Introduction

What is Wrapster?

Wrapster is a state of the art program that allows any type of file or program to be structured as a music MP3 file. This allows the user to hide important or secretive files on his hard drive, to share these files with software that allows sharing of MP3s, or to store these files on web sites that allow the storing of MP3 files.


What's New?

New in Wrapster v2.1

♦ Support!  New e-mail and bulletin board links for better support.

♦ New distributor and developers. Now by the UnWrapper team.

New in Wrapster v2.0

♦ Wrapped files are no longer loaded into memory.

♦ Increased performance on large (50mb+) files.

♦ New-Archive wizard.

♦ Context-menu handlers for Explorer.

♦ Options!

♦ Optional CRC32 Checking.

♦ Ability to set default directories.

♦ Ability to rearrange contents of the archive in design mode.

♦ Progress indicator and cancel button.

♦ Improved file recovery options. (i.e. some now exist)

♦ Links to homepage and e-mail.

♦ Professional-looking help file.


Quick Overview


Wraping files
Wrapping Files

To Wrap a File:

1)  Start by opening Wrapster.

2)  Select "New Archive" from the "File" menu.

3)  Choose a location and name for your archive.

4)  Press "Save"

5)  Select "Add Files" from the "Actions" menu.

6)  Choose which files you would like to add to the archive.

7)  Press "Open"

8)  Select "Commit to Disk" from the "Actions" menu.

This file should now be ready.


Un-Wraping Files
Un-Wrapping Files

To Un-Wrap a File:

1)  Open Wrapster.

2)  Select "Open Existing Archive" from the "File" menu.

If the selected file is not a Wrapster file, the program

will let you know how dumb you are.

3)  Select "Extract Files -> All" from the "Actions" menu.

4)  Choose a location to extract the files in the archive to.

5)  Press "OK"

The selected archive should now be extracted.


Finding Wraped Files
Finding Wrapped Files

Napster discourages Wrapster file distribution, however Wrapster files can be found on nearly every non-Napster server.  If you are really serious about finding wrapped files you will need a program by the name of "Napigator" (found at http://www.napigator.com) which will let you choose which Napster server to connect to.

We have found that the most popular Napster server for distribution of Wrapster files is 	bitchx.dimension6.com.  This is an OpenNap server.

Once you are connected to a server, search for the title "wrapster" and set your search parameters to the following:

Bitrate	EQUAL TO	32kb/s

Click on the search button and the server should return any wrapster files that meet your critera. Other servers can be found listed in Napigator's main (and only) window.


New Archive

New Archive	(Shortcut: CTRL+N)

This will create a new empty Wrapster archive. When prompted, you will have to specify a filename using a standard Windows dialog box.


New Archive Wizard

New Archive Wizard 	(Shortcut: CTRL+W)

Starts the three page new archive wizard. If you can't quite grasp the concept of how the "New Archive" command works in its entirety, then you're certainly in for a treat.  This command makes it very easy to create new Wrapster files. It automates and streamlines the creation of wrapped archives which adhere to the new Wrapster Naming Convention (WNC).


Open Existing Archive

Open Existing Archive	(Shortcut: CTRL+O)

This will open a Wrapster archive that you've either created yourself, or have downloaded from the Napster network. Upon opening the file, its contents will be listed in the main program window.


Close Archive

Close Archive	(Shortcut: CTRL+C)

This will close the currently opened Wrapster file.


Exit

Exit	(Shortcut: CTRL+X)

This will close Wrapster.


Options

Options	(Shortcut: F12)

As promised, Wrapster v2.0 now has options. This command will display the options dialog box where you will be able to access many of the new and exciting features.


Add Files

Add Files	(Shortcut: CTRL+A)

This will bring up a Windows dialog box where you can select the files you wish to add to the currently open Wrapster archive.


Extract All Files

Extract All Files	(Shortcut: CTRL+E)

This will extract every file in the currently open Wrapster archive. See the main program window for the list of files. It will prompt you for a directory where the files should be extracted to.


Extract Selected Files

Extract Selected Files	(Shortcut: SHIFT+CTRL+E)

This will only extract those files which you have selected in the main program window to a directory of your choice.


Remove All Files

Remove All Files	(Shortcut: CTRL+R)

This will remove every file in the currently open Wrapster archive. See the main program window for the list of files.


Remove Selected Files

Remove Selected Files	(Shortcut: SHIFT+CTRL+R)

This will only remove those files which you have selected in the main program window.


Commit to Disk

Commit to Disk	(Shortcut: CTRL+D)

Commits a prepared Wrapster archive to your harddrive. This used to be called "Write Batch" but that was too confusing. Instead, we bring you this new "innovative" command.


Help

Help	(Shortcut: F1)

Brings up this help file.


About

About	(Shortcut: F2)

Displays program information.


Using the New Archive Wizard

First, invoke the New Archive Wizard by selecting File | New Archive Wizard or use the convenient shortcut key CTRL+W. When the Wizard loads, you'll see the screen below:

Page 1 of 3

Use the combo-box to select the type of file you're wrapping up, or type in your own. Other examples include Movie, Images, and Anime. Choose one and click Next >.

Next, you will be presented with the following screen:

Page 2 of 3

On this page you can set a default Mask for every Wrapster file you create with the New Archive Wizard. We recommend using (Wrapster) - %t - %d (%s bytes).mp3 as your default file mask as it conforms to the new Wrapster Naming Convention (WNC). You can customize this setting any way you choose and have the following variables available to you:

%t	Type of Archive

%d	Description of Archive

%s	Size of Archive (automatically calculated)

Next, enter a description for your collection of wrapped files in the Description textbox. In the example above, we're wrapping up a copy of Linux v7.0, so we use the name of the software as our descriptor. Make your changes and click Next >.

Lastly, you'll be shown this screen:

Page 3 of 3

The final page has only two options you can set. For most archives you'll want to leave both Add Files and Commit to Disk enabled. If you click Finish with both options selected, a file chooser dialog will appear and you can add files to your archive; clicking Open from this dialog will automatically save your wrapster file to disk.

If you disable Commit to Disk you will have to invoke this command manually from the Wrapster main window (Actions | Commit to Disk or Shortcut: CTRL+D). If you disable Add Files you will have to add files manually from the Wrapster main window, Wrapster v1.0 style.


What is the New Archive Wizard?

The New Archive Wizard is a new feature of Wrapster that allows you to create wrapped files via a painless three-step process -- it makes it incredibly simple to create new Wrapster files that conform to the new Wrapster Naming Convention (WNC).

For a brief tutorial on how to use the New Archive Wizard, go here.


The Wrapster Naming Convention (WNC)

In order to help users identify corrupted or truncated files, we have a suggestion for a universal naming convention for Wrapster files.

The Wrapster Naming Convention (WNC) simply means that every Wrapster archive you create should look like this:

(Wrapster) - Game - Happy Beamish (12,345 bytes).mp3

First, specify that you need Wrapster to unwrap the file by putting (Wrapster) right up front. This also helps others to locate your files by searching for "Wrapster".

Second, specify what kind of archive it is. For instance, above it's a Game but you can use just about anything. Try to stick to commonly used words like App or Application and Movie.

Third, specify the name of the archive or a short description of what's inside the wrapped file. In our example we used Happy Beamish.

Last, specify the final filesize AFTER committing your archive to disk. This is perhaps the single best thing you can do when naming a file. If you don't follow any of the other rules above, please try and follow this one. When you search for a particular file, you'll know right away if it's corrupt or not just by comparing the filesize encoded in the filename, to the file's actual size before (or after) you download it.

If every Wrapster user puts the archive's filesize in the archive's filename, that should put an end to unfinished downloads and corrupted Wrapster files. Wrapster v2.0 comes with a New Archive Wizard that automates the entire process for you.


Wrapster File Format

Wrapster File Format for v1.0 and v2.0

Ok... here is the official specification for the layout of a Wrapster file. This section is intended for programmers and anyone who might be curious about how this whole thing works. The reasons for including this specification is to encourage other programmers to write their own Wrapster clones for other Operating Systems, or to extend the features of the Windows version of Wrapster itself. If you extend the features of Wrapster, use some of the unused bytes so that your client can easily identify those files which it creates.

A Wrapster file will have the following format on disk:

Header

FrameHeader	   4 bytes	0xFF, 0xFB, 0x18, 0x0C

Reserved (Unused)	   6 bytes

Signature	  10 bytes	"wrapster"#0#0

Version	   8 bytes	"2.0"#0#0#0#0#0

FileCount	   4 bytes

Wrapster File Entry

Immediately following the header of the file you will find FileCount entries each containing the following data

OriginalFileName	256 bytes

Reserved (Unused)	  32 bytes

CRC32	    4 bytes

Size	    4 bytes

FileData	           Size bytes

Padding

After all file entries in the Wrapster file you will encounter padding that helps to assure that the files contained within the archive remain intact.  This was done as a precaution since many downloads across Napster tend to get the last few bytes cut off.

ID3 Tag

The last 128 bytes of the padding contain an MP3 identification tag that will show up in the play-list of programs like Winamp as an ID3 tag.  You may put any values in here that you like.  See the MP3 specification for more information


What Settings Can I Modify?
What Setting Can I Modify?

"Wrapster v2.0... now with options!"

We had a feeling that users might want more control over how Wrapster handles archives, so we created the Options screen (View | Options or Shortcut: F12) seen below:

Default New/Open Folder

Instead of that obscure "C:\My Documents" directory Windows forces you to use, we seamlessly let you pick ANY directory on ANY drive you desire. Although this feature will not help you write a best-selling novel, it will make your life a little easier when using Wrapster.

Click the three dots (ellipsis) beside this textbox to bring up a quaint, however subtle, directory chooser window.

Default Extract Folder

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away, people used Windows and were forced to save everything in "C:\My Documents" by default. We've come a long way since then... we have hockey and tetanus shots now. So, for our own amusement, we added this option that lets you specify ANY directory on ANY drive to extract your Wrapster goodies to.

Click the three dots (ellipsis) beside this textbox to bring up a Windows common dialog box that features directory choosing abilities.

Current Skin

Just like in real life, Wrapster can change the way it looks by allowing you to select a new skin*.  Several skins come with Wrapster. They're nothing but eye candy. We like them. You can also make your own (more on this...).

Corrupt Files

Pick from either Extract, Ignore, or Prompt. This option specifies what you would like Wrapster to do when it encounters a corrupt archive.

Extract

This will extract corrupt files. NO questions asked.

Ignore

This won't extract broken files and you won't get any warning messages.

Prompt

You get to pick what happens when a corrupt file is encountered.

Enable CRC32 Checking

If you enable this option, CRC32 checks will be done on every file in the Wrapster archive.

Disabling this option will place a blue question mark (?) next to files listed in the main Wrapster window. Enabling this option will place a green check mark next to files that aren't corrupted and a red X next to files that are, in the main Wrapster window.

Enable Explorer Extensions

This turns on some incredibly fancy right-click context menu options for Wrapster files. Right clicking on a Wrapster encoded file will offer you options to open the archive with Wrapster, as well as extract all files from it to a directory on your harddrive.


How Do I Create A Skin?

Creating a skin for Wrapster is a realatively painful process.  Here is what you need to do:

First, create a driectory in the "skins" subdirectory in your Wrapster install directory.

Next, create a file called "skin.skn"

In the file "skin.skn" you will need the following entries:

title=<title of skin>

maingfx=<main graphic>

archivegfx=<new archive wizard graphic>

aboutgfx=<about box graphic>

fontcolor=<font color>

bkgcolor=<background color>

An example of a skin file is as follows:

title=Wrapster 2.0 Microsoft Skin

maingfx=main.gif

archivegfx=archive.gif

aboutgfx=about.gif

fontcolor=000000

bkgcolor=FFFFFF

Here is a description of each of the fields in the "skin.skn" file.

title

This field is a string that identifies your skin in the Options dialog.

maingfx

This field is a string that specifies the filename of the graphic that is displayed on the main screen.  This graphic should be 400 pixels wide by 88 pixels high.

archivegfx

This field is a string that specifies the filenameof the graphic that is displayed when the new archive wizard is invoked.  This graphic should be 112 pixels wide by 169 pixels high.

aboutgfx

This field is a string that specifies the filename of the graphic that is displayed in the about box dialog.  This graphic shoud be 400 pixels wide by 88 pixels high.

fontcolor

This field is a hexadecimal field that specifies the default font color for most of the controls in the Wrapster GUI.  This hexadecimal field is encoded with red being the LSB (Least Significant Byte).  If omitted, the font color will be red.

bkgcolor

This field is a hexadecimal field that specifies the background color of any particular window in Wrapster.  This hexadecimal field is encoded with red being the LSB (Least Significant Byte).  If omitted, the background color will be black.


Move To Top

Use this option to move the currently selected file to the top of the file list.  This file will be the first physical file in the archive.


Move Up

Use this option to move the currently selected file up one position in the file list.


Move Down

Use this option to move the currently selected file down one position in the file list.


Move To Bottom

Use this option to move the currently selected file to the bottom of the file list.  This file will be the last physical file in the archive.


View As Hex

Use this option to view the currently selected archive in a hex viewer.


View As Text

Use this option to view the currently selected file in a text viewer.


Registry Entries

Our friendly Wrapster user Mr. Burma writes in and asks:

Wrapster may very well be the best software ever written, but I want to know what the hell it's doing to my registry!

P.S.  Please stop wearing socks with your sandals.

For the paranoids among us (such as Mr. Burma), we provide for you here (for the first time ever), a look at where Wrapster puts its settings in the registry.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wrapster\2.0

AddFiles ( 0 = False, 1 = True )

This specifies whether or not the New Archive Wizard will add files when you click 	"Finished"

CommitToDisk ( 0 = False, 1 = True )

This specifies whether or not the New Archive Wizard will commit the added files to disk when you click "Finished"

CorruptFiles ( 0 = Extract, 1 = Ignore, 2 = Prompt )

This specifies what you would like Wrapster to do when it encounters a corrupt archive.

CurrentSkin ( "<string>" = Some String )

A text string that determines which skin Wrapster is currently using.

DefaultMask ( "<string>" = A Magical String )

By default, this is set to "(Wrapster) - %t - %d (%s bytes).mp3". Use %t for Application Type, %d for Program Description and %s for File Size. This is used by the New Archive Wizard somewhere.

EnableCRCChecking ( 0 = False, 1 = True )

Self Explanitory.

EnableExtensions ( 0 = False, 1 = True )

Self Explanitory (enables or disables Windows Explorer right-click context menus).

WrapsterExtract ( "<string>", We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of String )

Default Extract directory in the versatile string format!

WrapsterFiles ( "<string>", Shake that thing.. oh sexy string )

Default New/Open directory stored in a string format for mass consumption.

WrapsterPath ( "<string>", Diamond.. Spade.. Club.. String? wha--th!? )

A string. It tells you where Wrapster is being run from.


How do I access the Popup Menus?

When a single file is highlighted in Wrapster's file list, simply right-click on it to bring up a Popup Menu of options.


Media Coverage

The former Wrapster team would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for accurate coverage and publicity when v1.0 was released:

CNet	http://www.news.com

FileFlash	http://www.fileflash.com

FileForum	http://www.fileforum.com

BetaNews	http://www.betanews.com

SlashDot	http://www.slashdot.org

These news agencies were among the very few that did not take our documentation out of context, warn of impending disaster because of Wrapster's release or incorrectly say Wrapster is a competitive product to Napster, Gnutella, CuteMX, iMesh, et. al. Thank you for being fair in your reviews of our program and for actually running the software before making a statement about it.

Wrapster is NOT a file sharing utility. If you must compare it to anything, compare it to WinZip or WinRAR (two excellent programs that we use on a regular basis).


Check For Upgrade

Check For Upgrade

Opens your browser to a web page that tells you if an upgrade is available.


Bulletin Board

Bulletin Board

Opens your browser to a web site that has a bulletin board where you can ask questions publically and find out answers to common problems.


Home Page

Home Page

Opens your browser to our Home Page.