Metadata-Version: 2.1
Name: ngdb
Version: 0.2.0
Summary: ngdb - Norton Guide database reading library.
Home-page: https://github.com/davep/ngdb.py
Author: Dave Pearson
Author-email: davep@davep.org
Maintainer: Dave Pearson
Maintainer-email: davep@davep.org
License: License :: OSI Approved :: GNU General Public License v3 or later (GPLv3+)
Keywords: library dbase clipper norton guide reader
Platform: UNKNOWN
Classifier: License :: OSI Approved :: GNU General Public License v3 or later (GPLv3+)
Classifier: Development Status :: 3 - Alpha
Classifier: Operating System :: OS Independent
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10
Classifier: Topic :: Documentation
Classifier: Topic :: Software Development :: Documentation
Classifier: Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries
Classifier: Typing :: Typed
Requires-Python: >=3.8
Description-Content-Type: text/markdown
License-File: LICENSE

# ngdb - A Python library for reading Norton Guide database files

[![PyPI version](https://badge.fury.io/py/ngdb.svg)](https://badge.fury.io/py/ngdb)

## Introduction

Back in the mists of time, in the days of MS-DOS and Clipper programming,
[Norton Guide database files](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Guides)
were a very popular form of hypertext help. Lots of information is still
kicking around inside such files.

This library is another in [a reasonably long line of tools I've written to
help keep that information available](http://www.davep.org/norton-guides/).

## TODO

The library is now at a point where the reading of guides works fine, and it
has plenty of test coverage too (in fact it should be 100% if I've not
messed up). What's lacking right now us user documentation and an example
tool or two.

They are to come.

My intention is to make a binary utility or two that go along with this
library that will do things like turn a Norton Guide database into a series
of HTML pages, or extract as a Markdown document, or something like that.

Eventually I'll create another project or two off the back of this, which
will be separate from this. For example, I'd like to create a CHUI reader
all in Python, and also perhaps a guide server based on Flask.

For now though... if you're happy diving through the library docs (`make
rtfm` is your friend), there should be enough to get started.

## Installing

`ngdb` is [available from pypi](https://pypi.org/project/ngdb/) and can be
installed with `pip` or similar Python package tools:

```shell
$ pip3 install -U ngdb
```

## Tools

`ngdb` also installs the following tools:

- `nginfo`  
Simple tool that serves as an example of using the library: given a series
of files on the command line, it prints a simple list of the files showing
what type of NG file it is (Norton Guide or Expert Help), as well as its
title.

[//]: # (README.md ends here)


