Text Column (or Field) Interchange Program COPYRIGHT (C) 1995 CHUCK BERNT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This program changes the columns in a text file. * It can swap, add and delete columns. * It can total and average (to the screen) any numeric column. * It can calculate and insert any column that can be expressed as a QBASIC expression of the other columns (including logical expressions). * Text may also be inserted. * The columns can be defined (delimited) by white spaces, spaces, tabs, commas or any ASCII character or groups of characters. * There are no file length limits. * Has a short cut command line form for power users. --------------------------------------------------------------------- SHORT FORM OR COMMAND LINE FORM SYNTAX: COLS FILENAME OUTPUTCOL1 [OUTPUTCOL2] ... [OUTPUTCOL8] WHERE: FILENAME is the filespec without the extension (.TXT is assumed). The output filename will be the same FILENAME with the extension .LIS OUTPUTCOL can be any of the following three formats. 1. Any text preceded with a T. The text will be placed in the respective output column (without the T) in every output line (no spaces, commas, etc.) 2. Any input column number. The input column number specified will be placed in that output column. 3. Any valid QBASIC expression without spaces. Use Cn to represent input column n. For example C1 represents input column one. SOME EXAMPLES COLS FUN 1 2 3 TSUM C1+C2+C3 COLS FUN 1 TAVE (C1+C2+C3)/3 COLS FUN 1 TSQUARE C1^2 tbig-one c1^c1 COLS FUN 1 2^C1 I have included the file FUN.TXT so that you can checkout the above expressions (or any other expressions). Go ahead and try them out but stay in the \cols directory for now (the last example will give you a power of two table). The program should have automatically started your text editor on the output file after it generated the file. If it didn't start it or it didn't start your favorite DOS editor, go to the second to the last line of the batch file (COLS.BAT) and change the word EDIT to the name of your preferred DOS editor. To repeat the last cols command line, just type "COLS L" OR "COLS LAST". SOME SHORT CUT LIMITATIONS (Use the long form to avoid these limitations) 1. You may use only legal command line text. No embedded spaces, commas, equal signs, etc. 2. The input file columns must be delimited by any number of white spaces. 3. Input file checking is not available in the short form. 4. Interim status reports are not available in the short form. 5. You are limited to eight output columns in the short form. -------------------------------------------------------------------- LONG FORM SYNTAX: COLS The program will ask you questions and then guide you. The automatic editor start is not available in the long form. Go ahead and try it but stay in the \cols directory for now. Well what do you think? If you feel that you can use it, you can make the COLS programs available from any directory on you drive. Just type PATH at the DOS prompt and choose a directory that will be around for a long time and COPY the COLS.BAT to that directory. That's it. That's all there is to it. Please type the directory path below so that you can change the batch program if you need to later. PATH TO COLS.BAT = -------------------------------------------------------------------- REGISTRATION OF THIS SHAREWARE COLS is offered as shareware and not freeware. You may use and evaluate this version of COLS for up to 30 days. After this 30 day evaluation period, you must either register COLS by filling out and mailing in REGFORM.TXT or remove COLS (including the above COLS.BAT command) from your hard disk. You may keep it on floppies or other storage media separate from your computer as long as you do not use it. The shareware registration fee is only $5 per simultaneous user. Please feel free to pass on the program to friends, but please pass on the COLS10.EXE file since it has all the files your friends will need. Please also mention to place the COLS10.EXE in the \COLS directory and to type COLS10 from that directory and then to read this README.TXT file. This program is written in QBASIC and will only work on machines that have QBASIC (usually MS DOS versions later than 5.0). If have questions, please contact me at one of the following addresses. Chuck Bernt 22365 El Toro Rd., # 118 El Toro, Ca. 92630 U.S.A. Compuserve: 74761,3356 Internet: 74761.3356@COMPUSERVE.COM Thank you for evaluating this software.