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1988-05-17
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ReadyRef
========
An On-Line Reference
--------------------
Ver. 2.30(10)
by
W.G. Madison
Copyright 1988 W.G. Madison and Associates, Ltd.
All rights reserved.
┌─────────┐
┌────┴────┐ │ W. G. MADISON AND
──┤ │ ├───────────────── ASSOCIATES, Ltd.
│ ┌──────┴──┐ │ Association of P. O. Box 898
│ │ ├─┘ Shareware Greenbelt, MD 20770
└──┤ o │ Professionals (301)552-7234
─────┤ ║ ├─────────────────── (CIS 73240,342)
(tm) └────╨────┘ MEMBER
========================================================
| Shareware |
| |
| We encourage you to freely copy and share UNMODIFIED |
| copies of this program with other people. If you |
| decide to use the program, support the Shareware |
| marketing concept by becoming a registered user. |
========================================================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================
1. INTRODUCTION ..................................... 1
1.0 What is ReadyRef, and why should I bother? ....... 1
1.1 Acknowledgments .................................. 2
2. THE DISTRIBUTION SET ............................. 3
3. TEST DRIVING AND INVOKING READYREF ............... 3
3.1 Invoking ReadyRef and using its options .......... 4
4. INSTALLING READYREF .............................. 5
4.0 System Requirements .............................. 5
4.1 General considerations ........................... 5
4.1.1 Summary of the installation/configuration process. 6
4.2 Using RRCONFIG to initially configure ReadyRef ... 8
4.2.1 Selecting a color set ............................ 8
4.2.2 Selecting an initial option set .................. 9
5. DEFINING USER-CONFIGURABLE OPTIONS FROM SCRATCH .. 10
5.0 General discussion ............................... 10
5.1 Preparing a text file for a user definable option. 11
5.2 Using RRCONFIG to install a new option ........... 12
5.3 Searching a text file ............................ 13
5.4 Preparing and using configuration files .......... 15
6. INDEXING TEXT FILES .............................. 15
6.0 General discussion ............................... 15
6.1 Using RRINDEX .................................... 16
7. AVAILABLE READYREF-COMPATIBLE TEXT FILES ......... 16
8. USAGE/COPYING LICENSE ............................ 17
8.0 What is Shareware? ............................... 17
8.1 Your rights and obligations ...................... 18
8.2 Software/Shareware dealers and distributors ...... 19
8.3 How to register ReadyRef ......................... 19
8.4 User Support ..................................... 19
9. Other Shareware Products ......................... 20
1. INTRODUCTION
1.0 What is ReadyRef, and why should I bother?
All too frequently, if you are like me, you will be sitting at
your computer and want a quick piece of information. You have to
break your train of thought, find the book or document containing
the information you require, look it up, and then go back to the
computer and pick up where you left off. Even if the information
is on your hard disk and you have SideKick or SCOUT installed, it
can be a nuisance getting to, and reading the specific file you
want.
And most of the time (again, if you are like me) the information
you need amounts to only a few lines of text which could readily
be associated with a keyword.
ReadyRef MEETS THIS NEED!
ReadyRef is an on-line reference aid. Unlike most on-line refer-
ence aids, however, you decide for yourself the subject matter
for which you are most likely to need on-line assistance. You
decide for yourself the wording and form this assistance will
take. If you don't like what you have decided after using it for
a while, you can change it in any way you wish. In short, you are
not bound by someone else's decision as to what you want or need.
Thus, ReadyRef can, over time, become the reference aid specific-
ally designed for you and your work style.
ReadyRef can be used as a resident program (TSR) or can be run in
non-resident mode, runnable from the DOS prompt. It provides a
suite of up to 14 options, consisting of
* A complete ASCII table
* A calendar displaying any desired three month
period
* A date calculator, to determine
* the number of days between any two given
dates
* the date corresponding to any number of
days before or after a given date
* the day of the week on which any date, past
or future, falls
* Eleven additional options which you can define
for yourself, if you can use any editor or word
processor capable of producing an ASCII file.
* One of these options, providing reference
on the syntax and function of the more
common DOS commands, is pre-installed.
1
1.1 Acknowledgments
Nothing worthwhile is conceived or created in a vacuum. ReadyRef
is no exception. While the actual detailed design and coding may
be a solo effort, the ideas leading up to the design, the Beta
Testing support following initial implementation, and the contin-
ued feedback during the development process come from many
sources. Some of the contributors may not even be aware that,
during a free-wheeling conversation, a chance remark may have
lead to a valuable new view of a problem.
In particular,
To John Van Horn, Wallace Kendall, and Paul Demmitt for input
which, in many ways, determined some of the major features of
ReadyRef;
To John Newlin, who directed my attention to bodies of potential
users whose needs would have otherwise escaped my attention;
To both Johns, Wallace, and Paul (once again) as well as to the
many members of the Central Maryland Microcomputer Users' Group
who provided the frequently painful and embarrassing but neces-
sary Beta Testing services;
And finally, to my wife Frances, who has had to put up with late
nights and frequent bouts of the "dark grumps" while all of this
was taking place --
Much of the credit for any success which ReadyRef may enjoy is
rightfully yours. Thank you.