Informática Multimedia 1995 April

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Quick Catalog (QuickCat) Disk Catalog System Release 1.0 User's Guide Micro System Solutions 5048 W. Maplewood Ave. Littleton, CO 80123 Technical Support 1-303-795-7653 Support Bulletin Board 1-303-795-9583 Fax 1-303-727-6870 Orders Only 1-800-421-1789DISCLAIMER MICRO SYSTEM SOLUTIONS (MSS) DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER MSS NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN IF MSS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS. IN NO EVENT SHALL MSS'S LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. Some states do not allow the exclusion of the limit of liability for consequential or incidental damages, so the above limitation may not apply to you. This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Colorado and shall inure to the benefit of Micro System Solutions and any successors, administrators, heirs, and assigns. Any action or proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a STATE or FEDERAL COURT of competent jurisdiction located in Arapaho County, Colorado. The parties hereby consent to in personam jurisdiction of said courts. LICENSE This software and the disks on which it is contained is licensed to you, for your own use. This is copyrighted software. You are not obtaining title to the software or any copyright rights. You may not sublicense, rent, lease, convey, modify, translate, convert to another programming language, decompile, or disassemble the software for any purpose. You may make as many copies of this software as you need for back-up purposes. You may use this software on more than one computer, provided there is no chance it will be used simultaneously on more than one computer. If you need to use the software on more than one computer simultaneously, please contact us for information about site licenses. Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Micro System Solutions. The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. The product is distributed using shareware marketing techniques which allow for product evaluation prior to registration. This evaluation time may vary but must be consistent with product evaluations of its type. Micro System Solutions grants the user a period of thirty (30) days to complete the evaluation period. At the end of that period, if the product proves useful, it must be registered with Micro System Solutions or removed from your software library. Part of the shareware marketing concept is to allow this product to be shared with friends and co-workers. In keeping with this concept you are hereby granted the right to produce copies of the unmodified, original file and distribute them, at no charge (other than a reasonable handling fee), to anyone in any fashion you may see fit. If you do not have an original copy please call the technical support line for assistance in obtaining one. Copyright Micro System Solutions, 1988, 1992, All rights reserved. CUDM and Colorado Utilities Disk Manager are trademarks of Micro System Solutions. QUICKCAT is a trademark of Micro System Solutions IBM is a registered trademark of the International Business Machine corporation. Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, MS DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. C O N T E N T S ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── DISCLAIMER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii LICENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 QuickCat TECHNICAL SUPPORT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 COMPUSERVE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 HOT LINE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 CORRESPONDENCE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Starting QuickCat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Using QuickCat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 QuickCat FILES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Upgrading from prior versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Reading the README file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 MENU SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 HOT KEYS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 CATALOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 UPDATE/ADD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 DEFAULTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 FILE DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 REBUILD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 VIEW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 SCROLLING THE VIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 DELETING ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 PRINTING ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 EDIT WINDOW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 SCREEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 PRINTER LAYOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 SELECT PRINTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 PRINTER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 DESTINATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 FILE NAME. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 SYSTEM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 SHELL to DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 SAVE OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 PRINT ORDER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 QUIT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 SCREEN COLORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 EDIT MASKS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 BETA TESTERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 ORDERING INFORMATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 NON U. S. Orders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 INTRODUCTION Colorado Utilities Disk Manager (QuickCat) is a full-featured disk catalog system. It is designed to allow you to manage thousands of disk files from your hard disk, floppy disks, and CD-ROM. It creates a master catalog of files, libraries, and volumes and allows you to add comments of up to 410 characters per entry. With QuickCat you can locate any file on any diskette or hard disk in seconds. You will be able to find and eliminate duplicate files across all types of disk storage and manage your free space to use fewer diskettes. Other features of QuickCat include: . updating or deleting previously cataloged entries; . sorting entries based on different characteristics; . searching for specific entries or classes of entries based on 'strings', wildcards, or categories; . flexibility to lay out your own list screens and choose your screen colors; . support for over 20 printers, including lasers, inkjets, dot matrix, and impact printers. This Standard version is designed to allow the user to evaluate QuickCat and determine if it meets their needs. A Plus version is available directly from MSS and adds additional functionality to the cataloging system. See the QuickCatPLUS.DOC file for information about the Plus version. This version is complete in itself and requires no additional features or programs to be fully operational. If you find that this program meets your needs and expectations, you are expected and obligated to register with Micro System Solutions. Although we assume that you have some familiarity with the MS- DOS operating system, the IBM compatible microcomputers and with the information normally available from a disk directory, this manual will attempt to provide you with enough background to use this software effectively. QuickCat has been tested very thoroughly on many different platforms, including versions of DOS ranging from 3.3 through the most current 5.0. QuickCat TECHNICAL SUPPORT When you buy and register a product from Micro System Solutions, you get more than great software. You also receive access to our individual customer support, including an 800 number Hot Line and a Compuserve forum (part of the ASP forum). You will also be eligible for customized features and product enhancements. If you have a question about the use of QuickCat, you may contact one of the following sources for technical assistance: COMPUSERVE If you are a member of Compuserve, type "GO ASPFORUM" at any menu prompt to access the ASP Forum. Contact the author by sending a message to Fred Hill, PPN 76060,102. If you are not a member, call 1-800-848-8199 and ask for operator 162. If calling from outside the United States and Canada call 1-614-457- 0802. The operator will send you a FREE introductory membership AND a $15.00 credit toward your online time. HOT LINE PHONE NUMBER: Registered Users (800) 421-1789 Unregistered Users (303) 795-7653 Please be prepared to provide your product serial number and the following information when you call: . Computer name and model along with the name and model of any peripherals. . Name and version of any special drivers used on your system, including Mouse drivers, Disk Cache drivers, Virtual Disk drivers, etc. . Operating system and version number. . Contents of your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS . Specific steps to reproduce the problem you are having. CORRESPONDENCE Send Mail inquiries to: Micro System Solutions QuickCat Technical Support 5048 W. Maplewood Ave. Littleton, CO 80123 System Requirements Here's what you'll need to run QuickCat: an IBM XT, AT, PS/2, or fully compatible computer. DOS version 3.0 or later. 512K of random-access memory (RAM); 640K of RAM is recommended QuickCat may be run from a high density floppy disk but we recommend that you place it on a hard drive. The catalog files will consume large amounts of space as they grow to hold all of your directories. We also recommend that you have a color monitor, one to five megabytes of hard disk space (for catalogs) and at least one megabyte of expanded memory for catalog indexes, etc. Installation QuickCat may come to you in one of many forms. It is normally distributed as a.EXE file in a self-extracting format (SFX) that contains a compressed version of all the necessary files. By executing this SFX file you cause its contents to be decompressed and placed on the disk in the directory of your choice. This version of QuickCat requires that you execute it from the directory in which you wish to place the catalog files. The executable file (QuickCat.EXE) may be placed anywhere in the DOS path. We recommend that you create a special directory for QuickCat and its related files. If you execute QuickCat from this directory you do not need to place the directory in your DOS path. 1. Type MD QuickCat and press Enter. 2. Type CD QuickCat and press Enter. 3. Insert your distribution disk into drive A or B. 4. Type COPY A:QKCAT1.EXE and press Enter. (or, copy your distribution file from its current directory) 5. Type QKCAT1 and press Enter. The QuickCat system will install itself in your selected directory and will be ready to execute. Starting QuickCat To start QuickCat, type QuickCat at the DOS command line and press <Enter>. To use a catalog name other than CATALOG, Type QuickCat catalogname and press Enter.Using QuickCat To catalog a disk or diskette, press C for CATALOG, or click on the Catalog menu item, to pop down the catalog sub menu. If necessary, set the appropriate defaults. Press U for UPDATE/ADD or click on the Update/Add menu item. Press <Enter> when a diskette is loaded in the default disk drive. Modify the appropriate information in the dialog box, select Start and press <Enter>. That's all there is to it. Your diskette is now part of the catalog. Select View and either Files, Archives or Volumes and press <Enter>. Place the Selector button in All Entries and press <Enter> and the entire catalog will be displayed in the viewer. Other options are available, and as you progress you can explore them all. The following sections discuss the process menus in more detail. QuickCat FILES QuickCat creates six (6) catalog files to contain all of the data in the DOS directories and [optionally] the directories within the various compression libraries. These data files are created with the catalog name CATALOG or with the name you entered on the command line. The six files each contain parts of the directory or indexes into that data. The files are: catalog.DAA and catalog.IXA - archive data and index files; catalog.DAF and catalog.IXF - filename data and index files; catalog.DAV and catalog.IXV - volume data and index files. In addition to these files, QuickCat or its support programs may create and use a color file (COLOR.STM), and a configuration file (QKCAT.INI). Upgrading from prior versions This version of QuickCat uses a completely new file structure and will not be able to access the catalogs created by earlier versions. If you execute QuickCat in the same directory with these files you may damage the structure of those files. As this is being written a conversion program is being contemplated but as yet is not available. If you have a large catalog or multiple catalogs you may contact Micro System Solutions for advice on file conversion. The configuration file is version sensitive and must be replaced whenever the file format changes. The program will not run if you have a configuration file from a prior version. This is to protect you from reading the wrong data into the configuration management area of the program. When you get a message that the configuration file is outdated, just delete the file (QKCAT.INI) and re-execute QuickCat. If you have a registered version you must also re-brand the program. Reading the README file Any last minute changes or additions to QuickCat are documented in a README file on your distribution disk or in your SFX file. Review this file carefully before working with QuickCat, and note any changes. To display the README file you may type TYPE READ.ME at the DOS prompt and press <Enter>. The README file may also be printed with the DOS PRINT command. MENU SYSTEM After it loads, QuickCat displays its status screen and main menu. With a few exceptions, all operations you perform in QuickCat will be controlled through the use of menus. Navigation throughout the menu system is accomplished by using the arrow keys and the <Esc> key. To move to a lower level within the menus you: 1) select a menu item by using the arrow keys. 2) press the <Enter> key. Return to the next higher level by pressing the <Esc> key from anywhere in the menus. The menu system is also mouse aware and you may navigate the menus by clicking on the desired menu item. A click outside of the menu system will close the submenus. All menus and windows support the Microsoft standard 2 button mouse drivers. In addition to the number of Volumes, Archives and Files in the catalog the status screen also shows the actual space used by the entries and the space used in the compression libraries such as .ZIP, .LZH, etc. It also displays the current catalog name, the drive used for reading disk(ettes) and the amount of standard RAM memory available to the program. HOT KEYS In addition to the standard menu navigation keys mentioned above, QuickCat provides the following "Hot Keys": AltA or F5 Invokes the Update/Add option to immediately start a catalog operation. This is active from any menu item in the system. AltX Invokes the Quit option to immediately exit to DOS. This is active from any menu item in the system. Menu Structure The main menu structure is: CATALOG VIEW SYSTEM QUIT │ │ │ │ │ ├─> Shell to DOS │ │ ├─> Save Options │ │ └─> Print Order │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────┐ │ ├──> Files ───>│View Option │ │ │ │ ├──> Archives───>│ dialog ├────┤ view │ │ ├──> Volumes ───>│ box │ │ screen │ │ │ └────────────┘ └──┬─────┘ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ┌─────┴─────┐ │ │ │ detail │ │ │ │ edit │ │ │ │ window │ │ │ └───────────┘ │ │ ┌───────────────┐ │ ├─> Select Printer ─────>│printer select │ │ │ │ dialog box │ │ │ └───────────────┘ │ ├──> LAYOUT ──┐ │ │ │ ┌─────────────────┐ │ │ Screen Layout ────>│ layout dialog │ │ │ Printer Layout ────>│ box │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─────────────────┘ │ └──> ORDER ──> File ──┐ │ Archive ┤ ┌─────────────────────┐ │ Volume ┴──>│ Set Field Sequence │ │ └─────────────────────┘ │ │ ┌─────────────────┐ │ │Catalog Options │ ├─> UPDATE/ADD ────────>│ Dialog box │ │ └─────────────────┘ │ ┌─────────────────┐ ├─> DEFAULT ───────────>│Default Options │ │ │ Dialog box │ │ └─────────────────┘ │ ┌─────────────────┐ ├─> FILE DIRECTORY ────>│Directory │ │ │ List Window │ │ └─────────────────┘ │ │ ┌───────────┐ └─■ ABOUT ────>│About QuickCat │ └───────────┘ CATALOG The selections in this menu allow you to add new disk files to or update your catalog; set QuickCat defaults; or display file directories in your system. UPDATE/ADD Opens a dialog box. The entries in this dialog are used to tell the program to catalog a hard disk, a floppy diskette, or a CD-ROM. ╒═[■]═════════════════════[ Catalog ]═════════════════════════╕ │ │ │ Volume Name: Shareware │ │ │ │ Alias Name: │ │ │ │ Category: │ │ │ │ Start ▄ │ │ ┌ Expand──────────────────┐ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ │ [X] ARC │ │ │ │ [ ] DWC │ │ │ │ [ ] LBR │ Cancel ▄ │ │ │ [X] LZH │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ │ [ ] LZS │ │ │ │ [ ] MD │ │ │ │ [ ] PAK │ │ │ │ [X] ZIP │ │ │ │ [ ] ZOO │ │ │ └─────────────────────────┘ │ ╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛ The Volume Name displayed when the dialog box opens is the one found on the disk being cataloged. To accept this name merely hit <enter>. To physically change the name on the catalog disk enter the name you wish. We do not recommend that you change, the name of any disk received in a commercial software package or attempt to change the name on a hard drive. The Alias Name is one that you may assign for QuickCat to use when cataloging this disk. If this entry is not blank it will be used in place of the Volume Name. We recommend that you attach a label to the disk(ette) to identify it with this alias. If you enter an alias name, the real Volume name will appear in the catalog as the "actual volume name". This field is only for reference purposes and is not cross indexed to the alias name. The next time you catalog this disk you must enter the same Alias Name to update the catalog entries. Category is used to assign a user-defined category or classification to the volume and each of the files found on that volume. This may be any eight characters of your own choosing and may be used to sort, select and isolate specific records within the catalog. After cataloging is complete, you may change the category in specific entries using the View Screen Edit window. Expand archives alerts QuickCat to extract and catalog filenames contained in the listed archive formats. QuickCat currently supports the formats listed and will be adding others as they gain popularity in the PC community. Turning a flag off in the list will cause that archive type to be cataloged as a normal DOS file, rather than being expanded. It will be placed in the file catalog rather than the archive catalog. If you later wish to extract from those archives you must re-catalog the entire disk(ette). During the re- cataloging the archive entry will get placed to the Archive Catalog and the files will be placed in the File Catalog. Any comments associated with the archive entry in the File Catalog will be lost and must be re-entered. When the Start button is activated an information window is opened, and QuickCat proceeds to add new records or update current ones. When all files have been read from the input disk, the records remaining in the catalog that have not been updated or newly added will be deleted. This procedure keeps the catalog clear of all unnecessary entries. DEFAULTS This menu selection allows you to set the system drives and name defaults. If you want to catalog files from a different drive or maintain multiple catalogs, you would use one of the following options. Disk Drive: (drives A: through Z:) may be changed for subsequent cataloging operations. You may enter just the drive letter (A through Z) or the drive designation (A: through Z:), either form will be accepted. The effect of this drive change is immediate. Catalog Name: The catalog name entry displays the current active catalog name. Changing the current catalog can be accomplished in one of two ways. One is to enter the name on the command line when starting the program. Example: QuickCat TESTCAT would open a catalog named TESTCAT. The second way would be to position the active cursor bar in this field and enter the name you wish to make the default and currently active catalog. If the catalog exists it will be opened, if not, it will be created. The new catalog will replace the existing one as the default. ╒═[■]═════[ Defaults ]══════════╕ │ │ │ Disk Drive: A: │ │ │ │ Catalog Name:CATALOG │ │ │ │ ┌ Options─────────────────┐ │ │ │ [X] Request Disk Load │ │ │ └─────────────────────────┘ │ │ │ │ Ok ▄ Cancel ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ ╘═══════════════════════════════╛ Request Disk Load. Setting this entry causes QuickCat to prompt you to place a disk in the catalog drive prior to reading the disk. If you clear this option no request will be made and it will be assumed that a disk is already loaded. If a disk is not found the disk request message will display. Clearing this option has the effect of speeding the catalog operation for many diskettes. FILE DIRECTORY You may use this dialog box to navigate the directory tree to examine all of the files in your system. It will display the disk directory structure of any drive and/or (sub)directory. To display the directory of a drive other than the current one, enter the drive designator in the File name window. Example D:*.DOC. You may also click or select the disk letter in the directories scroll window. Wildcard masks are allowed in the File name window. ╒═[■]══════════════ File Open ══════════════════╕ │ │ │ File name: *.* │ │ │ │ Directory: C:\CAT │ │ │ │ Files Directories │ │ ! ..\ OK ▄ │ │ aparchiv.pas ■ beta\ ■ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ aparchiv.tpu ░ color\ ░ │ │ arrymgr.pas ░ filer\ ░ Cancel ▄ │ │ arrymgr.tpu ░ menu\ ░ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ bldline.pas ░ print\ ░ │ │ bldline.tpu ░ [A:] ░ Help ▄ │ │ bldmenu.pas ░ [B:] ░ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ bldmenu.tpu ■ [D:] ■ │ ╘═══════════════════════════════════════════════╛ REBUILD Occasionally your system may begin to slow down due to the scattering of the various indexes involved. Selecting this option will cause QuickCat to rebuild the index files and recalculate the system record counts. If your files were to get damaged this is the first step (after doing a backup) toward recreating your data. We also recommend you use this feature whenever you upgrade to a new release of QuickCat to ensure the index files are fully functional for the release of software. VIEW This menu selection allows you to view all of the various entries contained in the three main catalog files. After you select a record type, [Volume, Archive, or File], a window is opened for you to enter additional selection criteria about that group of data. ╒═[■]═══════════════════[ Viewer Options ]═══════════════════════╕ │┌ View Selector───┐┌ Wild Card Mask─────────────────────────┐ │ ││ () All ││*.TXT;*.DOC │ │ ││ ( ) Imbedded │└────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ ││ ( ) Wildcard │┌ Imbedded String Mask───────────────────┐ │ ││ ( ) Category ││ABC;TXT │ │ ││ ( ) Comment │└────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ ││ ( ) Volume │┌ Category Names─────────────────────────┐ │ │└─────────────────┘│COMM;Transmit │ │ │┌─ Volume Names ──┐└────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ ││ STOR0001 │┌ Comment String Mask────────────────────┐ │ ││ STOR0002 ││Test Files │ │ ││ UTIL0001 ││[X] Ignore Case │ │ ││ ZIPS0513-92 │└────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ ││ │ │ ││ │ │ ││ │ │ ││ │ OK ▄ Cancel ▄ │ │└─────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ ╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛ The View Selector contains what are known as "radio buttons". Within the View Selector you may "turn on" only one radio button at a time. When you select a new viewer type, the previously selected type will automatically "turn off". You may select one of either All (files), Imbedded (strings), Wildcard, Category, or Comment selections. Each of these may have a selection Mask associated with it. The View Selector which is currently active will determine which mask will be used. (Selecting 'All' will cause the selection mask default to *.*') Each of the mask entry fields may contain multiple masks separated by commas (,), or semi-colons (;). In the above example screen the user has selected All records [notice the small dot in the parenthesis (.)]. Selecting All causes all of the mask fields to be ignored. If the user had selected WildCard, all records with an extension of ".TXT" or ".DOC" would be displayed. If the user selects Imbedded then all records with "ABC" or "TXT" anywhere in the name, including the extension, would be selected. If the user chose Category then records with a Category of "COMM" or "Transmit" would be displayed. Chosing Comment would cause any record with the phrase "Test Files" anywhere in the comment would be selected. When set, the switch, Ignore Case, will cause the record selection to be made in a case-insensitive manner. In the above example, by setting the Ignore Case switch, all records with "TEST FILES", "test files", "TeSt FiLeS" or any other variation of upper and lower case would be selected for viewing. Finally selecting Volume and highlighting a Volume Name would have the effect of restricting the display to a specific volume. The wildcard mask "*.DOC;A*.TXT;A*.TX1", for example, will select and display all .DOC files, and all .TXT and .TX1 files beginning with the letter A. Naturally one or more of these files must exist in the catalog to be displayed. The imbedded string fields operate slightly slower since they require the entire record be retrieved from the catalog to check for the string. The View Screen will appear similar to the one below. The actual fields displayed will be determined by the settings you make in the Screen Layout. ╒╡▓╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡▓╞╕ │Volume Archive Name Size Date Time Directory │DRIVE C: . ADDINMGR.XLA 28,171 06/12/91 12:00 pm EXCEL\LIB▓ │DRIVE C: . ADDPICK.PAS 3,905 05/15/91 01:52 pm TECH\ ░ │DRIVE C: . ADDR.DBF 630 06/12/91 12:00 pm EXCEL\QE\░ │DRIVE C: . ADDRBOOK.DB 6,909 03/03/92 02:36 pm OZCIS\ ░ │DRIVE C: . ADDRBOOK.EXE 12,736 06/18/91 03:21 pm WSYSTEMS\░ │DRIVE C: . ADDRBOOK.ZIP 14,586 02/14/92 04:10 pm WSYSTEMS\░ │DRIVE C: . ADDRENV.WP 6,044 02/13/92 10:05 am NSI\ ░ │DRIVE C: . ADDRESS.CHG 712 09/12/90 05:42 pm WINUTIL\ ░ │DRIVE C: . +ADDRESS.EXE 64,064 02/15/92 05:47 pm USERS\ ░ │DRIVE C: . +ADDRESS.EXE 67,168 01/03/92 01:26 pm PO\ ░ │DRIVE C: . ADDRESS.IPC 4,704 10/04/91 01:29 pm AVERY\ ░ │DRIVE C: . +ADDRESS.PAS 6,326 03/02/92 03:20 pm USERS\ ░ │DRIVE C: . +ADDRESS.PAS 7,081 01/03/92 01:25 pm PO\ ░ │DRIVE C: . ADDRESS.SAV 264 10/30/91 11:10 am OZCIS\ ░ │DRIVE C: . ADDTRACE.EXE 12,976 07/11/91 01:36 pm WSYSTEMS\░ │DRIVE C: . ADIMPORT.FLT 7,680 08/08/91 05:48 pm WINDOWS\M░ │DRIVE C: . AIRLINE.PAS 6,935 04/07/91 01:32 pm TECH\ ░ │DRIVE C: ALARM.LZH ALARM.PAS 1,553 01/02/90 09:37 am OPRO\ ░ │DRIVE C: ALARM.LZH ALARMI.ASM 4,151 01/17/90 02:05 pm OPRO\ ░ │DRIVE C: ALARM.LZH ALARMI.OBJ 455 01/17/90 02:05 pm OPRO\ ╘▓░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ A filename (or archive name), preceded by plus sign (+), indicates that filename is a duplicate of another filename. Generally the duplicates would appear in the current range of records being displayed, however, in some cases the duplicate may not meet the selection criteria and would not become eligible for viewing. Duplicates are identified by matching the name field, no other field is used at this time. SCROLLING THE VIEW Once the View Screen is up, it may be scrolled right or left by using the left and right arrow keys. Each time you hit an Arrow key the view will scroll right (or left) 10 characters. To return to the first column hit the left arrow key until the first column appears or hit the <Home> key. To exit the Viewer, hit the <Esc> key. Hitting the End key will place you at the physical end of the current record which could appear to be totally blank. Hitting the Home key or repeatedly hitting the left arrow key will return you to populated parts of the record. You can change the layout of fields on your screen by selecting the Screen Layout option, as discussed in the upcoming section. DELETING ENTRIES While the View Screen is up, any entry in the catalog may be removed by placing the cursor bar on the entry and hitting the <Delete> key. These entries are physically deleted from the catalog and can no longer be retrieved. The only way to return these entries would be to re-catalog the disk(ette). This option is not available from a menu. This option does not remove any files from actual cataloged disk or diskette. PRINTING ENTRIES This selection is also not available from a menu, but is initiated by hitting <F8> while in a View Screen. You will be asked to identify the default printer and port before printing continues. The listing will then go to the selected printer or disk file and will be formatted according to the Print Layout setup for the particular type of entry. (Volume, Archive, or File) Print Layout is discussed in an upcoming section. EDIT WINDOW Once the View Screen is active it becomes possible to access the Edit Window. This window is used to alter the Category names and/or the Notes field. The Edit Window is activated by placing the cursor bar on the desired record you wish to change and pressing the <Enter> key. ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │┌──────────── Modifying Record # 10 ────────────┐│ ││ Volume Name: CUDM34 ││ ││ Archive Name: CUDM34.ZIP ││ ││ File Name: COLOR.STM Category: CATALOG ││ ││ SubDirectory: B:\ ││ ││ Size: 528 Compressed: 158 ││ ││ Date/Time: 01/10/92 12:13:36 ││ ││ Notes: ││ │└───────────────────────────────────────────────┘│ │╒════════════════════ Notes ════════════════════╕│ ││Color system. Stream contains color data ││ ││created and maintained by the program ││ ││SETCOLOR.EXE ││ ││ ││ ││ ││ ││ ││ ││ ││ ││ ││ ││ ││ │╘═══════════════════════════════════════════════╛│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Once you have cataloged a disk, you can select the View Screen and proceed to add Categories (classifications) and Notes (comments) to each catalog entry. Placing the cursor on a View Window entry and pressing <Enter> causes the Edit Window to appear as shown above. The Category and Notes field are the only changeable entries in the window. Categories The Category field can be anything you wish up to 8 characters. We recommend you establish a series of categories which define your processing needs. For example, if you collect or create programs you might use the software type, SSHEET for spreadsheet software, or DBase for data base software. Later while in the View Options dialog box you can use this category field to select application specific records for viewing. Notes The Notes field is actually a trigger field which, when activated, places you in the memo editor in the Notes box. To activate the trigger and enter or modify information in the Notes box, place the cursor on the Notes field and hit <Enter>. The Notes box will hold up to 410 characters and is controlled by using the normal editing keys on your keyboard. Most of the standard ASCII character set are supported. The first 60 characters of the memo are displayable by the View Screen so particular attention should be paid when entering these. The only way to view the entire memo is to be in the Edit Window for the record you wish to view. Hit <Ctrl-Enter> when you have completed your entry. You have two options when exiting the Edit Window. If you wish to abort your entry and return it to the prior state, you would hit the <Esc> key. To accept your changes, hit the <Ctrl-Enter> key combination.SCREEN LAYOUT The Screen Layout selection allows you to change the way catalog information is displayed on the View Screen. It includes entries for each of the displayable data fields stored in the catalog. When you have finished hit the <Ctrl-Enter> key combination to accept the changes or hit the <Esc> to retain the old information. The screen title will reflect whether you are in the Volume, Archive or File window. ╒═[■]═══════════════[ Screen File Layout ]════════════════════╕ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Name Prompt Mask Col Width │ │ Name Name 26 13 │ │ Size Size ###,###,### 40 11 │ │ Date Date mm/dd/yy 52 8 │ │ Time Time hh:mm te 61 8 │ │ Directory Directory 70 36 │ │ Comment Comment 0 60 │ │ Category Category 0 8 │ │ Archive Archive 13 12 │ │ Volume Volume 5 11 │ │ Capacity Capacity 0 8 │ │ NrFiles #Files 0 4 │ │ │ │ Save ▄ Ok ▄ Cancel ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ ╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛ The following settings are available for each field: Prompt This field is used to place a header at the top of the screen. You may put anything you wish into this field. What is actually displayed depends on the size of the field it applies to. Mask This edit mask is used to format the field. Each field type will have a default edit type. You can use these mask in any field by following the guideline in the "Edit Masks" section later in this document. Col This is the screen column to begin displaying data. A zero (0) placed here will cause the field NOT to be displayed regardless of the other entries. Width Size to display. This field must be the same as or less than the actual field width. QuickCat will not allow an entry to be out-of-range. Save Using this exit will cause this screen layout definition to become the default. QuickCat will rewrite the configuration file (QKCAT.INI) to disk. OK Using this exit will cause this screen layout definition to be used only for the current execution. Cancel Using this exit will cause the screen layout definition to return to its prior state. Any changes made during this from the time you entered the window will be ignored. PRINTER LAYOUT This selection allows you to change the printer layout. It provides entries for each of the data fields stored in the catalog. The printer layout works the same way as the screen layout just discussed. When you have finished hit the <Ctrl-Enter> key combination to accept the changes or hit the <Esc> to retain the old information. The screen title will reflect whether you are in the Volume, Archive or File window. ╒═[■]══════════════[ Printer Volume Layout ]══════════════════╕ │ Nr Lines: 54 │ │ Columns: 78 Print Compressed: N │ │ │ │ │ │ Name Prompt Mask Col Width │ │ Name Volume 1 11 │ │ Size Size ###,###,### 14 11 │ │ Date Date mm/dd/yy 26 8 │ │ Time Time hh:mm te 35 8 │ │ Directory Directory 0 36 │ │ Comment Comment 0 60 │ │ Category Category 0 8 │ │ Archive Archive 0 12 │ │ Volume Vol Name 44 11 │ │ Capacity Capacity 0 8 │ │ NrFiles #Files 0 4 │ │ │ │ Save ▄ Ok ▄ Cancel ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ ╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛ The following settings are available for each field: Prompt This field is used to place a header at the top of the listing. Mask This edit mask is used to format the field. Each field type will have a default edit type. You can use these mask in any field by following the guideline in the "Edit Masks" section later in this document. Col This is the print position to begin placing data. A zero (0) placed here will cause the field NOT to be used regardless of the other entries. Width Size of print field. This field must be the same as or less than the actual field width. QuickCat will not allow an entry to be out-of-range. Save Using this exit will cause this print layout definition to become the default. QuickCat will rewrite the configuration file (QKCAT.INI) to disk. OK Using this exit will cause this print layout definition to be used only for the current execution. Cancel Using this exit will cause the print layout definition to return to its prior state. Any changes made during this from the time you entered the window will be ignored. SELECT PRINTER This dialog box allows you to define the default printer the system will use to list the entries you have currently selected in the View Screen. ╒═[■]══════════════════════════════════════════╕ │ │ │ ┌ Printer─────────┐ ┌ Destination─────┐ │ │ │ GENERIC EPSON │ │ ( ) LPT1 │ │ │ │ LASERJET ■ │ │ ( ) LPT2 │ │ │ │ LASERJET PLUS░ │ │ ( ) LPT3 │ │ │ │ LASERJET II ░ │ │ ( ) PRN │ │ │ │ DIABLO ░ │ │ () Disk File │ │ │ │ EPSON MX ░ │ └─────────────────┘ │ │ │ EPSON FX ░ │ ┌ File Name───────┐ │ │ │ EPSON LQ ░ │ │ QKCAT.PRN │ │ │ │ PROPRINTER II░ │ └─────────────────┘ │ │ │ DESKJET │ │ │ └─────────────────┘ │ │ │ │ │ │ Start ▄ Cancel ▄ │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ ╘══════════════════════════════════════════════╛ PRINTER QuickCat currently supports 22 printers. Included in the list of supported printers are Laser, Deskjet, dot matrix (9 and 24 pin) and impact printers. If your printer is not included on the list you can generally get the output you desire by selecting a printer similar to the type you have. To select a printer, place the cursor on the selection you wish as a default printer and press the <Enter> key. DESTINATION IBM compatible computers running DOS have two level of control. The first being the system BIOS or Basic IO System. The second level of control is DOS (Disk Operating System) itself, which may or may not use the BIOS services. The Destination control allows you to select from the direct BIOS service printer ports (LPT1, LPT2 & LPT3) or to use the DOS printer port (PRN). The DOS printer port will normally default to the first BIOS printer port defined. Providing this selection also permits you to print to a printer not attached to the first port. Selecting File Name will allow you to place the resulting printer listing in a disk file. Selecting a Generic printer from the Printer List (e.g. Generic Epson) and File Name will produce an export file in standard ASCII which may be used for input to other programs. FILE NAME This is the name of the file that your View Screen data will be written to, if you selected the File Name destination. The print file will be placed in this file exactly as if it had been sent to the printer. All control characters will be included. This file may be COPY'd to the printer at a later date to produce the hard copy listing. SYSTEM SHELL to DOS Perform a memory swap and shell to DOS. QuickCat will retain a minimum presence (about 7K) to allow for reloading the QuickCat program when 'EXIT' is entered at the command line. If your computer uses EMS (Expanded Memory System), QuickCat will normally use it for swapping. If EMS is not available, QuickCat will swap to disk in a hidden file. Upon re-entering QuickCat the file will be deleted. CAUTION: No files are closed prior to performing the DOS shell, so the proper course of action prior to shutting the machine off would be to re-enter (key 'EXIT') and quit the program normally. SAVE OPTIONS Selecting this option causes the configuration file (.INI) to be (re)written immediately. The current settings in the program will become the defaults for future executions of QuickCat. No attempt is made to determine if the settings are correct. At any time you may return to the default settings by deleting the configuration file. The file name is QKCAT.INI and will be in the same directory as the current catalog files. PRINT ORDER Prints an order form for registering QuickCat. This is only displayed in the shareware version. If you need a copy and can't print one, there is one in the back of this manual or in the accompanying file QKCORDR.FRM. QUIT Exit the program and return to the operating system. This option is the only recommended way of leaving QuickCat without possibly damaging your data files. SCREEN COLORS A program to set the screen colors (SETCOLOR.EXE) is provided to change any of the color combinations in QuickCat. This color set screen sets the color attribute for both color and monochrome. The colors for the background are: Black, Blue, Green, Cyan, Red, Magenta, Brown, and LtGray. The foreground allows the eight previously mentioned colors plus: DarkGray, Light Blue, Light Green, Light Cyan, Light Red, Light Magenta, Yellow and White. The colors are presented as a combination of foreground on background, for example the window interior of the main menu is BlackOnLGray or Black on Light Gray. Navigate the color menu with the arrow keys and the PgUp/PgDn keys until the cursor has selected the item to change. Hit the enter key and the color palette will be activated. Use the arrow keys to select the color combination wanted and hit enter again. That item will assume the selected color combination. When all of the colors have been selected hit <AltC> and the new color selections will be written to the COLOR.STM stream file for use by QuickCat. The stream file must be in the default directory when QuickCat is started. EDIT MASKS These mask characters are used in the screen and printer layout windows to define the format for the various fields. Each field has a default edit mask which will be used if the field mask is blank. Alphabetic fields will have a mask of all 'X's which allows any character. Numeric fields will have a mask of all '9's and will be padded left with spaces. Date fields will have a mask of 'mm/dd/yy' and Time fields will have a mask of 'hh:mm:ss'. string fields 'X' Any character '!' Any character, force upper case 'L' Any character, force lower case 'x' Any character, force mixed case (input only) 'S'or's'Used in file name fields to cause the name and the extension to be split on output. numeric fields '#' numbers and spaces 'K' numbers and spaces, output in kilobytes date fields 'm' month - zero padded 'M' month - blank padded 'd' day - zero padded 'D' day - blank padded 'y' year - zero padded 'n' month name 'N' month name - force upper case 'w' weekday 'W' weekday - force upper case '/' date separator 'h' hours - zero padded 'H' hours - blank padded 'm' minutes - zero padded 'M' minutes - blank padded 's' seconds - zero padded 'S' seconds - blank padded 't' time only - 'p' or 'a' of pm/am 'e' em only - 'm' in am/pm ':' time separator Picture Result Remarks 'XXXXXX' 'Hello world' Any character '!!!!!!' 'HELLO WORLD' Any character, force upper case 'LLLLLL' 'hello world' Any character, force lower case 'xxxxxx' 'Hello World' Any character, force mixed case (on entry only) '[#,###]' '[1,123] Digits and space only, brackets are literal. The comma is discretionary 'K' ' 123K' Digits and space only, Kilobytes 'S' 'file .ext' any filename, normally 'file.ext' 'mm/dd/yyyy' '04/01/1992' Date, zero padded 'MM/DD/yyyy' ' 4/ 1/1992' Date, blank padded 'dd-nnn-yy' '01-Apr-92' Date, named month 'dd NNN yy' '01 APR 92' Date, named month, upper case 'hh:mm:ss' '05:10:20' Time, zero padded 'HH:mm:ss' ' 5:10:20' Time, blank padded 'hh:mmt' '12:15p' Time, am/pm format 'hh:mm te' '12:15 pm' Time, am/pm formatBETA TESTERS Beta testing is done after the current release is designed and programmed. Initial exhaustive tests have been completed and the product is normally within a few days or weeks of release. The time frame depends on the level of change made to the product. Occasionally MSS requires additional testers. Only registered QuickCat users may become beta product testers. If you wish to become a tester of any of Micro System Solutions products you may do so by registering that product and calling Fred Hill at 1- 800-421-1789. Only a few testers are needed for each product, so you may be placed on a waiting list. ASP Ombudsman This program is produced by a 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 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 or send a Compuserve message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536 ORDERING INFORMATION Orders for QuickCat may be sent to the following address: Micro System Solutions 5048 W. Maplewood Ave. Littleton, CO 80123 Orders only: Phone-1(800) 421-1789, FAX-1(303) 727-6870 Tech Support: 1(303) 795-7653 PPN 76060,102 - Compuserve Mail Orders Name: ____________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________ City: _________________ St/Prov: ____________ Zip: _______ Country: ______________ Phone No: _______________ Credit Card: Visa __ MC __ Nr ___________________________ Card Expiration date: __________ Disk Size: 5.25 _______ 3.5 ___________ Where did you find this copy of QuickCat? Friend: ________ BBS: ____ Vendor: ____ Name: ______________________________ Standard Plus Price (single copy) ..........$37.00 ..... $47.00$________ Shipping/handling (USA/Canada) ..... $ 5.00 .....$________ Shipping/handling (International) .. $ 8.00 .....$________ Colorado residents add appropriate tax ....................$________ Total order ............................$_____________ See file QKCPLUS.DOC for a complete discussion of both versions as well as other MSS products. ***** See next page for non U.S.A. registrations ******NON U. S. Orders If your country is included in the following list please contact the appropriate agent to register your copy of QuickCat. This list is being continuously updated, if your country is not listed call or write us for a more current list. The most current version will be sent direct from the author by AIRMAIL. Australia: BUDGETWARE P.O. Box 496 Newtown, NSW 2042 AUSTRALIA Phone (02) 519-4233 Fax (02) 516-4236 Prices for overseas registrations are sometimes set by the agent in that country. If a foreign language version is available it will only be available through the agent for that language version. If your country is not included above address all orders to Micro System Solutions using the form on the previous page.INDEX 800 number 2 Add 1, 5, 8-11, 17, 30 ASPFORUM 2 Beta testers 29 Catalog 1, 3-12, 14-17, 19, 21, 24 Category 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 1 9, 21 CD-Rom 1, 10 Comments 1, 11, 17 Compuserve 2, 29, 30 Copyright iii Correspondence 3 QuickCat files 5 Defaults 5, 10, 12, 24 Deleting 1, 16, 24 Destination 23, 24 Disclaimer ii Dot matrix 1, 23 Edit masks 19, 21, 27 Edit window 11, 16-18 File directory 9, 13 Floppy disks 1 Hard disk 1, 3, 10 Hot keys 8 Hot line 2 Impact printers 1, 23 Inkjets 1 Installation 4 Introduction 1 LaserJet 23 Lasers 1 Layout 9, 15, 16, 19-22, 27 License ii, iii Master catalog 1 Menu system 7 Ordering 30 PPN 76060,102 2, 30 Print order 9, 25 Printer 9, 16, 21, 23, 24, 27 Quit 8, 9, 24, 25 Readme file 6 Save options 9, 24 Screen colors 1, 25 Screen layout 9, 15, 16, 19-21 Scrolling the view 16 Searching 1 Select printer 9, 23 Shell to dos 9, 24 Sorting 1 Starting QuickCat 4 System requirements 3 Technical support 1, 2, 3, 29 Update 5, 8-11 Updating 1 Upgrading 6 Using QuickCat 5 View screen 11, 15-19, 23, 24 Viewer 5, 14, 16 Warranties ii Wild Card 14