Ñ You can see all mounted disks and how much free space they have.
Ñ You can set the default drive, which lets other desk accessories access all ╩╩disks.
Ñ You can see how much memory is available.
Ñ You can see the names and other information for all files on a disk.
Ñ You can delete any file.
Ñ You can rename any file.
Ñ You can find a file in any folder, on any disk.
Use DiskInfo by choosing it from the menu. Its menu (DiskInfo) appears in the menu bar, and its window opens up. You can remove it from your desktop by clicking in the close box, or selecting Close from the File menu. Or, you can leave it on the desktop and bring another window to the front; DiskInfo removes its menu from the menu bar until you bring its window to the front again.
Looking at Disks
The disk display is shown when you open DiskInfo. You can identify it by the fact that the title line says ╥Drive Disk ╔╙ Below are listed all mounted disks (whether or not they are actually in a drive). A small icon indicates what drive the disk is in. A bullet (Ñ) to the left of the drive icon indicates the default disk. The free space on a disk may not agree with what the Finder says, since the Finder defines K as 1000, rather than the conventional computer usage of 1024 (210, a binary thousand). Alas, the Finder isn╒t consistent; the About the Finder╔ window shows memory in K correctly, rather than as 524K.
The bottom line shows the amount of memory in use and available. It╒s updated every five seconds. Free memory is a somewhat misleading concept on the Macintosh, since pieces of data and program can be swapped out to disk, but if free memory is very low, you may have problems running some desk accessories (including this one; see ╥Compatibility╙ below).
Since the disk display is updated every 5 seconds, the black rectangle for the selected disk may flicker. Click anywhere there isn╒t a disk to de-select it and avoid the flicker.
Setting the Default Disk
Most programs let you select which disk and file to use with a standard dialog window (for some perverse reason often called the ╘mini-finder,╒ though it has no connection with the Finder or MiniFinder). Unfortunately, most desk accessories (notably the Scrapbook) don╒t let you choose where their files are coming from. Instead, they always open a file on the default disk. This is normally the disk the application is on (it may not be the ╘startup disk,╒ the top disk on the Finder╒s desktop). DiskInfo lets you change default disks, which means you can access Scrapbook Files on several disks without leaving an application. However, you have to close the Scrapbook before you can access another disk with it. (NOTE: the Scrapbook from the new [3.0+] System always looks in the System Folder for the Scrapbook File, so setting a default disk won╒t affect it.)
To make a disk the default disk, click the mouse on its line in the disk display, then click the Make Default button. The default disk doesn╒t need to be in any drive.
Unmounting a Disk
Unmounting a disk is like dragging its icon to the Trash while in the Finder. It tells the Macintosh to forget all about that disk, freeing up memory. It╒s potentially dangerous, since you may still have a file open on a disk you╒re unmounting. For this reason, DiskInfo only lets you unmount disks which have been ejected, and requires you to hold down the key while pressing the Unmount button. It also won╒t let you unmount the ╘startup╒ disk, even if you╒ve ejected it. (Note: you may have to wait 5 seconds for DiskInfo╒s update to notice that a disk can be unmounted.)
Looking at Files
To see what files are on a disk, first select the disk by clicking on its line in the disk display, then click the Show Files button. You can also double-click the disk line. After a brief pause, DiskInfo will switch to the file display; you can recognize this from the scroll bar on the right side of the window. The file display shows all the files on a disk, including files the Finder normally doesn╒t show you. A typical line might read
The first column is an icon showing the sort of file; here, a document icon indicates a standard file. The second column is the name of the file (or as much can fit). The third column is the file type. Here, ╥OTLN╙ is the code for an Acta outline. ╥WORD╙ indicates a word-processing document; ╥TEXT╙ indicates a text-only document. The fourth column is the file╒s creator. ╥MACA╙ is the code for MacWrite¬. The fifth and sixth columns are the size of the data and resource forks of the file. (Macintosh files are divided into two portions, called ╘forks;╒ in MacWrite documents, the data fork holds the text you type in, and the resource fork contains information about the print format, the date format used in headers, and whether to use metric or English measurement in the ruler.) Here, the resource fork column is blank, indicating a size of zero. Finally, the last column shows when the file was last modified.
The file display shows eight files at a time; use the scroll bar to see all files.
On a hierarchical volume, folders are indicated by a line like
You can see the contents of a folder by selecting its line, then clicking Show Files, or by double-clicking its line. To return the display to the folder╒s parent, click the Back button.
You can tell if a volume is hierarchical by noting the bottom left corner. DiskInfo uses icons for hierarchical volumes, but the word ╘disk╒ for non-hierarchical volumes.
DiskInfo will only show the first 128 files and folders on a disk or folder.
Deleting a File
To delete a file, click on the file╒s line in the file display, then click the Delete button. You must confirm your choice by clicking OK. You can delete files you╒ve marked as Locked (using the Finder╒s Get Info option), but you╒ll have to confirm that you want to delete a locked file.
Renaming a File
To rename a file, click on the file╒s line in the file display, then click the Rename button. Enter the new name, then click OK. You can╒t use a name that╒s already present in the same folder (disk).
Finding a File
To find a file, click on the Find button from the disk display. If you know what disk the file is on, highlight that disk first. You╒ll see a dialog like this:
Type enough characters of the file name to match it, then click Find (or press the [Return] or [Enter] keys). The first matching file will be displayed in the top part of the window. Press Find to find the next matching file. DiskInfo normally looks for the characters you type in any part of the file name, so if you type ╥fil,╙ DiskInfo will show Clipboard File and Filter (note that case is ignored). If you click the First Part button, only Filter would be shown. If you click the Full Name button, neither would match.
If no disk is highlighted, you╒ll be able to click Search ejected disks. While this searches all known disks, you will almost certainly have to insert ejected floppies.
DiskInfo reports filenames as in ╘drd:System Folder:Clipboard File.╒ Colons separate parts of the file name. The disk name is first, followed by the path of folders (if any), ending with the name of the file.
Compacting Memory
To free the largest possible amount of memory, select Compact Memory from the DiskInfo menu. This is normally not of much use, since most of the space freed will probably soon need to be swapped in from disk. However, it is useful for some hard disk users, and helpful for programmers.
Options
From the DiskInfo menu, you can choose how to sort files in the file display, and whether to show disk space and file sizes in K (1024 characters) or characters. The options currently in effect are marked with a .
Installing DiskInfo
To install DiskInfo, copy the accessory into the System file using the Font/DA Mover. The easiest way to do this is to double-click the DiskInfo ╘suitcase╒ icon, then click the Open╔ button and open the System file you want to use DiskInfo from. Select DiskInfo, then click the >>Copy>> button.
DiskInfo must be installed in the System file of your current startup disk to appear in the menu.
Customizing DiskInfo
If you╒re a hard disk user, the first thing you may notice is that the icon DiskInfo uses for your hard disk isn╒t the one normally displayed. You can change it with Apple╒s ResEdit resource editor. Open the System file DiskInfo╒s installed in, then open the SICN resource, which you can edit like FatBits. You may be able to paste in the icon from the SICN resource already in the HD 20 Startup Disk System file. DiskInfo is distributed with a spare SICN in its ╥suitcase╙ file. You can copy the small icon from this resource, but be sure to do it before you install DiskInfo, because the extra SICN is not loaded into the System.
You can also choose the font DiskInfo uses for its main display. Using a resource editor, locate the STR resource with the font name, and change it to anything you like. Be aware that DiskInfo always uses 12-point type.
If you prefer DiskInfo to start with Sort Files by Date checked, edit the menu STR resource, and move the ! appropriately.
If you haven╒t used a resource editor before (and even if you have), be sure to back up your disk first. It╒s easiest to edit DiskInfo in the Font/DA Mover document, and then install the modified copy into your System.
While we encourage you to customize DiskInfo to your own tastes, we do ask you to leave our copyright and shareware notice intact. You might inadvertently distribute a copy without them, and that annoys us, as well as depriving other users of support information.
Compatibility
There are some conditions when DiskInfo may not work well. One is with Microsoft BASIC, since BASIC uses its own version of memory management and doesn╒t want to share with desk accessories. A CLEAR,150000 statement helps out on a 512K Macintosh. You╒ll have to determine the best value of CLEAR on a 128K machine, depending on the program you╒re running.
Looking at a menu in MacPaint can occasionally crash the system. You can avoid this by using the rule of thumb: if free memory is 2K or less, don╒t use menus until you close DiskInfo. It╒s also a good idea not to open other desk accessories when memory is that tight.
DiskInfo works with ResEdit, but the buttons aren╒t displayed. Weird.
MacTerminal may be a problem. It╒s been a problem with almost every other non-Apple desk accessory I╒ve tried.
If you aren╒t certain DiskInfo will run (for example, you╒re working on a large MacWrite document), close the document first. You╒ll still save time over returning to the Finder, then reentering MacWrite.
Sometimes DiskInfo can figure out it won╒t be able to get enough space to run, and will tell you. Closing some windows may gain you enough free space.
I╒ve heard from several people that using DiskInfo with Ready Set Go turns the watch cursor into a black box. I believe this is a Ready Set Go error, and no other ill effects have been reported.
Acknowledgements
First, thanks to those who have sent in their honor payments. Because of you, DiskInfo will continue to be improved.
We╒d also like to thank those who have written in with comments and suggestions. While your idea may not be incorporated, it was considered.
Major portions of the Find routine are from Steve Brecher╒s column in the February 1986 issue of MacTutor. Other code is borrowed from Mike Schuster╒s article in the January 1986 issue. Thanks, guys. MacTutor is the magazine for Macintosh programmers. R. W. Zehr designed the Paradise SICN.
This desk accessory is available under the honor system (it cannot be ordered from Maitreya Design; please do not send us purchase orders). You can make as many copies as you like, and give them to all your friends. Please include this documentation when you pass out copies. If you find DiskInfo to be useful, please send $10.00 to
Maitreya Design
PO Box 1480
Goleta, CA 93116
This entitles you to use any future releases.
If you╒d like to make a blanket payment for multiple copies of DiskInfo in an organization (a ╘site license╒), give us a call.
Thanks again to everyone who sent in their money for earlier versions of DiskInfo. If you╒ve already paid, you don╒t need to pay again, and are entitled to use any future version.
If you have any questions, you may call us at 805/968-7578, as long as you promise not to call before noon Pacific time. Ask for David Dunham, since he wrote DiskInfo.
DiskInfo is a trademark of Maitreya Design. Apple is a registered trademark of, and Macintosh is a trademark licensed to, Apple Computer, Inc. MacPaint, MacTerminal, and MacWrite are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Documentation and program ⌐1986 Maitreya Design.
