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- NETSORT.DOC
- 05/15/93
-
- The NETSORT program acts to sort files in a subdirectory by either file name,
- file date and time, or file size. The MS-DOS 5.0 DIR command lets you change
- the order that file names are displayed but it doesn't actually change their
- order on the disk so it doesn't affect COPY commands or anything. The Norton
- Utilities include a DS (DIRSORT) utility which works great on hard disks and
- floppies but can't be used on a network drive. NETSORT can be used on any
- writable disk.
-
- The trick to sorting files on a network drive is to create a temporary
- subdirectory, move the files there, copy them back in the desired order, and
- then to delete them from the temporary subdirectory. This is what NETSORT does.
- Because of the copy operation, you need to have as much free space as the
- largest file in the subdirectory you're sorting.
-
- NETSORT isn't exactly lightning fast. I sorted 19MB of files and it took 6
- minutes. What it does do, it does safely though.
-
- This program has been tested without problems on Banyan Vines networks. I've
- been told that it may not do anything useful (or harmful) on other types of
- networks. Let me know if that is in fact the case.
-
- NETSORT processes any non-directory file names, including system, and read-only
- files. It ignores files marked as "hidden".
-
-
-
- Invoking the program:
-
- The program can be invoked with the following options:
-
- NETSORT [ path ] [ /S ] [ /Ox | /O-x ] [ /BEEP | /-BEEP ] [ /? ]
-
- where:
-
- "path" is the subdirectory name to be processed. This defaults to your default
- subdirectory.
-
- "/S" says to recurse through the subdirectories under path. This process can
- take awhile.
-
- "/Ox" and "/O-x" allow you to specify the sort order for the files. "x" can be
- one of the following:
-
- N = file name
- D = file date and time
- S = file size
-
- If you precede the "x" with a dash ("-"), the sort will be done in reverse
- order.
-
- "/BEEP" gives you a beep when the program finishes.
-
- "/-BEEP" reverses /BEEP and is the default.
-
- "/?" or "/HELP" or "HELP" shows you the syntax for the command.
-
-
- This program was written by Bruce Guthrie of Wayne Software. It is free for use
- provided relevant documentation is kept with the program, no changes are made to
- the program or documentation, and it is not bundled with commercial programs or
- charged for separately. People who need to bundle it in for-sale packages must
- pay a $50 registration fee to "Wayne Software" at the following address.
- Comments and suggestions can also be sent to:
-
- Bruce Guthrie
- Wayne Software
- 113 Sheffield St.
- Silver Spring, MD 20910
-
- fax: (301) 588-8986