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ActaeOn V2.00 - The Hard Disk manager
Jon Clempner
Sept 1991
ActaeOn V2.00 - The Hard Disk manager
COPYRIGHT 1989,91
by
Jon Clempner.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ActaeOn is a Shareware program, it is NOT free software. You
are granted a limited licence to use ActaeOn for evaluation
purposes only. Use beyond this evaluation requires you to
register this software. See section 9 for registration
details. See the file SHAREW.TXT for a definition of the
Shareware concept.
The program and the associated documentation on disk may be
freely distributed on the following conditions
1) No changes whatsoever are made to the program,
its documentation or any associated files.
2) Anyone wishing to charge a fee for distributing
ActaeOn must have the written consent of the
author. No charge will be made for this consent
but I need to know who is distributing it so
that I can send out updates - Apply in writing
to the address at the end of this document. This
written authorisation is not required for Vendor
Members of the Association of Shareware
Professionals or Corporate members of the
Association of Shareware Authors - UK.
LIMITED WARRANTY
For registered users, and users who have obtained ActaeOn
directly from the publisher only, the author warrants that
the distribution disk is an accurate reproduction of the
software. In the event of any defect in the duplication
process the author will replace the disk, as long as it is
returned within 30 days of receipt.
No other warranty, implicit or otherwise, including but not
limited to merchantability or fitness for any particular
purpose, is made. Under no circumstances will the author be
liable for any loss or damage suffered by any user arising
out of the supply, use, or operation of this software,
whether such loss or damage be direct, consequential or
otherwise.
Contents
========
1. Introduction
2. Getting Started
3. Reference
4. Using ActaeOn with a Mouse
5. User Defined Commands
6. System Requirements
7. Future Enhancements
8. Acknowledgements
9. Registration
10. Association of Shareware
Professionals
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 1
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
1. INTRODUCTION
More and more people are using hard disks. While they have a
number of advantages over floppy disks, their very size can
cause problems. Simple tasks such as finding a particular
file, or moving a group of files, take on a new dimension as
the volume of data increases.
It was this, coupled with the fact that MS-DOS is not the
most friendly of operating systems that prompted the design
of ActaeOn.
ActaeOn is a hard disk management program. It is designed to
make life easier, by having a menu interface to most of the
DOS commands and being able to see your directory structure
at a glance.
In addition ActaeOn provides a number of facilities which are
either not possible or are extremely difficult to do using
native DOS.
2. GETTING STARTED
Before you do anything else you should look at the READ.ME
file on your distribution disk. This contains any last minute
amendments to this document and a list of changes since the
last release. You may read this file by using the DOS command
TYPE A:READ.ME
or some equivalent utility such as LIST.COM. If you have a
printer you can print this file using the command
COPY A:READ.ME PRN
To install ActaeOn on your computer, all you have to do is
copy all the files on your distribution disk onto your hard
disk. To gain most benefit from ActaeOn it is recommended
that you place it in a directory that is on your PATH (See
your DOS manual for details).
Having done this just type ACTAEON followed by the ENTER key.
If you wish to look at a disk other than the current one,
then just type the drive letter after ACTAEON. eg ACTAEON D:
All the cursor control keys, including the <HOME>, <END>,
<PGUP> and <PGDN> keys may be used to move about the
directory listing.
You may obtain context sensitive help at any time by pressing
the F1 key.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 2
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
3. REFERENCE
3.1 Screen Layout
The main screen display is divided into 6 main sections
A. Current Path
+----------------------------------+---------------+
| B. | C. Disk Info |
| | |
| +---------------+
| | D. |
| Directory Window | |
| | File Window |
| | |
| | |
+----------------------------------+---------------+
| E. No of Tagged Files | F. Dir Info |
+----------------------------------+---------------+
G. Commands
A. Current Path
This shows the full path name of the currently highlighted
directory.
B. Directory Window
This shows a graphical display of the directory structure on
the currently logged disk. When in directory mode a highlight
bar shows the current directory. You may scroll up and down
in this window by using the cursor control keys.
C. Disk Info
This shows the currently logged drive, its volume name, the
total size of the disk and how much free space is left.
D. File Window
This shows a listing of all files in the current directory.
When in file mode, a highlight bar shows the currently
selected file. The display may be scrolled up and down by
using the cursor control keys (or a mouse if you have one).
E. No of Tagged Files
This shows the number, and total size of all tagged files.
F. Directory Info
This shows the number of files and the total size of the
currently selected directory.
G. Commands
These two lines show all the commands which are available.
The commands shown will depend on whether you are in file
mode or Directory mode.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 3
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
3.2 COMMANDS
The commands are displayed on the last two lines of the
screen. To select the command simply press the letter that is
highlighted and in capitals.
A number of the commands require further information (for
example when requesting Find file you will need to enter the
file to search for). In these cases a window will pop up for
you to enter the data. You may press the <ESC> key to abandon
these commands.
Most commands, particularly those which may alter the
contents of your disk, ask you for confirmation before the
command is executed.
The commands are split into 5 basic groups
a) General Commands
b) Directory mode commands
c) File mode commands
d) Control commands
e) User defined commands
The general commands are equally applicable to both Directory
mode and File mode. Control commands become visible when you
press down the <CTRL> key. User defined commands become
visible when you press down the <ALT> key.
Only the commands appropriate to the mode you are in are
displayed on the command line.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 4
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
A) GENERAL COMMANDS
These commands may be used in both Directory mode and File
mode. Where commands exist in both Directory mode and File
mode, but which have slightly different meanings depending on
the mode, they are described in the appropriate section.
QUIT -
This exits the program. This command may also be activated by
pressing the <ESC> key.
CONFIGURE
This option enables you to configure ActaeOn to suit your
requirements. This includes the ability to change the screens
colors, the number of lines in the display (on EGA and VGA
screens only), whether the bell is on or off, and the sort
order of the files. It also allows you to assign your
favourite utilities to ALT key combinations.
On selecting this option a menu will pop up with the
configuration options. You can select the option you are
interested in by moving the highlight bar with the cursor
keys, double clicking on the option with the mouse, or typing
the first letter of the command and then pressing <ENTER>.
If you wish to make your changes permanent, be sure to select
the Save option before you exit out of ActaeOn.
Pressing F1 at any stage, either while an option is
highlighted or while your are within an option, will give you
full context sensitive help.
For details of how to integrate your own commands into
ActaeOn see Chapter 5.
This command may also be activated by pressing the <F10> key.
FIND FILE
This searches the entire disk for a specified file. A window
pops up for you to enter the filename and extension which you
wish to search for. You may use the '*' character as a
wildcard. For example if you wish to search for a file which
starts with the letters ACT and you don't care what the
extension is then enter ACT* in the filename and * in the
extension.
GLOBAL
This toggles the special form of Zoom mode. All the files on
the currently logged disk are sorted in to alphabetical
order, regardless of the directory that they are in.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 5
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
HELP
This command displays help information relevant to the mode
you are in. For example when in Directory mode, only those
commands that you may use are displayed. You may also obtain
help by pressing the F1 function key.
For help to be displayed the file ACTAEON.HLP must be in the
same directory as the main program file.
You can obtain a complete index to all the help text by
pressing the F1 key again when in the help system.
INFORMATION
This command displays the following information :
The amount of free memory
Number of files on the disk
Number of directories on the disk
The version of ActaeOn and the release date
The amount of memory reported by DOS
The amount of EMS memory (if installed)
The number of serial ports
The number of logical drives
The number of floppy drives
The version of DOS
Whether or not a maths co-processor is present
The type of CPU in your machine
The serial number of ActaeOn
JUMP
This command 'jumps' to the next tagged file. If no files are
tagged then a prompt message will pop up.
LOG DISK -
This enables you to change the currently logged disk. A
window will pop up with a list of all the drives installed on
your machine.
You can select the drive to log by simply entering the drive
letter or positioning the highlight bar over the required
drive with the cursor control keys and pressing ENTER.
If you have logged this drive before and ActaeOn has it
stored in memory then (Fast) is displayed next to the drive
letter.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 6
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
SHELL TO DOS -
This temporarily exits ActaeOn allowing you to enter DOS
commands at the familiar C> prompt. When you have finished,
typing EXIT will return you to ActaeOn.
Shell does not re-read the directory when you return to
ActaeOn, nor does it release any memory. If the applications
you intend to run require more memory then you should use
Ctrl-Shell (see control commands).
VOLUME LABEL -
This command changes the disks volume label. A pop-up window
will appear for you to enter the new volume label.
WINDOW -
This changes the currently active window. For example if you
are in Directory mode (ie the highlight bar is in the
directory window) then the program will switch to File mode
and visa-versa. The TAB key performs the same effect.
XPLORE
This command searches the entire disk for a text string
entered by yourself. You have the option of ignoring case
while doing the search. For example if you set the Ignore
Case field to 'Y' and your search string is 'Test' then
Actaeon will match with TEST, Test, test etc. If you have the
Ignore Case field set to 'N' then it will only match with
Test.
You can also ask ActaeOn to search all drives that are
currently logged.
The number of files searched is displayed as it reads them.
You can abort the command at any time by pressing the escape
key.
ZOOM
When entering this mode, the file display is expanded to fill
the entire screen. The default display is in three columns,
showing the file names and sizes. The display can be changed
to be in four columns (showing just the file names), or two
columns (showing file name, size and date) by pressing the
appropriate number (2, 3 or 4). All of the file mode
commands are available in Zoom Mode.
Pressing the ENTER key toggles between Zoom Mode, Directory
Mode and File Mode.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 7
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 8
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
B) DIRECTORY MODE COMMANDS
The following commands are only applicable in directory mode.
Directory mode is indicated by the highlight bar being
visible in the directory window.
DELETE DIRECTORY
This command deletes the highlighted directory. A window pops
up to confirm that you wish to proceed with the deletion. The
directory must have no files or subordinate directories in it
and must not be the root directory.
NEW DIRECTORY
This command creates a sub-directory in the currently
highlighted directory. A window pops up for you to enter the
name of the new directory.
RENAME DIRECTORY
This command allows you to change the name of the currently
highlighted directory. You cannot change the name of the root
directory.
TAG FILES
This tags all the files in the currently highlighted
directory. See 'control commands' for commands which operate
on all tagged files.
UNTAG FILES
This command untags all the files in the currently
highlighted directory.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 9
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
C) FILE MODE COMMANDS
The following commands are only applicable in File mode. File
mode is indicated by the highlight bar being visible in the
file window.
ATTRIBUTES
This command displays the file attributes of the currently
highlighted file and the date and time of the last amendment.
The file attributes may be amended by pressing the letter
corresponding to the attribute you wish to change.
r - Read Only
a - Archive
s - System File
h - Hidden File
Press Enter to make the amendments and return to the file
mode display.
BROWSE FILE
This command allows you do look at the highlighted file.
Unlike the editor, there is no restriction on the size of the
file that can be viewed.
COPY FILE
This copies the currently highlighted file. The system will
display a pop up window for you to enter the drive to which
the file is to be copied to. If the drive is the currently
logged drive then you should just position the highlight bar
on to the directory which you wish to copy to. If the drive
is not the currently logged drive you should enter the full
path name of the destination directory.
If the file you are copying already exists in the destination
directory you will be asked whether you wish to overwrite it.
DELETE
This command deletes the currently highlighted file. A window
will pop up asking you for confirmation before the deletion
is actioned.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 10
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
EDIT FILE
This command edits the currently highlighted file. The editor
uses Wordstar type commands which are as follows :
Exit Editor Ctrl-K D or ESC
Top of Block Ctrl-Q B
Bottom of Block Ctrl-Q K
Jump to marker 0..3 Ctrl-Q 0 .. Ctrl-Q 3
Set marker 0..3 Ctrl-K 0 .. Ctrl-K 3
New Line Ctrl-M
Insert Line Ctrl-N
Delete word Ctrl-T
Delete to end of line Ctrl-Q Y
Delete line Ctrl-Y
Find Ctrl-Q F
Find and replace Ctrl-Q A
Find next Ctrl-L
Begin Block Ctrl-K B
End Block Ctrl-K K
Copy Block Ctrl-K C
Move Block Ctrl-K V
Delete Block Ctrl-K Y
Print Block Ctrl-K P
Toggle Word wrap Ctrl-O W
Set right margin at cursor Ctrl-O R
Commands such as Read Block, Find etc can be cancelled by
typing Ctrl-U
When doing a 'Find' operation Actaeon will prompt for the
find options. These are as follows:
B Search backwards
L Limit search to currently marked block
U Ignore case
W Search for whole words only
The editor will only edit files up to 64Kb and requires that
amount of free memory.
You may display the above list of commands while in the
editor by pressing the F1 function key.
MOVE FILES -
This moves the currently highlighted file. The system will
display a pop up window for you to enter the drive to which
the file is to be moved to. If the drive is the currently
logged drive then you should just position the highlight bar
on to the directory which you wish to move to. If the drive
is not the currently logged drive you should enter the full
path name of the destination directory. This command is the
equivalent of copying the file and then deleting the
original.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 11
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
PERFORM FILE
You may run any executable file by simply highlighting the
appropriate file and pressing P. You will then be asked to
enter any parameters to be passed to the program.
You may only Perform files that have an extension of .EXE,
.COM or .BAT
RENAME FILE
This command renames the currently highlighted file. A window
will pop up asking you for the new name of the file. The new
name must not contain any wildcard (* or ?) characters
TAG FILE
This command will tag the currently highlighted file. See
Control Commands for commands which operate on all tagged
files.
UNTAG FILE
This command untags the currently highlighted file.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 12
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
D) CONTROL COMMANDS
Control commands are accessed by holding down the <CTRL> key.
This will show you which commands are available.
COPY
This command copies all tagged files. The system will display
a pop up window for you to enter the drive to which the files
are to be copied to. If the drive is the currently logged
drive then you should just position the highlight bar on to
the directory which you wish to copy to. If the drive is not
the currently logged drive you should enter the full path
name of the destination directory.
If the file currently being copied already exists in the
destination directory you will be asked whether you wish to
overwrite it. You may type one of the following letters:
Y - Overwrite the current file and continue.
N - Do not overwrite the current file.
A - Overwrite all files that already exist in the
destination directory.
If you wish to stop the copying process, then press the ESC
key.
DELETE
This command deletes all the tagged files. A window will pop
up asking you for confirmation and then ActaeOn will ask you
whether you wish to confirm each deletion individually. It you
say No then all the tagged files will be deleted without
further prompting. If you say Yes, then ActaeOn will ask for
confirmation before deleting each file.
FIND (AGAIN)
This command repeats the last search criteria and will find
the next file matching the name and extension entered.
MOVE
This command moves all tagged files. The system will display
a pop up window for you to enter the drive to which the files
are to be copied to. If the drive is the currently logged
drive then you should just position the highlight bar on to
the directory which you wish to copy to. If the drive is not
the currently logged drive you should enter the full path
name of the destination directory. This command is equivalent
to copying all tagged files and then deleting the originals.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 13
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
SHELL TO DOS -
This temporarily exits ActaeOn allowing you to enter DOS
commands at the familiar C> prompt. When you have finished,
typing EXIT will return you to ActaeOn.
Ctrl-Shell re-reads the directory when you return to ActaeOn,
and it releases as much memory as possible. If the
applications you intend to run require more memory then you
should use the normal Shell (see General commands).
TAG
This command allows you to tag files by criteria such as
name, date, size or attribute.
For example if you wish to tag all files ending with a BAK
extension, enter CTRL-T, select the Name option from the menu
and then enter * for the filename and BAK for the extension.
Tag by Date allows you to tag all files older or newer than a
specified date.
Tag by Size allows you to tag all files larger, or smaller
than a specified size.
Tag by attribute allows you to tag all files with a specified
attribute.
UNTAG
This command untags either all files on the disk (if in
Directory Mode) or all files in the current directory.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 14
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
4. Using ActaeOn with a Mouse
Although a mouse is not required to use ActaeOn it can make
its use considerably easier.
You may select a directory or file by simply positioning the
mouse cursor over the object in question and clicking on it
using the left mouse button, regardless of whether you are in
directory mode or file mode. You can scroll the displays by
dragging the scroll bar on the right of either window. To do
this position the mouse cursor on the scroll bar and hold
down the left mouse button. Move the mouse in the required
direction and then release the button.
Files may be tagged by positioning the mouse cursor on the
file and pressing both mouse buttons together (or the centre
button if you have a three button mouse)
You may also select commands by clicking on them. If you wish
to access Control commands then first click on CTRL (top
right hand corner of the screen) and then click on the
appropriate command.
You may select User Defined commands my first clicking on ALT
in the top right hand corner of the screen and then clicking
on the appropriate command.
In general the Left mouse button is treated as the Enter key
and the right button is treated as the Escape key.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 15
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
5. User Defined commands
In ActaeOn you can assign you own commands to ALT key
combinations. These are displayed, like other internal
commands when you press down the ALT key.
To define your own commands, go to the Configuration menu and
select the Add command option.
When you select this option a window will pop up which will
allow you to enter details about the command. This includes
the title of the command to be displayed in the <ALT> menu,
the command itself and any parameters to the command.
The parameter definition can include special characters to
substitute the currently highlighted file, directory, cause a
window to pop up for the user to enter details etc. Context
sensitive help on each field is available.
User defined commands are stored in a Command Definition File
called ACTAEON.CDF
An explanation of each field follows:
COMMAND TITLE
This is the name shown when the <ALT> key is pressed down. It
must be 10 characters or less and the first character (which
is used to select the command) must be unique. When you enter
a command title for which has already been used, the details
are filled in the remaining fields.
COMMAND
This is the file name, including extension, of the command.
You should generally enter the full pathname of the command,
but if you don't then the command must either be in the
current DOS directory, the directory from which ActaeOn was
loaded or on the DOS PATH.
PARAMETERS
This field should contain the parameters which are to be
passed to the command. In addition to normal text you may
enter Special character sequences which will cause, for
example the currently highlighted field, directory etc to be
substituted.
The following character sequences may be used in the
parameter definition
%F
This is replaced by the currently highlighted file including
directory
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 16
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
%D
This is replaced by the currently highlighted directory.
%Pnn"text"
This causes the user to be prompted for a field of length nn
with "text" as the window title.
%L
This is replaced by the currently logged drive letter and
colon
%E
This is substituted with the currently highlighted file's
extension
%N
This is substituted with the currently highlighted file's
name (no directory).
HOME DIRECTORY
ActaeOn will change the current DOS directory to the
directory entered here before running the specified command.
On return to ActaeOn, the DOS directory will be restored to
that value it was when ActaeOn was first started.
PAUSE
This entry tells ActaeOn whether to wait for the user to press
a key before redisplaying the ActaeOn screen when the user's
command has finished.
RE-READ
This entry tells ActaeOn whether to re-read the disk after
finishing the user's command. It the entry is Y, then more
memory is freed up for the user's command and the directory
display is guaranteed to reflect any changes made to the
directory structure while executing the command.
If your command does not require the memory and does not
alter the disk (such as LIST.COM) then this should be set to
N as re-entry to ActaeOn is much faster.
You may also delete user defined commands. Simply select the
Delete Command option from the configuration menu and select
Delete Command. A menu will pop up listing all the currently
defined commands, select the one you wish to delete and press
ENTER.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 17
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
6. System Requirements
The program has been designed to run on IBM PC's and 100%
compatibles.
MS-DOS V3.01 or later
512Kb of free memory
A Hard Disk is recommended
In addition ActaeOn will take advantage of the following
hardware if it is available
Microsoft Compatible mouse
EGA or VGA Graphics card
EMS memory (for overlays)
There must be no more than 511 directories and 7200 files on
any given disk.
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 18
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
7. Future Enhancements
ActaeOn is under constant development.
Although no commitment can be made as to which features will
appear in which future release, the following facilities are
being actively considered for future versions of ActaeOn.
Format Disk (Floppies only)
Undelete File
If you have any suggestions for enhancements I would be glad
to hear them.
A release history may be found in the READ.ME file
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 19
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
8. Acknowledgements
IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines
MS-DOS is a trademark of MicroSoft Inc.
Turbo Pascal is a trademark of Borland International Inc.
Wordstar is a trademark of Micropro International
Corporation.
All other trademarks are acknowledged
The code to amend Volume Labels was written by Andy Dingley
My thanks to the following who helped beta test ActaeOn
Ian Bevan
Mark Chamberlain
Andy Dingley
James S Hooton
Graham Macleod
Mel Pullen
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 20
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
9. Registration
The registration cost is $39.95 (+$4 S/H). Checks, money
orders or Visa/Master Card details should be sent to
Shareable Software International
PO Box 59102
Schaumburg
IL 60159
USA
Credit Card orders accepted on :
Phone : 800-622-2793 (Orders only)
708-397-1221 (Enquiries)
Fax : 708-397-0381
Or call the Runway BBS, J)oin Conference 77, Shareable
Software International and fill out the appropriate script
for on-line registration. The numbers for Runway are:
2400 baud : 215-623-6203
9600 HST : 215-623-4897
9600 V.32 : 215-623-6845
The cost includes Postage and Packing, a printed manual, a
copy of the current release of the software, and an
evaluation version of FlexiBak Plus. Technical support is
also provided by all of the above or on CompuServe (directly
to the author) on 100013,57
We have a 90 day, no hassle, money back guarantee for registered
users. If after registration you are unhappy with ActaeOn in any
way, just return the manual and disk and we will refund your
registration fee.
Site Licence agreements, and multiple copy discounts are
available; contact the publisher for more details.
Please let us know the current version and Serial number when
ordering. Both of these may be found in the Information
display.
Please specify whether you want 5 1/4 inch 360Kb disks or
3 1/2 inch 720Kb disks.
An order form (ORDER.FRM) which will print on any printer is
provided for your convenience. Simply type
COPY ORDER.FRM PRN
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 21
ActaeOn V2.00 User Guide
10. Association of Shareware Professionals
_______
____|__ | (tm)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
Jon Clempner is a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to
resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by
contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The
ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with
an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for
members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at
545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442, USA or send a Compuserve
message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536
Copyright 1991, Jon Clempner Page 22