ProfitPress Mega CDROM2 …eeware (MSDOS)(1992)(Eng)/ProfitPress-MegaCDROM2.B6I/UTILITY/SYSTEM/FILEC120.ZIP/FILEC12.DOC

Text File | 1990-10-31 | 8.3 KB | 177 lines

                FILEC 1.2

Filec (pronounced file-see) is a memory resident utility (TSR) designed to
provide filename completion in imitation of the unix facility of the same
name.

                OPERATION

Filec is easy to operate.  To complete a filename, type the CTRL and TAB
keys simultaneously.  For instance, suppose you are in a directory with
3 files: test1.txt, test2.txt, and letter.txt.  If you type 'let' (of
'le', or even just plain 'l') then hit both the CTRL and TAB keys
simultaneously, what you typed will be completed to 'letter.txt'.  On
the other hand, if you had typed 'te' then CTRL-TAB you would only get
'test', not 'test1.txt' or 'test2.txt' because 'test' is as far as you
can complete 'te' without ambiguity.  Filec will 'beep' after a
partial completion to alert you that there is more than one completion
available.  It will also beep if there are no possible completions.
For more on completion behavior, see FIGNORE in the OPTIONS section below.

Filec has another behavior.  If you want to see all the possible
completions of a partial filename (you might want to do this if filec
can't complete the name because of mutiple possible completions), hit
the 3 keys CTRL, TAB, and SHIFT simultaneously.  In the example above, if
you entered 'te' then CTRL, TAB, and SHIFT simultaneously, filec would
display 'test1.txt test2.txt' and then reprint the last line of input,
allowing you to continue typing.

This second feature provides a handy 'dir /w' feature.  Typing CTRL, TAB,
and SHIFT directly after the prompt will list the current directory (like
dir *.*).  This is faster to type than dir /w, and it also lists files and
directories in lowercase in 'filename.ext' (with a final '\' for
directories) format format which I find much easier to read.  It will also
alphabetize, if desired (and by default, see OPTIONS section below).
Filec can handle directories with up to 120 entries.  If asked to print
out more than that it will print only an error message.

By default, filec 1.2 lists all directories first, then all files, and it
sorts each category alphabetically. Running on a 6 MHz AT clone there is
no appreciable pause for this processing.  This may not be true on slower
machines.  See OPTIONS below to learn how to disable these features.

Filec fully understands pathnames and drive numbers.  e.g. getting all
completions for 'a:' would give the directory listing of the current
directory for drive a:, but getting the completions for 'a:\' would list
the top directory for drive a:.  All completions of '..\' is the list of
the parent directory to the current one.  Using both features of filec
provides a handy way of browsing around your directory tree.  Filec also
understands wildcards, so, for example, getting all completions of *.c
would list all files with '.c' in their extensions.  If the directory has
both filename.c and filename.com they would both be listed.


                INSTALLATION

Filec is installed by running filec.com.  (Just type  'filec'  at the
dos prompt.)  After you feel comfortable with filec, I recommend having
your autoexec.bat file install it automatically.

Unlike many TSRs, filec can easily be removed from the operating
system.  Filec will stay resident until you type 'filec quit' at which
time it will remove itself from your operating system.  It can also be
temporarily disabled with 'filec wait' and restarted with 'filec restart'.
In the event that othere TSRs are loaded below it, filec may just suspend
its operation rather than remove itself from memory.  If it didn't do
this it would crash your machine when it quit.

                OPTIONS

Filec has several command-line options controlling its behavior and one
environment variable.  The environment variable FIGNORE must be set before
running filec.  The command line arguments may be used at any time by
re-running filec with the appropriate comand-line arguments.  This doesn't
make filec take up any more space in the system.

In the case of the command-line options, filec just looks for the first
letter of each command. e.g. one may use 's', 'scan', or 'sofa' instead of
the command 'scancode.'  Any number of command-line options may be used at
one time and may be issued in any order.

The default initialization of filec is equivalent to the command
'filec alphabetic 1 directories 1 scancode 15'.

Command-Line Options:

(a)lphabetic  If you don't like alphabetically listed files, execute
    'filec a 0'.  To restore alphabetization execute 'filec a 1'.

(d)irectories  If you don't want directories listed first, execute
    'filec d 0'.  To restore directory first listing execute 'filec d 1'.

(s)cancode  Filec starts up with CTRL-TAB and CTRL-SHIFT-TAB as the 'hot
    keys.'  You can specify some other key than TAB by telling filec
    its scancode.  e.g., 'filec s 1' would make ESC the hot key,
    and 'filec s 28' would make make the hot key be RETURN.  CTRL and
    CTRL-SHIFT must still be used, however.  Some other scancodes are
    TAB = 15, F1-F10 = 59-68, delete = 14.

(q)uit  'filec quit' will exit from filec, if possible.  If some other
    TSR is loaded after filec it may be impossible for filec to
    remove itself without crashing the system, in which case it will
    merely suspend operations as if you had issued the (w)ait command.

(r)estart  'filec restart' will make filec resume operations after a
    (w)ait or failed (q)uit command.

(w)ait 'filec wait' will make filec suspend all operation until asked
    to resume operating by the (r)estart command.

The FIGNORE environment variable:

Frequently, you will have many files with the same name but different
extensions, e.g., if your directory contains the files file.c, file.obj,
file.bak, and file.com and you try to complete 'fi' you will only get
'file' and a boop, because there is no unique completion.  There is a way
around this by using the FIGNORE environment variable.  FIGNORE should be
set to a list of file endings that you want overlooked in favor of any
other ending.

FIGNORE must be set before filec is started.  For instance, my autoexec
file contains the following two lines:

set fignore=.dvi;.log;.exe;.com;.obj;.aux;.map;.mak;.bak
c:\util\filec

Notice the format for FIGNORE.  It is a list of endings separated by
semi-colons.  Each ending can be at most 4 characters long.  FIGNORE
can have at most 20 endings.  I'm not sure what happens if you give it
too many filenames.


                COMPATIBILITY

Filec has run on every AT compatible it has been installed on, so far.
It has been known to behave strangely on XT clones, but usually works.
It has never yet hurt anything.  Filec runs on monochrome monitors in
text mode.  If you have CGA use filecga instead.  It also works only
in text mode.

I have not found filec to be incompatible with any software--so far.  I am
running it on an AT clone with dos 3.3, ced, and turbokey all running and
have had no problems.  Occasionally, if, after filec prints all
completions, you attempt to delete some characters in the current line,
CED will delete all the completions.  This can be startling, but there is
no cause for worry.  CED keeps track of the cursor position very carefully
and likes to keep the screen clean.  It also seems to function correctly
with some keybuffer extension programs, though I thought it wouldn't.  If
you have any information to the contrary, please let me know.

Filec stays active at all times.  This means you can use it to complete
filenames when you are inside your favorite application as long as it
(the application) does not completely take over the keyboard interrupt.
It also means that if your application uses the sames hot keys as filec
there is going to be a compatibility problem (this is why ALT-TAB in
the earlier versions of filec has been replaced by CTRL-TAB --- ALT-TAB
conflicted with MS Windows).

                WARRANTY

None.

                USAGE

Filec is in the public domain.  Anyone is allowed to use this and pass
it on to others free, or for no more than a nominal charge for handling
only.  You are under no obligation to give me anything, unless you
absolutely have to.  Of course, I wouldn't object.  Here's my address.

        Michael D. Hirsch
        2740 College Ave. #101
        Berkeley, CA  94705

Send any bug reports, suggestions or other communications to the above
address, or send me email at:
        [e-mail]
        [e-mail]