Disclib User Guide
This Document Contains Usage Instructions for disclib collection organizer
program.
Contents:
1. About Disclib
2. Features
3. Library
4. Volumes
5. Categories
6. Parallel tree (Collection Organizer)
7. Finding and locating
8. Types of Views
9. Favorites
10. Multilanguage - Using
11. Multilanguage - Creating New Translation or modifing existing
12. Options
13. Toolbar, Messages, status bar and Information Bar
14. Tips
15. Contacts
1. About Disclib.
Disclib is a CD collection organizer program. It may be used as a catalogue of
CDs. After creating the catalogue, disclib stores file and folder names and tree,
allows user to categorize folders and files, and allows searching all the files
from the collection CDs without need to place them in CD reader. Disclib may
place in the catalogue any windows folder not only folders on CDs.
Reason for creating this program is that after using the CDR's, very
soon the location of a specific file/video or installation of a
program starts with a 10 minutes looking at the CD's, placing and removing
them in the CD reader and trying to remember the color of your CD, just to find
out it was the wrong one. This program is created to prevent that and to reduce
the time you need to a minimum. It may be used in another way if you want of
course.
What we recommend you is to write with permanent marker on the CD the numbers
you create in Volumes part in the disclib and place them row or column or in
holder of some kind. Each CD you take out should be later placed on its place
back, to prevent further time consuming procedures.
The ability to add files and folder trees from unspecified places make it
useful whatever your media is, until it supports the windows file system.
That is the way that disclib looks like
2.
Disclib Features:
- platform - windows[95/98/me/nt/2k/xp] (2k,XP tested)
- add filenames from any folder tree (cd,hdd,floppy,any windows folder tree) to
the catalog
- categorizing - make it easy for searching
- search, specify categories in search
- customizable exporting (reporting)
- Multilanguage, one click language change
- parallel tree (better categorizing) - create your own tree
- free
The program needs little resources to start , let's say at least 486 (windows
95 will not start on slower machine) but if you have large database you'll need
a fast machine for fast searches. If you use the parallel tree more often you
do not need such a fast machine.
3.
Library
Disclib saves the information inside one file with extension *.DLC. The name
and location of that file is your choice. The disclib program may work with
many such files and open and close whichever you want but one at a time, until
you start disclib twice or more times if you want to compare databases. You may
import another DLC file into the current one. You should take care about
that file, and do not erase it. That file holds all your information about the
Volumes and parallel tree and categories. The reopen library menu holds recent
DLC files that you opened if you use more than one. You may save the library if
you made updates to it (CTRL-S) or open another (CTRL-O). Importing another DLC
file is available through menu Library->Import->Library. Customized
Exporting as text is can be also found on that menu.
4.
Volumes
If you take a look at the picture above in the middle you
will see the main tree which holds the Volumes. When you add a new volume from
the Volume menu, item Add (CTRL-A) the new volume appears here. you may rename
the volumes as you wish, best is (what I think) to be named CD_0001 CD_0002 ...
so on, if you have lot's of CD's to make a good sorting in that main tree.
While adding a volume first select Volume drill down box and then if needed
select folder inside that volume. Folder is selected if you do not need to add
the whole volume. Pressing OK means that the import of the selected folder will
start. On the properties tab you may choose the properties which you need to
assign on that Volume or select through Volume properties (ALT-ENTER) later.
You may Update a volume (CTRL-U) changing it properties or update it from the
real source if files are new.
Exporting is also available through the Volume menu (if you need to make prints
or others). The exporting of the Volumes can be customized.
Exploring real source can be selected from there.
5.
Categories
you can automate your searching in database by creating special list of
categories, like:
Movies
mp3's
Installs
personal
office
you may change the category of each Volume folder and file by starting its
properties.
In find dialog you may search only files with selected category if you choose
it. This might be very helpful if you search database starting with DAT in
office category not in all because a lot of files may start or end with the DAT
string. The list of categories is located at TOOLS->Categories.
6.
Parallel tree (Collection Organizer)
the parallel tree functionality can be used similar to bookmarks or favorites
in browsers you may drag from volumes or files and drop in the tree to create
your own way of organization regardless of the current CD/DVD folder structure.
In that tree you may add also internet shortcuts or memos with customizable
caption. Selecting a file/volume from that tree immediately locates and
highlights the place of the Volume/file in the Volumes and files trees. If used
this parallel tree might be very useful because it is not so time consuming
like find functionality for larger libraries.
7.
Finding and locating
In the tools menu on the first place is the Find menu item which starts the
search dialog. If you didn't make your parallel tree to cover a file or folder
or volume you are searching for, this is the place to find it. You should write
the searched items with no additional symbols. Sample: If you are searching for
putty.exe write putt
in the Filename box and the search will locate all files containing that
the text putt. Afterwards just right click
on the located file if you see it on the list and choose the Locate menu item
to go on the Volume structure and see exactly where it is. If you know in which
CD is the file or which category it is, write the CD or/and select the category
to reduce the fake files in the find list containing putt
phrase.
On the next tab Advanced in the find dialog you may limit the search to period
or/and file size.
Replacing functionality is on the last tab, replacement of category or comments
is available.
8. Types
of Views
On the main window you may turn off the parallel tree by selecting the View->Collection
Organizer menu item. The toolbar, status bar, information bar, and messages can
be also altered from that View menu. Auto resize option is useful if you are
viewing the files inside the right box in detailed view. You may sort the files
in that box by clicking on name, type size, and so on...
9.
Favorites
Using this menu will help you mark Favorite DLC library database files, if you
use more than one.
10. Multilanguage - Using
In the Tools menu item you may find the Languages submenu, where the available
translations are listed. Selecting a translation causes the immediate
translation of the application Menu, button hints check boxes and all sort of
texts. Disclib remembers in the registry the last language used, and starts it
with the last used language.
11. Multilanguage - Creating New Translation or modifying
existing
You may create your own translation in that program or modify the
existing one if you don't like it. This may be done by exporting the current
language option.
Short Explanation on how Multilanguage is working in disclib:
Disclib is using the \languages subfolder usually c:\program
files\disclib\languages to search for the current translations of disclib. All
*.BAB files are checked if the first line is “menuname:XXXX”, and if so the
menu in disclib is increased for each file with the text “XXXX”. The name of
the file is not important if its extension is .BAB, if it is different it is
not counted as a translation disclib skips it. If a file with the same name but
with the extension .ICO is found, then the ico file is used for a menu icon
next to XXXX text in languages menu in disclib.
The file itself has many lines left part is the item location in disclib. “=”
Sign is the separator and right part is the Translation text. Some of the lines
parts might be same, but they are different captions in disclib. The “&”
symbol in the right part is used for underlining the next letter.
For example if you want to create Spanish language:
11.1. You should open disclib with default language English (if another
language is selected you should 1. select English and 2. restart disclib with
English default), go to the disclib menu-> “TOOLS” and press “Export Current
Language”. After you Export the current language you will be sure that you have
all the last captions exported and start the translation. You may use the
English.bab file or any other language file instead of exporting the current
language, but you risk to skip some translations, if that export and/or
translation is made on an earlier version of disclib.
11.2. Translate the values after the "=" sign in Spanish language.
The firs part before the "=" sign may tell you (if you can guess it a
little) where and what is this what you are translating at the moment, inside
the disclib application.
11.3. After creating the translation make sure that the first line is
"menuname:Spanish" this is the text that the translation appears in
the Tools->Languages disclib menu.
11.4. Optional you can create icon file spanish.ico in that same folder if you
want the flag to appear in the menu. The ico file must be format 16x16 in 256
colors or more. Best is to copy current and edit it with proper editor.
11.5. Restart the disclib and search the new translation in the
Tools->Languages menu.
You may send the new translation to the authors to make it available for all.
Please include your name, and do you wish to be listed on the site as author.
12.
Options
In the Tools->Options dialog you may select important options like
processing zip files while scanning volumes, favorites files locations, find
locate focusing and various confirmations.
13.
Toolbar, Messages, status bar and Information Bar
As written in the Types of Views in this manual, you may alter those
information tools through the View menu. Depending on your wish for information
you may turn on and off those tools.
14. Tips
Never delete your file with the data. if you do so accidental you have to add
all your volumes again. uninstalling the disclib deletes the disclib install
folder , and if you have located it there you may loose it.
If you have really big databases create separate for your Music, Videos,
Installs.. or even Music1 Music2, and so on. for fast searching.
If you use the parallel tree you may avoid long time consuming searches in the
database.
15. Contacts:
http://lyrasoftware.com/disclib/
http://lyrasoftware.com/
dim_dl@lyrasoftware.com
jem_dl@lyrasoftware.com
modified 2 March 2003.