DROPCONVERT v2.2 - Manipulate, Filter and Translate Text Files
==============================================================

Copyright (c) 1998 Simon A Carter for Crystal Software

DropConvert is SHAREWARE, and may be trialed for 30 days. If you find
DropConvert useful and plan to continue using it, you must pay for it. See
the end of the file for more details. Please register on the DropConvert
mailing list by sending email to Simon Carter at launch@ozemail.com.au,
with your name and any comments.


Benefits
========

DropConvert quickly and easily takes a group of text files and applies a
set of conversion, translation and filtering operations on them.

Its myriad uses include:

    *   Cross-platform development
    *   Reading Unix or Mac mail files once transferred
    *   Reading files transferred from other Operating Systems
    *   Quick text processing
    *   Making HTML files readable without a Web browser
    *   Reducing size of HTML files for faster page loading
    *   Correcting text files incorrectly FTP'd in binary mode

DropConvert runs under Windows 95/98 and NT.


Features
========

    *   Line feed conversion from input formats of
        - DOS
        - Unix
        - Mac
        - Auto. DropConvert decides what the input format is
        automatically
        - Fixed length, used to convert fixed length records to separate
        lines. User specified length.
        
        to output format of
        - DOS
        - Unix
        - Mac
        - None (line feeds are removed)
    *   Test Mode - saves the converted files to a new name so nothing
        is overwritten
    *   Files can be quickly viewed with their associated application
    *   Many methods of adding files to the list - selected via
        wildcards on the command line, specified in the application,
        drag and drop from explorer or via a Browse dialog
    *   Now accepts /f=<filename> on the command line to include large
        lists of files that couldn't otherwise be specified. Can be used
        in conjunction with the Load List From File and Save List To
        File icons.
    *   Now accepts wildcards on the command line and in any list files.
        The wildcards are expanded during processing.
    *   Directory recursion
    *   Translation options
        - UPPERCASE, lowercase, Sentence case, Title case and tOGGLE
        cASE
        - Character representation conversion to and from ASCII <=>
        EBCDIC
        - OEM <=> ANSI conversion
        - IBM drawing character translation to +, | and -
        - Tabs to spaces (user defined spaces per tab)
    *   Can remove
        - Binary characters - removes all chars > 127
        - ANSI colour codes - removes ESC M ... ] sequences
        - blanks from End of Lines
        - blanks from Start of Lines
        - blank lines
        - HTML and SGML. Removes all text inside <> pairs
        - backspaces. Backspaces can also be fixed to remove preceding
        characters.
    *   Search and Replace. Case sensitive option. Gives length of
        search and replace string - very useful for replacement in
        binary files like .EXEs and .DLLs
    *   Option to skip binary files - with < 80% readable characters,
        either automatically or by user choice
    *   Can now prompt before processing each file
    *   Option to add prefix to every line - useful for email replies
    *   Option to retain original file's time and date
    *   Multi-threaded - so multiple large conversions can operate
        simultaneously.
    *   Can be entirely command line driven for automatation.


Installation
============

Just create a new directory for DropConvert under your c:\Program Files
directory. Extract all the files to this directory.

   c:\> cd "Program Files"    [Enter]
   c:\Program Files> mkdir "DropConvert"   [Enter]
   c:\Program Files> cd "DropConvert"   [Enter]
   c:\Program Files\DropConvert> pkunzip a:\dropconv.zip [Enter]

DropConvert will create the registry entries that it needs when it is
first run.


Creating a Desktop ShortCut
===========================

You can create a shortcut on the desktop for DropConvert and then drag and
drop files on to it for quick conversion. DO NOT put Microsoft's suggested
"%1" after the program's name or it will choke on Windows 95's long
filenames.


Creating an Explorer Context Menu
=================================

You can add a file association for DropConvert so it will appear when you
right-click on a text file.  In an Explorer window, click View\Options.
Select the "File Types" tab and the "Text Document" entry and click
"Edit". Click "New" and give it an appropriate "Action" name (like
"Convert Linefeeds") and the program path and name.  Again, DO NOT put
Microsoft's suggested "%1" after the program's name or it will choke on
Windows 95's long filenames.


How To Use DropConvert
======================

Using DropConvert is simple:

  1.   Choose the files you wish to process
  2.   There are four main methods for doing so:
     
       a)  Provide the names of the files you wish to process on the
           command line, or in a list file
       b)  Drag and drop the files from Windows Explorer either onto
           DropConvert's main window or onto its icon
       c)  Type a filespec (e.g. a:\*.txt) into the files dialog box and
           click [Add]
       d)  Click the browse button, then select a group of files and then
           click [Ok]
       e)  ...or any combination of these methods
       
  3.   The resulting file list can be edited by selecting entries and
     pressing [Delete] to remove selected entries or by pressing [Clear All] to
     remove all entries.
  4.   The [View] button can be used to display the selected file(s) in
     Notepad.
  5.   Select the desired conversion/translation options.
  6.   Click the "Start Conversion" button.
  7.   While the conversion is in progress, you can click the "Stop
     Conversion" button to cancel or use the main window to build up another
     conversion job.


Command Line Options
====================

DropConvert can be run from a DOS shell or from a shortcut with parameters
to make it run totally automatically. This is very useful for performing
conversions automatically or on machine start up (by making the short cut
an entry in the Start Up folder).


Usage:
   dropconvert [options] [wildcards]

Where [options] is zero or more of:
<wildcard>    A wildcard or filename to add to the list of files to
              process
/A<replace>   Replace string. To use a string with an embedded spaces,
              surround the whole parameter in quotes eg
              dropconvert "/Srose are blue" "/Aviolets are yellow"
/B            Skip binary files
/C<U|L|S|T|I> Case translation.
                'U' for UPPERCASE, 'L' for lowercase, 'S' for Sentence
              case, 'T' for Title Case, 'I' for tOGGLE cASE.
/D            Translate drawing characters
/E            Exit after completion - don't go to GUI - exit immediately
              after thread completion. If an error occurs, it is
              displayed.
/F=<filename> Name of a file to process for wildcards. The file should
              contain one wildcard per line eg.
              
              C:\docs\*.txt
              D:\unix\*.*
              ...etc
/G            Go! Begin conversion with specified options. You can specify
              extra options and follow them with /G again to start a
              second thread of execution.
/H<O|A>       Character set translation
                O for OEM -> ANSI
                A for ANSI -> OEM
/I            Recurse subdirectories
                +      turns on recursion
                -      turns off recursion
                blank  toggles recursion
/K[+|-]       Case sensitive search/replace.
                +      turns on case sensitivity
                -      turns off case sensitivity
                blank  toggles case sensitivity
/LF<D|M|U|A|F Line feed conversion.
[s]><D|M|U|N> Input format: 'M' for Mac, 'D' for DOS, 'U' for Unix, 'A'
              for Auto, 'F' for Fixed Length (followed by the number of
              characters per record).
              Output format: 'M' for Mac, 'D' for DOS, 'U' for Unix, 'N'
              for None.
/P<A|E>       Representation translation
                A for ASCII -> EBCDIC
                E for EBCDIC -> ASCII
/Qprefix      Line prefix. To use a string with an embedded spaces,
              surround the whole parameter in quotes eg
                dropconvert "/Q> "
/R[B|A|E|S|L| Remove
H|K|F]          A ANSI colour codes - removes ESC M ... ] sequences
                B Binary characters - removes all chars > 127
                E Blanks from End of Lines
                F Fixed backspaces
                H HTML and SGML. Removes all text inside <> pairs
                K Backspaces
                L Blank lines
                O Remove Bad EOL's
                S Blanks from Start of Lines
/S<search>    Search string. To use a string with an embedded spaces,
              surround the whole parameter in quotes eg
              dropconvert "/Srose are blue" "/Aviolets are yellow"
/T            Test mode.
                +      turns on test mode
                -      turns off test mode
                blank  toggles test mode


Registration
============

DropConvert is SHAREWARE and may be trialed for a period of 30 days. After
this time you must either purchase the registered version (for $20) or
cease using the shareware version.

Please register your USAGE of DropConvert by sending email to
launch@ozemail.com.au, with your name and address, version of DropConvert
and any relevant comments or suggestions. By registering DropConvert I can
inform you of updates or improvements and let you know when the next
version is released.

If you like and use DropConvert, how about linking to my Web site (see
below)?


Online Web Registration with Albert's Ambry
===========================================

The registered version of DropConvert can be purchased and received
immediately on the Internet, eliminating shipping and handling costs.

Direct URL:
http://www.alberts.com/Ambry/Register?File_Name=dropcv.zip&OS=Win95&Source
=AuthWWW

OR go to

  http://www.alberts.com

and search for: DropConvert

Click on the "Buy it" hotlink to register DropConvert.


Contact Information
===================

I am always happy to hear your comments! If you use and like DropConvert,
or have any suggestions for improvements, please drop me a line! Other
user's suggestions have made it what it is today.

 Email:     launch@ozemail.com.au
   WWW:     http://www.ozemail.com.au/~launch
   Fax:     +61 (3) 9800-3078
 Voice:     +61 (3) 9888-3104. After hours number. Please leave a
            contact name, number and time, and I will try to get back
            to you within 24 hours.
  Mail:     Simon Carter
            Crystal Software
            2 / 9 Woodbine Court
            Wantirna
            Victoria 3152
            AUSTRALIA.

