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--------------------------------- QFILER --------------------------------- Version 3.2 - August 10, 1991 A User-Supported, Shareware File Maintenance Utility written by Kenn Flee of Jamestown Software 2508 Valley Forge Drive Madison, Wisconsin 53719 Copyright (c) 1986-1991 by Jamestown Software ----------------------------------------------------------------- Jamestown Software will not be liable for any damages, including lost profits, lost savings or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of or inability to use QFILER, even if Jamestown Software has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Registration - Site Licenses - Technical Support ------------------------------------------------ This copyrighted shareware program is distributed for personal, private use only. After a short trial period, you are expected to register your copy by sending a registration fee of $20 or $30 to Jamestown Software. Upon receipt of registration, a disk with the most recent version of QFILER, support programs, and a printed manual will be mailed to the user. Commercial, government, educational or corporate use without registration and license is prohibited. Site licenses and quantity discounts are available. For the convenience of corporate users and others, an invoice and quantity price list is included at the end of this manual. Technical support is available by mail, phone or through our 24-hour BBS: Jamestown Software 2508 Valley Forge Drive Madison, Wisconsin 53719 Voice phone: 608-271-2090 BBS: 608-271-3685 (24-hr, 1200-2400 baud,8-N-1) Compuserve: #74275,745 Installing QFiler on your hard drive ------------------------------------ The following programs should be installed in a subdirectory that is included in your PATH statement. For example, if the files were located in a UTIL directory on your C drive, your PATH statement (included in AUTOEXEC.BAT) would read PATH=C:\UTIL. If you already have a PATH statement, for example PATH=C:\DOS, you would add the additional directory so that the statement would read PATH=C:\DOS;C:\UTIL. Refer to your DOS manual for further instructions on the use of the PATH statement. Required files: QFILER.EXE - The main QFILER program. QFCFG.EXE - Configuration program for QFILER. QFLIST.EXE - Used by QFILER for browsing or viewing files. QFIND.EXE - Used by QFILER to locate files. QFDELDIR.EXE - Used by QFILER to delete directories. Recommended files: Compression utilities, to handle compressed files... LZH files - LHA.EXE or LHARC.EXE by Yoshi. ARJ files - ARJ.EXE by Robert K. Jung. ZIP files - PKZIP.EXE, PKUNZIP.EXE by Katz (PKWare). ARC files - ARCA.COM, ARCE.COM, ARCV.COM by Buerg. PAK files - NoGate Consulting's PAK program. Favorite text editor, invoked through QFED.BAT. Optional files: LIST.COM - by Buerg (in place of QFLIST). FINDIT.COM - by McMains (in place of QFIND). UNDELETE.EXE - from PC-Tools, or DOS 5.0 - Used by QFILER to recover deleted files. XCOPY.EXE - supplied with DOS - Used by QFILER to copy entire directories. PRINT.EXE - supplied with DOS - Used by QFILER as a background print utility. QFPATH.CFG - text file used by QFILER to identify a directory for temporary file storage. - Page 2 - Contents -------- Technical Support - Site Licenses . . . . . . . 1 Installing QFiler on your hard drive . . . . . 2 QFiler Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Starting QFiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Areas in the QFiler Screen . . . . . . . . . . 5 file windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 message line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 menu bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 drop-down menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Selecting an Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Working with Directories . . . . . . . . . . . 6 using subdirectories . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 selecting a disk drive . . . . . . . . . . . 7 changing directories . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Working with Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 updating the file display areas . . . . . . 8 changing how files are displayed . . . . . . 8 selecting files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 QFiler Menu Bar Commands . . . . . . . . . . . 10 tagging and untagging all files . . . . . . 10 copying files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 moving files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 deleting files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 renaming a file or directory . . . . . . . . 12 executing a file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 displaying a directory tree . . . . . . . . 12 QFiler links with external programs . . . . 13 labeling a disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 to quit QFiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 using drop-down menus . . . . . . . . . . . 14 displaying help screens . . . . . . . . . . 14 Additional QFiler Commands . . . . . . . . . . 14 creating and deleting directories . . . . . 14 tag duplicate files . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 back up tagged files . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 using file compression utilities . . . . . . 15 use xcopy to copy files and directories . . 17 changing file attributes & file time/date . 18 using the printer submenu . . . . . . . . . 18 QFiler on networks... . . . . . . . . . . 19 Using a Mouse (optional) . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Configuring QFiler Using QFCFG . . . . . . . . 22 Appendix A: Key Assignments . . . . . . . . . . 25 Invoice / Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Quantity Pricing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Site License Pricing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 - Page 3 - QFiler Basics ------------- QFILER is designed to make management of your hard disk files much easier. Two different, sorted directories are displayed side-by-side, allowing you to select both individual files and groups of files for QFILER to act on. You can easily: - Copy and delete files. - Find a file on any drive, in any directory. - Rename files and directories. - View the contents of files. - Move files from one directory to another. - Add and delete subdirectories. - Run other programs from within QFILER. - Display files in sorted order. - Define a file mask to display only certain files. - Backup files. - Print a hard copy of a sorted directory. Many of the tasks listed can be performed from the DOS command prompt. However, with QFILER's dual directory display, file- and disk-management tasks become much easier and more intuitive. For the more advanced user, QFILER offers a number of advanced file management tools, including: - Set or clear file attributes. - Change file time/date stamps. - Rename disk volume labels. - Use file compression utilities (PKZIP, LHARC and others). - Locate duplicate files. Starting QFiler --------------- BASIC: At the DOS command prompt, type qfiler, and then press ENTER. QFILER will display the current directory on the left side of the screen and program identification on the right. You can then use the F3, F4, F5 and F6 keys to select the directories you want displayed on the left and right sides of the screen. ADVANCED: The disk/directory to be read and displayed for the left side, or for both sides, may be included as a command line option when you first start QFILER. For example, if you type qfiler c: d:, the current directory of the C: drive will be immediately displayed on the left side and the current directory of the D: drive on the right. The syntax for the QFILER command line option is: QFILER [LeftDirectoryPath] [RightDirectoryPath] - Page 4 - There are three ways you may enter the left and right directory path (see table 1). You may enter a single drive letter, a single drive letter followed by a colon, or a complete path. QFILER will not allow you to have the same directory displayed on both sides of the screen at the same time. ----------------------------------------------------------------- C A drive letter by itself will change to the root directory of indicated drive (C:\ in this case). C: A drive letter followed by a colon will change to the current directory of the indicated drive. C:\DOS A full path identifier of three or more characters will force QFILER to attempt to change to the indicated subdirectory. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Table 1 - Selecting drive\directories PRINT SPOOLER (optional): PRINT.COM is a print utility supplied with DOS that QFILER can use to print text files. If you would like to use this feature, you must start PRINT before you start QFILER. At the DOS command prompt, type print, and then press ENTER. You will be prompted for the port you want to print to. If you don't specify a port, DOS connects to LPT1 (also called PRN). Areas in the QFiler Screen -------------------------- The QFILER screen is divided into areas. Each area displays different information. The primary areas are the file windows, the message line and the menu bar or drop-down menus. FILE WINDOWS There are dual side-by-side file windows at the top of the screen. In each of the file windows the top line shows the active file mask, volume label for the respective displayed disk, and the active sort order for that side. The second row, in reverse-video, displays the full DOS path for the directory displayed in the window. The large central window is the main file display area, in which a full DOS directory (DIR) format is shown. The directory additionally displays hidden files and, when applicable, file attributes Archive, Read-only, Hidden and System. Below the main display, the information bar shows the directory size, total bytes tagged, and remaining disk space. MESSAGE LINE The bottom section contains, as its top row, the message line. - Page 5 - Here QFILER tells the user what is happening, or what the current menu selection is. MENU BAR The last line on the screen is the menu bar, with the current selection highlighted and the rest in reverse video. During certain functions, the menu bar may be replaced with a data entry line where you may enter information required to perform the selected action. DROP-DOWN MENUS If you press the forward-slash character ("/"), the bottom menu bar is replaced with drop-down menus at the top of the screen. The drop-down menus include additional Alt-, Control-, and Function-key choices. Selecting an Area ----------------- Only one of the two file windows may be considered "current" for menu or function key actions. The selector bar highlights the "current file" within the "current window". Pressing the right-arrow key on the cursor pad selects the right file window and pressing the left-arrow key selects the left file window. Working with Directories ------------------------ A disk can hold hundreds of files. The more files you have, the more difficult it is to keep track of them. To help organize your files, you can group your files into directories. Just as file folders in a file cabinet hold groups of related documents, directories contain groups of related files. Each directory is given a unique name so you can identify it. For example, suppose you want to keep your games files grouped together. You could press the F1 key in QFILER to create a GAMES directory, then move all your game files into that directory. USING SUBDIRECTORIES When your directories become too large, you can create additional directories to further organize your files. A directory within another directory is called a subdirectory. To create a subdirectory in QFILER, press F1 - to remove an empty subdirectory, press F2. The organization of directories, subdirectories, and files is called the directory tree. When you format a disk, DOS creates - Page 6 - one large directory, called the root directory, on the disk. All other directories you create branch out from the root directory. To view the organization of your drive, select the PICK option from the QFILER menu, and enter the letter of the drive you wish to view. A graphic directory tree will be displayed. Press the up-arrow and down-arrow cursor keys if the tree is larger than the screen. Press the ESC key to return to the normal display. SELECTING A DISK DRIVE When you start QFILER, it displays a list of directories and files in either one or both of the file windows. To work with directories and files on a different drive you need to change the current drive on either the left or right side. To change the current drive, press F5 (for the left side) or F6 (right side). A data entry line will be shown at the bottom of the screen asking, "New Drive/Dir:". Enter the drive you wish to display using the guidelines listed in table 1. QFILER displays the message "Reading Files" while it is reading the contents of the disk. CHANGING DIRECTORIES Subdirectories of the current directory are listed first in each of the two file display areas, and are identified by the word <DIR> in the size column. If the current directory is itself a subdirectory, then the word "PARENT" is displayed as the first entry. There are several ways you can select a directory for the left and right file display areas: Function keys F3 and F4: Highlight the directory you want to display from the file list displayed on either side, then press F3 (to display the selected directory on the left side), or F4 (right side). Function keys F5 and F6: Press F5 (for the left side) or F6 (right side). A data entry line will be shown at the bottom of the screen asking, "New Drive/Dir:". Enter the drive and directory you wish to display using the guidelines listed in table 1. Shortcut keys to display "PARENT": The "parent" of the current directory may be displayed at any time by pressing Alt-F3 or "<" (to display on the left side), or Alt-F4 or ">" (right side). To display the "parent" on the current side, press the period key. Network users note - the entry "PARENT" may not be displayed in the file list, but the shortcut keys will still change to the parent directory (if you have access rights to the parent directory). - Page 7 - Use the PICK option: Press "P" (PICK) to display a directory tree. Use the cursor keys to select the directory you want to display and press ENTER. Your selected directory will be displayed on the side of the screen opposite the directory tree. Working with Files ------------------ The file display area in each file window contains a list of files in DOS directory format. In the first column is the 8-character file name. The next column is the 3-character file extension, which helps you identify the type of file. To the right of the file extension is the file size, followed by the date and time the file was created or last changed. Note: Time is shown in 24-hour format. After the file time, one or more file attribute characters may be displayed, where (DOT) = archive bit on, R = read-only file, S = system file, and H = hidden file. UPDATING THE FILE DISPLAY AREAS If you leave QFILER temporarily and make changes to files in a directory, the changes will not be displayed until you update the file display areas. Press Ctrl-R to update the current directory, or Alt-R to update both file display areas. CHANGING HOW FILES ARE DISPLAYED When you first run QFILER, all subdirectories and files in the selected directory are listed. Files are normally listed alphabetically in ascending or increasing order. You can control how QFILER displays files in several ways: To change the way a file list is sorted: Press F7 to sort by name; F8 to sort by extension; Shift-F7 to sort by size; Shift-F8 to sort by date; Alt-S to display in disk order. The active sort type is shown at the upper right corner of each file window. To reverse the order of sorting: Press "I" (Invert) to reverse the order of sorting. An arrow symbol will be shown in the upper right corner of each file window to indicate the current order of sorting for that window. To display only certain files: Press Shift-F10 to enter a file mask. The file mask you enter may include DOS wildcard characters. For example, if you only want to display files that have a .COM extension, you would enter *.com as the file mask. To display all files, you would enter *.* as the file - Page 8 - mask. As a shortcut to display all files, enter a blank file mask. Optional: include the QFILER command line option /m=<filemask> to override the default file mask. SELECTING FILES Before working with a file, you must select it. You may select a single file, tag a group of files, or tag all files in a file window. First, use the left-arrow or right-arrow cursor key to move the selector bar to the file window that contains the file or files you wish to select, then: To select a single file: Use the up-arrow and down-arrow cursor keys to move the selector bar to the desired file. Shortcut keys: PGDN and PGUP move a full screen at a time. HOME and END go to the top and bottom of the file window. Ctrl-HOME and Ctrl-END go to the top and bottom of the file list. Press "G" (Goto), followed by a letter, will move the selector bar to the first file name that starts with that letter. To tag a group of files: Press F9 and F10 to tag the current file. F9 does not move the selector bar, while F10 will advance the selector bar to the next file. Tagged files have a diamond character before the file name in the file list. NOTE: If the current file is already tagged, then pressing F9 or F10 will untag the file and remove it from the group. To tag all files: Press "T" (TagAll) to tag all files in the current file window. A prompt will be displayed in the message area asking if you want to tag all files. Press "Y" to tag all files, or "N" (ENTER or ESC) to leave the tagging as it was. To invert file tags: Press Alt-I to invert the file tags. All files that are tagged will become untagged, while all untagged files will become tagged. NOTE: This is a handy way to tag all files, except a few - just tag those files you wish to exclude from the group, then invert the tags. To remove all file tags: Press "U" (UnTagAll) to remove all file tags from the current file list. - Page 9 - ----------------------------------------------------------------- Right-Arrow Select right window. Left-Arrow Select left window. Up-Arrow Scroll selector bar up or window down a line. Down-Arrow Scroll selector bar down or window up a line. Home Selector bar to top of window. End Selector bar to bottom of window. Page-Up Scroll window up one page. Page-Down Scroll window down one page. Ctrl-Home Scroll window to top of directory list. Ctrl-End Scroll window to end of directory list. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Table 2 -- Cursor key functions for file and window selection QFiler Menu Bar Commands ------------------------ Menu bar selections control common QFILER actions, and are invoked either by moving highlight to the desired command via the spacebar or tab-key, and pressing "X" (eXecute), or by keying the first letter of the command name. The spacebar or tab-key moves the highlight to the right, and the tab-key, when shifted, moves the highlight to the left. Of the various methods, mnemonic control is the fastest method. TAGGING AND UNTAGGING ALL FILES Press "T" (TagAll) to tag all files, or press "U" (UnTagAll) to remove all file tags from the current file list. File tags are the way you create groups of files for further action. Review selecting files, F9 and F10. COPYING FILES The copy command is your primary tool for organizing and making copies of files. With the copy command you can copy a selected file or group of files from one directory or disk to another. Review the Selecting Files section on how to select files. To copy a single file: Move the selector bar to the file you want to copy and press "C" (Copy). If there is a directory displayed in the opposite window, QFILER will ask if you want to copy the selected file to the directory in the opposite window. Confirm you wish to make the copy by pressing "Y" (or ENTER), or press "N" (or ESC) to type in an alternate destination for the file. If there is no directory displayed in the opposite window, you will be asked to type in the destination directory. NOTE: it is usually easiest to first display the destination directory in the opposite window, then do the copy. To copy groups of files: Tag one or more files, then press "C" - Page 10 - (Copy). QFILER will ask if you want to copy Current or Tagged files. Press "T" (Tagged) to copy tagged files. QFILER will then ask you to confirm you wish to make the copy as described in the previous paragraph. NOTE: The shortcut key sequence is "CTY" for Copy Tagged, Yes-do it. To make a copy of a file in the same directory: Move the selector bar to the file you want to copy, then press ALT-C (Press and hold the ALT key, then press "C"). Type the name you want use for the copy of the selected file and press ENTER. QFILER will make a copy of the file, unless a file already exists with the same name as the new name you entered. "Fill" floppy disks: If you are copying files to a floppy disk and there isn't enough space to hold all the tagged files, QFILER will offer you the option to "fill" disks. If you choose the fill option, QFILER will copy files in decreasing size order until the floppy disk is full, then prompt you to insert additional formatted disks until all files are copied. When done, QFILER will offer the option to retain the file tags (for possible deletion) or to tag only the files actually copied or not copied. MOVING FILES Moving files from one disk or directory to another consists of first copying, then deleting the files. If both the source directory and destination directory are located on the same drive, then a "true" move can be made, where the files are not physically moved, just their disk location identifier. The advantages of a "true" move is that the move is performed faster than copy and that moving files does not degrade hard disk performance through disk fragmentation caused by file reorganization. To move the selected or tagged files, press "M" (Move). QFILER will perform a "true" move if possible, or confirm that you want to first copy, then delete the files. A typical use for moving files is when you want to organize the files in a directory - for example, a word processing directory that has a large number of document files. You could create a subdirectory within the wordprocessing directory by pressing F1, then display the newly created directory in the opposite window. You could then tag a group of files in the word processing directory, and press "MT" (Move, Tagged) to quickly move the files into the new subdirectory. DELETING FILES With the delete command you can remove a single file, group of files, or all files in a directory. The procedure for deleting - Page 11 - files is similar to that for copying files: Move the selector bar to the file you want to delete or tag one or more files, then press "D" (Delete). QFILER will respond with similar confirmations and prompts to those described for copying files. RENAMING A FILE OR DIRECTORY To change the name of a file or directory without changing its location, use the rename command. Move the selector bar to the file or directory you want to rename and press "R" (Rename). If renaming a subdirectory, that subdirectory will be displayed in the opposite window. NOTE: You can rename directories only if your DOS version is 3.0 or newer. EXECUTING A FILE You can run program and batch files (those files with a COM, EXE, or BAT extension) from within QFILER by moving the selector bar to the file you want to run, and pressing "E" (Execute File). QFILER will provide a command line for optional parameter entry, then remove itself from memory and run the selected file. When the selected program is completed, QFILER will reinstall itself. You may want to press ALT-R to update the file display areas to reflect any changes that may have occurred. Shortcut key: If the selected file is a program or batch file, you can simply press ENTER and QFILER will execute or run the file. Optional -- Using a substitute DOS command prompt: Press Ctrl-E if you want to enter commands as if you were at the DOS command prompt. For convenience, F10 will return the current path\filename. EXAMPLE: Suppose you want to use the DOS "TYPE" command on the current file. First, press Ctrl-E, then type TYPE. Then press F10 to input the current file. Press ENTER to execute. Optional (advanced) -- Shell to DOS using a secondary copy of COMMAND.COM: If you want to "shell" to DOS, press Ctrl-S. QFILER will load a secondary copy of COMMAND.COM and return to the DOS command prompt. You will be in the current drive and directory. When ready, type EXIT to return to QFILER. DISPLAYING A DIRECTORY TREE Press "P" (Pick) to display an alpha-sorted, visual directory tree with the current subdirectory highlighted. You will be asked, "Display directory tree for drive: [?]", with the current drive identified. Press ENTER for a tree of the current drive, or press the letter of the drive you want displayed. When the tree is displayed, use the cursor keys to select another directory, then ENTER to display it in a file window or ESC to return to the - Page 12 - normal display. Printing a hard copy of the directory tree: When a directory tree is displayed, press "P" (Print) to print a copy of the tree on your printer. NOTE: Your printer must be capable of printing the "IBM line draw" characters. QFILER LINKS WITH EXTERNAL PROGRAMS QFILER has built-in links with several external programs. The most common are accessed by pressing "L" (Link), which will replace the normal menu bar at the bottom of the screen with the Link submenu. The Link submenu allows you to: View the current file: Press "S" (Screen) to view the current file using an external "browse" program. Shortcut: When the main menu bar is displayed, pressing "S" (Show) performs the same function as the two-keystroke "LS" (Link, Screen). Advanced -- Edit the current file using your preferred text editor: Press "E" (Edit) to run the batch file QFED.BAT with the current file passed as a command-line parameter. You must create the QFED.BAT file, which needs one line consisting of the path and name of your text editor and a replaceable parameter. For example, if the editor was PE, stored in the C:\EDITOR subdirectory, the QFED.BAT file could consist of the single line: C:\EDITOR\PE %1 NOTE: If you are using MS-DOS 5.0, you may omit QFED.BAT and QFILER will automatically use the EDIT supplied in DOS 5.0. Print text files while your computer does other tasks: If the DOS PRINT utility is installed before QFILER is started, you can add the current file to the print queue, or cancel all files currently in the print queue. To add the current file, press "P" (Printer), or to cancel all files, press "C" (Cancel print). NOTE: This function is available only if your DOS version is 3.0 or newer. Search for files: To locate files on the current disk, or optionally, all logical hard drives, press "F" (Find), then enter the name of the file you want to find. Wildcards are allowed. If you enter a colon (":") as the first character, all drives will be searched, otherwise only the current drive will be searched. For example, to find all files on the current drive with a BAT extension, you would enter *.bat, or to find BAT files on all drives, you would enter :*.bat. Recover deleted files (must have UNDELETE.EXE from PC-Tools or from MS-DOS 5.0): If you accidentally delete files you want to keep, use the undelete command as soon as possible to recover - Page 13 - them. Press "U" (Undelete) to call the Undelete program. LABELING A DISK Each disk can have a name, called a volume label. The current disk volume label is shown on the top line of each file window. To change a disk's volume label, press "V" (Volume), then type a new volume label and press ENTER. The file window will show the new volume label. TO QUIT QFILER To quit QFILER and return to the DOS command line, press "Q" (Quit) or ESC. You will be returned to the drive and directory that was active when you first started QFILER. If you want to quit with the drive and directory displayed in the current window active, press Ctrl-Q. USING DROP-DOWN MENUS Press the forward-slash key ("/") to activate QFILER's drop-down menus. The drop-down menus list Ctrl-, Alt- and function-key commands. Use the cursor keys to select one of the various commands. ENTER will invoke the command. ESC will return to the standard menu bar. DISPLAYING HELP SCREENS Press "H" (Help) to display help. The help screens list various Ctrl-, Alt- and function-key assignments. Additional QFiler Commands -------------------------- QFILER offers several commands that are not covered in the preceding sections. Descriptions of the additional commands follow: CREATING AND DELETING DIRECTORIES When you have a group of related files (such as specialized files you use with one program, or files from a particular project), you may want to store them in their own directory. To create a directory, press F1, type a name for the new directory (normally 8 characters), and press ENTER. If you no longer need a directory, you can remove it by selecting the directory, then pressing F2. In order for you to remove a directory, it must be empty and contain no files. - Page 14 - TAG DUPLICATE FILES If you have two directories displayed, you may press Alt-T to tag duplicate files. You will be asked if you want to tag all duplicate files, or only duplicate files that are newer. Press "A" for all duplicates, or "N" (the default) for only newer files. QFILER will scan the directories, tag duplicates as appropriate, position the selector bar to the first of the duplicate files in each window, and advise you which side(s) has files tagged. If you select "newer", then when QFILER finds duplicate files, it tags only the file with a newer date/time. BACK UP TAGGED FILES Many people make a habit of regularly backing up data files to a floppy disk. The reason is that program files can always be reinstalled in case of computer disaster, but replacing the data files may be impossible! QFILER offers a specialized backup function where tagged files in the active window are compared to the files in the opposite window (or target window). Files will be copied if they do not exist on the target disk, or if they have a newer time/date than those on target disk. Files remain tagged for further action. USING FILE COMPRESSION UTILITIES File compression utilities combine one or more files into a single file, simultaneously reducing each file's size. Certain kinds of files can be compressed to well under 50% of their original size. The same compression utilities can later be used to extract individual files and expand them back to their original size. Compressed files are commonly used on electronic bulletin board services (BBS's) both to allow groups of files to be communicated by modem as a single file, and to reduce the overall file size which results in reduced transmission time. There are several common formats for compressed files - each supported by a different utility, and not interchangeable. The format of a compressed file can be identified by the file extension. The formats supported by QFILER, and the associated utility are: LZH Haruyasu Yoshiaki (Yoshi): LHARC and LHA. (The only common format supported by a public domain (free) utility.) ARJ Robert K. Jung: ARJ. ZIP PKWare (Phil Katz): PKZIP and PKUNZIP. PAK NoGate Consulting: PAK. ARC Vern Buerg: ARCE, ARCA and ARCV; SEA: ARC. - Page 15 - The ARC format was among the first formats commonly used. Compressed files are often called, generically, ARChived or ARC'd files. As the ZIP format gained popularity, the files were more commonly called ZIP'd files. The current trend is to simply call them compressed files, regardless of format, to avoid trademark and copyright hassles. All of the listed utilities are available for limited trial use from BBS's and mail-order disk vendors. A fee is generally expected by the author if you continue to use the utility. We recommend the LHA (LHARC) utility because of its affordable (free) price. PKWare's ZIP utility is recommended if you anticipate using BBS files, since the ZIP format is common on Bulletin Boards. Jung's ARJ creates small compressed files. Each compression utility performs similar functions, but each in a different manner. QFILER simplifies the creation and extraction of compressed files by offering a common interface, all formats. Extract and view members of a compressed file - the fast way, using the "Zoom" window: Move the selector bar to the compressed file, and press ENTER. QFILER will determine the appropriate compression utility. If you have the utility located in a pathed directory, the file names are extracted from the file and displayed in a window similar to a normal file window. The window containing the files within a compressed file is called a "Zoom" window. When the zoom window is active, you have these options: - Up or Down - Use cursor arrow keys to select current file. - F9 - Tag or UnTag the current file. - F10 or "T" - Tag or UnTag the current file and advance. - "U" or ENTER - UnTag all files. - "E" - Extract tagged files, or current if none tagged. - "L" or "S" - Browse (view) the current file. - "Q" or ESC - Quit zoom window and return to main display. Use the "Archive" submenu to create compressed files - and more: For common compression utility functions, you can use QFILER's "Archive" submenu. If you want to create a compressed file, tag the files you want to include -- for other features, move the selector bar to a compressed file. In either case, next press Alt-A (all formats), Alt-Z (ZIP only), or Alt-L (LHA/LHARC only). A submenu will offer the following choices: "A" (Add) Press "A" to add tagged files to a compressed file. QFILER will prompt for the compressed file name. Enter only the file name - the appropriate extension will be added. If you invoked the ALT-A submenu and QFILER detects you have more than one compression utility available, you will be asked which utility you want to use. If a compressed file already exists with the name you entered, the tagged files will be - Page 16 - added to the existing file, otherwise a new file will be created. "E" (Extract) Press "E" to extract files from the selected file. QFILER will ask if you want to extract "All files or Individual files?" Press "A" (or ENTER) to extract all files within the compressed file, or "I" to invoke the Zoom window to extract individual files. "V" (View) Press "V" for a verbose listing of the contents of the selected file, displayed directly by the appropriate utility. "T" (Test) Press "T" to test the selected file and verify that the files within the compressed file can be successfully extracted. "Z" (Zoom) Press "Z" to invoke the Zoom window. Special Advanced User NOTE: If working with Alt-Z or Alt-L, the Zoom option will also display the contents of PKZIP and LHA/LHARC self-extracting files. It's up to you to pick the "correct" utility! ESC Press ESC to return to the main display. Please review the documentation that is supplied with each of the different compression utilities. There are advanced options in each that QFILER doesn't directly support -- but for the common tasks of creating and extracting compressed files, QFILER greatly simplifies the job. You may find that file compression is the ideal solution to a rapidly filling hard drive and lets you regain some welcome disk space. NOTE: For the "ARC" format, QFILER defaults to Buerg's ARCx utilities. If you wish to use some other utility for "ARC" support, you must configure QFILER to use an alternate utility See "Configuring QFiler using QFCFG". USE XCOPY TO COPY FILES AND DIRECTORIES The DOS XCOPY command can copy all the files in a directory, including the files in the subdirectories of that directory. To use XCOPY from within QFILER, you must have the directory that contains the files you want to copy in one window (with the file selector in that window), and the directory you want to receive the files in the other window. Press Ctrl-X. QFILER will display the message "Press "Y" to XCOPY (directory 1) to (directory 2)". Confirm that the receiving directory is correct! If so, press "Y" to continue, or ESC to quit. Next, enter a file mask for the files you wish to copy, or press ENTER to accept the default of "*.*" to copy all files. Finally, enter XCOPY parameter switches, or press ENTER to accept the - Page 17 - default of "/s /e" (to include subdirectories). Please refer to your DOS manual for XCOPY information. Not all versions of XCOPY behave in the same manner -- for example, the DOS 5.0 version of XCOPY does not copy hidden and system files, whereas previous versions of XCOPY did copy hidden and system files. CHANGING FILE ATTRIBUTES & FILE TIME/DATE Every file can have four qualities associated with it. These qualities are called file attributes and are displayed after the file time in each window. The archive attribute ( ) is used with DOS backup, xcopy and other commands to control which files are backed up. The read-only attribute (R) prevents a file from being changed or deleted. The hidden attribute (H) prevents DOS from displaying a file in a directory list. The system attribute (S) designates a file as a system file. System files are not shown in DOS directory listings. To change the attribute on files, either move the selector bar to a single file, or tag a group of files. Then press and hold the shift-key and press a function key as desired: Shift-F1 Set archive bit on current or tagged files. Shift-F2 Clear archive bit on current or tagged files. Shift-F3 Hide current file, directory, or tagged files. Shift-F4 UnHide current file, directory, or tagged files. Shift-F5 Protect current or tagged files. (Make them "read-only") Shift-F6 UnProtect current or tagged files. DOS stores the date and time each file is created or modified. To change the time and date on current or tagged files, press Shift-F9. QFiler will first ask if you want to use the system date and time. Press "Y" to accept the system time, or "N" to enter a date and time. Time is entered as HH:MM, using a 24-hour clock. For example, eight-thirty in the morning would be entered as 08:30; in the evening as 20:30. Date is entered as MM-DD-YY. USING THE PRINTER SUBMENU Press Ctrl-P to display the printer submenu. For Epson-compatible dot matrix printers you can press "S" to set, or "C" to cancel skip-over-perf. For all printers, you can press "F" to send a form-feed (page-eject command) to the printer. You can press "D" to print a hard copy of the file list in the current window. Press ESC to return to the menu bar. - Page 18 - QFILER ON NETWORKS... QFILER is widely used on networks, but conflicts can occur when QFILER attempts to write temporary files to the root directory of a disk -- when a network user may not have access to the root directory. To avoid this problem, you may create a QFPATH.CFG file, which is expected to contain a single line indicating a subdirectory path which may be used to store temporary files. For example, if the subdirectory C:\QFILER is a public directory, place the QFPATH.CFG file in that directory. The QFPATH.CFG would contain "C:\QFILER". Network managers suggest that a user's local drive may be a good choice to use for both the QFPATH.CFG file and the path it contains. Alternately, you can set an environment variable QFPATH. Using the previous example, you would include the line SET QFPATH=C:\QFILER in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Even if you are not running QFILER on a network, creating a QFPATH.CFG is good idea. Simply identify the same directory that QFILER itself is located. - Page 19 - Using a Mouse (optional) ------------------------ NOTE: If you want to use a mouse, you must first configure QFILER to recognize the mouse. (See Configuring QFiler Using QFCFG.) Then, before starting QFILER, be sure you have installed your mouse driver, typically by running MOUSE.COM. Virtually all QFILER options may be selected by use of a mouse in addition to the standard keyboard commands. The left mouse button is used to select most options. Other actions are interpreted as follows: "YES" Left button. "NO" Right button. "ENTER" Left button. "ESCAPE" Right button. Using the vertical scroll bar: The border on the right side of each window is used as a vertical scroll bar. If there are more files in a directory than can be displayed in a single window, there is a bar displayed within the scroll bar. Its size and position gives you an idea of the relationship the displayed files have within the associated window. You may click on this bar and slide it up and down to quickly display different files. If there is a small arrow displayed above or below the scroll bar, you may click on each to move the file selector bar towards the top or bottom of the directory, respectively. Clicking within the border, above or below the bar, is similar to pressing PgUp/PgDn on the keyboard. Scrolling the selector bar: Click on the second line from the top of each window (used to display the directory pathname) to rapidly scroll the selector bar up. Click on the line just below the file list (used to display directory size, tagged file size and remaining disk space) to scroll the selector bar down. Selecting QFiler commands: Help may be displayed by clicking on the message line just above the bottom menu bar. To select any of the bottom menu bar commands, just click on the displayed word. For all other QFILER commands (function keys, alt and control keys and normal keyboard assignments), click on the top line of either window (used to display the volume name) and the drop-down menus will be displayed. Selecting and tagging files: Within each file window, select a file or directory by moving the mouse cursor to the desired - Page 20 - file and pressing the left mouse button. To tag or untag a file, simply click on the selected file a second time. To simplify some special QFILER functions, some file types are handled in an extended manner: - Displaying directories on the left or right: If a directory has been selected as the current file, you may click on the left half of the selected line to display the directory in the left window, or the right half to display in the right window. The ">" in the word <DIR> is the dividing character. - ARC, ZIP, and LZH compressed files: If the current file is a compressed file (one with an ARC, ZIP, LZH or PAK extension) clicking on the left half of the line will tag the file; clicking on the right half will invoke a Zoom window for extraction and listing of files within the compressed file. Within Zoom window, clicking left will tag the file and clicking right will list the file. NOTE: The required compression utility must reside in a pathed directory. Keyboard remains active: If you press a key while the standard QFILER screen is displayed, the mouse cursor will "park" itself in the lower right corner of the screen, so as not to interfere with your keyboard commands. But both the mouse and keyboard are always active. Use whichever is most suited to the task you are performing. Don't know what to do? If it's not clear where you should click on the screen to perform a particular function, first try clicking on the appropriate word. If all else fails, the right button is your "NO" or "ESCAPE" button. PLEASE BE CAREFUL UNTIL YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE MOUSE ACTION! The mouse is very responsive, and it's easy to inadvertently select an undesired file especially when moving to the bottom and top menu areas. READ the displayed messages and prompts before clicking "YES"! Temporarily disable the mouse: If you have a mouse installed and would prefer to use just the keyboard, you may choose to disable the mouse by selecting DOS/MISC-Disable Mouse in the drop-down menus. The mouse will be ignored until you enable it or exit QFILER. - Page 21 - Configuring QFiler Using QFCFG ------------------------------ QFCFG.EXE is a separate configuration program that allows you to change many of the basic QFILER default values. QFCFG may be run with optional command line parameters to modify the more advanced defaults. SIMPLE: First, back up your original copy of QFILER. Be certain that both QFILER.EXE and QFCFG.EXE are in the same directory, and that you are in that directory. At the DOS command prompt, type qfcfg and then press ENTER. The QFCFG main menu will be displayed. Use your cursor keys to make your choices as described below: Default Sort Choice: This value determines the way QFILER sorts files when first started. You may select file name, extension, size, date or unsorted. Normally sorted by file name. Default File Mask: The file mask is used to select files to be displayed when QFILER is first started. Normally all files (*.*). ARChive utility: There are several utilities that process files compressed using the ARC format. You may select your preferred utility from Buerg's ARCx, Katz's PKARC, Katz's PKPAK, and NoGate's PAK. Buerg's ARCx utilities are the default. This selection only affects files compressed using the ARC format. Katz's PKZIP will always be used for ZIP files, Yoshi's LHA/LHARC used for LZH files, Jung's ARJ for ARJ files, and NoGate's PAK for PAK files. Check Snow on CGA: If you experience "snow" on your CGA, you should set this default to YES. Normally NO. This selection is a holdover from the early days of computers before EGA and VGA monitors. It is seldom a problem with modern video systems. Direct Screen Writes: Normally YES, QFILER will write directly to video memory, but if you want to redirect through BIOS calls (at a substantial loss of speed) you may set this default to NO. Confirm Exit: Normally QFILER will return to the DOS command prompt immediately after you press "Q" (Quit), without confirming the action. If you want to be asked if you really want to exit, set this default to YES. Colors: You may customize the color combinations used in QFILER displays, or return to the original program defaults. NOTE: Composite video monochrome monitors running on color video cards (often used in laptop computers) present a special - Page 22 - problem, since the "normal" colors displayed may not be easily read. If you have this problem, start QFCFG by typing qfcfg /m at the DOS command prompt. When the QFCFG menu is displayed, immediately press ESC, then Y to accept the changes. Now start QFILER. You should see only monochrome colors. If these combinations are still not to your liking, run QFCFG again (without the /M) and change the "colors" to your preference. ADVANCED: There are several command line parameters that may be used when running QFCFG. The optional parameters and their description follow. In each case you will be told the current status and asked if you want to change to the alternate. Press "N" (or ENTER) to leave the option unchanged, or "Y" to change to the alternate. /MOUSE Mouse is normally ignored. Change to recognize mouse. /LIST QFILER normally uses QFLIST as the file "browse" utility. Change this to use Buerg's LIST. /SWAP QFILER normally swaps itself to EMS memory or disk when shelling to DOS or executing other programs. If you are running QFILER under Windows, or don't have EMS memory, you may want to disable this feature. When swap is active, QFILER releases all memory except about 30K. /NOVICE If you want to disable some of QFILER's more advanced and potentially dangerous features (at least in the hands of a novice user), you can have QFILER run in "Novice" mode. In novice mode the following functions are modified: - Set/Clear Archive Bits (shift-F1/F2) disabled. - Hide/UnHide (shift-F3/F4) disabled. - Protect/UnProtect (shift-F5/F6) disabled. - Set File Date/Time (shift-F9) disabled. - Shell to DOS (Ctrl-S) disabled. - System/Hidden/ReadOnly files are not displayed and consquently may neither be copied nor deleted. /EGA, /VGA, /CGA QFILER normally runs in 25-line CGA mode. You may change this default so QFILER starts in 43/50-line mode. /I Normally QFILER sorts by size and date in ascending order (smallest to largest, and oldest to newest, respectively). You may choose to have size and date sorted in descending order so that largest or newest files are listed first. Regardless of how you set the default sort, you may still invert the sort order by pressing "I" from within QFILER. /ALL will display all the above options for your action. After you have reviewed the command-line options, the "normal" QFCFG menu will be displayed as described in the "simple" section - Page 23 - above. NOTE that command-line option changes are immediately written to QFILER, without confirmation, while changes made from the menu are subject to confirmation. When you have made your desired changes, press ESC. If you choose to accept your changes, QFILER itself is modified. If you have a copy of QFILER that you suspect has been modified, check the second of the two help screens. A modified copy will display a "modified" notice. - Page 24 - Appendix A: Key Assignments --------------------------- Alt-A Archived (compressed) file submenu (ARC). Ctrl-B Back up files. C Copy files. Alt-C Copy file to new name. D Delete files. Ctrl-D Switch between 25 and 43/50 line display modes. E Execute current file. Ctrl-E Execute using DOS command line. F Find files using external "filefind" utility. G Go to a file in file list. H Display help. I Invert sort order. Alt-I Invert file tags. Ctrl-J ARJ compressed file submenu (ARJ). L Display Link submenu (Print queue, Edit, UnDelete). Ctrl-L LHA/LHARC compressed file submenu (LZH). M Move files. P Display directory tree - pick directory for window. Alt-P Printer submenu. Q Quit - original directory active. Ctrl-Q Quit - current directory active. R Rename files and directories. Alt-R Redisplay entire screen. Ctrl-R Redisplay current window. S Show current file using external "browse" utility. Alt-S Display files unsorted. Ctrl-S Shell to DOS, enter EXIT to return. T Tag all files in current window. Alt-T Tag duplicate files. U Untag all files in current window. V Enter new volume label for active drive. X Execute highlighted menu bar command. Alt-X Quit - original directory active. Ctrl-X XCOPY files and directories. Ctrl-Z PKZIP compressed file submenu (ZIP). / Display drop-down menu. < Display parent directory in left window. > Display parent directory in right window. [period] Display parent directory in current window. [space] Move menu bar highlight right. [tab] Move menu bar highlight right. [shift-tab] Move menu bar highlight left. [esc] Abort current function, or if no function pending, quit. [enter] If program file is current selection, run program. If compressed file is current selection, perform - Page 25 - Zoom function. If directory is current selection, display directory. [grey-minus] Tag/UnTag current file. [grey-plus] Tag/UnTag current file and advance. F1 Create new subdirectory (DOS MKDIR). F2 Remove empty subdirectory (DOS RMDIR). F3 Display selected directory in left window. F4 Display selected directory in right window. F5 Enter new directory path for left window. F6 Enter new directory path for right window. F7 Sort files by file name. F8 Sort files by file extension. F9 Tag/Untag current file. F10 Tag/UnTag current file and advance. Shift-F1 Set archive bit on current or tagged files. Shift-F2 Clear archive bit on current or tagged files. Shift-F3 Hide current file, directory, or tagged files. Shift-F4 UnHide current file, directory, or tagged files. Shift-F5 Protect current or tagged files. (Make them "read-only") Shift-F6 UnProtect current or tagged files. Shift-F7 Sort files by file size. Shift-F8 Sort files by file date, then time. Shift-F9 Set time and date on current or tagged files. Shift-F10 Enter a file mask to display only certain files. Alt-F3 Display parent directory in left window. Alt-F4 Display parent directory in right window. - Page 26 - -------------------------- INVOICE / REGISTRATION -------------------------- JAMESTOWN SOFTWARE 2508 Valley Forge Drive Madison WI 53719 Sold to: ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Date: ______________________________ ================================================================ ____ copies of QFILER 3.2 or newer at $20 each ... $____________ (includes QFIND, QFDELDIR and QFCFG) ____ copies of QFLIST 1.5 or newer at $10 each ... ____________ ____ 3.5" disk (in place of 5.25") at $3 each .... ____________ Wisconsin residents add Sales Tax ........... ____________ Orders outside U.S. and Canada add $5.00 shipping. ____________ TOTAL ENCLOSED.......... $____________ Send this invoice and your check to: (U.S. dollars, drawn on a U.S. Bank) Jamestown Software 2508 Valley Forge Drive Madison WI 53719 ================================================================ Thank you for your support ................ Jamestown Software Registered owners will be sent a disk containing the most recent version of QFILER, support programs and printed manual. Registered owners may upgrade to future versions for a reduced fee -- write for details. For a large number of QFILER packages, see next page for site site license and quantity pricing information. - Page 27 - QUANTITY PRICING ------------------ Price includes complete registration materials: Typeset and printed manual, and QFILER program disk with supporting files (supplied on 5.25" disk). Quantity QFILER only QFILER+QFLIST DISCOUNT ---------- ----------- ------------- ---------------- 1 to 4 . . . $ 20.00 ea. $ 30.00 both ( 0% discount ) 5 to 9 . . . $ 16.00 ea. $ 24.00 both ( 20% discount ) 10 to 49 . . . $ 15.00 ea. $ 22.50 both ( 25% discount ) 50 to 99 . . . $ 14.00 ea. $ 21.00 both ( 30% discount ) 100 and over . $ 13.00 ea. $ 19.50 both ( 35% discount ) Add for 3.5" micro floppy . . . . . . $ 3.00 each (in place of standard 5.25" DS/DD) NOTE: Wisconsin residents add 5% Sales Tax. Orders outside U.S. and Canada add $5.00 shipping. U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. SITE LICENSE -------------- Price includes modification of the QFILER "sign-on" screen to identify the licensed organization with "for internal use only" wording and "simple" program modifications. Other program modifications by quotation. Customer is granted to right to furnish copies of the "shareware" version to employees for personal use. Site license version includes all programs: QFILER, QFLIST, support programs and documentation. Up to 50 CPU's . . . . . . . . $ 500.00 Up to 100 CPU's . . . . . . . . $ 750.00 Up to 200 CPU's . . . . . . . . $ 1000.00 Up to 350 CPU's . . . . . . . . $ 1500.00 Up to 500 CPU's . . . . . . . . $ 2000.00 Corporate unlimited . . . . . . $ 2500.00 Prices are subject to change without notice. Price includes technical support for one year. - Page 28 -