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Information about “DIRECTORY FREEDOM”
DIRECTORY FREEDOM is intended for the person with a basic working
knowledge of subdirectories, etc., by remembering filenames when, for
example, they wish to selectively copy some files from a hard disk
subdirectory.
It's a fast, compact (12K) alternative to a DOS shell and provides for
selective file and directory operations (e.g., copying files), a
scrollable environment for examining the contents of directories, and
user-defined keys to operate on selected files. For example, define
the CONTROL-F1 key to be an editor (e.g., QEDIT). Highlight a file in
the directory, press CONTROL-F1 to move immediately into the editor and
operate on the file. Colors, directory sort order, and the setting of
the DOS Verify flag can all be customized.
DF350A.TXT
DF - Directory Freedom 3.50
Copyright 1989, 1990 by Gordon Haff.
All rights reserved.
Command: DF
Purpose: Offer users a fast, compact alternative to DOS Shells
which provides 1) selective file and directory
operations; 2) a scrollable environment for examining
directories; and 3) user-defined keys which can operate
upon highlighted files (e.g. defined editors)
Format: DF [d:][source-path] [d:][dest-path] [/O,N,E,D,or
S][/F][/V]
Prereqs: 100% IBM Compatible PC running DOS 2.0 or higher
(certain directory commands require DOS 3.0 or higher)
Major Associated Programs:
DFCONFIG, while not required for the use of DF, allows for
the installation of user-defined commands and options
in an intuitive, menu-driven manner. CONVERT allows
users of earlier revisions to preserve their customized
options when upgrading.
┌─────────┐
┌─────┴───┐ │ (tm)
──│ │o │──────────────────
│ ┌─────┴╨──┐ │ Association of
│ │ │─┘ Shareware
└───│ o │ Professionals
──────│ ║ │────────────────────
└────╨────┘ MEMBER
Directory Freedom 3.50 2
DISCLAIMER
The author hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this
product, whether express or implied, including without limitation
any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a
particular purpose. The author cannot and will not be liable for
any special, incidental, consequential, indirect or similar
damages due to loss of data or any other reason, even if the
author or an authorized agent has been advised of the possibility
of such damages. In no event shall the liability for any damages
ever exceed the price paid for the license to use the software,
regardless of the form and/or extent of the claim. The user of
this program bears all risk as to the quality and performance of
the software.
LICENSE
Directory Freedom is a Shareware product. As such, it is made
available to the general personal computing public for
evaluation. Users are licensed to operate this program on their
personal computers for the purpose of test and evaluation on a
trial basis for a limited trial period. It is not possible to
reasonably define the limits of a fair and equitable time period
for evaluation; therefore it is left to the user's judgment and
sense of fair play as to the time required to make a decision as
to its usefulness. If the user decides the program is not of
sufficient merit to warrant purchase through registration with
the author, he/she should remove the program from his/her
personal computer. Otherwise, if the program is deemed useful
and is in regular use on the user's computer system, registration
with the author is required.
Registered users are those users who elect to pay for Directory
Freedom and register that payment with the author. By virtue of
registration and payment for the program, registered users are
granted a license to continue to utilize the program on their
personal computer for as long as they choose. This license
authorizes the user to use the program on any personal computer
system he or she may own or use so long as the program is
operated on only one computer system at a time.
GUARANTEE
Directory Freedom is offered with an unconditional 30-day money-
back guarantee. If you become unsatisfied with the program for
any reason within that period, just let me know and your
registration will be refunded. If you purchased a registration
package which included a diskette and a manual, please return
these when requesting a refund.
This guarantee is unconditional. I would ask, however, if you
are having a problem to let me know before giving up on DF since
your problem may be something I can solve.
Finally, if you order a registration package which includes
Directory Freedom 3.50 3
diskette and manual and either of these items are defective --
either through my error or through postal service "processing",
let me know and I will send replacements promptly.
Directory Freedom 3.50 4
REGISTRATION
Directory Freedom is the sole property of Gordon Haff. The
program may be freely copied and transferred to individual
parties for evaluation purposes. It may be posted on Bulletin
Board systems (BBS) for electronic access as long as NO FEE is
charged for its distribution except for private BBS operations
that charge a regular user subscription fee. Computer
information services such as Compuserve (CIS), Genie, and Byte
Information Exchange (BIX) are authorized to post this product
for subscriber access. Directory Freedom may be distributed on
diskette only by 1) disk distributors/vendors who are associate
members of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP) or 2)
users groups which do not charge more than a nominal fee ($5) to
cover the costs of distribution. Any changes to these policies
must be made in writing by the author.
Directory Freedom is a fully functional Shareware product.
Shareware is a computer program distribution/marketing method
that permits potential buyers to thoroughly try the program prior
to purchase. It is NOT free and it is not in the Public Domain.
If, after evaluating the program, you find it to be useful enough
to use it on a regular basis, you are expected to pay for it by
registering with the author.
The registration fee is $20.00. The payment of this registration
fee to the author entitles the user to full use of the product
for an unlimited period of time in addition to product support.
The distribution of diskette copies of Directory Freedom and
future upgrades is not included as part of the basic registration
fee. See the order form at the end of this documentation for the
charges associated with these services.
Attractively-priced site licensing is available for commercial
users. Please call or write for details since the pricing varies
depending upon support and product update requirements.
Customization is also available on a contract basis.
Please note that the registration fee is specifically limited to
Directory Freedom (DF.COM), the configuration program
(DFCONFIG.EXE), and their associated documentation. Other
copyrighted "Freeware" and public domain software is distributed
with Directory Freedom only for the convenience of users.
This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
does not provide technical support for members' products. Please
write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006
or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman
70007,3536
Directory Freedom 3.50 5
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Full technical support is available to registered users of
Directory Freedom. I have found that the most effective product
support can be delivered through the electronic services listed
below. If this option is not open to you, however, I also offer
full product support through the mails, or, if the problem
absolutely cannot wait, the telephone (no collect calls please).
(It's not that I don't want to talk with you, it's just that I
have found it very difficult to talk through complex problems
over the telephone.) I will do my best to resolve any software
bugs in a timely manner and I am always open to incorporating new
features or changes which are appropriate to the nature of the
product.
I will attempt to respond to software trouble reports made by
non-registered users if the problems affect the general
functionality of the program. Such users should not, however,
expect product support beyond initial aid to determine if the
program is suitable for their needs.
Contact via:
Channel 1 BBS (617) 354-3137
Future Technology BBS (617) 720-3600
Compuserve User ID# 72561,2637 (See Note 2)
InterNet/ARPANET See Note 1
BIX ghaff
U.S. Mail 3205 Windsor Ridge Dr.
Westboro MA 01581
Telephone (508) 898-3321 (evenings)
The above are roughly in order of preference (i.e. how quickly
I'm likely to see your message and be able to respond). I check
Channel One almost daily and the other electronic services at
least weekly in most cases. In addition, I monitor the Interlink
Shareware relay on Future Technology and the PCRelay Shareware
relay on Channel One.
Note 1:
I can be reached on two Internet nodes:
1) gordon_haff@img024.dg.com (or you may need something along
the lines of gordon_haff%img024.dg.com@relay.cs.net if your
system doesn't recognize the dg.com domain)
2) Alternatively 72561,2637@compuserve.com goes to my
Compuserve mailbox. This second method is probably the more
reliable of the two.
Note 2:
When contacting me via Compuserve, please use the Easyplex mail
system since I do not regularly monitor any of the IBM SIG
message bases.
Directory Freedom 3.50 6
1.0 History and Program Philosophy
DF.COM was adapted from Peter Esherick's DC (Directory Control)
version 1.05B. DC, in turn, represents a melding of PC
Magazine's DR and CO utilities (written by Michael J. Mefford and
published in PC Magazine, vol.6, #17 and #21) with a variety of
additional features added while not sacrificing the speed and
compactness of those two utilities. While DC became a staple in
my utilities subdirectory, it still lacked a few features which I
would have found useful. Some of these were included in Brad
Stephenson's modifications to DR; others didn't exist at all.
You get the basic idea. The features I wanted in my directory
control program were scattered amongst about 3 or 4 different
versions of the original PC Magazine programs when they existed
at all. At the same time, more conventional DOS shells usually
lacked these features as well plus they tended to be rather big
clunky things by comparison.
So, what have I added? Some of the new features are listed
below. These are just a sampling but should help to give the
user of one or more of the earlier programs a flavor for how DF
has been extended from its original roots.
Directory functions
User-definable shell functions
An enhanced display containing more detailed subdirectory
information
Functions to change file and directory attributes
Increased flexibility in areas such as setting the DOS
Verify flag and beep type
A user-friendly configuration program
Directory Freedom is designed to provide what one user called "a
rational alternative to the DOS 'dir' command." While, at this
stage in its development, DF has grown significantly past the
point where it merely provides DOS directory services, I have
tried to stay true to one fundamental philosophy of design. This
philosophy is that DF should stay sufficiently small and fast
that the user does not feel that he is bringing up an
applications program every time he types "DF". Rather, it is the
intent that the user will find it faster and easier to just type
"DF" that typing DIR, or COPY, or whatever other DOS command is
required. Along the way, additional functionality has been
added, but with the intent of never compromising this basic
design goal.
Directory Freedom 3.50 7
2.0 Installing Directory Freedom
Installing Directory Freedom is straightforward. If you obtained
the program from a bulletin board or other source which stores
all distribution files in a compressed "archive", you first have
to "de-archive" DF using the appropriate software. Since you are
reading this documentation, however, it's a fair bet that you
have already taken this step!
The next step is to copy the required files to your working
disk(s). DF.COM is self-contained and does not require any other
files for its operation. DFCONFIG.EXE allows you to easily
configure DF, however, and you'll want to make use of CONVERT.EXE
if you are already a DF user and have gone to the time and
trouble to custom configure an earlier revision of the program.
If you are reasonably familiar with moving files between disks
and so forth, the following section should tell you all you need
to know about installing DF.
Quick Installation:
Copy the files DF.COM, (optionally) DFCONFIG.EXE, and
(optionally) CONVERT.EXE to a working floppy diskette or a
subdirectory on your hard disk. If you've got a hard disk, the
easiest thing is probably just to copy to whatever subdirectory
you normally keep your utilities in. Since DF is nice and small
and simple, there's really no need to go off creating a separate
subdirectory for it. To be most useful, whatever subdirectory DF
ends up in should be part of the PATH setup in your CONFIG.SYS
file. You can also go ahead and copy any of the associated
utilities distributed with DF to the same location if you like
and do whatever you normally do with the documentation.
If you're already using an earlier (rev 2.20 and later) revision
of DF, CONFIG.EXE will bring over your customized settings to the
new revision. Just type CONVERT at the DOS prompt and follow the
instructions. When you're done, go ahead and erase CONVERT.EXE,
if you like, since you won't be needing it again.
At this, or any other point, you can also run the DFCONFIG
customization program. Full instructions for doing this are
given in Section 5.0 of this manual.
Directory Freedom 3.50 8
3.0 Using Directory Freedom
3.1 About this Manual
This documentation was written at a level which, I hope, is
appropriate to the level of computer sophistication of most DF
users. This level assumes a degree of familiarity with keyboard
usage on an IBM-PC/AT compatible and a basic understanding of how
DOS is employed to run programs and execute commands. DF is not
a DOS Shell in that it attempts to make life easier for the
person who knows how to use the command line but does not try to
shield the user from the underlying system.
If the above scares you a bit, don't let it. We have all been
beginners at one time and I'm sure you can borrow a book or
friend who will help you through any rough spots you run into.
(And feedback on any spots of opaqueness in this manual is always
welcome as well.)
This manual does go into some depth explaining the hows and whys
of certain functions. These explanations exist largely to
satisfy the curiosity of the more technical users of this program
and therefore the beginning user should not feel put off if he
does not understand every concept mentioned in these
supplementary discussions.
One final note: The commands on the alternate main menu are
designated throughout this manual as Alt-Fx commands for
simplicity and consistency with previous revisions of this
program even though they can now be alternatively defined as
LeftShift-Fx.
Directory Freedom 3.50 9
3.2 Starting up Directory Freedom
The basic format of the DF command line is:
DF [d:][source-path] [d:][dest-path] [/O,N,E,D,or S][/F][/V]
All parameters are optional. If no pathnames are entered, both
the source and the destination directories default to the current
DOS directory. If only one path is enetered, this path is taken
to be that of the source directory and the destination directory
defaults to the current DOS directory. Options, specified by a
"/" followed by a letter, may appear either before or after the
pathnames and override any settings made with the DFCONFIG
program. (Pathnames can be a maximum of 63 characters long,
starting at the drive letter and including the filename.) The
options are as follows:
/N Sort directory by filename
/E Sort directory by extension
/D Sort directory by date and time
/S Sort directory by file size
/O Use original order, i.e. do not sort directory at all.
/V Turn on DOS Verify switch for disk file writes
/F Fast display on IBM Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) -- i.e. no
snow check
DF comes up displaying the "source" / "working" directory. A
brief menu of optional commands is displayed to the right of the
directory display. You may move up and down the directory list
with the up and down arrow keys on the cursor keypad. Files may
be individually copied, deleted, moved or renamed by pressing the
function keys F1 through F4, respectively. Alternatively, a
number of files may be selected, or "marked" using the Grey + and
Grey - keys on the right side of the keypad. After marking,
pressing the appropriate function key will apply the chosen
operation to the entire group of files.
New directories can be displayed in one of two ways. You can
press the F9 function key and enter a new drive and path name.
Alternatively, if you want to move to different sub-directories
on the same drive, you simply press the <Enter> key after using
the up or down arrow keys to high-light the desired subdirectory.
Note that as always within DOS, ".." denotes the parent of a
given subdirectory, i.e. the level above the currently displayed
directory.
Directory Freedom 3.50 10
3.3 Key by key Summary of Commands
Esc Exit program and return to original directory.
Alt-Q Exit program leaving the currently displayed dir as the
current default drive and directory for DOS.
Grey + Mark current file entry, if not a subdirectory or
or Ins hidden file, and advance cursor to next line.
Grey - Remove mark on current file, and advance cursor to next
or Del line.
Space Same as Grey - (Remove Mark) if currently highlighted
file is marked; otherwise same as Grey +
The following functions operate on the marked files, if any,
otherwise they operate on the currently highlighted file. If the
operation is successful the mark is replaced with an asterisk
(*), if unsuccessful the file is passed over, leaving the mark,
and the program proceeds on to the next marked file.
F1 Copy file(s) via a read/write sequence to requested target
F2 Delete file(s) or directory after asking for confirmation
(unless empty directory)
F3 Move file(s), i.e. Copy to requested target, delete
source. Where possible this function is performed
using an across directory rename instead of a file
read/write sequence.
F4 Rename file(s) or directory within the currently
displayed directory.
F5 Clear all marks
F6 Mark all remaining files, i.e. those not marked with an "*"
F7 Swap marked and unmarked files.
The following three functions change the active source and
destination directories:
F8 Swap the Working (source) Directory and the Default
Destination Directory
F9 Prompt for a new Working (source) Directory
F10 Prompt for a new Default Destination Directory
The working (displayed) directory can be re-sorted by typing:
Alt-N Sort by filename
Alt-E Sort by file extension (e.g. .COM vs .DOC)
Alt-D Sort by date and time
Alt-S Sort by file size
Alt-O Re-read and display dir in original, unsorted
order
Directory Freedom 3.50 11
Additional commands appearing in the ALT menu:
Alt F1 Protected Copy -- similar to F1 except that an error is
generated if the target file already exists
Alt F2 Invoke DOS Shell
Alt F3 Forced Move -- Unlike a regular move (F3), this option
will overwrite the target file if it already exists.
(This command has the same relationship to MOVE as
COPY has to PROTECTED COPY.)
Alt F4 Re-read working directory. Required after changing
diskettes in a floppy-disk drive. Also useful if a
copy or shell command has changed the current directory.
Alt F5 Run a program. Parameters may be added after the
program name.
Alt F6 Create a directory. Creates a new subdirectory under
the working (displayed) directory using a name
provided by the user.
Alt F7 Returns the size of the highlighted directory in terms
of disk space used both on the working drive and on
a typical floppy diskette.
Alt C Copy (Duplicates F1)
Alt M Move (Duplicates F3)
Alt V View (Duplicates Return)
Attribute Commands:
Alt A Add Archive bit
Alt R Add Read-Only bit
Alt H Add Hidden bit
Alt Y Add System bit
Ctrl A Remove Archive bit
Ctrl R Remove Read-Only bit
Ctrl H Remove Hidden bit
Ctrl Y Remove System bit
Directory Freedom 3.50 12
User-defined Commands:
Ctrl-F1 through Ctrl-F10 plus external file viewer. Ctrl-F11 and
Ctrl-F12 can be optionally configured through DFCONFIG if you are
using an extended (101-key or equivalent) keyboard
View Mode commands (ONLY applicable when using internal viewer):
W Toggle word wrap/horizontal scroll
A Toggle ASCII string display
B Toggle blanking of non-ASCII characters
Grey * Toggle Wordstar bit mask (shift non-ASCII high-order
characters (from 128 to 255) down into the
displayable ASCII range of 1 to 127.
3.4 File Marking
Entries may be marked, as explained above, with the following
exceptions. The marking keys will NOT operate on the following:
-- Subdirectories
-- Hidden files
Directory Freedom 3.50 13
4.0 Program Feature Information
4.1 Built-in Viewer
(Note that this section applies ONLY if an external file viewer
is NOT configured. I recommend that, for most purposes, the user
configure Vernon Buerg's LIST as his file viewer. DF is shipped
with LIST preconfigured although the user can, of course, change
this easily, by either changing or deleting the command line LIST
~ from within the DFCONFIG program.)
Just as pressing <Enter> lets you view a new directory, pressing
<Enter> when a filename is highlighted lets you view the contents
of the file. In the default mode the display is wrapped at the
edge of the screen if a line is more than 80 characters wide.
This option can be toggled by pressing W. Display of non-ASCII
characters can be toggled with the ASCII and Blank options by
pressing A or B. In ASCII mode only strings of 5 or more normal
ASCII characters (including tab or space) are displayed. This is
useful for viewing the messages contained in an .EXE or .COM
file. With the Blank option, non-ASCII characters are replaced
with a blank or space. A final option, Grey *, masks the high-
order bit of non-ASCII characters to make Wordstar files
readable.
4.2 Shell functions
These appear in the CONTROL menu with one exception. The
exception is the VIEW function accessed by the <Enter> key. If
an external VIEW program (such as Buerg's LIST) is defined, it
will replace the internal VIEW function. Functions which could
be set up might include EDIT, UNARCHIVE, and ARCHIVE VIEW. The
program comes configured with a few typical external programs
predefined, but these can be easily added to or changed through
the use of the DFCONFIG program.
Up to 10 (or 12 if the F11/F12 keys are enabled) external shell
functions can be assigned to the CONTROL-F1 through CONTROL-F10
keys. In addition, an external program can be assigned to the
VIEW function, as mentioned earlier.
A Run-a-Program function (Alt-F5) allows you to run an executable
program from within DF. Use this function with caution, however,
as detailed further down in this documentation. The DOS Shell
(Alt-F2) allows you to temporarily exit to DOS. You should be
able to do anything in this shell which you would normally do
from the DOS command line subject to the contraint that the DF
parent is using approximately 96KB of memory. Type 'EXIT' at the
DOS prompt to return to DF.
Directory Freedom 3.50 14
4.3 Attribute Functions
DF incorporates functions which allow you to add or remove file
attributes. The ALT-attribute functions allow you to add
attribute bits while the CTRL-attribute functions allow you to
remove the bits. The A, R, H, and Y keys control the Archive,
read-Only, Hidden, and System bits respectively. (An S-key would
have conflicted with the sort function, so the system attribute
was assigned a different key since it will be seldom used
anyway.)
In general, attribute functions can be performed using standard
marking just like all other functions. The exception is un-
hiding hidden files. Hidden files can be unhid one-by-one, but
hidden files cannot be marked. This is because the ability to
mark must carry over to all program functions and I thought that,
in general, users would want hidden files to be automatically
skipped when marking files since most functions are not allowed
on those files by the program.
4.4 Notes on RUN a Program
-- Use this option with caution on programs you haven't tried
out before. For one thing, DF has no way of testing a
program's memory requirements. If a program doesn't do its
own testing it may hang your system. Also, some programs
seem to be allergic to being run in shells.
-- NEVER execute a Terminate-And-Stay-Resident (TSR) program
from a shell. You'll end up creating a hole in memory which
will, at the least, cause you to lose memory and, at worst,
will cause a system crash.
4.5 DESQView Compatibility
While this revision of Directory Freedom is not fully "DESQview-
aware," an alternate "hot-key" has been added which can
substitute for the Alt key. This addition, in conjunction with
the following setup information, should allow you to effectively
use DF in a DESQview environment.
When configuring DESQview to add DF to its program list, the
following characteristics should be specified in the advanced
program setup:
Writes directly to screen Y
Uses its own colors Y
Maximum height/width 25,80
Starting Row/Column/Height/Width 0,0,25,80
Directory Freedom 3.50 15
4.6 Hints and Suggestions
The following techniques, explanations, and hints have proven
useful to myself or to other users. They may help you to get
more out of your copy of Directory Freedom.
-- To "re-mark" a group of files (i.e. mark the same group of
files which have just been operated on and which now have a
* next to their entries) press F6 and F7 in sequence.
-- One of the PC Magazine utilities is called SWEEP and allows
you to automatically repeat the execution of a command
through multiple directories. If you type 'SWEEP DF' from
the root directory, therefore, DF will be executed in
succession in each directory on the hard disk. Ben Stock
suggests that this "is the best thing for housekeeping,
reclaiming disk space, and preparing for major backups."
SWEEP should be available on most major bulletin boards.
-- To pop up a directory level, highlight the '..' entry and
press <Enter>.
-- The DF destination directory is also the current DOS
directory. Hence user-defined commands which send output
files to the default directory regardless of the directory
of the source file (e.g. PKUNZIP) will send their output to
the DF default destination directory -- NOT the (displayed)
working directory.
5.0 Customization
User customization is carried out through the DFCONFIG program
which is menu driven and includes its own help screens. You MUST
use the matching rev of DFCONFIG with DF. The matching revision
requirement is enforced by the software and DFCONFIG will give
you an error message if you attempt to use it to modify a
mismatched revision of DF.
The DFCONFIG command line is as follows:
DFCONFIG [path\filename of DF]
If you do not specify a path and filename on the DFCONFIG command
line, DFCONFIG assumes that the program you wish to modify is
called DF.COM (the name for the Directory Freedom program file as
shipped) and is in the current directory. If you do specify a
path\filename on the command line, you must give a full legal
pathname from either the current directory or a root and the full
filename with extension. (This allows you to rename DF.COM if
you wish -- always preserve the .COM extension, however, else DOS
will get confused.)
Miscellaneous DFCONFIG usage notes:
-- A mouse is supported in DFCONFIG's menus. The <Left Mouse
Button> button is equivalent to <ENTER> on the keyboard, the
<Right Mouse Button> button to <ESC>.
Directory Freedom 3.50 16
-- If you make changes to DF's parameters, make sure that you
tell DFCONFIG to save them; i.e. changes are not
automatically saved.
-- DFCONFIG operates by reading in DF, making changes to the
memory image of the program, and then saving the memory
image back to disk if told to save the changes overwriting
the original. This modification procedure may alert certain
anti-viral programs such as Flushot+.
5.1 Commands Modification
DFCONFIG can be used to modify the user-defined shell functions
accessed by the CONTROL menu in DF.
At the simplest level, the shell functions can merely be used to
run an external program with no arguments (or at least no
variable arguments). Thus, if you had a program called CPUTYPE
which you would ordinarily run just by typing:
C>CPUTYPE
at the DOS prompt, you would just enter the same thing as one of
the command lines within the DFCONFIG commands modification
screen.
There may indeed be situations where you want to access such a
program from within DF, however this usage does not take full
advantage of the DF user-defined shell feature.
Since the DF highlight cursor is always resting on a file or
directory, it might seem useful to be able to pass that
information to a shell command line. DF can do exactly this. By
entering a ~ (tilde) as part of a defined command line in
DFCONFIG, the user tells DF to "Insert the full path and filename
of the file or directory under the highlight at this spot in the
command."
Along with this feature, beginning with Rev. 3.50, a dynamic
customization feature has been added. Together with the ~, a `
(grave -- the backward accent under the tilde on most keyboards)
can be added to the command line in DFCONFIG. If a ` is present
in the command line, DF will prompt the user for parameters to
insert at its location at runtime.
Example:
All the above is really a whole lot more complicated to read than
it actually is to do, so let's go through an example. Let's
suppose that we want to define a key for Phil Katz's PKUNZIP
program which views or extracts the archives found on many
electronic bulletin board systems. Although we would normally
set this program up on two different keys (one to view and one to
Directory Freedom 3.50 17
extract), let's assume for the purposes of the example that this
is a seldom used function and we only want to use one key for it.
We go into DFCONFIG and the Commands menu. We then enter the
desired command line. (We'll assume we've programmed CTRL-F3):
PKUNZIP ` ~
(Enter whatever you like for the menu name -- it's only for your
own reference. Don't worry about the Pause? and Refresh? fields
for now. They're described later.)
We save the modified data entry screen with a <CTRL-Enter>, and
choose Save and Quit from the main DFCONFIG menu.
When we next run DF, you'll notice that, when pressing the
Control key, the new item has been added to the menu.
We now select a file to operate on. Just move the cursor down
until the desired file is highlighted and, while holding down the
Control key, press F3. DF will prompt you to enter parameters.
Let's assume you want to view the archive. In this case, type -v
and then hit the <Enter> key. If the highlighted file were
called ARCHIVE.ZIP and was in the DOWNLOAD directory on the C:
drive, DF would expand the command line to the following:
PKUNZIP -V C:\DOWNLOAD\ARCHIVE.ZIP
Command-line data entry summary:
-- A tilde (~) indicates that the file name under the cursor is
to be inserted at that point. Only one tilde should
generally be entered per command line, else it may well get
too long (note that DF uses the filename with its entire
path)
-- A grave (`) indicates that a string entered dynamically by
the user is to be inserted at this point. More than one
grave may be entered per command line, BUT the user is only
prompted for parameters once and this same set of parameters
will be entered for each grave.
-- The Pause? value is asking whether you want a "Press any key
to return" after exiting the program. You probably don't
want a pause for things such as editors and do for programs
which place information on the screen without inserting
their own pause before exiting.
-- The Refresh? value is asking whether you want DF to reread
the directory before returning from the shell. You will
generally want to set this value to 'Y' when performing
functions such as extracting archives. There is a minimal
performance penalty attached to performing such a reread on
hard disks unless the directories are very large. If a
function is regularly used on a floppy diskette directory,
however, you may wish to perform Rereads manually (Alt-F4)
only when you need them.
Directory Freedom 3.50 18
-- In the customization screen, you save your work by either
typing CTRL-<Enter> at any point, or <Enter> when positioned
on the last field of the screen. Exiting with<Esc> DOES NOT
SAVE THE CONTENTS OF THE SCREEN!
-- All the movement and edit commands for the data screen are
available through on-line help in DFCONFIG
5.2 Attributes Modification
In addition to DF screen colors (NORMAL, INTENSE, MENU, BORDER,
and INVERSE), the following attributes can be changed by the
DFCONFIG program:
-- Switch character [Default: / (Standard DOS)
-- Copy Verify mode [Default: No Change]
-- Beep tone [Default: Standard DOS Beep]
-- Screen snow check [Default: Off]
-- Default sort order [Default: Name order]
-- Secondary Hot Key [Default: Alt]
-- Enable F11/F12 Keys [Default: No]
Each of these options are explained below.
Color
Both the foreground and background settings of the five color
combinations used in DF can be modified through DFCONFIG's
Attribute modification. To aid you in this process, a sample
color screen changes dynamically based on the currently set and
currently highlighted colors.
Switch character
/ ("Standard" DOS switch) -- Default
- ("Unix" switch)
For the UNIX hackers, the switch character is used to identify an
option entered on the DOS command line when you first call up DF.
Normally this is '/', so that options would be specified by /d or
/o. By changing the byte to '-', options can be entered as -d or
-o. This lets you use '/' in your path names, so that instead of
entering command lines like:
DF C:\COMM\DOWN D:\UTIL /D
You can now enter:
DF C:/COMM/DOWN D:/UTIL -D or
DF C:\COMM\DOWN -d D:\UTIL or
DF -d C:/COMM\DOWN D:/UTIL -D
But not: DF C:\COMM\DOWN D:/UTIL /D (This will confuse DF)
Directory Freedom 3.50 19
(Note that since the confusion results from the option switch,
and since there are no options entered with pathnames once the
program is running, you can use either / or \ as a path delimiter
when entering a destination or changing the path with F9 or F10
keys.)
Copy Verify option
No Change
Yes
No
Floppy Only
From the DOS command line, you can type VERIFY ON or VERIFY OFF
to change DOS's write-verify status. If Verify is on, MS-DOS
performs a series of checks following each disk-write operation
to attempt to verify that the data just written can be read
without error. The downside of such checking is that write
operations are slowed down significantly and the enhanced
security provided by VERIFY ON is questionable, at least with
hard disks.
In any case, DFCONFIG allows the write-verify status within DF to
be set in one of four different ways. It can be set ON, in which
case all affected DF commands will operate with write-verify
status enabled. It can be set OFF, in which case all affected DF
commands will operate with write-verify status disabled. It can
be set to NO CHANGE, in which case DF will use the write-verify
status which was in use by DOS prior to running DF. Or it can be
set to FLOPPY ONLY in which case verify is set on if the target
is a floppy diskette and set off otherwise. Using DF's /V
command-line switch will force write-verify status ON no matter
how this switch is set.
Beep option
DOS Beep
Beep 1
If an error is made when using DF (e.g. an illegal operation such
as deleting a Read-only file is attempted), the program beeps to
alert you of the error. By default, the standard DOS beep (ASCII
07) is used. Some users find this standard tone rather obtrusive
and grating on the ear so DFCONFIG allows an alternative "soft
beep" to be chosen instead. (This alternative tone is generated
by programming the timer chip directly instead of using standard
DOS or BIOS services. Therefore it may not work on some
computers which are not 100% IBM PC/AT hardware compatible.)
Directory Freedom 3.50 20
Snow Checking
Yes
No
When DF starts up it checks BIOS data area (Segment 40) to see if
the current display adapter is a monochrome card. If it isn't
mono, then DF will query the display adapter before writing a
character to the display memory to see if it is ok to do so.
This procedure is necessary to avoid spurious dots or "snow" on
old IBM Color Graphics Adapters (CGA's) caused by the CPU and the
display-refresh circuitry simultaneously accessing the video
buffer. Unfortunately, this check also slows things down quite a
bit. If you prefer speed over a clean display update, or if you
have an EGA or other color display adapter that doesn't need to
do this checking, choose OFF for the snow check option. Choosing
Yes will enable snow checking on all but the monochrome display
adapter (which never needs it anyway). Using DF's /F command-
line option switch forces snow checking off and will override the
setting of this switch.
Sort Option
Name Ascending order by filename
Extension Ascending order by filename extension
Size Descending order by file size in bytes
Date Descending order by file date/time stamp
Original DOS order
A new default sort order can be chosen from within DFCONFIG. The
choices (Name, Extension, Size, Date, and Original) are the same
as those which can be specified on either the DF command line or
by pressing the appropriate Alt-key. If a sort order is
specified as a command line switch, this default setting is
overridden.
If (O)riginal is chosen, no sort takes place and the filenames
are displayed in the same order as they are displayed when typing
the 'dir' command at the DOS prompt. If (N)ame or (E)xtension is
chosen, the sort is in ascending (i.e. alphabetical) order. If
(S)ize is chosen, the sort is in descending order to allow for
more efficient packing when copying to multiple floppy diskettes.
(D)ate also sorts in descending order to place the most recently
created or modified files at the top of the directory listing.
Secondary Hot Key
Alt
Left-Shift (i.e. the Shift key on the left side of
the keyboard)
The switch chooses the "hot-key" used to bring up the secondary
menu of "hardwired" DF functions. (This is the menu which
includes the Directory-specific functions and items such as "Run
Directory Freedom 3.50 21
a Program.") The choice is offered because pressing and
releasing the Alt key also brings up the DESQView menu if
DESQView is active. Since Alt has been the secondary "hot-key"
in all versions of Directory Freedom to date, however, it has
been left as the default for backward compatibility.
Enable F11/F12 keys
Yes
No
On systems with extended keyboards (101-key or equivalent),
selecting this option will allow the user to program two
additional function keys on the Control menu. The status of this
switch does NOT affect the ability to program these keys in the
DFCONFIG command line editor. Unless this switch is set to Yes,
however, those programmed keys cannot actually be used (nor will
they be displayed) within DF.
6.0 Supplementary Programs
6.1 Included Programs
The programs described in this section are NOT part of DF and are
distributed with DF only for the convenience of users. The
copyrights to this software remain with the original authors.
Two programs which were included with earlier revs of DF (TED and
FV) are no longer distributed with DF but they are still
available from a wide variety of sources.
RF
I have included a slightly modified version of PC Magazine's
RN.COM to provide a higher-level "tree-style" directory program
which users can run in conjunction with DF. It's called RF.COM
now and is configured to spawn DF with no switches. With the
addition of directory functions to DF in rev. 3.00, there should
now be less need to use RF as a companion program. This version
of RF is based on RN Rev. 2.0 which supports drives >32MB under
DOS 4.x. This will probably be the last major revision of DF to
include RF since plans for the next major DF release include a
sophisticated support for this functionality (either through a DF
Enhanced version or as a separate program.)
DFM
I have received several requests to add mouse support to DF.
While this is still a likely possibility for the future, I didn't
add it in rev 3.50. What I did do, however, was tweak some
assembly language sources which derived from PC Magazine's
MOUSEKEY program so that they would run properly with DF. The
result is DFM which is a TSR (~900 bytes) which interprets
Directory Freedom 3.50 22
forward/backward mouse movement as up and down keystrokes and
which treats the left mouse button as a <Space> (Mark/Unmark) and
the right button as an <Enter> (View file or change directory).
The mouse sensitivity is adjustable from the command line. Read
the comments at the beginning of the assembly language sources
(included) for all the nitty-gritty. It's not an elegant
solution, but it does more or less work.
ND
This program can be programmed to a function key and will rename
the highlighted file to a new name which is derived from the
current date. For example, FILENAME.TXT would be renamed to
891015.TXT if the date were Oct 15, 1989. It append a letter to
the base name (e.g. 891015A.TXT, 891015B.TXT, etc.) if the "dated
name" already exists. I find this very useful for handling
message-base files from BBS's. (Besides, I wrote it and figure
that no one can keep me from distributing it with DF if I want
to.)
6.2 Non-Included Programs
The programs in this section are NOT included with the DF
distribution, but I have found these programs (or programs
fulfilling the same functions) to complement DF well for certain
applications.
FV or RV
Vernon Buerg's FV can be used to cut down on the number of
function keys needed to deal with archives. FV will basically
allow you to view any kind of archive (.ZIP, .ARC, etc.) by
programming only a single function key. DF is shipped configured
for use with FV. You'll still need a different function key for
each archive extraction function, but consolidating all the view
functions should help those users who were running out of keys.
Robert T. Kaya's RV serves a similar function.
Most recent revisions as of this writing: FV 1.23; RV 2.13
SLED or TED or QEDIT or ...
Since I do not want to start a religious war, I won't even begin
to suggest which editor people should configure. SLED is a small
shareware editor which many people like and is very sophisticated
for its size. TED is a simple editor from PC Magazine which is
free copyrighted software. While lacking such features as word-
wrap, it is very compact (~ 12K bytes) and more than sufficient
to edit batch files and perform similar tasks. QEdit is a very
good shareware programmers' editor. Personally, I have my
working copy of DF setup to use Multi-Edit (a programmer's
editor) and WordPerfect.
Directory Freedom 3.50 23
LIST
As mentioned earlier in this documentation, I recommend Vernon
Buerg's LIST in place of the built-in file viewer for most
applications. Vernon has been making significant enhancements to
LIST recently (current version is 7.3d) and is well worth a look
in the event you don't already have a copy.
7.0 Technical
Compiled using Borland's Turbo Assembler 1.0 and debugged using
Turbo Debugger. Multi-Edit from American Cybernetics was used as
an editor. DFCONFIG was compiled using Turbo C 2.0. Windowing
functions in DFCONFIG are from Mike Smedley's CXL rev 5.1.
8.0 Acknowledgements
DF 1.00 was based extensively on Peter Esherick's source code
from DC rev 1.05b with the additional help of some code from Brad
Stephenson's DR26 program. Peter has also been kind enough to
share some DC code fixes with me for incorporation into DF.
Peter can be contacted at the following:
Albuquerque PC Users' Group
Albuquerque RBBS 296-7672, John Maio, sysop
ARPANET: esheric@SANDIA.GOV
I would also like to thank the many users whose suggestions have
contributed greatly to the advancement of DF and, of course,
those who have registered their copies and made the Shareware
concept work. While the following list is by no means complete,
the following individuals' ideas have been especially helpful in
my efforts to improve DF: Don Dougherty, Greg Saddler, Tom
Bullard, Dennis McCunney, and Jack Lupic. Finally, I would like
to thank the sysops of my "home" BBS (Channel One), Brian Miller
and Tess Hedder, and Bud Napier of the Future Technology BBS.
Directory Freedom 3.50 24
9.0 Revision history
DF VERSION 3.50
General cleanup of shell routines should result in more reliable
operation for a wider range of programs (user-defined and
Run a Program)
Parameters can be inserted at runtime in user-defined functions
Optional support for F11/F12 added to user-defined functions
Checks added to path length (63 characters max) and length of
user command lines when expanded (i.e. file names filled in,
etc.) to prevent overruns
Menu moved to avoid conflict with long destination path names
Information added to display: number of highlighted entry, total
number of entries, bytes in subdirectory, and volume name of
the working drive
Some problems with cursor positioning and other oddities in empty
directories, along with cursor problems when deleting
directories, eliminated
Problems when default directory was deleted eliminated
>10MB of tagged files now display properly
Internal file viewer finally fixed properly (Thanks to Peter
Esherick for sharing his fix in DC with me)
Additional Verify option (ON when copying to floppy only)
The left-shift can optionally replace Alt as a hot key for
improved interoperability with DESQView
Date/Time sorting fixed (Time wasn't sorting in most descending
order within a particular date)
P-Copy message fixed
Major documentation rework. Also the printed manual is now
"desktop publishing quality"
Various changes in included programs (for license and other
reasons)
Message added when shelling to DOS
CONVERT has been updated and will also bring over color
modifications from earlier revisions
DF VERSION 3.01
Made modifications to the DOS EXEC functions which should allow a
wider range of programs to run from the shell (Control-Fn
functions) without problems
Eliminated problem with changing to and operating on directories
with extensions
Corrected problem which caused viewer to PgDn one too many lines
Directory attribute changes now work properly
Cursor positioning (and associated problems) which occurred when
all files in a root directory were deleted is now fixed
A potential problem with the Directory Size function which would
result in not popping back up to the parent directory if the
parent were not sorted at the top of the subdirectory was
eliminated
The latest FV (1.22) for viewing archives has been added to the
DF archive
Directory Freedom 3.50 25
CONVERT has been made more general purpose and can convert either
Rev 2.20 or 3.00 to the current rev. This will be continued
with future DF revs
DFCONFIG has been relinked with the latest revision of Mike
Smedley's CXL function library (5.1). This should be transparent
to the user.
DF VERSION 3.00
DIRECTORY FREEDOM is now SHAREWARE (fully functional)
Added directory functions -- create, size, delete, rename, change
attributes
Space bar will function as Mark/Unmark for greater consistency
with the way other similar programs operate
Added a "soft" beep option (configurable in DFCONFIG)
Added a Verify On/Off/No Change option (configurable in DFCONFIG)
The full path and name for DF.COM can now be specified at the
DFCONFIG command line (i.e. the name of DF.COM can be
changed and DFCONFIG does not need to run from the same
directory)
Corrected bug which caused attribute changes to sometimes not
"catch" on the first try
Moved menu to avoid overwrites by long destination path names
Fixed shell bug which could cause DF's attributes to be used by
programs run in a shell
Added "forced move" option (i.e. a move which will overwrite even
if the destination file name already exists)
Fixed the wording of the shell return
Returns from shell to re-read directory -- cursor will now sit on
the original file if it still exists
Sort by size order is now sorted in descending order (so that
files can be more efficiently copied to multiple diskettes)
Added two more auxiliary programs to the archive:
Buerg's FV: View all types of archives with one command
DFM: A PC Mag MOUSEKEY derivative to allow the use of mouse
movement and mouse buttons with DF
Major rewrite of the documentation
"Cleanup" of DFCONFIG to warn of exits without saving, etc.
DF version 2.20
Added some memory management fixes from Peter Esherick to GET_MEM
and the MAIN initialization routine
Added Reread Directory switch to DF and DFCONFIG
Modified DFCONFIG to accommodate significant changes in Michael
Smedley's C function libraries (TCXL 3.3 to CXL 5.0)
Added mouse support for menu selection to DFCONFIG
Added sample color window when configuring DF's colors in
DFCONFIG
DF version 2.11
Fixed problem introduced by longer user-defined command lines in
version 2.10. User functions can now be defined properly.
Directory Freedom 3.50 26
DF version 2.10
Fixed shell problem with the CTRL-F5 key (Prompt to continue
appeared before the execution of the shell rather than
after)
Added configuration (through DFCONFIG) of a default sort option -
name, extension, size, date, or original (unsorted)
Lengthened allowable command line which can be configured
DF version 2.00
User defined shell commands are now configured through
DFCONF2.EXE including user defined names for menus and
user defined pause after shell execution; environment
variables no longer used
Attribute modification functions added
CONTROL-key menu added to accommodate all this new stuff, along
with other modifications to the existing menus; user-
defined commands are now separate in the CONTROL menu
Fixed bug with reading parameters when Running a Program
DF version 1.00
Alternative ALT-key menu added
Shell to List, Edit, Unarc, Unarc view, and run program added
with program information specified in environment variables
DFM.ASM
;DFMOUSE version 1.00
;Quick and dirty fixes by Gordon Haff - 10/89
; 3205 Windsor Ridge Dr., Westboro MA 01581
; This file and DFMOUSE.COM is NOT an integral part of Directory Freedom.
; While this file and program are released into the public domain,
; Directory Freedom, DFCONFIG, and their associated documentation are
; SHAREWARE.
;
; See the Directory Freedom documentation for information on the use of
; this program in conjunction with DF. Unless you are interested in some
; of the technical nitty-gritty, you need not concern yourself with the
; balance of this file.
;--------------------------------------------------------------------------
; This program has (for the time being) been modified in a "quick and
; dirty" manner to provide functionality with Directory Freedom (DF).
; As written, MOUSER has some problems -- not only with DF, but with other
; programs I have tested. This problem results in the mouse buttons
; being non-functional. The problem appears to be that DF and other assembly
; language programs often use int 16h to scan for keys. Then the keyboard
; scan code returned in ah is used for key processing, rather than the
; Ascii value returned in al. There may be more to it than this, but
; this explanation seems to be the obvious one.
;
; So, I've done the following to this program. I may try to do a proper
; fixup at a later date if someone else doesn't beat me to it.
; Hard set left button to <space>
; Hard set right button to <CR>
; Disabled both button option (there wasn't anything especially wrong
; with this option, but in practice it just didn't produce the
; desired results for me
; Adjusted menus, help screens to reflect changes
; Since this program is still basically the same as MOUSER, I am
; distributing this file in accordance with the original author's wishes
;MOUSER.007 - MOUSE cursoR for the Microsoft Mouse & Compatibles - 09/87
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
; (c) OZZARD of WIS / Paul Noeldner, 510 S. Dickinson, Madison, WI 53703
; This Software is In the Public Domaine
; OZZARD of WIS assumes no liability for any loss or damage from use of this
; program. Use of the program constitutes agreement to this disclaimer.
; When copied or distributed, it must include this ASM code documentation.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
; PURPOSE
; MOUSER is dedicated to all cats (cursor arrow tappers) out there who are
; interested in seeing how nice a mouse can work in everyday PC programs.
; The feel of high-powered point-and-click mouse software, can be quickly
; realized in any scrolling-menu program by using MOUSER and a mouse -
; without high-falutin graphics or window software, or gobs of TSR memory.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
; ENVIRONMENT
; The MicroSoft(Tm) MOUSE.COM or MOUSE.SYS mouse driver, or a compatible
; using the same driver protocol, must be implemented to run MOUSER.
; MOUSER then works with ANY PROGRAM that accepts cursor up/down/left/right.
; The mouse buttons can be used for COMMON KEYS like return and escape -
; both mouse speed, and buttons, can be set via parms to suit your needs.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
; USE
; The MOUSER defaults - average cursor speed, and RETURN/ESCAPE/BREAK buttons,
; work well in many applications. Individuals may wish to adjust the
; speed and the button functions for particular applications, to make mouse
; use satisfying and productive (rather than tedius or target practice).
; The cursor speed and buttons can be customized by you to complement
; your applications. You run MOUSER with control parameters from the DOS
; prompt or in any application .bat procedure file.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
; PARMS
; MOUSER Hn Vn Lnn Rnn Bnn?
; ? - help - which also appears if parms are not understood
; Hn, Vn n=1 to 9 - sets Horizontal or Vertical cursor speed
; Lx, Rx, Bx - x=character or 2-digit ASCII value - sets Left,
; Right, or Both (pressed together) button key values
; Digit values above 31 are treated as 'extended' keys.
; These parms are all optional, in any order, with any delimiters.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
; SAMPLES
; MOUSER ? - shows full help, sample button ASCII values.
; MOUSER - sets default medium cursor, RETURN, ESCAPE buttons
; MOUSER H1 V1 L27 R13 B/ - slow cursor, left ESCAPE, right RETURN, both /
; This might be appropriate for a scrolling-bar menu program.
; This example shows how to reverse the return/escape buttons,
; if you happen to prefer them in that order. Both buttons would
; input a slash, which may be useful for spreadsheet commands.
; MOUSER V9 L73 R81 B27 - fast vertical, left PGUP, right PGDN, both ESC
; This would be useful in a text file browse, and to
; quickly position the cursor and mark blocks in an editor.
; The button keys work in any program that accepts the specified keys.
; The MOUSER ? help display shows several more common key values.
; See your DOS or BASIC manual for a complete list of the ASCII values
; of keys below 32 (space), such as 13-RETURN, and the 'extended' keys
; such as 81-PGUP. Any values over 32 are considered 'extended' keys.
; If a character is specified instead of a 2-digit value, it is used.
; MOUSER + - the + parm is the currently implemented means to
; reactivate MOUSER if it becomes deactivated.
; Once you use +, it must be used subsequently.
; Hopefully, the next version will not need this.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
; The regular cursor keys continue to work as usual. Programs that have
; their own mouse driver support, work independently of MOUSER.
; MOUSER does not prevent or preclude any normal use of the keyboard.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Some programs appear to disable MOUSER; you may want to put MOUSER
; in the application .bat startup file, after the application program,
; to turn the mouse back on after running the application. Programs
; that have custom mouse drivers are commonly guilty of this crime.
; In that case, use the + parameter to ask that a fresh copy be loaded.
; Once the + parameter is used, it must subsequently be used each time.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
; MORE ABOUT TSR AND RELOADING
; Normally one copy of MOUSER loads memory resident; after that, the parms
; are updated whenever the program is run. The program takes about 600 bytes
; of memory - much less than 'custom' mouse menus. By not reloading
; each time it is run, it saves that much more memory for you.
; If the mouse driver has been disengaged by any program, it is reengaged
; by using the + parameter, which loads a fresh copy of MOUSER. A future
; version of this program should get around that requirement, but my
; knowledge of assembler is pretty weak and I cannot seem to reengage by
; pointing at the current resident version. Give it a hack - give me a call!
; See the code related to tsrsav and address 126h - that was my attempt.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
; ACKNOWLEDGMENT
; The program code was modeled after MOUSEKEY by Jeff Prosise / Ziff Davis.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
; CHANGES FROM MOUSEKEY
; While MOUSER can be used in place of MOUSEKEY, the defaults are different.
; Enhancements have been made to improve user control over parameters.
; The program normally loads just one TSR copy even if run more than once.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
; SPECIFIC IMPROVEMENTS
; (1) Added control over sensitivity of horizontal motion.
; (2) Prioritized vertical above horizontal movement (otherwise the mouse
; tends to jump left and right while positioning vertically).
; (3) Set defaults to suit menu scrolling - slower cursor speed, and
; mouse buttons set to RETURN, ESCAPE (instead of MOUSEKEY PGUP, PGDN).
; (4) Allow optional parms for speed 1-9 and custom mouse button values
; specified as actual characters or 2-digit ASCII codes.
; Example: MOUSER H5 V5 L13 R27 B03 (example indicates the defaults).
; All parms are optional in any order. Any delimiters are ignored.
; Any unrecognized 'junk' on the command line displays help and a message.
; (5) Added processing for 'both buttons' pressed, giving a third key value
; in addition to left and right button values. Default is 03, CTRL-C.
; (5) Added help - enter MOUSER ? for help display.
; (6) Posts current TSR version if already loaded, by finding itself in
; memory. This is especially important since the intent is to run
; MOUSER whenever it is desirable to set parms to suit particular programs.
; It may be run as part of .BAT files for specific applications.
; Currently, if driver is 'disengaged', must reload using + parm.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
; PROGRAM STRUCTURE
; The following program structure is based on Jeff Prosise's MOUSEKEY.
; It includes a TSR segment and an initialization segment that now sets the
; parameters and terminates after pointing the PLP to the end of the TSR part.
; If already loaded, parms are posted to the current address of the program.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
bios_data segment at 40h
org 1Ah
buffer_head dw ? ;pointer to keyboard buffer head
buffer_tail dw ? ;pointer to keyboard buffer tail
org 80h
buffer_start dw ? ;starting keyboard buffer address
buffer_end dw ? ;ending keyboard buffer address
bios_data ends
;
code segment para public 'code'
assume cs:code
org 100h
begin: jmp init ;goto initialization code
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
;This part was enhanced in MOUSER to include hdelay and lkey/rkey/bkey values,
;and to support location and posting of current TSR version of program.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
resfinder db 'MOUSER CODE' ;This is used to find and change parms
;if MOUSER program is already resident.
;Address of above literal is mcb+113h.
;If this db block is changed, also
;change the initialize mcb: and post:
;code that finds and changes the parms.
;The following parms are at mcb+11Eh.
vdelay db 2 ;vertical delay (set by Vn speed parm)
hdelay db 5 ;horizontal delay (set by Hn parm)
lkey dw 0020h ;keycode for left button (set by Lnn)
rkey dw 01C0Dh ;keycode for right button (set by Rnn)
bkey dw 5100h ;keycode for both buttons (set by Bnn)
tsrsav dw 0000h ;address of 'mouse' segment below
;
vcount db 1 ;vertical mouse mickey counter
hcount db 1 ;horizontal mouse mickey counter
vflag dw ? ;vertical count sign flag
hflag dw ? ;horizontal count sign flag
keycode db 4Dh,4Bh,50h,48h ;keycodes for up/dn/lf/rt cursor keys
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
;This subroutine is handed control by the mouse driver when the mouse is
;moved or a button is pressed.
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mouse proc far
;
;Determine which event occurred and branch accordingly.
;
test ax,2 ;was the left button pressed?
jnz lbut ;yes, then branch
test ax,8 ;was the right button pressed?
jnz rbut ;yes, then branch
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
;Move the cursor in the direction indicated by the most recent mouse move.
;This was modified from MOUSEKEY to prioritize vertical over horizontal,
;and to test a horizontal delay factor.
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
mouse0: mov ax,11 ;function 11
int 51 ;read mouse motion counters
mov hflag,0 ;initialize sign flags
mov vflag,2
xor al,al ;zero AL for extended keycode
cmp dx,0 ;vertical count positive?
jge mouse1 ;yes, then branch
inc vflag ;record negative condition
neg dx ;convert negative to positive
mouse1: cmp cx,0 ;horizontal count positive?
jge mouse2 ;yes, then branch
inc hflag ;record negative condition
neg cx ;convert negative to positive
mouse2: mov bx,vflag ;assume motion was vertical
cmp dx,cx ;was the assumption correct?
jae mouse4 ;yes, then branch
mov bx,hflag ;no, then correct it
dec hcount ;decrement horizontal count
jz mouse3 ;continue if count is zero
ret ;exit if it's not
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
;The hdelay/vdelay values allow control over horizontal sensitivity.
;These are input as Hn Vn parms as speed 1-slow to 9-fast, and converted
;for decrementing to delay 9-slow to 1-fast. The delay simply ignores
;the indicated number of mickeys (mouse increments) before responding.
;They correspond roughly to screen pixels; e.g. speed 1 moves 1 pixel where
;speed 9 moves 9 pixels in a similar physical mouse movement (about 1/32").
; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
mouse3: mov ah,hdelay
mov hcount,ah ;reset horizontal delay
jmp setkey ;
mouse4: dec vcount ;decrement vertical delay
jz mouse5 ;continue if count is zero
ret ;exit if it's not
mouse5: mov ah,vdelay
mov vcount,ah ;reset vertical delay
setkey: mov ah,keycode[bx] ;get keycode from table
jmp insert ;insert it into keyboard buffer
;
;The left button was pressed. Load AX with the keycode.
;
lbut: ; test ax,8
; jnz bbut ;both buttons?
mov ax,lkey ;load left button keycode
jmp insert ;insert into the keyboard buffer
;
;The right button was pressed. Load AX with the keycode.
;
rbut: mov ax,rkey ;load keycode
jmp insert ;insert into keyboard buffer
;
;Both buttons were pressed. Load AX with the keycode.
;
bbut: mov ax,bkey ;load both button keycode
;
;Insert the keycode in AX into the keyboard buffer.
;
insert: mov bx,bios_data ;point DS to BIOS data area
mov ds,bx
assume ds:bios_data
cli ;disable interrupts
mov bx,buffer_tail ;get buffer tail address
mov dx,bx ;transfer it to DX
add dx,2 ;calculate next buffer position
cmp dx,buffer_end ;did we overshoot the end?
jne insert1 ;no, then continue
mov dx,buffer_start ;yes, then wrap around
insert1: cmp dx,buffer_head ;is the buffer full?
je insert2 ;yes, then end now
mov [bx],ax ;insert the keycode
mov bx,dx ;advance the tail
mov buffer_tail,bx ;record its new position
insert2: sti ;enable interrupts
assume ds:nothing
ret ;exit user-defined subroutine
mouse endp
;
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
;INIT routine points the mouse driver to the user-defined subroutine,
;then leaves it resident in memory.
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
init proc near
jmp setup
;
logo db 201,205,205,181
db' DFM / 10/89 / Gordon Haff / Public Domain / ?-HELP '
db 198,205,205,187,13,10,'$'
;
helpmsg db 186
db ' modified from MOUSER by Paul Noeldner, Madison, WI 608-255-5577 '
db 186,13,10,186
db ' ',15,' For users of Directory Freedom to simulate: '
db 186,13,10,186
db ' - Up/Down cursor keys (move the mouse) '
db 186,13,10,186
db ' - <Space Bar> (press the left mouse button) '
db 186,13,10,186
db ' - <CR> (press the right mouse button) '
db 186,13,10,186
db ' DFM V8 H5 Example showing default parameters. '
db 186,13,10,186
db ' Hn, Vn Horizontal ,Vertical speed 1-9: 5 = medium. '
db 186,13,10,186
db ' + Loads new copy of DFM (use only if disengaged). '
db 186,13,10,186
db ' All parms are optional, in any order, with any delimiters. '
db 186,13,10,200
db 67 dup ('═')
db 188,13,10,'$'
;
errmsg db 7,200
db 8 dup ('═')
db 16,' DRIVER MISSING: Install MOUSE.SYS or MOUSE.COM ',17
db 9 dup ('═')
db 188,7,13,10,'$'
;
junkmsg db 7,200
db 7 dup ('═')
db 16,' UKNOWN INPUT PARAMETER - CHECK THIS HELP DISPLAY ',17
db 8 dup ('═')
db 188,7,'$'
;
loadmsg db 200
db 18 dup ('═')
db 16,' OK - Mouse Cursor Installed ',17
db 18 dup ('═')
db 188,13,10,'$'
;
postmsg db 200
db 16 dup ('═')
db 16,' OK - Mouse Cursor Parms Adjusted ',17
db 15 dup ('═')
db 188,13,10,'$'
;
endparm dw 81h ;end of parm input
mcbptr dw 0000h ;pointer to memory control blocks
found db 'N' ;is MOUSER already loaded TSR in memory
newcopy db 'N' ;indicates if + (update) parm entered
lit db ? ;literal parm input character
dig db 'N' ;found a digit?
;
;Logo display
;
setup: lea dx,logo ;show logo
mov ah,9
int 21h
call parms ;process input parms
call mcbwalk ;check if MOUSER is already resident
endit: jmp allthru ;exit program
;
init endp
;
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;Process the command line parms (if any)
;
parms proc near
mov bx,0 ;point at input parm length in Pgm Seg Prefix
mov si,80h
mov ah,0
mov al,byte ptr[si] ;now we have the length
add ax,80h ;compute end of parm
mov endparm,ax ;remember it
inc si ;skip initial space in input parm
;
parmloop:
mov bx,0
inc si ;get input from command parm
cmp si,endparm ;see if at end of parm
jle parse ;if not, process it
ret ;if so, done with setup work
;
parse: mov al,byte ptr[si] ;get next character
cmp al,' ' ;skip blanks
je parmloop
cmp al,'/' ;skip slashes
je parmloop
cmp al,',' ;skip commas
je parmloop
cmp al,'+' ;load new copy?
jne help
mov newcopy,'Y'
jmp parmloop
help: cmp al,'?' ;show help?
jne case
lea dx,helpmsg ;help display
mov ah,9
int 21h
int 20h
;
case: cmp al,91 ;upper case?
jl upper
sub al,32 ;convert lower to upper case
;
upper: call parmcheck ;see if H, V, L, R
jmp parmloop ;continue parsing thru parm
;
parms endp
;
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;Check for Horizontal and Vertical Speed, Left/Right/Both button control values
;
parmcheck proc near
cmp al,'H' ;is it horizontal speed parm
jne parmv ;if not, check vertical speed
call digedit ;check it out, value returned in al
cmp dig,'Y' ;is it a digit?
jne junk ;if not, return message
not al ;invert 10-speed to get delay
mov hdelay,al ;store horizontal delay value
ret ;back to parsing parms
;
parmv: cmp al,'V' ;is it vertical speed parm?
jne parml ;if not, check left button
call digedit ;check it out, value returned in al
cmp dig,'Y' ;is it a digit?
jne junk ;if not, return message
not al ;invert 10-speed to get delay
mov vdelay,al ;store vertical delay value
ret
;
parml: cmp al,'L' ;is it left button parm?
jmp parmr ;if not, check right button [DISABLED]
call dighex ;get digits into hex
mov lkey,ax ;set left button key code
ret
;
parmr: cmp al,'R' ;is it right button parm?
jmp parmb ;if not,check both buttons [DISABLED]
call dighex ;get digits into hex
mov rkey,ax ;set right button key code
ret
;
parmb: cmp al,'B' ;is it both buttons parm?
jmp junk ;send message if unknown parm [DISABLED]
call dighex ;get digits into hex
mov bkey,ax ;set both buttons key code
ret
;
;Junk parm error message
;
junk: lea dx,helpmsg ;help, plus error message for invalid parms
mov ah,9
int 21h
lea dx,junkmsg
mov ah,9
int 21h
int 20h ;and program ends
;
parmcheck endp
;
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;Digits to hex routine
;
dighex proc near
call digedit ;get next digit
cmp dig,'Y' ;is it a digit?
je digcon ;if so, continue
ret ;otherwise got literal, return it
digcon: cbw ;byte in al goes to word in ax
xchg ax,bx ;trade digit and number
mov cx,10d
mul cx ;number in ax times 10
xchg ax,bx ;trade number and digit
add bx,ax ;add digit to number
call digedit ;get next digit
cmp dig,'Y' ;is it a digit?
jne junk ;return message if not
cbw ;byte in al goes to word in ax
xchg ax,bx ;trade digit and number
mov cx,10d
mul cx ;number in ax times 10
xchg ax,bx ;trade number and digit
add bx,ax ;add digit to number
mov ax,bx
cmp al,20h ;is number > 20?
jl setok ;no, set as is
mov ah,al ;yes, make it high byte
mov al,0 ;null low byte
setok: ret ;all thru, got 2 digits into binary form
;
dighex endp
;
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;Get value of ASCII digit or literal, return in ah
;
digedit proc near
mov dig,'N' ;may not have a digit here
inc si
mov al,byte ptr[si] ;get next byte
mov lit,al ;save literal value
sub al,30h ;drop ascii code to convert digit to value
jl liter ;if not digit, use literal
cmp al,9d ;
jg liter ;if not digit, use literal
sub al,11d
mov dig,'Y' ;yes, got a digit
ret
liter: or ax,ax ;get ax to null
mov al,lit ;plug in literal character
ret ;back to parm scan
;
digedit endp
;
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;See if MOUSER is already resident by walking memory control blocks.
;
;Each MCB is marked with M in first byte, last block has Z in first byte.
;The length of each MCB is in byte 3. Adding len + 1 locates the next MCB.
;If MOUSER is already resident, parms are updated in that copy of the program.
;
mcbwalk proc near
push bp ;remember right where we were (we hope)
push ax ;the stack was getting messed in this code
push bx
push cx
push dx
push ds
push es
mov ah,52h ;DOS fn to get first memory control block
int 21h
mov ax,es:[bx-2] ;stash starting mcb address in variable
mov mcbptr,ax
;
search: mov es,mcbptr ;get first byte at current mcb address
mov dl,byte ptr es:[0]
cmp dl,'M' ;an M means TSR, but not last one loaded
je gotmcb
pop es
pop ds
pop dx
pop cx
pop bx
pop ax
pop bp ;back to current memory values and pointers
ret ;Done with TSR chain
;
gotmcb: cmp found,'Y' ;see if already found
je nextmcb ;skip to end of chain if already found
mov dl,byte ptr es:[113h] ;if not found yet, look for 'MOUSER CODE'
cmp dl,'M' ;literal starting in byte 4
jne nextmcb
mov dl,byte ptr es:[114h]
cmp dl,'O'
jne nextmcb
mov dl,byte ptr es:[115h]
cmp dl,'U'
jne nextmcb
mov dl,byte ptr es:[116h]
cmp dl,'S'
jne nextmcb
mov dl,byte ptr es:[117h]
cmp dl,'E'
jne nextmcb
mov dl,byte ptr es:[118h]
cmp dl,'R'
jne nextmcb
mov dl,byte ptr es:[11Ah]
cmp dl,'C'
jne nextmcb
mov dl,byte ptr es:[11Bh]
cmp dl,'O'
jne nextmcb
mov dl,byte ptr es:[11Ch]
cmp dl,'D'
jne nextmcb
mov dl,byte ptr es:[11Dh]
cmp dl,'E'
jne nextmcb
call post ;post parms to existing MOUSER TSR copy
jmp nextmcb
;
nextmcb: mov ax,mcbptr ;on to the next mcb
mov es,ax
add ax,word ptr es:3 ;length of block is in byte 3
inc ax ;add length plus 1 for next mcbptr
mov mcbptr,ax
jmp search
;
mcbwalk endp
;
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;Post parms to data locations in current resident version of MOUSER
;
post proc near
mov found,'Y' ;indicate TSR now found
mov al,vdelay ;and post V, H, L, R and B parms to memory
mov byte ptr es:[11Eh],al
mov al,hdelay
mov byte ptr es:[11Fh],al
mov ax,lkey
mov word ptr es:[120h],ax
mov ax,rkey
mov word ptr es:[122h],ax
mov ax,bkey
mov word ptr es:[124h],ax
;
;The following code should re-activate the mouse driver addressability
;to the currently loaded tsr mouse routine we just found.
;It is commented out because the code as written here leaves the mouse
;driver pointing into never-never land somewhere. Please help me Peter Pan!
;
; mov ax,12 ;function 12, set ms driver active
; mov cx,11 ;subroutine call mask
; mov dx,word ptr es:[126h] ;offset of tsrsav pointer to mouse seg
; int 51 ;pass information to mouse driver
ret
;
post endp
;
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;If MOUSER already TSR, end normally, else end TSR
;
allthru proc
cmp found,'Y'
jne tsr
cmp newcopy,'Y'
je tsr
mov ah,9 ;send post message
lea dx,postmsg
int 21h
int 20h ;normal exit to DOS
;
tsr: call msmouse ;make sure mouse driver is resident
mov ah,9 ;send load message
lea dx,loadmsg
int 21h
mov ax,12 ;function 12, set ms driver active
mov cx,11 ;subroutine call mask (bits 1011)
;call if mouse moved, or button tapped
mov dx,offset mouse ;point ES:DX to the TSR subroutine
mov tsrsav,dx ;and save this address for later use
int 51 ;pass address to mouse driver
lea dx,init ;point DX to end of resident code
int 27h ;terminate-but-stay-resident
;
allthru endp
;
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;Make sure the ms mouse hardware and software are in place.
;
msmouse proc near
mov ax,0 ;function 0
int 51 ;get installation flag
or ax,ax ;is AX zero?
jne msok ;proceed with loading
mov ah,9 ;print error message and abort
lea dx,errmsg
int 21h
int 20h
;
msok: ret ;continue loading
;
msmouse endp
code ends
end begin
FILE2228.TXT
Disk No: 2228
Disk Title: Directory Freedom
PC-SIG Version: S1
Program Title: Directory Freedom
Author Version: 3.50A
Author Registration: $35.00
Special Requirements: None.
DIRECTORY FREEDOM is not primarily targeted at the user who wishes to
shield him/herself from DOS and who wishes the services of a "full DOS
Shell." Rather, it is intended to aid the person who has a basic working
knowledge of subdirectories, etc. by relieving them from remembering and
typing out file names when, for example, they wish to selectively copy
some files from a hard disk subdirectory to a floppy.
DIRECTORY FREEDOM is a fast, compact (12K) alternative to DOS Shells
which provides for selective file and directory operations (e.g.
copying files), a scrollable environment for examining the contents
of directories, and user-defined keys which can operate upon
highlighted files. A user can, for example, define the CONTROL-F1 key
to be an editor (e.g. QEDIT). This definition is done through a
separate, user-friendly configuration program, DFCONFIG. Then, by
highlighting a file in the directory with the cursor, the user need just
press CONTROL-F1 to immediately jump into the editor and operate on the
highlighted file. In addition to the example cited above, the DFCONFIG
program allows for a great deal of control over the operation of DF.
Colors, directory sort order, and the setting of the DOS Verify flag can
all be customized -- just to name a few of the possible settings.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< PC-SIG Disk #2228 DIRECTORY FREEDOM >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ To start the program, type: DF (press enter) ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ To print the documentaion, type: COPY DF350.TXT PRN (press enter) ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ Copyright 1990, PC-SIG, Inc. ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
REGISTER.TXT
Registration for Directory Freedom 3.50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To register, please return this form with your registration check or
money order (Purchase orders are also accepted) to :
Gordon Haff
3205 Windsor Ridge Dr.
Westborough, MA 01581
Phone: (508) 898-3321
Name ____________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Phone (_____)_____-______
Where did you get DF 3.50 from:
BBS Name ________________________________ Number (_____)_____-______
Other electronic service (Compuserve, GEnie, etc.) _________________
Other ______________________________________________________________
Are you a SYSOP or CO-SYSOP (circle) NO - YES ________________________
____ DF 3.50 Registration ...................... @ $ 20.00 ea $ _______
(Includes a license for one user and product
support for that user.)
____ DF 3.50 Registration and diskette ......... @ $ 35.00 ea $ _______
(Includes Registration as detailed above plus:
A diskette with DF and all associated files
Laser-printed documentation
One free upgrade)
____ DF Upgrade ................................ @ $ 5.00 ea $ _______
(Includes diskette with DF and all associated files
Laser-printed documentation
REGISTERED USERS ONLY)
Non-US Shipping ...............................@ $ 5.00 $ _______
(Payments must be in US Dollars, US bank)
TOTAL Enclosed ......................................... $ ____________
If a diskette is being ordered: 3.5" ____ 5.25" ____
Non-U.S. orders need to include $5.00 extra to cover additional
shipping and handling charges. Checks and money orders must be
drawn on a U.S. bank. Please send all payments payable in U.S. Dollars.
Feel free to attach any other comments or instructions (e.g. program
features you'd like to see, or don't send a copy of the program until the
next major rev, etc.)
Note that the upgrade option is:
1) Only available to users who have registered a previous revision of
Directory Freedom and
2) Is only required of registered users if they wish a copy of the latest
revision on disk. In other words, this is a shipping and handling charge
for sending out the latest revision. Registered users of DF who have
obtained the latest rev from other sources (e.g. a BBS) are under no
obligation to pay an upgrade fee for the use of that rev.
(Of course, this revision will be mailed out automatically to those users
for whom it represents their free upgrade.)
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #2228
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
CONVERT EXE 17463 4-01-90 11:03p
DF COM 11265 4-01-90 6:11p
DF350A NEW 5496 4-10-90 2:04a
DF350A TXT 64765 3-13-90 10:23p
DFCONFIG EXE 69673 3-25-90 11:07p
DFM ASM 28217 10-12-89 12:26a
DFM COM 1884 10-12-89 12:27a
ND EXE 10603 4-25-89 10:49p
PACKING LST 1160 4-10-90 2:06a
READ_ME 3381 4-09-90 10:17p
REGISTER TXT 2930 3-13-90 10:58p
RF COM 4675 4-10-90 2:02a
GO BAT 37 6-20-90 2:12p
GO TXT 1079 6-20-90 2:20p
FILE2228 TXT 2961 6-20-90 2:22p
15 file(s) 225589 bytes
87040 bytes free