*** FYLDOS.200 and FYLDOS.100 *** Wilson Van Alst 76576,2735 It can be a chore, but every now and then you gotta do it: catalog those disk files and get a handle on all the ones you've forgotten about, where your backups are hidden, how full your disks are getting, and maybe even who's on first. FYLDOS will make that chore easier and significantly faster than it has been in the past. And if you've got a *lot*_ of disks, you'll appreciate the fact that FYLDOS operates without any other DOS in your computer. That means you can entirely clear your RAM -- except for the 650 bytes of FYLDOS -- to create the catalog file. (No, it's not _necessary_ to remove your usual DOS in order to run FYLDOS program. And if you do kill the main DOS, naturally, you'll have to re- install it.) A couple of other features make this program unique. It uses machine language to retrieve information from the TDD. The m/l runs in an area set aside for TELCOM; so it does not eat up any usable RAM and it should not conflict with any .CO files loaded in the HIMEM area of your computer. The machine language makes FYLDOS very speedy. It also avoids the occasional "false file size" problem that has plagued other TDD directory programs. What FYLDOS Does: FYLDOS creates a formatted list of TDD directory information. The name of each disk file, its size, and the name of the disk it's on, are written to a .DO file in RAM. A final entry for each disk indicates the amount of free space remaining. The program is intended for use with the TDD1 (the earlier, 100K drive). It also works with the TDD2, but returns directory information for only the first 40 files on each disk. FYLDOS is computer-specific -- meaning the T200 version won't run in the M100/102, and vice versa. In fact, attempts to run the wrong program carry the risk of crashing your computer. Running FYLDOS It's pretty simple. You run the program the same way you run any other BASIC file from the main menu. FYLDOS will prompt you for the name of the disk currently in your TDD. You can enter a name of any length, but only the first eight characters are written to the catalog file. If you use numbers instead of alphas to identify your disks, the program automatically adds the sign '#' to the front of the number. As soon as you enter the disk name, you should hear the usual 'click-whirr' -- and almost immediately the names of the disk's files will start flashing on the LCD. They are simultaneously being written to a RAM file called AAATDD.DO, which is destined to become your catalog document. It's over so soon?? You may be surprised (pleasantly, I hope) at how fast FYLDOS finishes with the first disk, beeps, and prompts you for another one. At this point, you put in the new diskette, enter its name, and wait for the next beep. And so on. To end the logging session, press any time you see the "Disk Name:" prompt, and you'll return to the main menu. You can quit this way, then come back later for more: information is written to AAATDD.DO in the "append" mode and will not be destroyed the next time you run FYLDOS. Catalog Techniques with FYLDOS I've found I can process a bin of 40 mostly-full disks in about 10 minutes with this program. I use a Library 4 program called COLUMN.BA to print the original version of AAATDD.DO, giving me a list of files broken down by disk. Then I run SORTHI.CO to alphabetize the files in AAATDD.DO, followed by COLUMN.BA to print that list. If AAATDD.DO is very large, it can be moved to disk for the COLUMN.BA printouts. (You use a '0:' prefix when COLUMN prompts you for the file name. Your main DOS, of course, must be installed at this point.) Final Comments There is a lot that could be done to make FYLDOS fancier, or to integrate its disk-access routine into a more comprehensive file directory system. I will try to help anyone working toward this kind of customization, as long as he or she is willing to share the result with this forum. Wilson Van Alst [76576,2735]