FLIBHELP procedure

Forms a help information file for use by LIBHELP and other help procedures (R.W. Payne)


Options

PRINT = string
Controls printed output (catalogue, index, monitor); default * i.e. none

HELPFILE = text
Name of the backing store file to store the help information; must be set

NOTICEFILE = text
Data file for procedure NOTICE; default * i.e. no information stored

METHOD = string
Whether to add new information to an existing file, or to replace it (add, replace); default repl


Parameter

DATAFILE = texts
Data files containing the information about the procedures


Description

FLIBHELP forms a help information file which can be used by LIBHELP and the other help procedures in the GenStat Library. Two such files are accessible automatically by the procedures. One stores information about the procedures in the GenStat Library, and the other can be used to store information about procedures in a local library.

   The basic information for FLIBHELP is supplied in one or more files whose names are specified using the DATAFILE parameter. Each file contains a sequence of blocks of information about the procedures in the library. Each block starts with the name of the procedure concerned, followed on the next line by the names of the modules of the library to which the procedure belongs. There are then several sections of information about the procedure. Each one has an initial line containing the "name" of the section: index, description, options, parameters, method, restrict, calls, similar, authors, references, history, error or example. (Most of these can be recognised as possible settings of the PRINT option of LIBHELP.) This is followed by the lines of information. To allow for the possible constraints of window widths on some machines, FLIBHELP assumes that each line is no more than 78 characters wide. The section is then terminated by a line containing the characters zzzz in the first four columns, and the whole block of information is terminated by a line containing the string 'End of information'.

   The backing-store file to store the information is specified using the HELPFILE option. The METHOD option controls whether information is to be added to an existing file (previously constructed by FLIBHELP) or whether any existing file should be replaced; by default METHOD=replace. The file can also contain information for procedure NOTICE. This is supplied in a separate data file, whose name is specified by the NOTICEFILE option.

   The PRINT option allows various types of output to be obtained: the setting catalogue produces a catalogue of the HELPFILE, index obtains the index lines of the procedures described in the file, and monitor causes the name of each procedure to be printed as its information is obtained from the DATAFILE.


Options: PRINT, HELPFILE, NOTICEFILE, METHOD.

Parameters: DATAFILE.


Method

FLIBHELP uses standard GenStat input/output directives.