CHAPTER TWO: Getting around the catalog window

Once you have some disks scanned into a disk list, you will probably want to browse the contents of those disks.  To do so, you will be using the catalog window.  This window behaves much like the file lists in System 7’s Finder (e.g., view by name, size, kind, date).  The list may be expanded to show the contents of a folder, while still keeping accessible all of the other items that were previously visible.  In addition, you can also open a folder normally (so that the folder’s contents are the only items visible).

When you first open a catalog file or finish scanning some disks, you are presented with a list of all the disks which have been scanned.  This is called the “All Disks” view, as indicated by the box in the lower left-hand corner of the window:

Fiddling with hierarchies
To show the contents of one disk or folder in the catalog window, select the disk or folder in the catalog window and click on the down-hierarchy button in the control bar at the bottom of the window:
 
Alternatively, you can double-click on the item, or press command-down arrow.

To go up a level in the hierarchy, click on the up-hierarchy button in the control bar at the bottom of the window:
 
Alternatively, you may press command-up arrow.

In the lower left hand of the window is a box which displays the name of the folder or disk whose contents you are viewing.  If you are viewing the disk list, the box reads “All Disks”.  Clicking on this box presents you with a menu showing the current path to the folder whose contents you are viewing.  Selecting one of the items from path displayed in this menu will show the contents of that item in the window.  You can also display this menu by holding down the command key and then clicking on the title bar of the catalog window.

To expand or collapse the hierarchy of a folder or disk, click on the triangle next to its name.  A triangle pointing to the right indicates a collapsed hierarchy, while one pointing downwards indicates an expanded hierarchy.

closed: 
opened: 
You may also click on an item and press command-right arrow to expand a hierarchy or command-left arrow to collapse a hierarchy.  Pressing option-command-right arrow expands the hierarchy of the selected item as well as the hierarchies of all items within it.  Option-command-left arrow collapses the hierarchy of the selected item as well as the hierarchies of all items within it.

NOTE—StuffIt™ and Compact Pro™ archives and self-extracting archives behave just like disks or folders.  That is, you may expand their contents or display only their contents.  These archives are most easily identified by a file or application icon with the expansion control triangle next to it. 

Selecting items
Because of the fact that DiskTracker’s catalog window is so similar to the Finder’s windows, most of the shortcuts which work for selecting an item in the Finder will also work in DiskTracker. These include:

• Click on the item to select it.  (simple, but effective)  Shift-click selects more than one item.

• Start typing the name of the item—DiskTracker will select the item with closest name to what you typed.

  
• Click in the empty space surrounding the items and drag the mouse over the items you would like to select.

• Choose “Select All” (or hit ⌘A) from the Edit menu to select all visible items in the catalog window.

Once an item is selected, there are several methods that you can use to select another.

• Use the up and down arrows to select the previous or next items in the list.

• Use the Tab key to select the next item alphabetically in the list.  Shift-Tab selects the previous item alphabetically in the list.

Selection size indicator
At the bottom of the window, just to the left of the scroll bar, is an indicator that shows how many items are selected and their total size.  (this indicator will not appear if the catalog window is too narrow).

NOTE—The size of the folder is equal to the size of all of the files within it.  Thus, for instance, if an expanded folder and its all of its contents are selected, the indicator will show the selected size to be twice the size of the contents of the folder.

Getting item info
For any selected item(s), DiskTracker can show a detailed info window (similar to the Finder’s “Get Info”, but with some additional bits of info).  To get info for a particular item or for a group of items, select the items and then select “Get Info” from the Edit menu (or press ⌘I).  The info window will appear.  If more than one item was selected, you can use the scroll bar at the bottom of the window to show info for each of the individual items.

DiskTracker can also show an expanded info window which is capable for showing item info for two separate items (so, for instance, you can compare two items side-by-side).  To enable this expanded info window, select “Split Info Window” from the Edit menu.  You may select this item either when a catalog window is visible or when the info window is visible.  Selecting “Split Info Window” again will return the window to its more compact form.  When the info window is expanded, two scroll bars will be accessible so that you can choose a separate item to view in each pane.

NOTE—If the “Get Info” command is issued when only one item is selected, the window will always be shown in its compact form.

Editing disk notes
You can store a short (250 characters or so) note for each disk that you have a catalog for.  This catalog appears in the Get Info box and can appear on a disk label (see chapter six).

• To edit a disk note:

1.) Select one and only one disk in the catalog window.

2.) Select “Disk Notes…” from the Edit menu (or press ⌘D).

3.) Type a note for the disk.

4.) Click “OK” (or hit Enter) to lock in the new disk note or click “Cancel” to abort.

Launching items from DiskTracker
It is possible to launch and display (in the Finder) files, applications, and folders from DiskTracker.  

• To launch an item (or several items):

1.) Select the item(s) that you would like to launch.

2.) Select “Launch” from the Edit menu (or press ⌘L).  Alternatively, you can double click on files and applications in the catalog window to launch them.

3a.) If your computer has access to the disk which contains the file or application, the file or application will launch just as if you had opened it from the Finder.

3b.) If not, you will be presented with the disk locator dialog box.  (See below)

• To show an item in the Finder:

1.) Select the item(s) that you would like to show in the Finder.

2.) Select “Show in Finder” from the Edit menu (or press ⌘H).

3a.) If your computer has access to the disk which contains the file or application, the file or application will be displayed in the Finder.

3b.) If not, you will be presented with the disk locator dialog box. 

The disk locater dialog box

If DiskTracker is unable to locate the disk on which a file to be launched or shown is found, it will present you with the disk locator dialog box.

In this dialog box, you can:
  
• Browse all of the on-line disks (use the “<<” and “>>” buttons).

  • Eject an on-line disk (the “Eject” button).

  • Have DiskTracker check to see if the file in question is on a particular disk (make sure that the disk is visible in the box and click “OK”).

  • If you insert the disk that DiskTracker is looking for, the locator box will immediately go away and the item will launched or displayed.
  
• If you would like to abort the search, click “Cancel”.

Moving disk catalogs around
Occasionally, you will want to move a disk catalog from one catalog file to another.  DiskTracker supports standard cut, copy, and paste to allow this.

• To move a disk (or several disks) from one catalog to another:

1.) Select the disk(s) that you would like to move in the catalog window (make sure that only disks are selected).

2.) If you would like to keep a copy of the disk catalog in the original catalog file, select “Copy Disk” from the Edit menu (or press ⌘C).  Otherwise, choose “Cut Disk” (⌘X) from the Edit menu.

3.) Select the catalog window into which you would like to paste the disk.

4.) Choose “Paste Disk” (⌘V) from the Edit menu.

NOTE—If you are pasting a disk with the same serial number as one in the catalog file you are pasting into, DiskTracker will ask you if you would like to assign a new serial number to the disk you are pasting.  If you answer “Yes”, a new serial number will be assigned; if you answer “No”, the disk will be skipped; if you answer “Cancel”, the disk paste will be aborted altogether.

Removing disk catalogs
If you would like to remove a disk catalog (or several disk catalogs) from a catalog file (perhaps to save disk space):

1.) Select the disk(s) you would like to delete in the catalog window (make sure that only disks are selected).

2.) Choose “Clear Disk” from the Edit menu, or hit the delete key.

NOTE—It is possible to undo a disk clear (just select “Undo Clear Disk” from the Edit Menu).

Saving and opening catalog files
DiskTracker has the standard Macintosh New, Open, Close, Save, Save As, Revert, and Quit commands for dealing with files.

  • New (⌘N)—Gives you a new, empty catalog file.  All of the file preferences are set to the application defaults.

  • Open (⌘O)—Gives you the standard open file dialog allowing you to pick a catalog file to open.

  • Close (⌘W)—Closes the current frontmost window, asking you if you would like to save it if it is an unsaved catalog file.

  • Save (⌘S)—Saves the file or does Save As if the file has never been saved.

  • Save As—Gives you the standard save file dialog allowing you to choose a name and location for saving the catalog file.
  
• Revert—Allows you to return to the last saved version of the file.
  
• Quit (⌘Q)—Closes all  windows, asking you if you would like to save each of the unsaved catalog files, and then quits DiskTracker.

Printing catalog files
Naturally, the contents of a DiskTracker catalog window can be output to a printer.  

• To print a catalog file:

1.) Make sure that the settings in the “Page Setup” (from the File menu) dialog are to your liking.

2.) Select “Print” from the File menu (or hit ⌘P).

3.) Select print copies, page ranges, print quality, etc. from the upper section of the print dialog box.

4.) Select either to print “All Items” or only the “Visible Items” from the lower portion of the Print dialog.  If “All Items” is set, all of the items in the current hierarchy will be expanded and printed.  If “Visible Items” is set, only the items that are currently visible in the catalog window will be printed.  Selecting Visible items most closely resembles the Finder’s “Print Window…” command.

5.) Click “Print” to start printing, or “Cancel” to abort.

NOTE—If Print “All Items” is selected, the current file sorting options will be ignored (see chapter 3 for more info on file sorting) (volume sorting options will remain intact).  This frees DiskTracker from having to sort all of the files in a catalog file (which can be a rather time-consuming process) whenever all items are printed.  If “Visible Items” is selected, the list will appear just as it does in the window (including the current file sort method).

TIP—If you are willing to wait for DiskTracker to sort all of the items within the current hierarchy, it is possible to print all items with the current file sort method.  To do this, choose “Select All” from the Edit menu (⌘A) and press option-command-right arrow.  This entirely expands the current hierarchy.  Now, by printing visible items, you can reproduce the effects of printing all, but with file sorting intact.