

                                File_Handle (tm)

                                  Version 2.00

                           ¿
                            File- 
                           ¿
                            ³  and  
                           ¿
                                ³Program
                               ¿
                                     ĳManager
                                    ĳٳ
                                           Ŀ 
                                                        <ASP>

                           Copyright (c) 1993-1995 by
                          Arjen van Andel, Hasoft (tm)
                              All rights reserved

              Meeuwensedijk 10, 4268 GV, MEEUWEN, Holland, Europe

              Telephone  . . . . . . . . . . . +31 (0)416 351 469
              Compuserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  100710,1352
              Internet . . . . . . . . 100710.1352@compuserve.com

                           Uses Hasoft's Proprietary
                           Buffered Video Technology
                            For Steady Video Images

        File_Handle is a professional file and disk management shell for
        DOS, Windows and LAN's. It incorporates a flexible script-driven
        File-Finder,  a full fledged,  collision detecting File-Manager,
        and a sophisticated associative Program-Launcher. It has special
        support for removable media, such as CD-ROM's and Magnetic-Optic
        devices. It 'handles' files in ways unseen in other programs.

        See "Quick Start", "Tutorial" and REVIEW.TXT for a guided tour.

        File_Handle works on IBM-PC's and compatibles. It will run under
        most MS-DOS compatible operating systems.  It can run under, and
        act as a companion for Windows 3.0, 3.1(1), '95 and NT,  as long
        the program paths are kept within DOS' standard length (64).

        Trademarks
        
        Hasoft, File_Handle, and Tryware are trademarks of Hasoft.

        The trademarks Microsoft, IBM, MS-DOS, PC-DOS,  DR-DOS,  Novell,
        Windows,  DoubleSpace  and Stacker are owned by their respective
        owners.



        ii                                                   File_Handle
        
                             DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY

        THIS SOFTWARE IS SUPPLIED AS IS.  THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL  WAR-
        RANTIES,  EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED,  INCLUDING,  WITHOUT LIMITATION,
        THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR ANY  PURPO-
        SE.  THE AUTHOR ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES, DIRECT OR CON-
        SEQUENTIAL, WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

        

        2nd Edition. Copyright '93-'95 A. van Andel. All rights reserved

        No part from this document may be used commercially or be inclu-
        ded in other works without written permission from the author.



        File_Handle                                                  iii
        
                               Table of Contents

        Quick Start (Look here first)    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   1-1
          What's Different   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Who are File_Handle's users?   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Quick Install  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Basic Control  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          After the First Evaluation .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4
          Uninstalling File_Handle   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4

        Making a Copy For a Friend (What to think of when...)    .   2-1

        An Introduction to File_Handle   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   3-1
          File_Handle, The Program   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Animation  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Windowing  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Source & Destination   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Swap Windows (Shift+Alt+F4)    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Diskspace  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Date-Entry .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Time-Entry .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Field-Rotation .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          File Size Notation .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Error Log Window (Alt+F1)  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4

        Tutorial (A Hands-On Demo)   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   4-1
          Using the File Finder (Demo)   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1

        Installing File_Handle   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   5-1
          Alternative FH.BAT File    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .     1

        Configuring File_Handle  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   6-1
          Logfiles  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          FH_LOGDIR System variable  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          FH_SETUP.BAT   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Editor & Viewer    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Screen Colors (Ctrl+Shift+F1)  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Screen Lines   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Sound  .   .  (Alt +Shift+F1)  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          COUNTRY.SYS    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3

        File-Window  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   7-1
          Filter .   .   .    (Ctrl+F4)  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Multiple Wildcards .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Filter Scripts .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Reset Filter to *.* (Shift+F4) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Equal Filter   .    (Shift+F9) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Files First    .    (Ctrl +F6) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2

        Tree-Window  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   8-1
          Tree Position  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1



        iv  Table of Contents                                File_Handle
        

        Tree-Window <Continued>  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   8-1
          (RE)Build Tree .    (Ctrl+F4 or Refresh Corner)    .   .   . 2
          (RE)Build All Trees (Shift+F4) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Removed Directory  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Directory Totals    (Shift+F7) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Removable Media    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Floppy .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3

        Keyboard .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   9-1
          Type-Ahead Buffer  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Changing to Another Window or Field (Tab & Shift+Tab)  .   . 1
          Editing Fields .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Halting A Process (Escape) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Home & End Keys    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Insert Mode  (Ins) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Undo & Redo  (F2 and Ctrl+F2)  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Quick Keys .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Help Screens (F1 and Ctrl+F1)  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Help Viewer    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Help & Mouse   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3

        Mouse    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  10-1
          Mouse-Buttons  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Left button  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Right button .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Both (outer) buttons .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Repeating Menu-Choices .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Screen-Buttons & Quick-Spots   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Scrolling    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Sorting  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
            - Attributes .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
            - Baseline Buttons   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
            - In-window Clicking .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
            - Choosing a Drive (F4)  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
            - Tree/File Toggle   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
            - Reread Directory or Tree   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
            - Escape .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
            - How to Cancel a Screen-Button  .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
            - Thumb Index    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
            - Page Up/Page Down  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4
          Dragging   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4
          - Scrolling    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4
          - Browse   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4
          - Select   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4
          - Top-Menu .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5
          - Bottom-Menu (Alt+Space, Mouse: 4 ... 8)    .   .   .   . 5
          Fast Reset .  (Commandline switch: -m[h|s])    .   .   .   . 5
          Cheese Mode    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5



        File_Handle                                 Table of Contents  v
        

        Menu Systems .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  11-1
          Previous Choices   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Executing a Previous Choice  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Top-Menu   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Pull-Right, not Pull-Down    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Keys .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Making a Choice  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Repeat Menu  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Root or Main Menu    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          - Reset Menu   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Bottom-Menu (Alt+Space, Mouse: 4 ... 8)  .   .   .   .   . 3
          - Hot- or Quick-Keys   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          - Mouse    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4
          Menus and Pop Up Menus .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4
          Accept Pop Up  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5
          Entry-Boxes    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5
          Enter  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5
          Accept (F3)    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5
          Erase Pop Up   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5

        Embedded Wildcards   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  12-1
          Wildcards  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Examples   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Selecting or Searching   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Renaming .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2

        Search Systems   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  13-1
          Quick-Find     .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Clear Field  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Activate Quick-Find  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Incremental Quick-Find or Navigate   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Find-Info    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Repeat Quick-Find   (Ctrl+Up Ctrl+Down)  .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Quick-Find by Mouse () .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Wildcards    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Find Files .   .   .  (Alt+F)  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2

        Drive Logging    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  14-1
          Drive Logging (F4) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - DoubleSpace  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Keys .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Mouse    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Diskspace    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - No media .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Dynamic Drives (Mapping/Sharing) .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2

        Selecting Methods    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  15-1
          Space Bar  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Selection Menu (F5)    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          File-Window    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1



        vi  Table of Contents                                File_Handle
        

        Selecting Methods <Continued>.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  15-4
          Tree-Window    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Top-Menu   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Compare  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Select   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Quick_select .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Duplicates   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          - Identicals   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          - Today's Files    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          - System Files .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4

        Copy and Move Files  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  16-1
          Destination    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Window   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Drive    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Path .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Move (Alt+M)   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Copy (Alt+C)   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Renaming Duplicates    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Newer & Older  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Progress-Indicator .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Full Disk  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Floppy     .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          No Media   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4

        Erase Files  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  17-1
          Erase Files (Alt+E)    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Security Erase .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Wiping Free Space    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Compressed Drives    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Erase Subdirectories (Alt+F6)  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2

        Hiding Files and Subdirectories  .   .   .   .   .   .   .  18-1
          Hide (Alt+H)   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Hide and the Finder    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1

        Rename (Files, Attributes, Touch)    .   .   .   .   .   .  19-1
          Wildcards  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Name (Ctrl+F5) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Wild-Rename    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Rename .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Repeated Rename    .   . (Ctrl +F3)    .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Touch ("Rename" Date or Time)  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Attributes .   .   .   . (Shift+F7)    .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Set Files to Nodate-Mode (Ctrl +f4)    .   .   .   .   .   . 4
          Keys   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4

        Changing Directory - ChDir   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  20-1
          ChDir (F6) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1



        File_Handle                               Table of Contents  vii
        

        Create Directory - MkDir .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  21-1
          MkDir (Alt+F6) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1

        Remove Directory - RmDir .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  22-1
          RmDir (Shift+F6)   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Empty Directory  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Contains Files and/or Subdirectories .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Read/Only or System Files    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - The Root Directory, A Special Case   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Relog    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2

        The Executer .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  23-1
          Keys   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Associative Response File  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Executable Type  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Rebuild Type .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Show Type    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Extract Type .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - DontRun Type .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          SetARF (Shift+Ctrl+F2) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          An Example .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Extract to .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Directory  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Working Directory  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Default Editor & Viewer    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Unsupported Files  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Update After Execute   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Relog & Existing Selection .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          RunARF (Shift+Ctrl+F9) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4
          Memory Usage   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4

        Sorting  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  24-1
          Sort (F9)  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Sort with Mouse  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Direction    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Attributes   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Path .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          - Group Tags   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Same (Ctrl+F9) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Group Family   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2

        The Finder   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  25-1
          Purpose    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Find-Parameters    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
          Finder-Window  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Restrictions   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          Keys   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 3
          - Defaults    (F4) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4
          - Today Files (F8) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4
          - Undo & Redo (F2 and Ctrl+F2) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4



        viii  Table of Contents                              File_Handle
        

        The Finder <Continued>   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  25-6
          Finder & Mouse .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 4
          Wildcards  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5
          - Filename .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5
          - Date     .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5
          - Time     .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5
          - Size     .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5
          - Attributes   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5
          Sort   .   .  (F9) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 6
          Scan-Locations .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 6
          - System   .  (F5) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 6
          - Drive    .  (F6) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 6
          - Branch   .  (F7) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 6
          - CD-ROM and Floppies  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 6
          Copy and Move (Alt+C Alt+M)    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 7
          - Collisions   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 7
          - Duplicates   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 7
          Stop Searching .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 7
          Finder Scripts .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 7
          - Load & Save (F9 & Ctrl+F9)   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 8
          Quit Finder    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 8

        Removable Media  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  26-1
          Media Changed  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - With labels  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - No labels    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Replace disk .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Log disk .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Media Not Changed  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Replace disk .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Log disk .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2

        DOS-Commands .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  27-1
          DOS Interface      .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - DOS Shell    (Alt+F10)   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - DOS Command  (Shift+F10) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
            - Name  .    (Ctrl+F5)   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - DOS's Output (Ctrl+Shift+F10)    .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1

        Volume Label     .   .    (Ctrl+Shift+F4)    .   .   .   .  28-1
          Volume Label   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Add a Volume Label   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Edit a Volume Label   (Ctrl+Shift+F4)    .   .   .   .   . 1
          - Remove a Volume Label (Ctrl+Shift+F4)    .   .   .   .   . 1
          Removable Media    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1



        File_Handle                                Table of Contents  ix
        

        Appendices
        
        Technical Info   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   A-1
          Limits and Needs   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          XMS/Extended or LIM-EMS/Expanded   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Operating Systems/Environments .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Known Incompatibilities.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          File_Handle's Files    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2

        Hot-keys  Bottom-Menu   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   B-1
          File-Window    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Tree-Window    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1

        Definition of Shareware  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C-1

        Disclaimer of Warranty  Agreement   .   .   .   .   .   .   D-1
          Agreement  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Governing Law  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1

        Limited Warranty .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   E-1

        Support Policy   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   F-1
          Getting Support    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1
          Moving (to a new address)  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 1

        Acknowledgments  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   G-1

        The ASP Ombudsman    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   H-1



        Notes                                                File_Handle
        



        File_Handle                                                  1-1
        
                                  Quick Start

        File_Handle for DOS is a professional File and  Program  Manager
        for  DOS-like  systems.  It currently handles 2600+ files and/or
        subdirectories per window.

        It is basically a side-by-side-display file manager, designed to
        be  the back-bone of a versatile utility for everyone who has to
        do serious file management on small or large systems,  including
        networks. File_Handle runs on most systems without installing.

        What's Different
        
        File_Handle is different from other file managers because:

        o It has its own wildcard system that allows for embedded  wild-
          cards.  This  will, for instance, locate files on a given sub-
          string, either at the start, end, or in the middle of a  file-
          name.

        o Its built-in Finder locates any file on any parameter  on  any
          drive or set of drives in the system.

        o File_Handle's Finder can do a SYSTEM-WIDE copy, move,  rename,
          set or reset Attributes, erase, etc. etc.

        o The Escape key (and mouse) can halt (almost) any process.

        o It has powerful Compare, Select and Rename options.

        o It supports removable media like CD-ROM and MO-drives.

        o It can remove Read-Only Attributes from a  complete  directory
          or  a  complete  branch of a tree.  This is a valuable feature
          when copying programs from a CD-ROM to hard disk.

        o It has Security-Erase options for files and free diskspace.

        o It shows all activity directly on screen; no single refresh.

        o Any option can be controlled by the mouse.

        o It has flexible log file control, no  rescanning  of removable
          media necessary after exchanging media.

        o It features media exchange control.   Inadvertently  exchanged
          (or NOT exchanged, after such request) disks will be detected.

        o It directly Renames or sets Attributes on a set of one or more
          files. (Also from the Finder).



        1-2  Quick Start                                     File_Handle
        

        o It sorts on any field.

        o It detects most types of media and free space on them.

        o It  keeps track of copied/moved files so they can be erased or
          moved back when a wrong destination was chosen.

        o Shows  modifications in current directory after running an ex-
          ternal (DOS)command.

        o The Tree-Windows show directory totals.

        o Can still copy/move/erase/rename/...  a  single  file  without
          loosing an already made selection.

        o All menu systems and input fields remember their previous  in-
          put.

        o Menus don't close at every intermediate command.

        o It adds, shows, edits and removes volume labels.

        o More, and much more to come...

        Who are File_Handle's users?
        
        File_Handle was designed as a small,  yet  powerful,  management
        tool for the experienced and/or demanding computer user. Because
        File_Handle never starts copying, moving,  or a deletion without
        asking confirmation,  it might also be a first choice for begin-
        ners. Many safety features protect your valuable data.

        Even experienced computer users tend to get dazzled  by the many
        functions of File_Handle. Direct your attention to the Copy com-
        mand at first;  this will take away much of the confusion.   The
        manual has a special Tutorial which lets you copy files step-by-
        step.  This will take only a few minutes,  and  shows  you  what
        File_Handle is all about.

        Hint: F8 is a Quick-key (macro) for some Top-Menu commands,  and
              automatically  operates  on  the highlighted file if there
              are no selected files.

        The experienced user can bypass the manual for a while, and wan-
        der through the program for a first impression.

        File_Handle is designed to be used without the need  to  install
        it  first.   Because of this, evaluation of File_Handle is quite
        simple. This could even be done from a floppy (although slow) or
        a RAM-disk.



        File_Handle                                     Quick Start  1-3
        

        Quick Install
        
        1 Copy the files from the diskette to  a  subdirectory  of  your
          choice.

          MKDIR C:\FH        <Enter>
          COPY  A:\*.* C:\FH <Enter>

        2 Go to that directory

          C:       <Enter>
          CD C:\FH <Enter>

        3 Extract the files if necessary. Shown here for FHDnnn.ZIP.

          PKUNZIP FHDnnn <Enter>  (nnn is the version number)

        4 Execute FH.EXE

          FH <Enter>

        5 You are running!  Fine-tuning (if any) can be done  after  the
          first evaluation.

        Basic Control
        
        - Top-Menu (Alt)
          
          Hold down Alt to open the Top-Menu.  Now press the highlighted
          character of your choice from the top line.

        - Bottom-Menu  (Alt+Space, Mouse: 4 ... 8)
          
          The Bottom-Menu works with function keys F1-F10, together with
          any combination of Shift/Ctrl/Alt.

          For easier control of this interface, press Alt+Space to  open
          a  menu  containing  all combinations.  Use Up- and Down-arrow
          keys to select a menu,  and press the appropriate function key
          for the column. See Bottom-Menu in chapter Menu Systems.

             (U/C/S/A) Function Keys (SA/SC) >
            1Help   2Undo   3Accept 4Drive  5SelecQ 6ChDir  7Tree   8<
            1HelpQ  2Redo   3       4Filter 5Name   6FilesF 7       8>
            1       2       3       4ResetF 5       6MkDir  7Attrib 8<
            1Errlog 2       3       4       5       6       7       8>
            1Sound  2       3       4WinSwp 5       6Parent 7Editor 8<
            1Setup  2SetARF 3       4Label  5       6Root   7Edit   8>



        1-4  Quick Start                                     File_Handle
        

        - Pop up menus work with Alt+Letter and also Up- and Down-arrow.
          Or press a highlighted character from the menu and Enter.

        - Use F3 to accept (most) commands, not Enter. Tab opens window.

        Mouse
        
        If you have a mouse, use it, it will make your life so much  ea-
        sier while exploring File_Handle.  All options can be controlled
        without the keyboard (except entering names, dates and times).

        After the First Evaluation
        
        See chapter Installing File_Handle for properly  installing  and
        fine-tuning (if needed).

        Read this manual.  You cannot control File_Handle properly with-
        out knowledge of its internal workings.   You probably have made
        incorrect  assumptions  about the program that might prevent you
        from using File_Handle optimally.

        For example, the mouse has Screen-Buttons you don't know  about,
        wildcards can behave in ways you have never seen; the  order  of
        manipulations you used was not the  most  efficient,  but  other
        programs do it that way, so how could you know?

        The screen isn't large enough to show all features,  or to  have
        buttons for them all.

        Uninstalling File_Handle
        
        File_Handle can be uninstalled by deleting the  directory  where
        File_Handle resides.  This can be accomplished with the DOS com-
        mands DEL *.* and RMDIR from the parent directory.

        File_Handle can uninstall itself with the RmDir (Shift+F6)  fea-
        ture from the Tree-Window, and then Exit (F10).

        Warning
        
        If you are uncomfortable with handling files, use empty floppies
        and/or RAM-disk as practice material during the first few steps.
        This will minimize the chances of loosing data. Copy some random
        files to the practice material, and work on them for a while.

        See also
        
        The file FH_QUICK.TXT for keyboard- and mouse control.
        The chapter Definition of Shareware.
        The chapter Disclaimer  Agreement.



        File_Handle                                                  2-1
        
                           Making a Copy For a Friend

        It is forbidden to pass on MODIFIED copies of File_Handle or co-
        pies of the registration key file FH_NAME.CNF.

        A MODIFIED copy is a copy which has been started at least  once.
        This starts the internal timekeeping. The receiver (your friend)
        shall unwillingly be violating the copyrights  before  his  eva-
        luation period even has started.

        An UNMODIFIED copy can be found on  the  distribution  diskette.
        Don't copy the registration key file FH_NAME.CNF, but do include
        FH_PARMS.CNF.

        It is also possible that the distribution diskette only holds  a
        large compressed file plus the file FH_NAME.CNF. It's sufficient
        to  copy the large compressed file.  In that case you get an UN-
        MODIFIED copy.

        The format of such a compressed filename is:

            FHDnnn.aaa

        Where 'nnn' is the version number and 'aaa' is the archive type.

        Examples: FHD100.ZIP FHD203.ARJ

        Hint    : A simple way to copy a shareware version is to use the
                  Finder.  Press Alt+F from the main screen to enter the
                  Finder, then press Load (F9) and choose FH2BUDDY.

                  Press Accept (F3) to start the Finder. If the compres-
                  sed  distribution  file  is on your system, it will be
                  found.  Position the Cursor-Bar on that file and press
                  Alt+CHDA to copy it to drive A:



        Notes                                                File_Handle
        



        File_Handle                                                  3-1
        
                         An Introduction to File_Handle

        File_Handle, The Program
        
        File_Handle is an animated (live) Multi-Purpose DOS-Filemanager.

        There are a total of four windows,  two of the 'Tree' and two of
        the 'File' variety. You can copy or move files directly from one
        window to the other.  You can rename or erase files and directo-
        ries.  You  can  compare  them on screen while tagging the files
        that are different, and show in what they differ.

        This is just a small selection from the menus.  There is a great
        variety of selection-, searching- and sorting functions.

        You can control File_Handle, with the exception of filenames and
        numbers, fully with the mouse.  File_Handle can also be control-
        led by the keyboard without loss of any functionality.

        File_Handle is a program of modest  size,  and  works   without
        having  to  install  it first  directly from a floppy.  A tech-
        nician or (LAN) administrator can do file management on a system
        without polluting the host with temporary- and log files,  envi-
        ronment variables, and without the need to  modify  AUTOEXEC.BAT
        and/or  CONFIG.SYS. The memory swap file, when needed, will also
        go to the floppy.  Copy FH.EXE plus the .CNF and .ARF files to a
        temporary directory or to a Ram disk, if the floppy  is  slowing
        you down too much.

        Animation
        
        Almost all  activities  will  be  shown, step-by-step,  like  an
        animation, on the screen.  For example, when a log file is being
        built,  the tree will be built directory-by-directory on screen,
        files before your eyes deleted, copied,  moved or compared, etc,
        etc.

        Although this animation is not  performed  graphically,  it is a
        costly process, timewise. It needs a lot of processor- and video
        power.   This is why this program is less adequate for slow per-
        sonal computers like the now (almost) obsolete XT.

        Windowing
        
        As mentioned above, there are four windows, two of the File- and
        two  of the Tree-variety.  After starting File_Handle,  only the
        left  window is visible.  The other three windows will be opened
        automatically when needed.  They will remain  active  until  the
        program is terminated, or the link with one of the other windows
        calls for deactivation.



        3-2  An Introduction to File_Handle                  File_Handle
        

        These windows can be interconnected when they give an outlook to
        the  same data.  This means that if a certain action is taken in
        one window, it might lead to a reaction in one or  more  of  the
        other  windows.  Select, Erase, Copy, Move, MkDir, RmDir, Rename
        etc,  will be followed by other windows if there is a connection
        between them.  See chapter File-Window on Reset Filter to "*.*".

        Source & Destination
        
        All windows can be source or destination.

        Swap Windows (Shift+Alt+F4)
        
        It is possible to swap two windows  (and the invisible two also)
        through WinSwp.    This will make it possible to always have the
        source on the left, even if you, for some reason, started on the
        'wrong' side.

        Diskspace
        
        Diskspace on the destination is not truly checked during copying
        and moving.  File_Handle will ask you to confirm, and starts the
        process, even if the destination has NO free space.   This  will
        sometimes  lead  to  an  incomplete  copy  on  the  destination.
        File_Handle will automatically remove incomplete copies from the
        destination.  This will also happen if a copy or move process is
        interrupted with the Escape key or the mouse' right button.

        There is no good solution to this disk-space problem.  Thanks to
        utilities  like DoubleSpace and Stacker it is no longer possible
        to figure out how much free space there really is,  and how much
        a certain file will take after copying. The destination can also
        have duplicate file names on it,  which will influence diskspace
        when they are overwritten, directories can grow and use up extra
        space, different media can have different cluster sizes, etc.

        Date-Entry
        
        All date fields in File_Handle can be edited. It's not necessary
        to re-enter the whole date if, for instance, only the day or the
        month has to be changed.  A field can be skipped by entering any
        of the separator characters (./-,:;) or the arrow keys.

        Say, you only want to change  the  month  to  July.    Then  you
        (supposing  we  have  the  DDMMYY format) enter:  ".7".  The '.'
        will move the cursor to the MM field.  Fields like this will  be
        automatically justified when they are accepted by pressing Enter
        or any other valid key that leaves the field.  The  month  field
        will then contain "07".



        File_Handle                  An Introduction to File_Handle  3-3
        

        When there are more separator keys pressed than there  are  sub-
        fields, the cursor will start to walk the subfields in the oppo-
        site direction, so any field can be reached quickly.

        The limits for the internal date system are:

            01-01-80 to and including 31-12-79.

        '80' meaning 1980 and '79' meaning  2079. The year 2000 is ente-
        red as '00'.

        Date format will follow the COUNTRY.SYS setting.  Invalid  dates
        will not be accepted.

        See also Field Rotating below.

        Time-Entry
        
        Entering of time follows the same principles as the date system.
        The limits for these are:

            00:00 and 23:59 (or 24:00 for the Finder)

        Field-Rotation
        
        Date-, time-, and all other numerical fields can be  rotated  up
        or down using the Alt+'+' (the unshifted '=') or Alt+'-' keys on
        the keyboard.  (Not the ones on the numerical keypad, and  don't
        use the Shift key to reach Alt+'+').

        This is a nifty feature to  have  when  you  need  to  modify  a
        complex  data  type  like the one in a date- or time field.  For
        instance, to change an existing date a few days, or a time a few
        minutes,  is easier than retyping all the subfields,  especially
        when the new value passes a boundary.  A date, for instance, can
        be  rotated  from  31-01-94 to 01-02-94 by pressing Alt+'+' (the
        unshifted '=' on the keyboard) once. Keep in mind that some key-
        boards may have a different layout.

        File Size Notation
        
        File sizes are in bytes.  This notation changes to kilo-,  Mega-
        or Gigabytes if the field cannot hold byte units.  The size gets
        a trailing 'k', 'M' or 'G' to denote the conversion.

        See also
        
        Chapter Menu-Systems for the use of keys.
        Chapter Mouse for using the mouse.
        The file FH_QUICK.TXT for keyboard- and mouse control.



        3-4  An Introduction to File_Handle                  File_Handle
        

        Error Log Window (Alt+F1)
        
        File_Handle has an error system which does not lock  the  system
        with  a  pop up overwriting the screen - it uses the bottom line
        for that purpose.  File_Handle doesn't need a special key-stroke
        to remove the message.  The next key or mouse button will remove
        the error, so you won't have to do anything  special  to  unlock
        the system again. After you get used to File_Handle, you will be
        able to predict most errors, a system-locking error system would
        quickly become irritating.

        The last five errors are automatically logged by File_Handle. If
        you saw an error fly by,  but accidentally erased it by pressing
        a key, you can inspect this log by pressing Errlog (Alt+F1).



        File_Handle                                                  4-1
        
                                    Tutorial

        Copying files is probably one of the most  frequently  performed
        operations.

        This chapter describes step-by-step the process of copying files
        from  one  location to another.   This is an introduction to the
        powers and capabilities of File_Handle.  It'll give you a hands-
        on feel of how File_Handle is to be used and controlled.

        This Tutorial will let you select  files, choose a drive and di-
        rectory, and let you copy those files to that destination.

        1 - Install File_Handle as described in the chapters Install and
            if needed, Configuring File_Handle. The latter is not needed
            for this tutorial.

        2 - Execute File_Handle by typing "FH" followed by Enter.

        3 - Select files by walking the Cursor-Bar up and  down  through
            the directory  with  the  arrowkeys, and pressing the Space-
            bar (Tagging) on the files of your choice.

            Copy]Move Rename Select Erase Finder Hide
            Mainmenu: Copy files
             C:\DOS\*.* Ŀ>
             Filename.Ext     Size    Date Time              <
             <PARENT>    DIRͳ10-02-9315:43     File_Handl>
            ANSI    .SYS    9,06530-09-93 6:20               <
            APPEND  .EXE   10,77430-09-93 6:20     File and P>
            ASSIGN  .COM    6,39909-04-91 5:00               <


        4 - Now press Alt+C to choose Copy from the upper menu; a second
            menu will appear, asking which files to copy.

        5 - Now choose 'Tagged' by pressing Alt+T.  By  doing  this,  we
            prepare the files you just selected for copying.

        6 - To be able to copy these files, we need a destination.  This
            destination can be selected in a number of ways.  One method
            is  to set up a destination beforehand,  another way is pick
            one when the need arises.  We will do the latter.  Use Alt+D
            to choose 'Drive' in the Top-Menu.

            Now two things happen:



        4-2  Tutorial                                        File_Handle
        

            First, an Accept pop up will block the source window:

                      Copy ͸
                                                         
                                 3 Tagged Files          
                                                         
                        CHOOSE or CREATE a DESTINATION   
                                                         
                            in the other window and      
                                                         
                                 press Accept            
                                                         
                      Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

            Second, a menu with all possible destination drives  appears
            on the right.  It may take a second or so to build this list
            the first time.

        7 - The right side of the screen will present a menu, from which
            you can select a destination.

                              Log Drive ͸
                             A:Floppy 3"       -
                             B:Floppy 5"       -
                             C:Harddisk       19M
                             D:Harddisk       13M
                             E:Harddisk   1,212k
                             F:Ramdisk     2,048k
                             I:Harddisk  2   137k
                             J:CD-ROM           -
                             K:Subst          19M
                              Esc=Close ;

            Insert a formatted, preferably empty, floppy disk into drive
            A:. Now press Alt+A to choose drive A:.

            The disk logo will be replaced by a Tree-Window showing  the
            floppy's contents.

        8 - You can now choose any directory as the destination,  if the
            floppy has any.  Just move the Cursor-Bar with the arrowkeys
            to the directory you want to use.

            You now can, in fact, create a  new  directory  by  pressing
            MkDir  (Shift+F6),  or  removing  one with RmDir (Alt+F6) or
            rename one with Alt+R.  Even formatting this disk  by  using
            DosCmd (Shift+F10) to execute DOS's FORMAT.COM.



        File_Handle                                        Tutorial  4-3
        

            Rename Finder
            Mainmenu: Rename directories
             C:\DOS\*.* Ŀ>
             Filename.Ext     Size    Date Time            Dir<
             <PARENT>    DIRͳ10-02-9315:43 A:\           >
            ANSI    .SYS    9,06530-09-93 6:20  DOS        <
            APPEND  .EXE   10,77430-09-93 6:20  BACKUP     >
             Copy ͸  SOURCE     <

        9 - The source-window (left) is still covered by the accept pop-
            up.  This  pop up  just waits for you to press Escape or the
            general Accept-key F3. Press F3 now.

       10 - File_Handle will remove this Accept pop up,  switch  to  the
            destination-window, open the directory, and check for colli-
            sions (duplicate filenames).    You have the option to over-
            write or save any duplicate by skipping it.

                             Duplicate Check ͸
                            Overwrite this file   
                            Rename this file      
                            Skip this file        
                            Don't check duplicates
                             Esc=Close ;

            Before File_Handle starts copying, it asks for F3 once more.
            This  is  needed  to  separate  the  checking phase from the
            copying phase, and to give you the  opportunity  to  inspect
            the destination. Now press F3 to proceed.

       11 - File_Handle will now copy the selected files  one-by-one  to
            drive  A:,  showing its progress with a thermometer-like bar
            over both the source and the destination record.

            Each completed file gets a Reselect Attribute '>'  in  front
            of the filename to show you it was successfully transferred.

            If you find out you did copy to  the  wrong  directory,  the
            files  in the right window, with the '>', can be retagged by
            pressing  SelectQ  (F5,  a  Quick-macro  for  Alt+S+S)   and
            Reselect those files. Then use Alt+E or EraseQ (Shift+F8) to
            erase them.

          - You probably noticed you never had to let go of the Alt key.
            In  this  example  you used a number of File_Handle's Quick-
            keys.  These Quick-keys are for File_Handle  what  shorthand
            is for the secretary; fast ways to execute complex commands.
            In the drive menu you could have pressed the letter 'A' just
            as well,  and then Enter, or you could have located the des-
            tination drive with the arrow keys and then Enter.  Alt+A is



        4-4  Tutorial                                        File_Handle
        

            just a faster way to do the same thing.

          - You can repeat this demonstration,  but use Move instead  of
            Copy.  This will work in a similar way, but the source files
            will be deleted from the source-window after they are moved.

            Warning: Moving the files means they are  DELETED  from  the
                     source-directory! The ONLY copies you then have are
                     on the destination! And if this is a RAM-disk!...

        Using The File Finder
        
        File_Handle features a powerful File-Finder.  Say, you wanted to
        clean up your system. The following is a quick way to do that:

        1 - Choose Finder (Alt+F) from the main screen to enter the Fin-
            der's command center.

        2 - Press Load (F9), choose the CLEAN_UP script and press Enter.

        3 - Press Accept (F3) and wait for the Cursor-Bar to come back.

        4 - Select any files (as demonstrated in the Copy tutorial)  you
            want to delete.  Select All files with Select-Quick (F5) and
            Alt+A if you want to erase all the files.  Keep in mind that
            you may need to adjust the CLEAN_UP script for your own sit-
            uation, and save it with Save (Ctrl+F9).

        5 - Choose Erase (Alt+E) followed by Tagged (Alt+T), and respond
            with Accept (F3) to the confirmation pop up.

        See also
        
        The chapters Copy and Move Files, Selecting Methods, The Finder.



        File_Handle                                                  5-1
        
                             Installing File_Handle

        File_Handle is designed so it can be used on most configurations
        without any modifications to the host system.   You can do main-
        tenance work on any system, running it from a floppy.

        File_Handle can be placed in any directory on any drive. If this
        directory's name is also in the PATH variable,  you  can execute
        File_Handle from anywhere in the system.

        In this example we create a special subdirectory named  "C:\FH",
        and copy all files from the distribution-diskette to this direc-
        tory by the following commands:

           C:
           MKDIR C:\FH
           CHDIR \FH
           COPY A:*.*

        Here we adjust the PATH variable so File_Handle  can  easily  be
        reached from anywhere in the system:

           SET PATH=C:\DOS;....;C:\WINDOWS;C:\FH;

        After this modification you need to reboot the computer, and let
        DOS install the new PATH (Or activate the SET command manually).

        After the above instructions are carried out,  File_Handle  will
        be  ready  for  most  users  and/or  systems.  Possibly no other
        adjustments are needed to run File_Handle on your system.

        Alternative FH.BAT File
        
        Instead of modifying the PATH variable,  an  alternative  is  to
        create a batch file,  which will take care of finding and execu-
        ting File_Handle.  Place this batch  file  in  a directory which
        name is in the PATH variable.   To create this file,  enter  the
        following commands from the DOS prompt:

            COPY CON C:\UTIL\FH.BAT   <== UTIL must be in PATH!
            @C:\FH\FH.EXE             <== Enter actual directory here.
            CTRL+Z followed by <ENTER>

        There are a few additional adjustments which can be made if, for
        instance, you have a RAM-drive or network installed.

        If your computer is hooked up to a network server, it  might  be
        necessary to fine-tune the installation.  See the chapter Confi-
        guring File_Handle for further information on this.

        File_Handle should work on all DOS-compatible systems, including
        



        5-2  Installing File_Handle                          File_Handle
        

        networks such as, for instance, Novell.

        - Note
          
          File_Handle detects if Novell doesn't supply ".." and  "."  to
          calling programs, and compensates for it.   There's no need to
          put a  "SHOW DOTS = ON"  command in NET.CFG for  File_Handle's
          sake.



        File_Handle                                                  6-1
        
                            Configuring File_Handle

        Log Files
        
        File_Handle, by default,  creates log files for all disk drives,
        including removable media like CD-ROM's and MO,  but not for the
        floppy drives A: and B:.

        Log files let File_Handle respond immediately when a tree  needs
        to be shown. On systems with large hard disks or CD-ROM, the re-
        build delays would be unacceptably long, even with File_Handle's
        Quick-Scan technique.

        There are three distinct log file names:

        1 = FH_@.LOG      Default log ON removable  media.  This  format
                          has NO fixed drive letter.

        2 = FH_x.LOG      The log files of hard- or RAM-disks. 'x' marks
                          the spot for the drive letter (FH_C, FH_D...).

        3 = FH_#xxxx.LOG  Log files used for removable media  which  has
                          no  FH_@.LOG  logfile  on  it.  'xxxx'  is the
                          hexadecimal checksum of the media. This format
                          also has no fixed drive letter.

        The first format, FH_@.LOG, can only be found in the root of re-
        movable media like floppies, CD-ROM or MO-drives.  A CD-ROM pub-
        lisher can place a FH_@.LOG file in the root of a CD-ROM.  There
        are special considerations to think of doing this.  See the file
        VENDINFO.DIZ for specifics.

        When a  FH_@.LOG  is  created  on  removable  media  via  BldRML
        (Alt+F4), then it has precedence over a FH_#xxxx.LOG that may be
        on the hard disk.  Log file updates will also be written to  the
        FH_@.LOG  on the media.  This media must not be Write-Protected,
        of course

        By default, these log files (with the exception of FH_@.LOG) are
        placed in the same directory where FH.EXE is located. This might
        not be allowed on your system.  For instance, if  you are hooked
        up  to  a server,  and FH.EXE is executed from that server,  you
        may not have write permission  to  that  directory.  File_Handle
        cannot write its log files in this case.

        This problem can be remedied by creating an environment variable
        with  the SET command.  The drive and directory you enter should
        both be available when your system is running, and you must have
        write permission there.

           SET FH_LOGDIR=C:\TEMP  <== Use appropriate drive & directory.



        6-2  Configuring File_Handle                         File_Handle
        

        Place this line in AUTOEXEC.BAT (or in the FH_SETUP.BAT, descri-
        bed further down).  File_Handle will search for this environment
        variable when it is executed, and uses that directory.  This di-
        rectory must exist; it's not automatically created.

           AUTOEXEC.BAT
           
           SET FH_LOGDIR=C:\TEMP      : File_Handle's log files

        When File_Handle is executed from a floppy, and there is no  en-
        vironment  variable FH_LOGDIR,  then all log files are automati-
        cally written to that floppy.  The host will never  be  polluted
        with log- and swap files.

        To prevent log files for RAM-drives causing problems at boottime
        (RAM drives are empty), you can create a batch file FH_SETUP.BAT
        and 'call' it from AUTOEXEC.BAT. Repeat the 'DEL'-line below for
        every disk drive (except A: and B:) which can get an invalid log
        file after resetting or starting the computer.

           FH_SETUP.BAT
           
           SET FH_LOGDIR=C:\TMP       : Log files go here now
           DEL %FH_LOGDIR%\FH_X.LOG   : Remove log for RAM drive X:
           DEL %FH_LOGDIR%\FH_Y.LOG   : Remove log for RAM drive Y:

           AUTOEXEC.BAT
           
           CALL FH_SETUP.BAT          : Initialize File_Handle

        Editor & Viewer
        
        If you want to use these functions from within File_Handle,  see
        the  chapter  about The Executer.  That chapter describes how to
        change the defaults for the external editor and viewer.  You can
        use the tools you are already used to. Default for both is DOS's
        EDIT.COM, which should be in the directory C:\DOS.

        Screen Colors (Ctrl+Shift+F1)
        
        File_Handle has six internal color tables for four types of  vi-
        deo systems.  You can configure File_Handle to use another table
        by choosing Setup in the Bottom-Menu.  Restart  File_Handle  af-
        ter choosing another color scheme to install the new colors. You
        may have to experiment some to find an agreeable set  of  colors
        for your particular equipment.

        File_Handle will detect a color- or monochrome-monitor by itself
        if you choose either EGA/VGA Color scheme.  Not all systems know



        File_Handle                         Configuring File_Handle  6-3
        

        which type they have, and report back something they don't have.
        All  setups  other  than EGA/VGA will result in File_Handle for-
        cing the chosen mode.

        Screen Lines
        
        File_Handle will follow DOS' resolution at start-up. The maximum
        number  of lines File_Handle can cope with are 43 on EGA, and 50
        on VGA.

        Sound (Alt+Shift+F1)
        
        File_Handle's sound can be enabled or disabled in  four  stages;
        Errors and/or Beeps and/or Attention, and no sound at all.

        When Beep- and Error-sounds are turned off and Sound is left on,
        then  only  the  alarm sound is enabled, to warn you of the most
        severe errors, like erasing an entire disk.

        COUNTRY.SYS
        
        File_Handle uses COUNTRY.SYS to determine the country code. This
        will result in different representation of dates, times and file
        sizes for different countries.

        Add a line to your CONFIG.SYS and reboot the computer to activa-
        te it. The 'nnn' should be replaced by the desired international
        country code. Enter 031 for The Netherlands, 001 for USA, etc.

           CONFIG.SYS
           
           COUNTRY = nnn,850,C:\DOS\COUNTRY.SYS



        Notes                                                File_Handle
        



        File_Handle                                                  7-1
        
                                  File-Window

           Copy]Move Rename Select Erase Finder Hide
           Mainmenu: Copy files
            C:\DOS\*.* Ŀ<
            Filename.Ext     Size    Date Time              <
            <PARENT>    DIRͳ10-02-9315:43     File_Handl>
            ANSI    .SYS    9,06530-09-93 6:20               <
            APPEND  .EXE   10,77430-09-93 6:20     File and P>
            ASSIGN  .COM    6,39909-04-91 5:00               <
            CHKDSK  .EXE   12,24130-09-93 6:20               >
            COMMAND .COM   54,61930-09-93 6:20     A. van And<
            COMP    .EXE   14,28209-04-91 5:00     4268 GV Me>
            COUNTRY .SYS   19,54630-09-93 6:20     Holland   <
            DBLSPACE.BIN   64,24630-09-93 6:20   >
            DBLSPACE.EXE  177,03430-09-93 6:20                <
            DBLSPACE.HLP   80,72430-09-93 6:20        >
            DBLSPACE.INF    2,62030-09-93 6:20               <
            DBLSPACE.SYS   22,50230-09-93 6:20               >
            DEBUG   .EXE   15,71830-09-93 6:20               <
            DEFRAG  .EXE   79,17730-09-93 6:20               >
            DEFRAG  .HLP    9,22710-03-93 6:00               <
           *           Ĵ>
           Tagged    0 Size         0   Free    
           Files   126 Size 3,838,555 19,998,720
           
           1Help   2Undo   3Accept4Drive  5SelecQ 6ChDir  7Tree  8>

        Filter (Ctrl+F4)
        
        The top border or title area of  the  File-Window  contains  the
        name of the active directory, and also the filter used for scan-
        ning that directory. In this example: "C:\DOS\*.*".

        The default for the Filter is "*.*", which will show  all  files
        in the current directory.  Use the Filter command  to  set  this
        filter to a different value.

                      Reread with Filter ͸
                      *.EXE;*.COM;*.BAT;*.CMD           
                      Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

        Multiple Wildcards
        
        The Filter command supports multiple wildcards,  separated by  a
        semi-colon ';'.  You can enter up to 225 characters in the wild-
        card field.

        Warning: The Filter uses ONLY the wildcard field from the Finder
                 scripts, not the restriction parameters.   Scripts made
                 by the Filter have default restrictions.



        7-2                                                  File_Handle
        

        Filter Scripts
        
        The Filter command also supports loading and saving of  scripts.
        See the chapter Finder, sub-section "Finder Scripts" on this. In
        fact, Filter and Finder use the same script file format.

        Reset Filter (Shift+F4)
        
        If both File_Windows use a different Filter,  they are no longer
        connected. This means the windows don't send information to oth-
        er windows anymore. You have to relog the other window,  or give
        both windows the same wildcards to make it actual again.

        You can quickly reset the wildcards to "*.*" and reread the cur-
        rent directory by pressing Reset Filter.   The other window will
        remain as is.

        Equal Filter (Shift+F9)
        
        From within the Filter-editor you can copy  the  wildcards  from
        the other window by pressing Equal Filter.

        Note   : Don't forget to reinstate the Filter to "*.*" (actually
                 "*.*" is not a filter; it filters nothing) again if you
                 log onto another drive or directory,  or else you might
                 not get what you expected.   You can see if a filter is
                 installed or not by inspecting the title area.

        Files First (Ctrl+F6)
        
        FilesF repositions the File-Window in such a way that the  first
        file entry (if any) will be at the top of the window.



        File_Handle                                                  8-1
        
                                  Tree-Window

           Rename Finder
           Mainmenu: Rename directories
            C:\DOS Ŀ>
                       Directory Tree                          <
            C:\<DRIVE_C    >                  136     File_Handl>
             -DOC                           268               <
               ADDENDUM                    440     File and P>
                 REMARK                    55               <
               CONTENTS                     34               >
               DOC                        1038     A. van And<
               INDEX                        10     4268 GV Me>
               MISC                       3247     Holland   <
               TECH                       1128   >
             ASYNC                           90                <
             ASM                            116        >
               MIXED                        15               <
             BIN                            624               >
             BRIEF                          533               <
               HELP                        203               >
               MACROS                      327               <
           *           ĮĴ>
           Tagged    0 Size         0    Free   
           Dirs     94 Size 1,037,845 19,998,720
           
           1Help   2Undo   3Accept4Drive  5SelecQ 6ChDir  7Files 8>

        Tree Position
        
        The current position is marked, or pointed to, by a bar of back-
        ground color.  Such a bar is also known as a Cursor-Bar, and can
        be  moved up or down with the appropriate arrow keys or with the
        mouse.

        The currently LOGGED position in the tree  this is  the  direc-
        tory  where  the  File-Window  is  logged to  has a highlighted
        foreground.  This is not to be confused with the position of the
        Cursor-Bar,  which is the currently SELECTED position.  They may
        both be the same position, however.

        The currently SELECTED position in an inactive Tree-Window  the
        position of the Cursor-Bar when activated   will be highlighted
        by another foreground color.   This shows which directory in the
        inactive  window  will be the destination for transfers from the
        other, active, window.

        If the currently SELECTED directory, in the inactive window,  is
        the same as the currently LOGGED position,  two brackets, placed
        around the directory name, tell which is which.



        8-2  Tree-Window                                     File_Handle
        

        The total number of bytes in the current directory (the one  the
        Cursor-Bar is on), is represented by 'Size' (on the line contai-
        ning 'Dirs') in the status area below the Tree-Window.

        (Re)Build Tree (Ctrl+F4 or Refresh Corner)
        
        A tree, and with it, the log file, can be (re)build by  pressing
        Build,  or by clicking the left Mouse-Button on the Refresh Cor-
        ner (upper right corner) of the window.

        (Re)Build All Trees (Shift+F4)
        
        BldAll will (re)build the trees of all non-removable media  with
        a single command.

        Removed Directory
        
        If any directory on disk  is  removed  without  intervention  of
        File_Handle,  this part of the tree will be automatically recon-
        structed (by File_Handle) when such a directory  is  opened.  To
        instruct the user of what is going on, an Accept pop up will in-
        form you of this.  Pressing Escape will prevent the  reconstruc-
        tion, so you can inspect the tree first, if desired.

                      ChDir ͸
                                                         
                                 No directory            
                                                         
                            C:\DOC\ADDENDUM\REMARK       
                                                         
                                Press Accept to          
                                                         
                            reconstruct this Branch      
                                                         
                      Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

        Directory Totals (Shift+F7)
        
        By pressing Totals, File_Handle will show the total size of each
        directory, rounded up to the next kilobyte (1000).  Empty direc-
        tories have no size,  those with less than a kilobyte have 1 for
        the total.  The 'Size' field after 'Dirs' in the statistics will
        show the actual total for the current directory.

        Selected (Tagged) directories  will  be  totaled  in  the  other
        'Size'  field.   This can be used to figure out how many bytes a
        certain branch in the tree holds by tagging the branch in  ques-
        tion.  Tagging  from  the root down will result in the number of
        bytes used on the whole disk.



        File_Handle                                     Tree-Window  8-3
        

        - Note
          
          Because the contents of each directory can change without  the
          intervention of File_Handle, you cannot depend entirely on the
          totals shown here. File_Handle keeps these numbers correct for
          its  own  operations, and attempts to correct any changes done
          outside its control.

          If you need these figures to be absolutely correct,  perform a
          Build or BldAll (Ctrl+F4 or Shift+F4) operation.   After this,
          you  can  depend on the numbers;  except in a multi-tasking or
          multi-user environment, of course.

          Hint: Logging a File-Window to a directory,  or loading a log-
                file, will overwrite the total for that directory in the
                Tree-Window.   In these circumstances you can be assured
                that  the  total  for  at least the current directory is
                correct.

        Removable Media
        
        Log files (trees) are  normally  kept  in  the  directory  where
        FH.EXE resides, or where ever the environment variable FH_LOGDIR
        points to.

        This method is not satisfactory for removable media.   A special
        filename FH_@.LOG is reserved to solve this problem. If any type
        of removable media has a thus named file in its root  directory,
        this  file  will be loaded and updated instead of the one in the
        default place (if any).

                                 Build RM Log 
                                A:            
                                B:            
                                 Esc=Close ;

        An FH_@.LOG must be forced to the removable media by the  BldRML
        (Build Removable Media Log, Alt+F4) command,  which will build a
        new log file, and writes it to the root of that drive. Any other
        log file of this particular media in the default place,  can now
        be deleted.

        Floppy
        
        There are no automatic log files for floppy drives.   These  are
        kept, rebuilt and updated in memory.  Floppies can work with the
        FH_@.LOG in their root directory too.

        Hint: The tree's width can be adjusted by Twidth (Shift+Alt+F2).
              The default is 3, wich gives you 6 uncompressed levels.



        Notes                                                File_Handle
        



        File_Handle                                                  9-1
        
                                  The Keyboard

        See  the file FH_QUICK.TXT for a condensed list for keyboard and
        mouse control.

        Type-Ahead Buffer
        
        File_Handle has its own type-ahead buffer which  it  fills  from
        DOS's  keyboard buffer before passing on any key to the program.
        This is why File_Handle always will notice the Escape key first.
        It  will  empty its own buffer in that case, so any commands al-
        ready in the buffer are terminated at an abort.

        Change to Another Window or Field (Tab & Shift+Tab)
        
        These let the cursor move from field-to-field or from window-to-
        window, and back, respectively.

        Pressing Tab also opens the right window   when  still  closed.
        This  window  will  also  open automatically when the need for a
        destination arises.

        Editing Fields
        
        A filename-, date- or time field will be  erased  by  the  first
        character you enter if no intermediate cursor movement has taken
        place.  This feature prevents you from having to remove unwanted
        characters each time you enter the field.

        To edit a field without erasing it, just modify it by moving the
        cursor  at  least  one position.  This effectively prevents era-
        sure.

        To erase an already modified field, press Ctrl+Del.

        Halting a Process (Escape)
        
        The Escape key, or the right Mouse-Button,  halts almost any on-
        going activity. This includes logging a drive or a directory. In
        this  specific  example  you might wind up with an empty window.
        Press Drive (F4) or use Filter (Ctrl+F4) to relog the drive.

        Halting Copy or Move in the middle of a transfer  will  automat-
        ically remove the incomplete copy from the destination.

        Home & End Keys
        
        This is a little tricky, so read this carefully.  If the  cursor
        is  NOT  at  the start or the end of a field,  Home and End keys
        first move the cursor just there. If the cursor cannot be moved,
        any Home or End key will be passed on to a program layer  higher



        9-2  The Keyboard                                    File_Handle
        

        up in the chain.

        In practice, this means the cursor will first be placed  at  the
        beginning or end of the Quick-Search field,  then the Cursor-Bar
        moves to the beginning or end of the File- or  Tree-Window,  and
        then to the first or last line of the data.

        Hint: Pressing Home or End three times will effectively move the
              Cursor-Bar  of  the  File-  or Tree-Window to the first or
              last line of the data.

        Insert Mode (Ins)
        
        Insert mode is the default mode after starting File_Handle. This
        mode  can  be changed back and forth by pressing the Insert key.
        Insert mode has a bigger cursor than overwrite mode.

        Undo & Redo (F2 and Ctrl+F2)
        
        These commands will Undo or Redo filenames,  numbers,  date- and
        time  fields  and whole Entry-Boxes, as long as the field or box
        in question has not been left by the cursor.

        If any field is accidentally erased, or filled with wrong  data,
        press Undo to restore its previous contents.   Restoring the new
        value after Undo can be achieved by pressing Redo.

        In delimiter-separated fields like time or date,  Undo  will re-
        store the current part if it's already modified, or restores the
        complete complex structure if it's not.

        For instance, in a date field, pressing Undo will first  restore
        the  current  field,  then the whole date, then,  if there is an
        Entry-Box, it will restore the contents  of  that  box.    Three
        Undos (maximum) will restore the whole lot.

        - Note: The mouse and arrow keys can disturb the Undo/Redo  data
                if their actions make the cursor leave the active field,
                even for a short while.

        Quick Keys
        
        Under F8 you find a few Quick-keys.  These are context sensitive
        fixed  macros  for  Copy,  Move and Erase. In the absence of (a)
        tagged file(s), they operate on the current  file  only.  If  at
        least one file has a tag on it, these macros work on the select-
        ed files.

        These macros are derived from their respective choices from  the
        Top-Menu.



        File_Handle                                    The Keyboard  9-3
        

        Help Screens (F1 and Ctrl+F1)
        
        There are two forms of help, a fully descriptive and a condensed
        one.

        - Help (F1)
          
          Shows the contents of the file FH_MANUA.TXT,  which must be in
          the  same  directory  where FH.EXE resides.  This is the full-
          fledged help.

        - HelpQ (Ctrl+F1)
          
          Shows  the  contents of the file FH_QUICK.TXT,  containing the
          condensed list for for keyboard- and mouse control.

        Help Viewer
        
        The help viewer remembers the respective position  of  all  help
        screens. You can swap back and forth between the program and any
        of the help files.

        The help viewer can search forward and  back,  with  or  without
        regard to case. You can press Next or Prev (F5&F6) from the edit
        box too  they duplicate the Enter key.

        Help & Mouse
        
        Double clicking the mouse on a word or a number will search  for
        that word in the forward direction.

        Hint: Click twice on the double line above the chapter  to  find
              the next chapter downwards, and on the single line to find
              the next page.

        Note: The results of a search vary on the setting  of  the  Case
              toggle (F7). Click or press Case (F7) at any time to chan-
              ge this setting.  Press Search (F4) to see what the search
              string is.



        Notes                                                File_Handle
        



        File_Handle                                                 10-1
        
                                   The Mouse

        File_Handle can be fully controlled by a  point-and-click  tech-
        nique  if  a Microsoft-compatible mouse and driver are installed
        in your computer.  Most PC's are nowadays equipped with  such  a
        device.  The  mouse  driver must support at least the most basic
        mouse commands to be workable for File_Handle.

        File_Handle's mouse interface is designed in such a way that all
        functions and features, except for entering filenames, dates and
        times, can be controlled by the mouse.

        Navigating File_Handle by mouse is much easier than by keyboard.
        This will greatly help a new user to get familiar with the  pro-
        gram, and during the process,  teach him which  key-combinations
        will do the same thing.   Once mastered,  the keyboard is always
        faster than any form of mouse control; pointing the mouse-cursor
        costs more time than hitting some   more or less obscure  key-
        combination.

        Mouse Buttons
        
        This is a description of the meaning of the Mouse-Buttons.   See
        the file FH_QUICK.TXT for a quick reference diagram.

        - Left button
          
          Button down : Positions the text cursor or Cursor-Bar  at  the
                        location of the mouse pointer.   Activate scroll
                        buttons. Move cursor to other menu or window.

          Single click: Choosing in menus and pop  up  menus.  Activates
                        various Screen-Buttons.

          Double click: Enter/Accept in all non-menu pop ups. Equivalent
                        to F3. Does also Execute(ARF)/View/Edit/ChDir.

        - Right button
          
          Single click: General Escape.

                        The mouse pointer doesn't have to point  at  the
                        item  to  be  closed  or canceled.  Clicking the
                        right Mouse-Button  is  equivalent  to  pressing
                        Escape.

                        There is an exception though.  The upper and lo-
                        wer  menu  bars  won't react to an Escape-click,
                        unless the cursor is IN the upper or lower menu.
                        This was done to prevent a general  Escape-click
                        from resetting both menus.



        10-2  The Mouse                                      File_Handle
        

                        If the menu has already been reset,  and there's
                        nothing from which to escape,  the click is con-
                        verted into a general Escape.

          Double click: Select files in File-Windows, or  subdirectories
                        in Tree-Windows.  Cursor will move one line down
                        automatically.

        - Both (outer) buttons
          
          Click both  : Repeats last command from Top- or Bottom-Menu.

        Repeating Menu-Choices
        
        Some Screen-Buttons will repeat their actions when they are held
        down with the mouse.

        If you use the mouse to place the cursor somewhere in either the
        Top- or Bottom-Menu, a click with BOTH buttons (the 2 outer but-
        tons on 3-button mice) will repeat the last choice made in  that
        menu.   To repeat a choice many times, it will be easier to hold
        one button down, and repeatedly click the other.

        Screen-Buttons & Quick-Spots
        
        Screen-Buttons  are,  for instance, the up- and down-scroll but-
        tons in the left vertical border line of a window. There are al-
        so Quick-Spots, hidden Screen-Buttons, which usually do the same
        thing as a menu choice, but don't need an open or visible menu.

        - Scrolling
          
          Clicking or holding the up- or down-scroll Screen-Buttons with
          the left Mouse-Button, will fine-scroll to any position with a
          maximum rate of approximately 20 records per second.

        - Sorting (F9)
          
          The number of options of sorting with the mouse are  equal  to
          the Sort menu, with the exception of 'Unsorted'.

          Clicking the column headers at the  top  of  the  File-Window,
          will sort the window, with that column as the master sort key.

          Clicking the period '.' in  the  'Filename.Ext'  header,  will
          reverse the sorting order.

          Clicking the space in front of the 'Filename.Ext' header, will
          sort  the tags.   This will effectively group tagged files to-
          gether at the beginning or end of the buffer.



        File_Handle                                      The Mouse  10-3
        

        - Attributes
          
          Clicking the vertical line to the right of the  'Filename.Ext'
          header will toggle between Size- and Attribute mode.

          Attributes can only be sorted as a group, not separately.

        - Baseline Buttons
          
          Any texts at the baseline,  like  'Esc=Close'  or  'F3=Accept'
          will also act as Screen-Buttons for the mouse.

        - In-window Clicking
          
          A double-click, with the left mouse  button  inside  a  window
          with an 'F3=Accept' button, will be translated to F3.

        - Choosing a Drive (F4)
          
          Clicking the top line or title of the File or Tree-Window will
          open the Drive menu.

        - Tree/File Toggle (F7)
          
          A click on the lower right T-connection (above the statistics)
          toggles the window between File- and Tree-mode.

        - Reread Directory or Tree (Refresh Corner)
          
          A click on the upper right corner will force a refresh of  the
          File- or Tree-Window.  This will come in handy when exchanging
          floppies.

        - Escape
          
          The right Mouse-Button or Escape will break off a  refresh  or
          normal logging operation.  The window's contents, however, can
          be incomplete, when interrupted!

        - How to Cancel a Screen-Button
          
          As long as you have not released the  mouse  button,  you  can
          still  cancel  the operation.  Just move the mouse cursor away
          to a non-sensitive location  on  the  screen,  and release the
          button.

        - Thumb Index
          
          The windows feature a vertical  position-indicator, or  thumb-
          index, in  the  left border.  This thumb-index can be moved by



        10-4  The Mouse                                      File_Handle
        

          pointing the mouse cursor between the two scroll buttons,  and
          then clicking the RIGHT Mouse-Button.  This will roughly posi-
          tion the Cursor-Bar at the corresponding position.    Clicking
          the center, for instance, 'opens the book' in the middle.

        - Home & End
          
          A click with the RIGHT Mouse-Button at the upper or lower  end
          of the thumb-index   near the scroll-indicator-  will perform
          the function of the Home- or End-key, respectively.

        - Page Up/Page Down
          
          A click with the LEFT Mouse-Button on the upper or lower  half
          of the left vertical border line of the window, will produce a
          page-up or page-down, respectively.

        Dragging
        
        The left, and sometimes also the right Mouse-Button, will drag a
        cursor or Cursor-Bar when held down during mouse movements.

        - Scrolling
          
          If there are more records  than  the  window  can  accomodate,
          dragging the cursor outside the window,  with the Mouse-Button
          held  down,  will make the window scroll proportionally for as
          long as you keep moving the mouse and as long as there are re-
          cords to scroll.  Move the mouse 'off-screen', not just out of
          the window.

          This mode of operation is not conventional,  but it works bet-
          ter, and is more accurate than holding down a button, and then
          hoping the screen will stop scrolling where you  want  it  to.
          File_Handle's method doesn't have a repeat-delay,  and there's
          no uncontrollable repeat rate. Moving the mouse back as far as
          you moved it forth, repositions the cursor where it started.

        - Browse
          
          Dragging  with  the  left  Mouse-Button, up or down, let's you
          browse through files and trees.

        - Select
          
          Dragging with the right Mouse-Button, up and down,  let's  you
          mark  files  and  directories  for  selection.  When the mouse
          button is released INSIDE the window, all records  inside  the
          mark  are  either selected or deselected.  This depends on the
          status of the beginning record, which acts as a toggle.



        File_Handle                                      The Mouse  10-5
        

          Starting the mark on a selected record will deselect  all  the
          records inside the mark, and vice-versa.

        - Top-Menu
          
          Holding down the Mouse-Button in the Top-Menu while moving the
          mouse,  will  drag  the highlight over the choices.  Releasing
          the mouse on a choice will execute that choice.  Clicking  the
          option once, without dragging, has the same result.

        - Bottom-Menu  (Alt+Space, Mouse: 4 ... 8)
          
          Click the Screen-Button directly,  or open (pull-up) this menu
          by pressing one of the little squares,  and then click or Drag
          & Drop your choice.

          Hint: Clicking the right Mouse-Button (Escape) while the mouse
                cursor is IN the Bottom-Menu, will reset this menu.  The
                Escape key will do this also.

          Hint: This menu sometimes leaves the last  choice  on  screen.
                If this is the case, F10 is not Exit anymore.  Reset the
                menu first as shown in the previous hint.

        Fast Reset (Commandline switch: -m[h|s])
        
        The reset mode for the mouse can be controlled, and saved in the
        CNF  file,  via the commandline.  Enter "fh -mh" or "fh -ms" for
        Hardware or Software reset respectively. The default is hardware
        reset.  If your mouse supports fast reset, File_Handle may start
        faster and resume more quickly after a shell command.

        Cheese Mode
        
        The mouse will be positioned on the center of the character cell
        at each click.   This will assure that the mouse is stable,  and
        won't jump to an ajacent cell at slight movements of the mouse.

        See also
        
        Chapter Sort, Sort with Mouse, for Screen-Buttons.



        Notes                                                File_Handle
        



        File_Handle                                                 11-1
        
                                  Menu Systems

        File_Handle has a number of control systems  simultaneously  ac-
        tive: the Top-Menu, one or two File/Tree-Windows (one of them is
        always active),  a Quick-Search mechanism which can locate files
        or  directories by wildcard,  the bottom function-key menu,  and
        the Space-bar,  used for simple ON/OFF selections,  and last but
        but not least, the mouse control.

        The menu systems feature a mode-less technique for ease of  use.
        This means that while a menu is open, other actions can still be
        done without closing or losing the open menu or the menu's  cur-
        rent state.

        Because of this concurrent control it's impossible to reach dif-
        ferent functions with the same key or key-combination.   For in-
        stance,  the plain Enter key cannot be used by all these systems
        without a modifier (Shift/Ctrl/Alt) key.

        Keys are chosen consistently, so once mastered, it's quite clear
        which system uses which keys.

        File_Handle has many functions   future releases will have even
        more   that might make it less than ideal for novices. Nonethe-
        less, File_Handle has a number of  safety  features  which  will
        prevent the untrained user from making mistakes.

        It will take a while for the user to get acquainted with the way
        File_Handle is controlled and the way it does things.  This will
        require some persistence from the user,  but not more than simi-
        lar  programs  would  need.  Don't forget that File_Handle has a
        number of tricks the competition lacks;  you'll need  extra keys
        and menus to control those extras.

        Master  the  basics  first,  and then concentrate on the special
        features. See chapter Tutorial for a demonstration.

        Previous Choices
        
        All menu systems keep track of  their  latest active  choice(s).
        This  means that when a menu is opened again, it gives this last
        choice as the default. Multi-level menus remember the final com-
        mand of every command-path, and all intermediates too.

        - Executing a Previous Choice
          
          If the mouse pointer is placed somewhere in either the Top- or
          Bottom-Menu, a click with BOTH buttons (the 2 outer buttons on
          3-button mice) will repeat the last choice made in that  menu.
          To  repeat  this  choice many times, it will be easier to hold
          one button down, and repeatedly click the other.



        11-2  Menu Systems                                   File_Handle
        

        Top-Menu
        
        The Top-Menu is mainly used for operations with  lengthy control
        paths.  This means; menus with one or more submenus.   It's also
        used for the less frequently used functions.

        - Pull-Right, not Pull-Down
          
          The Top-Menu is a pull-right instead of a pull-down menu  sys-
          tem.  This  has  the  advantage  of not having pull-down menus
          overlaying the screen; the Top-Menu can be open and active and
          you can still see and work with the main screen.

        - Keys
          
          The Top-Menu is  controlled  by  the  Alt-key.  As soon as the
          Alt key is pressed,  the default for the current menu will  be
          highlighted.  All menus, including this one, can be fully con-
          trolled with a mouse.

        - Making a Choice
          
          Press Alt+Letter to choose an option, or use Alt+Left or Right
          arrow  keys  to change your menu selection and execute it with
          Alt+Enter.

          Hint: The arrow keys on the numeric keypad won't work with the
                Alt key!   This is not a restriction of File_Handle, but
                a feature of the computer's internals. You can enter any
                valid character by entering its code on the numeric key-
                pad, while holding down Alt.   You must use the T-shaped
                arrow keys to move the cursor in the Top-Menu.   The net
                result is that old XT keyboards have to  use  Alt+Letter
                or  mouse commands to change their menu selection in the
                Top-Menu.

        - Repeat Menu
          
          Alt+Enter will repeat this menu.  This  menu  system remembers
          each command-path separately. Just press Alt+Enter the reques-
          ted number of times.

          Hint: Shift+Alt+Letter will execute an option  from  the  main
                menu  directly  from  within  a  SUBMENU.  For instance,
                Shift+Alt+C(opy) will open the Copy-submenu  immediately
                from,  say  the  Erase  submenu, without ever opening or
                showing the main menu.



        File_Handle                                   Menu Systems  11-3
        

        - Root or Main Menu
          
          All submenus of the Top-Menu have a backslash '\',  just  like
          the  root  in  DOS has.  This is used here to indicate you are
          looking at a submenu.

        - Reset Menu
          
          The upper menu returns automatically to the  main  menu  after
          the final choice of the command-path is made. Press Alt+'\' or
          click the '\' with the mouse to return to the main menu.

        Bottom-Menu  (Alt+Space, Mouse: 4 ... 8)
        
        The Bottom-Menu is typically used for frequently used  functions
        that, unlike the Top-Menu, have no intermediate menu-levels, and
        therefore can be executed by a single  key  or  key-combination.
        There are exceptions though; Sort (F9), for instance, opens ano-
        ther menu.

        - Hot- or Quick-Keys
          
          The choices of the Bottom-Menu (on the status-  or  errorline)
          are  executed  by  so-called hot-keys.  These are the function
          keys F1-F10, whether or not combined with Shift, Ctrl, Alt  or
          any  combination  of  these  three.  The theoretical limit for
          this menu is 80 choices per menu.

          One can browse this menu by alternating all  Shift,  Ctrl  and
          Alt combinations. Once the correct menu line is found, a press
          on the correct function key F1-F10 executes the requested  op-
          tion.

          For those of you who are new to File_Handle, a special feature
          was added to make this menu easier to use. The Bottom-Menu can
          be pulled-up into the screen  by  Alt+Space,  thus showing all
          possible choices of the current menu at the same time.

             (U/C/S/A) Function Keys (SA/SC) >
            1Help   2Undo   3Accept 4Drive  5SelecQ 6ChDir  7Tree   8<
            1HelpQ  2Redo   3       4Filter 5Name   6FilesF 7       8>
            1       2       3       4ResetF 5       6MkDir  7Attrib 8<
            1Errlog 2       3       4       5       6       7       8>
            1Sound  2       3       4WinSwp 5       6Parent 7Editor 8<
            1Setup  2SetARF 3       4Label  5       6Root   7Edit   8>

          Once opened, the  menu  still  operates  much  the  same;  the
          Cursor-Bar follows the Shift, Ctrl and Alt keys. Additionally,
          the Cursor-Bar can be positioned with the arrow keys. Once the
          Cursor-Bar is on the correct line, press F1-F10 for the column



        11-4  Menu Systems                                   File_Handle
        

          The option will then be carried out.

          This pull-up makes it easier to find an option on screen, than
          locating it in the manual.

          The top line in the example above shows the Control, Shift and
          Alt combinations forming the hot-key.  Shift+Ctrl+F4 activates
          the volume label editor, for instance.  The order is:

                           >
              Unshifted    1Help   2Undo   <
              Ctrl         1HelpQ  2Redo   >
              Shift        1       2       <
              Alt          1Errlog 2       >
              Shift+Alt    1Sound  2       <
              Shift+Ctrl   1Setup  2SetARF >

              Ctrl+Alt          > These combination are not used (yet).
              Ctrl+Alt+Shift    >

          An attempt has been  made  to  keep  related  options  grouped
          together  vertically.    For  instance, all tree functions are
          under F6, DOS related functions like Exit, Shell,  DosCmd  and
          Exit-to-Current-Dir are under F10.

        - Mouse
          
          The mouse opens the menu by clicking one of the little squares
          located near  F4  and  F8.  Then move the mouse to the desired
          position, and click to execute  the  option.  The  Drag & Drop
          technique can also be used here.

          Hint: A click on any space in the Bottom-Menu with  the  mouse
                will act the same as the squares do.

          The Top- and Bottom-Menu won't react to a click of  the  right
          mouse  button  (Escape)  when the mouse cursor is not pointing
          at one of those menus. This was done to prevent resetting both
          menus  on  a  general Escape-click. To reset these menus, move
          the mouse cursor into the menu before clicking. The Escape key
          resets both menus.

        Menus and Pop Up Menus
        
        Pop up menus use modal techniques, meaning no  other  activities
        can be performed before the situation at hand is resolved.  They
        are like a screen-in-a-screen. If a pop up is visible, only that
        pop up, and the Bottom-Menu can be controlled.

        Pop up menus are controlled by Alt+Letter, Up or Down arrow keys



        File_Handle                                   Menu Systems  11-5
        

        and Enter or Alt+Enter, and the mouse.

        Accept Pop Up
        
        The so called Accept pop ups are an exception.  This type of pop
        up blocks the source window,  but keeps most other functions  a-
        vailable.  In  this mode you can use the other non-blocked Tree-
        or File-Window to locate or  create  a  destination,  while  the
        source is locked out.

        Entry-Boxes
        
        Entry-Boxes are used to get the more complex types of  responses
        from the user. For instance, filenames, wildcards, dates, times.

        Enter
        
        Some commands or pop ups accept Enter to perform the  operation,
        but these commands usually are not of the destructive variety.

        Accept (F3)
        
        The function key F3 is reserved for commands that  change  data.
        Commands that erase, copy or move files for instance.  This type
        of commands cannot be executed with Enter.

        Erase Pop Up
        
        The Accept pop up for Erase or Move has a Red color to alert the
        user  he  is going to destroy something.  This kind of operation
        can only be confirmed by F3, not by Enter.

        Enter is used for many default functions.  Using F3 for destruc-
        tive operations prevents accidental loss of data.

        - Note
          
          Remember that File- and Tree-Windows have  their  own  set  of
          menus.  Changing between these different types of windows will
          also change menu-options.  This might take  some  getting used
          to,  because  menu  options appear and disappear when the mode
          changes.

        See also
        
        Appendix B for a list of the Hot-keys for the Bottom-Menu.



        Notes                                                File_Handle
        



        File_Handle                                                 12-1
        
                               Embedded Wildcards

        Wildcards
        
        File_Handle's wildcards work somewhat differently than those  in
        DOS.

        In File_Handle, a '*' can be utilized  to  match  zero  or  more
        characters, and each '?' matches exactly ONE character.

        DOS will match anything in the target beyond a '*', and zero  to
        as many characters as there are '?' in the search string.  DOS's
        system will prevent you from finding  EVERY  file,  except  with
        "*.*".

        File_Handle's system can handle  'embedded'  wildcards;  meaning
        there  can be more than one '*' in the search string.  This will
        greatly improve your chances of finding  what  you  are  looking
        for.

        This wildcard system is File_Handle's ONLY system;  You can  use
        it at every location or menu option that accepts wildcards.

        Examples
        
        - Selecting or Searching
          
          *.*     : Match all files  same as DOS.
          *A*     : Match any file with at least one 'A' in it.
          A*      : Match any file with 'A' at the start.
          *A      : Match any file with 'A' at the end.
          *A*E*   : Match any file containing both 'A' and 'E'.
          *A*B*C* : Match any file containing 'A' and 'B' and 'C'.
          *A*B*C  : Match any file containing 'A' and 'B' + 'C' at end.
          ??.*    : Match two-character filenames only.



        12-2  Embedded Wildcards                             File_Handle
        

        - Renaming
          
          The spaces here were added to improve  readability,  you don't
          actually enter them:

              Wildcard     Original     Result
                      
              ???  .*      pete .bat    pet  .bat
              z*   .*      pet  .bat    zet  .bat
              *og  .*      zet  .bat    zog  .bat
              ?a*  .*      zog  .bat    zag  .bat
              le*  .*      zag  .bat    leg  .bat
              ???1 .*      leg  .bat    leg1 .bat

              test1.*      abcd .bak    test1.bak
              *    .dat    test1.bak    test1.dat

              ????2.*      test1.dat    test2.dat
              *2   .*      test1.dat    test2.dat

              moes*.*      test1.dat    moes1.dat

              *lp1 .*      test1.dat    telp1.dat
              ?ulp?.*      test1.dat    tulp1.dat
              tulp*.*      test1.dat    tulp1.dat



        File_Handle                                                 13-1
        
                                 Search Systems

        Quick-Find
        
        Each File- and Tree-Window has its own Quick-Find field  in  the
        bottom left corner. It is essential that this field is in INSERT
        MODE (big cursor), and to have a trailing '*'; the search system
        won't work otherwise.

        The system will automatically add an '*' as soon as you enter  a
        period '.',  making  sure there is a wildcard for the extension.
        A single '*' is functionally equal to "*.*",  but "*."  is  not.
        The latter will explicitly search for extensionless file- or di-
        rectory names.

        - Clear Field (Ctrl+Del)
          
          When this field is erased with this key-combination,  a single
          '*' will be inserted, so the search system can work.

        - Activate Quick-Find
          
          This system is always ready, you don't have to switch it on or
          off.     As soon as a key is entered which can be used by this
          system, it will attempt to locate a  file-  or  directory name
          fitting the current description in this field.

        - Incremental Quick-Find or Navigate
          
          The system allows you to navigate quickly through huge amounts
          of files and directories by just entering a few characters. It
          will jump to the first one from the top that fits the descrip-
          tion you enter.

        - Find-Info
          
          Use Insert, Delete and Backspace to 'build' find-info. A short
          beep tells you that that specific key does not (yet) lead to a
          match.   The character is accepted though, so you can continue
          modifying the wildcard until it does find a match.

        - Repeat Quick-Find  (Ctrl+Up Ctrl+Down)
          
          These arrow-keys locate the next or previous match, or a first
          match after a relog or change directory.  If no match is to be
          found in the requested direction, you'll hear a short beep.

        - Quick-Find by Mouse ()
          
          Click on the 'fast-forward' or 'fast-reverse' button, situated
          after  the wildcard field,  to repeat Quick-Find by mouse,  in



        13-2  Search Systems                                 File_Handle
        

          either direction.

          Hint: If the wildcard field contains "*" or "*.*", every  file
                will match the wildcard, so repeating Quick-Find will be
                the equivalent of scrolling up or down. (This has confu-
                sed many!)

        - Wildcards
          
          See the chapter Embedded Wildcards.

        Find Files (Alt+F)
        
        Using the Finder, you can utilize a set of extended wildcards on
        any parameter to scan the system for any file.   See the chapter
        Finder for details.



        File_Handle                                                 14-1
        
                                 Drive Logging

        Drive Logging (F4)
        
        By pressing Drive, or by clicking the title bar of the window, a
        menu pops up.    This menu contains all available drive letters,
        special info, and free space for each drive. Because of the lat-
        ter,  the menu might not appear instantaneously;  gathering  the
        amount of free space for all drives will take  a  second  or so.
        Once this info is known to DOS,  this menu pops up without delay
        the next time it's needed.

        The Cursor-Bar is positioned on the currently active drive.

                              Log Drive ͸
                             A:Floppy 3"  1,457k
                             B:Floppy 5"       -
                             C:Harddisk       19M
                             D:Harddisk       13M
                             E:Harddisk   1,212k
                             F:Ramdisk     2,048k
                             I:Harddisk  2   137k
                             J:CD-ROM           -
                             K:Subst          19M
                              Esc=Close ;

        - DoubleSpace
          
          In this example, drive E:  is a DoubleSpace compressed  drive.
          This fact is depicted by the compressed ''.  Drive I: in this
          example, is the host drive for the huge DoubleSpace file, por-
          trayed by the uncompressed '2'.

        - Keys
          
          As in all other pop up menus, Alt+Letter  logs  the  requested
          drive immediately.   By pressing a drive letter or arrow keys,
          followed by Enter you can accomplish the  same.   Escape  will
          close the menu without any further action.

        - Mouse
          
          Clicking the desired line in the menu will log that drive.

        - Diskspace
          
          The numbers with the trailing 'k', 'M' (and 'G') stand for the
          free space on that drive in kilo-,  Mega- or Giga-bytes.  This
          let's you find a free spot quickly, if, for instance, you want
          to save a copy of some files,  or want to move them out of the
          way.



        14-2  Drive Logging                                  File_Handle
        

        - No media
          
          When the drive in question has no media, (floppy, CD-ROM or MO
          drive) then File_Handle will request to insert a disk.

                      Drive not ready ͸
                                                         
                             Insert disk in drive        
                                                         
                                      E:                 
                                                         
                               and press Accept          
                                                         
                      Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

          Escaping from this message, without any media, will  leave  an
          empty  File-  or  Tree-Window  on  screen.    Any of the above
          mentioned methods can be used to  log  this  window  to  valid
          media again, if so desired.

        - Note
          
          If the CD-ROM drive has an AUDIO-CD inserted, DOS will not re-
          cognize this as valid media, and produces the message above.

          Compressed  (DoubleSpace)  media  which  was  mounted   before
          File_Handle  was  executed,  can  be processed normally.  They
          can, however, not (yet) be mounted  from  within  File_Handle.
          Trying  to  log compressed media will result in logging uncom-
          pressed media, showing only the compressed  host-file  on  it.
          The Drive menu will also falsely identify the drive as  having
          compressed media.

          Warning: File_Handle makes  no  (not yet)  connection  between
                   substituted drives and windows showing their original
                   directories.  This might create problems,  since this
                   can  make some files duplicates while they really are
                   not.

        - Dynamic Drives (Mapping/Sharing)
          
          File_Handle automatically adjusts the Drive pop up (F4) if  a-
          nother process adds or removes drives. Just call up the pop up
          and it refects the current situation.
        



        File_Handle                                                 15-1
        
                               Selecting Methods

        Space Bar
        
        The most simple way to select anything is the  Space  bar.    It
        will turn a tag on or off.  This way of selection is always open
        as long as no other menu system blocks the screen.

        One can still modify tags by use of the Space bar while the  top
        menu already is opened, right up to the moment some final opera-
        tion is initiated.

        The Space bar can tag files while  using  Quick-Find  to  locate
        them.

        Selection Menu (F5)
        
        The most frequently used select-options are grouped together  in
        a menu under the SelectQ macro key.

        File-Window

            Select ͸
           Select   All      Select   all files
           Deselect all      Deselect all files
           Wildcard Select   Select   via wildcard
           Wildcard Unselect Deselect via wildcard
           Reselect '>'      Reselect previous selection
           Invert selections Invert   current selection
           Cleanup 4 windows Remove   all tags from all windows
            Esc=Close ;

        Tree-Window

            Select ͸
           Select   All      Select   all subdirs
           Deselect all      Deselect all subdirs
           Wildcard Select   Select   via wildcard
           Wildcard Unselect Deselect via wildcard
           Reselect '>'      Reselect previous selection
           Invert selections Invert   current selection
           Cleanup 4 windows Remove   all tags from all windows
           Select Branch     Select   all subdirs in a branch
           Clear  branch     Deselect all subdirs in a branch
           Invert branch     Invert   current selection of a branch
            Esc=Close ;

        The option 'Cleanup 4 windows' removes ALL tags  from  ALL  four
        windows, thus including the two that are not visible. This comes
        in handy if you need to force File_Handle into a known state.



        15-2  Selecting Methods                              File_Handle
        

        - Note
          
          The  option  'Reselect' in the Tree-Window does not (yet) have
          any meaning.

        The 'Branch'-options operate on the  current  Tree-branch  only.
        Place the Cursor-Bar on the BEGINNING of a subtree,  or else the
        current directory will be selected, as a very short branch.

        Top-Menu
        
        The following methods of selection are available in the Top-Menu
        under the option 'Select'.

        - Compare
          
          With this function you can quickly test if two directories, or
          diskettes, are  equal.  This function compares the contents of
          two File-Windows.

          All files are compared by  filename,  extension,  size,  date,
          time and their Attributes.    If any of those fields is diffe-
          rent,  the fields with the biggest or highest values get high-
          lighted.    The newest, or if date and time are equal, biggest
          file of the two, gets a selection tag.

          If a file is unique (i.e. it is not in both windows),  all its
          fields are highlighted, and it gets a tag.

        - Select
          
          This is a menu of frequently used selection operations. It can
          be reached faster by the SelectQ macro (F5).

        - Quick_select
          
          This method selects files with similar fields. The fields are:

              Filename, Extension, Date, Time, Size and Attributes.

          This works like this: Place the Cursor-Bar on  any  file,  say
          one  with  the extension ".BAK". Now look up Quick_select, and
          choose Extension.   This file will now get a tag, and if there
          are  more files with that same field-value, then they are also
          selected.  In this manner, files can be selected on any of the
          other  fields.  For instance, files of the same family, of the
          same date, same attributes, etc.



        File_Handle                              Selecting Methods  15-3
        

        - Duplicates
          
          This method will quickly  select  all  files  in  the  current
          window,  which are duplicates of files in the opposite window.
          Any differences will be highlighted.

          Once selected, you can, for instance:

          - Copy the selected batch to the destination,  or  some  place
            else.  Only the (duplicate) files already on the destination
            are selected, other files are not disturbed.

          - Save the duplicates for a while on a floppy, while upgrading
            some files.

          - Remove the duplicate files.

          See Newer and Older  (in Copy and Move menus),  they  can  use
          the selection made here  to upgrade another directory with the
          newest version or to restore an old one.

          Warning: The file CONTENTS are not (yet)  compared,  only  the
                   externally visible parameters.

        - Identicals
          
          This option is basically the same  as  Duplicates  above,  but
          only files with all fields 100% equal are selected.

          This option will determine if duplicates are EXACT duplicates,
          and not just mutations.  You could, for instance, now clean up
          unnecessary duplicates without remorse or afterthought.

          See also Duplicates above.

        - Today's Files
          
          Using the defaults,  this function will select files which are
          created today, to quickly save today's work, for instance.

                        Date Filter ͸
                               08-06-94 - 08-06-94         
                        Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

          Because either limit is adjustable, the range can be  extended
          beyond  today.  To select files of the previous month, for in-
          stance.



        15-4  Selecting Methods                              File_Handle
        

        - System Files
          
          Hidden and system-files get a different  foreground  color  on
          their file names to make them stand out more. This way you can
          detect  those  file-types without switching to attribute-mode.
          This will prevent you from erasing them accidentally.

        See also
        
        Chapter An Introduction to File_Handle on Date-Entry and  Field-
        Rotation

        Chapter The Mouse; Dragging.



        File_Handle                                                 16-1
        
                              Copy and Move Files

        Destination
        
        Files can be transferred to Window, Drive or Path destinations.

           \[Window]Drive Path
           Highlighted: Copy file to other window
            C:\BRIEF\MACROS\*.* Ŀ>
            Filename.Ext     Size    Date Time              <
            DIALOG  .H      2.21529-10-9012:48     File_Handl>
            DLG     .H      4.14831-01-9111:24               <

        - Window
          
          Use this choice to transfer the files  to  the  OTHER  window.
          You  must set up the destination directory before issuing this
          command.  See the 'Drive' option below for choosing a new des-
          tination.

          If the destination window is not yet opened,  this command  is
          converted to the 'Drive' option to give you the opportunity to
          choose a drive and a directory.

        - Drive
          
          Use this option if the other window is already active, but you
          want to choose another destination than the current one.

        - Path
          
          This option will limit the destinations to choose from to only
          the  directories that are in the PATH variable.  This is handy
          for placing some executable or batch file so you can start  it
          from anywhere.

        Move (Alt+M)
        
        Moving is essentially Copying followed by Erase.  See COPY below
        for an explanation.

        Copy (Alt+C)
        
        File_Handle checks all possible collisions of all  files  before
        copying any. Once all problems are resolved, it can copy all fi-
        les in a single uninterrupted pass.  You may leave the  computer
        once  the actual copying has started.  Only a system-error or an
        Escape will abort the copying process.

        You are asked, file-by-file, if a  duplicate  must  be  kept  or
        overwritten.  The duplicates will be aligned side-by-side at the



        16-2  Copy and Move Files                            File_Handle
        

        top of the window, with their differences highlighted  like  the
        Compare function does. If you force an overwrite of a duplicate,
        then it is checked first if the file has  its  Read-Only  and/or
        System Attributes set.

        You must answer all the questions first, before File_Handle lets
        you start the actual copying by pressing F3.

        Successfully copied files get  the  Reselect  Attribute  '>'  in
        front of the filename in both windows.

        If by now, you find out  you  copied  to  the  wrong  directory,
        simply  Reselect (F5) those files in the destination window, and
        delete them or move them back to the source window or the proper
        location.

        After copying, any file in the destination window with a tag  on
        it, is a duplicate you excluded in the collision-checking phase.

        Hint: Any  tagged  files  left over after the process, are files
              that are NOT (yet) copied or moved.

        - Note
          
          The File-Attributes are copied together with each file to  the
          destination.

        Renaming Duplicates
        
        A duplicate can be renamed during the checking phase. To prevent
        you from giving the duplicate the name of a file which also will
        be copied,  the system checks for this kind  of  collision,  and
        asks you to choose a different name.

        Warning: Because the system cannot (yet) check  for  the  colli-
                 sion  before the file already is renamed on disk, esca-
                 ping from this function now,  may overwrite the renamed
                 destination later on, because its name is not unique.

        If a duplicate is found which is a  SUBDIRECTORY  instead  of  a
        FILE, you have the option to either rename or skip it.

        - Note
          
          File_Handle won't overwrite a duplicate if it has a  selection
          tag on it.  Remove previous selections from the destination if
          this is the case.

        Copying tagged files will automatically remove all tags from the
        opposite window.



        File_Handle                            Copy and Move Files  16-3
        

        Newer & Older
        
        As can be expected, this option will overwrite destination files
        only if they have a newer or older creation date.  These options
        operate with tagged files only.

        See the chapter Selecting methods; the paragraphs about Duplica-
        tes and Compare for an explanation of these options.

        Progress-Indicator
        
        The copy system has a thermometer-like indicator.  This bargraph
        indicates  the percentage of data already processed in each win-
        dow.

        - Note
          
          When using a disk cache or copying small files,  sometimes the
          indicator either won't show or is only partly visible, because
          it's updated and removed before the screen is refreshed.

        Full Disk
        
        File_Handle will remove an incomplete copy from the destination.
        See  the  explanations  about  DISKSPACE  in  An Introduction to
        File_Handle about why File_Handle doesn't check free space.

        Floppy
        
        If the destination is a floppy, you will be asked to replace the
        media when diskspace runs out. You have the option to insert ei-
        ther an empty or a used floppy.   If you insert a used disk, and
        you DON'T want it to be erased, File_Handle will add any remain-
        ing files to that disk if free space allows it.

                          Floppy disk full ͸
                         Resume with new floppy      
                         Erase new floppy and resume 
                         Skip file for now           
                          Esc=Close ;

        The option to skip large non-fitting files is useful to fill the
        remaining space with smaller files. File_Handle keeps processing
        any skipped files until they are all copied.   Just keep feeding
        the drive disks with enough free space on them.



        16-4  Copy and Move Files                            File_Handle
        

        No Media
        
        When the drive in question has no media, then  File_Handle  will
        request you to insert a disk.

                      Drive not ready ͸
                                                         
                             Insert disk in drive        
                                                         
                                      E:                 
                                                         
                               and press Accept          
                                                         
                      Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

        Escaping from this message, without any  media,  will  leave  an
        empty File- or Tree-Window on the screen. Use any logging option
        to log this window to valid media again, if so desired.



        File_Handle                                                 17-1
        
                                  Erase Files

        Erase Files (Alt+E)
        
        This option removes tagged or untagged files from the window and
        the disk.

        Like the Copy and Move options, it is checked first if any files
        on the list are System or Read-Only. You have to decide file-by-
        file if you really want to remove them.

                         R/O or System: COMMAND.COM ͸
                        Erase or modify this file     
                        Skip this file                
                        Skip remaining Protected files
                        Don't check remaining files   
                         Esc=Close ;

        File_Handle checks all files before erasing any, so,  once done,
        it can erase all files in a single uninterrupted pass.   You may
        leave the computer once the actual  erasing  has  started.  Only
        a system-error or an Escape will abort the erasing process.

        Skipped files will get a Reselect Attribute ('>'),  so  you  can
        Reselect (F5) and copy them, or whatever needs to do be done.

        Hint: An Escape before Accept (F3) will retain ALL files!

        Security Erase
        
        Files containing critical and/or secret data, can be effectively
        deleted so they cannot be recovered anymore. There is no way the
        contents of files can be restored from the erased disk  sectors.
        Normally, erased files can be fully recovered, most of the time.

            Copy Move Rename Select[Erase]Finder Hide
            Mainmenu: Erase files (Normal & Security)
            C:\DOS\*.* Ŀ<
            Filename.Ext     Size    Date Time              <
            <PARENT>    DIRͳ10-02-9315:43     File_Handl>
            ANSI    .SYS    9,06530-09-93 6:20               <
            APPEND  .EXE   10,77430-09-93 6:20     File and P>
            ASSIGN  .COM    6,39909-04-91 5:00               <
            CHKDSK  .EXE   12,24130-09-93 6:20     SN H000000>

        - Wiping Free Space
          
          Wiping will erase the contents of unused (or no longer in use)
          disk sectors.  This will accomplish two things:  First it will
          prevent anyone from restoring file fragments.  Second, it will



        17-2  Erase Files                                    File_Handle
        

          make it easier to reconstruct non-erased data in the event  of
          a disk crash.

        - Compressed Drives
          
          Wiping unused space of such drives is reliable,  which  cannot
          be said of wiping files on those drives.

          The problem with wiping files is to create random  data  which
          has  the same compression ratio,  so the file is guaranteed to
          be completely erased up to, and including, the last byte.

          Unused space can be wiped completely,  no ratio problems here.
          File_Handle keeps writing data until the disk has no more free
          space.

          Hint: Don't use security erase for files on compressed drives.
                Use  Security erase for free space (Disk) instead, after
                first performing a normal file erase.

          Note
          
          When a file is manipulated after it's created,  it is possible
          that fragments of it are left in many disk sectors now unused.
          DOS  will delete a file in one place,  and recreate it in ano-
          ther when edited, for instance.    This means  that  security-
          erasing  a  manipulated  file doesn't give 100% assurance that
          (old) parts can't be restored. Do a Security erase on the who-
          le disk to be safe.

          Warning
          
          The technology File_Handle uses to wipe the disk is absolutely
          safe,  you won't lose unrelated sectors.  This, however, makes
          it impossible to be ABSOLUTELY sure that there  are  no  frag-
          ments  at all of your 'hot' data.  It can be imagined that to-
          tally unrelated programs are using parts  of  memory  or  disk
          without  erasing  them first.  Formatting is possibly the only
          way to get rid of all traces of 'hot' data. However, some for-
          mat programs don't rewrite disk sectors,  you might need to to
          a low-level format to be sure.   Low-level formatting is a job
          for the specialist, don't try this yourself!

        Erase Subdirectories (Alt+F6)
        
        Subdirectories can only be removed from a Tree-Window via RmDir.
        See the chapter Remove Directory.



        File_Handle                                                 18-1
        
                        Hiding Files and Subdirectories

           Copy Move Rename Select Erase Finder[Hide]
           Mainmenu: Exclude records from processing until next read<
            C:\DOS\*.* Ŀ<
            Filename.Ext     Size    Date Time              <
            <PARENT>    DIRͳ10-02-9315:43     File_Handl>
            ANSI    .SYS    9,06530-09-93 6:20               <
            APPEND  .EXE   10,77430-09-93 6:20     File and P>
            ASSIGN  .COM    6,39909-04-91 5:00               <
            CHKDSK  .EXE   12,24130-09-93 6:20     SN H000000>

        Hide (Alt+H)
        
        This option will temporarily hide subdirectories  or  tagged  or
        untagged  files  form  the window.  It can be a handy feature to
        exclude files from a certain process, or simply to just not  see
        them for a while.  You can direct your attention to the more im-
        portant things at hand.   The first Filter- or log-operation re-
        stores the hidden records again.

        Hide and the Finder
        
        This option will prove itself very useful  in  the  Finder.  The
        Finder  can  locate  many files, most of which are not targeted.
        Just tag lots of unwanted files and Hide them,  or  hide  single
        non-targeted files.   After a while you've hidden so many files,
        that the target list is small enough for you to oversee.



        Notes                                                File_Handle
        



        File_Handle                                                 19-1
        
                                     Rename

        Wildcards
        
        The RENAME-system can handle wildcards.  These wildcards  behave
        somewhat differently than DOS's wildcards during a rename.  Some
        examples are given in chapter Embedded Wildcards  Rename.

        The number of leading or trailing characters from  the  wildcard
        is  placed over the old name,  starting from the end opposite to
        the '*'.  This fixed number of characters is replaced,  and  the
        '*' adds any leftovers to the result, at the appropriate end.

        Both files and directories can be renamed.  Directories can also
        be renamed from the Tree-Window.

        When renaming directories, File_Handle will load and update the
        log file, or create a new one in case there wasn't one already.

        Name (Ctrl+F5)
        
        The filename will automatically be extracted  from  the  current
        window into the rename pop up and can be edited there.  Pressing
        Name will extract it again, should you mess  up  so  badly  that
        Redo can't restore it anymore.

        - Note
          
          If a wildcard character was entered in the rename-field during
          a previous rename operation, then that wildcard will be reused
          and the original name will NOT be extracted in this case.

        Wild-Rename
        
        It is possible to perform a so called 'wild-rename', if the tar-
        get filenames have something in common.  For instance, to rename
        all files TESTn*.* to PROGn*.*.

        See the chapter Embedded Wildcards for examples on more  complex
        rename operations.

        Rename
               Rename File FH_SETUP.BAT ͸
                     Filename.Ext     Size    Date Time
                     FH_SETUP.BAT      25601-04-9411:46
                     Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

        To rename, just change any field in the pop up presented to you,
        and press Accept (F3). If you try to duplicate an existing file-
        name, File_Handle asks if you want to overwrite THAT file, or to
        skip renaming THIS file.



        19-2  Rename                                         File_Handle
        

                        FH_SETUP.DOC Already Exists ͸
                       Replace existing file          
                       Skip this file                 
                       Replace All duplicates         
                        Esc=Close ;

        Warning: Replacing an existing file will,  of course,  overwrite
                 that file, which will then be lost.

        Repeated Rename (Ctrl+F3)
        
        The rename operation can be repeated  automatically  for  tagged
        files by pressing Repeat.

        The procedure is:

        - Tag some files.

        - Choose Rename of Tagged files in the Top-Menu.

        - Adjust the name, date and/or time of the first record  presen-
          ted. When renaming the filename, use wildcards in that field.

        - Think twice. (Are you requesting the impossible?)

        - Press Repeat.

        Remember that if you are renaming filenames or extensions, there
        must be at least a single wildcard character in at least one  of
        those fields.

        Repeat works in the Finder also.

        Warning: Use wildcards in conjunction with Repeat with  the  ut-
                 most care. Repairing destroyed filenames  which can be
                 the result of a lightheaded rename operation  can take
                 a lot of your time!

                 Any wildcard character in the name or extension will be
                 forced onto ALL tagged files!

                 Leaving the filename as is or using "*.*" in a repeated
                 rename, will prevent such disasters. If you really need
                 to rename many files using  Repeat,  inspect  the  file
                 names carefully for strange conflicts.

                 If in doubt, copy the files to a  temporary  directory,
                 or  better still, a RAM-disk.    Do the (possebly) des-
                 tructive work there.



        File_Handle                                         Rename  19-3
        

        Touch ('Rename' date or time)
        
        The rename option can also 'rename' Date and/or  Time.   This is
        known as 'touching' files.   This means that the date or time of
        a file, or set of files, are set to a specific value. To 'touch'
        files, select them, choose Rename, set date and time, and Repeat
        the rename operation. Use "*.*" or no wildcard at all.  See War-
        ning above.

        Examples are:

        - Setting the date for the files of a software  package  to  the
          distribution date, and setting the time to the version number.

        - Resetting date/time on compiler  source  files,  so  the  Make
          utility  won't recompile them when some non-code modifications
          are made.

        Attributes (Shift+F7)
        
        Set the File-Window to attribute mode by pressing Attrib, to  be
        able to 'rename' Attributes.

                     Set Attributes ͸
                     Filename.Ext Arc Hid  Rdo Sys Time
                     FH_SETUP.BAT n/c n/c  n/c n/c23:32
                     Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

        Change Attributes by toggling them with the Space-bar.  A  'n/c'
        (No Change)  field means that this attribute will not be changed
        when the file is 'renamed'.

        Repeat will also work on Attributes.  The following example will
        reset  all Archive-bits of all tagged files,  so these files are
        not backed up to a tape-streamer, for instance.

        - Select all "*.BAK" files.

        - Adjust the 'Arc' field by pressing the Space-bar, or  clicking
          the mouse a number of times until it says 'Off'.

        - Set or leave all other attribute fields to 'n/c' (No Change).

        - Press Repeat (Ctrl+F3).

        - Note
          
          Only Attribute-rename will modify File-Attributes.  The  other
          forms of rename do not.



        19-4  Rename                                         File_Handle
        

        Set Files to Nodate-Mode (Ctrl+F4)
        
        If files are set to nodate-mode, File_Handle, and many other ap-
        plications, won't show the date and time anymore.

        Use Nodate to change a file to nodate-mode, and use  Select  and
        Repeat to do this on multiple files.

        - Note
          
          There are applications that cannot handle null-dates, and will
          show something like 00-01-80 instead of just spaces.

          No-dating or redating files is 'forever', the original date is
          lost. You can give such files a new date and time, however.

        Keys
        
        Use TAB and Shift+TAB or the mouse to move to another field. Use
        Accept (F3) to record any changes.  Escape will cancel rename.

        Use the Spacebar or the mouse to adjust the Attributes.



        File_Handle                                                 20-1
        
                           Changing Directory - ChDir

           Rename Finder
           Mainmenu: Rename directories
            C:\DOS Ŀ>
                       Directory Tree                          <
            C:\<DRIVE_C    >                  136     File_Handl>
             -DOC                           268               <
               ADDENDUM                    440     File and P>
                 REMARK                    55               <
               CONTENTS                     34     SN H000000>
               DOC                        1038     A. van And<
               INDEX                        10     4268 GV Me>
               MISC                       3247     Holland   <
               TECH                       1128   >
             ASYNC                           90                <
             ASM                            116        >
               MIXED                        15               <
             BIN                            624               >
             BRIEF                          533               <
               HELP                        203               >
               MACROS                      327               <
           *           ĮĴ>
           Tagged    0 Size         0    Free   
           Dirs     94 Size 1,037,845 19,998,720
           
           1Help   2Undo   3Accept4Drive  5SelecQ 6ChDir  7Files 8>

        ChDir (F6)
        
        ChDir in the Bottom-Menu, logs the selected directory to a File-
        window. This works from both File- and Tree-Windows.

        The same can be accomplished  by  pressing  Enter,  or  clicking
        twice on the name of the directory.

        Pressing ChDir in a File-Window while the Cursor-Bar is NOT on a
        directory name, will log the window to the parent directory.



        Notes                                                File_Handle
        



        File_Handle                                                 21-1
        
                            Create Directory - MkDir

           Rename Finder
           Mainmenu: Rename directories
            C:\DOS Ŀ>
                       Directory Tree                          <
            C:\<DRIVE_C    >                  136     File_Handl>
             -DOC                           268               <
               ADDENDUM                    440     File and P>
                 REMARK                    55               <
               CONTENTS                     34     SN H000000>
               DOC                        1038     A. van And<
               INDEX                        10     4268 GV Me>
            Make Directory ͸     Holland   <
                       TEST                       >
            Esc=Close F3=Accept ;                <
             ASM                            116        >
               MIXED                        15               <
             BIN                            624               >
             BRIEF                          533               <
               HELP                        203               >
               MACROS                      327               <
           *           ĮĴ>
           Tagged    0 Size         0    Free   
           Dirs     94 Size 1,037,845 19,998,720
           
           1Help   2Undo   3Accept4Drive  5SelecQ 6ChDir  7Files 8>

        MkDir (Alt+F6)
        
        Use the MkDir option in the Bottom-Menu to create new  subdirec-
        tories.   The new directory will be created as a subdirectory of
        the current directory.  The current directory in  a  Tree-Window
        is the one the Cursor-Bar is pointing to.

        The behavior differs among both window types.   Adding a  direc-
        tory  to a File-Window will automatically log the new directory.
        Adding one to a Tree-Window will point the Cursor-Bar at it, af-
        ter resorting the tree.



        Notes                                                File_Handle
        



        File_Handle                                                 22-1
        
                            Remove Directory - RmDir

        RmDir (Shift+F6)
        
        For safety reasons, you can remove  directories  only  from  the
        Tree-Window.  Use RmDir from the Bottom-Menu.

        - Empty Directory
          
          If a directory is empty, it will be removed without prompting.

                      Remove Directory ͸
                                                         
                                     TEST                
                                                         
                                Contains files!          
                                                         
                            Remove this directory?       
                                                         
                      Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

        - Contains Files and/or Subdirectories
          
          If a directory is NOT empty, File_Handle requests confirmation
          from you, before removing the it.

                      Remove Directory ͸
                                                         
                                     BRIEF               
                                                         
                         Directory has Subdirectories    
                                                         
                               Remove them all?          
                                                         
                      Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

        - Read/Only or System Files
          
          Directories will be checked directory-by-directory  for  Read-
          Only and/or System-files.

                        Rdo or Sys file: COMMAND.COM ͸
                       Erase this file                 
                       Remove directory now            
                       Don't check directories         
                        Esc=Close ;

          Only after all protected files are dealt with, is the directo-
          ry wiped and removed.

          Hint: Escaping the pop up will retain the directory contents.



        22-2  Remove Directory - RmDir                       File_Handle
        

        - The Root Directory, A Special Case
          
          Removal of the root directory  equals  ERASING THE WHOLE DISK!
          For  this  reason confirmation is asked in two different ways,
          so you won't accidentally erase a whole disk by pressing F3.

                        Remove ROOT Directory ͸
                       YES, ERASE THIS DISK COMPLETELY
                       No, don't erase this disk      
                        Esc=Close ;

                      Wipe Disk ͸
                                                         
                          This action will leave you     
                                                         
                              with an EMPTY disk         
                                                         
                                 Are you sure?           
                                                         
                      Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

        - Relog
          
          Other windows will, if appropriate, follow the deletions. If a
          directory in another window was logged to a removed directory,
          it will be logged to its parent.



        File_Handle                                                 23-1
        
                                  The Executer

        Keys
        
        File_Handle will try to 'execute' a file when you  position  the
        Cursor-Bar on it and then press Enter, or click it twice.

        Not all files can be executed, however.  But most files initiate
        some  specific  default response.  You can tell File_Handle what
        that resonse should be for a certain type of file.

        Associative Response File
        
        File_Handle loads the file FH_EXEC.ARF when  initializing.  This
        file  must  contain  all  information  needed to execute certain
        types of files. There are five main types of executables:

          Type name   Type of file
            
          Executable  EXE, COM, BAT and BTM (internal table)
          Rebuild     Editors, Textprocessors, Databases, etc.
          Show        Graphic/Hex/dBase Viewers, Sound players, etc.
          Extract     Decompressors for ZIP, ARJ, LZH, UC2, etc.
          DontRun     Device-drivers/Terminate & Stay Resident programs

        - Executable Type
          
          Files of the 'Executable' type are typically  not  handled  in
          the response file. File_Handle has an internal table for them.

          Note: This table is scanned only when the other types are ex-
                hausted. This means that one can fool the system here.

        - Rebuild Type
          
          The 'Rebuild' type needs some explanation. File_Handle  has  a
          rebuild  mode,  which  can be activated after a shell command.
          Programs that change the appearence of the disk, are typically
          of the 'Rebuild' variety. The rebuild mode logs modifications.

        - Show Type
          
          This type of executables do not change anything on  the  disk.
          This  is  the  typical behavior of file- and database viewers,
          sound players and various other programs that don't  write  to
          files.

        - Extract Type
          
          This is a special form of 'Rebuild' type. It  needs  an  extra
          parameter to tell the decompressor where to put the files from



        23-2  The Executer                                   File_Handle
        

          the archive.

        - DontRun Type
          
          This type will prevent you from loading device drivers and TSR
          type  programs  into the swap-area of File_Handle.  This would
          crash the system after File_Handle swaps back into ram again.

          Warning: Don't try to load such programs  with  the  Shell  or
                   DosCmd options either! Quit File_Handle, run the com-
                   mand, and restart File_Handle again.

        SetARF (Shift+Ctrl+F2)
        
        This option edits the ARF file.  File_Handle  reinitializes  the
        execution table on return, allowing on-the-fly modifications.

        An Example
        
        Rebuild: c:\dos\edit %%    ('%%' is the filename placeholder   )
        MenuTxt: DOS' Editor       (Pop up menu if more groups conflict)
        Connect: *.txt;*.doc;*.edt (These file types execute edit.com  )

        Hint   : More groups may have one or more Connect  wildcards  in
                 common;  File_Handle  will  build a pop up menu and ask
                 you which program must execute the command.  An example
                 would be where *.BAT can be executed, or just edited.

        Extract to
        
        You have the option to extract archives to the current directory
        or any other destination you choose.  File_Handle will check the
        directory after decompressing and marks any additions with a Re-
        select Attribute '>'.    This will enable you to see which files
        and/or directories were extracted. You can  easily  reselect  to
        erase or copy them, for instance.

        - Warning: SEA's ARC program cannot decompress to another direc-
                   tory. Keep this in mind.

        - Note
          
          A later version of File_Handle will probably show the contents
          of the compressed archive.  It will then be possible to select
          and copy from the archive right away. Also  the  reversed  di-
          rection will possibly be supported.

        Directory
        
        'Executing' a directory will perform a ChangeDir operation.



        File_Handle                                   The Executer  23-3
        

        Working Directory
        
        The Executer executes commands in the directory that is  current
        in  File_Handle  at that moment;  this means that if the command
        creates any offspring, you will find it in this directory.  This
        is also true for DosCmd and Shell (Shift+F10 and Alt+F10).

        Default Editor & Viewer
        
        File_Handle needs a default editor and viewer  (DefEdit&DefView)
        so it can be forced to bypass the default response when needed.

        Unsupported Files
        
        All files not covered by any of the above, are passed on to the
        default viewer (DefView) mentioned in the response file.

        Update After Execute
        
        All windows are updated (current directory  only)  automatically
        after  an  external  command of the 'Rebuild' or 'Extract' type.
        If the external command created or deleted  files or subdirecto-
        ries, the windows will show the new state.

        Added files and directories get the Reselect Attribute  '>',  so
        you  can see immediately what was changed while an external com-
        mand was in control.

        Relog & Existing Selection
        
        File_Handle's uses its internal selection system to mark changes
        made by external (shell) commands.  This suggests a previous se-
        lection (files with tags) will be disturbed by this process. For
        this reason you are asked to confirm the relog operation.

                      Modified by Shell ͸
                                                         
                              Rereading NOW will         
                                                         
                              LOOSE the SELECTION        
                                                         
                                 Start Reread?           
                                                         
                      Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

        If you, for some reason, need the selection to remain  although
        the window possibly doesn't match the disk  anymore   you  must
        skip the relog operation by pressing Escape.



        23-4  The Executer                                   File_Handle
        

        You can relog manually at  any  time  by  pressing  Drive  (F4),
        Filter (Ctrl+F4),  or a click on the Refresh Corner (right upper
        corner) of the main window.

        - Note
          
          The relog mechanism puts Reselect Attributes '>' on all  chan-
          ged  entries.   It doesn't take into account any kind of orde-
          ring like a newer date or so. This is because all changes were
          made outside File_Handle's control  any previous versions are
          already lost!

        If an external command created or removed subdirectories outside
        the current directory, File_Handle doesn't know about that. This
        is because rescanning all drives after each external command ta-
        kes too much time.   You have to relog those windows manually if
        you expect any off-base changes. If File_Handle is instructed to
        enter  such  a directory later on,  it will detect this problem,
        and reconstruct that part of the tree automatically.

        RunARF (Shift+Ctrl+F9)
        
        This option reverses the use of the Executer. It gathers all the
        Rebuild and Show groups from the ARF table, and presents them in
        a menu. This option will enable you to link any file to any pro-
        gram,  so in cases of less well-chosen file names or extensions,
        you still can run the proper application.

        Memory Usage
        
        The Associative Response File has no real limits, as long as the
        file FH_EXEC.ARF is less than 60,000 bytes, not counting comment
        lines.

        File_Handle has a built-in memory swapper to be able to run  ex-
        ternal commands without running into memory problems.

        This swapper is currently Ralph Brown's  Spawno,  and  it  swaps
        conventional  memory  to EMS/XMS/RAW-EXTENDED or, if all this is
        not available, to disk.

        In case that Spawno uses the disk,  it will use the current  di-
        rectory or the one the FH_LOGDIR system variable (if you instal-
        led it) points to.  If there is a SWAPDIR system variable (Spaw-
        no's default), it has precedence over the FH_LOGDIR variable.

        Spawno has demonstrated problems in conjunction with a  resident
        Norton  Antivirus.  This  combination will corrupt File_Handle's
        environment so badly that it won't be able to find  COMMAND.COM.
        Executing external commands won't work in this special case.



        File_Handle                                                 24-1
        
                                      Sort

        Sort (F9)
        
        Each File-Window can be sorted independently from the other. The
        Cursor-Bar will follow the record to its new position.

        When a directory is logged, the window will be sorted using  the
        last used sort key. Tree-Windows cannot be sorted.

                                  Sort ͸
                                 Unsorted   
                                 Filename   
                                 Extension  
                                 Date       
                                 Time       
                                 Size       
                                 Attributes 
                                 Group Tags 
                                 Direction 
                                 Path       
                                  Esc=Close 

        - Sort with Mouse
          
          There are shorthand Screen-Buttons for sorting. Just click the
          column header to sort on the master-key for that column. There
          is no Screen-Button for 'Unsorted'.

                    Copy Move Rename Select Erase Finder Hide
                    Mainmenu: Copy files
                     C:\DOS\*.* Ŀ
                     Filename.Ext     Size    Date Time
                     ^        ^   ^
                                
                             
                                 Attribute mode toggle
                              Direction (reverse order)
                     Group Tags

        - Direction
          
          Clicking the period '.' in 'Filename.Ext' reverses the current
          sorting order. The 'Direction' arrow shows the current order.

        - Attributes
          
          Clicking the vertical line to the right of the  'Filename.Ext'
          header, will toggle between SIZE- and ATTRIBUTE mode.

          Attributes can only be sorted as a group, not separately.



        24-2  Sort                                           File_Handle
        

        - Path
          
          The 'Path'-option is only available in the Finder,  and  sorts
          all records on drive and path.

        - Group Tags
          
          Clicking the space in front of the 'Filename.Ext' header, will
          sort Tag- and Reselect Attributes,  and the highlighted fields
          from any compare operation.  This will effectively concentrate
          tagged files at the beginning or the end of the window.

          Hint: Use the Group option to quickly find out which files are
                tagged  when  there  are  too  many  files to fit in the
                window.

        - Note
          
          The 'Unsorted' option will  reread  the  directory,  and  will
          thereby  lose  all tags (if any).  File_Handle keeps no record
          of the original order on disk. This option won't be used often
          enough to surrender precious memory to it.

        Same (Ctrl+F9)
        
        As expected,  the option 'Same' will look up a file by the  same
        name in the other window. If found, both windows are manipulated
        in  such  a  manner,  that the two files are side-by-side on the
        first line of the windows;  the biggest  or  newest  fields  are
        highlighted to show which file is the last version.

        Group Family
        
        If you'd like to quickly discover if there are other files with
        the  same name, extension, size, date, time or attributes, this
        is how you you do it:

            Point the Cursor-Bar at the parent  record,  and  sort  the
            desired column.  The similar records are grouped around the
            Cursor-Bar.



        File_Handle                                                 25-1
        
                                   The Finder

        Purpose
        
        Finding any file or set of files, on any drive or set of drives,
        and then performing the next system-wide operations on them:

        - Copy or Move.

        - Rename.

        - Erase.

        - Edit or View.

        - Execute.

        - Other global operations.

        This includes for instance:

        - Locating files using File_Handle's embedded wildcards.

        - Global Removal of Duplicates.

        - Locate ALL batch files and moving them to a new location.

        - Rename ALL "*.BAK" files on ALL drives to, say, "*.OLD".

        - Erase ALL back-up, error and temp files from ALL drives.

        - Set the Archive attribute of ALL files pending a total backup,
          or reset the Archive attribute of ALL temporary *.ZIP files.

        - Reset the Read/Only attribute of ALL files in a branch,  after
          xcopying them from a CD-ROM.

        - Viewing ALL "*.GIF" files on all drives with a graphic viewer.

        - Locate ALL huge files pending a clean- or back-up operation.

        - Locate ALL files larger than .. and older than .. .

        - Jumping (ChangeDir) to this file in that directory.

        - Locate Hidden and/or System files.

        - And more...



        25-2  The Finder                                     File_Handle
        

        Find-Parameters
        
        File_Handle uses an extended wildcard search, to  let  you  find
        what you are after.   This mechanism has the defaults set so you
        can find anything.  Just restrict the Finder's options in such a
        manner it can locate your target(s).

                 Finder ͸
                                                              
                     Wildcard(s)  : *.EXE;*.COM;*.BAT;*.CMD  
                                                              
                     Size limits  : 0000000000 - 4294967295   
                     Date limits  : 01-01-80   - 31-12-79     
                     Time limits  : 00:00      - 24:00        
                                    Arc Hid Rdo Sys           
                     Attributes   :  ?   ?   ?   ?            
                                                              
                 [] Scan system  : CDEFIJ ABG                
                 [ ] Scan drive   : C:                        
                 [ ] Scan branch  : C:\BRIEF\MACROS\AVA       
                                                              
                 Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

        2Undo   3Accept 4Deflts 5System 6Drive  7Branch 8Today  9



        File_Handle                                     The Finder  25-3
        

        Finder-Window
        
        The Finder-window is basically a (left) File-Window, with an ex-
        tra column, attached at the right side, to hold the paths.

           Copy Move Rename Select Erase Finder Hide
           Main menu: Find any files(s) on any drive(s)
            Find List: *.EXE;*.COM;*.BAT;*.CMD >
            Filename.Ext     Size    Date TimePath             <
            AUTOEXEC.BAT      75519-04-9512:17C:\              >
            COMMAND .COM   54.61930-09-93 6:20C:\              <
            C1      .EXE  109.95715-10-87 5:00C:\BIN           >
            C1L     .EXE  140.66715-10-87 5:00C:\BIN           <
            C2      .EXE  199.43115-10-87 5:00C:\BIN           >
            C3      .EXE  117.40315-10-87 5:00C:\BIN           <
            CL      .EXE   32.96915-10-87 5:00C:\BIN           >
            CV      .EXE  220.06615-10-87 5:00C:\BIN           <
            CVPACK  .EXE   38.24115-10-87 5:00C:\BIN           >
            LIB     .EXE   58.96508-02-93 1:01C:\BIN           <
            LINK    .EXE   64.31915-10-87 5:00C:\BIN           >
            MAKE    .BAT      17128-02-9012:23C:\BIN           <
            MASM    .EXE  103.17531-07-87 0:00C:\BIN           >
            SHAREBK .EXE  771.88812-05-92 1:00C:\C\H\SH        <
            SDN_KIT .EXE   38.04410-11-9416:00C:\C\H\SH\SDN    >
            AUTOBACK.COM   15.58828-12-9316:50C:\JUMBO         <
           *            Esc=Close >
           Tagged    0 Size         0    Free   
           Files    18 Size 2.413.892           
           
           1Help   2Undo   3Accept4       5SelecQ 6ChDir  7      8>

        Restrictions
        
        The Finder is integrated in the main system. This means that, up
        to a point,  all of File_Handle's functions are available in the
        Finder also.

        Some options have no meaning in the  Finder,  and are  therefore
        removed  from  the  menus.   Among  these are the Select options
        Compare, Duplicate and Identicals; there is no target  for  them
        in Finder-mode.  Other options, like Copy and Move, work exactly
        the same as in a normal File-Window. When copying or moving, the
        right  side  of the screen will temporarily show the activity on
        the destination.

        Keys
        
        With some exceptions, all keys of the File-Window work here too.



        25-4  The Finder                                     File_Handle
        

        - Escape or ChDir (F6)
          
          The Finder is cancelled by any of these two keys.  ChDir  will
          log the directory which was under the Cursor-Bar, and the cur-
          sorbar will be moved to the target. Think of this as a 'Go To'
          function.

        - Defaults (F4)
          
          This option installs such parameters that you can find, memory
          permitting, all files on all drives.

        - Today Files (F8)
          
          The Today-function adjusts the date- and  time  parameters  to
          the  date  of  today,  so the Finder can find all files of the
          current date.  You might have to remove other restrictions (if
          any) by pressing Deflts, or else the Finder may not find every
          file of today's date.

          See Date-Entry and Field-Rotation, in the chapter An Introduc-
          tion to File_Handle, for fast ways to adjust date and time.

        - Undo & Redo (F2 and Ctrl+F2)
          
          These two options restore or unrestore the currently  modified
          field(s) first, and then all parameters. This includes undoing
          and even redoing the Defaults.

          Use the Spacebar to adjust the Search-Attributes in the  para-
          meter screen.

        Finder & Mouse
        
        The mouse works as in the regular File-Window, with additions.

        A double click on any path in the Path-column (rightmost column)
        will close the Finder and performs a 'Go To'.  This action is e-
        quivalent to ChDir (F6).    Clicking the Esc=Close Screen-Button
        leaves the Finder, and relogs the previous drive or directory.

        Click the mouse in any field to bring the cursor to that field.

        Click inside the '[ ]' Screen-Buttons, or at the status line, to
        select System, Drive or Branch as the target area.

        Click on a search attribute to change it.



        File_Handle                                     The Finder  25-5
        

        Wildcards
        
        The Finder has, in addition to the embedded wildcards,  extended
        wildcards for Date, Time, Size and Attributes.  These  have  de-
        fault values that will enable you to find anything with wildcard
        "*.*".  Leave any irrelevant fields at their default value.  For
        example, don't fill in Size-restrictions if size is not what you
        are looking for.

        The Finder can find any (still existing) file with only  limited
        search-info.  Even if you have no recollection whatsoever of the
        filename,  you can still find it, if you know at least one other
        parameter of the file.  This parameter doesn't have to be  exact
        either; any vague recollection will help, if it's reasonably ac-
        curate.

        If you want to use multiple wildcards, separate them with  semi-
        colons ';'.   You can enter up to 225 characters in the Finder's
        wildcard field.

        - Wildcard
          
          Embedded wildcards can be used.  Enter a letter or combination
          you remember. For example, "*A*E*" finds any file with 'A' and
          'E' in the filename part, "*SD" or "*SD.*" any filename ending
          with "SD". See chapter Embedded Wildcards.   Separate multiple
          wildcards with a semi-colon ';'.   The field accepts up to 225
          characters, and shifts sideways to accomodate that amount.

        - Date
          
          Enter beginning- and ending date (inclusive) of the period you
          want to include in the search.

        - Time
          
          Enter beginning- and ending time  (inclusive)  for  the  time-
          window you want to include in the search.  Enter 00:00 - 24:00
          to find all files, not 00:00 - 23:59!

        - Size
          
          If you explicitly want to find 1 kbyte files, enter 1024-1024.
          To find files up to, and including 1 kbyte, enter 0 - 1024.

        - Attributes
          
          Put an '?' in any attribute field to locate files with any va-
          lue for that attribute.



        25-6  The Finder                                     File_Handle
        

          If, for example, you want to locate all files  which  have  at
          least the Archive attribute set, adjust the fields like this:

             Arc  ?   ?   ?

          An 'Off' means that files with this  attribute  are  excluded.
          For example, 'Arc Off Off Sys' means that the Finder looks for
          files that have both Arc and Sys, but don't have Hid and Rdo.

        Sort (F9)
        
        A Path-column option is added to the sort menu. This will enable
        you  to  sort  on paths as well.  Choose it by pressing Sort, or
        click on the header of the Path-column with the mouse.

        Scan-Locations
        
        These are the locations the Finder will inspect.  The active lo-
        cation has a check-mark inside the brackets.   Press F5, F6, F7,
        or click between the [ ] brackets with the mouse,  to  select  a
        different location.

        - System (F5)
          
          This option lets the Finder look on all drives in the  system.
          Edit this list to in- or exclude any drive(s).

        - Drive  (F6)
          
          This option scans only one drive.  The default is the  current
          drive. This might come in handy for scanning CD-ROM's, for in-
          stance.

        - Branch (F7)
          
          If you want to search a certain branch in the tree, then  this
          option is what you need.

          Which branch to search depends on the status of the Finder:

            Finder not active: Current directory, press Alt+F & Branch.

            Finder active    : Path from the Cursor-Bar.  Place bar  and
                               press Alt+F and Branch.

        - CD-ROM and Floppies
          
          Floppy-drives and CD-ROM's are, by default,  not in the System
          list.    You can add them for the duration of the session; see
          "ABG" in the example.  The order of the drive letters  is  not



        File_Handle                                     The Finder  25-7
        

          important, and spaces are allowed. The Finder scans this list,
          and therefore the drives, from left to right.

          The Finder accepts only the drives it found at start-up.

        Copy and Move (Alt+C Alt+M)
        
        It is possible to Copy or Move files  from  the  Finder  to  any
        known  drive  attached to the system, with the obvious exception
        of Read Only drives like CD-ROM and maybe some network-drives.

        - Collisions
          
          It's possible that the Finder gathers 'Colliding Files'. These
          are files you want to copy,  but already exist on the destina-
          tion. Remember, the Finder finds files ANYWHERE, this includes
          the destination too!

          Colliding files will be detected and skipped.  They keep their
          Select-Attribute,  so  you  can find them after processing the
          non-colliding files.

        - Duplicates
          
          If you copy or move more than one file by the same name to the
          same  destination,  File_Handle will ask you to either skip or
          overwrite it, after the first one  is  copied  or  moved.  The
          copies are showed with their differences highlighted, like the
          Same function does.

        Stop Searching
        
        The Finder's search operation can be stopped with the Escape key
        or by clicking the right Mouse-Button.

        Note: File_Handle's mechanism which detects if  a  shell-command
              made  any changes on the hard disk outside of its control,
              is not active in the Finder.  This  means  that  executing
              programs in the Finder, decompressing archives for instan-
              ce, will not show any changes on the screen like a  normal
              File-Window does.

        Finder Scripts
        
        File_Handle's Finder can use pre-fabricated script files for the
        restriction parameters.  These scripts are stored on  the  disk,
        and can be loaded for specific searches.  It is also possible to
        store  your own restriction parameters in your own script files.
        Adding to or editing an existing script is just as easy.



        25-8  The Finder                                     File_Handle
        

        If you want to use multiple wildcards, separate them with  semi-
        colons ';'. You can enter up to 225 characters in this field.

                                  Load Script 
                                 ARCHIVE      
                                 BIGFILES     
                                 CLEAN_UP     
                                 DOCUMENT     
                                 EXECUTE      
                                 FHCOPYAL     
                                 FHSHAREW     
                                 FONTS        
                                 PICTURES     
                                 READONLY     
                                 SOUND        
                                 SYS&HID      
                                  Esc=Close ;

                  Save Script ͸
                                   EXECUTE                   
                  Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

        - Load & Save (F9 & Ctrl+F9)
          
          You can load previously made scripts into the Finder with  the
          Load command. You can save modified scripts, or your own, with
          Save.   The parameters are stored in files with the FHF exten-
          sion in the directory where File_Handle resides.

          These options are available when the Finder's parameter window
          is  active,  choose  the  Finder-option  (Alt+F) from the main
          screen or from the Find List.

          Warning: The Scan Locations are not  stored  in  the  scripts.
                   Press Defaults (F4) before loading a new script, then
                   you can be assured all your drives are scanned.

        Quit Finder
        
        Press Escape or click on the 'Esc=Close' button to return to the
        normal mode of operation.

        See also chapters:
        
        Search Systems on wildcards.
        An Introduction to File_Handle on Date/Time entry.
        The Mouse; Dragging.
        Sort for Screen-Buttons.
        Hiding Files and Subdirectories
        File Window; the Filter also uses scripts



        File_Handle                                                 26-1
        
                                Removable Media

        Media Changed
        
        File_Handle checks if the media has not changed (when removable)
        between operations like Erasing, Renaming or Copying.  File_Han-
        dle keeps a 'fingerprint' for all removable media in memory.

        If changed, the contents of the window are no longer valid,  and
        File_Handle asks you to rectify this. Here are two examples, one
        for disks with, and one for disks without volume labels.

        - With labels:  Media in A: is changed ͸
                       Replace <COMPILER> and continue
                       Log <GAMES> and halt process   
                        Esc=Close ;

        - No labels:   Media in A: is changed ͸
                      Replace <original> and continue  
                      Log <this media> and halt process
                       Esc=Close ;

        - Replace disk
          
          If you want to continue the operation, just replace the origi-
          nal disk, and choose the Replace option.  File_Handle will not
          accept a wrong disk,  just keep feeding 'unknown' disks  until
          you come across the right one.

        - Log disk
          
          Logging will accept the disk, but will cancel the ongoing ope-
          ration, for obvious reasons.

        Media Not Changed
        
        File_Handle checks if the media has actually changed in  certain
        operations  where  the media should be changed.  If the media is
        not changed, File_Handle will request you to do so now by:

                        Media in A: is NOT changed ͸
                       Replace <BAKUP 1> and continue 
                       Log <BAKUP 1> and halt process 
                        Esc=Close ;

        - Replace disk
          
          If you want to continue the operation, you  MUST  replace  the
          disk, and choose the Replace option.  File_Handle will not ac-
          cept this disk for a destination.



        26-2  Removable Media                                File_Handle
        

        - Log disk
          
          Logging will log the current disk again,  and cancels the  on-
          going operation.

        Hint: Always enter a volume label when formatting, and  use  one
              of  the later DOS versions because these also put a serial
              number on the media during a format. All this will improve
              your chances of File_Handle detecting media changes.

        Hint: If two diskettes seem  to  have  the  same  'fingerprint',
              change  the  volume label on either one of them to resolve
              the problem.



        File_Handle                                                 27-1
        
                                  DOS-Commands

        DOS Interface
        
        File_Handle has a number of Shell commands that can  be  reached
        from  anywhere in the program, no matter how far down you are in
        a menu, or in the Finder, for example.

        - DOS Shell (Alt+F10)
          
          File_Handle can temporarily return to DOS.   File_Handle drops
          you  off  in  the directory where File_Handle was pointing to.
          Once you are in DOS, any command or program can  be  executed.
          Type 'EXIT' at the DOS-prompt to return to File_Handle.

        - DOS Command (Shift+F10)
          
          File_Handle can pass commands on to DOS. DOS executes the com-
          mand  and  File_Handle holds the screen until you press a key,
          after which you regain  control  of  File_Handle.  File_Handle
          executes the command in the current directory,  which is shown
          in the top-line or title of the command box.

                                                                 >
                                                                 <
           * DosCmd path: C:\BRIEF\MACROS\ORG >
             dir d:\brief\macros\old\AUTOSAVE.CB                    <
              Esc=Close F3=Accept >
                              <
           1       2       3Name  4       5       6       7      8  >

          - Name (Ctrl+F5)
            
            The name under the Cursor-Bar in the  File-  or  Tree-Window
            can be extracted to the command box. It will insert or over-
            write, depending on the state of the Insert key.

        - DOS's Output (Ctrl+Shift+F10)
          
          This option shows the screen-output of the most recently  exe-
          cuted DOS-command, except File_Handle of course.

        See the chapter The Executer on Memory Usage.



        Notes                                                File_Handle
        



        File_Handle                                                 28-1
        
                                  Volume Label

        Volume Label (Ctrl+Shift+F4)
        
        This command will add, edit or remove a  volume  label  for  the
        current drive.

        It is strongly suggested to give ALL removable media,  including
        floppies,  a  volume  label.   This will ease the detection of a
        media change for File_Handle, DOS's SHARE.EXE and possibly other
        programs as well.

        Volume labels can contain all valid filename characters,  except
        '.', '?' and '*', but they may contain spaces. To enter a space,
        just skip a position with the right-arrow key.

                      Volume Label ͸
                                  DRIVE C WIN            
                      Esc=Close F3=Accept ;

        - Add a Volume Label
          
          Enter a label and press Accept (F3)

        - Edit a Volume Label
          
          Just change the label and press Accept (F3)

        - Remove a Volume Label
          
          To remove a volume label, you must clear the field by pressing
          Ctrl+Del, followed by Accept (F3).

        Removable Media
        
        Modifying the label of removable media means that  the  'finger-
        print' changes, and therefore, the log file FH_#xxxx.LOG will be
        renamed! (Floppies have no FH_#xxxx.LOG file)



        Notes                                                File_Handle
        



        File_Handle                                                  A-1
        
                                 Technical Info

        Limits and Needs
        
        File_Handle's limits and needs for the current release are:

        - Although a 8086 CPU works, a 386 (or better) is preferred
        - Supports EGA/VGA/CGA color and VGA/MDA/LCD monochrome
        - Files and/or filenames per File-Window   .   .   .  2600+
        - Directories per Tree-Window (per drive)  .   .   .  2800+
        - Diskspace needed for File_Handle, fully installed    400 kbyte
        - Diskspace needed for File_Handle, minimum install    130 kbyte
        - Memory usage depends on size of hard disk. At least  400 kbyte
        - Maximum safe program path length (DOS' standard) .  . 67 bytes

        XMS/Extended or LIM-EMS/Expanded
        
        File_Handle can use either when executing external commands.

        Operating Systems/Environments
        
        DOS 3.1+ and most MS-DOS 3.1+ compatible operating systems, like
        PC-DOS, DR-DOS or DOS box under Windows.

        Known Incompatibilities
        
      ! DO NOT USE File_Handle to manage drives  with  directory  depths
        longer than the DOS limit, (67 characters).   This seems to be a
        gray area, and can lead to undesired behavior.  So be careful on
        Novell, Windows '95 or NT, these allow more than that,  and will
        cause trouble. File_Handle already has some support built in.

        When Norton Anti Virus is resident,  File_Handle has no environ-
        ment when executing external commands through Spawno, the memory
        swapper. The PATH and COMSPEC are missing, and COMMAND.COM can't
        be found. This problem disappears when File_Handle exits to DOS.

        Some third-party ANSI.SYS drivers intercept keys.   I don't even
        have a clue why they do that.  Some keyboards can't handle Ctrl,
        Alt or Shift with F2. Others work ok?! Why is F2 a special case?
        On  some  keyboards,  the Shift keys behave differently for some
        key-combinations like Shift-Arrow.

        Any resident program which intercepts keys that are  crucial  to
        the  operation of File_Handle,  can be incompatible if it cannot
        be reconfigured to use other keys.    File_Handle uses more keys
        than  any  resident  program, and future versions will only need
        more.  Resident programs take over ALL control,  and should have
        ALL their keys programmable, if not,  then obviously,  ALL other
        programs must reprogram their keys!   See the files FH_QUICK.TXT
        and FH_MANUA.TXT for File_Handle's keys.



        A-2  Technical Info                                  File_Handle
        
                              File_Handle's Files

        The File_Handle program includes the following files:

        -  Compressed
           
           FHDnnn .aaa    A        Version = 'nnn', Archive type = 'aaa'
        or FHD    .aaa             Examples: FHD100.ZIP FHD203.ARJ

           This file contains the whole  UNMODIFIED  shareware  package.
           This  is the file you may hand out to your friends, or upload
           to any electronic information service (a BBS).  Do  not  copy
           any loose files, only this compressed original.   Keep a copy
           of  this  file  on your hard disk, so you can share an unused
           version with anyone. This archive contains all of 'A' below.

        -  Decompressed
           
           FH_EXEC .ARF   A  b  c  Associative Response File
           FH_SETUP.BAT   A  b  c  Example setup batch file (if needed)
           INSTALL .BAT   A        Not present in some distributions
           README  .BAT   A        Shows VENDINFO contents on screen
           FH_NAME .CNF         C  The   REGISTERED parameter/key file
           FH_PARMS.CNF   A  B     The UNregistered parameter file
           FILE_ID .DIZ   A        Description file for BBS's
           VENDINFO.DIZ   A        License/Vendor/Publisher/BBS info
           FH      .EXE   A  B  C  The File_Handle program
           *       .FHF   A  b  c  Various Finder/Filter script files
           FH      .ICO   A        Windows icon for File_Handle
           FH      .PIF   A        Windows PIF  for File_Handle
           FH_COMM .TXT            Communication form from you to Hasoft
           FH_MANUA.TXT   A        The help file for File_Handle
           FH_NEWS .TXT   A        Any additional info
           FH_ORDER.TXT   A        For those of you looking for a file
           FH_QUICK.TXT   A        The quick reference list
           ORDER   .TXT  n/a       Generated from registration screen
           REGISTER.TXT   A        Help for order/registration screen
           REVIEW  .TXT   A        A guide to quickly review FH's basics
           VENDOR  .TXT   A        For those unfamiliar with VENDINFO

        A  These are the files in the Shareware package.

        B  Minimum system. You *may* need also any of 'b' to edit, view,
           etc, plus the external programs. If you are a registered user
           you need 'C-c' instead of 'B-b'.

        C  FH_NAME.CNF is supplied with *REGISTERED* versions  only,  it
           contains *YOUR* name and turns off shareware registration re-
           minders and delays.    You may *NOT* give it away, and it may
           *NOT* be used by unregistered users.



        File_Handle                                                  B-1
        
                             Hot-Keys - Bottom Menu

        Shift Combinations
        
        F1
        Help   - Shows FH_MANUA.TXT.
        HelpQ  - Shows FH_QUICK.TXT.
        Sound  - Control sound.
        Setup  - File_Handle's setup (Currently only video)
        Errlog - Last 5 errors from the bottom line.

        F2
        Undo   - Restore previous contents. (Not after mouse-click)
        Redo   - Restore new contents after an Undo.
        Twidth - Adjust the width of trees.
        SetARF - On-the-fly adjusting of the execution table (ARF)

        F3
        Accept - Special key for accepting input. Is a kind of Enter.
        Repeat - Repeats without F3=Accept a rename operation.

        F4
        Drive  - Choose drive.
        Filter - Reread a directory with an optional filter.
        ResetF - Reset Filter to *.* and reread.
        Build  - (Re)build a directory tree.
        BldAll - (Re)build log files (trees) of All NON-REMOVABLE media.
        BldRML - (Re)build a Removable Media Log on a specific device.
        WinSwp - Swap left and right windows.
        Skip   - Skip single file during Rename Tagged Files.
        Nodate - Remove dates from files through rename.
        Label  - Edit/Create/Remove volume label.
        Search - Enter search string for help viewer

        F5
        SelecQ - Pop up for simple selections (QuickSelect).
        Name   - Puts current name into edit field.
        Next  - Search next occurrence in help viewer.

        F6
        ChDir  - Change Directory (log) in Tree- en File-Window.
        MkDir  - Perform a MkDir, in Tree- or File-Windows.
        Curdir - Cursor jumps to logged directory in tree window.
        RmDir  - Perform a RmDir from tree window, including files.
        Parent - Steps back ONE directory level  in Tree/File-Window.
        Root   - Steps back ALL directory levels in Tree/File-Window.
        FilesF - Position window so first file is at home position.
        Prev  - Search previous occurrence in help viewer.

        F7
        Files  - Switch window to File-mode.



        B-2  Hot-keys                                        File_Handle
        

        Tree   - Switch window to Tree-mode.
        Attrib - Switch File-Window from 'Size' to Attribute mode.
        Size   - Switch File-Window from 'Attribute' to 'Size' mode.
        Editor - Start default editor from FH_EXEC.ARF with no filename.
        Edit   - Force default FH_EXEC.ARF editor onto current file.
        Totals - Toggle directory size column in Tree-Window.
        CaseIg - Case toggle of help viewer is in Ignore mode.
        CaseMa - Case toggle of help viewer is in Match mode.

        F8
        CopyQ  - Copy Quick, a macro for Copy to Window.
        MoveQ  - Move Quick, a macro for Move to Window.
        EraseQ - Erase Quick, a macro for Erase.
        View   - Forces default FH_EXEC.ARF viewer to show current file.

        F9
        Sort   - Sort File-Window.
        Same   - Find equal filename and compare size/date/time.
        RunARF - Force Rebuild/Show from FH_EXEC.ARF onto any file.
        Load   - Load FHF parameters into Finder.
        Save   - Save your Finder parameters to an FHF file.
        EqualF - Copy Filter from other window and reread.

        F10
        Exit   - Exit to directory active when File_Handle started.
        ExDir  - Exit to current indexed or logged directory.
        DosCmd - Execute a DOS-command from inside File_Handle.
        Shell  - Temporarily to DOS. Type "exit" to return to resume.
        Output - Shows DOS'-output after startup, Shell or DosCmd.

        Note: Some of the texts shown are only visible when File_Handle
              is in the appropriate mode.



    File_Handle                                                        C-1
    
                            Definition of Shareware

    Shareware distribution gives users a chance  to  try  software  before
    buying it.  If you try a Shareware program and continue using it,  you
    are expected to register. Individual programs differ on details,  some
    request  registration while others require it,  some specify a maximum
    trial period.  With registration,  you  get  anything  from the simple
    right to continue using the software to an updated program with print-
    ed manual.

    Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and  commercial  software,  and
    the  copyright  holder  retains all rights, with a few specific excep-
    tions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers,
    just like commercial authors,  and the programs are of comparable qua-
    lity. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!). The main
    difference is in the method of distribution.   The author specifically
    grants  the  right  to copy and distribute the software, either to all
    and sundry or to a specific group.   For example, some authors require
    written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Sha-
    reware.

    Shareware is a distribution method, NOT a type of software. You should
    find software that suits your needs and pocketbook,  whether it's com-
    mercial  or  Shareware.  The Shareware system makes fitting your needs
    easier, because you can try before you buy.   And because the overhead
    is low, prices are low also.

    The author trusts you, and expects you to be honest and pay if you are
    going to use it after the evaluation period.

    Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee,  if you don't use the
    product, you don't pay for it.



    D-1                                                        File_Handle
    
                       Disclaimer of Warranty - Agreement

    Users of File_Handle must accept this disclaimer of warranty:

    THIS SOFTWARE IS SUPPLIED AS IS.  THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES,
    EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE WARRANTIES OF
    MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

    THE  AUTHOR ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES, DIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL,
    WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

    Agreement
    
    File_Handle is a "Shareware program",  and is provided at no charge to
    the user for evaluation.  Feel free to share it with your friends, but
    do  not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence
    of "user-supported" software is to  provide  personal  computer  users
    quality software at affordable prices, and  yet  to  provide incentive
    for programmers to continue to develop new products.

    If you find this program useful and find that you are using  and  con-
    tinue to use File_Handle after a resonable trial period,  you must pay
    the registration price to Hasoft, or stop using the program.

    You  may  not  alter, reverse engineer, decompile, etc. the program or
    parts of the program in any way.

    Distributing,  repackaging, or reselling of the software to third par-
    ties,  other than under the rules of the Vendor/BBS license is not al-
    lowed.

    By ordering a license, you acknowledge that the file  FH_NAME.CNF  re-
    presents a trade secret and that you agree to protect it as such.  You
    may not distribute, sell, lease or give this file to anyone.

    You acknowledge that full ownership rights to the Software will remain
    the exclusive property of Hasoft.

    All rights not expressly granted in this document, are reserved by Ha-
    soft.

    Governing Law
    
    Disputes under this agreement will be subject to  binding  arbitration
    by a Dutch Court of Law in the Arrondissement 's-Hertogenbosch.



    File_Handle                                                        E-1
    
                                Limited Warranty

    Hasoft warrants the diskette and documentation  (registered versions),
    to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a PERIOD OF NI-
    NETY DAYS from the date of registration.

    Hasoft  will  replace  the defective diskette and/or documentation and
    will fix serious bugs during this period.

    Hint: If the diskette seems to be unreadable,  you might try making  a
          diskcopy  on  another  computer.   One floppy drive can have its
          tracks aligned with a slight difference from another drive.

    For problems involving a specific hardware or software environment  or
    feature, reported by the user within the warranted period,  Hasoft re-
    serves  the right to offer a full refund instead of modifying the pro-
    gram.



    F-1                                                        File_Handle
    
                                 Support Policy

    One full year of free technical support comes with a purchased copy.

    What ever you do, don't pick up the phone to make a  support  call be-
    fore  at least making some effort to solve the problem yourself first.
    Read the manual and the files FH_MANUA.TXT, FH_QUICK.TXT and,  if it's
    there, FH_NEWS.TXT.

    Hasoft is not in the business of teaching DOS/WINDOWS, there are books
    and computer clubs to provide that kind of help.

    Hasoft does not offer training on the use of  File_Handle's  keys  and
    mouse controls, copy a file, rename a directory, etc. You can find all
    those features described in the manual  and  support  files  mentioned
    above. FH_QUICK.TXT contains all relevant keyboard and mouse commands;
    print  this  file to get a quick-reference list.  The manual describes
    installation and setup procedures  for  special  modes  of  operation,
    should you need them; see chapters Installing and Configuring.

    Hasoft will of course offer support for File_Handle-related PROBLEMS.

    On the other hand, if you really don't  understand  something  in  the
    program or the documentation,  it could be a programming or documenta-
    tion bug, I sure would like to know about it.

    Moving
    
    Send a FH_COMM.TXT with at least your registration number and your new
    address when you move, so I can keep you up-to-date on developments.

    Getting Support
    
    Language    : English or Dutch

    By mail     : Fill in communication form in file FH_COMM.TXT, and mail
                  it to         : Hasoft. Support Dept.
                                  Meeuwensedijk 10
                                  4268 GV, MEEUWEN
                                  The Netherlands, Europe

    By e-mail   : Fill in communication form in file FH_COMM.TXT and email
                  it to CIS     : 100710,1352
                        Internet: 100710.1352@compuserve.com

    By fax      : Fill in communication form in file FH_COMM.TXT,  and fax
                  it to         : +31 (0)416 351 469 (24 hours)
                  Don't forget to enter a fax number if you want reply  by
                  fax. I will try to resolve your problem within 48 hours.

    By telephone: During European business hours, at +31 (0)416 351 469



    File_Handle                                                        G-1
    
                                Acknowledgments

    The following people deserve credits for  testing  the  many  pre-Beta
    versions or parts of File_Handle,  and/or their contributions,  and/or
    lending me special equipment:

    Andel, Paul van    Rotterdam
    Blonk, Leo         Puttershoek
    Feenstra, Luut     Waalre
    Floor, C.W.        Amersfoort
    Gillen, Joan T.    U.S.A.
    Hamberg, Han       Leerdam
    Hordijk, Wout      Den Bosch
    Looyenga, L.D.     Amersfoort
    Wassink, Gijs      Nijkerk
    Weerdt, G.M.A. de  Leusden
    Werf, Jan van der  Utrecht
    West, Rosemary K.  U.S.A.



    H-1                                                        File_Handle
    
                               The ASP Ombudsman

                            Ŀ
                      Ŀ                   (R)
                    ĳ         O    
                         Ŀ   Association of
                                    Shareware
                      Ĵ    O        Professionals
                    ĳ        
                              Member

    This program is produced by a member of the Association  of  Shareware
    Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware princi-
    ple  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
    member' products.

    

    Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at:

        545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI  49442-9427, USA

    or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to:

        ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.

    The Ombudsman may be contacted by faxing to the ASP FAX number:

        (616) 788-2765.

    In communications with the Ombudsman please include a telephone number
    and/or FAX if available.

    Ask the ASP for my (member 1295) address if it seems you can't contact
    me. Hasoft might have moved, the phone numbers changed, etc.

    
