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- *******************************
- * *
- * User's Manual Supplement *
- * *
- * CMFiler -- Version 5.37d *
- * *
- *******************************
-
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- The following features have been added or improved since the printing of
- the CMFiler Version 5.36q User's Manual:
-
-
- TREE IMAGE FACILITY: The tree module now has 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 version 5.37c 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.
-
- FULL COLOR SELECTION CAPABILITY: Press Ctrl-P to select from four
- palettes. However, each palette can now 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.
-
- The palette edit routine (Ctrl-P, E) now has the option 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.
-
- In addition, we have added to the color palette exit sequence the option
- to set a flag on files with today's date stamp, and custom colorize 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.
-
- PATH ALIAS FACILITY: A "path alias" facility now exists in 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
- 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
- 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. The
- alias facility can also be used in place of pressing a drive letter after
- the New drive command, or when arrowing over to the right-hand panel when
- it is blank. The Shift- key, used with Alt-1 through Alt-9, puts the
- aliased path into the opposite panel and goes across to it, in much the
- same way as Shift-\, Shift-P and Shift-Enter on a directory name act to
- put the selected directory into the opposite path and jump across.
-
- FILE SPLITTER: We have 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.
-
- REGISTRATION FORMS: Version 5.37c 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.
-
- SYNCHRONIZATION of DESCRIPT.ION and NARATIVE.CF FILES: CMFiler keeps
- file and directory notes that you enter (using the edit notes facility,
- Ctrl-N) in a file called NARATIVE.CF. This file is in a different format
- from 4DOS/NDOS DESCRIPT.ION files. After some debate on whether to
- convert CMFiler over to using the DESCRIPT.ION format, I have decided to
- keep the separate NARATIVE.CF file format for CMFiler's notes, but add a
- routine that, at the user's option, "synchronizes" the NARATIVE.CF and
- DESCRIPT.ION files every time the CMFiler notes facility is called for
- viewing or editing notes, or copying or moving of files. Any entries
- already contained in either file will be preserved, and unique entries
- from each file will be simply added to the other.
-
- This synchronizing routine must be activated by resetting a switch ("Meld
- NARATIVE.CF and DESCRIPT.ION files?") in the Shift-O user Options menu.
-
- SWAPPING FILE NAMES: A new feature in the Rename routine in the main
- file services module permits 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 Yes, the file names are swapped, if No, CMFiler
-
- CMFiler -- Supplement 1-2
- goes to the normal rename facility.
-
- SWAPPING PANELS: In the main and tree modules, you can quickly swap
- panels left-for-right and right-for-left, keeping the cursor in the same
- panel, left or right, with the new command Ctrl-W (for sWap).
-
- DISKETTE IMAGES: In diskette copying and scanning routines (disKopy and
- scAn), there is a new option to save the 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.
-
- There is a short-cut to using a 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. Press Shift-K, and answer the first question Yes.
- The file name will be given as the default in the data entry window.
- Press enter to accept it, and continue with the disk copy session.
-
- ENHANCEMENTS FOR BLIND USERS: To assist blind users of Telesensory
- Systems, Inc. Power Braille 40 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.
-
- PKZIP SUPPORT ENHANCEMENT: Previously, the number of files which could
- be tagged for ZIPping in one shot by CMFiler was limited by the remaining
- space in the command line after the commands, options and ZIP filespec --
- about 8 to 16 files, depending on the length of their names. CMFiler now
- takes advantage of the @filelist option of PKZIP, and will create a
- temporary file list as ZZIPLIST.CF in the current directory, containing
- all the tagged files. PKZIP itself places some limits on how large this
- file can be, but for practical purposes this will no longer frustrate
- CMFiler users.
-
-
- EDITOR CHANGES:
-
- o The editor is now colorized, in the same scheme as the main file
- services module and tree module.
-
- o The Find-string command Alt-F now seeds the search string data entry
- line with whatever word of text the cursor is on when Alt-F is pressed.
- The previous search string can be retrieved with the Up Arrow.
-
- o A new string-finding aid has been added; Ctrl-G (for "Goto next same
- word"). When the cursor is placed on a word and Ctrl-G is pressed, the
- editor searches the file for the next appearance of that word and
- repositions to it. Unlike Alt-F, this search will recycle to the
- beginning of the file if necessary.
-
- o The editor/viewer now has 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
- the mouse left button.
-
-
- CMFiler -- Supplement 1-3
- o The cursor left-right positioning while moving up and down the screen
- is now like WordPerfect. Specifically, the cursor tries to maintain its
- original position on the line, but stays within the limits of the line.
-
- o The Home and End key logic has been cleaned up. The first press
- takes the cursor to the beginning or end of the line. If the cursor was
- already there, the keystroke is ignored. The second press takes the
- cursor to the top or bottom of the current screen page. If it was
- already there, the keystroke is ignored. The third press goes to the
- beginning or end of the file. (The previous action of these keys could
- be surprising. For example, if the cursor was already at the beginning
- of the line, the first press of Home would produce the unwanted effect of
- immediately jumping up to the top of the screen page, which the user was
- not expecting until the second press.)
-
- BUG FIXES AND MISCELLANEOUS:
-
- o We have 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.
-
- o The extension .BTM is now recognized as a batch file extension for
- 4DOS users.
-
- o The new command Ctrl-K decrements the cursor height on each keypress.
- The cursor height is now a savable parameter using Shift-S.
-
- o 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.
-
- o 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.)
-
- o 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.
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- CMFiler -- Supplement 1-4
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