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Text File | 1986-01-06 | 21KB | 396 lines

TRACER version 2.2 * * * * * "DOCUMENTATION" * * * * * Tracer is a PAF file-compatible system for people who want to use the LDS PAF system, but have only one drive, or can't stand how slow it is. If you want to know the details of how it works, refer to your original PAF documentation. Several new features have been added to enhance you work environment. To run this program, you must have certain equipment: A: An IBM PC or compatible machine. B: at least 256K of memory C: At least one disk, hard or floppy, upon which reside the program files. Once you have reached the MAIN MENU, there is no further reason to have the program disk in the system (if you are using floppies) so the history notes diskette can go in one drive and the data diskette in another, if you have more than one. The entire program is memory- resident. D: A place to put the data files, such as the same hard disk, or a few more floppies. E: An optional printer for the optional printed reports. F: All the program files. Here's the list you should have: TRACER.COM TRACER.OVL TRACER.CNS IDXEDIT.COM ============================================================================= GETTING STARTED If you are using TRACER on a floppy diskette system, you probably already have the program files (F, above) on a floppy disk and are ready to go. If you are running TRACER on a hard disk, then you might want to stop and think for a moment. Even if you have a version of TRACER earlier than 2.2 and are upgrading, you will want to stop and think about this. Version 2.2 has a built-in system for handling data files on hard disks that you might want to take advantage of. Previously, since Tracer was only able to locate files by disk drive if you wanted to work on more than one genealogy on a hard disk, you would have to create a directory for that family, put a copy of TRACER in it and run it from that directory. Three families, three directories, three copies of TRACER taking up room on your system. Phooey! Option #3 in the System Utilities menu is called "Initialize Hard Disk System" ("Reconfigure System" has been moved to number 4). If you select this option, the system will ask for a family name. After you enter the family name, it will attempt to open a subdirectory for that family. If it doesn't find one, it will create one and initialize new files in that directory just as it would in options 1 and 2 for diskette systems. If it finds that directory already exists, then it will return to the menu, and you are now IN THAT DIRECTORY. You may return to the main menu and begin processing the data for that family. What does this all mean? This means that you want to create one directory on your system and put TRACER in it. You can call the directory anything you want, but if you call it "TRACER" you'll find it's a nice name and it will be easy to remember whats in it. You don't HAVE to create a directory--TRACER can run from the main directory just as easily, but it keeps your main directory from becoming cluttered. If you're upgrading from an earlier version of TRACER or converting from PAF, then you will want to create subdirectories with the first eight characters of the family name. Then copy your data files into their respective family subdirectories. Logically, it looks something like this: Subdir: \TRACER Files: TRACER.COM TRACER.CNS TRACER.OVL TRACER.CFG (will be created by the system) | =========================================================== Subdir: \TRACER\SMITH \TRACER\JONES \TRACER\BROWN Files: NAMES.DAT NAMES.DAT NAMES.DAT INDIV.DAT INDIV.DAT INDIV.DAT HISTSTK.DAT HISTSTK.DAT HISTSTK.DAT etc. ... ... ... The advantages of this are that your files are kept separate by the system, and only one copy of the program is required on your disk. Also, you can switch from family to family at any time without bringing down TRACER as the diskette people have to. DISKETTE USERS! If you just skipped the above, you should read it anyway, since, if you are dealing with small families, you can still use the system on a floppy diskette. The only requirement is that the data files and the history files MUST BE ON THE SAME DISKETTE. If you need to keep data files on one diskette and History files on another, you must use options 1 and 2 on the Utilities menu to initialize the diskettes and run it as a floppy system. Fine. So you, the diskette user, have inserted the diskette with the TRACER programs files on it into the default drive and you, the hard disk user, have created a directory with TRACER in it and are now in that directory. Type "TRACER" at the system prompt. If you've never run it before, after the copyright screen you will be sent to the System Configuration screen to define your system. You will need to specify which drives the system will put the files in. If you have a printer, you will need to specify the control character sequences that put your printer in compressed print and normal print and how many characters the printer puts on a line in these modes. You may have more than one "normal" print to select from. You will see a place to enter the number of lines on your video screen. It should be set to 25 when you start. Leave it that way unless you want to be funny. There is also a place to tell the system whether or not your hardware allows for direct screen memory menagement. Most systems do. Set this to "Y" (it starts at "N") for a much faster system. If your system runs wierd after that, set it back to "N". It will be slower at "N", but you'll see everything. VERY IMPORTANT! If you are on a diskette system, it is not smart to remove the data diskettes when you're not told to. Files can be left open and directories left unposted. This can, in turn, be very confusing to the system. Make backups religiously. If you need to change data disks, terminate the program and restart it with the new data disk. History/Research diskettes can be changed whenever the system requests the switch. Option 3 on the System Utilities menu can also be used to safely change from one family to another without bringing the system down. Keep in mind how it works, as I described earlier. Oh, yes. I left you configuring the system. After you press F1 to write the configuration to the disk or diskette, you can use option 3 or options 1 and 2 to initialize your data files and the press 7 to go to the Main Menu and you are on your way. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's a few other things you should know. 1. At the month field of any date you can enter a number from 1 to 12, or a month name, or the first three letters of the month, or another useful word, like ABOUT (ABT), BEFORE (BEF), AFTER (AFT), INFANT (INF), STILLBORN (STI), SUBMITTED (SUB), CLEARED (CLE), UNCLEARED (UNC), COMPLETED (COM), CANCELLED (CAN), BIC, DNS or DNS/CAN. In some places, some of these words make no sense at all. I'm not as picky as PAF about that. If you want to stick meaningless things in your files, thats your problem. If you want these abbreviations to mean something different to you, that's your privilege. It's a free country (they say). 2. History notes are faster and easier to edit on this. The system accepts the use of HOME, PG UP, PG DN, END, all four arrow keys, as well as CNTL-P to erase to end of line. The INS key toggles the insert/over- write switch and DEL deletes the character under the cursor. See the notes on things new to version 2.2 for more information. When Insert is ON, backspace is destructive; when overwrite is on, backspace is non-destructive. I regret that at the moment, when inserting, characters disappear off the end of lines and do not wrap down to the next line. Maybe next version. 3. A word on general name and place display logic. The system, when required to display a name or a place in a limited area, will display as much as it can. It selects which elements of the name or place based on a built-in priority system, as follows: DATA FIELD PRIORITY Names: Surname 1 Given1 1 Given2 2 Given3 3 Places:Level1 1 Level2 3 Level3 2 Level4 4 Fields with a priority of 1 will appear in the name regardless of whether there is enough room for them. If there is not enough room the extra characters are truncated (see the examples below where display size is only 10 characters large). The lower priority elements are added in toto if room is available. This sort of thing is particularly important when using the List/Dump feature where you can select your field sizes. The net effects are as shown below: Example 1: Name: Joseph Philip Harrison Cornwell 0--------1---------2---------3---------4--- Field size: 10 Joseph Cor 20 Joseph Cornwell 30 Joseph Philip Cornwell 40 Joseph Philip Harrison Cornwell Example 2: Place: Groton,Middlesex,Mass.,U.S.A. 0--------1---------2---------3---------4--- Field size: 10 Groton,Mas 20 Groton,Mass.,U.S.A. 30 Groton,Middlesex,Mass.,U.S.A. {NOTE: in the above example, field size of 20 causes "U.S.A." to be included in the descript even though it has a lower priority than "Middlesex". This is because there was not enough room to include the Level2 name, but there was enough room for the Level4 name.} 4. You may experience error 243 during a file opening that crashes the program. This is caused by a system that is not configured with enough buffers to fill the requirements of the program. The DOS system defaults to 10 files, I think. You can include the FILES= state- ment in the CONFIG.SYS file to increase the number of buffers. The exact number you need will vary according to your particular system. I have the statement "FILES=18" in mine, but this is more than you should need. I like a few extra. If you don't have a CONFIG.SYS file already, load your boot disk in the default drive and type "copy con: config.sys" at the system prompt. The cursor will move to the left, down one line and wait. Type "FILES=18" or whatever you chose. Hit <return> and hold the CTRL key down and simultaneously press "Z". Hit <return> again and your CONFIG.SYS file will be created. See your DOS reference manual for the particulars on this. 5. I recommend you use a print spooler. It will speed up the printing immensely. There are freeware print spoolers available on most BBS's. 6. My address is: Wayne R. Shepard 2339 45th Ave. San Francisco, CA 94116 If you have money to send in gratitude for this valuable contribution to your research environment, you may send it to that address secure in the knowledge that I will find it. $35 is far below the suggested retail value, but is sufficient for you to be considered morally upright, politically correct and in good taste. Only heathen scum send nothing. 7. If you have problems, you may write me at that address, or you may embarrass me in public by leaving a message for me on the ROOTS-BBS (415) 584-0697. NEW IN VERSION 2.0: 1. Effective in ver. 2.0 is the new List/Dump facility. This will EXTRACT individuals from the file by whatever criteria you specify (see note 4 below), SORT them by whatever sort order you specify, and DISPLAY, PRINT, or WRITE to disk with or without page headings and including whatever information you specify. You'll have to play with it to really appreciate it. Again, the general rule of thumb is the more work you want it to do for you, the longer you have to wait. If you don't specify a sort, the output will be printed as it is extracted. The sorts themselves are very fast, though, and a large sort will not burden your time. For large sorts, however, the system may need to put workfiles on disk during the sort, so it is handy to have a moderately empty disk in the default drive. As a benchmark for your own purposes, try extracting your entire file (enter no extract parameters), sort it by surname and given names, and print a list of whatever you want from them. 2. The search routine is new. When you do a search, a blank individual worksheet is presented to you. Simply enter the values for the search in any fields you want used as search criteria. Leave the rest blank. This method is also used for the extract parameters in the List/Dump utility. 3. The Search/Extract will perform a Soundex search on any field that accepts an alphabetic entry. To call for a Soundex search, preceed the name entry with the left-bracket character "[". The system will convert the name to it's Soundex code and display it back for you. Soundex searches are slower as more disk i/o is required to handle the name compares. Be forwarned and take the good with the bad. 4. It is now possible to view the family and individual records while in the Lineage-Linked search mode. You can even do quickee editing on the individual record if you so desire. Just follow the Function key guide at the bottom of the screen. 5. PRINTER CONFIGURATION: You now can do it. During system configuration, where you select which drives you want to put your files on, you also may select the control codes to select standard and compressed print on your printer and inform the system of the maximum line line during each. For control code entry, you can enter the basic CHR$ value or the control designation with the "carrot" (^) or a alpha character sequence in double quotes ("M"). It may require some experimentation to get it right. If more than one character is needed (as in an escape sequence) use commas to separate the character values. Example: I have an Epson FX80. It offers three different print densities--80,96,and 132 columns per line. A 15 (^O) selects compressed print and an 18 (^R) returns it to normal, whatever normal is. It defaults to 80 when you turn it on, but I prefer 96. 96 character lines are selected by the ESC-M sequence. But the compressed print command won't work in 96 character mode, so the ^[,"P" sequence must preceed the ^R compressed-print command. So to configure this, I entered ^[,"P",15 on the compressed-print selection line and I entered 18,^[,"M" on the Standard Print selection line. An escape char is designated by the number 27 or the character expression ^[. 27,80,15 = ^[,"M",^O Whatever you choose to enter, the system will display back the numeric format. In short, if you have an Epson FX-80 printer like I do, then if you want 80 column print as a standard, make these entries: Standard --- 18 Compressed --- 15 but if you want 96 column print as a standard, make these entries: Standard --- 18,27,"M" Compressed --- 27,"P",15 If you don't have an FX-80, good luck, you're on your own. I hope this isn't too confusing. I tried to make it so that pretty much any sequence required by any printer could be set up in any designation any printer manual might use. Let me know if I missed any. NEW IN VERSION 2.1: 1. Printer control now extends to the FGS and Lineage reports solving problems of line wrap for users with maximum printlines of less than 132. 2. The MARK LIST has been added. At any information screen you may hit F10 and the record number you are examining will be added to the mark list. If you are at an individual's record, the RIN will be put on the list. If you are at a marriage record or displaying the family structure, the Marriage RIN will be added to the list. When you do a FIND BY RIN or a FIND BY MRIN, the mark list will be displayed for you. This is handy for keeping track of people you need to get back to later. Marriages will be displayed with an asterisk ("*") next to the names to distinguish them from individual's records. If you hit F10 while looking at the mark list, you can delete an item from the list. On all information screens, marked numbers will be displayed with the asterisk to indicate that they are on the mark list already. At the lineage-linked display screen, hitting F10 will mark the individual at the root of the display. NOTE: There isn't always enough room on the screen to document this fact at runtime, so I have taken the liberty to not document it at all on the screen. Also, the Mark list is not currently active on the history notes screen. 3. The CLEAR function in List/Dump parameters section has been moved to F9. It formerly used F10, and conflicted with the mark list. 4. Up to 10 control characters can be entered for each control function in the printer configuration. NEW IN VERSION 2.2: 1. A glitch in the List/Dump facility is corrected. 2. Further enhancements to the History note section. The limit to the number of records has been increased. Memory-permitting, it should set itself to about 490 lines. If there is not enough memory, it should adjust itself accordingly. The controls also have been modified. In addition to the function keys (whose use is described on the bottomline of the screen) the keypad controls also perform the following functions: HOME: sends the cursor to the beginning of the current line. UP ARROW: goes to the next line above the current line. PG UP: Displays the previous page, beginning 15 lines above the current top line of the window. LEFT ARROW: Moves the cursor to the left one character. RIGHT ARROW: Moves the cursor to the right one character. END: Moves the cursor to the end of the current line. DOWN ARROW: Moves to the line which follows the current line if there is one. PG DN: Displays the next 16 lines beginning with the bottom line of the current page. When the CTRL key is held down, certain keys have other functions: CNTL-HOME: Goes to the beginning of the notes. CNTL-PG UP: Goes to the beginning of the previous note type. CNTL-LEFT ARROW: Goes to the beginning of the previous word. CNTL-RIGHT ARROW: Goes to the beginning of the next word. CNTL-END: Goes to the end of the notes and is ready to add a new line. CNTL-PG DN: Goes to the beginning of the next note type if there is one. 4. Also included for the first time in this release is a little utility program called IDXEDIT. One purpose of genealogical BBS's is to help each perticipant find out who might know something about people he or she is working on. One way we do this is by indexing our data files and uploading the indexes to our favorite BBS for public perusal. IDXEDIT makes this job easy. TRACER does the first part of the job, IDXEDIT does the middle part. It's up to you to upload it (the last part). IDXEDIT runs with command line parameters. If you run it without the command line parameters, it will politely give you instructions on how to create the BBS-compatible index for your files. Now you have no excuses. Hard disk users: IDXEDIT will not find files in subdirectories, but TRACER will put the files in subdirectories. IDXEDIT should be run from your "path" while you are in the appropriate family's subdirectory. Explore. copyright 1986 by Wayne R. Shepard