Here is ExAminer 1.2, a System Folder maintenance utility for Apple® Macintosh® computers. With ExAminer you can “mine” for extensions and things in the System Folder. You can change what is enabled and what is disabled, and you can create “sets” of configurations. You can think of ExAminer as a tool that either “mines” (digs) for Extensions and Apple Menu Items (and more) items or lets you ”exam” the System Folder. Either metaphor works!
See the end of this README file for ExAminer version history.
ExAminer supports Macintosh Plus and newer computers with at least 2MB of memory and requires System 7. ExAminer is compatible with multiple monitors and large screen monitors.
ExAminer is a shareware program. If you like and use ExAminer, please send your name and mailing address to the author along with the $10.00 (U.S.) shareware fee. Please include your electronic mail address (if you have one); that makes it easier to stay in touch with registered users. If you have a printer, please use the “Print Registration Form” under the “Other” menu. Registered users of ExAminer will receive support via on-line services, and notice of future updates. In fairness to those who register, unregistered users do not receive support.
Distribution of the original, unmodified ExAminer software by users is encouraged as long as the Read Me file included with the “distribution version” of ExAminer is included unmodified and no payment (other than for on-line connect cost or for distribution media) is accepted for the actual software or documentation.
Feedback on ExAminer is welcome. You can contact the author using electronic mail on these services:
Apple, AppleLink, and Macintosh are registered trademarks, and Balloon Help and eWorld are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
America Online is a service mark of Quantum Computer Services, Inc.
CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe Incorporated.
GEnie is a trademark of General Electric Company, U.S.A.
ExAminer is warranted to perform as described in the documentation and any other warranties, implied or written, are invalid. Neither MICHAEL L. WEASNER nor any distributors shall be liable for any loss of data, whether the data is related to ExAminer or not, or for the loss of time or money in restoring any lost data, whether or not such loss is related to the use of ExAminer. In some states the user may have additional rights that only a lawyer could understand.
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Using ExAminer
ExAminer is a System 7-required application that expands upon “Extensions Manager” from Ricardo Bastista by providing a more intuitive interface showing which items in each folder are enabled or disabled. ExAminer can be used in conjunction with Extensions Manager in that the EM Extension is still useful, as is the Extensions Manager Control Panel. The Extensions Manager control panel should be used to configure special types for the control panel to display. ExAminer does not require that you use Extensions Manager. ExAminer is just an application that reads the existing folders and displays the information in a different format than Extensions Manager.
To make changes using ExAminer, select a name or several names in a list and then click the arrow to move them to the other list. The moved item(s) will appear at the bottom of the destination list. When Save is selected from the File menu, the file(s) is(are) then actually moved to another folder and the list is resorted alphabetically. Note: if the item being moved is a folder, it is only moved if there is no duplicate of the same folder name (empty or not) in the destination. The same applies if you try to a replace a non-empty folder with a file of the same name. However, a folder can replace a file with the same name.
You can create “sets” of configurations. Make the changes that you want to be in the set. There is no need to select to save the changes at this time but if you do, the names will be sorted in the lists. To name this configuration, select Name Set from the Sets menu and enter a name (up to 20 characters). The window title will change to this name and the set name will be added to the end of the Sets menu. You can select another named set from the menu or you can select the “Current” set. The Current set re-reads the contents of the System Folder to display the existing (or current) configuration. Switching between sets does not prompt to save the displayed configuration but does retain any changes in the set configuration. However, trying to quit with any set besides Current displayed will prompt to save the changes (unless already saved during this session) and if you click Save, the files will be moved appropriately. You can also delete sets if you no longer need them. Deleting a set will remove the set name from the Sets menu; it does not delete the files within the System Folder.
You can print the lists of an individual category, or all categories in the displayed set. Folders will print with “----” in the size and type columns.
You can position the window and Name Set dialog box wherever you like (even on another monitor). These positions will be saved. If you would like the position to be "forgotten", then open the window or dialog box with the option key held down.
ExAminer preferences like Window positions and set configurations are saved in the “ExAminer Prefs” file in the Preferences folder in the System Folder. If this file becomes corrupted you can delete it whenever ExAminer is not running. Note that this file can become quite large if you name lots of sets. ExAminer remembers all the information you see in the printout for up to 127 files/folder.
Use Balloon Help to learn more about using ExAminer.
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Version History:
• 1.0
First release.
• 1.0.1
Minor bug fix release. There was one report of an error occurring when saving a Set. The culprit was found (an uninitialized variable) and fixed. A memory management issue that never resulted in a visible problem was fixed.
• 1.1
Added an information display when a single name is selected in a list. Also added a file/folder “deletion” capability. If there are one or more files and/or folders selected and the trashcan icon is clicked, the selected file(s) and/or folder(s) will be moved to the Finder’s trash. Deleting from a Set will also delete the item(s) from the System Folder folders. Since the items are placed in the Finder’s trash, you can remove items from the trash just as you would any file you drag to the trash. Added additional file type recognition. Reduced memory requirements to 300K from 384K. Fixed a problem that allowed “-” and “(” characters to be entered as the first name of a Set, which would confuse the Menu Manager. Finally, fixed a minor display bug that would cause an improperly drawn left/right arrow to appear after certain operations.
• 1.2
Added a “Print Registration Form” (under the “Other” menu) for the convenience of users who want to register ExAminer. The Name and Address fields are required; the rest of the information is optional but if you have an electronic mail address please include it and the service it is on. If you have already registered by sending in your $10 payment, you don't have to re-register with this form but I would appreciate it if you would send me a completed form just for consistency in my records.
Added a preferences dialog box (under the “Other” menu) to allow skipping of the restart alert or to auto-restart when ExAminer is quit. You can also now show all files/folders in the various folders. When showing all files/folders you are allowed to move any system file including the Finder, System, and enablers, so exercise caution. The main System folders do not appear however. In conjunction with this new feature, changed from prompting for a restart after any move to only prompt when appropriate. This means you will no longer be prompted to restart when Apple Menu Items, Startup items, or applications in the System Folder are moved. Also, added a “Restart” button to the restart alert. When clicked, a ‘restart’ Apple Event is sent to the Finder, which does the equivalent of selecting “Restart” from the “Special” menu. All open applications and desk accessories are quit, with the quitting application prompting to save unsaved changes.
Added a count of items in the displayed folder and a count of the number of items selected (when there is more than one item selected) to the main window display.
Increased the memory partition back to 384K to allow room for new features. Added new file types for newly visible system-level items and PostScript fonts to the Extensions folder and System Folder search lists.
Fixed a bug that would cause a crash if the main window was not open and some other window/dialog was opened. Fixed a potentially serious bug that would delete files even when there was no file to be moved; this resulted from a Set being out-of-sync with the actual files. Now the file is only deleted if there is actually a replacement file being moved. If the Set is wrong, this is noted in the duplicate file alert.
Changed an ExAminer icon number to avoid a conflict with the StyleWriter driver icon when printing. Several other cosmetic changes were made: repositioned the page number when printing set configurations, the cursor switches to an I-beam in the Name Set edit field, there is now a watch cursor during file/folder moves, the main window is now updated before starting a save (to fill hole left by Save alert), the file type description has been added to the file delete alert, the “Clear” and “Select All” menu items have been removed from the “Edit” menu, and the main window scrollbars now properly activate/deactivate when alerts/dialogs appear.
Finally, users have asked how to add new items to existing Sets. When items are added to the various folders they do not automatically appear in existing Set configurations. To make new items appear in existing Sets simply select a Set, choose “Save” from the “File” menu, and then select another Set or “Current”. By doing this with each Set, you will update the Set configurations to contain new items added to the System Folder.
