Copyright: Dipl.-Ing. Knoefel (c) 1995


Help Index
Help FileConverter

Commands

File Menu

Option Menu

Forward

Backward

Goto

Help Registration

Summary

Define FileConvert


Help FileConvert Index


The Index contains a list of all Help topics available for the Help Example. For information on how to use Help, press F1 or choose Using Help from the Help menu.


File Menu

The file menu includes commands that enable you to open dbase or ascii/ansi/ebcdic - files and convert these.

For more information, select the File menu command name.

Open  	Open dbase (2.4;3;3+) or ASCII/EBCDIC - Files.

Convert 	Converts your file via your selected conversion table (-> Translate).

PrintStruc 	Prints the structure from your dbase-file.

InfoStruc 	Show you some file information.


File Menu
Option Menu

The Option menu includes commands that enable you to choose all your necessary parameters for converting a file.

For more information, select the Option menu command name.

FileTyp 	Help you to see the right characters on your PC.

Translate 	Here you select the Conversion table (*.con) for translating your file.

Del_Record 	You can choose whether you want include deleted records by convert dbase->dat.

Append_RuNo 	Also you have the possibility to append a running number during converting.


Summary

For what is this program useful??

The main reason for developing such kind of CONVERTER are the two different computer worlds

PC<>Mainframe. So we have in the most of the cases also two different codes:

ASCII/ANSI<>EBCDIC. For a lot of people (and also companies) it is absolutly necessary to work

with. The base for translate a file are the conversion tables (*.con)! This is a matrix with

16*16 Bytes (256) which you can edit in a normal Hexeditor. For example the first byte in the

fourth range is the Hexvalue '40'! It's up to you to say which byte should be '40' afterwards

if you change this value to another. All together I prepare the following tables:

EBCTOASC.CON	: Input: Ebcdic	Output: ASCII

EBCTOANS.CON	: Input: Ebcdic	Output: ANSI

ASCTOEBC.CON	: Input: ASCII	Output: EBCDIC

ANSTOEBC.CON	: Input: ANSI	Output: EBCDIC

These two tables are not special conversion tables. For this translation I use a standard

windows function (OEMTOANSI..)! That means you can't edit this translation because I trust

the programmer. In the most of the cases that is a conversion between DOS created (ASCII)

and WINDOWS created (ANSI) files which are different after Hex '7F' (dec 128):

ANSTOASC  	: Input: ANSI	Output: ASCII

ASCTOANS	: Input: ASCII	Output: ANSI

And last but not least you have a customer table because all others are standard conversions

which you should prepare one times and use only later on:

CUSTOMER.CON	: Input: X'00' to X'FF' Output: your table

One word to special PC-Hexcodes: The input file is all the time 'binary' open but the output

file isn't. That means that Hexcodes like '00','1A' (EOF),'0A' (Linefeed) a.s.o. should go

to value >= X'20'. The reason is very simple: I'm sure you will use the converted file later

and your software understand data's from X'20' to X'FF' only. Values less than X'20' could be

not in a 'normal' datafile.

View on the future: This is of course only a start (V1.0). Later I want implement a lot of other

strong features like 'Split/Merge Files', 'Analyse fields' and so on. It's depend on how good

the program go and how good my english could be. For all german user: Natuerlich gibt's das

Hilfefile auch in deutsch (next time)!


File Open Command

Before you can do something with a file you have to open this first.


File Convert Command

After you select your parameters under (beside you want convert dbase-dat only) the Options

menu you say then 'CONVERT' dbase (if you opened a dbf) or dat (for ascii,ansi or ebcdic).

The job will running and create a new file which have 'c' on the end of the name. The program

appends for each convert-run a new 'c' on the filename. If you have already a 8byte long name

don't worry, the second byte from your filename will be deleted first.

If you want to have a part only press 'Esc' during the convert-run!


File PrintStruc Command

Here you can print the whole structure (length,fields etc.) for your open dbase file. Be sure

your printer is ready! There is no error recovery implemented yet.


File InfoStruc Command

For both filetyps you get the main information on your screen.


Option Filetyp Command

It's important for two things: a) You will see the right characters on your screen and

b) the program must know which kind of code you have open for a correct conversion. So

don't forget to select the filetyp!


Option Translate Command

It's up to you to know which code is source and which code should have the destination.


Option DelRecord Command

May be you know about this, that some people sign a dbase-record as deleted but

they didn't say 'delete'. So you can decide whether you want to include such records

or not. However, if the program find deleted records you get a message on the end on

each conversion.


Option AppendRuNo Command
Option AppendRNO Command

Sometime it's necessary to know on one view how many records are in my file. So you

have the possibility to append a running number which is 7 digits long. Don't forget

to select the right filetyp first! Otherwise it could be that you have Ebcdic file

with a Ascii-RuNo behind. Hard to print!?


Forward

With the Forward command you can go 15 records forward in one step. If you change the Filetyp then use this command for change the viewing.

For more information, select the Forward command and try it.


Backward

With the Backward command you can go 15 records backward in one step. If you change the Filetyp then use this command for change the viewing.

For more information, select the Backward command and try it.


Goto

With the Goto command you can go direct to this record which you need. Key in the record number and press <enter>.

For more information, select the Goto command and try it.


Help_Reg
Help_Registration

With the Registration command I can check whether you use a registered copy or not. Without registration you can convert 50 records only! How can you change this?

This program is shareware and cost me some hours!

Please send $35,- or DM 50,- to:  (for companies please contact me first!)

Mr. Klaus-Peter Knoefel

Schmaltalgasse 10

D-73252 Lenningen

Germany

You can reach me via:

              Phone:      +49-7026-3499

              CompuServe: 100407,476

*** To register online in CompuServe GO SWREG: registration ID 7182 ***

Then I find in the next 30 days a way to give you a licence for all your records. Thanks!

Licensor does not warrant the Program will be free from errors or will meet your specific

requirements. You assume complete responsibility for the selection of the Program and for

decisions made or actions taken based on the information obtained using the Program.


Context Sensitive Topics

This Help system includes topics that you can call directly from the Helpex sample application. To get context-sensitive help from Helpex, press Shift+F1 and click on any element of the Helpex application window. You can also highlight any Helpex menu command using the keyboard and press F1 to get help on the command. Each topic has a unique context identifier, listed in the [MAP] section of the Help project file:

[MAP]

#define HELPID_FILE_OPEN        101

#define HELPID_FILE_CONVERT     109

#define HELPID_FILE_PRINTSTR    113

#define HELPID_FILE_INFOSTR     114

#define HELPID_OPTION_FILETYP   400

#define HELPID_OPTION_TRANSLATE 201

#define HELPID_OPTION_DELRECORD 301

#define HELPID_OPTION_APPENDRNO 302

#define HELPID_FORWARD          107

#define HELPID_BACKWARD	     108

#define HELPID_GOTO	     110

#define HELPID_HELP_REGISTRAT   902