DISK DIRECTORY SORTER V4.1 öm2,2 öc+-----------------------------+ öcÅ Å öcÅ Disk Directory Sorter Å öcÅ Å öcÅ Version 4.1 Å öcÅ Å öcÅ Created by: Å öcÅ Å öcÅ Å öcÅ Rocky Moore & Brain Gouge Å öcÅ Å öcÅ Å öcÅ (C) 1987 SOFTWARE UNLIMITED Å öcÅ Å öcÅ Å öc+-----------------------------+ öp This program is not public domain and is fully copyrighted. Do to the giant costs of production and advertising, we have decided to use the SHAREWARE style of marketing. For those of you who do not know what SHAREWARE is, here is a short description: Shareware is an inexpensive way to market software which allows computer users to try software out and see if they like it. If they do and will be using it, they are asked to send in a fee for the use of the program. With most shareware software you are asked to pay fee's around $25 or more. We are not GREEDY. We just want to make a living. So, if you like and will use the program(s), we would like you to send us $5.00 to keep your name on our file so you can be informed when new titles or updates become available. Be sure to tell us which machine (Commodore or IBM) and what disk drive you will be using. If you would like to know what we have available for your machine, you can call (M-F 9-5 am.) or you can send a SASE for more information. Please address all responses to: öcSOFTWARE UNLIMITED öcP.O. Box 429 öcKlamath Falls, Oregon, 97601 öcPhone: (503) 882-7110 Note: Please feel free to give all your friends a copy of this software and please include the documents. öp öm2,2 Disk Directory Sorter (DDS) is a very easy to use and powerful disk cataloging program. It allows a person to read in the names of your software library into one (sometimes more, depeniding on the amount of software you have) large list. You can then edit, sort and print your software library so you will know exactly where a certain program is when you need it. With DDS it is very easy to organize your library. If you have a library with more then 100 programs you probably have already split your library up into sections. These sections might be adventure games, arcade games, magazine programs, disk utilities, programming aids, graphics programs, ect. This is a very logical way to organize your library. Now all you have to do is start with the biggest section and give each disk a 4 digit library number. A library number to dds is a prefix denoting what classification the program is followed by a three digit disk number. As an example, let's say you start with your games. You would give the first disk, first side, the library number: G001 : "G" means arcade game and "001" means disk one side one. In this example I used the letter "G" to represent arcade games. In this example you would only write down on the disk label "001" but when you are reading in the disk through DDS, and you are asked for the library number you would respond with "G001". That way it would give all the programs on that disk the library number "G001". If there are different types of programs on the disk you would have to edit the prefix in edit mode. The prefix meanings are up to the user. As an example, I use: öm5,5 "A" = Adventure games "D" = Disk utilities "E" = Educational programs "G" = Arcade games "H" = Programming aids "I" = Graphic drawing programs öm2,2 It is also a good idea to keep a list of your classifications in your DDS list. This allows other people to know what type a certain program is. An easy way to add this to your list so that they will always be printed at the top of your list is to use manual entry and enter them like this: öm6,6 FILENAME LIB# ------------------- ---- A=ADVENTURES GAME ---- D=DISK UTILITIES ---- E=EDUCATIONAL ---- G=ARCADE GAME ---- H=PROGRAMMING AID ---- I=GRAPHIC DRAWING ---- öm2,2 By giving a library number of "----" insures that when the list is sorted by library number or prefix it will always be first. Notice that I give the first letter of the filename a space. This insures that when the list is sorted by filename they will still be in order. Now let's get back to organizing your library. You should always start with with the disk number of "001" on the first disk first side. Then the backside of disk one should be "002". You say "maybe I don't have anything on the backside" or maybe "I never use the backside". If you have not used the backside you should still give it a library number and in manual entry enter it with a name like "BLANK" and prefix of "B" standing for blank. Then if you do put something on the backside it will already have a library number. If you think you will never use the backside because you don't think it's safe, then make sure you give it a library number. I also felt the same way and then found how easy and safe it was to use the backsides of my disk. You might also. Once you have written all the library numbers down on your disks ( remember not to exceed "999" ) for that section, you will need to decide if there will be enough room in the list to keep all your section together. I have all my games in one file and all other programs in another. You may have to do this also. If you do use just one file it is much easier to skip a section of library numbers. Let's say your games end at number "246", could start labeling your disk utilities at number "700" so you will have room when you get more games. NOTE: The library number and prefix are totally different from your "DISK ID". DDS does not care what your "DISK ID" is, it just wants you to pick a number in order from "001"-"999" for your library number and write it down on your disk label so that you can easily find the disk you are looking for. If you give each side of your disk a separate library number and start with "001" on side one of disk one, you will instantly know if the program is on the front or the backside of the disk because if it is a odd number it would be on the front side. If it was a even number it would be on the backside. öcENTERING FILENAMES Now you have a program to keep track of your library of programs but how do you get all those names into a file? All you have to do is choose option or option to enter the names. ADD A DIRECTORY The first thing you will be asked is for a disk library number. Just get disk "001" from your library and insert it into your drive. Now enter the library number and hit ( remember the library number consists of your disk number and prefix ). Next you will be asked "QUERY (Y/N)". If you answer no it will read all the names off of that disk and enter them into the list. After this you will be returned to the main menu. If you answer "Y" it will read a name off of that disk then ask you "KEEP (Y/N/D)". If you wish to keep that name answer "Y". If you don't want to keep that file type "N". (If the disk only has one name which you have already passed and keep and the program has a bunch of subfiles ( like JUMPMAN ) you can enter "D" for "done" and return to the main menu.) Next it will read the next name and ask you if you want to keep it until it gets to the end of the directory or you type "D". MANUAL ENTRY Here is where you can enter those programs like "DALLAS QUEST" which has their directories messed up or are single disk games. Using this option is very simple, just type an asterisk and hit to go back to the menu or type the filename and hit then type the library number and hit . öcEDITING YOUR LIST Now we get to a very important part of the DDS. The edit menu. With option you could change all "E" prefixed library numbers to "M" prefixes or all "E10" to all "K40", ect. Just press and your in the edit menu. If you press again you will now be in edit mode. You will see a portion of your list displayed on the screen and the first one will be reversed and white. If you press or the big reversed cursor will move up or down. If you press you will see a help menu. The only thing the help menu does not mention is when you press to change the name and library number, and you only wish to change the library number you just have to press and the normal cursor will jump to the library number field. Now if you want to change the prefix or beginning of the library number, just type the portion you wish to change and hit . As an example, if the library number was "A004" and you wanted it to be a "G004" just type "G" then hit . The "004" will not change. To exit edit mode just press asterisk. Options and allow you to easily find and erase duplicates. Option and allows you to delete either by library number or prefix. If you want a list of all your games and no educational you could type "E" and all educational programs would be gone. Just make sure you have already saved the file. Options , , and are your search commands. If you type "BLUE" then option: Would find only the exact match "BLUE" Would find "BLUE MAX", "BLUE MOON", ect. Would find all of and "YOUR BLUE", "PAINT BLUE", ect. Option will erase the DDS list in memory. Remember: To get back to the main menu use the asterisk <*>. öcLOADING AND SAVING Now you have read and edited your DDS file you should now save it to disk. To do this press off of the main menu. You will be asked for a filename. If you have already saved an older file and wish it to be saved under the same name just use the same name. If the file exists you will be asked if you wish to replace the file. If you answer "Y" it will SCRATCH the old file then save the new one ( DO NOT TRY `0: ). After the save is finished you will be returned to the main menu. When you want to reload your file use option to load your file. If you need to load a DDS version 1.1 file use option . Note: DDS will put a "<-" in front of your file so you can see which file is a DDS version 4.0 or a DDS version 1.1 file. You DO NOT have to specify the " ". Also Tape-log will put a "ö" in front of your file to determine that it is a Tape-Log file and does not need to be specified either. After you give it a file name and it finds it on the disk, it will ask you if you wish to append it to the list in memory ( if there is a list in memory ). If you type "N" it will erase the list in memory as it loads. If you answer "Y" then it will tack itself onto the list which is already in memory. ö öcCOMPARE LISTS With this option you can compare your list with a friends list and have a list of all the programs which you have that they don't or all the programs they have that you don't. This is not perfect. If you call a file "BLUE-MAX" and the same file on a friends disk is called "BLUE MAX" the "-" will cause these not to match. To use this function you must have first read your list into DDS. When you are prompted for a filename, you use the name of your friends file. It will the delete all the names which match in both list. When it has finished, the names which are still in DDS, did not match with your friends list ( your friend does not have). öcPRINTING OPTIONS When you enter the PRINT sub menu you might be a bit confused and worried about having to go through a big printer setup routine. If you have a Commodore compatible printer, then you have nothing to worry about. There are a few things you may want to change in this setup though. For an example you might want to change the filler type. The filler type is a space or a period. This is used to pad the program name. Here is an example of what the filler type look like: FILENAME LIB# ---------------- ---- BLUE MAX G001 (Space filler type) BLUE MAX........ G001 (Period filler type) I personally think the "." filler type makes the library numbers easier to find on a long list, but the choice is up to you! You may also want to set the tab. This is how many places over the printer moves before anything is printed. I found that a tab of five works best on my printer so that I have room to punch holes in my printout so I can put them in a three ring binder. You can also change printer device, secondary address, or escape command. If you have a Commodore printer you won't need the escape command and should select zero for no command. If you have an Epson, Prowriter, ect. you can specify a command code for different printing mode such as compressed. Now that you have your options selected, you can print your list or you can select option to save these printing parameters so that they will be set every time you load DDS. When you choose option you will be asked for a title name. This can be anything up to 16 characters long and will appear as the header on every page. I usually give mine my name and date. Next you will be asked for the number of columns. If you have a 1525 or 801 printer you would not want to go over 3 columns. If you have an Epson fx185 you could have a 9 column printout in compressed mode. After you have selected the number of columns, the printing will start. You may press any key to pause the listing then any key to resume printing. You may also press the key to abort the listing. After it is done you will be returned to the PRINT sub menu. You might have noticed option . Here is another handy method to help you find the disk a certain program is on when your DDS list is out of reach. This will print the names of the programs on a given disk onto a small list so that you can cut it out and paste it on the disk jacket. You can also specify the number of rows. If you use the maximums you can just fit the list on the jacket. NOTE: You can select a printer device of 8 or 9 to put your list on disk as a "SEQ" file that you then later print with a word processor or send over the phone. öcLOADING A TAPE-LOG FILE INTO DDS This can be a great help in determining what you have stored on tape and what you have on disk. You can load a Tape-Log file into DDS which will flag all the disks you have put onto tape with an asterisk. You must have your DDS list in memory when you use this function. It will put an asterisk next to the library number of all the disks that where put onto tape. This might seem a little difficult to understand but once you try it you will understand what it does and how useful it can be. One person did not have a cassette recorder and was not interested in Security Seven but still used Tape-Log to keep track of his copy-protected software and before printing his DDS list he would load his Tape-Log file to flag all his protected software.