FDI - a Floppy Disk Indexing Program

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Information - FDI - a Floppy Disk Indexing Program

GenreDatabase / SpreadsheetYear
Language[unknown]Publisher[no publisher]
Developer[n/a]Distributor-
ControlsKeyboardCountryUSA
Box / InstructionsEnglishSoftwareEnglish
Programmer(s)

Waehner, Rod

LicensePD / Freeware / Shareware
SerialST TypeST, STe / 0.5MB
ResolutionMedium / HighNumber of Disks1 / Double-Sided / HD Installable
Dumpdownload atari FDI - a Floppy Disk Indexing Program Download / MSAMIDI
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Instructions - FDI - a Floppy Disk Indexing Program

                            DOCUMENTATION FOR "FDI"

                        A FLOPPY DISK INDEXING PROGRAM


         OVERVIEW
         --------
           FDI is a program to help you catalog your library of
         "floppy" disks and the files that reside on each disk.  It
         does not use windows, drop-down menus, fancy colors, or any
         of that neat stuff.  It does give you a complete index of the
         files you have, what disks they are on, when they were last
         updated, and lots of room for descriptions and comments.
         And, it is free!

         SETTING UP
         ----------
           To keep things simple, you should keep your Floppy Disk
         Index on a disk by itself (or in a folder by itself on a hard
         disk).  A single sided disk will have room for about 1,000
         entries.  To get started, copy FDI.TOS to an empty disk and
         double-click on it.

         START UP
         --------
           FDI will not run until it sees a valid system date.  If the
         current system date is not valid, you will be asked to enter
         the current date, time, and day of week.  Use three letter
         abbreviation for day of week (Mon, Tue, etc.)  When all
         fields are correct press F10 to continue.

           When prompted for "Filesystem name" enter the name you wish
         to assign to your catalog file.  This name must start with a
         letter and be no more than eight characters long.  Do not use
         an extension (".").  If the filesystem you select does not
         exist on the disk, an empty one will be created.  A
         filesystem consists of three files:  the data file with an
         extension of ".DT" and two index files with extensions of
         ".NX0" and ".NX1".  These three files must be kept together
         when copied or backed up.

         UP AND RUNNING
         --------------
           If you are starting out with an empty filesystem, the first
         thing to do is Index your first disk (option "I" for Index).
         CAREFULLY follow the prompts as to when to insert and remove
         disks from drive A.  You should see a new screen:

         DISK ID
         -------
           FDI keeps track of your disks by a four character disk ID.
         You may use any method you like for assigning these ID's; as
         a suggestion, I use this:
           The first character is a letter indicating the contents or
         type of programs on the disk (B for BASIC, D for demos, L for
         LOGO, etc).  The next three characters form a number to
         identify the disk.

           Therefore, my BASIC disks are labelled B001, B002, etc.  My
         LOGO disks are labelled L001, L002, etc.

           The important thing to remember is that no two disks should
         be given the same ID.  If you do not follow this rule, you
         are guaranteed to lose data.

           By default, FDI writes the ID you selected to the disk
         being indexed.  If you do not wish to write that Disk ID on
         that disk, enter "n" in the field "Write ID to disk".  If you
         allow FDI to write the ID to the disk it will write a file
         called "DISKID.QQQ" onto the disk.  Whenever the disk is
         re-cataloged later, you will not be promted for the disk ID
         again.

           When the Disk ID screen is complete, press F10 to
         continue.

         MAIN SCREEN
         -----------
           Most of the options on the main screen are fairly
         self-explanarory (or safe to experiment with).  However, some
         may need explanation:

         Add -- This option will allow you to manually add a
         filename/disk to your catalogue.  This may be used to index
         non-standard or copy-protected disks.  Fill in the
         information on the screen.  The F10 Function key will
         complete the 'add' option and return you to the bottom menu.


         Beginning of file -- Choosing this option will take you to
         the beginning of the file.  The 'beginning' of file will be
         dependent upon the prime index you are in (where the asterisk
         is located).

         Delete this record --  The record that is currently displayed
         will be deleted. You will be prompted at the bottom of the
         screen - "Are you sure you want to delete this record? "
         Input "Y" if you are sure.  Input "N" if you do not want to
         delete this record.

         End of File --  This selection will take you to the end of
         your file (according to your current index) and will display
         that record.

         Find -- This will allow you to "Find" a Disk name or
         Filename.  You do not need to enter the full name you are
         searching for.  For example, if your current index is "file
         name" and you enter "m", you will see the first file that
         begins with "m".  If you enter "me", you will see the first
         file that begins with "me".

         Index -- With this option you should follow the instructions
         in the  "Up and Running" and "Disk ID" sections.  You will
         use this selection whenever you need to read a new disk or
         read/index a modified disk to catalogue in this program.
         Carefully follow the prompts when swapping disks.

         List -- When you choose this option you will get another
         screen with Disk ID, File name, File Description, Date last
         modified, Time, and Size of the file.  The options, which are
         presented on the bottom of the screen are : Next Page,
         Previous Page, UP ARROW, DOWN ARROW, and F10 to select.
               If you wish to select a particular file/record from the
         List screen, use any of the above selections to get the
         cursor there, and press F10.  That record will then display
         on the screen.

         Next Entry -- This option will display the next record in the
         file, according to the current index.

         Output to printer -- Printing will start at the record
         currently selected and continue until end of file or until
         you press the 'Q' key.  The report is sorted by file name or
         by disk ID, depending on the current index.

         Previous Entry -- This selection will allow you to view the
         previous entry of your records.  As in all Next or Previous
         fields, it is alpha-based and dependent upon the Prime Index
         you have chosen.

         Quit this program --  This will take you back to the GEM
         Desktop.

         Switch prime index -- As you travel foreward or backward thru
         your file you see entries in sequence by either file name
         (the default) or by disk ID.  The sequence ("current index")
         is shown by the "*" next to the field name.  You can change
         the current index by pressing "s".

         Update this entry -- With this selection, you will be able to
         modify or add to any of the fields that are present in the
         displayed record.  A frequent use of this selection would be
         after indexing a disk - you might want to type in
         descriptions of the files.

         View Disk Directory -- With this selection, you will see
         'Closing' at the bottom of the screen.  Following this, you
         will be prompted to insert the disk you wish View.  It will
         show you the Filename, Date last modified, Time, and Size of
         each file on that disk.

         WARNINGS AND SUGGESTIONS
         ------------------------
           Rule number one is:  ALWAYS finish out of this program by
         using the 'Q' option.  DO NOT power off or re-boot while
         updating; doing so will certainly confuse the database,
         scramble data, or wreak general havoc.
           Rule number two is:  ALWAYS keep backups of your filesystem
         (name.DT, name.NX0, name.NX1).  Remember, even if you are
         updating only one entry, your whole database is subject to
         loss!  As your database expands (and you have more time and
         effort invested in it) you will want to keep more than one
         copy.
           If your system has enough memory (one meg or more) you may
         want load your filesystem to a RAM disk for updates.  Some of
         the functions require a lot of disk accesses, and things go
         much more quickly on a RAM disk (or hard disk).

         KEYS ENABLED IN FDI:

             Backspace --  This key will move the cursor backwards and
         at the same time delete the character you Backspace over.

             Left Arrow --  This key will move the cursor back (left)
         from where it is currently positioned.  It will not delete or
         overwrite the characters currently there.

             Shift Left Arrow --  This key moves the cursor to the
         first position in the current field.

             Right Arrow --  This key will move the cursor forward (to
         the right) from where it is currently positioned, without
         deleting the characters is it going over.

             Shift Right Arrow --  This key moves the cursor to the
         last position in the current field.

             Insert  --  When you depress the Insert Key it will allow
         you to "Insert" a character in the positon of the cursor.

             Space Bar --  This key will overtype the characters that
         are 'spaced over' with the space bar.

             Clr Home --  This key will clear the contents of the
         entire field that are you currently in.

             Return --  The Return key will move the cursor to the
         next input field.

             Up Arrow --  This key moves the cursor to the previous
         field.

             F10 --  The F10 function key generally finishes out of
         the current screen and/or enters the data into the file.

             Delete --  The Delete key will allow you to delete the
         character(s) that are positioned at the cursor.

             UNDO --  The UNDO key allows you to leave an update
         screen without changing the data in your file.


          Comments and suggestions are welcomed via CompuServe
         Electronic Mail.

                                                        Rod Waehner
                                                   CIS [75156,3131]
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