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1991-09-06
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Full-Back v1.01
The Maximal-Fill File Copier
September 6, 1991
Copyright (c) 1991 Josh Coalson
All Rights Reserved
ShareWare Notice
============================================================================
Full-Back v1.01 is made available under the "ShareWare"
concept. You may distribute the programs as long as the
archive contains the four files listed in "Full-Back Files"
below. If you find this program useful you are asked to
send the author a license fee of $5. All comments and
suggestions would also be appreciated.
Josh Coalson
301 N. West
Anaheim, CA 92801
Kandy Shack: (714) 636-2667
The Cookie Jar: (714) 997-0350
Black Pine: (714) 539-9374
Punkin Duster: (714) 522-3980
Motown L.A. BBS: (714) 535-1319
Full-Back Files
============================================================================
The following files are included in Full-Back v1.01:
FB.EXE The command-line version of Full-Back.
FULLBACK.EXE The interactive version of Full-Back.
README.DOC Introductory file, containing information
about Full-Back and the use of the command-
line version. README.DOC should be read
prior to this one as it acquaintes you with
the basics of Full-Back.
FULLBACK.DOC This file, the documentation for the
interactive version of Full-Back.
HISTORY.DOC The revision history of Full-Back.
Full-Back Features
============================================================================
FULLBACK.EXE has many features that the command-line version
FB.EXE does not. For example, it allows full control of
attribute bits, it has customizable configuration files, and
can set volume labels on floppies. The following sections
describe how these features are used.
The Full-Back Interface
============================================================================
First, if you haven't loaded and looked at the program yet,
you might want to do that now. You may find it so easy to
use that you can skip this entire section!
The entire process in Full-Back takes place on a single
screen consisting of two windows: a menu box where different
options are set, and a dialog box, which displays
information, help, and occasionally prompts you for input.
Also, at the bottom of the screen is a list of keys and
their functions.
The menu box is divided up unto several sections, each
section containing one option. These options let you
specify exactly how you want the maximizer/copier to
operate. A single-line box will be around the active
option. Options can be altered by hitting TAB until the
box is around the one you want to change, and then using
the arrow keys to change it. The dialog box will have
instruction on how to change the active option.
When all the settings are to your liking, press F10 to
begin the maximal-fill copy process. The section "After
F10" describes what happens next.
Here is a list of other keys and their functions:
F1 : Display help for the active option.
F2 or CTRL-S : Save your current settings to the
configuration file. This file is called
FULLBACK.CFG and is stored on your root
directory. If Full-Back cannot find this
file, it will use built in defaults.
F4 : Change background color. F4 moves forward
through colors, SHIFT-F4 moves backwards.
F5 through F8 : Change foreground colors. These also have
shift equivalents that go backwards.
ESCAPE : Exit Full-Back. Other keys that also exit
are CTRL-Q, CTRL-X, ALT-Q, and ALT-X. Pick
your favorite.
Full-Back Options
============================================================================
These are the ten options that occupy the Option Box:
Destination ------------------------------------------------------------
Drive This tells Full-Back to which drive the files will be
copied. The destination drive must be a floppy drive.
Delete Files ------------------------------------------------------------
From Source? If this option is set to 'yes' then files are deleted off
of the source drive as they are copied onto the destination
drive. This is equivalent to the /m switch on FB.EXE. If
this option is 'no' then files remain on the source drive
after copying.
File ------------------------------------------------------------
Filtering Full-Back lets you pick the files that it will copy in two
ways: you may either use a file mask (like *.* or *.EXE)
and attribute masks (explained below); or you may 'point
and shoot' the ones you want copied from a list of files.
If you choose Tags on this option, then a list of all the
files in the current directory will appear below as the
next option. This is the Tags option explained below.
If you choose Masks on this option, then two options appear
(instead of the Tags option). They are File Mask and
Attribute Masks (both explained below).
Tags ------------------------------------------------------------
If you selected Tags at the File Filtering option, then
here is where you pick which files you want copied. Use
up and down arrow keys, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End to move
the cursor through the list of files, and SPACE to toggle
the tag on the file. Tagged files will appear highlighted.
File Mask ------------------------------------------------------------
If you selected Masks at the File Filtering option, then
this option and the Attribute Masks option (below) will
appear. Here is where you enter a file mask (for
example, *.* or *.EXE) like you would for the DIR command.
All files matching this filemask and the Attribute Masks
(explained next) will be considered for maximizing.
Attribute ------------------------------------------------------------
Masks The attribute mask also controls what files Full-Back
'sees'. However, this mask relies on two of the file
attribute bits: the Read-Only and Archive bits. There are
three settings for each of those two bits: Set, Clear, and
Ignore. If the Read-Only mask is set to Clear, Full-Back
will 'see' only those files whose Read-Only bits are clear.
If it is set to Set, Full-Back will 'see' only those files
whose Read-Only bits are set. If it is set to Ignore
Full-Back will disregard the Read-Only bit, i.e., it will
'see' any file regardless of whether the Read-Only bit is
set or clear.
The above conventions are the same for the Archive
Attribute Mask.
So, in order for a file to be seen by Full-Back, it must
match the File Mask AND the Read-Only Attribute Mask AND
the Archive Attribute Mask.
If you need to use only the File Mask and not the
Attribute Masks, then set this option to Ignore for both
bits. However, some backup tasks can be made incredibly
easy and flexible through use of the attribute bits.
Ways to use the attribute bits to simplify backups are
described in the section "Attribute Bit Usage."
Source ------------------------------------------------------------
Attribute This option tells Fast-Back how to modify the attribute bits
Settings of a source file after it has been copied. The Read-Only
bit and and the Archive bit can each be set, cleared, or
left unchanged.
Notice this option is ignored if the Delete Files From
Source option is Yes, since a deleted file no longer has
file attributes!
Destination ------------------------------------------------------------
Attribute This option tells Fast-Back how to modify the attribute bits
Settings of a destination file after it has been copied. The
Read-Only bit and and the Archive bit can each be set or
cleared, or they can be given the same state as the source
file (namely, that given in the Source Attribute Settings
option).
Priority ------------------------------------------------------------
This option tells Full-Back which kinds of files should
receive copy priority. Full-Back will always select a
combination that will maximize the filling of the disk, but
certain files will always have a better chance of being
copied because of their priority.
There are three priority settings: Small, Large, and
Standard. The Small setting will give priority to small
files, i.e., the smaller the file, the more likely it is to
be copied. This setting useful when you are trying to get
rid of a clutter of small files in a directory but it is
not very efficient.
The Large setting will give priority to the largest files.
This is the recommended (and default) setting because it
insures the greatest fill over a series of disks. If all
the small files were copied at the start, Full-Back would
be left with nothing but large files several floppies down
the road, and it would be hard to maximize a disk with a
few large files. However, with large-file priority,
Full-Back will try to get as many large files out of the
way first.
The last setting, Standard, instructs Full-Back to give
high priority to files high on the directory, i.e., the
closer the file is to the top of a DOS directory listing,
the more likely it is to be copied. With this setting,
the directories of full disks will contain files ordered
similarly to the original source directory. This setting
is particularly useful for user-defined priorities. As
an example, if you wanted older files backed up first, you
would sort your DOS directory by date in ascending order,
and then set Full-Back's file priority to Standard.
Full-Back would then consider older files first.
Prompt For ------------------------------------------------------------
Volume Label? When this option is set to 'yes' you will be asked for a
volume label for the destination floppy once it is full.
The volume label you enter will be saved so that it can
be used on following disks by just hitting ENTER, but you
can always enter a new one.
When you save the configuration file, the last volume label
used is saved for the next session, so if you use one label
frequently, you can use F2 or CTRL-S to save it.
Using the Attribute Bits
============================================================================
If you are using Full-Back to move files from source to
destination, then the only use for attribute bits you might
have would be to make the backed up files read-only, in
which case you would set Destination Read-Only Attribute
to Set, and the rest of the options about attribute bits to
either Ignore, Unchanged, or As Source.
However, if you are keeping the files on the source, but
are backing up the files for safekeeping (if you are a BBS
SysOp this may sound familiar to you) then the archive bit
can help keep track of what has and hasn't been backed up.
The normal state of a file's archive bit is 'set'; this is
how DOS sets it when it is created. You can tell Full-Back
to clear the archive bit of a file that has been copied
(signifying that the file has been backed up), and tell
Full-Back to only consider files who's archive bit is
set (files that haven't been backed up) by using the
following attribute bit settings:
File Filtering: Masks
File mask: *.* (or whatever you like)
Attribute masks:
Read-Only: Ignore
Archive: Set
Source Attribute Settings:
Read-Only: Unchanged
Archive: Clear
With these settings, Full-Back will only consider files
that haven't been backed up yet, and will automatically
clear the archive bit of all the files it does back up.
You'll never have to keep track of it again!
After F10
============================================================================
Once you have set the options to your liking and have saved
them to your configuration file you are ready to begin
copying. Hit F10 and Full-Back will start the process.
Remember that you can hit ESCAPE at any prompt to abort
the process, but while files are in the middle of being
copied the process cannot be aborted.
Full-Back will ask for the first disk, and will search it
for files already there. If it finds any, it will ask you
if you would like them left on the disk or moved to the
source drive for consideration. This is useful if the last
disk you backed up wasn't totally full and you want to fill
it with new files. If you move the files to the source
drive, Full-Back will modify those files' attribute bits to
the settings you have for the Attribute Masks option so
that they will be automatically considered for recopying.
If you leave the files on, Full-Back will do its best to
fill the remaining space to capacity.
Full-Back will then quickly compute the best fit and tell
you how full the disk will be. You will be asked if you
would like to view the files before they are copied as an
extra precaution (you can disable file viewing by using
a '/v' on the command line, i.e. FULLBACK /v). If you
answer yes you can scroll through the files to be copied
and note their file sizes.
When you are all done, Full-Back starts the copy process.
The filename and its size of each file are displayed as
they are copied. If there are still files left, Full-Back
will repeat the process until all files have been copied
or it is aborted. Once Full-Back is done copying it will
return you to the active window.