home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
ASP Advantage 1993
/
The Association of Shareware Professionals Advantage CD-ROM 1993.iso
/
files
/
utilties
/
fmav21
/
fm.doc
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1993-04-17
|
37KB
|
856 lines
File Maven (tm)
Version 2.1
Copyright (C) 1992,1993 Kent Briggs
All Rights Reserved
Introduction
------------
maven (MAY vin) n. expert or connoisseur, devotee.
File Maven is an advanced DOS file manager with high speed
PC-to-PC transfer capabilities using a null modem cable and 16-bit
CRC error correction. File Maven features a modern user interface
with pull-down menus, mouse support, hot keys, and user-defined
screen colors. File commands include copy, move, delete, wipe,
rename, edit, view, tag, execute, and sort. Directory commands
include create, delete, and rename.
Distribution
------------
File Maven is copyrighted software distributed as shareware with
a registration fee of $16.50. Shareware is a "try before you buy"
concept where users are encouraged to share the programs with
friends and business associates, upload to electronic bulletin
board systems (BBS), etc. Those that find the programs useful
should register their copy to support the author's efforts and to
receive technical support or other benefits.
File Maven is distributed in a compressed format, usually in a file
called FMAV21.ZIP. The compressed file contains the following files
that must stay together for distribution:
FM.EXE File Maven Program
FM.DOC File Maven Documentation
FILE_ID.DIZ File Maven description file for BBSs
ASP.DOC Association of Shareware Professionals Info.
To print this 15 page documentation file, type the following
command at the DOS command line:
COPY FM.DOC PRN
Registration
------------
File Maven may be used in an evaluation period of no more than 30
days. You must register the program to use it past the evaluation
period. Failure to do so is a violation of the license agreement.
1
To register your copy of File Maven, print the order form at the
end of this file or use the print option when you exit File Maven.
There are three line items on the order form:
1. Single user license : $15 ea + $1.50 S&H*
2. Network server license : $75 ea + $1.50 S&H
3. Unlimited user site license : $225 ea + $1.50 S&H
* Shipping and Handling is $3.50 for orders outside the U.S.A.
Item 1 is the normal registration option. Item 2 is for
unlimited users on a single network server. Item 3 is a site
license for companies who need more than 15 copies of File Maven.
With a site license, you may make unlimited copies of File Maven
for use on the site. A site is defined as one or more buildings
used by a company or institution on a contiguous area of land.
Upgrades to higher licenses are available.
Each license includes a disk, printed manual, and a unique serial
number that will be used to suppress the registration reminder
screens. Technical support is provided via mail at the address
shown below for at least one year after registration.
Please include the name or company name that File Maven will be
registered to. This name (30 characters max) will be placed on
File Maven's opening screen.
For orders or technical support, write to:
Kent Briggs
109A Romana Cir.
Hewitt, TX 76643
Disclaimer
----------
This software is provided as is and without warranty. The author
assumes no liability for damages, either direct or consequential,
which may result from the use of this product.
Installation
------------
No special installation is needed to run File Maven. However, you
will probably want to put FM.EXE in your DOS path so that it will
execute from any directory. The DOS path is defined in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file and lists a string of directories that are
searched if DOS cannot find a program in the current directory.
Put FM.EXE in one of those directories or modify the PATH statement
so that it contains the File Maven directory. Refer to your DOS
manual for use of the PATH command.
2
To start File Maven, type FM at the DOS command line and press Enter.
You may enter optional parameters on the command line:
FM [pathspec][filespec] [/N,/E,/S,/D,/A,/U][R]
Pathspec is the directory that File Maven will display on startup.
The default directory is the current directory. The Filespec is the
file name filter that determines which files to display. The
default filespec is *.* which displays all files. The / options
determine the file sort order: N=name, E=extension, S=size, D=date,
A=attribute, and U=unsorted. Use an R suffix to reverse the sort.
The default sort is /N. The following example will show the batch
files in the root directory on drive A and sort them by date in
reverse order:
FM A:\*.BAT /DR
File Maven Screen
-----------------
The screen is divided into five main areas that contain information
about the current directory or available commands.
The title bar and pull-down menus are displayed at the top of the
screen. The pull-down menus appear when you press the / key or
click the mouse on the title bar.
The file list is the large box on the left side of the screen. It
contains the list of files in the current directory that match the
filespec. The list contains the file name and extension, size, date
and time, and attributes. The four possible attributes are A for
archive, S for system, H for hidden, and R for read-only. Refer to
your DOS manual for a description of file attributes. The file list
is sorted by the current sort order. At the bottom of the file list
is the name of the current directory.
The directory list is the box in the upper right corner of the
screen. This list contains the subdirectories of the current
directory and all of the logical drives on the computer. The number
of subdirectories and drives are displayed under the directory list.
If the current directory is not a root directory, then the first item
in the directory list will always be a ".." which represents the
parent directory of the current directory. The date and time that
the directories were created are also shown in the list. The
directory list is always sorted by name in ascending order. Hidden
directories are not displayed in the list. However, you can use File
Maven in a hidden directory by changing to the hidden directory with
the DOS CD command and then running FM.EXE. You can also place the
directory name on the FM.EXE command line (i.e. FM C:\SECRET).
3
The statistics box is the box in the lower right corner of the
screen. It contains additional information about the files in the
current directory. The filespec shows the current file name filter
that determines which files are displayed. The default filespec is
*.* which displays all files. The current file sort order is shown
under the filespec. "Rev" will be displayed if the sort is in
reverse (descending) order. Both the filespec and sort order can
be set from the FM.EXE command line or changed from the menus. The
filespec and sort order remain in effect even after changing
directories.
The number and size of tagged files are also shown in the statistics
box. Files can be tagged with the + key and untagged with the - key
(use the numeric keypad or click the mouse on the status line).
Files are tagged so that they can be processed (copied, deleted,
etc.) all at once instead of one at a time. Finally, the number and
size of the files matching the filespec are shown at the bottom of
the statistics box along with the available space on the current
disk drive.
The status line is the bottom line of the screen. It displays some
of the active keys and descriptions of the menu commands when they
are highlighted.
Active Keys and Mouse Clicks
----------------------------
Scrolling: Press the left and right cursor keys or the Tab key
to move the highlight bar between the file list and
directory list. Press the up and down cursor keys to
scroll the highlight bar in the file and directory
lists. With the mouse, click on either list to move
the highlight bar to the desired file or directory.
Click on the scroll bar arrows to simulate the up and
down cursor keys. Press PageUp and PageDown to scroll
a whole page of files or directories. Click above or
below the scroll block to simulate the PageUp and
PageDown keys. Press Home to move to the top of the
list and End to move to the bottom.
Change Dir: With the highlight bar in the directory list, press
Enter to change to that directory. If the
highlight bar is on the ".." directory, then the
new directory will be the parent of the current
directory. If the highlight bar is on a drive,
then the new directory will be the current
directory on the new drive. With the mouse, click
once to highlight the directory or drive and then
click again to change to that directory or drive.
4
File Tagging: With the highlight bar in the file list, press the
+ key (use the numeric keypad) to tag the current
file. An arrow will appear on the left side of the
file name. Press - to untag a file. With the mouse,
click on the words Tag and Untag on the status line.
File Viewing: With the highlight bar in the file list, press
Enter to view the current file in ASCII (text)
format. Binary files can also be viewed but each
byte will be converted to its ASCII equivalent
character. Only the first 9999 lines of the file
can be viewed. Lines wider than 255 characters
will be wrapped. Use the cursor, PageUp/PageDn,
and Home/End keys for scrolling. Press Esc to exit
the file viewer. Use the Attributes command to
change file attributes. With the mouse, click on
the highlighted file to view it.
File Search: Press any other key to search for a file (or
directory) that begins with that character (i.e.,
press P to search for a file name that begins with
P). The search begins at the highlight bar and
goes down until a match is found or until the
bottom of the list is reached at which time the
search will continue at the top of the list and
continue until the original starting point is
reached. If a match is found, the highlight bar
will be moved to that file (or directory).
Pull-Down Menus
---------------
Press the / key or click the mouse on the title bar to display the
top level menu. Use the left and right cursor keys to highlight the
appropriate menu item. A description of the menu item will be
displayed on the status line. Press Enter or the down cursor key
or click the mouse to "pull down" a menu. Highlight the command
you want and press Enter or just press the key corresponding to the
first character in the command. With the mouse, just click on the
command that you want. To cancel the menus, press Esc or click
outside of the menus with the mouse.
Some of the more common menu commands can be activated with a
"hot key". Hot keys are short cuts that do not require using the
menus. For example, Alt-C is the hot key for copying files. Hot
keys appear next to the commands on the menus. Menu commands that
have a right arrow mark next to them will display a submenu if
selected.
5
File Menu
---------
The File menu contains commands that transfer files or execute
programs.
Copy: Select Copy to copy files from the current directory to
a different directory or drive. If one or more files
are tagged, then the tagged files will be copied. A
prompt will appear like this:
Copy 3 tagged file(s) to: _
If no files are tagged, then the current highlighted file
is copied. A prompt will appear like this:
Copy FMAV21.ZIP to: _
Type in a valid directory just as you would using the DOS
COPY command or press Esc to cancel the Copy command.
File Maven will ensure that the destination drive/directory
exists before an attempt is made to copy the files. The
arrow "tag" is removed after a successful copy and the
file is "marked" with an asterisk.
If an error occurs during the copy process, the speaker
will beep and a brief error message will be displayed.
The copy process will continue if other files in the list
are tagged. You can press the Esc key to stop the copy
process. An error will occur if the file has attributes
of (S)ystem or (H)idden or if the destination drive is
full.
If a file with the same name already exists in the
destination directory, the copy process is interrupted
with a prompt like this:
FMAV21.ZIP already exists.
(R)eplace, (S)kip, (N)o_prompting, (Q)uit?
Press R to overwrite the file and continue the copy
process. Press S to skip the file and continue with the
next tagged file. Press N to overwrite the file and all
other files that might already exist. Press Q to cancel
the Copy command.
Move: Select Move to move files from the current directory to a
different directory or drive. If one or more files
are tagged, then the tagged files will be moved. A
prompt will appear like this:
6
Move 3 tagged file(s) to: _
If no files are tagged, then the current highlighted file
is moved. A prompt will appear like this:
Move FMAV21.ZIP to: _
Type in a valid directory just as you would using the DOS
COPY command (there is no DOS MOVE command, prior to DOS
6.0) or press Esc to cancel the Move command. File Maven
will ensure that the destination drive/directory exists
before an attempt is made to move the files.
The move process is the same as the copy process except
the files are deleted if they are successfully copied.
Duplicate: Select Duplicate to copy a file into the same directory
under a different name. Tagged files are ignored. Only
the current highlighted file is duplicated. A prompt
will appear like this:
Duplicate FMAV21.ZIP as: _
Type in a valid file name or press Esc to cancel the
Duplicate command.
Send: Select Send to copy files to a remote computer connected
by a null modem serial cable. (Null modem cables are
special 7-wire cables that allow two computers to
communicate through their serial ports. The TX/RX and
handshaking lines are crossed at each end.) If one or
more files are tagged, then the tagged files will be sent.
A prompt will appear like this:
Send 3 tagged file(s) to COMx (Y/N) ? _
If no files are tagged, then the current highlighted file
is sent. A prompt will appear like this:
Send FMAV21.ZIP to COMx (Y/N) ? _
COMx is the serial port specified with the Configure/Port
command. Type Y and press Enter to confirm the transfer
or press Esc to cancel the Send command. The following
message will be displayed:
Select Receive on remote computer or press Esc to quit.
With File Maven running on the remote computer, select
File/Receive from the menu as described below.
7
Receive: Select Receive to copy files from a remote computer to
the current directory. A null modem cable connecting
the two computers is required. A prompt will appear as
follows:
Receive file(s) from COMx (Y/N) ? _
COMx is the serial port specified with the Configure/Port
command. Type Y and press Enter to confirm the transfer
or press Esc to cancel the Receive command. The following
message will be displayed:
Ready to receive files from COMx. Press Esc to quit.
With File Maven running on the remote computer, select
File/Send from the menu as described above. The baud
rate must be the same on both computers. Use the
Configure/Baud Rate command to set baud rates. If you
have trouble with file transfers, ensure that you have
the correct COM ports specified and that you have a true
7-wire null modem cable. Try slower baud rates if
necessary.
Execute: Select Execute to load and run a .BAT, .COM, or .EXE
program. A prompt will appear like this:
Execute C:\GRAPHICS>VPIC (enter parameters)
Type in any command line parameters and press Enter or
press Esc to cancel the Execute command. File Maven
remains in memory so large programs may not load.
Modify Menu
-----------
The Modify menu contains commands that modify files in some way or
another as opposed to just transferring them.
Delete: Select Delete to delete files from the current directory.
If one or more files are tagged, then the tagged files
will be deleted. A prompt will appear like this:
Delete 3 tagged file(s) (Y/N) ?
If no files are tagged, then the current highlighted file
is deleted. A prompt will appear like this:
Delete FMAV21.ZIP (Y/N) ?
8
Type in Y and press Enter to delete the file(s) or press
Esc to cancel the Delete command. A file will not be
deleted if it has attributes other than "A" (archive).
Wipe: Wipe is similar to the Delete command except the files
will be overwritten with zeros just before they are
deleted. This prevents them from being unerased by
programs such as Norton Utilities.
Rename: Select Rename to give the current highlighted file a
different name. Other tagged files are not affected. A
prompt will appear like this:
Rename FMAV21.ZIP to: _
Type in a valid DOS filename or press Esc to cancel the
Rename command. An error will occur if the name is
invalid or another file with the same name already
exists.
Edit: Select Edit to edit the current highlighted file with
your own editor. Use the Configure/Editor command to
tell File Maven which editor to use. The editor is
loaded into memory and the highlighted file is passed
as the command line parameter.
Attribute: Select Attribute to change the attributes of files in
the current directory. If one or more files are
tagged, then the tagged files will be changed. A prompt
will appear like this:
Change attributes of 3 tagged files(s) to (+/-ASHR): _
If no files are tagged, then the attributes of the
current highlighted file are changed. A prompt will
appear like this:
Change attributes of FMAV21.ZIP to (+/-ASHR): _
The four possible attributes are A for archive, S for
system, H for hidden, and R for read-only. Refer to your
DOS manual for a description of file attributes.
Type in the attributes to change by preceding each one
with a + to turn on or a - to turn off. Press Esc to
cancel the Attribute command. Here are some examples:
+H-S ; turn on H attribute and turn off S attribute
; the A and R attributes are not affected.
-H-S-R-A ; turn off all attributes
9
List Menu
---------
The List menu contains commands that affect the entire file list,
not just the individual files.
Sort: Select Sort to set the sort order for the current
directory and all subsequent directories. A submenu will
appear as follows:
Name Extension Size Date Attribute Unsorted Reverse
Select the file sort order from this list. Select
Unsorted to reload the current directory and leave it in
the original DOS order. Select Reverse to reverse the
current sort order with a descending sort. The current
sort order is displayed in the statistics box. The sort
order remains in effect until you change it again or exit
File Maven. The default sort order is by Name. The sort
order can also be set from the FM.EXE command line (see
the Installation section discussed earlier).
Tag: Select Tag to tag or untag a group of files all at once.
Individual files are tagged/untagged with the + and - keys.
A submenu will appear as follows:
All None Marked Unmarked Flip
Select All to tag all files in the list. Select None to
untag and unmark all files in the list. Select Marked to
tag all files that are marked with an asterisk. These
files have recently been copied or had their attributes
changed. Select Unmarked to tag all files that are
currently marked with an asterisk. Select Flip to tag
all untagged files and to untag all tagged files. Marked
files are not affected by the Flip command.
Filespec: Select Filespec to change the current filespec. The
filespec is the file name filter that determines which
files to display. A prompt will appear as follows:
Enter new filespec: _
Type in a new filespec or press Esc to cancel. The
default filespec is *.* which displays all files. The
current filespec remains in effect until you change it
again. You can set the filespec from the FM.EXE command
line (see Installation section). Here are some filespec
examples:
*.DOC ; display only files with an extension of .DOC
K*.* ; display only files that start with a K
10
Directory Menu
--------------
The Directory menu contains commands for managing subdirectories.
Create: Select Create to make a new subdirectory in the current
directory. This is similar to the DOS MD command. A
prompt will appear like this:
New subdirectory for C:\
Type in a valid directory name and press Enter or press
Esc to cancel.
Delete: Select Delete to remove the directory that is currently
highlighted. This is similar to the DOS RD command. A
Yes/No conformation prompt will appear before the
directory is removed. An error message will be displayed
if the directory is not empty.
Rename: Select Rename to change the name of the current
highlighted directory. A prompt will appear like this:
Rename WINDOWS to: _
Type in a valid directory name and press Enter or press
Esc to cancel the Rename command.
Configure menu
--------------
The Configure menu contains commands to customize File Maven for
your computer. Use the Save command to save the changes or they
will be lost when you exit the program.
Colors: Select Colors to change the screen colors for up
to 15 areas of the screen. Each area is identified
as "A" through "O" on the menu. A prompt will
appear as follows:
Foreground color (0..15): _
The current foreground color will be at the cursor.
Press the Backspace key to change the color or press
Enter to keep the current color. The status line
will show the available color numbers. The next
prompt will appear as follows:
Background color (0..7): _
11
The current background color will be at the cursor.
Press the Backspace key to change the color or press
Enter to keep the current color. The background
color must be different that the foreground color.
Press Esc to cancel the Color command.
Option "P" on the Colors menu will reset all screen
colors to the default setting. If you have a
monochrome monitor you might need to use option "Q"
for all black and white colors. Press / C C Q if you
have trouble seeing the menus.
Port: Select Port to view or change the current serial
port for file transfers (see the File/Send and
File/Receive commands). The current port (COM1, 2,
3, or 4) will have an "x" next to it. Press Esc
to remove the Port menu.
Baud Rate: Select Baud Rate to view or change the current baud
rate for file transfers (see the File/Send and
File/Receive commands). The current baud rate will
have an "x" next to it. Both computers must be set
to the same baud rate for file transfers. Press
Esc to remove the Baud Rate menu.
Editor: Select Editor to set the name of the file editor to
use with the Modify/Edit command. A prompt will
appear like this:
Current Editor=C:\DOS\EDIT.COM
Type in the full pathname of your editor or press
Esc to keep the current editor. Leave the line
blank and press Enter for no editor.
Register: The Register command is where registered users enter
their registration serial numbers. When a valid
serial number is entered, the license agreement
message on the opening screen is replaced with the
registration name and serial number. Also, the
registration reminder screen shown when you exit
File Maven is removed completely.
Save Settings: Select Save to write all configuration changes back
to the File Maven .EXE file. If you fail to save
your changes, they will be lost when you exit the
program. If you are using ver 2.x of DOS then you
must type in the full pathname of the File Maven
program (i.e. C:\UTIL\FM.EXE).
12
Help Menu
---------
The Help menu gives a brief description of File Maven's commands,
organized by the major menu categories. The General help screen
displays a table of active keys and mouse usage.
Exit Menu
---------
Exit: Select Exit to exit File Maven. Non-registered users
will see a registration reminder screen with an option
to print an order form to the DOS PRN device.
Miscellaneous
-------------
File Maven was written in Borland Pascal 7.0 (approximately 4800
lines of code) on a Gateway 2000 486DX2/50 computer. The program
was beta tested on several types of computers including work-
stations on a LANtastic and Novell network.
Here are some features that I am considering for future versions:
PKZIP support (tag files to compress, uncompress)
File split/join
Graphical directory tree
Please send your own suggestions to:
Kent Briggs
109A Romana Cir.
Hewitt, TX 76643
Look for the latest version of File Maven on the following BBS's:
The Consultant BBS 718-837-3236 ; ASP Hub, free 1st call download
Space BBS 415-323-4193 ; ASP Hub, free 1st call download
Exec-PC 414-789-4210 ; Largest BBS in USA, fee required
All three BBS's are PC-Pursuitable.
Program History
---------------
Ver 1.0 06/12/92 (Initially titled "KB-File Manager")
Initial release.
Ver 1.1 06/12/92
Bug fix. The box showing the number of tagged files did not update
after using the Attributes command on tagged files.
13
Ver 1.2 07/30/92
Added two new features: Text file viewer and COM/EXE/BAT program
execution.
Ver 2.0 12/05/92 (Renamed to "File Maven")
Added mouse support, pull-down menus, hot-keys, file transfer,
duplicate, wipe, and edit, directory rename, and internal
configuration options. Tabs expanded in file viewer.
Ver 2.1 04/17/93
Now view and copy read-only files (necessary for CD-ROMs).
Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP) documentation added.
New opening screen, network license, international shipping.
ATTENTION REGISTERED 2.0 USERS: use your existing registration
name and serial number for a self-upgrade.
---------------
14
File Maven 2.1
Order Form
Item Qty Each Amount
=============================== ==== ==== ======
Single user license ____ $15 $______
Network server license ____ $75 $______
Unlimited user site license ____ $225 $______
$ 1.50 Shipping *
Disk size (check one):
[ ] 3.5" [ ] 5.25" $ Total
======
* S&H is $3.50 for orders outside the U.S.A.
Send check or money order to: Kent Briggs
(U.S.A. banks only) 109A Romana Cir.
Hewitt, TX 76643
Name: ___________________________________________________________
Company: ___________________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
City: _______________________________ State: ___ Zip: _________
Register File Maven under the following name:
Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
(30 characters maximum. The registration name and serial
serial number will appear on the opening screen.)
My copy of File Maven came from (circle one):
A. BBS B. Shareware Disk Distributor C. User Group D. Other
Source Name: _______________________________ Phone No: _____________
Suggestions for improvement: _______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________