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-
-
-
- *******************************
- * *
- * History of Changes *
- * *
- * CMFiler -- Version 5.37d *
- * *
- *******************************
-
-
- The following features have been added or improved since Version 5.32, in
- reverse chronological order:
-
- ----- 5.37d -----
-
- 1. Added to the file display ordering options (Ctrl-O menu) the choice
- "0", which orders the executable files first, in the order .COM, .EXE,
- .BAT and .BAT, followed by all other files in strict alphabetical order.
-
- 2. Added to the color palette selection menu (Ctrl-P) the option to set
- a flag on files with today's date stamp, and custom colorized the
- extension field of executable files. When you leave the palette menu
- with the Enter key, you will be asked if you want to flag today's files
- and executables. If you answer Yes, you will be given an opportunity to
- edit the color scheme for the executable files. The "today" flag is a
- small square pip just in front of the extension field.
-
- 3. Added to the palette edit routines (Ctrl-P, E) the options to toggle
- the high-intensity bit selectively for each color field. The command "T"
- in the color menu toggles between high- and normal-intensity foreground
- color attribute.
-
- 4. Revised the display routines to show the time in 12-hour format,
- with the letter "p" for post-meridian times. (Absence of a "p" implies
- ante-meridian, including the hours from 12 midnight to 1 AM.)
-
- 5. When you select a disk containing deleted files in a ~TRASH~
- directory the first time each new day, CMFiler asks if you want to leave
- it alone, purge (hard-delete) its files, or view it. Heretofore, if you
- specified viewing ~TRASH~, you would be returned to the root directory
- when you were finished, even if some other directory had been specified,
- for example as an initial path parameter in the command line. Now
- CMFiler remembers the specified path, and returns to it after you leave
- ~TRASH~ with the \ (Root) or P (Parent) command.
-
- 6. Added to the editor/viewer a pop-up ASCII table, called with the
- command Ctrl-A. Navigate through the table with the Arrow keys or mouse
- to highlight a specific character, then type that character with Enter or
- mouse left button.
-
- 7. Corrected a bug in the navigation routines in the tree module that
- occasionally caused confusion when navigating using the Shift-Up/Down
- arrows in a directory level in which one or more directories had been
- deleted since the last tree refreshing operation.
-
- 8. Added to the main module a file splitter, called by Alt-S. With the
- target panel set up as the destination path for the split files, position
- the cursor on a file in the source panel and press Alt-S. CMFiler first
- asks for confirmation that you desire to split the file into smaller
- files, with extensions .A00, .A01, ..., .A99, .B00, etc. The it asks for
- the file size for the split files, in Kb. Split files are created in the
- target path, and the original file is left untouched in the source.
-
- ----- 5.37c -----
-
- 1. Added to the tree module a feature that captures to the C drive
- (C:\~TREES~) an image file of the tree for each drive C or greater when
- it is first accessed. This image is then available for use as a quick
- alternative to rereading the whole drive the next time the tree module is
- entered and that drive is selected. The image file loads the tree
- structure in a fraction of the time it takes to read the whole drive and
- construct the directory and file list.
-
- The first time this version is run in tree mode, CMFiler explains three
- basic setup options to help the user use this new feature in the best
- way. In one option, you can tell CMFiler to ask permission to reread the
- drive and refresh the tree image on file after copying a structure into
- the drive tree. It is often convenient, if you have several structures
- to copy, to wait until the last before rereading the drive and refreshing
- the tree image.
-
- The tree image can also be manually updated using Shift-R (Refresh tree).
- The Tree image option menu can be brought up with Ctrl-O.
-
- 2. Added to the shareware edition a choice of registration forms -- one
- form for direct orders to NoVaSoft, one form for credit card orders to
- Public (software) Library.
-
- 3. Added full color selection capability. Press Ctrl-P as previously
- to select from four palettes. However, each palette can be edited by
- pressing E within the palette facility. Each of five colors in the file
- list display can be selected by arrowing around an 8x8 color array, and
- pressing the spacebar when the desired color is reached. The affect of
- each selection is shown as the arrow is moved around the array, so no
- guesswork is required. This new facility is best used with both panels
- open, and some files tagged in one of the panels, since the file tagging
- color and both the source and target path line colors are independently
- variable. When finished editing one palette, hit Enter to return to the
- original level of the palette facility, and either Enter to set that
- palette as the default choice, or another key to rotate to the next
- palette. The editor and tree displays are not independently adjustable,
- but take their colors from the current palette.
-
-
- 4. Added a path alias facility to the main module. This allows
- assigning the commands Alt-1 through Alt-9 to your nine most frequently
- used directories, for instant navigation from any other drive and path.
- To assign a path to the alias list, first go to the subdirectory you want
- to add, then press Alt-A (for Alias). The Alias menu shows a list
- numbered 1 through 9, each with a user-definable title and path. Pick a
- free number, press it and type in the title you want as your key for the
- path. Hitting Enter saves the alias.
-
- To navigate to that aliased path instantly, either press Alt- and the
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-2
- number you assigned (if you remember), or press Alt-A, look over the
- list, and while still holding down the Alt-key press the number.
-
- 5. The keys Del and Insert now have functions in the main and tree
- modules. Del is the same as D (Delete file(s) or directory). Insert is
- the same as M (Mkdir) if the cursor is on a directory, or F (make new
- File) if the cursor is on a file).
-
- 6. Added Ctrl-W sWap panel command to tree module.
-
- 7. Adjusted all disk space calculations to accommodate multi-gigabyte
- devices.
-
- 8. In the editor, enabled the option to use the keypad for numerical
- input if NUM LOCK is on.
-
- 9. Optimized the disk access sequences in the file copying routines in
- the main and tree modules to reduce to a minimum the number of separate
- accesses for each file. This reduces the time for floppy-to-floppy file
- copying through the same diskette controller.
-
- ----- 5.37b -----
-
- 1. In editor, cleaned up the Home and End key logic, and spruced up the
- left-right positioning logic for the cursor while moving up and down a
- file. Corrected other minor bugs.
-
- 2. Revised CMFiler's treatment of file attributes to set the DOS
- Archive bit after editing, copying or appending files, in the same way as
- COMMAND.COM does.
-
- 3. Rewrote documentation on "registration" to strengthen the idea that
- the expected (and the legally required) action by users if they wish to
- continue using the shareware edition of CMFiler past the evaluation
- period is to "purchase" it -- i.e., to remit money.
-
- ----- 5.37a -----
-
- 1. Changed the routine that checks for valid drives in the system to
- make it non-intrusive (it no longer has to access each drive), and to do
- the check whenever the user requests a change of drives instead of just
- during program initialization, in order to detect any dynamic changes in
- system logical drive configuration during a session.
-
- 2. Added .BTM as an alternative batch file name for 4DOS users.
-
- ----- 5.37 -----
-
- In shareware edition, disabled the opening registration reminder screen
- for the first 50 uses. Between 51 and 100 uses, user is asked to press
- the letter C to continue. Beyond 100 uses, a key press from A to Z
- (selected at random) is required to continue past the opening screen.
- This measure is added to increase the evaluator's difficulty to
- automatically bypass the opening reminder that shareware is a
- distribution method based on trust and good faith, but that use beyond
- the evaluation period invokes a registration obligation.
-
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-3
- Added a feature in the Rename routine in the main file services module to
- permit swapping two file names. If exactly two files are tagged when the
- key R is struck, CMFiler asks if the user wants to swap their names. If
- the answer is no, CMFiler goes to the normal rename facility.
-
- Added a user-optional routine to the notes facility to "synchronize"
- DESCRIPT.ION and NARATIVE.CF notes files if necessary each time the notes
- facility is called to update the NARATIVE.CF file. All existing entries
- in either file are preserved. This routine only adds unique entries from
- either to the other. Routine must be activated by resetting a switch on
- the Shift-O user Options menu.
-
- In the DESC_NAR companion utility, added an option to import notes from
- DIRN-???.DAT files created by the PC Magazine utility DIRNOTES into
- CMFiler's NARATIVE.CF notes files.
-
- In editor, modified the Alt-F Find-string command to seed the search
- string with the text word at the cursor. Previous find string can be
- reinstated with the Up Arrow key. Also added a command, Ctrl-G (Goto
- next same word), that repositions cursor to next appearance of the word
- the cursor was on. Ctrl-G recycles to the beginning of the file if
- necessary.
-
- Added command Ctrl-W (for sWap), to swap panels in main module.
-
- Corrected a bug in the Shift-X and Shift-Fn commands inadvertently
- introduced in version 5.36s.
-
- ----- 5.36s -----
-
- Added color to the editor, in the same scheme as selected for the
- main file services module. Also added option for colored border
- on VGA monitors when screen background is other than black.
-
- Added feature to diskette copier to make it easier to use previously
- stored diskette images from the hard disk. Select the directory
- with the diskette image you want to use, and put the cursor on the
- name of the image file before pressing Shift-K for disKopy. Answer
- the first question Yes, and the file name will be given as the default
- in the data entry window. Press enter to accept it, and continue with
- the session.
-
- Increased from 9 to 35 the number of duplicate filenames that can be
- soft-deleted and still accepted in the ~TRASH~ directory before
- "saturation". As multiple files of the same name are renamed for storage
- in ~TRASH~ during soft-delete, variations of the filename are attempted
- in which the last character of the renamed file is first 1 through 9, and
- then A through Z. If all variations fail, the soft-delete reverts to
- hard-delete for that file.
-
- Revised the support for PKZIP to allow ZIPping a long list of tagged
- files. The algorithm previously limited the number of files which could
- be ZIPped to the number that would fit on the command line. Algorithm
- expanded to take advantage of PKZIP's @filelist feature for ZIPping large
- numbers of tagged files. CMFiler creates a temporary filelist, passes it
- to PKZIP, and then erases it after the ZIP is complete. unlimited
-
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-4
- ----- 5.36r -----
-
- In diskette copying routine (disKopy), added option to save diskette
- image as a file on the hard disk after reading master diskette, and to
- use a previously saved image as the master for making new diskettes.
-
- To assist blind people using Gateway Braille displays, the character * is
- printed in the column to the left of the filename to denote a normal-
- tagged file (the character 1-9 or a-z was already printed to denote an
- alt-tagged file), and the character denoting a directory is changed from
- the graphics character ASCII 249 (a small dot in the center of the
- character array) to a colon.
-
- ----- 5.36q -----
-
- Optimized file copying routines to save time, overwrite old file as a
- data security measure. Added mouse help info to Help screens.
-
- Revised editor exit routine to be clearer, to permit editing the save
- file name, and to facility saves during a session.
-
- Added protection in file copying, deleting and editing routines for
- "system" files equivalent to "read-only".
-
- ----- 5.36p -----
-
- Added feature to allow quick-executing .COM or .EXE files using Enter key
- as well as Q. Double press of Enter or double click of mouse left button
- while arrow symbol is highlighted in mouse bar executes file.
-
- ----- 5.36n -----
-
- Corrected longstanding bug that generate "access denied" errors when
- attempting to copy certain files on network drives.
-
- ----- 5.36m -----
-
- Added quick printout of registration form in shareware edition (Ctrl-R).
-
- Added mouse speed adjustment to mouse menu in main module, corrected
- minor bugs, and relabelled 5.36m (for "mouse").
-
- Disabled old file wiping prior to file copying and moving when wipe-file
- option is set, based on a problem reported on one network. File wiping
- is still active during file deletion when wipe-file option is set.
-
- ----- 5.36e (Beta test version) -----
-
- Added mouse support for navigation and some commands. The mouse features
- stay dormant until the mouse is moved. In the main module, the tree
- display and the file list display in the tree module, a five-character
- mini-mouse menu appears on the same line as the cursor and highlight,
- showing five operations that can be clicked with the left button:
-
- o The left-arrow character (ASCII 27) acts like the Enter key, for
- directory navigation and file viewing.
- o The three-line character (ASCII 240) pops a menu into the active
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-5
- window.
- o The up, down and left or right triangles act like PgUp, PgDn and Left
- or Right Arrow for navigation.
-
- In the cases of file lists, the right button toggles the state of the
- tag. Several files can be tagged by holding down the right button and
- dragging the mouse up or down the file list.
-
- The left button may in most cases be used to accept the default offering
- in yes/no choices, same as the Enter key.
-
- In the editor/viewer, the left button has the same effect as the Enter
- key. Mouse movement navigates on the page like the arrow keys. Holding
- the right button down and moving the mouse up or down activates a
- variable-speed scroll feature.
-
- The escape options in the editor have been revised to reduce the number
- of keystrokes required to exit using the standard defaults (i.e., save
- edit, do not reuse original date/time, do not save original as *.BKP, and
- do not return to editor). The keystroke X or Enter after Escape exits
- the editor with the standard options. To save the edited file but use
- one of the non-standard exit options, press Y after Escape, and then pick
- the options desired.
-
- ----- 5.36d -----
-
- Added * and ? wild cards to G and Alt-G "go to" functions in main module,
- and ? wild card to "find text" functions in editor and tree.
-
- Made filename display and Goto algorithm the same (name - extension) in
- all sort modes.
-
- Soft-delete no longer changes file date/time stamp when moving files to
- ~TRASH~ directory. ~TRASH~ purge now cleans out all files, not just
- those from yesterday and before. D command is now taken to be hard-
- delete for RAMDrives <10M, as for floppies.
-
- When expanded file size display is invoked by +, file size in bytes now
- uses attribute field for the extra space needed, instead of time field.
-
- When exit with Esc, restores all drives to the paths that were current on
- entry. When exit with Alt-Q, leaves all drives set to current paths.
-
- The \ and keypad Enter keys on British keyboards now respond as
- documented.
-
- "New drive" prompt now shows list of all valid drives.
-
- Added option in Shift-O menu to display file dates using the European
- convention (dd-mm-yy).
-
- Ctrl-K adjusts cursor size, decrementally on each keystroke. This is a
- savable configuration parameter.
-
-
-
-
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-6
- ----- 5.36c -----
-
- Added diskette copier (Shift-K for disKopy), which copies a master disk
- from a floppy drive and makes as many exact images to formatted or
- unformated blank diskettes as desired.
-
- Added floppy disk formatter (Shift-M for forMat), and expanded the
- capability of the floppy fill function (shift-i) to accept unformatted
- disks, including the first disk in the sequence. Target panel need not
- be selected to the drive filling to. Floppy filler asks explicitly which
- drive to fill to, and then sets up the target panel to that drive for
- you, after formatting the first floppy (if needed).
-
- Corrected logic error and expanded capacity for notes from 600 to 1200
- per directory, memory permitting.
-
- ----- 5.36b -----
-
- Options added to print fiLe facility: Issue form feed at end; print
- filename/date/time header on first page; provide left margin of 0, 5 or
- 10 spaces; route to printer 1 or 2 (LPT1 or LPT2). Settings can be saved
- to the .CFG configuration file to become the default offering for next
- printout.
-
- ----- 5.36a -----
-
- New operators Ctrl-U/L/I added to editor. Ctrl-U forces alphabetic
- character at cursor to upper case, Ctrl-L forces to lower case, Ctrl-I
- inverts.
-
- Limit removed on number of filenames displayed in viewing contents of
- compressed files. Display screen size increased, PageUp/Down added.
-
- File mask now blinks whenever it is other than *.*, as a visual cue that
- what you see is not necessarily all that is there.
-
- Expanded file move command (Shift-C) to better accomodate cross-drive
- file moves (reduced number of keystrokes).
-
- Added date/time stamp to directories in display, and corrected minor
- anomalies.
-
- ----- 5.36 -----
-
- Corrected miscellaneous minor anomalies, and repackaged for major
- release.
-
- ----- 5.35k -----
-
- Corrected miscellaneous minor bugs and anomolies.
-
- ----- 5.35j -----
-
- The permissible tree size was again increased, to 1700 directories, and a
- minor bug in the routine that reverses the function of the high-intensity
- bit was fixed.
-
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-7
- The default name assumed for Integrity Master's integrity data files, for
- the purpose of protecting them against inadvertent overwriting, was
- changed to ZZ##.IM, reflecting the default name assigned by Integrity
- Master in version 1.24a and later. This name can be changed using the
- command Alt-I (for IDname, where "ID" stands for integrity data).
-
- ----- 5.35i -----
-
- The facility to view the file list within a compressed file has been
- expanded and improved to now include .EXE files (on the assumption that
- they are self-extracting files), and to find files in mixtures of
- compression types packed together.
-
- An option has been added to the Shift-O user Options screen to allow the
- action of the color attribute high-intensity bit to be inverted. Some
- LCD color monitors take the purpose of the high-intensity bit to be just
- opposite the normal sense, ie, high intensity enable when bit is zero
- instead of one.
-
- The permissible tree has been increased to 1000 directories from 505, to
- accomodate large network directories.
-
- ----- 5.35g -----
-
- The command line color mode "V" (for VGA) is now recognized, in the form
- of the argument @V, similar to the previous @C, @M, etc.
-
- Support for VGA 43/50-line display has been added, and may be invoked in
- one of two ways:
-
- o On the fly. The Shift-O user Options screen has a new line to set 25,
- 43 or 50-line display, on the screen below the monitor line. This line
- can only be accessed if CMFiler senses a VGA card installed. The choices
- are 2,4 or 5. Switch is stored immediately in the .CFG file for the next
- execution of CMFiler.
-
- o Through the command line. Simply add 25, 43 or 50 to the argument @V
- (or @C or @M). This will override the previously recorded mode in the
- .CFG file.
-
-
- ----- 5.35f -----
-
- Further testing of CF's two sorting algorithms (the original bubblesort
- and the more recently used quicksort) for speed in sorting large
- directories reveals that neither one is superior under all conditions.
- Therefore, the user has been given the option (letter A in Ctrl-O
- Ordering menu) to select whichever one works best in the environment of
- that user's file structure. Much depends on the "natural" DOS order --
- the order in which the directory was constructed, and in which DOS reads
- the directory table.
-
- Quicksort works best for directories that already have a high degree of
- natural order, or a high degree of disorder, and does poorly compared to
- bubblesort in "lumpy" directories, which have clumps of ordered files
- randomly arranged. If you use principally one ordering scheme and both
- algorithms are making you wait each time you read a large directory,
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-8
- there is a way to cause DOS to reorder the directory table so that
- quicksort in particular will do much better:
-
- - Make a new directory on the same path in the same level as the
- directory to be reordered, and select it in one panel.
-
- - Put the directory to be reordered in the other, and with the desired
- ordering option selected, tag all the files and move them to the new
- directory. They will be moved in the order listed, and thus the
- directory table being created will have a "natural" DOS order the same as
- the one you most use. ("Moving" is nothing more than renaming, so no
- data reading/writing is involved, only directory table-making.)
-
- - Delete the old directory, and rename the new one like the old.
-
- To be sure, disorder will creep back in, and this procedure may need to
- be repeated. However, the occasional time investment will be worth it
- for the aggravation it will save waiting for sorts.
-
-
- A "floppy fill" function has been added to the main module, called by
- "Shift-I", which fills floppy diskettes in the drive selected in the
- target panel with the tagged files from the directory in the source
- panel. Diskettes must be preformatted, but need not be empty. User may
- specify a margin in kb to reserve on each floppy.
-
- To use the floppy filling function:
-
- 1. Put the first diskette to be filled in drive A or B, and select that
- drive in one panel.
-
- 2. Select the other panel to the directory containing the source files
- to be copied. Tag all the files to be copied (press A to tag them all),
- and press Shift-I. Specify number of kilobytes to hold in reserve on
- each floppy. (CF adds 2 just to be safe.) Filling starts.
-
- 3. When each diskette is full, the files that were successfully copied
- are untagged in the source panel, and, if there are still files to copy,
- CF gives the choice of Escaping from the operation, or putting in a new
- disk and pressing any other key to resume. You may suspend the filling
- with Esc, and then resume with Shift-I without loss of continuity as long
- as you leave the tags in the source panel alone.
-
- This function is "semi-smart". It first looks to see if any existing
- files on the target floppy are the same as files tagged in the source,
- and updates them as appropriate, untagging the corresponding source files
- that matched. Then it looks at the source for tagged files that will fit
- in the remaining space on the floppy, and adds them until the floppy is
- full. Thus the floppy-fill can be used for updating a set of backups
- previously created with the floppy-fill function.
-
-
- As a further safeguard against loss of data during file copying, if you
- leave "soft" delete enabled, in addition to files that you "soft" delete
- going to the ~TRASH~ trashcan directory, newer files that you overcopy
- with older files also go to ~TRASH~, even after you confirm the action.
-
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-9
- The method of ensuring against inadvertent carryover of unseen sensitive
- or classified data during file copying through the slack space of the DOS
- input/output buffers has been completely revised. This protection is now
- provided automatically all the time, cannot be switched off, and is
- operating system-inndependent. In fact, the method now used enhances the
- speed of file copying by up to 10-20%.
-
- Consequently, the option "Clear I/O buffers if located?" in the Shift-O
- screen is no longer needed, and has been replaced with the following:
- "Wipe old files during HARD Delete, Copy and Move?" When this is set to
- Y, old files will be completely obliterated by overwriting all their data
- with the continuous sequence "cfcfcf..." before deleting them using the
- DOS file delete service.
-
- (As a point of information, the DOS "delete" service in fact only changes
- the first character of the file name in the directory table, and the
- cluster pointers in the file allocation table (FAT), and does NOT change
- or erase any of the data clusters themselves. Until they are overwritten
- by some other file, in whatever order DOS chooses to reuse the freed-up
- clusters, they are available for reading by any disk-scanning program
- that looks at the disk with absolute sector reads, ignoring what the
- directory table SAYS is on the disk. Much of the Irangate evidence was
- retrieved this way by investigators. This new feature in CF guarantees
- the obliteration of "deleted" data by overwriting all data in the file,
- from beginning to end, with "cfcfcf..." before using the DOS delete
- service.)
-
-
- All runtime questions requiring a (y/n) respond from the user now also
- offer a defauly, shown in capital letter at the cursor and chosen to
- reflect the more likely response under the circumstances, or the more
- conservative response from the standpoint of protecting files from
- inadvertent deletion.
-
- For example, when deleting files(s) with D or Ctrl-D, the default
- offering is Y in the confirmatory request, since it is more likely that
- deletion is what you intended, and you did not hit the D or Ctrl-D key by
- mistake. On the other hand, N is the default offering if a Read-only
- file is encountered during the delete operation, since assigning this
- attribute is a normal way of providing extraordinary protection of
- individual files, and if you are using the Read-only attribute correctly,
- you should typically NOT want to delete the file.
-
- ----- 5.35e -----
-
- In the editor, a significant bug was corrected that resulted in loss of
- part of the file if the user returned to the editor after saving the
- file.
-
-
- In the tree module, a logic fault that was blocking the Esc bailout
- during file text searches.
-
-
- In the main module, minor logic errors were corrected in the command line
- support for masks.
-
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-10
- ----- 5.35c -----
-
- In the main module, the file date/time change service has been expanded
- to permit mass date/time setting by tagging a collection of files, and
- pressing Alt-F as before. If files are tagged, the user must then
- confirm the desire to have all tagged files set to the same date/time
- stamp. The default values in the data entry windows are taken from the
- topmost tagged file in the listing.
-
-
- The logic which retains knowledge of the current cursor position in the
- target directory during directory-altering operations, such as file
- copying, has been refined to remove some anomalies.
-
- ----- 5.35b -----
-
- In the editor, to support easier updating of the on-disk file copy during
- long editing sessions, a fourth option has been added to the Escape
- sequence -- "Return to editor? (y/n)", with the default set to N, since
- in most cases the user wants to leave the editor. So to update the on-
- disk copy of the file being edited, the following keystrokes might be
- used in the middle of the editing session: Esc-Enter-Enter-Enter-Y.
-
-
- In the main services file module, pressing Enter to view a .ZIP, .LZH,
- .ARJ or .ARC file displays a listing of the names of all the files
- compressed in that archive file (maximum of 60 file names).
-
-
- In the main file services module, user now has the option to continue
- copying or moving tagged files after a disk file creation/write/read
- error, rather than having the operation automatically cancelled. Also,
- the error trapping routines were updated and one anomaly corrected.
-
- ----- 5.35a -----
-
- Different users on a network may now specify their own configuration
- through the environment, by setting the environment parameter CF-CFG
- before running the network copy of CMFiler. For example, User 1 is
- assigned logical drive U in the network, and User 2 drive V. CF.COM and
- CF.OVY are on drive C. User 1 could execute CMFiler with a batch file
- that reads:
-
- SET CF-CFG=U:\SETTINGS\CF.CFG
- C:\PROGS\CF
-
- and User 2, using the same copy of CF.COM and .OVY, could execute:
-
- SET CF-CFG=V:\CONFIGS\CMFILER.CFG
- C:\PROGS\CF
-
- In these two cases, of course, U:\SETTINGS and V:\CONFIGS must be valid,
- existing paths. The files CF.CFG and CMFILER.CFG need not already exist.
- If it does not find the file in the path, CMFiler will create the file
- the first time configuration data is saved.
-
-
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-11
- Because of the incompatibility of the I/O buffer clearing feature with DR
- DOS, a safeguard was added that detects DR DOS, and blocks the buffer
- clearing option even if invoked by the user.
-
-
- The "trash can" directory for "soft-deleted" files has been renamed from
- "CF_TRASH.CAN" to "~TRASH~" for two reasons: in at least one case, a
- user's configuration included a TSR that caused system hangups in the
- presence of directories with an extension in their name (even though this
- is a perfectly legal DOS naming convention); and several users asked for
- a new trash can name that would appear as the last directory of their
- listing, rather than in the middle of the listing.
-
- ***NOTE***: This will be a nuisance to previous users the first time
- running Version 5.35a or later, but will be worth it in the long run for
- the neater directory list it will bring.
-
-
- The upper limit of directory size was increased to 2400 in the main file
- services module, and the sorting algorithm changed from a bubblesort to a
- quicksort for improved speed.
-
-
- In the editor, the action of the Home and End keys has been expanded as
- follows: the first press of Home/End goes to beginning/end of line, if
- not already there; the second press goes to top/bottom of page; the
- third press goes to beginning/end of file.
-
-
- A function "Refresh panel from disk" (Shift-R) was added to the main file
- services module, used when you change disks in a drive as a one-keystroke
- alternative to N and the drive letter. The similar function which
- already existed in the tree module was remapped from Alt-R to Shift-R for
- consistency.
-
- ----- 5.34d -----
-
- A new user option has been added to the Shift-O option facility to allow
- turning off the automatic screen saver.
-
-
- Two new ordering options have been added to the Ctrl-O ordering facility,
- to permit ordering by file size, either smaller first or larger first.
-
-
- The file mask (Ctrl M) in the main service module now only applies to the
- panel the cursor was in when the mask was specified. This is so that you
- can apply different masks to the two panels.
-
- ----- 5.34c -----
-
- The NARATIVE.CF files, containing the file and directory notes, are well
- protected from inadvertent overwriting or destruction within the CMFiler
- environment. However, there is no provision for their protection from
- inadvertent erasure or overwriting in other environments, such as from
- the DOS command processor. To afford some level of protection, a switch
- has been added to the user option (Shift-O) screen to let you set the
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-12
- Read-Only attribute of the NARATIVE.CF files, in addition to the Hide
- attribute. Most command processors will prohibit deletion or writing to
- Read-Only files.
-
- ----- 5.34b -----
-
- In trying other archive utilities in response to recent requests from
- users, I have discovered that CMFiler has always (accidently) supported
- LHA and ARJ, and perhaps others in addition to the PKWare utilities,
- simply because they all use the same syntax in the command line, namely:
-
- archiver options archivefile file1[,file2,[...]]
-
- To clarify that other archivers may be supported by the Zip and Unzip
- commands in the main module, I have revised the help screen and the F10
- user-definition screen. CMFiler still defaults to PKZIP and PKUNZIP
- unless otherwise specified. However, if you want to use ARJ or LHA
- instead, press Shift-F10 from the main screen, and change both the fields
- "Compress = " and " Extract = " to read "ARJ.EXE" or "LHA.EXE". Add the
- path to these file specs if ARJ/LHA is not on a path in the DOS path
- environment. Also make the "Compress Options = " line read "a" (this is
- both ARJ's and LHA's way of knowing you want to add or create a .ARJ or
- .LZH archive file), and the " Extract Options = " line read "x" (for
- extract). (Command line option parameters are necessary with ARJ and LHA
- because, unlike the PKWare utilities which have separate compression and
- extraction programs, the same program does both functions.)
-
- Use of LHA or ARJ by this facility is the same as use of the PKWare
- utilities. To compress, put the directory where you want the archive
- file to be created or added to in one panel and tag the archive file to
- be added to (if it exists); set up the other panel with the directory of
- the files to be archived, and optionally tag them (if none are tagged,
- the command line parameter defaults to *.*); press Z, check and edit the
- command line paramters if desired, and press Enter.
-
- Extraction is easier. Set up the target panel in the directory you want
- the extracted files to go, put the cursor on the archive file, press U,
- check the command line parameters, and press Enter.
-
- ----- 5.34a -----
-
- The naming convention for backup files, created with the command B in the
- main module, has been changed so that the backup file will appear closer
- alphabetically to the original file. If the original file has a three
- character extension, the third character will be replaced with a tilde
- (~; ASCII 126). If the extension has less than three characters, it
- will be padded with one or two exclamation points (!; ASCII 33, 1 larger
- than blank), so that the third character can be a tilde.
-
-
- When creating appended files (ie, Alt-tagging several files followed by
- the command C to copy to the target, or B to copy to the source), a
- default appended file name will be generated (name of the first file in
- the append list plus extension APF). The user may edit this name before
- the file is created.
-
-
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-13
- ----- 5.34 -----
-
- In the tree module, while the cursor is in the file list during a Show
- files or Goto file command, several commands are available for disk
- cleanup that mimic commands in the main module. Files may optionally be
- tagged with T or Spacebar, and then deleted individually (if no tags are
- set) or as a group with the D (soft) or Ctrl-D (hard) delete command.
- The command A (tagAll) clears any tags set, or sets all tags, as in the
- main module.
-
-
- In the editor, the keypad map to the cursor movement functions is now
- independent of Num Lock. Shift-Up/Down Arrow moves to top/bottom of
- current video page. Gray+/Gray- function the same as Alt-Plus/Alt-Minus,
- toggling the delimiter and bottom displays.
-
- ----- 5.33b -----
-
- Navigation and file-finding in the tree module was revised to follow the
- "G" and "Alt-G" conventions of the main module:
-
- - G ("Goto file") has replaced "F" as the file-finder command.
- Pressing "G" commences a filename search, and as each letter in the
- filename search string is typed, the tree and file list dynamically
- adjust to highlight the matches and position the cursor to the directory
- with the first match. Mode is toggled off with G, Alt-G or Esc.
-
- - Alt-G ("Goto directory") commences a directory name search in the
- same fashion. As each letter of the search string is typed, the matches
- are highlighted dynamically and the display is adjusted so that the
- topmost match is shown. Mode sets for both panels, and stays until G,
- Alt-G or Esc is pressed.
-
-
- An anomaly was fixed to let the directory be re-read in its "natural" DOS
- order after switching to Order mode 7.
-
-
- An anomaly was fixed which prevented CF from checking the CF_TRASH.CAN
- directory on execution.
-
-
- A workaround was devised for an anomaly in the directory structure of
- some netware, that prevented CF from navigating back through the parent
- directory in the main module.
-
- ----- 5.33 -----
-
- The ZIP feature was revised to permit the use of either normal or Alt-
- tags to denote which files to decompress.
-
-
- The following improvements were made to the editor:
-
- - The notation of typeover/insert mode and wrap/no wrap mode has been
- shortened and moved to the upper right corner of the screen. It stays on
- the screen when the lower information area is blanked.
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-14
- - On color monitors, the lower five lines of text (which become the top
- five lines on PgDn) are in red vice white, to distinguish this area from
- the "active" video page (the top 20 lines), and to help the eye find its
- place in the text during scrolling.
-
- - The exit defaults after editing have been adjusted so that most users
- will be able to answer the three questions with three strokes of the
- Enter key most of the time. (Yes, save this edit; No, don't reuse the
- date/time stamp from the original file; No, don't save the original file
- as *.BKP).
-
- - You may switch from View mode to Edit mode within the editor, with the
- combination Alt-S(witch mode).
-
-
- In the tree module, on the Show files screen, Enter views the file (same
- convention as main module), and Shift-Enter returns to the main module
- with the cursor on that file name.
-
- ----- 5.32b -----
-
- The I/O buffer clearing feature was extended to support MS-DOS Ver 4 and
- 5.
-
-
- The file 4DOS2CF.COM was added to the CMFiler collection, with its
- companion documentation 4DOS2CF.DOC. 4DOS2CF does a directory-by-
- directory search and coverts any 4DOS/NDOS notes (in files called
- DESCRIPT.ION) into CMFiler format, and appends them to existing (or
- creates new) NARATIVE.CF files. This way, 4DOS/NDOS users don't have to
- reenter all their notes to take full advantage immediately of CMFiler's
- notes facility.
-
- ----- 5.32a -----
-
- Memory allocation logic error in the tree module was fixed. This error
- resulted in fragmented memory for applications run from CMFiler after a
- call to the tree module.
-
-
- In the editor, a logic error was corrected which prevented use of the
- block move and copy operations when the screen lower information area was
- turned off.
-
-
- In the editor, the Home and End keys were redefined to move the cursor to
- the beginning or end of the line (same as Shift-Left and Right Arrow),
- rather than to the top or bottom of the current screen page, in keeping
- with the rest of the world.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- CMFiler -- Changes 1-15
-