Need help installing Clipper 5.3 using DOSBox

[dwightarmy...@hotmail.com]

Hello, I am a complete novice to CA-Clipper, so please bear with me.

I am trying to install Clipper 5.3 using DOSBox. I have the eight floppy images in a folder C:\dos\cl53. I open DOSBox and execute the following command to mount the Clipper directory:

mount c c:\dos\cl53

It says "Drive C is mounted as local directory c:\dos\cl53\"

I cd into that directory and run a dir command. I see there are eight image files: DISK01.IMG, DISK02.IMG, DISK03.IMG, ... all the way up to DISK08.IMG. I now run the following commands to mount each image file as its own drive letter:

C:\>imgmount F DISK01.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount g DISK02.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount h DISK03.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount i DISK04.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount j DISK05.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount k DISK06.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount l DISK07.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount m DISK08.IMG -t floppy

The J:\INSTALL.EXE file (from DISK05.IMG) is the installation program for the DOS version of Clipper. After running INSTALL.EXE the CA-Clipper installation program starts. I select "Drive C:" as the target drive, I set "\CLIP53" as the target directory, I confirm that all groups will be installed, I confirm that all utilities will be installed. I select "Yes" to allow changes to AUTOEXEC.BAT, I select "YES" to allow changes to CONFIG.SYS. This is where installation fails. I get an error message that says the following:

Unable to read file date/time information: J:\README.TXT
Do you want to Retry or Abort (R/A)?

No matter how many times I retry, it never works and I have to Abort. If I do a dir on the j:\> drive the files all have a date/time of 00-00-1980.

How do I install this program successfully?

[_o_ceans]

hi

all drives you imgmount into are not mounted by DOSBox; iirc, it's ok to
expand (imgmount) into the same drive

before running imgmount make sure you setup a drive letter _in DOSBox_ where
to expand to (else, why not just imgmount under your OS directly? .oO unless
it is 64bit)

perhaps also have a copy of your Host drive's c:\config.sys and
c:\autoexec.bat copied to c:\dos\cl53 (although both will be empty files;
and don't forget to make _your copy_ of c:\config.sys writeable (in your
Host OS, perform attrib c:\dos\cl53\config.sys -s -r -h))

THEN, start DOSBox

mount c c:\dos\cl53

mount o: c:\dos\cl53\expand (make sure that folder is first created on your
Host drive)

C:\>imgmount o DISK01.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount o DISK02.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount o DISK03.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount o DISK04.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount o DISK05.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount o DISK06.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount o DISK07.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount o DISK08.IMG -t floppy

o:
install.exe

choose c:\ as installation folder (this is c:\dos\cl53 on the Host drive)

at the end, CA-Clipper 5.3 will be installed in your Host drive's
c:\dos\cl53 (with subfolders such as bin, include, lib, source, ng

also, consider vDos for reliable cache, while running database programs
(http://www.vdos.info)

hth,

lohen

<dwightarmy...@hotmail.com> schreef in bericht
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[dwightarmy...@hotmail.com]

When I get to the imgmount commands I get the error "Drive already mounted at that letter."

Here are all my steps:

Launch DOSBox

Z:\>mount c c:\dos\cl53
Drive C is mounted at local directory c:\dos\cl53\

Z:\>mount o c:\dos\cl53\expand
Drive o is mapped as local directory c:\dos\cl53\expand\

Z:\>c:

C:\>imgmount o disk01.img -t floppy
Drive already mounted at that letter.

C:\>imgmount p disk01.img -t floppy
Drive P is mounted as c:\dos\cl53\disk01.img

C:\>imgmount p disk02.img -t floppy
Drive already mounted at that letter.

C:\>

[_o_ceans]

Hi,

imgmount seems part of DOSBox .oO sth new i learned (i didn't try) sorry for
that

mount c c:\dos\cl53

mount a: c:\dos\cl53\expand // a: (instead of o:) since old INSTALL's
sometimes refuse to run from anything else than a:

C:\>imgmount F DISK01.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount g DISK02.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount h DISK03.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount i DISK04.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount j DISK05.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount k DISK06.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount l DISK07.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount m DISK08.IMG -t floppy

copy f:\*.* a:\
copy g:\*.* a:\
copy h:\*.* a:\
copy i:\*.* a:\
copy j:\*.* a:\
copy k:\*.* a:\
copy l:\*.* a:\
copy m:\*.* a:\

a:
install.exe

... (choose c:\ as installation folder)

this times it's tested (with foo files); note that you'll won't have to
press Yes for overwrite during copy

see how that goes :-)

lohen

<dwightarmy...@hotmail.com> schreef in bericht

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[dwightarmy...@hotmail.com]

But because the destination for all eight copy statements is a:\, you're overwriting some files that have the same name, like PROG.EXE exists on both J:\ and K:\ and README.TXT as well. So the installation is still failing. I also tried pasting the contents into eight different subdirectories inside a:, but during the installation it asked me to switch disks, and I don't know how to that.

[pe...@nospam.demon.co.uk]

SUBST might come to your rescue. Try mounting B: and then creating
subdirectories there - b:\disk1, b:\disk2, b:\disk3 etc.

Then

copy f:\*.* b:\disk1
copy g:\*.* b:\disk2
etc...

Now SUBST:

subst a: b:\disk1 and run a:\setup. When prompted to switch disks,
subst a: b:\disk2 and so on.

Good luck,
Pete
--
Believe those who are seeking the truth.
Doubt those who find it. - André Gide

[_o_ceans]

<dwightarmy...@hotmail.com> schreef in bericht
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mount c c:\dos\clip53
mount a: c:\dos\clip53\expand

C:\>imgmount F DISK01.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount g DISK02.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount h DISK03.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount i DISK04.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount j DISK05.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount k DISK06.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount l DISK07.IMG -t floppy
C:\>imgmount m DISK08.IMG -t floppy

copy j:\*.* a:\
copy k:\*.* a:\
copy l:\*.* a:\
copy m:\*.* a:\
copy f:\*.* a:\
copy g:\*.* a:\
copy h:\*.* a:\
copy i:\*.* a:\

a:
install.exe

! notice the re-arranged order during copy
! during install _deselect_ the following:

Workbench (4847K)
Repository (3204K)
Workbench Samp. (5K)
Windows Help (3621K)

because that part of Clipper 5.3(b) is meant for Windows 3.x, and wasn't
(commonly) used by any Clipper programmer; if not deselecting these, install
will search for your windows folder (and won't find it anyway, since c:\
mounted in DOSBox isn't c:\ in the Host OS)

lohen

[_o_ceans]

ah yes, and you will need Windows 3 for DOSBox:
http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/showthread.php?t=27770
(the install is a Window program)

else, Clipper dev imo works best from Windows XP (over 13 years experience
with that)

lohen

[dwightarmy...@hotmail.com]

I finally got Clipper for Windows installed. Yay! So, now what do I do? Can someone recommend a good book on Clipper? I'm specifically interested in creating database applications with multiple .PRG files.

[dlzc]

Dear dwightarmy...:

On Monday, July 4, 2016 at 9:34:32 AM UTC-7, dwightarmy...@hotmail.com wrote:
> I finally got Clipper for Windows installed.
> Yay! So, now what do I do? Can someone
> recommend a good book on Clipper?

Clipper books are out of print. You might see if there are some at your local 2nd hand book shop. As programming examples, you might check out "The Oasis" or its mirrors, for libraries of existing code.

> I'm specifically interested in creating
> database applications with multiple .PRG files.

Look at the examples that came with Clipper.

David A. Smith

[dwightarmy...@hotmail.com]

Actually I just found some stuff right here:

http://www.hmgforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4354

This is great!!

[_o_ceans]

Hi again,

You might want to discover some 3rd party resources too, although not much
of them are still on sale

http://www.grafxsoft.com/
http://www.extrasensory.com/ one of the few still on sale
http://www.emsps.com/ used software and books (alot about CA-Clipper)
http://www.ousob.com/ plenty of 3rd party products' Norton Guide
documentations
http://harbour.github.io/the-oasis/ the resource David mentioned (among
which http://harbour.github.io/the-oasis/files/library/class24b.zip for
Class(y), one of the best OO extensions for CA-Clipper)

http://github.com/jasim/EasyAccounts complete accounting-inventory control
package written in CA-Clipper 5.2 (it uses the 5.2 DBFCDX RDD library Comix,
but since the 5.3 DBFCDX RDD is basically Comix, with small changes it can
be ported to 5.3)

Personally, programming in CA-Clipper, especially for databases, I found
ObjectDB (latest was version 1.2k) very valuable, but apart from
www.emsps.com it is difficult to find

From its Norton Guide:

What is ObjectDB?

ObjectDB is a true DBMS engine for CA-Clipper applications.

Sometimes, people are confused by this statement. Isn't Clipper itself a
DBMS engine? The answer is no. Clipper is a powerful programming
language
with a built-in ISAM (Indexed Sequential Access Method) system -- the RDD
subsystem -- but it is not a DBMS. An ISAM system manages the details of
physical access to individual indexed files. A DBMS operates at a higher
conceptual level, and brings relational and transactional intelligence to
the groups of files (tables) which, collectively, comprise a database.

And alot more; although there are proprietary/open source 32|64bit
alternatives to the old CA-Clipper compiler, for use in VM's, mind that the
old 3rd party toolchain had a +10y tested and proven lifecycle

Although working from within a VM should be feasible, as already mentioned,
nothing beats developing from Windows XP (32bit)

Even when transitioning to contemporary compilers is scheduled, taking up
the Clipper language (from since compiler versions 5.2e and 5.3b) is a good
way to go

Just some thoughts,

lohen

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[dlzc]

Dear dwightarmy...:

And there are some good resources still online too:
http://www.ghservices.com/gregh/clipper/

David A. Smith

[Thomas Orgelmacher]

Am 19.06.2016 um 16:25 schrieb dwightarmy...@hotmail.com:
>
[...]

> I am trying to install Clipper 5.3 using DOSBox.

[...]

YMMV, but I had really strange effects with Clipper under DosBox.
For example with a misbehaving "numxor" function (no error, but wrong
results).

In my opinion there's absolutely no reason to use Clipper anymore.
Use Harbour or Xharbour instead.


Regards, Thomas

--
I have seen things you lusers would not believe. I've seen Sun
monitors on fire off the side of the multimedia lab. I've seen
NTU lights glitter in the dark near the Mail Gate. All these
things will be lost in time, like the root partition last week.

[Spokzifer]

Am Sonntag, 19. Juni 2016 16:25:27 UTC+2 schrieb dwightarmy...@hotmail.com:
> Hello, I am a complete novice to CA-Clipper, so please bear with me.
>
> I am trying to install Clipper 5.3 using DOSBox.

Hello,
I use Oracle VM VirtualBox with Windows XP on PC Win10 - no problems using Clipper 5.3. Some tricks setting serial port, but it's running.
Bernhard