------------------ FATCAT Version 2.4 the FATter but faster disk Cataloguer ------------------------------------- {FATCAT and all files in FATCAT24.LBR and all subsequent versions are copyright 1986 by Steven M. Cohen and therefore remain his property. You are free to use it and to freely distribute it, but you may not sell it or bundle it as part of another package to be sold without the express written consent of the author. } FATCAT is a new multi-featured disk cataloguing program for z80 CP/M and ZCPR3 systems. It was designed with the User's convenience foremost in mind. It builds upon the foundation of other cataloguing systems, which were a boon to early micro computer users, but improves upon them by eliminating many inconveniences which these early programs inflicted upon their users. Many users, once the catalog grew to be of substantial size, began finding it hard to justify the time spent waiting for the disk drives to put everything in its proper place in the catalog. They grew gradually lazier about cataloguing and, after awhile, stopped altogether, convinced that cataloguing was a hopeless task, a nice idea but not worth the trouble. Sound familiar? We think FATCAT will change your mind about disk cataloguing. Sit back and follow us through a brief tour of FATCAT's many features. .HEFATCAT -- the FATter but Faster Disk Cataloguer --------------------------------- FEATURES OF FATCAT -- An Overview --------------------------------- Rapid fire insertion of diskettes FATCAT isn't magic, it may not even be as fast as some other programs. It is simply more intelligently designed, so that disk insertion (your job) is separated, time-wise, from the job of updating the catalog (the computer's job). The filenames are simply appended sequentially to a temporary, unsorted, file. Very fast. Then when you are done, the computer does the tedious work of sorting, inserting, deleting, without making YOU share its tedium. Get a cup of coffee, read the paper, go to bed. When you return you'll find a fully sorted catalog. Full Library File Support Simple, bug-free. The name of the library is stored with the name of the library file -- not just the disk number. Hard-Disk Mode for cataloguing a hard drive, user-area by user-area, as well as a conventional floppy mode that catalogs the entire disk at once. Clean-Up Mode lets you erase files, rename files, and add those zero-length disk name files without leaving FATCAT. No more "SAVE 0 - DISK.094" Also displays file size. Attractive Catalog Output Module outputs to printer, CRT, or both simultaneously. CRT display can either be paged or continuous, and is switchable back and forth. Scans the whole catalog, or "wildcards" for specific grouped filenames, either by filename or by disk number. New in version 2.1, the output module is accessible either through the menu or from its own command line. This flexibility allows for such things as batch processed lists separated by category, or even for use as a file listing for Remote Systems. New in version 2.3, output can optionally be given in a cross-reference fashion similar to XCAT, as well as the former FATCAT format. New in version 2.4, this output can also be directed to a disk file so that it may be further modified to your taste with a word processor program before printing it. Disk Information Module keeps track of disk names and free space on each disk. Easily Configurable for different modes of operation, e.g. placement of catalog files, name of catalog files, etc. Configurations easily saved to disk for quick loading on subsequent sessions. --------------------------- GETTING STARTED WITH FATCAT --------------------------- MINIMUM EQUIPMENT necessary to run FATCAT Minimum equipment to use FATCAT is a computer with a z-80 microprocessor, at least 43K TPA (that is a 50K CP/M system), two floppy drives of 180K or more. Preferable would be drives of 350+ K. FILES IN THIS LIBRARY This library should contain the following files. Those with 'Z' as the second letter of the filename extent are "crunched" files that must be uncrunched with the included UNCR.COM after you have extracted them from the library. FATCAT.COM -- The basic .COM file that starts the program OUTCAT.COM -- This .COM file is essential for OUTPUT, runs either by itself or is called by FATCAT. FATCAT2.CZN FATCAT3.CZN -- Chain files essential for running FATCAT FATCAT3.0Z0 FATCAT3.0Z1 FATCAT3.0Z2 FATCAT3.0Z3 FATCAT3.0Z4 FATCAT3.0Z5 FATCAT3.0Z6 OUTCAT.0Z0 OUTCAT.0Z1 -- Overlay files essential for running FATCAT FATCAT.WZ -- This documentation FATCAT.TZC -- Table of contents APPENDIX.AZ APPENDIX.BZ VERS24.UPD -- Supplements covering installation and configuration, and changes from vers. 2.0 FATCAT.MMG -- File for chain printing this with MailMerge README.1ST -- Some additional "quickie" documentation Z3INSTP.CZM -- An auto-installer needed to install on ZCPR3 systems FATCATIN.COM -- FATCAT specific installation routines. FATCATIN.DZA Z3 users can use Z3INSTP, but those of FATCATIN.MZG you still in the CP/M dark ages can use these programs to install FATCAT. UNCR.COM -- Steven Greenberg's uncrunching utility which must be used to uncrunch all crunched files in this library. See above. FIRST STEPS AND PRECEPTS NOW HEAR THIS! FATCAT must first be INSTALLED before it can be used. Read and follow carefully the instructions in APPENDIX A to learn how. Once installed, you may run FATCAT. However, the VERY FIRST THING you should try do with it is CONFIGURE FATCAT for your system by entering

at the main menu. Configuration is covered in APPENDIX B which you should read before going further. If FATCAT is not configured to your system you may not get the most out of it and in fact, it may not run at all. Once installed and configured, you are ready to go. DISK NAMES-- some simple rules Like many other catalog programs FATCAT uses the convention that the file that sorts to the top of the list of files is the name file of the disk. Usually, this is a 0-length file which is nothing more than a directory entry. It has a unique name which differentiates it from any other file on any other disk. Most particularly its "type" (the three characters following the period) must absolutely be unique. For any such scheme to work, certain rules must be followed. For FATCAT there are only two rules: <1> The first character of such a disk name file may be anything in the ASCII range of 32 - 47 which is legal in a filename. The most typical is the hyphen ('-',ASCII 45). Other systems have used the space character (' ', ASCII 32) but if you choose this you will not be able to touch these files with CCP commands such as ERA and others. Some people may find this to be a good feature. Certainly the comma(','), period('.'), and asterisk('*') should be avoided at all costs, as they have specific meanings to operating systems. Whatever you choose, be consistent. <2> While FATCAT is somewhat flexible about the first character used, it is very finicky about the "type" part of such disk names. The file type must be numeric, with any blanks filled in by zeroes. Further, the number .000 is reserved so do not give it to any of your disks. In light of the above rules the following disk file names are good: -DISK.007 -UTILITY.007 DISK .007 (note the preceding space) !DISK .007 /DISK .007 whereas these are not -DISK.7 (fill out type with zeroes) *DISK.007 (Confusable with wildcards) .DISK---.007 (Two periods not allowed) DISK----.007 (Will not rise to the top in sort) -DISK---.A07 (Only numerals in type, please) Special Note on disk Names to Users of Plu*Perfect DateStamper FATCAT vers. 2.1 has been rewritten so as not to conflict with the DateStamper. It will not store any date information but it will no longer conflict with DateStamper's expectation that its !!!TIME&.DAT file be first in any sort. This works as follows: If the DateStamping toggle in FATCAT configuration is turned on (see Appendix B) and if the user area or group of user areas being catalogued contains any files with the DATESTAMPER name (!!!TIME&.DAT), then FATCAT will swap the first and first non- DateStamper names in the directory. This means that FATCAT now expects the file immediately following any Datestamper files in the directory to be the name of the disk. What this means to the FATCAT user is that you should avoid disk names beginning with the space character or the exclamation point as these would conflict with Date Stamper. ------------------------- RUNNING THE FATCAT SYSTEM ------------------------- There are two basic modes of running the FATCAT system. The first is interactively, calling up the FATCAT program and going through the menus. This is the only way to catalog or recatalog disks, update the catalog, get information on disks, or create configuration files. For outputting the catalog the user has the choice of the interactive mode just mentioned, or by a separate command line, OUTCAT, whose parameters tell the program all it needs to know. This latter means will be more convenient for quick and dirty searches, as well as for various batch-processing projects. --------------------------------------------- Invoking FATCAT Interactively Summary of FATCAT commands from the Main Menu --------------------------------------------- FATCAT is invoked from the CP/M or ZCPR3 command line simply by typing its name at the prompt thus: A>FATCAT Invoking FATCAT in this way causes FATCAT to search the default drive and user area for a configuration file called STANDARD.CFG and load it into memory. If this file is not found, the defaults are used. No other parameters are necessary; one optional parameter, however, may be typed. The program will treat this as a request to search the default area for a configuration file whose filename is the parameter and whose filetype is .CFG. That is, typing A>FATCAT HARDDISK will cause FATCAT to search for a file called HARDDISK.CFG on the default drive/user and load its values into memory. If this file is not found or cannot be read for some reason, default values are supplied with the program and will be used. These configuration files and their uses will be explained later. They are a convenience for the user; it is worth mentioning here, however, that if a given .CFG file is not found, it is not a disaster; different configuration files can be loaded or created under the P option of the main menu, which will be discussed in detail below. When FATCAT is invoked, a banner screen is displayed and a report on the Configuration file load is provided. You are then directed to type any key upon which the following screen is displayed: ---------------------------------------------------------------- Main FATCAT Menu ---------------------------------------------------------------- ----> C> to Catalog Floppy Disks ----> H> to Catalog A Hard Disk ----> D> to Delete a Disk from the catalog ----> T> to Toggle cleanup mode now: < On> ----> P> to change default Parameters ----> U> to Update catalog ----> O> to Output catalog in FATCAT format ----> X> to Output catalog in Cross-Reference format ----> R> to ReIndex New .RIX and .LIX files ----> M> to Make New .RCX and .LCX files ----> I> to output disk Information ----> to quit FATCAT : : --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- We will now consider the above menu options, not necessarily in the order given. By the time we finish you should be well on your way to becoming a proficient FATCAT user. Option

-- Configuring FATCAT It is very important to configure FATCAT before you attempt to run it. So you should select the

option the first time you call up FATCAT and get it configured for your system before attempting anything else. ALL information on how to do this is found in APPENDIX B. Please see Appendix B now. Option -- Clean-Up Mode Toggle This option toggles the Clean-Up Mode on and off. Clean-Up mode gives the user an attractive screen display of the names of all the files on the disk, and allows housekeeping options such as adding 0-length disk-name files, erasing, renaming and finding the sizes of files. Clean-Up mode will be described in more detail under the option. If you want super-fast operation, leave it off. Otherwise turn it on. The current value of the clean-up toggle is displayed on the main menu screen. Option -- Cataloguing Floppy Disks This is where the actual cataloguing takes place. We should note, however, that the name is somewhat of a misnomer, because the floppy mode can well be used on many hard disk systems. The difference is that option catalogs all files from all user areas on the drive whereas option atalogs one user at a time from 0 to whatever is the Maximum User. (See Appendix B). The only limitation is that there may not be more than 800 file names (including both regular and library files, if FATCAT is configured to catalog libraries). If your hard drives have fewer than 800 file names per drive you may use the floppy mode on them. If not, or if you wish to give each hard drive user area its own "disk name" you must use the option described below. At any rate, the program will abort back to the main menu if the area you are cataloguing contains over 800 file names. When you select the option you are shown the self- explanatory mini-menu below: >>>>>>>>>>>>>> TO CATALOG ANOTHER DISK: FIRST -- Insert disk into Drive X: THEN -- Hit TO STOP CATALOGUING: Hit The menu will remind you into which drive you should insert the disk to be catalogued. It waits for another to continue, or to quit (return to main menu). No other keys have any effect. Assuming you choose the option, we now will investigate what happens next. FATCAT functions differently depending upon the status of the Clean-Up and Library toggles in the configuration. If the Clean-Up toggle is off you will receive the following output, which will often scroll by too fast for you to appreciate: 1> "Now reading directory of Drive X:" 2> a series of dots, one per file 3> "Sorting" 4> a series of dots, one per comparison in the sort. This is to let you know it hasn't gone to sleep on long directories. 5> finally a list of filenames and their user areas 6> the number of files found If library cataloguing has not been disabled you will then see the following additional steps. 7> "Now reading libraries on Drive X:" 8> a series of dots, one per library member 9> "Sorting" 10> a series of dots, one per comparison in the sort. 11> a list of library members, their library and user area 12> the number of library files found. If the Clean-Up Toggle is On functioning will be the same except for 5 and 6 above. Instead of the fast scrolling of filenames you see a screen like this one: FATCAT Clean-Up Mode - Drive X - User * - Page 1 of 1 - 34 FILES FILE USER FILE USER FILE USER -DISK 123 0 FXDXSD COM 6 WS COM 0 AAAAA PAS 0 FXDXSD LBR 6 WXYZ OBJ 0 AAB COM 1 GAS COM 2 . . . (more files) . . . FATCAT COM 1 WS INS 0 Move U>p/D>own A>dd File E>rase File R>ename File Size in K> C>ontinue Abort In the middle of the screen will be a listing of files in alphabetical order. The file in the upper left corner will be either highlighted or set off by arrows, depending on whether or not FATCAT is installed with highlighting for your terminal. This indicates that FATCAT is POINTING to this file on options E,R, and K as described below. Below the "menu line" (the one with 'A>dd File', etc.) is a "message line" upon which the program will display various questions and error messages. The following functions are supported in CleanUp Mode: U -- Move Up D -- Move Down Moves the pointer to the previous or next file on the list, which will normally be the one below it, except that at the bottom of a column, 'D' will move the pointer to the top of the next column and at the top of a column 'U' will move the pointer to the bottom of the preceding column. If pointer is at beginning of list then 'U' will move it to the end of the list and if at end of list then 'D' will move it to the beginning of list. If arrow keys are installed, the Up-Arrow functions as 'U' and Down- Arrow as 'D'. N -- Next Page {Not shown in above picture} P -- Preceding Page Clean-Up mode shows only 64 files at a time. If more than 64 reside on the drive, output will be paged and an indication will be given on the top of the screen that this is the case. If so then 'N' will move to the next page, 'P' to the preceding, in a ring fashion, so that if 'P' is typed from Page 1, FATCAT will show the last page and vice versa. If arrow keys are installed then Right-Arrow functions as 'N' and Left-Arrow as 'P'. None of these keys will function if there is only one page of files. A -- Add File A directory entry will be opened on the drive to be catalogued and you will be prompted on the message line to type in a file name for it. If there is room in the directory, and if the filename is not already in the directory, the file will be added. As far as the visible list is concerned, the file will temporarily be added as the last file on the last page and the display will point there. E -- Erase File You will be prompted on the message line to make sure you want to erase the file pointed to, and if you answer 'Y' the file will be erased from the disk and a "hole" will appear on the list of files. R -- Rename File You will be prompted on the message line to give a file name to which to rename the file pointed to. You will then be asked once again if this is what you want to do. If you answer yes, and if the file name does not already exist on the drive/user area, the file will be renamed on the screen. The list will not be realphabetized. Whether or not a rename takes place, you will be informed what action has taken place via the message line. K -- File Size in K The size in K of the file pointed to will be shown on the message line. -- Abort Catalog Operation You are returned to the Continue/Escape mini-menu with no further cataloguing operation taking place on the current disk. C -- Continue Catalog Operation You leave the Clean-Up Mode and the program continues. If you have changed anything on the disk you continue with step 1 above. You do not enter the cleanup mode a second time but instead proceed as if Clean-Up mode were temporarily turned off. If nothing was changed than operations continue from step 7. After the steps called for by your configuration are concluded you are returned to the Continue/Escape mini-menu, where you choose either to catalog another disk or to stop. Remember that if you stop you must next choose the 'U' option because catalog updating is not automatic. Option -- Hard Disk Catalog As was said above, this is something of a misnomer, as hard disks can be catalogued by the option and, indeed, floppies could be catalogued under . What happens under is that you move sequentially user area by user area through the directory from User 0 to whatever you have declared to be the Maximum User in your Configuration (See Appendix B). Otherwise cataloguing proceeds in exactly the manner described above under option . The important thing to remember here is that there must be a name file in each user area in which there are files. If you aren't sure, it might be well to choose this option with the Clean-Up Mode on. If you have user areas without name files, they simply won't be catalogued and you'll have to do it again. You will get an error message warning you that this has happened. The option should be called whenever you have more than 800 total file names (including library members) on the drive. What's that you say, you have all 1000 files in the same user area? Shame on you! Option -- Update Catalog After you are through cataloguing, you must return to the main menu and select the option to actually update the catalog. This is where you should get up from the computer and let it do its thing. It could take anywhere from a few seconds to an hour or two depending on the size of the catalog, on your disk configuration, and on whether or not the Reindex toggle is set in your configuration. At the very beginning of the Update, FATCAT may, if necessary, first prompt you to please make sure the proper disks are loaded in the proper drives. Do check. Stupid disk full errors will not be fun here. Once you have indicated that all is well, FATCAT tries to open all the necessary files, asking you if it should create them, if it cannot find them. If this happens, answering 'N' will abort the update for yet another margin of safety. If you are creating new index files, you will also see a screen which asks you whether there are any files you DON'T want in the catalog -- i.e. files that you may have on nearly every disk, utilities on which you don't want to waste precious catalog space. This is another full-screen data entry screen like that in the

option. You move about in the same way and can modify these file names to your heart's content. Do be careful, though. Once you have eliminated these file names, there's no way to change this short of redoing your entire catalog. Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, FATCAT gets down to the brass tacks of updating. First, the disk name is entered into the disk name index file. (.DNX) Second, the program scans the index files (.RIX and .LIX) against the temporary file, adding all those files in the temporary which aren't in the index and deleting those which are in the index but not in the temporary file. If the Reindexing toggle is off (the default), the same additions and deletions will also be made at this time to the catalog files. FATCAT has a way of detecting where one disk's area in the temporary file ends and the next disk's begins. It informs you of any additions or deletions on the screen, though, again, these may scroll by too fast for it to be of much help to you. At the end of the update a count of the regular files and the library files is displayed. If the Reindexing toggle is ON, an entirely new pair of catalog files (.RCX and .LCX) is now created and filled from the index files. -----> Please don't try to Update before you have catalogued any -----> disks. You'll only get an error Message. You must have -----> a temporary (.TCX) file to update from. -----> Updating is quite simple for the user. Just don't forget -----> to do it! Option -- Delete Disk from Catalog Upon selecting this option you are queried which disk you want to delete, and if the disk is found in the disk index file, you are then asked again to make sure. This information is then recorded in the temporary file, and requires the option to actually make the deletions, just as the option is required after the option. Notice that the disk you want to delete must have been previously updated into the master catalog. You cannot delete a disk this way which is only in the temporary catalog. With older catalog programs you were forced to make a "dummy" blank disk with only the name of the disk you wanted to delete in the directory and then catalog this disk. That method, should you wish to use it, is also possible in FATCAT. Option -- Output Catalog in FATCAT format This is a nice, flexible, catalog output with many features, enabling it to perform both as a printout program and as an online Scanner. It lists file name, user area, disk name and, if a library member, the library file name. You access these functions by answering questions: You are first asked to: Enter Search Mask or for *.*: If you want FATCAT to conduct the search by FILENAME (most likely) then you should respond with a single parameter giving the file name you want. Standard CP/M wildcards are acceptable here. Thus, for example *.* will find all files in the catalog Z*.* will find all files whose names start with Z *.?Q? will find all squeezed files FILENAME.TYP will find all files with that name Simply typing at this prompt is the same as selecting the default value of *.* (all files). You will then be asked: Enter Low Disk # (1-999) or for all disks: At this point you enter the low limit of the disk range through which you want to search. If you want to search disks 200 - 299 you enter 200. If you want to search just one disk, enter its number here. If you don't wish to restrict your search to any range of disks answer with a simple . If you entered a number you will then be asked a further question here: Enter high disk # (X-999) or for X where X is the value you just input in response to the previous question. Enter the high limit of the search (299 in the previous example or simply if you only wish to search disk X. You are then asked Output to: S)creen / P)rinter / F)ile This is very straightforward. The default here is 'S' so this will also be selected if you type . Finally, if you chose 'P' or 'S' above you will be asked for a header to be printed at the top of each page, along with the page number which will be printed regardless. If you chose 'F' you will be prompted for the name of the file to which your catalog is to be written. Be sure you have enough room on whatever drive you wish to put this file! Once output has begun the following controls are available: Cntl-C will abort the output whether to Screen, Printer or File in Screen mode only toggles between paged and unpaged output. At the beginning paged output is the default and the output comes up a screenful at a time. While paged output is selected, typing will switch to unpaged output (for fast scrolling), while typing any other key brings up the next page. While output is unpaged typing reverts back to paged output and stops the display. Of course typing Ctrl-C aborts either paged or unpaged output. Option -- Output Catalog in Cross-Reference Format All controls and options are the same as for option above. The output comes out in a cross reference format similar to XCAT. The file name is given only for the first occurrence of a particular file name. Then all disks containing the file name are displayed, in the following format: ###|##|XXXXXXXX where the first field represents the disk number (the name of the disk is not given in this format) followed by the user number and the library if any, in which it is found. Option -- Display Information About Disks An output program similar to, but simpler than the option for information on disks. Tells you name, number and free space. There is no search mask prompt, just the Screen/Printer/File question as in the option, with the optional header if P is selected. Output is paged by default if S is chosen, but the same controls are available as with the option. Disks are displayed in numerical order. Option -- Make new .LCX and .RCX files Option -- Reindex (Make new .LIX and .RIX files) This brings us to the question of backup files. Unlike some other catalog programs FATCAT does not make .BAK files to back up the catalog. Instead, the Index files and Catalog files, being functionally related to one another, back each other up. As we have said before, if the ReIndex Toggle is Set On then the option makes brand new catalog files (.RCX and .LCX) from the index files (.RIX and .LIX). If a catalog file is damaged you can, if catalog files are on separate disk from index files, put a new disk in the catalog file drive and rerun the option. If your catalog files are on the same disk as your indexes, then copy the indexes to a new disk and rerun the option. (Note: Since the option erases the temporary .TCX file, you may have to redo your cataloguing first.) Of course, if you are not running with the reindex toggle on, then the option will not remake the catalog files for you. In that case, instead of running , run which will make the new catalog files. And what if it's the index files that are fouled? That is the purpose of the option. It creates index files from the catalog files. Simply put a new disk in the right place as explained above and run the option. Since this is a radical step, you will be asked if you'd like to see the Default configs first, and be shunted into the

option before running it. And what if both the indexes and the catalogs are fouled? Well, there is still no substitute for a proper backup of all files onto backup floppies. That leaves us only Option -- Quit FATCAT which, as you might suspect returns you to the operating system. Note that no matter which menu you find yourself on typing always C>ontinues onto the next step, whereas always aborts the process. ---------------------------------------- OUTCAT -- Command-Line Control of Output ---------------------------------------- Due to popular request, we have added the capability of controlling catalog output from the command line. This adds new flexibility to the program. FATCAT is still the command to get into the interactive mode, and you can still display output this way, but for command line control of output, you should use the command OUTCAT. Parameter syntax and suggested applications are explained below. Those who know something about Turbo-Pascal, in which this package was written, know that Turbo accepts only a 32-character command line, unlike the 128-char buffer that normal CP/M programs allow. Fortunately, that limitation CAN be worked around and FATCAT can keep track of a command line up to the full 128 characters. OUTCAT Parameter Syntax How to control OUTCAT from the command line Five basic types of parameters may be entered on the command line. All are optional. Defaults take over if a parameter is skipped. These five types of parameter are: /PARAMETER -- Configuration file name A parameter whose first character is a slash (/) will denote either (1) a request for help if the second character is also a slash; (2) otherwise, it denotes the name of the configuration file which is to be loaded into memory. There must be no space between the slash and the file name. Only the file name should be given, not the .CFG extension, which is assumed. This would normally be the same file used by FATCAT. Such files are created under the

option of FATCAT and a more detailed description is given in Appendix B. If this parameter is not specified, OUTCAT will look for the file STANDARD.CFG. If this is not found, as a last resort, defaults hard-coded into OUTCAT will be used. These defaults may or may not work on your system. This is the exact same way Configuration is handled by FATCAT. >PARAMETER -- Output device This parameter controls both where output is to be directed, and its format. The first character is a '>' followed (without an intervening space) by one of the following: CON: or CRT: for output to screen LST: or PRN: for output to printer anything else here will be treated as the name of a file to which output is to be directed. If this parameter is omitted then SCREEN output will be defaulted. +PARAMETER -- To engage XCAT format Simply a Plus sign preceded and followed by spaces will be treated by the program as a request to use the XCAT format. If this parameter is not included format will default to the standard FATCAT format. "PARAMETER" -- Page Header This parameter specifies a header to be printed at the top of each page of output, usually printer output, but some applications may find some use for page headings on screen output. This header will be output immediately following the page number. This parameter is identified by the preceding and trailing double quote marks. Any characters (including spaces) may be placed between the quotes, except, of course another double quote. If this parameter is eliminated, the header will simply be the page number. .PARAMETER -- Disk search limiter This parameter can be given twice on the command line. If given twice one instance will be the low disk number to include in the search and the other will be the high disk number to be included. The order of these two parameters in unimportant. If only one such parameter is given, then only the single disk number will be searched. If no such parameter is given then all disks will be searched. UNPREFIXED PARAMETERS -- Search Keys This parameter control which files will be selected for listing. There is no special character that must precede such parameters. All that is required here is an ambiguous filename which may use CP/M wildcards e.g. *.* or *.?Q? or Z*.*. If nothing is given under this parameter, the default is to search for all files on all disks. If a faulty parameter of this type is supplied, the program aborts back to the operating system level. EXAMPLES -- Putting it all together on the command line Below are some sample command lines with their results, followed by a faulty command line. OUTCAT Outputs all files on all disks to the CRT. Searches STANDARD.CFG for configuration and prints no page header. OUTCAT /REMOTE + Same as above but searches REMOTE.CFG for config and displays output in cross-reference format. OUTCAT /REMOTE >CON: Same as above except output in FATCAT format. OUTCAT >PRN: Same as above only searches STANDARD.CFG for config, and outputs to printer. OUTCAT >LST: *.?Q? Same as above only restricts search to files matching the wildcard *.?Q? (i.e. all squeezed files.) OUTCAT >LST: "LIST OF SQUEEZED FILES" + *.?Q? Same as above only "LIST OF SQUEEZED FILES" is the header and Format is cross-reference. OUTCAT /SPECIAL >PRN: "LIST OF SQUEEZED FILES" *.?Q? .400 .999 Same as above only config comes from SPECIAL.CFG and search restricted to disks 400-999 and format is FATCAT. OUTCAT /SPECIAL >SQUEEZED.CAT *.?Q? .400 .999 Same as above except output is to the file SQUEEZED.CAT. When outputting to files no header is used; even if one is requested, it is simply ignored. OUTCAT .400 Displays to screen a listing of all files on disk .400 -------------------------------------------------------- A COMMAND LINE WHICH WON'T DO WHAT YOU WANT IT TO OUTCAT >P "List of squeezed files *.?Q? First of all, note that since the CCP is processing the command line everything will be raised to UPPER CASE, which really is no problem, but be aware of it. Secondly, since there is no trailing quote, the *.?Q? will be taken as part of the header and a default search of all files will be performed. We can't go into every case. Just follow the rules laid out above and you will not be surprised. They may seem complicated, but most on-the-fly use of this feature can usually just revolve around a single parameter and defaults have been selected to be the most common choices. AUTOMATING OUTPUT -- Suggested applications WHERE THE &*!#@ IS ... 1> Can't find the file TERRIFIC.PAS? Command line OUTCAT TERRIFIC.PAS will quickly tell you where it should be. 2> Or maybe you're not quite so sure of the name. Some DataBase program was it DB-CHECK.CMD or DBCHECK.PRG or what? Command line OUTCAT DB*.* will at least scan for all files beginning with DB. These kinds of searches are much faster than getting into the menu mode to do it. SPECIALIZED PRINTOUTS -- Batch File Control Phil Newman complained that he'd like to be able to print subdivided lists of his catalog. He has intelligently subdivided his catalog by category. So using the SUBMIT facility of CP/M or the ZEX facility of ZCPR3, batch commands like this become possible: OUTCAT >LST: "DATABASE FILES" *.* 100 199 OUTCAT >UTILS.CAT *.* 200 299 OUTCAT >PRN: "GAME FILES" *.* 300 329 OUTCAT >PRN: "SPREADSHEETS" *.* 330 399 etc. REMOTE SYSTEMS -- ZCPR3 Alias control Terry Smythe gave me an idea which never occurred to me when I was designing FATCAT, but it can in fact be used as a remote system file directory for Z3 systems, if it is regularly updated. FATCAT.COM and OUTCAT.COM should of course be hidden in an inaccessible user area. Then an accessible area would contain an alias that would remain invisible to the caller, but would allow him to access the catalog for viewing. Compose an alias called SEARCH which would be something like: DU:OUTCAT /REMOTE >CON: "SUPER RCPM FILES AS OF 1/1/86" $1 Of course, the alias would have to also handle access to the restricted directory, and there are several ways to do this. THE USER WOULD BE TYPING IN: SEARCH DB*.* and would automatically be presented with a formatted listing of all files beginning with "DB". Etc. Etc. The important point here is using aliases to allow the SYSOP select the parameters he wishes to control, protecting them from the user while allowing the user all LEGITIMATE flexiblility. In this case, the only legitimate control a user would need would be to specify the files to be searched. And the SYSOP can help by specifying the header which gives the date of the last update. He would have only to remember to modify the alias after updating the Catalog. ----------------------------------------------------- Conclusion -- the Past, Present, and Future of FATCAT ----------------------------------------------------- At this point, I'd like to acknowledge the excellent contribution to FATCAT that Phil Newman has made. Phil is the discerning user, par excellence. His complaints about catalog programs were what got me off onto this project in the first place. When I first heard his complaints, I didn't think that what he wanted could be accomplished. But Phil was right. And his contributions didn't end here; Phil was my faithful beta tester, finding all sorts of obscure bugs that needed to be ironed out. Specially helpful to version 2.4 were Jeff Moro who made many incisive criticisms (not all of which were attended to, unfortunately), and Robert Petrie who worked with me from afar to get FATCAT working with CP/M+. I'd also like to thank all those users who sent me feedback on previous Versions. You gave me the ideas needed to make version 2.3 even better. In particular, thanks to Ed Johnson of Victoria, B.C. who found a whopper of a bug in the output search routines. If FATCAT is a more functional program than some of its predecessors, that does not diminish the significance of their contribution. After all it was the Ward Christensens and other pioneers who made today's computer developments possible. Their brainstorms were the original ones. Similarly, FATCAT will one day, soon, I'm sure be superseded. Someone (maybe me) will rewrite the thing in assembly language. After all FATCAT is loaded with features but it's also very FAT space wise. And there are some features it lacks, most notably, a mechanism for recording comments about files. In this version I wanted to stick as closely as possible to data that was fully automatic, that is recorded to disk by the operating system itself. This cuts down the chances for error. Future versions will have to get beyond this hurdle. Also deserving of much praise is Richard Jacobson whose Lillipute Z-Node in Chicago (312-649-1730 and 312-664-1730) continues to set new standards of excellence for remote computerists. Without his Z- Node, I never would have been able to put this package together. I would appreciate that any compliments, complaints, bug reports, etc. be sent to me care of this excellent bulletin board. Turbo-Pascal is a trademark of Borland International, Inc. Mailmerge is a trademark of MicroPro, Inc. DateStamper is a trademark of Plu*Perfect Systems.