Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!Teknowledge.COM!unix!mxmora
From: mxmora@unix.SRI.COM (Matt Mora)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Tech note finder was Re: Inside Mac VI
Keywords: 411 MPW
Message-ID: <16861@unix.SRI.COM>
Date: 4 Oct 90 15:56:13 GMT
References: <95795@cc.utah.edu> <1539@howtek.UUCP>
Reply-To: mxmora@unix.UUCP (Matt Mora)
Distribution: usa
Organization: SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
Lines: 66


In article <1539@howtek.UUCP> cory@howtek.UUCP (Cory Kempf) writes:

>Apple has a new feature in MPW currently called "411".  It gives access
>from within MPW to Inside Mac I-VI, Technotes, & MacApp Docs.  You can
>do keyword searches, or it will show you what is defined for a particular
>header file.  It will also insert the form of a function call into your
>code for you.
>
>The only problem is that it needs about 13 MB of disk space.  Other than 
>that, very nicely done.

I wrote a program called "Technical Note Finder" that gives you online
technical notes. (Well at least for multi-finder users) It originaly started
out as a Fkey but I couldn't make it stable enough. And once I got enought
memory  to run multi-finder, the fkey approach wasn't needed. It was pretty
slick with a menubar in the tech note display window. I converted it to an
application in hopes to make in to a DA. You can use the application with
or without the actual tech notes being online. (since they take up 2.4 megs
of disk space) 

The tech notes (if you want them) reside in a folder. The tech notes
themselves are just plain text files. Which makes updating them real easy. 
There is also an index file which is also a text file that you put in your 
system folder ( or the same directory as the program). I also wrote
a stack that will extract the tech notes and create an index from the 
technical notes stack on the developer cd. 

When you start the program a small window comes up. You type the the find field
what you want to look for. It finds your query in the index and  adds it to the
list. If you then select a line from the scrolling list, the program checks to
see if that tech note is on line. If it is, it will hilite the "Show Note".
I used this approach because if you want to leave out some tech notes (like
outdated ones ) you wont have to edit a big file to extract the ones you don't
want. But I degress... If the note is available either double clicking the line
or clicking the button will bring up a window with that tech note.

The version I have now is .9 beta. It has some limitations now which will be
fixed when it is final. If you would like to try it out send me email and I 
send you a copy. I also have all the tech notes (including #31) already 
formated. Please let me know if you want me to include the tech notes also. 

The package includes:
 Tech note finder app
 Tech note extractor stack
 Tech Note Index file
 and on request tech notes 1 - 279

I would really like to get some feed back on how to make it better.

I plan on incuding some kind of compress/decompress to make the
disk space useage shrink. I have some code but it expects to be called
from C. Does anybody know how to call C code from pascal?

Or better yet does anybody have any text compress/decompress engine
that can be called from pascal that they can share?

>It is available only via the ETO disk (via APDA)
>+C


-- 
___________________________________________________________
Matthew Mora                |   my Mac  Matt_Mora@sri.com
SRI International           |  my unix  mxmora@unix.sri.com
___________________________________________________________