Version 2.6 of RN-DR.ARC
7-11-88


ORIGINAL DR.COM
---------------
"Our best free utility ever" was how PC Magazine described Michael
Mefford's DR.COM program. It was published in the August, 1987
(Volume 6, Number 14) issue. DR will list the files in a directory
sorted by time, date, filename, file extension, or original DOS
order. If the list includes more than 21 filenames, you can scroll
through them using the cursor keys.

Once the files are listed, DR will rename, move, delete, or list any
selected file. You select a file by moving a 'bouncing bar' (inverse
video filename display) with the cursor keys. A file can also be
selected by typing the first character of the file's name. The first
time an 'A' is typed, for example, the bar moves to the first
filename that begins with the letter 'A'. Successively pressing the
'A' key will take you forward through all the filenames that begin
with the letter 'A'. When the last file starting with 'A' has been
reached, DR will beep at you when you press the 'A' key.


ORIGINAL RN.COM
---------------
Two issues later, PC Magazine published Mr. Mefford's companion
program RN.COM. RN is a directory manager in the same sense that DR
is a file manager. RN displays your hard disk directories in a tree
list, sorted alphabetically. The 'bouncing bar' technique seen in DR
is used to make selections, only this time you are selecting
directories. Again, you can use the cursor keys or 'first letter'
Search to make your selections.

RN lets you rename, create, and delete directories. You can also
change the file attributes of all files in a particular directory. By
calling up RN with a '/I' option, RN's directory information is kept
resident in memory, making invocation almost immediate.

The nicest feature of RN is that you can highlight a directory name
and then by pressing the Return key (or F10), call DR to list the
files in that directory. Together, the utilities make a GREAT
directory management tool.


ORIGINAL CO.COM
---------------

Mr. Mefford's final program in the trilogy was CO.COM, published in
Volume 6, Number 21. Like DR, it gives you a listing of the files
contained in a directory and allows you to vary their displayed sort
order. New in CO was the ability to mark several files and copy them
in one operation to another directory or drive. Since CO did not
have all the abilities of DR (e.g. rename and view), it functioned
more as a powerful cousin. Together, the three utilities made a very
effective hard drive file/directory manager. And even better yet,
the cost of the three utilities was $0.00. Hats off to PC Magazine
and Mr. Mefford!


RN-DR.DOC Page 2


MODIFICATIONS
-------------
The original programs worked with both monochrome and color systems.
When discussing these utilities, the term 'monochrome' refers to true
MDA systems as well as to systems using a single-color monitor with
RGB capabilities -e.g. Compaq portables and laptop LCD's. In the
original versions, the screen attributes were simply reversed to
produce the highlighting 'bouncing bar'. On my color system (I use
bright green on black for text entry), the filename in the
highlighted area was difficult to read. I found that using a red bar
with bright white letters made it much easier to read the filenames.
The files RN16_C.COM, DR26_C.COM, and CO16_C.COM will display the red
bar on color-equipped systems (the section "Using DEBUG to Modify
the Utilities" describes changing the highlight bar color). For
single-color systems, Mr. Mefford's original attribute handling works
best; use the programs RN16_M.COM, DR24_M.COM, and CO16_M.COM.


*** NOTE ***
Before using the utilities, please refer to the
section "Installing the Utilities."


After getting used to the power and speed of Vernon Beurg's LIST
program, I was disappointed with the scrolling speed of DR's built-in
View feature. Being a born tinkerer and hacker, I modified DR so
that it ran a copy of COMMAND.COM and called LIST.COM to list the
highlighted file.

Once that feature was working, I found myself using RN/DR often to
clean up my hard disk, getting rid of unwanted files. Because I tend
to archive a lot of my files, it seemed like every time I used RN/DR,
I was dropping back to DOS so that I could run PKARC or PKXARC.
Clearly what was needed was a way to call PKARC and PKXARC without
dropping back to DOS.

After making the call to LIST.COM work, it turned out to be fairly
easy to modify DR once more, adding calls to PKARC and PKXARC. You
can list all the files in an archive by pressing F6. To unARC all
the files in a selected archive, press F5.

In response to requests from users for some of the commands and
features available in CO.COM, I've added a command to RN to call
CO.COM. New in version 2.6 is the added ability to call CO from DR.
Now CO can be called from either RN or DR. When called from RN, CO
will list the highlighted directory. When called from DR, CO will
show you the same files you saw in DR.



RN-DR.DOC Page 3


Also new in version 2.6 is the ability to run a program from within
DR. To run any program in the directory, simply highlight the
program and press F1 or Ctrl-P. DR will prompt you to enter up to 35
characters as command line parameters for the program you want to run
(just press Return if you don't want any parameters). Thanks to Bob
Strobach (via CIS) for the 'Run program' suggestion.

Due to several conflicting requests for changes to the default file
sorting order used by both DR and CO, I have gone back to the
original method used by Mr. Mefford. Both DR and CO will present the
file list sorted by filename as the default when run as stand-alone
programs. If called by RN, both present the files in the original
DOS order (they can then be sorted using a different method by
pressing the proper function key). See the section "Using Debug to
Modify the Utilities" for instructions on changing the sort order of
DR and CO when called from RN or DR.

With version 1.3 of CO, laptop users (those that have laptops missing
the grey + and - keys) can now mark and unmark files using the
Shifted = and - keys. Thanks goes to Jon Payne (again via CIS) for
bringing this problem to my attention.


INSTALLING THE UTILITIES
------------------------

As mentioned above, there are two versions of each utility. The
color versions are named RN16_C.COM, DR26_C.COM, and CO13_C.COM. The
monochrome versions are RN16_M.COM, DR26_M.COM, and CO13_M.COM.
Before using the utilities, each program must be renamed. Use the
following chart to rename them:

COLOR MONOCHROME
----- ----------
RN16_C.COM to RN.COM RN16_M.COM to RN.COM
DR26_C.COM to DR.COM DR26_M.COM to DR.COM
CO13_C.COM to CO.COM CO13_M.COM to CO.COM


Vern Buerg's LIST.COM is required to use the List File feature of DR.
Phil Katz's PKXARC.EXE (version 3.6 is .EXE, earlier versions are
.COM) is required for the eXtract and Verbose file list features of
DR. Version 2.6 of DR only uses PKXARC - PKARC is no longer
required.

All the files (RN.COM, DR.COM, CO.COM, LIST.COM, and PKXARC.EXE) must
reside in either the current directory or a PATH'ed directory. See
your DOS manual for more information on PATHs, if necessary (or drop
me a message on Compuserve).


RN-DR.DOC Page 4



USING DEBUG TO MODIFY THE UTILITIES
-----------------------------------

The color of the highlighting bar can be changed, if desired, in the
color versions of the utilities. The address of the highlight bar's
color attribute for each program is listed in Table 1. Remember,
color attributes are a bit map - it looks like:

BRGBIRGB
|\ /|\ /
| | | |
| | | -Red, Green, and Blue for foreground
| | |
| | -Intensity (0 = low, 1 = high)
| |
| -Red, Green, and Blue for background
|
-Blink (0 = not blinking)

Therefore, a 4F (standard for each program) is no blink, Red
background with high-intensity white foreground.


TABLE 1 - Highlight Bar Color Attribute Location
------------------------------------------------

RN.COM - 43F
DR.COM - 1A9
CO.COM - 1E4


DR's sort order when called from RN can be modified using DEBUG.
The default for each is '/O', or original DOS order (tailored to
those persons like myself who use Norton's DS to sort their
directories). Table 2 shows the possible values at the sort order
location for the various sorts. Table 3 shows the DEBUG locations
required to change the sort order for DR from either RN16_C.COM or
RN16_M.COM.

TABLE 2 - Values required for various sort orders
-------------------------------------------------

-Standard value is 4F ('O' - Original DOS order)
-Can change to 20 (' ' - sort by Filename )
45 ('E' - sort by Extension)
53 ('S' - sort by File Size)
44 ('D' - sort by File Date)
54 ('T' - sort by File Time)


RN-DR.DOC Page 5



TABLE 3 - Sort order location for calling DR
--------------------------------------------

from RN16_C.COM - 466 (change RN16_C.COM)

from RN16_M.COM - 465 (change RN16_M.COM)


CO's sort order when called from RN and DR can also be modified.
Table 4 shows the DEBUG locations required to change the sort order
for CO from RN16_C.COM, RN16_M.COM, DR26_C.COM, and DR26_M.COM. The
sort order values from Table 2 again apply.

TABLE 4 - Sort order location for calling CO
--------------------------------------------

from RN16_C.COM - 46F (change RN16_C.COM)

from RN16_M.COM - 46E (change RN16_M.COM)

from DR26_C.COM - 23C (change DR26_C.COM)

from DR26_M.COM - 23B (change DR26_M.COM)


As an example, let's show a typical DEBUG session in which we will
change the highlight bar color in RN16_C.COM to bright Red on Blue
and the sort order for both DR and CO to File Size (when called from
RN16_C.COM). With DEBUG.COM and a COPY of RN16_C.COM in the current
directory, type:

DEBUG RN16_C.COM ;Then press Return
-E 43F ;Then press Return ('-' from computer)
xxxx:043F 4F. ;Tells what's there now
1C ;Type new color value and press return
-E 466 ;Now change DR sort order
xxxx:0466 4F. ;Original is 'O'
53 ;Change to 'S'
-E 46F ;Now for CO...
xxxx:046F 4F. ;Again, the original value is 'O'
53 ;Change to 'S'
-W ;Tell DEBUG to write the changed file
-Q ;And then quit

The 'xxxx' shown will be an address location that changes from
computer to computer.


RN-DR.DOC Page 6


NOTES FOR FLOPPY-BASED SYSTEMS
------------------------------

To make things easier for users of hard-drive systems, RN and DR use
COMMAND.COM's PATH search to find LIST, PKXARC, and DR itself. This
requires a temporary reload of COMMAND.COM. If COMMAND.COM cannot be
found, you will get a 'Bad command or filename' error message. This
will occur if you remove the disk you booted from and replace it with
a disk that does not contain a copy of COMMAND.COM.

Jon Payne suggested a solution. Create a RAM disk drive, copy RN,
DR, CO, PKXARC, and COMMAND.COM to it. Then change the DOS COMSPEC
to point to the RAM drive. Use the command:

"SET COMSPEC=d:\COMMAND.COM"
(d: is the RAM drive letter)

You should also change the DOS PATH to include the RAM drive. An
example would be:

"SET PATH=A:;B:;d:"
(d: is the RAM drive letter)


GENERAL NOTES
-------------

Ziff-Davis and Michael Mefford retain the copyrights to the original
source code for RN, DR and CO. The author releases his modifications
to the public domain.

If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to leave me a
message via FIDO mail at Net 120, Node 27 (Bill Deblase's OPUS BBS,
Grand Rapids, MI) or on Compuserve (PCMagNet's UTILFOR SIG), ID
71620,1035. Future modifications to RN-DR will be a direct result of
user feedback. The source code to all the utilities is now available
on PCMagNet's UTILFOR SIG, under the filename RNDR26.SRC. If anyone
would like the source on a disk, send me a disk (either 3.5 or 5.25)
and a SASE to:

Brad Stephenson
670 Edgeworth
Jenison, MI 49428

Special thanks goes out to Bob Strobach (alias 'guinea pig') for his
excellent suggestions and feedback.

A complete list of modifications to RN, DR and CO appears at the end
of this document.

The following is a command list for each program. For a complete
description of the original programs, see the PC Magazine Volume 6,
Numbers 14, 16 and 21.



RN.COM COMMAND LIST

Invocation: RN [d:][/I]

options: d: = drive other than currently logged drive
/I = Keep disk data installed in memory for
"instant-start" of RN


KEY ACTION
----- --------
Cursor keys, valid DOS Moves highlight bar, selecting directories
filename characters

HOME Moves bar to top of list

END Moves bar to bottom of list

Ctrl-PgUp Moves bar to top of list on screen

Ctrl-PgDn Moves bar to bottom of list on screen

F1 ChDir to selected directory

F2 Rename selected directory

F3 MkDir (under selected directory)

F4 RmDir - remove selected directory (if
files exist in it, you are warned. If
you elect to continue, all files and then
the directory will be deleted).

F5 Hide/Unhide directory

F6 Toggle Read-only attribute for all files
in selected directory

F7 Toggle Archive attribute for all files in
selected directory

F8 Re-read Directory information (updates /I
information)

F9 Number of files and storage space taken
by files in selected directory

F10, Retrn Spawn DR - it will show files in selected
directory

Alt-F10 Spawn CO - it also will show files in
selected directory

ESC Quit RN



DR.COM COMMAND LIST

Invocation: DR [d:][directory][/E][/S][/D][/T][/O]

options: d: = drive other than currently logged drive
directory = specific directory name
/x = Sort switches
E = by file extension
S = by file size
D = by file date
T = by file time
O = original DOS ordering


KEY ACTION
----- --------
Cursor keys, valid DOS Moves highlight bar, selecting files
filename characters

HOME Moves bar to top of list

END Moves bar to bottom of list

Ctrl-PgUp Moves bar to top of list on screen

Ctrl-PgDn Moves bar to bottom of list on screen

F1, Ctrl-P Runs selected Program

F2, Ctrl-D Delete selected file

F3, Ctrl-R Rename selected file

F4, Ctrl-M Move selected file

F5, Ctrl-X Run PKXARC.EXE to unarc all files in
selected archive

F6, Ctrl-V Run PKARC.EXE for Verbose list of
files in selected archive

F7, Ctrl-N Sort file list by filename

F8, Ctrl-E Sort file list by file extension

F9, Ctrl-S Sort file list by file size

F10, Ctrl-T Sort file list by file date

Alt-F10 Run CO.COM to list current directory

Retrn, Ctrl-L Run LIST.COM to list selected file

Ctrl-C Toggle confirming prompt for Delete
and Rename

ESC Quit DR




CO.COM COMMAND LIST

Invocation: CO [d:][directory][/E][/S][/D][/T][/O]

options: d: = drive other than currently logged drive
directory = specific directory name
/x = Sort switches
E = by file extension
S = by file size
D = by file date
T = by file time
O = original DOS ordering


KEY ACTION
----- --------
Cursor keys, A-Z, 0-9 Move highlight bar, selecting files

HOME Moves bar to top of list

END Moves bar to bottom of list

Ctrl-PgUp Moves bar to top of list on screen

Ctrl-PgDn Moves bar to bottom of list on screen

F1, Ctrl-C Copy file(s) to drive or directory

F2, Ctrl-D Delete selected file(s)

F3, Ctrl-M Move selected file(s)

F4 Clear all marks

F5 Mark blanks (all un-marked files)

F6, Ctrl-V Toggle verification mode

F7, Ctrl-N Sort file list by filename

F8, Ctrl-E Sort file list by file extension

F9, Ctrl-S Sort file list by file size

F10, Ctrl-T Sort file list by file date

+, Shift'=' Mark file

-, Shift'-' Unmark file

ESC Quit CO




MODIFICATIONS TO DR.COM


VERSION 1.0 - 9/30/87

1. Source modified to display BRIGHT WHITE on RED bouncing bar
(DR_C.COM only).

VERSION 2.0 - 10/19/87

1. Removed VIEW function (replaced with EXEC to LIST.COM)
2. Removed Wordstar toggle
- Removed W command
3. Added EXEC to PKXARC to unarc all files in an .ARC
4. Added EXEC to PKARC to perform a Verbose list of files in an .ARC
5. Modified menu to reflect changes
6. Un-allocated all but 64K upon entry to program.
7. Added support for 3 new commands:
1. Ctrl-C -> toggles Confirm mode
2. Ctrl-X (or F5) -> pkXarc all files in highlighted ARChive
3. Ctrl-V (or F6) -> Verbose list of files in highlighted ARChive
8. Added BEEP call for invalid command entry.

VERSION 2.1 - 10/27/87

1. Corrected insufficient memory return when calling DR
2. Added call to check available memory before each EXEC
- for LIST, checking for 68K additional RAM
- for XARC, checking for 105K additional RAM
- for ARCV, checking for 115K additional RAM
3. Corrected incorrect file count on return from EXEC to PKXARC
4. No longer re-displays modif. author's name on return from PKXARC
5. Removed redundant memory allocation calls
6. Corrected problem of no menu update if insuff. memory for PKXARC

VERSION 2.2 - 1/18/88

1. Changed default file sort order to /O (DOS original order) -
now matches file order seen when DR is spawned from RN.
2. Added support for VERSION.EXE (internal utility used by Diebold,
Incorporated for source & object modification tracking).



MODIFICATIONS TO DR.COM
(Continued)

VERSION 2.3 - 3/29/88

1. Found and corrected intermittent hang problem when returning
from PKXARC and/or PKARC (thanks goes out to Bob Strobach, Lewis
Pager and Joe Macaluso for their detailed problem reports via
CompuServe!).
2. Changed default sort order back to Name.

VERSION 2.4 - 4/30/88

1. Added 'bytes free' to screen display.

VERSION 2.5 - 6/14/88

1. Changed EXEC to PKARC to use lower case 'v' (for compatibility
with future PKARC versions; see PKARC 3.6 docs).

2. Altered memory requirements for PKARC (125K) and PKXARC (95K).
The new memory sizes match PKxxx version 3.6 dated 6/1/88.

3. Added ability to execute a program (F1 key - LIST is now called
only by the Return key and Ctrl-L).

4. Added the ability to enter command line parameters for
programs executed from within DR (see 2.5 change #3).

5. Added check to see if cursor was already turned off when DR
entered. If so, turn back on for prompts.

VERSION 2.6 - 7/6/88

1. Removed call to PKARC. Now use '-v' call to PKXARC for Verbose
list of archive contents. Made common call to PKXARC for both
unarcing and verbose listing to simplify and reduce size of code.

2. Corrected memory requirment for call to PKXARC. Now 100K (92K + 5K
for COMMAND.COM + 3K slack).

3. Added call to CO (Alt-F10). Must have at least 70K free.






MODIFICATIONS TO RN.COM


VERSION 1.0 - 9/30/87

1. Source changed to display Bright White on Red bouncing bar
(RN_C.COM only).

VERSION 1.1 - 10/27/87

1. Source changed to use Retrn as call to DR, not a CHDIR.

VERSION 1.2 - 1/18/88

1. Source changed to support VERSION.EXE (see explanation in DR.COM
modification list).

VERSION 1.3 - 2/29/88

1. Removed extra garbage going to screen when the /I option used.

VERSION 1.4 - 3/20/88

1. Corrected source to alleviate warnings when assembling under MASM 5.0.

VERSION 1.5 - 4/03/88

1. Added ability to EXEC to CO (using the Alt-F10 key combination).

VERSION 1.6 - 7/06/88

1. Added check to see if cursor was already turned of when RN
entered. If so turn back on for prompts.

2. Added call to turn cursor off when directory refreshed. Cursor
was left on by EXEC'ed programs.




MODIFICATIONS TO CO.COM

VERSION 1.0 - 11/18/87

1. Source changed to display Bright White on Red bouncing bar
(CO_C.COM only).

VERSION 1.1 - 4/03/88

1. Added support for VERSION.EXE.
2. Added pause for keypress if insufficient memory for execution.
Also enhanced test for sufficient memory.

VERSION 1.2 - 6/8/88

1. Added Mark/Unmark commands for laptop computers that don't
have Grey +/- keys. Mark is Shift =/+ Unmark is Shift -/_

VERSION 1.3 - 7/6/88

1. Added check to see if cursor was already turned off when CO
entered. If so, turn back on for prompts.