NUMBERIT  Version 1.0   Nov 1986

Anyone who uses disk catagloging programs such as FATCAT or MCAT
knows that one of the requisites is that the disk contain a file
that identifies the disk uniquely.  The normal convention is to
use a file such as -BASIC.001.  The dash forces the file to be
at the top of the sort list and the three digit extension is what
is actually used to number the disk.  The rest of the name can be
anything that further describes the content of the disk.

In the past, I have always formatted my disks a box at a time and 
then used QUICKEY to define a character to exceute a warm boot,
and the command "SAVE 0 B:-.".  I then finish the instruction
by typing the disks ID number.  This isn't too inconvenient but
why should I have to keep track of the numbers!

This tiny program was actually started to be part of a larger one,
that does something completley different but I noticed that the
BCBC compiler opens a file by creating one if it doesn't already
exist.  Unlike MBASIC, it doesn't even write an end of file character
on the file so the file is really zero bytes long.  If you had a
similar program in MBASIC, your file would be the minimum size for
your computer (2K for my KAYPRO).

When you run NUMBERIT, it will ask you for a file name  that will
be used for all files and MUST include the disk drive.  The program
will then ask for the first number to use as an extension.  Before
each file creation, it will wait for a carriage return.  A control-C
will abort at any of the input statements.  If you proceed, a disk reset
is performed and the file is created.  If the file already existed, it
will be left untouched since really all the program is doing is
opening a file.  The next file created will be identical except
that the extension will be one number higher.

I would strongly suggest that anyone interested in using a cheap
basic compiler should get B-COMPIL.LBR from your local BBS.  I
have found that it is also a learning tool for 8080 CP/M assembly
language since that is what you get out of the compiler.  You can
even use it to simplify writing assembly language programs.  Let
BCBC do the mundane things like ask and check input, string
manipulation etc. and then do the interesting stuff in ASM.

You may also want to get BCBCNOTE.LBR which I uploaded some time
ago.  It contains a users guide of sorts and some bug fixes to
BCBC.BAS.

                            Pierre Kerr, Ottawa Nov 1986