Disc 2
By C.J.Richardson. This program will archive up to 50
filenames into one. Especially useful
for DFS users. DFS has a filename
limit.
The program will allow you to add files
to the archive at a later date. You
cannot delete files from the archive
(the program could be adapted to do
so).
The program allows you to de-archive
all files or just one and then run it.
You may view the files in the archive.
You may also use * commands.
To use the program:
CHAIN"Arch`de"
The main menu offers you 3 options and
a * command facility:
Option 1. Archive Files.
Choosing this option takes you to a
sub-menu with 2 further options. The
first of which is to start a new
archive, the second to continue
building an existing archive. Both
options start by asking which archive
you want to begin/add to. You then
enter the name/s of the file/s to
archive. Finish by pressing RETURN.
Option 2. De-Archive Files. When you choose this option you are
first asked which archive you want to
split. Enter the filename of the
archive you wish to split. You are then
presented with the available archived
files in that archive. You may now
choose option 1 to de-archive all of
the files or option 2 to de-archive
just one of the files.
If you choose to de-archive just one
file, when de-archiving is complete,
you will be given the option to CHAIN
or *RUN the de-archived file or to
continue in the archiver/de-archiver.
If you use a twin drive, you have no
need to copy archived files to the
blank disc first. Make the drive with
the blank disc the current drive with
*DR. <num>. Then when prompted for the
source file, enter the full pathname
including the drive number.
For example. The archived file View is
in drive 2. The blank disc is in drive
1. Load the de-archiver. Type *DRIVE 1.
Type RUN. Enter 2 to de-archive.
Enter :2.View. Enter 1. The file will
be de-archived directly from drive 2 to
drive 1.
Option 3. View Archived Files. Choosing this option allows you to see
what files are in an archive. Enter
the name of the archive.
* Command. Type * followed by any * command to
change drives etc. Remember that some *
commands corrupt memory and will
overwrite the program.
Do not enter file names longer than 10
characters. This will not allow full
pathnames in ADFS, but as ADFS uses a
directory structure, there is no need
to archive files for ADFS.
This program will probably feature on
future 8BS issues as it enables single
programs to be easily fished out of a
large archive. As a lot of the programs
submitted to 8BS are short and sweet,
this will no longer pose a problem for
DFS users.
Use of the DATA Pointer by D. Ambrose K7T I posed a question to Chris - where is
the DATA pointer? This was because I
was writing a program where I wanted to
interrupt operation at a given point
and then return to READ the next item
of DATA. I could not use RESTORE
because I did not know the line number.
Chris gave me the answer in HELP! in
the last issue and himself posed the
question, What use is it?
The program I have written, 8BSMEM1,
is not useful but it uses the DATA
pointer, and prints out the list of 8BS
members in groups of 10. The same
result is obtained by 8BSMEM2, which
uses a legal method of repeated
RESTOREs and counting the DATA items
from the beginning for each group of
names. For what it is worth, the first
program delivers more quickly than the
second.
I should perhaps explain what I
wanted to do when I raised the point
with Chris. I am a society Treasurer,
and keep the accounts with a program I
wrote myself - if you ask why? I did it
for the fun of it, and because
according to the reviews I read none of
the programs I could buy would do
exactly what I wanted (most of them
appeared to do far more). There was an
article in Beebug (Vol.7, no.2, p.13)
recommending using Viewsheet for
accounts, but I have never had any
other occasion to use Viewsheet and do
not get on with it.
In my program, every entry in my
account book is entered as DATA and
when running the program one starts
every time from the beginning. This can
get tedious towards the end of the
financial year, and my object was to be
able to record the balances at the end
of each page in a file as one proceeds
through the year so as to be able to
start at that point on the next run
through. That is what I have done using
the legal method of 8BSMEM2, which is
what Chris suggested when I put the
problem to him. It is unlikely I shall
think it worth while to change to the
method of 8BSMEM1.
Both programs will stall when first
run if the file 8BSTOR is not on disc -
deal with this by typing PROCzerostore
followed by RETURN.
PRESS SPACE