GEMini Atari/GEMini_Atari_CD-ROM_Walnut_Creek_December_1993.iso/zip/diskutil/dscan12.lzh/DSCAN12/DISKSCAN.DOC

Text File | 1985-11-19 | 34KB | 629 lines

Hi,

Since I have shelved DISKTOP for a bit, I thought I would combine DISKTOP and
HDSCAN and produce a new program. DISKSCAN 1.0 is included in this release.
DISKSCAN is a FREE (but copyrighted by me) program that has pretty much all the
features of both DISKTOP and HDSCAN. It is a fully functional program with lots
of features and, in keeping with the HDSCAN tradition, I have reserved only a
few additional bells and whistles for the Professional version (2.0 = not free).
In this case, these extra features include things like sort options, mouse
control, extra output options, etc, all of which you can live without if you
are strapped for money. To keep things simple, the following document covers the
features of both 1.0 and 2.0.

Some useful things to note. This version of DISKSCAN (1.0) has extended command
macro features, better directory viewing, and a few other enhancements that were
added to HDSCAN 1.4/2.4 (just finishing the docs on that). So if you are
familiar with the old HDSCAN I would still recommend reading the docs.

  -Todd Burkey
  [e-mail]

-------C--U--T-----H-E-R-E---------------------------------------

                        DISKSCAN Version 1.0/2.0
                      (The ST Floppy Disk Manager)
                               (c) 1988
                            by Todd Burkey


Note: This documentation must be included with DISKSCAN Version 1.0 if you
      wish to transmit the program to anyone by email, bbs, or any other means.

      Any modification of the binaries or this document is expressly forbidden.
      DISKSCAN 1.0 is copyrighted 1988 by Todd Burkey-All Rights Reserved.

      DISKSCAN Professional (2.0) is copyrighted 1988 by Todd Burkey-All Rights
      Reserved and may NOT be copied, except for personal use by users who have
      purchased the product legally.

DISCLAIMER: I spend all my money on computers that outdate themselves within a
            year, so I really don't need a disclaimer...although with all the
            strange things TOS and GEM occasionally do, I should say "LET THE
            USER BEWARE".  There. Safe.

1.0 INTRO:

DISKSCAN was designed initially to satisfy a simple need. I kept losing files.
Not permanently, but just in that frustrating sense of knowing that one of
those disks with the little cryptic writing on the plastic contains the file
I want. And also knowing it is going to be on the very last diskette that I
stick in the drive. So, DISKSCAN is first and foremost a utility that lets
you 1) archive file information quickly and painlessly and 2) easily find
the files at a later date.

A program I wrote almost two years ago (DISKTOP) had covered this problem
fairly well, but I quickly ran into limitations in how many disks I could
adequately archive with it (both array limitations and the user interface).
DISKSCAN is hopefully my final solution to the problem. DISKSCAN bypasses
the old 2000 file limit (currently it is set to 5000 files/database), but
also keeps track of what directory a file is in, its' size, and its' date.
And, since you can have multiple databases there really aren't any hardnosed
limitations anymore.

You will find that DISKSCAN is optimized for speed. It scans disks quickly
and, by letting you use the volume name, lets you scan your existing disk
collection with a bare minumum of effort. DISKSCAN also recognizes the
DISKTOP.INF file which was used by DISKTOP (it is a small file that just
contains the name of the disk...up to 20 chars long). By default, DISKSCAN
will still look for the DISKTOP.INF file and create one for you if you
put in a disk that doesn't have the file. This feature can be easily
disabled by one keypress (or by setting a configuration parameter...see
the discussion on DISKSCAN.KEY). I call it a feature because I prefer to
call my disks by a name like: "Source Code Disk #1" as opposed to a yucky
SRC_CODE.001 volume name.

Other features include viewing files, hexdumping files, tagging for copying
and or deleting groups of files, renaming files, changing protections on
files,  invoking external programs, and sorting files.  You can sort by
date, name, and size in ascending or descending order. For example, you can
select all .c files (all disks), sort them by reverse date, then easily
track down that elusive program you lost. Or maybe sort an entire library
by name to help find duplicate files (this will make more sense if you have as
many disks as I do). The sort in DISKSCAN is a recursive quicksort, so even
thousands of files will be sorted in a few seconds. I have also added a very
simple (but fast) file compare routine to allow quick checks to see if files
are duplicates. And you will find even more features embedded in the program
as you start using it.


1.1 BRIEF HISTORY:

I wrote this program for one reason only...I needed it.

1.1.1 Who else needs it?

Anyone who has more than 20 floppies laying around can probably use a quick
archiving mechanism. DISKSCAN's predecessor (DISKTOP) was used heavily by the
local Atari clubs to keep track of files and to provide a simple way of
letting members find the right disks to buy. As a developer, I have little
trust in hard disks, so I tend to back certain files up to lots of temporary
disks and DISKSCAN has proven invaluable for keeping track of my mess.

2.0.0 USING DISKSCAN:

2.1.0 First things first: The DISKSCAN.KEY Control File

Before you run DISKSCAN for the first time, you should probably create a
file called DISKSCAN.KEY and place it in C:\DISKSCAN.KEY or on your floppy
if you don't have a harddisk and don't trust your ram disk. DISKSCAN will
search for DISKSCAN.KEY in your current directory when you first invoke
DISKSCAN, and if it can't find it there, it will automatically check
C:\DISKSCAN.KEY. If DISKSCAN doesn't find it, DISKSCAN will come up with some
defaults of its own.

DISKSCAN.KEY is control file that defines system and user specific things
for DISKSCAN. This includes 'things' like telling DISKSCAN where your best
editor is located, where to find your copy of arc, or even what commands
to 'attach' to the auto-invoke keys (Function Keys 1-10) for macros. While
DISKSCAN will work fine without DISKSCAN.KEY, proper setup of the file will
be well worth the time it takes to learn its somewhat cryptic structure.

2.1.1 DISKSCAN.KEY Syntax

The format of DISKSCAN.KEY is actually very simple.  Each line in the file
acts as either a key definition (keys F1-F10), a parameter assignment, or
a comment. If a line does not have an equal sign ('=') or colon (':') in
the second character position, it is taken as a comment line.

2.1.1.1 DISKSCAN.KEY Key Bindings

If the line begins with one number followed by an '=' sign, then the text that
follows the equal sign will be taken as a command (or commands) to be executed
when you press the appropriate number key. These commands can consist of
pretty much anything you would normally type from a shell. A nice feature is
that the commands can be parameterized by embedding @F, @P, @f, @p, ?, and <
in the command line. This will make more sense once you start using DISKSCAN,
but @F will expand into the full pathname of the file you are 'ON' when you
select the command, @P will be the full file name without the extender (i.e.
if C:\trb\test.c is the FULL pathname, then @P will expand to C:\trb\test).
Likewise, @f will give you the full file name (test.c) and @p will give just
the prefix of the name (test). Finally, if the first character of the command
line is a ? the user will be prompted before the command is invoked, and if
it is a < then the user will be prompted to type in the full command.

2.1.1.2 DISKSCAN.KEY Parameters

If the line begins with a letter, dash ('-'), or plus ('+') followed by a ':',
then the information following the ':' will be passed (kind of like parameters)
into DISKSCAN at startup.  I know, I could have used environment variables, but
this was easier and simpler for people to set up. For now, the 'parameters'
that are recognized by DISKSCAN are:

  'A'     (arc path)
  'P'     (print file path)
  'E'     (editor path)
  '+'     Use the following floppy drive for scanning (default is drive A)
  'V'     If set to Y then the Volume name is scanned instead of DISKTOP.INF

2.1.2 DISKSCAN.KEY Example

For example, let's say your favorite editor is in C:\bin\emacs.tos, you
have arc in your local directory, you always want drive B scanned,
and you want to be able to perform a variety of commands on files at the
press of the key. The following DISKSCAN.KEY file would accomplish this.

-------sample DISKSCAN.KEY file--------
+:B
E:C:\bin\emacs.tos
A:arc.ttp
V:Y
/* Key 1 & F1 definition: do a word count of the current file */
1=wc @F
/* compile the current file after prompting the user to do so */
2=?cc -O @F -o @P
/* do a less of the current file */
3=less @F
/* drop into a shell...somewhat unnecessary on BSD systems */
5=C:\bin\sh.prg
/* copy the current file into my catchall directory */
6=C:\bin\cp.prg @F G:\packrat
/* Look at a tiny picture */
7=C:\tinylook.ttp @F
/* key 0 & F10 definition: dynamically prompt user for the command to issue */
0=<
-----end of sample DISKSCAN.KEY file--------


2.2.0 INVOKING THE PROGRAM:

Very simple. Just click on the diskscan.prg icon. Or you can run it from a
shell with command line options by typing:

  diskscan data_base_name    <--assuming you want to load a database other
                              than the standard "DISKSCAN.DB"

Note that with this format, you can also install the application with
a .DB extender and then just execute diskscan from the desktop by clicking
on the database file itself (assuming you use a .db extender).

The screen will be somewhat confusing to the beginner, so I will explain
here what you are looking at.

2.2.2 The Main Display:

Right after invoking DISKSCAN for the first time, you will probably see a
somewhat empty screen (because you haven't scanned anything yet). The
best thing to do is to stick a disk in drive A and press the '!' key
to start a scan. If this disk has never been scanned before and you didn't
over-ride DISKSCAN's default use of DISKTOP.INF (note that this is NOT a
typo for DESKTOP.INF!), then you will be prompted for the disks name. I
recommend giving it the same name that you have scribbled on the top edge
(or front) of the disk. Keep in mind that it must be 20 characters or less
(DISKSCAN will just chop it off if you type too much). After you type it
in, DISKSCAN will write out the file to the disk and scan the disk. Now
you should have something on the screen to relate to in the following
discussion.

Most noticeable on the screen will be a tall box near the right of the screen
filled with file names. That is the 'selected file' window and you can scroll
up and down through all selected files with the h, j, k, and l keys (more on
this later) to quickly get to a file. The file you are currently 'ON'
will be highlighted (both reverse fielded and with a > sign next to it).
Right after scanning a disk, DISKSCAN sets the selection criteria to
NEW DISK and selects, for viewing, only those files it just scanned.

As you scroll through the file names, notice that the directory the file is
in, it's size, and it's dates (modify/access/change), are automatically
updated in windows near the top left of the screen. The disk name is also
updated (more important when you are searching for files...)

Next to the file size window is a window that will make more sense later. It
displays the total size of all Tagged files. This proves useful when you are
tagging files to copy to a RAM Disk, deciding which files will fit.

Below these two windows is a long window used for prompts. Look in this
window if you aren't sure why something isn't happening...it might be asking
you a question.

Below the prompt window is a big free space which I am sure will eventually get
filled up. Right now it is mostly a billboard.

Below that is a status line that basically tells you 1) what you have selected
(i.e. ALL will appear if all partitions are chosen, DISK will appear if you have
selected a single directory to work in, and a string of 1-8 characters will
appear if the selection was made using a wildcard string search), 2) the sort
order (initially RANDOM to give you an idea of how fractured your file space
is), 3) the number of disks total in your current database, 4) the number of
selected files, and 5) the total size in bytes of all selected files.


3.0 File Selection Mode: Commands

You can skip this section and just use it for reference if you are familiar
with the Unix version of HDSCAN. Everyone else would be wise to at least do
a quick scan of the commands. One important difference to keep in mind between
DISKSCAN and HDSCAN is that in HDSCAN, the files were always available
throughout the session (i.e. you couldn't swap hard disks on me). In DISKSCAN,
I actually check to see if the correct disk is in the drive before performing
an operation (file viewing, deleting, copying, comparing, etc). If DISKSCAN
doesn't see the correct disk in the drive, it will prompt you to put it in
(or you can hit ESC to abort the operation.)

3.1 Moving About:

One important thing to learn before we get into the various commands is
that to scroll through the files in the file window, you can use the h,
j, k, and l keys. The j/k keys will scroll down/up in the file window
respectively. Likewise, the h/l keys will page up/down in the list. If
you want to go all the way up or down in the list of files displayed in
the window, then use the H and L keys. If you want to scroll a bit faster,
use the J/K keys instead of the j/k keys. This will cause scrolling without
updating the current file info on the screen.

For those of you who prefer the use of the arrow keys, then make the following
substitutions to the above:

       Up Arrow---->k key-->scroll up
       Down Arrow-->j key-->scroll down
       Left Arrow-->h key-->page up
       Right Arrow->l key-->page down
 Shift Up Arrow---->K key-->scroll up (faster)
 Shift Down Arrow-->J key-->scroll down (faster)
       Clr/Home---->H key-->Goto first file in selected list
 Shift Clr/Home---->L key-->Goto last file in selected list

Why did I do this? I just like keeping my fingers in the normal key range
and hate searching around for the arrow keys. Likewise, the number keys are
mapped into the Function Keys (0=F10, 1=F1, ..., 9=F9).

3.2 TAGGING STuff:

Tagged files are a fundamental feature of diskscan and its usage. To tag a file,
simply scroll to the file you want and press the 't' key. You will see a '*'
appear in a little scrolling region next to the file name and the file window
will scroll to the next file (so you can keep pressing 't' to select a bunch
of files.) As each file is Tagged, you will see the total Tagged size increase
in the TOTAL TAGGED window. To untag a file, just use the 'u' key. To untag
all files, type 'ALT-U'. Note that directories will also appear in the file
selection window (they have a 'D' next to them). I don't allow tagging of
directories so you can't delete them, but they are useful for reference to
see what all is in a directory (and when you are checking out protections,
modify dates, etc).

3.3 SEARCHING AND SELECTING STuff:

3.3.1 Searching for files

Most of the time, you will probably just want to search out a few files for
tagging and won't want to scroll over all 5000 or so files in the database. To
accomplish this, if you press the 's' key, you will be prompted for a <13
character string to search for (you can enter stuff like .doc, .c, junk, etc
but no * or ? wildcards are supported...to be truthful, I never even had any
requests for wildcards.) The 's' key option will make its selection from all
available files. If you just want to perform a selection from the currently
selected subset of files, the 'S' key should be used instead. This will
allow you to easily narrow in on a set of file names. Both options will
allow you to enter just an asterisk (*) if you want to just see Tagged files,
and entering only a carriage return will reselect everything.

3.3.2 Selecting/Searching for a directory

There are also times when you might only want to select the files in one
disk or directory. To do so, pressing the TAB key will turn the DISK: window
into a little scrolling region, allowing you to use the arrow keys to quickly
scroll to the appropriate disk. If you have a lot of disks to scroll past,
you can just type '/' or '\' followed by a few characters that are in the
disk name to search forwards or backwards respectively in the disk
tree. When you have the disk you want in the PATH: window, you can either
press the TAB key again (to select all the files in the currently selected
disk) or the right arrow key to move the scrolling region over into the
PATH: window. Moving into the PATH: window will let you further refine your
selection down to the exact directory on the disk in question. Again, once
you have gotten to the correct directory, pressing the TAB key will select
all files in that directory, on that disk. If there are no files in the
directory you are trying to select, then DISKSCAN will inform you so and let
you select another directory.

There is also another method that allows disk selection. If you press
the N or P keys, the disk in the database that is Next/Previous to the
one in the DISK: window will be selected.  This is a useful way of swinging
through disks checking sizes or whatever. Note that in both selection
methods, my definition of the next disk in a tree is based on the next
alphabetically sorted path for that disk. This will be more apparent
once you use the program.


3.4 DANGEROUS STuff (Copy/Erase all Tagged files...and more):

Once you have everything that you need Tagged, pressing the 'm' or 'M' keys
will invoke the mass file copy routine. Selecting 'M' will copy files while
preserving the original file dates and attributes, whereas the 'm' key will
create a file with the current date. This option will prompt you for the
destination path and allow you to copy all Tagged files (with or without an
interactive query on each file). Once copied, the '*' next to a file name will
become a '#' to show that the copy was successful. If you later want to re-tag
the '#' files, possibly for mass erase ('E' key), you can do so by pressing
the 'ALT-T' keys.


3.5 VISUAL STuff (Viewing and Dumping files):

One nice feature of DISKSCAN is that by pressing the 'v' key, you can view the
file that you are currently 'ON' in the file window. The view option does
a character by character analysis of the file, just displaying the ASCII
printable characters on the screen, so it can be used for looking for strings
in a binary file. Note that because I chose to allow looking at binary files,
I also turned off highlighting, tabbing, and formfeeds that sometimes appear
in files. If you want to get a HEX dump, press the 'V' key and you will get
a page by page listing of your file in both HEX and ASCII. You can edit
the file you are currently pointing at in the scroll window by pressing the
'*' key (shift 8). 'vi', or whatever you designated as your favorite editor
in the DISKSCAN.KEY file, will be loaded, read in the file, allow you to edit
and save the file, and then return you to DISKSCAN when you are done.

3.6 ARC STuff:

To get a verbose listing of the contents of an ARC file, move to the file you
want to look at and then press the = key. While the verbose listing is being
displayed, you can press the CTRL-S key to pause the listing and the CTRL-Q
key to continue the listing in case it is longer than one screenful.

To add all Tagged files to an ARC file, just hit the + key. You will be asked
for a path name, so just type in the full path to the file you want everything
arc'ed to. Note that this name can be either an existing file name or it can
be a new name. The Tagged files will then be ARC'ed together. Please note that
the current implementation of 'add to ARC' is horribly inefficient...but it
works.

3.7 SOMEWHAT NEAT STuff:

3.7.1 Sorting files  (Only in the Professional version)

DISKSCAN allows you to sort all selected files (don't confuse Tagged with
selected...selected files are simply everything you can currently scroll past
in the file name window, whereas Tagged files are those you have Tagged with
the T key for some future purpose.) By pressing the 'o' key, you will tell
DISKSCAN that you wish to sort the selected files. DISKSCAN will prompt you for
the sort key (i.e. file size, name, date, protections, etc) and then ask
whether you want to see them in ascending or descending order). Since you can
sort files over a whole file system, a sort by descending date is a useful way
to tag what has changed since your last backup. A sort by ascending name is
useful to find all those duplicate files. One note on sorting: I always fall
back to RANDOM order upon a new selection by either search (S) or directory
select (TAB). This provides the fastest response assuming you aren't always
wanting to see the stuff sorted. If you really want files to be maintained in
a particular order for viewing purposes, use the 'O' key to initiate your
sort option. This will tell DISKSCAN to maintain that sort order throughout all
subsequent file reselects...until another sort option is selected.

3.7.2 Comparing files  (Only in the Professional Version)

An interesting feature in DISKSCAN is the ability to quickly compare files.
You can use either the 'c' key or the 'C' key to perform this function. This
option will use an internal routine to quickly ascertain that the files are
the same or not.  To perform a compare, move the cursor to one of the files
you want to compare and press the 'c' or 'C' key.  When you do so, a C will
appear next to the file name and you will be prompted to go find another file
to compare it against. When you have the scroll bar over the other file, press
c or C again and the two files will be compared. For sanity's sake, my routine
just shows the first 15 differences (byte locations and values) that the program
finds. Note that you can do any number of file searches and directory matches
in between selecting the first and second compare files.

3.8 POWERFUL STuff:

3.8.1 Doing things to a file

Because I got tired adding features to DISKSCAN, and it was getting big, I
decided to add one more feature. This is probably the most powerful feature
(and the most confusing) as well. I decided to make the 0-9 keys into
user definable keys. I have mentioned already how to create the DISKSCAN.KEY
file, so will only mention here that to use the program you have assigned to
the key, just press the appropriate key. If you forget what the user defined
key assignments are, just press the 'I' key and you will be given a listing of
the keys (along with a summary of disk space). This programmable key option
uses the system() call, so you can even invoke commands that do redirection.

Note: I know it is confusing, but I decided to map the Function keys into the
number keys (i.e. key 1=F1, 2=F2, ... , 0=F10) to keep things familiar for
people using both the ST and Unix versions of HDSCAN.

3.8.2 Doing things to all Tagged files

Guess what you can also do with Tagged files? If you press the 'M' key after
tagging a bunch of files, you will be prompted to press a command key (0-9).
Yep, you guessed it. You can invoke any command upon all of the files that
you have Tagged, one at a time. You can optionally have DISKSCAN pause after
each file is 'processed' in this fashion or just let it run through all the
files.

3.9 FINAL STuff:

Now, what have I missed? There are quite a few little options that I rarely
use, but that people requested for some reason or other on the ST.

3.9.1 Renaming files

To rename a file, just hit the 'R' key and type in the new name. The file name
you are currently selecting in the file window will be renamed.

3.9.2 Creating directories

To create a directory, just press the ~ key. You will be prompted for a
directory name. You can type in the complete path of the directory you want
created (i.e.  C:\trb\PICTURES) or if you are already inside the directory
you want to create the new dir in, just prefix the name of the new directory
with a ~ character (i.e. if you see C:\trb up in the PATH window, just type:
   ~PICTURES
to achieve the same thing as typing C:\trb\PICTURES). This was originally
intended for creating directories on the output media, so creating a directory
will not cause that directory to be visible in the file selector window unless
you do a rescan ('!' key).

3.9.3 Cleaning up the disk order

To beautify ('B' key) the order that files are presented, I added an option
that goes through and groups all files into disk order, rather than the RANDOM
order that you will see files in upon running DISKSCAN. The RANDOM order is
actually the same order that you added the disks to the diskscan database and
may be preferred by some people (access is faster).  After you get used to
viewing files via using the match, directory select, and sort options, you
will probably never even bother using the 'B' key. Note that if you invoke
DISKSCAN with a -b option from a shell you will get this option by default.

3.9.4 eXtra STuff  (Output Options)

For sanities sake, DISKSCAN (like DISKTOP) outputs directly to a file rather
than a printer. This lets you post-process the files if you so desire before
printing them. To invoke the eXtra stuff option, just press the X key. You
will then be presented with another menu which lists the available options
(currently just 'print' options).

I have added three print options to DISKSCAN. The 1.0 version has a Short
output option which puts the disk name and a columnized listing of all the
files in each disk out to a file. You can then edit this file and/or print
it out at your leasure. The 2.0 version has a database dump option (printing
out information of the form "DISK:full_path_name/file_name size date") to a
file as well as a Long output option which columnizes the name, size, and date
in a two across fashion. In all cases, only the selected set of files are saved
to the output file and the sort order is preserved in the 2.0 version (which
is handy if you want a printout of all your pascal files sorted by reverse
date but still grouped in disk order...)

3.9.5 WARNING!

Some words of caution before you continue. First, while copying, DISKSCAN
does not check to see if the destination file already exists...it will
just overwrite the destination file. Second, I don't do any bounds checking on
input, so if you feel you must have long directory names that require you to
type in over the scroll window graphics, go ahead. You can't hurt anything
that pressing the ? key twice won't solve. I know that I should really go
in and prevent that from happening, but this program was designed not to be
restrictive and should allow you to use it in ways I haven't planned for yet
(planning for the unplanned?)  Finally, be careful about using the 'e' key.
If you tag some files in one directory, then do a search for some other files
and tag some of them, be aware that the previously Tagged files will also get
erased (unless you un-tagged them of course). Just because you can't see the
file any more in your currently selected subset of the disk does not mean it
isn't Tagged (that will be obvious, actually, if you look at the total Tagged
window). If you are at all unsure, just use the select option to select all
Tagged files prior to deleting them ('s' and then search for '*'). Happy
computing...


4.0 SUMMARY OF COMMANDS:

Sure, now that I have told you about all the commands I condense everything
into one paragraph:

~ key:     Create a directory
! key:     Scan the disk in the 'scan' drive (default drive is A)
# key:     Invoke selected program (i.e. the file under the cursor)
+ key:     Add Tagged files to an existing .arc file (or create a new one)
0-9 keys:  Run external programs (defined in DISKSCAN.KEY)
= key:     Verbose Arc listing (peek at the names/sizes of ARC files)
HELP/?     HELP (basically this info)/keymap info (i.e. command key bindings)
TAB key:   Select files by disk (and by directory)
c keys:    Compare two files. Tricky on big files unless on the same disk..
D key:     Delete (kill) current disk from database.
e key:     Erase all Tagged files (verification will be requested.)
G key:     Globally run external programs on all tagged files.
h/l keys:  Page up/down in the file selection window
H/L keys:  Go to the Top/Bottom of the selected list of files
k/j keys:  Scroll up/down in the file selection window
m/M keys:  Mass copy all tagged files with new/preserved dates.
N/P keys:  Move to the next/previous disk and select all files in it
o/O keys:  Order (sort) the selected files (o=just for now, O=Always)
R key:     Change name and/or attributes of file
s/S keys:  Select match on all/Subset
t key:     Tag a file
ALT u key: Retag all Copied files
u key:     Untag a file
ALT u key: Untag all Tagged files
v key:     View a file/strings-like
V key:     View a file in HEX/ASCII
X key:     eXtra STuff. This includes print options.
Z key:     Toggles between using DISKTOP.INF vs the Disk Volume name

5.0 Currently known bugs/limitations:

  1) Occasionally a file will show up in a directory on a floppy, but you
     won't be able to access it from within DISKSCAN. This is a GEM/TOS bug
     that I haven't gotten around to working out a safe fix for. I kept
     hoping the new TOS would solve the problem. There is a workaround.
     Open up the floppy from the desktop and then run DISKSCAN.
  2) You can run some GEM programs from within DISKSCAN, but TOS seems to
     get flaky if you do this too much...all I am doing is pexecs, so...


6.0 So you already have HDSCAN.  What's New

This section is for those ST owners out there who already know all about
the old ST version of HDSCAN and thought they could skip over the docs for
DISKSCAN. The following 'HDSCAN'-like features are new for DISKSCAN:

  1) More use of colors to move the eyes to the right spots on the screen. I
     suppose everyone is going to bug me about picking the colors I did, but
     I can always add that as a configurable option in a later release.
  2) I got kind of hooked on the key configuration I set up for the Unix
     version of HDSCAN, so I brought those definitions back into this version.
     In most cases, the old keys you are used to will work, but things like the
     h,j,k and l keys can be used in place of the Arrow key options, for
     example. The only key that actually changed definition was the H)ex dump
     key...it is now V)ex dump :-) and to view a file, you can still press v.
  3) Would you believe Mass command key invokes? If you tag a bunch of files,
     then press the M key you will be prompted for a command key (0-9). Yep,
     you can now perform a user-definable command operation on all the tagged
     files. I have come up with a lot of strange uses for this option.
  4) Parameterized macros attached to the 0-9 keys...
  5) Enhanced directory features. This includes searching while in the
     disk selection mode and the ability to cycle through the disks
     one at a time with the N and P keys while in file selection mode.

7.0 FINALLY, THE END IS NEAR:

Again, have fun with the program. It is meant to be a utility that is used
from time to time. It was never intended to be used as a shell, although
you may link into a shell from within it if you have enough memory (DISKSCAN
is a memory hog). I should also remind everyone again that this is NOT a
public domain program. It is copyrighted and I am distributing it free in
the hopes that I can build up interest in the professional version. While it
is true that I wrote the program to satisfy a need of my own, I did put a
lot more work into making it into something that everyone else could use and
understand. I have switched to this method of distribution because shareware
didn't work and my brief exposure to marketting a product via magazine ads
made me realize that I couldn't afford to do it and still sell programs for
$20 or less (which is all I really think anyone should ever have to pay for
a general purpose utility).

If there is a change in DISKSCAN you feel that the world must have, send me
a note and I will try to integrate it into a future version. If you want to buy
the production version, just send in $20 (U.S. dollars). If you don't think
it is worth that, even a letter is appreciated if you find the program useful
(or if it would be useful if it had a certain feature, for that matter).

       Todd Burkey
       3546 Pilgrim Ln
       Plymouth, MN 55441

     [e-mail]
       or ..ihnp4!meccts!stag!trb

2/25/88  -  DISKSCAN ver 1.0 (Tool-Ware) and 2.0 (Professional)

P.S. Feel free to put the 1.0 version on any BBS's you care to. Just make
     sure these DOCS are included in the ARC file along with the sample
     DISKSCAN.KEY file. Hopefully, this is the same configuration you got
     the program in!