NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 1 ======================================================================= The NEAT Filer A Terminate and Stay Resident Directory & File Management Utility USER REFERENCE MANUAL Version 1.01 (c) Copyright Ray E. Cronemiller 1991 Houston, Texas United States of America All rights reserved Produced in the United States of America Copyright notice per International Copyright Conventions. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 2 ======================================================================= THE FINE PRINT OWNERSHIP OF SOFTWARE. As the LICENSEE or potential LICENSEE, you own the magnetic or other physical media on which the SOFTWARE is originally or subsequently recorded or fixed, but T2 Software, Inc., retains title and ownership of the SOFTWARE recorded on the original disk copy(ies) and all subsequent copies of the SOFTWARE, regardless of the form or media in or on which the original and other copies may exist. This License is not a sale of the original SOFTWARE or any copy. UPDATE POLICY. T2 Software, Inc., may create, from time-to-time, updated versions of the SOFTWARE. At its option, T2 Software, Inc. will make such updates available to the LICENSEE and transferees who have returned the Registration Form to T2 Software, Inc. MISCELLANEOUS. This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Texas. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 3 ======================================================================= DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY AND LIMITED WARRANTY THE SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING WRITTEN MATERIALS (INCLUDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE) ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. FURTHER, T2 SOFTWARE, INC., DOES NOT WARRANT, GUARANTEE OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE, OR THE RESULTS OF THE USE, OF THE SOFTWARE OR WRITTEN MATERIALS IN TERMS OF CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, CURRENTNESS, OR OTHERWISE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE, IS ASSUMED BY YOU. T2 Software, Inc., entire liability and your exclusive remedy as to the disk(s) shall be, at T2 Software, Inc., option, either: (a) return of the purchase price; or, (b) replacement of the disk that does not meet T2 Software, Inc. limited warranty and which is returned to T2 Software, Inc., with a copy of the receipt. If failure of the disk has resulted from accident, abuse, or misapplication, T2 Software, Inc., shall have no responsibility to replace the disk or refund the purchase price. Any replacement disk will be warranted for the remainder of the original warranty period, or thirty (30) days, whichever is longer. THE ABOVE ARE ALL THE WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, THAT ARE MADE BY T2 SOFTWARE, INC., ON THIS T2 SOFTWARE, INC., PRODUCT. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY T2 SOFTWARE, INC., ITS DEALERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AGENTS, OR EMPLOYEES SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY OR IN ANY WAY INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THIS WARRANTY, AND YOU MAY NOT RELY ON ANY SUCH INFORMATION OR ADVICE. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS. YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS, WHICH VARY FROM STATE-TO-STATE. NEITHER T2 SOFTWARE, INC., OR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS PRODUCT SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES OR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, AND THE LIKE) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH PRODUCT EVEN IF T2 SOFTWARE, INC., HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF THE LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. The names T2 Software, Inc. and NEAT Filer are trademarks of T2 Software, Inc. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 4 ======================================================================= Table of Contents ----------------- INTRODUCTION.............................................5-1 WHY WE DEVELOPED NEAT Filer..............................6-1 SHAREWARE REGISTRATION & GUARANTEE.......................7-1 CUSTOMER SUPPORT.........................................8-1 FEATURES.................................................9-1 NEAT Filer BASICS.......................................10-1 QUICK START.............................................11-1 STARTING NEAT Filer.....................................11-2 ADVICE and TECHNIQUES...................................12-1 SWAPPING APPLICATION MEMORY.............................12-2 Command Line Install Options UN-Installing....................................13-1 HELP.............................................13-2 NON-RESIDENT MODE................................13-3 QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE Directory Operations Displaying Directory Files.......................14-1 Creating a Directory.............................14-2 Deleting a Directory.............................14-3 Changing File Specifications.....................14-4 Displaying the Help Window.......................15-1 Log a Drive......................................15-2 Exiting to a Selected PATH.......................15-3 Rename a Directory...............................16-1 Save the DESK TOP................................16-2 Exit NEAT Filer..................................16-3 File Operations Change Current File Attributes...................17-1 File Attributes..................................17-2 Copy File(s).....................................18-1 Delete File(s)...................................19-1 Changing File Specifications.....................19-2 Displaying the Help Window.......................19-3 Log a Drive......................................20-1 Move File(s).....................................20-2 Send File Name to Command Prompt.................21-1 Rename a File(s).................................21-2 Sort Files.......................................22-1 Tag/UnTag files..................................22-2 Save the DESK TOP................................22-3 Change Display Colors............................23-1 Exit to the Source Directory.....................23-2 SHIPPING INFORMATION....................................24-1 ORDER FORM..............................................25-1 NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 5 ======================================================================= 5-1 INTRODUCTION CONGRATULATIONS on your purchase (we hope!) of The NEAT Filer! We know this product will become a welcome addition to your library of USEFUL DOS utilities. Our goal is to provide you with high quality software tools which are both powerful and easy to use. Many long hours and late nights were spent developing this product. We all share a commitment to quality and excellence and will do our best to continue to provide you with software which meets your needs. We will continue to enhance the NEAT Filer with input from users and our own innovative ideas and unique approach to software design. We hope you enjoy using the NEAT Filer and we welcome any and all input on our products and services. Please take the time to let us know how we are doing. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 6 ======================================================================= 6-1 Why the NEAT Filer was developed and how it works. Generally applications have RUDIMENTARY FILE and DIRECTORY management capabilities at most....correct? This necessitates leaving (shelling out, terminating the foreground application, etc.) to do these tasks. Correct again? No More! NOW from WITHIN your EXISTING APPLICATION whether GRAPHICS or TEXT MODE based, FILE and DIRECTORY MANAGEMENT functions formerly only available from NON-RESIDENT file managers or DOS shells...... Many times while in an application program, the user or the program will need a file name or other input to the command line. In the case of CAD, Database Managers, Spreadsheets, etc. with files in many different drives and/or paths, the problem of remembering, let alone finding that particular file, becomes logistically improbable. This scenario can be expanded to many other applications also, e.g. word processing, editors, etc. Being able to invoke the NEAT Filer from within an application program frees the user from having to leave the present application and search for the required file from within DOS or by another separate file manager. The NEAT Filer is a TSR (Terminate & Stay Resident) DIRECTORY & FILE MANAGER. This means the NEAT Filer remains resident in background memory while an application program may run in the foreground. To invoke or bring NEAT Filer to the foreground within an existing application, merely press a certain combination of 'HOT' (ALT LEFT- SHIFT) Keys. This action suspends the foreground application, and activates the NEAT Filer. When finished utilizing the NEAT Filer's Directory & File handling capabilities, the user merely returns it to the background and resumes working with the foreground application. In addition to all the powerful file management functions available, NEAT Filer provides a way to output the selected file name to the command prompt of the current application program. This is accomplished by searching via the file management functions and selecting the drive, path & file-name in NEAT Filer. When the user has selected a file, they merely press the SEND to Key Buffer function and NEAT Filer removes itself from the foreground, outputs the complete drive, path & file name sans extension to the applications command prompt. The user may then execute or edit the output. NEAT Filer provides a complete user friendly interface to file management functions such as changing drives, paths, file specifications, copying, deleting, moving, sorting and searching. Merely pop up NEAT Filer WITHIN your application with a simple combination of hot keys. The ability to invoke the NEAT Filer at ANY time frees you from having to leave the present application and copy, move, delete, etc. from within DOS or another separate file manager. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 7 ======================================================================= 7-1 SHAREWARE REGISTRATION The NEAT Filer is a "Shareware" software package and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. This means that we provide you with a fully functioning sample of the program for you to "try out" for a short time. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide computer users with high quality software without high prices, while providing an incentive for programmers to develop new products. By now almost everyone knows the idea behind Shareware, and I suspect that most of us are guilty of using one or more of these excellent programs and not giving the author his due. If you find yourself using the NEAT Filer on a regular basis, please pay the amount requested (only $59) on the enclosed registration form. You will be registered for a period of one (1) year from the registration date, and entitled to automatically receive FREE any major revisions of NEAT Filer that may be released during the registration period. Extended use without proper registration is a violation of our rights under the Copyright Laws of the United States. You can tell if this program is Registered (or not) by looking at the top of the Main Window. User Support (both Telephone & Written) is intended primarily for our "Registered Users". But we will never "turn our backs" on anyone who needs help or information with any of our products. Hopefully you may then become a registered user! In the meantime, you are encouraged to distribute The NEAT Filer far and wide, IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM. Please do NOT distribute NEAT Filer if it has been altered in any way. Anyone distributing the NEAT Filer for any kind of remuneration must first contact T2 Software, Inc. at the address below for authorization. This authorization will be automatically granted to distributors recognized by the (ASP) as adhering to its guidelines for shareware distributors, and such distributors may begin offering the NEAT Filer immediately. However T2 Software, Inc. must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to-date with the latest version of the program. Thank you for supporting the NEAT Filer. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 8 ======================================================================= 8-1 CUSTOMER SUPPORT Because NEAT Filer may have several updated releases and revisions, please have the following information available whenever you contact us for any reason..... Program's Full Name - - Program's Version Number - - Serial Number (even if NOT a Registered User) - (Eg: NEAT Filer Ver 1.15 - Ser# 000453256812) (Serial & Version #s can be found on the top of the Main Window) <<<<<<<<<*************************>>>>>>>>> BONUS FOR REGISTERING <<<<<<<<<*************************>>>>>>>>> Of course, all those who register will always receive the latest and greatest updated, improved version of NEAT Filer as well as Customer Support. But they are also sent FREE UPDATES for ONE YEAR after Registration. <<<<<<<<<*************************>>>>>>>>> HOW DO I REGISTER? <<<<<<<<<*************************>>>>>>>>> Mail a Check or U.S. Postal Money Order Payable in US Dollars To: Ray E. Cronemiller 14760 Memorial Drive, Suite 300-211 Houston, TX 77079 (713) 589-8380 PRICE: $59.00 Per Copy (it's WELL WORTH it!) (Texas Residents Add Sales Tax) NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 9 ======================================================================= - FEATURES - RESIDENT (7k MAX) or NON-RESIDENT mode POPS-UP in TEXT mode (25, 43 and 50 line) Applications POPS-UP in GRAPHICS Applications SWAPS Current Application to EMS or DISK (IF EMS AVAILABLE) User COLOR Selection Supports Old and New (enhanced) KEYBOARDS Command Line UN-Install VISUAL DIRECTORY TREE Displays up to 400 DIRECTORIES per Disk CREATE, RENAME or DELETE DIRECTORIES Displays up to 1400 FILES per Directory COPY, DELETE or MOVE FILES INDIVIDUALLY or by GROUPS SORT FILES CHANGE FILE ATTRIBUTES INDIVIDUALLY or by GROUPS FILE NAME OUTPUT to Command Line Displays Current Disk STATISTICS NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 10 ======================================================================= 10-1 NEAT Filer Basics When NEAT Filer is first activated, your screen is replaced by a large rectangle (we call it the Main Window) which contains several smaller rectangular areas (windows). These rectangular window areas have a definite purpose in organizing the screen into discrete areas and the types of information displayed. Each rectangular window area of the Main Window is labeled with its identifying name. SOURCE PATH Window.. This window is located at the top of the screen. Displayed in the path window is the current drive and path. Also The NEAT Filer copyright notice and version number are displayed there. SOURCE DIRECTORY Window.. On the right, a visual representation of the directory structure (TREE) on the currently logged source drive will be displayed here. On entry, the current path will be highlighted on the directory tree. At the bottom of this window are the currently active keys associated with this window. You may use these keys to traverse the SOURCE Directory tree structure. At any time you may press ESC to EXIT to DOS or your applications command prompt. STATUS Window.. On the left is the disk and file statistics window. In this window is displayed basic disk and file information ie., free bytes on the currently logged disk, number of total files, etc: essentially bottom line data on the status of the currently logged disk drive. HELP Window..This window is not visible at all times, but remains in the background waiting for the user to press the F1 or H key. This action POPS-UP the HELP window. Subsequently pressing F1 or H while the HELP window is visible sends it to the background again. The Help window is context sensitive insofar as the SOURCE DIRECTORY and FILE WINDOW are concerned. This window is movable by pressing "M" and using the cursor control keys to move it around. FILE Window..Pressing while in the SOURCE DIRECTORY window brings this window to the foreground with a listing of files. The files listed depend on which directory was highlighted in the source directory window when was pressed. At the bottom of this window are the currently active keys associated with this window. You may use these keys to traverse the file window listing. Pressing ESC here will take you back to the main window. CURRENT COMMANDS..At the bottom of the main window is the current command menu. This command menu will change depending on whether the SOURCE Directory or the FILES window is currently active. DIRECTORY or FILE commands will be displayed respectively. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 11 ======================================================================= 11-1 QUICK START This section describes several preliminary procedures, some of which are required and some of which are highly recommended before you begin. If you are unfamiliar with any of the MS-DOS procedures mentioned, consult your MS-DOS User's Guide for instructions. To use the NEAT Filer, you will need the following equipment: - IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, 386, 486, or 100% COMPATIBLE clone - 640 KB RAM Memory - Monochrome or Color Monitor - DOS 2.0 or Higher - A Hard Disk - A 3 1/2" or 5 1/4" Floppy Disk Drive - The NEAT Filer program executable The NEAT Filer is delivered on one standard diskette. The distribution diskette contains two files. One file is the NF.EXE executable program file. The other is NF_DOC.TXT which is the file containing your documentation. Before you can use NEAT Filer on your system, you must first install it on your hard disk. The directory on your hard disk in which you will place the NEAT Filer is entirely up to you. It is advisable to place the executable (NF.EXE) in a public directory. That would be a directory listed in the path statement in your autoexec.bat. For this example, we will assume you wish to copy NEAT Filer to the "c" drive "root" directory of your hard disk (c:\>). Insert the disk containing the NEAT Filer executable (NF.EXE) and documentation file (NF_DOC.TXT) into disk drive "a:". You must be in DOS and logged to your hard drive "c:\>". Terminate any applications you may be running at present. At the DOS command prompt (c:\>) type - "copy a:nf*.*" then press . The file NF.EXE and NF_DOC.TXT will be copied to the "root" directory of "c:" drive. 11-2 STARTING The NEAT Filer was designed to be intuitive, as well as easy to use. It is hoped that the documentation provided with the program can be used for reference rather than instruction. I suggest that you first read the section 6-1, but after that just go ahead and type NF and press and go for it! If you run across something you don't understand, then look it up. To start the NEAT Filer, type NF . NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 12 ======================================================================= The NEAT Filer will now become resident and display an opening information window. In this window will be the NEAT Filer Version number, (c) Copyright notice and HOT-KEY combo (ALT LEFT-SHIFT). To pop-up NEAT Filer press the (ALT LEFT-SHIFT) keys. This means hold down the ALT key while simultaneously pressing the shift key on the left side of the keyboard. 12-1 ADVICE & TECHNIQUES You must NOT load any TSR's (NEAT Filer included) while shelled out of an application. We advise you to load NEAT Filer before any applications programs are loaded as it uses only 6KB of RAM for the resident kernel. Caution: if you have loaded other TSR's before NEAT Filer there must be a minimum of approximately 262KB of application memory available after these other TSR's. Although we use only 6KB of RAM for residency, we need the other 256KB available to swap. If there is not enough memory available for the NEAT Filer to pop-up, then an error message will be displayed. If your are intending to use software that communicates with com ports (background plot spoolers, modem/fax telecommunications programs, etc.), you MAY experience problems. NEAT Filer has been tested with some background plot spoolers. What may happen in the case of plot spoolers, etc. is a cessation of output to these devices while NEAT Filer is active (in the foreground). At worst, a tele-communications program will drop the connection from lack of line activity. 12-2 SWAPPING APPLICATION MEMORY NEAT Filer automatically detects whether another application has been loaded after it. If so, the NEAT Filer will display a window advising that the application is being swapped out. Where it gets swapped to depends on whether EMM is available. If not available, swapping will be to DISK otherwise to EMM which will be faster. In the event that application memory swapping is to disk, you will probably find some NEAT Filer SWAP FILES here and there on the disk. Don't delete these files! Normally NEAT Filer will delete its swap files. But if a reboot should occur for some reason, these files will be left behind. The file names will be NF_SWAP2.TMP, NFCHGEN.TMP or similar. The only SAFE time to delete these files is if NEAT Filer is NOT RESIDENT in memory. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 13 ======================================================================= COMMAND LINE OPTIONS 13-3 DEINSTALL NEAT Filer. Syntax at the DOS command line is NF/d . The NEAT Filer is a memory resident program. You can remove the NEAT Filer from memory and return the space it occupies to DOS, by choosing the DeInstall option (/d). To perform a deinstall, the NEAT Filer first checks to see if a copy of the program is already resident. If not, then an error message is displayed. If a copy of the program is resident, then it must be checked to see if it is safe to perform the deinstall. It is not always possible to safely deinstall a memory-resident program. If a memory-resident program is to be safely uninstalled, it must be the last program loaded. If the NEAT Filer determines it cannot safely deinstall itself, it will tell you so. Once you have deinstalled any other programs that were loaded after the NEAT Filer, you may be able to successfully deinstall the NEAT Filer. If at this point you are still unable to remove the NEAT Filer you may need to reboot (CTRL-ALT-DEL). 13-2 HELP NEAT Filer Command Line Help. Syntax at the DOS command line is NF/h . Typing NF/h at the DOS command line displays the available command line installation options. 13-3 NON-RESIDENT MODE Installs NEAT Filer in Non-Resident mode. Syntax at the DOS command line is NF/n . The non-resident command line option causes the program to load as a NON-TSR; in other words as a normal application would load. Once you are done using the NEAT Filer, it does not remain resident in memory. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 14 ======================================================================= 14-1 DISPLAYING DIRECTORY FILES (SOURCE DIRECTORY Window) While in the SOURCE DIRECTORY Window, position the highlight bar on the desired directory. Press to list in the file window the highlighted directory's file(s). Note: the current commands have changed to reflect file handling operations. At any time you may press ESC to EXIT the file window and return to the main window. 14-2 CREATING a DIRECTORY (SOURCE DIRECTORY Window) While in the SOURCE DIRECTORY Window, position the highlight bar on the directory under which you wish to make a sub-directory. Put the highlight bar on the root (\) if you wish to make a new directory under the root directory. Then press the "C" key to CREATE a directory (sub- directory). A sub-window will then pop-up displaying the directory under which you will be creating the new directory. After you have entered the directory name to CREATE, Press and the directory you have entered will be CREATED. If at some point you decide to skip creating a new directory, Press ESC. This will abort the process. 14-3 DELETING a DIRECTORY (SOURCE DIRECTORY Window) Again, while in the SOURCE DIRECTORY Window, position the highlight bar on the directory you wish to delete. One thing to remember concerning deleting directories is that you may not delete a directory containing other sub-directories or files. You must first delete any sub- directories and/or files under the directory. When these conditions are fulfilled you may then delete the directory. Press the "D" key to DELETE the highlighted directory. A sub-window will then pop-up displaying the highlighted directory you have selected to delete. You are then asked if you really wish to delete this directory. If you press either an upper or lower case "Y" then the directory will be deleted. Pressing ANY other key ABORTS the process. 14-4 CHANGING the FILE SPECIFICATION (SOURCE DIRECTORY or FILES Window) A very useful tool in NEAT Filer is the FILESPEC command. With this command you can select which files within defined constraints can be viewed in the FILES Window listing. Once you set a file specification with the filespec command, only those files MATCHING your file specification will be visible in the FILES Window. Also any file operations you perform will affect only those files currently displayed. Be aware that any directory that has no files meeting the current filespec will display a "No Files Available in this Directory" message. This does not mean that there are no files at all in the directory. It may mean there are no files matching the current filespec. Setting a filespec of "*.*" will display all files if there are any in the current directory. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 15 ======================================================================= The FILESPEC command can be used from the SOURCE Directory or FILES windows. Press the "F" key to CHANGE the FILE SPECIFICATION. A sub- window will then pop-up asking for a new filespec. When entering filespecs, you may use any legal combination of * and ?. As an example, suppose you are an AutoCAD user and are concerned only with drawing files. Enter as your filespec, *.dwg, only those files with an extension of "dwg" will be displayed. When you are finished with your filespec press or ESC to ABORT the process. 15-1 DISPLAYING the HELP WINDOW (SOURCE DIRECTORY or FILES Window) F1 or H is the HELP key in NEAT Filer. Suppose you are currently in the SOURCE DIRECTORY window. Pressing F1 or H will pop-up a help window containing help for all SOURCE DIRECTORY commands. If in the FILES window the appropriate pop-up help commands will also appear. Subsequent presses of F1 or H will remove the help window pop-up. This window is movable by pressing "M" and using the cursor control keys to move it around. 15-2 LOG a DRIVE (SOURCE DIRECTORY or FILES Window) When you initially pop-up NEAT Filer, one of the first things it does is check for ALL the valid drives on the system (computer). Then it logs information concerning the current drive. That is, it counts the number of directories and files on the currently logged drive. This information is displayed in the STATUS WINDOW under CURRENT STATUS and CURRENT TOTAL. You may wish to log a disk other than the currently logged one. To do this press the "L" key, and a sub-window will appear over the SOURCE Directory. Displayed within are the current valid drives on your system. You may select any one of the listed drives. Moving the highlight bar selects the drive and logs this drive. Also pressing a letter of one of the listed drives selects and logs it. If you have selected a NEW drive (not the currently logged drive), NEAT Filer will now log the information concerning this drive (number of directories, files, etc.). If you wish to ABORT the process press ESC to exit. 15-3 EXIT to a SELECTED PATH (SOURCE DIRECTORY Window) Changes the PATH and exits the NEAT Filer to the DOS command prompt. To exit to a selected path name, highlight the desired path and press "N". NEAT Filer exits and returns to DOS. The directory will have changed to the one selected in the NEAT Filer visual directory tree. This will NOT work across drives at this time. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 16 ======================================================================= 16-1 RENAME a DIRECTORY (SOURCE DIRECTORY Window) From the SOURCE Directory Window, position the highlight bar on the directory you wish to rename. Then press the "R" key. A sub-window will pop-up displaying the currently highlighted directory, and prompting for a new directory name. Enter the NEW path name to rename the existing path name to, then press . The OLD path name will be RENAMED to the path name you have just entered. If at some point you decide against RENAMING a directory, press ESC. This will terminate the RENAME Directory process. 16-2 SAVE the DESK TOP (SOURCE DIRECTORY or FILES Window) The DESK TOP is your place or position in NEAT Filer. Assume you are in another application (AutoCAD, DBase etc.). You need to find a file, so you pop-up NEAT Filer WITHIN your application. Suppose your application is on drive c:, but you need to access a file on drive z:. Log to drive z:, select the appropriate directory on the tree, press to display the files. So, there is the file your application needs; move the highlight bar to the file. At this point you decide you would like to return to this point in NEAT Filer again without logging, selecting a directory, a file and so on. Press "K" and a sub-window (SET NEAT Filer DESK TOP INFO) pops-up. If you wish to save the DESK TOP position at this point, press "Y" or move the highlight bar to "YES" and press . Now, you may leave NEAT Filer and re-enter exactly at the position you left. You may ABORT this window by pressing ESC. 16-3 EXIT NEAT Filer (SOURCE DIRECTORY Window) Exits NEAT Filer to the DOS command prompt or to an application. Exiting by ESC does not unset the DESK TOP selection set at the time. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 17 ======================================================================= 17-1 CHANGE CURRENT FILE ATTRIBUTES (FILE Window) To change a file's attributes you must have selected a directory to list. In the FILE Window will be a listing of the files in the particular directory you have chosen. Each file's name, extension, size in bytes, date created, time created and finally the file's attributes will be displayed. The attributes will be in the following order: Hidden, System, Read-Only and Archive. If the particular attribute is NOT set then a dot replaces the letter of the attribute. To change ONE file's attributes, position the highlight bar on the file you wish to change. Press "A" and a pop-up window will appear displaying the current file and its information. Below the file in this window you will see a highlight bar which is movable using the left and right cursor keys. This can be used to select the attribute to be changed. Also pressing the first letter of the attribute (H, S, R or A) will move the highlight bar to the appropriate attribute. Pressing the up or down arrow cursor control keys on the selected attribute toggles the attribute ON or OFF. Pressing the key validates and sets the file's attributes per your selection. Press ESC at anytime to EXIT and NOT change the files attributes. You may also change file attributes by tagging a group of files and pressing "A" as before. The same procedures apply for many files as for one file. 17-2 FILE ATTRIBUTES (A little information about file attributes) HIDDEN - This attribute renders a file invisible to normal DOS directory listings. Operating System files are usually hidden (MSDOS.SYS, IO.SYS, etc.). If you wish to hide a file this is the attribute for you. SYSTEM - Files with this attribute set are usually connected with DOS in some way, again, (MSDOS.SYS, IO.SYS, etc). It is advisable not to ever delete files that have this attribute set. You could upset DOS a bit. READ-ONLY - If a file is set as read-only, the only thing you may do with it is read it. It cannot be changed in any way. You will not be able to delete or overwrite the file until its read-only attribute is set to OFF. ARCHIVE - This attribute is usually set by back-up programs. It indicates whether the file has been backed-up since it was last saved. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 18 ======================================================================= 18-1 COPY FILE(S) (FILE Window) Copy is used to duplicate (copy) files from one directory to another on the same or different disks. To copy file(s), highlight one or tag a group in the FILE Window and press "M". A pop-up window now appears at the bottom of the main window. This window will be referred to as the copy window. NEAT Filer now wants to know what to copy the file "as:". This means "Do you want to rename the file(s) when you copy it?". Now you may enter a new file name or accept the default file name by pressing . Next, where do you want to copy the file? Remember, you may not copy a file of the same name to the same directory. If you want a copy of the same file in the same directory, you must either rename the source or destination copy. Notice that the current complete path is now displayed in the copy window. You may edit this or press F2 to display a DESTINATION Directory tree. If you press F2, the same key commands as used in the SOURCE Directory tree window apply here. By traversing the tree with the highlight bar you may select a copy destination. Your current highlighted destination will also appear in the copy window at the bottom of the main window. While in the DESTINATION Directory window you may choose to log another drive. This is accomplished as in the SOURCE Directory window by pressing "L" to log a new drive. When you have decided where to move your file(s), press . NEAT Filer now asks if you wish to overwrite any existing files of the same name on the copy destination. If you reply "Y" you will NOT be prompted if that particular file already exists on the destination. It will automatically be overwritten. Replying "N" prompts each time an existing file of the same name is encountered on the copy destination. If the file exists on the copy destination and you have specified no automatic overwrite, both files will be shown one above the other in the copy window and you will be prompted whether to replace or not. Your file will now be copied to the specified destination. You may press ESC to abort at ANY time in the copy process except when a file is actually being copied. Then ABORT will take place before the next file is copied. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 19 ======================================================================= 19-1 DELETE FILE(S) (FILE Window) To delete file(s), highlight it or tag a group first in the FILE Window and press "D". A pop-up window appears at the bottom of the main window showing the highlighted file and asking if you wish to automatically delete the file(s). If you reply "Y" you will NOT be prompted again. It will automatically be deleted. Replying "N" prompts for each file delete. You may press ESC to abort at ANY time in the delete process except when a file is actually being deleted. Then ABORT will take place before the next file is deleted. It wouldn't be wise to ABORT in the middle of a file delete. 19-2 CHANGING the FILE SPECIFICATION (SOURCE DIRECTORY or FILE Window) A very useful tool in NEAT Filer is the FILESPEC command. With this command you can select which files within defined constraints can be viewed in the FILES Window listing. Once you set a file specification with the filespec command, only those files MATCHING your file specification will be visible in the FILES Window. Also any file operations you perform will affect only those files currently displayed. Be aware that any directory that has no files meeting the current filespec will display a "No Files Available in this Directory" message. This does not necessarily mean that there are no files at all in the directory. It may mean there are no files matching the current filespec. Setting a filespec of "*.*" will display all files. The FILESPEC command can be used from the SOURCE DIRECTORY or FILES windows. Press the "F" key to CHANGE the FILE SPECIFICATION. A sub- window will then pop-up asking for a new filespec. When entering filespecs, you may use any legal combination of * and ?. As an example, suppose you are an AutoCAD user and are concerned only with drawing files. Enter as your filespec, *.dwg, only those files with an extension of "dwg" will be displayed. When you are finished with your filespec press or ESC to ABORT the process. 19-3 DISPLAYING the HELP WINDOW (SOURCE DIRECTORY or FILE Window) F1 or H is the HELP key in NEAT Filer. Suppose you are currently in the FILE window. Pressing F1 or H will pop-up a help window containing help for all FILE window commands. If in the SOURCE DIRECTORY window, the appropriate pop-up help commands will also appear. Subsequent presses of F1 or H will remove the help window pop-up. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 20 ======================================================================= 20-4 LOG DRIVE (SOURCE DIRECTORY or FILE Window) When you initially pop-up NEAT Filer, one of the first things it does is check for ALL the valid drives on the system (computer). Then it logs information concerning the current drive. That is, it counts the number of directories and files on the currently logged drive. This information is displayed in the STATUS WINDOW under CURRENT STATUS and CURRENT TOTAL. You may wish to log a disk other than the currently logged one. To do this press the "L" key, and a sub-window will appear over the FILE Window. Displayed within are the current valid drives on your system. You may select any one of the listed drives. Moving the highlight bar selects the drive and logs this drive. Also pressing a letter (A, B, C, etc.) of one of the listed drives selects and logs it. If you have selected a NEW drive (not the currently logged drive), NEAT Filer will now log the information concerning this drive (number of directories, files, etc.). If you wish to ABORT the process press ESC to exit. 20-1 MOVE FILE(S) (FILE Window) To move file(s), highlight one or tag a group in the FILE Window and press "M". A pop-up window now appears at the bottom of the main window. This window will be referred to as the move window. NEAT Filer now wants to know what to move the file "as:". This means "Do want to rename the file(s) when you move it?". Now you may enter a new file name or accept the default file name by pressing . Next, where do you want to move the file? Remember, you may not move a file of the same name to the same directory. If you want a copy of the same file in the same directory you must either rename the source or destination copy. Notice that the current complete path is now displayed in the move window. You may edit this or press F2 to display a DESTINATION Directory tree. If you press F2 the same key commands as used in the SOURCE Directory tree window apply here. By traversing the tree with the highlight bar you may select a move destination. Your current highlighted destination will also appear in the move window at the bottom of the main window. While in the DESTINATION Directory window you may choose to log another drive. This is accomplished as in the SOURCE Directory window by pressing "L" to log a new drive. When you have decided where to move your file(s), press . NEAT Filer now asks if you wish to overwrite any existing files of the same name on the move destination. If you reply "Y" you will NOT be NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 21 ======================================================================= prompted if that particular file already exists on the destination. It will automatically be overwritten. Replying "N", prompts each time an existing file of the same name is encountered on the move destination. If the file exists on the move destination and you have specified no automatic overwrite, both files will be shown one above the other in the move window and you will be prompted whether to replace or not. You may press ESC to abort at ANY time in the move process except when a file is actually being moved. Then ABORT will take place before the next file is moved. It wouldn't be wise to ABORT in the middle of a file move. Your file will now be moved to the specified destination. 21-1 SEND NAME (FILE Window) Outputs the selected file name to the DOS or applications command prompt. To send a file name to the command prompt, highlight the selected file and press "N". NEAT Filer exits and returns to either DOS or your currently executing application. We have found this a very handy feature. For instance, suppose you must process in some manner a large group of files. Before activating NEAT Filer, while in your application, set up the application as you would normally to receive the file name. Pop-up NEAT Filer and select the drive and path on which the files are located. Press and the files for that directory will be displayed. Highlight the first file to process and now press "K" to set the DESK TOP at this point. This will ensure that subsequent activations of NEAT Filer will return you to this point. Now press "N" to SEND the highlighted file name sans extension to the command prompt. NEAT Filer will exit and restore the current application. The highlighted file name will appear at the command prompt for you to accept or edit. This scenario can be repeated as many times as you wish. 21-2 RENAME a FILE (FILE Window) To rename a file, position the highlight bar on the file you wish to rename. Then press the "R" key. A sub-window will pop-up displaying the currently highlighted file name. The selected file will now be displayed. You will be prompted to rename all marked files "as:". Enter the new file name and press . You must always use standard DOS convention file names and wild cards (*.bak, filename.*, etc). NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 22 ======================================================================= To rename multiple file names, tag all the files you wish to rename and press "R". You will be prompted to rename all marked files "as:". Enter the new file name and press . If you have entered a legitimate file name all the marked files will be renamed. Note, if some files do not rename, it is possible through the rename process that a duplicate file name was created. Therefore that file will not be renamed. A warning message will indicate this condition. 22-1 SORT FILES (FILE Window) To sort the file listing, press "S". A sub-window will pop-up showing the available sort criteria. Move the highlight bar using the left and right arrow cursor control keys. Select your sort criteria by moving the highlight bar or pressing the first letter of the sort (NESD). Sorting by name lists files alphabetically. Sorting by extension groups files alphabetically by extension and by name within each extension. Sorting by date and time lists files sorted by date of creation, then by time. The newest files are at the bottom of the list. Sort by size lists files in order by size in bytes. The biggest files at the bottom of the list again. 22-2 TAG/UNTAG FILES (FILE Window) When you wish to perform operations on a group of files you must tag the files. To tag a file, highlight the file to be tagged and press either "T" or "+" and a double arrow will appear to the left of the file name indicating the file is tagged. To tag several files in a row rapidly press the "T" or "+". The highlight bar will automatically move to the next file and tag it. To untag a file, highlight the file and press "U" or "-" and the double arrow will disappear. To untag several files in a row rapidly press the "U" or "-". The highlight bar will automatically move to the next file and untag it if tagged. Tagging ALL the displayed files is simple, merely press the "insert" key and all files will be tagged. Untagging ALL files is accomplished by pressing the "delete" key. Remember, only those files displayed are operated on. For instance, using the file spec command (*.bak) will display only files with the extension of BAK. Then pressing the "insert" key marks all the files for copy, delete, move, etc. 22-3 SAVE the DESK TOP (SOURCE DIRECTORY or FILES Window) The DESK TOP is your place in NEAT Filer. Assume you are in another application (AutoCAD, DBase etc.). You need to find a file, so you pop-up NEAT Filer WITHIN your application. Suppose your application is on drive c:, but you need to access a file on drive z:. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 23 ======================================================================= Log to drive z:, select the appropriate directory on the tree, press to display the files. So, there is the file your application needs; move the highlight bar to the file. At this time you may decide to return to this point in NEAT Filer again without logging, selecting a directory and so on. Press "K", and a sub-window (SET NEAT Filer DESK TOP INFO) pops-up. If you wish to save the DESK TOP position at this point, press "Y" or move the highlight bar to "YES", and press . Now, you may leave NEAT Filer and re-enter exactly at the position you left. You may ABORT this window by pressing ESC. 23-1 CHANGE COLOR PALETTE (SOURCE DIRECTORY or FILES Window) To change the NEAT Filer default colors press "P" and a sub-window appears. You will see a palette of existing colors displayed along the bottom of this window. To change a color use the left or right cursor control keys to move the double vertical arrow to the color to change. The up and down arrow cursor keys control the primary color (RGB). The page up and page down keys control the secondary color (rgb). Pressing the "delete" key restores the default colors. Pressing "insert" saves your new selected colors and exits. ESC exits without any changes. 23-2 EXIT to SOURCE Directory (FILE Window) Exits the FILE Window to the SOURCE Directory window. Exiting by ESC does not unset the DESK TOP selection set at this time. NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 24 ======================================================================= 24-1 REGULAR SHIPMENTS Our normal method of shipping a pre-paid order to a USA address is by regular First Class Mail. In such cases there is NO SHIPPING CHARGE, and delivery time is usually just a few days. 24-2 COD & RUSH SHIPMENTS COD shipments are available (also assorted "RUSH" shipments) through United Parcel Service or Federal Express. In such cases, ALL Shipping & Handling Charges will be added to the cost of this software. 24-3 INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENTS Shipments for Export to other countries will also have all charges for Shipping, Import/Export Fees, and all other incurred expenses, added to the cost of this software. Shipment will be "COD - CASH ONLY", and the payment must be in United States Dollars. (All Prices & Features Are Subject To Change Without Notice) Software Dealers & Site Licenses - Please Write for Information (Use Business Stationery and/or Include A Business Card) NEAT Filer V1.0 Documentation page 25 ======================================================================= <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ---- ORDER NOW ---- <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> NEAT Filer Version 1.0 Order Form ================================= Ship To: Title or Department: __________________________________________________ Company: ______________________________________________________________ Name: _________________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________ City: ________________________________ State: _____ Zip: ____________ Telephone: ___________________________ ITEM QUANTITY PRICE EACH TOTAL AMOUNT ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NEAT Filer Version 1.0 (__) ($49.00) ($_________) <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Please send this form, with check or money order, to: Ray E. Cronemiller 14760 Memorial Drive, Suite 300-211 Houston, Texas 77079 (713)-589-8380 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Your answers to the following questions could help me to further improve NEAT Filer: Version # of NEAT Filer _______________________________________________ How did you obtain NEAT Filer? ________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Computer type:__________________________ Model:________________________ CPU (80?86): ________ Memory: _____ Kb Math coproc. (y/n)?:__________ Hard disk drive size: ______________ MB Manufacturer: ________________ Floppy disk: 3-1/2" or 5-1/4" _______ 360/1200/720/1440 Kb:_________ Monitor -Monochrome:_______ Color:______ Manufacturer:_________________ Graphics: CGA:____ EGA:____ Other:______ Manufacturer:_________________ Memory Manager:_____________________ DOS Version:______________________ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>