                                ---File Tech---
                                     v1.00
                           shareware by H/M Software
                           Chris McEvoy & Chuck Homic
     
     
     
     Disclaimer: H/M  Software takes  no  responsibility  for  any  damage,
hardware, or  software, caused by this program, as it was not the intention
of the authors.
     
     
     
     Table of Contents:
     
     Section 1 - Requirements and starting the program
     Section 2 - File Tech's environment
     Section 3 - The file window
     Section 4 - The command line
     Section 5 - The tree
     Section 6 - The edit window
     Section 7 - Configuring
     Section 8 - Error messages
     Section 9 - Troubleshooting
     Section 10 - What is shareware?
     Section 11 - How to register
     Section 12 - Trademarks, and copyright
     
     
     
     
     -------------------------------------------------
     Section 1 - Requirements and starting the program
     -------------------------------------------------
     
     File Tech  requires 384k,  and  DOS  3.xx  or  higher.    The  authors
recommend a  286 or higher, a mouse, a color monitor, and a hard drive.  To
start File  Tech go  to its  path and type "FT."  We recommend placing File
Tech's path in the PATH of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  That's it.
     
     
     -----------------------------------
     Section 2 - File Tech's environment
     -----------------------------------
     
     After starting  File Tech the screen will be blank except for a bar at
the top.  This is the top bar or info bar.  There are several words on this
bar.   Pressing Alt and the highlighted letter will bring up a menu.  Using
the mouse  to click  with the left button on the words will also bring up a
menu. There  is always  access to  these menus  anytime in File Tech except
when in  a special  window (discussed  later).   Red words  are unavailable
menus.
     
     The Open  menu allows  you to  open any of the four main windows:  the
file window,  tree, edit  window, and command line.  The key combination to
the right  of the  window name  can open a window without going to the open
menu.   Red choices are inactive because the maximum number of that type of
window is  already open.  Go to Section 7 - Configuring, to find out how to
change this limit.
     
     The Task  menu shows  a list  of  what  windows  are  currently  open.
Clicking on  a window  name or  pressing the  letter next  to it makes that
window active (discussed later).
     
     The Config  menu shows  the different configurable areas of File Tech.
See Section 7 - Configuring for information.
     
     The last  menu is on the far right:  Help.  This brings up help on the
active window.   Use Page Up and Page Down to look through the help.  Press
A or  click on the About button to show information about File Tech.  Click
outside the window or press Esc to exit help.
     
     To the  right of  the Config  menu button  is some  information.   The
amount of  conventional memory  free in kilobytes, the date and time, and a
number that stands for free windows left.  This tells how many more windows
can be  opened.   See Section  7 -  Configuring for  information on  how to
change the window limit.
     
     All four major windows have similar design.  The buttons are yellow on
brown in  the default  configuration.   To use  them click on them with the
left button.   Using  the keyboard press the key shown in the button, or if
there is no key, press the capital letter in the button.  If a button has a
highlighted letter,  you have  to press  Ctrl and  the highlighted  letter.
Many windows  have scroll  bars.  Click using the left button on the arrows
to use  it.   With the  keyboard press  Page Up  and Down.   All  the major
windows also  have a  title  printed  to  the  right  of  a  funny  looking
character.   This character signifies the window you're currently in, (only
the active  window has  this character)  and closes the window when clicked
on.   The Esc  key also  closes the active window.  To move the window hold
down the  mouse button  on the  top line  of the window and move the mouse.
"Dragging" is  holding the  button and  moving the  mouse.   Releasing  the
button is  "dropping."   Holding down Alt and pressing M puts the window in
keyboard move  mode.   Use the arrow keys to move the window and then press
Enter.  The character in the upper left corner of the window will change to
M in  move mode.   To  size the  window with the mouse drag the lower right
corner of  the window and drop it where the size is right.  Holding Alt and
pressing S  will enter keyboard size mode.  The character will change to an
S and  using the arrow keys sizes the window.  Enter leaves this mode.  The
last thing is switching between windows.  Clicking anywhere within a window
makes it  active if  it already  isn't.   Alt and  F10 switch  through  the
windows.
     
     Special windows  are any  window that  isn't one  of  the  four  major
windows.   In the  default config  special windows are white on light gray.
They do  not move  or size  and switching  among  them  is  not  supported.
Clicking outside  a special  window or  pressing Escape  cancels it.    The
config windows, and question boxes are special windows.
     
     
     ---------------------------
     Section 3 - The file window
     ---------------------------
     
     The file window is the most important and most complex of the windows.
On the top of the window is a graph of the free space on the current drive.
Below it  is the current path.  Below that there are columns for file name,
extension, size,  date, and  attributes. This  is the file list. Under this
there is  a display  for space the current directory uses and along side is
the free drive space.  Finally there are two rows of buttons.
     
     There is a bar highlighting one file in the file list.  The arrow keys
move it  up and down through the list.  Pressing the left mouse button on a
file goes  to that file.  Page Up and Page Down page through the list.  The
arrows on  the scroll  bar do  the same thing.  Pressing Home and End go to
the top  and bottom of the list.  Pressing Insert on a file toggles between
selected and  deselected.   The right  mouse button  does the  same  thing.
Pressing "+"  selects all  the files specified (use wildcards). The key "-"
does the  opposite.   Just pressing enter after pressing "+" or "-" selects
or deselects  all the files.  Volume labels cannot be selected.  An example
of using  selected files  is selecting  all the  files  to  copy  and  then
pressing the  copy button  and they will all be copied.  The letters in the
far right  column stand  far attributes.  A for archive, R for read only, H
for hidden,  S for  system, and V for volume label.  Pressing these letters
toggles that  attribute of  the current file.  Clicking on the letters also
changes the  attributes.   It is  not possible  to change  the volume label
attribute.   Pressing enter  or double clicking on a directory goes to that
directory or if the directory is "..", the file list goes down a directory.
Double clicking or pressing enter on any other file runs the command in the
extension file.   The extension file is explained later.  Pressing enter on
a .ZIP  or .ARJ archive file makes the archive act like a directory (if you
have the  archiver directories  correctly configured).  Files can be copied
from an  archive and  files can  be deleted  from an  archive.   All  other
functions are invalid when in an archive file.  See Section 7 - Configuring
for information on how to setup this archive feature.
     
     The first  button on  the button  bar changes the current drive.  Just
enter the  letter of the drive you wish to go to.  The second button copies
the highlighted file, or if there are files selected, the selected files to
the destination  specified.   Dragging the copy button with the right mouse
button into  another file  window or  tree copies  to where  it is dropped.
Ren/Mov renames  if the destination is on the current directory or moves it
if the destination is on another directory.  Use dragging to move just like
copy.   The  next  button  brings  creates  an  edit  window  to  edit  the
highlighted file.   Dragging  the edit  button with  the right mouse button
into an  edit window  also edits  the highlighted file, but does not open a
new edit  window.  The Md button makes a directory.  The Del button deletes
the highlighted  file.   The Tree  button activates  a tree  window of  the
current drive, and the Print button prints.
     
     The sort  button brings  up a  window to change the  file sorting.  On
the left  of the  window is  a list  of ways  to sort  the  files:    name,
extension, size,  time, and directories first.  On the right is the current
sort order.   To  explain this  here is  an example.   A directory contains
files with two extensions .BAK and .DOC.  Normally the files are unordered.
To make it neater, sort by extension first which puts all the .BAK files on
top in  the file list and the .DOC files under.  Then, sort by name and all
the .BAK  files are  alphabetized and so are the .DOC files.  Now the files
are neatly  ordered and  easy to  understand.  On the bottom there is an OK
and a  Clear button.  The OK button confirms the changes made and the Clear
button clears the current sort order.
     
     The final button in the file window is Find.  This finds the specified
file searching  on all  the directories  of the  current drive,  or if  you
specify another  drive, it  looks on  that drive  instead.    You  can  use
wildcards in  searching for files.  You can also find a file in the current
directory by pressing 'F'.  You can enter the full filename of the file you
wish to  find, or  just as much of it as you know.  Wildcards are accepted.
The highlighter will then be positioned to the first file that matches your
criteria.
     
     One other  feature of the file window is the ability to drag the path,
displayed at  the top,  into a command line (using the right mouse button).
This changes the directory of the command line to that of the file window.
     
     
     ----------------------------
     Section 4 - The command line
     ----------------------------
     
     The command  line is  a simple  window.   It is  just the  regular DOS
command line.   Enter  a command  and press  enter.   Backspace  deletes  a
letter.   The three buttons on command line are:  History Up, History Down,
and Clear  Line.   History Up cycles upward through the commands previously
typed and  Down cycles downward.  The command line has room for 15 commands
in history.   Use  up and  down on  the keyboard  to use these.  Clear Line
clears the line.  Pressing Home on the keyboard does this as well.
     
     
     --------------------
     Section 5 - The tree
     --------------------
     
     The tree  is also a simple window.  Use the arrow keys and Page Up and
Down to  move through  the tree  or use the scroll bars.  Dragging from the
file window  onto a  directory  on  the  tree,  copies  or  moves  to  that
directory.   Dragging a directory off the tree, with the right button, into
a file  window changes the directory of the file window.  The Drv button on
the tree changes to another drive.
     
     
     ---------------------------
     Section 6 - The edit window
     ---------------------------
     
     The final  major window  is the  edit window.   The  edit window  is a
simple word  processor.  You can launch it from the file window or by using
the open  menu.   Launching the  edit window from the file window will edit
the file  the highlighter  is on.  The edit window has a large area for the
text and  a button  bar underneath.   To  the right  of the button bar is a
status display.
     
     Text can  entered just  like any  other word  processor.  Pressing the
insert key  toggles between  insert mode  and over  type mode, changing the
cursor color.  Use the page up and page down keys to page through the file.
The key  combination Ctrl-Home  goes to  the first page of the document and
Ctrl-End goes  to the  last page.   Warning:   Ctrl-End is very slow.  Home
goes to  the end of the current line and End goes to the end of the current
line.   If you want to enter an ASCII character that's not on the keyboard,
Ctrl-A pops  up an  ASCII chart.   Enter  the number  of the  desired ASCII
character and  it will  be entered  as if  it was  a key.   Holding Alt and
entering an  ASCII character number on the keypad does this too, but Ctrl-A
works much  better with  codes less  than 32  (8 is backspace, 13 is enter,
etc...).  Entering Ctrl-Y deletes the current line.
     
     The scroll bars on the right and bottom of the document show where the
cursor is  in the document.  Only in no wrap mode is the bottom, horizontal
scroll bar  displayed (explained  later).   Clicking on the arrows with the
mouse moves the cursor through the document.
     
     The first  button on the button bar is New.  It clears the edit window
for a  new document.   If  necessary, a  dialog box  will ask  to save  the
current file before clearing the edit window.  The next button, Load, loads
a file.   Just  enter the path to load.  Again, a dialog box will appear if
the current  file is not saved.  The next button is Save.  This will prompt
for a file name to save before saving the file.
     
     Copy, the  following button,  copies selected  text.   To select  text
place the  cursor where  to start  selecting and  press Ctrl-B.   Move  the
cursor on  the last  position to select and press Ctrl-E.  Place the cursor
on the position to copy the text and press the Copy button.  To copy across
edit windows  select the  text in  one window  and then go to the other and
press Alt-F4  at the  correct position.   Use  the Erase  button to  delete
selected text.   Before  deleting make  sure the  cursor is in front of the
text to delete.
     
     The next  button is Find.  It brings up a find box.  To enter the text
to find  press S  or click  on the  button.   Then enter the text and press
return.   To replace enter the replace text as well.  Next choose a method.
From the  top of  the document,  from the cursor forward or from the cursor
backward can  be chosen.  Finally choose OK to just find the text or choose
either replace all or prompt on replace.  Prompt on replace asks whether to
replace or  not for each find.  Replace all does not prompt.  The following
button, Next, finds the next occurrence with the current search parameters.
Warning:  Find is very slow.
     
     The Mode  button toggles  between the  three end  of line modes.  Most
documents (especially  on DOS  systems) use  CRLF, or carriage return, line
feed, at  the end of lines.  Some documents, use LF, a linefeed, at the end
of lines.   The  only instance  of CR mode being used, to our knowledge, is
when viewing  Microsoft Word of Windows documents.  The Wrap button toggles
the text  wrap through  three different  wrap modes.  No wrap mode does not
wrap the text and scrolling horizontally to see the rest of the line may be
necessary.   Wrap mode wraps the text at the edge of the edit window.  Word
wrap mode wraps words like a word processor.
     
     The status  display shows  four different  pieces of information.  The
upper left of the display shows the current mode.  The lower left shows the
current wrap.   The upper right displays the current character's ASCII code
in decimal, in hexadecimal, and it's function (if there is one).  The lower
right of the status is the current file.
     
     When scrolling  through the  document a  dialog box  may pop up asking
whether or not to save before going on, see Section 9 - Troubleshooting for
details on  this.  If the document that is being paged though is large, the
edit window  creates a  temporary file.   Its name will be similar to this,
"FT_TMPAA.AAA".   Do NOT  delete these  files.  The edit window will delete
them when  edit is  exited.  If the temporary files exist after closing all
edit windows, these files can be deleted.
     
     Note: The  edit window  DOES NOT  do ANY  reformatting of  the file on
disk; only  in memory.   Therefore, it is safe to use on binary files, such
as .EXE  files.  (If there were any reason to do so.)  Only the changes you
make specifically will be saved into the file.
     
     
     -----------------------
     Section 7 - Configuring
     -----------------------
     
     Users just getting started do not need to configure File Tech just yet
and can  skip this  section.   To configure  an area of File Tech select it
from the Config menu.  Most config windows in File Tech are set up the same
way.   On the  left there  are colors.   To change them click on the letter
before the  color with the left button to go through the foreground colors.
Use the  right button  to change  the background color.  With the keyboard,
press the  letter of  the color to change the foreground or hold down Shift
and the  letter for  the background.  On the right there are options.  Some
options are  toggle options.  A toggle option printed in white is active or
true and red is inactive or false.  Press the letter or click the letter to
toggle the  option.   Other options  have numbers printed after them.  They
will pop up a box to enter a number.
     
     Along the  bottom there  are four  buttons.  OK, Load, Save, and Help.
Clicking on  OK with the left button or pressing enter accepts the changes.
Save, saves  the changes,  made in ANY config window, to the "FILETECH.CFG"
file.   Load, reloads  the config file, undoing changes made after the last
Save.  Help brings up help on the current config box.
     
     The file  window config  has various  configurable colors  the on  the
left.   On the  right there  are several options dealing with confirmation.
Confirm delete  asks before deleting a file.  Confirm overwrite asks before
copying or  moving to  an existing  file.   Confirm recursive  delete  asks
before deleting  files off a directory to be deleted.  Confirm special file
delete asks  before deleting  read only,  hidden, or system files.  The set
sort method  button sets  the default sort method.  The box that pops up is
identical to  the sort  box in  file window.   The "set number of displayed
files" button is just what it says.  It prompts for the number of displayed
files.   The extensions  button pops  up a  window to  build or  modify the
"FILETECH.EXT" file.
     
     The extension  information tells the file window what to do when enter
is pressed  or the mouse is double-clicked on a file.  The extension button
prompts for an extension.  If that extension already exists its information
is displayed,  otherwise a  new extension  entry is created.  The directory
button lets you enter what directory should be the current directory when a
file is  executed.   If you  enter nothing,  the current directory is used.
The command  button is  the command  to be  executed.  A "%" in the command
represents the  full filename  of the  file that  was enter was pressed on.
(For example,  a command  for .DOC files could be: "TYPE %" which would use
the DOS  command TYPE  to view  any .DOC file.  Of course, why would you do
this when  you can  use our  editor to  view documents?)   The wait for key
button tells  File Tech if it should wait after executing the command.  Use
this if  you need  to see  the output of a command before File Tech redraws
the  screen.    The  swap  memory  option  makes  File  Tech  free  up  the
conventional memory  before executing  the command.  It does this either by
moving conventional  memory to  XMS or  EMS, or  by  copying  memory  to  a
temporary file.   (This may not work on all systems.)  The three buttons on
the bottom  row are  next, previous,  and delete.   Next  goes to  the next
entry.  Previous goes to the previous entry, and delete deletes the current
entry.
     
     The tree  config  is  simple  compared  to  the  file  window  config.
Configurable colors  are displayed  and the  one option  sets the number of
displayed directories.
     
     The editor  config has  five configurable  colors on  the left and six
options on the right.  The first option toggles the default wrap mode.  The
second toggles  the default CRLF mode.  The third and fourth options prompt
to set the horizontal and vertical size of the text display window in edit.
The next option changes the zone size.  Read the section on troubleshooting
for an  in-depth discussion  of the  zone.   The final  option is  the  tab
length.
     
     The command line config can set three colors.  The options to set are:
path prompt,  which toggles  the display  of the  path in the command line,
wait for  key, which  toggles waiting  after execution  of a command on the
command line,  and swap  memory which  is the same option as swap memory in
the file window config (above).
     
     The special window config can set up the colors of a special window.
     
     In the  preferences config,  two colors can be set,  the error message
color and  the background character color.  The option below these sets the
background character.   The ASCII table used is identical to the one in the
edit window.   Five  options are  beep on  error, date method, time method,
screen mode,  and video setup.  The screen mode toggles between 25 line, 43
line, 50  line, and  other mode.   The  computer must  have EGA  or  higher
graphics to  support 43  line mode,  and VGA or higher to use 50 lines.  If
other mode  is chosen  video setup  must be  used.  Video setup allows File
Tech to  use non-standard  video modes.   Using this, you can (for example)
use 132x60  character mode (depending upon your video card) to display much
more information  than any  other mode.   It  prompts  for  bios  mode  (in
hexadecimal), rows  (horizontal size),  columns (vertical size), horizontal
box size,  and vertical box size.  This information can usually be found in
the graphics card user's manual.  File Tech may not work with all modes.
     
     The infobar  config can  change the  colors of  various pieces  of the
infobar.
     
     To use  the archive  file handling  features in  the file  window  the
archive config  needs to be used.  Three paths have to be set, the location
of the  Zip utility, the location of the Unzip utility, and the location of
the .ARJ  utility.  The utility file names must be included in these paths.
An example of a path would be:  C:\ZIP\PKZIP.EXE.
     

     The final  config window  is the  screen saver  config.  Use the first
button to  set which  type of  screen saver  to use,  either blank,  random
stuff, message,  bouncing ball,  stars, or  an external  screen saver.  The
next choice  prompts for  how long  the File  Tech must  be inactive before
starting the  screen saver.   The  following button  toggles the use of the
password.   The choice pops up a box for entering a new password.  The next
button prompts  for a  new message for the message screen saver.  The final
choice prompts for the path of the external screen saver.
     
     
     --------------------------
     Section 8 - Error messages
     --------------------------
     
     There two  classes of  errors in File Tech, critical errors and normal
errors.  Critical errors are generally more serious than normal ones.  Most
critical errors  occur because  there is a problem with a disk.  An example
is when  the disk is taken out of the drive while being accessed.  When you
get a  critical error,  you can  retry the operation.  For example, put the
disk back  into the  drive, and press 'Yes' to retry copying.  If you don't
want to retry, just hit 'No' and the operation will be cancelled.  Critical
device errors  (such as  printer errors)  are not  handled by File Tech and
these cause a program abort.
     
     There are  many types  of normal  errors.   A "Cannot  open a file" or
"Cannot read  from file"  error usually  occurs when a needed file has been
deleted or moved.  Most normal errors are easily remedied.  When you get an
error, you  can look  at "help" for information about that error.  It lists
some possible causes and remedies.
     
     
     ----------------------------
     Section 9 - Troubleshooting
     ----------------------------
     
     User:  I am always low on memory when I run File Tech.
     Awesome authors:   To free up some memory try removing some TSR's.  If
you have DOS 5 or higher you can load the TSR's into high memory.  Also try
decreasing the  maximum number  of windows and the edit zone size.  And try
changing the  screen mode to something with fewer lines.  Look at Section 7
for more on how to change these settings.
     
     User:  I can't use the mouse in File Tech.
     Awesome authors:  Make sure your mouse driver is installed.  Read your
mouse manual  for info.   Another  possibility could  be your  mouse  isn't
Microsoft compatible.
     
     User:   When I  edit files I often get "You must save your work before
going on."
     Awesome authors:   To  edit large  files, File Tech copies part of the
file into  a memory  buffer (referred  to as  the edit zone) and leaves the
rest on  disk.   When you  page down or up out of the edit zone you have to
save the  file to  the disk before File Tech can load a new zone.  To avoid
this as much as possible increase the buffer size in the edit config to the
max of  63k.   (Of course that uses a lot of memory.)  Or you can just save
your changes when you plan to move to another location in the file.
     
     User:  I can't print on my computer.
     Awesome authors:   Our  printer support  is kinda  wimpy and  it  only
prints to  the standard  DOS printer  so it  may not  work on all printers.
Maybe in  a future  version we'll  upgrade it.   If it doesn't work on your
computer, don't press it.
     
     User:   Sometimes when I use the command line or execute programs from
the file window my computer "hangs" or "jams up".

     Awesome authors:   Sometimes  computers do  not entirely work with the
swap memory option.  Try turning it off.  See Section 7 for details.
     
     User:  I think I found an error in File Tech.  What should I do?
     Awesome authors:  An error?  In OUR program?  No way.  Well if you did
find an error send us an email at CMcEvoy@Delphi.com or write to us at:
     
          H/M Software
          2925 Birchton Rd.
          Ballston Spa, NY 12020-2035
     
     When reporting  errors please  be as  detailed as  possible.   Use the
exact wording of any error message, and say exactly what was happening when
the error  occured.  Information about the computer it was running on would
also be helpful.
     
     
     -------------------------------
     Section 10 - What is shareware?
     -------------------------------
     
     File Tech  is shareware.   This  means give File Tech to your friends,
family, co-workers, and anyone else.  It also means that after using it for
about 30 days, consider registering.  Registering gives you the legal right
to use  the program  and the  authors some  money for  their work.   It  is
important to  register this  program and  all shareware  programs  you  use
regularly to support the shareware concept.  That way the authors will earn
money and  want to  make more and better programs.  Also, when you register
File Tech,  you will  recieve the  latest version  available.  Remember:  A
rich author is a happy author. ;)
     
     
     ----------------------------
     Section 11 - How to register
     ----------------------------
     
     Registration for  File Tech is $15.  Credit card registrations are now
accepted.   View "ORDER.DOC"  to order the registered versions of File Tech
and other  software by  H/M.   Thanks for  your order.   -Chris  and Chuck,
authors
     
     
     --------------------------------------
     Section 12 - Trademarks, and copyright
     --------------------------------------
     
     All trademarks are property of their respective companies.
     File Tech v1.00 is (C) Copyright 1994, H/M Software
