*/001
*H
                               HELP!
*L

(SXU) or Select Xtrac Utility was written to offer the capability of extracting
selected sections of data files. SXU accepts as input any standard ASCII
sequential file, composed of character or numerical data. The input file to
SXU cannot contain imbedded control characters, except for normal print
control characters like line feed, carriage return, form feed and so on. Input
characters such as Cntl/C will produce unpredicable results.

SXU supports a full HELP facility which is callable from any program prompt.
An SXU session can be ended from any prompt by entry of the word 'END',
which can be entered in either upper or lower case characters or a combination
of both.

SXU reads the input data file specified and creates an output extract
file with the same name as the input file, except with a default file extention
of (.SXU).
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                             HELP!
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File name specifications must be specified complete enough to allow the file
to be located by SXU. Operating systems which support multiple directories
are fully supported by SXU. File names plus directory information can be up
to 40 characters in length.

To use the file append option, care must be used in the naming of files. If
you are appending to an existing extract file produced by SXU, that file
will have a default file extension of (.SXU) unless you have renamed it.
SXU by default assigns output extract files the name of the input file plus an
(.SXU) extension.

Assume the following example:

First run of SXU, input file name was SHEET1.DTA, SXU produces an extract
file named SHEET1.SXU.

You further wish to extract from another file SHEET2.DTA and append the extract
to the existing extract file SHEET1.SXU. **The Files must be renamed.
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                             HELP!
*L

To perform the append operation in this example, SHEET2.DTA is renamed to
SHEETS.DTA and SHEET1.SXU is renamed to SHEETS.SXU.

This in effect fools SXU into appending to an existing file. Remember that
SXU outputs a file with the same name as the input file, except for the
addition of a default extention of (.SXU).

SHEETS.DTA, under normal conditions SXU will create an output file with a
name of SHEETS.SXU. With the append option invoked by the addition of the
'<' character following the input file name, SXU will try to open and
append to an existing file with the name SHEETS.SXU.

If the append option character '<' is not placed at the end of the input
file name at entry, SXU will create a new file named SHEETS.SXU which will
only contain the data from the current run. Data existing from the first
extract in file SHEET1.SXU will still be present, but will not have any
data appended to it.
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*/500
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                             HELP!
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SXU writes a Form Feed character, ASCII(12), to the extract file after
each (Stop Mark) record. This is a default, procedure, although the user
has the option of changing this character or suppressing it.

Pressing (RETURN) at this prompt will accept the Form Feed default. Entry
of 'N' or 'n' will allow you to enter a different control character.

*E
*/550
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                             HELP!
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If (RETURN) is pressed at this point, no character will be added by SXU
after each (Stop Mark) record that is written to the extract file.

If you desire to use a different character than the default (FF), ASCII(12),
then enter the ASCII number code for the character desired. Check with any
ASCII Code Table to obtain the correct ASCII number in decimal form for the
code desired. Only one character code can be entered. The character code must
be a decimal number within the range of 1 thru 254.
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*/800
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                             HELP!
*L

Certain input files may contain recurring records, an example might be page
header lines at page breaks. If recurring records are present in the input
file and it is desired to exclude them from the extract, SXU/PC provides
for the entry of from 1 thru 10 exclusion specifications. These record
specifications can be from 1 thru 20 characters in length and are entered
similar to Start and Stop mark specifications.

Example Entry Screen Format:

         LIST RECORDS TO BE EXCLUDED:
             1...5....0....5....20
          1)!Annual Report
          2)!Page
          3)!*

The above example will exclude any records which begin with the words
'Annual Report' and 'Page'. Entry is terminated by entry of the '*' symbol
to the entry prompt.
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                             HELP!
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Leading spaces must be entered if present in the line to be keyed on. Use
of the entry form (@Spaces) is not allowed, actual spaces must be entered
in the input prompt as the line appears in the input file.


*E
*/900
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                             HELP!
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SXU will not begin extract of data from the input file, until a valid Start
Mark is located. A valid Start Mark can be any combination of text or numer-
ical characters up to a maximun of 80. The Start Mark must appear within the
first 80 characters of the data record. SXU begins its start mark search at
character position (1) of each data record and reads thru the 80th. character.

Example Data Record:
                            1         2
       Column      12345678901234567890
                   Now is the time......

In the above example if the phrase (Now is the), is used for the start mark,
SXU will not begin recovery of data from the input file until it finds an
exact matching phrase. It must be noted that the start mark phrase and the
actual phrase must match character for character. Upper/lower case char-
acters must be the same, SXU does consider upper and lower case characters to
be different.
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                             HELP!
*L

Be sure when entering a start or end mark to consider the leading spaces
which may be present before the actual text. SXU considers spaces as valid
characters, therefore if the mark is preceeded by 3 spaces in the actual
record, the mark must be entered with the three spaces preceeding it, or
use the [@spaces] option.

Entry of preceeding spaces are best handled by the [@spaces], enter the
@ symbol followed by the number of preceeding spaces before the start
mark. SXU will automatically insert the correct number of spaces during its
mark search.
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                            HELP!
*L
SXU allows for entry of 32 separate start and stop markers at one time.
This allows for multiple extracts to be made from the same file, without
having to enter each start and stop mark in separate program runs.

During entry of start and stop markers, the lower right corner displays
the number of the marker being entered. To end the entry of markers the
letters 'fin' or 'FIN' must be entered in response to the start mark
prompt. If you enter the full 32 markers, SXU will accept the 32nd. mark
and automatically stop further entry.

Start and Stop marks can not be imbedded. Each matching start and stop
mark pair must be found and processed before the next mark/end mark pair
is processed.

Start and Stop Marks do not have to be entered in all cases. If the input file
is to be extracted using one set of start and stop columns and the entire file
is to be extracted, start and stop marks can be replaced with special commands
to override them.

These commands are [*B] for the start mark and [*E] for the end mark.

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                            HELP!
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Remember that to use these override commands the entire file is to be extract-
ed using a single request with start and stop columns specified.

Example:

         *B:20
         *E:30

Entry of the above to the start and stop request will produce an extract file
which will be pulled from the 20th. thru 30th. columns. The entire file will
be scanned from start to end. If a scanned record contains less than 30
columns, data from the 20th. thru the last column will be returned.

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                            HELP!
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SXU allows recovery of selected portions of selected records. If for example
it is desired to recover a column of numerical data from a file and the
desired data starts in column 10 and ends in column 15, SXU allows entry
of start and end column numbers.

To enter a start column number follow entry of the start mark with a ':'
and the colunm number.

Example:      Start Mark ==>    Line25:10

The start mark is 'Line25' and the data will be recovered starting in
column ':10'. SXU will read all input records from this column until
the end mark is reached for this example. The example is not complete,
whereas data is recovered starting in column '10' but it was desired to
stop at column '15'. In the above example the entire record is recoverd
from column '10' to the record end.

This problem is solved by entering a stop column number with the end
mark entry, using the same format as above.
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                            HELP!
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Example:     End Mark ==>  Line50:15

The end mark is specified along with an end column number. The start
/end mark pair, (Line25:10,Line50:15) will do the following.

Data records will be recovered from the file beginning with (Line25) and
data starting in column 10. Data will be read from each input record from
column 10 thru column 15 until (Line50) is processed.

If it is desired to read all data from a record beginning at some column
other than (1) but read all data to the end of each record, don't enter
a stop column, enter only the stop mark.

Start and stop column numbers can be different for each start and stop mark
set. This allows for unlimited variation in extracts, but the end column
must be greater than the start column or an error will result.

Start and stop mark pairs are processed in the order in which they were
entered and sets can not be embedded within sets. Each set must start and
end before the next set begins.
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                            HELP!
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SXU allows the user to store Start/Stop specifications in a special file
called a Parameter File (ParmFile). The format of this file is similar to
what the user is required to enter to the Start/Stop parameter input
requests. A ParmFile is created by the user with any system supported editor
which can create a standard ASCII sequential ouput file. The file must contain
only Start/Stop mark information.

The ParmFile is a list of Start/Stop mark information beginning with the first
start mark followed by a RETURN followed by the stop mark followed by the next
start mark or the 'fin' or 'FIN' termination string.

Example ParmFile:
                           1         2
  Column Position 12345678901234567890
                  --------------------
                  @4 December:12
                  @8 TOTAL
                  FIN
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*H
                            HELP!
*L

In the example ParmFile the start mark entry of (@4 December:12) is entered
just as it would be by the manual method. Followed in the next line is the
matching stop mark (@8 TOTAL). Every start mark must be followed by a stop
mark or unpredicable results will occur.

The ParmFile is ment to replace long multiple extract specifications having
to be entered by the user each time an extract is to be produced. As many
different ParmFiles can exist as user disk space will allow. It is up to
the user to assign file names and extensions to conform to his or her own
conventions.

To request that a ParmFile be input at this point, enter the word (file) or
(FILE) and press RETURN. You will be prompted to enter the file name and
location.

           Enter ParmFile (drive:\name.ext) => {name}

Entry of the word (end) or (END) will terminate SXU at this point.

*E
*/940
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                             HELP!
*L

SXU will not stop recovery of data from a specified file, until it finds
a stop mark. A stop mark can be any combination of text or numerical
characters up to a maximun of 80. The stop mark must appear within the first
80 characters of the data record for which it is specified. SXU begins its
stop mark search with character 1 of each data record and reads thru the
80th. character.

Example Data Record:
                            1         2
      Column       12345678901234567890
                   Now is the time.....

In the above example if the phrase (Now is the), is used for the stop mark,
SXU will stop recovery of data from the input file when it finds the matching
phrase. It must be noted that the stop mark phrase and the actual phrase
must match character for character. Upper/lower case characters must be the
same as SXU does consider upper and lower case characters to be different.

SXU does recover and print the stop mark record, recover ends with the
stop mark record.
*P
*H
                             HELP!
*L

Be sure when entering a start or end mark to consider the leading spaces
which may be present before the actual text. SXU considers spaces as valid
characters, therefore if the mark is preceeded by 3 spaces in the actual
record, the mark must be entered with the three spaces preceeding it.

SXU allows for entry of 32 separate start and stop markers at one time.
This allows for multiple extracts to be made from the same file, without
having to enter each start and stop mark in separate program runs.

During entry of start and stop markers, the lower right corner displays
the number of the marker being entered. To end the entry of markers the
letters 'fin' or 'FIN' must be entered in response to the start mark
prompt. If you enter the full 32 markers, SXU will accept the 32nd. mark
and automatically stop further input requests.

To END the session at this point enter the word 'end' or 'END'.
*E