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1991-10-18
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InteliCat(tm) Disk Cataloger
"Software Solutions that make Sense"(tm)
Copyright (c)1990-91, By Curtis Little
All Rights Reserved
For IBM PCs, XTs, ATs, PS/2s and 100% Compatibles
Table of Contents
License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
How to Contact the Support Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Required Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Optional Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Using InteliCat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Setup/Configuring InteliCat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Starting Up InteliCat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
InteliCat's Main Display Screen . . . . . . . . . . 10
Adding Disks to the Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Getting a Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Exiting InteliCat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Tutorial Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
InteliCat Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
InteliCat Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Command Line Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Memory Utilization/Max Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Environment Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
InteliCat Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Two Files Per Database! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
String Editing Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Global Command Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Using Regular Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Searching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Sorting Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Selecting Specific Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Specifying Logical Conditions For the Selection
Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
InteliCat Menu Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Hotkeys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Add Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Log Floppy Disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Log Multi-Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Dummy Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Add/mod Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Delete/replace Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Replace a Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Multi-drive Replace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Rename a Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Delete a Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Delete a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Zap Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Search Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Browse Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
String Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Comment Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Keyword Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
File Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Case Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Reports Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Volume Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Quick Volume Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
File/Ext Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Quick File/Ext Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Duplicate Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
BBS type listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
43/50 Line Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Configuration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Catalog Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Volume Label Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Report Output Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Report Format Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Memory Usage Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Archive Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Disk Naming Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Logging Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Color Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Read/Create New Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Write Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Load Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Save Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Reset to Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Display License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Utilities Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Import Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Merge Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
DOS Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Quit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Appendix A - Questions & Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
License
You are granted a license to evaluate this software on A SINGLE
COMPUTER for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days. If, on or
before this time expires, you wish to continue using this software,
you must register by sending the registration fee to the author
"Curtis Little" for EACH COPY to be used. A message may be
displayed to remind you if you exceed the trial use period.
The shareware version of this software may be freely distributed as
long as the following conditions are met:
1) All files are distributed AS IS and in UNMODIFIED form.
2) No more than a $5.00 handling fee can be charged without
the PRIOR written consent of the author "Curtis Little".
In addition, it must be clearly stated to recipients that
the fee charged is for copying charges only, and does not
include payment to the author for the use of InteliCat.
3) InteliCat may not be distributed with or as a part of any
other product or software package without the PRIOR
written consent of the author "Curtis Little".
Registered copies of this software may be used "like a book". Like
a book means the software may be used by the REGISTERED OWNER on a
single computer at a time. The software can be used by the
registered owner on multiple computers providing there is no
possibility the software will be used on more than one computer at
a time. Just like a book can only be read in one place at a time.
Businesses must purchase a site license to use InteliCat on
multiple computers.
Business and government users of InteliCat must register in order
to legally use InteliCat. The 30 day evaluation privilege is
extended to non-business users only.
By using InteliCat you acknowledge that you have read this
agreement, understand it and agree to be bound by it's terms and
conditions.
InteliCat License 1
Warranty
With respect to the physical diskette sent to registered owners,
the author warrants the same to be free from defects in materials
and workmanship for a period of 60 days from the date of
registration. In the event of notification within the warranty
period of defects in material or workmanship the author will
replace the defective diskette. The remedy for breach of this
warranty shall be limited to replacement and shall not encompass
any other damages, including but not limited to loss of profit, and
special, incidental, consequential, or other similar claims.
The author specifically disclaims all other warranties, expressed
or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose and the
program license granted herein in particular, and without limiting
operation of the program license with respect to any particular
application, use, or purpose. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE
LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT, LOST SAVINGS, COMMERCIAL DAMAGE, OR
OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR
INABILITY TO USE InteliCat EVEN IF THE AUTHOR (Curtis Little) OR AN
AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTOR OF InteliCat HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.
This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the state of
California.
2 InteliCat Warranty
Acknowledgments
This manual refers to several products:
MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Brief is a trademark of Underware, Inc.
IBM PC, XT, AT, and PS/2 are trademarks of International
Business Machines, Inc.
ARC is a trademark of System Enhancement Associates
PKZIP is a trademark of PKWARE, Inc.
PC Board is a trademark of Clark Development Corp.
Desqview is a trademark of Quarterdeck, Inc.
How to Contact the Support Board
InteliCat is supported via an electronic bulletin board system.
You may contact the support board 24 hours a day. The support
board is:
Lost At C BBS
(209) 521-2143
In addition you may contact the author (Curtis Little) on (209)
522-9269. Be aware that if I need to call you back I will do so as
a collect call.
If you have any questions/suggestions regarding InteliCat feel free
to call or write. The support board is open to the public,
however, registered users will receive priority service.
Required Equipment
IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or 100% Compatible
MDA, CGA, MCGA, EGA, or VGA display adapter
Hard disk
MS-DOS 2.0 or above
Optional Equipment
EMS v3.2 or above
HIMEM.SYS (or compatible) v2.0+ with extended memory
Printer
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 3
Introduction
How many times have you wanted to look at that special file, only
to find you have to search through hundreds of disks for the one
file you need? InteliCat is the solution! With InteliCat in your
corner you'll beat the lost file blues, determining the location of
files with the touch of a few keys.
InteliCat goes well beyond what a standard disk cataloging program
does. With InteliCat you're using the most advanced cataloging
software available. Here's just a few of the advanced features
supported by InteliCat:
o InteliCat has a powerful comment import utility designed
to automatically pull in comments for your files from an
existing listing. Save your typing fingers for better
things!
o InteliCat automatically locates and imports 4DOS
description files for comments as you log disks. Once
again, save your typing fingers using InteliCat!
o InteliCat can view the files contained in many types of
archives (ZIP, ARC, PAK, LHARC, LHA, GIF, ZOO, ARJ). In
addition InteliCat allows automatic import of archive
comments. Yet another option to saving your typing
fingers!
o InteliCat supports EMS memory giving you unparalleled
performance while allowing up to 32,000 files in each
database.
o InteliCat supports XMS (extended) memory for large
databases on machines without EMS.
o InteliCat allows you to select fields based on a complex
set of criteria. You can define logical conditions
between various field values to find the exact files
you're after.
o Multi-line comments. InteliCat overcomes the single line
comment limitations imposed by other catalogers!
InteliCat supports a memo style comment, allowing up to
500 characters describing each file in the database.
o InteliCat supports advanced word processing features in
it's comment editor. InteliCat's built in comment editor
4 InteliCat Users Guide
includes word wrap along with *many* commands similar to
those used by the Brief Editor.
o InteliCat supports REGULAR EXPRESSION searching. Once
you see how powerful regular expressions are for
searching you'll wonder how you ever got along without
them.
o InteliCat supports multi-level sorting. You can sort any
field in ascending or descending order.
o InteliCat supports the extended 43/50 line mode for
EGA/VGA monitors for greater capacity when viewing
reports on the screen.
o InteliCat supports automatic disk naming. This includes
use of a template name. You can have InteliCat name the
disks for you instead of being prompted for the name each
time you log a disk!
o InteliCat provides automatic support for Desqview.
InteliCat displays don't bleed through your Desqview
windows!
o Advanced memory management in InteliCat handles *many*
memory shortage problems without aborting the program!
o InteliCat continues to be one of the fastest operating
cataloging programs available on the market to date.
These are just a *few* of the many features that set InteliCat
light years apart from other cataloging programs. After trying
InteliCat, I'm sure you'll agree InteliCat is setting a new
standard for disk cataloging software.
This manual explains how to use InteliCat. There are two main
parts to this manual as follows:
o Using InteliCat
o InteliCat Reference
The section 'Using InteliCat' covers the use of InteliCat in brief
and includes a tutorial to help get new users started. The last
portion of the manual is a reference covering the operation of
InteliCat's advanced features.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 5
Using InteliCat
This section will get you started using InteliCat. New users
should read this section of the manual. For experienced users, the
Reference portion of this manual will answer any questions you have
regarding the features supported by InteliCat.
This documentation assumes InteliCat is installed on a hard disk in
it's own subdirectory. Installing InteliCat is described in the
'Installation' section. If you installed InteliCat other than
described below, there will be slight deviations from the manual
instructions.
Installation
To install InteliCat you should create a subdirectory on your hard
disk to hold InteliCat and it's data files. You should install
InteliCat in it's own directory. C:\IC is the suggested directory
for InteliCat.
To install InteliCat from a compressed ZIP file you should type the
following commands at your DOS prompt (end each line by pressing
the ENTER key):
C:
MD IC
CD IC
PKUNZIP A:IC*
(Replace the A:IC* with the location and name of the ZIP file
version you have).
After installing InteliCat on your hard drive, you may create a
batch file to simplify the use of InteliCat. To create a batch
file for accessing InteliCat you should type the following at your
DOS prompt:
C:
CD \
COPY CON InteliCat.BAT
ECHO OFF
CLS
ECHO One moment - Loading InteliCat!
C:
CD \IC
IC %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9
CD \
<F6>
6 InteliCat Users Guide
(In the commands above the <F6> means that you should press the F6
key).
Instead of using a batch file you may wish to execute InteliCat
from any directory on your system. If this is the case, you should
modify your path statement to include the InteliCat directory. For
instance, assume the following statement is already in
C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT:
PATH=C:\DOS5;C:\BIN;C:\WP
After adding the InteliCat directory the statement should appear
as:
PATH=C:\DOS5;C:\BIN;C:\WP;C:\IC
Under MSDOS 3.0 (or above) InteliCat automatically stores it's data
files in the directory it's located in. MS-DOS 2.x users should
start InteliCat in the directory they want data files to go in.
That's all there is to installing InteliCat!
Setup/Configuring InteliCat
When you use InteliCat the first time it uses a set of default
options supplied by the program's author. A configuration utility
included in InteliCat allows each user to customize the way
InteliCat works. You may access all configuration information from
the 'Configuration' menu. For a full description of the
Configuration menu refer to the section "Options Menu" on page 46.
Tutorial
This section goes into an overview of starting up and using the
InteliCat Disk Cataloger. If you are an experienced user you
should skip this section (unless of course you're the type that
likes to read!) and go directly to the reference section of this
manual.
Starting Up InteliCat
To start using InteliCat simply type the following command at the
DOS prompt:
IC
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 7
(This assumes that you are either in the InteliCat directory, or
that the InteliCat directory is in your path). If you created the
batch file as described in the installation section of the manual
you should type the following (instead of typing IC):
InteliCat
When you first start InteliCat you have the option of specifying
certain command line parameters. The parameters allow you to
control portions of InteliCat's operation during that session.
(Note that some of the parameters require a user specified value.)
Values shown in brackets (in the table below) show user required
variables when you specify the associated parameter. The
parameters are:
/B Use black and white mode. If you specify this option
InteliCat will only use black and white colors (except
the opening and end screens of the unregistered shareware
version).
/C <CFG_FILE> Specifies the name of the configuration file.
If you don't specify this option, InteliCat looks for a
configuration file named LC.CFG.
/D <DATA_BASE> Specifies the name of a data base file. If
you don't specify this option, InteliCat looks for the
data base named in the configuration file. If there
wasn't a configuration file, InteliCat uses a default
data base name of LC.DB.
/E <999> Specifies the amount of EMS memory (in K bytes) to
attempt allocating. If you don't specify this parameter,
InteliCat attempts to get as much EMS as the
configuration file says to use. If you don't want
InteliCat to attempt using EMS for a session you can use
(you can also change the configuration file for a
permanent effect):
/E 0
/M <ADAPTER_TYPE> Specifies the type of adapter to use.
Normally you shouldn't use this option since InteliCat
is able to detect the adapter properly on start up. If
you're not having problems with video output, DON'T
specify this option. If you do need to specify the
adapter type you should report your adapter type to the
support board so future versions of InteliCat will
automatically detect the adapter you have. The valid
adapters are: MDA, CGA, EGA, and VGA.
8 InteliCat Users Guide
WARNING: Setting the adapter to an invalid type for your
computer setup will cause unpredictable results!
/N This option specifies color mode without snow protection.
You should use this option if you have a CGA that doesn't
require snow control. (Or if you don't care if there's
snow). Screen output is much faster when snow control is
off. EGA and VGA adapters don't require snow control.
/O This option specifies color mode with snow protection.
Video output is *much* slower with this option than with
the /N option.
/X <999> Specifies the amount of extended memory (in K bytes)
to attempt allocating. If you don't specify this
parameter, InteliCat attempts to get as much extended
memory as the configuration file specifies. If you don't
want InteliCat to attempt using extended memory you can
use: (you may also change the configuration for a
permanent effect)
/X 0
You can specify parameters by appending them to the line used to
execute InteliCat. The following examples show how to use the
command line parameters when starting InteliCat:
Example 1: IC /E 0
Example 2: IC /D CURTIS /C MYCFG /N
The first example starts InteliCat and tells InteliCat to not
attempt using EMS memory.
The second example starts InteliCat and tells InteliCat to read a
data base called CURTIS (/D CURTIS), use the configuration file
called MYCFG (/C MYCFG), and turn off snow control (/N).
A registration notice appears when you first start InteliCat (this
notice only appears in the unregistered shareware version). After
a 7-10 second delay, you may press a key to get past the shareware
notice.
Next, the main menu screen appears.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 9
InteliCat's Main Display Screen
InteliCat's main menu display screen appears similar to the
following:
Add Delete/replace Search Reports Configuration Utilities Quit
+ Volume Label Options -----------------------------------------+
| Write the Disk Name as a Volume Label: |
| Use Existing Volume Label as Disk Name: |
| Delete Existing Volume Labels: |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
+ Catalog Options -----------------------------------------------------+
| Automatic disk naming: No Template: XX999999999 Last: IC000000000 |
| |
| Keep subdir names: Yes Backup database: No |
|Extract archive members: No Extract archive comments: No |
| Flag duplicate records: Yes Memory for DOS shell: 256K |
|Ask for select criteria: Yes Ask for sort criteria: Yes |
| Case sensitive search: Yes Add comments while logging: No |
| |
|Printer Name: SCREEN Ask for dest at report time: Yes |
| Report Dest: PRN |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
Log Drive(s): A: | C:LC | 0 Disks | 0 Files | 351K Free
InteliCat Disk Cataloger
Copyright (c)1990-91 Curtis Little
All Rights Reserved
You will notice there are 5 parts to the main menu screen as
follows:
1) Main menu bar (the top line of the screen)
2) Volume label options window (below the main menu bar)
3) Catalog options window (below the volume label options)
4) Status line (just below the catalog options window)
5) Program title and copyright message (bottom of the
screen)
The main menu bar is the bar displayed on the top line of the
screen. This is a pull-down type menu that allows you to access
all submenus available in InteliCat. To access one of the submenus
10 InteliCat Users Guide
press the ALT key simultaneous with the first letter of the desired
submenu. The following submenus are available:
1) Add - This submenu allows you to add disks (scans the
files), add comments, and add disk volumes to the
database.
2) Delete/Replace - This submenu allows you to delete disks,
delete files, replace an existing disk, rename disks, and
zap the active database (delete all disks and files).
3) Search - This submenu allows you to browse and search the
files for desired entry(s) and set the case sensitivity
flag.
4) Reports - This submenu allows you to choose and print any
of the built-in reports as well as specify whether
InteliCat should use 43/50 line mode for reports sent to
the screen.
5) Configuration - This submenu allows you to configure all
of InteliCat's options, load/save configuration files,
load/write databases, and set the colors used.
6) Utilities - This submenu allows you to use the utility
programs that are a part of InteliCat. InteliCat has a
comment import utility and a database merge utility. In
addition you can shell to DOS from this menu (but as
you'll learn later, InteliCat allows you to shell to DOS
from *ANYWHERE* in the program by use of a special
hotkey!).
7) Quit - This submenu allows you to exit InteliCat.
(Pressing ESCape enough times allows you to exit the
program as well).
Several of the submenu options have hotkeys assigned to them
allowing selection of the menu item without traversing the menus.
The hotkeys work only while you are on the main menu or a submenu.
A detailed explanation of the hotkeys is in the reference section
of this manual (see page 33).
The option settings window shows many of the most used
configuration values. Since the defaults are good in most cases,
this manual delays a discussion of the various option settings
until the reference section. Refer to the section 'Configuration
Menu' on page 46 for details.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 11
The status line contains a mixture of configuration data and
miscellaneous data. The status line contains the following
information:
Log Drive(s): A: | C:LC | 0 Disks | 0 Files | 351K Free
^ ^ ^ ^ ^
| | | | |
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
1) Logging drive(s) - the drives scanned when you are
logging disks.
2) Active database name (this is the database that is
currently being modified).
3) Number of disks in the active database.
4) Number of files in the active database.
5) Approximate free conventional memory remaining in your
computer. Note that it is normal for this value to
fluctuate. The value displayed is an estimate and
changes often as memory is used and released by
InteliCat.
Adding Disks to the Catalog
Now lets go through the steps needed to add disks to the database.
This tutorial assumes that the default configuration settings are
being used. To log your floppy disks you should press CTRL-L while
on the main menu display screen. Optionally, you can traverse the
menus manually by pressing ALT-A (while on the main screen) to get
to the Add menu. From there choose the first option 'Log a disk'.
After choosing to 'Log a disk', InteliCat prompts you to insert a
disk in the first logging drive (drive A: by default). After
inserting the disk, press the ENTER key to start. InteliCat will
prompt for the disk name and then automatically add the disk
contents to the active database. After scanning is complete,
InteliCat prompts for the next disk. You can continue logging
disks by continuing the procedure described above. When you define
two different logging drives, InteliCat goes back and forth between
them as you log disks.
After you're finished logging disks, press the ESCape key to get
back to the add menu. You'll find that the ESCape key is a general
purpose quit/abort key in InteliCat. Pressing the ESCape key will
always drop you back a level in InteliCat.
12 InteliCat Users Guide
Getting a Report
Now you can try some of the other InteliCat features. Press ALT-R
to go to the reports menu and then press the 'E' key to select the
quick file/ext report. Alternatively you can press CTRL-Q (hotkey)
instead of going through the menus. After you select the quick
file/ext report, InteliCat displays the report on your screen. The
report shows an alphabetical listing of the files you previously
logged. If the listing is longer than one page you can use PgUp
and PgDn to move between the report pages.
There are other options available at the report page as well. To
see one of these press the 'S' key to ask for a search. After
pressing 'S', a window pops up asking for the search data. Type in
the name of a file that was on one of the disks that you logged and
then press the ENTER key. InteliCat will automatically move to the
page that has the file and highlight the matching file for you!
Press the ESCape key when you're finished viewing the report.
Remember that the ESCape key is your general purpose quit/abort key
while using InteliCat!
Exiting InteliCat
To exit InteliCat you have a choice of three methods. You can:
o Press ALT-X while on the main menu or a submenu. When
you exit in this manner InteliCat doesn't ask you to
confirm the action.
o Press the ESCape key until InteliCat prompts you to
confirm you wish to exit.
o Use the Quit submenu to exit. InteliCat doesn't prompt
for confirmation when you exit in this manner.
Tutorial Summary
You now have a general feel for using InteliCat! You may wish to
read the reference section, paying particular attention to the
section dealing with the options available in InteliCat. As you've
already seen, using InteliCat is pretty easy. InteliCat smoothly
blends state of the art power with ease of use to provide you with
the best cataloger available at any price!
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 13
I firmly believe the best method to learn a good program is by
playing around with it. InteliCat's intuitive user interface
allows you to experiment and discover most of the features without
having to read the documentation. The remaining portion of the
document will answer any specific questions you have though.
InteliCat Reference
This section of the manual covers in detail the various commands
and options available in InteliCat. If you're new to InteliCat,
you may wish to read the tutorial before reading this reference.
This portion of the manual will cover some general information
regarding InteliCat followed by a detailed item by item reference.
InteliCat Conventions
InteliCat employees a uniform set of conventions in it's
interaction with the user. In InteliCat the following conventions
hold true:
o Pressing ESCape from anywhere in the program causes
InteliCat to quit whatever it's doing and return to the
previous level or menu. For example: Pressing ESCape
while on a submenu returns you to the main menu without a
submenu displayed. Pressing ESCape on the main menu
without a submenu displayed causes InteliCat to ask if
you want to exit to DOS.
o You select submenus by pressing the ALT key along with
the highlighted letter. This method of selecting a
submenu works anytime you are on the main menu or one of
the other submenus available from the main menu. For
example: Pressing ALT-A selects the ADD submenu. You
may also use the cursor keys to navigate the submenus.
o Anytime you're prompted for a disk name you can press the
ENTER key (providing the input field is blank/empty) and
a popup list displaying all available disk names will
appear. From the volume popup list you can select the
desired disk name by highlighting it and pressing the
ENTER key.
o You may select items on the submenu by using the cursor
keys to move the highlight bar and then pressing RETURN,
pressing the highlighted letter on the menu item, or by
pressing the menu item's hotkey.
14 InteliCat Users Guide
o InteliCat remembers the last menu item used on each of
the submenus (during the current session). When you pick
a submenu the last used item on the menu is the default
option.
o InteliCat remembers things such as file selection
criteria, sort fields, and search data. When you perform
one of the remembered operations a second time, InteliCat
will display options that default to what you last used.
o InteliCat employs the use of hotkeys to allow selection
of some menu items without having to traverse the menus.
These hotkeys are active while you are on the main menu
or one of the submenus available from the main menu. A
complete list of hotkeys is in the section 'InteliCat
Hotkeys' on page 33.
o Pressing ALT-Z from *any* input prompt shells you to DOS.
When you are ready to return to InteliCat you may do so
by typing:
EXIT
o InteliCat uses one string editor for every string you
type in. When InteliCat first prompts you to input a
string, the editor may display a default value with the
cursor sitting at the end. If the first key you press is
an input key (i.e. a letter or number) InteliCat will
delete the original default value and you will be typing
a new string. If the first key you press is a cursor
positioning key or command key (i.e. HOME, END,
BACKSPACE, DELETE, etc...) InteliCat assumes you want to
edit the default value, and doesn't erase it.
o When you press the F10 key your answer(s) are saved by
the string editor. Alternatively, the ENTER key saves
your response when there's only one input field being
prompted for.
Command Line Parameters
When you first start InteliCat you have the option of specifying
command line parameters to help control the way InteliCat operates
for that session. The following list describes all available
options. Note that several of the parameters require a user
defined value. Angle brackets surround user defined values
required when you specify the associated parameter. The optional
parameters are:
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 15
/B Black and white mode. This causes InteliCat to only use
black and white colors for screen displays. (The opening
does not apply to the opening and closing screens on the
unregistered shareware version).
/C <CFG_FILE> Names a configuration file to read at start
up. InteliCat searches for LC.CFG if you specify a
directory name (instead of a file name). At default
InteliCat attempts to locate LC.CFG.
/D <DATA_BASE> Names a database to read at start up. If you
specify a directory name (instead of a file name),
InteliCat searches the specified directory for LC.DB. At
default InteliCat attempts to locate LC.DB unless you
specify a different name.
/E <999> Specifies the amount of EMS memory (in K bytes) to
attempt allocating. If you don't specify this parameter,
InteliCat allocates as much EMS as the configuration file
tells it to do. If you don't want InteliCat to attempt
using EMS you should use:
/E 0
A value of 1 causes InteliCat to allocate as much memory
as it can (up to the amount required for 32,000 files).
If InteliCat determines more files will fit in
conventional memory than available EMS, InteliCat will
automatically use the conventional memory instead of EMS.
/M <ADAPTER_TYPE> Specifies the type of adapter to use.
Normally you shouldn't use this option since InteliCat is
able to detect the adapter properly on start up. If
you're not having problems with InteliCat's video output,
DON'T specify this option. If you do need to specify the
adapter type, you should report your adapter type to the
support board so future versions of InteliCat will
automatically detect the adapter you have. The valid
adapters are: MDA (video memory starting at B000h, no
snow control), CGA (video memory starting at B800h, snow
control), EGA and VGA (video memory starting at B800h, no
snow control, 43/50 line mode for reports is available).
WARNING: Setting the adapter to an invalid type for your
computer setup will cause unpredictable results!
/N This option specifies color mode without snow protection.
You should use this option if you have a CGA that doesn't
require snow control. (Or if you don't care if there's
16 InteliCat Users Guide
snow). Screen output is much faster when snow control is
off. EGA and VGA adapters don't require snow control.
/O This option specifies color mode with snow protection.
Video output is *much* slower with this option than with
the /N option.
/X <999> Specifies the amount of XMS memory (in K bytes) to
attempt allocating. If you don't specify this parameter
InteliCat allocates as much XMS as the configuration file
has set to allocate (up to the amount required to store
the maximum number of files InteliCat can handle). If
you don't want InteliCat to attempt using XMS you should
use:
/X 0
A value of 1 tells InteliCat to allocate as much XMS as
it needs and is available. If InteliCat determines more
files will fit in conventional memory than available XMS
memory, InteliCat will automatically use the conventional
memory instead of XMS.
To specify parameters append them to the line used to execute
InteliCat. The following examples show how to use the command line
parameters when starting InteliCat:
Example 1: IC /E 1024 /D CURTIS /C LITTLE
Example 2: IC /N
The first example starts InteliCat and tells InteliCat to:
(/E 1024) Allocate and use 1024K (1 meg) of EMS memory.
(/D CURTIS) Read a database called CURTIS.DB
(/C LITTLE) Read a configuration file called LITTLE.CFG
The second example starts InteliCat and turns off snow control.
Memory Utilization/Max Files
One of the main questions users have had about InteliCat is how
many files a InteliCat database can have. The answer depends on
what kind of memory InteliCat is using for the file records.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 17
InteliCat recognizes three types of memory: conventional (the
first 640K that DOS can use), extended, and expanded memory. In
InteliCat the largest user of memory is file records. If
configured to do so, InteliCat attempts to store file records in
the various types of memory in the following order:
Choice Requirements
------ ------------
Expanded EMM driver v3.2+ must be present.
More expanded memory must be available
(and configured for InteliCat to use than
there is available conventional memory).
Extended HIMEM.SYS v2.0+ must be present.
Additionally, HIMEM doesn't allow extended
memory allocation when you're using a
VDISK type device driver.
More extended memory must be available
(and configured for InteliCat to use than
there is available conventional memory).
Conventional There has to be some memory available.
It is important to note that InteliCat does not combine different
types of memory storage for the file records - it supports all
three types, but will only use one of them in a given session. EMS
(expanded) is a better choice than XMS (extended) because of speed
considerations. Conventional is the fastest, however, it has the
least capacity.
Now, back to how many files InteliCat supports in a database. The
maximum number of files depends on the type of memory in use as
well as the amount available. If you use expanded or extended
memory you can have up to 32,000 files in a database (approximately
1.2 meg of memory holds 32,000 files).
When file records are in conventional memory, the number of files
supported in a database is not an easy thing to explain. Plain and
simple, it depends on your *specific* machine setup (i.e. how many
TSRs you have loaded, DOS version, how many device drivers you have
loaded, etc...). In general you can get about 6000 files in a
database on a 640K machine.
18 InteliCat Users Guide
Environment Variables
When InteliCat starts it first checks to see if you specified the
configuration and database using command line parameters. When you
don't specify the configuration/database InteliCat next looks for
an environment variable to determine what files to read. InteliCat
looks at the following environment variables:
ICCFG Specifies the configuration file to read (or the
directory to read LC.CFG from).
ICDB Specifies the database to read (or the directory to
read LC.DB from).
For example, if you type the following at the DOS command line:
SET ICCFG=C:\IC\SECOND
and then started InteliCat, it would look for a configuration file
called 'C:\IC\SECOND.CFG' unless you specified a different one
using the /C command line parameter.
InteliCat Files
InteliCat maintains several files to keep track of things such as
the configuration and the databases. InteliCat data files have an
extension that let you know what kind of file you're looking at.
Anytime you save a file with InteliCat without specifying an
extension, InteliCat uses the default for that type of file. If
you specify an extension other than the one listed in the table
below, InteliCat will ignore it. The various file types are:
Extension File is used for
--------- ----------------
.DB Database (Can't override)
.CFG Configuration file (Can't override)
.IMP Import comment settings (Can't override)
.BAK Backup database files (Can't override)
Two Files Per Database!
Although you only specify the name of a single database, InteliCat
ACTUALLY MAINTAINS TWO DATABASES INSTEAD OF ONE. The information
about the file names, sizes, etc are in one database, and the
comments are in a separate data base. In order to make the use of
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 19
multiple databases as transparent as possible, InteliCat only asks
for one database name and tracks both databases from that. THE
COMMENT DATABASE HAS THE SAME NAME AS THE "MAIN" DATABASE WITH A
'1' APPENDED.
If you delete the XXXX1.DB file you will lose all your comments!
String Editing Commands
There are many places where InteliCat needs to obtain an input
string from you. Except for the comment editor, all field input
goes through a single string editor. To help you better use the
string editor the following is a list of the commands available
while you're entering input:
Backspace Has the traditional meaning of a backspace
(traditional for the PC). This deletes the
character to the left of the cursor and moves the
cursor one position left.
CTRL U Press CTRL U to undo all changes you made to the
input field. This restores the original contents of
the string.
CTRL Y This key combination deletes the entire contents of
the input field.
DELete This deletes the character that is under the cursor.
Down arrow - Moves to the next field in multi-field input.
END Moves the cursor to the end of the field.
ESCape Aborts input and discards changes to the string you
were editing. In multi-field input, changes to all
fields are discarded when ESCape is pressed.
HOME Moves the cursor to the home position (1st position)
of the input field.
Left arrow - moves the cursor one position to the left.
Right arrow - moves the cursor one position to the right.
Up arrow In multi-field input this moves the cursor to the
previous field.
20 InteliCat Users Guide
TAB In multi-field input this moves the cursor to the
next field.
BACKTAB In multi-field input this moves the cursor to the
previous field.
RETURN Press the return/enter key when editing of a field
is complete.
F10 Pressing F10 exits the editor saving the changes you
made to the field(s).
If there is a default value for the string, InteliCat places the
cursor after the last character in the string. If you desire to
edit the default value you should press one of the commands listed
above as the first key (if you accidently hit something else
remember you can use CTRL U to restore the original value).
InteliCat replaces the default value by the new value typed if the
first key pressed is a valid letter/number. After the first key
you are in edit mode and can type whatever you like.
Global Command Keys
There are several global command keys provided in InteliCat. The
first is the ESCape key. Pressing the ESCape key causes InteliCat
to abort the current operation and return to the previous level.
For instance, pressing the ESCape key while on a submenu causes the
submenu to disappear, returning you to the main menu level.
Anytime you want to back out of whatever you're doing in InteliCat
you should press the ESCape key. If aborting the current operation
would cause you to lose changed data, InteliCat prompts you before
aborting. Pressing the ESCape key at a yes/no question is the same
as answering the question 'No'.
InteliCat also provides a global DOS shell command. *Anywhere*
InteliCat is waiting for a keystroke you can press ALT-Z to shell
to DOS! InteliCat modifies the DOS prompt to remind you you're
shelled out. Typing EXIT at the DOS prompt will return you back to
InteliCat. Note that InteliCat uses Switch! allowing you to
specify how much memory to make available for the DOS shell.
Switch! can make virtually *all* memory used by InteliCat available
for the shell. The options section of this manual covers the
Switch! feature.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 21
Using Regular Expressions
InteliCat has the most powerful regular expression facilities
available in a disk cataloging program on the market today (as of
the time of this writing). Those familiar with Brief will feel
right at home with InteliCat's regular expressions since regular
expression facilities in InteliCat are virtually the same as those
used in the popular Brief editor. Any time you're searching for a
particular string you're allowed to use regular expressions (this
includes the selection criteria and search data discussed later in
this manual).
For those not familiar with regular expressions, they will be
defined here. Basically, even if you don't realize it, you most
likely know about some type of regular expressions. For instance,
have you ever typed a DOS command similar to:
DIR *.DOC
This is an example of a regular expression that lists all files
that have .DOC as the extension.
In short, a regular expression is a pattern that represents
character sequences. A regular expression can have two basic types
of characters in it. A regular expression consists of normal
characters (such as letters and numbers), and regular expression
metacharacters. The metacharacters are what gives regular
expressions their power.
InteliCat supports virtually the same regular expression
metacharacters as the Brief editor. These metacharacters are:
* Matches any number of occurrences (0 or more) of any
character. The * matches as few occurrences as needed to
make the rest of the pattern match.
g*d matches god, good, gad, and gillard
but not:
dog, goat
? Matches any single character.
c?t matches cat and cut, but not cant
@ Matches 0 or more occurrences of the preceding character
or pattern. Note that with @, InteliCat considers the
fewest possible occurrences of a pattern a match.
22 InteliCat Users Guide
go@d matches gd, god, good, goood, gooood, etc..
+ Matches 1 or more occurrences of the preceding character
or pattern. This is the same as the @ except that one or
more occurrences are needed to match.
go+d matches god, good, goood, gooood, etc...
but not gd, ggdoddd
| Matches either the preceding pattern OR the following
pattern.
b|c matches either b or c
this|that doesn't match what you might think though! It
matches either thishat or thithat. To see how to do a
search for either of the words (this or that) see the
next category of regular expression characters.
{} Groups characters or patterns together for a search.
Grouping characters provides several benefits:
1) Provides a way to control how InteliCat
evaluates regular expressions (i.e. like
parenthesis in a mathematical equation).
2) Groups a set of text together.
For example, in the discussion of the or operator (|) you
saw the expression: this|that didn't match the words
this or that as might be expected. Using grouping you
can make this work as follows:
{this}|{that}
The example above would find occurrences of this or that.
{ok}+
Matches one or more occurrences of the word ok.
[] This creates a "set" of characters to search for. There
are several powerful forms of the set operator.
[~] Matches a character if it IS NOT any of the
characters between the [~ and the ].
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 23
[-] Matches a RANGE of characters. For example, [a-z].
The beginning range character must have a lower
value than the upper value.
[a-z0-9A-Z]*
This example matches all letters (upper and lower case)
and numbers. This would match:
abra12, 123x134, 23, and hello
but not: it's and "first!"
[~a-zA-Z]
This example matches everything that isn't a letter.
\ Override character. The backslash allows you to override
the normal meaning of a character.
\* searches for the actual character * instead of
treating the * as a regular expression as it normally
would be.
\\ allows you to search for the backslash in a string.
\[ allows you to search for the left bracket, overriding
the standard usage of the left bracket as the opening of
a set definition.
The precedence for evaluating regular expressions is as follows
(going from highest precedence to the lowest):
{} Groups have the highest precedence. InteliCat
treats characters inside a group as a single
expression.
|, @, + Matches from the left to the right. These have the
second highest precedence.
All other characters have equal precedence with each other.
Searching
There are multiple places in InteliCat where you can enter data to
search for. Anytime you specify you want to search for something,
InteliCat displays a search window to get the search options. The
search window appears as follows:
24 InteliCat Users Guide
+ Search Data ---------------------------------------------------------+
|> |
| |
| Search: ( X ) File/Ext ( X ) Disk ( X ) Keywords ( X ) Comments |
| ( ) Search Backward |
| | |
| <-+ to Search, TAB: Next Field, BackTAB: Prev Field, ESC: Abort |
| (Regular Expressions Are Allowed) Case IS significant. |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
When InteliCat displays the search window, InteliCat places the
cursor in the input field waiting for you to type data to search
for. If you previously searched for something, the value searched
for will be the default string. You should notice there are
several fields in the search window. You can get to the fields by
using the TAB, BACKTAB, UP ARROW and the DOWN ARROW keys. All
fields except the input field are toggles. Pressing the space bar
toggles the setting of the associated option. When it is blank it
is off. Pressing the ENTER key starts the search.
Note that you can use regular expressions in the search data.
InteliCat automatically appends a '*' to the beginning and the end
of the data to search for (this allows InteliCat to find the data
within a string without requiring you to manually add the leading
and trailing '*').
If you want the search to be fast, don't search the comment field
since InteliCat must read comments from disk.
When you search for something InteliCat will remember how you set
the various fields. Next time you request a search the settings
you made will be the defaults.
Sorting Records
InteliCat provides the user with flexible and powerful sorting
routines. One of the configuration options controls whether or not
InteliCat prompts for the sort options when you select a menu item
that allows sorting. For this discussion it is assumed that you
have InteliCat optioned to ask for the sort options (the default).
If you wish to know more about the InteliCat options, you should
refer to the section titled 'Configuration Menu' on page 46.
Picking one of the following menu items causes InteliCat to prompt
you for the sort options:
1) Add/mod comments
2) Delete a file
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 25
3) Browse files
4) File/ext report
5) BBS type listing
(There is one more menu item that brings up a different set of sort
options. This sort window is covered later in this section). When
you pick one of the menu items listed above the following window is
displayed when InteliCat is ready to get the sort options:
+ Sort Options ----------------------------------------------+
| [-]1 - File Name [-]6 - Comments |
| [-]2 - File Ext [-]7 - Date & Time <-----+
| [-]3 - Subdir [-]8 - Size | |
| [-]4 - Disk Name [-]9 - Archive Name | |
| [-]5 - Keywords [-]10 - Archive Ext | |
| | |
| Enter sort fields separated by spaces (ESC to abort) | |
| Use - to specify descending order for a field | |
| 0 or BLANK list for no sort | |
|> | |
+---- ^ -----------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
Field list input string
List of
f i e l d
numbers you
can sort on.
InteliCat places the cursor in the input field and waits for you to
type a list of field numbers to sort. InteliCat shows any
previously sorted fields as the defaults. To sort on more than one
field you should type in a list of field numbers separated by
spaces. Preceding a field number with a minus sign says you wish
to sort the specified field in descending order (no spaces should
be between the - and the field number). For example to sort in
ascending order on the file name, and descending order on the
extension the list you type would be as follows:
1 -2
26 InteliCat Users Guide
Assuming you had the following files/extensions, the chart below
lists the sorted results using the field list from above:
File Names Sorted File Names
---------- -----------------
IC.EXE AUTOEXEC.BAT
AUTOEXEC.BAT IC.EXE
LC.CFG LC.PRN
LC.PRN LC.CFG
PKZIP.EXE PKZIP.EXE
InteliCat displays a special purpose sort options window when you
choose the Volume report. The special sort window appears as
follows:
+ Sort Options ----------------------------------------------+
| [-]1 - Disk Name [-]5 - Free Space |
| [-]2 - Keywords [-]6 - Total Space |
| [-]3 - Comments [-]7 - Date Indexed |
| [-]4 - Used Space |
| |
| Enter sort fields separated by spaces (ESC to abort) |
| Use - to specify descending order for a field |
| 0 or BLANK list for no sort |
|> |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
This sort selection window works like the one discussed above. The
only difference is that the items on this window are specific to
disks instead of files (since the volume report only lists the disk
names in the database).
Selecting Specific Records
InteliCat provides the user with an extremely flexible method of
selecting specific records through the use of selection criteria.
One of the configuration options controls whether or not InteliCat
prompts for the selection criteria when you pick a menu item that
allows selecting specific records. This section assumes you have
InteliCat optioned to ask for the selection criteria (the default).
If you wish to know more about the InteliCat options, you should
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 27
refer to the section titled 'Configuration Menu' on page 46.
Picking one of the following menu items causes InteliCat to prompt
for the selection criteria:
o Add/mod comments
o Delete a file
o Browse files
o File/ext report
o Duplicate files
o BBS type listing
When you pick one of the menu items listed above the following
window is displayed when InteliCat is ready to get the selection
criteria:
+ Selection Criteria ----------------------------------------+
| [-]1 - File Specs [-]7 - Size Range |
| [-]2 - Subdirs [-]8 - Archive Members |
| [-]3 - Disk Names [-]9 - Files With Keywords |
| [-]4 - Keywords [-]10 - Files With Comments |
| [-]5 - Comments [-]11 - Archive Files |
| [-]6 - Date Range [-]12 - Exclude Disk Records |
| |
| Enter selection options separated by spaces (ESC to abort) |
| & | ! ^ and () to specify logical conditions |
| 0 or BLANK list for All Files |
|> |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
InteliCat places the cursor in the input field and waits for you to
type a list of field numbers and logical conditions for performing
selection of special records on. If you previously selected
records, InteliCat will display the last data you typed as the
default.
You may select files by any combination of the above listed fields.
If you wish to specify more than one field to enter selection
criteria for you should type in the list of field numbers separated
by the logical operators. InteliCat treats a space between field
numbers the same as an '&'. See the section 'Using Logical
Conditions for Selection Criteria' on page 30 for details.
28 InteliCat Users Guide
Preceding a field number with a minus sign says you wish to exclude
files by the specified data for the associated field. Using the
negative field causes InteliCat to reject those records that match
the criteria entered about the field (no spaces should be between
the - and the field number).
Depending on the fields you wish to specify selection criteria for,
InteliCat prompts you for the selection options. For the fields
that require you to specify the selection criteria there are two
methods of input. The first method of entering criteria is in the
form of a list of data values. This type of input method
continually prompts you for additional selection criteria for the
field until you press return without typing any data. In this mode
the only limit on the number of different criteria you can specify
for a field is the available memory. The following fields use this
type of input method:
o File specs o Keywords
o Subdirs o Comments
o Disk names
You can make full use of regular expressions when entering
selection data for any of the above fields. Refer to the section
titled 'Using Regular Expressions' for details on the regular
expression facilities provided in InteliCat.
The second method of input for selection criteria is a range. If
you specify one of the following fields you'll be asked for a
SINGLE range to use as the selection criteria for the field:
o Date
o Size
When entering selection criteria you should enter values that you
want to match in the associated field. For example let's say you
want a report listing all executable files, you would enter the
following as the selection field list:
1
Next, InteliCat would prompt for the selection criteria for the
filespecs. To select executable files the following would be the
file specs:
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 29
+--------------- Selection Data : ESCape to Abort ---------------+
| Enter selection File Specs, one per line. Blank line to end. |
| |
|File Specs (1): *.exe |
|File Specs (2): *.com |
|File Specs (3): |
| ^ |
| | |
| | |
+--------------- | ----------------------------------------------+
|
This is the prompt issued by InteliCat for the selection data.
Note that pressing return without entering anything gets you
out of input mode.
When you enter the criteria listed above, InteliCat would only
select records that have an extension of EXE or COM. If you had
specified other fields InteliCat would prompt for the criteria for
those fields, and then select on those fields as well.
NOTE: When you use selection criteria that doesn't apply to a disk
record (i.e. filename, subdir, archive, etc...) InteliCat
automatically includes disk volumes of matched files. If you don't
want InteliCat to do this, simply use the 'Exclude Disk Records'
criteria.
Specifying Logical Conditions For the Selection Criteria
One of InteliCat's many unique features is the ability it gives you
to combine the selection fields using an algebraic like expression.
The following conditions can be specified to combine two or more
fields in the selection criteria:
1 & 2 This specifies an AND condition. Use of this
operator means that InteliCat selects only those
files that meet both the first and second
conditions.
1 | 2 This specifies an OR condition. Use of this
operator means that InteliCat selects files matching
either the first or second conditions.
1 ! 2 This specifies a NOT condition. Use of this
operator means that InteliCat selects files matching
the first criteria and NOT the second criteria.
1 ^ 2 This specifies a XOR condition. Use of this
operator means that InteliCat selects files matching
30 InteliCat Users Guide
only one of the criteria, but not files matching
both.
Since all operators have equal precedence InteliCat also allows you
to use () to group expressions together. To demonstrate how all
this fits together lets look at an example. In our example we want
to be able to list all *.COM files on the disk "IC000" that have
keywords or comments. In addition we want to see all *.COM files
on any disk that have a size between 0 and 20,000 bytes whether or
not they have comments/keywords. With InteliCat you can easily
specify complex conditions like this. To perform this selection
you would enter selection criteria of:
(1 & 3 & (9 | 10)) | (1 & 7)
When prompted for the file specs you would specify *.COM. When
prompted for the disk name you would specify IC000. When prompted
for the size range you would specify a low value of 0 and a high
value of 20000.
After getting the size range, InteliCat calmly performs the record
selection giving you only those files you wanted to look at.
The limitation to the selection criteria is that InteliCat only
accepts one set of input for a given field. In the example above
we used the '1' field twice, but InteliCat only prompts for the
file specs once. InteliCat uses the same file specs in both cases
where you specified field 1 in the selection statement.
InteliCat Menu Options
When you first start InteliCat you are in the main menu mode.
InteliCat's menu is a pull-down type menu. You can press the ALT
key at the same time as the first letter of the menu item you
desire, and InteliCat will display the submenu. Once you have a
sub-menu pulled down you can use the arrow keys to change submenus
(the ALT key combinations still work as well).
While on a submenu you can choose a menu item by using the up/down
arrow keys to highlight the desired item and then pressing the
ENTER key to select the item. You may also select a submenu item
by pressing the highlighted letter for the desired item.
The following chart illustrates the various menus available in
InteliCat:
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 31
+-------------------------< Main Menu >--------------------------+
| Add Delete/replace Search Reports Configuration Utilities Quit |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
| | | \ | \ \
Pressing ALT-A | Pressing \ Pressing \ \
selects the | ALT-S \ ALT-C selects \ \
Add submenu. | selects the \ the Configuration \ \
| Search submenu \ submenu. | |
| | / |
Pressing ALT-D Pressing ALT-R Pressing |
selects the selects the ALT-U selects |
Delete/Replace Reports submenu. the Utilities |
submenu. submenu. |
|
Pressing ALT-Q
selects the
Quit submenu.
The following show the items currently available on each of the
submenus:
+-----< Add Menu >------+ +----<Delete/Replace Menu> ---+
| Log floppy disks (^L) | | Replace a disk (^R) |
| log Multi-drives (^M) | | Multi-drive replace |
| Dummy entry | | rEname a disk |
| Add/mod comments (^C) | | Delete a disk (^D) |
+-----------------------+ | delete a File |
| Zap database |
+-----------------------------+
+----< Search Menu >------+ +------< Reports Menu >------+
| Browse files (^B) | | Volume report (^V) |
| String search (^S) | | Quick volume report |
| Comment search | | File/ext report (^F) |
| Keyword search | | quick file/Ext report (^Q) |
| File search | | Duplicate files |
| cAse sensitivity: (ON) | | BBS type listing |
+-------------------------+ | 43/50 line mode: (OFF) |
+----------------------------+
+--< Configuration Menu >--+ +---< Utilities Menu >---+
| Catalog options (^O) | | Import comments (^I) |
| Volume label options | | Merge databases |
| Report output options | | DOS Shell |
| report Format options | +------------------------+
| Memory usage options |
32 InteliCat Users Guide
| Archive options |
| Disk naming options |
| Logging drives |
| color opTions |
| read/create New database |
| Write database |
| lOad configuration |
| Save configuration |
| reset to Defaults |
| disPlay license |
+--------------------------+
+-----< Quit >------+
| | |
| Press <-+ to exit |
+-------------------+
An explanation of the submenus follows, however, before going to
the submenus, I will give an overview of the hotkeys.
Hotkeys
Several of the menu items in InteliCat have a 'hotkey' that allows
you to select the item without having to traverse the menus.
Hotkeys are valid anytime you are on the main menu, or a submenu
branch from the main menu. Each of the submenus with an assigned
hotkey for an item(s) shows the hotkey next to the item it applies
to. The following list summarizes the available hotkeys:
Hotkey Function
------ --------
CTRL B Browse files
CTRL C Add/modify comments
CTRL D Delete a disk
CTRL F File/ext report
CTRL I Import comments
CTRL L Log floppy disks
CTRL M Log multi-drives
CTRL O Catalog options
CTRL Q Quick file/ext report
CTRL R Replace a disk
CTRL S String search
CTRL V Volume report
ALT X Exit InteliCat
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 33
Add Menu
The add menu contains selections to allow you to add disks to the
data base and add/modify comments for the data base entries. Note
that by specifying an existing disk name while you are logging a
disk you can replace from the add menu!
Log Floppy Disks
This menu option causes InteliCat to scan a disk adding the file
names found to the active data base. After picking this option,
InteliCat prompts you to insert a disk in the logging drive. If
you have two logging drives, InteliCat asks for a disk in each
drive alternatively. After inserting the disk press the enter key
to tell InteliCat to scan the disk. If you don't have the options
set in a way that InteliCat can automatically name the disk,
InteliCat will ask for the disk name (remember the popup list is
available if you press ENTER without specifying a name). If you
specify a disk that exists, InteliCat will ask if you want to
replace the disk.
If you desire automatic naming, there are two ways to have
InteliCat name a disk. First, if you have automatic disk naming
turned on, and second if you have InteliCat set to use the volume
name as the disk name (this causes automatic naming if the disk has
a volume label).
If you configured InteliCat to add comments while logging,
InteliCat prompts for the comments after it's finished scanning
each disk.
Once finished logging the disk, InteliCat will prompt you for the
next disk you want to log. (See the section 'Add/mod Comments' on
page 35 for details on using the comment editor).
After you finish logging disks press the ESCape key to return to
the Add submenu.
Log Multi-Drives
This option works just like the 'Log Floppy Disk' option, except
InteliCat prompts for the drive letter to log. Using the multi-
drive function of InteliCat makes it easy to log things like hard
drives without having to constantly modify the configured logging
drives.
34 InteliCat Users Guide
Dummy Entry
This option is almost like the 'Log floppy disks' option. The
difference is this option creates a dummy disk entry (volume name
only) in the database. Using this option you can record the
existence of a particular disk when you don't want to include the
file names. One good example of this would be for logging a master
program disk. A program disk is likely to contain many various
files (which you probably don't care about), however they are all
related to the main program (which is what you care about!).
Add/mod Comments
This option allows you to add/delete/modify the comments and
keywords for each of the entries in the active data base. After
choosing this option, InteliCat asks for the selection criteria and
sort options (if you configured InteliCat to ask for them). Using
the selection criteria you can limit the list of files brought up
to those desired (see the section titled 'Selecting Specific
Records' on page 27 for details on selection criteria).
Next, InteliCat displays the comment entry screen for the first
file. While you're editing comments/keywords the following command
keys are available (as listed at the bottom of the screen):
F2 Copy to clipboard. This copies the current input
field to the clipboard buffer.
Shift F2 Replace with clipboard. This replaces the current
input field with the contents of the matching
clipboard field. If the clipboard field is empty,
this causes the input field to be deleted.
F7 Previous file (with save). Pressing this key causes
InteliCat to display the previous file. InteliCat
saves the current record automatically if any
changes were made to it.
Shift F7 Previous file (without save). Pressing this key
causes InteliCat to display the previous file.
Changes made to the current record are discarded.
ALT S Search. Pressing the ALT S key causes the search
window to pop-up and allow you to specify the data
to search for. This allows you to quickly find a
desired file or files. If you modified the current
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 35
record without saving it, InteliCat will prompt
before losing the changes.
F8 Next file (with save). Pressing this key causes
InteliCat to display the next file after saving
changes to the current record.
Shift F8 Next file (without save). Pressing this key causes
InteliCat to display the next file, discarding any
changes made to the current record.
ALT Z DOS Shell. This is the global command key that
allows you to shell to DOS.
Ctl PgUp These two keys allow you to move back and forth
Ctl PgDn between the two input fields.
F10 Save and advance. This advances to the next file
after saving the changes to the current file.
Shft F10 Exit to the menu. Pressing this key causes
InteliCat to return you to the Add submenu after
saving any changes to the current record.
ESCape Abort to menu. This key causes InteliCat to abort
changes and return you to the menu. You are
prompted to confirm the action.
When you first start, InteliCat highlights the keyword field and
waits for you to edit the keywords. While you're in the keywords
field, the standard InteliCat string editing keys are active.
NOTE: One of the configuration options can be used to keep
InteliCat from prompting for keywords. The 'Skip Keywords' option
described on page 48 describes this option. When it's turned on
(at default it's off) InteliCat will only prompt for comments.
When you press the enter key (or the down arrow) you will be in the
memo field to enter comments about the current file. While you're
editing the comment field, a whole new set of editing commands are
available. The editing keys provided while in the comment field
are more suitable for editing the large field (i.e. similar to a
word processor with automatic word wrap). There are many
similarities between the keys in the InteliCat comment editor and
the Brief editor. The memo editor commands are as follows:
Backspace Deletes the character to the left of the cursor
and moves the cursor left one position. (This
36 InteliCat Users Guide
is the classic PC action for the backspace
key).
Delete Deletes the character under the cursor (if mark
mode is off). When mark mode is on, pressing
the delete key causes InteliCat to delete the
marked block.
Insert Toggles insert mode on and off.
Arrow Keys Moves the cursor the direction of the arrow.
Control Right Moves right to the next word.
Control Left Moves left to the previous word.
Control Space Puts a "hard" space in the document. This
insures two words aren't split by the automatic
word wrap. (Remember that the report may wrap
words at different spots than the screen! This
is the answer if you don't want something
split.)
Home Moves to the start of the current line.
Home Home (2 homes in a row) Moves to the start of the
displayed window. This is the same in effect
as pressing Control Home.
Home Home Home (3 homes in a row) Moves to the start of the
edit buffer.
End Moves to the end of the current line
End End (2 ends in a row) Moves to the end of the
current window. This is the same in effect as
pressing Control End.
End End End (3 ends in a row) Moves to the bottom of the
comment.
PgUp Moves the screen up by a page full (a page is
the maximum data that InteliCat can display in
the edit window at one time).
PgDn Moves the screen down by a page full.
Control Home Moves to the start of the displayed edit
window.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 37
Control End Moves to the end of the displayed window full
of text.
ALT C Centers the current line of text.
ALT D Deletes the current line of text.
ALT I Inserts the contents of the editor scrap buffer
at the current cursor location. Note that the
scrap buffer used here is particular to the
editor, and has nothing to do with the
comment/keyword clipboard buffers.
ALT K Deletes from the cursor location to the end of
the cursor line.
ALT L, ALT M Toggles mark mode (allows marking a block of
text).
Keypad Minus If mark mode is off this cuts the current line
to the scrap buffer. If mark mode is on this
cuts the marked block to scrap.
Keypad Plus If mark mode is off this copies the current
line to the scrap buffer. If mark mode is on
this copies the marked block to scrap.
Control Y Deletes the current line. (Same in effect as
ALT D).
Delete/replace Menu
The delete/replace menu is where you should go if you desire to
delete, replace, or rename a disk that's in the database. This
section goes over these three operations as well as an option that
allows you to delete individual file records, and an option that
allows you to ZAP (erase) the active database.
38 InteliCat Users Guide
Replace a Disk
You should use this option when you need to replace a disk that is
already in the database. This is needed if you modify (i.e. add or
delete files) on a disk already in the database. Instead of
forcing you to delete the old disk and then add a new one,
InteliCat allows you to simply tell it you wish to replace the
disk; InteliCat will do the work for you. Now there's no reason to
avoid changing the contents of a disk once you've cataloged it!
Note that when you replace a disk, InteliCat retains the comments
and keywords for all files on the newly logged disk that were on
the disk the last time it was logged.
Multi-drive Replace
This option is just like the replace option except it allows you to
specify any drive instead of using the configured logging drives.
Rename a Disk
This option allows you to change the name of a disk that is in the
database. InteliCat prompts for the existing disk name (the old
name) and then prompts for the new name you want to use. The new
name must be a name that isn't already in the database.
Delete a Disk
This option allows you to delete a disk from the database.
InteliCat prompts for the name of the disk you want to delete.
Delete a File
This option allows you to delete individual file records from the
database. InteliCat prompts for selection criteria as well as
sorting options when you select this menu item. After you specify
the selection and sort options, InteliCat displays a screen similar
to the browse screen. Pressing the DELete key causes the viewed
record to be deleted. (If you press the DELete key while viewing a
disk record, InteliCat will prompt before deleting the disk).
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 39
Zap Database
Choosing this option zaps the entire database (deletes all disks in
the database). Because of the potential for massive data loss,
InteliCat asks for confirmation before zapping the database.
Search Menu
The search menu allows you to search for specific files with ease.
The options in this menu allow you to search for a file based on
any of the following:
o File name
o Disk name
o Keywords
o Comments
The difference between the various menu items for searching is only
in what fields InteliCat searches at *default*.
Browse Files
This option allows you to browse the database without entering data
to search for. Unlike the other options on the search submenu,
this option is the only one that allows you to enter a complete set
of selection criteria as well as sort options (providing InteliCat
is optioned to ask for the selection criteria and/or sort fields).
Once you're in browse mode there are several commands available
(listed on the status line near the bottom of the screen). The
commands include keys such as PgUp, PgDn, Up Arrow, and the Down
Arrow for browsing through the files that matched the selection
criteria (if you specified selection criteria). In addition you
can press the letter 'S' or the letter 'F' to cause InteliCat to
prompt you for search data.
The search window is displayed if you press 'S' or 'F'. InteliCat
prompts for the string to search for in addition to the fields to
check. You can change the fields to search (as well as other
search options) by using the tab key to move to the option you want
to toggle and then press the space bar to toggle the option.
40 InteliCat Users Guide
After finding the first match, you can press 'A' or 'N' to move to
the next matching record.
Note that InteliCat only checks the search data against the files
that matched the selection criteria originally specified.
String Search
The string search is another way to enter browse mode. The
difference is that this option doesn't give you a chance to specify
selection criteria or sort options. Instead, InteliCat displays
the search window and prompts for the search data.
When you use the string search option the search window has the
defaults set to search ALL fields that you can search. You can
manually override the fields to search by tabbing to the option and
toggling it's value with the space bar.
Comment Search
The comment search option is just like the string search option
except at default InteliCat only searches for a match in the
comments. As with the string search, you can override the fields
to search by manually changing the options.
Keyword Search
The keyword search is like the other search options except at
default InteliCat only searches for a match in the keywords.
File Search
The file search is like the other search options except at default
InteliCat only searches for a match in the file names.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 41
Case Sensitivity
This option toggles the case sensitivity of the searches in a case
sensitive field (the filename, disk name, and the directory aren't
case sensitive). When the case sensitivity flag is ON, InteliCat
doesn't find a match if there is a difference in case. You can
tell the setting of this option by looking at the menu item. Note:
InteliCat also displays the case sensitivity flag on the main
screen in the options window.
Reports Menu
The reports menu contains all the menu items to choose for the
various reports built in InteliCat.
Before going into the various reports, there are several features
of the reports that will be overviewed. One of the first things
that you may notice about the reports is the use of the printer
name 'SCREEN'. InteliCat ignores the printer path anytime the name
of the printer is SCREEN (if you don't have InteliCat optioned to
ask for the report destination), in which case output goes to the
screen. When you send a report to the screen there are some
special commands available at the end of each display page. When
you're at the end of a page of output directed to the screen the
following commands are available:
ESCape Aborts the report and returns you to the report
submenu.
S Begins a search. If InteliCat finds the search
data, it automatically displays the page of data the
matching file is on and highlights the match.
F Does the same thing as S.
N Finds the next match after using the S or F
commands.
A Does the same thing as N
PgUp/Up arrow - Moves to the previous page of the report.
Any other key moves you to the next page of the report. Note
that when you are on the last page of the report you must
press ESCape to exit.
42 InteliCat Users Guide
NOTE: If the fields you have set to print can cause a record to
occupy more than one line on the report, InteliCat will not go up
by an exact page when you press the PgUp/Up arrow.
You can control the fields to print, page size, and field widths by
changing the report options (from the Configuration menu). See the
discussion on page 51 for details. Note that the page width setup
doesn't effect output that goes to the screen.
One last note about the reports menu is that when you select one of
the quick reports, InteliCat won't prompt for sort data or
selection criteria regardless of the InteliCat settings. The quick
reports automatically sort the data in a predefined manner (as
noted in the discussion below of the individual menu options).
Volume Report
The volume report is a report that lists all the disk volumes that
are in the database. InteliCat doesn't list individual files on
this report. When you select the volume report, InteliCat asks for
the sort options (providing you configured InteliCat to ask for the
sort options). The following is an example of the volume report:
InteliCat Disk Volume Report - 12:12 am December 23, 1990 Pg 1
Disk Name Used Space Free Space Total Space Files Indexed
--------- ---------- ---------- ----------- ----- -------
IC000000001 222,208 140,288 362,496 0 12/22/89
IC000000002 197,632 164,864 362,496 1 12/22/89
IC000000003 240,640 81,920 322,560 2 12/22/89
IC000000004 361,472 1,024 362,496 13 12/22/89
IC000000005 196,608 165,888 362,496 6 12/22/89
IC000000006 351,232 11,264 362,496 74 12/22/89
IC000000007 360,448 2,048 362,496 22 12/22/89
IC000000008 353,280 9,216 362,496 39 12/22/89
IC000000009 220,160 142,336 362,496 31 12/22/89
IC000000010 230,400 132,096 362,496 12 12/22/89
IC000000011 23,439,360 10,004,480 33,443,840 1,104 12/22/89
Note that InteliCat prints comments and keywords for the volume
report if you have the options set to print comments and keywords.
(See the discussion of the Options Menu - report options on page 51
for details).
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 43
Quick Volume Report
The quick volume report is the same as the volume report with the
exception that it automatically sorts the volumes by disk name.
File/Ext Report
The file/ext report is a report that lists all the files that are
in the database. When you select the file/ext report, InteliCat
prompts for the selection criteria as well as the sort options
(providing you configured InteliCat to ask for the options). You
control the fields that InteliCat prints as well as the field
lengths by the report options (see Report Options on page 51). The
following is an example of the file/ext report:
InteliCat File/Ext Listing Report - 12:12 am Dec 23, 1990 Pg 7
File Name Disk Name Size Date Time Archive
--------- --------- -------- ---- ---- -------
CATOPT.BAK IC000000011 8,042 12/06/89 09:08:48 pm
CATOPT.C IC000000011 8,029 12/06/89 09:12:34 pm
*CATOPT.C IC000000011 6,015 09/11/89 08:21:42 pm
*CATOPT.C IC000000011 8,042 12/18/89 05:05:24 pm
This is the current version of the source
for the InteliCat Options Menu handler. All
of the options are handled in this module.
*CATOPT.C IC000000011 6,032 09/05/89 09:18:34 pm
CATOPT.OBJ IC000000011 7,901 12/18/89 05:08:02 pm
CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 09/04/89 01:26:50 pm
*CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 09/11/89 08:20:42 pm
*CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 12/18/89 05:05:24 pm
CB.EXE IC000000011 37,322 09/15/89 03:00:00 pm
CBERR.H IC000000011 6,773 09/28/88 04:17:10 pm
CBFIND.C IC000000011 1,192 08/20/89 12:18:28 am
CBKEYCMP.C IC000000011 12,349 09/11/89 08:20:42 pm
*CBKEYCMP.C IC000000011 12,334 09/05/89 07:29:06 pm
CBL. IC000000011 2,026 08/07/89 06:23:32 pm
CBL.BAK IC000000011 2,065 08/07/89 06:28:00 pm
CBL.CM IC000000011 2,484 10/23/89 05:19:54 pm
CBL.M IC000000011 3,693 10/23/89 05:09:16 pm
*CBL.M IC000000011 3,732 10/23/89 05:19:50 pm
CBL.OLD IC000000011 1,338 05/01/89 02:00:34 pm
44 InteliCat Users Guide
Quick File/Ext Report
The quick file/ext report is the same as the file/ext report except
when you choose the quick file/ext report InteliCat doesn't prompt
for the selection criteria and sort options. InteliCat
automatically sorts files when you select this option.
Duplicate Files
This report gives you a listing of the files that are possible
duplicates. InteliCat considers files to be duplicates if the name
and extensions match. Just because you have two files with the
same name doesn't necessarily mean you have duplicate files, but
the odds are high identically named files will turn out to be
duplicates. The duplicates report looks the same as the file/ext
report (the fields printed as well as the layout).
BBS type listing
This is a report formatted in a fashion similar to that used by
several BBS programs (i.e. ProDoor). Using this option along with
the correct field width settings you can create a ProDoor dir from
a InteliCat data base. This allows Sysops to download files to a
disk, use InteliCat to log them, import comments from the listing
of the originating board, and then automatically create the dir
entries required for ProDoor! The report option settings required
to produce a ProDoor DIR file are:
Lines Per Page: 0
Left Margin: 0
Right Margin: 78
Action for a Newline: CRLF
File Name Width: 0 or 12
File Size: 7
Modification Date Width: 0 or 8
Comment Width: 0
Field Gap: 2
Note that when you choose the BBS type listing the fields printed
will always be: File name, File size, File Date, Comments - No
matter what fields you have the options set for. This listing is
currently only useful for ProDoor type directories.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 45
43/50 Line Mode
This option toggles the use of 43/50 line output for reports going
to the screen. Note that you can only turn this option on if you
have an EGA/VGA or equivalent adapter.
Configuration Menu
The configuration submenu has all the items that allow you to
change the settings in InteliCat. This section of the manual
explains each of the menu items available via the configuration
submenu.
Catalog Options
This menu choice allows you to set many of the miscellaneous
options. The options you can set by choosing Catalog Options are
as follows:
1) Case sensitive search: This option is the case
sensitivity flag. When case sensitivity is on InteliCat
doesn't match a string being searched for unless the
string and case match. If you turn on the case flag,
InteliCat considers Hello to be different from hello. At
default this option is 'Yes'. Note that the filename,
disk name, and subdirectory fields aren't case sensitive
no matter how this option is set.
2) Add comments while logging: This option determines
whether InteliCat prompts for comments immediately after
each disk logged. At default this option is 'No'.
3) Ask for select criteria: This option specifies whether
or not InteliCat should prompt for the selection criteria
when you choose a menu item that allows selecting special
records. The following menu items allow selecting
special records:
o Add/mod comments
o Delete a file
o Browse files
o File/ext report
o Duplicate files
46 InteliCat Users Guide
o BBS type listing
At default this option is 'Yes'.
4) Ask for sort criteria: This option specifies whether or
not InteliCat should prompt for the sort options. If
this option is OFF, InteliCat will never ask you for the
sort options. When this option is turned on the
following menu items cause InteliCat to prompt for the
sort items:
o Add/mod comments
o Delete a file
o Browse files
o Volume report
o File/ext report
o Duplicate files
o BBS type listing
At default this option is 'Yes'.
5) Keep subdir names: This option specifies whether or not
InteliCat should collect subdirectory names. If this
option is 'Yes', InteliCat tracks the directory names of
each file. At default this option is 'Yes'.
6) Memory for DOS shell: This option is the amount of
memory that you want to make available for the DOS Shell.
Note that InteliCat uses Switch! to allow you to free as
much memory as you like for the DOS shell. Thanks to
Switch!, InteliCat is capable of freeing virtually all
memory used (by InteliCat) making the memory free for the
DOS shell.
Switch! saves the memory used by InteliCat to EMS if
enough EMS memory is available, otherwise Switch! saves
the memory to a disk file. If you don't want InteliCat
to use Switch!, specify the amount of memory to make
available for the shell as 0K. At default this option is
256.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 47
Remember that the DOS shell can be invoked *any* time
InteliCat is waiting for a keystroke by pressing the ALT-
Z key.
7) Backup database: This option specifies whether or not
InteliCat should backup a database before saving changes
made. InteliCat keeps the changes to the main database
resident in memory until you specify to write them or
exit the program. The comments are in a disk based
database that changes as you make modifications. If
backups are ON InteliCat will copy the contents of the
main database and comment database to .BAK files before
saving changes. For instance, if you are using LC.DB
(the default database):
Physical Databases Backup Databases
------------------- ----------------
LC.DB LC.BAK
LC1.DB LC1.BAK
(Remember from the introduction that InteliCat stores
data in two separate databases. The comment database has
the same name as the main database with a '1' appended.
That's why database names can only be seven characters
long). At default this option is 'No'.
WARNING: InteliCat OVERWRITES existing backup files when
it performs the backup. This is important to remember,
because in the event InteliCat detects a corrupted
comment database it makes automatic corrections. When
you exit the program, InteliCat replaces any backups
previously made with the new backup (which will be the
corrupt files!).
8) Skip input of keywords: This option specifies whether or
not InteliCat should allow you to skip the input of
keywords while you're editing comments/keywords. When
you set this option to 'Yes', InteliCat will only prompt
for comments. When this option is 'No', InteliCat
prompts for both keywords and comments.
At default this option is 'No'.
9) Import 4DOS desc. files: This option specifies whether
InteliCat should automatically import comments contained
in 4DOS descript.ion files as it logs disks. When this
option is 'Yes', InteliCat considers files named
descript.ion to be 4DOS comment files, and imports the
comments they contain as the disk is logged.
48 InteliCat Users Guide
At default this option is 'Yes'.
Volume Label Options
The volume label options item allows you to specify how InteliCat
should handle volume labels. The following options can be set:
1) Write the disk name as a volume label: This option
specifies whether or not InteliCat should write the disk
name to the disk as a volume label. If you set this
option to 'Yes', InteliCat will automatically create a
volume label on the disk using the disk name (if a volume
label exists, InteliCat will delete it first). Note that
the volume name creation will fail if you specify a disk
name that doesn't obey the rules for naming a volume (as
explained in your DOS manual). At default this option is
'No'. In summary, when this option is on InteliCat will
attempt to write the disk name as a volume label to every
disk you log.
2) Use existing volume label as disk name: This option
specifies whether or not InteliCat should treat an
existing disk volume label as the disk name. If you set
this option to 'Yes', InteliCat automatically names disks
that have a volume label. This has precedence over
automatic disk naming using the template (described
later). At default this option is 'No'. When this
option is on and you log a disk that has a volume label,
InteliCat will use the volume label as the disk name
inside the database. If the disk exists, InteliCat asks
if you want to replace it.
If you also set the option to delete volume labels,
InteliCat deletes the existing volume label *after* using
it for the disk name.
3) Delete existing volume labels: This option specifies
whether or not InteliCat should automatically delete
existing volume labels as it logs disks. At default this
option is 'No'. When this option is on InteliCat will
delete existing volume labels from every disk you log.
This is a handy way to get rid of existing volume labels.
Note: InteliCat overrides this option if you have the
option set to write the disk name as a volume label.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 49
Report Output Options
This menu item allows you to change the options that have to do
with where and how report output will be done. The following items
can be set by choosing this menu option:
1) Ask for dest at report time: This option determines
whether or not InteliCat will prompt for the output
destination each time you request a report. If you set
this option to 'Yes', InteliCat will ask if you want
output to go to the screen, a file, or the configured
destination. This option overrides the use of SCREEN as
a printer name. When this option is 'No', InteliCat will
use the printer name to determine whether output goes to
the screen. At default this option is 'Yes'.
2) Use 43/50 line mode for screen reports: This option
determines whether InteliCat will display reports going
to the screen using 43 or 50 lines (only available on
EGA/VGA adapters). At default this option is 'No'.
3) Report Dest: This option is the "configured" logical
device or path you want report output to go to. The
report destination is where output of all reports go
(unless the printer name is SCREEN, or you use the Ask
for Destination option to override). You can specify any
DOS device/file for the report output. For example:
Printer path Sends output to
------------ ---------------
LPT1 First parallel port.
Normally, this is where
your real printer is.
COM1 First COM port. This is
where a serial printer or a
modem normally is.
C:\TEST.PRN This specifies to send the
output to a file in the
root directory of drive C:
called TEST.PRN.
At default this option is: PRN.
4) Printer name: This option is where you can specify the
printer name to InteliCat. The name SCREEN is a special
case of the printer name. If you specify the printer
50 InteliCat Users Guide
name as SCREEN the report will go to the screen instead
of the path specified.
Any other printer name causes InteliCat to use the
specified printer path. In the future InteliCat may have
a database of printers, and use the printer name to
locate the control codes that allow InteliCat to take
advantage of the printer's capabilities for custom
reports. At default this option is: SCREEN.
Report Format Options
The report format options item allows you to change the fields
printed as well as the page setup information. After choosing this
menu item you will be in a multi-field input mode where the
following options may be changed:
Left margin This is the left margin of the report (in
character spaces). At default this option is
5.
Right margin This is the right margin of the report (in
character spaces). At default this option is
78. Note that the right margin must be less
than or equal to the actual physical right
margin on the printer.
Top margin This is the number of lines to leave blank for
the top margin. At default this value is 2.
Bottom margin This is the number of lines to leave blank for
the bottom margin. At default this value is 1.
Formfeed ok This option specifies whether or not the
printer supports formfeeds. If this option is
'Yes', InteliCat will send a formfeed to
advance to the next page. If you set this
option to 'No', InteliCat prints line feeds to
advance to the next page. At default this item
is 'Yes'.
Action for a new line: This option specifies what character or
character sequence is needed to advance the
print head to the next line (at the start print
position). The possible values are: CR
(carriage return), LF (linefeed), or CRLF (both
a carriage return and a linefeed). At default
this option is CRLF.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 51
Lines per page: This option specifies how many lines there are
on the page. At default this option has a
value of 60 (which works properly on LaserJet
printers and dot matrix printers if Formfeed OK
is on). Note that the default value leaves a
few extra unused lines on the bottom of a dot
matrix page which can normally hold 66 lines.
If you don't have a LaserJet, you may wish to
change this option. (Note: Specifying zero
causes the output to be continuous).
Pause at the end of a page: This option allows you to use
InteliCat with a single sheet printer. If you
set this option to 'Yes' InteliCat will prompt
you to press a key after each printed page. At
default this option is 'No'.
Flag duplicate records: This option specifies whether or not
InteliCat should flag duplicate records on the
reports. When you set this option to 'Yes'
InteliCat will display a * beside entries that
it considers to be duplicates. The way you
sort the records (and the report layout) affect
the way InteliCat finds duplicate records.
InteliCat considers a record to be a duplicate
if the first field on the report matches that
of the previous record. The following is a
sample of a report with duplicate flagging
turned off, and then with it on:
With Flag duplicate records set to no:
InteliCat File/Ext Listing Report - 12:12 am Dec 23, 1990 Pg 7
File Name Disk Name Size Date Time Archive
--------- --------- -------- ---- ---- -------
CATOPT.BAK IC000000011 8,042 12/06/89 09:08:48 pm
CATOPT.C IC000000011 8,029 12/06/89 09:12:34 pm
CATOPT.C IC000000011 6,015 09/11/89 08:21:42 pm
CATOPT.C IC000000011 8,042 12/18/89 05:05:24 pm
CATOPT.C IC000000011 6,032 09/05/89 09:18:34 pm
CATOPT.OBJ IC000000011 7,901 12/18/89 05:08:02 pm
CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 09/04/89 01:26:50 pm
CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 09/11/89 08:20:42 pm
CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 12/18/89 05:05:24 pm
CB.EXE IC000000011 37,322 09/15/89 03:00:00 pm
With Flag duplicate records set to yes:
52 InteliCat Users Guide
InteliCat File/Ext Listing Report - 12:12 am Dec 23, 1990 Pg 7
File Name Disk Name Size Date Time Archive
--------- --------- -------- ---- ---- -------
CATOPT.BAK IC000000011 8,042 12/06/89 09:08:48 pm
CATOPT.C IC000000011 8,029 12/06/89 09:12:34 pm
*CATOPT.C IC000000011 6,015 09/11/89 08:21:42 pm
*CATOPT.C IC000000011 8,042 12/18/89 05:05:24 pm
*CATOPT.C IC000000011 6,032 09/05/89 09:18:34 pm
CATOPT.OBJ IC000000011 7,901 12/18/89 05:08:02 pm
CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 09/04/89 01:26:50 pm
*CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 09/11/89 08:20:42 pm
*CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 12/18/89 05:05:24 pm
CB.EXE IC000000011 37,322 09/15/89 03:00:00 pm
At default this option is 'Yes'.
The next items on the report options screen allow you to specify
which fields to print on the report as well as the field widths.
The values you specify for fields to print don't effect the Volume
report (except for the keywords and comments fields). Since the
various fields should be self explanatory, they won't be gone over
in detail here. You should be aware that InteliCat prints the
fields in a fixed order. All fields that you wish to print are
printed in the order they appear on the report format options input
screen. Briefly, if you set all fields to print, InteliCat prints
them in the following order:
File name, subdirectory, disk name, file size,
modification date, modification time, archive name,
keywords, and comments.
The field width value allows you to control how many columns
each field occupies on the report. If you specify a width of
zero, InteliCat will use the default width for the field.
Note that if you print both keywords and comments, InteliCat
(at default) shifts the comments around on top of the keywords
field for records that don't have keywords. To avoid this you
can set a field length for the keywords field. Setting the
field width reserves that many columns on the report for the
field.
Double Space: Specifies whether or not InteliCat should
double
space the report. At default this option is 'No'.
Truncate Long Lines: Specifies whether or not you want long
lines truncated. If you specify 'Yes' InteliCat
chops off all fields after reaching the right margin
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 53
(except for keywords and comments which InteliCat
prints beginning the second line). At default,
InteliCat doesn't truncate lines.
Field Gap: Specifies the number of spaces to print between
each field on the report. At default the field gap
is 1.
Memory Usage Options
This menu item allows you to set the options that have to do with
how InteliCat allocates and uses memory. The following options can
be set after choosing this menu item:
1) Maximum Files, Disks, Subdirs, and Keywords
These four options allow you to change the maximum number
of files, disks, subdirectories, and keywords InteliCat
can handle. The greater the maximum for each of these,
the greater the amount of required memory. If there
isn't enough memory available to change to the specified
amount, InteliCat gives you the option to save the amount
in a configuration file. Note that if you exceed the
amount that InteliCat can allocate at program start up,
it will take *much* longer to initialize since InteliCat
will have to adjust memory usage until it finds an amount
that will work.
You should be aware that each disk you configure will use
one of the file slots as well (the file slot is where
InteliCat stores the disk name). So, if you ask for 3000
files and 300 disks you will only be able to use 2700 of
the file slots for actual files.
At default there are 3000 files, 300 disks, and 300 dirs.
Note that if InteliCat runs out of memory and all the
allowed files/disks/dirs aren't in use InteliCat will
adjust the amounts allocated to overcome the memory
shortage (a message window will inform you that InteliCat
adjusted memory allocation).
The maximum number of files supported by InteliCat
depends on your system setup and the type of memory that
is being used. With EMS or extended memory you can have
up to 32,000 files in a single database. With
conventional memory there isn't really an exact maximum
since it is completely dependant on the EXACT amount of
free memory on your system (i.e. any TSRs, device
54 InteliCat Users Guide
drivers, etc you have will change the amount available).
In general, I've found that a typical 640K machine will
usually hold around 6000 files.
2) Amount of EMS to use
This option allows you to specify how much EMS memory
InteliCat should try to use when it first starts up. EMS
is the first choice InteliCat attempts to use. If enough
EMS is available (and you configured InteliCat to use
it), InteliCat will use it whether or not the other
option settings tell InteliCat to use extended memory.
The value specified is the amount of K memory you want
InteliCat to use. It is important to note here that:
o EMS memory is allocated in blocks of 16K. InteliCat
rounds the amount of EMS used to an even multiple of
16.
o InteliCat only uses one type of memory to hold the
file records in. Therefore, InteliCat uses EMS
instead of conventional/extended memory, and not in
addition to.
o If InteliCat finds there is more conventional free
memory available than EMS, InteliCat will not use
EMS.
o InteliCat will not allocate more EMS (no matter how
much you specify) than it requires to hold the
maximum number of files. It takes about 1.2 meg of
EMS to hold the maximum 32,000 files.
InteliCat looks at the EMS value only when it first
starts (InteliCat doesn't use changes until the next time
it's loaded). If you specify an amount greater than what
is available on your system, InteliCat will issue a
warning message when it is initializing.
There are several useful values that specify the amount
of EMS you want InteliCat to use. They are:
0 A value of zero causes InteliCat to not attempt
allocating EMS.
1 A value of 1 tells InteliCat to allocate the maximum
amount of EMS available (up to enough to store the
max number of files).
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 55
A negative value tells InteliCat to attempt allocating
the amount specified, but keeps InteliCat from issuing a
warning if the specified amount isn't available.
Any other value causes InteliCat to attempt allocating
the exact amount of K bytes specified (upto the amount
required for the max number of files). If InteliCat
can't allocate the amount specified it will issue a
warning.
3) Amount of Extended to use
This option allows you to specify how much extended
memory InteliCat should try to use when it first starts
up. Extended memory is the second choice InteliCat uses.
If EMS is available (and you configured InteliCat to use
it), InteliCat will use EMS instead of extended.
Extended memory is slower than EMS, so EMS is the better
choice if you have it.
The value specified is the amount of K memory you want
InteliCat to use. It is important to note that:
o InteliCat works with extended memory using the XMS
v2.0 specifications. This means that you must
include HIMEM.SYS in your CONFIG.SYS file, and that
VDISK type drivers can't be in use.
o InteliCat only uses one type of memory to hold the
file records in. Therefore, InteliCat uses extended
memory instead of conventional/EMS memory, and not
in addition to.
o If InteliCat finds there is more conventional free
memory available than the amount of XMS available
(or configured for InteliCat to use), InteliCat will
not use extended memory.
o InteliCat will not allocate more extended memory (no
matter how much you specify) than it needs to hold
the maximum number of files. (Approximately 1.2 meg
is enough to hold the 32,000 files)
InteliCat only attempts extended memory allocation when
it first starts (InteliCat doesn't use changes until the
next time it's loaded). If you specify an amount greater
than what is available on your system, InteliCat will
issue a warning message when it is initializing.
56 InteliCat Users Guide
There are several useful values that specify the amount
of extended memory you want InteliCat to use. They are:
0 A value of zero causes InteliCat to not attempt
allocating extended memory.
1 A value of 1 tells InteliCat to allocate the maximum
amount of extended memory available (up to enough to
store the max number of files - approximately 1.2
meg).
A negative value tells InteliCat to attempt allocating
the amount specified, but keeps InteliCat from issuing a
warning if the specified amount isn't available.
Any other value causes InteliCat to attempt allocating
the exact amount of K bytes specified (upto the amount
required for the max number of files). If InteliCat
can't allocate the amount specified it will issue a
warning.
Archive Options
This menu item allows you to set the options that tell InteliCat
how to handle Archive files. The following options can be set
after choosing this menu item:
1) Extract archive file members: This option specifies
whether InteliCat should look inside ARChives to
determine the names of the files contained in the
archives. When you have this option set to 'Yes',
InteliCat adds the names of all the files inside the
archive to the database (flagging them as members of the
archive). InteliCat is capable of viewing files in the
following formats:
LHARC LHA
ZIP GIF
ARC ARJ
PAK ZOO
InteliCat only checks to see if a file is an archive if
it's extension matches one of the configured extensions.
See the discussion on ARChive extensions on page ? for
details.
If you set this option to 'Ask' InteliCat will prompt if
you want to expand each archive encountered.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 57
At default this option is 'No'.
2) Extract archive comments: This option specifies whether
or not InteliCat should attempt to pull comments out of
archives. InteliCat is capable of extracting the
comments out of all supported formats that allow comments
in the archive. This allows you to add comments to files
without having to type them, by using the comments
contained in the archive. You may also set this option
to 'Ask' to have InteliCat prompt if you want the
comments pulled from each archive. At default this
option is 'No'.
3) Archive extensions: This is where you configure the
extensions you want InteliCat to treat as archives. At
default the extensions InteliCat considers as archives
are:
ZIP LZH PKA PAK ARC
GIF ARJ ZOO
Disk Naming Options
This menu option allows you to specify the options dealing with how
disks are named. The following options can be set after choosing
this menu item:
1) Only allow upper case disk names: This option specifies
whether InteliCat will allow lowercase letters in disk
names. When this option is 'Yes', InteliCat forces disk
names to uppercase. At default this option is 'Yes'.
2) Use automatic disk naming: This option specifies whether
or not InteliCat should automatically name disks using
the template. When automatic disk naming is on,
InteliCat will use the template to generate a unique name
for each disk as it's logged. The method InteliCat uses
to generate a name is by sequentially increasing the last
name used (based on the template) until a unique name is
generated. Examples of this are in the description of
the template and last name used option. At default this
option is 'No'.
3) Template: This is the template InteliCat uses to
generate a disk name when you are using automatic disk
naming (the option explained above). InteliCat expects
the template to be composed of Xs and 9s. The X
character is essentially a place holder, and the 9
58 InteliCat Users Guide
character is a character that InteliCat can sequentially
increment. For example, consider the following template:
XX999 This specifies a template for a five
character disk name. The first two
positions represent characters not changed
by InteliCat when it generates a name.
The last three positions represent numeric
characters subject to change when
InteliCat generates a name.
At default this option is: XX999999999.
4) Last: This is the name of the last disk added to the
database with automatic naming. InteliCat uses the name
in conjunction with the template described above. To see
how it works consider the following examples to see how
InteliCat would generate a disk name:
Template Last Generated Name Disk
-------- ---- -------------- ----
XX999 IC000 IC001 1st
IC001 IC002 2nd
...
IC099 IC100 100th
X9XX9 L0DB0 L0DB1 1st
L0DB1 L0DB2 2nd
L0DB9 L1DB0 10th
InteliCat displays an error and prompts for the disk name
if it is unable to generate a unique name. At default
this option is: IC000000000.
It is important to note that InteliCat stores the LAST
value (as well as the template) in the configuration
file. This means that when you save the database the
last value is not automatically saved, so the next time
you start InteliCat the last value will revert to what
was stored in the configuration file. Note that this
does not cause a problem because InteliCat will
automatically increment the last value until a unique
value is generated the first time it names a disk. (For
example, if you logged 100 disks using autonaming, then
exit InteliCat and later go back in the last value would
be the same as before you logged the disks. When you
logged the next disk, InteliCat would increment the last
name to 101).
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 59
5) Use existing volume label as disk name: This option
specifies whether or not InteliCat should treat an
existing disk volume label as the disk name. Note that
this option is also available from the 'Volume Label
Options' menu item.
Logging Drive(s)
Choosing this menu item allows you to change the drive(s) that
InteliCat uses for logging disks. If you specify two different
drives, InteliCat alternates between them for logging the disks.
Color Options
The color options item allows you to change the colors used by
InteliCat. When you pick this item, InteliCat prompts via menus
for the colors to change.
Read/Create New Database
This option allows you to create or read a new database into
memory. If there were any changes made to the database that was
already in memory, InteliCat saves the changes before reading the
new database.
If the database name you specify doesn't exist, InteliCat will ask
if you wish to create the new database.
NOTE: InteliCat forces the extension to .DB, ignoring all other
specifications.
Write Database
This option writes the current database to disk. If you haven't
made changes since the last save, InteliCat displays a message.
Note that InteliCat automatically saves the database on exit,
however, this option allows you to manually save progressive
changes as you make them.
60 InteliCat Users Guide
Load Configuration
This option allows you to load a new configuration file. You
should note that if the maximum number of files, disks or
directories is less than the number that are already in memory (or
if InteliCat can't rearrange the memory settings due to a memory
shortage), a warning will be issued, and the maximum numbers will
be left as they were before you loaded the configuration file (all
other options will be set as indicated in the configuration file).
Save Configuration
This option allows you to save the current configuration to a file.
When you pick this option, InteliCat prompts for the name of the
file to save the configuration to. InteliCat forces the extension
of a configuration file to .CFG, ignoring all other specifications.
Reset to Defaults
Picking this option causes InteliCat to reset the options to the
default values. Note that this doesn't change:
Maximum number of files, disks, directories
Use of EMS/XMS for that session
Name of the active database
Display License
This option displays the registered user name associated with your
copy of InteliCat. Shareware versions are indicated as
unregistered trial use versions.
Utilities Menu
The utilities menu contains the utility type functions. There are
three options on the Utilities submenu: Import comments, Merge
Utility, and DOS Shell. There are many additional utilities
planned for the future. New utility functions will be added to the
menu as they are created. This section of the manual documents the
options available on the utilities menu.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 61
Import Comments
This option allows you to import comments from an ASCII text file.
This provides a convenient way to add comments to the database
without having to manually type them. You can easily incorporate
the descriptions from BBS listings into a InteliCat database.
Listings to import must meet several conditions. The following
conditions must be met:
o The listing must be in columnar form. That is the file
names must always start in the same column, and the
comment field must always start in the same column.
o For multi-line comments, the comments must remain in an
even column. ProDoor and Auntie are two BBS systems that
produce listings with multi-line comments that will work
with the import comment routine. For example:
TEST.ARC 12212 12-12-89 This is an example of
a multi-line comment
that can be imported
by InteliCat without
problems.
TEST.ARC 12212 12-12-89 Uploaded by: Sysop
This is another type of comment that InteliCat
can import.
TEST.ARC 12212 12-12-89 This is an example of a
multi-line comment that can't be imported by
InteliCat.
InteliCat can import the first and second examples.
InteliCat can't import the third example however. If you
have a listing that InteliCat can't directly import (such
as the third example from above), there's still hope.
George Hawkins, a InteliCat user, wrote a public domain
utility called CT that can translate many different
comment formats into the columnar type required by
InteliCat. CT is available as CT.ZIP (or CT.LZH, CT.ARC,
etc...) on many BBS systems throughout the world. If you
can't find CT elsewhere, it is available on the InteliCat
support BBS and can be downloaded by first time callers.
Included with InteliCat are several sample setup files
for some of the different BBSs directly supported by the
import utility.
62 InteliCat Users Guide
o Tab size is assumed to be eight characters (this is the
usual case for editors).
When you choose the import option the following screen is
displayed:
+ Import Comments ---------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Comment setup file: C:\IC\IC.IMP |
| InteliCat database to use: C:\IC\LC.DB |
| File with the comments to import: C:\LOSTATC.DIR |
| |
| Starting column of file name: 1 end column 12 |
| |
| Starting column of comment: 32 end column 69 |
| |
| Character that ends filename: A (Any alpha means n/a) |
| Comment line offset from file line: 0 |
| |
| Replace existing comments (Y/N/Ask): Ask first Ignore Ext: Yes |
| PgUp/PgDn: Change windows, F10: Proceed |
+- Sample comment file text -----------------------------------------+
F 1 f 2 3 C 4 5 6 c7
v23456789.1v3456789.123456789.1v3456789.123456789.123456789.12345678v.
LC10 ZIP 189110 12-26-89 DS InteliCat V1.0 is the premiere of the
*best* cataloger available. Has
powerful features including multi-
line comments, auto disk naming,
and *many* other unique features!
123456789.123456789.123456789.123456789.123456789.123456789.123456789.
^ 1 ^ 2 3 ^ 4 5 6 ^7
F f C c
(InteliCat displays the sample comment file text after you specify
a valid file to import). Initially, InteliCat places the cursor at
the name of the comment setup file. If the file you specify
exists, InteliCat reads the rest of the settings from the file
(i.e. they default to the last values used). If the file doesn't
exist, InteliCat will ask if it is ok to create the file. If you
answer 'Yes', InteliCat creates the file when you exit (if you
abort out before importing the comments, InteliCat doesn't save the
settings file). Use of the settings file allows you to create
different import configurations for each of the file formats that
you import.
The fields that are available are as follows:
Comment setup file: This is the name of the file used to hold the
configuration for importing comments. InteliCat allows you to have
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 63
multiple setup files (i.e. you could have one with the defaults set
properly for each type of listing you import). In addition,
InteliCat automatically saves any changes made to the settings if
you don't abort out of the import utility.
If you use a wildcard in the setup file name InteliCat will display
the built in file manager and allow you to select the file from the
list of matching files.
InteliCat database to use: This is a display only field that is
automatically populated with the name of the current database to
remind you which database is in use. You can only import comments
to the active database.
File with the comments to import: This is the name of the file
that contains the comments you want to import. You have to enter
the name of an existing file here to get past this field. As soon
as you enter the name of an existing file, InteliCat fills the
bottom of the screen in with the ruler lines. InteliCat also
displays part of the file between the ruler lines. On the ruler
lines you'll note InteliCat displays pointers to let you know where
each of the fields (i.e. file name and comment text) starts and
ends. Uppercase letters show the starting column (F for file and C
for comment) and lower case letters show the ending column. If you
don't see one of the start/end pointers it is because it doesn't
lie between the columns that are currently displayed on the screen.
Note: You can scroll through the file to be imported by
pressing the PgUp or PgDn keys to switch windows to the bottom
window. Once you go to the bottom window you can use the up
and down arrow keys to scroll through the file. In addition,
the left and right arrows allow you to view columns other than
the 80 that fit on the screen. Scrolling through the sample
file is slow, but is handy when you need to do so. Pressing
PgUp or PgDn returns you to enter the fields for the import
settings.
If you use a wildcard in the name, InteliCat will display the file
manager allowing you to select the file from the list of matching
files.
Start and end columns of the file: These two fields allow you to
define which columns the file name occupies in the file listing.
The extension can be separated from the name by multiple spaces or
a period. Note that these two types of separators can be
intermixed without problems. As you adjust the start and end
columns the arrows on the ruler lines move to show you where the
file name is expected to be. The start MUST be before the end
64 InteliCat Users Guide
value or InteliCat will issue an error message. The setting of the
option 'Character that ends filename' plays a role in how InteliCat
determines the filename. Please refer to the text on that option
for additional information.
Start and end columns of the comments: These two fields allow you
to define where in the file listing the comment is located. As you
adjust the values, the arrows on the status line move to show where
the comment field is expected. The start column MUST be before the
end column or InteliCat will issue an error message. In addition,
the file name location must start in an area that the comment
doesn't occupy. For example, the following type of listing can't
be imported by InteliCat:
FILENAME.EXT
COMMENT TEXT .......................
InteliCat can't import the above data because it wouldn't be able
to tell when it reached a new file name.
Character that ends filename: This option specifies what character
InteliCat should consider as a marker for the end of the filename.
An alpha character (letters a-z) means there isn't a specific
filename terminator (i.e. the filename is a fixed length as
specified by the start and end columns). Any non-alpha character
tells InteliCat to consider it found the end of filename when it
sees the specified character (i.e. filenames in the list to be
imported aren't a fixed length). If you set this option to a non-
alpha character, InteliCat considers it reached the end of the
filename (regardless of the column it's in) when it locates the
first occurrence of the character. If InteliCat doesn't find the
character the end of the filename is the ending column. A
CompuServe listing is an excellent example of a type of listing
that requires this option to be set with a character. An example
of a CIS listing requiring this is:
TEST.ARC/binary 23-Sep-91 2269 8
Keywords: CIS FILE FORMAT EXAMPLE
This is an example of a file that requires the use of the
option telling InteliCat what character ends a file name.
In this example (which is the current format used on
CIS) InteliCat should be set to consider '/' as the end
of the filename.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 65
Note in the example above that you can control whether the
'Keywords' listed above are imported as part of the comment by
setting the next option to the proper value.
Comment line offset from file line: This option determines how
many lines down from the line containing a file name InteliCat
scans before it starts saving text as part of the comment. The
proper setting of this field depends on the type of listing you are
importing. In the CIS example shown above, a setting of 2 would
cause InteliCat to pull in the 'Keywords' line as part of the
comments, followed by the other comments. A setting of 4 in the
CIS example would cause the 'Keywords' line to be ignored, and
InteliCat would only pull in the file comments from the listing.
Simply put, if the comment starts on the same line as the filename,
this field should be set to zero. If the comment follows the
filename line, this field tells InteliCat how many lines down it
starts.
Replace existing comments: This field can have one of three values
(each selected by pressing the first letter of the desired value).
The values allowed are:
Yes - If you set this value, InteliCat will replace
existing comments without asking first. This
means that if the listing contains a comment
for a file that already has a comment the
existing comment for the file will be replaced
with the new comment.
No - If you set this value InteliCat will not
replace any existing comments. This means that
if a file in InteliCat already has a comment
InteliCat will discard the comment from the
listing.
Ask - InteliCat will prompt when it finds a comment
for a file that already contains a comment.
This allows you to choose whether or not to
replace the old comment on a case by case
basis.
Ignore extension: This option specifies whether or not InteliCat
should ignore the extension when importing comments. When this
option is 'Yes' InteliCat allows any comment found for a file with
one of the configured archive extensions to be imported to a file
in the database whether or not the same archive extension is used.
It is important to note here that BOTH names must have a archive
extension for the match to occur. Extensions that aren't
configured as archive extensions require an exact match for a
66 InteliCat Users Guide
comment to be imported. An example of how this option works can be
shown by the following:
<< Text being imported >>
TEST.ARC 59,999 This file contains the test material for
the latest and greatest.
TEST.EXE 124,999 This is just a simple test program
<< Files in InteliCat database >>
TEST.LZH
TEST.COM
<< Extensions configured as archive extensions >>
LZH ZIP ARC PKA ZOO EXE
Based on the data above InteliCat would import the comment for
TEST.ARC from the listing to the file TEST.LZH if you have ignore
extensions set to 'Yes'. Since COM is not configured as archive
extension the comment for TEST.EXE would not be imported (even
though EXE is configured as a archive extension!).
If you set ignore extensions to 'No' comments would not be imported
above. (When ignore extensions is 'No' an exact match on the names
is required).
When you're ready to import the comments press the F10 key, and
InteliCat will start importing the comments. It is important to
note that in InteliCat the comments found will be assigned to the
FIRST file in the database that matches. For instance, if you have
the same file listed multiple times in your database (i.e. on
different disks) InteliCat will only assign a matching comment to
the first occurrence of the filename.
Merge Databases
This menu option allows you to merge an existing database to the
database that is in memory. When you select this option InteliCat
first checks to insure there is enough memory to hold everything as
one database. Providing the combined file isn't too large
InteliCat will merge the databases for you.
During the merge procedure InteliCat may have to ask for
information on how a conflict between the two databases will be
resolved. A conflict occurs when one of the databases has a disk
name that exists in the other database. When this happens
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 67
InteliCat displays the following menu to allow you to pick what
action you want to take:
+-------------------------------+
| Disk: XXXXXXX already exists! |
| |
| Rename the merge disk |
| Skip this disk |
| skip All duplicates |
| aBort merge (ESCape) |
+-------------------------------+
The options that can be taken from the menu above have the
following results:
o Rename the merge disk: This causes InteliCat to prompt
for a new name to use for the disk that is being merged
into the active database. The current disk name is
listed on the first line of the menu.
o Skip this disk: Causes InteliCat to skip merging the
named disk.
o Skip all duplicates: Causes InteliCat to skip all disks
when there is a name conflict (i.e. duplicate name).
o Abort merge: Causes InteliCat to abort the merge.
InteliCat will restore the active database to it's
original contents, discarding any disks that were already
merged prior to aborting.
One last thing to note about the merge utility is that InteliCat
doesn't erase the merged database after the merge is complete.
DOS Shell
This menu item allows you to shell to DOS. Note that you can also
use ALT-Z to shell to DOS from *anywhere* in the program InteliCat
is waiting for an input key.
Quit Menu
This isn't really much of a menu, but is a second way to quit out
of the program. After selecting the Quit menu you can press return
(as prompted) to exit the program. Note that pressing ESCape
enough times will get you out of the program as well.
68 InteliCat Users Guide
Appendices
Appendix A - Questions & Answers
This appendix covers several of the most commonly asked questions
that have come up regarding the use of InteliCat.
Q: Why does InteliCat always create a file that has the same name
as my database, with a '1' appended to it? Is it safe to
delete this file?
A: Each database used in InteliCat actually has two disk files
associated with it. The file with the appended '1' is the
file containing the file comments. Deletion of this file
would cause all comments to be lost.
Q: What is the maximum number of files/disks InteliCat can handle
in a single database.
A: The maximum number of files/disks InteliCat can handle per
database depends on your computer setup. If you have EMS or
XMS (XMS is Extended memory with the HIMEM.SYS driver),
InteliCat can support up to 32,000 files per database.
Approximately 1.2 megs of EMS/XMS is required for 32,000
files.
If you only have conventional memory, the number of files
InteliCat can handle goes down drastically. On a typical 640K
machine, InteliCat can support approximately 6000 files per
database. The exact amount will vary however, depending on
the exact amount of free memory InteliCat has available to
use.
Q: Even though I have InteliCat configured to treat .EXE files as
archives, it doesn't appear to expand the contents of my self
extracting archives.
A: Currently, InteliCat can only view the contents of standard
archive file formats, and isn't able to look at the self
extracting type.
Q: Many times, when I start InteliCat, it gives me a warning
message about not having the requested amount of EMS or XMS
memory. How can I make this warning stop appearing?
A: This warning is because the amount of EMS or XMS you specified
(either on the command line or in the configuration file)
can't be allocated. To avoid this message use the -999 option
or a value of one. The discussion of EMS values on page 55
covers this topic in detail.
70 InteliCat User's Guide
Q: InteliCat won't let me get rid of the left margin. When I
tell InteliCat to use a left margin of zero, it still puts a
space before each report line. How can this be fixed?
A: The reason you see a space in addition to whatever margin you
configure is InteliCat configured to flag duplicate records.
When the option to flag duplicate records is set to 'Yes',
InteliCat prints a single space field to identify possible
duplicate records. Simply turn this option off if you don't
want the extra column used.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 71
72 InteliCat User's Guide
Index
43/50 line mode setting 60
menu option 46 command line
option 50 example 9, 17
4DOS descriptions optional parameters
importing 48 8
adapter type parameters 15
specifying 8, 9 commands
add comments global 21
menu option 35 comment editor
add comments while logging commands 36
option 46 comment import
add menu 34 scrolling sample text
agreement 64
license 1 comment line offset from
archive options 57 file line
archives comment import 66
viewing contents 57 comment modify
ask for dest at report hotkey 33
time comment search
option 50 menu option 41
ask for select criteria comment setup file
option 46 comment import 63
ask for sort criteria comments
option 47 adding while logging
automatic disk naming 46
option 58 archive 58
backup database importing 62
option 48 comments modify
bbs menu option 35
support board 3 configuration
bbs listing defaults 7
menu option 45 specifying 19
browse files configuration file
hotkey 33 reading 61
menu option 40 specifying 8
case sensitive search configuration menu 46
option 46 contents
case sensitivity 42 of archives 57
catalog disks conventions
menu option 34 InteliCat 14
catalog options create
menu option 46 database 60
cataloging disks 12 criteria
character that ends selection 27
filename database
comment import 65 backup 48
color mode clearing 40
specifying 8 create 60
colors file names 19
74
merging 67 drives
read new 60 default logging 60
specifying 8, 19 dummy entry
write 60 menu option 35
zap 40 duplicate files
database to use menu option 45
comment import 64 editor
defaults comment 36
reset options 61 string 20
delete string fields 15
all files 40 EGA/VGA
delete disk expanded screen 46
hotkey 33 ems usage
menu option 39 specifying 8, 55
delete existing label environment
option 49 variables 19
delete file equipment
menu option 39 optional 3
delete menu 38 required 3
dirs ESCape key
setting maximum 54 usage 14, 21
disk entry example
creating 35 command line 17
disk name exit
list of 14 hotkey 33
write as volume label exiting 13
49 expressions
disk names regular 22
upper case 58 extended memory
disk naming specifying 9
automatic 58 extended memory usage
options 58 specifying 56
disk report extension - ignoring
menu option 43 comment import 66
disk volume only extract library comments
menu option 35 option 58
disks extract library members
cataloging 12 option 57
setting maximum 54 features
display InteliCat 4
main 10 field gap
distribution reports 54
requirements 1 field order
dos shell 15, 21 reports 53
menu option 68 file names
setting memory for database 19
47 file record
double spacing deleting 39
report 53 file report
75
hotkey 33 multi-drive option
file search 34
menu option 41 log disk
file with comments to hotkey 33
import log disks
comment import 64 menu option 34
file/ext report logging drives
menu option 44 setting 60
files main display 10
created 19 margins
maximum allowed 17 report 51
setting maximum 54 maximum files 17
hotkeys 33 setting 54
ignore extension memory
comment import 66 specifying maximum
import comments files 54
hotkey 33 using ems 55
scrolling sample text using extended 56
64 memory for dos shell
importing option 47
4DOS descriptions 48 memory usage 17
archive comments 58 menu
importing comments 62 add 34
input configuration 46
skipping keywords 48 delete/replace 38
installing list of options 32
InteliCat 6 replace/delete 38
keep subdir names reports 42
option 47 search 40
keys utilities 61
global commands 21 menu options
keyword search dos shell 68
menu option 41 merge databases 67
keywords menus
setting maximum 54 overview 11
skipping input of 48 quit 68
last selecting 14, 31
setting option 59 merge databases
License 1 menu option 67
lines per page multi-drive log
report 52 hotkey 33
listing menu option 34
disknames 14 multi-drive replace
regular expressions menu option 39
22 options
locating a file 24 43/50 line mode 50
locating files 27 4DOS descriptions 48
log add comments while
logging 46
76
archive 57 write volume label
ask for dest at 49
report time 50 options set
ask for select hotkey 33
criteria 46 order
ask for sort criteria set with sort 25
47 parameters
automatic disk naming command line 8, 15
58 example 9
backup database 48 printer name
case sensitive search option 50
46 quick file report
color 60 hotkey 33
delete existing label quick file/ext report
49 menu option 45
disk naming 58 quick volume report
display license 61 menu option 44
ems usage 55 quit
extended memory 56 menu 68
extract archive read
members 57 database 60
extract library registered user
comments 58 displaying 61
extract library regular expressions 22
members 57 rename disk
keep subdir names 47 menu option 39
last 59 replace
list by menu 32 multi-drive option
logging drives 60 39
memory for dos shell replace disk
47 hotkey 33
memory usage 54 menu option 39
printer name 50 replace existing comments
r e a d n e w comment import 66
configuration replace menu 38
61 report
report dest 50 bbs type 45
report format 51 disk only 43
report output 50 double spacing 53
reset defaults 61 duplicate files 45
setting 46 end of page pause 52
skip keyword input field gap 54
48 field order 53
template 58 file/ext 44
upper case disk names lines per page 52
58 margins 51
use existing label as newline action 51
name 49 quick file/ext 45
volume label 49 quick volume 44
77
volume 43 sorting 25
wrap/truncate flag specifying
53 configuration 19
report dest database 19
option 50 start and end columns
report format options 51 comment import 64
report output starting InteliCat 7
option 50 status line 12
reports string editor 15, 20
sending to screen 50 string search
reports menu 42 menu option 41
requirements Support BBS 3
distribution 1 Switch!
screen memory setting 47
send reports to 50 template
sending reports to for auto naming 58
50 tutorial 7
search upper case
hotkey 33 disk names 58
search comments usage
menu option 41 memory 17
search files use existing label as name
menu option 41 option 49
search keywords utilities menu 61
menu option 41 variables
search menu 40 environment 19
search strings video adapter
menu option 41 specifying 8, 9
searching 24, 27 video mode
case sensitivity 46 specifying 8
regular expressions volume label
22 options 49
selecting volume labels
menus 14, 31 writing 49
special records 27 volume report
selection criteria 27 hotkey 33
sensitivity menu option 43
case 42 Warranty 2
setting wildcards 22
options 46 write
setup database 60
defaults 7 XMS
shell specifying 9
dos 21 usage 56
shell to dos 15 zap database
single sheet menu option 40
report option 52
snow control
specifying 9
78