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-
- KB-File Manager
- Version 1.1
- Copyright (C) 1992 by Kent Briggs
-
-
- Introduction
- ------------
-
- KB-File Manager (KB-FM) is an easy to use, yet powerful DOS file manager
- that lets the user copy, move, delete, and perform other functions on
- individual files or groups of files. Files are selected by "tagging"
- them on the screen and then processing them through a "Lotus" style
- menu. Safeguards are built in to prevent a file from being overwritten
- without your permission. KB-FM is for people who want a more powerful
- utility than the PC-Magazine "CO.COM" program but don't want to shell
- out $100 for a commercial program like "XTree Gold."
-
-
- Distribution
- ------------
-
- KB-FM is distributed as Shareware with a registration fee of $10.
- Shareware is a "try before you buy" concept where users are encouraged
- to share the programs with friends and business associates, upload to
- electronic bulletin board systems (BBS), etc. Those that find the
- programs useful should register their copy to support the author's
- efforts and to receive technical support or other benefits.
-
- KB-FM is distributed in a compressed format in a file called KBFM10.ZIP.
- The compressed file contains the following files that must stay together
- for distribution:
-
- FM.EXE KB-FM Program
- FM.DOC KB-FM Documentation (9 pages)
- FMCONFIG.EXE KB-FM Configuration program for registered users
- ORDER.FRM KB-FM Registration order form
-
-
- FMCONFIG Program
- ----------------
-
- The shareware version of KB-FM has black and white screen colors and an
- opening message screen with a three-second pause. No operating
- functions of KB-FM are crippled. As an additional incentive to
- register, a unique serial number will be sent to registered users. This
- serial number is used by the FMCONFIG program to disable the opening
- message screen and will let the user customize the KB-FM screen colors.
- The user can select from a default black and white or color configuration,
- or make a custom color configuration by selecting individual colors for
- 11 separate areas of the screen. FMCONFIG will also personalize your
- registered copy of KB-FM by placing your name (or company name) and serial
- number on the help screen.
-
-
- 1
-
-
- Registration
- ------------
-
- To register your copy of KB-File Manager, print the order form, fill it
- out and send in your registration fee. You can use the following DOS
- command to print the order form:
-
- COPY ORDER.FRM PRN
-
- There are four line items on the order form:
-
- 1. KB-FM Registration (no disk) : $10
- 2. KB-FM Diskette, 5.25" : $3
- 3. KB-FM Diskette, 3.5" : $3
- 4. KB-FM Site License Registration: $150
-
- Item 1 is the normal registration option for users who already have the
- KB-FM shareware files and just need the serial number for the FMCONFIG
- program. No disks are provided. Your serial number will be valid for
- all future versions of KB-FM that have a $10 registration fee. This
- means that you can self-upgrade at no cost. If the registration fee
- is raised, then you can upgrade to a new serial number by paying the
- difference between the new fee and the fee you originally paid.
-
- Items 2 and 3 are disks that contain the same shareware files that are
- distributed through the normal shareware channels. These are for people
- who have read about KB-FM but do not have a modem or other means of
- obtaining the latest version. The $3 charge is to cover my costs of
- materials and postage. A registration serial number is NOT provided
- with items 2 or 3.
-
- Item 4 is a site license for companies who need more than 15 copies of
- KB-FM. With a site license, you may make unlimited copies of KB-FM for
- use on the site. A site is defined as one or more buildings used by a
- company or institution on a contiguous area of land. The site license
- includes a registration serial number and a 5.25" and 3.5" disk. You
- may upgrade to a site license at any time by subtracting $10 for every
- registered copy you already have from the $150 site license fee.
-
- When ordering items 1 or 4, please include the name that KB-FM will be
- registered to. This name (30 characters max) will be placed on the help
- screen by the FMCONFIG program.
-
- For orders or technical support, write to:
-
- Kent Briggs
- 109A Romana Cir.
- Hewitt, TX 76643
-
-
-
-
-
-
- 2
-
-
- Disclaimer
- ----------
-
- This software is provided as is and without warranty. The author
- assumes no liability for damages, either direct or consequential, which
- may result from the use of this product.
-
-
- Installation
- ------------
-
- No special installation is needed to run KB-FM. However, you will
- probably want to put FM.EXE in your DOS path so that it will execute
- from any directory. The DOS path is defined in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file
- and lists a string of directories that are searched if DOS cannot find a
- program in the current directory. Put FM.EXE in one of those
- directories or modify the PATH statement so that it contains the KB-FM
- directory. Refer to your DOS manual for use of the PATH command.
-
- To start KB-FM, type FM at the DOS command line and press Enter. You
- may enter optional parameters on the command line:
-
- FM [pathspec][filespec] [/N,/E,/S,/D,/A,/U][R]
-
- Pathspec is the directory that KB-FM will display on startup. The
- default directory is the current directory. The Filespec is the file
- name filter that determines which files to display. The default
- filespec is *.* which displays all files. The / options determine the
- file sort order: N=name, E=extension, S=size, D=date, A=attribute, and
- U=unsorted. Use an R suffix to reverse the sort. The default sort is
- /N. The following example will show the batch files in the root
- directory on drive A and sort them by date in reverse order:
-
- FM A:\*.BAT /DR
-
-
- KB-FM Screen
- ------------
-
- The screen is divided into three main areas that contain information
- about the current directory. The File List is the large box on the left
- side of the screen. It contains the list of files in the current
- directory that match the filespec. The list contains the file name and
- extension, size, date and time, and attributes. The four possible
- attributes are A for archive, S for system, H for hidden, and R for
- read-only. Refer to your DOS manual for a description of file
- attributes. The file list is sorted by the current sort order.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- 3
-
-
- The Directory List is the box in the upper right corner of the screen.
- This list contains the subdirectories of the current directory and all
- of the logical drives on the computer. The name of the current
- directory is displayed at the bottom of the directory list in a separate
- box. The number of subdirectories and drives are displayed under the
- directory list. If the current directory is not a root directory, then
- the first item in the directory list will always be a ".." which
- represents the parent directory of the current directory. The date and
- time that the directory was created are also shown in the list. The
- directory list is always sorted by name in ascending order. Hidden
- directories are not displayed in the list.
-
- The box in the lower right corner of the screen contains additional
- information about the files in the current directory. The filespec
- shows the current file name filter that determines which files are
- displayed. The default filespec is *.* which displays all files. The
- current file sort order is shown under the filespec. "Rev" will be
- displayed if the sort is in reverse (descending) order. Both the
- filespec and sort order can be set from the FM.EXE command line or
- changed from the top line menu. The filespec and sort order remain in
- effect even after changing directories.
-
- Below the Filespec/Sort order box is the Tagged files box that displays
- the number and total size of tagged files. Files can be tagged with the
- + key and untagged with the - key (use the numeric keypad). Files are
- tagged so that they can be processed (copied, deleted, etc.) all at once
- instead of one at a time.
-
- The bottom line of the screen contains information on the number and
- total size of the files in the file list and the number and percentage
- of free disk space on the current drive. The menus are displayed on the
- top line of the screen when the / key is pressed.
-
-
- Active Keys
- -----------
-
- Scrolling: Press the left and right cursor keys or the Tab key to
- move the highlight bar between the file list and directory list. Press
- the up and down cursor keys to scroll the highlight bar in the file and
- directory lists. Press PageUp and PageDown to scroll a whole page of
- files or directories. Press Home to move to the top of the lists and
- End to move to the bottom. A down arrow will appear at the bottom of
- the list if more files (or directories) are in the list below the last
- one shown. An up arrow will appear at the top of the list if more files
- (or directories) are in the list above the first one shown.
-
- Change Dir: With the highlight bar in the directory list, press Enter
- to change to that directory. If the highlight bar is on
- the ".." directory, then the new directory will be the
- parent of the current directory. If the highlight bar is
- on a drive, then the new directory will be the current
- directory on the new drive.
-
- 4
-
-
- File Tagging: With the highlight bar in the file list, press the + key
- (use the numeric keypad) to tag the current file. An arrow
- will appear on the left side of the file name. Press - to
- untag a file.
-
- Menus: With the highlight bar in the file list, press / to display
- the File Menu on the top line. With the highlight bar in
- the directory list, press / to display the Directory Menu on
- the top line. Press Esc or the down arrow to remove the top
- line menu.
-
- File Search: Press any other key to search for a file (or directory) that
- begins with that character (i.e., press P to search for a
- file name that begins with P). The search begins at the
- highlight bar and goes down until a match is found or until
- the bottom of the list is reached at which time the search
- will continue at the top of the list and continue until the
- original starting point is reached. If a match is found,
- the highlight bar will be moved to that file (or directory).
-
-
- Directory Menu
- --------------
-
- With the highlight bar in the directory list, press / to display the
- directory menu:
-
- DIRECTORY: Make Remove Help Quit
-
- To select a menu item, press the left or right cursor keys until the
- item is highlighted and then press Enter. As a shortcut, just press the
- key corresponding to the first letter in the menu item. Press Esc or
- the down arrow key to cancel the menu.
-
- Make: Select Make to make a new subdirectory in the current directory.
- This is the same as the DOS MD command. A prompt will appear
- like this:
-
- New subdirectory for C:\
-
- Type in a valid directory name and press Enter or press Esc
- to cancel.
-
- Remove: Select Remove to remove the directory that is currently
- highlighted. This is the same as the DOS RD command. A Yes/No
- conformation prompt will appear before the directory is removed.
- An error message will be displayed if the directory is not
- empty.
-
- Help: Select Help to display the help screen. If you are a registered
- user, your name and registration serial number will be displayed.
- A list of the active keys and menu functions are listed on this
- screen. Press any key to return from the help screen.
-
- 5
-
-
- Quit: Select Quit to exit the KB-FM program.
-
-
- File Menu
- ---------
-
- With the highlight bar in the file list, press / to display the file
- menu:
-
- FILE: Copy Move Delete Rename Sort Tag Filespec Attribute Help Quit
-
- To select a menu item, press the left or right cursor keys until the
- item is highlighted and then press Enter. As a shortcut, just press the
- key corresponding to the first letter in the menu item. Press Esc or
- the down arrow key to cancel the menu.
-
- Copy: Select Copy to copy files from the current directory to a
- designated destination directory. If one or more files are
- tagged, then the tagged files will be copied. A prompt will
- appear like this:
-
- Copy 3 tagged file(s) to: _
-
- If no files are tagged, then the current highlighted file is
- copied. A prompt will appear like this:
-
- Copy KBFM10.ZIP to: _
-
- Type in a valid directory just as you would using the DOS
- COPY command or press Esc to cancel the Copy command. KB-FM
- will ensure that the destination drive/directory exists
- before an attempt is made to copy the files. The arrow "tag"
- is removed after a successful copy and the file is "marked"
- with an asterisk.
-
- If an error occurs during the copy process, the speaker will
- beep and a brief error message will be displayed. The copy
- process will continue if other files in the list are tagged.
- You can press any key to interrupt the copy process. An
- error will occur if the file has attributes other than "A"
- (archive) or if the destination drive is full.
-
- If a file with the same name already exists in the
- destination directory, the copy process is interrupted with
- the following prompt like this:
-
- KBFM10.ZIP already exists.
- (R)eplace, (S)kip, (N)o_prompting, (Q)uit?
-
- Press R to overwrite the file and continue the copy process.
- Press S to skip the file and continue with the next tagged
- file. Press N to overwrite the file and all other files that
- might already exist. Press Q to cancel the Copy command.
-
- 6
-
-
- Move: Select Move to move files from the current directory to a
- designated destination directory. If one or more files are
- tagged, then the tagged files will be moved. A prompt will
- appear like this:
-
- Move 3 tagged file(s) to: _
-
- If no files are tagged, then the current highlighted file is
- moved. A prompt will appear like this:
-
- Move KBFM10.ZIP to: _
-
- Type in a valid directory just as you would using the DOS
- COPY command (there is no DOS MOVE command) or press Esc to
- cancel the Move command. KB-FM will ensure that the
- destination drive/directory exists before an attempt is made
- to move the files.
-
- The move process is the same as the Copy command except the
- files are deleted if they are successfully copied.
-
- Delete: Select Delete to delete files from the current directory. If
- one or more files are tagged, then the tagged files will be
- deleted. A prompt will appear like this:
-
- Delete 3 tagged file(s) (Y/N) ?
-
- If no files are tagged, then the current highlighted file is
- deleted. A prompt will appear like this:
-
- Delete KBFM10.ZIP (Y/N) ?
-
- Press Y to delete the file(s) or any other key to cancel the
- delete command. A file will not be deleted if it has
- attributes other than "A" (archive).
-
- Rename: Select Rename to give the current highlighted file a
- different name. Other tagged files are not affected. A
- prompt will appear like this:
-
- Rename KBFM10.ZIP to: _
-
- Type in a valid DOS filename or press Esc to cancel the
- Rename command. An error will occur if the name is invalid
- or another file with the same name already exists.
-
- Sort: Select Sort to set the sort order for the current directory
- and all subsequent directories. A submenu will appear as
- follows:
-
- Sort by: Name Extension Size Date Attribute Unsorted Reverse
-
-
-
- 7
-
-
- Select the file sort order from this list. Select Unsorted
- to reload the current directory and leave it in the original
- DOS order. Select Reverse to reverse the current sort order
- with a descending sort. The current sort order is displayed
- in the lower right box on the screen. The sort order remains
- in effect until you change it again. The default sort order
- is by Name and can be changed from the FM.EXE command line
- (see the Installation section discussed earlier).
-
- Tag: Select Tag to tag or untag a group of files all at once.
- Individual files are tagged/untagged with the +/- keys. A
- submenu will appear as follows:
-
- Tag: All None Marked Unmarked Flip
-
- Select All to tag all files in the list. Select None to
- untag and unmark all files in the list. Select Marked to tag
- all files that are marked with an asterisk. These files have
- recently been copied or had their attributes changed. Select
- Unmarked to tag all files that are currently marked with an
- asterisk. Select Flip to tag all untagged files and to untag
- all tagged files. Marked files remain marked with an asterisk.
-
- Filespec: Select Filespec to change the current filespec. The filespec
- is the file name filter that determines which files to
- display. A prompt will appear as follows:
-
- Enter new filespec: _
-
- Type in a new filespec or press Esc to cancel. The default
- filespec is *.* which displays all files. The current
- filespec remains in effect until you change it again. You
- can change the default filespec from the FM.EXE command line
- (see Installation section). Here are some filespec examples:
-
- *.DOC ; display only files with an extension of .DOC
- K*.* ; display only files that start with a K
-
- Attribute: Select Attribute to change the attributes of files in the
- current directory. If one or more files are tagged, then the
- tagged files will be changed. A prompt will appear like
- this:
-
- Change attributes of 3 tagged files(s) to (+/-ASHR): _
-
- If no files are tagged, then the attributes of the current
- highlighted file are changed. A prompt will appear like
- this:
-
- Change attributes of KBFM10.ZIP to (+/-ASHR): _
-
- The four possible attributes are A for archive, S for system,
- H for hidden, and R for read-only. Refer to your DOS manual
-
- 8
-
-
- for a description of file attributes.
-
- Type in the attributes to change by preceding each one with a
- + to turn on or a - to turn off. Press Esc to cancel the
- Attribute command. Here are some examples:
-
- +H-S ; turn on H attribute and turn off S attribute
- ; the A and R attributes are not affected.
-
- -H-S-R-A ; turn off all attributes
-
- Help: Select Help to display the help screen. If you are a
- registered user, your name and registration serial number will
- be displayed. A list of the active keys and menu functions are
- listed on this screen. Press any key to return from the help
- screen.
-
- Quit: Select Quit to exit the KB-FM program.
-
-
- Miscellaneous
- -------------
-
- KB-File Manager 1.1 was written in Turbo Pascal 6.0 (approximately 2100
- lines of code) on a Gateway 2000 486DX2/50 computer. The program was
- beta tested on several types of computers including workstations on a
- LANtastic network.
-
- Version 1.1 does not have all the features that I want, but it is a good
- starting point. My goal was to get a bug-free version on the shareware
- market and improve on it from there. Users who register KB-FM can use
- their serial numbers to self-upgrade as new versions are released. If
- the registration fee is raised, then those users can upgrade by paying
- the difference between the new fee and the fee they originally paid.
-
- Here are some features that I may add in future versions:
-
- ASCII file viewer
- COM, EXE, and BAT launcher
- Secure file deletion: overwrite with zeros before deleting
- Mouse support
- Pull-Down menus
- Hot-Keys
-
- Please send your own suggestions to:
-
- Kent Briggs
- 109A Romana Cir.
- Hewitt, TX 76643
-
- You can also leave e-mail addressed to me on the Exec-PC BBS at
- (414)-789-4210. Exec-PC is PC-Pursuitable through WIMIL.
-
-
- 9
-
-