Copyright: File Manager StepUp Copyright® 1994-95, ChaoSoft


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 Contents

Introduction

Overview

Evaluation vs continued use

How to order a license for continued use of FM StepUp

Using FM StepUp

Menus and commands

Quick Menu

Execute Menu

Special Commands

Dialog Boxes

Frequently Asked Questions

FM StepUp does not work. Why?

FM StepUp cannot produce 3D effects. What can be the reason?

Can I change the name StepUp in the menu bar to something else?

How to make my viewer/editor find files?

How do I uninstall FM StepUp?


 Overview

Thank you for using File Manager StepUp!

File Manager StepUp (or, for short, FM StepUp) is a utility that dramatically improves File Manager. Instead of replacing File Manager, FM StepUp simply makes it better. When you install FM StepUp, additional commands are added to File Manager's menus, and existing commands are enhanced.

"Chaosoft accomplishes what Microsoft couldn't ... an excellent shareware product that enhances the power and usefulness of Windows' [File Manager] ..."

Columbia Daily Tribune, 10/94

"FM StepUp ... does all manner of clever things. It adds 3D effects (a la Word 6 or Excel 5) to the dialog boxes, gives you a command-line history in all sorts of places ... and provides right-click pop-up menus in a variety of useful places ... FM StepUp is certainly good enough to try."

Windows User UK, 06/94

"The standard dialog boxes gain a history list of recently used commands and that attractive 3D look, and adding pop-up menus. However ... the best thing about this is the pop-up menus. Right click on a file and a menu pops up giving you a bunch of options, like viewing the file, editing it, running it, printing it, and so on ... once you have started using it you'll never want to give them up!"

Australian PC User, 06/94

Click here to read about features of the FM StepUp.


Evaluation vs Continued Use

FM StepUp is NOT free software. It is Try Before You Buy software. This means that you may use the program during 14 days (not necessarily constituting a contiguous sequence) to evaluate it and determine whether FM StepUp is suitable for your needs. At the end of this trial period, you must either register (purchase a license for continued use of the program) or discontinue using FM StepUp.

During the evaluation period FM StepUp is fully functional. We make it this way so that you can have a real look at the program and then decide whether it fits your needs. The only difference is the registration reminder screen that shows up whenever you start File Manager with FM StepUp installed. When you receive our Registration package with your personal Registration Code, you will use it to put your name in the 'About FM StepUp' screen and to remove the reminder.


Features

Enhanced File Managers dialog boxes, including history lists, browse buttons,  etc.

Commands to easily create, view, and edit arbitrary files, not necessarily associated with an application.

Customizable Execute Menu provides an easy way to access frequently used applications and perform pre-programmed operations on currently selected files.

Customizable Quick Menu, instantaneously accessible with the right mouse button, contains the most frequently used commands and keeps track of the execution history of other commands.

A number of special commands are provided to make you more productive.

Complete context-sensitive help is available from all dialogs. The help file provides a complete user's guide for FM StepUp.

FM StepUp is highly customizable. User can control virtually every aspect of the FM StepUp, from choosing its menu name to specifying which dialog boxes to enhance.

The way software should be! (TM)


How to order a license for continued use of FM StepUp

1. Please choose Register from the Stepup menu and click on Order. Alternatively, you may double-click the file name ORDER.TXT in the FMSTEPUP directory.

2. Fill in the order form (preferably using a text editor or a word processor).

3. Choose File-Print from the menu and print the order form out.

4. Send it in along with your payment.

You may also order with a credit card, calling toll free. Or, if you are a member of Compuserve, you may register on-line, via the SWREG registration service. Please see ORDER.TXT for further information.

Thank you for ordering ChaoSoft products!


 Menus and Commands

FM StepUp provides additional commands to File Manager, increasing its capabilities. Most of these commands can be accessed through the 'StepUp' submenu, which is added automatically to the standard File Manager menu bar.

    Relative position of the StepUp submenu within the menu bar depends on how many File Manager extensions you are using and the position of the FM StepUp extension declaration in the [AddOns] section of the File Manager's configuration file (WINFILE.INI).

    You may specify another name for the FM StepUp's submenu in the File Manager menu bar using command Preferences.

The following commands are available in the StepUp submenu:

New File

creates a new file using the default editor

View File

runs the default viewer with the currently selected file as an argument

Edit File

runs the default editor with the currently selected file as an argument

Execute

opens the Execute Menu

Special

opens submenu with special commands

Preferences

allows you to customize FM StepUp

Help

opens on-line Help for FM StepUp

About

displays version and registration information about FM StepUp


 Quick Menu

Quick Menu is a convenient way to access and execute frequently used commands of File Manager. Quick Menu is displayed when you click with the right mouse button within the client area of the File Manager's window.

Top portion of the Quick Menu contains a fixed set of commands. Use the FM StepUp command Preferences to change the set of commands available in this part of the Quick Menu.

    Quick Menu  may contain any command of File Manager, as well as the additional commands provided by FM StepUp and other extenders, including your own commands placed into the Execute Menu.

Bottom portion of the Quick Menu contains the history list of the commands used. Any command, no matter how it is accessed (through regular File Manager menu or Quick Menu)  which is not already included in the top portion of the Quick Menu, is placed into the history list.

    You can change the size of the history list in the Quick Menu in the same way as you would for any other history list provided by FM StepUp: use the FM StepUp command Preferences.


 Execute Menu

Execute Menu is a set of commands represented by a pop-up menu easily accessible through the FM StepUp command Execute.

Each item of this submenu may represent a Windows application or a DOS program which you want to be easily accessible directly from File Manager. It may also be a generic command to be performed over the currently selected file in the File Manager's Directory window.

Initially, after installing FM StepUp, the Execute Menu already contains a number of useful items:

Control Panel

to launch the Windows Control Panel from the File Manager;

Clipboard

to run the Windows Clipboard viewer;

DOS Prompt

to start a DOS session from the File Manager;

PIF Editor

to run the PIF Editor;

Print DIR

to perform the 'DIR /O:N > PRN' command for the currently window of File Manager and, therefore, to print out the directory listing on your printer;

Note: not all the switches of this command may be supported by the version of DOS installed on your computer, you may also wish to modify the command to better suit your needs. Please consult your DOS user's manual for details.

Print TREE

to perform the 'TREE /A > PRN' command for the currently window of File Manager and, therefore, to print out the directory tree on your printer;

Note: not all the switches of this command may be supported by the version of DOS installed on your computer, you may also wish to modify the command to better suit your needs. Please consult your DOS user's manual for details.

    To remove any of the above items from the Execute Menu, or to add new items to it, you can use  the FM StepUp command Preferences.


 Special Commands

FM StepUp provides a number of unique or hard-to-find commands accessible through the FM StepUp command Special:

Total Size

calculates the total length and space occupied for all the files and directories, currently selected in the File Manager's window, including all the subdirectories. The directory to be analyzed may be selected in either Directory or Tree window of the File Manager;

Run Screen Saver

launches the default Windows Screen Saver (usually specified with Control Panel) any time you want to leave your machine (if you're using a screen saver with password protection - you don't have to wait 5 min. to activate it!);

Change File Time

allows to change the time stamp of file(s) and/or directory(ies), currently selected in the Directory window of File Manager.


 Dialog Boxes

FM StepUp processes and updates in one way or another a number of standard dialog boxes of File Manager. You may prevent FM StepUp from processing any of the dialog boxes through the FM StepUp command Preferences.

   Almost all the edit boxes of the dialog boxes are provided with history lists that keep track of the text you typed into edit areas. With FM StepUp you are able to recall any of them and edit it, if necessary, without typing all the text from scratch.

   The Run dialog box is supplied with two additional buttons, Command and Argument, allowing you to browse your disks and choose a file to run or supply its filename as an argument for the command line.

   The Move and Copy dialog boxes are provided with an additional button, Browse, in case you forgot the name of the directory to copy/move the files in.

For more detailed information on each particular dialog box, open it with the corresponding File Manager command and press the Help button.


 FM StepUp does not work. Why?

Probably, because of incorrect installation. Please read file SETUP.TXT for information on how to properly install and set up FM StepUp.


 FM StepUp cannot produce 3D effects. What can be the reason?

FM StepUp uses Microsoft's library CTL3D32.DLL to produce the 3D effects when displaying dialog boxes. Make sure the file CTL3D32.DLL is in the Windows SYSTEM directory (or, if running on a networked Windows installation, in the WINDOWS directory). If not, find out why. Be sure not to overwrite the newer version of this file, if you have one.


Can I change the name StepUp in the menu bar to something else?

Yes. Choose the FM StepUp command Preferences and enter the new name in the edit box Menu Name. Place the & sign right before the letter you want to be underlined in the menu bar and used as a 'menu activation key'.

For instance, if you want to use the word SuperDuper to represent FM StepUp's submenu in the File Manager's main menu, and you want to use the key u as a shortcut, enter the following string:

S&uperDuper

or

SuperD&uper

Now click OK and enjoy!


How do I uninstall FM StepUp?

Run FM StepUp Setup (i.e. file SETUP.EXE in the FM StepUp directory) and choose the Deactivate button when prompted. To return to using FM StepUp later on, run Setup and choose Activate. Note that Setup does not delete any files from your disk; if you want to, you need to delete them youself.

For more information please refer to SETUP.TXT file


 How to make my viewer/editor find files?

If the application you are using as the default viewer or editor fails to find the currently selected file when you are issuing the View File or Edit Filecommand, you need to correct the command line template for the viewer or editor in the Preferences dialog box. Make it look like:

d:\mydir\myviewer !:!\!.!

(of course, you need to supply your own correct path and filename for the application). The argument  !:!\!.!  will cause the complete file name, including disk and path, of the currently selected file be passed as an argument to the viewer or editor.


Default Viewer

The application used to view the contents of a file. The file to be viewed may be not associated with any other application.

By default, the Windows Notepad is assigned as the default viewer. To change the default viewer, use the FM StepUp command Preferences.


Default Editor

The application used to edit the contents of a file. The file to be edited may be not associated with any other application.

By default, the Windows Notepad is assigned as the default editor. To change the default editor, use the FM StepUp command Preferences.


Command Line Template

The text specifying a command line (name of an application and optional parameters) to be used as a template for generating an actual command line when starting the default viewer or editor, or when choosing a command from the Execute Menu. All the characters from the template are transferred into the command line to be executed without modifications, except the following combinations of characters, which have special meaning and are used to represent a file currently selected in the File Manager window:

priority	characters	meaning
1	!!	! (exclamation sign)
1	!:	disk letter followed by a semicolon the selected file is located on
1	!\	directory name (including leading and trailing backslashes) the selected file is located in
2	.!	dot and extension of the selected file
2	,!	extension of the selected file, without the leading dot
3	!	name of the selected file

When parsing a template and an exclamation character is encountered, an attempt to find a character combination of the 1st priority is first made, and the corresponding subtitution is performed, if found. If none of the 1st priority combinations is recognized, an attempt is made to recognize one of the 2nd priority combinations. If no matching combination is found, the exclamation sign is replaced with the name of the currently selected file. For example, the .!: combination will be parced as .(!:) and replaced with .C: (where C is the name of the current drive), whereas the combination .!- will be parced as (.!)- (since !- is not a special character combination) and will be replaced with .ext- , where ext is the extension of the currently selected file.

Examples:

If the current File manager window displays the directory C:\APP, and the selected file is  README.NOW, then the command View File will execute the following command (depending on the command line template specified in the Viewer area of the Preferences dialog):

command line template:	command executed:
notepad.exe !.!	notepad.exe readme.now
C:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD !.!	C:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD readme.now
myviewer -a -b !:!\!.! -c -d	myviewer -a -b c:\app\readme.now -c -d


Preferences

Use this command to customize FM StepUp. The Preferences dialog box has the following areas:

Viewer

command line template specifying the default viewer

Editor

command line template specifying the default editor

Note:	Use the Browse button to find the application to be used as the viewer or editor on a disk. The name of the file found will replace the name of the file in the Viewer or Editor box, whichever was the last used.

Ignore Associations

Use this check box to set the desired behavior of FM StepUp when you are choosing the New File command or trying to View or Edit an associated file. If the box is

unchecked

the default viewer and editor are not used with the associated files. The associated application is used instead.

checked

the default viewer and editor are always used, even with associated files.

grayed

you will be prompted to use an associated application, if any, to view or edit a file.

The above settings affect also the printing of associated files when using the Copy To PRN mode.

Dialogs

choose this button to set up the processing of the standard dialog boxes of File manager.

Quick Menu

choose this button to customize Quick Menu

Execute Menu

choose this button to customize Execute Menu.

Menu Name

use this area to change the StepUp name in the File Manager's menu bar.

History Size

maximum size of the history lists, both for dialog boxes and Quick Menu.

New Icon

check this box if you want FM StepUp to display an updated icon when File Manager is minimized.

About on start-up

clear this box if you do not want FM StepUp to display the About FM StepUp screen when File Manager is initialized. This option is only available for registered users of FM StepUp.


Dialog Boxes

Use this dialog box to specify the processing and appearance of the standard File Manager's dialog boxes by FM StepUp. It has the following areas:

Modified by FM StepUp

select the check boxes in this area for those dialog boxes of File Manager which you want to be modified by FM StepUp (by maintaining history lists, Verify check boxes, etc.).

    You can set up the processing of individual dialog boxes only if the All Dialog Boxes check box is in the grayed state.

    Dialog boxes Copy Disk and Make System Disk are used only if there is more than one floppy drive available in your system.

3D effects

select this check box if you want FM StepUp to produce 3D effects (like Excel and some other applications do) when displaying any of the File Manager or FM StepUp dialog boxes.

Extended UI

select this check box if you want FM StepUp to use the extended user interface for history lists.


Extended User Interface

The extended user interface (for history lists only) differs from the default user interface in the following ways:

    Clicking the static control (if any) displays the list box.

    Pressing the DOWN ARROW key displays the list box (F4 is disabled).

    Scrolling in the static control is disabled when the item list is not visible (the arrow keys are disabled).


Customize Quick Menu

Use this dialog box to customize Quick Menu:

Available Commands

list of all available commands, not included in Quick Menu.

Quick Menu

list of commands currently included in Quick Menu.

Add/Remove

use these buttons to add items to Quick Menu or remove them from it.

Move Up/Move Down

use these buttons to change the order of commands in Quick Menu.

Include Command History

select this check box if you want FM StepUp to show the list of previously used commands as the bottom part of the Quick Menu. Use the History Size area of the Preferences dialog  box to change the size of the list.

Select with Alt. Button

select this check box if you want to use the alternative mouse button to select items in Quick Menu.

Enable Quick Menu

Uncheck this box if you want to disable Quick Menu.

Centered

Check this box if you want Quick Menu to appear on the screen centered horizontally in respect to the mouse cursor, if possible.

Reset

Choose this button to reset the contents of Quick Menu.


Customize Execute Menu

Use this dialog box to insert, modify, or delete menu items which can be selected in the FM StepUp menu, under the Execute menu item. The dialog box has the following areas:

Execute Menu

List of the currently available commands as they appear in the Execute Menu. To modify the currently selected item choose the Modify button.

Command Line

The command line corresponding to the menu item selected in the Execute Menu list. To modify the command line use the Modify button.

Add

Choose this button to add a new item to the Execute menu.

Modify

Choose this button to change the name or command line of an existing item of the Execute menu.

Remove

Choose this button to delete an item from the Execute menu.

Separator

Choose this button to add a separator to the Execute menu.

Move Up/Move Down

use these buttons to change the order of commands in the Execute Menu.

Reset

Choose this button to reset the contents of the Execute Menu.


Modify Menu Item

Use this dialog box to modify any existing item of the Execute Menu. The dialog box has the following areas:

Item

The text to appear under the Execute Menu. Put an ampersand (&) before the letter you want to be underlined in the menu.

Command Line

The command line template specifying the command line to be executed when selecting the command from the Execute Menu.


Execute Menu Options

Use this dialog box to change options for all items of the Execute Menu. The dialog box has the following areas:

Process mutiple selections

Affects execution of the Execute Menu commands if more than one file is selected in the Directory window of File Manager.

In series  - choose this mode if you want to process the selected files in turn, one at a time. You will be able to switch back to File Manager during the processing, however no commands from Execute Menu will be accessible until after all the selected files are processed.

In parallel  - choose this mode if you want to run a command from Execute Menu for all the selected files simultaneously.

Warn if more than ... files selected

If more than the specified number of files are selected. a warning is displayed before processing them.


Print

The Print dialog box, updated by FM StepUp, has the following areas:

Print

This box shows the name of the file to print.

    To print a different file, type its name in this box. If the file is not in the current directory, include the path.

Copy to:

    Select this check box if you want to directly print the file to the default printer, bypassing the associated application, if any. Use this option to print plain ASCII files, or files obtained using the Print To File mode provided by some applications.

    device PRN corresponds to the LPT1 port.

Hint:	 if you are using one of the COMn ports, you may specify the size of the transmition queue placing a string PRN.Queue=nnnn (4096 by default) in the [Pereferences] section of FMSTEPUP.INI file. And don't forget to restart File Manager!.

Eject Page

    Select this check box if you want the printer to automatically eject the last page of the printout. If more than 1 copy specified (see below), the page will be ejected after each one. This option has no effect when the Copy to: check box is unchecked.

Copies

    Specify the number of copies you want to print here. This option has no effect when the Copy to: check box is unchecked.

Note:	If you are not using the CopyTo mode, the file must be associated with an application. The way of processing the files associated with an application when using the Copy To mode can be changed through the Ignore Associations check box in the Preferences dialog box.


Run

The Run dialog box, updated by FM StepUp, has the following areas:

Command Line

This box displays the file to be processed by an associated application, or the command line to be executed, i.e. the application's executable file  with optional path or parameters.

    If a program file or document file is not selected, or if you want to start a different application, type the MS-DOS command and path.

    Click the down arrow in the square at the right to see the history of commands accumulated by FM StepUp.  You can recall any of the previously entered strings and modify it, if necessary.

Run Minimized

Select this check box if you want the application to be reduced to an icon as soon as it starts.

Program

Use this button to find the file to run. It will be placed in front of the text currently entered into the Command Line box.

Argument

Use this button if you want to find a file to be processed by the application and append its name and path as an argument to the end of the command line.


Copy

The Copy dialog box, updated by FM StepUp,  has the following areas:

From

This box shows the currently selected file or directory.

    To copy a different file or directory, type its name in this box. If the file is not in the current directory (listed at the top of the dialog box), include the path.

    Click the down arrow in the square at the right to see the history of commands accumulated by FM StepUp.  You can recall any of the previously entered strings and modify it, if necessary.

To

Type the name of the destination directory in this box. If the directory is not a subdirectory of the current directory, include the path.

    Click the down arrow in the square at the right to see the history of commands accumulated by the FM StepUp.  You can recall any of the previously entered strings and modify it, if necessary.

    If you are copying a file to the current directory (listed at the top of the dialog box), you do not need to fill in the To box.

Copy To Clipboard

Use this option to copy the file onto the Clipboard so that you can paste, link, or embed it into another file.

Browse

Use this button if you want to browse the disks to choose the destination directory.

Verify

Select this check box if you want MS-DOS to verify that your files are written correctly to a disk (like entering VERIFY ON at the DOS command prompt).


Rename

The Rename dialog box, updated by FM StepUp,  has the following areas:

From

This box shows the currently selected file or directory.

    To rename a different file or directory, type its name in this box. If the file is not in the current directory, include the path. If you want to rename a group of files, use wildcards; for example, *.TXT.

    Click the down arrow in the square at the right to see the history of commands accumulated by FM StepUp.  You can recall any of the previously entered strings and modify it, if necessary.

To

the new name of the file or directory (the new name must not already exist in the directory).

    If the file or directory is not in the current directory, include the path. However, you cannot specify a different directory to move the file to. If you are renaming a group of files, use wildcards; for example, *.TXT.

    Click the down arrow in the square at the right to see the history of commands accumulated by the FM StepUp.  You can recall any of the previously entered strings and modify it, if necessary.


Move/Rename

The Move dialog box, updated by FM StepUp,  has the following areas:

From

This box shows the currently selected file or directory.

    To move a different file or directory, type its name in this box. If the file is not in the current directory (listed at the top of the dialog box), include the path.

    Click the down arrow in the square at the right to see the history of commands accumulated by FM StepUp.  You can recall any of the previously entered strings and modify it, if necessary.

To

Type the name of the destination directory in this box. If the directory is not a subdirectory of the current directory, include the path.

    Click the down arrow in the square at the right to see the history of commands accumulated by FM StepUp.  You can recall any of the previously entered strings and modify it, if necessary.

    If you are moving a file to the current directory (listed at the top of the dialog box), you do not need to fill in the To box.

    To rename the file when you move it, type the new name in the To box.

Browse

Use this button if you want to browse the disks to choose the destination directory.

Verify

Select this check box if you want MS-DOS to verify that your files are written correctly to a disk (like entering VERIFY ON at the DOS command prompt).


Create Directory

The Create Directory dialog box, updated by FM StepUp, has the following area:

Name

In this box, type the name of the new directory. If you don't want this directory to be in the current directory, include the path.

    Click the down arrow in the square at the right to see the history of commands accumulated by FM StepUp.  You can recall any of the previously entered strings and modify it, if necessary.


Search

The Search dialog box, updated by FM StepUp, has the following areas:

Search For

Type the name of a file to search for in this box. Use wildcards to specify a group of files; for example,  *.TXT.

    Click the down arrow in the square at the right to see the history of commands accumulated by FM StepUp.  You can recall any of the previously entered strings and modify it, if necessary.

Start From

Type the name of a directory to start the search from in this box.

    Click the down arrow in the square at the right to see the history of commands accumulated the FM StepUp.  You can recall any of the previously entered strings and modify it, if necessary.

Search All Subdirectories

Select this check box if you want to search all the subdirectories of the directory listed in the Start From box.


Select Files

The Select Files dialog box, updated by FM StepUp,  has the following area:

File(s)

Type a filename, or use wildcards to specify a group of files you want to select, and then choose the Select button. Repeat this step as necessary to select more files.

    Click the down arrow in the square at the right to see the history of commands accumulated by FM StepUp.  You can recall any of the previously entered strings and modify it, if necessary.

If you want to cancel any of the selections you have made, specify the file or files in the File(s) box, and then choose the Deselect button.

When you finish making your selections, choose the Close button.


Copy Disk

The Copy Disk dialog box, updated by FM StepUp, has the following areas:

Source In

Select the letter of the drive you want to copy from.

Destination In

Select the letter of the drive you want to copy to.

Verify

Select this check box if you want MS-DOS to verify that your files are written correctly to a disk (like entering VERIFY ON at the DOS command prompt).


Label Disk

The Label Disk dialog box, updated by FM StepUp, has the following area:

Label

Type the new volume label in this box. The label can contain up to 11 characters.

    Click the down arrow in the square at the right to see the history of commands accumulated by FM StepUp.  You can recall any of the previously entered strings and modify it, if necessary.


Format Disk

The Format Disk dialog box, updated by FM StepUp, has the following areas:

Disk In

the drive in which to format the floppy disk

Capacity

the capacity of your floppy disk drive

Label

Type the new volume label in this box. The label can contain up to 11 characters.

    Click the down arrow in the square at the right to see the history of commands accumulated by FM StepUp.  You can recall any of the previously entered strings and modify it, if necessary.

Make System Disk

Select this check box if you want to include system files on the disk you are formatting. A system disk contains the MS-DOS files necessary to start your system.

Quick Format

Select this check box if you want to perform a quick format on a previously formatted disk. Use this option only for a disk that doesn't have errors (bad sectors).


Make System Disk

The Make System Disk dialog box, updated by the FM StepUp, has the following areas:

Copy System Files To

Specify which drive you want to use to create the system disk.

Verify

Select this check box if you want MS-DOS to verify that your files are written correctly to a disk (like entering VERIFY ON at the DOS command prompt).


To Directory

Use this dialog box to choose the directory you want to copy/move the files to.

   To choose a directory, double-click it in the list  box. The area Directory contains the string to be inserted into the To area of the Copy/Move dialog after choosing OK button.


New File

Use this dialog box to specify name of the file to be created. The New File dialog box has the following area:

Create the file

the name of file you want to create.


Change File Time

Use this dialog box to change the date-time stamp of a file or directory. The file(s) and/or directory(ies) to be processed must be selected in the Directory window of File Manager.The Change File Time dialog box has the following areas:

File

name of the file to be processed, or the number of such files, if more than one file is currently selected.

Current Attributes

the time attributes currently assigned to the file.

Date, Time

enter the new date and time to be assigned to the file(s) into these fileds, in the format proposed. If any of the fields is emply, the corresponding attribute will not be changed.

Apply to the Attribute(s):

select the attributes to which you want the new date or time to be applied. Note that not all attributes are supported for all types of volumes.