USING GCAT ============ To add data to your catalog you must first select the drive which will be used for collecting data. Then you simply insert disks into this drive and press RtAmiga/A each time. The rest is automatic. If you want to edit or delete an entry, point to it and click with the left mouse button. The Edit window appears. Click on Edit or Delete, make any changes, and then click on Accept or Cancel. You can also click & drag the pointer to select several lines, but the dragging can't be used to de-select items already highlit. To do this you must click on individual lines. The reason for this is to avoid accidental deselection. (That's my excuse anyway.) To insert an extra (new) entry, select the Insert menu option and follow the instructions below. The MENUS. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Options menu ============= SELECT INPUT DRIVE This is the drive from which data will be read & added to the catalog. e.g. If you select DF1: then all file names on DF1: will be added to the catalog - ** even if they already exist in the catalog ** Only currently available drives will be offered. The drive you select here remains the drive used for gathering more data, unless you select a new one from this menu option. It is unaffected by the drive & file you may select to "Load Existing Cat" (though these may be the same file & drive). ADD DATA FROM DISK (RtAm/A) This will cause the 'Input Drive' to be scanned, and all file names (except those with .info extensions) will be appended to the current catalog file in memory. The Catalog file will then be sorted & displayed without further menu selection, and you can use the editing facilities described below under 'Load Existing Catalog'. You may then proceed to select further menu options, such as add further data (from the selected "Input Drive"), change the current input drive, or load an existing catalog. SAVE FILE (RtAm/S) When you load an existing catalog file, or "add data from disk", file names forming the catalog are read into memory. If any change is made (edits, additions, deletions) you may wish to save the altered catalog. If you ask to load a new catalog or quit without having saved, a requester will remind you and ask if you wish to save. If a catalog file name has not yet been specified, a requester will appear for this purpose. SAVE AS (RtAm/N) This is the same as SAVE FILE but asks you the name of the file you wish to save to. e.g. you may wish to save it in a different place or under a different name. (The 'N' hotkey represents "Name"). LOAD A CAT FILE (RtAm/L) This enables you to read an existing catalog. A requester will appear for you to select the path and file. The file & drive you select here do not alter the current input drive. If you want to add data to the catalog you select here and it's on a different drive, you must use "Select Drive" to set the new "current input drive". START NEW CAT Use this to clear the current catalog held in memory and begin a new one. If changes have been made to a catalog currently held, you'll be asked if you wish to save this first. SELECT SORT This produces a submenu with 2 options: SORT ON FILENAME (RtAm/1) SORT ON DISKNAME (RtAm/2) These control the presentation of the list on screen. You can change the sort at any time. QUIT (RtAm/Q) This is a way to exit the program. You can also exit by using the window close gadget. If a catalog is currently in memory & has not been saved since it was last changed, a requester will appear to remind you. ------------------------------------------------ Insert Menu ============= INSERT ITEM (RtAm/I) ------------ Selecting this will bring up an 'Insert window' with several string gadgets, and 2 button gadgets (OK and Cancel). There are 4 fields to be entered: File Name Path File size (bytes) Date See also "Edit window" below. Until the program is properly idiot-proofed, care should be taken to enter data correctly. See the screen display for formats. After making an entry and clicking on Accept, the new item is planted in the file list, which is then re-sorted and displayed. Help Menu ========== HELP (RtAm/H or Help key) ----- This will move the working screen to back and call ppmore to display this text file you are reading. After use, the work screen returns. Please note that ppmore should be in your C directory, or some other dir for which a path has been assigned for commands (e.g. Utilities). Printer Menu ============= PRINT CATALOG (RtAm/P) -------------- This formats and prints the catalog file currently displayed. You should have your printer ready for action, as printing starts as soon as you have made the request. WRITE TO FILE (RtAm/W) -------------- This will bring up a requester asking for the path & name of the output file. The catalog currently being displayed will be formatted and written to the selected output file. The Catalog data file is packed, with many spaces removed, but 'Write to file' will format it as it appears on the screen. Unlike 'Print', there will be no page-breaks. SET PAGE LENGTH ---------------- This allows you to change your print page length from the default 66 lines to some other value (eg for A4 cut sheets). Two blank lines will always be left at the foot of each page - ie 64 lines will be printed on a 66 line page. Note that you cannot change the pagelength during the printing. SET LETTER QUALITY ------------------- Use this option if you want non 'draft' quality and your printer does not have a high quality option switch on it. Setting this option only changes the copy of your printer preferences currently held in memory (and restores to its original setting after printing). It does NOT alter the setting of your Preferences held on disk. If you already had 'Letter quality' set in your Preferences, this option will make no difference. ---------------------------------------------------------------- When a Catalog is displayed, you can scroll the text up and down, using the proportional gadget or the arrow gadgets at right of screen. You can also highlight lines by clicking on them with the left mouse button. Selecting lines in this way causes the Selection buttons to appear. The Selection buttons ---------------------- If you click on one or more lines on the screen, those lines are highlighted and the selection buttons are revealed. Deletions & edits do not take effect until 'Accept' is selected. Delete:- if you click on this one, you are asking to delete all lines you have selected whether or not they have scrolled off the screen. Edit:- brings up a 'string requester' containing the most recently marked line, and you can edit the line. Press OK to accept, or press Cancel. If more than one line was previously selected, only the most recent one can be edited. Any others are unaffected. Accept:- accepts any changes into the catalog data. Cancel:- cancels the changes you have made and conceals the selection buttons.