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PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #3668)
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CDROM.TXT
T h e P C - S I G L i b r a r y o n C D - R O M
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This may well be the greatest collection of software ever compiled.
The PC-SIG Library on CD-ROM is our premier collection of the entire
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Word Processing
Additional BBS file descriptions are available from PC-SIG so that the
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System Requirements:
IBM PC/XT/AT PS/2 or compatible with 530K memory DOS 3.1 or higher and
a graphics monitor (Hercules/EGA/VGA/SVGA). A mouse is optional.
T h e E s s e n t i a l H o m e & B u s i n e s s C o l l e c t i o n
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Michael Callahan
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System Requirements:
IBM PC/XT/AT PS/2 or compatible with 384K memory DOS 3.1 or higher and
Microsoft MS-DOS CD ROM extensions.
The PC-SIG Games CD-ROM
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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To Order in the U.S.A.: Call 800-245-6717 and ask for Customer Service.
Outside the U.S.A. call (408) 730-9291 for the name of the dealer in
your country.
PCSIG.TXT
P C - S I G
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Welcome to the world of Shareware, state of the art software you can
actually try before you buy.
Shareware, a term coined in the early eighties, refers to the method of
distribution chosen by the software authors. With shareware, you can
receive a program and put it through its paces without having to pay for
it. If you find the program useful, and choose to keep the program, then
you pay a modest registration fee to the author.
For the last nine years, PC-SIG has been providing shareware and public
domain software to its customers and members. Since 1982 PC-SIG has
developed an unprecedented library of shareware programs, constantly
updated, consistently strong in every category. Our library of
shareware contains over 3500 titles divided into 120 logical categories.
Every program we add to the library is thoroughly reviewed and tested to
insure that each one meets the high standards of reliability and value we
insist upon and you expect. As a result, our library doesn't contain
every shareware program available, just those that really work.
PC-SIG has grown into the premier distributor of shareware and and
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publishing an encyclopedia of shareware, and by publishing Shareware
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Quality and support - guaranteed. All of our programs are guaranteed
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Our support staff is available by phone as well as on our BBS to help
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products.
Through our network of international distributors, PC- SIG strives to
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If you can't find the software you need in PC-SIG's library, it may well
not exist.
To order the latest in Shareware, in the U.S.A: Call (800) 245-6717
Outside the U.S.A. call (408) 730-9291 for the name of the dealer in
your country.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SHAREMAG.TXT
S H A R E W A R E M A G A Z I N E
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shareware Magazine has distinguished itself as the only internationally
distributed periodical devoted to the use and business of shareware.
Shareware Magazine provides detailed reviews of new products,
hard-hitting comparisons of shareware programs with regular retail
software, and timely information about changes in the industry and the
latest technology.
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beginners section sheds light on new user's concerns regarding
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intimidation of using on-line systems.
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discussing the impact of computers and technology in schools.
Graphics Gallery renders expert advice and suggestions on how to better
work with graphics, desktop publishing, CAD systems, and the Windows
environment.
Programmers benefit from others experience in developing new programs or
polishing existing ones as well as choosing the right programming
language.
And columnists provide that subjective component, sometimes
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how shareware effects what we do.
Published bimonthly, Shareware Magazine is available on a subscription
or at your local newsstand or computer bookstore. In conjunction with
PC-SIG, there are special benefits for subscribers as well as
opportunities for discount purchases from PC-SIG.
To Order, in the U.S.A.: Call 800-245-6717 and ask Customer Service.
Outside the U.S.A. call (408) 730-9291 for the name of the dealer in
your country.
SIGORDER.TXT
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FROM: ___________________________
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PC-SIG Inc.
[A] [B]
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_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
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_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ total ______
One year subscription to Shareware Magazine $14.95 ______
Super Saver Membership $34.95 ______
(includes a 1 year subscription to Shareware Magazine,
the PC-SIG Encyclopedia on Disk with WordCruncher,
and 5 free disks)
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GAMES CD Amazing Disk - Amazing Price! $25.00 ______
*** PC-SIG Library on CD-ROM 12th Edition *** $99.00 ______
Upgrade to the 12th Edition from ANY previous edition
of the PC-SIG Library on CD-ROM! $59.00 ______
Upgrade from ANY other shareware CD-ROM just $59.00 ______
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If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know!
To order by phone with VISA or MASTERCARD call (800)245-6717
Ask for operator #2351
UED.DOC
Useful Editor (Version 1.9d) Documentation
==========================================
Features
~~~~~~~~
Useful Editor (Ued) is a small (about 35K), fast, ASCII editor that is
suitable for a wide variety of text manipulation tasks. Some of Ued's
features include:
- ability to edit up to 9 files in memory at once
- files as large as 1000 characters wide and 10,000 lines long
- file size is only limited by available memory
- split screen editing
- typeover and insert mode editing
- search and replace (both case sensitive and insensitive)
- cut and paste (three modes: line, range, and block)
- escape to DOS
- can load "piped" files
- wildcard expansion of command line arguments
- word wrap and paragraph reformat
- smart indentation
- easy to use consistent interface
- user configurable preferences
System Requirements
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ued runs on any IBM PC or compatible. Ued automatically determines
the type of video card installed and switches the card into 80 X 25
text mode when it starts up. The following video cards (or ones that
are compatible) are supported:
- Color Graphics Adapter (CGA)
- Monochrome Graphics Adapter (MGA)
- Hercules Graphics Adapter (HGA)
- Enhanced Graphics Adaptor (EGA)
- Video Graphics Array (VGA)
- Multi-Color Graphics Array (MCGA)
Any monitor that can display 80 X 25 text works with Ued. If you have
a color monitor and card, you can change the default colors (of black
and white) by running uedcfg.exe (see Configuring Ued). In addition
Ued supports a 43 line display on EGA systems and a 28 or 50 line
display on VGA systems.
Ued is very small and runs on systems with as little as 128K of
memory. Of course the more memory that you have, the larger the files
that you are able to edit.
Starting Up Ued
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the DOS prompt, type:
Ued <filename1> <filename2> ... <filename9> [/l]
then press the Enter key.
Each "filename" is either an ASCII text file that you want to edit or
the name of a file that you want to create. Up to 9 file names can be
specified on the command line when starting up Ued and can contain
wildcard characters. Each file is assigned to its own workspace.
Piping to Ued is allowed. For instance if you typed the command:
dir | Ued
A directory listing would be loaded into Ued with the name "PIPED".
You can also start up Ued with no files specified. In this case the
editor starts within an empty unnamed workspace.
The command line argument /l can be added when you are loading very
large files. Only a single file should be loaded if the /l option is
used.
Workspaces
~~~~~~~~~~
Files are loaded into Ued "workspaces". A workspace can be as much as
1,000 characters wide, and 10,000 lines deep. You can move the cursor
anywhere in the workspace to edit text. The "text window" follows the
cursor as you move about the workspace.
There are 9 workspaces (numbered 1-9) in Ued, each of which can hold a
single file. The F2 Workspace command is used to switch between work-
spaces.
Ued maintains one other workspace (workspace 0) which is used as a
"clipboard" when you Cut and Paste text.
Screen Layout
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ued uses the top 23 lines of the screen to display the text being
edited. Consider this to be a "window" (that is 80 columns wide and
23 lines deep) into the "text workspace". This window is bordered on
the top and sides by the edge of the screen, and bounded on the bottom
by an inverse line.
That inverse line is called the "status line". On the left edge of
the status line is a number (0-9) which indicates what workspace that
you are in. Beside it appears the name of the file that you are edit-
ing in that workspace. To the right side of the status line, the line
and column position of the cursor is displayed.
Below the status line are the command lines. All of the commands that
are currently available to you are displayed on these two lines.
The Cursor(s)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The "cursor" is a pointer within a workspace. Text can be added or
deleted here. In Ued the cursor appears as a solid inverted block
when you are in "insert mode", and a flashing underscore when you are
in "typeover mode".
When you start up Ued a cursor appears in the upper left hand corner
of the text window. This is your "active" cursor. In actual fact
there are two cursors in Ued. An "inactive" cursor is initially pos-
itioned there as well but not displayed.
When you move the active cursor, the inactive cursor remains where it
is. You can move the active cursor to the inactive cursor position by
using the "Flip" command (Ctrl-F). The position that you moved from
becomes the inactive cursor position. The inactive cursor can be used
as a "bookmark" in your text (a place that you want to get to quickly)
and also plays an important role in the F8 Split command.
Moving the Cursor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Moving the cursor around can be accomplished with the following keys.
In all cases, the text window is adjusted when necessary in order to
keep the cursor on the screen.
Up Arrow Moves the cursor up one line of text.
Down Arrow Moves the cursor down one line of text.
-> Moves the cursor right one character.
<- Moves the cursor left one character.
Home Moves the cursor to the first character on the current
line. If you are already on the first character, moves the
cursor to column 1.
End Moves the cursor one position past the last character on
the current line.
PgUp Moves the cursor up one screen of text.
PgDn Moves the cursor down one screen of text.
Additional cursor movement commands can be accessed by holding down
the "Ctrl" key (you will see the menu change when you do this) and
pressing one of these keys:
Ctrl -> Moves the cursor to the beginning of the next word. (A
word is considered to be a series of characters preceded
and followed by at least one space.)
Ctrl <- Moves the cursor to the beginning of the previous word.
Flip Moves the active cursor to the inactive cursor position.
The current cursor position becomes the inactive cursor.
Goto Line Prompts for a line number, then moves the cursor to the
line number entered. Adjusts the text window so that the
cursor is centered vertically in the window.
Outdent Moves the cursor left to the previous level of indentation.
Back
Workspace Moves the cursor to the previous (lower numbered) work-
space.
Next
Workspace Moves the cursor to the next workspace.
Ctrl Home Moves the cursor to the first line of the current file.
Ctrl End Moves the cursor one line past the end of the current file.
Ctrl PgDn When a search Pattern has been defined, moves the cursor to
the next occurrence of Pattern in the text.
Ctrl PgUp When a search Pattern has been defined, moves the cursor to
the previous occurrence of Pattern in the text.
Entering Text
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To enter text into Ued, position the cursor where you want the text to
be added and then type. If you make a mistake use the Backspace or
Del key to erase the error. In insert mode, characters to the right
of the solid block cursor (including the current character) shift
right to make room for new text being entered.
You can do "power" data entry using Ued by turning on the "word wrap"
feature found under the Text command. When you turn word wrap on you
will notice an inverse line appear down the right side of the screen.
This line marks the right margin. With word wrap on, any word that is
incomplete when it "hits" the right margin is moved down to the next
line. With this feature you can enter long passages of text without
having to worry about the ends of lines. You can alter the position
of the right margin with the Set and Enter options of the Text
command.
All extended charcaters (with ASCII values > 127) can be entered by
holding down the Alt key and typing in the character's decimal value
using either the keypad numbers or the number keys on the top row.
Ued considers a block of text separated by at least one blank line
above and below to be a paragraph. Lines beginning with a '.' or a
':' are also considered to be paragraph separators. Editing text
within a paragraph when word wrap is on might be a little
disconcerting at first, especially when in insert mode. Ued makes no
attempt to reformat paragraph text "on-the-fly" as you are editing it.
When in insert mode Ued moves any text to the right of the cursor down
to the next line (if necessary) to make room for new text. The
Paragraph Reformat option under the Text command can be used to fix
things up after you have made all your changes.
Smart Indentation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you press the Enter key, the cursor moves down one line and Ued
positions the cursor under the first character of the current line.
This makes it easy to enter blocks of indented text.
Similarly the Paragraph Reformat looks at the leading spaces on the
second line of a paragraph to determine where to place the left margin
(the right margin is "set" explicitly). Any positive or negative
indentation on the first line will be preserved.
The Outdent option under the Ctrl key moves the cursor to the previous
level of indentation (which it determines by looking "up" in the text
of the workspace).
Deleting Things
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Characters are deleted with the following keys:
Del Deletes the character under the cursor. Any text to the
right of that character shifts left to "fill the gap". If
the cursor is past the end of the line and you are in
insert mode, Ued brings up the next line of text and joins
it with the current line.
Backspace Moves the cursor left one character. If you are in insert
mode, Ued deletes the character to the left of the cursor
and all text to the right of and including the cursor
shifts left. Also in insert mode, if the cursor is in
column 1, Ued moves the current line up and joins it with
the previous line.
Backtab Moves the cursor to the previous tab stop. If you are in
insert mode, all characters to the left of the cursor up to
and including the previous tab stop are deleted.
By pressing and holding down the Alt key, a sub-menu with the follow-
ing additional delete options appears:
Word Deletes the word under the cursor. If the cursor is not on
a word, the first word to the left of the cursor (if
there is one) is deleted.
Beginning
of Line Deletes all of the text to the left of the cursor. The
remaining text and the cursor shift left to the current
level of indentation.
End
of Line Deletes all of the text to the right of and including the
character under the cursor.
Line Deletes the line that the cursor is on.
Other Keys You Should Know About
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following keys are important to the operation of Ued:
Esc Returns to the previous level of menus. If you are at the
main command menu nothing happens.
Ins Switches between "typeover" and "insert" modes.
Enter Moves the cursor down one line and positions it at the cur-
rent level of indentation. If you are in insert mode, a
new line is created immediately after the current line, and
any text to the right of and including the cursor character
is moved down with the cursor.
Tab Moves the cursor to the next tab stop. If you are in
insert mode, characters to the right of and including the
cursor character shift right with the cursor.
Entering Control Characters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the most part, the technique of holding down the Alt key then
typing the 3-digit decimal equivalent of the desired control character
on the number pad will work with Ued. However to get the symbol
corresponding to an Esc or Arrow key (for instance) into your file,
Ued requires that you to use the Alt key in conjunction with the
number keys on the top row of the keyboard.
Main Menu Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The function keys F1 - F10 are used to access the main Ued command
set. These commands are invoked by pressing the appropriate function
key. In addition, pressing and holding down the Ctrl key reveals
additional cursor movement keys. Pressing and holding down the Alt
key is used for Delete functions.
Many of the main menu commands have sub-options. Sub-option menus
replace the main command menu when invoked. They show the main com-
mand selected in inverse text (just below the file name on the status
line) and the option choices on the bottom line of the screen. You
select an option by pressing the first (highlighted) letter or char-
acter of the appropriate choice.
You can always get out of sub-option menu(s) by pressing the Esc key,
or by selecting another main menu command.
The sections that follow describe the main menu commands and sub-
options in more detail.
F1 File
~~~~~~~
File commands are used to copy Ued workspaces to and from disk files.
In addition the current workspace can be erased or renamed.
Load Prompts for the name of a file to load. If the entered
file name is found on the disk in the current directory,
Ued copies it into the workspace at the current cursor
position. Existing text is moved to make room for the text
being loaded. An empty workspace is given the name of the
first file loaded into it.
If you are not sure what the name of the file is, pressing
Enter at the prompt for a file name will generate a list of
all the files in the current directory and allow you to
select one of them. In addition you can type a partial
file name using the standard DOS wildcard characters (*,?)
to obtain a list of specific files to select from.
Save The workspace text is copied to a disk file in the current
directory and given the current workspace name. Ued
prompts for a file name if the workspace is unnamed. If
the "backups" option is on, a backup copy of the file on
disk to be over written is created with a .bak extension
prior to saving. Thus if you save over a file by mistake
you can immediately recover from the backup copy.
Name Prompts for a name for the current workspace. The name
entered must be a valid DOS file name. If the name is the
same as one on your disk in the current directory, Ued
prompts you to verify that you really want to use that
name.
Clear Erases the contents of the current workspace. If the work-
space has been changed since that last time it was saved,
Ued prompts you to verify that you really want to clear the
workspace.
F2 Workspace
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Workspace command allows you to switch between the files that you
have loaded. In addition some status information about workspaces is
displayed as follows:
> This symbol appears to the left of a workspace number if
that workspace has been used at any time during the current
edit session.
* When this symbol appears immediately after a workspace
number it means that the workspace has been changed in some
way since it was last saved.
<- This arrow points to the number of the workspace that is
currently being displayed in the active window.
To move between workspaces use the following keys:
<- Displays the previous (lower numbered) workspace.
-> Displays the next workspace.
Enter Moves you into the workspace pointed to by <-.
0 - 9 Moves directly to the workspace who's number is pressed.
Esc Moves you to the workspace that was active when the F2
Workspace command was invoked.
F3 Search
~~~~~~~~~
Search allows you to find strings or "Patterns" within the text of the
current workspace and optionally substitute a "Replacement" string of
your choosing.
Count Displays the total number of times that the Search Pattern
appears in the text of the current workspace.
Fix Substitutes the Replacement string for a Pattern string
provided that the cursor is on a piece of text matching
Pattern (the text will be highlighted).
Global All instances of text in the current workspace matching the
Pattern string are changed to the Replacement string.
Pattern Prompts for a search Pattern. If the Pattern entered is in
all lower case, searches will be case insensitive. If any
of the letters in the Pattern are in upper case, the work-
space text and Pattern must be exactly the same for a match
to occur.
Replace-
ment Prompts for a Replacement string. The Replacement string
can be empty, which has the effect of deleting the Pattern
when a Fix or Global substitution is applied. Changing the
Pattern does not affect the current Replacement string.
PgUp Moves the cursor to the previous occurrence of Pattern in
the current workspace. If there are no more matches, moves
the cursor to the beginning of the workspace.
PgDn Moves the cursor to the next occurrence of Pattern in the
current workspace. If there are no more matches, moves the
cursor to the end of the workspace.
F4 Print
~~~~~~~~
The contents of the current workspace are sent to the printer attached
to LPT1. No formatting is performed on the text.
F5 Cut
~~~~~~
Cut allows you to select a block of text which can subsequently be
deleted, copied, moved, or shifted. Text selection begins at the
current cursor position. As you move the cursor around (using the
standard cursor movement keys) selected text is highlighted.
Selection ends when you press the Copy, Delete, or Move command keys.
How the text gets marked out depends on the Cut mode that you are in.
The three Cut styles are:
Block A rectangular block of text.
Line Whole lines of text only.
Range All the text from one selected position in the text to
another.
Any time that you select a block of text and copy, move, or delete it,
the selected text is copied to workspace 0. Workspace 0 thus acts as
the "clipboard" or "cut buffer" for Ued. The former contents of work-
space 0 are lost when newly selected text is copied to it. You can
edit in workspace 0 as you would any other workspace, but you have to
be careful because of the transient nature of the text placed here
(ie. its NOT a good idea to load files into workspace 0).
Once marked, there are four operations that can be performed on the
highlighted text.
Copy Copies the selected text to workspace 0.
Delete Copies the selected text to workspace 0 then removes it
from the current workspace.
Move Copies the selected text to workspace 0, removes it from
the workspace, then prompts you to position the cursor
where you want the text moved. When you press Enter to
complete the operation, the selected text is copied to the
new location.
+/- Shifts the selected text right (+) or left (-). Text
cannot be shifted over text that is not highlighted. You
will notice that the highlighting does not go away. After
shifting you can perform one of the other Cut operations,
or press Esc to quit the Cut command.
F6 Paste
~~~~~~~~
This command copies the text from workspace 0 into the current work-
space at the current cursor position. If you are in insert mode, the
workspace text is moved to make room for the workspace 0 text being
added. Care should be exercised when you are in typeover mode as the
workspace 0 text is copied on top of the text in the current work-
space. If there are more than 2 lines of text being Pasted and you
are in typeover mode, you are asked to verify that you really want to
Paste.
F7 DOS
~~~~~~
When you press F7, Ued starts up another DOS session by executing the
secondary command processor. Ued looks at the environment variable
COMSPEC= for the name of the secondary command processor. This is
usually COMMAND.COM.
The F7 Dos command fails if:
- COMSPEC= is not set in the environment
- the command processor indicated by COMSPEC could not be found
- there is not enough memory to run the command processor
To return to Ued, from the DOS prompt type:
exit
then press the Enter key.
F8 Split/Zoom
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pressing F8 splits the text window horizontally at the current cursor
position. A second status line appears separating the two windows.
The upper window shows the text at the active cursor, while the lower
window shows the text at the inactive cursor position. You can flip
between the windows using the Ctrl-F command.
Both windows can "view" the same workspace, or each can be positioned
on a different workspace. If they are both positioned over the same
piece of text, changes made in one will be echoed to the other.
Pressing F8 again expands (zooms) the window containing the active
cursor to be the size of a full screen. The window containing the
text pointed to by the inactive cursor is no longer displayed.
F9 Text
~~~~~~~
The Text command offers some simple word processing options.
Enter
Right
Margin Prompts for the column that you want words to wrap at. The
column must be in the range 20 to 250.
Set
Right
Margin The right margin is placed one character position past the
longest line in the current paragraph (ie. the one that the
cursor is on).
Reformat
Paragraph Adjusts the text in the current paragraph so that each line
has the maximum number of words between the left and right
margins. The left margin is determined by looking at the
number of spaces preceding the second line of the para-
graph. The right margin is set with one of the above
commands.
Word Wrap Turns the word wrap feature ON or OFF.
25,43,50
Lines Changes the number of lines displayed on the screen. This
option is only available if you have an EGA or VGA monitor.
F10 Quit
~~~~~~~~
This command is used to exit Ued. If any of the workspaces have been
modified in any way, you are prompted to verify that you really want
to quit.
Configuring Ued
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A separate program (uedcfg.exe) is provided to modify Ued with some of
your own preferences. When you run this Ued Configuration, you must
ensure that Ued.exe is in the current directory. Follow the prompts
for the configuration program, and when you have answered the last
question Ued.exe will be updated with your selections.
The following user preferences can be configured within Ued:
- video display mode
- initial text entry mode
- initial Cut style
- color of normal text
- color of inverse text
- distance between tab stops
- initial right margin column
Uedcfg will create also Ued.cfg file. This small configuration file
can be used to re-configure a newer version of Ued without having to
answer the questions again. Again making sure that Uedcfg.exe,
Ued.exe and Ued.cfg are all in the same directory simply type:
uedcfg /r
and your new verion of Ued will be setup with your current settings.
If for any reason there is no Ued.cfg file, you can generate one by
typing:
uedcfg /s
Of course you should do this before copying the new version of Ued
over the old.
Licensing
~~~~~~~~~
The programs and documentation in this archive are
Copyright (c) 1989-1991 by Useful Software
Ued is a shareware editor. This means that you only pay for it if you
decide to continue using it. If you don't think that it is worth the
asking price, delete the program, or better yet give it to someone who
might find it useful. However if you do decide to keep Ued after a 2
week trial period, please send $20 (see REGISTRATION FORM on next
page) to:
Useful Software
340 Dale Crescent
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada, N2J 3Y3
The shareware fee pays for unlimited use of Ued by a single person.
You are allowed (and encouraged) to give away copies of Ued with the
understanding that each person receiving a copy is under the same
obligation as you are to send in the shareware fee if they decide to
keep it. You can upload Ued to other computer systems, either free or
commercial, as long as this archive remains intact, with the copyright
and shareware notices unchanged.
Useful Editor can be installed on LANS. In such situations I ask only
that the LAN Administrator estimate the maximum number of people that
will be making "simultaneous" use of Ued and pay the shareware fee
based on that estimate. I do not expect that the limit be closely
monitored or enforced (I appreciate how much trouble that would be),
but I do expect that the estimate will be revised (and additional fees
paid) should a substantial increase in the number of nodes on the LAN
and Ued usage occur.
No guarantee is made as to the functionality of this software; however
it has been tested quite thoroughly by a large number of people. If
it doesn't do what you want, don't keep it and send no money.
Please support the shareware concept. Shareware means useful programs
at a fraction of the cost you might pay for them commercially. You
can try-before-you-buy, and you are not subjected to copy protection
or other atrocities that many software vendors inflict on their
customers. Software updates can also be distributed much faster than
is possible through normal channels.
Any questions, suggestions, or bug reports, can be mailed to the above
address, or send electronic mail to:
GEnie: M.GARDI
CompuServe: 70242,3102
Enjoy,
Useful Software
Registration Information (What do I get if I register!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All registered users of Useful Editor will receive one update with the
most recent version of the program. Subsequent updates are available
for $3.00 shipping and handling on request. In addition you will
receive the latest versions of other Useful Software products for your
consideration.
Registered users will have access to the Useful Software Support BBS,
and telephone support.
Discounts are available if you register Useful Editor along with other
Useful Software products (see "Bundled" price schedule below). If you
are already a registered user of another Useful Software product,
remit only the difference in price between what you have already paid
and the "Bundled" price. (For instance if you own 1 copy of Useful
Notes at $20, you pay only $10 for the registration of 1 copy of
Useful Editor).
Useful Editor Price Schedule
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1-9 copies - $20 per copy
10-49 copies - $15 per copy
50-99 copies - $10 per copy
100+ copies - One time fee of $1000
Useful Editor/Notes Bundled Price Schedule
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1-9 copies - $30 per bundle
10-49 copies - $25 per bundle
50-99 copies - $15 per bundle
100+ copies - One time fee of $1500
Useful Macros Price Schedule
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1-99 copies - $10 per copy
100+ copies - One time fee of $1000
With each purchased copy of Useful Editor or Useful Notes, the price
for a copy of Useful Macros is only $5.00.
Printed Documentation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Printed copies of the documentation are available for all Useful
Software products at a cost of $5.00/copy.
REGISTRATION FORM (English Ued)
=================
TO: FROM:
Useful Software Name: ___________________________________
340 Dale Crescent
Waterloo, Ontario (Company): ___________________________________
Canada, N2J 3Y3
(Title): ___________________________________
Address: ___________________________________
City,State: ___________________________________
(Prov.)
Telephone: ___________________________________
I AM ALREADY USING:
Useful Editor Version ___.___
Useful Notes Version ___.___
Useful Macros Version ___.___
I WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER:
____ copies of Useful Editor V1.9c X $______ per copy = $________
____ copies of Useful Notes V1.3 X $______ per copy = $________
____ copies of Useful Macros V1.0 X $______ per copy = $________
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO RECEIVE:
____ printed copies of the Editor documentation X $5.00 = $________
____ printed copies of the Notes documentation X $5.00 = $________
____ printed copies of the Macros documentation X $5.00 = $________
TOTAL ENCLOSED = $
========
Signature: ____________________________________
Update Log
~~~~~~~~~~
The following changes were made in Version 1.1
- fixed shift left/right display bug
- altered load routine to convert 0s to spaces on input
- added 43/50 line support
- files with no CR/LF on last line now handled properly
- config will no longer let you pick fore/background colours the
same
- you can now use ^ in search strings
The following changes were made in Version 1.2
- fixed delete word bug (would not delete if you were on the first
letter of a word)
- modified Text Set/Enter Right Margin command to automatically
turn on word wrap
The following change was made in Version 1.3
- added wild card expansion of file names on command line
The following changes were made in version 1.4
- a warning is now issued if a file is changed when loaded (Ued
will substitute a space for any null (0) character found and/or
split lines that are too long (>999 characters))
- Ued now uses the DOS interrupt 21 console I/O routine (function
6) to fetch keystrokes (this should facilitate the use DOS key
remappers) (removed in version 1.6 - BIOS interrupt 16 used)
- a bug when word wrapping lines >80 columns was fixed
- a display error when reading zero length files was fixed
- editing of filenames and search patterns has been improved and in
addition the last filename or pattern can be recalled by pressing
the key
- added the option of creating backup files when saving
The following changes were made in version 1.5
- added configuration support to allow Ued to start up in word wrap
mode
- Ued now allows you to edit while a file is being loaded (removed
in version 1.6)
- changed Ued to load "piped" files in BINARY mode (thus ignoring
EOF characters in the file)
The following changes were made in version 1.6
- added the Back/Next Workspace commands under the Cursor menu
- when a new pattern is entered the replacement string is no longer
automatically cleared
- the first file name entered on the command line is now copied to
the "Previous Filename" buffer
- the field for entering the default word wrap column in uedcfg has
been increased to 3 characters
- the performance when loading and saving files has been improved
considerably
- a low pitch beep has been added when invalid keys are pressed
within commands
The following changes were made in version 1.7
- support for VGA 28 line mode added
- the "archive" bit is now being set correctly when saving
- Ued now recognizes lines beginning with a '.' or a ':' as being
the equivalent of a blank line when reformatting paragraphs
- Alt-x can be used as an alternate to F10 (Quit)
- empty workspaces can now be saved creating a 0 length file
The following changes were made in version 1.8
- extended characters (with ASCII values > 127) can now be typed
into Patterns and Replacements
- at the Filename? prompt when loading you can get a list of files
by typing in a file specification with the standard DOS wildcard
characters (*,?) or by pressing Enter with no file name for all
files
The following changes were made in version 1.9
- a problem with the keyboard on some systems (PS/2 Model 60, old
XTs and others) misreading the function keys unless NumLock was
on has been corrected
- the Text/Set right margin command will now leave a space at the
end of the longest line of text in all instances
- you can now have keys "automatically" typed into Ued (say via a
TSR or the Window's 3.0 clipboard) at a much higher rate
- Uedcfg will now generate a "ued.cfg" file or can be forced to by
typing "uedcfg /s" and will restore an older configuration with
the command "uedcfg /r"
- you cannot save to a "Read Only" file when automatic backups are
on any more (Ued used to make the .bak file Read Only then save
the file)
The following changes were made in version 1.9c
- when you reach the left or right edge of the screen, the window
shifts 20 columns so that you can see more context
- optimized memory management so that larger files could be loaded
- also added a /l command line argument so that even larger files
can be loaded
The following changes were made in version 1.9d
- a new set of memory allocation routines were added making memory
usage even more efficient
- Passive video mode was added to the configuration which will use
whatever video mode is in effect when the editor loads (and not
reset the mode on exit)
- the window now shifts 20 columns only if you are entering text
(and not when scrolling)
Planned Enhancements
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- when remembering the previous file, if the filaname had wild card
characters then remember the pattern
- remember more patterns and replacements
- copy patterns to replacement
- hide main command menu
- add internal macro support
- read only should not let user's type or change document
- support the command line arguments - might be
> /tnn - set tabs
> /wnn - toggle word wrap set ww column
> /i - toggle insert mode
> /25 /28 /43 /50 - set line mode
> /l - large files
> /r - read only
> /pn - printer port
- printer stuff
> allow user to configure the printer port
> option to send a formfeed when done the workspace
- make clear workspace a configurable option
- allow #0 and #1 in patterns and replacements to represent
the ascii characters 0 and 1
- add the beginning and end of line character #b #e to patterns
- let the user define what the space characters are
- make remove spaces from ends of lines configurable
- record rows and restore video mode accordingly on exit
- option to turn off smart indent
- select colour/attributes of cursor
- ctrl up/down scroll file while leaving cursor in place
- ctrl-ins (cut) shift-ins (paste)
- include trailing blank lines in cut buffer
- show more context when searching
UIN.DOC
Useful Index (Version 1.0) Documentation
========================================
What is Useful Index?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Useful Index allows you to organize the textual information on your
hard disk in a manner that makes finding words or phrases, no matter
where they are, a snap. Often this type of organization is called an
"infobase" or a "textbase". You can quickly search and view the full
text of any file located on your hard disk.
Each of the files that you want to reference is added to an "index",
hence the name Useful Index. You can of course have may "indexes".
Once indexed, information in the files is quickly accessed using
powerful searching techniques. The average search time through many
MEGABYTES of text is only a few seconds.
Features
~~~~~~~~
Useful Index (Uin) is a fast, efficient text retrieval engine that is
suitable for a wide variety of productivity tasks. Some of Uin's
features include:
INDEXING
- up to 32,000 files in each index
- files as large as 16M can be indexed and viewed
- words up to 99 characters long
- index less than 25% the size of original text (may vary)
- incremental indexing of files
- re-index only files that have changed
- may popular word-processing file formats work with Uin
SEARCHING
- very fast
- root-word (any ending)
- Boolean (AND, OR, NOT)
- phrase (with wild card)
- proximity
- limit search by date and/or file patterns
- domain control
VIEWING
- built-in file viewer
- query keywords highlighted in context
- optional word-wrap when viewing files
- easy to use consistent interface
- user configurable preferences
System Requirements
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Uin runs on any IBM PC or compatible. Uin automatically determines
the type of video card installed and uses 80 X 25 text mode when it
starts up. The following video cards (or ones that are compatible)
are supported:
- Color Graphics Adapter (CGA)
- Monochrome Graphics Adapter (MGA)
- Hercules Graphics Adapter (HGA)
- Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA)
- Video Graphics Array (VGA)
- Multi-Color Graphics Array (MCGA)
Any monitor that can display 80 X 25 text works with Uin. If you have
a color monitor and card, you can change the default colors (of blue
and yellow) by running Uincfg (see Configuring Uin). In addition Uin
supports a 43 line display on EGA systems and a 28 or 50 line display
on VGA systems.
Uin is quite small and runs on systems with as little as 250K of
memory. The actual minimum RAM requirement depends on the size of the
index being processed.
Installation
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copy the executable files in this distribution to a directory on your
hard disk that appears in your PATH statement. In addition copy the
files NOTINDEX.WDS and NOTINDEX.FLS to the same directory as the
executables.
Indexing Files
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before you can take advantage of the "query" capabilities of Uin, you
must first "index" the files that you want to search. To add files to
a Useful Index you must run the program Uindex. The format of the
command line when running Uindex looks like this:
uindex indexname [@]file1 [file2...] [/Fdddd] [/Odddd] [/Waaaa] [/C]
Where:
indexname Is the name that you want to call this Index, or the name
of an existing Useful Index. The name can be from one to
eight characters in length and must adhere to standard
DOS naming conventions. Uindex ignores any extension
added to the name.
file1...n The names of the files to add to the index. You can have
as many file names as will fit on the command line. Also
names can contain the standard DOS wild card characters
* and ? .
@ When the @ character immediately precedes a file name,
it indictates that the file contains a "list" of files to
index. That list must be ASCII text only with at least
one space (or a new line) between each file name. As
with file names on the command line, the names listed can
contain the DOS wild card characters * and ? .
/Fdddd Gives an indication of the number of FILES to be indexed.
"dddd" can be any decimal number between 1 and 32,000.
This number does not have to be exact, but results in
more efficient indexing (requiring less time).
/Odddd Specifies an OFFSET into the files being indexed where a
meaningful description of that file might be found.
Useful Index reads and saves the text starting at this
offset until a new line is encountered or 80 characters
are read (whichever comes first). This description
appears on the one line summary for each file when you
run Uquery.
The default is the beginning of the file (offset 0).
/Waaaa Defines the characters that make up a WORD. Useful Index
treats the files indexed as blocks of characters. A word
is a group of adjacent characters (within that block)
that you have defined as "word" characters. Everything
else represents the spaces between the words.
The letters, numbers, and other characters that you enter
with this parameter are the "in" word characters. A dash
character - can be used to indicate a range of letters.
If you want the - to be part of the words enter a \-
(back slash followed immediately by a dash).
By default words are defined as being lower (a-z) and
uppercase (A-Z) letters plus digits (0-9).
Indexing Files (continued)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/C Compresses the database once all the files have been
indexed. This leads to saving of disk storage, but a
somewhat slower reindexing of files.
Example:
uindex mydocs *.doc /F300 /O20 /Wa-zA-Z0-9_
Means add all of the files in the current directory with a .doc
extension into the index called "mydocs". There are about 300 files
in the index. At an offset of 20 characters into each file you will
find a description of that file. Words indexed contain all lower and
uppercase letters as well as digits and an _ character.
Incremental Indexing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is perfectly OK with Uin to index a group of files, then at some
future date index more files.
Reindexing Files
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Uin records the DOS time and date stamp and the size of each file that
it indexes. When you reindex files, Useful Index "skips" those files
whose time, date, and size match exactly those saved previously. For
instance, it is relatively efficient to reindex all the files in a
specified directory when only a few have changed.
Interrupting Indexing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have started an indexing session and for some reason you must
stop the process, press the Ctrl and Break keys simultaneously. You
should see the message:
User requested indexing be stopped! Cleaning up...
Uindex must finish the current operation before it can successfully
shut down. If this operation is an index "reorganization" this could
take a few minutes.
Once finished the current operation, Uindex should terminate normally.
Should you restart the indexing session, all files that have been
indexed up to the point of interruption are quickly "skipped".
Skipping Words When Indexing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many words in the English language are so common that we can assume
that they appear in every file. "The", "and", "but" are good examples
of what are often called "noise" or "stop" words. Since they add
little value to the searching process, Uindex can be instructed to
ignore them.
If used in a query, noise words are treated as though they are in all
files. They do however count in determining proximity. For example
the phrase "field of dreams" would only be found if the noise word
"of" appears between "field" and "dreams".
The file "notindex.wds" contains a list of some common "noise" words.
Uindex looks for this file in the directory where the "uindex.exe"
file is run from (for DOS 3.0 or later). If Uindex can't find it
there, it looks in the current directory. Uindex stops with an error
if it cannot find this file at all.
You can change "notindex.wds" with any ASCII text editor (like Useful
Editor). Words can be added or removed. There must be at least one
space (or a new line) between each word.
Skipping Files When Indexing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can have Uindex exclude specific files or types of file from the
indexing process. It is unlikely that you would want to index binary
files with .EXE or .COM extensions for instance (although you can if
you choose).
The file "notindex.fls" contains a list of the common binary files
(default: *.com *.exe *.zip *.bak *.obj *.prj *.dsk *.tfa).
Uindex looks for this file in the directory where the "uindex.exe"
file is run from (for DOS 3.0 or later). If Uindex can't find it
there, it looks in the current directory. All files are processed if
Uindex can't find "notindex.fls".
You can change "notindex.fls" with any ASCII text editor. Files can
be added or removed from this list. There must be at least one space
(or a new line) between each file name. File specifications can
contain the standard DOS wild card characters * and ? .
The Path to Indexed Files
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inside the index, file names are stored exactly the way they appear on
the command line or in the file list (with the exception that the wild
card characters are expanded). For example, if you build an index in
the same directory as the files that are being indexed, you need only
specify the file names themselves (*.* say without the path). When
you want to search or view that index however, you must be in that
same directory when you run the Uquery command. If you try to access
that index from any other directory, Uquery will not be able to VIEW
the files and reports "File not found".
If you wish to be able to access an index from any directory, you must
enter the full path for each file being indexed with Uindex.
Indexing Tips
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The indexing process is very disk intensive! Running Uindex with a
large disk "cache" greatly decreases the time it takes to index files
(by as much as 4-6 times faster).
You should have at least as much free space on your disk as there is
text to index. While the index (with /C compression enabled) will
only be 15 to 25 percent the size of the original text, the indexing
process requires some extra disk space.
If you know approximately how many files are to be indexed, use the
/Fnnnn command line parameter when running Uindex. This saves the
indexer from having to periodically "reorganize" the index as it
grows.
Although you can run Uindex over a LAN, you should not try to create
an index on a remote LAN drive (especially if the files being indexed
are on a LAN drive as well). This process will work, but at the cost
of a long index time and high network traffic. Create the index on a
workstation instead (the files being indexed can be on a remote drive
if necessary) and copy the index to the LAN when done.
Viewing Indexes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once you have created an Index using Uindex, you may search that index
and view the files in it with the Uquery program. The command line
for Uquery is:
uquery indexname [/Ld] [/Wd]
Where:
indexname The name of an existing Useful Index. The name can be
from one to eight characters in length and must adhere to
standard DOS naming conventions. Uquery ignores any
extension added to the name.
/Ld Specifies the format for the one LINE description of the
files that were indexed.
d=0 - Directory like with short description (default).
d=1 - File name only and a longer description.
d=2 - Long description only.
/Wd Specifies the WORD-WRAP mode when viewing files.
d=0 - Word wrap Off (default).
d=1 - Word Wrap On.
The defaults for these parameters can be changed using the Uincfg
program (see Configuring Uin).
Example:
uquery mydocs /L2 /W0
Means load the index called "mydocs". When displaying the list of
indexed files, use only the description for each file. When viewing
the files, no word-wrap is performed on long lines.
Screen Layout for Uquery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The topmost highlighted line of the screen displays the most recent
Query.
Uin uses the middle lines of the screen to present you with a scroll-
able list of the files that are contained in the index (one file per
line). When you first start Uquery, all of the files in the index
appear in this list. One of these file lines is highlighted in a
different color (or inversed). This is the "current" file.
Below the list of files is an inverse line that is called a "status
line". On the left edge of the status line is the name of the "Index"
that you are currently working with. To the right side of the status
line appear statistics indicating:
- the number of words indexed
- total number of files indexed
- the number of files currently selected
Below the status line are the command lines. All of the commands that
are currently available to you are displayed on these two lines.
Main Menu Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Most commands in Uin are invoked by pressing the first letter of the
command name. In cases where this is not so, the key to press will
precede the command name and be highlighted. In addition, pressing
and holding down the Ctrl key while VIEWing a file reveals additional
commands.
Many of the main menu commands have sub-options. Sub-option menus
replace the main command menu when invoked. They show the main com-
mand selected in inverse text (just below the index name on the status
line) and the option choices on the bottom line of the screen. You
also select options by pressing the first highlighted letter or
character of the appropriate choice.
You can always get out of sub-option menu(s) by pressing the Esc key.
The sections that follow describe the main menu commands and sub-
options in more detail.
Select
~~~~~~
As mentioned, Uin uses the middle part of the screen to show you a
list of the files in the index (one file per line). When you press
the arrow keys while at the main menu, you should notice that the bar
highlighting one of those files moves up and down. (If you do not see
a highlighted bar, you should run Uincfg and make sure that the ACTIVE
colors are set differently from the NORMAL colors.) The highlighted
file is called the "current" file.
Trying to move the highlighted bar below the status line or above the
query line causes the list of files to scroll (if there are more
files). You can also use the PgUp and PgDn keys to "scroll" a whole
screen at a time.
Open
~~~~
If you have more that one index, Open lets you switch between them.
When you select Open from the main menu you are prompted for the name
of another index. If the name you enter is that of a valid Useful
Index, the current index is cleared, and the new one loaded.
Setup
~~~~~
Setup allows you to override the default settings for the format of
the one line description when on the FILES screen, and word-wrap mode
when VIEWing files.
Fileinfo Directory like with short description (default).
Name File name only and a longer description.
Subject Long description only.
Word Wrap On - Word-wrap is off turn word-wrap on.
Off - Word-wrap is on turn word-wrap off.
Exit
~~~~
Press x from the main menu when you want to quit from Uquery. When
prompted to verify that you want to quit press Y. Pressing the Alt
key and x at the same time allows you to quit without the verify.
Limit
~~~~~
This command is used to Limit or reduce the number of files to search
in subsequent queries. When you first run Uquery, all files that have
been indexed are "selected". Limit can be used to restrict searches
to files that:
- fall within a range of Dates
- match a certain File specification (with wild card characters)
- are currently Selected
This is sometimes called restricting the "Domain" of the search.
When you select the Limit command by pressing the letter L (from the
main menu), you are presented with three options Date, Filespec, and
Selected. Beside each of these sub-options (in square brackets) is
its current value.
Dates Every DOS file has a date associated with it. Normally
this is set to the creation date of the file or the date
that the file was last modified. When you select Limit
Dates, you are prompted for the start and end dates of a
range of dates. Only files whose DOS date falls within
this range (including the start and end days) show up in
the files list and are searched in subsequent queries.
The default for this options is all possible dates:
[01-01-80] to [today's date].
Filespec A file specification is a pattern or template for a file
name made up of a combination of normal file name
characters and (usually) the DOS wild card characters *
and/or ? . When you select Limit Filespec, you are
prompted to enter just such a pattern. Only files whose
name matches this pattern show up in the files list and
are searched in subsequent queries. The default for this
options is all possible files [*.*].
Selected When you enter a query, Uquery only lists those files
that meet the selection criteria. The rightmost item on
the status line indicates how many files are "Selected".
When you invoke Limit Selected, only the files that are
currently "selected" are searched in subsequent queries.
The default for this option is [No], which means search
all files that meet the Dates and Filespec criteria.
Clear
~~~~~
This command appears on the main menu only if you have used Limit to
restrict the Domain of subsequent searches. Clear lets you reset any
or all the Limits that have been imposed to their default values.
VIEWing Files
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once you have selected a file to VIEW by placing the highlighted bar
over it, simply press Enter to view that file. The command lines
should change to the VIEW menu.
Immediately below the status line on the left side of the screen you
will see the word VIEW: followed by the full name of the file being
viewed (including the path). Beside the file name (in brackets) is a
number representing the relative position of the current window into
the file as a percentage of 100. If the file being viewed has changed
since it was indexed, you will also see *Out of Date* on that same
line.
The bottom line of the screen has the commands that are active when
VIEWing, and the center of the screen now shows the text of the file
that you have selected. Think of that center portion of the screen as
a WINDOW into the file. While VIEWing a file the following keys can
be used:
Up Arrow Moves the window up one line of text.
Down Arrow Moves the window down one line of text.
-> Moves the window right one character.
<- Moves the window left one character.
PgUp Moves up a full window of text.
PgDn Moves down a full window of text.
Space Bar Moves the window to the next spot that has a Query keyword
in it. If there are no more keywords, moves to the end of
the file.
Backspace Moves the window to the previous spot that has a Query
( <-- ) keyword on it. If there are no more keywords, moves to the
start of the file.
Additional window movement commands are accessed by holding down the
"Ctrl" key (you see the menu change when you do this) and pressing one
of these keys:
Ctrl Home Moves the window to the start of the current file.
Ctrl End Moves the window to the end of current file.
Ctrl PgUp Moves the window to the start of the previous file in the
FILES list.
Ctrl PgDn Moves the window to the start of the next file in the
FILES list.
To return to the FILES list press the Esc key.
Query
~~~~~
You can search the files that have been indexed with the Query
command. When you press Q while at the main menu, you are prompted
to enter a free form query. (See the next section on "Searching for
Files" for more details about this process.)
Uquery remembers the last 10 queries that you made. You can access
this query "history" while at the Query? prompt by pressing the up and
down arrow keys. Previous queries are brought into the edit space
where they can be further edited, or simply selected by pressing
Enter.
Searching for Files
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Uin's indexing of textual data allows you to locate files based on the
WORDS that occur in the text. You can use a single word to locate
files, or you can use several words and specify their positional
relationship to each other.
You start a search for files by selecting the Query command from the
main menu. Queries are entered as free form text and are made up of a
number of elements. The sections that follow define what these
elements are.
Query Words
~~~~~~~~~~~
Query words are the "Keywords" that you want to search for. When
entered into a Query, each Keyword must be separated by at least one
space. You can type Query words in upper and lower case, but Uin
treats all words as being lower case.
You can use an * at the end of a keyword to indicate "any ending".
For example if you searched for:
print*
you could find:
print
prints
printer
printing etc.
Booleans
~~~~~~~~
Three words have special meaning to a Query. AND, OR, and NOT can be
used to define logical relationships between words.
AND - Used to indicate that two or more words must be present in a
(&) file for that file to be selected. You can use & as a short
form for AND.
Example: printer and network
Only files that contained both these words would be
selected.
OR - Used to indicate that any one of two or more words must be
(|) present in a file for that file to be selected. You can use |
as a short form for OR.
Example: communications or telecommunications
Any files that contained either (or both) of these
words would be selected.
NOT - Indicates that a word must not be in a file for that file to be
(!) selected. You can use ! as a short form for NOT.
Example: not multitasking
Any files that contain the word "multitasking" would
not be selected. All other files would be selected.
Phrases
~~~~~~~
If you enclose a string of words in double quotations they are treated
as a phrase. These same words must appear together in the text for a
match to occur.
Like other queries, words in a phrase can have an * indicating any
ending. Phrases only can also have an * representing any word.
Example: "* error code*"
Matches "the error codes", "an error code", etc.
Proximity
~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes you are interested in two words only when they are near each
other in the text. To indicated proximity in Uquery use the form:
word1 .dd. word2
Where dd represents the maximum number of words that word1 and
word2 can be apart in the text for a match to occur.
Example: network* .20. print*
Matches any file that has a word beginning with the root
"network" within 20 words of a word beginning with "print".
Parenthesis
~~~~~~~~~~~
When processing a query with more than two words, Uquery chooses an
order to process them that results in the most efficient search.
Words in parenthesis will however be processed first. You may use
parenthesis in a query to ensure that your meaning is clear. For
example the query:
barney or fred and wilma
Might match files that contain one (or both) of the words barney or
fred along with the word wilma.
(barney or fred) and wilma
OR
Might match files that contain the word barney or files that contain
the words fred and wilma.
barney or (fred and wilma)
Since both interpretations would lead to different results, you would
use parenthesis (as above) to clarify which files it is that you want.
Complex Searches (Putting It All Together)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All of the above elements can be combined in complex ways to help you
find exactly what you are looking for.
A few examples of complex queries are:
Find all files that refer to John Smith or Jack Jones or Jim Small.
"john smith" or "jack jones" or "jim small"
Find all files that have the words red and blue but not yellow in
them.
red & blue & (!yellow)
Find files that contain the phrases "error code" or "error codes"
within 20 words of the words print or printer or printing or
printed or prints.
"error code*" .20. print*
Searching Tips
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You normally do not know your complete search criteria when you begin
to search (although you might). The search process is more often an
iterative one in which you refine and build on the results you are
getting.
Start by trying to Limit the search. Is there a certain type of file
that is more likely to contain the text that you are looking for?
(Filespec!) Was the information you are searching for created within
within a known period of time? (Dates!)
Then try a few "keyword" queries. Make the selection of keywords as
unique as possible. Use "root-word" searches (like print*) to be sure
that you are finding all occurences of a word no matter what the
ending. Phrases and proximity searches take a little longer, but will
often narrow the search more quickly.
If you are successful at reducing the number of files with the above
techniques, use the Limit/Selected command to keep the search space
small. Repeat the last few steps until you have reduced the files
selected to a manageable size, then use VIEW to see the keywords in
context.
Practice! As with any skill, searching a text database will get
easier with time.
Configuring Uin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A separate program (Uincfg) is provided to modify Uquery with some of
your own preferences. When you run this Uin Configuration, you must
ensure that "uquery.exe" is in the current directory. Follow the
prompts for the configuration program. When you have answered the
last question "uquery.exe" is updated with your selections.
The following user preferences can be configured within Uin:
- video display mode
- initial text entry mode
- color of normal text
- color of inverse text
- color of active (edit) text
- initial word wrap mode
- initial one line description of indexed files
Licensing
~~~~~~~~~
The programs and documentation in this archive are
Copyright (c) 1992 by Useful Software
Uin is a Shareware information manager. This means that you only pay
for it if you decide to continue using it. If you don't think that it
is worth the asking price, delete the program, or better yet give it
to someone who might find it useful. However if you do decide to keep
Uin after a 2 week trial period, please send $35 (see REGISTRATION
FORM on next page) to:
Useful Software
340 Dale Crescent
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada, N2J 3Y3
The Shareware fee pays for unlimited use of Uin by a single person.
You are allowed (and encouraged) to give away copies of Uin with the
understanding that each person receiving a copy is under the same
obligation as you are to send in the Shareware fee if they decide to
keep it. You can upload THIS VERSION ONLY of Uin to other computer
systems, either free or commercial, as long as this archive remains
intact, with the copyright and Shareware notices unchanged.
Useful Index can be installed on LANs. In such situations we ask only
that the LAN Administrator estimate the maximum number of people that
will be making "simultaneous" use of Uin and pay the Shareware fee
based on that estimate. We do not expect that the limit be closely
monitored or enforced (I appreciate how much trouble that would be),
but we do expect that the estimate will be revised (and additional
fees paid) should a substantial increase in the number of nodes on the
LAN and Uin usage occur.
No guarantee is made as to the functionality of this software; however
it has been tested quite thoroughly by a large number of people. If
it doesn't do what you want, don't keep it and send no money.
Please support the Shareware concept. Shareware means useful programs
at a fraction of the cost you might pay for them commercially. You
can try-before-you-buy, and you are not subjected to copy protection
or other atrocities that many software vendors inflict on their
customers. Software updates can also be distributed much faster than
is possible through normal channels.
Any questions, suggestions, or bug reports, can be mailed to the above
address, or send electronic mail to:
GEnie: M.GARDI
CompuServe: 70242,3102
Enjoy,
Useful Software
Registration Information (What do I get if I register!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All registered users of Useful Index will receive one update with the
most recent version of the program. Subsequent updates are available
for $3.00 shipping and handling on request. In addition you will
receive the latest versions of other Useful Software products for your
consideration.
Registered users will have access to the Useful Software Support BBS,
and telephone support.
Useful Index Price Schedule
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1-9 copies - $35 per copy
10-49 copies - $30 per copy
50-99 copies - $25 per copy
100+ copies - One time fee of $2500
If you are already a registered user of any other Useful Software
product, you can obtain Useful Index for the discounted price of only
$25.00 per copy.
Printed Documentation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Printed copies of the documentation are available for all Useful
Software products at a cost of $5.00/copy.
REGISTRATION FORM (English Uin)
=================
TO: FROM:
Useful Software Name: ___________________________________
340 Dale Crescent
Waterloo, Ontario (Company): ___________________________________
Canada, N2J 3Y3
(Title): ___________________________________
Address: ___________________________________
City,State: ___________________________________
(Prov.)
Telephone: ___________________________________
I AM ALREADY USING:
Useful Editor Version ___.___
Useful Notes Version ___.___
Useful Macros Version ___.___
I WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER:
____ copies of Useful Index V1.0 X $______ per copy = $________
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO RECEIVE:
____ printed copies of the Index documentation X $5.00 = $________
TOTAL ENCLOSED = $
========
Signature: ____________________________________
Update Log
~~~~~~~~~~
- initial release
Possible Enhancements
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- option to "enter" a description for each file indexed
- keyword search for start of description
- allow ? in any part of a word
- load/save queries
- better TAB support when VIEWing files
- more print options
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #3668
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
UNI10 ZIP 89994 4-28-93 9:43a
CDROM TXT 4874 3-18-93 1:28p
UED19DE ZIP 48474 4-28-93 9:45a
GO-FORM DAT 3090 3-10-93 3:22p
GO-STRT DAT 552 4-28-93 10:07a
GO EXE 26022 1-10-92 12:14p
PCSIG TXT 2335 2-10-93 8:50a
PKUNZIP EXE 29378 2-01-93 2:04a
SHAREMAG TXT 1837 1-21-92 6:11a
SIGORDER TXT 3090 3-10-93 3:22p
UNO14 ZIP 116775 4-28-93 9:56a
11 file(s) 326421 bytes
29696 bytes free