DirPrint - directory contents printing utility for Windows 3.1.

Author:            Peter Rodwell
Version:           1.35, 02/1994


This is an interim update of DirPrint version 1.10, adding
printing to a file or to the clipboard as alternatives to
printing to the printer.


INSTALLATION

Just copy the file to any convenient directory and set up Program
Manager to display its icon, etc.

If you have been using the previous version of DirPrint, you
may want to delete the configuration file DIRPRINT.GGG in your
Windows directory. This version creates a configuration file called
DIRPRINT.CNF instead and ignores the old version's config file.


FIRST-TIME USE

The first time you run DirPrint, it will use certain default
settings for the format used to display the date and time
and to format numbers. It saves these details, together with
its position on the screen when you exit the program. You
can change these settings using the Config menu item on the
File menu. This displays the config screen - just click on the
settings you require. This screen also allows you to select
the output destination for printing: to the printer, a file
or to the Windows clipboard. This choice is also saved in
the config file, along with the name of the directory last
selected for viewing/printing.


STARTING DirPrint

Your can start DirPrint in three ways:

    By double-clicking on its icon, in the normal way. In this
    case, DirPrint will display a panel showing the contents of
    the currently-selected directory (its own if this is the first
    time you have used it, or the directory which was selected
    when you last used it).

    By using the File Run command in Program Manager:

       a)  By typing DirPrint's name (and path if necessary)
           without any parameters, in which case DirPrint will
           start up as though you'd double-clicked its icon.

       b)  By typing DirPrint's name (and path if necessary)
           plus the path of the subdirectory you wish to print
           and optionally a file specifier for the files to be
           listed (e.g., "C:\DOS\*.EXE" - if no specifier is
           given, DirPrint automatically adds "*.*" to list all
           files). In this mode, DirPrint will start up as an
           icon and will immediately begin to print; when it
           finishes printing, it automatically terminates.


OPERATION

Clicking the "Dir" button opens a dialogue which allows you to
move to another disk or dir. Double-clicking on a drive or dir
name will immediately change disk/dir and re-display the main
listing. This dialogue also allows you to change the file spec by
editing the current spec shown in the edit box under the listing.

Clicking on file names in the main directory listing "selects"
them, a running count being displayed of the number of files
selected and their total size. The "Select All" button selects all
entries, while the "Deselect" button removes all selections. When
one or more files are selected, the "Disks" button is enabled.
Clicking this displays a dialogue which shows the total number of
diskettes required to store the selected files on different
diskette types.


PRINTING

Clicking on the "Print" button starts printing. If files have been
selected, you are offered the option of printing a listing of just
the selected files or of all files. If either no files are
selected or all are selected, printing starts immediately.
If you are printing to the printer, a small printing dialogue
box allows printing to be canceled.

If you are printing to a file, a dialogue box appears requesting
the name of the output file - enter a full file path name if
you do not want the file to be created in the currently-selected
directory. The resulting file is in plain ASCII text which can
be read into and printed from any word processor.

If you select output to the clipboard (see "FIRST-TIME USE", above),
you can recall DirPrint's output simply by switching to any
Windows word processor and selecting Edit, Paste. This will
not work with a DOS word processor, even when it is running
in a DOS box.


PRINTER PROBLEMS

Some users have reported problems printing to HP LaserJet 4
printers in 600 dpi mode. As far as I can tell, this appears
to be a driver problem and there are similar problems with
other Windows applications. Apparently it works fine if you
select 300 dpi mode (although this rather negates the reason
for buying the printer). It seems that HP is still shipping
an old version of the driver; a new version is available
from Microsoft and HP and can also be found on CompuServe.

There are also problems printing to some dot matrix printers,
but I have not yet been able to investigate these. And to
think Windows is supposed to free programs from printer
dependence...


NOTES

DirPrint can in theory handle directories with up to 4000 entries.
Not having that many files in a single directory, I haven't tested
it to that limit (which is an arbitrary limit to simplify things;
in any case, I think that anyone who has more than 4000 files in
a single directory should seriously consider reorganizing his/her
hard disk!).

The program creates a small configuration file, called
DirPrint.CNF in the Windows subdir. It is highly unlikely that a
file with this name already exists, but if this is the case, it
should be removed before DirPrint is run for the first time.
DirPrint will over-write any file with that name when it
terminates.

I "bolted together" this program from other stuff already written
and I have tested it quite thoroughly without finding any
problems. It runs fine on my system (a 33 Mhz Dell 486) with
Windows 3.1 in standard VGA mode; I have not been able to try it
with any other screen resolutions or with Windows 3.0. Printing
works fine with my LaserJet IIIP with and without PostScript but
that's the only printer I have, so it's the only one used for
testing.

If you find any bugs or have any suggestions for improvements,
please let me know via CompuServe on 100023,2476.

The next update will feature the ability to print a whole
directory tree -- I was hoping to have this done by now but
pressure of work forces me to delay it for the time being,
hence this interim update.

Finally, my thanks to Brian Livingston of "InfoWorld" for kindly
commenting on DirPrint, making a number of useful suggestions
and for designing the program's icon, infinitely better than
my effort. See his book "More Windows 3.1 Secrets" for a whole
bunch of useful programs plus masses of Windows info.

The program is in the public domain, so feel free to do with it as
you wish.  Enjoy!


Peter.


APPENDIX: LATEST POSTSCRIPT DRIVER FOR HP (AND OTHER)
POSTCRIPT PRINTERS

1. Check the date of your printer driver. Select printers in the
control panel, select your HP printer, then select Setup and About,
to see the version number. The latest driver is version 3.58; if
your driver is earlier, continue with the following.

2. Find the HP printer driver in your WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. It
will be called either HPWINPS.DRV or PSCRIPT.DRV (the former is
distributed with HP printers, the latter comes with Windows, but
apart from the name they are identical).

3. Make a backup copy of the driver in another directory or on a
diskette.

4. On CompuServe, GO MSL and download the file PSCRIP.EXE into
a temporary sub-directory (NOT the one containing the backup
copy of the driver).

5. From DOS, run PSCRIP. This is a compressed, self-extracting file.
The result of running it will be a file called PSCRIPT.DRV, the
latest driver.

6. Copy this to your WINDOWS\SYSTEM subdirectory. If your earlier
driver was called HPWINPS.DRV, rename the new file as you copy it.

7. Re-start Windows and re-select your printer in the Control Panel
to ensure that the new driver is operative. For DirPrint,
ensure you select it as the default printer.