Media Depot 5

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Media Depot 5 / mediadepotvolume51993.iso / FILES / 41 / LFNSRT12.ZIP / LFNSORT.TXT < prev

Wrap

Text File | 1996-07-07 | 19.0 KB | 437 lines

LFNSORT v 1.2 - Sorts DOS/Win95 directories Copyright (c) 1995,1996 D.J. Murdoch. 0. Contents of this file 1. Syntax 2. Description 3. Details 4. Memory Limitations 5. Safety 6. License 7. Release History 8. Known bugs 9. Acknowledgments 1. Syntax: LFNSORT sortkeys [dirname] [options] will sort the directory records on disk according to the specified sort keys. Keys: N - full filename E - extension D - last modification date T - last modification time C - creation date/time A - last access date/time S - size Place a "-" minus sign in front of a key to sort in descending order instead of ascending order. Keys can be combined, e.g. "-DN" for "sorted by descending modification date, and by ascending name within date". Use "-" by itself as a placeholder if you want no sort key. Options: /8 base sort order on 8.3 version of names instead of long names /C case sensitive sort - ascii sort order /D mix directories in with files /Debug file write debug information to file /F filename read forced sort order from file (see below for syntax and examples /NW no write - changes won't be saved to disk /S sort subdirectories recursively /System don't sort system files first in the root dir /V verbose mode; list all directories and filenames after sorting Examples: To sort every subdirectory on drive C: by file extension then filename: LFNSORT en c:\ /s To sort every directory on drive C: so that most recently accessed files come first: LFNSORT -a-d-t c:\ /s (The "-d-t" is necessary because not all directory records include an access time; older ones and ones created in DOS mode will only have a modification time.) 2. Description: The original Norton Utilities had a program called DS which could sort your DOS directories according to your preferences. Later versions added a graphical interface so you could manually move files around. When Win95 came out with the VFAT long filenames, DS stopped working. It hadn't been written to handle the new directory records. Symantec (the current owners of the Norton Utilities) haven't produced a new version of DS as far as I know, so when Jacques Bensimon suggested that a minor modification to my long filename backup utility DOSLFNBK could do directory sorts, I decided that I wanted DS badly enough to write it myself. There is already at least one freeware/shareware utility called DIRSORT, so I called mine LFNSORT. 3. Details: Disk locking: LFNSORT works on the disk drive at a pretty low level. To be allowed this access, it requests exclusive access to the drive from Windows. If another program has already requested exclusive access, LFNSORT will exit and do nothing. While LFNSORT is running, other programs will not be allowed to write to the disk or to create new files. This may confuse them; it's probably best not to attempt any other disk activity in the middle of an LFNSORT run. (LFNSORT has been written according to Microsoft's instructions to work without damaging your disk even if another program attempts access, but the other program might not be.) LFNSORT handles the disk locking itself. In fact, if you use the LOCK command to lock the drive, LFNSORT will be unable to obtain a lock, and will not run. If you run LFNSORT under DOS, or in a version of Windows that doesn't support drive locking, it will still run. If it detects Windows it will warn you that running in a multitasker without protecting the disk from changes is dangerous, and will only go ahead if you confirm you really mean it. If it doesn't detect Windows, it will assume that it is safe to go ahead --- so if you're using another multitasker like Desqview, use it with extreme care! Forcing a particular order: The /F option takes a plain ascii file as an argument. This file should have the following format: \directory1 firstfile secondfile thirdfile \directory2 afile bfile cfile Specifically: any line with a backslash "\" in it is taken as a directory name, any other non-blank line is taken as a filename. These will force the files in directory1 and directory2 into the order given. If a file isn't listed, it will normally appear *after* all the listed files. However, you can override this by putting a "*" entry in place of a file; then all unlisted files will be placed there. For example, \directory firstfile * lastfile will guarantee the placement of those two files, but sort everything else according to the specified sort keys. (Hint: if you want to use the file to specify part of the order but make no other changes, use "-" as a sort key.) The order in which the directory sections appear in this file is ignored. If you want directories in a particular order, list them in a section for their parent directory. If you don't specify any directory name, the ordering is used as a default for unlisted directories. For example, to put README.1ST files first in every directory where they exist, put a single line containing "README.1ST" into a file called FORCED.LST, and run LFNSORT - c:\ /f forced.lst File and directory names in this file may normally be either 8.3 aliases or long filenames, but if you're running outside Windows where there is no long filename support, you *must* use the 8.3 alias. If you want to force the file order for a large collection of directories, you can use the /V option to create a preliminary version of the forcing file. For example, LFNSORT - c:\ /D/System/NW/S/V >new.lst will write a list of the files in their current order into the "new.lst" file. The - specifies no sorting, and the /D and /System options turn off the default actions for directories and system files. Moving system files: Normally the root directory of your boot drive has IO.SYS first, and MSDOS.SYS in the second place. As long as these are left with the System and Hidden attributes set, LFNSORT won't move them. However, if you accidentally move them and want to restore them to the start of the directory (because some versions of DOS won't boot if they get moved): Put these two lines in a file called FORCED.LST: IO.SYS MSDOS.SYS and run LFNSORT - c:\ /F forced.lst /System /D Volume labels: Pre-7.0 versions of DOS can be confused by long filename records, which look to them like volume labels. This can be fixed by putting the volume label before any long filenames in the directory, but the Win95 LABEL command doesn't do this. LFNSORT fixes this, unless you use the /System option, in which case the volume label will be sorted like a file record. Don't put the volume label ahead of your boot files, if you want your disk to be bootable. Example: If you want to put the volume label "BIG DRIVE" just after IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS, set FORCED.LST to IO.SYS MSDOS.SYS BIG DRIVE and run LFNSORT - c:\ /F forced.lst /System /D Exact sort rules: What LFNSORT does when sorting a directory is to compare all files, applying the following rules in order until it can tell which of a pair of files should come first: 1. "." and ".." are always left in place. 2. Unless you override it with the /System option, files in the root directory with the System attribute will be moved ahead of other files but will otherwise not be sorted. The volume label entry will be moved just after them. 3. If you haven't used the /D option, then subdirectories are placed before files. 4. If you have used a /F file to force a sort order, and the current directory is listed there, then it is used to specify the order. If the current directory isn't listed there but files are listed with no directory name, then that order is used. Any file which isn't listed is put in the place of "*" in the list, which defaults to last. 5. The comparison rules given by the sort key are applied in order from left to right. 6. If after all those comparisons LFNSORT can't tell which of two files should come first, then they're left in the original order (i.e. LFNSORT performs a "stable" sort.) Running in DOS or DOS mode: LFNSORT should be able to run in pre-Win95 versions of DOS, or in the DOS mode of Win95 (the one you get if you "Restart computer in MS-DOS mode" or choose console mode from the initial boot menu). The main limitation is that long filenames aren't supported on the command line or in the forced order file. However, the (invisible) long filename records will still be sorted, and the /V option can be used to print the long names of files. Directory names will be printed in the 8.3 form. Erased file records: LFNSORT deletes any erased file records that are left in the directory. This helps to speed up disk access, but it means that some file undeletion programs (the ones that don't keep their own records of deleted files) won't be able to undelete files after a LFNSORT run. LFNSORT doesn't shrink the disk space used by a directory; use a defragger or other tool to do that. 4. Memory Limitations: Once it has exclusive access to the disk, LFNSORT reads entire subdirectories into memory all at once. Because this version is a DOS real mode program, that limits the size of directory that it can sort. It needs enough space to store two copies of the whole directory record in memory, which means it will refuse to sort directories with more than about 6000 short filenames. Long filenames take up more space, and the limit will be lower. If you have a directory that is too large to sort, LFNSORT will just leave it as is on the disk. Your only choice then is to manually move enough files out of the directory so that LFNSORT can run, and then move the files back afterwards. 5. Safety: LFNSORT works with your disk at a level below the file system, so if things go wrong while rewriting a directory, it's conceivable that you could lose whole files or directories. I've tried to make it as safe as I can, but you should follow some simple precautions: - If you aren't sure of the integrity of your file system, run Scandisk before LFNSORT and get it to fix any errors. In particular, if you've run other low level software (e.g. a defragger or DOS-based directory sorter) that may have messed up the LFNs, run Scandisk first. - Don't turn off or reboot your PC in the middle of an LFNSORT run. If there's a power failure or (horrors!) a bug in LFNSORT forces you to reboot, then Scandisk should be able to repair most of the damage, but you may have to manually rename some files. - If you hit Ctrl-Break or Ctrl-C during an LFNSORT run, it shouldn't do any damage other than giving you only a partial sort. - LFNSORT was written for version 4.00.950 of Windows 95 (the August 1995 release). It hasn't been tested on the earlier beta test versions or on any later release than the 4.00.950a maintenance fix pack. If the VFAT file structure isn't what LFNSORT is written for, it could do some real damage. In particular, LFNSORT will definitely not work on FAT32, and if everything works, it will refuse to run there --- but this has never been tested since at the time of this writing FAT32 is still in beta testing. - There may be special conditions on your system that LFNSORT won't be able to handle. If you can, try it out first when you've got a good backup to make sure it works. If it doesn't, *please* send me details, and I'll attempt to fix it. 6. License: LFNSORT is shareware, *not* public domain software. You may use it at no charge for an evaluation period of 30 days only. You are free to distribute unmodified copies of the complete LFNSORT package, provided your total charge is no more than $1. The total cost of a compilation (e.g. a CD ROM) including LFNSORT must be no more than $1 per package in the compilation. To continue to use LFNSORT beyond the 30 day evaluation period, you must register it. There are three possible registration levels available: $10 simple registration + $5 handling charge This registration fee gives you a license to use one copy of LFNSORT indefinitely. If you include an email address I will notify you of new versions and how to obtain them yourself. I'll also attempt to answer emailed questions about LFNSORT from registered users. Payment may be made in Canadian or US dollars (at par), or the UKP equivalent of $15 US. NOTE: See below for how to avoid the handling charge. $20 upgrade registration + $5 handling charge This registration fee also entitles you to use LFNSORT indefinitely. In addition to the license to use it, I will mail you a diskette containing the latest version, together with a collection of other freeware and (unregistered) shareware programs that I have written (including DOSLFNBK). If you send an email address I will notify you of updates, and send one free update by email if you request it. Payment may be made in Canadian or US dollars (at par), or the UKP equivalent of $25 US. $45 source code registration + $5 handling charge LFNSORT was written in Borland Pascal 7.01, using the excellent Object Professional library from TurboPower Software. In addition to the benefits of the upgrade registration, the source code registration gives you the LFNSORT source code (including an object-oriented low-level disk access unit, access to the new Win95 DOS API functions, and a huge memory support unit, but not OPro). Payment may be made in Canadian or US dollars (at par), or the UKP equivalent of $50 US. Any of the registrations can be done by sending a cheque or money order to: Duncan Murdoch 337 Willingdon Ave. Kingston, Ontario, Canada. K7L 4J3 NOTE 1: If you send a $10 simple registration order directly to me at this address, I will waive the handling fee. Send a cheque or money order for $10 in Canadian or US dollars, or the UKP equivalent of $10 US. NOTE 2: I will be going overseas from August 1996 to June 1997. During this time I will still fill orders, but there are almost certain to be delays. You can also register or order source code from the Public (software) Library (PsL) using MC, Visa, AmEx, or Discover card: - by calling 800-242-4775 (US only) - by calling 713-524-6394 - by faxing your order to 713-524-6398 - by sending your order by Compuserve to 71355,470 - by sending your order by Internet to 71355.470@compuserve.com PsL only accepts payment in US dollars. Please give PsL your name exactly as it appears on the card, and tell them your card's expiry date. LFNSORT is PsL product #14528. The PsL numbers are for ordering only. I *cannot* be reached at the PsL numbers. To contact me for information about dealer pricing, volume discounts, site licensing, the status of shipment of the product, the latest version number or for technical information, write to me at the address above or the email address below. I'd especially like to hear bug reports and suggestions for improvements. Internet: dmurdoch@mast.queensu.ca 7. Release history: 0.0 - first alpha test version 0.1 - second test version. Bugs fixed; parameter parsing logic rationalized; /NW and /V options added; DOS support added 0.2 - fixed bug with writing to a directory being sorted, formatting /V 0.3 - worked around Stacker incompatibility 1.0 - first public release, same as 0.3 except for removal of debugging code 1.1 - added special handling of volume labels 1.2 - dropped use of obsolete DOS service 1Ch, minor cosmetic changes, improved memory management, allowed use of SUBST, added check for existence of initial directory, stopped treating System directories as special, fixed display of volume label 8. Known bugs When run in Win95 in a DOS window, the window sometimes switches to full screen when LFNSORT locks a disk drive. On some systems, this results in junk on the screen. Very large directories won't be sorted. International character sets aren't sorted properly. 9. Acknowledgments LFNSORT wouldn't have been written without the enthusiastic encouragement of Jacques Bensimon. It relies heavily on the source code to DOSLFNBK, which was written based on the information in Robert Hummel's article on Win95 long filenames in the June/July 1995 issue of PC Techniques Magazine. Thanks are also due to the DOSLFNBK and LFNSORT beta testers, several of whom were put to considerable inconvenience.