TPUG - Toronto PET Users Group/TPUG Users Group CD/TPUG Users Group CD.iso/AMIGA/AMICUS/AMIBEST4.ADF/du4.3/DirUtil.doc

Text File | 1987-07-22 | 19KB | 409 lines

Summary of new features in 4.3:
  --fixed small bugs in Type and Hextype
  --renamed "Delete Files" as "Zap Files" for safety (it's placed in an
    out-of-the-way corner)
  --If no file is clicked, Edit tries to edit whatever is in the R gadget;
    if that's blank, it runs anyway.
  --If no file is clicked, Run tries to run whatever is in the R gadget.
    Run can be "cycled"--it either runs the clicked file and passes R as
    an argument (the old way), or it runs the R gadget and passes the
    clicked file as an argument.
    Run is now much more flexible and useful!
  --I deleted 6 lines of C source relating to argc/argv and the final
    program size dropped by 2000 bytes!!  Scary stuff, kids!

DirUtil 4.3 and these instructions are by
    Charles Tyson -- C-M-T on PeopleLink;
                     C.TYSON on GEnie;
                     Charles Tyson on FAUG BBS (415-595-2479)

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                           DIRUTIL version 4.3
                    Original Version by Chris Nicotra
               Revisions/Enhancements/Fixes by Dave Jobusch,
               Rich Medved, Nathan Barber and Charles Tyson

Words of wisdom from a hacker of old:
       "This program is in the public domain. That means you can't
        sell the damn thing to anyone, and furthermore, I doubt
        you'd get much for it."

Overview:

  DirUtil helps you maintain and manipulate the files on your disks (and in
  RAM) without having to remember the syntax of all the CLI commands.  It
  allows you to conveniently copy, delete and move groups of files with a
  single operation.  Remember those wonderful "kitchen magician" appliances
  that did everything--sliced, diced and figured your taxes?  Well, DirUtil
  is one of those.

  DirUtil is designed to be run mostly with mouseclicks, and the display is
  laid out for convenient mousing around.  The display consists of two
  windows and several gadgets.  On the left is the File Window.  Here you
  will see the names of all files and subdirectories in the current
  directory, listed alphabetically.  If there are more files than can fit
  in the window, use the long scrollbar (in the center of the screen, just
  right of the file window) to see the remaining files.

  On the right is the Command Area.  Here you see what DirUtil can do with
  your files.  At the top are six rectangular gadgets naming the common
  devices (file storage areas) such as DF0:, DH0: and RAM:.  Below that is
  a window with two columns of commands, listed alphabetically.  If there are
  more than 22 commands in your version, the short scrollbar (just to the
  left of the command window) will let you see the others.

  Below the command window are three string gadgets labelled R, S and D.
  These are used to display certain information to you, such as the identity
  of the directory that DirUtil is working on.  You will also be using these
  gadgets to give DirUtil more information about your commands.  There is a
  fourth string gadget at the bottom of the display (where it says "O.K.").
  It is used by DirUtil to send error messages.

Instructions:

  You can start DirUtil from CLI (type "run dirutil") or by clicking on its
  icon.

  In the basic DirUtil operation, you select one or more files in the File
  Window by clicking on them with the left mouse button.  Then you click on
  the appropriate command in the Command Window.  DirUtil carries out the
  command and waits for another.

  When DirUtil begins, it is looking at the files in RAM:.  If you have no
  files there, the File Window will be blank.  There are two ways to bring
  files into the File Window.  First, you can click on one of the gadgets
  above the Command Window.  When you click on "DF0:" for example,
  DirUtil reads the directory of the disk in Drive 0 and displays it in the
  File Window.  Click on another device and its files will replace those of
  Drive 0.  Note that file names are displayed in white--directories are in
  yellow.  The files contained within directories are not displayed (we'll
  get to that in a moment).

  When you click on a gadget, the gadget's name appears in the string gadget
  marked S.  This is the "current directory" for DirUtil--it tells you where
  the files in the File Window are located.  The second way you can get
  files to appear in the File Window is by typing an AmigaDOS directory name
  into the S gadget, then pressing RETURN.  Typing "df1:" into S is the same
  as clicking on the DF1: gadget.

  Suppose you see a directory called "Utilities" on the display for DF0:,
  and you want to know what files and subdirectories it contains.  The easy
  way is to doubleclick on the "Utilities" line in the File Window.  The
  S gadget changes to "df0:Utilities" and the files within Utilities are
  shown in the File Window, ready for DirUtil to work on.  The same result
  can be achieved by typing the full pathname into S (click within the S
  gadge  to get a cursor; position the cursor after "df0:" and type
  "utilities"; press RETURN).

  When you click on a file or directory, it is "selected," and its name is
  printed in inverse color.  Click on it again, and it de-selects:  its
  colors return to normal.  You can select many files at once, but no more
  than one directory at a time.  (You can also select a combination of
  several files and one directory).  Note that a file may be selected even
  though its name has scrolled out of the File Window.  After DirUtil
  executes a command, all files and directories are deselected.

  With that, you should have enough knowledge to start using DirUtil.  What
  follows is a list of all commands.  Note that some commands work only on
  files; some work only on directories; some work on both.  A few commands
  require you to enter information in the D or R gadgets.

  Several of the commands in DirUtil II 4.2 depend on external programs, and
  won't work if you don't have those programs in your C: directory.  The
  commands are Edit, Show and Unarc.  Suitable programs for all three
  commands are in the public domain.

DF0:
DF1:
DF2:
DH0:
RAM:
VD0:

  Clicking on these gadgets means "set the current directory (S) to the root
  directory of this device."  The root directory is the uppermost level of
  files.  These commands do not require you to make any selection from the
  File Window, of course.

  You may not own all the devices listed.  If you click on one you don't
  have, you'll get a harmless system requester.  Click on the requester's
  "Cancel" box to make it go away.

  When DirUtil begins, its current directory is always RAM:.

  If you have a device for which no gadget exists, you can only access it by
  typing its name into the S gadget.

Clear all

  This is a fast way of deselecting all selected (highlighted) files.
  It is the complement to "Select all" (described below).

Copy files to D

  This works on files only.  It copies file(s) into the directory specified
  in the D gadget.  Before clicking on the command, you must click
  on the D gadget and enter an existing directory name different from the
  directory listed in S.  If no device name is included, the destination
  directory is assumed to be on the same device as the current directory.
  Do not put a slash at the end of the pathname given in D.

  Don't confuse this with the DOS copy command, where you can specify the
  new name of the copied file.  DirUtil's copies have the same name as the
  originals, and must end up in a different directory.

Cycle file<->R
  When you click on this command, notice that the "Run" command changes
  from "Run file + R" to "Run R + file" and back.  For an explanation of
  what this means, see the Run command below.

Delete dir

  This command will delete ONE highlighted directory.  The directory must
  be empty, i.e. contain no files.  It won't work if the selected directory
  happens to be the AmigaDOS current directory.

Delete files

  This command, present in earlier versions of DirUtil, has been renamed
  "Zap files."  That places it in the corner of the command window where it
  is less likely to be hit by accident.  See Zap Files below.

Edit a file

  Again, for files only.  It supposes you have a file editor program named
  "E" in your C: directory.  If that program exists, it will be loaded into
  memory and will be commanded to edit the first selected file.  As soon as
  the editor starts up, DirUtil is free to do other tasks.

  You can, in theory, use any editor program as long as you rename it "E"
  and put it in the C: directory.  But if the editor doesn't create its own
  editing window (e.g. the Amiga ED program), it may not be able to work with
  DirUtil.

  The command RUN in the C: directory must be present when this command is
  chosen.

  In version 4.3:  if no filename is highlighted but there is something in
  the R gadget, DirUtil interprets R as a filename and tries to edit it.
  If there is nothing in R, the Editor comes up without attempting to load
  any file.  (Some editors may complain in this case--Commodore's Edit,
  which probably doesn't work with DirUtil anyway, must be called with a
  filename or it aborts with an error).

Hex type files

  This command is like the CLI command "Type opt h".  It displays a file as
  a combination of hexadecimal numbers and the associated ASCII characters.

Info on S & D

  Nothing in the File Window need be selected.  This command displays the
  number of unused bytes on the S and D devices.  You should check this
  before copying to D.

  If D is blank, the report for D will be meaningless.  Note that RAM: always
  reports "0 bytes free," because the ramdisk only uses as much memory as it
  needs for the moment.

MakeDir named D

  MakeDir creates a single subdirectory with the name given in gadget D.
  If a path name is given, the directory can be on another device or within
  another directory; otherwise the new directory is added to the current
  directory.  Nothing need be selected in the File Window.

Move files to D

  This command works with files, a directory, of a combination thereof.
  D should contain the name of an existing directory or subdirectory on the
  current device; if D is blank, selections will be moved to the root
  directory.

  The selected files are not copied, they are only relocated to a different
  directory on the same device.  This is like picking up icons and dropping
  them into different drawers on the Workbench.

Parent dir

  This command moves you up one level in the hierarchy of directories.  If
  you are in the root directory, nothing happens.

Print textfiles

  This causes text files to be printed on your printer.  Using this command
  with binary (program) files is not advised.  DirUtil uses the PRT: device
  to execute this command, so you may have to insert your Workbench disk to
  get any results.

Rename as D

  This command renames one file or directory.  If only a name is given
  in D, the renamed file stays in the same directory.  If a path name is
  given as well, the file can move while it is being renamed.  But it must
  remain on the same device.

Root dir

  The root is the highest directory level.  This command takes you
  immediately to the root, bypassing any intermediate directory levels
  (cf. Parent directory above)

Run program + R

  Run allows you to start another program from within DirUtil, as though
  you had typed "RUN <programname>" from CLI.  If the R gadget contains
  a string, that string is passed along to the program.  (Example:  from
  CLI you might edit a file by typing "RUN ED DF1:TEXTFILE".  From DirUtil,
  you could type "DF1:TEXTFILE" into gadget R, click on ED in the File
  Window, and click on Run in the Command Window).

  New to 4.3:  The first paragraph describes the default situation, when
  the command reads "Run file + R".  If you click the Cycle command, the
  command changes to "Run R + file".  Now the Run commands means "Run the
  program in the R gadget and pass it the first highlighted file as an
  argument."

  New to 4.3:  If no file is highlighted, DirUtil attempts to RUN whatever
  is in the R gadget.  It will search the current path for the file.  With
  this option you can type almost any CLI command into the R gadget and
  execute it.  (A very handy example is to ECHO >PRT: "[setup codes]"
  before using the Print Textfiles command--e.g. to turn boldface on or
  off, replace [setup codes] with ESC[1m or ESC[0m.  Need I say that ESC
  means press the ESC key once; don't type E-S-C?)

  These changes make Run a very versatile command and will save you a lot
  of directory swapping.

  If the program produces its own screen or window, that will appear and
  be used as the input/output area.  Some programs (e.g. those in the C
  directory) don't make their own output windows.  If DirUtil was started
  from CLI, these programs will (I hope) send their output to that CLI.  If
  DirUtil was started from its icon, the output will (if we're lucky) go to
  the funny little window that sits behind DirUtil.

  The program RUN in the C: directory must be present when this command is
  chosen.  Run only works on the first highlighted file--otherwise you
  might spawn so many new programs that you'd run out of memory.

  It's only fair to warn you that some programs flatly refuse to Run!
  Two important CLI commands that don't work are PATH and CD.  As far as
  DirUtil is concerned, CD is what's in the S gadget.  It ignores the CD
  of the CLI window it was started from.  DirUtil's PATH is the path it
  inherited from its CLI, and it can't be changed once DirUtil starts.
  Worse, if DirUtil is started from the icon, its path is just Current
  Directory (S gadget) -- C directory.  That's it.

Search for R

  DirUtil will search the selected file(s) for a string of up to 60
  characters given in R.  The match must be exact--uppercase and lowercase
  are distinguished.

  If the string contains a backslash character (\), the next two characters
  are assumed to be hexadecimal digits representing a single character with
  that hex value.

  If DirUtil can allocate enough memory, it performs a FAST search, which
  is announced on the screen.  If it is forced into a SLOW search, you can
  abort by pressing the ESC key.

Select all

  This is the converse of the Clear selections command.  It selects all the
  files in the current directory, even those whose names have scrolled off
  the top or bottom of the File Window.  After selecting all, you are still
  free to deselect individual files by clicking on their highlighted names.

Show pictures

  For this command to work, you must have a program such as "Show" or
  "Showall," one of the public domain programs that display Amiga pictures.
  The program must be renamed "Show" and placed in your C: directory.

  DirUtil is "frozen" while pictures are being shown.  To escape from viewing
  a series of pictures, see the procedure mentioned under "Zap files."

Swap S & D

  This exchanges the contents of the S and D gadgets and adjusts the File
  Window to match.  If D is blank, the root of the current directory is
  made current.  If D doesn't properly describe a directory path, DirUtil
  will retreat to the previous S directory or to RAM:.

Total bytes

  Use this command to get a count of the total bytes in all selected files.
  It won't work on directories.

Type textfiles

  This command prints selected text file(s) to the screen (cf. Print files).
  For non-text files use the "Hex type files" command.  Both type commands
  pause after a screenful of text has been displayed; press the spacebar to
  proceed to the next page.  You can't move back to a previous page.  The
  return key causes line-by-line scrolling.  The ESC key ends viewing of the
  current file.

UnARC a file

  For this command to work, you must have the public domain "UnARC" program
  in your C: directory.  The resulting unarced files usually appear in the
  same directory with the .ARC file, but sometimes they wander off to another
  device...I don't know why.  Unarc only works on the first highlighted file
  (this is to prevent overflowing your disk).

Zap files

  This works only on files, and does just what it says--zaps 'em!  Because
  of the evident risks of this command, you must click twice to begin a
  Delete.  The two clicks must be over the Delete command and within a short
  period of time, just as though you were doubleclicking on an icon.

  There is a way to abort the delete command (or any DirUtil command that
  works on more than one file):  move the mouse into the File Window and
  click there.  If DirUtil hasn't already deleted everything, it will stop.

A few words on customizing:

  There are two things about DirUtil you might want to change:  the name of
  the editor, and the list of gadgets at the top.  To do this, you must have
  an editor that can handle binary files.  Commodore's ED won't do; EDIT
  might work but you need to specify a longer line length than the default.
  I've heard that Filezap, a PD editor, works fine.  I use a commercial
  editor, TxEd, myself.

  The critical point to remember is that you must REPLACE bytes, not add or
  subtract them.  Your edited version of DirUtil must be exactly as long as
  the original or it won't run.

  If you intend to try this, MAKE A BACKUP COPY FIRST!!!

  Changing the editor:  search DirUtil for the string "run >nil: e".  You
  should find only one occurence.  "e" will be followed by seven spaces,
  so your new editor name can be up to eight characters long.  If you don't
  keep your editor in the C: directory (you really should), you may have to
  squeeze in a device:directory/ as well as the name.

  Changing devices:  Suppose you don't have a hard drive (I don't!) so you
  don't need DH0:.  But you do have a fourth floppy drive (I don't!) called
  DF3:.  Search DirUtil for the string "DH0:".  You'll find it twice--once
  in capitals, once in lowercase.  The first is the gadget text, the second
  is part of the command to switch devices.  Change both to DF3:, save the
  file, and DF3: should appear in future.

  (Note:  the word "ram:" appears several times in DirUtil...better leave
  that device alone!)

Finally, a bug report:

  The "Run program" command won't work if there are selected filename
  contains spaces.  As soon as the CLI RUN command sees the space, it thinks
  the filename is finished.  The same thing would happen if you tried to run
  the program from CLI--the solution there would be to enclose the filename
  in quotes.  I tried some easy fixes to this but other problems came up,
  so I have elevated this from a Bug to a Feature.  Man was not meant to
  embed spaces in filenames, and DirUtil punishes him if he transgresses.