AutoCat™ is a shareware product. If you decide to keep it please send a check, money order or cash for the amount of 60 FF (i.e. $10 U.S.). If you can't pay in French Francs, please send only cash or traveller checks.
You will receive a registration number which will stop the annoying reminder message. To receive the latest version of AutoCat™ and my other shareware products, just enclose a floppy disk or give me your electronic address.
Please send your payment (and the name that will replace the "Unregistered copy" message in the control panel) to:
From May 1995 :
Olivier Lebra
8, rue Paul Bounin
06100 Nice
FRANCE
Tel : (+33) 93 98 40 91
or, until May 1995 only :
Olivier Lebra
1950, Lincoln App. #1707
Montreal, Quebec
H3H 2N8
CANADA
Tel : (+1) 514-846 9781
Internet address :
olebra@ifaedi.insa-lyon.fr (valid until July 1996)
(You can also try lebra@cs.concordia.ca until May 1995 but I prefer you use the address above.)
I am a french student, but I spend this year in Montréal in Concordia University.
I am in Canada at least until May 1995 so you can send $12 Can (cash or check). Thanks.
What is AutoCat™ ?
AutoCat™ is a control panel that automatically catalogs your floppy disks when they are ejected. With AutoCat™, you only have to write the name of your disks on their label. To find a file, you can uses the "Find..." command from the Finder™ as if your file was on your hard disk.
How does AutoCat™ catalog disks ?
From now on, I suggest you to open AutoCat™ (it will be installed when you restart your Macintosh) to see the different elements of its interface.
While you eject a disk, AutoCat™ creates a folder (with the same name as your disk and with a customized AutoCat™ icon) in the cataloged disks folder. It puts in this folder aliases of all the files of the disk. AutoCat™ maintains the hierarchy of your floppy disk : it copies folders of the disk in your cataloged disks folder and, instead of copying files, makes aliases and puts them in their folders. (When AutoCat™ is working, the mouse pointer is replaced by an AutoCat™ pointer.)
System Requirements
AutoCat™ uses System 7 enhancements, and especially aliases. Consequently, it works only on Macintosh running system software version 7.0 or later.
Installing AutoCat™
Drag it in your system folder and restart your Macintosh. That's all !
Configuring AutoCat™
AutoCat™ takes account of all changes as soon as you close it. It is not necessary to restart your Macintosh.
If AutoCat™ was not in the control panel folder when you started your Macintosh, or if extensions are deactivated (shift key was held down during startup), AutoCat™ is deactivated until you restart your Macintosh with AutoCat™ in the control panel folder. However, new settings are saved.
The first time you open the control panel, AutoCat™ creates a preferences file with default options.
• By default, the cataloged disks folder is the desktop folder of your startup disk. You can change it by clicking in the field. A standard dialog allows you to select a directory. Don't select a directory in a disk that will be ejected ! (Don't worry, if you make this mistake, AutoCat™ will do nothing when you eject the disk.)
• You can turn on or turn off AutoCat™ with the On and Off radio buttons.
• You can activate or deactivate balloons help directly from AutoCat™. Select or deselect the check box near to the balloons help icon.
• By default, if you hold down option key while you are ejecting a disk, AutoCat™ is deactivated. Don't change this option if you use AutoCat™ with a lot of disks. If you want to use AutoCat™ only with a few disks, click on the other radio button and AutoCat™ catalogs the disk only when you hold down option key.
• If you want to Show startup icon, select this check box. Deselect it if you don't want to show the icon.
How to Find your Files
Use the "Find..." command from the Finder™. You can specify the name of your file (or application...), its creation and modification dates. The Finder™ will find (its name suits him !) the file and select the alias created by AutCat™. You can open it or get the original file from the "Informations" window of the alias. The Finder™ will ask you to insert the disk "so-and-so".
Additional Information
• Warning ! When AutoCat™ catalalogs a disk already cataloged (i.e. with the same name and creation date), it first erases all the folder. So, don't use folders with the same name and creation date of your disks in your cataloged disks folder. (I suggest you to keep only AutoCat™ folders in the cataloged disks folder.)
• If you have floppy disks with identical names, the folder created by AutoCat™ will be called "name", "name - 2", "name - 3", and so on... Avoid calling your disks with this method !
• AutoCat™ identifies a disk with its name and its creation date. If you use disks with same names and creation dates, AutoCat™ will be confuse ! (It could happen if you buy formatted disks.) If you change the name of a disk, AutoCat™ will create a new folder with the new name, but will not erase the old folder.
• If AutoCat™ can't find the cataloged disks folder it replaces it with the desktop folder of your startup disk.
• The size of aliases is 4 KB. This is a lot ! But the Macintosh file manager uses 4 KB blocks on hard disks, and consequently the sizes of the files are multiple of 4 KB, which is the minimal size.
AutoCat™ Tips
• AutoCat™ is configured to catalog floppy disks only. If you want to force AutoCat™ to catalog a bigger volume (hard disk, SysQuest cartridge,...) you can hold down the shift key while you are unmounting the volume. (Option key is strongest than shift key.)
If you often catalog volumes, you can reconfigure the 'PREF' ressource in the AutoCat™ control panel with ResEdit™: by default, AutoCat™ only catalogs volumes with a capacity smaller than 2 MB but you can change this value.
• You can stop AutoCat™ while it is working (the pointer is an AutoCat™ symbol) by pressing the command-. keys. (It is the usual way to interrupt a process.)
Troubleshooting
I succesfully tested AutoCat™ with many extensions and there was no conflict. But, I can't assure you there will never be conflicts with AutoCat™.
Technical note : AutoCat™ only patches the UnMountVol routine.
If there is a problem when AutoCat™ is loading during startup, the AutoCat™ icon is crossed out (unless you have deselected the Show startup icon check box). If that happens, throw away any existing AutoCat™ preferences file in your Preferences folder (located within your System Folder). You can also try to throw away the last folder created by AutoCat™.
But you will no have trouble with AutoCat™ !
Known Problems
AutoCat™ can catalog DOS disks but is not able to recognize if a DOS disk was already cataloged. (For a single disk called "disk", there will be "disk", disk-2", "disk-3",... folders.)
Future enhancements
AutoCat™ will recognize CompactPro™ archives and create an alias for each file in the archive. Obviously, these aliases will open the archive. Current version of AutoCat™ simply makes an alias of the archive.
Contacting the author
Don't hesitate to contact me ! Please send me bugs reports, suggestions about AutoCat™ (and, if possible, $10 !!!). I would like to discuss the possibility of collaborating on future programming projects. If you give me your address, I will send you all my other programs and future versions of AutoCat™. Please enclose a floppy disk if you have no access to Internet.
Acknoledgments
I would like to thank Stéphane for the small cat drawing.
I also thank all the persons who use my previous softwares and have contacted me.
Revision history
11/03/94 Version 1.0.3
- fixed bug : Version 1.0.2 prevented the Finder™ to format a disk ! (Thanks again Dino !)
- When you put away the icon of a disk that was ejected but not unmounted, AutoCat™ no longer catalogs the disk.
11/02/94 Version 1.0.2
- fixed bug : While unmounting a disk that was ejected but not unmounted, AutoCat™ cataloged the disk but did not eject it. (Thanks Dino !)
10/28/94 Version 1.0.1
- fixed bug : AutoCat™ did not release into the heap all storage allocated.
10/24/94 AutoCat™ 1.0 released
Shareware Info
AutoCat™ is a shareware program. It can be distributed freely as long as this document is included. This package may be included in the "pay for the media" shareware distribution methods (such as, but not limited to, CD-ROM archives) as long as Olivier Lebra, author of AutoCat™, is informed about the distribution of AutoCat™.
Warranty
AutoCat™ comes with no warranty, written or implied. Olivier Lebra accepts no liability for the use or performance of AutotCat™. Olivier Lebra accepts no liability for any damage caused by the use of AutoCat™. Use of AutoCat™ implies your complete acceptance of this warranty.
