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ArcMaster 7.0 Copyright 1988..1992 All Rights Reserved New-Ware Shareware Products 8050 Camino Kiosco San Diego, CA 92122 (619) 455-6225 Contents 1 Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 What is ArcMaster? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 Programs Needed to Operate AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4 About Shareware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5 How To Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 6 The New-Ware BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 7 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 8 Version History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 9 Distribution Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 10 The User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 10.1 On-line Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 10.2 File Line Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 10.3 Tagging Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 10.4 Dialog Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 10.5 Buttons and Check Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 10.6 File/Directory Name Search . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 10.7 The Mouse Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 11 Starting ArcMaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 12 ArcMaster Command Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 12.1 Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 12.2 Alt+Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 12.3 Ctrl+Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 12.4 Other Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 13 Configuring ArcMaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 13.1 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 13.2 Start-up Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 13.3 The Temporary Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 13.4 The Log Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 13.5 Password Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 13.6 Editor, Browser, and Scan Names . . . . . . . . . . 17 13.7 Numerical Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 14 Operating ArcMaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 14.1 The eXit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 14.2 The Arc Cmds Menu (Alt+A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 14.2.1 The Archive Command (F9) . . . . . . . . . . . 18 14.2.2 The Unarchive Command (F10) . . . . . . . . . 18 14.2.3 The Convert Command (Alt+F10) . . . . . . . . 19 14.2.4 The Default Sys Command (F2) . . . . . . . . . 19 14.2.5 The Convert To Command (Alt+F9) . . . . . . . 19 i 14.2.6 The View Archive Directory Command (Enter) . . 19 14.2.7 VirusSCAN (Alt+V) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 14.2.8 The Single Arc Command (Ctrl+S) . . . . . . . 20 14.2.9 The Auto Update Command (Ctrl+A) . . . . . . . 20 14.2.10 The Multi Update Command (Ctrl+F1) . . . . . 20 14.2.11 Update = Latest (Ctrl+D) . . . . . . . . . . 20 14.2.12 The LZEXE Command (Ctrl+L) . . . . . . . . . 20 14.2.13 The PKLITE Command (Alt+P) . . . . . . . . . 21 14.2.14 The DIET Command (Ctrl+F4) . . . . . . . . . 21 14.2.15 The Extract SFX Command (Alt+E) . . . . . . . 21 14.3 The File Cmds Menu (Alt+F) . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 14.3.1 Tag and Untag Commands (Ctrl+T & Ctrl+U) . . . 21 14.3.2 Show Tags Command (Alt+T) . . . . . . . . . . 21 14.3.3 Copy, Move, and Delete Commands (Alt+C, Alt+M, Del) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 14.3.4 File Mask Commands (Alt+K) . . . . . . . . . . 22 14.3.5 Edit File Description (Alt+4) . . . . . . . . 22 14.3.6 VirusSCAN Command (Ctrl+V) . . . . . . . . . . 22 14.3.7 Zoom Active Window (F4) . . . . . . . . . . . 22 14.3.8 Tag By Date (Alt+D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 14.3.9 Reset Archive Bits (Ctrl+B) . . . . . . . . . 22 14.3.10 Set Windows Equal (Ctrl+W) . . . . . . . . . 22 14.3.11 Set File Attribute (Ctrl+F3) . . . . . . . . 23 14.3.12 Swap Left/Right Windows (Alt+W) . . . . . . . 23 14.3.13 Find And Tag Duplicate Files (Alt+Z) . . . . 23 14.4 The Navigate Menu (Alt+N) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 14.4.1 Change Drive (F3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 14.4.2 Check Disk (Alt+F3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 14.4.3 Edit DESCRIPT.ION File (Alt+F4) . . . . . . . 24 14.4.4 Directory Tree (F5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 14.4.5 Re-scan Drive (Ctrl+R) . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 14.4.6 Exit To Directory (Equal Key) . . . . . . . . 24 14.5 Sort Order Menu (Alt+O) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 14.6 Search Menu (Alt+S) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 14.7 Miscellaneous Menu (Alt+I) . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 14.7.1 Print List (Ctrl+P) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 14.7.2 Program Menu (Ctrl+X) . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 14.7.3 Execute Program (Ctrl+Enter) . . . . . . . . . 25 14.7.4 Go To DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 14.7.5 PKZIPFIX (Ctrl+Z) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 14.7.6 Edit File (Ctrl+E) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 14.7.7 Configure AM (Ctrl+C) . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 14.7.8 Save/Read Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . 26 14.7.9 Register AM (Alt+R) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 14.7.10 Run FormatMaster (Ctrl+F) . . . . . . . . . . 27 14.7.11 DOS Path Information (Ctrl+F2) . . . . . . . 27 14.8 On-line AM Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 15 Viewing Archive File Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 ii 15.1 Browsing A Compressed File . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 15.2 Viewing Comments and Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 15.3 Printing The Directory List . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 15.4 Executing Files From an Archive . . . . . . . . . . 29 16 Running AM with NDOS or 4DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 17 AM Use of Expanded/Extended Memory . . . . . . . . . . . 29 iii 1 Disclaimer 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 clean 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 powerful and 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 Programs Needed to Operate AM You will need at least one of the following archive programs in order to utilize the full capabilities of AM. ARCA/ARCE from Vern Buerg - ARCA129.XXX - 2 - Vernon D. Buerg 139 White Oak Circle Petaluma, CA 94952 ARJ from Robert K. Jung - ARJ220.XXX Robert Jung 2606 Village Road West Norwood, Massachusetts 02062 LHA from Haruyasu Yoshizaki - LHA213.XXX This program is free. PAK from NoGate Consulting - PAK251.XXX NoGate Consulting P.O. Box 88115 Grand Rapids, MI 49518-0115 ZIP from PKWARE - PKZ20.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: LZEXE from Fabrice Bellard This program is free PKLITE from PkWare PKWARE Inc. 7545 N. Port Washington Rd. Suite 205 Glendale, WI 53217-3422 - 3 - DIET from Teddy Matsumoto This program is free While not absolutely essential, the user should also have available a file browse utility which AM can use to view/browse the contents of a compressed file existing 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 7.6B. 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 necessary that any and all supported program files reside in a directory that is identified in the current DOS PATH statement. 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. ArcMaster is a Shareware product. As such, it is made available to the general computing public for evaluation. 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. - 4 - 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 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. 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 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST Monday - Friday 3) Electronically through the New-Ware BBS: New-Ware Shareware Products BBS (619) 450-3257 - Node #1 1200/2400/9600 (HST) 455-5226 - Node #2 1200/2400 Special site license rates for licensing multiple copies of ArcMaster are available. Please call for rate schedule information. 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. - 5 - 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+R from the main AM display or from the closing Shareware screen to display the registration window. Prompts will be issued for the pertinent information and you will have the option of printing the registration form when the form is completed. Upgrades to later versions are available to registered users on the New-Ware BBS at no cost. Access to the BBS is a privelege 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 Running Wildcat! version 2.55p (619) 450-3257 - Node #1 1200/2400/9600 (USR HST) 455-5226 - Node #2 1200/2400 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. 7 System Requirements AM may be operated on any IBM PC/XT/AT/PS2 or compatible running under DOS 2.0 and above. With the distributed default settings of 500 files per directory window, 350 directories per drive, and 500 files per archive, it - 6 - uses approximately 181K of RAM. AM may be operated in the DESKQView and Windows 3.0 environments. The amount of DOS RAM required to operate AM will vary according the the limits established via the active configuration. It is important to understand that when AM calls one of the archive programs to perform its functions, a certain amount of free memory must be available for that program to operate in. PKZIP, for example, is quite efficient and only needs about 100K of RAM to operate in. ARJ and PAK require approximately 180K. As you increase the number of files handled per window and/or the number of files per archive, the amount of free memory will decrease. For this reason, the lower right hand corner of the main AM display shows the current amount of free memory. The more DOS system RAM you have (not extended or expanded memory) when you operate AM, the more free memory you will have. If you are running AM from another shell such as X-TREE or Qdos, then there will be less RAM available. All monitor and graphics cards are supported, including "composite" (2 color) monitors and backlit laptop screens. If the monitor is in a 43/50 EGA/VGA line mode when AM is executed, AM will automatically increase the size of the various windows. You may also configure AM to switch to the 43/50 line mode at start-up and then switch back to the normal 25 line mode upon exit. 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 Version 6.0 of AM has been entirely rewritten using a new set of design tools. As newer versions are generated to include new features or to fix reported bugs, the version history list here will grow. 6.0 - Initial 6.x release (06/18/91) 6.1 - Added start-up directories to the configuration. - Added [V]iew and [D]irs mouse click regions. - Added click of left/right mouse buttons to effect a Enter key press. - Added Update = Latest command - 7 - - Added ability to view files from the zoom window. - Various bug fixes. 6.11 - Fixed problem with Ctrl+Enter in the launch program (Ctrl+X) menu. - Fixed problem with writing directory catalog files. 6.2 - Various bug fixes/enhancements. - Added option to force 43/50 line EGA/VGA mode. - Added ARJ multiple volume switch. - Add "/m" switch to force mono mode. 6.3 - Various fixes/enhancements. - Added a No Sort option for the file lists. - Fixed problem with using the "/r" switch with ARJ. - Fixed problem with the mouse during 43/50 line mode operations. 6.4 - Fixed problem with adding a directory to the tree if more than 200 directories existed on the tree. - Fixed bug that caused the wrong drive label to be stored when using the PKZIP -$ option. - Added an "Ok" pushbutton to all dialog boxes. 6.5 - Fixed the country code detection feature so that the proper country date formats are now automatically used. - Removed the passing of the LIST.COM mouse switch ("M/") to LIST.COM. - The compressed file viewer size and length fields will now handle file sizes up to 99,999,999. - Added capability to browse archive system DOC files from compression and decompression dialog boxes. - Optimized the shell-out strategy to maximize the amount of DOS memory available to programs executed via Ctrl+Enter or the Program Execution menu. 6.6 - Added "-x" switch to the ARJ decompression dialog. - Fixed problem with LHA during full-path/recursion operations. - Fixed problem with saving mono configuration after running AM with the "/m" switch. 6.7 - Fixed problem with reading variants of ARJ SFX files. - All Ctrl/Alt commands that previously opened a menu now directly execute the appropriate command rather than stopping in the menu. - Fixed weird bug that prevented viewing LHA file contents more than 10 times. - Changed the Single Archive command to Ctrl+S so that Alt+S can - 8 - be used to call the Search Menun. - Added Ctrl+F command to call FormatMaster. File must be named FM.EXE and must resided in the DOS path. - Added Alt+A, Alt+I, Alt+F, Alt+N, Alt+O, and Alt+S commands to the help file. 6.8 - Made change to accomdate reading ARJ 2.22 SFX files. - You may now use the F8, F9, and F10 keys while in a compression dialog box to enter macros for compression file name (ZIP, ARC, etc.). - Alt+P was calling DIET instead of PKLITE. Fixed. - Changed mono color scheme. 6.9 - Changed back to side-by-side window configuration. - Added use of either EMS or XMS memory for swapping. - Added command (Ctrl+F3) to change file attributes. - Added command ("=") to exit to active or highlighted directory. - Added command to check for duplicate files (Alt+Z). - Added command to swap the left and right windows (Alt+W) - Changed "Erase After Convert" switch function to not erase converted files automatically. - Added ability to update the active window file list as directory tree cursor is moved up or down with F9/F10 keys or Ctrl+PgUp/Ctrl+PgDn keys. - Added support for PKWare version 2.0 (when available). - Added viewing of archive comments. 7.0 - Activated command switches applicable to ZIP 2.0. - Added a CHKDSK type function (Alt+F3). - Added support for 4DOS/NDOS DESCRIPT.ION files. - Various enhancements and bug fixes. - Renamed AM.CFG to AMCONFIG.CFG. 9 Distribution Files The following files are included in AM distribution package: AM.EXE - Main program AM.OVR - Overlay file AM.HLP - Help file AM.DOC - Operating manual PATHINFO.TXT - DOS PATH information PROGMENU.DOC - User defined menu info VENDOR.DOC - Disk vendor info WHAT'S.NEW - Latest product info (if needed) - 9 - New-Ware prohibits the modification of any of these files in any way, shape, or form except by the individual evaluator or purchaser. 10 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. The program can be exited back to DOS via the menu, by pressing Esc key, or by pressing Alt+X. Alt+X exits immediately while the Esc key opens the Exit menu. 10.1 On-line Help Brief descriptions of all AM functions are available from the main AM display and most other pop-up windows and dialogs by pressing the F1 key or clicking the left mouse button on the "Help" string in the upper right hand corner. 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 textual description of the selected command. 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 the F1 key. The associated DOC file(s) must be named as specified below and must reside in a directory that is identified in the DOS path string (see PATHINFO.TXT): MANUAL.DOC - PKZip ARJ.DOC - ARJ LHA.DOC - LHA PAK.DOC - PAK ARCA.DOC - ARCA ARCE.DOC - ARCE With one exception, 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. 10.2 File Line Information Each line of the file window displays contains information pertaining to that file. If you have elected to configure AM so as to show hidden files, file names that are hidden, read-only, and/or system will appear in - 10 - in a different color. File lines that have an asterisk at the end of the line indicate that the DOS archive bit is set for that file. Examples: FILE NAM 43,125 05/15/91* or FILE.NAM 43,125 05/15/91* 10.3 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 diamond shape character will in front 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. 10.4 Dialog Boxes Dialog boxes are used extensively to provide the user with a means to set specific commands and options prior to performing a particular operation. They 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+Box number, or mouse. The home key will move to the first box and the End key will move to the file name entry field. If a dialog box contains an editable 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 pushbutton, which is a small box with an "Ok" inside. Mouse users may move the mouse to the "Ok" and press the left mouse button to signify proceeding with the indicated operation. 10.5 Buttons and Check Boxes Many of the selectable options for controlling archiving program functions are presented to the user in the form of radio buttons and check boxes. The main difference between the two is that only one of a cluster of radio buttons may be selected at one time while any number of check boxes may be toggled to "on" at the same time. The Up/Down arrows move from button to button or check box to check box within a cluster. In the case of buttons, the button selected when the - 11 - cluster is exited becomes the active choice. Check boxes are toggled on/off by pressing the space bar or plus key. 10.6 File/Directory Name Search AM offers a convenient means of searching for a specific file or directory name in the active window or directory tree. Suppose you need to find a file named MYMEMO.TXT. Press the "m" key (case is not significant). If there are any files in the active directory that begin with the letter "M", the cursor bar will move the first file found. Then press "y". If any files start with "MY", the cursor bar will move again to the first file found. As you build the search string, AM will display it in the lower left hand corner of the active window. If you press a letter and nothing happens, it means that there are no file names in the directory that match the current search string. You may use the backspace key to edit the search string and pressing any of the keypad keys to move the cursor will clear the search string. 10.7 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. Similarly, moving the mouse cursor to a file name and clicking with the left button will move the file list cursor bar to that file name. If the cursor bar is under the name when the mouse is clicked, the file will be tagged and if it already tagged, it will be untagged. The right mouse button acts as an Esc key for aborting operations or closing windows. Two "hot" regions are defined by "[V]iew" and "[D]irs", which appear below the two file windows. Clicking the left button with the mouse cursor over "[V]iews" is the same as pressing the Enter key and clicking on "[D]irs" is the same as pressing the F5 (directory tree) key. Two other hot regions that work similarly are "XXX is Active" and "Convert to XXX", where XXX is ARC, ZIP, ARJ, etc. The mouse can also 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 acts like a PgUp or PgDn key, respectively. - 12 - LIST users please note that AM no longer passes 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 accomodates those users who wish to use a file browser other than LIST. 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 lower AM window, enter AM D:\FOO\BAR. To start AM with C:\ARCHIVE in the upper window and D:\FOO\BAR in the lower window, enter AM C:\ARCHIVE D:\FOO\BAR. If you desire to start AM with the cursor bar of the upper window positioned over a specific file, enter AM FILENAME.EXT. Some laptop portables may require that you force AM into the monochrome mode. Placing the "/m" switch on the command line by itself or at the end of the directory parameter line will force AM into the monochrome (two- color) mode. This condition may be saved with with the configuration so that each time AM is run thereafter, the "/m" switch will not be required. 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. 12 ArcMaster Command Structure In addition to comprehensive mouse support, AM employs the use of Ctrl, Alt, and function key inputs. Even so, all AM command functions are available via the pull-down menu system and in fact, many of the Ctrl+Key and Alt+Key commands result in opening the appropriate menu and placing the cursor bar over the command so that a single press of the Enter key will start the command function. 12.1 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 - 13 - F3 - Change system drive F4 - Zoom active window F5 - Open directory tree display F6 - Rename file F7 - Copy file(s) F8 - Show tagged files only F9 - Compress file(s) F10 - Decompress file(s) 12.2 Alt+Keys Eight Alt+key commands are dedicated to activating one of the pull-down menus. The are: Alt+X - Exit Alt+A - Archive commands Alt+F - File commands Alt+N - Navigation commands Alt+O - Sort order commands Alt+S - File search commands Alt+I - Miscellaneous commands Alt+H - Help The following Alt+key commands are assigned to the indicated AM functions: Alt+C - Copy file(s) Alt+D - Tag By Date Alt+E - Extract SFX EXE file Alt+K - Set file mask Alt+M - Move file(s) Alt+P - Compress EXE with PKLITE Alt+R - Register AM Alt+T - Show tagged files Alt+V - VirusSCAN compressed file(s) Alt+W - Swap left/right windows Alt+Z - Check for duplicate files Alt+F9 - Set default conversion Alt+F0 - Convert compressed file(s) Alt+4 - Display/Edit 4DOS/NDOS file description Alt+F4 - Call default Editor to Edit DESCRIPT.ION file 12.3 Ctrl+Keys The following Ctrl+key commands are assigned to the indicated AM functions: Ctrl+A - Auto-update function - 14 - Ctrl+B - Reset file archive bits Ctrl+D - Update To Latest Ctrl+C - Configure AM Ctrl+E - Edit file Ctrl+F - Call FormatMaster (FM.EXE) Ctrl+K - Define File Mask Ctrl+L - Call LZEXE Ctrl+O - Sort order Ctrl+P - Print directory listing Ctrl+R - Re-scan active drive Ctrl+S - Single Archive function Ctrl+T - Tag all files Ctrl+U - Untag all files Ctrl+V - VirusSCAN DOS files Ctrl+W - Make windows same Ctrl+X - Program Exec Menu Ctrl+Z - Call PKZIPFIX Ctrl+F1 - Multi-update function Ctrl+F2 - DOS Path Information Ctrl+F3 - Change File Attribute Ctrl+F4 - Call DIET.EXE 12.4 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: Ctrl+Enter - Execute .COM/.BAT/.EXE file Asterisk - Reset the file mask to *.* Slash - Access menu system Ins Key - Set Archive "Hot Name" Equal Key - Exit to active directory 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. 13 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 - 15 - order, active archive system, active convert option, and all archive system command options will also be saved in their current states. Instructions on saving and retrieving AM configuration files will be found later in this document. 13.1 Options There is a check box cluster which can be used to toggle various AM options such as Retain Tags, Beeps ON, etc. 13.2 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. 13.3 The Temporary Directory This is an important configuration item, especially if you plan to do much archiving work between hard and floppy disk drives. The entry here should be the full, valid DOS path name of an existing directory in your system. It is important that this directory be EMPTY and ONLY used by AM. AM will use this directory for numerous purposes. For example, if a temporary directory is specified, AM will pass that path name to PKZIP with the -b switch so that ZIP can place its temporary file there. AM also uses the temporary directory for temporary file storage during archive system conversion and VirusSCAN operations. 13.4 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 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 - 16 - tree, the new directory will not appear on the tree. In this case you will need to manually re-scan the disk via the Ctrl+S command or the main menu. 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. 13.5 Password Operations Several of the supported archive systems have a provision for password protecting compressed files. You can enter your password here and then never have to retype it during an archival operation. You will still have the option to use or not to use a password while running AM and you can temporarily change your password while AM is running. 13.6 Editor, Browser, and Scan Names The default editor is the world-renowned QEDIT from Sem-Ware and the default file browser is the outstanding LIST from Vernon Buerg. The default name for the virus scanner is SCAN. These programs are called by whatever names are entered here. Do NOT include a file extension when entering the desired name(s). 13.7 Numerical Limits Be careful when setting file, directory, and in-archive limits. As explained earlier, these settings directly affect AM memory use. The higher the limits, the more memory AM consumes and the less memory is available for calling archive system programs through DOS. If you access a directory that contains more files than the current limit, AM will issue a warning that not all the files in the directory will appear in the window listing. 14 Operating ArcMaster The major elements of the main AM display are the pull down menu bar at the top of the screen, two vertically oriented file list windows, and two window information boxes. Only one of the two windows can be active at any one time and operations that result in the creation or modification of files will affect the inactive window. In other words, if you tag files for compression in window #2, the resultant archive file will be placed in the directory viewed by window #1. Compression and decompression commands and options will be provided through the opening of a dialog box. If there are any commands or options that are not understood, it is recommended that you consult the operating manual for the specific archive program involved. - 17 - 14.1 The eXit Menu The eXit menu has just two items; eXit and Resume. This menu can be activated from the main menu bar or by pressing the Esc key with either window active. The Alt+X command will exit AM immediately without going through this menu. 14.2 The Arc Cmds Menu (Alt+A) This menu provides access to almost all of the commands that manipulate archive files. 14.2.1 The Archive Command (F9) The Archive command will invoke the active archive system for the purpose of adding, updating, or refreshing a target archive with the tagged files in the active window. A compression dialog box will open that allows setting up the command line to be passed to the active archive system program. The primary item in the dialog box is the entry field for the archive name. Do NOT include a file extension, since it will be handled automatically. Three keys are available to automatically enter a file name as follows: F8 - File name highlighted when F9 pressed F9 - Current date in MM-DD-YY format F10 - Name of directory in current window In the case of the F10 key, if the current directory is named C:\ONE\TWO\THREE\FOUR, the name entered would be FOUR. For example, to create a new compressed file named MYNEWZIP, tag several files in one of the windows and press F9 or select the Archive command. If ZIP is active, a dialog for PKZIP operations will open. Select from the various options and then type MYNEWZIP into the name field and press Enter. AM will then call PKZIP to create MYNEWZIP.ZIP in the directory viewed by the inactive window and MYNEWZIP.ZIP will contain all the tagged files. Adding to, updating, and refreshing operations work in the same manner. 14.2.2 The Unarchive Command (F10) The Unarchive command operates in a manner similar to the Archive command. One difference is that the active archive setting is not operative here. All tagged files must have the same file extension and that extension must be .ARC, .ARJ, .LZH., .PAK, or .ZIP. AM will automatically detect the extension and call the appropriate decompression program. For example, if you tag five .PAK files in the active window and press F10 or select Unarchive via the menu system, a decompression dialog box for PAK will open. Select from the various options and press the Enter key. AM will call - 18 - PAK.EXE to decompress each tagged PAK file and the extracted files will be placed in the directory of the inactive window. 14.2.3 The Convert Command (Alt+F10) Files of any supported archive system may be converted to files of any supported archive system. For example, if convert to ZIP is active, all archive files tagged in the active window will be converted to ZIP files that will be placed in the directory of the inactive window. Unlike batch decompression (described above), you may tag any type of archive file including SFX EXE files. For example, suppose you tag three ARC files and two ARJ files in the active window. This command will convert all of the of the tagged files to ZIP files, which will then appear in the directory of the inactive window. AM uses a temporary directory for the conversion process. If a valid temporary directory has been designated in the current configuration, AM will use this directory. If not, AM will create a temporary directory, use it, and then remove it upon completion of the conversion operation. If the "Erase After Convert" switch in the AM configuration is set and source and destination directories are different, AM will retain the tags on the converted files and automatically enter the file delete mode after conversion. 14.2.4 The Default Sys Command (F2) This command opens a small dialog box in which you may select the default archive system. Pressing F2 or clicking with the mouse on the "ZIP is Active" line will also open this box. The setting made here governs which archive system dialog box opens when commencing a compression operation. 14.2.5 The Convert To Command (Alt+F9) This command opens a small dialog box in which you select the target archive type for conversion operations. Pressing Alt+F9 or clicking with the mouse on the line "Convert to ZIP" will also open this box. 14.2.6 The View Archive Directory Command (Enter) This command is the same as pressing the Enter key with the file list cursor bar over an archive file. Detailed information on viewing the contents of compressed files can be found elsewhere in this document. 14.2.7 VirusSCAN (Alt+V) AM will process each tagged archive file by causing it to be decompressed to the temporary directory and then invoking McAfee's SCAN to - 19 - scan the files. Prior to this, a dialog box will open in which you may set the various VirusSCAN options prior to processing the tagged archive files. 14.2.8 The Single Arc Command (Ctrl+S) This command is used to compress each file tagged in the active window into a single archive file. For example, if LHA is active and you tag three files, AM will call LHA to create three separate .LZH files and each .LZH file will have the name of the tagged file. 14.2.9 The Auto Update Command (Ctrl+A) The Auto Update command acts upon a single archive file. Place the file list cursor bar over an archive type file and then execute this command. AM will open the target file and compare all of the DOS files in the directory of the inactive window with each compressed file in the archive. If any files in the inactive window are found with the same name that are later in date, AM will automatically tag those files. Then you can switch to the window with the tagged files and perform any desire refresh/update operations. 14.2.10 The Multi Update Command (Ctrl+F1) This command provides the capability to add groups of files to each and every archive type file in the inactive window. For example, suppose that PAK is the active archive system, there are three PAK files in the inactive window, and five files are tagged in the active window when this command is executed. AM will use the update command of the active archive system to add or update each of the file tagged files to each of the three PAK files. Please note that ARCA does not have an update command. 14.2.11 Update = Latest (Ctrl+D) This command will examine each tagged compressed file of any supported type and reset the file time/date stamp to that of the latest dated file contained therein. 14.2.12 The LZEXE Command (Ctrl+L) Use this command to compress EXE files using the popular LZEXE program. AM will call LZEXE to operate on the EXE file that is under the file list cursor bar in the active window. Note that if AM finds both LZEXE and LZESHELL in the DOS path, it will invoke LZESHELL which in turn invokes LZEXE. - 20 - 14.2.13 The PKLITE Command (Alt+P) This command operates exactly like the LZEXE command except that PKLITE is invoked to compress the target EXE file. 14.2.14 The DIET Command (Ctrl+F4) As above, except that DIET is invoked to compress the target EXE file. 14.2.15 The Extract SFX Command (Alt+E) This command will execute the SFX EXE file under the file list cursor bar in a way that causes the self-extraction to place the extracted files in the directory of the inactive window. 14.3 The File Cmds Menu (Alt+F) The File Cmds menu provides access to a number of AM functions that manipulate normal DOS files in the active window. 14.3.1 Tag and Untag Commands (Ctrl+T & Ctrl+U) All files in the active window can be tagged in one operation with the Tag All command. Similarly, all tagged files can be untagged with the Untag All command. 14.3.2 Show Tags Command (Alt+T) The Show Tags command opens a window that displays the file names of all the currently tagged files. 14.3.3 Copy, Move, and Delete Commands (Alt+C, Alt+M, Del) Tagged files in the active window can be copied or moved to the drive:\directory of the inactive window. In the case of moving files, if the inactive window drive is different than that of the active window, AM will first copy the files to the inactive drive:\directory and then delete them from the active directory. If AM is configured to confirm before overwriting files, you will be prompted to confirm any time a file is about to be overwritten via the copy or move commands. The same is true if a file marked as hidden, read-only, and/or system is tagged for deletion. Each of these commands opens a window that displays the names of the tagged files. Press Esc to abort the operation or Enter to continue. The cursor bar will move from file name to file name as an indication of the progress of the operation. If 4DOS or NDOS is running, AM will update the appropriate DESCRIPT.ION files according to the operation being performed. - 21 - 14.3.4 File Mask Commands (Alt+K) Five menu items support changing the current window file mask to one of: *.ZIP, *.LZH, *.PAK, *.ARJ, *.ARC. The Define Mask command will open a window in which you can type in a desired file mask. 14.3.5 Edit File Description (Alt+4) This command is for 4DOS/NDOS users only. If a description exists for the file under the cursor bar, AM will display it for editing/viewing. If not, AM will allow you to create (up to 40 chars) a comment and insert it into the DESCRIPT.ION file. 14.3.6 VirusSCAN Command (Ctrl+V) McAfee's popular SCAN.EXE can be invoked via this command. This function is designed for the scanning of normal DOS files. A dialog box will open that contains the various options for running SCAN. 14.3.7 Zoom Active Window (F4) This command will open a large window that displays up to 100 file names at a time. Tags will be retained when opening this window and tagging is allowed while in the zoom window. If you desire to exit the zoom window with no changes to the tags, press the Esc key. Otherwise, pressing the F10 key will retain the tags and/or the current cursor position that are active when the key is pressed. Pressing the Enter key will perform the same functions as would occur in the normal file window. 14.3.8 Tag By Date (Alt+D) The Tag By Date command will open a window that prompts for the entry of a date. If a valid date is entred, AM will automatically tag all files that have a date stamp later than the entered date. 14.3.9 Reset Archive Bits (Ctrl+B) The archive bit is normally set by DOS whenever a file is altered. This command will reset the archive bit for all files in the active window. 14.3.10 Set Windows Equal (Ctrl+W) This command will set the inactive window to the same drive:/directory as the active window. - 22 - 14.3.11 Set File Attribute (Ctrl+F3) This command will present a menu of file attributes (read-only, hidden, etc). Selecting an attribute will bring up the batch file attribute mode window. Press the Enter key to commence changing all tagged file attributes to the selected attribute. 14.3.12 Swap Left/Right Windows (Alt+W) Each of the two main windows views a directory. You can use the Alt+W command to exchange the contents of the two windows. Note that any current tags are removed by the swap. 14.3.13 Find And Tag Duplicate Files (Alt+Z) Use this command to locate all files in the active window that have duplicates in the inactive window. Duplicate files are defined as those with the same DOS file name and an equal size. Dates are not checked. If any duplicate files are found in the inactive window they will be tagged and the inactive window will automatically become active. 14.4 The Navigate Menu (Alt+N) This menu provides three items that implement commands for changing drives, directories, and re-scanning the disk. 14.4.1 Change Drive (F3) This command will open a menu window that contains a list of the valid drives in your system. You may select with the cursor bar or by pressing the drive letter key. AM will change to the selected drive and automatically open the Directory Tree window. 14.4.2 Check Disk (Alt+F3) This function provides the capability to check any disk for disk size stats, but it's primary function is to check a floppy disk to see if it is capable of holding a compressed file made from the files that are tagged at the time that it is invoked. A rough estimate will be presented that is based upon the total bytes tagged and the following compression percentages: PKZIP,ARJ,PAK : 55% LHA : 50% ARC : 40% Please keep in mind that the information presented is only an estimate and is not accurate due to the fact that different types of files compress to - 23 - different sizes. For example, if you tag a group of compressed files, which will stored and not compressed, you will get a totally eroneous estimate. 14.4.3 Edit DESCRIPT.ION File (Alt+F4) If 4DOS or NDOS is running and a DESCRIPT.ION file exists in the active directory, this command will invoke the default editor with the DESCRIPT.ION file name passed as a command line parameter. 14.4.4 Directory Tree (F5) The Directory Tree window contains a graphical representation of the directory tree structure for the current drive. While in this window, the following commands are active: Enter Key - Change to selected directory Ins Key - Add a directory to the tree Del Key - Remove a directory to the tree F6 Key - Rename a directory Esc Key - Exit the tree with no action Ctrl+P - Print graphical tree F9/Ctrl+PgUp - Browse up one directory F10/Ctrl+PgDn - Browse down one directory In the cases of adding or renaming directories, you will be prompted to enter a valid DOS directory name. You may use the file list browse commands (F9/Ctrl+PgUp or F10/Ctrl+ PgDn) to update the file list in the active window from the directory under the cursor bar after the command is issued. 14.4.5 Re-scan Drive (Ctrl+R) AM stores directory tree information in files named NEW-WARE.X, where X denotes the letter of the drive. This greatly speeds up directory tree operations but imposes one minor penalty. If you create, rename, or remove a directory outside of AM, you will have to re-scan the drive to update the tree. If you desire that AM not use the directory log file strategy and instead scan the drive each time the tree is accessed, configure AM with no log directory. 14.4.6 Exit To Directory (Equal Key) Pressing the Equal Key ("=") while in the directory tree will cause AM to exit to the directory under the cursor. Pressing the Equal Key will in one of the two main command windows will cause AM to exit to the currently active directory. - 24 - 14.5 Sort Order Menu (Alt+O) AM supports five different sort orders. You may sort by file name, extension, size, date, or by nested sort. Nested sort is by file extension first and then by file name. This menu also has an item which will reverse the direction of the current sort and an option to not sort the file list at all. 14.6 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 [H]alting the search, [C]ontinuing the search, or [V]iewing the list of the directory in which the file was found. If you elect to [V]iew, 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 [V]iew, 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. 14.7 Miscellaneous Menu (Alt+I) This menu contains various command functions as described below. 14.7.1 Print List (Ctrl+P) This command will cause AM to send a listing of the file names from the active window to your printer. You will be asked if your printer is ready first and if you answer [Y]es, AM will print the listing. 14.7.2 Program Menu (Ctrl+X) This command invokes the special AM user created program menu. Please read the information in the file named PROGMENU.DOC. 14.7.3 Execute Program (Ctrl+Enter) This item permits you to execute the .COM, .EXE, or .BAT file that is currently highlighted by the cursor bar in the active window. - 25 - 14.7.4 Go To DOS You may temporarily exit AM and operate from the DOS level with this command. One note of warning is in order here. It is unwise to use the DOS CHKDSK command with the /F option while shelled out from any executing program. Don't do it. 14.7.5 PKZIPFIX (Ctrl+Z) Use this command to repair a damaged ZIP file. AM will call PKZIPFIX.EXE to operate on the ZIP file under the cursor bar. 14.7.6 Edit File (Ctrl+E) This command will load the editor specified in the AM configuration. Remember, this file must be in the DOS path. The file name under the cursor bar at the time this command is invoked will be passed as a command line parameter to the editor when it is called. The distribution default is QEDIT, Sem-Ware's outstanding text editor. 14.7.7 Configure AM (Ctrl+C) This command opens the AM configuration dialog box. Any changes to the configuration will be active during the current AM session if you select the Ok push button to exit. 14.7.8 Save/Read Configuration AM stores the configuration in a file named AMCONFIG.CFG. If you elect to save the configuration, a window will open that prompts you for a drive:/directory in which to store the configuration. It will default to the active window but you can enter any valid DOS drive:\directory and AM will store the file there. You should know that in addtion to the items set in the configuration dialog box, compression/decompression settings for all supported systems are also saved. For example, if you invoke the PKZIP dialog and configure it for a specific set of PKZIP command line options, these will be saved and restored via the configuration file. When reading a configuration, AM will first look in the drive:/dir of the active window for AMCONFIG.CFG and if not found there, it will search the DOS path. You will be notified if no configuration file is located by AM, otherwise you will be notified exactly which AMCONFIG.CFG file was loaded. If you have saved more than one and you wish to load a specific file, change the active window to the drive:/directory in which the desired configuration file is located and then invoke the Read Config command. Remember, if more than one AMCONFIG.CFG exists in the DOS path, AM will load the first one it encounters of it's search of the path. - 26 - 14.7.9 Register 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. 14.7.10 Run FormatMaster (Ctrl+F) You may use the Ctrl+F command to temporarily call New-Ware's FormatMaster utility. FormatMaster must be named FM.EXE and it must reside in the DOS path. 14.7.11 DOS Path Information (Ctrl+F2) This command is included to resolve those cases where DOS returns a "Bad command or file name" message in response to an AM function that calls another program. This always means that the called program is not in the DOS path. Press Ctrl+F2 to display a window that shows a list of the primary archive system files and utilities normally used by AM. The current DOS PATH string will be displayed below the list. You are urged to use this command to resolve any path problems prior to contacting New-Ware for technical support. 14.8 On-line AM Help The on-line AM help system is supported by the AM.HLP file and is accessed via the F1 key or this main menu item. A window will appear that contains a vertical list of Help topics. You may move the cursor bar to the desired topic and press the Enter key to open a secondary window which contains the information pertinent to the selected topic. 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. The top of the window will contain a header that shows the file name and the compression system type. Please note that when you press the Enter key with the cursor bar over an EXE file, AM will first check to see if the target file is an SFX file made by LHA, ZIP, ARJ, or PAK in that order. Making this determination - 27 - requires opening the file and searching it. This may happen several times, especially if the file is not an SFX file and AM goes through the search four times. This can take considerable time if the file is large and especially if the file is located on a floppy disk. 15.1 Browsing A Compressed File To browse the contents of a compressed file, move the cursor bar to the desired file and press the Enter key. AM will cause the file to be decompressed and invoke the active file browser (the default is LIST) to browse the file. When you exit the file browser, you are returned to the list. If the cursor bar is over a file name that has an archive extension (.ARC, .ARJ, .LZH, .PAK, or .ZIP), AM will have it decompressed and then open a new listing window. You may view the contents of any of the files in this list, but you cannot tag files for specific archive system operations. This feature only functions one level deep. In other words, you may not view the listing of a ZIP file within a ZIP file within a ZIP file. Tagging files while in the archive file directory listing is the same as while in the normal active file window. If you desire to perform an archive system operation (such as extraction or deletion), press the F10 key. AM will open the decompression dialog box for that system and you may then proceed with the operation. 15.2 Viewing Comments and Paths ARJ, PAK, and ZIP have the capability to store a comment for the compressed file and comments for the individual files stored therein. ARJ, LHA, PAK, and ZIP can be commanded to store the full path name of each file that is compressed. ARJ and PAK support multi-line comments while ZIP supports a more practical 60 character comment line. AM will truncate any individual file comment that is greater than 60 characters in length and any ZIP comment greater than 50 characters. To view any individual file comments, press the F6 key and the display will change to show each file name and any comment on the same line. To view the archive file comment, press the F7 key. AM will always show just the file names in the archive directory listing display. Files that have a path name stored with them will be marked with an asterisk ("*"). To view the stored path of any file, move the cursor to the file name and press F5. If no path name was stored for the target file, AM will display just the file name. 15.3 Printing The Directory List The Ctrl+P command will cause AM to send a listing of the archive file directory contents to the printer. - 28 - 15.4 Executing Files From an Archive You can execute a compressed .BAT, .COM, or .EXE file from the browse display by placing the cursor over the desired file name and pressing Ctrl+Enter. AM will extract the target file to the active temporary directory and run the file. When you terminate the program to return to AM, AM will erase the file from the temporary directory and return to the browse window. 16 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. The Alt+4 (or click on 4DOS/NDOS on bottom line) command invokes a function that will allow you to add, edit, or remove a 40 character comment for the file under the active cursor bar. The Alt+F4 command will execute the default Editor and load DESCRIPT.ION as an editable file. AM will update DESCRIPT.ION files in the source and destination directories during any copy, move, and delete operations. This includes using the move option with any of supported file compressers. If 4DOS or NDOS is loaded when AM is run, the product name and version number will be displayed in the center of the main screen lower frame. 17 AM Use of Expanded/Extended Memory The AM overlay file, AM.OVR, automatically uses expanded memory (EMS) if a memory manager loaded and sufficient EMS memory can be allocated. Loading AM under Windows 3.0 might fail if the NOEMS switch is used with the memory manager. - 29 - 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 the amount of free memory is less than 290K. 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. Obiviously, the swap to EMS/XMS is so fast as to be transparant whereas the swap to disk will cause a noticable delay. - 30 -