This is the README file of the `tie' distribution. The current version is 2.4. This file was created on 18 Dec 92. SUBJECT: `Tie' is a program which was first developed to allow WEB programmers (be it Pascal-, C- or any other WEB) to add more than one change file to their programs. But it can be used to create new versions of the WEB file with incorporated changes as well. This feature does not depend on any special WEB dialect, nor on using WEB at all, as the only controls to be interpreted are the change requests in the change files (delimited by @x, @y and @z). This makes `tie' also usable for any other language, or even data files. See the documentation tiedoc.tex and the example file tie.tie. Actually, this gives a second file update mechanism besides `patch'. Whereas patch relies on line numbers and/or precise contexts produced by diff, tie depends on the order of changes and on a an amount of context lines determined manually. REQUIREMENTS: This version of `tie' is written in CWEB. To preprocess and compile the source you will need a working `ctangle'. A pretangled tie.c is supplied which has been compiled successfully on a variety of workstations using either the manufacturer supplied C compiler in the K&R or ANSI version, or gcc (version 1.40). Please note, that the CWEB by Silvio Levy and Donald E. Knuth must be at least at version 2.8, to process and compile `tie' without problems. DISTRIBUTION: The reference version of tie may be retrieved by anonymous ftp from ftp.th-darmstadt.de [130.83.55.75] directory pub/tex/src/webware file tie-.tar.Z where is the most current version number. See the source file tie.w for details of the distribution policy. BUGS/ENHANCEMENTS: If you detect bugs in the implementation of `tie' or have suggestions to enhance functionality or improve portability, please send a message to Klaus Guntermann