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DS_READ.ME
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1992-03-10
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Directory Scanner (tm) Ver 4.21
Copyright (c) 1986-1992
by Nat Martino
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Topic Page
Program Summary . . . . . . . . . . 1
Program Display . . . . . . . . . . 2
File Composition . . . . . . . . . 2
Installation Procedures . . . . . . 3
Program Limitations . . . . . . . . 4
Recent Revision History . . . . . . 5
Common Problems & Solutions . . . . 10
Reporting Software Bugs . . . . . . 10
Contacting the Author . . . . . . . 11
Registration/Licensing . . . . . . 11
Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
-----------------------------[ PROGRAM SUMMARY ]----------------------------
--- A Directory/File Management and DOS Shell Program ---
Presents a tree diagram of the directory structure of the current
disk/drive on the left side of the display screen. A listing of the
files in the current directory is displayed on the right side of the
display screen.
The Mouse or Function Keys allow movement up and down through the
directory tree to "highlight" and enter directories and display the
appropriate files of the directory on the right side of the display.
A Popup Mouse menu or Option keys are available for copying,
deleting, moving, renaming, tagging, untagging, finding, executing
and doing many other functions on files.
Users with color displays may select their choice of colors for
foreground and background. EGA 43 line mode is supported as is PS/2
MCGA and VGA 50 line mode. A split-screen display mode is available
where 2 different directories on 2 different drives can be displayed
at the same time.
The user may link in their favorite editor to the program so that
they may "point & shoot" at a file and be able to edit it with their
desired editor. Additionally, the user's favorite "lister" or
"browse" program is linked into the program to enable point & shoot
listing of the desired file.
A macro facility is supported which enables the user to specify
repetitive commands which can be activated with an Alt, Shift, or
Control Function Key sequence. It allows specification of special
key sequences such as "%F" (current indicated file) and "%T"
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(currently tagged files) to be included in the macros.
The program can handle up to 2000 directories per drive and up to
2500 files per directory. Additionally, the program will make use
of EMS memory to store the directory and file data.
On-line context-sensitive help is available and the program has
embedded program code to support a Microsoft Mouse.
-----------------------------[ PROGRAM DISPLAY ]----------------------------
The program presents a full screen display of the directory
structure of a given disk drive. The display looks similar to the
following:
#a#b#c#d#e#f#g###################################### C:\DIR2 ##################
# c:\ # backup .exe | finder .com | guts .zzz #
# |-dir1 # create .com | finder .exe | help .def #
# |-dir2 # dump .asm | finder .obj | killer .com #
# | |-sub1 # dump .exe | guts .asm | print .com #
# | | +-subsubno.1 # dump .obj |>guts .com<| qsort .exe #
# | +-sub2 # eater .bas | guts .exe | vdisk .sys #
# +-dir3 # eats | guts .obj | zoo .bas #
# +-dir31 # eatz .bat | | #
# +-direct32 # | | #
# +-direct33 # | | #
# +-direct34 # | | #
# |-direct341 # | | #
# +-direct342 # | | #
# # | | #
# # | | #
# # | | #
# # | | #
# # | | #
###############################################################################
Total: 10,456,123 | Help=? Name ^ | Files: 22 Used: 137,354 Tagged: 0
Used: 8 000,000 | Free Core 146K | ----name---- --size-- -date-- -time- attr
Free: 2,456,123 | Drive 80% Full | guts .com 17,123 10Aug85 4:36p r a
-----------------------------[ FILE COMPOSITION ]---------------------------
1. DS_READ.ME - This read.me file
2. DS.EXE - The program which loads/reloads the main DS program.
This ".exe" file can be renamed to something other than
"ds.exe" should the user have a conflict with another
program by the same name; however, the rest of the ".exe"
files which make up the program cannot be renamed.
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3. DS_OVRLY.EXE - The main DS program. This file should not be
renamed.
4. DS_GLOBL.LOG - This file SHOULD NOT EXIST THE FIRST TIME YOU
INSTALL THE PROGRAM. The program will create this file the
first time the program is executed. This file contains
various global variables which are passed between program
modules and resides in the "HOME" directory where all the
rest of the DS files reside. The "HOME" directory is
the directory where the "ds_ovrly.exe" file resides.
5. DS_DRV_?.LOG - The "?" represents an appropriate drive letter.
This file (or files) SHOULD NOT EXIST THE FIRST TIME
YOU INSTALL THE PROGRAM. The program will create the file
the first time the program is executed so long as the
user has specified that a "log" file should be maintained
for a specified drive with the "Ctrl-E" option. Once a
"log" file has been created for a specified drive,
subsequent program startups and/or drive changes to that
specified drive should take little time as the program will
obtain the directory structure info from the log file
instead of scanning the entire disk for the information.
6. DS_HELP.EXE - The expanded context-sensitive help displays. The
program is activated from within the main program by
pressing the F10 key. This file should not be renamed.
7. DS_PROG.DEF - The program "defaults" file. This file contains
data on the default startup colors, macro definitions, the
defined editor and lister, the links of directories to
numbers, and which drives should have "log" files
maintained.
8. DS_USERS.MAN - A 46 page users manual. (58 lines/page)
9. DS_SITE.LIC - Information on site licensing of the program.
10. DS_SINGL.LIC - Information on single user licenses.
-------------------------[ INSTALLATION PROCEDURES ]------------------------
Note: The following procedures make the assumption that you have a
hard disk as drive "c" and boot up off that drive.
1. Make a subdirectory "DS" under the "C:\" (root) directory.
2. Copy all DS files to this new "C:\DS" directory.
3. Remove any files from previous versions of the DS program to a
backup floppy so that this new version will not attempt to use
supporting files from previous versions. The "ds_prog.def" file
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from version 4.10 should be compatable with version 4.20 so you
should not need to delete this file or re-enter all your macro
definitions.
4. In "autoexec.bat" file of root directory have the following line:
PATH c:\;C:\DS;.... {"...." = other user directories}
Sample "autoexec.bat" entries follow:
PATH c:\;c:\dos;C:\DS;... {"C:\DS" plus other user directories}
dpath {shareware dpath program - OPTIONAL}
set DS=C:\DS {OPTIONAL - sets HOME directory of ds files }
Notes:
a. The "set DS=..." command is OPTIONAL. In prior versions it
was mandatory. If used, it will set the HOME directory for
the DS files. If not used, the HOME directory will be
determined by searching for the "ds_ovrly.exe" file first in
the default current directory and then in the succeeding
directories in the PATH.
b. "DPATH" shareware program is optional but useful to enable
DOS to find overlay and support files the editor may need.
Users with DOS version 3.2 or later should use the DOS
"APPEND" command which does the same thing as the DPATH
program.
c. A cursor/keyboard speedup program (like "hotkey" shareware
program) is also highly recommended in your "autoexec.bat"
file to speed up directory and file movement.
d. Another entry that MUST be in your "environment" for the
program to execute is the "COMSPEC=" variable. This variable
is normally inserted in your "environment" automatically by
DOS upon booting up the system. You can check to see that
it has been loaded into the environment by typing "set"
followed by a carriage return at the DOS prompt. You should
see a line something like the following:
COMSPEC=c:\command.com
5. Reboot the computer. (ie: Ctrl-Alt-Del)
6. Type "ds" at the DOS prompt if "ds" was not the last line of
your "autoexec.bat" file.
---------------------------[ PROGRAM LIMITATIONS ]--------------------------
Maximum number of fixed/hard disk drives supported/saved: 26
Note: The number of drives saved or "logged" is user-definable. Use
the "Ctrl-E" option to enter the drive letters of those drives
you wish to have logged. Floppy disk drives and RAM disk
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drives are not recommended to "log" as it takes little time to
scan those type drives.
Maximum number of Directories per drive: 100 to 2000 (using DOS)
512 to 2048 (using EMS)
Maximum number of Files per directory: 200 to 2500 (DOS or EMS)
Maximum length of full pathname for any directory: 64 characters
Maximum length of directory printname on screen: 39 characters
The program size in memory varies based on the program limits the
use chooses for MAX_DIR & MAX_FILES and whether or not EMS is used
to store those data structures. If EMS is used to store both data
structures, the program takes up approximately 95k in DOS memory.
-------------------------[ RECENT REVISION HISTORY ]------------------------
Ver 4.10 (1 Mar 91)
- Added an option within "CTRL-L" Program Limits to allow
users to define the MAX_DIRECTORIES & MAX_FILES for
their own copy of the program. Max Directories can
vary from 100 to 2000. Max Files can vary from 200 to
2500. Expanded Memory (EMS) can also be used to store
the data structures for directories and/or files. This
new option required a change in the two primary data
structures of the program. Nearly every line of code
in the entire program was affected and several program
modules had to be entirely rewritten from scratch.
- This version of the program will automatically make use
of available expanded (EMS) and extended (XMS) memory
for caching of program overlays to expedite program
execution.
- Unlike previous versions of the program, this version
DOES NOT REQUIRE the "set DS=....." command be issued
prior to starting the program. The program will
execute properly so long as the "ds_ovrly.exe" and
"ds.exe" files can be found in the current default
directory or one of the directories in the PATH. If the
"set DS=...." command IS used, however, it WILL take
precedence in setting the DS "HOME" directory to the
specified directory.
- Again, a new version of the loader "DS.EXE" is provided
and required with this release. Ensure you remove all
files from previous versions of the program so this
version will not inadvertently use any such files. You
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CAN copy over the "DS_PROG.DEF" file from version 4.00
to this version 4.10. This should preserve your defined
macros and directory links; however, REVIEW YOUR
DEFAULTS (USING ALT-F10) PRIOR TO USING THEM, AS
VERSION 4.10 SHOULD CONVERT THE FILE FORMAT FROM
VERSION 4.00 TO 4.10 WHEN YOU REVIEW THEM. DO NOT copy
the "DS_GLOBL.LOG" file from a previous version to this
version.
- "T" Tag option has changed to a "Toggle Tag" option.
Selecting the "T" option will tag a file which is not
tagged but untag a file which is already tagged. This
should help with mouse drivers.
- Directory indents on the left-side tree display have
been changed to a 2 character indent. This makes for
a more compact tree display but will enable more file
columns to be displayed more often.
- "C" DOS Command option will clear only bottom 3 lines
initially vice clearing the entire screen.
- Added options "CTRL-C" and "CTRL-X" which work
identical to the "C" and "X" options except that unlike
"C" & "X" which execute through a NEW command processor
(COMMAND.COM), the new "CTRL-C" and "CTRL-X" options
execute through the ORIGINAL (1st loaded) command
processor via UNDOCUMENTED DOS INT 2E. This way another
command processor is not loaded into memory. When
executing a "set" command thru normal "C" option - the
last line in the ENVIRONMENT specifies the following:
";C_FILE_INFOx---AA" (without quotes)
and modifying the ENVIRONMENT under the "C" option does
no good because upon termination of the newly loaded
command processor the modified ENVIRONMENT is
discarded. When executing a set command thru "CTRL-C"
the above line is NOT in the ENVIRONMENT. This enables
modifying the ENVIRONMENT from the "CTRL-C" option,
exiting DS and still having the modified ENVIRONMENT
present. As this option uses an UNDOCUMENTED DOS
function, it may not work on all systems and I have no
way of knowing if it will work on replacement command
shells like "4DOS". Additionally it has the drawback
that it is not "reentrant". In other words you cannot
start up DS, select CTRL-C, start up a second copy of
DS, and then select CTRL-C or CTRL-X in this second
copy of DS. The results of doing so is that on
termination of the second DS program the user will be
unable to resume the original DS program and the amount
of memory that the 1st DS program was using will be
locked up and lost in memory. Such is not the case
with the normal "C" command. These 2 new options are
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available for power users to use or abuse, and since
they are based on an undocumented DOS function they
will not be documented in the DS manual or help screen.
Ver 4.10a (10 Mar 91)
- Fixed bug which prevented cloning program if used on a
computer where the "share.exe" program is operating for
monitoring network/multi-user file sharing. Use of a
new linker with this version of the program requires
the "ds_ovrly.exe" file to be a "read-only" file if
using the program in conjunction with the "share.exe"
program.
- Disabled automatic caching of program overlays in EMS
and XMS. Bug in caching software caused program to
grab and hold all available extended (XMS) memory.
Ver 4.10b (1 July 91)
- Fixed bug which on networks occasionally caused the
program to repeat the tree structure at lower levels of
the tree. This was caused when the user had network
access to one directory but not it's subdirectory. When
attempting to change directory into the subdirectory
the network prevented the change (due to access rights)
but the DS program failed to account for the error and
incorrectly reported the same subdirectories multiple
times under the same parent directory.
Ver 4.10c (26 July 91)
- Fixed bug which occasionally caused an "R6000 - stack
overflow" runtime error if the user had a large number
of directories under a specific subdirectory.
- Fixed bug which reported "Free Core" in error if avail-
able conventional memory was above 512K bytes (524288).
A variable was incorrectly defined as an integer (it
should have been unsigned integer) and therefore rolled
over to a negative number beyond 512k. Seems no one saw
this error before DOS 5.0 came out and provided more
conventional memory by moving DOS to the High Memory
Area.
- Added display of an additional message when program is
scanning disk for directory structure information. The
message informs the user how many directories it has
found and how many it has currently read.
- Added limited capability to redefine option activation
keys and to lockout or prevent an option from being
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used. Redefinition of keys is effective only at the
"topmost" level of the program and not effective at
lower levels after an option has already been selected.
Users will have to modify the "ds_ovrly.exe" file with
a "byte changer" program to accomplish the desired
redefinitions and it will be necessary to first remove
the "read-only" attribute from the "ds_ovrly.exe" file
to modify it. See the User's Manual for details.
Ver 4.20 (18 Oct 91)
- Added embedded program code to support a Microsoft
Mouse. It enables the following:
+ "Clicking" on a displayed drive letter will change
drives.
+ "Dragging" files from the file box to a displayed
drive letter, directory in the tree, or the other
file box of a dual screen display will copy/move
files.
+ Switch screens on dual screen display simply by
moving the mouse to the other screen.
+ Scroll up or down the directory tree with a depressed
mouse button.
+ Enter a directory by "clicking" on the directory name.
+ "Clicking" on a filename will toggle the "TAGGING" of
that file.
+ "Pressing" on one filename and "Releasing" on a
different filename will toggle ALL of the files
between the start and end files inclusive.
+ "Double Clicking" on a filename will execute the
specified file.
+ "Clicking" the mouse to activate/deactivate split
screen mode.
Ver 4.20a (12 Nov 91)
- Fixed following 2 bugs with Extended Help program.
* Extended Help terminated immediately if mouse driver
was not installed.
* Extended Help terminated with an R6009 Run Time Error
if the user was using more than about 500 bytes in
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the DOS "environment".
- ANSI.SYS Users If you use "ansi.sys" and the ESC-
key sequences to redefine the function keys (F1-F10),
the DS program will probably not function properly as
it gets keyboard input via DOS. You can force DS to
obtain keyboard input via the BIOS (avoiding DOS and
"ansi.sys" conflicts) by using a "byte changer" program
to search for and change the following 4-byte sequence:
[DB] to [BD] (ie: reverse the 'D' & 'B')
in the "ds_ovrly.exe" file. Be advised the file
"ds_ovrly.exe" is normally a read-only file and would
have to have the read-only bit turned off before it can
be modified.
Ver 4.20b (20 Dec 91)
- Returned the "time" display to the DS screen in the
lower right screen border area (just above the "Tagged
Total). Additionally, the display of the date and day
of the week can be displayed. Use the "Ctrl-E" (edit
defaults) option to specify the type of the time
display. Use the space bar or tab key to cycle thru the
time display options within the "Ctrl-E" display.
Temporarily, until it is needed for another feature,
the "Alt-A" option (from the main menu) can be used to
change/cycle thru the 4 time display options (one
option being no time display at all).
Ver 4.21 (10 Mar 92)
- Fixed bug which created incorrect ".log" file for drive
with more than 512 directories. Bug caused program to
lockup upon changing back to a drive with more than 512
directories after a successful first scan of the drive.
- Cosmetic changes to windows.
- Minor startup changes to enhance use on networks.
- Fixed bug which prevented checking integrity of DS
files with "Alt_I" (keyboard) or "Check DS Files" under
"SETUP" (mouse) option.
- Added the capability of executing (with either "X/ALT_X"
or a double mouse click) any file. Attempting to
execute any file other than a ".com/.exe/.bat" file
(which execute as usual) will cause the program to
search a file named "ds_exec.ini" for a list of
filename extensions to match the current file. If a
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matching filename extension is found then the cor-
responding program listed in the "ds_exec.ini" file
will be executed and the current file will be passed
as a command line argument to the program. If a file
named "ds_exec.ini" is found in the current directory
then it is used for the search. If file "ds_exec.ini"
is not found in the current directory then the DS HOME
directory is searched for such a file. If "ds_exec.ini"
is not found in the DS HOME directory IT IS CREATED in
the DS HOME directory. The user should place themself
in the DS HOME directory, attempt to execute a non-
".com/.exe/.bat" file to create the "ds_exec.ini", and
then edit the "ds_exec.ini" file for further details
on this option as it also allows the user to pass the
current file directly to the "edit" and "list" options.
-----------------------[ COMMON PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS ]----------------------
Some recommendations and/or common problems follow:
1. Do not modify the DS files and make them "read-only" (with the
exception of "ds_ovrly.exe" which should be read-only). Many of
the DS files must be written to or modified based on options which
you select. To enable the files to be modified, the files must not
be "read-only".
2. If ALL YOUR DIRECTORIES show "NO FILES" when you know in fact
files are there, the "file match" criteria in the SELECT & SORT
(ALT_S option) has probably been messed up. Select the ALT_S option
and then ensure the "file match" criteria shows "*.*" by hitting
a carriage return within the ALT_S option.
3. If you experience difficulty seeing the text while operating on
a non-color video display, select the "alt-k" option and then the F6
(reset mono attribute) suboption. This should enable the user to
see the program display as it sets the foreground and background
colors/attributes to values which can be seen on all displays. The
user should then select the F4 (save default colors) suboption so
that the program will record these values for later use.
4. Deleting Directories - To delete a directory from within DS, the
directory must be empty (no files).
-------------------------[ REPORTING SOFTWARE BUGS ]------------------------
The key to correcting software bugs is to identify those
actions which will REPEATEDLY cause the program to perform in an
incorrect manner. REPEATABILITY is essential to identifying those
sections of code which must be corrected. Identifying the precise
circumstances which will repeatedly cause the discrepancy will
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enable the author to duplicate the procedure, verify the problem,
identify and isolate the faulty program modules, and develope the
code necessary to rectify the discrepancy.
In addition to identifying the circumstances which will repeat-
edly cause a discrepancy, the user should verify that the problem
occurs in a "virgin DOS" system. A "virgin DOS" system is a system
which has been "booted" with no TSR's or other special device
drivers or programs running. If the discrepancy occurs in a "virgin
DOS" system the author again has a good chance of correcting the
problem. If the discrepancy does not occur in a "virgin DOS" system
then the problem may be caused by a conflict with a TSR, device
driver, or other loaded program. This makes it much more difficult
to isolate and correct the problem as the author probably does not
possess the same programs the user possesses, and a conflict between
DS and another program could possibly be the fault of the other
program.
--------------------------[ CONTACTING THE AUTHOR ]-------------------------
I welcome comments, suggestions, and indications of possible
bugs or discrepancies. Users may contact me at the address below.
Nat Martino
PO Box 21284
Concord, CA 94521
(510) 672-0538
------------------------[ REGISTRATION & LICENSING ]------------------------
* A $15 shareware contribution is requested for using the program.
* The author retains the sole right to sell the program.
* The author grants users the right to copy and distribute the program
within the following constraints:
- All program files remain unaltered and are distributed en masse.
- Only the original "non-cloned" version of the program with the
startup/termination and drive change time delays is distributed.
- No attempt is made to sell the program, or to make money from it
or any modified version of it.
- The program is not bundled with any other hardware/software
transactions without the author's permission.
- Recognized users' groups may charge a maximum $5 duplication or
distribution fee.
* Continued use of the program (more than 2 weeks) by any individual,
corporation or institution without a single-user or site license is
prohibited.
* A Single-User License (no disk) is obtained by sending in the $15
shareware contribution. This assumes you already have the program
and are registering it so that you can "clone" a copy without the
time-delay. The "cloning" information is provided to the user as
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part of the registration.
* A Single-User License with a disk (5.25" 360k only) of the latest
version of the program can be obtained from the author for $25.
* Corporations and other institutions (including government and
educational) which desire using the program should refer to the
"DS_SITE.LIC" file for site licensing information.
------------------------------[ DISCLAIMER ]--------------------------------
The author disclaims all warranties expressed or implied as to
the quality or performance of this program. The author will not be
held liable for any lost profits, lost savings or any other direct,
indirect, incidental or consequential damages resulting from the use
of this program. Your use of this program constitutes your agreement
to this disclaimer and your release of the author from any form of
liability or litigation.
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