File Manager II

(Version 1.24)

Shareware Utility

By

TimeAcct Information Systems

Contents:

Introduction

Installation

Ownership/Registration/Contact Information

Overview

Menus

Main Menu

Directory Pop-up Menu

File List Pop-up Menu

File Mask Pop-up Menu

Drag and Drop

File Management (Copy/Move/Delete/Rename)

Find File

Directory Sizing Utility

Copy/Move Directory

Directory Compare Utility


Introduction

The product File Manager II is a shareware product that was created using the Delphi development tool from Borland.  It is an excellent tool for quick and easy Windows programming.  This product was created using Delphi 1.0, the 16 Bit version for Windows 3.1.  It will run under Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT, and Win-OS/2.  The only problems I have noticed are under OS/2, like bitmaps sometimes give an Out of System Resources message, while trying to view the file, and a file LUIC?? sometimes appears in all directories (but it is not really there),  and others (But only under Win-OS/2).  Because it is shareware - you can use the product for a limited time for free on a trial basis (15 days).  However, after that time frame you must either remove the product from your system - or pay the registration fee.

This product was created because none of the file managers that exist for the Windows environment work the way I want them to.  They either did not have the functions I was looking for, or they had very, very busy screens (too many buttons and stuff!).  So if you have any ideas or suggestions on how to improve the product - please let me know.  The ways to contact me are listed in the Ownership/Cost/Contact Information section.

Distribution

This program is shareware, so the only way I have of distributing it is YOU!  Please give friends and others (Copy it to your local BBS, Internet, etc.) a copy of this program (and let them know about the $15.00 charge).  You may freely distribute the file FM2_124.EXE (self extracting zip file!) - but you may not modify it in anyway.  It must be distributed AS IS!

Why Use FM2 instead of other file managers?

Good Question!  I would like you to use it because you find it to be a useful tool.  It has many options that normal run-of-the-mill file managers do not have.  Things like:

a) 	Ability to tell you the size of a directory (including all sub directories)

b) 	Ability to perform a comparison between two different directories

c) 	Ability to find files based on age, size, and/or file contents

d) 	Ability to Copy/Move Directory structures & files

e) 	Pop-Up Menus to control functions instead of buttons

f) 	Ability to copy file lists and directory outlines to text files and clipboard

I would like to tell you that it is every bit as stable as other commercial file managers out there - but hey - this is shareware (developed after hours!).  The product as of this release is fairly stable - all major functions work (I use it myself! - and have never had it corrupt any data!) - but if you should find a bug - we will attempt to fix our product on a best efforts basis - and make that correction available to you.


Installation

Installing the product is very easy!  Perform the following steps (although if you have gotten this far - you almost have it fully installed).  (Note: Depending on how ambitious I get - future releases may have its own installation program)

1. 	Copy the file FM2_###.EXE to its own directory (where ### is the release level)

2. 	Run the FM2_###.EXE command to unpack the compressed file

3. 	Delete the FM2_###.EXE file (You no longer need it)

4. 	Change your AUTOEXEC.BAT to add the following line SET FM2PATH=directory where you have the FM2.EXE and the MASKFILE.TA files located

5.   Reboot your machine to have the SET command take affect

Note:

1. 	If the FM2PATH statement is not there then you will not have any File Mask drop down box options. Also the first time you change directories you will get an I/O 103 error (Which you can ignore!)

2. 	The installation should include the following files:

a) 	FM2.EXE	- Executable File

b) 	MASKFILE.TA	- File Mask Drop Down Box Items

c) 	FM2HELP.HLP	- FM2 Help File

d) 	INSTALL.TXT  	- Text File with install instructions

e) 	EDITRCMD.TXT	- Holds the users editor choice and command string.

f) 	DBVIEWER.EXE	- Dbase & Paradox Database Viewer


Ownership/Registration/Contact Information

Owner :	TimeAcct Information System   ( G. Bradley Mac Donald )

3430 Copeland Avenue

Vancouver, B.C.

Canada

V5S 4B6

Registration :	Cost : $15.00   (You must register product after 15 days)

This is the cost of registering the FM2 product.  The source code is also available for an additional $15.00.  The source code will include all project source plus the two custom components used in this project (a modified file list box and directory outline).

Why register the product you ask?  To keep your conscience from preventing you from sleeping at night!  This will also fund more versions of this software and other tools.  It is also a very small amount of money - and if you have a computer - then you should be able to afford the $15.00 to register this product.  Other shareware vendors and I release our products into the world, relying on peoples honesty to help fund them.   So I you find this product useful, you should send a cheque (or cash) payable to G. Bradley MacDonald to the above address.

Note:  All money received from this product goes toward funding new tools (both freeware and shareware) and toward feeding my two cats.

Contact :	You can contact me at  Bradley.MacDonald@DeepCove.Com on the Internet.  I check this account three or four times a week - so response should be reasonable fast.  Also I can be reached at (604) 435-4415.  Please remember that this is a residential number on the west coast - so there is a 3 hour difference between here and New York or Toronto (i.e. - I dont take kindly to calls at 3am in the morning! - Especially not for Shareware  ).  You should call between 6pm and 10pm Pacific Time.  I will not return long distance call ($15.00 will be spent on one phone call!) - so If you do call and I am in - leave a message with your Internet E-Mail address and I will send you a reply via the E-Mail.

We are always trying to improve our products - so if you find any bugs or have any suggestions (whether you register the product or not!) please let us know.  The latest version of this program will be available on the DeepCove BBS at (604) 536-5889 - or - you may contact us directly.

Guarantee :	We provide NO guarantee with this product.  You may use it at your own risk on an As Is basis.  We assume absolutely NO liability with regards to this product or what it does.  (OK now that the legal liability section is over …)  If you find a bug with this program - please let us know - we will make an honest effort to fix any bug that is reported to us.  Any bug fixes will be available for free download to registered users (or those that were the first to report the bug).

Credits:	Author :	G. Bradley MacDonald

Testers :	Stew Leitch

Richard Kimm-Jones

John Porcina

Freeware Delphi Components Used:	DOSVALUE (Eric Heverly)

(ERICHEV@IX.NETCOM.COM)

Final Word:	The $15.00 will be put into developing new releases of this package and other tools (some shareware - some freeware) and to feeding my two cats - Have you seen the price of cat food lately! .  If you use this product - please send me a note letting me know what you did and did not like about it.  Without your feedback it cannot be improved!!


Overview

File Manager II is a file management utility.  It has the following features:

1.	Ability to Drag and Drop Files

2.	Ability to Drag and Drop Directories and Directory Structures

3.	Ability to Copy/Move/Delete/Rename files as well as change their attributes

4.	A Flexible File Find Utility

5.	A Directory Sizing Utility

6.	A Directory Compare Utility

7.	A Paradox/Dbase Table Viewing Utility

The screen is divided into two equal parts, each containing its own file manager.  Each section is made up of  a Directory Outline, a File List Box, a File Mask Drop Down Box, Drive Tabs, a Drive Info Panel, a Directory Info Panel, a Selected File Info Panel, and a Panel showing the current directory.

Directory Outline:

This object shows you a graphical representation of the drive you have selected.  It displays it in a tree like fashion.  If a directory has a sub-directory under it - then the icon for the first directory will have a + in the file folder icon.  Note:  In order to increase the speed of program loading - a quick load has been performed. This means that in order to see the + in the file folders you will have to open and then close a directory.  Actually the easiest (and quickest) way to do this - is to go to the top of the directory structure (choose the Root Directory at the very top of the directory outline) and then choose to expand the entire directory branch (and collapse it afterward).  This will put a + in every directory icon that has a sub-directory under it.  Once again - this was done to speed up the program start up.  Future releases will give you the option of having this automatically done at startup!

File List Box:

This object shows you a alphabetical list of the files in the current directory of the Directory Outline.  It is also possible to view the File Size, Attributes and Date/Time.  In order to view this extra information you must scroll the list box, using the scrolling bar at the bottom of  the list box.  You may get a full screen view by choosing the Show/Hide item from the Options part of the main menu.  Show the Pop-up menu by clicking the Right mouse button over a file list box.

File Mask Drop-Down Box:

This object is the file mask for the File List Box.  Only the files that meet the criteria specified in the File Mask field are displayed in the File List Box.  You may either enter your own file mask or select one from the drop-down list.  It is possible to customize the drop-down list by right clicking on the Drop-Down Arrow to the right of the field (See File Mask PopUp Menu)

Drive Tabs:

This object displays all available drives on your computer.  It will only display drives that you have access to.  It will recognize network drives (OS/2, NT, Netware, etc).  To change to a particular drive - simply click on the appropriate tab.

Drive Info Panel:

This object displays the total size and amount of free space on the currently selected drive (See drive tab above).  Because this is a windows 3.11 program it can only recognize drive sizes of 2.1 Gigabytes and lower.  Any drive (Physical or logical) that is larger than this limit will report as Zero.  This is a limitation of windows - not this program. (It may be fixed in Windows 95 - Im not sure!)

Directory Info Panel:

This object show the number of files (and their total size) in the currently selected directory

Selected File Info Panel:

This object shows the number of selected files (and their total size).  It is updated every time you select or unselect a file(s).

Possible Enhancements:

1.	Ability to Sort the file list box by other means than just file name (like Size, Date, Attributes)

2.	Smaller EXE.  Code will be tightened up to reduce the size of the EXE

3.	Drive Information (i.e. Pop-up menu for Drive Tabs giving technical info on Drive)

4.	Anything else people can suggest.

So Use - Enjoy - and please let me know what you think of it!


Main Menu

The main menu appears at the top of the main screen only.  The following options are available

File:

Exit	- End the Program - Exit back to windows

Command	- This option allows the user to enter any Windows or DOS command.  It also keeps track of the last 30 commands that we successfully executed.  The last command entered (whether successful or not - appears when the option is chosen)

Search:

Find File	- This is a flexible file find utility.  See the File Find Section.

Options:

Show/Hide List 2	- This option will hide the entire second directory list box and file list box - letting the user see an extended file list box.  This is very useful if the user wants to view the file name, size, attributes and date - without having to scroll through the file list box.

Show/Hide Hints	- This option allows the user to have hints shown (or not) on all major screens.  These hints appear at the bottom of a field when the mouse pointer is positioned over a field without moving.  These hints can be useful for people just starting to use the program.  Those of you who have used it a couple of times will want to leave the hints turned off.

Drag/Drop Default	- This sets the default for the drag/drop operations.  The two possible values are Copy and Move.  When the user selects this option - it toggles between the two options. So when a user then drags a file (or Directory) between a file list box and a directory outline - the program then performs the current default operation (Copy or Move)

File Editor Selection	- This option allows the user to select which editor he/she would like to use to view/edit text files when they select the View option on the File List Box Pop-up Menu.  See Editor Selection for more information.

Refresh Window	- This option refreshes all parts of the current screen.  It updates the directory outlines, file list boxes and information panels at the bottom of the screen.

Help:

Help 	- This option starts up the main help screen.   One would hope you would know what this option does - because it is probably what you used to get to this point!

About	- This is simple about dialog - that tells you a little bit about this product and who wrote it.


Directory Pop-Up Menu

The Directory Pop-up menu appears when the user presses the right mouse button when in either of the directory outlines.  The following options are available

Create Directory	- This option allows the user to create a sub-directory off of the current directory.  It then changes the directory outlines current directory to that directory.

Delete Directory	- This option allows the user to delete a directory.  If the directory is not empty - then the user is prompted to determine if he/she wants to delete the contents of that directory (and any sub-directories) anyway.  The program will position the current directory to the parent of the directory being deleted.

Expand Branch	-  This option allows the user to expand the current directory to show all sub-directories underneath it.  It will not expand any other sub-tree except the current one.  Very useful for getting a quick view of how deep the current directory structure is.

Collapse Branch	- This option allows the user to collapse the currently expanded sub-tree to show only the current directory (with out all of its sub-directories).

Branch Size	- This option allows the user to determine the size and number of files in a directory branch.  This would include the files from all sub-directories under the selected directory (Very useful for LAN administrators).  See Directory Sizing Utility section for more information.

Branch Compare	- This option allows the user to determine the differences between two directory branches.  It allows the user to fine tune how the comparison will be performed.  See Directory Compare Utility for more information.

Copy Directory Structure	- This option allows the user to copy an entire directory branch to another directory and/or drive.   See Copy/Move Directory for more information.

Move Directory Structure	- This option allows the user to Move an entire directory branch to another directory and/or drive.   See Copy/Move Directory for more information.

Refresh Directory Outline	- This option refreshes the directory outline to include any new directories that may have been added (or removed) using other programs or DOS commands.

Save Outline to File	- This option allows the user to save the current directory outline to a file.  It will only Output the currently expanded  part of the outline - so in order to get the entire directory tree - you must first expand the tree fully from the root.


File List Pop-Up Menu

The File List Pop-up menu appears when the user presses the right mouse button when in either of the File List Boxes.  The following options are available

Execute	- This option allows the user to execute the current selected file.  If the file is an executable file (EXE, COM , BAT (or CMD in OS/2) then the file is executed as if you had run it from a command line.  If the file is not one of these types - but is associated with an application (i.e. Bitmaps (*.BMP) and MS Paint) then it will start that application and load the selected file.  Otherwise this option will do nothing.

View	- This option allows the user to quickly view the current selected file.  If the file is bitmap or icon (*.BMP or *.ICO) then it will load it into a panel that will show the bitmap or icon very quickly.  If it is any other type of file - it will try to load it into the notepad for editing.

Copy	- This option allows the user to copy the currently selected files.  It uses the File Option dialog to prompt the user to complete the information needed for the Copy operation..

Move	- This option allows the user to move the currently selected files.  It uses the File Option dialog to prompt the user to complete the information needed for the Move operation..

Rename	- This option allows the user to rename the currently selected files.  It uses the File Option dialog to prompt the user to complete the information needed for the Rename operation..

Delete	- This option allows the user to delete the currently selected files.  It uses the File Option dialog to prompt the user to complete the information needed for the Delete operation..

Change Attributes	- This option allows the user to change the attributes of the currently selected file(s).  It prompts the user with a dialog box containing the files current attributes - and allowing the user to change them by selected the desired check boxes.  If the user has selected multiple files before choosing this option - then the attribute check boxes on the screen will be blank.  Any selections that are made will either overwrite the existing file attributes or simply add to them, depending on whether you select the OverWrite check box or not.  So for example you select a group of files - then choose attributes.  You select Hidden for an attribute - and the Overwrite checkbox - In this case all selected files will then become hidden - and all other attributes (read only, etc.) are cleared.  If the overwrite check box was not selected - then only the hidden attribute would be changed for the selected files

View Paradox/Dbase Table	- This option allows the user to quickly view/edit a Borland Paradox or Dbase Table.  See the section on Viewing Database Tables for more information.

Select All	- This option allows the user to quickly select all the files in the list box.  The selected files can then be used in any other operations.

Copy to Clipboard	- This option allows the user to copy the contents of the file list box to the clipboard (to be later copied into another application - or where ever!).  This is useful if you need a list of files in a directory (with sizes perhaps!).

Save List to File	- This option allows the user to save the entire list of files in the list box to a file on disk.  The user is prompted to enter a file name and choose a directory where to save the file.

Show Data	- This option allows the user to determine which information they want to have displayed in the file list box besides the file name.  The user is able to select File Size, File Attributes and File Date/Time.  Once this option is selected the file list box is recreated with the appropriate information.  This information can be seen by scrolling the file list box to the right. - or by hiding the second half of the screen (See Options - Show/Hide List 2)

 	File Types Displayed	- This option allows the user to decide what file types will be displayed in the file list box.  The type of files that can be displayed :  Normal, Hidden, Read-Only, System, Archived, Volume Id and Directories.  The user can change to a directory by double clicking on a directory in the file list box.   This is very useful - for example : view all the files for a directory in one file list box - and in the other only the hidden files.

Refresh File List 	- This option allows the user to refresh the contents of the file list box, if it has changed due to actions by other programs or commands.


File Mask Pop-Up Menu

The File Mask Pop-up menu appears when the user presses the right mouse button when in either of the File List Boxes. However - it only appears if the user presses the right mouse button over the drop down Arrow to the right of the Drop down box.  The following options are available

Edit List	- This option allows the user to edit the list of drop down options to customize the system to their own needs.  It displays a small dialog with a memo field that shows the current drop down options.  The user can change these options and then hit the OK button.  This will save these changes to a file (MASKFILE.TA) and update the drop down list in the program.  Every time the program is started it reads the list from the file.

Note:  If you want to have multiple file types selected then separate them by a semi-colon (;).

i.e.    *.EXE;*.COM;*.BAT   will display all the files that match any one of the three.


Drag and Drop

This program uses drag and drop to copy or move files from one directory to another - depending on the setting of the Drag/Drop Default.

To drag a single file from one file list box to either of the directory outlines - select the file - press the left mouse button down (Hold it down) and then move the mouse pointer to the directory in the directory outline you want to copy/move it to.  Note how the mouse pointer changes during the drag operation.

To drag multiple files - you must first select multiple files.  To select more then one file use the Shift and/or Control keys in combination with the mouse.  With the Shift key - Hold the shift key down and select a file - then move the mouse pointer to another file and click - then all files between the first selected file and the second selected file will be selected.  With the Control key - Hold the Control key down and select a file - then select another file - both files will be selected - but not the ones between the two selected files.

It is also possible to drag/drop entire directory structures (not just files).  This is fairly similar to what other packages call Prune and Graft - however I believe that this is more powerful and flexible.  See Copy/Move Directory for more information.


File Management (Copy/Move/Delete/Rename)

File Management - i.e. coping, moving, deleting and renaming files is handled through a second screen in FM2.  This screen has the following elements:

From List Box:

Used to hold all the files to be manipulated

To List Box:

Used to show the user the results of the changes - if the user should press OK

To Default:

Used to hold the default path to apply to the files in the From List Box

Apply Button:

Applies the directory path to the entries in the From List box and puts them in the To List Box

Remove Button:

Removes highlighted entries from the From List Box

From Directory Label:

Shows the user the from directory

To use this screen :

Copy : 	The user enters the destination path (the path is already there if a drag operation was used) for the file to be copied to.  The user presses the Apply button then examines the To List Box to make sure that everything is correct - then the user hits the OK Button - and the files are then copied.

Move: 	Same as copy above  - only the files are moved instead of copied.

Delete:	Only the From List Box is shown - the user has the option to Remove any file he/she does not wish to delete.  The user presses the OK to start the delete operation.

Rename	Same as the copy above - only the files are renamed instead of copied.  It should be noted that it is possible to move and rename the files at the same time, by changing the path in the To Default edit field.

Note:	It is possible to further modify the To List Box - after the Apply button has changed its contents.  By double clicking on an entry in the To List Box the user is presented with a screen that allows him/her to change that one entry.  Thus it is possible to copy files to different directories(or drives) or copy and rename in one operation.


Find File

This is a file finding utility.  It is capable of finding a file based on the : File Name, File Age, File Size or File Contents.  It is possible to create queries such as : find me all files that end in *.TXT , that are older than 20 days, contain the search string AnyString, and are greater than 2,000 bytes.

The File to Find field allows the user to specify any valid file specifications, including the characters * & ?.  If a filename matches the specifications in the File to Find field - then it is included in the list box.

The String to Search For field allows the user to specify the string that he/she wants to search the selected files for.  If the string is found in the file then that file is included in the list box.

The Available Drives area allows the user to select which drives will be searched for the files.

The Limit to Directory Tree field is used to limit the search to a specific directory tree branch.  This field overrides the available drives selection.

The file age field will include files in the search results only if they are Older/Younger than the number of days specified.   Note: To find all files created today - simple select <= and enter 0.  This will find all files that are not even one day old - in other words - the files that were created (or modified) today.

The file size field will include files in the search results only if they are Larger/Smaller than the size specified on the screen.

If a file fails to meet any of the above criteria - then it is NOT included in the search results list box.

The Get Directory button is used to select a directory for the Limit to Directory field.   This reduces the chances of a user incorrectly typing a directory path.

The Search Results list box contains a Pop-up menu (Right Click to see it) that allows you to:

1.	View/Edit the highlighted file

2.	Change the current directory of Directory Outline #1 to that directory

3.	Copy the contents of the search results list box to the clipboard

Note:	Occasionally the search engine cannot read a file.  When this happens a line is added to the list box - telling the user that there was an error accessing the file.  If there is a (GPF) in the string - then there was an error (GPF - General Protection Fault) scanning the file.


Directory Sizing Utility

This utility allows a user to determine the size of a particular tree branch including all sub-directories underneath the initial directory.  This can be very useful to LAN Administrators who want to determine how the network drive that the users home directories are on is being used.

For example:  the directory structure

E:\Homedir

\Amin

\WordProc

\SpreadSheets

\Barry

\Carol

\David

\WordProc

\AP_Notes

\APMeet

\AR_Notes

\RFP_REQ

.etc…

With this tool you could take the size of the \Homedir directory and find out the total size all the users home directories, as well as the size of each users personal directory.  This can be useful in determining how much space each user is really using.

i.e.  For example here is the result of running this utility against my WIN95 Directory:

0 Bytes   in          0 Files  -  c:\win95\APW_DATA\

          227 Bytes   in          1 Files  -  c:\win95\FAVORI~1\

          654 Bytes   in          1 Files  -  c:\win95\CONFIG\

        1,105 Bytes   in          4 Files  -  c:\win95\SENDTO\

       24,710 Bytes   in         83 Files  -  c:\win95\STARTM~1\

       38,795 Bytes   in          9 Files  -  c:\win95\TEMP\

       46,136 Bytes   in          2 Files  -  c:\win95\FORMS\

      122,420 Bytes   in         17 Files  -  c:\win95\CURSORS\

      131,072 Bytes   in          6 Files  -  c:\win95\MSAPPS\

      135,876 Bytes   in          1 Files  -  c:\win95\MEDIA\

      263,903 Bytes   in         20 Files  -  c:\win95\DESKTOP\

    1,206,563 Bytes   in         40 Files  -  c:\win95\COMMAND\

    2,260,990 Bytes   in         84 Files  -  c:\win95\HELP\

   21,186,396 Bytes   in        191 Files  -  c:\win95\

   40,361,040 Bytes   in        522 Files  -  c:\win95\SYSTEM\

Total:  65,779,888 Bytes  in        981 Files

Each of the sizes above includes any sub-directories below the ones shown.

Fields:

Directory Tree Branch to Size:

This field is the directory to size.  You can change it by using the Get Dir button.

Files to Include in Sizing

This field is a file mask that will be used to determine which files to include in the sizing.

File Types to Include

This section allows the user to determine which types of files to include in the sizing utility

Directory Tree Branch Size

This is where the size of the whole directory tree is displayed.

Please note that this is the sum of the individual file sizes, which is different from the actually space the file takes on disk.  The actually file size on disk varries depending on the size of the disk and the operating system used.  The directory size that is provided can be very useful in many ways - even though it is not truly the size the file takes on disk.  Jim Seymour provides an excellent explanation of this problem with file size vs the size a file takes up on your hard disk in the February 6th Issue of PC Magazine (Page 91).

Show (Hide) LB

This Button is used to show/hide the Sizing Results List Box.  The size of all sub-directories is shown in this list box.  The user is able to display a Pop-up menu (Right Click on the List box to display it) that allows the user to either copy the contents to the clipboard or write it to a text file on disk.  A possible use for this is to run this command on the network directories that contain users files, copy the results to the clipboard, then paste it into a mail note - and send that note to the top 10 users of disk space - asking them to clean up their personal space.

Get Size

This Button is used to get the directory sizes.  This starts the process

Get Dir

This Button is used to get a new directory for the Directory Tree Branch to Size field.


Copy/Move Directory

The ability to copy/move entire directory structures is similar to what other packages call Prune & Graft.  It can be accomplished by either selecting a directory and using the Pop-up menu or by simply dragging the selected directory to the other Directory outline.  Either way - the Copy/Move dialog box appears for the user to confirm his/her actions.  If the user is performing a move operation (See Drag/Drop Default) then the options to include sub-directories and files are grayed out, because you cannot change them in a move operation.  The copy operation allows the user to select whether sub directories will also be copied (thus coping the entire directory structure with files) or whether files will be copied along with the directory structure.  The option to not copy files would be useful for duplicating directory structures on other drives or in other directories.


Directory Compare Utility

This utility allows a user to compare two directories or directory branches.  It will scan through the directory structure and compare files and directories based on the users requested differences.  The possible checks for differences are:

Existence:

This checks to see if the files in one tree branch match have an existing file of the same name in the other tree branch.  The two files must exist at the same level in the tree branch in both directories. There are three possible outcomes of this check:

= - Files exist in both tree branches

> - The File exists only in the first tree branch

< - The File exists only in the second tree branch

Size:

This checks to make sure that the size of the files in both tree branches is the same.   The size used for this comparison is the actual size of the file in bytes. There are three possible outcomes of this check:

= - The size of the files in both directories is the same

> - The file in the first tree branch is larger than the second tree branch

< - The File in the second tree branch is larger than the first tree branch

Date:

This checks to make sure that the date of the files in both tree branches is the same.  It uses the file date only.  This check does not include the file time.  There are three possible outcomes to this check:

= - The files were last created/modified on the same date

> - The date that the file in the first branch was modified is older

< - The date that the file in the second branch was modified is older

Time:

This checks to make sure that the Time of the files in both tree branches is the same.  It uses the file Time only.  This check does not include the file date.  There are three possible outcomes to this check:

= - The files were last created/modified at the same Time

> - The Time that the file in the first branch was modified is older

< - The Time that the file in the second branch was modified is older

Attribute:

This checks to make sure that the attributes of the files in both tree branches are the same.  There are two possible outcomes to this check.

= - The attributes of both files are the same

! - The attributes of both files are Not the same

The screen has the following fields:

Branch #1:

This field holds the first directory tree branch

Branch #2:

This field holds the second directory tree branch

Include File Specs:

This field holds the file specifications of the files to be included in the compare.  For example (*.*) means all files, (*.TXT) means include only files that have the TXT extension.

Include File Types:

This field(s) allow the user to specify whether Hidden, System, Archive, and ReadOnly files will be included in the comparison.

Include Sub-Directories:

This field allows the user to specify whether the comparison will include all sub-directories under the directory specified in Branch #1 (see above).  If this box is not checked then only the directory specified in Branch #1 is compared.

Check for the Following Differences:

This field allows the user to specify what differences to check for (see explanation of differences above).

Results List Box:

This field (ListBox) contains the results of the directory comparison.  Right Click to see the pop-up menu that allows the user to either copy the results to the clipboard or save them to a file.

An example of the results of a compare are: (Existence and Time were not selected - Sub Directories were included)

E S D T A   File Name

*** Directory : e:\delphip\makedisk\*.*

= < =   =   FM2.EXE

= = >   =   FM2HELP.HLP

= = >   =   HISTORY.GBL

= = <   =   INSTALL.TXT

= = <   =   MASKFILE.TA

*** Directory : e:\delphip\makedisk\TEMP\*.*

= = =   !   ABOUTFM2.DCU

So for the above :

FM2.EXE	- The size of the file in the second branch was larger

FM2HELP.HLP	- The Date in the first branch is older than the second

HISTORY.GBL	- The Date in the first branch is older than the second

INSTALL.TXT	- The Date in the second branch is older than the first

MASKFILE.TA	- The Date in the second branch is older than the first

ABOUTFM2.DCU	- The Attributes of the two files are different.

If  existence was included then we would have seen all the files (and directories) that exist in one tree branch but not the other.


File Editor Selection

This option allows the user to select which editor will be used when they select the View option on the File List Box pop-up menu.  If there is no setting - then the Windows Notebook is used.

The user sets up the editor command using the @1 character combination to let FM2 know where to place the file to be edited.  For example - say you want to use the DOS Editor (EDIT.COM) then you would enter the string EDIT.COM @1 (without the quotes) and hit enter.  This would then cause FM2 to use the DOS Editor to edit/view the selected file.  By using the @1 characters to represent the filename - you are able to use some of the advanced command line parameters of editors like BRIEF, Multi-edit, etc.

Notes:

1.	You must enter the full name of the editor  (i.e.  EDIT.COM not EDIT)

2.	FM2 assumes that this executable is in you path.  If it is not then you must enter the full path name of the file (i.e.  C:\DOS\EDIT.COM) or it will not work


Viewing DataBase Tables

This option allows the user to view and edit Paradox and Dbase tables.  It is a quick and easy method of doing this without having to load Paradox.  It is not meant to be a standard way of doing thing (especially for end users!) - but was provided as a feature for IS folks out there who must maintain these tables.

The screen provides a menu at the top (Database & Record Info).  The Database menu item allows the user to switch between edit and view mode on the table.  The Record Info item displays the current number and the total number of records. (It seems to have a problem providing the total # of Dbase records - works find for Paradox)

The actual body of the form is divided into two parts - The table and the Database Navigator.  The Table itself can be resized by re-sizing the form.  Also each of the columns can be resized individually.  The Database Navigator at the top of the screen allows the user to Move to the first, next, previous and last record.  It also allows Inserting a record, Deleting a record, Accepting Changes, Canceling changes, and Refreshing the view of the table.

This is a stand alone executable.  It needs the file name (Dbase or Paradox Database Name).  You could call it stand alone by :  DBVIEWER  C:\MYDATA\DBASEFIL.DBF

NOTE:	In order to use this feature you MUST have the Borland Database Engine.  If you do not have this program (all Dbase, Paradox and Delphi users have it!) - then when you register this program I will send you a two disk installation package that contains the BDE runtime environment for free.