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CHANGES.TXT
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1997-08-08
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*******************************
* *
* History of Changes *
* *
* CMFiler -- Version 6.06 *
* *
*******************************
The following features have been added or improved since Version 5.32, in
reverse chronological order:
----- 6.06 -----
[Special thanks to Jan Hajek of Eindhoven, The Netherlands in this
version for his exhaustive and relentless assistance in identifying
improvements and several pesky bugs. Most of this version comes from his
creative mind.]
1. Made the file viewer accessible from the edit-Notes routine, using
the keystroke Alt-V (for view file). This is handy for checking the
contents of a file while attaching a note, without leaving the notes
editor.
2. In the editor module, improved the error messaging for illegal block
operations, and added better notifications at the completion of Ctrl-G
and Alt-F/Alt-X string searches.
3. Included a Windows installation program (SETUP.EXE).
4. Added a search string passing feature from the Tree module to the
Editor. In Tree mode, when finding text with the Shift-F command, if one
arrows across to the file list and then views a file by hitting Enter,
the "find" string is passed to the Editor module so that the command Alt-
X (find neXt appearance) locates the string in the file.
5. Fixed a bug that caused crashes in view-Notes mode when comparing
files with the Ctrl-R compaRe facility.
6. Corrected miscellaneous typos and errors in the documentation files.
7. Rewrote the file sorting routines in the main and tree modules to
improve speed, and add the option in the Ctrl-O Order menu to have the
directories listed either alphabetically or by date/time of creation,
with newest first. New insertion sort, combined with a presort routine
furnished by Jan Hajek, is 20-30 times faster than previous versions.
8. In the main module, added a count of subdirectories in the current
directory, on the file information line, replacing the "kilobytes tagged"
entry when no files are tagged.
9. Fixed a bug that could cause lockup if DESCRIPT.ION file corrupted.
10. Changed mouse action in the editor/viewer. Mouse can be positioned
anywhere on working area of screen. Left Button affixes the cursor to
the nearest permissible position in the text field (inside line
delimiters). Shift-Left Button pages down one page, Ctrl-Shift Left
Button pages down 10 pages. Alt-Left Button pages up one page, Ctrl-Alt-
Left Button pages up 10 pages. Hold down Right Button and move mouse
vertically to scroll up or down at three speeds. Both buttons together
(or center button on three-button mouse) is Esc.
11. The pop-up ASCII table in the editor/viewer (Ctrl-A) has been made
smarter. The initial highlighted member of the table is the same as the
character at the cursor when Ctrl-A was pressed. Also, the binary value
of the ASCII character is now shown in the box to the right, as well as
the decimal and hexadecimal.
12. Added an alternative to Alt-G for GotoDirectory in the main and tree
modules, specifically G followed by \.
13. In tree module, added a directory count in the information area at
the bottom of the tree display. Also, when going to file or directory
with G or Alt-G, the number of hits is displayed after each keystroke.
Also, at the completion of a text search with Shift-F, the number of hits
is displayed.
14. In tree module, added data integrity checks for tree structure and
file data files. Also corrected several bugs in tree module that could
cause faulty loading of tree image from file.
15. Replaced BIOS "beep" with less intrusive, shorter two-tone chirp.
16. Added word wrapping to editor/viewer, and smarter display
positioning in Goto-word and Find searches.
17. Changed all default values in confirmatory messages after Delete
commands from Y to N, to prevent inadvertent loss of files by
unintentional striking of the Enter key.
18. In editor/viewer, relocated the Edit Mode/Type Mode indicator from
the upper right of the screen, where it blocked some text, to the lower
left.
19. In Freshen, when no files are tagged, added a confirmation before
tagging and freshening all files.
----- 6.05 -----
1. Fixed a bug in the tree module that caused a navigation problem in
the left-hand panel on systems without mouse.
2. Revised all the documentation files to reflect NoVaSoft's decision
not to renew membership in the Association of Shareware Professionals.
----- 6.04 -----
1. Made the file viewer more seamless when viewing files which are too
long to fit into the available conventional memory. When searching for a
string, viewer will load and search the next and each subsequent section
of the file until the string is found. The file beginning/file end
commands (Alt-B/Alt-E) reload the first section, or sequentially load and
index each section to the end, instead of only moving to the beginning or
CMFiler -- Changes 1-2
end of the currently loaded section.
2. The file viewer can now be used to split a file into up to 20
smaller files, at dividers inserted by the user. Alt-I inserts a divider
at the location of the cursor, and Alt-S splits the file at the dividers.
The beginning and end of the file have pre-placed, implicit dividers.
In order to make the command Alt-S available for "Split files", the
command for switching from view to edit mode has been changed to Alt-D
(for eDit mode).
3. Added a file import facility to the editor. The command Alt-T (for
imporT) allows user to specify a file to import into the file being
edited, just before the line the cursor is on.
4. Added a file compare facility to the main file services module, like
the old DOS program COMP.EXE. Put the cursor on one file and press Ctrl-
R (for compaRe). Then navigate to the second file, and press Ctrl-R
again. The message at the bottom of the screen gives the results of the
comparison.
5. Added the file MANUAL.HTM, an HTML hypertext user's manual which can
be read with any Web browser.
6. Added a feature for computers operating under Windows 95, to "Quick-
start" any data file for which an association exists with an application.
For example, Win95 associates the file extension .WAV with its audio wave
file player. To start the wave player and play the file TADA.WAV, just
locate the .WAV file you want to play in a CMFiler directory list, put
the cursor on it and press Q.
7. Corrected bugs in the copy-with-rename function for Win95 long
filenames, and changed the DESCRIPT.ION file updating algorithms so that,
if two notes are duplicated in a DESCRIPT.ION list, the one which is a
W95 LFN is not selected (i.e., the one which was deliberately entered by
the Ctrl-N edit notes facility will prevail) whenever the DESCRIPT.ION
file is updated following a copy.
8. Improved the "backup file" feature to retain Windows 95 long
filenames, and to preserve previous backups of the same file by
substituting the letter Z for the ~ character in the backup form of the
extension, and then stepping down through the alphabet until a filename
is found that doesn't already exist.
----- 6.03 -----
1. Brought MANUAL.TXT up-to-date.
2. Added a switch (Ctrl-M) in the editor in view mode to allow masking
non-ASCII characters. This helps in viewing word processing files, such
as WordPerfect files, which have non-ASCII characters distributed
throughout.
3. Added the capability to specify a volume label to be applied to
floppies during a formatting session.
4. Improved the error handling routines to specifically detect write
CMFiler -- Changes 1-3
protect errors during file copy operations, and provide a retry option
after removing the write protection on the floppy diskette.
5. Added a printer line-feed command, Ctrl-i. This issues a line-
feed carriage return to LPT1 only.
----- 6.02 -----
1. Fixed logic shortcomings in notes services that caused problems in
dealing with DESCRIPT.ION files with records delimited by other than
carriage return-line feed combinations (e.g., line feeds only). Also
added routine to mask out the extended control string additions that
certain programs add to DESCRIPT.ION records. In the notes editor, these
are retained in a buffer before the note is edited, and then added back
in after the note has been edited, so that they are not lost.
2. Added long filename support to the Alt-R "copy file with Rename"
function.
3. Corrected a minor bug that caused the first line of a text file not
to be printed properly by the print-fiLe routine if the user specified a
printed filename header.
4. Recoded oversized routine in main module so that floppy fill
function could be restored in shareware version.
5. Completely reworked Help screens to provide search on first letter
of a keyword.
----- 6.01 -----
This version was a beta test for 6.02.
----- 6.00 -----
1. Added comprehensive support of Windows 95 long filenames.
2. Retired the NARATIVE.CF notes file format, and consolidated all
notes in DESCRIPT.ION file format. Notes facilities (Shift-N view notes
and Ctrl-N edit notes) import long filenames from Win95 into DESCRIPT.ION
file for that directory.
3. Increased length limit on CMFiler notes to 255 bytes, consistent
with Win95 long filenames.
4. Revised display in main module to show file sizes to nearest
kilobyte, rather than in units of the disk allocation size.
5. Revised Shift-O user Options menu to include option to turn off
DESCRIPT.ION file updating during file copying/moving/deleting/renaming.
6. In main module, added Backspace as a recognized keystroke in the G
and Alt-G "Goto..." commands. If you are typing a file name and you mis-
type a letter, just backspace to recover the Goto string.
7. In the tree module, changed the logic for locating the ~TREES~
directory. The first choice for creating a ~TREES~ directory will be in
CMFiler -- Changes 1-4
the path specified by the environment parameter CF-CFG, if one has been
specified. If CF-CFG has not been specified, then CMFiler will create
~TREES~ in the root of C.
----- 5.54 -----
1. Revised the file display ordering options (Ctrl-O) menu to eliminate
option 0 (zero) added in ver 5.37d, which would order the executable
(.COM, .EXE, .BAT, .BTM) files at the top of the alphabetical directory
list. Instead, the user is now allowed to specify a set of four
"preferred" file extensions by pressing E. The user may set a switch
that causes these preferred files to be listed ahead of all other files,
regardless of the ordering option in force, 1 through 9. This switch is
toggled with the letter P.
2. Corrected logic faults in file splitting routine, and improved error
handling. Also added option to have files split at nearest end-of-line,
which is handy for splitting large text files.
3. Corrected logic fault which was causing incorrect assignment of file
attributes during copy in main module.
4. Improved the handling of errors during file deletions in main and
tree modules.
5. Revised ZIP/UNZIP and file splitting (Alt-S) to allow the use of a
single open panel as well as two panels.
6. Revised file copy and move to allow service from single open panel.
User specifies target path, which then opens in right panel before copy
or move is accomplished.
7. Added Jump command, which allows jumping to any path in either
panel.
8. Revised the file and tree deletion confirmation options to include
the keypress S, as well as Y and N. S switches the deletion type from
hard to soft or from soft to hard before performing the deletion.
9. Revised the boot sector written onto floppy diskettes during
formatting, to redirect the boot process to the C drive, if available.
If you attempt a system bootup with a NoVaSoft-formatted floppy in the A
drive, and the BIOS boot preference is A, the boot sector program from
the diskette first checks the absolute integrity of the diskette boot
sector, before booting through to C.
If the boot sector is corrupted, as it will be if the diskette has been
infected with a non-stealth boot sector virus like Michaelangelo, the
NoVaSoft boot code will pause the boot process and issue you a warning to
check your system for a boot sector virus. You may ignore this warning
if you wish.
If the diskette boot sector is intact, or if you choose to ignore the
corruption warning, the NoVaSoft boot code attempts to load and transfer
control to the boot sector code from the C drive hard disk. In most
cases, this avoids the annoying "non-system diskette" message issued by
MS-DOS-formatted diskettes.
CMFiler -- Changes 1-5
10. Cleaned up the logic in the error handling for diskette formatting
and copying, to better alert the user to the presence of write
protection, and to the attempted use of the incorrect media density 3.5"
diskette.
11. Changed method of assigning version numbers. Version numbers will
now consist of the digits X.YZ, where X is the major revision number
(currently 5), Y is the last digit of the year, and Z is the quarter (1-
4) in which the version was released. This version is being released in
the 4th quarter of 1995, hence it is 5.54.
----- 5.37d -----
1. Added to the file display ordering options (Ctrl-O menu) the choice
"0", which orders the executable files first, in the order .COM, .EXE,
.BAT and .BAT, followed by all other files in strict alphabetical order.
2. Added to the color palette selection menu (Ctrl-P) the option to set
a flag on files with today's date stamp, and custom colorized the
extension field of executable files. When you leave the palette menu
with the Enter key, you will be asked if you want to flag today's files
and executables. If you answer Yes, you will be given an opportunity to
edit the color scheme for the executable files. The "today" flag is a
small square pip just in front of the extension field.
3. Added to the palette edit routines (Ctrl-P, E) the options to toggle
the high-intensity bit selectively for each color field. The command "T"
in the color menu toggles between high- and normal-intensity foreground
color attribute.
4. Revised the display routines to show the time in 12-hour format,
with the letter "p" for post-meridian times. (Absence of a "p" implies
ante-meridian, including the hours from 12 midnight to 1 AM.)
5. When you select a disk containing deleted files in a ~TRASH~
directory the first time each new day, CMFiler asks if you want to leave
it alone, purge (hard-delete) its files, or view it. Heretofore, if you
specified viewing ~TRASH~, you would be returned to the root directory
when you were finished, even if some other directory had been specified,
for example as an initial path parameter in the command line. Now
CMFiler remembers the specified path, and returns to it after you leave
~TRASH~ with the \ (Root) or P (Parent) command.
6. Added to the editor/viewer a pop-up ASCII table, called with the
command Ctrl-A. Navigate through the table with the Arrow keys or mouse
to highlight a specific character, then type that character with Enter or
mouse left button.
7. Corrected a bug in the navigation routines in the tree module that
occasionally caused confusion when navigating using the Shift-Up/Down
arrows in a directory level in which one or more directories had been
deleted since the last tree refreshing operation.
8. Added to the main module a file splitter, called by Alt-S. With the
target panel set up as the destination path for the split files, position
the cursor on a file in the source panel and press Alt-S. CMFiler first
asks for confirmation that you desire to split the file into smaller
CMFiler -- Changes 1-6
files, with extensions .A00, .A01, ..., .A99, .B00, etc. The it asks for
the file size for the split files, in Kb. Split files are created in the
target path, and the original file is left untouched in the source.
----- 5.37c -----
1. Added to the tree module a feature that captures to the C drive
(C:\~TREES~) an image file of the tree for each drive C or greater when
it is first accessed. This image is then available for use as a quick
alternative to rereading the whole drive the next time the tree module is
entered and that drive is selected. The image file loads the tree
structure in a fraction of the time it takes to read the whole drive and
construct the directory and file list.
The first time this version is run in tree mode, CMFiler explains three
basic setup options to help the user use this new feature in the best
way. In one option, you can tell CMFiler to ask permission to reread the
drive and refresh the tree image on file after copying a structure into
the drive tree. It is often convenient, if you have several structures
to copy, to wait until the last before rereading the drive and refreshing
the tree image.
The tree image can also be manually updated using Shift-R (Refresh tree).
The Tree image option menu can be brought up with Ctrl-O.
2. Added to the shareware edition a choice of registration forms -- one
form for direct orders to NoVaSoft, one form for credit card orders to
Public (software) Library.
3. Added full color selection capability. Press Ctrl-P as previously
to select from four palettes. However, each palette can be edited by
pressing E within the palette facility. Each of five colors in the file
list display can be selected by arrowing around an 8x8 color array, and
pressing the spacebar when the desired color is reached. The affect of
each selection is shown as the arrow is moved around the array, so no
guesswork is required. This new facility is best used with both panels
open, and some files tagged in one of the panels, since the file tagging
color and both the source and target path line colors are independently
variable. When finished editing one palette, hit Enter to return to the
original level of the palette facility, and either Enter to set that
palette as the default choice, or another key to rotate to the next
palette. The editor and tree displays are not independently adjustable,
but take their colors from the current palette.
4. Added a path alias facility to the main module. This allows
assigning the commands Alt-1 through Alt-9 to your nine most frequently
used directories, for instant navigation from any other drive and path.
To assign a path to the alias list, first go to the subdirectory you want
to add, then press Alt-A (for Alias). The Alias menu shows a list
numbered 1 through 9, each with a user-definable title and path. Pick a
free number, press it and type in the title you want as your key for the
path. Hitting Enter saves the alias.
To navigate to that aliased path instantly, either press Alt- and the
number you assigned (if you remember), or press Alt-A, look over the
list, and while still holding down the Alt-key press the number.
CMFiler -- Changes 1-7
5. The keys Del and Insert now have functions in the main and tree
modules. Del is the same as D (Delete file(s) or directory). Insert is
the same as M (Mkdir) if the cursor is on a directory, or F (make new
File) if the cursor is on a file).
6. Added Ctrl-W sWap panel command to tree module.
7. Adjusted all disk space calculations to accommodate multi-gigabyte
devices.
8. In the editor, enabled the option to use the keypad for numerical
input if NUM LOCK is on.
9. Optimized the disk access sequences in the file copying routines in
the main and tree modules to reduce to a minimum the number of separate
accesses for each file. This reduces the time for floppy-to-floppy file
copying through the same diskette controller.
----- 5.37b -----
1. In editor, cleaned up the Home and End key logic, and spruced up the
left-right positioning logic for the cursor while moving up and down a
file. Corrected other minor bugs.
2. Revised CMFiler's treatment of file attributes to set the DOS
Archive bit after editing, copying or appending files, in the same way as
COMMAND.COM does.
3. Rewrote documentation on "registration" to strengthen the idea that
the expected (and the legally required) action by users if they wish to
continue using the shareware edition of CMFiler past the evaluation
period is to "purchase" it -- i.e., to remit money.
----- 5.37a -----
1. Changed the routine that checks for valid drives in the system to
make it non-intrusive (it no longer has to access each drive), and to do
the check whenever the user requests a change of drives instead of just
during program initialization, in order to detect any dynamic changes in
system logical drive configuration during a session.
2. Added .BTM as an alternative batch file name for 4DOS users.
----- 5.37 -----
In shareware edition, disabled the opening registration reminder screen
for the first 50 uses. Between 51 and 100 uses, user is asked to press
the letter C to continue. Beyond 100 uses, a key press from A to Z
(selected at random) is required to continue past the opening screen.
This measure is added to increase the evaluator's difficulty to
automatically bypass the opening reminder that shareware is a
distribution method based on trust and good faith, but that use beyond
the evaluation period invokes a registration obligation.
Added a feature in the Rename routine in the main file services module to
permit swapping two file names. If exactly two files are tagged when the
key R is struck, CMFiler asks if the user wants to swap their names. If
CMFiler -- Changes 1-8
the answer is no, CMFiler goes to the normal rename facility.
Added a user-optional routine to the notes facility to "synchronize"
DESCRIPT.ION and NARATIVE.CF notes files if necessary each time the notes
facility is called to update the NARATIVE.CF file. All existing entries
in either file are preserved. This routine only adds unique entries from
either to the other. Routine must be activated by resetting a switch on
the Shift-O user Options menu.
In the DESC_NAR companion utility, added an option to import notes from
DIRN-???.DAT files created by the PC Magazine utility DIRNOTES into
CMFiler's NARATIVE.CF notes files.
In editor, modified the Alt-F Find-string command to seed the search
string with the text word at the cursor. Previous find string can be
reinstated with the Up Arrow key. Also added a command, Ctrl-G (Goto
next same word), that repositions cursor to next appearance of the word
the cursor was on. Ctrl-G recycles to the beginning of the file if
necessary.
Added command Ctrl-W (for sWap), to swap panels in main module.
Corrected a bug in the Shift-X and Shift-Fn commands inadvertently
introduced in version 5.36s.
----- 5.36s -----
Added color to the editor, in the same scheme as selected for the
main file services module. Also added option for colored border
on VGA monitors when screen background is other than black.
Added feature to diskette copier to make it easier to use previously
stored diskette images from the hard disk. Select the directory
with the diskette image you want to use, and put the cursor on the
name of the image file before pressing Shift-K for disKopy. Answer
the first question Yes, and the file name will be given as the default
in the data entry window. Press enter to accept it, and continue with
the session.
Increased from 9 to 35 the number of duplicate filenames that can be
soft-deleted and still accepted in the ~TRASH~ directory before
"saturation". As multiple files of the same name are renamed for storage
in ~TRASH~ during soft-delete, variations of the filename are attempted
in which the last character of the renamed file is first 1 through 9, and
then A through Z. If all variations fail, the soft-delete reverts to
hard-delete for that file.
Revised the support for PKZIP to allow ZIPping a long list of tagged
files. The algorithm previously limited the number of files which could
be ZIPped to the number that would fit on the command line. Algorithm
expanded to take advantage of PKZIP's @filelist feature for ZIPping large
numbers of tagged files. CMFiler creates a temporary filelist, passes it
to PKZIP, and then erases it after the ZIP is complete. unlimited
----- 5.36r -----
In diskette copying routine (disKopy), added option to save diskette
CMFiler -- Changes 1-9
image as a file on the hard disk after reading master diskette, and to
use a previously saved image as the master for making new diskettes.
To assist blind people using Gateway Braille displays, the character * is
printed in the column to the left of the filename to denote a normal-
tagged file (the character 1-9 or a-z was already printed to denote an
alt-tagged file), and the character denoting a directory is changed from
the graphics character ASCII 249 (a small dot in the center of the
character array) to a colon.
----- 5.36q -----
Optimized file copying routines to save time, overwrite old file as a
data security measure. Added mouse help info to Help screens.
Revised editor exit routine to be clearer, to permit editing the save
file name, and to facility saves during a session.
Added protection in file copying, deleting and editing routines for
"system" files equivalent to "read-only".
----- 5.36p -----
Added feature to allow quick-executing .COM or .EXE files using Enter key
as well as Q. Double press of Enter or double click of mouse left button
while arrow symbol is highlighted in mouse bar executes file.
----- 5.36n -----
Corrected longstanding bug that generate "access denied" errors when
attempting to copy certain files on network drives.
----- 5.36m -----
Added quick printout of registration form in shareware edition (Ctrl-R).
Added mouse speed adjustment to mouse menu in main module, corrected
minor bugs, and relabelled 5.36m (for "mouse").
Disabled old file wiping prior to file copying and moving when wipe-file
option is set, based on a problem reported on one network. File wiping
is still active during file deletion when wipe-file option is set.
----- 5.36e (Beta test version) -----
Added mouse support for navigation and some commands. The mouse features
stay dormant until the mouse is moved. In the main module, the tree
display and the file list display in the tree module, a five-character
mini-mouse menu appears on the same line as the cursor and highlight,
showing five operations that can be clicked with the left button:
o The left-arrow character (ASCII 27) acts like the Enter key, for
directory navigation and file viewing.
o The three-line character (ASCII 240) pops a menu into the active
window.
o The up, down and left or right triangles act like PgUp, PgDn and Left
or Right Arrow for navigation.
CMFiler -- Changes 1-10
In the cases of file lists, the right button toggles the state of the
tag. Several files can be tagged by holding down the right button and
dragging the mouse up or down the file list.
The left button may in most cases be used to accept the default offering
in yes/no choices, same as the Enter key.
In the editor/viewer, the left button has the same effect as the Enter
key. Mouse movement navigates on the page like the arrow keys. Holding
the right button down and moving the mouse up or down activates a
variable-speed scroll feature.
The escape options in the editor have been revised to reduce the number
of keystrokes required to exit using the standard defaults (i.e., save
edit, do not reuse original date/time, do not save original as *.BKP, and
do not return to editor). The keystroke X or Enter after Escape exits
the editor with the standard options. To save the edited file but use
one of the non-standard exit options, press Y after Escape, and then pick
the options desired.
----- 5.36d -----
Added * and ? wild cards to G and Alt-G "go to" functions in main module,
and ? wild card to "find text" functions in editor and tree.
Made filename display and Goto algorithm the same (name - extension) in
all sort modes.
Soft-delete no longer changes file date/time stamp when moving files to
~TRASH~ directory. ~TRASH~ purge now cleans out all files, not just
those from yesterday and before. D command is now taken to be hard-
delete for RAMDrives <10M, as for floppies.
When expanded file size display is invoked by +, file size in bytes now
uses attribute field for the extra space needed, instead of time field.
When exit with Esc, restores all drives to the paths that were current on
entry. When exit with Alt-Q, leaves all drives set to current paths.
The \ and keypad Enter keys on British keyboards now respond as
documented.
"New drive" prompt now shows list of all valid drives.
Added option in Shift-O menu to display file dates using the European
convention (dd-mm-yy).
Ctrl-K adjusts cursor size, decrementally on each keystroke. This is a
savable configuration parameter.
----- 5.36c -----
Added diskette copier (Shift-K for disKopy), which copies a master disk
from a floppy drive and makes as many exact images to formatted or
unformated blank diskettes as desired.
CMFiler -- Changes 1-11
Added floppy disk formatter (Shift-M for forMat), and expanded the
capability of the floppy fill function (shift-i) to accept unformatted
disks, including the first disk in the sequence. Target panel need not
be selected to the drive filling to. Floppy filler asks explicitly which
drive to fill to, and then sets up the target panel to that drive for
you, after formatting the first floppy (if needed).
Corrected logic error and expanded capacity for notes from 600 to 1200
per directory, memory permitting.
----- 5.36b -----
Options added to print fiLe facility: Issue form feed at end; print
filename/date/time header on first page; provide left margin of 0, 5 or
10 spaces; route to printer 1 or 2 (LPT1 or LPT2). Settings can be saved
to the .CFG configuration file to become the default offering for next
printout.
----- 5.36a -----
New operators Ctrl-U/L/I added to editor. Ctrl-U forces alphabetic
character at cursor to upper case, Ctrl-L forces to lower case, Ctrl-I
inverts.
Limit removed on number of filenames displayed in viewing contents of
compressed files. Display screen size increased, PageUp/Down added.
File mask now blinks whenever it is other than *.*, as a visual cue that
what you see is not necessarily all that is there.
Expanded file move command (Shift-C) to better accomodate cross-drive
file moves (reduced number of keystrokes).
Added date/time stamp to directories in display, and corrected minor
anomalies.
----- 5.36 -----
Corrected miscellaneous minor anomalies, and repackaged for major
release.
----- 5.35k -----
Corrected miscellaneous minor bugs and anomolies.
----- 5.35j -----
The permissible tree size was again increased, to 1700 directories, and a
minor bug in the routine that reverses the function of the high-intensity
bit was fixed.
The default name assumed for Integrity Master's integrity data files, for
the purpose of protecting them against inadvertent overwriting, was
changed to ZZ##.IM, reflecting the default name assigned by Integrity
Master in version 1.24a and later. This name can be changed using the
command Alt-I (for IDname, where "ID" stands for integrity data).
CMFiler -- Changes 1-12
----- 5.35i -----
The facility to view the file list within a compressed file has been
expanded and improved to now include .EXE files (on the assumption that
they are self-extracting files), and to find files in mixtures of
compression types packed together.
An option has been added to the Shift-O user Options screen to allow the
action of the color attribute high-intensity bit to be inverted. Some
LCD color monitors take the purpose of the high-intensity bit to be just
opposite the normal sense, ie, high intensity enable when bit is zero
instead of one.
The permissible tree has been increased to 1000 directories from 505, to
accomodate large network directories.
----- 5.35g -----
The command line color mode "V" (for VGA) is now recognized, in the form
of the argument @V, similar to the previous @C, @M, etc.
Support for VGA 43/50-line display has been added, and may be invoked in
one of two ways:
o On the fly. The Shift-O user Options screen has a new line to set 25,
43 or 50-line display, on the screen below the monitor line. This line
can only be accessed if CMFiler senses a VGA card installed. The choices
are 2,4 or 5. Switch is stored immediately in the .CFG file for the next
execution of CMFiler.
o Through the command line. Simply add 25, 43 or 50 to the argument @V
(or @C or @M). This will override the previously recorded mode in the
.CFG file.
----- 5.35f -----
Further testing of CF's two sorting algorithms (the original bubblesort
and the more recently used quicksort) for speed in sorting large
directories reveals that neither one is superior under all conditions.
Therefore, the user has been given the option (letter A in Ctrl-O
Ordering menu) to select whichever one works best in the environment of
that user's file structure. Much depends on the "natural" DOS order --
the order in which the directory was constructed, and in which DOS reads
the directory table.
Quicksort works best for directories that already have a high degree of
natural order, or a high degree of disorder, and does poorly compared to
bubblesort in "lumpy" directories, which have clumps of ordered files
randomly arranged. If you use principally one ordering scheme and both
algorithms are making you wait each time you read a large directory,
there is a way to cause DOS to reorder the directory table so that
quicksort in particular will do much better:
- Make a new directory on the same path in the same level as the
directory to be reordered, and select it in one panel.
CMFiler -- Changes 1-13
- Put the directory to be reordered in the other, and with the desired
ordering option selected, tag all the files and move them to the new
directory. They will be moved in the order listed, and thus the
directory table being created will have a "natural" DOS order the same as
the one you most use. ("Moving" is nothing more than renaming, so no
data reading/writing is involved, only directory table-making.)
- Delete the old directory, and rename the new one like the old.
To be sure, disorder will creep back in, and this procedure may need to
be repeated. However, the occasional time investment will be worth it
for the aggravation it will save waiting for sorts.
A "floppy fill" function has been added to the main module, called by
"Shift-I", which fills floppy diskettes in the drive selected in the
target panel with the tagged files from the directory in the source
panel. Diskettes must be preformatted, but need not be empty. User may
specify a margin in kb to reserve on each floppy.
To use the floppy filling function:
1. Put the first diskette to be filled in drive A or B, and select that
drive in one panel.
2. Select the other panel to the directory containing the source files
to be copied. Tag all the files to be copied (press A to tag them all),
and press Shift-I. Specify number of kilobytes to hold in reserve on
each floppy. (CF adds 2 just to be safe.) Filling starts.
3. When each diskette is full, the files that were successfully copied
are untagged in the source panel, and, if there are still files to copy,
CF gives the choice of Escaping from the operation, or putting in a new
disk and pressing any other key to resume. You may suspend the filling
with Esc, and then resume with Shift-I without loss of continuity as long
as you leave the tags in the source panel alone.
This function is "semi-smart". It first looks to see if any existing
files on the target floppy are the same as files tagged in the source,
and updates them as appropriate, untagging the corresponding source files
that matched. Then it looks at the source for tagged files that will fit
in the remaining space on the floppy, and adds them until the floppy is
full. Thus the floppy-fill can be used for updating a set of backups
previously created with the floppy-fill function.
As a further safeguard against loss of data during file copying, if you
leave "soft" delete enabled, in addition to files that you "soft" delete
going to the ~TRASH~ trashcan directory, newer files that you overcopy
with older files also go to ~TRASH~, even after you confirm the action.
The method of ensuring against inadvertent carryover of unseen sensitive
or classified data during file copying through the slack space of the DOS
input/output buffers has been completely revised. This protection is now
provided automatically all the time, cannot be switched off, and is
operating system-inndependent. In fact, the method now used enhances the
CMFiler -- Changes 1-14
speed of file copying by up to 10-20%.
Consequently, the option "Clear I/O buffers if located?" in the Shift-O
screen is no longer needed, and has been replaced with the following:
"Wipe old files during HARD Delete, Copy and Move?" When this is set to
Y, old files will be completely obliterated by overwriting all their data
with the continuous sequence "cfcfcf..." before deleting them using the
DOS file delete service.
(As a point of information, the DOS "delete" service in fact only changes
the first character of the file name in the directory table, and the
cluster pointers in the file allocation table (FAT), and does NOT change
or erase any of the data clusters themselves. Until they are overwritten
by some other file, in whatever order DOS chooses to reuse the freed-up
clusters, they are available for reading by any disk-scanning program
that looks at the disk with absolute sector reads, ignoring what the
directory table SAYS is on the disk. Much of the Irangate evidence was
retrieved this way by investigators. This new feature in CF guarantees
the obliteration of "deleted" data by overwriting all data in the file,
from beginning to end, with "cfcfcf..." before using the DOS delete
service.)
All runtime questions requiring a (y/n) respond from the user now also
offer a defauly, shown in capital letter at the cursor and chosen to
reflect the more likely response under the circumstances, or the more
conservative response from the standpoint of protecting files from
inadvertent deletion.
For example, when deleting files(s) with D or Ctrl-D, the default
offering is Y in the confirmatory request, since it is more likely that
deletion is what you intended, and you did not hit the D or Ctrl-D key by
mistake. On the other hand, N is the default offering if a Read-only
file is encountered during the delete operation, since assigning this
attribute is a normal way of providing extraordinary protection of
individual files, and if you are using the Read-only attribute correctly,
you should typically NOT want to delete the file.
----- 5.35e -----
In the editor, a significant bug was corrected that resulted in loss of
part of the file if the user returned to the editor after saving the
file.
In the tree module, a logic fault that was blocking the Esc bailout
during file text searches.
In the main module, minor logic errors were corrected in the command line
support for masks.
----- 5.35c -----
In the main module, the file date/time change service has been expanded
to permit mass date/time setting by tagging a collection of files, and
pressing Alt-F as before. If files are tagged, the user must then
CMFiler -- Changes 1-15
confirm the desire to have all tagged files set to the same date/time
stamp. The default values in the data entry windows are taken from the
topmost tagged file in the listing.
The logic which retains knowledge of the current cursor position in the
target directory during directory-altering operations, such as file
copying, has been refined to remove some anomalies.
----- 5.35b -----
In the editor, to support easier updating of the on-disk file copy during
long editing sessions, a fourth option has been added to the Escape
sequence -- "Return to editor? (y/n)", with the default set to N, since
in most cases the user wants to leave the editor. So to update the on-
disk copy of the file being edited, the following keystrokes might be
used in the middle of the editing session: Esc-Enter-Enter-Enter-Y.
In the main services file module, pressing Enter to view a .ZIP, .LZH,
.ARJ or .ARC file displays a listing of the names of all the files
compressed in that archive file (maximum of 60 file names).
In the main file services module, user now has the option to continue
copying or moving tagged files after a disk file creation/write/read
error, rather than having the operation automatically cancelled. Also,
the error trapping routines were updated and one anomaly corrected.
----- 5.35a -----
Different users on a network may now specify their own configuration
through the environment, by setting the environment parameter CF-CFG
before running the network copy of CMFiler. For example, User 1 is
assigned logical drive U in the network, and User 2 drive V. CF.COM and
CF.OVY are on drive C. User 1 could execute CMFiler with a batch file
that reads:
SET CF-CFG=U:\SETTINGS\CF.CFG
C:\PROGS\CF
and User 2, using the same copy of CF.COM and .OVY, could execute:
SET CF-CFG=V:\CONFIGS\CMFILER.CFG
C:\PROGS\CF
In these two cases, of course, U:\SETTINGS and V:\CONFIGS must be valid,
existing paths. The files CF.CFG and CMFILER.CFG need not already exist.
If it does not find the file in the path, CMFiler will create the file
the first time configuration data is saved.
Because of the incompatibility of the I/O buffer clearing feature with DR
DOS, a safeguard was added that detects DR DOS, and blocks the buffer
clearing option even if invoked by the user.
CMFiler -- Changes 1-16
The "trash can" directory for "soft-deleted" files has been renamed from
"CF_TRASH.CAN" to "~TRASH~" for two reasons: in at least one case, a
user's configuration included a TSR that caused system hangups in the
presence of directories with an extension in their name (even though this
is a perfectly legal DOS naming convention); and several users asked for
a new trash can name that would appear as the last directory of their
listing, rather than in the middle of the listing.
***NOTE***: This will be a nuisance to previous users the first time
running Version 5.35a or later, but will be worth it in the long run for
the neater directory list it will bring.
The upper limit of directory size was increased to 2400 in the main file
services module, and the sorting algorithm changed from a bubblesort to a
quicksort for improved speed.
In the editor, the action of the Home and End keys has been expanded as
follows: the first press of Home/End goes to beginning/end of line, if
not already there; the second press goes to top/bottom of page; the
third press goes to beginning/end of file.
A function "Refresh panel from disk" (Shift-R) was added to the main file
services module, used when you change disks in a drive as a one-keystroke
alternative to N and the drive letter. The similar function which
already existed in the tree module was remapped from Alt-R to Shift-R for
consistency.
----- 5.34d -----
A new user option has been added to the Shift-O option facility to allow
turning off the automatic screen saver.
Two new ordering options have been added to the Ctrl-O ordering facility,
to permit ordering by file size, either smaller first or larger first.
The file mask (Ctrl M) in the main service module now only applies to the
panel the cursor was in when the mask was specified. This is so that you
can apply different masks to the two panels.
----- 5.34c -----
The NARATIVE.CF files, containing the file and directory notes, are well
protected from inadvertent overwriting or destruction within the CMFiler
environment. However, there is no provision for their protection from
inadvertent erasure or overwriting in other environments, such as from
the DOS command processor. To afford some level of protection, a switch
has been added to the user option (Shift-O) screen to let you set the
Read-Only attribute of the NARATIVE.CF files, in addition to the Hide
attribute. Most command processors will prohibit deletion or writing to
Read-Only files.
----- 5.34b -----
CMFiler -- Changes 1-17
In trying other archive utilities in response to recent requests from
users, I have discovered that CMFiler has always (accidently) supported
LHA and ARJ, and perhaps others in addition to the PKWare utilities,
simply because they all use the same syntax in the command line, namely:
archiver options archivefile file1[,file2,[...]]
To clarify that other archivers may be supported by the Zip and Unzip
commands in the main module, I have revised the help screen and the F10
user-definition screen. CMFiler still defaults to PKZIP and PKUNZIP
unless otherwise specified. However, if you want to use ARJ or LHA
instead, press Shift-F10 from the main screen, and change both the fields
"Compress = " and " Extract = " to read "ARJ.EXE" or "LHA.EXE". Add the
path to these file specs if ARJ/LHA is not on a path in the DOS path
environment. Also make the "Compress Options = " line read "a" (this is
both ARJ's and LHA's way of knowing you want to add or create a .ARJ or
.LZH archive file), and the " Extract Options = " line read "x" (for
extract). (Command line option parameters are necessary with ARJ and LHA
because, unlike the PKWare utilities which have separate compression and
extraction programs, the same program does both functions.)
Use of LHA or ARJ by this facility is the same as use of the PKWare
utilities. To compress, put the directory where you want the archive
file to be created or added to in one panel and tag the archive file to
be added to (if it exists); set up the other panel with the directory of
the files to be archived, and optionally tag them (if none are tagged,
the command line parameter defaults to *.*); press Z, check and edit the
command line paramters if desired, and press Enter.
Extraction is easier. Set up the target panel in the directory you want
the extracted files to go, put the cursor on the archive file, press U,
check the command line parameters, and press Enter.
----- 5.34a -----
The naming convention for backup files, created with the command B in the
main module, has been changed so that the backup file will appear closer
alphabetically to the original file. If the original file has a three
character extension, the third character will be replaced with a tilde
(~; ASCII 126). If the extension has less than three characters, it
will be padded with one or two exclamation points (!; ASCII 33, 1 larger
than blank), so that the third character can be a tilde.
When creating appended files (ie, Alt-tagging several files followed by
the command C to copy to the target, or B to copy to the source), a
default appended file name will be generated (name of the first file in
the append list plus extension APF). The user may edit this name before
the file is created.
----- 5.34 -----
In the tree module, while the cursor is in the file list during a Show
files or Goto file command, several commands are available for disk
cleanup that mimic commands in the main module. Files may optionally be
tagged with T or Spacebar, and then deleted individually (if no tags are
set) or as a group with the D (soft) or Ctrl-D (hard) delete command.
CMFiler -- Changes 1-18
The command A (tagAll) clears any tags set, or sets all tags, as in the
main module.
In the editor, the keypad map to the cursor movement functions is now
independent of Num Lock. Shift-Up/Down Arrow moves to top/bottom of
current video page. Gray+/Gray- function the same as Alt-Plus/Alt-Minus,
toggling the delimiter and bottom displays.
----- 5.33b -----
Navigation and file-finding in the tree module was revised to follow the
"G" and "Alt-G" conventions of the main module:
- G ("Goto file") has replaced "F" as the file-finder command.
Pressing "G" commences a filename search, and as each letter in the
filename search string is typed, the tree and file list dynamically
adjust to highlight the matches and position the cursor to the directory
with the first match. Mode is toggled off with G, Alt-G or Esc.
- Alt-G ("Goto directory") commences a directory name search in the
same fashion. As each letter of the search string is typed, the matches
are highlighted dynamically and the display is adjusted so that the
topmost match is shown. Mode sets for both panels, and stays until G,
Alt-G or Esc is pressed.
An anomaly was fixed to let the directory be re-read in its "natural" DOS
order after switching to Order mode 7.
An anomaly was fixed which prevented CF from checking the CF_TRASH.CAN
directory on execution.
A workaround was devised for an anomaly in the directory structure of
some netware, that prevented CF from navigating back through the parent
directory in the main module.
----- 5.33 -----
The ZIP feature was revised to permit the use of either normal or Alt-
tags to denote which files to decompress.
The following improvements were made to the editor:
- The notation of typeover/insert mode and wrap/no wrap mode has been
shortened and moved to the upper right corner of the screen. It stays on
the screen when the lower information area is blanked.
- On color monitors, the lower five lines of text (which become the top
five lines on PgDn) are in red vice white, to distinguish this area from
the "active" video page (the top 20 lines), and to help the eye find its
place in the text during scrolling.
- The exit defaults after editing have been adjusted so that most users
CMFiler -- Changes 1-19
will be able to answer the three questions with three strokes of the
Enter key most of the time. (Yes, save this edit; No, don't reuse the
date/time stamp from the original file; No, don't save the original file
as *.BKP).
- You may switch from View mode to Edit mode within the editor, with the
combination Alt-S(witch mode).
In the tree module, on the Show files screen, Enter views the file (same
convention as main module), and Shift-Enter returns to the main module
with the cursor on that file name.
----- 5.32b -----
The I/O buffer clearing feature was extended to support MS-DOS Ver 4 and
5.
The file 4DOS2CF.COM was added to the CMFiler collection, with its
companion documentation 4DOS2CF.DOC. 4DOS2CF does a directory-by-
directory search and coverts any 4DOS/NDOS notes (in files called
DESCRIPT.ION) into CMFiler format, and appends them to existing (or
creates new) NARATIVE.CF files. This way, 4DOS/NDOS users don't have to
reenter all their notes to take full advantage immediately of CMFiler's
notes facility.
----- 5.32a -----
Memory allocation logic error in the tree module was fixed. This error
resulted in fragmented memory for applications run from CMFiler after a
call to the tree module.
In the editor, a logic error was corrected which prevented use of the
block move and copy operations when the screen lower information area was
turned off.
In the editor, the Home and End keys were redefined to move the cursor to
the beginning or end of the line (same as Shift-Left and Right Arrow),
rather than to the top or bottom of the current screen page, in keeping
with the rest of the world.
CMFiler -- Changes 1-20
