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WHAT IS PADLOCK?
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Padlock is a product designed to lock and unlock files using a drag-and-drop interface. This method make it easy to lock and unlock multiple files without using the Get Info command from the Finder.
This produce requires System 7.0 and supports alias files. The behavior of Padlock can be controlled by a preferences dialog box. The user can select the types of files to lock and unlock, whether to operate on alias files and/or the items to which they point, and operate on the contents of folders and disks.
REGISTRATION FEE
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This product is Shareware. I am asking a registration fee of $5 is you decide that you like this product and use it.
Although the program is not disabled (and therefore registration is not required to get the most power from Padlock), I would like all those who use this program to pay the registration fee. It helps motivate me to upgrade current products and develop new ones for the Mac.
I will even sweeten the offer a bit. You can register this program for $1 if you also register for Color Fractal Generator 2.01 (available on America Online, CompuServe, and maybe some other places) at the normal registration cost: $10 without source or $30 with source code. Thus for $11, you can have registered copies of a great fractal program and a useful System 7 utility.
Please send Shareware registration fees to:
(before August 1993):
John A. Schlack
12 Beehive Place, Apt. L
Cockeysville, MD 21030
(anytime [slower service than address above]):
John A. Schlack
824 Rhoads Avenue
Jenkintown, PA 19046
USING PADLOCK
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As stated earlier, System 7.0 or later is required to use Padlock. Drag an icon or group of icons onto Padlock's Finder icon and release the mouse button. Padlock will then launch and present the user with a dialog box with four buttons: Lock, Unlock, Preferences, Cancel. If the user simply opens the application, the Preferences dialog box is presented (more info later).
Lock and Unlock will take the files that were dropped onto Padlock and either lock or unlock items in the group (depending on which button was pressed). The files that are actually locked or unlocked depends upon the current preference settings. After operating on these items, the program quits.
The Cancel button quits the application without performing any processing on the input files.
Selecting the Preferences button displays a Preferences dialog box with five check boxes to control the program's actions. Four of the check boxes involve locking and unlocking items: Files, Aliases, Stationary Files, and Folder / Disk Contents. The last check box involves resolving alias files.
Each item dropped onto Padlock is placed into one of four categories: standard files, alias files, stationary files, and folders / disks. If the Lock/Unlock Files check box is set and the program is processing a standard file, the file's lock state will be modified. The same is true for alias files and stationary files. Folders and disks cannot be locked by this program. Instead, the user may lock/unlock all files residing within that folder or disk and its sub-directories (if the Folder/Disk Contents check box is set).
The final check box involves working with aliases. If an alias is dropped onto the Padlock icon, it is automatically resolved by the Finder. Thus, the item to which the alias points is passed to Padlock. However, when evaluating the contents of a folder or disk, Padlock will be able to directly access the alias file and perform the desired actions. If the Lock/Unlock Alias check box is set, the alias itself will be modified. If the Resolve Alias check box is set, the program will locate the file that the alias point to and work on that file or folder. If you are confused, the EXAMPLES section might clear things up a bit.
CAUTION: There are conditions where resolving aliases could get the user into trouble. If an alias points to a folder or disk and is located within one of the sub directories of that folder or disk, the program may jump into an infinite loop. Padlock attempts to compensate for this problem by tracking all of the aliases previously resolved. If Padlock runs out of memory and can no longer store these references, a dialog box is displayed prompting the user whether to continue resolving aliases. Unless you are sure that no circular alias references exist, please choose to cancel the alias resolving process (for the safety of your disk and so you don't get mad at me).
EXAMPLES
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(All examples assume the lock button was pressed. If unlock is selected instead, just substitute the word "unlock" for "lock").
Common items in examples:
Disk XXXX has 2 folders in it: F1 and F2
Folder F1 has files A, B, and stationary file C
Folder F2 has alias to file A, file D, and alias to folder F2
Boxes Checked: Files
Item Dropped: file A
Result: A was locked
Boxes Checked: Files
Item Dropped: alias to file A
Result: file A was locked (Finder automatically resolves
aliases to items dropped on Padlock)
Boxes Checked: Stationary, Aliases
Item Dropped: alias to file A
Result: nothing (alias resolved by Finder, nothing locked
since Files was not checked)
Boxes Checked: Stationary, Aliases
Item Dropped: stationary file C
Result: C was locked
Boxes Checked: Files, Aliases, Stationary
Item Dropped: folder F1
Result: nothing (Folder/Disk Contents not checked)
Boxes Checked: Files, Folder/Disk Contents
Item Dropped: folder F1
Result: A, B locked (C not changed since it is Stationary)
