.HELP



                                HELP File for

                              FRANK'S READER - V19

                       Copyright (c) 1993, Frank F. Yates

   This file contains a detailed description of every command and parameter
   used by Frank's Reader (FR). It is designed primarily as an on-line
   HELP reference. The commands descriptions are at the beginning of the
   file, and more general information and suggestions are at the end.

   This file is not designed to be printed, so it has no page ejects. It
   is designed to be accessed on-line from the Reader when needed. It is
   therefore structured in modules, using "." as a module mark.




.GETTING STARTED

   To learn about the Reader, I suggest that you use the Reader itself to
   examine this file, and test out each feature as it is explained here.
   To start the Reader, go to the directory where the HELP file is located
   and start the reader on it: FR HELP      (R HELP if you have renamed it)

   The first thing you might want to do in the Reader is to press F1 and
   study the Command List that will be displayed. This list is hard coded
   in the program and is always available for reference except when the Reader
   is asking you for something specific, such as a file name or a mark
   definition. To exit the Command List, press F1 again, or any other key.
   When the HELP panel is displayed, a Key-Press is not interpreted as a
   command, but just returns you to wherever you were before.

   The next thing you might want to take a look at is the Parameters Menu (P)
   to see what is available there, maybe experiment with the colors. Then
   continue reading the HELP file to the end.

.
.              ----------- DETAILS OF READER COMMANDS -----------

   Each of the Reader commands has a separate section following this one. 
   That is to make this file a convenient on-line reference. If you need 
   quick information about a particular command or parameter while you are 
   using the reader, just open the HELP file and scan the list of Headers
   to pick out the section you want, or use a Find command (f or F2).
   
   Most of the Reader commands are "Hot Keys"; just touch the key and
   get immediate action. The main exception is the DOS command prefix ".".
   That will get you a flashing cursor, at which you can type in a DOS
   command and press ENTER to execute it. If you just press ENTER after
   the "." without any command, then you will be put in the DOS command
   loop and can execute multiple commands. When you are done, enter
   "exit" to get back to the reader.

   Normally you won't see a cursor anywhere on the Reader screens. 
   This is because you are only going to touch one key at a time, and you 
   don't need a cursor. If you DO see a cursor flashing somewhere, that is a 
   giveaway that you are expected to enter a line of something and then 
   press ENTER. This will happen when you have been asked a question, and
   the answer might be more than one character long.

.ESC           Exit the Reader

   This is the command for exiting the Reader. Remember it, because there 
   is no other good way to quit. There is a safety check to guard against
   premature accidental exits. The first press of ESC produces a message
   "Quit Now?". Pressing ESC again, or the letter "Y" will terminate the
   program. Any other key will abort the exit.

.F1            HELP                    DISPLAY THE COMMAND LIST

   Many programs these days use F1 to summon on-line help, so Reader does 
   too. What you get in this case is a short list of the commands, sort of a 
   reminder list. If this isn't enough at the time, open this Help file and 
   read the more detailed explanations which are here.

   You may press F1 again to return to where you were, or any other key.


.F2            Find selected text

   In response to Function Key F2 (or the letter "f"), the Reader will ask 
   you for a string to search for. It will then look for your string from 
   the top of the current text display to the end of file. The search is not 
   case sensitive; ie. any mixture of capitals and lower-case letters will 
   be matched. The search string may contain any printable character and/or 
   blanks, leading, embedded, or trailing. When a match is found, the module 
   containing the match is selected, and the text of that module is 
   displayed with the found string on the top line.

   If the string is not found in the loaded modules, then all loaded modules
   will be scratched and the rest of the input file will be searched. If
   the KM (Keep Modules) flag is set, FR will ask your permission before
   scratching modules.

.F3            Repeat find

   The Repeat Find operation is identical to the Find operation except that
   you are not asked to define the string, and the search begins on the
   line following the current line (ie. line 2 of the text display).

.1-9           Header Line Selection   *** VERY IMPORTANT ***

   The number keys 1 thru 9 may be used to control the number of the header 
   line which is displayed in the LIST mode. When the data consists of 
   messages or other modules with a multi-line header structure, this 
   feature will be immensely helpful because it will allow you to select a 
   particular line from the multi-line header to display in the selection 
   list. Thus you can see a list of senders, addressees, subjects, dates, 
   message numbers, or whatever aspect of the message set interests you at 
   the moment. Be sure to try this feature of the Reader on a file of 
   messages.

.>             Shift Text Window Right

   This command lets you see the ends of lines which are longer than
   80 columns.

.<             Shift Text Window Left

   This lets you look more toward the beginning of lines after using
   the ">" command.

.DOS COMMANDS  How they work

   From either the LIST or the TEXT displays you may issue commands directly 
   to DOS by prefixing them with a period ".". When you press the period 
   key, a cursor will appear in the System Message area at the bottom of the 
   screen. At that point the Reader is expecting a DOS command line, and an 
   ENTER when it is complete. The command you enter will be executed and 
   control will then be returned directly to where you issued the command 
   from. If you enter just the "." with no command specified, you will 
   "Shell" to the DOS command interpreter, where you can perform complex 
   operations involving multiple DOS commands. When you are ready to return 
   to the Reader, enter "exit" at a DOS prompt.

.DELETE        Delete the selected module

   The DELETE key or the letter "D" will delete the currently selected 
   module. This command may be issued from either the Selection List display 
   or from the text display.
   
   This command deletes the selected module from memory. It does not affect 
   the input file, only Reader's working storage. If you want to delete all 
   the current data and start with a clean slate, press END instead.

.DOWN Arrow    Select the Next module, or scroll text down one line

   The DOWN arrow key is used in both the Selection List and the 
   Text mode. On the List display it selects the next module. At the 
   bottom of the list it will read another module from the input file
   unless the list is full and the "Keep Module (KM)" option is on.

   When viewing text, the DOWN arrow scrolls the display toward the 
   bottom of the module.

.END           Delete all data in memory

   This will completely erase your list of data modules. It does not affect 
   the input or output files. This command is useful in at least the 
   following three circumstances.

   * If you are about to switch to an unrelated input file and want to clear 
     out the old data.
     
   * If you have looked at everything on the list and want to read new data 
     into an empty screen.
     
   * If you are running short of string space, perhaps causing the reading 
     of new data to stop. Pressing the END key is a quick way to free up 
     lots of space.

.ENTER         Toggle between List and Text Displays

   The ENTER key is a Hot Key most of the time for the Reader. If you
   do not see a flashing cursor at the bottom of the screen, then touching
   the ENTER key will produce instant action. It will swap the display
   from the selection List to viewing text of the selected module, and
   vice-versa.

   I you do see a flashing cursor, then FR is expecting a line input
   from you, which may be one or more characters long depending upon
   the context. Text may then be entered as on a command line, and
   backspace may be used to make corrections. When your line entry
   is finished, pressing ENTER will begin the operation on your entry.

.HOME          Rewind the Input File

   The HOME key closes the current input file, re-opens it, and begins the 
   reading of new data from the beginning of the file. The input will be 
   added to the bottom of the list of modules in memory, so in effect the 
   file is "wrapped". You can cycle thru it as many times as you wish by 
   pressing HOME at the End-of-File. Or, you can start over at any point. 
   You don't have to go to the end first.

.I             Select or Change the INPUT file

   When you press "I" the Reader will close your present input file (if any)
   and list the files in the current directory. You will then be asked to 
   enter the name of the file you wish to open. Entering a null line at this 
   point aborts the input request. If the file you want is not in the 
   current directory, you may include the path to a different directory.

   More elaborate directory operations are not provided within the (I)nput
   command, but from the List or Text mode displays you may enter direct
   DOS directory commands with all the options, and you may change the
   active directory also when desired.


.K             CLOSE the Input File

   This command is provided so that you can close the input file prior to
   deleting it, or performing some other operation inconsistent with an
   open file. It is usually possible to shell out to an editor and modify
   the input file without closing the file from FR, however you should limit
   your next action to scratching the list and re-reading the file
   (END + HOME). Attempting to continue reading in a modified input file
   may have unpredictable results.

.LEFT Arrow    Display Text of the Previous Module

   The Left Arrow key, when in text mode, jumps to the previous module.
   It will only go back as far as the top of the selection list. To go
   backwards further in the file, you need to rewind (Home Key).

.O             Select or Close the Output File

   The "Output" file is the one the Reader will write to when you issue a 
   Save command (press the letter S). Its name is displayed on the right 
   side of the top line of the Selection List. You may change this file any 
   time by using the "O" command.
   
   The first action taken when you issue "O" is to close the current output 
   file. This is required prior to opening a new output file. If you only 
   want to close the current output file but not open a new one, enter a 
   null line when the Reader asks you for the file name. Closing the file 
   flushes the most recent lines out of memory and releases the file. This 
   is necessary to do if you are going to read or write to that file with 
   another program.
   
   The output file (if any) is closed automatically when you exit the reader 
   normally (ESC), so you need not think about closing it unless you are 
   accessing it via DOS commands while the Reader is still running.

.P             Parameters

   Frank's Reader has a number of parameters controlling its operation
   which you can adjust according to your needs and preferences. This may
   be done on-line thru the Parameter Menu (P), and the start-up values
   can be specified in the parameter file "FR.PAR". Be sure to read
   about FR.PAR in "READ.ME". There is also information about parameters
   in the FR.PAR file itself, which is an ordinary text file.

   The effect of parameters entered on-line or via FR.PAR is the same
   for every parameter except "MARK". On-line setting a value for MARK
   has immediate effect, whereas the FR.PAR file has multiple MARK
   definitions, forming a list from which FR recognizes marks in new
   input files.

.Page-Down     View the next page of text (if any)

   If a module is less than 24 lines in length, you will see it all when it 
   is first selected, however some modules will be longer than that. The 
   fastest way to see more text is to "page" thru it with the Page-Down and 
   Page-Up keys.

.Page-Up       View the previous page of text (if any)

   If a module is less than 24 lines in length, you will see it all when it 
   is first selected, however some modules will be longer than that. The 
   fastest way to see more text is to "page" thru it with the Page-Down and 
   Page-Up keys.

.RIGHT Arrow   Display Text of the Next Module

   The  Right Arrow key, when in text mode, jumps to the next module.
   This is the fastest way to scan thru a file if you want to take a
   quick look at everything rather than selecting modules from the list.

.SPACE Bar     Start or Stop Scrolling of Selection List or Text

   When you are viewing the Selection List, pressing the Space Bar will 
   start the reading of additional data from the input file. New modules 
   will be added to the bottom of the list, and old modules will be scrolled 
   off the top in the normal mode. Pressing the Space Bar again will stop 
   the scrolling.
   
   If you have specified "KM=Yes" then scrolling will stop when the list of 
   headers is full. You will have to delete some modules in order to read 
   more data from the input file.
   
   When you are viewing the text of the selected module, the Space Bar 
   controls scrolling of the text.
   
   The scrolling speed of either display is controlled by the SPEED 
   parameter, which may be adjusted via the PARMS Menu or via the Parameter 
   file (FR.PAR).

.S             SAVE the selected module

   Pressing the letter "S" saves the currently selected module to the
   current Output file. You may issue this command while you are looking
   at the Selection list, or while looking at text. Saves are always added
   to the end of files if they exist, and never overlay data.
   
   The output file name is displayed on the top of the Selection List. You 
   can select, change, or close the output file by the "O" command. If you 
   have not selected an output file prior to issuing a save command, the 
   Reader will ask you at that time for the Output file name.

.UP Arrow      Select the previous module, or scroll text up one line

   The UP arrow key is used in both the Selection List and the Text mode.
   On the List display it selects the previous module, higher on the list, 
   until the top. The reader will not back up beyond the top of the list. To 
   see earlier modules, you must hit "Home" and start over again from the 
   beginning of the file.

   When viewing text, the UP arrow scrolls the display toward the top
   of the module.

.
.---READER PARAMETERS

   The parameters in FR.PAR control aspects of the Reader performance.
   All of the parameters included in the file are required for proper
   operation. The values specified in the original FR.PAR that comes
   in FR19.ZIP are starting values which produce a workable configuration.
   You may change any of these as desired.

   The easiest way to select parameter values for your use is to test
   them on-line via the Parameter Menu. When values are found which 
   satisfy, then shell out of the Reader to your editor and change
   the defaults in FR.PAR. The changed values will then be the new defaults.
   Notice that the Parameter Menu has a secondary menu for Color adjustment
   which is accessed by "C". This one includes a display of all the
   available colors, so you do not have to look up the meaning of the
   various color numbers.

   All parameters are specified in Keyword form (Name=Value). Some are
   numerical, and some are logical (Yes/No), which may be specified as
   Y or N if desired. Logical parameters may also be reversed on-line
   by just entering their name from the Parameter Menu. For example,
   if the Automatic Mark Recognition flag is "YES", you may change it
   to NO by just entering "AM".

.AM=Y/N        Automatic Mark Recognition Flag

   If Yes, the first line of each input file is examined to see if it begins
   with one of the default Header Marks. If so, that mark becomes the active
   Mark for the file. If the AM Flag is No, then the current Mark (whether 
   set automatically or manually) remains in effect until changed manually 
   or until the AM Flag is set to Yes and a new file is opened. The 
   automatic mode is probably the most useful, but there are times when it 
   is desirable to control the mark manually. At such times, turn the AM 
   flag off.

.COLORS        FC, BC, HFC, HBC, MFC, MBC, SFC, SMC
   
   There are eight color options that you may choose for the Reader Display
   The colors are controlled by numbers.
   
   You don't have to memorize the color numbers or look them up because the 
   actual colors are displayed with the numbers on the PARMS menu. What you 
   see is what you get. Foreground colors may be in the range of 0 to 15, 
   and background colors in the range 0 to 7. The background colors 8 thru 
   15 are duplicates of the colors 0-7, but for foreground colors you get 16 
   different choices.

   The color symbols that you may assign numbers to are the following;

   FC, BC    List or Text display, foreground and background
   HFC, HBC  Highlighted (selected) items, foreground and background
   MFC, MBC  Menus, foreground and background
   SFC, SBC  System message colors, foreground and background

.KM=Y/N        Keep Modules

   The "Keep Modules" flag ("Yes" or "No") determines whether or not data 
   modules once loaded into memory will be kept until manually deleted. The 
   suggested default is No, which allows modules to scroll off the top of 
   the header list as new modules are read into the bottom position. This 
   mode is convenient for looking thru a large file to pick out items of 
   interest, and is required if you are searching for a string with "Find" 
   and want to search the entire file. The other mode (Yes) requires 
   positive action on your part to delete a module from memory. This mode is 
   useful if you want to make some decision with respect to every module in 
   the file, missing nothing.

.LL=n          Length of the Selection List

   This parameter limits the number of modules which will be loaded at once,
   and therefor the length of the Selection List. The valid range is 1 to 19.
   See comments near the end of this HELP file regarding long modules.
   It is useful when dealing with files containing very long modules.

.MARK=mark     Select the current Header Mark

   The "Header Mark" is the character or characters which are used by the 
   Reader to identify the beginning of a new data module. When it finds the 
   Mark at the beginning of a line of text, it knows that that the previous 
   module has ended and a new one has begun. The marks are entirely 
   arbitrary, you may choose anything you wish, and they may vary from file 
   to file. It is only necessary that in any one file the selected mark does 
   not appear at the beginning of any line which is not a header. A Mark may 
   contain special characters, small letters or capitals, numbers, and 
   blanks (leading, trailing, or embedded). On the PARMS Menu the current 
   Mark is displayed between two angles > < so you can tell where the blanks 
   are, if any.
   
   When the Reader opens a new input file it searches its list of default 
   marks (which you gave it in your Parameter file, FR.PAR) to see which one 
   corresponds with the beginning of the first line of the new file. If it 
   finds a match, it will use that mark for that file, and you will never 
   hear about it. If the Reader does not identify a mark, it will display a 
   few lines from the new file and ask you to tell it what Mark to use.
   
   Aside from the above, you may change the active Mark at any time on the 
   Parms Menu. You might want to do this, for example, if you had two or 
   more different sets of marks in a file to demark different groupings of 
   the data. It is possible to read a variety of modules into the list using 
   different marks. Once a module has been loaded, the identification mark is 
   no longer pertinent since the data management structure defines the 
   boundaries of each module.

.More=n        Length at which input modules are split

   "More" is the length at which input modules are split into parts. This
   is provided to make handling of very long modules more convenient and
   to help prevent exceeding FR's storage space. When an input module exceeds
   the "more" limit, it is split into parts. This occurs in the Reader
   only, and does not affect the input file. Each new part begins with
   a special header line consisting of just the MARK and "+". This
   convention makes the List easy to read, and if the modules are
   re-combined in an output file, the inserted headers are unobtrusive
   and easy to find.

.Music=Y/N     Enable the musical tunes at Sign-On and Sign-Off

   You may like these little tunes, or you may want to turn them off.

.SC=Y/N        Show Count     (Optional Header Line Prefix)

   When the SC flag is Yes, the line count of each module is displayed in 
   the Selection List as a prefix to each entry. This is useful when the 
   modules are of widely varying sizes and you want to know how big each is.
   
   This prefix affects only the Reader Selection List display. It does not 
   affect the text display, and it does not affect the format of any modules 
   which are saved to another file.

.SM=Y/N        Show Mark      (Optional Header Line Prefix)

   When the SM flag is Yes, the Header Identification Mark is displayed in 
   the selection list as a prefix to the module Headers, otherwise it is
   removed. This also affects the TEXT display, but not the input file
   itself, which is never changed by FR unless you open it for output.
   Also, when modules are copied, they are always identical to the input
   modules, regardless of any display editing done within FR.

.Speed=n       Scrolling Speed (for Selection List or Text scrolling)

   The range of the Speed parameter is 1 to 1000000 (1E6). You may enter 
   the digits or the exponential form. There is a wide range of speed 
   control because of the difference in the speed of various computers and 
   the different preferences of users. The slowest is 1, and the fastest is 
   1E6 (1000000). It is recommended that you not set Speed lower than 50
   unless your computer is _Very_ fast.

   The best setting of this parameter will depend upon how fast your
   computer is and upon whether you want to read the lines as they are
   scrolling, or just want to advance down the module.
   
   Scrolling of the Module List will always be slower than scrolling of
   Text because much more computer work is involved. Set the Scrolling
   speed from the Text display. The module list then will scroll not
   faster than this.
.
.---OTHER INFORMATION

   Following is additional information on various topics to further
   explain things. Some of this will become obvious from using the reader,
   and some of it you will never need. You might want to have a quick
   try at using the reader, and come back to this later if you have
   questions or just want a better understanding of how it works.


.List of Modules

   As soon as you have selected an input file, the Reader will load modules 
   from the input file until the module list is full. The maximum length of 
   the list is specified by a parameter (LL), which is initially 19. You 
   will see the first line from every module, but you may look at the
   second, or third, etc. line by pressing the number keys 1-9. This
   feature is useful for message files, which have multi-line headers.

   One of the modules will be highlighted, indicating the "selected" module. 
   This is the one that you will see the text of if you press ENTER. You may 
   select a different module from the list by using the UP and DOWN arrow 
   keys. If you press the DOWN arrow from the bottom header, Reader will 
   scroll the entire list up by one and read a new module into the bottom 
   position. You may start continuous scrolling thru the file by pressing 
   the SPACE Bar, and stop it by pressing SPACE again. Modules scrolled off 
   the top of the screen are discarded from memory, and are inaccessible 
   unless you start over again from the beginning of the file, which you can 
   do by pressing the "Home" key.
   
   If you want to prevent modules from being scrolled off the top of the 
   list, you can do this by going to the Parms Menu (P) and entering "KM", 
   for "Keep Modules". You will see the parameter value change from "No" to 
   "Yes", and after that you must delete modules to make room for new ones 
   if you need it. Entering "KM" again toggles the mode back to the initial 
   condition.

.Text Display

   If you press the ENTER key while viewing the Selection List, you will see 
   the text of the selected module, or the beginning of it (if a long 
   module). The first 23 lines of the module (module) will be displayed. If 
   the display is complete, an internally generated "--- end ---" mark will 
   appear at the end of the module display. If you don't see this, then you 
   know there is more data, which can be seen by pressing the SPACE Bar to 
   scroll to it, or thru use of the Down Arrow or Page-Down keys. Scrolling 
   may be started and stopped with the SPACE Bar as desired, and the Up 
   Arrow or Page-Up keys may be used to look at earlier text in the selected 
   module. At the top of the module there will be a slight Tick in the 
   speaker to indicate that you have reached the beginning of data.

.Data Format

   The Reader operates exclusively upon ASCII text files. No hidden control 
   characters are used. This means that you can create and modify the input 
   and output files from the Reader using your familiar text Editor. There 
   are lots of good text editors. If you don't have a favorite, I recommend 
   "SLED" by Sam Wilmott, which is available on most BBS's. SLED is 
   shareware for $15, but unfortunately Sam's whereabouts are unknown, so 
   there is no way you can send him the money. Hopefully he will show up 
   some day and claim his just rewards.
   
   For Frank's Reader to work on a file, it must have some regularly
   repeating structure which can be identified. Some files, such as
   message files from BBS's are this way by nature, and Frank's Reader
   can process them without any modifications. Other files, such as
   document files may have a regularly occurring header structure which
   can be used, or you may need to use your text editor to insert some
   module marks into the file.

.Input File

   The input file for the reader can be specified as a command line operand, 
   or you may enter "I" at any time to open a new input file. You will get a 
   list of the files in the current directory as an aid in your choice. This 
   command may be aborted by entering a blank line. Any current input file 
   which may be open will be closed by a new (I)nput command.
   
   The name of the current input file is displayed on the top line of the 
   Selection List. If the top line shows "IN:" with no file name, then no 
   file is open for input.
   
   Data which has been loaded from the current or previous files will remain 
   in memory, and will not be affected by opening a new input file.
   
   If you select your current Output file for input, the Reader will 
   automatically close it for you first. No file can be open simultaneously 
   for input and for output from the Reader.

.Output File

   The Reader "Output" file is optional. It is needed only if you execute a 
   "Save" command during your session. The output file may be specified in 
   the following ways:

   1. You can specify it as the second parameter from the command line when 
      you start the Reader (eg: >R infile outfile)
      
   2. You can use the "O" command at any time to select, change, or close 
      the output file. When you enter "O" the Reader first closes the 
      current output file (if any). Then it asks you for a new output file 
      name. If you reply with a null line, Reader operation will resume 
      without any output file open.

   This might be something you would want to do in some cases. It would be
   necessary prior to invoking an editor on the output file for example, or
   you might want the extra protection it would give you in case of a system
   crash. It would also prevent you from accidentally saving additional
   modules to the file after you are finished with it.

   If after an "O" command you give the Reader a valid new file name, it will
   open that file for subsequent saves. You will see the change in the Top
   Line of the Selection List Display.

  
.Large Files

   If a file has more modules than the length of your selection list
   (set by LL in the range from 1 to 19), then not all of the file can
   be loaded or displayed at once. You will work thru the file sequentially.
   Several modes of operation are possible, depending upon your objective.
   If you are reading thru the file for information, then KM (Keep Modules)
   should be off. This will cause the oldest modules to be scratched
   from memory as you advance down the list.

   If you are searching for certain modules, using a Find command, then
   KM should be off as well.

   If you intend to take some positive action with respect to every module
   and be sure not to miss any, then KM should be OK, to prevent modules
   from being scrolled off the list inadvertently. In this case you must
   manually delete modules when the list is full in order to make room
   for new ones.

.Large Modules

   A small module can be displayed entirely on the computer screen. The 
   Reader will display the first 23 lines from each module that is selected. 
   If there are more than 23 lines in a module (often the case), you can use 
   the standard keys to examine it. UP and DOWN arrow keys will move the 
   text up or down one line at a time. Page-Up and Page-Down keys will page 
   thru the text with no overlap. In addition, scrolling is provided, 
   similar to that for the Headers. Just press the SPACE Bar to start and 
   stop the scrolling. The scrolling speed, applicable to both Headers and 
   Text, is an adjustable parameter.
   
   Modular files are most useful if the modules are not too big. Once an 
   individual module is longer than two or three screens, then you begin to 
   lose easy access to its contents. It is recommended that as you design or 
   edit modular files, keep the modules small.
   
   The reader has storage space for about 700 lines of average length. Most 
   modular datasets have modules short enough to permit 19 of them to be 
   loaded into FR. If you encounter a file however which has multiple large 
   modules, you may not be able to load all of them at once. There are 
   several ways to handle this situation.

   1. Keep an eye on the lower left of the screen while modules are being
      read. If the free space drops below 300 lines, a message will appear 
      there showing the number of additional lines which can be loaded. If 
      this number drops below the size of the largest module expected in the 
      input dataset, then you can stop loading by pressing the SPACE Bar.

   2. Set the "More" limit to automatically split modules into small enough 
      pieces that the list will fill up before storage space runs out. More 
      = 75 may work if there are not too many long modules. The best value 
      for "More" depends upon the material. If you run out of space, make 
      More a little smaller.
     
      NOTE: FR will automatically stop loading modules when the free space
      falls to "More" lines + 50. Thus making "More" smaller helps you
      in two ways: 1. It makes the loaded modules smaller, and 2. It
      reduces the threshold at which loading stops.

   3. Reduce the length of the list. If the list is only half as long,
      then the modules can be twice as long, etc. In the limit, you
      could have LL = 1, which would permit the entire available storage
      space to be allocated to a single module. This mode of operation
      would give you no list-selection capability at all, but might be
      appropriate for using "Find" to locate modules in a file containing
      some excessively long modules. This is probably the best option
      if you know what you are looking for and can use FIND rather than
      making a selection from the Module List display.

.Line Limit

   The Reader can handle just over 1200 lines total. You will never see
   this limit unless you load modules containing many very very short lines.
   There can be such files, such as assembly source code. For such material
   more=100 should keep you from running out of lines.

.
.---PROCESSING METHODS

    The following sections contain suggestions for the use of the
    reader with various kinds of material. This should not be considered
    a complete exposition of all the ways in which the reader might
    be used, but only a few ideas to get you started.


.Document Editing

   The most convenient way to use Frank's Reader when preparing a document
   is to start with the Reader as your operating platform from which to
   review the document as it emerges, and invoke your editor to make additions
   and changes as required. For example, as I am revising this HELP file for
   Version 10, I am running the Reader to look thru the document to see what
   needs to be changed. When I see something, I just shell to the editor
   to fix it, and then return to the Reader to continue.

   You could use your editor as the first program, and shell to the Reader
   for periodic reviews, but I think I like the first way better.

   You can use the Reader to re-arrange the order in which the modules occur.
   Just write them out to a different file in the desired order. If the file
   has more than 19 modules, you might want to split it into parts first.


.Selection and Sorting

   To Re-order the modules in a file, write them to a new file in the desired
   order, deleting each as it is written out, so that the input list is
   consumed and every module is copied just once and only once. If you don't
   delete each after you write it out, you run the risk of doing one twice
   or of missing one altogether.

   To sort a large file into several smaller files, you probably should turn 
   off the scrolling discard (KM=Yes), and work thru the file one module at a 
   time, changing the output file as often as you have to.

   You can use the Reader to collect selected modules of information from a
   variety of different files and to combine them into a new output file.
   You can retain some of the modules in memory if you wish, since the 
   input operation is additive (new input goes to the bottom of the current
   list). Otherwise, you can use the new output file as the collection pot
   and wipe your Reader list clean (END key) before reading each new file.

.Messages to and from a BBS

   FR makes a very convenient tool for reading and sorting batches of
   messages from a BBS. You can read thru the file and save selected
   messages to different files as you go. All saves from FR are 
   "Append"s, which means that the new module is added to the end of
   the output file instead of overlaying it.

   The structure of message headers from BBS's varies with their software 
   and the configuration used. The sample Parameters file (FR.PAR) includes 
   the marks which are used by some of them. For others you will need to 
   look at a sample message to determine the appropriate mark to be included 
   in your FR.PAR file.

   From PCBoard Bulletin Board Systems you have a variety of options for 
   reading messages. The easiest, and perhaps the best, is to read them 
   directly from the BBS with (R)ead commands. If the number of messages is 
   few, it is easiest use the "NS" option (Non-Stop), and just capture them 
   in your communications program log file. If there will be a lot of 
   messages, it is faster and safer to use the "Z" (ZIP) option to have them 
   compressed at the BBS and downloaded to you as a file using your best 
   file transfer protocol.

   There is a great variety of message selection possible. Far too much
   variety to explain here. It is recommended that you study the Message
   Read options of your BBS carefully. It will be time well spent.

   Aside from getting messages directly from the BBS, it is possible at
   most BBS to get them thru an auxiliary program called a "MAIL DOOR".
   A door will collect messages for you and send them in a special format
   called a "QWK Packet". The only real advantage of the QWK packet vs
   original BBS messages compressed is that there are Off-Line "Mail Readers"
   which process these packets and can reply to messages contained in them
   in a convenient manner. The Mail Reader will collect your replies into
   a special file called a "REP Packet", which is very similar to the QWK.
   The REP packet can be uploaded to the BBS as a file, and this is much
   faster and safer than trying to upload messages thru the BBS Message
   Editors. These REP packets can be uploaded directly to the BBS as
   well as thru the DOOR.

.Replying to Messages

   When reading new messages from a BBS it is convenient to save those you 
   want to answer in a "REPLY" file, which you can then edit later to make 
   replies out of. If you insert a one line header at the top of each reply, 
   the utility program "WRITEREP" can convert your REPLY file into a "REP" 
   packet, which you can then upload to the BBS directly (via QWK U), or 
   thru a "Mail Door", and then your batch of messages will be installed
   in the BBS message base as if you had typed them in one by one on-line.
   
   REPUTIL5.ZIP is a freeware package containing WRITEREP and its 
   companion program "READREP", which can also read QWK packets.
   This software should be available anywhere you find Frank's Reader.
   
   For CompuServe replies, you can insert message routing commands into
   your REPLY file and send the whole thing up in one ASCII Upload. See
   "FAST.DOC" in Library 1 of the PRACTICE FORUM for details.

   For some BBSs, it may be necessary to break out each message into a
   separate file and upload them one at a time into the Message Editor,
   entering the routing information by hand for each message. Fortunately
   this doesn't happen very often, as most BBS software these days has
   the ability to accept input messages in batches.

.CompuServe

   Compuserve transmits its messages primarily in ASCII. Other transmission 
   modes are available, but they are outside the scope of this document. You 
   just turn on the "Capture" feature of your communication program and 
   issue the appropriate commands to cause the messages to be sent. The best
   command is probably "MES;SEL;ALL;ALL" because that puts the messages in 
   order by thread and by section. For details and help on working with 
   CompuServe Forums, go to the Practice Forum (GO PRACTICE), read the files
   available there, read the messages, and talk with the SYSOPS. They make 
   it all seem easy.
   
   Once you have captured a file of Compuserve Messages, it is possible to 
   view that file directly from Frank's Reader. It would be better to edit 
   out the messages to a separate file however to reduce the size of the 
   file and so that the file would begin with a message. If line 1 is the 
   beginning of a message then FR can automatically recognize the file 
   format. Otherwise you will have to enter the Header Mark to be used (#: 
   for Compuserve).

