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EasyCat v1.01 January 4, 1989
******* **** *
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**** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** * ***** **** ** ** ** ***** **
** * ** ** ** ***** ** ** ** ** ** *
******* *** ** ***** ** **** *** ** **
*****
An All Purpose Software Library Management System
Program by
Vernon E. Six, Jr.
User Documentation
by
Bob Wales,
Frank Grubbs and
Vernon E. Six, Jr.
Copyright (c) 1988,89 by Vernon E. Six, Jr. and EasyWare Concepts
All Rights Reserved World Wide
For the most current version of EasyCat please call The Data Emporium BBS (tm)
Phone: 915/857-1974. 3/12/24/9600 Baud HST, 24hrs. FidoNet Node 1:381/1.0
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Item Page
A. EasyCat Licensing Terms and Disclaimer of Warranty............. 1
B. Kudos.......................................................... 2
C. Introduction................................................... 3
D. Hardware Requirements.......................................... 4
E. Operating System Knowledge..................................... 4
F. EasyCat Distribution Files..................................... 5
G. Starting EasyCat............................................... 5
H. The Main Menu.................................................. 6
I. Import File Descriptions....................................... 6
J. Catalog a diskette............................................. 7
K. Un-Catalog a diskette.......................................... 8
L. Edit 'Omit' List............................................... 8
M. Report Functions............................................... 8
N. System Configuration........................................... 10
O. Locate a file.................................................. 10
P. Maintenance.................................................... 10
Q. Categorizing your diskette collection.......................... 11
R. Appendix A - Glossary.......................................... 12
S. Appendix B - Diskette Categories............................... 14
T. Appendix C - Release History................................... 17
U. Appendix D - Plans for future releases......................... 21
V. REGISTRATION FORM.............................................. 22
i
A. EasyCat Licensing Terms and Disclaimer of Warranty
Copyright (c) 1988, 1989 by Vernon E. Six, Jr. and EasyWare
Concepts. All Rights Reserved World Wide.
EasyCat may ONLY be used and distributed under the following
conditions:
1) You may use EasyCat for a period of up to thirty days
to determine its suitability for your needs. If you
continue to use EasyCat after a period of thirty days you
MUST register your copy.
2) A registration fee of $24.95 is required for each copy
of EasyCat that you continue to use for more than thirty
days. Site licensing of EasyCat is available and will be
individually negotiated. A registration form is included at
the end of this documentation.
3) Non-Profit and Not-for-Profit corporations may obtain
an exclusion from the registration and/or licensing
requirements. Applications will be reviewed individually.
4) You may distribute EasyCat provided that no fee is
charged, except for a nominal "diskette fee" or "connect
time" charges. In any event, the entire fee shall not
exceed $10.00.
5) You may NOT use or distribute EasyCat in conjunction
with any commercial or governmental endeavor without prior
written consent from the author.
6) You may NOT distribute EasyCat in modified form.
7) If you distribute EasyCat, it MUST be in the original
"archive" as released by the author. You may not add any
files, archive comments, re-archive it, etc.
Send all registration fees, site licensing requests and
requests for licensing and registration exclusion to:
Vernon E. Six, Jr.
c/o EasyWare Concepts
P.O. Box 371481
El Paso, Texas 79937-1481
*** NO WARRANTY ***
BECAUSE EASYCAT IS DISTRIBUTED AS "SHAREWARE", I PROVIDE
ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY
APPLICABLE STATE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN
WRITING, VERNON E. SIX, JR., EASYWARE CONCEPTS AND/OR OTHER
PARTIES PROVIDE EASYCAT "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY
1
KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE
QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF EASYCAT IS WITH YOU. SHOULD
EASYCAT PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL
NECESSARY REMEDIES, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.
IN NO EVENT WILL VERNON E. SIX, JR. AND/OR EASYWARE CONCEPTS
BE RESPONSIBLE IN ANY WAY FOR THE BEHAVIOUR OF MODIFIED
VERSIONS OF EASYCAT. IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY
APPLICABLE STATE LAW WILL VERNON E. SIX, JR., EASYWARE
CONCEPTS OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY DISTRIBUTE EASYCAT AS
PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY
LOST PROFITS, LOST MONIES, OR OTHER SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO
USE (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING
RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY THIRD PARTIES OR
A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAM)
EASYCAT, EVEN IF YOU HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
SUCH DAMAGES, OR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.
The author can be reached at the following address:
Vernon E. Six, Jr.
c/o EasyWare Concepts
P.O. Box 371481
El Paso, TX 79937-1481
FidoNet 1:381/1.0
Data (915) 857-1974, 3/12/24/9600 baud HST, 24hrs
Please feel free to contact me at any time to share your
comments about my software and/or licensing policy.
My thanks to Alan Applegate for most of the wording in this
license agreement and disclaimer of warranty.
B. Kudos
A number of people have been involved in the design,
creation, development and testing of this program or have
contributed to it in one way or another. I simply do not
have room to thank them all here, but do want to take the
time to thank these following individuals...
Frank "Feature Freak" Grubbs -- Frank was one of the first
people to test EasyCat; even before it was a compiled
program. Since then Frank has constantly came up with "just
one more feature" that needed to be added. Hence, I now
call him the "Feature Freak". A title he well deserves.
Frank is by far the biggest help to the EasyCat project.
Without him, I doubt it would be much more than it was when
I first wrote it in dBASE III+.
2
Bob "Write a conversion utility" Wales -- Bob is my attorney
and has been testing EasyCat almost as long as Frank has.
Ever since the beginning Bob has continued to say, "Write a
conversion utility that will convert XYZ Disk Catalog System
Files to EasyCat." Sorry Bob, but it didn't make into this
version. Make the next version. Bob was also the one to
give me the first draft of the documentation.
Meg "Nerdy Buddy" Schooley -- Meg has given me a ideas on
how to make the software interface appeal to "non-computer
nerds" as she puts it. Hope this is what you wanted Meg.
And the list goes on. The following people were also a big
help in getting this package complete... Mike Janke,
Cabelle Clark, Murray Rothman, Jim McCrain and many others.
If I missed anyone's name, I apologize.
C. Introduction
EasyCat is an advanced, state-of-the-art, all-purpose
diskette cataloguing system designed to make the task of
organizing and maintaining your diskette collection much
easier.
EasyCat offers the following features...
- Ability to add short descriptions as well as full length
comments for each file in your collection. Comments for any
file may be up to a full eight lines of text. An additional
NOTE line is also available and can be useful for
miscellaneous information such as "Part one of three",
"Demonstration version", etc.
- Extremely fast and easy-to-use menus.
- Produces a wide variety of reports, including a listing by
either filename or diskette volume label, duplicate
filenames, etc.
- Permits extensive categorization of your diskette library.
Categories are completely user-definable and are limited
only by your imagination and needs.
- Creates a text file (DIR.TXT) on each diskette to aid in
swapping diskettes between your collection and someone
else's collection.
For Sysops...
- Produces a standard "FILES.BBS" type file (for use with
nearly every bulletin board package in existence) for one or
all of your download areas.
3
- Allows file descriptions to be "imported" from a standard
"FILES.BBS" type file instead of re-entering all the data.
- Automates file maintenance such as updating your
"FILES.BBS" files, etc.
D. Hardware Requirements
EasyCat was developed on an IBM PC/XT Compatible computer
with the following characteristics:
640kb RAM
Two 360kb diskette drives
One 12mb hard drive
8mhz clock speed.
Internal clock calendar
PC-DOS v3.31
EasyCat has been designed to operate on a hard disk. I
think it would be impossible to operate EasyCat on floppy
drives alone. Sorry 'bout that. You might be able to use
EasyCat if you have 1.2mb or 1.4mb disk drives; but as the
size of your diskette collection increases, things will
become cumbersome.
I have found that EasyCat takes approximately one megabyte
of diskette space for a typical diskette collection
containing one thousand files.
E. Operating System Knowledge
I am going to assume that you have a working knowledge of
the PC/MS-DOS operating system. Please refer to your DOS
manual if you are unclear on something. It is simply beyond
the scope of this document to cover all the aspects of DOS.
You may, however, feel free to leave me a message on my
bulletin board, The Data Emporium BBS (tm) if you have a
problem concerning DOS. I will be more than happy to lend a
hand if possible. The phone number is (915) 857-1974
3/12/24/9600 baud HST, 24 hours per day.
NOTE: You must have LABEL.EXE (or LABEL.COM) and COMMAND.COM
in your PATH in order for EasyCat to function properly.
Failure to do so will produce unpredictable results.
4
F. EasyCat Distribution Files
The EasyCat Distribution Diskette (or Distribution Archive
File) should contain the following files and only these
files:
ABOUT_US.TXT - Information about EasyWare Concepts
EMPORIUM.DOC - Information about The Data Emporium BBS (tm)
EASYCAT.EXE - Main Program File
EASYCAT.DOC - This documentation
EMPORIUM.DOC - Information about The Data Emporium BBS (tm)
FILESBBS.SMP - Sample "FILES.BBS" format file
HELP.DBF - Online Help Part 1 of 3
HELP.DBT - Online Help Part 2 of 3
HELP.NTX - Online Help Part 3 of 3
README.1ST - Short description of this program and last
minute notes
G. Starting EasyCat
Create a subdirectory on your hard disk called "EasyCat".
Copy the EasyCat Distribution Files (un-archived) into this
subdirectory.
Change directories into the EasyCat subdirectory. Then type
"EasyCat" at the DOS prompt and press the [Return] key.
When EasyCat is run for the first time it will create
several files. Below is a list of these files...
SOFTWARE.DBF - Main Software database file
VOLUME.NTX - Index of SOFTWARE.DBF by volume label
FILENAME.NTX - Index of SOFTWARE.DBF by filename
SCRATCH.DBF - Temporary database used for various
functions such as reading actual diskette
directory contents.
SCRATCH2.DBF - Temporary database used when cataloging a
diskette.
SCRATCH2.NTX - Index of SCRATCH2.DBF
5
OMIT.DBF - OMIT database. Contains filenames that
you do not want in your SOFTWARE.DBF
OMIT.NTX - Index of OMIT.DBF
DESC.DBF - Database containing imported file
descriptions
DESC.NTX - Index of DESC.DBF
EASYCAT.CFG - System Configuration values (colors,
drive, etc.)
EasyCat will create two additional files from time to time.
Below are the names of these two files and their purpose.
Should you ever see these files in your EasyCat subdirectory
you may erase them. They serve only a temporary purpose.
FILES.DIR - Used when generating reports
$$TEMP$$.LST - Used when cataloguing a diskette
H. The Main Menu
After EasyCat has completed its initialization you will be
presented with the Main Menu. You can move the light bar up
and down by using the arrow keys on your keypad. To execute
the highlighted function press the [Return] key.
Alternatively, you may simply press the first letter of the
function you wish to execute.
Each function is described in detail below.
I. Import File Descriptions
NOTE: This section is of primary to bulletin board system
operators. However, others may want to use the "Import File
Descriptions" function as well.
The "Import File Descriptions" function will allow you to
import file descriptions directly from an existing
"FILES.BBS" format file. A sample "FILES.BBS" file has been
included for your examination just in case your particular
bulletin board system does not use such a file.
If you so desire you can create a "FILES.BBS" format file
with any ASCII word processor to save a considerable amount
of time when cataloguing your diskettes. i.e. Create the
descriptions, etc. with your word processor instead of the
built in EasyCat editor. Just be sure to follow the format
in the example file very carefully.
6
There are several advantages to importing file descriptions.
Among them are:
1) You need not re-type the file descriptions and
sometimes lengthy comments.
2) You can extract portions of existing files (using your
word processor) to be used for file descriptions and/or
comments.
EasyCat puts the imported file descriptions into a database
called DESC.DBF for later use when you catalog a diskette.
J. Catalog a diskette
This function will prompt you to insert a diskette in the
drive which you select (see "System Configuration" below).
EasyCat will then read the diskette directory contents and
volume label. You will be given an opportunity to either
accept or change the volume label. Note: Spaces are not
allowed in volume labels.
After you have accepted or changed the volume label, EasyCat
will process the information it read from the diskette.
EasyCat will remove those filenames listed in the OMIT.DBF
file (see "Edit Omit List" below) and will look for any
imported file descriptions for files that are not listed in
the "DIR.TXT" file (if there is one on this diskette).
When EasyCat has completed this process you will be given a
chance to add or modify the "Description", "Comments" or
"Note" for any file on this diskette.
You may press [PgDn] or [PgUp] to scroll through the files.
If you wish to modify the information for any file, simply
press the [Return] key to commence editing. Press the
[PgDn] key to return to the "View Mode".
When you are satisified with all your modifications press
[^End] (hold down the [Ctrl] key while pressing the [End]
key). This will add the diskette to your Software Database
and create a "DIR.TXT" file (see glossary... Appendix A) on
the diskette being catalogued. Be sure to leave about 10kb
free on each diskette to be sure there is enough room for
the "DIR.TXT" file.
If you press the [Esc] key while in the "View Mode" you will
abort the cataloguing of this diskette and will be prompted
for the next diskette.
7
The "Description" field may contain as many as 43
characters. This field will be seen in a variety of places
such as the "Locate a File" function (see below) and in the
various printed reports. You should try to be as
descriptive as possible in the space provided. The use of
certain keywords will be extremely helpful. e.g. WORD
PROCESSOR, DATABASE, GRAPHICS, GAME, CAD, etc. These
keywords can later be used to search for a file.
The "Comments" field may contain as many as eight full lines
of text. Comments are used to describe a file in much
greater detail than the short "Description" field. Comments
are extremely useful when browsing through a printed report
to find a particular file. In order to get the most out of
EasyCat, you should take the time to create descriptive
comments for each file in your collection.
The "Note" field should be used to point out any special
characteristics of a file such as "File broken into two
parts" or "Demonstration copy only", etc.
K. Un-Catalog a diskette
To remove a diskette from your Software Database, select
this function. You will be prompted for the diskette Volume
Label. Be forewarned: The only way to get an
"un-catalogued" diskette back into the Software Database is
to re-catalog it with the "Catalog a diskette" option
described above.
L. Edit 'Omit' List
The "Omit List" is a special database which contains a list
of filenames that you do not want to be included in your
Software Database.
This list is extremely useful for omiting repetitive
filenames such as AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, DIR.TXT,
READ.ME, etc.
M. Report Functions
One of the most powerful capabilities of EasyCat is the many
different reports it can generate. The reports can be even
more meaningful if you take the time to categorize your
diskette collection (see "Categorizing your diskette
collection" below).
When you select this function you will be presented with a
menu containing a list of the different reports EasyCat is
capable of generating.
8
Each report is described in detail below:
- Bulletin Board Listing (a/k/a FILES.BBS) -- This report is
primarily for bulletin board system operators. EasyCat will
generate a "FILES.BBS" format file for a specified category
of files.
- Sorted by filename -- This report will list all the files
in a specified category. The files will be sorted in
alphabetical order without paying attention to which
diskette a file is on.
- Sorted by volume label -- This report will list all the
files in a specified category. The files will be sorted in
alphabetical order and seperated by Volume Label.
- Duplicate filenames -- This report will alert you to any
possible duplicate files within your diskette collection.
Simply select the one that best describes what you are
looking for.
The mechanics of generating each report are detailed below:
- Bulletin Board Listing -- If you select this report you
will be prompted for a category name (see "Categorizing your
diskette collection" below). You will then be asked whether
EasyCat should obtain the list of files from an actual
directory or from a "FILES.DIR" format file (see glossary...
Appendix A). Next you will be prompted for either the
directory path or the path and filename to your "FILES.DIR"
format file.
The next prompt will be for the full path and filename of
the "FILES.BBS" format file that EasyCat should create.
- Sorted by filename -- If you select this report you will
first be prompted for the desired output... 1) screen, 2)
printer or 3) diskette file. You will then be prompted as
to whether or not EasyCat should include file comments or
not. Next, you will be prompted for the desired category.
If you selected output to be to a diskette file, you will
also be prompted for the full path and filename to create.
- Sorted by volume label -- This report is exactly the same
as the "Sorted by filename" report except files are grouped
by their respective diskette.
- Duplicate filenames -- This report is also exactly like
the "Sorted by filename" report except only duplicate
filenames are included.
9
N. System Configuration
Since I fully realize that not everyone may have the same
color preferences as I do...you can change any of the
colors.
You will also see two other system options on this menu...
"Default Data Disk" and "Text File Path".
The "Default Data Disk" field is used to tell EasyCat which
diskette drive to use when you catalog a diskette.
The "Text File Path" field is used to tell EasyCat where it
can find your "BEG" and "END" files (see glossary...
Appendix A).
O. Locate a file
When you choose this function you will be presented with a
window containing a portion of your Software Database. You
may use either the up or down arrows or the [PgUp] key or
the [PgDn] key to scroll through you entire Software
Database. By pressing the [Home] key you will be shown the
first file. Pressing the [End] key will show you the last
file.
If you press any other key you will be shown the first file
that begins with the key you pressed.
By pressing [F2] you may search for a keyword or a phrase.
Press [F3] to find the next occurance of the search string.
When the file you want to locate is highlighted, pressing
[Return] will immediately bring up a full screen of
information on that particular file.
P. Maintenance
At certain points EasyCat marks records for deletion in the
various databases that it uses. These records are not
physically removed from the databases, but rather only
marked for removal. This feature contributes to the high
speed at which EasyCat operates.
Because marked records are NOT physically removed, these
databases may grow in size rather quickly. If these records
are not physically removed periodically, EasyCat's speed and
performance can be effected. Therefore, it is strongly
recommended that you "pack" (physically remove marked
records) the databases regularly. You may "pack" any of the
three databases listed on the Maintenance Menu.
10
You may also edit and un-mark imported file descriptions
from this menu.
Q. Categorizing your diskette collection
Below are some suggestions about how I think you should
organize your diskette collection. Please note that these
are merely suggestions and EasyCat does not require that you
follow these conventions. I think you will safe yourself a
few headaches if you establish some sort of similiar system,
however.
Within my collection, I have several sets (categories) of
diskettes. A particular category might be something like
"DataBase Management Systems" for example, which I
abbreviate as DBMS.
Within my categories you will find only those programs and
files that fall into that category. Using the example
above... you will only find DataBase Management Systems in
my category called DBMS. I number my diskettes via the disk
volume label. Example: DBMS-0001, DBMS-0002, DBMS-0003, and
so forth.
Whenever EasyCat refers to a "category" it is referring to
the leftmost portion of a Volume Label. i.e. DBMS would be
the category for diskettes labeled "DBMS-0001", "DBMS-0002",
etc.
If all you specified for "category" was the letter "D" you
would not only receive a report for the DBMS category but
would also receive a report for any other category that
begins with the letter "D".
Appendix B describes the various categories that I use. You
are more than welcome to use or modify these in any way you
see fit.
11
R. Appendix A - Glossary
FILES.BBS
---------
This is a normal text file that it used be nearly every
bulletin board package available today to display a list of
filenames in a "download" area. The format of this file is
very carefully detailed in the file called "FILESBBS.SMP"
included with EasyCat.
DIR.TXT
-------
DIR.TXT is a file that EasyCat creates on each individual
diskette within your collection. This file is very similiar
to the "FILES.BBS" type file, but also contains the file
size and date.
DIR.TXT is a standard text (ASCII) file that can be viewed
with the DOS TYPE command, your favorite word processor,
LIST, etc.
DIR.TXT has two main funtions: 1) to assist you in locating
a file when you "thumb" through your collection and 2) to
allow for the easy portability of diskettes between your
diskette collection and someone else's diskette collection.
Example: If you give someone a copy of a disk that you have
cataloged with EasyCat, all they will have to do is catalog
it with their EasyCat. The file descriptions, etc, will all
be done for them via the DIR.TXT file that exists on that
diskette.
You should leave approximately 10kb free on each diskette
for DIR.TXT
DIRTXT.BEG
----------
When creating a DIR.TXT file, EasyCat will copy the contents
of this file to the beginning of the DIR.TXT file. Example:
If you want each diskette to contain some information about
you, your club or your BBS, you could provide that
information via this file.
NOTE: The left margin for this file must be indented at
least one space on each side. i.e. columns 2 through 77.
12
DIRTXT.END
----------
This file has the identical purpose as DIRTXT.BEG but is
placed at the bottom of the DIR.TXT file.
Other BEG and END files
-----------------------
Whenever you create a "FILES.BBS" type file, EasyCat will
expect to find a BEG and a END file. Example: If you were
creating a "FILES.BBS" file for the DBMS category, EasyCat
will expect to find a DBMS.BEG and a DBMS.END file. These
files follow the EXACT same convention as the DIRTXT.BEG and
DIRTXT.END files.
DIRTXT.BAT
----------
This is external batch file that you create and maintain.
Whenever EasyCat writes a DIR.TXT file to a diskette, it
will execute the DOS commands found in this batch file.
I use DIRTXT.BAT to copy BROWSE.COM onto each diskette to
assist me in viewing the DIR.TXT file. I also copy a few
other files onto each diskette but they are not germane to
this documentation.
WARNING: Be sure to allow yourself enough free disk space
when copying files, etc. EasyCat will _NOT_ detect errors.
This is totally your responsibility.
My DIRTXT.BAT file
------------------
Rem %1 is the drive letter passed by EasyCat
Rem
Copy Read.Com %1
Copy Read.Me %1
Copy Emporium.Doc %1
Copy About_Us.Txt %1
Copy Go.Bat %1
13
S. Appendix B - Diskette Categories
Within The Data Emporium BBS (tm) Software Library, the
diskettes are broken down into topic oriented sets. The set
names are listed below along with a brief description of the
types of files/programs that you will find within each set.
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to
contact us.
BAS Basic Programming -- Examples, libraries and
several useful utilities to assist you in
programming in BASIC.
BAT Batch file utilities and examples -- Assist you in
writing more productive DOS Batch files. Most
give you more flexibility than what is provided by
DOS alone.
BBS Bulletin Board Software -- Files related to
operating a computer bulletin board. Various
utilities, etc.
C Examples, libraries and several useful utilities
to assist you in programming in C.
COMM Telecommunications programs -- Support your use of
your computer as a terminal to other computers and
systems. There are several utilities provided
that can enhance your systems abilities in
transferring data, etc.
DBMS Database Management Systems (DBMS) -- Assist you
in collecting and managing information or data.
The data you enter is stored in a "database". You
can display, change, find, rearrange, analyze,
relate, and print any data in your database.
DISK Disk Utilities -- Deal with a disk as a whole.
This includes such things as changing the
interleave factors, partitioning, marking bad
tracks, backup/restore, etc.
DOS DOS Utilities are merely enhanced versions of the
commands available within MS/PC-DOS itself. In
short, the files and programs found here are just
better mouse traps those those provided with DOS.
FILE File Utilities -- Allow you to do such things as
compress, manage, alter and otherwise manipulate
files and their contents.
FIN Financial Management Software -- Assists you in
managing all aspects of your finances, such as
checkbook management, general ledger, accounts
14
receivable, accounts payable, budget planning and
much more.
GAME Games -- Programs that are designed for those
moments when you just have to stop doing serious
things with your computer. You will find a wide
assortment of all kinds of games (arcade, board,
word, adventure, etc.)
GRPH Graphics Applications -- Allow you to create and
design pictures, graphs, charts, etc. with your
computer. You will find such pacakges as complete
presentation systems as well. NOTE: Graphing
utilities that are a part of another application
will be found in the same file area with that
particular application program.
HW Hardware Utilities -- Assist you in "tweaking"
your hardware, i.e., set your turbo-pc to fast or
slow, run diagnostics, park your hard drive heads,
increase disk speed, etc.
MENU Menu Systems -- Provide you with an alternative to
remembering all those DOS commands, paths,
sequences, and such when you want to use a program
on your disk. Through the use of a Menu System
you can merely press one or two keys to start the
program you want. Menu Systems are ideal for
people who share their computer or for people who
are not very familiar with the actual workings of
DOS.
OFC Office Management Software -- Assists you in
performing those everyday tasks around your
office. You will find such things as tickler
files, desktop organizers, calendars, employee
review systems, etc.
PRT Printer Utilities -- The files contained in this
area will assist you in getting the most out of
your printer. You will find utilities that allow
you to send control codes directly to your printer
from DOS, print sideways, alternate margins for
even-odd spacing, etc.
REF Technical Reference -- This area contains text
files, articles, stories, how-to files, etc. for
computer related topics.
UNP Unprotection Software -- This area contains
various schemes to UNPROTECT certain software that
is copy protected. We do not recommend you use
these to make 'Boot-leg' copies to give to
friends, but rather aid in the ease and convience
15
of using your own software!
WP Word Processors -- Helps you in the management of
written correspondence within your home, office or
school. You will find such programs as full
fledged word processors, writing assistants,
spelling checkers, word processor enhancements and
various word processing utilities.
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T. Appendix C - Release History
December 7, 1988 0.25gamma
---------------------------
Inital Gamma Release
December 8, 1988 0.26gamma
---------------------------
Fixed a nasty little bug that prevented EasyCat from
creating a "DIR.TXT" file on the cataloged diskette.
"DIR.TXT" is the actual meat of EasyCat and cannot be done
without. The problem occurred when I tried to hurry and get
0.25 out the door. Thanks to Frank for pointing out this
S.O.B. (Stupid Obscure Bug).
December 9, 1988 0.27gamma
---------------------------
Fixed the S.O.B. that caused the problem with importing file
descriptions. This feature should work okay now.
Added a screen update when changing between VIEW and EDIT
modes in the "Catalog a diskette" procedure
Totally changed the way the HELP facility works. I have
written a procedure that allows me to add help screens AFTER
the program is compiled. This saves a considerable amount
of time.
December 9, 1988 0.28gamma
---------------------------
Fixed a S.O.B. that caused the help function to go nuts and
lock up.
December 11, 1988 0.29gamma
----------------------------
Not released to Gamma Team. Internal (Vern and Frank only)
for bug test.
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December 11, 1988 0.30gamma
----------------------------
Fixed the screens in the Catalog a diskette function. Much
nicer. Thanks Frank.
Fixed the ^L in Edit mode... should have been ^Y. Thanks
Meg.
Fixed a few other bugs.
Designed and installed the first in a (hopefully) long list
of reports. If you have any ideas for new reports, please
let me know.
First rough draft at documentation and glossary. Where or
where is Bob when I need him? <Grin>
December 17, 1988 0.31gamma
----------------------------
Not released to Gamma Team. Internal (Vern and Frank only)
for bug test
December 18, 1988 0.32gamma
----------------------------
Added "Locate a file" feature to main menu. The following
keys work in this function...
PgDn - Scrolls down one page (ten lines)
PgUp - Scrolls up one page
DnArrow - Scrolls down one line
UpArrow - Scrolls up on line
End - Moves cursor bar to end of file
Home - Moves cursor bar to top of file
Alphakey - Moves cursor to first file that begins with
pressed key i.e. Pressing the letter M
will move the cursor bar to the first
filename that begins with the letter M.
F2 - Search (from top of file) for specified
search string
F3 - Finds next occurance of search string
(entered in F2 window)
Return - Displays total information about
highlighted file
Updated Reports to ask for a specific category
Added "Sorted by volume" report
When cataloguing a diskette (in the view mode) you can now
press an key and move to the first filename that starts with
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the pressed key (just like in the locate a file function
above)
If you catalog a diskette and then later remove a file from
it and re-catalog it... EasyCat will retain the data about
the file you deleted in the "Imported File Description"
database. This way you can easily move files from one
diskette to another without having to re-type all the data.
December 24, 1988 0.33gamma
----------------------------
Not released to Gamma Team. Internal for bug test
December 25, 1988 0.34gamma
----------------------------
Added the ability to "undelete" files when cataloging a
diskette. Before, you could only delete a file.
Added three maintenance functions. 1) Pack software
database, 2) Pack imported descriptions database, and 3)
Edit imported descriptions database.
Fixed the bug that cause DIR.TXT to be single spaced.
Added a "title" to reports that are for a specific category.
i.e. "Listing sorted by filename for category: WP", etc.
Fixed bug when cataloging a diskette and performing an Alpha
Search. If the letter wasn't found unpredictable results
occurred. This has been fixed. Now if you press a letter
that isn't found you are taken to the last record.
December 28, 1989 0.35gamma
----------------------------
Added two more maintenance routines 1) allows you to pack
"Omit" list and 2) allows you to completely "zap" the
Imported Descriptions Database.
Added a new report... Duplicate filenames.
Fixed a nasty bug that would delete the imported file
descriptions if you aborted the cataloguing of a diskette.
Fixed a bug that was causing EasyCat _NOT_ to remove
previous catalogued diskette from the Software Database.
i.e. If you re-catalogued the same diskette.
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January 3, 1989 1.00
----------------------
Here its is... the first public release!!
January 4, 1989 1.01
----------------------
Ooooops. A typo creeped into version 1.00. Thanks to Al
Kosanke for finding this little mite. The typo was in a
variable name in the "Catalog a diskette" function. This
typo WAS NOT in earlier version; only in version 1.00.
Sorry about this.
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U. Appendix D - Plans for future releases
1) Report of diskettes added to your collection since a
speified date.
2) Batch file generation for creating file areas on your
bulletin board, etc.
3) Diskette "Free Space" report
and any others that I can think of. <Grin>
If you have a suggestion for improvements please let me hear
from you. You can contact me by writing to the address
above or by posting a message on my bulletin board, The Data
Emporium BBS (tm), at (915) 857-1974, 3/12/24/9600 baud HST,
24hrs per day.
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V. REGISTRATION FORM
-----------------
If you purchased EasyCat directly from EasyWare Concepts in
your own name, then your copy is already registered and you
will receive all the benefits of registration. You do not
need to send in a registration form.
If you received EasyCat from a "Users' Group", "Software
Library", "SIG", "Bulletin Board", etc. and have paid a
small fee (usually either yearly dues or $3.00 to $10.00 per
disk) you have NOT acquired a registration. The fee you
paid was for the convenience of obtaining the diskette with
EasyCat on it. The fee does NOT apply to the registration
fee.
You may register your copy by filling out the following form
and mailing it to the listed address along with your check
or money order.
When you register for a fee of $49.95 you will receive:
- The latest version of EasyCat (with your own personal
serial number),
- The latest Users' Manual,
- Free Technical Phone Support for 1 year.
- 20% commission on registrations from your copy
When you register for a fee of $24.95 you will receive:
- A license to use the copy of EasyCat currently in your
possession.
- Free Technical Phone Support for 90 days.
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Mail checks to: Vernon E. Six, Jr.
c/o EasyWare Concepts
P.O. Box 371481
El Paso, Texas 79937-1481
Texas residents please add 8% sales tax. All funds must be
in U.S. Currency. Make checks payable to Vernon E. Six, Jr.
Your check will be supporting software distributed under the
ShareWare concept and you will be contributing to the
further development of EasyCat and other ShareWare products.
Name ______________________________________________________
Company ___________________________________________________
Address ___________________________________________________
City/State ________________________________________________
Zip ___________________
Serial Number on the Opening Screen _______________________
How did you first learn about EasyCat or where did you first
obtain a copy of EasyCat?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
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