Output of file : STS.DOC contained in archive :
STS_410.ZIP U
S T E R E O S H E L L
version 4.10
* User documentation *
M.R.E. Software
(c) copyright 1989-93
==========================================================================
,--------------------, ,----------, ,---------------------,
| | | VIEWER | | |
| ........ | |----------| | ........ |
| .............. | | EDITOR | | .............. |
| ................ | |----------| | ................ |
| ................ | | 10 LNCH. | | ................ |
| .............. | |----------| | .............. |
| ........ | | 10 USER | | ........ |
| | |----------| | |
| | | 8 COMPRS.| | |
| ..... .. | |----------| | .. ..... |
| ....... `..' | | 8 SPEC. | | `..' ....... |
| ..... | ,---`----------'---, | ..... |
| Stereo |--| MS-DOS ........ |--| Shell |
`--------------------' `------------------' `---------------------'
* The components of power *
==========================================================================
==
==
==
========================================
DOS never sounded this good before!
========================================
==
==
==
==========================================================================
.---------. (tm)
Published by: ,-----'---, |
-------------------------- --| |o |------------------
M.R.E. Software | .-----'---. | Association of
206 E. Jones St. | | |-' Shareware
West Point, Ms. 39773 `---| o | Professionals
-------------------------- ------| | |--------------------
Emery D. Wooten Jr. `---------' MEMBER
(C.) Copyright 1989-93 Microsystems Research and Engineering
(C.) Copyright 1989-93 Emery D. Wooten Jr.
Stereo Shell, M.R.E. Software, Microsystems Research and Engineering (TM)s
* All rights reserved worldwide *
U
C O N T E N T S
_____________________________________________________________________
PREFACE ......................................................... I
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ........................................... II
PART 1 ** INITIAL SETUP
Sec. 1.1 INTRODUCTION .................................... 1-1
Sec. 1.2 THE STS DEFAULT SETUP ........................... 1-1
Sec. 1.3 RUNNING STS THE FIRST TIME ...................... 1-2
Sec. 1.4 HOW TO FULLY TUNE STEREO SHELL .................. 1-3
Sub-Sec. 1.4.1 SCREEN AND MOUSE OPTIONS ............. 1-3
Sub-Sec. 1.4.2 COLOR SETUP .......................... 1-4
Sub-Sec. 1.4.3 FILES/EXTERNAL SETUP ................. 1-5
Sub-Sec. 1.4.4 PROTECTED OPTIONS .................... 1-8
Sub-Sec. 1.4.5 SAVE SETTINGS AND EXIT ............... 1-9
Sub-Sec. 1.4.6 EXIT NO SAVE ......................... 1-10
PART 2 ** USING STEREO SHELL
Sec. 2.1 INTRODUCTION .................................... 2-1
Sec. 2.2 THE StS DISPLAY ................................. 2-2
Sub-Sec. 2.2.1 THE FILE WINDOWS ..................... 2-3
Sub-Sec. 2.2.2 THE CHG.DIR. WINDOW .................. 2-4
Sub-Sec. 2.2.3 THE TITLE AND FUNCTION KEY AREA ...... 2-5
Sec. 2.3 StS DIRECT KEYS AND COMMANDS .................... 2-5
Sub-Sec. 2.3.1 THE CURSOR AND SCREEN KEYS ........... 2-5
Sub-Sec. 2.3.2 THE LETTER, NUMBER, AND MARKING KEYS . 2-6
Sub-Sec. 2.3.3 THE COMMAND KEYS ..................... 2-9
Sub-Sec. 2.3.4 MOUSE CONTROL ........................ 2-11
Sub-Sec. 2.3.5 FILENAME CONVENTIONS ................. 2-12
Sec. 2.4 THE DOS MENU .................................... 2-12
Sec. 2.5 THE GENERAL FILES MENU .......................... 2-13
Sec. 2.6 MARKED FILES MENUS .............................. 2-16
Sub-Sec. 2.6.1 THE MARKING CRITERIA MENU ............ 2-16
Sub-Sec. 2.6.2 THE MARKED FILES MENU ................ 2-18
Sec. 2.7 THE EXE COM BAT MENU ............................ 2-19
Sec. 2.8 THE FILE COMPRESSOR MENU ........................ 2-20
Sub-Sec. 2.8.1 THE I/O REDIRECTION MENU ............. 2-23
Sub-Sec. 2.8.2 THE EXTENDED ZIP MENU ................ 2-23
Sec. 2.9 THE INTERNAL VIEW UTILITY ....................... 2-25
Sec. 2.10 USEFUL NOTES AND HINTS .......................... 2-26
APPENDIX A ** COMPRESSION UTILITY INTERFACING .................. A-1
APPENDIX B ** LICENSE/WARRANTY ................................. A-1
Sec. B.1 LICENSE ......................................... B-1
Sec. B.2 WARRANTY ........................................ B-2
Sec. B.3 TRADEMARKS ...................................... B-2
APPENDIX C ** StS REGISTRATION ................................. C-1
Sec. C.1 WHY SHOULD I REGISTER ? ......................... C-1
Sec. C.2 REGISTRATION FEES ............................... C-2
Sec. C.3 SITE LICENSE/QUANTITY DISCOUNT .................. C-2
Sec. C.4 THE MRE SOFTWARE BBS ............................ C-3
Sec. C.5 REGISTRATION FORM ............................... C-4
I
PREFACE
_____________________________________________________________________
Stereo Shell is a unique DOS shell utility program. This
program provides two fully independent file/directory displays which
enable it to provide extremely powerful, yet simple, file handling
functions. The twin, or if you will, stereo display allows the user
to perform file operations such as move and copy between any two
drives, or directories, or combinations of drive/directories on the
machine without ever typing a file or path name.
Stereo Shell also offers many more exciting features. A full
complement of standard DOS functions is provided. These include
the well known move, copy, erase, etc. and all in stereo! A built in
view as well as a user defined editor, 10 user defined file utility
programs, and 10 user defined launchable programs serve to enhance the
power and usefulness of the program to the maximum. Complicated pro-
cedures are simplified by intelligent menus that appear when a file is
selected. These menus are selected by the program based on the file
type and offer the most frequently needed functions for that type of
file in top-down order allowing quick, effortless operation. All ten
function keys are also "hot" providing more experienced users with
instant action. And we haven't forgotten the mouse, full rodent
support is built in.
Eight possible file compression programs are also supported by
Stereo Shell! Stereo Shell has built-in menus and a file handling
system to support ARC, ZIP, LZH, PAK, ARJ, and 3 spare compression
programs. This system provides a virtually complete, programmable,
and effortless interface to these excellent compression utilities.
Our system uses the actual utility programs, not some kind of built
in approximation of the real thing. This ensures that the
compressed files are truly compatible and it also allows simple
updates to revised versions of the various file compression programs
without the need to update StS itself.
Stereo Shell provides a great shell environment for your
everyday activities. Its ease of use and ability to execute files
while taking only a meager 45Kb of RAM makes it a refreshing change
from the hum-drum character based MS-DOS or some of those plain old
mono directory utilities. StS is also absolutely perfect as an
executable utility program for Procomm (tm) or other communications
packages since it provides the means to view directories, edit files,
and even extract and execute files from compressed library files, all
while still on-line!
There is much more! Please give this program a full test on your
system. We know you'll agree, DOS never sounded this good before.
Stereo Shell......The hi-fidelity DOS shell.
II
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
_____________________________________________________________________
StS will run on the IBM PC-XT-AT-PCjr-PS/2 and all true compatibles.
The general system requirements are outlined below.
Memory .......... 128 Kb. minimum. Shrinks its own memory usage to
about 45Kb while executing external programs.
Operating sys. .. MS/PC DOS version 2.11 or later.
Video ........... The MDA, CGA, MCGA, EGA, and VGA video adapters
or any adapters that can emulate these are supported. StS offers
the 25/28/43/50 line modes on supported video adapters and
systems. Full 16 color text mode is provided on all but the MDA.
Screen writing is user selectable between BIOS and direct
modes.
Disk ............ All disk I/O is controlled through standard DOS
function calls. Stereo Shell was designed primarily for hard
disk based systems and at least one hard disk is recommended.
Network systems.. StS version 4.10 has been tested on the Novell (tm)
network software with excellent results.
1-1
_____________________________________________________________________
>> PART 1 INITIAL SETUP
_____________________________________________________________________
>> Sec. 1.1 INTRODUCTION
_____________________________________________________________________
StS has an integrated external setup program to allow the user to
configure it to his system and requirements. "Integrated external"
means that the setup program is actually a separate program that is
automatically executed by StS and appears to be an integral part of
STS.EXE. The advantage of an integrated external program over a
built-in setup routine is a significant savings in runtime memory
usage. Since the program is integrated, it works just like a part of
StS and thus does not require any additional work by the user.
The external setup program is named STSETxxx.EXE where the 'xxx'
refers to the version number of StS with which the external setup
program was designed to work. For example in StS version 4.10 the
setup program is named STSET410.EXE. IN ORDER FOR STEREO SHELL TO
FIND AND EXECUTE THE SETUP PROGRAM, IT MUST EXIST SOMEWHERE IN THE
USER DEFINED DOS PATH.
The following section will guide you through the initial
execution of the StS program and the setup program features.
>> Sec. 1.2 THE STS DEFAULT SETUP
_____________________________________________________________________
StS comes pre-configured to run on what is considered the most
likely system configuration. It assumes you have an IBM compatible
video card and that your primary hard disk drive is C:. Although the
program is totally re-settable with respect to these parameters, this
will be your starting point.
StS uses several external utility programs to accomplish the
tasks of library file handling, editing, and listing. The default
pathnames defined for these functions is C:\STEREO. It is highly
recommended but not required that you create a sub-directory called
STEREO on the root directory of your primary (C:) hard disk and place
these files in it;
PKZIP.EXE ........ ZIP file packer
PKUNZIP.EXE ........ ZIP file un-packer
PKPAK.EXE ........ ARC file packer
PKUNPAK.EXE ........ ARC file un-packer
LHARC.EXE ........ LZH file utility
PAK.EXE ........ PAK file utility
ARJ.EXE ........ ARJ file utility
LIST???.COM ........ ASCII file list program
E88.EXE ........ ASCII text editor (available from M.R.E.)
1-2
If you do not have all of these programs or do not want to move
them, no problem. The creation of this sub-directory and the
availability of all these programs should only be considered as a
helpful suggestion. StS's initial paths are all set to C:\STEREO\
and setting up such a sub-directory will save time but StS can be
easily configured to work otherwise.
>> Sec. 1.3 RUNNING StS THE FIRST TIME
_____________________________________________________________________
It is strongly suggested that the user create a sub-directory
named STEREO and copy all of the files associated with StS into
that sub-directory. If there is space on the C: drive for this
sub-directory that is the recommended place for it. StS uses an
integrated external setup program (see above) that must reside in
the DOS path so it is also suggested that the user edit the path
statement in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to include the STEREO sub-
directory. If you have no path statement, then add the following
line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. PATH=C:\STEREO\
To execute StS, just type in STS at the DOS prompt like you
would any other program. StS is not resident or special with respect
to general operation with one exception. StS expects to find the
COMSPEC environment string defined. In 99% of all cases MS-DOS has
already done this job for you so no action is required by the user.
In the event that StS does not find this string, it will report the
error. If this happens, then simply add this statement to your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file. SET COMSPEC = C:\COMMAND.COM If you are not
running a hard disk, you should adjust the drive letter as required.
When executed, the StS screen will appear on your display, in
living black and white. The system defaults are set to direct
screen writes which allow the program to operate on any type of
IBM display compatible system. If your machine is not IBM display
compatible, you will need to specify the /B switch on the DOS command
line to force StS to use BIOS screen writes. ie. STS /B
Users of very old IBM CGA cards may experience display "fetches"
or "snow" on the display when StS is running. StS has a snow
suppression option which may be used to correct this problem.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To turn snow suppression on:
(1.) Press the
key pair to go into setup mode.
(2.) Press the function key to set Screen and Mouse settings.
(3.) Press the function key to toggle Snow suppression < ON>
(4.) Press the key when you are finished playing with the other
options.
(5.) Press the key to save the change and exit setup mode.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
1-3
>> Sec. 1.4 HOW TO FULLY TUNE STEREO SHELL
_____________________________________________________________________
This section will outline the operation of Stereo Shell's tuning
control center. To fully exploit the power of StS, it is important
that you understand the setup procedure.
To enter the setup area, press the key pair. You
should see a screen with five windows. In the upper left hand corner
is a main menu area that provides access to the various other menus
in the setup routine. We will examine each option in detail.
* IF THE SETUP PROGRAM FAILS TO EXECUTE *
Make sure the setup program STSETxxx.EXE is present either in the left
window of the StS display or anywhere in the DOS path. (see above)
Make sure the setup program matches the version of StS that you have.
For example StS version 4.10 will have a setup program named
STSET410.EXE. If you have edited the DOS path command in the
AUTOEXEC.BAT file, it may be necessary to re-boot the machine to make
the change effective.
>> Sub Sec. 1.4.1 SCREEN AND MOUSE OPTIONS
_____________________________________________________________________
(F1) Screen and Mouse settings allow you to set various operational
parameters. The sub-menu options are listed below.
(F1) Snow suppression.
This option is provided for users of older IBM display
adapters. It prevents flicker when the screen is updated
while in direct video mode. If you have an older display
adapter you will want to toggle this option ON. To toggle
the option simply press the key. If you do not have
a snow problem, leave this option off for fastest operation.
(F2) Exploding windows.
Looks sharp and makes noise. Toggle it by pressing
(F3) Date/Time display.
For users who find the ticking clock irritating or for
those who don't know or care what time or day it is.
Toggle by pressing .
(F4) Sound effects.
Enables or disables all sound effects in StS.
(F5) Screen saver. (3 modes)
The StS screen saver will clear the video display to
black after ten minutes of keyboard inactivity. Unlike the
other options in this section, the screen saver is a 3 mode
option. The (OFF) mode will disable the feature entirely.
The ( ON) mode will simply clear the screen to black. The
(MSG) mode will randomly "bounce" a message around on the
screen prompting the user to press a key. The screen saver
is only in effect when the StS screen is active. It will
NOT blank the screen while the user is executing another
1-4
application from Stereo. The screen saver is also a simple
"clear the screen to black" type, it does no fancy or dan-
gerous tricks with the video display adapter.
(F6) Wrap around file windows.
If on, the file and directory windows will allow the
cursor to wrap around from top to bottom, bottom to top
when the cursor moves past the first/last file. When the
wrap around occurs, the speaker will beep to indicate it.
(F7) Sub-directory memory.
This option determines how the program operates when
the user changes sub-directories using the center window
of StS. With the memory off (default), the cursor will
always appear at the top (on the double dots) after a
directory change. With the memory on, the program will
"remember" the path that was taken when the user went
"deeper" into the tree and place the cursor on the
approiate sub-directories as he goes back toward the root.
(F8) File descipt. on-line.
This option enables/disables the 4DOS(tm) compatible
file description on-line mode. When enabled, the file
description (if any) for the currently hilighted file will
be displayed on the StS screen as the cursor is moved
through the list of files. The description appears over
the Stereo Shell title/copyright near the bottom of the
screen. The on-line display will cause a slight delay when
reading directory information due to the extra time
required to find and read the DESCRIPT.ION file. This is
more noticable when reading slower floppy disk drives.
(F9) Printer Port
This option allows the user to select the default
printer port used by the StS internal viewer. LPT1, LPT2,
or LPT3 are allowed.
(F10) Mouse sensitivity.
Does not refer to the emotional state of the rodent.
This option is provided to allow the user to adjust the
speed of the mouse. To set this value, press which
will print instructions and the current value. Use the
<+> and <-> keys to change the value, press when
you are satisfied.
Press the key to return to the main menu.
>> Sub Sec. 1.4.2 COLOR SETUP
_____________________________________________________________________
(F2) Color Setup (main screen)
This option allows the user to set the screen window colors.
Use the number keys listed in the menu to set your desired screen
colors and press when satisfied. We have provided a "magic key"
(key #9) that will give you a default color setup to examine.
1-5
The setting of the colors abides by the following sequence.
[ black, blue, green, cyan, red, magenta, brown, white ]
Foreground colors will cycle through 16 shades of these colors
while background colors use only the low intensity 8.
(F3) Color Set (borders)
This option allows the user to adjust the border colors and
hi-lite bar color. Its operation is identical to (F2) above.
>> Sub Sec. 1.4.3 FILES/EXTERNAL SETUP
_____________________________________________________________________
(F4) Files/external setup
StS interfaces to various external programs to allow the user to
process compressed files, edit files, and more. This option will
allow you to define the programs and location of these programs on
your system.
First we need to define some general rules for the program
descriptions. These rules apply to all programs defined under the
option.
GENERAL RULES FOR EXTERNAL FILE SPECIFICATION
(1.) Include the drive letter. Unless you absolutely plan to use
StS only on one drive you will need to include a drive letter
on all program descriptions.
(2.) Include the full and complete path from the root. StS uses the
MS-DOS EXEC function to run these programs. The EXEC function
does not search for the user defined PATH= string in the
environment so you must explicitly tell StS where the file is
located.
(3.) Include the complete filename with the extension. The EXEC
function does not assume a .COM or .EXE extension as does DOS
itself. If the extension is not provided StS will be unable to
execute the program.
Example:
Assume that my editor (E88.EXE) was located in a sub-
directory I call GREAT which is itself a sub-directory of
EDITORS located on my hard disk drive c.
My string to define the Editor utl would be:
C:\EDITORS\GREAT\E88.EXE
(4.) In StS version 4.00+, the Editor, Viewer, User programs, and
Launch programs are all defined with a virtually identical
screen layout. There is an on-screen help box which gives
a brief description of each item needed in the setup. A less
brief description will now be provided.
Path\name.ext: This is the path and name of the program to
run as an external. Be sure to abide by
notes 1,2, and 3, above when defining this
item. An example of the proper use of this
item would be when defining the editor pro-
gram as shown in note 3 above.
1-6
Parameters...: Parameters are also known as command line
switches. Many programs accept command
line switches when they are executed from
the DOS prompt. An example would be the /h
switch in E88 which causes the program to
run in 43 line EGA mode. Building on the
example under note 3 above, to run E88 from
the DOS command line in 43 line EGA mode we
would type: C:\EDITORS\GREAT\E88.EXE /h To
run E88 from StS in 43 line mode, the /h
would be placed in the Parameter field. In
some cases, the user may desire to run a
program with different switches and choose
those switches at runtime. StS provides a
special technique to allow this. Placing a
question mark in the parameter field will
cause StS to prompt for the parameters each
time the program is executed.
Pass filename: Many programs can accept a filename on the
DOS command line. Editors such as E88 are
a great example of this fact. If a filename
is passed to E88 it will automatically load
that file for editing. Continuing with our
example above, a DOS command line for E88 could
be: C:\EDITORS\GREAT\E88.EXE /h STS.DOC where
STS.DOC would be the file to be edited. Stereo
Shell will automatically pick up the filename
from the highlight bar on the screen and pass it
to the external program if 'Y' is selected for
the Pass filename option.
Pass name 1st: The "standard" method for passing parameters and
filenames to a program on the DOS command line
is to pass the parameters before the filename as
is shown in our E88 example. Notice the /h
comes before the filename. Some programs do not
abide by this protocol and StS provides an
option to reverse the order in which the
parameters and filename are passed. A program
such as the popular LIST.COM from Buerg is an
example of a program which wants the filename
before any command line switches. Normally the
Pass name 1st option should be set to 'N' but
if the options do not work, try reversing the
order by answering 'Y' to this option.
Pause........: The pause option will cause StS to display a
"Press any key" prompt before it destroys the
screen and continues normal operations. This
option is provided to allow users to read the
screen output from programs that print infor-
mation and terminate. The DOS utility CHKDSK
is an example. Without the pause, it would be
impossible to read the results from CHKDSK.
1-7
Menu wording.: This option applies only to USER programs. The
text string defined here is the string that will
appear on the USER menu when StS is running.
Use this option to describe the USER program.
For example if I decide to set up a file finder
program as a USER program, I would write some-
thing like "File finder program." in for the
Menu wording.
Extension key: This item applies only to the LAUNCH programs.
A LAUNCH program is an application which StS
can execute for the user when he selects a file
with an extension that matches a data file
extension for that program. For example, most
BASIC programs carry the filename extension of
.BAS. StS can be set up to optionally run BASIC
and load the highlighted .BAS file. In other
words BASIC can be "launched" because the user
selected a .BAS file. The extension key defines
the filename extension that will activate the
LAUNCH option on the General Files Menu.
Now that we have the general rules down, lets examine the
specific options and types of external programs StS supports.
(F1) Editor program.
The editor may be ANY user defined text editor or word
processor. StS provides an option to edit files on its
file menus. When the edit option is selected, StS will
execute the editor program defined here. The editor should
be capable of accepting a filename on the command line.
(F2) Viewer program.
The viewer definition is optional. The user may define any
external view program in a manner similar to the editor
definition above. If the viewer is not defined by the user,
StS will use its internal viewer routine.
(F3) COMPRESSION programs.
Selecting this option will open another menu window which
allows one to select the particular compression program to
set up. Once a type such as .ZIP is selected, a setup
screen for that program appears. In general, the user
should abide by the general rules for defining external
programs as outlined above and also follow the on-screen
help box. The intricacies of defining each compression
program command will not be discussed at this time. Please
see Appendix A in this .DOC file for details of the
compression program setup.
* * NOTICE * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*
* Please see Appendix A in this .DOC file for information about
* changing the actual file compression program commands. Do not
* attempt to change these strings before reading Appendix A.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
1-8
(F4) USER programs.
The user defined utility(s) can be ANY .EXE, .COM or .BAT
file. These programs can be used for secondary editors,
list programs, file finders, file conversion routines,
frequently used applications, special compression commands,
batch files for formatting floppies, custom viewers, the
possibilities are endless. StS version 4.10 now supports up
to 10 user defined utilities which each have a setup screen
accessed from the sub-menu for this option.
(F5) LAUNCH programs.
Although the name LAUNCH may invoke mental images of a big
Saturn rocket sitting poised to roar off into the wild blue
yonder, the StS launch program is much quieter and easier
to operate. Launchable programs allow the user to execute
an application by selecting one of its data files. For
example if a LAUNCH program is defined for the .BAS filename
extension, an extra option will appear on the General Files
Menu that will allow the user to run BASIC and load the data
file automatically. Thus BASIC was launched. StS version
4.00+ supports up to 10 LAUNCH programs which each have a
setup screen accessed from the sub-menu for this option.
(F6) HELP File path/name.
This option allows the user to define the name and location
of the StS help file. The help file may be any ASCII text
file. Follow the on-screen instructions to modify this
option.
(F7) WORKing directory setting.
This is the default setting for the right side of the StS
display. Stereo Shell uses this working directory as
the default source and destination of files that will be
included in, or extracted from, compressed files. This
setting defaults to C:\ZDIR\ and it is recommended that the
novice user not adjust this unless it is necessary. Unless
your system for some reason does not have a C: drive with
sufficient space on it, or you just can't stand the name
ZDIR, it should not be necessary to change this path. If
you do decide to adjust this, please follow the instructions
provided on the screen carefully. Include the drive letter
and the complete path from the root. This directory may
at times contain large numbers of files and should not be
setup on a floppy disk drive.
>> Sub Sec. 1.4.5 PROTECTED OPTIONS
_____________________________________________________________________
(F5) Protected options.
This main menu option is provided to allow users and system
managers to control access to some of Stereo Shell's setup options
and menus. Note that this protection system is a very basic system
which was designed to prevent the average user from seeing hidden
files or changing external program setups. It can be defeated by
most self respecting hackers but should severely limit "tinkering" by
those who should not "tinker" anyway.
1-9
When selected this option will either open a sub-menu or prompt
for a password if one has been previously set. The sub-menu options
will now be presented.
(F1) Hidden files displayed.
When < ON> StS will "see" and display hidden files that
reside on your disks. Hidden files will carry a small "h"
hi-lighted by the date field in the list.
(F2) User program changes.
When < ON> users will be allowed access to the
Files/external setup (main menu option) and change the editor,
viewer, etc. programs. When access to this main menu
option will be denied.
(F3) Allow shelling to DOS.
When users will not be allowed to execute an ALT-D
DOS shell command. This prevents commands such as DIR and
FORMAT from being executed directly from StS. It is worth
noting that this has very limited usefullness since StS can
execute programs (including COMMAND.COM) directly from the
screen. If a system manager desires to prevent users from
shelling to DOS by any means, modifications to other areas of
the system must be made. This option serves only as an aid in
the process of protecting a system.
(F4) Password change/enable.
HEED THE ON-SCREEN WARNING. Setting the password requires
that it be remembered! If the password is forgotten, the only
recourse is to erase the .CFG file and totally rebuild the
setup. Once set, the password will be required to re-enter this
sub-menu area.
>> Sub Sec. 1.4.5 SAVE SETTINGS AND EXIT
_____________________________________________________________________
(F6) Save settings and exit.
This main menu option will save the settings you have defined
and exit back to the StS main screen. The settings are saved in the
root directory of the current disk drive in a file named
STSCFG.CFG. In the event that you ever want to start over from the
internal program default settings, simply erase this .CFG file before
running StS.
SETUP NOTE: You may set each window of the StS display to sort files
in various manners by using the function key while
running the main program. When you select option (F5)
in setup mode your currently defined sort settings will
be saved. The windows will then "come up" sorted as you
have them defined each time you execute StS.
1-10
NOTE: An environment variable setting is provided to allow the user to
"hard code" the configuration file name and location. This
feature will allow you purists out there to put the config-
uration file in some place other than the root directory.
This also allows users who desire to run STS from various
disk drives to ensure that STS will always be able to find the
setup file
The string is: SET STS_CFG=[d:][path](filename.ext)
Note: Use all CAPITAL LETTERS. It is the user's responsibility to
provide a valid drive and path specification. If you wish
to place your config file in a different place but do not
want to go through the setup procedure again, first copy your
present config file to the place where you want it and then
set the string to point at it. If you rename it, make sure
the string contains the proper name. STS will use the
SET= data if found, otherwise it will default to the current
root and the default name.
Example: If I wanted my config file to be located in a
sub-directory I have named STEREO, I would add this string to
my AUTOEXEC.BAT file. SET STS_CFG=C:\STEREO\STSCFG.CFG
>> Note that I have included the complete drive, path, and
filename. This is necessary!
>> Sub Sec. 1.4.6 EXIT NO SAVE
_____________________________________________________________________
(F7) or Exit NO save.
This option will take you back to the StS main screen without
saving the changes in the STSCFG.CFG file. This is useful for
experimenting with colors or for temporary setup changes.
2-1
_____________________________________________________________________
>> PART 2 USING STEREO SHELL
_____________________________________________________________________
>> Sec. 2.1 INTRODUCTION
_____________________________________________________________________
Stereo Shell is a unique DOS shell utility program. This
program provides two fully independent file/directory displays which
enable it to provide extremely powerful, yet simple, file handling
functions. The twin, or if you will, stereo display allows the user
to perform file operations such as move and copy between any two
drives, or directories, or combinations of drive/directories on the
machine without ever typing a file or path name.
Stereo Shell was also intended to be a fast, simple, and
user friendly program to handle the otherwise tedious task of working
with compressed files. StS takes a fresh approach to this task in
that it uses a separate directory and split screen display to isolate
and monitor the files associated with a compressed file.
StS provides intelligent, easy to use menus for handling file
and compressing functions. These menus are intelligent in that the
menu that appears on the screen for the user is based on the filename
extension of the file selected. For example, selecting a .ZIP file
from the directory display will automatically open the file compressor
operation window. The menu functions are of the "point-n-shoot"
variety but also allow quick execution via the function keys.
StS supports most of the standard file and compression commands
through its menus and function keys. The following list is provided
to give the user an idea of what StS will do.
StS Functions Description
Move file ........................ (from anywhere to anywhere)
Copy file ........................ (from anywhere to anywhere)
Rename file ...................... (standard DOS function)
Erase file ....................... (standard DOS function)
Erase read-only files ............ (asks to be sure, then zap)
Tag files ........................ (tag/untag any or all files)
Selectively tag files ............ (by name, date, archive bit etc.)
Move tagged files ............... (very fast and smooth)
Copy tagged files ............... (from anywhere to anywhere)
Erase tagged files ............... (prompted super zap)
Add tagged to library file ....... (build a compressed file)
Convert tagged to another format . (block convert your library files)
Execute user program on tagged ... (run any program repeatedly on tag)
View file ........................ (built in dual mode viewer)
View file ........................ (user defined optional ext. viewer)
Edit file ........................ (user defined editor/Wp)
2-2
File attribute modify ............ (change dates times and attributes)
User file function ............... (10 user defined utility programs)
Launch applications .............. (10 launchable applications)
Execute program .................. (.EXE, .COM, .BAT, .BTM files)
Instant executable filter ........ (see only .EXE,.COM,.BAT, and .BTM)
Quick find filename .............. (intelligent search within dir.)
Change drive ..................... (with a single keystroke)
Change drive ..................... (from DOS menu. Allows A-Z drives)
Change alternate drive ........... (changes un-hooked side)
Change alternate drive ........... (from DOS menu. Allows A-Z drives)
Change directory ................. (fast, easy, sidebar technique)
Directory tree ................... (display tree to change dirs.)
Make directory ................... (from DOS command menu)
Sort options ..................... (sort each window independently)
Remove directory ................. (use or )
File comment system .............. (4DOS(tm) compatible comment sys.)
DOS command ...................... (run any DOS command from StS)
DOS gateway ...................... (type EXIT to return)
Supports .ZIP .ARC .LZH .PAK .ARJ formats -----|
Create compression |
Extract files |- Compression utility
Test compression |- command support.
View files in compression |- Works with up to 8
Verbose list compression contents. |- compression progs.
Freshen files. |
Update files. |- Tagged file support
Delete files from compression. |- as well, see above.
Convert from format to format ------|
>> Sec. 2.2 THE StS DISPLAY
_____________________________________________________________________
When StS is executed, the user is presented with a screen split
into 3 main sections. There is a left file window that includes
a sidebar labeled Chg. Dir., and a right file window that shows
the contents of the working directory. Near the bottom of the screen
is a title line with date/time display and also a function key guide.
This section, explaining what the screen windows mean and do, is
probably the most important section of the .DOC file. A complete
understanding of the StS display and the stereo directory concept will
make the remainder of the information presented here almost redundant.
The split screen/dual directory display is the key to StS's simplicity
and also what sets it apart from other DOS shell utility programs.
We will start at the top of the display and examine each main area in
detail.
2-3
>> Sub-Sec. 2.2.1 THE FILE WINDOWS
________________________________________________________________
Both file windows are dynamic. They are capable of display-
ing the contents of any drive or directory on your machine. The
ability to work with two fully functional displays at a time
makes for an extremely powerful file manipulation and
maintenance utility. The user can work "between" the displays
when moving or copying files. This unique ability eliminates
the necessity of ever typing in a path or filename. Please
note; StS does allow you to type in paths and such for
convenience, but unless a file is being renamed or created, it
is possible to do all move and copy operations with only your
mouse or cursor keypad.
Information pertaining to the current file window display
is presented at various points within the window. At the top
center of each file window, actually on the border, StS displays
a VOLUME = message. This will always show the disk drive to
which the window is currently assigned. The drive:path at which
the window is currently pointed is displayed in the top title
area of the window. In the center or main section is the
familiar filename-size-date display. An occasional hi-lighted
block containing a lower-case s, r, or h may also appear just to
the left of the date on some files. This indicates that the file
has special attribute(s) assigned to it on the disk. r,s, and h
refer to read-only, hidden, and system files respectively. In
cases where the file has more than one of these attributes set
only the most important will appear with the hierarchy being h,
r, s. Also note that several filenames may also show a small
dot to the immediate right of the file size. This dot indicates
that the file archive bit is set. File attributes and their
meanings are discussed later in this manual under the General
File option command menu.
The filename display will list the files present on disk
in sorted order depending on the sort option chosen by the user.
Sort types of file/ext, ext/file, date, size, and unsorted are
supported and selected by pressing which opens a menu from
which the sort type/criteria may be selected. The sort that has
been defined for each window is saved when the setup is saved
in setup mode. In the bottom title area the free disk space
for the selected drive is shown. The sort type, file size, date,
and attributes are shown on the bottom border areas.
2-4
>> Sub-Sec. 2.2.2 THE CHG. DIR. WINDOW
________________________________________________________________
In the center of the display is a narrow vertical window
titled Chg.Dir. This window area is used to display
sub-directory information and allow you to easily move around
on the disk(s).
A brief definition is in order here to explain a bit of
Stereo Shell jargon:.... "Hooked" refers to the appearance of
the directory window as it is graphically displayed on the
screen. When the Chg.Dir. window is hooked to a file window, it
appears to be connected to the file window and will form a
continuous outer boundary. If the left and right file windows
are in different colors, the Chg.Dir. window will assume the
color of the file window to which it is hooked.
The Chg.Dir. window always displays the sub-directories
of the file window currently hooked. Pressing the left and right
arrow keys or moving the mouse will allow the user to hook the
Chg.Dir. window to either file window so long as there is file or
directory information available to be read from that drive. StS
logic prevents the user from placing the cursor in a completely
blank window and thus will not allow a hook when a disk is
completely blank and contains no sub-directories.
The Chg.Dir. window, or directory sidebar window is a unique
feature of StS and provides the user with the means to zip
around on the disk. The change directory sidebar window
displays, in sorted order, the sub-directories associated with
the currently hooked file window. Separating the directories
from the filename list and providing the user with a scrollable
sorted listing, gives StS one of the fastest, easiest, and
most convenient methods of changing directories available. By
simply placing the "light bar" on the directory you want and
pressing [ENTER], you can move anywhere on the disk.
One feature of the directory display may not be familiar to some
users and requires some explanation here. If you are displaying a
sub-directory listing, you will notice that the first directory
in the Chg. Dir. sidebar window appears as two dots (..). These
two dots are the link to the parent of that sub-directory.
Selecting the double dot directory will take you "up a notch"
thus, this is the means to go backwards on the tree. This is the
standard DOS method to do this job, not something that was
created by the author. In fact many users will be delighted to
know that this works from the DOS prompt. Anytime you are in a
sub-directory, entering CD.. at the DOS prompt will cause you
move up to the parent directory.
2-5
Stereo Shell also has the ability to display the tree
style directory structure of a drive. This display is summoned
by pressing the space bar, the insert key, or both mouse buttons
while the light bar cursor is in the center window. The "classic"
tree structure display, although not as fast and efficient as
StS's native sidebar technique for changing directories, is
useful for providing an overview of a drive layout. This feature
is particularly nice when running the shell on a machine which is
unfamiliar to the user.
In the bottom title area of the Chg.Dir. window the total
of all marked (tagged) files for the currently hooked directory
is displayed. One quick trick worth mention here is the fact
that the user can mark all files in the window and quickly find
the total disk space occupied by the files. See the INS and DEL
keys for the mark/un-mark all feature.
>> Sub-Sec. 2.2.3 THE TITLE AND FUNCTION KEY AREA
________________________________________________________________
Across the bottom of the StS display the user finds a
program title/version/copyright and date/time line. Below that
is a function key guide. This is a standard function key help
line and shows an abbreviated command for each F-key.
Keys F8 and F10 may be used to rename and erase directories as
well as files. DOS 3.xx+ is required to rename a directory.
>> Sec. 2.3 StS DIRECT KEYS AND COMMANDS
_____________________________________________________________________
This section will describe the direct key functions
available to the StS user when file selection is in effect.
>> Sub-Sec. 2.3.1 THE CURSOR AND SCREEN KEYS
________________________________________________________________
The cursor and screen keys provide the user with the means
to select files and directories. Here we will list all the
active keys in this group and detail what they do.
> Left and Right arrow keys <
The left and right arrow keys select the screen window.
The selected window will contain a "light bar" cursor. The
arrow keys wrap around between windows and all empty windows are
skipped.
> Up and Dn arrow keys <
The up and down arrow keys allow the user to select a file
or directory within a window. These keys move the cursor and
also scroll the display when on the edge. The speaker will beep
when the first and last entry in the window is reached.
2-6
> Home and End keys <
The home and end keys will instantly scroll the selected
window to the first and last entry in the window and place the
light bar on it.
> PgUp and PgDn <
The page up and page down keys will instantly scroll the
selected window display one page up or down.
> The tab key. <
The tab key will move the cursor between windows.
>> Sub-Sec. 2.3.2 THE LETTER, NUMBER, AND MARKING KEYS
________________________________________________________________
The letter and number keys serve a very important role in
the StS user interface. This section explains their use.
> The letter keys; A,B,C,D, etc <
The letter keys are used for a "QUICK FIND" scroll.
Pressing a letter key will find a filename, extension, or
directory beginning with the letter that is nearest to, without
exceeding the letter that was pressed. This QUICK FIND is based
on either the filename or extension depending on what the user
has selected as the primary sort, ie. filename/ext or ext/file-
name. QUICK FIND also has some built in intelligence. If all
the files in a directory have extensions that begin with the same
same letter, and you are sorting by extension, then the QUICK
FIND automatically switches to a filename find. This switching
allows users to set up directories containing files which are
all of the same type and still be able to use QUICK FIND to
advantage. QUICK FIND is disabled if you have selected any sort
other than file/ext or ext/file.
Pressing a letter key more than once will cause the cursor
to go to the next file starting with that letter and so on until
the last file is found. Pressing the same letter key twice on
the last file will cause the cursor to again go to the first
file and start back down the list.
Valid keys for the QUICK FIND are A-Z.
> The number keys; 1,2,3 etc. <
The number keys allow the StS user to select the disk
drive for display in the hooked window. Upon execution, StS
requests drive information from DOS and assigns the number keys 1-
9 to access the correct drive letters. The keys are assigned as
1=A: 2=B: etc. If you press an unassigned number key StS will
respond with a beep.
2-7
Pressing a number key will change the hooked window to the
drive specified. The user can change the other side ( the
un-hooked side ) by using <1,2,3,etc.>. Users with more
drives than are accessible with the number keys may select these
drives from the DOS menu.
> The number keys; 1,2,3 etc. <
The combination of and the number keys 1,2,3, etc.
will allow the user to change the un_hooked file window to
another drive. This is a very important feature due to one of
the idiosyncrasies of stereo windows. If you have a window
pointed at say, a blank, formatted floppy disk, there is no way
to hook to that window because it is totally blank. Pressing
1,2,3 will allow the user to change the drive of that
window without ever hooking to it. A good way to remember this
command is to always think of the un-hooked window as the
alternate window and hence key controlled.
Users with more drives than are accessible with the number
keys may select these drives from the DOS menu.
> The space bar. <
The space bar will mark or unmark (tag) a file for
subsequent copy or erase activity. The marked file is indicated
by a small diamond displayed at the end of the filename
extension.
The space bar also serves a function in the Chg. dir.
window. If pressed while the cursor is in the Chg. dir. window
StS will display a tree structure of the drive.
> The Ins. and Del. keys. <
The insert and delete keys will instantly mark or un-mark
all files in a directory window.
The Ins. & Del. keys also serve a function in the Chg. dir.
window. If pressed while the cursor is in the Chg. dir. window
StS will display a tree structure of the drive.
> The backspace and asterisk keys < (executable file filter)
The backspace or asterisk key will instantly filter out all
the "trash" files in a sub-directory and leave the display showing
only the executable files with extensions of .EXE, .COM, .BAT, and
.BTM. This is useful for quickly locating programs to run and
eliminating the data files. This is a toggle function, push the
key to again show all files.
2-8
> The [Alt] [C] key. < (4DOS(tm) file comment system)
This key pair will display any existing file comment which
may then be edited by the user. If no file comment exists,
a comment may be created and saved via this entry system.
Stereo Shell maintains the file comments in a normally
hidden file named DESCRIPT.ION in the same sub-dir. as the
files being commented. File descriptions are moved, copied,
renamed, deleted, etc. as the operations are carried out on
the files themselves. The Stereo Shell file comment system
is 100% 4DOS (tm) compatible and has been implemented with
the permission of JP Software the creators of 4DOS. 4DOS
is not required to use the StS file comment system.
> The [Alt] [D] key. < (DOS command/gateway)
This key pair will open a dialogue window which will allow
the user to either execute a DOS command directly or to
"gateway" to DOS. Entering nothing on the command line
will open the gateway. The drive/directory that will be
considered "current" by DOS when the command is issued is
displayed in the window.
> The [Alt] [E] key. < (enhanced display)
This key pair will switch the StS display resolution on
MCGA, EGA, or VGA equipped systems. Three modes are sup-
ported on the MCGA and VGA, two are available on the EGA.
> The [Alt] [H] key. < (help)
This key pair will load the user defined StS help file and
display it with the viewer. The location and name of the
help file may be defined in the StS setup.
> The [Alt] [Q] key. < (quit)
This key pair is the fastest way to exit from StS. When
pressed, this key combination will return the user to DOS
and restore the drive/directory that was current when StS
was executed.
> The [Alt] [R] key. < (reset)
This key pair will reset the right side to the work dir.
> The [Alt] [S] key. < (setup)
This key pair will run StS's integrated external setup
program. The setup program must reside somewhere in the
DOS path and its name must match the version of StS. For
example the setup program for StS version 4.10 would be
STSET410.EXE
2-9
> The [Alt] [T] key. < (time check)
This key combination will toggle the hooked window display
mode between size/date and date/time mode. The window mode
for each window can be saved by saving the setup with
the windows set as desired.
>> Sub-Sec. 2.3.3 THE COMMAND KEYS
________________________________________________________________
The command keys open an StS menu. This section outlines
the use of the command keys.
> The Enter key <
The carriage return or enter key is used to select a file
or directory. In the case of a directory selection, StS will
immediately change and display the new directory in the hooked
window, and any associated sub-directories in the Chg. Dir.
sidebar area. In the case of a file selection, StS will open
the appropriate menu to work with that file based on the filename
extension. A .ZIP or .ARC file opens the compression menu. A
.EXE .COM or .BAT file opens the EXE COM BAT window. And the
selection of any other file extension opens the GENERAL file menu.
> [F1], [+], or [Esc] keys <
Pressing the F1, +, or Esc. keys opens the DOS menu. The
DOS window is described in detail in the following sections, but
for now, this is how it is accessed.
It was decided to use so many keys to do this job for
several reasons. F1 and Esc. are the keys most users
instinctively think of as the method to escape from, or get help
in using, a program. So, they were both used here. F1 has the
added nicety of being the first command in the DOS window,
namely, EXIT to DOS. By pressing F1 repeatedly the user can
quickly exit from StS. The plus key was chosen for its location.
Since most keyboards have a large plus key located near the
numeric keypad (cursor control) area, using the plus key as a
substitute for Esc. allows one handed operation of StS.
The plus key works as a replacement for Esc. everywhere in StS
except when the program is prompting for a filename. Since the
user has full cursor control, an ENTER key, and a plus key, all
located in one bundle on the standard keyboard, the user can
almost operate StS with just one hand.
2-10
> The other active function keys <
Several other function keys are active when StS is in
file selection mode. Here is a description of their functions.
[F2] Function key F2 calls either the marked file option menu or
a marking criteria menu depending on whether there were
files marked when F2 was pressed. The marking criteria
menu will allow the user to define how files in the window
are to be marked. This menu is discussed in more detail
later in this document. The marked file option menu will
allow the user to to move, copy, erase, etc. files that
have been tagged.
[F3] Function key F3 will open a menu of possible sort types
from which the user may select. Upon selection of a sort
type the file window is re-sorted and displayed.
[F4] Function key F4 will immediately open the user defined
file utility menu which will allow you to select a
pre-defined utility program to run. Please see part 1 for
information on defining these utilities.
[F5] Function key F5 will immediately execute the user defined
edit utility program, passing to it, the filename beneath
the cursor. Please see part 1 for information on defining
this utility.
[F6] Function key F6 will immediately execute the internal
view utility program. The Stereo Shell view utility will
analyze the filename extension and appear either in HEX
mode or ASCII mode. Pressing the space bar will switch
modes. Please see the later section on StS view.
[F7] Function key F7 will allow the user to move a file to any
other directory. When F7 is pressed, the lower screen
will be overlaid with a dialogue box requesting that the
user enter a new path filename to move to. The currently
selected file will be displayed in the top left corner
of the box window. If only a path is specified, the file
will be moved to the new location using the same name.
If a new name is specified, the file will be moved and
renamed in one operation.
* * * As a special feature of StS, if nothing is
specified, and the user simply presses ENTER, the file
is moved between the currently displayed windows. If
the user is in the left window the file will be moved to
the right window and vice-versa. Pressing Esc. while
being prompted for input will cancel the operation.
2-11
[F8] Function key F8 will allow the user to rename a file.
When F8 is pressed, the lower screen will be overlaid with
a dialogue box requesting the new filename. The currently
selected file will be displayed in the top left corner
of the box window. * * * F8 also serves as a move file
command. If a valid path is entered without a filename
then the file is simply moved to the new location. If a
path and filename are entered, the file is both moved and
renamed in one operation! If only the filename is given,
the file is simply renamed. Pressing Esc. while being
prompted for input will cancel the operation. F8 can also
be used to rename directories if using DOS 3.00+.
[F9] Function key F9 will allow the user to copy a file to any
drive or directory. When F9 is pressed, the lower screen
will be overlaid with a dialogue box requesting that the
user enter a new [d:] [path] [filename.ext]. The current-
ly selected file will be displayed in the top left
corner of the box window. If only a drive or path is
specified the file will be copied to the new location
under the same name. If a new name is specified, the
copy of the file will use the specified name.
* * * As a special feature of StS, if nothing is
specified, and the user simply presses ENTER, the file
is copied between the currently displayed windows. If
the user is in the left window the file will be copied to
the right window and vice-versa. Pressing Esc. while
being prompted for input will cancel the operation.
[F10] Function key F10 is the erase file command. This key
prompts for confirmation of the erase. Please see the
next function for a more efficient way to erase files.
[Alt] [F10] The key combination of Alt. F10 will erase the
file or directory under the cursor! In the case of a
file the operation simply "zaps" the file. If this
key is used to delete a directory entry, the directory
must be empty or StS will report the error and the
directory will not be removed. Please note that a two
key combination was used for this function to prevent
accidental erasure of files.
>> Sub-Sec. 2.3.4 MOUSE CONTROL
________________________________________________________________
Stereo Shell includes a built in mouse interface. To use
your mouse, a Microsoft compatible mouse driver is all that is
required. See your mouse documentation for information on how to
load the mouse driver.
2-12
The StS mouse interface emulates various keyboard keys to
provide user control. The key emulations are outlined below.
Left button:...... Same as key.
Right button:..... Same as key.
Both buttons:..... Same as . Hold to repeat.
Roll away:........ Same as key.
Roll toward:...... Same as key.
Roll left:........ Same as key.
Roll right:....... Same as
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