CONCAT
                           Version 0.7

                          Gene Pizzetta
                        December 17, 1989


CONCAT concatenates two or more source files into a destination 
file, similar to PIP.  Unlike PIP, however, CONCAT accepts both 
named directory (DIR) and drive/user (DU) specifications, which 
allows elaborate concatenations with input files pulled from 
various drives and user areas.  CONCAT runs under ZCPR3 only.

USAGE:

     CONCAT {dir:}outfile = {dir:}infile {{dir:}infile {...}} {/options}

Any file without a DU or DIR specification is assumed to be on 
the current drive/user.

OPTIONS:

     A    Append mode.  Appends sources files to end of target
          file, which must exist.  This mode by-passes some of
          CONCAT's safety features (see below).

     O    Object file mode (CONCAT ignores ^Z characters).  The
          default is text file mode, checking for ^Z (the CP/M
          end-of-file character).  Object file mode is provided
          because some hard-disk backup programs can split large
          files across two or more floppy disks.

     Q    Toggle quiet mode.  Normally CONCAT prints the names of
          the output file on the screen, and then the name of
          each source file as it is read.  If a configuration
          byte at 111h is set to a non-zero value, CONCAT will
          default to quiet operation, printing only error
          messages.  The Q option toggles operation to the non-
          default mode.  Regardless of the state of the
          configuration byte, CONCAT defaults to quiet mode if
          the ZCPR3 quiet flag is set.  In that case the Q
          option will likewise toggle to the non-default
          (verbose) mode.

CONCAT requires an output file and at least one source (input) 
file.  Actually, it can be used as a simple file-copy utility, 
but that's not its purpose.  The same filename may be given 
repeatedly in the source file list.  An equal sign (=) separates 
the output filename from the source filenames.  Commas or spaces, 
or both, separate multiple source filenames.

While the equal sign is required, it may be separated from the 
filenames by one or more spaces.  The same applies to commas, if 
they are used.  For example,
     concat newfile.txt=file1.txt,file2.txt,file3.txt,file4,txt
works the same as
     concat newfile.txt=file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt file4.txt
which works the same as
     concat newfile.txt = file1.txt, file2.txt ,file3.txt , file4.txt
which works the same as
     concat newfile.txt = file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt, file4.txt

A filename cannot begin with a slash unless it is preceded by a 
DU or DIR specification; otherwise, CONCAT will think it has 
found an option list.

If another file has the same name as the output file, it will be 
renamed to filetype BAK.  CONCAT initially creates the output 
file with a filetype of $$$.  After the copy is successfully 
completed, any existing BAK is erased, the new BAK file is 
created, and the output file is renamed to the correct filetype.

CONCAT is re-entrant for use with the GO command, although that 
type of operation has not been extensively tested.

APPEND MODE:  In append mode (option A) CONCAT by-passes several 
safety features, so use it with caution.  For instance, no 
temporary file or BAK file is created.  The target (output) file 
must already exist, but it can be zero-length.  On error, the 
output file is closed after appending any text that was read 
before the error occurred.  The output file is not erased.

It's a good idea to make sure you have sufficient disk space 
before using append because your original source file will be 
irrevocably changed if CONCAT runs out of space before it is 
finished.

Do not attempt to append a file to itself.  You're not likely to 
be happy with the results.  Use concatenation mode instead.

If you would like to be able to append without using the A 
option, set up an alias as follows:
     APPEND    CONCAT $* /A

ERROR CODES:  If an error occurs, such as a source file not 
found, the incomplete output file is erased and the ZCPR3 program 
error flag is set.  The error flag values are set as follows:
      8 = ambiguous or missing filename (output or source)
     10 = source or target file not found or not given
     11 = disk or directory full (write error)
      4 = all other errors

An invalid option does not produce an error; it is simply ignored.

HISTORY:

Version 0.7 -- December 17, 1989 -- Gene Pizzetta
     Added A (append) option, which by-passes several of CONCAT's
     safety features.  Also, a few more optimizations.

Version 0.6 -- December 3, 1989 -- Gene Pizzetta
     Minor changes in setting error flag.  Corrected serious
     error in detecting top of memory, found by Howard Goldstein,
     who also suggested several changes to make the code more
     efficient.  Thanks, Howard.

Version 0.5 -- November 25, 1989 -- Gene Pizzetta
     Added Q (quiet) option and error flag support.  Fixed parser
     bug that allowed a null output filename.  Now closes output
     file on error before erasing it, a bug discovered by Howard
     Goldstein.

Version 0.4 -- November 12, 1989 -- Gene Pizzetta
     Added large output buffer.  Corrected error in parsing
     filespec in current user.  Relaxed command line syntax:
     commas no longer required.  Now obeys quiet flag.

Version 0.3 -- September 19, 1989 -- Gene Pizzetta
     First preliminary release.

If you have any suggestions for enhancements, I'm anxious to hear 
them.  Most importantly, please report any bugs or other problems.

To report bugs or make suggestions:
                         Gene Pizzetta
                         481 Revere Street
                         Revere, MA 02151

                         Newton Centre Z-Node:  (617) 965-7259
                         Lilliput Z-Node:  (312) 649-1730
                         Voice:  (617) 284-0891