Collection of Tools & Utilities/Collection of Tools and Utilities.iso/dskut/wfiler.zip/WFILER.DOC

Text File | 1987-10-22 | 35KB | 667 lines

                       WFiler Version 1.00

                    Wide Screen File Manager



                          INTRODUCTION

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

     WFiler is a full-screen file management utility.  Utilities
of this nature are often called "shells," but in this context the
term is somewhat of a misnomer.  A true DOS shell would replace
the DOS command processor, COMMAND.COM.  At best, the current
crop of "shells" only replace some of the functions of
COMMAND.COM, not COMMAND.COM itself.  They still depend upon
COMMAND.COM to process the commands they issue.  Recognition of
the fact that WFiler is not a true shell has played a part in its
design.  Unlike many "shells,", WFiler does not pretend or intend
to totally isolate the user from the DOS command line.  The
author is a confirmed command-line addict, who normally prefers
to execute commands directly at the DOS prompt.  If a program
(i.e., an "external command") exists that does the job well from
the command-line, there is no need-- for this writer at least--to
load up another program just so one can execute that command by
pushing a single key.  Too many DOS "shells" in fact try to
combine two different basic functions into one: (1) directory and
file management, and (2) the ability to execute any and every
program--including applications programms-- without leaving the
host program.

     These biases strongly influence WFiler's design.  The
philosophy behind WFiler is consciously minimalist.  WFiler lacks
the "bells and whistles" that you'll find with "shells" that take
a more expansive approach.  That is not an apology; it is a
warning.  If you want to do it all without ever exiting to DOS,
you'll be disappointed.  So when would you every want to use it?
Basically, the primary rationale for WFiler is to expedite "mass"
file maintenance by presenting you will a full-screen directory
listing that you can visually "tag." Most "shells" do this, of
course, so this alone hardly makes WFiler unique.  But in
designing WFiler, the thought has been to do this well, and to do
little more.  This is reflected, for instance, in WFiler's visual
"look and feel."  Approximately 80 percent of the screen page is
given over to a five-column directory display, in order to
present at one time as many files as possible for tagging.  This
objective as much determines what you don't see as what you do.
You won't see a lot of system statistics, for instance, the time
of day, or other information not essential to the basic task for
which the program was intended.  Neither is there a bar-menu type
of cursor for selecting file operations, as that would futher
clutter up the screen and reduce the space available for the
directory listing.  WFiler's options are sufficiently few, and
accessable through mnemonic key selections, that frequent users
should have no trouble recalling them from memory.  And if your
memory fails, there is a help screen available at the push of F1.


     In keeping with WFiler's objective of expediting mass file
maintenance, it provides for the following mass file operations:
COPY, DELETE, and MOVE.  Of course, once loaded, it would not be
very efficient to have to quit WFiler to do single file
operations, so WFiler provides for certain single file operations
as well: COPY, DELETE, MOVE, and RENAME.  Beyond that, WFiler's
features are few, and features were added during development only
if they significantly complemented the basic task of mass file
maintenance.  Via a "hook" to an external program, explained
below, you can "list" or examine the contents of individual files
as well, which is certainly useful when trying to decide what to
do with a file when you can't remember what it is or does.  In
another effort to expedite mass file maintenance, WFiler will
list the directories of ARC files, and via hooks to external ARC
utilities you can ADD, DELETE, and EXTRACT to and from such
files.  Since the normal environment for WFiler is expected to be
a hard disk, WFiler not only supports hierarchial directory
structures, it also provides two alternative methods for
"navigating" around the directory tree while WFiler is active.
The directory tree feature of WFiler can also be accessed from
the command line on a "stand-alone" basis as a way of navigating
around the disk without loading the entire program.  This feature
was added only because the required code was minimal, and not
because it enhanced the basic functions of WFiler.

     While WFiler is active, you can also shell to DOS (in the
"true" sense of the word, since a second copy of COMMAND.COM is
loaded as a "shell" during this operation).  This feature was
added because it enhances to utility of WFiler without requiring
that every thing you might ever want to do while running WFiler
be anticipated within WFiler's own code.  A good example of the
utility of this feature, for instance, is when the need arises to
format a floppy disk while using WFiler.  If you had to exit
completely, you would lose the current status of any "tags"
assigned during the work session.  With the Shell-to-DOS feature,
you can exit to DOS, format a floppy disk, and return with
WFiler's visual display and internal arrays just as they were
when you left.  Each of WFiler's features, and the mechanics of
WFiler's operation, are discussed in more detail below.

QUICK START

     WFiler is sufficently intuitive that many will be able to
start using it without ever reading the documentation.  But those
who fail to do so will not find all the features of WFiler in
normal working order.  That is because certain features of WFiler
must be "installed" before they will function.  In order to
maintain a little flexibility, WFiler actually as two different
installation routines, each accessable by a different command
line switch.  While this "Quick Start" is intended to explain the
basics of the setup procedures involved, if this explanation
isn't clear enough, just execute the WFSETUP.BAT file that comes
with the distribution archive.  WFSETUP.BAT will automatically
execute WFiler with the command line switches necessary to
invoke the installation routines.

     The first routine will install the directory tree feature of
Wfiler, and is accessed with a "-c" switch from WFiler's command
tail.  In other words, simply type

               C:>wfiler -c <Enter>

at the command line.  You will then be prompted for the complete
path and file name, including the ".com" extension, for the
subdirectory where wfiler will reside.  WFiler has to know where
to find itself because it employs certain cloning procedures to
"patch" itself whenever you use the directory tree feature.  In
essence, it stores a copy of the tree, and your last position
within the tree, in its own code, and it has to be able to find
itself in order to modify this information when required to do
so.

     During the initial installation of the directory tree
feature, WFiler will also read the directory tree.  This will
take a few seconds, of course, depending on the size of the tree
and the speed of the disk.  But once read, the tree is stored in
WFilers internal code, and is loaded each time WFiler is loaded,
without the need to rescan the entire disk.  While this gives
quicker access to the tree for subsequent accesses, it assumes
you do not add or delete directories in the meantime.  If you
ever do, then just "reread" the disk with the "-r" command-line
option.  The difference between "-r" and "-c" is that "-r" only
reads the disk; it does not prompt you for the location where
WFiler will reside.  If you ever want to move Wfiler to another
subdirectory, you will need to rerun the "-c" option in order to
tell WFiler its new location.  During normal operations, the
directory tree is accessess with the backslash ("\") key.  If you
run WFiler before implementing the "-c" installation routine,
will abort directly to that routine the first time you try to
load the tree.

     During the "-c" installation, you will also be asked fo