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Text File | 1993-09-04 | 71.8 KB | 1,820 lines |
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- ArcMaster 9.6
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- Copyright 1988-1993
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- All Rights Reserved
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- New-Ware Shareware Products
- 8050 Camino Kiosco
- San Diego, CA 92122
- (619) 455-6225
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- Contents
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- 1 Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
- 2 What is ArcMaster? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
- 3 Archive Systems Needed to Operate AM . . . . . . . . . . 2
- 4 About Shareware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
- 5 How To Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
- 6 The New-Ware BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
- 7 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
- 8 Version History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
- 9 Distribution Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
- 10 ArcMaster Program Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
- 11 Starting ArcMaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
- 12 The User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
- 12.1 Operating from the Main Display . . . . . . . . . . 12
- 12.2 On-line Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
- 12.3 Tagging Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
- 12.4 Dialog Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
- 12.5 The Mouse Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
- 12.6 Positioning Windows/Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
- 13 Keyboard Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
- 13.1 Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
- 13.2 Alt+Key Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
- 13.3 Ctrl+Key Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
- 13.4 Other Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
- 14 Configuring ArcMaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
- 14.1 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
- 14.2 Anti-virus Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
- 14.3 Start-up Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
- 14.4 The ArcMaster Work Directory . . . . . . . . . . . 21
- 14.5 The Log Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
- 14.6 The Compression Program Directory . . . . . . . . . 22
- 14.7 Password Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
- 14.8 Editor, Browser, and Scan Names . . . . . . . . . . 23
- 14.9 Setting Editor Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
- 15 Viewing Archive File Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
- 15.1 Multiple Compressed File Viewers . . . . . . . . . 24
- 15.2 Browsing a Compressed File . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
- 15.3 Editing A Compressed File . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
- 15.4 Creating/Editing a ZIP File Comment . . . . . . . . 25
- 16 ARJ Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
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- 16.1 PKZIP List File Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
- 16.2 PKZIP Backup Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
- 17 The AM Internal Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
- 18 AM Use of the Overlay File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
- 19 AM Use of Extended/Expanded Memory . . . . . . . . . . . 28
- 20 Running AM with NDOS or 4DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
- 21 Search Menu (Alt+S) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
- 22 Program Menu (Ctrl+X) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
- 23 Registering AM (Alt+R) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
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- 1 Disclaimer
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- New-Ware hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this product,
- whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied
- warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. New-Ware
- cannot and will not be liable for any special, incidental, consequential,
- indirect or similar damages due to loss of data or any other reason, even if
- New-Ware or an authorized New-Ware agent has been advised of the possibility
- of such damages. In no event shall the liability for any damages ever
- exceed the price paid for the license to use software, regardless of the
- form and/or extent of the claim. The user of this program bears all risk as
- to the quality and performance of the software.
-
-
- 2 What is ArcMaster?
-
-
- The name ArcMaster is short for the term Archive Master where the word
- archive means a place where documents and/or records are kept. In the
- modern world of personal computing, these documents and records are
- maintained in computer files. These files are frequently compressed and
- grouped together in archive files by special computer programs such as
- PKZIP, ARCA, PAK, LHA, and ARJ. All of these special programs are operated
- from the DOS command line and require the entry of numerous and varied
- command line switches in order to maximize their utility.
-
- ArcMaster, hereafter known as AM for short, is an archive program
- interface control system. It provides a powerful, easy to use interface
- that removes the burden of remembering all the various command line switches
- and options that may be used with archiving programs. In addition, AM is a
- flexible DOS shell that provides numerous ways in which the user can
- maintain and manipulate his/her DOS directory and file structures.
-
- AM may be used as a stand-alone program in its useful role as a DOS
- shell, but in order to manipulate compressed archive files the user must
- have present in his/her system at least one of the supported archive
- programs. A list of supported compression/decompression archive programs
- appears in the next chapter.
-
-
- 3 Archive Systems Needed to Operate AM
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- You will need at least one of the following archive systems in order to
- utilize the full capabilities of AM.
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- ARJ from Robert K. Jung - ARJ230.XXX
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- - 2 -
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- Robert Jung
- 2606 Village Road West
- Norwood, Massachusetts 02062
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- LHA from Haruyasu Yoshizaki - LHA213.XXX
- This program is free.
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- PAK from NoGate Consulting - PAK251.XXX
- NoGate Consulting
- P.O. Box 88115
- Grand Rapids, MI 49518-0115
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- ZIP from PKWARE - PKZ110.XXX
- PKWARE Inc.
- 7545 North Port Washington Road
- Suite 205
- Glendale, WI 53217-3422
-
- The file names following the program identifiers reflect the current
- versions. Please note the .XXX file extension is given because these will
- vary from location to location. Many are distributed in compressed
- executable (.EXE) format and some are distributed in the PkWare .ZIP format.
- You can find these marvelous programs on just about any computer bulletin
- board system (BBS) or commercial on-line access system such as Compuserve
- Information Service (CIS) or Genie. All of these programs may be accessed
- from the New-Ware BBS. Please see the chapter on the New-Ware BBS in this
- document.
-
- AM supports several utilities designed for the specific purpose of
- compressing executable (EXE) files. These utilities serve to compress an
- EXE file but allow the compressed file to be executed normally from DOS.
- Their trick is that they insert code into the start of the target EXE file
- that decompresses it as it loads into memory for execution. AM supports the
- following utilities of that type:
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- LZEXE from Fabrice Bellard
- This program is free
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- PKLITE from PkWare
- PKWARE Inc.
- 7545 N. Port Washington Rd.
- Suite 205
- Glendale, WI 53217-3422
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- DIET from Teddy Matsumoto
- This program is free
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- - 3 -
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- While not essential, the user should also have available a file browse
- utility as an alternative to the built in AM browser. The browser is used
- to view/browse the contents of normal files and compressed files that reside
- inside an archive. The recommended program is a
- state-of-the-art browser from Vernon Buerg named LIST.COM. AM can be
- configured to use any file browser that accepts a file path name on its
- command line. New-Ware feels that LIST is the fastest, most compact, and
- most powerful of the available browsers. LIST can be found on almost all
- BBSs in the form of LISTxxx.ZIP (or EXE). Note that the xxx denotes the
- version and version modifier, as in 7.7A (LIST77A.ZIP).
-
- It is important to note the version numbers given above. AM currently
- supports all version numbers listed above. Features in earlier versions are
- likely not to be supported and new features in later versions may not be
- supported.
-
- It is strongly recommended that all supported program files reside in a
- directory that is identified in the "CompDir:" field in the AM configuration
- dialog. If no directory is entered in this field, you will have to ensure
- that ALL supported program files reside on the DOS path.
- If you do not understand the DOS PATH, please read PATHINFO.TXT.
-
-
- 4 About Shareware
-
-
- AM is Shareware. ARJ, PAK, ZIP, and LIST are also Shareware.
- Shareware is NOT free. It is computer software offered for sale at a set
- price and the only real difference between Shareware and other commercial
- software products is the method of distribution and the important "try
- before you buy" feature. With Shareware you are normally licensed by the
- owner/author of the program to operate the Shareware distribution copy on a
- trial basis. Then if you like it and make regular use of it, you are bound
- to pay for it.
-
- Users are licensed to operate ArcMaster on their personal computers for
- the purpose of test and evaluation on a trial basis for a limited trial
- period. It is not possible to reasonably define any definitive limits of a
- fair and equitable time period for evaluation, therefore it is left to the
- user's judgment and sense of fair play as to the time required to make a
- decision as to its usefulness. If the user decides the program is not of
- sufficient merit to warrant purchase through registration with New-Ware, the
- program should be removed from his or her personal computer. Otherwise, if
- the program is deemed useful and is in regular use on the user's personal
- computer system, registration with New-Ware is required.
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- Registered users are those users that elect to pay for AM and register
- that payment with New-Ware. By virtue of registration and payment for the
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- - 4 -
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- program, registered users are granted a license to continue to utilize the
- program on their personal computer for as long as they choose. This license
- authorizes the user to use the program on any personal computer system he or
- she may own so long as the program is operated on only one computer system
- at a time.
-
- Site licenses for use of ArcMaster on multiple computers are available
- upon request at a reduced fee that is based on the number of single machines
- licensed for use.
-
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- 5 How To Register
-
-
- There is no functional difference between the Shareware distribution
- version of AM and the registered version save the absence of the opening and
- closing Shareware screens in the registered version.
-
- The price of AM is $35.00. You may register AM in one of three ways:
-
- 1) By mail with check or money order to:
-
- New-Ware
- 8050 Camino Kiosco
- San Diego, CA 92122-1820
-
- 2) By telephone with Visa/Mastercard to:
-
- New-Ware
- (619) 455-6225
- Business hours ONLY please!
- Monday thru Friday
- 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time
- Saturday
- 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific Time
-
- 3) Electronically through the New-Ware BBS:
-
- New-Ware BBS
- (619) 455-5226
- 24 Hours per day
- 7 Days per week
-
- 4) In Japan please call P. & A. Ltd. at 0425-46-9141 to
- Register.
-
- Special site license rates for licensing multiple copies of ArcMaster
- are available. Please license fee schedule information.
-
-
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- - 5 -
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- Foreign (non-US/Canada) orders must include a $2.00 special handling
- fee in addition to the $35.00 registration fee. Also, no checks on banks
- located outside the United States will be accepted.
-
- California residents MUST include state sales tax with their order.
-
- This Shareware version of ArcMaster may be freely copied and passed on
- to other individual users for their evaluation. Disk vendors and/or
- distributors that desire to distribute ArcMaster must adhere to the
- guidelines presented in VENDOR.DOC.
-
- Press Alt+H and then the "R" key to invoke an interactive registration
- form dialog. All pertinent information may be entered into the dialog and
- then sent to the printed as a registration form.
-
- Upgrades to later versions are available to registered users on the
- New-Ware BBS at no cost. Access to the BBS is a privilege granted by New-
- Ware that may be revoked at any time for any reason. Those who request
- upgrades via telephone or mail must remit a $5.00 charge for an upgrade.
-
-
- 6 The New-Ware BBS
-
-
- New-Ware Shareware Products BBS
-
- (619) 450-3257 - Node #1 1200/2400/9600/14400 QuickComm Spirit II
- 455-5226 - Node #2 1200/2400 (9600 HST) US Robotics HST
-
- The New-Ware Shareware Products BSS operates 24 hours per day, 7 days
- per week. Node #1 is dedicated to registered users only. Nodes #2 is open
- to all callers. Users registering via the BBS receive access to the latest
- registered version within 1 day after leaving their credit card data. Users
- who register by mail or phone may also access the registered version by BBS,
- but you MUST log on and leave a comment to the sysop to the effect that you
- are a registered user and desire access. The author can also be contacted
- on CIS via PPN 71535,665 (please use EASYPLEX).
-
- The latest versions of all programs that are supported or used by AM
- may be obtained via the BBS. The BBS also serves as an avenue for product
- support. You may report problems or ask questions about the operation of AM
- via the message facility of the BBS.
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- - 6 -
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- 7 System Requirements
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- AM may be operated on any IBM PC/XT/AT/PS2 or compatible running under
- DOS 3.0 and above. The amount of DOS memory required to operate AM will
- vary dynamically and will generally be a function of the number of files in
- each of the main windows. AM is very efficient and should operate with no
- problems in all but the leanest memory environment.
-
- All monitor and graphics cards are supported, including "composite" (2
- color) monitors and backlit laptop screens. When executed, AM will
- automatically switch to current screen mode and adjust to the current
- vertical screen height and upon exit to DOS it will restore the original
- video state. EGA/VGA users may toggle between the normal 25 line and the
- 43/50 line mode while running AM and AM may be configured to be forced into
- the 43/50 line mode at run-time.
-
- Mouse support is automatically provided if a mouse driver is present in
- the system. Any dot matrix or laser printer may be used for printing file
- directory listings. The printer must be capable of printing IBM line draw
- characters if the directory tree is to be legibly printed.
-
- AM is designed primarily for use with one or more hard drives.
- Starting and operating AM from a 5 1/4" 360K drive is not recommended
- because of the lack of disk space for temporary files, etc. A multiple 3
- 1/2" 720K/1.4M or 5 1/4" 1.2M system will probably be okay, but a hard drive
- is the best way to go.
-
-
- 8 Version History
-
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- Version 9.0 Released - 03/13/93
-
- - Incorporated bug fixes and suggestions from beta testers.
-
- Version 9.1 Released - 03/16/93
-
- - In the AM directory tree the Home and End keys were not sending the
- cursor to the top and bottom of the list.
- - The sort direction (ascending/descending) was not being saved in the
- AM.CFG file.
- - AM was not responding properly to EGA/VGA video modes other than 25,
- 43, and 50 line modes. It now handles 33, 36, etc. modes.
- - AM was not responding the enhanced keyboard auxiliary keypad cursor
- keys.
- - Check disk numeric fields were too small for drives of 100 mb or
- larger.
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- - 7 -
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- - Added compressed vs. normal file stats in the compressed file
- viewer.
- - The ability to immediately view a file named on the command line was
- omitted. Now AM will go to the specified file and invoke the file
- browser if a normal file or the compressed file viewer if a
- compressed file.
- - Dynamic memory indicator (in 1K increments) added to right end of
- menu bar.
- - Added special marker for a Zipped file that PKZIP has marked as a
- text file.
- - Added user-defined color for ZIP and ARJ files in the main, tagged,
- and compressed file list that have hidden, system, etc., file
-
- Version 9.2 Released - 04/15/93
-
- - The active file list was not being updated after deleting converted
- compressed files.
- - The PAK compression dialog file extension field was not being
- properly set.
- - Their were some bugs in the 4DOS DESCRIPT.ION file support functions
- that did not get caught in the beta period.
- - Attempting to SCAN a compressed SFX EXE file would cause a system
- hang.
- - The tag-by-date (Alt+D) function would not work when the "Use global
- tagging" option was turned off.
- - Added volume label switch (-$) to the ARJ compression dialog.
- - Added support for handling CD-ROM drives using the New-Ware tree LOG
- strategy.
- - Smoothed out the action of the cursor bar after certain operations.
- - Added capability to swap tags, i.e., tag all untagged and untag all
- tagged files (Alt+Space).
- - The F8, F9, & F10 key macros for one-key insertion of a compressed
- file name into the compression dialog that existed in v8.4 have
- been restored. The macros are:
- - Add a "mIsc" menu item that permits clearing the line input editor
- history buffer.
-
- Version 9.3 released 05/14/93
-
- - Fixed problem with passing ARCE.COM an incorrectly formatted command
- line.
- - Fixed bug in maintaining the proper sort direction.
- - Fixed bug in reading ARJ backup files that span a diskette.
- - Added prompt for command line parameter entry when using Ctrl+Enter
- to execute a file.
- - Inserted a user pause between files during batch decompression
- operations.
- - Added a mouse press to the user pause function.
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- - 8 -
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- - Added special listing format for the central directory of a floppy
- disk backup set (see section on PKZIP considerations).
- - Added toggle (F2) between file size/length and date/time in the
- compressed file viewer.
- - Added configurable "No archive sort" to the compressed file viewer
- and added ability to toggle (F3) between sort and no sort.
- - Enabled file mask (F7) and sort (F8) commands while in the zoom
- window.
- - Added "/M" command line switch to force into monochome operation.
- - Added ability to show the oldest, newest, smallest, and largest
- files while in the archive file viewer (Alt+S).
- - Added 4 column, 14 horizontally scrolled display of the current
- directory structure (F5 in the graphic tree).
-
- Version 9.4 released 06/08/94
-
- - Fixed problem with deleting file descriptions from 4DOS/NDOS
- DESCRIPT.ION files.
- - Fixed bug in the ZIP comment editor.
- - Add the use of full path names (when applicable) and the "-p"
- switch when processing tags in an ARJ file listing.
-
- Version 9.5 released 07/21/93
-
- - Fixed bug that caused various problems when starting AM with
- a compressed file name as the command line parameter.
- - Fixed problem with forcing AM into a black & mode on lap top
- computers.
- - Added the capability to direct printer output to either LPT1 or
- LPT2 at printing time.
- - Added a warning if and when AM detects that a ZIP file has damage
- to its end of central directory record. PKZIP/PKUNZIP will NOT
- warn you of the damage.
- - The overlay file (AM.OVR) will now attempt to load into extended
- memory (XMS) first. This means that an EMS manager is no longer
- required to operate the overlay file from memory.
-
- Version 9.6
-
- - The Ctrl+Enter function in the compressed file viewer was broken.
- Fixed.
- - The internal editor search commands, Ctl+Qf & Ctl+Qa, were broken.
- Fixed.
- - Added a history buffer to the program execution (Ctrl+Enter)
- command line input.
- - Added capability for the calculator to retain the last displayed
- number between uses.
- - Added a command, Alt + F5, to tag all files in the active directory
-
-
-
- - 9 -
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- that have the archive bit set.
- - The copy/move file overwrite warning box obscured the target file
- name. Fixed.
- - Added employment of a resource file (AM.RES). Use of a resource
- file increases the amount of memory available to manipulate DOS
- and archive system files.
-
-
- 9 Distribution Files
-
-
- The following files are included in AM distribution package:
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- AM.EXE - Main program
- AM.OVR - Overlay file
- AM.RES - Resource file
- AMHELP.HLP - Help file
- AM.DOC - Operating manual
- EXECMENU.AM - Sample program menu
- AMCOLORS.DOC - Setting program colors
- PATHINFO.TXT - DOS PATH information
- PROGMENU.DOC - User defined menu info
- VENDOR.DOC - Disk vendor info
- CD-ROM.TXT - Info on CD-ROM disk
- WHAT'S.NEW - Latest product info (if needed)
-
- New-Ware prohibits the modification of any of these files in any way,
- shape, or form except by the individual evaluator or purchaser.
-
-
- 10 ArcMaster Program Files
-
-
- It is important that you place the ArcMaster program files listed below
- in the same directory and ensure that directory appears in your DOS path
- string:
-
- AM.EXE
- AM.OVR
- AM.RES
- AM.CFG
- AMHELP.HLP
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- AM will not run if it cannot locate its overlay file (AM.OVR) or its
- resource file (AM.RES). If AM cannot locate its help file (AMHELP.HLP),
- there will be no context sensitive on-line help available in the program and
- important configuration information will not be available if AM is unabl to
- locate its configuration file (AM.CFG).
-
-
-
- - 10 -
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- Other files created by AM include:
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- AM.HST
- AMCOLOR.SET
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- Text input line history information is maintained in AM.HST and the
- color configuration is maintained in AMCOLOR.SET.
-
- AM expects to find all the required and optional files in the directory
- from which it resides when it is loaded and executed. This will be no
- problem if all AM program files are placed in the same directory and that
- directory is on the DOS path so that AM will be run from the same directory
- no matter where you are in your system when you invoke AM.
-
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- 11 Starting ArcMaster
-
-
- AM can be started from the DOS command line by typing AM and pressing
- the Enter key. Up to three command line parameters are accepted. There may
- be one or two valid DOS path names and there may be one valid DOS file name.
- For example, to start AM with the directory D:\FOO\BAR active in the AM
- right file window, enter AM D:\FOO\BAR. To start AM with C:\ARCHIVE in the
- left window and D:\FOO\BAR in the right window, enter AM C:\ARCHIVE
- D:\FOO\BAR.
-
- AM may be run from a DOS batch file or from another DOS shell, but if
- it is run from another shell you may have to adjust the configuration so
- that AM has sufficient memory to operate.
-
- If a file name may be placed on the command line when starting AM, the
- file will be viewed as soon as loads the main file windows. This means that
- the compressed file viewer will be called if the file is a compressed file,
- otherwise the default browser will be called.
-
- First time users of the Shareware evaluation version of AM will note
- that the first event that occurs after the Shareware delay is complete is
- the appearance of the AM configuration dialog. It is important that you
- configure at the very least the following two directories:
-
- Work Dir:
- Comp Dir:
-
- The work directory is require for the exclusive use of AM. The
- compression directory is the single directory where all of your archive
- system programs (PKZIP.EXE, PKUNZIP.EXE, LHA.EXE, etc.) reside.
-
- Be sure to save the configuration to disk before proceeding.
-
-
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- - 11 -
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- 12 The User Interface
-
-
- The AM user interface has been carefully designed to provide a set of
- commands and controls that maximize the program's utility for both straight
- keyboard and mouse users. The interface employs a "point and shoot" file
- manipulation function via file name lists with scrolling cursor bars. All
- AM functions are available through a pull-down menu system that may be
- activated with the mouse or by pressing either keyboard slash (/ or \) key.
- All functions are also accessible via Alt and Ctrl key combinations. The
- program can be exited to DOS via the menu, by pressing Esc key, by pressing
- Alt+=, or by pressing Alt+X. Alt+X exits immediately while the Esc key asks
- for confirmation.
-
- Most commands result in the appearance of a window or dialog box. For
- the purposes of this manual, dialog boxes are windows that contain
- specialized controls such as check buttons and push buttons. All windows
- can be exited immediately by pressing the Esc key. The same effect will
- result from clicking on the small square symbol in the upper left corner of
- the window.
-
- 12.1 Operating from the Main Display
-
- AM has two main file list windows. Each window is capable of
- displaying all the files from a specific DOS directory from any drive in
- your system. Only one window can be active at a time and the active window
- displays a different frame and file selection indicator from that of the
- inactive window.
-
- The user may change the active window by pressing the Tab key, the
- Right/Left Arrow keys, or by clicking in the desired window's area with the
- mouse. The cursor pad keys (Home, PgDn, Up Arrow, etc.) always move the
- cursor bar in the active window up or down the file list.
-
- The file list in each window consists of a text line that represents
- each file retrieved from the active directory. This line displays the file
- name, size in bytes, and the date. The line just above the file list frame
- contains the sequential number and name of the file under the cursor bar as
- well as the file time and the file attribute codes.
-
- AM supports a character-by-character file name speed search. The
- search string is built by pressing character keys and it appears just above
- the list frame during the search. As the string is built, AM will search
- the list for the first file name that matches and move the cursor bar to
- that file line if found. For example, if "Q" is pressed and then "Z" is
- pressed and there is at least one file name on the list that begins with
- "QZ", AM will move the cursor to that file. Moving the cursor bar with any
-
-
-
-
- - 12 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
- arrow key will halt the search and the Backspace key may be used to remove
- characters from the search string.
-
- Most AM commands act either directly upon the file under the cursor bar
- when the command is activated or upon a group of files that have been tagged
- (marked) for batch operation. More about tagging files can be found later
- in this document. The symbol that indicates that a file is tagged is a
- small right triangle located to the left of the file name.
-
- The top bar of the display is a menu bar that may be accessed by
- clicking on an item with the mouse, pressing Alt+"key" where k is one of the
- menu item shortcut keys (A, F, N, I, P, H & G), or by pressing the "/" or
- "\" key. All AM functions can be activated through one of the main menu
- items.
-
- A two-line status bar occupies the bottom two lines of the display.
- The first line indicates certain commands and the related command keys and
- the second line contains the current time, date, and hot archive name. The
- first line of the status bar will change to support various pop-up windows
- and dialogs.
-
- AM supports multiple editing windows and multiple archive file viewer
- windows. The two main windows and all multiple edit and viewer windows are
- numbered in the upper right hand frame corner. The left and right main
- windows are numbered #1 and #2, respectively. Non-mouse users may move from
- window to window by pressing Alt+# where # is the number of the window to
- make active.
-
- 12.2 On-line Help
-
- Textual descriptions of all AM functions are available from the main AM
- display and all windows by pressing the F1 key, using the main Help menu, or
- by clicking on the Help identifier in the status bar. A window will open
- that either presents a list of commands and abbreviated command names or
- context sensitive help. Selecting an item from the help list will open
- another window that contains a description of the selected command.
-
- Help for a specific item can be located by accessing the main menu,
- placing the cursor bar over the desired item, and pressing the F1 key or
- clicking with the mouse on the status bar help identifier.
-
- The help system is cross-referenced and cross-referenced items appear
- in highlight in the help text window. Use the Tab key to move through
- available cross-reference items and press the Enter key (or double click the
- mouse) on the desired item to change the help window to text on that
- specific item.
-
-
-
-
-
- - 13 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Press the F1 key while in the help system to access an alphabetized
- menu of AM functions for which textual help is available.
-
- You may send any help topic that is loaded into the help window to your
- printer by pressing Alt+P.
-
- Press Alt+F1 to return to the last help topic viewed.
-
- AM provides the capability to use the designated file browser (usually
- LIST.COM) to browse the associated archive system documentation (DOC) file
- from the compression and decompression dialog boxes via Alt+F1. The
- associated DOC file(s) must be named as specified below and must reside in
- the same directory that is identified in the "CompDir:" field of the AM
- configuration dialog. This is the same directory AM expects to find all
- supported archive system files.
-
- MANUAL.DOC - PKZIP
- ARJ.DOC - ARJ
- LHA.DOC - LHA
- PAK.DOC - PAK
- ARCA.DOC - ARCA
- ARCE.DOC - ARCE
-
- With the exception of LHA, these files are distributed as named above. The
- LHA package usually contains LHAxxx.DOC, where xxx denotes a 3 digit version
- number. Simply renaming this file to LHA.DOC will suffice.
-
- 12.3 Tagging Files
-
- Groups of files appearing in the active file list may be marked for
- certain archiving operations by "tagging" them. To tag a file, move the
- cursor bar to the file and press the space bar or one of the plus (+) keys.
- A right triangle symbol appears to the left of the file name to denote its
- tagged status. The tag is a toggle operation and therefore files are
- untagged the same way they are tagged. All files in an active window may be
- tagged at once by pressing Ctrl+T and all tagged files may untagged at once
- by pressing Ctrl+U. The status of tagged files in both windows is
- constantly displayed and updated on the main AM display.
-
- The mouse may also be used for tagging. Groups of files may be tagged
- by holding down the left mouse button and slowly dragging the mouse cursor
- down the active file list. Individual files may be tagged by pressing the
- right mouse button.
-
- Files tagged in a directory will be added to the master tag list. If
- AM is configured to support global tagging, you may change to a different
- directory in either window and tag more files. In this way, you can tag
- files from anywhere in your system. If global file tagging is not
-
-
-
- - 14 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
- supported, the current tagged list is cleared any time the active window
- experiences a change of directory. Alt+U clears the global tag list.
-
- The current tagged file list can be viewed at any time by pressing
- Alt+T. The copy (Alt+C), move (Alt+C), delete (Del), and change attribute
- (Ctrl+F3) commands will also invoke the tag list dialog if one or more files
- are tagged when the command is issued.
-
- CAUTION: The AM global tag list stores full DOS path names to each
- tagged file. The following example shows how you can be "tricked" by PKZIP.
- Two files are tagged. They have the same name but reside in different
- directories, as in:
-
- C:\MYUTIL\WORDPROC.DAT
- D:\WORD\PROJECT\NEW\WORDPROC.DAT
-
- If the PKZIP command option "Store Paths" switch ("-P") is not set, PKZIP
- will NOT add the second file to a ZIP archive because it will ignore path
- names and refuse to add duplicate file names. So if you intend to tag files
- of the same name from different directories, be SURE that the "Store Paths"
- option is ON.
-
- You can use Ctrl+G and then Ctrl+K to mark a block of files. Ctrl+G
- marks the first file in the block and Ctrl+K marks the last file. The first
- file must be higher on the list than the last file.
-
- The mouse may also be used to tag files by selecting a file name,
- holding down the left mouse button, and dragging the mouse up or down. The
- right mouse button will tag files individually.
-
- 12.4 Dialog Boxes
-
- Dialog boxes are used extensively throughout AM to provide the user
- with a means to set specific commands and options prior to performing a
- particular operation. Dialogs usually include boxed clusters of controls
- called radio buttons and check boxes. The user may move from cluster to
- cluster with the Tab/Shift-Tab command, Alt+Shortcut, or mouse. The
- shortcut character is the highlighted character in the title string of the
- cluster box.
-
- Dialog boxes also contain push-button controls that are labeled
- according the command function they represent. A push button may be
- "pushed" by clicking with the mouse, pressing Alt+Shortcut key, or by moving
- to the control and pressing the Enter key.
-
- Many dialogs contain editable text fields and some dialogs have input
- fields that are updated dynamically as the user selects specific options or
- switches. Pressing the Enter key while in an editing field is the same as
-
-
-
- - 15 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
- pushing the Okay button for that dialog. The oKay button always signals to
- AM to proceed with the operation and the Quit button always exits the dialog
- with no further action.
-
- Some dialogs contain list boxes which contain a list of file names. A
- prime example is the compressed file contents viewer dialog. If a dialog
- box contains an input field for the entry of a file name or other text, the
- box should be exited for continuation of the operation by pressing the Enter
- key while the cursor is in the text field. If the text field is empty when
- the Enter key is pressed, the operation will be aborted. Pressing Esc
- anytime while in a dialog box will close the box and abort the operation.
- Almost all dialog boxes have a push-button, which is a small box with an
- "oKay" inside. Mouse users may move the mouse to the "oKay" and press the
- left mouse button to signify proceeding with the indicated operation.
-
- 12.5 The Mouse Interface
-
- Mouse users will find the AM mouse interface quite easy and intuitive
- to use. Like most mouse interfaces, the mouse cursor may be moved to a
- control location on the main display or within a dialog box and the left
- mouse button clicked to activate that command or control. For example,
- moving the mouse cursor to the pull-down menu line at the top of the main
- display and pressing the left mouse button will activate the menu system.
- Each window and dialog box has a small square symbol between brackets
- in the upper left corner of the frame. Clicking on this symbol will close
- the window just as if the Esc key were pressed. Clicking on the "Quit"
- button in any dialog will also close the window with no action.
-
- The mouse can be used with scroll bars that appear down the right edge
- of any window that contains a file list. You may "drag" the scroll marker
- down the bar by moving the cursor to the marker, holding down the left
- button, and moving the mouse up or down. Alternatively, you may place the
- cursor at a specific location on the vertical bar and click the mouse. This
- will move the file list cursor bar to the relative location of the scroll
- bar marker. Clicking on either arrow at the top and bottom of the scroll
- bar scrolls the file list up and down, respectively.
-
- LIST users please note that AM does not pass the mouse command line
- switch ("/M") to LIST. If you desire to have the mouse active when entering
- LIST from AM, you must use the LIST clone feature to create a version of
- list that will use the mouse. Please see LIST.DOC for further information.
- This accommodates those users who wish to use a file browser other than
- LIST.
-
- AM saves and restores the mouse state when shelling out to call an
- external program. This prevents AM from altering the target program's mouse
- defaults. AM also saves the mouse state at program run time and restores it
- upon program exit.
-
-
-
- - 16 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
- 12.6 Positioning Windows/Dialogs
-
- The editor and compressed file viewer windows may be moved around the
- screen with the mouse or the keyboard. Press the Ctrl+F5 key, move the
- window to the desired location with the arrow keys, and then press the Enter
- key to exit the move mode. Or you may position the mouse on the top window
- frame, hold down the left button, and drag the window to a new location.
-
- Edit windows may be re-sized. Click on the lower right corner of the
- edit window and drag the mouse until the desired window width and height are
- reached. Or press the F5 key and control the width and height with the
- left/right or up/down arrow keys, respectively.
-
-
- 13 Keyboard Commands
-
-
- In addition to comprehensive mouse support, AM employs the use of Ctrl,
- Alt, and function key inputs.
-
- 13.1 Function Keys
-
- Each of the ten keyboard function keys are assigned a command and
- pressing one of these keys bypasses the menu system and immediately executes
- the assigned command. Function key command assignments are:
-
- F1 - Help
- F2 - Change active archive system
- F3 - Change system drive
- F4 - Zoom active window
- F5 - Open directory tree display
- F6 - Rename file
- F7 - Change file mask
- F8 - Change file sort
- F9 - Compress file(s)
- F10 - Decompress file(s)
-
- The following function keys may be used as key "macros" while operating
- in any of the compression dialogs:
-
- F8 - Insert file name under active cursor bar
- F9 - Insert current date string (mm-dd-yy)
- F10 - Insert current directory name
-
- 13.2 Alt+Key Commands
-
- Seven Alt+key commands are dedicated to activating one of the pull-down
- menus. The are:
-
-
-
- - 17 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Alt+A - Archive commands
- Alt+F - File commands
- Alt+N - Navigation commands
- Alt+I - Miscellaneous commands
- Alt+P - Executable program menu
- Alt+G - Tag operations menu
- Alt+H - Help menu
-
- The following Alt+key commands are assigned to the indicated AM
- functions:
-
- Alt+C - Copy file(s)
- Alt+D - Tag By Date
- Alt+E - Edit file
- Alt+J - Compress directory
- Alt+K - Calculator
- Alt+L - Calendar
- Alt+M - Move file(s)
- Alt+Q - Toggle video mode
- Alt+R - Register ArcMaster
- Alt+S - Search for file
- Alt+T - Show tagged files
- Alt+U - Untag files - global
- Alt+V - Call virus scanner
- Alt+W - Make both windows same
- Alt+X - Exit immediately to DOS
- Alt+Z - Check for duplicate files
- Alt+F1 - Load AM.DOC into the viewer
- Alt+F4 - Call 4DOS DESCRIPT.ION Editor
- Alt+F3 - Check disk functions
- Alt+F10- Convert compressed file(s)
- Alt+= - Exit to active directory
-
- 13.3 Ctrl+Key Commands
-
- The following Ctrl+key commands are assigned to the indicated AM
- functions:
-
- Ctrl+A - Auto-update function
- Ctrl+B - Reset file archive bits
- Ctrl+C - Configure ArcMaster
- Ctrl+D - Update To Latest
- Ctrl+E - Edit new file
- Ctrl+F - Call FormatMaster (FM.EXE)
- Ctrl+G - Start tag block
- Ctrl+I - Edit with internal editor
- Ctrl+K - Tag from tag block start
- Ctrl+L - Pack EXE file function
-
-
-
- - 18 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Ctrl+N - Browse with internal browser
- Ctrl+P - Print file/directory listing
- Ctrl+Q - Quick directory tree
- Ctrl+S - Single Archive function
- Ctrl+T - Tag all files
- Ctrl+U - Untag all files
- Ctrl+V - VirusSCAN DOS files
- Ctrl+W - Swap main file windows
- Ctrl+X - Program Exec Menu
- Ctrl+Z - Call PKZIPFIX
- Ctrl+F1 - Help for command keys
- Ctrl+F2 - Print text file
- Ctrl+F3 - Change file attribute
- Ctrl+F4 - Call 4DOS DESCRIBE
- Ctrl+F5 - Move window/dialog
- Ctrl+F6 - Set tagged files date/time stamp
- Ctrl+F7 - Set mask like extension
- Ctrl+F8 - Tag all like extension
- Ctrl+F9 - Multi-update function
- Ctrl+Enter - Execute EXE file
- Ctrl+PgUp - Go to parent directory
-
- 13.4 Other Commands
-
- The PgUp, PgDn, Up/Down Arrow, Home, and End keys are all operative for
- moving through any of the file list displays. Other miscellaneous commands
- are:
-
- Asterisk - Reset the file mask to *.* and refresh
- Slash - Access menu system
- Ins Key - Set Archive "Hot Name"
- Del Key - Delete single or tagged files
- Space Bar - Tag/Untag file
-
- The archive "Hot Name" command will set the hot name to the file name
- under the cursor bar. Any time thereafter that you elect to compress files,
- AM will insert that name automatically into the archive name field in the
- appropriate dialog box. The Ins Key is a toggle so if the hot name is not
- set when pressed, it will be set and if it is set, it will be cleared.
-
-
- 14 Configuring ArcMaster
-
-
- AM provides the capability to configure various options and to save
- those options to a disk file if desired. Selection of the Configure AM item
- on the mIsc pull-down menu (Alt+I) or pressing Ctrl+C opens a dialog box in
- which the configuration may be set. Keep in mind that the current sort
-
-
-
- - 19 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
- order, active archive system, active convert option, and all archive system
- command options will also be saved in their current states.
-
- If you exit the configuration dialog via the "oKay" button, the changes
- you made will be in effect immediately but will not be saved to disk. You
- must use the "Save" button (Alt+S) to save the configuration to the file
- named AM.CFG.
-
- You may use the "Reset" button to negate any changes you have made and
- restore all settings to the state they were in upon entry to the dialog.
-
- The "Load" button can be used to load a configuration that you have
- stored in a directory other than the AM host directory.
-
- Help can be attained for any specific configuration item/field by
- pressing the F1 key. The help text that appears will be specific to the
- focused item/field when the F1 key is pressed.
-
- 14.1 Options
-
- There is a check box cluster which can be used to toggle various AM
- options as listed below:
-
- Options
- [X] Show hidden files - Display hidden/sys/r-only files
- [ ] Force 43/50 line mode - Force 43/50 line EGA/VGA mode
- [X] Beeps on - Turn sound on/off
- [ ] Use password - Use password for compression ops
- [X] Prompt for overwrite - Confirm before overwrite during copy
- [X] Pause after ops - After comp/decomp/etc.
- [X] Sort directory tree - Sort the directory tree
- [X] Sort archive by extn - Sort by extension in archive viewer
- [X] Pause after prog exec - Pause after executing program
- [ ] Erase after conversion - Erase target files after conversion
- [ ] Menu acts on 1st click - First mouse click activates menu item
- [ ] Use global tagging - Permit tagging from multiple dirs
- [ ] Use 24 hour time - Display time in 24 hour "hh:mm" format
- [X] Use shadowed windows - All windows/boxes are shadowed
-
- Most of these options are self-explanatory. The "Mouse 1st Click"
- option affects how the left mouse button works in the AM menu system. If
- turned OFF (unchecked is the default), then AM will move the cursor bar to
- an item on the first click and then will select the item on the second
- click. This provides a bit of protection against selecting the wrong item.
- If "Mouse 1st Click" is ON then AM will immediately select the menu item
- under the mouse cursor when the left button is clicked.
-
-
-
-
-
- - 20 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
- "When Sort Arc by Ext" is checked, AM will sort the contents of a
- compressed file by file name and extension so that files with common
- extensions are grouped together.
-
- If the "Pause After Exec" option is selected then AM will pause
- immediately after the target program is exited so you can see any program
- results on the screen.
-
- 14.2 Anti-virus Scanner
-
- Either the McAfee VIRUScan or Norton Anti-virus program may be
- selected. Be sure that the correct file name and path for the selected
- scanner is placed into the "Vscan:" field.
-
- 14.3 Start-up Directories
-
- A directory path name may be entered for each of the two file windows
- for AM to use upon start-up. Each time AM is started, these directory paths
- will be used unless overridden by a command line entry. Do not enter a file
- mask here. AM will save the file mask active for each window when the
- configuration is saved and will used the saved file masks automatically at
- start-up. You may also enter the name of a compressed file on the command
- line to direct AM to go immediately into the compressed file viewer using
- the file name as the target.
-
- 14.4 The ArcMaster Work Directory
-
- This is an extremely important configuration item. AM requires
- exclusive use of a hard drive directory for use during archive file
- conversions and other file operations. AM will also use this directory as a
- temporary directory for archiving programs use.
-
- PKZIP fans should note that there are two instances where PKZIP may
- need to create a temporary file on a hard drive while manipulating a ZIP
- file on a floppy drive. The first is when PKZIP is building a large file on
- a floppy disk and the second case is when PKZIP is modifying an existing ZIP
- file on a floppy disk. The first case must be handled by placing the
- following line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: SET PKTMP=X:\TEMPPATH, where
- X:\TEMPPATH is the full path name of the temporary directory you wish PKZIP
- to use. PKZIP does NOT use the "-b" switch in this case. The second case
- is handled by designating X:\TEMPPATH as the AM temporary directory as
- described above. It is recommended, but not required that the same
- directory be used for both cases.
-
- 14.5 The Log Directory
-
- AM provides a graphical directory tree for navigation and directory
- manipulation. If no Log directory is specified, AM will always scan the
-
-
-
- - 21 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
- current drive whenever the tree needs to be displayed. This can be a
- lengthy process, especially on slow hard drives with lots of directories.
- AM uses a directory log file strategy to avoid this problem. What this
- means is that if a valid Log directory is specified, the first time the tree
- is scanned on a given drive AM will store the tree information in a file and
- place it in the specified log directory. Then all following calls to access
- the tree result in AM reading that file instead of re-scanning the drive,
- which is very fast. The file names that AM will place in the Log directory
- are NEW-WARE.X, where X is the drive designator.
-
- One important item must be kept in mind when using this strategy. AM
- will have no knowledge of any directories that are created, renamed, or
- removed outside of AM. You can accomplish each of these operations while in
- the tree. If you add a new directory and then bring up AM and call up the
- tree, the new directory will not appear on the tree. In this case you will
- need to manually re-scan the disk by invoking the AM directory dialog with
- F3 or F5 and pressing the "Scan Drv" button.
-
- Just remember that if you have not entered a valid DOS drive:\directory
- path in the log directory field of the configuration dialog, AM will scan
- the disk to collect the directory names each time the tree is opened.
-
- This version of AM includes an alternative to the main AM directory
- tree. Use Ctrl+Q to activate the Quick Tree function. This function
- displays an abbreviated directory tree that does not use the log file
- strategy described above.
-
- AM provides special support for CD-ROM drives. When a CD-ROM drive is
- accessed the first time, AM will scan the drive to build the directory tree.
- This data will then be stored in a file with a name built from the first 8
- characters of the CD-ROM disk volume label and an extension of "CDR". If no
- volume label exists, AM will name the file "CD-ROM" plus the drive letter.
- For example, if you access a CD-ROM drive with a disk whose volume label is
- "ATLAS", the log file name will be "ATLAS.CDR" and if you access a CD-ROM
- drive that is drive "M" in your system that has a disk that does not have a
- volume label, the log file name will be "CD-ROM.M".
-
- 14.6 The Compression Program Directory
-
- This directory is where AM will expect to find ALL of the supported
- archive system programs:
-
- ARJ.EXE
- ARCE.COM
- LHA.EXE
- PAK.EXE
- PKZIP.EXE
- PKZIPFIX.EXE
-
-
-
- - 22 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
- PKUNZIP.EXE
- ZIP2EXE.EXE
-
- If no valid directory is entered here, AM will expect the programs
- above to reside in a directory identified in the DOS path. In addition, AM
- expects to find the archive system program documentation files in this
- directory. The configuration field name is "CompDir:" AM will also look
- for the respective archive system .DOC files in this directory.
-
- 14.7 Password Operations
-
- ARJ, PAK, and ZIP each have a provision for password protecting
- compressed files. To enable password use, first invoke the AM configuration
- dialog (Ctrl+C) and then check the box that is labeled "Use Password". If
- this box is checked, a password entry field will appear in the compression
- dialog when compressing files. If this field is left blank, AM will not
- pass the password switch to the active archive system program. If it is not
- blank, whatever appears in this field will be passed as the password.
-
- You may save your password to the AMCONFIG.CFG file by invoking any
- archive system compression dialog, entering a password in the password field
- and then saving the configuration. If you have AM configured to use a
- password and have a password saved in the .CFG file, you can still compress
- a batch of files not using the password by simply clearing the password
- field and leaving it that way throughout the session.
-
- 14.8 Editor, Browser, and Scan Names
-
- Each of these fields identify to AM the executable file names to call
- when editing, browsing, or scanning. Be sure to enter the file name as a
- minimum. The full path is optional, but if no path is included with the
- file name, AM will expect DOS to find the program on the DOS path. Here is
- are some examples of how the browser might be identified:
-
- C:\UTIL\LIST.COM
- LIST
- LIST.COM
- E:\MYUTIL\VIEWER\LIST.COM
-
- AM also supports the Norton Anti-Virus (NAV) program. To use NAV,
- insure that the selected scanner program and the "Vscan:" field match.
-
- 14.9 Setting Editor Memory
-
- The "Edit Mem:" field controls the amount of memory AM will allocate to
- the internal text editing system at start-up. This value must fall between
- 1024 and 163,840 bytes. The maximum size text file that may be edited is
- 64,535 bytes.
-
-
-
- - 23 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
- AM will allocate the amount of memory designated in the "Edit Mem:"
- field at program start-up. This pool of memory is used by each editor that
- is activated and by the clipboard, which is used for cut and paste
- operations. Suppose you have configured AM for 16,384 bytes. Then you load
- an 8,433 byte file into one editor and a 5,361 byte file into another
- editor. That leaves 3073 bytes for cutting and pasting blocks from one
- editor to another. If insufficient memory exists to support loading a text
- file into an editor, AM will inform you and abort the operation.
-
-
- 15 Viewing Archive File Contents
-
-
- The contents of any of the supported archive file types, including
- self-extracting EXE files (SXF), may be viewed by moving the active window
- cursor bar to the file and pressing the Enter Key. A window will open that
- displays a sorted list of the files contained in the target file. This
- window operates very much like the active window in that you move through
- the file list with keypad cursor keys or with the mouse and scroll bar
- except that it is a dialog and has push button controls.
-
- The number that appears in the upper right hand area of the dialog
- frame represents a rough estimate of the size of a resultant compressed file
- and is based upon the number of bytes tagged at that time.
-
- Files may be tagged for decompression operations in the same manner
- that files are tagged on the main file list. Pressing the "UnXXX" button,
- where XXX is ZIP, ARJ, etc., proceeds with decompression.
-
- A special symbol is used to mark the end of a line that represents a
- file that PKZIP has marked as a text file.
-
- File lines that represent compressed files with the file attribute set
- to other than normal will be in a different color.
-
- 15.1 Multiple Compressed File Viewers
-
- Two compressed file viewing dialog windows may be active at one time
- and it is possible to copy files from one compressed file to another. The
- following sequence demonstrates how to accomplish this:
-
- 1. In either main file window, move the cursor bar to a compressed
- file and press Enter to activate a viewer.
- 2. Click on either main window with the mouse or press Alt+1 or Alt+2
- to go back to a main file window.
- 3. Move the cursor bar to a different compressed file and press the
- Enter key to activate a second viewer.
- 4. Tag files in one of the viewers and press the Copy button. The
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- tagged files will be copied to the inactive viewer.
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- You can move from viewer to viewer with the mouse or the Alt+Number key
- where Number is the viewer number.
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- 15.2 Browsing a Compressed File
-
- Compressed files may be viewed with the designated file browser by
- moving the cursor bar to the desired file and pressing Enter. The file will
- be decompressed by AM to the work directory and browsed. When browsing is
- complete, AM deletes the file. A compressed file inside another compressed
- file will may also be viewed.
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- 15.3 Editing A Compressed File
-
- A compressed text file may be edited with the user-defined external
- editor or with the internal AM editor. In both cases the file is extracted
- to the AM work directory and edited. After the edited file is saved, it
- replaces the original inside the compressed file before being deleted. The
- dialog Edit button calls the external editor. To use the AM editor, press
- Ctrl+I with the cursor bar over the target file.
-
- 15.4 Creating/Editing a ZIP File Comment
-
- The PKWare ZIP system allows the addition of a comment to each ZIP
- file. AM provides a means to create and/or edit this comment with the Cmnt
- button. Press this button to bring up the comment editor. If a comment
- exists, it will be loaded into the editor. If not, you may create a new
- comment and save it from the editor.
-
-
- 16 ARJ Considerations
-
-
- ARJ was the first file compression system to offer a backup mode that
- permits spanning of a diskette by a compressed file and New-Ware feels that
- the ARJ backup system is superior to that of the PKWare System. You can use
- AM to view the contents of an ARJ backup volume and you can even extract
- individual files quickly and easily. Just be aware that the first and last
- files in an ARJ backup volume may be split across two diskettes and that you
- should NOT attempt to view or edit these files. You can use the AM file
- list sort toggle to list the contents as they are stored in the ARJ file to
- determine which are the first and last files in the volume.
-
- One other note regarding the ARJ backup system. You can create backup
- volumes on a hard disk and then check the overall integrity of each volume
- before transferring them to diskettes. You can do this by using the ARJ
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- volume size parameter ("Vol Size:" in AM) and the multi-volume ("-v")
- switch. Consult ARJ.DOC for details.
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- Note that ARJ does not place inane restrictions on the size of the list
- file it will process.
-
- 16.1 PKZIP List File Problems
-
- New-Ware uses the PKZIP list file capability to pass file name lists
- for compression. This avoids the severe DOS command line length restriction
- but involves some PKZIP restrictions. The list file that AM passes to PKZIP
- contains the full DOS path name of each tagged file. Obviously, the longer
- the path name, the longer each list file line will be and the larger the
- list file will be.
-
- Experimentation has shown that PKZIP will refuse to accept any list
- file of this type that is larger than 3700 bytes. If the list file is
- greater than 3700 bytes, PKZIP prints a "Insufficient memory" message and
- quits. This will happen regardless of the actual amount of EMS/XMX memory
- actually available! PKZIP just blindly quits!
-
- To circumvent this inane restriction, AM monitors the size of the list
- file as it is being built and when the 3700 byte limit is reached, AM calls
- PKZIP to process the file. Then AM continues with a new list file until the
- tagged file queue is exhausted or limit is reached again. This works
- wonderfully well in all but one important situation. It will NOT work with
- the PKZIP backup mode! This is because PKZIP will just start fresh when
- called on successive occasions. It is strongly recommended that you use the
- AM compress directory function (Alt+J) in conjunction with the backup mode
- instead of tagging a large number of files for backup.
-
- 16.2 PKZIP Backup Files
-
- Another PKZIP situation to be aware of is that ZIP files that have been
- created on multiple diskettes by using the PKZIP backup mode cannot all be
- read by the AM compressed file viewer. PKZIP stores the beginning of its
- central directory for the entire backup set on the one of the last
- diskettes. Other disks contain ZIP files that have no central directory and
- AM will not read these ZIP files. In fact, PKZIP will not give you a
- listing of such a file and instead will print an error message telling you
- to use PKZIPFIX on the file!
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- When AM reads the ZIP file from a diskette that contains the central
- directory record for the backup set, the disk number of the diskette that
- contains the ZIP file that actually includes the compressed file data is
- listed to the right of the file data line in the viewer. If the files are
- not grouped by disk number, use the toggle sort (F3) function to list the
- files in unsorted order.
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- And one last note. If you should happen to lose or damage the one of
- the diskettes that contains the central directory in a ZIP backup set, you
- can use PKZIP fix to restore the central directory of any ZIP file residing
- on any single diskette in the set, but the integrity of the entire set is
- lost.
-
-
- 17 The AM Internal Editor
-
-
- AM has a simple yet powerful internal editing system that not only
- supports text file editing but supports cut and paste operations between two
- text files as well. The AM internal editor is called when Ctrl+I is pressed
- or when Alt+E is pressed and there is no external editor defined.
-
- The amount of memory available for the internal editing buffers is
- dependent upon the "Edit Mem:" field in the AM configuration dialog.
-
- Editor commands are based upon the well-known WordStar command set.
- Consult the on-line help system for editing command key assignments. Note
- that the bottom status line contains main editing commands whenever an
- editor is active.
-
- Here is an example of how to use multiple editor windows:
-
- 1. Move the active file list cursor bar to a text file and press
- Ctrl+I. An edit window loaded with the file contents will appear.
- 2. Activate one of the two main file list windows by pressing Ctrl+1
- or Ctrl+2 or by clicking with the mouse.
- 3. Move the cursor bar to a different text file and press Ctrl+I.
- 4. Two edit windows are not active. You can select either window by
- clicking with the mouse or using the Alt key plus the window
- number.
- 5. Cut & paste and clipboard commands are visible on the bottom status
- line and explained in the on-line help file.
-
-
- 18 AM Use of the Overlay File
-
-
- The AM overlay file, AM.OVR, is used to store program functions that
- are not normally needed until invoked by the user. This permits AM to
- contain many, many more functions that would ordinarily be tolerated in the
- available DOS memory.
-
- In the absence of extended (XMS) or expanded (EMS) memory, AM will read
- the code it needs from the disk file (AM.OVR) as required. This operation
- is more noticable on systems with slower disk drives. If there is
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- sufficient (approximately 200K) XMS or EMS memory available, AM will load
- the entire overlay file into memory at runtime and this results in all AM
- functions being available directly from memory, a much faster operation that
- disk access.
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- If sufficient XMS memory exists, AM will use that first. If not, and
- sufficient EMS memory exists, AM will use that. Finally, AM will resort to
- the direct on-demand use of the disk file.
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- 19 AM Use of Extended/Expanded Memory
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- When AM "shells out" to DOS to perform some function like calling PKZIP
- to ZIP a group of files, AM will check available memory and will swap the
- entire DOS memory space out to EMS/XMS memory or a disk file. If you have
- an EMS memory manager loaded and sufficient memory can be allocated, AM will
- swap to expanded memory. If you have no EMS but do have an extended (XMS)
- memory driver loaded, AM will use XMS memory if sufficient memory is
- available. If no EMS or XMS memory is available, AM will swap out to a disk
- file. Obviously, the swap to EMS/XMS is so fast as to be transparent
- whereas the swap to disk will cause a noticeable delay.
-
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- 20 Running AM with NDOS or 4DOS
-
-
- AM has been tested while running under the Norton Utilities NDOS from
- Symantec Corp. NDOS is quite similar to 4DOS and in fact both programs are
- the work of Tom Rawson. When AM shells out out to view the contents of a
- compressed file, the command passed to DOS is a call for LIST, which is
- intended to call Vern Buerg's LIST.COM. LIST, however, is an internal
- command of NDOS and 4DOS. The internal LIST command will work fine with AM
- version 6.5 and later, but if you desire to use the more powerful LIST.COM
- there are three ways to do so.
-
- The first way is to disable the internal LIST command by issuing the
- command SETDOS /I-LIST from the AUTOEXEC.BAT (or NSTART.BAT) file. The
- second way is to issue the command ALIAS LIST C:\UTIL\LIST.COM. This also
- disables the internal LIST command, but you can use the alias command to use
- the internal LIST function under a different name, as in the command ALIAS
- SHOW *LIST. The third way is to rename LIST.COM and to configure AM to call
- the renamed version of LIST.
-
- AM also provides extensive support for the 4DOS/NDOS DESCRIPT.ION
- files. Ctrl+F4 invokes the 4DOS/NDOS DESCRIBE command with the name of the
- file under the active cursor bar. The Alt+F4 command calls the editor
- defined in the AM configuration "4Dos Ed:" field. You may place a command
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- line parameter list following the file name entry, if so desired. If no
- program is designated in the "4Dos Ed:" field, AM will use the internal
- editor. AM will update DESCRIPT.ION files in the source and destination
- directories during any rename, copy, move, delete, and archive convert
- operations. This includes using the move option with any of supported file
- compressors.
-
- 4DOS is Copyright by JP Software. NDOS is a version of 4DOS licensed
- to the Symantic Corp.
-
-
- 21 Search Menu (Alt+S)
-
-
- AM provides a fast search for DOS or compressed files on the drive in
- the active window. If searching for a DOS file and the target file name is
- found (wild cards are okay), AM will issue a notification prompt. You have
- the choice of halting the search, continuing the search, or viewing the file
- list of the directory in which the file was found. If you elect to view, AM
- will change to that directory and position the cursor bar over the target
- file name.
-
- Searching for a file inside an archive file operates in the same way
- except that AM will go through each directory on the current drive and open
- each archive file found and search it for the target file. If found and you
- elect to view, AM will open the archive directory view window and position
- the cursor bar over the target file name. You may elect to extract, erase,
- etc. tagged files in this case but please note that when the operation is
- complete that the active directory will have changed to the directory in
- which the target archive file was found.
-
-
- 22 Program Menu (Ctrl+X)
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-
- This command invokes the special AM user created program menu. Please
- read the information in the file named PROGMENU.DOC.
-
-
- 23 Registering AM (Alt+R)
-
-
- The command will open a window that will prompt you for the vital
- information needed to print the registration form. You can close the window
- with no action at any time by pressing the Esc Key. When all the
- information has been entered, you will have the opportunity to print the
- form on your printer.
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- Copyright 1987,1993, all rights reserved.
- New-Ware
- 8020 Camino Kiosco
- San Diego, CA 92122
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