AAA RRRRRRR CCCCC HH HH OOOOO NN NN AA AA RR RR CC HH HH OO OO NN NN AA AA RR RR CC HH HH OO OO NNNN NN AA AA RR RR CC HH HH OO OO NN NN NN AA AA RR RR CC HH HH OO OO NN NN NN AAAAAAAAA RRRRRRR CC HHHHHHHHH OO OO NN NNNN AA AA RR RR CC HH HH OO OO NN NNN AA AA RR RR CC HH HH OO OO NN NN AA AA RR RR CC HH HH OO OO NN NN AA AA RR RR CCCCCC HH HH OOOOO NN NN Version 1.1 Desktop Information Storage / Retrieval System for Microsoft Windows Published By ErgoSoft AG Moosgrabenstrasse Altnau, TG 8595 Switzerland Program and Documentation Copyright 1991, 1992 by ErgoSoft AG, All Rights Reserved. Archon is a trademark of ErgoSoft AG. Other product and company names are trademarks of their respective owners. T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s 1. What Is Archon? .........................5 Highlights ............................5 Other features ........................6 About ErgoSoft AG .....................7 Differences between Archon and Lotus Magellan 7 Differences between Archon and ZyIndex 8 How do I best start using Archon? .....8 2. Introduction ............................9 Shareware .............................9 Benefits of registering ...............9 How to register .......................9 Typography and naming conventions .....10 Late-breaking news ....................11 How to contact ErgoSoft ...............11 3. Quick Start .............................13 Necessary equipment ...................13 Optional equipment ....................13 Installation ..........................13 Quick guided tour .....................14 Where to go from here .................16 4. General Concepts ........................17 The challenge .........................17 Using Archon ..........................17 The graphical user interface and the desktop 18 Archives, database, and their functions18 5. Reference ...............................20 Getting started .......................20 Installing Archon ................20 Registering as a customer ........20 General functions .....................21 Help .............................21 Mark objects .....................22 Erase the selection of all objects22 Import and export .....................22 Import files .....................22 Export cbjects ...................23 Retrieval .............................24 Searching the archive ............24 Predefined searches ..............25 Conduct a predefined search ......25 Modifying a predefined search ....26 Handling objects ......................26 Information on objects ...........26 Change name and description ......27 Edit objects .....................27 View objects .....................28 Print objects ....................28 Remove objects from the desktop ..28 Delete objects ...................29 Copy objects to the clipboard ....29 Copy data from the clipboard .....29 1. What Is Archon? Page 2 Desktop appearance ....................30 Group objects on the desktop .....30 Arrange the desktop ..............30 Snap objects to the grid .........30 Hide objects .....................30 Unhide objects ...................31 Maintenance ...........................31 Customize the desktop ............31 Add or change file formats and methods 32 Reorganize the data base .........32 6. Options and Tuning ......................33 File formats ..........................33 How format detection works ............34 General concepts: formats, method and items 35 Changing an existing format ...........36 Adding a custom file format ...........37 Adding a custom method ................38 Using more than one Archon database ...39 7. Troubleshooting .........................41 Some imported files are recognized as "BLOBS" 41 Function Key labels are too small .....42 Not enough memory .....................42 Application execution error ...........42 Query reports "No object found." ......43 Incomplete list of keywords ...........43 No object selected ....................44 Can't find objects on the desktop. ....44 Icons overlap .........................45 Icons still overlap after SNAP. .......45 8. Appendixes and Glossary .................46 Appendix A Method language reference .46 Appendix B Uninstalling Archon .......48 Appendix B Application Limits ........49 Glossary ..............................49 Index ......................................51 T a b l e o f F i g u r e s Figure 1.: Archon desktop ..................14 Figure 2.: Registration dialog .............20 Figure 3.: Order dialog ....................21 Figure 4.: Data import dialog ..............22 Figure 5.: Data export dialog ..............23 Figure 6.: Object retrieval dialog .........24 Figure 7.: Object information dialog .......26 Figure 8.: Name and description dialog .....27 Figure 9.: Function bar dialog .............31 Figure 10.: Icon configuration dialog ......32 Figure 11.: Default methods configuration dialog 32 Figure 12.: Edit profile dialog ............36 Figure 13.: Adding custom method dialog ....38 1. What Is Archon? Page 3 Last revised: July 23, 1992 1. What Is Archon? Page 4 1 . W h a t I s A r c h o n ? Welcome to the desktop information management revolution. If you want to manage many or large files, Archon is the product for you. Archon is a unique combination of features not offered by any other product we are aware of: Fulltext Retrieval with automatic keyword extraction out of text, spreadsheet and archive files. Locate your data by entering some keywords appearing anywhere in the file. Object Database Long file names are just one of the many benefits of the underlying Object Database, which forms the foundation for the hierarchical storage management of Archon. Unlimited storage is offered by the Hierarchical Storage Management System by automatically distributing files over all assigned storage media, including removable disks. Have Archon handle the once tedious task of archiving files to floppy disks. Ease of use was one of the primary development goals in the Archon project. Active files appear on a desktop and may be manipulated directly. Edit files by double-click, or delete files by dropping them into the trash can. Proven reliability The OBJSTORE (object storage and retrieval system) developed for Archon is used in another ErgoSoft product, Amadeus. Amadeus is an acoustic quality assurance system currently used by major german automobile companies like AUDI, GM-OPEL, VW. Highlights Fulltext retrieval not only for text documents but also for spreadsheets and archive files. You don't have to enter keywords to be able to find your files. Archon automatically extracts keywords out of your files. Import a letter to Mr.Smith about International Sales and you will find it by just entering the query Smith International Sales. The retrieval system is extremely fast and supports boolean searches and wildcards. 1. What Is Archon? Page 5 Supports all files Archon "knows" a great variety of file for- mats. It uses this knowledge for decoding the internal file structure and for extracting textual information. 64 file formats have built-in support, for example: PKZIP, ARJ, LHARC, ARC WinWord, MS-Word, WordPerfect, Excel, Lotus, Symphony, CorelDraw, Designer, Pagemaker Paintbrush, TIFF to name just some of the most popular file formats. We are constantly adding new formats, and the user may add custom formats. Unlimited storage Removable media (floppy discs, optical discs etc.) may be used by the Hierarchical Storage Management System. When your harddisk fills up, the least recently used files migrate to numbered removable media. When one of these files is accessed again, Archon requests the corresponding disk and moves the file back to the hard disk. This way, you have virtually unlimited storage capacity. Other features Easy to use Direct manipulation user interface: Delete files by dropping them to the trash can, start queries with a double-click on the file cabinet etc. File descriptions A file description may be entered manually or pasted from the clipboard. Components of the descriptions become keywords and may be used during retrieval. Long file names Once imported into Archon, a file can be given a long, descriptive name. Storage management Archon distributes it's database over all given storage media. It takes care to use available storage space efficiently. 1. What Is Archon? Page 6 Customisable Definition of custom file formats is just a matter of minutes. The Indexer Macro Language (IML) is meant for advanced users and gives access to all features of the automatic indexing engine. About ErgoSoft AG ErgoSoft AG was founded in 1980 with the intent of creating software primary for technical applications. ErgoSoft is marketing today ARCHON Desktop Information Storage/Retrieval. ARCHON is our first low cost, high volume product. Without a marketing organisation in the U.S.A., we decided to market Archon in north america as Shareware. We will introduce the german retail version with some additional features very soon. ARCHON PLUS with network support will be available by the end of 1992. AMADEUS quality control system. AMADEUS is a quality control system for all acoustic and vibration related goods. By analyzing sound and vibration patterns, the system can isolate and reject bad parts automatically. AMADEUS and the related products are used by some major european companies like AUDI, GM-OPEL, VW. POLYSIGN CAD solution for Signmakers. POLYSIGN is a high-end product for customers with demand for many different production systems like milling cutter (router), waterjet, laser cutter, flatbed- and rollplotter. Differences between Archon and Lotus Magellan File formats Archon is a Windows application and supports the file formats used by other Windows programs, while Magellan is geared towards DOS applications. 1. What Is Archon? Page 7 Storage Management Archon manages all the storage you want, automatically. It will migrate files to remov- able media, effectively treating them as an extension of your hard disk. Magellan compresses and indexes files on your hard disks only, it will not offload to removable media. Custom File Formats Archon users may add their own formats, complete with automatic indexing using our 'Indexer Macro Language'. Differences between Archon and ZyIndex General purpose Archon is a general purpose information management system, while ZyIndex is geared towards text files. Custom file formats Archon users may add their own file for- mats, with full automatic indexing support. ZyIndex treats unknown file formats as ASCII text, giving an unreliable index. Object oriented filing Archon features an object oriented filing system with automatic storage manage- ment, while ZyIndex is limited by the DOS file system. How do I best start using Archon? Installing Archon is just a matter of minutes. Ar- chon features a truly intuitive drag-and-drop user interface, making operation so simple you will probably never need the manual. We recommend keeping the files you are currently working on as normal DOS files. Regularly move files you temporarily don't need into Archon. If you have the time, you may extend the file names to something more meaningful. When you need one of these files later, use the QUERY command to retrieve it via keywords. You may edit, view and print without leaving Archon. 1. What Is Archon? Page 8 2 . I n t r o d u c t i o n Shareware If you obtained Archon from a shareware disk vendor, an on-line computer service or bulletin board, a friend or colleague, or another similar source, you have an unregistered (trial) copy. As the copyright holder for Archon, ErgoSoft AG allows and encourages you to use this trial copy without charge for a limited period of time, under the terms of the Archon license agreement (see LICENSE.TXT). After this time is up, you must pur- chase (register and pay for) Archon to continue using it. This method of distribution is known as shareware. It allows you to determine whether Archon meets your needs before you pay for it. The registration fee for a single copy of Archon is $69 (add $8 for shipping outside of Europe). Benefits of registering Disk A disk with the latest release of Archon. Manual A typeset-quality printed and bound manual. Upgrade A free or low-cost upgrade to our next major release. Support Free technical support by electronic mail, fax, telephone or mail. How to register If you regularly use Archon, it starts reminding you to register after a certain time. This registration reminder is not intended to bother you and Archon will continue to function normally. When you decide to register, just enter the relevant information and Archon will print the filled-out order for you: 2. Introduction Page 9 To make the registration reminder go away, select the command Register in the menu Options. A dialog box appears and asks you for some personal data. When you have completed your personal data, press Order to go to the order form. Enter the number of packages you want, disk size and method of payment. To print out the order form for mailing or telefaxing, press Print. To create a file select File. If you have access to electronic mail systems like CompuServe or Internet, you may send this form directly by e- mail to CompuServe ID 100012,147 or Internet 100012.147@CompuServe.Com. When we receive your order, we will send you a temporary registration number as quickly as pos- sible. You will receive your permanent registration number with your software package. Typography and naming conventions This manual uses special typefaces to distinguish between text that you type, glossary terms, keys you press and file names. Monospaced type This typeface represents text as it appears on screen, as well as anything you type. Italics Italics are used to emphasize certain words and to introduce new terms, which are defined in the Glossary. Keycap This special typeface represents a key on your keyboard. It often indicates a particular key you should press; for example , "Press DEL to erase the character to the right of the pointer". ALL CAPS All caps is used to represent DOS directories and file names. 2. Introduction Page 10 Late-breaking news If there have been any changes or additions to Archon since this manual was printed, you may read about them in the README.TXT file provided with your master disk. To read the file, use a DOS or Windows word processor to open the file on the original distribution disk or in the Archon directory. README.TXT is copied to your Archon directory during installation. You may print the README.TXT file for easy refer- ence. How to contact ErgoSoft CompuServe The best way to contact ErgoSoft is through CompuServe. We maintain a regular presence on the Microsoft Windows Advanced Users Forum (Type GO WINADV). Leave your questions or comments there for the support staff to process. If you prefer, you may write a electronic mail message to CompuServe ID 100012,147. Internet If you have access to the Internet you may send electronic mail to us at 100012.147@CompuServe.Com. Fax or Letter Please send your letter to the address below. ErgoSoft AG Attn: Archon Moosgrabenstrasse Altnau, CH 8595, Switzerland Tel: +41 72 65 27 57 Fax: +41 72 65 10 64 Information to provide Whichever method of contact you choose, you must provide the following information: Product name. Version, from the "Help-About..." dialog. 2. Introduction Page 11 Computer brand and model, and the brands and model numbers of any additional hardware. Contents of your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS 2. Introduction Page 12 3 . Q u i c k S t a r t This chapter is intended for experienced users and will get you up and running in minimal time. Necessary equipment Computer Any IBM AT, PS/2, or fully compatible computers using the Intel 286, 386 or higher processor. Operating System Microsoft Windows 3.0 or 3.1, which re- quires DOS 3.1 or later. Only standard or enhanced mode are supported, Archon does not run in real mode. Memory At least 2MB of random-access memory. Disk drive A hard disk with at least 1MB of free disk space for program files and a minimal database. Optional equipment Mouse We strongly recommend using a mouse with Archon. Any pointing device compatible with Windows will work. Floppy Disks Archon can migrate files by using floppy disks to store files that do not fit on the harddisk. Optical Disks All optical disks accessible as normal DOS devices may be used. Installation To install Archon on your system, just copy all the files from the distribution disk into a subdirectory and add the ARCHON.EXE to one of your program manager groups. Change to the root directory of the disk drive where you want to install Archon. We assume this is drive C:, but it may be any drive with enough free disk space. 3. Quick Start Page 13 If you are installing from floppy disk, type A:INSTALL A: C: from the DOS prompt if the in- stallation disk is in drive A:. If you have downloaded or otherwise obtained the selfextracting archive file, extract by entering the command C:\DOWNLOAD\ARCHP if the archive file is in the directory C:\DOWNLOAD. The self- extracting file will ask for confirmation before starting the expansion process. Start windows and add the file C:\ARCHON\ARCHON.EXE to one of your program manager groups or start it from the file manager. Start ARCHON.EXE and you will be presented with the initial configuration screen. Quick guided tour When you have successfully installed Archon, you will be presented with the empty Archon desktop with tribar, printer, trash can, file cabinet, and harddisk icons at the right side and a graphical representation of your function keys at the bottom. The following 'Quick tour' guides you through the most important functions of Archon in a few minutes. Figure 1.: Archon desktop Import a text file Click on the F3 function key. Change to your Archon directory (C:\ARCHON) and double-click on the file FORMATS.TXT. The file is added to the New objects list box, and Notepad appears in the Format combo box. 3. Quick Start Page 14 Click on the Import button. The import dialog box disappears and FORMATS.TXT is copied into the Archon database. When importing is finished, a new icon appears in the Archon window, 'FORMATS.TXT'. NEW! File manager drop and drop! You may also import file(s) into Archon by dragging them from the file manager window into Archon. to move files into Archon, press and hold the the Shift key while dragging files. Load the imported file into Notepad Double-click on the FORMATS.TXT icon. The notepad application is started and FORMATS.TXT is loaded. Add something like QUICK BROWN FOX to this text. Save it and leave notepad. The changed text is reloaded into Archon and keywords are updated. Remove the file from the desktop Click once on the FORMATS.TXT icon to select it. The color of the icon is reversed. Chose the EDIT RETURN menu entry or drag and drop it to the file cabinet. FORMATS.TXT will dis- appear from the desktop. It has not been deleted, only removed from the desktop. Retrieve the file using keywords Double-click the file cabinet icon or press F7=query. Enter any keywords you have seen in FORMATS.TXT, e.g. WinWord Formats FORMATS.TXT will appear in the Object Pool list box. Press ADD to add it to the list of selected objects, Object Selection. Press OK to put FORMATS.TXT back onto the desk- top. 3. Quick Start Page 15 Create a long file name, add optional description Click on the icon of FORMATS.TXT once. Color is reversed, indicating selection. Press F6=Description. Change the name to something like FORMATS.TXT Supported formats and press OK. Note that the full file name is now displayed on the desktop. Get information about a file Press F2=Info to view information on selected file(s). Get global storage information Double-clicking on the tribar (Archon) icon will show you the free and used storage space, and the number of objects in the archive. Permanently delete a file from the archive Drag the file FORMATS.TXT over the trash can and release the mouse button. Do not confirm the deletion at this time but press No. Selecting Yes would permanently delete this file from the archive. You may try out some of your own files next. Archon works just as easily with .BMP, .XLS, .DOC and many more. See file FORMATS.TXT for a list of built-in file formats. Where to go from here We recommend your reading the following chapters: Reference For learning about specific procedures in detail. General concepts For a general introduction. Trouble shooting For what to do when problems come up. 3. Quick Start Page 16 4 . G e n e r a l C o n c e p t s The challenge The limitations of the DOS filing system are well known: Short file names Eight characters are just too short. Experienced users often resort to a strict naming convention which encodes both content and the date of creation into this limited length. This leads to files named like MIS0402.DOC for a memo to international sales of April 2. Hierarchical file system The hierarchical files system with it's subdirectories is intended to help in organizing files, but in practice files get lost somewhere in the tree of subdirectories. Archiving Archiving old or outdated files is manual. Sooner or later, your harddisk is full and you don't know which files can be safely deleted or moved to floppy disks. Retrieval There is no support to find a given document by content. So called "file finder" utilities will only help for a limited number of file formats. Furthermore, search through all files is inherently slow. Using Archon Archon is designed to take up all those data files that are likely to float around on your harddisk. After installing Archon, you regularly import old files from your working directories into Archon. These files are now out of the way, and you don't have to scroll through endless directory lists to open that letter you wrote yesterday. When you need a file, possibly years later, you will have forgotten its name, but you will remember some words of context. This is enough to conduct a successful Archon query and retrieve the file in seconds. 4. General Concepts Page 17 The graphical user interface and the desktop Archon is a Windows application. To start right off with Archon you need some experience with Windows, we assume that you are familiar with the basic operation of Windows. The desktop metaphor To make operation as simple as possible, Archon simulates a normal desktop. Files may be moved around, dropped into the trash can, or put back into the file cabinet when they are no longer needed. Usability Different users have different ways of doing things with computers. We wanted to create an application that does what the user indends to do. Every operation can be accomplished in one of three ways: by using the Pull Down Menus. by direct manipulation, also called "Drag and Drop". by using the Keyboard. Archives, database, and their functions Import files To be able to work with a database, you first have to import your files into the Archon database. After this the files are called objects: elements of a database that may be managed without effort. During import the files are indexed, which means that keywords are extracted and placed into a list of words for that particular object. It is thus possible, for instance, to locate individual words in particular objects with the help of a simple search. You only have to give in the words you want to find and the program does the searching for you. Storage management If your hard disk is completely full, you can make use of the advantages of the advanced storage managemen: Archon automatically exports the least recently used objects to an external storage unit. They may be recalled at any time in the course of a search. While the inner workings are quite complicated, the only difference for you is access speed and the need to insert specific disks when prompted to do so. 4. General Concepts Page 18 Exporting files Objects may be exported with a simple command. This means that they are copied or moved from the database back to the DOS file system. Archon does never, ever change the contents of a file. 4. General Concepts Page 19 5 . R e f e r e n c e In this chapter you will find quick overviews of the most important operations and procedures for working with Archon. The chapter is specially suited to a reference work for daily usage or for whenever you want quick information on concrete methods. Getting started Installing Archon Activate file manager. Select the drive for the Archon-diskette. Double-click on the installation file. Archon creates the sub-directory \Archon and installs itself. Finally you should assign the Archon-icon to a group window. Registering as a customer You are required to register your use of Archon if you want to use it after the trial period. Select menu Options, command Register. Figure 2.: Registration dialog Enter your name and address and press Order when done. This takes you to the order form: 5. Reference Page 20 Figure 3.: Order dialog We prefer payment by credit card, but you may pay by cheque as well if it is drawn on a large bank with international presence. To send your order by fax or by postal mail, press Print and the completed order will be printed, ready for mailing. To send your order by electronic mail, select File and you may write a text file with the completed order. Send this file to: CompuServe ID 100012,147 or to Internet 100012.147@CompuServe.Com. General functions Help Select menu Help or function key F1. The Index gives you an overview on themes for which help is available. Commands gives comments on the different Archon- commands. Procedures gives examples for typical, frequent procedures. Shareware explains the software distribution concept of shareware. Help on Help explains how to use the help system. 5. Reference Page 21 Mark objects Most operations work on what is called the "selection", which consists of all objects marked by the user. Selected objects have their color re- versed. Methods to select objects: Click on the object with the mouse or press the CTRL key and then type in the number of the object which appears right next to it. Keep key SHIFT pressed down for selecting more than one object or use the right mouse button to toggle the se- lection state of an object without changing the state of other objects. Open a rubber band rectangle by pressing and holding the left mouse button and pulling up a rectangle. All objects within this rectangle will be selected. Add objects to the selection by opening a rubber band rectangle with the right mouse button. Erase the selection of all objects Click on any empty space on the desktop with the mouse, or mark the object once again. Import and export Import files Figure 4.: Data import dialog Select Menu File, command Data Import... or function key F3 or double-click on the hard disk tool. 5. Reference Page 22 Select the files for import from the Files area, on the left side of the dialog box, and activate Add to assign them to the list of New Objects. Remove files from the New Objects list by marking and then activating Remove. Indexing: select full if you want all words of your documents indexed or quick to index only the document header. This setting is only relevant for text files. Quick indexing is recommended for documents containing a very large number of words, e.g. books. Copy or move: select move to delete successfully imported files from the DOS file system. If you select copy, a duplicate of your files will be created in the Archon database. Object Name: you may change the name of the imported file to anything you wish. Format: you may manually change the file type, if Archon does not recognize it. This is intended as an information only. Description: You may describe your files before importing them. Every word in the description may later be searched for. Press Import when you have completed the list of files to be imported. Export cbjects You may export an object's data to a DOS file, for example to copy it to another computer. NOTE: You don't have to export an object to be able to edit, view or print it. Figure 5.: Data export dialog Mark the object(s) to export. 5. Reference Page 23 Select menu File, command Data Export... or press F4 or drag and drop the object(s) to the harddisk tool. The original DOS file name and path is filled into the fields File Name and Actual directory. Select delete after copy if you want to delete the object after it's data is copied to a DOS file. Press OK to start exporting the file. Retrieval Searching the archive No matter where your files are stored physically, with a few keywords you may retrieve any file quickly and efficiently. Figure 6.: Object retrieval dialog Select menu Retrieval, command Query or press function key F7 or double-click on the file cabinet tool. Enter the keywords into the field Query expres- sion. You may use boolean expressions and wildcards: * matches zero or more arbitrary characters Examples: APPLE* will match Apple and Appletree and Applepie. COLO*R will match both Color and Colour. ? matches exactly one arbitrary character. Example: Appl? will match Apple and Apply. 5. Reference Page 24 Boolean operators are AND, OR. If no operator is specified, AND is assumed. Thus the query APPLE AND PIE is the same as APPLE PIE. Press Search to start the search. The number of matches will be displayed just right of the Search button. The names of all objects found during the query will be filled into the Objectpool list box. Select the objects to put on the desktop by adding them to the Object selection list box. To view the keywords of an object select it and click on Show Keywords. To start a new search just change the Query ex- pression and click on Search. When you have found your objects and added them to the Object selection, press OK and they will be put on the desktop. Predefined searches Up to 10 query expressions may be predefined and save for later referral. Select menu Retrieval, sub menu Predefined, command Define. Type in a query expression and the name of the search in the field questionname. OK stores your predefined search. Conduct a predefined search Once you have predefined a search expression, you may use it any time, without re-entering all those keywords. Select menu Retrieval, sub-menu Predefined, command Select... Select the name of the desired predefined search. Modifying a predefined search Select menu Retrieval, sub menu Predefined, com- mand Modify... or press SHIFT-F7. 5. Reference Page 25 Select the name of the predefined search to be changed and modify. Fill in the field Search strings. Handling objects Information on objects Figure 7.: Object information dialog Mark the object(s). Select menu File, command Information... or press function key F2. Press Show Keywords to display the keywords as- sociated with this object. If this list of keywords is very large, a progress indicator will open, allowing to cancel the operation. Pressing Show Labels will redisplay the labels of this object. Labels are used to store additional information of an object, like: FNAME the original file name before it was im- ported NAME the current name of the object PATH the DOS path this object was imported from. 5. Reference Page 26 Change name and description Figure 8.: Name and description dialog Mark the object. Select menu File, command Description or press the function key F6. The field Objectname in the dialog box allows to write in the new name, which will be displayed when an object is shown on the desktop. The field Description may be used to further describe the object. Note that the object in the figure above will be found by any of the keywords 3dland lzh 3d fractal generates landscapes, because all words contained in the Objectname and Description will be added to the index information of the corresponding object. Edit objects Mark the object and select menu Objects, method Edit or press F5 or double-click on the object's icon. The application associated with the object's file type is launched and the object is loaded into the application's windows. E.g. if you double- click on a file containing unformatted text, the Notepad application will be started. When the application terminates, Archon will re-index the file if it was changed. You may change the program associated with a given file format using the menu Options- Configure-Profile. Please see the chapter "Options and Tuning" for details. 5. Reference Page 27 View objects Mark the object and select menu Objects, method View. The application associated with the object's file type is launched and the object is loaded into the application's windows. E.g. if you use the method View on a file containing unformatted text, the Notepad application will be started. The file loaded into to application is write pro- tected, you will not be able to save any changes you may have made. This is meant to protect you from making accidental changes. You may change the program that is associated with a given file format using the menu Options- Configure-Profile. Please see the chapter "Options and Tuning" for details. Print objects Mark the object. Select menu Objects, method Print or drag and drop the object's icon to the printer tool. The application associated with the object's file type is launched and the object is loaded into the application's windows. Then Archon sends the application the command to print out the file. NOTE: It may or may not be necessary to manually close the application after printing has com- pleted. Remove objects from the desktop If your desktop becomes cluttered with lots of files, you may remove objects from the desktop by storing them away in the file cabinet. When you need them later, just perform a query. Mark the objects. Drag and drop the objects into the file cabinet or select menu Edit, command Return or press CTRL-A. To retrieve objects later, search the Archive using the query function. 5. Reference Page 28 Delete objects If your are absolutely sure you will never need an object again, you may delete it permanently. Please note that Archon let's you keep track of old files very easily. It may be a good idea to keep files just in case you want to reference them later. NOTE: Once deleted, an object can NOT be recovered if it was moved into the archive during file import. Mark the objects. Select menu Edit, command Delete or press the DEL key or drag and drop the object(s) into the trash can. Archon will ask for confirmation before deleting objects. Copy objects to the clipboard The clipboard is very useful for transferring text and graphics data from one application to the other. Just switch to another application and se- lect menu Edit-Paste and the contents will be inserted at the current position. Mark the object. Select menu Edit, command Copy. Copy data from the clipboard This command may be used to paste text into a marked object as a description or to create a new object within Archon containing the clipboard data. You want to copy a description from the clipboard into one or more objects: Mark the object or objects. Select menu Edit, command Paste or press SHIFT-INS. You want to create a new object from the contents of the clipboard: Deselect all objects, if any are marked, by clicking on the empty desktop. 5. Reference Page 29 Select menu Edit, command Paste or press SHIFT-INS. Desktop appearance Group objects on the desktop Click on the object with the mouse, drag it any- where you want, then release the mouse button. This is useful for grouping related objects to- gether. Arrange the desktop If you find your Archon desktop a mess: Select menu Options, command Rearrange or press SHIFT-F8. Archon will arrange all objects and tools on the grid specified in Options-Configure-Icons. Snap objects to the grid If you want to keep the basic arrangement of your desktop, but align icons on the grid: Select menu Options, command Snap or press F8. Archon will move all objects to the nearest free position on the grid specified in Options- Configure-Icons. You can imagine this grid as a rectangular layout of "magnets" that the icons can lock to. Hide objects Mark the objects. Select menu Edit, command Hide or press F9. Marked objects on the desktop become invisible. Select Edit-Show to make all hidden objects visible again. 5. Reference Page 30 Unhide objects This command is used to reverse the effect of the Hide command, making all objects visible again. Select menu Edit, command Show or press F10. Objects once hidden with Hide reappear on desk- top. Maintenance You may change the appearance of the following desktop items to your liking: Customize the desktop Function bar You may change the type of keyboard, position, and font size of the labels. Select menu Options, sub menu Configure, command Function bar. Figure 9.: Function bar dialog Icons Select menu Options, sub menu Configure, command Icons. The dialog box that appears allows for changing the size and the position of the object icons: 5. Reference Page 31 Figure 10.: Icon configuration dialog Methods You may specify the function triggered by double- clicking an object. Figure 11.: Default methods configuration dialog Add or change file formats and methods Please see the separate Chapter "Options and tuning". Reorganize the data base For optimum performance, we recommend reorganizing the database under the following circumstances: After deleting many objects with large indices. Reorganising will optimize efficiency of the re- trieval. If you get the message Recovering database [some file] when you start up Archon. Database files are recovered when they have been left open, either because of a power failure or of an appli- cation error. Reorganizing the database will check and, if necessary, repair the internal consistency of the database. When you get warnings while accessing an object, indicating an inconsistent state of the database. To start the reorganisation, select menu Options, command Reorganize. 5. Reference Page 32 6 . O p t i o n s a n d T u n i n g In this chapter we will give you an overview on how to adapt Archon to your own personal needs with the help of the command Profile from the sub menu Options, Configure. Archon offers the possibility of configuring your own new methods, of modifying the standard set-ups for Edit, Print and View, or of expanding the already extensive list of formats that Archon automatically recognizes. Please check the file README.TXT for information that did not make it into the printed manual. File formats If Archon recognizes a file to be, say, an EXCEL file, then a double-click may call up EXCEL with this auotmatically. Unlike the windows file man- ager, Archon does not limit the association to a single extension. Archon can handle a virtually unlimited number of file formats. Many popular formats have built-in support, and you may add your own formats by supplying the following information in the Options- Configure-Profile menu. Data Format name used within Archon. Examples: WinWord, CorelDraw. Application used for editing, viewing and printing the file. If you get an application execution error when you try to edit a file, you may use this entry to tell Archon exactly where the program is. Examples: WINWORD, Z:\WIN\CORELDRW. Masks that indicate a file of the given type. A Masks entry is a list of file name patterns, separated by semicolons. Examples:*.DO?;*.TXT *.XLS;*.XLC;*.XLM;*.XLW or simpler *.XL? Tmpfile defines the name of the temporary file that is created when an object is edited, viewed, or printed. 6. Options and Tuning Page 33 Match patterns are commands written in the Archon Indexer Macro Language (IML). These enable automatic format detection and full text indexing of user defined file formats. Creating a match string with full text indexing for an new file format requires programming experience. We are happy to help you with this. To give you an idea, here is the match string for the Windows Write file format: Warning: extremely technical stuff ahead! Match=B0=$31;B1=$BE;S=$E;LD@;M@-$80;S=$80;PN; B0=$31; Format check: Byte at offset 0 must be $31 B1=$BE; Format check: Byte at offset 1 must be $BE S=$E; Indexer: Move read head to offset $E LD@; Load Double word into register @ M@-$80; Subtract $80 from register @ S=$80; Seek to offset $80 PN; Create full text index of the next N bytes, N=value of register @ How format detection works When a file is imported, it's type is matched to one of the known data types using the following procedure: File name match: Build a list of all file types with matching file names, using the Masks entry Example: README.DOC may be of format Notepad, IBM_TEXT, WinWord, MS-WORD. For each of these file types: Check the file format with the Match command, remove it from the list if this test fails. Should more than one file format remain, let the user select the format from the list of remaining formats. 6. Options and Tuning Page 34 Please refer to the file FORMATS.TXT for details of the predefined formats. General concepts: formats, method and items Items are stored in the profile file ARCHON.INI in a separate section for each format. They are used to define the program file, file types etc. associated with a given format. Example from an ARCHON.INI file: [Archon.CorelDraw] Application=r:\win\coreldrw\CORELDRW Masks=*.CDR;*.CD The profile item Application was used to specify the full access path to the CorelDraw executable file. The Masks item is used to tell Archon to consider both files with the extension .CDR and .CD as possible CorelDraw files. Global items specify the options that apply to Archon as a whole, and not to specific formats. Formats are the file formats recognized by Archon, e.g. WinWord, WordPerfect etc. Each file format is defined by its name and by the values of the corresponding profile Items and Methods. The format defines the default values of all items and methods. They are used if no special entry is made for a specific profile item of a given format. Methods Methods define the actions that are executed when manipulating objects. Predefined methods are Edit, View and Print. You may use the Options-Configure- Profile menu to see examples of the predefined methods. When a method is activated, the corresponding sequence of commands is executed. Please see Appendix A for the method language command reference. Example: The default Edit command sequence EXPORT #ID TO $TMP;RUN $APPLICATION+''+$TMP; IMPORT $TMP TO #ID;DELFILE $TMP. 6. Options and Tuning Page 35 The object #ID is first exported to the temporary file $TMP. Then, the corresponding $APPLICATION program is started, and when this has completed, the file is re-imported into the same object in the database. Then the temporary file is deleted. Changing an existing format Figure 12.: Edit profile dialog Select menu Options, menu Configure, command Profile. Select the format to change in the Data format list box or if you want to change a global default value. Use Show Items and Show Methods to toggle between the display of profile items and of Method code. Select the item or method to change, then edit the contents of the value field. Application names the application program assigned to the format (for example WORD in the case of MSWord). Clipboard Fmt defines the format for storing the data in temporary files. Masks are the standard file extensions used by application programs (such as *.DOC in WinWord, *.BMP in Paintbrush, etc.). Match designates a series of codes with specific formats. To work with Match- set-ups, you should already have some experience with programming. Further help may be found in README.DOC and in FORMATS.TXT. The latter file contains a listing of Matches for all standard application programs. 6. Options and Tuning Page 36 Tmpfile determines the name of a temporary file that is created for various Methods. Press Reset Value to revert to the last value. Press Set to Default to clear the format specific value and use the default values instead. Press OK to accept the last changes or Close to discard current changes to the Value field. NOTE: Upon leaving Archon after making changes to the profile, you may either save are discard all changes. Adding a custom file format In order to define a custom file format, all you have to do is enter three pieces of information using the Options Configure Profile dialog: Data Format The name of the new file format, e.g. WinWord_20. Keep format names short or they may not show entirely in the dialog fields, making them hard to recognize. Application The program that creates and edits the new file format, e.g. C:\WINWORD\WINWORD.EXE or WINWORD.EXE. You'll have to enter the full path of the program file only if the applications directory is not in the PATH variable. If you donut know what this, just enter the full filename and path and everything will be fine. Masks The file name templates that will be used as indicators of the new file format, e.g. *.DOC;*.TXT. optional: Match Since some file extensions are used by more than one application, e.g. *.DOC, *.PIC etc., Archon adds a second level of file recognition which will check the internal file structure. Please see the chapter "File formats" for details. NOTE: Upon leaving Archon after making changes to the profile, you may either save are discard all changes. 6. Options and Tuning Page 37 Adding a custom method Adding custom methods is useful for defining your own actions, like sending a text to a FAX server or duplicating an object. Figure 13.: Adding custom method dialog Select Options-Configure-Profile to get the profile dialog. Select format to define a method that make sense for all formats, or the format you want to use with your new method. If necessary, click on Show Methods to display existing methods. Enter the name of the Method you want to define, e.g. Duplicate into the top of the Methods list box. Press TAB when done and confirm the creation of a new method. Enter the operations to be executed into the value field at the bottom. Be sure to use the correct syntax, as defined in Appendix A: method language reference. Example: Method that duplicates the marked object(s) and prefixes the name of the duplicate(s) with "Copy of ": Method code: LABEL N=#ID NAME;EXPORT #ID TO $TMP;IMPORT $TMP; DELFILE $TMP;RENAME #ID "Copy of "+$N LABEL N=#ID NAME; Assign the label NAME of current object #ID to variable N. 6. Options and Tuning Page 38 EXPORT #ID TO $TMP; Export object to path $TMP. IMPORT $TMP; Import file $TMP, creating a new object. DELFILE $TMP; Delete temporary file $TMP. RENAME #ID "Copy of "+$N Set name of imported object to "Copy of" $N. Using more than one Archon database Archon will by default use the file ARCHON.INI in your windows directory for storing configuration information. You can specify another configuration file on the command line, allowing any number of databases. Creating a second database: In program manager, create a new Archon icon with File-New. Use Browse to locate the ARCHON.EXE program file, e.g. C:\ARCHON\ARCHON.EXE. Append the name of the new configuration file to the Command line field. Note that you may include a path. Example: C:\ARCHON\ARCHON.EXE N:\ARCHNET\ARCHON.INI. Archon will automatically create the new file N:\ARCHNET\ARCHON.INI and prompt you for the necessary information when you first start this new program icon. Notes: In the current version of Archon, you can't perform searches over multiple databases. You'll have to remember which database a certain file is in to locate it. Be careful not to mix up the files of two different databases. Make sure that you specify different directories during setup and there will be no problems. 6. Options and Tuning Page 39 You may locate Archon databases on a network file server to share information in a work group. However, the current version allows only one active user at any time. While someone is using a particular database, the next user attempting to open the same database will get the message "Database is in use". Please contact ErgoSoft AG for availability and pricing of the network version. 6. Options and Tuning Page 40 7 . T r o u b l e s h o o t i n g If difficulties should arise, you can usually eliminate them very quickly, and that is the purpose of this chapter, which will show you in advance some of the typical problems and their solution. The file QUESTIONS.TXT in your Archon directory may contain answers to further questions that were added after the manual went into print. Some imported files are recognized as "BLOBS" Reason: Archon did not recognise the files because: The file name does not have one of the expected extension(s). The internal file structure does not match expected values. This may occur when a new version of an application appears which writes files with a different format. The file format is unknown. What to do: Use the format combo box to manually select the expected file format. If you can't find it, then you'll have to define your own file format. See chapter "Options and Tuning" for instructions. If you find the expected format in the list, check if one of the extensions that appear in the Filename field matches the extension of your file. If not, you should add the extension of your file to the Masks entry of the respective file format. Use the Options-Configure-Profile. If the internal file format has changed because of a new program version, then the Match string will have to be changed. We are happy to help you with this. 7. Troubleshooting Page 41 Function Key labels are too small On my 800*600 screen, the labels on the function keys are almost unreadable. How can i change this? Reason: The font size of the function key labels is too small. What to do: Use the menu Options-Function bar to increase the font size. Not enough memory While starting the program Archon reports: "Not enough memory". Or while trying to edit an object on the screen you read "Application execution error: Not enough memory." Reason: Storage space is insufficient. Windows users who only have 2MB in the working storage probably know this report all too well. What to do: If you have a lot of other applications running, try closing some of them. Decrease the size of the memory allocated to a cache-storage set up by SMARTDRV.SYS. Extend the RAM on your PC. Application execution error You are about to edit or view an object and receive the report "Application execution error: File Not Found". 7. Troubleshooting Page 42 Reason: Archon found the object but not the application program corresponding to its format. What to do: Put the sub-directory with the particular application program on the path in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file of your PC. Change the application profile that was assigned to the format involved by activating menu Options, sub menu Configure, command Profile and typing in the exact path. Query reports "No object found." Reason: There is in fact no file which contains all the search strings you typed in. While importing the files involved you didn't make use of the option "full text index" and thus Archon didn't extract all the words of the text. What to do: Cut down on the number of words in the search strings and start the search, when necessary, with even just a single word. Make it a habit to import with option "full text index". The exception are very large texts, e.g. Books. Incomplete list of keywords Reason: You may have turned "full text index" off before starting the import. Thus Archon did not treat the full vocabulary of the text while indexing. 7. Troubleshooting Page 43 Archon was unable to recognize the format of the object and extracted thus only the title, date of creation, and the name of the sub-directory in which the file is located. What to do: Import the file again, taking special care that "full text index" is activated. Give a detailed definition of the format by using Options, Configure, Profile. No object selected Reason: You have selected a command requiring you to first mark an object (this happens, for example, when working with the menu File, command Information...). Marking an object is just as required when you want to operate with "Methods". What to do: Click on OK, mark the object and then repeat your previous procedure. Can't find objects on the desktop. Reason: You have "hidden" the objects with the command Hide. F10 on the function bar being reserved for "Show" indicates that some object(s) are hidden. You have put some objects off into the archive. What to do: Press function key F10. An object remains in the archive and doesn't ap- pear on the desktop until it has been retrieved with a search. 7. Troubleshooting Page 44 Icons overlap Reason: The icons have been grouped together too close. What to do: Use command Snap to remove the overlapping. The arrangement remains basically the same. Or: Activate Rearrange and the original appearance of the desktop is shown. Icons still overlap after SNAP. Reason: You configured the size and the position of the icons in an inappropriate way. What to do: Activate Options, Configure, Icons and redefine the size of the icons and the distance between them. 7. Troubleshooting Page 45 8 . A p p e n d i x e s a n d G l o s s a r y Appendix A Method language reference Method language reference as of Fri Jun 26 08:44:40 1992 CALL string Executes a text file containing AQL commands as a subprogram CHMOD string NUMBER Change access permission settings of file Codes: 1=write 2=read 3=read/write DEL string Erase file DELETE object Removes and any references to it from the system. Careful! EXIT Terminate AQL processing EXPORT object TO string Exports to file IMPORT string Imports the file into a new object. Checks for attempts to import the same file again and asks for confirmation. Variable #ID receives the identifier of the new object or NULL if importing fails. IMPORT string TO object Imports the file into overwriting the old contents of IMPORT string TO object '[' element ']' Imports the file into field in , and generates a full text index. field=2 additional keywords (ASCII format) field='name' User data element, by name Example: IMPORT 'C:\TEST\T.TXT' TO #716854 [ WinWord ] fields 1-99 are RESERVED, field number 2 contains additional keywords LABEL object string '=' string 8. Appendixes and Glossary Page 46 Set label to LABEL string '=' object string Set variable to value of