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1993-12-14
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F(ile) M(anager)/2 copyright (c) 1993 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're four special forms of command line argument that can be used:
/D Exclude drive D:
-D Don't prescan drive D:
+ Speed up tree prescanning. Use caution with LAN Server.
~ Start hidden (for use in Startup folder)
+ and ~ should be among the first arguments, as FM/2 processes its
arguments sequentially.
Examples:
FM2 D:\FILES /E -F Starts one window in D:\FILES, excludes drive E:
from Trees, doesn't prescan drive F:
FM2 + Starts one window in default directory, use faster
prescanning.
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 performs routine move and copy operations best using drag and drop.
Place the mouse pointer over the 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. 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. Press and hold
the Ctrl key to perform a copy instead of the default move operation
(the drag image will "grey out"). Note that if the object you start the
drag operation over is highlighted, the operation involves all the
highlighted objects in the container.
Drag and drop tries to imitate the way you do things in the real world;
you pick things up and move them somewhere else. For instance, to erase
an object, you might drag it to the trashcan button in FM/2. In the
real world, you'd toss it in the trashcan. This emulation of
extra-computer reality makes FM/2's use for simple copy/move/delete
operations intuitive. The fact that this is an interface in common with
the WPS and other PM applications means you don't have to learn another
methodology.
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, so if you're a novice, don't despair.
Note that a filled Details view container has no clear space on which to
drop an object. FM/2 provides a way around this; you can drop on one of
the "recessed" status boxes above the container.
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, use the applicable key.
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 or one of the "recessed"
status boxes above it, you'll get a popup of commands that affect the
entire container (like Views, Filter, and so on).
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.
If you're mouseless:
Drag and drop is not emulatable without a mouse, but there are menu
equivalents for 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.
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).
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. Advanced users might want
to check out the "Tips and Tricks" section after looking over the
pulldown and popup menus; beginners will probably want to put that off
until they develop a feel for FM/2.
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."
Again, 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.
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.
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 22K) 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. :-)
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.