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Text File | 1987-03-02 | 21.5 KB | 521 lines

O V E R V I E W A File Maintenance Utility Version 1.02 March 1st, 1987 James Mathews Blue Sky Software P.O. Box 27495 Minneapolis, MN 55427 Copyright (c) 1987 Blue Sky Software. All rights reserved. CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE 1.2 WHAT IS OVERVIEW 1.3 WHY ANOTHER FILE MAINTENANCE UTILITY? 2.0 LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS 2.1 LICENSE 2.2 WARRANTY 2.3 REGISTRATION 3.0 INSTALLATION 3.1 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 3.2 FILE SETUP 4.0 GETTING STARTED 5.0 CUSTOMIZATION 6.0 HELPFUL HINTS 7.0 THE FUTURE OF OVERVIEW ------------------------------------------------------------ 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE This is a brief (and informal) document describing the installation and usage of OverView, a file maintenance utility. This document does not completely describe all the features and functions of OverView, but it does contain enough information to get you started. Once you begin using OverView, you can learn more about how it operates from the on-line help facility and by experimenting with the various commands. 1.2 WHAT IS OVERVIEW? OverView is a file maintenance utility that enables you to perform common file operations (copying, renaming, erasing, etc) with easy, straight forward commands. OverView removes the guess work from file operations by displaying the files on your disk in a tabular format that is constantly updated in response to your changes. OverView's command menus speed up time consuming disk clean-up and maintenance sessions because your current options are always at your finger tips. OverView is a file maintenance utility, plain and simple. It has the capability to run DOS commands, but it is not designed to be a full featured DOS shell that simplifies all DOS operations. Nor is OverView a memory resident program that can be called up via a "hot" key. These constraints were designed into OverView to make it as simple and straight forward as possible. OverView will be of most benefit to people who have a hard disk in their computer. OverView will work just fine on a floppy disk only system, but the file maintenance needs of floppy only systems are not as great as hard disk systems. Few people have multiple directories and hundreds or thousands of files on floppy disk systems. In addition to the standard file maintenance features (copy, rename, erase, etc) OverView has many powerful features including: * Supports from 1 to 4 windows allowing access to as many as 4 directories at the same time. * Directory tree display. * A show-all function that allows all files on the current disk to be accessed as easily as the files in the current directory. * Full screen interface with user selectable display colors (video attributes). * On-line help available whenever and wherever OverView is waiting for user input. * Full source code is provided. OverView is written in a combination of Microsoft C (version 4) and Microsoft MASM. 1.3 WHY ANOTHER FILE MAINTENANCE UTILITY? If you are at all familiar with the microcomputer software marketplace, you can probably think of one or two or maybe even a few already existing file maintenance utilities. That's basically the position I was in when I started developing OverView; I knew a little about a couple of commercial utilities and had tried a few of the shareware or user-supported file maintenance utilities, but I wasn't really happy with any of them. During the time that I was developing OverView, I became aware of many more utilities like it than I'd thought existed. If I had found one that worked the way I wanted it to work, or I had found one that supplied the source code so I could change it, I would never have finished OverView. OverView contains most of the functions that I wanted in a file maintenance program. They may or may not be the functions that you want or like. For that reason I am distributing the full source code with the product so others like myself can customize it if they wish. ------------------------------------------------------------ 2.0 LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS Although OverView is distributed with full source code, it has not been released to the public domain. The source code, documentation, executable images, and all other files distributed with OverView are copyrighted. Note that the executable image files contain some runtime modules from the Microsoft C compiler which are copyrighted by Microsoft Corporation. If you find OverView to be a useful addition to your software library, you are requested to become a registered user by completing the registration form and returning it along with a $ 15 license fee. The license fee is required if OverView is used in a commercial environment. 2.1 LICENSE You are granted a limited license to use and examine OverView on a trial basis to determine if OverView is suitable for your needs. If you find OverView useful and use it on a regular basis, you are requested to complete and return the registration form along with the license fee. Once you have registered, you are granted a license to modify the OverView source code for you own personal use. Modified versions of the OverView source files, and any object or executable files derived from those source files, may not be distributed in any form. You are encouraged to make copies of OverView for the trial use of other individuals, subject to the following restrictions: All OverView distribution files must be copied in unmodified form, including the source, documentation, and executable images. You may not include any other files with the copy. You man not request compensation of any sort for providing the copy. This restriction does not apply to computer clubs and user groups who distribute software to their members for a nominal fee (not to exceed $ 10). You may not distribute OverView with any other product or service. OverView may be included on electronic bulletin board systems for downloading by users of the bulletin board provided the above restrictions are met. 2.2 WARRANTY OVERVIEW AND ALL ACCOMPANYING MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING OVERVIEW IS ASSUMED BY YOU. Blue Sky Software makes no warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to any warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. IN NO EVENT WILL BLUE SKY SOFTWARE BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, LOSS OF SAVINGS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, AND THE LIKE) ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM. BY USING OVERVIEW, YOU AGREE TO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS. 2.3 REGISTRATION If you use OverView on a regular basis, you are requested to complete the following registration form and return it along with a $ 15 license fee. Registration gives you the right to use the software as documented in the license. Registration is necessary only once - registration allows you licensed use of all upgrades to the product. Registration is required if OverView is used in a commercial environment. Contact Blue Sky Software for information on quantity discounts or site-license agreements. The following form is reproduced in the REGISTER.FRM file for your convenience. ------------------------------------------------------------ OverView Registration Form Version 1.02 1-Mar-87 To become a registered user of OverView, complete and return this form along with a $ 15 license fee. The license fee should be a check or money order, payable in USA funds. Send to: Blue Sky Software P.O. Box 27495 Minneapolis, MN 55427 U.S.A. Name: ___________________________________________________ Company: ___________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Please accept this registration for OverView version 1.02. I agree to your disclaimer of all warranties and the restrictions on copying. ________________________________________ _______________ SIGNED DATE Please feel free to add any comments, friendly criticisms, problem reports, and improvement ideas you might have about the product. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ------------------------------------------------------------ 3.0 INSTALLATION 3.1 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS OverView requires an IBM PC/XT/AT or compatible system to work properly. In addition, version 2.0 or greater of PC-DOS or MS-DOS is required. To improve display speed, OverView writes directly to the video screen memory of your computer. OverView works well with then IBM Monochrome Display Adapter (MDA), Color Graphics Adapter (CGA), and compatibles. In addition OverView has worked correctly on the systems I've tried that have IBM compatible Enhanced Graphics Adapters (EGA). Unfortunately I cannot guarantee it will work properly on all EGA compatible systems since I did not have access to one while developing the software. 3.2 FILE SETUP The installation process is actually quite simple. There are only two files required to run OverView. They are OV.EXE (the program itself) and OV.HLP (the help file). If your system has a DOS PATH command setup, simply copy these two files into one of the directories identified in the PATH command. If you have a hard disk system, but you haven't setup a PATH command, you should read about it in the DOS manual or get someone knowledgeable to help you set one up. OverView must be able to locate the OV.HLP file when you ask for on-line help. OverView will first look in the current directory for OV.HLP; if it is not there OverView will then look in the directories specified by the PATH command. If the help file still can't be located, you will be prompted to supply the location of OV.HLP. If you are running a floppy only system, I recommend that you copy both OV.EXE and OV.HLP to your system disk (or disks if you have more than one system disk). The OV.HLP file is not accessed unless you actually request help, so it could be left off if you are really short on disk space. ------------------------------------------------------------ 4.0 GETTING STARTED You start OverView by typing OV and pressing return at a DOS prompt. There are no command line parameters or arguments to supply. OverView will display an initial start up screen and read the directory information of the files in the current drive/directory. Press any key and OverView will show the main file display. There are three areas on the main file display; the header area, the file name area, and the menu area. The header area at the top of the screen contains information about the current drive, the current directory, and OverView options. The file name area displays a sorted list of the file names in the current directory. If there are more files in the directory than will fit on one screen, you can use the arrow keys or the PgUp/PgDn/Home/End keys to display the other file names. Many of the OverView commands work on the current file. The current file is identified by being the only highlighted name in the file name area. The four arrow keys can be used to select a different current file. The highlighted bar over the file name is sometimes called the file pointer. The menu area shows what commands can currently be performed. The next to last line of the screen displays a menu of the allowable command names while the very last line displays a short message about the currently highlighted command. You select a command from the menu in one of two ways; either use the space/backspace/tab keys to highlight the desired command and press return, or press the key that is the first letter of the desired command. The ESC key can be used to exit a submenu without selecting any of the menu choices. In addition to the menu, some OverView commands are performed by the function keys. Function key usage is described in the on-line help. OverView works in what I hope is an obvious and intuitive manner. The best way to learn it is to use it. You can access OverView's on-line help any time it is waiting for input by pressing the F1 function key. ------------------------------------------------------------ 5.0 CUSTOMIZATION You can customize the colors (display attributes) that OverView uses with the OTHER - DEFINE - COLORS command. There are seven categories of text display that can be independently selected. In addition, there are separate settings maintained for color and monochrome monitors (selected by the current video mode when OverView is started). If you have a color display adapter that does not produce video "snow" when writing directly to video memory, you can speed up OverView's screen handling by disabling "snow" checking with the OTHER - DEFINE - SNOW command. If you're not sure if your system creates "snow" or not, try disabling it - you will quickly know if it needs to be re-enabled. If you change the color and/or "snow" settings, you should also use the OTHER - DEFINE - WRITE command to make the settings permanent. OverView directly updates its own OV.EXE file with the DEFINE settings you have selected - it does not keep a separate parameter or initialization file - nor does it require a separate setup program. However, this requires that OverView be able to find its own OV.EXE file, and the file must not be write protected. With DOS version 3.0 and greater, OverView knows exactly where it was started from and updates that file. When running under DOS 2.x, OverView will first look in the current directory, then search the directories specified by the PATH command for the OV.EXE file. If the OV.EXE file can't be located, you will be prompted to supply the pathname to use. ------------------------------------------------------------ 6.0 HELPFUL HINTS This section contains several hints on effectively using OverView for your file maintenance tasks. I suggest that you briefly read over these hints now (pay attention to the first one!) and then experiment with OverView somewhat before really examining what these hints describe. * The ESC key returns you to the top level menu for the current function (file name display, Dir tree, View, Help, etc). If you get into a submenu by accident and there is no Quit selection, press the ESC key to get to the top menu level. * When performing some function on all TAGGED files (copy tagged, rename tagged, erase tagged, etc), the ESC, ^U, or ^C key can be used to interrupt the process. Striking one of these keys in a TAGGED file operation causes the message "Interrupt?" to be displayed. Respond Y to stop the operation, N to continue. * When you are prompted for a response in a pop up dialog box (for example, LOGIN to a new dir), the response you give can be edited with the Ins, Del, <- (backspace), <- (left arrow), and -> keys up until the time you press the Enter key to end the input. * When the current DIR tree is displayed (by the DIR command), the current directory is initially highlighted. You can switch to a new directory by using the cursor keys to highlight another directory (the Home key goes to the root dir). OverView does not actually "login" to the new directory until you select the LOGIN option from the DIR menu. As you move the highlighted dir pointer around the tree, the actual current directory will be displayed in a different color/video attribute to remind you which directory you are logged in to. This is the directory to which OverView returns if you select the Quit option from the DIR menu. * Don't start a Terminate and/but Stay Resident (TSR) utility from OverView's COMMAND, INTERPRETER, or XECUTE commands. If you do this, the TSR will be loaded above OverView in memory. When you exit OverView, a "hole" will be left in memory where OverView used to reside. This is true not only of OverView, but many other programs that also give you access to DOS. Note that the DOS PRINT command is a TSR utility that remains in memory after being loaded the first time. If you are going to use DOS PRINT from within OverView, make sure you execute PRINT at least once before starting OverView. * The SELECT SHOWALL command is a powerful feature of OverView. Some examples of its possible uses are: - Erase all the .BAK files on drive C by selecting all files on C (SELECT SHOWALL), tagging all files with the extension .BAK (TAG NAME), and then erasing all tagged files (ERASE TAGGED). - Turn off the Archive attribute of selected files so the DOS BACKUP program will not copy them to disk. Select all files (SELECT SHOWALL), tag all modified files (TAG MODIFIED), use the SELECT TAGGED command to display only tagged files, untag (F2 key) the files which are to be backed up - leaving only modified files not to backed up still tagged, finally use the ATTRIB TAGGED command to turn off the Archive attribute of the tagged files. * The OverView WINDOW commands allow you to work with from 1 to 4 directories on the screen at a time. This feature is quite useful when working with two or more directories at the same time. For example, when copying a set of files from a hard disk to a floppy, or when moving files from one directory to another. * Subdirectory names are displayed with a \ following the name so they are easily identified. The F3 function key switches to the parent of the current directory. The F4 function key switches to the subdirectory currently at the file pointer. * The F5 and F6 function keys move the file pointer to the next or previous tagged file, respectively. * This version of OverView has a limit of 1024 files that it can keep track of per window. If you need to increase that, you can change the source code to do so. ------------------------------------------------------------ 7.0 THE FUTURE OF OVERVIEW OverView is an experiment in "shareware" or "user-supported software." Bringing it to this point has required a considerable investment of my free time. Most of the features I initially set out to include are completed, along with many that I thought of during its development. Several suggestions that friends made have also been included. As it currently stands, I find OverView useful enough that I use it every day, and some of my friends say they do to. Like most program development projects however, there are numerous ideas and enhancements that are not incorporated in this version due to time constraints and a desire to get the product out. If anyone brings a problem to my attention that I somehow missed during testing, I will attempt to fix the problem and distribute updated versions. However, I intend to wait and see if this experiment in "shareware" is economically successful before I commit major amounts of my time to adding new features and functions (and more complete documentation). Thank you for using and supporting OverView!