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WHATSNEW.234
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1990-06-22
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What's New in ALTERN version 2.34
A. QNS.DAT
B. USING QNS.DAT
C. BATCH PROCESSING
D. ALTERN AS A DTP PREPROCESSOR
E. HISTORY since version 2.2
A. Recent revisions of Altern have been mainly concerned first to
avoid the need for typing in each set of strings containing double
quotation marks (") every time that the program is run, and second
to allow automatic processing, with if necessary several runs of
the program, from a batch file.
In the documentation for version 2.2 it was wrongly stated
(page 4, section 6, end of page) that console input could be
rerouted by using Dos redirection. Owing to a still-uncorrected
bug in MS-DOS that does not work with any version of DOS up to and
including 3.3. It has not been tested with later versions.
To get round the problem ALTERN version 2.3 allowed the
preparation of a keystacking file called QNS.DAT. That is a text
file which feeds answers to the prompts exactly as they would be
typed from the keyboard. The QNS.DAT file must normally be in the
current directory (it may be sufficient merely to ensure that it
is in the current data path, but that has not been tested). If
ALTERN cannot find QNS.DAT, the prompts must be answered by typing
the replies at the keyboard, as in version 2.2.
B. USING QNS.DAT
It is easiest to understand the QNS.DAT procedure by trying
it. First set up your file-list file and string-list files. Then
run ALTERN without a QNS.DAT file present, entering your responses
at the keyboard. Each time you type an answer, make a note on
paper of what you typed. Each response will form a single line,
terminated by a carriage return/line feed sequence, in the QNS.DAT
file. Remember to allow a blank line for every response where the
prompt simply asks you to press Enter to continue.
Then you can use your ASCII text editor to type the QNS.DAT
file from your notes, with each response on a single line; press
Return for a blank line. Then try running the program again.
EXAMPLE OF A QNS.DAT FILE
The following is a QNS.DAT file which has been used
regularly. It is listed twice, first 'as is' and secondly with
comments (which should NOT be included in a real QNS.DAT file).
The file begins on the line after the hyphens.
---------------------------------------------------------------
TEXTLIST
ALTEXT.LST
GLOBTEXT.LST
Y
N
Y
2
"
<OD>
",
<ZZ>,
---------------------------------------------------------------
[blank line at prompt]
TEXTLIST [name of filelist file]
ALTEXT.LST [name of alternate replacement list]
GLOBTEXT.LST [name of global replacement list]
Y [Yes-check for Wordstar 8th bits]
N [No - no 'manual' alternate replacements]
Y [Yes - I want to enter global replacements]
2 [Number of global replacements to be entered]
" [String to be replaced - space-double quote]
<OD> [replacement string]
", [string to be replaced - double quote-comma]
<ZZ>, [replacement]
[blank line]
------------------------------------------------------------------
C. BATCH PROCESSING
With ingenious use of batch files the number and complexity of
files that can be processed and strings that can be replaced using
Altern is almost unlimited.
1. Running ALTERN on several sets of files each with a different
set of replacements
The following example shows a batch file used for preparing
large sets of text and endnote files for typesetting. Two files
called TEXTQNS.DAT and NOTEQNS.DAT contain the respective
filelists, lists of replacements, and 'manual' entries. The batch
file renames each one QNS.DAT, runs the program, and re-renames
the QNS.DAT file. (You could use COPY instead of REN to avoid the
need for re-renaming). Rerouting console output to the printer
ensures that if an error occurs when the computer is unattended it
will be recorded.
REN TEXTQNS.DAT QNS.DAT
PAUSE switch the printer on
ALTRN234 >prn:
REN QNS.DAT TEXTQNS.DAT
REN NOTEQNS.DAT QNS.DAT
ALTRN234 >prn:
REN QNS.DAT NOTEQNS.DAT
2. Running ALTERN on a single set of files with over 64 global
replacements to be done in each file
The following examples show two alternative ways of handling 512
global replacements. Altern is run eight times from a single
commmand. The files to be processed all have the extension .TXT.
The .COD files are renamed at each pass so that each stage is
recorded. The first method [a):] is (as before) to set up eight
QNS.DAT files under different names, and rename them at each pass.
The second method [b):] uses a single QNS.DAT file in which the
list of global replacements is called GLOBLIST. Each 64-string
replacement file, called LISTx.DAT, is renamed GLOBLIST for the
pass in which it is used. The list of alternate replacements is a
dummy, so remains unchanged, as does the list of files to be
processed.
a):
REN QNS1.DAT QNS.DAT
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK1
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN QNS.DAT QNS1.DAT
REN QNS2.DAT QNS.DAT
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK2
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN QNS.DAT QNS2.DAT
REN QNS3.DAT QNS.DAT
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK3
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN QNS.DAT QNS3.DAT
REN QNS4.DAT QNS.DAT
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK4
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN QNS.DAT QNS4.DAT
REN QNS5.DAT QNS.DAT
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK5
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN QNS.DAT QNS5.DAT
REN QNS6.DAT QNS.DAT
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK6
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN QNS.DAT QNS6.DAT
REN QNS7.DAT QNS.DAT
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK7
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN QNS.DAT QNS7.DAT
REN QNS8.DAT QNS.DAT
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK8
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN QNS.DAT QNS8.DAT
b):
REN LIST1.DAT GLOBLIST
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK1
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN GLOBLIST LIST1.DAT
REN LIST2.DAT GLOBLIST
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK2
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN GLOBLIST LIST2.DAT
REN LIST3.DAT GLOBLIST
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK3
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN GLOBLIST LIST3.DAT
REN LIST4.DAT GLOBLIST
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK4
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN GLOBLIST LIST4.DAT
REN LIST5.DAT GLOBLIST
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK5
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN GLOBLIST LIST5.DAT
REN LIST6.DAT GLOBLIST
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK6
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN GLOBLIST LIST6.DAT
REN LIST7.DAT GLOBLIST
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK7
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN GLOBLIST LIST7.DAT
REN LIST8.DAT GLOBLIST
ALTRN234
REN *.TXT *.BK8
REN *.COD *.TXT
REN GLOBLIST LIST8.DAT
D. ALTERN AS A DTP PREPROCESSOR
Although revisions of Altern since 1988 have concentrated on
making it more useful for generic-coded typesetting applications,
it has recently begun to shine as a tool for use with Xerox (R) Ventura
Publisher (TM, R, anathema sit etc.). Whether it will be equally
useful with other DTP programs, or SGML jobs, depends on how they
work; I have not tested them.
When a text file (either ASCII or from an appropriate word
processor) is edited in a Ventura chapter, Ventura automatically
modifies the file to include its own typesetter codes. Once you
have identified the codes used in the first chapter of your
application by re-examining the word-processor file or files after
leaving Ventura, you will find that it is much quicker to type
them with the word processor into the text files for the remaining
chapters BEFORE using Ventura. In many cases the codes replace
word-processor codes or toggles, or particular character strings
(e.g. ligatures); such codes can be much more easily and
consistently replaced throughout a large amount of text by using
ALTERN.
E. HISTORY since version 2.2
Feb. 1989: Version 2.3: QNS.DAT. Not released
Apr.-May 1989: Versions 2.31 -2.33: minor revisions: not released
June 1989: Version 2.34 attempts to fix a bug in earlier versions.
In some cases if non-standard paragraph-end codes were specified
in the PA