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Information about “FX - FILE EXAMINER”
This program can be used by the novice to view any file, or by more
experienced users to decipher, analyze, and understand file formats.
FX is a "byte-level" word processor. Scroll through any DOS file,
(even damaged files). Request that the display be formatted in any of
seven ways (any mix of ASCII, hexadecimal or decimal).
An important, and unique, feature is the "Numeric Display" that
appears at the top center of the screen. Many database and word
processing files contain integers and long integers in the file to
indicate the number of records, offsets of certain information in the
file, etc. FX continuously displays this information (the values of
the byte, integer and long integer) in decimal, hexadecimal or binary,
in both signed and unsigned forms. Without this feature, it can be
tiresome to calculate this by hand, since the bytes are physically
stored in reverse order.
Any possible series of file bytes can be located, counted or modified
using FX, including ASCII 0.
FX has the built-in ability to automatically optimize its formatting
parameters for dBASE database files, creating a binary "browse" for
both the header AND data areas.
FILE2249.TXT
Disk No: 2249
Disk Title: FX - File eXaminer
PC-SIG Version: S1
Program Title: FX - File eXaminer
Author Version: 1.0
Author Registration: $30.00
Special Requirements: None.
This program can be used by the novice to simply view any file, or by
more experienced users and programmers to decipher, analyze and
understand file formats.
FX is, in effect, a "byte-level" wordprocessor; with it, one can
continuously scroll through and examine any file possible under MS-DOS,
(even damaged files), and request the display be formatted in any of
seven ways (any mix of ASCII, hexadecimal or decimal).
An important, and unique, feature is the "Numeric Display" that appears
at the top center of the screen; many database and wordprocessing files,
for instance, contain integers and long integers in the file to indicate
the number of records, offsets of certain information in the file, etc.
FX continuously displays this information (the values of the byte,
integer and long integer) in decimal, hexadecimal or binary, in both
signed and unsigned forms. Since the bytes are physically stored in
reverse order, without this feature it can be tiresome to calculate this
by hand.
Any possible series of file bytes can be located, counted or modified
using FX, including ASCII 0.
FX has the built-in ability to automatically optimize its formatting
parameters for dBASE database files, creating a binary "browse" for both
the header AND data areas.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
FX.TXT
----FAR--DARTER---->
s o f t w a r e
Presents
_____________ ____ ____
| | ____ ____
| _________| ____ ____
| | ____ ____
| |_______ ________
| | ______
| _______| ____
| | ______
| | ________
| | ____ ____
| | ____ ____
| | ____ ____
|___| ____ ____
F i l e e X a m i n e r
******************************
* *
* User Documentation *
* *
* Version 1.0 *
* *
******************************
Copyright 1990 William Noble
All Rights Reserved
LIMIT OF LIABILITY
FX is distributed as-is. The author
disclaims all warranties, expressed or
implied. The author will assume no liability
for damages either from the direct use of
this product or as a consequence of the use
of this product, nor be liable for any damage
to data or property which may be caused
either directly or indirectly, intentionally
or unintentionally, from the use of this
product.
______________________________________________________
FX was designed for the legal and legitimate
examination and repair of personal files. It
was NOT designed to alter programs or files
that are copyrighted or owned by other
individuals or companies! Doing so may very
well be illegal, and will at the least
probably void any warranty or other legal
rights extended to the purchaser of the
programs or files thus affected. The author
can not, and will not, assume any
responsibility or liability for those who use
this program irresponsibly!
______________________________________________________
Shareware
FX is distributed as shareware, which affords users the
opportunity to evaluate programs BEFORE they are purchased. If
the program is then judged effective and practical for individual
needs and is used regularly, one registers the program with the
author.
If you use FX on a regular basis and find it a functional,
worthwhile program, we sincerely hope you will register in
keeping with the philosophy and practice of user-supported
software. The basic single-user registration fee we request is
$15. (Please see the end of the documentation for full
registration details). FX, like most shareware, required a
substantial amount of time and skill to design and program, and
is, we feel, on a par with commercially available packages in all
respects.
Regardless of whether you register your copy of FX, we encourage
you to copy it and pass it along to friends and acquaintances for
their own evaluation and trial use! (Needless to say, all copies
made are understood to be for the non-commercial, private trial
use of others).
Consistent with the custom of user-supported software, you may
receive a copy of FX by sending us a blank, formatted disk
together with an addressed, POSTAGE PAID return mailer. The FX
program and documentation on disk will be mailed back on your
diskette.
Trademark Acknowledgments
dBASE is a registered trademark of Ashton-
Tate Corporation.
Epson MX is a trademark of Epson America,
Inc.
IBM and IBM PC are registered trademarks of
International Business Machines Corporation.
Microsoft, Microsoft C, Microsoft C Compiler,
Microsoft Macro Assembler (MASM) and MS-DOS
are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation.
Contents
Introduction 1
FX Quick Start 2
Hardware Requirements 3
Mouse Support 3
Installation 4
Using Menus and Input Areas 5
Basic Concepts 6
Using FX- Overview 7
Moving through the File 7
Selecting Display Modes 7
Synopsis of FX Commands 8
The Major FX Functions 10
Selecting a File To Examine 10
Locating Byte Patterns 11
Counting Byte Patterns 13
Modifying a File Byte 13
Major Display Formatting Options 14
Changing the Display Mode 14
Selecting the Numeric Display 16
Optimizing the Display for ".DBF" Files 18
Understanding The FX Display 19
StartByte 20
Recsize 20
Tab Amount 20
File Byte 21
Record 21
Recbyte 21
Modified 21
Using FX with dBASE database files 22
Examining the field definitions 23
Examining the data 24
Summary of FX Messages 25
Error Handling 28
FX Command Summary 29
Notes 30
FX Registration Information A
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction
FX (File eXaminer) is a general-purpose file viewer and "byte-
zap" utility. It can handle any file possible under MS-DOS, and
of unlimited size; it is neither constrained by nor optimized for
any particular file format, whether that be ASCII text, binary,
etc. This program was designed to be as fast and flexible as
possible, working as a sort of "byte-oriented" word processor.
Note that FX enables viewing and modification of the ENTIRE
contents of a file, INCLUDING any end-of-file marks (CONTROL-Z,
ASCII value 26 decimal).
Please note that FX will not insert bytes or remove bytes-- only
modify existing ones. In addition, FX does not create any
"temporary" or "intermediate" files-- one is working DIRECTLY
against the selected file! If it is planned to modify bytes,
(especially in an executable file), and there is the least doubt
about the impact of the changes, WORK WITH A COPY OF THE FILE,
AND NOT THE ORIGINAL!
Be assured that FX is completely safe to use on ANY file-- it
will not modify any aspect of a file unless specifically
requested to do so, and doing so requires an overt, conscious
decision by the user. Unintentional changes are almost
impossible. If there is the least doubt, however, it is again
strongly recommended the file be backed up first.
Any of the following tasks may be easily accomplished with FX:
- Scroll through and examine ANY portion of ANY file
as if it were a word processing document.
- Locate or Count byte patterns.
- Format the display to expose the underlying file
structure.
- Modify any byte in any file, regardless of its
location.
- Read PAST any end-of-file marks, (Control-Z,
decimal ASCII 26), right to the end of the file's
physical extent as recorded by DOS.
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(C) 1990, William Noble Page 1
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
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Typical uses of FX include:
- Repairing damaged files.
- Removing intermediate end-of-file marks in text
files that prevent access to the full contents of
the file.
- Scanning executable code for messages indicative
of a program with "ulterior motives", e.g.
"Viruses" and the like.
- Customizing executable programs. Many ".COM"
programs are accompanied by a discussion of which
bytes to modify to customize their display colors
and other configuration options. (Typically, this
is done using the "DEBUG" program, but FX is far
easier to use and better suited to such a task).
FX Quick Start
FX is started simply by issuing the command "FX". A filename may
optionally be supplied on the command line, in which case one
would use a command of the form:
FX filename
If no filename is present on the command line, or FX cannot
locate the file specified, then it will automatically pop up its
file selection box when it starts.
By default, FX will first display an initial title screen. This
screen can be skipped by adding a "/Q" or "-Q" to the command
line, (upper or lower case), which instructs FX to be "Quiet" and
proceed straight to its main screen. Some examples of starting
FX are:
FX
FX /q Run FX, skip initial screen.
FX A:x.dat /q Run FX, skip initial screen,
and examine the file "A:x.dat"
Once FX is running, ALT-H will pop up the help display at any
point in the program. Also, hitting the forward slash key ("/")
will invoke the FX command menu, which may be used to familiarize
oneself with, and optionally invoke, the FX commands.
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(C) 1990, William Noble Page 2
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
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Hardware Requirements
FX will run on any IBM PC or true compatible running DOS 3.0 or
higher, and should certainly run without incident on a 256K
system. (The program will require about 52K memory above and
beyond the memory it consumes in and of itself, which amounts to
about 120K free memory required to run FX).
FX automatically detects and adapts to a monochrome or color
system, and selects 25 by 80 text mode if the system is not
already in this mode. (FX restores the video mode and cursor
size upon exit).
Since the program writes directly to video memory for the best
possible performance, it also accounts for CGA monitors and takes
the proper measures to avoid the "snow" effect.
Note to Network Users: This program was designed to function in
network, as well as single-user, environments. FX opens all
files in accord with the SHARE program. This has no impact
whatsoever on single-user systems, or on systems not running
SHARE. However, if SHARE is installed, then note that FX will
open all files as "Deny Write"; that is, other programs can read
from a file in use by FX, but NOT write to it. A file is opened
by FX when it is selected with the FILE command, and closed only
when another file is chosen or the program is exited.
Mouse Support
FX will automatically detect and support a Microsoft-compatible
mouse, if installed. FX neither uses nor displays a "mouse
cursor", but instead translates the relative movement of the
mouse into an equivalent press of the up, down, left and right
arrow keys. Moving the mouse up, for instance, is the same as
repeatedly pressing the up-arrow key.
Clicking BOTH buttons simultaneously and releasing them is always
equivalent to pressing ESCAPE.
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(C) 1990, William Noble Page 3
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
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At menus, clicking either button by itself and releasing it is
the same as pressing ENTER on the keyboard.
When in the file window, the buttons are put to some use:
- Clicking and releasing the LEFT button is
equivalent to PgUp (Previous screenful)
- Clicking and releasing the RIGHT button is
equivalent to PgDn (Next screenful)
The primary reason for supporting the mouse is not for making
menu selections, (although it can be used for that), but instead
for moving the cursor about in the File Window.
Installation
FX does not require a formal installation as such- the only file
required to run FX is, simply enough, "FX.exe". To "install" FX
is to COPY the file "FX.exe" to any desired location. On hard
disk systems, it would certainly be recommended that this be a
directory that is on the "search path", (any directory that is
named in the PATH environment variable), so the system can find
FX regardless of the current working directory.
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(C) 1990, William Noble Page 4
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
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Using Menus and Input Areas
To use any menu in FX, either press the first letter of the menu
item, or highlight the desired item using the Arrow keys,
Spacebar or Backspace keys and press ENTER.
When entering values in input areas, the following special
editing keys may be used:
- Left/Right Arrow Keys may be used to position the
cursor anywhere in an input area.
- INSERT: Toggles between insert mode and overtype
mode. FX starts in overtype mode, meaning typed
characters will replace existing ones. In INSERT
mode, a block cursor is displayed, and typed
characters are inserted, shifting existing
characters to the right.
- DELETE: Deletes character directly above cursor,
and shifts all characters to the right of the
cursor left one position.
- BACKSPACE: Deletes the character to the left of
the cursor, shifting the remainder of the area
left one position.
- ESCAPE: Cancel current option and back up.
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(C) 1990, William Noble Page 5
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
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Basic Concepts
A file is nothing more than a stream of continuous bytes. FX
displays these bytes exactly as they occur in the source file, in
the same order they occur. The power of FX, however, lies in its
ability to format and display this information in a meaningful,
flexible manner, and do it very fast. Files are displayed in the
FX "File Window", which is always visible and consumes most of
the screen display.
FX formats files by breaking them up into "RECORDS" of fixed
length, displaying one record per display line. Therefore, a
"Record" in the context of FX is "The number of file bytes per
line in the FX File Window". (In certain display modes, each
record may take up as many as 3 rows on the screen; "line" in
this context refers to the 1 to 3 row area a record occupies in
the File window). The record size can be modified by the user to
be anything from 1 byte up to about 2,000 bytes. Please keep in
mind that the physical file is still a continuous stream of
bytes, and that FX is only VIEWING the file as a series of
"records" to unencumber its display.
FX starts up with a default record size of 72 bytes. This is by
no means a magic number-- it happens to be the number of columns
in the display window. In some cases, such as fixed record-
length database files, it is meaningful to view the file in terms
of a very specific record size, in which case FX can be made to
display one database record per line. In other cases, such as
executable files like "FX.exe", there is no underlying structure
to the file, and the idea of a record size isn't relevant.
While running FX, the record size may be repeatedly changed; FX
will automatically reformat the file display in the File Window.
(This is, by the way, a good technique for uncovering underlying
patterns in files).
FX also has the unique ability to instantly change its display of
file bytes: ASCII, DECIMAL or HEXADECIMAL, or any combination of
those three, which amounts to 7 possible display formats. This
is covered in detail later in the documentation.
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(C) 1990, William Noble Page 6
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
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Using FX- Overview
FX uses just one main screen, on which is maintained all
information about the file being examined, and which is dominated
by the "File Window". This window is the "command center" of FX;
it is from here that one examines files, and invokes all FX
commands.
Moving through the File
The keys used to move around in the file window are:
Left Arrow Move left to the previous byte
Right Arrow Move right to the next byte
Up Arrow Move up to the previous record
Down Arrow Move down to next record
Alt <- Jump to the first byte in the record
Alt -> Jump to the last byte in the record
PgUp Previous screenful
PgDn Next screenful
Home Jump to first byte in the file window
End Jump to last byte in the file window
Ctrl-PgUp Jump to the first record in the file
Ctrl-PgDn Jump to the last record in the file
Ctrl-Home Jump to first file byte (StartByte)
Ctrl-End Jump to last byte in the file
F9 Pan left by 1/2 window
F10 Pan right by 1/2 window
Tab Move forward by tab amount
Shift+Tab Move backward by tab amount
(A beep will sound if an attempt is made to move past the
file or record boundaries).
Selecting Display Modes
The function keys F1 through F8 are used to modify aspects
of the FX display. Function keys 1 through 7 each
correspond to one of the 7 file display modes offered by FX.
Function key 8 is used to select the so-called "Numeric
Display", which gives detailed information on numeric values
that exist at the current position in the file. These
options are covered in detail later on.
F1 - F7 Select a Display Mode 1 through 7.
SHIFT + F1-F7 Same as above, but also automatically
adjusts the number of bytes per record
for the given mode.
F8 Cycles through the 4 numeric display
options: Decimal, Hexadecimal, Binary
and None.
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(C) 1990, William Noble Page 7
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
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Synopsis of FX Commands
An alphabetic summary of the FX commands follows. To invoke
a command, type either the upper- or lower-case letter
indicated between quotes:
"A"lpha Mode Toggle PURE ALPHA MODE. FX starts with
this mode OFF. When toggled ON, all
non-alphanumeric characters are
displayed as a small dot.
"C"ount Count occurrences of byte patterns in
the file.
"D"atabase Optimize the FX display to isolate
sections of dBASE database files.
"F"ile Select file to examine. A list of all
files in the current directory will be
"popped up"- just highlight the desired
file and press ENTER.
"J"ump Jump directly to any byte in the file.
"L"ocate Locate byte or text patterns
"N"ext Jump to next occurrence
"R"ecSize Specify the record size, in bytes; that
is, the number of bytes that FX will
place on each display line.
"S"tartByte The byte in the file to begin the
display with. FX will ignore all bytes
before the StartByte, thus establishing
a "new" beginning of file. This is
purely for ease of VIEWING the file, and
has NO effect on the actual file!
"T"abAmount Specify the number of bytes that will be
skipped ahead or backward when TAB or
SHIFT-TAB are pressed.
e"X"it Quit FX
CONTROL+ENTER Modify current byte.
ESCAPE Quit FX.
Alt-H Call up the Help screen.
/ Invoke the FX Options Menu.
Pressing either the ESCAPE key or the letter X will quit FX.
If a file has been selected, then a prompt will pop up to
confirm that the user wishes to continue and exit the
program.
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(C) 1990, William Noble Page 8
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
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To assist in understanding and using the various FX
commands, the FX Options Menu is provided. This menu is
invoked by typing the forward slash (/). This feature has
been added as a convenience, enabling not only the selection
of an FX option, but also providing basic information on
each one. As the highlight bar is moved up and down (via
the arrow keys), a description of each item is continuously
displayed to the right. Options are invoked from this menu
the same as from the File Window: by pressing the upper- or
lower-case letter, or the desired function key. Also, the
currently highlighted option can be invoked by just pressing
ENTER. To exit this menu and invoke no option, just press
ESCAPE, as usual.
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(C) 1990, William Noble Page 9
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
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The Major FX Functions
Selecting a File To Examine ("F")
All FX sessions begin by selecting a file from the FX file
selection box, unless a file was supplied on the command
line when FX was started.
FX begins in the current working directory on the current
drive. The file box will contain every file (*.*) in this
directory, as well as a parent directory, if applicable, and
any subdirectories. This box provides the full means to
navigate throughout the entire directory structure, as well
as, of course, selecting files to examine. If a file is
chosen from another directory, then that directory becomes
the new default FX path for subsequent file selections.
Moving the Highlight: Press Up/Down arrow to move the
highlight one file at a time, or PgUp/PgDn to move by
screenfuls. Press HOME to jump to the first file, and END
to jump to the last.
SPEED Selection: By pressing the first letter of a filename
(upper or lower case), FX will jump to the next file in the
list that begins with that letter. Also, one can press the
open parenthesis "(" to jump to directory entries, which
always begin with this character.
Sorting the List: The list of files can be sorted by
extension (ALT-X), by name (ALT-N) or by size (ALT-S) to
make finding a file easier. (This sort order will remain in
effect for subsequent file selections).
To select a file to examine, simply highlight the desired
file and press ENTER. Press ESCAPE to exit without
selecting a file.
The FX file selection box also allows one to navigate
throughout the current drive by moving up and down the
directory tree. The Parent Directory and Subdirectories are
enclosed in parentheses () to distinguish them from the
other files in the list. If you are currently in the root
directory, then of course no Parent directory will be
listed.
To select the PARENT directory: Highlight the file called
"(..) Parent" and press ENTER. The parent directory is
selected, and a new list of files for that directory will
appear.
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(C) 1990, William Noble Page 10
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
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To select a SUBDIRECTORY: Highlight and subdirectory and
press ENTER. A new list of files for that directory will
appear.
To select another drive, press F2. FX determines which
drives are configured in the system and displays a menu.
Select the desired drive.
Note: FX does not change the current working directory or
drive. When FX is exited, the system will be at the same
drive and directory as when FX was started.
Locating Byte Patterns ("L")
After invoking Locate, an input area pops up on the top of
the screen. Please observe that FX can search for ANY byte
value possible in MS-DOS files, INCLUDING ASCII 0. For this
reason, not only does FX need to know which bytes to search
for, but also the NUMBER of bytes that compose the search
string. A moveable vertical "bar" exists in the locate
window for this purpose that can be shifted right or left,
and all bytes TO THE LEFT of the bar form the search string;
all bytes to the right of the bar are ignored. The
following keys are used here:
- CURSOR UP or CURSOR DOWN: Move cursor to desired
input line (ASCII/DEC/HEX).
- ENTER, TAB or PgDn: Move right to next byte.
- SHIFT+TAB or PgUp: Move left to previous byte.
- CONTROL-RIGHT ARROW: Move the "bar" right.
- CONTROL-LEFT ARROW: Move the "bar" left.
One can enter the data in any of 3 formats: ASCII, Decimal
or Hexadecimal, depending on one's inclination. A line for
each format is provided in the locate window. The first
line is for ASCII, the second for hexadecimal, and the last
for decimal. Independent of the format chosen to enter the
data, the values in the other 2 lines are ALWAYS
continuously updated by FX to reflect that value in those
other 2 formats. In addition, the bytes may be freely
defined in any mix of formats.
For instance, say it is desired to locate the codes in a
printer-driver file that cause an EPSON MX printer to change
to bold: "ESCAPE E".
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(C) 1990, William Noble Page 11
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
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The "ESCAPE" character could be entered in decimal by first
pressing down arrow twice to get to the decimal line and
typing 27. Note the values in the 2 lines above
automatically reflect this: the first line will contain the
ESCAPE graphic, and the hexadecimal line will contain 1B.
Next, one could move to the first line (ASCII) and enter the
second byte, the capital letter "E". Again note the 2 lower
lines reflect this value. (The letter E could also be
entered in its decimal ASCII value, 69, or hexadecimal ASCII
value, 45H).
Next, one tells FX how many bytes to search for. In this
example, we are looking for ESCAPE-E, just 2 bytes. So
press CONTROL-RIGHT ARROW once to move the bar to the right
1 byte. All bytes to the left of the bar will form the
search string, in this case 2.
(If it were decided to search for just the ESCAPE character,
one would press CONTROL-LEFT ARROW once to move the bar to
the left one byte. Now, just the ESCAPE character will be
searched for. Note that there is NO NEED to fiddle with any
bytes to the right of the bar- FX ignores them completely).
IMPORTANT NOTE: FX begins searching the file from the
"StartByte" value. This always defaults to 0 when a new
file is selected, meaning the display of the file will begin
at its physical beginning. If this value has been modified
by the user, then any occurrences in the file before this
location won't be found. To search the ENTIRE file, just
re-set the StartByte to 0 before invoking Locate.
To begin the search, hit F10. FX asks whether the search
should be case-sensitive; that is, whether or not the
alphabetic characters A-Z and a-z should be compared
without regard to case. If "Ignore Case" is selected, then
FX considers an "A" to be equal to an "a", and so forth. In
this example, "Exact Match" would be the appropriate
selection, since ESCAPE-e is not a valid EPSON MX code.
FX then asks whether to start the search from the beginning
of the file, (that is, from the "StartByte" value), or the
current file position- select the desired option.
As usual, ESCAPE may be pressed at any point to cancel the
LOCATE. Also, ESCAPE may be pressed during the LOCATE to
cancel and resume FX in the File window.
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(C) 1990, William Noble Page 12
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
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Counting Byte Patterns ("C")
The Count function is quite similar to LOCATE. The only
difference is that Count does not provide the option of
counting from the current file position- count ALWAYS begins
at the StartByte.
IMPORTANT NOTE: FX counts occurrences STARTING FROM THE
StartByte VALUE. If StartByte is larger than 0, then FX
will not start counting from the physical start of the file,
but from the offset into the file specified by StartByte.
To receive an accurate count of occurrences in the ENTIRE
file, re-set the StartByte to 0 if it has been changed.
Modifying a File Byte (Control - ENTER)
Any byte in a file may be modified by pressing CONTROL-ENTER
when positioned on the desired byte. (Press and hold the
CONTROL key and type ENTER). As with the LOCATE command, an
input area appears at the top of the screen, allowing the
new value for the byte to be entered in any of 3 formats:
ASCII, Decimal or Hexadecimal. Just position the cursor to
the box for the desired format by pressing UP ARROW or DOWN
ARROW, then enter the value. The values in the other 2
boxes will be updated and display this value in the other
two formats. To commit the change, press F10. To abort,
press ESCAPE.
To ensure that the change took place as expected, FX writes
out the changed byte and flushes the file buffer, then RE-
LOADS and re-displays the current window. This takes almost
no time, and verifies the modification beyond question.
Please keep in mind that this is the ONLY means by which any
byte can be changed in the file. NO OTHER SEQUENCE OF KEYS
OR ACTIONS WILL MODIFY A FILE BYTE OTHER THAN PRESSING
CONTROL-ENTER AND CONFIRMING WITH F10.
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(C) 1990, William Noble Page 13
FX User Documentation Version 1.0
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Major Display Formatting Options
Changing the Display Mode (F1-F7) and "A"
One of the most powerful features of FX is its ability to
display a file in any of 7 different formats. In addition,
any format may be toggled to "Pure Alpha" by pressing the
letter "A", making it much easier to look for text in a
binary file. In "Pure Alpha" mode, only standard alpha-
numeric characters are displayed. All other characters
(high-bit graphics with ASCII values above 127 and graphics
from ASCII 1-31) are replaced with a small dot. However,
since the display does not accurately reflect the bytes in
the file, bytes cannot be modified in pure alpha mode.
(When this mode is enabled, the text "[PURE ALPHA-NUMERIC
DISPLAY MODE]" will appear on the lower-left corner of the
File window box).
The best way to become acquainted with each display format
is to try out all 7 while running FX. These formats account
for every combination of ASCII, Hexadecimal, and Decimal
notation, and are summarized as follows:
Format 1 ASCII, one row displayed per record.
Format 2 Hexadecimal, one row displayed per
record.
Format 3 Decimal, one row displayed per record.
Format 4 ASCII on first row, hexadecimal on
second row.
Format 5 ASCII on first row, decimal on second
row.
Format 6 Hexadecimal on first row, decimal on
second row.
Format 7 ASCII on first row, hexadecimal on
second row, and decimal on third row.
Bear in mind that in modes 4, 5, 6 and 7, the file bytes
that are normally displayed on one row in the first three
modes will now require TWO or THREE rows on the screen. For
example, in mode 6 (Function key 6 was pressed) each record
from the file will occupy TWO rows in the File Window: The
first will reflect the data in hexadecimal notation, and the
second will display the same data in decimal form. The
cursor block will be 3 columns wide, and 2 rows high in
order to contain the 2 display lines. Although the cursor
is larger, it is STILL only reflecting ONE byte in the file!
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The cursor size ("Cell" size) will automatically adjust
depending on the display mode, since the cell must be able
to hold the largest value that can occur in the current
mode. For instance, in DECIMAL mode (mode 3), the "Cell
Size" is one row high and 3 columns wide, since three-digit
numbers can occur. Remember that no matter which format is
selected, the cell is still just reflecting ONE byte in the
file.
As mentioned before, the display mode is selected by
pressing F1 through F7 or SHIFT F1-F7. The characteristics
of each mode are summarized as follows:
Key Display Mode Cell Size
--- ---------------------------- ------------------
F1 FORMAT1 1- ASCII 1 row x 1 column
F2 FORMAT2 2- HEX 1 row x 2 columns
F3 FORMAT3 3- DEC 1 row x 3 columns
F4 FORMAT4 4- ASCII + HEX 2 rows x 2 columns
F5 FORMAT5 5- ASCII + DEC 2 rows x 3 columns
F6 FORMAT6 6- HEX + DEC 2 rows x 3 columns
F7 FORMAT7 7- ASCII + HEX + DEC 3 rows x 3 columns
Note that the display mode may be freely changed as often as
desired- FX will always maintain the cursor at the same file
byte.
If SHIFT is pressed along with any of the above function
keys (F1-F7), the display mode is not only selected as
above, but FX will also automatically increase or decrease
the record size (RecSize) value so that each line fits
exactly in the display window. For example, if one pressed
F7 to switch to format seven from format one, only one-third
as many bytes would be visible at a time- the remainder
being off to the right or left of the window. Pressing
SHIFT-F7, however, would reduce the record size, (# bytes
per line), by one-third as well to 24 bytes per record.
Note on multi-row modes (Format 4 - Format 7): On a
monochrome monitor, the last row of each record will be
underlined. On a color monitor, the last row will be
displayed in a contrasting color.
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Selecting the Numeric Display (F8)
The value of the Byte, Integer, and Long-Integer at the
current file position is continuously displayed at the top
center of the screen. Each press of F8 cycles through the 4
display options:
1) DECIMAL notation (default)
2) HEXADECIMAL notation
3) BINARY notation
4) No Display: Center top of screen left blank.
To refresh the memory, a BYTE is one character (byte) in
length and is the basic building block of MS-DOS files.
Each byte is composed of 8 "bits", each having one of two
possible values: 1, meaning that bit is "set", or 0, meaning
that bit is "cleared". The bits in a byte are numbered from
0-7. Bit 0 is known as the "least significant" bit
position, and has a weight of 1. Bit 7 is the "most
significant" position, with a weight of 128. This is
analogous to the base 10 numbering system, where the right-
most position has a weight of 1, the one to its left a
weight of 10, then 100, 1000, and so on.
An INTEGER is 2 bytes, and a LONG INTEGER 4 bytes, in
length. (Integers and Long Integers are also referred to
"Words" and "Double Words", respectively). As an
illustration, assume a dBASE database file is being viewed:
The record count is stored in the file as a 4-byte unsigned
long; instead of having to manually figure out what the 4
bytes in the file add up to, it is only necessary to
position the cursor to the correct byte in the header area
of the database file, then check the top of the screen and
note the value shown for the "Unsigned Long". (Please refer
to the detailed discussion of dBASE database files at the
end of this documentation).
To summarize, FX derives the values for the Byte, Integer
and Long Integer as follows:
BYTE: The value of the single byte at the
current file (cursor) position.
INTEGER: The integer value of the pair of bytes
at the current file position; the first
byte being the one at the cursor, and
the second byte the one after that.
LONG: The LONG (4 byte) integer at the current
file position, the first byte being the
byte under at cursor, followed by the
next 3.
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For reference, the signed and unsigned decimal ranges of
these values are as follows:
UNSIGNED SIGNED
Min Max Min Max
--- ------------- --------------- --------------
BYTE 0 +255 -128 +127
INTEGER 0 +65,535 -32,768 +32,767
LONG 0 +4,294,967,295 -2,147,483,648 +2,147,483,647
For example, given the same sample file position, each of
these displays would appear as follows as F8 was pressed:
Decimal: U Byte:13 |S Byte:13
U Int :48653 |S Int :-16883
U Long:2298789389 |S Long:-1996177907
Hexadecimal: H Byte:dH
E Int :be0dH
X Long:8904be0dH
Binary: B MSB<---------LSB
I Byte: 00001101
N Int :1011111000001101
If DECIMAL display is selected, two columns of numbers will
be shown: the left column is the UNSIGNED value of the
number at the current cursor position, and the right column
is the SIGNED value. Again, to refresh the memory, an
unsigned value cannot be negative, and all 8 bits in each
byte are numerically significant. A signed number, on the
other hand, CAN be negative, because the high-order bit is
NOT used for its value but as the "sign bit": if the sign
bit is 0, the number is positive, and if it is 1 the number
is negative. Please understand that the issue of signed
versus unsigned numbers is only one of INTERPRETATION- a
byte is not intrinsically signed or unsigned, but only
becomes so when one decides to use the high-order bit as a
flag instead of for its binary value.
If HEX display is selected, there is only one column: The
unsigned Hexadecimal (base 16) value of the byte, integer,
and long integer at the current file position.
The BINARY display shows only the byte and integer- not the
long integer. The "Least Significant Bit" position, (LSB),
is at the right of the value, and the "Most Significant Bit"
position (MSB) is to the left. This means that the right-
most bit has a weight of 1, then progresses to 2, 4, 8, 16,
32, etc., moving from right to left.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: The evaluation of the above numbers does NOT
"wrap" to the next line! For instance, if one is on the
last byte of a line, FX will display INTEGER and LONG values
based ONLY on that byte, and not on the usual 2 and 4 byte
sequences, respectively. As a result, the values shown for
the Integer and Long Integer are only meaningful when at
least 1 byte from the end of the line and 3 bytes from the
end of the line, respectively. For example, on the last
byte of a line the Byte, Integer and Long values will all be
identical.
Optimizing the Display for ".DBF" Files ("D")
Since it is often necessary to investigate dBASE compatible
database files, FX has a feature that facilitates their
display in the FX File Window. Pressing "D" invokes a menu
with 3 options: DATA, FIELDS and NORMAL.
If one selects "DATA", FX will automatically determine where
in the database the actual data (records) begin, and also
the record size. FX will then automatically set the
StartByte and the RecSize to these values. Further, the TAB
amount is set to equal the record size, so each press of TAB
advances one record.
If one selects "FIELDS", FX will optimize its display to
show the database field definitions from the header area of
the database. This is the same for all databases: the field
definitions begin at byte 32, each definition requiring 32
bytes. Again, the StartByte, RecSize and TAB are
automatically set by FX.
The NORMAL option does nothing more than set StartByte to 0,
RecSize to 72 (the width of the display window), and TAB to
5.
Since FX might potentially be used to repair damaged
database files, it will allow the above options to be
invoked even though the first byte in the file is other than
decimal 2, 3 or 131. (See discussion on databases later
on). It will, however, display a warning message. Also, if
the values found from the file don't make sense, (E.g. the
header area of the file indicated a record size that is
larger than the over-all file size!), FX will display a
message and not take further action. Also, FX doesn't care
whether or not the file has the ".DBF" extension.
Please refer to the discussion of database files at the end
of this manual for more information about database file
structures.
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Understanding The FX Display
FX displays files in terms of lines (records) in the File Window,
each containing the number of bytes as defined for the "RECSIZE"
value. (The last line of a file may contain fewer bytes if the
record size is not evenly divisible into the file size).
FX supports horizontally scrolling, if necessary, and an arrow
will appear on the left or right of the top line of the edit box
to indicate that data exists outside the display area. Each row
in the window is accompanied by a number to its left outside the
box border, which is the byte in the file at which the line
(record) begins. Note that these values will remain the same
even if the data in the window is scrolled to the right or left.
These numbers on the left will always be displayed in accord with
the current display mode (F1-F7). For instance, the "F7" mode
uses three screen rows per record: ASCII, hexadecimal and
decimal. Therefore, the numbers to the left of each row will be
expressed in decimal, hexadecimal and decimal respectively.
At the top-center of the screen is the numeric display, which has
already been described in detail.
The last 2 lines on the screen display file information and
various counters that describe the current file position in a
number of ways. Please familiarize yourself with their meaning!
For reference, these lines appear as follows when FX is started:
| Byte: | Record: 1/0 | Recbyte: | # Modified: 0 |
File: Length:0 StartByte:0 Recsize:72 Tab:5
The current byte is displayed in a reverse video block ("Cell")
in the File Window, the size of which changes depending on the
current display mode. The number of bytes that fit in the window
also changes with the display mode- for instance, since decimal
representation requires 3 times the width of plain ASCII, one-
third as many bytes will fit in the window, and horizontal
scrolling may be necessary to view the other bytes.
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StartByte ("S")
The Startbyte is that byte in the file at which FX will
begin displaying its contents, and defaults to 0 (first byte
in file). This is useful in cases where a file begins with
a header area that one does not want on the display; one can
"focus in" on just the data portion that follows it. Recall
that if the StartByte is not 0 (start of file), both LOCATE
and COUNT will begin at StartByte, not the physical start of
file. This value can be modified by pressing "S".
Also, a section of the file might want to be viewed with a
special record size, and setting the Startbyte to this
section will allow FX to establish its logical records "in
sync" with the data.
Recsize ("R")
The Recsize (Record Size) is the number of bytes FX places
on each display line. This value defaults to the window
size, (72 bytes), and can be modified by pressing "R".
Since FX scrolls horizontally, the Recsize can be much
larger than the width of the display window-- up to about
2,000 bytes per line in this version.
The Recsize can be very useful when used in conjunction with
the StartByte. For instance, consider the case of a dBASE
database file. The byte at which data begins can be found
in the header portion of the database, as well as the record
size in bytes. Armed with this information, the StartByte
can be set to the byte where data begins, and Recsize can be
set to the dbase record size. This will result in a
"browse" of the records in the database, one record per
line, except that the display is in FX format, so EVERY byte
in the record is visible!
Tab Amount ("T")
The last value on the last line is the tab amount, and is
the number of bytes FX will advance or back up when TAB or
SHIFT-TAB are pressed. This value defaults to 5, and can be
modified by pressing "T". Again referring to the above
database example, the tab amount can be set to equal the
recsize, so each press of TAB will advance one record, and
each press of SHIFT-TAB will go back one record.
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File Byte
The next to last line is in reverse-video, and displays the
current position in the file from a number of viewpoints.
The first field, "Byte:", ALWAYS reflects the current
absolute position in the file as an offset from 0. Note
that FX always considers the first byte in any file to be
byte 0 (zero). This is in keeping with DOS conventions.
Record
The number of bytes that FX places in each line is the
number defined as the Record Size (modified by pressing
"R"), and defaults to the window size, 72 bytes. (The
current record and the current line can be considered
synonymous). Each line on the FX display is considered to
be a record, and FX reckons records as starting from 1
(one), NOT 0. This counter is of use when viewing database
files, for instance, and could be set to the record size of
the database to facilitate viewing. Note that the record
size can be much larger than the window dimensions- up to
about 2,000 bytes, in fact.
If the record size specified is not evenly divisible into
the number of bytes in the file, (or, if StartByte is not 0,
then the number of bytes from the StartByte value to the end
of the file), the last line will show a record number one
greater than the upper-limit displayed, for example, "Record
551/550". This is intentional.
Recbyte
This is the byte offset into the current record, with the
first byte of a record being 0. This is again handy for
database files and the such, when one knows the byte offsets
of certain fields within a record.
Modified
Displays the number of bytes in the file that have been
changed by the user.
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Using FX with dBASE database files
This section is meant to serve not only as a guide to the dBASE
database file structure, but also as the basis for a sample
session. Also, the information below could be useful in "re-
constructing" damaged database files! So start up FX, load any
database file, and follow along. (Needless to say, if you intend
to alter any bytes in the file, PLEASE DO SO WITH A COPY, AND NOT
THE ORIGINAL!).
dBASE databases are composed of 2 main areas:
(1) The header area, which contains information about
the database, such as the number of records, date
of last update, and the field definitions.
(2) The actual data immediately follows the header
area. Every record is the same size, independent
of how much data is stored in it.
The bytes in the header area have the following meaning. (The
byte numbers given are from the start of the file; that is, they
will correspond to the "Byte:" display on the next to last line).
Byte 0: dBASE version number. Can have one of three
values (shown here in decimal): 2=dBASE II
file, 3=dBASE III file, or 131=dBASE III file
with a Memo field.
Byte 1: Year of last edit date.
Byte 2: Month of last edit date.
Byte 3: Day of last edit date.
Bytes 4-7: Number of records in the database. (Long
Integer).
Bytes 8-9: Length of the header area in bytes (Integer).
Note that this is ALSO the file position
where the data actually begins in the file!
Bytes 10-11: The record size in bytes (Integer).
Bytes 12-31: Reserved, and therefore not very interesting.
Byte 32-?? Fields are defined. There will be 32 bytes
used to describe each field, for as many
fields as necessary.
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Examining the field definitions
To isolate the field definitions:
1) Set StartByte to 32 bytes.
2) Set RecSize to 32 bytes.
Each line will contain a full field definition, the format
of which follows. (The values are OFFSETS from the start of
each field entry).
Bytes 0-10 The field name, 1-10 characters, zero-filled.
(E.g. C-style "Null-terminated" string).
Byte 11 The field type: C, N, L, D, or M.
Bytes 12-15 Field data address. Of no interest to us.
Byte 16 Field length.
Byte 17 Number of decimals.
Bytes 18-31 Reserved.
Note that the "RecByte" counter on the bottom is quite handy
here: it displays how many bytes one is offset into the
CURRENT RECORD. (The first byte of any record is 0). For
example, to position the cursor at the field's FIELD LENGTH
byte, just move until RecByte equals 16.
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Examining the data
1) Position the cursor to byte 8 and read the
UNSIGNED INT value in the upper-left of the
screen. This is the size in bytes of the header
area.
2) Position the cursor at byte 10 and read the
UNSIGNED INT value from the upper-left corner of
the screen. This is the record size.
3) Set the StartByte to the value found in step (1),
so that FX will start displaying the file at this
point.
4) Set the RecSize and TabAmount to the value found
in step (2), so that FX will format one database
record per one display line.
Of course, one could also just press "D" and have FX do all
this itself, but, then, where's that sense of adventure?
NOTE: All deleted records contain an asterisk (*) in the
first byte of the record, (and therefore the first display
column, RecByte=0), and normal records will contain a space
(32 decimal or 20H hexadecimal) at this position. One can
easily mark records as deleted, and "un"-delete them, using
FX. Also, please observe that any data changed using FX
that alters the value of fields used in an associated INDEX
FILE may render the index file outdated, so always REINDEX
after any changes to key field values made with FX!
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Summary of FX Messages
1) Memory-Related Error Messages: One of the following
messages may occur if there is insufficient memory for
fX to carry out certain tasks:
"Not enough memory to save screen contents."
FX was unable to obtain enough memory to save the current
screen contents prior to displaying the ERROR box.
"Not enough memory for Save Screen buffer."
FX was unable to obtain enough memory to save the current
screen contents prior to displaying the HELP screen.
"Not enough memory for screen/locate buffer."
FX allocates 8K for the search buffer when it first starts.
If it can't find the available memory for this required
buffer, it will exit to DOS at once.
2) File-Related Error Messages: The following error
messages may occur if the file being examined is
damaged, or exists on damaged portions of the disk:
"Error accessing this file byte!"
FX was unable to seek to a certain file position. If this
message appears, the file is probably on a damaged portion
of the disk.
"Error closing File. Exiting to DOS..."
FX was unable to close the file; since having open files
hanging around is not generally a good idea, FX will
immediately exit under these circumstances.
"Error seeking to starting byte."
FX was unable to seek to the start of the file.
"Error writing byte."
There was an error writing the byte to the file.
"WARNING: Error flushing buffers: Cannot get a duplicate
handle."
FX was unable to flush the file buffers to disk after a byte
was modified.
"WARNING: Error flushing buffers: Cannot close duplicate
handle."
FX was unable to commit a modified byte to the file.
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3) Status Messages
"Byte successfully written."
Confirms that a modified byte was successfully written to
the file.
"Cannot Edit bytes when in ALPHA-NUMERIC mode."
An attempt was made to modify a byte by pressing CONTROL-
ENTER when the "PURE-ALPHA" display option was enabled.
Press "A" again to toggle this mode off, then modify the
byte in question.
"No File is Selected..."
This message appears in a shaded box in the File Window if
no file is selected. Since no FX feature can be used
without a file selected, either press "F" to select a file,
or ESCAPE to exit the program.
"No more occurrences found."
Appears when NEXT is invoked, and no more occurrences of the
byte pattern were found in the file after the current file
position.
"nnnn Occurrences found."
Report of total occurrences found after COUNT was invoked.
"Please select a FILE to examine."
The user tried to invoke an option before selecting a file.
"Tab width must be 1-20000"
A tab width was entered that was out of range.
"Valid record sizes are 0-1999"
A record size was requested that was out of range.
"Value is out of range for this file."
The value entered for the starting byte (StartByte) was out
of range.
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4) Database Messages: The following messages may occur
when the DATABASE option is invoked ("D"):
"File is under 32 bytes in size. Cannot be database!"
It is theoretically impossible for a database file to be
under 32 bytes in length.
"The header size is impossible for this file!"
FX read the stored Header Size and Record Size from the
database header area, and found that (1) The header size is
larger than the over-all file size, or (2) The record size
is larger than the file size.
"Note: The first byte of the file is NOT 2, 3 or 131!"
The first byte of all valid database files is either 2, 3,
or 131. FX is simply reporting that this is not the case
for the current file.
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Error Handling
In order to be as robust as possible, FX takes over the hardware
error handler, interrupt 24H. The upshot of this is that the
message "Abort, Retry, Fail" will never appear while FX is
running. Instead, in the event of an error, FX will pop-up a
special box informing the user of the nature of the problem. The
possible errors reported by FX are as follows:
Bad Structure Length
CRC Error
Drive Not Ready
General Failure
Printer out of Paper
Read Fault
Sector Not Found
Seek Error
Unknown Command
Unknown Media Type
Unknown Unit
Write Fault
Write Protect
Apart from the "Write Protect" and "Drive Not Ready" errors, the
chances of one of these errors occurring very often in the
context of FX is practically nil, unless, of course, one is using
one's floppy disks for coasters. For more information on the
import of the above errors, please consult a DOS manual.
The interesting and important aspect of this, however, is that
FX CAN handle damaged files, literally "stepping through" corrupt
sections of a file to valid sections. FX will always issue a
warning when an I/O error has occurred, allowing the user to
ABORT FX or simply ignore the error. If IGNORE is selected, any
lines that contain unreadable areas of the file will be replaced
with FLASHING ASTERISKS.
In addition, if it is suspected that a file contains damaged
sections, or it is desired to locate those sections, this may be
easily accomplished by simply pressing the PgDn key when in the
File window to page through the file. If there is any problem
with the file, then the error box will pop up alerting the user
to the situation, and lines containing errors will be blinking.
This is an extremely powerful feature.
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FX Command Summary
ESCAPE or X Quit FX and return to DOS.
/ Invoke the FX options menu.
Positioning the cursor when in the File Window
----------------------------------------------
Up Arrow Previous record
Down Arrow Next record
Left Arrow Previous byte in record
Right Arrow Next byte in record
ALT + Left Arrow Jump to first byte in record
ALT + Right Arrow Jump to last byte in record
HOME Jump to left edge of File Window
END Jump to right edge of File Window
PGUP Previous screenful
PGDN Next screenful
Control + PGUP Jump to first record (Top of file)
Control + PGDN Jump to last record (Bottom of file)
Control + HOME Jump to first file byte (StartByte)
Control + END Jump to last byte in the file
Tab Move forward by tab amount
Shift + Tab Move backward by tab amount
F9 Pan Left by 1/2 window
F10 Pan Right by 1/2 window
Keys that modify the display
----------------------------
A Toggle PURE ALPHA MODE
D Optimize the display for ".DBF" files.
F1-F7 Select a display mode 1 through 7.
[F1-F7] Set file's display mode AND adjust
"RecSize" so that each file record fits
exactly in the display window for the
given mode.
F8 Cycles through the numeric display
options Dec-Hex-Bin-None that appear in
the upper-left of the screen when in the
File Window.
Keys that invoke FX functions
-----------------------------
C Count occurrences of byte patterns
F Select file
J Jump directly to the specified file byte
L Locate byte/text pattern
N Locate next occurrence
R Specify record size
S Specify starting display byte
T Specify tab amount
CONTROL + ENTER Modify current byte
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Notes
1) Fx can easily handle very large files, but for files over
999,999 bytes, the display of the byte offset of each record that
is placed to the left of the File Window will over-write the box
border. This is NOT a bug. The width of the File Window (72
columns) was chosen because 72 is evenly divisible by 1, 2 and 3,
allowing all display modes to evenly fill the window, but leaving
only 6 free columns to the left of the box. The next smallest
number divisible by 1, 2 and 3 is 66, which was judged
unacceptably smaller.
2) Note on Vertical Scrolling: FX is optimized to traverse
files by "screenfuls", using PgUp and PgDn. The display will,
however, scroll one line at a time up or down when expected-
When Up Arrow is pressed and the cursor is on the first line of
the window, or when Down Arrow is pressed and the cursor is on
the last line of the window. However, what really occurs in this
case is more of a "shift" in the window on the file than an
actual scroll, since a full screen of data is completely re-
loaded. This was a conscious design decision to ensure that,
without fail, the current display perfectly mirrors the
underlying file and, further, that the cursor is perfectly
synchronized with its position both on the display and in the
underlying file. This may result in sluggish line-by-line
scrolling when examining files on floppy disks or very slow hard
disks, in which case PgUp and PgDn would be preferable for paging
through the file quickly.
______________________________________________
FX was coded entirely in C and assembly language, using the
Microsoft C Optimizing Compiler version 5.1, and MASM; it
consists of about 5,000 lines of C source code, and 1,500 lines
of assembler. (This is not necessarily an endorsement of these
products, but is mentioned for those who may be interested).
This is the first official, public release of FX-- Version 1.0
______________________________________________
If you have special file formats or requirements and think FX
could be the basis for a useful utility in your environment, a
proprietary version can easily be created for specific needs. We
will gladly consider any proposals and quote pricing and terms
for any ideas you have in mind.
If you have any questions, technical difficulties, comments or
suggestions of any kind, we would be quite delighted to hear from
you! Please address all correspondence to: Far Darter Software,
PO BOX 519, Closter, NJ 07624. (Registered users will be given
priority attention). Due to limited time, we are unable to offer
telephone support; however, registered users are welcome to
include their phone number- if time allows and the situation
recommends itself, we will get back to you by phone.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
(C) 1990, William Noble Page 30
FX Registration Information
The registrations and licenses offered for FX (effective 4/1/90) are
as follows:
1) A $15 registration fee is requested for the non-commercial,
private use of the program.
2) $30 - Same as (1), but includes printed documentation and
the latest version of FX.
3) In a business or government environment, a $35 license per
user is mandatory. This license is for the perpetual, non-
exclusive use of any version, and automatically includes the
latest version of FX plus printed documentation. When
registering for more than one user, please estimate the
number of copies of the program you will use and refer to
the following discount schedule:
# Users License fee
(Copies) per copy
------- --------------------
1 $35
2-9 $30
10-24 $25
25-49 $20
50-99 $10
100-199 $5
Over 200 $1000 one-time fee, unlimited copies
Independent of the number of users, you will receive one set
of materials; you may then make as many copies as licensed.
4) FX can also be licensed on a per-server basis in a network
environment, at $125 PER NETWORK SERVER, which allows FX to
be installed on that one central location. Access in terms
of number of nodes and number of users is UNRESTRICTED and
UNLIMITED. If more than one local area network is involved,
then additional licenses for each network server are
required. This includes the latest version of FX and
printed documentation; one set of materials will be sent.
5) Distribution Licenses and all other situations: Please
contact the author. (Copying or using FX in any manner
other than outlined above is prohibited).
Please send all registrations, inquiries or comments to the address on
the next page. We accept personal or company checks, money orders, or
Visa, MasterCard or American Express. Sorry-- we don't handle
purchase orders or invoicing.
(Upgrades will be made available upon request).
**********************************************************************
* Version 1.0 FX Registration Form Effective 4/1/90 *
**********************************************************************
Please send to: Far Darter Software
PO Box 519
Closter, NJ
07624
Limit of Liability:
FX is distributed as-is. The author disclaims all warranties,
expressed or implied. The author will assume no liability for
damages either from the direct use of this product or as a
consequence of the use of this product.
Please register/license my copy of FX as: (Select one)
(1) Single user basic registration @ $15.00 __________
(2) Single user "plus" registration @ $30.00 __________
(3) Business/Government: _____ users @ _____ = __________
(See discount schedule)
(4) LAN, @ 125.00 per Server: _____ @ $125 = __________
Subtotal: __________
New Jersey residents add 6% sales tax + __________
Total: __________
Payment: [] Check [] Visa [] MasterCard [] American Express
Card Number: ________________________________________________
Expiration date: ________________________________________________
Name: ________________________________________________________
Company: ________________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _______________________________________________
Phone- Day: ______________________ Nite: _____________________
Signature: ______________________ Date: _____________________
Thanks for supporting Shareware!
Index
-----
/Q (Quiet) switch 2 Locating bytes 11
Alpha mode 8, 14, 26 Long integer 16
ASCII 11, 14 Memory requirements 3
Binary display 17 Menus, using 5
BINARY notation 16 Messages
Bit 16 File-related 25
Byte 16 For DATABASE option 27
Byte location counter 21 Memory-related 25
Cell 19 Status 26
Cell size 15 Modified
CGA monitors 3 Display of 21
Command Line arguments 2 Modifying a byte 13
Command summary 29 Monitor type 3
Counting byte patterns 13 Mouse support 3
Current directory 10 Network Registration A
Current file location 21 Network support 3
Damaged files 28 Numeric display 16
Database files 22 Numeric equivalent display 16
Databases Options Menu 9
Displaying 18 PATH environment variable 4
Structure of 22 Pure Alpha mode 14
Decimal 11, 14 Quick start 2
Decimal display 17 Quitting FX 8
DECIMAL notation 16 Recbyte 21
Display mode 7, 19 Record
Alpha-Numeric 14 Display of 21
Changing the 7, 14, 15 Offset into 21
DOS version 3 Record size 20, 21
Double Words 16 Default 6
Editing keys 5 Description 6
Error handling 28 RecSize 15, 18, 19
Error messages Modifying 20
File-related 25 Registration form B
Memory-related 25 Registration Information A
File Scrolling 19
Selecting 10 Vertical 30
File Window 6 SHARE program 3
File Window commands 8 Signed numbers 17
Hardware Requirements 3 StartByte 12, 18, 20
Help, invoking 2, 8 Modifying 20
Hexadecimal 11, 14 Starting file byte 20
Hexadecimal display 17 Starting FX 2
HEXADECIMAL notation 16 Status messages 26
I/O Errors 28 Tab amount, setting 20
Installation 4 Technical support 30
Integer 16 Unsigned numbers 17
LANs Words 16
Registering FX for A
Using FX on 3
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< PC-SIG Disk #2249 FX - File eXaminer >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ To print out documentation and installation instructions, type: ║
║ COPY FX.TXT PRN (press ENTER) ║
║ ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
(c) Copyright 1990, PC-SIG Inc.
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #2249
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
FX EXE 61949 4-11-90 11:32a
FX REG 4963 4-09-90 5:58p
FX TXT 95798 4-09-90 5:51p
GO BAT 40 1-01-80 6:00a
GO TXT 573 1-01-80 6:30a
FILE2249 TXT 2961 7-13-90 2:53p
6 file(s) 166284 bytes
153600 bytes free