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Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 DIRECTORY EXTENDED v2.60 READ.ME: ========= ======== ===== ======= This file serves to summarize DX's many features for those who are unfamiliar with it and to supplement the manual with the many new features that have been recently added. The size of DX scares many people -- especially with the cost of downloading an unknown program of this size. Don't be scared away! DX will probably replace many of the small utilities and DOS commands that you now use for directory and file maintenance! DX is THE MOST POWERFUL directory and file management utility available for DOS. It is not full-screen or mouse-driven deriving its power from the fact that most users work faster and more efficiently once they master a small set of commands and options. NOTE: If you received a distribution disk directly from ECONO- SOFT, please run the DX_REG program first to copy and register DX (see the ORDERING INFORMATION section of this file for more information). This file is organized as follows: o FEATURE SUMMARY -- For those not familiar with DX, this section gives an introduction to its power. o ORDERING INFORMATION -- How to contact ECONO-SOFT, a member of the Association of ShareWare Professionals, and information about the registration process. o FILES IN THE DX PACKAGE -- Minimal and additional files; bulletin board distribution. o NEW FEATURES -- For seasoned DX users, this section lists new features since v2.00. o BUGS FIXED SINCE v2.00 FEATURE SUMMARY: ======= ======= o Full path and hard disk support including logical drives. Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 1 Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 o A very powerful and flexible file-matching engine allowing multiple wildcards and additional characters following and between the wildcard characters: dx *test => matches files ending in "TEST" like "FILETEST", "XTEST", and "TEST". dx a*b => files starting with "A" and ending with "B". dx f*1*x.*x => files starting with "F", having "1" anywhere in their names, ending with "X", and having an extension ending in "X" like "F1AX.X" or "FILL1_XX.AXX". dx *te?? => any file ending in four characters of which "TE" is the fourth-to-last and third-to-last characters like "TEST" and "FILETEMP". o Multiple file specifications can be given -- both as inclusion and exclusion patterns: dx .bas+.pas;*t => will match files with extensions of ".BAS" and ".PAS" only if their names do not end with a "T". dx *t*+my*e;.pas => all files that have a "t" anywhere in their names; AND all files that start with "my" and end with "e"; UNLESS they have an extension of ".PAS" -- "MYFILE.EXT", "TEST", and "XTY.C" would match while "TEST.PAS" would not match. o DX can search all directories, list all directory names, and test whether a set of files can fit on a different disk. o DX can search any and all Compressed Files (CFs) -- ARC, LBRs, LZHs, PAKs, PKAs, ZIPs and ZOOs -- using full pattern matching; compare files within one CF to normal DOS files or files in another CF; rename and change the date/time of files within some CFs. o MOVE, COPY, COMPARE, DELETE, and RENAME files across disks and directories. APPEND files to pre-existing files. Change file attributes and date/time stamp. Automatically "Go Bak" to a previous .BAK file. Move or copy entire directory trees and subtrees maintaining the directory structure. Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 2 Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 o Security conscience? DX can wipe the data in a file before deleting it... no unerase/undelete program can recover data that has been wiped. (DX has multiple wiping options including the Department of Defense's DoD 5220.22-M specification.) DX can also produce either a 16-bit Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC), a 32-bit CRC, or a simple checksum of your files for data integrity checking -- useful in detecting Trojan horses or verifying files transferred electronically! o FULL NETWORK SUPPORT! Including the ability to report, set, and clear the "Network Share" file attribute. DX has the option to wait for a file that's interlocked on another network node. o You can specify exactly which file attributes to display. See any hidden or system files or hidden directories. o You can select files within (or outside of) a specified range of file sizes and/or dates/times. o Have you ever received a new disk and wanted to know immediately what commands are available? An option displays all ".COM", ".EXE", and ".BAT" files. o DX can sort files by any combination of filename, extension, size, date/time, or file attributes -- ascending or descending. Sort files within Compressed Files (ARC, ZIP, etc.). The sorted output may be across the screen (or printer) or columnar. o All of DX's special processing may be verified on a file- by-file basis (default) or performed automatically. o You can carry all of the extensive pattern and file matching capabilities into ANY TASK you need to perform. DX can RUN an external utility or command synonym against all files selected or generate (and, optionally, internally execute) DOS batch files for you. Couple this with the ability to search all Compressed Files and you can build batch files to process your entire hard disk. o DX has an extensive set of output formatting options -- including colors, printer formatting, "UPPER", "lower" or "Initial Caps" cases, 12 or 24 hour time formats, and screen width, height, and screen-handling options. o DX is fully customizable -- set your favorite options once and they will always be used. o Make decisions in batch files based on the ERRORLEVEL set by DX -- i.e. if files or disks exist or don't exist; if files compare; if a copy, move, rename, delete, etc. was successful or not. Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 3 Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 ORDERING INFORMATION: ==================== DX is ShareWare and, as such, is dependent on user support for ongoing development. Please support the ShareWare concept by registering software that you find useful. Please observe a two week evaluation period after which time you should register or discontinue use of DX. ECONO-SOFT CompuServe [73267,1664] P.O. Box 181030 InterNet: 73267.1664@CompuServe.COM Austin, TX 78718-1030 512-832-1675, 800-367-7590 Registration: $49.95 (includes printed manual). Upgrades: $24.95 (includes printed manual). Postage: $10 on international orders (free in US). Texas residents: Please add 8% sales tax. MasterCard and Visa accepted; include expiration date. If you have downloaded DX from a bulletin board and not all files were included in the package, you may request a ShareWare evaluation disk that includes all of the supplemental files described below. The cost of this disk is $10 and will be credited toward a future order. Alternatively, there is a 30-day, no questions asked, return policy so you may try a fully registered version at no risk. Please contact ECONO-SOFT for information on multiuser discounts, site licenses, or custom versions. _______ ECONO-SOFT is a member of ____|__ | (tm) the Association of --| | |------------------- Shareware Professionals | ____|__ | Association of (ASP). ASP wants to make | | |_| Shareware sure that the shareware |__| o | Professionals principle works for you. If -----| | |--------------------- you are unable to resolve a |___|___| MEMBER shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006. A non-registered DX.EXE will periodically display a reminder message requesting registration. This message is driven off of a random number generator and should appear approximately 5% of the time (your mileage may vary). The message will remain on screen for a minimum of 3 seconds after which time a key may be pressed to remove the message and continue program execution. After 60 seconds, DX will automatically continue -- allowing unattended use during your evaluation. A non-registered DX.EXE will also ignore the /HEader switch. Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 4 Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 As shipped from ECONO-SOFT, DX.EXE is not registered. This is so you may pass copies around to your friends and associates. The DX_REG.EXE program is used to copy DX.EXE to another disk/directory and register the copied program. If you received a disk from ECONO-SOFT, DX_REG.EXE will be pre-registered with your name and will copy and insert your name in DX.EXE. If you downloaded the DX package from a bulletin board, DX_REG.EXE will not be pre-registered. If you register with ECONO-SOFT by phone or through electronic mail, you will receive your CUSTOMER and ENCODE numbers directly. DX_REG.EXE will then be able to register your copy using those numbers. Regardless of how you register, once you've registered, a distribution disk will be mailed to you containing a pre-registered DX_REG.EXE. MINIMUM FILES IN THE DX PACKAGE: ======= ===== == === == ======= READ.ME => This file. DX.EXE => DX v2.60. DX.DOC => Documentation. ADDITIONAL FILES: ========== ===== DX_REG.EXE => Program to register DX.EXE. DX.SYN => Sample synonym file for use with DX and a synonym processor. FILES UPLOADED TO BULLETIN BOARDS: ===== ======== == ======== ====== DX-260.ZIP => Directory eXtended v2.60; includes DX.EXE, this READ.ME file and DX_REG.EXE. DX-D20.ZIP => Documentation for DX v2.0. A simple text version of the 70 page printed manual. DXREAD.ME => This file. NEW FEATURES IN DX v2.60: === ======== == == ===== o DX now supports 7 compressed file (CF) formats. A CF is the result of combining a number of files into a single file. Previously, DX supported only the ARC and LBR formats. Starting with v2.5, DX now supports the LZH, ZIP, and ZOO formats. In addition, the file extensions PAK and PKA are recognized as being ARC-formatted files: - DX can display the directory contents of each of the CF formats. To tell DX to look within a CF, treat the CF as one additional level of the Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 5 Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 directory structure and add a trailing "\" to the CFs name! (If you omit the trailing "\", DX will report directory information for the CF itself instead of looking inside.) For instance, if the file "MYZIP.ZIP" were present in the directory "C:\ZIPS", the following commands will display it's internal directory: dx c:\zips\myzip\ => display all files in "myzip.zip". dx myzip\*.com+*.exe => only display .com and .exe files in "myzip.zip". dx myzip\/sin:1-jan => only display files within "myzip.zip" created this year. dx myzip => display information about the ZIP itself; do not look inside the ZIP. - When asked to search entire disks for files or file combinations, DX can include the CFs in that search enabling you to find files anywhere: dx \lost.it /ff:a => search entire disk for "lost.it". dx \ /ffind:all => all files on the disk. dx .pas /ff:a => find all *.pas files starting at the current directory. - The /FFind switch has been modified slightly. Previously, you could specify whether to search ARCs or LBRs individually. This is no longer possible, CF processing with file find is either on Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 6 Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 or off. If on, DX will search all CFs. (The use of a trailing '\' is not dependent on /FFind.) /FFind => search DOS directories only. /FFind:Directory => (same as /FFind.) /FFind:All => search directories and CFs. /FFind:CF => search CFs only. /FFind:ARchive => same as /FF:CF. /FFind:Library => same as /FF:CF. - DX can compare files within CFs to files in other CFs and to files outside of CFs! This is done by comparing the Cyclic Redundancy Checks (CRC) of the files so the CRC formats must agree. ARCs, PAKs, PKAs, LZHs, and ZOOs all use a 16-bit CRC so files in these CFs may be compared to files in other CFs (that use 16-bit CRCs) and to normal DOS files. ZIPs use a 32-bit CRC format so files within ZIPs can only be compared to files within other ZIPs or normal DOS files. LBRs do not contain CRCs so DX cannot compare these files at all: dx *.c /comp:old.zip\ => note trailing '\'; compare all "c" files to those in the ZIP. dx zip1\ /comp:zip2\ => one CF to another. dx a.lzh\/comp:b.arc\ => different CF formats. - Combine the ability to look inside CFs with DX's batch file generation or /RUN features and you can do anything to any CF. The example below provides a way of doing a verified delete of all files in "MYZIP": dx myzip\ /run:'pkzip -d $p $n' - DX can rename files while they reside within ARCs, PAKs, PKAs, and LBRs. (This feature will be expanded to all CFs.) DX will not rename a squeezed file within an LBR: dx myarc.arc\file1.ext /ren:newname.ext Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 7 Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 - DX can change a file's date/time stamp while it resides in an ARC, PAK, or PKA. (This feature will be expanded to all CFs.) dx myarc.arc\ /fd:1-jul-90:02:50 - Previously, DX could only handle a CF directory construct in the "source" position of the command line. Now, a CF-formatted construct can be supplied anywhere. This allows setting attributes and date/time of one file to that of a file that resides in a CF and also allows comparing files within separate CFs. o DX now recognizes logical disk drives. Whenever a file specification includes a disk drive who's name is more than one character in length, DX will look in your DOS environment for a logical drive definition with that name. This allows long paths and/or filenames to be named by short, logical names -- kind of an extension to the DOS SUBST command. As usual, if the logical drive ends in a directory name that does not yet exist, you will have to follow it with a '\' for DX to automatically create it. For instance, you might have the following SETs and then reference them as shown: set sw=c:\notes\software\ set arc=d:\archive\dir\ set critical=c:\.pas+.asm+.dbf dx sw:t* dx critical: /ff /cop:arc:\ o DX defines a set of special logical drives of the form "x$:" to be used as the target of a copy, move, or compare operation. If "x" is a valid, existing DOS drive, "x$:" in the target position is expanded to the same path as the source file. This may be used with /FFind to process entire directory trees. For example, it is now possible to copy an entire disk directory to another disk creating subdirectories as needed to maintain the original disk structure: dx a:\ /copy:b$: /ff o Prune and Graft! Very similar to "x$:", but more flexible -- DX now performs batch substitution on target paths. This allows you to copy, move, or compare entire subdirectory trees while maintaining the directory structure. Any pattern substitution used on the /RUn switch (or in batch processing) may be used but, in general, the only one that will make sense is "$p" which copies the path from the source into the target. (You Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 8 Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 might use "$n" or "$f" to incorporate part of the file name in the target path?) This can be used to backup files to another device or to copy or move an entire tree or sub-tree to a different anchor point in the directory structure of the same or another disk (prune and graft). Just as in normal copy/move, you should end the target with a '\' if there is a chance that the target directories do not yet exist -- this insures that the last part of "$p" is interpreted as a directory name and will be created if needed. You can use ".." to modify the path copied by "$p" if needed. (This also implies that if you really want to have a '$' in the target path, you must type it twice.) Here are a couple of examples: dx \path /ff /move:\a\new\anchor\$p\ => move all files starting at "\path" and below to "\a\new\anchor\path" and below; i.e. the file "\path\sub1\file1" would be moved to "\a\new\anchor\path\sub1\file1". dx \path /ff /move:\a\new\anchor\$p\..\ => same as above, except that the target path would omit "\path"; i.e. the file "\path\sub1\file1" would be moved to "\a\new\anchor\sub1\file1". dx \ /ff /copy:d:\$p\ => internally equivalent to copying to "D$:". o For those who are security conscience, DX can now /WIPE a file's data before deleting it. The entire allocated data area will be wiped (this will usually be slightly larger than the actual data size reported by DX's standard display; it is the size reported in parenthesis on the /SINGle display). This obliterates the file making it Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 9 Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 impossible to undelete/unerase it later. DX has several options on how to overwrite the file: /WIPE:Zeros => writes zeros to every byte in the file. /WIPE:Ones => writes ones (hex "FF") to every byte in the file. /WIPE:A5 => writes the hex value "A5" to every byte. This is a very good pattern for destroying data. If /WIPECount is greater than 1 (see below), the pattern will alternate between "A5" and "5A". /WIPE:DoD => follows the US Department of Defense security specification DoD 5220.22-M which specifies that ones ("FF") and zeros should be written 6 times (3 times each, alternating) followed by the hex pattern "F6". A verification pass is then done to insure the file contains only "F6"s. /WIPE => same as "/WIPE:A5". /WIPECount:n => specifies the number of wiping passes. The default is once unless "/WIPE:Dod" is selected in which case the default is 7 passes. o To insure that DX always wipes files before deletion, add the /WIPE switch(s) to your default SET command (see section 7.0 of the manual). Examples: dx myfile /del/wipe => wipe the file to "A5" before deleting. dx xx /del/wipec:3/wipe:z => wipe to zero 3 times. dx xx /del/wipe:DoD => DoD standard wipe. o DX now supports the use of synonyms with the /RUn switch. DX will recognize the presence of a soon-to-be-released Command Line Enhancer from ECONO-SOFT or the Cove Software Group's PCED product. If either product is present, DX will repeatedly expand the command line and execute the result until the synonym is exhausted. ced syn zipd "pkzip -d" => syn to call PKZIP. dx myzip\/run:"zipd $p $n" => verified delete of files in a "myzip.zip". Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 10 Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 o DX will now report files that have the "Network Share" attribute set. These files will show an "l" (for Local Area Network) in the attribute field. This network bit is one of two bits marked as "reserved" by DOS. DX can set and clear this bit (using /FAttr or /TAttr) and limit its file selection (using /ATtr) to files with the bit set or those without it set. Note that DOS by itself does not permit setting or clearing this bit; network software must be present before DX can set or clear this bit (this feature may not work on all networks): dx file.ext /fattr:l => set LAN bit. dx file.ext /fa:l- => clear LAN bit. dx /attr:!l => only show sharable files. dx /at:l- => do not show sharable files. DX will also detect if the other reserved bit, bit 6 (value 40h), is set and will show a "6" in the attribute field if such a file exists. There are no known DOS add- ons that use this bit at this time -- however, DX would be capable of turning it on and off and limiting the file selection if some software were present that supported it. o DX now performs dynamic memory expansion obviating the need for the DX_HEAP program included in versions prior to 2.60. In addition, DX's initialization code is reused. If DX fails to allocate memory, an error level of 60 will be returned to DOS. (The DX_HEAP program may appear to work on DX v2.60 but will only result in "wasting" memory.) o DX will now swap itself out when shelling another program. This allows DX to grow to whatever size is needed and still execute other programs. DX shells other processes under four conditions: - when calling the /LIst processor for viewing a file with the "L" or "T" option during special processing. - executing a generated batch file. - /RUN'ing a command. - invoking a command shell with the "S" option during special processing. Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 11 Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 You can select the conditions under which DX will swap out when shelling via the /SWAPCtl switch. Multiple options may be given (all separated by ":"): /SWAPCtl:Never => do not swap at all. /SWAPCtl:List => when calling the /LIst processor. /SWAPCtl:Batch => when executing a generated batch file. /SWAPCtl:Run => when executing a command via /RUn. /SWAPCtl:Shell => when shelling a secondary command processor. /SWAPCtl:Xlist => all options eXcept "List"; equivalent to "/SWAPCtl:Batch:Run:Shell" (default). /SWAPCtl:All => all options; equivalent to "/SWAPCtl:List:Batch:Run:Shell". /SWAPCtl:NOems => inhibit swapping to EMS. By default, DX will use EMS if it is available. /SWAPCtl:Ifneeded => selecting this option tells DX to retry to shell the process by swapping out if swapping was originally disabled and the shell failed due to lack of memory. (This is also on by default.) /SWAPCtl- => equivalent to "/SWAPCtl:Never". /SWAPDev:x => select the disk "x:" to swap to if EMS is not available. DX will generate a filename of the form "$DX-pppp.SWP" where "pppp" represents the hex address of DX's Program Segment Prefix. The file will be placed in the disk's root and is marked hidden and read-only. It is deleted as soon as the executed process terminates. (If executed on a network, please select a "private" disk.) Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 12 Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 The default, "/SWAPCtl:Xlist:Ifneeded", is to swap under all conditions except "List" -- but swap during list if needed. The reason for this logic is that Vernon D. Buerg's LIST processor, probably the most common list processor, usually doesn't take much memory and is called often -- therefore it should run as quickly as possible. Some useful combinations might be: /SWAPC:Never:Ifneeded => no swapping unless needed. /SWAPC:All:NOems => all conditions; don't use EMS. o DX now can perform three types of CRC or checksum -- the /CHECKSUM switch has been removed in favor of the following syntax: /CRC => 16-bit CRC used in most CFs. /CRC:16 => (same as /CRC.) /CRC:32 => 32-bit CRC used in ZIPs. /CRC:Checksum => Simple checksum algorithm. o The /FSize switch may now be used with no arguments in a "dormant mode". It will not do anything unless a /COPy or /MOve is also specified. This means that it can be turned on in an environment SET and it will rename dormant unless /COPy or /MOve is also used. It will then insure that room exists on the target before allowing the transfer. Using /FSize with either a disk drive or cluster size works the same as always and is not dependent on /COPy or /MOve. o A new switch, /LOGTarget, is available which controls whether /COPy, /COMPare, /MOve, /REName, and /GOBak will log the target file name that was used. By default, /LOGTarget is on and will result in messages like "Copied to D:\Path\File.Ext." instead of simply "Copied." Use "/LOGT-" to turn it off if these messages are too verbose. o DX now adds a size mismatch test when comparing files. If the sizes don't match, the actual file comparison is skipped. o The /SIze switch may now reference other files (as /ATtr, /SINce, and /BEfore do) with the "@" construct: dx /size:@file1:@file2 => files between the sizes of "file1" and "file2". dx /si:@file:30k => files between the size of "file1" and 30720 bytes. Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 13 Directory eXtended v2.60 20 September 1990 o The default batch file name is now "$DX-pppp.BAT" on the drive given by the environment variable "TEMP" where "pppp" is DX's Program Segment Prefix. (If executed on a network, please select a "private" disk.) BUGS FIXED SINCE v2.00: ==== ===== ===== ===== o All previous network, large disk, and DOS 4.0x problems have been resolved. o DX now sets the "DenyNone" bit and correctly handles the "Network Share" bit when running under DOS 3.x and above for further network compatibility. o There were times where the /RDir switch would not remove all empty directories. This has been fixed. o DX will no longer set a file's date/time to that of the source file when /APPend'ing; it will use the current date/time as the default. This can still be overridden by the use of /TDate. o The /ATtr switch now turns off /Full allowing each to override each other. o The /Wide and /SINGle switches now turn each other off allowing each to override the other. o DX will no longer try to set a file date prior to 1/1/1980. o The /Wide switch may now be used with deferred special processing. o Column sorting is turned off when in /SINGle mode. o DX now correctly returns ErrorLevel 10 for "Path Not Found". o DX now checks for file existence before asking "Compare?". o Don't allow enhanced colors on /BColor. o Prevent DX from clearing a line when no output is desired -- when /HE:0/ST:0/TO are all specified. o A bug has been fixed whereby the dormant /FSize would wake up on /REName, /GOBak, or /COMPare. o Prevent v2.50 hang when a ZIP has embedded paths. Copyright (c) 1985-1990 ECONO-SOFT READ.ME Page 14