OS/2 Shareware BBS: 9 Archive/09-Archive.zip/dxpsh10.zip/DXPShell.HLP

OS/2 Help File | 1994-08-09 | 14KB | 327 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

DXP Shell:  A PM Shell for DXP 2.31 or higher.

The best program for the storing and retrieving of diskette images is, by far,
Disk eXPress by Albert Shan.  Its multithreaded, 32 bit, native OS/2 and DOS
nature makes it the first choice of many for all of their disk imaging needs.
The only real drawback to DXP is its command line interface.

People have been hounding Albert about a Presentation Manager version of his
program, myself included, thus providing not only the best gut level
performance, but the prettiest, and easiest to use interface in the disk image
market.

Well, look no further.  Now you can have the best of both worlds.  DXP will
continue to serve your needs on the command line, and now DXP Shell will
provide for you while you are running the OS/2 Presentation Manager.

DXP Shell: a VX-Rexx application, (c) Copyright 1994 by Larry R. Tubbs Jr., ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. General Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Welcome to DXP-Shell!  The easiest way to manage your diskette images.

Before You Begin:

DXP Shell is a PM extention to DXP 2.31 or higher ( (c) Copyright by Albert
Shan). This documentation assumes that you have read and understand the
documentation included with DXP, and are well versed in its use.  If you have
this basic understanding of the use of DXP, then this program will be very
intuitive.

Before you attempt to perform an actions with DXP Shell, you must have DXP
properly installed onto your hard disk, and the executable (DXP.EXE) must be in
your search PATH.

*** Note:  DXP ships with two executible files, DXP.EXE (16 bit, OS/2 and DOS)
and DXP32.EXE (32 bit, OS/2 only).  DXP Shell is designed to use the first file
named DXP.EXE that it finds while searching the directories in your PATH.  I
suggest that you rename the file DXP.EXE to DXP16.EXE and rename DXP32.EXE to
DXP.EXE for convenience as well as enhanced performance when working with DXP
Shell.

Window Components:

The DXP Shell Main Window contains many sections (surrounded by boxes and
titiled), Each of these sections has a particular help section devoted to it.
You can access each of these sections now by pressing CTRL+C to bring up the
Table of Contents of this help file, or you can access any one of the help
pages by pressing F1 when the section of interest has the focus.  You can also
access any of these sections by double clicking on any of the items in this
list:

Image Filename:
Drive:
Self Extracting:
Pass Phrase:
Overwrite:
Compression:
Verify:
Wipe Unused:
Convert Disk Formats:
Format:

Apart from all of the group boxes, The Main Window also contains several
buttons.  Like above, if you need more help on one of these, just double click
it:

Test Image
Description
Save Image
Print Disk


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Main Window Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The following sections deal with the options on the main window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. Image Filename ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Image Filename: field refers to the full path to the disk image to either
be saved, printed, tested, or described.

This is the equivalent of the 'filename' parameter on the DXP command line.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2. Drive ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Drive: box allows you to select the drive to either print to or save from.
It is a Drop Down box that will allow you to select from a list of drives
locally available to your system.  If you choose a non-floppy device, DXP will
issue an error message when you try to either save a disk image or print a
disk.

This is the equivalent to the 'drive' parameter on the DXP command line.

*** Note:  DXP Shell is FULLY compatible with SVDisk, also (c) Albert Shan -
the Author of DXP.  If you have a VFloppy installed using this program, DXP
Shell will allow you to print and save disk images to and from this VFloppy.
You must still load the VFloppy with media before you print to it though (see
SVDisk documentation for more information).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3. Self Extracting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Self Extracting: group box allows you to instruct DXP whether or not to
create a self extracting disk image.

Choosing No here is equivalent to the '/i' parameter on the DXP command line.

This command only effect saving disk images.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4. Pass Phrase ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Pass Phrase: group box allows you to specify whether or not you would like
DXP to encrypt the disk image and protect it with a password (Pass Phrase). A
valid Pass Phrase can be up to 64 characters in length and can contain spaces
and be of mixed case.

Be sure to remember it though, because, this is also where you specify the Pass
Phrase to de-crypt a disk image when printing it.

Choosing Yes here, and filling in a Pass Phrase is equivalent to the '/p[s]'
parameter on the DXP command line (where s is the Pass Phrase].


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5. Overwrite ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Overwrite: group box allows you to specify whether or not you wish to
automatically overwrite the target diskette (Drive:).

Choosing Yes here is equivalent to including the '/s' parameter on the DXP
command line.

This command only effects printing disks.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.6. Compression ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Compression: group box allows you to specify whether or not you wish DXP to
attempt to compress the data as it creates a disk image.

Choosing No here is equivalent to including the '/n' parameter on the DXP
command line.

This command only effects printing disks.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.7. Verify ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Verify: group box allows you to specify whether or not you wish DXP to
perform Read/Write integrity tests as it prints disk images to diskettes.  This
is added protection because OS/2 will use its own verification method
regardless.

Choosing Yes here is equivalent to including the '/v' parameter on the DXP
command line.

This command only effects printing disks.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.8. Wipe Unused ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Wipe Unused: group box allows you to specify whether or not you wish DXP to
wipe clean unused sectors on the target diskette.

Choosing Yes here is equivalent to including the '/w' parameter on the DXP
command line.

This command only effects printing disks.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.9. Convert Disk Formats ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Convert Disk Formats: group box allows you to specify whether or not you
wish to attempt to convert the data in an image file to a different format
diskette.  This applies to putting 5 1/4" images onto 3 1/2" disks and so
forth.

Choosing Yes here is equivalent to including the '/c' parameter on the DXP
command line.

This command only effects printing disks.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.10. Format ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Format: group box allows you to specify whether or not you wish to attempt
to format disks as you print them.  The Skew Optimize check box allows you to
format disks using Sector Skew Optimization.

Choosing Yes here is equivalent to including the '/f' parameter on the DXP
command line (if you also check the Skew Optimize check box it is equivalent to
choosing '/fs' on the DXP command line).

This command only effects printing disks.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.11. Test Image Button ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Test Image button allows you to test a disk image file for corruption or
damage.

This button requires that the disk image be a valid filename, and DXP will only
process valid DXP disk images.

This is equivalent to choosing the '/t' parameter on the DXP command line.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.12. Description Button ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Description button allows you to view and/or edit the description in a DXP
disk image.

This button is equivalent to choosing the '/d' parameter on the DXP command
line.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.13. Save Image Button ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Save Image button allows you to save the disk image file named in the
'Image Filename' field.  If a full path to the filename is not given, the disk
image will be saved relative to the current directory.

I would suggest including the full path prior to pressing this button to ensure
the proper placement of the diskette image.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.14. Print Disk Button ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Print Disk button allows you to print the disk image specified in the
'Image Filename' field to the diskette specified in the Drive: group box.

The 'Image Filename' field must contain a valid filename before it will allow
you to attempt to print the disk.  DXP will return an error if the diskette
image specified is not a valid DXP image file.  There is one exception to this,
however:

If the image specified in the 'Image Filename' field has an extention of .DSK,
DXP Shell will ask you if you would like to attempt to use IBM's LOADDSKF.EXE
or DXP.EXE to print the diskette image.  LOADDSKF.EXE, (c) IBM, is a utility
that will print diskette images provided by IBM and others that use the
LOADDSKF/SAVEDSKF format.  If you have LOADDSKF.EXE, and it is in your PATH,
you can ask DXP Shell to print the image for you.  DXP doesn't include the
ability to print LOADDSKF/SAVEDSKF format images.  In order for DXP Shell to
print this type of image, you must already have a copy of LOADDSKF.EXE and it
*MUST* be in your search PATH.

*** Note:  LOADDSKF.EXE is availble from most local OS/2 BBSs and from the
Internet at either ftp-os2.cdrom.com or software.watson.ibm.com  It is usually
distributed under the filename LOADDSK.ZIP or something to that effect.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Default Options Dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This dialog is used to setup a set of defualts for every DXP Shell session.

The 'DXP Default Options' Group box contains checkboxes that corespond to each
of the sections in the Main Window.  Items checked here will become the default
the next time DXP Shell is started.  If an option is checked here, it
corresponds to an choice of yes in that section of the Main Window.

The 'Shell Default Options' control the way the shell operates.  Unlike the
'DXP Default Options', these options become default immediately after pressing
'OK'.

When Confirm On Save Image is checked, you will be asked to confirm whether or
not you wish to begin the Save Image Operation when you press the 'Save Image'
button.  If this choice is cleared, no confirmation will be requested.

The Confirm on Print Disk checkbox works much the same way.  If checked, DXP
Shell will by default ask you for a confirmation after you press the 'Print
Disk' button.  If this choice is cleared, you will receive no confirmation
request.

The File Mask field is where you can store the default mask for the 'File',
'Open..' dialog.  This is handy for people who associate a particular extention
with their DXP disk image files.

Below the File Mask field is a section labeled 'Launch DXP'.  This section
controls how DXP Shell calls DXP.  If Full Screen is chosen, then DXP will be
started in a forground OS/2 Full Screen Session and will need to be exited
(with the'exit' command) apon completion.

If Windowed is chosen instead, you have a little more control over how DXP will
operate.  With the Leave Open on Exit checkbox, you can specify whether or not
to leave the dxp window open or not after DXP completes its function (either
printing or saving disks).  This option has the advantage of being able to save
yourself some keystrokes if need be.

Note:  The Test Image and Description functions (accessed by buttons in the
main window) will *NOT* allow the window to be closed automatically on exit.
With these options, you will have to close the windows manually.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Contacting The Author ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

By Electronic Mail:

Internet:   [e-mail]

Fidonet:   Larry Tubbs@>1:124/1208

By U.S. Mail (Snail Mail):

Larry R. Tubbs Jr.
Enigma Consulting Services
1001 Driftwood Drive
Euless, TX  76040-5941
U.S.A.

* Any technical support queries should be accompanied by the following
information:

 o The version of OS/2 you are currently running under.

 o The processor type and speed of your computer.

 o The amount of RAM in your system.

 o And the version of DXP you are currently using.