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Archive Magazine 1996
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README
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Text File
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1991-07-25
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170 lines
ARCHIVE Magazine Index Data for ARCSCAN II Filing System
========================================================
[C] E.W.Ayers : Jul. 1991 update to 16.7.91
ARCSCAN is a trademark of BEEBUG Ltd.
NOTE - ARCSCANIII
BeeBug have just brought out a full multitasking version of ArcScan.
The ARCHIVE Arcscan files are fully compatible, and may be installed
in ArcScanIII and updated in the same way, as described below.
1. Organisation of ARCSCAN II
ARCSCAN II provides for two types of files:
Type 0 Magazine Files - With regular Volume and Issue numbers
Type 1 Others
The files are held within Directories, and a !Custom file tells ARCSCAN
what files to offer in its menu display, where to find them, and how to
display the information contained in them. To add new sets of data to
ARCSCAN, the appropriate directories must be created to contain the data,
and the !Custom file must be extended to specify them.
Once this has been done, files may be updated/extended, or further files
may be added to any existing DIRECTORIES. Provided they conform to the
format prescribed in the !Custom file, no further changes to the
latter will be needed.
2. Data on this Disc
The ARCHIVE data on this disc includes three sets of files:
ARCHIVE Magazine contents - Type 0
- Directory 'Archive'
- Files ARvol04 (Vol4, 1-10)
ARCHIVE Monthly Discs - Type 0
- Directory 'ArDiscs'
- Files Advol04 (Vol4, 1-10)
ARCHIVE Care/Shareware Discs - Type 1
- Directory 'ShareCare'
- Files Careware (Nos 1-13)
Shareware (Nos 0-40)
WIMPed (1 disc)
To add any of these to your ARCSCAN disc, or to update it, it is necessary
only to make any appropriate changes to the !Custom file (see below), and
then to copy the relevant DIRECTORY, along with its files, replacing any
existing directories bearing the same names.
3. The !Custom File
3.1 The Length parameter
The !Custom file provides for specifying the maximum length of each entry
in a file, and this is used to organise the 'paging' of the ARCSCAN
display. For the Type 0 files above, the length is set to 6, so that
several entries appear on each 'page' of the display. For the Type 1 file
above, the length is set to 25 (the maximum allowed), so that the display
shows one disc at a time. Setting this parameter wrongly, or exceeding the
specified length for an entry, may result in parts of a record scrolling
off the ARCSCAN display before they can be read.
3.2 Modifying the !Custom file
**** BACKUP your ARCSCAN Disc before proceeding! ****
To modify your !Custom file, get !Edit installed on the DeskTop Icon Bar.
Insert your ARCSCAN disc, and open a filer window. HOLDING DOWN SHIFT,
double-click on !ArcScan to open a sub-window, which should contain the
!Custom file. Drag this to !Edit. The latter should open a window
displaying the file contents. Click MEN (centre button) on this window,
and select Edit -> CR-LF, which should make the file readable.
Go to the foot of the list, using the scroll bars, and examine the last
block of entries - it will start with '#' plus a number. NOTE THIS NUMBER
- your entry will be the next number. At the end of the file you should
find '##'. Position the cursor (SELect on the mouse pointer) to the
immediate LEFT of this entry, and press RETURN. This should insert a blank
line before the '##' file terminator. Move the cursor up to the start of
it.
You now have to key in the entries for your new data. The formats are
shown below for each of the three data sets. You may choose to enter just
one, two or all three, but each entry must be matched by later creating
the appropriate directory, else ARCSCAN is liable to have a nervous
breakdown!
3.3 New Entries in !Custom file
The tables below show the entries for each of the three data sets. The
parameter shown as <n> is to be replaced by the next entry number (without
the '< >' ). The tabulated entries should be inserted between the last
existing entry and the end-of-file marker '##', with no blank lines,
extra spaces or other characters. NB no RETURN after the last item in the
list!
***SPECIAL NOTE***
If you have already entered the 'ShareCare' directory and data from
earlier discs, please check your !Custom file complies with the form given
below, as the LENGTH parameter has had to be altered to accommodate the
larger number of items on some later discs.
ARCHIVE Magazine Monthly Discs Share/Careware Discs
---------------- ------------- --------------------
#<n> #<n> #<n>
Archive ArDiscs ShareCare
Archive ArDiscs ShareCare
Archive ArDiscs Sharecare
ARvol Advol *
0 0 1
6 6 25
3.4 Saving the Amended !Custom File
Now again select Edit -> CR-LF by the MEN button, to compact the data.
Click MEN on your !ArcScan sub-window, select 'File !Custom -> ' and then
the delete option to remove the old file. Click MEN on the !Edit window
and select SAVE which will open a save box and an Icon. Check that the box
still shows the filename as ....!Custom, and drag the Icon to your
!ArcScan sub-window.
4. Loading Data Files
This is merely a matter of copying from this disc into your !ArcScan
sub-window those directories that you have specified in the !Custom file.
If you have earlier directories bearing the same names, these should first
be deleted as described in section 3.4 for the !Custom file.
The copying may be done by leaving the DeskTop and using *COPY with the
appropriate pathnames (and Option 'P' to prompt disc changes if you have
only a single floppy drive).
The easier way however is to stay in the DeskTop and create (temporarily)
a RAM Disk. Click MEN on the 'A' icon at the right of the icon bar. and
select 'Task display'. A window will open showing memory allocations.
Scroll down until you can see 'RAM disc'. Click SEL to the right of this
and drag a red bar out to give, say, 256 K of RAM disk. Open the RAM disk
filer by clicking on the icon that should now be visible at the left of
the icon bar.
Now insert this disk and open the filer window containing the directories
you want. Drag the required directory to the RAM Disk window (it will
carry all the contained files with it).
Re-insert your ARCSCAN disk and re-open the !ArcScan sub-window (remember
to hold down SHIFT!).
Drag the directory from the RAM disc window back into it.
You should now be in business, and double clicking on the !Arcscan icon in
the MAIN ARCSCAN window should start ARCSCAN up. Selecting 'New Data'
should reveal your new directory added to the list, and the right-hand
window should confirm the files actually loaded.
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