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ArcMac
Standard File Archiver for Macintosh Computers
Version 1.2
Released February 1988
Copyright 1988 by D.G. Gilbert
All rights reserved.
dogStar Software
PO Box 302
Bloomington
Indiana, 47402
E-Mail: CompuServe 71450,1570
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. ArcMac Features ...........................................2
2. System Requirements........................................2
3. Background.................................................3
4. ArcMac Shareware Agreement.................................5
5. Distribution Files.........................................6
6. ArcMac Command Summary.....................................8
7. Path Names.................................................9
8. Disk Drive Identifiers....................................10
9. MOS Command Subset........................................10
?......................................................10
HELP .................................................10
CD pathName ..................................10
CLS ..................................10
DIR [pathName][/w] ..................................11
EJECT drive: ..................................11
EXIT ..................................11
GO pathName [/w] ..................................11
REM remark ..................................11
TYPE fileName(s) [/l] ..............................11
VER ..................................12
WHERE fileName(s) ..................................12
10. Redirection and Batch Processing..........................12
11. MultiFinder & Backgrounding...............................13
12. Finder Selections.........................................14
13. MOS Devices...............................................15
14. File Name Wild Cards......................................15
15. Control Keys..............................................16
16. Mouse Clicks..............................................16
17. Archiver Commands.........................................18
A, Add files to an archive.............................18
Modifiers for the Add commands.........................19
U, Updating archives...................................19
F, Freshening archives.................................20
M, Move files to archive...............................20
L, List archived files.................................20
V, Verbosely list files in an archive..................21
D, Delete files from archive...........................21
i
E,X Extract files from an archive.....................21
P, Print archived files................................22
T, Test archive integrity..............................23
C, Convert archive to new packing......................23
18. Mouse Arc Dialog..........................................23
19. Memory Requirements.......................................23
20. ArcPop Usage..............................................24
21. xArcMac Usage.............................................26
22. ArcMac File Structure.....................................27
23. Revision Information......................................28
Martian Operating System for the Macintosh....................29
ArcMac Fee Schedule ..........................................30
ArcMac Invoice / Order Form ..................................31
ii
ArcMac Features
---------------
* Complete file archive / de-archive utility.
* Compatible with IBM and MS-DOS standard archives, makes data
exchange a snap.
* Your choice of fast & flexible command line operation for
experienced users, or point'n'click dialog for novices.
* Batch and background operations free you for other activities.
* Includes ArcPop, the compact, easy to use file de-archiver
with the special feature of making self-extracting archives.
* Includes xArcMac, a utility for fully processing ArcMac
archives on IBM/MS-DOS machines.
* Includes a useful subset of the Martian Operating System, a
full MS-DOS like shell (Finder replacement) for the Macintosh.
System Requirements
-------------------
* Current model Macintoshes with 128K or larger ROMS (Mac+,
MacSE, MacII).
* Approximately 250 kilobytes of free memory for optimal
operation; a minimum of about 180 kb.
* Validated on Apple System software version 5.0. Operation of
ArcMac on earlier system versions may differ significantly.
* Use with MultiFinder for background operation.
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 2
Background
----------
ArcMac runs in a subset of the Martian Operating System, named
for the reason that it is an obvious alien to the Macintosh
graphic & mouse Finder system. MOS (pronounced as "moss") is a
keyboard and text based operating system that is patterned
closely after Microsoft's MS-DOS (which in turn was patterned
after CPM and numerous mainframe operating systems). Though
alien to the Macintosh, it is a familiar system to many computer
users.
The choice of MOS for running ArcMac is purposeful, not
mischievious. The reason for producing and releasing ArcMac is
twofold, (1) to provide compatibility with the excellent MS-DOS
standard file archivers, and (2) to provide an effective and
efficient user - operating system interface for such file
handling utilities.
The current Macintosh file archivers, Packit and Stuffit, are
both "good Macintosh" programs, in that they follow guidelines
that Apple has established for user interfaces. But they are not
efficient to use as file archivers, not because of a failing the
in the algorithms used (Stuffit and ArcMac are based on the same
ARC standard), but because the Macintosh Finder interface doesn't
provide a proper platform. Telling an application to operate on
multiple files, in various subdirectories (folders), in a simple
and quick way is not easy for Finder-based programs. You
generally have to wade through several dialogs, windows and
whatnot, carefully pointing and clicking all the way. There is
also no way to do batch operations, that is, process a large
number of commands written in a file. Nor is there any easy way to
redirect input or output.
With a command line operating system that recognizes subdirectory
path specifications and file wild cards, you can specify a group
of files to process in a few keystrokes. Granted that command
line operations are not as self evident as other forms...you
require some learning time. But after the learning period is
over, it is much faster to use. Thus, ArcMac seems designed only
for those who use it repeatedly and are willing to learn its
operation.
All is not lost for the novice. I've tried to incorporate the
best of both worlds in ArcMac. All of the major operations can
be performed with an arc dialog by clicking buttons and summoning
up the standard file dialogs. Use of this arc dialog will also
familiarize you with the command line keypresses needed. You can
also select files in the Finder, then shift-click to launch
ArcMac from the same folder and operate on those files. You can
use the directory list command, dir, and then click on the names of
files to process; all text on the MOS screen is clickable as
though it were typed from the keyboard.
Other benefits of this system include easy batch processing. You
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 3
can write a set of commands once, and, for example have ArcMac
archive all of your working files in several folders, all as a
MultiFinder background task (i.e., use it as a poor man's backup
system). Input and output are fully redirectable to other
devices or files. You could run ArcMac from another computer
connected by serial ports, or have all output printed, or sent to
a disk log file. I've included a few useful operations from the
full MOSystem that let you easily navigate a hard disk full of
folders, list file directories, type out the contents of text
files, or search for files.
My computing work has included extensive use of Apple //'s, IBM-
PCs, and Macintoshes. I like a good machine, and good, efficient
software tools. Macs and PCs both have good points, and both
have weaknesses. Those of you who think that MS-DOS style
operations are worthless might give ArcMac a real try, it may
change your mind. If not, you can always fire it up just to
laugh at, and use ArcPop if you ever need to extract ArcMac'ed
files.
ArcMac is dedicated to interspecies amicability, and freeing our
data. There is a lot of good information in both MS-DOS and Mac
worlds; ArcMac is one bridge for the gap.
Don Gilbert
Bloomington
January 1988
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 4
ArcMac Shareware Agreement
--------------------------
ArcMac is distributed as user supported shareware. This means
that, after you evaluate ArcMac and decide that it meets your
needs, you are obliged to pay a fee ($25 basic, see tail section
for additional schedules). If you try it and do not like it, you
are under no obligation to pay. Either way, please feel free to
pass on the full distribution archive to friends and electronic
bulletin boards.
But if you continue using ArcMac and do not pay, you will be
causing frustration for all sorts of people, including the
author, who put in much time making this work, yourself and other
users who will not be able to benefit from upgrades, and the
general community of shareware users and authors, as it becomes
economically impossible for any but the rich or ill-advised to
produce shareware.
In return, dogStar will continue to upgrade ArcMac and
insure its compatibility with current and future Macintosh
software. The next major release (version 2.0) will be a fast
version, which we all want.
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 5
Distribution Files
------------------
ArcMac is distributed in a special format: as a self-extracting
archive application, under the name of ArcMac.ARC or ArcMac.BIN.
If downloading this file from a bulletin board, use a transfer
protocol that includes the MacBinary file setup.
When you get ArcMac on your Macintosh disk, it should appear with
an application icon, or the ArcPop icon (the "A" button). If
transfered with MacBinary, it will have the name of ArcMac.Arc (a
bit redundant, but it signifies that this file contains an
archive of all the ArcMac files). Just click on it and you will
get the simple ArcPop dialog. Your default choice is to de-
archive the current contents, which you do by hitting the return
key, or clicking the continue button.
The contents of the ArcMac.Arc file are:
ArcMac -- the primary application
ArcMac1.Doc -- full documentation in "TEXT" form, readable by
& many applications, including the ArcMac type
ArcMac2.Doc command. The file creator is TeachText, Apple's
text reader included with Apple System 5.0 and
some earlier systems. After extracting, you can
either click on these files from Finder to launch
TeachText, or you can use the ArcMac command
"type" to get a printed list of this file, as per
type ArcMac*.doc > prn
xArcMac.exe -- this is the MS-DOS executable program for fully
extracting and listing ArcMac archives on MS-DOS
machines. You will need to transfer it to an MS-
DOS machine to use. (You can transfer the entire
ArcMac.Arc, and use ARC or PKXARC to extract this
file).
ArcPop -- this program is the application portion of
ArcMac.Arc. To create the stand-alone ArcPop
application, without its ArcMac archive, choose
the "UnMake" button on the ArcPop dialog.
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 6
Other files in public distribution are:
ArcPop.ARC -- This is the ArcPop de-archive utility only,
with self-extracting documention. ArcPop is
distributed freely, so than no one need pay to
access available ArcMac'ed data. If you don't care
for ArcMac, but want the capability of using
ArcMac'ed (or IBM/MS-DOS arc'ed) files, this is
the tool for you.
MARCS.ARC -- this archive contains Turbo Pascal source for
the xArcMac and the ArcPop programs, so that
others may incorporate the ArcMac file structure
and protocol in archivers.
Current versions of these files can be obtained from
Bloomington's PC-LINK bulletin board, phone 812-335-7272
(1200..9600 Baud, 24hr).
The CompuServe MACPRO Maug Sig and BORPRO Borland Sig will
generally have the most recent updates.
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 7
ArcMac Command Summary
----------------------
? - lists all available commands.
ARC command[modifiers] archive [filename ...]
- the archiving command line.
CHDIR pathName - change directory
CD pathName - change directory
CLS - clear screen
DIR [pathName][/w] - display current or named directory, /w = wide
EJECT drive: - eject disk from disk drive
EXIT - quit MOS to Finder
GO pathName [/w] - change directory with display
HELP [command] - info about all or the named command.
REM remark - a comment line in a batch command file.
TYPE fileName(s) - display the contents of file(s)
VER - display MOS version
WHERE fileName(s) - search dir & subdirs for named file(s)
> device or fileName - redirect output
< device or fileName - redirect input
MOS devices: con = console
prn = printer(port .B) trm = terminal(port .A)
com1 = serial port .A com2 = serial port .B
Name wild cards: ? = match 1 letter, * = match many letters
Control keys : ^C = user break, ^S = stop list
Mouse clicks : on word = type it, on ) = carriage return
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 8
Path Names
----------
All MOS command line prompts are preceded with a path name
specifier as:
?© HARD:MyFolder: >
The current folder is "HARD:MyFolder" and all commands that don't
include a path specification will operation on files in this
folder. The preceding "?©" (question mark, circle-c) is a quick
help command that when mouse-clicked, will provide a list of all
available commands.
Full Macintosh operating system path names are specified as the
names of all folders from the root folder into the desired
folder, with names separated by colons, as for instance:
HARD:TurboF:MartianF:ArcMacF:
for a folder that is nested 3 levels into the HARD volume. MOS
allows you to use partial pathnames and does it's best to find
them. All folders that are open in Finder when you start
MOS/ArcMac are made working directories, so that you can specify
them with their one name.
You can use the standard MS-DOS path specifiers instead of the
Macintosh path colon, e.g.
H:\TurboF\MartianF\ArcMacF\
is equivalent to the above full path.
If your current directory is ArcMacF, then partial path names
include
::BobsF
..BobsF
..\BobsF
which all refer to a folder "BobsF" that is a sibling of the
current ArcMacF folder (that is, it is found in the directory of
the next higher level, "MartianF").
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 9
Disk Drive Identifiers
----------------------
The Macintosh operating system uses names for each disk, to
identify paths. Mac programmers also can access the drives using
a reference number starting from 1. To let you specify a disk
drive independent of the name of the disk in it, MOS supports the
MS-DOS style drive naming conventions "A:" to "Z:". Mac number
equivalents are "1:" to "9:". The first Sony 3.5" drive is
always "A:" or "1:", the second Sony is "B:" or "2:". The first
SCSI hard disk is "H:" or "8:".
Drive Name Alternate Name Hardware Device
A: 1: First .Sony (internal) disk
B: 2: Second .Sony (external) disk
H: 8: First SCSI Hard drive
MOS Command Subset
------------------
?
Type a question mark to get a list of all available
commands.
HELP
HELP command
Entering this command provides a summary of all commands.
Add the name of a specific command to get information about that
command only.
CD pathName
CHDIR pathName
These commands change the active folder (directory) to
the given path name. A partial or full pathname can be specified,
as well as volume (disk drive) identifiers.
To change the default disk drive, you can use the CD command or
just the drive letter identifier, as per MS-DOS operations. Both
of these commands change the active drive from drive H: (hard
disk) to the first Sony drive:
?© HARD: >cd a:
?© HARD: >a:
CLS
Clear the display screen.
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 10
DIR [pathName][/w]
List the files in the specified directory. If no
pathname is given, the current folder contents are listed. The
default listing show the name, type, creator, data fork size
(Size0), resource fork size (Size1), date and time of last
modification. The /W option switch produces a wide listing of
file names only.
EJECT drive:
Eject a flippy disk from the specified drive. Has no
effect on hard disk drives.
Eject A: -- eject disk in internal or 1st flippy drive
Eject B: -- eject disk in external or 2nd flippy drive
EXIT
Quit MOS. There are several other ways to quit,
including click on the MOS window close box, or select Quit from
the File menu, or type the Break key (control-C or enter) at the
command line.
GO pathName [/w]
Go to the named folder and list its contents. This
command is equivalent to
CD pathName
DIR [/w]
REM remark
This is a do-nothing command useful for adding comments to
batch command files (see examples below). Any text on a line
starting with REM is ignored (vers. 1.2 addition).
TYPE fileName(s) [/l]
This command lists (types out) the contents of all
matching files. Only data fork contents are listed. Any file
can be typed out, but this command is useful mainly for files of
type "TEXT". By default, a title line naming the file and its
date is typed first. The /L option switch disables this header
line. In contrast to the MS-DOS standard type, the filename may
be a list of file names, including wild cards. Each matching
file will be typed in turn, and a form feed character is sent to
the output device after each file. This makes type a simple way
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 11
to print multiple text files, as per
TYPE *.txt > prn
VER
This command displays copyright and the current MOS
version.
WHERE fileName(s)
This operation searches folders and sub-folders for the
specified filename, which usually includes wild cards. The full
path name of each matching file is listed. For instance,
Where *.arc -- search the current folder and all sub-
folders for files ending in the string ".arc"
Where H:bob* -- searches the hard disk drive H: and
all of its folders for files beginning with the name "bob"
Where H:JoesF:bob* -- searches only the folder JoesF
and its children folders for "bob"
Redirection and Batch Processing
--------------------------------
> device or fileName - redirect output
< device or fileName - redirect input
Use the special piping characters ">" and "<" to redirect output
or input to a command, or to redirect all MOS output or input.
When used in conjunction with a command line, the output or input
from that one operation is redirected. For instance,
ARC l myArc > myArc.list
will cause the archive listing to be written to a file named
"myArc.list".
When used as the first command on a command line, all subsequent
input or output of commands is redirected. For example, if you
create a text file named "DoArc.Bat" with the following contents
rem let's make the archive folder active
cd h:archives
rem update my working folder archives
arc u docs h:docs:*.*
arc u data h:data:*.*
arc u pics h:pics:*.*
rem and now we're done
exit
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 12
This is a set of ArcMac commands to update the archives of a
series of folders. Then you can operate ArcMac in a batch mode
by redirecting its command input to this file, as per
< DoArc.bat
Individual command line output can be redirected within a batch
file. For instance, to get a printed listing of the updated
archives, you could add these commands to DoArc.Bat
arc v docs > prn
arc v data > prn
arc v pics > prn
ArcMac version 1.1 can be operated from a start-up batch file
entirely, making it compatible with other shell programs for
independent operations. If you launch ArcMac with one accessory
file, and that file contains the ".BAT" name extension, then
ArcMac will take its command line input from this file. When
launching from Finder, you can select both the ArcMac application
and your batch file, for instance "DoArc.bat", then double-click
to launch. As a further simplification, change the "file
creator" of the batch file to "arc*", which is ArcMac's creator
name, then you can double click on the batch file only, and
Finder will launch ArcMac from whereever it is hidden among your
folders. For command line shells like MOS or the MPW shell, you
can use a command such as
> ArcMac DoArc.Bat
MultiFinder & Backgrounding
---------------------------
MOS is MultiFinder compatible and will operate as a background
application. The archiving operations in particular lend
themselves to backgrounding, since you can make a big list of
folders to archive as a batch file of commands, then redirect
ArcMac command input to this batch file. You need to mouse click
on an icon outside of ArcMac to put it to sleep, and wait up to
10 seconds for ArcMac to get sleepy.
The 10 second wait for backgrounding is needed to insure fast
processing when ArcMac is in the foreground. When in the
background, archiving takes at least 10 times as long, but this
is no hassle, since you and your Macintosh are free to pursue
other activities.
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 13
Finder Selections
-----------------
When launching ArcMac from Finder, two methods of selecting files
in Finder work. If you want to work with an existing ArcMac
archive, you can double-click on it and Finder will launch
ArcMac. The MOS display lists the name of your archive as a
selected file. You can give an arc command or use the Mouse
dialog with this default archive:
Selected files: My.ARC
?© HARD:jake:> arc l
-- after you type the "arc l" command, the
selected archive My.ARC is listed.
The other method of file selection from Finder is to move the
ArcMac application to a folder containing files that you want to
archive. Select all the files to operate on, and also select
ArcMac, using a lasso with the mouse or using shift-clicks. Then
double click ArcMac or one of the selected files. Your startup
display will look something like:
Selected files: Data.1 Data.2 Data.3 Data.4
?© HARD:jake:> arc a mydata
-- after you type the "arc a mydata" command, the
selected files are added to archive "mydata.arc". Alternately,
you can use the Mouse menu to produce the arc add command to add
the selected files.
Both methods of file selection work only for the first MOS
command. After that, the Finder selections are forgotten. See
the previous section for launching with a ".BAT" batch file.
ArcMac has no control about how Finder/Multifinder passes file
selections to it. The following cases exist for System 5.0
software (differs in pre-MultiFinder systems):
a) Single (non-multi) mode does not permit any file
selections. This is same for any application, including
Packit & Stuffit.
b) Multi-mode, 1 application + any group of documents in a
single folder: You can select doc files and ArcMac, and then
launch ArcMac. In this case, all of the files will be
selected to operate on.
c) Multi-mode, 2 or more applications selected: Multifinder
will launch all applications independently, and will launch
the creator applications of selected documents. In other
words, you can not select applications to archive from Finder.
This is part of the reason that ArcMac has an MS-DOS style
interface: selection of files of disparate origins and types to
operate on is simple, rather than impossible.
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 14
MOS Devices
-----------
When redirecting input or output, you can specify a disk file
name or one of the following hardware devices.
CON = console
The console is the display window and keyboard
PRN = printer (port .B)
This is the printer serial port. No Macintosh printer
device driver is used to filter the output of this device, so you
printer needs to be able to print standard ASCII characters (as
does Apple's Imagewriter and all other dot matrix or daisy wheel
printers). The complete MOS program contains an LPT device that
operates through your standard Macintosh printer driver. The
port is fixed in ArcMac but can be switched in MOS.
TRM = terminal(port .A)
This is a terminal (input and output) device with echo
to the MOS display. It is not a full communications package, and
uses no special transfer protocols, but you can redirect MOS
input and output to another computer running some terminal
software. Port is fixed to .A (the modem port) in ArcMac but
switchable in MOS.
COM1 = serial port .A
This is always serial port .A (modem) and no processing
is done on input or output.
COM2 = serial port .B
This is always serial port .B (printer) and no
processing is done on input or output.
File Name Wild Cards
--------------------
The Macintosh operating system is very liberal in its file naming
conventions. Just about any letter exclusive of the path
separator ":" can be included in a name. This liberality is
feasible because in most Macintosh programs, file names are rarely
used to identify which files to operate on (or only in the visual
sense, of clicking on a name in a list).
In text based systems, like MOS, file names are the key to
identifying files, and there are certain conventions that allow
ArcMac ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 15