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ArcMaster 4.2 Copyright 1989 by New-Ware All Rights Reserved (tm) ┌─────────┐ ┌─────┴───┐ │ MEMBER ───│ │ │──────────────── │ ┌──────┴──┐ │ Association of │ │ ├──┘ Shareware └──┤ ■ │ Professionals ──────│ ║ │─────────────────── └────╨────┘ The program author, John J. Newlin, is an active member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a Shareware related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. 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. LICENSE ArcMaster is a Shareware product. As such, it is made available to the general personal computing public for evaluation. Users are licensed to operate this program 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 the 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 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, he/she should remove the program from his/her personal computer. Otherwise, if the program is deemed useful and is in fact in regular use on the user's computer system, registration with New-Ware is required. Registered users are those users that elect to pay for ArcMaster and register that payment with New-Ware. By virtue of registration and payment for the 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. REGISTRATION ArcMaster is sole property of New-Ware Shareware products. The Shareware version may be freely copied and transferred to individual parties for evaluation purposes. It may be posted on Bulletin Board systems (BBS) for electronic access as long as NO FEE is charged for its distribution except for private BBS operations that charge a regular user subscription fee. Computer information services such as Compuserve (CIS), Genie, etc., are authorized to post this product for subscriber access. ArcMaster may NOT be distributed on diskette by any disk distributor/vendor who charges more than $10.00 for the diskette upon which the program and attendant files are recorded without written consent from New-Ware. ArcMaster is a fully functional Shareware product. Shareware is a computer program distribution/marketing method that permits potential buyers to thoroughly try the program prior to purchase. It is NOT free and it is not in the Public Domain. If, after evaluating the program, you find it to be useful enough to use it on a regular basis, you are expected to pay for it by registering with New-Ware. The registration fee is $35.00 and the registered version, which is NOT distributed as Shareware, will not contain the opening Shareware screen nor the closing messages. Those who have registered a previous version of ArcMaster may purchase ArcMaster version 4.2 as an upgrade for $5.00. Please be advised that I will NOT accept credit card orders for the upgrade. Checks only, please! You may register ArcMaster 4.2 in one of three ways: 1) By mail with check or money order to: New-Ware 6198 Agee Street #71 San Diego, CA 92122 2) By telephone with Visa/Mastercard to: New-Ware (619) 455-6225 3) Electronically through the New-Ware BBS: (619) 455-5226 The New-Ware Shareware products BBS operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week at 1200/2400 baud and N71 or N81. 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. Just 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 EPLEX). 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-R from the main ArcMaster Display to display the registration window. Prompts will be issued for the pertinent information and you will have the option of printing the registration form when the form is completed. CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS MUST INCLUDE 7% STATE SALES TAX! I support my software. One of the great strengths of the Shareware concept is the interaction between the program author and the users. Many of the features contained in ArcMaster are the result of user input. If you have a problem evaluating this program or desire to make a suggestion or comment (or even a complaint), please do not hesitate to contact me. Even if you register ArcMaster, if you later determine that it is unsuitable for your use, you may contact me for a refund. It is not necessary that you be a registered user to contact me for technical support. VERSION HISTORY 4.0 - 02/16/89 - Initial release. 4.01 - 02/19/89 - Added Ctrl-X for refreshing directory. Added display of current archive system. Added "hot arc" feature. Added capabiliity to place tagged files in multiple archive files. Fixed various minor bugs. 4.02 - 02/21/89 - Various bug fixes. Added multiple file mask capability. Added INS key to pre-designate archive file name. Smoothed out the window swap operation so that the cursor bar positions are maintained over the swap. Added display of right window bytes free. Made right/left arrow keys same as TAB key. Fixed bug in saving default start-up paths. Added automatic switch to compatible archive system when unarchiving or LISTing. Added configurable name for LIST.COM. 4.1 - 03/05/89 Various bug fixes. 4.2 - 03/11/89 Added support for PKZIP version 0.92. Added Ctrl-Z to call PKZIPFIX to fix a suspec .ZIP file. Added support for disabled users. New versions are created and released for two main reasons. First, and foremost, is to correct bugs and design flaws discovered by users. The second is to incorporate new and better ideas received from users. OPERATION OF ARCMASTER General and Technical Information. CAUTION!!! - ArcMaster uses a temporary subdirectory (child of the current active directory) named "$!$" for conversion from one archive system files to another. Do NOT use a subdirectory of this name anywhere in your system or the files contained therein might be lost!! The term ARC is widely used throughout this documentation as well as in various textual messages in the executable program. ARC, as it is used here and in the program, is an abbreviation for the generic word "archive". Archive is defined as a "place where records or documents are kept." In the case of personal computers, the term has come to connote files that contain other files that have been reduced in size through the employment of various compression techniques. Thus an archive file is a library of files compressed for archival or storage efficiency purposes. Some compression/decompression systems automatically append a DOS file extension of .ARC, some use .PAK, some use .MD, and some use .ZIP. When the term archive appears here or in the main program, it refers to the process of creating, modifying, or unpacking compressed archive files or it refers to a file in which compressed files have been stored in library fashion. There will be references in this document to various operating system file extensions such as .ARC, .PAK, and .ZIP. These file extensions are given (usually by default) in the creation of archives of compressed files by archive systems to distinguish these from other files. The references to these extensions are for technical explanatory reasons. ArcMaster 4.2 supports 5 popular and widely used archive systems. An archive system is a program or group of programs that employ file compression techniques to create a compressed archive file and decompression techniques to access and extract files stored in an archive file. The following systems are currently supported by ArcMaster: ARC by Systems Enhancement Associates (SEA) ARCA/ARCE by Vernon Buerg PKPAK/PKUNPAK by PKWare (no longer distributed) PAK by NoGate Consulting PKZIP/PKUNZIP by PKWare (Phil Katz) All of these are outstanding systems and each have their own specific merits. New-Ware has no vested interest in the commercial success of any of these systems and does not recommend one over the other. It is recommended that archive file users evaluate each of these systems, select the one(s) closest to meeting archival needs, and registering that product(s). All, except ARCA, are Shareware products and available from various sources, including Bulletin Board Systems around the country. ArcMaster 4.2 supports all of these systems in an effort to provide an effective archive system visual user interface for the broadest range of users. It is the responsibility of the user to thoroughly read and understand the documentation included with whichever archive systems are in use. For example, the ZIP system provides a means for specifying a drive as the default for creating temporary files. This feature is important when archiving/unarchiving from/to floppy disks. NOTE: If you have PKARC.EXE and PKXARC.EXE version 3.5, rename these files to PKPAK.EXE and PKUNPAK.EXE and set up the AM42 configuration to use the PKPAK/PKUNPAK system. ArcMaster 4. is written in Borland International's Turbo Pascal, version 5.0 and makes heavy use of TurboPower Software's Turbo Professional library. It was developed and compiled on an AST Premium/286 equipped with a Paradise (480) EGA and NEC Multisync II monitor. It has been tested on the following machines: AST Premium/286 (as described above) - MSDOS 3.2 & PCDOS 4.0 ACER 710 XT clone Herc graphics and mono monitor - MSDOS 3.2 Leading Edge "M" with CGA - PCDOS 3.1 Zenith 386 with VGA and VGA monitor - MSDOS 3.3 Compaq 386/20 with VGA monitor - MSDOS 3.3 The author is a retired Naval Aviator who holds degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science. Developing and marketing Shareware products became his full-time business after resigning from Hughes Aircraft Company in 1988. Other Shareware products offered by New-Ware are: SCOUT - TSR disk/file manager CopyMaster - File/disk copy utility FormatMaster - Floppy disk formatter General Program Description ArcMaster is a full-featured visual interface program designed facilitate the operation of archive systems in the PCDOS/MSDOS environment. By itself, ArcMaster WILL NOT perform any file compression or decompression. At least one of the support systems must be present before ArcMaster becomes useful. With one or more of the five supported archive systems present, ArcMaster will make the creation, modification, and unarchiving of archive files much easier and faster. It is menu-driven and employs a "point and shoot" style method of controlling major archiving operations. System Requirements At least one of the five supported archive systems must be available before ArcMaster can be successfully operated. ArcMaster also includes the capability to convert archive files from/to the popular .ARC format (developed by SEA) and the newer .PAK format (developed by NoGate Consulting). A system that operates with each format must be present in order to successfully convert from one format to another. Here are the file names of the executable files for each system: ARC (ver. 5.32) - *ARC.EXE PAK (ver. 1.5) - *PAK.EXE PKPAK (ver. 3.6) - PKPAK.EXE PKUNPAK.EXE ARCA (ver. 1.28) - *ARCA.COM *ARCE.COM ZIP (ver. 1.0) - PKZIP.EXE PKUNZIP.EXE Those files marked with an asterisk (*) are files that may distributed with the version number as part of the file name. For example, the current version of Vern Buerg's ARCA is distributed as ARCA129.COM. Be sure that the archive system files that you use are named exactly as above. ArcMaster may be operated on any IBM PC/XT/AT/PS2 or compatible running under DOS 2.0 and above. With the distributed default settings of 300 files per directory (RIGHT & LEFT), 50 directories per active drive (RIGHT & LEFT), and 50 files per archive and without Lotus, Intel, Microsoft (LIM) Expanded Memory Specification (EMS) memory available, it uses approximately 145K RAM with . With EMS, it requires 164K. The registered version requires 5K less memory. ArcMaster supports the DESKQView environment and the Hercules InColor Card. Approximately 350K total available RAM is required to run ArcMaster and although not absolutely necessary, a hard disk is strongly recommended. All monitor and graphics cards are supported, including "composite" (2 color) monitors and backlit laptop screens. 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 type of monitor, color or monochrome, will be detected at runtime and the display colors will be adjusted accordingly. Users with older composite (2 color) monitors and laptops with backlit screens should place an "M" on the command line when starting Arcmaster. If the configuration settings are then saved to the disk file, the "M" will no longer be required when executing Arcmaster. Although not absolutely required to operate ArcMaster, it is strongly recommended that a current version of Vern Buerg's outstanding LIST.COM be present also. LIST is a very sophisticated and powerful file viewing program that permits a user to browse just about any kind of file imaginable. The importance of LIST to ArcMaster is that LIST is employed to browse compressed files that reside within an archive file. LIST version 6.2 and above is supported. It is IMPORTANT that the archive system files (and LIST) reside in a directory that is identified in the DOS PATH string. The DOS PATH string is a string containing valid DOS directory path names that DOS will use to search for an executable file. It is user defined and is normally initialized at boot-up with the PATH command. Here is an example of a DOS PATH command as it might appear in an AUTOEXEC.BAT file: path=c:\util;d:\arc\dat;c:\turbo;e:\dbms\pc-file It is IMPORTANT that the drive designator and colon precede each individual path identified in the string. In this example, suppose that the current directory is C:\GAMES and it is desired to execute Norton's famous utilities, which is located in C:\UTIL. Simply enter the command NU and DOS will find NU.EXE in C:\UTIL and execute it. If the requested program is not in the current active directory, DOS will then search each directory listed in the PATH string for the executable file. If the path name C:\UTIL were omitted from the path string in this example, DOS would respond to an attempt to load NU.EXE with a "Bad command or filename" message, unless NU.EXE were in the current directory. The PATH string can be checked at any time by entering either PATH or SET from the DOS level. Also, do NOT place more than one PATH command in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Only the last PATH command that is executed is valid. Placing the directory path names in the PATH string is required EVEN IF ALL ARCMASTER FILES ARE LOCATED IN THE SAME DIRECTORY!. This is true due to the nature of the way that ArcMaster issues a call for executable files to DOS. Executing ArcMaster ArcMaster's executable file is named AM42.EXE. It may be executed by entering the file name at the DOS command level or called from a .BAT file or DOS shell. Up to three command line parameters are supported. A command line parameter is a string of characters that follows the program name. Here is an example: AM42 G:\DATA\UNARC The command string is NOT case sensitive. In this example, DOS will load and execute ArcMaster and ArcMaster will make the directory path G:\DATA\UNARC it's destination directory (more about source and destination directories later). Another example is: AM42 c:\pascal d:\archive In this case ArcMaster will assign c:\pascal as the source directory and d:\archive as the destination directory. Of course, it is not necessary to enter any parameters at all on the command line, in which case ArcMaster will use the default source and directory path names that have been saved to the .EXE file. If either path name is invalid, ArcMaster will use the default setting. If the drive designator is omitted (i.e., \pascal vice c:\pascal), then the current active drive desigator will be appended. If expanded memory meeting the Lotus, Intel, Microsoft (LIM) Expanded Memory Specification (EMS) is present and enough (64K) EMS memory is available, ArcMaster will automatically use expanded memory for the storage and retrieval of data. If it is desired to disable this feature, place the parameter -e as the LAST parameter on the command line when executing ArcMaster. When ArcMaster loads and executes, it first checks the DOS path for the presence of one of the following files: ARC.EXE, ARCA.COM, PAK.EXE, PKPAK.EXE, and PKZIP.EXE. If none of these files can be located in directories contained in the DOS path, ArcMaster will issue a warning message and pause before continuing. If one of these systems is found, that system will become the default until manually changed by the user. The ArcMaster Dual Display - Source and Destination Directories. Very shortly after being executed, ArcMaster's main display will appear on the monitor. It consists of two windows, left and right, and each window is a view port for the files contained in a disk directory. The left window ALWAYS displays the files in the source directory and the right window ALWAYS displays files in the destination directory. It's important to remember that the basic concept of operations is from LEFT to RIGHT. Files are displayed in groups of up to 15 at a time. A full-width cursor bar can be moved through the files with the keypad arrow keys, the PgDn/PgUp keys, or the Home/End keys. Each file is represented by a line of data that consists of the file name and extension, file date, and file size. The name of the applicable directory appears on the top line of each window and the page number (15 files per page) appears on the bottom line of each window. Data pertaining to the files in each window appears just below the window box. The file creation/update time of the file name highlighted by the cursor bar appears on the last line of this area. The cursor bar is an important element of the "point and shoot" design. It is used to tag (mark) files for archiving, dearchiving, or conversion. For example, if it is desired to view the contents of a regular DOS file and LIST.COM is available and in the DOS PATH, simply place the cursor bar in the left window over the desired file and press return. The ArcMaster display will disappear and the LIST display will appear with the contents of the selected file. Suppose it is desired to view the contents of an archive file. Place the left cursor bar over a file with an extension of .ARC, .PAK, or .ZIP and press return. A new window will be superimposed over the main display. This window will display the directory of the archive file and it too will have a full width cursor bar. Perhaps it is now desired to view the contents of one of the compressed files. Place the cursor bar over the file and press return. The LIST display will appear with the contents of the archived file. Simple....just point and shoot. The cursor bar is also used to tag, or mark, files for certain operations. Tagging is accomplished by pressing the space bar or the plus (+) key with the cursor bar over the desired file. A diamond character will appear to the left of the file information that indicates that the file is tagged. A file is untagged by placing the cursor bar over a tagged file and pressing the space bar or the minus (-) key. Files may only be tagged in the left (destination) window. Pressing F6 or Ctrl-T will tag all files in the left window and pressing Ctrl-U will untag all tagged files. Tagging is only permitted in the left window. The active window is the one in which the cursor bar is moving and is the LEFT window upon program start-up. The active window can be "toggled" with the TAB key. If the LEFT window is active and the TAB key is pressed, the RIGHT window becomes the active window. The cursor bar position is indicated by two vertical bars bracketing the file name in the inactive window. The active window may also be switched by pressing the either the right or left arrow key. The contents of the LEFT and RIGHT window may be exchanged (swapped) by pressing the F4 function key. The LEFT window will then be a view port into the files contained in the directory viewed by the RIGHT window and vice versa. The path name of the active directory for a window appears on the top line of that window display. Changing the active directory is accomplished by pressing the F5 key. Directories are displayed in the same manner as files are displayed, 15 directory names at a time. A cursor bar that highlights the selected directory name can be manipulated in the same way as when viewing files. To change to a new active directory, press <RETURN> with the cursor bar highlighting the name of the desired directory. AM42 will retrieve the file names from that directory and display them. The F5 key will toggle between the directory display and the file display. Directories may be created with INS key and removed with the DEL key while in the directory display. The F1 key may be used in lieu of the ENTER key to force both windows to change to and display the directory highlighted by the cursor bar. A directory catalog is maintained in the root directory on each drive accessed using AM42. The file that contains this catalog is AM40DIR.CAT. When the F5 key is pressed, AM42 first checks to see if the directory catalog for the current drive is currently in memory. If not, it then checks to see if AM40DIR.CAT exists in the root directory of the current drive. If so, it reads it into memory. If not, it will scan the drive to collect all the directory path names, store them in memory, and then create and write the catalog to AM40DIR.CAT. Therefore if a directory is created or removed between AM42 sessions, then it will be necessary to rescan the drive and update the catalog. This is accomplished by pressing Ctrl-R. The size of AM40DIR.CAT is dependent upon the number of directories on the supported drive. Directory names can be up to 64 characters in length, so the size of AM40DIR.CAT will be 65 times the number of directories (each directory path string in memory includes a length byte). The catalog file is not maintained on RAM drives or floppy disks. Directories can be created and/or removed while in ArcMaster and ArcMaster will automatically update the catalog file. The active drive can be changed by pressing the F3 key. A small window will appear the prompts for the drive letter. Press the letter key corresponding to the desired drive's DOS letter designation to change drives. AM42 will accomplish the drive change and then display the contents of whichever directory on that drive is the current default. An error message will appear if an invalid drive letter is given. ArcMaster supports the use of a 2 or 3 button mouse. The button actions for a 3 button mouse are: L = RETURN R = ESC M = SPACE BAR (tag/untag) L+R = "/" - Command Bar Menu M+R = HOME M+L = END M+L+R = ALT-X (terminate) The button actions for a 2 button mouse are: L = RETURN R = ESC L+R = "/" - Command Bar Menu Movement of the mouse up or down will move the cursor vertically. Rapid movement of the mouse horizontally will duplicate the function of the TAB key by moving from one window to the other. The ArcMaster Main Command (Command Bar) Menu. The main command menu is activated by pressing either of the slash keys, "/" or "\" (not active when viewing the directory listing). A horizontal menu will appear that contains six selections. The right and left arrow keys may be moved from selection to selection and an explanatory help line is updated as the cursor bar moves. Menu items may be selected by moving the cursor bar to the desired item and pressing <RETURN> or pressing the letter key corresponding to the first letter of the desired item. Pressing ESC at any time will remove the command menu. Some of the items on the command menu are duplicated by function keys. Pressing ^H or the BACKSPACE key at any time will cause a help screen with the various command key assignments to be displayed. Program Configuration - The Config SubMenu. For new users of ArcMaster 4.2, the most important selection on the command menu is Config, the item on the far right. Press the "C" key or move the cursor bar to "Config" and press <RETURN> to activate the configuration selections. The first item at the top of the configuration submenu is labeled Archival System. Selecting this item will bring up yet another menu that offers selection of one of the five supported file compression /decompression systems. You MUST have at least one of these systems in order to successfully operate ArcMaster. Selection of the desired system will return you to the configuration menu. This menu may also be called from the main display by pressing the ESC key or the Alt-F9 key combination. This avoids the necessity of activating the command bar menu, the config menu, and the change active system menu and saves keystrokes. The next three selections, File Limit, Directory Limit, and ARChive File Limit affect the amount of main memory used by ArcMaster. As distributed, the defaults are 250 files per directory, 50 directories per drive, and 50 files per compressed file directory. It is important to note that while these defaults may be changed, they are not effective until saved to disk and the program is executed again. Obviously, raising these values will require more RAM and lowering them will require less RAM. ArcMaster uses 45 bytes for each file, 130 bytes for each directory, and 90 bytes for each compressed file directory entry. Note that if the default is set to 50 files and a directory is accessed that contains more than 50 files, not all the files in that directory will be displayed. The same is true for directory and compressed file directory entries. The absolute limits are 750 files, 800 compressed directory entries, and 175 directories. If at runtime ArcMaster detects the presence of memory conforming to the Lotus, Intil, Microsoft (LIM) Expanded Memory Specification (EMS) and sufficient EMS memory is available, it will store file and directory data in EMS. In this case the number of files supported is 750 and the number of directories is 175. If it is desired not to utilize available EMS, place the switch "-e" on the command line as the LAST parameter and ArcMaster will ignore the EMS and use the configurable default settings. The "PathName Defaults" selection permits the setting of which directories will be displayed in the LEFT and RIGHT windows at runtime. Remember that placing valid DOS pathnames on the command line at runtime will override these settings. A DOS path name can be entered for the LEFT and/or the RIGHT window. If it is desired that ArcMaster always use the current active directory at runtime, delete all the characters on the prompt line with the backspace key so than an empty string is entered. The prompt line is completely editable, meaning that the INS key toggle is active as well as the other normal editing keys. Entering an empty string for both LEFT and RIGHT will force ArcMaster to use the directory from which ArcMaster is loaded in both LEFT and RIGHT windows. "Temporary directory" refers to a special capability associated with manner in which ArcMaster converts archive file formats. Please refer to the section explaining format conversion later in this document. ArcMaster supports a user defined text editor and is distributed with Sammy Mitchell's marvelous editor QEDIT as the default. To change the name of the editor, select "Editor file name" from the menu. Any executable file name up to 8 characters (extension not required) may be entered. In fact, it is possible to enter a .BAT file name here and to configure a batch file to perform a specific task. When Ctrl-E is pressed with the cursor bar over a non-archive file (not .ARC, .PAK, or .ZIP), ArcMaster will call DOS to execute the editor file and pass the name of the highlighted file as a command line parameter. The editor file name is saved to disk along with other configurable parameters. It may be necessary to change the name LIST.COM in order to avoid problems that can occur if the operating system is using a command shell other than COMMAND.COM. 4DOS is one example. 4DOS has an internal 'list' command that will be executed instead of LIST.COM. LIST can be changed to any other 8 character file name and saved to disk semi-permanently. This should not be necessary if COMMAND.COM is in use. Many ArcMaster users have indicated that they would like to have the option of renaming the ArcMaster program file. The "eXec file name" menu item is for that purpose. The file extension must be .EXE, so only an 8 character file name may be entered. Once this new name is saved to disk with the rest of the default settings, exit ArcMaster and rename AM42.EXE using the DOS REN command. In this manner, ArcMaster will be able to locate the correct executable file for saving its configuration defaults. Some older Color Graphics Adaptors (CGA) suffer from "snow" effects during operation of programs like ArcMaster that directly access video RAM. This can be avoided by using the "CGA snow check" option to toggle the setting to ON. The setting of this toggle is of no consequence with monochrome, EGA, or VGA adaptors. The last item on the Configuration menu is "Save To Disk". Selection of this item will cause all user configurable settings to be saved semi-permanently to the AM42.EXE disk file. ArcMaster will first look in the current directory for AM42.EXE. If not found there, it will search each directory in the DOS PATH string. If AM42.EXE is still not located, ArcMaster will search the environment for a string named AM40LOC=. If this is present, ArcMaster will use the dos path name opposite the "=" sign. For example, if the environment contains the string AM40LOC=C:\UTIL\ARC, ArcMaster will search C:\UTIL\ARC for AM42.EXE. The first two items, from left to right, on the main command menu are "Archive" and "UnArchive". These are duplicated by the F1 and F2 function keys respectively. ARChiving and UnARChiving operations will be discussed in detail later. Program Options SubMenu. The third item on the main command menu is labeled "Options". Selection of this item will bring up a submenu containing 7 selections. The first selection (top of the list), is a toggle that determines if DOS files marked as "hidden" will be displayed along with the rest of the files in the directory being viewed. The second selection is labeled "Maintain Time/Date for Conv.". If this toggle is set to ON, ArcMaster will mark end product converted files with the date/time stamp of the file being converted. For example, if DATA.ARC is converted to DATA.ZIP and this toggle is on, DATA.ZIP will have the same date/time stamp as DATA.ARC. Otherwise DATA.ZIP will have the current system time and date. The "Keep File Tags" option determines whether tagged files retain their tags after certain ArcMaster operations. Even though this toggle is set to ON, there are some cases where the tagged status will not be preserved. One example is moving files to an ARChive. When files are moved by an ARChive system, they are compressed, stored, and then deleted. Tags should not and are not preserved in this case. ArcMaster can be set to pause after each arhiving/unarchiving operation by setting the "Pause after archiving ops" toggle to ON. When this toggle is OFF, control is returned immediately to ArcMaster without pause following execution of an archive system file. The next item on the Options submenu concerns the drive list. When ArcMaster first loads, it compiles a list of all valid, fixed disk drives in the system. Floppy and RAM drives are ignored. The drive list is used for file searches. This option permits editing the drive list if it is desired to add a floppy or RAM drive to the search list. This function should not actually access any of your drives, but if it does you can remedy this by going into the Options submenu, editing the drive list, and then saving the configuration to disk from the Configuration submenu. The "Auto unarchive" toggle may be set to ON or OFF and should be set to ON if the user has multiple archive systems available in the DOS PATH. When the toggle is on, ArcMaster will check the extension of the first file tagged. It will then check to see if the system required to decompress that file is available. If so, it will temporarily override the default archive system setting in order to properly unarchive the tagged files. This means that ALL files tagged for unarchiving MUST have the same extension. For example, if the default archive system is set as PKZIP and five .ARC files are tagged, then if PKUNPAK, ARC, or ARC-E are available, ArcMaster will call the appropriate unarchive submenu for processing. If this toggle is set to OFF, the user must tag files for unarchiving that are compatible with the current default archive system setting. The "Auto unarchive" feature also works with LIST inside a compressed file. This means with the toggle set to ON, there is no need to change the current archive system setting to unarchive or LIST compressed files. ARChive file password operations are controlled through the next two items on the Options submenu. If the Use Password toggle is set to ON, ArcMaster will add password switch and the password when passing commands for compression or decompression. If the toggle is ON and no password has been defined, a window will automatically appear that prompts for password. If a password has been defined, ArcMaster will proceed directly to the desired operation. The password is stored in encrypted form but is decrypted prior to passing it as a command line parameter to the operational ARChive system. This is done so that password protected files may be accessed outside of ArcMaster. The last item on the Options submenu is labeled "View System Memory" and brings up a window that displays information about the PC system memory and disk drives. The state of all the options on the Options submenu will be preserved on disk when the Save to Disk function is activated from the Configuration menu. Exiting Temporarily to DOS. When the DOS item is selected from the command bar menu, Arcmaster passes control to a secondary copy of COMMAND.COM, which places the user at the DOS prompt. Execept for the memory occupied by the ArcMaster kernel which might restrict large programs from being executed, all normal DOS command functions are available. To return to ArcMaster, use the DOS EXIT command. Changing the LEFT and RIGHT File Masks. It is possible to filter the files being viewed in either window through the use of a valid DOS file mask. A valid DOS file mask may contain one or both DOS wild card characters; "*" and "?". ArcMaster provides the capability to designate up to 6 different file masks per window. For example, if the file mask for the LEFT window is set to *.ARC, only those files with the extension of .ARC will be displayed. If more than one mask is active, the display is filtered accordingly. Suppose that three masks are selected: *.ARC, AB??.*, and NEWFILES.?L?. ArcMaster will retreive only those files matching one of the three masks, sort, and display them. The distribution copy default mask for each window is "*.*". The edit/change masks and to select those that will be active, press Ctrl-M or select "Mask" from the command bar menu. A window will appear that displays the 6 currently defined masks. A cursor bar is displayed that can be moved with the up and down arrow keys to select any of the 6 displayed masks. The actual mask can be changed by pressing RETURN with the cursor over the desire mask. A short beep will sound, the cursor bar color will change, and it will then be possible to edit the selected mask string. When editing is complete, press RETURN and the cursor bar color changes back to normal. To mark a mask as active, tag it by moving the cursor bar to it and pressing the space bar or "+" key. Masks are deactivated (untagged) in the same way. Only the FIRST mask may be edited to be "*.*". If an attempt is made to set any but the first mask on the list to "*.*", a warning beep is sounded and the entry is not taken. A warning beep will also sound and the entry will not be accepted if an attempt is made to enter a mask that duplicates one on the list. It is possible to set all 6 masks so that none of them equal "*.*". Tagged masks are active as soon as the mask edit window is exited (use ESC) and remain active for that window until changed. Masks may be set for either window and the current mask settings will be saved to disk along with other ArcMaster defaults. The global mask '*.*' can be forced in either window at any time by pressing the "*" key. For example, to view only those files with an extension of .ARC in the right window, use the TAB key to make the right window active, press the "/" or "\" key to bring up the command bar menu (or use Ctrl-M) and select "Mask". Searching for DOS or ARChived Files. The "Find" selection activates the file search function. File searches can only be initiated from the LEFT window and the Ctrl-S key combination is an alternative to using the command bar menu. ArcMaster has the capability to search one or all drives for a standard DOS file or to search one or all drives for a file that is stored in an ARChive. A window will appear that first prompts for the desired search mode--DOS standard files or ARChived files. The next prompt is for the entry of the target file name. DOS wild card characters may be included in this entry. If it is desired to search ALL the drives currently in the drive list, place a "*:" in front of the target file name. For example, if the target file is QEDIT.EXE, enter the string "*:QEDIT.EXE". If it is desired to search one specific drive, place the drive specifier (C, D, E, etc.) and a colon (":") in front of the target file name. If just the file name is entered, the drive that is active in the LEFT window will be searched. When ArcMaster finds a normal DOS file, a beep will sound. The name of the file, along with its date and size, are displayed and the full path name of the directory where it was found will also be displayed. The user has the option at this point of viewing the directory containing the target file in the LEFT window. Otherwise, the search will continue. If the user elects to view the target file, the LEFT window will be refreshed with the files from the directory in which the target file was found and the target file will be highlighted under the cursor bar. The search for a file inside an ARChive is slightly different. When the file is found, the ARChive directory listing window will automatically appear and the cursor bar will be positioned over the target file. At this point, the search may be continued by pressing the F1 key or terminated by pressing the ESC key. If files are tagged, ArcMaster will automatically activate the individual file extraction sequence. File Information Sort Criteria. Five different sorting criteria are supported by ArcMaster. These are: NAME - Files are sorted by the 8 character file name. EXT - Files are sorted by the 3 character extension. DATE - Files are sorted by date/time. SIZE - Files are sorted by size. NESTED - Files are sorted by extension and by file name within groups of the same extension. The order of the sort, ascending or descending, is determined by the "Order" toggle. UP is ascending (lowest to highest) and DOWN is descending (highest to lowest). The type of sort selected is applicable to the window active when the Sort menu was activated, thus the two windows may have different sort criteria. The appropriate window will be refreshed according to the new sort when the main command bar window is de-activated. ARChiving and UnARChiving Operations. The main purpose of ArcMaster is to facilitate the manipulation of compressed file libraries. Archiving (compressing) and unarchiving (decompressing) are the two most important functions that archive systems perform. Archiving files is as simple and straigtforward task when using ArcMaster. Remember that ALL archiving/unarchiving operations are from LEFT to RIGHT. To add a file or group of files to an archive, tag the desired files by placing the cursor bar over each target file name and pressing the space bar or the "+" key. Files may be untagged by highlighting the file and pressing the space bar or the "-" key. After a group of files has been tagged, it may be desirable to view the list of tagged files. Press Alt-T to see only the tagged files and Alt-T again to return to the main file display. Alt-T is a toggle which will switch from displaying all files to just tagged files to all files. All batch operations are suspended when viewing just tagged files. All files in an active directory may be tagged automatically by pressing Ctrl-T and all tagged files may be untagged by pressing Ctrl-U. To archive the tagged files, either press F1 or activate the command bar menu (using "/" or "\") and select "Archive". A window will appear that prompts for the name (up to 8 characters) of the target archive file. To reduce the number of keystrokes requried for compression operations, an archive name may be designated by pressing the INS key with the cursor bar over a file with the desired name (the file extension is of no consequence. If this action is performed, the name of the designated file will be pre-inserted into the archive name entry/edit line. In a similar fashion, if no files are tagged, ArcMaster will tag the file currently under the cursor bar and insert that name into the archive name entry/edit line. If the entered archive name exists in the RIGHT window directory, a warning message will appear with the option to continue, abort, or re-enter the target file name. It is important to note here that the entered file name will be given an extension that is appropriate for the archive system designated by the user, i.e., .ARC for ARC, BUERG, and PKPAK, .ZIP for PKZIP, and .PAK for PAK. After the desired name is accepted, an archive option submenu will appear. This menu will be specifically tailored for the default archive system. Make a selection by moving the cursor bar to the desired item or press the key corresponding to the highlighted letter on the menu. ArcMaster will then pass control to the archive system along with the list of tagged files for compression and addition to the library. It is strongly recommended that each user read the documentation provided with the selected archive system in order to fully understand the various options provided. Each menu item is supplemented with a help line at the top of the screen, but it is the user's responsibility to know and understand the options available. The tagged files will be processed by the archive system and the target archive file (.ARC, .PAK, or .ZIP) will exist in the directory serviced by the RIGHT window. Note that the archive option submen for PKZIP supports the setting of EA, EB, and EX compression ratio options as specified in the PKZIP version 0.92 documentation. Selection of EA or EB will override the setting for EX and vice versa since these options are mutually exclusive. According to the PKZIP manual for version 0.92, the EX4 setting provides maximum compression for binary files (same as EB4) and for ASCII files PKZIP will determine the best compression ratio to use for maximum compression. The EX option will NOT work with PKZIP version 0.90 or earlier. ArcMaster is distributed with the EX option turned off, and the EA and EB options set to 0 (not passed on the command line). Unarchiving proceeds in a similar manner. Target files for decompressing must appear in the LEFT window file list. Archive files may be tagged for batch submission to the archive system. When the desired archive files are tagged, the unarchiving operation may be initiated either by pressing F2 or via UnArchive on the command bar menu. An options menu similar to that encountered when archiving files will appear. Again, it is important that the user understand the various options as well as the results of those options. Files submitted to the archive system will be from the directory serviced by the LEFT window and extracted files will be placed in the directory served by the RIGHT window. The LEFT and RIGHT windows can be set to serve the same directory. Individual files may be selected from an archived file listing and submitted to the archive system for extraction. Place the cursor bar over the name of the desired archive file (.ARC, .PAK, or .ZIP) and press return. A large window will appear that contains a listing of the file names that are contained as compressed files within the selected archive. A cursor bar is operable that can be moved through the listing to tag specific files for extraction. When all desired files are tagged, pressing the ESC key will remove the directory listing and bring up the UnArchive submenu. If LIST.COM is present on the system, individual compressed files can be viewed from within the directory listing by moving the cursor bar to the desired file and pressing RETURN. Note that ArcMaster ignores the currently designated archive system in this case. If all 5 systems are in place in a directory identified by the DOS PATH string, it will be possible to browse any compressed file via LIST. Converting Between Archive Systems. ArcMaster provides automatic conversion of files compressed by one system to compressed files of another system. The fundamental structural difference between systems is the manner in which the archive file compressed file headers are defined. ARC, ARCA, PAK, and PKPAK all have the same file header record structure. ZIP employs a header structure that is alien to the other systems. Also, files compressed by ZIP cannot be decompressed by any other system, files compressed by PAK cannot be decompressed by other systems, and ZIP cannot decompress files of any other system. In order to convert files from one format to another, it is necessary to have the two archive systems that work with the files to be converted. For example, if it is desired to convert .ARC files to .ZIP files then PKUNPAK will be required to decompress the .ARC files and PKZIP will be required to recompress the files. If it is desired to convert .ZIP files to .PAK files, then PKUNZIP and PAK are required. Conversion of PAK to ZIP and ZIP to PAK requires PAK, PKZIP, and PKUNZIP. ArcMaster will convert files tagged in the LEFT window to recompressed files of another system in the RIGHT window. Four options are available and are initiated by pressing the associated function key as listed below: .ZIP to .PAK - F7 PKUNZIP and PAK required .PAK to .ZIP - F8 PAK and PKZIP required .ZIP to .ARC - F9 PKUNZIP and PKPAK required .ARC to .ZIP - F10 PKUNPAK and PKZIP required To initiate the conversion process, tag the desired files (making CERTAIN they are of compatible types) and press the appropriate function key. Arcmaster will create a temporary directory that is a subdirectory of the directory serviced by the LEFT window. That subdirectory will be named $!$. If the directory active in the LEFT window is named C:\ARCFILES then ArcMaster will create a directory named C:ARCFILES\$!$. ArcMaster will then call the proper decompression program to decompress the tagged files and store them in the temporary subdirectory. When each tagged file has been decompressed, the proper compression program will be called to compress the files and store them in the directory active in the RIGHT window. The files are then deleted from the temporary subdirectory and the process is repeated until all the tagged files are converted. ArcMaster will then delete the temporary subdirectory and return control to the user. PKZIP system users should know that ArcMaster will pass the default compression factor (1 to 4, or none if 0) for both types of files, ASCII and binary when converting from .PAK or .ARC to .ZIP. The Archive submenu for the PKZIP system contains two menu items for use in setting the compression factor for each type of file. These are set to null (for ASCII) and EB4 (for binary) as distributed. These settings provide the maximum compression for version .90 of ZIP. Strangely enough, it seems that ZIP will do tighter compression on ASCII files with no -EA switch passed than with -EA4 specified. These values can be changed from the submenu and will be saved along with other defaults to disk if the user so elects. Both values are then passed to PKZIP during the conversion process. It may be desired not to pass one or both of these switches. In that case, select the appropriate "0" compression factor item from the submenu and the associate command switch (EA or EB) will not be passed to ZIP. Version 4.2 supports the new EAXN switch for PKZIP. SPECIAL NOTE: It is possible for the user to override the use of the temporary directory "$!$" that ArcMaster creates and deletes during conversion process. A temporary directory may be defined through the use of the "Temporary Directory" selection on the Configuration Menu. THIS IS NOT GENERALLY ADVISED! Any files present in a user defined temporary directory will be added to the first converted file and then WILL BE DELETED! This feature is included for experienced users who desire to utilize a RAM disk for maximum speed during conversion. DO NOT USE THIS FEATURE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!! Also, do not confuse this temporary directory with the definition of temporary drives/directories that may be cited in the documentation for various archive systems. Special Archive System Operations. ArcMaster provides a number of interesting special features to facilitate the manipulation of archive files. One of these permits the user to date/time stamp each selected archive file with the date and time of NEWEST compressed file residing within that archive. This is accomplished by tagging the archive files in the LEFT window and then pressing Ctrl-D. An extremely useful feature is the ability to identify regular DOS files from the directory active in the LEFT window that exist in a specified archive file in the RIGHT window and that are NEWER in time/date. This is accomplished by going to the RIGHT window, placing the cursor bar over the desired archive file, and pressing Ctrl-A. ArcMaster will open the archive file and check each file listed therein with the files residing in the LEFT directory window. If any of the LEFT directory window files are found to be later in date/time than a file of the same name in the archive file, that file will be marked. If one or more files in the LEFT directory window meet the date/time criteria, a short beep is heard. Upon completion of the date/time check, ArcMaster will automatically switch back to the LEFT window with the cursor bar highlighting the first file found during the check. All files found are automatically tagged and ready for processing. The next natural step is to update the archive file in the RIGHT window with the newer files identified in the LEFT window. Pressing F1 or selecting "Archive" from the command bar menu will bring up the prompt for the archive file name with the designated file name pre-inserted. If RETURN is pressed to accept the archive name, the archive submenu associated with the archive system in use appears. The next logical step would be to select the update or freshen function from that menu. This feature makes updating archive files fast and easy. To avoid typing the name of the target archive file when adding to, freshening, or updating, use the "hot arc" feature. A "hot arc" file in the RIGHT window may be designated by going to the RIGHT window, placing the cursor bar over the desired .ARC, .ZIP, or .PAK file and pressing the INS key. The name of the highlighted archive file will be used as the target for all future LEFT to RIGHT archiving operations and the step of typing in the archive file name will be omitted. This feature has been added at the request from the Sysop of a major (700M+ files) BBS (Russ Hardenburg). One or more files may be tagged in the LEFT window and then added to ALL archive files of the same type as the active system in the RIGHT window. For example, if the active archive system is PKZIP and three .ZIP files exist in the RIGHT window, pressing Ctrl-F1 will cause all the files tagged in the left window to be added to EACH of the three ZIP files in the RIGHT window. The "update" command switch is used for PAK, ARC, PKPAK, and ZIP so that if the file doesn't exist in the archive, it will be added to it and if it does exist, it will only be replaced if the source file is newer. ArcMaster also provides the capability to process a group of tagged files in a "single archive" mode. In this mode, each individual tagged file is compressed as an individual archive file that takes the name of the original file. For example, if active archive system is PKZIP and the following three files were tagged, they would all become .ZIP files in the destination (RIGHT) directory: SOMEDATA.BIN (would become SOMEDATA.ZIP) LETTER.TXT (would become LETTER.ZIP) MYPROG.EXE (would become MYPROG.ZIP) The single archive mode is activated by tagging a group of files and pressing Alt-S. Another handy feature is the ability to delete unwanted files from the directory active in the LEFT window. To do this it is only necessary to tag the desired files and press Alt-D. A window will appear that displays the number of files tagged and a prompt to insure that deletion of the tagged files is actually desired. An affirmative response to this prompt will result in deletion of all tagged files. When deletion is complete, ArcMaster will display the number of files tagged and the number of files deleted. These numbers will differ if any of the tagged files could not be deleted, the case if they are marked hidden, system, or read-only. Directories may be added or deleted to the drive served by either window. After pressing F5 to display a list of directories on the current drive, press INS to create a new directory. A window will appear that permits the entry of the name of the new directory. If the entered name is rejected by DOS as being invalid, an error message will appear and an opportunity given to either abort or re-enter the directory name. Directories created this way are automatically added to the ArcMaster directory log file, AM40DIR.CAT. Similarly, empty directories may be deleted by placing the cursor over the directory name and pressing the DEL key. If the directory contains files, DOS will reject the request to remove it, a beep will sound, and ArcMaster will display the files currently residing in that directory. This is appropriate since it is likely that the user might wish to delete the files and re-attempt to remove the directory. In addition to the ability to call LIST.COM to browse a DOS file or a file within a directory, ArcMaster supports passing a highlighted file name to a user-specified editor. Pressing Ctrl-E will call the editor designated by the user in the Configuration menu and pass the name of the highlighted file as a parameter. Pressing RETURN will call LIST with the highlighted file name. Trouble Shooting. In the event that problems are encountered during the use of ArcMaster, it would be appreciated if the user would take the time to check the items mentioned in this paragraph prior to calling for support. The most common problem that will be encountered is the failure to place the archive (and LIST) executable files in a directory that is identified in the PATH command. The current DOS PATH string may be examined by entering the DOS command PATH or SET. Another common problem will undoubtedly be in neglecting to configure ArcMaster for the archive system in use. If ArcMaster is set for PKZIP (the distribution default) and the user attempts to operate the program in the absence of PKZIP.EXE and PKUNZIP.EXE in the DOS PATH, failure will result. It should be noted that although any type of archive file directory may be viewed in either the LEFT or RIGHT window, tagging is only allowed in the LEFT window and the archive system present must match the ArcMaster configuration setting in order to extract or browse (LIST) files inside an archive. It is especially important to insure that the necessary archive system files are present and in the DOS PATH for the conversion functions to operate properly. Another source of problems could be the failure to properly configure the archive system(s) being used. Be sure to read the documentation that accompanies each system that is being used and ensure that the programs are configured properly. It is not possible to produce a non-trivial computer program that is completely fault-free and ArcMaster is no exception. There are undoubtedly bugs lurking that I and my beta testers failed to identify and correct. One of the great strengths of the Shareware concept is the interaction available between the program author and the users. I welcome contact with users and I try very hard to be responsive to bug reports and constructive criticsm. Much of the design of this version is directly attributable to the input I have received from ArcMaster users. If a design flaw or bug is detected, please contact me and I'll fix it. I can't solve the problems that I don't know about. Credits. New-Ware would like to acknowledge the important efforts of Tom Kellen (Atlanta, GA) and Sallie Austin (Winnebago, IL) for their outstanding support during the development and testing of ArcMaster. It is also important to acknowledge the outstanding compiler and pascal library technology from Borland International and TurboPower Software, respectively. Credit is also due to System Enhancement Associates, PKWare, Vernon Buerg, and NoGate Consulting for their splendid efforts in developing fast and efficient archive programs. Users of these programs are strongly urged support the authors through registration where appropriate. Copyright 1989, all rights reserved. February 1989 San Diego, California