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┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│F(ile) M(anager)/2 copyright (c) 1993/94 by M. Kimes (Bare Bones Software)│
│ All Rights Reserved │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Overview:
========
FM/2 can be considered something of a "super Drives object" to replace
or use with your WPS Drives objects and directory folders (although FM/2
is a 32-bit PM program, not a WPS object or folder). FM/2 facilitates
file system maintance and investigation, program launching, archive
viewing and more, and is WPS-cooperative.
FM/2 fully supports:
-------------------
WPS objects
Drag and drop
Context menus
Clipboard
Associations (internal)
CD-ROMs, hard drives, removable media drives, network drives
A full range of file system maintenance
Installing FM/2:
===============
If you intend to always run FM/2 from the same directory (as from a WPS
object with no working directory set), you can create that directory and
unpack the archive there. You're done.
If you want FM/2 to be accessible from anywhere (as from a command
line), unzip the archive into a scratch directory. Copy FM2.EXE into a
directory listed in your Path (see SET PATH= in your CONFIG.SYS file)
where you can start it from anywhere. Copy FM2.HLP into a directory
listed in your Help path (see SET HELP= in your CONFIG.SYS). If you
want to be able to view the contents of archives, copy ARCHIVER.BB2 to a
directory in your Dpath (see SET DPATH= in your CONFIG.SYS). By default
FM/2 places FM2.INI in the current directory, so you'll want to locate
it elsewhere by one of two methods: set environment variable FM2INI to
point to the directory where you'd like the INI file kept (SET
FM2INI=d:\somedir) or run FM/2 once and copy the FM2.INI file to some
directory on your Path or DPath, and FM/2 will leave it there. You're
done.
The copy of FM2.INI in the archive contains some associations and commands
to get you started, if you'd rather not start from scratch.
Note that you can't install a new copy of FM/2 over an old copy if the
old copy is running because OS/2 won't let you.
Unregistered users will need to keep FM2.DOC where FM/2 can find it
(default directory, PATH or DPATH).
FM/2 uses some temporary files and directories off of its default
(working) directory, so you might want to set its Working directory in a
program object to your temporary directory ,and enter the
director(y)(ies) that you would like windows for in the FM/2 program
object's Parameters field, like this (obviously, replace the paths shown
with what's right for your system):
╔══╤══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╤══╤══╗
║--│ FM2.EXE - Settings │ │ ║
╟──┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴──┴──╢
║┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ ║
║│ ├┐ ║
║│ │├┐ ║
║│ │Program ║
║│ ││││ ║
║│ ││Session ║
║│ Required ││││ ║
║│ Path and file name: │││Assocation ║
║│ ┌───────────────────────┐ ┌───────╖ ││││ ║
║│ │C:\FM2\FM2.EXE │ │Find...║ ││││General ║
║│ └───────────────────────┘ ╘═══════╝ ││││ ║
║│ ││││ ║
║│ Optional ││││ ║
║│ Parameters: ││││ ║
║│ ┌───────────────────────────────────┐ ││││ ║
║│ │E:\MYDIR <────┼────────┼┼┼┼──────────╫─Dir(s) to
║│ └───────────────────────────────────┘ ││││ ║ see and
║│ Working directory: ││││ ║ manipulate
║│ ┌───────────────────────────────────┐ ││││ ║
║│ │D:\TEMP <────┼────────┼┼┼┼──────────╫─Temporary
║│ └───────────────────────────────────┘ ││││ ║ directory
║│ ││││ ║ (see SET
║│ ┌───────╖ ┌───────╖ ││││ ║ TEMP=
║│ │ Undo ║ │ Help ║ ││││ ║ in
║│ ╘═══════╝ ╘═══════╝ ││││ ║ CONFIG.
║│ < >││││ ║ SYS)
║└┬───────────────────────────────────────────────┘│││ ║
║ └┬───────────────────────────────────────────────┘││ ║
║ └┬───────────────────────────────────────────────┘│ ║
║ └────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ║
║ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Remember that if you set FM/2 up in this manner, using a working
directory different from that where FM2.EXE resides, you'll probably
need to follow the installation instructions in paragraph two under
"Installing FM/2" above.
The first time you run FM/2, please take some time to quickly go through
the Config menu and tweak things to your liking, and browse the help
file's Contents view.
Starting FM/2:
=============
Command line arguments are optional. If there are any, FM/2 opens
windows for any listed drives and directories. Examples:
FM2 Starts one window in the root of the current drive
FM2 D:\FILES Starts one window in D:\FILES
FM2 D:\ E:\ F:\ Starts three windows in the roots of drives D:, E: and F:
FM/2 can also, of course, be started from a WPS program object in the
usual manner.
There's one command line argument that can be used:
~ Start hidden (for use in Startup folder)
Should be first argument, separated from
any others by a space.
Examples:
--------
FM2 D:\FILES Opens two windows, one in D:\FILES, one in
C:\OS2\APPS.
FM2 ~ D:\FILES Opens one window in D:\FILES, starts minimized.
FM2 Opens one window in default directory.
If you forget the command line syntax and don't have the docs handy,
type FM/2 /? at a command line to get brief command line help.
FM/2 can be used as a WPS replacement (not recommended unless you are
low on memory; say, less than 8mb). Place FM/2 on the SET RUNWORKPLACE=
line in your CONFIG.SYS file (example: SET RUNWORKPLACE=D:\FM2\FM2.EXE).
Using FM/2:
==========
FM/2 main window layout:
-----------------------
╔══╤══════════════════════════════════════════════════╤══╤══╗
║--│ FM/2 │ │ ║
╟──┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────┴──┴──╢
║ <───╫──Menu
╟───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢
║ ┌──────────────╖ ┌───────────╥──────────────╥────────────╖║
║ │ ║ │ ║ ║ ║║<──Status
║ └══════════════╝ ╘═══════════╩══════════════╩════════════╝║ lines
║ ┌───────────────┐┌───────────────────────────────────────┐║
║ │ ││ │║
║ │ ││ │║
║ │ ││ <───┼╫──Split
║ │ ││ │║ container
║ │ ││ │║ (if split
║ │ │└───────────────────────────────────────┘║ view on)
║ │ │┌───────────╥──────────────╥────────────╖║
║ │ ││ ║ ║ ║║<──Status
║ │ │╘═══════════╩══════════════╩════════════╝║ lines
║ │ │┌───────────────────────────────────────┐║
║ │ ││ │║
║ │ ││ │║
║ │ ││ <───┼╫──Directory
║ │ ^ ││ │║ container
║ │ │ ││ │║ (fills side
║ └──────┼────────┘└───────────────────────────────────────┘║ if split
╚════════╪══════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ view not on)
│ Note: if internal toolbar
│ is used, it goes above
└──Tree container split or directory container.
Drag and drop:
-------------
FM/2 performs routine move and copy operations best using drag and drop.
Drag and drop is a simple operation that mimics the way you do things in
the real (non-computer, corporeal) world. To move something, for
example, you pick it up and put it somewhere else.
To initiate a drag and drop operation, place the mouse pointer over an
object to move, then press and hold mouse button two (sometimes referred
to as B2, usually the right button). Move the mouse, still holding
button two down, and a drag image should follow the mouse pointer. The
object is "in tow."
Now you need to drag this object to a "target," or destination, window.
Move the mouse (still holding B2 down) and the pointer and drag image
follow. As the pointer passes over various windows, it may change;
for example, a familiar symbol, a circle with a bar across it, appears
when you are over a control or window that will not accept the dragged
object(s). Drag the trailing image to the destination (usually a
directory object in the tree container) and release button two when it
is over the desired target. The hotspot of the mouse pointer should be
over the target, not necessarily the drag image.
By default, a drag is a Move operation -- the object is copied to the
destination and then the original is deleted. Press and hold the Ctrl
key while dragging to perform a copy instead; the drag image will "grey
out" to indicate the change of operation requested.
Note that if the object you start the drag operation over is
highlighted, the drag operation involves all the highlighted objects in
the container, not just the one object over which you started. This is
a handy way to affect many objects in one operation; highlight them,
then start a drag over one of the highlighted objects to grab and drag
all the highlighted objects. You might imagine that highlighting
objects is like "stacking" a bunch of things in preparation to carrying
them all at once. You can highlight an object by clicking it once with
mouse button one; click again to unhighlight it.
The OS/2 Tutorial has more information and hands-on exercises if you
need more help with the basics of drag and drop. It really is simple
to master and intuitive once you grasp the basics, so if you're a
novice, don't despair.
Direct editting:
---------------
You can also rename an object by pointing at its filename and clicking
mouse button one (B1, usually the left button) while holding down the
ALT key, then typing the new filename (the same way you change a WPS
object's title). The WPS will let you change the key used to edit
titles, so if you've changed it via the WPS Mouse object, use the
applicable key. This is known as Direct Editting.
Context menus:
-------------
Context menus are used for other manipulations. To get a context menu,
place the mouse pointer over the object to manipulate and click mouse
button two (press/release B2). A popup menu appears with options
applicable to the object (again, if the object is highlighted the
command will operate on all highlighted objects). If you request a
context menu over a blank area of the container, you'll get a popup of
commands that affect the entire container (like Views, Filter, and so
on). There's more on context menus later in this document, and online.
Default actions:
---------------
Double-clicking an object causes a default action to be performed. What
that default action is depends on the container, the type of object and
any associations you might have set up. If the double-click occurs in
the tree container, FM/2 switches the last accessed directory container
to the directory represented by the object clicked, showing that
directory's contents. If the object is in a directory container or the
Collector, FM/2 first checks the object to see if it's covered by any
associations. If not, FM/2 checks to see if the object is an archive,
and views it as one if so. If not, FM/2 checks to see if the object is
an executable, and executes it if so. If not, finally, FM/2 views the
object using the configured viewer.
Pulldown menus:
--------------
The standard pulldown menus just under the title bar provide access to
some utilities, general configuration options, allow you to split the
directory container to look into two different directories, toggle the
toolbar off and on, and call up the Collector (a temporary holding place
for objects and a seek-and-scan facility combined).
If you're mouseless:
-------------------
Drag and drop is not emulatable without a mouse, but there are menu
equivalents for most drag and drop operations. F10 gets a popup menu
for the cursored object, and Shift+F10 gets a popup for the container.
The TAB and Shift-TAB keys change the focus container (a container is
what we call the windows that hold the file system objects that FM/2
displays and allows you to modify) and the cursor keys move the
dotted-line cursor to change the current object. The space bar
highlights and unhighlights objects, simulating a single click of mouse
button one, and the Enter key causes the default action to be performed
on an object, simulating a double-click of mouse button one. The ALT
key activates the pulldown menus, and the cursor keys move through the
menu options.
All of the above work pretty much the way they work under the WPS itself.
Again, the OS/2 Tutorial will get you started if you're a complete novice.
If you're comfortable with OS/2's WPS, particularly drive objects and
directory folders, you already know how to use FM/2 to a great extent.
Getting help:
------------
Complete help is available within FM/2 itself. This documentation is
meant to give you an overview of FM/2 (so you can discard it right away
if it's not something in which you are interested), and then to give you
the information you need to get FM/2 installed and running, and finally
to give you enough information to start using it, but not to provide a
complete breakdown of FM/2's features; that's the job of the online
help, where you have the additional benefit of being able to look at the
application itself and relate what you see to the instructions.
For novices, be sure to take a look at the "How do I...?" help window
(select Help from the pulldown menu, then "How do I...?" from the
pulldown). For everyone, I recommend the Contents view of the Help
Manager as a good way to browse FM/2's help, and suggest reading the
"Context menus" topic. Advanced users might want to check out the "Tips
and Tricks" section after looking over the pulldown and popup (context)
menus; beginners will probably want to put that off at least until they
develop a feel for FM/2.
General help is usually immediately available via CTRL-F1.
Configuring FM/2:
================
Using the Config main menu option you can edit your Associations
(programs that are run when objects are double-clicked in a container
directory), External Program setup (the default viewer, editor and
compare program used for FM/2's View, Edit and link-drop commands), and
Commands (programs that are run when you select them from a popup's
Commands submenu on selected objects).
You can also set the type of sorting to be done on containers and
various toggles that fine-tune FM/2's behavior. These toggles are
checked if "on."
The data that FM/2 uses to access archives can be editted.
The container into which FM/2 places WPS objects that it can create can
be changed.
The printer used by FM/2 can be altered.
Complete help for all the configuration options is available online.
Changes are saved automatically as you make them, so FM/2 always
remembers how you want it to look and behave. If you mess something up
badly (not likely), delete FM2.INI and the program will reset to its
defaults.
Utilities:
=========
FM/2 has been described as taking a "Swiss army knife" approach.
Some utilities are provided that aren't directly related to file
management.
Undelete files provides an interface to OS/2's Undelete function.
You're presented with a list of files, and can mark those you want
to undelete or eradicate permanently. The drive highlighted in the
tree is the drive that is operated upon.
Kill processes allows you to kill off most renegade processes that
might get loose on your system. Again, you're presented with a list
of processes and may choose which to kill.
Instant batch file lets you enter a quickie batch file into an MLE
(multi line edit field) and then run it.
Command line calls up an OS/2 command line.
The Editor Switch List lets you find and close or recall a window
of FM/2's internal editor. Using a separate switch list keeps the
OS/2 switch list from getting overly cluttered.
Save applications broadcasts a WM_SAVEAPPLICATION to all frame windows.
Basically, this requests that the applications save their current state.
Minimize all apps minimizes all running applications.
Restore all apps restores all running applications.
Context Menu Commands:
=====================
Context menus are used extensively in FM/2, just as they are in the WPS.
To utilize FM/2 to its maximum potential, you need to use the context
menus. Following is a brief discussion of available context menu
commands to familiarize you with what's available.
Context menus are requested by placing the mouse pointer over a desired
object in a container (or over container whitespace) and clicking mouse
button two (usually the right button). The FM/2 toggle "Redundant
menus" puts up a couple of pulldown menu items that can be used to
access the context menus, for those who prefer it.
Commands that affect the container as a whole are found in context menus
requested over whitespace (any empty area of the container or the
recessed status lines above it). Commands that affect the objects
within the container are requested over the object of interest. If an
object is highlighted when a context menu is requested, the commands
will usually affect all highlighted objects; otherwise, any commands
will affect only the object over which the menu was requested.
When a menu command leads to a dialog, the command name is followed by
dots (i.e. "Attribs..."). If the command sometimes leads to a dialog,
the command is followed by dots in parentheses (i.e. "Shadow(...)"). In
cases where commands have accelerator key equivelants, the accelerator
key is listed after the command (i.e. "View ^v", where ^ indicates
that the CTRL key must be pressed with the 'v' key, or "Archive... ^A"
which indicates that both the CTRL and SHIFT keys must be pressed with
the 'a' key).
Context menu commands affecting objects:
---------------------------------------
(Note that not all commands are available for all objects on all drives.)
Attribs leads to a dialog that allows changing an object's file
attributes (System, Hidden, Readonly, Archived), date/time and icon.
Rename allows you to rename objects. You are notified of conflicts as
they occur. An easier method for renaming one object is to point at its
text, hold down the ALT key, and click mouse button one.
Delete deletes objects.
View views objects through the configured viewer.
Edit edits objects with the configured editor.
Exec executes (runs) objects. Obviously, satisfactory results will only
be obtained with executable or batch/command files.
Print prints text files. It'd be a good idea to have a printer to which
to print, and have configured it first, before trying to use this. If
using the standard WPS, be sure you have a printer object configured for
the device you've told FM/2 to use, or you may wind up with FM/2's
printing thread blocked for eternity awaiting access to a nonexistent or
inaccessible device. Actually, if using the standard WPS, it's
recommended that you simply drag files to the WPS printer object and
drop them instead of using this command.
Hide temporarily hides objects in the container. This is purely an
appearance and convenience thing; nothing happens to the file/directory
represented by the object.
Move and Copy move or copy objects. Drag and drop is recommended over
using the menu commands for moving and copying. When using the menu
commands, the Walk Drives dialog appears to allow you to select a
target.
The Command submenu contains any commands that you've configured using
the Edit Commands dialog (accessed from the Config pulldown submenu).
Commands are programs that are run on the selected object(s).
Shadow builds WPS objects on your desktop for selected object(s).
The Open submenu allows you to open an object's Settings notebook, open
directories as WPS Folders, and open a new FM/2 main window for
directories.
Archive allows you to build an archive containing the selected
object(s).
Extract allows you to extract files from selected archives.
Save to clipboard allows you to save selected objects to the clipboard
as a text list, one per line. You could use this as a list of files to
send to someone via modem, etc.
Context menu commands affecting containers as a whole:
-----------------------------------------------------
(Note that not all commands are available for all containers.)
Icon switches the container to Icon view; the object's name appears
below its icon.
Name switches the container to Name view; the object's name appears
beside its icon.
Text switches the container to Text view. Text view is the fastest view
for a container to maintain, but provides the least information on the
objects it contains.
Details switches the container to Details view. Details view shows a
great deal of information on the objects it contains, including file
sizes, dates, and times, but it is the slowest view for a container to
maintain.
Details Titles is a toggle controlling whether column titles will be
displayed when the container is in Details view.
Details Icons determines whether icons are shown in Details view.
Rather than turning the icons off, consider using Mini Icons.
Mini Icons is a toggle controlling whether icons are shown full size or
in miniature in views that show icons.
Change font leads to a dialog that lets you select a new font for a
container (if you're running FM/2 as a WPS replacement; otherwise, you
get the WPS' Font Palette object).
Change colors leads to a dialog that lets you set new colors for a
container (if you're running FM/2 as a WPS replacement; otherwise, you
get the WPS' Color Palette object).
Rescan rescans the directory associated with a container, or the drive
from the current object down in a tree container. FM/2 tries very hard
to keep all its windows up to date, but things outside FM/2 can cause
changes that FM/2 cannot know about automatically. This command will
ensure that your display is current.
Resort resorts items in a container.
Filter leads to a dialog that lets you set filemasks and attributes for
objects to include in the container's display.
Parent moves directory containers to the previous (parent) directory.
Pick Directory leads to a dialog that allows you to pick from a list of
recently used directories. This can be a real timesaver.
Previous Directory returns the container to the last directory. This is
sort of like a one-step "undo." When you close FM/2, its containers
remember what directory they were in and it becomes the "previous"
directory.
The Select submenu gives you many ways to highlight objects in a
container. This lets you quickly build sophisticated selection sets of
objects upon which you can perform tasks. The split view container has
some additional options that let you select and deselect files based on
the relationship between the files in the split container and those in
the other directory container.
Compare Directories is available only in the split view container. It
leads to a dialog that gives a visual comparison of the files in the two
directories.
Context menu commands specific to the tree container:
----------------------------------------------------
(Note that not all commands are available for all objects in the tree.)
Info displays information about the selected drive. This is available
only in context menus requested on drives.
Check Disk runs CHKDSK.COM or PMCHKDSK.EXE (as configured) on the
selected drive. This tests the drive and can correct some deficiencies.
This is available only in context menus requested on drives.
Format Disk runs FORMAT.COM on the selected drive after passing through
a dialog (so relax, you have time to change your mind). Formatting a
disk will destroy any information already on the disk. This is available
only in context menus requested on drives.
Expand expands the tree from the point where the context menu was
requested to the bottom of the branch.
Collapse collapses the tree from the point where the context menu was
requested to the bottom of the branch.
Make Directory allows you to create new directories. The name of the
directory where you requested the context menu is filled in as a
starting point for convenience. Directories may be created many levels
deep in one pass; intermediate directories are created as required.
Partitions calls up FDISKPM.EXE to allow you to modify the partitions on
your hard drive. Extreme caution should be exercised; read the help!
Registering FM/2:
================
License:
-------
FM/2 is shareware, not free; you can try it before you buy it, and
decide not to buy it if it doesn't meet your needs. If you continue to
use it beyond thirty (30) days, though, you must register your copy, or
stop using it, without exception.
Permission is given to distribute the unaltered FM/2 archive at no cost.
Distributors may charge small fees for download time or distribution
media, but may not under any circumstances charge anything for FM/2
itself.
Warranty:
--------
There is no warranty, expressed or implied, for FM/2. You get to try it
before you buy it.
How to register:
---------------
To register FM/2, send $35.00 in US funds ($75.00 US for a commercial
registration) to:
M. Kimes
542 Merrick
Shreveport, LA USA 71104
Add $5.00 US for disk shipment outside the US. You can pick up the
registration program (about 23K) online @ (318)222-3455 or file request
it from Fidonet#1:380/16.0; set it up with me first. No plastic, sorry.
Registration entitles you to free upgrades for a period of at least one
year from the date of shipment of your registration materials. Allow
4-6 weeks for shipment via snail mail, though I'll try to do much
better. Let me know if you're in a rush; I usually wait until I have a
new, stable version to build a month's worth of mailings, so you get a
new version as well as your registration. Since FM/2 isn't crippled,
this usually isn't a problem, but if you disagree, let me know. :-)
Support:
-------
You can communicate with the author by leaving Feedback at his BBS
((318)222-3455), via Fidonet netmail (Mark Kimes@Fidonet#1:380/16.0), or
by snailmail at the address above. Please note that support for
unregistered users is definitely not guaranteed, and support for anyone
requires that you tell me exactly what's wrong or what's required, in
detail.