Amiga Collections: MegaDisc/MegaDisc 32 (1993-02)(MegaDisc Digital Publishing)(AU)(Disk 2 of 2).zip/MegaDisc 32 (1993-02)(MegaDisc Digital Publishing)(AU)(Disk 2 of 2).adf/Dir_Utes/DirUtes_Ovw/DirUtes_Ovw

Text File | 1993-02-11 | 40KB | 783 lines

                            Recommended for Beginners


            DIRECTORY  UTILITIES:  AN OVERVIEW AND COMPARISON

                                    by

                               Leigh  Murray



   Ed: Here are many useful tips for the beginner and the veteran relating to
  the use of dir utils.


   ]] 32 [[ ]] 32 [[ ]] 32 [[ ]] 32 [[ ]] 32 [[ ]] 32 [[ ]] 32 [[ ]] 32 [[



INTRODUCTION

What is a directory utility?

   A directory utility is a program that gives you most of the power of the
  CLI without the typing.  Using simple point and click processes, you can,
  for example, carry out the following tasks:

  . list directories and files (with size, date of creation etc);
  . copy, move, duplicate, delete and rename files;
  . make new directories;
  . find out the size of individual files or groups of files;
  . find out how much space is left on a disk;
  . enquire whether new files will fit on a disk;
  . display or edit text files;
  . show pictures;
  . play sound samples;
  . display or edit hex dumps of files;
  . start a new CLI process;
  . archive and dearchive files automatically;
  . change protection status bits in a file; and
  . initiate programs.

Who Needs One?

   Almost anyone who uses their Amiga for any tasks other than games will
  find a directory utility very handy indeed;  these programs make
  file-maintenance tasks almost fun.  By eliminating most of the tedious
  typing, they let you concentrate on the job at hand, and you soon get a
  feeling of great power as you tidy your disks!  Omniscience is yours!
  Well, at least you can see the rubbish you've left on your disks with
  crystal clarity;  all is revealed.

Directory Utilities Available

   There are many good directory utilities available, as commercial products
  or shareware.  Costing between about $30 and $70, they give terrific value
  for money.

   SID Version 2 (relatively recently released) is a powerful and polished
  shareware product; DirWork is another excellent shareware product.  They
  are available at low prices, and are well-supported by their programmers
  (I've found both to be good to deal with).  BrowserII also is shareware, as
  is RDM (but this one didn't get to first base with me because it has no
  option of a confirmation message for deletes.)  Full registration
  directions are listed on the distribution disks for the shareware programs.
  On registration, you are usually entitled to receive a disk containing the
  latest version of the program, plus support;  I know that this is certainly
  the case for SID and DirWork.  The shareware programs are less expensive
  than the commercial products, but are not necessarily of lower quality.

   Of the commercial products, Directory Opus is probably the most generally
  well-regarded (review ratings range from very good to top-of-the-pops), but
  DiskMasterII has also received favourable reviews and it has some unusual
  features worth considering;  both should be readily available.

Getting the Goods

  Official Releases of Demos:

  . SID Version 2 Trial - Fish 651 (needs dearchiving and configuring).
  . SID Version 1.06 - Fish 338  (ready to use).
  . Directory Opus Demo - Fish 412 (pre WB2 users need arp.library in libs:).
  . DirWork Version 1.62 - Fish 721 (ready to use).
  . RDM Version 0.99 - Fish 658
  . BrowserII Version 2.04 - Fish 649 (needs arp.library, parm.library and
        req.library in libs: directory).

  Directory Utility Starter disk (START 2)

  . Set up (by me) especially for beginners.
  . Contains Demos of SID2, DirWork and Directory Opus v2.
  . SID2 and DirWork are ready-to-use and come with full documentation.
  . Directory Opus Demo is ready-to-use for WB2 users, else needs arp.library
    (which is on the disk and easy to install if you don't already have it).

  DiskStarter disk (still being finalised)

  . Set up (by me) especially for beginners.
  . Contains Demos of SID v1.06 and BrowserII (along with disk optimising,
        file recovery, backup and diskcopy programs).

Bedtime Reading

   Other MegaDisc articles and reviews of directory utilities include:

  . MD29: Comparison of Directory Opus and DiskMasterII.
  . MD27 & 25:  Reviews of Directory Opus Pro.
  . MD26: Review of DirWork v1.43.
  . MD24: Directory Utilities: Too Much of a Good Thing?
  . MD24: QED, Browser & Most: Working Together.
  . MD23: Comparison of 5 directory utilities (UtiliMaster v0.69, DUIII+,
        DirWork v1.0, SID v1.06, JPDirUtil v1.0).
  . MD22: A detailed review of DirWork v1.22.
  . MD20: A review of an early version of Directory Opus.

   Worthwhile additional reading to increase knowledge of how these beasties
  function includes the documentation and help files that come with various
  directory utilities.

  . SID v1.06 comes with voluminous doc files; the descriptions of the
    functions are very clear.  A labelled picture is also useful.
  . SID v2.0 help files - just hold down the Ctrl key and click on the button
    for an excellent description of the function.  There is also extensive
    well-written documentation built-in as a menu Help function.
  . Directory Opus - click on the ? and then on the command buttons for
    helpful descriptions of the functions.
  . BrowserII has good tutorials.

   And, finally, you will be able to make better use of a directory utility
  if you understand file structures, paths and assigns.  A companion to this
  article is the tutorial I wrote on that subject;  it is on MegaDisc 30.

The Big Three

   I am a registered user of SID, and use it on and off all the time I am
  using my Amiga, so I have by far the most experience with this directory
  utility.  (I dote on SID, absolutely dote.)

   I also have limited experience with DirWork, gained when I set it up for
  the IconStarter (now START 1) and DirUStarter (START 2) disks I prepared
  for MegaDisc.  DirWork seems pretty powerful for such a small package, and
  easy to use;  it is probably the most suitable choice for a beginner or a
  one-drive user.

   I have only been able to evaluate Directory Opus from the Demo version;
  this was released ages ago on Fish 412.  I expect that the Professional
  version, which is the product available commercially now, has been
  developed considerably in the meantime.  So I feel able only to make some
  cursory comments about it, and for a well-based discussion of its features
  you'll need to look elsewhere than this article.

   Because these three seem to me to be the main contenders for the title of
  best directory utility, I will confine most of my comments to them.  You
  may also wish to check out others, once you have some familiarity with the
  functions and features generally offered.

   As part of the AmigaStarter project I'm working on, I constructed the
  combined screenshot which accompanies this article, showing button usage in
  SID2, Directory Opus and DirWork. You may find it helpful to refer to this.

   I should point out that I am by no means a `power user'.  While I do make
  heavy use of a directory utility, it is only for simple, ordinary tasks,
  such as copying or renaming or deleting files and directories, making new
  directories, reading and editing text files, viewing screenshots, and
  compiling the odd disk (very odd disk?) for MegaDisc.  I rarely archive
  files, I hardly ever fiddle protection bits (only to reset the deletion bit
  so I can delete a file, or to set the script bit), I generally launch
  programs from icons or SID, I avoid the CLI almost completely, and I
  haven't, so far, had much need for sophisticated file searching facilities.
  So I'm just a mundane user.  But even though I make no use of some of the
  fancier features of directory utilities, I still think that they are
  TERRIFIC: hugely handy helpers.


FEATURES

Side by Side: A Split Personality

   These days most directory utilities use the split screen approach, with
  two directory lists displayed side by side.  This allows you to see at the
  same time, for instance, the directory you are copying a file from, and the
  directory you are copying that file to.  This makes it very easy to see
  exactly what you are doing.  The sheer orderliness of the display helps me
  to visualise the file structures;  everything seems much clearer in a
  directory utility display than the same thing does in a CLI display.

   A directory utility which does not follow the split screen approach is
  BrowserII.  It is different but powerful, and some will prefer it.

Active/Source Directory and Inactive/Destination Directory

   Many directory utilities (such as SID and Directory Opus) work on the
  principle that one list is the active or source directory, and the other
  list the inactive or destination directory.  The source directory could,
  for instance, be the directory you are copying a file from, and the
  destination directory the directory you are copying that file to.  The
  source directory will be indicated in some way: by a change in colour, a
  raised appearance, or with a coloured bar at the top of the list.

   With this type of directory utility, there is only one set of command
  buttons, and these apply to whichever side is active.  DirWork takes a
  slightly different approach, having separate sets of the most-used command
  buttons for each directory list, and also using the left and right mouse
  buttons to determine which list is referenced.

Selecting Entries and Activating Directory Lists

   Any entry in a directory list, either a file name or a directory name, can
  be selected by clicking the left mouse button once on that entry.  The
  utility will then highlight the entry so it is always quite clear which
  entries have been selected.  Commands generally apply only to selected
  entries in the active list.

   An inactive directory list can be made the active list by selecting any
  entry in that list (by clicking on it with the left mouse button), or by
  clicking anywhere in that window with the left or right mouse button, or by
  using one of the arrow or parent gadgets.

Scrolling Listings

   Directory listings can be scrolled up and down by using the scroll bar
  gadgets beside each of the listings.

   SID2 also has a feature which gives a nifty way of zipping up and down
  long directory listings:  activate that directory listing, then just hit
  the key for the first letter of the directory or file you want, and the
  display will scroll instantly to that section of the listing.  For example,
  to swap instantly to the area of a long alphabetical listing showing
  Utilities or Writing, just hit the letter u or w on the keyboard.  Another
  fast way of scrolling long listings with SID2 is to click and hold the
  right mouse button in the display list.

Device Buttons

   Each directory utility has a row or column of device buttons.  These are
  initially configured to represent the most commonly-used device addresses
  df0: df1: dh0: ram: etc.  You can change the buttons to reflect the device
  addresses used in your system, and you can save the new configuration.

   Device buttons are activated by a single click of the left mouse button.
  When a device button is clicked on, a listing of all files and directories
  in the root directory of that device appears in the appropriate directory
  window (in the active window for Directory Opus, or in the window on
  the same side as that device button for SID or DirWork).

   Two additional buttons provided by some directory utilities are VOL (short
  for Volume) and DIR (short for Directory).

   The VOL button in SID will display the names of all the volumes currently
  mounted in your system, including physical volumes (such as floppy disks)
  and logical volumes (which are created by the AmigaDOS ASSIGN command).

   The DIR button in SID will refresh the directory listing.  Use this when
  another program has changed the directory since it was displayed in SID.
  For instance, you might use SID to display a directory of text files, then
  use QED to modify (and save) one of those files or to create a new file,
  and then return to SID to carry out some more file housekeeping functions.
  If you do not redisplay the directory you have just updated with QED, then
  the SID listing will not reflect the latest changes.  Directory Opus and
  DirWork do not have the DIR button, so you would need to reload the
  directory by clicking in the Path field and hitting Return.

Command Buttons

   Command buttons are activated by a single click of the left mouse button.
  Commands apply to selected files and directories in the appropriate
  display (command buttons can also be configured to launch programs
  independently of any displays or entries).

   With active-list directory utilities, such as SID or Directory Opus,
  entries may be selected (and highlighted) in both the inactive and active
  displays, but commands will generally apply only to those selected entries
  which are in the active display.

Message Box

   In the message box, located at the bottom of the window in DirWork and SID
  or on the top in Directory Opus, the directory utility displays messages,
  errors and general information (such as the number of files and directories
  selected, total size etc).

Special Gadgets

   Some directory utilities, most notably SID (and DirWork to a lesser
  extent), have a number of special gadgets.  Often, some of these gadgets
  are `hidden';  that is, they are not immediately obvious.  But they are
  there, and they can be very useful indeed.

   SID2 and Directory Opus have a Parent button;  click on this button to
  display the directory which is the parent of the current directory.  But
  SID also has a special parent gadget, hidden on the far left or right side
  of the directory window.  Placing the mouse pointer on the edge of the
  display and clicking once with the left mouse button, displays the parent
  directory.  This is a much easier process than finding the Parent button
  and clicking on that;  after a bit of practice, using the hidden parent
  gadget becomes quite intuitive and very fast.

   SID2 has several other `hidden' gadgets: one on the edge of the Path
  field displays the previous directory listing, and another on the edge of
  the message box rehighlights previously highlighted entries.  Clicking with
  the right mouse button anywhere in the button bank, swaps to another button
  bank;  or in the message box, it cycles through the various display format
  options (by filesize, date, protection bits etc).  Clicking in the bar
  below the Directory Opus Demo directory list has a similar display result.

   Another special gadget in SID is the Explore Button, the central arrow;
  after clicking on it, every directory you double-click on in the active
  list will be loaded into the inactive list until you click on the Explore
  Button again to stop Explore Mode.

   DirWork has a Parent/Root gadget, indicated by a / character in the far
  left or right of the Path field;  this, like the hidden gadget in SID, is
  very easy to use.  DirWork also has a `hidden' volumes gadget: if you click
  with the right mouse button in either Path field, a list of assigned
  volumes is displayed in that directory list.  In Directory Opus Demo,
  clicking on the S gadget with the right mouse button has the same effect,
  displaying a list of assigned volumes in the active directory list.

Swap and Copy Gadgets

   SID and DirWork have Swap and Copy arrow gadgets to allow easy swapping
  and copying of directory lists from one side to the other.  This can be a
  useful feature.  For instance, you might want to move a file from one
  subdirectory to another within the same parent directory.  This parent
  directory might be four directory levels down from the root directory of
  the disk, a typical situation on a hard disk.  So, in the right hand SID
  listing, you click down through the levels until you reach the parent
  directory, then Copy it via the Copy gadget to the other SID or DirWork
  window, then click on each of the subdirectories you want to access.
  Without the Copy gadget, you would have to click down all the levels on
  each side.

All or None

   The ALL command button works slightly differently in the three utilities.
  Clicking on it selects all the files in the active list in SID2;  clicking
  again on the ALL button in SID2 then selects all directories in the active
  list as well.  I find this flexibility very useful at times.

   In Directory Opus Demo, clicking on the ALL button selects all files and
  directories in the active directory list.  DirWork is initially configured
  so that clicking on an AL button selects all the files in that directory
  display; it can be configured to display all directories as well.

   In each of these utilities, NONE clears all the selections;  that is, it
  deselects all selected files or directories.


OPTIONAL EXTRAS

Defaults and Reconfiguring

   Most directory utilities have defaults set for various options, and if you
  want to change any defaults to tailor the program to suit your needs, you
  simply reconfigure and save the new configuration.  There are wide
  variations in the method and ease of configuring.  But with any of these
  utilities it can be a bit tricky until you understand the process.

   I found SID2 the easiest of The Big Three to configure because online help
  is available throughout the process, just by holding down the CTRL key and
  clicking on any button, menu or submenu.  Directory Opus Demo has a similar
  method, although with less pervasive Help than SID2.  DirWork has built-in
  help functions in its separate configuration program, DWEdit; it takes some
  figuring out, and it helps if you have a smattering of knowledge of the CLI
  (when I first tried I knew close to zilch, but managed to figure out all
  but one button;  now, six months and a few MegaDisc disk-compilations
  later, it seems much easier).

Intermixers or Separatists

   SID, Directory Opus and DirWork allow you to specify whether you want
  directories to be listed first, files first, or directories and files
  intermixed.  You may also be able to specify whether the display is in
  alphabetical order, in date order, or size.  SID2, in particular, offers
  many different, easily-changed options for displays.

Delete Approvals

   Each of these utilities has an option to verify the deletion of selected
  files and/or selected directories.  If verification is specified, you will
  be asked to confirm that you really do want to delete selected entries;  I
  find this a useful safeguard against finger trouble.

Screen or Window

   These three utilities all offer the option of using a custom screen or a
  workbench window.  The custom screen allows more colour choices than the
  window (which is confined to the workbench colours), but takes up more
  chip RAM so if you are short of memory, use the window option.

Buttons and Bows

   These utilities are amazingly configurable: you can change button labels,
  locations and functions with gay abandon.

   I've set up an extra bank of buttons in SID2 to load all sorts of programs
  at a single click of a button.  For instance, I have a button set up to
  load each of the MD.Articles hyperbooks, opening directly into the
  Reference_Guide to the articles;  this makes article look-up a very fast
  process, with almost instant access to 120 MegaDisc articles at a time.
  Other buttons run Snap, or PicSaver, or PowerPacker, or Most.  Clicking on
  one of these buttons is just like clicking on an icon to start a program.
  The advantage is that no matter how many directory levels down the programs
  are, they are all easily accessible within the one bank of SID buttons, so
  you don't have to open several windows to get to them; the only
  disadvantage is that you don't get to use snazzy icons.

   And talking of icons, another much-used button I've set up in SID2 runs
  Robert Lang's neat ViewIcon program (on MD28 or Fish 717).  SID2, unlike
  DirWork and Directory_Opus Demo has no built-in function to show pictures
  or icons. I didn't find this a problem, as a VIEW button can easily be
  configured to use, say, the PD program Mostra for IFF picture display (or
  PPView if you want to display PowerPacked IFFs).  I added a VIEWICN button,
  which works similarly to the SHOW function in Directory Opus (disabled in
  the Demo);  with it you can display both sides of an alternate image icon
  (DirWork SHOW only displays the non-selected side). As I still create a lot
  of icons, I make heavy use of the VIEWICN button.

Menus: Off the Menu

   Special functions can also be set up in custom menus; just select the menu
  item to launch a program.  (With Workbench 2, similar custom menus can be
  added to the Workbench Tools menu on the title bar.)  I tried both menus
  and buttons for running programs, and found I preferred clicking on a
  button to selecting an entry from a menu.  So I'm sticking with my buttons.


FEATURES I FANCY

Hidden Gadgets and Online Help

   SID's gadgets are great to use, and soon become intuitive; they are even
  easier to use than buttons!  And the online help in SID2 is terrific,
  running the full gamut from overviews of basic functions to nit-picky
  details of how to specify configuration sub-options. Just hold down the
  CTRL key and click on the button or field for excellent explanations of
  functions and options.  Such a HELP function is much easier to use than
  wading through a single big doc file or manual; it is on the spot all the
  time.  Directory Opus Demo has online help too;  not having seen the full
  program, I don't know if it is as good as SID2's Help.  But one interesting
  feature of Directory Opus's Help is that the user can tailor it to suit.

Instant Recognition

   Standard with all top directory utilities is their ability to recognise
  file types and then perform the appropriate instant action on a file
  depending on its type.  For instance, if you wanted to read a text file,
  you could click once on the filename to select it, then click on the READ
  button;  or you could simply double-click the filename.  Similarly,
  double-clicking on pictures or sound samples shows the pictures or plays
  the sound sample.  This is a very handy feature.

Copy As

   This is Copy plus Rename in one neat operation; I use it all the time.

Pattern or By Name

   Available in each of The Big Three, this function provides, for example,
  an easy way of getting rid of those superfluous .info files created
  automatically but often unnecessarily by many programs. Just select all the
  files in a list with the suffix .info (by using #?.info), check you really
  don't need any of them, then click on the DELETE button to delete them all.

Top, Reverse and Resort

   This group of functions, standard in SID2, provides a facility I find very
  handy when dealing with long directory lists.  For example, I might select
  5 entries out of 200.  Normally, these would appear alphabetically and I
  would have to scroll the directory list to see them, which is a nuisance.
  But if after selecting them I click on TOP, the five selected entries will
  be moved to the top of the display.  The display will be restored to the
  original entry order if I click on RESORT.  If I click on REVERSE, then the
  5 entries are deselected and the other 195 entries are selected;  this
  gives a quick way of selecting most but not all files in a big directory
  (perhaps to mark them for deletion or to move them elsewhere).

MakeDir Right (or Left)

   This is a nifty SID2 feature (additional to the ordinary Makedir command):
  a new directory is created in the active list, and that directory is then
  loaded into the right (or left) display, ready as a destination directory.

Bytes and Blocks

   SID has what is for me the most useful way of stating how big files are:
  not only can it state the actual size of a file in bytes, but also it can
  tell me how much space that file (or all selected files and directories)
  actually occupies on disk, in blocks as well as bytes.  As an example, a
  file might be 654 bytes long, but it will take 1,536 bytes to store that
  file on hard disk because it occupies 3 blocks.  The SID command takes into
  account the blocking factor of different types of disks (the blocking
  factor is the number of bytes that fit into each block on the disk).
  Directory Opus Demo and DirWork seem only to give file sizes in bytes.

Add Icon

   With this function, which is available in DirWork and Directory Opus but
  not in SID2, you can automatically add icons to selected entries (files or
  directories).  Add Icon will sense what sort of entry it is (Drawer,
  Project or Tool) and add an appropriate icon;  you can specify what these
  icons are to look like by nominating sample icons.  This seems a convenient
  little feature to me; it could be achieved in SID2 by setting up a button
  to run, say, AddIcon from Fish 750 (Workbench 2 only).

Font Viewer

   Directory Opus's SHOW function not only displays IFF pictures and icons,
  but also fonts (the other two utilities don't do this); just double-click
  on a font file to display a screen full of it.   A similar but even better
  effect could be achieved within SID2 or DirWork (or Directory Opus) by
  setting up a button to use one of the font display programs around, such as
  FontViewer from MegaDisc 26, or (a later version) Fish 732.  (This program
  is a little beauty, allowing you to display in separate small, resizable
  and movable windows up to 30 different fonts in bold, italic or underline,
  making font selection a breeze.  What a find, a bonus of writing this
  article!  I just zipped out of QED and back into SID2, and set up a
  FontViewer button;  now, a mere few minutes later, it works beautifully.)

Online DOS Error Help

   Directory Opus has a friendly feature (particularly for beginners) to
  provide helpful descriptions of the various DOS errors.  Just select Error
  Help from the menu, type in the number of the error (such as the ubiquitous
  205), and Directory Opus will provide a short description of the error and
  what it might mean in practical terms.  This feature is not provided in
  SID2 or DirWork.

Multiple Button Banks

   SID2 and Directory Opus provide the option of multiple button banks;
  DirWork does not.  I love this feature, and I have configured SID2 with
  three button banks: the two provided, and a third I added for launching
  programs such as PowerPacker, or HyperBook applications, with one click.
  In SID2, you can add as many button banks as memory permits;  the review of
  Directory Opus Pro in MegaDisc 27 mentioned a limit of 84 gadgets.

DirWork's Built-in Text Viewer

   The text viewer built in to DirWork has some powerful features.  It will
  automatically unpack PowerPacked files as long as you have the PowerPacker
  library in your libs: directory;  it can display files in ASCII or Hex, via
  a toggle button;  and, the feature I like best, there is another toggle
  button for either displaying the file with all its flashy highlights, or
  showing the ANSI control characters which are used to obtain those
  highlights.  This latter feature could be a terrific aid to those planning
  to write a MegaDisc masterpiece:  just display a text file which has the
  highlighting you want to use, and see the codes you have to enter!  (The
  initial escape character will show as a small hollow square.)  (Note to
  would-be scribes:  if you don't have PowerPacker, you will have to unpack
  snazzy MegaDisc files first - use FullView to Save as ASCII.)

Fit: A Chip off the Old Block

   SID has a terrific feature that I use a great deal: FIT.  By selecting
  this button (in SID2) or menu item (SID1.06), SID will tell you whether the
  files you want to copy to a disk will fit on that disk.   I prefer the
  button to the menu item of the old SID (because I like buttons better), but
  I actually preferred SID's previous implementation of the function because
  in the older version it will tell you the FIT figures in blocks, whereas in
  SID2 the bad news comes in bytes.  Because files are stored on disks in
  blocks, that seems the more meaningful figure to me.  But whether in blocks
  or bytes, FIT is fanTAStic!


VIVE LA DIFFERENCE

They Beg to Differ

   While these directory utilities are superficially similar, and provide the
  same basic functions, each has strengths in particular areas.

The Feel

   One of the areas they differ most in is the "feel" of the program.  The
  Directory Utility Starter Disk I've prepared for MegaDisc contains SID2
  (Trial), DirWork, and Directory Opus Demo;  and I'm putting the earlier
  version of SID (v1.06) and BrowserII on the DiskStarter disk I'm currently
  preparing.  These disks (especially set up for beginners) should provide a
  good opportunity to see what the different utilities feel like in
  operation, and also whether you like their general appearance and layout.

   On fairly quick evaluations of DirWork and Directory Opus compared to SID,
  I felt most comfortable with DirWork and SID;  I seemed to make a few goofs
  with Directory Opus Demo. While using Directory Opus, I mourned the absence
  of the Swap and Copy Gadgets and SID's terrific parent gadget;  but I felt
  quite at home with DirWork's equivalents.  Also, I wasn't comfortable with
  the placement of the device buttons on the left hand side in Directory
  Opus;  I prefer them under or over the directory lists.  These discomforts
  may have been simply because I was already familiar with SID's different
  way of doing things.  Or they may indicate that the way SID and DirWork do
  things really does suit me better than that of Directory Opus.  On the
  other hand, Directory Opus Pro's use of the mouse buttons for selecting
  actions performed by buttons (clicking with the left can perform one
  action, clicking with the right: another action, etc) might be rather nice
  in practice.

The Size

   It seems these utilities come in two major forms: big (with bells!) or
  small (trim, taut and terrific?).  Many Amigans are not over-endowed with
  disk space or RAM;  for these users, the selection of a directory utility
  will probably be strongly influenced by the size of the program.

   Directory Opus and SID2 are BIG (and probably roughly equal in power,
  though in slightly different areas).  DirWork, BrowserII, and DiskMasterII
  are all relatively small.  A mid-range position is taken by the Personal
  form of SID2, which you can use after you have configured SID2 to your
  taste, or SID1.06.

DirWork

   DirWork is small (only 39K packed), fast, easy to use, powerful, and very
  configurable.  To me, it seems the easiest of The Big Three for beginners
  to use, because absolutely nothing need be set up to be able to use its
  wide range of built-in functions.  Just click on its icon and away you go.

   DirWork comes with full and voluminous documentation on disk;  initially I
  found it somewhat daunting, but DWEdit (its external configuration editor)
  helps in figuring out how to configure DW, and in understanding the doc.

   Its programmer, Chris Hames, is happy to tell any registered user how to
  configure a button for a particular need (he answered queries of mine about
  setting up DirWork for the IconStarter and DirUStarter disks promptly and
  helpfully), and he is continuing to develop this product (and others).  So
  if you find you like using DirWork and want to go on using it, then please
  send in the shareware fee of $35 to Chris;  it will be money well spent.

Directory Opus

   Directory Opus, like DirWork, is an Australian product, but it is a much
  bigger, fancier program, available commercially rather than as shareware.
  It requires more disk space and more memory to run;  1MB or more of memory
  is recommended, and at least 2 drives.  The minimum disk space required for
  the Demo version of the program is 73K packed;  the online Help files and
  arp.library bring the total to 110K.  And according to reviews,  Directory
  Opus Pro (the current commercial version) weighs in at 242K (not packed).

   Directory Opus has some features which are not in SID2 or DirWork, most
  notably ARexx support;  some sample scripts are included, along with
  detailed documentation of its use within Directory Opus.

   Directory Opus Pro comes with what is reportedly good documentation in the
  form of a well laid-out manual, and excellent online Help is also provided.

   I doubt that the Demo does this program justice because so many functions
  are disabled in the Demo, which is oldish now too.  If you are thinking of
  buying Directory Opus, don't only judge it on this;  try also to have a
  look at it in, say, a computer shop, to see if it provides the functions
  you need.

SID Version 2

   With my biases much in evidence: SID2 is magnificent!  It is very easy to
  use, and it is amazingly configurable.  Excellent online Help makes it easy
  to learn as you go, and this removes most of the pain of the configuration
  process.   It has received enthusiastic-to-rave reviews.

   SID2 is distributed in three versions: Professional, the full version for
  registered users only, fully configurable;  Personal, the full version
  without configuration editing, for use (after configuring SID2) where
  memory is restricted; and Trial, a demo version which can't save
  configuration details.

   SID2, like Directory Opus, is a big program.  The full program takes 250K
  on disk;  even the Personal version is over 150K, but this can be packed
  down to 85K with PowerPacker to save disk space, with only a slight delay
  on loading while the program is unpacked.

   Virtually all of SID2's documentation comes in online Help files, and
  these really are very helpful.

SID Version 1.06

   The earlier version of SID, version 1.06, is getting long in the tooth now
  (born 1988) but it is still quite a powerful directory utility, albeit
  without the `bells and whistles' of SID version 2 or Directory Opus.  SID
  version 1.06 would be particularly suitable for Workbench 1.3 users who are
  tight on disk space or memory; it might be an alternative to DirWork.  The
  program takes up nearly 120K, but can be PowerPacked to less than 60K.

DiskMasterII

   (Please note that comments here are based solely on reviews and articles
  I've read, notably in MD27 and the January 92 issue of Amazing Computing;
  I've never set eyes on this program, and don't know of any demo versions.)

   This commercial utility is small (less than 68K, which should pack down
  to a mere 35K or so) and powerful, and it takes an unusual approach.  When
  it first loads, it appears similar to the others described above, with
  directory lists on either side, and a column of commands down the middle
  rather than across the top or bottom of the display.  But look closer ...

   Each of the display lists is an independent window, as is the command
  column;  these can be moved and resized to suit your needs.  And you are
  not limited to two directory lists on display at a time - you can open
  multiple windows, all independently resizable and movable.   This could be
  a very handy feature if, like me, you often work on files in several (or
  many!) different directories at once (the Amiga's multitasking capability
  is there to be used, and I sure do use it).

   DiskMasterII has all the standard directory utility commands: Copy, Move,
  Rename, Delete, Makedir, Read, ShowPic, Find, Protect etc.  It also has
  Copy Newer, a command which stops you from accidentally updating a newer
  version of a file with an older one, and Size Check, which seems to provide
  a similar function to the enormously useful FIT in SID, checking whether
  files will fit on to the destination disk.  And it has the usual file
  recognition features (called AutoCommands) so that, for instance,
  double-clicking a text file will initiate a read of that file, or
  double-clicking a picture will show it.

   DiskMasterII seems to be fairly configurable, although not as much as SID2
  or Directory Opus.  It uses a text file (like a startup-sequence) as its
  config file;  you can edit it with any text editor, and according to the
  review in Amazing Computing, configuration is easy.  On the downside, a
  reader later wrote to that magazine to point out that DiskMasterII "does
  not provide any method for inserting immediate-string parameters or content
  from its many command gadgets", and so such a function as the very handy
  Copy As command is not possible without a great deal of shenanigans on the
  part of the user.

   Like Directory Opus, DiskMasterII has ARexx support.  It comes with an
  excellent manual, but no online Help.  An interesting program, it should be
  considered by anyone in the market for a directory utility.

BrowserII

   BrowserII, a shareware program, doesn't look much like the other directory
  utilities at all, with a basic difference being that it has no command
  gadgets or buttons;  everything is done via click and drag (as with icons
  on Workbench), key presses or menus.  It takes DiskMasterII's multiple
  resizable windows idea a step further - you can have masses of windows, and
  they stack neatly under each other as you open each new directory.

   Each of the windows can be iconified by clicking on an iconify gadget,
  with the window apparently disappearing up the spout, so to speak.
  Actually, BrowserII keeps note of them all, and any window can be reopened
  by clicking on its name in an Aliens list window, which can be summoned by
  pressing F5.  Windows can be made to open expanded to show all the files in
  that display at once, or in a smaller form (you scroll the listing using a
  scroll bar).  Menu items can be set up to run your favourite programs by
  selecting them from the BrowserII menu or by the key presses you define.
  And there are some cute tricks, such as iconifying all the windows for a
  device at once by holding down the Shift key when you click on the iconify
  gadget of its top-level window.

   If you want to see an excellent and detailed example of one practical use
  of Browser, read the article called Trio on MD24 by John Collett.

   To use BrowserII, you will probably need to copy a couple of libraries
  first into your libs: directory;  these are supplied on the Fish disk (in
  the Support directory, along with a script for installing them - but all
  you need to do is copy the three files to libs:).  The documentation is in
  slightly fractured English (the authors are French), but it has been
  written with beginners in mind;  there are helpful tutorials too.


SUMMARY: Choose, Then Use!

   For most people, the regular use of any one of these directory utilities
  would vastly simplify and speed up the unavoidable file management tasks
  associated with any productive work on their Amigas.  Many of the fancier
  features of these utilities would not be needed at all for the relatively
  simple `housekeeping' tasks associated with a snippet of word processing, a
  dab of painting, or a spot of DTPing;  for these purposes, any of the
  smaller utilities should do fine.  Pick the one you like best, then USE it.



© Leigh Murray
  Queanbeyan NSW

  January 1993


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