                       DOCUMENTATION FOR TALKING DIRECTORY
                                   Version 2.0
                      Copyright 1994-1997 by Access Success


Talking Directory is a speech friendly file, directory, and program manager for
IBM compatible personal computers, running with at least DOS 3.3 and a 286
processor.  It combines many utilities in a single, integrated environment
designed for convenient and powerful operation.  Features include the
following:

"Point and shoot" alternative to DIR command.  Specify any directory that can
be supplied to the DIR command of DOS.  You will have file by file access to
the directory, allowing you to perform an action on a file by pointing to it
with the cursor, rather than memorizing its name and typing it at a DOS prompt.

Common DOS file commands.  Perform common DOS operations on a file including
copy, delete, move, and rename.

Other file commands.  Perform other operations on files including displaying
the size of a file in bytes, its maximum line length in characters, and the
date and time it was last updated.  View almost any text or word processor file
with the built-in document reader that has convenient searching, bookmarking,
and continuous reading capabilities.  Archive and unarchive files using the
standard .ZIP compression format.  Attach a description to a file--up to a
screen in size--to help you identify or search for it later.  Automatically
describe almost any file based on its first readable line.

Multiple file processing.  Perform operations on multiple files after tagging
them.  Multiple file processing is possible with the archive, copy, delete,
move, stamp, and other commands.

Directory commands.  Perform operations on subdirectories as well as files. 
You can go to, create, rename, and delete a directory--even if it contains
files.  Sort a directory by file name, extension, size, or time in either
ascending or descending order.  Look inside a .ZIP archive as if it were a
subdirectory.

Flexible directory navigation.  Navigate flexibly among the entries in the
current directory specification.  You can go to the next or previous entry and
beginning or end entry.  Jump forward or backward by any number of entries. 
You can also jump to an entry by providing its name, partial name, or a
wildcard specification.  Yet another way to go to an entry is by searching for
one or more key words contained in its content or a description you attach. 
This is a powerful way of overcoming the limited descriptive ability of DOS
file names.

Disk operations.  Determine the size in bytes of the current directory and the
amount of free space remaining on the disk.  Check or set the volume label of a
disk.  Format a disk as high, low, or the default density of that drive.  Only
floppy disks can be formatted--there is no risk of formatting the hard disk!

User defined commands.  Create up to a dozen user defined commands that you
might otherwise run from the DOS prompt.  For example, one command might load
your word processor, another a text editor, another a telecommunications
program, database program, etc.  The current file can be passed to the program
as a parameter.  Even programs that take up a large amount of memory can be run
because TD swaps itself out of memory before running them.  You can also go to
a DOS prompt at any time.

You will find even more features in Talking Directory, but the preceding should
convince you of its depth and flexibility.  Talking Directory is feature
competitive with the best directory managers on the market.  Unlike these
competitors, however, every feature of Talking Directory has been implemented
in a manner that is friendly to users of speech or braille output.  Using the
default settings of any screen reader program, a blind user can operate the
program as efficiently as his or her sighted counterpart who uses the visual
display.

TD also runs fine under Windows 3.1 and Windows 95, either from the DOS prompt
without loading Windows, or from a DOS box after Windows is loaded.  With TD,
one can usually perform directory management operations more efficiently than
others using Windows File Manager or Explorer!

This 2.0 version of TD contains major enhancements over the previous one, as
described in the UPGRADE.TXT file.  New features are added based to a large
degree on feedback from users, especially those who register the program. 
Considering TD's unique combination of power and friendliness, its $70 price
makes it quite a bargain!

Instructional material is provided in the form of a cassette tutorial and this
ASCII text file, which may be brailled or printed with appropriate equipment. 
It may also be viewed with any document reading software, including the MORE
command of DOS, a word processor, or TD's own built-in View command.

If you skim through this file at least once and try out the program and online
help, you will probably learn most features without difficulty.  Sometimes, you
will need to come back to a section again if it mentions features in a later
section.  Learning any software is a cyclic process of studying new concepts,
experimenting with them, and refining one's understanding through experience.

Although TD definitely enables hard disk management with less technical
knowledge than required by DOS commands, it still requires some basic knowledge
of hard disk concepts, including directory structure and naming conventions. 
Numerous accessible materials are available for acquiring this knowledge.  For
example, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic 
in Princeton, New Jersey has DOS instructional material on cassette tape and
computer disk.

The trial version of Talking Directory, TRYTD.EXE, is identical to the
registered version, TD.EXE, except for registration reminder messages that
occur after ten minutes in a session, and upon loading or exiting after 10
sessions.  TD is deliberately priced low enough so that almost any computer
user can afford it.  Trial users are asked to support the product in good faith
if they find a regular use for it.  While there is not a strict evaluation
period, 60 days should generally be enough time to reach a decision about its
value.  While the registered version is not to be shared with others, it may be
used by the licensed individual on any computer.  The trial version may be
freely shared, but should not be used as an ongoing alternative to the
registered version.  Users of the trial version should substitute TRYTD for TD
in references to loading the program.

The author has made extensive efforts to test and correct any problems
discovered with the software.  Besides several other testers, he uses it daily
himself.  Users should understand, however, that no guarantee is provided.  In
the spirit of customer responsiveness, the author intends to continue Good
faith efforts toward improving the product and its support over time. 
Naturally, the market's response to the product will in turn affect its future
viability.


                                    CONTENTS


Installation
Configuration
Directory Mode
Comparison with CTS and SDIR
Operating Conventions
Learning TD
Multiple File Processing
Archive Support
Indexing Directories
Going to a Directory
Going to a File within a Directory
Getting Status Information
Viewing a Text or word processor File
Creating a Note File
Setting User Defined Commands
Using the Shell Command
Describing Files
Protecting Files
Stamping the Date and Time of a File
Setting the System Clock
Operating the Calculator
Using Miscellaneous Commands
Invoking Command Line Parameters
Registration Information
Help Screens


                                  INSTALLATION

TD has an automatic installation procedure that places files in appropriate
directories and modifies your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that you can run TD from any
DOS prompt.  If you received TD on a floppy disk, then log onto that drive and
run the batch file INSTAll.BAT.  For example, you might enter the following two
commands at the DOS prompt:
a:
install

In this case, be aware that TD might take half a minute to load because of its
size and the slow access time of floppy drives.  The load time will be much
less once installed on your hard drive.

If you obtained TD in a .ZIP file, then unarchive it either onto a floppy disk
or into a temporary directory on your hard disk, e.g., C:\TEMP.  You might do
this with the following two commands at the DOS prompt:
pkunzip td20.zip
install

This procedure may also be used to update the installation of TD.  You can
again use the batch file INSTALL.BAT or execute the command it contains:

td /install

The installation procedure will ask you for three directories:  the program,
data, and temporary directories.  If a current version is not already there,
the executable files TD.EXE, TD1UTIL.EXE, TD2UTIL.EXE and TDSET.BAT will be
copied into the program directory, which by default is C:\TD.  This directory
will be created if it doesn't exist.  If not already there, it will be added to
the path statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, after backing up the original to
OLDAUTO.BAT.

The data directory is where TD will look for its configuration file TD.CNF and
description files TD.DBF and TD.DBV during its operation.  If not specified, it
will look for these data files in the program directory.  The temporary
directory is where TD stores temporary files such as TD.TMP and others created
and erased during its operation.  If not specified, TD will store these in the
program directory.

If the installation completes successfully, you will be asked to reboot your
computer to allow the settings to take effect.  If an error occurred during
installation, take note of the error message and try running the installation
procedure again, making an appropriate correction.  For example, if you specify
a directory that cannot be created, an error will occur.  Make sure you use DOS
naming conventions in specifying a directory.  Unless there is a good reason
otherwise, you may wish to simply accept the default values by pressing Enter
at each step of the installation.  You can also press F10 to accept the current
values of multiple concurrent prompts.


                                  CONFIGURATION

After installing TD and rebooting your computer, you can just type 
TD
at the DOS prompt to load the program.  If the configuration file TD.CNF is not
found in the data directory, you will be prompted to create it.  Study the help
screen and example values.  Do not worry, however, if it is not all clear to
you.  You can simply press enter to accept each default value, or F10 to accept
them all at once.  You can always reconfigure later by pressing O for options
when in TD's directory mode.

Among other things, the options screen allows you to define what TD should do
when you select the View or Write commands in directory mode.  By default, the
View command executes the built-in document reader on the current file,
allowing you to conveniently read and search an ASCII text or word processor
file.  If you prefer to use another document reading program (such as Q Read,
Ralph, ReadIt, Squint, or View), you can specify this on the options screen.

By default, the Write command is set to load WordPerfect with the current file,
since the great majority of blind computer users opt for this word processor. 
If you prefer another word processor, however, simply enter it here.

User defined commands are passed by TD to DOS for execution.  TD makes a few
possible changes before passing the command to DOS:  (1) removing a description
of the command which is enclosed in parentheses;

(2) replacing the first ~ sign, if any, by the answer to a prompt for
parameters;

(3) replacing the first percent sign, if any, with the name of the current file
in the directory being listed.  For example, the W command is defined as
follows by default:
wp % (word processor, set to WordPerfect with current file)

Suppose that TD is currently listing the C:\LETTERS directory and is currently
positioned at the JAMAL.DOC file within that directory.  Pressing the letter W
will pass the following command to DOS:
wp c:\letters\jamal.doc

If an executable file called WP can be located by DOS in its search path, then
it will be run with the file C:\LETTERS\JAMAL.DOC as a parameter.  DOS will
look through the current and then all directories in its path setting for an
executable file named WP.COM, WP.EXE, or WP.BAT.  If WordPerfect (or whatever
program desired) is not in a directory that DOS automatically searches, then it
must be "fully qualified" in order to be executed as a user defined command. 
For example, it may be defined as follows:
c:\wp51\wp.exe %

In general, you can test whether a user defined command will work by entering
it at the DOS prompt, making appropriate adjustments for the percent sign or
parentheses, if applicable.  Suppose you want an additional option for loading
WordPerfect with a blank screen to create a new document, rather than with the
current file to edit.  You might define another option, such as the 0 command,
to do this.  It would be defined like the W command, but with the % omitted.

(4) replacing the first ^ symbol, if any, with the name of the current file
except for its extension; and

(4) if the command is terminated with a space followed by the ` character,
prompting with the message "Press any key to continue" after it executes, thus
allowing inspection of the screen before TD continues.

After you complete the last option prompt, the configuration file TD.CNF will
be saved in your data directory.  This is the C:\TD directory by default, or
one specified by a DOS environment variable called TD.  A database structure
for storing file descriptions, consisting of the files TD.DBF TD.DBV and
TD.CDX, will also be created there.  You will then be brought to directory
mode, where most of your time is spent in TD.


                                 DIRECTORY MODE

In directory mode, TD presents a set of file and subdirectory entries on which
you can perform many operations.  A file pointer is always looking at one of
these entries at a time, which is referred to as the current file.  Commands
allow you to move the pointer among files and to perform operations on one or
more of them.  Initially, the entries are ordered such that subdirectories
appear before regular files, since they are usually important to know about
when first examining a directory.  The default order can be changed, however,
with the Index command.

Upon entering directory mode, the name of the first file (or subdirectory) is
displayed and spoken.  A subdirectory is indicated by a backslash character
following its name.  For example, suppose you ran TD from the root directory of
drive C and the beginning entry is the DOS subdirectory.  Then the following
will be displayed and spoken
upon entering directory mode:
DOS\

You can press N to go to the next file, causing it to be similarly displayed
and spoken on the next line of the screen.  The P command goes to the previous
file.  B goes to the beginning or first file and E goes to the End or last
file.  The end file of the current directory will be indicated by a vertical
bar symbol following its name.  For example, if JAMAL.LTR is the end file, then
TD will present:
JAMAL.LTR|

As a memory aid, think of the | symbol barring you from going further in the
list.

Suppose you didn't quite make out the name of the current file when it was
spoken.  Press the Spacebar to repeat it.  If you press it a second time, the
name will be spelled.  Pressed a third time spells the name using the phonetic
alphabet--Alpha for A, Bravo for B, etc.

An alternative to pressing N for the Next file is the Tab or Enter key.  This
is quicker because the word "Next" is displayed visually, but not spoken. 
Similarly, pressing the Shift-Tab key is an alternative to pressing P for
previous.  A third alternative is using the Down and Up Arrow keys to go to the
next and previous files, respectively.  In this case, TD relies upon your
screen reader program to read the current line containing the new file name.

For correct reading with the arrow keys, you may need to configure your screen
reader with a "cursor delay" or "cursor pause" so that the appropriate line is
spoken.  If you find this to be necessary, it is because TD is written in
Clipper, a higher level programming language than other applications such as
word processors, which are usually written in C.  A clipper program is slower
and larger than its C equivalent.  On 286 machines and above, however, the
performance is quite adequate and the convenient power of TD will almost
certainly outweigh its limitations in execution speed and size.  For
technically minded users who wish to improve TD's speed, try one or more of the
following: (1) making two megabytes of extended memory available on the
computer, (2) loading the executable file TD.EXE from a ram disk, or (3)
setting TD's temporary directory to a ram disk--via a DOS environment variable
called TEMP.  By default, TD runs in DOS 286 protected mode, using less than
300K of conventional memory with the rest in extended memory.  If the computer
does not support protected mode, TD will automatically run in real mode.  If TD
runs in protected mode but seems unstable, real mode can be forced with the
TDSET.BAT batch file in the TD program directory.  Run TDSET without any
parameters for a help screen.


                          COMPARISON WITH CTS AND SDIR

Since a number of users of TD may be familiar with CTS, the Contact Tracking
System (also Copyright by Access Success) or SDIR, the Speech Directory
(Copyright by Scott Stanton and Carla Campbell), the following comparisons
provide some orientation to TD.

The command structure in TD for moving among files is similar to that in CTS
for moving among records.  Beginning, End, Jump, Next, Previous, List, View,
Write, Yield, Zoom, and Quit are analogous.

Other TD commands resemble those in a speech friendly file manager called SDIR,
which inspired this more powerful one.  Copy, Delete, Rename, Size, Time, and
eXecute work similarly.


                              OPERATING CONVENTIONS

F1 provides context sensitive help at major points in the program:  the
directory and view modes, option and description screens.  Escape will abort
almost any operation.  As a precaution against exiting TD accidentally,
however, confirmation is requested.  To quit TD immediately without
confirmation, press Alt-Q or Alt-Escape.  If this does not work, try Alt-C to
cancel the program.  In this unlikely event, no harm is done, but temporary
files may remain.

In general, reports of successes and problems with TD are appreciated since
this feedback aids future development.  Be assured, however, that the product
has been rigorously tested and debugged before market release.  In fact, Access
Success has sufficient confidence in its reliable performance that it will
provide the registered version at a $10 discount to a trial user who discovers
a true bug--a feature that fails to perform as described with acknowledged
limitations.  This policy indicates the commitment to making TD bug free.  The
discount, however, can only apply to the latest, published trial version--since
a correction may already have been made.

Returning to the discussion of operating conventions, when you invoke a
command, it is echoed to the screen, usually (but not always) through BIOS--the
Basic Input/Output Service of the computer which screen readers capture.  For
example, the B command will display the word Beginning on the next line through
BIOS, thereby giving it visual and verbal presentation.  After moving the file
pointer to the beginning file or subdirectory, TD will similarly present it to
indicate what is now the current file.  Like the display of DOS, your commands
and their responses are continually scrolled to the screen in TD.  This
operating log lets you review recent actions by reading the screen above the
cursor.

Many commands prompt you for further input before they can be executed.  A
prompt ending with a question mark requires a single character response,
whereas one ending in a colon requires a variable length response--one or more
characters followed by Enter.  For example, press D in directory mode to delete
the current file.  If JAMAL.LTR is the current file, then you will be prompted
Delete file JAMAL.LTR (Y/N)? N

Notice the question mark after the prompt, indicating that a single character
response is required.  The value in the input field is the default value that
would be selected if you pressed Enter.  In this case, the default is N so that
you will not accidentally delete a file by pressing Enter.  You must
consciously press Y for Yes.

An example of a variable length prompt is provided by the C command as follows:

Copy to directory:

Notice the colon indicating that any number of characters may be typed on that
line, followed by Enter.  If you entered B: at the prompt, then the file
JAMAL.LTR would be copied to the B: directory (on your floppy disk). 
Generally, the last value of a variable length input is remembered.  In our
example, this means that next time we invoke the Copy command, B: will be the
default value.  We could select it again by pressing Enter.  If we want to
enter another directory name, we could press F6 to erase the current value and
then enter the new one.  F6 is not necessary at the beginning of a new entry,
however, because TD will blank out the default value as soon as you type any
printable characters in the field.

Suppose you want to edit the default value rather than type  a whole new value. 
You can prevent the automatic blanking of the field by beginning with a cursor
key, such as Right Arrow to go to the next character or Control-Right Arrow to
go to the next word.  You could also press End to go to the End of the field or
Home if you want to start editing at the beginning.  The Delete, Backspace, and
Insert keys work in the standard manner for editing text.  Overstrike mode is
the default, but can be changed with a press of the Insert key.  Press F1 when
editing a field for a help screen listing the available cursoring and editing
commands.

In general, it is optional whether you enter a directory name in TD with a
trailing backslash symbol.  DOS commands, on the other hand, consider a
trailing \ valid only in the case of a root directory, e.g., the C:\ directory
but not the C:\TD directory.  In some cases, the \ symbol is useful to tell TD
you mean a directory rather than a file name.  In the Copy and Move commands, a
trailing \ ensures that TD will only execute the command if a directory by that
name exists, rather than creating a file in a higher level directory.

For example, suppose you want to move a file to the C:\SAVE directory.  You
think you have a directory by that name when you press M for move and enter
C:\save when prompted

Move to directory:

However, that directory does not exist.  TD, like DOS, will think you wish to
rename the file as well as move it.  It will create a file called SAVE in the
C:\ directory.  Sometimes, you may wish to give the target file a different
name.  If not, however, you can prevent this from accidentally happening by
entering c:\save\ at the Move prompt.  Since it is now clear that you mean to
move the file to a directory called C:\save, TD will notify you if the
directory does not exist and abort the command.

If you invoke a nontrivial directory command, then a status message followed by
an exclamation point will indicate the result.  For example, after copying or
deleting a file, TD will say either 
Done!
or
Error!
indicating the success or failure of the command.  Status messages are
intentionally as few syllables as possible to convey useful information without
unnecessary verbiage.  TD reliably announces the success or failure of a
command by checking for errors reported by DOS.  For example, when you use the
Copy command, TD will announce the result based on low level feedback from DOS,
rather than a rough assessment such as whether a file by the expected name
exists in the target directory.


                                   LEARNING TD

A good way to learn Talking Directory commands is to try the letters A through
Z within a temporary directory on your hard disk.  Try navigating among files,
renaming or deleting them, and copying or moving them to a floppy disk.  Press
F1 or H for help screens that summarize and group commands.  Press Alt-F1 or
Alt-H for a command menu.  Pressing Down Arrow will display the next menu
option and Up Arrow will display the previous.  To help remember the letter or
other character that triggers a command, it is indicated at the beginning of
the command description.  For example, one menu option reads as follows:

N = go to the next file, also Tab, Enter, or Down Arrow
Each menu option is written to be as descriptive as possible within a single
line of text, thus allowing it to be conveniently read by a screen reader
program, which normally reads the current line after Down Arrow or Up Arrow is
pressed.  The cursor is positioned at the beginning of the line on the trigger
character for that command--thus allowing it to be reviewed by using a screen
reader command to read the current character.


                            MULTIPLE FILE PROCESSING

The >, <, and = commands tag and untag files.  Subdirectories cannot be tagged. 
To tag a file, press > (invoked with the Shift and period keys).  The > symbol
will now precede its name in directory mode.  For example, if the file
JAMAL.TXT is tagged, then it will be presented by TD as follows:

>JAMAL.TXT

To untag a file, press < (invoked with the Shift and comma keys).  The > tag
symbol will now be removed.  After tagging or untagging a file, TD
automatically goes to the next file in the directory list, thus allowing you to
efficiently step through a directory and selectively tag the files you wish for
subsequent batch processing.  Press = (to the right of the dash key) if you
wish to tag or untag all files in the current directory specification.

TD knows when one or more files are tagged, and asks whether you want to
perform a subsequent command on the set of tagged files, on the set of untagged
files, or on the current file only.  Selective processing of this kind is
possible with the commands Archive, Copy, Delete, List, Move, Unarchive, Yield,
Stamp, Quote, Protect, Unprotect, Hide, Reveal, System, and General.  Copy,
Move, and Unarchive (when done from inside the .ZIP file) will check before
overwriting a file with the same name and report whether it is older, newer, or
current according to its date and time stamp.  If a file with the same name is
discovered in a batch Copy, Move, or Unarchive, you can select whether to be
prompted to overwrite each time, replace all files with the same name, leave
them all unchanged, or overwrite them only with ones that have been updated
more recently.  For example, TD might say the following:

Newer CALENDAR.DOC found!  Overwrite (Y/N) or Replace/Leave/Update rest? N

Press N if you wish to prevent overwriting the file with an older one that has
the same name.  Press Y to overwrite it.  Press R to stop asking in this batch
process and replace all files with the same name, regardless of whether they
are older, newer, or current.  Press L to leave all files with the same name.
Press U to replace files with the same name only with updated ones.

When at any prompt that allows you to choose between the current, tagged or
untagged files, the default is tagged.  This means you can just press Enter to
perform batch operations on tagged files.  In the case of a batch delete,
however, you will be asked for additional confirmation.  For example, TD might
say the following:

Delete 6 tagged files (Y/N)? N


                                 ARCHIVE SUPPORT

In this release of TD, only the .ZIP archive format is supported.  At this
time, it is the most popular archival format by a considerable margin.  For the
archive related commands to work, a copy of PKZIP.EXE and PKUNZIP.EXE
(Copyright by Phil Katz) must be available in your DOS (or network) search
path.  The latest version of these shareware utilities can be downloaded from
almost any bulletin board system as a self extracting file having a name that
begins with PKZ followed by a version number and a .EXE extension.  At the time
of this writing, the latest DOS version is PKZ204G.EXE.  If you don't already
have these utilities, they are worth getting and registering.  You can place
them in the TD program directory if you don't have a separate utilities directory.

Td supports .ZIP files with the Archive command to add files to them, the
Unarchive command to extract files from them, the Delete command to delete
files inside them, the Rename command to rename files inside them, the View
command to read files inside them, the Statistics command to compute some file
statistics inside them, the Zoom command to go into them like a subdirectory,
and the Quote command to automatically create a file description based on a
descriptive file within them.


                              INDEXING Directories


The Index command sorts TD's directory list stored in memory.  It does not
affect the physical order of files on disk.  You can index by file name,
extension, size, or time.  A second prompt asks whether you want ascending or
descending order.  If you select descending, subdirectories will be listed
after files, rather than vice versa.  A common use of the Index command is to
determine the most recent file in a directory.  You can press I for index, T
for time, and then D for descending.  The beginning file will then be the most
recent one according to its date and time stamp.  Press T to tell the time it
was last updated or S to tell its size in bytes.  Press N or Enter to go to the
next most recent file.

The selections you make in the Index command will be remembered from one TD
session to the next.  When TD reads directory information from disk into
memory, it automatically indexes it in the order you last selected.  Some
people like their directories sorted chronologically, others alphabetically. 
If you forget the order TD is using, press the ? key for status information
that includes this.  Be aware that indexing directories by other than the
default disk order may add a little time to TD's presentation of a new
directory.  It is generally not significant unless the computer is slow or the
directory is large.


                              GOING TO A DIRECTORY

The Go command will allow you to create a directory if the one specified does
not exist.  The Delete and Rename commands work on directories as well as
regular files.  If no files are found from a wildcard specification, a prompt
will ask whether to search other directories.  If yes, TD will search all
available drives, starting with the current.  This kind of search can also be
initiated from the DOS prompt.  For example, to search for a file called
JOB.ZIP, enter the following command:

td job.zi*

or any other specification that includes at least one wild card.

TD is quite sophisticated in guessing which directory you want to go to.  The
default value will generally be the previous directory you were in or the last
directory 
you copied, moved, or unarchived to.

A convenient way to go to the current *.* directory is with the period symbol. 
This may be useful if you've added, modified, or deleted files within the
current directory by means of an external program, invoked with a number or
with the shell command.  The . command causes TD to re-examine the disk and
read new information into its memory concerning the files in the current
directory.  Be aware that displaying a new directory--even if it has the same
specification as the current one--will lose any tags you may have set.

Some other shortcuts for making directory changes are as follows.  The ,
command (next to the . command) will go to the parent directory, that is, one
level up from the current directory in the disk's directory hierarchy.  As a
memory aid, think of "comma" rhyming with "come up a level."  It does the same
thing as a Go command with a .. directory specification.  It then issues a Jump
command to the subdirectory entry you were previously in.

The : command lets you change to a different drive.  It prompts for a drive
letter and then changes to it.  It does the same thing as the Go command with a
drive letter and colon as the directory specification.

The \ command changes to the root directory of the current drive.  It does the
same thing as the Go command and a \ as the directory specification.

The Go and Keyword search commands will continue searching other directories if
the previous search specification is used.  Directories previously searched are
excluded.  This lets you find matches in additional directories, beyond the
first match in another directory.


                       GOING TO A FILE WITHIN A DIRECTORY

The List command displays the entries in the current directory list, using
appropriate index order and punctuation symbols for tag, readonly, hidden, and
system status.  It will pause at the end of a screen.  Press M for more to
display the next screen or C for continuous to display without pausing.  You
can also skip the "More/Continuous" prompt by pressing a C immediately after
the L for list.

The Jump command allows you to jump ahead or backward in the directory list by
entering a positive or negative number of entries.  Alternatively, you can
enter a file name or wild card pattern.  TD will jump to the first match, if
any.

Suppose you want to jump to the first file with a .DOC extension in the current
directory.  Press J for jump and then type *.doc followed by Enter at the
prompt.

Suppose you want to jump to the first file beginning with the letter W.  You
could press J and then w*.* at the prompt.  A shortcut is to type just the W
character and press Enter.  TD will assume that you mean to append a *.*
pattern if you do not include the ?, *, or . characters.  An exception to this
is when you wish to jump to a file that begins with one or more digits.  Then
you need to include a wildcard character so that TD knows it should jump to a
matching file rather than jump by a certain number of files.

Suppose you know that the RPT sequence of characters occurs somewhere within a
file name, but you don't know its leading character.  Unlike DOS's restrictions
on wildcards, TD allows you to jump to a pattern such as the following:
*rpt*

The Jump command also lets you go to a file with a particular attribute by
specifying the appropriate punctuation symbol as follows:

\ for a subdirectory
> or < for a tagged or untagged file
] or [ for a read-only or read-write file
} or { for a system or general file
) or ( for a hidden or visible file
@ for a file with an attached description
; for a file with a bookmark set

Pressing J for Jump again and then just Enter will cause TD to jump to the next
file matching that pattern.  In this case, it begins searching the directory
list with the entry following the current one.

The Keywords command allows you to go to a file by searching its content or
description.  Press K for Keywords and then enter the word, partial word, or
phrase to match.  If you want a match to occur even if the words do not appear
consecutively in the file, then separate them with commas.  For example,
entering
separate agency

will search for that particular phrase, whereas entering
separate, agency
will search for files containing "separate" and "agency" anywhere within them. 
A second prompt asks whether you want to search descriptions, contents, both,
or archives too.  Searching file descriptions is relatively fast but narrow in
scope.  Searching everything including .ZIP archives is relatively broad but
slow.  If you have described many files using the command

td /quote

then you might effectively search descriptions only.  Note that in the above
command line, quote is indicated by the word rather than the punctuation symbol
used in directory mode.  Searches are always case insensitive.  To search for
the next matching file, simply press K for Keywords and then Enter to accept
the same words as before.  (Searching begins following the current file.)  If
no match is found in the current directory, you will be asked whether to search
other directories.  This process is a slow one, so it is best used as a last
resort.  (TD is written in Clipper not Assembler!)  If you know which directory
a file is likely to be in, it may be quicker to go to that directory first
before doing the Keywords command.  Still, the ability to search your entire
hard disk for keywords may make a decisive difference on occasion.


                           GETTING STATUS INFORMATION

If at any time you forget what directory you are in, you can remind yourself by
pressing the ? key.  It will also tell you the volume label of the current
drive, the current index order, and your relative position in the directory. 
For example, you might get the following output:

Volume LETTERS  Directory A:\ by descending time
8 of 20 entries  40% through


                                 VIEWING A FILE

The View command loads an internal document reader that can read almost any DOS
or Windows word processor file.  If you just want to identify the file, you can
interrupt the initial conversion process by pressing V again, which will
retrieve at least a couple of screens worth.  Besides V or Escape, the last key
pressed during the conversion process will become the first command of the
document reader.  For example, if you know you want to read a file
continuously, press G for go right after pressing the initial V to view the
file.

Once the file has been loaded in the document reader, commands for navigating
within it are similar to those for navigating within a directory.  The commands
Beginning, End, Next, Previous, and Jump move by screen within the file.  View
reads the current screen.  Tab and Shift-Tab read the next and previous
paragraph, respectively.  The Go command reads continuously.  Spacebar silences
a screen being read.

Searching is possible with F for Forward search, R for Reverse search, or A for
search Again.  The initial search string is based on the last Keywords command. 
The ? command will identify the file being viewed and the relative position in
it.  Commands will interrupt a command being executed, thus allowing convenient
browsing--e.g., by paragraph.  Other commands are summarized on the help
screen, invoked with H or F1.  A menu is also available with Alt-F1 or Alt-H.

The conversion of files to view mode is intended to maximize readability, with
some sacrifice in formatting.  File types converted include WordPerfect 5.0 -
7.0, Microsoft Word 2.0 - 7.0, Microsoft Write, Microsoft WordPad, Lotus Word
Pro, and HTML format (used in publishing on the world wide web).


If you read continuously with the Go command and then stop the reading, the
cursor will usually be further ahead in the document than the last line spoken. 
This is because TD does not know how much the speech synthesizer has spoken,
and so moves on after a split second rather than pausing and risking choppy
speech.  To get back to the last line spoken, you can take advantage of the
fact that TD's view mode generally interrupts an executing command when it
receives another command.  Thus you could interrupt the Go command with the
Reverse search command and specify a word or phrase on or near the last line
you heard.

If your screen reader supports a continuous read command, you could use it
instead of TD's Go command.  Since TD does not execute as quickly as some other
applications, such as a word processor, your screen reader may need to be
configured with a higher "cursor delay" than the default setting in order for
its continuous read to work properly.  Essentially, you would be telling your
screen reader not to give up reading continuously just because the text does
not scroll onto the screen as quickly as in other programs.  If you change any
speech settings to refine your operation of TD, you would probably find it
helpful to save the new settings in a screen reader configuration file that
gets loaded automatically whenever you run TD.

Although TD lets you read the screen with the arrow keys, you may find it more
efficient to enter your screen reader's review mode to do this.

TD has a bookmark capability that allows you to remember your position in any
file you were reading in view mode.  Only one bookmark can be set per file.  If
the file is edited, the bookmark may lose its place.

When in view mode, press S to set a bookmark, D to delete it, or semicolon (;)
to go to it.  If a file has a bookmark, a ; will precede its description (if
any) when in directory mode.  You can jump to a file containing a bookmark by
specifying the ; symbol as input.  


                              CREATING A NOTE FILE

You can also use the view mode to maintain a file of notes and excerpts from
what you are reading.  Use the T command to type a note to a file.  You will be
asked for the name of the note file, which may include a path to another
directory.  If TD finds the file on disk, it asks whether you wish to append to
the end of it or replace it with a new one.  You are then placed in a mini text
editor in which you can type a note up to a screen in size.  This is the same
mode as when attaching a description to a file.  The cursor keys and word
wrapping occur as expected.  Press F1 for a summary of editing keys.  Press F10
to save the note to the file you specified.

You can copy a block of text to a note file with the C command.  First, specify
its upper line with the U command.  Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to go to the
appropriate line and the Left and Right Arrow keys to go to the beginning
character on that line.  When you press U, TD will remember the cursor position
as the beginning of the block.  Then, position the cursor on the last character
of the block in a similar fashion.  You might use the Home key to go to the
beginning of a line or the End key to go to the end.  Control-Home goes to the
top left of the screen and Control-End goes to the bottom right.  Pressing L
marks the end of the block.  When you press the C command, TD will ask you for
the name of the note file to which it should copy the specified block of text. 
If a note file has previously been specified, either from typing a note or
copying a block, it will be presented as the default.  Pressing Enter accepts
this file and copies the block to the end of it.  TD puts a blank line between
each typed note or copied block in the file.  For best results, This file
should remain in ASCII text format.  In other words, if you edit it in your
word processor, remember to save it again as ASCII text.

In view mode, the user defined commands consider the default note file, rather
than the file being viewed, as the current file referenced with the percent
sign.  Thus, for example, you can press W to load the note file into your word
processor.


                          SETTING USER DEFINED COMMANDS

A dozen miscellaneous, user defined commands are possible, invoked with the
digits 0 - 9 and the letters V and W.  From the options screen, enter the name
of the desired executable file, optionally followed by a space and the % sign
to indicate that the current file name in the directory list should be passed
as a parameter (the percent sign serves a similar purpose in batch files).  A
path to the executable should precede its name if it is not located on the
search path.  Look at the Write command for an example.

When in the options screen, Tab or Enter moves to the next field and Shift-Tab
moves to the previous.  Page-Up moves to the first field;  Page-Down moves to
the last.  Press F6 (for "fix") to blank the current field.  To save the
current settings, press Enter on the last field, or from any field, press F10. 
You can invoke an option by pressing Alt-F10 when in its definition.  This
allows the options screen to serve as a menu.  If you forget which number
invokes a miscellaneous command you defined, then press O for options, press
Enter until you reach the desired definition, and then press Alt-F10 to invoke
it.

The W and numeric commands can be executed without the % or ^ parameters by
combining them with the Alt key.  For example, to load your word processor with
a blank screen rather than with the current file in TD, press Alt-W. 
Similarly, if you have an ASCII text editor defined for the 1 command, you
could press Alt-1 and load it without the current file.


                             USING THE SHELL COMMAND

You can easily run an external program even if it isn't configured as a user
defined command.  Invoke the shell command by pressing the / or Control-F1 key
(which serves this purpose in WordPerfect).  Now enter any command that you
could enter at the DOS prompt.  For example, if you wanted to display a
directory on drive B without going to that directory in TD, you could press the
/ key and then enter the following command:
dir b:

TD will pass this command to DOS just as if you had entered it at a DOS prompt. 
When DOS has finished executing the shell command, TD will return to directory
mode and announce the current entry in the usual manner.  If you want to
execute a series of external commands, leave the shell command blank.  TD will
put you at a DOS prompt in the current directory.  You can execute any commands
you wish, including changing to other directories.  You can even load another
copy of TD!

When you want to return to TD, type exit at the DOS prompt.  You will be
returned to the directory you were in before shelling to DOS.  If you added or
deleted files in this directory during your shell session, you may wish to
press the . command to tell TD to reload directory information from disk into
memory.

The shell command recognizes the percent sign as a symbol for the current file
in the directory list, just like the user defined commands.  You might have an
external program that you use occasionally, but not enough to justify occupying
one of the twelve user defined commands.  For example, suppose you wish to use
the DOS type command on the current file.  You could enter the shell command as
follows:
type %

TD will replace the % with the name of the current file, before passing the
command to DOS.  The file name is fully qualified, that is, preceded by its
drive and path designation so there is no ambiguity to the external program.

You can also use the ^ symbol to pass the file name without its extension, and
the ` character (at the end of the line and preceded by a space) to cause TD to
pause after the command executes, thus allowing you to inspect any output it
placed on the screen.


                                DESCRIBING FILES

Any file or subdirectory may have a description associated with it.  This can
be up to a screen (actually 22 lines) in length, with up to 60 characters per
line.  When a file that has a description is presented in directory mode, the
first line of the description will be presented to the right of the file name.

Press the @ symbol to attach a description to a file.  You will be brought into
a mini text editor with basic arrow key navigation and editing commands
available.  Press F6 to blank a line.  Press F8 to enter today's date.  Press
F10 to save the description, or Escape to abort the edit.  If the description
contains more than one line, then a + sign will appear to the right of its
first line in directory mode, indicating that additional information is
available.  Press the + command (Shift with the = key) if you want to show the
description rather than edit it.  Press the - command to remove the
description.

Stored with the description of a file is its full specification, including the
volume label (if a floppy disk), the drive, path, and name where it is stored. 
This allows you to describe files on floppy disks as well as the hard disk. 
Just remember to label the disk (such as with the F for format and then V for
volume label commands).  In this way, files with the same name on different
floppies can have different descriptions so long as the volume labels are
different.

A related feature lets you automatically describe .ZIP and word processor
files.  If you enter
td /quote
at the DOS prompt, TD will search your entire hard disk for .ZIP files and
create descriptions in the TD database by quoting FILE_ID.DIZ, README, or other
descriptions inside the .ZIP files.  This should be especially useful for
operators of electronic bulletin boards, who generally have many such files on
their system.  TD will not replace descriptions that already exist, so
subsequent runs of this process should be quicker.  Be prepared--it may take a
while, but is much quicker than the manual alternative.

You can also individually quote a description of a .ZIP file with the " command
when it is the current file.  Quoting of all tagged files in a directory is
also possible.  You can globally tag all files in the current directory with =
and Enter.  You can then quote all undescribed files with " and Enter.  In
batch quoting, TD automatically skips files with common binary extensions, such
as .COM and .SYS.

Even if a file does not have a description, you can get a quick idea of its
contents with the + command.  In this case, it will display the description
that would be given if you used the " command to attach an automatic
description.


                                PROTECTING FILES

TD will show files marked with the DOS hidden and system attributes, as well as
those without--normal ones.  Files marked read-only or write-protected will be
indicated by a right bracket symbol following the file name.  For example, in
the root directory of drive C, there is probably a file that would be displayed
as
COMMAND.COM]
indicating that it is protected against modification or deletion.  To protect a
file, use the ] command.  To unprotect it, use the [ command.

TD also has support for system and hidden files, as well as those with the
readonly attribute.  A system file will be followed by a } character and a
hidden file by a ) character.  The { and } commands make files system or
general, while the ( and ) commands hide or reveal files.  Thus, for example,
most computers will have the following file in the root directory of drive c:
msdos.sys]})

meaning it has the readonly, (or write protected), system, and hidden
attributes set.


                      STAMPING THE DATE AND TIME OF A FILE

To set the date and time stamp of a file, use the ! symbol.  You will be
prompted for the date, followed by the time.  The current values will serve as
defaults.  If you blank a field with the F6 key, then the current value
according to the system clock will be used.  If you do not change either the
date or time, TD will not actually stamp the file, but issue the status message
Kept!
indicating that the same values have been kept.  You can verify the stamp of a
file with the T command, which presents the date and time using readily
understood English, rather than cryptic computer-ese.  For example Td might say
Friday, December 24, 1993 at 7:01 AM

The stamp command supports multiple file processing.  Thus you could stamp all
files in a directory with the same date and time by globally tagging them with
the = command and then stamping with the ! command.


                            SETTING THE SYSTEM CLOCK

The Format command includes a suboption to set the system clock.  You will be
prompted for the date and time, similar to the ! command.  It is important that
this computer clock be set correctly, because TD relies on the date and time
stamps of files when making comparisons as to which is older or newer in the
Copy, Move, and Unarchive commands.  Press Alt-T to conveniently display the
current time and date according to the system clock.


                            OPERATING THE CALCULATOR

The # command (Shift-3) performs some calendar, finance, phone number, or
arithmetic calculations.

The arithmetic feature lets you perform some basic arithmetic.  Use + for
addition, - for subtraction, * for multiplication, / for division, and ^ for
exponentiation.  Parentheses may be used in the conventional manner to clarify
the sequence of calculations.  If a valid number is calculated, the result may
be edited for subsequent calculations.

The phone number feature lets you calculate the digits corresponding to a
vanity phone number.  Just enter the combination of letters and numbers, and TD
will produce an equivalent sequence with the letters translated into numbers. 
This is handy for dialing a phone number announced on television in terms of
words, or when an automated phone system asks for the numbers corresponding to
the initial letters of someone's name.


The calendar feature lets you calculate a day from a date or vice versa.  In
the day, week, month, and year fields, you can enter a positive number (to move
forward), negative number (to move backward), unsigned number (to set this
value), or word alternative (e.g., Saturday or December instead of a numeric
day or month).  Leaving a field blank will generally indicate the current
value.

For example, if you put 14 in the day field, 12 in the month, and 63 in the
year, you would get the author's birth date!  The resulting date format would
display not only the day, month, and year, but the day of the week and the
occurrence of that day within the month.

if you want to know when is Memorial Day in 1997, you could enter Monday for
the day, 4 for the week, 5 for the month, and 97 for the year (the 4th Monday
in May 1997).  The best way to learn this feature is by experimenting with
different values for the fields.

The finance calculator lets you compute various variables in a model where an
amount changes by a percent and constant value over time.  The fields are now
initial amount, constant adjustment, percent change, time periods, and
resulting amount.  The model assumes an initial amount (e.g., a principal sum)
that has modifications made to it over a number of time periods (e.g., months
or years).  Two kinds of modifications may be made at the end of each time
period.  A constant adjustment is made, which may be a positive or negative
number (e.g., annuity payment).  A percent change is made, which may also be
positive or negative (e.g., growth due to interest or inflation).  The
resulting amount is what remains following the modifications calculated after
the last time period  Leave one and only one of these values blank, and TD will
calculate it.  Other fields may be specified as 0 if appropriate, e.g., if
there is no constant adjustment.

This model is flexible enough that, with appropriate values, it can be used for
calculating, say, how long it will take to pay back a loan (leave time periods
blank) or what payments are needed to save for the college tuition of a child
(leave constant adjustment blank), or how much one will earn with a certain
interest rate (leave resulting amount blank).  Due to computer rounding errors,
the answer is not exact.

As with the calendar option, previous values are retained so that one can
easily change a single variable.  Also, like other input prompts in TD, typing
a new value (or tapping the Spacebar) will erase the previous value.  To edit a
previous value, use a cursor key first (including Home or End to go to the
beginning or end of the field).


An example of the flexibility of this calculator follows.  If you want to know
how many months it will take to pay back a loan at a certain interest rate and
payment level, then enter the loan as the initial amount, the effective monthly
interest rate as the percent change, a negative number for the constant
adjustment (indicating subtraction of a payment from the outstanding loan),
blank for the time periods, and 0 for the resulting amount (meaning you've paid
back the loan.)

The finance calculator uses the maximum decimal precision that the Clipper
language supports.  For easier reading, however, the displayed answer
(corresponding to the field that one left blank) is rounded.  Also to aid
friendliness, tips to guide common calculations appear parenthetically after
some input fields.

Since an interest rate is usually given in terms of a year, a user may not know
the monthly rate, which TD needs if a monthly time period is used.  TD will do
the conversion for you if you indicate a yearly rate by appending the letter
'y' (upper or lower case) to the value in the percent change field.  Without a
trailing 'y', TD interprets the percent change literally and calculates it
every time period. To calculate an interest rate in annual terms using a
monthly period as an input, put a 'y' in the percent change field rather than
leaving it blank.

Arithmetic calculations can be done "on the fly" with any of the input fields. 
For example, to express a time period of years in terms of months, enter the
number of months followed by "*12" to indicate multiplication by 12.


                          USING MISCELLANEOUS COMMANDS

The F5 and Alt-F5 keys allow you to memorize and revive certain data.  For
example, suppose you encounter a directory name that you will want to go to
later in a TD session.  From directory mode, press F5 to memorize the directory
name.  Then, at a later time, press G for go and then Alt-F5 to revive the
directory name.  You might also use this feature if you change your mind about
what number to choose for a user defined command.  Suppose you had entered a
complicated command in one field and wanted to move it to another.  Press F5 to
memorize it.  Press F6 if you wish to blank the field it was in.  Then cursor
to the desired field and press Alt-F5 to revive the entry.


The Alt-S command computes some file statistics the author has often found
useful when deciding whether to read or share a file.  Press # or Alt-S to get
an estimate of the number of pages, lines, and characters on a line that a file
contains.  It will be most accurate with ASCII text files.  In computing the
maximum line length, TD considers the carriage return, line feed, and form feed
characters as line terminators.

The statistics command works inside as well as outside .ZIP files.  Speed was
sacrificed for accuracy in its line length computation.  A progress indicator
will indicate the percent complete in processing the file.  The Escape key can
be used to abort the operation.

The Alt-T command displays the current time according to the system clock.  It
works in either directory or view mode.

If your descriptions seem out of sync with the file names, or you are getting
some other kind of database error, you can now re-initialize the TD index and
database files from within TD.  Press Alt-I to invoke the Initialization
command.  Select I to initialize the index only (TD.CDX), or D to initialize
the database and index (TD.DBF, TD.DBV, AND TD.CDX).  If you proceed without
aborting, you will be told the current number of file descriptions and
bookmarks when the operation is complete.

You can also select C to initialize the configuration file containing
definitions of user defined commands.  They will be restored to default
settings.

Alt-U will test the integrity of a .ZIP archive.  You might use it to test
before unarchiving a .ZIP file whose integrity may be in doubt.  It works even
if the file extension is something other than .ZIP.  This allows you to check
with a file with a .EXE extension is actually a self executing .ZIP archive. 
The Zoom command now also works with self executing .ZIP files.  You do not
have to test an archive you just created with the Archive command, since TD
will indicate whether there was an error in archiving.

The Alt-V command will generate a viewable output file, rather than entering
view mode.  You will be prompted for the name of the ASCII text file to create. 
Its lines will be no more than 65 characters in length, thus enabling it to be
loaded into a word processor, such as WordPerfect, without causing line wrap
problems.


                        INVOKING COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS

You can give TD an initial directory specification when you first load it, just
like the DOS DIR command.  TD will invoke the Go command on that parameter. 
For example, suppose you want to start working with files in the D:\DOWNLOAD
directory.  If TD is on your search path (which is recommended and done by the
installation procedure), then from any DOS prompt, you could load it with the
following command:

td d:\download

TD will go to and display the first file of that directory.  The first
directory specification TD loads is displayed but not spoken, since TD assumes
you know its name and want to start hearing its entries as soon as possible. 
After that, TD both displays and speaks the directory specification when a new
one is loaded into memory.

The directory specification may include DOS wildcard characters ? and * like
the DOS DIR command.  For example, suppose you only want to work with .ZIP
files in the previous example.  You could use the following command:

td d:\download\*.zip

Similarly, when you press G in directory mode, you can limit the directory
specification to a file pattern within a directory.  Note that one unambiguous
file pattern is a file name with no wildcard characters.  For example, suppose
you want to go to the file JOB.ZIP in the previous example.  You could first go
to that directory and then use the Jump command to go to that particular file. 
Alternatively,  you could enter the following command:


td d:\download\job.zip

This causes TD to load a directory specification containing only that one file.

Yet another approach is to pass TD two parameters:  the first being a directory
specification to go to and the second being a file pattern to jump to.  For
example, you could achieve the previous result with the following command:

td d:\download job.zip

Another type of command line parameter begins with the / symbol, as is common
with parameter syntax in other programs.  Two words following the / have
special meaning, as explained in previous sections:

td /install

and 

td /quote

Except for these cases, the characters following the / symbol are treated as
the initial keyboard input to TD.  Thus if you want to display the help screen
immediately upon entering TD, you could use the following command:

td /h

Suppose you want to format a floppy disk in drive A as low density.  You could
use the following command:

td /fal

Suppose you want to Zoom inside a .ZIP file called JOB.ZIP:

td d:\download\job.zip /z

Suppose you want to list all files in a directory upon startup:

td d:\download\*.zip /l

There are limits on this capability.  One is that the characters must be
identifiable on the DOS command line.  Thus you cannot indicate a space,
function key, the Enter key, or Escape key.  Another limitation is because some
commands discard keystrokes while they are looking for a possible press of the
Escape key to abort.  For example, any keys after a delete command are
discarded while it is in process, so that you can press Escape to abort a batch
delete.  You can, however, completely initiate a global delete as follows:

td /=>d>y

Naturally, use such commands with caution!                            REGISTRATION INFORMATION


     The 2.0 version of Talking Directory is distributed through both
commercial and shareware marketing.  The shareware or trial version lets you
"try it before you buy it."  If you do not find a regular use for it, you are
under no obligation to pay for it.

If you find TD valuable to you, however, please send the registration form and
fee to the author (if you have not done so already).  To order by credit card,
call Ferguson Enterprises at (605) 546-2366, fax to (605) 546-2212, or
email fergent@fergusonenterprises.com.

I have invested over 1000 hours in the development of Talking Directory,
trusting that appreciative users will show tangible support.  It is
deliberately priced so that it may be purchased by most interested individuals,
not just businesses or government agencies.  By registering, you will receive
the latest version of the program, a cassette tutorial, and free technical
support.  The registration form is included on the next page, as well as
separately in a file called REGISTER.TXT.

  Whether you decide to register or not, you are encouraged to give trial
copies of the program to others.  It can be used or given to anyone so long as
no fee is charged and all program and documentation files are distributed
together.

     As the author, I hope that many blind and sighted people benefit from TD. 
I believe it fills a niche as a powerful, verbally and visually friendly
directory manager.  As a consultant, let me also make you aware that I am
available for development of other software applications, with or without
speech output.

                        REGISTRATION FORM
                      FOR TALKING DIRECTORY
                           VERSION 2.0


This form may be easily printed by entering the following command
at the DOS prompt:

COPY REGISTER.TXT LPT1:

This assumes your printer is connected to the first parallel port
(which most are).

Enter your name, mailing address, email address (if any), and
phone number in the places below.


   Name:  __________________________________________________

Address:  __________________________________________________

          __________________________________________________

          __________________________________________________

          __________________________________________________

  Email:  __________________________________________________

  Phone:  __________________________________________________


I am enclosing a check or money order for $70 (seventy dollars
and no cents), made out to Access Success.  Orders outside North
America should use U.S. currency and add $10 for shipping and
handling.  To order by credit card, call Ferguson Enterprises at
(605) 546-2366, fax to (605) 546-2212, or
email fergent@fergusonenterprises.com.

I look forward to receiving the following benefits of
registration:

*  The latest, complete release of Talking Directory (provided on
a 3.5 inch high density disk unless otherwise specified).

*  A cassette tutorial introducing most features of the program.

*  Free technical support for a year.

*  Discounts on other products and services of Access Success.


If you have questions about registration, email
74444.1076@compuserve.com or call (301) 589-8899.

Product feedback accompanying this form is encouraged.  Send to

Jamal Mazrui
Access Success
1400 East-West Highway, #427
Silver Spring, MD  20910
(U.S.A.)                                 HELP SCREENS

     The following pages contain the help screens that may be displayed with
the F1 key throughout the system.  They can serve as a review of the features
and commands of Talking Directory.


                           INSTALLATION HELP SCREEN

This procedure installs or updates the installation of Talking Directory after
requesting values for three directories on your hard disk:  the program, data,
and temporary directories.  Simply press Enter to accept the default value, or
edit it first if appropriate.  Press F1 for more help or Escape to abort.

The program directory stores the TD executable files.  For convenient
operation, this directory should be listed in your DOS search path so that you
can run TD from any DOS prompt.  If a directory is specified and not found in
your path, it will be added to the path statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file--
which is run every time you boot your computer.

The data directory stores the configuration file TD.CNF, as well as the
database and index files TD.DBF and TD.CDX--which are created when TD is first
executed.  If the data directory is different from the program directory, a TD
environmental variable will be set in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

The temporary directory stores temporary files used by TD.  If the temporary
directory is different from the program directory, a TEMP environmental
variable will be set in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  Finally, a CLIPPER
environmental variable will be set to designate space for other internal
operations.


                           CONFIGURATION HELP SCREEN

Since the configuration file TD.CNF is not found, You will
be asked to set Talking Directory options at this time. Simply press Enter to
accept a default value, or edit it first if appropriate.  After the initial
configuration, press O for options if you wish to reconfigure later.  Press F1
for help at most points in the program.  Press Alt-F1 for a menu when in
directory or view mode.

The options on the next screen are a dozen external commands that you may
define.  They are invoked from directory mode with the numbers 0 to 9 and the
letters V and W.  Each field can include a comment enclosed in parentheses.
Default comments suggest a type of program to put in the field.

To help remember the number that invokes a program, each program type has been
deliberately worded and pared with a number.  The number is the position in the
alphabet of the type's initial letter.  For example, the number 4 is
the alphabetic position of the letter D, which stands for database manager.
Braille readers will be familiar with these associations.  Other ways of
associating numbers with programs may be used instead--these are just default
suggestions.

The % symbol can be used to pass the current
file as a parameter to the external program.  By default, the Write command
does this with WordPerfect.


                          DIRECTORY MODE HELP SCREEN

  A/U/Alt-U = archive/Unarchive/test .ZIP file
    B/E/N/P = go to beginning/end/next/previous file (also Tab/Shift-Tab)
    C/D/M/R = copy/delete/move/rename file or directory
          F = format floppy disk, set volume label, or set system clock
    G/:/\/. = go to any directory/drive/root directory/current directory
    H or F1 = display this help screen
Alt-H or F1 = Invoke directory menu, selecting with arrow keys & Enter
          I = index files by name, extension, size, or time
          J = Jump by number or to file with *, ?, @, ;, >, ], ), } or reverse
          K = go to first or next file containing keywords
        L/Y = list/count yield of files, bytes occupied, and space free
          O = set configuration options or pick user defined command to execute
          Q = quit current zoom level, returning to previous
  S/Alt-S/T = display size/statistics/time of file
  W/V/Alt-V = write/view/create viewable file (almost any word processor)
      X/0-9 = execute file/user defined command
  Alt-W/0-9 = execute command bare--without current file as parameter
          Z = zoom to subdirectory or inside .ZIP file
          ? = display volume label, directory spec, and relative position
        >/< = tag/untag file, global if preceded by =
      ]/)/} = make file readonly/hidden/system or reverse with [/(/{
    @/"/+/- = attach/quote/show/remove description of file
    !/Alt-T = stamp date and time of file/display current time of system clock
   spacebar = repeat file, pressed again spells, yet again spells phonetically
 Control-F1 = Shell command or go to DOS prompt, also /
  F5/Alt-F5 = memorize/revive value
          # = calculate calendar, finance, phone number, or arithmetic
      Alt-I = initialize index, database, or configuration again
     Escape = abort current operation or quit Talking Directory
      Alt-Q = quit Talking Directory immediately
                            FIELD MODE HELP SCREEN

When editing a set of fields, the following keys can be used:

        Left/Right Arrow = go to previous/next character
Control-Left/Right Arrow = go to previous/next word
                Home/End = go to beginning/end of current field
   Shift-Tab or Up Arrow = go to previous field
Enter, Tab or Down Arrow = go to next field
            Page Up/Down = go to first/last field
                      F1 = display this help screen
               F5/Alt-F5 = memorize/revive entry
                      F6 = delete line
        F10 or Control-W = save editing
        Alt-F10 or Alt-W = save editing and execute user defined command
     Escape or Control-Q = abort editing
     Alt-Escape or Alt-Q = quit Talking Directory immediately
        Delete/Backspace = delete current/previous character
       Control-Backspace = delete current word
                  Insert = toggle insert mode on/off (default is off)
                             MEMO MODE HELP SCREEN

When editing a file description or note, the following keys can be used:

        Left/Right Arrow = go to previous/next character
Control-Left/Right Arrow = go to previous/next word
                Home/End = go to beginning/end of current line
           Up/Down Arrow = go to previous/next line
                      F1 = display this help screen
                      F6 = delete line
                      F8 = input current date
        F10 or Control-W = save editing
     Escape or Control-Q = abort editing
     Alt-Escape or Alt-Q = quit Talking Directory immediately
        Delete/Backspace = delete current/previous character
       Control-Backspace = delete current word
                  Insert = toggle insert mode on/off (default is on)                             VIEW MODE HELP SCREEN

                 B/E/N/P = go to beginning/end/next/previous screen
                     C/T = copy block/type note to file
                   F/R/A = search forward/reverse/again
               H or F1/? = display help screen/file name and position
             Alt-H or F1 = invoke view menu, selecting with arrow keys
                       G = go (read continuously)
                       J = jump a positive or negative number of screen
                       O = set configuration options
             Q or Escape = quit and return to directory mode
                   S/D/; = set/delete/go to bookmark
                     U/L = set upper/lower lines of block to copy
                       V = view current screen
                 W/0 - 9 = Execute user defined command
           Down/Up Arrow = go to next/previous line
        Right/Left Arrow = go to next/previous character
Control-Right/Left Arrow = go to next/previous word
           Tab/Shift-Tab = go to next/previous paragraph
                End/Home = go to end/beginning of line
        Control-End/Home = go to end/beginning of screen
                Spacebar = Silence speaking
              Control-F1 = Shell command or go to DOS prompt, also /
     Alt-Escape or Alt-Q = quit Talking Directory immediately
                   Alt-T = display time now, according to system clock
                             TDSET.BAT HELP SCREEN

The TDSET command invokes settings of Talking Directory needed before loading.
It takes two parameters, indicating memory mode and message notification.
The first parameter may be PROTECTED or REAL.
The second parameter may be NOTIFY or QUIET.

By default, TD will quietly load in protected mode, resorting to real mode
if it finds less than 512K of extended memory or less than a 286 processor.
Examples of commands to change this behavior follow:

tdset protected notify
will use protected mode and notify the user of the memory host found.

tdset real quiet
will use real mode and be quiet when loading.
