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1994-10-05
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SAY V3.0 is Copy(c)right 1993,1995 by Gary M. Raymond, New Orleans, La.
The most POWERFUL database manager in the WORLD - for its size!
More powerful utilities in the DiskSave Series by
Gary M. Raymond
P.O.Box 8184
New Orleans, La. 70182
(504) 288-6550
Compuserve 70613,3165
To avoid all the data storage pitfalls, and to fill a need in my own
office for a simple yet reliable method of keeping a wide variety of
information, I developed SAY, a unique but simple free form database.
The biggest advantage of a freeform database is that the data is
maintained in a standard ascii text file that can be modified by just
about any Editor or Word Processor with an ascii or plain text
output. Each line becomes a RECORD. All records can be linked. Each
character on a line is a FIELD. All FIELDS can be linked. There is no
limit to the number of records or fields. Any TYPE of data can be
stored ANYWHERE, in any order in SAY.TXT.
====================================================================
Files Provided:
SAY.COM SAY Utility
SAY.DOC This document.
LICENSE Legal stuff etc.
System requirements: PC/XT/AT, DOS 2.1 up, 128k+ ram, floppy
with hard drive, mono or color, any type graphic adapter.
For technical information about these utilities see end of doc.
====================================================================
Q What can SAY do for me?
A SAY can give you immediate access to data without ever leaving the
the DOS prompt! That's right! You never again need to load big
unruly database application to store or retrieve useful information.
Now your data can be available via the dos prompt and your
fingertips.
Q What exactly is SAY?
A SAY is a very small, yet ultra powerful ascii (text) database manager
that is written in assembler machine code. This technique for
storing and retrieving data is sometimes referred to as a "free form"
method of database management.
Q Specifically, what are the target uses for SAY?
A Saving and retrieving ANY kind of text data. This can vary from a
desktop ROLLERDEX where you keep names, addresses, phone numbers etc.
to an accounts receivable or payable file. The only limit is your
imagination.
Q This sounds interesting, how does it work?
A First, SAY.COM must be installed in any directory that you have a DOS
path assigned. Next, you must start building your SAY.TXT database file.
This file will be created in the root directory of your hard drive.
SAY.COM both creates and adds data to your database file as well as
searches your database for information you are looking for. To both
create and start adding data the syntax is:
C>SAY mary joe williams 123 apple st mytown, la. 23236 504-333-4444 <Enter>
Thats all there is to it! SAY will create a file called SAY.TXT in
the root directory of your hard drive with the contents described above
as the first record. Oh, if you ever forget the various syntax methods
for searching, adding, sorting etc. just type SAY by itself at the dos
prompt!
Q Ok, suppose I have a file with several hundred names etc. already
stored, how do I search for and locate the one I want?
A EASY! The mind is a funny tool. 99.99% of the time, you never forget
every detail about a data entry. As an example, suppose you made an
address phone entry for Mary Stevens; you can only recall that Mary
lives on Apple street and nothing more. No problem, that will be
sufficient.
C>SAY apple? <Enter>
[remember, the question (?) mark indicates a search]
Wow! you say, (and believe me, your exclamation is well founded).
Within a split second, SAY will start spitting out any records (lines
of text) containing the word "apple" to the screen.
SAY supports dos redirection too. Therefore you have two additional
options. You may either redirect the output to your line printer or
to a text file if you desire. The correct syntax for doing this is:
C>SAY apple?>prn ;note there is NO space between the question
or ;mark (?) and the DOS redirection (>) symbol.
C>SAY apple?>outdata.txt
If the dos prompt/cursor does not return to the screen within a few
seconds its possible more than 18 records (or lines of text) were
located and SAY is waiting for a key stroke to continue. Because dos
has been redirected, you cannot determine this by viewing the screen.
So, if this happens, simply hold down the spacebar (or any other
convenient key) until the system prompt returns.
Q Wait, I know a little about computers and disk file systems. Explain
exactly how this record keeping is done and how this file operates?
A The beauty of a free form method of file storage and data acquisition
lies in the nature of a simple ascii text file sometimes known as a
sequential access, and or crlf record delimited file. Records can be
any length (although for practical purposes they should be limited to
eighty characters - the length of one line on a typical PC monitor).
The file size can grow to ANY size although once again, there are
some practical program limits. See remaining documentation.
Q You mean if I already have a standard ascii text file, I could use
SAY to search and add text data to it?
A Sure, all you have to do is rename it from xyz.fil to SAY.TXT and
move it to the root directory where SAY can find it.
Q Refresh my memory, what again is the definition of ascii or text data?
A Characters with decimal code values of 32 to 127 are called text
characters. This includes the upper and lower case american
alphabet, numerals and most all common types of punctuation.
Q Suppose I want to include graphic characters like ▓, is that possible?
A Sure. A simple trick to get your keyboard to generate them is as
follows. The character illustrated (▓) has a decimal value of 178.
If you want to include it (or any other) in your database, hold the
Alt key down, while you key in numbers 1, 7 and 8 from the NUMERIC
keypad on the right side of your keyboard. Its that easy! Of course
I am assuming you have reference to an ascii table (normally included
in the index of most DOS or printer manuals).
Q Are there any other advantages or limitations of SAY?
A As is the case with any search algorithm that is based on sequential
rather than direct record access, its speed. However, I still think
you will be impressed. SAY also internally converts all input text
data to UPPERCASE. Therefore all text data is stored as uppercase.
Therefore it does not matter whether you enter search strings or
input text in either upper or lower case letters.
A normal binary database is a file (method of storage on disk) that
uses a highly structured method of saving information. The structure
begins with a RECORD (similar to a single folder in a file cabinet)
that may contain many individual pieces of information. Each piece of
information must however be associated with particular areas of the
record (called FIELDS) that are limited as to what TYPE of
information they can hold as well as the size (field data length) of
the information. The advantages of a conventional database are speed
of access via ability to index and sort. The disadvantages have
mostly to do with the complication of the database file itself. Most
all conventional database files CANNOT be modified with a simple text
editor like SAY's SAY.TXT database can!
You cannot put information just anywhere in a conventional database
but are limited to its pre defined structure. You must have a program
specifically written to accommodate the data file and such programs
are usually non user friendly (DBase etc).
To avoid all the data storage pitfalls, and to fill a need in my own
office for a simple yet reliable method of keeping a wide variety of
information, I developed SAY, a unique but simple free form database.
The biggest advantage of a freeform database is that the data is
maintained in a standard ascii text file that can be modified by just
about any Editor or Word Processor with an ascii or plain text
output. Each line becomes a RECORD. All records can be linked. Each
character on a line is a FIELD. All FIELDS can be linked. There is no
limit to the number of records or fields. Any TYPE of data can be
stored ANYWHERE, in any order in SAY.TXT.
The two most important operations of any database, are the ability to
INPUT information and OUTPUT information. To better understand how
SAY works, lets examine the following lines of data that might be
found in a typical SAY.TXT data file used as a ROLLERDEX. Here is
a example of a seven line data file.
1 ANN MILLER P.O.B. 7772 CENTERVILLE, GA 45434 505-287-8877
2 BEN HANDSOM 2211 LOVEBIRD AVE PEACHES, CA 77432 718-777-6655
3 FRED SMITH 321 LANETREE AVE YOURTOWN, MA 76344 212-446-3344
4 GEORGE JONES 123 APPLE LANE HOMETOWN, GA 45434 504-288-6550
5 JOE YOUNG 6 STRONG WAY MAPPLETOWN, VA 212-667-6432
6 SUE HANDCOCK 333 PITCHFORK ROAD BACKROAD, TX 87654 313-777-6754
7 TED SMITH 8211 LADYBIRD ST WINGS, MS 33298 601-777-9876
Here are the results of various searches. Pay careful attention
to the results of the following seven searches.
SAY e? (Lines 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 are displayed)
SAY 454? (Lines 1 and 4 are displayed)
SAY joe? (Line 5 is displayed)
SAY AVE? (Lines 2,3 are displayed)
SAY 212? (Lines 3,5 are displayed)
SAY TOWN? (Lines 3,4,5 are displayed)
SAY young? (Lines 5 is displayed)
With these examples you should have a clear picture of the
versatility of SAY.COM. Here are some additional hints: If you start
every line with either zip code, area code or last name, your data
can become even more organized with the use of SAY's sort feature.
This is especially useful when you go to print a hard copy of your
SAY.TXT data file. (Note: SAY is limited to sorting files under 64k
in length).
The basic ALGORITHM used by SAY is simple: When you enter a search
pattern, say "xyz" (remember, case is unimportant) the program begins
looking for the very first occurrence of "x". When it finds it, it
then looks to see if "y" follows and so on until the end of the
search string. If it locates a matching pattern, it displays the line
it was found in and proceeds to continue looking through the
remainder of the file, displaying every line (record) it finds a
match in. Its that simple.
Remember, freeform databases are NOT intended for LARGE amounts of
data due to the sequential nature of the searches performed. However
with most modern personal computers running at 4.7mhz or faster it
will perform nicely on text files of a thousand lines before it
begins to become noticeable slower.
Q Is there any problem with renaming SAY to a single letter file handle
like W.COM?
A No problem, and since SAY was intended to be operated from the DOS
prompt, it will save you from typing two extra characters when you
evoke it into operation. Just make sure you have no other single
character batch files or applications in your DOS path.
Q Gary, SAY is a great little time saver but it would help if it could
do one extra little operation. Would you consider coding it for me?
A Yes, I am available for custom projects. Very minor or cosmetic
changes to SAY (that take only minutes), I usually do for the cost of
registration. If you want additional features, I would be happy to
give you a free quote. Leave me e-mail or call voice.
====================================================================
V2.0 01/8/94 First public release
====================================================================
V3.0 10/01/94 Major upgrade (SPEED!, Alpha Sort, Search & Delete)
====================================================================
Q How do I alpha sort my ascii database file?
A EASY! Just type "SAY *" (less quotes) at the system prompt. SAY Ver
3.0 will now do an ascending alpha sort on its text (ascii) database
file up to 60k in size. Speed of sorting is dependent on file size.
a few seconds for files under 20k to several minutes at 60k.
Q How do I search and delete?
A EASY! Just type "SAY johnny!" (less quotes) at the system prompt.
SAY Ver 3.0 will search for the first occurrence of "johnny" and ask
if the indicated record should be deleted. This process will
continue until the entire file is scanned for occurrences of
"johnny". Note: Search and delete works only on files less than
60k.
┌─────────┐
│ MEMBER │ Society of
│ ┌──────┴──┐ Independent
│ │ │ Shareware
└──┤ ■ │ Authors
│ ║ │
└────╨────┘
This program is produced by a member of the Society of Independent
Shareware Authors (SISA). The Society wants to ensure that all valid
shareware principles actually work for you and SISA members. The
principle behind shareware distribution is simple: try before you
buy. Society members agree to license all shareware for a minimum of
10 days, free of charge, to first-time users as an evaluation
period. After 10 days, buyers are then obligated to license their
copy with the Society member. Society members are obligated to
provide high quality, useful shareware, but are free to choose
whatever marketing methods suit their specific needs. SISA-
sanctioned marketing methods include: demonstration versions;
providing printed documentation after purchase; registration keys
that unlock additional features not necessary to determine basic
usefulness; and providing bug fixes free of charge. Any Shareware
author may become a member of SISA without cost by simply agreeing
to the above conditions and displaying, at their option, this logo
in their documentation.
====================================================================
WARRANTY:
Software:
Gary Raymond warrants that the software contained herein will
perform in substantial compliance with the documentation
accompanying the software. If you report, in writing, a significant
defect to us, and we are unable to correct it within 90 days of the
date you report the defect, you may return the software and
accompanying materials, and we will refund the purchase price.
Diskettes and Documentation:
Gary Raymond warrants all diskettes and documentation to be free
of defects in materials for a period of 30 days from the date of
purchase. In the event of notification within the warranty period
of defects in any materials, Gary Raymond will replace the
defective diskette or documentation.
Remedies:
The remedy for breach of the warranty shall be limited to
replacement and shall not encompass any other damages, including but
not limited to loss of profit, special, incidental, consequential,
or similar damages, losses, or claims.
DISCLAIMER:
Gary Raymond specifically disclaims all other warranties, expressed
or implied, including but not limited to, implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to
defects in the diskette and documentation, and the program license
granted herein, in particular, and without limiting operation of the
program license with respect to any particular application, use, or
purpose. In no event shall Gary Raymond be liable for any loss of
profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to
special, incidental, consequential or other damages.
GOVERNING LAW:
This statement shall be construed, interpreted, and governed by the
laws of the State of Louisiana.
====================================================================
Registering your copy will help continue the competitive advantages
of providing economical shareware. Upon receipt of your payment I
will provide you with a copy of the latest version and notify you of
all future upgrades. Your patronage is appreciated.
My no-nonsense license:
------------------------
Your one-time registration fee will license you to use SAY on
any number of personal computers owned directly and personally by you
in any non-commercial environment.
Re-distribution via electronic transmission, or down loading, is
allowed without further permission. Re-distribution of the Shareware
version of SAY, for a fee, is also allowed without further
permission as long as that cost is limited to no more than two
dollars per copy, if supplied on any physical disk media.
The assembler source code for SAY.COM is available for sale at $50
per copy. The source is based on the A86 assembler / compiler but is
generic enough to be compatible with most all assemblers with very
minor changes.
Yes Gary, I can really make use of your program and would like to
register and obtain the latest version as well as get on your mailing
list for future upgrades and new releases!
Product:
--------
SAY V3.0 ........... Private User License USA only.......... $5.00
Registered users will be disked the latest version, will be entitled
to any bug fixes free of charge, and receive a free disk containing
all of my other nifty shareware programs and utilities on approval.
See the listing below for more information about my other shareware
products.
For information about commercial and/or multiple site licensing,
contact the undersigned.
Name_____________________________________________________________
Mailing Address__________________________________________________
City & State ___________________________________________________
ZIP _____________________________ Phone _________________________
Send registration check or money order to:
Gary M. Raymond
P.O.Box 8184
New Orleans, La. 70182
504-288-6550
Compuserve 70613,3165
====================================================================
TECH DATA:
----------
There is nothing very mysterious about the internal working of SAY.
All output functions use native DOS services to allow for
redirecting the output to a printer or a file. SAY treats all file
character data as a single record up to the crlf. (carriage return -
linefeed). There is no limit to the size of file that SAY will
search other than your disk space and your patience. SAY uses less
than 3k of memory. SAY is no longer CPU speed driven and will produce
optimum results on most any processor.
====================================================================
Several upgrades are included in Version 3.0 First, a dramatic
increase in search and locate speed, eliminating the need for fast
processor speeds to obtain fast searches. Second, a new alpha SORT
function to help organize your file into rows of alphabetical
records (lines). And finally, a new search and delete function for
removing unwanted records (lines) from the text (ascii) database.
MANY OTHER USEFUL PROGRAMS, DATABASES AND UTILITIES FROM SLICWARE!
===================================================================
SLICK65 EXE Join On-Line Electronic Services today using SLICK modem
terminal. SLICK is used by everyone. SLICK has many powerful and
exciting features not found in other communications programs.
Example: SLICK has a built in GIF viewer for 256 color SVGA and
VGA graphic images. Plus, SLICK supports all the popular file
protocols such as X, Y and Zmodem and others. SLICK has a very
easy to learn script language for automating your logons. SLICK
is easy to install and pre configured for COM2 at 1200 baud,
however any default can be changed on the fly.
CLUBCON4 EXE Great MONEYMAKER, dating, matchmaking software, used worldwide.
Compatible with Dbase3 or 4. Everything you need to get started.
Sample database and search info included to tutor and guide you.
If you are thinking about a computer bases business, this is it!
EZBBSV11 EXE Feature packed BBS system that sets up in less than five minutes!
Great system for first time sysops. Easy but feature packed. Uses
ordinary ascii text files as data files for fast maintenance.
EZCASHV1 EXE Easy to use CASH Register program, ideal for small businesses.
Compatible with Dbase3 or 4. Sets up quickly and user friendly!
EZPV11 EXE External Protocol Engine supports SeaLink, X, Y and Zmodem. Great
way to upload or download files when stuck with a dumb terminal
that supports no internal protocols. Or, for that terminal that
is missing SeaLink, Zmodem or Ymodem B/G.
PAGEIT18 EXE SAVE Money, dispatch your own messages to Alpha Numeric Pagers.
Requires modem capable of operating at 300 baud and your PC.
PCM_V13 EXE Corporations! Quietly monitor PC work station productivity. This
is a very powerful utility for determining the need of a pc at a
particular work station in a large company. Excellent tool for
company pc managers.
READV12 EXE Ascii Text Viewer that FINDS the file you want to read. Can use
mouse. Great for those having to read text files daily.
SHOWV20 EXE Convert your ascii text files to Electronic Magazine format.
Makes it easy to distribute your memos, notices, letters,
documentation etc. Many unique features allow you to Find, Goto,
Write to a file, Print, change colors etc. Easy to use.
ATZ-V12 EXE Dial your phone, control your Modem, all from the DOS prompt!
Works on all four standard IBM default COM ports. NOT a tsr.
SLICKPRO EXE Easy to use ascii text editor with directory directory file
point and load feature. Emulates most Word Star key commands.
SWAPORT1 EXE BIOS Serial utility for reading or swapping com port addresses.
Useful utility to get various games and terminals working ok.
COPYNOT2 EXE PREVENTS any unauthorized person from removing files from
your workstation. Simple to setup and just seconds to use.
DISKSAV2 EXE If you are one of those people who keep promising to do
BACKUPS, this is for you. Some protection is better than none!
SMTV11 EXE The DO IT ALL script driven communications terminal. Ideal
to set up for students to call the campus library etc etc.
PORTEST2 EXE Simple and easy to use serial port diagnostic tool that even
a housewife could learn to use in minutes. Explains it all.
READV12 EXE Nice tool for quickly viewing and reading ascii text files.
Has several powerful features not even found in Vern's LIST.
SAM-V32 EXE Slick Answer Machine, ideal for notifying users when the
BBS is down for regular maintenance. Quick to setup an use.
VALERT2.EXE Finally, a safe way to test suspicious software. Easy to
use, monitors DOS Vector table for potential virus attack.
ASAVITV3.EXE Add a timed auto file save feature to your favorite Editor
or word processor, can also double as a timed prg execution util.
PCLOCKV2.EXE Stop the kids from messing with the keyboard when you leave
the terminal for coffee. Easy and quick to both install an use.
DIVEFIX2.EXE Eliminate DOS Divide Error system crashes with this temporary
DOS patch utility. If you ever had this problem, its over.
ABATV2.EXE A Great way to modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS without
any hassle. Quick, easy and accurate every time.
==============================================================================
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
-----------------
To one of my best friends and machine code instructor, the Padre,
alias, Machine Man, whose many patient hours of coaching and prodding
over the years helped me learn assembler so that I could create this
and many other useful DOS utility. Also, to a small handful of other
generous "Elmer's of Assembler" whose contributions over the years
have helped make my hack more efficient and elegant. Five years ago
I could not even spell Assnembler, now I are one. Thanks guys!
<EOF>