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1990-10-23
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Easy DOS Commander (v2.06)
Copyright (c) 1990 by John J. Caputo
Easy DOS Commander is a simple to use, but powerful DOS utility. It makes
everyday file handling faster and easier for novices and pros alike. It has
all the DOS tools you use every day and then some. All functions are one
key-stroke commands. You will never need DIR again.
You will find EDC is easier and faster than its competitors. This is the
only full function DOS shell which remains uncluttered and easy to use.
All you need to do is put EDC.EXE in a pathed directory and Easy DOS
Commander will always be handy. From your DOS prompt just type EDC and press
enter.
****************************************************************************
This is Shareware.
Use this copy and evaluate it. If (when) you decide you would like to keep
this software, you are strongly encouraged to register a copy. The
registration fee is only $25.
Make checks payable to John J. Caputo.
4830 S. Blvd. N.W. #9
Canton, OH 44718
Registering your copy will help me to further enhance EDC and other products
in the future. You will also be entilted to free upgrades to future version
of EDC.
All registered owners of v1.xx can upgrade for free. I welcome any comments
or suggestions. My GEnie mail box is J.CAPUTO1
*****************************************************************************
FILES:
EDC.EXE Easy DOS Commander (v2.0)
EDC.DOC This file
SOME BACKGROUND:
Version 2.0 of EDC is a nearly a complete rewrite. I moved from Turbo C 2.0
to Turbo C++ 1.0. Most of EDC has been rewritten in C++ taking advantage of
object oriented techniques. This aided greatly in creating a two directory
display. EDC 2.0 is comprised of 3,500 lines of C and C++ code combined.
I also added many new features to the this version. Many of the ideas for
the new features and improvements came from EDC users. So keep sending
comments and suggestions. Of course I paid the most attention to the
suggestions containing cash, but all are welcome.
See the list of features below.
FEATURES
_____________________________________________________________________________
-View directories in a scrolling window.
-View 2 directories or drives at once. **** New ****
-View 2 directories stacked or side-by-side. **** New ****
-Use VGA 50 line mode. **** New ****
-VGA palette editor. **** New ****
-CGA snow checking. **** New ****
-Change file selection criteria.
-Change file sort method. ** Improved *
-Find file utility built in. **** New ****
-Print directory listing.
-View any file.
-Search for text in any file.
-View/Print DBF structures.
-Browse database files.
-Print file(s).
-View directory tree.
-Quickly change directories/drives.
-Copy files. ** Improved *
-Move files. **** New ****
-Delete files and directories.
-Make new directories.
-Rename files and directories.
-Change file attributes.
-Execute a program file from EDC.
-Shell to DOS.
-Execute a DOS command. **** New ****
-Tag files for multiple operations. ** Improved *
-Edit a file if with Qedit (An excellent Shareware text editor by SemWare).
-Binary edit any file. Built in. **** New ****
-Show various system information.
-Pop up help screens.
-Built in calculator.
-Built in calendar. **** New ****
SPECIFICATIONS:
-Memory
Requires 180k of RAM minimum
-Monitor
Mono or Color (Looks best on Color)
VGA 50 line mode supported
CGA snow checking
-Directory tree
Number of Directories limited by memory.
Up to 8 sub-directories deep
-Files
Number of files/dir limited by memory.
View 1 or 2 file windows
-Sort directories
by name (default)
date
extension
size
unsorted
-Dbase file Structure
Up to 100 fields listed
-Dbase browser
Up to 100 fields listed
Up to 53 Characters per field shown
-File viewer
View any type of file
-Binary editor
Edit any file
-Desq view compatible
The display screen is initially made up of 2 windows.
1.) The directory listing window. This is the large window
on the left side of the screen. The title of the window
is the directory you are currently in. This is the
window you will use to select files. Use the cursor keys
to move from file to file. The bottom of the screen
displays the commands which are available when you are
in the directory listing window. F1 is for help and to
display additional commands/functions.
2.) The Directory Information Window. This is the last
window, in the upper right side of the screen. This
shows information about the directory and drive you
are currently in. It also displays the number of
tagged files.
After you use Tab or Alt-S the screen will be split to show two directory
windows. Only one directory window can be active at a time. To switch from
one window to the next use the Tab key. The active window is the one with
the double line border and the shadow.
The screen also displays a clock in the upper left corner and the
date in the upper right corner. The amount of free ram is displayed in the
upper left corner below the clock.
Commands are listed on bottom two rows of the screen.
___________________________________________________________________________
USAGE:
EDC [file-spec] [/m] [/b] [/s] [/v]
file-spec = start up file criteria. optional
/m = force mono colors. optional ( Use on lap-tops )
/b = force bios video writes. optional
/s = force CGA snow checking. optional
/v = force VGA 50 line mode. optional
COMMANDS:
To activate a command press the capital letter displayed in the command
name or the function key labeled with the command.
Attrib:
Allows you to change file(s) attributes. If no files are tagged the
current file will be changed. If you have tagged files, they can all be
changed, you will be asked. After selecting 'A'ttrib you will be asked
to give a +,- or = for each attribute. + means add the attribute. -
means remove the attribute. = means leave the attribute the way it was.
The current file attributes are displayed in the right column of the
file-list window in all but side-by-side mode. Attributes include the
following: h=hidden, w=rdonly, s=system, b=archive.
Bedit:
Binary editor. This allows you to edit the currently selected file.
This is an easy to use hex editor. The editor will edit any type of
file, one page at a time. You will be prompted to save each page if
there were changes made. Once you save a change, it is permanent. It's
recommended that you make a copy of a file before editing it.
Press F1 for help.
Copy:
Allows you to copy a file to a new directory or disk. You can also
create a new name for the file. If you have tagged files, they can all
be copied to the path you give. (You must specify a directory name not
a file name when copying tagged files.) Esc can be used to halt copy
when it is finished with the current file. If an error occurs while
copying, only those successfully copied will be untagged.
Delete:
Allows you to delete a file or directory. Attempting to deleting a
write protected file will cause an error. If you have tagged files you
will be asked if you wish to delete them all. You can use Esc to halt
delete in the middle of its operation.
When you delete a directory, all the files and sub directories in that
directory will be deleted. (Use with caution) You will be asked twice
before proceeding.
Edit:
Allows you to edit the selected file. This only works if you own Qedit
and it is in a pathed directory. If you have another editor you can
rename it Q.EXE and it may work.
Find:
Allows you to search for any file-spec on the current drive. You will
be prompted for a file spec to search for. You can use an DOS wild
cards or a complete file name. If a/many match is found a list will be
displayed. The list contains all directories for which the file was
found. Point to the directory you wish to change to and press enter.
If you press Esc you will not change directories.
The system uses the directory tree (F6) to look for files. When you
perform a search the trees is checked for existence. If it exists the
search will be very very quick. If the tree doesn't exist it will be
built before the search is performed. This is all automatic. The only
reason I'm sharing this with you is so your aware of why the first
search in a session is so much slower than the second.
Info:
Displays additional information about your machine. Displays the amount
of memory, disk space, serial/parallel ports, etc. Also displays
registration information.
Logo:
Displays copyright information.
Move:
Move a single file or all tagged files to a new location. This is a
slow but safe move. The file is first copied to the new location. If
there were no errors the old copy will be deleted. The command works
the same as the copy command, except the source files are deleted after
the operation.
New:
Allows you to create a new subdirectory from the current directory.
Print:
Allows you to print the selected file or all tagged files if you are in
multi-mode. This sends output to PRN. Esc will halt printing in the
middle.
Quit:
Quits EDC.
Rename:
Allows you to rename the selected file or directory.
Switch:
Allows you to change drives or directories. You can also change
directories by selecting a directory with the file pointer and pressing
V or Enter for view. Pressing Esc will take you back one directory in
the tree and point to the directory you just came from. You can also
change directories through the directory tree (F6).
Tag:
Allows you to tag and untag files. When a file is tagged, it will be
marked with an asterisk (*). When you tag a file the cursor will move
to the next file. Tagged files have an effect only when you are in
Multi-mode. Alt-T Will retag all previously tagged files. After EDC
performs an operation on tagged files it replaces the * with a %. If
you press Alt-T all the %s will be retagged.
View: (same as Enter key)
If you are pointing to a directory EDC will change to that directory.
If you are pointing to a file EDC will view the file. When you
initially select view EDC guesses what mode to go into. If the file is
a text file it will be shown in the Variable mode. This mode allows
easy viewing of text files. For binary files select the Fixed mode by
pressing F. To switch back to Variable mode press V. The bottom right
of the screen displays the mode EDC is in.
Press S for text search. This option works in the Fixed mode only. You
will be prompted for text to search for. EDC will start it's search
from the bottom line of the screen, down. If the text is found it will
appear on the bottom line of the screen. If not, the last line of the
file will be displayed. Q,Esc or Enter will exit the file viewer.
Select F1 for help.
eXecute:
Will execute the selected file. When you quit your selected program you
will return to EDC. Only EXE, COM, and BAT files can be executed.F1:
Display a brief summary of all functions. Press F1 in any of the
viewing screens for a summary of commands.
F2:
Print directory listing. This will print the current directory to PRN.
F3:
Change file criteria. This allows you to change what files appear in
the file listing. You can use any DOS wild card for your criteria. The
default is *.* which shows all files. Regardless of the criteria, all
subdirectories of the current directory will be displayed.
Example: if you want to show all EXE files enter
*.EXE for your criteria.
Each file-view window has its own selection criteria.
You can also select the file criteria from the command line when you
load EDC.
Example: EDC *.BAT {Will show only batch files and
directories}
F4:
Rebuild current directory. Reloads the current directory and list of
files. All tags are removed.
F5:
Calendar. This is a simple calendar. Use the arrow keys to change
months and years. Press Q or Esc to quit. This can be popped up from
any screen.
F6:
View the directory tree for the current drive. The first time you use
tree it needs to be built, this can take a few seconds. Point to the
directory of your choice and press enter. The directory tree will be
rebuilt every time you change disk drives. If you wish to rebuild it
manually, press R. Pressing Esc will exit the tree without changing
directories.
Press F1 for help.
F7:
View DBF structure. Displays the structure of a dBASE format file. Use
the cursor keys to view the entire structure. Q or Esc or F7 to quit.
To print the database structure, while viewing the file press P for
print.
Press F1 for help.
F8:
Browse through a DBF file. Use the Up & Down arrow keys to move from
record to record. The number of pages appears on the bottom of the
screen. This is the number of field pages. If you have more than one
page, use the PgUp and PgDn keys to view the other pages. Use Home to
goto the first record. End to goto the last record.
Q or Esc or F8 to quit.
Press F1 for help.
F9:
Shell to DOS. If you need to execute any DOS commands outside of EDC
you can quickly get to DOS and back again. To return to EDC type EXIT
at the DOS prompt.
F10:
Calculator. This is a simple four function calculator. Very easy to
use. The calculator can be popped up from any screen.Tab
Split/Switch directories. The first time you press tab a second file-
list window will be displayed. This creates the stacked directory
display. Both lists function independently. They can both point to
separate directories or drives. They both maintain there own trees
(F6). Using a second will use more memory, but EDC will probably use
less than 220k regardless of the size of your directories.
Also use the Tab key to switch from one window to the next use the tab
key again.
1 (The number one)
Display 1 directory. This deletes the second file-list window. The
second window will be closed and all memory restored.
Alt-C
Change color palette. This is for VGA displays only. EDC has 4
predefined color schemes. You can press Alt-C from any screen to toggle
between color palettes.
Alt-P
Palette editor. This is for VGA displays only. You can use the palette
editor from any screen. You can change any of the 16 text colors to any
of 64 colors. To change a color use the up and down arrows to pointer
to the color you wish to change. Use the left and right arrows to
decrease or increase the color number. If you wish to save your changes
to affect most of your MS-DOS applications press 'S'. If you wish to
restore DOS to its original colors press 'R'.
Alt-S
Side-by-Side directory display. This will activate a second file-list
window. This will display more files in each window than the stacked
display, but less information. The file time and attributes are not
displayed. Also the tagged info window will not be displayed. Use the
Tab key to switch from one window to the next.
This mode is handy for comparing two directories. It is especially
handy in the VGA 50 line mode.
Alt-T
Retag files. When you perform an operation like Copy or Attrib on
tagged files the tag is replaced with a %. The % is not a tag, just a
reminder that the file was once tagged and used. To retag these files
quickly press Alt-T.
Alt-V
VGA 50 line mode toggle. This will toggle between 25 and 50 line modes.
You must have a VGA color monitor to use this feature. You must also be
in the Display 1 directory mode to change VGA modes. Once in 50 line
mode you can use Tab or Alt-S to split the screen.
Alt-F3
Change the sort method of the files. You can sort files by Name,
Extension, Size, Date, or Unsorted. The default for EDC is to sort by
name. After selecting a new sort method the directory list will be
rebuilt (F4).
Alt-F9
DOS Command. This will prompt you for a DOS command to execute. After
the command is executed you will be returned to EDC. This can be faster
than F9 because you don't have to type EXIT when your finished.
****************************** Updates **************************************
v2.01 September 20, 1990
Minor bug fixes.
v2.02 October 1, 1990
Minor enhancements.
v2.06 October 23, 1990
Addition of VGA palette editor.
More hard error checking.