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1994-03-10
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EDITRAND 3.04
By CMD Data Services
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ┌───────┐ │█
│ ┌────┴──┐ │ (R) │█
│ ──│ │O │─────────────────── │█
│ │ ┌────┴╨─┐ │ Association of │█
│ │ │ │─┘ Shareware │█
│ └──│ O │ Professionals │█
│ ─────│ ║ │───────────────────── │█
│ └───╨───┘ MEMBER │█
└────────────────────────────────────────────────┘█
██████████████████████████████████████████████████
Welcome to EditRand Version 3.04. I hope you find this program to be
quite useful. EditRand will run on any IBM PC/XT/AT/PS2 or 100%
compatible, and requires MSDOS version 3.0 or greater and 400K
available RAM. EditRand will run on either a hard disk or floppy disk
system, and automatically detects the default monitor type (color or
monochrome), and uses an appropriate color scheme.
A full list of the files supplied with EditRand, and a brief
description, can be found in the accompanying file PACKING.LST.
Important files for users:
SHR-WARE.DOC
LICENSE.DOC
WARRANTY.DOC
Important files for distributors, vendors, and BBSs:
FILE_ID.DIZ
DESCRIBE.DOC
SYSOP.DOC
VENDOR.DOC
PLEASE REGISTER
EditRand is a shareware program. The version you have is for
evaluation purposes only, but is a fully functioning version.
Support the shareware concept. If you use this program beyond the 30 day
evaluation period, you are required to register. For your registration
fee you will receive:
(1) A printed, bound up-to-date copy of the documentation,
(2) the latest version without the UNREGISTERED VERSION reminder,
(3) the next release free,
(4) unlimited support,
(5) a copy of the NUMRECS utility. NUMRECS will tell you the number
of records of any size that will fit on the total and available
disk space of any (or all) drives.
Read the file SHR-WARE.DOC for information on the shareware
concept and industry.
To register, read the file LICENSE.DOC. If you agree with the
terms, print a copy of the accompanying file REGISTER.FRM,
fill it out and mail the form with payment to the indicated address.
THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THE SHAREWARE CONCEPT.
VIRUSES
Anyone concerned about the validity of any of these files may call or
write to me for a list of the correct CRCs (Cyclic Redundancy Check)
for these files. You must have a program that will tell you what the
CRCs are for the files you possess, then compare against the CRC
numbers I give you. This will help protect against viruses or
accidental corruption. If you received your shareware evaluation copy
of EditRand from an ASP approved vendor or BBS, the chances of virus
infection are very small. The very best way to assure that you receive
valid files is to REGISTER your copy with CMD Data Services. See the
file SHR-WARE.DOC for more information about viruses.
EDITRAND DOCUMENTATION
To print the EditRand documentation, use the DOS PRINT command, or issue
the DOS command "COPY ERDOC.PRN PRN". The file ERDOC.PRN is formatted for
60 lines per page.
SAMPLE DATA FILES
The supplied sample data files are called 1099.DAT and 1099.DBF. As
the name indicates, they contain 1099 records as reported by banks
and other institutions.
Also on the distribution disk is an initialization file ER.INI that
contains the working environment created for 1099.DAT. Please look at
Appendix C in the manual for a tutorial that will demonstrate some
important EditRand operations using 1099.DAT and 1099.DBF for
experimental purposes.
SUPPORT
Registered EditRand customers receive unlimited support. That is,
there is no time limit. Before calling for support, please read the
manual thoroughly and follow through the supplied tutorial in Appendix
C of the manual.
For technical assistance with EditRand, the preferred channel is on
Compuserve, ID 70701,2123. Email is checked several times a week, and
more thought can be given to questions and concerns before responding
in this way.
For licensing or customization questions, or technical support
questions from registered customers, please call or write to
Scott Whitehead
CMD Data Services
10413 Firethorn Lane
Austin, TX 78750
(512) 335-0579
For a bug report or enhancement request, it is preferable to fill out
and send the supplied Report Form (see the file REPORT.FRM).
ASP HUB BBSs
In an effort to make it easier for you to obtain your favorite software, the
latest updates of many ASP authored programs, including EditRand, can be found
on the BBSs listed below. These BBSs are members of the ASP Hub Network (AHN).
Zone 1 - East Coast USA
North-East Coast Mid-East Coast
[Site #1] [Site #2]
The Consultant BBS The Break RBBS <East>
Jay Caplan Bruce Jackson
P.O. Box 8571 4660 Whitaker PL
New York NY 10116-4655 Dale City, VA 22193-3011
Data1) 718-837-3236 Data1) 703-680-9269
Data2) Data2) 703-551-0000
Zone 2 - North Mid-USA Zone 3 - Southern Mid-USA
[Site #3] [Site #4]
The Twilight Zone The DataExchange BBS
John Hrusovszky Don Morris
1119 E. Main St 119 Herring St.
Auburndale, WI 54412 Leesville, LA 71446
Data1) 715-652-2758 Data1) 318-239-2122
Data2) Data2)
Zone 4 - West Coast USA
[Site #5] [Site #6]
Attention to Details BBS Space BBS
Clint Bradford Owen Hawkins
5085 Trail Canyon Dr PO Box X
Mira Loma CA 91752 Menlo Park, CA 94026
Data1) 909-681-6221 Data1) 415-323-4398 (ASP Files)
Data2) Data2) 415-323-4193 (Other Files)
Zone 5 - Canada
[Site #7]
Knightec BBS
Phil Knight
35 Robb Blvd #6
Orangeville, ONT L9W 3L1
Data1) 519-940-0007
Data2)
These BBSs are bound by special agreement with the ASP. In the case of a
dispute contact the ASP Omsbudsman.
EDITRAND 3.04 DESCRIPTION
EDITRAND can be used to analyze data files in ways not possible using
the program that created the data. Using EDITRAND, data can be viewed
exactly as it exists on disk, allowing speedy verification of program
output and intelligent troubleshooting of problem situations. Avoid
long hours of testing - use EDITRAND to peek at those data files and
find the exact fields and records that are suspected of being corrupt
or invalid. Have you found that an application will not allow a change
that is desired? Load the data file into EDITRAND, swiftly make the
desired changes, and put the data back into operation without a lengthy
waiting period.
Highlights:
* Browse and edit random files produced by any
program, regardless of record structure. A RANDOM
file is any file whose records are all the same length.
* Flat data files, data files with any proprietary
header, or dBASE III format files.
* Display an entire record on the screen at one
time.
* Determine exact location of data fields with the
use of ruled display and user definable tab stops.
* Full text, hexidecimal, binary numeric and ASCII
data editing.
* Cursor key navigation just like ordinary text
editors.
* Perform standard editing functions such as Search,
Replace, Word Count, Cut and Paste.
* Make global changes to specific fields, such as case
conversion, character fill, or paste from scratchpad.
* Perform record functions such as Append, Delete,
Copy, Move and Sort.
* Full featured binary number operations (IEEE or
Microsoft Binary Format).
* Restrict operations to a range of records and/or
range of columns (this allows the user to focus
operations on a particular data field)
* Globally convert entire records or specific fields to
upper or lower case, or fill with any character.
* Undelete/Undo changes to records
* Create backup files for security purposes
* On line help screen showing all defined function keys
* Works on files up to 2 billion bytes in size, record size
up to 3600 bytes per record.
* Maximum record length is:
- 1600 bytes per record in standard 80 X 25 text mode,
- 3040 bytes per record in 80 X 43 mode (EGA required),
- 3600 bytes per record in 80 X 50 mode (VGA required).
PROGRAM CHANGES
Version 3.0:
* Maximum record length increased from 1600 to 3040 bytes
(EGA monitor required), or 3600 bytes (VGA required.)
* Specify a header offset from the beginning of the file
from which to begin viewing of records (tested and
debugged since version 2.0).
* Improved file selection window.
* Addition of Currency numeric data type.
* Improved color scheme. Allows forcing of monochrome
attributes.
* Enhanced Replace options. Globally convert to upper and
lower case; globally delete records that contain
specified string; globally fill any field with a string
of any character.
* Enhanced Append. Append any number of records with
single Append operation. Optionally fill each appended
record with content of scratchpad.
* Enhanced dBASE III mode.
* Improved Range Delete and Undelete/Undo.
* Improved method of handling and purging of deleted
records.
* Option to force EDITRAND to maintain one centrally
located copy of the initialization file (ER.INI), instead
of, by default, creating it in the subdirectory from
which EDITRAND is executed.
* As of version 2.1, the name of the EDITRAND defaults file has
been changed from ER.DEF to ER.INI. There is no method of
converting ER.DEF files to ER.INI format, so you will have to
go on a search and destroy mission for those instances of
ER.DEF on your disk(s).
* EDITRAND has always made backup files with the extension
.BAK. Beginning with Version 2.1, backup files now have
the extension .ERB. This was done to help users spot
EDITRAND backup files more easily, since many other
software programs use .BAK as their backup extension.
* No manual changes have been made since version 2.1. The jump
in version numbers was made primarily to indicate the exhaustive
testing, debugging, and refinement that has taken place.
Version 3.01:
* The only additional functionality is the ability to increase a
data file record length by inserting a new field anywhere in
the record structure. This is done through the Save As
function (Alt-V). Previously Save As allowed saving only
portions of a record, which in effect meant you could
"collapse" a record structure. Now you can do the opposite.
The prompt for adding a new field appears only if no field
bound is set:
Do Simple Copy, or insert New field at cursor position ?
If New Field is chosen, you will be prompted for size of new field
and whether you want it inserted before or after the current
cursor position. If the scratchpad is not empty, you will be
asked if you want to paste the scratchpad into the new field.
It is possible to create a Save As output file that is too large
for EditRand to handle (greater than 3600 bytes per record).
Version 3.02:
* If Dynamic fields are turned on, the current field is
highlighted. This allows easy determination of the record
area that is the current "focus".
* Dynamic fields are now turned on by default. Ctrl-F toggles
dynamic fields.
* When in edit mode, the PageUp and PageDown keys can used to
adjust the foregound and background colors. If the cursor is
on a highlighted field, only the highlight foreground and
background are changed. If the cursor is out of the current
field bounds area, only non-bounds area colors are changed.
These colors are saved in ER.INI.
* Most typed responses are recallable and editable now (long
overdue). For example, when in edit mode and you issue a
Replace command (Alt-R), the next time you type Alt-R, the
previous Replace string will be presented for editing. To use
the previous string, use the left cursor or backspace key
first; typing a character first erases the previous string and
starts over.
* When specifying a Replace string in Hex or Bin mode, it is now
possible to specify a non-Hex or non-Binary target or
replacement. In other words if you have pressed Alt-R then
either F1 or F2, the target or replacement must still be hex
or binary, but one or the other can be a normal character
string. For example, in hex mode:
/0C 0A/\!!/
This will cause the next occurrence of carriage return/line
feed to be replaced with a pair of exclamation points. The
backslash is used as a special character that tells EditRand
to treat what follows as literal characters (that is, don't try
to interpret them as hex characters.) The reverse would be
/\!!/0C 0A/
* "Byte Locate" (Alt-B) now allows either decimal or hexidecimal
representation. Decimal is still the default. If you wish to
express a hex value, precede it with a "H". For example, to
locate byte 3E8 (decimal 1000), enter "H3E8".
* The file and record offset numbers on the right side of line 2
can be toggled between decimal and hexidecimal with Alt-F1.
This setting is recorded in ER.INI.
* The Offset number, which appears only in Edit Mode, always
meant the offset of the cursor position from the beginning of
the current record. This number can now be toggled to
represent the offset from the beginning of the current field
(if field bounds are set) with Alt-O. This setting is
recorded in ER.INI.
* Until version 3.02, if you tried to load a Read Only file, you
would be forced into Browse Mode. You can now place the
cursor into the record display area of a Read Only file, but
no alterations are allowed.
* New with Version 3.02, you can tell by looking at the file
name on line 1 of the display if you have made any changes to
the file. After the cursor leaves the record in which the
first alteration is made, a special character (ASCII 241: ±)
appears to the left of the file name.
* Prior to version 3.02, if you edited a file, then pressed "Q"
to exit, changes were kept automatically and EditRand exited
to DOS. Now in such a case, the user is prompted:
Save changes (Y/N/Esc) [Yes] ?
Yes is the default answer if carriage return is pressed.
* A general manual revision was published for 3.02.
Version 3.03 Changes
Version 3.03 is a bug release only, no functional changes,
therefore the manual is identical. The following bugs have
been fixed:
- Setting a tab stop with F9 worked fine, but un-setting the
same tab stop resulted in the wrong rule numbers being
displayed on that line.
- The program allowed greater than the maximum record length
of 3600 bytes/record, which could do strange things if you tried.
- Under certain circumstances, word count would display the
Replace prompt (it didn't really mean it though).
Version 3.04 Changes
Version 3.04 is a bug release only, no functional changes,
therefore the manual is identical. The following bugs have
been fixed:
- ER would hang under DR DOS 6.x. This has been fixed.
- File selection window (F8) did not function properly on a
CD ROM drive. This has been fixed.
- ER did not work properly on Netware 3.11 drives. This has been
remedied. You may specify Netware drives now, but ER will
convert such file names to full UNC (Universal Naming Convention)
names, like \\SERVER\ADMIN\MYDATA.TXT.
Please note that the only Netware drives ER has been tested against
is Netware 3.11.
Known Bugs or Anomalies
Loading files on a Netware drive, I am occasionally getting
error 12 (General Failure) during creation of backup files.
File size seems to have nothing to do with it. I have not determined
the pattern and it has only happened 3 times. Please report
this to me if it has happened to you.
EDITRAND Customization
If you have special editing requirements that EDITRAND does
not address, CMD Data Services also provides customization
of the EDITRAND program. For example, EDITRAND could be tailored
to:
1. Intelligently load and handle specified
proprietary data file formats.
2. Handle alternate character sets.
3. Generate indexes or format/prefill records
and fields to specification.
4. Generate custom reports.
5. Calculation functions.
If interested, please submit a letter of intention, outlining
your requirements to:
Scott Whitehead
CMD Data Services
10413 Firethorn Lane
Austin, TX 78750-1740
Please include a summary technical description of your
requirements. An immediate response will be sent to verify
that your request has been received, and a detailed
response, including cost estimates, will be forthcoming 1 to
3 weeks later.