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DLS v2.20 Copyright (c) 1990 - 1992 All Rights Reserved by James A. Clark 6533 Mosswood Lane N.E. Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402 (319) 395-9421 For IBM PC's, XT's, AT's, PS/2's and 100% Compatibles DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL CONTENTS Warranty and Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii License and Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii Program Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Using DLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Reading Physical Disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Reading Catalog Databases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Moving Through the Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Menu Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Directory Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Edit Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Print Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Configure Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Exit Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Editor Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 String Editor Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Notes Editor Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Incremental Choice Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Files/Disks Window Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Pick Window Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Color/Mouse Pick Window Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Revisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Program Enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Registration and Prices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Registration Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 i DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER The author of DLS makes no warranty of any kind, express or implied, including without limitation, any warranties or merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. The author of DLS shall not be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special, or consequential arising from a failure of this program to operate in the manner desired by the user. The author of DLS shall not be liable for any damage to data or property which may be caused directly or indirectly by the use of this program. IN NO EVENT WILL THE AUTHOR OF DLS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS, OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY. YOUR USE OF THIS PROGRAM CONSTITUTES YOUR AGREEMENT TO THIS DISCLAIMER AND YOUR RELEASE OF THE AUTHOR FROM ANY FORM OF LIABILITY OR LITIGATION. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Microsoft and MS-DOS are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. IBM, IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 and PC-DOS are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. EPSON is a trademark of Epson Corporation. CompuServe is a trademark of CompuServe Incorporated. GENIE is a trademark of General Electric Company. Desqview is a trademark of Quarterdeck, Inc. ii DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL LICENSE AND REGISTRATION DLS is not in the Public Domain; DLS is not free. As such, it is made available to the general computing public for evaluation. Non-registered users are granted a limited 30-day license on a SINGLE COMPUTER to determine whether or not the program meets their needs. Continued use of DLS beyond this 30-day period requires registration of the program for EACH COPY to be used. Business and government users of DLS must register in order to legally use this software. The 30-day evaluation privilege is extended only to non-business users. Registered users are those users that elect to pay for DLS and register that payment with the author of DLS (James A. Clark). By virtue of registration and payment for the program, registered users are granted a license to continue to utilize the program on their personal computer for as long as they choose. This license authorizes the user to use the program on any personal computer system he or she may own so long as the program is operated on only one computer system at a time. If you desire to use the software on more than one computer you must purchase a site license. By using DLS you acknowledge that you have read this agreement, understand it and agree to be bound by its terms and conditions. The author of DLS retains sole rights to the program. No one may modify DLS or its attendant files, in any way, for any reason. The complete set of files are as follows: DLS.EXE Executable program file DLS.HLP On-line help file DLS.MAN Program manual DIAB_630.PRD Printer codes for a Diablo 630 EPSON_FX.PRD Default Epson FX printer codes LQ-1010.PRD Printer codes for an Epson LQ-1010 LQ-1500.PRD Printer codes for an Epson LQ-1500 LQ-2550.PRD Printer codes for an Epson LQ-2550 IBM_PRO.PRD Default IBM printer codes OKI_192.PRD Printer codes for an Okidata 192 STAR_NX.PRD Printer codes for a Star Micronics NX-1000 REGISTER.FRM A registration form READ.ME A quick introduction file CLONE.EXE Clone configuration information from v2.10 or 2.11 to v2.20 CLONE.DOC Clone program manual The complete set of --UNREGISTERED-- program files, as listed above, may be freely copied and transferred to individual parties for evaluation purposes. It may be posted on Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) for electronic access as long as NO FEE is charged for its distribution except for a regular user subscription fee. Computer information services such as CompuServe (CIS), Genie, iii DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL etc., are authorized to post this product for subscriber access. DLS may NOT be distributed on diskette by any disk distributor/vendor that charges more than $6.00 for the diskette upon which the program and attendant files are recorded without the prior written consent of the author of DLS. DLS may NOT be distributed with or as a part of any other product or software package without the prior written consent of the author of DLS. DLS is a fully functional Shareware product. Shareware is a computer program distribution/marketing method that permits potential buyers to thoroughly try the program prior to purchase. It is NOT free and it is not in the Public Domain. If, after evaluating the program, you find it to be useful enough to use it on a regular basis, you are expected to pay for it by registering with the author of DLS. The registration fee is $15.00 for single users or a site license is available. Additional registration information and a registration form is included at the end of this document. iv DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL PROGRAM DESCRIPTION DLS is a product designed to read the main directory files and any subdirectory files from all types of 3-1/2" and 5-1/4" diskettes. You may also read any drive that has a DOS format with any drive letter from A to Z. You may then print a label, 5-1/4" disk insert, or 5-1/4" disk sleeve on your printer. A volume label is required for diskettes read. You may also add notes to the label, if desired. A 3-1/2" x 1" label might look like: +------------------------------------------------------------+ | -- SAMPLE TITLE -- | | -Volume Label-----------------------------------360k disk- | | \ File1 .ext File2 .ext | | \SubDir1 SubFile1.ext SubFile2.ext | | Subfile3.ext SubFile4.ext | | -- Notes -- | | This is a sample 3-1/2" x 1" diskette label. | | ----------------------------------------------15 Jun 1990- | | 7 Files Bytes: 360448 Used 2048 Free | +------------------------------------------------------------+ In addition to reading physical disks, DLS now supports the importation of data from several disk catalog programs. At this time, DLS can read disk databases created by following the programs: - CatDisk - InteliCat (formerly LogiCat) - PmCat - Wssindex The default print driver set supplied as part of the program should work with Epson FX and compatible printers, if set in the Epson mode. Several other driver sets are also included with the program files. If you send me the appropriate codes for other printers, I will add the configuration files to future releases. The setup allows ASCII codes up to #127. Please let me know if higher ASCII codes are needed for other printers. Please report any problems or suggestions to me at the address given at the beginning of this manual. Please be specific about errors and include your system information: hardware, DOS version, and a listing of your autoexec.bat and config.sys files. 1 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS The minimum system requirements for DLS are as follows: Computer Type: IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or 100% compatible Operating System: PC-DOS or MS-DOS 2.0 or higher Memory: 256K Ram Other Hardware: Drives: 2 diskette drives or 1 hard disk and 1 floppy disk Printer Port: LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, COM1, or COM2 Printer: Default: Epson FX or compatible Other: Configurable Video: MDA, CGA, EGA, MCGA or VGA DLS has been tested on XT's, AT's, PS/2's and compatibles with various video displays, all types of diskettes, and various Epson and Epson compatible printers. It has been reported that DLS works on multitasking systems such as Desqview. Mouse support is automatically provided if a Microsoft or compatible mouse driver is present in the system. 2 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL INSTALLATION The only file that is required for DLS to work is DLS.EXE. Copy this file to a diskette or to an appropriate (i.e. \Utility) subdirectory on your hard disk. The file, DLS.HLP should be copied to the same diskette as DLS.EXE, the same hard disk directory as DLS.EXE, or somewhere on the DOS path, if the on- line help system is desired. All program parameters are configurable within the program. The default settings the first time you use the program are as follows: - Monochrome color settings - Epson FX printer - LPT1 printer port - 0 margin - 3-1/2" x 1" diskette labels - The program will read diskettes on the A: drive - Disk volume label is required - The title will be left justified - DLS will not read any disk database files There are several other installation parameters (probably too many cosmetic parameters!) that can be configured; see the section below. CONFIGURATION When DLS is executed, you will first be presented with an opening advertisement (unless you have registered the program). After the initial delay, the horizontal bar of a typical pull-down menu and a settings window is displayed. See the menu illustration below. +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +--------------------------------------------+ DLS comes configured so that the user can see it on any screen (monochrome colors) and so that most users could use it without any modification. Under the Configure menu item, many aspects of the program can be changed to suit personal preferences and configurations. The configuration toggles for most non-cosmetic options are shown in a 'Settings' window that is placed on the right side of the screen. The various configuration options, under the Configure menu item, are illustrated below: 3 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +-------------------------+--------------+---+ | Cosmetics > | | Printer > | | Label > | | Drives | | drive Type | | Volume > | | dataBase > | | Save | +--------------+ The remainder of this section explains how each of these options effect the program. > Cosmetics: Under the Cosmetics submenu item are the options that personalize DLS to meet your personal preference as illustrated below. +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +-------------------------+--------------+---+ | Cosmetics >-------------+ | Printer | Border > | | Label | Colors > | | Drives | Mouse > | | drive Type | cHaracter > | | Volume +-------------+ | dataBase > | | Save | +--------------+ >> Borders These options allow you to change the >>> Top/1st level menu window >>> Lower level menu window >>> Information, Data and Error window borders. The 3 border options are single line, double line, and mixed (double horizontal lines and single vertical lines). Simply highlight the desired menu option and press the <Enter> key to change the border type. >> Colors The color of every aspect of the program can be changed to suit your personal preference. You can choose from the default monochrome colors or a default color grouping, or you can change individual color options. These options range from changing the background color to Error window colors. 4 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL The color options pertain to the following window and other program colors. >>> Background - Change the main background color. >>> Status - Change the bottom status line color. >>> Menu - Change the menu colors. >>> Info - Change the Information window colors. >>> Data - Change the Program Data window colors. >>> Help - Change the Help window colors. >>> Error - Change the Error window colors. When choosing a color, 2 windows appear on the screen. The right window is a capsule of what the program colors are currently. The left window is a grid of possible color choices. Pressing the arrow keys moves the cursor, $, to an adjacent color, or pressing the left mouse button moves the cursor to the indicated color. The right window is then updated to show the color change. Pressing <Enter> or the pressing the left mouse button when the mouse cursor is over the currently selected color changes the default color while pressing <Esc> or the right button exits without changing anything. >> Mouse The configuration options for the mouse allow you choose a default "reverse" color block mouse cursor, a default color diamond cursor, or the actual cursor color and cursor shape can be selected separately. Choosing a color or cursor shape is accomplished in the same manner as for the program colors. >> Character The default background character is ASCII character 176. You have the option to use the default or one of 3 other characters. They are ASCII characters 177 or 178, and a clear background character. Simply highlight the desired menu option and press <Enter>. The screen is immediately updated to reflect the desired change. > Printer: Under the Printer submenu item are the options that allow DLS to properly interface with your printer. The options are illustrated below. 5 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +-------------------------+--------------+---+ | Cosmetics > | | Printer >----------+ | Label | Port > | | Drives | Type > | | drive Ty| Margin | | Volume +----------+ | dataBase > | | Save | +--------------+ >> Port DLS can be configured to send printer data to are the LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, COM1, or COM2 port. Only those ports that are connected to your computer will be available for choosing from. >> Type Menu items under this option allow you to edit or choose print driver sets. The default print driver set included with the program should work on standard Epson FX printers and compatibles. An IBM driver set is also included. The "Edit" option allows you to edit the current print driver set, if the default codes do not work for your printer. In order to edit these codes, you will need to refer to your printer manual for the correct printer codes. +---------------------------------------------------------+ | If you contact me for help in getting your printer to | | work with DLS, please keep in mind that I do NOT have | | access to the codes for printers other than the ones | | that I have included as part of the program files. I | | will be happy to assist you in getting your printer to | | work with DLS, but you will need to at least have your | | printer manual in front of you if you call me. | | Sending me either a photocopy of the complete | | printer manual or the appropriate printer codes | | section would give me the best chance to determine | | correct printer codes. | +---------------------------------------------------------+ To edit a driver set, change the printer identification description and then position the highlight over the particular code character that requires modification. At this point use the <Space> bar or "+" key to increment, or the "-" key to decrement the ASCII code until you have the correct code shown. Repeat until you have the correct codes for your printer. Those characters that are shown as "NIL" are discarded and not sent to the printer. 6 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL The driver set includes the following printer code commands: Condensed Mode: Set or release condensed or compressed character printing. Double Width Mode: Set or release double width character printing. SuperScript Mode: Set or release superscript character printing. Double Print Mode: Set or release the 2 pass printing mode. Emphasized Mode: Set or release the emphasized printing mode. 1/12 Line Spacing: Set 1/12 (or 6/72 or 4/48) line spacing. 1/6 Line Spacing: Set 1/6 (or 12/72 or 8/48) line spacing. Line Feed: Line feed code. Initialize Printer: Printer initialization code. If emphasized or double print modes are not desired, change all the printer code fields for these commands to "NIL". For some printers such as IBM printers, the line feed code will also require the carriage return code, i.e. #013 and #010. For some printers, an initialization code is not applicable. If this is so, just set the all the fields to "NIL" as the only reason I use it is to remove any printer codes that might have been set prior to executing DLS. Finally, when setting the 1/12 and 1/6 codes, make sure that the appropriate "6" and "12" line space fields are #006 and #012, respectively, NOT the characters 6 and 12. Once you have edited a print driver set and exited with the <F10> key, you are prompted for a file name (do NOT add an extension), the edited code is saved in a print driver file, and the program uses the new codes immediately for printing. If you have print driver files already created, you can "choose" a printer file from disk for use by the program. Please note one qualification to the printer driver editor. At this time, only ASCII characters up to #127 are available. If this is a problem for your printer, please report this so that I can change the program to allow greater flexibility than I had anticipated needing. >> Margin This option allows you to change the left margin for printing. Please note that the number entered in the 7 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL Settings Window corresponds to spaces, where each 17 spaces equals a 1 inch change in the margin. > Label: Under the Label submenu are the options that tell DLS what type of label you have and how you want to print these labels. The options are illustrated below. +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +-------------------------+--------------+---+ | Cosmetics > | | Printer > | | Label >-------------+ | Drives| Size > | | drive | Page | | Volume| Title > | | dataBa| Character | | Save +-------------+ +--------------+ >> Size Options under the Size submenu allow you to choose one of several default configurations, or you can edit the current label configuration to create custom labels which are saved to disk and retrieved as needed. The default label configurations are as follows. 2-3/4" wide x 15/16" high, single header. 3-1/2" wide x 15/16" high, single header. (Avery 4013 or 4600) 4" wide x 1-7/16" high, single header. (Avery 4014) 4-3/4" wide x 1-1/4" high, single header. (Avery 4240) 2-3/4" wide x 2-3/4" high, double header. (Avery 4241) 5-1/4" diskette insert 5-1/4" diskette sleeve The method used to edit a label driver set is the same as for editing a print driver set. While editing a label driver, the information at the right will display several parameters on what a label is capable of accepting for data, such as lines of data that can be printed per label. +-------------------------------------------------+ | Please note that Label Configuration Files from | | releases prior to DLS v2.20 are not compatible | | with later versions of DLS! | +-------------------------------------------------+ The option for single or double headers is to allow you to either print a label with one header (Title and Volume Label Information) once or twice, respectively. The double header allows you to fold over part of the label to the back side 8 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL of the diskette, such as when using 2-3/4" x 2-3/4" labels on 3-1/2" diskettes. The double header option is not available for 1", 1-1/4", or 1-1/2" high labels. Labels used to test 2-3/4" x 2-3/4" labels are Avery #4241 labels. These labels are based on a 3" vertical label spacing. Also, labels used to test 4-3/4" x 1-1/4" labels are Avery #4240 labels. These labels are based on a 1-1/2" vertical label spacing. >> Page This toggle option determines whether all pages (labels) of information about a disk or just the first page will be printed. >> Title Toggle options under this submenu allow you to determine 1) whether the label title will be left justified or centered on the label when it is printed and 2) whether the title is determined by the user (immediately after reading a diskette) or if DLS will use the Volume Label (actual or fake) for the title. >> Character This option allows you to change the character that is printed on the label between the disk information and the files information. > Drives: Choose the desired drive(s) you want DLS to read. +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +-------------------------+--------------+---+ | Cosmetics > | | Printer > | | Label > | | Drives | | drive | | Volume > | | dataBase > | | Save | +--------------+ DLS reads the A: drive by default. If desired, you may use this option to change DLS to read any other drive in your system or you may configure DLS to toggle between 2 drives. This information is entered directly in the » Settings « window. Once you have decided what drive or drives to read, press <F10> to return to the menu. If you want to read only 1 drive, just configure both drive fields to the same drive. 9 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL +-------------------------------------------------+ | Please note that trying to print disk labels of | | hard disks and other high capacity drives may | | cause the bottom line to print past the edge of | | the label on small width labels. | +-------------------------------------------------+ When reading disk drives, if you have DLS configured to toggle between 2 drives and you want to change to the next drive without reading the current drive, just press the <TAB> key. > drive Type: Tell DLS to check for special drive types or sizes. +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +-------------------------+--------------+---+ | Cosmetics > | | Printer > | | Label > | | Drives | | drive Type | | Volume > | | dataBase > | | Save | +--------------+ When you choose this option from the menu, as illustrated above, an entry window will be opened to allow you to enter a disk description and disk capacity data, in bytes, for 2 special drive types that DLS will check against, if it cannot determine that the disk read was of a standard type. DLS also checks for 400K and 800K disks as formatted by FormatMaster. Similar programs may format to slightly different capacities. Please note that DLS checks for an exact match against the first special drive type. For the second special drive type, DLS considers that a match has been made if the disk size read is less than or equal to the size associated with this second disk type. The order of checking occurs in this manner: - against known standards, including 400K and 800K. - special disk type #1 - special disk type #2 If a match cannot be made, a window will be opened to allow you to directly tell DLS what type of disk has been read. > Volume: Options under this submenu, as illustrated below, determine whether DLS will or will not require a Volume Label to on a disk. 10 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +-------------------------+--------------+---+ | Cosmetics > | | Printer > | | Label > | | Drives | | drive Type | | Volume >-----------+ | dataBas| Require | | Save | Optional | +--------| Never | | Fake name | +-----------+ >> Require As implied by the title, DLS will require a Volume Label to be present when reading a disk, or you will be asked to place one on the disk before proceeding. This is the default configuration and corresponds to the method used by earlier versions of DLS. >> Optional As implied by the title, DLS will not require a Volume Label when reading a disk. If a disk does not have a Volume Label, the default phrase, 'DLS LABEL', will be printed in the appropriate area. >> Never If this option is picked, DLS will not check for a Volume Label at all when reading a disk. The default phrase, 'DLS LABEL', will be printed in the appropriate area. >> Fake name If a Volume Label is not required and you are printing a label for a disk which does not have a Volume Label, a stock phrase is printed in the appropriate area on the label. This option allows you to change this phrase or remove it so that nothing is printed in this area of the label. > dataBase: Options under this submenu allow DLS to locate and read database files as produced by the programs illustrated below. 11 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +-------------------------+--------------+---+ | Cosmetics > | | Printer > | | Label > | | Drives | | drive Type | | Volume > | | dataBase >-----------+ | Save | None | +----------| CatDisk | | InteliCat | | PmCat | | WSSI | +-----------+ When choosing a database option, an entry window is opened to allow you to tell DLS where the database file(s) are located. DLS does not search the path as defined in the PATH statement of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file; you must tell DLS the full pathname for the database files. > Save: If you have made any configuration changes, this option will save them. The program is self modifying; there is no configuration file required to be read by the program. If you have made any changes and have not saved them with this option, the program will prompt and ask you if you want to save them when exiting the program. +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +-------------------------+--------------+---+ | Cosmetics > | | Printer > | | Label > | | Drives | | drive Type | | Volume > | | dataBase > | | Save | +--------------+ +-------------------------------------------------+ | As indicated above, DLS modifies itself by | | writing over the existing information stored | | within the internal data structure of the | | DLS.EXE file. Programs such as PKLITE compress | | this structure which prevents DLS from finding | | certain pointers located in this area. DLS | | should work in a compressed format with the | | exception of this function. If you use PKLITE, | | perform the program configuration prior to | | compressing the executable file. | +-------------------------------------------------+ 12 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL USING DLS Once the program is configured to your tastes and requirements, the program is very simple to use. Just insert the labels or paper that corresponds with the label type selected into your printer and a disk into the drive to be read from. - Reading Physical Disks Select the "Disk" option under the top-level "Directory" option, or <Alt><G> (see illustration below), and the program will retrieve ALL files from the disk. This includes hidden files, and subdirectories and their associated files. +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +-+------------+-----------------------------+ | Disk @G | | Catalog > | | Browse @F | +------------+ If the program (actually DOS) cannot determine the type of drive that has been read, the program will prompt you to choose the type of drive that has been read. You will be allowed to pick a standard type or may enter a description directly. This should not be a problem on diskette drives, only if you decide to read some drives that DOS cannot recognize as a specific drive type. This problem may also occur if you are reading a substituted drive. If the disk does not have a volume label, you will be prompted to add one now. If you choose not to, you can press <Esc> and the program will prepare for a different disk. This can be changed in the configuration, explained above, to make the Volume Label not a requirement. +------------------------------------------------+ | If you read non-standard drive devices such as | | tape drives, Bernoulli drives, etc., I | | cannot guarantee that the Volume Label | | routines will work correctly. BE FOREWARNED! | +------------------------------------------------+ At this time, you are prompted to add a label title. If desired, you can press <Alt><F> to browse through the file listing and then continue editing. If desired, you may add notes to the label. Up to 23 lines of data can be entered. While editing, any data that goes beyond the margin on the 23rd line gets discarded. This is also true if you change the label size and you have data in the notes window. 13 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL Under the "Print" options, you can then print out a diskette label, with or without a file listing, or with a listing of file directories only. Please note that in most instances, pressing <Esc> will take you one step back or out of an editor. Press the <F1> key or both mouse buttons at any time to obtain context-sensitive help. This can be especially valuable when editing an item. That's all there is to it! - Reading Catalog Databases Select the "Read" option in the submenu illustrated below. This will read into memory all the disk and associated file information from the disk catalog database file configured earlier. Once this information has been read, select the "Choose" option, or <Alt><C>, and the program will open a window listing all the disks contained in the database. Browse through the list, highlight the desired disk name, and press <Enter>. +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +-+------------+-----------------------------+ | Disk @G | | Catalog >-----------+ | Browse | Read | +---------| Choose @C | | Delete | +-----------+ At this point, the program essentially behaves as if a physical disk was read and goes through the same routine as described above in 'Reading Physical Disks'. There is one exception to the above statement. When reading physical disks, DLS retains any notes from one disk read to the next disk read. This is also true when reading disk catalog databases, however, any comments associated with a disk in the database are used and placed in the "Notes" window. You may modify or delete these notes as desired. The disk catalog programs that I am supporting in DLS v2.20 are: - CatDisk, version 3.50 format through version 6.00 - InteliCat, through version 1.81 - PmCat, through version 5.7.2 - Wssindex, through version 5.20?? DLS should not have a problem with later versions of these programs, as long as the present file formats remain the same. In a soon to be released version of Wssindex (version 5.20), support for comments up to 1023 characters will be incorporated. I have changed the DLS code to handle this increased length, but 14 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL have not had a chance to actually test it. If I find any problems once I have the opportunity to test this version, a maintenance release will be made to correct them. These particular programs are widely used, and highly supported by their respective authors. They also happen to be programs that I have had the opportunity to try over time... This does not mean that there are not other very fine disk catalog programs in the PC market. It simply means that I have not had the opportunity to obtain a copy of these programs or may simply not be aware of some of them. +-------------------------------------------------+ | If you use a disk catalog program that DLS does | | not support at this time and you want to make | | use of this feature, please contact me about | | adding support. I will need to know how to | | obtain a copy of the program and how to contact | | the author. If you happen to be an author of a | | disk catalog program and would like me to add | | support, please contact me. | +-------------------------------------------------+ There is one item to keep in mind when using this feature of DLS. DLS can only extract the information that a particular disk catalog program saves in the database file. Specifically, for the programs supported at this time: - CatDisk DLS prints labels so that the directory listings are similar to a directory tree; each subdirectory is directly related to it's parent directory. CatDisk does not retain this information to allow DLS to relate directories to it's parent on 2nd level directories or deeper. When printing labels from CatDisk databases that contain directory structures, DLS prints 1st level subdirectories in alpha-numeric order followed by 2nd level and deeper directories in alpha-numeric order. - PmCat PmCat does not retain information on how much disk space has been used by the files contained on a disk. DLS attempts to use individual file sizes, number of subdirectories, and a sector size of 1024 bytes to determine the disk type. This value is then checked against known values. There are a couple of situations in which this will not work. If the disk that was read does not use a 1024 byte sector size (single-sided diskettes, for example) and/or if the disk contains hidden files, incorrect values for bytes USED will be obtained. 15 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL In both cases, however, this should not pose much of a problem for most users. I must also stress that the above caveats do not in any way detract from the usefulness of a particular program when compared to the others... DLS simply requires very specific information; other features determine why some people would prefer one program over another. If you would like further information about one of the programs listed above, please contact the author using the information below. Also: +-------------------------------------------------+ | DLS uses information obtained from the authors | | of these disk catalog programs. While the | | authors of the disk catalog programs have had a | | chance to review DLS, the software routines in | | DLS have been written by me. If you have a | | problem reading a database with DLS, please do | | not contact the author of the disk catalog | | program to try to resolve the situation. You | | must contact the author of DLS, James A. Clark, | | to resolve any conflicts. | +-------------------------------------------------+ - CatDisk Rick Hillier Voice: (519) 888-6763 405 Barrington Lane FAX: (519) 884-4887 Waterloo, ONTARIO CompuServe I.D. # 73307,333 Canada N2T 1H9 The PEARL BBS: (519) 576-6754 - InteliCat Curtis Little Voice: (209) 522-9269 2413 San Felipe Way CompuServe I.D. # 76276,3004 Modesto, CA 95355 Lost At C BBS: (209) 521-2143 - PmCat David Chamberlain Voice: (503) 276-6176 MegaSoft SoftWare(tm) (503) 276-4282 or 522 NW 14th (503) 278-1967 Pendleton, OR 97801 or William C. Scott Voice: (405) 927-3840 P.O. Box 474 CompuServe I.D. # 71406,1251 Coalgate, OK 74538 GEnie address: WILLSCOTT Melange BBS: (405) 927-2541 before June 1st (405) 436-3602 after June 1st?? 16 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL - Wssindex Robert W. Babcock Voice: (617) 275-1183 or WSS Division of DDC (617) 275-9104 4 Reeves Road Bedford, MA 01730 17 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL MOVING THROUGH THE MENUS There are several methods to tell the program your next command. The first method is by means of using the arrow keys to maneuver through the pull-down menus. Using the <Enter> key or pressing the highlighted alphanumeric key selects the currently highlighted option and either executes the indicated action or selects one of several pull-down menus. Options that have a "down" arrow or "left" arrow to the right of the option have a lower level menu associated with it while options which have a "@" symbol to the right of the option or no symbol directly execute a program function. To return from a lower level menu to the previous level, press the <Esc> key. The second method is by means of using the mouse cursor to "pick" the menu option with the left button. The right button behaves the same way as the <Esc> key. You may also back out a lower level menu by "picking" an option from the previous menu. The third method is by means of directly executing some commands by using the <Alt> key in combination with a letter. For example, pressing the <Alt> and "G" key together gets a directory listing of the currently selected drive in preparation for printing a diskette label. The menu options that can be executed using this method have the "@" symbol followed by the matching alpha key at the right of the option. Only those options that can be executed will be active and shown on the various menus. Inactive menu options are not displayed until they are usable. MENU OPTIONS - Directory +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +-+------------+-----------------------------+ | Disk @G | | Catalog > |>-----+-----------+ | Browse @F | | Read | +------------+ | Choose @C | | Delete | +-----------+ > Disk (<Alt><G>) This option reads the currently selected disk drive and places you in to "Title" edit. 18 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL > Catalog >> Read This option reads the currently selected disk catalog database into memory. >> Choose (<Alt><C>) Once a database has been read into memory, use the "Choose" option, or <Alt><C>, to open a window listing all the disks contained in the database. Browse through the list, highlight the desired disk name, and press <Enter>. The pertinent information is collected for the highlighted disk and places you in to "Title" edit. In addition to picking a single disk, you may also "tag" several disks to be printed one after the other by using the Print/Multiple entries option. Use the space bar or left mouse button to "tag" or "untag" these disks. A √ will appear next to disks that are tagged. >> Delete Once a database has been read into memory and you have printed any labels needed from this database, you may use the "Delete" option to remove the database from memory. > Browse (<Alt><F>) Use this option to browse the files in the Files Window. While in this window, you may "tag" or "untag" individual files to be printed on the disk label. Use the space bar or left mouse button to "tag" or "untag" these files. A √ will appear next to files that will be printed. Please note that when DLS first reads a disk, it will tag all files to be printed. If you toggle a directory, all files and subdirectories under this directory will be affected the same way. A file under a subdirectory which has been untagged cannot be tagged until that subdirectory has been tagged. - Edit +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +------------+----------+--------------------+ | Notes > |>---+---------+ | Title @T | | Edit @N | | Label @L | | Remove | +----------+ +---------+ 19 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL > Notes The "Edit" option, or <Alt><N>, under this menu item places you in the note window which allows you to add personal notes to the diskette label. Notes can be removed at any time by using the "Remove" option. > Title This option allows editing of the disk title. > Label This option allows editing and change of the disk Volume Label. It is enabled only if this field contains an actual disk volume label. - Print +--------------------------------------------+ | Directory Edit Print Configure eXit @X | +------------------+-----------------------+-+ | Align @A | | Blank @B | | disk W/files @W | | disk w/O files @O | | disk w/Directories @D | | Multiple entries | +-----------------------+ > Align This options allow you to check the alignment of the labels in the printer. Adjust as necessary and execute this option again. The need for this is simply that DLS makes use of as much of the label as possible and if not aligned correctly, you may print information on the backing instead of the label itself. > Blank This option simply prints a blank label with only a title and the dividing lines on it so that you can simply write information as you desire. > Disk w/Files This option prints all the information on the diskette: directory names, files, notes, etc. 20 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL > Disk w/o Files This option prints all information on the diskette as above except the listing of directories and files. This is useful when backing up software and an actual file listing is not necessary. > Disk w/Directories This option prints all information on the diskette as above except the listing of files. This can be useful when backing up hard drives and a directory listing would provide adequate label information without having to print 50+? labels! > Multiple entries If you have tagged any database disks for continual printing, this option is enabled. When executed, you will be prompted if you want to pause between disks to enter information for a particular disk, or if you want uninterrupted printing. If you wish to pause between disks, you may edit the title and add notes. When editing, you may use the <Alt><F> command to "tag" or "untag" individual files to be printed. If you do not desire to pause between disks, DLS will use the Volume Label for the Title, print all files and any notes associated with a particular disk. - Configure See the section above on Configuration. - Exit Exit the program to DOS. If you have made any configuration changes and have not saved them, you will be prompted at this time to save them if you wish. 21 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL EDITOR COMMANDS Listed below is the command syntax associated with various editors used in this program. -- String Editor Syntax The string editor is used for editing single line variables such as the disk title. Syntax is as follows. <Left> Move cursor left one character. <Right> Move cursor right one character. <Home> Move cursor to beginning of variable. <End> Move cursor to end of variable. <Del> Delete character at cursor. <Bksp> Delete character to left of cursor. <Ins> Toggle insert mode on (fat cursor) and off (thin cursor). <Alt><F> Browse the Files window. <Enter>, Left Mouse Button Accept new variable. <Esc>, Right Mouse Button Abort. Restore the original variable. <F1>, Both Mouse Buttons Help. Invoke the help facility. Pressing <F1> or both mouse buttons a second time will bring up a general help index. -- Notes Editor Syntax The notes editor is used for editing notes. Syntax is as follows. <Left> Move cursor left one character. <Right> Move cursor right one character. <Up> Move cursor up one line. <Down> Move cursor down one line. <Home> Cursor to beginning of current line. <End> Cursor to end of current line. 22 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL <PgUp> Scroll display up one page. <PgDn> Scroll display down one page. <Ctrl><PgUp> Move cursor to beginning of notes. <Ctrl><PgDn> Move cursor to end of notes. <Tab> Move the cursor to the next tab stop. Any text to the right of the cursor is moved to the right of the tab stop. <Del> Delete character at cursor. <Bksp> Delete character to left of cursor. <Ins> Toggle insert mode on (fat cursor) and off (thin cursor). <Alt><F> Browse the Files window. <Enter> Start a new line. Left Mouse Button Move the cursor to the position indicated by the mouse. <Esc>, Right Mouse Button End note edit. <F1>, Both Mouse Buttons Help. Invoke the help facility. Pressing <F1> or both mouse buttons a second time will bring up a general help index. -- Incremental Choice Syntax The incremental choice editor is used for editing label and printer code parameters. Syntax is as follows. <Left> Move one field to the left. <Right> Move one field to the right. + or <Space> Increment field variable. - Decrement field variable. <Enter>, Left Mouse Button Accept field edit and go to next field. <Esc>, Right Mouse Button Abort. Restore the original variables and exit. <F10> Accept edits and exit. 23 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL <F1>, Both Mouse Buttons Help. Invoke the help facility. Pressing <F1> or both mouse buttons a second time will bring up a general help index. -- Files/Disks Window Syntax <PgDn> Display next page of data. <PgUp> Display previous page of data. <Home> Display first data entry. <End> Display last data entry. <Space> Toggle between printing or not printing a file or disk. Left Mouse Button Move cursor to mouse location. If mouse is on the current cursor location, toggle between printing, or not printing a file or disk. <Alt><T> Toggle all files or disks to print. <Alt><U> Toggle all files or disks not to print. <Enter>, <Esc>, Right Mouse Button Exit. <F1>, Both Mouse Buttons Help. Invoke the help facility. Pressing <F1> or both mouse buttons a second time will bring up a general help index. -- Pick Window Syntax <PgDn> Display next page of data. <PgUp> Display previous page of data. <Home> Display first data entry. <End> Display last data entry. <Enter>, Left Mouse Button Accept highlighted entry and exit. <Esc>, Right Mouse Button Exit without making any changes. <F1>, Both Mouse Buttons Help. Invoke the help facility. Pressing <F1> or both mouse buttons a second time will bring up a general help index. 24 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL -- Color/Mouse Pick Syntax <Up> Previous color background. <Down> Next color background. <Left> Previous color or mouse character. <Right> Next color or mouse character. <Enter>, Left Mouse Button Accept color or mouse character and exit. Double click mouse if needed. <Esc>, Right Mouse Button Abort. Retain original color or mouse character and exit. <F1>, Both Mouse Buttons Help. Invoke the help facility. Pressing <F1> or both mouse buttons a second time will bring up a general help index. 25 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL REVISIONS v2.20 - 1 May 1992 DLS now allows the user to toggle between 2 disk drives when reading disks. This option can be defeated by making both disk drive fields the same. Support for Avery 4240, 4-3/4" x 1-1/4", labels has been added. Because of this, and some other minor changes in the label parameters, Label configuration files that you may have created with previous releases are no longer compatible with the current version. Once again, you will have to recreate any Label configuration files for use with v2.20. Notes are now retained in memory until the "Remove" option is used or all the text is removed during editing. This also applies to disks read from a database. General program maintenance. Several routines have been rewritten to reduce code size and several minor bugs have been swatted! v2.11 - 29 December 1991 Corrected an error when using the <Alt><T> command to tag all database disks for printing. A bad quantity for the number of disks tagged was returned which in turn caused the Multiple Entries print command to self destruct. v2.10 - 28 December 1991 DLS now allows the user to toggle database disks so that multiple disks can be printed with little or no input by the user. DLS now allows the user to toggle files so that they will be printed or not printed on a label. DLS now allows the user to determine how the Title is determined. The default is to prompt the user for a title after each disk read. If the alternate method is used, the Volume Label is used for the title and the user prompt is skipped. You may still edit the title using the Title Edit option in either case. The volume label options have been expanded so that, if desired, DLS does not check at all for a volume label. If this option is chosen, DLS will use the Fake Volume Label. DLS can now be configured to use almost any character as the separator character when labels are printed. 26 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL You may now print 5-1/4" diskette sleeves. Minor changes to the Help screens have been made. Most notable is oversight on what key to press, <F10>, when you are finished editing a label type or printer type. Streamlined and enhanced the error routines. Rewrote and revised the disk and catalog Read routines. The result is much lower memory requirements with equal or improved speed during these operations. Shortened the opening (slightly) and closing (a lot) advertisement screens. v2.00 - 23 February 1991 Added support for some disk catalog programs. DLS can read the catalog databases produced by - CatDisk - LogiCat - PmCat - WSSIndex and print disk labels from these files. DLS now checks for 400K and 800K disks formatted by FormatMaster. Additional support has been added for other special drive types by allowing user entered data for 1 or 2 other drive types. Added an option to allow the user to set the left printer margin. DLS now allows the user to determine whether a volume label is or is not required when a disk is read. An entry field has been added to allow the user to customize a fake label that will be printed on the disk label when the volume label is optional. The title can now be left justified or centered on the disk label. DLS now allows the user some choice in the background character. The color used to display unavailable options can now be changed. The menu system has also been revised to be more consistent as to whether an option is available or not. The help system has been totally revised and is much more context sensitive than previous versions. 27 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL v1.20 - 1 August 1990 Some changes have been incorporated into this release of DLS that may effect you if you have used various options from previous releases. The most important are: - The <Alt><D> command has been replaced by <Alt><G> to "Get" a directory listing. - Label configuration files that you may have created with previous releases are no longer compatible with the current version. You will have to recreate any Label configuration files for use with v1.20. Other changes to DLS v1.20: - The format of how files are printed on the labels has been changed slightly to accommodate the previously missed fact that a directory name can contain 12 characters as does a file name. The result is that less information can be printed on each label for certain label width sizes. - Added an option to allow you to read virtually any disk drive that contains a standard DOS directory format. If you read large capacity drives such as hard disks, you should print out any labels using at least a 3-1/2" wide label since the line which contains the bytes used and free information may print past the label edge on smaller width labels. In addition, if you read non- standard drive devices such as tape drives, Bernoulli drives, etc., I cannot guarantee that the Volume Label routines will work correctly. BE FOREWARNED! - A new option to print a directory listing only has been added to the print options. This option can be selected by pressing <Alt><D>. Suggested by Brian Lodge. - Rewrote and revised the NOTES editor. The editor behaves like a word processor with continuous wordwrap, similar to Microsoft Word. As a result, many of the previous line edit options have been deleted. - Combined the border option for the bar and 1st level menu windows. - Combined the color options for the menu windows. The bar menu colors can no longer be chosen separately from the 1st level and Nth level menu window colors. - The data windows have been moved somewhat and the "Files" and "Notes" windows are now opened only when they contain data. 28 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL Finally, certain sections of the program code have been made more efficient, other minor cosmetic changes have been made, and minor corrections made. The overall result is the incorporation of a few more options that I hope will make the program more useful, and at the same time reduce the size of the program. v1.11 - 4 March 1990 - Fixed the create volume label routine once again. This time, the MS-DOS function used to create the label would truncate any label greater then 8 characters long at 8 characters while DLS would think the complete label was created. This is because I originally used one of Microsoft's "preferred MS-DOS functions" (now abandoned) instead of an older function that does work. v1.10 - 26 February 1990 - Corrected a minor bug that invoked an error routine when creating a disk volume label (whether successful of not) thus forcing you to read the disk again. - Revised the double heading label option so that the disk title is printed in condensed print on the label where it folds over the diskette thus allowing you to read the title on the front, back, or top of the disk. Suggested by Rick Fitzpatrick v1.00 - 5 February 1990. - First shareware release. ENHANCEMENTS My desire is to tailor this program to what is desired by the you, the end user. I designed this program to meet my needs and then enhanced it to make it usable for everyone else. If you see something you do not like or if you have an idea that would make the program more functional for you, let me know and I will try to incorporate reasonable (or feasible) suggestions for improvements into the program. 29 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL REGISTRATION AND PRICES The following page is an order form that you can use to register your copy of DLS. Why should you register? I have spent many hours making this program what it is. I would like to make it better and the only way I can do this is generate support for this program. Registration and comments from you are the means through which this can be done. Please note that even if you decide not to register this program, taking the few minutes to write down your comments would be appreciated. For those who do register, I will send you the registration information necessary to remove the opening and closing registration incentives. Please note that distributing a registered copy of DLS is strictly prohibited! The registration fee is $15.00 for single users. For site licenses, please use the following fee schedule. Total copies Price PER copy ------------ -------------- 1 to 10 $15.00 All checks and money 11 to 50 $12.00 orders must be made out 51 to 100 $10.00 in U.S. Funds. over 100 $8.00 The following forms of payment are accepted: Check or Money Order (must be payable through a US bank) Purchase Order - NET 30 (orders of $100.00 or more only.) 30 DLS - Diskette LabelS v2.20 USER'S MANUAL DLS v2.20 REGISTRATION FORM Quantity Amount ________ DLS Registration @ $____________ each Total: $____________ NOTE: Please make check or money order, made out in U.S. Funds, payable to James A. Clark Company: ________________________________________________________ Name: ________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Phone: _______________________ Printer Model: __________________________________________________ Comments and Suggestions: _______________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Please send completed form, and check or money order to: James A. Clark 6533 Mosswood Lane N.E. Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402 31