File-Ex (tm) version 2.1 for Windows 95 --------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1996 by Cottonwood Software All Rights Reserved Thank you for trying File-Ex! File-Ex adds file management functions like Find, Copy, Delete, Rename, and MakeDir to the Open and Save dialogs of Windows applications automatically. File-Ex also enlarges file dialogs to any size desired, adds Recent and Favorite file/folder lists, and allows long file names to be used with 16-bit applications. If you have just installed File-Ex and are reading this from the Notepad program, try it out now by selecting File from the menu, then Open. You should see buttons and the 'Recent...' and 'Favorite...' lists at the bottom of the Open dialog, and the dialog should be larger to allow more files to be listed. (The default is still fairly small -- it can be as large as the screen if you like.) If you need help, click the 'File-Ex' button, and then the Help button from that dialog. File-Ex runs as a taskbar tray icon in Windows 95 -- you should see a small File-Ex icon at the far right of the taskbar. Right- click on this for the main menu, or double-click on it to bring up a dialog with configuration, help, & option functions. Enjoy! ----------------------------------------------------------------- SOME IMPORTANT NOTES There will be cases where File-Ex causes problems with a dialog, particularly in the placement of special controls added by an application, due to File-Ex resizing and enhancing the dialog. Such issues are unavoidable due to the wide variety of program designs, but there is a way to work around most problems. To fix this (and other problems, including possible fatal errors), you should be familiar with disabling File-Ex functions for specific application dialogs. Please refer to the Help file for details. ** Users of Logitech Mouseware (versions prior to 7.5), HackIt!, NetMedic and Excite Direct: These programs have a bug which disables File-Ex if they are executed after File-Ex loads. To fix this, you can either use the delayer program (see the "Troubleshooting" section of the Help file), or enable a special "watchdog" function in File-Ex so that it will re-enable itself. The watchdog is especially useful for the Logitech Mouseware problem, since it disables more than once. To enable the watchdog, add this line to FILEEX.INI: Install Debug Hook=1 Unfortunately, there are side effects to this function. Some other programs will cause lock-ups if this hook is installed, so if you experience problems after setting this, then you should remove the INI file line above and use the Delayer program instead. (Or, upgrade the offending program to fix the bug -- Logitech version 7.5 fixes it, the NetMedic current version is fixed, and the others should have patches by now.) ** MS Office 97 users (Word, Excel, Access): While these programs have similar functions to File-Ex, we have pre-trained File-Ex for them so that their use is consistent with other programs. If you prefer the original/standard dialogs, you may easily configure File-Ex to not replace the original dialogs. Go to "Configure Applications..." and select the appropriate dialog entry, and click "Edit". Then check the radio button "Add File-Ex button" and uncheck the boxes for "Initially hide original" and "Automatically Open/Close File-Ex". Network users: The current version of File-Ex cannot create files with long names (for 16-bit applciations) if the file you are saving or opening is located on a network (remote) drive. This only applies to 16-bit applications using File-Ex to get long file name support. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ** BONUS FREEWARE PROGRAM INCLUDED ** Our freeware program "Delayer" is also included with this package. While Delayer can be used for other purposes as you like, it was included here to combat a problem caused by some programs that prevent File-Ex from working. This problem happens when some other programs (such as Excite's "Direct" program) run after or at the same time as File-Ex, typically during Windows start-up. Please see the "Troubleshooting" section of the Help file for notes about using Delayer. Also see the Delayer help and text files for more information. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ** Important note for upgrading from the Windows 3.1 version ** The File-Ex Setup routine will not overwrite a FILEEX.DAT file if it already exists in the program directory -- this is to avoid erasing your trained applications when upgrading. However, if you used the Windows 3.1 version and install the Win95 version in the same directory, this will prevent the new FILEEX.DAT file from being installed. Applications trained in Windows 3.1 will not be recognized in Windows 95, so this is a problem. To avoid the problem, either delete the old FILEEX.DAT file before installing the Win95 version, or install the Win95 version to a new directory. (Note: It is not necessarily recommended to do a Complete Removal of the old File-Ex, since this will also delete file histories and configuration preferences.) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Readme.txt Contents: -------------------- File Packing List System Requirements Installation About the Evaluation Period Giving Copies to Friends -- (Please Do!) Support Ordering Site licenses & multiple-user pricing Troubleshooting Un-installing File-Ex ASP Ombudsman statement Warranty & License info Distribution by Vendors, BBS's, etc. File Packing List ----------------- These files should be included in this distribution set. If any are missing, please contact Cottonwood Software or your distributor for a complete set. (You can download the latest version from Compuserve or our Web page -- see the Support section) README.TXT This file SETUP.EXE Installation program REMOVE.EXE Removal (un-install) program FILEEX.EXE Main program (please run Setup before using!) FILEEX32.EXE 32-bit portions of the program FXHOOK32.DL_ Part of the main program FXHOOK.DL_ Part of the main program COMMEX.DL_ "CommEx" portion FXCOMN.DL_ File-Ex common functions FILEEX.HLP Help file FILEEX.DAT Data file for 'trained' not-so-common dialogs FILEEX20.BIN Registration file (purchased version only) REVISION.TXT Program revision history ORDER.TXT Text form for ordering File-Ex (trial version only) FILE_ID.DIZ Short description file (trial version only) VENDINFO.DIZ Vendor info (trial version only) DELAYER.EXE Delayer utility program DELAYER.HLP Help file for Delayer DELAYER.TXT 'readme' text file for Delayer System Requirements ------------------- File-Ex will work with any version of Windows 95 Windows NT users: ------------------------ Do NOT install this version of File-Ex if you run Windows NT! There should be an NT version of File-Ex available soon. Let us know if you need an upgrade to the NT version. Just E-mail, FAX, or mail your address to us, and we will let you know when it is released. Installation ------------ If you're not familiar with File-Ex, please read the 'Overview' section in the Help file after installation. To install File-Ex, run SETUP.EXE from Windows: 1. From the Start Menu, select Run... 2. In the Command Line box, type d:\path\SETUP, where 'd' is the letter of the drive and 'path' is the directory where the File-Ex files are. For example: C:\FILEEX\SETUP 3. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen. 4. After File-Ex installation is complete, it will need to validate some files. This will happen automatically the first time File-Ex is invoked, so you don't need to do anything special for this to happen. 5. If you're not familiar with File-Ex, open the Help file and read through the Overview sections. Technical information on installation ------------------------------------- The installation procedure does the following: Copy appropriate files to the Program and Data directories. Add a File-Ex group with appropriate icons. Add File-Ex to the startup group. Verify that the operations succeeded. Run File-Ex if requested. Run notepad to display the readme.txt file if requested. When File-Ex is actually invoked for the first time (through a File/Open or File/Save command, or by automatically loading File-Ex), it validates the information files (fileex.hlp, readme.txt, order.txt). This ensures that File-Ex cannot be modified and re-distributed with different company contact/order information. What files should be where, after installation ---------------------------------------------- These files should be in your File-Ex program directory : README.TXT FILEEX.EXE FXHOOK.DLL FXHOOK32.DLL FXCOMN.DLL COMMEX.DLL FILEEX32.EXE FILEEX.HLP FILEEX20.BIN (if it's a purchased copy) ORDER.TXT REVISION.TXT REMOVE.EXE DELAYER.EXE DELAYER.HLP DELAYER.TXT The file FILEEX.DAT will be copied to the 'Data' directory. (This is usually the same as your Program directory, but may be different, for instance, in a network environment where the Program directory is shared. The FILEEX.DAT file should be in a place not shared by users, similar to INI files.) These files are not copied anywhere, and are not needed by File-Ex after setup: SETUP.EXE FILE_ID.DIZ VENDINFO.DIZ The files COMMEX.INI and FILEEX.INI will be created by the Setup program, and will be placed in the Windows directory. The file FILEEX.LOG will be created in the Windows directory, and is useful for troubleshooting. If everything works after installation, this may be deleted. About the Evaluation Period --------------------------- File-Ex is distributed as a shareware trial version. This means that you are free to try it out for 30 days. It will be fully functional during that time, so you can try all of its functions. After using it for 30 days (not necessarily calendar days, but when it's been used on 30 different days), some of the functions will be unavailable. You will still be able to use the file management functions like Copy and Delete, but the recent/favorite functions, dialog sizing, and some other features will not be available unless you register (purchase) the program. Giving Copies to Friends -- (Please Do!) ---------------------------------------- Shareware works best when you 'share' it with other people! If you like this program, we would appreciate it if you spread it around. Give copies to friends and co-workers, or even upload it to your favorite BBS. Please only distribute the original compressed (.ZIP) file that you received File-Ex in. This is the only way to have the complete file set needed to install File-Ex, since the File-Ex directory after installation does not contain all of the necessary installation files. Note: If this is a purchased copy, please DON'T distribute it! The registered copy contains your registration key file, and giving this to someone else is illegal. Please only distribute the shareware trial version! Support ------- For support, contact Cottonwood Software by phone, fax, mail, or E-mail. (E-mail is preferred, and will get a fast response.) Mail: Cottonwood Software P.O. Box 6546 Leawood, KS 66206-0546 USA Phone: (913) 663-3022 FAX: (913) 663-3747 Internet: info@cottonwoodsw.com CompuServe: 75264,1630 WW Web: http://www.cottonwoodsw.com In the U.K. contact: Mail: The Thompson Partnership Lion Buildings Market Place Uttoxeter Staffs ST14 8HZ England Phone: +44 (0) 1889 564601 Fax: +44 (0) 1889 563219 Internet: sales@ttp.co.uk CompuServe: 100530,2050 Please see the Help file for more information. Ordering File-Ex ---------------- For complete ordernig information please see the text file ORDER.TXT, or the File-Ex Help file. Site licenses & multiple-user pricing ------------------------------------- Please see the Help file for complete information. Troubleshooting --------------- Please see the Help file for complete information, but here are some important notes about programs that File-Ex will not work with: File-Ex does not cooperate well with some other programs that do the same thing (modify the file dialogs). If you have these, then you should disable them when running File-Ex. These include: - Instant File Access (don't load it at the same time) - Long File Names (some reported problems, but usually works) - LFNs Now (don't load it at the same time) - Norton File Assist / LFN Enabler (disable it from the desktop options) - Q.E.D. (can't co-exist with File-Ex since it changes the common dialogs) AutoCAD R12 can't handle long file names, even with File-Ex's help. Apparently it doesn't accept the short-name aliases because of the tilde ('~') character. Corel Office 7 apps (Word Perfect, Quattro Pro, etc.) have some trouble even when trained. For best results, configure for "Add Button", optionally with "Automatically Open..." selected. They will not operate properly if the "Initially Hide" option is selected, or if configured for "Replace". If a 16-bit program forces the file name into lower case, then it cannot use long filenames. (One known case is Codewright's Save dialog.) If you discover other problems, please let us know. For the latest information on known problems, please see our web site: http://www.cottonwoodsw.com Un-installing File-Ex --------------------- If you encounter insurmountable problems, or just don't like the new functions that File-Ex provides, you may need to un-install it. A Remove program is provided for your convenience. Its icon is installed in your File-Ex program group. Please see the help file for more information on this. ASP Ombudsman statement ----------------------- _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER Cottonwood Software is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware- related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI USA 49442-9427, Fax 616-788-2765, or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. Warranty and license info ------------------------- Complete Warranty and license information may be found in the Help file, FILEEX.HLP. Distribution by Vendors, BBS's, etc. ------------------------------------ Commercial vendors please refer to the VENDINFO.DIZ file for complete details. If this file is not present, please contact Cottonwood Software for a replacement copy.