Software Vault: The Gold Collection/Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO/cdr38/pockrv16.zip/POCKETD.REV

Text File | 1993-06-05 | 38KB | 767 lines

-------------------- Independent PocketD reviews ---------------------

This file has been simultaneously released with PocketD Plus v3.0.
Consequently all endorsements and reviews are for the older v1.67.

The following are the complete texts from magazine reviews of PocketD
v1.67 (and earlier). Since these reviews did contain some typographical
errors, and considering the interests of users who might try out their
suggestions, I have corrected the few errors that I have found.

PocketD has also appeared on magazine cover disks for PC Today Sep92
(subscriber's disk), PC Review Sep92, Personal Computer World Dec92 and
PC Home Jan93 (subscriber's disk). It was also awarded "Best Utility
1992" by the PsL library (details also included below).

1. *** Best Utility 1992 ***  Dec     1992:
2. Registered User Endorsements
3. PC Plus                    Sep     1992:  347 words     v1.66c
4. PC Today                   Sep     1992:  174 words     v1.66c
5. Personal Computer World    Dec     1992: 2338 words     v1.67c
6. PsL News                   Feb     1992:  575 words     v1.34
7. Shareware Magazine         Jul/Aug 1992:  535 words     v1.59
8. Shareware Shopper          Jun     1992: 1404 words     v1.34
9. PC Home                    Jan     1993:   61 words     v1.67c


Non-reviewing features on PocketD have also appeared in Computer
Shopper and PC Shareware Magazine.

PocketD v2.0 is also bundled with the book DOS 6 SECRETS by Bob
Ainsbury (IDG Worldwide).


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEW 1 ------------ *** Best Utility 1992 ***  ----------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

PsL is the US's premier Shareware library, receiving 8000+ submissions
per year. This year it named PocketD as the joint Best New Utility
1992. This is detailed in the December 1992 Issue of PsL News.

"...one of the Best New Programs of 1992 in the Public Software
Library...it requires keen insight, strong technical programming and
design abilities, ingenuity, cleverness and imagination to write a
program that stands out above the rest."

PsL Nomination letter, Dec 1992 (Similar text also appears in PsL News)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEW 2 ------------ Registered User Endorsements --------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"I've been writing software professionally for over 15 years now and
I'm not easily impressed by the work of others.  When I am impressed,
as I am with PocketD, I don't mind recommending it to damn near
everyone I meet."

Jay Heyl, Orange County, California, Registered PocketD user and
President of RoboSoft Systems (Sep92).


"I saw an obscure reference to PocketD in a shareware catalog.
Intrigued, I ordered it for evaluation.  Imagine my surprise as it
blossomed into a truly indispensable tool on my system!  Never before
had I rushed to register so quickly.  Thank you for the best utility in
the world. It is a real pleasure to find a solid, professional,
polished piece of work like PocketD in an otherwise sterile PC
environment."

Tom Maynard, Hinckley, Illinois, Registered PocketD user. (Jan93)


"One of the most exciting programs I have discovered in the last 12
months is Pocketware's PocketD. PocketD is an extremely compact and
fast utility program for managing files and directories, and it
completely out-classes the many DOS commands such as COPY, XCOPY, MOVE,
RENAME, DIR, DEL and ATTRIB, to name but a few. Try it, you'll like it.
PocketD is destined to be a classic. I highly recommend it."

Bob Ainsbury, registered user and author of DOS 6 SECRETS (Apr93)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEW 3 ---------------- PC Plus September 1992 ----------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   Brief Encounters: Ray Girvin

   RANGE OF FEATURES:      * * * * *
   OVERALL SPEED:          * * * * *
   EASE OF USE:            * * *
   DOCUMENTATION:          * * * *
   PC PLUS VALUE VERDICT:  * * * * *

However attractive graphic MS-DOS front-ends may be, there are times
when working from the plain old C:> prompt is most efficient. For
instance, try matching the speed of an operation such as COPY
C:\SLMR\*.CNF A:\TEMP using Windows or the MS-DOS 5.0 shell.
   Nevertheless, MS-DOS has limitations, and a market has sprung up in
extensions to DOS, PocketWare's PocketD is a Shareware product likened
by its makers to one of those multi-purpose knives with tools for every
occasion. PocketD is based around a single 26k program, D.EXE. At its
simplest, this replaces the MS-DOS DIR command, but its function may be
modified by 120 command line arguments, not only to list but also copy,
move and delete files. So many options could become confusing, but
PocketD includes several levels of help including D /? for a
single-screen command list or D /?? to display the user guide. There's
also a demo and several ready-made (and useful) batch file examples.
   The basic D command provides a directory listing. Some functions are
very similar to MS-DOS. However, D gives several preset display formats
plus the option to customise display positions with a template command.
   PocketD provides an environment variable D_COL which you can SET
from MS-DOS to assign colours which can be used to highlight
sub-directories, or files with a specific extension.
   D normally lists files only in the current directory, but this can
be expanded to list inside sub-directories, inside popular archive
formats, or over your whole hard disk. You can also specify far sharper
search criteria than MS-DOS provides. For instance, PocketD will search
for files larger, smaller, or equal to a given size; read inside files
to find those containing a given string; or exclude particular file
specifications.
   To copy, move and or delete files, you modify D with /c, /m and /zz
arguments. The resulting commands may be stacked or the output piped to
other programs, and combined with its file search functions, this
option makes PocketD a very powerful tool for all types of disk
housekeeping. This is a compact and unusually versatile program.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEW 4 ----------------- PC Today, September 1992 -------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Cover Disk Notes (p14 & p58):   Lance Concannon

You'll soon forget about the Dos DIR command once you have tried
PocketD as it is many times more powerful.

PocketD is a small program which uses 25k of disk space, yet it has one
of the most cpmprehensive lists of features around. This program puts
an end to the cumbersome Dos wildcard system used by DIR.
   Imagine that you wanted a list of the executable files on your hard
disk containing the word MEMORY. There is no way on earth that Dos
couuld manage that, but PocketD just breezes through it.
   Disk cataloguing is just the tip of the iceberg as this program
includes a handy disk manager as well. The package is also capable of
recognising and viewing the contents of archives made by most of the
popular compression programs.
   A useful online help facility has been provided - there are so many
options, features and facilities it would be easy to get lost without
it. Using it is a piece of cake. PocketD must be the last word in Dos
utilities.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEW 5 ---------- Personal Computer World, December 1992 ------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   Hands On . Utilities : Karl Dallas

   Welcome to PocketD: a program that plugs the gaps in DOS without
   gobbling up your hard disk. With so many features it could get
   confusing. Karl Dallas is your guide.

Though it's a lot better these days, there's still plenty DOS can't do:
copying all but .EXE files, deleting all but files containing a certain
string, deleting subdirectories and all their contents with a single
command.
   Some of these omissions, the last one for intance, are just as well.
For I've come across a program that lets you zap everything from an
entire hard drive with a single command. Use with care!
   This program is PocketD (D.EXE for short) and is the brainchild of
Jeff Rollason, of the Department of Computing, Kings College, London.
He followed the classic shareware route, originallly writing it as a
utility to make his own life easier, then sharing it with a few
friends, and finally venturing into the commercial shareware market.
   PocketD is a directory lister, copying Program and File Manager. It
provides a powerful command-line facility for selecting files and
subdirectories from multiple drives and subdirectories, and displaying
copyinf and deleting or using them as parameters for execution
templates. PocketD also displays colour messages/menus and prompts the
user for input, returning the response for testing by 'If Errorlevel'.
   Like all shareware. it is constantly updated to keep up with the
requests or comments of users. These have been eight major versions
since it was first distributed in July last year, and it is now up to
version 1.67c, with revisions that include the ability to look inside
.ZOO, .LZH, .ARJ, .ARC, .ARC, .PKA AND .PAK as well as .ZIP files; a /s
'safe' switch to test whether the destination file is larger or much
smaller before copying; the opportunity to preview the contents of each
file before deciding to copy it; an option to delete subdirectories by
using the form

   dirname /zd

   and so on. As the documentation admits, the program is so fully
featured it can get confusing.

   Because of the 128-character limit of the DOS command line, the
program tends to use single character parameters, making it hard to
remember what does what, especially as the program is case-sensitive.
So D /w displays a directory in wide format, while D /W searches the
entire disk. At any time you can get three levels of on-line help:
typing D /? displays a single screen of info while D /?? accesses the
manual file and D /? followed by an instruction gives advice and
examples on how to use it. The on-line manuals are encrypted to prevent
users printing them, increasing the incentive for registration, but it
is quite easy to circumvent this if you pipe the output from the
display to either a printer or file.
   In addition, a number of batch files are supplied. For instance,
WHEREIS.BAT uses the command

   D /IWW@ %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9

   to search for files or directories matching the specified file
specifications; /I reinitialises any options which may have been set
with an environment variable; W searches the entire disk, and the
second W displays the filenames as soon as they are found.
   If you search for a non-existent file, it won't just display a sulky
File Not Found error, with no additional data, so you can use a command
like

   D C:#

   to display the space free on a drive. Either the header or footer
information can be displayed using the /h.1 or /h.2 parameters; the
default displays both.
   Unlike DOS, which requires you to specify the letters before an
asterisk wildcard and ignores everything you type in after it (so *.EXE
and *WORD.EXE are the same), D searches for the existence of a string
anywhere in a file name. So *WORD.EXE will find WINWORD.EXE as well as
WORD.EXE. A single asterisk will display filenames with and without
extensions, including directories; *. will only display names without
extensions like DOS.
   There is also a new '=' wildcard, allowing the type of character to
be specified, with lowercase meaning not the specified character:
either =D (any digit) or =d (anything except a digit); =A or =a
(alphabetic); =N or =n (alphanumeric), so *=D* will match any filename
with a digit in it. Printer, control or hexadecimal characters may also
be specified. The file spec .EXE is read as *.EXE, which saves typing
the asterisk.
   There is also a /- (minus) parameter, which means not anything that
follows, so

   D /- .EXE .COM

   will look for all files except those specified. You can also use the
simple /!E parameter, which will also ignore batch files and other
executables.
   Directory display parameters are much richer than in DOS: you can
display them in a wide format, using the /w switch, like DOS. The
difference is that D displays the size of each file in kilobytes. But
there are other parameters: /b (for best fit); /m (minimum, a scrolling
single line display); /t (tiny: actually a useful categorised list of
different types of files); and /n (name), which displays names only,
like the DOS DIR /W.
   When the display is more than will fill a single screen, the display
pauses by default and you can type 'y' or <PgDn> for the next screen
and 'a' for automatic (scrolling) display without pauses, and even
shell out to DOS by pressing the exclamation point, returning to the
directory display with 'Exit' in the usual DOS manner.
   You can have a multi-coloured display, without recourse to the
complexities of ANSI.SYS. the program uses an environment variable
called D_COL, and the eight VGA colours can be set to different kinds
of files or other information. For instance, the following command will
show .INI files in blue; .BMP files in green; .PLY files in cyan; .GRP
files in magenta and .TXT files in yellow.

   SET D_COL=:B.INI:G.BMP:C.PLT:M.GRP:Y.TXT

   The results can be colourful, but if they are too garish, change the
colour letters from uppercase to lowercase and they'll be muted.
Seriously though, using colour to distinguish executables from data
files makes a lot of sense. Colour options are demonstrated in
DEMO.BAT, which also includes a wide range of other things D can do.
   Another interesting supplied example is DELBUT.BAT, which deletes
everything but the specified files, using the command

   D /IFzz-  %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9

   This introduces you to D's most terrifying command: the double z (or
double zap), which deletes everything without warning. A worse example
of this is /Szzz, which goes through all subdirectories as well: type
in the following command from the root directory, for instance, and you
will wipe your hard disk, removing hidden and system files as well as
directories:

   D /Szzz

   More usefully (and safely), you can go through an entire disk and
delete temporary files using the command

   D /WFzz *.TMP

   You can insert multiple parameters, so you can also use this command
to look for and delete Windows temporary files beginning with a tilde
(~), which are supposed to be deleted every time Windows closes but
seem to crop up all over my system:

   D /WFzz *.TMP ~*.*

   The final asterisk is actually unnecessary, and ~* would work
equally well, but when deleting I always prefer to type in a couple of
extra characters rather than get it wrong. To do this for multiple
drives, you must specify them before the parameters of what you want
done to them, so

   D C: D: /WFzz *.TMP ~*.*

   means fisrt let D look at drives C: and D: and then check the whole
(/W) of each disk for files (F), zapping (z) without options (second z)
any files called *.TMP or ~*.*
   The program performs very sophisticated copying, which lets you
prevent the copying overwriting newer or larger versions of the same
files. This can be accomplished with the following command:

   D source /Fccuv destination

   As we've seen, the /F applies the next instruction to files; the
first c means copy, the second one means continuous (i.e. don't
prompt), u (update) means only copy newer files, and v means verify
after copying. It is also possible to insert the /i parameter, which
will ignore files that may be in use (for instance, on a network) and
(with /o) will return to them later. There is an s (safe) parameter for
which variations of size can be programmed into the command, with
percentages, so that /s.50-150 sets the percentage variation between 50
and 150%, and /s0-100 would only copy if the file to be copied were
larger than the existing one. No such options exist with DOS COPY,
though XCOPY lets you specify a date parameter.
   In addition to copying, D will move files. While DOS doesn't have a
specific move command, I have created a DOSKEY batch file to do it:

   DOSKEY $2 /V $T DEL $I

   This works quite well but requires DOSKEY to be resident, which uses
memory, and you have to have MSDOS 5.0. If you are moving files within
a single drive (requiring only a simple adjustment of the directory
with no physical moving of the data), D is much faster. the command is
very simple:

   D source /cm destination

   Even with its abbreviated commands, D can run out of space on the
DOS command line if you are inputting very complicated instructions.
You can extend this by creating environment variables for D templates
within square brackets and placing the variable after the D command and
a forward slash, so a variable called z26 would be included in a
command line as D :z26. It is also possible to pipe a list of filenames
to be processed by the '<' character, so

   D <zaplist /zz

   would delete the files listed in that file.

   the program's templates are extremely powerful and allow it to be
linked with other executables. For instance the command

   D *.TXT [EDIT $w]R

   will successively open any text files it finds under the MSDOS
editor. If the letter 'q' was added at the end of the command, it would
ask before opening the editor. Just to look at files (to verify, for
instance, that they are the ones you are looking for), list these with
the /l parameter.
   You can use D to search for text strings, in programs as well as
text files. all you need to do is type

   D /"text"

   and it will look for the specified string. Thus, you could search
for a given string and either edit it or just list it to the screen.
searching can be conducted within zipped or other archived files,
though this is done with a little cheating: namely decompressing the
file with PKUNZIP. This uses the ability to run a program by enclosing
it in square brackets followed by an R (run) parameter, then deleting
the decompressed file after the search is complete.
   D also includes one of the most powerful menuing systems I have come
across, prompting the user for input, displaying options in different
colours and branching within a batch file.
   Here is the sort of syntax you might use:

   D /Yyn?_ /'//@tProceed (Y or N) ?'

   The initial /Y parameter waits for input, and the following two
letters define the options; the <ESC> key always aborts, so isn't a
listed option. The @t string inserts a tab, and the forward slash
characters insert linefeeds.
   There is full support for Errorlevel checking, and it is much easier
to use than the DOS version, which will only return 0 (no error) or >0
(error), unless you have a third party program to define what different
numbers mean.
   For instance, if the parameters are specified as /Yq1d, then
Errorlevel 1 could direct the user to load a word processor, 2 for
1-2-3, and 3 for dBase. The menu could be displayed with the total
command

  D /Yq1d /'/Press the appropriate key for ://Word processing (press w)
  //1-2-3 (press 1)//dBase (press d)/'

   The double slash inputs two linefeeds. The initial letter of each
option could be coloured: for instance '&RW&word processing' would
display the capital W in bright red, and revert to muted white for the
remainder of the option.
   In short, D is wonderful. It can even be used, Jeff claims, as a
substitute for Make, but not being that sort of a programmer, I haven't
checked this. The learning curve is quite steep at first, and despite
what the documentation says, the order of syntax is quite important.
True,

   D C: /W *.TXT

is the same as

   D /W C: *.TXT

but

   D *.TXT /ccW D:

will give you an error. If you want to copy all the text files in the
current drive to the D drive, then you have to put the W (whole drive)
parameter first, thus:

   D *.TXT /Wcc D:

   I've saved the nicest thing about D till last: its tiny memory
overhead. Unlike most DOS extenders (like the excellent 4DOS), D is not
memory-resident. It uses just 65k each time it runs, and occupies less
than half a megabyte on your hard disk. But you just invoke it whenever
you need it.
   D works under MSDOS and PCDOS 2.0 or later, Windows 3.0 and
DESQview.
   it is available as shareware for the price of downloading from a
number of BBSs, but as well as a much better manual, with more worked
examples, there is more functionallity in the registered version
especially if you are working with large drives or networks. The
shareware version of D can scan any number of files and directories but
unless you can use the /r (recursive), /e (extension summary) or /j
(just names) switches, it will not list more than 1500 of them. the
registered version includes DL.EXE (a larger and slighly slower
version) which can handle 10,000 names. There is a copy of PocketD on
this month's cover disk.

PocketD is £19+£2 P&P (£29 commercial) with a 110-page manual from
PocketWare, BOX 2369, London NW4 1NR, tel [phone].


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEW 6 ------------- PsL News February 1992 -------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

              PICKS OF THE MONTH
An in-depth look at some of the most interesting new programs of the
month.

PocketD 1.34 (PocketWare,ASP;$30;U1-11:#4033)

   PocketD is a file utility built around a sorted directory lister. It
is smaller than many other file utilities, but jam-packed with
features.
   For starters, as a "simple" directory lister, you can select colors
for color-coding classes of files. You can choose a two-column display
that shows all the directory info, a four-column display of file names
and size in Kbytes, a six-column display of just file names, and a
really compact display in which file names are grouped by file
extension.
   A best-fit option will select the display format that lets you see
the most information and still see all the file names on the screen at
once, if possible.
   You can choose to see the contents of each subdirectory below the
current directory. You can also choose date display format, to keep
extensions in a column or immediately after the file name, to use upper
- or lowercase, and to sort by columns or rows.
   Another nifty option is a one-column listing of files with a
horizontal bar chart of relative file sizes off to the right. Another
unique display option is to see the amount of memory any program files
would take to run.
   It will also undicate which files, if any, have been compressed with
a utility such as LZEXE and PKLITE.
   If that isn't enough, you can use up to 40 different command line
parameters to precisely define how you want file listings to be
displayed.

You can also use the templates, to execute selected files. For example:

     D /e [LHA a $n $f.*]R

tells PocketD ("D" is the actual file name) to Run LHArc and create an
LZH archive file for each distinct file name and to add all files with
that name and with any extension.

For example, if the files MYFILE.EXE, MFILE.DOC, YOURFILE.COM,
YOURFILE.TXT are in a directory, the command above would be the
equivalent of manually entering the following two lines:

     LHA a MYFILE MYFILE.EXE MYFILE.DOC
     LHA a YOURFILE YOURFILE.COM YOURFILE.TXT

PocketD can also run multiple commands by putting "//" between them,
such as

     D /e [MD $e//COPY *.$e $e]R

   The "$e" is a "wildcard" for file extensions. The above line would
make a directory for each different file name extension in the current
directory, then it would copy all files with that extension into the
matching directory. It is the equivalent of manually entering the
following for each extension:

     MD EXE
     COPY *.EXE EXE

   PocketD also has a very powerful wildcard feature, as well as being
able to use multiple file masks on the command line with include or
exclude flags. For example,

     D *O*T*.EXE /- A*

   will display all files with an "O" and a "T" in the name AND any
files with an extension of "EXE", but not any files that start with
"A".

   Despite the amount of space we have spent on PocketD, we have only
scratched the surface. Naturally, you can't expect to remember all of
the program's parameters, so you will appreciate PocketD's extensive
help system, which can be called up in various levels of detail.

   But to avoid having to hassle with help screens, you are going to
want to set up batch files for various tasks with all the parameters
already set up. Several such batch files come with the program.

   Even better than batch files are keyboard alias programs, such as
Chris Dunford's CED or others on disk #1346 in U2-04 of the Listing.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEW 7 ------------- Shareware Shopper June 1992 --------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

             "The DOS army knife"

   Jack Zanetti opens up a compact set of PC tools meant for those who
   prefer to work at the DOS level.

   PRODUCT:    PocketD v1.34

   CHECK OUT:
   ---------
   EASE OF USE:        * * *
   RANGE OF FEATURES:  * * * * *
   DOCUMENTATION:      * * * * *
   VALUE:              * * * * *
   OVERALL:            * * * *

The shareware and PD markets have proven to be fertile soil for DOS
utilities, and file and disk managers have been the major crop from the
start. Tools for improving on MSDOS' internal commands are now quite
literally 10 a penny, given that a high percentage of them come free,
and that shareware models are dirt cheap.
  Many of these tools present graphic front-ends and/or point-and-shoot
operations. There really is no more need for the DOS user to type even
a straightforward command such as COPY. With one of the many file
managers available, all you have to do is take a highlight bar to a
filename listed in a window below a graphic representation of your
directory structure, highlight the target directory, and give the
go-ahead.
   There remains, however, a significant proportion of PC users who
still work from the DOS prompt whenever possible, and for a number of
reasons. One, no doubt, is habit, but others are flexibility and speed.
Menu-driven file/disk managers tend to be aimed at the occasional user
or the user who doesn't want advanced features.
   And it takes time to load a point-and-shoot file manager, so if all
you want to do is delete or copy a few files, it's hardly worth it.
   It's true that you can make typing errors when entering commands at
the keyboard, which slows you down. But with command-history editors
such as Dosedit, Ced, Anarkey or Doskey (the latter is bundled with DOS
5), those errors are minimised because you can edit previous commands,
Indeed, being able to edit commands makes working at the level of the
operating system even faster than otherwise even if you're a perfect
copy typist.
   But most of the people I know who prefer to work from the DOS
prompt, also use some sort of DOS enhancer, the likes of DX, DI, ZDIR,
DTA, PCOPY and WHEREIS.
   PocketD is one such enhancer, but it stands out because it's small
but offers an enormous range of features. It provides over 120 options
for file and disk housekeeping, yet its EXE file is only 25k. Other
files - the on-disk manual, the very good Help system covering each
option, and so on - bump this figure up, but if you're short of disk
space these can be deleted once the PocketD command set, or the part of
it you really need, has been learned.
   PocketD is, then, a highly compact program for use as an extension
to DOS commands, and for building up libraries of customised commands
and batch files for particular requirements.

                  TAILOR MADE

In addition to the normal commands found in most similar programs,
PocketD offers such things as copy/move to multiple disks,
copy/move/rename files selected by multiple criteria, modify any file
attribute, view a file as text or hex, search inside and view the
contents of an archived file (all the standard archivers are
supported), search binary or text files for the presence or absence of
character strings, sort files on any of six criteria and display them
by row, column and differentiated by colour, and display the execution
size of a program.
   Equally importantly for the advanced DOS user - whether writing for
his/her own benefit or that of novice users - PocketD has a wide range
of customising options.
   This means that it's possible to enter a command string which, for
instance, takes all files archived with a specific archiver on one
drive, and decompresses each of them into its own subdirectory on
another drive.
   There are a few other programs which will let you do that without
repeated keystrokes - its a typical operation for someone who buys lots
of shareware and PD disks - but there aren't many which also allow you
to preview such commands before you commit yourself to them, and few
offer the versatility of PocketD in customising them precisely to your
needs.
   What's more, a macro (template) can easily be created out of such
commands so that they're executable at any time at the DOS prompt, as
well as batch scripts for multiple commands with, if necessary, user
prompts.
   Of course, the more powerful a program, the harder it is to use, so
every effort has been made in PocketD to keep life as uncomplicated as
possible while maintaining flexibility.
   A good example is the fact that command parameters can be placed in
any order on the command line, and in any position - you're not limited
to putting them at the beginning or end of filespecs, as you are with
many equivalent programs.
   In addition, command lines tend to be shorter in PocketD than in the
competition. An example taken from the Help system illustrates this
perfectly. A program like Econosoft's Dx can perform an operation such
as selecting all files less than or equal to 2,000 bytes modified
today. The command line would be:

   DX /AT:d- /SI:0:2000 /SIN:y

The same command in PocketD is expressed as:

   D /F{2000T

   As well as its internal command set, PocketD comes with a number of
ready-written batch files for common operations - well, at least,
common for advanced DOS users. Each has its attached Help system,
brought up in DOS style by adding a /? parameter.
   The supplied batch files cover operations such as clearing or
setting all file attributes, deleting everything in a directory except
particular filespecs, searching for subdirectory matching, changing the
date and/or time stamp of files, searching an entire disk for
particular files (the equivalent of Whereis or Filefind), and showing
the subdirectory from which a program will run if executed.

                  WILD THINGS

PocketD offers a wildcard system which improves considerably on that of
MSDOS, which is not only severely limited but actually uses a slightly
different system for each of its COPY, DIR and RENAME commands.
   In PocketD, * matches any sequence of characters, including a full
stop and zero-length strings, and ? matches any one character exactly,
again including a full stop which DOS treats as a special character.
Essentially, in PocketD you can concoct just about any file-matching
criteria you wish, both including and excluding filenames to any degree
of complexity.

                  CONCLUSIONS

The author of PocketD describes it as the DOS user's equivalent of the
Swiss Army knife. He's right, and it's one of those models that's wider
than it's long.
   Space doesn't allow me to detail all PocketD's functions, but if
you're used to command-line file/disk managers or tend to work with
DOS' internal commands, you'll get an idea of its power when I say that
PocketD will search to a specified directory depth, copy and move empty
sub-directories, provide full reports on a destination file (older,
newer, much older, different size, or identical), check a destination
disk for adequate space before copying or moving, puase if a disk
becomes full and prompt for a new disk to be inserted or allow access
to DOS, and so forth.
   PocketD's main competitor in terms of a comparison of features is
DX. The latter is in some ways more powerful, offering for example
file-compare tools which PocketD does not support. On the other hand,
PocketD supports UK and US date formats, and full string searches which
DX does not. And of course, PocketD is a much smaller program.
   It should therefore appeal to laptop users who require a DOS utility
which takes up the minimum of disk space while offering high
functionality. But it will also be of considerable interest to network
administrators (like the author of the program) who need to automate
complex operations on groups of files, and anybody who wants a powerful
tool for producing colour-coded directory listings.
   Registration gets rid of a banner which comes up 3 per cent of the
time as you load the program. It also gets you three free upgrades as
they appear, an additional large-memory version which can build lists
of up to 10,000 filenames for multiple copying (PocketD is limited to
about 1,300, though it can scan any number of files), 25 documented
examples of PocketD applications, and many other extra utilities.

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REVIEW 8 ----------- Shareware Magazine Jul/Aug 1992 ------------------
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  PocketD v1.59

Some people have felt the MS-DOS directory or "DIR" command is
inadequate because they want more than the standard filename, size, and
date information than (sic) is normally displayed. To solve this
shortcoming, a number of replacement DIR programs have been created that
display all sorts of useful information about your files.  The stealth
bomber of these replacement DIR programs has to be PocketD!

PocketD is a directory listing and file management program with more
features than I could ever possibly describe. Its DIR or directory
listing features let you slice and dice the way the file names are
dipslayed on the screen in unlimited ways.  For instance: it can display
files with the related files presented in matching colors; it can
display the files in a directory, the sub directories in that directory,
and the files in the sub directories -- all at the same time; it can sort
and display filenames in rows, columns, omit extensions, or group files
in special ways; it can display file sizes with bar graphs; and also
notify you as to which files are compressed and what method was used to
compress them. I assure you, this is a _very_ brief list of its
features.

It also includes a number of file management features including expanded
versions of most DOS commands like COPY, REN, and DEL. It includes a
file viewer; a file locator; a text locator that searches though (sic)
all files, and the ability to search and view the contents of compressed
files (all major compression routines are supported).

Its template function is probably its most unique feature. This provides
the same function as DOS batch programs. You can create a template to
take control and execute programs or automate repetitive tasks. For
instance: D /WR *.GIF [GIFVIEW $] [COPY $W A: // PKZIP SAVE$W]

This command will search the whole disk for graphic GIF files, let you
view these files with the GIFVIEW program, let you choose the ones that
you want to copy to drive A:, and automatically adds them to the PKZIP
compressed file, SAVE.ZIP. WOW! That's an impressive automation of a lot
of DOS keystrokes.

While not everyone performs these types of complex operations, these are
the sort of things that makes PocketD unique and very useful. But if you
have lots of files and perform lots of DOS operations, DIR and DOS
commands replacements like PocketD are of limited value. DOS commands are
best done with a file management program (DOS Shell) like Disk Navigator
or Wyndshell. They let you point and shoot your DOS file operations and
not force you to type commands and filenames from the command line. This
is much faster and reduces errors.

PocketD's stealth factor comes in that it has so many features and is so
darn complex, that you need to be a power user with some pretty
sophisticated needs to find it worthwhile. The good news is that it does
everything; the bad news is that you have to figure out how to get it to
do what you want. It comes fully documented, but it is most useful to
the sophisticated user.
No special requirements.
Registration fee: $35
Pocketware
>ASP Member

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REVIEW 9 ----------------- PC Home Jan 1993 ---------------------------
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Subscriber's Disk:

"PocketD: a small program with an incredible list of features. This
will help you out with those day-to-day tasks that can be so time
consuming when using DOS. Ideal for those with less powerful machines
or who do not like Windows and large file managers. It is well worth
reading the accompanying files to find out its full capabilities"