Shareware Supreme Volume 6 #1

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ArcMaster 9.2 Copyright 1988-1993 All Rights Reserved New-Ware Shareware Products 8050 Camino Kiosco San Diego, CA 92122 (619) 455-6225 Contents 1 Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 What is ArcMaster? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 Archive Systems Needed to Operate AM . . . . . . . . . . 2 4 About Shareware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5 How To Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 6 The New-Ware BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 7 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 8 Version History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 9 Distribution Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 10 The User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 10.1 External Files Used by AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 10.2 Operating from the Main Display . . . . . . . . . . 10 10.3 On-line Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 10.4 Tagging Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 10.5 Dialog Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 10.6 The Mouse Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 10.7 Positioning Windows/Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 11 Starting ArcMaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 12 Keyboard Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 12.1 Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 12.2 Alt+Key Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 12.3 Ctrl+Key Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 12.4 Other Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 13 Configuring ArcMaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 13.1 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 13.2 Anti-virus Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 13.3 Start-up Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 13.4 The ArcMaster Work Directory . . . . . . . . . . . 19 13.5 The Log Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 13.6 The Compression Program Directory . . . . . . . . . 20 13.7 Password Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 13.8 Editor, Browser, and Scan Names . . . . . . . . . . 21 13.9 Setting Editor Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 14 Viewing Archive File Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 14.1 Multiple Compressed File Viewers . . . . . . . . . 22 14.2 Browsing a Compressed File . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 14.3 Editing A Compressed File . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 14.4 Creating/Editing a ZIP File Comment . . . . . . . . 23 15 The AM Internal Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 i 16 AM Use of Expanded/Extended Memory . . . . . . . . . . . 24 17 Running AM with NDOS or 4DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 18 Search Menu (Alt+S) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 19 Program Menu (Ctrl+X) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 20 Registering AM (Alt+R) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 ii 1 Disclaimer New-Ware hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this product, whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. New-Ware cannot and will not be liable for any special, incidental, consequential, indirect or similar damages due to loss of data or any other reason, even if New-Ware or an authorized New-Ware agent has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall the liability for any damages ever exceed the price paid for the license to use software, regardless of the form and/or extent of the claim. The user of this program bears all risk as to the quality and performance of the software. 2 What is ArcMaster? The name ArcMaster is short for the term Archive Master where the word archive means a place where documents and/or records are kept. In the modern world of personal computing, these documents and records are maintained in computer files. These files are frequently compressed and grouped together in archive files by special computer programs such as PKZIP, ARCA, PAK, LHA, and ARJ. All of these special programs are operated from the DOS command line and require the entry of numerous and varied command line switches in order to maximize their utility. ArcMaster, hereafter known as AM for short, is an archive program interface control system. It provides a powerful, easy to use interface that removes the burden of remembering all the various command line switches and options that may be used with archiving programs. In addition, AM is a flexible DOS shell that provides numerous ways in which the user can maintain and manipulate his/her DOS directory and file structures. AM may be used as a stand-alone program in its useful role as a DOS shell, but in order to manipulate compressed archive files the user must have present in his/her system at least one of the supported archive programs. A list of supported compression/decompression archive programs appears in the next chapter. 3 Archive Systems Needed to Operate AM You will need at least one of the following archive systems in order to utilize the full capabilities of AM. ARJ from Robert K. Jung - ARJ230.XXX - 2 - Robert Jung 2606 Village Road West Norwood, Massachusetts 02062 LHA from Haruyasu Yoshizaki - LHA213.XXX This program is free. PAK from NoGate Consulting - PAK251.XXX NoGate Consulting P.O. Box 88115 Grand Rapids, MI 49518-0115 ZIP from PKWARE - PKZ110.XXX PKWARE Inc. 7545 North Port Washington Road Suite 205 Glendale, WI 53217-3422 The file names following the program identifiers reflect the current versions. Please note the .XXX file extension is given because these will vary from location to location. Many are distributed in compressed executable (.EXE) format and some are distributed in the PkWare .ZIP format. You can find these marvelous programs on just about any computer bulletin board system (BBS) or commercial on-line access system such as Compuserve Information Service (CIS) or Genie. All of these programs may be accessed from the New-Ware BBS. Please see the chapter on the New-Ware BBS in this document. AM supports several utilities designed for the specific purpose of compressing executable (EXE) files. These utilities serve to compress an EXE file but allow the compressed file to be executed normally from DOS. Their trick is that they insert code into the start of the target EXE file that decompresses it as it loads into memory for execution. AM supports the following utilities of that type: LZEXE from Fabrice Bellard This program is free PKLITE from PkWare PKWARE Inc. 7545 N. Port Washington Rd. Suite 205 Glendale, WI 53217-3422 DIET from Teddy Matsumoto This program is free - 3 - While not essential, the user should also have available a file browse utility as an alternative to the built in AM browser. The browser is used to view/browse the contents of normal files and compressed files that reside inside an archive. The recommended program is a state-of-the-art browser from Vernon Buerg named LIST.COM. AM can be configured to use any file browser that accepts a file path name on its command line. New-Ware feels that LIST is the fastest, most compact, and most powerful of the available browsers. LIST can be found on almost all BBSs in the form of LISTxxx.ZIP (or EXE). Note that the xxx denotes the version and version modifier, as in 7.7A (LIST77A.ZIP). It is important to note the version numbers given above. AM currently supports all version numbers listed above. Features in earlier versions are likely not to be supported and new features in later versions may not be supported. It is strongly recommended that all supported program files reside in a directory that is identified in the "CompDir:" field in the AM configuration dialog. If no directory is entered in this field, you will have to ensure that ALL supported program files reside on the DOS path. If you do not understand the DOS PATH, please read PATHINFO.TXT. 4 About Shareware AM is Shareware. ARJ, PAK, ZIP, and LIST are also Shareware. Shareware is NOT free. It is computer software offered for sale at a set price and the only real difference between Shareware and other commercial software products is the method of distribution and the important "try before you buy" feature. With Shareware you are normally licensed by the owner/author of the program to operate the Shareware distribution copy on a trial basis. Then if you like it and make regular use of it, you are bound to pay for it. Users are licensed to operate ArcMaster on their personal computers for the purpose of test and evaluation on a trial basis for a limited trial period. It is not possible to reasonably define any definitive limits of a fair and equitable time period for evaluation, therefore it is left to the user's judgment and sense of fair play as to the time required to make a decision as to its usefulness. If the user decides the program is not of sufficient merit to warrant purchase through registration with New-Ware, the program should be removed from his or her personal computer. Otherwise, if the program is deemed useful and is in regular use on the user's personal computer system, registration with New-Ware is required. Registered users are those users that elect to pay for AM and register that payment with New-Ware. By virtue of registration and payment for the - 4 - program, registered users are granted a license to continue to utilize the program on their personal computer for as long as they choose. This license authorizes the user to use the program on any personal computer system he or she may own so long as the program is operated on only one computer system at a time. Site licenses for use of ArcMaster on multiple computers are available upon request at a reduced fee that is based on the number of single machines licensed for use. 5 How To Register There is no functional difference between the Shareware distribution version of AM and the registered version save the absence of the opening and closing Shareware screens in the registered version. The price of AM is $35.00. You may register AM in one of three ways: 1) By mail with check or money order to: New-Ware 8050 Camino Kiosco San Diego, CA 92122-1820 2) By telephone with Visa/Mastercard to: New-Ware (619) 455-6225 Business hours ONLY please! Monday thru Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific Time 3) Electronically through the New-Ware BBS: New-Ware BBS (619) 455-5226 24 Hours per day 7 Days per week Special site license rates for licensing multiple copies of ArcMaster are available. Please license fee schedule information. - 5 - Foreign (non-US/Canada) orders must include a $2.00 special handling fee in addition to the $35.00 registration fee. Also, no checks on banks located outside the United States will be accepted. California residents MUST include state sales tax with their order. This Shareware version of ArcMaster may be freely copied and passed on to other individual users for their evaluation. Disk vendors and/or distributors that desire to distribute ArcMaster must adhere to the guidelines presented in VENDOR.DOC. Press Alt+H and then the "R" key to invoke an interactive registration form dialog. All pertinent information may be entered into the dialog and then sent to the printed as a registration form. Upgrades to later versions are available to registered users on the New-Ware BBS at no cost. Access to the BBS is a privilege granted by New- Ware that may be revoked at any time for any reason. Those who request upgrades via telephone or mail must remit a $5.00 charge for an upgrade. 6 The New-Ware BBS New-Ware Shareware Products BBS (619) 450-3257 - Node #1 1200/2400/9600/14400 QuickComm Spirit II 455-5226 - Node #2 1200/2400 (9600 HST) US Robotics HST The New-Ware Shareware Products BSS operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Node #1 is dedicated to registered users only. Nodes #2 is open to all callers. Users registering via the BBS receive access to the latest registered version within 1 day after leaving their credit card data. Users who register by mail or phone may also access the registered version by BBS, but you MUST log on and leave a comment to the sysop to the effect that you are a registered user and desire access. The author can also be contacted on CIS via PPN 71535,665 (please use EASYPLEX). The latest versions of all programs that are supported or used by AM may be obtained via the BBS. The BBS also serves as an avenue for product support. You may report problems or ask questions about the operation of AM via the message facility of the BBS. - 6 - 7 System Requirements AM may be operated on any IBM PC/XT/AT/PS2 or compatible running under DOS 3.0 and above. The amount of DOS memory required to operate AM will vary dynamically and will generally be a function of the number of files in each of the main windows. AM is very efficient and should operate with no problems in all but the leanest memory environment. All monitor and graphics cards are supported, including "composite" (2 color) monitors and backlit laptop screens. When executed, AM will automatically switch to current screen mode and adjust to the current vertical screenheight and upon exit to DOS it will restore the original video state. EGA/VGA users may toggle between the normal 25 line and the 43/50 line mode while running AM and AM may be configured to be forced into the 43/50 line mode at run-time. Mouse support is automatically provided if a mouse driver is present in the system. Any dot matrix or laser printer may be used for printing file directory listings. The printer must be capable of printing IBM line draw characters if the directory tree is to be legibly printed. AM is designed primarily for use with one or more hard drives. Starting and operating AM from a 5 1/4" 360K drive is not recommended because of the lack of disk space for temporary files, etc. A multiple 3 1/2" 720K/1.4M or 5 1/4" 1.2M system will probably be okay, but a hard drive is the best way to go. 8 Version History Version AMX released for beta test - 03/06/93 Version 9.0 Released - 03/13/93 - Incorporated bug fixes and suggestions from beta testers. Version 9.1 Released - 03/16/93 - In the AM directory tree the Home and End keys were not sending the cursor to the top and bottom of the list. - The sort direction (ascending/descending) was not being saved in the AM.CFG file. - AM was not responding properly to EGA/VGA video modes other than 25, 43, and 50 line modes. It now handles 33, 36, etc. modes. - AM was not responding the enhanced keyboard auxilliary keypad cursor keys. - 7 - - Check disk numeric fields were too small for drives of 100 mb or larger. - Added compressed vs. normal file stats in the compressed file viewer. - The ability to immediately view a file named on the command line was omitted. Now AM will go to the specified file and invoke the file browser if a normal file or the compressed file viewer if a compressed file. - Dynamic memory indicator (in 1K increments) added to right end of menu bar. - Added special marker for a Zipped file that PKZIP has marked as a text file. - Added user-defined color for ZIP and ARJ files in the main, tagged, and compressed file list that have hidden, system, etc., file Version 9.2 Released - 04/15/92 - The active file list was not being updated after deleting converted compressed files. - The PAK compression dialog file extension field was not being properly set. - Their were some bugs in the 4DOS DESCRIPT.ION file support functions that did not get caught in the beta period. - Attempting to SCAN a compressed SFX EXE file would cause a system hang. - The tag-by-date (Alt+D) function would not work when the "Use global tagging" option was turned off. - Added volume label switch (-$) to the ARJ compression dialog. - Added support for handling CD-ROM drives using the New-Ware tree LOG strategy. - Smoothed out the action of the cursor bar after certain operations. - Added capability to swap tags, i.e., tag all untagged and untag all tagged files (Alt+Space). - The F8, F9, & F10 key macros for one-key insertion of a compressed file name into the compression dialog that existed in v8.4 have been restored. The macros are: - Add a "mIsc" menu item that permits clearing the line input editor history buffer. 9 Distribution Files The following files are included in AM distribution package: AM.EXE - Main program AM.OVR - Overlay file AMHELP.HLP - Help file - 8 - AM.DOC - Operating manual EXECMENU.AM - Sample program menu AMCOLORS.DOC - Setting program colors PATHINFO.TXT - DOS PATH information PROGMENU.DOC - User defined menu info VENDOR.DOC - Disk vendor info WHAT'S.NEW - Latest product info (if needed) New-Ware prohibits the modification of any of these files in any way, shape, or form except by the individual evaluator or purchaser. 10 The User Interface The AM user interface has been carefully designed to provide a set of commands and controls that maximize the program's utility for both straight keyboard and mouse users. The interface employs a "point and shoot" file manipulation function via file name lists with scrolling cursor bars. All AM functions are available through a pull-down menu system that may be activated with the mouse or by pressing either keyboard slash (/ or \) key. All functions are also accessible via Alt and Ctrl key combinations. The program can be exited to DOS via the menu, by pressing Esc key, by pressing Alt+=, or by pressing Alt+X. Alt+X exits immediately while the Esc key asks for confirmation. Most commands result in the appearance of a window or dialog box. For the purposes of this manual, dialog boxes are windows that contain specialized controls such as check buttons and push buttons. All windows can be exited immediately by pressing the Esc key. The same effect will result from clicking on the small square symbol in the upper left corner of the window. 10.1 External Files Used by AM AM creates and maintains the following program support files: AM.CFG The current program configuration file AMCOLOR.SET The current color configuration file AM.HST The current input history file These files will be created and maintained in the directory in which AM is operated from. AM.HST is always created and is updated at the termination of each AM session. AMX.CFG and AMCOLOR.SET will only be created when specified by the user. - 9 - 10.2 Operating from the Main Display AM has two main file list windows. Each window is capable of displaying all the files from a specific DOS directory from any drive in your system. Only one window can be active at a time and the active window displays a different frame and file selection indicator from that of the inactive window. The user may change the active window by pressing the Tab key, the Right/Left Arrow keys, or by clicking in the desired window's area with the mouse. The cursor pad keys (Home, PgDn, Up Arrow, etc.) always move the cursor bar in the active window up or down the file list. The file list in each window consists of a text line that represents each file retrieved from the active directory. This line displays the file name, size in bytes, and the date. The line just above the file list frame contains the sequential number and name of the file under the cursor bar as well as the file time and the file attribute codes. AM supports a character-by-character file name speed search. The search string is built by pressing character keys and it appears just above the list frame during the search. As the string is built, AM will search the list for the first file name that matches and move the cursor bar to that file line if found. For example, if "Q" is pressed and then "Z" is pressed and there is at least one file name on the list that begins with "QZ", AM will move the cursor to that file. Moving the cursor bar with any arrow key will halt the search and the Backspace key may be used to remove characters from the search string. Most AM commands act either directly upon the file under the cursor bar when the command is activated or upon a group of files that have been tagged (marked) for batch operation. More about tagging files can be found later in this document. The symbol that indicates that a file is tagged is a small right triangle located to the left of the file name. The top bar of the display is a menu bar that may be accessed by clicking on an item with the mouse, pressing Alt+"key" where k is one of the menu item shortcut keys (A, F, N, I, P, H & G), or by pressing the "/" or "\" key. All AM functions can be activated through one of the main menu items. A two-line status bar occupies the bottom two lines of the display. The first line indicates certain commands and the related command keys and the second line contains the current time, date, and hot archive name. The first line of the status bar will change to support various pop-up windows and dialogs. - 10 - AM supports multiple editing windows and multiple archive file viewer windows. The two main windows and all multiple edit and viewer windows are numbered in the upper right hand frame corner. The left and right main windows are numbered #1 and #2, respectively. Non-mouse users may move from window to window by pressing Alt+# where # is the number of the window to make active. 10.3 On-line Help Textual descriptions of all AM functions are available from the main AM display and all windows by pressing the F1 key, using the main Help menu, or by clicking on the Help identifier in the status bar. A window will open that either presents a list of commands and abbreviated command names or context sensitive help. Selecting an item from the help list will open another window that contains a description of the selected command. Help for a specific item can be located by accessing the main menu, placing the cursor bar over the desired item, and pressing the F1 key or clicking with the mouse on the status bar help identifier. The help system is cross-referenced and cross-referenced items appear in highlight in the help text window. Use the Tab key to move through available cross-reference items and press the Enter key (or double click the mouse) on the desired item to change the help window to text on that specific item. Press the F1 key while in the help system to access an alphabetized menu of AM functions for which textual help is available. You may send any help topic that is loaded into the help window to your printer by pressing Alt+P. Press Alt+F1 to return to the last help topic viewed. AM provides the capability to use the designated file browser (usually LIST.COM) to browse the associated archive system documentation (DOC) file from the compression and decompression dialog boxes via Alt+F1. The associated DOC file(s) must be named as specified below and must reside in the same directory that is identified in the "CompDir:" field of the AM configuration dialog. This is the same directory AM expects to find all supported archive system files. MANUAL.DOC - PKZIP ARJ.DOC - ARJ LHA.DOC - LHA PAK.DOC - PAK ARCA.DOC - ARCA ARCE.DOC - ARCE - 11 - With the exception of LHA, these files are distributed as named above. The LHA package usually contains LHAxxx.DOC, where xxx denotes a 3 digit version number. Simply renaming this file to LHA.DOC will suffice. 10.4 Tagging Files Groups of files appearing in the active file list may be marked for certain archiving operations by "tagging" them. To tag a file, move the cursor bar to the file and press the space bar or one of the plus (+) keys. A right triangle symbol appears to the left of the file name to denote its tagged status. The tag is a toggle operation and therefore files are untagged the same way they are tagged. All files in an active window may be tagged at once by pressing Ctrl+T and all tagged files may untagged at once by pressing Ctrl+U. The status of tagged files in both windows is constantly displayed and updated on the main AM display. The mouse may also be used for tagging. Groups of files may be tagged by holding down the left mouse button and slowly dragging the mouse cursor down the active file list. Individual files may be tagged by pressing the right mouse button. Files tagged in a directory will be added to the master tag list. If AM is configured to support global tagging, you may change to a different directory in either window and tag more files. In this way, you can tag files from anywhere in your system. If global file tagging is not supported, the current tagged list is cleared any time the active window experiences a change of directory. Alt+U clears the global tag list. The current tagged file list can be viewed at any time by pressing Alt+T. The copy (Alt+C), move (Alt+C), delete (Del), and change attribute (Ctrl+F3) commands will also invoke the tag list dialog if one or more files are tagged when the command is issued. CAUTION: The AM global tag list stores full DOS path names to each tagged file. The following example shows how you can be "tricked" by PKZIP. Two files are tagged. They have the same name but reside in different directories, as in: C:\MYUTIL\WORDPROC.DAT D:\WORD\PROJECT\NEW\WORDPROC.DAT If the PKZIP command option "Store Paths" switch ("-P") is not set, PKZIP will NOT add the second file to a ZIP archive because it will ignore path names and refuse to add duplicate file names. So if you intend to tag files of the same name from different directories, be SURE that the "Store Paths" option is ON. - 12 - You can use Ctrl+G and then Ctrl+K to mark a block of files. Ctrl+G marks the first file in the block and Ctrl+K marks the last file. The first file must be higher on the list than the last file. The mouse may also be used to tag files by selecting a file name, holding down the left mouse button, and dragging the mouse up or down. The right mouse button will tag files individually. 10.5 Dialog Boxes Dialog boxes are used extensively throughout AM to provide the user with a means to set specific commands and options prior to performing a particular operation. Dialogs usually include boxed clusters of controls called radio buttons and check boxes. The user may move from cluster to cluster with the Tab/Shift-Tab command, Alt+Shortcut, or mouse. The shortcut character is the highlighted character in the title string of the cluster box. Dialog boxes also contain push-button controls that are labeled according the command function they represent. A push button may be "pushed" by clicking with the mouse, pressing Alt+Shortcut key, or by moving to the control and pressing the Enter key. Many dialogs contain editable text fields and some dialogs have input fields that are updated dynamically as the user selects specific options or switches. Pressing the Enter key while in an editing field is the same as pushing the Okay button for that dialog. The oKay button always signals to AM to proceed with the operation and the Quit button always exits the dialog with no further action. Some dialogs contain list boxes which contain a list of file names. A prime example is the compressed file contents viewer dialog. If a dialog box contains an input field for the entry of a file name or other text, the box should be exited for continuation of the operation by pressing the Enter key while the cursor is in the text field. If the text field is empty when the Enter key is pressed, the operation will be aborted. Pressing Esc anytime while in a dialog box will close the box and abort the operation. Almost all dialog boxes have a push-button, which is a small box with an "oKay" inside. Mouse users may move the mouse to the "oKay" and press the left mouse button to signify proceeding with the indicated operation. 10.6 The Mouse Interface Mouse users will find the AM mouse interface quite easy and intuitive to use. Like most mouse interfaces, the mouse cursor may be moved to a control location on the main display or within a dialog box and the left mouse button clicked to activate that command or control. For example, - 13 - moving the mouse cursor to the pull-down menu line at the top of the main display and pressing the left mouse button will activate the menu system. Each window and dialog box has a small square symbol between brackets in the upper left corner of the frame. Clicking on this symbol will close the window just as if the Esc key were pressed. Clicking on the "Quit" button in any dialog will also close the window with no action. The mouse can be used with scroll bars that appear down the right edge of any window that contains a file list. You may "drag" the scroll marker down the bar by moving the cursor to the marker, holding down the left button, and moving the mouse up or down. Alternatively, you may place the cursor at a specific location on the vertical bar and click the mouse. This will move the file list cursor bar to the relative location of the scroll bar marker. Clicking on either arrow at the top and bottom of the scroll bar scrolls the file list up and down, respectively. LIST users please note that AM does not pass the mouse command line switch ("/M") to LIST. If you desire to have the mouse active when entering LIST from AM, you must use the LIST clone feature to create a version of list that will use the mouse. Please see LIST.DOC for further information. This accommodates those users who wish to use a file browser other than LIST. AM saves and restores the mouse state when shelling out to call an external program. This prevents AM from altering the target program's mouse defaults. AM also saves the mouse state at program run time and restores it upon program exit. 10.7 Positioning Windows/Dialogs The editor and compressed file viewer windows may be moved around the screen with the mouse or the keyboard. Press the Ctrl+F5 key, move the window to the desired location with the arrow keys, and then press the Enter key to exit the move mode. Or you may position the mouse on the top window frame, hold down the left button, and drag the window to a new location. Edit windows may be re-sized. Click on the lower right corner of the edit window and drag the mouse until the desired window width and height are reached. Or press the F5 key and control the width and height with the left/right or up/down arrow keys, respectively. 11 Starting ArcMaster AM can be started from the DOS command line by typing AM and pressing the Enter key. Up to three command line parameters are accepted. There may be one or two valid DOS path names and there may be one valid DOS file name. - 14 - For example, to start AM with the directory D:\FOO\BAR active in the AM right file window, enter AM D:\FOO\BAR. To start AM with C:\ARCHIVE in the left window and D:\FOO\BAR in the right window, enter AM C:\ARCHIVE D:\FOO\BAR. AM may be run from a DOS batch file or from another DOS shell, but if it is run from another shell you may have to adjust the configuration so that AM has sufficient memory to operate. If a file name may be placed on the command line when starting AM, the file will be viewed as soon as loads the main file windows. This means that the compressed file viewer will be called if the file is a compressed file, otherwise the default browser will be called. 12 Keyboard Commands In addition to comprehensive mouse support, AM employs the use of Ctrl, Alt, and function key inputs. 12.1 Function Keys Each of the ten keyboard function keys are assigned a command and pressing one of these keys bypasses the menu system and immediately executes the assigned command. Function key command assignments are: F1 - Help F2 - Change active archive system F3 - Change system drive F4 - Zoom active window F5 - Open directory tree display F6 - Rename file F7 - Change file mask F8 - Change file sort F9 - Compress file(s) F10 - Decompress file(s) The following function keys may be used as key "macros" while operating in any of the compression dialogs: F8 - Insert file name under active cursor bar F9 - Insert current date string (mm-dd-yy) F10 - Insert current directory name - 15 - 12.2 Alt+Key Commands Seven Alt+key commands are dedicated to activating one of the pull-down menus. The are: Alt+A - Archive commands Alt+F - File commands Alt+N - Navigation commands Alt+I - Miscellaneous commands Alt+P - Executable program menu Alt+G - Tag operations menu Alt+H - Help menu The following Alt+key commands are assigned to the indicated AM functions: Alt+C - Copy file(s) Alt+D - Tag By Date Alt+E - Edit file Alt+K - Calculator Alt+L - Calendar Alt+M - Move file(s) Alt+Q - Toggle video mode Alt+R - Register ArcMaster Alt+S - Search for file Alt+T - Show tagged files Alt+U - Untag files - global Alt+V - Call virus scanner Alt+W - Make both windows same Alt+X - Exit immediately to DOS Alt+Z - Check for duplicate files Alt+F1 - Load AM.DOC into the viewer Alt+F4 - Call 4DOS DESCRIPT.ION Editor Alt+F3 - Check disk functions Alt+F10- Convert compressed file(s) Alt+= - Exit to actvie directory 12.3 Ctrl+Key Commands The following Ctrl+key commands are assigned to the indicated AM functions: Ctrl+A - Auto-update function Ctrl+B - Reset file archive bits Ctrl+C - Configure ArcMaster Ctrl+D - Update To Latest Ctrl+E - Edit new file Ctrl+F - Call FormatMaster (FM.EXE) - 16 - Ctrl+G - Start tag block Ctrl+I - Edit with internal editor Ctrl+K - Tag from tag block start Ctrl+L - Pack EXE file function Ctrl+N - Browse with internal browser Ctrl+P - Print file/directory listing Ctrl+Q - Quick directory tree Ctrl+S - Single Archive function Ctrl+T - Tag all files Ctrl+U - Untag all files Ctrl+V - VirusSCAN DOS files Ctrl+W - Swap main file windows Ctrl+X - Program Exec Menu Ctrl+Z - Call PKZIPFIX Ctrl+F1 - Help for command keys Ctrl+F2 - Print text file Ctrl+F3 - Change file attribute Ctrl+F4 - Call 4DOS DESCRIBE Ctrl+F5 - Move window/dialog Ctrl+F6 - Set tagged files date/time stamp Ctrl+F7 - Set mask like extension Ctrl+F8 - Tag all like extension Ctrl+F9 - Multi-update function Ctrl+Enter - Execute EXE file Ctrl+PgUp - Go to parent directory 12.4 Other Commands The PgUp, PgDn, Up/Down Arrow, Home, and End keys are all operative for moving through any of the file list displays. Other miscellaneous commands are: Asterisk - Reset the file mask to *.* and refresh Slash - Access menu system Ins Key - Set Archive "Hot Name" Del Key - Delete single or tagged files Space Bar - Tag/Untag file The archive "Hot Name" command will set the hot name to the file name under the cursor bar. Any time thereafter that you elect to compress files, AM will insert that name automatically into the archive name field in the appropriate dialog box. The Ins Key is a toggle so if the hot name is not set when pressed, it will be set and if it is set, it will be cleared. - 17 - 13 Configuring ArcMaster AM provides the capability to configure various options and to save those options to a disk file if desired. Selection of the Configure AM item on the mIsc pull-down menu (Alt+I) or pressing Ctrl+C opens a dialog box in which the configuration may be set. Keep in mind that the current sort order, active archive system, active convert option, and all archive system command options will also be saved in their current states. If you exit the configuration dialog via the "oKay" button, the changes you made will be in effect immediately but will not be saved to disk. You must use the "Save" button (Alt+S) to save the configuration to the file named AM.CFG. You may use the "Reset" button to negate any changes you have made and restore all settings to the state they were in upon entry to the dialog. The "Load" button can be used to load a configuration that you have stored in a directory other than the AM host directory. Help can be attained for any specific configuration item/field by pressing the F1 key. The help text that appears will be specific to the focused item/field when the F1 key is pressed. 13.1 Options There is a check box cluster which can be used to toggle various AM options as listed below: Options [X] Show hidden files - Display hidden/sys/r-only files [ ] Force 43/50 line mode - Force 43/50 line EGA/VGA mode [X] Beeps on - Turn sound on/off [ ] Use password - Use password for compression ops [X] Prompt for overwrite - Confirm before overwrite during copy [X] Pause after ops - After comp/decomp/etc. [X] Sort directory tree - Sort the directory tree [X] Sort archive by extn - Sort by extension in archive viewer [X] Pause after prog exec - Pause after executing program [ ] Erase after conversion - Erase target files after conversion [ ] Menu acts on 1st click - First mouse click activates menu item [ ] Use global tagging - Permit tagging from multiple dirs [ ] Use 24 hour time - Display time in 24 hour "hh:mm" format [X] Use shadowed windows - All windows/boxes are shadowed Most of these options are self-explanatory. The "Mouse 1st Click" option affects how the left mouse button works in the AM menu system. If - 18 - turned OFF (unchecked is the default), then AM will move the cursor bar to an item on the first click and then will select the item on the second click. This provides a bit of protection against selecting the wrong item. If "Mouse 1st Click" is ON then AM will immediately select the menu item under the mouse cursor when the left button is clicked. "When Sort Arc by Ext" is checked, AM will sort the contents of a compressed file by file name and extension so that files with common extensions are grouped together. If the "Pause After Exec" option is selected then AM will pause immediately after the target program is exited so you can see any program results on the screen. 13.2 Anti-virus Scanner Either the McAfee VIRUScan or Norton Anti-virus program may be selected. Be sure that the correct file name and path for the selected scanner is placed into the "Vscan:" field. 13.3 Start-up Directories A directory path name may be entered for each of the two file windows for AM to use upon start-up. Each time AM is started, these directory paths will be used unless overridden by a command line entry. Do not enter a file mask here. AM will save the file mask active for each window when the configuration is saved and will used the saved file masks automatically at start-up. You may also enter the name of a compressed file on the command line to direct AM to go immediately into the compressed file viewer using the file name as the target. 13.4 The ArcMaster Work Directory This is an extremely important configuration item. AM requires exclusive use of a hard drive directory for use during archive file conversions and other file operations. AM will also use this directory as a temporary directory for archiving programs use. PKZIP fans should note that there are two instances where PKZIP may need to create a temporary file on a hard drive while manipulating a ZIP file on a floppy drive. The first is when PKZIP is building a large file on a floppy disk and the second case is when PKZIP is modifying an existing ZIP file on a floppy disk. The first case must be handled by placing the following line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: SET PKTMP=X:\TEMPPATH, where X:\TEMPPATH is the full path name of the temporary directory you wish PKZIP to use. PKZIP does NOT use the "-b" switch in this case. The second case is handled by designating X:\TEMPPATH as the AM temporary directory as - 19 - described above. It is recommended, but not required that the same directory be used for both cases. 13.5 The Log Directory AM provides a graphical directory tree for navigation and directory manipulation. If no Log directory is specified, AM will always scan the current drive whenever the tree needs to be displayed. This can be a lengthy process, especially on slow hard drives with lots of directories. AM uses a directory log file strategy to avoid this problem. What this means is that if a valid Log directory is specified, the first time the tree is scanned on a given drive AM will store the tree information in a file and place it in the specified log directory. Then all following calls to access the tree result in AM reading that file instead of re-scanning the drive, which is very fast. The file names that AM will place in the Log directory are NEW-WARE.X, where X is the drive designator. One important item must be kept in mind when using this strategy. AM will have no knowledge of any directories that are created, renamed, or removed outside of AM. You can accomplish each of these operations while in the tree. If you add a new directory and then bring up AM and call up the tree, the new directory will not appear on the tree. In this case you will need to manually re-scan the disk by invoking the AM directory dialog with F3 or F5 and pressing the "Scan Drv" button. Just remember that if you have not entered a valid DOS drive:\directory path in the log directory field of the configuration dialog, AM will scan the disk to collect the directory names each time the tree is opened. This version of AM includes an alternative to the main AM directory tree. Use Ctrl+Q to activate the Quick Tree function. This function displays an abbreviated directory tree that does not use the log file strategy described above. AM provides special support for CD-ROM drives. Whens a CD-ROM drive is accessed the first time, AM will scan the drive to build the directory tree. This data will then be stored in a file with a name built from the first 8 characters of the CD-ROM disk volume label and an extension of "CDR". If no volume label exists, AM will name the file "CD-ROM" plus the drive letter. For example, if you access a CD-ROM drive with a disk whose volume label is "ATLAS", the log file name will be "ATLAS.CDR" and if you access a CD-ROM drive that is drive "M" in your system that has a disk that does not have a volume label, the log file name will be "CD-ROM.M". 13.6 The Compression Program Directory This directory is where AM will expect to find ALL of the supported archive system programs: - 20 - ARJ.EXE ARCE.COM LHA.EXE PAK.EXE PKZIP.EXE PKZIPFIX.EXE PKUNZIP.EXE ZIP2EXE.EXE If no valid directory is entered here, AM will expect the programs above to reside in a directory identified in the DOS path. In addition, AM expects to find the archive system program documentation files in this directory. The configuration field name is "CompDir:" AM will also look for the respective archive system .DOC files in this directory. 13.7 Password Operations ARJ, PAK, and ZIP each have a provision for password protecting compressed files. To enable password use, first invoke the AM configuration dialog (Ctrl+C) and then check the box that is labeled "Use Password". If this box is checked, a password entry field will appear in the compression dialog when compressing files. If this field is left blank, AM will not pass the password switch to the active archive system program. If it is not blank, whatever appears in this field will be passed as the password. You may save your password to the AMCONFIG.CFG file by invoking any archive system compression dialog, entering a password in the password field and then saving the configuration. If you have AM configured to use a password and have a password saved in the .CFG file, you can still compress a batch of files not using the password by simply clearing the password field and leaving it that way throughout the session. 13.8 Editor, Browser, and Scan Names Each of these fields identify to AM the executable file names to call when editing, browsing, or scanning. Be sure to enter the file name as a minimum. The full path is optional, but if no path is included with the file name, AM will expect DOS to find the program on the DOS path. Here is are some examples of how the browser might be identified: C:\UTIL\LIST.COM LIST LIST.COM E:\MYUTIL\VIEWER\LIST.COM AM also supports the Norton Anti-Virus (NAV) program. To use NAV, insure that the selected scanner program and the "Vscan:" field match. - 21 - 13.9 Setting Editor Memory The "Edit Mem:" field controls the amount of memory AM will allocate to the internal text editing system at start-up. This value must fall between 1024 and 163,840 bytes. The maximum size text file that may be edited is 64,535 bytes. AM will allocate the amount of memory designated in the "Edit Mem:" field at program start-up. This pool of memory is used by each editor that is activated and by the clipboard, which is used for cut and paste operations. Suppose you have configured AM for 16,384 bytes. Then you load an 8,433 byte file into one editor and a 5,361 byte file into another editor. That leaves 3073 bytes for cutting and pasting blocks from one editor to another. If insufficient memory exists to support loading a text file into an editor, AM will inform you and abort the operation. 14 Viewing Archive File Contents The contents of any of the supported archive file types, including self-extracting EXE files (SXF), may be viewed by moving the active window cursor bar to the file and pressing the Enter Key. A window will open that displays a sorted list of the files contained in the target file. This window operates very much like the active window in that you move through the file list with keypad cursor keys or with the mouse and scroll bar except that it is a dialog and has push button controls. The number that appears in the upper right hand area of the dialog frame represents a rough estimate of the size of a resultant compressed file and is based upon the number of bytes tagged at that time. Files may be tagged for decompression operations in the same manner that files are tagged on the main file list. Pressing the "UnXXX" button, where XXX is ZIP, ARJ, etc., proceeds with decompression. A special symbol is used to mark the end of a line that represents a file that PKZIP has marked as a text file. File lines that represent compressed files with the file attribute set to other than normal will be in a different color. 14.1 Multiple Compressed File Viewers Two compressed file viewing dialog windows may be active at one time and it is possible to copy files from one compressed file to another. The following sequence demonstrates how to accomplish this: - 22 - 1. In either main file window, move the cursor bar to a compressed file and press Enter to activate a viewer. 2. Click on either main window with the mouse or press Alt+1 or Alt+2 to go back to a main file window. 3. Move the cursor bar to a different compressed file and press the Enter key to activate a second viewer. 4. Tag files in one of the viewers and press the Copy button. The tagged files will be copied to the inactive viewer. You can move from viewer to viewer with the mouse or the Alt+Number key where Number is the viewer number. 14.2 Browsing a Compressed File Compressed files may be viewed with the designated file browser by moving the cursor bar to the desired file and pressing Enter. The file will be decompressed by AM to the work directory and browsed. When browsing is complete, AM deletes the file. A compressed file inside another compressed file will may also be viewed. 14.3 Editing A Compressed File A compressed text file may be edited with the user-defined external editor or with the internal AM editor. In both cases the file is extracted to the AM work directory and edited. After the edited file is saved, it replaces the original inside the compressed file before being deleted. The dialog Edit button calls the external editor. To use the AM editor, press Ctrl+I with the cursor bar over the target file. 14.4 Creating/Editing a ZIP File Comment The PKWare ZIP system allows the addition of a comment to each ZIP file. AM provides a means to create and/or edit this comment with the Cmnt button. Press this button to bring up the comment editor. If a comment exists, it will be loaded into the editor. If not, you may create a new comment and save it from the editor. 15 The AM Internal Editor AM has a simple yet powerful internal editing system that not only supports text file editing but supports cut and paste operations between two text files as well. The AM internal editor is called when Ctrl+I is pressed or when Alt+E is pressed and there is no external editor defined. The amount of memory available for the internal editing buffers is dependent upon the "Edit Mem:" field in the AM configuration dialog. - 23 - Editor commands are based upon the well-known WordStar command set. Consult the on-line help system for editing command key assignments. Note that the bottom status line contains main editing commands whenever an editor is active. Here is an example of how to use multiple editor windows: 1. Move the active file list cursor bar to a text file and press Ctrl+I. An edit window loaded with the file contents will appear. 2. Activate one of the two main file list windows by pressing Ctrl+1 or Ctrl+2 or by clicking with the mouse. 3. Move the cursor bar to a different text file and press Ctrl+I. 4. Two edit windows are not active. You can select either window by clicking with the mouse or using the Alt key plus the window number. 5. Cut & paste and clipboard commands are visible on the bottom status line and explained in the on-line help file. 16 AM Use of Expanded/Extended Memory The AM overlay file, AM.OVR, automatically uses expanded memory (EMS) if a memory manager loaded and sufficient EMS memory can be allocated. Loading AM under Windows 3.0 might fail if the NOEMS switch is used with the memory manager. This will occur when using EMS386 but not when using QEMM 6.x. When AM "shells out" to DOS to perform some function like calling PKZIP to ZIP a group of files, AM will check available memory and will swap the entire DOS memory space out to EMS/XMS memory or a disk file if the amount of free memory is less than 290K. If you have an EMS memory manager loaded and sufficient memory can be allocated, AM will swap to expanded memory. If you have no EMS but do have an extended (XMS) memory driver loaded, AM will use XMS memory if sufficient memory is available. If no EMS or XMS memory is available, AM will swap out to a disk file. Obviously, the swap to EMS/XMS is so fast as to be transparent whereas the swap to disk will cause a noticeable delay. 17 Running AM with NDOS or 4DOS AM has been tested while running under the Norton Utilities NDOS from Symantec Corp. NDOS is quite similar to 4DOS and in fact both programs are the work of Tom Rawson. When AM shells out out to view the contents of a compressed file, the command passed to DOS is a call for LIST, which is intended to call Vern Buerg's LIST.COM. LIST, however, is an internal - 24 - command of NDOS and 4DOS. The internal LIST command will work fine with AM version 6.5 and later, but if you desire to use the more powerful LIST.COM there are three ways to do so. The first way is to disable the internal LIST command by issuing the command SETDOS /I-LIST from the AUTOEXEC.BAT (or NSTART.BAT) file. The second way is to issue the command ALIAS LIST C:\UTIL\LIST.COM. This also disables the internal LIST command, but you can use the alias command to use the internal LIST function under a different name, as in the command ALIAS SHOW *LIST. The third way is to rename LIST.COM and to configure AM to call the renamed version of LIST. AM also provides extensive support for the 4DOS/NDOS DESCRIPT.ION files. Ctrl+F4 invokes the 4DOS/NDOS DESCRIBE command with the name of the file under the active cursor bar. The Alt+F4 command calls the editor defined in the AM configuration "4Dos Ed:" field. You may place a command line parameter list following the file name entry, if so desired. If no program is designated in the "4Dos Ed:" field, AM will use the internal editor. AM will update DESCRIPT.ION files in the source and destination directories during any rename, copy, move, delete, and archive convert operations. This includes using the move option with any of supported file compressors. 4DOS is Copyright by JP Software. NDOS is a version of 4DOS licensed to the Symantic Corp. 18 Search Menu (Alt+S) AM provides a fast search for DOS or compressed files on the drive in the active window. If searching for a DOS file and the target file name is found (wild cards are okay), AM will issue a notification prompt. You have the choice of halting the search, continuing the search, or viewing the file list of the directory in which the file was found. If you elect to view, AM will change to that directory and position the cursor bar over the target file name. Searching for a file inside an archive file operates in the same way except that AM will go through each directory on the current drive and open each archive file found and search it for the target file. If found and you elect to view, AM will open the archive directory view window and position the cursor bar over the target file name. You may elect to extract, erase, etc. tagged files in this case but please note that when the operation is complete that the active directory will have changed to the directory in which the target archive file was found. - 25 - 19 Program Menu (Ctrl+X) This command invokes the special AM user created program menu. Please read the information in the file named PROGMENU.DOC. 20 Registering AM (Alt+R) The command will open a window that will prompt you for the vital information needed to print the registration form. You can close the window with no action at any time by pressing the Esc Key. When all the information has been entered, you will have the opportunity to print the form on your printer. Copyright 1987,1993, all rights reserved. New-Ware 8020 Camino Kiosco San Diego, CA 92122 - 26 -