QUICK DOCUMENTATION FOR THE CREATOR AND REPORTOR SEGMENTED VERSION FOR 48K CP/M SYSTEMS The CREATOR (tm) and REPORTOR (tm) are, respectively, a database program generator and a report program generator for Microsoft BASIC version 5.2 or higher. Versions of this program are also available for Radio Shack BASIC (I,II, or III) and for the IBM PC. This program has been sold at prices as high as $295 since February 1980; there is no resemblance between this program and another program called the CREATOR, being sold by STC since June 1982. A suit is pending against STC for their use of the name CREATOR. To run the CREATOR, just enter BASIC and run MENU; choose the 'run CREATOR' option from that menu. Or, enter BASIC and run CREATOR directly. You should customize the CREATOR and REPORTOR for your particular terminal, or the 'clear screen' attribute will not work correctly in your generated programs. This set-up code is explained in the first few lines of the CREATOR.BAS and REPORTOR.BAS. The standard set-up is for the Televideo 910 terminal, but by the time you get a copy it may have been changed by someone else. Please leave the explanations alone so anyone getting a copy of the CREATOR from you will be able to figure out what to do. This version differs from the standard versions of the CREATOR and REPORTOR. There are additional files, called overlays, for the CREATOR and REPORTOR. These files are CREATOR.OVL, CREATOR.OVR, and REPORTOR.OVL. These files must be present in order to run the specified programs; the CREATOR overlays for the CREATOR, and the REPORTOR overlay for the REPORTOR. The overlays will reduce the memory required to run the CREATOR and REPORTOR. 48K systems should be able to run the programs successfully; even 44K systems might be able to run the programs, though I do not recommend use on 44K systems, since you might not be able to run the generated programs themselves. You may use record lengths up to 256 bytes and up to 45 fields in each data file. The program indicates that up to 47 fields are possible (and they might be, depending on the field types and edits), but that cannot be guaranteed under CP/M. 45 fields should always be safe, though. If your record length is bigger than 128, you must remember to enter BASIC with the /S:XXX switch set for the actual record length you intend to use. If you don't, you will get an error message when you try to open your data file. The sort program which works with the CREATOR and REPORTOR is not in the public domain. Two versions of that sort are available. The first, called CHEAPSORT (tm) level I, will sort on up to 50 fields at once, ascending or descending, and can take any data type used in Microsoft BASIC or FORTRAN, including derived types (such as are used in the CREATOR or PROGEN). Sort speed depends on the number and type of keys, record lengths, disk access speed, media type, etc., but varies from 200 to 1100 records per minute. This sort can handle up to 32767 records per file, and each record may be up to 32767 bytes in length (limited by memory available). CHEAPSORT level I costs $11.00, and comes with the standard CP/M package, costing $40.00. Level II CHEAPSORT comes with a separate version capable of reading a command file, but is otherwise the same as level I. Level II costs $25.00. Both sorts require fixed-length, fixed-field records (the kind CREATOR writes, and the kind most Microsoft BASIC programs use). Neither sort will handle sequential or CBASIC-style random files. After all, who wants to use those space-wasting record types, anyway? Source code is available for each sort. Source code for Level I costs an additional $11.00, and source code for level II costs an additional $25.00. With a little effort, the sorts could probably be modified to handle CBASIC random files (but not sequential). I'm certainly not going to do it, though . . . I don't want to encourage the use of CBASIC for anything, given the kind of BASIC it is (incredibly slow and a real disk space-waster). If you got either version of the sort from a friend and your conscience is bothering you, just send me $5 (level I) or $10 (level II) and we'll call it square. I don't want to know who you got it from, either. Just think of it as an 'unofficial dealer' plan. I really want to know how the sort works out, and I want comments on its performance so I can plan enhancements in the future: since people with 'illegal' copies are reluctant to speak up (and probably outnumber 'legal' users), I figure that making it easy to become legal will benefit both of us. I'm not ripping anyone off at these prices, so please . . . make it 'legal', o.k.? COMPLETE written documentation for the CREATOR and REPORTOR is available for $10 + $1 postage and handling in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Make checks or money orders payable in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank, please. Otherwise, I usually net about 30% of the face amount. Not too good! You don't have to wait for your checks to clear, either. I have a real bundle of other software for sale; the CREATOR, REPORTOR and CHEAPSORT are available for TRSDOS and MSDOS (IBM PCDOS), and approximately 20 other programs are also for sale. Among them are the advanced version of the CREATOR (called PROGEN/REPGEN: $99.00, for CP/M and PCDOS), a spelling checker/indexer, the PBASIC BASIC pre- processor (as reviewed by Jerry Pournelle in the April issue of BYTE magazine), a random file data extractor (compatible with most word processors), and many others. Please write for my catalog. All my software is guaranteed for thirty days. If you are not satisfied with its performance for any reason, just return it for a full refund of your purchase price. That's my complete guarantee; seen anything else like it lately? A newsletter for CREATOR users is available for $10 per year. It will be published quarterly. It will include hints on enhancing performance, news from users on the applications they have generated, 'bug' reports and fixes (I hope there aren't any of those!) and information on new versions planned or released. For information, orders, or a catalog, please write to: T.N.T. Software, Inc. 34069 Hainesville Road Round Lake, IL 60073 Best wishes on your use of my software; may it perform to your expectations and not merely to its design limitations. Bruce W.Tonkin Round Lake, IL May 15, 1983