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-
-
-
-
- POINT & SHOOT HARD DISK MANAGER
-
- VERSION 2.0
-
-
-
-
- Copyright (C) 1987, 1988, 1989
- All Rights Reserved
-
- Applied Micro Systems Technology
- Kurt H. Diesch
- Member, Association of Shareware Professionals
-
- Revised: January 1, 1989
-
-
-
- Point & Shoot Hard Disk Manager is a hard disk file and program
- management tool designed for IBM Personal Computers and 100%
- compatibles. Applied Micro Systems Technology reserves the
- COPYRIGHT to this program and all related materials. The user is
- granted a non-exclusive license to use the program and is
- encouraged to pay for the program if it is found to be useful.
- Payment of the $45 registration fee will entitle the user to full
- registration including printed documentation and user support.
- Government and business entities may not use the program without
- paying the full registration fee. Please register your program with
- the form included at the end of the documentation or use the
- registration form print function [alt-P] in the program. REMEMBER:
- Shareware is not free! Send payments to:
-
-
- Applied Micro Systems Technology
- P.O. Box 1596, Welch Ave.
- Ames, Iowa 50010
-
-
- The user is also granted permission to make unlimited copies of the
- program and to distribute those copies as long as no fee is charged
- for the program. A duplication charge not to exceed $5 may be
- collected.
-
- SHAREWARE DISK VENDORS ARE REQUIRED TO OBTAIN WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM
- AMST BEFORE DISTRIBUTING THIS PROGRAM. REQUESTS MUST INCLUDE A COPY
- OF THE VENDOR'S CURRENT CATALOG ALONG WITH THE VENDOR PERMISSION FORM
- FOUND AT THE END OF THIS DOCUMENTATION.
-
- Applied Micro Systems Technology specifically disclaims all
- warranties, expressed or implied, including but not limited to,
- implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for any particular
- purpose. In no event shall Applied Micro Systems Technology be
- liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage,
- including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or
- other damages.
-
-
- MEMBER - ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS
-
-
- The author of this program is a member of ASP and has agreed to
- comply with its standards:
-
- Programming standards:
- - The program meets ASP's definition of Shareware.
- - The program has been thoroughly tested by the author and
- should not be harmful to other files or hardware if used
- properly (although ASP cannot warrant this; therefore, the
- user should take normal precautions in trying new
- software).
-
- Documentation standards:
- - Sufficient documentation is provided to allow the average
- user to try all major functions of the program.
- - The program author has explained the Shareware concept in
- a professional and positive manner.
-
- Support standards:
- - The program author will respond as described in the
- documentation to people who send registration payments.
- At a minimum, the author will send an acknowledgement of
- payment.
- - The author will respond to written bug reports from
- registered users when the user provides a self-addressed,
- stamped envelope (some authors will respond by phone, but
- this is not an ASP requirement).
- - Incompatibilities with other software or hardware, major
- or unusual program limitations, or known problems are
- noted in the documentation that comes with the shareware
- version of the program.
-
- General:
- - The author keeps his/her membership in ASP current.
- - The author recognizes that any user may appeal to ASP for
- any unresolved dispute that arises.
-
-
- If you feel that the author has not complied with these standards in
- some manner or if you register the program with the author and
- subsequently have any disputes with the author which cannot be
- resolved, please write the ASP at:
-
-
- Association of Shareware Professionals
- P.O. Box 5786
- Bellevue, WA 98005
-
-
- While ASP cannot warrant programs nor the actions of members, ASP
- will do what it can to assure that all authors who claim membership
- comply with ASP standards. These standards are the assurance of
- quality and support that you will get when you register Shareware
- produced by ASP members.
-
-
- SHAREWARE
-
-
- To promote better understanding of the shareware concept, ASP has
- developed the following official definition of shareware:
-
- Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before
- buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you
- are expected to register. Individual programs differ on details --
- some request registration while others require it, some specify a
- maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything from the
- simple right to continue using the software to an updated program
- with printed manual.
-
- Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and
- the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific
- exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished
- programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of
- comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad
- ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The
- author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the
- software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For
- example, some authors require written permission before a commercial
- disk vendor may copy their Shareware.
-
- Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You
- should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether
- it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting
- your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because
- the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate
- money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay
- for it.
-
-
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- -----------------
-
- QUICK START GUIDE .................................... 1
- Installation ...................................... 1
- Program Startup ................................... 1
- Program Setup ..................................... 2
- Multiple Hard Disk Drive Installation ............. 2
- Alternate Directory Installation .................. 2
- Upgrading from a Previous Version ................. 2
- Printing the Documentation ........................ 3
- In Case of Difficulty ............................. 3
-
- USER GUIDE ........................................... 4
- Program Description and Requirements .............. 4
- General Program Operation ......................... 5
- Data Entry Screens ................................ 7
- User Defined Menus ................................ 8
- File & Directory Maintenance ...................... 11
- Hard Disk Organization Tips ....................... 14
- Database Commands ................................. 15
- Database Backups .................................. 17
- Database Errors: The Fixup Command ................ 17
- Protection & Usage Logging System ................. 18
- Screen Blanker Operation .......................... 20
- Text Editor Operation ............................. 21
- Using a Mouse ..................................... 29
- Network Installation .............................. 31
-
- MAIN MENU COMMANDS ................................... 32
- Backup ............................................ 32
- Diskformat ........................................ 32
- File .............................................. 33
- Index ............................................. 33
- Menu .............................................. 33
- Setup ............................................. 33
- Tree .............................................. 33
- Usage ............................................. 33
-
- FILE COMMANDS ........................................ 34
- Attr ............................................. 34
- Block ............................................. 35
- Copy .............................................. 35
- Delete ............................................ 35
- Edit ............................................. 35
- Filter ............................................ 35
- Global ............................................ 36
- Hex ............................................... 36
- Locate ............................................ 37
- Move .............................................. 37
- Newer ............................................. 37
- Print ............................................. 37
- Rename ............................................ 37
- Sort .............................................. 37
- Tree .............................................. 37
- View .............................................. 38
- Window ............................................ 38
- Xecute ............................................ 38
-
-
- INDEX DATABASE ....................................... 39
-
- MENU COMMANDS ........................................ 40
- Add ............................................... 40
- Change ............................................ 41
- Delete ............................................ 41
- Exchange .......................................... 41
- Move .............................................. 41
- Upgrade ........................................... 41
-
- SETUP ................................................ 42
-
- TREE COMMANDS ........................................ 43
- A&b ............................................... 43
- Collect ........................................... 43
- Delete ............................................ 43
- File .............................................. 43
- Goto .............................................. 44
- Hide .............................................. 44
- Make .............................................. 44
- Origin ............................................ 44
- Print ............................................. 44
- Rename ............................................ 44
- Sort .............................................. 44
- Target ............................................ 45
- Undelete .......................................... 45
-
- USAGE COMMANDS ....................................... 46
- Change Password ................................... 46
- Fixup Databases ................................... 47
- Time Log Database ................................. 47
- User Database ..................................... 48
-
- VENDOR PERMISSION FORM & GUIDELINES .................. 49
-
- REGISTRATION FORM .................................... 51
-
-
-
- QUICK START GUIDE
- -----------------
-
- NOTE: This quick start guide should not replace a complete reading
- of the documentation. This program contains many useful features
- that are not discussed in the quick start guide.
-
-
- INSTALLATION
-
-
- To automatically install this program on a hard disk:
-
- o Place the program disk in floppy drive A:
-
- o From the ROOT DIRECTORY of the hard disk, type:
-
- A:INSTALL
-
- o At a minimum, the AUTOEXEC.BAT file must contain the
- following lines in the order shown:
-
- PATH \P&S (or desired directory)
- PS (this MUST be the last line)
-
- o The CONFIG.SYS file must contain the following lines:
-
- BUFFERS = 20
- FILES = 20
-
- o Reboot the computer using [Ctrl-Alt-Del]. The program
- should run. If any problems occur, perform the
- installation again, consult the remainder of the
- documentation, or contact AMST for assistance.
-
-
-
- PROGRAM STARTUP
-
-
- This program MUST be started with the supplied batch file, PS.BAT.
- Correct operation of the menu portion of the program depends on
- running the program from this batch file. If this file cannot be
- found, it should be created in the \P&S directory and should consist
- of the following lines:
-
- ECHO OFF
- C:
- CD C:\P&S (or desired disk and directory)
- PAS
- PASCPROG
-
- If you are at the DOS prompt, the program must be restarted from DOS
- by typing PS (not PAS). If the program has been correctly installed,
- the main program screen should appear.
-
- - 1 -
-
-
- PROGRAM SETUP
-
-
- The first time this program is executed, the user should immediately
- use the SETUP command to select program configuration options. The
- most important option is to identify the disk drives used. To select
- the drives, press the [S] key from the main menu to select the SETUP
- command. When the Setup Screen appears, use the [Enter] or [down
- arrow] key to move the flashing "*" to the first DISK DRIVE USAGE
- field. Type "Y" or "N" to identify all available drives (floppy and
- hard disk). Finally, press function key [F10] to save the current
- setup configuration.
-
-
-
- MULTIPLE HARD DISK DRIVE INSTALLATION
-
-
- If this program is installed on a system with more than one hard disk
- drive, the PS.BAT file should be modified to include a line
- designating the drive letter that contains the program. For example,
- if the computer has both drives C: and D: and the program is
- installed on drive C:, then the PS.BAT file should appear as follows:
-
-
- ECHO OFF
- C: (or desired disk)
- CD C:\P&S (or desired disk and directory)
- PAS
- PASCPROG
-
-
-
- ALTERNATE DIRECTORY INSTALLATION
-
-
- Automatic installation places the program and associated files in a
- predefined subdirectory. This program is capable of running from
- alternative drives and/or directories, but the program must be
- installed manually. To install the program in a directory other than
- the default, manually create the desired directory from DOS using the
- MD command, copy all files from the program disk to that directory,
- and replace all references to \P&S in the INSTALLATION section with
- the new directory name.
-
-
-
- UPGRADING FROM A PREVIOUS VERSION
-
-
- Users upgrading from a version of the program prior to 2.0 should
- immediately use the MENU UPGRADE command to convert pre-2.0 user
- menus to the new menu data file format. The command issues
- appropriate warnings and prompts.
-
-
- - 2 -
-
-
- PRINTING THE DOCUMENTATION
-
-
- The simplest method to print this documentation file is to use the
- FILE PRINT command contained in this program. To use this command,
- press [T] to select the TREE command from the main menu. Next, use
- the [up/down arrow] keys to hilite the \P&S directory on the graphic
- directory tree and press [Enter] to select \P&S as the origin. Use
- the [left arrow] key to move to the file list and use the [up/down
- arrow] keys to hilite PASDOC.TXT. Press [P] to select the PRINT
- command and then press [P] to Print Text File or [H] for HP Laserjet
- print, whichever is appropriate.
-
-
-
- IN CASE OF DIFFICULTY
-
-
- This program has been carefully tested to ensure that users have
- minimum difficulty. The science of computer programming, however,
- dictates that no program is ever entirely bug free. If a problem
- occurs in the operation of the program, support may be necessary.
-
- In the event of a problem, the first step is to carefully review the
- associated section of the documentation. Many apparent program
- problems are actually incorrect usage of the program. The second
- step is to ask a colleague or friend about the problem. If neither
- of these steps proves sufficient, registered users may contact AMST
- for support at:
-
- Applied Micro Systems Technology
- Box 1596, Welch Ave. Station
- Ames, Iowa 50010
- (515) 292-0426
-
-
- When writing or calling for support, you must be the registered owner
- of the program. If phoning for support, be prepared with a written
- list of details. Whether writing or phoning, the following list will
- serve as a guideline for information to collect:
-
- o Program name, version, and serial number
-
- o Equipment used including make and model of computer,
- type of monitor and other peripherals, amount of memory,
- and other hardware details
-
- o DOS version and manufacturer
-
- o Other software used, especially Terminate and Stay
- Resident Programs (TSR's)
-
- o Complete detail of the problem including error messages,
- specific procedure followed when the error occurs, and
- any other relevant information
-
- - 3 -
-
-
- USER GUIDE
- ----------
-
-
-
- PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND REQUIREMENTS
-
-
- The following functions are currently supported by this program:
-
- o Run up to 300 programs from user-defined menus. Point &
- Shoot is not memory resident. Programs will have ALL
- available memory. Menu entries may consist of multiple
- commands with optional parameter entry.
-
- o Pop-up calculator, calendar, system statistics, help
- screens, instant DOS access with 10 command recall, and
- floppy disk formatting (all sizes).
-
- o User-defined program colors, mouse support, automatic
- screen blanking, support for multiple hard drives, and
- optional user-selected text editor.
-
- o Built-in interfaces to Point & Shoot Backup/Restore for
- hard disk backups.
-
- o Password protection and usage logging system.
-
- o File manipulation commands including:
- o Change the attributes of any file
- o Copy, delete, move, and rename files
- o Update file lists with the Newer command
- o Edit files in text (up to 64K), Hex, and Ascii
- modes with built-in editor or name your own editor
- o Find files with the Filter and Global search
- commands or find text in files with Locate command
- o Print text files and file lists
- o Sort by date, extension, inverse date, name or size
- o Show two file lists with Window command
- o View any file with a scrollable screen
-
- o Sorted directory tree for directory manipulation:
- o Hide and unhide directories
- o Make, delete, and rename directories
- o Jump directly to a directory with the Goto command
- o Print the directory tree, optionally with filenames
- o Show floppy subdirectories
- o Undelete files and directories, including DOS 4.0
-
-
- This program requires the following hardware and software to operate
- correctly:
-
- o IBM or 100% compatible computer with 320K minimum memory
- o A hard disk with MS-DOS version 2.0 or greater
-
- - 4 -
-
-
- To run this program, several files must be available in the directory
- in which the program was installed. Following is a list of the
- necessary program and data files. Files marked with a "*" are
- created by the program as required.
-
-
- PAS.EXE The Point & Shoot Hard Disk Manager program
- PAS.OVR Program overlay file
- PASCPROG.BAT* Batch file for menu-defined program execution
- PAS.HLP On-line help file text
- PASMENU2.DAT* User-defined menu configuration data
- PASTREE2.DAT* File to store directory tree structure
- PASINDEX.??? Database files used with Index Database
- PASTLOG.??? Database files used with Timelog Database
- PASUSERS.??? Database files used with User Database
- PS.BAT Batch file to start Point & Shoot
-
-
- In addition, several other files are included on the program disk.
- These files are installed by the automatic installation program but
- may be deleted if they are not used.
-
-
- ASB.COM Screen blanker for CGA and MDA monitors
- ASBE.COM Screen blanker for EGA monitors
- ASBDOC.TXT Screen blanker documentation
- CHANGES.TXT Revision history of the program
- FILES.TXT A description of the diskette files
- INSTALL.BAT Automatic installation program
- PASDOC.TXT Documentation text file
- READ.ME Last minute changes and important information
-
-
-
- GENERAL PROGRAM OPERATION
-
-
- Point & Shoot is executed automatically when the computer is booted
- through the AUTOEXEC.BAT file or by typing PS from the DOS prompt.
- The main program screen appears first. The top line of the screen
- displays the name and version of the program, a copyright notice and
- the current date and time. The center portion of the screen displays
- the user-defined menu title and user-defined menu entries. The
- bottom section of the screen displays the program menus with an
- explanatory line of text describing the currently hilited program
- command.
-
-
- The [Esc] Key
-
- An important key to remember is the [Esc] key. At virtually every
- location in the program, the [Esc] key serves to "back out" of a
- command. At no time will the [Esc] key cause any damage to files or
- the program. Consider the [Esc] key to be a safety net to be used
- freely.
-
- - 5 -
-
-
-
- [Alt] Commands
-
- There are several commands available at any time during the operation
- of the program using the [Alt] key. To execute these commands, hold
- the [Alt] key and press the associated letter of the commands
- described below. The command will then run. To return to the
- program at the previous state, press the [Esc] key. The following
- [Alt] commands are available:
-
- [Alt-C] Activates an on-screen calculator which operates
- like a simple pocket calculator.
-
- [Alt-D] Provides quick access to the DOS command line.
- The current directory will be whichever directory
- was last in use by the FILE commands. Any DOS
- command may be entered from the DOS prompt if
- sufficient memory is available. The [F1-F10]
- function keys recall the last 10 commands entered.
-
- [Alt-H] Displays program help screens. The first screen
- to appear is a quick index. A specific help topic
- may be selected from the index by pressing the
- associated letter. The [up/down arrow] keys,
- [PgUp], [PgDn], and [End] keys allow scrolling
- within the help file. The help index may be
- recalled at any time by pressing the [Home] key.
-
- [Alt-L] Displays a perpetual calendar. The [left/right
- arrow] keys change the month and the [up/down
- arrow] keys change the year.
-
- [Alt-P] Displays a detailed copyright notice for the
- program including the serial number and prints a
- registration form if desired.
-
- [Alt-S] Displays the current space statistics of disk
- drives, memory statistics, and other program
- option settings. To examine the disk space
- statistics for alternate drives, press the letter
- of the desired drive.
-
-
-
- Program Menus
-
- Most of the program functions are executed through the list of
- commands shown in the bottom area of the screen. The [Space] or
- [BackSpace] keys may be used to hilite the desired command. The
- one-line description of the command shown on the bottom line of the
- screen will change appropriately. To execute any of the program menu
- functions, press the first letter of the command. The command
- corresponding to the selected letter will be immediately executed.
- Alternately, hilite the desired command and press [Enter].
-
-
- - 6 -
-
-
- Some of the menus shown on the bottom of the screen will not allow
- movement of a hilite. These command lists are distinguished by the
- absence of a hilite on any one command. To select a command from
- these types of menus, press the associated letter or function key.
-
- The selection of some commands will display another command list. A
- previous command list may be selected by pressing the [Esc] key.
-
- Occasionally, you will be presented with a pop-up vertical list of
- choices for some program options. Select from these lists with the
- [up/down arrow] keys and then [Enter] key. If the first letters of
- the options are shown in bold characters, the corresponding letter
- may be pressed to make a selection. The [Esc] key to will abort the
- selection process.
-
-
- Quitting the Program
-
- To quit the program and return to the operating system, press [Esc]
- or select QUIT from the Main Menu command list. To restart the
- program from DOS, type PS. NOTE: if the protection or usage logging
- features are enabled, the user may be denied access to the DOS
- prompt. See PROTECTION & USAGE LOGGING SYSTEM for details.
-
-
-
- DATA ENTRY SCREENS
-
-
- At many points in the program information will be entered on the
- screen. A cursor (and on multiple field screens a flashing "*") will
- indicate where information is to be entered. The following commands
- are available for data entry:
-
- [left/right arrow]: Moves the cursor within the current
- field. If the cursor is at the first position
- within a field, [left arrow] selects the previous
- field. If the cursor is at the last position,
- [right arrow] selects the next field.
-
- [^left/^right]: Moves the cursor to the first position or
- to the last character of the field.
-
- [up/down arrow]: Selects the previous or next data field.
-
- [Enter]: Same as right or down arrow for next field.
-
- [F1/F2]: Enters date or time if appropriate.
-
- [F8]: Blanks the current data field.
-
- [Esc]: Aborts changes made to the data screen.
-
- [F10]: Accepts changes made to the data screen and
- completes enter/update action.
-
- - 7 -
-
-
- USER-DEFINED MENUS
-
-
- The MENU command on the main menu is used to manipulate the
- user-defined program menus. User menus consist of menu titles,
- commands to execute, the directory path from which to execute the
- command, and an optional password. The protection system must be
- enabled for passwords to function. See PROTECTION & USAGE LOGGING
- SYSTEM. The menu entries are created and modified with the ADD and
- CHANGE commands. Up to 30 menu entries may be defined. Each of
- these menu entries may contain up to 10 submenu entries for a total
- of 300 programs controlled through user-defined menus.
-
- To demonstrate the use of the user-defined menu system, the following
- procedure will install the DOS DIR command in a user-defined menu
- entry:
-
-
- o Press [M] to select the MENU commands from the main
- menu. The MENU command list will appear.
-
- o Select ADD to add a new menu entry. A hilite bar will
- appear in the center portion of the screen.
-
- o Use the [up/down/left/right arrow] keys to select a
- position on the screen for the new menu entry. When the
- desired position is hilited, press [Enter]. The MENU
- DETAIL screen will appear.
-
- o Type "Directory Test" in the MENU ENTRY TITLE field and
- press [Enter].
-
- o Type "DIR | PAUSE" in the COMMAND TO EXECUTE field and
- press [F10] to accept the menu entry. The | character
- is used to combine commands. The main screen containing
- the new menu entry should appear.
-
- o Press [Esc] once to return to the main program menu.
- The new menu entry is now installed and is ready to
- test. Use the arrow keys to select the new menu entry
- and press [Enter]. The DIR command should run (the
- PAUSE command was included to stop the listing before
- returning). If the command did not work correctly, make
- sure that the program was installed correctly. Refer to
- INSTALLATION in the QUICK START GUIDE.
-
-
- Note that the directory shown was for the root directory of the hard
- disk because that is where the DIR command was executed. Commands
- are normally executed from many places on a hard disk and there is an
- easy method to accommodate this requirement. The test menu
- previously entered will now be modified to execute the DIR command
- from another directory:
-
-
-
- - 8 -
-
-
-
- o Press [M] to select the MENU commands and then press [C]
- to select the CHANGE command.
-
- o Use the arrow keys to hilite the "Directory Test" entry
- if it is not already hilited and then press [Enter].
- The MENU DETAIL screen should appear.
-
- o Note that the APPLICATION PATH field at the bottom of
- the screen is blank. If no path (directory) is given
- for a menu entry, the program will assume that the root
- directory of the hard disk is the intended path. Press
- [F7] to use the graphic directory tree to select a path
- for the DIR command. For this example, select the \P&S
- directory when the graphic tree appears by using the
- arrow keys and [Enter]. Note that the APPLICATION PATH
- now shows C:\P&S.
-
- o Press [F10] to accept the changes, quit back to the main
- menu, and test the new DIR command. This time, the
- directory listing should be from the \P&S directory. If
- this does not work, reread this section.
-
-
- As a final example, the test menu entry will be changed to include a
- submenu of two commands under one menu entry:
-
-
- o Press [M] to select the MENU commands and then press [C]
- to select the CHANGE command.
-
- o Use the arrow keys to hilite the "Directory Test" entry
- if it is not already hilited and then press [Enter].
- The MENU DETAIL screen should appear.
-
- o Change the MENU ENTRY TITLE field to "DOS Commands" and
- press [Enter] to move to the COMMAND TO EXECUTE field.
- Press [F8] to clear the COMMAND TO EXECUTE field.
-
- o Press [Enter] once more to move to the first SUBMENU
- ENTRY TITLE field. In this field, type "Directory Test"
- followed by [Enter]. Type "DIR | PAUSE" in the COMMAND
- TO EXECUTE field followed by [Enter].
-
- o In the second SUBMENU ENTRY TITLE field type "Wide
- Directory" followed by [Enter]. Type "DIR /W | PAUSE"
- in the COMMAND TO EXECUTE field followed by [F10] to
- accept the changes.
-
- o Finally, return to the main menu and test the menu
- entry. Notice the appearance of the submenu! Again, if
- the new menu entry does not work as expected, review
- this section again.
-
-
-
- - 9 -
-
-
-
- The user-defined menus do not do anything that cannot be done from
- the DOS prompt. On the other hand, ANY programs that can be executed
- from the DOS prompt can be executed from the user-defined menus using
- the procedure shown in the examples above. Even batch files can be
- executed if the last line is PS.
-
- The important point to remember is that the COMMAND TO EXECUTE and
- the APPLICATION PATH fields in the user-defined menus are telling
- Point & Shoot the same information that is normally entered on the
- DOS command line. With Point & Shoot, this information is only
- entered once and is used repeatedly, but Point & Shoot needs the same
- information that DOS needs when running a program.
-
- If problems are encountered when attempting to run programs from
- user-defined menus, consider how the program would be run from DOS.
- The PATH command normally found in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file will still
- be required along with other special commands that may be necessary
- for programs to operate correctly.
-
- Programs that run on MS-DOS computers are usually one of four types:
- .COM, .EXE, .BAT or BASIC files. Any of these types of programs can
- be executed from the Point & Shoot user-defined menus. If the file
- ends with ".COM" or ".EXE", select this file as the command to
- execute in MENU commands. ".BAT" files may also be executed as long
- as the last line is "PS" in these files.
-
- To execute BASIC programs from the user-defined menus, the BASIC
- command interpreter (usually BASIC.EXE) must be copied into the
- appropriate subdirectory. When selecting the command to execute, use
- the following format:
-
-
- BASIC <filename>
-
-
- As a final exercise, try installing your favorite word processor,
- spreadsheet, and/or database program in user-defined menu entries.
-
- In general, treat the user-defined menus as an extension of the DOS
- command line, with the same power and limitations. Refer to the MENU
- COMMANDS section of the documentation for further details on the use
- of user-defined menus.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - 10 -
-
-
- FILE & DIRECTORY MAINTENANCE
-
-
- This section of the documentation will provide file and directory
- manipulation practice. For a complete description of the FILE and
- TREE commands, refer to the appropriate section in the documentation.
-
- Subdirectories are separate areas on hard disks and floppy disks that
- are used to store files. The directory structure of a hard disk is
- often referred to as a "tree" because the total structure resembles a
- tree, with the "root" directory forming the base for the rest of the
- directories. Following is a graphic example of a hard disk directory
- tree:
-
- C:\
- |__P&S
- |__DOS
- |__WORDPROC
- | |_DOCS
- |__GAMES
-
-
- The file and tree commands in this program provide a comprehensive
- set of functions for file and subdirectory manipulation. Selection
- of the FILE or TREE command from the main menu produces a dual
- display with a file list and a graphic directory tree.
-
- The FILE and TREE commands work in concert. The file list shown is
- always for the directory (or floppy disk) marked on the graphic
- directory tree with an "O" denoting Origin. In addition, the current
- Origin and Target paths will be shown (abbreviated) above the graphic
- directory tree display.
-
- File commands generally operate on the currently hilited file. Some
- commands like COPY will also use the directory (or floppy disk)
- marked with a "T" for Target. Switching between the FILE and TREE
- sides of the screen is accomplished with the [right/left arrow] keys.
- Additional commands available with FILE and TREE that are not shown
- on the menu are:
-
- [Enter]: Tags/untags the currently hilited file for use
- with the BLOCK command, or if on the tree side of
- the screen, selects the currently hilited
- subdirectory as the Origin.
-
- [+ or -]: Tags/untags all files for BLOCK commands.
-
- [^PgDn]: Tags the current file and moves hilite bar down.
-
- [up/down arrow], [PgUp], [PgDn], [Home], [End]: Moves the
- hilite bar through the file list or tree.
-
- [Tab]: Moves between Origin and Target file lists (see
- FILE WINDOW)
-
-
- - 11 -
-
-
-
- Point & Shoot is capable of reading up to 255 directory names, and as
- many files within a directory as memory permits. Files may be
- sorted by name, extension (the letters after the "." in the
- filename), date or inverse date, or size. The directory tree is
- automatically sorted by name.
-
- Point & Shoot can copy, move, rename, edit, and perform a variety of
- other functions on files. Point & Shoot can create, delete, rename,
- and otherwise manipulate directories. Point & Shoot can also
- undelete files and directories that may accidently be deleted. The
- following examples illustrate the basic FILE and TREE commands.
-
- First, create a new directory to serve as a work directory:
-
- o From the main menu, press [T] to select TREE commands.
- If the directory structure has not been previously read,
- a short delay will occur while the subdirectories are
- scanned. A graphic picture of the directory will then
- appear on the right side of the screen with a list of
- files on the left side.
-
- o Use the [up/down arrow] keys to hilite the \P&S
- directory, then press [Enter] to select \P&S as the
- ORIGIN. An "O" will appear to the left of the \P&S
- directory and the file list will show some of the files
- from that directory.
-
- o Press [M] to select the MAKE command. A prompt box will
- appear on the left side of the screen asking for a name
- for the new directory. Type "TEMP" in the space
- provided and then press [Enter]. The new "TEMP"
- directory will appear immediately below the \P&S
- directory on the tree.
-
- The \TEMP directory will be used during the following examples as a
- work space. The next step is to copy some files into the \TEMP
- directory.
-
- o Use the arrow keys to move the hilite bar to the \TEMP
- directory and the press [T] to select \TEMP as the
- Target directory. The Target is where files will be
- moved or copied to during file operations.
-
- o Press the [left arrow] key to move to the file list side
- of the screen. Alternately, the FILE command from the
- TREE menu could have been selected. A hilite bar should
- appear over the first file in the \P&S directory,
- assuming that the \P&S directory is still the Origin.
- If it is not, then go back to the TREE commands and
- select \P&S as the Origin.
-
- Note at this point that the current Origin and Target are shown above
- the graphic tree. Use the indicators to double check Origin and
- Target settings during file operations!
-
- - 12 -
-
-
- o Use the arrow keys to hilite the file called "PS.BAT."
- When this file is hilited, and after double-checking
- that the Target directory is \TEMP, press [C] to COPY
- the file.
-
- o Press the [right arrow] key to move to the tree, then
- select the \TEMP directory as the Origin by hiliting it
- and pressing [Enter]. The "PS.BAT" file should appear
- on the file list.
-
- The next example shows how a group of files can be quickly copied.
-
- o Use the commands discussed previously to select the
- \TEMP directory as the Target and the \P&S directory as
- the Origin.
-
- o Move to the file list and press [B] to select BLOCK
- commands. A new menu will appear at the bottom of the
- screen. In the BLOCK menu, files may be individually
- tagged and untagged. Tagged files are marked with an
- asterisk "*" to the left of the filename.
-
- o Press [T] to tag all the files in the list, then use the
- arrow keys and the [Enter] key to untag "PAS.EXE" and
- "PAS.OVR." The file list should now have all files
- tagged except the two mentioned above.
-
- o Press [C] to select the copy command. Point & Shoot
- will then proceed to copy all the tagged files to the
- target directory. A count of tagged files is shown as
- the copy process takes place. When the program starts
- to copy "PS.BAT", it will find that file already exists
- in the target directory. Answer "N" when the program
- asks whether it is Ok to replace "PS.BAT". This safety
- feature prevents accidental copying over of files.
-
- o When the copying is complete, move back to the tree and
- select \TEMP as the origin. All the copied files should
- appear.
-
- In the final example, the \TEMP directory will be cleared of files
- and then removed. MAKE SURE YOU SELECT THE PROPER ORIGIN DIRECTORY.
-
- o Select the \TEMP directory as the Origin.
-
- o Use the FILE BLOCK command discussed previously to tag
- all the files in the \TEMP directory.
-
- o After making sure that \TEMP is the Origin, press the
- [D] key to delete the tagged files. When prompted "Are
- you sure", answer "Y" to begin the deletion process.
-
- o Move back to the tree side and use the DELETE command to
- remove the \TEMP directory.
-
-
- - 13 -
-
-
- HARD DISK ORGANIZATION TIPS
-
-
- Hard disk systems can be complex because of the large number of files
- they can contain. Point & Shoot relieves much of the complexity of
- these systems, but some tips and suggestions are in order concerning
- additional disk organization.
-
- The DOS files (from your DOS system disk) should be transferred to a
- separate subdirectory and not stored in the root directory. For
- example, the TREE commands could be used to make a subdirectory
- called "SYSTEM" and then all all DOS files except AUTOEXEC.BAT,
- COMMAND.COM, and CONFIG.SYS could be transferred (FILE MOVE) to this
- subdirectory. Next, use the FILE EDIT command to modify the PATH
- command in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to appear as follows:
-
-
- PATH \SYSTEM;\P&S
-
-
- The PATH command tells the computer where to search for program files
- (.EXE, .COM, and .BAT) if they cannot be found in the current
- directory. If the path command shown above is installed, all DOS
- commands can now be executed from anywhere on the disk. Many other
- programs can be executed from any location on the disk by
- transferring the associated files to a separate subdirectory and
- adding that path to the PATH command in the AUTOEXEC file. Each
- additional path is separated by a semicolon. DO NOT issue separate
- path commands.
-
- Utilize the TREE commands to create a logical, organized directory
- tree on the hard disk. Many users prefer to create separate
- subdirectories for each major computer function, and then to create
- child directories below the major functions for each category of work
- of project. The following tree is an example of typical hard disk
- organization.
-
-
- C:\
- |__DATABASE
- | |_SALES
- | |_VENDORS
- |__P&S
- |__SPRDSHET
- | |_BUDGETS
- | |_EXPENSES
- |__SYSTEM
- |__WORDPROC
- |_DOCS
- |_PERSONAL
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - 14 -
-
-
- DATABASE COMMANDS
-
-
- A database is a collection of data in a format that is similar to a
- collection of index cards. Each record in a database is equivalent
- to a card in an index file. Each piece of information in a record is
- called a field. An entire group of similar records is stored in a
- single file called a database. In this program, the database files
- end with the ".DB" extension.
-
- To assist in sorting and retrieving data in the databases the program
- maintains key files which are separate files (ending with .Kxx)
- consisting of data from one field of a database kept in sorted order.
-
- The databases included in this program are the Index, Timelog and
- User databases. The commands used to work with the databases are
- generally identical and are described here. Differences that occur
- will be covered in the associated detail section of this
- documentation.
-
- In general, the program databases operate in the same fashion. After
- selecting the appropriate database from the program main menu, a
- screen will appear that displays information relative to the database
- in use. Line 24 of the screen will display information related to
- the current database. This line will show, in order, the name of the
- current database, the current order of the database, the page and
- number of pages total, the current record number, the number of
- records currently stored in the database, the total number of records
- counting previously deleted records, and the number of records that
- may still be added to the database (dependent on disk space
- remaining). The following commands are available for database
- manipulation:
-
- Browse: Shows the records in tabular format. The
- [PgUp/PgDn] and [up/down arrow] keys may be used
- to move through the list. The [left/right arrow]
- keys scroll the screen horizontally. [^Home] and
- [^End] jump to the beginning and end of the
- database respectively. [Esc] returns to the
- original database screen at the original record
- and [Enter] selects the record that the arrow is
- pointing to. Search options in the Browse command
- allow quick location of records. The [F1] and [F2]
- keys are used to set the primary and secondary
- search strings for the field currently shown on
- the left side of the Browse screen. After setting
- the desired search strings, [F5] and [F6] are used
- to search forward or backward. A match indicator
- is shown on the lower right corner of the screen.
-
- Delete: Deletes the current database record.
-
- Enter: Enters a new record into the current database.
- For an explanation of data entry, see the section
- on DATA ENTRY SCREENS.
-
- - 15 -
-
-
- Find: Finds a record matching a selected field. You
- will be prompted to enter a string to match. Find
- options include equal to, greater than or equal
- to, less than, and partial match.
-
- Key: Used to add or delete keys in the database. A
- prompt will ask if the desired action is to add or
- delete a key. After selecting the appropriate
- option, a list of key field choices will appear
- from which the desired field may be selected. Key
- fields are marked with a "K" or "k" to indicate
- unique keys or duplicate keys respectively.
- Unique key fields that have been predefined for a
- database may not be deleted, and a maximum of 10
- key fields may be defined for a database.
-
- Misc: Miscellaneous functions appear here. The Export
- command exports the database records to an Ascii
- file for use by other programs. Each field in the
- database will be placed on a separate line in the
- output file. Text fields will be enclosed in
- quotes, numeric fields are left-justified without
- quotes. The Export command creates a file with
- the same name as the current database, but with a
- ".XPT" extension. If the export file already
- exists, you will be asked if it is Ok to replace
- it. The field specifications may be printed using
- the Print Database Layout command.
-
- Order: Changes the record display order. A list of key
- field choices will appear for selection of the
- desired order. Key fields are marked with a "K"
- or "k" to indicate unique keys or duplicate keys
- respectively. If a field is selected that is not
- a key, the program will make it a key.
-
- Report: Allows the user to select a report to print for
- the database. All databases have at least two
- report options: All records or current record
- summary. Other reports available are covered in
- detail in the sections describing each database.
- Reports will print in the current database order.
-
- Update: Updates the current database record. For an
- explanation of data entry, see the section on DATA
- ENTRY SCREENS.
-
-
- Several additional database commands are available but not shown:
-
- [^Home] [^End]: Jumps immediately to the first/last
- record of the database.
-
- [F1/F2]: Enters the current date/time if appropriate.
-
-
- - 16 -
-
-
- [F5]: Accepts changes to the current record and moves to
- the previous record of the database. (Not
- available in Enter mode)
-
- [F6]: Accepts changes to the current record and moves to
- the next record of the database. If in Enter
- mode, a new blank record will appear for data
- entry.
-
- [F8]: Blanks the current field.
-
- [Enter]: Same as right or down arrow for next field.
-
- [Esc]: Aborts changes made to the current record and
- completes Enter/Update action.
-
- [F10]: Accepts changes made to the current record and
- completes Enter/Update actions.
-
-
-
- DATABASE BACKUPS
-
-
- Power outages and surges as well as computer malfunctions may cause
- corruption to occur in the databases of the program. The only
- security you have against such problems is to make regular backups of
- your data. It is suggested that you use a rotated backup routine
- where you keep two copies of backups. Alternate between these disks
- each time you perform a backup.
-
- When making your backups, you may either use the backup program that
- comes with your DOS disks or any other commercial backup program
- (like Point & Shoot Backup/Restore available from AMST). To backup
- your data, you must specify all files that end with the ".DB"
- extension as well as files that end with a ".Kxx" extension, where
- the "xx" is a number that identifies the field number for the key.
-
- If the need ever arises to restore your databases from your backup
- disks, follow the procedure in your backup program documentation to
- restore your data.
-
-
-
- DATABASE ERRORS: THE FIXUP COMMAND
-
-
- On rare occasions a database may become corrupted. If a "FATAL
- DATABASE ERROR" occurs when attempting to access a database, the
- database may still be recoverable with the FIXUP command. FIXUP is
- found in the INDEX and USAGE commands. Fixup attempts to rebuild
- damaged databases by scanning the database and reconstructing the
- index files. Fixup also attempts to free unused disk space by
- eliminating previously deleted records from the database.
-
-
- - 17 -
-
-
- PROTECTION & USAGE LOGGING SYSTEM
-
-
- It is often desirable to restrict access to a computer system. It is
- also advantageous to track the usage of a system to determine
- utilization, bill for time on projects, assist in justification of
- new equipment, and validate tax deductable use of computers. The
- protection and usage logging system provide these capabilities and
- more:
-
-
- o Unlimited number of users may be defined and tracked.
-
- o Access to each command found in the Point & Shoot Hard
- Disk Manager may be selectively enabled or disabled for
- each user.
-
- o Time log entries are made automatically each time a
- program is run from the user-defined menus.
-
- o Full-featured database commands with advanced B-tree
- design are available to manipulate the databases:
-
- o Browse records in tabular format and search using
- two-key pattern matching
- o Delete selected records
- o Enter new records and update existing records
- o Find records based on less than, greater than,
- equal to, or partial key field matches
- o Add or remove keys to the databases
- o Order the databases in sequential or key field
- order
- o Print reports in a variety of formats
- o Transfer database records to text files for use
- with other programs
-
-
- Before the protection or usage logging systems are enabled, the USAGE
- command should be used to make entries for each person that will be
- using the system. Access privileges should be set at this time. See
- the section on the USAGE command for complete details.
-
- Protection and Usage Logging are enabled and disabled using the SETUP
- command. If Usage Logging has been enabled in SETUP, users will be
- required to enter a User Id when they run the Hard Disk Manager (the
- User Id is located in the User database). After the User Id has been
- verified, the access privileges from the User database will be
- recorded in the Hard Disk Manager for that user.
-
- From that point, until the user quits the program with the QUIT
- command, all system activity will be recorded in the Timelog
- database. In addition, whenever the user attempts to use one of the
- commands found in the Hard Disk Manager, their access privileges will
- be checked before access is allowed.
-
-
- - 18 -
-
-
-
- Invalid attempts to access the Hard Disk Manager and the user-defined
- menus will also be recorded in the Timelog database if Usage Logging
- has been enabled.
-
- If the Protection system has been enabled in SETUP, users will be
- required to enter their password when first logging on to the Hard
- Disk Manager. The password is located in the User database. Users
- may change their own password with the USAGE command.
-
- The Protection system in the Hard Disk Manager also provides password
- protection for the user-defined menu entries. (See the MENU COMMANDS
- section of the documentation).
-
-
- NOTE: IF THE USAGE LOG IS ENABLED, USERS WILL NOTICE A
- LONGER DELAY WHEN RUNNING PROGRAMS FROM THE
- USER-DEFINED MENUS. THIS DELAY IS CAUSED BY THE
- RECORDING OF USAGE LOG ENTRIES IN THE TIMELOG
- DATABASE.
-
-
- A variety of reports are available from the User and Time Log
- databases. Time Log entries may be printed for one user or all users
- and restricted to particular dates. The User database provides key
- summary reports of user access privileges.
-
- If the system administrator forgets his/her password, the Point &
- Shoot Program may be reinstalled using the distribution disk.
- Protection will be disabled (the default), and the administrator will
- be able to access the User database to make appropriate changes to
- his/her password and privileges.
-
-
- NOTE: THE SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT ALL
- OF THEIR PRIVILEGES ARE ENABLED IN THE USER
- DATABASE. IF A USER IS RESTRICTED TO A SINGLE PATH
- FOR TREE COMMANDS IN THE USER DATABASE, ALL TREE
- COMMANDS EXCEPT ORIGIN AND TARGET SHOULD BE
- DISABLED FOR THAT USER TO AVOID ERROR CONDITIONS
- THAT MIGHT ALLOW ACCESS TO THE ROOT DIRECTORY.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - 19 -
-
-
-
- SCREEN BLANKER OPERATION
-
-
- There are two programs provided on the distribution disk that will
- blank the computer screen to prevent "burn-in" that occurs with some
- monitors. These programs are ASB.COM for CGA and MDA monitors and
- ASBE.COM for EGA monitors. The screen blankers blank the computer
- screen after 5 minutes of no keyboard activity.
-
- NOTE: These programs have NOT been tested on all brands of display
- adaptor cards or monitors but should operate correctly on most
- systems. These programs ARE Terminate and Stay Resident programs and
- will occupy approximately 256 bytes of available RAM. If any
- problems are encountered when using these programs, discontinue use.
-
- To use either screen blanker program, type ASB or ASBE from the DOS
- prompt, or include the command in a batch file like AUTOEXEC.BAT.
- Upon execution, the program will display an installation message.
- Normal use of the computer may then continue.
-
- NOTE: DO NOT INSTALL BOTH SCREEN BLANKERS, ONLY INSTALL THE
- APPROPRIATE PROGRAM FOR YOUR COMPUTER. ALSO, DO NOT INSTALL THE
- SCREEN BLANKER FROM THE DOS MODE OF POINT & SHOOT.
-
- After the screen blanks, any keypress will restore the screen.
- However, the key pressed will be passed on to the currently executing
- program; use a non-action key like [Alt] to restore the screen.
-
- After the initial installation, the screen blanker may be temporarily
- disabled by entering the one of the following commands from the DOS
- prompt. These may be entered from the DOS mode of Point & Shoot or
- from the COMMAND TO EXECUTE in user-defined menus:
-
-
- ASB -
-
- or
-
- ASBE -
-
-
- Entering the original ASB or ASBE command again will re-enable the
- screen blanker. This secondary enabling of the screen blanker may be
- entered from the DOS mode of Point & Shoot or from the COMMAND TO
- EXECUTE in user-defined menus.
-
- Neither program supports graphics modes but they may be disabled
- prior to entering graphics mode programs. Also, some word processing
- programs rudely capture keyboard interrupts and are not compatible
- with these screen blankers so the screen blanker should be disabled
- before entering these programs.
-
-
-
-
- - 20 -
-
-
- TEXT EDITOR OPERATION
-
-
- The built-in text editor invoked with the FILE EDIT command supports
- the following functions:
-
-
- o Full-screen editing of text files up to 64K
-
- o Autoindentation
-
- o Fixed or smart tabs (tab to previous line words)
-
- o Block operations
-
- o Find and replace operations
-
- o On-line help
-
- o Pop up available editing memory display
-
-
- NOTE: If another text editor has been selected in setup, the
- built-in editor will not be invoked when FILE EDIT is selected.
-
-
- Overview
-
- The text editor is a full-screen text editor very much like
- MicroPro's WordStar non-document mode and the program editors found
- in Borland products such as Turbo Pascal, Turbo C, or SideKick. If
- you are familiar with any of these editors, you should need little
- help in using this editor.
-
- Text is entered similarly to a typewriter. However, there are a few
- important differences. The cursor (a flashing underscore) always
- indicates where new text will be entered, and the cursor can be moved
- throughout the current file in many different ways as described
- later. Mistakes can be quickly corrected with the delete commands.
- Text can be copied and moved with the block commands. Text strings
- can be located with the Find command and optionally replaced with new
- text using the Find and Replace command.
-
- The editor can edit text files of up to 64K bytes. If insufficient
- memory is available, the editor capacity will be reduced. In
- addition to common editing commands, the editor also features a
- built-in command help screen and a pop-up memory statistics screen.
-
- Each command for the editor is described in detail in the following
- sections, and a brief summary of commands is given on the next page.
-
- NOTE: the ^ character indicates a Ctrl-key combination. To execute a
- Ctrl-key function, hold the [Ctrl] key and press the letter shown.
-
-
-
- - 21 -
-
-
-
- BASIC EDITING COMMANDS SEARCH COMMANDS
-
- Word left [^F] Find [F5] or [^Q F]
- Word right [^G] Find/replace [F6] or [^Q A]
- Line up [up arrow] Find next [^L]
- Line down [down arrow]
- Page up [PgUp] FIND OPTIONS
- Page down [PgDn] [B]=Backward search
- Top of screen [Home] [G]=Global search
- End of screen [End] [L]=Limit to block
- Top of file [^Home] [N]=Replace without asking
- End of file [^End] [U]=Ignore case
- Left on line [^left arrow] [W]=Whole words only
- Right on line [^right arrow]
- Top of block [^Q B]
- End of block [^Q K]
- Insert line [F7]
- Delete line [F8] or [^Y]
- Delete word [^T]
-
-
-
- BLOCK COMMANDS MISCELLANEOUS COMMANDS
-
- Begin [^K B] Help Screen [F1]
- Copy [^K C] Save/resume [F2]
- Delete [^K Y] Editor Stats [F3]
- End [^K K] New File [F4]
- Move [^K V] Abandon [F9] or [^K Q]
- Print [^K P] Save/quit [F10] or [^K D]
- Read [^K R]
- Write [^K W]
-
-
-
- OPTIONS
-
- Toggle indent [^O I]
- Toggle tabs [^O T]
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - 22 -
-
-
-
- The Editing Screen
-
-
- When the editor is invoked through the FILE EDIT command, the main
- editor screen will appear. The center portion of the screen is the
- text editing area, and the bottom section of the screen displays the
- quick function key commands. The top line of the text editing window
- shows the editor status line. The status line provides the following
- information:
-
-
- Command Echo: When the first key of a Ctrl-key command is
- pressed, the keystroke is echoed at the left edge
- of the status line.
-
- Line n: Shows the line number containing the cursor.
-
- Col n: Shows the column number containing the cursor.
-
- Insert: Indicates that Insert mode is in effect.
-
- Indent: Indicates Autoindent mode is in effect. [^O I]
- toggles the Autoindent mode on and off.
-
- Tab: Indicates fixed tabs are in effect. [^O T]
- toggles fixed tabs on and off.
-
- X:FILENAME.EXT: The drive, name, and extension of the
- file being edited. If the current file has not
- been named, only the current drive letter will be
- shown. Also, even though a complete directory
- path for file editing may be specified, the entire
- path will not be shown on the status line.
-
-
-
- Options
-
-
- Toggle insert mode [Ins]: Selects Insert or Overwrite
- mode. In Insert mode, text to the right of the
- cursor is moved to the right as new text is
- entered. In Overwrite mode, text at the cursor
- position is overwritten when new text is entered.
-
- Toggle autoindent [^O I]: When Autoindent mode is in
- effect, pressing [Enter] will move the cursor to
- the next line and to the same column as the first
- character of the previous line.
-
- Toggle fixed tabs [^O T]: With fixed tabs, tab stops
- start at column 1 and occur at every 8 columns.
- With smart tabs, tab stops are set at the first
- character of each word on the previous line.
-
- - 23 -
-
-
-
- Cursor Movement
-
-
- The simplest commands in the editor are the cursor movement commands.
- Following is a description of these commands.
-
-
- Character left [left arrow]: Moves the cursor one
- character to the left.
-
- Character right [right arrow]: Moves the cursor one
- character to the right.
-
- Word left [^F]: Moves the cursor to the beginning of the
- word to the left.
-
- Word right [^G]: Moves the cursor to the beginning of the
- word to the right.
-
- Line up [up arrow]: Moves the cursor up one line. If the
- cursor is at the top line of the screen, the text
- scrolls down one line.
-
- Line down [down arrow]: Moves the cursor down one line.
- If the cursor is at the bottom line of the screen,
- the text scrolls up one line.
-
- Page up [PgUp]: Moves the cursor up one screen.
-
- Page down [PgDn]: Moves the cursor down one screen.
-
- Top of screen [Home]: Moves the cursor to the top of the
- screen.
-
- End of screen [End]: Moves the cursor to the bottom of
- the screen.
-
- Top of file [^Home]: Moves the cursor to the beginning of
- the file.
-
- End of file [^End]: Moves the cursor to the end of the
- file.
-
- Left on line [^left arrow]: Moves the cursor to column 1
- of the current line.
-
- Right on line [^right arrow]: Moves the cursor to the end
- of the current line.
-
- Top of block [^Q B]: Moves the cursor to the block-begin
- marker set with [^K B].
-
- End of block [^Q K]: Moves the cursor to the block-end
- marker set with [^K K].
-
- - 24 -
-
-
-
- Editing Commands
-
-
- New line [Enter]: In Insert mode, this command inserts a
- line break at the current cursor position. If
- Autoindent mode is on, the cursor moves to the new
- line and to the same column as the first character
- of the previous line; otherwise the cursor moves
- to column 1 of the new line. In Overwrite mode
- (Insert off), the cursor will move to column 1 of
- the next line without creating a new line.
-
- Insert Line [F7]: Inserts a new line at the current
- cursor position.
-
- Tab [Tab]: Moves the cursor to the next tab stop. In
- Insert mode, any text to the right of the cursor
- is moved along with it. If Insert mode is off,
- only the cursor will be moved. The location of
- the next tab stop depends on whether fixed tabs or
- smart tabs are in effect as discussed previously.
-
- Delete current character [Del]: Deletes the character at
- the current cursor position and moves any
- characters to the right of the cursor one position
- to the left.
-
- Delete left character [Backspace]: Deletes the character
- to the left of the cursor and moves the cursor to
- the left one position. Any characters to the
- right of the cursor are moved to the left one
- position. If the cursor is at column 1, the
- cursor is moved to the end of the previous line
- and the current and previous lines are joined
- together.
-
- Delete word [^T]: Deletes the word to the right of the
- cursor.
-
- Delete line [F8] or [^Y]: Deletes the current line and
- moves any lines below it up one line. The cursor
- moves to column 1 of the next line.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - 25 -
-
-
-
- Search Commands
-
-
- Find [F5] or [^Q F]: Searches for a string of up to 30
- characters. This command will prompt for a search
- string. The last search string used (if any) will
- be displayed and can be selected again by pressing
- [Enter] or can be edited. A new search string may
- also be entered. To edit the search string,
- [Backspace] deletes the previous character, [^R]
- restores the previous string, and [^U] or [Esc]
- cancels the command. After the search string is
- entered the program will prompt for search
- options. Any previously entered options will be
- shown. Again, these may be revised or accepted.
- The following options are available for the Find
- command:
-
- B: Searches backward from the current cursor
- position toward the beginning of the file.
-
- L: Limits the search to the current block.
-
- n: Find the nth occurrence of the search string.
-
- U: Ignore the case of the target string.
-
- W: Searches for whole words only.
-
-
- Find and Replace [F6] or [^Q A]: This command works the
- same as the Find command, except that the "found"
- string may be replaced with any other string up to
- 30 characters in length. After entering the
- search string, the program will prompt for a
- replacement string. The last replacement string
- used will be shown and can be revised or accepted.
- The options for the Find and Replace command are
- the same as the Find command except for the
- following additions:
-
-
- G: Searches globally through the entire file for
- the search string.
-
- N: Replaces any matches without confirmation.
-
-
- Find next [^L]: Repeats the last Find or Find and Replace
- command.
-
-
-
-
-
- - 26 -
-
-
-
- Block Commands
-
-
- A block of text is any contiguous unit of text. A block is defined
- (marked) by placing a begin-block marker at the first character in
- the desired block and an end-block marker just beyond the last
- character in the desired block. Once a block has been marked, that
- block may be copied, moved, deleted, written to a file, or printed.
- When a block is marked, the marked text will appear in a different
- color than the rest of the text. A defined block will remain in
- effect unless the Block Delete command is issued or a new block is
- defined. The following block commands are available:
-
-
- Begin block [^K B]: Marks the beginning of a block. The
- marker itself is not visible, and the block itself
- will not be marked until the end-block command is
- given.
-
- End block [^K K]: Marks the end of a block. Like the
- begin-block marker, the end block marker is not
- visible and the block itself will not be displayed
- unless both markers are set.
-
- Copy block [^K C]: Creates a copy of a marked block of
- text at the current cursor position. The original
- block is left unchanged and the block-begin and
- block-end markers are placed around the new copy
- of the block.
-
- Move block [^K V]: Moves a marked block of text from its
- current position to the current cursor position.
- The block markers remain around the block at its
- new position.
-
- Delete block [^K Y]: Deletes a marked block of text and
- erases the old block markers.
-
- Read block [^K R]: Reads a file into the editor at the
- current cursor position. The file is read in
- marked as a block. The program prompts for the
- name of the file to read. If used earlier, the
- last file name entered is displayed and may be
- modified or accepted.
-
- Write block [^K W]: Writes the current block to a file.
- The program prompts for a filename; if the file
- already exists, the program prompts for
- replacement.
-
- Print block [^K P]: Prints the currently marked block to
- the printer. If no block is marked, the entire
- file is printed.
-
-
- - 27 -
-
-
-
- Miscellaneous Commands
-
-
- Help [F1]: A screen with the editor commands is shown.
- Pressing any key returns to editing mode.
-
- Save/Resume [F2]: Saves the current file (if it is named)
- and resumes editing.
-
- Editor Stats [F3]: Displays the amount of memory
- available for editing and the memory occupied by
- the current text file.
-
- New file [F4]: Clears the editor of all text. If the
- current file has been modified, the program
- prompts for saving. A new file name may be
- selected.
-
- Abandon [F9]: The current file is abandoned (after
- confirmation if changes have been made) and
- control is returned to the FILE commands.
-
- Save/done [F10]: The current file is saved, and control
- is returned to FILE commands.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - 28 -
-
-
- USING A MOUSE
-
-
- A mouse may be used instead of the keyboard for most operations.
- The mouse interface has been designed to be as similar to the
- keyboard commands as possible.
-
- To enable the mouse, the MOUSETRAP option in the program SETUP
- command must be set to "Y". In addition, the MOUSE driver program
- must be executed once before running Point & Shoot. Refer to the
- documentation provided with your mouse for instructions on installing
- and executing the mouse driver program.
-
- If the mouse has been installed correctly and enabled in the program
- SETUP, upon initial startup of Point & Shoot, the mouse cursor (a
- solid rectangle) will appear on the right side of the screen on the
- same line as the [Alt] commands. To check the mouse operation, move
- the mouse around the screen.
-
- NOTE: Mouse use will not prohibit screen blanking!!
-
- ALMOST all of the Point & Shoot commands may be controlled with the
- mouse. Noted exceptions are the hex and text file editors, the file
- view command, any text entry, and the [Alt-D] drop to DOS. All menus
- and file/tree manipulation commands may be operated with the mouse.
-
- The right mouse button is ALWAYS equal to the [Esc] key. In MOST
- cases, the left mouse button is equal to [Enter]. Mouse movement is
- generally equal to the up and down arrow keys. Following is a
- summary of the different types of mouse use encountered in Point &
- Shoot.
-
-
- Command Menus: These are the menus found on the lower
- area of the screen. To select a menu command,
- place the mouse cursor anywhere within the command
- and click the left mouse button.
-
- User Menus: These are the menu items created to run
- programs. To select a user menu, place the mouse
- cursor on the menu entry and click the left mouse
- button. If the selected menu contains a submenu,
- select a submenu entry as discussed in Vertical
- Lists. Use the same procedure to select a user
- menu when using the Menu commands.
-
- Vertical Lists: These are the vertical lists of items
- used to select user-defined submenus and options
- such as FILE SORT or FILE ATTRIBUTES. The mouse
- cursor will be tied to the horizontal cursor bar
- in the vertical lists. Move the mouse up or down
- to move the cursor bar and click the left mouse
- button to select the hilited entry.
-
-
-
- - 29 -
-
-
-
- Switch Menu Lines: This command is [F6] in the MENU ADD
- or MENU CHANGE commands. When using this command,
- the mouse cursor will be tied to the flashing star
- used to select a menu entry line to switch. Move
- the mouse up or down to move the star and click
- the left mouse button to accept the selection.
-
- Path Selection: This command is [F7] in the MENU ADD,
- MENU CHANGE, or USAGE User database commands.
- When the directory tree appears on the screen, the
- mouse cursor will be tied to the hilited
- directory. Move the mouse up or down to move the
- hilite. To scroll the tree, move the mouse cursor
- past the upper or lower tree box boundary. To
- select a directory path, click the left mouse
- button.
-
- File and Tree: The file and tree commands operate as
- discussed previously. The mouse must be used in a
- different manner to manipulate the file list and
- directory tree. Move from file to tree commands
- by clicking on the associated menu command or by
- clicking once anywhere within the side (File or
- Tree) not currently in use. To move the cursor to
- a particular file or directory, place the mouse
- cursor on the item and click. The cursor will
- move to that file or directory. If the cursor is
- already on that file of directory, the file will
- become tagged/untagged or the directory will
- become the ORIGIN. The outer vertical boundary
- lines around the file list and directory tree are
- used as scroll lines. To scroll the file list or
- directory tree, place the mouse cursor on the
- associated scoll line and then, while holding the
- left mouse button down, move the mouse in the
- desired direction. A click on the top corner of
- the scroll line simulates a [Home] keypress, and a
- click on the lower corner of the scroll line
- simulates an [End] keypress. Similarly, a click
- on the second position from the top or bottom of
- either scroll line simulates a [PgUp] or [PgDn]
- keypress. Finally, the FILE FILTER and FILE SORT
- commands may be executed by clicking on the
- appropriate areas above the file list.
-
-
- A certain amount of practice will be necessary before becoming
- comfortable with the mouse operation of Point & Shoot. Many users
- find keyboard use to be more efficient, especially with the FILE and
- TREE commands.
-
-
-
-
-
- - 30 -
-
-
- NETWORK INSTALLATION
-
-
- Point & Shoot will operate on a network provided certain restrictions
- are followed. To use Point & Shoot on a network, separate copies of
- the program must be made available to each user on the system. This
- means that each user on the network must have their own hard disk.
- Each user would then use Point & Shoot to control their own computer.
- Appropriate error messages will be returned to users who attempt to
- access locked files or directories.
-
- The system administrator could install Point & Shoot on the central
- file server, but NETWORK USERS CANNOT RUN A SINGLE COPY OF THE
- PROGRAM FROM THE NETWORK SERVER DISK.
-
- Point & Shoot maintains special files and program settings during the
- execution of programs from user-defined menus and during the
- operation of the protection and usage logging system. These files
- and program settings are specific to the current process. If a
- single copy of the program is operated from a network server for
- multiple users, files and program settings will be changed by more
- than one user at a time. The end result is potential damage to Point
- & Shoot files and databases.
-
- NOTE: Using a single copy of Point & Shoot on a network is a
- violation of the license agreement. Network installations must have
- a licensed copy of Point & Shoot for each user on the network.
- Network license agreements are available from AMST.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - 31 -
-
- MAIN MENU COMMANDS
- ------------------
-
-
- The Main Menu is the center of Point & Shoot activity. Some of the
- Main Menu commands move to another command list, while others will
- immediately execute a command. Following is a description of the
- Main Menu commands.
-
-
- BACKUP
-
- Attempts to locate and execute the Point & Shoot Backup/Restore
- program to perform a hard disk backup or restoration. Point & Shoot
- Backup/Restore is a separate program available from AMST that is used
- to backup your hard disk to floppy disks or restore previous backup
- disks to your hard disk. If the Backup/Restore program has not been
- purchased and installed, a message will indicate that the program
- could not be found.
-
-
- DISKFORMAT
-
- The DISKFORMAT command is used like the DOS FORMAT command to format
- diskettes. For user protection, the DISKFORMAT command will only
- operate on drives A and B. When the DISKFORMAT command is selected,
- a screen will appear for entry of the format specifications:
-
- FORMAT DRIVE: This is the letter designating the drive to
- format. The only acceptable entries are A and B.
-
- TYPE: This is the type of drive used in the format
- process where:
-
- 1 = 360K 3 = 720K
- 2 = 1.2M 4 = 1.4M
-
- VOLUME LABEL: Up to 11 characters may be entered as a
- volume label to be placed on the disk during the
- format process. The volume label is optional.
-
- After the appropriate disk format specifications have been entered,
- [F10] will begin the format process. All disks formatted with the
- DISKFORMAT command will be checked for bad sectors (unusable areas on
- the disk). Progress of the format operation will be shown on the
- screen. When the format operation is complete, the total and
- available bytes on the formatted disk will be shown, as well as the
- number of bytes in bad sectors found and marked (if any).
-
- The [F10] key will restart the format operation using the same
- specifications. Press [Esc] to end the formatting session.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - 32 -
-
-
- FILE
-
- Moves to the FILE command list described later. The FILE command
- list contains operations to manipulate files on hard or floppy disks.
-
-
- INDEX
-
- Moves to the INDEX database described later. The INDEX database is
- used to maintain a list of files or anything else that must be
- tracked.
-
-
- MENU
-
- Moves to the MENU command list described later. The MENU command
- list contains operations to create and manipulate user-defined menus
- for program execution.
-
-
- SETUP
-
- Moves to the program SETUP data screen described later. The SETUP
- data screen allows changes to the program colors, the computer beeper
- and hourly chime, available disk drives, optional mouse support,
- optional protection system and time logging, and the user-defined
- menu title.
-
-
- TREE
-
- Moves to the TREE command list described later. The TREE command
- list contains operations to allow manipulation of subdirectories.
-
-
- USAGE
-
- Provides access to the Time Log and User Databases that are key to
- the Protection and Usage Logging system of the program. Also allows
- users to change their passwords.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - 33 -
-
-
- FILE COMMANDS
- -------------
-
-
- IMPORTANT: ORIGIN AND TARGET DIRECTORIES SHOULD ALWAYS BE SELECTED
- BEFORE USING FILE COMMANDS!!! IF THE FLOPPY DISK IS CHANGED, THE
- ORIGIN OR TARGET COMMAND IN THE TREE COMMANDS MUST BE USED TO RE-LOG
- THE DISK, OTHERWISE THE FILE DISPLAY WILL BE INCORRECT.
-
- The FILE commands provide a comprehensive set of functions for file
- manipulation. Select FILE from the main menu to produce a dual
- display with a file list and a graphic directory tree. If no files
- are found in the currently selected directory (the ORIGIN), a NO
- FILES FOUND message will be displayed in the file side of the screen.
-
- The FILE and TREE commands work in concert. The file list shown is
- always for the directory (or floppy disk) marked on the graphic
- directory tree with an "O" denoting Origin. In addition, the current
- Origin and Target paths will be shown (abbreviated) above the graphic
- directory tree display.
-
- File commands generally operate on the currently hilited file. Some
- commands like COPY will also use the directory marked with a "T" for
- Target. Switching between the FILE and TREE sides of the screen is
- accomplished with the [left/right] arrow keys. Additional commands
- available with FILE that are not shown on the menu are:
-
- [Enter]: Tags/untags the currently hilited file for use
- with the BLOCK command.
-
- [+ or -]: Tags/untags all files for use with BLOCK
- command.
-
- [^PgDn]: Tags the current file and moves hilite bar down.
-
- [up/down arrow], [PgUp], [PgDn], [Home], [End]: Moves the
- hilite bar through the file list.
-
- [Tab]: Moves between the origin and target file lists
- (See FILE WINDOW)
-
-
-
- ATTR
-
- Used to change the attributes, date, and/or time of the currently
- hilited file. Attribute choices include Read-only, Hidden, System,
- and Archive. A pop-up list will appear from which the current
- attribute settings may be examined or modified. [Esc] will leave the
- attributes unchanged. Select [D] to change the file's date and/or
- time stamp.
-
- CAUTION: DO NOT CHANGE A FILE'S ATTRIBUTES UNLESS ATTRIBUTES
- ARE FULLY UNDERSTOOD.
-
-
- - 34 -
-
-
-
- BLOCK
-
- Used to perform a COPY, DELETE, MOVE, NEWER, or RENAME operation on a
- group of tagged files. The BLOCK command produces a new menu on the
- bottom of the screen. The command options will be displayed along
- with the number of tagged files and the total size in bytes of the
- tagged files. When all desired files have been tagged (using the tag
- commands discussed previously) the appropriate command letter may be
- pressed to initiate a block operation. Files will be untagged after
- each operation is completed. If all files are deleted or moved in
- the ORIGIN directory with the BLOCK command, then execution will
- automatically return to the FILE menu, otherwise [Esc] must be
- selected to return to the FILE menu or [right arrow] to move to the
- TREE menu.
-
-
- COPY
-
- Used to copy the currently hilited file from the ORIGIN directory to
- the TARGET directory. If the ORIGIN and TARGET directories are the
- same, the program will prompt for a new file name. The result is a
- file duplication in the ORIGIN directory. If the selected file
- exists in the TARGET directory, the program will ask if it is Ok to
- replace the existing file.
-
-
- DELETE
-
- Used to delete the currently hilited file. The program asks for
- verification before deletion takes place. If a file is accidently
- deleted, it may be recovered with the TREE UNDELETE command.
-
-
- EDIT
-
- When EDIT is selected, the built-in text file editor is invoked and
- the currently hilited file is automatically loaded. The text file
- editor is limited to text files of 64K or less. Complete
- instructions for the editor can be found in a separate section of
- this documentation. Alternately, a text editor other than the
- built-in editor may be used (see SETUP).
-
-
- FILTER
-
- Used to filter (select a subgroup of files) in the ORIGIN directory.
- The default search filter is "*.*" which will find all files. File
- filter strings are the same as used in DOS (consult a DOS manual for
- details on file filters). When FILTER is selected, the cursor will
- move to the top of the screen where the FILTER status appears. The
- filter string may then be edited to select the files of interest. If
- the resulting file list does not look appropriate, remember to
- examine the current FILTER setting to ensure that desired files have
- not been inadvertantly excluded from the list.
-
- - 35 -
-
-
-
- GLOBAL
-
- Used to search the entire hard disk(s) for files matching the current
- file FILTER. After the FILTER command has been used to select a
- desired subset of files, GLOBAL is used to search the entire disk(s).
- Two options for GLOBAL are All Files or Quick Scan. The All Files
- option gathers all matching files into one file list. These files
- may then be deleted or moved to the current target directory.
- The quick scan option pauses in each directory to allow the following
- options:
-
- D)elete: Deletes the currently hilited file. If the
- deleted file was the only file left in the current
- file list, the global search will automatically
- continue with the next directory.
-
- N)ext Dir: Skips the current directory and continues with
- the global search.
-
- [Esc]: Stops the global search and stays in the current
- directory.
-
- All of the file list viewing commands (arrows, [PgUp], [PgDn], [Home]
- and [End]) will operate when global search has paused in a directory.
- A current count of files found and deleted will be displayed in the
- bottom portion of the screen when using the Quick Scan option. The
- ORIGIN directory will be hilited on the directory tree as the global
- search proceeds.
-
-
- HEX
-
- Used to edit any file in Hex/Ascii mode. The first 256 bytes of the
- currently hilited file will be read into memory and the HEX screen
- will appear. The left side of the screen displays the file in Hex
- code (base 16) and the right side displays the Ascii equivalent.
- Commands included in HEX are:
-
- [F1]: Rereads the current 256 bytes from disk
-
- [F2]: Saves the current 256 bytes to disk
-
- [F3/F4]: Moves the edit cursor to the Hex/Ascii sides of
- the screen respectively
-
- [F10]: Ends the Hex/Ascii editing session. If any
- changes have been made to the current 256 bytes of
- the file since the last save, the program will ask
- if the changes should be saved.
-
- [Esc]: Ends the Hex/Ascii editing session and aborts any
- changes made to the current 256 bytes.
-
- [PgUp], [PgDn], [Home] and [End]: Move the edit cursor.
-
- - 36 -
-
-
-
- LOCATE
-
- Used to locate text strings in files anywhere on the hard disk.
- When LOCATE is selected, the program will prompt for a text string to
- find. Options for LOCATE include all directories, current directory
- only, and forward from the current directory. If the desired text
- is found, a portion of the file which contains the text will be shown
- with the search text hilited. The search can then be continued or
- stopped. [Esc] aborts the search at any time.
-
-
- MOVE
-
- Used to move the currently hilited file from the ORIGIN directory to
- the TARGET directory. If the selected file exists in the TARGET
- directory, the program will ask if it is Ok to replace the existing
- file. If a file appears to be lost after using MOVE, check which
- directory is set as the TARGET then look there for the file.
-
-
- NEWER
-
- NEWER is similar to the COPY command except that if the TARGET
- directory contains a file with the same name, the date and time of
- the ORIGIN and TARGET files will be compared and the TARGET file will
- only be replaced if the ORIGIN file is newer. If no matching TARGET
- file exists, the copy will proceed as with the COPY command.
-
-
- PRINT
-
- Used to print text files or the file list. File list print options
- include an expanded list with filename, size, date, and time, or a
- list of filenames only. Text file print options include "as is" or
- HP LaserJet 2-column (HP LaserJets only). The LaserJet format prints
- the file in two 80 character columns and 60 lines per page. Use a
- word processor to format text files to improve appearance.
-
-
- RENAME
-
- Used to change the name of the currently hilited file. When RENAME
- is selected, the program prompts for a new name for the file.
-
-
- SORT
-
- Used to sort the file list by date, extension, inverse date, name, or
- size.
-
-
- TREE
-
- Jumps to the TREE commands (same as right arrow).
-
- - 37 -
-
-
-
- VIEW
-
- Used to view the currently hilited file. VIEW commands include:
-
- [F1]: Toggles filtering of characters of Ascii 128 or
- higher.
-
- [F2]: Toggles the display of printable characters only.
-
-
- WINDOW
-
- Splits the file list into two windows, one for Origin files and
- one for Target files. The [Tab] key is used to move between the
- windows. File commands will only operate on the Origin file list.
-
-
- XECUTE
-
- Executes the currently hilited file in memory (.COM or .EXE only).
- DO NOT EXECUTE MEMORY RESIDENT PROGRAMS!!! The ability to execute
- programs is limited to the amount of memory available when Point &
- Shoot is operating. See [alt-S] command to determine the amount of
- memory available when running Point & Shoot. Point & Shoot requires
- approximately 320K of memory, DOS requires another 50-60K, and any
- other resident programs will also consume some memory. On a 640K
- computer, only about 256K will normally be available to the XECUTE
- command. NOTE: THE XECUTE COMMAND SHOULD NOT BE USED AS A
- REPLACEMENT FOR THE USER-DEFINED MENUS!
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - 38 -
-
-
- INDEX DATABASE
- --------------
-
-
- The Index database is used to store information from a variety of
- sources. The database contains fields for an item name, category,
- date, keywords, and several comment fields.
-
- The Index database is primarily designed for use with file names and
- descriptions to facilitate locating files, but the database may
- potentially be used for lists of any types of items. The category
- field is useful to separate items in the database if more than one
- type of item is stored.
-
- The Index database uses the standard database commands as described
- in the documentation in the DATABASE COMMANDS section.
-
- Reports included in the Index database include All Entry Detail,
- Current Entry Detail, Keyword Match, and Single Category. Note that
- all reports will print in the current database order.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - 39 -
-
-
- MENU COMMANDS
- -------------
-
- The MENU commands are used to manipulate the user-defined program
- menus. User menus consist of menu titles, commands to execute, the
- directory paths from which to execute commands, and optional
- passwords. The menu entries are created and modified with the ADD
- and CHANGE commands described below. Up to 30 menu entries may be
- defined for programs. Each of these menu entries may contain up to
- 10 submenu entries for a total of 300 programs controlled through the
- user-defined menus. Following is a description of each MENU command.
-
-
- ADD
-
- Used to add new menu entries to the user-defined menus. When ADD is
- selected, a hilite bar will appear in the center portion of the
- screen. Use the arrow keys to select a position for the new menu
- entry. When the desired position is hilited, press [Enter]. The menu
- entry can be moved later. The MENU DETAIL data screen will appear.
- The following data fields are available:
-
-
- MENU ENTRY TITLE: This is the name (up to 20
- characters) that will appear on the main screen.
- The first menu title line defines the main entry.
- The remaining 10 lines are for submenu entry
- definition. A title MUST be entered in the first
- line, but the rest may be blank. If submenu
- titles are entered, it is best to use a different
- starting letter for each title so they may be
- selected by using the starting letter only.
-
- COMMAND TO EXECUTE: The command entered will be executed
- when this menu entry is selected on the main
- program screen. If the first command is left
- blank and one or more of the submenu commands are
- entered, the submenu will be invoked when the
- corresponding main entry is selected. Several
- commands (up to 50 characters) may be entered on
- one line by separating each command with the
- vertical bar |. A } symbol forces prompting for
- parameters. If the carat symbol ^ is placed in
- the command string, Point & Shoot will not resume
- after the command is executed.
-
-
- !!!! IMPORTANT !!!!
-
- If a batch file is specified as the command to
- execute, the last line of that batch file must be
- "PS" so that Point & Shoot will resume after the
- command is complete.
-
-
-
- - 40 -
-
-
- APPLICATION PATH: When moving through each of the menu
- title or command fields, the directory path for
- the current menu line will appear in this field.
- Different directory paths for each menu and
- submenu entry may be defined. If no directory
- paths are specified, the root directory will be
- used. If a directory path is not specified for a
- submenu entry, the path specified for the main
- entry is used. [F7] displays the directory tree.
-
- APPLICATION PASSWORD: The [F3] key sets or changes
- passwords. Different passwords may be specified
- for each menu and submenu entry. If a password is
- specified and PROTECTION is enabled (see SETUP),
- users will be required to enter the password for
- access. See PROTECTION & USAGE for details.
-
- In addition, [F5] allows deletion of a menu entry line and [F6]
- allows two lines to be switched. When the menu has been defined,
- [F10] will save the entry. [Esc] aborts changes.
-
-
- CHANGE
-
- Used to change the specifications for an existing menu entry. When
- CHANGE is selected, a hilite appears on the first defined menu entry.
- The arrow keys and [Enter] are used to select the menu entry to
- change. Editing of this screen is the same as for the ADD command.
-
-
- DELETE
-
- Used to delete a menu entry. When DELETE is selected, a hilite
- appears on the first defined menu entry. The arrow keys and [Enter]
- are used to select the menu entry to delete.
-
-
- EXCHANGE
-
- Used to exchange the position of menu entries. When EXCHANGE is
- selected, the first defined menu entry is hilited. The arrow keys
- and [Enter] are used to select two menu entries to exchange.
-
-
- MOVE
-
- Used to move an existing menu entry to a new location. When MOVE is
- selected, the first defined menu entry is hilited. The arrow keys
- and [Enter] are used to select the menu entry to move and the desired
- new location.
-
-
- UPGRADE
-
- Updates previous versions of the menu file to the current version.
-
- - 41 -
-
-
- SETUP
- -----
-
-
- The SETUP command is used to establish the configuration for the
- program. Available options in SETUP include:
-
-
- COLORS: If operating with a color monitor, the program
- colors may be selected. Only the background, low
- text, normal text, headline, and help line colors
- may be changed. A sample screen is shown to
- assist in color selection. The [up/down arrow]
- keys select a color to modify, and the [left/right
- arrow] keys choose a color. The new colors will
- take effect when [F10] is pressed to leave SETUP.
-
- BEEPER ON?: If "Y", the computer's beeper will sound on
- errors and other places within the program.
-
- HOURLY CHIME?: If "Y", the computer's beeper will sound
- when the time reaches the hour mark.
-
- EDITOR BACKUPS?: If "Y", when files are edited with the
- FILE EDIT command, the editor will make backups
- (.BAK files) if a file is saved while editing. If
- "N", no backups will be made. This works with the
- built-in editor only.
-
- MOUSETRAP?: Setting MOUSETRAP to "Y" allows use of a
- mouse if one is available. If a mouse is not
- available, this setting has no effect. (See the
- section on USING A MOUSE in this documentation).
-
- TEXT EDITOR NAME: If a text editor name is entered here,
- that editor will be used in place of the built-in
- text editor when using the FILE EDIT command.
-
- DISK DRIVE USAGE: Determines the disk drives available on
- your computer for directory tree scanning.
-
- PROTECTION ENABLED?: This option will enable menu
- passwords, user logons, and user access privilege
- checks.
-
- USAGE LOG ENABLED?: This option will force user logons.
- Whenever a user runs a menu item, logs on or off,
- or uses the TREE GOTO command, their activity will
- be logged.
-
- MAIN MENU TITLE: This name will appear on the main
- program screen and is strictly for aesthetic
- purposes.
-
-
- - 42 -
-
-
- TREE COMMANDS
- -------------
-
-
- IMPORTANT: ORIGIN AND TARGET DIRECTORIES SHOULD ALWAYS BE SELECTED
- BEFORE USING FILE COMMANDS!!! IF THE FLOPPY DISK IS CHANGED, THE
- ORIGIN OR TARGET COMMAND IN THE TREE COMMANDS MUST BE USED TO RE-LOG
- THE DISK, OTHERWISE THE FILE DISPLAY WILL BE INCORRECT.
-
-
- The TREE commands provide a comprehensive set of functions for
- subdirectory manipulation. When TREE is selected from the main menu,
- a dual display screen will appear. The left half of the screen
- displays a list of files and the right half of the screen displays a
- graphic directory tree of the hard disk.
-
- The FILE and TREE commands work in concert. The file list shown is
- always for the directory (or floppy disk) marked on the directory
- tree with an "O" denoting Origin. The FILE and TREE sides of the
- screen may be selected with TREE or FILE commands, or [right/left
- arrow] keys. The [Enter] key will select the currently hilited
- directory as the ORIGIN.
-
-
- A&B
-
- Adds floppy disk subdirectories (if any) to the graphic tree display.
-
-
- COLLECT
-
- Rereads the directory tree from the hard disk. Usually it is not
- necessary to use this command. However, directories are created or
- removed while outside of Point & Shoot if in DOS or another program,
- Point & Shoot will not know that the directory structure has changed
- unless COLLECT is used. If the tree does not show all drives, check
- the DISK DRIVE USAGE option in SETUP for proper drive indication.
-
-
- DELETE
-
- Deletes the currently hilited directory. Directories with child
- directories or those with files may not be removed. No prompting
- occurs before the directory is deleted. If a directory is accidently
- deleted, it may be recovered using the TREE UNDELETE command.
-
-
- FILE
-
- Moves to the FILE commands (same as left arrow).
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - 43 -
-
-
- GOTO
-
- Immediately exits Point & Shoot and moves to the directory that was
- hilited. A message will remain on the screen reminding the user to
- type PS to return to Point & Shoot. If the drive is other than the
- drive in which Point & Shoot resides, the message will remind the
- user to change drives before returning to Point & Shoot. NOTE: the
- neccessity to change drives on a multiple hard disk system may be
- avoided by modifying the PS.BAT file to always change to the Point &
- Shoot drive. For instructions, refer to the QUICK START GUIDE.
-
-
- HIDE
-
- Hides the currently hilited directory. The directory name will be
- masked with asterisks to show that it is hidden. Point & Shoot can
- find these hidden directories, but they will be hidden from the DOS
- DIR command. If the directory is already hidden, then the HIDE
- command will unhide it. If protection is enabled, a hidden directory
- cannot be selected as the Origin or Target.
-
-
- MAKE
-
- Used to make a new directory following the currently hilited
- directory. When MAKE is selected, the program will prompt for a new
- directory name. Directory names are the same format as file names.
-
-
- ORIGIN
-
- Selects the currently hilited directory as the ORIGIN for FILE
- commands. [Enter] serves the same purpose as ORIGIN.
-
-
- PRINT
-
- Used to print the directory tree, optionally with a list of files
- after each directory. A summary of file sizes and numbers of files
- will be given for each directory and for the entire tree.
-
-
- RENAME
-
- Used to change the name of the currently hilited directory. The
- program will prompt for a new directory name. As with files,
- duplicate directory names are not allowed.
-
-
- SORT
-
- Forces a resorting of the directory tree. This command is only
- necessary after renaming a directory or making a new directory. The
- program will automatically sort the directory tree when the user
- leaves the TREE commands to return to the main menu.
-
- - 44 -
-
- TARGET
-
- Selects the currently hilited directory as the TARGET.
-
-
- UNDELETE
-
- The UNDELETE command is used to recover previously deleted files and
- subdirectories.
-
-
- NOTE: IT IS IMPORTANT TO ATTEMPT RECOVERY AS SOON AS
- POSSIBLE AFTER A FILE OR DIRECTORY IS DELETED.
-
-
- When a file or directory is deleted, the disk space used by that file
- or directory is not actually overwritten until another file or
- directory is created or expanded. Until one of these events occurs,
- MOST files and directories may be recovered.
-
- When UNDELETE is selected, the Origin directory is examined for
- files and subdirectories that have been deleted. If any are found,
- they will appear in file list with the first character shown as a
- question mark. DOS changes the first letter when a file or directory
- is deleted.
-
- Files marked with an asterisk MAY be fully recoverable but there is
- no guarantee. Files without the asterisk have been partially or
- completely overwritten. Pressing "U" will cause the program to
- attempt to undelete the currently hilited file.
-
- The Verify option causes the program to show each cluster of data and
- ask for verification. This option is useful on partially overwritten
- files to determine whether the selected cluster is the correct data
- for the file. The Verify option has no effect on subdirectories.
-
- As with any file recovery program, this program must make some
- assumptions during file recovery. Therefore:
-
- ANY FILE OR SUBDIRECTORY THAT IS UNDELETED SHOULD BE
- CHECKED AFTER RECOVERY USING FILE VIEW OR ANOTHER
- METHOD!!!
-
- UNDELETE has not been checked on all brands of computers and hard
- disks, so careful testing should be done when first using the
- UNDELETE command. Above all else, backups of valuable hard disk data
- should be current before the first uses of the UNDELETE command.
- After the user is satisfied that UNDELETE is functioning correctly
- for the host computer, there should be no unexpected problems.
-
- UNDELETE is compatible with all DOS versions from 2.0 to the 4.0
- series. Disks formatted with DOS 4.0 with partitions larger than
- 32MB are also supported. Note that because of the structure of DOS
- directories, only the first 62 files can be recovered from a
- deleted/recovered subdirectory. If the directory has not been
- previously deleted, then all files MAY be recoverable.
-
- - 45 -
-
-
- USAGE COMMANDS
- --------------
-
-
- The USAGE commands add password protection, user access privileges,
- and time logging functions to the Point & Shoot Hard Disk Manager
- program. If the Usage Log has been enabled in SETUP, users will be
- required to enter a User Id when they run the Point & Shoot Hard Disk
- Manager. The User Id is located in the User database. After the
- User Id has been verified, access privileges from the User database
- will be saved for that user.
-
- From that point, until the user quits from the Point & Shoot Hard
- Disk Manager program with the QUIT command, all system activity will
- be recorded in the Timelog database. In addition, whenever the user
- attempts to use one of the commands found in the Point & Shoot Hard
- Disk Manager, their access privileges will be checked before access
- is allowed.
-
- Invalid attempts to access the Point & Shoot Hard Disk Manager and
- the user-defined menus will also be recorded in the Timelog database
- if Usage Logging has been enabled. (See SETUP.)
-
- If the Protection system is enabled with the SETUP command, users
- will be required to enter their password when first logging on. The
- password is located in the User database. Users may change their own
- password with the USAGE CHANGE PASSWORD command.
-
- The Protection system in the Hard Disk Manager also provides password
- protection for the user-defined menu entries. See the MENU COMMANDS
- section of the documentation.
-
- If neither the Protection nor Usage Log systems are enabled, the
- facilities available through the USAGE command will have no effect.
-
-
- NOTE: IF THE USAGE LOG IS ENABLED, USERS WILL NOTICE A
- LONGER DELAY WHEN RUNNING PROGRAMS FROM THE
- USER-DEFINED MENUS. THIS DELAY IS CAUSED BY THE
- RECORDING OF USAGE LOG ENTRIES IN THE TIMELOG
- DATABASE.
-
-
- Refer to the DATABASE COMMANDS section of the documentation for
- guidelines on database manipulation commands. The USAGE commands
- include Change Password, Fixup Databases, Time Log Database, and User
- Database. Each of these commands are covered in detail below.
-
-
- CHANGE PASSWORD
-
- Users are allowed to change their own passwords with the CHANGE
- PASSWORD command. The user will be prompted for their old password,
- their new password, and verification of the new password.
-
-
- - 46 -
-
-
-
- FIXUP DATABASES
-
- Fixup performs two functions. First, it attempts to rebuild damaged
- databases by scanning the database and reconstructing the index
- files. Second, FIXUP attempts to free unused disk space by
- eliminating old records previously deleted from the database. The
- FIXUP command may be necessary in two situations.
-
- o Damage has occurred in one of the databases. A damaged
- database is indicated if the program aborts while in the
- middle of a database activity. A message may appear on
- the screen indicating some type of fatal error.
-
- o You have deleted many records from a given database.
- FIXUP will free unused disk space and speed database
- access.
-
- When FIXUP DATABASES is selected, a list of databases including the
- Timelog and User databases will appear. After the desired database
- is selected, the program will ask if backups of the database are
- current. The FIXUP operation will then begin. Three passes are made
- through the database to correct a variety of problems and to condense
- the database.
-
- It is important that you have a good set of backups before attempting
- FIXUP in case anything goes wrong.
-
- IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE YOU DO NoT COPY A CORRUPTED DATABASE
- ONTO AN OTHERWISE GOOD BACKUP DISK.
-
-
- TIMELOG DATABASE
-
- Moves to the Timelog database menu for examination and/or
- modification of the Timelog database. The Timelog database contains
- entries that describe the usage activity for the Point & Shoot Hard
- Disk Manager if user logging has been enabled with the SETUP command.
-
- The Timelog Database uses all of the standard database commands. (See
- DATABASE COMMANDS.) A noted exception is the DELETE command. The
- DELETE command in the Timelog Database contains several options:
-
- Current Record: Deletes the current Timelog record after
- confirmation.
-
- Delete Entire Timelog: Clears the entire Timelog database
- after confirmation.
-
- Inclusive Dates: Prompts for start and end dates, then
- deletes all Timelog records within the defined range.
-
- Selected User Id: Prompts for a User Id, then deletes all
- Timelog entries containing the selected User Id.
-
-
- - 47 -
-
-
-
- The Timelog Database contains three reports. Note that all reports
- will print in the current database order.
-
- All Entries Detail: Prints entire Timelog Database record
- for every user.
-
- Current Entry Detail: Prints the entire Timelog Database
- record for a selected user.
-
- Usage Summary Report: This report may be printed in
- chronological order, or sorted by user then date. The
- user will be prompted for User Id, Start date, and End
- date for selective printing.
-
-
- USERS
-
- Moves to the User Database menu for examination and/or modification
- of the User database. The User database contains user id's,
- passwords, user names, and access privileges to define which Hard
- Disk Manager commands the user may execute. The access privileges
- will only take effect if Protection has been enabled with the SETUP
- command.
-
- The Allowed Path field of the User database restricts a user to a
- single directory on the hard disk. If this field is completed by
- using the [F7] Select Path command, the user defined in that record
- will only be able to access the specified directory during TREE and
- FILE commands. (Note: access privileges to most of the TREE commands
- should also be restricted to avoid indirect access to the root
- directory of the hard disk.)
-
- All of the standard database commands (see DATABASE COMMANDS) are
- used in the User Database. The User Database contains three reports.
- Note that all reports will print in the current database order.
-
-
- All Users Detail: Prints entire User Database record for
- every user.
-
- Current User Detail: Prints the entire User Database
- record for a selected user.
-
- Summary of Users: Prints a shortened report showing only
- User Id, Name, and Password.
-
-
- CAUTION: DO NOT RANDOMLY CHANGE USER IDS. REMEMBER, THESE
- IDS ARE USED IN THE TIMELOG DATABASE, SO IF THEY
- ARE CHANGED, YOU MAY FIND THAT TIMELOG ENTRIES
- WILL CONTAIN REFERENCES TO MORE THAN ONE USER ID
- FOR A SINGLE USER.
-
-
-
- - 48 -
-
- VENDOR DISTRIBUTION REQUEST
-
-
-
- Complete this form and return, with a current copy of your catalog,
- to:
-
- Applied Micro Systems Technology
- P.O. Box 1596
- Welch Ave.
- Ames, Iowa 50010.
-
-
- We request permission to distribute the Point & Shoot Hard Disk
- Manager and agree to abide by the ASP VENDOR GUIDELINES given below.
-
-
- Name __________________________________________________
-
- Company __________________________________________________
-
- Address __________________________________________________
-
- __________________________________________________
-
- __________________________________________________
-
- Phone ( ) _______________________
-
-
- Signature & Date: _________________________________________
-
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS VENDOR GUIDELINES
-
-
-
- VENDOR ADVERTISING
- ------------------
-
- All vendor advertisements that offer Shareware for sale and list a
- price, offer Shareware as a promotion for any commercial venture, or
- use Shareware as an enticement for the user to pay for any product or
- service must state that "Shareware programs are copyrighted, and
- require additional payment to the authors if used regularly". This
- explanation must immediately follow the price (including "free" if
- used) or be tied to the price with an asterisk.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - 49 -
-
-
- VENDOR GUIDELINES (cont.)
-
-
- VENDOR CATALOGS
- ---------------
-
- Approved vendors will identify an ASP member's programs with an "ASP"
- notation and an explanation such as: "ASP indicates the program is
- being actively supported by a programmer who has agreed to comply
- with the standards of programming and support of the Association of
- Shareware Professionals."
-
- Approved vendors will make an attempt to educate users on the nature
- of Shareware. A suggested wording to be placed in the catalog is:
-
- "Charges made by us are a distribution fee paid to us and
- do not include the cost of the program itself. None of the
- fees paid to us go to the programs' authors. Some of the
- programs are Shareware. The principle behind Shareware is
- that users should have the opportunity to try out software
- before paying for it and that those that use software
- should support it with payments. Some Shareware programs
- allow a fixed length trial period, others an indefinite
- trial period. Some programs request a payment, while
- others make it a requirement. This payment provides you
- with various rights and benefits, depending on the program.
- Some programs only give you the legal right to continue to
- use the software while others provide printed documentation
- and/or higher levels of service."
-
-
- VENDOR DISTRIBUTION
- -------------------
-
- Approved vendors will respect the copyright and all distribution
- restrictions made by individual authors, even if those restrictions
- are not specifically covered in this document. Approved vendors will
- not claim to be selling the programs and will explain that the fee
- charged is a copying/handling fee (none of which goes to the author
- of the program). A written notice to this effect will be provided
- with all Shareware programs shipped. If the vendor distributes
- Shareware in pre-packaged wrappers, this notice must be on the
- OUTSIDE (visible) part of the package.
-
- Approved vendors will not change the contents of or delete ANY files
- supplied with the program. Vendors may make small additions which
- are designed to assist or provide a service to the user, but these
- additions must be easily identifiable and end-users must be allowed
- to delete the additions if they want to.
-
- Approved vendors agree to distribute the most recent versions of an
- ASP member's programs which have been made available to them by the
- author. Approved vendors also agree to remove a program from their
- library when requested by the author to do so.
-
-
- - 50 -
-
-
- REGISTRATION FORM
- -----------------
-
-
- PROGRAM: Point & Shoot Hard Disk Manager 2.0
-
- SERIAL #: _______________________
-
-
- Applied Micro Systems Technology
- P.O. Box 1596, Welch Ave.
- Ames, Iowa 50010
-
-
- Name __________________________________________________
-
- Company __________________________________________________
-
- Address __________________________________________________
-
- __________________________________________________
-
- __________________________________________________
-
- Phone ( ) _______________________
-
-
-
- Payment $_______ $45 for full registration, printed
- documentation and user support.
- (No cash please.) IA add 4% tax.
-
-
- Payment Method: ___Check ___Money Order ___VISA ___MC
-
- VISA/MC #: ____________________________ Exp. Date: _______
-
- Name on card (print): _____________________________________
-
- Authorized Signature: _____________________________________
-
-
- Where did you hear about Point & Shoot? ____________________
-
-
- Comments __________________________________________________
-
- __________________________________________________
-
- __________________________________________________
-
- __________________________________________________
-
- __________________________________________________
-
-
- - 51 -