The Next Tools Copyright 1990 by Thomas B. Hardy Comments, questions, and suggestions for improvements should be sent to CIS ID# 72540,65 or The NetWorker, Inc. Thomas Hardy 7510 Inverness, Cir. N. Ft. Myers, FL 33903 The Next Tools CONTENTS: About The Next Tools.............................. 3 Setting up The Next Tools......................... 4 Command line options.............................. 5 Command Summary................................... 6 Using the NTOOLS shell............................ 6 Page 2 The Next Tools The Next Tools is a Shareware product. This unregistered copy may be copied and distributed as long as the following rules are met: 1. If you use The Next Tools for more than two (2) weeks, you MUST register it as explained in the acompanying file REGISTER.TXT 2. All of the files listed below are included and are unaltered. REGISTER.TXT - registration form REGISTER.EXE - displays and optionally prints registration form README.TXT - this document NASK.EXE - batch file ask utility NDEL.EXE - global deletion utility NDELBUT.EXE - delete all but... utility NDIRRUN.EXE - lists .BAT, .COM and .EXE files in directory NDUPS.EXE - finds duplicate files on a drive NFIND.EXE - find a file(s) anywhere on a drive NFLAG.EXE - change file(s) ReadOnly and Hidden attributes NGLOBAL.EXE - Execute any command in all directories NRD.EXE - remove a directory, even when full NREP.EXE - replace all files of a name with specified copy NSEP.EXE - separate files into groups of specified size NTOOLS.EXE - UTILITY SHELL FOR RUNNING THESE UTILITIES README.EXE - displays this document SETUP.EXE - sets defaults, displays needed change to AUTOEXEC 3. No more that $10.00 is charged for copying and disk fees for this specific program. DISCLAIMER: This product is not warranted in any way. Any loss or damage due directly or indirectly to use of this product is solely the responsibility of the user. The author cannot be held in any way responsible for any liability due to the use of this product. NOTE: These utilities were written with speed of execution in mind. In keeping with this goal, some ideas for options have been discarded. However, if you have an idea for an improvement, please contact me via CompuServe ( 72540,65 ) or send to: Thomas B. Hardy The NetWorker, Inc. 5710 Inverness Cir. N. Ft. Myers, FL 33903 Page 3 The Next Tools SETTING UP THE NEXT TOOLS _________________________ Before using the Next Tools, you must first do three things. 1) Move The Next Tools files to a subdirectory 2) Create a file to hold your defaults 3) Adjust your AUTOEXEC.BAT The following describes the proper steps: 1) First, create a subdirectory where The Next Tools will be stored, the directory C:\NT is used here. If you choose another directory, substitute that path instead of C:\NT in the following examples. Then copy all of the files listed on page three ( all files contained in the zipped or archived file you received ) to the directory you have created. 2) You MUST create a default file for The Next Tools to run correctly. All of the defaults are set in what is probably the best positions for everyone. Probably the only default you will need to set is the switch for mono/color. To create a default file, simply type the following commands at the DOS prompt. CD\NT ( or path where The Next Tools was installed ) COPY CON NTOOLS.CFG MONO=NO ( for color systems ) or MONO=YES ( for monochrome systems ) ^Z ( Ctrl-Z or F6 to end entry ) 3) You must now add or adjust two entries in your AUTOEXEC.BAT Add the path C:\NT ( or wherever The Next Tools was installed ) to your path. If no path exists, you must create one that contains the path above. Add the line SET NTOOLS=C:\NT\NTOOLS.CFG. This tells the utilities where to look for the configuration file. This way, you can execute any of the utilities from any other directory and still use the defaults contained in NTOOLS.CFG. Other defaults may be set in the default file. To set them, execute the setup program SETUP.EXE and answer the questions. When you select an option setting that is the same as the default, no entry is made in the default file so pay attention to the defaults for the command line options listed below. Remember: all options except exclude directory and exempt ( /E and /X ) will toggle off and on when used more than once per command. This includes usage in the default file. So: if you have set an option in the default file such as question entry to each subdirectory or monochrome ( Question=Yes and Mono=Yes ) and you also include these switches on the command line, ( /Q and /M ) the net result will be that question is off and monochrome is true. Page 4 The Next Tools COMMAND LINE OPTIONS ____________________ A : Execute the utility across all subsequent drives. Command line: /A or A Default file: /Alldrives=yes or Alldrives=no Default : Off E : Exclude a subdirectory from the actions of the utility Command line: /E=C:\DOS Default file: Exclude=C:\DOS Default : Off M : Monochrome Command line: /M or M Default file: Mono=yes or Mono=no Default : Off N : Non-stop Command line: /N or N Default file: Nonstop=yes or Nonstop=no Default : Off O : Override ReadOnly attribute Command line /O or O Default file: Override=yes or Override=no Default : Off P : Printout Command line: /P or P Default file: printout=yes or printout=no Default : Off Q : Query for permission to enter each subdirectory Command line: /Q or Q Default file: question=yes or question=no Default : Off R : Report Command line: /R=Report.FIL or R=Report.Fil Default file: report=Report.FIL Default : Off S : Subdirectory usage Command line: /S or S Default file: Subdirectories=yes or subdirectories=no Default : ON <<:NOTE T : Transfer attributes ( NREP Only ) Command line: /T or T Default file: Transfer=yes or Transfer=no Default : Off X : Turn off Excluded directories Command Line: /X or X Default file: Xmpt=yes Default : Off Page 5 The Next Tools COMMAND SUMMARY _______________ NASK.EXE - batch file ask utility Usage : NASK "question" possible answers Example : NASK "Install (P)rint spool or (R)am drive?" I,R Result : Install (P)rint spool or (R)am drive(I,R)? Errorlevel Codes: First option = 1 Second option = 2 Third option = 3 ect. Sample batch file: echo off nask "(L)ow or (H)igh density" l,h if errorlevel 2 goto high format a: /n:9 /t:80 goto end :high format a: :end Note: When testing the errorlevel, you must test for the higher number first. An errorlevel of 2 will give a result of true when testing for errorlevel 1. NDEL.EXE - global deletion utility Usage : NDEL Path\Filename Options Example : NDEL C:\*.BAK /R=C:\DEL.RPT Result : Will delete all files matching *.bak in directory C:\ and all subsequent subdirectories and create a file name DEL.RPT containing a list of all files deleted. Example : NDEL C:\*.BAK /P /E=C:\DOS /A Result : Will delete all files matching *.bak in directory C:\ and all subsequent subdirectories EXCEPT C:\DOS. All drives after C: will also be searched. A path of '\' will be the starting path on all drives searched INCLUDING C: even if another path is specified. A list of all files deleted will be printed. Page 6 The Next Tools COMMAND SUMMARY _______________ NDELBUT.EXE - delete all but... utility Usage : NDELBUT Path\FileName Options Example : NDELBUT D:\PASCAL\*.PAS /X Result : Will delete all files in the directory D:\PASCAL EXCEPT those matching *.PAS. If that directory was Excluded in the defaults file, the Exclusion will be overriden by the /X option and the operation will be performed; NDIRRUN.EXE - lists of .BAT, .COM and .EXE files in directory Usage : NDIRRUN Path\FileName Options Example : NDIRRUN D:\PASCAL\*.PAS /P Result : Will list all files in the directory D:\PASCAL that end with the extensions .BAT, .COM, and .EXE. The listing will also be printed. NDUPS.EXE - finds duplicate files on a drive Usage : NDUPS Drive: Options Example : NDUPS D: /R=DUPS.RPT Result : Will search all filed on drive C: and list files that occur in more than one place. The duplicate listing will be written out to the file: DUPS.RPT. Page 7 The Next Tools COMMAND SUMMARY _______________ NFIND.EXE - find a file(s) anywhere on a drive Usage : NFIND Path\FileName Options Example : NFIND D:\PASCAL\*.PAS /X Result : Will Find all files in the directory D:\PASCAL that match *.PAS. If that directory was Excluded in the defaults file, the Exclusion will be overriden by the /X option and the operation will be performed; NFLAG.EXE - change files ReadOnly and Hidden attributes Usage : NFLAG Path\FileName Options Example : NFLAG D:\PASCAL\*.PAS +R -H Result : Will set all files in the directory D:\PASCAL that match *.PAS to ReadOnly and not Hidden. NGLOBAL.EXE - Execute any command in all directories Usage : NGLOBAL "COMMAND" Options Example : NGLOBAL "DIR" /P Result : Will execute the DOS command DIR in the current directory and all subsequent directories and print a list of all directories that it enters. Page 8 The Next Tools COMMAND SUMMARY _______________ NRD.EXE - remove a directory, even when full Usage : NRD Path Options Example : NRD D:\PASCAL /P Result : Will remove the subdirectory D:\PASCAL after deleting all files and directories within D:\PASCAL. A printout will be made of all files deleted and directories removed during the operation. NREP.EXE - replace all files of a name with specified copy Usage : NREP Path\FileName Options Example : NREP D:\PASCAL\FRED.PAS Result : Will search the CURRENT directory and all subsequent directories for the file FRED.PAS. If it is found, it will be replaced with the file D:\PASCAL\FRED.PAS. Example : NREP D:\PASCAL\FRED.PAS /T Result : Will search the CURRENT directory and all subsequent directories for the file FRED.PAS. If it is found, it will be replaced with the file D:\PASCAL\FRED.PAS and flag the file with the same attributes as D:\PASCAL\FRED.PAS unless the file found is flagged ReadOnly. Example : NREP D:\PASCAL\FRED.PAS /T /O Result : Will search the CURRENT directory and all subsequent directories for the file FRED.PAS. If it is found, it will be replaced with the file D:\PASCAL\FRED.PAS and flag the file with the same attributes as D:\PASCAL\FRED.PAS regardless of whether the found file was flagged ReadOnly. Page 9 The Next Tools COMMAND SUMMARY _______________ NSEP.EXE - separate files into groups of specified size Usage : NREP Size Options Example : NREP 360 /P Result : Will take all of the files in the current directory and separate them into groups that are no larger that 360 KBytes and create directories numbered 1, 2, 3 ect. to place them in. Files larger than 360 will be placed in the directory TOOLARGE which will be created if needed. A printout will be made of all the files locations. NTOOLS.EXE - UTILITY SHELL FOR RUNNING THESE UTILITIES Usage : NTOOLS Example : NTOOLS Result : Starts the utility shell that will allow you to execute the other utilities. This shell is required to use the utilities. Owners of the registered version WILL NOT need to use the shell and can issue commands from the DOS command line to use the utilities. So come no, register. Page 10 The Next Tools USING THE NTOOLS SHELL ______________________ The NTOOLS shell is provided to help you grow accustomed to the utilities and to remind you of what command line options are available for each utility. To select a utility, simply move the cursor keys up or down or use 8 for up and 2 for down and highlight the utility you wish to use. As you highlight each utility, a description will be displayed for that utility including a sample call to the utility and a list of available parameters. When you press enter, you will be asked for parameters and when those are entered, the utility will be executed. Pressing escape when selecting from the list of utilities will exit the menu program. Page 11 ----------------end-of-author's-documentation--------------- Software Library Information: This disk copy provided as a service of Public (software) Library We are not the authors of this program, nor are we associated with the author in any way other than as a distributor of the program in accordance with the author's terms of distribution. Please direct shareware payments and specific questions about this program to the author of the program, whose name appears elsewhere in this documentation. If you have trouble getting in touch with the author, we will do whatever we can to help you with your questions. All programs have been tested and do run. To report problems, please use the form that is in the file PROBLEM.DOC on many of our disks or in other written for- mat with screen printouts, if possible. PsL cannot debug pro- programs over the telephone, though we can answer questions. Disks in the PsL are updated monthly, so if you did not get this disk directly from the PsL, you should be aware that the files in this set may no longer be the current versions. Also, if you got this disk from another vendor and are having prob- lems, be aware that some files may have become corrupted or lost by that vendor. Get a current, working disk from PsL. For a copy of the latest monthly software library newsletter and a list of the 2,000+ disks in the library, call or write Public (software) Library P.O.Box 35705 - F Houston, TX 77235-5705 1-800-2424-PSL MC/Visa/AmEx Outside of U.S. or in Texas or for general information, Call 1-713-524-6394 PsL also has an outstanding catalog for the Macintosh.