This is a system utility that automatically catalogs all files/folders on removable media whenever you use it. Information about the files/folders are maintained in a “Virtual” volume that contains all information about your off line volumes in a standard Macintosh file format that is directly accessed via the Finder and other Mac utilities.
To access any file (document or application), simply double click on it and you will be prompted to insert the appropriate disk.
This control panel will create an initial Catalog file when you first select the ( Setup… ) option. This file will initially be 1 MB in size, and may grow (up to 65 MB) as your catalog entries grow. The size required varies from 150 bytes per entry to over 4 K per entry depending on the Options selected. See the Help text under the ( Options… ) dialog for more information.
NOTE: If you anticipate cataloging more than 250,000 files, you may choose a larger “Maximum Size” catalog. The file size to store custom icons will be larger, so catalog overhead may increase by 5 to 10 percent.
A brief description follows for each of the controls presented in this dialog.
At Startup:
All options described below take effect the next time you Restart the Mac.
[X] Show Init Icon
Selecting this option simply displays the program’s icon at the bottom of the screen during startup. An “X” will be displayed over this icon if an error occurs. You will be notified with a dialog message describing the particular problem after the Mac completes its startup sequence.
[X] Mount Catalog
This controls the basic function of the program to Mount the Catalog file. Holding down the Shift key at startup will also prevent the Mount operation. If the Catalog is not mounted at startup, you may use the ( Mount ) button in this dialog to mount the Catalog at any time.
Floppy Disks:
Buttons under this heading are used to set the default mode of cataloging to be performed whenever a floppy disk is removed.
(•) Always Catalog
When this is selected, all floppy disks will be cataloged whenever they are unmounted. Cataloging may be skipped during the Catalog phase leaving the disk partially cataloged or updated. You may force the “Ask First” dialog by holding down the Option key while ejecting a disk.
(•) Ask First
When this is selected, a Dialog box will be presented each time an uncataloged disk is ejected so that you may chose what catalog options you want.
(•) Don’t Catalog
When this is selected, cataloging is disabled. You may force the “Ask First” dialog by holding down the Option key while ejecting a disk.
Other Removables:
Buttons under this heading give you the same set of controls as described for floppies but they apply to other removable media. Separate controls are given since the number of files and the cataloging time is distinctly different. You may want to treat them differently.
( Setup… ) or ( Mount ) or ( Catalog… )
The ( Setup… ) button is displayed if a catalog file needs to be created or the catalog file can not be found. Press the Option key if you wish to create a second catalog or select a different catalog.
The ( Mount ) button is displayed if the catalog is not currently mounted on the desktop. You can use this in case you unmounted the Catalog volume by dragging it into the Trash.
The ( Catalog… ) button is displayed if the catalog volume is mounted and ready to accept new entries. Selecting this will enter a mode to quickly catalog large numbers of disks or to catalog non-removable volumes.
( Options… )
This button gives you access to controls relating to the amount of detail cataloged for each file.
( Nesting… )
This button gives you control over how compressed files are cataloged. You can specify how many (nesting) levels are cataloged for each of the supported archive formats.
( Exclusions… )
This button gives you access to controls relating to files, volumes, and SCSI ID’s that you want excluded from the catalog function.
Non-Removables:
Some volumes are not considered “removable” volumes. These include AppleShare volumes and fixed SCSI disk drives. You can force these to be cataloged by holding down the Option key while dragging the volume into the Trash.
Some removable products may be supplied with software drivers that do not provide all the capabilities of a removable media. You can determine this by looking at the Finder’s Special menu to see if the Eject Disk option is enabled. Do this with just the one removable media mounted. If the Eject Disk option is not enabled, you will have to use the Option key to force a catalog. If you had to do this, clicking on a catalog alias entry will result in a Dialog saying the volume can’t be found - you will have to cancel the above dialog, insert the media, and again double click on the catalog entry.
