This Read Me contains only the most essential information, as most documentation has been moved into the online help implemented in File Buddy 3.1.1. Access it from the System 7 Help menu.
Registration information is now found at the end of this document. Please read it.
Version 3.1.1:
You can now set a default button in the File List window by dragging the black bar under the current default button until it is under the desired button.
If File Buddy launches and sees that its name is ÒFind FileÓ, it goes into a special mode in which it ignores the launch option set in the Preferences dialog and automatically opens the Find window at launch. Thereafter, anytime File Buddy comes to the foreground, it will reopen the Find window if it has been closed. This facilitates replacing System 7.5's Find File utility with File Buddy.
When creating a small icon for something, you can now specify where you want it located. You can use this to put up to 4 small icons in the space normally used by one large icon.
Fixed a bug that kept files in the file list from being updated when they were changed. As a side affect, this fixed a bug that could cause File Buddy to report empties that had been flagged to not be reported. If you have flagged items to be ignored in a scan for empties, recommend you clear them with the Clear Flagged Set button the next time you scan.
Fixed a bug that slowed the Check Aliases function to a crawl.
Fixed a bug that kept tabs from separating some fields when using Save List to File... and Save Selection to File....
Version 3.1:
There is now a preference to use a larger version of the Get Info dialog on monitors larger than 610x384.
The preferences in the Preferences dialog are now viewed by group to reduce clutter.
There is now an Exact mode for searching the contents of files during a Find. This should allow users of 2-byte scripts like Kanji to search file contents.
Fixed a bug in the Find that kept File Buddy from finding files during certain name-based finds.
All online help is now contained in a separate file called 'File Buddy Help' and contains more topics. File Buddy will only be able to find it if it resides in the same folder as File Buddy and the name is not changed. The helps can now be exported as SimpleText files, and there is a Go Back button.
Fixed a bug that caused a crash for some users when printing the registration form.
Added the Balloon Help for Find Resources and Find Empties dialog boxes.
A couple of minor bugs fixed.
Contrary to an earlier prediction, the PPC native version will have to wait a bit. I felt some of the bugs fixed in this version needed to be released without waiting for that. It is in the works, however.
WhatÕs New in 3.0:
File finding now runs in two modes: faster, and more responsive. See the Preferences topic in the online help for more details.
Along with the other settings saved when a Find is started, the drives being searched are now also saved, and will be marked in the drives menu when the Find window comes up again. Added an alert if you try to do a Find with no drives selected.
There is a "Don't search disks whose names start with" preference you can use to get File Buddy to ignore audio CDs.
The functionality of the Fewer/More Options button in the Find window is now available in a menu, and there is a command key for it.
There are new options in the Name and Only report/Don't report popups in the expanded Find window.
Finding is faster with some options.
The Set Date dialog can now be accessed from the Get Info dialog by simply double-clicking the date you wish to change.
You can make custom folder icons (a la Folder Icon Maker) from the Get Info dialog, and you can make a custom icon from the item's small icons.
A preference has been added that hides File Buddy's windows whenever File Buddy is in the background.
Files can now be "moved" from one disk to another. In reality they are copied, and upon being successfully copied the originals are deleted.
Another preference has been added to chose between quitting File Buddy and closing the File List window if you take any action in the File List window with the Option key down.
The file list now uses little picture buttons instead of text buttons, and there are more of them. One of them displays a popup of special actions. In version 3.0, one lets you change a group of file names (change or remove an extension, for example); and the other lets you delete resource forks.
The file list can now be navigated with arrow keys, and supports key scrolling, i.e., the list scrolls to match characters you type in.
The file list now reflects changes made to items with the Get Info dialog, and can handle most other cases of changes to its items.
Lists of duplicate files can now be generated using one of two methods, and allows substantial flexibility. See the description in the online help for details.
Lots of bugs have been fixed.
Version History
Version 2.2.1 10 June 1994
A variety of bugs have been fixed. Most of them sporatically manifested themselves as garbage where text or numbers should appear.
Find Unattached AliasesÉ will now work with a much larger set of unattached aliases.
Fixed a small memory leak.
Version 2.2 2 May 1994
File finding now offers the much-clamored-for option to search for text inside files. Searches can be case-sensitive. Some file types are not searched. Read the Read Me for more details.
Version strings can now be modified for documents. This lets you use them like comments, except that they survive desktop rebuilds. It was a design decision to prevent modifying them for applications, controls panels, and such. This is to keep users from changing information that could be needed by developers and tech support people. The interface on this is not obvious, so read the Read Me or use Balloon Help.
Fixed a bug that prevented deleting a creator from the Creator popup in the Get Info dialog using the command key.
Fixed a bug in the alias target Get File that reversed the Open/Select button titles.
Version 2.1.1 25 April 1994
Fixes the Find Empties bug for users of CP TrashBackª. Dialog zoom rects may be a little friendlier to some video setups.
Version 2.1r 24 April 1994
Fixes a bug that kept 2.1 from accepting a valid 2.x registration code.
Version 2.1 21 April 1994
Drag&drops will now change names, and they are slightly smaller.
Desktop rebuilding is now automatic when you select Rebuild Desktop FileÉ, and you can select the drives whose desktops you wish to rebuild.
File copying has been tweaked to provide better progress reporting and improved response to canceling, especially when copying across a network, and the watch cursor now spins while files are copying. The progress bar works better now. Some minor bugs fixed.
Finding lots of files handles tight memory situations better. Some minor bugs in the Find window are fixed. The date menus have been expanded some.
A bug in Get Info that could cause a random crash on some machines is fixed.
You can now adjust heading widths in the file list window. The Views popup is now called Headings, and the first item has been changed to Use Defaults. It puts all headings into the list using default sizes and positions.
A bug that would cause the top part of the file list window to be erased under certain circumstances is fixed.
Minor tweaks to the code. Some things are faster. Believe it or not, it's a tiny bit smaller.
Version 2.0.7 3 April 1994
Directory content strings have been fixed for folders containing 1 folder or 1 file. A couple of other minor bugs fixed.
A Find based on creator or file type should now work for users of AutoDoubler and SpaceSaver.
When a Find uses size, previous versions of File Buddy included folders at random. Starting with 2.0.7, when you set a file size criteria, the item below it is set to exclude folders. If you set this to include folders, their sizes will be used as well, but things will slow down.
The registration form now has spaces for NiftyServe and AppleLink addresses.
Version 2.0.6 17 February 1994
Kanji users should now be able to use dates in file finding.
The nasty crashes that afflicted users of 68000 Macintoshes are now gone. Thanks to my associate Rob Terrell for the loan of his PB 100 so I could track them down.
Version 2.0.5 27 January 1994
Numbers now work again for everyone. It seems there is a bug in System 7.1 that allows users to select separators in the Numbers control panel that prevents Apple's fancy number formatting calls from working. I have abandoned the fancy stuff and do my own number formatting.
When copying folders, items in subfolders were not being copied. Now they are. (Don't know when that stopped working.) A bug has been fixed so that disk errors encountered during a file copy are now reported.
Version 2.0.4 20 January 1994
The rare crash that for some when doing a find is gone. Same for the crashes afflicting users of a Plus or SE. Fixed bug that kept most of the buttons in the optional dialog that can appear when File Buddy is double-clicked from working. If there is insufficient memory to complete a Find, there is now an option to display the items found up to that point. Minor tweaks. Minor bugs fixed.
Version 2.0.3 13 January 1994
A bug that could cause a crash when leaving the Get Info on some machines is fixed. A bug has been fixed in the new code I use to make number strings format properly in non-English systems, so now you get numbers, not junk if you aren't using English. And no, you don't have to look far to find the humor in that. A Clear Find Settings item has been added to the Find menu. Minor bugs fixed.
Version 2.0.2 8 January 1994
Seems that in checking for something in 2.0 that most people would not notice, I introduced a bug in 2.0.1 almost anyone would notice. To those few that got 2.0.1, I apologize. Fixed another small bug that can cause the label menu in the Find window to lose it's items. Tweaked the transition from More Options to Fewer Options in the Find window.
Version 2.0.1 7 January 1994
Fixed a bug that can result in running out of memory. Added code to check for invalid references to items selected in the items windows. References will become invalid if you move or rename an item after it is added to the list.
Version 2.0 4 January 1994
File Buddy 2.0 is released. Happy New Year.
Registering File Buddy Ê
File Buddy is shareware.
Shareware is try-before-you-buy-software. It is not use-it-as-long-as-you-like-for-free software. That kind of software is called freeware. If you like it and use it, please register as follows:
Registered Alias Director users: $20
Registered File Buddy 1.x users: $15 if registered before Oct 1, 1994. If registered after Oct 1, 1994, the upgrade is $10.
Registered File Buddy 2.x users: $5 if registered before Oct 1, 1994. If registered after Oct 1, 1994, the upgrade is free when you ask for the new code.
All others: $25
As little as these amounts seem, it really makes a difference-at least in my case-when people send it. It takes a lot of time to design, write, and debug software. It then takes even more time and some money to send out registration codes and provide technical support. And then there are taxes, but this has been so much fun, let's not get depressing.
CompuServe Users: File Buddy 3.0 can be registered via CompuServe's SWREG using registration ID 4840 ($30). Registered users of any version prior to 3.0 can use ID 4841 ($10).
Why $5 more?
1) Because CIS takes 15% for this service.
2) There is a delay of up to 60 days for me to get money from SWREG registrations.
The discount for Alias Director users is not available if you register via SWREG.
Site licenses are available at the following rates:
First copy: $25
Copies 2 - 5: $20 each
Copies 6 - 10: $15 each
Copies 11 - 30: $10 each
Copies 30 and above: $10 each
For example, the fee for 8 copies would be: $25 + $20x4 + $15x3 = $150
If you have a site license for a previous version of File Buddy, contact me for a site license upgrade.
Foreign Users: If you are outside the US, please send the fee in US funds. At best, my bank has to submit foreign currency and checks to a federal reserve bank to collect payment, which entails a delay. In the worst case your bank may want to charge me a large fee to cash your check. US cash is OK by me, and uncirculated specimens of your currency are an option if I agree ahead of time.
I cannot take credit cards. I'm just a guy writing software and getting a few checks. I looked into this and it would be a big hassle for me at the present time to set myself up to accept credit cards.
Please do not send registered mail. The only practical difference seems to be that I usually have to make a special trip to the post office to get it.
When you register, PLEASE let me know where you got it, more important, what version you are registering (this is on the registration form if you print it out), and that you are registering File Buddy, as I have more than one piece of software out there, and they use different registration codes. If you send me a check and all you say is "for shareware" and I canÕt figure out what youÕre registering, I'll take your name down, cash your check, and when you write me and say "Why didn't you send my File Buddy registration code?", I'll send it.
If you have an e-mail address, PLEASE include it, and write legibly. I'll e-mail your registration code to you, and it will get there much faster. While my recent printer purchase has reduced the delay with written replies, they are still done on a batch basis, so it will still take a little longer to get a response if I don't have an e-mail address for you. I can mail to CompuServe, AOL, Internet, AppleLink, eWorld, Genie, and NiftyServe addresses.
Disclaimer:
I have endeavored to make File Buddy as reliable and stable as possible. Nevertheless, it has bugs. I don't know of any, but just about every piece of software with more than 20 lines of code has bugs. I use File Buddy all the time. It works flawlessly for me and I trust it. If I become aware of any problems, I fix them. However, you--as do I--use it at your own risk.
All applications suffer limitations at the hands of the Finder when you drop files on them, and File Buddy is no different. If you drop certain items on any application, the Finder will intercede in the following ways.
If the file is an alias, the Finder will resolve the alias and the application sees only the item it pointed to, not the alias itself. Use the Get Info command in the File menu to work with aliases.
You can't drop the Trash onto an application, because the finder will tell you can't move it off the desktop.
So if you run into these, I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do.
¥¥ If File Buddy won't hilite when you try to drop things on it, try rebuilding the desktop. Finder does the hiliting, not File Buddy.
Please contact me if you find any bugs, unexpected behavior, or have a suggestion for a new feature except for the following:
File Buddy's Get Info is modal. This is a design decision. At some point this may change, but for now it seems the best thing to do.
While I welcome ideas, I can't use them all, or File Buddy will need over a meg of disk space, and the interface will suffer terribly. Only features which would have wide appeal can make it in.
Well, that's all for now folks. File Buddy works without a hitch for me, and version 3.1 has been tested extensively, but that doesn't preclude the possibility that it may have a fit on a differently configured system. PLEASE let me know if you find any bugs, so I can fix them asap. A few people have already helped me track down bugs that never showed up for me, and I appreciate that.
As 3.1.1 is released, I am aware of some recently reported non-fatal bugs that I have not had a chance to address. I will be working on 3.1.2 and will release it as soon as possible.
Hope you like it.
Acknowledgements
I want to thank the people who registered a prior version of File Buddy for their financial and moral support. Without their appreciation, File Buddy 3.x would never have been done.
Thanks to those users--too numerous to list--who reported bugs so I could fix them and you could have a better product.
Thanks to everyone on CompuServe that helped me with technical questions, now too numerous to mention. Thanks to everyone who tested some version of File Buddy to see if I had been successful in fixing a bug I couldn't reproduce.
Registration information is now in the online help.
