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Documentation for EXECUTIONER
by Glen E. Bredon
The EXECUTIONER will take a ProDOS file of any type and convert it to an
EXEC file for uploading. The file parameters (such as file type) will be
correctly put in the EXECed file.
Directions:
0. An ESC at any (Y/N) prompt quits the program. At other places it
usually sends you to the start of the program. Hitting RETURN on
an empty filename also aborts the program as will Control-open apple-
RESET.
1. You are asked if you want packed mode. A packed file is still a text
file but is compressed relative to standard dumps and an interpreter
routine is written into the file so that the file can still be EXECed.
Packed files are much shorter than unpacked ones and are recommended
for large files. The packed mode includes a checksum and the EXEC
will produce an error message if the checksum is not ok. (The file
will still be saved but its parameters will not have been fixed.)
2. If you chose packed mode then you are asked if you want 4 bit or 6 bit
packing. The 4-bit mode just removes space between hex bytes. The
6-bit mode is a denser packing in which lower case characters are
significant. It is possible that some people will have trouble with
the EXEC of such files. Time will tell. For sizable files, the
4-bit compression is slightly more than twice the original file size,
while 6-bit mode produces a file about 45% larger than the original.
3. You are shown the current prefix and you can type over it to change it.
Just hit return to accept it as shown. Hit ESC to go to the start of
the program. You MUST set the prefix to the directory containing the
file you want converted.
4. The directory specified by the prefix is read and the last file in
that directory is displayed after a prompt for the file to be converted.
You can use the up/down arrow keys to see other files in that directory.
(The last one is displayed first because it is expected that that will
be the usual selection.) You could also backspace to the beginning and
just type the name of the file you want to convert.
5. You will be shown some of the file characteristics of the file you have
selected and asked if it is correct. If NO then you go back to the
start of the program. If YES then the file is loaded for processing.
6. You are asked for the name of the destination EXEC text file. This can
be a full pathname if you want it in another directory. If you hit
return on the first character, the program is aborted, if you hit ESC
then you return to the start of the program.
7. If the text file exists, you will be asked if you want it deleted.
(A locked file is never deleted, that would defeat the purpose of locking
it in the first place.) If not, or if you answer YES then the program
proceeds to create the EXEC file.
8. When the file is made, you are asked if you want to do another. If YES
then you return to the start of the program. If NO, it exits. The
EXECUTIONER is a SYS (stand alone) program, so it exits through the
"quit" routine.
9. Note that the created EXEC file always has a "header" placed at $E00, then
the hex code of the converted file, placed at $1000, then a BSAVE command
then a E00G or E05G as the last line. Do not modify this last line;
it is essential. Also, do not modify the file name it is saved under,
which is always the original name of the file. This name is also in
the "header" and if it is changed in the BSAVE line, the EXEC will not
work correctly. In the packed modes there is an empty line before the
BSAVE line. This is essential as it is the signal for the decompressor
that the data is finished.
10. If the original file is a BAS file then, after step 6, you are asked
if you want a BASIC listing EXEC file. This is just a listing with
spaces removed and "PRINT" changed to "?". (There is no check on too
long lines.) If you chose this option then previous answers to the
packing questions are ignored. This is just a conveniece feature so
that separate means of making such files are unnecessary.
11. You can use the "startup" position in the EXECUTIONER file, or the
startup in PROSEL or other program selectors to specify the destination
file directory (or the entire pathname if you want). For example, if
the startup is "/HARD1/MODEM/" then in step 6 above, this text will
be placed after the prompt the cursor following it. You can modify
it just as if you had typed it.