Gold Medal Software 1/Gold Medal Software Volume 1 (Gold Medal) (1994).iso/menuts/cf536d.arj/CHANGES

Text File | 1993-09-07 | 27KB | 590 lines

                     *******************************
                     *                             *
                     *  CMFiler -- Version 5.36d   *
                     *                             *
                     *******************************

     Changes Since Version 5.32:

     The following features have been added or improved since Version 5.32, in
     reverse chronological order:

     ----- 5.36d -----

     Added * and ? wild cards to G and Alt-G "go to" functions in main module,
     and ? wild card to "find text" functions in editor and tree.

     Made filename display and Goto algorithm the same (name - extension) in
     all sort modes.

     Soft-delete no longer changes file date/time stamp when moving files to
     ~TRASH~ directory.  ~TRASH~ purge now cleans out all files, not just
     those from yesterday and before.  D command is now taken to be hard-
     delete for RAMDrives <10M, as for floppies.

     When expanded file size display is invoked by +, file size in bytes now
     uses attribute field for the extra space needed, instead of time field.

     When exit with Esc, restores all drives to the paths that were current on
     entry.  When exit with Alt-Q, leaves all drives set to current paths.

     The \ and keypad Enter keys on British keyboards now respond as
     documented.

     "New drive" prompt now shows list of all valid drives.

     Added option in Shift-O menu to display file dates using the European
     convention (dd-mm-yy).

     Ctrl-K adjusts cursor size, decrementally on each keystroke.  This is a
     savable configuration parameter.


     ----- 5.36c -----

     Added diskette copier (Shift-K for disKopy), which copies a master disk
     from a floppy drive and makes as many exact images to formatted or
     unformated blank diskettes as desired.

     Added floppy disk formatter (Shift-M for forMat), and expanded the
     capability of the floppy fill function (shift-i) to accept unformatted
     disks, including the first disk in the sequence.  Target panel need not
     be selected to the drive filling to.  Floppy filler asks explicitly which
     drive to fill to, and then sets up the target panel to that drive for
     you, after formatting the first floppy (if needed).

     Corrected logic error and expanded capacity for notes from 600 to 1200
     per directory, memory permitting.

     ----- 5.36b -----

     Options added to print fiLe facility:  Issue form feed at end; print
     filename/date/time header on first page; provide left margin of 0, 5 or
     10 spaces; route to printer 1 or 2 (LPT1 or LPT2).  Settings can be saved
     to the .CFG configuration file to become the default offering for next
     printout.

     ----- 5.36a -----

     New operators Ctrl-U/L/I added to editor.  Ctrl-U forces alphabetic
     character at cursor to upper case, Ctrl-L forces to lower case, Ctrl-I
     inverts.

     Limit removed on number of filenames displayed in viewing contents of
     compressed files.  Display screen size increased, PageUp/Down added.

     File mask now blinks whenever it is other than *.*, as a visual cue that
     what you see is not necessarily all that is there.

     Expanded file move command (Shift-C) to better accomodate cross-drive
     file moves (reduced number of keystrokes).

     Added date/time stamp to directories in display, and corrected minor
     anomalies.

     ----- 5.36 -----

     Corrected miscellaneous minor anomalies, and repackaged for major
     release.

     ----- 5.35k -----

     Corrected miscellaneous minor bugs and anomolies.

     ----- 5.35j -----

     The permissible tree size was again increased, to 1700 directories, and a
     minor bug in the routine that reverses the function of the high-intensity
     bit was fixed.

     The default name assumed for Integrity Master's integrity data files, for
     the purpose of protecting them against inadvertent overwriting, was
     changed to ZZ##.IM, reflecting the default name assigned by Integrity
     Master in version 1.24a and later.  This name can be changed using the
     command Alt-I (for IDname, where "ID" stands for integrity data).

     ----- 5.35i -----

     The facility to view the file list within a compressed file has been
     expanded and improved to now include .EXE files (on the assumption that
     they are self-extracting files), and to find files in mixtures of
     compression types packed together.


          CMFiler -- Addendum                 1-2
     An option has been added to the Shift-O user Options screen to allow the
     action of the color attribute high-intensity bit to be inverted.  Some
     LCD color monitors take the purpose of the high-intensity bit to be just
     opposite the normal sense, ie, high intensity enable when bit is zero
     instead of one.

     The permissible tree has been increased to 1000 directories from 505, to
     accomodate large network directories.

     ----- 5.35g -----

     The command line color mode "V" (for VGA) is now recognized, in the form
     of the argument @V, similar to the previous @C, @M, etc.

     Support for VGA 43/50-line display has been added, and may be invoked in
     one of two ways:

     o  On the fly.  The Shift-O user Options screen has a new line to set 25,
     43 or 50-line display, on the screen below the monitor line.  This line
     can only be accessed if CMFiler senses a VGA card installed.  The choices
     are 2,4 or 5.  Switch is stored immediately in the .CFG file for the next
     execution of CMFiler.

     o  Through the command line.  Simply add 25, 43 or 50 to the argument @V
     (or @C or @M).  This will override the previously recorded mode in the
     .CFG file.


     ----- 5.35f -----

     Further testing of CF's two sorting algorithms (the original bubblesort
     and the more recently used quicksort) for speed in sorting large
     directories reveals that neither one is superior under all conditions.
     Therefore, the user has been given the option (letter A in Ctrl-O
     Ordering menu) to select whichever one works best in the environment of
     that user's file structure.  Much depends on the "natural" DOS order --
     the order in which the directory was constructed, and in which DOS reads
     the directory table.

     Quicksort works best for directories that already have a high degree of
     natural order, or a high degree of disorder, and does poorly compared to
     bubblesort in "lumpy" directories, which have clumps of ordered files
     randomly arranged.  If you use principally one ordering scheme and both
     algorithms are making you wait each time you read a large directory,
     there is a way to cause DOS to reorder the directory table so that
     quicksort in particular will do much better:

     -    Make a new directory on the same path in the same level as the
     directory to be reordered, and select it in one panel.

     -    Put the directory to be reordered in the other, and with the desired
     ordering option selected, tag all the files and move them to the new
     directory.  They will be moved in the order listed, and thus the
     directory table being created will have a "natural" DOS order the same as
     the one you most use.  ("Moving" is nothing more than renaming, so no
     data reading/writing is involved, only directory table-making.)


          CMFiler -- Addendum                 1-3
     -    Delete the old directory, and rename the new one like the old.

     To be sure, disorder will creep back in, and this procedure may need to
     be repeated.  However, the occasional time investment will be worth it
     for the aggravation it will save waiting for sorts.


     A "floppy fill" function has been added to the main module, called by
     "Shift-I", which fills floppy diskettes in the drive selected in the
     target panel with the tagged files from the directory in the source
     panel.  Diskettes must be preformatted, but need not be empty.  User may
     specify a margin in kb to reserve on each floppy.

     To use the floppy filling function:

     1.   Put the first diskette to be filled in drive A or B, and select that
     drive in one panel.

     2.   Select the other panel to the directory containing the source files
     to be copied.   Tag all the files to be copied (press A to tag them all),
     and press Shift-I.  Specify number of kilobytes to hold in reserve on
     each floppy.  (CF adds 2 just to be safe.)  Filling starts.

     3.   When each diskette is full, the files that were successfully copied
     are untagged in the source panel, and, if there are still files to copy,
     CF gives the choice of Escaping from the operation, or putting in a new
     disk and pressing any other key to resume.  You may suspend the filling
     with Esc, and then resume with Shift-I without loss of continuity as long
     as you leave the tags in the source panel alone.

     This function is "semi-smart".  It first looks to see if any existing
     files on the target floppy are the same as files tagged in the source,
     and updates them as appropriate, untagging the corresponding source files
     that matched.  Then it looks at the source for tagged files that will fit
     in the remaining space on the floppy, and adds them until the floppy is
     full.  Thus the floppy-fill can be used for updating a set of backups
     previously created with the floppy-fill function.


     As a further safeguard against loss of data during file copying, if you
     leave "soft" delete enabled, in addition to files that you "soft" delete
     going to the ~TRASH~ trashcan directory, newer files that you overcopy
     with older files also go to ~TRASH~, even after you confirm the action.


     The method of ensuring against inadvertent carryover of unseen sensitive
     or classified data during file copying through the slack space of the DOS
     input/output buffers has been completely revised.  This protection is now
     provided automatically all the time, cannot be switched off, and is
     operating system-inndependent.  In fact, the method now used enhances the
     speed of file copying by up to 10-20%.

     Consequently, the option "Clear I/O buffers if located?" in the Shift-O
     screen is no longer needed, and has been replaced with the following:
     "Wipe old files during HARD Delete, Copy and Move?"  When this is set to
     Y, old files will be completely obliterated by overwriting all their data
     with the continuous sequence "cfcfcf..." before deleting them using the

          CMFiler -- Addendum                 1-4
     DOS file delete service.

     (As a point of information, the DOS "delete" service in fact only changes
     the first character of the file name in the directory table, and the
     cluster pointers in the file allocation table (FAT), and does NOT change
     or erase any of the data clusters themselves.  Until they are overwritten
     by some other file, in whatever order DOS chooses to reuse the freed-up
     clusters, they are available for reading by any disk-scanning program
     that looks at the disk with absolute sector reads, ignoring what the
     directory table SAYS is on the disk.  Much of the Irangate evidence was
     retrieved this way by investigators.  This new feature in CF guarantees
     the obliteration of "deleted" data by overwriting all data in the file,
     from beginning to end, with "cfcfcf..." before using the DOS delete
     service.)


     All runtime questions requiring a (y/n) respond from the user now also
     offer a defauly, shown in capital letter at the cursor and chosen to
     reflect the more likely response under the circumstances, or the more
     conservative response from the standpoint of protecting files from
     inadvertent deletion.

     For example, when deleting files(s) with D or Ctrl-D, the default
     offering is Y in the confirmatory request, since it is more likely that
     deletion is what you intended, and you did not hit the D or Ctrl-D key by
     mistake.  On the other hand, N is the default offering if a Read-only
     file is encountered during the delete operation, since assigning this
     attribute is a normal way of providing extraordinary protection of
     individual files, and if you are using the Read-only attribute correctly,
     you should typically NOT want to delete the file.

     ----- 5.35e -----

     In the editor, a significant bug was corrected that resulted in loss of
     part of the file if the user returned to the editor after saving the
     file.


     In the tree module, a logic fault that was blocking the Esc bailout
     during file text searches.


     In the main module, minor logic errors were corrected in the command line
     support for masks.

     ----- 5.35c -----

     In the main module, the file date/time change service has been expanded
     to permit mass date/time setting by tagging a collection of files, and
     pressing Alt-F as before.  If files are tagged, the user must then
     confirm the desire to have all tagged files set to the same date/time
     stamp.  The default values in the data entry windows are taken from the
     topmost tagged file in the listing.


     The logic which retains knowledge of the current cursor position in the
     target directory during directory-altering operations, such as file

          CMFiler -- Addendum                 1-5
     copying, has been refined to remove some anomalies.

     ----- 5.35b -----

     In the editor, to support easier updating of the on-disk file copy during
     long editing sessions, a fourth option has been added to the Escape
     sequence -- "Return to editor? (y/n)", with the default set to N, since
     in most cases the user wants to leave the editor.  So to update the on-
     disk copy of the file being edited, the following keystrokes might be
     used in the middle of the editing session: Esc-Enter-Enter-Enter-Y.


     In the main services file module, pressing Enter to view a .ZIP, .LZH,
     .ARJ or .ARC file displays a listing of the names of all the files
     compressed in that archive file (maximum of 60 file names).


     In the main file services module, user now has the option to continue
     copying or moving tagged files after a disk file creation/write/read
     error, rather than having the operation automatically cancelled.  Also,
     the error trapping routines were updated and one anomaly corrected.

     ----- 5.35a -----

     Different users on a network may now specify their own configuration
     through the environment, by setting the environment parameter CF-CFG
     before running the network copy of CMFiler.  For example, User 1 is
     assigned logical drive U in the network, and User 2 drive V.  CF.COM and
     CF.OVY are on drive C.  User 1 could execute CMFiler with a batch file
     that reads:

          SET CF-CFG=U:\SETTINGS\CF.CFG
          C:\PROGS\CF

     and User 2, using the same copy of CF.COM and .OVY, could execute:

          SET CF-CFG=V:\CONFIGS\CMFILER.CFG
          C:\PROGS\CF

     In these two cases, of course, U:\SETTINGS and V:\CONFIGS must be valid,
     existing paths.  The files CF.CFG and CMFILER.CFG need not already exist.
     If it does not find the file in the path, CMFiler will create the file
     the first time configuration data is saved.


     Because of the incompatibility of the I/O buffer clearing feature with DR
     DOS, a safeguard was added that detects DR DOS, and blocks the buffer
     clearing option even if invoked by the user.


     The "trash can" directory for "soft-deleted" files has been renamed from
     "CF_TRASH.CAN" to "~TRASH~" for two reasons:  in at least one case, a
     user's configuration included a TSR that caused system hangups in the
     presence of directories with an extension in their name (even though this
     is a perfectly legal DOS naming convention);  and several users asked for
     a new trash can name that would appear as the last directory of their
     listing, rather than in the middle of the listing.

          CMFiler -- Addendum                 1-6
     ***NOTE***: This will be a nuisance to previous users the first time
     running Version 5.35a or later, but will be worth it in the long run for
     the neater directory list it will bring.


     The upper limit of directory size was increased to 2400 in the main file
     services module, and the sorting algorithm changed from a bubblesort to a
     quicksort for improved speed.


     In the editor, the action of the Home and End keys has been expanded as
     follows:  the first press of Home/End goes to beginning/end of line, if
     not already there;  the second press goes to top/bottom of page;  the
     third press goes to beginning/end of file.


     A function "Refresh panel from disk" (Shift-R) was added to the main file
     services module, used when you change disks in a drive as a one-keystroke
     alternative to N and the drive letter.  The similar function which
     already existed in the tree module was remapped from Alt-R to Shift-R for
     consistency.

     ----- 5.34d -----

     A new user option has been added to the Shift-O option facility to allow
     turning off the automatic screen saver.


     Two new ordering options have been added to the Ctrl-O ordering facility,
     to permit ordering by file size, either smaller first or larger first.


     The file mask (Ctrl M) in the main service module now only applies to the
     panel the cursor was in when the mask was specified.  This is so that you
     can apply different masks to the two panels.

     ----- 5.34c -----

     The NARATIVE.CF files, containing the file and directory notes, are well
     protected from inadvertent overwriting or destruction within the CMFiler
     environment.  However, there is no provision for their protection from
     inadvertent erasure or overwriting in other environments, such as from
     the DOS command processor.  To afford some level of protection, a switch
     has been added to the user option (Shift-O) screen to let you set the
     Read-Only attribute of the NARATIVE.CF files, in addition to the Hide
     attribute.  Most command processors will prohibit deletion or writing to
     Read-Only files.

     ----- 5.34b -----

     In trying other archive utilities in response to recent requests from
     users, I have discovered that CMFiler has always (accidently) supported
     LHA and ARJ, and perhaps others in addition to the PKWare utilities,
     simply because they all use the same syntax in the command line, namely:

          archiver options archivefile file1[,file2,[...]]


          CMFiler -- Addendum                 1-7
     To clarify that other archivers may be supported by the Zip and Unzip
     commands in the main module, I have revised the help screen and the F10
     user-definition screen.  CMFiler still defaults to PKZIP and PKUNZIP
     unless otherwise specified.  However, if you want to use ARJ or LHA
     instead, press Shift-F10 from the main screen, and change both the fields
     "Compress = " and " Extract = " to read "ARJ.EXE" or "LHA.EXE".  Add the
     path to these file specs if ARJ/LHA is not on a path in the DOS path
     environment.  Also make the "Compress Options = " line read "a" (this is
     both ARJ's and LHA's way of knowing you want to add or create a .ARJ or
     .LZH archive file), and the " Extract Options = " line read "x" (for
     extract).  (Command line option parameters are necessary with ARJ and LHA
     because, unlike the PKWare utilities which have separate compression and
     extraction programs, the same program does both functions.)

     Use of LHA or ARJ by this facility is the same as use of the PKWare
     utilities.  To compress, put the directory where you want the archive
     file to be created or added to in one panel and tag the archive file to
     be added to (if it exists); set up the other panel with the directory of
     the files to be archived, and optionally tag them (if none are tagged,
     the command line parameter defaults to *.*); press Z, check and edit the
     command line paramters if desired, and press Enter.

     Extraction is easier.  Set up the target panel in the directory you want
     the extracted files to go, put the cursor on the archive file, press U,
     check the command line parameters, and press Enter.

     ----- 5.34a -----

     The naming convention for backup files, created with the command B in the
     main module, has been changed so that the backup file will appear closer
     alphabetically to the original file.  If the original file has a three
     character extension, the third character will be replaced with a tilde
     (~;  ASCII 126).  If the extension has less than three characters, it
     will be padded with one or two exclamation points (!; ASCII 33, 1 larger
     than blank), so that the third character can be a tilde.


     When creating appended files (ie, Alt-tagging several files followed by
     the command C to copy to the target, or B to copy to the source), a
     default appended file name will be generated (name of the first file in
     the append list plus extension APF). The user may edit this name before
     the file is created.

     ----- 5.34 -----

     In the tree module, while the cursor is in the file list during a Show
     files or Goto file command, several commands are available for disk
     cleanup that mimic commands in the main module.  Files may optionally be
     tagged with T or Spacebar, and then deleted individually (if no tags are
     set) or as a group  with the D (soft) or Ctrl-D (hard) delete command.
     The command A (tagAll) clears any tags set, or sets all tags, as in the
     main module.


     In the editor, the keypad map to the cursor movement functions is now
     independent of Num Lock.  Shift-Up/Down Arrow moves to top/bottom of
     current video page.  Gray+/Gray- function the same as Alt-Plus/Alt-Minus,

          CMFiler -- Addendum                 1-8
     toggling the delimiter and bottom displays.

     ----- 5.33b -----

     Navigation and file-finding in the tree module was revised to follow the
     "G" and "Alt-G" conventions of the main module:

     -   G ("Goto file") has replaced "F" as the file-finder command.
     Pressing "G" commences a filename search, and as each letter in the
     filename search string is typed, the tree and file list dynamically
     adjust to highlight the matches and position the cursor to the directory
     with the first match.  Mode is toggled off with G, Alt-G or Esc.

     -   Alt-G ("Goto directory") commences a directory name search in the
     same fashion.  As each letter of the search string is typed, the matches
     are highlighted dynamically and the display is adjusted so that the
     topmost match is shown.  Mode sets for both panels, and stays until G,
     Alt-G or Esc is pressed.


     An anomaly was fixed to let the directory be re-read in its "natural" DOS
     order after switching to Order mode 7.


     An anomaly was fixed which prevented CF from checking the CF_TRASH.CAN
     directory on execution.


     A workaround was devised for an anomaly in the directory structure of
     some netware, that prevented CF from navigating back through the parent
     directory in the main module.

     ----- 5.33 -----

     The ZIP feature was revised to permit the use of either normal or Alt-
     tags to denote which files to decompress.


     The following improvements were made to the editor:

     -  The notation of typeover/insert mode and wrap/no wrap mode has been
     shortened and moved to the upper right corner of the screen.  It stays on
     the screen when the lower information area is blanked.

     -  On color monitors, the lower five lines of text (which become the top
     five lines on PgDn) are in red vice white, to distinguish this area from
     the "active" video page (the top 20 lines), and to help the eye find its
     place in the text during scrolling.

     -  The exit defaults after editing have been adjusted so that most users
     will be able to answer the three questions with three strokes of the
     Enter key most of the time. (Yes, save this edit; No, don't reuse the
     date/time stamp from the original file; No, don't save the original file
     as *.BKP).

     -  You may switch from View mode to Edit mode within the editor, with the
     combination Alt-S(witch mode).

          CMFiler -- Addendum                 1-9
     In the tree module, on the Show files screen, Enter views the file (same
     convention as main module), and Shift-Enter returns to the main module
     with the cursor on that file name.

     ----- 5.32b -----

     The I/O buffer clearing feature was extended to support MS-DOS Ver 4 and
     5.


     The file 4DOS2CF.COM was added to the CMFiler collection, with its
     companion documentation 4DOS2CF.DOC.  4DOS2CF does a directory-by-
     directory search and coverts any 4DOS/NDOS notes (in files called
     DESCRIPT.ION) into CMFiler format, and appends them to existing (or
     creates new) NARATIVE.CF files.  This way, 4DOS/NDOS users don't have to
     reenter all their notes to take full advantage immediately of CMFiler's
     notes facility.

     ----- 5.32a -----

     Memory allocation logic error in the tree module was fixed.  This error
     resulted in fragmented memory for applications run from CMFiler after a
     call to the tree module.


     In the editor, a logic error was corrected which prevented use of the
     block move and copy operations when the screen lower information area was
     turned off.


     In the editor, the Home and End keys were redefined to move the cursor to
     the beginning or end of the line (same as Shift-Left and Right Arrow),
     rather than to the top or bottom of the current screen page, in keeping
     with the rest of the world.

     ----- 5.32 -----

     Version number changed to 5.32 to avoid confusion with several versions
     of 5.31 released to selected users for beta testing.



















          CMFiler -- Addendum                1-10