HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
Introducing HP Browse/XL
by Jan Merrill
Santa Clara Information Systems Division
HP Browse/XL is a file browse utility with a powerful command set which
enables you to quickly view and move within a file. The product provides
extensive pattern search capabilities for locating strings within files.
HP Browse/XL also allows the user to print all or part of a file.
This article describes the main features of HP Browse/XL. For more
detailed information, refer to the HP Browse/XL User's Guide (P/N
36384-60001).
QUICK FILE ACCESS
With HP Browse/XL, you can begin to browse extremely large files almost
instantly because HP Browse/XL does not "text in" files as text editors
do. HP Browse/XL can access ASCII and BINARY files such as:
* Fixed and variable record length files.
* Standard-numbered, COBOL-numbered, and unnumbered files.
* Commercial Spooler files.
* KSAM and KSAMXL files, including COBOL copy libraries.
* Any size file, up to the MPE XL file limit.
* Files whose record length is over 1024 characters, HP Browse/XL
displays the first 1024 characters.
FILE OUTPUT CAPABILITIES
The user can output the file being viewed to a printer or to another file
by using the Print Text command. Several print options are available,
including printing part/all of the file, printing headers and/or line
numbers, printing with a specified file equation. Some print options can
also be saved across HP Browse/XL sessions.
CURSOR POSITIONING
HP Browse/XL provides many commands for quickly positioning the cursor
within the file being viewed. Some commands can be activated by pressing
a key assigned to the command, as well as by pressing a function key.
For example, to position the cursor at the last line of the file, the
user can enter the ")" keystroke command or press the Bottom of File
function key.
The user can scroll forward or backward through the file, and scroll left
or right while viewing wide files. The user can go to a specific
line/record number or to a specified location that has been previously
"marked" with one of 9 special place markers. For example, the user
could mark the beginning of each secti on in a long document and go to
different marks in any order.
Most commands can be preceded by a count value which HP Browse/XL uses as
a multiplier for the command. To scroll backward 10 lines, the user can
enter "10" and press the Scroll Backward function key. In this case, the
count indicates the number of lines to scroll.
SEARCH CAPABILITIES
HP Browse/XL provides a flexible pattern search capability that allows
the user to define a search pattern that includes wildcard characters.
Besides the ability to specify the same wildcard characters as the MPE
LISTF command (@, #, ?), complex patterns can be constructed from pattern
fragments. Pattern fragments can contain groups of specific characters,
pattern-matching characters, ranges of characters, or choices of
characters. The user can specify that zero, one or more occurrences of
pattern fragments should be matched.
Once a pattern is defined, the user can search forward or backward in the
text or request that HP Browse/XL find all occurrences of the pattern and
display them with line or record numbers.
When the cursor is positioned on a delimiter such as parenthesis, bracket
or brace, the user can request HP Browse/XL to find the matching
delimiter. For example, by placing the cursor on a left bracket ("["),
and pressing the Find Matching Delimiter function key, the cursor will be
moved to the corresponding right bracket ("]") in the text.
DUAL-WINDOW FILE DISPLAY
The user can split the screen into two windows and display two portions
of the same file or two different files. The size of each window can be
changed, and either window can be closed and re-opened later. When one
window is closed, the other window will expand to completely fill the
screen. The Open File command can be used in either window to open a new
file in place of the original file being viewed.
OTHER FEATURES
HP Browse/XL has an extensive on-line help facility. From the Main Help
menu, the user can select three categories of information. The Function
by Topic category provides a general description of the product's
functions arranged by topic. The Function Description option displays a
concise listing of the functions and allows the user to select an
individual function for retrieving a detailed description of the
function. The Key Assignments option gives the user a list of functions
and the keys assigned to the functions.
HP Browse/XL allows users to set display and print options, and to save
the options for subsequent sessions of HP Browse/XL. Display options that
can be customized include line number display, ignore case, forward/back
scroll size, and left/right scroll size. The print options include lines
per page, output device, and print header lines.
HP Browse/XL provides the Execute MPE function to allow users to execute
programs, UDCs, command files, and MPE commands from an HP Browse/XL
session. Multiple commands can be entered while in the Execute MPE
function.
HP Browse/XL supports the viewing of text that contains 8-bit character
sets.