FILE CONTENTS:

VCASSIST.EXE is a self-extracting file that contains three files:
	
	1.	README.TXT 	This text file
	2.	VCASSIST.ICO	An icon to use with VCAssist
	3.	VCASSIST.XLA	An add-in for Excel 5.0 or greater

This version of VCAssist is for evaluation only.  After 30 days, all functions 
except help will cease to function.  Unrestricted copies of VCAssist can be 
purchased for $29.95, as described in the program's help system.  The program
is fully featured for 30 days; there are no evaluation reminder messages.


INTRODUCTION:

VCAssist (VBA Version Control Assistant for Microsoft Exce)l is intended for 
Excel VBA application developers who wish to use version control software 
during the development process.  Most version control software packages, like 
Microsoft SourceSafe, are useful primarily to track changes in the text files
that comprise the application code.  This is appropriate because with 
conventional development languages (like C, C++, Basic, and Visual Basic)
uncompiled projects are mostly (or exclusively) a collection of text files.

However, Excel VBA projects are binary XLS files that comprise VBA modules, 
VBA dialogsheets, and Excel 4 macro sheets, as well as standard worksheets and
charts.  Although the VBA modules are essentially text files, they cannot be
treated as such because they are included in the binary XLS file.

	Disassembly & Structural Documentation:

VCAssist begins by copying your project *.XLS to a new file *.XL2.  If 
problems arise, you can recover your original file from the *.XL2 version. 
(However, if you run VCAssist twice, the first rebuilt *.XLS file will be 
written onto the *.XL2 file, and so the true original will be lost unless saved
elsewhere.) After making the *.XL2 copy, VCAssist automatically extracts all 
VBA modules in the *.XLS file and writes them to separate text files.  VCAssist 
proposes names for each of the text files, but you are free to edit them.  Your 
edited names are saved for future use.

In the course of extracting the text files, VCAssist maps out all the modules
in the XLS project file by type, which is useful for tracking large projects.
VCAssist also lists all procedures (both subroutines and functions) by VBA 
module.

	Assembly:

The second major function of VCAssist is to reassemble the VBA text files 
(named *.TXT) and the one binary remainder file (named *.RMN) back into a new 
project file (named *.XLS).  The reconstructed *.XLS file is often much smaller 
than the original (which is still saved as *.XL2) because space for deleted 
program elements that was used but not released in the original is recovered.


INSTALLATION:

The easiest way to use VCAssist is simply to open VCASSIST.XLA from within 
Excel 5.  Other ways of using an addin are to copy it to the XLSTART 
directory or to install it using the Tools-Addins menu command.  

If you use VCAssist frequently, you may want to be able to launch it from the 
the Program Manager. To do so in Windows 3.x, use the File-New (Program Item) 
command, and fill the command line with something like:

	C:\EXCEL\EXCEL.EXE C:\EXCEL\LIBRARY\VCASSIST.XLA -E

(The -E suppresses the Excel logo on startup.)  To use the enclosed icon file, 
select change icon and browse to find the VCASSIST.ICO file.


OPERATION:

Once installed, VCAssist will create a background wallpaper and a 3-button
toolbar.  Access its functions using the toolbar.

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