Mac Expert 1995 Winter/Mac Expert - Winter 95.iso/Les fichiers/Utilitaires divers/Cat & Compresseurs/QCat v2.0b8 ƒ/QCat 2.0b8 Dox.txt

Text File | 1991-07-21 | 12.2 KB | 737 lines | [TEXT/MACA]

QCat V 2.0b8

by Richard De Luca



7/19/91



All rights reserved.



GEnie: M.BUSSIERES

CompuServe: 72567,3634



QCat is not a demo. It is a fully functional application with all

features available and no limit of date or else on use. I rely solely on

your integrity to encourage further development of QCat and other

applications. So, if you own a Mac and need to use this program then surely

you can afford to send only $25.00 shareware fee to:



    Richard De Luca

    501 Chemin Witty

    Ste-Christine, Qc.
Canada

    J0H 1H0



Thank you for your much needed support!



• What it is.



QCat is a utility for cataloging disks, files and certain resources.  It

creates “TEXT” files that can be imported into databases, word

processors or other applications that support TEXT files.



If you have used QCat before, you will notice many new features and

improvements.



QCat is MultiFinder compatible and can operate in the background, but

for better performance I suggest using it from the Finder.



The idea behind QCat was not to reinvent the wheel. QCat

concentrates on gathering data. There are many very good

applications you can use to print labels, view, search, sort and

format this data.



In order to make QCat much more flexible, some choices had to be

made. I hope they won't discourage you from using QCat. Comments,

suggestions and, yes, bug reports will be appreciated.



Although easy to use, a little effort from the user is required to keep

the catalogs up to date.  When you need that “I know I've got it but

where is it?” file you will find it very much worth your while.



You can freely distribute QCat as long as it's not altered in any way.



I hope QCat will be as useful to you as it is to me.



• The Commands



◊ File Menu



Show/Hide Settings



Shows or hides the settings' window. When this window is visible,

you can click items in it to change settings.



Save Settings…    Command+S



Brings up the Save Dialog box and lets you save a file containing the

current settings. Such files can later be opened to retrieve those

settings. In the Finder, you can also double click on a settings file's

icon to launch QCat and use those settings.



Load Settings…



Brings up the Open Dialog box and lets you select a previously saved

settings file. The saved settings are made the current settings.



Register…



This command brings up the QCat registration form. Just fill it in,

print it and mail it in with your shareware fee.



You can use the “Tab” key or click in a field to move from field to

field. The “Where did you get QCat” and “Comments” fields are

optional. In the fields, you can use the standard edit commands (Cut,

Copy, Paste, Clear). When its filled in, click on the “Print…” button to

print it. To exit after printing click on the “Thanks” button. If you're

not ready to register yet, click on the “Not yet” button.



Quit    Command+Q



Well, what can I say.



◊ Edit Menu



QCat uses the standard edit commands only in the QCat registration

form, but makes them available for desk accessories.



◊ Action Menu



Since you can catalog three different  types of data (disk data, file

data, resource data), one of the choices mentioned above has to do

with opening files. A file must be opened or created for each of the

desired  data types, allowing you the flexibility of adding to an

existing file or creating a new one for each type.



The cataloging processes can be aborted by clicking on the “Stop”

button that appears in the lower pane of the main window.



Catalog -> Floppies…    Command+F



Brings up the Open Dialog for each of the desired data types.  Since

all QCat data files are “TEXT” files, pay attention to the prompt

phrase at the top of the window telling you what type of file to open.

(ie. : ••> FILE <•• ). Open an existing file or create a new one by

clicking on the “New…” button or <Option+Command+N>. This weird

combination is used to prevent interference with other utilities like

“Boomerang”.



If you create a new file then the standard Save Dialog  appears with a

file name included and selected.



I won't bore you with the details of how to use the standard file

dialogs.



Then, just feed floppies in any drive until you're done.



Catalog -> Hard Disks…    Command+H



Brings up a dialog with a list of all available Hard Disks.  You can use

the “Catalog” button or double click on the item you want cataloged.

For the rest see “Catalog Floppy Disks” above.



Catalog -> Removable…    Command+R



NOTE:    This feature was
implemented without the actual use of a

removable. It was tried with a PLI 45MB SyQuest cartridge

drive and seemed to work fine. Notices of success or failure

will be appreciated.



Brings up a dialog with a list of all available Removables.  You can

use the “Catalog” button or double click on the item you want

cataloged. For the rest see “Catalog Floppy Disks” above.



See “Another (Hard Disk/Removable)” below for “Mount” and

“Unmount” instructions.



Catalog -> Masters…    Command+M



My rule #1 : Masters should ALWAYS remain locked.



This feature allows you to serialize master floppies without actually

modifying the disk.



Just specify a starting number in the dialog. QCat will insert a serial

number in the “Path” field of the catalog.



Cataloging “My Master 1”, “My Master 2”, “My Master 3” with a

starting number of “129” will produce “My Master 1\129”, “My

Master 2 \130 ”, “My Master 3 \131 ” for disk names in the catalog

but the actual disk name remains unchanged. An example file path

would be: “Master 2 \130:Folder 1:Folder 2:…”



Place a sticker with those numbers or write them on the disks, and

store them in that order. It will now be very easy to locate any

cataloged file.



Another (Hard Disk/Removable)… Command+N



Usually dimmed, this choice is available only after a hard disk or

removable has been cataloged.  Selecting it lets you choose and

catalog another Hard Disk/Removable to the current catalog files.



To swap removables, select the one to eject and click on “Unmount”,

remove it and insert another one. When ready (follow your hardware

instructions ie: wait for green light) click on the “Mount” button.

When it appears in the list, select it and click on “Catalog” or double

click on it. Please keep in mind the note on removables above.



Done    Command+.



When you're done, this command closes all data files. You can then

start over or quit.



◊ Options Menu



In order for version data to be gathered, the files must comply with

Apple guidelines on resources of type “vers”. I've noticed that “vers”

resources while present are often not accurate. The computed version

would be the most accurate but is the least reliable.



Disk Catalog

File Catalog



These menus let you specify in a submenu, the level of data to gather

for disk and file catalogs (None, Basic, Technical or Custom).



None

If you select “None”, no file will be opened for that type and no

data will be gathered.



Basic

For disk catalogs, the included fields in order are:

    Volume Name

    Free Space



For file catalogs,  the included fields in order are:

    File Name

    Size

    Date (Last
Modification)

    Path



Technical

For disk catalogs, the included fields in order are:

    Volume Name

    MFS/HFS

    Number of Files

    Number of Folders

    Free Space

    Date (Last
Modification)



For file catalogs,  the included fields in order are:

    File Name

    Version (Short)

    Type

    Creator

    Size

    Date (Created)

    Date (Last
Modified)

    Path



Custom…



If the choices above don't meet your needs, you can specify

what fields to include and in what order in the following dialog.



On opening, the lists represent the last selection for that type

of file. To have an empty “Selected Items” list, select “None”

from the menu before selecting “Custom…”.



To add an item, select the item in the “Available Items” list,

either by clicking the item and pressing the “>Select>” button

or double clicking the item. To remove an item, select the item

in the “Selected Items” list, either by clicking the item and

pressing the “<Remove<” button or double clicking the item.



Custom lists can be saved and loaded by clicking the

appropriate button.



When you're done click the “OK” button.



File Filter…    Command+1



This command lets you filter, in or out, some types of files.



Selecting an option, will include it in the catalog.  Deselecting an

option will exclude it.  The following options are available: Folders,

Applications, Desktop files, System files, Invisible files and All

Others.



If “Folders” is selected, two passes are required to calculate the

“Size” field for folders, performance is thus impaired.



The “Save as default” option lets you keep those settings for future

sessions.



Catalog Resources…    Command+2



This command let you specify resources to be cataloged.



The included fields, in order are:

    Type

    Name

    ID

    Size

    Path



The size field is the size of the resource itself and for DAs, the sum

of the sizes of all owned resources and itself.



If you select “None”, no file will be opened for resources and no data

will be gathered.



As usual, the “Save as default” option lets you keep those settings

for future sessions.



Set Creator…    Command+3



This command lets you specify the “TEXT” file Creator (ie: MacWrite

= MACA, Edit = EDIT, etc.).



If you don't know the creator you want, use the “Get…” button. In the

Open Dialog, select the application or document you want, its type

will be inserted in the dialog.  You'll then be able to open a file from

the Finder by double clicking on its icon.  If you use the “Save as

default” check box it will become the default creator and you won't

need to set it again for future sessions.



Set Delimiters…    Command+4



This command lets you specify the characters that separate fields

and records in the catalog files.  Most databases support the import

of files using a tab character (ASCII 9) between fields and a carriage

return (ASCII 13) to separate records, this is the default setting.

For custom applications or programs in BASIC who use a comma to

separate fields, you can change this.



The common choices are available in pop up menus but you can set

any character you want by using the “Other” radio button. Just type

in the ASCII code of the character you want (ie: code 59 for

semicolon, code 36 for the dollar sign, etc.). Valid codes are in the

range 0 to 255.



When “Other :” is selected, the “Codes…” button becomes active.

Clicking on it will display a list of all ASCII codes.



Select the code you want by clicking it and pressing “Select” or by

double clicking on it. It will be inserted for you.



NOTE :    You may get
unwanted results if you use the “Colon” (ASCII 58).

QCat uses it to separate the folder names in the “Path” field.

The “Space” (ASCII 32) character is not such a good idea either.



If you use the “Save as default” check box, these settings will be

kept as the defaults for future sessions.



Serialize…    Command+5



This option lets you serialize your floppy disks as they are cataloged.

Disks must be unlocked to serialize.



WARNING:    This operation
changes the name of the disk.



    ie: “myFloppy”
becomes “56\myFloppy”.



You can choose to continue from the last session or set a new

starting number. The state of this option is saved at quitting and will

be in effect at your next session.



If you're serializing, and insert a locked disk, a dialog will prompt

you for the action to take.



If you choose “Unlock and Serialize”, the disk is ejected for you to

unlock and reinsert. Choosing “Don't Serialize”, the disk will be

cataloged normally but not serialized. “Don't Catalog” simply ejects

the disk.



I suggest you NOT serialize original master disks since the operation

writes to the disk to change its name. Use “Don't Serialize”. See

“Catalog->Masters” above.



Include Header    Command+6



This command lets you include the field names as the first record in

a new catalog file. The state of this option is saved at quitting and

will be in effect for your next session.



Revert to Defaults    Command+7



This command lets you cancel all setting changes and revert to the

default settings. If you've used the “Save as default” option, that

change will be kept.



Center Window    Command+8



This command centers the main window just below the menu bar.