The Pier Shareware 6/The_Pier_Shareware_Number_6_(The_Pier_Exchange)_(1995).iso/010/exc36.zip/exc.doc

Text File | 1994-09-11 | 97KB | 2,204 lines

                                     EXC
                           The EXeCution Processor
                                 USER'S GUIDE

                       Copyright 1993 by Gary C. Crider


Is writing scripts a pain?  See Appendix C about the new EXCR script recorder.


TABLE OF CONTENTS:

        What is EXC? ..................................... 1.0
        Requirements ..................................... 1.1
        The EXC command line ............................. 2.0
          Parameters that contain quotes ................. 2.1
        Operational notes ................................ 3.0
          General notes .................................. 3.1
          Interrupt keys ................................. 3.2
          Memory usage ................................... 3.3
          Timing considerations .......................... 3.4
          When EXC may not function or cause problems .... 3.5
          Specific problems .............................. 3.6
            Remote control communications ................ 3.6.1
          Error handling ................................. 3.7
        Scripts .......................................... 4.0
          Script Basics .................................. 4.1
          Script Commands ................................ 4.2
            BEEP ......................................... 4.2.1
            CASE ......................................... 4.2.2
            CLEAR ........................................ 4.2.3
            CURSOR ....................................... 4.2.4
            CURSX ........................................ 4.2.5
            CURSY ........................................ 4.2.6
            DELAY ........................................ 4.2.7
            FAST ......................................... 4.2.8
            FILE ......................................... 4.2.9
            GET .......................................... 4.2.10
            GOTO ......................................... 4.2.11
            HIDEWIN ...................................... 4.2.12
            HLOCATE ...................................... 4.2.13
            IFN .......................................... 4.2.14
            IFY .......................................... 4.2.15
            INT9 ......................................... 4.2.16
            KEY .......................................... 4.2.17
            LOCATE ....................................... 4.2.18
            LOOK ......................................... 4.2.19
            NOINT9 ....................................... 4.2.20
            ON ........................................... 4.2.21
            ONRESET ...................................... 4.2.22
            PAUSE ........................................ 4.2.23
            QUIET ........................................ 4.2.24
            QUIT ......................................... 4.2.25
            READ ......................................... 4.2.26
            REWIND ....................................... 4.2.27
            SCRMAX ....................................... 4.2.28
            SEARCH ....................................... 4.2.29
            SET .......................................... 4.2.30
            SETWAIT ...................................... 4.2.31
            SHOW ......................................... 4.2.32
            SHOWAT ....................................... 4.2.33
            SHOWIN ....................................... 4.2.34
            SLOW ......................................... 4.2.35
            TICK ......................................... 4.2.36
            TIME ......................................... 4.2.37
            TIMEOUT ...................................... 4.2.38
            TYPE ......................................... 4.2.39
            TYPFILE ...................................... 4.2.40
            VLOCATE ...................................... 4.2.41
            WAITFOR ...................................... 4.2.42
            WAITSCR ...................................... 4.2.43
            WINCOLS ...................................... 4.2.44
            WINMAX ....................................... 4.2.45
            WINROWS ...................................... 4.2.46
          Labels ......................................... 4.3
          Remarks ........................................ 4.4
          Using variables ................................ 4.5
          Environment variable substitution .............. 4.6
          User variables ................................. 4.7
          Example script ................................. 4.8
        Installation ..................................... Appendix A
        Keycode table .................................... Appendix B
        EXCR Script Recorder ............................. Appendix C
        EXCDEMO .......................................... Appendix D
        Definition of Shareware .......................... Appendix E
        Disclaimer ....................................... Appendix F
        Support .......................................... Appendix G
        Registration ..................................... Appendix H


1.0 What Is EXC?

   As administrator of a large local area network, I believe whole-
heartedly in automating every task that can be automated.  Even though
many tasks are computerized, that does not make them automated.  By
automated I mean that you enter one command or batch file name on the
DOS command line and forget about it until the task is performed.  Unfor-
tunately many, if not most, programs require an operator to fill in blanks,
select choices or otherwise interact with the PC to accomplish a task in
which all of these parameters and choices were known to the user beforehand.

   I, for one, do not want to have to sit and watch my backups take place.
In fact, I want them done while I am away from the office.  After backups,
what better time to defragment a hard disk?  Do I want to have to chase menus
to achieve this after the backup completes?  One of the worst offenders of
this I have seen is Stacker's SDEFRAG program.  You can automate just about
everything until the defrag has finished, then a stupid dialogue box pops up
and asks you if you want to exit the program.  No way to just move on back
to the batch file and begin defragmenting the next drive.

   I first experimented with various keyboard stuffers such as PC Magazine's
KEY-FAKE by Charles Petzold and STACKEY by Barry Simon and Richard Wilson.
These programs take pre-programmed key sequences and stuff them into the
keyboard buffer as if you had typed them at the keyboard.  The trouble is
that many programs rudely clear the keyboard buffer before requesting you to
enter something or they allow you to interrupt the processing by pressing any
key.  Since you have already simulated pressing the key, oops!.  In either
case, you can't simply preprogram your reply and go.  Stacker's SDEFRAG exit
prompt is an example.

   Stuffers usually offer a way to get around this by programming a delay
into the keystrokes that causes so many seconds to elapse before the key
code is stuffed into the keyboard buffer.  This is a help, but what if the
time for a task (backup and defrag, for example) to complete varies greatly
from one execution to another?  You have to program for the longest possible
execution time and the task then takes way too long to run in most cases.

   Another problem I have with stuffers is that they are almost always
terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs.  I hate to stuff another program
in my 640k when I don't have to.  Although most allow you to unload them,
you will forget more often than not.

   I then came across a program called AUTOMATE by Geoff Friesen that was
a better approach.  You built a script, compiled it and executed it.  No
TSR remained in memory.  The trouble is, the only commands in the script
were execute a program, wait, and insert keys in the buffer.  Also, you
couldn't pass parameters to the program.  AUTOMATE served as my inspiration
to take it further.

   What I wanted was a program that had the intelligence to monitor the
screen and detect when an event occurred that required me to insert more
keycodes in the buffer.  I would also like to see logical branching in the
script and the ability to plan for exception processing as well as when
everything performs normally.  I want to be able to enter keyboard input
when a certain string appears on the screen or when a string such as
"Please wait..." disappears from the screen.  There are times I just want
to wait until any change at all occurs on the screen.

   EXC then, is more than just a buffer stuffer.  It is a script (a.k.a.
macro) processor that has a very simple script language that allows very
complex scripts to execute much faster than you could execute them in attended
mode.  There are only slightly over thirty commands in the entire script
language!  Only about a dozen of these will be used often.  The script
language is interpretive, so no compile is needed.  It is not a TSR, so
nothing remains to eat up your precious RAM.

   EXC can even be used with your favorite DOS communications program to
process online scripts.  Send E-mail, download files, etc.  EXC can even be
used to automate mainframe tasks through your 3270 emulation gateway.

   You simply execute EXC specifying the script file to use and the program
to be executed.  You include all command line parameters for the program
as usual.  By combining EXC executions in batch files, extremely complex
processing can be reduced to a single DOS command.  EXC even returns the
same DOS ERRORLEVEL that your program returned upon completion.

   All you need to know now is the format of the EXC command line and how
to write a script.


1.1 Requirements

  EXC works on any Intel 80x86 and compatible processors.  At this time,
  we are unaware of any unresolved incompatibilities with any software or
  hardware configurations.  Any that are reported and not resolved will
  be reported here.

  Since Borland C++ v4.0 no longer supports code generation for 8086/8088
  processors, EXC requires a 286 (80286) or better.


2.0 The EXC Command Line

   Format: EXC [path]scriptfile [[path]program] [command-line parameters]

   The scriptfile is the filename of the script to be processed.  The
extension, if specified, must be .SCR, but is not required to be specified.
the script file is assumed to be in the current directory if a path is
not specified.

   The program does not require a file name extension, but it must be a .EXE
or .COM executable program file.  .BAT files cannot be executed by EXC.  If
the path is not specified, the environment PATH= directories are searched.
If the program is omitted from the command line, COMMAND.COM (or whatever
command processor is reported in the COMSPEC environment variable) is assumed.
Letting the program defaut to COMMAND.COM will probably cause a fatal memory
violation error in an OS/2 DOS box.

   The command-line parameters are any parameters that you would specify
on the DOS command line if you were executing the program without EXC.


2.1 Parameters that contain quotes

   If you try to pass command-line parameters to the spawned program that
contain imbedded quotes, you must use \q in place of the quotes to be
imbedded within the parameter.

   Parameters that contain spaces, |, < or > must be enclosed in quotes in
order to be treated as a single parameter.

   If you want the spawned program to receive a parameter that looks like:
     Help "Me" Out,
you would include it on the EXC command line as
     "Help \qMe\q Out"

  Confusing?  You bet!  But I have to work within the rules of DOS and the
parameter passing rules of different languages and compilers. Amazingly, they
do not all handle quoted strings in the same manner.  I learned this the
hard way by publishing a release (v2.2) that did not work when spawning most
PASCAL and assembler programs and passing quoted parameters.



3.0 Operational notes

3.1 General notes

   If you want EXC scripts to execute multiple programs and/or enter
intrinsic DOS commands on the DOS command line, omit the program from
the EXC command line or specify COMMAND.COM which is the default (unless
a different command processor such as 4DOS and NDOS is specified in the
COMSPEC environment variable).  Your script will begin executing on an
empty DOS command line.  EXC automatically issues an EXIT if COMMAND.COM
was invoked.  If you terminate the script with LEFT SHIFT-RIGHT SHIFT, or
the script terminates with an error, you need to type EXIT at the DOS prompt
to terminate the COMMAND.COM that you started and remove EXC from memory.

   Don't get cute and try to execute EXC as the object program of an EXC
command.  While it might logically work, I can see no possible need for
such action and you and your system are at your own risk.

   EXC creates an extended keyboard buffer that will hold 256 keycodes.  The
DOS keyboard buffer will hold 16 keycodes.  Thus you may stuff up to 272
keycodes with TYPE and KEY before the program requests keyboard input.  If
you overflow this buffer (very unlikely), a runtime error occurs and script
processing is halted.

   EXC is written in Borland C++, a product of Borland International.


3.2 Interrupt keys

   You can pause execution of a script by pressing the Scroll Lock key.  If
your keyboard has a Scroll Lock indicator light, the light will be on while
the script is paused.  Pressing Scroll Lock again resumes execution of the
script exactly where it left off.  Any unexpired wait time must elapse
before another command is processed.

   You can terminate execution of a script by holding down both the LEFT
and RIGHT SHIFT keys.  A beep will indicate that the script is being
terminated.  Execution of any spawned program will continue.

   The Pause key on your keyboard pauses all execution at the time the next
screen write occurs.  Timer interrupts continue.  EXC detects the pause
state and suspends itself.  When you strike any key, both EXC and the
spawned task will resume processing.  Any unexpired wait time must elapse
before another command is processed.  While paused, the spawned program
remains active.

   Since EXC is executing as a timer interrupt with your program operating
as a spawned subtask, cycle-stealing multitasking is occurring.  This can
cause a few problems.  If you must interrupt execution of your program, your
best bet may actually be pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL to reboot the computer.  If
you hit CTRL-BREAK, you will normally interrupt just one task while the other
continues.  Pressing CTRL-BREAK again then interrupts the remaining task.
This can confuse the remaining task to no end and lead to a system lock-up
or other undesirable result.  If you are lucky, you may actually get by with
it, but I don't recommend it.  Even if you terminate EXC with LEFT SHIFT-
RIGHT SHIFT, the timer interrupt is still active until your program
terminates, so the same problem can occur.


3.3 Memory usage

   EXC requires approximately 40K of conventional memory overhead.  After
loading, it then allocates a buffer to hold your script file and a buffer
for reading the screen contents.  If your application program's requirements
are pushing the limits of available RAM, you may not be able to execute it
under EXC control.  If COMMAND.COM is spawned, an additional 3K (DOS 5) is
used.

   The screen buffer varies according to the screen size active at startup or
the value specified in an SCRMAX command.  It will require one byte for every
character position on the screen, plus 4 bytes.  Thus an 80 x 25 text mode
will require a buffer of 2004 bytes.  If SCRMAX is present, that buffer size
is always allocated, regardless of the initial text mode.

   The script buffer is the size required to hold all script commands strung
end-to-end with 1 byte between each command.  Leading and trailing spaces
are not counted.  If you use TYPFILE, the contents of the specified file are
added to the script buffer.  Thus, your script buffer will increase by the
size of all files specified in TYPFILE commands.  If you specify the same
file in two different TYPFILE commands, the file will be loaded into memory
twice.  If the TYPFILE is executed multiple times within a loop, it only
requires buffer space for a single copy of the file.

   With 604k of available memory, I am able to load a simple script with
35,000 fairly short commands.

   Versions prior to 2.0 were limited to a total memory allocation of 64k
for all buffers.

   If your script is too large, you may encounter an error allocating script
memory, allocating screen buffer memory or you will see an error message that
says you do not have enough memory to spawn your program.


3.4 Timing considerations

   EXC installs itself as a timer interrupt that is invoked 18.2 times
per second.  If it has no work to do, it simply executes the system timer
interrupt and any other chained timer interrupts and returns.  During waits
(DELAY, WAITFOR, etc.) the frequency of invocation is reduced to twice per
second.  This minimizes the impact of the interrupt on the performance of
your program.  A half-second is forever to most computers.  This also means
that if you are searching for a string with WAITFOR, and the string flashes
on the screen for less than 1/2 second, it will not be detected.

   Needless to say, EXC does not have but 1/18th of a second to retrieve and
execute a command.  This is a long time in a fast computer and a short
time to a slow system.  I try to break commands down into logical parts that
are executed in consecutive interrupts.  Obviously, there are some commands
that will probably take longer than 1/18th of a second, especially on slower
systems.  EXC is a handler for interrupt 1C.  No new 1C interrupts are
initiated by the system until the active one is complete.  While missing
a few interrupts has minimal effect on EXC or DOS, it could effect a spawned
task or TSR that is also servicing 1C interrupts.

   Very slow CPUs (6 Mhz or slower) may experience problems getting some
tasks to function properly.  Sometimes a few judiciously placed DELAY or
TICK commands will help.  Sometimes you may have to break down very long
typed strings into multiple TYPE commands.  Others just may not work at all
if they just cannot accomplish their tasks fast enough.  Most of the more
commonly used commands should work fine.


3.5 When EXC may not function properly

   GRAPHICS MODES do not store text characters in video memory, only pixels
of differing colors.  EXC cannot interpret these pixels into characters, thus
commands that are based on screen reads will not work in graphics modes. This
includes WINDOWS, OS/2 and their apllications.  Note that EXC can be run in
a WINDOWS or OS/2 DOS session.  EXC also does not support recording mouse
movement and clicks.

   In order to execute screen reads an writes rapidly due to timing
restraints, EXC reads and writes (SHOW, SHOWIN, READ, WAITFOR, WAITSCR, etc.)
directly to and from video memory at pages B000-B7FF.  If you use DESQVIEW
or a special graphics mode that relocates the active video page outside
this area, screen reads and writes will not function properly.  This also
prevents these commands from working properly in CGA modes.  All VGA text
modes and most SVGA text modes should work properly.  If you use programs
that change to a different text resolution during processing, please be sure
to read about the SCRMAX command.

   If the program you are executing or a TSR that is loaded in memory moves
or otherwise messes with the DOS keyboard buffer, it could cause EXC to
malfunction.  The most likely symptom would be keys that you TYPE or KEY
not showing up or not appearing to have been pressed.  EXC uses BIOS
interrupt 16h, service 5 to insert the keys into the keyboard buffer.  It
does not reallocate or move the buffer.  It merely creates a new extended
buffer that only EXC is aware of.  As the timer interrupts occur, EXC
always checks to see if anything is in the extended buffer, if so it will
move as many keycodes as the PC keyboard buffer will hold into the keyboard
buffer, or until the extended buffer is empty.  BIOS interrupt 16h is not
available until later XT BIOSes.  As a general rule, EXC should not be used
except on AT models or later.

   Other factors that could cause EXC to malfunction include programs and
TSRs that have timer and keyboard interrupt handlers.  Customary usage of
these interrupts provides for allowing other installed handlers to perform
their function, but you cannot count on all programmers to abide by these
conventions.  Since even "behaved" handlers can do virtually anything within
these routines, EXC cannot be guaranteed to function on these programs.
Fortunately, they are very rare.  EXC will work with many of them (i.e.
QBASIC and EDIT from MS-DOS 5.0 up).

   If a TSR or spawned task is using timer interrupt 1C for timing (music,
communications, etc.) the timing could be thrown off slightly by EXC,
especially in slower systems.  In most cases, the effect will be negligible,
but in some it will prevent you from being able to use EXC.

   If you experience problems with keys being ignored or missing or out of
order, try the SLOW and/or NOINT9 commands.  See the description of these
commands for more details.

   If you spot another program, video mode or anything else that causes
EXC to malfunction, send me a CIS mail or U.S. mail note and I will check
it out if I can.  I will include a note in this section on those reported
problems if they cannot be fixed.


3.6 Specific problems

3.6.1 Remote control communications

Some communications programs, especially those used for remote control of
a PC, may cause some particular problems for EXC.  WIZLINK, a very good
shareware implementation, evidently runs a timer interrupt that empties the
comm buffer and paints the screen.  This interrupt has a lot to accomplish
and does not take kindly to another interrupt handler stealing CPU cycles
that it needs.

The symptoms seen are unusual characters appearing on the screen and WIZLINK
occasionally logging off the host.  This is seen when a WAITFOR or WAITSCR
is active at this point in your script.  The WAITFOR may not detect a
matching string because of the garbaged screen display.

The best solution is not to use WAITFOR and WAITSCR commands.  By using
DELAY instead, all seems to work well.  Here is a compromise that appears
to work O.K. with a little experimentation and tuning:

In your script, just before the connection is made with the host, issue a
SLOW command. Then in the place of WAITFORs during an active session, use
the following:

        :LOOP1
        DELAY 5
        SEARCH "String I Want"
        IFN LOOP1

Use this loop in the place of the WAITFOR and make sure you place the DELAY
before the SEARCH.  Experiment with the amount of delay to find the lowest
value that repeatedly eliminates the garbled screen.  The slower the baud
rate used for the session, the longer the DELAY has to be.

Similar problems have been reported, but not yet verified by me, with
pcANYWHERE III and SmartTerm 240.


3.7 Error handling

   If an error occurs that prevents EXC from initiating the program, a
message will appear and a DOS ERRORLEVEL of 255 will be returned.  If
the program is successfully initiated, EXC will return the DOS ERRORLEVEL
that the program returned when it completed.  There is an RC = nnn message
after EXC terminates that displays the DOS ERRORLEVEL returned by your
program and by EXC.  When COMMAND.COM is executed, the ERRORLEVEL will
not reflect what was returned from one of the programs you executed and
will always be zero.

   If EXC encounters an error while processing the script (i.e. an invalid
script statement) it will sound two short beeps on the PC speaker and
terminate processing any more script commands.  When the spawned program
completes or is exited, a message will appear specifying the error EXC
encountered.

   If the spawned program terminates before EXC has finished processing
the script, all script processing terminates at that point.  Keycodes
that have been stuffed into the buffer remain there.  This allows you
to enter a new command on the DOS command line from within your script.
You can actually chain EXC processing without the use of a batch file.


4.0 Scripts

  Scripts can be written with any ASCII text file editor.  There is one
command per line.  Leading and trailing blanks and tabs, lines beginning with
a semicolon (;) and blank lines are ignored by the script processor.  You may
have more than one blank between the command and its parameter(s).

  All window coordinates specified in some commands are based on the full
screen currently displayed.  The upper left corner is column 1, row 1.

  All "string" parameters can accept quotes within the string by placing
the characters \q (lower case) in the string where you want a quote to
occur.


4.1 Script Basics

Scripts are text files created with your favorite text editor that emulate
your actions and reasoning as you perform an interactive task while using a
DOS-based program.  As you would say to yourself, "When I see this on the
screen, I will type this and press these keys and wait for that to appear
before I enter this", etc.  You can create EXC scripts that use this same
logic and perform the same tasks, even to making decisions when different
results may appear on the screen.

Creating a script is not that difficult.  Do not be intimidated by all the
commands below.  You will find that 90% of your scripts may only use three or
four of them.  The rest are for more esoteric applications, but they are
there if you need them.

To create a script to preform a repetitive task, perform the task as you
normally do, taking notes as to what changes on the screen and what keys you
press.  Then simply reproduce these actions with script commands, testing
a little at a time as you go.

Commands may start anywhere on a line, but only one command per line is
allowed.  This allows indentation for clarity.  If the first non-blank
character on a line is a semi-colon (;), the line is treated as a comment
and disregarded.  Blank lines are also disregarded.  If the first non-blank
character is a colon (:), the following text is treated as a label, to be
used as a branching destination.  There must be at least one space between
the command and the first parameter and between parameters.  More than one
space is allowed, but could increase the memory requirements of EXC.

As mentioned earlier there are a few basic commands that can handle most of
your needs.  These include TYPE, KEY, WAITFOR, and DELAY.  These are the true
workhorse commands of EXC.

  READ, LOOK and SEARCH may come in handy when looking for more than one thing
on the screen and WAITSCR is handy when you don't care what the results are,
only that something was sent back to the screen.

  Some commands are truly useful only while debugging.  These include commands
such as BEEP, SHOW, SHOWIN, SHOWAT, HIDEWIN and PAUSE.

  Decision making, looping and branching within the script to different logic
paths are facilitated by commands such as GOTO, IFN, IFY, ON, ONRESET, QUIT,
and TIMEOUT.

  Moving the data entry cursor around the screen are facilitated by commands
like CURSOR, CURSX, CURSY, LOCATE, VLOCATE, and HLOCATE.  The last two are
exceptionally valuable when moving menu bars to the selection you need.

  Sectioning the screen to limit your reads and searches to a sector of the
screen is done with WINCOLS, WINROWS and WINMAX.

  FILE, GET and REWIND are particularly beneficial to projects that seek to
convert data from one database or database type to another.  To do this you
export or print to disk a listing of the contents of the source database, one
field per line.  You can create a script that uses the exported ASCII file as
input and does the data entry into the new database manager.

  The uses for EXC scripts are many and varied, from automating repetitive
tasks, to creating elaborate "macros."  Many users use it to automate data
communications tasks such as downloading files from a remote computer.  Think
of EXC as a macro processor for any type of DOS text-based program.  Of course,
if the program you are using has a built-in macro or script processor, you
would be better off using the one that is native to your program.


4.2 Script Commands

 Note: Brackets ([]) indicate an optional parameter and should not be
       included as part of the command.  Quotes (""), where specified,
       are required to be entered as part of the parameter.

 BEEP                   Sound a short beep on speaker. Useful in debugging
                        scripts.
 CASE ON                The CASE commands enable case-sensitive (ON) or case-
 CASE OFF               insensitive (OFF) compares by WAITFOR and SEARCH.  The
                        initial mode is CASE ON.
 CLEAR                  Clear the screen.
 CURSOR col row         Move the cursor to the specified coordinates.
 CURSX col              Move the cursor to the specified column.
 CURSY row              Move the cursor to the specified row.
 DELAY n                Wait n seconds
 FAST                   Turns off SLOW mode if SLOW was invoked.
 FILE filespec          Open a file for processing with GET commands.
 GET eoflabel blanklbl  Read a record from and external file into variable 16.
 GOTO label             Unconditional branch to label.
 IFN label              If condition set to N, go to label.
 IFY label              If condition set to Y, go to label.
 INT9                   Issue interrupt 9 (default mode).
 HIDEWIN                Restore a window displayed with SHOWIN to it's
                        original color attributes.
 HLOCATE "string"       Same as LOCATE except cursor only moves horizontally
                        to the column where the search string was found.
 KEY mnemonic [n]       Push the key onto the keyboard stack. 'n' is the
                        number of times you want the keycode inserted.
 LOCATE "string"        Reads the screen until the string appears, then moves
                        the cursor to the start of the string.
 LOOK "string"          Test to see if the string was on the screen at the
                        time the screen was last read.  Screen reads occur
                        during execution of READ, SEARCH, WAITSCR and WAITFOR
                        commands.  Sets "Y/N" condition.
 NOINT9                 Stop issuing interrupt 9s.
 ON n label             Command will do nothing n times and on pass n+1, it
                        will branch to label.
 ONRESET                Reset the ON counter when terminating an ON loop
                        early.
 PAUSE                  Causes the script to be paused as if Scroll Lock were
                        pressed.
 QUIET                  Supresses messages to screen from EXC.
 QUIT                   Halt processing the script file.
                        End-of-file on the script file issues an automatic
                        QUIT.
 READ                   Read the current screen contents.
 REWIND                 Go to the start of an external file (see FILE, GET).
 SCRMAX cols rows       Specifies the largest screen size that will be used
                        during execution.  Used to allocate screen buffer.
 SEARCH "string"        Read screen and test to see if the string is on the
                        screen. Sets "Y/N" condition.
 SET n "string"         Set variable n to value "string".
 SETWAIT nnn            Wait nnn seconds before a WAITFOR or WAITSCR times
                        out.
 SHOW attr "string"     Display the string using the specified attribute.
                        Displays at the location specified in SHOWAT.
 SHOWAT col row         Specifies location for subsequent SHOW command
                        strings to be displayed.
 SHOWIN attr            Rewrite the current window text in the specified
                        attribute.
 SLOW [n]               SLOW mode can help you on slow CPUs or slow programs.
                        Slower keying.
 TICK n                 Same as DELAY except n represents 1/18th of a second
                        instead of a second.
 TIME hhmmss            Pause execution of subsequent commands until the
                        specified time of day.
 TIMEOUT label          Branch to label when the next WAITFOR or WAITSCR
                        timeout occurs.
 TYPE "string"          Type the ASCII string.
 TYPFILE filespec [mnemonic]
                        Type the contents of the specified file.  Replace
                        CR/LFs with specified mnemonic.
 VLOCATE "string"       Same as LOCATE except cursor only moves vertically
                        to the row where the search string was found.
 WAITFOR [NOT] "string" Wait until the string appears on the screen.  If NOT
                        specified, wait until string is not on screen.
 WAITSCR                Wait until anything changes on the screen.
 WINCOLS start end      Limit screen reads and SHOWIN to the screen columns
                        specified.
 WINMAX                 Remove row and column restraints imposed by WINCOLS
                        and WINROWS.  Subsequent reads read the full screen.
 WINROWS start end      Limit screen reads and SHOWIN to the screen rows
                        specified.
 :label                 Define a label.


4.2.1 BEEP

 Sounds a short BEEP on the PC speaker.  Since there is no visual feedback
 for many of the operations and branches performed while processing a script,
 debugging a script can be tough if it is complex.  Inserting a BEEP at a
 strategic location in the script will tell you if processing ever reached
 that point in the script.

 NOTE: BEEP does not extend the duration of the timer interrupt.  It actually
 is turned on, then turned off a few ticks later.


4.2.2 CASE ON / CASE OFF

 The CASE commands determine case sensitivity during SEARCH, LOOK and WAITFOR
 string searches.  If CASE is ON, the search string and screen contents are
 unchanged during the search, and must match in upper and lower case.  If
 CASE is OFF, the search string and all characters read from the screen are
 converted to upper-case before the search begins so that case does not
 influence the result of the compare.

 The initial CASE mode is ON.

 NOTE - You must reread the screen after changing the CASE mode before the
 new CASE mode will take effect.

 See TIMEOUT for example.


4.2.3 CLEAR

 The CLEAR command clears the entire screen, not just the active window.
 It also homes the cursor.  Use with caution, this could cause problems
 within many applications.


4.2.4 CURSOR col row

 The cursor is moved to the location on the screen (not just within the
 active window) specified by col and row.  Col and row are the screen column
 and row.

 CURSOR is designed primarily to be used in a full screen editor or similar
 applications where the cursor can be moved with the arrow keys.  The
 destination must be in an area of the screen where the active application
 allows typing.

 CAUTION:
 In order for your application to recognize that the cursor has been moved,
 a series of <LEFT> <RIGHT> <UP> and <DOWN> keys are stuffed into the
 buffer and executed until the cursor is at the desired location.  If you
 send the cursor to a location that is not in an acceptable input area of
 the active application, the cursor will jump around the destination, but
 never get there.  You will have to terminate the script with LEFT SHIFT-
 RIGHT SHIFT. Some applications require the use of other keys such as TAB
 to move from one field to another.

 Example: CURSOR 17 41


4.2.5 CURSX col

 The cursor is moved to the column specified.  No vertical movement keys are
 issued.  See CURSOR for more details and a CAUTION.

 Example: CURSX 12


4.2.6 CURSY row

 The cursor is moved to the row specified.  No horizontal movement keys are
 issued.  See CURSOR for more details and a CAUTION.

 Example: CURSY 20


4.2.7 DELAY n

 Pauses execution of subsequent script commands until the specified number
 of seconds has elapsed.

 Example: DELAY 3


4.2.8 FAST

 FAST is used to reverse the effect of a previous SLOW command.  FAST is the
 initial state.  See the SLOW command for a full explanation.  FAST has no
 parameters.


4.2.9 FILE filespec

 FILE specifies an external ASCII text file path/name to be opened for input
 when EXC initializes.  The records of the file can be retrieved one at a time
 using the GET command.  When the script terminates, the file is closed.

 There can only be one FILE statement within a script.  If you attempt to
 issue another, a message indicating an open error will be issued and the
 spawned program will not be invoked.

 The FILE statement can occur anywhere within the script, before or after
 any GET statements.

 The filespec is any valid DOS file name.  If it is not in the current working
 directory, include the drive and path to access the file.

 CAUTION!  File I/O from within a timer interrupt such as EXC is a DOS no-no.
           EXC invokes some tricks to pull it off, but if you experience
           problems using FILE and GET in a particular script, you should
           abandon the idea and seek another approach.

 See GET for example.


4.2.10 GET eoflabel blanklabel

 GET reads the next record (up to 128 bytes) from the file specified in a
 FILE command.  The record is retrieved into variable 16 and can be used
 as any variable can.  Trailing blanks are removed from the record as are
 carriage return and new line characters.

 If there is no FILE command in the script, GET is ignored.

 To return to the first record in the file, use the REWIND command.

 The eoflabel parameter is a label to which control is transferred upon
 reaching end-of-file on the file.

 The blanklabel parameter is a label to which control is passed if the
 current record is blank or empty.  When a blank record is read, variable
 16 contains nothing, therefore special handling may be required.  If not,
 just specify a label immediately following the GET command.

 Please see the FILE command for additional information and a caution.

 Example:

  Reads file TESTEXC.FIL and types each record followed by pressing ENTER.
  If a blank record occurs, the ENTER key is pressed.  Returns to the start
  of the file and does it again.

  FILE TESTEXC.FIL
:LOOP
  GET ENDLOOP BLANK
  TYPE "@16@"
:BLANK
  KEY <ENTER>
  GOTO LOOP
:ENDLOOP
  REWIND
:LOOP2
  GET ENDLOOP2 BLANK2
  TYPE "@16@"
:BLANK2
  KEY <ENTER>
  GOTO LOOP2
:ENDLOOP2


4.2.11 GOTO label

 Executes an unconditional branch to the command following the specified
 label.

 See ON for example.


4.2.12 HIDEWIN

 Restore the active window to its original attributes after a SHOWIN command
 has be executed.  If no SHOWIN has been executed, the results will not be
 pleasing to the eye.  Also, screen reading commands must not be executed
 between a SHOWIN and its corresponding HIDEWIN.  See SHOWIN for reasons for
 using SHOWIN and HIDEWIN.

 See SHOWIN for example.


4.2.13 HLOCATE "string"

 Same as LOCATE except that only horizontal movement keys are issued to
 place the cursor in the same column where the search argument was located.
 It is actually the column of the first character of the located string.

 See LOCATE for more details and a CAUTION.

 Example: HLOCATE "Help"


4.2.14 IFN label

 This tests the results of a previous SEARCH or LOOK command.  If the search
 string was not located on the screen, processing resumes at the command
 following the specified label.  If the string was found on the screen,
 processing resumes with the next command after the IFY command.

 If no previous SEARCH or LOOK has been issued, processing continues after
 branching to the specified label.  Thus, without a preceding SEARCH or
 LOOK command, the IFN command becomes an unconditional branch equivalent to
 a GOTO command.

 The IFN statement does not have to be the next command after the SEARCH or
 LOOK.

 Example:

 :Loop
   READ
   LOOK "XYZ"
   IFN LoopEnd
   .
   .
   .
   GOTO Loop
 :LoopEnd
   .
   .
   .


4.2.15 IFY label

 This tests the results of a previous SEARCH or LOOK command.  If the search
 string was located on the screen, processing resumes at the command
 following the specified label.  If the string was not found on the screen,
 processing resumes with the next command after the IFY command.

 If no previous SEARCH or LOOK has been issued, the result is negative and
 processing continues without branching.  Thus, without a preceding SEARCH
 or LOOK command, the IFY statement appears as a null or nonexistent command.

 The IFY statement does not have to be the next command after the SEARCH or
 LOOK.

 See ON for example.


4.2.16 INT9

 INT9 is used to reverse the effect of a previous NOINT9 command.  INT9 is
 the initial state.  See the NOINT9 command for a full explanation.  INT9
 has no parameters.


4.2.17 KEY <mnemonic> [n]

 KEY is used to enter special keys that require mnemonics (special names
 enclosed in <> that represent their function) in order to input them to
 the keyboard buffer.

 If n is specified, it is the number of times <mnemonic> will be inserted
 into the keyboard buffer.  For instance, if you wanted three TABs, you would
 type "KEY <TAB> 3".  If n is not specified, it is assumed to be 1.

 The following key mnemonics are recognized:

 Single keys mnemonics:

 <BKSP>          <DEL>            <DOWN>           <END>            <ENTER>
 <F1>-<F12>      <ESC>            <HOME>           <INS>            <LEFT>
 <PGDN>          <PGUP>           <PRTSC>          <RIGHT>          <TAB>
 <UP>            <GRAY5>          <GRAY+>          <GRAY->          <GRAY*>
 <x>             <SPACE>

 Two key mnemonics (see note below):

 Shift key combinations: <SHF+s> or <SHF+x>
 CTL key combinations:   <CTL+s> or <CTL+x>
 ALT key combinations:   <ALT+s> or <ALT+x>

 Three key mnemonics (see note below):

 Shift + ALT key combinations: <ALT+SHF+s> or <ALT+SHF+x>
 CTL + ALT key combinations:   <CTL+ALT+s> or <CTL+ALT+x>
 CTL + Shift key combinations: <CTL+SHF+s> or <CTL+SHF+x>

 Four key mnemonics (see note below):

 <CTL+ALT+SHF+s> or <CTL+ALT+SHF+x>

 x = any ASCII value that can be entered from the keyboard with a single
     key, or SHIFT + a single key.

 s = any of the single key mnemonic keywords or character except <PRTSC>.

 NOTE: Some SHF, CTL and ALT key combinations are undefined.  See the
       keycode table in Appendix A.

       Do not use <SHF+a> to simulate a capital A, or any other letter.  Just
       use the appropriate case in a TYPE statement, i.e. TYPE "A".

       When entering 3-or-more-key combinations you must make sure you are
       at the correct point in your program for entering these keys and that
       no other keys are still unprocessed in the buffer.  To detect these
       combinations, a program must interrogate the BIOS keyboard flags to
       see if CTL, ALT or SHIFT are being held down.  This can only be done
       in real time as the keys are being pressed, therefore they cannot be
       stuffed into the keyboard buffer, and must be executed immediately
       upon encountering the KEY command in the script.  The appropriate
       flags are set, the keycode is stuffed and an interrupt 9 is issued.
       If there is already a key in the buffer, the flags will accompany
       the wrong keycode when the interrupt 9 is processed.

       Not all programs will recognize these combinations as simulated by
       EXC.  Attachmate's EXTRA!, for example, maintains such tight control
       of the keyboard, that EXC's control key combinations are ignored.

       The <CTL+ALT+DEL> mnemonic causes a system warm boot.  It does not work
       properly in a WINDOWS DOS session.  WINDOWS will intercept the jump to
       the system BIOS and produce a "System integrity violation" message.

 Examples:

   KEY <ESC> 3
   KEY <CTL+F10>
   KEY <ENTER>


4.2.18 LOCATE "string"

 The LOCATE command is mostly a combination of WAITFOR and CURSOR.  You
 provide a string.  Processing will be suspended until that string appears
 in the active window or a timeout occurs.  Once the string is located,
 the cursor is moved, via a sequence of arrow keys stuffed in the keyboard
 buffer, to the location of the first character of the string.

 LOCATE is designed primarily to be used in a full screen editor or similar
 application where the cursor can be moved with the arrow keys.  The located
 string must be in an area of the screen where the active application allows
 typing.

 CAUTION:
 In order for your application to recognize that the cursor has been moved,
 a series of <LEFT> <RIGHT> <UP> and <DOWN> keys are stuffed into the
 buffer and executed until the cursor is at the desired location.  If you
 send the cursor to a location that is not in an acceptable input area of
 the active application, the cursor will jump around the destination, but
 never get there.  You will have to terminate the script with LEFT SHIFT-
 RIGHT SHIFT. Some applications require the use of other keys such as TAB
 to move from one field to another.

 Example: LOCATE "Help"


4.2.19 LOOK "string"

 Look at the last screen that was read to see if it contains the value in
 "string".  The entire active window contents will be searched to see if
 "string" was being displayed when the last screen read occurred.   The
 string may be any valid screen characters.  There is no wait involved as
 with WAITFOR.

 The screen contents are read each time a READ, SEARCH, WAITSCR, WAITFOR or
 LOCATE command is executed.  In the case of WAITFOR and WAITSCR, multiple
 reads occur until a search string or change is detected.  The contents of
 the screen buffer remain as they were when the last read was executed at the
 time the search string or change was detected or a timeout occurred.

 Once it has been determined whether or not "string" was being displayed,
 an internal variable is set to "Y" or "N".  IFY and IFN can then be used to
 test the result of the search and then branch accordingly.

 Example: LOOK "Help"


4.2.20 NOINT9

 A few certain programs (i.e. MS-DOS's EDIT and the QBASIC editor) require
 a keyboard interrupt before they will process keys in the keyboard buffer.
 For this reason, EXC normally issues the interrupt 9 keyboard interrupt.

 It is conceivable that other programs may have interrupt handlers that do
 not like the INT9 being issued.  The most likely symptom would be keys not
 processed or processed out of order.

 Specifying NOINT9 will cause EXC to not issue the INT9.  Try this command
 if you are having problems you can't seem to resolve.  Also try the SLOW
 command.

 INT9 should normally be issued once in the script before any TYPE, KEY or
 TYPFILE commands are issued.  It can however, be turned on to get you over
 a sticky area, then reversed by issuing the INT9 command.  You can issue
 the NOINT9/INT9 commands as many times as you wish.  NOINT9 has no
 parameters.

 Example:

   NOINT9
   TYPFILE C:\MYFILE.TXT
   INT9


4.2.21 ON n label

 For the first n executions of the ON command, execution simply passes to the
 next command.  On the next pass through the ON command, a branch occurs to
 label.  The value of n can range from 1 to 9999.

 A second ON command must not be issued while another ON command is active.
 This will cause unpredictable results.  After an ON command has counted
 down and branched, another ON command may be issued.  You can reset the
 ON counter to zero by using the ONRESET command.  Then additional ON
 command can be issued even if the previous one has not reached zero.
 Obviously, multiple ON commands cannot be processing at the same time.  For
 instance, you may not call a subroutine that contains an ON command from
 within an ON loop.  A good practice is to always issue the ONRESET command
 when exiting an ON loop via any branch other than that specified in the
 ON command.

 Example:

     :LOOP
       ON 5 ENDLOOP
       SEARCH "ERROR:"
       IFY ERROR
       TYPE "xyz"      - These two instructions are executed five
       KEY <DOWN>      - times unless an error message pops up.
       GOTO LOOP
     :ENDLOOP
       KEY <ENTER>
     :ERROR
       ONRESET
     :LOOP2
       ON 3 QUITPGM
       .
       .
       .
       GOTO LOOP2
     :QUITPGM
       QUIT


4.2.22 ONRESET

 Used to reset the ON counter so than another ON may be issued if the
 previous one has not completed.

 See ON for further explanation and example.


4.2.23 PAUSE

 PAUSE simulates pressing the Scroll Lock key to pause the script execution.
 See the section on interrupt keys for a description of pause processing.


4.2.24 QUIET

 The QUIET command, placed anywhere in a script will cause EXC to supress
 displaying any messages on the screen.  It is only operable on registered
 copies of EXC.  This prevents suppression of the registration notice and
 is the only command in EXC that operates any differently in the registered
 and unregistered copies of EXC.

 Exceptions to the quiet suppression are error messages that prevent EXC
 from reading the script file and initiating.


4.2.25 QUIT [n]

 QUIT stops processing a script at the point where it is encountered during
 script execution.  The same result is obtained when there are no more script
 commands to process.

 Normally on exit, EXC returns the return code of the executed program.  If
 a number (0-255) is specified with the QUIT command, that value is returned
 as the DOS ERRORLEVEL return code instead of what was passed from the
 spawned program.

 An example of why you would want to set a return code:

   I use EXC to control PROCOMM PLUS to execute a script that synchro-
   nizes my clock with the Naval Observatory.  I need to know if it
   fails.

   I can detect the error with my EXC script, but when I exit PCPLUS,
   PCPLUS always returns a return code of 255.  Using the QUIT 1 command,
   I can set a DOS ERRORLEVEL of 1 on error and 0 when there is no error.

 If COMMAND.COM was invoked by the EXC command line, QUIT types EXIT and keys
 <ENTER> in order for EXC to be able to complete.  If you issue the QUIT
 while another program is active, you will not obtain the desired results.

 See TIMEOUT for example.


4.2.26 READ

 Reads the active window for subsequent testing with the LOOK command.  Using
 a READ followed by several LOOKs that examine the same screen contents can
 be much more efficient than issuing several SEARCHes, each of which reads
 the entire screen contents.


4.2.27 REWIND

 The REWIND command returns the file pointer for an external file to the
 start of the file so that the next GET command will return the first
 record in the file. GET and FILE contain additional information regarding
 the use of external files.

 See GET for example.


4.2.28 SCRMAX cols rows

 I hate including technical parameters in my commands, but this one is a
 must for successful operation of EXC in larger screen modes.

 Specify SCRMAX if you expect a spawned application to change to a text
 screen mode larger than the text mode in use when EXC is initiated.  For
 instance, if you are in DOS with 25 rows of 80 column text and you initiate
 an editor with EXC and the editor places the screen in 80x50 text mode,
 specify "SCRMAX 80 50" in your script (no quotes).  Since this command is
 processed when the script is being loaded into memory and not after the
 script processing begins, it may be placed anywhere within your script.
 Logically, it should occur at the start.  If multiple SCRMAX commands are
 encountered, only the last one input will be used.  If your application will
 use multiple screen sizes, specify the largest (in area: cols times rows)
 that will be used.

 If you do not include SCRMAX in your script, it is assumed that the screen
 size in effect when EXC is loaded and before the spawned program is loaded
 will be the maximum size needed.

 The range of text mode screen sizes supported by EXC includes from 40x20 to
 200x100 characters.

 SCRMAX can have a major impact in the amount of memory occupied by EXC.
 It would seem that the logical thing for EXC to do would be to examine
 the screen size before each read and allocate the screen memory buffer
 accordingly at that time.  However, since EXC spawns another program which
 can, and often does, allocate all of the remaining memory, EXC must pre-
 allocate the largest buffer that will be required before spawning the
 program.  A screen buffer requires the same number of bytes as the rows
 times the columns, plus 4 bytes.  Thus, an 80x25 VGA text screen will
 require a 2,004 byte buffer.  I actually had a user contact me who uses a
 132x66 display (great eyes or a huge monitor!).  This would require 132 * 66
 or 8,712 bytes of memory.

 If you do not specify SCRMAX and your program bumps up the screen size,
 the effective area of the larger screen is the upper left quadrant
 corresponding to the size of the screen when EXC was loaded.  This is
 also true if you specify an SCRMAX smaller than the largest screen.  In
 other words, if you specify SCRMAX 80 25 and your program changes to a
 132x44 screen,  Only the first 80 columns and 25 rows are read by EXC's
 READ, WAITFOR, WAITSCR, LOCATE and SEARCH commands.  If all of the strings
 you search for and changes you wish to detect are in the upper left of
 the screen, you can save memory by specifying a smaller SCRMAX size.  You
 would really have to be in a memory crunch to bother with this approach,
 I suspect.

 Examples:

   SCRMAX 80 50
   SCRMAX 132 25


4.2.29 SEARCH "string"

 At any point in processing the script, you may check to see if certain
 information is on the screen.  The entire active window will be read and
 searched to see if "string" is being displayed.   The string may be any
 valid screen characters.  There is no wait involved as with WAITFOR.

 Once it has been determined whether or not the string is being displayed,
 an internal variable is set to "Y" or "N".  IFY and IFN can then be used to
 test the result of the search and then branch accordingly.

 SEARCH is basically a READ followed immediately by a LOOK.

 See ON for example.


4.2.30 SET n "string"|NULL

 SET is used to set one of the 16 user variables to a value, where n is
 the variable number (1-16) and string is the value which will be assigned to
 the variable.  Do not surround n with @s which are used to reference
 variables for substitution.

 To clear a variable, type SET n NULL.

 See "User variables" for more information and examples.


4.2.31 SETWAIT seconds

 This sets the timeout limit for WAITSCR, WAITFOR and LOCATE commands.  If
 processing is waiting after invoking any of these commands and the specified
 number of seconds elapses, TIMEOUT processing, described under TIMEOUT, will
 be invoked.

 You may change the SETWAIT timeout limit at any point while processing the
 script.

 If SETWAIT is set to zero, no timeout ever takes place and EXC will wait
 indefinitely during WAITFOR, WAITSCR and LOCATE.  The initial value of the
 SETWAIT timer is zero.

 See TIMEOUT for example.


4.2.32 SHOW attr "string"

  SHOW displays a string at a given location on the screen.  This command
 is mostly useful for debugging scripts by displaying information about the
 progress of the script during execution.  While mostly harmless, it can cause
 problems if a spawned program reads screen memory.  Use it cautiously.

 The string is displayed at the location specified in the last executed
 SHOWAT command.

 The screen attribute is the sum of a background value plus a foreground
 value from the table below.  Add 128 if you want it to blink.

  Background colors:       Foreground colors:

    0 Black                 0 Black
   16 Blue                  1 Blue
   32 Green                 2 Green
   48 Cyan                  3 Cyan
   64 Red                   4 Red
   80 Magenta               5 Magenta
   96 Brown                 6 Brown
  112 Light Gray            7 Light Gray
                            8 Dark Gray
                            9 Light Blue
                           10 Light Green
                           11 Light Cyan
                           12 Light Red
                           13 Light Magenta
                           14 Yellow
                           15 White

 See TIMEOUT for example.


4.2.33 SHOWAT col row

 Specifies the location on the screen where subsequent SHOW commands will
 display their strings.  The location does not have to be within the active
 window set via WINROWS and WINCOLS.

 See TIMEOUT for example.


4.2.34 SHOWIN attr

 SHOWIN is designed as an aid to script writing.  Sometimes you will want to
 restrict the active window to certain rows and columns, thus creating a
 smaller active window for processing commands that read the screen.

 To make sure you have calculated the correct area for the active window, you
 can use SHOWIN to show you where the active window is located on the
 screen.  SHOWIN will change the attribute of all characters and spaces
 within the active window to that specified.  See the SHOW command for
 attribute values.

 HIDEWIN can then be used to restore the window to its normal attributes.
 There must never be any screen reading commands (WAITFOR, WAITSCR, SEARCH,
 READ and LOCATE) executed between the SHOWIN and its associated HIDEWIN.


 Example:

    WINCOLS 10 30
    WINROWS 12 22
    SHOWIN
    PAUSE
    HIDEWIN


4.2.35 SLOW [n]

 Some slow CPUs may have problems where a few characters in TYPEd strings get
 entered out of order or are missing.  The problem may also occur when
 TYPFILE is used.  The problem can also occur with an application that is
 slow in reading the keyboard.  Using the SLOW command can often resolve the
 problem, although the strings will be typed in a little slower.

 Other problems, as yet undetermined, might be fixed by using SLOW, so give
 it a try if your script is not responding properly, regardless of the speed
 of your CPU.  You might also try the NOINT9 command.

 SLOW should normally be issued once in the script before any TYPE, KEY or
 TYPFILE commands are issued.  It can however, be turned on to get you over
 a sticky area, then turned off by issuing the FAST command.  You can issue
 the SLOW/FAST commands as many times as you wish.  SLOW has no parameters.

 The parameter [n] controls the amount of slowing, with 1 being the slowest
 and 16 being the fastest keyboard entry speed.  SLOW 16 is still much slower
 than FAST mode on large strings and files.  SLOW 3 is assumed if n is not
 specified.

 Example:

   SLOW 5
   TYPFILE C:\MYFILE.TXT
   FAST


4.2.36 TICK n

 Pauses execution of subsequent script commands until the specified number
 of system clock ticks (18.2 per second) have elapsed.

 Example: TICK 12


4.2.37 TIME hhmmss

 Pauses execution of subsequent script commands until the specified time of
 day.  The time must be specified in 24-hour format.  If the time has
 already passed when the TIME command is processed, processing is suspended
 until the next time the specified time of day occurs.

 Leading zeros are required if the hour, minute or second is less that two
 digits.  For instance two minutes after one in the morning is entered as
 010200.

 Note- The real time clock (set by the DOS TIME command in AT and later
 machines using DOS 3.x or later) and the system timer (which EXC uses) are
 not always in synch to the second.  There may be a few seconds variation.

 Example:

  ; At 1:15 PM, set off an alarm that can be shut off with LEFT SHIFT-RIGHT
  ; SHIFT

    TIME 131500

  :Loop
    BEEP
    GOTO Loop


4.2.38 TIMEOUT label

 When the timeout limit specified by SETWAIT expires while waiting for a
 WAITSCR, WAITFOR or LOCATE, TIMEOUT processing is invoked.  Timeout
 processing is as follows:

 If no TIMEOUT command has yet been issued in the script, processing of the
 script is halted at this point.  Otherwise, the control will pass to the
 command following the label specified in the last TIMEOUT command
 encountered.

 Example:

   SETWAIT 20
   TIMEOUT TimedOut
   SHOWAT 17 25
   WINCOLS 20 40
   WINROWS 15 22
   CASE ON

   WAITFOR "XYZ"
   SHOW 79 "Found XYZ in window."
   QUIT

:TimedOut
   SHOW 79 "Timed out waiting for XYZ to appear in window."
   WINMAX
   CASE OFF
   .
   .
   .


4.2.39 TYPE "string"

 The string following the TYPE command contains ASCII characters to be placed
 in the keyboard buffer.  ASCII character are those with a decimal equivalent
 of 0-127.  Do not use high-bit characters (graphics characters, foreign
 language characters and most symbols) that range from 128-255 in their
 decimal equivalents.  These characters hove no valid keycode associated
 with them.  To enter special keys such as function keys, ENTER, ESC, etc.,
 use the KEY command followed by the required mnemonic.  You cannot enter
 these mnemonics with the TYPE command.  The string must be enclosed in
 quotes.

 See ON for example.


4.2.40 TYPFILE filespec [mnemonic]

 TYPFILE allows you to type the contents of a file into the keyboard buffer.
 The filespec is the filename with optional path information.

 A possible use for this would be to feed an electronic mail message to a
 communications program.  Each line of the file is entered as is (no
 deletion of leading or trailing spaces, conversion of quotes, etc.).

 If no mnemonic is specified, the carriage return/line feed characters at
 the end of each line are ignored by EXC, and nothing is entered in their
 place.  If a mnemonic is specified, carriage return/line feed pairs are
 converted to the key mnemonic specified.  For instance, if the file is
 being copied into a word processor or editor that uses the ENTER key to
 move to the next line, you may want to convert CR/LFs to <ENTER>.  If you
 want the word processor to split the lines according to its margins, you
 would not specify a mnemonic or you would specify <SPACE>.

 Specifying <SPACE> for the mnemonic will keep the last word on a line from
 running into the first word on the next line when the CR/LF is removed.

 All other key mnemonics are described under the KEY command.

 Since EXC only has a 256 byte extended keyboard buffer, it feeds a maximum
 of 80 bytes every clock tick into the extended buffer.  This should give
 time for the spawned program to read characters from the buffer and will
 usually prevent the buffer from overflowing.

 Please see the notes in section 3 regarding memory usage to determine the
 effects on memory of using TYPFILE.


4.2.41 VLOCATE "string"

 Same as LOCATE except that only vertical movement keys are issued to
 place the cursor on the same row where the search argument was located.
 This is especially useful in moving menu selection bars up or down
 to a specific choice.

 See LOCATE for more details and a CAUTION.

 Example: VLOCATE "Help"


4.2.42 WAITFOR [NOT] "string"

 No further script file command will be processed until "string" appears on
 the screen.  The entire screen will be searched for "string".  The string
 may be any valid screen characters.  If the string does not appear before
 the SETWAIT limit expires, TIMEOUT processing will be invoked.

 If NOT is specified, processing will be halted until "string" is not on the
 screen.  This is handy for waiting on a "Please wait.." type message to
 disappear.

 Since WAITFOR reads the screen each 1/2 second, values that flash on the
 screen for less than 1/2 second may not be detected.

 See TIMEOUT for example.

 WAITFOR NOT example:

   WAITFOR NOT "XYZ"


4.2.43 WAITSCR

 Wait until there is any change to the screen before executing the next
 script command.  If there is no screen change before the SETWAIT limit
 expires, TIMEOUT processing will be invoked.


4.2.44 WINCOLS start end

 Sometimes you may want to restrict your screen searches to a certain area
 of the screen.  WINCOLS allows you to specify what columns (far left = 1)
 you want read by all commands that read the screen (READ, SEARCH, WAITFOR,
 WAITSCR and LOCATE).  Specify the starting and ending columns inclusively.

 By combining WINCOLS with WINROWS, you can restrict reads to a selected
 box within the screen.  This is referred to as the active window.  Use
 WINMAX to return the active window to the full screen.

 See TIMEOUT and SHOWIN for examples.


4.2.45 WINMAX

 If you have restricted the active window with WINCOLS and/or WINROWS, you
 can return the active window to the full screen area by issuing a WINMAX
 command.  The size of the new active window will be determined by the
 currently displayed columns and rows, but never exceeding the values
 specified in SCRMAX.

 See TIMEOUT for example.


4.2.46 WINROWS start end

 Sometimes you may want to restrict your screen searches to a certain area
 of the screen.  WINROWS allows you to specify what rows (top = 1) you want
 read by all commands that read the screen (READ, SEARCH, WAITFOR, WAITSCR
 and LOCATE).  Specify the starting and ending rows inclusively.

 By combining WINCOLS with WINROWS, you can restrict reads to a selected
 box within the screen.  This is referred to as the active window.  Use
 WINMAX to return the active window to the full screen.

 See TIMEOUT and SHOWIN for examples.


4.3 Labels

 Labels can be up to 15 characters long and may contain letters, numbers,
 special characters or spaces.  They are treated as upper case regardless of
 how they are coded.  Duplicate labels are not allowed in the same script.
 END, end and End would all be considered duplicate labels.  If duplicate
 labels exist, all branches to the duplicate labels will go to the first
 one in the script.

 Labels must be immediately preceded by a colon (:) and placed on a line
 which does not contain any commands.

 labels are used as destinations for branching commands (TIMEOUT, GOTO, ON,
 IFY and IFN).

 It doesn't hurt a thing if you want to use labels for comments, but the
 semicolon (;) remark is a better approach since there is no length
 limitation on remarks and they will not be confused with labels that are
 actual destinations.

 See TIMEOUT and ON for examples.


4.4 Remarks

 Anything on a line for which the first non-blank character is a semicolon
 (;) is treated as a comment line and is ignored by the script processor.


4.5 Using variables

 You may not specify variables in data included with the TYPFILE command.
 Any variables found in the file data will not be interpreted as variables
 by EXC.

4.6 Environment variable substitution

 You may use environment strings (initialized with the DOS SET command) in
 any command parameter by typing %VAR% where you want the environment string
 labeled VAR to be substituted.  Here are some examples:

 Given these environment variables:
  SET ATTR=15
  SET ME=Gary
  SET LAST=Crider
  SET FULL="Gary Crider"
  SET FULL2=Gary Crider

  SHOW %ATTR% "I am %ME%"  would equate to  SHOW 15 "I am Gary"
  TYPE "%ME% %LAST%"       would equate to  TYPE "Gary Crider"
  TYPE %FULL%              would equate to  TYPE "Gary Crider"
  TYPE "%FULL2%"           would equate to  TYPE "Gary Crider"
  DELAY %ATTR%             would equate to  DELAY 15
  SHOW %ATTR% "%FULL%"     would equate to  SHOW 15 "\qGary Crider\q"
  TYPE "%LAST%, %ME%"      would equate to  TYPE "Crider, Gary"

 The substitution is made before EXC begins to evaluate the parameters.

 This could be handy on networks where the values keyed or searched might
 vary with the user's network ID, which could be stored in an environment
 variable.  Many other uses also come to mind.

 If you want to use a set a variables that are only used in the script and
 are not normally maintained in the environment, set up a batch file to
 set the variables, execute the script, and then delete the variables after
 the script has executed.  This frees up the environment space so that it
 can be reused.  An example of such a batch file would be:

 SET X1=abc
 SET X2=5
 SET X3=Gary Crider
 EXC MYSCRIPT 123
 SET X1=
 SET X2=
 SET X3=

 If you get a message from DOS that says "Out of environment space", you
 can increase the size of the environment region by placing the following
 line in your CONFIG.SYS file and rebooting:

   SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM /p /e:nnnn

 Replace nnnn with the number of bytes (160-32768) that you want used by the
 environment region.  The default is 256.  The number should be divisible by
 16.  1024 is usually pretty good.  Note that each byte you increase the
 region by will decrease the amount of free conventional memory used to
 run programs.  Each variable name, the equal sign, and the variable value
 are stored in your environment.  To see what is currently stored in your
 environment, type the word SET at the DOS prompt.  Your full PATH= state-
 ment is also stored there.

 If you use 4DOS, NDOS or another different command interpreter, or locate
 it in another directory, adjust the SHELL= statement accordingly.


4.7 User Variables

 EXC reserves 16 variables which can be set to string values of up to 120
 characters each.  The variable values may contain leading, trailing or
 embedded spaces.  The variables are numbered 1 to 16.

 The variables are initialized or cleared with the SET command.

 You can then reference any variable in any command parameter or string by
 enclosing the variable number in @s.  For instance to substitute a variable
 destination label in a GOTO statement, when the destination label name is
 stored in variable 4, type GOTO @4@.  If variable 4 contained the value
 "SUB1", the above notation would be equivalent to typing GOTO SUB1.  You can
 also use the variable substitution within strings such as:

   TYPE "Good morning, @1@"

 A very beneficial side effect of allowing variables is that it now allows
 you to perform multiple executions of a subroutine, returning each time
 to a different area of the script.  Here is an example from TESTEXC.SCR:


  SHOW 12 "TESTING 3 subroutine executions.          "
  SET 2 1
  SET 1 DO2
  GOTO SUB1

:DO2
  SET 2 2
  SET 1 DO3
  GOTO SUB1

:DO3
  SET 2 3
  SET 1 EXIT
  GOTO SUB1

:EXIT
  SHOW 12 "Done, exiting Microsoft Editor            "
  DELAY 1
  KEY <ALT+F>
  WAITFOR "Exit"
  TYPE "x"
  WAITFOR "Save it now?"
  TYPE "n"
  QUIT

:SUB1
  TYPE "Subroutine execution number @2@."
  KEY <ENTER>
  GOTO @1@


4.8 Example Script

 The following example demonstrates the use of most of the more commonly used
 commands.  Please note that the  QUIT statement after the End label is not
 needed since the same action takes place when there are no more commands to
 execute.

 Also please note that the SEARCH and IFN statements after the Loop label
 could more easily be accomplished with a WAITFOR command.  This just
 demonstrates that looping logic is supported in scripts.

   SETWAIT 30
   TIMEOUT End
   CASE OFF
   WAITFOR "Entries"
   CASE ON
   TYPE "FO"
   WAITFOR "OPEN CATALOG"
   TYPE "E:\NOVLIB\"
   KEY <TAB>
   KEY <ESC>
   TYPE "NOVLIB.L11"
   KEY <CTL+ENTER>
   WAITSCR

 :Loop
   SEARCH "NOVLIB.L11"
   IFN Loop

   TYPE "SLADDNAEA"
   KEY <CTL+ENTER>
   DELAY 2;
   WAITFOR NOT "Sorting Index"
   TYPE "FS"
   KEY <CTL+ENTER>
   DELAY 2
   WAITFOR NOT "Please wait."

 :End
   BEEP
   KEY <ALT+X>
   QUIT


 For a more comprehensive example, see the script file, TESTEXC.SCR.  Please
 read the comments before and after that script.



APPENDIX A

Installation

    EXC is distributed in a self-extracting ZIP file called EXC3.EXE or a ZIP
file called EXC.ZIP.  It contains the following files:

        EXC.EXE         The executable file for EXC.
        EXC.DOC         The documentation file.
        HELP.TXT        Script command quick reference.  It is formatted as
                        script file comments so that it can be included in
                        you script for quick referencing.z
        TESTEXC.SCR     Example script used to test EXC functionality.
        TESTEXC.TXT     Text file for testing with TESTEXC.SCR.
        TESTEXC.FIL     Another text file for testing with TESTEXC.SCR.
        TESTEXC.BAT     Batch file for executing TESTEXC.SCR.
        TESTOS2.BAT     Batch file for executing TESTEXC.SCR in an OS/2 DOS
                        window.
        EXC.HST         Text description of past updates.
        EXC.Vnn         Text description of latest updates in version nn.
        PRODUCTS.DOC    Description of other Parity Solutions products.

    For best results, extract the file into a directory on your PATH.  If you
don't use a directory in your path, you will have to designate the directory
containing EXC.EXE when executing the program.

    If you have a utility directory that is on your PATH, this is an excellent
location for EXC.  An example installation would be:

    C:
    CD \UNTIL
    COPY [path]EXC3.EXE
    EXC3
    DEL EXC3.EXE

    If they are not currently in your path, simply copy all of the files to a
directory in your path.  Keep the EXC3.EXE file anywhere you like, but give
plenty of copies, as is, to your friends.  If you register EXC, you are not
licensed to give your serial number to anybody without first removing the
serialization from your copy.




APPENDIX B


Keycode Table

Although you do not need to know these codes to write EXC scripts, the
following table does show you which combinations are defined and available
by using the appropriate mnemonics.  Do not try to use combinations which
indicate N/A in the table, unless they are followed by an asterisk (*).

    Key             Norm        Shift       Ctrl        Alt
    ----            ----        -----       ----        ---
    A               1E61        1E41        1E01        1E00
    B               3062        3042        3002        3000
    C               2E63        2E42        2E03        2E00
    D               2064        2044        2004        2000
    E               1265        1245        1205        1200
    F               2166        2146        2106        2100
    G               2267        2247        2207        2200
    H               2368        2348        2308        2300
    I               1769        1749        1709        1700
    J               246A        244A        240A        2400
    K               256B        254B        250B        2500
    L               266C        264C        260C        2600
    M               326D        324D        320D        3200
    N               316E        314E        310E        3100
    O               186F        184F        180F        1800
    P               1970        1950        1910        1900
    Q               1071        1051        1011        1000
    R               1372        1352        1312        1300
    S               1F73        1F53        1F13        1F00
    T               1474        1454        1414        1400
    U               1675        1655        1615        1600
    V               2F76        2F56        2F16        2F00
    W               1177        1157        1117        1100
    X               2D78        2D58        2D18        2D00
    Y               1579        1559        1519        1500
    Z               2C7A        2C5A        2C1A        2C00
    1               0231        0221        N/A *       7800
    2               0332        0340        0300        7900
    3               0433        0423        N/A *       7A00
    4               0534        0524        N/A *       7B00
    5               0635        0625        N/A *       7C00
    6               0736        075E        071E        7D00
    7               0837        0826        N/A *       7E00
    8               0938        092A        N/A *       7F00
    9               0A39        0A28        N/A *       8000
    0               0B30        0B29        N/A *       8100
    ,               332C        333C        N/A *       3300
    .               342E        343E        N/A *       3400
    /               352F        353F        N/A *       3500
    ;               273B        273A        N/A *       2700
    '               2827        2822        N/A *       2800
    [               1A5B        1A7B        1A1B        1A00
    ]               1B5D        1B7D        1B1D        1B00
    `               2960        297E        N/A *       2900
    -               0C2D        0C5F        0C1F        8200
    =               0D3D        0D2B        N/A *       8300
    \               2B5C        2B7C        2B1C        2B00
    F1              3B00        5400        5E00        6800
    F2              3C00        5500        5F00        6900
    F3              3D00        5600        6000        6A00
    F4              3E00        5700        6100        6B00
    F5              3F00        5800        6200        6C00
    F6              4000        5900        6300        6D00
    F7              4100        5A00        6400        6E00
    F8              4200        5B00        6500        6F00
    F9              4300        5C00        6600        7000
    F10             4400        5D00        6700        7100
    Enter           1C0D        1C0D*       1C0A        1C00
    Ins             5200        5200*       9200        A200
    Del             5300        5300*       9300        A300
    Esc             011B        011B*       011B*       0100
    Home            4700        4700*       7700        9700
    End             4F00        4F00*       7500        9F00
    PgUp            4900        4900*       8400        9900
    PgDn            5100        5100*       7600        A100
    <Tab>           0F09        0F00        9400        A500
    <BackSpace>     0E08        0E08        0E7F        0E00
    <LeftArrow>     4B00        4B00*       7300        9B00
    <RightArrow>    4D00        4D00*       7400        9D00
    <UpArrow>       4800        4800*       8D00        9800
    <DownArrow>     5000        5000*       9100        A000
    <Gray 5>        4C00        4C35        8F00        N/A
    <Gray *>        372A        372A        7200        3700
    <Gray ->        4A2D        4A2D        8E00        4A00
    <Gray +>        4E2B        4E2B        9000        4E00
    <Space>         3920        3920*       3920*       3920*
    <F11>           8500        8700        8900        8B00
    <F12>           8600        8800        8A00        8C00

*These combinations, while not discreet key codes, are specially handled
 by EXC to operate properly in most instances.

 In addition, the <PRTSC> (print screen) mnemonic can be used in EXC to
cause a screen print.  The <PRTSC> cannot be placed in the keyboard buffer
since it does not have a key code.  KEY <PRTSC> is executed immediately.

 The <CTL+ALT+DEL> mnemonic causes a system warm boot.  It does not work
properly in a WINDOWS DOS session.  WINDOWS will intercept the jump to
the system BIOS and produce a "System integrity violation" message.


APPENDIX C

EXCR: The script recorder for EXC.

EXCR.EXE is a program written to record scripts for playback with EXC.  It
is also available from Parity Solutions.  If you would like to give it a
try, order the shareware diskette on the order form at the end of this
file.  EXCR is also available on the same CompuServe forums where EXC is
distributed.



APPENDIX D


EXCDEMO - A demonstration version of EXC that you can distribute to
          demonstrate your software.

If you are a software author or distributor and wish to distribute an auto-
mated demonstration of your software using EXC, you would have to also
distribute EXC.  Since it is only legal to distribute EXC in its shareware
form, with no serialization, the EXC registration reminder would appear
with your demonstration.

EXCDEMO is a revision of the current version of EXC which can be freely
distributed with your demo with no royalty fees.  It uses a specially
encrypted script file which you create and test with EXC.  You then encrypt
it with EXCENCR.EXE and distribute the encrypted script with EXCDEMO.EXE and
your program, plus a batch file to execute your demo.  There is also a small
text file which must be included on your diskette giving copyright and promo-
tional information about EXC and EXCDEMO.

EXCDEMO executes with only a single copyright statement display at end-of-job
unless an error is encountered.

EXCDEMO is not distributed with EXC and must be purchased separately for
$100.  You then can distribute it as much as you like.  See the order form
to order EXCDEMO.


APPENDIX E


Definition of Shareware
by Paul Mayer, author of GRAB Plus

Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying
it. If you try a shareware program and continue using it, you are expected
to register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request regis-
tration 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 all and sundry 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.

EXC.EXE is a shareware program and is provided at no charge to the user for
a 30-day period of 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.



APPENDIX F


Disclaimer

BECAUSE OF THE DIVERSE NATURE OF COMPUTER EQUIPMENT AND EXPERTISE OF USERS,
PARITY SOLUTIONS AND GARY C. CRIDER MAKE NO WARRANTY ON THE EXC PROGRAM
WHATSOEVER, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.  THE USER ASSUMES ALL RISK
OF DAMAGE TO DATA OR EQUIPMENT RESULTING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY FROM THE USE
OR MISUSE OF THIS PROGRAM PRODUCT.

USERS ARE ADVISED TO TEST PROGRAMS AND SCRIPTS THOROUGHLY ON DATA FOR WHICH A
BACKUP EXISTS.  ANY LIABILITY OF THE AUTHOR OR PARITY SOLUTIONS IS LIMITED TO
REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF THE REGISTRATION FEE.




APPENDIX G


Support

    I have tried to test the program to the fullest, but I am limited as to
systems and configurations with which to test.  I have been programming for 19
years and the one thing I know for sure is that bug free programs are very few
and far between.  I can only promise to support the program to the best of my
ability and provide fixes as expeditiously as possible.

    Anyone can report problems and suggest changes.  Registered users get top
priority in resolving their problems.  There are three ways you can report
problems.  The preferred method is to contact me through CIS mail (not forum
messages).  My CIS ID is 71760,3413.  This is the method that is most likely
to be most successful if you are in a hurry as I usually check my mail more
than once per day.

   You can also write me at:

   Gary C. Crider
   Parity Solutions
   1903 Pavia Ct.
   Arlington, TX 76006

    The last method is to phone [phone].  Since I am the sole technical
support and the line is also used for my network consulting business, it is
often hard to get through to me.  Please call and leave a message between 7:30
am and 6:30 pm Central time, or you may actually talk to me after 6:30 pm.
Please don't call after 10:00 pm Central time.

    No matter which method you use, please give a brief description of your
problem, your registration serial number if you are registered, and your phone
number.  If I need more information, I will contact you as soon as I can.
When I have a solution, I will contact you however you prefer.  Never post
your serial number on forum messages.  CIS mail is OK.  I seldom read forum
messages and, in most cases, they are not private.

    At this time there is no charge for support or upgrades and no time
limit for these.  Parity Solutions does reserve the right, however, to
imposes time limitations for free support and upgrades in the future, if it
becomes necessary.  The time limit on free support will never be less than
six months.

    Registered users who are dissatisfied with EXC may request a refund if
your problem cannot be resolved and is within the scope of the purpose for
which EXC was designed.  You may request the refund up to 60 days after
registration.  If Parity Solutions chooses not to address problems specific
to a particular hardware or software environment, you are entitled to a
refund of the registration amount.  Refunds do not include any applicable
shipping charges or charges for diskettes, unless the diskette is defective.

    I work full time, have a consulting business to run in my spare time and
write programs instead of sleeping.  So please be a little patient with me.

    Program updates are available on CompuServe or can be requested from us
for a $5 shipping and handling charge.  Add $1 for international shipping
outside the North American continent.  A distribution disk of all Parity
Solutions products will be sent to you.  Specify disk size and format.  You
may use the order form at the end of this document.


APPENDIX H


Registration


    EXC's full capabilities are available for you to evaluate before you
invest your hard-earned money.  The only difference in operation of a
registered vs. a non-registered program is that the registration prompt will
no longer appear once the program is serialized.  You are also entitled to
support, both while you are evaluating and after you register the program.
See the previous section on support policies.

    You are licensed to use this program freely for thirty (30) days. At the
end of 30 days you are expected to either register the program or quit using
it.  It is a violation of your trial period license to use EXC longer than
30 days without registering it.

    Registered users will receive a unique serial number and instructions on
how to serialize the program.  Serialization can be re-applied to updated
versions and in no way hinders your use of the program.  You can compress or
decompress the program with no effect (LZEXE or PKLITE).  I use Fabrice
Bellard's LZEXE program on EXC.EXE before distribution.

    As a registered user, you will be able to upgrade without re-registration
or additional fees.  You will also be kept on my PRIVATE mailing list to
receive additional information on this and other Parity Solutions products.

    To register your copy, please use the order form below and send $24 US
($95 per file server on LANs) check or money order (sorry, no credit cards
yet) to:

   Gary C. Crider
   Parity Solutions
   1903 Pavia Ct.
   Arlington, TX 76006

    Or, you can register individual (non-network) licenses online quickly and
easily in Compuserve.  Simply GO SWREG and register ID #753.  Your regis-
tration fee will be added to your Compuserve bill.  International exchange
was never easier and you save the $1 international postage charge.

    Texas residents and companies should register by mail and include 7.75
percent sales tax on the total amount of the order.  You can still register
by CompuServe, but I then have to pay the taxes.

    If you send your CIS id or register via CIS:SWREG, your registration will
be sent to you via CIS mail, along with instructions on how to serialize your
copy of EXCR.  This usually involves one or two days turnaround.  If you
register online and do not receive a serial number within 3 days, please
contact me via CIS mail.

    Program diskettes are not normally shipped.  Normal distribution of EXC
and upgrades is via CompuServe.  If you need a diskette, please see the
instructions under Support above, or use the order form below.  You will
receive a serial number and instructions for serializing your copy of the
program.


Single use license:

  Each license gives you or your company a single use permit for EXC.  It is
  not restricted to a single machine as long as no two users can be simul-
  taneously using the program.  As Borland says, "treat it like a book."  As an
  example, if you register EXC for your home computer, but during the day you
  use a portable or a computer at work,  you may keep EXC on both machines as
  long as no one is at home using it while you are using it at work, and vice
  versa.


LAN license:

  LAN licenses grant rights to all workstations on the same physical LAN.
  If internetworking, a license must exist for each file server that contains a
  copy of EXC.EXE or for each physical local area network that will be given
  rights to access EXC.EXE.  If two or more file servers exist on a single LAN
  strictly for mirroring data and fault-tolerance, these will be counted as a
  single file server for licensing purposes.  If in doubt, contact me.  We can
  work out an agreement.


Site license:

  Site and enterprise licensing is also available on a negotiated price
  basis.  I guarantee it will be an economical alternative to buying licenses
  for each user.


    You may freely distribute the original shareware EXC3.EXE file or
distribution diskette intact in any way you see fit other than selling it.
Users' groups and shareware distribution services may charge a reasonable fee
for the medium and duplication costs.  Bulletin boards may not charge
additional fees for downloading this specific program, other than normal
connect-time and/or membership charges.

    As long as it meets the above criteria, any BBS may post EXC for down-
loading, but should try to keep it up to date.  The latest version is on
CompuServe, or can be obtained from Parity Solutions.  Parity Solutions will
not normally upload upgrades to bulletin boards other than CompuServe.

    You are NOT licensed to give anyone your serial number unless you first
remove all serialization from your computer.  You may then no longer use that
serial number.  Only Parity Solutions has the authority to issue serial
numbers.  If you give or sell your licensed EXC to anyone else, please have
them send their name, address and serial number to us so that we may update
our customer database.

    Modification of EXC.EXE in any manner other than lossless compression,
is prohibited and unlawful.

=============================================================================
                           ORDER FORM FOR EXC

Send checks payable to: Parity Solutions
                        1903 Pavia Court
                        Arlington, TX 76006

BILLING ADDRESS:                        SHIP TO (If different):

NAME:    _____________________________  NAME:      ___________________________

COMPANY: _____________________________  COMPANY: _____________________________

STREET:  _____________________________  STREET:  _____________________________

         _____________________________           _____________________________

CITY/ST: _____________________________  CITY/ST: _____________________________

ZIP/POSTAL CODE: _____________________  ZIP/POSTAL CODE: _____________________

COUNTRY: _____________________________  COUNTRY: _____________________________

PHONE:   _____________________________  PHONE:   _____________________________

CompuServe ID: _______________________(Optional)

   NOTE: Parity Solutions sends a serial number for each registration and
         instructions for serializing your program.  A diskette containing
         the latest releases of all Parity Solutions shareware products is
         available for $5.00 U.S.  The current release of EXC is available
         for downloading on CompuServe in the IBMSYS forum.

   QTY   DESCRIPTION                             PRICE EA.   TOTAL PRICE

   ___   EXC license and registration              $24.00    ___________

   ___   EXC Network license and registration       95.00    ___________

   ___   Parity Solutions shareware diskette         5.00    ___________

   ___   EXCDEMO demonstration software            100.00    ___________

         Postage for international orders outside    1.00    ___________
         the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
                                         Subtotal:           ___________
 You may deduct 10% from the sub-        Sales tax (Texas
 total if more than one license is       only. - 7.75%)      ___________
 ordered.
                                         Total Enclosed:     ___________

Diskette size (if ordered): __ 5.25" 360k  __ 5.25" 1.2M  __ 3.5" 760k

Thank you for doing business with Parity Solutions.  [phone]

Parity Solutions is a partnership of Gary C. Crider and Russell L. McCloud.
Federal tax identification number 75-2468376.
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