USE CURSOR KEYS TO SCROLL TEXT. USE CURSOR KEYS TO SCROLL TEXT. 8-Bit Software 8-Bit Software Issue 46 Program Documentation. Issue 46 Program Documentation. Disc 2 Archive/De-Archiver Archive/De-Archiver 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. . 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