[HELP]:
        The help feature is provided for use by applications designers, to
add a customized 'on-line' manual to their products.  We have included only
a few hints and explanations here, mostly to give an example of how
to set up a help.sys file.  If you are having trouble with FMS-80, and
can't find the answer here or in your manual, please give us a call, or
contact your dealer.  Be sure to have your registration number handy.










        A HELP entry can extend beyond the screen size.  HELP will automa-
tically stop at the bottom of the screen and wait for a RETURN.  So, you
can end the screen with a line like this:


(Please hit the RETURN key for more)


        Help displays 22 lines per screen, as you can see.

        HELP.SYS must be on the current drive in order to operate.

        If you haven't yet read READ.ME, please do.  You can display it
on the screen by typing TYPE READ.ME.  Use control-s to stop and start
the display, so it doesn't run off the screen.  You can list it on the
printer by typing PIP LST:=READ.ME.

	HELP.SYS is an ordinary text file, so you can list it on the
printer by typing PIP LST:=HELP.SYS.

	Please also read the NEWS FLASH.  It contains important last-minute
observations and hints.

#
[NEWS FLASH]
        The 'enter' statement in EFM has been enhanced with three
new forms:
        enteru <fs>;    enter and convert to upper case
        enterr <fs>;    enter and allow a line-feed to repeat last value
                        (if line feed is first character entered)
        enterur <fs>;   combined enteru and enterr

	These are also reserved words - they cannot appear as the first word
of any label.

        Field groups may now be displayed.  So, to display the first three
fields in file 1:
        display 1,(1-3);








(type RETURN for more hot news...)
Manual erratum:
	The listing of which files are on which diskettes is incorrect.
Here is the correct distribution:

	DISK 1				DISK 2
	APPLY1.COM			DEFPARM.COM
	APPLY.COM			DISPARM.COM
	BATCH.COM			GLOSSARY.COM
	DATE.COM			PREPARE.COM
	DO.COM				SYSTEM.COM
	DEFSORT.COM			BATCH.COM
	TRANSACT.COM			CPRINT.COM
	FMS80.COM			DATE.COM
	FMS80.SUB			EDITFD.COM
	FMS80B.COM			EDITRD.COM
	FMS80C.COM			EDITSD.COM
	HELP.COM			FMS80.SUB
	HELP.SYS			FMS80.COM
	HITCOUNT.COM			FMS80A.COM
	INDEX.COM			FMS80B.COM
	UTILITY.COM			FMS80C.COM
(type RETURN for more ...)


	DISK 1				DISK 2
	PRINT.COM			LOCATE.CTL
	REPORT.COM			LOCATE.FD
	SELECT.COM			RDPRINT.COM
	SORT.COM			SDPRINT.COM
	SUBFILE.COM			SPRINT.COM
					UTILITY.COM

#
[DISK PREFIXES]:
        The FMS-80 menus will allow you to enter a disk prefix (e.g. B:)
when entering a file name.  However, in most cases, you shouldn't, because
the name you enter may be used by FMS-80 to access more than one file, so
it's going to ask you 'Which disk for ... ', anyway.  But for setting up
an EFM request, you may successfully specify a disk prefix, so that the
editor will know where to put the .EFM file.
#
[PRINTER]:
        All of the FMS-80 print programs use LOCATE.SYS to see whether you
have set up a special page width or length.  If your printer has 132
columns, and you are using 11-inch paper, you need not set up anything
special.  Otherwise, use LOCATE.SYS as described in the manual under
"customization", and declare your printer's characteristics.  For
example, to print on 80 columns, 5 1/2 inches, assuming 6 lines to the inch,
you need two new LOCATE.SYS entries:
        Extent: WWW
        Drive:                  (space)
        Extent: LLL
        Drive: A                (for 33 lines per page)

        The print programs all assume that the paper is set so that the
first line printed will be flush against the top perforation line;
they skip 5 lines at the top and 6 at the bottom of each page.
        Note that REPORT (the custom report printer) ignores LOCATE.SYS
settings, since each report definition includes length and width parameters.
#
[EFM]
        The error messages produced by PREPARE are nearly useless.  We will
be providing an interim release of PREPARE that corrects this.  Meanwhile,
the thing to do is determine which is the first error.  To do that, invoke
PREPARE as a stand-alone program, and hit control-P before RETURN, so
that the error messages come out on your printer.
        In most cases, if you correct the first error, the others go away,
too.  An improvement in PREPARE's parsing ability will appear in the next 
release.
        The two most common EFM errors are leaving out a semicolon, and
putting one in where it doesn't belong. Also beware of commas.  The sample
programs in the manual should be used as a guide.

	See the NEWS FLASH for some new EFM statements.

[File Numbers]:
	Our favorite bug catcher has brought this to our attention:
the explanation of file numbers is not quite clear.  Here's another one:

	The files are numbered sequentially, beginning with the temporary
fields, which are File 0.  The first input file is File 1.  Even if there
are no temporary fields, the first input file is still File 1.
	The output files are numbered sequentially, continuing from the
last input file number.  Thus, if there is one input file and one output
file, the input file is File 1 and the output file is File 2.

[File names]:
	We have removed the disk prefix capability from EFM file names.
Previously, if you wanted to input FOO.DAT from disk C:, you could
specify:
	input (C:FOO.DAT, C:FOO.FD)

	Now, any disk prefixes are ignored.  The above statement is still
legal and will not cause compiler errors, but when the EFM Request is
run, DO will ask 'Which disk for FOO.DAT' and '... for FOO.FD' (or
if there is an entry in LOCATE.SYS, it will be used.)  This eliminates
a lot of confusion between compile-time and run-time disk assignment.

[Reserved Words]:
	The only restriction on reserved words is that they cannot begin
a label.  For example, this label is invalid:

	read file:

because it begins with the reserved word 'read'.  But this is ok:

	readfile:

because it begins with the word 'readfile', which is not reserved. 
Remember that labels and quoted literals are the only places where spaces
make any difference to EFM.

#