LIF Text Format(s)?
#1

I'm converting all the LIF TEXT files I can find in the swap disks to ASCII as part of my plan to index and document those disks. It appears there are several "TEXT" formats in use. The 71B HP-IL interface manual says type "TEXT" is rquivilant to type "LIF" implying that there is one way to represent text. But using Tony Duell's "text75" program results in gibberish for several of the text files, making me think there is more than one format involved. I've developed a Perl script that converts TRANSFORMed 71 BASIC files to ASCII, but that's helped along by the fact that there are line numbers in such a listing.

What I'd like to find out, if someone knows off the top of their head, is where are the various formats defined? I'm going to conduct a search of my own, but I thought I might be able to shortcut the process a little by posting here.

Thanks,
Howard

#2

There are at least 2 text formats...

There's what I call TEXT75, which is, AFAIK, used by the HP75 only. The structure of that is similar to a BASIC program from what I can tell

Then there's the normal LIF text file, which is used by just about every HP machine that supports LIF disks. It's the HP41 ASCII file, the HP71 text file, HP75's can produce it too, I've also come across it on larger machines.

This is handled by my hptext program in my LIF utilities for Linux distribution. I think the format is given in the back of the HP71 HPIL manual.

#3

Thanks again, Tony. I had missed hptext in your suite. Another of my Perl scripts bites the dust due to your effort! Thanks!

(No irony there. I really prefer to use someone else's tool, if it works as advertised, which yours do.)



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