FOGSCAN.DOC PAGE 1 FOGSCAN, Version 3.07 (DOS), Version 2.3x (CP/M) FOG LIBRARY AND PUBLICATION INDEX SCANNER brought to you by Fog International Computer User's Group Contents: Changes from Previous Versions Files Hardware and system requirements General Description Getting Started Using Search On-Line Help Printing Color on DOS Machines Poorly Compatible DOS Machines Rebuilding DOS version index files Pretty CP/M version Color on Commodore 128 Using command line parameters Miscellaneous Information Running on a BBS Setting up the DOS version Setting up the CP/M version Files FOGSCANC.COM (CP/M 80 program) FOGSCAND.EXE (DOS program) FOGSCAN.DOC (this file) SETFGSCD.EXE (DOS program to set up FOGSCAND.EXE) SETFGSCC.COM (CP/M program to set up FOGSCANC.COM) ORDRFORM.DOC (disk order/membership application form). FogScan uses one or more data files. Each data file has a name which begins with "Fog" and ends in ".DTA". The DOS version uses optional index files; their names end in ".IDX" and ".IXP". If the index files are missing, the DOS version of FogScan can reconstruct them, provided your system has enough memory. Because of memory and disk size limitations, the CP/M version cannot use the index files at all. (c) Claude Ostyn -- 9/16/89 FOGSCAN.DOC PAGE 2 Changes from Previous Versions DOS Version: The DOS version now features indexed search, the ability to reconstruct missing data file indexes, and much faster approximate spelling search when the index files are missing. The new DOS version also allows you to print a single item, the whole file, the disk summaries only, or tagged items only. Special thanks to Steve Brammer. Hercules monochrome adaptors should now show highlighting. CP/M Version: The CP/M version now performs OR searches correctly (thank you Alan B). The setup program now sets it up correctly to run on Osborne and similar machines; the setup program can now also set up FogScan to run on Commodore 128 in color without patching or requiring a special version. Version 2.38 of the full CP/M program handles formatting and display of publication index files as well as library data. It is otherwise identical to version 2.34 and it uses the same setup program. Harware and System Requirements DOS Version: IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or close (FOGSCAND.EXE) compatible with at least 256K RAM, any display card. PC-DOS or MS-DOS 2.1x or above. CP/M version: Z80 compatible CP/M system. (FOGSCANC.COM) 48K TPA minimum. CP/M 2.2 or 3.x (FGSCNBBS.COM) A special trimmed version which only requires a 43.25K TPA is available to CP/M BBS SysOps directly from Fog. General Description The disk libraries of Fog contain thousands of files on several hundred disks. Since the library is constantly being updated, searching through a printed catalog for the kind of file you are interested in can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. FOGSCAND.EXE and FOGSCANC.COM are the PC-DOS and CP/M versions of FogScan, a program which allows you to browse and search the on-line Fog library guides. FogScan also allows you to browse and search the Fog publication indexes for FOGLIGHT and FOGHORN. (c) Claude Ostyn -- 9/16/89 FOGSCAN.DOC PAGE 3 Getting Started FogScan uses the FOG-xxxx.DTA data files compiled and regularly updated by Fog. There are data files for the DOS and CP/M libraries, and for FOGLIGHT and FOGHORN. The same data files work with the DOS and the CP/M versions of the program. Depending on whether you are running DOS or CP/M, type FOGSCAND or FOGSCANC at the system prompt. If no data file is found in the current drive and path when you start the program, you will be prompted for a path in which to find them. When you start FogScan, you first see the Fog copyright notice. If there is more than one Fog data file on the default drive, you get to choose from a list. If there is only one, FogScan opens it directly. If there is none, FogScan asks you to specify a drive or path. In the DOS version only, if the optional index files are bad or rmissing, FogScan offers to rebuild them. This takes a while, and you don't have to do it now. You can change files while FogScan is running. However, if the data files are on different disks, you should use the "Change File" command in the FogScan main menu when you change disks, otherwise FogScan may get very confused. Using Search With FogScan, you can search for specific items by name, for disks by number, or locate all the shareware programs. When looking at a publication index, you can search by author, by title or by issue. You can also look for multiple keywords. Anything in the item name or description can act as a keyword. For instance, if you look for "Edit", FogScan will show you every item where the string "Edit" appears. Case does not matter, so it will find "QEDIT" as well as "editor". If FogScan allows you to search for multiple keywords with "AND" or "OR" operators. For instance, if you look for "This or That", FogScan will find every record that contains either "This" or "That". If you look for "This and That", FogScan will find only the records that contain both "This" and "That". You can use up to five keywords with either "or" or "and" between them; you cannot mix "or" and "and" in the same search, though. If you do not specify an operator, "and" is assumed. (c) Claude Ostyn -- 9/16/89 FOGSCAN.DOC PAGE 4 Searching in the DOS version. In the DOS version, you can even look for items if you are not sure how they are spelled. For instance, you can look for "PCRite" and it will find "PC-Write". This kind of search is quite a bit slower than a normal search. To search for misspelled items, just type a space then the word "please" (without the quotes) after the name of the item you are looking for. Unfortunately for CP/M users, there is not enough memory in CP/M systems to allow this kind of search. Another feature of the DOS version is indexed search. If the correct index files were found with the data file, you see "(Indexed)" in the top window of the FogScan screen. FogScan always searches the index first. When searching the index, FogScan looks only at the beginning of the words. Every word in the file is indexed, except words such as "the" or "when". If it does not find anything in the index, FogScan asks you whether to look harder. When FogScan looks harder, it ignores the index, and the search works exactly as described in the "Using Search" section above. On-line Help Context-sensitive on-line help is available. In the DOS version, it is available at any time by pressing F1. In the CP/M version, it is available in every menu. You cannot do any damage by running the program, so the easiest way to find out how it works is to simply fire it up, play with various commands, and ask for help if you get stumped. Printing To print an item while you are looking at it, hold down the Ctrl key and press P. FogScan will advance the paper automatically when the items you print that way reach the bottom of the page. To print the whole file, hold down the Ctrl key and press A. FogScan assumes that you have continuous feed paper or a laser printer. Printing is not available if you are running FogScan through a bulletin board system. (c) Claude Ostyn -- 9/16/89 FOGSCAN.DOC PAGE 5 Tagging This facility is available in the DOS version only, and only for the library data files. When any library item is displayed, you can tag the disk number for that item by just pressing the T key. A star will appear next to the disk name to indicate that it is tagged. You can remove the tag by pressing U. Many disks contain more than one item, but only entire disks get tagged, so you may see the tag indicator on items other than those you had tagged directly. To view a list of the tagged items, press F8. The tags do not disappear if you change to another file. When you exit FogScan, you will be asked if you want to print an order form. If you answer yes, a list of all the tagged disks will then be printed along with the form. Color on DOS Machines. The DOS version runs in color with color video adapters, and in monochrome with monochrome video adapters. If you have a color video adapter but only a composite (one-color) monitor, or if you are using a laptop, the color effects will look pretty bad; some screens may even be unreadable. If you have this problem, use SETFGSCD.EXE to set up FogScan so it will always come up in monochrome. If you don't want to modify your copy of FogScan but you want it to run in monochrome, be sure to put the statement "MODE BW80" in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, or to type "MODE BW80" at the DOS prompt before running FOGSCAND. MODE.COM is a DOS program which you should have on your system diskette. Another way is to call FogScan with the parameter "BW". FogScan will then run in monochrome mode. Poorly Compatible MS-DOS Machines Some MS-DOS "compatibles" are not very compatible, and will not run FOGSCAND correctly. There is very little we can do about that, because developing a "generic" MS-DOS version would be quite expensive. In BBS mode, FOGSCAND should run on any DOS machine. See "Using command lines parameters", below, for info on how to run FogScan in BBS mode or on not very compatible MS- DOS systems. If your machine can run CP/M programs, you can also try to run the CP/M version. (c) Claude Ostyn -- 9/16/89 FOGSCAN.DOC PAGE 6 Rebuilding DOS Version Index files (DOS version only) When the index files that go with a data file are missing , or if the index files don't match the contents of the data file, FogScan offers to rebuild the index files at the time you choose the data file. Depending on the speed of your machine, this process can take up to 40 minutes for a large data file. You also need considerable room on the disk which already contains the data file (typically 100 Kbytes or so). The DOS date stamp of the index files may be different from the DOS date stamp of the data file. That's OK. Important note: You do *not* need the index files to run FogScan, but searches are much faster with the index files. Also, if you have less than 384K of RAM, the index rebuilding may fail for lack of memory. Pretty CP/M version The CP/M version of FogScan can run full-screen (without scrolling, and with highlighting when available) on any computer which can emulate an Osborne or ADM3-A terminal. Just add the keyword 'CUTE' on the command line at the CP/M prompt. You can also use SETFGSCC.COM to set up your copy of FogScan so it will always come up in this mode automatically. Color on Commodore 128 You can use the SETFGSCC.COM to set up your copy of FOGSCANC.COM to run in color on a Commodore 128 with a color monitor. Just answer "Yes" when the appropriate question comes up. (c) Claude Ostyn -- 9/16/89 FOGSCAN.DOC PAGE 7 Using Command Line Parameters: Optional command line parameters can be used in any order when you start FogScan. They are: * Screen width (a number from 52 to 80). Default is 80. * A path to locate the data files. Must contain at least one drive descriptor with a colon. Default is the current drive (and directory in DOS version). * The string 'BBS' to run the browser in BBS mode. In this mode, a CR is required after every command, ^K is used to interrupt the search (search interrupt is not available in the DOS BBS version), and the header is not displayed. Printing is disabled and is not mentioned in the on-line help in BBS mode. * DOS users can also use the parameter 'BW' to force FogScan to run in black and white on a color video adapter, or the parameter 'MSDOS' to run FogScan in 'plain vanilla' MSDOS mode. * CP/M users can use the parameter 'CUTE' to make FogScan run in full-screen mode on an Osborne or ADM- 3A compatible terminal. Examples of command line parameter usage: A>fogscan 52 B: Use 52-column screen width and look for library files on drive B. A>fogscan C:\Downloads\Fogstuff\ Look for the data file(s) in specified drive and subdirectory. \ at the end of the path is optional. The CP/M version does not understand subdirectories. A>fogscan bw Run the program in black and white (applicable only on DOS machines with a color video adapter). A>fogscan BBS F12: Run the program in BBS mode (i.e. with input/output redirection enabled) and look for data file(s) on drive F, user area 12 (user areas are a CP/M feature only). (c) Claude Ostyn -- 9/16/89 FOGSCAN.DOC PAGE 8 A>fogscan cute 52 Run the "plain vanila", unpatched CP/M version of FogScan on an Osborne 1 with 52-column screen, taking advantage of screen highlighting. Miscellaneous Information FogScan was written in Turbo Pascal by Claude Ostyn. The CP/M version is compiled with Turbo Pascal 3.0, and the DOS version is compiled with Turbo Pascal 5.0. FogScan is a copyrighted program which you can distribute and share with others as long as you do not modify it, you do not charge any fee beyond a reasonable duplication and media cost of up to $10, and you distribute ALL the files together, including this documentation file and the data files. Running on a BBS Both the CP/M and the DOS versions of the program can run on a bulletin board if the board software allows it to execute a .COM or .EXE program and to redirect normal console input and output to the remote terminal. The new DOS version fixes several problems with BBS use that caused previous versions to crash. The behavior of FogScan is a little different when it runs in bulletin board mode. For instance, you have to confirm menu choices by pressing . If you have a CP/M BBS system and FOGSCANC.COM is too large to run on it, contact the Fog office for a copy of FGSCNBBS.COM. FGSCNBBS.COM only requires 43.25K of TPA and does not have pretty video or printing. It is otherwise full-featured, with support for library data files as well as publication index files and all the normal search and browsing facilities of the full CP/M version. SETFGSCC.COM will also correctly set up the default drive/user path and default screen witdth for FGSCNBBS.COM. Just be sure that FOGSCANC.COM is not on the default drive when you run SETFGSCC. (c) Claude Ostyn -- 9/16/89 FOGSCAN.DOC PAGE 9 Setting up the DOS version Unlike earlier versions of FOGSCAN, this version now comes with a setup program which makes patching a breeze. You can set up the default path for the data files, whether or not to run in BBS mode, the screen width for BBS mode, whether or not to use color, and whether or not to allow printing. To set up your copy of FOGSCAND.EXE, you need: - Your copy of FOGSCAND.EXE, which MUST be named FOGSCAND.EXE or FOGSCAN.EXE. No other name will work. - SETFGSCD.EXE - A disk with at least 80Kbytes free. Make sure that FOGSCAND.EXE is in the default path and call up SETFGSCD.EXE. The setup program will read FOGSCAND.EXE, show you what the setup options are, and prompt you for changes. Note that the options may be different depending on whether you choose to run in BBS mode or not. You will be able to review the changes before saving the modified copy. You will also be able to cancel without making any changes. Setting up the CP/M version FogScan now comes with a setup program which makes patching a breeze. You can set up the default path for the data files, whether or not to run in BBS mode, whether or not to use full-screen video effects, whether or not to set up for a Commodore 128, the screen width, and whether or not to allow printing. To set up your copy of FOGSCAND.EXE, you need: - Your copy of FOGSCANC.COM, which MUST be named FOGSCANC.COM, FOGSCAN.COM or FGSCNBBS.COM. No other name will work. This copy must be on a disk with at least 34 Kbytes free. - SETFGSCC.COM Make sure that FOGSCANC.COM is in the default drive and call up SETFGSCC.EXE. The setup program will read FOGSCANC.COM, show you what the setup options are, and prompt you for changes. Note that the options may be different depending on whether you choose to run in BBS mode or not. You will be able to review the changes before saving the modified copy. You will also be able to cancel without making any changes. (c) Claude Ostyn -- 9/16/89  .