JRFPAS.TXT : J.R. Ferguson's Pascal Library - description

Title   : JRFPAS
Release : 06
Date    : Feb 19, 2000
Author  : J.R. Ferguson, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Download: http://hello.to/ferguson
E-mail  : j.r.ferguson@iname.com

This package bundles a rich set of routines (procedures and functions)  and
object  definitions  for Borland Pascal and Delphi programmers. They may be
used and copied freely without charge. Programmers may use  the  units,  or
routines  they have derived from them, in their own programs and distribute
those programs on a commercial or non-commercial base. The library  itself,
its sources, or parts of those,  may  not  be  distributed  for  commercial
purposes.  When  in  doubt, contact the author at his e-mail address. In no
way the author can be held responsible for any damage or loss of data  that
may be caused by the use of this software.

The routines and object definitions are grouped in units,  indicated in the
table below. The meaning of the columns of this table is:
 Unit : Unit name
 Ver  : Version
 TP7  : Supports Turbo Pascal 7.0 for DOS (both real and protected mode)
 BPW  : Supports Borland Pascal 7.0 for Windows
 De1  : Supports Delphi 1.0 (16 bit)
 De3  : Supports Delphi 2.0 and 3.0 (32 bit)

 Unit    Ver TP7 BPW De1 De3 Description
 ------  --- --- --- --- --- ----------------------------------------------
 ARGLIB  3.3  +   -   -   -  Command line argument handling (DOS)
 BPVLIB  1.5  +   -   -   -  Borland Pascal Turbo Vision enhancement
 BPWLIB  1.3  -   +   -   -  Borland Pascal Object Windows enhancement
 CHRLIB  3.3  +   +   +   +  Character functions
 CONLIB  4.1  +   +   -   -  CRT console constants en routines
 CVTLIB  6.0  +   +   +   +  String <-> integer conversion routines
 DBGLIB  4.0  +   +   -   -  Debug routines
 DEFLIB  4.5  +   +   +   +  General definitions
 DIRLIB  4.0  +   -   -   -  File Control Block handling (DOS)
 DMPLIB  4.0  +   +   -   -  Hex/ASCII dump routines
 DTMLIB  2.1  +   +   +   +  Date manipulation routines
 EVLLIB  4.0  +   +   +   +  Real expression evaluation
 FLTLIB  1.2  +   -   -   -  Text filter application objects
 MATIO   4.0  +   +   -   -  Simple matrix I/O routines
 MATLIB  4.0  +   +   -   -  Matrix handling routines
 NIOLIB  4.0  +   +   -   -  Numerical I/O routines
 NUMLIB  5.0  +   +   +   +  Numerical routines
 OBJLIB  1.2  +   +   -   -  Object library base definitions
 OBTLIB  2.2  +   +   -   -  Ordered Binary Tree objects
 OPOLIB  1.0  +   -   -   -  Argument option handling objects (DOS)
 OPTLIB  2.0  +   -   -   -  Argument option handling routines (DOS)
 RNGLIB  4.0  +   +   +   +  Integer range handling routines
 RRGLIB  4.0  +   +   +   +  Real range handling routines
 RTSLIB  4.0  +   +   -   -  Run Time Statistics routines
 SCKLIB  4.0  +   +   +   +  String Check functions
 SLLLIB  2.1  +   +   -   -  Single Linked List objects
 SRTLIB  4.0  +   +   +   +  In-memory array sort routines
 STFLIB  2.2  +   +   +   +  String handling functions
 STPLIB  5.3  +   +   +   +  String handling routines
 STZLIB  2.2  +   +   +   +  String handling rountines (zero-ended strings)
 TIMLIB  5.0  +   +   -   -  Time/Date routines
 VIDLIB  1.0  +   -   -   -  Fast video display routines

The package contains the following files:
 JRFPAS.TXT    General description (this text)
 HOW2INST.TXT  Description: How to install
 HOW2HELP.TXT  Description: How to use the help system
 HOW2TEST.TXT  Description: How to test
 JRFPASU.ZIP   Compiled library units
 JRFPASH.ZIP   DOS help files
 JRFPASS.ZIP   Library unit sources
 JRFPAST.ZIP   Test program sources
 JRFPASD.ZIP   Demo program sources
 HLPTOOL.ZIP   Utilities to create and view the help files
 KEYGEN23.ZIP  Keycode table, used for creating CONLIB.PAS
 MNUGEN60.ZIP  Menu generator, used when compiling the test programs
 DTMDTS11.ZIP  Delphi test application for DTMLIB routines

All these are packed together in JRFPASnn.ZIP, where nn is a release number
for the total package. Individual souces have their own version numbers.

All units  were  compiled with Borland Pascal 7.01 (.TPU, .TPP and .TPW) or
Borland Delphi 1.0 for Windows (.DCU). Some of them  can  be  compiled  and
used  with  earlier versions of Borland Turbo Pascal. In most cases this is
specified in the source file headers. You will need at least  Turbo  Pascal
v4.0  (since  that  is the first release that supported separate units) and
for the object libraries Turbo Pascal v5.5 (the first  release  to  support
objects).

The test programs in JRFPAST.ZIP can be used  for  verification.  You  will
have  to compile them yourselve. Instructions can be found in HOW2TEST.TXT.

The help files in JRFPASH.ZIP provide the  same  information  that  can  be
found  in  comment  headers  and  interface  parts  of  the  unit  sources.
HLPTOOL.ZIP contains both a help viewer and the tools  needed  to  generate
.HLP   files   from   Pascal  unit  sources.  Read  HOW2HELP.TXT  for  more
information.

The demo program sources in JRFPASD.ZIP serve as examples. They  are  ready
to compile and run. You may want to change them to your further needs.

Comments, questions and suggestions for improvement are welcome.  They  can
be sent in English or Dutch to the author's e-mail address mentioned above.
Let me know if you like the package.


Bob Ferguson.


History:

JRFPAS06  Feb 19,2000
- Added batch compile procedures for the test programs.
- Added support for Delphi 2 and 3 (32 bit) in most units.
- Added Delphi test programs SRTTSTD and SNDTSTD.
- Changed author's Internet address
- CVTLIB v6.0: added Stf.., If.., Get.. and word conversion routines.
- FLTLIB v1.2: fixed algoritm to create output filename in T_Flt_WildApp.
- NUMLIB v5.0: added support for data type 'extended'.
- STFLIB v2.2: added StfLFill.
- STPLIB v5.3: added StpLFill, made StpFill and StpMake execute faster.
- STZLIB v2.2: added StzLFill

JRFPAS05  Dec 10,1997
- STPLIB1.ASM v5.2: Fixed bug in assembler version of function StpGtw.
- STPLIB and STPTST: Changed version from 5.1 to 5.2. No other changes.
- JRFPASU.ZIP: Deleted OPRINTER.DCU that somehow got in there by accident.

JRFPAS04  May 08,1997
- DTMTSTV v2.1: cosmetic change.
- FLTLIB: All application methods declared public.
- VIDTST v1.1, VIDDEMO v1.1: changed function Toets into Key (from ConLib).

JRFPAS03  Jan 29,1996
- CONLIB: Added TstEnhKbd function and support for function keys F11, F12.
- KEYGEN v2.3: include function keys F11 and F12.
- STPLIB and STFLIB: Textual corrections in comments.

JRFPAS02  Nov 24,1996
- Added JPFPASD.ZIP with demo programs  FDUMP,  FLOCATE,  RTSGEN,  ABBREVU,
  ABBREVV and ABBREVW.
- Added DTMDTS Delphi test application for DTMLIB.
- Added description of DTMTSTW, DTMTSTV and DTMDTS in HOW2TST.TXT.
- Small textual corrections, mostly comments.

JRFPAS01  Nov 17,1996
- First freeware release
