The World of Computer Software/The World of Computer Software.iso/fsw20.zip/FSRCH2.TXT

Text File | 1992-12-21 | 24KB | 634 lines

    Fsrch/Windows Version 2.0
        User's Manual
Copyright (c) 1992, Stan Leeson, Leeson Software Services


1.    Introduction
1.1.    About Fsrch/Windows
Fsrch/Windows is the latest in the line of Fsrch products.
The original DOS version is still distributed widely.
Fsrch/Windows will search for files finding them by path
information, file names, file contents, file date, or any
combination of these attributes.  I hope you find it easy to
install and use.  As always, comments, criticisms, and
suggestions are welcome.


1.2.    About Shareware
Fsrch/Windows is a Shareware product distributed for your
trial use before you purchase a license.  This Shareware
program may be freely distributed for trial use only,
provided it is not changed in any way.  If you find it useful,
send the registration form and fee to:
    Stan Leeson
    Leeson Software Services.
    PO. Box 130672
    St. Paul, MN  55113-0006

Many software users do not realize that Shareware
developers do not receive any money from the Shareware
distributors.  The only compensation that the developers
receive is from your registration fees.  In exchange for
registering, you will receive a copy of the latest fully
registered product with Shareware notices removed.  You
will also receive a printed manual, notices of new versions,
new products, and bargain upgrade offers.


2.    Installation
Fsrch/Windows provides an easy to use installation program
to perform the required initial installation tasks.  Once this
installation is complete, you may move the program to any
program group that you would like.


2.1.    Normal Installation
If you received Fsrch/Windows from a Bulletin Board or
other source that delivered it as a compressed file, it will first
be necessary to decompress the file into its individual file
components.  If you are reading this file, you must have
already accomplished this task.  You may use the directory
containing the decompressed files as a source for the
installation process.

If you received Fsrch/Windows from a Shareware
Distributor, you have a diskette containing the individual
files.  This diskette may be used directly as a source for the
installation.

  1.  SELECT RUN PROGRAM - Begin the
      installation by selecting the Run Program option on the
      Windows desktop that you are using.  If you are using
      the standard Windows Program Manager, select the
      Program Manager File menu and the Run ... option on
      that menu.  If you are using a desktop other than
      Program Manager, consult the documentation for that
      desktop to determine how to run an external program.
  2.  RUN THE "INSTALL.EXE" PROGRAM -
      Fill in the file name and path for the Fsrch/Windows
      installation program and start it in execution.  This is the
      INSTALL.EXE program provided with Fsrch/Windows.
      It will be on the distribution diskette or in the directory
      containing the decompressed files.
  3.  SELECT THE "SOURCE LOCATION" -
      The INSTALL program will ask you to fill in the Source
      Location for the distribution files.  If you are installing
      from a distribution diskette simply indicate "A:" or "B:"
      to select the floppy drive containing this diskette.  If you
      are installing from decompressed files, this will be the
      drive and directory containing those files:
          EXAMPLES:
              A:          Selects floppy drive A: as the source
                          of the installation
              C:\MYDIR    Selects the directory \MYDIR on the C: drive
                          as the source

  4.  SELECT THE "FSRCH DIRECTORY" -
      The next step is to select the destination directory on
      your hard drive that will contain the Fsrch/Windows
      program files.  The INSTALL program will suggest a
      directory name based on the version number of the
      current FSW program, e.g. "C:\FSW2".

  5.  RUN THE FSRCH INSTALL PROGRAM -
      Once the source and destination have been selected, run
      the installation program by clicking the mouse on the
      INSTALL button.  The installation process will usually
      take about 5 minutes.  At the beginning of the
      installation program's execution, you will be asked to
      enter your name.  Please use your full name.  When
      installing the registered version of the software, make
      sure that the name entered matches the name on the
      registration form.
  6.  MOVE FSRCH TO A PROGRAM GROUP -
      The INSTALL program places Fsrch/Windows in its
      own program group.  In most cases, you will want to
      move it to one of your existing program groups.  To do
      that with Program Manager under Windows 3.1, simply
      click on the Fsrch/Windows icon and drag it to the
      desired program group.  If you are using other versions
      or other Windows desktops, consult their documentation
      for instructions on moving the program between groups.
  7.  DELETE THE FSRCH PROGRAM
      GROUP - If you move Fsrch/Windows to a different
      program group, delete the empty Fsrch program group
      by clicking on it and then choosing the File menu Delete
      option in Program Manager.  If you are using a different
      desktop, consult its documentation for instructions.


2.2.    Other Desktops
If you are using a desktop manager other than Windows
Program Manager, you will want to consult the user
documentation for that desktop before beginning the
installation.  If you are using a desktop other than Program
Manager or Norton Desktop, the installation program may
be unable to create the program group and install the
Fsrch/Windows program in it.  It is still necessary to run the
INSTALL program to properly prepare the files for
execution.  With these other desktops, if you have followed
the steps outlined above, and more than ten minutes have
passed since you clicked on the INSTALL button, and the
floppy disk drive is no longer active, simply click on the
EXIT button in the INSTALL program.  At that point, the
files have been prepared and installed in the indicated
destination directory.  Consult the documentation for your
desktop manager, and install the FSW.EXE program on the
desktop.


3.    Using Fsrch/Windows
FSRCH/Windows is a powerful file search utility that
combines multiple .search keys with a wide variety of search
modes to allow you find any file by its file name, its
contents, or both.  FSRCH/Windows makes it easy to print
the results of a search, output them to another application
through the windows clipboard, or examine the results
directly in FSRCH/Windows.

The following simple steps allow you to perform any type of
file search.
1.    Identify the  file selector pattern to be used.
2.    Select a file search mode
3.    Provide one or two search key
4.    Select the appropriate search options
5.    Click on the OK button to start the search.
6.    Examine the contents of the results buffer


3.1.    Setting File Selector
The search file selector identifies a file path and file name
pattern that will be examined for matches to the search
criteria.  Typically, the file selector consists of  a file
directory specification and a file name pattern including the
'*' wild card character.  Each file in the path which matches
the file name pattern will be searched.  Optionally, the file
selector may include a disk drive specification to search on a
different disk or may omit the directory path information to
use the current default directory.

The file selector specification may also be a list of path and
file name pattern strings.  In that case, each of the
specifications in the list will be searched in the order that
they are listed.

EXAMPLES:
"\MYDIR\SUBDIR\*.DOC"    All .DOC file in the indicated
directory will be searched.
"F*.TXT"    All .TXT files whose names begin with 'F'.
"\DEV\*.C, \DEV\*.H"    All .C and .H files in the
\DEV directory.


3.2.    Setting Search Strings
The search strings are text strings that must be present  (or
absent depending on the search mode) in the searched file to
form a match of the search criteria.  In its simplest form, a
search key is a contiguous string of characters that must be
found in the file.  Wild card characters may not be used in
the search strings.  The use of the search strings may be
modified by the  search options that are used.  For example,
the Ignore case option will cause keys to match even if there
are differences in text case between the search key and the
string in the file.


3.3.    Selecting Search Mode
Fsrch/Windows support ten basic search modes.  See the
appropriate subsection below to get complete information on
that mode.

1.    file names only
2.    key 1 ONLY
3.    key 1 NOT present
4.    key 1 OR key 2
5.    key 1 XOR key 2
6.    key 1 AND key 2
7.    key 1 BEFORE key 2
8.    key 1 BUT NOT key 2
9.    key 1 HEXADECIMAL values
10.    key 1 ALL OFFSETS


3.3.1.    File Names Only
In "file names only"  mode, Fsrch/Windows will list in the
results buffer all files matching the file selector.  This mode
simply searches for matching file names in the indicated
path(s).

This is the fastest of the search modes and does not use any
search keys.


3.3.2.    String 1 Only
In "String 1 Only"  mode, FSRCH/Windows will list in the
results buffer each occurrence of the string in search key 1
found in any of  the files matching the file selector.  This
mode searches for a single block of text in matching files in
the indicated path(s).

This is the most common of the search modes and uses a
single search key.


3.3.3.    String 1 Not Present
In "String 1 NOT Present"  mode, FSRCH/Windows will
list in the results buffer each file matching the file selector
which does not  contain an occurrence of the string in search
key 1.  This mode searches for a single block of text in
matching files in the indicated path(s).

This is an "absence" search mode and uses a single search
key.

3.3.4.    String 1 Or String 2
In "String 1 OR String 2"  mode, FSRCH/Windows will
list in the results buffer each occurrence of either the string
in search key 1 or the string in search key 2 found in any of
the files matching the file selector.  This mode searches for
both blocks of text in matching files in the indicated path(s).

This search mode performs a fast, inclusive OR search using
two search keys.


3.3.5.    String 1 XOR String 2
In "String 1 XOR String 2"  mode, FSRCH/Windows will
list in the results buffer each occurrence of either the string
in search string 1 or the string in search string 2 as long as
both strings are not found in the same line or sentence.  This
mode will match strings found in any of  the files matching
the file selector.  This mode searches for both blocks of text
in matching files in the indicated path(s).

This search mode performs a fast, exclusive OR search
using two search strings.


3.3.6.    String 1 AND String 2
In "String 1 AND String 2 "  mode, FSRCH/Windows
will list in the results buffer each occurrence of a text line,
found in any of  the files matching the file selector, which
contains both the string in search string 1 and the string in
search string 2 .

This mode searches for both blocks of text in matching files
in the indicated path(s).  It performs fast, exclusive searches
using two search strings.


3.3.7.    String 1 Before String 2
In "String 1 BEFORE String 2 "  mode,
FSRCH/Windows will list in the results buffer each
occurrence of a text line, found in any of  the files matching
the file selector, which contains both the string in search
string 1 and the string in search string 2  where the string 1
text appears before the string 2 text.

This mode searches for both blocks of text in matching files
in the indicated path(s).  It performs fast, exclusive searches
using two search strings.


3.3.8.    String 1 BUT NOT String 2
In "String 1 BUT NOT String 2 "  mode,
FSRCH/Windows will list in the results buffer each
occurrence of a text line, found in any of  the files matching
the file selector, which contains the string in search string 1
but does not contain the string in search string 2 .

This mode searches for both blocks of text in matching files
in the indicated path(s).  It performs fast, exclusive searches
using two search strings.


3.3.9.    String 1 Hexadecimal Values
The "Hexadecimal values" file search mode will locate a
single search string identified by the hexadecimal values
associated with its bytes.  This mode allows you to search
for strings that contain unprintable or untypeable characters.


EXAMPLES:
When searching in Hexadecimal Values mode, the following
matches would be made.
    STRING    FILE TEXT
    61 62 63 64    abcd
    41 42 43    ABC
    etc.


3.3.10.    String 1 Offset Encoded
The "Offset Encoded" file search mode will locate a single
search string even if it encoded in an 8-bit, sequential
character set other than ASCII (e.g. EBCDIC).  If the
characters are contained in 8-bit bytes and they have the
same relative numeric values as ASCII, this mode will match
them.

SEARCHES IN THIS MODE ARE SLOW!  It should
only be used on those rare occasions when non-ASCII
character sets must be searched.  When using this mode,
avoid punctuation and special characters that are likely to
have different relative positions in the character set.  This
mode can also be used for simple coded strings that shift the
text character value by a fixed amount.

EXAMPLES:
When searching in All Offsets mode, the following matches
would be made.
    STRING    FILE TEXT
    abcdefg    1234567
    abcdefg    defghij
    etc.

NOTE:  Most users will never need to use this search mode.
It uses a single search string.


3.4.    Setting Search Options
FSRCH/Windows provides a total of 8 options for
controlling the file search process.  the Examine the
appropriate subsection below for complete information on
any of the options.

1.    List line numbers
2.    Write Results to File
3.    First match per file
4.    Search subdirectories
5.    Ignore case
6.    Strip bit 8
7.    Show search progress
8.    Show all files



3.4.1 List Line Numbers
The "list line numbers" option is a checkbox that controls
whether or not the line number associated with key string
matches are recorded in the results buffer.  Although line
numbers are only truly meaningful for ASCII text files,
FSRCH will assign line numbers to any type of file based on
the occurrences of end of line characters.  These numbers
only provide relative position information for other types of
files.


3.4.2 Write Results to a File
The "write results to file" option is a checkbox that controls
whether or not the search results are recorded in a text file as
well as in the results buffer.  If this option is selected,
FSRCH/Windows will prompt you to provide the name of
the file that will receive the search results.

FSRCH/Windows can search a little more quickly if file
output is not required.


3.4.3 First Match per File
If the first match per file option is selected,
FSRCH/Windows will discontinue searching a file once a
single match of the search criteria has been found.  This
option is useful if you are only interested in which file
contain a given value or combination of values and not  how
many occurrences of the search criteria exist in each file.

FSRCH/Windows can search more quickly if this option is
selected.


3.4.4 Search Subdirectories
The search all subdirectories option causes
FSRCH/Windows to search the directory indicated in the file
selector pattern and then repeat the search for all levels of
subdirectories under the directory indicated in the file
selector.

NOTE:
Take care in using this option with a file selector that
consists of a list of file specifications. (e.g.
"C:\MY_DIR\*.C, C:\MY_DIR\*.H").  The combination of
multiple file selectors and multiple subdirectories under each
one can result in a very large number of files to search.


3.4.5 Ignore Case
The Ignore Case option allows FSRCH/Windows to
successfully  match letters that are different in case.  Using
this option lower case or upper case letters in the search keys
will be successfully be matched with the same characters of
either case found in the file.

EXAMPLES:
When the case is ignored, the following matches would be
made.
  STRING      FILE TEXT
  ---------------------
  the text    The text
  THE TEXT    the text
  the TEXT    ThE TeXt
  the text    THE teXt
  etc.


3.4.6 Strip Bit 8
This option clears the most  significant bit of each byte from
the file that before it is examined for matches with the search
criteria.  This option is useful for files that have had the
upper bit set to indicate byte parity or for other encodings
that modify this bit (2**8).  Most users will not need to use
this option for any searches, but some will require it when
searching files that have been transmitted by certain types of
communications networks.

FSRCH/Windows can search more quickly if this option is
not selected.


3.4.7 Show Search Progress
The Show Progress Option controls the display of a search
progress window.  If it is selected, a window describing the
file being searched, the search phase, and the current search
position is displayed.  This option is selected by default.

FSRCH/Windows can search more quickly if this option is
not selected.


3.4.8 Show All Files
The Show All Files Searched Option controls whether
FSRCH/Windows includes a line in the results buffer
naming each file that is searched.  If you want a full copy of
the files that were searched, select this option.  If you do not
want the matches to get lost among the list of files, do not
select this option.

FSRCH/Windows can search more quickly if this option is
not selected.


4.    Fsrch/Windows Menus
4.1.    File Commands
The File menu includes commands that enable you to
manage the complete context of the results buffer ,  easily
interact with the Windows clipboard, and to print the results.

The follow file commands are provided:
*    Delete Results    Empty the results buffer.
*    Clip Results    Clip the full results buffer.
*    Print Results    Print the full results buffer
*    Printer Setup    Set up the printer options.
*    Exit FSRCH    Exit FSRCH/Windows.


4.1.1.    Save
The SAVE command in the File Menu directs
Fsrch/Windows to write the current contents of the results
buffer to a file.  If a previous file save has been done during
this session of using Fsrch, the same file name will be used
for this one.  If no previous save was done, the default
output file will be used.

4.1.2.    Save As
The SAVE AS command is similar to the SAVE command
above, except that it allows you to select the output file that
will be used.  Once you select this entry, Fsrch/Windows
will prompt you to enter the name and path of the output
file.


4.1.3.    Print Results
The print command prints the entire contents of the results
buffer.  It may be necessary to setup the printer before
beginning to print.  This can be done by using the Windows
print manager.


4.1.4.    Exit
The Exit command causes FSRCH/Windows to terminate
processing and exit.  This is equivalent to closing the
FSRCH Window.

4.2.    Edit Results
The Edit menu includes commands that enable you to move
text to and from the clipboard to delete search results
text, to insert  clipped text from another application into
the results text,  to move results text to another
application, and to select the full text of the results buffer
in preparation for a clipboard operation..

The following types of edit commands are provided.
  *   Cut Deletes text and moves it to the
      clipboard.
  *   Copy    Copies text to the clipboard.
  *   Paste   Moves text from the clipboard to the
      edit window.
  *   Clear   Deletes selected text without moving
      it to the clipboard.
  *   Select All  Selects all of the results buffer text..


4.2.1.    Undo
The UNDO command reverses the effects of the most
recent editing operation in the search results buffer.  Only a
single level of UNDO is provided.


4.2.2.    Cut
The Edit menu's Cut command performs a Windows
clipboard cut operation. on the currently selected text in the
FSRCH results buffer.  This moves the selected text  from
the buffer to the Windows clipboard, removing it from the
buffer.


4.2.3.    Copy
The Edit menu's Copy command performs a Windows
clipboard  copy operation. on the currently selected text in
the FSRCH results buffer.  This make a copy of  the
selected text  from the buffer in the Windows clipboard and
leaves the text in the buffer as well.


4.2.4.    Paste
The Edit menu's Paste command performs a Windows
clipboard  paste operation. over the currently selected text in
the Fsrch  results buffer.  This make a copy of  the current
contents of the Windows clipboard and replaces any
currently selected text in the buffer with it.  If no text is
selected, the clipboard contents are inserted at the current
buffer insertion point..


4.2.5.    Delete
The Edit menu's Clear command performs a Windows
clipboard deletes the currently selected text in the FSRCH
results buffer.  This deletes the selected contents of the
buffer but does not copy it to the clipboard as the cut
command does.


4.2.6.    Clear All
The Edit menu's Clear command deletes the current contents
of the FSRCH  results buffer.  This deletes the selected
contents of the buffer but does not copy it to the clipboard
as the cut command does.


4.3.    Search Results
These options perform searches of the results buffer.


4.3.1.    Find
You will be asked to find a string to search for and some
search options.  This is useful for finding items in a ver
large search result.


4.3.2.    Replace
You will be asked for a string to find and the replacement
text.  This is useful for formatting results before saving to
a file or moving to a different application.


4.3.3.    Next
This simply repeats the last selected search of the results
buffer.


4.4.    Options
4.4.1.    Search Block Boundaries
You may select either a LINE or SENTENCE mode of
blocking text in the searched files.  If LINE blocking is
selecting, boundaries for context data displayed with
matches that are found will be based on text lines delimited
by carriage return and line feed characters.  If SENTENCE
blocking is selected, context boundaries will be set according
to punctuation and white space characteristic of text
sentences.  These boundaries are then adjusted to fit the
available space and to account for any control character that
appear in the text string.  LINE blocking is the default..

4.4.2.    Setting Date Restrictions
You may restrict the directory date on files selected for
searching to be either before an indicated date or after the
date that you provide.  Once you select a mode of date
restriction, Fsrch/Windows will prompt you for the date that
file dates are to be compared to.  Files whose dates exactly
match the indicated date will be considered to be candidates
if the AFTER restriction is selected, but will not be
candidates for searching if the BEFORE restriction is
chosen.

4.5.    Help
Fsrch/Windows provides an interactive hypertext HELP
system that provides the same information that is contained
in this User's Manual.  The menu allows you to choose
either Fsrch/Windows specific HELP information by
selecting the "Help Index" entry or general information on
the Windows HELP system by selecting the "Help on
Help" entry.