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1994-08-08
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6,784 lines
InteliCat(tm) Disk Cataloger
"Software Solutions that make Sense"(tm)
Copyright (c)1990-94, By Curtis Little
All Rights Reserved
For IBM PCs, XTs, ATs, PS/2s and 100% Compatibles
This program is dedicated to my loving wife Renee who's patience
with my dedication of attention and time to working on InteliCat is
greatly appreciated.
Table of Contents
License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
How to Contact the Support Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Why You Should Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Free Upgrades Forever! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Required Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Optional Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Using InteliCat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Setup/Configuring InteliCat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Starting Up InteliCat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
InteliCat's Main Display Screen . . . . . . . . . . 13
Adding Disks to the Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Getting a Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Exiting InteliCat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Tutorial Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
InteliCat Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
InteliCat Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Using a Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Menu Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Command Line Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Memory Utilization/Max Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Environment Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
InteliCat Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Two Files Per Database! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
String Editing Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Global Command Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Using Regular Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Searching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Sorting Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Selecting Specific Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Specifying Logical Conditions For the Selection
Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
InteliCat Menu Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Hotkeys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Files Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Read/Create New Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Write Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Load Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Save Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Read/Create Filter List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Write Filter List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Read Keyword List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Write Keyword List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Display Files in Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Add Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Log Floppy Disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Log Multi-Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Dummy Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Add/Mod Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Using the Clipboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Copy Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Delete/Replace Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Replace a Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Multi-Drive Replace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Rename a Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Delete a Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Delete a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Zap Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Search Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Browse Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
String Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Comment Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Keyword Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
File Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Case Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Reports Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Volume Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Quick Volume Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
File/Ext Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Quick File/Ext Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Duplicate Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
BBS type listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
User Defined Report (Vol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
User Defined Report (File) . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Configuration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Catalog Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Volume Label Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Report Output Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Report Format Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Field Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Report Title Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Memory Usage Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Archive Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Disk Naming Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Logging Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Date Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Autosave Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Switch Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Keyword List Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Color Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Edit Filter List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Stop Filtering Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Edit Keyword List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Reset to Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Display License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Utilities Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Import Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Merge Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
DOS Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Quit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Appendix A - Questions & Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
License
You are granted a license to evaluate this software on A SINGLE
COMPUTER for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days. If, on or
before this time expires, you wish to continue using this software,
you must register by sending the registration fee to the author
"Curtis Little" for EACH COPY to be used. A message may be
displayed to remind you if you exceed the trial use period.
The shareware version of this software may be freely distributed as
long as the following conditions are met:
1) All files are distributed AS IS and in UNMODIFIED form.
2) No more than a $7.00 handling fee can be charged without
the PRIOR written consent of the author "Curtis Little".
In addition, it must be clearly stated to recipients that
the fee charged is for copying purposes only, and does
not include payment to the author for the use of
InteliCat.
3) InteliCat may not be distributed with or as a part of any
other product or software package without the PRIOR
written consent of the author "Curtis Little".
Registered copies of this software may be used "like a book". Like
a book means the software may be used by the REGISTERED OWNER on a
single computer at a time. The software can be used by the
registered owner on multiple computers providing there is no
possibility the software will be used on more than one computer at
any one time. Just like a book can only be read in one place at a
time. Businesses must purchase a site license to use InteliCat on
multiple computers.
By using InteliCat you acknowledge that you have read this
agreement, understand it and agree to be bound by it's terms and
conditions.
InteliCat License 1
Warranty
With respect to the physical diskette sent to registered owners,
the author warrants the same to be free from defects in materials
and workmanship for a period of 60 days from the date of
registration. In the event of notification within the warranty
period of defects in material or workmanship the author will
replace the defective diskette. The remedy for breach of this
warranty shall be limited to replacement and shall not encompass
any other damages, including but not limited to loss of profit, and
special, incidental, consequential, or other similar claims.
The author specifically disclaims all other warranties, expressed
or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose and the
program license granted herein in particular, and without limiting
operation of the program license with respect to any particular
application, use, or purpose. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE
LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT, LOST SAVINGS, COMMERCIAL DAMAGE, OR
OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR
INABILITY TO USE InteliCat EVEN IF THE AUTHOR (Curtis Little) OR AN
AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTOR OF InteliCat HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.
This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the state of
Colorado.
2 InteliCat Warranty
Acknowledgments
This manual refers to several products:
MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Brief is a trademark of Underware, Inc.
IBM PC, XT, AT, and PS/2 are trademarks of International
Business Machines, Inc.
ARC is a trademark of System Enhancement Associates
PKZIP is a trademark of PKWARE, Inc.
PC Board is a trademark of Clark Development Corp.
Desqview is a trademark of Quarterdeck, Inc.
I would also like to thank all the beta testers who've worked with
InteliCat. The quality of InteliCat has been greatly enhanced
through the efforts of those who've worked with the beta versions.
I would also like to give a special thanks to Jerry Quattlebaum who
has helped identify more program errors in the v1.9 betas than all
other testers combined. InteliCat is a quality product because of
the efforts the beta users have made.
How to Contact the Support Board
InteliCat is supported via an electronic bulletin board system.
You may contact the support board 24 hours a day. The support
board is:
Lost At C BBS
(303) 280-1007 ** Supports connect speeds up to 14,400 baud
In addition you may contact the author (Curtis Little) on (303)
280-1076. Be aware that if I need to call you back I will do so as
a collect call.
For those who like to communicate via the mail, my mailing address
is:
PO Box 33613
Northglenn, CO 80233
If you have any questions/suggestions regarding InteliCat feel free
to call or write. The support board is open to the public.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 3
4 InteliCat Users Guide
Why You Should Register
I can think of a million reasons why you should register my program
<grin>. Being serious though, registering all shareware programs
that you use is the right thing to do. Without going into all the
touchy feely stuff like moral obligation, etc. that you've seen
before let me just say that as an author, I can tell you that
writing a decent program is a very time consuming task. In fact,
over 6000 man-hours of labor have already gone into the version of
InteliCat you've got now.
Many shareware authors give up on continued development of
excellent products because of low registration response. There are
also success stories in shareware, but a good portion of the
success stories appear to have roots in widespread business usage
instead of the home market. It is a fact that only a select
minority of shareware authors get anywhere close to enough
registrations to earn a living off shareware. I am not even close
to being one of the select few.
I don't necessarily believe the failures and low registration rates
some programs face are due to a lack of the users of the program to
register; I believe that most programs fail because they don't
appeal to you the end-user. I have done my best to make this
program one that you will consider a valuable addition to your
program library and worthy of registration.
All I can ask is that if you like InteliCat and decide to use it,
please show your approval by helping to support it's development.
Without the support of users, future development will not continue.
My interest in developing shareware is to produce programs that
make a difference to the PC community. I figure if I don't get
registrations, it means I haven't written a program that users
consider to be worthy of registering; in which case, there are
other programming ideas I can work on to make a difference in
people's lives.
Free Upgrades Forever!
One of the things I like to offer users who register is the ability
to upgrade for free. All future MS-DOS versions of InteliCat that
I develop are available to users who register FREE OF CHARGE.
Registered users receive a serialization program that will convert
the shareware copies of InteliCat to registered versions (i.e. the
startup/ending delay screens will be removed). Using this program
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 5
users may upgrade to the latest version of InteliCat by obtaining
it from local sources.
The following lists where new versions of InteliCat can be found:
The latest version of InteliCat will be available on:
1) Compuserve -- IBMSYS Forum
2) My BBS (Lost At C -- 303-280-1007)
3) ATT-PAC BBS (510) 829-6062
Additionally, InteliCat can be obtained from bulletin boards
and shareware distribution centers throughout the world.
Required Equipment
IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or 100% Compatible
MDA, CGA, MCGA, EGA, or VGA display adapter
Hard disk
MS-DOS 2.0 or above
Optional Equipment
EMS v3.2 or above (EMS or XMS is highly suggested)
HIMEM.SYS (or compatible) v2.0+ with extended memory
Printer
Mouse
6 InteliCat Users Guide
Introduction
How many times have you wanted to look at that special file, only
to find you have to search through hundreds of disks for the one
file you need? InteliCat is the solution! With InteliCat in your
corner you'll beat the lost file blues, determining the location of
files with the touch of a few keys.
InteliCat goes well beyond what a standard disk cataloging program
does. With InteliCat you're using the most advanced cataloging
software available. Here's just a few of the advanced features
supported by InteliCat:
o InteliCat has a powerful comment import utility designed
to automatically pull in comments for your files from an
existing listing. Save your typing fingers for better
things!
o InteliCat can import 'description' files contained inside
archives (i.e. FILE_ID.DIZ).
o InteliCat has on-line context sensitive help. Press the
F1 key for help at any time.
o InteliCat automatically locates and imports 4DOS
description files for comments as you log disks. Once
again, save your typing fingers using InteliCat!
o InteliCat has a built in Comment/Keyword copy utility
that allows you to easily copy the comments and/or
keywords from one file in the database to others.
o InteliCat can view the files contained in many types of
archives (ZIP, ARC, PAK, LHARC, LHA, GIF, ZOO, ARJ). In
addition InteliCat allows automatic import of archive
comments. Yet another option to saving your typing
fingers!
o InteliCat supports EMS and XMS memory giving you
unparalleled performance while allowing up to 32,000
files in each database.
o InteliCat allows you to select fields based on a complex
set of criteria. You can define logical conditions
between various field values to find the exact files
you're after.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 7
o Multi-line comments. InteliCat overcomes the single line
comment limitations imposed by other catalogers!
InteliCat supports a memo style comment, allowing up to
500 characters describing each file in the database.
o InteliCat supports advanced word processing features in
it's comment editor. InteliCat's built in comment editor
includes word wrap along with *many* commands similar to
those used by the Brief Editor.
o InteliCat supports REGULAR EXPRESSION searching. Once
you see how powerful regular expressions are for
searching you'll wonder how you ever got along without
them.
o InteliCat supports multi-level sorting. You can sort any
field in ascending or descending order.
o InteliCat supports the extended 43/50 line mode for
EGA/VGA monitors for greater capacity when viewing
reports on the screen.
o InteliCat supports automatic disk naming. This includes
use of a template name. You can have InteliCat name the
disks for you instead of being prompted for the name each
time you log a disk!
o InteliCat provides automatic support for Desqview.
InteliCat displays don't bleed through your Desqview
windows!
o Advanced memory management in InteliCat handles *many*
memory shortage problems without aborting the program!
o InteliCat continues to be one of the fastest operating
cataloging programs available on the market to date.
o InteliCat allows you to create user defined reports
specifying the layout of fields, etc.
o InteliCat supports filtering (automatic exclusion) of
specified files when logging disks.
These are just a *few* of the many features that set InteliCat
light years apart from other cataloging programs. After trying
InteliCat, I'm sure you'll agree InteliCat is setting a new
standard for disk cataloging software.
8 InteliCat Users Guide
This manual explains how to use InteliCat. There are two main
parts to this manual as follows:
o Using InteliCat
o InteliCat Reference
The section 'Using InteliCat' covers the use of InteliCat in brief
and includes a tutorial to help get new users started. The last
portion of the manual is a reference covering the operation of
InteliCat's advanced features.
Using InteliCat
This section will get you started using InteliCat. New users
should read this section of the manual. For experienced users, the
Reference portion of this manual will answer any questions you have
regarding the features supported by InteliCat.
This documentation assumes InteliCat is installed on a hard disk in
it's own subdirectory. Installing InteliCat is described in the
'Installation' section. If you installed InteliCat other than
described below, there will be slight deviations from the manual
instructions.
Installation
To install InteliCat you should create a subdirectory on your hard
disk to hold InteliCat and it's data files. You should install
InteliCat in it's own directory. C:\IC is the suggested directory
for InteliCat.
To install InteliCat from a compressed ZIP file you should type the
following commands at your DOS prompt (end each line by pressing
the ENTER key):
C:
MD \IC
CD \IC
PKUNZIP A:IC*
(Replace the A:IC* with the location and name of the ZIP file
version you have).
After installing InteliCat on your hard drive, you may create a
batch file to simplify the use of InteliCat. To create a batch
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 9
file for accessing InteliCat you should type the following at your
DOS prompt:
C:
CD \
COPY CON IC.BAT
ECHO OFF
CLS
ECHO One moment - Loading InteliCat!
C:
CD \IC
IC %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9
CD \<F6>
(In the commands above the <F6> means that you should press the F6
key).
Instead of using a batch file you may wish to execute InteliCat
from any directory on your system. If this is the case, you should
modify your path statement to include the InteliCat directory. For
instance, assume the following statement is already in
C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT:
PATH=C:\DOS5;C:\BIN;C:\WP
After adding the InteliCat directory the statement should appear
as:
PATH=C:\DOS5;C:\BIN;C:\WP;C:\IC
Under MSDOS 3.0 (or above) InteliCat automatically stores it's data
files in the directory it's located in (unless you specify
otherwise when naming the files). MS-DOS 2.x users should start
InteliCat in the directory they want data files to go in.
That's all there is to installing InteliCat!
Setup/Configuring InteliCat
When you use InteliCat the first time it uses a set of default
options supplied by the program's author. A configuration utility
included in InteliCat allows each user to customize the way
InteliCat works. You may access all configuration information from
the 'Configuration' menu. For a full description of the
Configuration menu refer to the section "Configuration Menu" on
page 65.
10 InteliCat Users Guide
Tutorial
This section goes into an overview of starting up and using the
InteliCat Disk Cataloger. If you are an experienced user you
should skip this section (unless of course you're the type that
likes to read!) and go directly to the reference section of this
manual.
Starting Up InteliCat
To start using InteliCat simply type the following command at the
DOS prompt:
IC
(This assumes that you are either in the InteliCat directory, or
that the InteliCat directory is in your path, or the batch file
named IC.BAT is in your path).
When you first start InteliCat you have the option of specifying
certain command line parameters. The parameters allow you to
control portions of InteliCat's operation during that session.
(Note that some of the parameters require a user specified value.)
Values shown in brackets (in the table below) show user required
variables when you specify the associated parameter. The
parameters are:
/B Use black and white mode. If you specify this option
InteliCat will only use black and white colors (except
the opening and end screens of the unregistered shareware
version).
/C <CFG_FILE> Specifies the name of the configuration file.
If you don't specify this option, InteliCat looks for a
configuration file named IC.CFG.
/D <DATA_BASE> Specifies the name of a data base file. If
you don't specify this option, InteliCat looks for the
data base named in the configuration file. If there
wasn't a configuration file, InteliCat uses a default
data base name of IC.DB.
/E <999> Specifies the amount of EMS memory (in K bytes) to
attempt allocating. If you don't specify this parameter,
InteliCat attempts to get as much EMS as the
configuration file says to use. If you don't want
InteliCat to attempt using EMS for a session you can use:
/E 0
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 11
(you can also change the configuration file for a
permanent effect)
/M <ADAPTER_TYPE> Specifies the type of adapter to use.
Normally you shouldn't use this option since InteliCat
is able to detect the adapter properly on start up. If
you're not having problems with video output, DON'T
specify this option. If you do need to specify the
adapter type you should report your adapter type to the
support board so future versions of InteliCat will
automatically detect the adapter you have. The valid
adapters are: MDA, CGA, EGA, and VGA.
WARNING: Setting the adapter to an invalid type for your
computer setup will cause unpredictable results!
/N This option specifies color mode without snow protection.
You should use this option if you have a CGA that doesn't
require snow control. (Or if you don't care if there's
snow). Screen output is much faster when snow control is
off. EGA and VGA adapters don't require snow control.
/O This option specifies color mode with snow protection.
Video output is *much* slower with this option than with
the /N option.
/R Don't allow use of the rodent (mouse).
/X <999> Specifies the amount of extended memory (in K bytes)
to attempt allocating. If you don't specify this
parameter, InteliCat attempts to get as much extended
memory as the configuration file specifies. If you don't
want InteliCat to attempt using extended memory you can
use:
/X 0
(you may also change the configuration for a permanent
effect)
You can specify parameters by appending them to the line used to
execute InteliCat. The following examples show how to use the
command line parameters when starting InteliCat:
Example 1: IC /E 0
Example 2: IC /D CURTIS /C MYCFG /N
The first example starts InteliCat and tells it not to use EMS
memory.
12 InteliCat Users Guide
The second example starts InteliCat and tells InteliCat to read a
data base called CURTIS (/D CURTIS), use the configuration file
called MYCFG (/C MYCFG), and turn off snow control (/N).
A registration notice appears when you first start InteliCat (this
notice only appears in the unregistered shareware version). After
a 7-10 second delay, you may press a key to get past the shareware
notice.
Next, the main menu screen appears.
InteliCat's Main Display Screen
InteliCat's main menu display screen appears similar to the
following:
Files Add Delete/replace Search Reports Configuration Utilities Quit
+ Volume Label Options -----------------------------------------+
| Write the Disk Name as a Volume Label: No |
| Use Existing Volume Label as Disk Name: No |
| Delete Existing Volume Labels: No |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
+ Catalog Options -----------------------------------------------------+
| Automatic disk naming: No Template: XX999999999 Last: IC000000000 |
| |
| Keep subdir names: Yes Backup database: No |
|Extract archive members: No Extract archive comments: No |
| Flag duplicate records: Yes Memory for DOS shell: 256K |
|Ask for select criteria: Yes Ask for sort criteria: Yes |
| Case sensitive search: Yes Add comments while logging: No |
| |
|Printer Name: SCREEN Ask for dest at report time: Yes |
| Report Dest: PRN |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
Log Drive(s): A: | C:LC | 0 Disks | 0 Files | 351K Free
InteliCat(tm) Disk Cataloger
Copyright (c)1990-94 Curtis Little
All Rights Reserved
You will notice there are 5 parts to the main menu screen as
follows:
1) Main menu bar (the top line of the screen)
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 13
2) Volume label options window (below the main menu bar)
3) Catalog options window (below the volume label options)
4) Status line (just below the catalog options window)
5) Program title and copyright message (bottom of the
screen)
The main menu bar is the bar displayed on the top line of the
screen. This is a pull-down type menu that allows you to access
all submenus available in InteliCat. To access one of the submenus
press the ALT key simultaneous with the first letter of the desired
submenu. The following submenus are available:
1) Files - This submenu allows you to read and write most of
the data files used by InteliCat. Items present allow
you to read/write a database, read/write a configuration
file, read/write a filter file, and display a list of
files that are in use.
2) Add - This submenu allows you to add disks (scans the
files), add comments, and add disk volumes to the
database.
3) Delete/Replace - This submenu allows you to delete disks,
delete files, replace an existing disk, rename disks, and
zap the active database (delete all disks and files).
4) Search - This submenu allows you to browse and search the
files for desired entry(s) and set the case sensitivity
flag.
5) Reports - This submenu allows you to choose and print any
of the built-in/user defined reports as well as specify
whether InteliCat should use 43/50 line mode for reports
sent to the screen.
6) Configuration - This submenu allows you to configure all
of InteliCat's options including the colors used.
7) Utilities - This submenu allows you to use the utility
programs that are a part of InteliCat. InteliCat has a
comment import utility and a database merge utility. In
addition you can shell to DOS from this menu (but as
you'll learn later, InteliCat allows you to shell to DOS
from *ANYWHERE* in the program by use of a special
hotkey!).
14 InteliCat Users Guide
8) Quit - This submenu allows you to exit InteliCat.
(Pressing ESCape enough times allows you to exit the
program as well).
Several of the submenu options have hotkeys assigned to them
allowing selection of the menu item without traversing the menus.
The hotkeys work only while you are on the main menu or a submenu.
A detailed explanation of the hotkeys is in the reference section
of this manual (see page 45).
The option settings window shows many of the most used
configuration values. Since the defaults are good in most cases,
this manual delays a discussion of the various option settings
until the reference section. Refer to the section 'Configuration
Menu' on page 65 for details.
The status line contains a mixture of configuration data and
miscellaneous data. The status line contains the following
information:
Log Drive(s): A: | C:LC | 0 Disks | 0 Files | 351K Free
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
| | | | | |
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
1) Filter indicator - if it isn't blank, it indicates file
filtering is being used.
2) Logging drive(s) - the drives scanned when you are
logging disks.
3) Active database name (this is the database that is
currently being modified).
4) Number of disks in the active database.
5) Number of files in the active database.
6) Approximate free conventional memory remaining in your
computer. Note that it is normal for this value to
fluctuate. The value displayed is an estimate and
changes often as memory is used and released by
InteliCat.
Adding Disks to the Catalog
Now lets go through the steps needed to add disks to the database.
This tutorial assumes that the default configuration settings are
being used. To log your floppy disks you should press CTRL-L while
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 15
on the main menu display screen. Optionally, you can traverse the
menus manually by pressing ALT-A (while on the main screen) to get
to the Add menu. From there choose the first option 'Log a disk'.
After choosing to 'Log a disk', InteliCat prompts you to insert a
disk in the first logging drive (drive A: by default). After
inserting the disk, press the ENTER key to start. InteliCat will
prompt for the disk name and then automatically add the disk
contents to the active database. After scanning is complete,
InteliCat prompts for the next disk. You can continue logging
disks by continuing the procedure described above. When you define
two different logging drives, InteliCat goes back and forth between
them as you log disks.
After you're finished logging disks, press the ESCape key to get
back to the add menu. You'll find that the ESCape key is a general
purpose quit/abort key in InteliCat. Pressing the ESCape key will
always drop you back a level in InteliCat.
Getting a Report
Now you can try some of the other InteliCat features. Press ALT-R
to go to the reports menu and then press the 'E' key to select the
quick file/ext report. Alternatively you can press CTRL-Q (hotkey)
instead of going through the menus. After you select the quick
file/ext report, InteliCat displays the report on your screen. The
report shows an alphabetical listing of the files you previously
logged. If the listing is longer than one page you can use PgUp
and PgDn to move between the report pages.
There are other options available at the report page as well. To
see one of these press the 'S' key to ask for a search. After
pressing 'S', a window pops up asking for the search data. Type in
the name of a file that was on one of the disks that you logged and
then press the ENTER key. InteliCat will automatically move to the
page that has the file and highlight the matching file for you!
Press the ESCape key when you're finished viewing the report.
Remember that the ESCape key is your general purpose quit/abort key
while using InteliCat!
Exiting InteliCat
To exit InteliCat you have a choice of three methods. You can:
16 InteliCat Users Guide
o Press ALT-X while on the main menu or a submenu. When
you exit in this manner InteliCat doesn't ask you to
confirm the action.
o Press the ESCape key until InteliCat prompts you to
confirm you wish to exit.
o Use the Quit submenu to exit. InteliCat doesn't prompt
for confirmation when you exit in this manner.
Tutorial Summary
You now have a general feel for using InteliCat! You may wish to
read the reference section, paying particular attention to the
section dealing with the options available in InteliCat. As you've
already seen, using InteliCat is pretty easy. InteliCat smoothly
blends state of the art power with ease of use to provide you with
the best cataloger available at any price!
I firmly believe the best method to learn a good program is by
playing around with it. InteliCat's intuitive user interface
allows you to experiment and discover most of the features without
having to read the documentation. The remaining portion of the
document will answer any specific questions you have though.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 17
InteliCat Reference
This section of the manual covers in detail the various commands
and options available in InteliCat. If you're new to InteliCat,
you may wish to read the tutorial before reading this reference.
This portion of the manual will cover some general information
regarding InteliCat followed by a detailed item by item reference.
InteliCat Conventions
InteliCat uses a uniform set of conventions in it's interaction
with the user. In InteliCat the following conventions hold true:
o On-line help can be viewed at any time by pressing the F1
key.
o Pressing ESCape from anywhere in the program causes
InteliCat to quit whatever it's doing and return to the
previous level or menu. For example: Pressing ESCape
while on a submenu returns you to the main menu without a
submenu displayed. Pressing ESCape on the main menu
without a submenu displayed causes InteliCat to ask if
you want to exit to DOS.
Pressing ESCape at a Yes/No prompt is the equivalent of
answering No.
o You select submenus by pressing the ALT key along with
the highlighted letter. This method of selecting a
submenu works anytime you are on the main menu or one of
the other submenus available from the main menu. For
example: Pressing ALT-A selects the ADD submenu. You
may also use the cursor keys to navigate the submenus.
o You may select items on the submenu by using the cursor
keys to move the highlight bar and then pressing RETURN,
pressing the highlighted letter on the menu item, or by
pressing the menu item's hotkey.
o InteliCat prompts the user with 'dialog boxes'. Dialog
boxes may contain several types of fields: input fields,
button toggles, radio groups, and selection boxes. A
dialog box will always contain one or more selection
boxes. A dialog box in InteliCat works very similar to
dialog boxes used in Windows programs.
18 InteliCat Users Guide
The following describes the field types that may be
present in a dialog box, followed by a description of
dialog box conventions.
An input field is a field where you type a string value.
Input fields are typically used when the field value
could be any one of many choices (i.e. a prompt for the
disk name).
A button toggle is used for fields that can only have one
of two values. For example, options that can either be
On/Off or Yes/No are prompted via a button toggle. When
you press the hotkey for a button toggle, you toggle it's
setting as well as make it the current item. Pressing
the space bar while the current item is a button toggle
will also toggle the value.
Radio groups are used for fields that have a limited
number of possible settings that can't be handled by a
single dialog button. For example, options that allow
you to specify 'Yes', 'No', or 'Ask' are presented using
a radio group. A radio group is displayed in the
configured group colors. Any item in a radio group can
be selected by pressing ALT and the hilited hotkey for
the item, or when the group is the current item, the
arrow keys will change the selected group item.
Selection boxes are used to display action choices that
you have (for example, 'Cancel' or 'Ok'). Selection
boxes can be active or inactive, although only one
selection box can be active at a time (and there will
always be an active selection box). When you press the
ENTER key, the action associated with the active
selection box will be performed (Note: One of
InteliCat's configuration options allows you to override
this treatment of the ENTER key. Since many people are
used to pressing ENTER to move from one field to another,
InteliCat allows you to specify the ENTER key should move
from field to field. See the description of 'Enter Key
Finishes Dialog' on page 69 for details). The active
selection box is displayed with double lines. The
inactive selection box(es) are displayed with a single
line.
When a dialog box is displayed the following conventions
hold true:
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 19
- The current item in a dialog box will be
displayed using the configured 'selected'
color.
- If the current item is not a selection box, the
first selection box is considered active and
will be displayed with double lines using the
'hilite' color (when you press ENTER the action
associated with the first selection box will be
performed unless you activate a different
selection box manually).
- Pressing the TAB key makes the next item in the
dialog box the current one. Items in a dialog
box include input fields, buttons, radio
groups, and boxes (see below for a sample
dialog box).
- Pressing the BACKTAB key (shift TAB) makes the
previous item in the dialog box the current
one.
- Pressing ENTER causes the action associated
with the active selection box (the one
displayed with double lines) to be performed.
In most cases, this causes the dialog box to be
exited. NOTE: If you have InteliCat
configured to move to the next field when ENTER
is pressed this treatment of the ENTER is
overridden. See the description of 'Enter Key
Finishes Dialog' on page 69 for details.
- Hot keys associated with the various items in a
dialog box are displayed using the hilite
color. Pressing the ALT key with the hilited
hotkey letter will select that item. If the
item is a selection box, it will be made
active, and then the action associated with the
box will be performed (as if you pressed the
ENTER key).
- Clicking on any field with the mouse causes
InteliCat to act as if the hotkey for that item
was pressed.
20 InteliCat Users Guide
The following is a sample dialog box with a description
of the items that are in it:
+--------------------------------------------+
| ( ) Use Automatic Disk Naming <-------------+
| | |
+--->| Template: ____________________ |Button
| | |Toggle
| | Volume Label Read Options |
| | (*) Ignore existing volume labels <--------+
| | ( ) Always use existing volume labels | |
| | ( ) Ask before using existing labels | |
| | | Radio
| | +=======+ +-------------+ | Group
| | || Ok || | Cancel | |
| | +=======+ +-------------+ |
| +---------^------------------^---------------+
Input field | |
Active box Inactive box
o InteliCat remembers the last menu item used on each of
the submenus (during the current session). When you pick
a submenu the last used item on the menu is the default
option.
o InteliCat remembers things such as file selection
criteria, sort fields, and search data. When you perform
one of the remembered operations a second time, InteliCat
will display options that default to what you last used.
o InteliCat employs the use of hotkeys to allow selection
of some menu items without having to traverse the menus.
These hotkeys are active while you are on the main menu
or one of the submenus available from the main menu. A
complete list of hotkeys is in the section 'InteliCat
Hotkeys' on page 45.
o Pressing ALT-Z from *any* input prompt shells you to DOS.
When you are ready to return to InteliCat you may do so
by typing:
EXIT
o InteliCat uses the same editor for every string you type
in. When InteliCat first prompts you to input a string,
the editor may display a default value with the cursor
sitting at the end. The color used for the input field
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 21
is the configured 'Initial Input Color'. If the first
key you press is an input key (i.e. a letter or number)
InteliCat will delete the original default value and you
will be typing a new string. If the first key you press
is a cursor positioning key or command key (i.e. HOME,
END, BACKSPACE, DELETE, etc...) InteliCat assumes you
want to edit the default value, and doesn't erase it.
After the first key is pressed, the entire input field is
redisplayed using the configured edit color. (When a
field is displayed using the Edit color, you are in edit
mode. When a field is displayed using the input color,
pressing any key other than a cursor positioning key will
cause the previous contents to be replaced entirely).
o When there is a list that contains a variable number of
items (i.e. list of files, list of disk names, keyword
list, etc), InteliCat displays a 'pick list' to show the
items. You can select an item from a pick list by moving
the hilite bar to the desired item and pressing RETURN
(assuming the Ok box is active - see information about
dialog boxes above). Pick lists show items in sorted
order.
In addition to allowing scrolling through the pick list
using the positioning keys (cursor keys, pgup/pgdn,
home/end), InteliCat allows you to search for specific
items. Here's how the search feature in pick lists
works:
When a list is initially displayed, the cursor is shown
on the first character of the first item in the list.
When you press a number/character InteliCat will search
to find the next item that matches the character string
you've typed so far. For example, the first time you
press a letter, 'M' for instance, InteliCat looks for the
first item that starts with the letter M. If found, the
item will become the current one, and the cursor will be
sitting on the second position in the item. If you press
a second letter, 'A' for instance, InteliCat looks for
the first item that starts with 'MA' and makes it current
(the cursor would then be displayed at the third
character offset). If none of the items start with 'MA',
InteliCat will attempt finding the first item that starts
with the letter just pressed. The cursor position is
moved to show how many characters deep the search is.
22 InteliCat Users Guide
Pressing BACKSPACE during a search causes the previous
matching item to become current. (I.E. the last search
character that was typed is backed out).
Using a Mouse
InteliCat has built in support that allows you to use a mouse. The
following conventions hold true when a mouse is used with
InteliCat:
Clicking on an item/field is performed by moving the mouse
cursor to the item you desire to select, and then by pressing
and releasing any of the mouse buttons. InteliCat sees that
you clicked on something when you release the mouse button
that you pushed. Therefore, InteliCat considers the item you
select with the mouse to be the one the mouse cursor is on
when you release the mouse button.
Clicking on a menu item with the mouse causes that item to be
selected. If you click on a submenu (of the main menu bar)
the submenu selected will be displayed. If you click on a
menu item of a submenu, that selection will be performed.
Scroll bars are items that can be clicked on by the mouse.
There are three areas that can be selected on the scroll bar:
Clicking on the Up Arrow causes the previous item to be
displayed or made current.
Clicking on the Down Arrow causes the next item to be
displayed or made current.
Clicking on the scroll bar causes the display to move by
a 'Page Full' at a time. Clicking above the current
position marker on the scroll bar causes the direction to
be up, while clicking below the current position marker
causes the direction to be down.
On screens that have a status line that lists commands (i.e.
ESCape to Abort F10: Save, etc), clicking on the command
listed in the status line causes that action to be performed.
On dialog boxes, clicking on a field causes that field to be
selected (active). Clicking on a selection box causes the box
to be made active, and then performed.
Clicking on a position in the current active input field moves
the cursor to the specified position in the input field.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 23
The use of the mouse by InteliCat can be turned off with a
configuration option, as well as by using the command line
parameter: /R (stands for rodent control <grin>). The use of a
mouse may be toggled on/off within InteliCat without requiring the
program to be restarted.
Menu Items
Menu items in InteliCat are displayed in a standard manner. On the
submenus, "..." is used after a menu item to indicate additional
data will be prompted for when you select the menu item.
A "|>" (Right arrow pointer) is used to indicate menu items that
cause a second menu to appear when selected.
If the menu item has a hotkey that can be used to select it, the
hotkey is displayed next to the menu item as well.
Command Line Parameters
When you first start InteliCat you have the option of specifying
command line parameters to help control the way InteliCat operates
for that session. (For permanent changes you should modify the
configuration file). The following list describes all available
options. Note that several of the parameters require a user
defined value. Angle brackets surround user defined values
required when you specify the associated parameter. The optional
parameters are:
/B Black and white mode. This causes InteliCat to only use
black and white colors for screen displays. (This
setting does not apply to the opening and closing screens
on the unregistered shareware version).
/C <CFG_FILE> Names a configuration file to read at start
up. InteliCat searches for IC.CFG if you specify a
directory name (instead of a file name). At default
InteliCat attempts to locate IC.CFG.
/D <DATA_BASE> Names a database to read at start up. If you
specify a directory name (instead of a file name),
InteliCat searches the specified directory for IC.DB. At
default InteliCat attempts to locate IC.DB unless you
specify a different name.
/E <999> Specifies the amount of EMS memory (in K bytes) to
24 InteliCat Users Guide
attempt allocating. If you don't specify this parameter,
InteliCat allocates as much EMS as the configuration file
tells it to do. If you don't want InteliCat to attempt
using EMS you should use:
/E 0
A value of 1 causes InteliCat to allocate as much memory
as it can (up to the amount required for 32,000 files).
If InteliCat determines more files will fit in
conventional memory than available EMS, InteliCat will
automatically use the conventional memory instead of EMS.
/M <ADAPTER_TYPE> Specifies the type of adapter to use.
Normally you shouldn't use this option since InteliCat is
able to detect the adapter properly on start up. If
you're not having problems with InteliCat's video output,
DON'T specify this option. If you do need to specify the
adapter type, you should report your adapter brand and
type to the support board so future versions of InteliCat
will automatically detect the adapter you have. The
valid adapters are: MDA (video memory starting at B000h,
no snow control), CGA (video memory starting at B800h,
snow control), EGA and VGA (video memory starting at
B800h, no snow control, 43/50 line mode for reports is
available).
WARNING: Setting the adapter to an invalid type for your
computer setup will cause unpredictable results!
/N This option specifies color mode without snow protection.
You should use this option if you have a CGA that doesn't
require snow control. (Or if you don't care if there's
snow). Screen output is much faster when snow control is
off. EGA and VGA adapters don't require snow control.
/O This option specifies color mode with snow protection.
Video output is *much* slower with this option than with
the /N option.
/R Don't allow use of the rodent (mouse).
/X <999> Specifies the amount of XMS memory (in K bytes) to
attempt allocating. If you don't specify this parameter
InteliCat allocates as much XMS as the configuration file
has set to allocate (up to the amount required to store
the maximum number of files InteliCat can handle). If
you don't want InteliCat to attempt using XMS you should
use:
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 25
/X 0
A value of 1 tells InteliCat to allocate as much XMS as
it needs and is available. If InteliCat determines more
files will fit in conventional memory than available XMS
memory, InteliCat will automatically use the conventional
memory instead of XMS.
To specify parameters append them to the line used to execute
InteliCat. The following examples show how to use the command line
parameters when starting InteliCat:
Example 1: IC /E 1024 /D CURTIS /C LITTLE
Example 2: IC /N
The first example starts InteliCat and tells InteliCat to:
(/E 1024) Allocate and use 1024K (1 meg) of EMS memory.
(/D CURTIS) Read a database called CURTIS.DB
(/C LITTLE) Read a configuration file called LITTLE.CFG
The second example starts InteliCat and turns off snow control.
Memory Utilization/Max Files
One of the main questions users have had about InteliCat is how
many files an InteliCat database can have. The answer depends on
what kind of memory InteliCat is using for the file records.
InteliCat recognizes three types of memory: conventional (the
first 640K that DOS can use), extended, and expanded memory. In
InteliCat the largest user of memory is file records. If
configured to do so, InteliCat attempts to store file records in
the various types of memory in the following order:
Choice Requirements
------ ------------
Extended HIMEM.SYS v2.0+ must be present. Note
that HIMEM doesn't allow extended memory
allocation when you're using a VDISK type
device driver.
More extended memory must be available
(and configured for InteliCat to use) than
26 InteliCat Users Guide
there is available free conventional
memory.
Expanded EMM driver v3.2+ must be present.
More expanded memory must be available
(and configured for InteliCat to use) than
there is available conventional memory.
Conventional There has to be some memory available.
It is important to note that InteliCat does not combine different
types of memory storage for the file records - it supports all
three types, but will only use one of them in a given session. If
you have a hardware EMS (expanded) board, it is probably a better
choice than XMS (extended) because of speed considerations.
Conventional is the fastest, however, it has the least capacity.
Now, back to how many files InteliCat supports in a database. The
maximum number of files depends on the type of memory in use as
well as the amount available. If you use expanded or extended
memory you can have up to 32,000 files in a database (approximately
1.2 meg of memory holds 32,000 files).
When file records are in conventional memory, the number of files
supported in a database is not an easy thing to explain. Plain and
simple, it depends on your *specific* machine setup (i.e. how many
TSRs you have loaded, DOS version, how many device drivers you have
loaded, etc...). In general you can get about 4000-5000 files in a
database on a 640K machine.
Environment Variables
When InteliCat starts it first checks to see if you specified the
configuration and database using command line parameters. When you
don't specify the configuration/database on the command line,
InteliCat next looks for an environment variable to determine what
files to read. InteliCat looks at the following environment
variables:
ICCFG Specifies the configuration file to read (or the
directory to read IC.CFG from).
ICDB Specifies the database to read (or the directory to
read IC.DB from).
ICFILT Specifies the name of the filter file to use.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 27
For example, if you type the following at the DOS command line:
SET ICCFG=C:\IC\SECOND
and then started InteliCat, it would look for a configuration file
called 'C:\IC\SECOND.CFG' unless you specified a different one
using the /C command line parameter.
InteliCat Files
InteliCat maintains several files to keep track of things such as
the configuration and the databases. InteliCat data files have an
extension that let you know what kind of file you're looking at.
Anytime you save a file with InteliCat without specifying an
extension, InteliCat uses the default for that type of file. If
you specify an extension other than the one listed in the table
below, InteliCat will ignore it. The various file types are:
Extension File is used for
--------- ----------------
.BAK Backup database files
.CFG Configuration file
.DB Database
.FLT Filter file
.KEY Keyword pick list file
.IMP Comment import settings
.PRT Printer file
.RDP User defined volume report
.REP User defined file/ext report
A list of the current files in use is available from the files
menu. See a description of the files menu for details.
InteliCat stores the names of most datafiles in use in the
configuration file. Specifically, all files that are in use with
the exception of the configuration filename and backup filename are
stored in the configuration. This allows the files you use to be
automatically carried over multiple sessions.
For the report files, InteliCat only stores one name in the
configuration file. The other default report file will be the same
with a different extension (i.e. .REP for file reports, and .RDP
for disk report files).
28 InteliCat Users Guide
Two Files Per Database!
Although you only specify the name of a single database, InteliCat
ACTUALLY MAINTAINS TWO DATABASES INSTEAD OF ONE. The information
about the file names, sizes, etc are in one database, and the
comments are in a separate data base. In order to make the use of
multiple databases as transparent as possible, InteliCat only asks
for one database name and tracks both databases from that. THE
COMMENT DATABASE HAS THE SAME NAME AS THE "MAIN" DATABASE WITH A
'1' APPENDED.
If you delete the XXXX1.DB file you will lose all your comments!
Because of this, it is best to avoid naming databases with a name
that ends with a '1'. All *.DB files that have a '1' as the last
character in the filename are filtered out when the pick list of
database files is displayed.
String Editing Commands
There are many places where InteliCat needs to obtain an input
string from you. Except for the comment editor, all field input
goes through a single string editor. To help you better use the
string editor the following is a list of the commands available
while you're entering input:
Backspace Has the traditional meaning of a backspace
(traditional for the PC). This deletes the
character to the left of the cursor and moves the
cursor one position left.
CTRL U Press CTRL U to undo all changes you made to the
input field. This restores the original contents of
the string.
CTRL Y This key combination deletes the entire contents of
the input field.
DELete This deletes the character that is under the cursor.
Down arrow - Moves to the next field in multi-field input.
END Moves the cursor to the end of the field.
ESCape Aborts input and discards changes to the string you
were editing. In multi-field input, changes to all
fields are discarded when ESCape is pressed.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 29
HOME Moves the cursor to the home position (1st position)
of the input field.
Left arrow - moves the cursor one position to the left.
Right arrow - moves the cursor one position to the right.
Up arrow In multi-field input this moves the cursor to the
previous field.
TAB In multi-field input this moves the cursor to the
next field.
BACKTAB In multi-field input this moves the cursor to the
previous field.
If there is a default value for the string, InteliCat places the
cursor after the last character in the string. If you desire to
edit the default value you should press one of the commands listed
above as the first key (if you accidently hit something else
remember you can use CTRL U to restore the original value).
InteliCat replaces the default value by the new value typed if the
first key pressed is a valid letter/number. After the first key
you are in edit mode and can type whatever you like.
Global Command Keys
There are several global command keys provided in InteliCat. The
first is the ESCape key. Pressing the ESCape key causes InteliCat
to abort the current operation and return to the previous level.
For instance, pressing the ESCape key while on a submenu causes the
submenu to disappear, returning you to the main menu level.
Anytime you want to back out of whatever you're doing in InteliCat
you should press the ESCape key. If aborting the current operation
would cause you to lose changed data, InteliCat prompts you before
aborting. Pressing the ESCape key at a yes/no question is the same
as answering the question 'No'.
InteliCat also provides a global DOS shell command. *Anywhere*
InteliCat is waiting for a keystroke you can press ALT-Z to shell
to DOS! InteliCat modifies the DOS prompt to remind you you're
shelled out. Typing EXIT at the DOS prompt will return you back to
InteliCat. Note that InteliCat uses Switch! allowing you to
specify how much memory to make available for the DOS shell.
Switch! can make virtually *all* memory used by InteliCat available
for the shell. The options section of this manual covers the
Switch! feature.
30 InteliCat Users Guide
Using Regular Expressions
InteliCat has the most powerful regular expression facilities
available in a disk cataloging program on the market today (as of
the time of this writing). Those familiar with Brief will feel
right at home with InteliCat's regular expressions since regular
expression facilities in InteliCat are virtually the same as those
used in the popular Brief editor. Any time you're searching for a
particular string you're allowed to use regular expressions (this
includes the selection criteria and search data discussed later in
this manual).
For those not familiar with regular expressions, they will be
defined here. Basically, even if you don't realize it, you most
likely know about some type of regular expressions. For instance,
have you ever typed a DOS command similar to:
DIR *.DOC
This is an example of a regular expression that lists all files
that have .DOC as the extension.
In short, a regular expression is a pattern that represents
character sequences. A regular expression can have two basic types
of characters in it. A regular expression consists of normal
characters (such as letters and numbers), and regular expression
metacharacters. The metacharacters are what gives regular
expressions their power.
InteliCat supports virtually the same regular expression
metacharacters as the Brief editor. These metacharacters are:
* Matches any number of occurrences (0 or more) of any
character. The * matches as few occurrences as needed to
make the rest of the pattern match.
g*d matches gd, god, good, gad, and gillard
but not:
dog, goat
? Matches any single character.
c?t matches cat and cut, but not cant
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 31
@ Matches 0 or more occurrences of the preceding character
or pattern. Note that with @, InteliCat considers the
fewest possible occurrences of a pattern a match.
go@d matches gd, god, good, goood, gooood, etc..
+ Matches 1 or more occurrences of the preceding character
or pattern. This is the same as the @ except that one or
more occurrences are needed to match.
go+d matches god, good, goood, gooood, etc...
but not gd
| Matches either the preceding pattern OR the following
pattern.
b|c matches either b or c
this|that doesn't match what you might think though! It
matches either thishat or thithat. To see how to do a
search for either of the words (this or that) see the
next category of regular expression characters.
{} Groups characters or patterns together for a search.
Grouping characters provides several benefits:
1) Provides a way to control how InteliCat
evaluates regular expressions (i.e. like
parenthesis in a mathematical equation).
2) Groups a set of text together.
For example, in the discussion of the or operator (|) you
saw the expression: this|that didn't match the words
this or that as might be expected. Using grouping you
can make this work as follows:
{this}|{that}
The example above would find occurrences of this or that.
{ok}+
Matches one or more occurrences of the word ok.
[] This creates a "set" of characters to search for. There
are several powerful forms of the set operator.
32 InteliCat Users Guide
[~] Matches a character if it IS NOT any of the
characters between the [~ and the ].
[-] Matches a RANGE of characters. For example, [a-z].
The beginning range character must have a lower
value than the upper value.
[a-z0-9A-Z]+
This example matches all letters (upper and lower case)
and numbers. This would match:
abra12, 123x134, 23, and hello
but not: it's and "first!"
[~a-zA-Z]
This example matches everything that isn't a letter.
\ Override character. The backslash allows you to override
the normal meaning of a character.
\* searches for the actual character * instead of
treating the * as a regular expression as it normally
would be.
\\ allows you to search for the backslash in a string.
\[ allows you to search for the left bracket, overriding
the standard usage of the left bracket as the opening of
a set definition.
The precedence for evaluating regular expressions is as follows
(going from highest precedence to the lowest):
{} Groups have the highest precedence. InteliCat
treats characters inside a group as a single
expression.
|, @, + Matches from the left to the right. These have the
second highest precedence.
All other characters have equal precedence with each other.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 33
Searching
There are multiple places in InteliCat where you can enter data to
search for. Anytime you specify you want to search for something,
InteliCat displays a search window to get the search options. The
search window appears similar to the following:
+ Search Data ---------------------------------------------------------+
|> |
| |
| Search: ( X ) File/Ext ( X ) Disk ( X ) Keywords ( X ) Comments |
| ( ) Search Backward |
| +============+ +------------+ |
| || OK || | Cancel | |
| +============+ +------------+ |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
When InteliCat displays the search window, InteliCat places the
cursor in the input field waiting for you to type data to search
for. If you previously searched for something, the value searched
for will be the default string. You should notice there are
several fields in the search window. You can get to the fields by
using the TAB, BACKTAB, and hilited hotkeys.
Note that you can use regular expressions in the search data.
InteliCat automatically appends a '*' to the beginning and the end
of the data to search for (this allows InteliCat to find the data
within a string without requiring you to manually add the leading
and trailing '*').
If you want the search to be fast, don't search the comment field
since InteliCat must read comments from disk.
When you search for something InteliCat will remember how you set
the various toggle fields. Next time you request a search the
settings you made will be the defaults.
Sorting Records
InteliCat provides the user with flexible and powerful sorting
routines. One of the configuration options controls whether or not
InteliCat prompts for the sort options when you select a menu item
that allows sorting. For this discussion it is assumed that you
have InteliCat optioned to ask for the sort options (the default).
If you wish to know more about the InteliCat options, you should
refer to the section titled 'Configuration Menu' on page 65.
Picking one of the following menu items causes InteliCat to prompt
you for the sort options:
34 InteliCat Users Guide
1) Add/mod comments
2) Delete a file
3) Browse files
4) File/ext report
5) BBS type listing
6) User defined report*
*Note: When you select a user defined report, the sort options
aren't prompted for if you have specified automatic sort criteria
in the report format options. When automatic sort criteria is
specified for a user defined report, the sort will automatically
happen when you select the report. Note there are separate
automatic specifications available for file type reports and disk
type reports.
(There are several more menu items that bring up a different set of
sort options. This disk type sort window is covered later in this
section). When you pick one of the menu items listed above the
following window is displayed when InteliCat is ready to get the
sort options:
+ Sort Options ----------------------------------------------+
| [-]1 - File Name [-]6 - Comments |
| [-]2 - File Ext [-]7 - Date & Time <-----+
| [-]3 - Subdir [-]8 - Size | |
| [-]4 - Disk Name [-]9 - Archive Name | |
| [-]5 - Keywords [-]10 - Archive Ext | |
| | |
| Enter sort fields separated by spaces (ESC to abort) | |
| Use - to specify descending order for a field | |
| 0 or BLANK list for no sort | |
|> | |
| ^ +======+ +------------+ | |
| | || OK || | Cancel | | |
| | +======+ +------------+ | |
+---- | -----------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
Field list input string
List of
field
numbers you
can sort on.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 35
InteliCat places the cursor in the input field and waits for you to
type a list of field numbers to sort. InteliCat shows any
previously sorted fields as the defaults. To sort on more than one
field you should type in a list of field numbers separated by
spaces. Preceding a field number with a minus sign says you wish
to sort the specified field in descending order (no spaces should
be between the - and the field number). For example to sort in
ascending order on the file name, and descending order on the
extension the list you type would be as follows:
1 -2
Assuming you had the following files/extensions, the chart below
lists the sorted results using the field list from above:
File Names Sorted File Names
---------- -----------------
IC.EXE AUTOEXEC.BAT
AUTOEXEC.BAT IC.EXE
LC.CFG LC.PRN
LC.PRN LC.CFG
PKZIP.EXE PKZIP.EXE
InteliCat displays a special purpose sort options window when you
choose one of disk reports (i.e. the Volume report). The special
sort window appears as follows:
+ Sort Options ----------------------------------------------+
| [-]1 - Disk Name [-]5 - Free Space |
| [-]2 - Keywords [-]6 - Total Space |
| [-]3 - Comments [-]7 - Date Indexed |
| [-]4 - Used Space |
| |
| |
| Enter sort fields separated by spaces (ESC to abort) |
| Use - to specify descending order for a field |
| 0 or BLANK list for no sort |
|> |
| +======+ +------------+ |
| || OK || | Cancel | |
| +======+ +------------+ |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
This sort selection window works like the one discussed above. The
only difference is that the items on this window are specific to
disks instead of files (since the volume report only lists the disk
names in the database).
36 InteliCat Users Guide
Selecting Specific Records
InteliCat provides the user with an extremely flexible method of
selecting specific records through the use of selection criteria.
One of the configuration options controls whether or not InteliCat
prompts for the selection criteria when you pick a menu item that
allows selecting specific records. This section assumes you have
InteliCat optioned to ask for the selection criteria (the default).
If you wish to know more about the InteliCat options, you should
refer to the section titled 'Configuration Menu' on page 65.
Picking one of the following menu items causes InteliCat to prompt
for the selection criteria:
o Add/mod comments
o Delete a file
o Browse files
o File/ext report
o Duplicate files
o BBS type listing
o User defined report*
*NOTE: When you select a user defined report, selection criteria
won't be prompted for if you specified automatic selection
criteria.
(There are several more menu items that bring up a different set of
selection options. This disk type selection criteria window is
covered later in this section). When you pick one of the menu
items listed above the following window is displayed when InteliCat
is ready to get the selection criteria:
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 37
+ Selection Criteria ----------------------------------------+
| [-]1 - File Specs [-]7 - Size Range |
| [-]2 - Subdirs [-]8 - Archive Members |
| [-]3 - Disk Names [-]9 - Files With Keywords |
| [-]4 - Keywords [-]10 - Files With Comments |
| [-]5 - Comments [-]11 - Archive Files |
| [-]6 - Date Range [-]12 - Exclude Disk Records |
| |
| Enter selection options separated by spaces (ESC to abort) |
| & | ! ^ and () to specify logical conditions |
| 0 or BLANK list for All Files |
|> |
| +======+ +------------+ |
| || OK || | Cancel | |
| +======+ +------------+ |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
InteliCat places the cursor in the input field and waits for you to
type a list of field numbers and logical conditions for performing
selection of special records on. If you previously selected
records, InteliCat will display the last data you typed as the
default.
You may select files by any combination of the above listed fields.
If you wish to specify more than one field to enter selection
criteria for you should type in the list of field numbers separated
by the logical operators. InteliCat treats a space between field
numbers the same as an '&'. See the section 'Using Logical
Conditions for Selection Criteria' on page 40 for details.
Preceding a field number with a minus sign says you wish to exclude
files by the specified data for the associated field. Using the
negative field causes InteliCat to reject those records that match
the criteria entered about the field (no spaces should be between
the - and the field number).
Depending on the fields you wish to specify selection criteria for,
InteliCat prompts you for the selection options. For the fields
that require you to specify the selection criteria there are two
methods of input. The first method of entering criteria is in the
form of a list of data values. This type of input method
continually prompts you for additional selection criteria for the
field until you press return without typing any data. In this mode
the only limit on the number of different criteria you can specify
for a field is the available memory. The following fields use this
type of input method:
o File specs o Keywords
38 InteliCat Users Guide
o Subdirs o Comments
o Disk names
You can make full use of regular expressions when entering
selection data for any of the above fields. Refer to the section
titled 'Using Regular Expressions' for details on the regular
expression facilities provided in InteliCat.
The second method of input for selection criteria is a range. If
you specify one of the following fields you'll be asked for a
SINGLE range to use as the selection criteria for the field:
o Date
o Size
When entering selection criteria you should enter values that you
want to match in the associated field. For example let's say you
want a report listing all executable files, you would enter the
following as the selection field list:
1
Next, InteliCat would prompt for the selection criteria for the
filespecs. To select executable files the following would be the
file specs:
+--------------- Selection Data : ESCape to Abort ---------------+
| Enter selection File Specs, one per line. Blank line to end. |
| |
|File Specs (1): *.exe |
|File Specs (2): *.com |
|File Specs (3): |
| ^ |
| | |
| | |
+--------------- | ----------------------------------------------+
|
This is the prompt issued by InteliCat for the selection data.
Note that pressing return without entering anything gets you
out of input mode.
You can backup to previously entered fields (within the list for
the current field) by pressing the up arrow.
When you enter the criteria listed above, InteliCat would only
select records that have an extension of EXE or COM. If you had
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 39
specified other fields InteliCat would prompt for the criteria for
those fields, and then select on those fields as well.
NOTE: When you use selection criteria that doesn't apply to a disk
record (i.e. filename, subdir, archive, etc...) InteliCat
automatically includes disk volumes of matched files. If you don't
want InteliCat to do this, simply use the 'Exclude Disk Records'
criteria.
Using the Minus sign with option 12 (Exclude Disk Records) causes
InteliCat to exclude File Records.
The second type of selection criteria is specific to disk records
(and is prompted for when you select a disk type report). This
window looks like:
+ Selection Criteria ----------------------------------------+
| [-]1 - Disk Names [-]6 - Total Space |
| [-]2 - Keywords [-]7 - Date Indexed |
| [-]3 - Comments [-]8 - Disks With Keywords |
| [-]4 - Used Space [-]9 - Disks With Comments |
| [-]5 - Free Space |
| |
| Enter selection options separated by spaces (ESC to abort) |
| & | ! ^ and () to specify logical conditions |
| 0 or BLANK list for All Files |
|> |
| +======+ +------------+ |
| || OK || | Cancel | |
| +======+ +------------+ |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
Specifying Logical Conditions For the Selection Criteria
One of InteliCat's many unique features is the ability it gives you
to combine the selection fields using an algebraic like expression.
The following conditions can be specified to combine two or more
fields in the selection criteria:
1 & 2 This specifies an AND condition. Use of this
operator means that InteliCat selects only those
files that meet both the first and second
conditions.
40 InteliCat Users Guide
1 | 2 This specifies an OR condition. Use of this
operator means that InteliCat selects files matching
either the first or second conditions (or both).
1 ! 2 This specifies a NOT condition. Use of this
operator means that InteliCat selects files matching
the first criteria and NOT the second criteria.
1 ^ 2 This specifies a XOR condition. Use of this
operator means that InteliCat selects files matching
only either the first or second conditions, but not
files matching both conditions.
Since all operators have equal precedence InteliCat also allows you
to use () to group expressions together. To demonstrate how all
this fits together lets look at a few examples. In our example we
want to be able to list all *.COM files on the disk "IC000" that
have keywords or comments. In addition we want to see all *.COM
files on any disk that have a size between 0 and 20,000 bytes
whether or not they have comments/keywords. With InteliCat you can
easily specify complex conditions like this. To perform this
selection you would enter selection criteria of:
(1 & 3 & (9 | 10)) | (1 & 7)
When prompted for the file specs you would specify *.COM. When
prompted for the disk name you would specify IC000. When prompted
for the size range you would specify a low value of 0 and a high
value of 20000.
After getting the size range, InteliCat calmly performs the record
selection giving you only those files you wanted to look at.
The limitation to the selection criteria is that InteliCat only
accepts one set of input for a given field. In the example above
we used the '1' field twice, but InteliCat only prompts for the
file specs once. InteliCat uses the same file specs in both cases
where you specified field 1 in the selection statement.
Additional examples should help clarify the use of the logical
operators:
In the following examples, assume you have a database that contains
the following files:
Disk Subdir Filename Size Date Keywords
UTIL01 C:\UTILS\ IC19.ZIP 179877 12/15/93 CAT DISK LOG
Comments:
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 41
UTIL01 C:\UTILS\ TSNR22.ZIP 98100 01/03/94 SNR REPLACE
Comments: This utility is a powerful
search and replace program
with many options.
DBS03 C:\DB CBASE.ZIP 132133 06/02/92 DATABASE DB
Comments: This is the source for a C
library of database
management functions.
DBS03 C:\DB DBAK.ZIP 200062 01/01/94
1 & 2 As mentioned above, this selection statement
causes the files that meet the criteria for
field 1 AND field 2 to be selected. Therefore,
if you specify *.ZIP for the file names to
match (criteria 1) and C:\UTILS and C:\BIN for
the subdirectories (criteria 2), InteliCat
would select IC19.ZIP and TSNR22.ZIP.
1 | 2 Using the same criteria as listed in the
example above, InteliCat would select all files
listed (as all meet the criteria for filename).
1 ! 2 Using the same criteria as listed for the
example above, the files on the DBS03 disk
would be selected (because they meet the
filename criteria and DON'T meet the
subdirectory criteria).
1 ^ 2 Using the same criteria as listed in the
example above, the files on the DBS03 disk
would be selected because they only meet one of
the criteria. Since the files on the UTIL01
disk meet both criteria they wouldn't be
selected.
Again, using parenthesis you can specify the order you want a pair
of criteria & logical operator to be evaluated.
InteliCat Menu Options
When you first start InteliCat you are in the main menu mode.
InteliCat's menu is a pull-down type menu. You can press the ALT
key at the same time as the first letter of the menu item you
desire, and InteliCat will display the submenu. Once you have a
42 InteliCat Users Guide
sub-menu pulled down you can use the arrow keys to change submenus
(the ALT key combinations still work as well).
While on a submenu you can choose a menu item by using the up/down
arrow keys to highlight the desired item and then pressing the
ENTER key to select the item. You may also select a submenu item
by pressing the highlighted letter for the desired item.
The following chart illustrates the various menus available in
InteliCat:
+----------------------------< Main Menu >-----------------------------+
| Files Add Delete/replace Search Reports Configuration Utilities Quit |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
| | | | \ | \ |
| \ | | \ | \ |
| \ | | \ | \ |
| \ | | | | | |
Pressing | | Pressing \ Pressing | |
ALT-F selects | | ALT-S | ALT-C selects | |
the Files | | selects the | the Configuration | |
submenu. | | Search submenu | submenu. | |
/ | | / |
/ Pressing ALT-D Pressing ALT-R Pressing |
/ selects the selects the ALT-U selects |
/ Delete/Replace Reports submenu. the Utilities |
/ submenu. submenu. |
/ |
Pressing Alt-A Pressing ALT-Q
selects the Add selects the
submenu. Quit submenu.
The following show the items currently available on each of the
submenus:
+-------< Files Menu >--------+
| Read/create new database... |
| Write database |
| Load configuration... |
| Save configuration... |
| Read/create filter list... |
| Write filter list... |
| Read keyword list... |
| Write keyword list... |
| Display files in use... |
+-----------------------------+
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 43
+------< Add Menu >--------+ +----<Delete/Replace Menu> ---+
| Log floppy disks... (^L) | | Replace a disk... (^R) |
| Log multi-drives... (^M) | | Multi-drive replace... |
| Dummy entry... | | Rename a disk... |
| Add/mod comments... (^C) | | Delete a disk... (^D) |
+--------------------------+ | Delete a file... |
| Zap database... |
+-----------------------------+
+------< Search Menu >------+ +-------< Reports Menu >--------+
| Browse files... (^B) | | Volume report... (^V) |
| String search... (^S) | | Quick volume report |
| Comment search... | | File/ext report... (^F) |
| Keyword search... | | Quick file/ext report (^Q) |
| File search... | | Duplicate files... |
| Case sensitivity: (ON) | | BBS type listing... |
+---------------------------+ | User defined (Vol)... |
| User defined (File)... |
| 43/50 line mode: (OFF) |
+-------------------------------+
+---< Configuration Menu >----+ +-----< Utilities Menu >----+
| Catalog options... (^O) | | Import comments... (^I) |
| Volume label... | | Merge databases... |
| Report output... | | DOS Shell |
| Report format... | +---------------------------+
| Report title... |
| Memory usage... |
| Archive... . |
| Disk naming... |
| Logging drives... |
| Date... |
| Auto save... |
| Switch... |
| Keyword list... |
| Color options > |
| Edit filter list... |
| Stop filtering files |
| Edit keyword list... |
| Reset to defaults... |
| Display license |
+-----------------------------+
+-----< Quit >------+
| | |
| Press <-+ to exit |
+-------------------+
44 InteliCat Users Guide
An explanation of the submenus follows, however, before going to
the submenus, I will give an overview of the hotkeys.
Hotkeys
Several of the menu items in InteliCat have a 'hotkey' that allows
you to select the item without having to traverse the menus.
Hotkeys are valid anytime you are on the main menu, or a submenu
branch from the main menu. Each of the submenus with an assigned
hotkey for an item(s) shows the hotkey next to the item it applies
to. The following list summarizes the available hotkeys:
Hotkey Function
------ --------
CTRL B Browse files
CTRL C Add/modify comments
CTRL D Delete a disk
CTRL F File/ext report
CTRL I Import comments
CTRL L Log floppy disks
CTRL M Log multi-drives
CTRL O Catalog options
CTRL Q Quick file/ext report
CTRL R Replace a disk
CTRL S String search
CTRL V Volume report
ALT X Exit InteliCat
Files Menu
The files menu contains selections that allow you to read and write
many of the data files InteliCat uses.
Read/Create New Database
This option allows you to create or read a new database into
memory. If there were any changes made to the database that was
already in memory, InteliCat saves the changes before reading the
new database (assuming the autosave feature is on - if it's off
InteliCat will ask if you want to save the current file first).
After selecting this option a pick list of existing databases will
be displayed for you to pick the file you wish to read. You may
specify a file not on the list (or a new one to create) by
selecting the box 'New Spec'. If the database name you specify
doesn't exist, InteliCat will ask if you wish to create the new
database.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 45
NOTE: InteliCat forces the extension to .DB, ignoring all other
specifications. Also, note that all *.DB files that have a '1' as
the last character of the filename are filtered and not shown on
the pick list.
Write Database
This option writes the current database to disk. If you haven't
made changes since the last save, InteliCat displays a message.
Note that InteliCat automatically saves the database on exit (if
you have the autosave option turned off, InteliCat will prompt you
on whether or not it should save changes), however, this option
allows you to manually save progressive changes as you make them.
Load Configuration
This option allows you to load a new configuration file. You
should note that if the maximum number of files, disks or
directories is less than the number that are already in memory (or
if InteliCat can't rearrange the memory settings due to a memory
shortage), a warning will be issued, and the maximum numbers will
be left as they were before you loaded the configuration file.
Note that loading a new configuration file doesn't change the type
of memory in use during the session, the files in use, the auto
naming template and last name.
Save Configuration
This option allows you to save the current configuration to a file.
When you pick this option, InteliCat prompts for the name of the
file to save the configuration to. InteliCat forces the extension
of a configuration file to .CFG, ignoring all other specifications.
Read/Create Filter List
This option allows you to specify the name of a filter file to use
(or create).
InteliCat uses the filter file to filter out matching files when
it's logging a disk. The filter list can contain as many filename
specifications as you desire. In addition, full regular expression
support is available for the filter specifications.
To edit/add filters, select the 'Edit filter list' option on the
configuration menu.
46 InteliCat Users Guide
Example:
If you use the following file specifications for the filter:
*.COM
*.EXE
*.BAT
README*.*
InteliCat will not include any .COM, .EXE, .BAT or README
files that are encountered when it logs a disk. These files
will simply be ignored as the disk is logged.
Note: When expanding the contents of archive files, the files
inside the archive will also be filtered if they match one of
the filter specifications.
InteliCat will also import .DIZ files (if configured to do so)
even if they are filtered. This allows you to filter them,
keeping them out of the database, and still use them for
comments!
Write Filter List
This option writes the current filter list to a disk file that you
specify. If the list is blank (no filters defined), InteliCat will
issue an error message.
Read Keyword List
This option allows you to specify the name of a keyword list file
to use (or create).
InteliCat allows you to select keywords from a list when you are
inputting keywords for files/disks (you also have the option of
manually typing the keywords instead). Creating and using a list
of keywords helps maintain consistency in the keywords that you
use.
Using the keyword list also gives you a way to input keywords for
files/disks even when you have InteliCat optioned to skip input of
them!
To edit/add keywords to the list, select the 'Edit keyword list'
option on the configuration menu. Also refer to the 'Keyword
options' on the configuration menu.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 47
Write Keyword List
This option writes the current keyword list to a disk file that you
specify. If the list is blank (no keywords defined), InteliCat
will issue an error message.
Display Files in Use
When you select this menu item, InteliCat displays a list of all
the files currently in use. This list includes the database,
configuration, keyword list, filter file, printer file, and report
file. An asterisk ('*') is displayed on the file line if the file
has been modified and not yet saved.
NOTE: InteliCat uses 'default' files until you specify
something different. Due to the use of default file
names, you will see something listed for the filter and
keyword list files even if you aren't using them. These
default filenames can be distinguished from files that
have contents stored in them because they are displayed
without the path. When a file is active it is displayed
with the full pathname.
Also note that InteliCat doesn't display a separate file
and disk report layout name. The filename for both files
are the same - with the extension being the difference.
Add Menu
The add menu contains selections to allow you to add disks to the
data base and add/modify comments for the data base entries. Note
that by specifying an existing disk name while you are logging a
disk you can replace from the add menu! (If you replace from the
add menu you will be prompted to confirm the replace. If you use
the replace menu to replace a disk, you won't be asked to confirm
the replacement first).
Log Floppy Disks
This menu option causes InteliCat to scan a disk adding the file
names found to the active data base (excluding any that are
filtered). After picking this option, InteliCat prompts you to
insert a disk in the logging drive, and to specify a subdirectory
to start logging with (leave the subdir blank or specify \ to log
the entire disk). If you specify a subdirectory, only the contents
of that directory (and child directories) will be logged.
48 InteliCat Users Guide
If you have two logging drives, InteliCat asks for a disk in each
drive alternatively. After inserting the disk press the enter key
to tell InteliCat to scan the disk. If you don't have the options
set in a way that InteliCat can automatically name the disk,
InteliCat will ask for the disk name (remember the popup list is
available if you press ALT-L or select the 'List disks' selection
box). If you specify a disk that exists, InteliCat will ask if you
want to replace the disk.
If you desire automatic naming, there are two ways to have
InteliCat name a disk. First, if you have automatic disk naming
turned on, and second if you have InteliCat set to use the volume
name as the disk name (this causes automatic naming if the disk has
a volume label). When you use both methods of automatic naming
the volume label has precedence.
If you configured InteliCat to add comments while logging,
InteliCat prompts for the comments after it's finished scanning
each disk. (See the section 'Add/mod Comments' on page 50, 55 for
details on using the comment editor).
Once finished logging the disk, InteliCat will prompt you for the
next disk you want to log. After you finish logging disks press
the ESCape key (or select the Cancel box) to return to the Add
submenu.
Log Multi-Drives
This option works just like the 'Log Floppy Disk' option, except
InteliCat prompts for the path to log, allowing different drives to
be logged on the fly. If you specify a disk letter in the path to
log, InteliCat will log the specified drive.
For example, specifying:
D:\
or
D:
Causes the entire D drive to be logged, while specifying:
D:\BIN
Causes the D: drive to be logged starting with the \BIN
subdirectory.
Leaving the path blank causes the current multi-drive to be logged
(the current drive is listed on the dialog box).
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 49
Using the multi-drive function of InteliCat makes it easy to log
things like hard drives without having to constantly modify the
configured logging drives.
Dummy Entry
This option is kind of like the 'Log floppy disks' option. This
option creates a dummy disk entry (volume name only) in the
database (the disk is logged with no files included). Using this
option you can record the existence of a particular disk when you
don't want to include the file names that are on it. One good
example of this would be for logging a master program disk. A
program disk is likely to contain many various files (which you
probably don't care about), however they are all related to the
main program (which is what you care about!).
InteliCat doesn't require you to insert a floppy disk when logging
a dummy entry. When you select this option you will first be
prompted for the disk size in K bytes. The value you specify will
be stored in InteliCat as the total space of the disk. If you
prefer, InteliCat allows you to specify you want it to read the
disk to get the space information (i.e. total space, used space,
etc). Select the read option if you want to do this. When using
the read option you may also specify the drive that you want
InteliCat to read.
NOTE: The volume label for a disk logged this way is NOT modified
regardless the volume label option settings. If you ask InteliCat
to read the disk and have the configuration set to use volume
labels as the disk name, InteliCat will use an existing volume
label as the disk name. However, under no circumstances will
InteliCat attempt to modify the volume label of a disk logged as a
dummy entry.
Add/Mod Comments
This option allows you to add/delete/modify the comments and
keywords for each of the entries in the active data base. After
choosing this option, InteliCat asks for the selection criteria and
sort options (if you configured InteliCat to ask for them). Using
the selection criteria you can limit the list of files brought up
to those desired (see the section titled 'Selecting Specific
Records' on page 37 for details on selection criteria).
Next, InteliCat displays the comment entry screen for the first
file. While you're editing comments/keywords the following command
keys are available (as listed at the bottom of the screen):
50 InteliCat Users Guide
Control C Brings up the Copy Utility. For a description of
this utility see the section 'Copy Utility' on page
55.
F2 Copy to clipboard. This copies the current input
field to the clipboard buffer.
F3 Keyword list. This displays the keyword list
(displayed in sorted order), allowing you to
edit/add keywords to the list as well as select a
keyword from the list to be appended to the keywords
field.
NOTE: Using the keyword list allows you to enter
keywords while you're in the comment
field. This also allows you to enter
keywords when you have InteliCat
configured to skip the input of keywords!
See the 'Keyword options' on the
configuration menu for options that affect
how the keyword list works.
To append a keyword contained in the list to the
keywords field, simply move the hilite bar to the
desired keyword and select the Ok selection box (the
default if you just press enter).
To add a new keyword to the list, select the Add one
box.
To edit the hilited keyword, select the Edit box.
To delete a keyword from the list select the Delete
box.
To exit the list without appending a keyword to the
keyword field, press ESCape or select the Cancel
box.
Shift F2 Replace with clipboard. This replaces the current
input field (the one the cursor is in) with the
contents of the matching clipboard field. If the
clipboard field is empty, the input field you're
editing will be deleted.
F7 Previous file (with save). Pressing this key causes
InteliCat to display the previous file. InteliCat
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 51
saves the current record automatically if any
changes were made to it.
Shift F7 Previous file (without save). Pressing this key
causes InteliCat to display the previous file.
Changes made to the current record are discarded.
ALT S Search. Pressing the ALT S key causes the search
window to pop-up and allow you to specify the data
to search for. This allows you to quickly find a
desired file or files. If you modified the current
record without saving it, InteliCat will prompt
before losing the changes.
ALT A Searches for the next match (after ALT S has been
ALT N used).
ALT B Searches for the previous match (after ALT S has
ALT P been used).
F8 Next file (with save). Pressing this key causes
InteliCat to display the next file after saving
changes to the current record.
Shift F8 Next file (without save). Pressing this key causes
InteliCat to display the next file, discarding any
changes made to the current record.
ALT Z DOS Shell. This is the global command key that
allows you to shell to DOS.
Ctl PgUp These two keys allow you to move back and forth
Ctl PgDn between the two input fields.
F10 Save and advance. This advances to the next file
after saving the changes to the current file.
Shft F10 Exit to the menu. Pressing this key causes
InteliCat to return you to the Add submenu after
saving any changes to the current record.
ESCape Abort to menu. This key causes InteliCat to abort
changes and return you to the menu. You are
prompted to confirm the action.
When you first start, InteliCat highlights the keyword field and
waits for you to edit the keywords. While you're in the keywords
field, the standard InteliCat string editing keys are active.
52 InteliCat Users Guide
NOTE: One of the configuration options can be used to keep
InteliCat from prompting for keywords. The 'Skip Keywords' option
described on page 68 describes this option. When it's turned on
(at default it's off) InteliCat will only prompt for comments.
When you press the enter key (or the down arrow) you will be in the
memo field to enter comments about the current file. While you're
editing the comment field, a whole new set of editing commands are
available. The editing keys provided while in the comment field
are more suitable for editing the large field (i.e. similar to a
word processor with automatic word wrap). There are many
similarities between the keys in the InteliCat comment editor and
the Brief editor. The memo editor commands are as follows:
Backspace Deletes the character to the left of the cursor
and moves the cursor left one position. (This
is the classic PC action for the backspace
key).
Delete Deletes the character under the cursor (if mark
mode is off). When mark mode is on, pressing
the delete key causes InteliCat to delete the
marked block.
Insert Toggles insert mode on and off.
Arrow Keys Moves the cursor the direction of the arrow.
Control Right Moves right to the next word.
Control Left Moves left to the previous word.
Control Space Puts a "hard" space in the document. This
insures two words aren't split by the automatic
word wrap. (Remember that the report may wrap
words at different spots than the screen! This
is the answer if you don't want something
split.)
Home Moves to the start of the current line.
Home Home (2 homes in a row) Moves to the start of the
displayed window. This is the same in effect
as pressing Control Home.
Home Home Home (3 homes in a row) Moves to the start of the
edit buffer.
End Moves to the end of the current line
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 53
End End (2 ends in a row) Moves to the end of the
current window. This is the same in effect as
pressing Control End.
End End End (3 ends in a row) Moves to the bottom of the
comment.
PgUp Moves the screen up by a page full (a page is
the maximum data that InteliCat can display in
the edit window at one time).
PgDn Moves the screen down by a page full.
Control Home Moves to the start of the displayed edit
window.
Control End Moves to the end of the displayed window full
of text.
ALT C Centers the current line of text.
ALT D Deletes the current line of text.
ALT I Inserts the contents of the editor scrap buffer
at the current cursor location. Note that the
scrap buffer used here is particular to the
editor, and has nothing to do with the
comment/keyword clipboard buffers.
ALT K Deletes from the cursor location to the end of
the cursor line.
ALT L, ALT M Toggles mark mode (allows marking a block of
text).
Keypad Minus If mark mode is off this cuts the current line
to the scrap buffer. If mark mode is on this
cuts the marked block to scrap.
Keypad Plus If mark mode is off this copies the current
line to the scrap buffer. If mark mode is on
this copies the marked block to scrap.
Control Y Deletes the current line. (Same in effect as
ALT D).
54 InteliCat Users Guide
Using the Clipboard
While editing comments and keywords, InteliCat has a clipboard
available that allows you to replicate existing comments/keywords
to other files.
There is a clipboard field for the keywords in addition to a
separate clipboard field for the comments.
Use of the clipboard is actually quite simple. You have two
choices: You can copy the contents of the current files field (the
field copied is the one you're currently on) to the clipboard, or
you may copy the contents of the clipboard field to the current
field. Use the command keys to copy fields to/from the clipboard
as you're editing the keywords and comments.
Copy Utility
InteliCat has a built in copy utility that makes it a snap to copy
the comments and/or keywords from one file in the database to other
files in the database. This utility can only be invoked from the
comment input screen. It is available for file records only (can't
be invoked while viewing a disk record), and is brought up by
pressing Control C. Additionally, this utility doesn't copy any
fields to disk records - it will only copy to file records.
Note that the selection criteria specified when you first selected
the Add/Mod Comments menu item restricts the files that the copy
utility works with. Unselected records aren't looked at by this
utility.
Once you press Control C, the Copy Utility dialog box is displayed
allowing you to specify the copy options. The following options
are available:
Field(s) To Copy To
-------------------
( ) Keywords ( ) Comments
This is where you specify which fields (of the file
that's currently being displayed) you want to copy. You
may select either or both of these fields for copying.
What To Copy The Field(s) To
----------------------------
( ) All Matching Filenames ( ) All Files
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 55
This is you specify which files to copy the selected
fields to. If you specify all matching filenames, the
fields will only be copied to selected records that have
the same file name as the file you're copying from (i.e.
the file that's displayed). (See the ignore archive
extension option - it works in conjunction with this
one).
If you specify to copy to all files, the selected fields
will be copied to all files that were selected when you
started editing comments.
Copy Options
------------
( ) Ignore Archive Extensions
This option tells InteliCat to ignore the extension of
archive files when it's looking for a matching filename
to copy the fields to. Note that this option only has
meaning when you haven't selected to copy the fields to
all files.
Replace Options
---------------
( ) Don't Replace ( ) Replace Existing ( ) Ask First
( ) Append
These options control how InteliCat handles things when a
file to copy the fields to is encountered that already
has contents in the field being copied.
If you don't want existing field contents to be replaced,
specify Don't Replace. If you want field contents to
always be replaced, specify Replace Existing.
If you specify Ask First, InteliCat will prompt you each
time it encounters a file that already has existing
contents for the field being copied. This allows you to
specify on an individual basis whether or not you want
the field to be replaced.
Lastly, specify the Append option to cause the field
being copied to be appended to the end of existing field
contents.
Delete/Replace Menu
56 InteliCat Users Guide
The delete/replace menu is where you should go if you desire to
delete, replace, or rename a disk that's in the database. This
section goes over these three operations as well as an option that
allows you to delete individual file records, and an option that
allows you to ZAP (erase) the active database.
Replace a Disk
You should use this option when you need to replace a disk that is
already in the database. This is needed if you modify (i.e. add or
delete files) on a disk already in the database. Instead of
forcing you to delete the old disk and then add a new one,
InteliCat allows you to simply tell it you wish to replace the
disk; InteliCat will do the work for you. Now there's no reason to
avoid changing the contents of a disk once you've cataloged it!
Note that when you replace a disk, InteliCat retains the comments
and keywords for all files on the newly logged disk that were on
the disk the last time it was logged.
WARNING: If you have InteliCat optioned to keep track of the
subdirectories that files are in, InteliCat won't keep
the comments/keywords of files if they are moved to
another directory on the disk.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 57
Multi-Drive Replace
This option is just like the replace option listed above, except it
allows you to specify any drive to log instead of using the
configured logging drives.
Rename a Disk
This option allows you to change the name of a disk that is in the
database. InteliCat prompts for the existing disk name (the old
name) and then prompts for the new name you want to use. The new
name must be unique from others already in the database.
Delete a Disk
This option allows you to delete a disk from the database.
InteliCat prompts for the name of the disk you want to delete.
NOTE: The 'Delete a File' option also allows you to delete disk
records as you're browsing the selected records.
Delete a File
This option allows you to delete individual file records from the
database. InteliCat prompts for selection criteria as well as
sorting options when you select this menu item. After you specify
the selection and sort options, InteliCat displays a screen similar
to the browse screen. Pressing the DELete key causes the viewed
record to be deleted. (If you press the DELete key while viewing a
disk record, InteliCat will prompt before deleting the disk).
Zap Database
Choosing this option zaps the entire database (deletes all disks in
the database). Because of the potential for massive data loss,
InteliCat asks for confirmation before zapping the database.
WARNING: Once you select this option and confirm it THERE IS NO
WAY TO GET THE DATABASE BACK (unless you kept a backup
copy of the database).
58 InteliCat Users Guide
Search Menu
The search menu allows you to search for specific files with ease.
The options in this menu allow you to search for a file based on
any of the following:
o File name
o Disk name
o Keywords
o Comments
The difference between the various menu items for searching is only
in what fields InteliCat searches at *default*.
Browse Files
This option allows you to browse the database without entering data
to search for. Unlike the other options on the search submenu,
this option is the only one that allows you to enter a complete set
of selection criteria as well as sort options (providing InteliCat
is optioned to ask for the selection criteria and/or sort fields).
Once you're in browse mode there are several commands available
(listed on the status line near the bottom of the screen). The
commands include keys such as PgUp, PgDn, Up Arrow, and the Down
Arrow for browsing through the files that matched the selection
criteria (if you specified selection criteria). In addition you
can press the letter 'S' (search) or the letter 'F' (find) to cause
InteliCat to prompt you for search data.
The search window is displayed if you press 'S' or 'F'. InteliCat
prompts for the string to search for in addition to the fields to
check. You can change the fields to search (as well as other
search options) by using the tab key to move to the option you want
to toggle and then press the space bar to toggle the option.
After finding the first match, you can press 'A' (again) or 'N'
(next) to move to the next matching record. To move to the
previous matching records press 'P' (previous) or 'B' (back).
Note that InteliCat only checks the search data against the files
that originally matched the selection criteria you specified.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 59
String Search
The string search is another way to enter browse mode. The
difference is that this option doesn't give you a chance to specify
selection criteria or sort options. Instead, InteliCat displays
the search window and prompts for the search data.
When you use the string search option the search window has the
defaults set to search ALL fields that you can search. You can
manually override the fields to search by tabbing to the option and
toggling it's value with the space bar.
Comment Search
The comment search option is just like the string search option
except at default InteliCat only searches for a match in the
comments. As with the string search, you can override the fields
to search by manually changing the options.
Keyword Search
The keyword search is like the other search options except at
default InteliCat only searches for a match in the keywords.
File Search
The file search is like the other search options except at default
InteliCat only searches for a match in the file names.
Case Sensitivity
This option toggles the case sensitivity of the searches in a field
that InteliCat considers to be case sensitive (the filename, disk
name, and the directory aren't considered case sensitive). When
the case sensitivity flag is ON, InteliCat doesn't find a match if
there is a difference in case. For example, when case sensitivity
is on and a file contained the following in the keywords field:
CATALOGER LOG DISK
and you searched the keywords field for "cat", the file would *NOT*
be considered as a match. Performing the same search with case
sensitivity turned off would result in a match.
60 InteliCat Users Guide
You can tell the setting of this option by looking at the menu
item. Note: InteliCat also displays the case sensitivity flag on
the main screen in the options window.
Reports Menu
The reports menu contains all the menu items to choose for the
various reports built in InteliCat.
Before going into the various reports, there are several features
of the reports that will be overviewed. One of the first things
that you may notice about the reports is the use of the printer
name 'SCREEN' (this option is located on the report output options
screen, accessible from the configuration menu). InteliCat ignores
the printer path anytime the name of the printer is SCREEN (if you
don't have InteliCat optioned to ask for the report destination),
in which case output goes to the screen. When you send a report to
the screen there are some special commands available at the end of
each display page. When you're at the end of a page of output
directed to the screen the following commands are available:
ESCape Aborts the report and returns you to the report
submenu.
S Begins a search. If InteliCat finds the search
data, it automatically displays the page of data the
matching file is on and highlights the match.
F Does the same thing as S.
N Finds the next match after using the S or F
commands.
A Does the same thing as N
P Finds the previous matching record
B Does the same thing as P
PgUp/Up arrow - Moves to the previous page of the report.
Any other key moves you to the next page of the report. Note
that when you are on the last page of the report you must
press ESCape to exit.
You can control the fields to print, the order fields are printed
in, page size, and field widths by changing the report format
options (from the Configuration menu). See the discussion on page
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 61
73 for details. Note that the page width setup doesn't effect
output that goes to the screen.
One last note about the reports menu is that when you select one of
the quick reports, InteliCat won't prompt for sort data or
selection criteria regardless of the InteliCat settings. The quick
reports automatically sort the data in a predefined manner (as
noted in the discussion below of the individual menu options).
Automatic sorting and selecting of records is also supported for
user defined reports. The automatic sort/selection data can be
specified from the report format options screen (accessible from
the configuration menu).
Volume Report
The volume report is a report that lists all the disk volumes that
are in the database. InteliCat doesn't list individual files on
this report. When you select the volume report, InteliCat asks for
the sort options (providing you configured InteliCat to ask for the
sort options). In addition, you will be prompted for selection
criteria if InteliCat is optioned to do so.
The following is an example of the volume report:
InteliCat Disk Volume Report - 12:12 am December 23, 1990 Pg 1
Disk Name Used Space Free Space Total Space Files Indexed
--------- ---------- ---------- ----------- ----- -------
IC000000001 222,208 140,288 362,496 0 12/22/89
IC000000002 197,632 164,864 362,496 1 12/22/89
IC000000003 240,640 81,920 322,560 2 12/22/89
IC000000004 361,472 1,024 362,496 13 12/22/89
IC000000005 196,608 165,888 362,496 6 12/22/89
IC000000006 351,232 11,264 362,496 74 12/22/89
IC000000007 360,448 2,048 362,496 22 12/22/89
IC000000008 353,280 9,216 362,496 39 12/22/89
IC000000009 220,160 142,336 362,496 31 12/22/89
IC000000010 230,400 132,096 362,496 12 12/22/89
IC000000011 23,439,360 10,004,480 33,443,840 1,104 12/22/89
Note that InteliCat prints comments and keywords for the volume
report if you have the options set to print comments and keywords.
(See the discussion of the Configuration Menu - report format
options on page 73 for details).
Quick Volume Report
62 InteliCat Users Guide
The quick volume report is the same as the volume report with the
exception that it automatically sorts the volumes by disk name.
File/Ext Report
The file/ext report is a report that lists all the files that are
in the database. When you select the file/ext report, InteliCat
prompts for the selection criteria as well as the sort options
(providing you configured InteliCat to ask for the options). You
control the fields that InteliCat prints, the order they're printed
in as well as the field widths by the report format options (see
Report Options on page 73). The following is an example of the
file/ext report:
InteliCat File/Ext Listing Report - 12:12 am Dec 23, 1990 Pg 7
File Name Disk Name Size Date Time Archive
--------- --------- -------- ---- ---- -------
CATOPT.BAK IC000000011 8,042 12/06/89 09:08:48 pm
CATOPT.C IC000000011 8,029 12/06/89 09:12:34 pm
*CATOPT.C IC000000011 6,015 09/11/89 08:21:42 pm
*CATOPT.C IC000000011 8,042 12/18/89 05:05:24 pm
This is the current version of the source
for the InteliCat Options Menu handler. All
of the options are handled in this module.
*CATOPT.C IC000000011 6,032 09/05/89 09:18:34 pm
CATOPT.OBJ IC000000011 7,901 12/18/89 05:08:02 pm
CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 09/04/89 01:26:50 pm
*CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 09/11/89 08:20:42 pm
*CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 12/18/89 05:05:24 pm
CB.EXE IC000000011 37,322 09/15/89 03:00:00 pm
CBERR.H IC000000011 6,773 09/28/88 04:17:10 pm
CBFIND.C IC000000011 1,192 08/20/89 12:18:28 am
CBKEYCMP.C IC000000011 12,349 09/11/89 08:20:42 pm
*CBKEYCMP.C IC000000011 12,334 09/05/89 07:29:06 pm
CBL. IC000000011 2,026 08/07/89 06:23:32 pm
CBL.BAK IC000000011 2,065 08/07/89 06:28:00 pm
CBL.CM IC000000011 2,484 10/23/89 05:19:54 pm
CBL.M IC000000011 3,693 10/23/89 05:09:16 pm
*CBL.M IC000000011 3,732 10/23/89 05:19:50 pm
CBL.OLD IC000000011 1,338 05/01/89 02:00:34 pm
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 63
Quick File/Ext Report
The quick file/ext report is the same as the file/ext report except
when you choose the quick file/ext report InteliCat doesn't prompt
for the selection criteria and sort options. InteliCat
automatically sorts by the filename when you select this option.
Duplicate Files
This report gives you a listing of the files that are possible
duplicates. The fields that InteliCat uses to determine if a file
is a duplicate are user configurable (located on the report format
options screen). After selecting this report, InteliCat will
prompt for selection criteria (if optioned to do so).
After selection criteria is entered (or skipped), InteliCat will
automatically sort the selected file records by all the fields that
you have configured to check for duplicate files. Remember that
the files are only potential duplicate files based on the fields
that you specified for InteliCat to check! For example, if the
only field you have InteliCat configured to check is the file size,
then files that are the same size regardless of name would be
considered duplicates by InteliCat. At default, InteliCat checks
the file name and size when looking for duplicate files.
The duplicates report looks the same as the file/ext report (the
fields printed as well as the layout).
BBS type listing
This is a report formatted in a fashion similar to that used by
several BBS programs (i.e. ProDoor). Using this option along with
the correct field width settings you can create a ProDoor dir from
a InteliCat data base. This allows Sysops to download files to a
disk, use InteliCat to log them, import comments from the listing
of the originating board, and then automatically create the dir
entries required for ProDoor! The report option settings required
to produce a ProDoor DIR file are:
Lines Per Page: 0
Left Margin: 0
Right Margin: 78
Action for a Newline: CRLF
File Name Width: 0 or 12
File Size: 7
Modification Date Width: 0 or 8
Comment Width: 0
64 InteliCat Users Guide
Field Gap: 2
NOTE: The order fields are printed when you select this report
is always the same (InteliCat will always print filename,
size, date, and comments when the BBS report is
selected).
Starting with v1.9, InteliCat has the flexibility in
report layout to allow you to tailor the other reports to
suit a variety of different BBS dir formats, while this
report is somewhat limited to the ProDoor format.
User Defined Report (Vol)
This option allows you to specify the name of a volume report
layout file (created from the report format options screen) that
specifies how the report should look. When you specify the report
file to use, InteliCat will modify the report format options to
match those contained in the file.
User defined reports also allow you to use automatic sort and
selection criteria (see the report format options for details).
InteliCat supports an unlimited (other than disk space) number of
custom report layout files.
User Defined Report (File)
This lets you select a user defined File report layout file. The
only difference between this option and the one above is the type
of report that is generated (See above).
43/50 Line Mode
This option toggles the use of 43/50 line output for reports going
to the screen. Note that you can only turn this option on if you
have an EGA/VGA or equivalent adapter.
Configuration Menu
The configuration submenu has all the items that allow you to
change the settings in InteliCat. This section of the manual
explains each of the menu items available via the configuration
submenu.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 65
Catalog Options
This menu choice allows you to set many of the miscellaneous
options. The options you can set by choosing Catalog Options are
as follows:
1) Case sensitive search: This option is the case
sensitivity flag. When case sensitivity is on InteliCat
doesn't match a string being searched for unless both the
string and case match. If you turn on the case flag,
InteliCat considers Hello to be different from hello. At
default this option is on. Note that the filename, disk
name, and subdirectory fields aren't case sensitive no
matter how this option is set.
2) Add comments while logging: This option determines
whether InteliCat prompts for comments immediately after
each disk logged. At default this option is off.
3) Ask for select criteria: This option specifies whether
or not InteliCat should prompt for the selection criteria
when you choose a menu item that allows selecting special
records. The following menu items allow selecting
special records:
o Add/mod comments
o Delete a file
o Browse files
o Volume report
o File/ext report
o Duplicate files
o BBS type listing
o User defined report*
* When you select a user defined report, the selection
criteria will only be prompted for if automatic
selection criteria hasn't been specified (see report
format options on page 73).
At default this option is on.
66 InteliCat Users Guide
4) Ask for sort criteria: This option specifies whether or
not InteliCat should prompt for the sort options. If
this option is OFF, InteliCat will never ask you for the
sort options. When this option is turned on the
following menu items cause InteliCat to prompt for the
sort items:
o Add/mod comments
o Delete a file
o Browse files
o Volume report
o File/ext report
o Duplicate files
o BBS type listing
o User defined report*
* When you select a user defined report, the sort
options will only be prompted for if automatic sort
criteria hasn't been specified (see report format
options on page 73).
At default this option is on.
5) Keep subdir names: This option specifies whether or not
InteliCat should collect subdirectory names. If this
option is on, InteliCat tracks the directory names of
each file. At default this option is on.
NOTE: When this option is on, InteliCat considers the
subdirectory to be significant when looking for
a matching filename as a disk is being
replaced. I.E. if you move files on a disk
from one subdirectory to another, and replace
the disk while this option set, InteliCat won't
consider the files to be matches with the old
ones (the comments and keywords won't be
carried over).
6) Use mouse: This option specifies whether or not
InteliCat should allow the use of a mouse. If this option
is off, InteliCat won't attempt enabling the mouse driver
even if it's present in memory.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 67
A command line option (/R) is available for you to
specify not to use the mouse from the command line.
At default this option is on.
7) Backup databases: This option specifies whether or not
InteliCat should backup a database before saving changes
made. InteliCat keeps the changes to the main database
resident in memory until you specify to write them or
exit the program. The comments are in a disk based
database that changes as you make modifications. If
backups are ON InteliCat will copy the contents of the
main database and comment database to .BAK files before
saving ANY changes (either to the main database or to the
comment database). For instance, if you are using IC.DB
(the default database):
Physical Databases Backup Databases
------------------- ----------------
IC.DB (Files) IC.BAK
IC1.DB (Comments) IC1.BAK
(Remember from the introduction that InteliCat stores
data in two separate databases. The comment database has
the same name as the main database with a '1' appended.
That's why database names can only be seven characters
long). At default this option is off.
WARNING: InteliCat OVERWRITES existing backup files when
it performs the backup. This is important to remember,
because in the event InteliCat detects a corrupted
comment database it makes automatic corrections. When
you save the database, InteliCat replaces any backups
previously made with the new backup (which will be the
corrupt files!). Autosave of the database is
automatically turned off if you read a database that has
corrupted comments to minimize this problem.
8) Skip input of keywords: This option specifies whether or
not InteliCat should skip the input of keywords while
editing comments/keywords. When you set this option on,
InteliCat will only prompt for comments. When this
option is off, InteliCat prompts for both keywords and
comments.
At default this option is off.
Note: Even when you have this option turned on, you may
use the keyword pick list to specify keywords.
68 InteliCat Users Guide
9) Import 4DOS desc. files: This option specifies whether
InteliCat should automatically import comments contained
in 4DOS descript.ion files as it logs disks. When this
option is on, InteliCat considers files named
descript.ion to be 4DOS comment files, and imports the
comments they contain as the disk is logged.
At default this option is on.
10) Display main option windows: This option specifies
whether InteliCat should display the two main option
windows (Volume options and Catalog options). At default
this option is on.
11) Enter Key Finishes Dialog: This option specifies how
InteliCat will treat the ENTER key when it's pressed on a
dialog box. At default, pressing the ENTER key causes
the action associated with the active selection box to be
performed, typically finishing the dialog box.
If you turn this option OFF, InteliCat will treat the
ENTER key as if the TAB key was pressed (i.e. the next
field in the dialog box is made current).
This option is ignored when the only kind of fields in a
dialog box are selection boxes. When the only fields in
a dialog are selection boxes, the ENTER key will always
select the action of the active selection box.
NOTE: If you turn this option OFF, you can only select
to perform a selection box action by clicking on the
selection box with the mouse or by pressing the hotkey
for the selection box. Also note that the Reset box in
the dialog for report format options does *not* have a
hotkey, so if you turn this option off, the only method
you have of selecting the Reset box would be using a
mouse.
Volume Label Options
The volume label options item allows you to specify how InteliCat
should handle volume labels. Before getting into the options a
clarification of the wording used is in order. In this text, when
I mention "volume label", I am referring to the volume label that
is physically present on the disk (and is displayed by DOS when you
list the directory contents of the disk). When I refer to "disk
name", I am referring to the name the disk was given when it was
added to the InteliCat database.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 69
Each of the volume options can have a value equivalent to 'No',
'Yes', or 'Ask'. When you have an option set to 'Ask', InteliCat
will prompt before performing the action associated with the
option.
With that out of the way, the following options can be set:
1) Write the disk name as a volume label: This option
specifies whether or not InteliCat should write the disk
name to the disk as a volume label. If you set this
option to 'Yes', InteliCat will automatically create a
volume label on the disk using the disk name (if a volume
label exists, InteliCat will delete it first). Note that
the volume name creation will fail if you specify a disk
name that doesn't obey the rules for naming a volume (as
explained in your DOS manual). At default this option is
'No'. In summary, when this option is on InteliCat will
attempt to write the disk name as a volume label to every
disk you log.
NOTE: When this option is set to Yes, InteliCat will
automatically uppercase the disk name.
If you log a disk as a dummy entry, the disk name will
NOT be written on the disk as a volume label regardless
how this option is set.
2) Use existing volume label as disk name: This option
specifies whether or not InteliCat should treat an
existing disk volume label as the disk name. If you set
this option to 'Yes', InteliCat automatically names disks
that have a volume label. This has precedence over
automatic disk naming using the template (described
later). At default this option is 'No'. When this
option is on and you log a disk that has a volume label,
InteliCat will use the volume label as the disk name
inside the database. If the disk exists, InteliCat asks
if you want to replace it.
If you also set the option to delete volume labels,
InteliCat deletes the existing volume label *after* using
it for the disk name.
3) Delete existing volume labels: This option specifies
whether or not InteliCat should automatically delete
existing volume labels as it logs disks. At default this
option is 'No'. When this option is on InteliCat will
delete existing volume labels from every disk you log.
This is a handy way to get rid of existing volume labels.
70 InteliCat Users Guide
Note: InteliCat overrides this option if you have the
option set to write the disk name as a volume label.
If you log a disk as a dummy entry, any existing volume
label will NOT be deleted regardless how this option is
set.
Report Output Options
This menu item allows you to change the options that have to do
with where and how report output will be done. The following items
can be set by choosing this menu option:
1) Ask for dest at report time: This option determines
whether or not InteliCat will prompt for the output
destination each time you request a report. If you set
this option on, InteliCat will ask if you want output to
go to the screen, a file, or the configured destination
everytime you request a report. This option overrides
the use of SCREEN as a printer name. When this option is
off, InteliCat will use the printer name to determine
whether output goes to the screen. At default this
option is on.
2) Print two sided: This option determines whether
InteliCat will print reports as two sided. If you set
this option on, InteliCat will print reports (going to a
destination other than the screen) in two passes. First,
it prints all odd pages and then pauses prompting for you
to reload the paper. After you press ENTER at the
prompt, InteliCat will print the even pages. At default
this option is off.
NOTE: InteliCat prints pages starting with the LOWEST
numbered page going through the HIGHEST
numbered page. For two sided printing, it is
important to reload the paper for the even
pages so that the paper you desire page two to
be printed on is the first in the paper feed.
3) Use 43/50 line mode for screen reports: This option
determines whether InteliCat will display reports going
to the screen using 43 or 50 lines (only available on
EGA/VGA adapters). At default this option is off.
4) Report Dest: This option is the "configured" logical
device or path you want report output to go to. The
report destination is where output of all reports go
(unless the printer name is SCREEN, or you use the Ask
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 71
for Destination option to override). You can specify any
DOS device/file for the report output. For example:
Printer path Sends output to
------------ ---------------
LPT1 First parallel port.
Normally, this is where
your real printer is.
COM1 First COM port. This is
where a serial printer or a
modem normally is.
C:\TEST.PRN This specifies to send the
output to a file in the
root directory of drive C:
called TEST.PRN.
At default this option is: PRN.
5) Printer name: This option is where you can specify the
printer name to InteliCat. The name SCREEN is a special
case. If you specify the printer name as SCREEN the
report will go to the screen instead of the report path
specified.
Any other printer name causes InteliCat to use the
specified report path. Additionally, when you specify a
printer name other than SCREEN, InteliCat searches for a
printer configuration file with the printer name and
extension of .PRT (i.e. if you specify a printer name of
HPLASER, InteliCat would look for a file called
HPLASER.PRT). If the file doesn't exist, InteliCat will
create it. InteliCat stores the printer files in the
same subdirectory the other data files are stored in.
The printer files contain the printer codes to send
before the report is printed (the initialize string) and
the string to send after the report is done (the deinit
string). InteliCat allows you to edit/specify what the
initialization/deinit strings are (see options below).
At default this option is: SCREEN.
The following two options are available by selecting the box
'Init/Deinit...' when editing report output options. They
are:
72 InteliCat Users Guide
1) Initialization string: This option is where you can
specify the string that InteliCat sends to the printer to
initialize it before each report is printed. Specific
ASCII values can be specified by using a backslash
followed by 1 to 3 numbers. For example the control code
to put many dot matrix printers in condensed print mode
is ASCII value 27 followed by ASCII value 15. To specify
this string in InteliCat you could use any of the
following:
\27\15
\027\015
\27\015
\027\15
If you wish to send a backslash in the initialization
string, you can specify:
\\
Any other characters (other than those specified with the
backslash as detailed above) are sent to the printer
verbatim.
2) Deinitialization string: This option is where you can
specify the string that InteliCat sends to the printer
after every report that is printed. See the description
of the initialization string (above) for details on how
to specify specific ascii values (such as the ESCape
character).
Report Format Options
The report format options item allows you to control the layout of
a report. Using these options you can change the fields printed,
the order fields are printed, the field width, as well as the page
setup information. There are separate layout options for disk
reports and file reports. You can tell which report type the
displayed options are for by reading the title on the options
window.
After you select the report format options menu item, you will be
in a dialog box where the following options may be changed:
Left margin This is the left margin of the report (in
character spaces). At default this option is
5.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 73
Right margin This is the right margin of the report (in
character spaces). At default this option is
78. Note that the right margin must be less
than or equal to the actual physical right
margin on the printer.
Top margin This is the number of lines to leave blank for
the top margin. At default this value is 2.
Bottom margin This is the number of lines to leave blank for
the bottom margin. At default this value is 1.
Formfeed ok This option specifies whether or not the
printer supports formfeeds. If this option is
ON, InteliCat will send a formfeed to advance
to the next page. If you set this option off,
InteliCat prints line feeds to advance to the
next page. At default this item is on.
Action for a new line: This option specifies what character or
character sequence is needed to advance the
print head to the next line (at the start print
position). The possible values are: CR
(carriage return), LF (linefeed), or CRLF (both
a carriage return and a linefeed). At default
this option is CRLF.
Lines per page: This option specifies how many lines there are
on the page. At default this option has a
value of 60 (which works properly on LaserJet
printers and dot matrix printers if Formfeed OK
is on). Note that the default value leaves a
few extra unused lines on the bottom of a dot
matrix page which can normally hold 66 lines.
If you don't have a LaserJet, you may wish to
change this option. (Note: Specifying zero
causes the output to be continuous).
Pause at the end of a page: This option allows you to use
InteliCat with a single sheet printer. If you
set this option ON, InteliCat will prompt you
to press a key after each printed page. At
default this option is off.
Field Gap: Specifies the number of spaces to print between
each field on the report. At default the field gap
is 1.
Flag duplicate records: This option specifies whether or not
74 InteliCat Users Guide
InteliCat should flag duplicate records on the
file type reports. When you set this option
ON, InteliCat will display a * beside entries
that it considers to be duplicates. The way
you sort the records (and the report layout)
affect the way InteliCat finds duplicate
records. InteliCat considers a record to be a
duplicate if the fields you have selected to
check for dups match between one record and
another.
NOTE: When you have InteliCat configured to
flag duplicate records a leading space in each
line is required. This means there may appear
to be a left margin of 1 greater than what you
asked for. Turn off this option if you don't
want that!
The following is a sample of a report with duplicate
flagging turned off, and then with it on:
With Flag duplicate records set to no:
InteliCat File/Ext Listing Report - 12:12 am Dec 23, 1990 Pg 7
File Name Disk Name Size Date Time Archive
--------- --------- -------- ---- ---- -------
CATOPT.BAK IC000000011 8,042 12/06/89 09:08:48 pm
CATOPT.C IC000000011 8,029 12/06/89 09:12:34 pm
CATOPT.C IC000000011 6,015 09/11/89 08:21:42 pm
CATOPT.C IC000000011 8,042 12/18/89 05:05:24 pm
CATOPT.C IC000000011 6,032 09/05/89 09:18:34 pm
CATOPT.OBJ IC000000011 7,901 12/18/89 05:08:02 pm
CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 09/04/89 01:26:50 pm
CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 09/11/89 08:20:42 pm
CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 12/18/89 05:05:24 pm
CB.EXE IC000000011 37,322 09/15/89 03:00:00 pm
With Flag duplicate records set to yes:
InteliCat File/Ext Listing Report - 12:12 am Dec 23, 1990 Pg 7
File Name Disk Name Size Date Time Archive
--------- --------- -------- ---- ---- -------
CATOPT.BAK IC000000011 8,042 12/06/89 09:08:48 pm
CATOPT.C IC000000011 8,029 12/06/89 09:12:34 pm
*CATOPT.C IC000000011 6,015 09/11/89 08:21:42 pm
*CATOPT.C IC000000011 8,042 12/18/89 05:05:24 pm
*CATOPT.C IC000000011 6,032 09/05/89 09:18:34 pm
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 75
CATOPT.OBJ IC000000011 7,901 12/18/89 05:08:02 pm
CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 09/04/89 01:26:50 pm
*CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 09/11/89 08:20:42 pm
*CATOPT1.C IC000000011 2,924 12/18/89 05:05:24 pm
CB.EXE IC000000011 37,322 09/15/89 03:00:00 pm
At default this option is on.
NOTE: This option isn't available for disk reports.
Truncate Long Lines: Specifies whether or not you want long
lines truncated. If you turn this option ON,
InteliCat chops off all fields after reaching
the right margin (except for keywords and
comments which InteliCat prints beginning the
second line). At default, InteliCat doesn't
truncate lines.
Double Space: Specifies whether or not InteliCat should
double space the report. At default this
option is off.
Withhold Commas for Size Fields: This option controls
the display of commas in file size/disk space
fields on the reports. If you set this option
on, InteliCat won't insert commas in the size
fields. Use of this option allows you to
generate reports in the format(s) used by many
different BBS systems for file directories.
Auto Sort Criteria: This field displays automatic sort
criteria (if any is specified). At default
this field contains nothing. NOTE: The sort
is only performed automatically for user
defined reports. For other reports, the
default sort input field values are taken from
this field, but you must press ENTER to cause
the sort to occur.
Auto Sel Criteria: This field displays automatic selection
criteria (if any is specified). At default
this field contains nothing. NOTE: The
selection is only performed automatically for
user defined reports. For other reports, the
default input field values are taken from this
field, but you must press ENTER to cause the
selection to occur.
76 InteliCat Users Guide
Beyond the normal selection boxes for Ok and Cancel, this dialog
box also has a number of other selection boxes. They are as
follows:
Disk Report Options/
File Report Options
This selection box toggles the report type you're editing
options for. Each time this box is selected, the report type
will change from file to disk and vice versa. (Remember the
format options for disk and file reports are kept separate in
InteliCat).
Fields
This selection box takes you to the dialog box for modifying
the individual report field options. From this screen you can
specify the order to print fields, field widths, fields to
print, and the fields to check when looking for duplicate
files. See below for a description of the field options.
Save
This selection box allows you to save the current settings in
a report layout file.
Load
This selection box allows you to load the current report
settings from an existing report layout file.
Sort
This selection box allows you to specify automatic sort
information.
Sel
This box allows you to specify the automatic selection
criteria for the report.
Reset
This box resets to default values all options for the current
report type.
Field Options
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 77
When you select the 'Fields' selection box on the report format
options dialog, you are able to set the field specific options for
the current report type. After selecting the 'Fields' box, a new
dialog box will be displayed listing the following:
78 InteliCat Users Guide
(For File Reports)
Field Name Column to Print In Width Dup Check
---------- ------------------ ----- ---------
(*) File Name 1 0 (*) Yes
( ) Subdirs 2 0 ( ) Yes
(*) Disk Name 3 0 ( ) Yes
(*) Size 4 0 (*) Yes
(*) Date 5 0 ( ) Yes
(*) Time 6 0 ( ) Yes
( ) Archive 7 0
( ) Keywords 8 0
(*) Comments Last 0
(For Volume Reports)
Field Name Column to Print In Width
---------- ------------------ -----
(*) Disk Name 1 0
(*) Used Space 2 0
(*) Free Space 3 0
(*) Total Space 4 0
(*) Files 5 0
(*) Indexed 6 0
(*) Keywords 7 0
(*) Comments 8 0
Notes:
The field names are button toggles. Simply toggle the field ON if
you want it printed, and off if you don't.
The column field allows you to specify the order you want fields
printed in. When a report is printed, InteliCat prints fields
starting with the one having the lowest column number, followed by
the one with the next lowest column, etc... Fields that aren't set
to print are ignored. In the example from above for the file
report, the printed report would have the file name as the first
field, the disk name as the second field, etc.
The column of the comments field can't be specified. The comments
will always be printed as the last field.
The width of a field can be set to a specific value (in which case
the field will occupy that much space on the report), or to a value
of 0 (the default). When the field width is set to 0, InteliCat
will automatically determine the width to use.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 79
InteliCat detects duplicate records by checking the fields that are
set for 'Yes' under the Dup column.
NOTE: InteliCat checks the fields that you have marked to check
for duplicate records in the order they are listed on the
field options screen (i.e. filename, subdir, disk name,
file size, modification date, modification time). When a
report is printed a record is considered a duplicate if
it matches the previously printed record on all the
selected duplicate check fields. For this to work
properly, you must specify a sort order that will cause
duplicate records to be grouped together. I.E. you
should sort on all the fields that are checked for
duplicates (in the order they appear on the report
options screen).
When you select the duplicate files report, InteliCat
automatically handles the sort order for you to make this
work.
Report Title Options
This menu item allows you to specify the report title lines that
InteliCat will use for reports. You can specify up to four lines
of title information. Each line that you specify will be printed
at the top of the page, centered between the left and right margins
(i.e. the printable area of the report). Any trailing empty lines
are ignored by InteliCat; you can cause them to be printed as blank
lines by putting one or more space characters in them.
There are several 'fields' available for use in the report titles.
When InteliCat finds the specification for a field in the title, it
will substitute the fields value. The following fields are
available:
%F The current database filename.
%T The time the report was started in 'HH:MM am' format.
%D The date the report was started in 'MMM DD, CCYY' format.
%# The current page number.
If you want the text equivalent to a field listed above to be
listed on the report title, you can do it by preceding it with
another % sign. For example, to make the text %F appear in the
title, you would need to specify %%F.
80 InteliCat Users Guide
Memory Usage Options
This menu item allows you to set the options that have to do with
how InteliCat allocates and uses memory. The following options can
be set after choosing this menu item:
1) Maximum Files, Disks, Subdirs, and Keywords
These four options allow you to change the maximum number
of files, disks, subdirectories, and keywords InteliCat
can handle. The greater the maximum for each of these,
the greater the amount of required memory. If there
isn't enough memory available to change to the specified
amount, InteliCat gives you the option to save the amount
in a configuration file. Note that if you exceed the
amount that InteliCat can allocate at program start up,
it will take *much* longer to initialize since InteliCat
will have to adjust memory usage until it finds an amount
that will work.
You should be aware that each disk you configure will use
one of the file slots as well (the file slot is where
InteliCat stores the disk name). So, if you ask for 3000
files and 300 disks you will only be able to use 2700 of
the file slots for actual files.
At default there are 3000 files, 300 disks, and 300 dirs.
Note that if InteliCat runs out of memory and all the
allowed files/disks/dirs aren't in use InteliCat will
adjust the amounts allocated to overcome the memory
shortage (a message window will inform you that InteliCat
adjusted memory allocation).
The maximum number of files supported by InteliCat
depends on your system setup and the type of memory that
is being used. With EMS or extended memory (XMS) you can
have up to 32,000 files in a single database. With
conventional memory there isn't really an exact maximum
since it is completely dependant on the EXACT amount of
free memory on your system (i.e. any TSRs, device
drivers, etc you have will change the amount available).
In general, I've found that a typical 640K machine will
usually hold a MAXIMUM of 6000 files.
2) Amount of EMS to use
This option allows you to specify how much EMS memory
InteliCat should try to use when it first starts up. EMS
is the second choice InteliCat attempts to use (XMS is
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 81
first). The value specified is the amount of K memory
you want InteliCat to use. It is important to note here
that:
o EMS memory is allocated in blocks of 16K. InteliCat
rounds the amount of EMS used to an even multiple of
16.
o InteliCat only uses one type of memory to hold the
file records in. Therefore, InteliCat uses EMS
instead of conventional/extended memory, and not in
addition to.
o If InteliCat finds there is more conventional free
memory available than EMS, InteliCat will not use
EMS.
o InteliCat will not allocate more EMS (no matter how
much you specify) than it requires to hold the
maximum number of files. It takes about 1.2 meg of
EMS to hold the maximum 32,000 files.
InteliCat looks at the EMS value only when it first
starts (InteliCat doesn't use changes until the next time
it's loaded). If you specify an amount greater than what
is available on your system, InteliCat will issue a
warning message when it is initializing.
There are several useful values that specify the amount
of EMS you want InteliCat to use. They are:
0 A value of zero causes InteliCat to not attempt
allocating EMS.
1 A value of 1 tells InteliCat to allocate the maximum
amount of EMS available (up to enough to store the
max number of files).
A negative value tells InteliCat to attempt allocating
the amount specified, but keeps InteliCat from issuing a
warning if the specified amount isn't available.
Any other value causes InteliCat to attempt allocating
the exact amount of K bytes specified (up to the amount
required for the max number of files). If InteliCat
can't allocate the amount specified it will issue a
warning.
82 InteliCat Users Guide
3) Amount of Extended to use
This option allows you to specify how much extended
memory InteliCat should try to use when it first starts
up. Extended memory is the first choice InteliCat uses.
If XMS is available (and you configured InteliCat to use
it), InteliCat will use XMS instead of expanded (EMS).
The value specified is the amount of K memory you want
InteliCat to use. It is important to note that:
o InteliCat works with extended memory using the XMS
v2.0 specifications. This means that you must
include HIMEM.SYS in your CONFIG.SYS file, and that
VDISK type drivers can't be in use.
o InteliCat only uses one type of memory to hold the
file records in. Therefore, InteliCat uses extended
memory instead of conventional/EMS memory, and not
in addition to.
o If InteliCat finds there is more conventional free
memory available than the amount of XMS available
(or configured for InteliCat to use), InteliCat will
not use extended memory.
o InteliCat will not allocate more extended memory (no
matter how much you specify) than it needs to hold
the maximum number of files. (Approximately 1.2 meg
is enough to hold the 32,000 files)
InteliCat only attempts extended memory allocation when
it first starts (InteliCat doesn't use changes until the
next time it's loaded). If you specify an amount greater
than what is available on your system, InteliCat will
issue a warning message when it is initializing.
There are several useful values that specify the amount
of extended memory you want InteliCat to use. They are:
0 A value of zero causes InteliCat to not attempt
allocating extended memory.
1 A value of 1 tells InteliCat to allocate the maximum
amount of extended memory available (up to enough to
store the max number of files - approximately 1.2
meg).
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 83
A negative value tells InteliCat to attempt allocating
the amount specified, but keeps InteliCat from issuing a
warning if the specified amount isn't available.
Any other value causes InteliCat to attempt allocating
the exact amount of K bytes specified (up to the amount
required for the max number of files). If InteliCat
can't allocate the amount specified it will issue a
warning.
Archive Options
This menu item allows you to set the options that tell InteliCat
how to handle Archive files. The following options can be set
after choosing this menu item:
1) Extract archive file members: This option specifies
whether InteliCat should look inside ARChives to
determine the names of the files contained in the
archives. When you have this option set to 'Yes',
InteliCat adds the names of all the files inside the
archive to the database (flagging them as members of the
archive). InteliCat is capable of viewing files in the
following formats:
LHARC LHA
ZIP GIF
ARC ARJ
PAK ZOO
InteliCat only checks to see if a file is an archive if
it's extension matches one of the configured extensions.
See the discussion on ARChive extensions on page 85 for
details.
If you set this option to 'Ask' InteliCat will prompt if
you want to expand each archive encountered.
At default this option is 'No'.
2) Extract archive comments: This option specifies whether
or not InteliCat should attempt to pull comments out of
archives. InteliCat is capable of extracting the
comments out of all supported formats that allow comments
in the archive. This allows you to add comments to files
without having to type them, by using the comments
contained in the archive. You may also set this option
to 'Ask' to have InteliCat prompt if you want the
84 InteliCat Users Guide
comments pulled from each archive. At default this
option is 'No'.
3) Extract them as keywords: This specifies whether archive
comments that are imported are imported to the keyword
field instead of the comment field in InteliCat.
The remaining options can be viewed/set by selecting the 'More' box
displayed on the archive options dialog.
4) Archive Extensions: To set the extensions that InteliCat
considers archives, you should select the 'More' box from
the archive options dialog. At default the extensions
InteliCat considers as archives are:
ZIP LZH PKA PAK ARC
GIF ARJ ZOO
5) Extract command: This is where you configure the command
that is needed to extract files from the archive (this
should only be used if you want to import specific files
as comments, for example, FILE_ID.DIZ). If you don't
specify the extract command for an extension, any comment
files contained in the archive will not be imported. To
work properly the archive commands should contain field
indicators that let InteliCat know where it should
specify the archive name as well as the name of the file
to be extracted. The following fields can be used:
%A The name of the archive file.
%F The name of the file to extract.
If you specify an extract command without both the above
fields contained in them, a warning message will be
displayed since InteliCat won't have a way to communicate
to your archive program what needs to be done.
As an example of how this works, the following is an
extract command that will work for PKZIP files:
PKUNZIP %A %F
When InteliCat locates a comment file in an archive (the
file names InteliCat looks for are configured by you as
described below), it will use Switch! to shell and
execute the extract command. When control returns to
InteliCat, it will look in the CURRENT DIRECTORY for the
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 85
file it asked the archiver to extract. If found, this
file will be imported to the comment field for the
archive file. After import, the comment file will be
deleted.
6) K Mem Reqd: This field specifies the amount of memory
that Switch! should make available to run the associated
extract command. If you set this fields value to low,
the extract command won't be performed successfully. It
is suggested you use a value of 640 for this field.
7) Description File(s): This field is where you specify the
files that InteliCat should look for inside archives.
When a match is found with one of the files you specify
here, InteliCat will execute the extract command to
attempt importing the file.
Multiple files can be specified by separating them with a
space. In the event a single archive contains more than
one of the description files specified, the contents of
the last file found will be used.
Disk Naming Options
This menu option allows you to specify the options dealing with how
disks are named. The following options can be set after choosing
this menu item:
1) Only allow upper case disk names: This option specifies
whether InteliCat will allow lowercase letters in disk
names. When this option is On, InteliCat forces disk
names to uppercase. At default this option is on.
2) Use automatic disk naming: This option specifies whether
or not InteliCat should automatically name disks using
the template. When automatic disk naming is on,
InteliCat will use the template to generate a unique name
for each disk as it's logged. The method InteliCat uses
to generate a name is by sequentially increasing the last
name used (based on the template) until a unique name is
generated. Examples of this are in the description of
the template and last name used option. At default this
option is off.
Note: If you have InteliCat configured to use disk
volume labels as the disk name and log a disk with a
label, that option overrides automatic naming.
86 InteliCat Users Guide
3) Template: This is the template InteliCat uses to
generate a disk name when you are using automatic disk
naming (the option explained above). InteliCat expects
the template to be composed of Xs and 9s. The X
character is essentially a place holder, and the 9
character is a character that InteliCat can sequentially
increment. For example, consider the following template:
XX999 This specifies a template for a five
character disk name. The first two
positions represent characters not changed
by InteliCat when it generates a name.
The last three positions represent numeric
characters subject to change when
InteliCat generates a name.
At default this option is: XX999999999.
4) Last: This is the name of the last disk added to the
database with automatic naming. InteliCat uses the name
in conjunction with the template described above. To see
how it works consider the following examples to see how
InteliCat would generate a disk name:
Template Last Generated Name Disk
-------- ---- -------------- ----
XX999 IC000 IC001 1st
IC001 IC002 2nd
...
IC099 IC100 100th
X9XX9 L0DB0 L0DB1 1st
L0DB1 L0DB2 2nd
L0DB9 L1DB0 10th
InteliCat displays an error and prompts for the disk name
if it is unable to generate a unique name. At default
this option is: IC000000000.
It is important to note that InteliCat stores the LAST
value (as well as the template) in the configuration
file. This means that when you save the database the
last value is not automatically saved, so the next time
you start InteliCat the last value will revert to what
was stored in the configuration file. Note that this
does not cause a problem because InteliCat will
automatically increment the last value until a unique
value is generated the first time it names a disk. (For
example, if you logged 100 disks using autonaming, then
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 87
exit InteliCat and later go back in the last value would
be the same as before you logged the disks. When you
logged the next disk, InteliCat would increment the last
name to 101).
5) Use existing volume label as disk name: This option
specifies whether or not InteliCat should treat an
existing DOS disk volume label as the disk name. Note
that this option is also available from the 'Volume Label
Options' menu item.
This option has precedence over automatic disk naming
when logging a disk that has a volume label.
Logging Drive(s)
Choosing this menu item allows you to change the drive(s) that
InteliCat uses for logging disks. If you specify two different
drives, InteliCat alternates between them for logging the disks.
Date Options
Choosing this menu item allows you to specify the way that
InteliCat displays dates. At default, InteliCat checks the country
setting of the PC (for MS-DOS 3.0+) and sets the date display
options accordingly. For versions of DOS prior to 3.0, InteliCat
will default to the USA display format.
Using the options available after selecting this menu item, you can
specify how dates are displayed (including the separator
character).
Autosave Options
Choosing this menu item allows you to specify which file types (if
any) you want InteliCat to automatically save when changed.
Specifically, the autosave feature is currently available for:
o Databases
o Configuration Files
o Filter Files
o Report Layout Files
o Keyword List Files
88 InteliCat Users Guide
When you have InteliCat set to automatically save a certain type of
file, the file will be written anytime you perform an action that
would otherwise cause changes to be lost. For example, if you have
InteliCat set to autosave the databases, make changes to a
database, and then request to read another database, InteliCat will
save the changes to the original before reading the new one.
When autosave is off for a file type, and changes to that type of
file would be lost without saving it first, InteliCat will prompt
if you want to save the file.
At default all files are automatically saved when changed.
Switch Options
Choosing this menu item allows you to specify the options used by
Switch! when shelling to DOS. Switch! is a function that makes
extra memory available for the DOS shell by saving memory used by
InteliCat, making it free for DOS, and then restoring the memory on
return from the DOS Shell. Using Switch! it is possible to free
all but about 10K of memory used by InteliCat.
The following options are available after selecting this menu item:
Use Switch For DOS Shell: Specifies if Switch! should be
used when shelling to DOS. At
default this field is on.
Memory for DOS Shell: This specifies the amount of
memory to free for the DOS
shell. Specifying a value of
640 causes all memory (that's
possible) to be made available
for the shell. At default this
field is set to 256.
Use EMS: Specifies whether Switch! should
attempt using EMS memory instead
of XMS or disk. At default this
field is on.
Use XMS: Specifies whether Switch! should
attempt using XMS memory instead
of EMS or disk. At default this
field is on.
Path to Use: This is a DOS style path that
specifies where Switch! should
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 89
create the temporary memory file
when the disk is used (XMS and
EMS are used as a first choice
if possible). The path can
contain drive, dir, and/or
filename specifications for the
temp file. Each separate path
specification within this field
should be separated by a
semicolon (just as the path
environment variable for DOS
has). At default this field is
set to:
'K:;J:;I:;H:;G:;F:;E:;D:;C:;;'
Keyword List Options
The keyword list options item allows you to change the options that
affect how the keyword list works when used to enter keywords for
files/disks.
The following options are currently available:
Column Width This option specifies the maximum width of the
keywords to be displayed on the keyword list.
The smaller this value is, the more keywords
you can see without scrolling. NOTE: The
value that you specify will limit the maximum
keyword length InteliCat allows when you add a
new keyword, or edit an existing one already in
the list. At default this field has a value of
20.
Add a space when needed This field controls whether InteliCat
puts a space before the keyword when
appending it to a keyword field that
already contains something. If you
set this value on (the default),
InteliCat will insert a space before
it appends a selected keyword to the
file/disk keyword field (separating
it from previous keywords). NOTE:
The space will only be inserted if
the keyword field already contains
something.
90 InteliCat Users Guide
Color Options
The color options item allows you to change the colors used by
InteliCat. When you pick this item, InteliCat prompts via menus
for the colors to change. The following describes the colors and
how InteliCat uses them.
To begin, there are several primary color groups that InteliCat
uses. Each one corresponds to an item on the first menu displayed
after you select the Color Options item. They are:
Main Window - InteliCat uses the main window colors to display
secondary menus, the main screen option windows, selection
criteria, sort criteria, comment import settings windows,
browse screens, and other miscellaneous message windows that
aren't warnings or prompts.
Warning Window - InteliCat uses the warning window colors to
display messages and prompts that warn you about something.
For example, a window saying a file couldn't be opened will be
displayed using the warning window colors.
Prompt Window - InteliCat uses the prompt window colors to
display windows that are prompting you for data. The only
windows in InteliCat that prompt for data using colors other
than the prompt colors are: comment import settings,
selection criteria, sort criteria, and warnings.
Top menu line - InteliCat uses the top menu line colors to
display the pulldown menu bar.
Status line - The status line colors are used to display
status lines on the main screen, browse screens, etc.
Background - This is the color of the background used on
InteliCat's main display screen.
Copyright & Title - This is the color used to display the
copyright/title on the main display screen.
Once you select one of the above options from the secondary menu,
InteliCat will prompt for the specific color that you want to
change (via another menu). The only option that doesn't have
another menu associated with it is the Background color. The
following are the various color types that can be set (note: not
all color types apply to all the options listed above. The list
you get depends on the color group you're changing).
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 91
For the main, warning, and prompt window groups, the following
colors can be set:
Window bg - This sets the background color used for windows.
The background color that you specify here will automatically
be used for the window, the scroll bar, data fields, and the
window border.
Hilited bg/fg - This sets the color of hilited text. The
hilite color is used to display hotkeys as well as the active
(but not current) selection box in a dialog.
Selected bg/fg - This sets the color of selected text. In
dialog boxes, the current item is displayed using this color.
Title bg/fg - This sets the color of window titles.
Initial input bg/fg - This sets the color of input fields when
they are first entered (i.e. before you've pressed any key to
start editing the field). When an input field is displayed
using this color, it means that any contents present will be
replaced if the first key you press isn't a cursor positioning
key.
Edit input bg/fg - This sets the color of input fields when
you are in edit mode (i.e. after you've pressed a key while on
the field).
Group bg/fg - This sets the color used to display items in a
radio group.
Group selected bg/fg - This sets the color used to display the
current radio item when the radio group is the active item.
Group hilite bg/fg - This sets the color used to display the
hotkeys for items in a radio group.
Standard fg - This sets the foreground color used to display
text in the window.
Data fg - This sets the foreground color used to display data
items in the window.
Border fg - This sets the foreground color used to display the
window border.
Scroll bar - This sets the foreground color used to display
the scroll bar for a window.
92 InteliCat Users Guide
For the top menu bar, the following colors can be set:
Menu bar background/foreground - This is the color used to
display the menu bar.
Selected background/foreground - This is the color used to
display the selected submenu name.
Hilite foreground - This is the foreground color used to
display the menu bar hotkeys.
The status line and copyright/title let you set both the foreground
and background color to be used.
Edit Filter List
Choosing this menu item allows you to specify file specs to filter
as disks are logged. The filter specifications are stored in a
data file(s). If there isn't currently a filter file in use, you
must first specify the name of the filter file (to use or create)
from the files menu.
InteliCat uses the filter specification(s) as it's logging a disk.
When file filtering is used, each file on disks that are logged is
checked against the list of filter specifications for a match.
Matching files are discarded, and not added to the database. Full
regular expression support is available in the filter
specifications.
Filtering also applies to files contained in archives (assuming
you're expanding the contents of archives). Also note that you can
filter DIZ files and still import them as comments.
When file filtering is being used, a non-blank character is
displayed on the first character position of the status line
(before the log drives display).
Stop Filtering Files
Choosing this menu item discontinues file filtering. If there is
an unsaved list of filter criteria it will be saved (if you have
the autosave option for filter files set). If autosave isn't
enabled, you'll be prompted whether you want the filter list to be
saved.
Edit Keyword List
This menu item allows you to edit the keyword list. When you
select this menu item, the keyword list will be displayed (the
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 93
display is identical to the one shown when you pull up the keyword
list while editing keywords/comments).
Reset to Defaults
Picking this option causes InteliCat to reset the options to the
default values (after you confirm you really want the options
reset). Note that this doesn't change:
Maximum number of files, disks, directories
Use of EMS/XMS for that session
Name of the active database
Template
Last name used
Display License
This option displays the registered user name associated with your
copy of InteliCat. Shareware versions are indicated as
unregistered trial use versions.
Utilities Menu
The utilities menu contains the utility type functions. There are
three options on the Utilities submenu: Import comments, Merge
Utility, and DOS Shell. There are many additional utilities
planned for the future. New utility functions will be added to the
menu as they are created. This section of the manual documents the
options available on the utilities menu.
Import Comments
This option allows you to import comments from an ASCII text file.
This provides a convenient way to add comments to the database
without having to manually type them. You can easily incorporate
the descriptions from BBS listings into an InteliCat database.
Listings to import must meet several conditions. The following
conditions must be met:
o The listing must be in columnar form. That is the file
names must always start in the same column, and the
comment field must always start in the same column.
o For multi-line comments, the comments must remain in an
even column. ProDoor and Auntie are two BBS systems that
94 InteliCat Users Guide
produce listings with multi-line comments that will work
with the import comment utility. For example:
TEST.ARC 12212 12-12-89 This is an example of
a multi-line comment
that can be imported
by InteliCat without
problems.
TEST.ARC 12212 12-12-89 Uploaded by: Sysop
This is another type of comment that InteliCat
can import.
TEST.ARC 12212 12-12-89 This is an example of a
multi-line comment that can't be imported by
InteliCat.
InteliCat can import the first and second examples.
InteliCat can't import the third example however. If you
have a listing that InteliCat can't directly import (such
as the third example from above), there's still hope.
George Hawkins, an InteliCat user, wrote a public domain
utility called CT that can translate many different
comment formats into the columnar type required by
InteliCat. CT is available as CT.ZIP (or CT.LZH, CT.ARC,
etc...) on many BBS systems throughout the world. If you
can't find CT elsewhere, it is available on the InteliCat
support BBS and can be downloaded by first time callers.
Included with InteliCat are several sample setup files
for some of the different BBSs directly supported by the
import utility.
o Tab size is assumed to be eight characters (this is the
usual case for editors).
When you choose the import option the following screen is
displayed:
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 95
+ Import Comments ---------------------------------------------------+
| File With Comments To Import: TEMP.DIR___________________________ |
| (Any wildcard brings up file pick list) |
| Starting Column of File Name: 1__ End Col: 12_ |
| Starting Column of Comment: 32_ End Col: 69_ |
|Character That Ends File Name: A (Any Letter For Not Applicable) |
| |
| Comment Line Offset From File Line: 0 |
| |
| ( ) Import as Keywords Replace Existing Comments |
| (*) Never ( ) Always ( ) Ask First |
| (*) Ignore Extension |
| |
| +======+ +--------+ +----------------+ +---------+ +---------+ |
| || Ok || | Cancel | | Scroll File... | | Load... | | Save... | |
| +======+ +--------+ +----------------+ +---------+ +---------+ |
+- Sample comment file text -----------------------------------------+
F 1 f 2 3 C 4 5 6 c7
v23456789.1v3456789.123456789.1v3456789.123456789.123456789.12345678v.
IC10 ZIP 189110 12-26-89 DS InteliCat V1.0 is the premiere of the
*best* cataloger available. Has
powerful features including multi-
line comments, auto disk naming,
and *many* other unique features!
123456789.123456789.123456789.123456789.123456789.123456789.123456789.
^ 1 ^ 2 3 ^ 4 5 6 ^7
F f C c
(InteliCat displays the sample comment file text after you specify
a valid file to import).
After you specify the name of an existing file to import and move
off the import filename field, InteliCat will automatically display
the first few lines of the file in the sample area, along with a
ruler line showing the current file and comment locations as
specified to InteliCat (file start/end, etc). You may scroll
through the file by selecting the 'Scroll File' box.
Before getting into the various fields that are displayed on the
import dialog, it should be noted that InteliCat allows you to save
(and read) import settings in disk files. Select the 'Load' box to
load the settings in an existing file. Alternatively, selecting
the 'Save' box will save the current settings into a file that you
specify.
The fields that can be set on the Import Comments dialog are as
follows:
96 InteliCat Users Guide
File with comments to import: This is the name of the file that
contains the comments you want to import. You have to enter the
name of an existing file here to get past this field. When you
move off this field, InteliCat attempts opening a file with the
name specified. If the file can be opened, InteliCat fills the
bottom of the screen in with the ruler lines and a sample from the
file. On the ruler lines you'll note InteliCat displays pointers
to let you know where each of the fields (i.e. file name and
comment text) starts and ends. Uppercase letters show the starting
column (F for file and C for comment) and lower case letters show
the ending column. If you don't see one of the start/end pointers
it is because it doesn't lie between the columns that are currently
displayed on the screen.
Additionally, InteliCat will hilite the filename and comment
columns in the sample. The filename columns are displayed using
the configured main window selected color, while the comments are
displayed using the main window hilite color.
Note: You can scroll through the file to be imported by
selecting the 'Scroll File' box. Once you've selected the
'Scroll File' box, you can use the arrow keys to scroll
through the file. The left and right arrows allow you to view
columns other than the 80 that fit on the screen. Scrolling
through the sample file is slow, but is handy when you need to
do so. Pressing ENTER returns you to the import settings
dialog box.
If you type a wildcard (an asterisk '*' or question '?'), InteliCat
will bring up the file manager allowing you to select a file to
import using the pick list.
Start and end columns of the file: These two fields allow you to
define which columns the file name occupies in the file listing.
The extension can be separated from the name by multiple spaces or
a period. Note that these two types of separators can be
intermixed without problems. As you adjust the start and end
columns the arrows on the ruler lines move to show you where the
file name is expected to be. If you specify an End column that
lies before the start column, InteliCat will automatically switch
the columns around to make the start column first. The setting of
the option 'Character that ends filename' plays a role in how
InteliCat determines the filename. Please refer to the description
of that option for additional information.
Start and end columns of the comments: These two fields allow you
to define where in the file listing the comment is located. As you
adjust the values, the arrows on the status line move to show where
the comment field is expected. The file name location must start
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 97
in an area that the comment doesn't occupy. For example, the
following type of listing can't be imported by InteliCat:
FILENAME.EXT
COMMENT TEXT .......................
InteliCat can't import the above data because it wouldn't be able
to tell when it reached a new file name.
Character that ends filename: This option specifies what character
InteliCat should consider as a marker for the end of the filename.
An alpha character (letters A-Z) means there isn't a specific
filename terminator (i.e. the filename is a fixed length as
specified by the start and end columns). Any non-alpha character
tells InteliCat to consider it found the end of filename when it
sees the specified character (i.e. filenames in the list to be
imported aren't a fixed length). If you set this option to a non-
alpha character, InteliCat considers it reached the end of the
filename (regardless of the column it's in) when it locates the
first occurrence of the character. If InteliCat doesn't find the
character the end of the filename is the ending column. A
CompuServe listing is an excellent example of a type of listing
that requires this option to be set with a character. An example
of a CIS listing requiring this is:
TEST.ARC/binary 23-Sep-91 2269 8
Keywords: CIS FILE FORMAT EXAMPLE
This is an example of a file that requires the use of the
option telling InteliCat what character ends a file name.
In this example (which is the current format used on
CIS) InteliCat should be set to consider '/' as the end
of the filename.
Note in the example above that you can control whether the
'Keywords' listed above are imported as part of the comment by
setting the next option to the proper value.
Comment line offset from file line: This option determines how
many lines down from the line containing a file name InteliCat
scans before it starts saving text as part of the comment. The
proper setting of this field depends on the type of listing you are
importing. In the CIS example shown above, a setting of 2 would
cause InteliCat to pull in the 'Keywords' line as part of the
comments, followed by the other comments. A setting of 4 in the
CIS example would cause the 'Keywords' line to be ignored, and
InteliCat would only pull in the file comments from the listing.
Simply put, if the comment starts on the same line as the filename,
98 InteliCat Users Guide
this field should be set to zero. If the comment follows the
filename line, this field tells InteliCat how many lines down it
starts.
Replace existing comments: This field is a radio group, and can
have one of three values as follows:
Yes - If you set this value, InteliCat will replace existing
comments without asking first. This means that if the
listing contains a comment for a file that already has a
comment the existing comment for the file will be
replaced with the new comment.
No - If you set this value InteliCat will not replace any
existing comments. This means that if a file in
InteliCat already has a comment InteliCat will discard
the comment from the listing.
Ask First - InteliCat will prompt when it finds a comment for
a file that already contains a comment. This allows you
to choose whether or not to replace the old comment on a
case by case basis. When InteliCat prompts you will be
shown the old comment (and file date) as well as the new
comment from the listing.
Ignore extension: This option specifies whether or not InteliCat
should ignore the extension when importing comments. When this
option is ON, InteliCat allows any comment found for a file with
one of the configured archive extensions to be imported to a file
in the database whether or not the same archive extension is used.
It is important to note here that BOTH names must have an archive
extension for the match to occur. Extensions that aren't
configured as archive extensions require an exact match for a
comment to be imported. An example of how this option works can be
shown by the following:
<< Text being imported >>
TEST.ARC 59,999 This file contains the test material for
the latest and greatest.
TEST.EXE 124,999 This is just a simple test program
<< Files in InteliCat database >>
TEST.LZH
TEST.COM
<< Extensions configured as archive extensions >>
LZH ZIP ARC PKA ZOO EXE
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 99
Based on the data above InteliCat would import the comment for
TEST.ARC from the listing to the file TEST.LZH if you have ignore
extensions turned on. Since COM is not configured as archive
extension the comment for TEST.EXE would not be imported (even
though EXE is configured as a archive extension!).
If you turn ignore extensions off, comments would not be imported
above. (When ignore extensions is off an exact match on the names
is required).
When you're ready to import the comments select the Ok box, and
InteliCat will start importing the comments. It is important to
note that in InteliCat the comments found will be assigned to the
FIRST file in the database that matches. For instance, if you have
the same file listed multiple times in your database (i.e. on
different disks) InteliCat will only assign a matching comment to
the first occurrence of the filename.
Merge Databases
This menu option allows you to merge an existing database to the
database that is in memory. When you select this option InteliCat
first checks to insure there is enough memory to hold everything as
one database. Providing the combined file isn't too large
InteliCat will merge the databases for you.
During the merge procedure InteliCat may have to ask for
information on how a conflict between the two databases will be
resolved. A conflict occurs when one of the databases has a disk
name that exists in the other database. When this happens
InteliCat displays the following menu to allow you to pick what
action you want to take:
+-------------------------------+
| Disk: XXXXXXX already exists! |
| |
| Rename the merge disk |
| Skip this disk |
| Skip all duplicates |
| Abort merge (ESCape) |
+-------------------------------+
The options that can be taken from the menu above have the
following results:
o Rename the merge disk: This causes InteliCat to prompt
for a new name to use for the disk that is being merged
100 InteliCat Users Guide
into the active database. The current disk name is
listed on the first line of the menu.
o Skip this disk: Causes InteliCat to skip merging the
named disk.
o Skip all duplicates: Causes InteliCat to skip all disks
when there is a name conflict (i.e. duplicate name).
o Abort merge: Causes InteliCat to abort the merge.
InteliCat will restore the active database to it's
original contents, discarding any disks that were already
merged prior to aborting.
One last thing to note about the merge utility is that InteliCat
doesn't erase the merged database after the merge is complete.
DOS Shell
This menu item allows you to shell to DOS. Note that you can also
use ALT-Z to shell to DOS from *anywhere* in the program InteliCat
is waiting for an input key.
Quit Menu
This isn't really much of a menu, but is a second way to quit out
of the program. After selecting the Quit menu you can press return
(as prompted) to exit the program. Note that pressing ESCape
enough times will get you out of the program as well.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 101
102 InteliCat Users Guide
Appendices
Appendix A - Questions & Answers
This appendix covers several of the most commonly asked questions
that have come up regarding the use of InteliCat.
Q: Why does InteliCat always create a file that has the same name
as my database, with a '1' appended to it? Is it safe to
delete this file?
A: Each database used in InteliCat actually has two disk files
associated with it. The file with the appended '1' is the
file containing the file comments. Deletion of this file
would cause all comments to be lost.
Q: What is the maximum number of files/disks InteliCat can handle
in a single database.
A: The maximum number of files/disks InteliCat can handle per
database depends on your computer setup. If you have EMS or
XMS (XMS is Extended memory with the HIMEM.SYS driver),
InteliCat can support up to 32,000 files per database.
Approximately 1.2 megs of EMS/XMS is required for 32,000
files.
If you only have conventional memory, the number of files
InteliCat can handle goes down drastically. On a typical 640K
machine, InteliCat can support approximately 5000 files per
database. The exact amount will vary however, depending on
the exact amount of free memory InteliCat has available to
use.
Q: Even though I have InteliCat configured to treat .EXE files as
archives, it doesn't appear to expand the contents of my self
extracting archives.
A: Currently, InteliCat can only view the contents of standard
archive file formats, and isn't able to look at the self
extracting type.
Q: Many times, when I start InteliCat, it gives me a warning
message about not having the requested amount of EMS or XMS
memory. How can I make this warning stop appearing?
A: This warning is because the amount of EMS or XMS you specified
(either on the command line or in the configuration file)
can't be allocated. To avoid this message use the -999 option
or a value of 1. The discussion of EMS values on page 82
covers this topic in detail.
104 InteliCat User's Guide
Q: InteliCat won't let me get rid of the left margin. When I
tell InteliCat to use a left margin of zero, it still puts a
space before each report line. How can this be fixed?
A: The reason you see a space in addition to whatever margin you
configure is InteliCat is configured to flag duplicate
records. When the option to flag duplicate records is set to
'Yes', InteliCat prints a single space field to identify
possible duplicate records. Simply turn this option off if
you don't want the extra column used.
Q: Why does this manual have the page numbers alternating from
left to right sides of the page? Why not just put them all on
the right side?
A: InteliCat's manual was designed so users could print it in two
sided format. For two sided copies, all page numbers on one
side would not work as half would be in the binding area.
InteliCat, Disk Cataloger 105
106 InteliCat User's Guide
Index
43/50 line mode comment import 98
menu option 65 clipboard
option 71 use of 55
4DOS descriptions color mode
importing 69 specifying 11
adapter type colors
specifying 12 setting 91
add comments columns
menu option 50, 55 specifying for
add comments while logging reports 80
option 66 command line
add menu 48 example 12, 26
agreement optional parameters
license 1 11
archive options 84 parameters 24
archives commands
viewing contents 84 global 30
ask for dest at report commas
time report 76
option 71 comment editor
ask for select criteria commands 53
option 66 comment import
ask for sort criteria scrolling sample text
option 67 97
automatic disk naming comment line offset from
option 86 file line
autosave comment import 99
options 88 comment modify
backup database hotkey 45
option 68 comment search
bbs menu option 60
support board 3 comments
bbs listing adding while logging
menu option 64 66
benefits archive 84
to registering 5 importing 94
browse files comments modify
hotkey 45 menu option 50, 55
menu option 59 configuration
case sensitive search defaults 10
option 66 specifying 27
case sensitivity 60 configuration file
catalog disks reading 46
menu option 48 specifying 11
catalog options configuration menu 65
menu option 66 contents
cataloging disks 15 of archives 84
character that ends control codes
filename for printer 73
108
conventions disk report
InteliCat 18 menu option 62
menu items 24 disk volume only
copy utility 51, 55 menu option 50
create disks
database 45 cataloging 15
criteria setting maximum 81
selection 37 display
database date format 88
backup 68 main 13
clearing 58 displaying
create 45 main options 69
file names 29 distribution
merging 100 requirements 1
read new 45 dos shell 21, 30
specifying 11, 27 free memory amount
write 46 89
zap 58 menu option 101
database to use use of switch 89
comment import 97 double spacing
dates report 80
display formats 88 drives
defaults default logging 88
reset options 94 dummy entry
deinitialization menu option 50
of printer 73 duplicate files
delete menu option 64
all files 58 duplicates
delete disk detecting on reports
hotkey 45 80
menu option 58 editor
delete existing label comment 53
option 70 string 29
delete file string fields 21
menu option 58 EGA/VGA
delete menu 56 expanded screen 65
dirs ems
setting maximum 81 use by switch 89
disk entry ems usage
creating 50 specifying 11, 81
disk name enter key
list of 18 treatment in dialog
write as volume label 69
70 environment
disk names variables 27
upper case 86 equipment
disk naming optional 6
automatic 86 required 6
options 86 ESCape key
109
usage 18, 30 filters
example specifying 93
command line 26 stopping 93
exit FIXSN 5
hotkey 45 free
exiting 16 upgrades 5
expressions free memory
regular 31 for dos shell 89
extended memory help
specifying 12 on-line 18
extended memory usage hotkeys 45
specifying 83 ignore extension
extension - ignoring comment import 99
comment import 99 import comments
extract library comments hotkey 45
option 84 scrolling sample text
extract library members 97
option 84 importing
features 4DOS descriptions 69
InteliCat 7 archive comments 84
field gap importing comments 94
reports 74 initialization
fields of printer 73
specifying columns input
80 skipping keywords 68
file installing
stop filtering 93 InteliCat 9
file names keep subdir names
database 29 option 67
file record keys
deleting 58 global commands 30
file report keyword list
hotkey 45 options 90
file search keyword search
menu option 60 menu option 60
file/ext report keywords
menu option 63 edit list 93
files setting maximum 81
autosave option 88 skipping input of 68
created 28 using a list 47
display used 48 last
filter 46 setting option 87
filtering 93 License 1
keyword list 47 lines per page
maximum allowed 26 report 74
setting maximum 81 list
files menu 45 keywords 93
filtering listing
files 46 disknames 18
110
regular expressions using 23
31 multi-drive log
locating a file 34 hotkey 45
locating files 37 menu option 49
log multi-drive replace
multi-drive option menu option 58
49 On-line
log disk help 18
hotkey 45 options
log disks 43/50 line mode 71
menu option 48 4DOS descriptions 69
logging drives add comments while
setting 88 logging 66
main display 13 archive 84
main windows ask for dest at
display on/off 69 report time 71
margins ask for select
report 73 criteria 66
maximum files 26 ask for sort criteria
setting 81 67
memory automatic disk naming
specifying maximum 86
files 81 autosave 88
using ems 81 backup database 68
using extended 83 case sensitive search
memory usage 26 66
menu color 91
add 48 column of fields 80
configuration 65 date displays 88
delete/replace 56 delete existing label
files 45 70
list of options 43 disk naming 86
replace/delete 56 display license 94
reports 61 duplicate checking
search 59 80
utilities 94 ems usage 81
menu items enter key in dialog
conventions 24 69
menu options extended memory 83
dos shell 101 extract archive
merge databases 100 members 84
menus extract library
overview 14 comments 84
quit 101 extract library
selecting 18, 42 members 84
merge databases field columns 80
menu option 100 files in use 48
mouse filter - stopping 93
usage option 67 filtering files 93
111
for switch 89 parameters
keep subdir names 67 command line 11, 24
keyword list 90 example 12
last 87 paths
list by menu 43 used by switch 89
logging drives 88 printer
main window display deinitialization 73
69 initialization 73
memory usage 81 printer name
mouse usage 67 option 71
printer printing
deinitalization two sided 71
73 quick file report
printer hotkey 45
initialization quick file/ext report
73 menu option 64
printer name 71 quick volume report
read filter file 46 menu option 63
read keyword list 47 quit
read new menu 101
configuration read
46 database 45
report dest 72 registered user
report format 73 displaying 94
report output 71 registration
report titles 80 benefits 5
reset defaults 94 why? 5
setting 66 regular expressions 31
skip keyword input rename disk
68 menu option 58
stop filtering 93 replace
switch 89 multi-drive option
template 87 58
two sided reports 71 replace disk
upper case disk names hotkey 45
86 menu option 57
use existing label as replace existing comments
name 70 comment import 99
use of switch 89 replace menu 56
volume label 69 report
write filter file 47 bbs type 64
write keyword file disk only 62
48 double spacing 80
write volume label duplicate files 64
70 end of page pause 74
options set field gap 74
hotkey 45 file/ext 63
order lines per page 74
set with sort 34 margins 73
112
newline action 74 serial number
no commas option 76 obtaining 5
quick file/ext 64 setting
quick volume 63 options 66
titles 80 setup
volume 62 defaults 10
wrap/truncate flag shell
76 dos 30
report dest shell to dos 21
option 72 single sheet
report format options 73 report option 74
report output snow control
option 71 specifying 12
reports sorting 34
duplicate flagging specifying
80 configuration 27
order of fields 80 database 27
sending to screen 71 start and end columns
specifying columns comment import 97
80 starting InteliCat 11
user defined 65 status line 15
reports menu 61 string editor 21, 29
requirements string search
distribution 1 menu option 60
screen Support BBS 3
send reports to 71 switch
sending reports to ems usage 89
71 memory to free 89
search options for 89
hotkey 45 path to use 89
search comments using 89
menu option 60 xms usage 89
search files system
menu option 60 help 18
search keywords template
menu option 60 for auto naming 87
search menu 59 titles
search strings for report 80
menu option 60 tutorial 11
searching 34, 37 two sided
case sensitivity 66 reports 71
regular expressions upgrades
31 obtaining 5
selecting they're free! 5
menus 18, 42 upper case
special records 37 disk names 86
selection criteria 37 usage
sensitivity memory 26
case 60 use existing label as name
113
option 70
user defined
report 65
using
a mouse 23, 67
utilities menu 94
utility
copy 51, 55
variables
environment 27
video adapter
specifying 12
video mode
specifying 11
volume label
options 69
volume labels
writing 70
volume report
hotkey 45
menu option 62
Warranty 2
wildcards 31
write
database 46
XMS
specifying 12
usage 83
usage by switch 89
zap database
menu option 58
114