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Text File | 1995-11-23 | 22.5 KB | 439 lines

WinAlter The Easy Windows File Modifier Alter the Date, Time, and File Attributes of files without leaving Windows! Copyright ⌐ 1995 James Bair, All rights reserved The WinAlter program consists of four files: WINALTER.EXE, WINALTER.TXT, WAMANUAL.TXT and WINALTER.INI. This file which you are reading is WAMANUAL.TXT. This text file includes modification and operating instructions. The WINALTER.TXT file contains enough information to get most Windows users started. The Windows Help file in the program contains the other information you may need. However, this "Manual" file has been included for any who want a printed or text-based complete instruction file. The INSTALL program copies WINALTER.EXE to the WINALTER directory and copies WINALTER.INI to the \WINDOWS directory. You will find most of your *.INI initialization files in this directory. Make sure that the file VBRUN300.DLL is in your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. Chances are, if you have many Windows programs, you probably have this file already. If not, it is available for free from most bulletin boards, online services, and software and shareware dealers. INSTALL will not work without it. To place WinAlter in a different Window, first click once on the program group which you want the WinAlter icon to appear in. This highlights the name of the program group. Then click on the "File" menu choice from the main Program Manager window. Then click on "New." Make sure the "Program Item" button is chosen, the click on "OK." The box which now appears will have four boxes to fill in. Enter the correct information in the dialogue boxes given. Example: Description: WinAlter Command Line: C:\UTIL\WINALTER.EXE Working Directory: C:\UTIL Fill in the commands with the appropriate directory. You may also use the "Browse" button to enter the command line name. This should be all that is needed. If the program icon is the empty window rather than the WinAlter folder icon, you may need to redo this step and click on the "Change Icon" button. The icon file is also WINALTER.EXE. Please note that WinAlter works on Windows 3.0 and higher. The Windows 3.0+ version supports all files that will work on that operating system. This means that file names cannot exceed eight characters before the dot and three characters after the dot in the file name. It works in Windows 95 but does not currently read the Long File names. Longer names will be shortened temporarily by the program. WinAlter is meant to be a single .EXE file (plus the WINALTER.INI and VBRUN300.DLL files) when running in Windows 3.1. When running in other Windows environments such as Windows 3.0, Windows NT, and Windows 95, it will still work, but the WINALTER.EXE file will extract itself into component parts, including a Help File and a file called ALTER.EXE. The program will still work as long as all the component parts are kept in the same directory. The file ALTER.EXE becomes the command file, and you may delete WINALTER.EXE. 2 How To Use WinAlter The opening screen of WinAlter has five command buttons and two boxes for entering dates and times. First, you must click on the "Get File" button to get the file or files that you want to alter. This presents you with a list of files to choose from. You may change the disk and directory by clicking on the "OK" button or double clicking on the disk and directory. You may drag the mouse or use the shift plus arrow keys to choose more than one file at a time. Pressing the Ctl Key and clicking selects and unselects any file without unselecting any others. Then change the Date and Time of the file or files shown by first clicking on the boxes with the Date and Time. Then type in the time and date you want. The boxes initially show the date and time of the first file listed in the "Filename" box if there are more than one file. Be sure to enter the same format as shown to insure proper recording. Last of all, click on the "Alter D & T" button and the file or files will now have the new date and time. If you want more files to have the date and time you have already chosen, click on the "Alter to Same" button. This will give you a list similar to the "Get File" list. Choose the files you want, click on the "OK" button, and those files will not only be entered into the "File Name" box, but they will be changed to the date and time already recorded in the Date and Time boxes. This can make your work that much faster when you are either taking files one at a time or altering the dates and times of many files. This also works if you enter the new Date and Time before getting the files you want to alter. Click on the "Exit" button to exit WinAlter. Click on the "Alter Type" button to bring up the window for altering the archive attribute of the highlighted file. WinAlter only alters attributes of one file at a time (though it can be done very quickly) to avoid major errors which can occur if many files were to be altered to the wrong type. The one exception is that the Reset to Normal Menu Command alters any number of selected files to the Normal attribute. An Example Showing WinAlter at Work You have been working on a number of related files. For a uniform look in your finished work, you want all the files to have the same date and time. You start WinAlter and click on "Get File". You click on the arrow by the "Filename" box to double check the names of the files you loaded. You drag your mouse over the files you want to alter and then click "OK". You then click on the "Date" box, type over the old date with the new date you want. You do the same with the "Time" box. With the new date and time entered you simply click the "Alter D & T" button ("D & T" stands for "Date and Time"). The files you chose now have a new date and time. WinAlter, Copyright ⌐ 1995, James Bair, All rights reserved 3 Using the WinAlter Menu The WinAlter menu line at the top of the program follows the standard Windows format. File. Click on "File" and you get four options, including "Clear Entries" and "Exit." "Clear Entries" just clears the program to its original state. It may make the face of the program look a little neater. It also is helpful to clear the file listings if you are using the "drag and drop" method of loading files to WinAlter. Click on "Get File" to do the same as clicking on the "Get File" button. Click on "New File to Same Date and Time" to do the same as clicking on the "Alter to Same" button when you have more files you want at the same date and time. Click on "Exit" to exit the program. Alter. Click on "Alter" and you get three options. Click on "Alter Date and Time" to do the same thing as clicking on the "Alter D & T" button. Click on "Reset to Normal" and all files loaded in the File Name box will be set to a normal file attribute (NO Archive, Hidden, Read Only, or System attribute). This is useful for resetting diskettes. You will get a warning message if the files to reset include a System file. Answer "Yes" and the file will be changed, "No" and the file will not be changed but any others will, and "Cancel" stops the operation at the point in which the System file was read. See below on how to bypass this warning if you do a lot of work manipulating system files. Click on "Alter File Attributes" to get the button to bring up the screen for altering the archive attribute of the highlighted file. Please note that if you remove the "Archive" attribute (or "Return to Normal") and THEN change the date or time, the file will once again be an "Archived" file because it was changed. If you want to make a file a "Normal" file, you must do this step last. Options. Click on "Options" and you get two options. Click on "Set Initial Directory" and a pop-up box asks you to enter the directory you want the "Get File" command to show. This is helpful when you know you will be working with files mostly in one directory. You can also click the "Help Bar On" and "Help Bar Off" choices to turn the help information at the bottom of the WinAlter screen. You can only click on the choice that will change the bar. Insert/Overwrite. This menu toggles between "Insert" and "Overwrite" for entering the date and time information in the "Date" and "Time" boxes. The menu line shows the current mode. If you are in "Insert" and want to change to "Overwrite," simply click on "Insert" or press the Alt key plus the "I" key. The menu line will display "Overwrite." Now you will write over instead of adding to characters when you update the Date and Time boxes. Click on "Overwrite" (or press Alt + I) to change back to "Insert" mode. You can also accomplish this same task by pressing the "Insert" key. Doing this will toggle back and forth between "Insert" and "Overwrite" modes. WinAlter, Copyright ⌐ 1995, James Bair, All rights reserved 4 Help. Click on "Help" and you get five options. Click on "HelpCommands" and get the WinAlter help file. That is a standard Windows Help File with the instructions on running WinAlter. You can also get the help file (open to the specific commands you need) by pressing the "F1" key. Click on "Search for" to look for a specific topic in this help file. Click on "Help on Help" for some information on how to read the help file. Click on "About" to get certain specific information about this program. Click on "Other Information" to find out about other programs available from the author. Changing File Attributes When you enter the file name into the WinAlter program, the "File Type" box shows what kind of attributes, if any, the top file has. There are five file types just as in the Windows File Manager. A normal file has no sign by it, "a" stands for archived file, "r" stands for read only file, "h" stands for hidden file, and "s" stands for system file. WinAlter can alter the file attribute of any DOS file. First choose the file you want to alter by highlighting it in the "Filename" box. Click on the "Alter Type" button or Alter File Attribute menu choice to get the "Alter File Attributes" screen. The "Alter File Attributes" screen gives you four buttons, one for each file attribute. Simply click on the button to change the attribute you want to change. These are so-called "toggle buttons." Each click on a button changes the attribute from "Yes" to "No" or vice-versa. For example, if the "Archive" attribute is "Yes" (in other words, it is an archived file), clicking on the "Alter Archive" button will change it to "No" (it is no longer recorded as an archived file). There is no "Normal" button--this is when the other four attributes are all "No."See the "Reset to Normal" Menu Command to change the attribute to a file or group of files to "Normal." Please note that if you remove the "Archive" attribute (or "Return to Normal") and THEN change the date or time, the file will once again be an "Archived" file because it was changed. If you want to make a file a "Normal" file, you must do this step last. Be sure to read the Warning about File Attributes. WinAlter, Copyright ⌐ 1995, James Bair, All rights reserved 5 The Alter Attributes Menu Line The "Alter Attributes" window has three choices in its menu. Menu. Click on the "File" menu choice and you have two choices. Click on "Return to Main Screen" and you will return to the main WinAlter screen with the Date and Time listings. Click on "Exit Program" and you will exit the program after responding to a message asking you if you want to exit. Alter Attributes. Click on the "Alter Attributes" choice and you will be given four choices. Each of the choices correspond to the four file attribute buttons: " Alter Archive Attribute," "Alter Read Only Attribute," "Alter Hidden Attribute," and "Alter System Attribute." Click on any choice to alter the attribute. Each click changes the attribute from "Yes" to "No" or vice-versa. Help. Click on the "Help" choice and you will be given two choices. Clicking on the "Help Altering Attributes" choice will give you the page from the Help File on altering file attributes. Clicking on "Help Commands" gives you the first page of the Help File. Warning about File Attributes #1 When you make a file a Hidden or System file, it may no longer appear in your file lists. The Windows File Manager and the WinAlter "Get File" command do NOT normally display Hidden or System files. If you want to alter their attributes, you must type their names in the box for the file name after pressing "Get File." You can view the file name of Hidden or System Files in WinAlter by clicking on the "Show Hidden Files" or "Show System Files" box when the "Get File" or "Alter to Same" file listings appear. Similarly, if you change a file to Hidden or System, remember the file name so you can type it if necessary because you will not be able to read the name in most programs. People usually make hidden files precisely so others will be less likely to find them. Reading the Names of Hidden and System Files You may read the names of Hidden and System files using the Windows File Manager. From the File Manager, click on the "View" menu choice. From the "View" menu, click on "By File Type." This will give you a box with a number of choices. Click on the "Show Hidden and System Files" choice and you will be able read the System and hidden File names from the File Manager. You will still have to type in the names of such files in most other programs. To see Hidden or System file names in WinAlter, you may check the "Show Hidden Files" or "Show System Files" check boxes in the "Get File" or "Alter to Same" dialog boxes. WinAlter, Copyright ⌐ 1995, James Bair, All rights reserved 6 In Windows 3.0 the procedure is the same except that instead of "By File Type," the menu choice reads "View Include." In Windows 95, choose the "Options" menu from the "View" menu of either the "My Computer" or "Windows Explorer," and then select "Show All File Types" option on the "View Properties" page. Warning about File Attributes #2 Altering a System File could make it impossible to run your computer! System files are read when you boot your computer and when you do other important functions with your computer. Altering the system file attribute could affect your computer's ability to run properly. When you click on the "Alter System" button or "Alter System Attribute" menu choice, you will be asked if you are sure you want to make the alteration. This is to avoid any serious problems. Bypassing the "Are You Sure?" Prompt for Altering System Files If you work with system files frequently and the prompting about the system files is an annoyance to you, enter the letter "s" after the command line. WinAlter will no longer ask you about it. You get the command line when you highlight the program icon and click on the "File" Menu choice followed by "Properties." A Window appears which includes a box for the "Command Line." Simply add a space and the letter "s" after the command that is already in the Command Line box. Error Messages Most error messages in WinAlter are self-explanatory, or else are based on Windows or DOS error messages. Check your Windows or DOS manual for further action on those. If you do get the error message "Type Mismatch" when you first load WinAlter or when you try one of the file-handling or Window setup functions (Get File, Change Initial Directory, Insert/Overwrite, Get System/Hidden Files, Help Bar On/Off), this normally means that the WINALTER.INI is not present, not in the right directory, or has been corrupted. Make sure WINALTER.INI is in your \WINDOWS directory. It may also be that the WINALTER.INI file contains a directory (folder) name which is not on your computer. To check this, use the Notepad program to open WINALTER.INI. One line says "InitDir=." If the line after the equal sign is blank, or if it contains a drive or directory which is not on your system, type in a drive name and, if you wish, a directory name or names which WinAlter can work in. If you are using a version of Windows other than 3.1 or 3.11, WinAlter probably separated into smaller component parts when you first ran it. It should work fine, but you may get an error message when you try to use the menu or drag-and-drop feature. Check to see if a version of MSGHOOK.VBX is in your WINDOWS directory (folder). If it has a different date and/or WinAlter, Copyright ⌐ 1995, James Bair, All rights reserved 7 file size, this may be why you are getting an error message. Simply replace that older file with the MSGHOOK.VBX file that was produced by WinAlter. If you get an "Invalid Property Value" message when you try to use the Get File button or file menu, this means that your Initial Directory is not set to a valid setting. Restart WinAlter and choose the "Options|Set Initial Directory" menu option. When you do this, you will probably see that the "current directory" line is either blank or lists a directory or drive not on your PC. Simply choose a drive or directory and you will be able to "Get File" properly. WinAlter Key Commands If you have no mouse available, run WinAlter according to standard Windows procedures. Clicking the "Tab" key will highlight each of the buttons displayed as well as the Date, Time, and File Name boxes. Press the Tab key until the item you want is highlighted. When the "File Name" box is highlighted, you can press the up or down Arrow Keys to highlight a different file. Pressing Alt plus the Down Arrow Key will drop open the box so you can see all the files listed. When one of the Command Buttons is highlighted, press the "Enter" Key to execute the command. The Command Buttons; the "Date," "Time," and "File Name"boxes; and the Menu Commands can accessed by pressing the "Alt" Key plus the underlined letter on the Button or Menu Command you want. The Menu line can also be accessed by pressing the "F10" Key; you may then use the tab or arrow keys to highlight other menu commands. Pressing the "Insert" key alternates between the "Overwrite" and "Insert" modes for entering numbers in the Date and Time boxes. When a menu command is accessed and the drop-down menu lists are revealed, you may choose one of those commands by pressing the underlined letter. You may also use Arrow Keys to highlight any menu command and the Enter Key to enter any highlighted menu choice. Using Mouse to Drag and Drop Files from File Manager or Explorer Windows users with a mouse can use the "drag and drop" method of loading files to be altered by WinAlter. With WinAlter running, open the File Manager or, in Windows 95, the Windows Explorer. Simply press the left mouse button down on the file name that you want to alter. Keeping the mouse button pressed down, "drag" the cursor to any part of the WinAlter window. Release the mouse button when the cursor icon is over any part of the WinAlter window. This loads ( or "drops") the file into WinAlter for altering. You may load as many files as you like in this manner. If you have altered files and want to drag and drop additonal files, but WinAlter, Copyright ⌐ 1995, James Bair, All rights reserved 8 you are changing those to a different date or time, be sure to clear the boxes first using the "File|Clear entries" menu option. Otherwise, the files you already have altered may still be loaded, and you may alter them again. If you have the Alter File Attributes window open, you may drop one file at a time onto that window to load a file whose attributes you want to change. This window does not handle multiple files. UnInstalling WinAlter If for any reason you need to remove WinAlter from your disk drive, you will need to delete certain files: WINALTER.EXE and WINALTER.INI, plus any text files that may still be on your system such as WINALTER.TXT, WAMANUAL.TXT, and perhaps the FILE_ID.DIZ file. We do not recommend removing the VBRUN300.DLL file unless you are absolutely certain that no other program is using it. The WINALTER.GRP file may have been created, though it may be in a different directory. If WinAlter is on a system with Windows 3.0, Windows NT, or Windows 95, you may have to remove several small component files as well: ALTER.EXE, DFINFO.VBX, INICON2.VBX, MSGHOOK.VBX, and WINALTER.HLP. We do not recommend removing MSGHOOK.VBX and VBRUN300.DLL if they are in the WINDOWS or WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory (folder) as they are commonly used by other programs. Miscellaneous Information on WinAlter WinAlter is copyright ⌐1995 by James Bair, P.O. Box 203, Shelton CT 06484 USA, All rights reserved. It is not Public Domain. It is Shareware. That means that people may use this program to see if they like it. If, after a period of use, they continue to use it, they must register the program with the author. WinAlter may be distributed freely as shareware without charge as long as all files are kept together and are unaltered. That includes the WINALTER.EXE file, this WAMANUAL.TXT file, the WINALTER.INI file, and the WINALTER.TXT file. Bona fide shareware dealers may charge a nominal fee for the copying of files. Any commercial distribution without permission of the author is prohibited. That includes any retail sale of shareware or public domain software except where the shareware concept is clearly understood. To register, send $10.00 USA funds only to James Bair, PO Box 203, Shelton, CT, 06484, USA. Mexico and Canada add $2.00. Other nations add $3.00. Master Card and Visa Accepted. CompuServe ID 70730,3001. Internet 70730.3001@compuserve.com. You may click on the "Order" button on the closing screen and then print out the order form that appears on screen. Windows is a registered trademark« of the Microsoft Corporation. Thanks to David Baldwin for the RTFGEN Help Authoring program.