Category : File Managers
Archive   : SCT-EM45.ZIP
Filename : SCOUT.DOC

 
Output of file : SCOUT.DOC contained in archive : SCT-EM45.ZIP
























SCOUT

A Memory Resident File Manager

Version 4.5

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄ¿ ³ Member
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³ ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄ¿ ³ Association
³ ³ ÃÄÄÙ Shareware
ÀÄÄ´ þ ³ Professionals
ÄÄÄÄÄij º ³ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÀÄÄÄÄÐÄÄÄÄÙ

by New-Ware
Copyright 1986,87,88,89,90
All Rights Reserved









Contents


1. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3. PROGRAM FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4. CONFIGURING AND INSTALLING SCOUT . . . . . . . . 7
A. CONFIGURING FOR OVERLAY FILE LOCATION . . . . 8
B. HOT KEY SELECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
C. FILE MASK DEFINITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
D. FUNCTION KEY MACROS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
E. ASSIGN PRINTER CODES . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
F. SET PRINTER MARGINS . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
G. DEFINE PROGRAM MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
H. DEFAULT SORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
I. SET FLOPPY DRIVE PARAMETERS . . . . . . . . 12
J. FILE COPY TIME/DATE SETTING . . . . . . . . 12
K. SET PRIME KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
L. SET CGA SNOW AVOIDANCE . . . . . . . . . . . 13
M. DEFINE CTRL-X PROGRAM MENU . . . . . . . . . 13
N. SAVING CONFIGURATION TO .BIN FILE . . . . . 13
O. RETRIEVING CONFIGURATION .BIN FILE . . . . 13
P. SAVING CONFIGURATION TO DISK . . . . . . . . 13
5. LOADING SCOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
A. RAM USAGE ADJUSTMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
B. OTHER COMMAND LINE OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . 15
C. GRAPHICS CAPABILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . 16
6. LOADING SCOUT-EM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
7. OPERATING SCOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
A. CALLING SCOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
B. MAIN COMMAND MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
C. MAIN SCOUT DISPLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
D. DIRECTORY CATALOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
7. SCOUT MAIN COMMAND MENU . . . . . . . . . . . 21
A. COPY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
B. MOVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
C. ERAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
D. BACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
E. RENA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
F. SRCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
G. FMT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
H. DRIV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23



i



I. ORDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
J. PRNT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
K. INFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
L. XTRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
9. VIEWING FILE CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
A. BROWSING A TEXT FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
B. VIEWING ARCHIVE FILE DIRECTORIES . . . . . . 28
10. EXECUTING PROGRAMS FROM SCOUT . . . . . . . . 28
A. EXECUTE A PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
B. EXECUTE PROGRAM MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
C. CTRL-X PROGRAM MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
11. QEDIT, LIST, & NORTON . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
12. COMMAND KEY SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A. MAIN DISPLAY CONTROL . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
B. ALTERNATE COMMAND KEYS . . . . . . . . . . . 30
C. DIRECTORY DISPLAY COMMANDS . . . . . . . . . 31
D. TEXT FILE BROWSE COMMANDS . . . . . . . . . 32
13. SPECIAL VIDEO SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
14. MOUSE SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
17. CHANGING BASE DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . . . 32
16. TANDY OWNERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
17. EXTENDED KEYBOARD SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . 33

Index 35



























ii


1. INTRODUCTION

This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). The ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle 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 P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve
message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.

The information in this manual is provided to support SCOUT and
SCOUT-EM. Except where noted herein, the two programs are
functionally identical. The two differ considerably, however, in
where they reside in system memory and how they are initially loaded
and run.

SCOUT is a Shareware product. A Shareware product is one that is
distributed through public access channels in order that prospective
buyers may evaluate the product before making a decision to buy.
Shareware is NOT public domain software and is NOT free. It is fully
protected by state and federal copyright laws, is offered for sale,
and is fully supported by its author. Unlike any other commercial
distribution method, Shareware permits the user to try out the product
on his/her machine so that he/she can better decide whether the
product meets his/her needs and expectations. Accordingly, each user
that evaluates SCOUT or SCOUT-EM is granted a temporary license to
operate the software. The length of evaluation time will surely vary
from user to user, but the bottom line is that if SCOUT or SCOUT-EM is
loaded and used regularly, the user has accepted the program as a
useful addition to his/her system and should register with New-Ware.

If you try SCOUT and decide that it does not meet your needs and
that you will not use it, then you don't have to face the
inconvenience of calling or writing for a refund. Don't use it, don't
buy it. But if you do like SCOUT and you use it, then you are
obligated to pay for it. How much do you pay?

SCOUT - NORMAL RAM version $30.00
SCOUT - EMS version $30.00

These are the registration fees for SCOUT that entitle you to
legally use the program. All registered users receive a diskette
containing the latest version and full technical support via
telephone, BBS, or mail.





- 2 -



How do you register? You may register in one of three ways. By
mail, by phone, or by Bulletin Board System (BBS). New-Ware accepts
VISA or MASTER CARD registrations. To register using your Visa/Master
Card, please fill out the following form and have it ready when you
call (voice or BBS) or include it by mail.

NOTE: YOU MAY FILL OUT AND PRINT A REGISTRATION FORM
DIRECTLY FROM SCOUT'S MAIN SCREEN. SIMPLY POP
UP THE MAIN SCOUT DISPLAY AND PRESS Alt-R.

SCOUT REGISTRATION FORM

Product (circle one): SCOUT SCOUT-EM

Name:_____________________________________________

Street address:___________________________________

City:_____________________________________________

State:____________________________________________

Zip code:_________________________________________

Telephone number:_________________________________

Card number:______________________________________

Expiration date:__________________________________

Signature:________________________________________


The telephone number and signature are REQUIRED for Visa/MC
orders. To register by voice phone, have the above form filled out
and call (619) 455-6225. To register on-line on the Shareware
Products BBS, have the form ready and call (619) 455-5226 (1200/2400
baud). If you register SCOUT, wait for a day for your card to be
validated (usually within one working day) and call the bulletin board
again. You will be given access to download the registered version of
SCOUT or SCOUT-EM for immediate use. A disk containing the latest
program version, supporting files, and documentation is mailed to ALL
registrants, regardless of the registration method.

To register by mail, send check, money order, or Visa/MC number and
the form to:

New-Ware
8050 Camino Kiosco



- 3 -



San Diego, CA 92122

California residents must include 7.25% state sales tax. For
technical support and/or questions, you can reach the author, John
Newlin, via Compuserve (EASYPLEX/IBMSW forum - 71535,665), or by phone
at:

(619) 455-6225 [Voice]
(619) 455-5226 [BBS] 1200/2400 baud

You are free to copy and distribute the Shareware version of
SCOUT for noncommercial use IF:

No fee greater than $10.00 per diskette is charged.
(Disk vendors please see VENDOR.DOC)

It is not modified in any way.

Bona fide computer user groups or clubs may make copies of SCOUT
for distribution to members for a fee that covers copying and other
administrative costs. Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) that operate
through subscription fees may post SCOUT for download by its
subscribers.

Volume discounts, site licenses, commercial licenses are available.

This program is provided AS IS without any warranty, expressed or
implied, including but not limited to fitness for a particular
purpose.

The author is a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP). Product support is available directly from the
author via telephone, mail, or BBS and is not limited to registered
users. The New-Ware Shareware products BBS is available 24 hours a
day, seven days. Users are encouraged to access the board to download
the latest product versions, submit questions and bug reports, and
browse an excellent collection of Shareware and public domain
software. Information about the board follows:

Host system - AST Premium/286
- AST Bravo 286
Disk space - 230 Mb
Network - Artisoft LANtastic
Lines - 2
Modems - USR Courier HST
- USR Courier 2400
Baud rates - 12/24/48/96/14.4 (HST)
12/24 (USR 2400)



- 4 -



Numbers - (619) 450-3257 (Registered users)
- (619) 455-5226 (General use)

SCOUT is available in two distinct versions. One loads into and
executes from normal system RAM. The other is unique in that it loads
into and executes from expanded memory (EMS). The normal RAM version
utilizes approximately 64K of RAM. The EMS versions requires 4.5K of
normal RAM and 9 pages of expanded memory. The Lotus, Intel,
Microsoft (LIM) EMS specification 3.2 and above is required.

2. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

SCOUT is a memory resident disk/directory/file manager and DOS
shell that may be invoked from the DOS level or from within an active
applications program. Memory resident means that when SCOUT is
executed, a portion remains active in memory waiting to be called via
the keyboard. The rest of SCOUT (the majority of its code, in fact)
resides in a file called an overlay file. This file is named SCOUT.000
(or SCOUT-EM.000) and contains approximately two-thirds of SCOUT's
code and data. When SCOUT needs a function embedded in the overlay
file, it needs to know its location so that it can access that file
and load the required code.

SCOUT has been designed to with two primary goals in mind. The
first design goal is that it must be accessible from any applications
program as well as from the DOS level. That is why it is a memory
resident program. The second design goal is to provide an friendly,
intuitive user interface. Version 4.x of SCOUT departs drastically
from previous versions in that the main screen display and user
interface has been completely redesigned. The achievement of these two
goals means that a user can be busy at work in an applications program
and quickly call SCOUT into action to perform some disk housekeeping
chore and return to productive work with a minimal interruption.
Housekeeping includes copying, moving, renaming, and deleting files
and a whole host of other functions.

A third design goal was to make SCOUT as compatible as possible
with the tremendous range of applications programs available for the
IBM PC/XT/AT/PS2 (and clones) as well as a number of other memory
resident programs. While it cannot be guaranteed that SCOUT will
operate perfectly with every program, it is safe to say that it works
with the vast majority of applications and memory resident utilities
available today.

The following is a summary of SCOUT's major features:

+ Execute programs
+ Graphic directory tree operations



- 5 -



+ Move, copy, delete individual files
+ Move, copy, delete tagged files
+ Rename files, directories, volume labels
+ Create, remove directories, volume labels
+ Change file attributes
+ Sort files in five different ways
+ Specify ascending or descending sorts
+ User defined activation ("hot") keys
+ Operability with networks
+ Format 3.5 and 5.25 inch diskettes
+ Search entire disk for files
+ Print directory listing of files
+ Print graphic directory tree
+ Send printer control codes to printer
+ Print a text file (formatted or unformatted)
+ Browse (line by line) through a text file
+ Search a text file for a specified string
+ Go directly to a line number in a text file
+ Change drive:\directory with single keystroke
+ Change drives
+ Move files across drives
+ List unused space on all drives
+ View monthly calendar
+ View ASCII table
+ Automatically tag files for move, copy, delete
+ Pop-up over graphics screen images
+ Print graphics screen image
+ Save captured text screen image to text file
+ View system memory allocation
+ Reset file archive bits
+ Copy (backup) updated files
+ Set system date/time
+ Set file date/time
+ CRC checking during file copying
+ Built in mouse support
+ Remove from memory

All of the above features except for the first (execute program)
and the last (remove from RAM) are available by calling SCOUT while
running an applications program. Program execution and removal from
RAM require that SCOUT be activated from the DOS level.

SCOUT has been tested in a network environment. It operates with
no known problems on a LANtastic (NetBios) system with multiple direct
and redirected drives.






- 6 -



3. PROGRAM FILES

The normal RAM version of SCOUT is distributed with the following
files:

SCOUT.COM Main executable file
SCOUT.000 Overlay file
RUNFILE.COM Program execution support file
CONFIG.COM Configuration program
SCOUT.DOC This file
WHAT'S.NEW Latest changes, etc.

The EMS version of SCOUT is distributed with the following files:

SCOUT-EM.COM Main executable file
SCOUT-EM.000 Overlay file
RUNSCOUT.COM Memory resident control kernel
RUNFILE.COM Program execution support file
CONFIG.COM Configuration program
REMOVE.COM Utility to remove from EMS/RAM
SCOUT.DOC This file
WHAT'S.NEW Latest changes, etc.

Shareware distribution packages will contain a file named
VENDOR.DOC that sets forth SCOUT and SCOUT-EM distribution
restrictions.

SCOUT.DOC (this file) is a formatted ASCII text file. It is
formatted so that all that need be done to print it is to send it
directly to a dot matrix or laser printer.

4. CONFIGURING AND INSTALLING SCOUT

Installing and customizing SCOUT for a particular PC system is
accomplished by executing the CONFIG.COM program. First, copy the
SCOUT files to one of the permanent drives in your system. It is
recommended, but not required, that this be the drive you boot up
from. You may wish to create a subdirectory named SCOUT and place all
SCOUT files in that directory or you can place them in any directory
you desire. IMPORTANT!! It is mandatory that the program named
RUNFILE.EXE be placed in the ROOT directory of the drive from which
you intend to initially load SCOUT. You will not be able to run
programs from SCOUT if this is not accomplished!

Execute the configuration program by entering the following from
the DOS command line:

CONFIG SCOUT (or CONFIG SCOUT-EM)



- 7 -



Laptop or composite monitor (not RGB) users may enter an "M" on
command line to force CONFIG to use a two-color monochrome scheme that
is much more readable on these systems.

CONFIG SCOUT m

The configuration program will load and display the following main
menu:

SCOUT Configuration Options

Assign Overlay File Path
Assign SCOUT Activation Key
Assign Default File Mask Keys
Assign Directories to Function Keys
Assign Printer Codes
Set Printer Margins
Define Program Menu
Assign Default Sort
Set Floppy Drive Parameters
File Copy Date/Time Setting
Set Prime Key
Set CGA snow avoidance
Define Ctrl-X Program Menu
Save Configuration to .BIN file
Retrieve Configuration .BIN file

Quit With Option to Save

The main CONFIG menu and all supporting submenus are operated via
a sliding bar cursor that is controlled by the mouse or the up arrow,
down arrow, home, and end keys. Moving the cursor bar to the desired
item and pressing ENTER will activate that item. In some cases a
prompt line will be presented on the screen just below the active menu
and in other cases the selected item will be a toggle that will change
each time ENTER is pressed.

A. CONFIGURING FOR OVERLAY FILE LOCATION

The most important item on the main menu is the first item.
In order for SCOUT to function properly, it must know the
location of the supporting overlay file. The overlay file for
SCOUT is SCOUT.000 and the overlay file for SCOUT-EM is SCOUT-
EM.000. It will not load into memory unless it can locate the
overlay file. Selecting the first item will result in a prompt
to enter the DOS full path name where the overlay file will
reside. Be sure to enter the FULL path name (including the drive
designator) as in the following examples:



- 8 -



C:\UTILITIES
D:\
F:\UTILS\SCOUT

When you have finished configuring SCOUT, be sure to place
SCOUT.000 or SCOUT-EM.000 in the specified directory.

B. HOT KEY SELECTION

The second item on the main menu allows user selection of
the "hot" key combination that is used to activate SCOUT. The
default is Alt-F10, but that can be permanently changed to any
one of the following key combinations:

Alt F1 through F10
Alt Q,W,A,S,Z, or X
Ctrl F1 through F10
Shift F1 through F10
None

The key combination that most appeals to you may be the same
key combination that is used in one of your application programs.
Don't worry about it, SCOUT provides the ability to disable the
hot key as long as the prime key is not disabled. If use of the
prime key is toggled on, the "None" setting will limit SCOUT to
being called with just the prime key alone.

C. FILE MASK DEFINITION

The third item on the main menu permits assigning DOS file
mask strings to the ten numbered keys at the top of the PC
keyboard. DOS file masks may include wild card characters such
as "?" and "*". For example, assigning the string "*.BAS" to the
Alt-2 key will provide you with a means of viewing all the files
in the current directory with an extension of ".BAS" by just
pressing Alt-2. Or assigning the string "AB??.*" to Alt-7 will
result in SCOUT showing just those files starting with "AB" with
names 4 characters long and having any extension, when Alt-7 is
pressed. Pressing either "*" key at any time will restore the
global mask "*.*".

D. FUNCTION KEY MACROS

Item number 4 on the main menu brings up another menu that
permits assigning macros to the ten function keys on the PC
keyboard. The macros are strings that will be entered for you in
response to various SCOUT prompts for drive/directory path names.
For example, suppose the string "C:\WORDSTAR" is assigned to the



- 9 -



F5 key. Then any time SCOUT prompts for a destination directory
(such as in copying or moving files), simply pressing the F5 key
saves the effort of typing in the entire path string and hitting
the enter key. Note that the drive specifier may or may not be
included in the macro strings. If it is, SCOUT will
automatically change to the drive specifier for you. Thus,
assigning "A:" to F10 provides a single keystroke method of
logging on to drive A any time the F10 key is pressed.

The function key macros also make it quick and easy to
change to a frequently used drive:\directory. Pressing any one
of the ten function keys will cause SCOUT to attempt to change to
the drive:\directory specified in the assigned macro string.

E. ASSIGN PRINTER CODES

Menu item 5 permits assignment of printer codes to be sent
to the printer from a menu in SCOUT. It is highly recommended
that unless you have and Epson FX-80/85 and are satisfied with
the default settings, that you have your printer user's manual
handy when you enter the desire codes. Up to eight codes can be
assigned. These will appear on a sliding bar menu available when
SCOUT is called from DOS or an application program. Codes are
entered in DECIMAL. Suppose you wish to assign the code that
places your printer in the letter quality mode. Your printer
manual tells you that sending the DECIMAL sequence 27, 120, and 1
will place the printer in the letter quality mode. Select the
function key you wish to assign this code to and press it. You
will be first be prompted to enter a descriptive name (10
characters maximum) for the code sequence. In this case you
might enter "LTR QUAL". Next, you are prompted for the code
sequence. Enter the decimal numbers (five maximum) as follows:

27/120/01

In this manner you can set up SCOUT to configure your
printer directly from an application program.

F. SET PRINTER MARGINS

Item 6 on the menu provides the facility for setting up
print margins and other parameters for printing text files. The
following default parameters (used when SCOUT format is selected)
can be set from this menu:

Left margin
Top margin
Bottom margin



- 10 -



Lines per page
Page numbering
Today's date

The lines per page needs some explaining. Normally, this
would be set to 66 but if it is desired to set the printer to
print 88 lines per page, then this parameter must be set in
synchronization in order for SCOUT to page probably. These are
default settings and are quickly reset on the fly from SCOUT, so
66 would be the most appropriate setting. Page numbering is a
toggle that sets the default to on or off as desired. If set to
on, SCOUT will place a page number at the bottom of each printed
page when printing a file using the SCOUT format settings.
Today's date is also a toggle that if turned on will place a one
line header containing the current date at the top of the first
printed page.

G. DEFINE PROGRAM MENU

Favorite or commonly executed programs can be assigned to a
10 item program menu. Pressing Enter with the cursor over a
desired item results in three prompts for information. The first
prompt requests the program name. It is not necessary to use the
.BAT, .COM, or .EXE extension. The second prompt requests the
home directory for the program. The full DOS directory path of
where the program resides in your system should be entered here.
The third prompt allows you to designate whether or not you wish
SCOUT to prompt you for command line parameter entry prior to
loading and running the program. This menu differs from the
Ctrl-X menu in that this menu requires knowledge of where the
program resides whereas the Ctrl-X menu depends on the specified
programs being located in a directory that is in the DOS path.

H. DEFAULT SORT

SCOUT provides five different ways to sort the file data
that appears in the main window display. This configuration
option permits setting the default that SCOUT will use when
initially loaded. The sort can be changed within SCOUT
dynamically as well. The sorts that can be selected are:

File name only
File extension
File date
File size
File extension/name (nested)
No sort
Ascending



- 11 -



The "Ascending" item is a toggle that can be switched between
"Ascending" and "Descending". This controls whether the sort is
ordered from lowest to highest or the reverse.

I. SET FLOPPY DRIVE PARAMETERS

Item number 9 will bring up the floppy drive parameter table
that SCOUT utilizes for formatting floppy disks. Up to four
system floppy drives may be configured for formatting. It is
important here to note that the DOS drive designators, which are
alphabetic characters, may not necessarily be in a sequence
corresponding to the BIOS drive designators, which fall between 0
and 3. BIOS drive 0 is always DOS drive A, BIOS drive 1 may not
be drive B, especially if the second floppy drive is an add-on.
In that case, your driver might call the drive D or E.

SCOUT Floppy Drive Table Setting

A - 5 1/2" DUAL density
B - 5 1/2" DUAL density
C - 5 1/2" SINGLE density
D - 5 1/2" SINGLE density

Press drive number to change or ESC to quit:

You will be prompted to specify disk size and density. Dual
density means that the drive supports both high and low density
as in the case of 1.2m and 1.44m drives. Sindgle deinsity means
that the drive supports only low density as in the case of 360k
and 720k drives. It is important to set the BIOS drive number
with the corresponding DOS drive designator. Also note that dual
density actually means high Capacity, i.e., a 1.2M or a 1.4M
drive. If the drive does not support two formats, then select
Single Density. For example, if your drive A is a 1.2M drive
then select dual, otherwise it is a standard 360K drive and you
should select single.

J. FILE COPY TIME/DATE SETTING

Menu item number 10 provides a rather unique capability.
When a file is copied by DOS, the new file is given the same
date/time stamp as the copied file. If desired, SCOUT will
update the date/time of a new copy of a file to the current date
and time. This feature can be toggled on or off as desired.







- 12 -



K. SET PRIME KEY

Item 11 on the main menu permits enabling or disabling the
prime key (~ on the keyboard) as a means of calling SCOUT. This
key is so rarely used that it is an ideal one-key alternative to
the dual keystroke combination. The prime key must be enabled if
you plan to disable the main dual keystroke combination on the
fly from within SCOUT.

L. SET CGA SNOW AVOIDANCE

This configuration item toggles a flag in SCOUT that
determines whether or not SCOUT will pause during the video
retrace cycle to avoid "snow" on older CGA monitors. Monochrome,
EGA, and VGA monitors do not require snow avoidance checking.

M. DEFINE CTRL-X PROGRAM MENU

Main Menu item number 13 offers the capability to set up an
additional program menu. This menu is activated by the Ctrl-X
key combination and may contain up to 10 executable program
names. These programs placed in this menu must reside in
directories identified in the DOS path.

N. SAVING CONFIGURATION TO .BIN FILE

This item offers the ability to save multiple SCOUT
configurations to disk files. This is handy for rapidly
reconfiguring SCOUT on the fly, especially when re-configuring a
new version. Select this to save the current configuration to a
.BIN file. You will be prompted for the file name (no extension)
and SCOUT will save the current configuration to disk in the
current directory. For example, if you enter MYCONFIG, SCOUT
will save the configuration to MYCONFIG.BIN. No check is made to
see if the file currently exists and if it does, it will be
overwritten.

O. RETRIEVING CONFIGURATION .BIN FILE

This menu item permits the retrieval of configurations saved
with to .BIN files. Enter just the file name, since the default
extension is .BIN.

P. SAVING CONFIGURATION TO DISK

Upon completion of establishing your SCOUT configuration,
select "Quit and Save" from the main menu. If SCOUT is currently
loaded, you will be given the option of dynamically updating it.



- 13 -



You will then be asked if you wish to make all changes permanent.
If the answer is affirmative, SCOUT.COM (or SCOUT-EM.COM) will be
modified accordingly and all the changes made during this session
will be active the next time SCOUT is loaded.

5. LOADING SCOUT

If you are using SCOUT-EM, please skip this section and go to the
next section for loading information.

Like any other executable program, SCOUT.COM can be loaded
directly from the DOS command line or from a batch file. Many PC
users have several other memory resident utilities that are loaded
each time the system is booted. SCOUT is well-behaved and should work
in conjunction with most Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) software.

A. RAM USAGE ADJUSTMENT

SCOUT provides a way to adjust the amount of Random Access
Memory (RAM) it occupies. As delivered, SCOUT is set to support
up to 250 files per directory up to 50 directories per drive.
Naturally, there must be enough RAM available to contain the data
associated with each file and each directory. But if your system
is such that you don't require support for 250 files/directory
and 50 directories, these parameters can be adjusted downward to
conserve RAM. For example, suppose you decide that 200
files/directory and 25 directories are sufficient for your
system. Just place the number for the maximum number of files
and the number for the maximum number of directories on the
command line when loading scout as follows:

SCOUT f200 d25

Be sure to place an "f" immediately in front of the desired
value for maximum files and a "d" (upper or lower case) in front
of the directories value. Since SCOUT uses 22 bytes for each
file and 21 bytes for each directory, a memory savings of (50 *
22) + (25 * 21) = 1625 bytes will be realized. Just remember
that SCOUT will retrieve and display up the the number of files
and/or directories configured for. This means that if you
configure for 250 files and view a directory containing more than
250 files, SCOUT will only retrieve and display 250 files.

If you require that SCOUT support more than 250 files or
more than 50 directories, you can increase the number in the same
way as described above. For example, suppose you need to view up
to 750 files per directory and that you have 125 directories on a
single drive. Load SCOUT as follows:



- 14 -



SCOUT f750 d125

Just remember that SCOUT will use 22 bytes of RAM per file
and 21 bytes per directory.

Another means of saving memory is afforded to owners of
Hercules (and compatible) Graphics Cards (HGC). Entering a
single "h" anywhere on the command line will cause SCOUT to use
some of the abundant HGC memory for storage of file and saved
screen data. This will result in saving a not so trivial 15k of
RAM. Two caveats are in order here. The first is that this will
not work with Hercules Plus cards while a Hercules ramfont is
loaded. The second is that some so-called Hercules compatible
boards are not really so compatible and may cause SCOUT to behave
strangely.

Color users also may be able to significantly reduce SCOUT's
image in RAM if they own an advance technology CGA that doesn't
show flicker or snow. Entering a single "U" on the command line
will also save 15.6 k of RAM. Color users get a bonus in RAM
saved because SCOUT is able to use some of the available board
memory for storage of screens saved.

B. OTHER COMMAND LINE OPTIONS

Various functional aspects of SCOUT can be controlled
through the use of command line parameters. The F, D and H
parameters were explained in the preceding paragraph. Other
available command line parameters are:

C - Force CRC checking to ON
H - Use Hercules Video RAM (no graphics)
K - Start with Function Key menu ON
M - Force monochrome mode
-P - Disable printer ready checks
T - Use Tandy keyboard
V - Configure for CGA/EGA/VGA graphics

The C parameter permits starting SCOUT with CRC checking on
for all file copying operations. The H option will inform SCOUT
that there is a Hercules graphics adaptor in the system and to
use some of that board's video RAM for internal storage. This
will reduce the amount of RAM occupied by SCOUT but may not
operate properly with some cheap Hercules imitations. Do NOT use
the H and V option together. The M option is for those users
operating SCOUT on lap top portables or on machines equipped with
a composite two-color monitor. Lap tops and composite monitor
equipped machines report themselves as having a CGA on board and



- 15 -



the SCOUT colors will look quite poor in this environment. Using
the M command line option forces SCOUT into a two-color
monochrome mode. The T option is for Tandy users. The Tandy
1000, for example, maps the keyboard slightly differently than
does an IBM clone. Using the T options corrects keyboard
problems that might occur with Tandy machines.

The command line switch -P disables the check that SCOUT
uses to check if the printer is ready. This switch is included
primarily for network operations where a direct check of the
printer through the BIOS is not feasible.

C. GRAPHICS CAPABILITIES

Both SCOUT and SCOUT-EM can be configured to pop-up on top
of CGA/EGA/VGA and Hercules graphics screens. SCOUT saves the
graphics image to disk in a temporary file named SCOUT.GFX which
will be located in the directory in which SCOUT was intially
loaded. SCOUT-EM saves image data to expanded memory. This
feature has been tested with applications programs using the
following graphics configurations:

Graphics Type Resolution
------------- ---------
Hercules mono 720 x 348
CGA 320 x 200
CGA 600 x 200
EGA 640 x 200
EGA/VGA 640 x 350
VGA 640 x 480

Super VGA graphics modes above a resolution of 640 x 480 are not
supported.

The graphics image save/restore feature in SCOUT and SCOUT-
EM has been tested with the following programs on EGA and VGA
monitors:

DELUXE PAINT II
EXPRESS PUBLISHER
AVERY LABEL PRO
QUATRO PRO (In graphics screen mode)
KLONDIKE

If popped up over a graphics image, both SCOUT and SCOUT-EM
can print that image on one of three printer types. Printers
supported are the Epson MX80 and compatibles (most dot matrix
printers fall into this category), IBM graphics printers, and



- 16 -



Hewlett-Packard HP LaserJet (and compatible) printers. To print
a graphics image, go to the Print Command Menu and select
Graphics Print. If no graphics image has been stored, an error
box will appear. If a graphics image has been saved, a menu
window will appear that offers the following choices:

HP LaserJet Format
Epson Graphics Format
IBM Graphics Format
ABORT - NO Print

SCOUT will restore the image and begin sending the data to the
printer. The applications program will NOT be functional until
the printing is completed. This is signaled by three beeps. Be
advised that the resultant printed image may not be acceptable
since some graphics applications use foreground/background colors
that do not exactly translate to white/black on a printer.

Users with EGA graphics cards are warned that since it is
not possible to reliably read the EGA palette registers, some
images may not be restored with the original colors. This is
unavoidable. In the case of the VGA, SCOUT takes advantage of
the VGA BIOS support for saving and restoring the complete video
state. Even so, there are some graphics programs that do tricky
things with EGA/VGA memory and it is possible that SCOUT may not
restore the graphics image properly in those cases. Hercules
graphics card owners should be aware of the fact that SCOUT only
saves and restores graphics page 0. Since it is rare for
graphics software to use page 1, this should not present a
problem in most cases. Saving and restoring the Hercules InColor
card graphics image is NOT supported.

6. LOADING SCOUT-EM

SCOUT-EM must be loaded differently than the normal RAM
version of SCOUT. Also, there are no command line options
applicable to SCOUT-EM.

SCOUT-EM may be loaded from the DOS command line or via a
batch file. You should execute RUNSCOUT.COM immediately after
executing SCOUT-EM. SCOUT-EM sets itself up in expanded memory.
RUNSCOUT loads as a TSR into normal system RAM, retrieves
important data from SCOUT-EM, and then waits to handle requests
to call SCOUT-EM.

Both SCOUT and SCOUT-EM can removed from memory. Call SCOUT
from the DOS level and press Alt-Z to remove it. It is strongly
advised that you not remove SCOUT unless it was the last memory



- 17 -



resident program loaded. SCOUT-EM is removed by executing the
supplied utility REMOVE.COM. REMOVE will remove SCOUT-EM from
expanded memory, release all assigned EMS pages back to the
system, and remove RUNSCOUT from normal RAM. RUNSCOUT should be
the last memory resident program loaded.

7. OPERATING SCOUT

A. CALLING SCOUT

Once loaded, SCOUT can be called from anywhere. Just press
the defined hot key combination or the prime key (if not
disabled) and SCOUT will pop up, saving the screen that was
present when it was activated. If the graphics mode was selected
via the command line parameter, you can even pop up SCOUT on top
of a CGA/EGA/VGA graphics screen. To return to normal operations
just press the ESC key and the SCOUT main display will be
replaced by the screen that was present when SCOUT was called.
When the ESC key is used to exit SCOUT, the next time SCOUT is
called it will pop up showing files in the currently active
directory. A paged help display may be activated from the main
SCOUT display by pressing the Alt-F10 key. This display contains
a list of all available SCOUT command keys and short descriptions
of what each key accomplishes. The pages of the help display may
be viewed by continually pressing the PgDn or PgUp keys. Press
Ctrl-P while viewing this window to send a list of the commands
to the printer. Press the Tab key to activate the Main Command
bar menu (described later).

B. MAIN COMMAND MENU

Pressing the TAB key at the main display will pop up the
SCOUT Main Command Menu. This is a horizontal sliding cursor bar
menu that provides access to nearly all of the SCOUT disk
management functions. The items on this menu are:

Copy Move Eras Back Rena Srch Fmat Driv Ordr Prnt Info Xtra

Each of these functions will be explained later in this document.

Note that an explanatory help line appears on the bottom line of
the display when the commend menu is up.

C. MAIN SCOUT DISPLAY

The main SCOUT display occupies most of the screen and
consists of a window centered on the screen that contains 15 or
more lines of file data for the files in the currently active



- 18 -



directory. The current drive label appears directly above the
window and the current directory path and active file mask
appears on the top left line of the window. The page number is
displayed on the top right line and the file sequence number
appears on the bottom right line. Up and Down arrows will appear
on the right window border to indicate position within the file
list.

Three lines of status information appear immediately below
the main display window. It should be noted that the bytes used
value applies just to the files found in the current directory.
The total bytes and bytes free values pertain to the active
drive.

The current system date/time is displayed below the status
information along with a reminder that the TAB key is used to
bring up the Command Menu.

Individual file information is presented on each line of the
main display window. Each line shows file name, extension, date,
time, and size. In addition, file attribute information (hidden,
system, etc.) will be displayed in an abbreviated form between
the file time and size.

Directory names and disk volume labels appear in different
colors (highlight on mono systems) than normal files. A cursor
bar indicates position in the file list and is movable with the
cursor pad keys or mouse. Mouse support is provided for version
6.0 (or later) of the Microsoft mouse driver or compatible
drivers.

Many SCOUT operations on files can be performed on groups of
files. A file group can be tagged for move, copy, or delete
operations. To tag a file, press the space bar or plus key with
the cursor bar over the file name. Pressing the space bar or
minus key with the cursor over a tagged file untags it. Tagged
files are visually indicated by a diamond to the left of the file
name. Status of number of files and total bytes tagged appears
just below the file display window. All files in the current
directory can be tagged by pressing Ctrl-T. Pressing Ctrl-U will
untag all files. If all files are tagged when Ctrl-T is pressed
then all files will be un-tagged.

Pressing the Enter key will do one of two things. If the
file under the cursor is a .ZIP, .ARC, .LZH, or LHARC .COM/.EXE
compressed file, SCOUT will bring up a window that displays the
directory listing of the files contained therein. Self-
extracting ZIP EXE files may be viewed by pressing Ctrl-Z with



- 19 -



the cursor over the target file. If the file under the cursor is
a "normal" file, the SCOUT file browser will appear. This is
intended primarily for use on ASCII text files, however.

Pressing Ctrl-Enter with the cursor bar over an executable
file (.BAT/.COM/.EXE) will execute that file IF SCOUT has been
called from the DOS level.

Pressing Ctrl-Home will cause SCOUT to change to the current
drive root directory and display the files found there.

Pressing Ctrl-End will change to directory that was active
when SCOUT was called. This directory is known as the base
directory.

Pressing Alt-F9 toggles the optional Function Key Command
Menu. When this option is OFF, the ten function keys are pre-
assigned to ten drive:\directory paths. When this option is ON,
the ten function keys are remapped in accordance with the menu
that is displayed on the left side of the main display. This
permits rapid, one-key operation of the ten functions assigned to
the ten functions keys. The assigned functions are:

F1 - Copy file(s)
F2 - Move file(s)
F3 - Delete file(s)
F4 - Format Floppy Disk
F5 - Directory Tree Ops
F6 - Change Drive
F7 - Rename File
F8 - Sort Order
F9 - Print Menu
F10 - Xtra Function Menu

D. DIRECTORY CATALOG

SCOUT maintains a directory catalog for each disk on which
it is used. The catalog is kept in a file name NEW-WARE.LOG
located in the root directory of each drive except floppy drives
A and B (these are dynamically stored in memory). When SCOUT
initially logs onto a drive it will check to see if the catalog
file exists in the root directory of that drive. If so, it reads
the catalog. If not, it scans the drive, locates all
directories, creates NEW-WARE.LOG, and stores the directory names
in this file. Any time a new directory is created or a directory
is deleted through SCOUT commands, the catalog file is updated.
But if the user deletes or creates a directory OUTSIDE of SCOUT,
the catalog will not be accurate. For this reason there is a



- 20 -



SCOUT command that will scan the current disk and update the
catalog. Press Ctrl-S with the main SCOUT display up and SCOUT
will scan the current drive.
Pressing the prime (~) key (or Alt-T) will display a graphic
tree that depicts the logical directory tree structure of the
current drive. A movable cursor will be positioned over the
current active directory. The cursor can be moved through the
tree via the arrow and page keys on the cursor pad. The down
arrow key will move the cursor down through though the tree at
the same directory level. The right arrow key will move down
through the tree directory-by-directory, regardless of level.
The up arrow key will move up through the tree at the same level
and the left arrow key will move the cursor up through the tree
regardless of level. Other important commands available while
viewing the directory tree are:

Ins key Add a new directory
Del key Remove a directory
Enter key Change to indicated directory
Ctrl-Home Change to ROOT directory
Ctrl-End Change to base directory
F6 key Rename a directory
Ctrl-P Print directory tree
F1 key Display help window

When using the INS key to add a new directory, you will be
prompted for the directory name. If you desire to add the new
directory directly to the ROOT directory, preceded the entered
name with a backslash character (\). Otherwise, if you wish to
append the new directory as a subdirectory of the directory
highlighted by the cursor bar, just enter the new directory name.

Using a catalog file strategy greatly speeds up searches for
files and permits very rapid verification of a user entered
directory name.

7. SCOUT MAIN COMMAND MENU

SCOUT provides a number of commands that facilitate management of
the system. Each is invoked from the main SCOUT Command Menu display
and is described in the following subparagraphs. Additionally, and of
the commands available from the Command Menu or its submenus is
supported by an alternate command key combination as described later
in this document.







- 21 -



A. COPY

The COPY function permits copying of single or multiple
files to a designated destination. If no files are tagged, then
the single file copy mode is invoked. You will be prompted for
the DOS name of the destination for the source file. A single
file name may be entered for copy to the same directory or a full
DOS path name may be entered.

If one or more files are tagged, the batch file copy mode
will be invoked. You will be prompted for a DOS directory name
in which to place the copies of the tagged files. After entering
the name of the destination directory, you will be shown the
names of all tagged files and asked for confirmation to go ahead
with the copy. The display of tagged files is dynamically
updated as the copy proceeds. Ctrl-C is the alternative command
for this function.

B. MOVE

The MOVE function behaves almost exactly as the COPY
function except that the files are moved from the current
directory to the designated destination directory. If the
destination directory is on a different drive, the files will
actually be copied first and then deleted from the source
directory. If the destination directory is located on the same
drive, the files will be moved very rapidly from the source to
the destination directory. Ctrl-M is the alternate command for
this function.

C. ERAS

The ERAS command is similar to the COPY and MOVE commands
except that it deletes the files from disk. Be certain to check
the presented file list before confirming the deletion operation.
Ctrl-E is the alternate command for this function.

D. BACK

The BACK command is intended to assist the user in backing
up files that have changed since the last backup. Invoking this
command brings up the file COPY display which lists all files
that have their DOS archive bits set. The DOS archive bit is set
each time a file is changed or updated. The listed files are
copied to a user specified destination directory and then the
archive bits of files in the source directory are reset. This
provides a semi-automated backup facility for any directory of
files. Ctrl-B is the alternate command for this function.



- 22 -



E. RENA

The RENA item allows renaming a file. The file highlight by
the main display cursor bar may be renamed. The rename will fail
if another file in the directory has the same name or if the
entered name is invalid. Volume labels and directory names may
also be changed with this function. Ctrl-R is the alternate
command for this function.

F. SRCH

SCOUT offers a powerful system file search facility. You
will be prompted to enter the target name for the search and this
name may contain the DOS wildcard characters (*,?). If a drive
specifier precedes the target name, then that drive will be
searched, otherwise the current drive will be searched. Here are
two examples:

D:S??.* Search for matching files on drive D
*.PAS Search current drive for all matching

When the target name is entered, a large window will appear that
will contain up to sixteen names of the files matching the
target. SCOUT will pause after finding 16 names before
continuing the search. Ctrl-Y is the alternate command for this
function.

G. FMT

SCOUT will format both 5 1/4" and 3 1/2" floppy drives.
Selecting this item will bring up the format window. You will be
prompted to enter the drive letter of the target floppy drive.
If the drive is already formatted, you will be warned. Be
certain that the SCOUT drive table is properly defined by using
the CONFIG program. Alt-F is the alternate command for this
function.

H. DRIV

The DRIV item on the Command Menu provides the means for
changing active drives. You will be prompted to enter the letter
corresponding to the DOS drive you wish to change to. Entry of
an invalid drive letter or selecting a drive that is not ready
will bring up an error box. When changing drives, files from the
default directory of the target drive will appear in the main
display window. Ctrl-D is the alternate command for this
function.




- 23 -



I. ORDR

SCOUT offers five different sort orders of file data.
Selecting this item will bring up a sliding bar menu that offers
the following selections:

Sort on File Name Only
Sort on File Extension
Sort on File Date
Sort on File Size
Sort on Extension/Name
No Sort
Ascending Sort

The first four items are self-explanatory. The fifth item, sort
on extension/name, sorts first on the file extension and then
orders the groups of file extensions by file name. The no sort
option simply presents the file data as received from DOS. Sorts
may be ordered from lowest to highest (ascending) or from highest
to lowest (descending). This item is a toggle and affects all
but the no sort option. Ctrl-O is alternate command for this
function.

J. PRNT

Four different print options are available via the Print
Menu:

Control Codes
Directory Files
File Print
Graphics Print

The first item on this sliding bar menu permits sending
predefined printer codes (defined in CONFIG.COM) to the printer.
The second item offers the ability to print a two column listing
of all files in the current directory. Item number 3 is used to
print the text file highlighted by the main display cursor bar.
The last item on this menu will print the saved graphics screen
on a dot-matrix printer. Alt-P is the alternate command for
calling the Print Menu.

K. INFO

SCOUT provides a wealth of information about the host
computer system. Alt-I is the alternate means of accessing this
menu. Selection of this item will bring up a sliding bar menu
with the following items:



- 24 -



Sys Drive Space
This Drive Info
Calendar
Version Info
ASCII Table
Memory Allocation

The Sys Drive Space item will present a summary of the free space
on all fixed disks in the system. Alt-D is the alternate
command.

This Drive Info provides information about the currently
active drive. Ctrl-I is the alternate command.

The SCOUT Calendar presents a monthly calendar. When
initially displayed, the calendar will show the current month and
the the current day will be blinking. Left and right cursor
arrow operation will decrease and increase the calendar year,
respectively. Up and down arrow operation will increase and
decrease the displayed month, respectively. Alt-C is the
alternate command.

The Version Info window shows more system information and
data pertaining to the current SCOUT program version. Ctrl-N is
the alternate command.

A pageable display of the PC ASCII character set is brought
up by selection of the ASCII Table item. Ctrl-A is the alternate
command.

A summary of system RAM allocation is displayed by selecting
the Memory Allocation item. Ctrl-Q is the alternate command.

L. XTRA

The last item on the Command Menu is titled XTRA. This
provides access to a number of "extra" functions via another
sliding bar menu. Alt-X is the alternate means of access to this
menu. This menu contains the following items:

Attribute Change
CRC Check Toggle
File Date/Time
Hot Key Toggle
Key Change
Mask Change
Reset Archive Bits
System Time/Date



- 25 -



Label This Volume
Verify Floppy Disk
Write Vid to Disk

The Attribute Change item permits changing the attribute of the
file under the main display cursor. Attributes may changed to
any allowable DOS attribute (normal, read-only, hidden, system,
and combinations).

File copying and moving is supported by an optional CRC
check. CRC stands for Cyclic Redundancy Check. Using CRC
checking during file copying (and moving across drives) virtually
assures that a good copy of the source file is made. When CRC
checking is in effect, SCOUT will use a 16 bit CRC algorithm to
check each copied file. If even 1 bit of the copied file differs
from that of the original, a CRC error will be detected and
displayed.

The File Date/Time item permits setting the date and/or the
time of the file under the main display cursor bar. The date
and/or time may be entered or set to the current system date/time
as desired.

SCOUT can be called via the designated Hot Key combination
or the prime key. If the the prime key is active, the hot
combination may be temporarily disabled. This permits the use of
SCOUT with programs like Word Perfect that use just about every
key combination on the keyboard.

Function keys may be assigned drive:\directory string macros
in the CONFIG program. These may be temporarily altered via the
Function Key Macros menu.

DOS file masks may also be temporarily set dynamically by
invoking the File Mask Settings menu.

The Reset Archive Bit function is designed to work in
conjunction with the SCOUT backup function. Invoking this
function will cause all files in the current directory to have
their archive bits reset. This is useful when initially working
with a new directory. First reset the file archive bits with
this function and then later use the backup function to
dynamically backup the changed files.

SCOUT will change the DOS system time/date as desired with
the System Time/Date item. Ctrl-F is the alternate command.





- 26 -



Any disk that does not already contain a label may be
labeled using the Label This Volume function.

The SCOUT floppy disk formatter does not use verification
during format in order to speed up the format operation. If good
quality diskettes are used, verification is normally not needed.
The Verify Floppy Disk function will verify a floppy diskette.
This function does NOT update the File Allocation Table (FAT) and
will stop with an error message at the first bad sector detected.

When SCOUT is popped up, it saves the current video screen
to a buffer. This screen data may be saved to a disk file named
SCREEN.DAT by invoking the Write Vid to Disk function.

9. VIEWING FILE CONTENTS

A. BROWSING A TEXT FILE

A text file may be browsed by placing the cursor over
the desired file name and pressing the Enter key. Scout will
display 23 lines of the file at a time. You can page back and
forth through the file using the PgUp and PgDn keys. The Home
key will show the first page of the file. The End key will take
you to the end of the file. Note that if the file is a long one,
there will be some delay while SCOUT moves physically to the end
of the file. The file may also be browsed one line at a time via
the up/down arrow keys. The file browse function supports text
lines up to 100 characters in length. Lines over 100 characters
will be truncated. To view lines that are over 80 characters
long, use the right arrow key to scroll right or press Ctrl-
RightArrow to show the longest line present. Ctrl-LeftArrow
scrolls the display back to the left edge. Note that if a mouse
driver is present, the mouse can be used to browse vertically and
horizontally. Any text file with 35,767 lines or less may be
browsed in this fashion. Press the F1 key to get a window
showing a summary of file browsing commands.

SCOUT will search the text file being viewed for a specified
string. Press the F key while a text file is being browsed. A
box will pop up prompting for a search string. The search is NOT
case sensitive. Typing in a string and pressing return will
start a search (forward only) through the file for the specified
string. If the string is found, the line containing it will be
placed on the first line of the display and it will be
highlighted. Pressing the L key continues the search.

It is also possible to go directly to a specific location in
the file by entering a line number. Press the N key and then



- 27 -



enter the desired line number. If the entered line number is
within file limits, the target line will be placed at the top of
the display and will be highlighted.

Pressing the S key while browsing a file will turn on a
filter that strips the high bit from each file character. Many
word processing programs (like WordStar) store text with numerous
imbedded print and format control codes. Displaying these codes
in a "raw" mode sometimes makes for a messy display. The display
can be cleaned up significantly by filtering out the control
codes. When the stripper is toggled to on, two blinking
asterisks appear at both ends of the bottom status line.

B. VIEWING ARCHIVE FILE DIRECTORIES

Archive files are files that have been compressed by
commonly available utilities such as PKZIP, ARC, and LHARC.
SCOUT can view the contents of any valid .ARC, .PAK, .LZH, or
.ZIP file. Just place the cursor over a valid compressed file
and press the Enter key. If SCOUT finds that it is indeed a
valid compressed file, a window will appear that shows the
directory listing in pages of pages of 18 entries each. Each
entry displayed has the compressed file name, the date, the time,
the uncompressed file size, the compressed file size, and the
method used in compression. To get a printed listing of the
compressed file directory, press Ctrl-P at any time while
displaying the file names.

10. EXECUTING PROGRAMS FROM SCOUT

In spite of being a memory resident program, SCOUT has the
capability to execute programs.

A. EXECUTE A PROGRAM

First, remember that you MUST have placed RUNFILE.COM in the
root directory of the disk drive from which SCOUT is to be
initially loaded into memory in order for you to successfully run
a program from SCOUT. Second, SCOUT can execute a program only
when it has been called (popped up) from the DOS level.

The easiest and most direct method of running a program from
SCOUT is to move the cursor to a .COM, .EXE, or .BAT file and
press Ctrl-Return. SCOUT will execute the program. YOU CANNOT
RUN A PROGRAM FROM SCOUT UNLESS YOU CALLED SCOUT FROM THE DOS
LEVEL! But you may activate SCOUT from the program you executed
from SCOUT. Just be sure to terminate the program before
attempting to run another program.



- 28 -



In many cases it may be desirable to pass the program you
desire to run parameters via the command line. Just press the /
key with the cursor over the name of the program you desire to
run. A window will appear prompting you for the command line
string. Enter it and press return. SCOUT will pass the entered
string to the executed program just as if you had invoked the
program from the DOS command line.

B. EXECUTE PROGRAM MENU

The configuration program permitted you to enter up to 10
program names, parent directories, and flags indicating whether
or not to pause for command line parameters. This menu may be
invoked by pressing the back slash \ key. A window will appear
that displays the program names you defined, the directory names
they are located in, and stars ("*") for any you marked to pause
for command line parameters. Each program is indexed by a
function key. Press the function key associated with program
that you desire to execute. If that program is flagged with a
star, the command line parameter window will appear and request
entry of the parameter string before the program is executed.

The power of using the menu is that you can define programs
that reside on disks other than the default drive and SCOUT will
effect both appropriate drive and directory change so that the
program can be executed from its parent directory. Just be sure
to enter the full proper path specification in the configuration
program.

C. CTRL-X PROGRAM MENU

SCOUT incorporates a second configurable program execution
menu that differs functionally from the menu invoked by the \
key. This menu is invoked by pressing Ctrl-X and is
preconfigured by the CONFIG program. This utility allows you to
define up to 10 executable program names, which will appear on
the Ctrl-X menu.
There is an important and fundamental difference between the
main (\ key) program execution menu and the Ctrl-X program
execution menu. In the first case, the program to be executed
has been assigned a resident directory name and, optionally, a
command line parameter. When invoked, SCOUT will change to that
directory and run the program. In the case of the Ctrl-X menu,
SCOUT is depending upon the assigned program to reside in a
directory that is identified in the DOS PATH string. Thus SCOUT
does NOT change to the directory the target program resides in,
but instead calls the program from the currently active directory




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via the DOS PATH search function. Remember, the target program
MUST be locatable through the DOS PATH.

11. QEDIT, LIST, & NORTON

Three extra "hooks" are provided for the execution of the
outstanding Semware editor QEDIT, Vernon Buerg's excellent LIST, and
Peter Norton's NU. These programs must reside in a directory that is
identified in the DOS path. QEDIT must be named QEDIT and is called
from SCOUT when SCOUT has been popped up from the DOS level. The
follow commands are relevant:

Alt-L Call LIST with file under cursor
Alt-N Call NORTON with file under cursor
Alt-Q Call QEDIT with file under cursor

12. COMMAND KEY SUMMARY

A. MAIN DISPLAY CONTROL

The cursor pad keys control the position of the cursor bar
in the file list. The following command/control keys are also
available from the main display:

Tab Call Main Command Menu
Enter View file under cursor
Change to directory under cursor
^Enter Execute .BAT/.COM/.EXE file under cursor
^Home Move to ROOT directory of current drive
^End Return to base directory
Del Delete file under cursor
Ins Rename file under cursor
Alt-F10 Show alternate command key summary
Shft-Tab Purge directory of ALL files

B. ALTERNATE COMMAND KEYS

The following is a list of alternate command keys available
from the main display with a brief summary statement of the
function of each:

Ctrl-A View ASCII character table
Ctrl-B Backup (copy) files with archive bits set
Ctrl-C Single/Multiple file copy
Ctrl-D Change disk drive
Ctrl-E Erase (delete) single/multiple files
Ctrl-F Format floppy disk
Ctrl-I Single drive information summary



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Ctrl-J View/change file masks
Ctrl-K View/change function key macros
Ctrl-L Create disk volume label
Ctrl-M Single/multiple file move
Ctrl-N Version information window
Ctrl-O Change file sort
Ctrl-P Print directory file listing
Ctrl-Q View system RAM allocation map
Ctrl-R Rename file, directory, or volume label
Ctrl-S Scan current drive and update directory tree
Ctrl-T Tag all files in current directory
Ctrl-U Untag all tagged files
Ctrl-V Write saved screen image to disk file
Ctrl-W Wildcard tag
Ctrl-X Call secondary program execution menu
Ctrl-Z View contents of a ZIPped EXE file
Ctrl-Y Search drive for file(s)

Alt-A Set file attribute
Alt-B Set base directory to current directory
Alt-D View system drive space
Alt-F Change system or file date/time
Alt-I Call Information Menu
Alt-L Call LIST with file under cursor
Alt-N Call Norton (NU) with file under cursor
Alt-P Call Print Menu
Alt-Q Call QEDIT with file under cursor
Alt-R Registration window (Shareware version)
Alt-T Display directory tree
Alt-X Call secondary program execution menu
Alt-Z Remove normal SCOUT from memory

C. DIRECTORY DISPLAY COMMANDS

The following commands are operative while viewing the
graphic directory tree:

Enter Change to directory under cursor
^Home Change to ROOT directory
^End Change to base directory
F6 Rename directory under cursor

Ins Add directory to the tree
Del Remove a directory from the tree
Ctrl-P Print directory tree
F1 Show help window






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D. TEXT FILE BROWSE COMMANDS

The following commands are operative while viewing a text
file with the browse function:

Use the cursor pad keys or mouse to move up and down in the
file.

F key Search for text string
L key Continue search
N key Go to specified line number
Ctrl-P Print current file page
F1 Show help window

13. SPECIAL VIDEO SUPPORT

SCOUT and SCOUT-EM offer special video support for EGA/VGA
systems capable of operating in modes that show more than 25 lines per
screen. SCOUT will automatically detect and adjust to these modes.
Normally, the main display window will contain 15 lines of file data
and the directory tree window will contain 20 lines of directory
names. If SCOUT is popped-up while in an extended display mode, the
main display and the directory tree windows will expand to fill the
available screen height.

14. MOUSE SUPPORT

SCOUT has a built in support for mouse drivers conforming to
version 6.xx or later of the Microsoft mouse standard. Main display
window mouse operations are:

Mouse up/down Cursor bar up/down
Left Button Return key
Right Button Esc key
Mouse right Directory tree
Mouse left Tab key

17. CHANGING BASE DIRECTORY

The base directory is defined as the drive:\directory from which
SCOUT was popped up. SCOUT will always return to the base directory
when Esc is pressed and SCOUT is brought down. Returning to a
directory other than the one active when SCOUT was popped up is
accomplished by pressing Alt-B. When Alt-B is pressed, SCOUT will
make the base directory the same as the directory SCOUT is currently
in.





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16. TANDY OWNERS

Tandy, for reasons God only knows, maps their keyboard
differently than the standard IBM PC/AT method. The prime (~) key on
the Tandy is mapped to the down-arrow key and thus if the prime key is
enabled, SCOUT will be called each time the down arrow key is pressed.
There are two ways to avoid this. One way is to use the CONFIG
program to disable use of the prime key. The other is to enter a "t"
on the command line when loading SCOUT or SCOUT-EM. Placing a "t" on
the command line causes the SCOUT keyboard interrupt handler to
reverse the mapping of the prime and down arrow keys.

17. EXTENDED KEYBOARD SUPPORT

Users with enhanced keyboards may use the F-11 key in lieu of
Alt-C for copying files and the F-12 key lieu of Alt-M for moving
files.

Thank you very much for trying SCOUT!

Copyright 1985,86,87,88,89
New-Ware
San Diego, CA




























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Index


5 configuration program 7
/ key 29 CONFIGURING SCOUT 7
\ key 29 COPY function 22
CRC check 26
A Ctrl-B 22
Alt-B 32 Ctrl-C 22
Alt-C 25 Ctrl-D 23
Alt-D 25 Ctrl-E 22
Alt-F 23 Ctrl-End 21
Alt-F10 9 Ctrl-Home 21
Alt-F10 key 18 Ctrl-I 25
Alt-I 24 Ctrl-LeftArrow 27
Alt-P 24 Ctrl-M 22
Alt-T 21 Ctrl-N 25
Alt-X 25 Ctrl-O 24
alternate command keys 30 Ctrl-P 21, 28
Archive Bit function 26 Ctrl-Q 25
ASCII Table 25 Ctrl-R 23
ASP 2 Ctrl-Return 28
ASP Ombudsman 2 Ctrl-RightArrow 27
Attribute Change 26 Ctrl-S 21
Ctrl-T 19
B Ctrl-U 19
base directory 20, 32 Ctrl-X 13, 29
batch file 14 Ctrl-Y 23
BIOS drive number 12 Ctrl-Z 19
bulletin board 3
D
C Del key 21
Calendar 25 directory catalog 20
catalog 20 directory tree 21
CGA 15 DOS PATH 29
CGA/EGA/VGA 16 dual density 12
CGA monitor 13
command line 15 E
Command Menu 21 EMS 5
compressed file 28 Enter key 21, 28
CONFIG.COM 7 ESC key 18
CONFIG menu 8



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F P
F-11 key 33 page number 11
F-12 key 33 prime key 9, 13
F1 key 21 print margins 10
F6 key 21 Print Menu 24
F key 27 printer codes 10
file browsing commands 27 program menu 11
File Date/Time 26 program names 29
file mask 9
File Mask Settings 26 Q
floppy drive parameter 12 QEDIT 30
format 23 Quit and Save 13
Function Key Command Menu
20 R
Function Key Macros 26 RAM 14
function keys 9 register 3
registration 2
H RUNFILE.COM 28
Hercules 15, 16 RUNFILE.EXE 7
HGC 15
Hot Key 26 S
hot key 9 SCOUT.000 5, 8
SCOUT Configuration
I Options 8
Ins key 21 SCOUT-EM.000 5, 8
search 23
L Shareware 2
Label This Volume 27 Shareware Products BBS 3
LANtastic 6 snow avoidance 13
LIM 5 sort 11
lines per page 11 Sys Drive Space 25
LIST 30 System Time/Date 26

M T
Main Command Menu 18 TAB key 18
major features 5 Tab key 18
Memory Allocation 25 tag a file 19
memory resident 5 Tandy 15, 16, 33
mouse 8 This Drive Info 25
MOVE function 22
V
N Verify Floppy Disk 27
network 6, 16 Version Info 25
NEW-WARE.LOG 20
NU 30 W
Write Vid to Disk 27
O
overlay file 5, 8



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X
XTRA 25

















































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  3 Responses to “Category : File Managers
Archive   : SCT-EM45.ZIP
Filename : SCOUT.DOC

  1. Very nice! Thank you for this wonderful archive. I wonder why I found it only now. Long live the BBS file archives!

  2. This is so awesome! 😀 I’d be cool if you could download an entire archive of this at once, though.

  3. But one thing that puzzles me is the “mtswslnkmcjklsdlsbdmMICROSOFT” string. There is an article about it here. It is definitely worth a read: http://www.os2museum.com/wp/mtswslnk/