Configuration
Changing the behaviour of the RapidFile database software
The behaviour of the Rapifile database software can be modified using command line options and environment variables. Certain operating parameters are stored in a configuration file.
Content revision history:
Article first written: 1st February 2005
Updated: 14th February 2005, 21st September 2007, 2nd September 2010
Command line configuration options
The main RapidFile program contains a limited set of configuration options.
These can be accessed by specifiying a command line option when you start
the program, as shown below:
- RF /CFG
RF custom
RF C
- These options do the same thing ... use whichever you prefer.
This will cause RapidFile to start in its configuration mode.In
this mode you can adjust the screen colours, change the currency symbol
and so on.
- RF A
- Apparently the A stands for “alone” and tells the RapidFile
database program to execute without the memo-writer. This will
free up a little more RAM if you need it. This option is useful
if you have created a file that is too big to use normally; in such a
case you can use the RF A
option to create a little more space which might allow you to load the
database and then prune it or split it into multiple files.
DOS environment variables
There are various environment variables that RapidFile will search for and
attend to.Included are the following:
- set VSIZE=n
- The VSIZE variable defines the amount of virtual memory that RapidFile
will use. The value, n, can be a number between 1 (?) and 16 (?) and
has units of megabytes. Thus to tell RapidFile to use the maximum
amount of virtual memory you would specify set
VSIZE=16. In 1986 it was important to be able to limit
the amount of memory that RapidFile used because early computers didn't
have much memory. When running on a recent model of computer this parameter should probably just be set
to its maximum or, for safety, perhaps a little under its maximum (ie 15
not 16) so that you will always be able to recover a file that has almost
reached RapidFile's internal size limits. The size of this parameter
also determines the maximum size of database that the program will work
with.
- set BLANKING=[on | off]
- This option is assumed to refer to screen blanking ... some display adapters
used on the early personal computers were a little tempermental and gave
poor images unless they were spoken to nicely. If in doubt set
BLANKING=OFF seems to work perfectly well.
- set virtual.tmp=[drive letter:]
- This option can be used to tell RapidFile which disk drive should be used
to hold its virtual memory.The disk should have sufficient space
for a file of the size specified by the VSIZE option mentioned elsewhere.
The original advantage of this option was that it allowed the virtual memory
could be placed on a RAM disk for fastest performance. Recent computers
and disks are so much faster than they were in 1986 that speed is much less
of an issue. However on a contemporary system it is more likely that disks and file
systems will have write permissions set per user and, in such a case, this
parameter could be used to specify a drive to which the current user has
write access. A typical use might be set
VIRTUAL.TMP=F: to force the virtual memory to be allocated on DOS
disk drive F:.Note that the final colon seems to be required.
- set keyrepeat=[on | off]
- The exact purpose of this option is not presently recalled; it will be
looked-up later in the genuine set of RapidFile manuals that I have on my
shelf.
- set KEYBOARD=[new | old]
- Since RapidFile was introduced at a time when the AT type keyboard was
replacing the XT type keyboard, this is presumably something to do with
those keyboard types.
- set LAYOUT=
- ???Never used, purpose unknown.
- set #LINES=
- ???Never used, purpose unknown.
- set DATAMEM=
- ???Never used, purpose unknown.
- set SPELLER=
- ???Never used, purpose unknown.
Printers
RapidFile was supplied with driver files for various printers that were well
known at the time. The filename extension of all the drivers was PR. To use
a printer driver all that is necessary is to copy the driver to the rapidfile
program directory and then rename it to either 'printer1.drv' or 'printer2.drv', according to whether you want it to be used for the first printer (LPT1) or
second printer (LPT2).
When using Windows and printing from a DOS program it is necessary to tell
Windows to 'capture' the output from the appropriate pinter port (LPT1, LPT2,
...) The capturing is enabled by modifying the printer properties via the
windows control panel.