APPT Appointment Minder v1.30. Put in
AUTOEXEC and it effortlessly presents
today's appointments and automatically
updates your datafiles. PgUp/Dn &
print display. Internal editor. Logs
past appointments, personalizes colors
and recognizes international dates. A
great office tool.
Written in ASM; small and fast!

-----------------------
A P P T
-----------------------
Appointment Minder
Version 1.30













APPT Program Documentation
01/January/1994













James Corpening
GymusWhere?
1093 Elmwood Avenue upper
Buffalo, NY 14222-1225



Copyright 1992-1994 by James Corpening
All rights reserved





C O N T E N T S

Registration Form........................................................ 3

Preliminary Information.................................................. 4
Quick Set-up
The Package
Registration

Legalities............................................................... 6
Copyright Information
License Information
Disclaimer

Shareware................................................................ 7

Introduction............................................................. 8

System Requirements...................................................... 9

Understanding and Using APPT............................................. 9
Viewing Window
Editing Window
No-Data Window

Additional Information...................................................12
DataFiles
Configuration
Switches
Errors

Appendix.................................................................18















APPT Appointment Minder
Copyright 1992-1994 by James Corpening
All rights reserved



- 2 -

R E G I S T R A T I O N F O R M

-----------------------
A P P T
-----------------------
Appointment Minder
Version 1.30


Name: _______________________________

Company: _______________________________

Address: _______________________________

_______________________________

City, State, Zip: _______________________________

Day Phone: (_____)________________________

E-Mail ID and Address: _______________________________

Today's Date: ____/____/____

Where did you acquire APPT?________________________________________________

____________________________ If BBS, Phone:(_____)__________________

Number of copies to register ______ x $10.00 per copy = $____________
For a site license or for quantities over 10, contact me for pricing.

Please make payment to James Corpening.
Send a check or money order (US Dollars, US Bank) to:

James Corpening
GymusWhere?
1093 Elmwood Avenue upper
Buffalo, NY 14222-1225

Shortly after you register, you will receive instructions to eliminate
the shareware notice on, and personalize, your copy of APPT.

Thank you for your honesty. Please recycle and don't litter.

Comments are very welcome: __________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

- 3 -

P R E L I M I N A R Y I N F O R M A T I O N

----------Quick Set-up----------

This explains how to get APPT Appointment Minder up and running--quickly.
If you have read the APPTREAD.ME file, you are already in-gear. Nevertheless,
you should read the remainder of APPT.DOC to fully understand APPT.

Go to the subdirectory in which APPT.COM resides, type APPT and press [Enter].
Assuming that you've not created the data file APPT.DAT, you will receive an
error:

** ERROR **
Please refer to APPT.DOC for clarification of the following:
Error Opening APPT.DAT--Cannot find appointments

Press any key to exit...

Press any key. Again, type APPT [Enter] and you will meet APPT Appointment
Minder. APPT has created an empty data file entitled APPT.DAT. You have,
however, no appointments. Press [F5] to start the APPTEDIT, the internal
editor. Now enter today's date in MM-DD format. Be sure to place the date
in the first five positions on the line--THIS IS ESSENTIAL. Go ahead and
type a bit more after the date. If you wish to play, enter some text on the
lines above today's date; this will show you how APPT works.

Now save your data file by pressing [F9]. When the checkmark appears beside
[F9], press [Esc] to exit APPTEDIT, then [F10] to exit APPT. Now you are
ready to run APPT again and see APPT work. Have fun.

----------The Package----------

APPT Appointment Minder is an easy-to-use appointment reminder program that
retrieves your appointments from a standard text-file, starting with the
first occurrence of today's date. APPT is most useful when run from your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file at system start-up, thereby offering you an almost hands-off
method of maintaining your daily schedule. The APPT Appointment Minder
package includes the following files:

Filename: Size: Date: Description:

APPT.COM 7,831 01/Jan/94 APPT Appointment Minder v1.30
APPT.DOC 44,970 01/Jan/94 APPT operation manual
APPTREAD.ME 1,440 01/Jan/94 Quick set-up guide
APPT.SMP 441 01/Jan/94 Sample data file
APPT.REG 1,917 01/Jan/94 APPT Registration Form
APPT-REG.BAT 34 01/Jan/94 Batch file to print APPT.REG
APPT-DOC.BAT 34 01/Jan/94 Batch file to print APPT.DOC
APPTHIST.TXT 1,566 01/Jan/94 Upgrade history
CURSOR.COM 11 01/Jan/94 Replaces cursor after APPT abort
FILE_ID.DIZ 331 01/Jan/94 Description file
DESC.SDI 331 01/Jan/94 Description file

- 4 -

If your package lacks any of these files, you should try to obtain the
complete package. If that is not possible, I hope that you have at least
the following: APPT.COM, APPT.DOC, and APPT.SMP. Those three files will
suffice in allowing you to productively use APPT.


----------Registration----------

Registration of APPT is very easy and inexpensive. As you receive it, APPT
is completely functional. The only difference between unregistered and
registered versions of APPT is the inclusion of shareware information in the
unregistered version and personalization of the registered version. After
registration, you will receive instructions to disable the shareware labeling.

Registration is only $10.

Please complete the registration form on Page 3 of this manual (or print
the registration form as you exit APPT) and send a money order or check
(US funds, US bank), payable to James Corpening, to:

James Corpening
GymusWhere?
1093 Elmwood Avenue upper
Buffalo, NY 14222-1225





























- 5 -

L E G A L I T I E S

----------Copyright Information----------

United States Copyright Law is intended to protect authors from unauthorized
use of their work. APPT Appointment Minder is copyrighted by James Corpening
and GymusWhere? That means that APPT.COM and APPT.DOC belong to James
Corpening, and are protected under United States Copyright Law and the
agreements of the Berne Convention. You may legally make NO modifications
to APPT.COM nor to APPT.DOC. Furthermore, you may use APPT Appointment
Minder only under the conditions of the following license.

----------License Information----------

As an end-user, you are granted a license to evaluate APPT Appointment Minder
for 28 days. After 28 days, if you decide to continue using APPT, you must
register your copy. If, however, you decide that APPT can not serve you well,
you must discontinue use. Once registered, you gain the privilege of using
APPT through version 2.99. The per-copy registration fee registers only one
copy of APPT, meaning that you may place and use said copy of APPT on any
computer as long as it does not simultaneously reside on another computer.
You must register one copy of APPT for each computer on which APPT will reside.
Registered or unregistered, you may distribute ONLY the complete, unmodified
shareware package. This license also allows you to duplicate the APPT package,
as described above, for archival or distribution purposes only. If you can
not agree to the conditions set forth in this license, please do not use APPT.

Unregistered use of APPT beyond 28 days violates this license and United
States Copyright Law [17 USCA Section 102 et seq.], and subjects you
(individual or company) to severe criminal liability.

Registration fees and distribution fees are distinctly different. The APPT
package may be licensed only by GymusWhere? and James Corpening. If you paid
someone other than James Corpening or GymusWhere? for APPT Appointment Minder,
you paid for the distribution only--not registration. Licensing of this
software by any other individual or company is illegal. This software may,
however, be distributed by parties other than GymusWhere? or James Corpening,
in which case only the complete, unadulterated shareware package may be
distributed. If distribution fees are charged for this package, the
distributor must first procure written consent from James Corpening;
thereafter, said fees are limited to charges for distribution and/or diskette
only.

APPT is a very helpful tool that may be best used in a business environment.
If you wish to discuss registering many copies of APPT, or gaining a site
license, please feel free to contact me at any one of the addresses below.

----------Disclaimer----------

APPT Appointment Minder and related files/programs are accompanied by no
warranty, explicit or implicit. Neither GymusWhere? nor James Corpening


- 6 -

may be held responsible for missed appointments, lost data, lost profits,
or any damages resulting from the use of APPT Appointment Minder and
related files/programs. Careful effort has been made to produce a quality
product. Nevertheless, hardware, software, and user variability cannot be
totally accounted for. Every user should, therefore, thoroughly test this
package with non-important data. SELLER LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO REFUND OR
PRODUCT-REPLACEMENT.

S H A R E W A R E

The shareware approach to software marketing is a great concept that, if
adhered to, benefits both endusers and programmers. Shareware products are
programs of quality, no less than retail-marketed products. In fact, many
retail-marketed software products were born as shareware. The success of
shareware is dependent on the good nature of its users.

The strategy is simple. Shareware packages are distributed to the public via
distribution houses (which charge for the distribution only), by user groups,
or by electronic routes (e.g., BBSs). As a user, you are encouraged to use
these programs on an evaluation basis. After a period of a few weeks, you can
have a good idea of the usefulness of a package. If you are satisfied with
the package, and wish to continue using it, you are expected to license your
copy. If you find that the software does not meet your needs, you are not
expected to license it, but you are expected to cease using it.

This approach to software evaluation is often referred to as "test-drive,"
and appropriately so. Evaluating software prior to purchase is tantamount
to test-driving an automobile prior to purchase. If you like it, you buy it.
If you decide that the automobile does not fit your needs, you return it.

Another fantastic benefit to shareware packages is the price. Distributing
shareware is less expensive than mass-producing and marketing a product in
the conventional manner. The overhead is low, and the principle investment
is time (not pretty packaging, advertising, nor paid vacations for the guys
upstairs). This allows shareware authors to often offer their products at
very attractive prices. But even if price were not an issue, it is very
convenient to be able to test software prior to purchase.

Regardless of the stage of your evaluation, you are encouraged to
distribute the shareware package as you received it. This gives you an
opportunity to offer your opinions of the software and, if fitting, fulfill
any upload obligations you may have with your BBS.

Quite frequently, lack of shareware registration is simply a matter of
procrastination. A user puts the program(s) on her/his machine and finds
it very useful. Because the program is installed, however, there is a
tendency to overlook registration. To prevent this neglect, some shareware
authors release versions that are crippled (not fully functional). APPT
Appointment Minder is fully functional in its shareware package. I've

decided to trust you as a user, and I hope that you appreciate such trust.



- 7 -

I N T R O D U C T I O N

GREAT! Another appointment reminder program.

OK, I admit, these things typically are more of a burden than they are
worth. By the time I turn on my system and run the program, I have had
plenty of time to plan my day from the Post-It Notes that litter my desk.
What I really need is a (relatively) hands-off approach to planning my day.
Well, here it is. APPT offers several benefits that make it a better
appointment minder.

-APPT is intended to be run automatically from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file (you
may, of course, run APPT manually from command line). Unlike appointment
reminders that need you to tell them what to do, APPT knows what to do. When
you call APPT, you are shown today's appointments--effortlessly. There is no
need to navigate through an outdated appointment list. The only preparation
on your part, then, is to add appointments to your data file (sorry, but
APPT can not write your appointments, but it can help--see below).

-APPT doesn't bother you with yesterday's appointments; APPT searches your
data file and retrieves only today's and future appointments. APPT then
automatically updates your data file by removing past appointments. The old
data file is copied to a back-up file where it may be accessed with any
text-editor, or read with DOS' TYPE command. If you use APPT's /L switch,
your past appointments are logged in a separate file entitled APPT.LOG.

-Because APPT retrieves appointments from a separate data file, the data
file may be updated on any remote terminal, and subsequently retrieved from
all linked terminals, including APPT's. This is ideal in situations in
which somebody else writes your appointments, but you wish to view them with
APPT on your own terminal.

-APPT displays one window of appointments, and only one key-press advances
your viewing window. Another key-press backs-up your viewing window to the
previous data. This convenience allows you to move easily through your
appointments.

-With APPT, one key-press prints appointments from the current window. A
special Formfeed option signals your printer to feed the remainder of your
print job when appointments do not fill the entire page.

-APPT's help screen is one key-press away from you at any time. Although
APPT is easy enough that the help screen will be seldom used, it is there
if you need it.

-APPT has an internal editor, APPTEDIT, that allows you to easily edit your
appointment file. Once saved, edits are immediately available in APPT's
viewing window.

-APPT is written entirely in assembly language--the next best thing to
"machine talk." This allows APPT to use little memory, and to be very
small and very fast.

- 8 -

-APPT is a very convenient and useful utility. APPT is also inexpensive, a
bargain. Although registering your copy of APPT will entitle you to other
benefits, it is quite satisfying to know that you play a major role in
strengthening shareware as a marketing tool. Besides, paying for
merchandise is truly conventional.



S Y S T E M R E Q U I R E M E N T S

APPT:
-Requires MS-DOS or PC-DOS version 2.0 or higher (untested with DR DOS).
-Requires at least an 8086-based IBM-compatible computer.
-Requires approximately 8K of conventional RAM for the program proper.
APPT establishes buffers to store appointment data and editing data, so
the total conventional memory requirement approximates 40K.
-Requires a Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) or better. APPT will not work
with a Monochrome Display Adapter (MDA).
-Requires a text-mode display of 80 columns by 25 rows, in either color or
b/w, to conform to program expectations. The present version of APPT does
not check the number of rows/columns of your monitor. Other video modes
may work, but the displays will be undefined. Preferred video modes are
#2 (b/w) and #3 (color).


U N D E R S T A N D I N G & U S I N G A P P T

Although I find tutorials notoriously tedious, the following is a short
run-through of APPT's operation, mixed with explanation. APPT is very easy
to use; you can get very comfortable with APPT by just fumbling through it.
Nevertheless, certain characteristics of APPT require explanation. I suggest
that you at least skim this to get the basics, lest you have questions later.

Throughout the text you will find references to several files. APPT refers
to the main program APPT.COM, APPT.DAT is the data file to contain your
appointments, APPT.BAK is the backup data file and APPT.LOG is the optional
log file when you use APPT's /L switch. APPTEDIT refers to APPT's internal
editor, but it is not a separate file.

APPT Appointment Minder does just that--minds your appointments. When
initializing APPT, you should use the following syntax:

[d:][path]APPT [/I] [/L] [/Cnn]

where [d:] is the drive and [path] is the subdirectory where APPT.COM resides
and [/I], [/L] and [/Cnn] are optional switches (see the SWITCHES section
below). If you place APPT's subdirectory in the DOS path, [d:] and [path]
are not necessary (even with a DOS path, though, specifying APPT's path on
command line helps the system find APPT). APPT displays a logo at the top of
your screen, a menu bar at the bottom of your screen (assuming that your
screen is 25 rows by 80 columns; I'm not convinced that enough people use 80
x 50 to make it worthwhile to adjust for such--maybe I'll learn different.),

- 9 -

and appointments between the logo and menu bar. The logo includes APPT's
name and version number, today's date, as reported by your system, in MM-DD
format (or DD-MM; see below), and user name. The menu bar displays the
options available to you, and those options will change according to where
you are in APPT.

Upon start-up, APPT searches for appointments in the data file APPT.DAT;
APPT.DAT should exist before running APPT. You may use any text-editor or
word-processor to create APPT.DAT; you must, however, place dates on the
first five positions on a line, in MM-DD (or DD-MM) format. You must also
save the data file in TEXT ONLY format, void of application-specific
formatting (special characters, bold, italics, etc.). If APPT does not find
the proper data file, APPT will notify you that it can not open the data file,
but it will create an empty APPT.DAT for you to edit. It is then up to you
to add your appointments to the data file.

If you run APPT without first creating APPT.DAT, and APPT creates the empty
data file, you may then run APPT again to modify the data file with
APPTEDIT. When you run APPT for this second time, you will receive a No
Appointments Today notice because the data file is empty. You will also
see that the menu bar displays three (3) command options:

[F1] Help [F5] Edit [F10] Quit.

[F1] and [F10] really need no explanation. Choosing [F5], however, will
open APPTEDIT. A note is in order here. Only in APPTEDIT will a cursor
represent an insertion point. You should see no cursor if you are not in
APPTEDIT; if you do, it will not represent an insertion point.

Once you open APPTEDIT, the menu bar will quickly change to display the
editing options and the cursor will appear. APPTEDIT opens in Insert Mode
with an underscore cursor. By pressing the Insert key, you switch APPTEDIT
to TypeOver Mode, in which APPTEDIT uses a block cursor. Because not all
editors follow one convention for cursor format, the word "TypeOver" will
appear on the right side of the Logo bar to make it obvious that APPT is in
TypeOver mode.

On the left side of the Logo bar, the word * Editing * will blink. You
may now enter appointments using generic text-editing commands (text keys,
[Ins], [Tab], etc.). When changes are made to the data, an asterisk (*) will
appear in the menu bar to the left of [F9] denoting a modified data file.
When you wish to save your edits, press [F9] and APPTEDIT will save APPT.DAT
to disk. The asterisk should then disappear and a checkmark should appear
denoting a completed save (the checkmark will vanish at the next key pressed).

Keep in mind that APPTEDIT is designed to work only from within APPT and only
on APPT.DAT; it is not a full word-processor and is included as a convenience
for you, the user. In other words, don't expect it to work miracles.

Now exit APPTEDIT by pressing [Esc] to return to the viewing window. If you
[Esc] from APPTEDIT after making changes, but without pressing [F9], APPTEDIT


- 10 -

will automatically save your edits. If you wish to discard changes as you
exit APPTEDIT, do so by pressing [Alt][Q]. Upon exiting APPTEDIT, the menu
bar will once again change to display the options available to you. If saved,
you can see that your edits are immediately available. You will probably use
APPT mostly from this viewing window.

APPT's Help Screen is available from any window by toggling [F1]. The
explanations, however, are very succinct. Below are more thorough
explanations of APPT's commands.


----------Viewing-Window Keys----------

[PgUp] Displays the previous window in your data file, assuming that
you advanced with the [PgDn] Command.

[PgDn] Displays the next window in your data file if the data exceed
14 lines (14 lines is the size of the data window). APPT makes room for
10 totally full (14 rows x 80 columns) windows of data, but allows that
amount of data to be displayed across (15) windows.

[F1] Help Displays the Quick-Help Screen that briefly explains the
commands available in the menu bar. Press [F1] again to exit Help.

[F3] Print Sends the data in the display window to your printer. The
window data, however, will not fill an entire sheet, and your printer will
not feed the complete sheet until the sheet is full. This allows you to
advance the data window with [PgDn] and include more than one window on
each sheet.

[F5] Edit Initiates APPT's internal text editor, in which you can edit
APPT.DAT. This editor is not a full word-processor, so you are limited in
what you can accomplish with it--it is included as a convenience for
creating/modifying your appointment file. The text editor is explained
more fully elsewhere in this manual.

[F7] Formfeed Advances the paper in your printer by one sheet. When you
have finished sending appointments to your printer, the sheet will most
likely have yet to feed (a laser printer holds the sheet until it is
completely full, a dot-matrix printer will feed only as much as has
printed). You should then complete the print job by pressing the formfeed
key, thereby advancing the paper. Because the window displays 14 lines of
data, and because APPT uses two lines per sheet for a header, you probably
can send 4 windows of appointments onto one sheet of paper (14 x 4 + 2 = 58
lines) before having to advance the sheet.

[F10] Quit Exits APPT and returns you to DOS.

[Alt][R] Refreshes the screen if corrupted. In the event that DOS
invades the screen (e.g., the infamous Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail?), you
may clean the display by holding the [Alt] key depressed and then pressing
the [R] key (case is inconsequential). For example, APPT will not trap

- 11 -

printer-related errors; that task is left to DOS. If you press [F3] or
[F7] when your printer is not on-line or not powered on, DOS' print-error
message will invade the APPT display (probably in the lower left corner).
You may then correct the printer situation, press r (retry), and then
[Alt][R] to refresh the screen. This service is purely for appearance; if
DOS does send a message to the screen, APPT should continue to function
correctly.


----------Editing-Window Keys----------

[PgUp/Dn] Move the editing cursor up/down, respectively, one window.

[F1] Displays the Help Screen.

[F9] Saves your edits to disk. A checkmark will appear to the
left of the [F9] to signal the completed save. This checkmark will vanish
at the next key-press.

[Home],[End] Move the cursor to the start or end, respectively, of the
present line.

[Esc] Exits APPTEDIT, after saving recent edits, and returns you to
the viewing window. If you have made changes to your appointment file since
your last save, and you use this method to exit APPTEDIT, APPTEDIT will auto-
matically save your changes.

[Alt][Q] Exits APPTEDIT and returns you to the viewing window without
saving recent edits. If you wish to discard the edits made to APPT.DAT since
your last save, depress and hold the [Alt] key and then press the [Q] key
(case is inconsequential).


----------No-Data-Window Keys----------

These keys, [F1], [F5], [F10], are described above.


A D D I T I O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N

Some of the following information is redundant, but helps elucidate
additional characteristics of APPT.

As mentioned above, when APPT is working, you may see no cursor. The
cursor will re-appear, however, when you exit APPT. APPT will not trap
printer-related errors; that task is left to DOS. If DOS does trap such an
error, and if you choose to abort rather than retry the print, APPT will
not be able to return the cursor to screen. Rather than expect you to then
recall APPT or re-boot your computer to retrieve your cursor, I have included
a small program entitled CURSOR.COM to easily bring back your cursor.



- 12 -

When the help screen is displayed, pressing any key other than [Esc] has no
effect. Generally, the same applies to the appointment screen. There is,
however, an exception. Pressing an unassigned function key (F1-12) or
auxilliary keys (e.g., arrows) will return a beep. This may be quite
annoying, but given the nature of the print option (specifically when used
with laser printers), it may not be readily obvious that your data made it to
the printer. The alerting beep informs you when you press an unassigned key.

If you do not set APPT's environment variable (see the CONFIGURATION section
of this manual), APPT.DAT must reside in the same subdirectory as APPT.COM.
In such a case, if APPT creates the data file, you will find APPT.DAT within
the same subdirectory. If you DO set the APPT variable and APPT creates
APPT.DAT, you will find APPT.DAT in the defined subdirectory.


----------Data Files----------

Although strict, there is some variability in the date format that APPT will
correctly recognize. For example, each of the following formats will work if
APPT is initialized without the optional international switch (/I):

MM-DD(-YYYY) MM.DD(.YYYY)
MM/DD(/YYYY) MM DD( YYYY)

If APPT is initialized with the international switch (i.e., APPT /I) APPT
searches for DD-MM format. Essentially, you may separate MM and DD with any
character. MM, however, (DD with /I) must occupy the first and second
positions on the line, and DD (MM with /I) must occupy the fourth and fifth
positions. No space between the left margin and the date! THIS IS VERY
IMPORTANT. Anything after position 5 is entirely optional; APPT evaluates
only the first five characters on each line. The file APPT.SMP is included
with this package as a sample data file.

This strategy to text-searching may appear awkward. I considered just
performing a string search that would allow the date to be anywhere on a
line. This, however, would mean that _any_ dates logged in the text would
be fair game to APPT. For example, consider the following entry:

11/23 Phone Baker regarding 11/26 lunch.

That would work well on 11/23, but assuming that APPT was not used between
the 23rd and the 26th, the first line to be displayed on 11/26 would be:

11/26 lunch.

In this case, you may be happy with the brief reminder (if you could remember
Baker). I felt, however, that the potential for confusion was too great, so
I opted for the present strategy.

If APPT finds today's date in your data file, it will display appointments
starting with the first instance of today's date, including all
appointments that follow. APPT will NOT display past appointments (unless

- 13 -

they are listed after today's date). Also, it will NOT display ANY
appointments if it does not find today's date in APPT.DAT (i.e., APPT.DAT
may contain 100 appointments for tomorrow, but if it contains none for
today you will receive a notice of no appointments). So, if you wish to be
shown tomorrow's appointments today, include a line with today's date.

APPT is a convenient utility, but is simple-minded. APPT searches your data
file for today's date, discarding old data. Once APPT finds today's date,
it does no more searching. Depending on how many appointments I have on a
given day, I find that constructing my data file so that only one day's
appointments occupy each window allows a less cluttered display and allows
me to print only one date's appointments. Remember, however, that APPT
only grants you access to 15 windows of data. Constructing a data file that
is smaller than 11,200 bytes, but that extends beyond 15 windows will mean
that you have access to only the first 15 windows. I strongly suggest that
you avoid files larger than 11,200 bytes.

When APPT finds today's date in APPT.DAT, the data file will be
renamed APPT.BAK. A new APPT.DAT will then be created containing today's
and future appointments. This avoids showing you old appointments, yet
allows you opportunity to recall old appointments by viewing APPT.BAK with
another text-editor or with DOS' TYPE command, but ONLY until you reexecute
APPT. If you use APPT's optional log switch (i.e., APPT /L), old data are
not discarded; rather, they are logged in the file APPT.LOG, found in the
subdirectory with APPT.DAT and APPT.BAK. If there are no appointments for
the day, the files will not be changed. Also, using APPTEDIT to save data
will update only APPT.DAT--APPT.BAK will be unchanged.

----------Configuration----------

If you wish to run APPT at system start-up, you may include the command
APPT.COM in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file (before interfacing utilities such as
Microsoft Windows or menu programs). To keep APPT easy, you should follow
one of three options:

1. Place the APPT files in your root directory.
2. Place the APPT files in a subdirectory and call APPT either from a batch
file, the path and name of which you should add to your AUTOEXEC.BAT
file, or by using the change directory (cd\...) command in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file. In the case of a batch file other than AUTOEXEC,
please use the entire APPT.COM when calling APPT, or name your batch
file something other than APPT.BAT. Consult your DOS manual for
instructions on creating batch files.
3. Set the APPT environment variable to APPT.DAT's subdirectory and a path to
APPT.COM's subdirectory in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The environment
variable allows APPT to find the data files and the path allows DOS
to find APPT. For example, the lines (without comments) in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file should be

SET APPT=C:\subdir1 (to set the variable)
PATH C:\subdir2; (to set the path)


- 14 -

with NO BACKSLASH (\) at the end. The "subdir#" represents the
path(s) of your choice(s) (e.g., C:\UTILITY\APPT). APPT's environment
path is limited to 63 characters including backslashes. Character
case is irrelevant. Note that you may house APPT in a different sub-
directory than the data files. You may, however, house them together.

If your system does not keep time while power is off (i.e., you enter
date/time at every start-up), the APPT command must be listed in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file after the TIME and DATE commands so that APPT will read
the correct date from the system. Even if you do not run APPT at start-up,
you are obligated to at least enter the correct date if you wish to use APPT.
APPT.DAT may be assigned the System, Hidden, &/or Archive attributes, but
not the Read-only attribute. If you alter APPT.DAT's attributes, however,
the new attributes will be valid only until you execute APPT. When APPT
modifies the data file (see above), it assigns read/write attributes.


----------Switches----------

APPT has three optional switches, which may be used together or individually,
in any order. The syntax for using APPT's switches is as follows:

[d:][path]APPT [/I] [/L] [/Cnn]

The international switch (/I) causes APPT to recognize and search for dates
in DD MM format, rather than the default US format of MM DD. The log switch
(/L) causes APPT to not discard your past appointments; rather, APPT writes
past appointments to a file entitled APPT.LOG, which will be found in the same
subdirectory as APPT.DAT. The color switch (/Cnn) allows you to determine the
colors of APPT's display, where nn is a hexadecimal number from 00 to 7F (e.g.,
APPT /C4f; see the appendix for color codes). Default is bright white on blue
(1f). When using APPT's switches, character case is inconsequential.


----------Errors----------

There are ten (10) possible program-trapped errors that you could encounter
while running APPT. The generic error message reads:

** ERROR **
Please refer to APPT.DOC for clarification of the following:

and is followed by one of the errors below.

Incorrect DOS Version--APPT requires DOS 2.0 or higher.
Some of APPT's interactions with DOS were not possible with earlier
versions of DOS.

Error Opening APPT.DAT--Cannot find appointments.
This occurs if APPT does not find the data file APPT.DAT for any of
the following reasons:


- 15 -

-APPT.DAT does not exist on your disk.

-APPT.DAT exists, but APPT's environment variable is not present and
APPT.DAT resides in a directory other than APPT.COM's.

-The data file is named something other than APPT.DAT.

Whichever the case, APPT will create the empty data file APPT.DAT,
to which you should then add your appointments. This error will also
occur if the data file has been assigned a READ-ONLY attribute. In
this case, you must remove the READ-ONLY attribute with DOS' ATTRIB
command (ATTRIB -R APPT.DAT). If APPT returns an error under this
condition, it will not create an empty data file as explained above.

Error Reading APPT.DAT--Check data file integrity.
This error should occur rarely, if ever; probably only if either file
is damaged. In such a case, your first approach should be to
reconstruct your data file (first, try renaming APPT.BAK).

Incompatible Video Adapter--APPT requires CGA or better.
APPT will not run with a Monochrome Display Adapter (MDA). Acceptable
adapters include CGA, EGA, MCGA, and VGA.

Error Writing APPT.DAT--File may not be saved.
This is an error that I've not seen occur, but decided to trap just the
same. Again, this should only occur if either file is damaged.

Error finding APPT.COM--Move to APPT's subdirectory.
You will receive this error if you attempt to register APPT from outside
the directory in which APPT resides. Registration must be done from
within that subdirectory, regardless of an environment variable.

Registration Failed--Please confirm Registration Code, attending to case.
This is the error message for unsuccessful registration attempts from
within APPT's subdirectory. If you are confident that APPT is returning
this message in error (i.e., you have accurately followed registration
directions), PLEASE contact me.

Error Opening APPT.LOG--Cannot find log file.
This occurs if APPT encounters an error opening the log file APPT.LOG.
APPT will make APPT.LOG if it does not already exist in the subdirectory
with APPT.DAT. In the case of this error, the log file may be damaged.

Error Writing APPT.LOG--File may not be saved.
This is an error that occurs when APPT can not write to the log file
APPT.LOG. This should only occur if APPT.LOG is damaged.

Incorrect Argument--Please confirm syntax: APPT [/I] [/L] [/Cnn]
This error occurs when the user attempts to initalize APPT with a non-
supported switch.



- 16 -

APPT has never met DesqView nor DR DOS. If you wish to use them together, I'd
appreciate feedback. Otherwise, it may be best to keep them apart.

I am interested in improving APPT Appointment Minder. The best way to do so
is via user input. I encourage you to offer feedback on APPT and this
document regardless of the stage of your evaluation or registered use--I
very much look forward to such input. In fact, some of APPT's present
functions were born of user suggestions, and I very much thank those users
for their efforts.

I hope that APPT serves you well. I am sorry, but phone support is presently
unavailable for APPT. You may contact me at any of the addresses below.



CompuServe: 71172,266

InterNet: [email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

USPS: James Corpening
GymusWhere?
1093 Elmwood Avenue upper
Buffalo, NY 14222-1225






















DR DOS is a trademark of Digital Research
IBM and PC-DOS are trademarks of International Business Machines
DesqView is a trademark of Quarterdeck Office Systems
Microsoft Windows and MS-DOS are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation


- 17 -

A P P E N D I X

Text Background Code | Text Background Code
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Black Black 00 | Black Cyan 30
Blue Black 01 | Blue Cyan 31
Green Black 02 | Green Cyan 32
Cyan Black 03 | Cyan Cyan 33
Red Black 04 | Red Cyan 34
Magenta Black 05 | Magenta Cyan 35
Brown Black 06 | Brown Cyan 36
White Black 07 | White Cyan 37
Gray Black 08 | Gray Cyan 38
Light Blue Black 09 | Light Blue Cyan 39
Light Green Black 0A | Light Green Cyan 3A
Light Cyan Black 0B | Light Cyan Cyan 3B
Light Red Black 0C | Light Red Cyan 3C
Light Magenta Black 0D | Light Magenta Cyan 3D
Yellow Black 0E | Yellow Cyan 3E
Bright White Black 0F | Bright White Cyan 3F
Black Blue 00 | Black Red 40
Blue Blue 11 | Blue Red 41
Green Blue 12 | Green Red 42
Cyan Blue 13 | Cyan Red 43
Red Blue 14 | Red Red 44
Magenta Blue 15 | Magenta Red 45
Brown Blue 16 | Brown Red 46
White Blue 17 | White Red 47
Gray Blue 18 | Gray Red 48
Light Blue Blue 19 | Light Blue Red 49
Light Green Blue 1A | Light Green Red 4A
Light Cyan Blue 1B | Light Cyan Red 4B
Light Red Blue 1C | Light Red Red 4C
Light Magenta Blue 1D | Light Magenta Red 4D
Yellow Blue 1E | Yellow Red 4E
Bright White Blue 1F | Bright White Red 4F
Black Green 20 | Black Magenta 50
Blue Green 21 | Blue Magenta 51
Green Green 22 | Green Magenta 52
Cyan Green 23 | Cyan Magenta 53
Red Green 24 | Red Magenta 54
Magenta Green 25 | Magenta Magenta 55
Brown Green 26 | Brown Magenta 56
White Green 27 | White Magenta 57
Gray Green 28 | Gray Magenta 58
Light Blue Green 29 | Light Blue Magenta 59
Light Green Green 2A | Light Green Magenta 5A
Light Cyan Green 2B | Light Cyan Magenta 5B
Light Red Green 2C | Light Red Magenta 5C
Light Magenta Green 2D | Light Magenta Magenta 5D
Yellow Green 2E | Yellow Magenta 5E
Bright White Green 2F | Bright White Magenta 5F

- 18 -

A P P E N D I X (cont.)

Text Background Code | Text Background Code
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Black Brown 60 | Black White 70
Blue Brown 61 | Blue White 71
Green Brown 62 | Green White 72
Cyan Brown 63 | Cyan White 73
Red Brown 64 | Red White 74
Magenta Brown 65 | Magenta White 75
Brown Brown 66 | Brown White 76
White Brown 67 | White White 77
Gray Brown 68 | Gray White 78
Light Blue Brown 69 | Light Blue White 79
Light Green Brown 6A | Light Green White 7A
Light Cyan Brown 6B | Light Cyan White 7B
Brown Brown 6C | Light Red White 7C
Light Magenta Brown 6D | Light Magenta White 7D
Yellow Brown 6E | Yellow White 7E
Bright White Brown 6F | Bright White White 7F

































- 19 -