What's Up, DOCumentation?
Robelle Consulting Ltd.
Unit 201, 15399-102A Ave.
Surrey, B.C. Canada V3R 7K1
Toll-free: 1-888-ROBELLE
(1-888-762-3553)
Phone: (604) 582-1700
Fax: (604) 582-1799
E-mail: support@robelle.com
Web: www.robelle.com
Date: May 1997
From: Robert M. Green, CEO
David J. Greer, President
Mike Shumko, Editor pro tem
To: Users of Robelle Software
Re: News of the HP 3000 and of HP-UX, 1997 #3
What You Will Find in This News Memo:
Qedit for Windows
IMAGE to Intranet
Suprtool Training
Technical Tips
FAQs
Special Deal on Manuals
Choosing the Right Blocksize
Saving Files Across Accounts
Suprtool 4.0 Hits the Streets
=============================
Once again the developers at Robelle have put forward a new release of
Suprtool, the ever popular data access utility for the HP 3000 and HP 9000.
Version 4.0 offers some very important new features, which are available with
both the MPE/iX and HP-UX versions of Suprtool.
Suprtool is Year 2000 Compliant
Suprtool is already good at working with many date formats, including all the
popular 4-digit year formats. With version 4.0, Suprtool identifies incorrect
dates, such as flag values used in date fields, with the new $invalid
function of the If command. Once you have identified the incorrect dates,
update them easily with an Extract statement. Do you want more data-packaging
options? The Item command now supports four new date formats for greater
flexibility.
Easily Create Web Pages for the Internet or Intranet
Suprtool's new HTML command makes it easy to get your data onto the Web.
Suprtool retrieves the data and formats it into a file with the required HTML
commands. Choose either HTML Table or HTML Preformatted data options.
Access Allbase SQL Databases
With Suprtool 3.9 you could read Allbase tables and views. In version 4.0
this capability has been enhanced to support Native Char and Native VarChar
data-types. Also, the new Form command shows owner names for Allbase tables.
Call us for prices on the optional Allbase database access modules available
on MPE/iX and HP-UX, and the Oracle database access module available for
HP-UX systems.
When Will I Receive My Copy of Suprtool 4.0?
Suprtool 4.0 is currently being shipped to all users who have an active
support contract in Canada and the United States. Overseas sites on support
will soon receive their updated versions of Suprtool from their local Robelle
representative.
If you are not using Suprtool, join the thousands of users who benefit from
its reliability, speed, and flexibility. For more information or a free trial
of Suprtool, visit our Web site or call us toll-free.
[Rosemary Van Poelgeest, Marketing and Sales]
Qedit for Windows Upgrade -- Save Big, Win Big!
===============================================
By now you have heard that Robelle is preparing Qedit for Windows, the editor
that lets you edit local, MPE/iX, and HP-UX files from a single MS Windows
program.
What you may not have heard is that Robelle is having a prize draw in which
you can win one copy of the server software and two copies of the client
software. To enter the draw, visit the Robelle Web site and fill out the
Request for Quotation form, or fax us using the form below. We'll send you a
quotation for Qedit for Windows at the low introductory price, and enter you
in our draw. Good luck!
Request for Quotation Form:
Complete this form and you will automatically be entered to win one
copy of Qedit for Windows (includes two clients and one server).
How many clients and how many servers will be running Qedit?
___ HP 3000
___ HP 9000
___ Total number of users of Windows clients
___ Approximate number of concurrent users
How do you plan to distribute the client software? Please check each
box that applies.
___ Via a PC file server
___ Install on each PC
___ Other, please specify
Do you already use Qedit?
___ My company is already licensed to use Qedit for HP 3000.
___ My company is already licensed to use Qedit for HP 9000.
Check each box that applies.
___ Please send me more information.
___ Let me know when I can order a free 30-day trial.
___ I would like to be a pre-release site.
Address and contact information:
Company:______________________________
Attn: ______________________________
Phone: ______________________________
Fax: ______________________________
E-mail: ______________________________
Get SmartDate on the Web
========================
We have started shipping SmartDate, the library of date and time routines for
programmers. You can get information about SmartDate or even download a trial
version from our Web site: http://www.robelle.com/products/smartdate/.
Suprtool Training Schedule
==========================
Here is Robelle's in-house course schedule for Suprtool classes in 1997:
August 7 - 8
December 4 - 5
For more information about the schedule or to arrange a private session at
your site, call Rosemary Van Poelgeest or Fran Glasgow at 1-888-ROBELLE.
Integrating IMAGE into Intranet
===============================
Every weekday at Robelle, the sales team prints a list of currently
outstanding sales calls. When the sales printer is turned on in the morning,
it happily spits out the daily reports, unless it's grumpy. Occasionally the
reports get lost and need to be regenerated.
The solution that I have developed for generating reports involves placing
the reports on Robelle's intranet, using a batch job that runs on the
HP 3000. The list of calls can be viewed using any Web browser, such as
Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer.
The CallList job runs at 4:30 in the morning. It runs Suprtool to generate
the report data, then converts this data to HyperText Markup Language (HTML).
This step is done by the STExport module, which comes with every version of
Suprtool.
run suprtool.pub.robelle
base etc... { Create data file in link format}
output tdaylist link
exit
run stexport.pub.robelle
input tdaylist
output tdayhtml
html table title "Today's Call List" head "Today's Call List"
heading fieldnames
exit
IMAGE Names in Headings
The output file from STExport has all of the HTML commands for a self-
contained document, as well as the table of data. The column headings are
taken from the IMAGE fieldnames.
Today's Call List
Today's Call List
| ACCOUNT | PRODUCT | TYPE | PHONE-NO | NAME |
|---|
| T4003 | STLIC | TR | (410) 555-6373 | Guy Schmidt |
| T1661 | LQLIC | TR | (408) 555-6525 | Don Juan |
Customizing the HTML Output
I wanted some hypertext links in the document to aid in navigation, so I
replaced the Heading Fieldnames command with Heading "string" and Heading Add
"string" commands to include some custom HTML code. With this method, I have
to manually insert the appropriate HTML code. I wanted the table headings to
be left-justified, normal text (instead of the default that makes the
headings bold and centered), so I added some | tags with text. This makes
the HTML browser format "my" headings as the first row in the data table.
Notice that I also added a string with "todaysdate" (see below). Adding all
of these strings creates a really long heading string. Of the 2,000 character
maximum in STExport, I used only about 300.
run stexport.pub.robelle
input tdaylist
output tdayhtml
html table title "Today's Call List" head "Today's Call List"
heading " "
heading add " "
heading add "Go to: Outstanding Calls"
heading add "
"
heading add "todaysdate"
heading add " | | Trial No | Product | Type | Phone"
heading add " | Contact |
"
exit
The result of this step looks like this:
Today's Call List
Today's Call List
Go To: Outstanding
Calls
todaysdate| Trial
No | Product | Type | Phone | Contact |
| T4003 | STLIC | TR | (410) 555-6373 | Guy Schmidt |
| T1661 | LQLIC | TR | (408) 555-6525 | Don Juan |
Today's Date
I wanted the report to show the exact time it was created, in case it was
regenerated in the middle of the day. Qedit is my tool of choice to change
the "todaysdate" string in the HTML document file, but I could just as easily
have used Editor or perhaps some CI commands.
!run qedit.pub.robelle
text tdayhtml
:/change "todaysdate"Table generated: !hpintrodate !hptimef" all
keep,yes
exit
Onto the Server
To put the HTML document file on our server, it must be moved from the
HP 3000 machine on which it was produced to a Windows NT machine that runs
our intranet server. I used FTP on the HP 3000 to move the file to the
directory of Sales pages on the intranet:
!ftp intranet.server.name
user webster
<>
cd /www/sales
put tdayhtml tdaylist.html
exit
The Paperless Office
I thought that perhaps this process would help attain my personal goal of
converting Robelle into a paperless office, but alas, no. The sales team
actually uses the printed reports to write on. Sigh. Luckily, most browsers
have a print feature that lets people print what they see on the screen.
Those lost reports are now easily reproduced on a whim! Just point your
browser to the correct intranet page, click on that little icon that vaguely
resembles a printer, and your report just might make it to that happy little
LaserJet in the corner-if it's not feeling too grumpy.
[Ken Robertson, MIS]
Gone Fishing
============
As a Canadian company, Robelle has the following statutory holidays for the
next few months: July 1, August 4, and September 1. The general office will
be closed, but we will still be taking care of emergency support calls. Call
the regular 1-888-ROBELLE number, then dial 0 (zero) to get the answering
service operator, and ask to have the on-call support person paged.
Technical Tips
--------------
Windows 95 Tips
===============
Windows 95 comes with a helpful file called tips.txt in the Windows
directory. This file has a number of interesting tips and tricks for using
Windows 95. These are a couple of examples:
- At the MS-DOS prompt you can use ".." to indicate the parent directory
(nothing new there), "..." to indicate the parent directory above that one,
and "...." to indicate the parent directory twice removed (e.g., cd....).
- You can add any shortcut to the Send To menu, including printers and Windows
applications (e.g., Qedit for Windows). When you right click any document or
folder icon and select Send To, you will see a list of destinations.
Monkey See, Monkey Do
=====================
Here is a productivity tip for the breakfast table: a banana will peel much
easier from the bottom end (the end away from the stem). User instructions:
pinch the hollow at the bottom end to break the skin, then peel and eat.
Just the FAQs, Ma'am
====================
Here are the answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions in the past few
months.
Q: What is the charge for upgrading Robelle software from one CPU to another?
A: If you are upgrading a CPU from one model to another within the same
series (e.g., from one model to another within the HP 3000 series), there
is no charge. We do not charge based on how big or fast your computers
are, only on how many computers the software is installed on. You'll need
to let us know the HPSUSAN or CPU ID of the new computer, so we can
provide the authorization codes that let the software run on the new
computer. There is no charge for the codes. By the way, we don't get tired
of hearing our customers say they like our "no tiers, no tears" upgrade
policy.
Q: When will Qedit for Windows be available, and how much will it cost?
A: The product release of Qedit for Windows is currently scheduled for the
end of July or beginning of August. We will keep you updated through
What's Up DOCumentation? and the Internet. If you have requested a trial,
you will be contacted as soon as trials are available.
To find out how much it will cost to upgrade to Qedit for Windows,
complete the Request for Quotation form on page 2 of this newsletter or on
the Internet. You will receive a customized quote that reflects your
configuration and the special prices in our generous introductory offer.
Q: What version of Qedit and Suprtool do I need for MPE/iX 5.5?
A: We recommend Qedit version 4.4 or later, and Suprtool version 3.8 or
later. Remember that when you upgrade your operating system you may need
to stream some Robelle jobs to integrate Qedit or Suprtool into the new
system. For example, stream Qcompxl.Qeditjob.Robelle to let your native
mode compilers read Qedit-format source files, or re-install the Speed
Demon or Suprtool2 routines if you need them in SL.Pub.Sys. See the
installation section of your user manuals for details.
Q: Can I get more manuals?
A: Robelle software comes with one manual. You can, however, buy more
manuals from us (see Inventory Reduction Sale below). But do you really
need printed manuals? We provide the entire contents of the user manual
in a number of other forms:
First of all, the product's Help command allows you to read all the
documentation on-line. You can get on-line help for a specific command
from either the manual (e.g., help add) or from the Quick Reference Guide
(e.g., helpQ add).
The complete user manual is also available as a Windows help file,
allowing a full-text search using the familiar WinHelp interface. The
WinHelp diskette is included with each product update. If you don't have
access to the diskette, you can download the self-extracting file from
your Robelle account or directory.
Finally, you can print your own copies of the manual using the Printdoc
program (e.g., run printdoc.pub.robelle). Printdoc is available only on
the HP 3000.
Inventory Reduction Sale on Suprtool 3.8 Manuals
==================================================
Now that Suprtool 4.0 is being shipped, we are selling our Suprtool 3.8
manuals at a very attractive price. The version 3.8 manuals cover almost
everything in the version 4.0 manuals, except for the new Allbase database
functions, the HTML functions for STExport, and the new $invalid date
function of the If command. If you need a large number of manuals, this may
be a cost-effective way of getting them. The new Suprtool 4.0 manuals are $20
each. You can have the version 3.8 manuals for the cost of shipping and
handling. Call us for details.
Suprtool Now Comes with Laundry Money!
========================================
A Suprtool user called from California asking why he received $10 worth of
quarters with his Suprtool 4.0 update package, which was distributed by
Southern Adventist University in Tennessee. The attached packing slip showed
it was sent from a company in Tennessee to a company in California, but these
two companies were neither the source nor the destination of the package. The
mystery has not been solved yet.
Robelle Products: Problems, Solutions and Suggestions
-----------------------------------------------------
Blocksize and Suprtool Performance
===================================
A Suprtool user called with a deceptively simple question: "What blocksize
should I use in my files to maximize Suprtool performance?"
The general rule of thumb for most programs is to use larger blocksizes, in
order to reduce the number of disc accesses for programs that need to process
the file serially. But because of the way Suprtool works, bypassing much of
MPE's normal deblocking mechanisms, you don't need to make your blocks large.
In fact if you make a blocksize too big, Suprtool will give you this error
message: Error: The input blocksize is greater than 14336 words.
Making your blocksizes as close to 14,336 words as possible will not give the
best Suprtool performance. The MPE/iX version of Suprtool can read or write
up to 24,576 words with every disc access, by reading or writing multiple
blocks at a time. This multiple-block ability (technically, MPE's MR
capability) is a major contributor to Suprtool's super speed. If your block
is 14,336 words, Suprtool can fit only one 14,336-word block into its 24,576-
word buffer. The best blocksize would be one that fills Suprtool's 24,576-
word buffer to its capacity by allowing Suprtool to read or write multiple
blocks at a time. So even though the maximum is 14,336, a blocksize of 12,288
words would be better than 14,336 because Suprtool could put two blocks in
its buffer with one disc access. A blocksize of 8,192 words would be just as
good for Suprtool because Suprtool could read or write three blocks per disc
access.
To come back to the original question, "What blocksize should I use in my
files to maximize Suprtool performance?", the answer is any blocksize that
permits Suprtool to most completely fill its 24,576-word buffer with a number
of your blocks.
Here is an example of a real situation:
ACCOUNT= PROD GROUP= DATA
FILENAME CODE ------------LOGICAL RECORD-----------
SIZE TYP EOF LIMIT R/B
FOO 159W FB 3780 5500 20
File FOO has a record size of 159 words, blocked by 20, giving a blocksize of
3,180 words. Suprtool can fit seven of these 3,180-word blocks in its 24,576-
word buffer. Therefore, Suprtool can read or write 140 data records at a
time. But seven times 3,180 is only 22,260 words. Theoretically there should
still be space for fourteen more records in the buffer (that's (24,576 -
22,260) / 159), if only we could find a blocksize that would fill the buffer
more completely. The theoretical maximum is 154 records (that's 24,576 /
159). If Suprtool could access, say, two blocks of 77 records, it would get
the maximum performance.
Would other blocking factors work just as well? Another blocking factor that
would fit nicely into 154 is 22. Suprtool's performance at accessing seven
blocks of 22 records would be identical to accessing two blocks of 77
records. Either way it is only one disc access for Suprtool. A blocking
factor of 51 would also allow Suprtool to fit three 8,109-word blocks into
its buffer, with almost no wasted space.
Note that on MPE V, or when using the compatibility mode version of Suprtool
on MPE/iX, the maximum buffer size is 14,336 words.
Dereferencing MPE Variables in Qedit
====================================
You can use MPE/iX variables in Qedit commands by prefixing the Qedit command
with a colon and a slash (:/). The colon tells Qedit to send the command to
MPE, which knows how to dereference variables, then the slash tells Qedit
that it is really a Qedit command, not a MPE command.
For example, to change the string {insert date here} to the value of the
"mydate" variable in all lines,
run qedit.pub.robelle
text myfile
:/change "{insert date here}" "!mydate" all
Warning About Saving Files Across Accounts
==========================================
There is a bug in MPE/iX 5.5 that may cause you some difficulty if you try to
keep files across account boundaries. Qedit (or EDIT/3000 for that matter)
may purge an existing file in another account, but not be able to keep the
new file. The end result is that you can end up losing your work. If you get
this error message with Qedit,
Existing file apparently purged, but still cannot save new file.
Fclose Err: Security
save your file in the local account, then manually move it across to the
other account. HP is investigating this as SR 5003-356063. They have
classified it as a serious problem.
Install Robelle Software Like a Pro
===================================
Here are a few tips and reminders about installing or upgrading Robelle
software products.
The software comes with a printed list of the HPSUSANs or CPU IDs that the
software is authorized to run on. Check the list before starting the
installation. The software will not install on an unauthorized CPU.
On HP 3000s, the prior version of the software is saved in the PubOld.Robelle
group, in case you need to go back to the previous version. Once you are sure
you don't need to go back, you can clean up the PubOld group by streaming the
Pubold.Purgejob.Robelle job. The Purgejob group has a number of cleanup jobs
you may find useful.
On HP 3000s, you can restore files from the Robelle tape during the day, but
delay the actual software installation until the evening when everybody is
off the system. For example,
:stream install.suprjob;at=23:00