


















                OPERATIONS MANUAL for the DATABASE BUILDER for



                         THE TOME OF VAST KNOWLEDGE











            COPYRIGHT SPIDERWEBB SOFTWARE 1993. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED




















                                                            1


       Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, AD&D, Monster Manual, Fiend Folio,
       Monster Manual II, Dungeon Masters Guide, Player's Handbook,
       Monstrous Compendium, Tome of Magic and Dragon Magazine are
       Trademarks of TSR, Inc.

       IBM, PC/AT, PS/2 are registered trademarks of International
       Business Machines Corporation.














































                                                            2





                Warranty and Disclaimer of Warranty


     THIS SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING WRITTEN MATERIALS (INCLUDING
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE) ARE PROVIDES "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.
FURTHER, SPIDERWEBB SOFTWARE DOES NOT WARRANT, GUARANTEE, OR MAKE ANY
REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE, OR THE RESULTS OF USE, OF THE SOFTWARE
OR WRITTEN MATERIALS IN TERMS OF CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY,
CURRENTNESS, OR OTHERWISE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE
OF THE SOFTWARE IS ASSUMED BY YOU. IF THE SOFTWARE OR WRITTEN MATERIALS ARE
DEFECTIVE YOU, AND NOT SPIDERWEBB SOFTWARE OR HIS DEALERS, DISTRIBUTORS,
AGENTS, OR EMPLOYEES, ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING,
REPAIR, OR CORRECTION. THE ABOVE IS THE ONLY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, THAT IS MADE BY
SPIDERWEBB SOFTWARE, ON THIS SPIDERWEBB SOFTWARE PRODUCT. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN
INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY SPIDERWEBB SOFTWARE, HIS DEALERS,
DISTRIBUTORS, AGENTS OR EMPLOYEES SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY OR IN ANY WAY
INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THIS WARRANTY AND YOU MAY NOT RELY ON ANY SUCH
INFORMATION OR ADVICE. YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO
STATE.

     NEITHER SPIDERWEBB SOFTWARE NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE
CREATION, PRODUCTION OR DELIVERY OF THIS PRODUCT SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY
DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES
FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS
INFORMATION, AND THE LIKE) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH
PRODUCT EVEN IF SPIDERWEBB SOFTWARE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
SUCH DAMAGES.



                           ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

BY USING THE SHAREWARE OF THE DATABASE BUILDER FOR THE TOME OF VAST KNOWLEDGE
YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS LIMITED WARRANTY, UNDERSTAND IT, AND
AGREE TO BE BOUND BY ITS' TERMS AND CONDITIONS. YOU ALSO AGREE THAT THE
LIMITED WARRANTY IS THE COMPLETE AND EXCLUSIVE STATEMENT OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN
THE PARTIES AND SUPERSEDE ALL PROPOSALS OR PRIOR AGREEMENTS, ORAL OR WRITTEN,
AND ANY OTHER COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE PARTIES RELATING TO THE SUBJECT
MATTER OF THE LIMITED WARRANTY.









                                                            3


                                     Index

       Limited Warranty & Disclaimer ..............................  3
       Definition of shareware ....................................  5
       Trial Use License & Purchasing this software ...............  6
       Contacting the Author & Technical Support ..................  7
       What is the Database BUILDER ...............................  8
       Distributing Databases Created with the BUILDER ............  9
       Installing the BUILDER ..................................... 10
       The VAST.INI file, a cornerstone of the BUILDER ............ 11
       Building databases for the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE .......... 18
       Batch Import of spells/monsters/magic items ................ 20
       Turning BUILDER databases into TOME databases .............. 26
       The Files the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE requires to run ....... 27
       Macros ..................................................... 28

       APPENDIX A - The BUILDER editor ............................ 29
       APPENDIX B - Builder Utilities ............................. 32
       APPENDIX C - Known Limitations of the BUILDER/TOME ......... 37





































                                                            4



                         
                         Definition of Shareware
                         

Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it.
If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to
register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration
while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With
registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the
software to an updated program and a printed manual.

Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and retail software, and the
copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated
below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like retail
authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there
are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of
distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and
distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group.
For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial
disk vendor may copy their Shareware.

Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find
software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's retail or
Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you
can try before you buy. And because the overhead is lower, prices are lower
also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the
product, you don't pay for it.


Please show your support for shareware by registering the programs you
actually use and by passing them on to others.

Shareware is kept alive by YOUR support!





















                                                                 5


                            
                            Trial Use License:
                            

  You may use the shareware version of Database BUILDER for The Tome of Vast
Knowledge for a 30 day trial period.  If you would like to continue to use
Database BUILDER for The Tome of Vast Knowledge after the 30 day trial
period, you are required to purchase the BUILDER. Using this software after
the evaluation period has ended without registering is a violation of the
terms of this limited license.


  Licensee shall not use, copy, rent, lease, sell, modify, decompile,
disassemble, otherwise reverse engineer, or transfer the licensed program
except as provided in this agreement.  Any such unauthorized use shall
result in immediate and automatic termination of this license.

  All rights not expressly granted here are reserved by SpiderWebb Software.


       
       Purchasing the Database BUILDER & Why Would you want to:
       

  The $15.00 (Canadian Funds or the equivalent in U.S. Funds) registration
fee (plus tax where applicable) licenses one copy of the software for use
on one computer at a time.

  As a registered user, you will:

   -  Receive free technical support.

   -  Receive notification of significant upgrades to the Database BUILDER.

   -  Gain freedom from legal prosecution for copyright infringement arising
       form illegal use of this product.

   -  Support further development of this product.

                          
                          Method of Payment
                          

  Preferred method of payment is international or postal money order, (which
you should be able to get at your local bank/post office) or a check drawn
on a Canadian or U.S. bank (or a foreign bank with branches in Montreal).
Sending cash through the mail is risky and not encouraged (although if your
bank is gouging you for a money order this might be the cheapest way).

The file ORDER.FRM contains an order form which should be printed
out and mailed to SpiderWebb Software.

Make cheques or Money Orders payable to SpiderWebb Software.

                                                              6


                 
                 Contacting the Author & Technical Support
                 


      Don't expect miracles, but any problems will be attended to as
      quickly as possible. Suggestions, bug reports, etc. would be
      appreciated. Priority will, of course, be given to registered
      users.



      Internet: dwebb@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca (until at least Nov/93)

      Write:

      SpiderWebb Software
      241 Bruton St.
      Beaconsfield, Quebec
      CANADA
      H9W 1N1































                                                            7


                       
                       What is The Database Builder for
                         The TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE?
                       

In March 1993, the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE, a sort of database manager for
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons was released as Freeware to the hoards on the
internet. Sadly, even though databases comprising all the standard AD&D
spells, monsters, magic items and many other goodies had been assembled,
they could not be released because of copyrights and TSR/SSI's (the
copyright holder and the exclusive licensee) unwillingness to sublicense
third party developers.  Originally the TOME was released with a few public
domain databases, and was recieved fairly well. However, everyone agreed
that the program would be much more useful if only the standard spell/
monster/magic item databases were available. (For example, all the material
in the Players Handbook, Monstrous Compendiums and Dungeon Master's Guide
to name a few.)

The Database BUILDER is a response to this demand. With this toolkit you can
build your own databases and integrate them into the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE.
If you don't have the TOME, then this toolkit will probably not be of much
practical use to you. Hopefully, wherever you got this toolkit you can also
get the TOME. (The file should be called VAST_xxx.ZIP where xxx is the
version number.)

Unlike the TOME, which can probably be run without ever reading the manual,
this toolkit should be used only after carefully reading the manual. An
additional word to the wise: KEEP A BACKUP of every database you work on,
that way if something bad happens you won't lose much of your work.























                                                            8



          
          Distributing Databases Created with the Database BUILDER
                    for the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE
          

      Databases which come with either the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE or
      the Database BUILDER may be distributed as per the instructions
      in the README file. (They may be distributed only as a part of the
      whole package, not individually.)  These databases are free to any
      and all, and no one may charge more than distribution costs for
      them.

      If you create a new database with the Database BUILDER you may want
      to distribute it to others. You may do so with the following
      provisions:

      1) The material had better not be copyrighted by someone else or
         you'll be in BIG legal trouble. SpiderWebb Software will accept
         no responsibility for any problems incurred thusly.

      2) If the material is your own creation, or is public domain, you
         may distribute the databases to any and all who are interested
         with no royalty requirement, so long as no fee is charged beyond
         a small fee to recoup distribution costs.

      3) If the material in the database is your own creation, and you
         want to sell it. Send me a letter or Email and we'll discuss
         some reasonable royalty arrangement.  I created the Database
         BUILDER, and I want to recoup a small amount of the costs
         involved in its development.






















                                                            9


                  
                  1. Installation Of the Database Builder
                    for the Tome of Vast Knowledge
                  


       System Requirements:


            The Database Builder for the Tome of Vast Knowledge requires
       that you run it on an IBM PC/XT/AT,PS/2 or 100% compatible with
       640K of memory, an MDA/CGA/EGA/VGA/Hercules Monochrome or 100%
       compatible video card, and one floppy disk drive or a hard disk
       drive, and DOS version 2.11 or later.


       Installing the Database Builder

            The first thing you should do is backup the Builder. This
       can easily be done using the DISKCOPY program that comes with
       DOS.

            The Tome will be unable to run properly and may work improperly
       if the following line does not appear in your CONFIG.SYS file:

            Files=30

            (For more information on the CONFIG.SYS file consult your DOS
       manual.)

            To install the Builder, copy all of the files that come in the
       builder archive (with the exception of the documentation) into its
       own directory or onto its own floppy, then type 'BUILDER' at the DOS
       prompt.


       NOTE: The Builder and it's various utility programs are very memory
       intensive.  It is recommended that the number of memory resident
       programs and device drivers in use be reduced to the bare minimum
       so that the Builder can function to it's fullest potential.











                                                             10


                  
                    2. Understanding the VAST.INI File.
                  The First Step towards Building Databases
                       For the TOME OF VAST KNOWLEDGE
                  

The key to adding databases to the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE is the VAST.INI
file, which the TOME uses to discern what databases are present.
Similarly, the database BUILDER looks to the VAST.INI file to see what
databases it is allowed to create/edit.

The VAST.INI file is a plain ASCII text file and can be edited with any
editor or word processor which can store text files as plain ASCII. (Be
careful, many word processors will, by default, store edited documents
in a format not recognizable by the TOME or BUILDER.)

NOTE: There is now a program shipped with the BUILDER that will help you
interactively modify your VAST.INI file with a reduced chance of
introducing an error in the format of the VAST.INI file:  INIEDIT.EXE.

The format used in the VAST.INI file is as follows:

The VAST.INI file breaks information up into categories. A category
could be a type of data, like spells or monsters, or a category can simply
be information the TOME needs to function properly, like information
about the attached printer.


The first line of each category is the category header, which is a single
word all in capital letters, surrounded by square brackets. This is common
to all categories.  The lines that follow depend on the category. User
defined categories are not currently supported.


For the Spell category, the category header is followed by a list of
spell databases, using the format:


   Group Number|Group Name|4 Letter Abbrev.|Filename|Filename.IDX

Terms used (like Group Number, Group Name, etc.) are described below.
There must be one entry per database within a category.

Example: I have 4 spell databases for my 1st Ed. spells.  The category
entry in the VAST.INI file will appear as follows:

[SPELLS]
1|Magic User|(MU)|MUSER|MUSER.IDX
2|Cleric|(C) |CLERIC|CLERIC.IDX
3|Druid|(D) |DRUID|DRUID.IDX
4|Illusionist|(IL)|ILLUS|ILLUS.IDX


                                                            11


A similar format is used for the Monster/Magic item categories.
The only difference is that the 4 letter abbreviation is not
present. The format for Monster and Magic item categories is as
follows:


Group Number|Group Name|Filename|Filename.IDX


Example:

[MITEMS] 
1|Potions & Oils|TPO|TPO.IDX
2|Rings|TRNG|TRNG.IDX
3|Rods, Wands, & Staves|TRSW|TRSW.IDX

or

[MONSTERS]
1|Monster Manual|MM|MM.IDX
2|Fiend Folio|FF|FF.IDX


--------------------------------------------------------------


The Specials/Topics categories have a format simliar to the Monster/
Magic item categories, except they have no group numbers associated
with the databases.  The BUILDER ignores the SPECIALS category. The
format of these categories is:


Group Name|Filename|Filename.IDX


Example:

[SPECIALS] 
Dreamer|DREAM|DREAM.IDX
Savant|SAVANT|SAVANT.IDX

or

[TOPICS]
Ecology Of...|ECOLOGY|ECOLOGY.IDX
Misc. Tables|TABLE|TABLE.IDX


NOTE:  [TOPICS] is any database which does not fall into either of the
categories of Monster/Magic item/Spell.  For example, a database which
is a collection of all your favorite traps.


                                                            12


[SPECIALS] are [TOPICS] databases which are set up for use exclusively
as hot links.  For example, suppose we have a topical database which
contained NPC's. We might want to have a text listing of the spell lists
for each of the spellcasting NPC's, and keep this database present, but
not directly accessible. This field need never be used, it is simply an
option available for tidiness. SPECIALS databases must be created as TOPICS
databases, and their entry in the VAST.INI file moved to the SPECIALS
category.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The TOME can also be made aware of external programs which it will
run from the externals menu. Each such program must have an entry in
the VAST.INI file.  These entries can and should be made automatically
using the Setup program that comes with the TOME. The BUILDER ignores
this category. The format for this category is:


Program Name|Complete path, program name and optional parameters


Example:

[EXTERNALS]
Shell to DOS|
Install/Configuration Utility|INSTALL.EXE
External Notepad|C:\EDITORS\NOTEPAD.EXE ADNDNOTE.TXT

--------------------------------------------------------------

The next category tells the TOME where the printer is attached. This
category is ignored by the BUILDER.

Example:

[PRINTERPORT]
LPT1

Valid printers ports are LPT1, LPT2, LPT3 or FILE

--------------------------------------------------------------

The next category tells the TOME what type of printer is attached. This
category is ignored by the BUILDER. Legal Printer names are the name of
any PRD file accompanying the TOME. Modification of this category can
and should be done using the Setup program.

Example:

[PRINTERS]
EPSONMX


IMPORTANT NOTE: A Blank line MUST separate each category!
                                                            13


The next category tells the TOME (1.04 or higher) what key to use to
back out of a menu, list box, etc. The default being the F10 key. This
category is ignored by the BUILDER.

Example:

[BACKKEY]
196



If you put it all together, a sample VAST.INI file might look like this:

   [SPELLS]
   1|Magic User|(MU)|MUSER|MUSER.IDX
   2|Cleric|(C) |CLERIC|CLERIC.IDX
   3|Druid|(D) |DRUID|DRUID.IDX
   4|Illusionist|(IL)|ILLUS|ILLUS.IDX

   [TOPICS]
   Ecology Of ...|ECOLOGY|ECOLOGY.IDX
   Misc. Tables|TABLE|TABLE.IDX

   [MITEMS]
   1|Potions & Oils|TPO|TPO.IDX
   2|Rings|TRNG|TRNG.IDX
   3|Rods, Wands & Staves|TRSW|TRSW.IDX

   [MONSTERS]
   1|Monster Manual|MM|MM.IDX
   2|Fiend Folio|FF|FF.IDX

   [SPECIALS]
   Dreamer|DREAM|DREAM.IDX
   Savant|SAVANT|SAVANT.IDX

   [EXTERNALS]
   Shell to DOS|
   Install/Configuration Utility|INSTALL.EXE

   [PRINTERPORT]
   LPT1

   [PRINTER]
   EPSONMX

   [BACKKEY]
   196





                                                            14


2.2 Definition of terms in VAST.INI format

GROUP NUMBERS:


There are 3 database categories that can be searched by keyword:
   1) Spells
   2) Monsters
   3) Magic Items

Within each of these 3 categories no two groups may have the same group
number.  A group number corresponds to a single database file. For example,
by convention all 1st. Ed. Magic-User spells are stored in the MUSER
group, this collection of files has (again by convention) the group number
1. If you examine the VAST.INI file you will see that the 1st entry on any
line for one of these 3 categories contains the group number.


Below is a list of group numbers and Group names that I have used, you
should consider using the same numbers, as the current version of
Auto Spell (which comes with the TOME) for example, depends on the
groups numbers. A future version (possibly available by the time you get
this) will be independent of group numbers, but why ask for problems?

  Group numbers MUST appear in the VAST.INI file, and MUST not be changed
  once defined. Otherwise, the keyword search capability in the TOME of
  VAST KNOWLEDGE will not work properly. A Group number must be an integer
  between 1 and 31 inclusive.

  NOTE: The Group Number 0 is reserved in each category for internal use.

  Some Spell Groups by convention use certain group numbers, as follows:

  Group Number   Group Name      Contents
    1)           MUSER          Magic-User spells  (1st Ed.)
    2)           CLERIC         Cleric spells      (1st Ed.)
    3)           DRUID          Druid spells       (1st Ed.)
    4)           ILLUS          Illusionist spells (1st Ed.)
    5)           SHUKENJA       Shukenja spells
    6)           WUJEN          Wu Jen spells
    7)               Unassigned
    8)           WI2            Wizard spells      (2nd Ed.)
    9)           PR2            Priest spells      (2nd Ed.)
    10)              Unassigned
    11)              Unassigned
    12)              Unassigned
    13)          NWI            Net Wizard
    14)          NPR            Net Priest





                                                            15


  Some Magic Item types by convention use certain group numbers, as follows:

  Group Number   Group Name       Contents
    1)           TPO             Potions & Oils
    2)           TSC             Scrolls
    3)           TRNG            Rings
    4)           TRSW            Rods, Staves & Wands
    5)           TMMA            Miscellaneous Magic I
    6)           TAS             Armour & Shields
    7)           TSWD            Swords
    8)           TMW             Miscellaneous Weapons


  Some Monster types by convention use certain group numbers, as follows:

  Group Number  Group Name       Contents
    1)          MM              Monster Manual
    2)          FF              Fiend Folio
    3)          MMII            Monster Manual II
    4)               Unassigned
    5)          DRA             From Dragon Magazine
    6)          OAM             Oriental Adventures Monsters
    7)               Unassigned
    8)          MAT             Dark Sun Monstrous Compendium
    9)          NMC             Net Monstrous Compendium
    10)         MC1             Monstrous Compendium Vol 1
    11)         MC2             Monstrous Compendium Vol 2
    12)         MC3             Monstrous Compendium Vol 3
    13)         OPM             Outer Planes Monstrous Compendium
    14)         AQM             Al-Quadim Monstrous Compendium
    15)         FFM             Fiend Folio Monstrous Compendium
    16)         SJ1             Spell Jammer Monstrous Compendium Vol 1
    17)         SJ2             Spell Jammer Monstrous Compendium Vol 2
    18)         RMC             Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium
    19)         FRM             Forgotten Realms Monstrous Compendium
    20)         GHM             Greyhawk Monstrous Compendium
    21)         KTM             Kara-Tur Monstrous Compendium


NOTE: Databases do not have to appear in the VAST.INI file with sequential
group numbers, they do not even have to appear sorted by group number.
Each group number within a category MUST be unique. The group numbers/name
listed above are merely suggestions, but should be followed to guarantee
minimal problems with the operation of the TOME.









                                                            16



DEFINITION OF TERMS USED:


GROUP NAME - is a short text (say less than 20 characters) describing the
contents of the databases. For menu selection based on the 1st capitalized
character, be sure each group name has one capitalized character, and that
they are different.



4 LETTER ABBRV - actually this is usually 2 letters surrounded by brackets.
This is used when a keyword spell search is performed to indicate what
spell caster casts the spell found by the search (otherwise it's impossible
to tell). This is only used with spell databases, furthermore the
abbreviation MUST be exactly 4 characters, no more, no less (pad with a
space if necessary). This is just supposed to be informative, so for Wizard
spells you might use '(WI)', for example.



GROUP NAME - is any legal DOS file name up to 8 characters, with no file
extension. Obviously, each Group name MUST be unique.



INDEXFILE NAME - this is the full DOS file name where indexes for this
database are to be found by the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE. Usually the index
file will just be the 8 letter Group name with '.IDX' appended to it. This
field is present to allow for the possibility of merged index files in the
future.



The [SPECIALS], [EXTERNALS], [PRINTERPORT], [PRINTER], and [BACKKEY]
category headers are ignored by the Database BUILDER, and used only by
the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE.
















                                                            17


        
        3. Building databases for the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE
        

   1) For any new database to be built using the BUILDER program, a new
   entry must be made in the VAST.INI file representing this new database.
   (The format of the VAST.INI file is given above.) So if you want to
   add a new monster database (say you get a new collection of monsters for
   a specific campaign), insert a new line for this monster database,
   specifying a unique group number, a short group description, an 8 letter
   file name, and the index file associated with the database file. The
   index file must be the file name with '.IDX' appended to it.

   2) Run the BUILDER program and go to the portion of the program
   which allows you to add data to the category of databases your new
   one fits into. The default from the main menu is adding new spells,
   typing 'M' changes to the monster menu, typing 'I' changes to the
   magic item menu, typing 'T' changes to the topics menu.

   Continuing with our example above, go to the Monster Menu.
    a) Then press 'A' to add a monster. You will then be asked for the Name
       of the monster you want to add, make sure you spell the name correctly
       as this entry is made into the index file and is the name which will
       be used by the TOME to search for this data in the future.

    b) Unless you are entering a spell (in which case you will be asked for
       a few more pieces of info first,) you will now be presented with a
       menu of all the databases in this category. Select the one you desire
       your new entry to be a part of.

    c) You are now in the BUILDER editor. Type in the text as you want it to
       appear. (The complete functioning of the BUILDER editor is described
       in Appendix A, below).

    d) When the text is all finished and looks the way you want it to, press
       <F10> to save the text.

    e) You will then be asked for the level of the monster/spell/magic item
       if it is one of these, otherwise it will be saved automatically.
       Spells must be levels 0-10 (cantrips being 0 level, Quest spells
          being level 8 by convention,)
       Monsters must be levels 1-10, and
       Magic-Items must have level 1-8 (with 8th level magic items being
          the most powerful: Vorpal weapons, Armour of Etherealness, etc.)









                                                            18


    NOTE: Because I've recieved a few requests for this - below is
        presented a monster experience/level table. This is only a
        guideline.  Many factors affect the level of a monster (which
        is designed to be used as a guideline when generating encounters),
        and the user is encouraged to use his/her judgement when assigning
        the level of a monster.

          Monster Experience       Monster Level
            Point Value
               0-25                     1
              26-80                     2
              81-150                    3
             151-300                    4
             301-500                    5
             501-850                    6
             851-2750                   7
            2751-5000                   8
            5001-10000                  9
              10000+                   10


    f) If it is a monster/spell/magic item then you will subsequently be
       asked for keywords/terrains which describe what the spell/magic item
       is, or where the monster will be encountered. The first data element
       in a new database will cause a new keyword index to be created for
       this database. There will be no keywords to start, so you must add
       them. Be consistent across databases within the same category so that
       a single keyword (when used in a keyword search) will find all
       appropriate texts in the category.  If a keyword has no data which
       refer to it in the database it will automatically be removed, so if
       you make a typographical error when creating a keyword, just don't
       use it, and it'll disappear. When you've put in all the keywords
       describing the spell/magic item/monster, press <F10>.
       NOTE: For ideas about keywords/terrains, look at the keywords/
       terrains used by the databases which come with the TOME of VAST
       KNOWLEDGE. The keywords used by a database can be printed out with
       the PRNTKEYS.EXE program which is part of this toolkit.

    g) If the data is a monster, you'll be asked for the frequency with
       which the monster is encountered on each of the terrains. If
       the data is a spell, at the end you'll be asked whether the spell
       is common/uncommon/rare/very rare. When this is all done the
       information is saved.

    h) You're done, now you'll be asked if you want to add more data.

   If you were to quit the BUILDER now you would find 4 new files each
   sharing the file name designated for the group.





                                                            19



   Say we created the database for 1st Ed. Magic User spells, called MUSER:

       MUSER.PAK   - The actual text is stored in this file.
       MUSER.IDX   - Version 5 index file used to locate the various texts
                       in the .PAK file.
       MUSER.KDX   - Contains the keywords used by this group.
       MUSER.KDT   - Contains the actual key search data entires for this
                       group.


   Except for MUSER.PAK, the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE actually recognizes none
   of these files, but save these in a safe place because if you want to add
   any more spells or edit the database, these are the only files that the
   BUILDER can work with. Another good reason to store a backup copy of
   these files: suppose, heaven forbid, the power goes, or your computer
   locks when you're working on these files and they end up damaged, it'd be
   nice to have a backup - do it every time you add to a database.

   NOTE: Part 4 explains how to use these new database files with the TOME.

   ADDITIONAL NOTE:

   - To get the best possible compression of your databases:
     1) Don't put in duplicate hotlinks, each hotlink takes up space.
     2) Don't use lots of CAPITAL LETTERS, or rarely used characters
         like ~#&$=|*+^%@!, etc in your texts.



                   
                   3.1 Batch Importing of Texts
                   

   There is now an alternative to adding texts one at a time. If you
   have, for example, many spells already compiled in an ASCII text
   file, you can use the batch import option to reduce the amount of
   work involved in importing these texts to a TOME/BUILDER Database
   somewhat.

   There is a batch import option in each of the spell/monster/magic item
   menus.  Before invoking this option read the description of how to
   use this capability below. As a minimum, some preprocessing of the
   ASCII file containing the texts is required.  It is possible that you
   may desire to write a small configuration file for use by this utility
   if you are importing spells.

   There are 2 ways to use the batch import - a minimalist default mode
   (which is easier and recommended for most cases), and a more involved
   and more sophisticated mode.



                                                            20


   A) Minimalist batch import.

   First some minor modifications to the ASCII file containing the texts
   must be must be made:

   - Each text in the ASCII file must be separated by a line which
     contains nothing but and '@' character. This is the text separator
     so the import can tell where one text ends and the next begins.

   - The DEFAULT import routines require that the Title or Name of the
     text (the designation it is to be stored under in the database)
     appear alone at the beginning of the line on either the first line
     of the ASCII text file, or the first line of the new text (ie., on
     the line after the '@' text separator.)

   - The ASCII file MUST have a file extension of '.TXT'.

      eg. A text file containing a few new magic items:

        Torc of Protection
          .
          .
         text describing this item
          .
          .
        @
        Amulet of Fealty
          .
          .
         text describing this item
          .
          .

        etc.

   Once these 3 conditions have been met, invoke the BUILDER, procede to
   the menu (spell/monster/magic item) you desire, and select 'Mass xxxxx
   Import' (where 'xxxxx' will be 'spell', 'monster' or 'magic-item'.)

   You will be asked for the name of the file to be imported - type the
   name in (without the '.TXT' extension) then press <Enter>.

   Then you will be presented with a scrolling menu containing a list of
   all the databases available in the current category. Move the highlight
   bar onto the database you desire to add all the texts to, then press
   <Enter>.

   A message will appear indicating that a config file matching your text
   file could not be found, and asking whether you would like to use the
   default. Indicate yes, by typing 'Y'.



                                                            21


   Now each text will, in succession be imported into the Builder editor
   (described in Appendix A.)

   The text import is handled exactly as if a single text was being
   imported - with the same restrictions:
     - a maximum of 128 characters can appear on any one line in the text
       file.
     - successive lines are automatically fitted to the 74 character
       line the TOME uses unless an end of paragraph is encountered.
       (NOTE: Be careful or this will surely mess up your tables.)
     - either a blank line of a blank at the beginning of a line is taken
       to indicate the beginning of a new paragraph.
   (For more information about the automatic text import into the editor
     review Appendix A part 2).

   In the editor you can make any changes you want to the text, or add hot
   links as desired.  When the text is looking the way you want, press <F10>
   to save it.  You will then be asked for level and keywords exactly as
   described in section 3 above.

   Once level and keywords are supplied the next text is automatically
   imported into the editor. This continues until no more texts are found
   in the file to be imported (or <F9> is selected in the editor).




   B) Advanced Batch Import

   This capability exist primarily so that if you desire to import a text
   file containing many spells, and you want the spell header format to
   automatically appear as those used with the Net Wizard and Net Priest
   databases. If this is of no interest to you this option may not be of
   much use to you.

   First a few modifications must be made to the ASCII text file:

   - Each text in the ASCII file must be separated by a line which
     contains nothing but and '@' character (as above).

   - The ASCII file MUST have a file extension of '.TXT'.

   - Each and every text header must appear in an identical format
     (described below).

   - A config file must be prepared containing information on the file
     header format used in your ASCII text file. This file must have the
     same name as your ASCII file, with the extension '.CFG'.





                                                            22



     Format of the header and the config file:
     _________________________________________


     The batch import for spells (if the default mode is not being used)
     expects to find values for 10 variables in the config file (some
     may be left out for manual addition later), but Name and Description
     MUST appear and Description must be the last variable. These are:

       1)  Name
       2)  School   (eg. alteration, illusion, etc.)
       3)  Level
       4)  Range
       5)  Components
       6)  Duration
       7)  Casting time
       8)  Area of effect
       9)  Saving throw
       10) Description     (ie., the text description of the spell)

     The config file shows the format of each text (exactly). Anything
     in the config file between '<' and '>' is a variable, and the rest
     of each line is a format string that the import routines expect to
     see when the text file is imported.  Anything appearing in the text
     file in the position of that variable is assigned as the value of
     that variable for purposes of the automatic import. The last variable
     must be <Description> which signifies the whole rest of the spell
     description and is handled differently from the other variables.

     If any of the 8 non-essential variables is not present a blank space
     will be left in the spell header where it can be filled in manually.
     For example, if you don't have spell level appearing with the
     description of every spell you might want to add that manually.

     A sample config file is shown below:


     <Name> (<School>)
     Lvl: <Level>
     Rng: <Range>
     Comp: <Components>
     Dur: <Duration>
     CT: <Casting Time>
     AoE: <Area of Effect>
     ST: <Saving Throw>

     <Description>





                                                            23


     The previous config file would match a text file of this type:


      Damian's Mindswap (Enchantment/Charm)
      Lvl: 9
      Rng: 70 yards
      Comp: V,S,M
      Dur: Permanent
      CT: 9
      AoE: One creature
      ST: Neg.

      When this powerful enchantment is cast, . . .
          .
          .
        body of spell appears here.
          .
          .
      @
      Sand Spray (Alteration)
      Lvl: 1
      Rng: 20 feet
      Comp: V,M
      Dur: Instantaneous
      CT: 1
      AoE: Special
      ST: None

      By means of this spell, . . .

      etc.


   This will allow (in the first spell) "Damian's Mindswap" to be
   automatcially assigned as the spell's Name, and so on. The body of the
   spell description is assigned to the variable 'Description' and will
   appear after the spell header in the editor. Given the previous config
   and text files, the spell would automatically appear as follows in the
   editor:



   Damian's Mindswap(Enchantment/Charm)
   Level: 9
   Range: 70 yards                          Components: V,S,M
   Duration: Permanent                      Casting Time: 9
   Area of Effect: One creature             Saving Throw: Neg.

   When this powerful enchantment is cast, the spell user attempts to rip
   the target creatures soul from its body and temporarily place it in a
   gem of  . . .

   etc.

                                                            24



   A sample ASCII spell file and associated .CFG file are stored in the
   SAMP_IMP.ZIP file.  (NOTE: These spells already appear in the NWI
   database.)


   NOTE: Any line in the config file that starts with a # is a comment,
   and is ignored by the BUILDER import routine.


   This batch import capability is available largely throught the efforts
   of Udo Wagner <ukurs-44@orville.zdv.uni-mainz.de>. Who wrote the vast
   majority of the batch import routines.








































                                                             25




4. Assembling Databases into a format usable by the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE.


For the TOME to perform to it's expected potential several post-processing
steps must be performed on the index files and the Keyword index and
data files which are created by the BUILDER program.


  a) All index files must be squashed using the LZSIDX.EXE program which
  accompanies the BUILDER.  This program can be run in one of two ways:
  if no command line parameter is supplied this program squishes all
  Version 5 index files it finds in the current directory, turning them
  into version 6 index files which the TOME can use directly. If LZSIDX is
  supplied with the name of a version 5 index file as a parameter it will
  squish only that one file.  (Help files use Version 2 index files, and
  therefore SHOULD be ignored by LZSIDX.EXE.)

  NOTE: The BUILDER does not understand version 6 files, so if you plan
  to add more data to the database keep a copy of the version 5 index file
  in a safe place, or you can turn a version 6 index file back into a
  version 5 index file with UNLZSIDX.EXE

  b) All monster keyword databases must be merged into a single keyword
  database MONSTERS.KDX & MONSTERS.KDT. This can be done using the program
  MERGEKEYS.EXE which accompanies the BUILDER. This program actually merges
  spell or magic item or monster databases, depending on the command line
  parameter specified. If MERGKEYS is run with a command line parameter of
  'M' then it will look for the VAST.INI file and try to merge the keyword
  files for all the spell databases, giving an error if one is not found.

  c) All spell keyword databases must be merged into a single keyword
  database (MERGED.KDT & MERGED.KDX). This can be done using the program
  MERGEKEYS.EXE which accompanies the BUILDER. This program actually merges
  spell or magic item or monster databases, depending on the command line
  parameter specified. If MERGKEYS is run with a command line parameter of
  'S' then it will look for the VAST.INI file and try to merge the keyword
  files for all the spell databases, giving an error if one is not found.

  d) All magic item keyword databases must be merged into a single keyword
  database (MITEM.KDT & MITEM.KDX). This can be done using the program
  MERGEKEYS.EXE which accompanies the BUILDER. This program actually merges
  spell or magic item or monster databases, depending on the command line
  parameter specified. If MERGKEYS is run with a command line parameter of
  'I' then it will look for the VAST.INI file and try to merge the keyword
  files for all the magic item databases into the files MITEMS.KDX &
  MITEMS.KDT, giving an error if one is not found.

  NOTE: The keyword database information for the databases that ship with
  the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE are found in the KEYWORDS.ZIP file which
  should be unzipped if you intend merge keyword databases.


                                                            26


    
    5. What the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE needs to run.
    

    a) The Tome needs the help files VASTHELP.*
    b) The Tome needs the title page SPELTITL.*
    c) The Tome needs an up to date VAST.INI file.
    d) The Tome needs the *.PAK files for each database.
    e) The Tome needs the *.IDX files for each database.
    f) The Tome needs the MERGED.* and MITEMS.* and MONSTERS.* files.
    g) The Tome needs the *.DAT files supplied.
    h) The Tome (actually VADDCHAR) needs a number of *.TXT files which
        accompany the Tome - check the FILES.DOC file that comes with
        the Tome for a list of the text files used by VADDCHAR.
    i) The Tome needs the *.PRD files (or at least the one supporting
        your printer.)
    j) The Tome needs the executable files which make it up:
          VAST.EXE
          VNPC.EXE
          VHOARD.EXE
          VSPELLS.EXE
          VSWORDS.EXE
          VADDCHAR.EXE
          SETUP.EXE





























                                                            27

                              
                              6. Macros
                              

  Built into the Database BUILDER is a macro recorder.  What the macro
  recorder does is record keystrokes, and then save them so that they can
  be played back at the touch of a key.  For example, I can create a macro
  which quickly adds often repeated text to a new magic item by pressing
  <CTRL-F2>, for example, or almost anything else.

  4.1 The Macro Menu

  The macro menu allows you to view a list of the existing macros, add
  new macros, delete unused, or unwanted macros, and disable macros if
  you so desire. You can call up the macro menu by pressing <ALT-M> (the
  <ALT> key and the 'M' key at the same time).


  4.2 How to build a Macro

  To build a macro you must first call up the macro menu then type
  'A' to add a macro, you will then be asked to select a key which will
  run the macro you wish to record. Press the key combination you want
  to activate your macro. (Legal macro keys are the <ALT> pressed at the
  same time as the <F1>..<F10> keys, ie., you can have up to 10 user
  defined macros.)  You will then be asked to select a name/description
  for the macro.  Type in the name you want, then press <Enter>.  The
  macro menu will now disappear and you can start typing the macro you
  want recorded.  You will hear a click each time you press a key to
  remind you that the macro recorder is operating.  NOTE: Macros must be
  40 keystrokes or less.  This should be fine for most circumstances.
  When you have finished typing the macro you want recorded, you again
  press <ALT-M> and a window will pop up asking you whether you want to
  keep the macro or not.  After you have made a useful macro you will
  want to save it to disk, this can be accomplished from the macro menu
  by typing 'S'. NOTE: You will only be able to save the macros if the
  disk the BUILDER is running on is NOT write protected.

















                                                            28


                   
                   APPENDIX A.  -  The BUILDER Editor
                   

    This editor is limited, but should be robust enough to get the job
    done. A single text cannot be more than 400 lines (which is usually
    about 20K). You can however link together texts that are longer than
    this using hypertext hot-links.

    There are three ways to input data into the editor:
      1) Type it in.
      2) Import a prepared ASCII text file.
      3) Batch import a specially prepared ASCII text file (described
         above in Section 3.1).

    1) Typing in data:

    If you elect to type data in it is worth noting that the editor is
    always in what might be called 'Insert Mode'. When you type, if text
    appears after the cursor, it will be pushed along as required to make
    space for new text. There is even a rudimentary word-wrap so if you
    push a word past the end of a line it will automatically be wrapped to
    the beginning of the next line. There is no reverse word-wrap (nor can
    there be).

    2) Importing text files:

    If you have the text you want in an ASCII text file, it can be imported
    using the <F3> key and automatically placed in the editor. There's a
    limit to how big a file can be imported. 400 lines, (or about 20K). No
    single line in the text file to be imported should exceed 128
    characters in length. The import program does not recognize ASCII
    characters with decimal values outside the range 32-127 and will
    automatically convert them to spaces (it mangles TABS).

    The import mechanism tries to fit as many words onto each line as
    possible. This may have the undesirable effect of ruining your tables.
    This problem can be overcome by putting a blank line between each row
    in the table, because the import routine thinks a blank line signifies
    the end of a paragraph. Then after the data is imported you can remove
    the blank lines in your table. MORAL: Put a blank line between your
    paragraphs if you want to use the import routine, or they'll be merged
    together. A space as the first character of a line is also taken to
    indicate the beginning of a new paragraph.

    IMPORTANT NOTE: When you import text, it is placed immediately below
    the cursor, overwriting anything that was there.






                                                            29



    Additional Useful Functions supported:

    The various cursor keys are supported for browsing the text/moving the
    cursor. Additionally, <CTRL-Left Arrow> moves to the previous word,
    while <CTRL-Right Arrow> moves to the next word.

    <F10> Saves the text when you are finished editing it.

    <CTRL-Y> Deletes the line the cursor is on (irreversibly).
    <CTRL-N> Inserts a line at the cursor position.

    <F2> When the cursor is on highlighted text, this will cause the text to
         become a hotlink. You will be prompted for the name of the file
         which contains the text whose index is spelled EXACTLY
         (capitalization is not important) the same as the highlighted block.
         (Watch out for highlighted blanks before and after the text of
         interest). If the hotlink refers to a text in the same database
         simply press enter, otherwise type in the group's file name. For
         example, if I want a hotlink to 'Fireball' from my new monster I
         highlight the text 'Fireball' in my text, move the cursor onto
         the text then press <F2>, when the query box pops up, type in
         'MUSER' (assuming this is the database where I have the 'Fireball'
         spell located) with no file extension. The hotlink should now be
         green. Moving the cursor onto a green hotlink and pressing <F2>
         will unlink the hotlink.

         NOTES:
         1)Hotlinks obviously take up space in the *.PAK file, (proportional
         to the length of the datafile name which the hotlink must call, so
         don't put in unnecessary hotlinks or your *.PAK file will end up
         larger than it should be.
         2) There is a limit of 50 hotlinks per text, this should not
         normally be a problem.
         3) Obviously hotlinks are position sensitive. Therefore if you move
         a line with a hotlink on it there will be trouble. The editor is not
         currently smart enough to keep track of moving hot links. If the
         editor thinks that the position of a hotlink is about to be changed,
         it will automatically be unlinked. So set up all your text and put
         in the hot links last.













                                                            30


         Hot Links to 'Hidden' Texts:
           If you examine the 'Net Classes/Kits' database shipped with the
         TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE you will see that most of the classes have
         a hot link to a text called 'Class Description', yet these texts
         are all different.  Furthermore none of these texts appear in the
         menu when the database is being browsed.  This is a trick used for
         tidiness.  Any text which starts with a '*' will not be displayed
         in any browser menu in the TOME. "Hey", I hear you say, "Those
         hotlinks in the 'Net Classes/Kits' database don't have a '*' in
         front of them!"  When you are queried as to what file the hotlink
         text will be found in type '*'.  This will cause the TOME to look
         (in the same database) for a text whose title is exactly the same
         as the current text, preceeded by a '*', and followed by a ', '
         (that's a comma and a space) then the text highlighted in the
         hotlink.  For example, suppose we were creating a hidden 'Class
         Desciption' hotlink for our new class the 'Monitor'. We would
         create a hotlink in the 'Monitor' text with the text 'Class
         Desciption', then when we hotlink it we type in '*' as the hotlink
         file. The text this hotlink would try to find would be called:
         '*Monitor, Class Description'. NOTE: Remember no text can have a
         title longer than 50 characters.

    <F3> As described above, after pressing this key you will be prompted for
         the name of the ASCII text file you wish to import.

    <F4> Put the current text into an ASCII text file. You will be prompted
         for the name of the file you want to store the text in.
         NOTE: The complete text is stored in the file, 74 characters/line,
         including trailing blanks.

    <F5> Is used to change the highlighting of a region. It marks the start
         of a block to be highlighted/unhighlighted (signaled by turning the
         character red). Pressing <F5> again will highlight/unhighlight
         everything between the red start character and the cursor.

    <F6> If you are editing an existing text (rather than putting in a new
         one), pressing <F6> should pop up a list of the keywords associated
         with this text.

    <F7> Turns the highlight mode on. This means that every character typed
         after the highlight mode is turned on will be highlighted.
         NOTE: A special character has to be stored for every switch between
         highlighted and unhighlighted characters in the text, these take up
         space in the *.PAK file. So make sure adjacent highlighted words do
         not contain a non-highlighted space between them or the *.PAK file
         will not be as small as it could be.

    <F8> Turns highlight mode off.

    <F9> If you made a mistake in the spell/magic item/monster name or some
         other non-repairable error, press <F9> to abort the text input.


                                                            31


   
                                APPENDIX B.
   Utility programs accompanying the BUILDER for the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE
   


   LZSIDX.EXE    - Turns the version 5 index files that the Database
                   BUILDER works with, into version 6 index files that
                   the TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE works with.

                   By default this program converts every .IDX file in the 
                   current directory into a version 6 index file, except 
                   help index files which SHOULD be ignored because they 
                   are not the correct format. Alternately LZSIDX will act
                   on only a single index file if one is specified as a
                   command line parameter.

                   Syntax:

                     LZSIDX [Database Name]

                   Example:

                   a)  LZSIDX
                   b)  LZSIDX MUSER

                   Result:

                   a) Converts every version 5 index file in the current
                   directory into a version 6 index file.

                   b) Converts just the MUSER index file from version 5 to
                   version 6 format.



   UNLZSIDX.EXE  - This program lets you revert an index file from version
                   6 back to version 5 format.

                   Syntax:

                     UNLZSIDX <Database Name>

                   Example:

                     UNLZSIDX muser

                   Result:

                   Will turn the version 6 index file MUSER.IDX into the
                     version 5 index file of the same name.


                                                            32


   MERGKEYS.EXE  - This program creates the merged keyword files required
                   by the TOME to do keyword searches.

                   This program accepts one of three possible command line
                   parameters: either 'S', 'I', 'M' for creating the
                   merged spell/magic item/monster keyword files. The
                   program examines the VAST.INI file for a list of what
                   keyword files it should merge. All the appropriate
                   .KDX and .KDT files should be in the current directory.
                   An error message probably means the new merged keyword
                   database file was NOT created correctly.

                   Syntax:

                     MERGKEYS S|I|M

                   Example:

                     MERGKEYS S

                   Result:

                   Will create the MERGED.KD* files used by the TOME.




   CLEANS.EXE    - Allows you to examine and change the spell frequency
                   in a spell database without using the BUILDER. This
                   program only recognizes version 5 index files.
   CLEANM.EXE    - Allows you to examine and change the monster frequency
                   in a monster database without using the BUILDER. This
                   program only recognizes version 5 index files.

                   NOTE: Both these programs should be run on a RAMDISK if
                   at all possible, as they are both VERY disk intensive.


                   Syntax:

                     CLEANS <Spell Database Name> or
                     CLEANM <Monster Database Name>

                   Example:

                     CLEANS MUSER

                   Result:

                   An interactive session to change/review the various
                   spell frequencies.



                                                            33



   PRESSTAT.EXE  - Gives compression statistics for a database. This program
                   only works with version 5 index files.

                   Syntax:

                     PRESSTAT <Database Name>

                   Example:

                     PRESSTAT  MUSER

                   Result:

                   The compression ratio of this database will be printed
                   out on screen.


   PRNTKEYS.EXE  - Lets you print out a list of the keywords in a database.
                   This program dumps to standard output so it can be
                   redirected to a file or the printer.

                   Syntax:

                     PRNTKEYS [/P] <Database Name>

                   Example:

                   a)  PRNTKEYS MUSER
                   b)  PRNTKEYS MUSER > LPT1
                   c)  PRNTKEYS MUSER > KEYS.TXT
                   d)  PRNTKEYS /P MUSER


                   Result:

                   a) The keywords used in the magic user database will
                   be printed out on the screen.

                   b) The keywords used in the magic user database will
                   be printed out on the printer attached to LPT1.

                   c) The keywords used in the magic user database will
                   be stored in the ASCII text file called KEYS.TXT.

                   d) The keywords used in the magic user database will
                   be printed out to the screen, with the program waiting
                   for a key to be pressed between each screenful of
                   keywords





                                                            34



   COMBINE.EXE  - Lets you merge two databases. Suppose two people decided
                  to each assemble databases of different wizard spells.
                  They could then be combined into a single database with
                  this utility. The Group Number is optional, if it is not
                  included, it is assumed that the Databases being merged
                  have no keywords associated.

                  NOTE: This could break any hotlinks which refer to the
                  names of one or the other original databases by name.
                  Care must be taken to ensure that this does not occur.

      Syntax:

        COMBINE <Database 1> <Database 2> <Target Database>
                                                    [Group Number] [/q|/d]
      Example:

      a)  COMBINE MUSERA MUSERB MUSER 1
      b)  COMBINE MUSERA MUSERB MUSER 1 /d
      c)  COMBINE MUSERA MUSERB MUSER /q

      Result:

      a) The two spell databases MUSERA and MUSERB are combined into the
      database MUSER, which is assign the Group Number 1. Duplicate spells
      in database MUSERB are automatically renamed.

      b) The two spell databases MUSERA and MUSERB are combined into the
      database MUSER, which is assign the Group Number 1. Duplicate spells
      in database MUSERB are automatically deleted.

      c) The two spell databases MUSERA and MUSERB are combined into the
      database MUSER. Keyword files (if they exist) are not merged,
      duplicate spells will cause the user to be queried as to how the
      duplicate should be handled.




   USEBUILD.EXE  - This utility was designed as a tool to help integrate
                   the other programs which are a part of this toolkit.
                   When run you are presented with a menu of all the
                   databases which are listed in the VAST.INI file.
                   Using the arrow keys the highlight bar can be moved to
                   the database which you desire to work on.  Pressing
                   the spacebar will mark the currently highlighted
                   database (pressing the spacebar again will unmark it.)





                                                            35


                   Once a database has been marked, the currently selected
                   toolkit program can then be run on it by pressing <Enter>
                   (the default is the BUILDER, but typing 'O' will present
                   a menu allowing you to select alternatives.) Because none
                   of the programs in the Toolkit (except UNLZSIDX) can
                   operate on the Version 6 index files used by the TOME,
                   USEBUILD will call UNLZSIDX to try an decompress the
                   marked database's index file before calling the selected
                   toolkit program (it will then recompress the index file
                   upon completion.)

                   If 'MergKeys' is the currently selected option when the
                   <Enter> key is pressed, USEBUILD will try to build all
                   the Keyword Database files needed by the TOME (MERGED.KD*,
                   MITEM.KD*, MONSTERS.KD*).

                   It should be noted that this program currently consumes
                   about 30K when shelling out to run the other tools. If
                   your system is tight for memory, there may not be enough
                   free RAM to run the BUILDER from within this program.

         Credit for this wonderful tool goes entirely to Erik Beauvais.



   INIEDIT.EXE  - This utility allows you to add to/delete from/modify the
                  databases listed in the VAST.INI file under the Spell/
                  Monster/Magic Item/Topic/Special categories in an easy to
                  use interactive fashion.

                  When you run this program you will be presented with a
                  menu which lists the 5 categories under which databases
                  can be listed. By pressing the appropriate letter you
                  will be presented with a list of all the databases
                  currently listed under that category in the VAST.INI
                  file. From within each of these category specific
                  sub-menus you will be given the opportunity to add to the
                  list of databases in the category, remove a database, or
                  modify the Description of the database. By using the left
                  and right arrow keys you can highlight the option you
                  desire to use.  Then press <Enter> to select the option
                  you desire.

                  If you are adding a database you will be asked for a
                  description for the database and the filename to be used
                  by the database (this may be up to 8 characters and
                  cannot include a file extension), and a group number and
                  group abbreviation where appropriate.

                  If you are deleteing a database you will be presented
                  with a scrolling menu of all the databases present.
                  Selecting a database will delete it.


                  IMPORTANT NOTE:  No changes are made to the VAST.INI file
                  until the program is exited, at which point you will be
                  asked whether you want to save the changes you have made
                  to disk.





                                                            36


   
                                APPENDIX C.
   Known Limitations of the BUILDER and TOME of VAST KNOWLEDGE Version 1.X
   

   1) There may be no more than 255 different keywords in any category.

   2) No single database may contain more than 1050 texts (this is a 64K
      limitation, if the Version 5 index file exceeds 64K in size the
      program will not work properly.)

   3) No merged keyword file (MERGED.KDT, MITEMS.KDT, MONSTERS.KDT) may
      exceed 64K in size.

   4) No more than 31 databases can exist for any one category.

   5) No single text can exceed 400 lines (usually about 20K).

   6) No Keyword or Textname can exceed 50 characters.

   7) No single text can have more than 50 hotlinks.

   8) USEBUILD can only handle up to 100 Databases in the VAST.INI file.

   9) No spellbook created by VSPELLS can contain more than 300 spells.

   10)No Monster/Spell/Magic item level may exceed 15. (More an advisory
      here than a limitation, as the software shouldn't let you put this in
      anyway, and won't understand it if you try.)





















                                                            37
