Copyright: Copyright © 1995 by WinWright


Contents

Overview

Using SysFile

Registration


Overview

SysFile is a powerful replacement for Windows' standard SysEdit utility. Rather than prescribe only a limited number of files you can edit, SysFile makes all initialization (INI) files in the Windows directory, along with AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS, available to you.

Like SysEdit, SysFile automatically opens a set of files for you, and allows you to edit them concurrently. Unlike SysEdit, you are not limited to just a few certain files, instead, you can choose which files are to be Auto-Opened each time SysFile starts. Rather than an unorganized mess of Multiple-Document-Interface windows getting lost behind each other, SysFile organizes the open files in a Tabbed Dialog. All open files are accessible via a single mouse click at all times.

In addition to editing files, SysFile allows you to easily delete files from your system, making SysFile more of a management utility for your system files. To counter this ease of deleting files, SysFile also allows you to add files to a protection list. Should you accidentally select deletion on a file, SysFile will not delete it if it's in this list.

Selecting files between the lists is a snap, just about every possible way to select and update the lists is available to you.

Finally, whenever you change a file in SysFile, you are given an opportunity to restart Windows (if only INI files have changed) or reboot your system (if AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS has changed).


Using SysFile

When SysFile runs the first time

The Setup Page

Selecting a file to Edit

Editing a File

Adding files to the Auto-Open list

Removing Files from the Auto-Open List

Deleting Files

Maintaining a protection list

Setting Options


When SysFile runs the first time

The first time you run SysFile, it will automatically open a default set of files similar to Windows' SysEdit. This same set of files will also be placed in Auto Open list and the Protection list to prevent accidental deletion of these files from within SysFile.

You may alter either or both of these lists at any time. Whenever you close SysFile, it saves the current list contents in its own INI file and will subsequently start up with the selections you've specified.

SysFile is a standard resizeable and movable window. Each time it starts, it will be the same size and in the same position as when you last closed it.

See Also;

The Set up Page

Adding Files to the Protection List


Adding files to the Auto-Open list

File lists must be manipulated from the Setup page of the application. The Setup page is always available to you. Just look for it among the tabs of the dialog. It's always the last tab in a row, though it may be on any row.

Click on the Setup Page tab to bring the Setup page to the front.

On the left side of the page is a list box containing the names of all initialization files available in the Windows directory along with AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS.

On the right side is a list box with the names of the files currently open for editing. You'll see a Page tab for each file name in this list box.

You can select any number of file names in the Files list box and add them to the Auto Open list box. When you do, SysFile immediately adds corresponding Page Tabs, and loads the files ready for viewing or editing.

File names in the Files list box may be selected using the mouse or keyboard as you would with any standard Windows list box (note though that the functionality of mouse selection is slightly modified if the Drag and Drop Option is on). Once selected, you can copy the names to the Auto Open list box several ways:

⇒	Click the Take button.

⇒	Press the Insert key.

⇒	Click the right mouse button while over the Files list box and select Add from the Pop up menu.

⇒	If the Drag and Drop option is on, when you click on the last file to be selected, hold the mouse button down and drag it to either the Auto Open list box or the Take button.

See Also

Removing Files from the Auto Open list

Pop up Menus


Selecting a file to Edit

There are three ways to select a file for editing,

⇒	If the file is already open, click on the Page Tab containing the desired file name.

⇒	From the Setup page, select a file name from the Auto-Open list box, click the right mouse button and select Edit from the Pop Up menu.

⇒	From the Setup page, select a file name from the Files list box, click the right mouse button and select Edit from the Pop Up menu. If the selected file name is not already in the Auto Open list box, it will be added and a new Edit Page will be created for the file.


File List Box

The File list box contains a list of all initialization files found in the Windows directory. It also includes AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS from your system's root directory.


The Setup Page

Along with the pages containing files you can edit, there is a page reserved for setup. As with the other pages, the setup page is always available to you with a single mouse click on it's tab. Although it may appear on different rows as you click other tabs, the Set up Page Tab will always be at the right-most used position in the row, so it's quite easy to find.

Click on the different controls in the image below to learn more about that feature.

Both list boxes are multi-select, so you can move any number of file names from either list box to the other. The Take button copies selected file names from the Files list box to the Auto Open list box and creates corresponding tabbed edit pages for them. The Drop button removes selected file names in the Auto Open list box and removes corresponding tabbed edit pages.

See Also:

Adding files to the Auto Open list

Removing files from the Auto Open list

Deleting files

Adding files to the Protection list

Selecting a file to Edit

Setting the Drag and Drop option


Page Tabs

This area contains page tabs. Clicking on any tab will bring that file (or the Setup page) to the front.


Auto list Box
Auto Open List Box

The Auto list box displays the names of files that are automatically opened when Sysfile starts. These names will match the names on the Tabs at the top of the dialog.


Take Button

The Take button copies the selected file names from the File list box into the Auto Open list box, immediately creates new pages and loads the files into memory ready for editing.


Drop Button

The Drop buttons will remove the selected file names from the Auto Open list box and remove the corresponding edit pages. If any of the selected files has been changed, you will first have a chance to save the changes.


Options Button

The Options button takes you to the Options dialog where you can select a Save Option, a Delete Option, enable or disable the Drag and Drop feature, or access the protection list directly.


Help Button

The Help button takes you to the Contents screen of this Help file.

You can get context-sensitive help by pressing the <F1> key on any control.


Removing files from the Auto Open list

There are several ways to remove a file page from SysFile.

From the Set up page:

Select the files you want to remove in the Auto Open list box

⇒	Click the Drop button.

⇒	Press the Delete key.

⇒	Click the right mouse button while over the Auto Open list box and select Remove.

⇒	If the Drag and Drop option is on, then when you click on the last file to be selected, hold the mouse button down and drag it to either the Files list box or the Drop button.

From a File Page:

⇒	Click the right mouse button to display the pop up menu and select Remove. This page will be removed and the file name will be removed from the Auto Open list box on the Set up page. If you have made any changes to this file, you will be given an opportunity to save the file before it is removed.

See Also:

Saving Files

Deleting Files

Options Dialog


Deleting files

SysFile lets you easily delete files from your system. This is a very useful, but potentially dangerous feature since some of the files accessible through SysFile are needed by your system and by Windows. However, a real system management utility really is complete without this ability.

To offset the potential danger of accidentally deleting needed files, SysFile offers a Protection Dialog where you can specify files you don't want SysFile to delete. Note that this protection list does not stop you from deleting these files outside of SysFile, for example; using File Manager or the Delete command from DOS. Its purpose is to prevent accidental deletions from SysFile itself.

A file can be deleted by selecting the Delete File menu item from any of the Pop Up menus. You can access Pop Up menus from either of the list boxes on the Set up Page or from within a an Edit page.

See Also:

Options Dialog


Adding files to the Protect list
Adding files to the Protection list

On each of the three Popup menus, you can select Protect File.

If you are editing a file, this file will automatically be added to the protection list if not already there.

If selected from the Popup menu in one of the list boxes on the Set up Page, all selected files in the list box will be added to the protection list if not already there.

Files added to the protection list will prevent Sysfile from deleting them should you accidentally request deletion.

See Also:

Protection Dialog

Deleting Files


Setting the Drag and Drop option

In the Options dialog, there is a check box that allows you to choose whether you want to use the Drag and Drop feature or not.

Drag and Drop allows you to select one or more entries in either of the two list boxes on the Set up Page and then, holding the left mouse button down, drag the selected files to the other list box or to the Take or Drop buttons.

Why would you not want to use this feature?

There is a trade off in the use of Drag and Drop. The Files and Auto Open list boxes allow you to select any number of files at once. One of the ways this can be accomplished is by simply clicking the left mouse button on one file and dragging the mouse up or down in the list box; all consecutive list box entries will be selected. If the Drag and Drop option is on, this method will not work; as soon as you move the mouse, the drag icon appears and only the single file you clicked on will be subject to the drag.

All other methods of selecting multiple files still work with drag and drop. You can Select consecutive files by clicking on one file name, and with the <Shift> key down, clicking on any other file name. Holding the <Ctrl> key down, you can click on, and select non-consecutive file names. To use Drag and Drop on multiple file name selections, you must remember not to release the left mouse button when you make the last selection. Move the mouse and the Multi-Drag icon will appear.


File Page
The File Page

A file page is any of the Pages displaying a system file for viewing or editing.


Saving Files

Whenever you close the SysFile utility, or when you remove files from the Auto Open list box, SysFile will give you an opportunity to save any changes you've made to any of the files. If you have set the No Prompt option, then the files will be saved immediately without prompting you.

See Also:

Options Dialog


Options Dialog

The Options Dialog lets you set preferences for how you want SysFile to operate. You can change these options at any time. Clicking the OK button allows the options to take effect. Settings are saved when SysFile terminates so tat they are permanent until you change them

Click on the different controls in the image below to learn about each feature.


No Prompt
No Prompt Option

If No Prompt option is selected, any changes made to any files are automatically saved for you when SysFile is terminated or when you remove a changed file from display.


Protection Dialog

The Protection dialog is accessible from a button on the Options Dialog.

This dialog gives you direct access to the list of files protected from deletion by SysFile. The list of files is actually a multi line edit control and can be edited as such. Be sure to only place a single file name on each line.

To save changes to the list, click the OK button. To cancel changes, click the Cancel button.

See Also:

Deleting Files

Adding to the Protection list


Pop Up Menus

There are three Pop up menus in SysFile, all are similar but not identical. Pop up menus are invoked by clicking the right mouse button over the control that offers it.

From the Files list box, you can Add selected files to the Auto Open list box; Edit a selected file (which also adds it to the Auto Open list); Protect and Delete files.

From the Auto Open list box, you can Edit a selected file; Remove, Delete or Protect selected files.

From any File Edit page, you can Remove, Protect or Delete that file; perform Find and Replace functions within the file; or you can Exit from SysFile.

See Also:

Set Up Page

Protect Dialog

Options Dialog


Find and Replace

When you are viewing or editing a file, you can perform Find or Replace functions in the file by clicking the right mouse button and selecting Find or Replace from the Pop Up menu. SysFile uses the standard Windows Find and Replace dialogs.

If you have highlighted text before calling the Find Dialog, this text will be placed as the text to search for and pressing the FindNext button will search for the next occurrence of the highlighted text. If no text is highlighted, then there will be nothing set as the search text when the Find Dialog appears and you will need to enter something. This also applies to the Replace Dialog. Each time you click the FindNext button, SysFile will look for and highlight the next occurrence of the text. SysFile always searches from the current position of the text caret.

The Replace Dialog also contains a FindNext button that works exactly like the Find Dialog. In addition, it contains a Replace and a Replace All button. The Replace button will only replace text currently highlighted in the edit page. The Replace All button will search from the current position of the text caret to the end of the file and replace all occurrences of the entered search text.

Both the Find and Replace Dialogs contain a Check Box to allow you to choose whether the Find function is to be case-sensitive or insensitive.


Exit from SysFile
Exiting from SysFile

SysFile can be close in the standard way, by clicking the control menu button in the top-left corner of the program and selecting Close.

SysFile can also be close from any File Page by clicking the right mouse button and selecting Exit from the Pop up menu.

Whenever you exit from SysFile, it will check for modifications you may have made in any of the opened files. Depending on the Save Option you have set, you will either be asked if you want to make changes or SysFile will automatically save all changes before terminating.


Registering SysFile

Thank you for trying SysFile. I really hope you like it and find it a worthy replacement for Windows' relatively limited SysEdit utility.

Though I've been employed as a professional programmer for many years, this is my first attempt to independently market a software product. I have three purposes in providing this software.

1. To provide a better version of SysEdit to help in managing the configuration files of Windows, Windows applications, and the System. If you're at all like me, you install or remove various software and hardware products on occasion, maybe even frequently. I've always found the SysEdit utility very useful except that it only allows editing of a few files, and if you want to delete files you no longer need, you still need to use File Manager. SysFile changes that.

2. This utility is written using Delphi, Borland's latest and greatest Windows development environment. I've enjoyed using Borland's Pascal products for a few years now, and Delphi takes Pascal, and Windows development, to a new level. For this reason, along with the utility itself, I've included all the Delphi source files in the package. The code I've written is heavily documented and is intended to act as a learning example for those new to Delphi. If you haven't purchased Delphi yet, I hope that sample applications such as this may convince you to consider such a purchase.

3. As mentioned, this is my first independent foray into the retail software market, so you might say I'm "testing the market"  I think the Shareware concept is a great way to distribute software as it allows potential users to try out software before making the purchase. It eliminates the let-down of paying good money for a product and then finding out it isn't at all what you expected or wanted. On the other hand, this puts the developers of such hardware at the mercy of those who acquire the software. If developers are able to make a profit, they are encouraged to develop more and better software with the result that everyone wins! So please, if you like SysFile, as a utility and/or as a good example to help you learn Delphi, please let me know by registering your copy.

To Register SysFile:

The easiest way to register your copy of SysFile and its source files, is to logon to CompuServe and GO SWREG. Select the option to register software and follow the prompts. The SWREG identification number for SysFile is 5610. You can also find it by looking for the name SysFile. The price for registering SysFile is only $10.00. This small price includes the SysFile utility and all source files used to create it. Your Compuserve account will automatically be debited upon completion of the registration.

You can also register SysFile by sending a cheque for $10.00 to:

WinWright

260 Anzac Rd

Richmond Hill ON  L4C 3G8

Canada

Support:

If you have comments, questions, or problems with SysFile, you are welcome to contact me through Compuserve Mail at 76260,2634

Disclaimer:

SysFile is capable of modifying and deleting files needed by your system. In using SysFile, you must accept full responsibilty for any files you change or delete which subsequently cause adverse effects on your system and any of its software, as well as for any time or money lost due to such actions. I accept no liability for any misuse, accidental or deliberate, of this software beyond that required by the laws of Ontario, Canada.


Prompt Each File Option

This is the default setting for the Save Options. When one or more files have been changed, you will be prompted individually for each file when you either terminate SysFile or if you remove these files from the Auto Open list. You can Click Yes to Save the changes, No to skip saving this file, or Cancel to skip all remaining files and return to the program.


Prompt Once Only Option

When more than one file has been changed, and you either terminate SysFile or remove these files from the Auto Open list, SysFile will prompt you only one time to see if you want to save the changes to the modified files. Answer yes to save all changed files; No to continue with termination or removal without saving any changes; or Cancel to skip file saves and return to SysFile.


Deletes not Allowed Option

Setting this option will prevent SysFile from deleting any files at all. The Delete menu item on the three Pop up menus will all be disabled. This is the safest way to use SysFile unless you know you ant to delete certain files.


Confirm Deletes Option

This is the default setting. When you attempt to delete any number of files, SysFile will prompt you for confirmation for each file individually.


Just Do It Delete Option

This is called the 'kamikaze' approach to file management and it is (seriously) not recommended. It is provided only for those that never make mistakes. No confirmation is asked for, if you select delete, the file is gone.


Options Dialog OK Button
OK Button

Clicking OK closes the Options Dialog and makes your selections available to SysFile. Your selections are saved when SysFile terminates and will remain in effect until you change them.


Options Dialog Cancel Button
Cancel Button

The Cancel button close the Options dialog and ignores any changes you've made.


Options Dialog About Button
About Button

The About button displays SysFile's About Dialog where you can learn about Who, how an why SysFile was created!


Editing a File

When you click on any Page Tab, SysFile brings that page to the front. All pages except the Set up Page are editor windows.

All files listed in the Auto Open list box on the Set up page are already opened and available for editing simply by clicking on that file's Page Tab. When you add a file to the Auto Open list box, it is automatically opened and inserted on another page for you.

You can edit the file just as you would with any other standard text editor such as Windows' NotePad. All standard Windows editing features are supported such as Cut, Copy, and Paste. WordWrap is turned off in SysFile as, due to the nature of the files it edits, you generally would not want this.

Clicking the right mouse button while in an editor window brings up a Pop up menu. At the top of the menu are the Find an Replace menu items. When you select one of these, the corresponding standard Windows dialog displays. This dialog will stay on display until you close them, allowing you to do repeated or varied searchs or replacements without needing to repeatedly choose it from the menu.

The Editors Pop up menu also allows you to close an editor file by selecting Remove. This closes the editor page for this file and removes it from the Auto Open list box. The current file can also be added to the Protection list or deleted from the system. Finally, SysFile itself can be closed from this Pop up menu.

There's never any need for you to explicitly save or close a file unles you want to remove it from the Auto Open list. SysFile keeps track of any changes you've made to any of the open files. When you close SysFile, it will automatically save any changes to the files, (prompting you according to the Save Prompt you have set in the Options Dialog).

See Also:

Selecting a File to Edit