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DOS FILE TRACKER Topics What DOS File Tracker Does ..........................1 Before You Begin ....................................2 Getting Started .....................................2 Starting DFT When You Have a Catalog Built ..........2 Main Menu ...........................................3 General Information at The Bottom of All Menu Screens ............................................6 Specifying Subset When Reading From File ............7 Sort Menu ...........................................8 Display Menu ........................................11 Print Menu ..........................................13 Miscellaneous Options Menu ..........................17 Create Menu .........................................19 Editor Menu .........................................21 DFT File Extensions .................................24 Setting Defaults ....................................25 DOS Error Messages ..................................27 Using Other Programs ................................28 Sample Session ......................................29 1 What DOS File Tracker Does~ -------------------------- DOS File Tracker (DFT) is a disk librarian file cataloging system for your diskettes and fixed disks. Use DFT to keep track of the location of your files. With DFT you can: o Automatically create a record of all your files o Print diskette labels and sleeve inserts that show you: - The diskid (DOS volume label) you assign the disk - The space remaining on the disk - The names of files contained on the disk - The security classification of the disk - Special comments defined by you o Display or print all or part of your file catalog o Sort your catalog alphabetically, by comment, by date, by file size or by diskid o Enter a comment for each file in the catalog to remind you what the file contains o Write DOS volume labels on any disk o Catalog files on fixed disks as well as diskettes o Define and set one of four security levels o Create a contents file on each of your disks o Define your own defaults 2 Before You Begin~ ---------------- 1. Load DOS. 2. Make a backup copy of your DFT diskette. 3. Fixed disk users should insert the diskette in Drive A:, type A:FD and press Enter. This creates a directory named DFT and copies the necessary programs to the fixed disk. The modules required for execution are: DFT .EXE DFTCONFG.EXE COMMAND .COM if you are going to execute DOS commands from DFT. These modules should be copied to a work disk because the original disk has insufficient room to contain a catalog. This disk is called the DFT Work disk. Getting Started~ --------------- A sample session is provided at the back of this document to assist you in understanding the proper use of this program. You should refer to the document as you go through the sample session. Starting DFT When You Have a Catalog Built~ ------------------------------------------ If you know the name of the catalog file you want, at the DOS prompt Enter DFT (filename). In this case you bypass the catalog screen and go to the DFT main menu. 3 Main Menu~ --------- The DFT Main Menu screen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- DOS File Tracker Main Menu 1. Replace/Add disk 2. Create file 3. Read in records 4. Write records 5. Change catalog filename 6. Delete records by diskid 7. Edit comment field C. Execute DOS command D. Display menu M. Miscellaneous menu P. Print menu S. Sort menu Press your option selection: Esc End program F3 Change catalog drive Sorted by ? Your storage allows 780 records Catalog file DFT.DFT Cataloging drive C Records in storage 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Replace/Add diskette This option updates your current catalog file with changes that have been made to your disks. The catalog file is the file created and maintained by DFT to record information about your files and disks. It saves the comments and security levels you have specified. The catalog file reads into memory. After reading you are prompted to put the diskette to be cataloged in the cataloging drive and press Enter. The cataloging drive is the drive you place your diskettes in to have them read by DFT. 4 The directory information is read from the diskette. All files that were on the old version of this diskette (as indicated by the in-memory file) and are on the new version have the size and date updated and the comments are saved. Any file on the old version and not on the new version is discarded. Any file on the new but not on the old is written out to the file. Each changed record is written immediately to the cataloging disk. The remainder of the catalog file is written out after all the Add/Replaces have been done. An indicator of how many records reside in the file at completion of this option is shown on the screen. If the diskette you insert cannot be read or if you leave the drive door open, you are warned and given an opportunity to create a dummy label and comment for the diskette. Cataloging the same diskette more than once results in duplicate data. DFT makes an automatic backup of your catalog when you use this function. The file is identified by a .DBU extension. 2. Create File This option creates the catalog file on the disk. Normally, this option is only run once as it erases any catalog files with the same name. It erases the file on disk if it exists and allows you to put the diskettes into your cataloging drive one at a time and type in an ID for each one. Write this ID on the diskette label for future reference. The ID field can be up to 11 characters as long as they meet the requirements of a DOS volume label. This catalog information is written directly to disk. Nothing is left in memory when you have finished. To complete this option, press the Esc key. You can pre-label your disks with a DOS 2.0 volume label using the DOS FORMAT command or use one of the Miscellaneous options to do the labelling (for DOS 1.1 and higher). If your disk does not have a volume label, the program prompts you for the diskid. An option of Create is to write a label to the disk. 3. Read in records This option reads in a new file or appends one to the current file. The amount of memory you have installed is checked and a message is displayed if the entire file cannot be read in. After selecting this option, you are asked to specify the search argument for reading in records. If you press the enter key you select all files, otherwise you may specify a subset. See "Specifying Subset When Reading From File" in this document. If you have already read in a file, you are asked if you want this new file appended to the end of the current file in storage. If you don't want to have it appended, it replaces the current file in storage. Depending on memory size, a maximum of 780 records can be read. 5 4. Write records This option writes the contents of the records in memory back to the catalog file on the disk erasing the previous file contents. If you want to preserve the old contents of the file, select the option "Change catalog filename" and then use this option. This creates a new file and writes out the records in memory to it. You must first be sure that there is enough room on the disk to store the new data. You are warned if a subset of a file had been read in and you try to write it out as this would overlay the original file. This requires a second response to perform the write. 5. Change catalog filename This option changes the current catalog filename being used by the program. It displays all the master catalog files on the default disk. You select one of them or enter a new one. Any future reading or writing of files is done with this filename. 6. Delete records by diskid This option reads the file into memory and removes the diskids that you specify. If files are currently residing in memory, you are warned and given an opportunity to cancel. 7. Edit comment field With this option you can edit the 25 character comment field contained in the file. It is maintained by the other options and becomes part of your file. It can be displayed either on your screen or the printer. See "Editor Menu" in this document. This option also allows editing the diskid field and the security level. An edited catalog file can be saved by the Write records option on the Main Menu (option 4) screen or by Alt-S on the edit screen. Comments on a line identified by an "L" in the attribute, are printed when making inserts or disk labels. C. Execute DOS command If you have more than 155K of memory and are using DOS 2.0 or higher, this option executes DOS commands while staying in DFT. This can be useful to do a DIR, or ERASE, or any other DOS command. You must have COMMAND.COM on the default drive. This option automatically loads COMMAND.COM and executes your specified DOS command. 6 D. Display menu This option takes you to the display menu. M. Miscellaneous menu This option takes you to the miscellaneous menu. P. Print menu This option takes you to the print menu. S. Sort menu This option takes you to the sort menu. Esc Pressing this key causes the program to terminate. If any editing was done without saving, the program warns you and gives you an opportunity to cancel termination. F3. Change cataloging drive This option changes the drive used by the various options for cataloging. The default is set by the DFTCONFG program. See "Setting Defaults" in this document. General Information at The Bottom of All Menu Screens~ ----------------------------------------------------- Sorted by Always ? when you first read the catalog file. When you select a sort option on the Sort Menu this field is is updated to the type of sort you do. Catalog file Name of the current catalog file Cataloging drive The disk drive you are currently using to perform Create, Replace/Add or Write contents. Your storage allows xxx records With 140kb of memory, a catalog file up to 780 records can be read. Users with 128kb of memory can have somewhat less (about 690 records). Records in storage xxx The number of records that have been read in. This number is 0 (zero) if the catalog file has been written to disk with a Create or Replace/Add. 7 Specifying Subset When Reading From File~ ---------------------------------------- When you select option 3 (Read in records) on the main menu you are prompted to enter the search parameter for records you want read in from the catalog file. If you press the enter key without typing anything, the entire file is selected for processing. If you enter any parameter, only a subset of the file is read in. This subset is selected in a manner similar to the syntax for the DOS DIR command. For example: If you enter *.BAS as the argument you get only those files that have an extension of BAS. If you enter ABC*.* you get a subset consisting of all files beginning with ABC and with any extension. You can use the ? allowed by DOS DIR. If you want all files selected that have an extension of XYZ and have a four character filename beginning with Q enter Q???.XYZ as the argument. Specifying subsets allows you to build special catalog files using your criteria. This can be useful in an office environment. If documents have a unique extension of .DOC and filenames have 3 characters that are assigned to an author, you can provide a list of all documents written by a particular author. For example, John Doe and Mary Smith are two writers. John's documents are identified by DOEXXXXX.DOC and Mary's by SMIXXXXX.DOC. You can quickly identify which disks have documents by these authors. You can also maintain separate catalog files for financial reports, program work disks, and even catalog files that have the .DFT extension. You are not limited to one subset or to one catalog. You can read in one subset, change to a different catalog, and read in a different subset that is added to the first. Then change the name of the catalog file to a name that is meaningful to you, such as DOCUMENT, and write your new catalog file to disk. 8 Sort Menu~ --------- The DFT Sort menu screen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- DOS File Tracker Sort Menu 1. Filename,size,date,ID 2. File extension,name,size,date,ID 3. Diskid,filename 4. Last date modified 5. Comment field 6. Size field 7. Security level 8. Disk space summary D. Display menu M. Miscellaneous menu P. Print menu Press your option selection: Esc Return to menu F3 Change catalog drive Sorted by ? Your storage allows 780 records Catalog file DFT.DFT Cataloging drive C Records in storage 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Filename,size,date,ID This option sorts the in memory file in the indicated order. A message is displayed to indicate that a sort is being done. Files sorted using this option indicate duplicate file names with ditto (") marks when the display option or print option is used. If a file is already sorted, a second sort with the same parameters takes much longer to complete. 2. File extension,file name,size,date,ID This option sorts the same as option 1 but the extension is the primary field. 9 3. Diskid then filename Same as option 1 but sorted as indicated. This sort is quicker due to fewer fields being checked. It can take up to 15 seconds to sort 700 records. Note: If you are writing the contents file (option 4 of the print menu) a diskid sort is performed prior to writing the file. 4. Last date modified Same as above except for the different sort field. 5. Comment field Sometimes it may be useful to have the data sorted by the comment field. You may want to use some special coding for the first few characters of the comments so that this sort is more useful to you. If comments are equal a secondary sort is done on filename, file extension. This option can be very useful if you are using DFT for your fixed disks since the sub-directory information is placed in the comment field. By sorting on the comment field you are ordering your file by sub-directory. 6. File size This option puts the in memory file in order by file size with the largest file first. It can be very useful in making room on your diskettes by showing you the largest files. 7. Security level This option sorts the in memory file with the highest security level first. 8. Diskette space summary This sort puts the space summary records in order by diskid. This is extremely quick and usually no sorting message is displayed on the screen. 10 D. Display menu This option takes you to the display menu. M. Miscellaneous menu This option takes you to the miscellaneous menu. P. Print menu This option takes you to the print menu. Esc Pressing this key returns you to the main menu. F3. Change cataloging drive This option changes the drive used by the various options for cataloging. The default is set by the DFTCONFG program. See "Setting Defaults" in this document. 11 Display Menu~ ------------ The DFT Display menu screen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- DOS File Tracker Display Menu 1. Display records 2. Display disk space summary M. Miscellaneous menu P. Print menu S. Sort menu Press your option selection: Esc Return to menu F3 Change catalog drive Sorted by ? Your storage allows 780 records Catalog file DFT.DFT Cataloging drive C Records in storage 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Display records This option displays the in memory file on the screen. The PgUp and PgDn keys are used to scroll through the data shown on the screen. The Ctrl-PgUp key takes you to the top of the listing, and the Ctrl-PgDn key takes you to the bottom. If the in memory file has been sorted by filename, duplicate filenames are displayed with ditto (") marks. The attribute indicators are displayed. This is the byte as stored by DOS in the directory entry for each file. It is shown on this display screen as well as the editor screen. The field has been decoded for you and displayed as 5 unique letters which have the following meaning: R - read only file H - hidden file S - system file L - DOS volume label A - archive bit - file has been modified See the DOS 2.0 manual for more information concerning the attribute byte. The security levels on each record are also shown here with the key displayed at the top. 12 2. Display diskette space summary The amount of space left on the disks contained in the catalog file is displayed on the screen. The comment field from the diskette label record is shown next to each diskid. M. Miscellaneous menu This option takes you to the miscellaneous menu. P. Print menu This option takes you to the print menu. S. Sort menu This option takes you to the sort menu. Esc Pressing this key returns you to the main menu. F3. Change Cataloging Drive This option changes the drive used by the various options for cataloging. The default is set by the DFTCONFG program. See "Setting Defaults" in this document. 13 Print Menu~ ---------- The DFT Print menu screen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- DOS File Tracker Print Menu 1. Print records 2. Print disk space summary 3. Change lines/page 4. Write contents file 5. Print disk inserts 6. Print labels 7. Change label spacing D. Display menu M. Miscellaneous menu S. Sort menu Press Your Option Selection Esc Return to menu F3 Change catalog drive Lines/page 60 Label spacing 21 Sorted by ? Your storage allows 780 records Catalog file DFT.DFT Cataloging drive C Records in storage 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Print records This option displays your records in a manner similar to the display option but the information is printed or put into a file. The option prompts you for the filename to be used for the printout. The default is preset to PRN (printer) but may be changed to any file desired. This may be useful if you are using a different file number for your printer or want to store this output in a file for use by some other program. If the in memory file has been sorted by filename, duplicate filenames are printed with ditto (") marks. 2. Print disk space summary Same as above but the information is the space summary for the diskettes. 14 3. Change lines/page The default, 60 lines-per-page, is set by DFTCONFG program. See "Setting Defaults" in this document. If you want a different number of lines-per-page, use this option. If you set the lines-per-page to 0 (zero), then continuous printing takes place with no page skips and header printing. 4. Write contents file This option creates a file called CONTENTS on the cataloging drive which contains the contents of that diskette as specified in the current DFT catalog file. The current diskid is displayed and you can relabel the disk. Prior to writing the contents file, a sort by diskid is performed. This is useful when preparing diskettes for club libraries, etc., since the contents file can be typed out and the comments used to understand what the files do. 5. Print diskette inserts This option prints inserts for your diskette envelopes. You can print individual inserts or print all inserts. These are the correct size to fit in the diskette envelope. Printed on the top section of the insert (the visible section when it is inserted in the envelope) is: - the diskid printed in double width style. - the date that the master file was last updated. - the comment field from the diskette label entry in the file. - the highest security level found on any of your records. Printed on the lower section of the insert is: - the amount of space remaining on the diskette. - all the filenames, in alphabetical order, listed 5 across in condensed type. One insert can contain 114 filenames. If there are too many filenames to fit on one insert additional inserts are printed automatically. The records in memory are sorted by diskid. 15 6. Print labels This option prints labels 3 1/2 inches by 15/16 inches. Test labels are printed first to aid in lining up the labels. You can print individual labels or print all labels. Printed on the label is: - the diskid. - the date that the master file was last updated. - the comment field from the diskette label entry in the file. - the highest security level found on any of your records (excluding those identified with and "L" in the Attr column). - the amount of space remaining on the diskette. - all the filenames, in alphabetical order, in condensed type. One label can contain 45 filenames. If there are too many filenames to fit on one label additional labels are printed automatically. If a diskette contains multiple identical filenames that have different extensions, the file name is only printed once. For example: PE.PRO, PE.EXE, PE.HLP and PE.DOC would have only one entry (PE). 7. Change Label Spacing This option allows you to adjust the label printing for labels that are spaced more that 1 inch top-to-top. The default is set by the DFTCONFG program. See "Setting Defaults" in this document. 16 M. Miscellaneous menu This option takes you to the miscellaneous menu. D. Display menu This option takes you to the display menu. S. Sort menu This option takes you to the sort menu. Esc Pressing this key returns you to the main menu. F3. Change Cataloging Drive This option changes the drive used by the various options for cataloging. The default is set by the DFTCONFG program. See "Setting Defaults" in this document. 17 Miscellaneous Options Menu~ -------------------------- The DFT Miscellaneous Options menu screen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- DOS File Tracker Miscellaneous Menu 1. List catalog files on disk 2. Label a disk 3. Check label/rename disk D. Display menu P. Print menu S. Sort menu Press Your Option Selection: Esc Return to menu F3 Change catalog drive Sorted by ? Your storage allows 780 records Catalog file DFT.DFT Cataloging drive C Records in storage 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. List catalog files on disk This option reads the default disk and displays the filenames of those files with extension DFT. 2. Label a disk This option checks the cataloging drive for a label and if one is present, you can rename it. If none is present it allows you to label it. DOS 2.0 volume labels are created. (DFT also writes a volume label for DOS 1.1 users) 18 3. Check label with rename option This option checks for a label and, if present, you can rename it. D. Display menu This option takes you to the display menu. P. Print menu This option takes you to the print menu. S. Sort menu This option takes you to the sort menu. Esc Pressing this key returns you to the main menu. F3. Change cataloging drive This option changes the drive used by the various options for cataloging. The default is set by the DFTCONFG program. See "Setting Defaults" in this document. 19 Create Menu~ ----------- The DFT Create menu screen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- DOS File Tracker Already CREATE Auto Label Processed ON Processing Diskid: Records Written to File 0 Insert diskette in drive B: and press Enter Esc return to menu Current Drive: B F3 Change Catalog Drive F5 Toggle Auto Label F7 Redraw screen ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To do a Create, insert the diskette in the cataloging drive and press Enter. If a diskid is required, DFT will beep and wait for you to type the desired name into the Processing Diskid field (if necessary) and press Enter. Do this for each disk to be cataloged. If you leave the diskette drive door open or if the diskette is not readable by DOS, you are prompted to see if you want to create a dummy label in the file for this diskette. This can be useful to keep track of the copy protected diskettes you may have. You don't actually have to put the diskette into the drive. Just leave the door open and press the Enter key. If your disks contain sub-directories, they are processed automatically by this option and the Replace/Add option. The path to the file is automatically written into the comment field of each file. Any comment you want to add should be placed at the end of this path information. This menu displays a listing of the last diskids that were processed. The most recent one is shown in high intensity. All data entry is done on this menu. The status of automatic labeling is shown. 20 There are 3 options on this menu. F3. Change cataloging drive There are times when you may want to change the cataloging drive in the middle of a Create operation. Perhaps you have finished cataloging your diskettes and want to include your fixed disks as well. Selecting this option causes Create to read from the newly changed drive on its next read. F5. Toggle auto label This option toggles the automatic disk labeling mode. The default is set by the DFTCONFG program. See "Setting Defaults" in this document. If this mode is on and your current disk has no label, one is written to your disk. It is written as a DOS 2.0 volume label and is not visible as a file but is recognized by the DIR command, etc. Since a directory entry is written to your disk, the write protect tab should be removed if you turn the option on. If you forget, DOS displays the usual error message to Abort, Retry or Ignore the error. If you select Abort, the program terminates and the catalog file is lost. If you select Ignore, the program continues without writing the label. If you select Retry, first remove the write protect tab. These error messages remain on the screen. If you want to clear up the screen use the F7 key. This redraws the screen, but removes the list of diskids processed. F7. Redraw screen This option redraws the screen. This is useful if you are using automatic diskid labeling and you mistakenly left the write protect tab on as explained above. This option clears the screen of any error messages. It also removes the list of diskids already processed. Esc Pressing this key returns you to the main menu. 21 Editor Menu~ ----------- The DFT Editor menu screen. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sec: 0 Security level 0 1 Security level 1 2 Security level 2 3 Security level 3 Filename Date Size Diskid Comments 1 of 18 Attr Sec IBMBIO.COM 10/20/83 4736 EDITTEST DOS hidden file RHSA 0 IBMDOS.COM 10/20/83 17024 EDITTEST DOS hidden file RHSA 0 COMMAND.COM 10/20/83 17792 EDITTEST DOS command processor A 0 ASSIGN.COM 10/20/83 896 EDITTEST reassigns disk addresses A 0 BACKUP.COM 10/20/83 3687 EDITTEST backs up fixed disk A 0 BASIC.COM 10/20/83 16256 EDITTEST diskette BASIC A 0 BASICA.COM 10/20/83 26112 EDITTEST Advanced BASIC A 0 CHKDSK.COM 10/20/83 6400 EDITTEST checks disk A 0 COMP.COM 10/20/83 2534 EDITTEST compares 2 files A 0 DISKCOMP.COM 10/20/83 2188 EDITTEST compares 2 diskettes A 0 DISKCOPY.COM 10/20/83 2576 EDITTEST copies 1 disk to another A 0 EDLIN.COM 10/20/83 4608 EDITTEST line editor A 0 FDISK.COM 10/20/83 6369 EDITTEST fixed disk partition pgm A 0 FIND.EXE 10/20/83 5888 EDITTEST DOS filter A 0 FORMAT.COM 10/20/83 6912 EDITTEST formats disks A 0 * Up 1 PgUp Up 9 ^PgUp Top Home Beg. Field * Down 1 PgDn Down 9 ^PgDn Bottom End End Field * Cur. Right ENTER Down 1 BKSPC Del. Char Left Alt-T Toggle ID Edit * Cur. Left Alt-C Can. Change Del Delete Char Alt-X Toggle Delete TAB Fwd Tab Alt-D Ditto Field Ins Toggle Ins Mode Alt-L Security Level S-TAB Back Tab Esc Main Menu Alt-S Save File ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- * = The 4 cursor keys on the numeric key pad. ^ = the Ctrl key. The editor screen gives you a partial look at how the particular record you are editing fits in with the others in the file. You see 15 files on the screen with the input area indicated in reverse video. The fields you can edit are: o Diskid o Comments o Sec At the very top are the current settings for the security levels you have specified. This is the key to the column labeled Sec. The meanings of these levels are set by the DFTCONFG program. See "Setting Defaults" in this document. On the third line is an indicator that tells you the record, by number, you are editing and how many are in the file. 22 At the bottom of the screen is a list of all the commands and keys which are valid for the editor. These commands are explained below. An Alt-S (save file) should be performed to save edited catalog files. up arrow Pressing this key moves the editing field one row toward the top of the screen. down arrow Pressing this key moves the editing field one row toward the bottom of the screen. right arrow Pressing this key moves the cursor one position right on the comment field. If the cursor reaches the end of the comment field, it automatically wraps back to the beginning of the field. left arrow Pressing this key moves the cursor one position left on the comment field. If the cursor reaches the end of the comment field, it automatically wraps back to the end of the field. Tab Key Pressing this key moves the cursor to the next tab stop (every 10 spaces in the comment field). It is ignored if you are editing the DISKID field. S-Tab Press and hold the Shift key then press the Tab key. This moves the cursor back to the previous tab stop. PgUp Pressing this key scrolls the input area toward the top of the file by 9 records. PgDn Pressing this key scrolls the input area toward the bottom of the file by 9 records. 23 Enter Pressing this key moves the input area 1 record down toward the end of the file. Alt-C Press and hold the Alt key then press the C key. The old field from the record in memory is returned. This only works if you have not yet pressed any of the keys that move the input area on the display. Alt-D Press and hold the Alt key then press the D key. Information for the inverse video field of the previous record is copied into this one. Esc Pressing this key returns you to the main menu. Any data entered in the editor is retained in the in-storage array. Ctrl-PgUp Press and hold the Ctrl key then press the PgUp key. The input area moves to the top of the file. Ctrl-PgDn Press and hold the Ctrl key then press the PgDn key. The input area moves to the bottom of the file. Bksp Pressing this key deletes the character to the left of the cursor. Del Pressing this key deletes the character at the cursor position. Ins Pressing this key puts the editor in insert mode. The Ins at the bottom of the screen blinks indicating that Insert mode is active. Characters are inserted at the cursor location and other characters are shifted to the right. 24 Alt-S Press and hold the Alt key then press the S key. The in-storage file is written back to disk. Home Pressing this key moves the cursor back to the beginning of the field. End Pressing this key positions the cursor one character past the end of the current contents of the field. Alt-T This toggles you into the DISKID field for editing. Lower case characters are automatically changed to uppercase. They won't appear that way on the screen at first, but when the screen is refreshed by scrolling you see them. Alt-X This deletes a record when the file is written to the disk. Put the cursor on the line that you want to delete, then press this key and the diskid is changed to **DELETED** signifying that it is deleted the next time the records are written back to disk. If you change your mind before writing out the records, just press the key again and the delete is cancelled. You can delete as many records as you want in this manner. If you are deleting all records pertaining to a given diskid you should use the Delete records by diskid option on Main Menu (option 6). Alt-L This increments the security level for the indicated file. The value increments by 1 each time this key combination is pressed. When the level reaches 3, the next press of this key changes it to 0. To be printed, the security classification must be on a line that contains a filename, not a label (indicated by an "L" in the Attr field). DFT File Extensions~ ------------------- The following are the default extensions of the data files used by DFT. .DFT catalog file .DBU backup catalog file .SP space file used with the .DFT file .SBU space usage for the specific .DBU file 25 Setting Defaults~ ---------------- There are a number of default parameters in DFT that you can change. This enables the program to be more customized for your needs. - At the DOS prompt enter DFTCONFG. The DFT configure screen. -------------------------------------------------------------------- D F T C O N F G Change DOS File Tracker Default Values Cataloging Drive: B Label Spacing: 21 (1-255) Lines per page: 60 (0-999) Auto Label Option: Y Y or N (lowest) Level 0: Security level 0 \ Level 1: Security level 1 \ Security Level 2: Security level 2 / Levels (highest) Level 3: Security level 3 / Catalog Filename: DFT Esc Quit without saving F10 Save changes -------------------------------------------------------------------- Cataloging Drive This is the drive that you place your diskettes in to have them cataloged by the program. If you have a PC with 2 diskette drives you probably want to leave this as B. If you have a PC/XT with 1 fixed disk and 1 diskette drive you probably want to make this A. It can be changed at any time while running the program. 26 Label Spacing If you have a Graphics printer you can print out labels. The program is set up to handle standard 3 1/2 X 5/16 inch labels. If you have some other size label, you can change this parameter. The parameter is the number of 216th of an inch to skip after printing the last label line before going on with the next label. If the default value (21) isn't enough for your labels, invoke DFT and change the label spacing until it fits with your labels. After getting the correct value, use DFTCONFG to change the default amount. Lines Per Page This value controls how many lines are printed on a page before a form feed is done and a new heading printed. The default (60) is correct for normal 8 1/2 X 11 inch paper. If you want fewer or additional lines, just change this default. As a special case, you can set the value to 0 (zero) to get continuous printing. After the first heading is printed, no additional ones are printed. Auto Label Option DFT reads the DOS volume label that is put on your disk. One way of putting on this label is when the diskette is formatted. Another way is to use the miscellaneous labelling options in DFT. One very easy way to accomplish the labelling is to do it while running the DFT Create option. The Auto labelling feature automatically write a label on your disk if it does not have one. The default is to have this option on. It may be turned off by default here, or while the program is running. Security Levels Many users have the need to classify their diskettes by type of use. One of these types is security level. Some of your files may be unclassified while others may be top secret. DFT allows for 4 levels of security. Shown on the screen are the 4 default classifications. Just type in what you want to call these levels and they are printed out for you on your listings. The editor (option 7 on the Main Menu) allows you to indicate the level of each of your files. When you print out inserts or labels, it clearly indicates the highest level of security of any file on the diskette. In order to correctly identify the highest security level of a given disk, the "L" (label) files are not checked. Only real files are inspected for security level when printing labels to be attached to the disk. 27 Catalog Filename This is the default filename to be used by the DFT program for its catalog and space files. The default is DFT. This means that DFT.DFT is the default catalog file and DFT.SP is the space file. If you invoke DFT without any parameters, a screen is displayed showing you the catalog files on your disk and allowing you to select the one you want. The default filename DFT is already filled in for you. DOS Error Messages~ ------------------ Normal DOS error messages may be displayed for the following conditions. 1. Write protected diskette Remove the write protect tab or type I for ignore. 2. Disk read error Probable cause is disk not ready. Ready the disk and type R for retry. 3. Disk write error Probable cause is disk not ready. Ready the disk and type R for retry. If you type A for abort during catalog create you will lose the catalog file. 28 Using Other Programs~ -------------------- You may want to use your catalog files as input to other programs, such as data base managers. The following provides a description of the files as they are used by DFT: The .DFT file is in standard ASCII format. Number of Bytes Fieldname 8 Filename 3 Extension 11 Volume ID 6 Date (MMYYDD) 2 MM 2 DD 2 YY 6 Size of file 25 Comments 1 Attribute byte -- binary field as described in DOS 2.0 or later manual. 1 Control Byte 01H Security Level 0 02H Security Level 1 03H Security Level 2 04H Security Level 3 61 Total bytes for .SP The .SP file is in standard ASCII format. Number of Bytes Fieldname 11 Volume ID 4 Binary integer of size remaining on disk 15 Total Bytes for .DFT 29 Sample Session~ -------------- The following steps are provided to assist you in the use of DOS File Tracker. Most of the main functions are covered and a few of the minor functions. You should review each step with its' associated documentation as you proceed through this session. For this session you need your DFT Work diskette, your backup copy of the DFT diskette, at least one other diskette with files on it, and, optionally, a printer. At the end of this session you should be able to perform: - Creates - Reads - Edits - Sorts - Displays - Prints of - Reports - Labels - Inserts - Adds and Replaces and, of course, terminate the session. 1. If you have a fixed disk, change to your DFT sub-directory. Enter CD \DFT 2. Put the DOS File Tracker Work diskette in Drive A: 3. At the DOS prompt, type DFT and press Enter. 4. When the DOS File Tracker logo displays, press Enter. The screen displays the catalog files. Only one (DFT) is currently displayed. 5. Press the Enter key to accept DFT as the default catalog file. 6. You should be at the Main Menu. 7. If you have a fixed disk, press F3 to change the catalog drive to A: and insert the DFT backup disk in drive A: 8. If you do not have a fixed disk, insert the DFT backup disk in drive B: Drive B: is your catalog drive. 9. Press 2 to Create file. DFT displays "This option will replace file DFT.DFT. Press C to continue - any other key to quit". 30 10. Press C to display the Create screen. 11. Press Enter. DFT reads the disk that is in the catalog drive, determines that the disk does not have a volume label and waits for you to enter a name. 12. Type DFTDISK in the diskid field and press Enter. This writes a volume label to the disk. DFT reads the filenames that are on the DFT disk and asks you to insert another diskette. 13. If you are not using a fixed disk, remove the DFT backup disk from drive B: 14. Press Esc to return to Main Menu. DFT writes the newly created file to your default disk. DFT displays "The records have been written to disk. Use the Read option to process them in storage. Press any key to continue". 15. Press the spacebar. 16. You should be at the Main Menu. You should have no records in storage. 17. Press 3. DFT asks you to enter a search argument. 18. Press Enter. DFT reads the catalog file into memory and returns to the Main Menu. 19. You should now be at the Main Menu. 20. Press 7. The Edit screen displays. Using the down arrow cursor key, move the highlighted cursor until it is on the same line as Filename DFT.EXE. 21. Press the Alt and L keys simultaneously. This increments the column under Sec each time you press these keys. Do this until the number 3 appears under the Sec column. This changes the Security Level field when you print labels and inserts. 22. Using the up or down arrow cursor key, move the cursor field to the line that has an "L" under the Attr (attribute) column. 31 23. Type File Tracker Backup Disk in the highlighted field. This prints a special comment when you print labels and inserts. 24. Press the Alt and S keys simultaneously. This saves the edited information. 25. Press Esc to return to the Main Menu. 26. Press S to display the Sort Menu. 27. Press 1 to sort the catalog file by filename. DFT returns to the Sort menu when complete. 28. Press D to display the Display Menu. 29. Press 1. This displays a screen that is very similar to the Edit screen but you cannot make any changes. The filenames are now displayed alphabetically. 30. Press Esc to return to the Display Menu. 31. Press P to display the Print Menu. If you do not have a printer, go to step 42. 32. Press 1 to print the catalog file records. DFT displays "Enter Filename for printout: prn". 33. Press Enter. DFT prints and returns to Print menu. 34. Press 5 to print inserts that you can cut to fit into the disk jacket. DFT displays "Enter Y to select which inserts get printed". 35. Press Y. DFT sorts the file by diskid. DFT displays the diskid and asks if you want to print this one. 36. Press Y to print an insert and return to the Print Menu. 37. If you do not have a graphics printer, go to step 42. 32 38. Press 6 to print labels that can be attached to your diskettes. DFT displays "Enter Y to select which labels to print". 39. Press the Enter key to print all labels. DFT displays "Press any key to print a test label". This gives you the opportunity to align the labels in your printer. 40. Press the spacebar to print a test label. DFT displays "Press any key to print another test label or Esc to print real labels". 41. Press Esc to print a label for DFTDISK. DFT returns to the Print Menu screen when the labels are printed. 42. You should be at the Print Menu screen. 43. If you have completed steps 32 through 41 you should compare the printouts. Notice the difference between the way filenames were printed on the insert and on the real label. Duplicate filenames are printed on an insert but not on a label. On the label you should see one line with FTRACKER as a filename. On the insert, you should see 3 files with the filename of FTRACKER and extensions of DCA, CON and LUT. Also notice that the Security classification only prints on the inserts and labels. The catalog records report still has a 3 in the Sec column. 44. Press Esc to return to the Main Menu. 45. If you are a fixed disk user insert a different diskette in drive A: 46. If you are not a fixed disk user, insert a different diskette in drive B: 47. Press 1 to add and replace disks to the catalog file. You are going to add a disk at this time. DFT displays "You have records in storage. They will be lost if this option is continued. Press C to continue: any other key will return to Main Menu". This is a normal message and is intended to protect your file if you have been editing the catalog file. 33 48. As you have already saved the file at step 24, press C. DFT displays "Insert Disk to be processed in drive" (A: if you are using fixed disk or B: if not). 49. Press the Spacebar. DFT displays "Enter Diskid". 50. Type the name that you want for this diskette and press Enter. DFT displays "Enter Y to label the disk, anything else to skip the labeling". 51. Press Y. DFT writes the label to the diskette, and reads the contents of the diskette. DFT displays "Press Y to process another disk - any other key to stop." 52. Press the spacebar. DFT displays "All records have been written to disk, use the Read option to bring them back into storage. Press any key to continue". 53. Press the spacebar to return to the Main Menu. 54. You should be at the Main Menu. 55. If you want to end the DFT program press Esc. This exercise has illustrated most of the major functions of DOS File Tracker and has built your first catalog file. You can follow the steps of this exercise to display and print the diskette that you just added, or jump in and start using DFT to build a library of all your diskettes!