Documentatio Fil fo SEARCH Informatio Utility RAMBLING AN RATIONAL: On o th mai reason fo owin compute i t assis i organizin data However mos o th "informatio organizing program aroun toda ar complicate an cumbersom t use Th tas o enterin an editin dat typicall require yo t mov bac an fort betwee severa menues Whe yo wan t us th informatio store i th "database yo discove tha th thing yo wan t loo fo ar no ke field an ther i n wa t acces th informatio othe tha dumpin ou th entir database I addition th dat i usuall store a fixe lengt fields Much dis spac i wasted Afte enterin 50 name int th database yo wil fin on whic i to lon t fi i th field Plus afte enterin dat fo severa days yo wil decid tha i sur woul b nic i yo ha a additiona fiel fo on mor item etc. Th program SEARCH wa writte t hel overcom som o th difficultie i managin information SEARC i usefu fo findin informatio entere i unstructure databases. Durin th nin year hav bee hackin o m computer hav mad countles abortiv attempt t creat genera purpos informatio retreiva programs Th firs attemp use BASIC m latte attempt use som o th "hig tech databas managers Non wer eve completed Th program usuall suffocate fro th weigh o th code To #"$ man menues To muc use friendly programme hostil code To man bug i th databas software To muc mone fo revision o th softwar whic introduce ne bugs a nauseaum... Conside th cas o constructin simpl combinatio Mem Phon Directory Th typ o informatio woul wan t stor i th person' name address phon numbe an perhap som extr detai (comments) Whe actuall ge int designin th databas nee t worr abou ho lon eac o th field mus be ho muc detai wan t kee o th address D wan t hav a alternat addres field Shoul als includ fiel fo busines phon a wel a persona phone(s) Wha abou Harol Jones H ha tw phones. Assumin tha manag t ge th databas designed the nee t worr abou enterin an changin informatio an searchin fo information Wha wil us fo searc fields Shoul inde b name Wha i wan t searc th phon lis fo wor o identifie i th commen field Wha i th phon numbe o th perso wh sai h ha th schematic o th Motorol 300 monitor Shoul hav separat databas fo comments Shoul thi databas hav linkag wit th othe database thin yo begi t se m problem wan t kee al sort o unrelate bu interestin informatio i th sam databas an b abl t ge a i wit ease. Th proble whic reall stimulate m thinkin wa ho t maintai "databas" o th article an letter foun i th variou issue o th excellen publication "Micr Cornucopia" Thos o u wh hav singl boar compute system lik th Ferguso Bi Board conside "Micr C t b nationa treasure Th trouble a wit al publications i ho t locat informatio burie i pas issue withou spendin al nigh lookin throug them Actually al nigh i no nea lon enough Onc ge starte lookin throug ol issues fin interestin article tha ha forgotte abou o overlooked Th en resul i tha usuall ge s absorbe i readin th ol article tha forge wha wa lookin for Alas! Usin SEARCH SEARC i ver eas progra t use Th program' nam describe it function i wa designe t searc fil fo patter match I th matc i made th recor (o lump o informatio i displaye whic contain th match I doe no suffe fro "rampan featuritis (a leas no yet). SEARC wa designe t searc fo matche o simpl ASCI tex files Th dat (text file ca b generate usin virtuall an halfwa decen editor Editor o th MultiMat il ar excluded Thes il editors an us th ter editor loosely prefe t kee th fruit o you labo locke awa i incomprehensibl binar jibberish. Records: SEARC allow th databas t b "organized a serie o "disorganized records A fa a SEARC i concerned recor i simpl collectio (clump o informatio (ASCI tex lines separate fro othe clump o dat (text b som sor o specia characte sequence B defaul th specia characte sequenc whic delimit SEARC record i an blank lin or any line whic begin wit tw minu signs Fo example: -- Thi i recor containin some informatio abou thing i general I particular, i i th firs recor i th file M phon numbe is 555-1234 (no really) Thi i th secon recor i th file Not tha this record is separated from the previous record by a blank line. This recor doe no contai an more usefu information. - comment ca g he also Thi i th thir recor i th file Not tha th tw minus sign a th beginnin o th lin ar al tha i require t separate records Comment ca follo th tw minu sign. ------------ Thi i th fourt record Th recor delimite ca als contai more tha tw minu signs I mus hav a leas two - Thi i stil th fourt record Th lin abov start wit les tha tw minu signs. etc... Dat Fields: Wha ca sa abou dat fields A fa a SEARC i concerned dat i anythin betwee th recor delimiters Strin o patter matche ca b mad o an o al o th data SEARC doe no requir predefine o fixe lengt records USAG SYNTAX Th correc synta fo usin SEARC is: SEARC file1.ex file2.ex FO word word_wor2 word et -N SEARC use th keywor FO t separat th fil name fro th pattern (words t match I FO i no entered SEARC wil generat a erro messag. Severa fil name ca b give befor th FOR Unfortunately fil name canno b entere a wildcards T kee th progra a portabl a possible ha t leav ou wildcar fil nam expansion Althoug th UNI shel automaticall handle th expansion mos othe operatin syste shell d no (to bad) ma relen late an ad wildcar expansio a th expens o portability Maybe. Strin o patter matche ar cas insensitive Also matche ar handle a a O function Fo example i th word "disk an "drive ar used SEARC wil loo fo matc wit eithe dis o drive I eithe i found th entir recor wil b displayed Quote ar use her fo clarit only the ar no require o recommende o th comman line. - (fil name option: Whe SEARC find patter match i wil displa th entir recor an the recor delimite (tw minu signs) I th - optio i specified SEARC wil giv th recor delimite i th form: ------ Fil -- squat.tx ------- wher squat.tx i th nam o th fil i whic th patter matc i made A exampl o th - optio i a follows: SEARC squat.tx FO dis driv -N Phanto Spaces: Th specia character ASCI underlin '_' ma b use t designat "phantom space Fo example i yo ar intereste onl i th patter "dis drive yo woul ente i a disk_drive I thi cas SEARC wil displa th recor onl i i find th tex sequenc "dis drive" Conside th proble o lookin fo reference t 1/ inc dis drives On wa woul b t specif th patter matc a " 1/4" I thi cas SEARC wil mak matche o al occurance o th digi an als o th fractio 1/4 Yo wil surel fin al reference t 1/ inc dis drive a wel a al phon number containin th numbe 5 Informatio explosion Th wa t ge aroun thi proble i t ente th searc patter a "5_1/4". Redirecte Output: Normally SEARC display it' informatio o th console Becaus o buil i featur o AZTE-C th outpu ca b sen t file Followin th UNI convention th specia characte "> followe b fil name wil caus th outpu t b redirecte t th file Fo example SEARC squat.tx fo disk_driv >foo.bar wil sen th result o th patter search i any t th fil foo.ba rath tha displayin i o th console Us o fil directe outpu wil enabl yo t perfor AN typ patter matches Fo example conside tha yo ar lookin fo al article tha dea wit 1/ dis driv maintenence Becaus yo canno b certai tha al appropriat entrie i th fil contai th sequenc " 1/ dis driv maintenence" yo wil hav t b mor general Yo migh tr th following: SEARC squat.tx FO 5_1/ dis driv >foo.bar SEARC foo.ba FO main dia troub Th firs comman lin wil extrac al record whic mentio 1/ o dis o drive Th outpu wil the b writte t th fil foo.bar Th secon comman lin wil the examin th fil foo.ba fo al record whic contai th wor fragment maint diag o troub Th result o th fina searc wil b displaye o th screen Th sequenc ca b extende forever o unti yo ru ou o dis spac o thing t loo for. Tes File: A exampl tes fil i supplie i th library Th dat containe i th fil i th resul o scannin Volume an 2 o "Micr Cornucopia" Althoug th dat ma appea crypti t you yo ca ad additiona informatio a required Fee fre t pla wit it Enjoy! Warrant an Copyrigh Notice Th program SEARCH i guarantee t wor fo perio no exceedin thirt day o thirt seconds whicheve come first Shoul yo encounte problem o bug i th program bea i min ho muc yo pai fo it Bu fixe an enhancement ma o ma no b mad available dependin o ho th autho feel an th phas o th moon I yo hav question abou th program pleas hesitat t call. Th program SEARCH i Copyrighte b Do L Finley Th author Do L Finley ha release th progra int th publi domai fo al t us an enjoy Th progra mus no b sol fo commercia gai althoug distrbutio b publi domai softwar organization i permitte an encouraged woul appreciat receivin an enhancement o bu fixe mad t th program Sen al suc stuf throug ou RBB a (615 22-448 300/120 bp 2 h (xmode support). Do L Finley 31 Willo St. Mt Carmel T 37642 (615 357-335 (afte 6pm)