chosen. Once this has occurred, the "<ENTER> for Set UP"
prompt will appear at the bottom of the menu. Press ENTER to con-
tinue to the SET UP Menu. You will be able to return to the File
Menu (to select additional files!) at any time from the Message
screen by pressing "M"(enu).
If you included the AutoLoad parameter on the command line, and
the AutoLoad feature found a file to load, the File Menu will be
bypassed on initial program start up. Even if initially bypassed,
the File Menu can still be called from the Message screen as pre-
viously mentioned.
SET UP MENU Operation
The Set UP Menu allows you to change any of NAMEVIEW's operating
parameters and optionally to select a Special Search item. As with
the File Menu, options are selected or toggled by pressing the high-
lighted key associated with the feature. <Esc> will allow program
termination if desired.
The "Find Book Mark" parameter is available (and visible) only
if you selected a "Book Marked" file. If this is the case, the "Find
Book Mark" parameter is then automatically set to YES, but can be
changed at your discretion.
If the "X" command line parameter is used, the Set Up Menu will
be bypassed on initial load up. If additional download files are
selected for reading, the Set Up menu will then be available for use.
All parameter settings return to their default settings whenever
a new download file is selected. Settings can be automated by in-
cluding Configuration Lines in the Message Format Blocks of your DAT
file(s).
Help is available from the Set Up Menu screen (or any time you
are reading messages) by pressing "H".
When you are finished toggling your Set Up Menu selections,
press <ENTER> to exit the menu and begin reading messages.
22
*** Program Operation - How to use NAMEVIEW ***
Once <ENTER> is pressed at the Set Up menu, NAMEVIEW will switch
to the Message Screen, start searching, and present messages onscreen
for you to read. An Information Line will always be present at the
bottom of the screen to keep you informed of program progress, ac-
tions, available hot keys, and possibly error messages. A key to the
information line is available as one of the Help screens. The fol-
lowing sections are given as full descriptions of the individual
Information Line features.
Information Line - Action Messages
The first section of the Information Line presents several
Action Messages which describe what the program is doing. A descrip-
tion of the Action Messages can be reviewed at any time by pressing
"H" for the Help section. Then PgUp or PgDn until you find the
"NAMEVIEW Information Line" Help page.
Action Message Description
-------------- ----------------------------------------
Searching... NAMEVIEW is finding and preparing the
(steady) next message. This is the normal message
which appears immediately after a new
message is shown onscreen.
Searching... NAMEVIEW has acknowledged your "N" or "R"
(blinking) keypress asking for the next (or pre-
vious) message, but is still searching
for or processing it. The next message
will be shown onscreen as soon as it is
ready.
Waiting... Shown if NAMEVIEW is able to find and
(steady) prepare the next message before you are
ready for it (you haven't pressed "N"
yet after the current onscreen message
was shown to you). The next message will
be shown immediately when you press "N".
Processing! Shown while NAMEVIEW is reProcessing the
(blinking) current onscreen message (which you
caused by pressing "E" to change the
NoEcho Mode).
Last Message Shown if the message that is currently
(blinking) onscreen is the last one meeting your
criteria in the download file. Press
<Esc> if you are ready to exit NAMEVIEW,
or any other Hot Key for appropriate
action.
23
Printing message to LPT# The current onscreen message is being
(steady) sent to the printer.
Adding message to filename The current onscreen message is being
(steady) added to (filename).
Information Line - Additional Message Lines Indication
The next area of the Information Line is used to indicate whe-
ther there are more than 24 lines in the current onscreen message.
If a down arrow appears, then the DOWN arrow cursor key (or PgDn, or
End) can be used to view additional message lines below those which
currently appear on the screen. If an up arrow appears, then the UP
arrow cursor key (or PgUp, or Home) can be used to view additional
message lines above those which currently appear on the screen. It
is not uncommon to have both up and down arrows appear in this area
simultaneously. If no arrows appear, then the message is short
enough to be seen in its entirety without any scrolling functions
In addition, this section may show a blinking "Smiley" face.
This will happen when Display ALL messages is selected and the cur-
rent onscreen message contains at least one search word. This is to
alert you to the fact that a search "hit" was found in the onscreen
message. This may not otherwise be apparent to you if the message is
longer than 24 lines and no highlighting appears within the first 24
lines.
Information Line - Messages Processed
The next section of the Information Line keeps a total of the
number of messages processed. This is not the number of messages you
have viewed, but rather the number of messages NAMEVIEW has had to
process in it's search.
Information Line - Names Found
The next section of the Information Line keeps a total of the
number of names found. This total will always be higher than the
totals you have seen using NAMEDROP. This is due to the fact that if
the same name is found more than once in a message, NAMEVIEW will add
all occurrences of the name to the total. NAMEDROP would only add
one count per name found per message.
Information Line - Hot Key Area
The next section of the Information Line gives a listing of the
hot keys available for you to control program features and execution.
This listing is shown as:
Esc/Fk#/H/N/R/P/F/B/M/D/U/L/S/E
24
The status of the parameters controlled by the last 5 hot keys
listed (D/U/L/S/E) are continuously shown. Except for the Display
Messages parameter, any setting which is toggled ON or YES will be
shown highlighted (blinking for mono displays). The Display Messages
parameter ("D" character) will be highlighted (blinking) when set to
ALL Messages.
"ESC" indicates that the ESC key can be used any time to ter-
minate program operation. <Fk#> indicates the function keys and Alt
+ function keys are active. Additional keys not shown which may be
active depending on message length are the message viewing keys
(cursor arrows, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End).
A description of the Hot Keys can be reviewed at any time by
pressing "H" for the Help section. Then PgUp or PgDn until you find
the "NAMEVIEW Hot Keys" Help page. Keys shown in parenthesis below
are additional keys which will also activate the described feature.
The Hot Keys are used as follows:
Hot Key Description of Action
------- ---------------------------------------------------------
F1-F10 To add the current onscreen message to a Sort file, press
the function key to which the desired filename has been
assigned. Ten additional Sort files are available by
using Alt + a function key if you provided extra filenames
in your DAT file(s).
Esc Used to return to normal program operation if you are in
(Q) the Help section, or to exit NAMEVIEW during normal pro-
gram operation. (Pressing "Q" calls the EXIT routine only
when the Last Message prompt is visible).
H Press "H" to view the Help pages available.
N Pressed when you are ready to view the next message.
(ENTER)
(RT arrow)
(space bar)
R Reverse Read, returns you to the previous onscreen
(LEFT message.
arrow)
P Press "P" to print the current onscreen message (to LPT#).
F Press "F" to print the current onscreen message (to LPT#)
followed by a Form Feed.
B Inserts a "Book Mark," and returns you to the File Menu.
M Menu Return, returns you to the File Menu.
D Toggles the Message Display parameter (status shown on
Info line).
25
Hot Key Description of Action (continued)
------- ---------------------------------------------------------
U Toggles the Upper Case check parameter (status shown on
Info line).
L Toggles the Line Wrap check parameter (status shown on
Info line).
S Toggles the Sound parameter (status shown on Info line).
E Toggles the NoEcho Mode parameter (status shown on Info
line).
PgUp Selects the previous 22 lines of the onscreen message, if
applicable. Also used to cycle through the three Help
pages.
PgDn Selects the next 22 lines of the onscreen message, if
applicable. Also used to cycle through the three Help
pages.
Home Returns you to the beginning of the message.
End Takes you to the end of the message (shows you the last 24
lines.
NOTE: For those with BIOS supported enhanced keyboards, the grey
cursor, PgUp, and PgDn keys will work as well as the white ones.
NOTE: Under certain conditions, additional messages may temporarily
appear in place of the Hot Key listing. These messages are:
Check FIRST LINE Parameter!
Check LAST LINE Parameter!
See Appendix B - Error Messages and Problems for explanations of
these messages.
Help System
NAMEVIEW's Help system consists of three Help pages which can be
called at any time (except when the File Menu is onscreen) by press-
ing "H". Once you have called the Help system, PgUp and/or PgDn
(and/or the left and right arrow keys) can be used to cycle through
the Help pages in either direction. The three Help pages cover
NAMEVIEW Hot Keys, NAMEVIEW Filenames, and the NAMEVIEW Information
Line Key.
The information contained on the NAMEVIEW Hot Keys Help page and
the NAMEVIEW Information Line Key page has been covered elsewhere.
The NAMEVIEW Filename page is a listing of the complete filenames (or
the last 24 characters, if longer) assigned to each of the twenty
function keys (normal and ALT + function keys). In addition, it
26
shows the name of the current message download file which is being
searched and read.
To exit the Help section, press <Esc>. NAMEVIEW remembers what
Help page you were on when you exit. The next time you call the
Help section, you will be returned to that same page. Most users
might want to exit Help while viewing the NAMEVIEW Filename page.
Then when you wish to add to a Sort file and can't remember the
function key to which the desired file name was assigned, pressing
"H" will immediately return you back to the NAMEVIEW Filenames page.
Of course, exiting the Help section will return you to the same
screen page of the message you were viewing when Help was selected.
Early Termination of Program Execution
NAMEVIEW can be terminated at any time (except while viewing
Help screens or the Smart Point & Shoot file list) by pressing the
<Esc> key. If you are viewing the Help screens or the file list,
pressing <Esc> will return you to normal program operation. Another
press of <Esc> at this time will start the termination procedure.
Since anyone can make a mistake, you will be prompted to verify that
you want to terminate the program before you are actually "dumped."
Pressing "Y" at the termination prompt will dump the program. Press-
ing any other key will return you to normal NAMEVIEW operation.
Normal Program Termination
Normal program completion is first signaled by the flashing
"Last Message.." prompt in the Action message area of the information
line. Exit at this point via the normal <Esc> key function, or by
pressing "Q" (for Quit) when you are finished with the last message.
If you desire, you can return to the File Menu by pressing "M".
27
*** NAMEVIEW Features ***
Active Parameter Switching -
Users can now change the Line Wrap Check, Message Display (ALL
or those containing Search Words), Sound, NoEcho Mode, and Upper
Case Check parameters at any time while messages are being read.
This is in addition to being able to set/change them via the
Message Format Block Configuration Line or at the Set Up menu.
If these settings are changed while viewing messages, a short
BEEP will sound to let you know the change has been made (except
for the Sound parameter). It may take one additional message
screen for the changes to take affect, since NAMEVIEW is usually
already processing the next message while you are viewing the
current one. The status of these parameters is reflected on the
Information Line by highlighting (or blinking for mono systems).
AutoLoad Feature -
If the AutoLoad command line parameter ("A") is present, NAME-
VIEW loads and automatically looks for a download file with a
prefix reflecting the current date and a suffix found in your
DAT file. If a file meeting these conditions is present, it is
loaded, the "File Menu Options" menu is skipped, and the user is
immediately presented with the Set Up menu. If the file is not
found, the "File Menu Options" menu is presented normally.
After reading the initially loaded file and returning to the
"File Menu Options" menu, NAMEVIEW will look for additional
files with a name reflecting the current date AFTER the prev-
iously read file is "marked" or deleted. Additional (or ini-
tial, if the command line parameter wasn't used) AutoLoading can
also be triggered by toggling the AutoLoad parameter to ON at
the "File Menu Options" menu. Starting with the 2nd file to be
AutoLoaded, NAMEVIEW will remain at the "File Menu Options" menu
until <ENTER> is pressed to continue to the SetUp Menu.
Files are searched for in the order in which file suffixes ap-
pear in your message format blocks. NAMEVIEW will continue to
AutoLoad additional files in turn until no more are found meet-
ing the above criteria. When no more files are found, this
fact is stated onscreen beside the AutoLoad toggle setting.
AutoLoad is reactivated each time a new DAT file is selected
provided the AutoLoad parameter is left on (or toggled ON after
loading the new DAT file). Conditions for ensuring that the
AutoLoad feature will work are given in the "Command Line En-
tries" section of the documentation.
Automated Caps Lock/Num Lock Adjusting -
NAMEVIEW doesn't care about the status of your Caps Lock and
Num Lock keys and does nothing to change them. Pressing the
appropriate key will activate NAMEVIEW features regardless of
the status of the Locking keys. This means that even the num-
bers on the top row of the typewriter keys will activate fea-
tures in accordance with the comparable numeric keypad paging
and arrow keys.
28
Automatic DESQVIEW Detection -
NAMEVIEW automatically detects if it is being run under DesqVIEW
and makes the necessary changes to be friendly with this system.
No action is required from the user.
Book Mark Feature -
This feature gives you the option of saving your place while
searching/reading through a long download file (or even a short
one). After affirming that you want to place a book mark,
NAMEVIEW "marks" the last message that was searched. This "Book
Marking" is done by placing a file location code in a special
file which NAMEVIEW will create automatically for you. The
special file will have the name of your download file with a
dollar sign ($) added. In addition, your download file name is
changed by adding an exclamation point (!) to it. For example,
if your download file is named MAY05.TRS, after placing a book
mark, your download file will be named MAY05!.TRS, and the ad-
ditional file created will be MAY05$.TRS.
You can now run other programs on your computer, read other
files with NAMEVIEW, or even turn your computer off. For your
protection, files which have been "Book Marked" cannot be de-
leted (by NAMEVIEW). When you wish to resume reading your "Book
Marked" download file, simply choose it from the file listing
(it should be easily recognized because of the "!" in the file-
name). When you get to the Set Up Menu, NAMEVIEW will automati-
cally recognize that you have chosen a book marked file, and
will automatically set the "Find Book Mark" parameter to YES.
At this point, you have the option of changing this parameter to
NO, but if you do, you'll start searching all over at the begin-
ning of the file. If you choose to stay with the YES setting,
NAMEVIEW will start searching and show you the next file you
would have seen if you had not suspended your original search
with the Book Mark function. After starting operation with a
file in which a "Book Mark" was made, NAMEVIEW automatically
cleans up after itself by deleting the special file and renaming
the download file to its original name (without the "!").
Command Line Interface -
A command line interface is available to set Custom Message
Screen Colors, force your display into Mono mode, change your
print (LPT#) device, set DesqVIEW mode, Autoload a download file
with a name reflecting the current date, and to direct the
program to start immediately at the Message Screen without a
pause at the Menu Screen. See the "Command Line MENU Operation"
section for details.
Custom Message Screen Colors -
Message text colors may be customized by using the command line
interface. Menu and Help screens and the Information Line at
the bottom of the Message Screen are not affected. See the
Command Line Parameters section for information on how to spe-
cify your desired colors.
29
Display Adapter Detection -
NAMEVIEW will detect whether you are using a Monochrome or Color
Graphics adapter. Color adapters will get the full color treat-
ment. Monochrome adapters will get reverse video and high
intensity highlighting. For Mono users, if you can't distin-
guish high intensity characters when the menu is onscreen, then
your monitor's contrast control needs adjustment (if your screen
is still hard to read, see the Force Mono Function).
Enhanced DAT File Capability -
NAMEVIEW allows as many DAT files as you care to create. When
initially started, NAMEVIEW automatically loads NAMEVIEW.DAT.
If NAMEVIEW.DAT cannot be found in the current drive and direc-
tory, NAMEDROP.DAT will be loaded, if found. Additional DAT
files you create must be named using the NAMEVDAT.* format. It
is suggested that you use a numbering (NAMEVDAT.1, NAMEVDAT.2,
NAMEVDAT.3, etc.) or lettering (NAMEVDAT.A, NAMEVDAT.B, NAMEV-
DAT.C, etc.) system for the suffixes of your additional DAT
files. Any of your additional DAT files can be loaded with the
"(S)elect New DAT File:" item any time you are at the "File Menu
Options" menu. This is done with a point-and-shoot selection
from a list exactly like the download file list. A comment line
may now be included in your DAT files to help you remember their
purpose. See the "The NAMEVIEW.DAT Data File" section for
details.
Error Message Display -
NAMEVIEW checks for, protects for, and displays messages for
numerous errors. See Appendix B for a comprehensive description
of error messages.
Escape Key Function -
Pressing <Esc> will let you back out of sub-program routines,
and finally, terminate program execution. Esc can be used to
terminate NAMEVIEW from the message screen or from either Menu
screen. NAMEVIEW will always ask "Are you SURE you want to exit
NAMEVIEW?" before dumping you out of the program.
Extended Keyboard Interface -
You can now choose from multiple keys to activate many NAMEVIEW
features. The "N" (Next Message) key action can be duplicated
with the ENTER, RIGHT arrow, or Space bar keys, the "R" (Reverse
Read) key can be duplicated with the LEFT arrow key, and "Esc"
can be duplicated with the "Q" (Quit) key when the "Last Mes-
sage.." prompt is visible. In addition, enhanced keyboard users
can use either white or grey versions of the cursor and paging
keys. All activating keys are indicated on the Features Help
screen. Keyboarding is designed so that all message reading
functions can be performed conveniently on the numeric keyboard
and/or cursor (arrow) keys.
Fail Safe Message Processing -
Whenever NAMEVIEW's message size limits (240 lines) are exceed-
ed, another message unit is automatically created to handle the
excess information. This results in all information in the
30
download file being available to the user regardless of the
formatting problems present in the file. When any "oversized"
message is presented onscreen, it will consist of 240 lines.
The last line will say:
*** Message OVERFLOW...continued in next message unit!
The first line of the next message unit which NAMEVIEW created
will say:
*** Message OVERFLOW...continued from last message unit!
The lines which appear next will be a continuation of the pre-
ceding oversized message.
Floppy User Enhancement -
Floppy disk users with only one drive can use one floppy disk
containing the program files to start the program. Once the
first menu is onscreen, the program disk can be safely exchanged
with a second disk containing the download file(s) to be search-
ed. This allows the maximum possible room on the floppy disk
for download and Sort files. If the AutoLoad feature is to be
used, however, then the download file which is to be AutoLoaded
must be on the disk which is in the current drive (and in the
current subdirectory) during program loading.
Force Mono Function: default is OFF -
Some computers have color graphics adapters driving monochrome
monitors, with colors being interpreted as "different shades of
grey." If this is the case, NAMEVIEW will probably try to use
its full color mode, as it will have detected the color adapter.
This may result in less than optimum readability on your mono-
chrome monitor. If your monochrome monitor seems to be hard to
read, you can force NAMEVIEW to run in Mono mode by adding a
"M" (for Mono) following a space at the end of your starting
command line (for example: NAMEVIEW M). The only change forced
by this parameter is the screen color set. This option can
also be used for a color monitor, if you would prefer to run the
program in black and white!
Help System -
A three page help system is built into NAMEVIEW. Once Help is
selected (by pressing "H"), help pages can be cycled forward or
backward with the PgUp or PgDn keys (white or grey, for enhanced
keyboard users). The Help page which is onscreen when you exit
Help will be the first one you see if you re-select Help. Help
always returns you to the message page you were viewing when
Help was selected.
Intelligent End of File (EOF) Detection -
Due to line noise, file corruption and who knows what else, the
DOS end-of-file character sometimes appears within a download
file at a location other than the actual end-of-file. This used
to cause normal termination of the program with the "Last Mes-
sage" indicator. NAMEVIEW now ignores all EOF characters and
31
considers itself finished only when it has read the number of
bytes reported in the DOS file length. No indication is given
of any EOF characters found within the file.
Line Wrap Check - default is ON
This feature, which is set ON by default to provide the most
fail-safe message parsing and formatting, corrects three dif-
ferent download file problems. The first is caused by line
lengths which exceed 80 characters. This can occur within the
body of a message itself, or just on the "tag line." If it
occurs on the "tag line," then multiple messages being loaded/-
processed as if they were one message is the most notable sym-
ptom. The second is caused when the message software does not
provide a standard carriage return (CR) and line feed (LF) at
the end of each line. What typically happens is that a line
will end with a CR and two LF's. This fools all manner of file
reading software into thinking that the subsequent line begins
with a LF, and therefore plays havoc with precise screen place-
ment, which is critical to NAMEVIEW. The third problem is
caused when the tab character is found at the beginning of a
line, which will result in misplaced highlighting. The majority
of these problems occur due to "flaws" (I've been told by BBS
software writers it is for "efficiency") in the BBS software
which automatically gathers a batch of new messages to be down-
loaded.
With this feature left ON, NAMEVIEW will scan each line and make
the appropriate adjustments if any of the above problems are
found. There is only a small (under 5%, but increases with the
amount of correction which has to be done) speed penalty for
retaining this feature. If you are ABSOLUTELY SURE that none of
the problems which this feature corrects are present in your
download files, this feature may be deactivated for a resultant
increase in search speed. However, if NAMEVIEW seems to skip or
overwrite lines, if you see active scrolling (lines moving up on
the screen) which you haven't commanded, if it seems that multi-
ple messages are being processed as one, if your Information
Line seems to start disintegrating, or if highlighted words ap-
pear to be misplaced when messages are presented onscreen, then
you will need to leave this feature activated to correct these
faults. Some of these occurrences MAY cause unrecoverable
errors (program will freeze or crash). Line Wrap Check can be
toggled from the Set Up Menu, at any time while you are reading
messages, or set via the Message Format Block Configuration
Line. If toggled while reading messages, a short BEEP will be
heard to let you know the change has taken affect. In addition,
if you toggled this option to the ON setting, the current mes-
sage will automatically reprocess, which should eliminate any
current onscreen problems. The status of this parameter is
indicated on the command line while messages are being read.
Mark File Option -
This option appears on the "File Menu Options" menu only after a
download file has been searched (even partially). If you don't
wish to delete the file, but wish to leave an indication that
32
you have already read through it, this option will give you that
indication. After you have affirmed that you want the current
download file marked, NAMEVIEW will add a pound sign (#) to the
filename. For example, if the original file name was MAY05.TRS,
after marking, the filename will be MAY05#.TRS. Files thus
marked can be easily picked out when they are listed for selec-
tion by NAMEVIEW. If the AutoLoad parameter is ON, searching
for additional qualified files will continue after using the
Mark File option on the current file.
Message Display Mode: default is "Messages containing SEARCH WORDS"
If "ALL messages" is selected, all messages will be shown on-
screen in turn, regardless of whether or not any search "hits"
were made in the current message. If "Messages containing
SEARCH WORDS" is selected, only those messages in which at least
one "hit" was made will be shown onscreen. This parameter can
be toggled from the Set Up Menu, at any time while you are
reading messages, or set via the Message Format Block Configura-
tion Line. If toggled while reading messages, a short BEEP will
be heard to let you know the change has taken affect. The
status of this parameter is indicated on the command line while
messages are being read.
Message File Deletion Option -
This feature is active only when visible on the "File Menu
Options" Menu. You will be asked to verify this choice before
the file is erased. The only file that is erased with this
feature is the filename listed on the "File Menu Options" Menu
screen. If there is no file listed, or if the file listed has
been "book marked," then this option will not be available. No
Sort Files are ever erased by NAMEVIEW.
Message Review Keys -
Numerous keys are available to review those individual messages
which are longer than 24 lines (one screen page). Line scroll-
ing is available using the UP and DOWN arrow keys. The Home key
takes you to the beginning and shows you the first 24 lines.
The End key takes you to the end and shows you the last 24
lines. PgDn will move you 22 lines down from the current posi-
tion (the previous two bottom lines will be at the top of the
screen) unless there are less than 22 lines remaining. In this
case, PgDn acts like the End key and shows you the last 24
lines. PgUp works like PgDn, only in reverse.
Name(s) Found in Message Indication -
If you select the "Read ALL Messages" menu option, and a search
"hit" was made in the current onscreen message, a "Smiley"
character in the Additional Message Lines indication section of
the Information Line will blink at you. This will help alert
you to the fact that a search "hit" was found in the onscreen
message even if it does not appear in the initial onscreen
portion of the message. This feature is not active if you use
the "Read messages containing SEARCH WORDS" menu option, thus
avoiding the useless nuisance of constant blinking.
33
NoEcho Mode: default is OFF -
It is a characteristic of certain BBS systems that the Origin
line is not added to messages until they are "echoed," or sent
to another BBS system. This results in all of these non-Echoed
local messages being displayed simultaneously by NAMEVIEW as a
single message (and possibly resulting in overflow to another
message unit). If the noEcho mode is set to ON, NAMEVIEW will
use only the "First Line" entry as a message separator instead
of the "Last Line" entry in your DAT file. If you see several
messages that seem to be strung together without Origin lines,
set noEcho Mode to ON. NAMEVIEW will automatically reprocess
the current onscreen message and redisplay it whenever this
parameter is changed.
Using the ON setting will result in your seeing some "between
message garbage" whenever it occurs. Some BBS systems are
consistent with what appears at the end of their nonEchoed
messages, and some merely end with whatever the user left.
Because of this total lack of predictability, NAMEVIEW will show
you EVERYTHING that was sent between successive "First Line"
entries. I recommend you use the ON setting only when you
specifically encounter nonEchoed messages, and reset it to OFF
when it is no longer needed (when your "Last Line" entry starts
reappearing in the messages). In general (when nonEchoed mes-
sages are not present) searching for the "Last Line" parameter
will eliminate all "between message garbage." NoEcho Mode can
be toggled from the Set Up Menu, at any time while you are
reading messages, or set via the Message Format Block Configura-
tion Line. If toggled while reading messages, a short BEEP will
be heard to let you know the change has taken affect. The
status of this parameter is indicated on the command line while
messages are being read.
Print Device Customizing -
NAMEVIEW can be customized as to the print device written to by
the Print Message features. The default device is LPT1. Any
other LPT device recognized by your computer can now be speci-
fied on the command line. COM ports are not supported due to
the number of extra parameters which must also be specified for
their use. See the Command Line Parameters section for details
on how to set different LPT devices.
Print Message (using "P") -
During message reading, the current onscreen message can be
printed immediately by pressing "P". All printing is sent to
LPT1 by default or to your custom chosen device (see Print
Device Customizing). The device being printed to is indicated
on the Information Line while printing is in progress. Using
"P" to print a message inserts a few blank lines at the end of
each message. Therefore, several messages can be printed on the
same page if you prefer to save paper.
Print Message (using "F") -
This feature prints a message exactly as in the above feature
with the exception that a form feed is added to each message
34
instead of several blank lines. This feature is for those who
prefer to file each message on a separate piece of paper.
Reverse Read (Back Up) Command -
A LEFT arrow or "R" keypress will result in the most previously
screened message reappearing on your screen. Up to 10 previous-
ly screened messages can be viewed.
Search List Tailoring -
Due to numerous problems with different text editors trying to
produce DAT files, NAMEVIEW now automatically strips trailing
spaces from all Search List entries and removes any null en-
tries from the end of the list.
Search Parameters -
NAMEVIEW is written so that a "hit" must be a stand-alone word.
This means that your search word, as found in the download file,
must be surrounded by spaces, punctuation, hard return codes, or
be at the beginning of a line (or any combination of these) in
order for the program to report it as a legitimate find. For
example, if one of your search words is "Cox" the program will
find "Cox" but will not find "Wilcox" or "Coxe". By ignoring
imbedded words, the number of nuisance hits in your search is
reduced. This is why it is important to include all spellings
of the names (for genealogists) which you are interested in
finding, as searching for just the root part of the name will
probably result in no success in your search. All lines (in-
cluding the To:, From:, and Subject: lines) are searched for
your search words EXCEPT the Origin line when NoEcho mode is
OFF.
Smart Point & Shoot Download File Selection -
When the "(L)ist File Names" selection is chosen from the "File
Menu Options" menu, NAMEVIEW displays only those files with
filename extensions appearing in your NAMEVIEW.DAT file. This
shortens the time necessary for you to find the desired file,
and eliminates unnecessary errors caused by trying to load files
that were not meant for use with NAMEVIEW. The UP and DOWN
arrow keys are used to highlight the desired file. If the file
list is bigger than the display window, up and/or down arrows
are displayed to indicate that additional file names are avail-
able by scrolling beyond the top or bottom of the window. Any
drive and/or directory can be targeted for file listing.
Sort Files: User or Default Naming -
All sort files (20) can be named (including drive and path
parameters) completely at the users discretion. If file names
are not listed in the NAMEVIEW.DAT file, NAMEVIEW will automati-
cally assign default filenames to the (first ten) function keys.
See set-up section for details.
Sort Files: Writing to Disk -
NAMEVIEW never overwrites previous Sort File data. Any NAMEVIEW
Sort File write will only add (append) the current message data
to the data already in the file. Sort Files will automatically
35
be created as specified if not previously in existence when you
attempt to write to one. In order to safeguard your data,
NAMEVIEW does not "open" a Sort File until you elect to write
data to it. The file is then opened, the data is written, and
the file is immediately closed. If you use floppies for your
Sort File writes, this means you can change floppy disks in your
Sort File drive between Sort File writes (not advisable for
single floppy drive users). The Information Line will tempo-
rarily change to show you which Sort File is currently being
written to during the Sort File write.
Sound: default is OFF -
If sound ON is selected, different chimes will be heard depend-
ing on the setting of the "Read Selection" parameter. If "Read
Messages containing Search Words" is selected, a short chime
will sound as NAMEVIEW completes its processing of each message.
If you have selected "Read ALL Messages", a longer chime will
sound whenever a message is presented onscreen which contains a
"hit". A warning chime will sound if <Esc> was pressed, and a
program completion chime will sound as the program is exited.
Program execution is slowed with the Sound parameter ON, as it
takes a certain amount of time to sound the message counting
chime (approximately .15 seconds, regardless of microprocessor
type) and during this time, no other processing takes place. A
warning tone will sound, regardless of the Sound parameter
setting, if a key press is inappropriate or if the Delete option
is selected. Sound effects can be toggled from the Set Up Menu,
at any time while you are reading messages, or set via the
Message Format Block Configuration Line. A special chime sounds
when this parameter is toggled ON. The status of this parameter
is indicated on the command line while messages are being read.
Special Search: default is OFF
When selected from the Set Up Menu, permits entry of a single,
special search item for a speed search. When this feature is
used, your normal search list will be ignored, and the download
file will be searched for this single item only. If your search
item is found in any message, that message will be displayed
onscreen with all occurrences of the special search item in
reverse video. All other NAMEVIEW key functions remain the
same. This is the fastest possible search, as only one item has
to be searched for instead of your entire search list. Select
"Input Special Search" (press "I") again to erase a search item
which was previously entered.
Upper Case Check: default is ON
When this parameter is ON, NAMEVIEW will not return a "hit"
unless the first character of the found word/name was an upper
case letter in the download file being searched. Leaving this
parameter on will reduce the number of nuisance "hits" if all of
the words in your search list are proper names. Can be toggled
from the Set Up Menu, at any time while you are reading mes-
sages, or set via the Message Format Block Configuration Line.
If toggled while reading messages, a short BEEP will be heard to
let you know the change has taken affect. The status of this
36
parameter is indicated on the command line while messages are
being read.
The following chart shows how NAMEVIEW will handle different
cases depending on how the Upper Case parameter is set:
Upper Case Check
Words appearing in download file ON OFF
+--------------------------------------+------+-----+
| PAGE | * | * |
| Page | * | * |
| page | | * |
| pAGE | | * |
+--------------------------------------+------+-----+
* signifies a "hit"
37
APPENDIX A
Ways to Write Your NAMEVIEW.DAT File
There are numerous ways to write or modify your NAMEVIEW.DAT
file, as it is merely an ASCII file containing information in a
particular format.
Word Processing Software -
Perhaps the easiest way to create an ASCII file is with your
word processor. Most word processors can read and write ASCII
(or DOS text) files, if you know the required commands to do
so. Using your word processor makes writing the file very easy,
as you are already familiar and probably very comfortable with
your program. If you are not familiar with reading and writing
ASCII files with your word processor, be sure to review your
manual for instructions.
DO NOT try to create NAMEVIEW.DAT by using your normal Save
option. Doing so will result in special formatting codes being
saved along with your text, and NAMEVIEW will be unable to read
the file correctly. Check for special quirks of your program
that may thwart your efforts for an ASCII save. For example, I
use WordPerfect 4.2 at times to write ASCII files. The ASCII
save is pretty straight-forward (press Ctrl + F5, then choose #1
from the menu presented). The problem comes when you exit the
program after your ASCII save. When you select EXIT, you are
asked if you want to save your document. You MUST choose NO at
this point. If you choose yes, the file is saved again in
formatted form, and it will overwrite the ASCII version which
you originally saved.
If your word processor is not capable of reading and writing
ASCII files, chose one of the other methods available to you.
TED - (Tiny EDitor), an excellent full screen editor
TED is a tiny, full screen editor intended for line-oriented
files up to 64k in size. It was written by Tom Kihlken and made
available for non-commercial public use by PC Magazine. It
makes full use of the keypad cursor keys for moving and scroll-
ing, and it lets you cut, copy, paste, and print. TED has been
distributed free along with the NAMEVIEW files for your con-
venience in writing your NAMEVIEW.DAT file. This is probably
the simplest and easiest way to handle your ASCII file process-
ing needs.
38
Appendix B
Problems and Error Messages
For DOS error messages which occur prior to NAMEVIEW loading and
starting, see your DOS manual. There are numerous errors which
NAMEVIEW specifically guards for. Errors which occur prior to the
presentation of the menu are announced in a prominent error message
box. Errors which occur with menus or once the message screen is
entered are presented in the Information Line area. If you are
presented with an "Information Line Error," pressing <ENTER> will
erase the error message and resume normal operations. The operation
which caused the error will not be resumed or retried automatically
by NAMEVIEW.
The following messages may appear on the Information line to alert
you of unusual circumstances or to advise you to check certain DAT
file parameters:
Information Line Message Description of problem
--------------------------- --------------------------------------
Check FIRST LINE Parameter! NAMEVIEW has searched the entire file
specified without finding a First Line
indicator. This message advises you to
correct this part of your DAT file in
order to read the message. See the
"NAMEVIEW.DAT file - Message Format
Section" for details.
Check LAST LINE Parameter! NAMEVIEW has calculated that all of
your message units have resulted in
overflow being processed. This is a
prime indicator of an incorrect Last
Line parameter in your DAT file. See
the "NAMEVIEW.DAT file - Message Format
Section" for details.
Miscellaneous Problems
If your specified command line colors do not appear:
They were probably specified incorrectly on the command line.
Both numbers specified on the command line must be between the
values of 0 and 15. See the "Command Line Parameters" section
for details.
If each message unit shown onscreen seems to contain several actual
messages:
You should toggle to NoEcho mode (press "E"). If the onscreen
presentation immediately changes to a single message, then
39
remain in NoEcho mode. If this does not solve the problem, and
you are operating with Line Wrap set to OFF, then you need to
toggle Line Wrap to ON (press "L"). You can change either/both
of these settings at the Set Up Menu, by pressing "E" or "L" to
toggle them while viewing messages, or by adding a Configuration
Line to the appropriate Message Format Block in your DAT file.
If your Information Line seems to partially disintegrate:
You are probably operating with Line Wrap Check set OFF and you
scrolled down through a message containing lines longer than 80
characters. Toggle Line Wrap Check back ON (press "L") - your
Information Line will be rebuilt, NAMEVIEW will reprocess the
message to shorten any offending over-length lines, and further
scrolling should be without further discrepancies. Keep your
Line Wrap Check ON (default mode) if you encounter this problem
often.
If NAMEVIEW freezes with only "ENTER to continue" visible on the
Information Line:
You have encountered an unrecoverable error due to the Line Wrap
parameter being toggled OFF. Restart NAMEVIEW and leave the
Line Wrap parameter in the default setting of ON.
Specific Error Messages
The following are errors which may be announced after NAMEVIEW
has initially loaded:
Error Message Error Explanation or Fix
=============================== =================================
Attempt to ReName - File Al- You already had a "marked" file
ready Exists! with the same base name as the
file you are attempting to "mark."
DOS has rejected your attempt to
make "duplicate" files.
Bad format in DAT file, can't NAMEVIEW can't read your DAT file
continue (press ESC to exit) on initial startup, as it is
formatted so badly as to be un-
recognizable. (If you used your
word processor to create it, you
might check to see if you forgot
to save it in DOS or ASCII format)
Can't Access PRINTER, DRIVE, The printer (LPT#) or disk drive
or PATH specified you are attempting to access is
not on line or does not exist.
The path you specified does not
exist
40
CAN'T FIND ANY NAME????.DAT NAMEVIEW has looked for both
FILES! They must be located in NAMEVIEW.DAT and NAMEDROP.DAT
the default Drive and Direc- files and can't find either in the
tory! current drive & directory. Cor-
rect the problem and restart the
program.
DISK in specified drive is There is not enough room on the
FULL disk for the completion of the
current PRINT operation.
DISK Missing, Unformatted, No disk in drive specified or the
Flawed, or Write-Protected locking lever/door is not lock-
ed/closed on the specified drive.
An attempt was made to read or
write to an unformatted disk.
Your disk drive hardware has
detected a physical flaw on the
disk.
An attempt to write to a write-
protected disk was made. Replace
disk with non-write-protected
disk, or remove write protection.
Illegal FILENAME (too many or A filename specified in your NAME-
improper characters) - VIEW.DAT file does not conform to
DOS filename specifications. You
will see this error only when you
attempt to write to the file using
the illegal filename. No error
checking is done on Sort File
names when they are read from the
.DAT file.
PRINTER is OFF, OFF-Line, or Check ON/OFF switch!
OUT of PAPER
Check the printer on-line light
and correct the situation.
Add paper!
Problem loading DAT file...no NAMEVIEW couldn't make sense out
data loaded of the NAME????.DAT or NAMEVDAT.*
file which you attempted to load.
Check for proper formatting (see
the section on Preparing your
NAMEVIEW.DAT file) or select
another support file to use.
41
Appendix C
NAMEVIEW Upgrade Enhancements
Current version 3.03
The NAMEVIEW shareware version can be identified as #.##S###, and the
registered version can be identified as #.##R###.
Version 0.00 - No number...first BETA test program
Version 1.00 - Original program release
Version 1.01 -
1. "Esc" key bug fix.
Fixed a bug in the "Esc" routine which would disable the PgUp
and PgDn keys if an "Esc" key press was aborted (return to program
operation instead of terminating program).
2. Additional Error Routines.
Error routine improved to give specific "Duplicate words in
search list," "I/O Error...can't continue," and "Probable hardware
error in specified drive" error messages.
Version 1.02 -
1. Error Routine Bug Fix.
Fixed bug in "Probable bad <Last Line> entry in .DAT file"
routine. Program used to hang, necessitating reboot when this error
occurred rather than displaying the error message. NAMEVIEW now
correctly identifies and displays the error message before
terminating.
2. Print Routine Bug Fix.
Fixed a bug which would sometimes dump the program when a
message was printed and then immediately saved to an FKey file.
3. Null ".DAT" File Entry Errors Eliminated.
This routine was added to strip any null entries found at
the end of the NAMEVIEW.DAT file, eliminating one of the
most common problems with setting the program up.
4.* Added "Name(s) Found in Message Indication.
Added a blinking "Pg" indication that names have been found
in the onscreen message if Read ALL messages parameter is
chosen.
for items marked with "*", see the Features section for more details
42
Version 1.03 -
1.* Extended Keyboard Interface added.
NAMEVIEW features can now be activated by several different
keys, depending on your preference. Grey keys on enhanced
keyboards (with BIOS support) now work.
2.* Caps Lock and Num Lock no longer changed.
NAMEVIEW no longer messes with your locking key settings.
Instead, it will trap all possible combinations of the hot
keys so they will activate regardless of the locking key
settings.
3. Help Section Bug Fix.
Fixed a bug which would cause a crash if Help was selected
while paused at the opening menu.
Version 1.04 -
1.* Line Wrap Check added.
NAMEVIEW can now check for and correct excessive line
lengths and missing carriage returns. This is essentially
a fix for errors which are due to BBS software problems.
2. Hot Key bug fix.
Several hot key bugs which crept in with the change over to
the Extended Keyboard Interface have been corrected.
Version 2.00 -
1.* Smart Point & Shoot download file selection added.
NAMEVIEW displays only those files which have filename
extensions described in your NAMEVIEW.DAT file. Any drive
and/or directory can be targeted for file listing.
2. Multiple download file reading capability added.
Users can now read numerous download files without having
to reload NAMEVIEW for each one.
3.* Mark File feature added.
At your option, you can mark a download file as having been
read without deleting it.
4.* Book Mark feature added.
You can now stop in the middle of reading a download file,
mark your place, and return to where you left off later.
5.* AutoLoad feature added.
If selected, registered users can automatically load a file
named to reflect the current date on start-up.
6.* Reverse Read feature added.
Users can now back up and view previous messages.
7.* Print + Form Feed feature added.
Users can now optionally select a print feature which adds
a form feed after your message is printed.
for items marked with "*", see the Features section for more details
43
8.* Active parameter switching added.
Users can now change the Line Wrap Check, Message (ALL or
Search Word), Sound, and Upper Case Check parameters at any
time while messages are being read.
9. Right-most spaces and null items are now automatically
trimmed from search list entries.
These items caused lots of problems in getting your search
list set up so NAMEVIEW would work correctly. NAMEVIEW now
does the work for you!
10. Active menu file-protection feature added.
NAMEVIEW will not let you delete a file which has not been
read yet, or which has been "book marked."
11. Automatically set Find Book Mark parameter.
NAMEVIEW automatically sets the Find Book Mark parameter to
YES when a download file which has had a book mark placed
has been selected.
12. Screen printing routine enhanced.
Printing of highlighted items is now approximately 50%
faster.
13. Prohibition on repeated words in the search list is deleted.
This problem was cured simultaneously with the faster
screen printing routine!
14. Line Wrap check enhanced
Code was changed to eliminate errors (& freeze-ups) which
could occur in some special circumstances.
Version 2.01 -
1.* Added Custom Message Screen Color ability
Registered versions now allow user defined colors for the
message screen.
2.* Print device can now be specified
Registered versions allow user definition of the desired
print device.
3. Added "File Already Exists" error protection.
Protects from crashes if "marking" a file will result in
duplicate file names (another file already has the name
that the current file will have when the "#" is added).
4. Code cleanup & consolidation.
Always trying to make it smaller and faster!
Version 2.02 -
1.* Fail Safe Message Processing added.
Earlier versions would drop those message lines in excess
of 240 until the next Last Line indicator was found.
NAMEVIEW now automatically creates a new "Message Unit" to
contain all excess message lines.
for items marked with "*", see the Features section for more details
44
2. Line Wrap checking enhanced for more consistent results.
3. Fixed bug which would load multiple messages if tag lines
exceeded 80 characters. Line Wrap Check must be selected ON
for this protection to work.
4. Fixed "Lost Cluster" bug.
Versions 2.00 and 2.01 would cause lost clusters on the
disk where directory searches were performed. See Appendix
D for directions on how to recover lost clusters.
Version 2.03 -
1. Fixed Information Line Action Message bug.
Earlier versions would not correctly set and retain the
blinking "Searching" message when Reverse Read was select-
ed.
2. Added Leading Tab detection to Line Wrap Check.
This enhancement was added after experiencing problems with
download file messages in which tab characters were found
at the beginning of a line. This would cause erroneously
placed highlighting to occur on those lines.
3. Searching speed improved.
Due to coding changes/enhancements, program speed during
Special Search runs has been improved by approximately 10%.
The improvement for normal searches using your search list
is somewhat less than 10%.
Version 2.04 -
1.* Intelligent End-of-File Detection.
NAMEVIEW now checks to see if the EOF has actually been
reached whenever it detects the EOF character before ter-
minating with the "Last Message" indicator.
2. Fixed bug which would let the user progress past the File
Menu without having selected a download file.
Version 2.05 -
1. True DOS 2.11 - 5.0 Compatibility.
Versions 2.00 through 2.04 would crash when trying to list
files on systems using DOS versions earlier than 3.00.
Code has been changed to eliminate this problem and file
listing speed has been greatly improved. Code has been
test run successfully on DOS versions 2.11 through 5.0.
2.* Sound usage changed to enhance "hit" detection.
With the sound parameter set "ON", NAMEVIEW will sound a
special chime to signify that a message containing a "hit"
has been placed onscreen when ALL messages are being read.
(Works the same as the blinking "Pg" on the Information
Line).
for items marked with "*", see the Features section for more details
45
3.* Line Wrap Check default parameter changed to ON.
Changed to ON to provide fail-safe message parsing/formatt-
ing. Those users who read the documentation and therefore
know how to check to see if this parameter is needed may
get the benefits of an increase in search speed.
4.* Number of available Sort Files increased.
The number of user-defined sort files has been increased
from 10 to 20. The first 10 sort files (listed in your DAT
file) are selected by the 10 function keys. The next 10
sort files are selected by using ALT + Function keys.
Version 2.06 -
1.* Cleanup routine added.
Cleanup will do an in-depth search of the onscreen message
for those low ASCII characters which may be causing video
formatting problems. Use it if the screen presentation of
a message appears strange.
2.* DESQVIEW compatible mode added.
Differences in video memory assignments when running under
DESQVIEW made it necessary to add this enhancement. DESQ-
VIEW compatibility is gained at the expense of losing video
"paging" capability.
3. Fixed a bug in the Processing OVERFLOW information message.
Nobody noticed this one, but it is fixed anyway.
Version 2.07 -
1.* FIDO noEcho mode added.
NAMEVIEW now correctly separates messages which have not
been "echoed" on FIDO BBS systems (no "* Origin" line
added) when this toggle is set to YES.
2. Bad DAT file format error trap and warning message added.
NAMEVIEW will now report an unrecognizable DAT file format
instead of hanging.
3. Fixed a bug in the Back-Up feature.
Nobody noticed this one, but it is fixed.
4. Fixed a bug in the Special Search routine.
NAMEVIEW would not correctly restore the first item in your
search list after a special search if Special Search was
reset to NO. Another one fixed before it was even
reported!
Version 2.08 -
1.* NoEcho Mode enhanced.
The original FIDO NoEcho mode was designed to work only
with messages originating on the FIDO network. This en-
hancement enables NAMEVIEW to separate nonEchoed messages
originating from any network. The automatic reformatting
feature (on toggling NoEcho mode) was also added.
for items marked with "*", see the Features section for more details
46
2. Keyboard changes for some toggled modes.
The Message Display (ALL or those with "hits") toggle key
was changed from "M" to "D". This makes all toggle keys
case INsensitive for easier keyboarding (upper or lower
case "M" will now recall the Menu).
3. Command Line entries changed.
Command line entries were changed for compatibility with
the hot key toggles ("D" used on command line to change
Message Display mode).
4. Overflow Message deleted.
This message appeared onscreen so briefly when it was
called, that most users didn't have time to notice it
anyway.
5. Small sorting bug fixed in the download file listing.
Another non-reported bug fix.
Version 2.09 -
1. Fixed bug in toggle for NoEcho feature.
This bug caused the NoEcho feature to toggle each time a
new file was selected to read. It also caused intermittent
problems with reading files.
2. Fixed bug in time display of file listing.
This bug caused random numbers to be displayed in the file
creation time column of the file listing. Occasionally, it
would also crash the program.
Version 3.00 -
1. New linking library used (Crescent Software PDQ).
Linking with the PDQ library has produced a considerable
increase in speed and an EXE file size reduction to ap-
proximately 50% of the size of version 2.09 in spite of
numerous enhancements. Using the special search feature to
provide a quasi benchmark for continuous file reading/-
searching has shown search times taking less than 1/2 the
time of version 2.09 searches.
2.* New Screen Routines added for better message viewing.
True line scrolling as well as Home and End key functions
have been added. PgUp and PgDn functions were slightly
modified. Direct video writing is now used for screen
printing for fastest speed and greatest accuracy.
3.* Error routines consolidated and simplified.
The number of error messages has been reduced, but enough
information is still provided to allow for recovery of all
expected user/hardware errors.
4. Internally controlled file buffer added.
NAMEVIEW now contains an internal file buffer which it
fully controls. This has resulted in significant increases
is search throughput due to faster file reads.
for items marked with "*", see the Features section for more details
47
5.* Enhanced DAT file capability.
You can now maintain and use an unlimited number of DAT
files. A descriptive remark can be added to each DAT file
for easy identification and viewing while making DAT file
selections. A total of 10 Message Format Blocks can now be
defined in each DAT file.
6. Auto parameter setting for each format block.
Each Message Format Block can now contain custom configura-
tion information which is loaded automatically when a file
using that MFB is selected.
7.* Autoload enhanced.
The autoload feature now searches successively for current-
ly dated files with any of the suffixes contained in the
current DAT file.
8. CleanUp routine removed.
Changing to direct video writes for screen printing re-
sulted in the CleanUp routine becoming unnecessary. All
characters are now echoed to the screen exactly as they
were downloaded and stored.
9.* Toggle settings now displayed on Information Line
The status of the Configuration settings which can be
toggled while reading messages are now displayed on the
Information Line. This eliminates any guessing as to what
the current setting for any parameter might be.
Version 3.01 -
1. *AutoLoad enhanced some more.
The AutoLoad routine call was added after the file kill
routine (should have been there in 3.00!).
2. Made some small code optimizations.
Version 3.02 -
1. Changed file input routine for Blue Wave compatibility.
The Blue Wave message bundler uses only a CR code between
each message line rather than the more usual CR/LF
combination. Earlier versions (prior to 3.00) of NAMEVIEW
used a different file input routine which automatically
compensated for this. The new file input routine used in
versions 3.00 and later has now been changed to work with
either method of message line delimitation.
2. Corrected Menu display bug.
The File Menu now correctly displays the next AutoLoaded
file following a "Kill" operation.
Version 3.03 -
1. Small code change to speed up directory listings.
for items marked with "*", see the Features section for more details
48
Appendix D
Registration and Support
If you become a regular user of NAMEVIEW, please support it by regis-
tering. The forms on the following page are included for your con-
venience.
NOTE: Only 360k, 5 1/4" disks are supported at this time.
If you wish to obtain additional information not covered in this
documentation or to make comments or suggestions about NAMEVIEW,
contact:
Ray Cox
17410 Huntersglen
Humble, TX 77396-1622
713-454-6074
NAMEVIEW was designed and written for genealogy users. If you have a
question or problem that may be of interest to others, you may ad-
dress a message to me, Ray Cox, on the GENSOFT BBS Conference (or the
National Genealogical Conference - NGC - if GENSOFT isn't available
to you) via any BBS which supports it. I download and review mes-
sages from these conferences at least three times a week, and will
answer all messages using that medium.
The fee for "paper" registration only (no disk sent!) is $10.00. For
a personally serialized copy (without the "beg" screen) send $15.00.
Upgrades will be provided to registered users for $5.00.
49
NAMEVIEW Registration: "Paper" ($10.00)____ Send Disk ($15.00)____
Name ____________________________________ Phone ___________________
Address _________________________________
City, State _____________________________ Zip ____________________
I understand that my registered version of NAMEVIEW is not for public
distribution, but is solely for my own use.
Signature ___________________________________
Disk configuration: 1 floppy_____ 2 floppy_____ Hard Disk_____
Video: Color_____ Mono_____ System memory: ___________k
Windows_____ DESQView_____
Where did you get NAMEVIEW? ______________________________________
NAMEVIEW Shareware version number: _______________________________
(appears in reverse video bar as v#.##L### while MENU is onscreen)
Suggestions, Comments ____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
==================================================================
NAMEVIEW Upgrade ($5.00)
Name ____________________________________ Phone ___________________
Address _________________________________
City, State _____________________________ Zip ____________________
NAMEVIEW serial no. _____________________________________
(appears in reverse video bar as v#.##L### while MENU is onscreen)
I understand that my registered version of NAMEVIEW is not for public
distribution, but is solely for my own use.
Signature ___________________________________
Problems, Suggestions, Comments: _________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
50