.TDFs in other dirs/Guide 8/WinXP

Bill J. Gray Nov 1, 2001

Masaki Kouda wrote:

"...Can I put henden data files in other directory, like them?
How can I tell these directory in .tdf file?"

Yes, this should be no problem. When Guide sees the 'file' line in
a .TDF, it can contain a full directory (and drive) specification,
such as

file c:\henden\v1157sgr.txt

If you know the data is going to be in the Guide directory:

file v1157sgr.txt

If you know the data is going to be on the CD-ROM drive, you can just
use a '!' to indicate the CD-ROM letter:

file !:\henden\v1157sgr.txt

If you look at CD_DATA.TDF, you'll see that this gets a great deal
of use; it allows Guide to show the "example" user-added datasets
(quasars, pulsars, etc.) from the CD-ROM, without getting confused
when somebody has a non-standard letter setting.

Robert Orso wrote:

"...Wasn't some time ago a note that GUIDE-8 might be ready 'quite soon'?"

Ouch!

I sent out beta disks a while back. The replies have not turned up too
many problems, but I do have to update the help file and manual and do
some work on the handling of the second CD-ROM (getting Guide to handle
that cleanly, with the various permutations of "the user can do a minimal
or full install from the first CD, and then may stick either CD into the
CD drive or no CD in the CD drive, or may have two CD drives and use them
both") turns out to be an added complication. Not a head-breaker, just
a lot of tedious coding. Still... the end is, at long last, near (sigh
of relief!)

Incidentally, if anyone is running Guide 7.0 in WinXP and has comments,
and/or would be willing to beta test 8.0 under WinXP, please let me know
by private e-mail. In theory, WinXP should be no obstacle at all (WinME
and Win98, for example, required an alteration of zero lines of code),
but I'd like to be sure of this before I get a zillion CDs pressed.

-- Bill