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DISK CATALOG SYSTEM (CATDISK)
USER'S GUIDE
Version 7.04
Jul 7, 1993
Copyright (C) 1986, 1993 By Rick Hillier
All Rights Reserved.
_______
____|__ | (tm)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
1. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Dedication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Features - CATDISK Program (Standard Version). . . . . . . . . 3
Features - CATDISK Program (DPMI-Compliant Version) . . . . . 4
Features - CATLOOK Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Features - CATMGR Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Features - DISKFILL Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Features - DUPCLEAN Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Licensing And Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
ASP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2. GETTING STARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
What You Should Have Received . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
System Requirements (Standard Version) . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
System Requirements (DPMI-compliant Version) . . . . . . . . . 8
Initial Note On Archive Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Configuring CATDISK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Initial State of CATDISK Settings / Command Line Options . . 12
Limiting Which Disks DISKFILL Recommends For Backfilling . . 24
Limiting Which Files Get Cataloged . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Recalling A Previous Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Color Customization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Saving Your Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
General Considerations When Configuring CATDISK . . . . . . 27
Sample Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
IMPORTANT NOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Starting CATDISK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
If CATDISK/D Cannot Recognize Your Hardware . . . . . . . . 30
Saving Parameters So You Don't Have To Type Them Each Time . 31
3. USING CATDISK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Using The Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Selecting A Volume ID From A List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Option 1 - Set Drive For Cataloging . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Option 2 - Settings And Toggles Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
1 - Set Current Catalog File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2 - Pauses On/Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
3 - Change Printer Report Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4 - Report Totals On/Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
5 - File Comments On The Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
F1 - Main Archive Comment Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
F2 - Extract 4DOS/NDOS Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
6 - Set Current Report Destination . . . . . . . . . . . 38
7 - Print Reports On Both Sides of Page . . . . . . . . . 38
8 - Archive Extract Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
9 - Comments When Archives Not Extracted . . . . . . . . 39
0 - Aliases On/Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
F3 - Suggest Volume Label On/Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
ESC - Return To Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Option 3 - Labeling A Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Option 4 - Cataloging/Re-cataloging A Disk . . . . . . . . . 43
Option 5 - UnCataloging A Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Option F1 - Add/Edit Summary Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Option 6 - Add/Edit Comments By Volume ID . . . . . . . . . . 50
Option 7 - Add/Edit Comments By Filespec . . . . . . . . . . 52
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 1
Option 8 - Add/Edit Comments By Comment . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Option 9 - Import Comments From A Text File . . . . . . . . . 52
Option 0 - Reports And Inquiries Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Screen Based Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Printer Based Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Disk Based Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
1 - Show Disk Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
2 - Files For A Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
3 - Files For An Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
4 - Files By Filespec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
5 - Files By Subdirectory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
F1 - Files By Comment Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
F3 - Files By Comment Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
6 - Files By Comment/Filename Text . . . . . . . . . . . 66
7 - Unique Files Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
8 - Duplicate Files Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
9 - Volume Summary/Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
0 - Sorted Full File Listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Esc - Return To Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
F2 - Custom Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Option <F4> - Temporary Exit To DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Option <drive_letter> - Show Disk Directory . . . . . . . . 73
Option ESC - Exit To DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Appendix A - The Scroll Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Appendix B - Archive Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Appendix C - CATLOOK Command Line Lookup Utility . . . . . . . . 76
Appendix D - CATMGR - CATDISK Catalog Manager . . . . . . . . . . 77
Appendix E - DISKFILL - CATDISK's Optimal Disk Fill Utility . . . 81
Appendix F - DUPCLEAN: CATDISK'S File Cleanup Utility . . . . . . 91
Appendix G - Registration, Support And Updates . . . . . . . . . 96
Appendix H - Questions And Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Appendix I - CATDISK Companion Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Appendix J - Other Products Available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 2
1. I N T R O D U C T I O N
DEDICATION
This program is dedicated to the memory of my Grandfather, Earl Hillier
(Jan 1, 1909 - May 2, 1989).
OVERVIEW
Overheard: "I know I have that file in an archive on a disk SOMEWHERE!
If only I could FIND it!"
Sound familiar? Many people I know are in this predicament.
Enter CATDISK, the disk cataloging system. CATDISK can help you
organize your disks in such a way that it is easy to find a file from
within a large collection by creating a collective directory of all the
files contained in your collection. See the FEATURES section below for
a listing of CATDISK's capabilities.
FEATURES - CATDISK PROGRAM (STANDARD VERSION)
- Completely menu-driven and very easy to use.
- Configuration utility allows customization of the main features.
- All screen colors may be customized to your liking.
- Command line options can be stored in the DOS environment area
negating the need to memorize them.
- Cataloging/Uncataloging/Re-cataloging functions are fully automated.
- A disk volume label can be changed from within CATDISK.
- CATDISK can suggest sequential volume labels for you to use.
- You can catalog a disk under an alias instead of the volume label.
- Supports up to 65,534 files or 4,000 disks per catalog, which can be
reduced through the config program to better optimize memory usage.
- depending on available memory, CATDISK can read in 6000 files per
disk being cataloged, memory permitting.
- Supports up to 512 sub-directories per disk being cataloged.
- Supports multiple catalog files.
- Able to read the directory contents of all popular archive file
formats. See the appendix on ARCHIVE SUPPORT for further details.
- Archive extraction is optional and can be set while in the program.
- You can attach a 43 character comment to each file in the catalog,
which can be done either while cataloging a disk, or at a later time.
- You can attach a 40 character comment to each disk in the catalog,
which can be done either while cataloging it, or at a later time.
- Can import comments from an ASCII text file, such as a BBS listing.
- Can read comments from ZIP, ZOO and DWC files.
- Can extract resolution/color information from GIF (Graphics
Interchange Format) files and include it as the default comment.
- Can read 4DOS/NDOS directory comments and add them to your catalog.
- Summary report shows disk capacity, space used and space free on
each disk in the catalog to aid in optimization of disk usage.
- Files can be viewed by DOS wildcards, Volume ID, ARCHIVE ID, or by
keywords or phrases in the file comments.
- Reports can be sent to screen, printer, or disk file.
- Custom reporting facility allows complete flexibility in defining
reports.
- Printer reports can be printed in a two-sided format to conserve
paper (this is, quite possibly, the first environmentally friendly
software product in terms of built-in reporting facilities).
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 3
FEATURES (DPMI-COMPLIANT VERSION)
- operates in exactly the same manner as the standard version of
CATDISK.
- Increased support to 999,363 files or 4,000 disks per catalog.
- can read up to 65500 files per disk being cataloged.
- supports up to 2048 sub-directories per disk being cataloged.
FEATURES - "CATLOOK" UTILITY
- small size allows it to be used when available memory is restricted.
- command line parameters allow any of CATDISK's reports to be created.
- output may be re-directed to a file or printer.
- can handle the upper limitations addressed by the DPMI-compliant
version of CATDISK.
FEATURES - "CATMGR" UTILITY
- can be used to split/merge complete or partial catalog files.
- menu driven for ease of use.
- point and shoot selection of individual cataloged volumes to move,
copy or delete
- can handle the upper limitations addressed by the DPMI-compliant
version of CATDISK.
FEATURES - "DISKFILL" UTILITY
- CATDISK's Optimal Disk Fill Utility automates offloading of files to
floppies using point and shoot file selection, and uses a "best-fit"
arrangement to minimize wasted disk space. As disks are filled with
files, those disks can be cataloged as you go. This program can also
recommend disks to use that have already been cataloged for
"backfilling" of free space.
- DISKFILL fully supports 4DOS/NDOS file descriptions.
- can handle the upper limitations addressed by the DPMI-compliant
version of CATDISK.
FEATURES - "DUPCLEAN" UTILITY
- automates elimination of duplicate or redundant files through a point
& shoot file selection and through a flexible selection criteria
based on your disk catalog as maintained by CATDISK.
- can handle the upper limitations addressed by the DPMI-compliant
version of CATDISK.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 4
LICENSING AND DISTRIBUTION
CATDISK is copyright and has been released for distribution as
SHAREWARE. Please note that a great deal of time and effort has been
invested in the development of this program. You are granted a license
to try CATDISK for a reasonable trial period without risk. If, after
this time, you find the program useful and intend to use it in managing
your disk collection, you are expected to register.
The base registration fee is $29. This will entitle you to continue to
use your copy of CATDISK beyond a reasonable trial period as well as
entitle you to program support. With registration, we will give you a
simple procedure to follow, which will eliminate the shareware
introductory screen and the random keypress which accompanies it.
The registration form, which should be included in the distribution
package that you received outlines the procedures for registering your
copy of the program. Should you decide that you would like the latest
release on disk from us or would like to be able to obtain new releases
from our support BBS, The Shareware Connection, details on pricing may
be found on the registration form or in the appendix dealing with
support and upgrades that occurs later on in this user manual.
Please keep in mind that we must have a registration form on file for
you before we can offer product support.
Operators of electronic bulletin boards (Sysops) are encouraged to post
CATDISK for downloading by their users.
CATDISK may be uploaded to and downloaded from commercial systems such
as CompuServe, the Source, and BIX, so long as the only charge paid by
the subscriber is for on-line time and there is no charge for the
program. Those copying, sharing, and/or electronically transmitting
the program are required not to delete or modify the copyright notice
and restrictive notices from the program or documentation; anyone doing
so will be treated as a contributory copyright violator.
If you are passing this program on to others, uploading it to a
bulletin board system, or including it in a users group library, do not
separate the files contained in the distribution archive - pass the
entire archive on to the intended party. This ensures that those who
receive the program will have all the correct configuration utilities
and documentation necessary to get CATDISK up and running quickly. A
listing of what files you should have and the purpose of each is listed
later in this manual.
The CATDISK documentation may not be modified by users. The program may
not be separated from the documentation when distributed. Printed or
Photocopies ("Xeroxed") copies of the CATDISK documentation (i.e., this
manual) may not be distributed or sold without the written permission
of the author.
No other person other than the author, Rick Hillier, may accept payment
or royalties for this program.
This license to use CATDISK does NOT include the right to distribute or
sell CATDISK. Distribution terms are detailed in the file VENDOR.DOC
which is included with this package.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 5
ASP
This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware
principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member
directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you
resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide
technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP
Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve
message via CompuServe mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 6
2. G E T T I N G S T A R T E D
WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED
CATDISK is distributed in the form of a self-extracting LHA archive
containing five files as follows:
README.1ST - Urgent program notes - IMPORTANT -- READ THIS FILE!
WHAT'S.NEW - Changes made to CATDISK since the last release.
CATPROGS.EXE - A self-extracting archive containing the CATDISK program
files as follows:
CATDISK.EXE - The CATDISK program file.
CDISKCFG.EXE - The CATDISK configuration program.
CDISKCVT.EXE - Conversion utility for converting old CATDISK files
to the newest format - See README.1ST before running.
CLEANCAT.EXE - Cleanup utility for catalog entries containing volume
labels containing null characters - See the
README.1ST file before running.
CATUTILS.EXE - A self-extracting archive containing the following
CATDISK utility programs:
CATLOOK.EXE - The CATDISK command line utility (lookup program).
CATMGR.EXE - The CATDISK catalog file manager (split/merge/delete/
copy utility).
DISKFILL.EXE - Optimal disk fill utility with MANY handy features.
DUPCLEAN.EXE - Duplicate file cleanup utility.
CATDOCS.EXE - A self-extracting archive containing the CATDISK
documentation files as follows:
PRINTDOC.EXE - A utility program to print the various CATDISK
documentation files. See README.1ST for details.
CATDISK.DOC - The manual you are now reading.
CATDISK.HST - Revision history for CATDISK since its initial
release in October 1986.
REGISTER.FRM - The registration form for this product.
SITE.LIC - The site license registration form for this product.
VENDOR.DOC - Vendor distribution agreement form.
To extract the files, just run CATPROGS.EXE and/or CATDOCS.EXE and the
files will be automatically extracted to the current directory.
We also distribute a DPMI-compliant version of the CATDISK program
itself (we'll call it CATDISK/D), supporting higher capacities than the
standard version of CATDISK. The naming convention for version 7.04,
for example, would be either CDSK704D.EXE or CD704D.EXE, depending on
the location from which you download CATDISK. The archive is unpacked
in the same manner as above. The four files listed below should be
copied to the same directory as the other CATDISK program files.
This archive will contain:
CATDISKD.EXE - the DPMI-compliant version of the CATDISK program.
RTM.EXE - the Borland International DPMI Run-Time Manager.
DPMI16BI.OVL - The Borland International DPMI Overlay File.
DPMIINST.EXE - Configures RTM.EXE to your system specifications.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 7
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS (STANDARD VERSION)
. True IBM-compatible computer with an 8088 processor or above.
. DOS v2.00 or above.
. At least one floppy disk drive (Hard Drive Highly Recommended).
. 320K RAM - if more is available, CATDISK will have greater internal
capacity for reading new files off of the disks being
cataloged and will run more efficiently.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS (CATDISK/D - DPMI-COMPLIANT VERSION)
. True IBM-compatible computer with an 80286 processor or above.
. DOS v3.00 or above.
. Hard disk with sufficient capacity to hold your data.
. 640K Base Memory and 512K Extended Memory or higher (more is better!)
INITIAL NOTE ON ARCHIVE FILES
At various points in this user manual, references to ARCHIVE files are
made. This is a collective term describing a file that actually
contains more than one file. The contained files may or may not be
compressed. Currently, this refers to ARC, ARJ, DWC, HYP, LBR, LZH,
LZS, PAK, ZIP and ZOO files.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 8
CONFIGURING CATDISK
Many features of CATDISK may be permanently set from the configuration
program, CDISKCFG.EXE. When you start this program, please make sure
that the correct versions of the program files CATDISK.EXE,
CATLOOK.EXE, CATMGR.EXE and DISKFILL.EXE are in the current drive and
directory, otherwise you will get an error message.
There are several utilities available that allow you to compress an
executable file such that it remains executable, but takes up less room
on your disk. Examples of such programs are PKLITE and LZEXE. If you
use such programs on any of the CATDISK program files, CDISKCFG will
not be able to find the configuration information in those two files.
Once you've configured CATDISK and its companion programs to your
liking, it's okay to compress them after making copies of the
originals.
Upon startup, the configuration program will read the current settings
defined in "CATDISK.EXE", after which, the configuration screen will be
presented. You may change any given item on this screen by using the
<Cursor UP> and <Cursor DOWN> keys to highlight the title of the
desired field. The bottom portion of the screen will contain any
additional information as well as any instructions on how to change the
selected item.
A discussion of the 9 items on this list follows:
1) SCREEN UPDATE METHOD
You may choose between having your screen updated by using your
computer's built in BIOS routines, or by using a faster DIRECT
screen update method. Using the BIOS is much slower than using
direct access, but maintains compatibility with such operating
environments as TopView, Desqview, and DoubleDOS.
Choosing DIRECT screen access is much quicker, but will be
incompatible with most multitasking programs such as the above
mentioned due to the fact that they cannot handle "ill-behaved"
programs that write directly to the screen.
If you chose DIRECT screen access, a second test is made if you
have a GRAPHICS display connected in your system. Some video
adapters have the nasty side effect of producing static, or "snow"
when the video memory is accessed directly. This test will do
multiple direct access to the video ram on your graphics adapter.
When you hit a key to stop the test, you will be asked if you saw
static on the screen.
If you answer "Y" to the prompt, CATDISK will check for horizontal
retrace before writing to the display. This will result in a
slightly slower screen response than normal, but it is almost
negligible.
If you are not running under a multitasking system, or are using
DoubleDos in dual screen mode, I would recommend that you use
DIRECT screen access, as it's much quicker.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 9
2) COLOR OR B & W
This option is self-explanatory. The appearance of the setup
screen will depend on the setting of this field.
3) NUMBER OF REPORT LINES PER PAGE
The number of lines per page field will enable you to tell CATDISK
the number of lines of data (EXCLUDING headings) that it should
place on each page of printer or disk output. This may be any
number between 0 and 255. Entering zero will disable page breaking
and the output will be presented in a continuous stream with one
title at the top.
4) PRINTER STARTUP STRING
The printer start up string is a series of ASCII codes (entered
here as their ASCII VALUES) that will tailor your reports to the
format you desire. For example, I use an Epson printer and like to
set it to 1/8" spacing and get 80 report lines per page. To do
this, I send a startup string of "<Esc> <0>" to set this print
mode. To enter this string in the configuration program, I would
enter it as "027 048" without the quotes. The numbers are simply
the ASCII values of the characters I wish to send. If you have a
setup string entered here and wish to clear it, simply hit <Return>
in response to the prompt in the bottom area of the screen.
5) PRINTER FINISHING STRING
The printer finishing string is commonly used to reverse the
startup string entered above and is entered in exactly the same
way. In the example above, I would use "<Esc> <2>", which would be
entered as "027 050" without the quotes. If you have a setup
string entered here and wish to clear it, simple hit <Return> in
response to the prompt in the bottom area of the screen.
6) DEFAULT ARCHIVE EXTRACT STATE
This will control the way CATDISK handles any ARCHIVE files that
it might encounter when cataloging your disks as well as whether
or not files contained within archives will be included in a
report.
If you set it to OFF, CATDISK will NOT extract any archive files
that it finds on your disks or include files in the catalog
contained within archives in any of your reports.
If you set it to ON, CATDISK will expand EVERY ARCHIVE file that it
finds on your disks. Any files already cataloged that are
contained within archive files will be included in any reports.
If you set it to QUERY, CATDISK will ask you for permission to
expand an ARCHIVE file each time it encounters one. Any files
already cataloged that are contained within archive files will be
included in any reports.
This can be changed temporarily while running CATDISK.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 10
7) DEFAULT CATALOG DRIVE
The default catalog drive is the drive that CATDISK will assume you
wish to use for labeling disks and reading them for cataloging
purposes. This drive may still be changed at startup time (see
STARTING CATDISK), or from the menu when CATDISK is running.
If you are running on single floppy based system, I would recommend
that you set this drive to the same drive ID that CATDISK will be
run from. CATDISK will prompt you to enter the appropriate disks
at the appropriate time, and will eliminate potential problems with
the disk caching feature if enabled (See the file README.1ST).
8) CATALOG FILE DIRECTORY
The catalog file directory is the location in your system that
CATDISK will look for and create its catalog files. This path may
contain a drive designator, so that the catalog files may reside on
a different drive than CATDISK itself, such as a ramdisk (in this
case don't forget to copy the files to a real disk before you turn
off or reboot your machine).
If this field is blank, the default drive and directory will be
used.
9) DISKS/FILES PER CATALOG
The maximum number of disks and files per catalog is simply that.
When CATDISK starts, it allocates its work space according to this
setting. The higher the setting, the more memory will be used,
making less memory available for tasks such as reading in file
entries from a disk being cataloged and sorting operations.
The current limitations for CATDISK are 4000 disks or 65534 files
per catalog, whichever comes first. CATDISK/D can handle 999363
files per catalog.
You can change these settings by either typing in the desired
numbers directly or use the cursor keypad to change the settings as
per the instructions that will show on your screen. The direction
of the arrow (either before or after the slash between the two
settings) will indicate which setting you are affecting when you
use the cursor keypad.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 11
INITIAL STATE OF CATDISK SETTINGS / COMMAND LINE OPTIONS
There are a number of options available that customize the way that
CATDISK and DISKFILL perform their respective functions. Many of the
options that pertain to CATDISK itself can be set through the Settings
& Toggles menu (discussed later in this manual).
All of these settings have defaults, which can be overridden in this
section of the configuration utility or by command line options. We
will discuss the command line options pertinent to CATDISK in this
section as well, as they go hand in hand with what will be discussed
here.
Although there are several settings that apply to the DISKFILL utility
here, the command line options for DISKFILL will be discussed in the
appendix of this manual that deals with that program as well as this
section.
To bring up the settings screen, hit <F4> from the main screen of the
CDISKCFG utility. You will then see a screen that contains various
settings, all (with the exception of the first item) of which contain a
setting heading and two or more sets of square brackets followed by
text indicating each item for each setting. One of the sets of square
brackets will contain a small block indicating that that particular
option is turned on.
To select a setting, use the <Up Arrow> and <Down Arrow> keys. To
change a setting, use the <Left Arrow> and <Right Arrow> keys. The
exception to this is the first setting, the starting catalog file,
which will be discussed with that setting a little later.
When you have all settings the way you want them, hit <Esc> to return
to the main options screen.
SETTINGS
1) Starting Catalog
CATDISK keeps its catalogs in a system of two files and ties them
together by using a common base catalog name followed by an
extension of .SUM for the disk summary info or an extension of .DTA
for the catalog data itself. By default, the name "CATDISK" will
be used at program startup. Even though you can change the active
catalog file at any time, it can be desirable to have CATDISK use a
different catalog set right off the bat. By placing the name of
the catalog set that you wish to use when CATDISK is started, you
can override the default name of CATDISK. If the catalog name that
you specify does not exist, a new, empty set will be created.
If you use a single question mark "?" for the catalog name, CATDISK
will bring up a point and shoot list of available catalogs for you
to use. If you hit <Esc> from this list, CATDISK will exit to DOS.
This option also applies to DISKFILL with the exception that making
the catalog name "?" will cause DISKFILL to ignore it.
The same thing applies to DUPCLEAN.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Change this setting by typing in the name of the catalog set that
you wish to use.
Command line parameter: /Fcatalogname (CATDISK and DISKFILL)
Note that there is no space between the /F and the filename.
Using this at startup will override the setting made in the
CDISKCFG program. /F? will activate the point and shoot list
described above.
2) Report Destination
Setting Description Parameter
Scrn Sends report output to the screen. /R1
LPT1 Sends report output to parallel printer #1. /R2
LPT2 Sends report output to parallel printer #2. /R3
DISK Sends report output to a disk file that you /R4
specify at the time that the report is created.
ASK ME CATDISK will prompt you for a report /R5
destination before the report is created.
3) Catalog Report Format
Controls the screen-based report format for the catalog entries.
Setting Items Included In Report Parameter
Stat Filename, Volume ID, Archive ID, size, /L0
date, time and file attributes.
Sdir Subdirectory,Filename, Volume ID, Archive /L1
ID, size, date and time.
File Cmts Filename, Volume ID, Archive ID and full /L2
file comment (all 43 characters).
Sdir + File Cmts Subdirectory, Filename, Volume ID, /L3
Archive ID and short file comment (first
30 characters).
4) Summary Report Format
Controls the screen-based report format for the disk summary.
Setting Items Included In Report Parameter
Statistics Disk volume, disk capacity, number of /SL0
files on the disk, space used, free
space, slack % and date last cataloged.
Comments Disk volume, disk capacity, free space /SL1
and disk comment.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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5) Printed Report Format
Controls the printer and disk-based formats for all reports.
Setting Items Included In Report Parameter
Stat Subdirectory, Filename, Volume ID, Archive, /P0
File Size, File Date, File Time, and File
Attribute in the file reports; All summary
information EXCEPT comments in summary report.
Cmts Filename, Volume ID, Archive And Full Comment /P1
(43 chars) in the file reports; Volume ID,
Disk Capacity, Free Space and Comment in the
summary report.
Sdirs+Cmts Subdirectory, Filename, Volume ID, Archive and /P2
truncated file comment (30 characters) in file
reports; Volume ID, Disk Capacity, Free Space
and Comment in the summary report.
All Info All information (Subdirectory, Filename, Volume /P3
ID, Archive, File Size, File Date, File Time,
File Attribute and Comment in file reports;
All details in the summary report. It is
assumed that your printer is set up to product 132
column reports (possibly set up via the printer
starting string that can be set on the main
configuration screen).
6) Two Sided Reports
Off - CATDISK paginates printed reports continuously with pages in
sequential order.
On - CATDISK produces odd numbered pages of a printed report
first, then pauses to allow you to remove the paper and
re-insert it back in the printer such that the even numbered
pages will be printed on the back of the previously printed
odd pages, thus conserving paper.
Command line parameter: /2
By default, this feature is turned off. Adding /2 to the command
line will force it on.
7) Report Totals
Off - CATDISK will not show any report totals at the bottom of
screen, printer and disk-based reports.
On - CATDISK will add up columns such as total files, bytes, free
space, etc. and report those totals at the end of a report or
at the bottom of a screen-based report.
Command line parameter: /NT
By default, the report totals are turned on. Adding /NT on the
command line will turn it off.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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8) Archive Extract Setting (In Reports)
Affects Reports - The Archive Extract setting (changeable from
the main configuration screen or from CATDISK's
Settings & Toggles menu) will affect whether or
not files contained inside archive files in
your catalog will be included in a report. If
set to OFF, they will not be included; setting
it to ON or QUERY will cause CATDISK to include
them.
Ignore In Reports - ALL Files will be included in a report
regardless of the Archive Extract setting.
Command line parameter: /ALLFILES
Forces this setting to "Ignore In Reports"
9) Sort Summary Report By
Disk Volume Label - Summary report to screen is sorted this way.
Free Disk Space - Summary report to screen is sorted by ascending
free disk space.
Command line parameter: /SF
This will force this setting to be sorted by free disk space.
You can still toggle between the two settings from within the
summary report by pressing the <Space Bar>. This setting just
defines the starting order.
10) Main Archive Comment Extract
Off - Disables the feature mentioned below this line.
On - When not instructed to read the directory contents of ZIP or
ARJ files, CATDISK will attempt to read in the main comment
from any ZIP or ARJ file that it encounters. Additionally,
when CATDISK encounters a GIF file, it will attempt to read
in the resolution/color information from it and place it in
the comment field.
Command line parameter: /NC
Forces this setting to OFF.
11) Main Archive Comment Copy
Off - Disables the feature mentioned below this line.
On - CATDISK has a feature whereby any ZIP or ARJ files containing
a main comment that get expanded will have that main comment
inserted into the comment area of any file entry extracted
from that ZIP/ARJ file that does not already have a comment.
Command line parameter: /NCC
Forces this setting to OFF.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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12) 4DOS/NDOS Comments
Off - Disables the feature mentioned below this line. You might
need to do so if this feature is causing you any problems
(such as having a file called DESCRIPT.ION from another
application).
On - This setting should normally be left on. 4DOS and Norton DOS
(NDOS), are command interpreter (i.e. COMMAND.COM)
replacements which greatly enhance the functionality of DOS.
One feature that is particularly handy is their ability to
add comments to your directory entries at the DOS level using
a command called DESCRIBE.
If you copy or move a file from the command prompt, that
comment goes right along with the file (the DISKFILL utility,
discussed later in this user manual, can also do this).
These comments are stored in a hidden file, DESCRIPT.ION in
each subdirectory where file comments are contained.
When CATDISK encounters such a file, the comments are
automatically read into your catalog where applicable and the
hidden file is cataloged with the comment "4DOS/NDOS File
Descriptions." If you do not want this file cataloged at
all, you can do so by adding "DESCRIPT.ION" to the file
exclude specs screen.
Command line parameter: /N4 (CATDISK and DISKFILL)
Forces this setting off.
13) Volume Label Aliases
Off - Disables the feature mentioned below this line.
On - Activates the "ALIAS" feature whereby you will be able to
override the name under which a disk will be cataloged.
Normally, CATDISK will catalog a disk under the volume label.
This will enable you to optionally catalog the disk under a
different name without changing the actual volume label on
the disk being cataloged.
Command line parameter: /ALIAS
Turns the above feature on.
14) Volume Label Suggest
Off - No suggestions for volume labels are made.
On - Have CATDISK suggest sequential volume labels for you to use
when adding a NEW volume label to a disk based on your last
entry or the contents of your catalog file. You may still
override the suggestion with a label of your own choice. See
the section "Labeling A Disk" for further details.
Command line parameter: /SV
Turns this feature on.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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15) Add/Edit File Comments:
On Demand Only - Return to menu immediately after
cataloging a disk. Comments may only be
edited on demand via the comment editing
facilities available from the menus.
As Disks Are Cataloged - After cataloging a disk, CATDISK will
proceed to sections of the program where
you may add/modify the disk and file
comments for the volume that you just
cataloged.
Command line parameter: /AC
Sets the above feature to "As Disks Are Cataloged"
16) Add/Edit Disk Comments:
On Demand Only - Continue with cataloging operations. Disk
comments may only be edited on demand via
the comment editing facilities available
from the menus.
As Disks Are Cataloged - After cataloging each disk, CATDISK will
ask you for a disk comment before it
updates the summary file.
Command line parameter: /ADC
Sets the above feature to "As Disks Are Cataloged"
17) Comments In Catalog
Retain If In Catalog - CATDISK will not override a file comment
that already exists in the catalog file with
one found on disk (eg. in a ZIP file, or in
a 4DOS description). This is to protect any
comment "massaging" that you may have done
when that disk was previously cataloged.
Overriding that comment would undo any
editing that you may have done.
Override From Disk - CATDISK overrides any file comments in the
catalog with those read from the disk during
the process of cataloging it. If you are
re-cataloging a disk, any comments that you
may have "massaged" will be overridden with
those found on disk.
This option may only be set at program startup - there is no option
in the settings & toggles menu to change it. This option should be
used with caution.
Command line parameter: /DISKCOM
Forces the "Override From Disk" setting.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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18) Status Indicators
Off - Suppress status indicators during processing. This speeds up
processing time slightly.
On - Show status indicators during processing. Status indicators
are there simply to indicate that the computer is actually
doing something useful.
Command line parameter: /NS
Turns the above feature off.
19) Cataloging File Status
Off - CATDISK will only show the summary information when updating
a catalog file. This will speed up processing somewhat,
particularly if the disk being processed has many files.
On - CATDISK will show each file entry in the catalog that is
affected by the current catalog/re-catalog/un-catalog
operation in addition to a summary of the changes.
Command line parameter: /NOLIST
Turns the above feature off.
20) Optional Pauses
Off - CATDISK will not pause after cataloging/un-cataloging a disk.
CATDISK will not prompt for a disk in drive X: before
cataloging or reading a disk directory unless absolutely
necessary.
On - CATDISK will pause after cataloging/un-cataloging a disk.
CATDISK will always prompt for a disk in drive X: before
cataloging or reading a disk directory.
Command line parameter: /NP
Turns the above feature off.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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21) Initial Pause At Start
Off - When CATDISK loads, it will go right to the main menu after
the shareware introductory screen is viewed (registered users
do not see the intro screen). This is the recommended
setting for those with hard drives where the catalog files
are available right away.
On - CATDISK will pause after it is loaded so that you may remove
the program disk (not needed during the session) and insert
the data disk. This setting is only needed if you are running
on a single drive system where the CATDISK program must first
be loaded and then the disk with the catalog files gets
inserted in the drive.
Command line parameter: /IP
Turns the above setting on.
22) Volume Exists Warning
Off - CATDISK will not warn you if you are about to catalog a disk
that already exists in the catalog (see discussion for "on"
below). CATDISK will create new catalog files when you
change the active catalog from the Setting & Toggles menu
without warning you that it is about to do so.
On - When you catalog a disk containing a Volume ID that already
exists in the current catalog, CATDISK will warn you to that
effect, and will ask you for verification before proceeding
to catalog that disk. The reason behind this is that there
is always the possibility of two different disks having the
same Volume ID. Cataloging one would mean that the files
from the other would be un-cataloged in the same process.
CATDISK will also warn you that it is about to create new
catalog files when you change the active catalog from the
Settings & Toggles menu.
Command line parameter: /NW
Turns the above option off.
23) Sound Control
Off - CATDISK will operate silently.
On - CATDISK will make sounds at appropriate points in the program
(eg. error messages or warnings).
Command line parameter: /QUIET (CATDISK, DISKFILL and DUPCLEAN)
Turns the above option off.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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24) Date Format
MMM DD,YYYY - eg. MAR 13, 1993. Easier to read and avoids
ambiguous dates.
YYYY-MM-DD - eg. 1993-03-13. Useful for producing an external
listing on which you will be using an external sort
program to sort the file by date.
Command line parameter: /ND (CATDISK, DISKFILL and DUPCLEAN)
Forces the YYYY-MM-DD date format.
25) Allow Shell To DOS
Off - CATDISK will ignore the <F4> - Shell To DOS key. Useful
when running CATDISK from a menu program in restricted
circumstances where it may not be desirable to allow users
access to the DOS prompt via this function. If <F4> is
pressed from a menu, a short beep will sound (if sound is
turned on).
On - CATDISK will allow the <F4> - Shell To DOS key.
Command line parameter: /NOSHELL
Turns the above feature off.
26) Verify Exit From Program
Off - When you press the <Esc> key from the main menu, CATDISK will
promptly exit to DOS.
On - When you press the <Esc> key from the main menu, CATDISK will
give you a YES/NO prompt asking if you really want to leave
the program.
Command line parameter: /EXITV
Turns the above feature on.
27) Menu Arrow Pointers
Static - Menu arrow pointers used for point and shoot selection
of options will be solid on the screen.
Blinking - Menu arrow pointers will blink to stand out more.
Command line parameter: /NOBLINK
Forces this setting to STATIC
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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28) Files/Disk Only Prompt
Off - CATDISK will automatically catalog all files that it reads
from the disk being cataloged that pass the include/exclude
filespecs (which can be set from within the configuration
utility, CDISKCFG).
On - After updating the summary file, CATDISK will ask you if you
want to catalog just the disk only, or catalog all files read
from the disk being cataloged that pass the include/exclude
filespecs.
29) DISKFILL Autotag Files
Off - DISKFILL will not automatically tag all files when reading in
a new subdirectory
On - DISKFILL will automatically tag all files when reading in a
new subdirectory, as offloading all files is the most common
operation to perform.
Command line parameter: /NOTAGALL (In DISKFILL Only)
Turns the above feature off.
30) DISKFILL Sort Order
Setting Description Parameter
None Show file list in the order of
appearance in the DOS directory.
Filename Show file list with subdirectories /SF
at the top, followed by the files in
ascending order by filename.
File Extension Show file list with subdirectories /SE
at the top, followed by the files in
ascending order by file extension.
File Size Show file list with subdirectories /SS
at the top, followed by the files in
ascending order by file size.
File Date/Time Show file list with subdirectories /SD
at the top, followed by the files in
ascending order by file date/time.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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31) DISKFILL Reverse Sort
No - If a sorting order (above) is specified, the list will be
sorted in ascending order.
Yes - If a sorting option above is specified, the sort will be in
descending order instead of the normal order.
Command line parameter: /RS
Turns the above feature on.
32) DISKFILL/DUPCLEAN Uses CATDISK
Standard Version - When DISKFILL finishes copying or
moving files to the target floppy
disk, it will, if requested, load
the standard version of CATDISK
(CATDISK.EXE) to automatically
catalog the target floppy disk.
Control then returns to DISKFILL
when the task is completed.
Likewise, DUPCLEAN, after erasing
files from a floppy disk will perform
the same type of function.
DPMI Protected Mode Version - DISKFILL and DUPCLEAN will load the
DPMI protected mode version of
CATDISK, CATDISKD.EXE instead of the
standard one. Use this option if the
catalog file being used exceeds the
capacity of the standard version of
CATDISK.
Command Line Option: /CATDISKD (In DISKFILL and DUPCLEAN Only)
Activates the DPMI option above.
33) DUPCLEAN Uses Versions
Off - DUPCLEAN will not pay attention to any characters after the
base characters as per the setting in the program. See the
appendix covering DUPCLEAN for further details.
On - Specifies that characters after base characters used must be
numeric. This is handy to limit the list to older versions
of the same program.
Command Line Option: /VERSIONS (In DUPCLEAN Only)
Turns the above feature on.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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34) High ASCII On Screen
Off - All programs will use a series of dashes (-), or-bars (|) and
pluses (+) to assimilate the IBM upper ASCII line graphic
characters in the screen displays. This is useful on some
systems (eg. those supporting oriental languages) where
foreign character sets have been substituted for the line
graphic characters. In this case, CATDISK's screen displays,
particularly the borders may look strange unless this feature
is turned off.
On - All programs will use the upper ASCII line graphic characters
on screen displays.
Command Line Option: /NOHIGH
Turns the above feature off.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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LIMITING WHICH DISKS DISKFILL RECOMMENDS FOR BACKFILLING
The Optimal Disk Fill utility, DISKFILL, has a feature while filling
disks with files whereby, at the disk change prompt, it can recommend
disks already cataloged that have sufficient free space on them to
accommodate one or more of the files from the list of files to be
offloaded. We refer to this process as backfilling.
Normally, DISKFILL will base select its recommendations from ALL
entries in the currently loaded catalog summary. There may be times,
however, when you have certain disks in your catalog to which you do
not wish to add files (such as commercial distribution disks), or for
that matter, disks to which you cannot add files (such as CD-ROM
disks).
By pressing <F5>, you will bring up a list of 20 "volumespecs" that
DISKFILL will exclude from the list of disks to be recommended. These
entries may follow CATDISK's wildcard matching conventions. Any disk
matching one of these "volumespecs" will be excluded from the list of
disks that might be recommended for backfilling operations.
Because of the fact that this list is limited to 20 specifications, you
might want to have all of your commercial disks and CD-ROMS labeled in
a similar manner. If they already have volume labels on them, use
CATDISK's "ALIAS" feature to override the volume label without writing
a new volume label on the disk. This way, you can stretch the list out
further and cover more disks this way.
Moving around this screen and changing the entries is simple:
To change a volumespec, simply use the cursor keys to move to the
desired filespec and type in the new information for that area. To
clear out an existing spec, just fill the area with spaces.
When you are finished modifying the list, press <Esc> to return to the
main configuration screen. Any changes made to the list will be saved
when you press <F10> to save the entire configuration.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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LIMITING WHICH FILES GET CATALOGED
There are certain circumstances where it is desirable to set
limitations on which files get cataloged and which ones do not. For
example, you may only want CATDISK to catalog program files (.EXE,
.COM, .SYS or .BAT) and archives (i.e. .ZIP, .ARJ, .LZH, etc.).
Likewise, you may have many bootable system disks in your collection
that contain the files IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS and COMMAND.COM which you do
not want listed many times in your catalog file. We provide two
complimentary functions that can be controlled from within the
configuration utility, a screen containing "file include" specs and
"file exclude" specs. Each screen contains 20 spaces in which you can
place wildcard filespecs (CATDISK's extended wildcard specifications
are valid here as well) that CATDISK will use to determine whether or
not a given file being scanned will be included in your catalog file.
<F6> will bring up the "file include" specs. By default, the list is
blank, which indicates to CATDISK that all files (*.*) will be included
in any cataloging operations unless a given file matches one of the
specifications in the "file exclude" list, discussed later. These
wildcard specifications may follow the extended pattern matching that
CATDISK supports.
<F7> bring up a list of up to 20 wildcard specifications for files that
you do not want included in cataloging operations. When CATDISK scans
a disk to be cataloged, any files matching one of the specifications in
the list will be ignored.
One thing to note, though. If you instruct CATDISK to skip archive
files, the directory information of those archives will still be
examined and included in the cataloging operation if appropriate.
Both of these screens operate in the same manner.
To change a filespec, simply use the cursor keys to move to the desired
filespec and type in the new information for that area. To clear out
an existing spec, just fill the area with spaces.
When you are finished modifying the list, press <Esc> to return to the
main configuration screen.
The range of functionality of these two screens combined can be quite
flexible. For example, using the scenario above, you might want to
catalog program files (.COM, .EXE, .SYS, .BAT) and archive files (.ZIP,
.ARJ, .LZH, .ARC) but do not want files such as COMMAND.COM, IO.SYS,
MSDOS.SYS, CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT included in the catalog.
You would set up the two lists as follows (listed side by side here to
conserve space):
Include Filespec 1 *.COM Exclude Filespec 1 COMMAND.COM
Include Filespec 2 *.EXE Exclude Filespec 2 IO.SYS
Include Filespec 3 *.SYS Exclude Filespec 3 MSDOS.SYS
Include Filespec 4 *.BAT Exclude Filespec 4 CONFIG.SYS
Include Filespec 5 *.ZIP Exclude Filespec 5 AUTOEXEC.BAT
Include Filespec 6 *.ARJ
Include Filespec 7 *.LZH
Include Filespec 8 *.ARC
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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RECALLING A PREVIOUS CONFIGURATION
If you were using CATDISK v3.61 or later, you can quickly recall any
configuration information that you had stored in that release. This
can save you some time in setting the program up for your preferences,
particularly if you've customized all the screen colors. Before
copying the new program files to your work disk, you might want to
rename the executable file from the previous installation (CATDISK.COM
in older releases or CATDISK.EXE in more recent versions) to another
name.
Example - Upgrading from V4.50 to this release:
Procedure:
1) Rename your old CATDISK.EXE to CAT450.EXE (this file holds the
configuration information from the last installation.
2) Run the configuration utility, CDISKCFG.EXE.
3) Hit <F8>. CDISKCFG will ask you for the file name of the old
program file. Answer "CAT450.EXE" (without the quotes).
CDISKCFG will search the given file for the appropriate
configuration information. If successful, this information will
be reflected in the configuration options as displayed on the
screen. If you've selected the wrong file, you will get an error
message, and the old settings will remain intact on the screen.
4) If successful, press <F10>, and the settings will be saved in
the current CATDISK release.
5) Delete CAT450.EXE - it's no longer needed.
COLOR CUSTOMIZATION
If you would prefer a color scheme other than the default ones supplied
with CATDISK, you may set your own from within the configuration
program. To do so, simply hit <F9> from the configuration screen and
follow the menus. Once you have selected this option, you will see a
menu that will allow you to select some general colors such as screen
background and border color (CGA type displays only - EGA and VGA have
no effect), as well as an option to reset the author's (that's me!)
colors should you really make a mess of the color scheme and wish to
start over.
The other options will bring up menus that pertain to the various
screens that you might encounter in your usage of CATDISK. When you
reach these, there will be an option available for each item that will
change its foreground or background color. Selecting an option will
step you through the possible color range for that particular item.
On monochrome or black & white systems, you may have to press an option
key several times to cycle through the available colors, as many of
these colors may appear the same on these systems.
Does this sound confusing? Try it for yourself... it's really quite
easy. For starters, try setting everything to green on cyan <grin> (if
you don't have a strong stomach, don't bother).
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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SAVING YOUR CONFIGURATION
Once you have set all the fields to your desired settings, you may
instruct CDISKCFG to save the current settings by pressing <F10>.
CATDISK will save the appropriate information in the CATDISK.EXE and
CATLOOK.EXE program files and return to DOS.
If you do not wish to save the changes you made, simply hit <Esc>, and
you will be returned to DOS, while the previous configuration will
remain unscathed.
DEFAULT SETTINGS
CATDISK is shipped with the following default settings:
1) Screen Update Method: BIOS
2) Color or B & W: B & W
3) Output Lines Per Page: 58
4) Printer Startup String: Nothing
5) Printer Finishing String: Nothing
6) Default ARCHIVE Extract State: ON
7) Catalog Drive: A:
8) Catalog File Directory: Default Drive and Directory
9) Maximum Disks/Files per Catalog: 1000/16384
10) Color Scheme: Authors Colors
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS WHEN CONFIGURING CATDISK
When setting CATDISK up, there are a few things you should consider:
If you have a hard disk, you should use it for maintaining your catalog
files (i.e. set your catalog file directory to somewhere on your hard
drive).
If possible, set your video update method to DIRECT. CATDISK runs
faster in this mode.
When setting your printer up for printing reports, try to set the
printer startup string such that the complete catalog listing (i.e.
files, stats and comments) can be printed.
The best setting for the default ARCHIVE extract state is QUERY. Many
archives do not need to be fully extracted as the name of the archive
filename itself is all that is necessary in order to identify what is
on that particular disk. By using some discretion in deciding which
archive files need be extracted, you can dramatically reduce the size
of your catalog files (as well as the time needed to update and search
them). Some however, need to be extracted (for example, MISC.ARC).
This setting gives you the best of both worlds.
When setting the default drive and directory for your catalog files, be
sure and include it in your DOS PATH as well. Although this is not
necessary, it will enable you to run CATDISK from anywhere in your
system without having to change to that directory before running
CATDISK. Setting the PATH for this is only beneficial to those using
hard drives.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 27
When setting the maximum number of disks and files that can be
maintained in a catalog file, the best setting should be the LOWEST one
that will contain your largest catalog file. This will maximize the
amount of free memory left over that CATDISK can use to store file
information being read from disks being cataloged, sorting information,
caching information, and the like.
Keep in mind that, if you should have a catalog file grow to your set
maximum, you can always re-configure CATDISK (memory permitting, of
course) to accommodate a larger configuration, unless you are already
at the highest setting. When you next run CATDISK after making these
changes, your catalog file will then be able to grow to the new
setting.
If you are running on floppy drives, use setting #4 for the maximum
catalog size (512 disks/8192 files per catalog). Your files will never
exceed this limitation.
SAMPLE CONFIGURATIONS
Scenario: One Hard Disk (C:) and a floppy drive:
Make a directory "C:\CATDISK" and copy the files CATDISK.EXE
and CDISKCFG.EXE to it. Set the configuration to:
1) Screen Update Method: <your option>
2) Color or B & W: <your option>
3) Output Lines Per Page: <your option>
4) Printer Startup String: <your option>
5) Printer Finishing String: <your option>
6) Default ARCHIVE Extract State: <your option>
7) Catalog Drive: A:
8) Catalog File Directory: C:\CATDISK
9) Maximum Disks/Files per Catalog: <your option>
Add C:\CATDISK to the DOS PATH and you will be able to call
up CATDISK or CATLOOK from anywhere in your system.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 28
Scenario: Two floppy drives:
Take a blank disk and copy the files CATDISK.EXE and
CDISKCFG.EXE to it. This will be your CATDISK program disk.
Set the configuration to:
1) Screen Update Method: <your option>
2) Color or B & W: <your option>
3) Output Lines Per Page: <your option>
4) Printer Startup String: <your option>
5) Printer Finishing String: <your option>
6) Default ARCHIVE Extract State: <your option>
7) Catalog Drive: A:
8) Catalog File Directory: B:\
9) Maximum Disks/Files per Catalog: 500/8192
When starting CATDISK from DOS, insert the program disk in
drive A: and take a blank formatted disk and insert it in
drive B:. This will be your data disk. When CATDISK has
loaded and has displayed the title screen, you may remove
the CATDISK program disk from the A: drive. This will now
be the drive from which disks being cataloged will be read.
Scenario: One floppy drive:
Take a blank disk and copy the files CATDISK.EXE and
CDISKCFG.EXE to it. This will be your CATDISK program disk.
Set the configuration to:
1) Screen Update Method: <your option>
2) Color or B & W: <your option>
3) Output Lines Per Page: <your option>
4) Printer Startup String: <your option>
5) Printer Finishing String: <your option>
6) Default ARCHIVE Extract State: <your option>
7) Catalog Drive: A:
8) Catalog File Directory: A:\
9) Maximum Disks/Files per Catalog: 500/8192
When starting CATDISK for the first time, insert the
program disk in drive A: and start CATDISK. You will need to
add the command line option /IP (initial pause - see later
in this manual).
Once CATDISK has loaded, it will pause and ask you to insert
your data disk. If this is the first time you are running
CATDISK, use a blank formatted disk.
When you catalog a disk, you must first remove the data disk
and insert the disk to be cataloged BEFORE activating the
catalog function. When CATDISK is done reading the disk, it
will ask you to re-insert the data disk.
IMPORTANT NOTE
If you are running CATDISK on a single drive system, I would recommend
the above configuration for the reason that, even though DOS can make
the one drive act like A: and B:, this will allow CATDISK to prompt you
for the appropriate disks, thus avoiding the DOS prompt "Insert disk
for drive B:" and the like.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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STARTING CATDISK
CATDISK is started from the DOS command line by issuing the following:
CATDISK parameters
- where parameters may include any of the command line options from the
section "Configuring CATDISK" or any of the following options covered
here:
/D: - Catalog files from drive D: where D: is one of
[A - {last drive in your system}].
/CATALOG - If this option is added to your command line, CATDISK
will perform a catalog operation on the catalog drive
(the setting from the CDISKCFG program may be
overridden on the command line) and return to DOS
when done. If you have the autocomments feature in
CATDISK turned on, you will be taken to the comment
entry screen first. When you exit from this screen,
you will then be returned to DOS.
This option makes it possible to catalog a disk from
a batch file, or from within another application by
shelling out to CATDISK with the correct parameters.
When CATDISK exits, you will be returned to your
application.
NOTE: It is not advisable to put this option in the
CATDISK environment variable, discussed below, as it
will make it impossible to get into CATDISK's other
functions.
/? - Display a terse list of available command line
options.
The slash "/" may be substituted by either a dash "-" or a space " ".
Examples: CATDISK /FGAMES/NS/AC/CO/P3/R5/ALIAS/B: or CATDISK A:
IF CATDISK/D CANNOT RECOGNIZE YOUR HARDWARE
If you are using a memory manager that provides DPMI services, such as
386MAX or QEMM, CATDISK/D will automatically detect it and use it. If
not, CATDISK/D will load Borland International's DPMI handler
automatically. If you get a message that your hardware is not
recognized by the DPMI handler, you will need to run a DPMI
installation program called DPMIINST.EXE, which will examine your
hardware to best determine how to access it.
There are no options necessary when running the installation program,
just type "DPMIINST" from within the CATDISK directory and make sure
that the file "DPMI16BI.OVL" is present. Follow the prompts given to
you by the DPMIINST program and when it finishes its operation, you
will be ready to use CATDISK/D normally as you would use CATDISK
itself.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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SAVING PARAMETERS SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO TYPE THEM EACH TIME
If you find yourself typing in the same set of command line parameters
each time you start CATDISK, you can save yourself some time by putting
the command line options in a CATDISK environment variable using the
DOS "SET" command. This command (see examples below), may be placed in
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that you will not need to remember which
command line options to use to obtain your favorite setup, or for that
matter, to type them!
- example: SET CATDISK=/FGAMES/NS/AC/CO/P2/ALIAS/B:
When you start CATDISK under these circumstances, simply type "CATDISK"
<Enter> and the above options will automatically be invoked.
Any options entered on the command line will be added to those
specified in the CATDISK environment variable. This makes it possible
to have a base set of options set in the DOS environment and have an
optional set that you can specify at the time you run CATDISK.
It is also possible to override some of the options as well (for
example, the printed report format, the screen report format, the
catalog file, and the catalog drive), as CATDISK will pay attention to
the last option of a given type.
For example, using the above environment example, entering the command
CATDISK /A:/P1
will cause CATDISK to set the catalog drive to A: (overrides the B:
option), and the printer report format to show comments (format #1)
instead of statistics and comments (format #2).
Once CATDISK has been successfully started, a title screen will appear.
Hit any key to proceed to the main menu.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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3. U S I N G C A T D I S K
USING THE MENUS
The major options available from CATDISK such as the main functions
that you see in the opening menu after the title page disappears can be
selected in two different ways.
The first, and easiest is just to hit the indicated key beside the
desired option.
In response to a requests from registered users, we have also
implemented a "point and shoot" method of selecting items from a menu.
Simply use the cursor keys to position the flashing arrows in the
inverse box that indicates the keystroke required to activate the
desired option and hit <Return> or <Enter>. This will carry out the
same function as if you had struck the key in the inverse box.
One advantage that the second approach has to the first is that those
of you who do not touch type numbers very well (or have a tendency to
hit the key beside the one you are after) have another method to use to
navigate through the menus of CATDISK.
Another is that once you have activated a function such as cataloging a
disk, you need only type <Return> to re-activate that function as
CATDISK will remember the last option you activated (quite handy if you
are cataloging multiple disks, as the <Return> key is larger than
most... you aren't as apt to miss it).
The menus in CATDISK currently consist of a main menu controlling the
main functions of catalog maintenance, a settings & toggles menu
containing functions that affect how CATDISK responds to certain
situations, and a reports & inquiries menu from which all reports are
accessed.
Normally, to access the options available in the Settings & Toggles
Menu, you have to go to that menu of options from the main menu in
order to change any of the settings. We have provided shortcuts to the
options in the Settings & Toggles Menus that are accessible from both
the Main Menu and from the Reports & Inquiries Menu.
To change any of the settings available in the settings and toggles
menu directly from the either the main menu or the reports & inquiries
menu, simply hold down the <Alt> key and press the number key (from the
top row only, not the numeric keypad) or function key that you would
normally hit if you were in the settings and toggles menu. CATDISK
will act on that keystroke as if you had selected that option directly
from the settings and toggles appropriate menu.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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SELECTING A VOLUME NAME FROM A LIST
Other than actually labeling a disk, there are three other locations in
CATDISK where you will be prompted for a volume label: un-cataloging a
disk; generating a report by volume id; and adding file comments by
volume. If you know what volume label is desired at the prompt, you
may enter it verbatim. Leaving it blank, however, will cause CATDISK
to come up with a point-and-shoot list of all the volume names in the
current catalog file. When this list first appears, you will notice
that the first volume is highlighted. Selecting a volume from this
list is merely a matter of moving the highlight bar to the desired
volume and pressing <Enter>.
The following options are available:
<Cursor UP> - move up one line in the list. If you are already at
the top of a column, the highlight bar will move to
the bottom of the previous column if available.
<Cursor DOWN> - move down one line in the list. If you are already
at the bottom of a column, the highlight bar will
move to the top of the next column if available.
<PgUp> - move back 96 lines in the list.
<PgDn> - move ahead 96 lines in the list.
<Home> - move to the beginning of the list.
<End> - move to the end of the list.
<Grey Plus> - move forward in the list 1/15th of the total length
of the list (see the appendix regarding the SCROLL
BAR later in this manual).
<Grey Minus> - move back in the list 1/15th of the total length of
the list (see the appendix regarding the SCROLL BAR
later in this manual).
<Enter> - Select the highlighted volume for the prompt from the
previous screen.
<Esc> - return to the menu with no further action taken.
To jump quickly to an approximate location in the list, press any
letter, number or punctuation key (except PLUS and MINUS, as they are
already being used elsewhere). You will be quickly moved to the first
item in the list that starts with that character. If nothing in the
list starts with the character that you press, a short beep will sound.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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OPTION 1 - SET DRIVE FOR CATALOGING
This function allows you to set the drive from which the files to be
cataloged will be read. Simply select letter from (A - x) to select
the drive with that DOS letter designation, where x is the last drive
that CATDISK detected in your system configuration. The change will be
noted immediately in the status area at the top of the screen.
*** NOTE: If you are running with one floppy drive only and have
turned the caching option on from the configuration utility,
do not set this option to a drive other than the one on
which the catalog files reside (probably A:). Failure to do
so could cause loss of data on your disks.
See the SAMPLE CONFIGURATIONS section covered earlier in
this section. You have been warned!
Users with a hard-disk, single floppy configuration, who are running
CATDISK from the hard disk will NOT experience this problem and may
proceed as normal. It's ONLY if the same PHYSICAL drive is being used
for the CATDISK work files AND the disk to be cataloged that the
above precautions must be taken.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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OPTION 2: SETTINGS AND TOGGLES MENU
The options available in this sub-menu will allow you to control the
behavior of some of the features of CATDISK. You can get to this menu
by selecting option #2 from the main menu.
The options available on this menu are:
Sub-option 1 - Set Current Catalog File
---------------------------------------
Although the catalog filename may be set upon starting up CATDISK, it
may also be convenient to be able to change the current file from
within a CATDISK session. Select option #3 from the main menu, and you
will be prompted for a new catalog file to use. Any valid DOS filename
will do. Be sure to specify the NAME portion only; do not include the
file extension portion. If the name you specify is valid, it will then
be used for all subsequent catalog updates and queries (This is
reflected at the top of the screen). If not, an error message will be
issued and no change will be made to the current catalog file name.
If the catalog file set that you specify does not exist, CATDISK will
automatically create a new catalog for you. Before doing so, however,
CATDISK will indicate that the summary or catalog file does not exist
and request your permission to create it before proceeding. If you
specified /NW on the command line, this warning will not appear -
CATDISK will simply proceed to create any necessary files for the
specified catalog set.
If you don't enter anything for the catalog filename, a list of all
current catalog files in the catalog directory will be displayed on the
screen. If the desired catalog is on a removable disk (i.e. floppy
disks or removable hard drives), be sure and have that disk in the
appropriate drive BEFORE you enter nothing to the prompt so the desired
files will appear in the list. This method can be handy when you are
not sure of exactly what you called a particular catalog file.
To select a file from the list, simply move the highlight bar around
the list of filenames with the cursor keys so that it rests on the
desired catalog file. At this point, hit the <Enter> key, and that
file will be selected as if you had typed it at the prompt. Hitting
<Esc> in this screen will abort the operation as if you had pressed
<Esc> at the prompt.
If you are switching to a catalog that already exists, and it will not
fit into the configuration you defined in the configuration program
(maximum disks/files per catalog), you will get an error message and
the catalog file setting will be left unchanged.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Sub-option 2 - Pauses On/Off
----------------------------
Under normal circumstances, CATDISK will pause at strategic places,
either to allow you to view what has just happened (cataloging and
un-cataloging), or to prompt you to insert a disk in drive X:
(labeling or reading directories, etc). If you turn this toggle off,
CATDISK will only prompt you for a disk when absolutely necessary. In
addition, there will be no pause at the end of a catalog update; you
will immediately be returned to the main menu, or to the comment entry
screen if you have the AUTO COMMENT feature turned on.
Sub-option 3 - Change Printer Report Type
-----------------------------------------
CATDISK currently supports three printer report styles, which are
detailed here. The particular report style that you desire may be set
with this toggle, and will be reflected in the toggles portion of the
menu screen.
STATISTICS: This is the default report style (unless overridden on the
command line), which is to show the path, filename, volume
id, archive id, as well as the size, date, time and DOS
directory attributes of each file listed. The summary
report will be printed with all information EXCEPT
comments.
This report style corresponds to the command line option
/P0, and will fit on an 80 column printer.
COMMENTS: This report style will show the filename, volume id,
archive id and full comment for each file listed. The
summary report will print with Volume ID, Disk Capacity,
Free Disk Space and Comment.
This report style corresponds to the command line option
/P1, and will fit on an 80 column printer.
SUBDIRS: This report style will show the subdirectory, filename,
volume id, archive id and a shortened comment for each
file listed. The summary report will print with Volume
ID, Disk Capacity, Free Disk Space and Comment.
This report style corresponds to the command line option
/P1, and will fit on an 80 column printer.
ALL INFO: This report style will show all of the fields from the
catalog file or the summary file (depending on your choice
of report). Please note that it assumes that you
either have a 132 column printer, or an 80 column printer
set to compressed mode. It corresponds to the command
line option /P3.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Sub-option 4 - Report Totals On/Off
-----------------------------------
When this setting is turned ON, CATDISK will display a line at the
bottom of the screen-based reports showing the totals for the given
report showing on the screen. In printed or disk-based reports, these
totals will be shown at the end of a report.
One consideration in paginated reports... if your last report page is
quite full, there is a possibility that the total line may "bleed" over
to the next page on your printer.
The presence of a "/T" beside the printer report type in the status
area of CATDISK's main screen indicates that this feature is currently
turned on.
Sub-option 5 - File Comments On The Fly
---------------------------------------
If this toggle is turned OFF, CATDISK will proceed back to the main
menu upon completion of the process of cataloging a disk. If you wish
to add comments for some/all of the files that you have just
cataloged, you may turn this toggle ON. When this is the case,
CATDISK will catalog files in the normal manner, but upon completion,
you will be taken to another screen that will allow you to scroll
through the files you just cataloged and add/update the comments for
each file shown. See Option F1 - Add/Change File Comments for details
on how this section of the program works.
Sub-option F1 - Main Archive Comment Copy
-----------------------------------------
If this feature is turned on, CATDISK will take special action when
expanding ZIP and ARJ files. If a main ZIP/ARJ file comment is found,
any file entries extracted that do not have comments will have the main
ZIP/ARJ file comment entry inserted instead. The presence of a "C"
beside the Auto Comments setting in the status information at the top
of the screen indicates that this feature is turned on.
Sub-option F2 - Extract 4DOS/NDOS Comments
------------------------------------------
This setting controls whether or not CATDISK will process directory
comments created by JP Software's 4DOS or Symantec Software's Norton
DOS (NDOS). If on, CATDISK, during a cataloging operation, will look
for a hidden file in each subdirectory called "DESCRIPT.ION", which
contains the text for these comments. Where applicable, these comments
will be included in your catalog file automatically. If off, CATDISK
will ignore these comments. The presence of a "4" beside the Auto
Comments setting in the status information at the top of the screen
indicates that this feature is turned on.
Although not tested, Norton DOS (NDOS) is largely based on JP
Software's 4DOS program, and should work in a similar manner to that
product.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 37
Sub-option 6 - Set Current Report Destination
----------------------------------------------
Selecting this option will affect the report destination and whether or
not CATDISK will ask you where the report should go. Each time you
select option 1, CATDISK will run through a sequence of five possible
locations (SCRN (Screen), LPT1, LPT2, Disk, or ASK).
Selecting one of the first four will cause CATDISK to immediately
generate a report to the selected destination IMMEDIATELY upon
selecting it. You will not be prompted any further, unless you have
selected DISK, in which case, you will be asked for a filename in which
to place the report.
If you select ASK, CATDISK will prompt you for a report location (one
of the first four in the list) each time you ask it to generate a
report.
I usually leave this setting set to SCREEN as, most of the time, I
browse through my catalog files on the screen. You, however, may find
it handy to set this to ASK, especially if you jump to report locations
frequently. If this is the case, you may, if you haven't already, add
the command line option /ASK to your current list of options. This
will override the default location of SCREEN at startup, negating the
need to set it manually each time you start CATDISK.
Sub-option 7 - Print On Both Sides of Page
------------------------------------------
Normally, CATDISK will print its hardcopy reports in a continuous
stream to the printer. By turning this feature on, CATDISK will print
your reports in a format such that the odd numbered pages will be
printed first. CATDISK will then pause and ask you to re-insert the
paper in your printer so that the even numbered pages will print on the
back side of the odd numbered pages. This will cut paper consumption
on your reports in half.
You will know when this feature is activated when you see a "/2" beside
the report location in the information at the top of the screen.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Re-inserting paper previously printed on back into
some types of laser printers can cause damage to the
internal mechanisms of those printers. Consult your
printer manual or check with the manufacturer before
using this option with your laser printer.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Sub-option 8 - ARCHIVE Extract Setting
--------------------------------------
Although this setting is permanently set from the CDISKCFG utility, it
is sometimes be convenient to be able to change it during a CATDISK
session. Selecting option 8 will run the Auto ARCHIVE Extract setting
through three possibilities, OFF, ON, or QUERY. The current setting is
shown near the top of the screen in the status area.
If this feature is turned OFF, any archive files encountered during the
cataloging process will NOT be expanded. Also, when generating
reports, CATDISK will NOT include any files from the catalog in the
report that are contained inside archive files, even though they may be
present in the catalog itself (an archive may been expanded from a
previous session where it was turned ON).
If this feature is turned ON, CATDISK will extract the archive
directory of any archive it encounters in its search. Files contained
in archives will be listed in any applicable reports.
If it is set to QUERY, CATDISK will prompt you as to whether it should
extract the archive directory of any archive that it encounters in its
search before proceeding to do so. Reports generated will act as if
the feature is turned ON.
Sub-option 9 - Comments When Archives Not Extracted
---------------------------------------------------
In the course of its normal operation, CATDISK, when not extracting the
directory information from ZIP or ARJ files, will search each one it
encounters for the comment of the ZIP/ARJ file itself. Under some
circumstances, such as those where your particular collection of
ZIP/ARJ files do not contain comments, or where the vast majority of
them contain BBS advertisements (not really what they were intended
for), this search can be both time consuming and meaningless. This
toggle will turn this feature on or off. The presence of a "C" beside
the Archive Extract setting in the status information at the top of the
screen indicates that this feature is turned on.
Although not related to ZIP/ARJ files, this feature will also control
whether or not the graphic resolution and color information will be
extracted from a GIF file to be included as the default comment for
that particular file.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 39
Sub-option 0 - Aliases On/Off
-----------------------------
Activating this option will enable you to override the name under which
a disk will be cataloged. Normally, CATDISK will catalog a disk under
the volume label. This will allow you to optionally catalog the disk
under a different name without changing the volume label on the disk
being cataloged.
Keep in mind that if you re-catalog the disk at a later time, you must
remember the new name that you gave to the disk in your catalog,
otherwise, duplication will occur in your catalog.
The presence of a "ALS" beside the "VolLab:" setting in the status area
of the screen indicates that this feature is turned on.
Sub-option F3 - Suggest Volume Label On/Off
-------------------------------------------
With this setting turned ON, CATDISK will suggest a volume label to use
when labeling a disk. You may, of course, change that label at the
prompt if you wish. Depending on what has been done in CATDISK with
regard to previous labeling operations, CATDISK will use the following
criteria:
1) If the disk already has a volume label, CATDISK will suggest that
label.
If the disk does not have a volume label:
2) If you have previously labeled a disk during the current CATDISK
session (i.e. you have not exited from the CATDISK program and have
returned to it), CATDISK will examine the last entered volume label
(entered at the prompt) to see if there is a numeric part of that
volume label. A numeric sequence is considered by CATDISK to be a
series of two or more digits in a row. That numeric part is then
incremented by one and that new label becomes the suggested label.
Examples: DISK001 would become DISK002
DISK001A would become DISK002A
If two or more separate numerical sequences are present in the
volume label, CATDISK will increment the rightmost one.
Example: A001B002 would become A001B003
If there is no numerical part in the previous volume label, the
volume label will be suggested verbatim.
3) If you have not previously labeled a disk during the current CATDISK
session, CATDISK will examine your summary file. If you have
previously cataloged disks with CATDISK, the last alphabetical entry
in the summary file will be taken and treated as the suggestion in
option 2.
4) If you have not previously labeled a disk during the current CATDISK
session and have not previously cataloged any disks with CATDISK,
nothing will be suggested.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 40
If this feature is activated, you will see an "SV" to the right of the
slash in the "VolLab:" section of the status area of the screen.
Sub-option <Esc> - Exit To Main Menu
------------------------------------
Exactly what it says.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 41
OPTION 3: LABELING A DISK
Selection of option #3 on the main menu will allow the VOLUME LABEL of
a disk to be set or changed. Upon selection, CATDISK will attempt to
read the current label of the disk. If none is present, you will be
notified of this, and will be given the opportunity to create a volume
label for that disk. See the DOS manual on volume labels for more
information. If a label already exists on the disk, its name will be
shown as a reminder, and you will be given an opportunity to change the
label name. Just enter the new label name and hit <CR>.
Note that if you have the volume label suggestion facility turned on,
CATDISK will recommend a sequential volume label for any new disks
being labeled. See the section of this manual dealing with "Suggest
Volume Label" setting in the Settings & Toggles chapter for details on
what CATDISK will recommend for a volume label under various
circumstances.
If the label name was valid, the change will be made, otherwise, an
error message indicating such will be issued and you will return to the
main menu.
If you do not wish to enter or change the disk label, simply hit <ESC>
at the volume label prompt and you will immediately return to the main
menu with no changed made to the disk label.
When the volume label has been successfully changed or created, CATDISK
will check to see if the old label, if any was present, exists in the
current catalog file. If so, you will be given an opportunity to have
CATDISK automatically change the old volume id references to the newly
entered one. If the disk that you re-labeled is one that actually is
in the catalog, answer <Y>es to the prompt. CATDISK will take care of
the rest. This feature can be a great time saver, as it eliminates the
need to uncatalog the disk under the old volume id, and re-catalog it
under the new name.
If the disk is not in the catalog, answer <N>o to the prompt. Answering
<Y>es under these circumstances will not damage the catalog file, but
will cause confusion as to what disk the altered catalog records reside
on.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 42
OPTION 4: CATALOGING/RE-CATALOGING A DISK
This selection will initiate cataloging or re-cataloging of the files
on the selected catalog disk as shown in the status area at the top of
the screen. The volume label will be read, and if it doesn't exist,
you will be given an opportunity to enter a volume label for the disk.
If you hit <ESC> at the label prompt, the operation will be aborted and
you will be returned to the main menu without cataloging your disk.
After entering the label name for that disk, you will be asked if you
wish to write that label to disk. If you answer <Y>es, the disk will
be labeled and cataloging will continue. If you answer <N>o, the label
will not be written, but the disk will be cataloged under the name that
you gave it. This will allow easy cataloging of write-protected disks.
Please note that volume labels created by Peter Norton's "Volabel"
utility may contain lower case characters. CATDISK will convert the
labels to upper case before adding them to the catalog. This will
enable you to manipulate and uncatalog any of these disks. The
physical volume label on the disk will be left unchanged.
There are volume label utilities on the market that allow the entry of
illegal characters into the volume label. CATDISK will change these
offending characters into spaces when it encounters them. This will
not affect the physical label on the disk, but rather the way CATDISK
stores them in its catalog files.
If the label on the disk to be cataloged already exists in the
catalog, you will be notified of this situation, and will be given an
opportunity to abort the operation. This feature has been added as a
safeguard against a situation where two disks of the same volume id may
be overriding each other and clobbering the catalog contents of the
other disk. If you specified the "/NW" option on at startup, this
warning will not be issued.
If you specified /ALIAS in your startup options, a screen will appear
showing you what the current volume label is on the disk you are about
to catalog. A prompt will appear below this asking you for a name
under which you would like the disk to be cataloged. The current
volume label will be displayed in this area, and you will be allowed to
change it before the cataloging process takes place. This can be very
handy in certain situations such as vendor disks that insist that the
volume label remain unchanged, as the software uses the volume label to
identify the disk. The volume label on the disk may not mean anything
to you, and using an alias may be desirable in this case.
As flexible as the ability to catalog under an alias can be, there are
a couple of drawbacks that should be considered before you decide to
make the name in the catalog different from the volume label on the
disk. Firstly, if you go to re-catalog the disk at a later time and
don't provide exactly the same alias that was used initially, you can
wind up with duplicate entries in the catalog file, as CATDISK
currently has no way of knowing that the disk has already been
cataloged. Secondly, if at a later date, you use option #3 in CATDISK
to change the volume label on a disk that has already been cataloged,
CATDISK will have no way of knowing that it should give you the
opportunity to change the entries in the catalog to reflect the new
volume label, as the entries are not cataloged under the old volume
label.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 43
The best advice would be that if you never intend to re-catalog a disk
in the future, then it would be ok to use an alias, otherwise, it's
best to stick with a meaningful volume label.
Once the name of the disk has been established for cataloging purposes,
the directory and any archive or library entries (if the ARCHIVE auto
extract feature option is turned on - it is by default) will be read
(if the ARCHIVE auto extract is set to QUERY, you will be asked for
verification before a given archive or Library will be read). This
process will be repeated for each sub-directory on the disk as well.
All existing levels of sub-directories will be searched.
If the archive comment extract feature is turned on (see sub-option #0
in the settings & toggles menu), CATDISK will extract the graphic
resolution and color information of any GIF files that it encounters
during its operation and place this information in the comment field
(if it is a new file, or an existing entry in the catalog file that is
blank) as the default comment. For example, a picture contained in a
GIF file that has a resolution of 640 by 480 pixels and contains 256
colors will appear as "640x480x256".
If CATDISK encounters a ZIP, ARJ, ZOO or DWC file, any comments that
may be stored in that file will be read and included in the catalog
file, if that archive is expanded. If the operation is a re-cataloging
operation and any extracted filenames already exist in the catalog file
with comments attached, the comment from the archive file will be
ignored.
ZIP and ARJ files, in addition to supporting comment entries for each
file contained, can also have a main comment for the ZIP/ARJ file
itself. When CATDISK reads ZIP/ARJ files and finds a main comment, it
will insert that main comment in the catalog file for any entries in
the ZIP/ARJ file that do not already have comments. This feature of
copying the main ZIP/ARJ file comment can be turned on and off via the
settings and toggles menu as desired.
If the 4DOS/NDOS comment extract feature is turned on (it is by
default), CATDISK will attempt to find a file (that may be hidden) in
each subdirectoy called "DESCRIPT.ION". This file will be present if
you have used the 4DOS/NDOS "Describe" command to add file descriptions
to your directory entries. If CATDISK is able to locate this file, it
will automatically add any matching comments to your catalog entries
where appropriate.
If you have turned on the auto disk comment feature either from the
command line or from the toggles menu, you will be prompted for a
comment for the disk that will be shown in the disk summary report. If
you are cataloging a new disk, the comment field will be blank. If you
are re-cataloging a disk, the previous comment for that disk will be
the default. To edit, just enter the new comment for the disk and hit
<Enter>. Hitting <Esc> will cause CATDISK to continue with no changes
made to the existing comment as shown.
If you do not have the auto disk comment feature turned on, you may
still add/edit comments with the summary file comment editor, which is
available from the main menu.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 44
Upon completion of this, the catalog summary file will be updated. If
you have activated the Files/Disk Only prompt in the CDISKCFG.EXE
configuration utility or specified the command line option /ALLORNONE
when you started CATDISK, you will be asked if you want to catalog the
disk only or include all files read from the disk.
If you answer <D> for "disk only", the master catalog will not be
updated unless appropriate entries need to be removed from the catalog
due to the fact that the disk had been previously cataloged.
If you answer <F> or did not activate the prompt in the first place,
the master catalog will be updated to reflect the current
directory/directories of the disk. If any files have been added, they
will be added to the catalog; if any files have been changed, they
will be updated; if any files have been deleted, they will be removed
from the catalog.
If, while reading the disk, CATDISK cannot find any files there, it
will ask you if you would like to add that disk to the catalog anyway.
Why would you want to add such a disk to the catalog? The answer to
this question can best be explained by an example.
You're maintaining a collection of disks for a computer users group.
One day, you decide to clean up your collection, eliminating any
duplicates that may have crept into the collection. While you're
eliminating the duplicates, several of the disks in the sequence become
completely empty. In this case, it is desirable to have the disk
showing in the summary file as having its capacity completely available
to accept new files. Additionally, all the files that were eliminated
from that disk will be un-cataloged by CATDISK through its normal
function. If the disk has never been cataloged before, this method
represents a way to "pre-allocate" the disks to the collection and
initialize their entries in the catalog file.
If you would like to have the blank disk included in the catalog,
answer YES to the prompt, otherwise, answer NO. If you elect not to
include the disk in the catalog file, and it has already been cataloged
before, it would be advisable to remove that volume listing from the
catalog file using option #5.
Keep in mind, that deletion of an archive file will cause any files
existing within that archive file to be uncataloged. Also, turning the
Auto Archive Extraction feature OFF, or answering <No> to a Extract
Archive prompt to a cataloged Archive will cause any files in an
Archive file on that disk to be uncataloged as well.
Should the disk become full when the cataloging process is underway,
the process will be aborted with an error message. The old catalog
file will remain intact (i.e. no changes made), but the summary file
will reflect either the presence of the new disk, or the current status
of that disk if it already existed in the catalog. This means that the
catalog file will not be accurate as to what's on the disk that you
attempted to catalog. If this error is encountered, you should either
try to free up some space on disk on which the catalog file exists, or
move the .DTA and .SUM files to another disk (see CONFIGURING CATDISK
for details on how to access catalog files on other drives and
directories) and retry the operation.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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The cataloging operation is completely automatic and does not require
any further input from the operator once started, unless, of course,
the ARCHIVE extract state is set to QUERY.
If you have turned on the auto file comment feature either from the
command line or from the toggles menu, you will be taken to a section
of the program that will allow you to add/update file comments for the
group of files that CATDISK just added to or updated in your catalog.
See the discussion on "OPTION 6 - CHANGE COMMENTS BY VOLUME ID" for a
discussion on how the comment editor works.
Please keep in mind that CATDISK has an internal limitation of being
able to read in only the first 6000 files of the disk being cataloged,
including those read from within archive files if available memory
permits. CATDISK/D can handle up to 65500 files per disk being
cataloged.
If you find that CATDISK is not able to read in all of your disk for
cataloging purposes, it could be that there is not enough free memory
to be able to store all of the information. If this is the case, try
one or both of the following suggestions:
1) Configure CATDISK's maximum disks/files per catalog setting to the
smallest number that will contain your largest catalog file. If the
setting is unnecessarily large, more memory than is really needed
will be set aside by CATDISK for internal use.
2) Remove one or more resident (TSR) programs from memory to make more
available for CATDISK to use.
3) If you system is capable of using CATDISK/D, use that version, as
its limitations are much higher.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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OPTION 5: UNCATALOGING A DISK
There may be times when you will wish to remove a disk's files from the
catalog. Select option <5> from the main menu, and you will be asked
to enter the VOLUME NAME of the disk to be uncataloged. Enter it and
hit <Enter>. If the volume label doesn't exist in the catalog, then
you will be notified and returned to the main menu.
Optionally, you can leave the volume ID blank at the prompt. CATDISK
will bring up a point-and-shoot menu from which you can select a volume
id from those in your current catalog. See the section entitled
"Selecting A Volume Name From A List" previously discussed in this user
manual.
If the volume label is found in the catalog, its entry will be deleted
along with all the file names under it.
If you do not wish to carry out this operation, hit <Esc> at the volume
label prompt and no action will be taken.
Should the disk become full during the catalog update process, the
process will be aborted with an error message, and the old catalog file
will remain intact. Typically, this error should not occur, unless you
have added more files to the disk, or another program has used up more
disk space (such as a database expanding a file). Should this error
occur, the summary file will no longer contain a reference to the
diskette that was uncataloged, but the catalog file will still contain
references to that diskette.
Should this be the case, you should either free up some space on the
disk, or copy the .SUM and .DTA files to another disk (see CONFIGURING
CATDISK for details on accessing catalog files on other drives and
directories), catalog the diskette in question, and uncatalog it again.
This will remove any references to that disk from the catalog file.
If you do not have access to that disk any more (you may have erased
it), simply take a blank diskette, add one file to it, and label it the
same as the diskette you wish to uncatalog. Carry out the above
procedure, and you will obtain the same results.
In practice, this should not happen, as you would have needed
sufficient disk space to create the catalog file in the first place.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 47
OPTION F1: ADD/EDIT SUMMARY COMMENTS
Selecting this option will activate the summary file comment editor.
This is a very simple screen to operate. Your disks currently
cataloged will be listed on screen where you can scroll through the
list and edit any comment as you deem necessary.
Here's how the comment editor works:
To change a comment, simply move the highlight to the disk entry that
you wish to comment, and start typing. When you are done, hit the
<Return> key.
Other editing keys are as follows:
<Left Arrow> - move cursor one character to the left.
<Right Arrow> - move cursor one key to the right.
<Home> - move cursor to the beginning of the line
(once you have started typing).
<End> - move cursor to the end of the line
(once you have started typing).
<Ctrl>-<End> - erase from the cursor to the end of the line.
<Del> - delete the character at the cursor and shift the
characters on the right to the left.
<Backspace> - delete the character before the cursor and shift the
characters on the right to the left.
<Ins> - toggle insert/overstrike mode
- in insert mode the cursor will be slightly fatter
than the one in overstrike mode.
<Esc> - cancel the changes and restore the line to its
original contents.
In some (and probably most) cases, the disk list will be too large to
fit on the screen. The list may be browsed through by using the keys
on the cursor keypad. Their functions:
<UP> & <DOWN> will move the highlight bar up or down one disk. If
you at a screen margin, and there are still more
disks to be browsed, the listing on the screen will
scroll in the appropriate direction. If you can't move
any more, you will hear a short beep.
<PgUp> & <PgDn> will move you 15 disks forward or backward in the list
If you can't move any more, you will hear a short beep.
<Home> & <End> will move you to the beginning or end of the list of
disks respectively.
<F9> will repeat the last entered comment. This is handy if
you want to repeat a single comment at different places
in the list where <F10> (below) won't suffice, as the
comment desired is not directly above the current
position. If no comment was previously entered, or the
last entered comment was blank, nothing will happen.
NOTE: The "last comment" for disk entries is different
from the one remembered for the file entries
(discussed later on in this document).
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 48
<F10> will "Ditto": Pressing this key will copy the comment
from the entry above. It is handy if you want to copy
a comment down a consecutive list of disks, or one that
was already previously entered at an earlier time, if
it is directly above the current position. If the
comment above is blank, or you are at the top of the
list, no action will be taken.
<Grey Plus> move down through the list 1/15th of the total length
of the list (see the appendix regarding the SCROLL BAR
later in this manual).
<Grey Minus> move up through the list 1/15th of the total length of
the list (see the appendix regarding the SCROLL BAR
later in this manual).
<Esc> Return to the main menu when you are done.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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OPTION 6: ADD/EDIT COMMENTS BY VOLUME ID
There are two basic places from where CATDISK's comment editor may be
invoked: 1) At the end of a cataloging operation when AUTOCOMMENTS is
turned on; and 2) As a result of option #6, option #7, option #8 or
option #9 from the main menu.
The actual functionality of the comment editor will be discussed later
on in this section.
If you select this option #6 from the main menu, you will be asked to
specify a disk volume. Upon entry of such, CATDISK will go through the
catalog and bring a group of files into the comment editor that
currently reside on that disk volume.
Optionally, you can leave the volume ID blank at the prompt. CATDISK
will bring up a point-and-shoot menu from which you can select a volume
id from those in your current catalog. See the section entitled
"Selecting A Volume Name From A List" previously discussed in this user
manual.
Here's how the comment editor works:
Once CATDISK has found a group of files for commenting, they will
appear on the screen in a format similar to the "COMMENT" screen output
format, the main difference being that one of the comments (or blanks)
are highlighted in an inverse field.
To change a comment, simply move the highlight to the file that you
wish to comment, and start typing. When you are done, hit the <Return>
key.
Other editing keys are as follows:
<Left Arrow> - move cursor one character to the left.
<Right Arrow> - move cursor one key to the right.
<Home> - move cursor to the beginning of the line
(once you have started typing).
<End> - move cursor to the end of the line
(once you have started typing).
<Ctrl>-<End> - erase from the cursor to the end of the line.
<Del> - delete the character at the cursor and shift the
characters on the right to the left.
<Backspace> - delete the character before the cursor and shift the
characters on the right to the left.
<Ins> - toggle insert/overstrike mode
- in insert mode the cursor will be slightly fatter
than the one in overstrike mode.
<Esc> - cancel the changes and restore the line to its
original contents.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 50
In some (and probably most) cases, the file list will be too large to
fit on the screen. The list may be browsed through by using the keys
on the cursor keypad. Their functions:
<UP> & <DOWN> will move the highlight bar up or down one file. If
you at a screen margin, and there are still more
files to be browsed, the listing on the screen will
scroll in the appropriate direction. If you can't move
any more, you will hear a short beep.
<PgUp> & <PgDn> will move you 15 files forward or backward in the list
If you can't move any more, you will hear a short beep.
<Home> & <End> will move you to the beginning or end of the group of
files respectively.
<F2> will repeat the comment on which the highlight bar
currently rests to all entries in the list of files.
If the currently highlighted comment is blank, a short
beep will sound and no further action will be taken.
This option provides a quick way to enter a single
comment for all files on an entire disk... just enter
the first one, re-highlight it and press <F5> to
duplicate it to each entry for that disk. This option
is not shown at the bottom of the screen due to lack of
room on the instruction line.
<F9> will repeat the Last Entered Comment. This is handy if
you want to repeat a single comment at different places
in the list where <F10> (see below) won't suffice, as
the comment desired is not directly above the current
position. If no comment was previously entered, or
the last entered comment was blank, no action will be
taken.
<F10> will "Ditto": Pressing this key will copy the comment
from the entry above. It is handy if you want to copy
a comment down a consecutive list of files, or one that
was already previously entered at an earlier time, if
it is directly above the current position. If the
comment above is blank, or you are at the top of the
list, no action will be taken.
<Grey Plus> move down through the list 1/15th of the total length
of the list (see the appendix regarding the SCROLL BAR
later in this manual).
<Grey Minus> move up through the list 1/15th of the total length of
the list (see the appendix regarding the SCROLL BAR
later in this manual).
<Tab> This will toggle the information shown on the left of
the comment area between three different formats, each
of which show different file information that may be
necessary to derive the desired comment. This option
is not shown at the bottom of the screen due to lack of
room on the instruction line.
<Esc> Return to the main menu when you are done.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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OPTION 7: ADD/EDIT COMMENTS BY FILESPEC
If you select option #7 from the main menu, you will be asked for a
filespec on which to base the search. This filespec can be a based on
CATDISK's enhancements to the DOS wildcard specifications (See option
#0 (Reports And Inquiries), sub-option #4 (Show Files By Filespec) for
a discussion of wildcard searching. Once the catalog records are
loaded into the comment editor according to your criteria, the same
options that apply to option #6 apply here (see it for details).
OPTION 8: ADD/EDIT COMMENTS BY COMMENT
If you select option #8 from the main menu, CATDISK will ask you for a
comment spec on which to base the search. Simply enter the sub-string
for which you wish to search. A discussion on how CATDISK matches
comments can be found in the discussion on option #0 (Reports And
Inquiries), sub-option #5 (Files by comment). Once the catalog records
are loaded into the comment editor according to your criteria, the same
options that apply to option #6 apply here (see it for details).
OPTION 9: IMPORT COMMENTS FROM A TEXT FILE
Option #9, "Import Comments From A Text File", will allow you to bring
in file comments from an external source, be it a BBS listing that
you've either downloaded or captured with your communications package,
or any file that contains plain text. This file can contain anything:
filesizes, dates, times, etc. The only limitations are that the file
contain no tabs, and that each line be no longer than 255 characters.
Many utilities such as Norton's fileinfo (FI) utility can re-direct
their output to a text file simply by appending ">TEXTFILE" (without
the quotes) to the command. Using Norton's FI utility as an example,
you could use "FI A: /C/L >TEXTFILE" to produce a file called TEXTFILE
that would contain comments for many of the files on a floppy disk.
Please refer to your Norton Utilities manual for details on how to
maintain those comments with FI.
Once you select option #9, a screen containing the controlling settings
for the expected text file will appear. These settings can be stored
in a setup file (profile) for later retrieval. To avoid disk clutter,
profiles are stored in the same directory as your catalog files. This
eliminates the need for having to remember the settings for, say, the
file dump from Norton's FI as described earlier on. You can enter the
settings once, save them to a profile and be able to recall them later
on. The first item on the screen indicates what file the current
settings came from.
The second item is the filename of the textfile from which the comments
will be read. The next 8 settings will depend on the characteristics
of the file being read. The pre-filled numbers assume that you are
reading comments from CATDISK's own report printed to disk showing both
statistics and comments.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 52
The first setting is the beginning and ending character positions of
the filename as it appears on each line. These settings are critical
for CATDISK to be able to identify where to put each comment, and must
contain a value greater than zero.
The second setting is the beginning and ending character positions of
the subdirectory, if it exists in the text file. If the text file
contains the subdirectory in which each file resides, you may include
it with these settings, or if either the file does not contain
subdirectory information, or you do not wish to use it, you may set the
beginning and ending positions to zero. CATDISK will then ignore them.
The third setting is the beginning and ending character positions of
the volume id, if it exists in the text file. If the text file
contains the volume id for the disk on which each file resides, you may
include it with these settings, or if either the file does not contain
this information, or you do not wish to use it, you may set the
beginning and ending positions to zero. CATDISK will then ignore them.
Finally, the last setting is the starting and ending character
positions of the file comment. These values must also be set to
something that is greater than zero, as CATDISK needs a comment to
insert for each file that it finds in your catalog file.
The easiest way to determine the appropriate settings for the text file
you will be importing is to first load it into your favorite text
editor. Place the cursor on the beginning and ending characters of the
various items discussed above, and note what column the editor
indicates that the current cursor position is. These will be the
values that you will fill in to the control screen.
Here are a few important notes regarding the text file. There is
really no need to edit blank lines and headings out of the file before
processing, as the chances of CATDISK matching a filename, subdirectory
and volume id found in the appropriate character positions in a heading
with a file entry in the catalog file are quite slim. It is important
that each data line (not the headings) in the file be structured the
same way (i.e. all the columns line up as in a report). If this is not
the case, chaos in the comments fields in the affected files will
result. Lastly, CATDISK has an internal limitation of being able to
read in only the first 32,767 non-blank lines in the file. The rest
will be ignored.
All this said, changing the settings is a matter of using the <Up> and
<Down> arrow keys to highlight the desired setting, typing the new
information for that setting and hitting <Enter>. Pressing <Esc> when
not editing a setting will return you to the menu with no further
action taken.
Retrieving and saving profiles is a simple matter of typing in the
desired filename on the first line of the screen. When you do so, you
will be asked if you would like to read settings in from that file, or
save the current ones to that file. If you attempt to read in a
profile that does not exist, you will be given an error message and no
settings will be changed. If, however, the file does exist and either
a disk read error occurs or it is determined that the file is not a
valid profile, the default settings (that which were supplied the first
time you used this feature) will be brought in.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 53
If you wish to save the current settings to disk, CATDISK will first
check to see if the file already exists. If so, you will be given a
warning to enable you to abandon the operation before you accidentally
over-write a valuable program or data file.
Any changes made in the settings during an import session will
automatically be saved to the current profile on exit from the settings
modification screen (via <Esc> or <F10>). Again, if the file named in
the first line exists, you will be given an overwrite warning in case
you don't actually want to overwrite the current saved settings with
the new ones (i.e. the import operation is a one-time shot in this
case).
Once you have all the desired settings ready, press <F10> to initiate
the insertion of comments in the catalog file. Here's what CATDISK
does to accomplish this. First, it will read and sort all the entries
in the text file. If CATDISK cannot find the text file, if there is an
error in reading the text file, or there is an error in sorting the
entries, the process will be aborted. If the sort is successful,
CATDISK will scan your current catalog file for matching entries from
the text file.
For each match that CATDISK finds, it will determine if the comment
field from the catalog file is blank (CATDISK will not overwrite
previously entered comments for the sake of integrity). If so, the
first 30 characters of the comment from the text file will be inserted
into the comment field for that file in the catalog file.
Once this process has completed, a list of the modified entries will be
brought into the comment editor for "massaging" if you would like to
clean up any entries. It is highly recommended that you at least go
through the list just to make sure that everything went ok. See the
discussion for option #7 - ADD/UPDATE COMMENTS BY FILESPEC for details
on how the comment editor works.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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OPTION 0: REPORTS & INQUIRIES MENU
This menu outlines the complete range of screen or printer-based
reports that CATDISK is capable of generating. Selection of an option
from this menu is by conventional means as outlined in the section
"Using The Menus" earlier on in this user manual.
Note that if you have the Report Totals setting turned on, CATDISK will
show totals for various items on screen reports, and at the end of
disk-based and printer-based reports.
Screen-based reports
--------------------
When viewing a report on your screen, there will be several options
available to you. The following are available in ALL screen based
reports:
<Cursor UP> - move up one line in the report. The screen contents
will scroll down to make room for the new line
appearing at the top.
<Cursor DOWN> - move down one line in the report. The screen
contents will scroll up to make room for the new line
appearing at the bottom.
<PgUp> - move up one page (15 lines) in the report.
<PgDn> - move down one page (15 lines) in the report.
<Home> - move to the beginning of the report.
<End> - move to the end of the report.
<Grey Plus> - move down through the report 1/15th of the total
length of the report (see the appendix regarding the
SCROLL BAR later in this manual).
<Grey Minus> - move up through the report 1/15th of the total length
of the report (see the appendix regarding the SCROLL
BAR later in this manual).
<Esc> - return to the menu.
<Tab> - switch between four different screen report formats
as follows:
1) The default format shows Filename, Volume ID,
Archive ID, Size, Date, Time and Dos File
Attributes.
2) Shows Subdirectory, Filename, Volume ID, Archive
ID, Size, Date, and Time. This corresponds to the
/L1 option when starting CATDISK.
3) Shows Filename, Volume ID, Archive ID and File
comments. This corresponds to the /L2 option.
4) Shows Subdirectory, Filename, Volume ID, Archive
ID and a slightly truncated file comment. This
corresponds to the /L3 option.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 55
To jump quickly to a section in a file-based report, you may press any
letter, number or punctuation key (except PLUS and MINUS, as they are
already used elsewhere). You will be immediately positioned in the
report at the point where the primary item on which the report is
sorted begins with that letter.
With the following exceptions, all reports are primarily sorted on
filename:
1) Sorted Full File Listings. The primary sort key will be the item
listed beside the option in the Sorted Full File Listings menu.
Reports sorted on items such as date/time, filesize or subdirectory
will not have the ability to jump quickly in this manner, although
all other options will.
2) Custom reports. The item with the lowest numbered column spec that
also has a sort key specified will be the primary sort key. Reports
sorted on items such as date/time, file size, file attribute or
subdirectory will not have the ability to jump quickly in this
manner, although all other types of reports will have this ability.
3) Disk Summary Report. When sorted on volume label, the capability
will exist. When sorted on descending free space, the capability
will not exist.
Printer-Based Reports
---------------------
If your report is going to a printer (LPT1 or LPT2), and you have
activated the two-sided report feature of CATDISK, the odd numbered
pages will be printed first, followed by a pause enabling you to reload
the paper such that the even numbered pages will print on the back side
of the odd numbered pages, followed by the even numbered pages.
As the report is printed, the filenames or disk volumes (as appropriate
to the report) will be echoed to your screen to keep you informed as to
CATDISK's progress.
While a report is being printed, you may press <Esc> to abandon the
report and return you to the previous menu.
Disk-Based Reports
------------------
Disk reports are treated the same as printer reports, with the
exception that the two-sided report feature does not apply.
A listing in the same format as the hardcopy report will be produced in
a diskette file. The default name for this file is one with the same
name as the current catalog filename with an extension of ".LST". This
may be overridden at the time that the report is generated. Hitting
<Esc> at any time during the generation of the report will abort it and
return to the previous menu.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Sub-Option #1: Disk Summary
---------------------------
Selection of sub-option #1 from the reports menu will cause CATDISK to
display an alphabetical list of VOLUME NAMES and some pertinent
statistical information for each. This option is handy if, say, you
have a bunch of utility disks and want to add a 14K utility program to
one of them. This report can be quite useful in making efficient use
of existing working diskettes.
All the statistical items shown should be self-explanatory, except one;
that is, the Slack % factor. The disks on which DOS stores it files
are divided into allocation units called clusters. The size of each
cluster varies with the type and size of disk. When DOS allocates
space on a disk for a file, it is allotted in one cluster units to the
file. Some common cluster sizes are 512 bytes on 160-180K diskettes,
and 1024 bytes on 320-360K diskettes. Some hard disks have larger
cluster sizes.
Anyway, let's say, for example, that you have a file of 256 bytes. On
a 360K diskette, DOS will allocate 1024 bytes to the file, even though
it is only 256 bytes long. This means that three-quarters of that
cluster is unused, or that you have 75% slack for that file. The
figure that you see on the summary report is the overall slack
percentage of all the files on the disk.
Depending on where you have set your output destination, the following
options are applicable:
NOTE: If you select a printer or disk-based report from CATDISK,
you will be asked if you would like the report to be sorted on
volume ID or by descending free disk space. Simply hit <V> for
the volume ID sort, or hit <F> for the descending free disk
space report. Hitting <Esc> at this prompt will cause the
report to be aborted.
NOTE: You can have the screen-based report sorted by either volume
label or by descending free disk space. You can toggle between
the two by pressing the <Space Bar>. The starting order in
which the report will appear can be controlled with the /SL
command line option at startup.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Sub-option #2: Files For A Volume
---------------------------------
Selecting sub-option #2 will cause CATDISK to display an alphabetical
list of files for a particular disk. If you have the report
destination set to "ASK", you will be asked for a report location.
After the report destination is established, you will be asked for a
volume ID. The default is "*", which will include files from all
volumes. Simply enter the desired volume specification (wildcards
permitted) and hit <Return>, or hit <Esc> to return to the menu without
producing a report.
Once the report location has been determined, CATDISK will ask you for
the volume name to match for the report. You can either enter the
exact volume name to match, or a wild-card entry to match for the
report. If you enter an exact entry, CATDISK will first find it in the
summary file. If it does not exist, you will be notified, and the
catalog scan will not even take place. If you want to obtain a report
for a group of volumes, here's how the wildcard matching works:
As CATDISK scans your catalog for matches, it does a character by
character comparison of the pattern that you specified and the volume
name for each entry in your catalog. As soon as a mismatch occurs, the
catalog entry is not included in the report. Two characters have a
special meaning in these comparisons. The question mark (?) will match
any character in the position which the question mark occupies. The
asterisk (*) will match any characters to either the end of the volume
name, or the next non-asterisk character in the pattern, if there are
any. As a result of this logic, any characters between two asterisks
that may occur in the search pattern are ignored.
One special case with the asterisk feature is when a pattern is placed
in between two asterisks. CATDISK will then match any volume that
contains the pattern anywhere in the name.
To better illustrate, here are some examples:
Pattern Volume ID Match?
----------- ----------- ------
VOLUME 1 VOLUME 1 YES
VOLUME 1 VOLUME 2 NO - not an exact match
VOL????? VOLUME 1 YES - any 8 char name beginning with "VOL"
VOL????2 VOLUME 2 YES - any 8 char name beginning with "VOL"
that ends with "2"
VOL*1 VOLUME 1 YES - any name beginning with "VOL" and
ending in "1" (any number of chars)
VOL*1 VOLUME 2 NO - doesn't end in "1"
*1 VOLUME 1 YES - any name ending in "1" (any number of
chars)
*1 VOLUME 2 NO - doesn't end in "1"
???????? VOLUME 1 YES - any 8 char volume name
????????? VOLUME 2 NO - volume ID is not 9 characters long
* ANYVOLUME YES - any volume ID, any number of chars
AB*CD*EF ABEF YES - "CD" in the middle ignored
*MISC* CATMISC1 YES - Contains "MISC" in the volume name.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Note that in the last example, the presence of a leading and trailing
asterisk will cause CATDISK to search for the characters enclosed
between them as they appear literally. Wildcard characters must not
appear between these delimiters, as they cannot exist in a valid DOS
filename (i.e. the volume id) and therefore will not be matched. For
example," *DI?K*" will cause CATDISK to search for "DI?K" in the volume
id. The question mark is not a valid character in a DOS filename,
therefore no matches will be found.
Optionally, you can leave the volume ID blank. CATDISK will bring up a
point-and-shoot menu from which you can select a volume id from those
in your current catalog. See the section entitled "Selecting A Volume
Name From A List" previously discussed in this user manual.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Sub-option #3: Files For An Archive
-----------------------------------
Selecting sub-option #3 will cause CATDISK to display an alphabetical
list of files for a particular archive. If you have the report
destination set to "ASK", you will be asked for a report location.
After the report destination is established, you will be asked for a
Archive to list. The default is "*", which will include all files
occurring in archives. Simply enter the desired archive spec
(wildcards permitted) and hit <Return>, or hit <Esc> to return to the
menu without producing a report. If you wish to obtain a report for a
group of similarly named archives, you may use wildcards in your search
spec. Here's how they work:
As CATDISK scans your catalog for matches, it does a character by
character comparison of the pattern that you specified and the volume
name for each entry in your catalog. As soon as a mismatch occurs, the
catalog entry is not included in the report. Two characters have a
special meaning in these comparisons. The question mark (?) will match
any character in the position which the question mark occupies. The
asterisk (*) will match any characters to either the end of the volume
name, or the next non-asterisk character in the pattern, if there are
any. As a result of this logic, any characters between two asterisks
that may occur in the search pattern are ignored.
One special case with the asterisk feature is when a pattern is placed
in between two asterisks. CATDISK will then match any archive that
contains the pattern anywhere in the name.
Under normal circumstances, any files that are not contained in archive
files will not appear in this report. You must specifically ask for
"........" (without the quotes) to get a listing of files that did not
come from archives (i.e. Archive ID is "........" in the listing).
To better illustrate, here are some examples:
Pattern Archive ID Match?
-------- ---------- ------
MISC1 MISC1 YES
MISC1 MISC2 NO - not an exact match
MI??? MISC1 YES - any 5 char name beginning with "MI"
MI??2 MISC2 YES - any 5 char name beginning with "MI"
that ends with "1"
MI*1 MISC1 YES - any name beginning with "MI" and ending
in "1" (any number of chars)
MI*1 MISC2 NO - doesn't end in "1"
*1 MISC1 YES - any name ending in "1" (any # of chars)
*1 MISC2 NO - doesn't end in "1"
????? MISC1 YES - any 5 char volume name
???????? MISC2 NO - archive ID is not 8 characters long
* ANYARCH YES - any archive ID, any number of chars
AB*CD*EF ABEF YES - "CD" in the middle ignored
*GAME* AGAME001 YES - Contains "GAME" in the archive name
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Note that in the last example, the presence of a leading and trailing
asterisk will cause CATDISK to search for the characters enclosed
between them as they appear literally. Wildcard characters must not
appear between these delimiters, as they cannot exist in a valid DOS
filename (i.e. the archive id) and therefore will not be matched. For
example," *DI?K*" will cause CATDISK to search for "DI?K" in the
archive id. The question mark is not a valid character in a DOS
filename, therefore no matches will be found.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Sub-option #4: Files By Filespec
--------------------------------
Selecting sub-option #4 will cause CATDISK to display an alphabetical
list of files for a DOS or a CATDISK enhanced wildcard spec. If you
have the report destination set to "ASK", you will be asked for a
report location. After the report destination is established, you will
be asked for a filespec. The default is "*.*", which will include all
files. This filespec follows the conventional DOS filespec search
conventions including wildcard searches. Hit <Esc> to return to the
menus without generating a report.
Examples:
*.* - search for everything
* - same as *.*
*. - search for files with no extension
CATDISK*.* - search for files starting with CATDISK and having
any file extension
CATDISK* - same as CATDISK*.*
CATDISK*. - search for files starting with CATDISK and having
no file extension
*.COM - search for files ending in .COM
A*.EXE - search for files starting with A and ending in .EXE
CATDISK.EXE - search specifically for CATDISK.EXE
*.?Q? - search for files with an extension containing Q as
its second character
??.DOC - search for files with two letters as it filename
and .DOC as its extension
Please refer to the DOS manual for further information on file
searching patterns.
In addition to the standard DOS wildcard matching specifications,
CATDISK adds capabilities similar to the pattern matching discussed
earlier in the manual under volume name matching and archive id
matching. To apply it to a filename, simply split the filename into
its two sections (the part before the period is referred to as the
name, and the part after the period is the extension), and apply the
principals to each part. A couple of examples would be:
*D.* - match any filename whose name ends in "D" and has any
extension.
C?T*.EXE - match any filename whose name has a "C" in the first
position, any character in the second position, a "T" in
the third position, and has an extension of ".EXE".
*.*M - match any file with any extension that ends in "M".
C*K.* - match any file with any extension whose name starts with
"C" and ends with "K".
*DISK*.* - match any file whose name contains the characters "DISK".
Note that in the last example, the presence of a leading and trailing
asterisk will cause CATDISK to search for the characters enclosed
between them as they appear literally. Wildcard characters must not
appear between these delimiters, as they cannot exist in a valid DOS
filename and therefore will not be matched. For example," *DI?K*.*"
will cause CATDISK to search for "DI?K" in the files name. The
question mark is not a valid character in a DOS filename, therefore no
matches will be found.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Although this is a slight departure from the DOS standard for file
pattern matching, I'm sure that you will find that these extensions add
a little more flexibility and power to CATDISK's reporting
capabilities.
Sub-option #5: Files By Subdirectory
------------------------------------
Selecting sub-option #5 will bring up an alphabetical list of files for
a DOS or a CATDISK enhanced wildcard subdirectory specification. When
specifying the desired directory to list, NO NOT INCLUDE THE "\" or "~"
in the name - CATDISK only processes the name portion of the
subdirectory entry in the catalog.
If you have the report destination set to "ASK", you will be asked for
a report location. After the report destination is established, you
will be asked for the desired subdirectory. This specification follows
the conventional DOS filespec search conventions including wildcard
searches as well as the enhanced features that CATDISK offers. Details
on wildcard searches may be found in the section of this manual dealing
with the "Files by Filespec" report.
Hit <Esc> to return to the menus without generating a report.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Sub-option F1: Files By Comment Text
------------------------------------
Selecting sub-option #5 will cause CATDISK to display a list of files
in accordance with a comment search spec that you supply. Although
CATDISK supports comments of 43 characters in length, the search spec
is currently limited to 35 characters, which should suffice for all
options. After selecting a report destination, you will be asked for a
comment search spec that you wish the report to be based on.
Just enter the string that you want to search for in the catalog's
comments section and hit <Enter>, or hit <Esc> to abort the process
without generating a report.
Here's how the comments are sourced for your search spec. You enter a
"phrase" or "substring" that you want to search for in the file
comments.
The "phrase" may be an entire comment that you want, it can be just one
word, or even just one letter. When CATDISK compares your "phrase" to
a comment, it checks to see if that "phrase" is contained anywhere in
that comment. If it does, that file will appear in your report.
Example: "SOURCE" would match: CATDISK V4.13 source code
CATDISK V4.13 Source code
CATDISK V4.13 SOURCE CODE
Source
... etc ...
Leaving the comment entry blank will produce a report containing only
the catalog entries that have no comment.
Please note: Several users have asked for wild cards in the comment
search (eg. they might not know whether they had "Word Processor" or
"Word Proc" for a comment). This is not really necessary in this case,
as, in the above case, entering "PROC" would match both comments.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Sub-option F3: Files By Comment Keywords
-----------------------------------------
Upon selecting <F1> from the reports menu, CATDISK will ask you for one
or more keywords to match when generating the report. All keywords are
entered on one line, each separated by a space. The maximum length of
this line is 35 characters.
Unlike the "Files By Comment Text" report mentioned earlier in this
manual, the keyword report will scan through your file comments and
look for whole words instead of looking for the text anywhere in the
comment.
For example, entering "PROCESS" for a keyword would cause a match in
the comment "PROCESS CONTROL", but would not cause a match in the
comment "WORD PROCESSOR" due to the fact that the "PROCESS" in
"PROCESSOR" is not a stand alone word.
You can have CATDISK perform the matching operations on multiple
keywords by entering them all on the specification line, each separated
by a space. If CATDISK detects that you are looking for more than one
keyword, you have two choices on how those keywords will be processed
when evaluating a match with a file comment.
You will see the prompt:
Match Just <O>ne of These Keywords or <A>ll of Them? <O/A>
By answering:
O) You can have CATDISK assume a match if any one of the keywords are
found in the comment. You may also press the <1> key (instead of
the first letter of the word ONE).
eg. Keywords: CATDISK SUMMARY
Comment : CATDISK Summary File For Games - Match!
Comment : Summary of Monthly Sales - Match!
Comment : 3.. 2.. 1.. Blastoff! - No Match
A) You can tell CATDISK to include a file in the report only if ALL
keywords are found in the comment. If one or more keywords are not
present in the comment, the file will not appear in the report.
Using the examples from the previous choice will show the
difference in how the comments are evaluated.
eg. Keywords: CATDISK SUMMARY
Comment : CATDISK Summary File For Games - Match!
Comment : Summary of Monthly Sales - No Match
Comment : 3.. 2.. 1.. Blastoff! - No Match
The second comment does not match under the second criteria due to
the fact that the word Summary is present, but the word CATDISK is
not.
Having both a comment text report and a separate keyword-based report
gives you full flexibility in searching for files by comment.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Sub-option #6: Files By Comment/Filename Text
----------------------------------------------
This report is very similar to the Files By Comment Text report except
that the filename is also searched for any occurrences of the search
spec. See details on the "Files By Comment Text" report in this user
manual for details on how text is compared to determine whether or not
a given file should appear in the report.
Sub-option #7: Unique Files Only & Sub-option #8: Duplicate Files Only
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Selecting sub-option #8 will cause CATDISK to display a listing of
files in your catalog that exist only once. Selecting sub-option #9
will cause CATDISK to display a listing of files that occur more than
once in your catalog.
The criteria for these two reports is based solely on the filename, and
optionally, on the file size (you will be asked whether or not you want
it to be included before the catalog scan takes place), and not other
items such as subdirectory, file date or file size. you will be given
the option to include or not to include the file size as a criteria in
determining a file's uniqueness when you initiate one of these two
sub-options.
When either of these reports is generated, a full scan will be made
through the catalog file to determine which files should be included in
the report. The reason for this is due to the method that CATDISK uses
in comparing filenames to determine whether they are duplicate or
unique.
If, during the scanning process, CATDISK runs into a disk problem, the
report will be aborted.
Due to the method by which CATDISK scans the catalog, there is a
possibility that duplicate files may appear in the unique file reports
and vice versa when file size is used as a criteria if the given
entries being compared are not right together in the catalog file. An
example may make this clearer:
Filename.Ext Volume ID File Size
TEST .GIF GIF0001 123,456
TEST .GIF GIF0002 123,789
TEST .GIF GIF0003 123,456
In the unique file report, for example, if the file size is omitted
from the search criteria, the report will show none of the above three
files, which would be correct.
If, however, the file size is included, all three of the files will
show up due to the fact that the second entry in the file list has a
different file size. The first file is compared to the second one, and
the second one is compared to the third during the sequential search of
the catalog. Due to the possibility that there can be many files of
the same name occurring in the catalog file, this cannot be currently
circumvented.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 66
A similar situation can happen in the duplicate files report. Leaving
the file size out of the criteria will yield the correct results.
Including it may cause all three files to be left out of the report for
the same reasons as in the unique file report.
Sub-option #9: Volume Summary/Contents
--------------------------------------
This report is like combining the summary report with a full file
listing. CATDISK will print each line from your summary report,
followed by a complete listing of files contained on that disk.
Due to the nature of this report and the methodology that CATDISK uses
to generate it, it is not possible to view this report on your screen.
A printer location or a disk file must be selected in order to produce
this report.
If you instruct CATDISK to send this report to the screen, you will get
an error message informing you of the above requirements.
Sub-option #0: Sorted Full File Listings
-----------------------------------------
This option, if viewed on the screen will product a report in the same
manner as sub-option #4, except that ALL files in the catalog will be
included in the list. It is similar to choosing sub-option #4 and
searching for "*.*".
If you have the report destination set to "ASK", you will be asked for
a report location before any further action takes place.
You may sort the full list on various criteria. Currently, you can
sort by filename, file extension, subdirectory, volume id, archive id,
comment, file date/time (descending order), or file size (descending or
ascending order).
To select a criteria, simply hit the number beside it, or select it
from the menu using CATDISK's menu selection methods. The rest is
automatic.
If, during the sorting phase, which occurs for each option, with the
exception of option #1, an error occurs, the process will be aborted
and no report will be generated.
Sub-option <Esc>: Return To Main Menu
-------------------------------------
Hitting <Esc> will return you to CATDISK's main menu.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Sub-option F2: Custom Reports
-----------------------------
The Report Selection Screen
---------------------------
The first screen that you will see upon selecting this option (after
selecting a report location) is the list of available reports with the
first line being an option to define a new report. It is from this
screen that you may create new reports, re-define any existing ones,
delete reports from the list or select a report to create.
You may define any number of reports, the only limitation being
available disk space. They will be kept in a file called
"CATDISK.RPT", which is stored in the catalog file directory (the same
directory in which your catalog files are stored).
You can move through the list by using the cursor keypad as follows:
<Up Arrow> - Move up 1 line in the list if possible.
<Down Arrow> - Move down 1 line in the list if possible.
<PgUp> - Move up 1 screenful in the list if possible.
<PgDn> - Move down 1 screenful in the list if possible.
<Home> - Move to the top of the list.
<End> - Move to the end of the list.
To define a new report, move the highlight bar up to the top of the
list so that the entry <Create New Report> is highlighted. Now, hit
either <F2> or the <Enter> key. You will be brought into the report
criteria editor, which will be discussed a bit later.
To modify an existing report, highlight that report and hit the <F2>
key. The report specification will be brought into the report criteria
editor, which is discussed a bit later.
To delete a report, highlight that report and hit <Alt>-<D>. The
report will be immediately deleted, so use this option with caution.
To generate a previously defined report, highlight that report and
press the <Enter> key. You will be asked if you wish to make any
temporary changes to the report. If you wish to produce the report as
defined, answer "NO" to the question. If you answer YES, the report
definition screen will appear from which you may make any one-time
changes for the current run of the report. These changes will not be
permanently saved.
To return to the reports menu, hit the <Esc> key.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Defining A Report
-----------------
The report definition screen is divided into five areas:
1) The report title.
2) The selection specifications.
3) The selection criteria.
4) The column specifications.
5) The sort specifications.
Items 2 and 3 work together in tandem, as do items 4 and 5. Note that
selection criteria for the file time and attribute are not available,
nor is a criteria for the comment (as denoted by the fine periods
filling the item. The former two are present to accommodate inclusion
in the report columns.
To change an entry, use the cursor keypad to move the highlight around
the screen. Detailed editing instructions for each field will appear
in the instruction area at the bottom of the screen.
We will now discuss the five areas of this screen and how they affect
the output and appearance of the report.
1) Title
The entered title will appear at the top of each page of the
generated report when sent to disk or printer.
2) Selection Specifications
By default, all specifications are blank. As such, CATDISK will not
check to see if a catalog entry "fits" that description. The entry
will automatically "pass" that check. If, however, you fill in a
spec for a particular item, it will be checked in accordance with
its corresponding selection criteria, which will appear immediately
beside it. If the catalog entry "passes" all tests which have
criteria filled in it will be included in the report.
When filling out filespecs, subdirectories, volume labels and
archive specs, you may use CATDISK's wildcard matching conventions.
Other specifications are entered verbatim. When entering a comment
specification, you should be aware that comments are evaluated in
the same manner as that of the "Files By Comment" report.
To clear out a specification, just fill it with spaces.
3) Selection Criteria
For each non-blank selection specification entered, a selection
criteria will appear beside it. Possible "values" for the selection
criteria (which are self-explanatory) may be as follows:
Equal To
Not Equal To
Less Than
Less Than or Equal To
Greater Than
Greater Than or Equal To
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 69
If a selection specification contains wildcard specifications (i.e.
contains the characters "?" or "*"), only the first two "values"
will be applicable. If the selection specification is exact, all 6
may be possible.
To change the selection criteria, hit the <Space Bar> when it is
highlighted. CATDISK will cycle through the possible choices, based
on the above discussion.
4) Column Specifications
The column specifications will allow you to control which items from
each catalog entry will appear in your report, and in which order.
Fill in a number from 1 to 9 for each item that you wish to appear
in the report. The lowest numbered item will comprise the leftmost
column, the second lowest numbered item will be next, and so on to
the highest numbered item, which will be the rightmost item.
Any item that is blank will be omitted from the report.
To change the column spec, just hit the key of the number which you
wish to assign to the spec. If you try to duplicate a number that
has already been assigned, the duplicate will be rejected with a
beep. To clear out a spec, enter <0> for it or hit the <Space Bar>.
Note that it is possible to define a report that will be wider than
the screen's width. A screen-based report may be up to 78
characters wide. Any excess characters will be trimmed.
When sending a report to your printer, CATDISK will assume that you
have your printer appropriately set up (either via the printer setup
codes) or via the control panel on the printer itself.
5) Sort Specifications
These settings determine the order in which the catalog entries will
appear in your report. Possible settings for the sort specs are:
Blank - don't bother sorting on this item
Ascending Order - sort this item in order from lowest to highest.
Descending Order - sort this item in order from highest to lowest.
You may specify more than one item as a sort spec, as long as it has
a column spec assigned to it. The lowest numbered sort
specification will be the primary key, the next lowest specification
will be the next key, and so on. The second key will only be used
if the first item of catalog items being compared are the same. A
third key would be used (if specified) only if the first two items
are the same.
Note that there is no sort criteria for file attribute or file time.
In the case of file time, a sort criteria set on the file date will
also result in all files from that date also being sorted in the
appropriate order by file time.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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To illustrate an example, suppose you have the setup:
Item Col Sort Spec
Filename: 2 Decending Sort
Volume ID: 1 Ascending Sort
A snippet of a report might show up as:
Volume ID Filename.ext
DISK00001 BBBBB .ZIP
DISK00002 DDDDD .ZIP
DISK00003 CCCCC .ZIP
DISK00003 AAAAB .ZIP
DISK00003 AAAAA .ZIP
DISK00004 HHHHH .ZIP
DISK00004 GGGGG .ZIP
Note that where the volume id is the same in DISK00003 and
DISK00004, the filenames within that item are then sorted in
decending order as per the column sort specs.
The best way to familiarize yourself with CATDISK's custom reporting
facility is to experiment with it. You will do no harm to your data
files, and you can always delete any erroneous reports from the list or
correct them at a later time. The flexibility of this custom reporting
facility is almost unlimited in its capability. About the only thing
that cannot be evaluated here is whether or not a file is a duplicate.
We provide the "canned" reports to handle thisspecial case.
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OPTION <F4> - TEMPORARILY EXIT TO DOS
-------------------------------------
This option, although not really necessary, has been added in response
to the numerous requests that I have had for this feature (shows that I
am really paying attention to those suggestions, eh?). By selecting
this option, CATDISK will be temporarily suspended and you will be
returned to the DOS prompt. You may carry out any normal function that
you would ordinarily be able to carry out from DOS, provided that there
is enough memory remaining in which to run your desired program.
Please note that if you have the disk cache active at the time you use
this function, the contents of the cache will be flushed and cleared
before calling DOS. This will not affect any data already on disk.
When you are finished with DOS, and wish to return to CATDISK, simply
type "EXIT" and hit <Return> to return to CATDISK. Please be sure and
replace any disks that you had in your drives before returning to
CATDISK.
Note that although the <F4> option does not appear on any of CATDISK's
other menus (settings & toggles, reports & inquiries, or the report
destination selection menu), you may press <F4> from any of these menus
to temporarily exit to DOS. When you return from DOS, you will be
returned to the particular menu from which you shelled out to DOS.
Possible errors that you may encounter when you use can vary greatly.
Possibilities are: 1) There is not enough memory to load a second copy
of the command interpreter (usually
COMMAND.COM), or that memory has been corrupted
by a resident program.
2) If you get an error after returning from DOS, it
usually means that you've loaded a resident
program while out in DOS. You should refrain
from doing so.
3) Another possibility is that CATDISK was unable
to find the command interpreter (usually
COMMAND.COM) on the drive and directory defined
by the COMSPEC environment string (see the DOS
manual for details on the SET command). This is
usually set to the location from which
COMMAND.COM was loaded when the system was
booted. If COMMAND.COM was not found at the boot
location, the root directory of the current
drive is attempted.
For the technically minded, here are the error codes that may be
returned.
1 - Insufficient memory to store CATDISK's free list (internal).
2 - DOS setblock error before shell to DOS was attempted.
3 - DOS setblock error after the shell to DOS was executed (critical
error).
4 - Insufficient memory available to run the DOS command.
else a DOS error code.
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OPTION <drive_letter>: SHOW DISK DIRECTORY
To activate this feature, simply type the drive letter of the disk
whose directory you wish to view. If you haven't included the /NW
option in your command line when you started CATDISK, you will be
prompted to insert a disk for drive D where D is the drive letter that
you typed.
You will then be asked for a filespec to match. This is the same as
the filespec prompt in OPTION #0, Sub-option #4 - SHOW SELECTED FILES.
Upon doing this, the label and directory contents will be read just
like they would if they were about to be cataloged, but instead of
adding them to your catalog, they will be shown directly on the screen
in the same format as option #0, Sub-option #2 - Show Files For A
Volume. The archive scanning feature functions as normal throughout
the program.
Upon entering the search spec, scanning of the catalog will
commence. If you have status indicators turned on, a counter will
increment each time a matching file is found. If at the and of the
search, no files were found, an error message will be issued and you
will be returned to the main menu.
When the search has completed successfully, the file names will be
shown alphabetically, along with the volume name, archive name, and
other directory information for that file.
For a list of options available, please see the section entitled
"SCREEN REPORT OPTIONS AVAILABLE" in this manual.
OPTION ESC: EXIT TO DOS
Select this option when you are finished with CATDISK to terminate its
operation. Upon exit, you will be returned to the DOS prompt.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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APPENDIX A - THE SCROLL BAR
When bringing up a screen report, you may have noticed a hatched bar on
the right border of the screen with an inverse 'T' at the top of it and
an inverse 'B' at the bottom. This is a scroll bar, which indicates
roughly where you are located along the full length of the current
report. Additionally, this feature will allow you to roughly position
yourself in the report by hitting the <Grey Plus> and <Grey Minus>
keys. These keys will move you forward and backward respectively along
this scroll bar. These moves correspond to a move of one fifteenth of
the total length of the report in the selected direction, as will be
reflected in the page number which will be automatically set.
The scroll bar position will also wrap from the top to the bottom if
you are at the top and hit the <Grey Minus> key. The reverse is also
true for the <Grey Plus> key.
In a long report, this represents a much nicer way of getting to, say,
the files beginning with "R" without having to hit the <PgDn> key a
hundred times. Remember... the scroll bar is used to ROUGHLY position
yourself among a group of files in a screen report.
This scroll bar will appear in the point-and-shoot volume id selection
screen as well. Its functionality is much the same as that discussed
above for reports.
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APPENDIX B - ARCHIVE SUPPORT
Version File Catalog
Archiver Tested Ext. Attrib. Comments
-------- ------- ---- ------- -------------------------------------
PKZIP 2.04g .ZIP *ZIP PKWare's current archiver that
replaced PKARC and PKPAK. CATDISK
can read the file and main ZIP file
comments and include them in your
catalog. Single disk ZIP files are
supported, but the new disk-spanning
ZIP files are not supported as yet.
Maybe in a future release.
ARJ 2.30 .ARJ *ARJ By Robert K. Jung. Supported in the
same manner as ZIP files. We have
verified that this release will also
read files created by ARJ v2.39f BETA.
LHA 2.13 .LZH *LZH By Haruyasu Yoshizaki.
LARC 3.33 .LZS *LZS By K. Miki. Same support as for LHA.
LU 5th rev .LBR *LBR Any version of the library utility
supporting the 5th revision of the
formal definition of this file format.
ARC 5.30 .ARC *ARC Developed by System Enhancement
Associates. The idea was the
predecessor of the archiving
utilities that we know today.
PKARC 3.50 .ARC *ARC PKWare's ARC-compatible archiver with
several enhancements, including
comments within the archive. Because
this is a non-standard extension of
ARC's features, CATDISK does not
support this feature.
PKPAK 3.61 .ARC *ARC PKWare's PKARC renamed (for legal
reasons).
PAK 2.50 .PAK *PAK NoGate Consulting's archive utility
- file format is compatible with ARC.
ZOO 2.01 .ZOO *ZOO Comments contained in ZOO files may
be read and included in your catalog.
DWC A5.01 .DWC *DWC By Dean W. Cooper. Comments
contained in DWC files may be read
and included in your catalog.
HYPER 2.50 .HYP *HYP By P. Sawatzki and K.P. Nischke
Although not an archive file in the formal sense of the word, a GIF
file (stands for Graphics Interchange Format) is a special file format
that was developed by CompuServe in order to allow many different types
of computers to be able to view a graphics image without having to
modify the file itself. GIF viewers are available on a wide variety of
hardware platforms to allow you to look at the images contained within
a GIF file. These files can come in a very wide variety of resolutions
and color combinations. CATDISK can look into a GIF file and extract
this resolution and color information and include it as a default
comment for that GIF file. For example, a picture that may be 640 by
480 pixels with 256 colors would have a comment entry of
"1024x768x256".
Currently, the GIF87a and GIF89a are supported.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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APPENDIX C - CATLOOK - COMMAND LINE LOOKUP UTILITY
CATLOOK is a stand alone reporting utility provided with CATDISK. It
can come in handy on occasions when you either need to generate a quick
and dirty report without having to run CATDISK itself, or when you need
to generate a report after shelling out to DOS from within an
application and there is not enough free memory left over to run
CATDISK itself. CATLOOK will run in 64K of free memory.
A summary of the usage of CATLOOK follows:
CATLOOK parameters (each must be separated by a slash or a space)
/Ffilename - Use this file for the catalog (Default is CATDISK).
No space is allowed between the filename and the /F.
/Rx - Use report format x, where x is:
0 - Filenames+Statistics 1 - Filenames+Comments
2 - Subdirs+Filenames+Comments 3 - All Catalog Info.
/S - Show a summary report.
/Vvolume - Show files for a volume report for the volume label
specified.
/Aarchive - Show files for an archive report for the archive
specified.
/Wpattern - Show files for a DOS wildcard spec based on the pattern
given.
/Ccomment - Show files containing the comment substring specified.
/Psdirpath - Show files residing in the specified subdirectory. Do
not add the "\" or the "~" in the sdirpath.
/U - Show all files that are unique in the catalog file.
/D - Show all files that have duplicates in the catalog
file.
/SIZE - Use file size as an additional criteria in generating
the unique/duplicate file reports.
/NT - suppress the totals that are normally printed at the
end of CATLOOK's reports.
/Ex - Show everything sorted by x, where x is:
0 - File Name 1 - File Extension 2 - Subdirectory
3 - Volume Name 4 - Archive ID 5 - Comment
6 - Date/Time
Due to the simplicity of this utility, the reports generated by CATLOOK
are not paginated, but rather produced with one heading at the top of
the report followed by the appropriate listings (equivalent to setting
the number of lines per page equal to 0 in the configuration utility).
If you are using report format 3 and are directing output to the
printer, you must first have your printer set to compressed mode and
that this mode must support at least 132 columns of output.
The output from CATLOOK can be redirected to a printer or disk file by
using the standard DOS method if I/O redirection. For example:
"CATLOOK /S >PRN" (without the quotes) - this will send a summary
report to your printer.
"CATLOOK /S >LISTING.TXT" - this will send the summary report to a
disk file called "LISTING.TXT".
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APPENDIX D - CATMGR: CATDISK'S CATALOG MANAGER
Before we even get into discussing this utility, we would like to
stress that there is a possibility that a catalog file could get out of
synch with the summary file under certain circumstances, particularly
if a disk error or a disk-full condition occurs during certain
operations.
IF YOU USE THIS UTILITY, IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO MAKE A COPY OF YOUR DATA
FILES BEFORE PROCEEDING.
Also important to note is that ALL files being manipulated with this
utility be kept in the SAME directory (if you specified a catalog file
directory in the CDISKCFG utility, this is the one that should be used
as CATMGR will refer tot his directory). Do not have catalog set A on
one disk or directory and catalog set B on a different disk or
directory.
In response to requests from the many users of CATDISK, we have
developed a simple utility that will allow you to manipulate catalog
entries among your various catalog files without having to uncatalog
disks from one catalog and re-catalog them in another. With CATMGR,
you can copy records from one catalog to another (including a brand new
catalog), move records from one catalog to another, delete multiple
disks from a catalog in one pass and to change a disks volume id in the
catalog file without affecting the volume label on the disk.
CATMGR can have two catalog files loaded at one time. The startup
command for CATMGR is as follows:
CATMGR CatalogFile1 CatalogFile2
- where CatalogFile1 is the catalog file that you wish to be loaded on
the left side of the screen and CatalogFile2 is the catalog file
that you wish to be loaded on the right side of the screen. Both of
these parameters are optional and you can specify one, both or none
of them on the command line.
The CATMGR screen is divided into three regions. The upper left and
right portions show information from the summary files from the two
active catalog files, and the lower area makes up the instruction and
message area.
The general strategy with this utility is to tag the entries that you
wish to copy, move or delete and then select the appropriate operation
to perform. For copying or moving catalog entries, the side of the
screen on which the highlight bar resides is considered the source
side, while the other side is considered the destination side.
You can tag entries in one of two ways. The first way is to highlight
the desired entries by using the cursor keys and by pressing the
<Space Bar>. CATMGR will indicate that an entry is tagged when there
is an arrow to the left of its volume name on the screen.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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You can move the highlight bar around the screen by using the following
keys:
<Up Arrow> - Moves the highlight bar up one line if possible.
<Down Arrow> - Moves the highlight bar down one line if possible.
<Left Arrow> - Moves the highlight bar over to the last position on
the left side of the screen.
<Right Arrow> - Moves the highlight bar over to the last position on
the right side of the screen.
<PgUp> - Moves the highlight bar up one screenful (16 lines) if
possible.
<PgDn> - Moves the highlight bar down one screenful (16 lines)
if possible.
<Home> - Moves the highlight bar to the top of the list.
<End> - Moves the highlight bar to the end of the list.
The other way to tag entries is to do so in groups. To bring up a list
of tagging functions available, hit the <T> key at the main menu.
CATMGR will bring up a list with the following functions that will
operate on the side of the screen where the highlight bar currently
resides:
<A> - This will tag ALL of the entries.
<C> - This will clear the tags of ALL of the entries.
<S> - You will be prompted for a wildcard specification for all of
the entries that you would like to be tagged.
<U> - You will be prompted for a wildcard specification for all of
the entries that you would like tags cleared.
<I> - This will "flip" the tagged status of all entries. This is
useful if, for example, you wish to copy all but five of the
entries of a large catalog file to be copied to a new one.
Simply tag the five that you do not wish to copy and then
select this option to quickly tag the entries that you do wish
to copy.
<Esc> - Will return you to the main menu with no further action taken.
Please note that for any of the tagging operations in any method, you
cannot tag a volume name that exists on the other side of the screen
because a copy or move operation will result in a duplicate volume
showing in the target catalog. When tagging an individual entry with
the <Space Bar>, CATMGR will warn you of this. When performing a group
tagging function with the <T> options, all appropriate entries will be
tagged with duplicates ignored. There is no warning issued in this
case. Given this, it is advisable to load only one catalog file into
memory if the only operations to be performed are deletions.
To load a different or new catalog file into either half of the screen,
just move the highlight bar to the desired side and press the <L> (Load
New File) key. CATMGR will ask you for the catalog file to be loaded,
at which point you may enter the name portion of the catalog file only.
Do not specify a file extension in this name; CATMGR will supply the
necessary information at the appropriate time. By hitting the <Esc>
key, CATMGR will return you to the main menu with no further action
taken.
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Upon successful entry of a catalog name, CATMGR will attempt to load
the summary file for that catalog into memory. If successful, those
entries will immediately be displayed on your screen, and the catalog
name will appear in the title area on its particular side of the
screen. Any previous tags that may have been set on that side of the
screen will be cleared.
If CATMGR is unable to find the catalog file, that side of the screen
will be cleared, and it will be indicated that a new catalog file will
be created in the event of a copy or move operation with that side as
the destination side. If you do not perform a copy or move operation
into that catalog file, no catalog will be created for that name.
Once you have a grouping of catalog entries tagged for an operation,
here are the three that you can perform:
<C>opy - hit the <C> key to activate this function. All tagged
catalog entries will be copied from the source catalog to
the destination catalog. If an error occurs during this
phase, you will get an error message and the operation will
be aborted.
By far, the most common error will occur when your disk
becomes full. During the copy process, CATMGR will read
information from both catalog files and merge them together
in a temporary new file. At the end of the process, all
three files will exist at the same time, after which the old
file is deleted and the new one renamed. The net result of
this is that you need free disk space equal to the size of
the target catalog file plus the cumulative size of the
number of records that will be copied from the source
catalog.
Once this operation is successful, the summary entries from
the source catalog will be copied into the destination
summary file. This operation is done in memory, after which
the new summary file is written to disk. As a general rule,
if there was enough room to update the catalog file, there
will certainly be enough room to create a new summary file.
If an error does occur, it was probably due to a physical
disk error. If this does happen, your summary file will be
out of synch with its catalog file, and it is probably best
that you exit from CATMGR and restore a backup copy of the
target catalog set.
<D>elete - This operation will delete tagged entries from the source
catalog file in a bulk operation, enabling you to perform an
efficient cleanup operation on your catalog file in one
pass, rather than the un-cataloging the entries one at a
time in the CATDISK program itself.
To perform the deletion(s), CATMGR will read through the
source file and build a new catalog file, minus the tagged
entries, of course. If an error occurs while the new
catalog file is being built, CATMGR will abandon the
deletion operation and leave the original catalog file
intact.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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As in the copy operation, the most common error will be a
disk full error for the similar reasons as the copy
operation.
Once the deletion operation on the catalog file is complete,
the summary file will be updated to reflect the deletions.
Again, the same considerations to a summary file update
apply to the summary update operation for deletions.
If you get an error while the summary file is being updated,
it is advisable that you restore a backup copy of that
catalog file.
<M>ove - this operation will move the entries from the source catalog
to the destination catalog. It basically combines a copy
operation from source to destination, followed by a deletion
of the entries from the source. The move operation is the
most convenient way to "split" a large catalog file into two
smaller ones, or to "merge" two smaller catalogs into one
large one.
The last two options available are:
<V> - The <V> option on the main screen will allow you to change the
volume id of the highlighted entry to one that you specify
without having to insert that disk in a drive and re-catalog it
under a different name.
Due to the way that the disk list is maintained in CATMGR, you
may only perform this operation if none of the files on the
current side of the screen have been tagged. If you have any
entries tagged, you will get an error message.
Once you have activated this operation, you will be prompted for
a new volume id for the current entry. If you enter a name that
already exists in the current catalog file, you will get an
error message. If you enter the same name for the volume id as
it had before, no action will take place.
Once a valid volume id has been entered, the rest is automatic.
If you inadvertently activated this option and do not wish to
carry out any operation, hit <Esc> at the prompt and you will be
returned to the main menu with no action taken.
<Esc> - Finally, the last option available to you from the main menu is
to exit from CATMGR to DOS. This is done by pressing the <Esc>
key.
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APPENDIX E - DISKFILL: CATDISK'S OPTIMAL DISK FILL UTILITY
While CATDISK provides a way to manage the information that you have
stored in a disk library, that still doesn't give us the excuse to
waste disk space. Unfortunately, copying files one at a time to a
floppy and using our eyes to read the amount of free space left on the
target disk and using our minds to scan the list of files to be
offloaded and find the best file to fit that "hole" is tedious at best,
especially if the list of files to be offloaded is large.
We have developed a companion program to CATDISK called DISKFILL, which
is included with CATDISK that addresses this problem.
In a nutshell, DISKFILL has the ability to offload selected files from
a single subdirectory at a time to a collection of disks (DISKFILL is
primarily meant for use with floppies), and copying the files to them
in such an order that the least amount of target disk space is wasted.
DISKFILL also has the ability to move files (as opposed to copy files),
and to delete groups of files as well. Details on all three operations
are discussed in their own sections in this appendix.
As each disk is filled with files, DISKFILL can optionally call upon
the CATDISK program to automatically catalog your disks as you go.
DISKFILL can compare the files in your directory to those in an
existing catalog to facilitate weeding out duplicate files BEFORE they
get copied into your collection of files.
4DOS/NDOS file descriptions are copied to the target disk with the
files. We strongly recommend that you use either 4DOS or NDOS to
maintain comments right in the directory itself when you create or
obtain the files that make up that directory. That way, when you
offload the files to diskettes and catalog them, there will be no
guesswork in entering the file comments, as CATDISK will read them in
as the disk gets cataloged.
DISKFILL can also compare the list of files to be offloaded against a
CATDISK catalog to allow intelligent recommendations of previously
cataloged disks so that you may fill up those empty "holes" that may
exist in your disk collection.
DISKFILL can take one or more optional parameters as follows:
DISKFILL parameters pattern
where parameters may be one or more of the following:
/Ffilename - filename is the name of the catalog file that you wish
DISKFILL to use for recommendations of previously
cataloged disks when offloading files to another media.
NOTE that there is no space between the /F and the
filename. When specifying the filename, do NOT include a
path or file extension - DISKFILL will know where to look.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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/NOTAGALL - Normally, DISKFILL automatically tags all files when
reading in a new subdirectory, as offloading all files is
the most common operation to perform. By adding this
parameter to your command line when you start DISKFILL,
you can suppress this feature.
/QUIET - Silent operation. Suppresses sound in DISKFILL.
/N4 - Disables support for 4DOS's or NDOS's file descriptions.
If this option is NOT specified, DISKFILL will copy the
4DOS/NDOS file description over to the target diskette for
each file that has one, and any file called DESCRIPT.ION
will not be processed.
/CATDISKD - normally, when DISKFILL finishes copying or moving files
to the target floppy disk, it will, if requested, load
the standard version of CATDISK (CATDISK.EXE) to
automatically catalog the target floppy disk. Control then
returns to DISKFILL when the task is completed. By adding
this option to the command line, DISKFILL will use the
DPMI-compliant protected mode version of CATDISK
(CATDISKD.EXE) instead.
By default, the file list will be shown in the order that they appear
in the directory. You may control the order in which files appear with
the following options. If you specify any of these options, all
subdirectories will be shown at the top of the file list, followed by
the files themselves.
/SF - sorts the list alphabetically by filename.
/SE - sorts the list alphabetically by file extension.
/SS - sorts the list by file size.
/SD - sorts the list by file date/time.
/RS - by default, any specified sorts will be shown in ASCENDING
order. You can reverse this by adding /RS to the command
line and cause the sort to be done in DECENDING order.
NOTE that with these parameters shown above that, unlike the CATDISK
program itself, they MUST be preceded by a slash. This is due to the
fact that the pattern mentioned below may contain a dash in its
specification.
pattern - you may specify a wildcard filespec that you wish to be
included in a directory scan. This filespec may be a
CATDISK enhanced filespec as documented in sub-option #4
of the reports and inquiries section of this user manual.
If no filespec is included on the command line, the
default, "*.*" is used.
NOTE that there is no slash or dash preceding the pattern.
You may also put commonly used command line options in a DISKFILL
environment variable using the DOS "SET" command. This command (see
examples below), may be placed in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that you
will not need to remember which command line options to use to obtain
your favorite setup, or for that matter, to type them!
- example: SET DISKFILL=/FCATDISK/NOTAGALL/QUIET
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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You may run DISKFILL from any directory on your system. That directory
will be the initial subdirectory scanned on startup. The subdirectory
and filespec to match may be changed from within the program.
DISKFILL has a capacity to hold 8000 files from a subdirectory.
Once DISKFILL has loaded, it will scan the current directory and
present a list of files that match the filespec given. The procedure
here is to tag the files that you wish to be manipulated and select an
operation to perform on them. As the initial or new directory is
scanned, DISKFILL automatically selects ALL files for manipulation,
unless you specified /NOTAGALL when you started DISKFILL, as this
selection will undoubtedly be the most common.
You can tag files in one of two ways. The first way is to highlight
the desired file by using the cursor keys and by pressing the
<Space Bar>. DISKFILL will indicate that a file is tagged when there
is an arrow to the left of its filename name on the screen.
You can move the highlight bar around the screen by using the following
keys:
<Up Arrow> - Moves the highlight bar up one line if possible.
<Down Arrow> - Moves the highlight bar down one line if possible.
<PgUp> - Moves the highlight bar up one screenful (14 lines) if
possible.
<PgDn> - Moves the highlight bar down one screenful (14 lines)
if possible.
<Home> - Moves the highlight bar to the top of the list.
<End> - Moves the highlight bar to the end of the list.
The other way to tag entries is to do so in groups. To bring up a list
of tagging functions available, hit the <T> key at the main menu.
DISKFILL will bring up a list with the following functions:
<A> - This will tag ALL of the files.
<C> - This will clear the tags of ALL of the files.
<S> - You will be prompted for a wildcard specification for all of
the files that you would like to be tagged.
<U> - You will be prompted for a wildcard specification for all of
the files that you would like the tags cleared.
<I> - This will "flip" the tagged status of all files. This is
useful if, for example, you wish to copy all but five of the
files if a long list to be offloaded. Simply tag the five that
you do not wish to copy and then select this option to quickly
tag the entries that you do wish to copy.
<F> - This will flip the tagged status of any files that DISKFILL
finds as duplicates in the selected catalog file. Normally,
when offloading files to floppies and then cataloging them, you
run a good risk of having duplicate files in your collection.
Although CATDISK itself can point them out to you, it is still
best to eliminate them before they get into your collection.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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Here are two strategies that you can use to "pre-process" a
directory before offloading files "<M>ove" or "<C>opy":
1) By activating this option with NO FILES FLAGGED, you can
then see which files are indeed duplicates, upon which you
can activate the <D>elete files option from the main menu.
Presto! No more duplicate files.
2) By activating this option with the files that you intend to
offload already flagged, you can have DISKFILL "un-tag" the
duplicate files that it finds. You may then offload the
remaining files and examine the duplicate files left over.
In order to use this option, you must have selected a catalog
file to use either from the command line when you started
DISKFILL, or from the main menu by using "<N>ew Catalog File".
In order to determine whether or not a file is a duplicate,
DISKFILL will use the filename and filesize. When you hit <F>
to activate this feature, DISKFILL will ask you if it should
use the file date as an additional criteria. You may answer
<Y>es or <N>o to the prompt, or you may press <Esc> to abandon
the operation.
Once you have determined the criteria for DISKFILL to use, it
will make a pass through your catalog file and compare the
contents of the catalog file to the contents of the currently
selected directory. Each file that it finds as duplicate will
have its flagged status flipped. When the operation is
complete, you will be returned to the file list.
<Esc> - Will return you to the main menu with no further action taken.
Other options available from the main menu are:
<P> - Change Pattern: DISKFILL will prompt you for a new filespec
to match when scanning the directory. This is handy if you
only wish to have a grouping of files from the current
subdirectory to be included in the point and shoot list.
Note that after the directory has been re-scanned, ALL files
will be tagged for manipulation.
<S> - Change Subdirectory: DISKFILL will prompt you for a new
subdirectory to be scanned (the current pattern as noted at
the top of the screen will be used). Note that after the
directory has been scanned, ALL files will be tagged for
manipulation.
<N> - New Catalog File: DISKFILL will prompt you for a new catalog
to be used in recommending disks from an existing catalog for
backfilling of files. Do not specify a path or file
extension - DISKFILL will know where to look. Hit <Esc> at
the prompt to leave the existing (or lack of) catalog
unchanged. If you do enter a name, DISKFILL will attempt to
load that catalog. If a problem occurs (eg. file not found
or error reading it), the setting will be cleared (i.e. no
catalog will be used). If successful, that catalog will be
used in all recommendations and cataloging operations.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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<Enter> - If the highlight bar is currently pointing to a subdirectory
accessible directly from the current directory, you may press
<Enter> to switch to that subdirectory. If you are pointing
to <PARENT DIR> and hit <Enter>, you will move down one level
in the disk's subdirectory tree.
By traversing the directory tree in this manner, it is
possible to quickly move from one directory to another in a
point and shoot manner. It may be quicker to use the <S>
option to move directly to a subdirectory that you enter at a
prompt in some circumstances. If you wish to switch to
another disk drive, you must use the <S> option.
DISKFILL currently has three operations that you can perform on the
tagged files:
<C> - Copy: When this option is selected, DISKFILL will ask you for
the drive of the target disk(s) that will received the
tagged files. Typically, this will be drive A: or drive
B:, but we have allowed any available drive letter in your
system due to the fact that there may be an external
floppy disk using a device driver that is available. Hit
<Esc> to abandon the operation.
While on the topic of the target disk, you may change the
target disk at any prompt while in the copy or move
function (except at the disk recommendation prompt) by
pressing <N> for New Target Disk.
Once you have selected the target drive, DISKFILL will ask
you if you would like to catalog each disk after it has
received more files. This prompt requires a simple YES or
NO answer, which can be indicated by pressing "Y" for YES
or "N" for NO. You may press <Esc> at this prompt to
abandon the operation.
DISKFILL will then prompt you to insert a disk in the
target drive. If you do not wish to continue with the
operation, hit <Esc> to return to the main menu.
You may also press the <S> key at the prompt to shell out
to DOS. This is handy if you need to check something
outside of the DISKFILL program before proceeding.
If you have instructed DISKFILL to use a catalog file for
the purposes of recommending disks for "backfilling"
previously cataloged disks, you may press <R> at this
prompt.
DISKFILL will then compare the list of files that need to
be copied or moved with the entries in the selected
catalog and will recommend a disk to use for accepting
more files. The program will attempt to recommend disks
such that the ones with the least amount of free space
(those are the most difficult to fill later) are used
first.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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If you have a catalog containing mixed media (hard drives,
two different floppy drive sizes on the A: and B: drives,
etc.), DISKFILL is currently not able to differentiate
between them, so it may be possible for it to suggest a
5-1/4" diskette when you are copying to 3.5" diskettes, or
even you hard drive. You may also have cataloged program
disks that you have purchased, to which you do not
necessarily want to copy files. If DISKFILL recommends
such a disk, sit the <S> key at the recommendation prompt
to "Squelch" that disk and not use it for any further
recommendations. DISKFILL will then recommend another
disk for use.
NOTE: If you need to "re-activate" those disks that have
been "squelched" for another copy process, simply load
that summary file from the main menu before performing any
other copy or move operations.
NOTE: Any disks whose volume labels match any of the
"volumespecs" set via the configuration program,
CDISKCFG.EXE, will be automatically "squelched". If you
these disks re-activated, you will need to go back into
the configuration program and modify the list.
Once you have the desired disk inserted, and are ready to
copy files to it, hit any other key to proceed.
The prompt containing all the above mentioned options
will appear before each disk necessary to complete the
operation is to be inserted.
Before DISKFILL begins to copy files to each disk, it will
examine the disk to determine capacity and to check to see
if any files or sub-directories are present on the disk.
If a disk error occurs at this stage, DISKFILL will assume
that the disk is not formatted and will bring up a message
indicating that it thinks that the disk is not formatted.
You have three options at this point:
1) You may hit <S> to shell out to DOS to either examine
the disk, or to invoke your favorite program to
facilitate formatting that diskette. We have not built
in the facility to load any particular disk formatting
software, as there are many alternatives to the DOS
format command, and the selection of a given program is
a matter of personal preference. This also leaves open
the possibility of using a disk formatting program that
has the ability to format more capacity on a disk than
normal.
When you are ready to continue with the copy operation
after shelling out to DOS, type "EXIT" and hit <Enter>
to return back to the prompt.
2) You may hit <Esc> to abort the copy operation and
return to the main menu.
3) You may hit any other key to try a new diskette, at
which time the disk determination will be repeated.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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If the target disk has files on it, you will be presented
with another set of options that will allow you to make a
decision on what to do next:
1) You may hit <V> to view the directory of the target
disk to verify that it is the one that you intended to
insert in the drive. The DOS "DIR/P" command will be
issued.
2) You may hit <S> to shell to DOS. This option is
available to allow you to examine the situation more
closely, perhaps to examine the directory of the disk
and see if you have inserted the correct diskette.
When you return from the DOS shell, you will be left at
this prompt from which you may take appropriate action.
3) You may press <E> to have DISKFILL erase all visible
files and subdirectories from that disk before
proceeding with the copy operation.
IF YOU ARE USING A TARGET DRIVE OTHER THAN A: or B:,
EXERCISE THIS OPTION WITH EXTREME CAUTION. IF THE
TARGET DRIVE HAPPENS TO BE A HARD DISK, ALL VISIBLE
FILES AND SUBDIRECTORIES WILL BE ERASED. YOU HAVE BEEN
WARNED!
4) You may press <T> to try another diskette. You will
then be returned to the disk insertion prompt.
5) You may press <Esc> to Abort the copy operation
altogether and return to the main menu.
6) You may press any other key to continue on with the
copy operation. DISKFILL will then add files to those
that already exist on the target diskette as available
space allows.
Once all is ready, DISKFILL will proceed to copy files to
the target diskette. As each file is copied, it will be
highlighted in the list and a progress indicator will
appear in the instruction area of the screen keeping you
informed of the progress of the copy. DISKFILL will
buffer as much of the source file into memory as it can
before writing it out to the target diskette in order to
facilitate speed.
As DISKFILL copies files, an indicator at the bottom of
the screen will indicate how much of the read and write
operations are complete. The indicator beside each status
indicator that is flashing will indicate what DISKFILL is
currently doing.
If you added the /4DOS or /NDOS command line option when
you started DISKFILL, it will, upon copying each file to
the target disk, check to see if the file just copied has
a 4DOS/NDOS file description. If so, that file
description will be copied over to the target disk if
there is enough room to accommodate it. It is possible
that disk space may be completely filled and the hidden
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 87
file that 4DOS or NDOS maintains cannot be expanded. If
this occurs, the description will not appear in the
directory of the target disk, even though the file was
successfully copied. This behavior is consistent with
that of 4DOS and NDOS.
As each file is successfully copied to the target, it will
be "un-tagged" in the file list. This way, if the copy
process is interrupted or aborted for any reason, you can
effectively pick up where you left off, as the tagged
files will be those that were not copied.
The capacity left over on the target disk will be updated
as each file is copied to it. Additionally, the
statistics on the right side of the screen will indicate
how many files have yet to be copied.
If a disk error occurs when copying a file to the target,
that copy will be aborted. DISKFILL will make an attempt
to remove that file from the target disk, although this
cannot be guaranteed. The file that was being copied at
the time of the error will remain in the "hit list" to be
copied to a subsequent disk. You will then be returned to
the prompt for a new disk with which to continue the copy
operation.
It may be advisable to shell out to DOS at this point with
the <S> command to check the disk and perhaps run a
diagnostic program on the target disk in order to map out
any bad areas of the disk. If this proves to be the cause
of the error, you may be able to continue the copy
operation with that disk.
When DISKFILL has determined that no more files from the
selected list will fit on the target disk, it will do one
of two things:
1) If you indicated that you would like each disk to be
cataloged, DISKFILL will attempt to load CATDISK and
tell it to catalog the disk.
Any command line parameters in the CATDISK environment
variable (see the section on starting CATDISK for
details) will also be in effect for this operation.
When the operation is complete, you will be returned to
the disk insertion prompt where you may continue on
with a new diskette, or abort the operation right
there.
The catalog used in the operation will be determined in
the following order of priority:
i) If you specified a catalog to be used for
recommendations for backfilling disks, that
catalog will be used in the catalog operation.
ii) If the above is not the case, any catalog name
specified in the CATDISK environment variable (see
STARTING CATDISK in this manual) will be used.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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iii) If neither of the above two are true, the default
catalog name "CATDISK" will be used.
In order for this operation to be successful, two
criteria must be met:
i) The program CATDISK.EXE must be present in either
the current directory or in a subdirectory
specified in your DOS PATH and
ii) There must be enough memory available (DISKFILL
remains in memory while CATDISK does its thing) to
load CATDISK and complete the function.
If one or both of these criteria are not met, the
cataloging operation will not take place, and you will
be notified of the error.
2) If you indicated that you would NOT like each disk to
be cataloged, you will be returned to the disk
insertion prompt where you may continue on with a new
diskette, or abort the operation right there.
When all selected files have been copied to the target
directory, you will automatically be returned to the main
menu where the updated file list will be displayed. If
all went well, there should be no more files tagged.
IMPORTANT NOTES
DISKFILL will work best when there is a mix of large and
small files available for copying to the target disk(s),
as DISKFILL will be able to use the smaller files to fill
in the holes left over by the larger files.
It is not necessary to use disks of the same capacity
throughout an entire copy operation. For example, in a
high capacity 3.5" drive, you could use a mix of 1.44Mb
and 720K floppies. DISKFILL will copy files to it as the
capacity of each inserted disk allows.
If you have one or several files that are too big to fit
on a target drive, the insert disk prompt will simply be
repeated over and over again until you abort, as DISKFILL
is a very patient program and will wait until a suitable
disk is inserted in the drive.
If you have been using low density media, you may need to
switch to a higher capacity disk format in order to
accommodate the file.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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If you have a file that will not fit on a disk of any
capacity, DISKFILL will not be able to offload it. If the
file is not compressed, you may wish to use one of the
many archive utilities supported by CATDISK to compress
the file to a size that may fit on a target disk, or
alternatively, you may wish to use a file split/merge
utility to break the file down into smaller, more
manageable sub-files.
<M> - Move: The MOVE operation works exactly like the copy operation
except that each file being offloaded is erased after the
copy operation is complete. If a disk error occurs during
the copying part of the operation, the file involved is
left intact in the source directory where an attempt can
be made to move it to another disk later on in the
operation.
THE MOVE OPERATION IS THE PREFERRED METHOD OF OFFLOADING
FILES TO FLOPPIES. It is also safe due to the fact that
the only time that the source file is erased is when it
has been successfully copied to the target disk.
<D> - Delete: This operation will quickly delete all selected files
from the source directory. Once a file has been
deleted, DISKFILL cannot recover it, although it is
possible to use one of the many file unerase utilities
on the market to get the file back.
Due to the potential severity of using this function,
you will be asked for verification before continuing.
NOTE: With the move and delete operations, DISKFILL will not be able
to erase a file marked "READ-ONLY".
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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APPENDIX F - DUPCLEAN: CATDISK'S FILE CLEANUP UTILITY
As your software collection grows, you will undoubtedly wind up with
many duplicate files in your collection. It is also common, especially
when building a shareware collection from BBS systems, to have many
different versions of the same program. When this is the case, the
filename(s) will usually start with the same characters, followed by
numeric digits and dashes to indicate the version. In many cases, it
is desirable to have the latest version or two of a program, but not
the older versions.
DUPCLEAN provides a simple mechanism to enable you to weed out the
duplicate files and the redundant old versions based on the contents of
your catalog. The only restrictions are that DUPCLEAN does not have the
ability to erase files from within archive files and that any files
affected must either reside in the root directory or in the next level
(eg. A:\ or A:\CATDISK).
A short discussion on some of the various items on the DUPCLEAN screen
is in order before we continue.
Item Description
------------------- --------------------------------------------------
Base Chars For Dups DUPCLEAN will examine this number of characters in
the base part of the filename when determining
what files to include in the list of files for
selection.
Pattern Any files must match this pattern in order to be
considered for inclusion in the list of files for
selection.
Catalog Use this catalog for searching for duplicates.
When you start DUPCLEAN, you may specify various command line options
that will initialize various settings within the program. Options may
be separated by a slash, dash or a space.
They are as follows:
/FFilename - Uses this catalog file for searching. Note that no
space is permitted between the /F and the catalog
filename.
/Bbasechars - initialize the setting for the base chars for dups.
Default is 8.
/Ppattern - initialize the setting for the pattern. Default is *.*
/VERSIONS - normally, DUPCLEAN only examines the first number of
characters as defined by the basechars setting and
ignores the rest. If this option is activated (you can
also activate it from within the program), DUPCLEAN
will examine the rest of the characters, which must be
either numeric, a space, dash or underscore.
/QUIET - Quiet operation (eliminate sound in the program)
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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/ND - Shows dates as YYYY-MM-DD. Default is MMM DD,YYYY.
/CATDISKD - when DUPCLEAN needs to catalog a disk, use CATDISKD.EXE
instead of CATDISK.EXE (for larger catalog files).
Upon startup, DUPCLEAN will scan the catalog file, if specified at
startup or through the CDISKCFG program for any files that match the
specs as defined at startup. These files are then shown in a
scrollable list below.
The strategy is to first get the list showing the desired file list.
You may control what gets into the list by changing the three items at
the top of the screen to the desired settings. Here are the three
options that control these items:
<B> - Change Base Characters For Duplicates
Enter the number of characters from the start of the filename that
you would like DUPCLEAN to use for comparison. If, for example,
you enter 5 for this setting, DUPCLEAN will match any files whose
first 5 characters are the same.
When you change this setting to a value less then 8, DUPCLEAN will
also ask you if you want to match only numeric characters after
the base characters have been analyzed. If you answer YES,
DUPCLEAN will act in the same manner as if you had added the
/VERSIONS option to the command line at startup. If you answer
NO, any characters after the number of base characters will be
disregarded.
<P> - Change Pattern To Match
Enter the file pattern that any files MUST match in order to be
included in the list. You may use the CATDISK enhanced wildcard
matching specifications supported by all programs in this package.
If the base characters to match setting is less then 8, DUPCLEAN
will prompt you for the numeric character match as mentioned
above.
<A> - Change Active Catalog File
Enter the name of the catalog file (WITHOUT the subdirectory or
file extension included) that you wish DUPCLEAN to use in creating
the point & shoot list of duplicates.
Again, if the base characters to match setting is less then 8,
DUPCLEAN will prompt you for the numeric character match as
mentioned above.
While these three options give you the ability to get duplicate files
showing on your screen for selection, you should realize that there will
be many cases that, in order to eliminate ALL duplicate or redundant
files, you will have to make multiple passes through your catalog with
different settings; in particular, the base characters to match setting.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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For example, you may have files such as:
ABC100.ZIP, ABC110.ZIP, ABC120.ZIP, ABC200.ZIP, etc.
and
CDISK600.ZIP, CDISK610.ZIP, CDISK620.ZIP, CDISK700.ZIP, etc.
With the base characters set at 5 while matching only numeric characters
after that, the second list will (possibly among other files) and with
the base characters set at 3 with numeric character matching activated,
the first list will show up.
Once you have the desired file list showing on the screen, you are now
ready to select the files that you would like to be erased from your
file collection by tagging them.
You can tag files in one of two ways. The first way is to highlight
the desired file by using the cursor keys and by pressing the
<Space Bar>. DISKFILL will indicate that a file is tagged when there
is an arrow to the left of its filename name on the screen.
Move the highlight bar around the screen by using the following keys:
<Up Arrow> - Moves the highlight bar up one line if possible.
<Down Arrow> - Moves the highlight bar down one line if possible.
<PgUp> - Moves the highlight bar up one screenful (12 lines) if
possible.
<PgDn> - Moves the highlight bar down one screenful (12 lines)
if possible.
<Home> - Moves the highlight bar to the top of the list.
<End> - Moves the highlight bar to the end of the list.
You may use the scroll bar to navigate through the list in the same way
as CATDISK's screen-based reports, except that here, each position on
the scroll bar represents 1/12 of the total length of the list.
The other way to tag entries is to do so in groups. To bring up a list
of tagging functions available, hit the <T> key at the main menu.
DISKFILL will bring up a list with the following functions:
<A> - This will tag ALL of the files.
<C> - This will clear the tags of ALL of the files.
<S> - You will be prompted for a wildcard specification for all of
the files that you would like to be tagged.
<U> - You will be prompted for a wildcard specification for all of
the files that you would like the tags cleared.
<I> - This will "flip" the tagged status of all files. This is
useful if, for example, you wish to erase all but five of the
files if a long list. Simply tag the five that you do not wish
to erase and then select this option to quickly tag the entries
that you do wish to erase.
<Esc> - Will return you to the main menu with no further action taken.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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When you have the desired files selected, and are ready to erase them,
hit <Alt>-<E> to begin the procedure.
The first thing that DUPCLEAN will do is ask you which drive should be
used for deletions (commonly A: or B:, but any drive could be used).
While the drive that you specify will be the initial drive used for
deletions, you may change it at any "Insert Disk xxx" prompt to another
disk drive if you so desire (eg. when a mix of files from 3.5" and 5.25"
disks are tagged for deletion).
You will then be asked if you would like each disk to be cataloged as
they are processed. Answering YES to this prompt is desirable, as it
will ensure that your catalog file is consistent with your disk
collection.
Note that in order for this option to work, you must have CATDISK.EXE or
CATDISKD.EXE (depending on which one you have instructed DUPCLEAN to
use) present in either the current directory or somewhere along the DOS
path. There must also be sufficient free memory to load CATDISK with
its configured memory settings so that it can read the disk and process
your catalog file.
While DUPCLEAN doesn't use much memory itself, if you have CATDISK set
to the limits of your computer's memory, you may not have sufficient
free memory to perform the task. If this is the case, and you are using
CATDISK.EXE and you have sufficient available extended memory, we would
recommend that you instruct DUPCLEAN to use CATDISKD.EXE instead.
When you have answered the prompts, DUPCLEAN will prompt you for the
first disk that it would like inserted in the disk drive. To the right
of the prompt will be the name of the file that will be erased.
You have several options available to you at this time:
<T> - Change the target disk to another drive letter.
<F> - Forget this file. DUPCLEAN will skip the file and continue on
to the next one.
<D> - View the target disk's directory. May be useful to diagnose any
problems.
<S> - Shell to DOS. May also be useful in diagnosing any problems.
<Esc> - Stop the erase operation altogether.
Hit any other key to continue with the erase operation. DUPCLEAN will
then erase each tagged file that resides on the disk.
Note that DUPCLEAN makes a complete pass through the list for each disk
involved in the process. This is to minimize disk swapping on your
part.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 94
If, for example, you have:
FILE A on DISK 1
FILE B on DISK 2
FILE C on DISK 1
and so on
DUPCLEAN will prompt you for DISK 1 and erase FILE A and FILE C in the
same pass. It will then continue with DISK 2 and so on until the
process is completed.
As a new pass begins and a new disk is required, you will be prompted
for it as above until all tagged files have been deleted (or skipped).
When you are finished using DUPCLEAN, hit <Esc> to leave the program.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 95
APPENDIX G - REGISTRATION, SUPPORT AND UPDATES
As said in the introduction, CATDISK is shareware and should be
registered if you are using it and/or would like to be able to obtain
product support and upgrades. If you are paying by check (business or
personal) or money order, please be sure that it is drawn on either a
Canadian or US bank (we can handle either). If you wish to use your
VISA card to register, you may either FAX the registration form to us,
register online on our support BBS, The Shareware Connection, or
register directly with us by voice on our sales/support line.
When new versions of CATDISK are released, we send out notices to
registered users informing them of the new release's availability.
Once you are registered for one CATDISK release, you are considered to
be registered for all future CATDISK releases, whether you receive them
directly from us or not. If you are a registered CATDISK user and
would like to order the latest from us on disk, simply select one of
the disk-based registration options and DEDUCT THE BASE REGISTRATION
FEE FROM THAT.
Note that we confirm all registrations in writing and provide a simple
procedure to eliminate the shareware intro screens present in the
program.
When registering CATDISK, by mail or FAX, please use the registration
form that is available with this program. This registration form
includes all pricing information for CATDISK. The pricing on the
registration form is guaranteed for a period of one year from the
release date of this package (see the title page for the release date).
If, for some reason, you do not have a registration form or the one
year period has expired, please obtain a current registration form from
our support BBS or contact us by phone or FAX (numbers listed below) to
obtain the current pricing information.
You will note on the registration form that we have broken out the base
registration fee from all disk upgrade and BBS support options. This is
mainly to accommodate those who are in a situation where they have a
reliable source of obtaining new CATDISK releases, or those who are
content with the version that they are using and have no desire to
upgrade. By breaking out all options separately, you have the
opportunity to put together a registration/upgrade/support package that
best suits you.
Note that in the case of disk-based upgrades, we ship CATDISK on either
one 3.5" 720K diskette, one 1.2Mb 5.25" diskette or on two 360K 5.25"
disks.
Support Location Details
---------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Sales/Support Voice Line (519) 570-3523 SEE NOTE #1 BELOW.
FAX (Orders & Support) (519) 884-4887
The Shareware Connection BBS (519) 570-4132 (16,800 USR HST DS Modem).
The Home of CATDISK.
SEE NOTE #3 BELOW.
CompuServe ID - 73307,333
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 96
NOTES:
1) In the event that no one is available to take a support call, it is
our policy to return calls from non-registered users on an
as-available basis. This is necessary to allow us to serve our
registered users on a higher priority basis. This does not apply to
those wishing to register CATDISK by phone with a VISA card.
2) If you are not a registered user and do have questions, the best
place to leave them is in an E-mail message on either on The
Shareware Connection or on CompuServe. In the case of The Shareware
Connection, leave your message in a comment to the SYSOP or to Rick
Hillier.
3) The most up to date version of CATDISK is always available on The
Shareware Connection BBS (number listed above). Please note that to
be able to obtain a new version of CATDISK, you must be a registered
user and you must have taken the BBS Support option and must have
remitted the applicable fee for this option. This option will allow
you to obtain perpetual upgrades to the CATDISK program, or any
other shareware offering that may be made in the future. We also
maintain a growing library of excellent shareware products for your
downloading pleasure.
Please note that if you are not a registered with us under the above
support plan, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE PROGRAM. You may,
however use the electronic mail features of the system to pose any
questions you may have about CATDISK and/or obtain any missing
documentation files and registration forms.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
If you do have a question, or a bug report, or whatever, in your
correspondence, please indicate the following:
1) The versions of CATDISK and DOS that you are using.
2) Your hardware configuration (Model, memory size, printer, etc.)
3) Any resident software that you have loaded in memory at the time.
(i.e. Sidekick, SuperKey, Disk Caches, Print Spoolers, Ramdisks,
etc.)
This information will help us to track any problems and to suggest
reasonable solutions to your problems.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 97
APPENDIX H - QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
As CATDISK has developed over the past while, we have received many
questions regarding the operation of CATDISK. The most common are
addressed in this section of the manual.
Q. When I go to catalog a new disk, CATDISK aborts the catalog file
update with an error message that the disk is full, even though
there is still room on the disk containing the catalog files.
A. When CATDISK updates a catalog file, it does so by merging the new
information in with the old, building a new file from the old in the
process. The catch here is that, at the end of the catalog file
update, BOTH files actually exist, thereby taking up roughly double
the size of the original catalog file. At the end of this
procedure, if successful, CATDISK deletes the old file and renames
the new temporary file to what the original catalog file was called.
The reason this is necessary is that, while re-cataloging a disk,
there is a possibility that files were removed from that disk. This
method of updating the catalog provides a convenient mechanism for
removing those files from the catalog. It also ensures the
integrity of your catalog file. If the power goes out while the
update is in progress, you will still have your original catalog
(from before the cataloging operation) intact.
Q. CATDISK currently supports archive file comments in ZIP, ZOO, ARJ
and DWC files. Would it be possible to extract those from ARC files
as well?
A. ARC file comments were a non-standard extension provided by PKWare's
PKARC/PKPAK series of archivers, and as such are not supported at
this time.
Q. Would it be possible for CATDISK to support ARCHIVES within
ARCHIVES?
A. Unfortunately, the answer is no. In order to read the directory of
an archive within another archive file, the original one must first
be expanded into its separate files. Firstly, with the ever
evolving compression methods employed with new versions of the
archive utilities, this would be beyond the scope of this program.
Secondly, there would always be the possibility of overwriting an
existing file of the same name. It's just not feasible.
Q. Is it possible for CATDISK to support file categories?
A. Indirectly, CATDISK already supports file categories. By searching
your catalog file by keywords from the reports menu, and by starting
each file comment with a category code, you can effectively
implement file catagories.
In a sample scenario, you could come up with a list of three letter
abbreviations for your category list (eg. WIN for Windows, SPR for
Spreadsheets, DBS for Database, COM for Communications, etc.) and
start each comment with these categories. By searching for "WIN",
you can bring up a list of files in that category. By sorting on
comment, you can bring up a list of filenames sorted by category.
Your imagination is the only limiting factor.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 98
Q. In the summary report, I see disk entries for which the amount of
free space and the amount of space used adds up to more than the
capacity of the disk itself. The % slack factor is also wrong.
A. You probably have a corrupted file allocation table on that disk,
and could be in for some serious trouble. Format a fresh disk and
transfer the files to it, and re-catalog it from that new disk.
Q. After starting the cataloging process on a diskette, I discovered
that the label on the diskette was wrong. Would it be possible to
abort the process, change the label and start over?
A. Once the cataloging process is started, it cannot be stopped. If
you've run into a situation like that above, let CATDISK finish the
task, and use option #3 to change the label on the diskette.
CATDISK has a mechanism to automatically change the old volume label
to the new one throughout the catalog files. It's quick and
painless.
Q. I have some self-booting games. Would it be possible to create a
dummy entry for that disk in the catalog?
A. Doing this would defeat the purpose for which CATDISK was written.
Self-booting games (those that CATDISK won't read) do not have a
directory in the conventional sense. As there are no files per se
there is nothing to look for on the diskette. You need only locate
the disk itself in order to use it.
Q. Is it possible for CATDISK to only catalog the disk itself, and not
the files on it.
A. Doing so would defeat the purpose of using CATDISK. The whole idea
behind CATDISK is to be able to locate files on your disks. You can
see the physical label on a disk, but the files themselves are
invisible until you read it in your disk drive. If all you need is
to find a known disk, a good filing system is the way to go.
Q. I have many disks with numerous insignificant files on them such as
printer drivers, etc. Would it be possible to catalog only selected
files from these disks?
A. Yes. There are settings in the configuration utility, CDISKCFG.EXE
that allow you to set file include and exclude specs via multiple
wildcard specifications for each set. CATDISK PLUS, a commercial
release of this program with many enhancements described in more
detail in a later appendix, will handle this type of operation with
more flexibility.
Q. DISKFILL seems to be missing certain disks in my catalog when
recommending disks for backfilling. I know that these disks have
enough room to take one or more of the files I have tagged. What's
wrong?
A. Check the "Squelch Specs" list in the configuration utility,
DISKFILL. The disks to which you are referring probably match one
of the specifications contained in that list, in which case, they
will be excluded from the list of disks to recommend for
backfilling.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 99
Q. I've noticed that CATDISK seems to have missed some files on my hard
disk when I list the catalog entries for that disk.
A. CATDISK presently has an internal limitation of being able to
remember only the first 5500 files that it sees (either in the
directories themselves, or in any archive files whose contents are
included in the catalog. After it reaches this number, it will stop
and begin cataloging the files read in. The limitation of 6000
files may, in fact, be lower if you do not have enough memory to
accommodate them all. If this is the case, you should remove some
or all of your resident programs to free up valuable system memory
for CATDISK to use.
Also, adjusting the "disks/files per catalog" setting via the
CDISKCFG program to the lowest value that will accommodate your
largest catalog file will also free up some memory.
If you have an 80286 computer or higher with sufficient extended
memory, you can also use CATDISK/D (also available as shareware).
This version can use your extended memory to attain much higher
capacities than are possible with the standard version of CATDISK
(up to 65500 files on the disk being cataloged).
A. Another reason that this may occur, especially if your disk has less
than 5500 entries is that the missing files may match a filespec set
in the EXCLUDE FILES LIST that can be changed in the CDISKCFG
utility. Check that list out to see if this is the case.
Q. Why does CATDISK slow down as my catalog files grow larger.
A. As CATDISK catalogs each disk, it must make a pass through your data
file to determine whether or not any files have been deleted or
changed, so that the catalog file can be updated accordingly. Many
other disk catalogers on the market that outperform CATDISK in their
cataloging operation retain the entire catalog in RAM. While this
is fast, there are two problems with it.
Firstly, this imposes an extreme limitation on their ultimate
capacity in terms of how many disks and files you can catalog. If
you are serious at all about maintaining a catalog of all your files
and that your library will possibly grow to many files, these types
of catalogers are not at all suitable for your usage.
Secondly, if you should experience a power outage before you've
saved your work, you can kiss that work good-bye. By manipulating
data on-disk, CATDISK does catalog your disks at a slower rate than
the above mentioned type of cataloger, but it guarantees the
integrity of your work. We have also developed some very fast
catalog updating routines, so any slowdown will be kept to a minimum
while guaranteeing the integrity of your catalog file.
Q. In DISKFILL, I have told it to call upon CATDISK to catalog each
disk as it is filled, but at the end of each disk, the screen
quickly blanks and then I am returned to DISKFILL.
A. You probably do not have the directory where the program file
CATDISK.EXE resides included in your DOS PATH. DISKFILL is unable
to ascertain whether or not CATDISK.EXE could be found and executed
so that an appropriate error message can be displayed.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 100
APPENDIX I - CATDISK COMPANION PROGRAMS
Since its initial release in October 1986, CATDISK has grown steadily
in popularity, and has become one of the leading cataloging programs
available, due largely in part that it does not try be an
everything-in-one software package. The philosophy behind CATDISK has
always been and always will be to provide a reliable, simple to use
cataloging utility that performs the essential tasks of identifying the
location(s) of individual files in a collection of disks.
We will be the first to admit that there are many new functions and
reports that CATDISK could do and does not due to the above mentioned
philosophy.
Several enterprising individuals have created companion programs to
CATDISK that enhance its functionality. They are briefly described
here, along with the authors' names and addresses.
All of these programs may be obtained from our support board, The
Shareware Connection. They are located in file area 1 on the main
board. As a service to the authors of these products, we have made
them all available to ANYONE calling in to the system. You do NOT need
to be registered with us under the support BBS option in order to be
able to obtain these programs. You may also be able to find these
programs on your local bulletin board systems as well.
If your program is already listed in this section of the user manual,
we ask that you keep us up to date on your creation by either uploading
it to The Shareware Connection, or by sending it to us on disk at our
regular address for registrations. Many CATDISK users (registered and
unregistered) call in to the board and check on the latest offerings,
and do in fact download all of the programs listed. If you have
created a new program that is not listed here, please feel free to
submit it. If it's good, we'll "advertise" it for you here and on The
Shareware Connection.
CAT-STAT
Cat-stat is a CATDISK-specific program that has two primary functions.
It can scan your catalog file and generate some handy statistics on the
data in your catalog file. Ever wondered just how many megabytes worth
of floppies you have in your collection? This program will tell you
that. Its primary function, though, is to compare two CATDISK catalog
files and tell you what files are in catalog file "A" that are not in
"B" and vice versa. It's great to have if you are trading files with a
friend.
Again, this program is menu-driven and very easy to use.
Cat-stat is written by George Wilken and Bill Guy, and a $10 shareware
registration fee is requested if you decide to use it.
Send registrations to: George Wilken
702 Deering Drive
Akron, OH
USA 44313
Questions or comments may be left for the authors on CompuServe at
71450,3172.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 101
DISK LABEL SYSTEM (DLS)
One of the many requests that I have received for CATDISK to include is
a facility to print disk labels. The main reason that CATDISK does not
currently have this capability is mainly due to our philosophy of
providing a single-purpose utility that does what it does best.
The good news is that this program is capable of producing disk labels
directly from your CATDISK catalog file(s). Additionally, it can read
the directory information directly from a diskette if inserted in the
floppy drive. DLS can produce labels for 5.25" and 3.5" diskettes, as
well as disk inserts for 5.25" diskettes.
DLS is quite powerful, but is very easy to use.
Several popular printers are supported.
DLS is shareware, and a $15 registration fee is requested if you find
the program useful.
Author: James A. Clark
Address: 2015 Pleasantview Drive
Marion, IA
USA 52302
Phone: (319) 373-8896
THE CATDISK UTILITIES (CDU)
This collection of handy programs expands on some of the functionality
of CATDISK.
CDC pads the excess characters in the comment field with spaces (newer
versions of CATDISK, including this release do the same), resulting in
better compression of the data file when using programs like STACKER or
other compression programs.
CDR allows a search of the database by up to 50 wildcard specs and
allows you to delete those files from your diskettes by prompting you
to mount each disk as appropriate. It will then call on CATDISK to
update the catalog file when each disk has been cleaned up.
CDF is an enhanced reporting facility.
CDM assists in offloading files to floppies.
CDS assists in finding files on floppies and copies them to a hard disk
subdirectory.
These utilities are written by:
Robert w. Van Hoeven
P.O. Box 131
1170 AC Badhoevedorp
Nederland / Holland
Questions or comments may be left to "Rob van.Hoeven" (note the period
in the last name - it must be there) at NetMail address 2:512/100, or
better, 2:512/100.5, or in the FidoNet DISP echomail area.
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 102
CAT2DIR v2.0
Makes an ASCII file of the CATDISK.DTA file and optionally, a 0 byte
file for each file listed in the catalog file. Useful for PC Board
sysops who list off-line files that were never online, so are not in any
BBS file directory. Can block duplicate uploads.
This program is released as FREEWARE by:
Scott Johnson
4205 Long Key Lane #1526
Winter Park, FL
USA 32792
BBS: The Freeware Hall of Fame (Rey Barry, SYSOP)
(804) 293-4710 (USR DS 2400-14,400 BPS
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
Page 103
APPENDIX J - OTHER PRODUCTS AVAILABLE
For all you avid golfers out there, I have released a golf handicap
system, called HANDICAP II, that goes way beyond just calculating a
simple golf handicap.
Among the many features of this program are:
. Pull down menus for ease of use.
. On line context sensitive help.
. Storage capacity for up to 400 different golf courses.
. Storage capacity for up to 128000 rounds of golf (if you exceed
this number, I want to meet you!).
(score and number of putts on each hole can be logged)
. Instant retrieval of past played games, and the ability to browse
through them.
. An expanded handicap card that is more informative than a standard
handicap card.
. A report showing your average score on each hole on each course.
- good for spotting habitual trouble holes.
. A report showing your average putts on each green on each course.
- good for spotting habitual troublesome greens.
. A report showing how often you hit each green in regulation.
- good for analyzing your tee-to-green game on each hole.
. Many more statistical reports of interest to you.
. Full housekeeping routines to correct mistakes (but I'll bet that
you never make any, right?!?)
. ALL reports may be viewed on the screen or printed on your
printer.
. Pop up windows are used extensively, adding to the ease of use of
the program.
We also have a clubhouse version available with all of the above plus:
. A simple date-differential entry system for those who do not wish
to have all the detail of the enhanced reports.
. Capacity to maintain handicaps for up to 128000 members (you are
only limited by disk size).
. Full system manager functions available only to authorized users.
. A handicap listing (in alphabetical order by member name) of the
handicaps of all the members in the system.
Ordering Information
The GOLFERS version of HANDICAP II is available as shareware for $35
directly from myself (Rick Hillier), and the CLUB HOUSE version is
available for $295.00 (which includes a bound, printed manual) from the
address below.
They may be ordered from: Rick Hillier
98 Toynbee Crescent
Kitchener, Ontario
Canada N2N 1R9
Phone: (519) 570-3523
FAX: (519) 884-4887
BBS: (519) 570-4132
Disk Catalog System (CATDISK) V7.04 Copr (C) 1986-1993 by Rick Hillier
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