RELSLR

	Convert SIMPLE Microsoft .REL files to .SLR format

Acknowledgements:

	The logic to read Microsoft .REL files is taken from
	READREL by G. A. Edgar.

	This program is written in Software Toolworks C/80, and uses
	their run-time system.

Overview:

	This program converts simple Microsoft .REL files to

data segments. Absolute segments and COMMON are not allowed. 
Only the simplest forms of relocation and external referencing
are allowed.  (No external plus or minus offset, no complicated
relocation expressions.  Request library search is allowed but
has not been tested.

	The program will die with an error message if the .REL
file contains something that it cannot handle.

How to use:

	The program reads a Microsoft .REL file with ".REL"
extension.  It writes an SLR .REL file and assigns it a ".SLR"
extension.  You will probably want to rename the output after you
do the conversion.

	Invoke from the CP/M command line by:

		relslr [-e] filename

Do NOT specify an extension on the filename.

If you specify the optional switch "-e", you can "Edit" external
names as they are written to the output.  The main reason for
doing this is because SLR format handles longer names (up to 16
characters) than Microsoft format does (6 or 7 characters,
depending on how the compiler/assembler was configured).  Also,
in some cases (such as the Software Toolworks library), you may
want to assign more meaningful names to modules.

When you invoke the converter with the "-e" switch, each name
will be displayed on the console before it is written, and the
converter will wait for your input:

	<CR> 		accepts the name as it appears on the screen.
	<BS> or <DEL>	erases the last character of the name.
	Other-chars	cause the character you type to be added
			to the end of the name.

The converter will only allow you to use letters, digits, and
four special characters - _.@# - in external names.  Furthermore
letters are converted to uppercase.  If you type any other
character, it will be ignored.

Usage notes:

	In spite of its limitations, this converter seems to be
able to handle most of the .REL files that are out there.  In
particular I have used it to convert the Software Toolworks C
libraries and Rick Conn's SYSLIB, Z3LIB, and VLIB.  I have used
the converted C libraries a great deal (and so I have confidence
in this program), SYSLIB a little bit, and the others not at all.

	For those who would like to expand this program to deal
with more types of input, I have included the source file. 
Anyone contemplating modifying it to deal with ALL legal forms of
the .REL files should have vast amounts of time and energy.  A
Cray computer might also be helpful.


						Michael Bate
						(617)-864-4358
						February 21, 1986