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ELFTREE (TM) (C) Copyright 1988-1991 By Alan J. Avery ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Elvish Consulting 1408 Noble Avenue Springfield, Illinois 62704 (217)-698-8600 (8 a.m. to 9 p.m. CDT only, please) DISCLAIMER The Author specifically disclaims all other warranties, expressed or implied, including but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantibility and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to defects in the diskette and documenta- tion, and the program license granted herein. In particular, and without limiting operation of the program license with respect to any particular application, use, or purpose, in no event shall the Author be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages. Your use of this program constitutes acceptance of these terms. Thank You! Many people have told us that ELFTREE is vastly more powerful than any commercial product sold as a `DOS shell'. We've been praised for making ELFTREE simple to use (it hasn't been easy!), fast (it's written in Borland's Turbo C and Turbo Assembler), and intuitive. We thank all of you who have used ELFTREE and have helped, with your ideas, to make it such a wonderful product. No programmer has the skill to think of all the wonderful ideas blended together in this version of ELFTREE. Thank you all! Why Shareware? This is a shareware version of ELFTREE. It is distributed as shareware for the following reasons: 1. You get to use it for 60 days, to see how you like it. We are sure you will love it. 2. When you ask for features to be included, they are usually added to the next release - often within a week! This means that you don't have to wait six months to a year for the next upgrade, a problem with most commercial software. Also, you get to participate in the ongoing evolution of ELFTREE. 3. Advertising is expensive. For example, a full page ad in one issue of one computing magazine can cost $25,000. By telling 10 of your friends about this great product, and giving them a shareware copy of it, you can keep its cost extremely low. If you upload the latest version to BBS's you know, you'll be doing an even greater service. -- Page 1 -- Does Shareware Mean Crippled? This version has all the functions of the version you'll get when you register, but there is an opening message screen, and a delay before you can start using the product. You are free to use ELFTREE for 60 days, to test it and to determine if it is useful to you. If you are still using it after 60 days, you must register with us. The file ORDER.ELF, included with this package, has an order form. Just fill out the form, print it, and mail it to us along with your check or money order. When you register with us, you get the latest version of ELFTREE, with all reported bugs fixed, with any new or enhanced features that may have been incorporated, a professionally printed manual, a toll-free number for tech support, notices of updates as they become available, and one FREE update. In addition, you can get the ELFTREE editor, any viewer(s) we've developed, and a flat-file database sort program. This is a great value for you! More importantly, you make us want to keep improving ELFTREE so that it can do even more for you! Cheap Upgrades! Once you license ELFTREE, you can upgrade to the latest registered version at a nominal cost. Through December 31, 1991, this fee is $5, a very reasonable cost for you. ELFTREE System Requirements ELFTREE requires you to have a screen so that you can see what it shows you, a keyboard to give it commands, and some memory to hold information. You determine how much memory it needs (minimum is about 150K free) by customizing it, whether by command-line switches (see end of this document) or with the [F4] key once it first comes up for you. It can take advantage of EGA or VGA displays, it works with the largest hard disks (even under DOS 3.31 and above), it works on all DOS-compatible networks, etc. In other words, it has modest requirements, and it should run on any hardware you've got. ELFTREE will operate much faster on a particular machine with disk caching enabled than with disk caching turned off. ELFTREE understands FAT and other system tables under DOS, but it only reads this information. It NEVER writes it. Environment Variables ELFTREE recognizes the following optional environment variables: ELFTREEPATH - For DOS 2.X, specifies where ELFTREE files are stored. ETFIND - Specifies where to store menus, tree maps, etc. ETCONFIG - Specifies the configuration file to use. ETDRIVES - Specifies a default selection of drives to search when using the FIND command. -- Page 2 -- Introduction ELFTREE is designed to simplify your goal of getting the most out of your computer. The heart of the program is a powerful, intuitive and marvelously integrated file, directory and application manager. With it, you can install software in record time, move files from one place to another (even across a network!) with ease, and locate files fast on even the largest hard disk, regardless of whether you use DOS 2.X, 3.X or 4.X, or 4DOS! You won't believe how easy it is to run a program from within ELFTREE, or to customize it to suit your tastes. You will see in all of ELFTREE's features that great care was taken to marry great power with extreme convenience. The result is a delightful product that can help you be more effective in how you use your computer. What Makes ELFTREE Special? What Makes ELFTREE Special? 1. Flexible Capacity - You tell ELFTREE how many directories and files you want to handle. For example, you can work with up to 16,384 files from 1000 directories across 26 disks with ELFTREE's Find feature! 2. Extraordinary Editing - ELFTREE's editor can handle as many files as will fit into memory, or it will let you use your own editor. Our editor takes under 30K of disk space, yet has storable keyboard macros, speedy search & replace, column and block operations, and easy customizability! 3. Breathtaking Views - Viewing a file in ELFTREE is a treat. Besides a raft of customizable settings (which can be programmed by file extension), it has block operations that allow you to fix damaged files while viewing them, a translator for IBM EBCDIC files, and the ability to search forward or backward for text. 4. Also Noteworthy - Attach short notes to files in any directory. You'll always know the contents of your files by glancing at your notes. If you use 4DOS, ELFTREE will read/write 4DOS note files directly if you start it up with the /4 command-line switch to activate this feature. 5. Menu Magic - Powerful menuing features are built into ELFTREE. Define up to 13 main menus, each of which can nest submenus up to 10 levels deep with 20 selections apiece. Program your menus (!) with symbols to insert keys ahead of a program, repeat commands, create internal keyboard macros, prompt a user for a reply before executing a command, etc. 6. Convenience - you customize many ELFTREE settings from within; there's no separate configuration program. You can run a program by highlighting it and tapping [ENTER]. ELFTREE can be trained to associate file extensions with programs, and will automatically launch the corresponding program when you tap [ENTER] on a file with such an extension. ELFTREE can also speed up or slow down your keyboard. Page -2- 7. Video Joy - For EGA or VGA displays, ELFTREE can switch you into 28/43/50 line modes with the touch of a key [Ctrl-V]. Also, ELFTREE recognizes non-standard modes and accommodates them. 8. Brains - When you choose an option, ELFTREE anticipates your next need, where possible. For example, when you: a. Rename a directory, the tree is adjusted automatically. b. Attempt to use an unformatted floppy disk, ELFTREE will let you format it immediately (even if you are in the middle of copying files). c. Create a directory in the middle of specifying where to copy or move files, ELFTREE will highlight the new directory for you. d. Select a menu option that has a submenu, ELFTREE will highlight the most likely submenu option for you. e. Rename an item with spaces in the name, the spaces are conveniently removed for you. 9. Trim - When ELFTREE runs a program, it reserves less than 3K for itself, leaving plenty of room to run memory-hungry programs. You can also make ELFTREE use 0K, which may be needed to load TSR's, change environment variables, etc. 10. Power - Copy, move, protect, edit, print, rename,locate and hide files quickly and easily. Rename, protect, hide, locate, copy, move, graft, create and delete directories just as easily. Sort the file display 3,584 ways; rearrange them still further for such necessities as printing several files so that they'll be properly collated. Tag files 8 ways for group operations. ELFTREE remembers your last 15 commands, and gives you a convenient way to retrieve them. Change file dates and times. Create groups of files for special operations. Page -3- INSTALLATION To install it, just copy the files into whatever hard disk directory you want to start it from. To start it up, just type: ET and tap [ENTER]. These are the files that should have been included in the ELFTREE package. If any are missing, please call us at (217) 698-8600 to correct it. ET.EXE - starts up the program ETT.BAT - used when ELFTREE runs a program in 0K RAM. ELFTREE.CHL - part of the program AUTOEXEC.ELF - examples of SET ELFTREEPATH, PATH commands README - this file ORDER.ELF - Invoice for ordering ELFTREE SAMPLE.ETU - Sample menu file ELFTREE.HLP - Help file DOS 2.X CONSIDERATIONS If you have DOS 2.X, you need to give the following command before you can successfully bring up ELFTREE: SET ELFTREEPATH=C:\TREE (use the directory ET is installed in) It is recommended that you put this command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. ORDERING If you like ELFTREE, order it! When you order, you get the most recent version of the software, an editor that can handle multiple files at once, a dBase viewer, a toll-free support number, a professionally printed wire-spiral-bound, manual and notices of updates to ELFTREE (your first update is FREE). If you prefer, you can order ELFTREE without the editor and viewers. See the file ORDER.ELF for an invoice. We hope you enjoy using all of ELFTREE's features. Elvish Consulting 1408 Noble Avenue Springfield, IL 62704 (217) 698-8600 Page -4- ELFTREE Command-Line Switches __________________________________________________________________________ In addition to the customize menu, you can configure ELFTREE with certain command-line switches that you type after the ET that gets ELFTREE up and running. Here are the switches that may be used, and what they represent: /#=<char>- If you prefer not to use '#' as the symbol that identifies a macro symbol (for example, you may have files that have '#' in their names), use this to select another symbol. For example, to make '+' the symbol, use /#=+ /1 - Activates The Elvish Touch (one-finger operation). /2 - Deactivates The Elvish Touch. /3 - Deactivates locking of Alt and Ctrl keys. /4 - Use 4DOS-style note files (file name DESCRIPT.ION). /5 - Use ET-style note files (file name ELFTREE.NTE). /C - if you have a composite monitor. /D=#### - Set maximum number of directories to handle. Each one uses 16 bytes. (max is 3,999; default is 200) /E=# - If # is not 0, ELFTREE will prompt you before erasing a file or directory. If # is 0, no prompting is done. Note: this is only active if Professional mode is ON. (default is 1, or ON; /E=0 turns it off) /F=# - If # is less than 10, this determines whether to free the space used by files prior to running a program when one or more files are tagged. (If the space is freed, more memory will be available for the program.) (default is 0, or OFF; /F=1 turns it ON) /F=#### - if #### is at least 10, this sets the maximum number of files to handle. Each one use 22 bytes. (min is 50, max is 16384; default is 1500) /G=#### - Set maximum number of directories to handle with the Find feature. Each one uses 64 bytes. (max is 999; default is 50) /H=# - If # is 1, this activates high-speed disk scanning routines for non-networked drives. (default is 0, or OFF; /H=1 turns it on) Note: A separate logical variable is maintained for high-speed scanning in the OS/2 Compatibility Box. This switch affects only that variable's setting. /K=# - If # is less than 10, this determines whether to keep the directory tree map on disk. (default is 1, turn it off with /K=0) /K=#### - If # is at least 10, this refers to the number of internal macro keys to allow. (max is 5000; default is 100) (Note: You may use /K=1 and /K=300 in a command line.) /L=Z - Last drive accessible to user. (default is Z; C-Z is allowed) /N=#### - Set maximum number of notes to handle. Each one uses 64 bytes; the space is shared with /G=####. (max is 1,000; default is 50) /O=# - If # is 1, ELFTREE will always overwrite files when copying or moving, and will not ask for permission. (default is 0, or OFF; /O=1 turns it on) /P=# - If # is 1, this activates professional mode, which allows the user to delete a directory that has files in it. (default is 0, or OFF; /P=1 turns it on) /R=### - ASCII code of `retag' character to use (1-255). (default is 9, which looks like a hollow circle) /S=# - If # is 1, this makes ELFTREE remember your tags when it shrinks to run a program for you, if no change of directory is involved. (default is 0, or OFF; /S=1 turns it on) /T=### - ASCII code of `tag' character to use (1-255). (default is 4, which looks like a solid diamond) /U=# - if # is less than 500, this determines which main menu will appear if you make ELFTREE open into a menu. If # is 1-12, then `ALTF1.ETU'-`ALTF12.ETU' is shown accordingly. Otherwise, `MENU.ETU' is the menu file shown. (default is 0, for `MENU.ETU') /U=#### - if #### is at least 500, this sets the maximum allowable length of a menu command line. (max is 10,000; default is 500) /V=# - If # is 1, ELFTREE will shrink to 3K before running an external viewer program. (default is 1, or ON; /V=0 turns it off) /X=# - If # is 1, then [Alt-X] must be used to exit ELFTREE. If # is 0, then [ESC] is used to exit. (default is 0; /X=1 activates [Alt-X]) /Y=# - If you do not have an enhanced keyboard, but you want ELFTREE to think that you do (this will let you use [Ctrl-Del] and other nonstandard keys), use 1 for #. Use 0 for # if you do not want ELFTREE to use any of the enhanced keyboard facilities, even if you have such a keyboard. (default is 1 if an enhanced keyboard is detected, and 0 if not; /Y=1 activates enhanced support) /Z=# - If # is 1, ELFTREE will unload completely before executing a command or running a program. (default is 0, or off; /Z=1 turns it on) Here is an example of how to start up ELFTREE so that it uses 2,000 files, 300 directories, and 500 notes per directory: ET /F=2000 /D=300 /N=500 Be sure to tap SAVE [F9] if you want these to be permanent.