Power Utilities

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Power Utilities / Power Utilities.iso / utility / pro16 / lcg_rmnd.doc < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1990-02-28 | 34.7 KB | 786 lines

LCG/Remind version 1.7 Copyright 1989, 1990 by The Levin Consulting Group Introduction ------------ LCG/Remind is a small utility program designed to remind you when it is time to back-up the files on your hard disk, and to help automate the process. We wrote this program for our clients, and have found that it is an excellent way to ensure regular back-ups of valuable data. In addition, it can be used to display information, suggest action, or simply run any program on a regular schedule. It lets you ask multiple choice, or yes/no questions from within your batch files. Typically, you would call LCG/Remind from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. It will determine when you last ran your back-up program, and, if it is time for a new back-up, will display a message asking you whether to automatically run the back-up. Although there may be other programs similar to LCG/Remind, none are as flexible, intelligent, or attractive: o LCG/Remind can determine when your disk was last backed-up by examining the date of "log" files created by your back-up software. If your software doesn't create these, then they will be maintained by LCG/Remind. o The number of days before "triggering" the reminder message may be specified, or you can set it to trigger on specific days of the week, or specific days of the month. o You can set it to only trigger at a specified time of day. o Triggering can be initiated or prevented based on the total size of files that need to be backed-up, or the amount of free space on your hard disk. o The reminder message can be customized. Foreign language support allows for Yes/No responses in any language. o When triggered, the program can be instructed to take a variety of actions. It can directly run another program. It can simply display a reminder message. Or, it can even offer a multiple-choice question, and act based on the response. o The name of the file containing the message can be specified on the command line, as can the file whose date is being examined. This allows the program to be used to trigger a number of different events based on different date files. For example, we have modified our autoexec.bat file so that our disk optimizing program is run once each day (even if we reboot multiple times). If we haven't backed-up our hard disk in the past week LCG/Remind will ask us if we want to do so. Finally, every time we reboot we have LCG/Remind ask whether to load our print spooler. 2 o LCG/Remind sets DOS "errorlevels" to reflect whether it was triggered and the answer to the question displayed. This allows for maximum flexibility in system design, and absolute minimum memory use. o You can specify how long you want the message displayed, and your system will never hang, waiting for an answer. o You can specify the color of the pop-up windows, their borders, and the title line. LCG/Remind will work with any standard display system. o Try-before-you-buy ShareWare by a member of the Association of ShareWare Professionals. Individual or corporate registration allows you to have your name (or your organization's) displayed on the title line, and to bypass the registration screen. Revision History ---------------- v 1.7 -- 3/1/90: New disk full trigger (/df) and percent full substitution (%p). Added LAST day of month (/e:L), and specific week of month (/w:X#) triggers. Now displays exit code. Improved 4DOS compatibility. Added REMIND_2.BAT extended example files. Changed file names to conform to High Sierra CD-ROM standard. Minor bug fixes and documentation changes. v 1.6 -- 9/11/89: Speed up directory tree searches (/q). Optional sound effects (/ns). Foreign language support with configurable Yes/No keys (/y:). Improved EGA/VGA support. v 1.5 -- 6/29/89: Can now use wildcards (i.e., /d:*.his) for date file specification. Added ability to trigger (/kt:) or prevent (/kb:) backup based on the size of the files needing backup (or matching any arbitrary filename pattern). New substitutions to put number (%f) and size (%k) of matching files into the reminder message. v 1.4 -- 4/17/89: Added optional config file (/f:), ability to wait until specified time before continuing (/z:). v 1.3 -- 4/16/89: Improved error trapping. Updated documentation to reflect ASP membership and PSL distribution. v 1.2 -- 3/19/89: Time of day triggers (/tb:, and /ta:) added. v 1.1 -- 2/7/89: Minor documentation changes and speed enhancements. v 1.0 -- 1/11/89: First general release. Added /n: switch, changed default color scheme, minor bug fixes. v 0.2 -- 1/9/89: Support for weekly (/w:) and monthly (/e:) triggers added. Better window size error checking. Added serial numbers. 3 v 0.1 -- 1/5/89: First beta test release shipped to Chicago. Installation ------------ To install LCG/Remind simply copy the file lcg_rmnd.exe to a convenient subdirectory on your hard disk. Next, modify your autoexec.bat file. For example, if you want to trigger LCG/Remind every 7 days, and ask whether to do a back-up, then include the following lines (which are also included in this package as REMIND.BAT): lcg_rmnd /i:7 if errorlevel 3 goto :NOBACK if not errorlevel 2 goto :NOBACK rem Insert YOUR disk back up commands here lcg_rmnd /reset :NOBACK This example uses the default lcg_rmnd.dat date file, and explicitly resets the date if a back-up is run. The "/i:7" command sets the interval to 7 days. If you want to see what LCG/Remind does when triggered, change the switch to "/i:0". That will trigger the program every time it is run. If your back-up program produces a file on your hard disk, then you can use a simpler method, illustrated below. Using this method, lcg_rmnd will always be able to determine the date of your most recent back-up. For example, we use PC Tools version 5.5 PCBACKUP.EXE, which modifies a file called "PCBACKUP.HST" (when "Report Option" is set to "Disk). If you also use PC Tools, and want to run a back-up every Monday without displaying a preliminary message, or asking a question, you would place the following lines in your autoexec.bat: lcg_rmnd /w:1 /n:3 /d:c:\pctools\pcbackup.hst /m: if errorlevel 1 pcbackup The "/w:1" sets the trigger to every Monday, but "/n:3" will cancel the trigger if a back-up has been performed in the preceding 3 days. The "/m:" switch without an attached file name instructs LCG/Remind NOT to display a message. Command line switches are described fully below, under the heading "Command Line Syntax." When creating your batch files, remember that MS-DOS requires that you use the "call" command if you want to call one batch file from within another. By itself, the batch file name will allow branching to the second batch file, but will NOT return to the calling batch file. Exit Codes ---------- LCG/Remind sets DOS exit codes. These exit codes can be examined by a parent process, or, through an ERRORLEVEL test in a DOS batch file. Please remember that the command "if errorlevel 3" is true if the errorlevel (exit code) is GREATER THAN OR EQUAL to 3. Thus, you should always test errorlevels in descending order (i.e., 3,2,1). 4 Here is how LCG/Remind sets these codes: 0 Not triggered 1 Triggered and either no question asked, or if asked, no answer given 2 Triggered, yes/no question with answer of "Y" (or substitute set by "/y:" switch) 3 Triggered, yes/no question with answer of "N" (or /y: substitute) 0-9 Triggered, multiple choice question, with answer of number The LCG/Remind package includes a sample batch file, REMIND_2.BAT, which contains examples of using lcg_rmnd to either: o Ask a yes/no question when triggered o Ask a multiple choice question when triggered o Display a message only when triggered o Run a program directly when triggered without stopping to ask a question or displaying a message Command Line Syntax ------------------- LCG/Remind syntax is as follows: lcg_rmnd [/d:filename] [/m:filename] [/f:filename] [/reset] [/i:#] [/w:[X]#[,[X]#]] [/e:#[L][,#]] [/n:#] [/tb:HHMM] [/ta:HHMM] [/df:D:#] [/pa:X:path] [/kt:#] [/kp:#] [/q] [/y:XX] [/ns] [/z:HHMM] [/l:#] [/s] [/c:######] [/r:XXXX:#:Name] [/h] All of the command line switches are optional. Typing "lcg_rmnd" on a line by itself will display a short help message, including the possible color combinations. Please note that all of the command line options must be on the same line, but the total line length can not exceed 88 characters. If you need a longer command line, use the "/f:" switch to specify a configuration file instead. FILE SPECIFICATION SWITCHES: /d: This specifies the file to be used to time the reminder process. If none is specified, then the default is "lcg_rmnd.dat". If your back-up program creates a file on your hard disk, then it would be appropriate to specify that file name here. If wildcards are used, then the most recent file matching the specification will be used. For example, Fastback PLUS users may want to specify "/d:*.his". 5 /m: This specifies the file which contains the message which is displayed in a pop-up window if it is time for a reminder. The default is "lcg_rmnd.msg" if no "/m:" switch is included. Specifying "/m:" without following it with a file name will prevent any message from being displayed. The message file itself contains a plain ASCII message to be displayed. The following substitutions allow the message to be current: %n in the file is replaced with the number of days since the last back-up %d is replaced with the date of the last back-up %c is used to indicate the position of the cursor, and is the signal that the message contains a question %f is replaced with the NUMBER of files matching the /pa: specification %k is replaced with the SIZE in KILOBYTES of files matching the /pa: specification %p is replaced with the PERCENT OF THE DISK specified in the /df: switch which is FULL If the message file does not exist, one will be created which contains the following lines: Your hard disks have not been backed up in %n days (since %d). Would you like to run your backup program now? %c When displayed, the appropriate substitutions will be made, and the pop- up window will look something like the following: ╒═════════[ Regina A. Levin ]══════════╕ │ │▒▒ │ Your hard disks have not been backed │▒▒ │ up in 14 days (since 12/25/88). │▒▒ │ │▒▒ │ Would you like to run your backup │▒▒ │ program now? █ │▒▒ │ │▒▒ ╞══════════════════════════════════════╡▒▒ │ 3:31:22 pm 1/08/89 │▒▒ ╘══════════════════════════════════════╛▒▒ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ /f: Use this to specify a configuration file containing command line switches. Thus, specifying "lcg_rmnd /f:lcg_rmnd.cfg", where lcg_rmnd.cfg is a file containing the following 2 lines: 6 /z:1800 /i:7 is exactly equivalent to specifying "lcg_rmnd /z:1800 /i:7". Use this switch if you have very long command lines, although parameters may total no more than 240 characters even with this method. /reset This will reset the time on the date file specified by the "/d:" switch. If no file is specified, then the default, "lcg_rmnd.dat" will be reset. If the date file does not exist it will be created. If it does exist then its date will be changed to match the current system date and time. The contents of the file are not altered. DATE TRIGGER SWITCHES: /i: This is used to specify an interval to trigger the program. If the date file was last modified the specified number of days ago or more then LCG/Remind will be triggered. /w: This is used to specify days of the week to trigger the program according to the following conversion: 0 - Sunday 1 - Monday 2 - Tuesday 3 - Wednesday 4 - Thursday 5 - Friday 6 - Saturday Multiple days can be specified, and may be separated by nothing, a comma, or in fact, any character except a space. For example, "/w:1,3,5" will trigger LCG/Remind on every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Note that, by itself, this will trigger a reminder EVERY time the program is run on the specified day. This may well be undesirable if you reboot multiple times on that day. To prevent multiple triggers per day add the /n:0 switch to the command line. To limit the triggering to specific weeks, prefix the day of the week number by a letter from the following list: A - FIRST occurrence in the month of the specified weekday B - SECOND occurrence C - THIRD occurrence D - FOURTH occurrence E - FIFTH occurrence L - LAST occurrence For example, "/w:L5" will trigger on the last Friday of the month, and "/w:A1,C1" will trigger on the first or third Monday of the month. See the "/e" switch below to trigger on the very last day of the month. 7 /e: This is used to specify days of the month on which to trigger the program. For example "/e:01,15" will trigger LCG/Remind on the 1st and the 15th. Please note that if the trigger date is missed, the program will NOT trigger on the day after. Therefore, we suggest that you also include a "/i:" command, to specify a maximum interval between back-ups. For example, "/e01,15 /i:17" will also trigger on the 1st and 15th, but even if you don't use your computer on those days of the month the "/i:17" will also ensure that you don't go more than 17 days before the next back-up. Please note that the first through the ninth of the month must be specified as "01", "02", etc., not just as "1" or "2". Instead of a number, the letter "L" can be used to specify the last day of the month. For example, in February of leap years, "/e:L" will trigger on the 29th of the month. /n: This is used to specify an interval during which NOT to trigger the program. If the date file is set to yesterday, then /n:1 will prevent a reminder from being triggered, even if today matches the day of the week, or day of the month specified by the /w: or /e: switches. For example, "/w:1 /n:25" could be used to trigger the reminder every Monday, unless the date file has been reset within the past 25 days. The net effect would be a trigger every 4th Monday. Similarly, "/e:15 /n:0" will trigger a reminder every time the program is run on the 15th of the month, unless the date file has already been set to that day. TIME TRIGGER SWITCHES: /tb: This switch will only allow LCG/Remind to be triggered if the current time of day is BEFORE the specified time. For example, "/tb:800" will prevent a trigger, unless the current time is before 8:00 AM. To trigger every day at this time, combine this switch with "/i:0". Note that the time must be specified as hours and minutes, as a 24 hour (military) time. For example, 11:35 PM would be 2335, and 1 minute past midnight would be 0001. /ta: This switch will only allow LCG/Remind to be triggered if the current time of day is AFTER the specified time. For example, "/ta:1800" will prevent a trigger, unless the current time is after 6:00 PM. FILE SIZE AND DISK SPACE TRIGGER SWITCHES: /pa:X:path This switch is used to specify files to count and total in size. These results can then be displayed in the reminder message by using the "%f" and "%k" substitutions. In addition, the program can be triggered (or the trigger prevented) based on the size of the files matching by using the "/kt:" (or "/kp:") switches. For this switch, "X" is replaced by "A" to only match files with their archive bit set, or by "N" to match ALL files. Your backup software may use the archive bit to determine whether a file needs to be backed-up. For example, "/pa:A:C:\*.*" will match all of the files on the c: drive, in the root and all subdirectories that have their archive bit set. Using "/pa:N:D:\LOTUS\*.WK1" will match all 8 of the "wk1" files in the "D:\LOTUS" subdirectory (and any sub- subdirectories). Please note that this switch can slow down the LCG/Remind program greatly as your hard disk is scanned to count and total the size of programs matching the specification. Combine this with the "/q" switch to minimize this delay. /kt: This is used to specify a size, in kilobytes of files matching the "/pa:" specification to trigger the program. For example, specifying "/pa:A:c:\*.* /kt:350" will trigger LCG/Remind if there are more than 350 KB of files on the "c:" drive that need to be backed-up (i.e., have their archive bits set). /kp: This is used to specify a size, in kilobytes of files matching the "/pa:" specification below which will PREVENT triggering the program. For example, specifying "/pa:A:c:\*.* /kp:200 /i:7" will trigger the program once every 7 days (/i:7), unless there are less than or equal to 200 KB of files needing to be backed-up. /q This switch will speed up the directory search (/pa:) by stopping once the prevent (/kp) or trigger (/kt) size is reached. When using this switch the total file size and number will be reported in the display message as, for example, ">100 KB" to indicate that there are MORE THAN 100 KB of files to be backed-up. /df:D:# This switch will prevent triggering unless the specified percentage of the specified disk is full. For example "/df:C:90 /i:0" will trigger every time, as long as the "C:" disk is at least 90% full. To examine the default drive use a "*" as the drive letter. For example "/df:*:75" will prevent triggering unless the default drive is at least 75% full. DISPLAY & INPUT CONTROL SWITCHES: /y: This allows you to specify which characters are to be interpreted as "Yes" or "No". The default, of course, is "/y:yn". Italian users will want to specify "/y:sn", for example. This can also be used to add any 2 letters to a displayed menu. For example, if you specify "/y:fi", and then modify lcg_rmnd.msg to ask "(F)ull backup, (I)ncremental backup, or (Q)uit?". The program will return an exit code of 2 for "F", 3 for "I", and 1 for "Q", or anything else. /ns This switch turns off the sound effects. /l: This switch can be used to specify the length of time that the message will be displayed. The default, if no "/l:" switch is used, is 10 seconds for a display-only message, and 30 if a question is being asked. Note that if a question is being asked the message is displayed until the question is answered, or the time has elapsed, which ever comes first. This feature ensures that systems which reboot unattended (for example, after a power failure) will not be hung, waiting for an answer. 9 /z: This switch allows you to specify that if the program is triggered, then the message will be displayed until the specified time of day. For example, "/z:815" will display the message until 8:15 am, and, not incidentally, delay the execution of the remainder of the batch file until that time. Thus, you can use this switch to delay an automatic process until a specific time of day. Note that pressing any key will allow the program to continue, and if the designated time has already passed then the switch will be ignored, and the message will be displayed for the length of time specified by the "/l:" switch. /s This switch instructs LCG/Remind to clear the screen at the beginning of its run. The default, if /s is not specified, is for the animated reminder windows to pop-up on top of your current display. /c: This allows you to specify the colors used for the pop-up windows. The "/c:" must be followed by 3 pairs of hexadecimal digits (0-9,A,B,C,D,E,F). The 3 pairs specify the colors used for the main window, the border, and the title, respectively. Each pair consists of a background color and a foreground color. Use "lcg_rmnd /h" itself to display a help message which shows all of the color combinations, or construct them from the following chart: Digit: Background colors: Foreground colors: ------ ------------------ ----------------- 0 Black Black 1 Blue Blue 2 Green Green 3 Cyan Cyan 4 Red Red 5 Magenta Magenta 6 Brown Brown 7 Light Gray Light Gray 8 Blinking Black Dark Gray 9 Blinking Blue Light Blue A Blinking Green Light Green B Blinking Cyan Light Cyan C Blinking Red Light Red D Blinking Magenta Light Magenta E Blinking Brown Yellow F Blinking Light Gray White X Use what ever is currently on the screen For example, a window with a light gray text on a blue background, with a border which is red on blue, and a title which is blinking red on light gray would be specified as: "/c:1714F4". The default colors, which also look good on a monochrome display, are "/c:1E1E70". 10 REGISTRATION & HELP SWITCHES: /r: This switch allows registered users to insert their own name, instead of "Unregistered Trial Copy" as the window title, and to bypass the registration screen. For example, if your name is Joan Collins, and after registration you were assigned serial number 5739, and a registration key of "YORK" then you should include the following on the command line each time you run LCG/Remind: lcg_rmnd /r:YORK:5739:Joan_Collins Please note the use of the underscore character ("_") to indicate the position of blanks in the registration name. /h This switch can be used to display a short help message. The help message may also be obtained by running lcg_rmnd.exe without any parameters. Distribution ------------ LCG/Remind is copyrighted software product developed and owned by The Levin Consulting Group. It is being distributed as shareware. It is NOT in the public domain. By using or distributing this package, you agree to the conditions presented herein. LCG/Remind is completely functional as distributed. If you use it for more than 30 days, you must pay the individual or corporate registration fee. Registered users will receive a registration "key" which will allow them to have their name displayed on the program's title line, and will bypass the display of a registration screen. LCG/Remind is distributed on an "AS IS" basis without warranty. Considerable testing effort has been expended, but the user is advised to check the program's suitability before relying on it. The user assumes full risk as to the results of using this program. In no event shall the author be liable for any damages, including any lost profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising from the use, or inability to use this program. You may freely copy this program for friends as long as the entire package is included without modification. Non-profit user groups and electronic bulletin boards may also include it in their libraries. For-profit organizations may distribute it provided there is a PROMINENT statement explaining the shareware terms of this package. In NO case may registration "keys" be shared or distributed. If you are a registered user please remove your key from any batch file that you distribute. 11 The current distribution package contains the following files: Archive: LCGR17.ARC - LCG/Remind v 1.7 COPYR. 1990 LCG Filename Comment Date Length CRC -------- -------------------------------- ------- ------ ---- LCG_RMND.EXE LCG/Remind executable 3-01-90 53028 90F8 LCG_RMND.DES Short description of LCG/Remind 3-01-90 884 2C6F LCG_RMND.DOC Documentation for LCG/Remind 3-01-90 35542 LCG_RMND.FRM LCG/Remind registration form 3-01-90 6289 9883 REMIND.BAT Simple example batch file 3-01-90 872 1910 REMIND_2.BAT Fancy example batch file 3-01-90 9062 CBF4 R2_ASK.MSG \ 3-01-90 122 D9A8 R2_FORCE.MSG \ 3-01-90 74 5FA8 R2_FULL.MSG | Message files used by 3-01-90 72 7213 R2_MONTH.MSG | REMIND_2.BAT example 3-01-90 234 AA70 R2_NICE.MSG / 3-01-90 43 38AA R2_SPOOL.MSG / 3-01-90 52 DD26 LCG_RMND.DAT Date file used by remind.bat 2-01-90 0 Customer Support ---------------- Customer support is available by printed or electronic mail (preferably) at the following addresses: The Levin Consulting Group PO Box 62050 Cincinnati, OH 45262-0050 MCI Mail: 178-1018 CompuServe: 73277,2356 Telex: 5106010448 LEVIN CHGO GEnie: REGINA.LEVIN InterNet: 1781018@mcimail.com GT PowerNET: LCG/Remind at 068/001 Prodigy: FPVN31A _______ ____|__ | (tm) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER 12 Registration Form ----------------- Please remit to: The Levin Consulting Group PO Box 62050 Cincinnati, OH 45262 Name: __________________________________________________ Company: __________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Phone: __________________________________________________ MCI-Mail, CompuServe, GEnie, Telex, Internet and/or FAX: ________________________________ Today's Date: __________________________________________________ The latest version of LCG/Remind is available on the major online services, and from the Public Software Library in Houston Texas (PSL). Individual and Corporate Registration is available directly from The Levin Consulting Group. For your convenience, a $20 registration package (MC/Visa accepted) is also available through PSL's "800" phone line or via CompuServe EasyPlex mail. This package consists of a disk containing the latest program version, and an Individual Registration license. For shipping outside of the USA the package price is $25. To place orders only, call (800) 2424-PSL, CompuServe EasyPlex 71355,470 (71355.470@compuserve.com), or write The Public Software Library, PO Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705. For best results when ordering through PSL, send this registration form directly to the Levin Consulting group at any of the addresses below. Call (713) 665-7017 for questions about your PSL order, or for information about the other fine products distributed by PSL (including the PSL News, a monthly magazine about free and low-cost software). PSL can not, however, provide technical support for our product. Please contact us directly, not PSL, for questions about LCG/Remind (at any of the addresses listed below). Registration entitles you to receive a "key" which will allow you to have your individual or corporate name displayed on the title screen (instead of "Unregistered Trial Copy"). In fact, we insist upon it, to remind our registered users not to distribute their registration keys. For individual registration the name must be one specific person, a "corporate" registration can be assigned to the name of your group, company, or other institution. Corporate registration fees are scaled to the number of computers that the 13 institution has which will be running the program. For this purpose, a computer is defined as each workstation (keyboard and display screen) attached to a CPU running the program. Registration fees are listed below. Please contact us for quantity discounts on individual registrations, larger numbers of corporate computers, or special discounts for schools and other non-profit organizations. Individual registration $12.95 Corporate registration 1-10 computers $75.00 up to 25 computers $150.00 up to 50 computers $250.00 great than 50 computers contact us for details Type of registration: ______________________________________ Registration fee remitted: _________________________________ The registration name will be displayed as the top title of the reminder window. It must be 35 characters or less, and IS uppercase/lowercase specific. Your registration key will be tied to your assigned serial number and registration name. Registration name: __________________________________________ If you are ordering through the Public Software Library please choose: [] No disk necessary, I already have the current version [] 5 1/4" 360KB disk acceptable [] 3 1/2" disk required [] I am not ordering the package through Public Software Library and understand that I will not receive a disk How did you obtain your copy of LCG/Remind? (Please be VERY specific. If you obtained your copy from a registered user, please include that user's serial number.) What version of LCG/Remind are you using? What hardware and system software are you using? (Computer, display adapter, operating system, multi-tasking/user interface software) What tasks are you automating by using LCG/Remind? 14 If you are using LCG/Remind to automate your back-up procedure, what back-up program are you using? Please attach a copy of your autoexec.bat (or other batch file) which calls LCG/Remind. Did you have any difficulty installing LCG/Remind? Can you suggest any improvements to the documentation? Any bugs in the program or suggestions for an improved version? How long did you use LCG/Remind before registering? Why did you decide to register? Is there anyone that you know in an influential position to whom we should send a REVIEW copy of LCG/Remind? If so, please include his or her name, title, and address. Customer support is available through the postal address above and the following e-mail addresses: MCI Mail: 178-1018 CompuServe: 73277,2356 Telex: 5106010448 LEVIN CHGO GEnie: REGINA.LEVIN InterNet: 1781018@mcimail.com GT PowerNET: LCG/Remind at 068/001 Prodigy: FPVN31A "This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536."