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Text File | 1989-04-14 | 15KB | 355 lines

The CatalogTool: "A Guided Tour" by Tom Monson. To catalog disks you must determine the various catagories they represent and write them down. For example, we will use the following types (Yours may vary depending on your disks, but please avoid generics like MISC. as it will only make finding a program you need more difficult): CATAGORIES ---------- ANIMATION ART CAD DATABASE DEMOS DESKTOP-PUBLISHING DISK-MAGAZINES DOCUMENTATION EDUCATIONAL FINANCIAL FONTS GAMES PROGRAMMING PUBLIC-DOMAIN SPREADSHEET UTILITY VIDEO WORDPROCESSING NUMBERING SYSTEM ---------------- Next you need to decide on a numbering system to use when indexing your disks. Any combination of letters and numbers will do. (You can also use characters like !@#$%^&*()-+=|\ etc. but they aren't easy to remember so stick to letters & numbers and you will make things easier for yourself later on. EXAMPLES OF NUMBERING SYSTEMS: ----------------------------- Some examples might be as follows (up to 15 characters may be used but only 9 can appear in the input requester at a time): 000001, 000002, 000003, etc. (just numbers) G00001, G00002, W00001, W00002 etc (letters & numbers ie: G=games W=wordprocessors) 000001, 000002,....000009, 00000A, 00000B,....00000Z, 000010, etc. (all numbers and letters used sequencially) These are six digit examples you may use more or less, it's up to you. However it is recommended that you use preceeding zeros for however many characters you decide as sorting by Disk ID will require them to display correctly. HOW WILL THE DATA SORT? ----------------------- This is what a sort would look like without preceeding zeros: 1 10 100 2 20 200 3 This is what a sort would look like WITH preceeding zeros: 000001 000002 000003 000004 000005 All sorting is left justified, using the ASCII code equivilance for letters and numbers. WHERE WILL THE NUMBERS (In the numbering system) APPEAR? -------------------------------------------------------- This numbering system will be written on each of your disk's labels and is used to track where each program resides. FORMAT A BLANK DISK ------------------- Now format a blank disk using your workbench disk and rename it "CATALOGS" This will be the disk used to store your data on later. Harddrive users can make a directory named "CATALOGS" using the makedir command from the CLI. STANDARD REFERENCE TO MOUSE BUTTON: ---------------------------------- In the following text, if not specified otherwise,"clicking"or "pressing" the mouse button refers to the LEFT mouse button. PREPARING TO ENTER THE DATA --------------------------- Now you are ready to begin entering your data. Load Project D and select the CatalogTool Icon on the Supervisor screen by double clicking on it with the pointer using the left mouse button. After the catalogtool has finished loading, put the disk you formatted earlier and renamed "CATALOGS" in drive DF1: If you have a one drive system, replace the Project D disk in drive DF0: with the disk you previously formatted and renamed "CATALOGS". Harddrive users may use the directory previously created. While holding down the right mouse button, move the pointer into the menu bar area labeled "CATALOG MENU". From the menu, select "PROCESSING" by dragging the pointer over the word "PROCESSING" until it is highlighted and then release the right mouse button. Move the pointer over the box gadget which is labeled "MAKE A CATALOG". Select the box by clicking the left mouse button once. What you now see in the center of the screen is the Filename Selection Requester. Look in the blue rectangle adjacent to the word "Pathname ->" In this area is the name of a disk (or volume). For example it may say "Project D:" or "Workbench:" or "CATALOGS:". Using the arrow to point at the box labled "NextVol", click the left mouse button till the name "CATALOGS:" appears in the blue rectangle next to the word "Pathname ->". This indicates that Project D is looking at the disk you formatted earlier. Harddrive users should see"DH0:","DH1:", or whatever volume name you gave your harddrive instead of the word "CATALOGS:" in the blue area. Don't panic if you click too many times and go past the name "CATALOGS". Just keep on clicking the left mouse button with the arrow over the box labled "NextVol" till the name comes around again. ================================================================= HARD DRIVE USERS ONLY! You need to click on the directory path you created when you used the makedir command to make a directory named "CATALOGS". All directories appear in the large rectangle in this requester with ">>>>" ahead of their names. (ie: >>>> EMPTY) Use the white scroll gadget to see any directories not visible in the rectangle by putting the arrow on the white vertical rectangle and sliding it up or down while holding down the left mouse button. Subdirectories can be accessed by pointing the arrow at the directory name in the large rectangle and clicking the left mouse button once. To return to the previous directory name, put the pointer on the box labled "Parent" and click the left mouse button once. When you have found the directory you made named "CATALOGS", put the arrow on the word "CATALOGS" and click the left mouse button once. ================================================================= Now place the pointer arrow on the blue rectangle at the bottom of the requester next to the word "FileName ->" and click the left mouse button once. A small gray square should appear in the middle of the blue rectangle. Using the keyboard, type in the first catagory name on your list you made earlier. (if you make an error use the DEL & BACKSPACE keys to correct it) When you are sure it's correct, press the RETURN key. In our example, the first catagory is "ANIMATION". A smaller requester will appear asking for a Catagory Type. Move the pointer to the blue rectangle area of this requester and click the left mouse button once. A small gray square will appear at the left of the blue rectangle. Using the keyboard again type a sub-catagory if you want one and then press the Return key. (ie:CATAGORY=GAMES, SUB-CATAGORY=ADVENTURES) If no sub-catagory is desired simply press the RETURN key anyway. Now, in the upper left portion of your screen directly below the words "CATALOG FILE", you should see the word "ANIMATION.CAT" The .CAT suffix is automatically added to your catagory name by Project D to identify this as a catagory file. Repeat the catagory entry process for each of the catagories you wrote down on paper at the beginning. Start by pointing the arrow at the box labled "MAKE A CATALOG" and clicking the left mouse button. Then point the arrow in the blue rectangle at the bottom of the requester and click the left mouse button. A gray square will appear in the center of the blue area. Use the keyboard to type in the next catagory name and then press the RETURN key. Continue, as described previously, until you have entered all the catagory names on your list. On the left side of the screen should appear all the names you have entered with ".CAT" after them. This completes the initial setup required to begin entering your disks: Hold down the right mouse button and move the pointer once again into the CATALOG MENU and highlight the words "FILE ENTRY" and then release the button. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ENTER DISK DATA --------------- Disk data may be entered in one of two ways into the CatalogTool. MANUAL ENTRY: ------------ First lets use the MANUAL ENTRY mode. Move the pointer over the box gadget labled "MANUAL ENTRY" located on the lower left of the screen. Click the left mouse button once. A requester ressembling a 3X5 card will appear in the middle of the screen. This is the FILE ENTRY EDIT REQUESTER. Place the arrow in the blue rectangle next to the word "FILENAME" and click the left mouse button once. Using the keyboard type in the name of the program on the first disk you wish to catalog. (ie: DELUXE PAINT) Press the RETURN key. The gray cursor will move to the next sequencial blue area , in this case next to the word Pathname. If the program "DELUXE PAINT" was in the root directory of the disk then, no entry is needed. If the program was in a drawer named PAINT PROGRAMS then you could type in PAINT PROGRAMS/ in the pathname area. This is not required and may be of no interest to you anyway. Pressing the RETURN key again will step you to next area labeled COMMENT. This is where FileNotes would appear and you may enter any comment you wish or none. (ie: "requires 2 drives") Press Return. Now enter your first disk ID number (ie: 000001) and press RETURN. If you desire to know the size of the program file enter it here and press return. Enter the creation date of the program file if you desire following the example already in the blue rectangle. The only required entries are the FILENAME and the DISK ID the other fields need not be entered if not wanted. (the default datestamp will be entered if not changed.) Continuing to press the RETURN key will cycle the cursor through all the fields again or the pointer may be placed in any field and pressing the left mouse button will move the cursor there. When you are satisfied that all information is correct, move the pointer to the box labeled OK and press the left mouse button. Repeat this proceedure for other files on this disk or enter the data for the next disk. Remember to increment your DISK ID when entering a new disk. This concludes the Manual entry proceedure. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTO ENTRY: ---------- Now lets try the AUTO-ENTRY mode. Insert the disk you wish to enter in any drive. Move the arrow to the AUTO-ENTRY box gadget at the bottom of the screen and click the left mouse button. Look at the name which appears in the blue rectangle next to the words "PATHNAME" and if it isn't the disk you inserted, click on the NEXTVOL gadget till you see the name of the disk you wish to read in. Now click on the OK gadget. Type in your DISK ID and press return. This FILTER REQUESTER will help eliminate many unwanted or unnecessary files from being read into your catalog. A red X in the box next to a phrase like "Include Subdirs" means enable that phrase. Hence you may elect to include or exclude the following by clicking in the box next to the phrase. INCLUDE SUBDIRS - reads in all files found in all subdirectories on the disk. INC SUBDIR NAME - reads in subdirectory names (ie: c,s,t,devs) INCLUDE PATHS - reads in the directory paths to all files read on the disk. INCLUDE .info's - reads icon .info files found on disk. SORT ENTRIES - Alphabetizes files while reading them from disk. ProgSort DiskID - Alphabetizes each disk unto itself but seperate from other disks being entered. (ie: disk ID 000001 all files sorted A-Z , disk ID 000002 all files sorted A-Z but not sorted with files from disk ID 000001) VOLUMENAME ONLY - only reads disk Volume name ignoring other files on disk. TEST BOOTBLOCKS - used only with VOLUMENAME ONLY option, checks for standard DOS, non-standard DOS, or not-installed disk. When all selections have been made, point and click on OK box gadget. All selected information is read off the disk and will appear on the File Entry screen. Any file's "3X5 card" requester can be viewed by double clicking on it's file name in the list. Click OK or CANCEL to return to previous screen. Single clicking will highlight a file in black. Single clicking on that highlighted file again will un-highlight it. To delete a unwanted filename, first click on the DELETE ENTRY gadget box at the bottom center of the screen and then double click on the unwanted file. Single clicking will toggle the red highlight of the file on and off again. After deleting all unwanted files click once again on the DELETE ENTRY gadgetbox to turn off delete entry mode. DELETE ALL and SORT ENTRYS do just what they say. Delete ALL files in list or sort ALL files in list together. There is a scroll bar gadget on the right of the list to view additional files off screen. Point and hold down the left mouse button on this gadget to use it. While as many disk may be entered at one time as your memory will hold, it is recommended that no more than 25 disks be entered at a time as no data is saved till tags are resolved on the PROCESSING SCREEN. Hold down the right mouse button and move the arrow to the menu bar area. Select PROCESSING from the CATALOG MENU. This is the Processing Screen. The files you entered should appear on the right side of the screen and your Catagories should be on the left side of the screen. Click once on any catagory and highlight it. Now click once on any files that belong to that catagory. For example picture files would go with the ART catagory. When all files belonging to that catagory have been highlighted, then click once on a different catagory and highlight it. Notice all files previously highlighted in black are now gray signifying they are assigned and not available to other catagories anymore. Click on and highlight all files belonging to the currently selected catagory and then go on to the next catagory and so on. When all files have been assigned to a catagory (or Tagged) then move the pointer to the RESOLVE TAGS box gadget in the lower left of the screen and click once. Another filter requester will appear that works just like the other one. (ie: red X means selected option) ALPHA SORT - sorts new files with previous files already saved in catagory. PROGSORT DISKID - Subsorts each disk A-Z by disk ID same as before. DISCARD DUPS - Rejects any new files already matching one saved in catagory. REPLACE DUPS - Replaces any matched files with most current datestamp. Select options then click on OK. All files will be stored in their selected Catagory and when completed, files will be removed from the right side of the screen. At this point data has been saved to disk so you may either return to the FILE ENTRY screen to enter more disks or you may select QUIT TOOL from the CATALOG MENU. To review any catagory once saved, just click on it and highlight it, on the PROCESSING screen and then select the MAINTENANCE screen from the CATALOG MENU by pressing and holding the right mouse button and then releasing it when MAINTENANCE is highlighted. In future sessions, go to the PROCESSING Screen and then simply use the FIND A CATALOG box gadget to locate your CATALOGS disk and then select all the catagories one at a time onto the PROCESSING screen. Refer to the other CATALOG TOOL Documentaion fo explanation of the remaining gadgets.