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MINDEXER
--------
Release 1.00 dated 1/25/93
MINDEXER(C) Copyright 1993 Marc Heatherington and Walt White.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
-------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER:
Users of MINDEXER must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
"MINDEXER IS SUPPLIED AS IS. THE AUTHORS DISCLAIM ALL
WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION,
THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
THE AUTHORS ASSUME NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES, DIRECT OR
CONSEQUENTIAL, WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OF MINDEXER. IN NO
EVENT SHALL THE LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID
FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE. THE PERSON USING THE
SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE
SOFTWARE."
This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the state of
Oregon and shall inure to the benefit of the authors and any
successors, administrators, heirs and assigns. Any action or
proceeding brought by either party against the other arising our
of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a state
or federal court of competent jurisdiction located in the state
of Oregon. The parties hereby consent to in personam
jurisdiction of said courts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SHAREWARE
Shareware distribution lets try software before buying it. If you try
MINDEXER and continue using it, you are expected to register it.
Copyright laws apply to Shareware and commercial software, and the
copyright holders retain all rights, with a few specific exceptions as
stated below. The authors grant you the right to copy and distribute
the software freely. If your MINDEXER shareware disk doesn't work,
please send it to the address below for a free replacement.
Users of MINDEXER must register and pay $15 for their copy of MINDEXER
within 30 days of first use. If you don't like it, don't pay
anything. Anyone distributing MINDEXER for any kind of remuneration
must first contact the authors at the address below for authorization.
This authorization is immediately granted to distributors recognized
by the Association of Shareware Professionals as adhering to its
guidelines for shareware distributors. However the authors should be
advised so the distributor can be mailed latest version of MINDEXER.
You are encouraged to give copies of MINDEXER to your friends for
their use. Please encourage them to register their copy if they plan
to use it. All registered users will receive a copy of the latest
version of MINDEXER (if it has since been upgraded) and notices of
upgrades. Registration also grants a site license to businesses to
make as many copies as needed for use in that business, at a single
address.
MINDEXER REGISTRATION
Version 1.01 - 2/17/93
Remit To: Please Supply the Following Info:
Marc Heatherington Name________________________________
4324 Fir Dell Dr. SE
Salem, OR 97302 Company_____________________________
Address_____________________________
City/St/Zip_________________________
Phone_______________________________
Contact Individual:
____________________________________
Item Quantity Unit Price Total Price
================================ ======== ========== ===========
MINDEXER ________ $15.00 ___________
................Total enclosed (__check __money order) _____________
====> If this program has been upgraded prior to your
registration, the upgrade will be sent to you upon receipt
of your registration. Please specify disk size used.
3.5 in ________ 5.25 in _________
Please indicate where you received this program:
---------------------------------------------------------------
MINDEXER 1.1 consists of 5 files:
MINDEXER.EXE - the main program
MINDEXER.DOC - the instruction file
SAMPLE.IDX - a sample index
README.BAT - a batch file, view instructions on screen
PHONE.IDX - a sample index of phone numbers
PRINTDOC.BAT - a batch file, prints instructions
MINDEXER
INTRODUCTION
MINDEXER is a program to help you create and manage indexes just
like the ones in the back of many books. Files you create with
MINDEXER are automatically alphabetized and can be printed or
viewed on screen. MINDEXER allows you to make sub-entries, and
automatically handles the creation of extra lines needed for
"overflow" page entries.
Many word processors have index features which allow you to mark
words to be searched for, and then an index is created for you.
This program operates from the premise that you want to include
all related words and subjects, and have the ability to EASILY
add and update your index. Remember, the quality of an index is
determined by the reader's ability to find a subject in any
likely area they might look.
A unique aspect of MINDEXER is the ability to print all entries
referring to a specific page. This makes MINDEXER ideal for
maintaining manuals which are periodically updated. In addition,
instead of entering page references, you can have the item
entries refer to sections, laws, or other types of references.
MINDEXER can be used to index books, manuals, magazine articles,
films on video tapes, etc.
MINDEXER is written in "C" for IBM or compatible computers (8088
or higher) using an MS-DOS operating system version 3.3 or
higher, with a monochrome monitor and one floppy drive. If you
have any questions or suggestions, or find a programming bug,
please write:
Marc Heatherington
4324 Fir Dell Dr. SE
Salem, OR 97302
He can also be reached through PRODIGY at PXGT91A.
This package includes a sample file, SAMPLE.IDX. This file is an
index of employer tax laws and administrative rules. This file
was created with MINDEXER so that it could be updated as the laws
and rules were updated. Please take time to load this file and
view it in the Display mode. As you view the file, press the
Insert key to view the file in raw and formatted form. This
program is so easy to use, a quick overview of the instructions
is all that is necessary to be up and running.
INSTALLING MINDEXER
MINDEXER can be run from either a floppy or a hard drive. It is
recommended that MINDEXER be placed in its own subdirectory on a
hard drive and that subdirectory be made the current directory
before using the MINDEXER program.
To install MINDEXER on a hard drive from the DOS prompt, type,
C:\MD MINDEXER (This creates the subdirectory)
C:\CD MINDEXER (This switches to the new subdirectory)
C:\COPY A:\*.* (replace A with B if you are using the B drive)
Start the program by typing "MINDEXER" (without the quote marks)
at the DOS prompt and tapping the <Enter> key. It is not
necessary to capitalize "MINDEXER" nor is it necessary to add the
".EXE" extension. Command line arguments are not recognized in
this release.
THE MAIN SCREEN
There are two important screen lines visible while the program is
running. Both of these lines are light gray if you have a color
monitor. The first is the "Status line" which is the second line
from the top. The second is the "Prompt line" at the bottom of
the screen.
The left side of the Status line displays the current mode and
user messages. The right side of the Status line displays the
number of lines contained in the current (memory resident) file.
MINDEXER can handle over 6,000 lines (over 100 pages of indexed
items). The Prompt line reminds the user which keys perform
which actions in the current mode.
The name of the current file will always be displayed in the
middle of the third screen line. This line shows "Empty" if
there is no current file in memory, or "New" if the data in
memory has not yet been saved with a unique filename to disk.
The program does not currently use a mouse. MINDEXER menus are
displayed in the middle of the screen with the cursor turned off.
When the cursor is off, the program responds to valid single
keystrokes. It is not necessary to use the <Enter> key.
Options may be selected by tapping a number key or the first
letter of the option (either upper or lower case.)
Letters are easier to use than numbers, because they are easier
to remember. If you have a color monitor, a red highlight bar
will be visible. This can be moved up or down with the arrow
keys.The space bar can also be used to move the highlight bar down.
Tapping the <Enter> key will select the highlighted option.
If you make a mistake when you pick a menu option, you can cancel
your selection by tapping the <Esc> key.
THE MAIN MENU
The copyright notice and version number are displayed only on
initial startup. Registration information accessed from the
Utilities Menu.
Main Menu options:
-----------------------
| MAIN MENU |
| |
| 1. Load |
| 2. Save |
| 3. Display |
| 4. Enter |
| 5. Find |
| 6. Print |
| 7. Utilities |
| 8. Clear |
| 9. Quit |
-----------------------
1. LOAD
This menu choice loads a previously saved index file. You can
enter a full path name in the filename requester box to load a
file. If no extension is specified, the extension ".IDX" will
be appended to the filename automatically. This program will not
currently load non-MINDEXER data files.
All files in the current directory which end in .IDX are
displayed as a convenient reminder. The first ".IDX" file
encountered on the disk is entered into the load requester as a
default. If a different file is desired, use <Alt><x> to erase
the default filename. Next, type in the desired file. You need
not capitalize it, nor do you need to type in the .IDX extension.
WARNING: If you load a new file into memory on top of a file
already in memory, the current file in memory will be erased, and
the new file will take its place. If the file being overwritten
in memory has been modified since it was last saved to disk, you
will get a "File not saved" warning.
2. SAVE
This choice pops up the Save option. The current file name is
placed in the name box as a default. It can be changed. A full
path name can be entered in the filename box. If no extension is
specified, ".IDX" will be appended to the filename automatically.
If a file with the same name exists on disk, you will be warned
before you overwrite it.
3. DISPLAY
The Display menu choice shows the file in two formats; formatted
and raw. The default view shows the file in its raw form. The
second format shows the file as it will appear on printouts. Use
the <Insert> key toggles between Formatted and Raw modes. The
<Home> and <End> keys will take you to the first and last pages
respectively. The <PgUp> and <PgDn> keys will move you through
the file one page at a time.
Perhaps the best feature is the Letter Key feature. Tap any
alphabetical letter key, and the display will present the first
item which starts with the specified letter. This feature helps
you quickly locate items in large files.
4. ENTER
Select <4>, <e>, <E>, or use the highlight bar to select the
ENTER option. You will be presented with two boxes which expect
an "Item" and a "Page." The cursor will be blinking in the upper
box labeled "Item."
The ENTER menu choice is used to either create a new file and
make entries into it, or to add more entries into a loaded file.
If you are not loading a previously saved file, you will need to
begin by using the Enter option. If you have loaded a previously
existing file, the last record entered in that file will be
displayed in the last entry box.
The editing keys are:
<Csr Up> up one field
<Csr Dn> down one field
<Csr Right> right one character
<Csr Left> left one character
<Home> left end of field
<End> right end of field
<Ins> toggle typeover and insert modes
<Alt><x> erase entire field
<F1> restore field (see note 1 below)
<Tab> start of next field
<Shift><Tab> start of previous field
<Enter> start of next field (see note 2 below)
<F2> save edited record
<Esc> exit to menu entry
Note 1: <F1> restores the field currently containing the cursor
to its condition at the time the cursor was last moved into it or
before the <Alt><x> key combination was last used. Thus it acts
as an error correction or "undo" key, but only until you move the
cursor out of the field. If the field was empty when you moved
the cursor into it, <F1> will restore the field to an empty
condition.
Note 2: Hitting the <Enter> key while the cursor is in the Item
field will move the cursor to the Pages field. Hitting the
<Enter> key at the Pages field stores the record and clears the
fields for the next entry. When the cursor is in the Pages
field, tapping the <Enter> key will have the same effect as if
you had hit the <F2> key.
The <Num Lock> key must be off for keys on the numeric keypad to
work as described above. The program will beep at you if you try
something impossible such as tapping the <Del> key when there is
nothing to delete.
Field widths are:
35 characters for the Item field
29 characters for the Pages field
The program will automatically create another line to "ditto" an
Item if the Pages field overflows to a second line. To see an
example of this, type in the same word at least 8+ times, with a
large page reference each time. The screen will show you how it
appends numbers. Once a brand new line appears, switch to the
Display mode and hit the insert key to view your test entries and
the two lines.
As soon as there is at least one entry in the current file, a box
titled "Last Entry" will pop up in the Enter mode. This displays
the most recent entry made into the current file.
Sub-entries:
A reader might think of a variety of words to find a subject.
When you enter an Item, try to think of other Items for which
your subject might be a sub-entry. For instance, "Oak trees"
could be an Item by itself, and a sub-entry of "Forest",
"Cabinets" and "Hardwoods". Broad Items should have sub-entries
for all related subjects.
Sub-entries are created by entering an Item or header (an
abbreviated item), a carrot ^ (shift F6) followed by the sub-
entry. For instance, you may want "elm tree" to be listed as a
main Item and as a sub-entry under FOREST. It would be typed
like this:
FOREST^elm trees
Item entries and headers are automatically capitalized for you.
Sub-entries are left uncapitalized. When entering a sub-entry,
it is recommended that you type at least 5 letters of the main
entry before using the carrot and adding the sub-entry. For
example:
FOREST^elm trees is preferred to FOR^elm trees
Having at least five or six letters allows the program to ensure
that the sub-entries are properly posted and alphabetized. A
sub-entry such as FOR^elm trees could incorrectly be placed
as a sub-entry to FORM instead of FOREST. The Carrot ^ affects
the sort order of any sub-entry, leaving room for error if your
heading is not long enough. Care should be taken to use the same
header with each entry's sub-entries. In addition,
capitalization within sub-entries can affect the sort order under
a particular Item. "Zebra" will appear before "alpha" because of
the capitolization of the Z in zebra. The Display function (in
raw format) should be checked if you are uncertain about how an
entry has been placed. The raw display and raw printout can also
help locate mistyped entries.
NOTE: In the above example, if (for some reason) you have an Item
heading of FOR, you can force a sub-entry like FOR^word to fall
under FOR instead of FOREST by adding a space after FOR and
before the "^"; FOR ^word.
If you enter an item which has already been entered, the program
adds the new pages to the previous entry's reference if there is
room. When pages are added in this fashion, they will be
separated by a comma and a space. If there is not enough room on
the reference line for new pages, a new line will be created. In
the Formatted Display screen, duplicate item lines are displayed
with a ditto mark.
You can enter an Item without page numbers. However, dots will
not be printed after Items which have no corresponding page
numbers. This allows you to enter an Item as a separator or
heading of some sort. You cannot enter page numbers with no
Item.
5. Find
The Find choice helps you find an entry to make corrections or
deletions. To use, enter a search sub-string (either the item or
part of the item name). The search feature is case insensitive;
either upper or lower case can be used. Both the Item and Pages
fields are searched. If a match is located, it will be
displayed. Use the <Tab> key if you wish to search for
additional occurrences of the specified sub-string. Use
<Shift><Tab> if you have gone past the first match and wish to
search the file backward for matches.
If you wish to edit or delete a record, you must first retrieve
it with the Find option. Once the record is displayed, tap the
<Enter> key, and you will be placed in the Edit/Delete mode. You
can tell this because the blinking cursor will appear.
If you edit Pages and use the <F2> key to save your changes, the
edited line will use the same link routine as Add mode.
Consequently, it will fill its newly edited pages into a hole if
possible. If you retype an Item which already exists, it may re-
alphebtize the edited Item to the bottom of an identical item
list. This may be confusing if a minor or "typeover" change is
made, and the line shifts position.
Edits to a record are not saved unless you tap the <F2> key to
save your edits. You can delete a record with <F10>. You will
be asked to verify deletions. The <PgUp> and <PgDn> keys can be
used in Edit/Delete mode to move to contiguous records in either
direction. These cursor key choices appear on the bottom of your
screen.
6. PRINT
Choosing Print will display the following menu.
-----------------------
| PRINT MENU |
| |
| 1. Formatted |
| 2. Raw |
| 3. Page |
| 4. Item |
| 5. Disk |
| 6. Lines |
| 7. Set |
| 8. Exit |
-----------------------
This program is meant to work generically with any printer.
However, if a previous program has left your printer in an
un-initialized state, you may need to reinitialize it
through the software (see the Set option), hardware (buttons
on the printer), or by turning the printer off then on again
to reset it.
Entering a report title is optional. The program defaults
to the current filename, but you can opt for no filename
(<Alt><x>, then <Return>), or you can change the default
title to whatever you want by hitting (<Alt><x>, and typing
in a title. The title will automatically be converted to
upper case before being printed. The title length is
limited to 35 characters.
Print Menu Choices
1. Formatted
The Formatted choice prints a Full file printout, with
indented sub-items. It does not display headings to
left of a carrot (or the carrot itself) for sub-
entries.
The heading "(continued...)" appears at page top of
subsequent pages for items with sub-entries which are
continued from one page to another, both in Formatted
and Raw modes. Dots are not added after items that
have no corresponding page entries.
2. Raw
This choice prints a full file printout. It prints
Item entries, and sub-entries which consist of leading
entry headers and carrots " ^ " followed by sub-
entries.
The words "(continued...)" appears at page top in both
Formatted and Raw modes. Dots are not added after
items that have no corresponding page entries.
3. Page
This function lets you enter a page or reference and
then prints only those lines which contain the page
number you select. Matches are searched for only in
the Pages field.
The full page reference must be entered. A sub-string
of the page will not work. This function prints only
those lines which contain an occurrence of the search
string not bordered on either the left or the right by
another digit. For example, selecting page "43" will
print lines containing page "43" but will not print
lines containing numbers such as "435" or "543". This
function is ideal for finding and updating manual
references.
4. Item
This function lets you enter an Item, and prints only
those lines which have at least one occurrence of a
user specified sub-string in the Item field. The
search is case insensitive; either lower or upper case
can be entered. Matches must be in the Item field.
5. Disk
This choice is the same as the Formatted option except
the data is sent to a disk file you specify instead of
to the printer. The file will be an ASCII text file.
This option allows you to create a file which can later
be used by a word processing program.
A full path name can be entered in the filename
requester box. ".TXT" will be appended to the filename
automatically unless a different extension is specified
to override the ".TXT" default.
6. Lines
The program default is set to 66 lines per page. If
you have a printer which uses 64 lines per page, choose
this menu item to reset the page length. The program
defaults to 66 lines upon startup, and if needed, would
have to be reset each time the program is loaded.
The minimum length allowed is 20 lines per page. The
maximum length is 132 lines.
7. Set
This command initializes the printer to its original
startup condition. If the printer is turned off or is
out of paper an error message will appear on the status
line.
If the printer is off line, it will be put back on line
and made ready to print, but an error message will
still be given.
Note: A small percentage of printers may not respond
as expected to the "Set" option.
8. Exit
Return to the Main Menu. The <Esc> key will also
return you to the Main Menu.
7. Utilities Menu
-----------------------
| UTILITIES MENU |
| |
| 1. About |
| 2. Merge |
| 3. Exit |
-----------------------
1. About
This choice displays copyright, registration and
program version information.
2. Merge
This choice merges an existing disk file with the file
currently in memory. Page numbers for duplicate items
are merged onto single lines where possible. Duplicate
page numbers are not discarded in this version.
When the merge process is complete, the file in memory
will be the modified file. This file must then be
saved to disk under a new user selected name.
3. Exit
This returns to Main Menu. The <Esc> key also returns
you to the Main Menu.
8. CLEAR
Clears the current file from memory. A warning will be issued if
the current file has been modified since it was last saved.
9. QUIT
Exit to DOS. The <Esc> key cannot be used to quit the program.
If the file in memory has not been saved, a warning will appear.
Hitting <Enter> will override the warning and exit.
TIPS AND STRATEGIES
If identical items don't stack up the way you like, remember that
saving, <F2>, from Find-Edit mode can be used to modify and move
the item down the list if pages won't fit. Leading spaces in the
Item field will cause a record to be placed at the beginning of
the file. Spaces are allowable in the Pages field.
You can tamper with the page fit by appending preceding dots or
spaces to the pages field.
TROUBLE SHOOTING
Problem -- Data file can't be loaded from disk.
Solution -- Only MINDEXER created files can be loaded. The
file must have the .IDX extension as saved on
disk. You do need not type it in to save or
retrieve from within the program. Check to see if
you copied, moved, or renamed your data file
without keeping the .IDX extension?
Problem -- The printout is goofy.
Solution -- Be sure the printer is set for automatic carriage
returns when it encounters a line feed.
Technical Note:
A deliberate design decision was made to "merge" the new file as
it is loaded rather than loading the whole file in (which would
be quicker) and then merging in RAM. Reason -- with this design,
two files which could not simultaneously fit in memory can
successfully be merged (if there are enough duplicate Items to
keep total size small enough) and saved out as a merged (third
file) under a different name. Be sure to change the name (if
that is your desire).
Known Bug:
An attempt to access a floppy disk when no disk is present or to
write to a write protected disk will blow out the program to the
DOS "Abort, Retry, Fail" routine.
You can recover by inserting or write enabling the disk, then
typing "R" for "Retry" and tapping the <Enter> key. The
interrupted option should then proceed normally. The only ill
effect is that the left border will remain corrupted. At least
you will not have lost your data.
EXPECTED UPGRADE FEATURES:
In the future, we expect to add the following enhancements:
1. Function key features to speed creation of sub-entries.
and autoentry of Headings or subentries.
2. A utility function to let you check your memory
usage.
3. Expansion of the last index entry, to enable you to see
your last entry in the midst of surrounding entries.
4. Additional printing formats.
5. A key to toggle alphabetization, to give you a choice
whether or not to capilolize headings.
6. A new entry screen to allow you to see your previous
entries, and your last entry as sorted.
We desire your comments and suggestions.
PLEASE REGISTER YOUR COPY TO BE NOTIFIED OF FUTURE UPGRADES.
"Don't judge a book by its cover, but by the index!"