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| 12 : File Manager |  |
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Important: The File Manager program has not been included with DOS Plus 2.1 <nor with version 1.2a – YP>. This chapter is only of relevance, therefore, to earlier versions of DOS Plus.
The File Manager (FMG) is a menu-driven program which allows most of the commands so far described to be used by selecting the command name and any associated parameters from the screen, rather than using the command line.
Each command is selected from a list using the cursor keys and function keys. Files, or other parameters associated with the command, may be selected in a similar fashion. The main advantage of selecting files from a list is that a chosen set of files may be acted upon with a single copy command. For example, if COPY is used from the command line, it is only possible to copy multiple files using wildcards or by using multiple copy commands. In the file manager, a number of files may be selected and copied in one action.
The box in the top left-hand corner shows the disc format, eg CP/M or DOS, and the remaining free space on the disc. The top centre box shows the current directory. The box on the right-hand side of the screen is the command panel from where commands are selected.
The main box in the centre of the screen is the object panel. It contains a list of files which may be selected for commands to act on.
The lower portion of the screen contains a prompt line which is used for a description of the highlighted command, or for keyboard input when required. This portion of the screen also shows a menu of function key assignments.
Moving Around the Menus
The following keys are used to select commands and objects:
| ESCAPE | Aborts the current command or returns to a higher level menu | |
| TAB | Toggles between command and object panels | |
| Spacebar | Moves the cursor to the next item in a menu | |
| Enter | Selects the highlighted object or executes the highlighted command | |
| Up arrow | Moves the cursor up to the item above | |
| Down arrow | Moves the cursor down to the item below | |
| Left arrow | Moves the cursor to the previous item | |
| Right arrow | Moves the cursor to the next item | |
| < + > | Selects the highlighted object | |
| DELETE | Deselects the highlighted object | |
| F0 or ^W | Moves a command line prompt to the prompt line for command line entry | |
| F1 or ^N | HELP | |
| F2 or ^O | TYPE | |
| F3 or ^P | Repeats the last selection | |
| F4 or ^Q | Cancels selected objects | |
| F5 or ^R | RUN | |
| F6 or ^S | Edit the selected file | |
| F7 or ^T | Select Dir1 | |
| F8 or ^U | Select Dir2 | |
| F9 or ^V | File directory |
Selecting Commands
Use the cursor keys and/or spacebar to highlight a command and select using ENTER. If the command requires one or more objects, the cursor moves to the object panel. After objects are selected, the command is executed using ENTER.
If objects are already selected when the command is selected, the command may be executed immediately without needing to reselect.
Selecting Objects
Objects can be selected in three ways:
| 1) | Use the cursor keys and/or spacebar to move to the object | |
| 2) | Type the first letter of the object and any subsequent letters to uniquely identify the object | |
| 3) | Type a wildcard file specification in the prompt line |
After the cursor has been moved to the object, using any of the above three methods, press ENTER, or +, to select. Objects may be deselected using the DELETE key or F4.
Main Menu Commands
| Command | Meaning | ||
| HELP | DOS Plus Help System | ||
| File Directory | Change to another file directory | ||
| Subset of files | Display files matching a wildcard specification | ||
| Drive selection | Change Drives A: B: C: L: M: | ||
| Type file(s) | Display contents of one or more files | ||
| Print file(s) | Print one or more files | ||
| Copy file(s) | Copy one or more files | ||
| Rename file(s) | Rename one or more files | ||
| Delete file(s) | Delete one or more files | ||
| Edit a file | Edit a file | ||
| Run a program | Run a program of type .BAT, .EXE, .COM or .CMD | ||
| Copy diskette | Make a duplicate copy of a disc | ||
| Format diskette | Format a floppy disc for use with DOS Plus | ||
| Stop background | Display or stop programs that are running | ||
| Size/date on | Switch between long and short directory displays | ||
| Set up system | Set up DOS Plus system defaults |
The action of each of these menu options is described briefly in the pages that follow.
HELP
A screen of helpful and explanatory information on menu commands. Displayed by selecting the Help option from that menu. The type and amount of help given does vary.
Help about an individual command can be found by pressing the function key F1 when the command is highlighted.
File Directory
File directory allows general directory management.
Change Directory
The current directory is displayed along with all sub-directories and the current directory's files. To select a new current directory, move the cursor to the directory and press ENTER.
View Files
Allows viewing of the highlighted directory's files. Note this can also be selected by pressing F2:
Set Directory 1/ Set Directory 2
The File Manager allows two directories Dir1 and Dir2 to be selected for later use. These directories can be used as source and destination for COPY, and can be made the current directory using F7 and F8.
To select a directory as Dir1 or Dir2, highlight the appropriate command and move to the desired directory in the object panel. Select using ENTER.
Make Directory
This command is identical to the MKDIR command.
Remove Directory
Identical to RMDIR. This command removes a directory from the currently selected disc providing it is empty, ie contains no file or sub-directories.
Subset of Files
A subset of files may be selected using the wildcard file specification. This command makes selection of files easier by limiting the number of files displayed in the object panel. For example, to select a file for typing is simpler if all text files have extension TXT and subset *.TXT selected.
Note that these files must still be selected if a multiple file command is required. The subset of files only restricts the display in the object panel, it does not select those files for any command action.
Drive Selection
Change Drive
Selecting a drive is similar to selecting a directory. All system drive names are displayed, including the current drive. Select a drive by using the cursor keys and press ENTER.
View Files
This command works in the same way as View Files in the directory menu. It allows drive contents to be viewed without first selecting the drive.
Type File(s)
This command uses the DOS Plus TYPE command, repeating it for each file selected in the object panel. At the end of each page, the display is halted until ENTER is pressed. At the end of each file, ENTER must be pressed to start the next file.
If the command is aborted using ESCAPE, the files which have not been typed are displayed in the object panel. Press a key to return to the menu.
Print File(s)
Single or multiple files can be printed using this command. Just select the object files from the panel. Pressing any key aborts the command.
Note that this is not the same as the PRINT command described in the previous chapter.
Copy File(s)
Copy to A:
Copy to B:
Copy to C:
Copy to D:
These instructions copy the selected files to the current directory on the specified drive.
Copy to Drive
This command allows the drive to be selected from a menu and allows copying
to M: (MEMDISK).
Copy to Dir1 Copy to Dir2
Allows copying to the previously selected directories Dir1, Dir2.
Copy to Dir
Select the destination directory from the object panel using the cursor keys
and press ENTER.
Copy to New Name
This command allows a new drive and/or new name to be input at the prompt line
for each selected file as it is copied.
Rename File(s)
This command allows a file, or files, to be renamed. For each selected file, the file manager prompts for a new name.
If ENTER is pressed without a filename, the file is not renamed. After the command finishes, a list of all the files which have not been renamed is displayed in the object panel.
This command cannot be used to move files to a different drive or directory. If you wish to do this, use COPY and then delete the old file.
Delete File(s)
Multiple files can be deleted using this command. Select the files to be deleted in the object panel using the cursor keys and +. Press ENTER to execute the command.
The selected files are displayed in the object panel, and confirmation is required before the files are deleted.
Edit a File
This option executes the line editor ED, which is described in the next chapter <actually Chapter 15 - YP>. A file may be selected from the object panel, or entered in response to prompts from the ED program.
Run a Program
Run can be used to execute a program selected from the object panel. Only files with the extensions .CMD .COM .EXE and .BAT can be used.
Copy Diskette
This command does not work on the 512, and returns to the main menu, but the function can be performed in DISK, using RUN from the menu, and choosing DISK.CMD from the object panel.
Format Diskette
This command does not work on the 512 but can be performed in DISK, using RUN from the menu, and choosing DISC.CMD from the object panel.
Stop Background
This selection invokes the BACKG command. It is used to start, stop and display the currently active background programs.
Size/Date ON/OFF
There are two possible forms of object file display, the abridged version, shown previously, and a long version. The long version displays the time, date stamp and length of each file.
Short and long formats are toggled with this menu option. For some unknown reason, the format displayed seems to be wrong – the long format showing size and date is displayed when size/date is OFF, and the short format (like DIR /W) is shown when size/date is ON.
Setup System
Copy to System Disc
This copies a file to the system disc. If you are running from the system disc, it will copy to itself, which is fatal – see the warning in the COPY command elsewhere in this book.
System attributes
This option sets a file to have system attributes, and is equivalent to FSET <filename> [SYS].
Local attributes
This option sets a file to have ordinary attributes, and is equivalent to FSET <filename> [DIR].
Load Func Keys/Assign Func Keys
These options do not work on the Master 512, nor is there any help file associated with them.
Change Devices
This command invokes the DOS Plus DEVICE command, and allows the logical and physical device assignments to be changed as described in the previous section.
System Defaults
Hard disc Maint(enance)
Floppy disc Maint(enance)
These options do not work on the Master 512, nor is there any help file associated with them.
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