
** DATASAFE Vers. 2.0 **                                  24 March 1988

                                 Usage:

DATASAFE displays the contents of  memory  one page at a time.  Contents
of memory may be saved to disk, thus allowing recovery of lost WordStar,
BASIC, or other documents.


        At the : prompt, you have the following options:

        -->     Moves forward one page, --> = ^D

        <--     Moves back one page, <-- = ^S

        v       Goes to page zero, v = ^X

        ?       Displays this screen.

        A       Display memory in ASCII only
                (useful for fast paging).

        C       Change the contents of any byte in the cur-
                rent page.  DATASAFE requests  the lcoation
                of the byte on that page.

                           **USE WITH CAUTION**

        F       Fill a block  of memory within  the current
                page.  DATASAFE asks for the first and last
                bytes to be  filled and for the fill  byte.
                the fill byte.

                           **USE WITH CAUTION**

        H       Display memory  in  hex and  ASCII (the de-
                fault setting).

        P       Page forward  or back  to a particular page
                of memory.  DATASAFE  prompts  you  for the
                page number (in 2 digit hex).

        R       Read file into memory.  DATASAFE requests a
                filename.

        S       Save data.   DATASAFE  requests a filename.
                If the file exists, you are offered the op-
                ions of  overwriting  the  file, backing up
                the  file, or  appending  data to  the file
                (useful if your lost data is not sequential
                in memory).  You are then prompted  for the
                first page number (2-digit hex), first byte
                to save and last page number (2-digit hex).

        X       Exits  (from other options to ':' prompt or
                from ':' prompt to system).


                  Saving WordStar and other text files

WordStar 2.26 saves files starting  at  page  73.  Use the "P" option to
get to page 73.  (For WordStar 3.3, page 84.)  Enter "A", to  view ASCII
only, the  pages scroll by more quickly that way.  Press the right arrow
(or ^D; DS recognizes WordStar and  CP/M arrow keys) to scroll from page
to page.  At the end of your file, you will probably see a block  of DEL
characters ().  (These  are also scattered about elsewhere.  They corre-
spond to occurrences in memory  of  the  character 1Ah, which is used to
indicate the end of text files.)  Note the page  number  (the  first two
characters of the numbers at the left hand side of the screen).

Enter "S" to save your file.  DS  will request the first page number (73
for WS 2.26), and the beginning byte.  For WordStar 2.26, the  answer is
21.  DS will  then ask for the last page number, and will save your file
to disk.  There will be some extraneous  matter at the end of your file.
Remove with a few ^Y's at the end of a WordStar file, or, before saving,
use the "F" option to fill the page following your file  with  1AH char-
acters.


                          Saving MBASIC files

The procedure is similar to that  for saving WordStar files, except that
the beginning page is 61, and the beginning byte AE.  Use the "C" option
to change this byte from "00"  to  "FF"  before  saving.  Also, although
there is  a  1AH  character, represented by , at the end of the file, it
will be followed by a block of nulls (00s), so you will probably do bet-
ter to use the "H" option while viewing the contents of memory.


                           Saving other files

As you discover ways of saving other files, please send your discoveries
to:

                            Patrick Wiseman
                          61 Clarendon Avenue
                    Avondale Estates, Georgia  30002

Use the "R" option to see what a  file looks like, so that you will know
what to save should disaster strike.

Any other comments are also  welcome.  I  expect to "upgrade" and other-
wise improve this program, based on user reaction to it.


                             Technicalities

This program is written on an  Osborne I double-density computer, a Z-80
based CP/M machine.  None of the video capabilities  of  the  Osborne is
exploited, for  maximum portability.  Also, although I have an 80 column
screen, I remember the days when I  didn't, and so DS is written so that
instructions are visible without scrolling  the  52-column screen.  With
memory display set to display both hex and ASCII a little scrolling will
will be necessary.

                                  end
