STDCAT V5.1b User's Guide
Copyright (c) 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, By Bob Silliker
All Rights Reserved
THIS SOFTWARE IS BEING DISTRIBUTED AS SHAREWARE
IF YOU USE THIS PROGRAM ON A CONTINUING BASIS
PLEASE REGISTER BY SENDING $15.00 TO
Bob Silliker
13097 107th Ave
Surrey, B.C.,
Canada V3T 2G2
email: bobs@wimsey.bc.ca
This manual was generated using PROFF V1.0 by Ozan S. Yigit & Steven Tress.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 1
Introduction
Stdcat is a program that can be used to catalogue diskettes and hard
disk partitions. It is a GEM window application using four (4) windows
to display various parts of a catalogue. A catalogue is organized into
sections with each section containing a number of disks, disk contains
paths (folders), and paths containing files. Each section, disk, path
and file can, optionally, have a comment associated with it.
The program has three (3) ways to view the information in a catalogue.
All views support four (4) windows, although, it is not practical to use
all four windows in each view.
In the first view, which is very much like the original program, the
windows are setup dependantly with each window having it's own type.
The window names are SECTION, DISK, PATH and FILE. To access
information in the catalogue the user selects the SECTION of interest
which will cause the disk window to display the disks in that section.
The user can then select a disk, path and file.
The second view organizes the windows hierarchically. That is, each
window starts with SECTIONS. The user double clicks on a section of
interest to descend to the disk level. The user can then descend
further into paths and files using the same method. Each window can
look at a different (or same) part of the catalogue. The intention here
is to provide a means of comparing the contents of disks or paths.
In the third view, the windows are flat with each window having it's own
type. The window names are SECTIONS, DISK, PATH, and FILE. Each window
displays all of it's type of information in the catalogue.
In any view the user can sort the windows, enable/disable/order fields,
and qualify (select) the information displayed in each window.
The program was originally written to suit my needs and my way of
organizing diskettes. Things have changed a lot from the first version
and a lot of people have had input into it's present form. They know
who they are and I thank all of them for their help.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 2
Quick Start
I know that you will not read the complete manual. To get you started
here is a simple step by step procedure. If you want to convert old
catalogues for use with V5.1b then you must read the sections for the
'Open', 'Save' and 'Read' menu entries.
1)
Run the program from the desktop or your favourite shell (remember
that some shells require something like 'gem stdcat50' to turn the
mouse on).
2)
When the 'file not found' dialog is displayed just click on [OK].
This will bring up the menu and a blank screen.
3)
Select the 'New' menu entry from the 'File' menu group. This should
cause four (4) windows to be displayed.
4)
Select the 'Add' menu entry from the 'Section' menu group. A
section dialog will appear.
5)
Enter a section name (can be changed later if you want) and click on
[OK]. The section will be created and the dialog will disappear.
The new section should be displayed in the SECTION window.
6)
Select the 'Add' menu entry from the 'Disk' menu group. A dialog to
add disks will appear.
7)
Place the disk you want to catalogue into either drive 'A' or 'B'
and click on either [DRIVE A] or [Drive B]. The disk will be read
into the catalogue, the dialog will close, and the contents of the
disk, path, and file windows will contain the information for the
disk.
8)
If you want to enter a lot of disks at this time (before reading the
rest of the manual) then create all of the sections you want, select
a section (highlight it), select 'Add' from the 'Disk' menu group,
click on the [MULTI] dialog button (in the add disk dialog), if you
are using two drives then click on [ALTERNATE A THEN B], place the
disk(s) into the drive(s) and select either [DRIVE A] or [DRIVE B].
When the disk has been read in, place another disk in the drive and
press [RETURN] or click on either [DRIVE A] or [DRIVE B]. When all
of the disks for the section have been read in, click on [CANCEL].
The disk window should now contain all of the disks you have read
in. Read the disks into the other sections using the same method.
New Features
Version V5.1b of STDCAT has the following changes
Added:
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 3
- a user defined disk number for each disk (000 to 999).
- local configuration to select DISK '# NAME' or 'NAME #'.
- saving the drive number a disk was added/updated from.
- selecting the saved drive number when updating disk name.
- the disk drive letters to the disk name dialog.
- a cancel button to the duplicate serial # warning.
- a bootable disk warning when disks are added or updated.
Fixed:
- the 'rename disk'-'trash the next disk(s) renamed' bug.
- the 'full window'-'default windows'-'empty slider' bug.
- the disk cursor to follow the last added/updated disk.
- the blank default setup filename after SaveAs bug.
- the output formatting for the dependant view.
- the add disk skip serial number check the default.
Version V5.0b of STDCAT is mostly a re-write of the old STDCAT
application. The main changes are:
Removed:
- the disk number from each disk.
- the old printer output format.
Added:
- using the disk volume name to order disks.
- the Flat view of the catalogue information.
- the Hierarchical view of the catalogue information.
- the section window.
- the path window.
- reading disks from Drive A, Drive B or alternate A and B.
- reading hard disk partitions.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 4
- saving/restoring the setup (window sizes and positions and
user configured options).
- qualification for each window (that is, only selecting
disks, paths and files that match a set of patterns on
the important window fields).
- disabling of window fields.
- several field ordering options for each window.
- storing catalogue information into an ASCII file.
- date format selection.
- keyboard short cut key sequences for all menu operations.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 5
Menus
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catalog Section Disk Path File View Output Misc
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|New |Sort |Sort |Sort |Sort |Dependant |Layout |Read Setup |
|Open |-------|-------|-------|-------|Hierarchical |Setup |Save Setup |
|Read |Next |Next |Next |Info |Flattened |-------|-----------|
|-------|Prev |Prev |Prev |Comment|-------------|Sizes |Def Windows|*
|Save |-------|-------|-------|-------|Field Order |-------|Auto Newtop|
|Save As|Info |Info |Info |Find |Field Enable |Printer|-----------|
|Close |Name |Name |Comment|-------|Field Sort |File |Disp Format|*
|-------|Comment|Number |------- |Field Qualify|-------|Font Size |
|Quit |-------|Comment| ------------- |-----------|
-------|Add |-------| |Cat Limits |*
|-------|Add | |Cat Stats |*
|Delete |Update | -----------
-------|-------|
|Cut |
|Paste |
-------
* - these menu entries have been abbreviated.
Catalog Menu
New
Start a new catalogue. When selected, this menu entry will open
the four (4) catalogue windows in the default positions and
sizes. All windows will be empty. The user has to add at least
one section and then add disks into the section(s) created.
This menu entry is enabled only when the catalogue is closed and
a new catalogue is not being created.
Open
Open an existing catalogue. When selected, this menu entry
displays the file selector dialog. The user selects the
catalogue file to open and selects the [OK] dialog button.
Selecting the [CANCEL] dialog button causes the open to abort.
When opening an existing catalogue the program loads in both the
catalogue information from the '.CAT' file and the setup
information from the '.HI' or '.MED' file (depending on
resolution). The positions and sizes of the windows and all
user controlled options are restored to the state they were in
when the catalogue was last closed or when the setup was saved.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 6
To select another setup the user can use the 'Read Setup' menu
entry under the 'Misc' menu group.
To convert V3.X or V4.X files for use by STDCAT V5.1b use 'Open'
and then 'Save'. The 'Open' command will load and translate the
catalogue to the new format. The older versions of STDCAT
cannot read the new format. Please make a backup copy of an old
catalogue before you convert it.
This menu entry is enabled only when the catalogue is closed and
a new catalogue is not being created.
Read
The read menu entry provides a means of combining catalogues.
If the number of sections allowed in the catalogue is exceeded
the remaining sections will not be read in. The only way to get
all of the disks into the catalogue is to combine the sections.
The program doesn't combine sections with the same name. If a
catalogue is read in and one of the section names is the same as
an existing section, and the read completes without error, then
there will be two sections with the same name. If you want to
combine the sections then the disks must be cut from one section
and pasted into the other section one at a time, using the menu
entries in the 'Disk' menu group. A rather painful operation.
The program will not 'Read' the files produced from the earlier
versions of STDCAT. If you have a V3.X or V4.X formatted file
then use the 'Open' menu option and then the 'Save' menu
option. This will load the catalogue and then convert it to
V5.X format. Please make a backup copy of the catalogue before
converting it.
This menu entry is enabled when the catalogue is open or a new
catalogue is being created.
Save
Save the information in the catalogue. When selected, this menu
entry will cause both the catalogue and setup information to be
written to disk. If the catalogue is floppy based then the
program may prompt the user to place the catalogue disk into the
drive if it thinks the diskette has been changed. This is not
fool proof, you can, if you try, make it write to any disk you
want (and of course you should be allowed to do that).
This menu entry is enabled when the catalogue is open or a new
catalogue is being created.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 7
Save As
Save the catalogue under a new catalogue name. When this menu
entry is selected the program will display the file selector.
The user is expected to select/enter a new catalogue name and
select the [OK] dialog button. If the user selects [CANCEL] the
save will be aborted. If the user selects [OK] then a catalogue
and setup file will be created. If the catalogue file already
exists a dialog will be displayed prompting the user to write
over the file or cancel the operation. If the user decides to
write over the file then all the existing information is
replaced with the catalogue information currently loaded.
This menu entry is enabled when the catalogue is open or a new
catalogue is being created.
Close
Close the catalogue. If any changes have been made to the
catalogue information the program will display a dialog
prompting the user to: save before closing; don't save before
closing; or abort the close. If the user decides not to save
before closing then all changes made to the catalogue
information is thrown away.
Every time the user closes a catalogue the program writes to the
setup file. This is automatic and can't, at the moment, be
turned off.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open or a new
catalogue is being created.
Quit
Quit the program and return to the desktop or shell. If there
is a catalogue open, and changes have been made to the catalogue
information, or a new catalogue is being been made, the program
will display a dialog prompting the user to: save before quit;
don't save before quit; or abort the quit operation. If the
user decides not to save before quitting then all changes made
to the catalogue are thrown away.
This menu entry is always enabled.
Section Menu
Sort
Sort the sections in each section window. If automatic sorting
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 8
of sections has been disabled (in the Field Sort dialog) then
this menu entry can be used to sort the sections.
The program places a check beside this menu entry when automatic
sorting is enabled.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and
automatic sorting of sections is disabled in the Field Sort
dialog.
Next
Move the cursor to the next section in the section window
associated with the top window. This is useful when in the
Hierarchical catalog view and the top window is displaying
disks, paths or files.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open, there is
more than one section in the section window, and the cursor is
not on the last section in the section window associated with
the top window.
Prev
Move the cursor to the previous section in the section window
associated with the top window. This is useful when in the
Hierarchical catalog view and the top window is displaying
disks, paths or files.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open, there is
more than one section in the section window, and the cursor is
not on the first section in the section window associated with
the top window.
Info
Display the Section dialog in read-only mode.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and there is
at least one section in the section window associated with the
top window.
Name
Display the Section dialog and allow editing. The cursor is
placed on the Section Name field. Permits rapid entry of names
without touching the mouse once [MULTI] has been enabled.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and there is
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 9
at least one section in the section window associated with the
top window.
Comment
Display the Section dialog and allow editing. The cursor is
placed on the comment field. Permits rapid entry of comments
without touching the mouse once [MULTI] has been enabled.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and there is
at least one section in the section window associated with the
top window.
Add
Add a section.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and the
total number of sections in the catalogue is not equal to the
maximum allowable.
Delete
Delete a section. Selecting this menu entry will cause a
confirmation dialog to be displayed. If [CANCEL] is selected
the section delete will be aborted. If you delete a section by
mistake then just quit the program without saving (all changes
will be lost) and re-run the program. The section will not have
been deleted from the file and you can re-run STDCAT. This, of
course, assumes that you had, at one time, saved the section in
the catalogue.
This menu entry is enable when a catalogue is open and there is
at least least one section in the section window associated with
the top window.
Disk Menu
Sort
Sort the disks in each disk window. If automatic sorting of
disks has been disabled (in the Field Sort dialog) then this
menu entry can be used to sort the disks. If you change
sections in Hierarchical or Dependant catalogue view then a sort
will not be done on the disks in the disk window(s).
The program places a check beside this menu entry when automatic
sorting is enabled.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 10
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and
automatic sorting of disks is disabled in the Field Sort
dialog.
Next
Move the cursor to the next disk in the disk window associated
with the top window. This is useful when in the Hierarchical
catalogue view and the top window is displaying paths or files.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open, there is
more than one disk in the disk window, and the cursor is not on
the last disk in the window.
Prev
Move the cursor to the previous disk in the window associated
with the top window. This is useful when in the Hierarchical
catalogue view and the top window is displaying paths or files.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open, there is
more than one disk in the disk window, and the cursor is not on
the first disk in the window.
Info
Display the Disk dialog in read-only mode.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and there is
at least one disk in the disk window associated with the top
window.
Name
Display the Disk dialog and allow editing. The cursor is placed
on the Disk Name field. Permits rapid entry of names without
touching the mouse once [MULTI] has been enabled.
NOTE: If you have a version of TOS prior to V1.4 you may
encounter difficulty renaming disks. Some versions of the
Desktop 'Format' menu entry created volume names that are not
removeable using the regular TOS file/directory routines. In
these cases the version V5.1b and later versions of STDCAT will
complain that the volume name can't be deleted.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and there is
at least one disk in the disk window associated with the top
window.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 11
Number
Display the Disk dialog and allow editing. The cursor is placed
on the Disk Number field. Permits rapid entry of names without
touching the mouse once [MULTI] has been enabled.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and there is
at least one disk in the disk window associated with the top
window.
Comment
Display the Disk dialog and allow editing. The cursor is placed
on the comment field. Permits rapid entry of comments without
touching the mouse once [MULTI] has been enabled.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and there is
at least one disk in the disk window associated with the top
window.
Add
Add a floppy disk or hard disk partition to the currently
selected section. If you add a partition please remember, and
take precautions against, the 40 folder bug.
To alternate loading disks from drive A and B. Select the
[ALTERNATE A AND B] button and turn on the [MULTI] button.
After selecting the first drive with the mouse you can just keep
feeding in disks and use the key to load the next
disk.
You should be careful about the disks you attempt to catalogue.
Some copy protected disks cause TOS to act in weird ways after
attempting to access the disk through the regular TOS file
access method. I have a GOLDRUNNER disk that causes my ST
behave very strangely after opening the disk from the desktop.
This disk also blows up STDCAT when adding it to the catalogue
and the weirdness won't go away until my ST is reset. I have
also seen STDCAT behave in strange ways after loading in a
magazine pseudo double sided disk.
If you want to catalogue these kinds of disks then create a new
catalogue and load in these disks, slowly, saving often and into
different catalogue files. Once done, read the new catalogue
into a section in your main catalogue.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and the
number of disks in the section does is not equal to the maximum
allowable.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 12
Update
Update a Disk.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and there is
at least one disk in the disk window associated with the top
window.
Cut
Cut the current disk from the section into the disk paste
buffer. The disk is deleted from the section and the
information is left in a buffer that can be used to contain the
contents of several disk. The user can then change the section
and Paste the disk(s) into the section. This is basically a way
of moving disks around.
If you use Cut on a disk and then use Cut on another disk there
will be two disks in the paste buffer and when a Paste is done
both disks will be removed from the paste buffer and put into
the selected section.
If you want to view the disks that are in the paste buffer just
create an empty section and paste the disks into that section.
The paste buffer is empty after this operation.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and there is
at least one disk.
Paste
Paste the contents of the paste buffer into the current
section. The paste buffer can hold the contents of many disks.
Using paste causes the paste buffer to become empty.
To empty the paste buffer just create a junk section and use
Paste to put the disks into the junk section. The junk section
can then be deleted before saving the catalogue.
This menu entry is enable when a catalogue is open and there is
at least one section and the Paste buffer has the contents of a
disk in it.
Path Menu
Sort
Sort the paths in each path window. If automatic sorting of
paths has been disabled (in the Field Sort dialog) then this
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 13
menu entry can be used to sort the paths. If you change disks
in Hierarchical or Dependant catalogue view then a sort will not
be done on the paths in the path window(s).
The program places a check beside this menu entry when automatic
sorting is enabled.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and
automatic sorting of paths is disabled in the Field Sort
dialog.
Next
Move the cursor to the next path in the path window associated
with the top window. This is useful when in the Hierarchical
catalogue view and the top window is displaying files.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open, there is
more than one path in the path window, and the cursor is not on
the last path in the window.
Prev
Move the cursor to the previous path in the window associated
with the top window. This is useful when in the Hierarchical
catalogue view and the top window is displaying paths or files.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open, there is
more than one path in the path window, and the cursor is not on
the first path in the window.
Info
Display the Path dialog in read-only mode.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and there is
at least one path in the path window associated with the top
window.
Comment
Display the Path dialog and allow editing. The cursor is placed
on the comment field. Permits rapid entry of comments without
touching the mouse once [MULTI] has been enabled.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and there is
at least one path in the path window associated with the top
window.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 14
File Menu
Sort
Sort the files in each file window. If automatic sorting of
files has been disabled (in the Field Sort dialog) then this
menu entry can be used to sort the files. If you change folders
in Hierarchical or Dependant catalogue view then a sort will not
be done on the files in the path window(s).
The program places a check beside this menu entry when automatic
sorting is enabled.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and
automatic sorting of files is disabled in the Field Sort
dialog.
Info
Display the File dialog in read-only mode.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and there is
at least one file in the file window associated with the top
window.
Comment
Display the File dialog and allow editing. The cursor is placed
on the comment field. Permits rapid entry of comments without
touching the mouse once [MULTI] has been enabled.
This menu entry is enabled when a catalogue is open and there is
at least one file in the file window associated with the top
window.
Find
Display the Find dialog. The find dialog is used to search for
strings in the catalogue. The user enters the string and
selects which objects to search for.
The backslash character '\\' is used indicate that the next
character should be taken literally (this is used to match a
character without being interpreted as a wild card). When
matching a path name it is necessary to use two backslash
characters (eg. \\\\AUTO) for each backslash in the path
pattern. The first backslash says to take the next character
literally, which, in this case, is a backslash.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 15
The string to be found may contain wild cards (special
characters that match one or more characters).
'*'
Match 0 or more characters.
'?'
Match a single character.
'[characters]'
Match any single character with one from the list (eg.
[abcd] matches a,b,c or d).
'^'
Used as the first character in the '[]' list, it changes
the list to mean all characters not in the list. Put it
last in the list if you want match a '^' character (eg.
[^abcd] macthes not a,b,c or d).
'-'
Used to specify a range of characters in the '[]' list.
Put it first in the list to match the '-' character (eg.
[a-d] matches a, b, c or d).
View Menu
Dependant
Switch the catalogue view to the dependant mode. In this mode
the contents of a window depends on the item selected in the
window's parent window. The order of dependants is
file->path->disk->section, where -> means 'depends on'. This is
similar to the older version of the catalogue program.
Hierarchical
Switch the catalogue view to the hierarchical mode. In this
mode each window is independant. When this mode is entered for
the first time all of the windows will display sections. The
user descends into lower levels (disk path, file) by
double-clicking on an item in a window. Each window may access
different pieces of the catalogue at the same time making it
possible to compare portions of the catalogue (visually).
Remember that, in this view, the menu entries (eg. Info, Name,
Comment, etc.) operate on the the sections, disks, paths, and
files ones associated with the top window. If, for example, the
top window is at the disk level and the user accessed the
Section Comment menu entry then the section displayed will be
the section that the disks in the top windare are associated
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 16
with. If, in the same example, the File Comment menu entry is
accessed the the file will be the first file in the first path
for the disk selected in the top window.
Flattened
Switch the catalogue view to the flattened mode. In this mode
each window is independant and contains only one type of
catalogue information. The section window, as usual, displays
the sections available. The disk window displays all of the
disks (regardless of section) available. The path window
displays all of the paths and the file window displays all of
the files.
Field Order
Setup the field ordering options for each window. There is a
limited number of field ordering options. Each window has
several fixed formats.
Field Enable
Displays a dialog that controls the display of the fields in
each window.
Field Sort
Displays a dialog that allows the user to control the sorting
options available in each window.
Field Qualify
Displays a dialog that allows the user to qualify the
information displayed in the catalogue windows. The user may
use the same wild cards used in the Find dialog to setup
qualification patterns.
Output Menu
Layout
Control the output format. This is where the user selects the
general type (sections, disks, paths, files) of information to
output. For the Flattened view the user may select any of the 4
types of information to output.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 17
When the [TRUNCATE] button is selected, the output will not
exceed the number of columns specified in the 'Sizes' dialog.
If the information to be printed exceeds the length specified,
it is truncated. No wrapping occurs. When the [TRUCATE] button
is selected, the output may contain lines longer than the
maximum specified in the 'Sizes' dialog.
The information and fields selected for output will be the same
as the fields selected for display. If you don't want the
section or disk name (for example) when printing out the
information for a file or path then disable these fields for the
file or path window before generating the output.
Don't forget the save/load setup feature of STDCAT. Make good
use of setup files, they can make using STDCAT a lot easier.
Config
Configure the control character sequences sent to the output.
The program allows the user to set a separate sequence of
characters for the following operations:
print init - send this at the start of a print job.
print term - send this at the end of a print job.
page init - send this at the start of each page.
page term - send this at the end of each page.
line init - send this at the start of each line.
line term - send this at the end of each line.
new page - send this to get a new page.
new line - send this to get a new line.
field sep - field separation string.
The program doesn't have any control characters embedded into
it. The program uses only these strings to control the motion
of the printer. By default, the program provides '\r\n' as the
default new line and '\f' as the default new page.
The field separation string is used when sending output to a
file. If not specified the program pads the fields as it would
when displaying the fields in a window. When it is specified,
this is the only sequence of characters separating the fields.
I might use this feature if I wanted to process some of the
catalogue information on a UNIX system. I might be tempted
to set the field separator to a ':', or a tab '\t', if it
would make it easier to manipulate the file using standard
UNIX utilities.
If the 'new page' string is left blank, the program will use
the 'new line' string to page the output to the page size
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 18
specified in the Sizes dialog.
Sizes
Setup the output sizes, indenting, lines, columns, etc. The
values set here are used for both file and printer output. The
program only does a simple check on widths and lengths and will
allow some, less than useful, combinations.
If you the footer line count is set to 0 and the 'new page'
string is specified, the printer will form-feed an extra page at
times. Removing the 'new page' string or setting the footer to
something other that 0 will correct the problem.
Printer
Output to the printer port. All of the information displayed in
the catalogue windows will be sent to the printer. To limit the
output use the 'Qualify' menu entry.
To pause or abort printing press the 'ESC' key.
File
Output all of the catalogue information displayed into a file.
The program prompts for a file using the standard file selector
dialog and, if the file is open for writing, outputs the
catalogue information to the file. The program will write over
an existing file without complaining.
In the Flattened view the program will create up to 4 files.
Each file has a different extension according to the type of
information output.
.PRS - section information
.PRD - disk information
.PRP - path information
.PRF - file information
In the Dependant view the program will create 1 output file. The
extension of the file will be '.PRT'.
Misc Menu
Read Setup
Read a setup file and re-configure the windows, dialogs and
output. The program puts the screens and dialogs into the state
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 19
they were when the setup file was created.
Save Setup
Save the window, dialog and output configuration into a file.
The setup file does not contain any window cursor or catalogue
information and, therefore, may be used with all catalogues.
The program uses two file extensions '.HI' and '.MED' for setup
files (others as well but they are untested) and their use
depends on the graphics resolution. This is necessary because
there didn't seem to be an easy way to translate the window
sizes from one resolution to another resolution.
It is possible to read a '.HI' or '.MED' setup file when the
program is in the other resolution. The program detects this
and reads all of the configuration information except for the
window sizes.
Default Windows
Put all four windows back to the default positions and sizes.
It is not possible to get the section and path windows back to
the default size using the window sizer. From my experience
it's a GEM problem, but, I could be wrong.
Auto Newtop
When this menu entry is checked the program moves the window
that the mouse is over to the top (active) position.
This option failed miserably in previous version of STDCAT when
run on some newer versions of GEM. The old method of handling
this has been replaced with something that should be a little
more portable across the many GEM versions (we'll see).
Auto Newtop will is automatically turned off when the user
selects a top window with the keyboard keys 1, 2, 3 or 4.
Display Formats
Configure the format for the date and file names.
Small Font
When this menu entry is checked the font for the text displayed
in the windows is switched to a smaller font. This menu option
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 20
is not enabled in medium resolution.
Catalog Stats
Display the current statistics for the catalogue.
Catalog Limits
Display a few of the size limitations of the program.
The [MULTI] Button
A number of dialogs in STDCAT have a [MULTI] button. This button causes
the dialog to be re-displayed when the is pressed or the [OK]
button is selected with the mouse. In most cases the dialog is clear of
input and ready for data entry when it is re-displayed. It provides for
the rapid entering of information into the catalogue without moving your
hands from the keyboard.
Please use this mode of operation when loading disks and entering
comments (at least). It can make working with STDCAT a lot easier.
Output Escape Sequences
The printer setup strings may use any of the following character
sequences to output non-printable ascii characters and control codes.
\f - form feed (\014 = ^L)
\r - carriage return (\013 = ^K)
\n - newline (\012 = ^J)
\b - backspace (\010 = ^H)
\t - tab (\007 = ^G)
\NNN - a single character in octal (\003 = ^C)
^[A-Z] - control characters (^C = \003)
Short Cut Keys
All menu functions are available from the keyboard with the exception of
displaying the About dialog. Keyboard access to the menu functions is
controlled through the selection of a menu to work with and then the
selection of a menu item. To select a menu to work with press either
the CONTROL or ALT keys and press the first letter of the menu title.
For example, if you want to access the Catalog menu press either CONTROL
C or ALT-C. This will place a small zero beside the menu title
(indicating that this menu is selected). Next press one of the keys
from the list below (for the file menu). To select another menu entry
from the file menu just press another key from the list below.
Use the 'ESC' key to clear the menu selected mark from the menu.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 21
Catalog ALT-C Section ALT-S Disk ALT-D
------------- ------------- -----------
N - New S - Sort S - Sort
O - Open F - Next F - Next
R - Read B - Prev B - Prev
S - Save I - Info I - Info
A - Save As N - Name N - Name
C - Close C - Comment D - Number
Q - Quit A - Add A - Comment
D - Delete C - Add
U - Update
X - Cut
P - Paste
Path ALT-P File ALT-F View ALT-V
----------- ----------- -----------------
S - Sort S - Sort D - Dependant
F - Next I - Info H - Hierarchical
B - Prev C - Comment F - Flattened
I - Info F - Find O - Field Order
C - Comment E - Field Enable
S - Field Sort
Q - Field Qualify
Output ALT-O Misc ALT-M
------------ -------------------
L - Layout R - Read Setup
C - Config S - Save Setup
S - Sizes W - Default Windows
P - Printer A - Auto Newtop
F - File D - Display Formats
F - Font Size
C - Catalog Stats
L - Catalog Limits
The arrow keys are used for three functions. If an arrow key is pressed
the window will scroll in the selected direction by one row or column.
If the SHIFT key is used with an arrow key then the window will scroll
by one page. If the CONTROL key is used with UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW
then the cursor in the top window will move to select the next/previous
item.
Each window has a number key associated with it; 1 - Section; 2 - Disk;
3 - Path; 4 - File. Pressing one of these numbers will bring the
associated window to the top. In addition to these keys the user may
use the INSERT key to close a window and the CLR-HOME key to make a
window full (and return a window to it's normal size).
Usage
If you run STDCAT from a shell you can give it two arguments:
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 22
stdcat.prg [[catalogue-name] [catalogue-setup]]
The first argument is the name of a catalogue file. If you specify just
a catalogue name (without a preceeding '.', '\', or drive specifier)
then the program will look in the directory (folder) specified in the
STDCAT environment variable (if it exists) for the catalogue file. If
there is no environment variable then the program will look in the
current directory.
If the first argument has a '.', '\' or drive specifier before the
catalogue name then the program ignores the environment variable and
looks for the catalogue file exactly as specified.
Each time the program reads in a catalogue the program attempts to read
the setup for that catalogue at the same time. The program uses the
name of the catalogue with the extension '.HI' or '.MED' (depending on
the resolution) to access the setup file.
To change the name of the setup file accessed the user can add a second
parameter to the command line that indicates the name of the setup
file. It is possible to have the setup file in a different directory
(folder).
Environment
The program looks in the environment for an STDCAT string. If the path
is to a catalogue file then the program will load this catalogue at
startup. The setup file will be the catalogue name with the extention
HI for hi-resolution and MED for medium resolution. If the catalogue
file doesn't exist then the program will display a dialog indicating the
error. To setup an environment variable you either must have a program
that loads at boot time and allows you to setup environment variables or
you must be running a shell that supports setting them.
In the shells that I am familiar with there is usually a startup file
that will allow you to setup an environment variable using a line like:
setenv STDCAT=c:\catalogs\arcdisks.cat
Future Enhancements
These are some of the things that I would like to change if I decide to
produce an update to the program. There is no guarantee that these or
any other improvements will be made available.
Option to change the order of size, used, free.
Adjustable path field width.
Change qualify to have a reject pattern.
V5.1b STDCAT User's Guide 23
Change qualify to match/reject more than one pattern.
Load a default setup file (stdcat.med, stdcat.hi) if the setup file with
the name of the catalogue isn't found.
Output find search into a file.
Here are some changes that have been asked for that I am reluctant to
add. If any of these are something you would like then let me know.
Prompt for volume name during add.
Read comments from a file.
Reject some files from the catalogue when adding/updating.
Allow deleting files from the catalogue or moving files from one disk to
another within the catalogue. Then requesting the program to update the
disks by moving the real files around.
Notes
By now everyone with a hard disk should know about the 40 folder bug.
If you want to catalogue a partition please make sure you are running
one of the programs used to extend this limit well beyond the total
number of folders on your hard disk (eg. folderXXX). I routinely use
folder500.prg (I know it's overkill) on my hard disk.
There is no print or find capability for the Hier view.
Bug Reporting
Starting with STDCAT V5.1b a new bug history list will be started. Any
problems or weirdness that you find is of interest to me. Please let me
know by mail or email.
If you have access to USENET you can contact me at:
bobs@wimsey.bc.ca
or
...!uunet!ubc-cs!van-bc!bobs
Otherwise you can send land mail to me at:
Bob Silliker
13097 107th Ave
Surrey, B.C.,
Canada V3T 2G2
(604) 584-3668
Table Of Contents
STDCAT V5.1b
Introduction....................................................... 1
Quick Start........................................................ 2
New Features....................................................... 2
Menus.............................................................. 5
Catalog......................................................... 5
New.......................................................... 5
Open......................................................... 5
Read......................................................... 6
Save......................................................... 6
Save As...................................................... 6
Close........................................................ 7
Quit......................................................... 7
Section......................................................... 7
Sort......................................................... 7
Next......................................................... 8
Prev......................................................... 8
Info......................................................... 8
Name......................................................... 8
Comment...................................................... 9
Add.......................................................... 9
Delete....................................................... 9
Disk............................................................ 9
Sort......................................................... 9
Next......................................................... 10
Prev......................................................... 10
- 1 -
Info......................................................... 10
Name......................................................... 10
Number....................................................... 10
Comment...................................................... 11
Add.......................................................... 11
Update....................................................... 11
Cut.......................................................... 12
Paste........................................................ 12
Path............................................................ 12
Sort......................................................... 12
Next......................................................... 13
Prev......................................................... 13
Info......................................................... 13
Comment...................................................... 13
File............................................................ 13
Sort......................................................... 14
Info......................................................... 14
Comment...................................................... 14
Find......................................................... 14
View............................................................ 15
Dependant.................................................... 15
Hierarchical................................................. 15
Flattened.................................................... 16
Field Order.................................................. 16
Field Enable................................................. 16
Field Sort................................................... 16
- 2 -
Field Qualify................................................ 16
Output.......................................................... 16
Layout....................................................... 16
Config....................................................... 17
Sizes........................................................ 18
Printer...................................................... 18
File......................................................... 18
Misc............................................................ 18
Read Setup................................................... 18
Save Setup................................................... 19
Default Windows.............................................. 19
Auto Newtop.................................................. 19
Display Formats.............................................. 19
Small Font................................................... 19
Catalog Stats................................................ 20
Catalog Limits............................................... 20
The [MULTI] Button................................................. 20
Output Escape Sequences............................................ 20
Short Cut Keys..................................................... 20
Usage.............................................................. 21
Environment........................................................ 22
Future Enhancements................................................ 22
Notes.............................................................. 23
Bug Reporting...................................................... 23
- 3 -