INTENDED USE
Multimap allows mapping to Windows-based cdroms upon execution of their search engines from within Microsoft Windows, and map deleting upon exit from their search engines. Multimap is designed for use in conjunction with network loadable modules which treat cdroms as volumes, such as the module shipped with Novell Netware 3.12. More sophisticated treatments are available and if adopted would make Multimap unnecessary.
 
One alternative to using Multimap is to permanently map drive letters to cdrom volumes at each workstation. This solution is unacceptable to institutions using many Windows-based cdrom products.


INSTALLATION
Files included: multimap.exe; multimap.ini; multimap.txt; vbprint.dll

Files generated: multimap.log

Other files required: vbrun300.dll (not included)

Vbprint.dll should be copied to the c:\windows\system subdirectory; vbrun300.dll should be acquired and placed in the same subdirectory.  Multimap.log is a log of errors automatically generated and saved to c:\windows.

Multimap.ini and multimap.txt must be copied to the c:\windows subdirectory. Upon execution, Multimap will attempt to copy multimap.ini and multimap.txt from z:\public to c:\windows of the workstation that has invoked it. For ease of management, the network administrator should place multimap.ini and multimap.txt in z:\public and set the read-only attribute of each file.

Multimap.exe may be placed in any directory. Its read-only attribute should be set.


IMPLEMENTATION BY ADMINISTRATOR
To enter the program as an administrator, invoke multimap.exe.

Multimap.ini is a windows initialization file. The network administrator must create sections within this ascii file in order for Multimap to function properly. Each section name must be placed in brackets. Within each section the administrator must place keys (sometimes called entries) which are left justified and followed by an equal sign. Each key may be followed by a value.

A section name in multimap.ini can be any term useful in identifying the cdrom product to be mapped. For example, a cdrom containing pictures of rivers might lead one to name a section "[rivers]". The section could as easily be named "[section one]".

Under each section, three keys must appear whose names are "CommandLine", "LocalMap1" and "NetVol1". An equal sign must follow each key and a value should follow each equal sign. The value of "CommandLine" must be in the form "Drive:\Path\Executable Arguments or Switches". The value of "LocalName1" should be a letter of the alphabet and must be followed by a colon. The value of "NetPath1" must be in the form "ServerName/VolumeName" and must be followed by a colon.

Many cdrom products contain multiple discs. One section should be created in multimap.ini for each product. For example, if the product containing pictures of rivers has four discs, one containing pictures of rivers from the North, another containing pictures of rivers from the South, etc., then under the section labelled [rivers] the administrator should place one "CommandLine" key whose value should be the executable file for the search engine of the cdrom, as well as one "LocalMap#" key and one "NetVol#" key for each disc that will be mapped.

What follows is an example using a legal research cdrom product:  this product, a citator service, has four cdroms (i.e., four volumes). One disc provides citations to a State's cases, the next contains citations to the cases at the trial level of the federal courts, one to the cases at an appellate level of the federal courts, and the last to cases of the United States Supreme Court. Multimap.ini could look as follows:

[CitatorService]
commandline=f:\cds\cit\citator.exe
localmap1=p:
netvol1=yourserver/citnc1095:
localmap2=q:
netvol2=yourserver/citus1195:
localmap3=s:
netvol3=yourserver/citfs0995:
localmap4=k:
netvol4=yourserver/citfr0995:

If the product were to change by the manufacturer adding a fifth disc, the network administrator would add keys for localmap5 and netvol5.

If a disc is updated, then the administrator would modify the volume name in multimap.ini if the manufacturer gave a new volume name to the update. For example, if the disc with citations to lower federal courts were replaced by an update disc, and the update disc had a volume name of "citfs1095", then the section "[CitatorService]" would have to be modified by changing the value under the key "netvol3" from "yourserver/citfs0995:" to "yourserver/citfs1095:". If the update disc kept the same volume name as the earlier disc, the administrator would make no adjustment to multimap.ini.

Multimap recognizes three additional keys: "Mhello", "Mbye" and "Mdown". The value of "Mhello" is displayed in a message box prior to execution of the command line of a section; the value of "Mbye" is run in a message box upon exit from the program.  "Mdown" allows for a message if a product has been disabled temporarily by the administrator.  If any value is assigned to "Mdown", a message will appear for the user, but the command line for the section will not be invoked.


IMPLEMENTATION BY USER
If an icon for the cdrom product is already in place at the user's workstation, bring up the icon's properties window (by selecting file/properties from Program Manager's menu) and replace the command line with multimap.exe (preceded by its path) and an argument which is the name of the section for the product in multimap.ini.

For example, if multimap.exe is under z:\public and one were going to "multimap" the citator product in the above example, one would:

	(1) single click on the icon for the citator product;
	(2) invoke the properties window by selecting file/properties in Program Manager;
	(3) erase the current command line (which is "f:\cds\cit\citator.exe");
	(4) set the command line as follows: "z:\public\multimap.exe CitatorService".


ABOUT
MULTIMAP, version 1.0 (11/1995). Use at own risk for no fee. Written in Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0. As necessary, send comments to santayana@aol.com.