home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Share Gallery 1
/
share_gal_1.zip
/
share_gal_1
/
UT
/
UT178.ZIP
/
ELFTREE.HLP
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-05-28
|
163KB
|
3,798 lines
ELFTREE (TM)
(C) Copyright 1988-1991 By Alan J. Avery
This program was written by:
Alan J. Avery
1408 Noble Avenue
Springfield, Illinois 62704
(217)-698-8600 (8 a.m. to 9 p.m. CDT please!)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Register For Support, Updates
To get support for this product and notices of updates, you must
register. See the user manual for the registration form.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DISCLAIMER
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 with respect to defects in the diskette and documenta-
tion, 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 or any
other commercial damage, including but not limited to special,
incidental, consequential or other damages. Your use of this
program constitutes acceptance of these terms.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Introduction
ELFTREE is designed to simplify your goal of getting the most
out of your computer. The heart of the program is a marvelously
integrated file and directory manager. With it, you can install
software in record time, move files from one spot to another (even
across a network!) with ease, and locate files fast on even the
largest hard disk, regardless of whether you use DOS 2.X, 3.X or
4.X, or 4DOS. You won't believe how easy it is to run a program
from within ELFTREE, or to customize the colors displayed. You
will see in all of ELFTREE's features that great care was taken
to marry great power with extreme convenience. The result is a
delightful product with the power to make you much more effective.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
What Makes ELFTREE Unique?
1. Convenience - you can customize ELFTREE from within it, so you
don't need to run an installation program. You can get
ELFTREE to run a program for you by simply pointing to it
and tapping [ENTER]. You can create billions of menus
that can be nested any way you want, with just about any
command you need (even multiple commands on a line), and
with the ability to preload the keyboard buffer before
carrying out the command. You can attach short, descriptive
notes to files (4DOS users can use the notes they've already
created - see Customize for more info).
2. EGA/VGA modes - you can run ELFTREE in either 43 line mode or
or 25 line mode if you have an EGA, and you can toggle the
setting from within ELFTREE while you are looking at the
directory tree, the file information screen, or while you
are viewing a file. This lets you see double the information
at a time! (The mode is reset, if needed, when you exit.)
If you have a VGA, you get a 28 and a 50 line mode.
3. Flexible Capacity - ELFTREE can manage 24 to 4000 directories
per disk, and from 50 to 16,384 files per directory! Also,
you can work with files from up to 999 directories and 26
disks as if they were in one location! This gives you plenty
of power to manage your system.
4. Consistency - When you rename a directory, ELFTREE updates your
directory tree, keeping your directories sorted. If you remove
the current directory, you are moved to the parent directory.
If you attempt to enter a directory that no longer exists,
ELFTREE prunes the tree for you.
5. Trim - ELFTREE saves the directory tree on your disk, if it
can. This helps ELFTREE start faster for your use. Plus,
when you run a program from within ELFTREE, only 3K of RAM
will be reserved, leaving you with the room to run your
memory-hungry programs. If even 3K is too much, or you want
to install a TSR, you can tell ELFTREE to unload itself
completely before running a program.
6. Viewing Options - When viewing a file, you can print portions
of it, save portions to another file, or convert portions
to upper, lower or proper case. You can adjust the amount
by which tabs are expanded (or turn it off completely) and
the manner in which text is displayed. This helps you to
align the text on your screen so that it looks as it was
intended. For example, Assembler files usually use a setting
of 8, but Pascal programs use a setting of 3. You can also
view the file in hex mode, with CR/LF suppressed, with only
printable characters shown, or with the high bit on characters
turned off. ELFTREE can scroll the file forward or backward
for you at differing speeds. If you have an EGA or VGA, you
can adjust the number of lines on the screen. (See #2. above)
You can search for text in the file, either forward (top-to-
bottom) or backward (bottom-to-top), and either with case
sensitivity on or off.
7. Powerful Editing - ELFTREE has an editor that can edit files as
large as available memory. Furthermore, the editor is packed
with features you need: Column block operations, Normal block
operations, 11 stored keyboard macros, Fast operation, etc.
8. Intuitive and Fast - ELFTREE responds instantly to commands,
most of which require tapping only one key that suggests the
operation to be performed (for example, [C] for Copy). When
combined with high-speed routines, ELFTREE becomes a delight
to use because it feels so "natural".
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ELFTREE FEATURES
ELFTREE can assist you in many ways. Here is a list of them,
and how you select them:
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Selectable From The Menu Bar
1. Tagging - To work on a group of files, you `tag' them.
To tag the highlighted file, just tap [SPACEBAR] and a
`' will appear to the left of the name. To clear the
tag, tap [SPACEBAR] again. More tagging options can be
found under the Tag command. (There is no need to tag an
individual file to work with it.)
2. Attributes - You can change file and directory attributes
quickly. For example, you will want to make some of your
important files read-only, so that they can't be erased
`accidentally'. Also, you will probably want to hide some
of your personal files on your office computer so that a
casual snoop won't know they're around. (If you have
DOS 3.0 or later, you can run programs even though they
are hidden!)
3. Copying - You can quickly copy files to another directory or
disk, or a selection of directories to another disk, or
duplicate the highlighted file.
4. Directory - ELFTREE will show you your directory as a tree,
with the directories in alphabetical order. You can move
from one directory to another with the cursor keys, create
a new directory ([N]), delete empty subdirectories ([F7]),
change to a different disk ([F6] or [L]), rescan the
current disk ([S]), find a directory ([F]), tag directories
([SPACEBAR] or [T]), or hide ([H]), copy ([C]), move ([H])
or graft ([G]) directories.
5. Edit - You can call up an editor (or word processor) to work
on one or more files by selecting them and tapping [E].
6. Find - Lets you manage files across 999 directories and
26 disks, even on networked drives!
7. Moving - You can quickly move files to another directory or
disk, or a selection of directories to another disk.
8. Note - Attach, edit, erase or find notes about files. If
you use 4DOS, ELFTREE can use its note files directly.
9. Print - Print files, or a directory listing.
10. Rename - You can rename a file or directory by entering
a new name for it when prompted.
11. Space - You can check space utilization on a disk. This
will show how much space the disk can hold, how much
is used up (also as a percent), how much is free, how
much disk space tagged files use (or would use), and
how much free RAM your system has.
12. View - You can browse the contents of the highlighted
file through several filters. Any file you have on your
disk, regardless of size, can be viewed. You can adjust
expansion of tabs, print or save portions of the file, or
convert portions to upper, lower or proper case, or search
for text while viewing the file.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Selectable By Function Keys (File Display)
F1: Help - Brings up the help system for ELFTREE.
F2: Sort - Lets you order the file information in many ways.
Choose from Name, Extension, Date/Time, Size, Attribute,
Disk Order, or Tag, in Ascending or Descending order.
[X] or F3: DOS - Enter a DOS command, run a program, select a command
from a user-defined menu, or exit to DOS temporarily.
ELFTREE remembers your last 15 unique commands. When you
run a program, ELFTREE reserves only 3K for its own use,
but you can trim this to 0K if needed.
F4: Customize - Lets you configure ELFTREE to your needs. Many
choices are available. Go try it out!
Ctrl-F4: Toggles between Immediate and Delay operation modes.
F5: Rearrange - Lets you move the highlighted item up or down
in the display. This can be handy when you want to print
files in a particular order, but can't quite get that order
by sorting alone.
L or F6: Change Disk - Changes to another disk, or rereads the
current directory if the same disk is selected.
[DEL] or F7: Erase - Deletes files, or removes a directory. The file
can be recovered if you have a utility that does this.
F8: Last Directory - returns you to the directory you were
in before you entered this one.
Ctrl-F8: Compare Directories - tags files in current directory that
are dissimilar to files in previous directory; retags
those that are not in the previous directory.
F9: Save - Saves the current ELFTREE system settings.
F10: Change File Spec - Lets you tell ELFTREE what files to show.
(You can reverse the spec, if desired)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Directory Display Functions
ESC: Returns you to the File Display.
F1: Brings up Help.
F6: Change Disk - Selects another disk.
F7: Remove Directory - Deletes an empty directory and all
empty subdirectories of it. In Professional mode, you
can delete non-empty directories.
F9: Save - Saves the current directory tree, temporarily
overriding any /K=0 command-line switch.
F10: Lets you quickly change what files you wish to be used
when you select Move, Copy, Graft or [ENTER].
C: Copy - copy all tagged directories to another disk.
E: Expose - Shows all subdirectories of the one highlighted.
W,F: Find - locates a directory with the given name.
G: Graft - Attach the tagged directories to another one,
even if it's on another disk. Great for reorganizing
your directories, or moving directories between nodes on
a network.
H: Hide - hides all tagged directories from view.
M: Move - move all tagged directories to another disk.
N: New Directory - lets you create a subdirectory of the
one currently highlighted.
P: Print Tree - prints the directory tree.
R: Rename - rename the currently highlighted directory.
S: Scan - rebuilds directory tree for the current disk.
T: Tag Subdirectories - tag the highlighted directory and
all subdirectories of it.
U: Untag Subdirectories - untag the highlighted directory and
all subdirectories of it.
[Ctrl-Z]: Toggles whether ELFTREE unloads itself completely before
running a program for you.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Unusually Activated Features
When you highlight a file with an extension of EXE, COM or BAT in
the file information window and tap [F3], ELFTREE will `preload'
the name of that file in the command line that appears. To run the
program, you simply tap [ENTER]. Alternatively, if you set ELFTREE
for Mode: Immediate instead of Mode: Delay, you can skip the [F3]
entirely, and just tap [ENTER] to run the program.
You can train ELFTREE to be sensitive in another way. Say you
want to load your word processor when the highlighted file has
an extension of DOC, or your spreadsheet when the extension is
WK1. When you've prepared ELFTREE appropriately, you just tap
[ENTER] and the program is launched with that file loaded for you.
Similarly, if you have programs that are designed to view certain
types of files, you can train ELFTREE to load the viewer you want
by simply tapping [V] once you've highlighted the file.
Finally, if you have an EGA or VGA (ELFTREE will detect it), you
can vary the number of lines displayed on the screen by tapping
[Ctrl-V] (think of the V as in VIDEO).
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Enjoy!
Active Keys In ELFTREE
The choice of keys used in ELFTREE is designed with your
convenience in mind and, with practice, will quickly become
familiar to you. Here is a list of them, and a description
of what each one is programmed to do for you:
Part I - The Elvish Touch
Part II - File Information Screen Only
Part III - Directory Information Screen Only
Part IV - Editing Keys
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Part I - The Elvish Touch
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Elvish Consulting is proud to introduce The Elvish Touch, which
lets you use any feature of ELFTREE without needing more than
one finger! (Incidentally, this will NOT interfere with any
keyboard handlers you may be using.)
For example, suppose you want to locate a file that starts with `E'.
In ELFTREE, the keystroke [Alt-E] performs this action, and normally
requires you to hold down the [Alt] key and then tap the [E] key.
If you use The Elvish Touch, you can also select this by tapping
[Alt], and then tapping [E]. Such convenience!
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Activating The Elvish Touch
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Here's how to start up ELFTREE with The Elvish Touch enabled:
ET /1
The `/1' indicates that you want the feature activated. To make
ELFTREE remember this, tap [F9] to SAVE the system settings.
To disable The Elvish Touch, use:
ET /2
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ALT and CTRL LOCK
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
ELFTREE offers a way to `lock' the [Alt] and [Ctrl] keys. For
example, to lock the [Alt] key, you tap it twice, and an `A' will
appear in the lower right corner of your screen, signifying that
[Alt] is in a locked state. While [Alt] is locked, any key that
can be affected by [Alt] is. Thus, [E] becomes [Alt-E], [F1]
becomes [Alt-F1], etc. To `unlock' [Alt], tap [Alt] or [Ctrl] once,
and the `A' will disappear. Also, if [Alt] is locked, you can lock
[Ctrl] by just tapping it twice. When [Ctrl] is locked, a `C' will
appear in the lower right corner of your screen, and any keys that
can be modified are, so [E] becomes [Ctrl-E], etc.
It is not possible to lock both [Alt] and [Ctrl] at the same time.
This `locking' feature is always available, regardless of whether
you have `The Elvish Touch' enabled.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Part II - File Information Screen Only
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
CURSOR KEYS
[->](cursor right): Highlights the choice to the left on the
moving-bar menu on the top of the screen, if
not in a multicolumn format.
[<-](cursor left): Highlights the choice to the right on the
moving-bar menu on the top of the screen, if
not in a multicolumn format.
[](cursor up): Highlights the previous item in the file
information area.
[](cursor down): Highlights the next item in the file
information area.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TAB, HOME, END, PGUP, PGDN, Ctrl-PGUP, Ctrl-PGDN
[TAB] - Advance to the next file display format setting. The
possible selections show 1, 2, or 5 files per row or
one file-note pair per row.
[Shift-TAB] - Back to the previous file display format setting. The
possible selections show 1, 2, or 5 files per row or
one file-note pair per row.
[HOME] - Highlights the first item in the file information area, if
in 1-column mode. In multi-column mode, its function
depends on how many times you tap it without using any
any other key. Tap it once, and the highlight moves to
the top of the current column. Tap it again, and the
highlight moves to the top of the first column. Tap it
a third time (or more) and the highlight moves to the
first item in the file information area.
[END] - Highlights the last item in the file information area, if
in 1-column mode. In multi-column mode, its function
depends on how many times you tap it without using any
any other key. Tap it once, and the highlight moves to
the bottom of the current column. Tap it again, and the
highlight moves to the bottom of the last column. Tap
it a third time (or more) and the highlight moves to the
last item in the file information area.
[Ctrl-PGDN] - Moves the highlight to the last item.
[Ctrl-PGUP] - Moves the highlight to the first item.
[PGDN] - Moves the highlight to the last item on the screen, then
then on to the next screen, if any.
[PGUP] - Moves the highlight to the first item on the screen, then
then back to the previous screen, if any.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
MISCELLANEOUS KEYS
[SPACEBAR] - Tags/untags the current file, highlights the next.
[ENTER] - Selects the item highlighted on the moving-bar menu
bar menu on the top of the screen, if in Delay mode.
In Immediate mode, this executes the highlighted
program (or program associated with it), if possible,
enters the directory (if a directory), or selects
the menu command, if none of these apply.
[Ctrl-ENTER] - Selects the highlighted item on the moving-bar menu.
[ESC] - Cancels current operation; exits program if no
operations pending.
[Plus] or [+] - Moves highlight forward to the next directory.
[Minus] or [-] - Moves highlight backward to the previous directory.
[Greater] or [>] - Moves highlight forward to the next tagged file.
[Less] or [<] - Moves highlight backward to the previous tagged file.
[%] - Toggles whether the percentage of slack space for the
displayed files should be shown. See the Help section
on Sorting files for a description of slack space.
[,] - Tap this twice to cycle among the various characters
used to separate thousands in large numbers.
[;] - Tap this twice to change the way time is displayed. The
selections are HH:MM am (or pm), HH:MM:SS (with HH in
24-hour format), and HH:MM:SSa (or p) for 12-hour
format with seconds.
["] - Duplicates the highlighted file.
[&] - Combines two or more tagged files into one.
[*] - Marks a block of files to be tagged. To use it, you
move to the first file in the block, tap [*], then move
to the last file in the block and tap [*] again. All
of the files between the first and last ones will then
be tagged for you.
[\] - If working with files from more than 1 directory, this
jumps to the directory of the highlighted file (and
keeps it highlighted). If working with files in just
1 directory, this rereads the current directory, and
keeps the same file highlighted.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
A through Z
[A]-[Z] - If the letter you tap matches the first character of a
menu item, the corresponding command is chosen.
[B] - Toggles file column borders. If on, this turns them off.
If off, this turns them on, if there's a box around the line
of statistics near the bottom of the screen.
[L] - Change to the current directory on another disk, or reread
the current directory (same as [F6]).
[O] - Takes you immediately to DOS.
[U] - Pops up a menu file called MENU.ETU.
[Y] - Tap this TWICE to change the date format. The selections
available are MM/DD/YY, YY/MM/DD, DD/MM/YY, Mon-DD-YY,
YY-Mon-DD and DD-Mon-YY.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ALT KEYS
[Alt-Key] - Search for an item whose first letter matches `Key'
For example, [Alt-A] looks for the next item that
starts with `A'.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
FUNCTION KEYS
[F1] - Activates the Help system.
[F2] - Use this to sort the file area information.
(See [F5] below for further rearranging.)
[X] or [F3] - Allows you to enter a DOS command, run a program from inside
ELFTREE, or go to DOS from ELFTREE (use EXIT to return).
[Ctrl-F4] - Toggles Immediate/Delay mode.
[F4] - Brings up menu of more items you can customize, such as
the screen colors, the name of the editor (or word processor)
you want to use, the types of items you want ELFTREE to
show you when it scans a directory for you, or the various
ELFTREE operation modes.
[F5] - Use this to rearrange the order of the file information area
to something not achievable via the Sort facility alone.
[L] or [F6] - Change to the current directory on another disk, or reread
the current directory.
[Ctrl-F6] - Displays a table of ASCII characters.
[DEL], [F7] - Erase a file or, if the highlighted item is a directory,
or [Ctrl-K] remove it and all subdirectories (assuming they're empty).
[F8] - Returns you to the last directory you looked at.
[Ctrl-F8] - Tags files in the current directory that are dissimilar
to files in the previous directory you looked at, retags
those that are not in the other directory.
[F9] - Save the current ELFTREE configuration.
[F10] - Lets you quickly change what files you wish to be seen.
[Ctrl-F10] - Immediately searches for all files on all non-floppy drives
or [F11] that match the current file specification as chosen by [F10].
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
CTRL KEYS
[Ctrl ->] - If the item highlighted is a directory, and the last
key tapped was not [Ctrl <-], this puts you into that
directory. Otherwise, it moves you forward to the
next directory.
[Ctrl <-] - Moves you to the Parent directory, or up to the most
previous directory if you are in the root directory.
[Ctrl-A] - Steps through 7 predefined color schemes.
[Ctrl-Z] - Toggles whether ELFTREE unloads itself completely before
running a program for you.
[Ctrl-T] - Lets you change the date/time stamp for files.
[Ctrl-P] - Returns you to the parent directory of the one you are
in (if it has one).
[Ctrl-V] - For EGA adapters, this toggles between 25 and 43 line
modes. For VGA adapters, this cycles among 25, 28 and
50 line modes.
[Ctrl-S] - Same as [<-] (cursor left)
[Ctrl-D] - Same as [->] (cursor right)
[Ctrl-E] - Same as [] (cursor up)
[Ctrl-X] - Same as [] (cursor down)
[Ctrl-R] - Same as [PgUp]
[Ctrl-C] - Same as [PgDn]
[Ctrl-F] - Same as [HOME]
[Ctrl-J] - Same as [END]
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Part III - Directory Information Screen Only
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
CURSOR KEYS
[->] - Highlights the next directory below the current one in
(cursor right) the column to the right. If none exist, then highlights
the next one in the same column as the current one.
[<-] - Highlights the next directory above the current one in
(cursor left) the column to the left of the current column.
[] - Highlights the directory that precedes the current one
(cursor up) that is also in this column. If none exist, go one
column to the left.
[] - Highlights the directory that follows the current one that
(cursor down) is also in this column. If none exist, go one column to
the left.
[Ctrl ->] - Highlights the next item on the moving-bar menu.
[Ctrl <-] - Highlights the previous item on the moving-bar menu.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
HOME, END, PGUP, PGDN
[HOME] - Highlights the first (root) directory.
[END] - Highlights the last directory shown.
[PGDN] - Moves the highlight to the bottom of the directory screen,
then on to the next screen.
[PGUP] - Moves the highlight to the top of the directory screen,
then back to the previous screen.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
MISCELLANEOUS KEYS
[Ctrl-ENTER] - Selects the highlighted item on the moving-bar menu.
[ENTER] - Selects the directory for display of files, then shows
the items in this directory. If copying/moving files,
this just selects the destination directory.
[ESC] - Leaves the directory screen; displays files.
[#] - Displays directory statistics (# of dirs, # hidden,
# tagged, #of files in them, total size of files).
[SPACEBAR] - Tags/Untags the highlighted directory, updating the
combined size of the files affected.
[Plus] or [+] - Highlights the next directory in the tree. When you
reach the end, it starts over at the first directory.
[Minus] or [-] - Highlights the previous directory in the tree. When
you reach the beginning, it starts over at the last
directory on the tree.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
A through Z
[C] - Copy the tagged directories to another disk.
[E] - Exposes hidden subdirectories of the highlighted directory.
[W] or [F] - Find a directory by name. (DOS wildcards can be used.)
[G] - Graft the tagged directories onto another directory.
[H] - Hides tagged directories from view.
[M] - Move the tagged directories to another disk.
[N] - Make a new subdirectory of the one currently highlighted.
[P] - Print the current directory tree.
[R] - Rename the currently highlighted directory.
[S] - Rebuilds the directory tree for the current disk.
[T] - Tag the highlighted directory and all subdirectories of it.
[U] - Untag the highlighted directory and all subdirectories of it.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ALT KEYS
[Alt-Key] - Search for a directory whose first letter matches `Key'
For example, [Alt-A] looks for the next one that
starts with `A'.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
FUNCTION KEYS
[F1] - Brings up help on using Directories.
[F2] - Displays current ELFTREE settings set via command switches.
[F4] - Lets you customize the style of tree you want to use.
[F5] - Rescans the subtree from the currently highlighted directory.
[L] or [F6] - Change to the current directory on another drive.
[DEL], [F7] - Remove all empty subdirectories as well as the highlighted one.
or [Ctrl-K] If you remove the current directory, you are put into the
parent of it.
[F8] - Toggles whether the [ENTER], [->] and [<-] keys affect the
moving-bar menu selections.
[F9] - Saves the current directory tree, temporarily overriding
the /K=0 command-line switch.
[F10] - Lets you quickly change what files you wish to be used
when you select move, copy, graft or [ENTER].
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
CTRL KEYS
[.] or [Ctrl-P] - Go left to the parent directory of the one highlighted.
[Ctrl-V] - For EGA compatible adapters, this toggles between 25 and
43 line modes. For VGA, this cycles among 25, 28 and 50
50 line modes.
[Ctrl-S] - Same as [<-] (cursor left)
[Ctrl-D] - Same as [->] (cursor right)
[Ctrl-E] - Same as [] (cursor up)
[Ctrl-X] - Same as [] (cursor down)
[Ctrl-R] - Same as [PgUp]
[Ctrl-C] - Same as [PgDn]
[Ctrl-F] - Same as [HOME]
[Ctrl-J] - Same as [END]
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Part IV - Editing Keys (for editing popups only)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
CURSOR KEYS
[->] Moves the cursor one column to the right.
[<-] Moves the cursor one column to the left.
[HOME] Moves the cursor to the start of the field.
[END] Moves the cursor to the end of the field.
[PGDN,PGDN,,] Ends editing (unless in DOS window).
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
OTHER USEFUL KEYS
[INS] Toggles between Insert and Overtype mode.
[DEL] Deletes the character at the cursor.
[BACKSPACE] Deletes the character to the left of the cursor.
[Ctrl-Backspace] Deletes all characters immediately.
[Ctrl-END] Deletes all characters from the cursor on.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Sorting Files █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
ELFTREE provides numerous ways to order the items in the file
information area of your screen. This lets you look at these items
in many different ways and quickly reorganize them. To prepare a
sort, tap the [F2] key. A menu will appear, listing the types of
sorting you can select (Name, Extension, etc.). These options are
explained below.
The primary sort order is highlighted, with either a '+' to the
left of it (for Ascending order) or a '-' to the left (for Descending
order). For example, ELFTREE's default primary sort is ascending
order by name, so Name is highlighted, with a '+' to the left of it.
To sort the items by Size in descending order, tap [-] to select
descending order, then tap [S] to select the Size option.
If two or more items are 'tied' after being compared with your
primary sort option, you may wish to specify a secondary sort
option to tell ELFTREE how to break the tie. To do this, tap [F2]
again (immediately after selecting the primary sort), and select
the option to use for breaking ties from the menu. Repeat this
if you wish to specify a third or fourth level sort option to break
ties. (The level currently being set is indicated on the last line
of the menu options window.)
Here is a description of each of the sorting options you can select
from the menu:
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
BY NAME
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When you sort these items by name, the displayed files will be
listed in name-first order. For example, TODD.DOC would come
after STEVE.TXT, if the sort were in ascending order.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
BY EXTENSION
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
After sorting by extension, for example, FIRST.BAS would come
before ALPHA.COM. An item with no extension would precede any
item with an extension under this type of sort, if the sort were
in ascending order.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
BY SIZE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When you sort your items by size, and choose descending order,
your largest files would be listed first, and your smallest ones
(directories, if any) would be last.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
BY DATE/TIME
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
With this sort selected, if you choose ascending order, the oldest
files would be listed first, and the most recent listed last. Files
with identical dates are compared by time. If you do not wish to
have times compared automatically, select the Date Only option.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
BY DISK ORDER
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This option will list the items in the order in which they are on
the disk, or in the reverse of this order.
One way this can be used by you, for example, is if you want to
put frequently accessed files near the top of the chain, so DOS can
find them faster. To do this, first arrange the files in the order
you want them to be chained (use the REARRANGE key [F5] if needed),
then move them to a new directory, then move them back to this one.
(Or delete the old directory and rename this one.)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
BY ATTRIBUTE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Sorting items by attribute is handy when you want to group all
files of similar attribute together, such as archived files that
need to be copied to a disk for backup.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
BY TAG
▀▀▀▀▀▀
This option lets you group all of your tagged, retagged and
untagged files together.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
BY PCT SLACK
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When a file is stored on a disk, it may not use all of the space
assigned to it. The term `slack' refers to that portion of the
assigned space that does not contain data for that file. For
example, a 12-byte file may be allocated 2,048 bytes of disk space,
which `wastes' 2,036 bytes of storage. This option lets you order
the files by the percentage of wasted, or slack, space.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
BY DATE ONLY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This sort groups files with identical dates together. If you select
ascending order, older files would be listed before newer ones.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
BY TIME ONLY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This sort orders files by time of creation. This can be handy, for
example, to see if anyone created any files in the wee hours of the
morning, or when you were away at lunch.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
NOTE: You can rearrange the file display in a manner impossible
by just sorting with the Rearrange [F5] key. This lets you move
one item at a time to a new position up or down in the display.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ DOS Gateway █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
The facilities available to you through the DOS Gateway let you:
1. Run a program with 3K or ZERO K of RAM overhead! Imagine
yourself pointing to a program to run, tapping [ENTER], and
ELFTREE loading it for you. Then, when you exit your program,
ELFTREE reloads itself automatically.
2. Select commands from one of billions of menus that you create
(up to 20 commands per menu and 10 levels of submenus, with
comments and user-specified Help lines and selector characters).
3. Execute DOS commands easily. In addition, ELFTREE remembers
the last 15 unique commands you used. It also provides a
quick, temporary exit to DOS (tap [O]), so you can work with
DOS (or 4DOS) for a period of time, if you need to, then return
to ELFTREE when ready.
4. Use short symbols to represent items that you want to include
in one or more commands. Here is a table of them:
Symbol Alternate Description
====== ========= ===========================================
^ Join multiple commands
#D {MoveTo} Move to program directory before executing.
#E {Ext} Extension of current file
#C {Cname} Drive:\Path\Name.Ext of current file
#F {Fname} Name.Ext of current file
#G {FDate} Date of current file
#H {FTime} Time of current file
#N {Name} Name of current file
#I {Input} Ask user for input to a command.
#0 {DInput} Default response to user input query
#U {UInput} Response to previous user input command
#J {Macro} Stuff ELFTREE keyboard buffer for macro
#K {Stuff} Stuff DOS keyboard buffer before execution
#L {List} Execute command against list of tagged files
#A {COM1} Send string to serial port COM1
#B {COM2} Send string to serial port COM2
#1 {LPT1} Send string to printer port LPT1
#2 {LPT2} Send string to printer port LPT2
#3 {LPT3} Send string to printer port LPT3
#P {Page} Current page (use for printing)
#R {Repeat} Repeat command until user wants to quit
#T {Tag} Execute command against each tagged file
#W {Wait} Wait for a key after command execution
#! {NoWait} Don't wait for a key after command execution
#V {Date} Current date
#X {Time} Current time
#Z {Zero} Shrink to 0K prior to command execution
#Y {Nozero} Don't shrink to 0K
#@ {Temp} Execute command using file of filenames
#\ {Path} Currently displayed path
#4 {Drive} Current drive (e.g. [A:])
#* {Free} Free file space before executing program.
#( {V25} Select 25-line video mode (all displays).
#) {V43} Select 43-line video mode (EGA only).
#- {V28} Select 28-line video mode (VGA only).
#= {V50} Select 50-line video mode (VGA only).
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
IMMEDIATE MODE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If ELFTREE is set up for Immediate mode, and the item highlighted
is a program that can be run, or has an extension that ELFTREE
is sensitive to, you launch the program by just tapping [ENTER].
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS WINDOW
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Tap [F3] or [X] to open the DOS Gateway. A window will appear,
with a line for you to enter your command. For example, you could
give the command DIR A: to get a directory listing of your A:
disk, or you could enter DATE to change your system date.
COMMAND SHORTCUTS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
ELFTREE offers you additional power by allowing you to combine
multiple commands as one, to use short symbols for commonly used
objects such as the name of a file, or to execute a command against
all tagged files. Here are examples of how to use each of these:
Examples:
a. Multiple commands (use ^ to separate each command):
dir a:^dir b:^dir c:
b. Using symbols for file names, etc.
type {Fname} or dir {Name}.*
c. Signal a directory change.
C:\QPRO\Q.EXE {MoveTo}
(changes to C:\QPRO, starts up Quattro Pro)
d. Ask for input to a command, with an optional prompt.
dir {Input}"Enter a directory name"
(Note: a prompt is surrounded by quotes.)
e. Supply a default response for user input.
dir {DInput}"{path}"{Input}"Enter a directory name"
Note: Here, the symbol {path} is expanded to the current
path before editing begins.
f. Use a response to an earlier user input command.
{Input}"Enter a directory"^cd {UInput}
g. Just stuff the keyboard buffer (don't execute). Up to
5000 keys can be stuffed using this option (you must use
the command-line switch /K=#### to get more than the default
of 100, however - see the Help selection on Customize).
Copy file(s) to A${Macro}ca~y
(Note: this stuffs the characters [C], [A], [ENTER] and [Y],
then processes them)
h. Stuff the keyboard buffer, then execute the command.
backup {Stuff}12~
Note: These character(s) have special meaning:
~ - [ENTER]
` - [TAB]
@ - [ESC]
=1 - [F1] (similarly for F2,...,F9)
=0 - [F10]
+1 - [Shift-F1] (similarly for [Shift-F2],...,[Shift-F9])
+0 - [Shift-F10]
(1 - [Ctrl-F1] (similarly for [Ctrl-F2],...,[Ctrl-F9])
(0 - [Ctrl-F10]
(A - [Ctrl-A] (similarly for [Ctrl-B],...,[Ctrl-Z])
)1 - [Alt-F1] (similarly for [Alt-F2],...,[Alt-F9])
)0 - [Alt-F10]
)A - [Alt-A] (similarly for [Alt-B],...,[Alt-Z])
!1 - the cursor key with `1' on it (i.e., End)
(similarly for !2 [DownArrow],..,!9 [PgUp])
[1 - [Ctrl] + the cursor key with `1' on it (i.e., [Ctrl-End])
(similarly for [2 [Ctrl-DownArrow],..,[9 [Ctrl-PgUp])
Macro expansion continues after a {Stuff} is encountered; the
keyboard is not stuffed until all have been resolved. (up
to 15 characters can be stuffed) For example:
Load Spreadsheet$C:\QPRO\Q.EXE {Stuff}/fr{Fname}
This stuffs the keyboard with `/fr' followed by the name
of the highlighted file.
i. Execute a command against a list consisting of the
names of the tagged files.
print {List}
j. Cause ELFTREE to repeat a command.
print {Fname}{Repeat}
k. Wait after execution of a command.
print {Fname}{Wait}
l. Execute a command against each tagged file.
print {Tag}{Fname}
m. Execute this command against a file consisting of the
names of the tagged files (1 name per line).
archive -a {Temp} saveme
n. Do not unload completely prior to executing command(s).
archive -a {Temp} saveme {NoZero}
o. Unload completely prior to executing command(s).
archive -a {Temp} saveme {Zero}
p. Represent the currently displayed path.
xcopy {Path}\*.* a:
q. Represent the current date or time.
echo date={Date} time={Time}
r. Represent the current file date or file time.
echo {Fname} is dated {FDate} {FTime}
s. Represent the current page number.
Note: Use this in a page header when printing.
{Date} {Time} Page {Page}
t. Send a string to one of three printer ports.
{LPT1}"I'm going to printer port 1"
u. Send a string (enclosed in a pair of ") to one of two
serial ports.
(Note: if a modem is hooked up to COM1, this can
be used to dial a number.)
{COM1}"ATDT1-800-555-1212~"
(Notes: The ~ character is converted to a carriage return
before the string is sent, and the symbol \0 is
converted to a null before sending.)
These special characters, which we call macro symbols, give you
powerful shortcuts to specifying commands. They are especially
useful when combined with ELFTREE's user menus, described next,
or with ELFTREE's extension sensitivity (three sections down).
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
USER MENUS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
ELFTREE can automatically load one of 13 menus for you when you
tap the key it is attached to. These menus can be activated
from the file information screen or the DOS Gateway, and they can
each nest other submenus up to 10 levels deep. You can also make
ELFTREE load a menu for you by attaching it to a specific file
extension. See the section below on Extension Sensitivity for
more information on this feature.
The keys to which you can attach a menu are [U] (from the file
information screen only), [Alt-U] (from the DOS Gateway only),
and [Alt-F1] through [Alt-F12] (from either the DOS Gateway or
the file information screen). Note that you must have an enhanced
keyboard to use F11 and F12.
Here's how to attach a menu to [Alt-F1]. Tap the [Alt-F1] key.
You will be told that the menu does not exist, and will be asked if
you want to create it now. Answer [Y]. This loads the editor with
the menu file ALTF1.ETU. On each line of this file, type a command
you want to appear on the menu, preceded by a label (recommended, but
not required). Each line may be up to 500 characters in length (not
including label); follow each label by a single $ symbol.
COMMENTS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To include a comment line in your menu file, put an asterisk (*) in
the first column of the line. If you want a comment to span several
lines, just begin EACH line with an asterisk.
USER-DEFINED HELP
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To designate a line of text as a help descriptor for the next menu
selection, put an exclamation point (!) in the first column. When
you highlight a menu line that has Help associated with it, this
Help text will appear (centered) at the bottom of the menu panel.
USER-DEFINED SELECTOR
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
By default, the first character of each label denotes a key that,
when tapped, selects that item. If you wish a different selector
to be chosen for an item, just put an `@' symbol in front of the
character you wish to be used as the selector.
Study these examples carefully:
:New Menu Title Line (signified by colon)
*
* Any line beginning with an asterisk is ignored.
*
!Formats disk in Drive A:
* The N key is used for the selector.
Prepare @new disk$format a:
*
!Brings up Quattro Pro
* The Q key is the selector here.
Borland's @Quattro Pro$C:\QPRO\Q.EXE
*
!Pretty obvious
* By default, T is the selector here.
Type a File$type {Fname}
*
* These two items have no label associated with them.
* The selector is R (first character) for both of them.
rr c all
rm d {Input}"Enter string to look for"
You may use any of the special macro symbols defined in the preceding
section as part of the command for a menu selection.
All menu files you create must be stored in the directory where you
store your global search files (the environment variable ETFIND is
used to determine this - if you don't have one, then the menus go
into the directory where ELFTREE is stored).
Tap [Alt-F1] to activate this menu. To select an item from the
menu, use the cursor keys to highlight it, then tap [ENTER]. Or,
tap the key corresponding to the first character of the item.
If the selected item does not have a label, and you activated the
menu from the DOS Gateway, it will appear on the command line so
that you can modify it. Otherwise, it will be executed immediately.
If you decide that you want to make a change to your menu, just
tap [Alt-E] and ELFTREE will let you edit it again.
If you wish to make a menu for [Alt-F2], follow the same procedure,
but tap the key [Alt-F2] to get started. You can put up to 20
selections in each menu file.
The menu attached to either [U] (or [Alt-U]) is named MENU.ETU, and
is stored in the same directory as all of the other menus.
SUBMENUS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To set up a menu selection as a submenu, simply type the name of
the menu (it must have the extension .ETU and be located in the
same directory as the other menus) where you would normally type
the command. Here is an example of a menu with both commands
and submenus:
Utilities Menu$UTILS.ETU
*
!Format Disk in Drive A:
Format disk$format a:
*
Spreadsheet$C:\QPRO\Q.EXE
*
Database Menu$DBASES.ETU
*
Project Menu$PRJ.ETU
Selecting a submenu is identical to selecting any other menu item;
just highlight it and tap [ENTER], or tap the first letter of its
label. The submenu will appear next, and you can proceed to make
another choice, or you can tap [ESC] to back up to the previous
parent menu.
IMMEDIATE KEYS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If you create a menu with one selection, then tap the key for that
menu, ELFTREE will select that item IMMEDIATELY if you are in
Immediate mode . This convenience lets you use menus as "Immediate
Keys", or keys that carry out a command immediately upon activation.
In other words, if you are in Immediate mode, ELFTREE will only
display a menu if it has more than 1 selection on it, otherwise
it will execute the command in it IMMEDIATELY.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
AUTOMATIC LOADING
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When the currently highlighted file has an extension of EXE, COM,
BAT or BTM, the name of the file will appear in the command line
when the Gateway is activated. This design lets you execute a
program by first pointing to it, then tapping [ENTER].
ELFTREE can be much smarter than this, however. Read on.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
EXTENSION SENSITIVITY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
You can train ELFTREE to bring up your word processor when the
currently highlighted file has an extension of, say, DOC, or to
load your spreadsheet program when the current file's extension
begins with W, or to pop up a user-defined menu of commands if the
extension is, say, ZIP. To do this, create an ASCII file with this
layout (the file extension is in the first 3 columns):
DOC C:\MSWORD\WORD.EXE /c (parameters can be used)
W* C:\QPRO\Q.EXE (DOS wildcards can be used)
R?D C:\REFLEX\REFLEX.EXE {Fname} (macro symbols can be used)
ZIP ZIPSTUFF.ETU (user-defined command menu)
Save this file under the name PROGRAMS.ELF in the same directory
that the other ELFTREE files are located. Any time you read this
directory, ELFTREE will be `sensitized' to these extensions. Once
sensitized, when you highlight the file REPORT.DOC (for example)
and tap [F3], the DOS window will pop up, and the command line will
look like this:
C:\MSWORD\WORD.EXE REPORT.DOC
Now, tap [ENTER] and the program will be started for you.
You can choose up to 40 extensions for ELFTREE to be aware of,
and the extensions can use the DOS wildcards `*' and `?'.
Notes: One of the joys of Immediate mode is that you can tap [ENTER]
on a file with a special extension and have ELFTREE load
the program (and file) Immediately.
ELFTREE will allow you to have multiple PROGRAMS.ELF files.
When you enter a directory, ELFTREE looks for a PROGRAMS.ELF
file and, if it finds one, `resensitizes' itself to what is
in this new one. When you then move on to another directory,
ELFTREE stays sensitive to these extensions.
See the help on Viewing A File for related information.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
RAM USAGE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When you run a program from inside ELFTREE using one of these
methods, ELFTREE will release all but 3K of RAM to it! This lets
you run memory-hungry programs without worries about whether there's
enough memory free. For BAT or BTM files, ELFTREE frees up all but
6 or 7K, depending on which DOS (or 4DOS) you use.
ZERO RAM USAGE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If you wish ELFTREE to unload itself completely from memory before
executing a command or program, there are three easy ways to make
this happen:
1. Start up with the /Z=1 command line switch: ET /Z=1
2. Use {Zero} somewhere in the command.
3. Tap [Ctrl-Z] once.
When you elect to unload completely, ELFTREE will build a file
called ETRUN.BAT for you, then unload itself and run this file.
Because ELFTREE has to stuff the keyboard with ETRUN.BAT~ before
unloading itself, {Stuff} is unavailable for your use. We
recommend using {Stuff} instead of the command line switch
/Z=1 whenever possible.
The ETRUN.BAT file is built in the directory where ELFTREE stores
all of its menus, trees, configuration files, etc., and is erased
when ELFTREE starts up.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
GO TO DOS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
You can go directly to DOS from ELFTREE by not giving a command
when you pop up the window, but by just tapping ENTER instead.
ELFTREE will release all but 6 or 7K of RAM to you.
If you want a quicker way to get to DOS, don't bother with
tapping [F3], etc. - just tap [O] from the main menu screen.
ELFTREE will temporarily change your prompt to remind you that
you are shelled out to DOS - you'll see a >> in your prompt.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ELFTREE REMEMBERS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
ELFTREE keeps track of the last 15 commands entered in its DOS
window. You can cycle through a menu of them by tapping the
[DownArrow] and [UpArrow] keys. To clear a command you no longer
want remembered, just tap [Delete]. To select the currently
highlighted command, tap [ENTER]. If you don't want any of the
commands, tap [ESC].
To clear the currently displayed command, tap [Ctrl-Backspace]
(hold down or lock the [Ctrl] key, then tap the [Backspace] key).
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PROBLEMS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
You may encounter a program that refuses to be run from inside
ELFTREE. Here's a trick that usually works: Type the phrase
COMMAND.COM /C before the program name. Here's an example of
what this might look like:
COMMAND /C PEST.EXE
If this doesn't work, then you should have ELFTREE unload itself
from RAM completely before attempting to run the program. See the
section above on ZERO RAM USAGE for more information.
If none of these methods works, but the program runs fine from
DOS, please contact us so we can help you get it fixed.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Customizing ELFTREE █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
You can easily customize ELFTREE from within it! There is no
separate installation program to run. You can change the colors
displayed on the screen or the borders to use for popups, speed
up or slow down your keyboard, tell ELFTREE what items you want
to see when it shows you the contents of a directory, specify
what editor (or word processor) to use when you invoke EDIT, and
set dozens of other options. In addition, you can tell ELFTREE
how much memory to use for files, directories and other items.
NOTE: For all of these, you must SAVE [F9] your settings before
leaving ELFTREE, if you want ELFTREE to use them the next time.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
START CUSTOMIZATION
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
You initiate customization by tapping the [F4] key. A menu will
appear, showing you what items can be changed. Some of these
items are themselves menus of options. Select an item to work
with by tapping the key for it, or by highlighting it and then
tapping [ENTER]. Next is a description of each menu option.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Screen Colors/Borders (Submenu)
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This menu allows you to change the colors of various screen
elements, or the types of characters used to draw borders for
boxes or columns. Here is a brief description of each:
BOX BORDER TYPE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This determines the border (box) used on popup prompts and menus.
When selected, the inside of the menu will change to a prompt
telling you what to do next. Use [UpArrow]/[DownArrow] to move
to the next/previous choice of border style. Continue until you
find one you like, then tap [ENTER] to keep it. If you don't
want to change the style, just tap [ESC].
FILE BORDER TYPE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This gives you additional control over whether borders will be
drawn to separate the file information displayed, and lets you
choose the border that is most visually appealing. Nine (9)
types of borders are possible (including none at all). To select
the one you want, tap [SPACEBAR] to cycle through the selections
and, when you spot the one you want, tap [ENTER] to keep it. [ESC]
cancels the selection. If you chose no border at all, ELFTREE
uses more rows to display file information for you.
COLOR SELECTIONS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When you tap a key corresponding to a color option, a color table
will appear in the lower right corner of your screen, and the cursor
will be located at the current color of the item you selected.
Just move the cursor to the color you want, and watch how the color
of the selected item changes.
When you have found the color you want, just tap the [ENTER] key to
keep it. If you change your mind about picking a color, just tap
[ESC] to go back to the original color for that item. Be sure to
SAVE [F9] any changes if you want them to be permanent!
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
EDITOR PROGRAM NAME
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
ELFTREE has its own editor that can edit multiple files quickly
and efficiently. You can also use your favorite editor or word
processor with ELFTREE.
To indicate your editor, select [B] from the menu, and fill in the
box with the name (use the drive and path if you know them) of the
editor you want to use. For example:
C:\EDITOR\MYEDIT.EXE
Next, tell ELFTREE what parameters you wish to be included with
each invocation of the editor, if any. Feel free to use ELFTREE's
powerful macro symbols among the parameters. Then, you'll be
asked if your editor needs lots of memory. If you answer [Y] to
this, then ELFTREE will shrink itself to 3K of RAM before loading
the editor, giving it maximum RAM.
After you've entered all this, ELFTREE will check to see if the
editor is available, and will tell you if it cannot find it.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
FORMAT PROGRAM NAME
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To format disks with ELFTREE, you need to tell it the name of your
formatting program. Most people use the one supplied with DOS,
which is called FORMAT.COM or FORMAT.EXE. Fill in the box with
the name that applies to your machine, if you know it. If you know
the directory it is stored in, enter this as well.
Next, tell ELFTREE what parameters to use every time it invokes
this formatting program. You should NOT enter any disk letters
such as A: or B:, as ELFTREE will supply these for you when they
are needed. In fact, under normal circumstances, you will never
need to enter any parameters here. However, if you format DSDD
disks on a high-density 5 1/4" disk drive, you will need to supply
the parameter /4 to ensure that they format correctly. Ask your
system specialist if you need help.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
KEYBOARD SETTINGS (Submenu)
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This option pops up a window showing the current keyboard delay and
key repeat rate. To change the delay, move the highlight bar (up
or down) to it and tap [SPACEBAR] until the setting you want shows
(the only choices supported are 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 or 1 second). Repeat
this procedure for the keyboard repeat rate, if desired. Tap
[Enter] to save your changes when you have completed your selection.
If you change your mind, tap [ESC] to keep the former settings.
Note: Not all computers allow the keyboard to be customized.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Miscellaneous Settings (Submenu)
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
These settings control various features of how ELFTREE behaves
when it is started, exited, looking for files, idle, searching for
text, or responding to command-type keystrokes. Here is a brief
description of what each option controls:
MODE
▀▀▀▀
You can tell ELFTREE to automatically choose the submenu option
it highlights when you select a tool. This is called Immediate
mode, and here's an example of how it works: Suppose you tag a
few files and choose the Copy tool. ELFTREE assumes that you
want the Tagged files copied, so it goes ahead and taps [ENTER]
for you. The default is Delay mode, which lets you confirm the
next choice before proceeding.
Immediate mode has other advantages. If the highlighted file is
a program, or the data file associated with a program that you've
trained ELFTREE to recognize, you can run it by simply tapping
[ENTER]. If a directory is highlighted, you can enter it by
tapping [ENTER]. This makes ELFTREE even simpler to use.
Note: Tap [I] from the file screen to toggle the mode.
CASE (looking for text)
▀▀▀▀
ELFTREE can quickly find text in one or more files. By default,
it ignores upper and lower case when searching so that, if you
were searching for ELFTREE, it would find elftree, Elftree, ELFTREE
and so on. If this is not what you want, this is where to change
it to what you want. You have four (4) choices here:
Respect - find exact matches only.
Ignore - find matches that agree except for case.
Ask - ask about case sensitivity before searching.
Smart - If the string to look for has both UPPER and lower
characters, then case is respected, otherwise it
is ignored. For example, a search for `Copyright'
would respect case, but not for `copyright'.
OPEN CHOICES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When you first get into ELFTREE, it shows you the files in the
current directory. You may prefer to always see the directory
tree first, however, or the commands you've put into a menu file
This option lets you choose what you prefer to see when ELFTREE
starts up. `Files' is the default. If you choose `Menu', you can
control which main menu will appear with the STARTUP MENU option.
EXIT CHOICES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When you wish to leave ELFTREE (we can't imagine why), you can
have it always drop you off in the Current directory or your
Original directory (where you started ELFTREE up), or you can
make it always ask before exiting. This latter option is handy
if you tend to `lean' on the [ESC] key. The default is Ask.
STARTUP MENU
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When ELFTREE is told to Open In a menu (see above), you can tell
it which menu to open to with this. Every time you select this
option, the next possible menu is selected. There are 13 menus
that can be initiated on startup, and they are attached to the
[U] and [Alt-F1]-[Alt-F12] keys. For example, if MENU.ETU is
the current choice, then ALTF1.ETU would appear next when you
select this option.
SCREEN SAVE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If, while using ELFTREE, you must be away from your computer for
awhile, you can have it safely blank the screen for you. Just
enter how many minutes to wait before doing this. If you do not
wish ELFTREE to blank your screen (the default), use 0.
To make ELFTREE immediately blank the screen, hold down both
shift keys on your keyboard.
FILE SEARCH SPEC
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Choosing File Search Spec gives you control over what will be
displayed by ELFTREE in the file information area. You choose
this in two parts.
The first tells ELFTREE what names to use when it is looking for
things to show you. When you first start ELFTREE, this is "*.*",
which means "show me everything that's out there". However, you
might want ELFTREE to display only your memos, which have an
extension, say, of MMO. No problem, just enter *.MMO, and these
will be the only ones shown.
However, you may want ELFTREE to display files that match a group
of names, instead of what can be given in one specification. To
do this, simply enter more such specifications where indicated,
and separate each item by a colon (:). (For your convenience,
tapping the semicolon with or without the SHIFT key held will
enter a colon for you. For example, to bring up only files with
an extension of .COM, .EXE or .BAT, this will do the trick:
*.COM:*.EXE:*.BAT
If you give no file specification, the default one used is *.*,
which will display all files with the desired attributes.
Regardless of the file specification you enter, you have the option
of `reversing' it - that is, show all files EXCEPT those that match
this spec. To reverse it, just tap [F10] instead of [ENTER] when
you are through typing in the spec you want.
Next, you indicate what types of items that have such names should
be included. You can specify hidden, system, read-only, or archived
files, and you can specify whether directories, labels, or files
with no attributes (called Normal files by DOS) are included. If
a selection on this menu has a Yes by it, then it will be included;
otherwise, it will be excluded. To change from a Yes to a No, or
vice versa, simply highlight the selection you wish to change, and
tap [SPACEBAR] once.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Switches (Submenu)
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This menu controls the operation of various switches that affect
how ELFTREE responds to the Alt and Ctrl keys, whether borders
appear between the columns of file information, whether noise
feedback is permitted, and other options.
ALT/CTRL LOCK
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This option allows the Alt or Ctrl keys to be `locked' by tapping
either one twice. Once locked, the behavior of normal keys is
modified by the status of the locked key. For example, [A] becomes
[Alt-A] or [Ctrl-A]. This was designed as a convenience to those
users for whom typing is a challenge, but it can also be used to
circumvent the action of a `hotkey' for a resident program.
ELVISH TOUCH
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Activating this enables the user to enter keys that require Alt
or Ctrl to be pressed without the bother of holding them down
at the same time. Thus, [Alt-A] can be had by tapping [Alt], then
[A]. This is handy for people who find typing bothersome, such
as people with arthritis, or executives who are not used to using
a keyboard to communicate.
FILE COLUMNS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If you prefer to have vertical lines separating the columns of
file information, set this for Yes, otherwise set it for No.
Yes is the default; however, columns will still not be shown if
the border type (see next item) is hidden. The [B] key will
toggle this setting from the file screen.
QUIET
▀▀▀▀▀
When ELFTREE needs to get your attention, it beeps. Use this
option to turn the beep off or on (the default).
STORE TREE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When ELFTREE grows a directory tree for a disk, it can store the
information so that it does not have to rebuild the tree the next
time it accesses that disk. (This is the default). This option
controls whether that file is created and used.
VIEW SHRINK
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When you tap [V] to view a file, ELFTREE checks to see if it should
run an external program to view it (this is controlled by the file
VIEWERS.ELF). If it finds one, this option determines whether it
shrinks itself prior to running the viewing program.
PROGRAM SHRINK
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When ELFTREE shrinks itself to run a program, it can either leave
a small kernel of itself (about 2.5K) in memory, or not. This
option controls whether the kernel is left behind or not.
4DOS NOTES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When ELFTREE stores notes about files, it normally uses a special
type of file. This option controls whether ELFTREE should look
for and use 4DOS-style note files.
DIRS FIRST
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When ELFTREE grabs the files from a directory for you, and the
directory has subdirectories, this option controls whether the
subdirectories always appear at the beginning of the list, or
will be mixed with the files. If they are placed at the beginning,
they will always be in alphabetical order. (This option does not
apply to files gathered from the Find command.)
GROW POPUPS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When ELFTREE opens a window to give you a message or to have you
type in some text, it can either open the window immediately at
full size, or grow it a bit more slowly. This option lets you
control how the windows appear for you. Choose 'Yes' (the default)
if you prefer flashier popups, and 'No' if you prefer instant popups.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Advanced Switches (Submenu)
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This menu controls numerous options that are of concern to the
person who uses ELFTREE intensively.
ALWAYS FREE FILESPACE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This option makes ELFTREE more aggressive in reducing memory
before running programs that do not ask it to shrink. With this
activated, memory for files, directories and notes is freed
prior to running a program, and reallocated afterwards. (If
not activated, ELFTREE will still free such memory if it detects
that the program might need it.)
COPY OVERWRITE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When copying or moving files, ELFTREE is careful not to overwrite
any existing file without first asking permission to do so. If
this option is activated, you tell ELFTREE not to ask permission.
PROFESSIONAL MODE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This setting controls whether directories with files in them can
be erased, and whether the word 'Drive' should appear under the
root directory name on the tree.
PROMPT FOR ERASE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When this is turned on, each time you tap [F7] or [Del] to erase
one or more files, ELFTREE will ask 'Erase Files?' before doing so.
This prompt is designed to protect the user who may tap [Del]
by mistake when they think they are tapping a different key.
Note: Professional mode must be ON to activate this.
USE UNIQUE EXIT KEY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Some people `lean' a little heavily on [ESC] when backing up from
menus, or responding to an option. If ELFTREE is set to Exit to
either the Current or Original directory, the user may be tossed
out to DOS unexpectedly. This option prevents the [ESC] key from
being used to exit from ELFTREE, and allows the user to designate
which key to tap to leave ELFTREE.
SAVE FILE TAGS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When you run a program with ELFTREE, you may want it to remember
which files are tagged when it returns, which `Yes' does. If
you run a program that deletes or creates files, however, ELFTREE
may not accurately reflect the current status of a directory when
it returns if this option is turned on.
ENHANCED KEYBOARD
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Normally, ELFTREE automatically senses whether you have an enhanced
keyboard attached to your computer. This option lets you override
what is detected. You can also use the command-line switch /Y=#
to control this setting.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
COMMAND LINE SWITCHES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
In addition to this customize menu, you can configure ELFTREE with
certain command-line switches that you type after the ET that gets
ELFTREE up and running. Here are the switches that may be used,
and what they represent:
/#=<char>- If you prefer not to use '#' as the symbol that
identifies a macro symbol (for example, you may
have files that have '#' in their names), use
this to select another symbol. For example, to
make '+' the symbol, use /#=+
/4 - Use 4DOS-style note files (file name DESCRIPT.ION).
/5 - Use ET-style note files (file name ELFTREE.NTE).
/C - if you have a composite monitor.
/D=#### - Set maximum number of directories to handle. Each
one uses 16 bytes.
(max is 3,999; default is 200)
/F=#### - This sets the maximum number of files to handle.
Each one use 22 bytes.
(min is 50, max is 16384; default is 1500)
/G=#### - Set maximum number of directories to handle with the
Find feature. Each one uses 64 bytes.
(max is 999; default is 50)
/H=# - If # is 1, this activates high-speed disk scanning
routines for non-networked drives.
(default is 1, or ON; /H=0 turns it off)
Note: A separate logical variable is maintained
for high-speed scanning in the OS/2
Compatibility Box. This switch affects
only that variable's setting.
/K=#### - If # is at least 10, this refers to the number
of internal macro keys to allow.
(max is 5000; default is 100)
/L=Z - Last drive accessible to user.
(default is Z; C-Z is allowed)
/N=#### - Set maximum number of notes to handle. Each one
uses 64 bytes; the space is shared with /G=####.
(max is 1,000; default is 50)
/R=### - ASCII code of `retag' character to use (1-255).
(default is 9, which looks like a hollow circle)
/T=### - ASCII code of `tag' character to use (1-255).
(default is 4, which looks like a solid diamond)
/U=#### - if #### is at least 500, this sets the maximum
allowable length of a menu command line.
(max is 10,000; default is 500)
/Y=# - If you do not have an enhanced keyboard, but you
want ELFTREE to think that you do (this will let
you use [Ctrl-Del] and other nonstandard keys),
use 1 for #. Use 0 for # if you do not want
ELFTREE to use any of the enhanced keyboard
facilities, even if you have such a keyboard.
(default is 1 if an enhanced keyboard is detected,
and 0 if not; /Y=1 activates enhanced support)
Here is an example of how to set up ELFTREE to use 2,000 files,
300 directories and 500 notes per directory:
ET /F=2000 /D=300 /N=500
Be sure to tap SAVE [F9] if you want these to be permanent.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Rearranging █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
If you can't get the items in the file information area of your
screen in the order you want by sorting alone, ELFTREE has a
feature just for you.
For example, how can you
arrange these files: Like this?
FIRST .A FIFTH .E
SECOND .B FIRST .A
THIRD .C SECOND .B
FOURTH .D SIXTH .F
FIFTH .E THIRD .C
SIXTH .F FOURTH .D
With ELFTREE, this is no problem. Just highlight the item that
you want moved to a new location, and tap the REARRANGE [F5] key.
You can now drag the item up or down to the new location by tapping
the [] (up arrow) or [] (down arrow) keys. When it's at the new
location, tap [ENTER] or [ESC] to quit rearranging.
So, in the above example, I would highlight FIFTH.E, tap [F5], tap
[] (UpArrow) 4 times, tap [ENTER], then highlight SIXTH.F, tap [F5],
tap [] (UpArrow) 2 times, and tap [ENTER].
Note: When you SORT [F2], all rearranging you did previously is
cleared, and the items are sorted as you wish.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Changing Disks █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
You can look at a different disk or reread the current directory
by tapping the Change Disk ([F6] or [L]) key. Then, just tell
ELFTREE what disk to use, and let ELFTREE get it for you.
If the drive specified is not available for some reason, you'll
be told by ELFTREE when it returns. If you are trying to change
to a floppy drive, and ELFTREE detects that the disk is not
readable, it will ask if you want to format it. If you do not
(it could destroy any data on the disk), simply tap [ENTER] to
answer NO to this choice.
You can change disks from either the file information screen or
the directory tree display. If you change from the tree, ELFTREE
will automatically get the tree for the disk specified. If you
change from the file information screen, ELFTREE will bring up
the files in the current directory for that disk.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Erasing Files or Directories █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
You can erase one or several items at a time in ELFTREE. The files
can be recovered with a number of utility programs on the market
unless you choose to Wipe the files, which causes the files to be
completely overwritten with null characters.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ERASING ONE FILE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To erase one file, simply highlight it and tap ERASE [F7].
(Note: [DEL] or [Ctrl-K] can be used as well as [F7].) A box with
ERASE FILE(S)? will appear on your screen, to verify that you tapped
the intended key. Answer with a tap of the [Y] key if this is what
you meant (or [W] to wipe the files). If you did not mean to erase
anything, tap [N] or [ESC], and this will be cancelled. Otherwise:
If no files are tagged, the highlighted file will be erased.
If one or more files are tagged, another box will appear, (if you
are not in Immediate mode) asking [H]ighlighted or [T]agged?
If you have tagged files, you erase the highlighted file by
answering [H].
If the highlighted item is a directory, and no files are tagged,
the message in the box will be REMOVE DIRECTORY? instead. See
the discussion further down for more on this.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ERASING SEVERAL FILES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To erase several files, simply `tag' them and tap the ERASE key.
The message ERASE FILE(S)? will appear, to check to see if this
is what you want to do. Answer [Y] to proceed, and then [T] to
the prompt of (H)ilighted or (T)agged? to start erasing.
While erasing, ELFTREE can be interrupted at any time by tapping
a key (such as the [SPACEBAR]). You can then resume by tapping
[R], or tap [ESC] to quit.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
REMOVING A DIRECTORY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If you want to remove a directory, you first have to be sure that
no items are left in it. This means that there can be no files in
in it, nor any nonempty child directories. A child directory, if
it exists, will appear to the right on the directory tree display.
Here's a sample:
.
.
│
├─ PARENT ──────┬─ CHILD1
│ └─ CHILD2
.
.
Here, PARENT cannot be removed, even if it has no files in it,
unless CHILD1 and CHILD2 are empty. If CHILD1 and CHILD2 are
empty, they will be removed immediately and ELFTREE will attempt
to remove PARENT.
You can remove a directory from either the directory tree display
or the file information area. This gives you added convenience.
As a further convenience, if you select a directory from the
tree that no longer exists, ELFTREE will automatically adjust
its tree for you. This may happen, for example, if you remove
a directory using DOS or another program.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
REMOVING A DIRECTORY (PART II)
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If you would like ELFTREE to be capable of deleting the files in
a directory for you automatically, instead of having to delete
them yourself ahead of time, there is a way to do this. Simply
start ELFTREE like this:
ET /P=1
We call this Professional Mode. When you start ELFTREE this way,
it will warn you if files exist in a directory you want to delete,
and it will ask if you want them erased for you at that time. Tap
[N] if you DO NOT want them erased, otherwise tap [Y] to erase them.
To deactivate Professional mode, start ET with: ET /P=0
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Return To Last Directory █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
You can quickly return to the directory you were in last by
tapping the LAST DIRECTORY [F8] key. To return to the
directory you left, tap [F8] again.
This is handy when you need to compare two directories before
copying or moving files from one to another, or if you simply
need a quick way to return to where you came from.
Compare Directories
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Tap [Ctrl-F8] to quickly tag files in the current directory that
are also in the last directory you visited, but are not identical
due to their having a different size or date/time stamp. Files
which are not in the other directory will be `retagged', which
you can promote to `tagged' with the Retag option of the Tag menu
command. If you wish to also process the previous directory, simply
switch back to it with [F8], then tap [Ctrl-F8] again.
You have two choices on the comparison. The Slow option will
compare files of the same size on a byte-by-byte basis to see if
they are identical. The Fast option does not perform this internal
comparison; it just looks at the file properties.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Save ELFTREE Settings █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
The changes you make to ELFTREE via the Customize [F4] key are not
saved until you tap the SAVE [F9] key. This creates a file called
ELFTREE.CFG in the directory where ELFTREE's menus and Find files
are stored. To use a configuration file with a different name, use
the environment variable ETCONFIG to set it. For example:
set ETCONFIG=MONO.CFG
You can VIEW the configuration file with ELFTREE, and can make
changes to it with an editor, although this is not recommended.
ELFTREE.CFG currently stores such items as the colors to use, the
number of lines to use on the screen, the number of lines you were
using before invoking ELFTREE, the file search specification, the
Find search specification, the name of your editor, any editor
parameters you want, etc. It does not store any of the DOS commands
you used during a session; if you need ELFTREE to supply menus of
commands, read about ELFTREE's DOS Gateway.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Go To Child Directory █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
If the currently highlighted item in the file information area is
a directory, you can jump into it by tapping the CHILD DIRECTORY
[Ctrl-RightArrow] key. This will display the files in the
highlighted directory for you.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
GO TO PARENT DIRECTORY
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
To quickly go to the parent of the directory you're currently in,
tap the PARENT [Ctrl-LeftArrow] key. This will display the files
from the parent directory for you, and the child directory you
came from will be highlighted, if possible.
If you are in the root directory when you tap this key, you will
be moved up to the next previous directory in the display, if
there is one.
Note: You can also get to the PARENT directory by tapping the
PERIOD (.) key. This may seem more natural for those of
you who are familiar with the DOS command `CD..'.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ For EGA/VGA Displays █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
If your computer has an EGA or VGA display, you can see more
information at a time, if you want to, by changing the number
of lines ELFTREE will display on the screen for you.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
HOW TO ACTIVATE EGA/VGA MODES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To change the number of lines on the screen, just tap [Ctrl-V]
(hold down the Ctrl key and tap V). If you are viewing a file,
looking at your directories, or looking at the menu screen, you
will switch to the next mode automatically.
The available number of lines per screen are 25/43 for an EGA, and
25/28/50 for a VGA. So, if your current screen is set for 25 lines,
your next one will be 43 for an EGA, and 28 for a VGA. If you tap
[Ctrl-V] one more time, you'll get 25 on an EGA, and 50 on a VGA.
On a VGA, one more tap will get you back to 25 lines.
This is a handy way of getting more information (directories,
files, browsed file) on your screen at a time. You will find
the directory tree display gives you almost twice as many branches
in 43 line mode as in 25, and thus you get a better picture of your
disk directory structure.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Change File Date and Time █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
You can change the date and time of one or many files with
ELFTREE. This is handy, for example, if you are working on a
group of files in a project, and you want them all to have the
same date and time.
To change the date and time for one or more files, tap
CHANGE FILE DATE [Ctrl-T]. A box will appear on your screen,
and you should enter the date and time desired where indicated.
Be sure to follow the format supplied in the example.
For example: 1-1-90 12:00p is a valid date
(Note: Tap the [F10] key to put in the current date and time.)
If no files are tagged, the highlighted file's date and time will
be changed to what you specified.
If one or more files are tagged, another box will appear, asking
[H]ighlighted or [T]agged?
If you have tagged files, you change the highlighted file by
answering [H].
To change the date and time for the tagged files, just tap [T]
and they will be processed.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Attributes █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
You can use ELFTREE to provide some additional security to your
computer system by marking your important files as `read-only',
`hidden', or `system'. Also, ELFTREE will show you the current
attributes of the items displayed in the last column. Here is
a brief description of what each symbol displayed there means:
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
R READ ONLY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When you make a file `read-only', you tell DOS that it is not
allowed to make changes to the file. This prevents others from
erasing it easily. Of course, you can use ELFTREE to erase a
`read-only' file, but the DOS Erase command will give you the
message `Access denied'. As a rule, you should never make data
files `read-only', or else the programs that use them will probably
not function correctly. For example, if you make ELFTREE.CFG
`read-only', then you will not be able to save any configuration
changes you make to ELFTREE.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
HS HIDDEN/SYSTEM
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Marking a file as `hidden' or `system' keeps it from being shown
by DOS when you give a DIR command (this is true for hidden
directories as well). This is a good way to keep casual snoops
from seeing what you have on your disks. If you have DOS 3.0
or later, you can hide executable files (such as ELFTREE.EXE),
yet still run them as if they weren't hidden! Be careful of
unhiding files that come with your software; the files might
be part of a copy protection scheme, and unhiding them could
prevent the program that uses them from working.
NOTE: If you mark files as `hidden', `system', or `read-only',
any disk defragmentation program you use will NOT MOVE THESE
CLUSTERS. If you want them reorganized, you'll have to
change their attributes, then run your defragmentation
program, then change them back. Use the ELFTREE Find
feature to help you if the files are spread across many
directories or on many disks.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
A ARCHIVED
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When you make changes to a file, DOS sets the `archive' attribute
to denote that it needs to be backed up. Backup programs that
perform so-called `incremental' backups look for files that have
their `archive' attribute set.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
D DIRECTORY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This denotes that the item is a directory (as opposed to a file
or disk volume label). ELFTREE can hide directories as well as
files, and can make directories `read-only' also. Hiding a
directory is a quick way to hide the files it contains as well.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
L LABEL
▀▀▀▀▀
This denotes that the item is a disk volume label (name on the
disk). ELFTREE does not currently let you modify labels; this
is included for your information only.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
NORMAL
▀▀▀▀▀▀
A file with no attributes is called a NORMAL file.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Changing Attributes
It's easy to change attributes with ELFTREE. Simply select
Attribute from the menu bar, and a box will pop up. In this box
will be the attributes you can change (Archive, Read-only, Hidden
and System). In front of all of these will be `N/C', which means
`no change'. Simply move the highlight bar up or down until you
are at the attribute you want to change, and tap [SPACEBAR] once
for `YES', or once more for `NO'. The `yes' choice means `give
this item this attribute', and the `no' choice means `remove this
attribute from this item'. If you tapped [SPACEBAR] by accident,
and don't want to change a particular attribute, tapping it once
after `NO' will return it to `N/C'.
After selecting the attributes you want, tap [ENTER] and the
files/directory will be given these attributes.
Note: You can also tap [Y] to set a particular attribute, or
[N] to remove it.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Copying Files and Directories █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
You can copy one or many files (even entire directories) with
ELFTREE, and with just a few keystrokes! With a little practice,
you'll swear off DOS forever for copying your files.
You may be aware already that when you use DOS to copy a file,
and already have a file with the same name on the disk, DOS will
overwrite that file without any warning message. This can cause
you to lose data!! ELFTREE will not overwrite files unless you
specifically tell it to do so. Also, if you have a note attached to
a file, the note will be copied with the file if there is no file
with that name in the directory you are copying to.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
HILIGHTED
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To copy the highlighted file only, simply select the COPY option
on the menu bar, and HILIGHTED from the submenu displayed. Next,
find the directory you want to copy files to (or make a new one,
if you need to), tap [ENTER], and sit back and let ELFTREE copy
it for you.
You can duplicate a file by selecting the same directory for the
destination, or by using the ["] key. ELFTREE will ask you to
enter a name for it, and then proceed to copy it.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TAGGED
▀▀▀▀▀▀
After you have tagged the files you want to copy (by tapping
[SPACEBAR], or using the TAG menu command), you can COPY them
by selecting COPY from the main menu, and Tagged from the submenu.
Next, find the directory you want to copy files to (or make a
new one, if you need to), tap [ENTER], and sit back and let
ELFTREE do the work for you.
If you don't want ELFTREE to ask for permission about replacing
files that may exist in the target directory before starting to copy
the tagged files, use the command-line switch /O=1. Be careful,
though - you may replace files you didn't intend to replace!
If you don't want ELFTREE to replace existing files when copying
then, when it encounters a file with the same name in the target
directory, ELFTREE will ask for directions. Replying:
`Yes' - replaces the current file.
`No' - skips to the next file.
`Append' - adds the contents of this file to the target file.
`Overwrite All' - replaces this file and any others that have the same
name as a file being copied from the original directory.
`Compare' - determines whether the two files are identical.
`Rename' - lets you choose a different name for the file to
be created.
`View' - views the target file.
`Edit' - edits the target file.
COMBINING TAGGED FILES [&]
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To combine several files into one, just tag them and use the `&'
key to indicate that you wish to copy them into one file. ELFTREE
will ask you for the name of the file to copy it into, and will
then start pouring the contents of these files into the one you
specified (if the file already exists, you can either add the new
files to the end of the one you specified, or replace it).
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
COPYING ENTIRE DIRECTORIES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
ELFTREE will let you copy entire directories on the current disk
to another disk. To do this, you must be looking at the directory
tree (tap [D] to get to it); Tag the directories you want copied.
Here's how to tag them:
1. Tap [SPACEBAR] to tag an individual directory.
2. [T] - to tag the current directory and all of its
subdirectories. (Hint: to tag all directories
on a disk, move to the root directory before
tapping [T].)
3. [U] - to untag the current directory and all of its
subdirectories.
Now, tap [C], tell ELFTREE what disk to copy to, and sit
back and let ELFTREE do it for you.
As ELFTREE copies files, it checks to see if there's enough room
on the disk to store the copy. If there is not, and you are
copying to a floppy, ELFTREE will tell you there is not enough
room to copy the file, and will let you Skip the file, put in a
fresh disk and Continue, or Quit copying altogether. If you put
in a disk that has not been formatted, ELFTREE will give you an
error message (such as "General Failure error on Drive A"), and
then ask if you want to format the disk right now. Just tap [Y]
to format it, and ELFTREE will invoke the format program you gave
to format the disk. (If you have not supplied ELFTREE with the
format program yet, then you will be requested to supply it at this
time before proceeding to format.) ELFTREE will not format a drive
that is not a floppy, so that you cannot use it to format a hard
disk inadvertently. After formatting, ELFTREE will resume copying
the files.
NOTE: When copying directories, ELFTREE will only copy those
files that match the current search specification (set
under the [F10] key) and attributes. You may want to
change the specifications before copying.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
COPYING TO MORE THAN ONE DIRECTORY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
ELFTREE can copy one or more files to more than one directory
quickly and easily. Here's how:
1. Tag the files to copy (if more than one).
2. Select the Copy tool.
3. Tag each directory you want to copy them to.
4. Tap [Enter] to start copying.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
EMPTY FILES OR THOSE WITH SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
DOS will not copy files of zero length, and when it copies
read-only files, the newly created files will not be read-only.
As a convenience, ELFTREE will copy zero-length files for you
and, if any of your files have special attributes set (hidden,
read-only, etc.), they will be retained when copied. (Some older
programs use this as a form of copy protection.)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SPECIAL CHOICES WHEN A FILE ALREADY EXISTS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If you are copying to a file that already exists, and have not given
ELFTREE blanket permission to overwrite it, then ELFTREE will ask you
what to do at that time. Your choices are as follows:
[N]o - Don't Replace it
[Y]es - Replace it
[A]ppend - Add to the end of the file.
[O]verwrite all - Replace this file, and give permission to
overwrite any others that may exist.
[V]iew - View the file that already exists.
[E]iew - Edit the file that already exists.
[R]ename - Rename the file (preserving both).
If the file you are about to overwrite is read-only, ELFTREE will
ask you for permission to remove this protection before proceeding.
If the target file is a directory or label, then ELFTREE will ask
you to rename it before proceeding.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Directory Display █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
ELFTREE shows the directory structure on your disk in the shape
of a tree. This representation makes it easy for you to manage
your directories with a minimum of bother. Here is what you can
do while you are looking at the display of your directories:
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SOME SPECIAL KEYS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
[Ctrl-V] - For EGA adapters, this toggles between 25 and 43 line modes.
For VGA, this cycles among 25, 28 and 50 line modes.
[Ctrl ->] - Highlights the next item on the moving-bar menu.
[Ctrl <-] - Highlights the previous item on the moving-bar menu.
[Ctrl-ENTER] - Selects the highlighted item on the moving-bar menu.
[ENTER] - Selects the directory for display of files, then shows
the items in this directory. If copying/moving files,
this only selects the destination directory.
[ESC] - Cancels current command, if any, and returns you to
the directory you left. If that directory no longer
exists, you'll be put into a nearby directory.
[SPACEBAR] - Tags the current directory, moves to the next one.
[F1] - Brings up this help information.
[F2] - Displays current ELFTREE settings set via command switches.
[F4] - Lets you customize the style of tree you want to use.
[F5] - Rescans the subtree from the currently highlighted directory.
[F6] - Change to the current directory on another drive.
[F7] - Remove an empty directory and all empty subdirectories. If you
remove the current directory, you are put into the parent of
the one you removed.
[F8] - Toggles whether the [ENTER], [->] and [<-] keys affect the
moving-bar menu selections.
[F9] - Saves the current directory tree, temporarily overriding
the /K=0 command-line switch.
[F10] - Lets you quickly change what files you wish to be used
when you select move, copy, graft or [ENTER].
[C] - Copy the tagged directories to another disk.
[E] - Reveals hidden subdirectories of the highlighted directory.
[W] or [F] - Lets you search for a directory by name. (DOS wildcards
can be used.)
[G] - Graft the tagged directories onto another directory.
[H] - Hide the tagged directories from view.
[M] - Move the tagged directories to another disk.
[N] - Make a new subdirectory of the one currently highlighted.
[P] - Print the current directory tree.
[R] - Rename the currently highlighted directory.
[S] - Rebuilds the directory tree for the current disk.
[T] - Tag the highlighted directory and all subdirectories of it.
[U] - Untag the highlighted directory and all subdirectories of it.
[Alt-Key] - Search for a directory whose first letter matches `Key'.
For example, [Alt-A] looks for the next one that starts
with `A'.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
MOVING AROUND THE TREE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To navigate around the tree display, these keys are available
for your use:
[->](cursor right): Highlights the next directory below the
current one in the column to the right. If
none exist, then highlights the next one
in the same column as the current one.
[<-](cursor left): Highlights the next directory above the
current one in the column to the left of the
current column.
[](cursor up): Highlights the directory that precedes the
current one that is also in this column. If
none exist, go one column to the left.
[](cursor down): Highlights the directory that follows the
current one that is also in this column. If
none exist, go one column to the left.
[HOME] - Moves the cursor bar to the ROOT directory.
[END] - Moves the cursor bar to the last directory.
[.] or [Ctrl-P] - Moves the cursor bar to the parent of the currently
highlighted directory.
[PGUP] - Moves the highlight to the first directory, if it's
not already there, otherwise backs up one screen
of the tree.
[PGDN] - Moves the highlight to the last directory on the screen,
if it's not already there, otherwise goes forward to
the next page of the display.
[Plus] or [+] - Moves the cursor bar forward one directory, wrapping
around when it gets to the end.
[Minus] or [-] - Moves the cursor bar backward one directory, wrapping
around when it gets to the beginning.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TREE WIDTH
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
ELFTREE is sensitive to the length of directory names. Shorter
names yield a tree with narrower columns than one with longer names.
Thus, more columns of directories are displayed if you keep these
names short. (When determining the width of the tree columns, only
visible directories are used. So, you can make ELFTREE see only
short names by Hiding the ones with long names!)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[DEL], [F7] ERASE DIRECTORY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Once you've deleted all of the items in a directory, you can
delete the directory itself by tapping the [F7] or [DEL] key. If
successful, the directory tree is updated to reflect the change.
If not, you still have files (or nonempty subdirectories) still in
the directory. Check the file search specification ([F10] key)
to see if you may have excluded certain files inadvertently when you
performed the erasure. If you still have subdirectories in the
directory, the subdirectories will appear attached to the right of
the directory you are trying to remove. You will have to delete
the files in these `child' directories before you can delete the
`parent' directory.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[C, M] COPY/MOVE DIRECTORIES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To copy or move one or more directories, just tag them (tap
[SPACEBAR] to tag the currently highlighted directory) and tap [C]
to copy them or [M] to move them. Next, indicate what disk to
copy or move them to, and let ELFTREE do it for you. The files
will be copied or moved to directories of exactly the same name
on the disk you specified.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[E] EXPOSE DIRECTORY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To expose one or more hidden child subdirectories of the currently
highlighted directory, simply tap [E], and they will be exposed.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[F] FIND DIRECTORY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To find a directory of a given name, you can search for it by
tapping the [F] or [W] keys. You will be prompted for the
name to look for (wildcards can be used), then ELFTREE will
move the cursor bar to directories that match the name you
entered. For example, if you want to find a directory called
TREE, you could search for it by entering TR*. ELFTREE would
find TREE, of course, but it would also find TROUBLE, TRACK, and
other directories you have that begin with TR. After finding a
directory for you, ELFTREE asks you if it should keep looking.
If you have the one you want, tap [ENTER] to select it, or
[ESC] to return to the directory you started from.
This is especially handy when looking at a tree display of a
disk with many directories. Using it will help you find the
directory you want quickly.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[G] GRAFT DIRECTORY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To graft one or more directories onto another, just tag them and
tap [G]. Next, specify whether the directories should be copied
or moved during the grafting process, and what disk to graft the
directories onto (you can graft them onto any disk, including the
current one). You'll be shown a directory tree for this disk;
highlight the directory you want to graft onto, and tap [ENTER] to
select it and begin the grafting process.
Here's an example. Suppose I tag five directories to graft:
C:\ ─────┬ DUMMY1 ──┬ A
│ ├─ B ───────┬ C
│ │ └ D
│ └─ E
├─ DUMMY2 ──┬ 1
│ ├─ 2
│ └─ 3
└─ DUMMY3
Next, I'll specify that I want these directories moved, that I want
drive C, and I'll select DUMMY3 as the target directory. This is
what the tree will look like after the grafting is done:
C:\ ─────┬─ DUMMY1 ──┬─ B
│ └─ E
├─ DUMMY2 ──┬─ 2
│ └─ 3
└─ DUMMY3 ──┬─ DUMMY1 ──┬─ A
│ ├─ C
│ └─ D
└─ 1
Notice that, even though DUMMY1 was not able to be removed (it
has child directories of B and E), all of the files that it
contained have been moved to the DUMMY1 child of DUMMY3 (assuming
here that the filespec used was *.*). Notice, too that directories
C and D are now attached directly to DUMMY1, instead of being
attached to B.
You can see that grafting directories is a quick way to redo the
directory structure of a disk. With ELFTREE, you can graft files
onto another disk, which is especially handy on networks.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[H] HIDE DIRECTORY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To hide one or more directories, just tag them (tap [SPACEBAR]
to tag the currently highlighted directory) and tap [H]. The
tagged directories will be immediately removed from view (they
still exist, but are just not shown). To expose them again, move
to their parent directory and tap [E].
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[N] NEW DIRECTORY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To create a new subdirectory, just highlight the directory you
want to serve as the `parent' of the new directory and tap [N].
You will then be prompted for a name to give this `child'. Just
tell ELFTREE what name to use, and let ELFTREE make it for you.
If successful, ELFTREE will show you the updated tree with the
new directory in it (if it fits on the screen).
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[P] PRINT TREE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To print the current directory tree, simply tap [P] when you
are looking at the tree, and it will be printed immediately.
[F4] CHANGE TREE STYLE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
You can change the characters used to show the tree with the [F4]
key. This may be needed if your printer has a difficult time
trying to draw the tree (for example, you might get letters where
lines should appear).
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[S] SCAN DISK
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Sometimes, such as after copying directories to another disk,
or inserting a new floppy disk into your machine, you may need
to rescan a disk. Simply tap [S] to start the scan, wait a few
seconds to complete, and ELFTREE will display the tree for you.
If you wish to scan only the portion of the tree beginning with
the current directory, tap [F5] instead of [S].
If you have told ELFTREE to exclude files with certain attributes
from the display, then any directories with these attributes
will likewise be excluded when the disk is scanned. ELFTREE
is respecting your wish for privacy for these directories.
ELFTREE will automatically initiate a scan of your disk if you
ask to bring up the tree display while in a directory that was
not created with ELFTREE. This is a convenience for you, so
that ELFTREE can give you up-to-date information on your disk.
When ELFTREE builds a new tree by scanning the disk, it reveals
all directories that were formerly hidden through use of [H], as
described above. Simply tag them and tap [H] to hide them again.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Editing A File █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
ELFTREE comes with an editor (ELFEDIT.EXE) that provides the
functions and simplicity you need. With it, you can use block
commands of copy, cut, paste, print, and save, and can convert
a block to UPPER, Proper and lower cases instantly! The editor
has support for EGA/VGA displays, 11 keyboard macros for complex
editing tasks, adjustable TAB stop settings and a host of other
niceties. Best of all, this editor is designed to work not just
on one file, but as many as will fit into memory! This lets you
transfer your work from one file to many others with speed. You
will love it, we're sure.
The editor can handle large files - even 500,000 bytes, and a line
length of up to 20,000 bytes (the defaults are 65,500 and 1,000),
but you can change this. Here's an example of how to command it to
use only 5,000 bytes per file, with a line length of 2,000 bytes:
ELFEDIT /M=5000 /L=2000
Of course, you can use the editor from the DOS environment as
well, and there is one distinct advantage to doing so, namely,
you can specify which files to edit by using wildcards. Here's
how to load a number of .BAT and .PRG files at once, using only
10000 bytes per file:
ELFEDIT *.BAT *.PRG /m=10000
The number of files ELFTREE can edit simultaneously is determined
by the size of the editing buffer you select with the /M=#####
command-line parameter. If you specify an editing buffer of
500000 bytes, then you'll only be able to edit one file. If you
choose a buffer size of 10000 bytes, you'll be able to edit dozens
of files. If you are not sure how much memory you have available,
use ELFTREE's Space command to tell you.
Here is a list of 12 features available to you in the editor:
1. Edit large/multiple files - depending on available memory.
2. FAST Block functions - Copy, Delete, Paste, Print, Save, Convert
to UPPER/Proper/lower case, Print Mailing Labels.
3. FAST Column Block functions - Copy, Delete or Paste.
4. FAST Search and Replace - replace a phrase with another. You
can confirm each selection, change just one occurrence, or
change all of them. Also, you can count the number of times
a word or phrase occurs in the file.
5. Merge File - Insert a file into the one currently being edited
at the cursor position.
6. Instant Key Help - Tap [F1].
7. Delete/Copy/Paste single lines quickly.
8. FAST loading - the editor is small, so it loads very quickly,
and any file you load displays immediately.
9. FAST Cursor Operations - Immediate Page Up, Page Down, etc., no
matter how fast your cursor is.
10. Keyboard Macros - Create and store up to 11 macros for complex
repetitive editing chores.
11. Customizability - Customize the video mode (supports 25/43
lines for EGA, 25/28/50 for VGA), the colors, the tabstops,
autosave, and backup of files.
12. Load a new file into a fresh buffer - if there is room - or
jump to any file currently loaded.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
USING ANOTHER EDITOR
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Of course, it's okay if you have another editor you prefer. To
use your editor from within ELFTREE, you have to tell ELFTREE how
to find it. Tap [F4] for the Customize options, and select [K] for
Editor Path. Enter the complete name (with path, if known), any
any parameters you want included with each invocation, whether
it needs lots of memory, and what key it uses for the command
[Go To Line #].
Notes: You may use ELFTREE's macro symbols among the parameters.
The [Go To Line #] key is only used if you tap [E] while
viewing a file with line numbers active, and makes the editor
start at the line currently shown at the top of the viewer.
(Be sure to save [F9] your configuration before leaving ELFTREE, so
this information is remembered.)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
INVOKING THE EDITOR
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Once you tell ELFTREE the name of your editor, and what parameters
you want to use with it (macro symbols can be used), it is available
for use by selecting EDIT from the menu bar. (Tap [E], or
highlight EDIT and tap [ENTER].)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
EDITING MULTIPLE FILES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To edit multiple files, just `tag' the files you wish to edit,
and select the `Tagged' submenu option under `EDIT'. ELFTREE
will supply the names of the tagged files (up to 115 bytes,
counting the spaces between the names, if in list form).
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Finding Files █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
Ever wish you could work with files from dozens of directories and
on several disks as if they were in one? For example, you might
want to locate all of those files relating to a particular project
so you can copy them to a floppy, or transfer them to someone else
across the network. With ELFTREE, this is easy. The Find menu
selection makes this possible.
Notes: If you wish to quickly locate all files on all non-floppy
drives that match the current file specification, the special keys
[Ctrl-F10] or [F11] will do this for you.
Networked users should set the ETDRIVES environment variable so that
ELFTREE will know which drives to search when looking for files.
Here's an example of how to set it to search drives C, D, E and F:
SET ETDRIVES=CDEF
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DATE
▀▀▀▀
This lets you gather a group of files within a range of dates.
To activate it, select Date from the Find submenu by tapping [D].
You'll be asked to enter a pair of dates for ELFTREE to use when
it builds the table of files for you - only files whose dates are
between the ones you supplied will be included. You will then be
asked to enter a range of filespecs to look through, to indicate any
special attributes you want to include, and to specify what disks to
search for these files on. Finally, if you chose only one disk to
search, ELFTREE will ask if you want to search all of the directories
on the disk (you may only want to search a particular subtree, for
example). If you choose No, you'll be asked to tag the directories
you want searched, and ELFTREE will only search these directories.
Otherwise, ELFTREE will look through all of the directories on the
disk, grabbing all of the files matching these specifications and
displaying them for you.
Note: To find all files with a particular date, just type the same
date twice to make the pair.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
GLOBAL
▀▀▀▀▀▀
This lets you gather a bunch of files that match a group of
filespecs you want to search for. To activate it, select Global
from the Find submenu by tapping [G]. You'll be asked to enter
the filespecs to look for (feel free to use DOS wildcards here,
or to put multiple specs on the line, separated by colons), and
the file attributes you are interested in. Next, tell ELFTREE
what disks to look on - include network drives if you wish them
to be searched as well. Finally, if you chose only one disk to
search, ELFTREE will ask if you want to search all of the
directories on the disk (you may only want to search a particular
subtree, for example). If you choose No, you'll be asked to tag
the directories you want searched, and ELFTREE will only search
these directories. Otherwise, ELFTREE will look through all of
the directories on the disk.
For Example
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
For example, to find all files that begin with ELF, or have an
extension of .ELF, you would tell ELFTREE to look for:
ELF*.*:*.ELF
This would find ELFTREE.CHL, AUTOEXEC.ELF, etc.
As ELFTREE searches for the files, it tells you which directory
and disk it is currently looking in. When it completes the
search, it displays the files that it found. (If it didn't find
any, you'll be returned to what you had previously.)
WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW?
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
From the display, you have access to ALL of ELFTREE's usual tools,
so you can tag several files, copy or move them to a particular
directory or disk, dupe them, edit them, erase them, print them,
rename them, view them, etc. Just use the tools provided to get
the job done.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
LOAD
▀▀▀▀
If the highlighted file is a list of files that you had saved using
the Save submenu option under Find, this command will load it
immediately for you to use.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
MERGE
▀▀▀▀▀
If the highlighted file is a list of files that you had saved using
the Save submenu option under Find, this command will merge the
stored files with the ones you are currently working with (or load
them if none are already loaded).
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PREVIOUS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When you select the Date, Global, or Text options for a search,
ELFTREE automatically stores the file information it finds in a
file called LASTFIND.ETG. The Previous option loads this file
for you, as a convenience.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
REFRESH
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When working with a saved selection of files, the information
in them may get stale with age, as files get moved, changed,
erased, etc. This option updates the information kept for each
file currently loaded, and removes those that no longer exist
where they once did. If you wish to only refresh a few files,
just tag them before selecting this tool.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SAVE
▀▀▀▀
This saves the current file display for later use. If you are
working on a global list of files, the file will be saved, with
the extension .ETG, either to the directory where ELFTREE is stored
or in the directory specified by the environment variable ETFIND.
If you are working on a local list of files, this will be saved,
with an extension of .ETL, to the current directory.
To make such a file of files auto-loading when ELFTREE starts up,
simply use a filename of AUTOET. Such a file is used by ELFTREE
if it saves your files before running a program, and is erased
when it starts up again.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TEXT
▀▀▀▀
This lets you gather a bunch of files that have a specific piece
of text in them. To activate it, select Text from the Find submenu
by tapping [T]. You'll be asked to enter the text to search for,
and whether to look only through files in the current directory.
If you specify the current directory, it will either search the
highlighted file, if none are tagged, or all of the tagged files.
When it finds a file that has this text, it `retags' it, otherwise
it `untags' it.
If you specify a broader search scope, you will be asked for a
group of filespecs to search through, then the attributes that
are acceptable (Directory has no meaning here). Next, you'll be
asked for the disks to search on. By default, floppy drives are
left out, but you can add them now if you wish them searched.
If you chose only one disk to search, ELFTREE will ask if you want
to search all of the directories on the disk (you may only want to
search a particular subtree, for example). If you choose No, you'll
be asked to tag the directories you want searched, and ELFTREE will
only search these directories. Otherwise, ELFTREE will look through
all of the directories on the disk. When ELFTREE is done searching,
it will display all of the files that have this text in it, if any.
If none were found, you will be returned to directory you were in
before you started the search.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ADJUSTING CAPACITY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
You can adjust the number of directories and files ELFTREE will use
(1500 files, 50 directories is the default; up to 999 directories
and 16,384 files can be used) for the Find facility. Here's an
example of how to start up ELFTREE so that it uses 1000 files and
100 directories:
ET /F=1000 /G=100
Remember to Save [F9] ELFTREE's settings if you want this kept
for the next time you start up ELFTREE.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Moving Files and Directories █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
You can move one or many files (even entire directories) with
ELFTREE, and with far fewer keystrokes than DOS. Also, since
ELFTREE will move files to other disks (or other machines on a
network), you have much more capability than DOS gives you.
If you have a note attached to a file, the note will be moved with
the file if there is no file with that name in the directory you
are moving to.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
HILIGHTED
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To move the highlighted file only, simply select the Move option
on the menu bar Hilighted from the submenu displayed. Next,
find the directory you want to move files to (or make a new one,
if you need to), tap [ENTER], and sit back and let ELFTREE move
it for you.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TAGGED
▀▀▀▀▀▀
After you have tagged the files you want to move (by tapping
[SPACEBAR], or using the TAG menu command), you can Move them
by selecting Move from the main menu, and Tagged from the submenu.
Next, find the directory you want to move files to (or make a
new one, if you need to), tap [ENTER], and sit back and let
ELFTREE do all the work for you.
If you don't want ELFTREE to ask for permission about replacing
files that may exist in the target directory before starting to move
the tagged files, use the command-line switch /O=1. Be careful,
though - you may replace files you didn't intend to replace!
If you don't want ELFTREE to replace existing files when moving
then, when it encounters a file with the same name in the target
directory, ELFTREE will ask for directions. Replying:
`Yes' - replaces the current file.
`No' - skips to the next file.
`Append' - adds the contents of this file to the target file.
`Overwrite All' - replaces this file and any others that have the same
name as a file being copied from the original directory.
`Compare' - determines whether the two files are identical.
`Rename' - lets you choose a different name for the file to
be created.
`View' - views the target file.
`Edit' - edits the target file.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DIRECTORIES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
ELFTREE will let you move entire directories on the current disk
to another disk. To do this, you must be looking at the directory
tree (tap [D] to get to it); Tag the directories you want moved.
Here's how to tag them:
1. Use [SPACEBAR] to tag an individual directory.
2. [T] - to tag the current directory and all of its
subdirectories. (Hint: to tag all directories
on a disk, move to the root directory before
tapping [T].)
3. [U] - to untag the current directory and all of its
subdirectories.
Now, tap [M], tell ELFTREE what disk to move to, and sit back
and let ELFTREE do it for you.
If you elect to move the directories to another disk, then
ELFTREE will copy the files and, if successful, will erase the
originals. As ELFTREE copies files, it checks to see if there's
enough room on the disk to store the copy. If there isn't, and
you are copying to a floppy, ELFTREE will tell you there is not
enough room to copy the file, and will let you Skip the file, put
in a fresh disk and Continue, or Quit copying altogether. If you
put in a disk that has not been formatted, ELFTREE will give you an
error message (such as "General Failure error on Drive A"), and
then ask if you want to format the disk right now. Just answer
`Y' to format it, and ELFTREE will invoke the format program you
specified to format the disk. (If you have not supplied ELFTREE
with the format program yet, you will be requested to supply it
at this time before proceeding to format.) ELFTREE will not
format a drive that is not a floppy, so that you cannot use it to
format a hard disk inadvertently. After formatting, ELFTREE will
resume moving the files.
After moving the directories, ELFTREE attempts to remove any
empty tagged directories from the tree for your convenience.
NOTE: When moving directories, ELFTREE will only move those
files that match the current search specification (set
under the [F10] key) and attributes. You may want to
change the specifications before moving.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
MOVING TO MORE THAN ONE DIRECTORY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
ELFTREE can move one or more files to more than one directory
quickly and easily. Here's how:
1. Tag the files to move (if more than one).
2. Select the Move tool.
3. Tag each directory you want to move them to.
4. Tap [Enter] to start moving.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
EMPTY FILES OR THOSE WITH SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
DOS will not copy files of zero length and, when it copies
read-only files, the newly created files will not be read-only.
As a convenience, ELFTREE will move zero-length files for you
and, if any of your files have special attributes set (hidden,
read-only, etc.), they will be retained when moved. Some programs
use hidden empty files as a form of copy protection.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SPECIAL CHOICES WHEN A FILE ALREADY EXISTS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If you are moving to a file that already exists, and have not given
ELFTREE blanket permission to overwrite it, then ELFTREE will ask you
what to do at that time. Your choices are as follows:
[N]o - Don't Replace it
[Y]es - Replace it
[A]ppend - Add to the end of the file.
[O]verwrite all - Replace this file, and give permission to
overwrite any others that may exist.
[V]iew - View the file that already exists.
[E]iew - Edit the file that already exists.
[R]ename - Rename the file being moved (preserving both).
If the file you are about to overwrite is read-only, ELFTREE will
ask you for permission to remove this protection before proceeding.
If the target file is a directory or label, then ELFTREE will ask
you to rename it before proceeding.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Notes and Files █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
Ever need to attach a brief note to a file? It might be a short
description of what the file contains, of what still needs to be
done with the file (as a reminder), or whatever.
ELFTREE lets you attach a note to a file, to erase a note attached
to a file, or to search for files whose notes contain a string
that you are looking for. (One caution, however. You can only
use the Note tool when working with one directory of files.)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ADD OR EDIT A NOTE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To add a note to the currently highlighted file, or edit one that
has been attached to it just select Note Add from the main menu,
and enter (or change) the note. When you have completed it, tap
[ENTER] to keep it.
To attach notes to more than one file, just tag them first.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ERASE A NOTE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To erase a note that is attached to the currently selected file,
just select Note Erase from the menu. If you wish to remove notes
from more than one file, or you are in Immediate mode, just tag
the files whose notes are to be deleted beforehand.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
FIND A NOTE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Once you've added dozens of notes to your files, you may need help
locating a particular note, and that's what Note Find is designed
to do for you. After selecting the tool, you'll be asked to enter
a character string to look for. Then, ELFTREE will look through
all of the notes it has for the directory, and will tag those
files where the note has the string you wanted.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
FOR 4DOS USERS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If you use 4DOS, you may be aware that it has a facility to attach
notes to files as well. ELFTREE can use these note files instead
of creating duplicate ones, but you won't be able to save a note
longer than 40 characters. To enable 4DOS-style notes, use the
command-line switch /4 (the switch /5 cancels this). Also, be sure
to use the command-line switch /N=#### to tell ELFTREE the maximum
number of notes to reserve space for.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Printing With ELFTREE █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
You can print the contents of one or many files, the current
listing of files in the file information area, or a picture of
the directory tree display for the current disk with ELFTREE.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PRINTER PARAMETERS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Before ELFTREE prints something (a file, the directory tree, a
marked block) for you, you can tell it how you want the output to
look. Here are the parameters you can configure, and what they mean:
PRINT AS IS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If you want ELFTREE to print exactly what's in the file, without
converting tabs, printing the filename, paying attention to margins,
etc., then enter a `Y' for this. If you are in Immediate mode,
entering a `Y' will proceed to print the file(s) immediately.
SETUP STRING
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Sent just before each new page is started, the setup string can be
used to change the number of lines per inch for your printer, to
print in a particular typeface or a certain pitch, etc.
Note: If you need to put the Escape character on the line for the
setup string, use the key sequence [Alt-Z].
PAGE HEADER
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
You may wish to print something at the top of each page printed.
Simply type it in the space provided. Note: the Top Margin must
be at least 2 for the page header to be printed.
LEFT MARGIN
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Enter a number to indicate the number of character positions you
wish each line to be indented by.
RIGHT MARGIN
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Enter a number to indicate the last position a character may be
printed on a line. A line that is longer than what is allowed by
the Left and Right margin settings will be split, with the balance
of the line appearing on subsequent lines, as needed.
TOP MARGIN
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Enter a number to indicate the number of blank lines to put at the
top of each page printed.
BOTTOM MARGIN
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Enter a number to indicate the number of blank lines to put at the
bottom of each page printed.
PAGE LENGTH
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Enter a number to indicate how many lines can be put on a page. For
example, if your printer is set for 6 lines per inch, and you are
using 11 inch long paper, then use 66 here. The number of text lines
printed is this number minus the number of lines used for the top
and bottom margins.
CHANGE TABSTOP
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
By default, almost all printers expand tabs to the next tab stop,
which are usually 8 positions apart. If you wish for ELFTREE to
choose a different tab separation, enter a number indicating what
you wish for the new tab setting.
Note: If you are printing a file that was printed to disk from your
word processor, we recommend a setting of 0, as the file most likely
contains its own margin settings. We also recommend that you enter
a `Y' for the Print As Is selection.
PRINT FILENAME
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When you print a file, you may wish the name of the file to appear
at the top of each page. If so, enter a `Y' in this box, otherwise
enter `N'. Note: the Top Margin setting must be at least 2 for this
to have an effect.
LINE NUMBERS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If you wish ELFTREE to put line numbers in front of each line that
it prints, enter a `Y' for this. Be sure that you enter a value
for the Left Margin that will allow sufficient room for the numbers
to be printed, otherwise this option is ignored! ELFTREE will
print line numbers up to 4 billion plus.
PRINTER PORT
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Currently, ELFTREE supports printing only to parallel ports LPT1,
LPT2, and LPT3. Enter a `1' if you want LPT1, a `2' to indicate
LPT2, or a `3' to indicate LPT3.
DESTINATION (P/F)
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If you wish to print to the printer port specified, enter a `P'.
If you wish to print to a file, enter an `F' here, and enter a
filename for the file to be printed to in the next area.
PAGE START
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If you want to start printing beginning with a page other than 1,
enter the page in this area.
PAGE STOP
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To print only a portion of the text, specify what page to stop at
in this area.
PAGE STEP
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To print every page, use 1 in this area. To print every other
page, use a 2 here.
For example, to print every even page, starting with page 2, put
a 2 in the Page Start area, a sufficiently large number in the
Page Stop area, and a 2 in the Page Step area.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PRINT ONE FILE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To print one file, select PRINT from the main menu and HILIGHTED
from the next menu. Fill in the printer parameters, tap [F10],
and ELFTREE will start printing. After the file is printed,
ELFTREE will send a form feed to the printer for you.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PRINT SEVERAL FILES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To print more than one, just `tag' the files you want to use,
select PRINT from the main menu, and TAGGED from the submenu,
fill in the printer parameters, tap [F10], and ELFTREE will
start printing. ELFTREE will send a form feed to the printer for
you after each file is done.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PRINT DIRECTORY LISTING
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To print the current directory listing, just select PRINT from
the main menu, and LISTING from the submenu. The listing will
be sent to the printer in the order currently displayed, so you
may want to Sort [F2] it and Rearrange [F5] it before printing.
If files are tagged, ELFTREE will ask you if you want to include
only the tagged files when it prints the listing. If any of the
files have a note attached, the note will appear as well.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
INTERRUPT PRINTING
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
You can interrupt ELFTREE while it is printing by tapping a key
on your keyboard. You then tap [R] to resume, or [ESC] to quit.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Renaming A File Or Directory █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
You can rename one or many files listed in the file information
area with ELFTREE. In addition, if you have DOS 3.X or later,
you can rename directories with ELFTREE as well.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
RENAME ONE FILE
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To rename one file, just highlight it, select RENAME, (select
HIGHLIGHTED from the submenu if files are tagged), enter the
new name for it, and tap [ENTER]. ELFTREE will not re-sort the
file information area when you rename a file, but you can force
it to do this by using the Sort [F2] key.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
RENAME SEVERAL FILES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To rename more than one files , just `tag' the ones you want to
use, select RENAME from the main menu and TAGGED from the submenu
and ELFTREE will feed them to you for renaming, one by one. If you
want to use a pattern to rename all of the tagged files, just type
in the pattern (it must either use DOS wildcards, or begin with a
period, to be recognized as a pattern by ELFTREE) you want to use
for the first file. ELFTREE will sense the pattern, (if any) and
will ask if you want to use the same pattern to rename the rest of
the files. Answer [Y] if you want the rest of the files to be
renamed using this pattern.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
RENAME A DIRECTORY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
To rename a directory, just highlight it as you would a file
(directories cannot be tagged), select RENAME, enter the new
name for it, and tap [ENTER]. ELFTREE will rearrange the
directory tree display, if needed, so that the directories
are still in alphabetical order. This saves you the effort
of rescanning the disk to rebuild the directory structure.
You can rename a directory from the file display or from the
tree display.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Get Space Usage On A Disk █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
ELFTREE can tell you how much of a disk's space is in use, how
much is available for use and how much space the disk is capable
of holding.
To check the space on a disk, just select SPACE from the main
menu and give it the disk letter to use.
The displayed information will look something like this:
5,879,808 left
15,341,568 used
21,221,376 total
(72% full)
5,120 tagged
471,284 RAM free
655,360 RAM installed
The first number tells you how much space remains on your disk.
The second number tells you how many bytes have been used up on
the disk by directories and files.
The third number tells you the capacity of your disk, if nothing
were stored on it.
The percentage gives you an idea of how full your disk is.
The fifth number tells you how much space the tagged files use
on the chosen disk (or would if they were copied there).
The last two numbers tell you how much memory is available, and how
much is installed on your machine (EMS, etc. is not included).
Together, these figures will help you stay on top of how much
disk space your current applications are using on your disk.
This will help you to decide when to remove them from the disk,
or upgrade the capacity of the disks on your system.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Tagging Files █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
ELFTREE can perform many of its operations on either one file
or several. The mechanism by which you tell ELFTREE which files
to use for your next operation is called TAGGING, and there are
eight ways to do it. After you have learned how to tag files,
you are ready to discover the real power of ELFTREE. By tagging
files, you can instruct ELFTREE to work with a diverse group of
them with just a couple of keystrokes.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TAG HIGHLIGHTED FILE ONLY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If the currently highlighted item in the file information area
is a file, you can `tag' it by tapping [SPACEBAR]. When you
do this, a `' symbol will appear to the left of the file name,
and the totals for tagged files at the bottom will change to
reflect your action. To `untag' a file, just highlight it again
and tap [SPACEBAR] again. This will remove the `', and
the totals will be changed accordingly.
Note: Directories cannot be tagged. When the highlighted item
is a directory and you tap [SPACEBAR], the highlight
moves to the first file after the directory, if possible.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
If you need to tag or untag more than a few files, use the TAG
menu selection to reveal some additional choices available to
you. Here is a description of each option on this submenu:
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ALL
▀▀▀
Selecting this submenu option will `tag' all files in the file
information area.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DIFF
▀▀▀▀
Selecting this submenu option will `tag' those files that are not
identical to the files in the last directory you were in. You will
be asked whether you want the files compared by bytes, which takes
longer, or by properties, which just compares the sizes, date/time
stamp, and attributes. Answer [S] for the slower operation, or [F]
for the faster one. If you choose [S], you must tag the files you
want compared if you want to compare more than one.
After comparing each pair of files, the file in the current directory
is either tagged, retagged, or untagged, according to whether the
file in the other directory is different, does not exist, or is
found to be identical, respectively.
The keystroke sequence [Ctrl-F8] also activates this feature.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DUPE
▀▀▀▀
This option appears only if you use Find to gather files from
different directories. It will `tag' those files that have the same
name as another file (or directory) in the list. To move among
the duplicate file names, use the `>' and `<' keys (these are
designed to move among tagged files).
The keystroke sequence [Ctrl-F8] also activates this feature.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
GROUP
▀▀▀▀▀
Selecting this submenu option will let you specify (using DOS
wildcards * and ? if necessary) which files should be `tagged'.
Here are some examples:
*.EXE - tags all files with an extension of `.EXE'
TR*.* - tags all files that begin with `TR'
BA*.PAS - tags all files that begin with `BA' and have
an extension of `.PAS'
???.* - tags all files that have three letters in their
filename and may or may not have an extension.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
HIGH
▀▀▀▀
This option will `tag' all of the files above the highlight bar,
but will not tag the file highlighted. This is handy, for
example, when your files are sorted by date/time, and you want
to tag all of the files that are before or after a certain date.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
INVERT
▀▀▀▀▀▀
Selecting this submenu option will cause all `tagged' files to
become `untagged', and all `untagged' files to be `tagged'.
This is most useful when you want to tag all but a few of the
files in the current directory. In this scenario, you would
`tag' the files you DON'T WANT, then select TAG/INVERT. Presto!
the files you do want are now `tagged', as desired.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
KEEP
▀▀▀▀
Select this option when you wish to restrict the file display to
only those files that are currently tagged. For example, you may
wish to work with files relating to a particular project, and no
others. To do this, just tag the files you want kept for the
display and select [T]ag [K]eep from the menu bar. If you wish to
save this setting to a file, choose [F]ind [S]ave to do so.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
LOW
▀▀▀
This option will `tag' all of the files below and including the
highlight bar. This is handy, for example, when your files are
sorted by date/time, and you want to tag all of the files that
are before or after a certain date.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
NOTES
▀▀▀▀▀
Selecting this submenu option will `tag' all files in the file
information area that have a note attached to them.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
RETAG
▀▀▀▀▀
After ELFTREE performs an operation on one or more files, it
puts a small `o' in front of it where the `' was. This lets
you `tag' the files again, in case you want to perform an
additional operation on them.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
UNTAG
▀▀▀▀▀
When you select this option, you will `untag' some or all of the
files in the file information area. If you have one or more files
`tagged' (denoted by a solid diamond), and others are `retagged'
(denoted by a hollow circle), then ELFTREE will just clear the
tags off of the ones marked with the diamond. If no files are
tagged, then all of the `retag' symbols will be cleared. This
two-step process lets you isolate the files that are `retagged'
for a particular operation. As an example, you might use the Tag
Diff selection to compare two directories, which leaves some files
tagged (which means they are in both but are not identical) and
others retagged (which means that they are not in the other directory
at all). By clearing the tagged files, you can then use Tag Retag
to select the files that did not exist in the other directory.
█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
█ Viewing A File █
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
ELFTREE can show you the contents of any file on your disk, no
matter how large it is. This is handy when you need to take a
peek inside a file, but your editor cannot handle it. For
example, you might want to look at the documents in your word
processing directory to see which ones were memos to your boss.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
VIEWING MODES
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
ELFTREE can display your file in one of these modes:
1. Hex - ASCII on the right, corresponding HEX on the left.
2. Normal - Filtering of carriage return/line feed pairs only.
3. High Bit Off - Only use lower 7 bits of each character.
4. Text and Graphics - Skip control characters (below 32).
5. Text Only - Skip control and graphics characters (above 126).
6. A-Z, a-z - Show alphabetic characters only.
In addition, you can select whether long lines of text should wrap
around when the screen border is reached. (When wrapped, a ruler
line appears just above the display area for your convenience.)
Note: Only text files can wrap; binary files cannot.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ACTIVE KEYS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
These keys are available while viewing a file:
[Ctrl-V] - For EGA adapters, this toggles between 25 and 43 line
modes. For VGA adapters, this cycles among 25, 28 and
50 line modes.
[A] - Repeats search for text (top-to-bottom).
[Alt-A] - Repeats search for text (bottom-to-top).
[B] - Mark beginning/end of a block in the file.
[C] - Change case used for text search.
[Shift-TAB],
[TAB],[D] - Change text filter used for displaying file.
[E] - Leaves viewer, invokes editor for this file.
[F] - Initiates search for text (top-to-bottom).
[Alt-F] - Initiates search for text (bottom-to-top).
[H] - Toggles the HEX display filter.
[J] - Jump to specific position in file being viewed.
[L] - Toggles whether line numbers are shown or not.
[O] - Toggles whether orphaned [CR] and chars are treated
as end-of-line characters.
[T] - Toggles whether tabs are expanded or not.
[W] - Toggles wrapping of long lines.
[I], [Alt-I] - Toggles translation from IBM EBCDIC to ASCII.
[Alt-1]-[Alt-8] - Changes tabstop expansion to 1-8, respectively.
[+],[-] - Increases/Decreases tabstop setting by 1.
[F5] - Marks the file as a block and activates block menu.
[F8] - Toggles whether the [ENTER], [->] and [<-] keys affect the
moving-bar menu selections.
[F9] - Moves backward 1/3 page in the file.
[Ctrl ->] - Highlights next menu item on the moving-bar menu.
[Ctrl <-] - Highlights previous menu item on the moving-bar menu.
[Ctrl-ENTER] - Selects the highlighted menu item.
[ENTER] - same as above.
[->] - If Menu is active, highlights next menu item, otherwise
moves forward 1 byte in the file.
[<-] - If Menu is active, highlights previous menu item, otherwise
moves backward 1 byte in the file.
[] - Moves backward 1 line in the file.
[] - Moves forward 1 line in the file.
[PgUp] - Moves backward 1 page in the file.
[PgDn] - Moves forward 1 page in the file.
[HOME] - Moves to beginning of file.
[END] - Moves to end of file.
[DEL] - Erases the file (after prompting).
[Ctrl-PgUp] - Views previous file in the list.
[Ctrl-PgDn] - Views next file in the list.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
BRING UP EDITOR [E]
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
You can bring up your editor to work on the file you're currently
viewing by tapping [E]. This is handy if you see a need for
changes in the file you're viewing.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
CUSTOMIZABLE TAB STOPS [T,+,-]
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
If you regularly browse text files, you'll appreciate a special
feature of ELFTREE. You can tell ELFTREE whether to expand
tabs to selected tab stop settings or not and, if they are
expanded, how far apart the tab stops should be (from 1 to 8).
If you're a programmer, this makes it handier to view listings.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
FOR EGA and VGA DISPLAYS [Ctrl-V]
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
While viewing a file, you can advance or go backward one line at
a time (two if in hex display mode) or one screen at a time. You
can also change the display (if you have an EGA) to 43 line mode
from 25 line mode or vice versa. If you have a VGA, you cycle among
25, 28 and 50 line modes. (The keystroke [Ctrl-V] activates this.
Hold down the [Ctrl] key, tap [V] once, then release both.)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
AUTOMATIC SCROLLING [1..9]
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
You can scroll either forward or backward in your file at varying
speeds. To do this, tap either the UpArrow or DownArrow keys
(this tells ELFTREE what direction to scroll), and then the speed
(1 - 9) digit. A speed of 1 is slowest, and 9 is the fastest.
You can adjust the speed during scrolling by tapping the digit
corresponding to the new setting. To stop scrolling, tap [0].
(The key you tap will be acted on, so if you touch [E], for
example, you will stop scrolling and invoke the editor.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SEARCH FOR A STRING [F]
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
You can tell ELFTREE to look for text in the file. To do this,
tap [F], just like when you are looking for a file or directory.
In the box that appears, type the text you wish to search for.
To begin the search, tap [Enter].
If ELFTREE does not find it, you will be told, otherwise the text
will appear near the top of the screen.
To repeat the search, tap [A] (for Again).
Note: The above directions assume you want the search from the
current position in the file to the end of the file (called
top-to-bottom searching). If you want to search in the
opposite direction, use [Alt-F] and [Alt-A] instead of
[F] and [A], resp.
To search for a hexadecimal text string such as 'CD 21'
(ignore the quotes), you would enter CD 21 in the window,
then tap [F10] to begin the search.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
JUMP AROUND IN FILE [J]
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
You can jump to a specific position in the file being viewed. Tap
[J] (for JUMP) and type in the position you want to jump to. For
example, if you're viewing a 24 million byte file, you can jump to
the 2 millionth character by entering 2M, 2000K, or 2,000,000. The
suffix `M' is treated as `Million' and the suffix `K' is treated as
`Thousand'. The byte in the upper left corner of the file viewing
area is the byte at this position.
You can also enter the position as a hexadecimal (base 16) number.
For example, if you wish 2M to be treated as 2 Megabytes, enter it
as X2M (the leading `X' indicates that it's in base 16, or `hex').
Of course, you can enter a `hex' number directly, such as FFFF
(which is 65,535 in decimal). You only need to use the leading `X'
for hexadecimal numbers if there are no `hex' numerals in the
position you specify.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
LINE NUMBERS [L]
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When you select a file to view, ELFTREE initializes counters to keep
track of what line you are currently on, and what position you are
at. If you want to see the line numbers, tap [L] once. If you
prefer to see the position, tap [L] to turn the numbers off.
If line numbers are shown, if you tap [E] to edit the file being
viewed, ELFTREE can make your editor start at the current line!
This saves you from having to execute a [Go To Line #] command
from inside your editor.
Note: ELFTREE may not be able to keep track of the line number at
all times; in these cases only your Position in the file
will be given; when ELFTREE can compute your line number
position again, it will show it.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ORPHAN [CR] [O]
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Sometimes, files produced by DOS or other programs contain a
carriage return [CR] character without a line-feed character to
follow it (which makes ELFTREE start a new line). In addition,
some word processing programs use the symbol `' to designate an
end-of-line character. To make ELFTREE recognize these symbols
as additional end-of-line characters, tap the [O] key.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TRANSLATE IBM EBCDIC [I]
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
When viewing a file that is stored in IBM EBCDIC format, you won't
be able to read it easily, since your computer is designed to use
ASCII characters. However, ELFTREE can translate these characters
to ASCII for you - just tap [Alt-I] to activate (or deactivate) it.
When activated, you will be able to read the text as if it were
stored in ASCII, and you can use ELFTREE's usual viewing filters
on the translated text as well.
When you mark a block (see next section) and append it to a file
with this feature activated, the text appended will be in ASCII,
not EBCDIC.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
WORKING WITH BLOCKS [B]
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
While viewing a file, you may wish to:
A. Print a portion of it
B. Append a portion to another file
C. Convert a portion to UPPER case
D. Convert a portion to lower case
E. Convert a portion to Proper case
F. Replace a portion with some character
G. Replace all Nulls (hex 00) in a portion
H. Replace all Control chars in a portion
I. Strip the High bit from all characters in a portion
J. Delete the block of text from the file.
With ELFTREE, this is easy, and requires no programming. Simply
move to the start of the block you wish to use, tap [B] to indicate
that you want to define a Block (the block is marked at your current
position in the file, which is the position of the first character
in the file viewing area), then move to the end of the portion, and
tap [B] again. A menu of block commands will appear. Just select
the command you want, and it will be processed immediately, leaving
you at the menu in case you wish to use another command as well, or
to repeat a previous one. When you leave this menu, your block
becomes unmarked.
You can use a block as large as the entire file you are viewing.
To quickly select the entire file as a block, tap the [F5] key.
Note: The RightArrow and LeftArrow keys will move you one position
in the corresponding direction. These are especially handy
for marking EXACTLY the block you need.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
EXTENSION SENSITIVITY
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
You can train ELFTREE to bring up your word processing viewer when
the currently highlighted file has an extension of, say, DOC, or to
load your spreadsheet viewer when the current file's extension starts
with a W. To do this, create an ASCII file with this layout:
DBF C:\TREE\VIEWDBF.EXE
DOC C:\WP\WPVIEW.EXE -x (parameters can be used)
TXT (ELFTREE uses internal viewer)
W* C:\SS\VSHEET.EXE
ZIP D:\PKZIP -v {Fname} (macro symbols can be used)
Save this file under the name VIEWERS.ELF in the same directory
that the other ELFTREE files are located. The next time you load
ELFTREE, it will be `sensitized' to these extensions. This means,
for example, that when you highlight the file REPORT.DOC and tap
[V], this command is performed for you:
C:\WP\WPVIEW.EXE -x REPORT.DOC
You can choose up to 40 extensions for ELFTREE to be aware of,
and the extensions can use the DOS wildcards `*' and `?'.
Notes: ELFTREE will allow you to have multiple VIEWERS.ELF files.
When you enter a directory, ELFTREE looks for a VIEWERS.ELF
file and, if it finds one, `resensitizes' itself to what is
in this new one. When you then move on to another directory,
ELFTREE stays sensitive to these extensions.
If the extension of the file does not match any of the
extensions in VIEWERS.ELF, ELFTREE uses its internal viewer.
See the help on DOS Gateway for related information.
PROGRAMMING THE INTERNAL VIEWER
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
As you experiment viewing different files with ELFTREE, you may
notice that you prefer to view some of them one way, and others
another way. For example, files with an .EXE or .COM extension
often are best viewed with the Hex filter active, while normal
text files are best viewed with Wrap off, using the CR/LF filter.
You can make ELFTREE automatically activate several viewing options
by specifying your preferences in this VIEWERS.ELF file. Here are
some examples to show you how to do this. Note the `=' symbol, used
to indicate that what follows applies to the internal viewer.
ASM =H- T8 W M- (Hex off; Tabstop=8; Wrap on)
EXE =H M- (Hex on; Menu inactive)
TXT =H- W- T3 (Hex off; Wrap off; Tabstop=3)
* =D1 T0 M (CR/LF; Tabs off; Menu active)
In general, a symbol followed by a `-' means `turn this off'.
A symbol followed by a space means `turn this on'. Here is a list
of what symbols can be used, and how to use them:
Symbol Modifier Description
====== ======== ======================================
C 0 - 3 Case for text searches.
D 0 - 5 Display filter to use.
H - Hex filter off/on.
I - IBM EBCDIC to ASCII translation off/on.
L - Line numbers shown or not.
O - [CR], recognized as end-of-line or not.
M - Menu active or not.
T 0 - 8 Tabstop distance (0=off, 1-8=on).
W - Wrap long lines off/on.