Copyright: LFNsNow! Copyright© 1995-96 Smartt Software Corporation


Contents

Overview

Important!

Overview

What LFNsNow! Does

Basic Operation

System Requirements

Custom Open and Save As Dialogs

Installation

Uninstallation

Registered Version License

Shareware License

Tips

Troubleshooting

Support and Questions

Ordering

Main Dialog

Dialog Properties

Glossary

Press OK

Paste Filename

Include Path

DOS Name

Options button


Important Information

You should carefully read the following terms and conditions before using this software.  Your use of this software indicates your acceptance of the appropriate license agreement and the following terms and conditions.

Also see Shareware License

Also see Registered Version License

Copyright

LFNsNow! Copyright © 1995-1996 Smartt Software Corporation
All rights reserved.

Trademark

LFNsNow!(tm) is a Trademark of Smartt Software Corporation.  All rights reserved.

Governing Law

This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Oregon.

Disclaimer of Warranty

THIS SOFTWARE AND THE ACCOMPANYING FILES ARE SOLD "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED.  Because of the various hardware and software environments in which LFNsNow! may be used, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED.

Good data processing procedure dictates that any program be thoroughly tested with non-critical data before relying on it.  The user must assume the entire risk of using the program.  ANY LIABILITY OF THE SELLER WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF PURCHASE PRICE.


Shareware License

Also see Registered Version License

You should carefully read the following terms and conditions before using this software.  Your use of this software indicates your acceptance of the appropriate license agreement and the following terms and conditions.

Evaluation and Registration

This is not free software.  You are hereby licensed to use this software for evaluation purposes without charge for a period of 30 days.  If you use this software after the 30 day evaluation period a registration fee is required.  See "Order Form" for fees and ordering information.

Unregistered use of LFNsNow! after the 30-day evaluation period is in violation of U.S. and international copyright laws.

Ordering Information

Distribution

Provided that you verify that you are distributing the Shareware Version (select About from the LFNsNow! Help menu to check) you are hereby licensed to make as many copies of the Shareware version of this software and documentation as you wish; give exact copies of the original Shareware version to anyone; and distribute the Shareware version of the software and documentation in its unmodified form via electronic means.  There is no charge for any of the above.

You are specifically prohibited from charging, or requesting donations, for any such copies, however made; and from distributing the software and/or documentation with other products (commercial or otherwise) without prior written permission, with one exception:  Disk Vendors approved by the Association of Shareware Professionals are permitted to redistribute LFNsNow!, subject to the conditions in this license, without specific written permission.


Registered Version License

Also see Shareware License

License Agreement

You should carefully read the following terms and conditions before using this software.  Your use of this software indicates your acceptance of this license agreement.

Also see Distribution under Shareware License

Registered Version

One registered copy of LFNsNow! may either be used by a single person who uses the software personally on one or more computers, or installed on a single workstation used nonsimultaneously by multiple people, but not both.

You may access the registered version of LFNsNow! through a network, provided that you have obtained individual licenses for the software covering all workstations that will access the software through the network.  Each workstation must have its own license, regardless of whether the workstations use LFNsNow! at different times or concurrently.


Ordering Information

In order to keep the costs of our products as low as possible and to eliminate unnecessary environmental waste, LFNsNow! is only available via electronic distribution.  We do not ship diskettes.  The current version is always available from Compuserve, America On-Line, and other bulletin boards.  If you are unable to obtain the current version from one of these services, we can usually arrange to EMail a copy to you.  Please send EMail to 72124.514@compuserve.com for more information.

See the order form for pricing information.

Click here for the order form.

Through Compuserve

To have the registration fee added to your CompuServe bill use the CompuServe command GO SWREG and follow the menus.  LFNsNow!'s registration id is 8894.

Credit Cards

Visa and MasterCard orders may be placed thru NorthStar Solutions at 800-699-6395 or 803-699-6395  between 10am and 10pm Eastern Standard Time.  You may fax your order at any time to NorthStar at 803-699-5465.  If you fax your order, be sure to indicate that you are ordering LFNsNow! and include your credit card information including your name as it appears on the card, your billing address, the card number and the expiration date.  If you order through NorthStar Solutions, you will see NorthStar Solutions on your Visa or MasterCard statement.   (Note: please do not call NorthStar Solutions for product support or registration information.  They will be unable to assist you.)

Click here for information on product support

By Check

To order by check send the order form and a check to Smartt Software Corporation, P.O. Box 209, Lake Oswego, OR 97034.  Payment must be in US dollars drawn on a US bank, or you can send international postal money orders in US dollars.

Purchase Orders

Purchase orders (net 30 days) are accepted only for orders of 10 or more copies and only from government and accredited educational institutions and major corporations  Purchase orders must be submitted on purchase order forms with a purchase order number.  Please include the order form with a purchase order and mail  to Smartt Software Corporation, P.O. Box 209, Lake Oswego, OR 97034.

Click here for the order form.


Order form
Order Form-- LFNsNow!

Smartt Software Corporation,  P.O. Box 209,  Lake Oswego, OR 97034

_______________________________________________________________________

Your Order:

Prices are good through August 31, 1996.

Single Licenses at $21.95 each =                       _________

Licenses for 2 or more computers:
 2 to 10    computers: ______  copies at $18.95 each = _________
 11 to 25   computers: ______  copies at $16.95 each = _________
 26 to 50   computers: ______  copies at $14.95 each = _________
 50 to 100  computers: ______  copies at $12.95 each = _________
 over 100   computers: ______  copies at $10.95 each = _________

_______________________________________________________________________

Registration Information:

When you order, you will be provided with a registration key that unlocks LFNsNow!  Please provide us with your EMail address.  If we have your EMail address, your registration key will be sent to you via EMail, usually within one business day of receipt.  In addition, we will notify you via EMail as new versions become available.  (Please verify your EMail address.  About 5% of the addresses we receive are invalid.)   If you do not provide an EMail address, we will send you a registration letter by US Mail.  Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery by US Mail.

Please clearly PRINT or type the following:

            Order Date : _________________

                   Name: ________________________________________

                Company: ________________________________________

                Address: ________________________________________

                         ________________________________________

                         ________________________________________

                Country: ________________________________________

                  Phone: ________________________________________

          EMail address: ________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Version Information:

Your LFNsNow! Version: _____

Downloaded from:          Compuserve ___    AOL ___   Other ________________


Support and Questions

Product support (and shipping information) is available at no charge to registered users through the following methods:

•	Compuserve Mail: send mail to 72124,514

•	Internet Mail: send mail to 72124.514@compuserve.com

•	Fax: send faxes to 503-636-4469

•	Postal mail: send to Smartt Software Corporation, P.O. Box 209, Lake Oswego, Oregon 97034

Please include the following information with all requests for support:

•	Your name, company, return address and registration number.

•	LFNsNow! version (available from Help|About)

•	Windows 95 version

•	Other software running

•	A complete description of the problem or question

•	System info: amount of RAM, hard disk space, networks, etc.

We attempt to answer all questions within 2 business days of receipt.


General Description

One of the best features of Windows 95 is the use of long filenames to provide meaningful descriptions of files.  Unfortunately, long filenames are only available in programs written specifically for Windows 95 or NT.  This means that most (if not all) Windows 3.x programs are still limited to DOS 8.3 filenames.  Even under Windows 95 you'll still have to use DOS filenames with your Windows 3.x applications to describe your files.

To make matters worse, if you create long directory and filenames under Windows 95, your Windows 3.x programs will use the DOS form of the filenames.  For example, the file "c:\Program Files\Word Processor\Document Files\4th quarter 1994 results.doc" might look like "c:\progra~1\wordpr~1\docume~6\4thqua~4.doc" to a Windows 3.x program.  And your Windows 3.x programs will not be able to create files with long names.

LFNsNow!, which is short for "Long File Names Now!," overcomes these problems by providing support for long filenames in nearly all Windows 3.x programs.  (LFNsNow! is roughly pronounced as "Elephan's Now!")

And the long filenames are Windows 95 standard, so files created using LFNsNow! can be opened by native Windows 95 programs using the long filenames, and files created by Windows 95 programs can be opened using the long filenames in Windows 3.x programs supported by LFNsNow!  (This is only useful if the programs can read each other's data formats.)

Will it work with all programs?

LFNsNow! works with nearly every program that uses a dialog window to open and save single files.  Some programs may require special settings to work correctly.  And, there are a few programs which will not work at all with long file names.  But you'll probably find that LFNsNow! works with the programs you use most!  (This is what's great about Shareware-- you get to try before you buy!)

Also, LFNsNow! will not support long filenames with "batch" style programs that operate on many files at once.  An example of such a program would be one that transfers files from your desktop machine to your laptop.

Does it change my system?

No, LFNsNow! does NOT change your system.  You can activate it, deactivate it, and uninstall it whenever you wish.  It uses the native Windows 95 file system, so long filenames created with it are perfectly usable by true 32-bit Windows 95 applications.  It does NOT use a proprietary naming system that may be incompatible with Windows 95 applications.


What LFNsNow Does

When LFNsNow! is running, it adds support for long filenames to the Windows 3.x standard file open and save-as dialog windows.  Here are actual samples:

File Save As Dialog

File Open Dialog

Context menus can be displayed by right-clicking the mouse on the file list, the directory list, or on the face of the dialog.  Here is a sample of the options available through a context menu.  (Your list may be a little different.)

Context Menu


Basic Operation

Generally, the setup program that installs LFNsNow! creates an entry in the "startup" folder so that Windows automatically runs LFNsNow! when Windows is started.  Or, you can launch LFNsNow! from the Start button on the Task bar.  In either case, LFNsNow! minimizes itself so that it is only visible on the Task bar.

When you select File-Open in most Windows 3.x programs, a dialog window appears, allowing you to select the file to open.  LFNsNow! recognizes the dialog window and changes it so that the filename and directory list boxes show long filenames.  When you select a file to open, LFNsNow! converts the filename to its DOS equivalent and displays the long name in the filename text field.  When you click the Open button, the Windows 3.x application will open the file and manipulate it using the DOS version of the filename.

When you create a new file with most Windows 3.x programs, a "Save As" dialog window is used to enter the new filename.  LFNsNow! recognizes the "save as" dialog and changes it so that the filename and directory list boxes show long filenames.  When you type in a long filename and click the Save button, LFNsNow! converts the filename to its DOS equivalent and returns that filename to the Windows 3.x application, which will save the file and manipulate it using the DOS version of the filename.  Through some magic built into Windows 95, the newly created file will have both the long filename you typed and the DOS filename required by your Windows 3.x application.

Additional Features

When LFNsNow! is displaying long filenames in a Windows 3.x Open or Save As dialog, several additional features are available when you click the right mouse button over the dialog window or the list boxes.  If you right-click over the filename list box, you'll get a context menu that provides many useful options, such as:

•	LFNsNow! Properties, which allows you to change the LFNsNow! settings for this window (and others.)

•	A list of recently opened files.  Click on any of them to select a file.

•	A list of recently used directories.  Click on any of them to quickly switch to a different directory.

•	File management such as cut, copy, paste, rename, delete, properties and view.

A similar list of choices is available if you right-click on a directory in the directory list box, or on the face of the dialog window.

Some Exceptions

Some programs (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Ami Pro, etc.) use custom dialog windows to open and save files.  These dialogs often look like regular windows, but internally they are very different.  LFNsNow! can provide long filenames for most programs that use custom dialogs by providing special LFNsNow! Open and Save As dialogs that work with the custom dialogs.

For more information on custom dialogs, click here.


Custom Open and Save As Dialogs

Some programs (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Ami Pro, etc.) use custom dialog windows to open and save files.  These dialogs often look like regular windows, but internally they are very different.  LFNsNow! can usually provide long filenames for these programs by providing its own Open and Save As dialogs in the Windows 95 style.

Custom Open Dialogs

When you select File-Open,  a dialog window appears, allowing you to select the file to open.  LFNsNow! recognizes the special dialog window and displays a Windows 95 "file open" dialog on top of the Win 3.x dialog window.  Using the Windows 95 "file open" dialog you can select the file to open from the list of long filenames.  You can also select a different directory for the file using long directory names.  When you click the "open" button, LFNsNow! closes its window, enters the Windows 3.x DOS version of the long filename in the original dialog window and clicks the OK button.  The Windows 3.x application will then open the file and manipulate it using the DOS version of the filename.

Click here to see a sample of how custom open dialogs are handled.

Custom Save As Dialogs

When you create a new file with File-Save As, a "Save As" dialog window is used to enter the new filename.  LFNsNow! recognizes the special "save as" dialog and displays a Windows 95 dialog window on top of the Win 3.x dialog.  After you type in the long filename for the file and click the save button, LFNsNow! enters the equivalent Windows 3.x DOS filename in the original dialog window.  Depending upon the program, you may need to set additional options in the Windows 3.x dialog, such as selecting the file type before you click the OK button.  Through some magic built into Windows 95, the newly created file will have both the long filename you typed and the DOS filename required by your Windows 3.x application.

Click here to see a sample of how custom save as dialogs are handled.


Sample Custom Open Dialog

LFNsNow!'s dialog has been displayed on top of the custom dialog.  You
can select a file based on its long file name and click Open to open it.


Sample Custom Save As Dialog

LFNsNow!'s dialog has been displayed on top of the custom dialog. The user has typed in a long filename.  When Save is pressed, the file will be saved and the DOS file name for "Letter to the President.doc" will be used by the Windows 3.x program.


System Requirements

LFNsNow! requires:

•	Windows 95 (It will not run under Windows NT or Windows 3.x.)

•	Approx. 500K of disk space for the programs and help files.

•	Approx. 1K of disk space for each Windows 3.x application that uses Open or Save As dialogs.  (Used to retain information about the application and  the application's file and directory usage.)


Installation

To install LFNsNow! from a diskette:

•	Insert your diskette into the diskette drive (usually A:)

•	Click Start on the Task Bar, then click Run.  A dialog will appear.

•	Type a:\setup in the Open field and click OK.  (If the LFNsNow! files are on a different drive, enter that in place of the a:.  )

To install LFNsNow! from your hard drive:

•	If the installation files are in a zip file, unzip them first into an empty directory.  Click Start on the Task Bar, then click Run..  A dialog will appear.  Run the LFNsNow SETUP program by entering the directory path followed by SETUP.  For example, "c:\cserve\download\setup".

•	If the installation files are in a self-extracting file (e.g., LFNsNW10.EXE) put that file in any directory and run it to extract the contents.  The Setup program will automatically start.

After you've started the setup program, just follow the prompts.


Uninstallation

You can uninstall LFNsNow! from the Windows 95 Control Panel.  Click Start on the Task Bar, click on Settings, click on Control Panel, double click Add/Remove Programs, and double click on the  LFNsNow! list box entry.  When asked, confirm that you wish to uninstall LFNsNow!.


Tips

Tip: Use the default options wherever possible

The default settings provide the most elegant operation.  If a program causes LFNsNow! to erroneously display its dialog, uncheck the "Automatic display" option in the LFNsNow! dialog for that program and click cancel to close LFNsNow!

Tip: The DOS filename for a long filename can change

Windows 95 maintains a DOS 8.3 alias filename for every long filename.  Windows 95 determines the DOS filename when the file is created, copied, renamed or moved.  The DOS filename for a file can change when the file is moved or copied to a different directory!!! Essentially there is no sure way of knowing what DOS filename is assigned to a file except to ask Windows 95.  The DOS filename is (usually) derived from the first 6 characters of the long filename and the first 3 characters of the file extension.  If the long filename is "4th Quarter 95 Estimated Sales.xls" then the DOS filename may be something like "4THQUA~1.XLS".  If you also have "4th Quarter 95 Expenses.xls" the DOS filename might be "4THQUA~2.XLS".  Note that there is nothing in the DOS filenames that would allow you to tell them apart.

Tip:  Use the DOS extension for long filenames

It's a good idea when saving a new file to always type the dos file extension.  This avoids problems where LFNsNow!  is unable to determine what the correct extension is.  Examples:  "Chris' Birthday Picture.bmp", "Fourth Quarter 95 Sales Projections.xls", and "My Passwords.txt".


Troubleshooting

Problem: filename not accepted or wrong file type saved

Some programs with custom open or save as dialogs control the type of files they create through a combobox on their "file save as" dialogs rather than through the file extension.  This behavior is very common in "paint" programs that can save formats in very many different ways.  (Some programs even offer a sub-type to a file type: thus a .BMP file can be saved in an OS/2 format, a Windows RGB format, or a Windows RLE format.)  LFNsNow! does not know about these special formats.  However, you can still use long filenames with these programs; it just takes a few extra steps.

•	Create the file and select "save as" from your application's menu.

•	The application "save as" dialog will appear.

•	The LFNsNow! "save as" dialog will appear over it.

•	Type in the long filename including the extension:  "My Picture.BMP"

•	Uncheck "Press OK" in the LFNsNow! settings at the bottom of the screen.

•	Click the save button.  LFNsNow! will close and set your application's filename.

•	Select the correct file format (and sub-formats) from your application's dialog.

•	Click the save button.  The file will be saved under the long filename.

Problem: filename field in Windows 3.x dialog not set

LFNsNow! did not set the File Name field in the Windows 3.x dialog.  Diagnosis: This occurs when either the "Paste filename" option has been cleared or when LFNsNow! is unable to find the File Name field in the Windows 3.x dialog.  Solution: The DOS filename was copied to the clipboard.  Erase the contents of the File Name field and then paste (Ctrl-v) the file name into it.

Problem: Invalid filename error

A Windows 3.x program reports an invalid filename after LFNsNow! has set its File Name field.  Diagnosis: Most likely the program will not accept the path in front of the filename.  Solution: Bring up the LFNsNow! dialog by activating LFNsNow! and clicking on the "Open Dialog" button.  Clear the "Include path" option in the LFNsNow! dialog and try again.

Problem: file not found error

In response to the problem above, the "Include path" option was cleared-- now the Windows 3.x program says "file not found."  Diagnosis: Most likely this occurs because you switched to a different directory in LFNsNow!, but your Windows 3.x program is still looking in its original directory.  Solution: Clear the "Press OK" option in the LFNsNow! dialog and try again.  After you've closed the LFNsNow! dialog, use the Windows 3.x dialog to switch to the right directory, and then click OK.  (Remember, this only happens in the rare case where a program will not accept a path with the filename.)


Main Dialog

Menus

Use File, Exit to end (close) the program.

Use Edit, Activation Phrases to edit the words that are used to recognize Open and Save As dialog windows.  This is an advanced feature that is normally not used.

Use Help to get information on LFNsNow!, to place an order, and to enter registration information.

Dialog Buttons

The Open Dialog and Save As Dialog buttons can be used to display an LFNsNow! dialog for the currently active program.  This may be necessary if LFNsNow! does not recognize a particular Windows 3.x dialog.

The Dialog Properties button displays the LFNsNow! settings for each Windows 3.x program.  Settings can be changed from the Dialog Properties screen.

General Preferences

Show LFNsNow! Open/Save As dialogs

If checked, then the default is to display LFNsNow! Windows 95-style dialogs when Windows 3.x programs display Open or Save As dialogs.  This preference can be overridden for any window by clearing the "Automatic display" checkbox in the LFNsNow! Open and Save As dialogs.

Note: LFNsNow! dialogs are not displayed if LFNsNow! is providing long file names directly in the Windows 3.x dialog.

Run LFNsNow! when Windows starts

If checked, then LFNsNow! starts each time Windows 95 starts.  If unchecked, then it does not.

Display LFNsNow! only as an Icon on the Task Bar

If checked, then LFNsNow! displays a small icon in the tray area of the Task Bar.  This is typically in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.  To bring up the LFNsNow! main dialog, you can click on this icon.  If this option is unchecked, then LFNsNow! is displayed as a button on the task bar.

Windows 3.x Open/Save As Dialog Preferences

Use long file names

If checked, then the default is for LFNsNow! to provide long file names directly in the Windows 3.x open and save as dialogs.  This preference can be overridden for any window by changing the dialog properties for the window.  (Right-click on the open or save as dialog to bring up the context menu for the dialog, and then select Dialog Properties from the context menu.)

Small font for the file & directory lists

If checked, then the default is to use a smaller font for the file and directory lists in Windows 3.x open and save as dialogs.  This allows more information to be shown.

Suspend LFNsNow!

If checked, LFNsNow! is suspended.  When suspended, LFNsNow! does not provide any long file name support.  (In fact, when suspended, it does absolutely nothing at all.)


Dialog Properties

The Dialog Properties screen shows the settings for each dialog known to LFNsNow!  To see (and change) the settings for a dialog, first select the program from the Program combobox (the directory for the program is shown in the field to the right of the program name,) and then select the dialog title from the list of titles.  The settings for the dialog title will be shown below.  You can change any of the settings you wish.

To delete a dialog title from the list, select the title and press the Del key.

When the selected dialog is displayed:

Use long file names

If checked, then LFNsNow! will show long file names in the dialog.

Small font for the file and directory lists

If checked, then a smaller font is used so that more information can be seen.

For the LFNSNow! dialog that corresponds to the dialog

Display the LFNsNow! dialog when the selected dialog is displayed

If checked, then an LFNsNow! dialog is displayed whenever the Windows 3.x dialog is displayed.  The LFNsNow! dialog is displayed on top of the Windows 3.x dialog.  This is the same setting as "Automatic display" on the LFNsNow! Open and Save As dialogs.  This option is not available if "Use long file names" has been selected for the dialog.

Press OK to close the selected dialog when Save or OK is pressed

If checked, when you click the LFNsNow! Save or OK button, then LFNsNow! will set the file name field in the Windows 3.x dialog and then try to click its OK button.  This is the normal option because it requires the fewest keystrokes.

Paste the file name from the LFNsNow! dialog into the File Name...

If checked, when you click the Save or OK button, then LFNsNow! will set the file name field in the Windows 3.x dialog to the DOS file name of the file you have selected.  This is the normal option.  If LFNsNow! cannot find the file name field in the Windows 3.x dialog, then it copies the file name to the clipboard.  In that case LFNsNow! will not press the OK button on the Windows 3.x dialog so that you can first manually paste the file name by pressing Ctrl-v in the file name field.

Include the path in the file name...

If checked, then LFNsNow! includes the path on the file name that is pasted into the Windows 3.x dialog.  This is the normal setting.  Some programs will not correctly handle the path on the file name.


Glossary

A

activation phrase

application

ask Windows 95

Automatic display

C

Create file

current Windows 3.x program

D

DOS filename

F

filename

I

Include path

L

LFN

LFNsNow! is running

P

Paste Filename

Press OK

T

Task Bar

W

workstation


Press OK

When this option is checked and the Save or Open button is pressed, LFNsNow! will press the OK button on the Windows 3.x dialog for you.  If not checked, you have to press the button yourself.

Default: checked.

Recommended: checked.


Paste filename

When this option is checked and Save or Open is pressed in the LFNsNow! dialog, LFNsNow! automatically sets the File Name field in the Windows 3.x dialog to the DOS file name corresponding to the long file name entered or selected.  If not checked, the DOS file name is copied to the clipboard so that you can manually paste it into your program's dialog (typically using  <control-v>).

Default: checked.

Recommended: checked.


Include path

When this option is checked, the DOS file name returned to the Windows 3.x program will contain the full path including drive, path, file name and extension.  Normally this is the correct setting.  However, some Windows 3.x programs will not accept the returned file name if it includes the path.

Default: checked.

Recommended: checked.


DOS Name

This field is used to display the DOS file name of the file currently selected.  If a shortcut file is selected, this field will display the target file's DOS file name. If no file is selected, the DOS name of the current folder is displayed.


Options button

The Options button provides a context menu that gives access to the LFNsNow! Dialog Properties screen, a list of recently used files that can be used to quickly select a file to open, and a list of recently accessed directories that can be used to quickly switch to a directory.


Automatic display

When this option is checked and the active Windows 3.x program displays its dialog, LFNsNow! will automatically display the corresponding Windows 95 Open/Save As dialog.  The Windows 95 dialog will be on top of (though usually not completely covering) the Windows 3.x dialog.  (This option has no effect if LFNsNow! is showing long file names directly in the Windows 3.x dialog.)

Default: checked.

Recommended: checked.


activation phrase

LFNsNow! activates itself when it sees an activation phrase in the title of a Windows 3.x program dialog window.  For example, the standard english activation phrases are 'open' and 'save as'.


application

A Windows 3.x program.


ask Windows 95

This is how LFNsNow! gets the DOS filename for a long filename-- it asks Windows 95!!!


Automatic display

When this option is checked and the Windows 3.x program displays an Open or Save As dialog, LFNsNow! will automatically display the corresponding Windows 95 Open/Save As dialog.  The Windows 95 dialog will be on top of (though not covering) the Windows 3.x program dialog.  Default: checked.  Recommended: checked.


Create file

When this option is checked and Save is pressed in the LFNsNow! Save As dialog, the specified file is actually created by LFNsNow!.  For some programs this is the only way to force the creation of long filenames.  When the OK button is pressed on the Windows 3.x program Save As dialog, you will receive another dialog telling you that the file already exists and asking if you want to overwrite it.  As long as the file was created by LFNsNow!, reply yes.  When your Windows 3.x program overwrites the file, it retains its long filename.  Default: unchecked.  Recommend: unchecked.


current Windows 3.x program

The current program is the one that was active just before LFNsNow! activated.  The title of current program is usually displayed in the title of LFNsNow!'s Open and Save As dialogs.  It is also displayed on the LFNsNow! main screen.


DOS filename

DOS filenames use the 8.3 format: up to 8 characters in the base filename, a period (dot), and up to 3 character extension.  DOS directories are just special cases of DOS files and use the 8.3 format.


filename

A Windows 95 filename can contain up to 255 characters, including spaces. But, it cannot contain any of the following characters: \ / : * ? " < > |  A filename with the drive letter, path, filename and extension cannot exceed 260 chararcters.  DOS filenames are limited to 12 characters in the 8.3 format where the base filename can be 8 characters and the extension 3.


Include path

When this option is checked, the DOS filename returned to the Windows 3.x program will contain the full path including drive, path, filename and extension.  Normally this is the correct setting.  However, some Windows 3.x programs will not accept the returned filename if it includes the path.  Default: checked.  Recommended: checked.


LFN

An abbreviation for Long File Names.


LFNsNow! is running

The default is to install LFNsNow! to automatically run when Windows 95 starts.  It will minimize itself so that it only appears on the Task Bar.  If LFNsNow! is not running, start it by clicking on the Start button on the Task Bar, then click on Programs, then click on LFNsNow!.  It will briefly appear and then mimimize itself on the Task Bar.


Paste Filename

When this option is checked and Save or Open is pressed on the LFNsNow! dialogs, LFNsNow! automatically sets the File Name field in the Windows 3.x dialog to the DOS filename corresponding to the long filename entered.  If not checked, the DOS filename is copied to the clipboard so that you can manually paste it into your program's dialog (typically using  <control-v>).  Default: checked.  Recommended: checked.


Press OK

When this option is checked and the Save or Open button is pressed on the LFNsNow! Open or Save As dialog, LFNsNow! will press the OK button on the Windows 3.x dialog for you.  If not checked, you have to press the button yourself.  Default: checked.  Recommended: checked.


Task Bar

The toolbar that Windows 95 usually displays at the bottom of the screen.  The Task Bar has a button for each program that is currently running .  If the Task Bar is not visible, move the mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen to make it visible.


workstation

A computer.