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                                 DETABZ.COM                                   

             Size (recs) CRC   Version    Author/Latest Issue      Disk
               4k (26)   5AB1  1.40       Gene Pizzetta 11/90      Z3COM5

  1- Syntax/Options  2- Date Stamping  3- Errors  4- Configuration  5- Notes  


   DETAB-Z  replaces  ASCII tabs in  text  files  with  the  correct number of
spaces.   No other  characters  are  affected  --  control  characters are not
removed,  high-bits  are  not  reset.   Under  ZSDOS  create  file  stamps are
preserved.  For ZCPR3 only.
:1
 Syntax   DETABZ {dir:}infile {dir:}{outfile} {{/}options}

   If no DU or DIR is given, the current default drive/user is assumed.  If no
outfile name is given, it will have the same  name as the infile.   If  a file
exists with the same name as the outfile,  it will be renamed to a filetype of
BAK.  Filenames beginning with a slash must be preceded by a DU specification.

 Options   

   A leading slash is not required if an output file specification is given.

     n    Increment for tab expansion.  n must be between 1 and
          255.  The default is 8, as used by CP/M and MS-DOS,
          unless configured for another default value.

     Q    Toggles current quiet mode setting.  Quiet mode is set
          by the ZCPR3 quiet flag or by a configuration option.
          The quiet flag is given priority, if it is set.  Option
          Q toggles the current mode.
:2
 Date Stamping 

   If the  original file has a  create  file  stamp,  then  the  stamp will be
transferred to the new file.   Unlike  some  other utilities,  a  blank create
stamp will not be transferred.   In  that  case,  if the  original  file has a
modification date,  that  modification date will become the create date of the
new file.   Otherwise,  the new  file's create stamp will be the current date.
Date stamp transfer will work only under ZSDOS and ZDDOS.
:3
 Errors 

   If "//" or a null command tail is given, DETAB-Z will display a brief usage
message.   All other errors will cause invocation of the error handler, if one
is installed.   In addition,  the program error flag will  be  set to standard
ZCPR3.4 error codes:  2, invalid directory;  8, ambiguous or missing filename;
9,  bad numerical expression;  10, source file not found;  11, disk full;  12,
insufficient memory; 19, invalid option; or 4, any other error.
:4
 Configuration 

   DETAB-Z may be configured to  default to  quiet  mode  using  ZCNFG and the
configuration file, DETABZnn.CFG.   The default tab increment of 8 may also be
changed, although the  vast  majority of users will want to leave it as is for
CP/M  and  MS-DOS compatibility.   Do not  change the  name of the CFG file or
ZCNFG will not be able to find it automatically.
:5
 DETABZ Notes - 1/2 

   a. There are times while  editing  an  ASCII  file under  WordStar when you
      realize that the file  contains  tab  characters.   Unfortunately,  many 
      filter programs --  like FILT7  -- reset  high  bits and  remove control
      characters, messing up the  editing  already done.   DETABZ  solves this
      problem, using the full facilities of the Z-system.

   b. Vs 1.4 updates (November 28, 1990 -- Gene Pizzetta):
      - Increased size of input buffer and made several other changes to speed
        up processing.  
      - Now properly handles files that do not end with a ^Z.  
      - Corrected bug that caused two sectors of ^Z's to be added to a file if
        it ended exactly on a sector boundary.  
      - Implemented several suggestions to improve the code.

   c. Vs 1.3 updates (October 5, 1990 -- Gene Pizzetta):
      - Corrected bugs that caused unpredictable destination for outfile if no
        filespec was given and  a jump to the wrong error routine if the input
        file was not found.  
      - Now checks for sufficient TPA space.  
      - Several other code optimizations.
 Notes - 2/2 

   d. Vs 1.2 updates (September 22, 1990 -- Gene Pizzetta):
      - Corrected bug that caused incorrect  error  messages to  be  displayed
        under some circumstances.

   e. Vs 1.1 updates (September 1, 1990 -- Gene Pizzetta):
      - If source file has a modify date,  but no  create date,  the  original
        modify date will become the create date of the new file.
