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1991-03-31
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Find Area Code (FAC), Version 1.42
Copyright 1990-91, All Rights Reserved
Developed and Marketed as Shareware
by
Michael K. Molloy
8531 East Dry Creek Place
Englewood, CO 80112
CompuServe: 72737,3237
_______
____|__ | (R)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
D I S C L A I M E R - A G R E E M E N T
If you use Find Area Code (FAC), you must accept this
disclaimer of warranty: "Find Area Code is supplied as is.
The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied,
including, without limitation, the warranties of
merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author
assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential,
which may result from the use of Find Area Code."
Find Area Code Documentation
F I N D A R E A C O D E
D O C U M E N T A T I O N
Table of Contents
o Introduction
o What is Shareware?
o The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP)
o Registration
o What Do I Get for Registering, and Why Should I?
o Installation
o Using FAC from the MSDOS Command Line
o Using FAC as a Popup TSR Program
o What Are Swapping TSRs?
o Advanced Options and Configuration
o Error Conditions
o Technical/Compatibility Notes
o How to Reach the Author
o Alternative Uses
o Final Remarks
o Quick Reference List of FAC Options
Introduction
------------
Find Area Code (FAC) is an MSDOS utility which can quickly locate U.S.
and international telephone area codes. FAC performs its search using
any part of an area code, city, state, or country and shows matches
almost instantly. The program can also do "fuzzy" searches, allowing
you to use approximate spellings to find matches.
FAC uses an ASCII data file (FAC.DAT) which you can change, update, or
add to whenever you like. There are more than 2000 United States,
Canadian, and international cities in the database.
You can run FAC from the MSDOS command line or you can make it memory
resident (also known as a popup or Terminate and Stay Resident [TSR]
program). When you install FAC as a memory resident program, you can
choose between a small (7K RAM) swapping version with a very short (less
than 2 seconds) delay while it swaps into memory from disk, or you can
have an instantly available popup which requires more RAM. The swapping
version can also (optionally) use Expanded Memory (EMS) for almost
instantaneous swapping.
The program automatically senses and supports all of the 25/43/50 line
modes used in most CGA/EGA/VGA video cards and pops up in the current
mode, using the screen most appropriately for that mode. FAC's window
can be moved around on the screen by using the cursor keys. You can
also "zoom" FAC's window to use the full screen or allow the program to
do so whenever required.
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Find Area Code Documentation
What is Shareware?
------------------
Although you may not have paid anything to get this copy of FAC, it is
not a free program. It is distributed on a "shareware" basis. What's
that?
Shareware is a form of distribution which gives users a chance to try
software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue
to use it, you are expected to register. Individual programs differ on
details -- some request registration while others require it, some
specify a maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything
from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated
program with printed manual.
Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the
copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as
stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like
commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both
cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in
the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to
copy and distribute the software, either to everyone, or to a specific
group. For example, some authors require written permission before a
commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware.
Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should
find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's
commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs
easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is
low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back
guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it.
Find Area Code (FAC) is a "shareware program" and is provided at no
charge to you for your evaluation. Feel free to share it with your
friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another
system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal
computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to
provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products.
Shareware works! In addition to using many commercial products, I'm a
also a registered user of many high quality shareware products,
including: PKWare's PKZIP, SemWare's QEdit Advanced 2.1, California
Software Design's SHEZ, ECONO-SOFT's Directory eXtended (DX), PC-*.*'s
PC-TAX90, John Steed's Brother's Keeper, and Falk Data System's Easy
Format. Please register shareware you continue to use.
Please read the important information in the accompanying file,
LICENSE.DOC on the trial license for this program. For more information
on shareware, please read the accompanying file SHR-WARE.DOC.
The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP)
------------------------------------------------
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Find Area Code Documentation
Michael K. Molloy is 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,
the 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 545
Grover Road, Muskegon MI 49442-9427 or send a Compuserve message via
CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.
Registration
------------
If you find FAC useful and you continue to use it after a reasonable (45
days) trial period, you are required to make a registration payment of
$17.95 plus $2.00 shipping and handling (U.S.) to Michael K. Molloy.
The $17.95 registration fee will license one copy for use on any one
computer at any one time. Even after registering, you have a money-back
guarantee for 90 days after purchase.
You must treat a registered version of this software just like a book.
Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time,
this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely
moved from one computer location to another, as long as there is no
possibility of it being used in two different locations at the same
time.
Commercial users of Find Area Code (FAC) must register and pay for their
copies of the program within 45 days of first use or their license is
withdrawn. For site-license information, see the file SITELICE.DOC.
You are encouraged to pass (unregistered) copies of Find Area Code along
to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their
copy if they find that they can use it. All registered users will
receive a copy of the latest version of FAC when they register.
Though the program is not "crippled" in anyway, this shareware version
shows an "Unregistered Shareware" status message in the lower right part
of the window to encourage you to register the program. Also,
unregistered versions will give you a random (about 10% of the time),
bypassable registration reminder when you exit. Naturally, the
registered version of the program doesn't have this.
FAC is one of many area code finder utility programs, but I think you'll
find it is unsurpassed in speed, ease of use, convenience, and price.
As far as I know, it is the ONLY area code finder capable of being
installed as a 7K memory resident program. Please fill out the included
registration order form (file REGISTER.DOC) and send in your
registration today. You can send REGISTER.DOC to your printer by
typing:
"COPY REGISTER.DOC PRN" (without the quotes)
Page 4 of 24
Find Area Code Documentation
and then pressing ENTER while at the MS-DOS prompt.
What Do I Get for Registering, and Why Should I?
------------------------------------------------
When you register, you'll receive a disk with the latest version of the
program and a utility to stamp your serial number on all future versions
of the program. Once you have registered FAC, you are always entitled
to the latest version at anytime. You can download the latest version
from CompuServe, a BBS, or other computer service or I'll send you the
latest release for a small handling charge. You can either send me a
SASE floppy mailer with your floppy, or just send me $4.00 and I'll
furnish the floppy, mailer, and postage.
Here are some reasons why you should register:
o You receive a CURRENT copy of the program, fresh from the author's
computer.
o You get a LIFETIME license, meaning you're entitled to all future
versions/upgrades of FAC.
o You get unlimited technical support via surface mail or electronic
mail.
o You have the author's ear when it comes to suggesting new features
and capabilities.
o You help increase competition in the software industry by keeping
prices low (shareware doesn't rely on expensive advertising).
o Finally, you can be proud of the honesty and integrity you've shown
in registering the program and having participated in the Shareware
revolution.
Installation
------------
You can put Find Area Code's files in any directory. The FAC.EXE and
FAC.DAT files can be anywhere on the disk as long as you set a path to
them with the MSDOS PATH statement. Note that FAC.DAT need not be in
the same directory as FAC.EXE as long they are both on the PATH. For
example, if you put FAC's files in the C:\UTIL directory, you would need
to have a PATH statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file which might look
something like this:
PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\MISC;C:\UTIL;C:\MENU
You need about 120K of disk space and 128K RAM to run the program from
the MSDOS prompt (non-TSR mode). To use the program as a swapping TSR,
you must either have: an additional 250K of free disk space (hard disk
Page 5 of 24
Find Area Code Documentation
recommended); or 265K of expanded memory (EMS).
Actually, FAC.EXE is the only you have to have on your path. If you are
in the same directory as the FAC.DAT file, FAC.DAT need not be on your
PATH.
------------------ For Registered Users Only -------------------------
When you register FAC, you'll receive an additional program which is
used to "stamp" a registered serial number on your copy (and all future
copies) of your program. Stamping the serial number also disables the
"Unregistered Shareware" reminder in the lower right part of the window.
To run this program, type "STAMP-SN" at the MSDOS prompt, and press
ENTER. You'll be asked for the name of the EXE file to modify (since
FAC.EXE could be renamed to whatever you want). If you're using
FAC.EXE, just press ENTER. If the file is found on the PATH, it will be
stamped with a serial number identified with your registration. BE SURE
to save you copy of STAMP-SN.EXE so you can use it with future releases
of FAC.
If you're a user of various executable-file compression utilities like
LZEXE, PKLITE, or EXEPACK, you MUST run STAMP-SN on the unmodified
(uncompressed) original file BEFORE you use on of these utilities. If
you try to run STAMP-SN on a compressed EXE file, you'll be unable to
stamp the serial number.
If you are a registered user of FAC, you MAY NOT give anyone a copy of
the serial number stamped program, nor may you give anyone the
STAMP-SN.EXE program.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Using FAC from the MSDOS Command Line
-------------------------------------
First, you must know how to invoke FAC from the MSDOS command line
prompt. Type "FAC /H" (or "FAC /?" or "FAC /" or "FAC ?") then press
ENTER and you'll see a complete list of options you have for using FAC.
Don't be alarmed at all the options. FAC is very simple to use and
really requires only one thing--a string to search for. All the options
are for more advanced use. FAC is designed to be very easy to use
without reference to documentation or help screens.
FAC will immediately search for area code information if you enter the
search string as an MSDOS parameter after the program name. If you
wish, you can simply type "FAC" to start the program without a
parameter. You'll be prompted for a search string once inside the
program. For example, suppose you wanted to know the area code for
Boulder, Colorado.
At the MSDOS prompt, type: "FAC boulder" (without the quotes, of course)
then press ENTER. The program will start, a window will popup on the
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Find Area Code Documentation
screen, and the program automatically begins its search. Almost
instantly, you'll see information about the area code for Boulder. The
first column in the display window has the 3 digit area code 303
(international area codes aren't necessarily 3 digits). The next column
shows the 2 character postal abbreviation for Colorado, CO. The third
column shows the full name of the state. The last column shows the
major cities in this particular area code. Notice Boulder appears in
this list. When you've finished with the program, just press Esc and
you'll exit back to MSDOS.
Let's take another example. Suppose someone leaves you a note to call
someone in a 309 area code. You don't recognize this area code and it's
inconvenient to look up the area code in the phone book. You type "FAC
309" then press ENTER. Almost instantly, you learn that the 309 area
code includes Peoria, Molina, and Rock Island, Illinois.
Searching for an international area code is almost exactly the same.
Just type in a city name, say Paris. The program will display the
country code in the first column, the country name in the next column
(there is no postal abbreviation for most foreign countries), and a list
of major cities and city codes for that country in the last column.
Each city code is listed in parentheses immediately after the city name.
So you know the country code for France is 33 and the city code for
Paris is 1.
Anytime you see a city name in all CAPITAL letters, that city is a state
or country capital.
You get the idea. By typing "FAC X" where X is any alphanumeric string,
you can quickly search the area code database. You can search by area
code, state postal abbreviation, state name, country, city, or any
portion of thereof. The search string can be in any combination of
upper or lower case letters and numbers. and must be at least two
characters. If you use only two characters, the program assumes you
want to search for two-letter state postal abbreviations which appear
only in the first 7 characters of each line. The program doesn't look
at anything else on the line except these first 7 characters.
After you've performed a search, the last string searched for is shown
after the prompt. To enter a new string, just start typing it in (the
old string will go away when you press the first character). You can
also edit the existing string by using the following keys:
Left Arrow - Cursor left one character
Right Arrow - Cursor right one character
Ctrl-Left Arrow - Cursor left one word
Ctrl-Right Arrow - Cursor right one word
Home - Cursor to the beginning of the string
End - Cursor to the end of the string
Del - Delete the character under the cursor
BkSp - Delete the character the left of the cursor
Ctrl-Y - Delete the entire string
Ctrl-End - Delete from the cursor to the end of the string
Ctrl-Home - Delete from start of line to the cursor
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Find Area Code Documentation
Ctrl-T - Delete word to the right of the cursor
Ins - Toggle between Overwrite and Insert mode
Ctrl-R - Restore the original contents of the line
ENTER - Start searching for the specified string
Search strings are limited to 20 characters. Spaces entered at the
beginning and end of the search string are ignored (and discarded), but
spaces anywhere else in the string are valid. This means you could
search for "San Francisco" but not for " San Francisco ".
You can make any number of searches before exiting the program.
Remember, just press Esc to exit the program (Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break will
also exit).
While you're inside FAC, you can get brief help by pressing F1. This
shows you that F1 gets help, F2 toggles the "Fuzzy" search mode, F9
toggles the AutoZoom screen size feature, F10 toggles screen zooming,
and Esc exits the program. You can reposition FAC's window up and down
on the screen by pressing the up and down arrow keys.
Sometimes, your search string will find more information than can be
displayed in the window. If the screen fills up with information, the
program will pause and prompt you to press the Esc key to stop
displaying information from the current search, or press any other key
to continue displaying information. If you press Esc to stop displaying
information, you'll be returned to FAC's prompt. Pressing Esc once more
will exit the program.
If FAC doesn't find a match for your search string in its data file,
you'll see a brief message in the center of the window saying that the
string couldn't be found. You can then edit the search string if you
wish.
Once you've experimented with FAC, you may notice that sometimes it pops
up in the upper half of your screen and sometimes it pops up in the
lower half. Why? FAC looks at where the cursor is positioned and
brings up the FAC window in the opposite half of the screen you're
working in. This insures the program doesn't obscure something you may
need to see while you're using the program.
The other thing you may have noticed is that FAC pops up in whatever
mode (25, 43, or 50 lines) your video card is in. FAC automatically
checks to see how many lines you're using at the moment and adjusts its
windows accordingly. FAC isn't designed to support 40 column mode, but
will safely pop up (although you won't like what you see). FAC won't
popup at all when you're in graphics mode.
One final note on using FAC from the command line. You can "redirect"
the output from the program's status messages and so forth by using
standard MS-DOS redirection conventions. For example, if you didn't
want info on the program's installation to appear on the screen while
booting up, you could install FAC like this:
FAC /I >NUL
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When FAC installs, you wouldn't see messages from the program at all.
If you want to, you could use the redirection capability to send FAC
status messages to a file or to the printer.
FAC -H >FILENAME.EXT This would send help info to FILENAME.EXT
FAC -H >PRN This would send help info to the printer
PLEASE NOTE: If you redirect FAC's output to a file when you install it
as a memory resident program, that file remains "open" and is not
"released" back to MS-DOS normally until you uninstall FAC using the /U
option (or until you reboot your computer). This is normally not a
problem, but could be if you had an extreme number of files open. If
you have problems, try using a larger FILES entry in your CONFIG.SYS
file (if you're currently using FILES=24, try using FILES=28). Again,
this is only when you redirect output when installing FAC as a TSR.
You cannot redirect any of the windows or output from the running
program.
Using FAC as a Popup TSR Program
--------------------------------
More often than not, when you're at your computer and you need area code
information, you're in the middle of doing something else. To use FAC
as described above, you must save your work, exit the program you're
using, then invoke FAC. FAC would tell you what you need to know, then
you would have to restart your original program, go back to where you
left off, and try to go back to work.
It would be much more convenient if you could simply have FAC
immediately "popup" over whatever you're doing, give you the information
you need, then go away, leaving you exactly where you were. Not only
would it be more convenient, it would save a lot of your valuable time.
FAC can do this. All you have to do is tell FAC to install itself as a
"popup" or memory resident program.
You'll also see this type of program called a TSR, which stands for
Terminate & Stay Resident. A TSR is installed or loaded once from the
MSDOS command line. It stays in memory even while you're doing other
things, and watches to see when you press a special key or key sequence
to activate it. This special key sequence is known as a "hotkey". When
you press the hotkey, the program starts.
Here's how to install FAC as a memory resident, popup program. At the
MSDOS prompt, type: "FAC /I" (without the quotes) then press ENTER. FAC
will then install itself in memory as a TSR. When it has successfully
installed itself, it will describe how it has been installed. In this
case, you will use FAC's defaults.
Once you've installed FAC as described above, you can press FAC's hotkey
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Find Area Code Documentation
to pop it up wherever you are. FAC's hotkey is <Alt><LeftShift><F>. To
press this key sequence, press and hold the "Alt" key, press and hold
the Shift key on the left side of your keyboard, then press the F key.
As soon as all three keys are pressed, FAC will "wakeup" and activate
itself.
FAC will draw its window on the screen right over the top of whatever
you're doing. Don't worry. When FAC is done, it will return the screen
to exactly the way it found it.
When you invoke the TSR version of FAC as installed above, it works
somewhat differently than it does when you start it from the MSDOS
prompt. Recall that when you run the program from the MSDOS prompt, you
must enter a parameter (search string) so FAC knows what to search for.
When FAC operates as a TSR, it can read the text string (state, area
code, city, etc.) you want to search for right off the screen by looking
at the word "under" or to the left of where you have the cursor
positioned! (You can turn off reading the search string from the screen
by using the /G switch. See Advanced Options and Configuration.) If
the cursor isn't in a word or just to the right of a word, no search
string will be passed to FAC, but it will still pop up. Reading the
search string from the screen can save you time typing in what to search
for and it can avoid errors you might make while typing.
So, what happens? You press the hotkey, FAC pops up over your work,
reads the text "under" the cursor, and immediately begins its search.
After it finds and displays a match, it prompts you for another search.
Now the program operates exactly the way it does when used from the
MSDOS prompt.
If you use the up/down arrow keys to reposition the normal FAC window,
the position you choose will be retained the next time you press the
hotkey. Note that this means that because you've repositioned the
window, it may pop up and obscure text near the cursor. If this is a
problem or you want to "reset" window positioning to pop up in the
opposite half of the screen from the cursor, just press F10 (once if you
are zoomed, twice if you aren't zoomed) and the automatic positioning
will be restored.
You can press F10 to zoom FAC's window to take up the full screen, and
the program will "remember" to pop up in this mode the next time you
press the hotkey.
When you want to exit, press Esc, and FAC will collapse its window, and
restore your screen and cursor location exactly the way it appeared when
you pressed the hotkey.
If you want to uninstall FAC as a memory resident program (TSR), you
have two choices. You can uninstall FAC from the command line by using
the /U switch, or you can press Alt-U twice while inside FAC's window.
After you press Alt-U a second time, the program will exit and will
uninstall itself from memory.
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Find Area Code Documentation
What Are Swapping TSRs?
-----------------------
You may have noticed that when you pressed the hotkey, a reverse video
message appeared on the bottom of the screen which said "Swapping in..."
Similarly, when you pressed Esc to exit the program, "Swapping out..."
appeared. These messages tell you the program is swapping into and out
of memory (RAM) from disk or expanded memory (EMS). Why does the
program do this?
Swapping TSRs are relatively new. When they install, they take a
snapshot of the complete program and write it out to a "swap file" on
disk (or use EMS memory), then free up all but a tiny portion of memory
(which holds the portion of the program which watches for the hotkey and
then does the actual swapping to/from disk). When swapping TSRs pop up
over your existing program, they may also have to take a snapshot of
your application and write it to disk or EMS memory before it swaps the
rest of the TSR in. So why do we want to put up with all this swapping
in and out? Doesn't this cause delays? Why can't the program just pop
up instantly like my other TSRs?
Well, like everything else in the world, there are tradeoffs. In order
to run full-featured, advanced programs, it takes memory (RAM). The
more full-featured the program, the more memory it takes. Unfortunately,
memory is a limited resource and "full-featured" often translates to
"memory-hungry." FAC has many features but still only requires about
128K of RAM to run. This isn't a problem if FAC is the only program you
want to run, but it's a big problem if you want FAC to be loaded as a
TSR at the same time you're running other (full-featured) programs.
When FAC is installed as a swapping TSR, it only requires about 7K of
RAM to watch for you to press the hotkey and then swap what you're doing
out and swap itself in. With all the other TSRs you use and the other
programs you run, you need all the help you can get. The TSR swapping
technology FAC uses helps you optimize all the memory you have with very
little impact on how you use the program. As computers continue to
become faster and more powerful, you'll see more and more swapping TSRs.
The time you spend waiting on swapping is relatively trivial compared to
the time it takes to leave your application, then return. On even the
slowest computers, swapping delays are only about 1 or 2 seconds. On
faster computers using EMS memory for swapping, the TSR can pop up
instantaneously, for all practical purposes. Of course swapping delays
can be affected by a wide range of hardware and software variables.
Fast hard disks with 1:1 interleaves and high data transfer rates make a
huge difference, even when used on an 808X CPU. If you're able to use
EMS memory, RAM Disk, or disk caching (hardware or software) you'll find
swapping delays to be negligible or even unmeasurable. See the section
below on Advanced Options and Configuration for information on how to
reduce swapping delays.
The bottom line: I think the tradeoffs (swapping delays) are completely
acceptable given the tremendous savings in your precious RAM. I think
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Find Area Code Documentation
you'll think so, too!
Advanced Options and Configuration
----------------------------------
FAC has several different options or "switches" you can use to customize
the way FAC works when you invoke the program or install it as a popup.
Again, FAC is designed to be very easy to use, and you may be perfectly
happy with FAC's performance when you use its default options.
Switch options are always preceded by either a "/" or a "-" and can be
upper or lower case letters. Remember, to see a complete list of all
FAC's options, just type "FAC /H" at the MSDOS prompt and press ENTER.
Here's a quick summary of FAC's switches:
/F Enables "fuzzy search" mode
/I Loads popup/TSR with defaults
/N No swapping; (with /I)
/E Don't use EMS memory for swapping (use disk); (with /I)
/A Don't make disk swap files hidden/system file(s); (with /I)
/M Suppresses swapping messages; (with /I)
/P Path for swap files; used (with /I)
/G Don't read text from screen on popup; (with /I)
/U Unload popup from memory, if possible
/T Don't use the AutoZoom feature
/X Don't use exploding windows
/Z Use a "zoomed" window which uses the full screen
Most of these switches can be used in either of two ways: 1) as command
line switches, entered when the program is run; or 2) entered as part of
an environment variable called "FAC". If you wanted the program to use
the fuzzy search mode, you could simply enter "FAC bolder /f" and the
search would take place, using the fuzzy search. But, what if you
wanted FAC to ALWAYS start in (default to) fuzzy mode? This is where
the FAC environment variable would be used. Use the SET command to
assign a string to the FAC environment variable:
SET FAC=/f
If you entered this before running FAC or had this line in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file, FAC would always start in fuzzy mode without having
to enter it on the command line when you start the program.
Suppose you always wanted FAC to use fuzzy search mode, zoomed windows,
non-exploding windows, and when installed as a TSR: no swapping messages
with a swap file path of d:\temp and without getting search strings from
the screen. Instead of entering each of these switches each time you
run the program, you would use the following environment variable entry,
preferably in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:
SET FAC=/f /Z -x /M -pd:\temp /g
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Fuzzy mode ----------------| | | | | |
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Find Area Code Documentation
Zoomed window ----------------+ | | | |
Non-exploding window ------------+ | | |
Swapping messages off --------------+ | |
Swap path -----------------------------+ |
Don't get search string from screen -------------+
Now, every time FAC is run the above settings will be the defaults. If
you install the program as a TSR, these settings will be the default
settings unless you change them after invoking the program with the
hotkey. If you change them while TSR, that change will remain effective
until the next time you change it.
Note the use of both a slash and dash as switch characters and the mixed
use of upper and lower characters. You can use all FAC option switches
in the SET FAC environment variable except /I and /U. You can use any
combination of switches in any order. Invalid switch settings will be
ignored. If you enter a swap path with the /P switch, it will be
checked for validity prior to program execution.
The following is a complete description of all FAC option switches.
The "/F" Switch
---------------
Used for both non-TSR and TSR. Can be used in the FAC environment
variable.
The /F switch says, "Use a 'fuzzy' search method which doesn't require
an exact spelling to get a match." When you use the /F switch, you tell
the program to use a powerful text matching technique called the soundex
algorithm. Soundex searches attempt to match words based on the way
they sound rather than by how they're spelled. If you aren't sure how a
city, state, or country is spelled, or you're getting a 'not found'
message with the string you're using, try the /F switch.
There is a price to pay for the soundex searching method: speed.
Searches may take up to 10 times as long as normal "exactly spelled"
searches, but this is well worthwhile if it's the only way you can find
what you're looking for. You may also get a lot more seemingly
unrelated "hits" from a fuzzy search, but this is normal. After all,
you're looking for anything that remotely resembles or sounds like your
search string.
Since fuzzy searches take longer, you may need to stop the search before
it completes. You can press any key during the fuzzy search and it will
stop and return to the program's prompt.
Once you're inside FAC, you can use the F2 key to toggle between normal
searching and fuzzy searches (there's an indicator on in the top center
of the window frame when you're in fuzzy mode). If you've installed FAC
as memory resident program, the program will remember whether you were
in fuzzy mode the last time you used it.
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Examples: "FAC Colorawdo /f" "FAC springfeild /f"
In both these examples, the program would immediately start searching
for the specified strings, but the 'Fuzzy Search' indicator would be on
at the top center of the window frame, and you would also see a flashing
message telling you the search is in progress. The first example would
give you "hits" for Colorado, even though it's misspelled. The second
example would find three instances of Springfield as you might expect,
but also yields Palm Springs, Steamboat Springs, Colorado Springs, and
Big Spring.
The "/I" Switch
---------------
Used to install FAC as a swapping or non-swapping TSR. Can NOT be used
in the FAC environment variable.
The /I switch says, "Install FAC as a memory resident program using its
defaults and/or other switches." If you use /I by itself, the program
will install itself using several predefined defaults, all of which can
be changed by using other switches.
If you use /I alone to install FAC, the following defaults are used:
- Swapping to disk is enabled unless sufficient EMS memory is found.
- Messages which tell you swapping is happening are enabled.
- Disk swap files will be hidden/system files.
- The disk and directory path FAC uses for swap files is the same
disk/directory where FAC found FAC.DAT.
- AutoZoom is on.
- Exploding windows are enabled (see the /X switch above).
After you use the /I switch to install FAC, you will see a status
message which describes the state of each of the above defaults.
Note that if FAC is already installed, you won't be able to install a
second copy. If you try to install it again, you'll get an error
message and the installation will abort.
If you don't have enough disk space for the swap files, you'll get an
error message and FAC won't install as a TSR.
After you install FAC as a TSR, don't move or rename the FAC.DAT file or
you will probably get dumped from the TSR when you try to use it.
Please note that you can't pop up FAC when you're using a program which
is currently in graphics mode. If you try to pop it up, you'll hear a
beep and nothing else will happen.
Also, be aware that since FAC swaps the currently running program out so
it can become active, you could have a problem with some programs,
especially communications programs. In this case, you should run the
program in non-swapping mode (/N). It still isn't advisable to pop up
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any TSR when a communications program if data is coming in or going out.
FAC should work fine with most other TSRs. The only problem you may
encounter is when you don't load FAC last among other TSRs. This won't
hurt anything, but you may not have access to your other TSRs when FAC
is swapped in (since it may have swapped the other TSR(s) out of RAM).
If FAC isn't in use, or it's been installed as a non-swapping TSR, you
shouldn't have a problem with TSRs loaded after it.
Don't attempt to install FAC while you're "shelled out" of other
programs. For example, you can drop temporarily to MSDOS from many
programs, but you should never try to install FAC while you're doing so.
This also applies to many menu programs like PowerMenu and AutoMenu.
These programs can leave a portion of themselves in memory. You should
never try to install FAC as a TSR from any menu program. Completely
exit from any other program before attempting to install FAC as a TSR.
You may run FAC from the MSDOS prompt (non-TSR) while shelled out of
another program if you wish.
Example: "FAC /I"
This would install FAC as a TSR with the defaults described above.
What follows is a more detailed discussion of these defaults, how you
can change them, and why you might want to.
The "/N" Switch
---------------
Used with /I to install FAC as a non-swapping TSR. Can be used in the
FAC environment variable.
The /N switch says, "NO swapping; don't use the swapping TSR mode; keep
the entire TSR in RAM." This will give you instant access to FAC when
you press the hotkey, but requires about 130K of RAM. If you have
plenty of RAM, you need FAC to be available instantly, and you use
programs which won't miss the memory FAC requires in this mode, use the
/N switch.
The default is a swapping TSR.
Example: "FAC /I /N"
This would install FAC as a non-swapping TSR.
The "/E" Switch
---------------
When used with /I; don't use Expanded Memory (EMS) when it's available.
Can be used in the FAC environment variable.
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The /E switch says, "even if EMS memory is present, don't grab it and
use it for swapping--use disk instead." This switch prevents the
program from automatically allocating your EMS memory. Note that using
EMS memory greatly speeds up swapping; you should use it if possible.
The default is to use EMS memory for swapping.
Example: "FAC /I /E"
This example disables the use of EMS memory for swapping when FAC is
installed as a TSR.
The "/A" Switch
---------------
When used with /I (and when disk is used for swapping), uses swap files
with "normal" file attributes rather than hidden/system attributes. Can
be used in the FAC environment variable.
The /A switch says, "When FAC is installed as a TSR using disk for
swapping, don't use hidden/system attributes on the swap file(s)." This
switch allows you to control the file attribute used on the swap files.
NOTE: If you use this switch, be SURE not to delete the swap file(s)
while FAC is memory resident (TSR). If this file isn't present when the
program tries to swap itself in, you'll probably have to reboot your
computer to recover.
The default is to use hidden/system attributes on the swap file(s) when
swapping to disk. This switch does nothing if EMS is being used.
Example: "FAC /I /A"
In this example (if EMS wasn't available), the swap files would have
normal attributes instead of hidden/system attributes.
The "/M" Switch
---------------
Used with /I when installing FAC as a swapping TSR. Can be used in the
FAC environment variable.
The /M switch says, "don't put the swapping in/out... messages at the
bottom of the screen when swapping." The program doesn't work any
differently, except that you won't see the messages. If you use EMS
memory (the default if you have EMS installed), or a RAM disk for
swapping, the swapping messages might be an unnecessary distraction.
The default is to have swapping messages appear.
Example: "FAC /I /M"
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This would install FAC as a swapping TSR, but swapping messages would be
disabled.
The "/P" Switch
---------------
Used with /I when installing FAC as a swapping TSR. Can be used in the
FAC environment variable.
The /P switch, when followed by a complete path specification, says,
"put the swap files in the specified disk/directory." The path
specification must be a valid, already existing disk/directory, and must
be less than 127 characters. Do not put a backslash on the end of the
path specification (unless you're using the root directory of the
specified disk). In other words, use the same format for the /P path
specification that you would for a normal DOS PATH statement.
The main reason you would use this switch would be to tell FAC to use a
RAM disk. If you have a RAM disk, with at least 250K of space, you
should use the /P switch to significantly speed up swapping. If you use
/P to swap to RAM disk, you may wish to use the /M switch to disable the
swapping in/out messages.
It's highly inadvisable to use a removable (floppy) disk for the swap
path. You won't harm anything, but you could lock up your machine and
have to reboot if the disk isn't there when swapping needs to occur.
Whether you use the /P option or not, FAC generates either one or two
swap files, named FAC-SWP1.$$$ and FAC-SWP2.$$$, each about 125K in
size, located wherever FAC.DAT was found (unless you specify otherwise
with the /P switch). These files are marked with both System and Hidden
attributes to make it less likely you will accidentally delete them
unless you use the /A option). If they are deleted after FAC is loaded,
and you try to pop up the program, you'll get an error message and
you'll have to reboot. When you successfully unload FAC, the swap files
are deleted. If you reboot or turn your machine off, the file(s) will
remain, but will be written over the next time FAC is loaded as a TSR.
The default is to put swap files in the same disk/directory where
FAC.DAT was found. If you aren't sure where this is, run FAC with no
parameters and look at the default determined by the program at run
time.
Examples: "FAC /I /Pd:" "FAC /I /Pc:\junk
"FAC /I /Pc:\temp\" <=== WRONG!! No backslash after the path!
The first example would install FAC as a swapping TSR with the swap
files located on the D: drive. The second example would use a swap file
directory called C:\JUNK. The third example is an invalid path name and
would give an error.
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The "/G" Switch
---------------
When used with /I; don't get search strings from the screen in TSR mode.
Can be used in the FAC environment variable.
The /G switch says, "When you popup FAC, don't read the text to search
for off the user's screen; just ask for a string." This switch prevents
you from grabbing the search string from the screen and requires you to
enter it yourself.
The default is to read the screen for the text to search for.
Example: "FAC /I /G"
This example disables reading the text from the screen when FAC is
popped up.
The "/U" Switch
---------------
Attempts to uninstall FAC (in TSR mode) from memory, and delete swap
files, if they exist. Can NOT be used in the FAC environment variable.
The /U switch says, "If it is safe to do so, remove FAC from RAM as a
swapping or non-swapping TSR, free up associated memory, and delete any
swap files which may have been created." Use the /U switch if you need
to uninstall the program. "If it is safe to do so" means just that. If
FAC isn't installed as the last TSR, you won't be able to uninstall it.
(You may be able to uninstall FAC by using something like the
Mark/Release TSRCOM utilities, but even then, you must remove FAC and
all TSRs loaded after it. If you plan to frequently uninstall FAC you
should load it last. Of course if you load FAC last, then you won't be
able to unload TSRs loaded before it. Naturally, you can uninstall any
TSR by rebooting your machine.
Example: "FAC /U"
This example would uninstall FAC if no other TSRs were installed after
it.
Note that you can also uninstall FAC from inside the program by pressing
Alt-U twice in succession.
The "/T" Switch
---------------
Used for both non-TSR and TSR. Can be used in the FAC environment
variable.
This option or program "switch" applies to FAC when run from the MSDOS
prompt (non-memory resident mode) or when you install it as a popup. If
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you use the "/T" switch, FAC will disable its use of the AutoZoom
screen-sizing feature. If you use this option, it means that when a
large number of lines needs to be displayed, the screen won't
automatically zoom to full size to show you as much text as possible.
The default is to use the AutoZoom feature.
If you want to disable the AutoZoom feature when you run the program
from the MSDOS command line (non-TSR), just put the /T switch after your
search parameter.
Example: "FAC City /T"
When the program starts, the window would start out at the half size and
then, when the window fills up with area code information containing the
word "city," the program would pause instead of automatically zooming to
full screen.
The "/X" Switch
---------------
Used for both non-TSR and TSR. Can be used in the FAC environment
variable.
This option or program "switch" applies to FAC when run from the MSDOS
prompt (non-memory resident mode) or when you install it as a popup. If
you use the "/X" switch, FAC will disable its use of exploding windows.
Exploding windows don't change the way the program searches or the way
you use it, it just changes how the program looks when it starts and
finishes.
If you want to disable exploding windows when you run the program from
the MSDOS command line (non-TSR), just put the /X switch after your
search parameter.
Example: "FAC boulder /x"
When the program starts, the window would appear instantly on the screen
instead of being exploded onto the screen.
The "/Z" Switch
---------------
Used for both non-TSR and TSR. Can be used in the FAC environment
variable.
This option applies to FAC when run from the MSDOS prompt (non-memory
resident mode) or when you install it as a popup. If you use the "/Z"
switch, FAC will "zoom" its window to take up the entire screen.
Example: "FAC TX /Z"
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When the program starts, the window takes up the entire screen. You
might want to use this option if you're viewing lists of area codes or
all the area codes for one state.
Error Conditions
----------------
FAC is very friendly and shouldn't give error messages unless there's
really something you need to fix. Here are some error messages FAC
could generate and why you might get them:
- "Error while trying to find/open FAC.DAT" Make sure FAC.DAT exists
and that the disk and directory containing FAC.DAT is on your MSDOS
path.
- "XXXX is an invalid path name!" You've specified an incorrect path
when using the /P switch or the path you've specified is too long
the limit is 127 characters)
- "FAC isn't loaded!" You've tried to uninstall FAC (as a TSR) when it
wasn't previously loaded. Use the /I option to install it.
- "Unable to unload FAC. Probably isn't safe to do so!" This isn't
really an error message; it just means that the program can't
uninstall itself, probably because there's another TSR or program
loaded after it. Try rebooting if you have to unload it.
- "XXXX not found." This, too, isn't really an error message. You'll
get this message any time you searched for string and it wasn't
found. The string you're searching for may not be in FAC.DAT or you
may need to check your spelling. Try the fuzzy search mode if you
aren't sure of the spelling.
- "FAC is already memory resident!" You're trying to install FAC after
it's already been loaded. Use FAC /U to uninstall it.
- "Unable to go TSR. Do you have enough swap file disk space on X:?"
This message means FAC couldn't go TSR, probably because you don't
have enough RAM, or you don't have enough disk space for the swap
files.
- "Couldn't make window!" There was a memory allocation error when FAC
tried to draw its window. You probably don't have enough RAM to run
FAC.
Technical/Compatibility Notes
-----------------------------
Find Area Code runs on IBM PC compatibles (clones) using MSDOS 3.XX and
4.01. I'm pretty sure the program won't work with DOS 2.X since 2.X
handles paths differently. It might work if you're in the same
directory as the data file.
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One of the reasons the program searches so quickly is RLINE, Don
Strenczewilk's excellent Turbo Pascal OOP text file handling unit. RLINE
allows you to define a "file of lines" object. In addition, FAC can
search at a rate of over 800 lines per second on an XT with a slow hard
disk! Thanks to Don for graciously donating his code to the public
domain!
The excellent TSR swapping system and windowing comes from Object
Professional 1.1 from TurboPower Software. If you do any programming
in Turbo Pascal 6.0, you owe it to yourself to use Object Pro!
How to Reach the Author
-----------------------
Michael K. Molloy
8531 East Dry Creek Place
Englewood, CO 80112
CIS: 72737,3237
CompuServe Information Service (CIS) is the best place to reach me, but
I also frequent the MicroManiac!, Tom Gettys' fantastic Wildcat BBS
(303-673-9470) in Lafayette, CO. I would be happy to provide electronic
support there, if you wish. His board should always have the latest
version of Find Area Code (and hundreds of other fresh uploads!).
Alternative Uses
----------------
You may have thought to yourself as you used FAC, "Hmmm, if I can pop
FAC up anywhere as a tiny TSR, and if I can change the contents of the
FAC.DAT file, why can't I put my own personal information into it and
quickly and conveniently search for it when I need it?" You can, and I
hope you will.
I think the ease of modifying FAC's database is a very valuable feature.
In fact, one of the reasons I decided to write "yet another area code
finder" was the frustration I had with the fact you couldn't modify,
correct, update, or add to some of the other area code program data
files.
My own personal use of FAC goes far beyond just using it to hunt down
area codes. Here's what I do.
I have (you probably do, too if you're any kind of computer nut) a
database of friends and relatives with which I maintain a quick
reference phone list. Periodically, I use my database program to
generate a report which I print to disk. The report looks something
like this:
John Doe 555-555-5555 1234 Anywhere St., Anyplace, CO 12345
Joe's Software Shop 555-1234 (open 24 hours)
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Jay's Hardware Emporium 555-9876 (Closes at 6pm)
Jim Smith 555-0000 (Keep trying; has teenagers on phone)
...
(you get the idea)
I use an editor to paste the ASCII information into the front of my
FAC.DAT file, and presto! I have a 7K popup database of our family and
friends. I put the information at the front only to improve search
times for the information I need most frequently; it can be anywhere, in
any format, in any order since every character of the entire FAC.DAT
file is searched every time (except when your search string is only 2
characters; that tells the program you're searching for a state postal
abbreviation in the first 7 characters; be careful with that!).
Obviously, if you change the data file to reflect your own data, it
could be used for almost anything. Just remember, the program is
line-oriented--all the information for one "record" must be on the same
line. Each line in the data file is limited to 119 characters. If lines
are longer than 119 characters, they'll be truncated when they are
displayed. The program will automatically wordwrap lines of up to 119
characters when the "record" is displayed.
I guess the way I use FAC makes it kind of a "poor man's personal
information manager (PIM)". I've found that FAC is far superior to LIST
and other text file handling programs when it comes to ease of use and
search speed.
FAC certainly isn't offered as any kind of free format database package,
but I think it bridges an important gap between a full-blown database
application and a tattered piece of paper taped above your computer
desk.
I think this capability gives FAC significant "value added." I hope you
agree and see another reason to support the program with your
registration.
Use your imagination! If you come up with radical or useful new
applications for Find Area Code "engine", please let me know.
Final Remarks
-------------
Many thanks to my wife, Bobbea, for her friendship, love, and support in
every aspect of my life.
Thanks to Tom Gettys for his patient and valuable beta test feedback and
for having the best BBS in Colorado! Thanks to members of the
Association of Shareware Professionals, especially Paul Mayer and Bob
Falk for advice on shareware and for the boilerplate text for my
documentation.
I've made every effort to provide the correct area codes and foreign
country city codes. If you find errors or additions, please let me
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know.
NOTE: Your registration and support for this program will enable me to
continue to develop FAC and add other valuable features in future
versions:
- Capability to set user defaults (colors/hotkey/etc.)
- Extended "record" length
- Multiple data file handling ("subject" databases?)
- Mouse support?
- You tell me.
If FAC doesn't do what you think it should, or you'd like for it to do
something else, I would be happy to develop a customized version of the
program for anyone who wants one (for a reasonable fee).
I'd appreciate bug reports, new feature requests, comments, performance
problems, constructive criticism, suggestions, additions, and/or
corrections regarding Find Area Code.
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Quick Reference List of FAC Options
-----------------------------------
FAC Starts program; prompts for a search string.
FAC <String> Searches for String. Can be any part of or all
of a City, State, Country, or Area Code. If
String is 2 characters then a search on U.S
states only is assumed. (Does not install
TSR)
FAC <String> /F Enables "fuzzy search" mode to find
approximate spellings
FAC /I Loads popup/TSR with defaults:
- Swap using EMS memory (or disk if no EMS)
- Swapping messages on
- Swap files have hidden/system attributes
- Swap file path = same path FAC.DAT found on
- Exploding windows on
- AutoZoom is On
- Read search string from screen
FAC /I /N Loads popup; no swapping (instant popup mode
but requires 130K RAM)
FAC /I /E Don't use Expanded Memory (EMS) even if it's
available; use disk swapping only
FAC /I /A Don't use hidden/system attributes on swap
files (during disk swapping only).
FAC /I /M Loads popup; suppresses swapping messages
FAC /I /Pc:\temp Loads popup: path for swap files = c:\temp
Specify RAM disk if available/possible
FAC /I /G Don't read text from screen on popup (when
used with other parameters)
FAC /U Unloads popup from memory, if possible;
deletes swap files
FAC /X Don't use exploding windows (when used with
other parameters)
FAC /T Don't use the AutoZoom feature (which
automatically zooms to full screen when
necessary.).
FAC /Z Use a "zoomed" window which uses the full
screen (when used with other parameters)
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