===================================================================== INSTALLING THIS PROGRAM ===================================================================== NOTE: This version of the OS/2 Presentation Manager Automated Episode Guide uses "external" disk-based data files for each of the episodes it displays on your screen. Therefore, it MUST be installed correctly in order for the executable program to find the episode data. An incorrectly installed program will result in error messages when you try to view any of the episode data in the program. Follow these simple (but mandatory) steps... (1) Unarchive the original .ZIP file into the directory that you want to *PERMANENTLY* store the Automated EpGuide. Presumably, you have already done this since you are reading the help file or readme. NOTE: YOU SHOULD USE THE OS/2 UNZIP.EXE TO UNARCHIVE THE .ZIP FILE! UNZIP IS "EA" (Extended Attributes) AWARE! UNZIP.EXE ALSO DEFAULTS TO RECREATING THE DIRECTORIES STORED IN THE .ZIP FILE! KEEPING THE DIRECTORIES STORED IN THE .ZIP IS CRUCIAL! IF THE AUTOMATED EPGUIDE CAN'T FIND THE EPISODE DATA SUB-DIRECTORY, IT ***WILL*** ***NOT*** ***WORK*** ***CORRECTLY***! No if's, and's or but's. So, if you don't have the OS/2 UNZIP.EXE, go to any decent OS/2 BBS or FTP site and download it immediately! You'll be glad you did! (DOS's PKZIP "may" be able to handle the sub-directories, but it will nuke any EA's stored in the archive!) (2) If you used UNZIP.EXE, a sub-directory will be created and all of the episode data files will be copied to this new sub-directory. Like I mentioned above, this part of the installation is CRUCIAL! I hard-coded the sub-directory's path into the program executable. If the Automated EpGuide program can't find this sub-directory, you will get a File Error dialog which tells you which data file the program was trying to load. See elsewhere in this document for details on File Errors. If you *ARE* getting these errors, go back to the top of this section and follow the instructions. (3) Once you have UNZIP'ed the Automated EpGuide .ZIP file into a permanent directory, run the REXX .CMD script named AEG_INST.CMD. This script will create an OS/2 program object on your desktop. After the program object is created, you can rename it or move it anywhere you want to (into a folder, onto the LaunchPad, etc.) (4) Double click on the Automated EpGuide icon to run the program. For more details on using the Automated EpGuide, check out the Online Help (hit F1 while the A.E.G. is running), the Offline Help (use OS/2's VIEW with the .INF file) or read the README.TXT file which is a plain ASCII text file version of the .HLP and .INF help files... ===================================================================== FILE READ ERRORS ===================================================================== If you did everything in the INSTALLING THIS PROGRAM section correctly, you shouldn't get any File Read errors. But, there are some circumstances that may cause the Automated EpGuide to give you a File Read error dialog... For example, if you ever develop an error on your hard drive that interferes with the A.E.G.'s data files, you may get a "FILE READ" error. Other ways of getting these "FILE READ" errors are caused by HUMAN error: (1) You accidentally DELETED one or more of the EP###.DAT files; (2) You accidentally DELETED the OS/2 PM Automated EpGuide's episode data file directory; (3) You accidentally RENAMED the OS/2 PM Automated EpGuide's episode data file directory or one or more of the EP###.DAT files therein; (4) You MOVED the OS/2 PM Automated EpGuide .EXE program to a directory other than the one that you originally installed the program. If you are getting "FILE READ" error messages when trying to view the episode data, you may have to re-install the OS/2 PM Automated EpGuide. Re-read the section entitled INSTALLING THIS PROGRAM for more details... ===================================================================== Error Messages ===================================================================== If there is some sort of trouble with the disk-based episode data files, you will get a "FILE READ" error message. The dialog box will tell you the name of the sub-directory and file that the A.E.G. program is trying to load. After you hit the OK button, you will get the default "empty" episode data dialog. Since the program couldn't find the disk based data files (filenames: EP###.DAT where ### is the episode's number), it uses the default error message in the episode data dialog. If you are getting the above errors after running the Automated EpGuide, it is because the program cannot find the episode data files. I hope you kept the original OS/2 PM Automated EpGuide .ZIP archive because you may have to re-install the program to make sure everything is in the correct location. Another alternative is to use a recent backup of your system (a tape backup, for example) and restore the files that were originally copied to your hard drive from the Automated EpGuide .ZIP file. If you don't have a recent/working tape backup, I suggest that you delete the Automated EpGuide directory and start over from scratch. This will assure that all files are where they need to be. Go back to the section entitled INSTALLING THIS PROGRAM for more details. ========================================================================= About The Data Files ========================================================================= Users of the new versions of the Automated EpGuide may wonder why I "hard coded" the pathname of the episode data files into the program's executable. Mainly for convenience, but also, so as to not clutter the A.E.G. directory with dozens and dozens of obnoxious little data files. The average TV show featured in the Automated Episode Guide programs has anywhere from 40 or so episodes (the lower bound, representing approximately two or three seasons -- Babylon 5 or the X-Files, for example) on up to 150 or more (the upper bound, representing seven or eight seasons -- the Simpsons or MST3K). Each episode is stored in a small data file corresponding to that episode's "number". Install the new version of the MST3K or Simpsons A.E.G. and you got yourself 150 data files needed by EACH OF THE A.E.G. .EXE files! OKAY!!! I'LL ADMIT IT!!! I'm an anal retentive control freak! I just can't stand to see 150+ little bitty data files floating around in the same directory as the rest of the "required" files needed for the A.E.G.'s execution. Heaven forbid that some poor, unsuspecting computer novice tries to install an A.E.G. in the root directory of his/her/it's hard drive. Yikes, I'm getting dizzy just thinking about it! Seriously, the main reason was for convenience. I envisioned some mega-A.E.G. user who has every Automated EpGuide that I've ever released. In this fantasy, er, scenario...the person has of course registered all of these programs... <<>> By hard coding sub-directories into the program, this poor, troubled loaner...uh, user can stash all of the .EXE and .HLP files in one "AEG" directory, with all of the bazillion and three data files stored neatly in their own little sub-directories.