Future Workshop/Future Workshop.iso/utility/cf537d/changes

Text File | 1995-07-15 | 43KB | 886 lines

                     *******************************
                     *                             *
                     *     History of Changes      *
                     *                             *
                     *  CMFiler -- Version 5.37d   *
                     *                             *
                     *******************************


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

     ----- 5.37d -----

     1.   Added to the file display ordering options (Ctrl-O menu) the choice
     "0", which orders the executable files first, in the order .COM, .EXE,
     .BAT and .BAT, followed by all other files in strict alphabetical order.

     2.   Added to the color palette selection menu (Ctrl-P) the option to set
     a flag on files with today's date stamp, and custom colorized the
     extension field of executable files.  When you leave the palette menu
     with the Enter key, you will be asked if you want to flag today's files
     and executables.  If you answer Yes, you will be given an opportunity to
     edit the color scheme for the executable files.  The "today" flag is a
     small square pip just in front of the extension field.

     3.   Added to the palette edit routines (Ctrl-P, E) the options to toggle
     the high-intensity bit selectively for each color field.  The command "T"
     in the color menu toggles between high- and normal-intensity foreground
     color attribute.

     4.   Revised the display routines to show the time in 12-hour format,
     with the letter "p" for post-meridian times. (Absence of a "p" implies
     ante-meridian, including the hours from 12 midnight to 1 AM.)

     5.   When you select a disk containing deleted files in a ~TRASH~
     directory the first time each new day, CMFiler asks if you want to leave
     it alone, purge (hard-delete) its files, or view it.  Heretofore, if you
     specified viewing ~TRASH~, you would be returned to the root directory
     when you were finished, even if some other directory had been specified,
     for example as an initial path parameter in the command line.  Now
     CMFiler remembers the specified path, and returns to it after you leave
     ~TRASH~ with the \ (Root) or P (Parent) command.

     6.   Added to the editor/viewer a pop-up ASCII table, called with the
     command Ctrl-A.  Navigate through the table with the Arrow keys or mouse
     to highlight a specific character, then type that character with Enter or
     mouse left button.

     7.   Corrected a bug in the navigation routines in the tree module that
     occasionally caused confusion when navigating using the Shift-Up/Down
     arrows in a directory level in which one or more directories had been
     deleted since the last tree refreshing operation.

     8.   Added to the main module a file splitter, called by Alt-S.  With the
     target panel set up as the destination path for the split files, position
     the cursor on a file in the source panel and press Alt-S.  CMFiler first
     asks for confirmation that you desire to split the file into smaller
     files, with extensions .A00, .A01, ..., .A99, .B00, etc.  The it asks for
     the file size for the split files, in Kb.  Split files are created in the
     target path, and the original file is left untouched in the source.

     ----- 5.37c -----

     1.   Added to the tree module a feature that captures to the C drive
     (C:\~TREES~) an image file of the tree for each drive C or greater when
     it is first accessed.  This image is then available for use as a quick
     alternative to rereading the whole drive the next time the tree module is
     entered and that drive is selected.  The image file loads the tree
     structure in a fraction of the time it takes to read the whole drive and
     construct the directory and file list.

     The first time this version is run in tree mode, CMFiler explains three
     basic setup options to help the user use this new feature in the best
     way.  In one option, you can tell CMFiler to ask permission to reread the
     drive and refresh the tree image on file after copying a structure into
     the drive tree.  It is often convenient, if you have several structures
     to copy, to wait until the last before rereading the drive and refreshing
     the tree image.

     The tree image can also be manually updated using Shift-R (Refresh tree).
     The Tree image option menu can be brought up with Ctrl-O.

     2.   Added to the shareware edition a choice of registration forms -- one
     form for direct orders to NoVaSoft, one form for credit card orders to
     Public (software) Library.

     3.   Added full color selection capability.  Press Ctrl-P as previously
     to select from four palettes.  However, each palette can be edited by
     pressing E within the palette facility.  Each of five colors in the file
     list display can be selected by arrowing around an 8x8 color array, and
     pressing the spacebar when the desired color is reached.  The affect of
     each selection is shown as the arrow is moved around the array, so no
     guesswork is required.  This new facility is best used with both panels
     open, and some files tagged in one of the panels, since the file tagging
     color and both the source and target path line colors are independently
     variable.  When finished editing one palette, hit Enter to return to the
     original level of the palette facility, and either Enter to set that
     palette as the default choice, or another key to rotate to the next
     palette.  The editor and tree displays are not independently adjustable,
     but take their colors from the current palette.


     4.   Added a path alias facility to the main module.  This allows
     assigning the commands Alt-1 through Alt-9 to your nine most frequently
     used directories, for instant navigation from any other drive and path.
     To assign a path to the alias list, first go to the subdirectory you want
     to add, then press Alt-A (for Alias).  The Alias menu shows a list
     numbered 1 through 9, each with a user-definable title and path.  Pick a
     free number, press it and type in the title you want as your key for the
     path.  Hitting Enter saves the alias.

     To navigate to that aliased path instantly, either press Alt- and the

          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-2
     number you assigned (if you remember), or press Alt-A, look over the
     list, and while still holding down the Alt-key press the number.

     5.   The keys Del and Insert now have functions in the main and tree
     modules.  Del is the same as D (Delete file(s) or directory).  Insert is
     the same as M (Mkdir) if the cursor is on a directory, or F (make new
     File) if the cursor is on a file).

     6.   Added Ctrl-W sWap panel command to tree module.

     7.   Adjusted all disk space calculations to accommodate multi-gigabyte
     devices.

     8.   In the editor, enabled the option to use the keypad for numerical
     input if NUM LOCK is on.

     9.   Optimized the disk access sequences in the file copying routines in
     the main and tree modules to reduce to a minimum the number of separate
     accesses for each file.  This reduces the time for floppy-to-floppy file
     copying through the same diskette controller.

     ----- 5.37b -----

     1.   In editor, cleaned up the Home and End key logic, and spruced up the
     left-right positioning logic for the cursor while moving up and down a
     file.  Corrected other minor bugs.

     2.   Revised CMFiler's treatment of file attributes to set the DOS
     Archive bit after editing, copying or appending files, in the same way as
     COMMAND.COM does.

     3.   Rewrote documentation on "registration" to strengthen the idea that
     the expected (and the legally required) action by users if they wish to
     continue using the shareware edition of CMFiler past the evaluation
     period is to "purchase" it -- i.e., to remit money.

     ----- 5.37a -----

     1.   Changed the routine that checks for valid drives in the system to
     make it non-intrusive (it no longer has to access each drive), and to do
     the check whenever the user requests a change of drives instead of just
     during program initialization, in order to detect any dynamic changes in
     system logical drive configuration during a session.

     2.   Added .BTM as an alternative batch file name for 4DOS users.

     ----- 5.37 -----

     In shareware edition, disabled the opening registration reminder screen
     for the first 50 uses.  Between 51 and 100 uses, user is asked to press
     the letter C to continue.  Beyond 100 uses, a key press from A to Z
     (selected at random) is required to continue past the opening screen.
     This measure is added to increase the evaluator's difficulty to
     automatically bypass the opening reminder that shareware is a
     distribution method based on trust and good faith, but that use beyond
     the evaluation period invokes a registration obligation.


          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-3
     Added a feature in the Rename routine in the main file services module to
     permit swapping two file names.  If exactly two files are tagged when the
     key R is struck, CMFiler asks if the user wants to swap their names.  If
     the answer is no, CMFiler goes to the normal rename facility.

     Added a user-optional routine to the notes facility to "synchronize"
     DESCRIPT.ION and NARATIVE.CF notes files if necessary each time the notes
     facility is called to update the NARATIVE.CF file.  All existing entries
     in either file are preserved.  This routine only adds unique entries from
     either to the other.  Routine must be activated by resetting a switch on
     the Shift-O user Options menu.

     In the DESC_NAR companion utility, added an option to import notes from
     DIRN-???.DAT files created by the PC Magazine utility DIRNOTES into
     CMFiler's NARATIVE.CF notes files.

     In editor, modified the Alt-F Find-string command to seed the search
     string with the text word at the cursor.  Previous find string can be
     reinstated with the Up Arrow key.  Also added a command, Ctrl-G (Goto
     next same word), that repositions cursor to next appearance of the word
     the cursor was on.  Ctrl-G recycles to the beginning of the file if
     necessary.

     Added command Ctrl-W (for sWap), to swap panels in main module.

     Corrected a bug in the Shift-X and Shift-Fn commands inadvertently
     introduced in version 5.36s.

     ----- 5.36s -----

     Added color to the editor, in the same scheme as selected for the
     main file services module.  Also added option for colored border
     on VGA monitors when screen background is other than black.

     Added feature to diskette copier to make it easier to use previously
     stored diskette images from the hard disk.  Select the directory
     with the diskette image you want to use, and put the cursor on the
     name of the image file before pressing Shift-K for disKopy.  Answer
     the first question Yes, and the file name will be given as the default
     in the data entry window.  Press enter to accept it, and continue with
     the session.

     Increased from 9 to 35 the number of duplicate filenames that can be
     soft-deleted and still accepted in the ~TRASH~ directory before
     "saturation". As multiple files of the same name are renamed for storage
     in ~TRASH~ during soft-delete, variations of the filename are attempted
     in which the last character of the renamed file is first 1 through 9, and
     then A through Z.  If all variations fail, the soft-delete reverts to
     hard-delete for that file.

     Revised the support for PKZIP to allow ZIPping a long list of tagged
     files.  The algorithm previously limited the number of files which could
     be ZIPped to the number that would fit on the command line.  Algorithm
     expanded to take advantage of PKZIP's @filelist feature for ZIPping large
     numbers of tagged files.  CMFiler creates a temporary filelist, passes it
     to PKZIP, and then erases it after the ZIP is complete. unlimited


          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-4
     ----- 5.36r -----

     In diskette copying routine (disKopy), added option to save diskette
     image as a file on the hard disk after reading master diskette, and to
     use a previously saved image as the master for making new diskettes.

     To assist blind people using Gateway Braille displays, the character * is
     printed in the column to the left of the filename to denote a normal-
     tagged file (the character 1-9 or a-z was already printed to denote an
     alt-tagged file), and the character denoting a directory is changed from
     the graphics character ASCII 249 (a small dot in the center of the
     character array) to a colon.

     ----- 5.36q -----

     Optimized file copying routines to save time, overwrite old file as a
     data security measure.  Added mouse help info to Help screens.

     Revised editor exit routine to be clearer, to permit editing the save
     file name, and to facility saves during a session.

     Added protection in file copying, deleting and editing routines for
     "system" files equivalent to "read-only".

     ----- 5.36p -----

     Added feature to allow quick-executing .COM or .EXE files using Enter key
     as well as Q. Double press of Enter or double click of mouse left button
     while arrow symbol is highlighted in mouse bar executes file.

     ----- 5.36n -----

     Corrected longstanding bug that generate "access denied" errors when
     attempting to copy certain files on network drives.

     ----- 5.36m -----

     Added quick printout of registration form in shareware edition (Ctrl-R).

     Added mouse speed adjustment to mouse menu in main module, corrected
     minor bugs, and relabelled 5.36m (for "mouse").

     Disabled old file wiping prior to file copying and moving when wipe-file
     option is set, based on a problem reported on one network.  File wiping
     is still active during file deletion when wipe-file option is set.

     ----- 5.36e (Beta test version) -----

     Added mouse support for navigation and some commands.  The mouse features
     stay dormant until the mouse is moved.  In the main module, the tree
     display and the file list display in the tree module, a five-character
     mini-mouse menu appears on the same line as the cursor and highlight,
     showing five operations that can be clicked with the left button:

     o  The left-arrow character (ASCII 27) acts like the Enter key, for
     directory navigation and file viewing.
     o  The three-line character (ASCII 240) pops a menu into the active

          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-5
     window.
     o  The up, down and left or right triangles act like PgUp, PgDn and Left
     or Right Arrow for navigation.

     In the cases of file lists, the right button toggles the state of the
     tag.  Several files can be tagged by holding down the right button and
     dragging the mouse up or down the file list.

     The left button may in most cases be used to accept the default offering
     in yes/no choices, same as the Enter key.

     In the editor/viewer, the left button has the same effect as the Enter
     key.  Mouse movement navigates on the page like the arrow keys.  Holding
     the right button down and moving the mouse up or down activates a
     variable-speed scroll feature.

     The escape options in the editor have been revised to reduce the number
     of keystrokes required to exit using the standard defaults (i.e., save
     edit, do not reuse original date/time, do not save original as *.BKP, and
     do not return to editor).  The keystroke X or Enter after Escape exits
     the editor with the standard options.  To save the edited file but use
     one of the non-standard exit options, press Y after Escape, and then pick
     the options desired.

     ----- 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.





          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-6
     ----- 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.


          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-7
     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.

     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,

          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-8
     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.)

     -    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.


          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-9
     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
     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.


          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-10
     ----- 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
     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.



          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-11
     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.

     ***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

          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-12
     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,[...]]

     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.



          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-13
     ----- 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,
     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.

          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-14
     -  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).


     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.









          CMFiler -- Changes                 1-15