Back Off!

Multiple File Extension Deletion Program

by

John E. Bean



























Version 1.10
July 1989
Copyright 1989, JB Technology Inc.




TABLE OF CONTENTS


Introduction ................................................1
Getting Started .............................................2
Back Off! Main Menu .........................................3
Change Search Drives ......................................4
Add File Extensions .......................................5
Edit File Extension .......................................6
Print Extensions ..........................................7
Begin Disk Search .........................................8
APPENDIX A - Command Line Parameters .......................10
APPENDIX B - VIEW.COM ......................................11
APPENDIX C - BO.EXT ........................................12
APPENDIX D - Using Back Off! in Batch Files ................13
APPENDIX E - Files On Disk .................................14
APPENDIX F - Registration ..................................15
APPENDIX G - Other Programs ................................17


1

INTRODUCTION


With the ever increasing number of software programs on the mar-
ket, backup files for these programs have many different naming
conventions.

The most common file extension for a backup file is "*.BAK".
However, there are many different file extensions. For example,
SmartWare II's word processing has the backup extension of
"*.BDC".

These backup files can consume a significant amount of the PC
hard disk. Back Off! was written to alleviate this common
problem.

Back Off! accomplishes the following:

* Allow multiple drives to be searched.
* Allow a list of up to 30 file extensions to be en-
tered and stored.
* Search specified drives, locating files matching the
file extensions.
* Display the matching files on the screen, allowing
scrolling.
* "Tagging" individual files to be deleted.
* Viewing highlighted file.
* Show the total number of files found, the total file
size of the files found, the number of files
"tagged" and the total file size of the files
"tagged".
* Delete the "tagged" files.

An AUTOMATIC mode is also provide which will allow Back Off! to
be run unattended in a batch file.

I hope you enjoy this program, which is written in Turbo
Pascal Version 5.0. Feel free to send me comments and
suggestions at the following address:

Back Off!
JB Technology Inc.
28701 N. Main St.
Ridgefield, Wa. 98642
(206) 887-3442



2

GETTING STARTED

When first receiving a software program, a backup copy
should be made as follows:

1. Put write protected tape on the original diskette.
2. Insert diskette into Drive A.
3. Insert a formatted blank diskette into Drive B
4. At the DOS prompt type: COPY A:*.* B:/V.

This will copy the program Back Off! , its documentation,
and other accessory files onto the diskette which is in
Drive B.

Store the original diskette with Back Off! in a safe place.

To load Back Off! do the following:

* Log onto the drive/subdirectory where Back Off! pro-
gram files are located.
* At the DOS prompt type: BO.
* Depress the key.

Note: Back Off! will automatically be displayed in color if it
detects a color graphics card. You can prohibit this by
using the Command Line Parameter "/BW". See Appendix A -
Command Line Parameters.

3

BACK OFF! MAIN MENU

Once Back Off! has been loaded into memory, Back Off!'s Main Menu
and the Settings Box will be displayed.

The Main Menu options are:
* Begin Disk Search
* Change Search Drives
* Add File Extension
* Edit Extensions List
* Print Extensions
* Exit Back Off!

The following are the valid keys and their respective action
that can be used in selecting the desired Main Menu Option.

KEY ACTION
Down Arrow, Move the highlight bar down one Main Menu
Right Arrow, Option.
Space Bar

Up Arrow, Move the highlight bar up one Main Menu Option.
Left Arrow

Home Move the highlight bar to the first Main Menu
Option.
End Move the highlight bar to the last Main Menu
Option.
Select the currently highlighted Main Menu
Option.

Depressing the first capital letter of the desired Main Menu op-
tion will also select that option.

The Help Screen can be displayed by depressing function key
F1.

The Settings box which is located on the right half of the screen
displays the drives to be scanned and the file extensions to be
searched for.

The following sections will described how to edit the drives to
be scanned, add file extensions, edit file extensions, print file
extensions and begin the scanning process.


4

CHANGE SEARCH DRIVES


If the drives are not specified on the command line, (see Appen-
dix A - Command Line Parameters) Back Off! will scan the drive
you are currently logged on. The Main Menu Option, Change Search
Drive, will allow the editing of drives to be scanned.

To select Change Search Drive, from the Main Menu, move the high-
light bar to Change Search Drive, or depress the letter "C". Once
this has been accomplished, an area twenty (20) characters long
will be highlighted and the Change Search Drive edit mode will be
evoked.

The following are the valid keys and their respective action
that can be used in editing the Search Drive

KEY ACTION
Right Arrow Move the cursor one character to the right.
Left Arrow Move the cursor one character to the left.
Home Move the cursor to the beginning of the edit
area.
End Move the cursor to the last character displayed
in the edit area.
Del Delete the character directly under the cursor.
BackSpace Delete the character to the left of the cursor.
Finish editing the Search Drive.

The Search Drive can be any combination of drives or all drives
can be scanned by simply entering "ALL".

The following are some valid Search Drives.

Search Drive String Description
C,D Scan drives C and D.
D,A,B,C Scan drives D, A, B, C. Back Off! does not
require the Search Drives to be listed in
any particular order.
ALL Scan all the drives.

Depressing the key to finish editing the Search Drive.


5

ADD FILE EXTENSIONS

Back Off! comes with a file named BO.EXT (see Appendix C -
BO.EXT) which contains several commonly used file extensions
which are used for back up files. You may use software who's
backup files have a different extension.

Add File Extension allows the addition of file extensions to the
list displayed in the Settings box. There is a limit of thirty
(30) file extensions.

To select Add File Extension, from the Main Menu, move the high-
light bar to Add File Extension, or depress the letter "A". Once
this has been accomplished, a three (3) underlined space will be
highlighted below the last file extension.

The following are the valid keys and their respective action
that can be used in Adding File Extension:

KEY ACTION
Right Arrow Move the cursor one character to the right.
Left Arrow Move the cursor one character to the left.
Home Move the cursor to the beginning of the edit
area.
End Move the cursor to the last character displayed
in the edit area.
Del Delete the character directly under the cursor.
BackSpace Delete the character to the left of the cursor.
Finish editing the Search Drive.

The File Extension can be any valid character used in a file ex-
tension.

Depressing will pop up a window in which a description of
the file extension just entered can be entered.

The same keys used in Adding File Extension, are used in entering
a description.

Note: You may enter a file extension with less than three (3)
characters. Back Off! will automatically fill the trailing
spaces with "?"s. Example: You enter a file extension of
"WK". Back Off! will add a "?" so the extension will become
"WK?".

To exit Add File Extension, depress the Esc key.

Once Back Off! has be exited, the file BO.EXT will be modified to
reflect the additional file extension.


6

EDIT FILE EXTENSION

Back Off! allows the file extension displayed in the Settings box
to be edited or deleted.

To select Edit File Extension, from the Main Menu, move the high-
light bar to Edit File Extension, or depress the letter "E". Once
this has been accomplished, first file extension will be high-
lighted and the Edit File Extension mode will be evoked.

The following are the valid keys and their respective action
that can be used in Editing File Extension:

KEY ACTION
Right Arrow Move the cursor one character to the
right.
Left Arrow Move the cursor one character to the left.
Home Move the cursor to the beginning of the
edit area.
End Move the cursor to the last character dis-
played in the edit area.
Del Delete the character directly under the
cursor.
BackSpace Delete the character to the left of the
cursor.
Right Arrow Edit the next file extension.
Left Arrow Edit the previous file extension.
Tab Edit the file extension, one column to the
right.
Shift Tab Edit the file extension, one column to the
left.
Ctrl Y Delete the current file extension.
Edit the file extension Description.
F10 Finish Editing File Extension.

Once Back Off! has be exited, the file BO.EXT will be modified to
reflect the changes to the file extensions.


7

PRINT EXTENSIONS

The file extensions are stored in the file BO.EXT. This file not
only contains the file extensions, but also may contain a de-
scription of each file extension.

A printout of the file extensions and their descriptions can be
obtained by selecting Print Extensions from the Main Menu. To se-
lect Print Extensions from the Main Menu, move the highlight bar
to Print Extensions, or depress the letter "P".

Once the Print Extensions has been selected, the printer will be
reset, and the list of the file extensions and their description,
if any, will be printed.


8

BEGIN DISK SEARCH


Once the Search Drive and the File Extensions are edited/added to
your satisfaction Back Off! is ready to begin scanning for files
that match the file extensions.

This is accomplished by selecting Begin Disk Search from the Main
Menu. Select Begin Disk Search by moving the highlight bar to Be-
gin Disk Search or depressing the letter "B".

Once Begin Disk Search has been selected, the following screen
will appear:

+-----------------------------------+
| |
| Scanning Drive/Subdirectory: |
| D:\MC2 |
| for |
| Backups |
| |
| Files Found: 3 |
| |
+-----------------------------------+

The drive and subdirectory being scanned will be displayed just
below Scanning Drive/Subdirectory. In the example above, the
drive and subdirectory being scanned is D:\MC2. As each matching
file is found, the total number of files found is displayed.

Note: Depressing the Esc key will exit Back Off!

Once all the drives have been scanned, Back Off! will exit if no
matching files are found or the following window will be dis-
played:

+--------------------------------------------------------+
| File Name Location Size Date Time |
| EZINST.BAT D:\ 2065 06/25/89 17:18.04 |
| JOSHUA.BAT D:\ 422 06/15/89 20:58.40 |
| MC540.BAT D:\ 735 07/07/89 06:01.52 |
| UTIL.BAT D:\ 867 06/27/89 06:28.10 |
| INSTALL.BAT D:\LABEL 101 02/19/87 17:56.46 |
| SPBAT.BAT D:\MC2 36 08/31/88 21:34.24 |
| SPBAT.BAT D:\MCDC\DDC 36 08/31/88 21:34.24 |
| A.BAT D:\MCL 246 05/03/89 21:32.34 |
| CMPLE.BAT D:\MCL 48 03/26/89 20:22.50 |
| E.BAT D:\MCL 246 05/26/89 15:04.36 |
| MCLINST.BAT D:\MCL 2199 04/06/89 19:20.38 |
| MCPLE.BAT D:\MCL 49 03/26/89 20:21.46 |
+--------------------------------------------------------+


9


The files can be scrolled, viewed, and files can be tagged and
untagged. The keys that can be used to accomplish this are:


KEY ACTION
Down Arrow Move the highlight bar to the next file.
Up Arrow Move the highlight bar to the previous file.
PgDn Move the highlight bar down 18 files.
PgUp Move the highlight bar up 18 files.
Home Move the highlight bar to the first file.
End Move the highlight bar to the last file.
P Print a list of the files found.
S Display the status.
T Tag the highlighted file for deletion.
Alt T Tag all the files for deletion.
U Untag the highlighted file.
Alt U Untag all the files.
V View the highlighted file.
F10 Erase the tagged files.

Once the files to be deleted are tagged, depress the function
F10. A verification screen will appear. Depressing "N" will exit
Back Off! and depressing "Y" will delete the tagged files.

That is all there is to Back Off!


10

APPENDIX A - COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS


Back Off! provides several Command Line Parameters that enhance
the program. The Command Line Parameters are:

Parameter Description
/d= This command line parameter is used to specify the
drives to be searched. Examples of valid entries are:
/d=D
/d=C,D
/d=ALL (Note: This mean scan ALL drives)
/f= This command line parameter is used when you wish to
use your own custom file with extensions in lieu of
BO.EXT.
/bw This command line parameter will display the program
in black and white.
/go This command line parameter means bypass Back Off!'s
Main Menu and begin scanning for matching files.
/auto This command line parameter means bypass Back Off!'s
Main Menu, scan the disk drives and AUTOMATICALLY de-
lete the matching files. NOTE: BE CAREFUL!!

The following are examples of Command Line Parameters and how
Back Off! will execute.

Example: C:>BO /D=C,D /GO
Back Off! will set the search drives to C and D, skip the
Main Menu, scan both drives C and D looking for matching
files that are stored in BO.EXT, display the matching
files and allow the user to tag files to be deleted.

Example: C:BO /D=ALL /BW
Back Off! will set the search drive to ALL the drives that
your computer has and go to the Main Menu. Back Off! will
also be displayed in black and white.

Example: C:>BO /F=AUTO.EXT /AUTO
Back Off! will set the search drive to the drive you are
logged on, skip the Main Menu, scan the search drive for
matching files that are stored in AUTO.EXT, and automati-
cally delete any matching files.

WARNING!! The above example if very powerful, but you must
know what you are doing! Files WILL BE DELETED without
verification.

Note: The /F and /AUTO Command Line Parameter are avail-
able only for registered users.


11

APPENDIX B - VIEW.COM

When the matching files are displayed on the screen and the let-
ter "V" is depressed the program VIEW.COM is evoked. View will
allow the user to see the contents of the highlighted file.

View only displays the Ascii characters, therefore files that are
not Ascii will not be readable.

The valid keys while in VIEW.COM are:

KEY ACTION
Down Arrow Move down one line.
Up Arrow Move up one line.
Home Go to the top of the file.
End Go to the bottom of the file.
PgDn Move to the next page.
PgUp Move to the previous page.
Esc Exit VIEW.COM.




12

APPENDIX C - BO.EXT


Back Off! stores the file extension and their descriptions in the
file named BO.EXT. BO.EXT is an Ascii file an can be edited using
a text editor.

The format for BO.EXT is as follows:

Column Description
1-4 File extension with a "." in column 1.
9-70 Description with a ";" in column 9.

Back Off! will support any custom file made with the same format
using the "/F=" command line parameter. One way of making a cus-
tom file is to copy the file BO.EXT to the desired file and then
edit it. This will enhance the chances of having the proper for-
mat.



13

APPENDIX D - USING BACK OFF! IN BATCH FILES


One of the powerful features of Back Off! is the Command Line Pa-
rameters (See Appendix A - Command Line Parameters). Using the
Command Line Parameters Back Off! can be run unattended in a
batch file.

The following are the steps I have taken to set up a batch file
to accomplish this.

* I copied the file BO.EXT to the file AUTO.EXT and
modified it to have only the extensions that I feel
comfortable having deleted without my verification.

* I created the following batch file named BO!.BAT us-
ing my Public Domain program CopyCon.

echo off
cls
bo /d=ALL /f=auto.ext /auto

Running the batch file BO!.BAT will scan all the drives on my
computer and AUTOMATICALLY DELETE all matching files using the
extensions stored in the file AUTO.EXT.

Note: The /F and /AUTO Command Line Parameters are available only
for registered users.




14

APPENDIX E - FILES ON DISK


The following files come with Back Off!.

File Description
BO.EXE This is the program Back Off! The evalu-
ation copy has an introduction screen
where a guest I.D. number must be en-
tered to run the program.
BO.DOC This is Back Off!'s manual.
VIEW.COM When the files are displayed on the
screen and the user depressed the letter
"V", VIEW.COM is evoked and the high-
lighted file can be viewed.




15


APPENDIX F - REGISTRATION


By registering Back Off! several features are added and some an-
noying features are eliminated. They are:
* Elimination of the introduction screen where a 5 dig-
it number must be entered to access Back Off!.
* Elimination of the flashing title.
* Elimination of having to type "QUIT" after exiting
Back Off!.
* The Command Line Parameter "/AUTO" can be used. This
is very powerful.
* The Command Line Parameter "/F=" can be used. This
allows custom files storing extensions to be used in
lieu of BO.EXT.

Also by registering you are supporting the concept of ShareWare
which has provided numerous quality programs at an affordable
price.

The next page is an order form.




INVOICE


Remit to: From:

JB Technology Inc. __________________________
28701 N. Main St.
Ridgefield, Wa. 98642 __________________________
(206) 887-3442
__________________________

__________________________

Contact Individual

__________________________

__________________________


Quantity Unit Price Total

_______ Back Off! Software $15.00 ___________

Total ___________


I want 5 1/4" _______ 3 1/2" _______ diskette. (Check One)


Note that Back Off! computer software has been delivered and ac-
cepted by the customer. Upon receipt of paid invoice, a printed
manual and current disk will be sent.




17

APPENDIX G - OTHER PROGRAMS

I have used many Public Domain, ShareWare and Commercial
software over the years. In appreciation to all those authors
of Public Domain Programs I have written several Public Domain
Programs. They are:

EzDoss:
EzDoss is a Dos Shell. I have used many Dos
shells over the past years. Each program has several
features that I really enjoy. I decided to write a
Dos Shell that put most of those features into Ez-
Doss. EzDoss is both Menu Driven and has "Quick
Keys". Some of the features that EzDoss has are:
* Tag files either singularly, all at once, or
by pattern.
* Copy, delete, move, rename, print or view
tagged or highlighted files.
* Include or Exclude file from being displayed
by a user defined mask.
* Edit an existing Ascii file.
* Invoke an Ascii text SideKick type editor.
* Locate all files using a user defined mask
for on a given drive.
* Print a tree of the specified disk drive.
* Format a disk without leaving EzDoss.

I am sure that once you try EzDoss and discover all
the power and ease it has this will become an indis-
pensable program.


CopyCon:
I have written my share of short batch files using
the "Copy Con" method. If I had a dime for every time
I goofed and had to start over, Donald Trump would be
borrowing money from me! I decided to write a program
that would replace Copy Con and cleverly entitled it
"CopyCon". CopyCon is evoked the same what Copy Con
is except there is no space between Copy and Con. For
example:
A:>copycon test.bat
This would evoke CopyCon and create, or load if
test.bat is an existing file, the file test.bat.
Copycon allows for backspacing, inserting and de-
leting lines, centering of text and graphic boxes to
name just a few options.

CopyCon IS NOT a text editor but a tool to use in
creating small batch files.


18


Find Duplicates:
Most users of hard disks have duplicates files on
their disks. The file COMMAND.COM will appear in
numerous subdirectories. Significant hard disk space
is being wasted by these files.

Find Duplicates is an utility which scans the spec-
ified hard disk drive and displays a list of dupli-
cate files. You can move through the list by using
the arrow keys, page down, page up, home or end
keys.

The contents of the files can be viewed using
"LIST.COM". Files which you want to be deleted, are
"tagged" by depress the "T" key. Once all the de-
sired files are "tagged", depressing the F10 func-
tion key will delete all the "tagged" files.

Find Duplicates will become an utility that will be
used on a regular basis.