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1991-11-29
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CD Master (CDM)
Version 1.0
Copyright 1991
All Rights Reserved
by
New-Ware Shareware Products
8050 Camino Kiosco
San Diego, CA 92122
(619) 455-6225
Contents
1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.1 Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 Registering CDM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 What Is CDM? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.1 What Does It DO? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 How Does It Do It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3 Operating CDM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.1 Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.2 Main Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.3 The Drive Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.3.1 New Drive - F3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.3.2 Re-Scan - F5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.3.3 Print Tree - F7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.3.4 Drive Stats - F8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.3.5 Search - Alt+S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.4 Directory Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.4.1 Add Dir - Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.4.2 Delete Dir - Del . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.4.3 View Files - F4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.4.4 Rename Dir - F6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.4.5 Prn File List - F9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.4.6 Dir Stats - F10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.5 The View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4 Mouse Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
5 Viewing/Browsing Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
6 Configuring CDM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
7 System Requirements & Program Limitations . . . . . . . 13
8 Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
8.1 New-Ware BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
i
1 General
1.1 Disclaimer
New-Ware hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this product,
whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied
warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. New-Ware
cannot and will not be liable for any special, incidental, consequential,
indirect or similar damages due to loss of data or any other reason, even
if New-Ware or an authorized New-Ware agent has been advised of the
possibility of such damages. In no event shall the liability for any
damages ever exceed the price paid for the license to use software,
regardless of the form and/or extent of the claim. The user of this
program bears all risk as to the quality and performance of the software.
1.2 Registering CDM
CDM is a Shareware product which means that it is provided for you to
use on a "try before you buy basis". If you do not find CDM useful, then
simply stop using it. If you do find CDM useful then you should register
it. Registration can be accomplished via mail, telephone, or BBS. Simply
fill out the form below and mail or phone in the appropriate information.
/-------------------------------------------------------------\
│ CDM Registration Form │
│ │
│ Name:_________________________________________________ │
│ │
│ Address:______________________________________________ │
│ │
│ City/State:_____________________________ ZIP _________ │
│ │
│ MC/Visa #_______________________________ EXP _________ │
│ │
│ Enclosed is my check or my MasterCard/Visa card number │
│ for the amount of $15.00. │
│ │
│ California residents must include 8.25% ($1.24) sales │
│ tax. Foreign orders must include $2.00 for shipping. │
│ │
\_____________________________________________________________/
Users may also register via the New-Ware BBS which operates at
1200/2400 baud 24 hours per day at (619) 455-5226. After connecting and
logging in as a new BBS user you can register CDM with a valid MasterCard
or Visa number via the BBS Questionnaire menu.
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NOTE: The Shareware evaluation copy of CDM is functionally identical
to the registered version copy. The only difference is that a Shareware
information screen will pop up approximately once in every five major
commands issued from the main directory tree display. This screen does not
inhibit the functionality of CDM in any way but is included as a gentle
reminder to evaluating users that CDM is indeed a Shareware product..
NOTE: All users that register CDM, including those who register via
BBS, will receive a registered copy of the current version on disk via
mail. Please specify if you require a 3 1/2" diskette.
NOTE: The New-Ware voice line, (619) 455-6225, is served by a voice
mail system that will answers calls in the absence of New-Ware personnel.
This voice mail system has sufficient security to permit you to leave a
MasterCard or Visa order without fear of card data compromise.
NOTE: Users that register by mail or voice telephone are NOT
automatically entered into the BBS registered user database. To gain
access to the registered CDM file and to the exclusive registered user's
node (9600 baud HST) you must first log on the open node and leave the
Sysop a comment requesting access as a registered CDM user.
NOTE: Special site license rates are available. Please call for
further information.
2 What Is CDM?
2.1 What Does It DO?
CDM, an abbreviation for CD Master (the CD represents the DOS Change
Directory command), is a utility designed to facilitate navigating around
the different drives and directory trees of you computer system. Most
computer systems have multiple drives with fairly complex subdirectory
structure on each drive. CDM provides a fast, powerful, and easy to use
interface for moving about and maintaining the directory structures of your
system.
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2.2 How Does It Do It?
Each time you run CDM it presents a graphical display of the directory
tree structure of the current drive in a treelike format as in the example
below:
╒══ Drive D: Tree ══╕
│├───FM │
│├───FMTSR │
│├─┬─NEWFILER │
││ ├───INC │
││ ├───INS │
││ ├───OBJ │
││ ├───PAS │
││ ├───REAL │
││ └───TPU │
│├─┬─OP │
││ ├───EX │
││ ├───INC │
││ ├───OBJ │
││ ├───PAS │
││ ├───SAVE │
││ └───TPU │
│├───RE │
│├───REFDATA │
│├───SPRINT │
╘═══════════════════╛
When it executes, CDM will either scan the current disk to build and
sort the tree structure for you or it will access a file where this data is
maintained. Each time a new drive is accessed, the tree for the new drive
is displayed. You can change drives while in CDM and go directly to a
specific directory on the new drive. A number of useful functions are
accessible from main display via pull-down menus, function keys, or mouse
clicks.
3 Operating CDM
It is strongly suggested that CDM.EXE be placed in a directory that is
identified in your DOS PATH string so that it will be accessible from any
place in your system.
Execute CDM by typing CDM at the DOS prompt and press the Enter key.
CDM will load and display the directory tree for the current drive. Or you
may add a drive letter and colon, i.e., X:, where X is the drive designator
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of the target drive. In that case CDM will display the directory tree for
drive X.
You may also add the name or partial name of a subdirectory. For
example, suppose you have a directory with the path name of
D:\UTILITY\ARCHIVE\ZIPPROG\DAT that you wish to change to. If you are
already on drive D:, simply type CDM dat and press Return. CDM will load
and position the cursor bar over the DAT subdirectory. Now press Return to
change to that subdirectory and return to the DOS level. Or if you are not
on drive D:, typing D:dat will accomplish the same thing. One thing to
remember about this feature is that CDM will search the sorted tree in a
top-down fashion. In the case of the example above, this means that if you
had a subdirectory named D:\ALLDONE\DAT, CDM would place the cursor bar on
this subdirectory instead of the longer one because it appears first in the
tree. To handle such cases, use the Ctrl+L command. This will continue
the search until the next match is found.
3.1 Getting Help
CDM provides on-line help via the F1 key and the file named CDM.HLP.
If you place CDM.HLP (along with CDM.EXE) in a directory that is in your
DOS PATH, pressing the F1 key will bring up a help window. If you press F1
while in the main tree display, a Help Topic window will appear. Select a
topic and press the Enter key get help on a specific topic. Help is also
available from the file list viewing windows and from the directory stats
window.
3.2 Main Display
The main display will always contain a window that occupies the left
side of the screen in which the directory tree structure will be displayed.
The window width will automatically be adjusted to accommodate trees with
long directory names and multiple depths. The height of the window will be
proportional to the number of lines in the display. EGA/VGA users may
elect to operate in a 44(EGA)/50(VGA) line mode.
The top line of the display contains a bar that contains the following
command cues:
Drive - - Alt+D
diRectory - Alt+R
View - Alt+V
Pressing the Alt key and D, R, or V will activate one of three pull
down menus. If you have a mouse you may click the mouse over any of the
cues to obtain the desired menu.
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The bottom line of the display normally contains the "Alt+X to Quit"
cue. Press Alt+X or click with the mouse over the cue exits the program
with no action.
3.3 The Drive Menu
The Drive pull-down menu offers the following six choices:
╒════════════════════╕
│ New Drive F3 │
│ Re-Scan F5 │
│ Print Tree F7 │
│ Drive Stats F8 │
│ Search Alt+S │
╘════════════════════╛
Notice that each item shows a function or Alt key command that may be used
directly from the main display without going through this menu. All menus
in CDM operate by moving the cursor bar to the desired item and pressing
the Enter key (or left-clicking the mouse).
3.3.1 New Drive - F3
CDM will display a menu of all the valid drives found in your system.
This includes ram drives and floppy disk drives. Select a drive from the
menu by pressing the Enter key with cursor over the target drive or by
pressing the drive designator character. CDM will immediately attempt to
load and display the directory tree structure for that drive. Note that
each time CDM is executed or a new drive is selected, the directory tree
cursor will automatically move to the currently active directory name.
If a drive is empty or otherwise reported by DOS as being not ready,
CDM will show an empty directory tree.
3.3.2 Re-Scan - F5
CDM can be operated in two basic modes. In one mode, CDM scan the
drive to build the directory tree each time a drive is accessed. This is
slow, especially in the case of large drives with lots of directories, but
it always shows the current state of the directory tree structure. CDM
provides an alternative to this by maintaining small files that contain an
abbreviated image of each drive tree structure. These files are named
NEW-WARE.X, where X is the drive designator. In order to use this
strategy, you must configure CDM to recognize a valid directory in your
system as the repository for these files. Then CDM only needs to briefly
read in the data that describes the tree structure when accessing a drive
instead of spending seconds re-scanning the drive. Any time you elect to
add, remove, or rename a directory via CDM, the appropriate tree data file
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is automatically updated. If, however, you add, remove, or rename a
directory via a means other than CDM the tree data will no longer be valid.
That is why the F5 command is included. You can re-scan any drive at any
time to update a tree data file and CDM will operate much, much faster.
3.3.3 Print Tree - F7
This function is provided so that you can print a copy of the
directory tree structure. Please be sure that your printer is in the full
ready mode and that it will properly print the IBM line drawing characters
used to depict the tree structure.
3.3.4 Drive Stats - F8
The Drive Stats function displays a window in the right side of the
display that contains interesting information concerning the current drive.
On slower systems with a large drive, this function might take a few
seconds to retrieve all the data that it displays.
3.3.5 Search - Alt+S
CDM offers a fast means of finding a specific file on a drive. When
you activate the search mode, CDM will traverse the current drive tree to
collect all the file names on the drive into memory. An advisory message
on bottom bar will appear during the scan. Then you will be prompted on
the bottom bar to enter the target file name. You may press the Esc key at
this point to abort the operation.
If you enter a file name (no wild cards, please), CDM will rapidly
search the in-memory list. If the file is found, a file list window will
appear in the right side of the display with the cursor bar positioned over
the target file name. If the file is not found, an advisory message is
issued. Press any key to clear the message and return to the target file
name prompt.
You can enter the file list window without conducting a search by
simply pressing the Enter key at the prompt. The window will open and you
will be able to browse the entire file list. In addition, you can now use
the fast, powerful CDM speed search method of looking for files. Notice
that the directory path name of the directory that contains the file
highlighted by the cursor bar is displayed just below the lower left hand
corner of the file window. You may press the Enter key to view the file
under the cursor. You may exit the file list window with the Esc key.
Notice that the directory containing the file under the cursor bar when the
Esc key is pressed will be highlighted in the tree display.
Please see the paragraph entitled "View Files - F4" for information
on how the F2 through F6 keys change the file sort and for the use of the
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F8 key to display 4DOS (or NDOS) file descriptions maintained in the
DESCRIPT.ION file.
3.4 Directory Menu
The Directory Menu functions are the primary means for altering the
directory tree structure. You can add, remove, or rename any directory on
the tree providing all the DOS rules for doing so are complied with. Here
is the menu accessed through the Alt+R command:
╒══════════════════════╕
│ Add Dir - Ins │
│ Delete Dir - Del │
│ View Dir - F4 │
│ Rename Dir - F6 │
│ Prn File List - F9 │
│ Dir Stats - F10 │
╘══════════════════════╛
3.4.1 Add Dir - Ins
Adding a subdirectory to the current tree is quite simple and
straightforward. Press the Ins key to activate the add directory function.
The new directory will be added as a subdirectory to the directory
highlighted when you activated the command. For example, if the cursor was
highlighting a directory on the tree with the path name C:\UTILS\CONFIG and
you typed in the name SAVE at the prompt and pressed the Enter key, CDM
would create a new subdirectory with the DOS name of C:\UTILS\CONFIG\SAVE.
Note that the tree will be immediately resorted and updated if the addition
was successful. There are two things that might cause a failure to add a
subdirectory. One is to enter a name that results in a full path name
identical to one already on the drive. The other is to enter an invalid
DOS directory name.
3.4.2 Delete Dir - Del
You may remove any directory from the current tree structure provided
that it does not contain any files or subdirectories. Pressing the Del key
will remove the directory under the cursor bar if DOS permits its removal.
Otherwise, an error message will be issued. If the directory is
successfully removed, the tree will be re-sorted and updated.
3.4.3 View Files - F4
This function is one of the most useful available in CDM. When the
View Files function is selected, and new vertical window will open on the
right side of the display that contains a list of file names found in the
directory under the cursor in the tree window. This window also has a
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cursor bar that can be moved through the list with the cursor pad keys
and/or mouse.
A file name speed search function is a available in this mode by
pressing the letter keys of the file name you are searching for one at a
time. For example, suppose you are interested in a file named BIGDATA.DOC.
Pressing the "B" key will move the cursor to the first file in the list
that begins with the letter "B". Notice that as you press the letter keys
the file name is incrementally displayed in the lower left hand corner of
the window. You can clear the speed search by moving the cursor or
pressing the backspace key.
A file may be viewed (browsed) by pressing the Enter key (or clicking)
with the cursor bar over the desired file. A more detailed explanation of
this feature appears latter in this document.
You do not have to return to the tree display to view files in other
directories in the tree. Press the F9 or Ctrl+PgUp key to move up the tree
one directory or the F10 or Ctrl+PgDn key to move down the tree. The tree
cursor will update and the file list window will be updated with the new
list of files. The faster your drive system and your CPU is, the more
smooth the transition between directories with large file lists will be.
Press the Esc key to leave the file view window and return to your
original starting point on the tree. Notice that the tree cursor will be
positioned over the directory that was active when you pressed the Esc key.
Five different file name sorts are available in conjunction with
either ascending or descending sort logic. The default sort at start-up is
by file name and ascending unless overridden via the CDM.CFG file. Use the
following keys to dynamically change the sort as indicated below:
F2 - Sort by file name
F3 - Sort by file extension
F4 - Sort by file date
F5 - Sort by file size
F6 - Sort by file name/extension
F7 - Reverse the sort direction
Note that large file lists and/or a relatively slow CPU can result in
a delay while the sort is executing. You will notice that the cursor bar
disappears during the interval the sort is taking place.
The F6 key activates what I call a "nested" sort. It groups files by
file extension and sorts by file name within the extension groups. The F7
key toggles the sort direction from it's current state to the logical
opposite. The two states are ascending and descending.
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4DOS and NDOS users can use the F8 key to display an existing file
comment. Note that a comment related to the file must exist in the
DESCRIPT.ION file that resides in the host directory for the target file.
3.4.4 Rename Dir - F6
This command permits you to rename a directory on the tree. Notice
that the prompt that is issued contains the current name of the directory
and that just pressing a key will clear the entry and start a new one. Or
you may use the backspace or arrow keys to edit the entry accordingly. The
only thing that will cause the rename function to fail is if your new name
entry results in a path name of an existing directory on that drive.
3.4.5 Prn File List - F9
A sorted listing of all the files contained in the directory under the
tree cursor bar may be obtained by pressing activating this function.
Please be sure the printer is ready to print before using this function.
3.4.6 Dir Stats - F10
The directory stats function is somewhat similar to the drive stats
function except that it displays data relating to the directory under the
tree cursor bar. Also, note that if the highlighted directory is a
subtree, i.e., it contains subdirectories, CDM will display the data for
the entire subtree in the lower half of the display window. Like the file
view command (F4) explained earlier, you may move up and down the directory
tree with the F9/F10 keys respectively. Note that if you move the cursor
to the root directory at the top of the tree, the subtree data is now for
the entire drive.
3.5 The View Menu
The View Menu provides a means for toggling an EGA or VGA display
between the normal 25 line mode and a 43/50 line mode.
╒═══════════╕
│ 25 lines │
│ 50 lines │
╘═══════════╛
Note that pressing the F2 key while in the main tree display also
toggles between the two types of displays. CDM can be configured to
automatically switch to a 43/50 line mode at run time. This is explained
later. If the display is already in a 43/50 line mode upon entry, it will
automatically adjust.
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4 Mouse Support
CDM fully supports all mouse systems that are compatible with the
Microsoft two-button mouse standard. It will save the current system mouse
state upon entry and restore it upon exit so as not to perturb your default
settings.
You may use the mouse to traverse the graphic tree, traverse file
lists, access menus, select menu items, etc. If a system mouse is detected
at runtime, CDM will display four additional mouse cues on the bottom line
of the display. These cues can be clicked on to perform the indicated
function. When operating within the tree or file windows, you may move the
cursor by positioning the mouse cursor at a desired line and then pressing
the left button. If the left button is pressed with the mouse cursor on
the cursor bar it is the same as pressing the Enter key. Pressing the
right button is always the same as pressing the Esc key. The middle key on
a three-button mouse is not recognized.
5 Viewing/Browsing Files
CDM provides an interface to the file viewer of your choice. It will
call Vern Buerg's famous LIST viewer as a default or you may configure CDM
to use any other viewer. You must ensure that whichever viewer you desire
to use resides in a directory that is identified in the DOS PATH string.
To view a file, enter one of the file list viewing modes, move the
cursor bar to the desire file, and press the Enter Key or left click the
mouse. CDM will issue a call to the designated viewer with the name of the
selected file as a command line argument. Note that the LIST /m (for use
mouse) switch is not passed so you must preconfigure LIST to use the mouse.
CDM will devote the full display for viewing/browsing the target file and
then restore its display upon exit from the viewer.
6 Configuring CDM
You may cause CDM to use certain default modes at start-up via the
CDM.CFG file. This is a simple ASCII text file that you create/modify to
cause CDM to use specified defaults. Since CDM must be able to locate
CDM.CFG at runtime, you should position your CDM.CFG file in the DOS PATH.
The simplest and best way to do this is to place both CDM.EXE and CDM.CFG
in the same directory and ensure that directory is in the DOS PATH.
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Here is an example of what the file can look like. You will need a
text editor (like the fabulous QEDIT) to create/modify this file:
dirlog=c:\log; where to store drive directory tree data files
forcemono=false; primarily for use with certain laptop monitors
vidlines=25; anything but 25 will force into 43(EGA)/50(VGA) line mode
viewer=list; name of file viewer
nosort=false; do not sort the directory tree
filesort=4; default sort is by size
files=false; if TRUE then always start CDM in the file view (F4) mode
tree=true; if FALSE, change directory only - do not display tree.
Values for the "filesort=" item will set the start-up default file
sort method as follows:
1 = Sort by file name
2 = Sort by file extension
3 = Sort by file date
4 = Sort by file size
5 = Sort by file extension/name
Please ensure that each line of the file, if included, looks like the
example above. The lines can be in upper or lower case but there must be
NO spaces between the command, equal signs, and arguments. The file may
contain one or more of the above lines. Comments can be added to each line
by using a semicolon delimiter as shown above. Any text following the
semicolon will be ignored.
Note that if the "dirlog=" argument is empty or is an invalid
directory path name, CDM will NOT use the directory data file storage
strategy and disk access will slow things down.
If no CDM.CFG file is found by CDM at runtime, the following defaults
are in effect:
DirLog=C:\LOG
ForceMono=false
VidLines=25 (but will adjust automatically to current system value)
Viewer=LIST
NoSort=false
Laptop owners may find the colors of CDM to be unacceptable. If that
is the case you may force a mono (two-color) mode by placing the line
ForceMono=true in the file.
Note that there is a sample CDM.CFG file in the distribution package.
- 12 -
7 System Requirements & Program Limitations
CDM is designed to operate on any IBM PC compatible computer running
DOS 2.1 or higher with 300K of RAM available at runtime. CGA, EGA, VGA and
monochrome monitors are supported. CDM can support up to 700 directories
per drive. The number of files per directory/drive is strictly dependent
upon available memory, but will range from approximately 4500 with 300K to
18,000 with 620K (not improbable with DOS 5.0 and QEMM!).
Any mouse compatible with Microsoft Systems mouse version 6.0 and
above is supported.
Any printer that supports printing of IBM line characters can be used
to print the directory tree.
8 Technical Support
Technical support is available from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. Pacific time on
Monday through Saturday via telephone at (619) 455-6225. Please note that
messages left on New-Ware voice mail by non-registered users requesting a
return call for support will not be responded to.
8.1 New-Ware BBS
New-Ware operates a Bulletin Board System (BBS) which can be accessed
for technical support, copy of latest version, and on-line product
registration. Registered users of any New-Ware products have access to a
closed line served by a U.S. Robotics HST Courier 9600 baud modem as well
as to the standard 2400 baud line. The BBS operates 24 hours a day on
these two lines:
Node #1 - (619) 450-3257 - Registered Users Only
Node #2 - (619) 455-5226 - All callers
Those users who register by voice telephone or by mail are NOT
automatically entered into the registered user database and MUST call node
#2 and leave a comment for the sysop requesting registered status.
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