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ArcMaster 4.32
Copyright 1989 by New-Ware
All Rights Reserved
(tm) ┌─────────┐
┌─────┴───┐ │ MEMBER
───│ │ │────────────────
│ ┌──────┴──┐ │ Association of
│ │ ├──┘ Shareware
└──┤ ■ │ Professionals
──────│ ║ │───────────────────
└────╨────┘
1 - PROLOG
The program author, John J. Newlin, is an active member of the
Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). The ASP wants to make
sure that the Shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to
resolve a Shareware related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you
resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide
technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP
Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve
message via EASYPLEX to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.
DISCLAIMER
New-Ware hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this product,
whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied
warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. New-
Ware cannot and will not be liable for any special, incidental,
consequential, indirect or similar damages due to loss of data or any
other reason, even if New-Ware or an authorized New-Ware agent has been
advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall the
liability for any damages ever exceed the price paid for the license to
use software, regardless of the form and/or extent of the claim. The
user of this program bears all risk as to the quality and performance of
the software.
LICENSE
ArcMaster is a Shareware product. As such, it is made available to
the general computing public for evaluation. Users are licensed to
operate ArcMaster on their personal computers for the purpose of test
and evaluation on a trial basis for a limited trial period. It is not
possible to reasonably define any definitive limits of a fair and
equitable time period for evaluation, therefore it is left to the user's
judgement and sense of fair play as to the time required to make a
decision as to its usefulness. If the user decides the program is not
of sufficient merit to warrant purchase through registration with New-
Ware, the program should be removed from their personal computer.
Otherwise, if the program is deemed useful and is in regular use on the
user's personal computer system, registration with New-Ware is required.
Registered users are those users that elect to pay for ArcMaster
and register that payment with New-Ware. 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.
2 - REGISTRATION
ArcMaster is sole property of New-Ware Shareware products. The
Shareware version 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 private BBS operations that charge a regular
user subscription fee. Computer information services such as SUMMIT,
Compuserve (CIS), Genie, etc., are authorized to post this product for
subscriber access. ArcMaster may NOT be distributed on diskette by any
disk distributor/vendor that charges more than $10.00 for the diskette
upon which the program and attendant files are recorded without written
consent from New-Ware.
ArcMaster 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 New-Ware. The registration
fee is $35.00 and the registered version, which is NOT distributed as
Shareware, will not contain the opening Shareware screen nor the closing
messages.
Those who have registered a previous version (prior to version 4.0)
of ArcMaster may purchase ArcMaster version 4.32 as an upgrade for
$5.00. Please be advised that I will NOT accept credit card orders for
the upgrade. Checks only, please!
You may register ArcMaster 4.32 in one of three ways:
1) By mail with check or money order to:
New-Ware
6198 Agee Street #71
San Diego, CA 92122
2) By telephone with Visa/Mastercard to:
New-Ware
(619) 455-6225
- 2 -
3) Electronically through the New-Ware BBS:
New-Ware Shareware Products BBS
(619) 455-5226
The New-Ware Shareware Products BBS operates 24 hours per day, 7 days
per week at 1200/2400 baud and N71 or N81. Users registering via the
BBS receive access to the latest registered version within 1 day after
leaving their credit card data. Users who register by mail or phone may
also access the registered version by BBS. Just log on and leave a
comment to the sysop to the effect that you are a registered user and
desire access. The author can also be contacted on CIS via PPN
71535,665 (please use EASYPLEX).
This Shareware version of ArcMaster may be freely copied and passed on
to other individual users for their evaluation. Disk vendors and/or
distributors that desire to distribute ArcMaster must adhere to the
guidelines presented in VENDOR.DOC.
Press Alt-R from the main ArcMaster Display to display the registration
window. Prompts will be issued for the pertinent information and you
will have the option of printing the registration form when the form is
completed.
CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS MUST INCLUDE 7% STATE SALES TAX!
I support my software. One of the great strengths of the Shareware
concept is the interaction between the program author and the users.
Many of the features contained in ArcMaster are the result of user
input. If you have a problem evaluating this program or desire to make
a suggestion or comment (or even a complaint), please do not hesitate to
contact me. Even if you register ArcMaster, if you later determine that
it is unsuitable for your use, you may contact me for a refund. It is
not necessary that you be a registered user to contact me for technical
support. Technical support will be available through the U.S mail,
telephone, or the New-Ware BBS.
3 - VERSION HISTORY
4.0 - 02/16/89
- Initial release.
4.01 - 02/19/89
- Added Ctrl-X for refreshing directory.
- Added display of current archive system.
- Added "hot arc" feature.
- Added capability to place tagged files in
multiple archive files.
- Fixed various minor bugs.
4.02 - 02/21/89
- Various bug fixes.
- Added multiple file mask capability.
- Added INS key to pre-designate archive file name.
- 3 -
- Smoothed out the window swap operation so that
the cursor bar positions are maintained over the swap.
- Added display of right window bytes free.
- Made right/left arrow keys same as TAB key.
- Fixed bug in saving default start-up paths.
- Added automatic switch to compatible archive
system when unarchiving or LISTING.
- Added configurable name for LIST.COM.
4.1 - 03/05/89
- Various bug fixes.
4.2 - 03/11/89
- Added support for PKZIP version 0.92.
- Added Ctrl-Z to call PKZIPFIX to fix a
suspect .ZIP file.
- Added support for disabled users.
4.21 - 03/22/89
- Added an item to the options menu for
turning beeps/bells ON/OFF.
- Fixed a bug that caused the system to freeze
(hang) if an attempt was made to view the contents
of a .ZIP/.ARC/.PAK file that was marked READ-ONLY.
- Expanded the file list search routine beyond just
entering the 1st letter key.
4.22 - 03/25/89
- Added support for LHARC.
4.23 - 03/29/89
- Bug fixes. Added LZH to ARC and LZH to ZIP
conversions. Added separate menu for selecting
default conversion.
4.30 - 04/08/89
- Incorporated an overlay file.
- Added batch file move and copy operations.
- Added renaming of files.
- Added command line entry of a target file name.
4.31 - 04/16/89
- Added single keystroke operation for file deletion.
- Added date/time stamp setting to the most
recent file when creating an archive (toggle).
- Various bug fixes and enhancements.
4.32 - 04/27/89
- Added support for LHARC 1.12.
New versions are created and released for two main reasons. First, and
foremost, is to correct bugs and design flaws discovered by users. The
second is to incorporate new and better ideas received from users.
- 4 -
4 - GENERAL & TECHNICAL INFORMATION
CAUTION!!! - ArcMaster uses a temporary subdirectory (child of the
current active directory) named "$!$" for conversion from
one archive system files to another. Do NOT use a subdirectory of this
name anywhere in your system or the files contained therein might be
lost!!
The term ARC is widely used throughout this documentation as well
as in various textual messages in the executable program. ARC, as it is
used here and in the program, is an abbreviation for the generic word
"archive". Archive is defined as a "place where records or documents
are kept." In the case of personal computers, the term has come to
connote files that contain other files that have been reduced in size
through the employment of various compression techniques. Thus an
archive file is a library of files compressed for archival or storage
efficiency purposes. Some compression/decompression systems
automatically append a DOS file extension of .ARC, some use .PAK, some
use .MD, and some use .ZIP. When the term archive appears here or in
the main program, it refers to the process of creating, modifying, or
unpacking compressed archive files or it refers to a file in which
compressed files have been stored in library fashion. There will be
references in this document to various operating system file extensions
such as .ARC, .PAK, and .ZIP. These file extensions are given (usually
by default) in the creation of archives of compressed files by archive
systems to distinguish these from other files. References to these
extensions are necessary for technical and explanatory reasons.
ArcMaster 4.32 supports 6 popular and widely used archive systems.
An archive system is a program or group of programs that employ file
compression techniques to create a compressed archive file and
decompression techniques to access and extract files stored in an
archive file. The following systems are currently supported by
ArcMaster:
ARC by Systems Enhancement Associates (SEA)
ARCA/ARCE by Vernon Buerg
PKPAK/PKUNPAK by PKWare (no longer distributed)
PAK by NoGate Consulting
PKZIP/PKUNZIP by PKWare (Phil Katz)
LHARC by Haruyasu Yoshizaki
All of these are outstanding systems and each have their own specific
merits. New-Ware has no vested interest in the commercial success of
any of these systems and does not recommend one over the other. It is
recommended that archive file users evaluate each of these systems,
select the one(s) closest to meeting archival needs, and registering
that product(s). All, except ARCA and LHARC, are Shareware products and
available from various sources, including Bulletin Board Systems around
the country. LHARC (.LZH files) is a freely distributed program.
ArcMaster 4.32 supports all of these systems in an effort to provide an
effective archive system visual user interface for the broadest range of
users.
It is the responsibility of the user to thoroughly read and
understand the documentation included with whichever archive systems are
- 5 -
in use. For example, the ZIP system provides a means for specifying a
drive as the default for creating temporary files. This feature is
important when archiving/unarchiving from/to floppy disks.
ArcMaster 4.32 is written in Borland International's Turbo Pascal,
version 5.0 and makes heavy use of TurboPower Software's Turbo 5.0
Professional library. It was developed and compiled on an AST
Premium/386C equipped with a Paradise (480) EGA and NEC Multisync II
monitor. It has been tested on the following machines:
AST Premium/386C (as described above) - MSDOS 3.3/PCDOS 4.0
AST Premium/286 - MSDOS 3.2
ACER 710 XT clone Hercules monitor
MSDOS 3.2
Leading Edge "M" with CGA - PCDOS 3.1
Zenith 386 with VGA and VGA monitor - MSDOS 3.3
Compaq 386/20 with VGA monitor - MSDOS 3.3
The author is a retired Naval Aviator who holds degrees in
Mathematics and Computer Science. Developing and marketing Shareware
products became his full-time business after resigning from Hughes
Aircraft Company in 1988. Other Shareware products offered by New-Ware
are:
SCOUT - TSR disk/file manager
CopyMaster - File/disk copy utility
FormatMaster - Floppy disk formatter
SECTION V. GENERAL PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND REQUIREMENTS
5 - PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND REQUIREMENTS
ArcMaster is a full-featured visual interface program designed
facilitate the operation of archive systems in the PCDOS/MSDOS
environment. By itself, ArcMaster WILL NOT perform any file compression
or decompression. At least one of the support systems must be present
before ArcMaster becomes useful. With one or more of the five supported
archive systems present, ArcMaster will make the creation, modification,
and unarchiving of archive files much easier and faster. It is menu-
driven and employs a "point and shoot" style method of controlling major
archiving operations.
At least one of the six supported archive systems must be available
before ArcMaster can be successfully operated. ArcMaster also includes
the capability to convert archive files from/to the popular .ARC format
(developed by SEA) and the newer .PAK format (developed by NoGate
Consulting). A system that operates with each format must be present in
order to successfully convert from one format to another. Here are the
file names of the executable files for each system:
ARC (ver. 6.1) - *ARC.EXE
PAK (ver. 1.6) - *PAK.EXE
PKPAK (ver. 3.6) - PKPAK.EXE
PKUNPAK.EXE
- 6 -
ARCA (ver. 1.29) - *ARCA.COM
*ARCE.COM
ZIP (ver. 0.92) - PKZIP.EXE
PKUNZIP.EXE
LHARC (ver 1.0) - *LHARC.EXE
The files marked with an asterisk (*) are files that may distributed
with the version number as part of the file name. For example, the
current version of Vern Buerg's ARCA is distributed as ARCA129.COM. Be
sure that the archive system files that you use are named exactly as
above.
ArcMaster may be operated on any IBM PC/XT/AT/PS2 or compatible
running under DOS 2.0 and above. With the distributed default settings
of 300 files per directory (RIGHT & LEFT), 50 directories per active
drive (RIGHT & LEFT), and 50 files per archive and without Lotus, Intel,
Microsoft (LIM) Expanded Memory Specification (EMS) memory available, it
uses approximately 149K RAM. With EMS, it requires 130K. The
registered version requires 3K less memory. ArcMaster supports the
DESKQView environment and the Hercules InColor Card. Approximately 350K
total available RAM is required to run ArcMaster and although not
absolutely necessary, a hard disk is strongly recommended. All monitor
and graphics cards are supported, including "composite" (2 color)
monitors and backlit laptop screens. Mouse support is automatically
provided if a mouse driver is present in the system. Any dot matrix or
laser printer may be used for printing file directory listings.
The type of monitor, color or monochrome, will be detected at
runtime and the display colors will be adjusted accordingly. Users with
older composite (2 color) monitors and laptops with backlit screens
should place an "M" on the command line when starting Arcmaster. If the
configuration settings are then saved to the disk file, the "M" will no
longer be required when executing Arcmaster.
Although not absolutely required to operate ArcMaster, it is
strongly recommended that a current version of Vern Buerg's outstanding
LIST.COM be present also. LIST is a very sophisticated and powerful
file viewing program that permits a user to browse just about any kind
of file imaginable. The importance of LIST to ArcMaster is that LIST is
employed to browse compressed files that reside within an archive file.
LIST version 6.2 and above is supported.
It is IMPORTANT that the archive system files (and LIST) reside in
a directory that is identified in the DOS PATH string. The DOS PATH
string is a string containing valid DOS directory path names that DOS
will use to search for an executable file. It is user defined and is
normally initialized at boot-up with the PATH command. Here is an
example of a DOS PATH command as it might appear in an AUTOEXEC.BAT
file:
path=c:\util;d:\arc\dat;c:\turbo;e:\dbms\pc-file
It is IMPORTANT that the drive designator and colon precede each
individual path identified in the string. In this example, suppose that
the current directory is C:\GAMES and it is desired to execute Norton's
famous utilities, which is located in C:\UTIL. Simply enter the command
- 7 -
NU and DOS will find NU.EXE in C:\UTIL and execute it. If the requested
program is not in the current active directory, DOS will then search
each directory listed in the PATH string for the executable file. If
the path name C:\UTIL were omitted from the path string in this example,
DOS would respond to an attempt to load NU.EXE with a "Bad command or
filename" message, unless NU.EXE were in the current directory. The
PATH string can be checked at any time by entering either PATH or SET
from the DOS level. Also, do NOT place more than one PATH command in
the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Only the last PATH command that is executed is
valid.
Placing the directory path names in the PATH string is required
EVEN IF ALL ARCMASTER FILES ARE LOCATED IN THE SAME DIRECTORY!. This is
true due to the nature of the way that ArcMaster issues a call for
executable files to DOS.
6 - EXECUTING ARCMASTER
ArcMaster's executable file is named AM43.EXE and the supporting
overlay file is named AM43.OVR. The overlay file MUST either be in the
same directory as AM43.EXE or in a directory identified in the DOS PATH
string. ArcMaster may be executed by entering the file name at the DOS
command level or called from a .BAT file or DOS shell. Up to three
command line parameters are supported. A command line parameter is a
string of characters that follows the program name. Here is an example:
AM43 G:\DATA\UNARC
The command string is NOT case sensitive. In this example, DOS will
load and execute ArcMaster and ArcMaster will make the directory path
G:\DATA\UNARC it's destination directory (more about source and
destination directories later). Another example is:
AM43 c:\pascal d:\archive
In this case ArcMaster will assign c:\pascal as the source directory and
d:\archive as the destination directory. Of course, it is not necessary
to enter any parameters at all on the command line, in which case
ArcMaster will use the default source and directory path names that have
been saved to the .EXE file. If either path name is invalid, ArcMaster
will use the default setting. If the drive designator is omitted (i.e.,
\pascal vice c:\pascal), then the current active drive designator will
be appended.
If expanded memory meeting the Lotus, Intel, Microsoft (LIM)
Expanded Memory Specification (EMS) is present and enough (64K) EMS
memory is available, ArcMaster will automatically use expanded memory
for the storage and retrieval of data. If it is desired to disable this
feature, place the parameter -e as the LAST parameter on the command
line when executing ArcMaster.
A valid file name may also be entered on the command line. If the
file name is a file that exists in the current directory, ArcMaster will
- 8 -
automatically position the LEFT window cursor bar over that file on
start-up. For example, the command
AM43 STORAGE.ARC
will result in the cursor bar highlighting the file STORAGE.ARC if
STORAGE.ARC exists in the start-up directory.
IMPORTANT - PREVIOUS ARCMASTER USERS PLEASE NOTE!!
In order to maximize the amount of RAM available for executing
archive system programs by minimizing the amount of RAM required by
ArcMaster itself, an overlay file is now being employed. The name of
this file is AM43.OVR and it MUST NOT be changed. ArcMaster will look
for the overlay file first in the same directory as AM43.EXE and if not
found there, it will search the DOS path for it. If it cannot find
AM43.OVR, ArcMaster will terminate with an appropriate error message.
The overlay strategy employed by ArcMaster will utilize expanded memory
if it is present and there are sufficient EMS pages to support the
overlay requirements. If this is the case, the entire contents of the
overlay file will be loaded into expanded memory and no disk access will
be required. In the absence of sufficient EMS pages, ArcMaster will
access the overlay file periodically to load the executable code
necessary to perform a required function. This should not impact the
overall operation of ArcMaster and frees up approximately 40K of
additional RAM.
When ArcMaster loads and executes, it first checks the DOS path for
the presence of one of the following files: ARC.EXE, ARCA.COM, PAK.EXE,
PKPAK.EXE, and PKZIP.EXE. If none of these files can be located in
directories contained in the DOS path, ArcMaster will issue a warning
message and pause before continuing. If one of these systems is found,
that system will become the default until manually changed by the user.
7 - DUAL DIRECTORY DISPLAY
Very shortly after being executed, ArcMaster's main display will
appear on the monitor. It consists of two windows, left and right, and
each window is a view port for the files contained in a disk directory.
The LEFT window ALWAYS displays the files in the source directory and
the RIGHT window ALWAYS displays files in the destination directory.
It's important to remember that the basic concept of operations is from
LEFT to RIGHT.
Files are displayed in groups of up to 15 at a time. A full-width
cursor bar can be moved through the files with the keypad arrow keys,
the PgDn/PgUp keys, or the Home/End keys. Each file is represented by a
line of data that consists of the file name and extension, file date,
and file size. The name of the applicable directory appears on the top
line of each window and the page number (15 files per page) appears on
the bottom line of each window. Data pertaining to the files in each
window appears just below the window box. The file creation/update time
of the file name highlighted by the cursor bar appears on the last line
- 9 -
of this area. Files marked by an asterisk ("*") are files that have had
their archive bits set by DOS.
The list of files can be searched by pressing any letter key in
sets 'A' to 'Z', 'a' to 'z', '0' to '9', and in the set '!','$',',
'#','%','(',')','&','_','{','}','^','~'. ArcMaster will show the file
name search string on the last line of the screen below the LEFT window.
If a file is found with a name that matches the search string, the
cursor bar will jump to that file. The search can be canceled by
pressing any key not in the search set defined above. The BACKSPACE key
may be used to crudely edit the search string by removing the last
character in the string. If a letter key is pressed and the resultant
search string does not match any part of any of the file names in the
current list, the string will remain the same. Note that the search
starts at the top of the current file list and that the search is
predicated on the search string matching the first N characters in the
file name up to a maximum of 12.
The cursor bar is an important element of the "point and shoot"
design. It is used to tag (mark) files for archiving, dearchiving, or
conversion. For example, if it is desired to view the contents of a
regular DOS file and LIST.COM is available and in the DOS PATH, simply
place the cursor bar in the left window over the desired file and press
return. The ArcMaster display will disappear and the LIST display will
appear with the contents of the selected file. Suppose it is desired to
view the contents of an archive file. Place the left cursor bar over a
file with an extension of .ARC, .PAK, .ZIP or .LZH and press return. A
new window will be superimposed over the main display. This window will
display the directory of the archive file and it too will have a full
width cursor bar. Perhaps it is now desired to view the contents of one
of the compressed files. Place the cursor bar over the file and press
return. The LIST display will appear with the contents of the archived
file. Simple....just point and shoot.
Self-extracting .COM and .EXE files created by LHARC may also be
viewed in the same manner by placing the cursor bar over the file and
pressing the F7 key. Version 4.32 of ArcMaster will read files created
by version 1.0 or 1.2 of LHARC.
The cursor bar is also used to tag, or mark, files for certain
operations. Tagging is accomplished by pressing the space bar or the
plus key ("+") with the cursor bar over the desired file. A diamond
character will appear to the left of the file information that indicates
that the file is tagged. A file is untagged by placing the cursor bar
over a tagged file and pressing the space bar or the minus (-) key.
Files may only be tagged in the left (destination) window. Pressing F6
or Ctrl-T to untag all files in the left window and pressing Ctrl-U will
untag all tagged files. Tagging is only permitted in the LEFT window.
The active window is the one in which the cursor bar is moving and
is the LEFT window upon program start-up. The active window can be
"toggled" with the TAB key. If the LEFT window is active and the TAB
key is pressed, the RIGHT window becomes the active window. The cursor
bar position is indicated by two vertical bars bracketing the file name
in the inactive window. The active window may also be switched by
pressing the either the right or left arrow key. The contents of the
- 10 -
LEFT and RIGHT window may be exchanged (swapped) by pressing the F4 key.
The LEFT window will then be a view port into the files contained in the
directory viewed by the RIGHT window and vice versa. The path name of
the active directory for a window appears on the top line of that window
display.
Changing the active directory is accomplished by pressing the F5
key. Directories are displayed in the same manner as files are
displayed, 15 directory names at a time. A cursor bar that highlights
the selected directory name can be manipulated in the same way as when
viewing files. To change to a new active directory, press <RETURN> with
the cursor bar highlighting the name of the desired directory. AM43
will retrieve the file names from that directory and display them. The
F5 key will toggle between the directory display and the file display.
Directories may be created with INS key and removed with the DEL key
while in the directory display. The F1 key may be used in lieu of the
ENTER key to force both windows to change to and display the directory
highlighted by the cursor bar.
A rapid change to view the original start-up directory in the LEFT
window can be effected by pressing Ctrl-HOME. Pressing Ctrl-END will
change both the LEFT and RIGHT windows to the original start-up
directories.
A directory catalog is maintained in the root directory on each
drive accessed using AM43. The file that contains this catalog is
AM40DIR.CAT. When the F5 key is pressed, AM43 first checks to see if
the directory catalog for the current drive is currently in memory. If
not, it then checks to see if AM40DIR.CAT exists in the root directory
of the current drive. If so, it reads it into memory. If not, it will
scan the drive to collect all the directory path names, store them in
memory, and then create and write the catalog to AM40DIR.CAT. Therefore
if a directory is created or removed between AM43 sessions, then it will
be necessary to rescan the drive and update the catalog. This is
accomplished by pressing Ctrl-R. The size of AM40DIR.CAT is dependent
upon the number of directories on the supported drive. Directory names
can be up to 64 characters in length, so the size of AM40DIR.CAT will be
65 times the number of directories (each directory path string in memory
includes a length byte). The catalog file is not maintained on RAM
drives or floppy disks. Directories can be created and/or removed while
in ArcMaster and ArcMaster will automatically update the catalog file.
The active drive can be changed by pressing the F3 key. A small
window will appear the prompts for the drive letter. Press the letter
key corresponding to the desired drive's DOS letter designation to
change drives. AM43 will accomplish the drive change and then display
the contents of whichever directory on that drive is the current
default. An error message will appear if an invalid drive letter is
given.
ArcMaster supports the use of a 2 or 3 button mouse. The button
actions for a 3 button mouse are:
L = RETURN
R = ESC
M = SPACE BAR (tag/untag)
- 11 -
L+R = "/" - Command Bar Menu
M+R = HOME
M+L = END
M+L+R = ALT-X (terminate)
The button actions for a 2 button mouse are:
L = RETURN
R = ESC
L+R = "/" - Command Bar Menu
Movement of the mouse up or down will move the cursor vertically. Rapid
movement of the mouse horizontally will duplicate the function of the
TAB key by moving from one window to the other.
8 - MAIN COMMAND BAR MENU
The main command menu is activated by pressing either of the slash
keys, "/" or "\" (not active when viewing the directory listing). A
horizontal menu will appear that contains six selections. The right and
left arrow keys may be moved from selection to selection and an
explanatory help line is updated as the cursor bar moves. Menu items may
be selected by moving the cursor bar to the desired item and pressing
<RETURN> or pressing the letter key corresponding to the first letter of
the desired item. Pressing ESC at any time will remove the command
menu. Some of the items on the command menu are duplicated by function
keys. Pressing Ctrl-H or the BACKSPACE key at any time will cause a
help screen with the various command key assignments to be displayed.
9 - CONFIGURATION SUBMENU
For new users of ArcMaster 4.32, the most important selection on the
command menu is Config, the item on the far right. Press the "C" key or
move the cursor bar to "Config" and press <RETURN> to activate the
configuration selections. The first item at the top of the
configuration submenu is labeled Archival System. Selecting this item
will bring up yet another menu that offers selection of one of the five
supported file compression /decompression systems. You MUST have at
least one of these systems in order to successfully operate ArcMaster.
Selection of the desired system will return you to the configuration
menu. This menu may also be called from the main display by pressing
the ESC key or the Alt-F9 key combination. This avoids the necessity of
activating the command bar menu, the config menu, and the change active
system menu and saves keystrokes. The next three selections, File
Limit, Directory Limit, and ARChive File Limit affect the amount of main
memory used by ArcMaster. As distributed, the defaults are 250 files
per directory, 50 directories per drive, and 50 files per compressed
file directory. It is important to note that while these defaults may be
changed, they are not effective until saved to disk and the program is
executed again. Obviously, raising these values will require more RAM
and lowering them will require less RAM. ArcMaster uses 45 bytes for
each file, 130 bytes for each directory, and 90 bytes for each
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compressed file directory entry. Note that if the default is set to 50
files and a directory is accessed that contains more than 50 files, not
all the files in that directory will be displayed. The same is true for
directory and compressed file directory entries. The absolute limits are
750 files, 800 compressed directory entries, and 175 directories. If at
runtime ArcMaster detects the presence of memory conforming to the
Lotus, Intel, Microsoft (LIM) Expanded Memory Specification (EMS) and
sufficient EMS memory is available, it will store file and directory
data in EMS. In this case the number of files supported is 750 and the
number of directories is 175. If it is desired not to utilize available
EMS, place the switch "-e" on the command line as the LAST parameter and
ArcMaster will ignore the EMS and use the configurable default settings.
The "PathName Defaults" selection permits the setting of which
directories will be displayed in the LEFT and RIGHT windows at runtime.
Remember that placing valid DOS pathnames on the command line at runtime
will override these settings. A DOS path name can be entered for the
LEFT and/or the RIGHT window. If it is desired that ArcMaster always
use the current active directory at runtime, delete all the characters
on the prompt line with the backspace key so than an empty string is
entered. The prompt line is completely editable, meaning that the INS
key toggle is active as well as the other normal editing keys. Entering
an empty string for both LEFT and RIGHT will force ArcMaster to use the
directory from which ArcMaster is loaded in both LEFT and RIGHT windows.
"Temporary directory" refers to a special capability associated with
manner in which ArcMaster converts archive file formats. Please refer
to the section explaining format conversion later in this document.
ArcMaster supports a user defined text editor and is distributed
with Sammy Mitchell's marvelous editor QEDIT as the default. To change
the name of the editor, select "Editor file name" from the menu. Any
executable file name up to 8 characters (extension not required) may be
entered. In fact, it is possible to enter a .BAT file name here and to
configure a batch file to perform a specific task. When Ctrl-E is
pressed with the cursor bar over a non-archive file (not .ARC, .PAK, or
.ZIP), ArcMaster will call DOS to execute the editor file and pass the
name of the highlighted file as a command line parameter. The editor
file name is saved to disk along with other configurable parameters.
It may be necessary to change the name LIST.COM in order to avoid
problems that can occur if the operating system is using a command shell
other than COMMAND.COM. 4DOS is one example. 4DOS has an internal
'list' command that will be executed instead of LIST.COM. LIST can be
changed to any other 8 character file name and saved to disk semi-
permanently. This should not be necessary if COMMAND.COM is in use.
Many ArcMaster users have indicated that they would like to have the
option of renaming the ArcMaster program file. The "eXec file name"
menu item is for that purpose. The file extension must be .EXE, so only
an 8 character file name may be entered. Once this new name is saved to
disk with the rest of the default settings, exit ArcMaster and rename
AM43.EXE using the DOS REN command. In this manner, ArcMaster will be
able to locate the correct executable file for saving its configuration
defaults.
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Some older Color Graphics Adapters (CGA) suffer from "snow" effects
during operation of programs like ArcMaster that directly access video
RAM. This can be avoided by using the "CGA snow check" option to toggle
the setting to ON. The setting of this toggle is of no consequence with
monochrome, EGA, or VGA adaptors.
The last item on the Configuration menu is "Save To Disk". Selection
of this item will cause all user configurable settings to be saved
semi-permanently to the AM43.EXE disk file. ArcMaster will first look
in the current directory for AM43.EXE. If not found there, it will
search each directory in the DOS PATH string. If AM43.EXE is still not
located, ArcMaster will search the environment for a string named
AM40LOC=. If this is present, ArcMaster will use the dos path name
opposite the "=" sign. For example, if the environment contains the
string AM40LOC=C:\UTIL\ARC, ArcMaster will search C:\UTIL\ARC for
AM43.EXE.
The first two items, from left to right, on the main command menu
are "Archive" and "UnArchive". These are duplicated by the F1 and F2
function keys respectively. ARChiving and UnARChiving operations will
be discussed in detail later.
10 - OPTIONS SUBMENU
The third item on the main command menu is labeled "Options".
Selection of this item will bring up a submenu containing 7 selections.
The first selection (top of the list), is a toggle that determines if
DOS files marked as "hidden" will be displayed along with the rest of
the files in the directory being viewed. The directory being viewed
will automatically be refreshed to show (or not show) hidden files if
this toggle is changed. The refresh will occur upon exit from the main
command menu. All tags are cleared and the cursor bar is repositioned
to the first file when this occurs.
Since it may be important to maintain the time/date stamp of the
source file during archive file conversions, the "Maintain time/date for
conv." toggle is offered (the default is ON). When this toggle is set
to on, the converted archive file will be given the same file time/date
stamp as the source archive file. For example, if conversion of
SOMEFILE.ARC is made to SOMEFILE.ZIP and the toggle is ON, SOMEFILE.ZIP
will have the same date/time as SOMEFILE.ARC. Otherwise, SOMEFILE.ZIP
will have the current DOS system date/time.
The "Time/Date reset to latest" is also a toggle. When set to ON,
ArcMaster will set the date/time stamp of a newly created archive file
(.ARC, .LZH, .PAK, or .ZIP) to that of the most current file that was
placed in the archive when created, refreshed, or updated. For example,
suppose that the files FILE1.DAT, FILE2.DAT, and FILE3.DAT are used to
create a new archive file named FILES.LZH and that FILE1.DAT has the
most current date/time stamp. If the toggle is ON, then FILES.LZH will
have the same date/time stamp as does FILE1.DAT. Be careful with this
toggle. If you are adding files to an existing archive and the toggle
is ON, the date/time stamp of the refreshed/updated archive file might
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not be what is desired. You can use the Ctrl-D function to update any
tagged archive file to that of the latest file contained therein.
The "Keep File Tags" option determines whether tagged files retain
their tags after certain ArcMaster operations. Even though this toggle
is set to ON, there are some cases where the tagged status will not be
preserved. One example is moving files to an ARChive. When files are
moved by an ARChive system, they are compressed, stored, and then
deleted. Tags should not and are not preserved in this case.
ArcMaster can be set to pause after each archiving/unarchiving
operation by setting the "Pause after archiving ops" toggle to ON. When
this toggle is OFF, control is returned immediately to ArcMaster without
pause following execution of an archive system file.
ArcMaster will ask for user confirmation before overwriting an
existing file during batch copy operations if the "Confirm copy
overwrite" toggle is set to ON. This applies to batch file move
operations as well.
The next item on the Options submenu concerns the drive list. The
drive list is a sequence of upper case alphabetic characters that
correspond to the valid drives in a specific system. The default drive
list is 'AC'. The drive list is used during a global system (search all
drives) search for a DOS or an archived file. This can be modified by
the user to contain any string of valid drive characters in any
sequence. For example, suppose that it is desired to always search
drive D first, then drive F, followed by drives C and E. Entry of the
drive list string 'DFCE' will accomplish that purpose. The drive list
is saved to disk during a configuration save.
The "Auto unarchive" toggle may be set to ON or OFF and should be
set to ON if the user has multiple archive systems available in the DOS
PATH. When the toggle is on, ArcMaster will check the extension of the
first file tagged. It will then check to see if the system required to
decompress that file is available. If so, it will temporarily override
the default archive system setting in order to properly unarchive the
tagged files. This means that ALL files tagged for unarchiving MUST
have the same extension. For example, if the default archive system is
set as PKZIP and five .ARC files are tagged, then if PKUNPAK, ARC, or
ARC-E are available, ArcMaster will call the appropriate unarchive
submenu for processing. If this toggle is set to OFF, the user must tag
files for unarchiving that are compatible with the current default
archive system setting. The "Auto unarchive" feature also works with
LIST inside a compressed file. This means with the toggle set to ON,
there is no need to change the current archive system setting to
unarchive or LIST compressed files.
Beeps and bells can be muted by setting the Beeps/Bells option to
OFF.
ARChive file password operations are controlled through the next two
items on the Options submenu. If the Use Password toggle is set to ON,
ArcMaster will add password switch and the password when passing
commands for compression or decompression. If the toggle is ON and no
password has been defined, a window will automatically appear that
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prompts for password. If a password has been defined, ArcMaster will
proceed directly to the desired operation. The password is stored in
encrypted form but is decrypted prior to passing it as a command line
parameter to the operational ARChive system. This is done so that
password protected files may be accessed outside of ArcMaster.
The last item on the Options submenu is labeled "View System Memory"
and brings up a window that displays information about the PC system
memory and disk drives.
The state of all the options on the Options submenu will be
preserved on disk when the Save to Disk function is activated from the
Configuration menu.
11 - SHELL TO DOS
When the DOS item is selected from the command bar menu, Arcmaster
passes control to a secondary copy of COMMAND.COM, which places the user
at the DOS prompt. Except for the memory occupied by the ArcMaster
kernel which might restrict large programs from being executed, all
normal DOS command functions are available. To return to ArcMaster, use
the DOS EXIT command.
12 - CHANGING FILE MASKS
It is possible to filter the files being viewed in either window
through the use of a valid DOS file mask. A valid DOS file mask may
contain one or both DOS wild card characters; "*" and "?". ArcMaster
provides the capability to designate up to 6 different file masks per
window. For example, if the file mask for the LEFT window is set to
*.ARC, only those files with the extension of .ARC will be displayed.
If more than one mask is active, the display is filtered accordingly.
Suppose that three masks are selected: *.ARC, AB??.*, and NEWFILES.?L?.
ArcMaster will retrieve only those files matching one of the three
masks, sort, and display them. The distribution copy default mask for
each window is "*.*". The edit/change masks and to select those that
will be active, press Ctrl-M or select "Mask" from the command bar menu.
A window will appear that displays the 6 currently defined masks. A
cursor bar is displayed that can be moved with the up and down arrow
keys to select any of the 6 displayed masks. The actual mask can be
changed by pressing RETURN with the cursor over the desire mask. A
short beep will sound, the cursor bar color will change, and it will
then be possible to edit the selected mask string. When editing is
complete, press RETURN and the cursor bar color changes back to normal.
To mark a mask as active, tag it by moving the cursor bar to it and
pressing the space bar or "+" key. Masks are deactivated (untagged) in
the same way. Only the FIRST mask may be edited to be "*.*". If an
attempt is made to set any but the first mask on the list to "*.*", a
warning beep is sounded and the entry is not taken. A warning beep will
also sound and the entry will not be accepted if an attempt is made to
enter a mask that duplicates one on the list. It is possible to set all
6 masks so that none of them equal "*.*". Tagged masks are active as
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soon as the mask edit window is exited (use ESC) and remain active for
that window until changed. Masks may be set for either window and the
current mask settings will be saved to disk along with other ArcMaster
defaults. The global mask '*.*' can be forced in either window at any
time by pressing the "*" key.
For example, to view only those files with an extension of .ARC in the
right window, use the TAB key to make the right window active, press the
"/" or "\" key to bring up the command bar menu (or use Ctrl-M) and
select "Mask".
13 - SEARCHING FOR FILES
The "Find" selection activates the file search function. File
searches can only be initiated from the LEFT window and the Ctrl-S key
combination is an alternative to using the command bar menu. ArcMaster
has the capability to search one or all drives for a standard DOS file
or to search one or all drives for a file that is stored in an ARChive.
A window will appear that first prompts for the desired search mode--DOS
standard files or ARChived files. The next prompt is for the entry of
the target file name. DOS wild card characters may be included in this
entry. If it is desired to search ALL the drives currently in the drive
list, place a "*:" in front of the target file name. For example, if
the target file is QEDIT.EXE, enter the string "*:QEDIT.EXE". If it is
desired to search one specific drive, place the drive specifier (C, D,
E, etc.) and a colon (":") in front of the target file name. If just
the file name is entered, the drive that is active in the LEFT window
will be searched. When ArcMaster finds a normal DOS file, a beep will
sound. The name of the file, along with its date and size, are displayed
and the full path name of the directory where it was found will also be
displayed. The user has the option at this point of viewing the
directory containing the target file in the LEFT window. Otherwise, the
search will continue. If the user elects to view the target file, the
LEFT window will be refreshed with the files from the directory in which
the target file was found and the target file will be highlighted under
the cursor bar. The search for a file inside an ARChive is slightly
different. When the file is found, the ARChive directory listing window
will automatically appear and the cursor bar will be positioned over the
target file. At this point, the search may be continued by pressing the
F1 key or terminated by pressing the ESC key. If files are tagged,
ArcMaster will automatically activate the individual file extraction
sequence.
14 - SORTING FILES
Five different sorting criteria are supported by ArcMaster. These
are:
NAME - Sorted by the 8 character file name.
EXT - Sorted by the 3 character extension.
DATE - Sorted by date/time.
SIZE - Sorted by size.
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NESTED - Sorted by extension and by file name.
The order of the sort, ascending or descending, is determined by the
"Order" toggle. UP is ascending (lowest to highest) and DOWN is
descending (highest to lowest). The type of sort selected is applicable
to the window active when the Sort menu was activated, thus the two
windows may have different sort criteria. The appropriate window will
be refreshed according to the new sort when the main command bar window
is deactivated.
15 - ARCHIVING & UNARCHIVING
NOTE: If it is desired to abort an ARChive or UnARChive operation
after it has commenced, press the ESC key. If one of the archive system
programs (PKPAK, PKZIP, ARC, etc) is executing, pressing Ctrl-C will
abort that operation and pressing ESC will abort any further calls to
the applicable archive system program.
The main purpose of ArcMaster is to facilitate the manipulation of
compressed file libraries. Archiving (compressing) and unarchiving
(decompressing) are the two most important functions that archive
systems perform. Archiving files is as simple and straightforward task
when using ArcMaster. Remember that ALL archiving/unarchiving
operations are from LEFT to RIGHT. To add a file or group of files to
an archive, tag the desired files by placing the cursor bar over each
target file name and pressing the space bar or the plus key ( "+").
Files may be untagged by highlighting the file and pressing the space
bar or the minus key ("-"). After a group of files has been tagged, it
may be desirable to view the list of tagged files. Press Alt-T to see
only the tagged files and Alt-T again to return to the main file
display. Alt-T is a toggle which will switch from displaying all files
to just tagged files to all files. All batch operations are suspended
when viewing just tagged files. All files in an active directory may be
tagged automatically by pressing Ctrl-T and all tagged files may be
untagged by pressing Ctrl-U.
To archive the tagged files, either press F1 or activate the
command bar menu (using "/" or "\") and select "Archive". A window will
appear that prompts for the name (up to 8 characters) of the target
archive file. To reduce the number of keystrokes required for
compression operations, an archive name may be designated by pressing
the INS key with the cursor bar over a file with the desired name (the
file extension is of no consequence. If this action is performed, the
name of the designated file will be inserted into the archive name
entry/edit line. In a similar fashion, if no files are tagged,
ArcMaster will tag the file currently under the cursor bar and insert
that name into the archive name entry/edit line. If the entered archive
name exists in the RIGHT window directory, a warning message will appear
with the option to continue, abort, or re-enter the target file name.
It is important to note here that the entered file name will be given an
extension that is appropriate for the archive system designated by the
user, i.e., .ARC for ARC, BUERG, and PKPAK, .ZIP for PKZIP, and .PAK for
PAK.
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After the desired name is accepted, an archive option submenu will
appear. This menu will be specifically tailored for the default archive
system. Make a selection by moving the cursor bar to the desired item
or press the key corresponding to the highlighted letter on the menu.
ArcMaster will then pass control to the archive system along with the
list of tagged files for compression and addition to the library. It is
strongly recommended that each user read the documentation provided with
the selected archive system in order to fully understand the various
options provided. Each menu item is supplemented with a help line at
the top of the screen, but it is the user's responsibility to know and
understand the options available. The tagged files will be processed by
the archive system and the target archive file (.ARC, .PAK, or .ZIP)
will exist in the directory serviced by the RIGHT window.
Note that the archive option submenu for PKZIP supports the setting
of EA, EB, and EX compression ratio options as specified in the PKZIP
version 0.92 documentation. Selection of EA or EB will override the
setting for EX and vice versa since these options are mutually
exclusive. According to the PKZIP manual for version 0.92, the EX4
setting provides maximum compression for binary files (same as EB4) and
for ASCII files PKZIP will determine the best compression ratio to use
for maximum compression. The EX option will NOT work with PKZIP version
0.90 or earlier. ArcMaster is distributed with the EX option turned
off, and the EA and EB options set to 0 (not passed on the command
line).
Unarchiving proceeds in a similar manner. Target files for
decompressing must appear in the LEFT window file list. Archive files
may be tagged for batch submission to the archive system. When the
desired archive files are tagged, the unarchiving operation may be
initiated either by pressing F2 or via UnArchive on the command bar
menu. An options menu similar to that encountered when archiving files
will appear. Again, it is important that the user understand the
various options as well as the results of those options. Files
submitted to the archive system will be from the directory serviced by
the LEFT window and extracted files will be placed in the directory
served by the RIGHT window. The LEFT and RIGHT windows can be set to
serve the same directory.
Version 4.32 now supports the new archive system named LHARC from
the Japanese author Yosizaki. This system uses the file extension .LZH
and these files may be decompressed in the same manner as those of other
systems as long as LHARC.EXE is in the DOS PATH. LHARC creates very
efficient self-extracting (.COM or .EXE) files and ArcMaster supports
both the viewing and extraction of these files. Pressing F8 with the
cursor bar over a .COM or .EXE file that is a LHARC self-extractor will
show the directory listing of the contents. You may NOT, however, LIST
any of these files the way you are able to do with a .LZH file, nor can
you tag files for individual extractions. To cause self-extraction of
these files, tag the .COM/.EXE files that it is desired to extract,
press the F8 key, and ArcMaster will cause the files to self-extract to
the directory viewed by the RIGHT window. Self-extracting files
automatically prompt for user confirmation before overwriting existing
files.
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Files compressed with LHARC may readily be converted to extracting
.COM or .EXE files through the use of the F2 key. Simply tag the .LHZ
files to convert, press F2, and select either menu item "s" or menu item
"f". If you are using version 1.12 of LHARC the "f" item will force
LHARC to create and "extended" .EXE file. A LHARC "extended" .EXE file
is one that can be extracted safely without regard to RAM limitations.
The "s" option will allow LHARC to create either a .COM or an .EXE file.
Each tagged .LHZ file will then be converted to a .COM or .EXE file and
placed in the directory active in the RIGHT window. Note that LHARC
automatically selects the executable file format (COM or EXE) depending
upon the resultant file size.
NOTE: LHARC version 1.12 includes a provision for testing the
integrity of .LZH files and ArcMaster supports this in the LHARC
extraction submenu, but LHARC 1.0 does NOT support this
capability.
Individual files may be selected from an archived file listing and
submitted to the archive system for extraction. Place the cursor bar
over the name of the desired archive file (.ARC, .PAK, or .ZIP) and
press return. A large window will appear that contains a listing of the
file names that are comprise the archive file directory within the
selected archive. A cursor bar is operable that can be moved through
the listing to tag specific files for extraction. When all desired
files are tagged, pressing the ESC key will remove the directory listing
and bring up the UnArchive submenu. If LIST.COM is present on the
system, individual compressed files can be viewed from within the
directory listing by moving the cursor bar to the desired file and
pressing RETURN. Note that ArcMaster ignores the currently designated
archive system in this case. If all 5 systems are in place in a
directory identified by the DOS PATH string, it will be possible to
browse any compressed file via LIST.
16 - CONVERTING ARCHIVE SYSTEMS
ArcMaster provides automatic conversion of files compressed by one
system to compressed files of another system. The fundamental
structural difference between systems is the manner in which the archive
file compressed file headers are defined. ARC, ARCA, PAK, and PKPAK all
have the same file header record structure. ZIP employs a header
structure that is alien to the other systems. Also, files compressed by
ZIP cannot be decompressed by any other system, files compressed by PAK
cannot be decompressed by other systems, and ZIP cannot decompress files
of any other system. In order to convert files from one format to
another, it is necessary to have the two archive systems that work with
the files to be converted. For example, if it is desired to convert
.ARC files to .ZIP files then PKUNPAK will be required to decompress the
.ARC files and PKZIP will be required to recompress the files. If it is
desired to convert .ZIP files to .PAK files, then PKUNZIP and PAK are
required. Conversion of PAK to ZIP and ZIP to PAK requires PAK, PKZIP,
and PKUNZIP. Converting .ARC files to .LZH files requires PKUNPAK and
LHARC. Converting .ZIP files to .LZH files requires PKUNZIP and LHARC.
- 20 -
ArcMaster will convert files tagged in the LEFT window to
recompressed files of another system in the RIGHT window. Eight options
are available. The default option is selectable from a pop-up menu
which is called by pressing the F9 key. The available options are:
ARC to ZIP
PAK to ZIP
ZIP to ARC
ZIP to PAK
ARC to LZH
ZIP to LZH
LZH to ARC
LZH to ZIP
The current default is displayed on the last line of data below the
LEFT window.
To initiate the conversion process, first select the desire
conversion by pressing the F9 key and using the pop-up menu. Then tag
the desired files (making CERTAIN they are of compatible types) and
press the F10 key. Arcmaster will create a temporary directory that is
a subdirectory of the directory serviced by the LEFT window. That
subdirectory will be named $!$. If the directory active in the LEFT
window is named C:\ARCFILES then ArcMaster will create a directory named
C:ARCFILES\$!$. ArcMaster will then call the proper decompression
program to decompress the tagged files and store them in the temporary
subdirectory. When each tagged file has been decompressed, the proper
compression program will be called to compress the files and store them
in the directory active in the RIGHT window. The files are then deleted
from the temporary subdirectory and the process is repeated until all
the tagged files are converted. ArcMaster will then delete the
temporary subdirectory and return control to the user.
PKZIP system users should know that ArcMaster will pass the default
compression factor (1 to 4, or none if 0) for both types of files, ASCII
and binary when converting from .PAK or .ARC to .ZIP. The Archive
submenu for the PKZIP system contains two menu items for use in setting
the compression factor for each type of file. These are set to null
(for ASCII) and EB4 (for binary) as distributed. These settings provide
the maximum compression for version .90 of ZIP. Strangely enough, it
seems that ZIP will do tighter compression on ASCII files with no -EA
switch passed than with -EA4 specified. These values can be changed from
the submenu and will be saved along with other defaults to disk if the
user so elects. Both values are then passed to PKZIP during the
conversion process. It may be desired not to pass one or both of these
switches. In that case, select the appropriate "0" compression factor
item from the submenu and the associate command switch (EA or EB) will
not be passed to ZIP. Version 4.32 supports the new EAXN switch for
PKZIP.
SPECIAL NOTE: It is possible for the user to override the use of the
temporary directory "$!$" that ArcMaster creates and deletes during
conversion process. A temporary directory may be defined through the
use of the "Temporary Directory" selection on the Configuration Menu.
THIS IS NOT GENERALLY ADVISED! Any files present in a user defined
temporary directory will be added to the first converted file and then
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WILL BE DELETED! This feature is included for experienced users who
desire to utilize a RAM disk for maximum speed during conversion. DO NOT
USE THIS FEATURE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!! Also, do not
confuse this temporary directory with the definition of temporary
drives/directories that may be cited in the documentation for various
archive systems.
17 - SPECIAL ARCHIVE OPERATIONS
ArcMaster provides a number of interesting special features to
facilitate the manipulation of archive files. One of these permits the
user to date/time stamp each selected archive file with the date and
time of NEWEST compressed file residing within that archive. This is
accomplished by tagging the archive files in the LEFT window and then
pressing Ctrl-D.
An extremely useful feature is the ability to identify regular DOS
files from the directory active in the LEFT window that exist in a
specified archive file in the RIGHT window and that are NEWER in
time/date. This is accomplished by going to the RIGHT window, placing
the cursor bar over the desired archive file, and pressing Ctrl-A.
ArcMaster will open the archive file and check each file listed therein
with the files residing in the LEFT directory window. If any of the LEFT
directory window files are found to be later in date/time than a file of
the same name in the archive file, that file will be marked. If one or
more files in the LEFT directory window meet the date/time criteria, a
short beep is heard. Upon completion of the date/time check, ArcMaster
will automatically switch back to the LEFT window with the cursor bar
highlighting the first file found during the check. All files found are
automatically tagged and ready for processing. The next natural step is
to update the archive file in the RIGHT window with the newer files
identified in the LEFT window. Pressing F1 or selecting "Archive" from
the command bar menu will bring up the prompt for the archive file name
with the designated file name inserted. If RETURN is pressed to accept
the archive name, the archive submenu associated with the archive system
in use appears. The next logical step would be to select the update or
freshen function from that menu. This feature makes updating archive
files fast and easy.
To avoid typing the name of the target archive file when adding to,
freshening, or updating, use the "hot arc" feature. A "hot arc" file in
the RIGHT window may be designated by going to the RIGHT window, placing
the cursor bar over the desired .ARC, .ZIP, or .PAK file and pressing
the INS key. The name of the highlighted archive file will be used as
the target for all future LEFT to RIGHT archiving operations and the
step of typing in the archive file name will be omitted.
This feature has been added at the request from the Sysop of a
major (700M+ files) BBS (Russ Hardenburg). One or more files may be
tagged in the LEFT window and then added to ALL archive files of the
same type as the active system in the RIGHT window. For example, if the
active archive system is PKZIP and three .ZIP files exist in the RIGHT
window, pressing Ctrl-F1 will cause all the files tagged in the left
window to be added to EACH of the three ZIP files in the RIGHT window.
- 22 -
The "update" command switch is used for PAK, ARC, PKPAK, and ZIP so that
if the file doesn't exist in the archive, it will be added to it and if
it does exist, it will only be replaced if the source file is newer.
ArcMaster also provides the capability to process a group of tagged
files in a single archive mode. In this mode, each individual tagged
file is compressed as an individual archive file that takes the name of
the original file. For example, if active archive system is PKZIP and
the following three files were tagged, they would all become .ZIP files
in the destination (RIGHT) directory:
SOMEDATA.BIN (would become SOMEDATA.ZIP)
LETTER.TXT (would become LETTER.ZIP)
MYPROG.EXE (would become MYPROG.ZIP)
The single archive mode is activated by tagging a group of files and
pressing Alt-S.
Another handy feature is the ability to delete unwanted files from
the directory active in the LEFT window. To do this it is only
necessary to tag the desired files or highlight the desired single file
and press the DEL key. A window will appear that displays the number of
files tagged and a prompt to insure that deletion of the tagged files is
actually desired. An affirmative response to this prompt will result in
deletion of all tagged files. When deletion is complete, ArcMaster will
display the number of files tagged and the number of files deleted.
These numbers will differ if any of the tagged files could not be
deleted, the case if they are marked hidden, system, or read-only.
Directories may be added or deleted to the drive served by either
window. After pressing F5 to display a list of directories on the
current drive, press the INS key to create a new directory. A window
will appear that permits the entry of the name of the new directory. If
the entered name is rejected by DOS as being invalid, an error message
will appear and an opportunity given to either abort or re-enter the
directory name. Directories created this way are automatically added to
the ArcMaster directory log file, AM40DIR.CAT. Similarly, empty
directories may be deleted by placing the cursor over the directory name
and pressing the DEL key. If the directory contains files, DOS will
reject the request to remove it, a beep will sound, and ArcMaster will
display the files currently residing in that directory. This is
appropriate since it is likely that the user might wish to delete the
files and re-attempt to remove the directory.
In addition to the ability to call LIST.COM to browse a DOS file or
a file within a directory, ArcMaster supports passing a highlighted file
name to a user-specified editor. Pressing Ctrl-E will call the editor
designated by the user in the Configuration menu and pass the name of
the highlighted file as a parameter. Pressing RETURN will call LIST with
the highlighted file name.
PKWare provides a special utility file named PKZIPFIX.EXE that can
be used to repair damaged or corrupted .ZIP files. This utility can be
called directly from ArcMaster by positioning the cursor bar over the
.ZIP file to be operated on and pressing Ctrl-Z. PKZIPFIX.EXE must
reside in a directory that is identified in the DOS PATH string.
- 23 -
18 - SPECIAL FILE OPERATIONS
Arcmaster 4.32 now provides the capability to copy, move, and rename
files. Copying and moving operations may be performed singly or on
tagged files in a batch mode. Renaming files is performed on a file-
by-file basis. To copy a group of files, either highlight the
individual file or tag the files to be copied in the LEFT window and
press Alt-C (or F11). The designated file(s) will be copied from the
directory viewed in the LEFT window to the directory viewed in the RIGHT
window. Progress of the copying process is presented in the form of a
pop-up window that shows the name of each file as it is copied.
Overwrite confirmation is available through a toggle that can be set in
the Options sub-menu. If the Overwrite toggle is set to ON (the
supplied default), each time a file is about to be copied into a
directory where that file already exists, ArcMaster will prompt for
permission to overwrite the existing file. If the toggle is set to OFF,
no confirmation is requested and the copying will proceed as if the file
were not there. To move files from the directory viewed by the LEFT
window to the directory viewed in the RIGHT window, highlight or tag the
desired file(s) and press Alt-M (F12). Moving files is accomplished in
the same manner as in the copying operation. If the move is to be
accomplished across drives, i.e., the current drive for the RIGHT window
differs from the current drive for the LEFT window, ArcMaster will first
copy the tagged file and then delete it from the LEFT window, thus
effecting a move. The overwrite confirmation toggle is also in effect
during file moves. Renaming files is accomplished by the pressing the F6
key with the cursor bar highlighting the file to be renamed. A window
will pop up in which the new file name is entered. If the rename is
successful, the window disappears and the new file name appears under
the cursor bar. If the rename operation is disallowed by DOS (perhaps a
file of that name already exists in the same directory), a short beep
will ensue and the file will not be renamed.
19 - TROUBLE SHOOTING
In the event that problems are encountered during the use of
ArcMaster, it would be appreciated if the user would take the time to
check the items mentioned in this paragraph prior to calling for
support. The most common problem that will be encountered is the
failure to place the archive (and LIST) executable files in a directory
that is identified in the PATH command. The current DOS PATH string may
be examined by entering the DOS command PATH or SET. Another common
problem will undoubtedly be in neglecting to configure ArcMaster for the
archive system in use. If ArcMaster is set for PKZIP (the distribution
default) and the user attempts to operate the program in the absence of
PKZIP.EXE and PKUNZIP.EXE in the DOS PATH, failure will result. It
should be noted that although any type of archive file directory may be
viewed in either the LEFT or RIGHT window, tagging is only allowed in
the LEFT window and the archive system present must match the ArcMaster
configuration setting in order to extract or browse (LIST) files inside
an archive. It is especially important to insure that the necessary
archive system files are present and in the DOS PATH for the conversion
functions to operate properly.
- 24 -
Another source of problems could be the failure to properly
configure the archive system(s) being used. Be sure to read the
documentation that accompanies each system that is being used and ensure
that the programs are configured properly.
It is not possible to produce a non-trivial computer program that is
completely fault-free and ArcMaster is no exception. There are
undoubtedly bugs lurking that I and my beta testers failed to identify
and correct. One of the great strengths of the Shareware concept is the
interaction available between the program author and the users. I
welcome contact with users and I try very hard to be responsive to bug
reports and constructive criticism. Much of the design of this version
is directly attributable to the input I have received from ArcMaster
users. If a design flaw or bug is detected, please contact me and I'll
fix it. I can't solve the problems that I don't know about.
20 - CREDITS
New-Ware would like to acknowledge the important efforts of Tom
Kellen (Atlanta, GA) and Sallie Austin (Rockford, IL) for their
outstanding support during the development and testing of ArcMaster. It
is also important to acknowledge the outstanding compiler and pascal
library technology from Borland International and TurboPower Software,
respectively. Credit is also due to System Enhancement Associates,
PKWare, Vernon Buerg, NoGate Consulting, and H. Yoshizaki for their
splendid efforts in developing fast and efficient archive programs.
Users of these programs are strongly urged support the authors through
registration where appropriate. Last, but never least, dealing with the
large and complex source files from which this program is compiled would
be frustratingly difficult without the use of Sammy Mitchel's (SemWare)
outstanding text editor, QEDIT.
Copyright 1989, all rights reserved.
April 1989
San Diego, California
- 25 -
- 26 -
Index
.ARC 5 Ctrl-E 13, 23
4DOS 13 Ctrl-END 11
.LZH 5, 19 Ctrl-F1 22
.PAK 5 Ctrl-H 12
.ZIP 5 Ctrl-HOME 11
Ctrl-M 16
A Ctrl-R 11
active directory 11 Ctrl-S 17
active window 10 Ctrl-T 10, 18
Alt-C 24 Ctrl-U 10, 18
Alt-F9 12 Ctrl-Z 23
Alt-M 24 cursor bar 10
Alt-R 3
Alt-S 23 D
Alt-T 18 date/time stamp 14
AM43.EXE 8 DEL key 23
AM43.OVR 8 delete 23
AM40DIR.CAT 11 destination directory 8
Archive 14 directory catalog 11
ARCHIVE FILE CONVERSION 20 DOS PATH 7
archive file directory 20 DOS wild card 17
archive option submenu 19 drive change 11
archive systems 5 drive list 15
ARCHIVING & UNARCHIVING 18 DUAL DIRECTORY DISPLAY 9
ASP 1
ASP Ombudsman 1 E
Auto unarchive 15 EA and EB options 19
EMS 13
B ESC key 20
BACKSPACE 12 EX option 19
Beeps/Bells 15 eXec file name 13
Borland 6 EXECUTING ARCMASTER 8
expanded memory 8
C
CGA 14 F
color 7 F1 14, 17, 18, 22
COMMAND BAR MENU 12 F2 14, 19
Compuserve 2 F3 11
CONFIGURATION MENU 12 F5 11, 23
configuration submenu 12 F6 10
Confirm copy overwrite 15 F8 19
convert 6 F11 24
copy 24 F12 24
CREDITS 25 F10 key 21
Ctrl-A 22 F1 key 11
Ctrl-C 18 F2 key 20
Ctrl-D 15, 22 F4 key 11
- 27 -
F5 key 11 plus key 10, 18
F6 key 24 PROLOG 1
F7 key 10
F8 key 19 Q
F9 key 21 QEDIT 13
FILE MASKS 16
R
G RAM 7
GENERAL & TECHNICAL register 2
INFORMATION 5 REGISTRATION 2
GENERAL DESCRIPTION 6 registration window 3
Genie 2 rename 24
rename AM43.EXE 13
H reset to latest 14
Haruyasu Yoshizaki 5
hidden files 14 S
Home/End 9 Sallie Austin 25
hot arc 22 Sammy Mitchel 25
Save To Disk 14
I Save to Disk 16
INS key 13, 18, 22, 23 search all drives 15
SEARCHING FOR FILES 17
K Self-extracting 10
Keep File Tags 15 SET 8
Shareware 1
L Shareware Products BBS 3
LHARC 5, 10, 19 SHELL TO DOS 16
LIST 7 single archive mode 23
LIST.COM 7, 13 slash keys 12
SORTING FILES 17
M source directory 8
Microsoft 8 space bar 10, 18
minus key 18 SPECIAL FILE OPERATIONS 24
monitor 7 SPECIAL OPERATIONS 22
monochrome 7 SUMMIT 2
mouse 11 System Memory 16
move 24 Systems Enhancement
Associates 5
N
New-Ware 3 T
NoGate Consulting 5 tag 10
temporary directory 21
O temporary subdirectory 5
OPTIONS SUBMENU 14 text editor 13
overlay 8 time/date stamp 14
Overwrite confirmation 24 Tom Kellen 25
TROUBLE SHOOTING 24
P Turbo Pascal 6
password 15 TurboPower 6
PATH 8 type of sort 18
pathnames 13
pause 15 U
PgDn/PgUp 9 UnArchive 14
PKWare 5 UnArchive submenu 20
PKZIPFIX.EXE 23 untag 10
- 28 -
V VERSION HISTORY 3
Vernon Buerg 5
- 29 -
Contents
1 - PROLOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 - REGISTRATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3 - VERSION HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4 - GENERAL & TECHNICAL INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . 5
5 - PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . 6
6 - EXECUTING ARCMASTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7 - DUAL DIRECTORY DISPLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
8 - MAIN COMMAND BAR MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
9 - CONFIGURATION SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
10 - OPTIONS SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
11 - SHELL TO DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
12 - CHANGING FILE MASKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
13 - SEARCHING FOR FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
14 - SORTING FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
15 - ARCHIVING & UNARCHIVING . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
16 - CONVERTING ARCHIVE SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
17 - SPECIAL ARCHIVE OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
18 - SPECIAL FILE OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
19 - TROUBLE SHOOTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
20 - CREDITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Index 27
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