Dec 272017
 
File and Subdirectory deletion program. Easy and fast.
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File and Subdirectory deletion program. Easy and fast.
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ZDEL.TXT 27862 6974 deflated

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Contents of the ZDEL.TXT file









***********************************************************
* *
* *
* zDEL 1.00 *
* *
* December 8, 1990 *
* *
* *
* *
* User's Manual *
* *
* *
* *
* Copyright (c) 1990 Paul McLaughlin *
* *
***********************************************************

zDEL 1.00

zDEL.TXT TABLE OF CONTENTS page 1 of 12
===========================================================

1 Taking zDEL for a Test Drive . . . . . . 2
2 Function of zDEL . . . . . . . . . . 2
3 zDEL License Agreement . . . . . . . . 2
4 Why Register? . . . . . . . . . . . 3
5 zDEL Registration . . . . . . . . . . 4
6 Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
7 Command Line Syntax . . . . . . . . . 5
8 The Drive and Path Parameters . . . . . . 5
9 Using a Filespec . . . . . . . . . . 6
10 Use of Command Line Switches . . . . . . 6
10.1 Attribute Switch . . . . . . . . . . 6
10.1.1 The Hidden File Attribute . . . . . . . 7
10.1.2 The System File Attribute . . . . . . . 7
10.1.3 The Read Only File Attribute . . . . . . 7
10.2 File Handling Switch . . . . . . . . . 7
10.2.1 Confirm File Deletion . . . . . . . . 7
10.2.2 Hide Reported File and Directory Names . . . 8
10.3 Keep Starting Directory Switch . . . . . 8
10.4 Recurse Subdirectories Switch . . . . . . 8
10.4.1 Confirm Subdirectory Removal . . . . . . 8
10.4.2 Keep All Subdirectories . . . . . . . . 8
10.4.3 Prune Subdirectories . . . . . . . . . 9
10.5 Directory Select Switch . . . . . . . . 9
10.6 Warning Messages Switch . . . . . . . . 9
10.7 ZDELCMD Override Switch . . . . . . . . 9
11 Using the ZDELCMD Environment Variable . . . 9
12 Examples Using zDEL . . . . . . . . . 10
13 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . 12

zDEL.TXT page 2 of 12
===========================================================

1 Taking zDEL for a Test Drive
-------------------------------------

zDEL deletes files and subdirectories. That's its
purpose. Deleting information has the potential to be very
dangerous. To test zDEL, TEST IT ON A FLOPPY. Use a
floppy disk that has no valuable information on it, or copy
another disk and use it as a testing diskette.

Please read the rest of this file, because it contains
information on how to use and register zDEL. You can type
"zDEL /?" to request the zDEL usage syntax.

zDEL is shareware, not public domain.


2 Function of zDEL
-------------------------

The purpose of zDEL is to provide MS-DOS users with a
more powerful and efficient tool to delete files and
subdirectories with.

zDEL does everything the ERASE or DEL commands do, and
much more. zDEL offers the ability to search for hidden,
system, and read only files. A new, more advanced pattern
matching algorithm is used by zDEL. The ability to recurse
through directories is possible with zDEL. You can recurse
directories with a specific filespec too. You can even
pick which subdirectories you want to recurse into.

And just for added safety, zDEL has the ability to
prompt you for permission to delete a file and/or
subdirectory. This gives you the power to choose which
files you want to delete and skip over the ones you want to
keep. And for all of you nervous people out there, zDEL
has the potential to give warning message after warning
message; all of which can be bypassed by a switch in the
command line. Unless you specify otherwise, zDEL will
always let you know what it is going to do BEFORE it does
anything.


3 zDEL License Agreement
-------------------------------

By using zDEL, you have agreed to the terms of license
stated in this section. "Using" zDEL is defined as
personally deciding to use zDEL after the testing procedure
discussed in section 1 has been completed and you agree to
register zDEL as discussed in section 5 of this file.

zDEL.TXT page 3 of 12
===========================================================

zDEL is intended for one copy per machine. If you have
a need for a site license, you may obtain the contract
by mailing your request to the address shown in section 5.
Include in your request the number of machines you require
to have zDEL on. Below is the breakdown of percentage
discounts:

1 to 50 machines - 0% discount (no discount)
51 to 100 machines - 10% discount
101 to 500 machines - 20% discount
501 to 1000 machines - 30% discount
1001+ machines - 40% discount

Discounts are based off regular purchase price for each
level of discount. In other words, if you needed zDEL to
be used on 150 machines, your cost would breakdown to be
the following:

Example: 175 machine zDEL contract purchase

cost1 = $5 * 50 * (1 - .00)
cost2 = $5 * 50 * (1 - .10)
cost3 = $5 * 75 * (1 - .20)

Total = cost1 + cost2 + cost3, or
$775 = $250 + $225 + $300

A savings of 100 dollars. All monitary values are in
U.S. Dollars.

zDEL is shareware, not public domain.


4 Why Register?
----------------------

When you register, it lets me know that people are using
zDEL. Registration is also an excellent time to write
comments and/or suggestions concerning zDEL. Without your
comments, improving zDEL is much harder, because I don't
know what people would like me to improve or add.

If you follow the registration procedure in the
following section, and an update to zDEL is made available,
you will pay the same price for the zDEL utility you
registered with to register the new version of zDEL. For
example, if you registered 1 copy of zDEL 1.00, you will
need to pay $5. If in the future zDEL X.xx is made
available for $8, you will only have to pay $5 with proof
of your name and your alias.

zDEL is shareware, not public domain.

zDEL.TXT page 4 of 12
===========================================================


5 zDEL Registration
--------------------------

zDEL is a commercial copyrighted program protected by
both U.S. and international copyright law. You are
authorized to use and evaluate zDEL for a limited time
without charge.

Because zDEL is distributed as shareware, you are able
try zDEL out before you purchase it. If you are pleased
with zDEL and plan to use zDEL, you need to register. If
you find zDEL does not satisfy your needs, you are under no
obligation to register zDEL, yet I would be very interested
about what zDEL lacks so that I may improve the product.

To register zDEL, you must send a minimum of the amount
discussed in section 3 taken from the table in the same
section. Send no cash. Send check or money order to the
address below or to the address that appears in the zDEL
syntax quick help by typing zDEL /? at the DOS prompt.

Paul McLaughlin
4725 NE 10th
Portland, OR 97211

Make fees payable to the above name.

If you follow the registration procedure in this
section, and an update to zDEL is made available, you will
pay the same price for the zDEL utility you registered with
to register the new version of zDEL. For example, if you
registered 1 copy of zDEL 1.00, you will need to pay $5.
If in the future zDEL X.xx is made available for $8, you
will only have to pay $5 with proof of your name and your
alias. This applies to site licenses as well.

zDEL may be freely copied and distrubuted for evaluation
provided the following rules are followed:

* The program (zDEL.EXE) and this documentation are
not modified in any way, shape, or form.

* A copy of this documentation (zDEL.TXT) and the
file WARNING.TXT must be provided with each copy
of the program zDEL.EXE.

* A user may use zDEL for 2 weeks (14 days) before
paying the required registration fee. If zDEL
is used after the 14 day evaluation period, an
obligation to register and pay the registration
fee is incurred.

zDEL.TXT page 5 of 12
===========================================================

Your registration is greatly appreciated and keeps alive
efforts to improve a product, such as zDEL.


6 Disclaimer
-------------------

The accuracy of the information within this document and
fitness of the zDEL program for any purpose may change
without notice, and should not be considered as a
commitment of any kind.

I make no warranties either expressed or implied as to
the suitablility, performance, or side effects of this
product. Use at your own risk.

To test zDEL, read section 1.


7 Command Line Syntax
----------------------------

The command line syntax appears when you type "zDEL /?"
or "zDEL -?" at the DOS prompt. The syntax is shown below:

zDEL [][][] [-A] [-F]
[-K] [-O] [-Q,-W] [-R] [-S]]]

Reading the syntax requires that you know what the
symbols mean. The symbols used in the command line syntax
and their meanings are listed below:

[] The parameter(s) between square brackets are
optional.
<> The parameter(s) between the LT and GT symbols are
required.
space A space is required.
, A comma means pick ONE in the list.
| A shepherd stroke means pick AT LEAST one. You
may select others.

The command line is not case sensitive.


8 The Drive and Path Parameters
--------------------------------------

The parameter is optional. You would use this
parameter if you wanted to delete files from a disk or
partition that was different from your current working
drive or partition. You must use the drive letter and the
':' for this parameter.

zDEL.TXT page 6 of 12
===========================================================

The parameter is optional. The path is the
pathname of where to start looking for the file(s) you
specified in the parameter. If you want to
delete from a root directory, and you are not currently in
the root directory, you must provide the '\' symbol for the
path.


9 Using a Filespec
-------------------------

A filespec is used as a pattern to match file names
against. You could just type an existing filename, and
zDEL will only find that file. With the use of wildcards
'*' and '?', you can instruct zDEL to use the pattern
matching rules listed below:

'*' - Match any amount of characters in the FILENAME
up to and including the next non-wildcard
character in the FILESPEC.

'?' - Match with a valid character in the filename.
It should be noted that this wildcard does NOT
match with a non existing character in the
filename. For example, "*.???" does NOT match
the file "test.c" but does match the file
"test.bak".

zDEL's method of pattern matching is NOT the same as the
one used in MS-DOS. You will find zDEL's method much more
flexible and powerful. This was intended to be a new
feature. Experiment on a floppy disk first, please.


10 Use of Command Line Switches
-------------------------------------

There are eight switches that you may use with zDEL.
They are "-A", "-F", "-K", "-O", "-Q" (or "-W"), "-R", and
"-S". They are all optional in the command line.


10.1 Attribute Switch
-------------------------

The attribute switch allow you to search for hidden,
system, or read only attributes in a file. You must choose
one if you supply zDEL with the "-A" switch, but you may
have more than one at a time. For example, "-Ahs" searches
for files that contain hidden or system file attributes.

zDEL.TXT page 7 of 12
===========================================================

Note, however, that the 'h', 's', and 'r' flags will
find all normal files also (files that have only the
archive bit set). Furthermore, the switch "-Ah" will NOT
find a file that has the hidden AND the system attribute or
the read only attribute set. In contrast, the "-Ahs"
switch WILL find a file that has only the system attribute
set.


10.1.1 The Hidden File Attribute
----------------------------------

If you want to search for files that contain only the
hidden file attribute, you must tell zDEL by appending an
'h' to the "-A" switch. This gives you "-Ah" as a minimum.


10.1.2 The System File Attribute
----------------------------------

If you want to search for files that contain only the
system file attribute, append an 's' to the "-A" switch.
This gives you "-As" as a minimum.


10.1.3 The Read Only File Attribute
-------------------------------------

If you need to find files that contain the read only
attribute, append an 'r' to the "-A" switch, thus giving
"-Ar" as a minimum.


10.2 File Handling Switch
-----------------------------

This switch tells zDEL what to do when it comes across a
file that matches your filespec. By default (without
specifying the "-F" switch), zDEL will automatically delete
files without your confirmation.


10.2.1 Confirm File Deletion
------------------------------

Supplying zDEL with a "-Fc" means that for every time
zDEL finds a file that matches your filespec, you will be
asked whether or not you wish to delete the file.

zDEL.TXT page 8 of 12
===========================================================

10.2.2 Hide Reported File and Directory Names
-----------------------------------------------

If you put "-Fh" as a switch, zDEL will not display the
name of the file it found that matches the filespec. This
will also tell zDEL not to show any subdirectories it's
deleting, unless the "-Rc" switch is supplied as well.

If a "-Rc" and a "-Fh" are in the command line,
confirmation will always have precedence. The effect here
is all deleted files will not be displayed on the screen,
but subdirectory names will be, and there will be an
accompanying confirmation question with them.


10.3 Keep Starting Directory Switch
---------------------------------------

By default, zDEL will try to delete the path you specify
in the command line. If you do not wish this to occur,
supply the "-K" switch in the command line.


10.4 Recurse Subdirectories Switch
--------------------------------------

One of the most powerful abilities of zDEL is that it
can search through a directory tree for files that match
your filespec.


10.4.1 Confirm Subdirectory Removal
-------------------------------------

If an "-Rc" is in the command line, each time zDEL wants
to delete a subdirectory, it asks you permission to do so.


10.4.2 Keep All Subdirectories
--------------------------------

Sometimes, you may need to delete all the files from a
directory tree, but keep the directory tree intact. The
"-Rk" switch tells zDEL to perform this task.

Another use for this switch is if you are deleting
selective files from the directory tree; like if you used
*.tmp as your filespec.

zDEL.TXT page 9 of 12
===========================================================

10.4.3 Prune Subdirectories
-----------------------------

If you want to delete subdirectories automatically as
you are recursively searching a directory tree for files to
delete, put a "-Rp" switch in the command line. zDEL will
then delete all subdirectories that it recurses out of (on
its way back up), if that subdirectory is empty.


10.5 Directory Select Switch
--------------------------------

Inserting the "-S" switch into the command line will
tell zDEL that each time it finds a directory, it must ask
you whether or not you would like to descend into it.

You must also have one of the three "-R" switches in
order for this switch to work.


10.6 Warning Messages Switch
--------------------------------

This switch was intended to let more experienced users
bypass the warning messages. Please use with caution.

The "-W" (or "-Q" for quiet) switch will suppress ALL
warning messages that appear prior to letting zDEL search
your disk.


10.7 ZDELCMD Override Switch
--------------------------------

This switch overrides the switches defined by the
ZDELCMD envirnoment variable. You will need to use this
switch if you do not want to use the switches defined in
the ZDELCMD environment variable and you supply zDEL with
only the file parameter.


11 Using the ZDELCMD Environment Variable
-----------------------------------------------

ZDELCMD is an environment variable that zDEL looks for
everytime you type zDEL with a drive, path, filespec, or a
combination of. ZDELCMD is ignored if you supply any
command line switches. If ZDELCMD does not exist, zDEL
behaves just like normal.

zDEL.TXT page 10 of 12
===========================================================

ZDELCMD is used for switches. If you find yourself
typing a common set of switches often, set ZDELCMD to that
string of switches. With ZDELCMD set to these switches,
all you need type is zDEL along with the file parameter.

You can override ZDELCMD by two methods:

* Use the desired switches on the command line that
apply to your desired command.

* Use the "-O" override ZDELCMD switch

Below is an example of setting up and using ZDELCMD with
zDEL. Do not actually type the quotation marks. Type this
at the DOS prompt.

1. type "set ZDELCMD=-Fc -Rk"
2. type "set" to verify ZDELCMD is correct
3. type "zDEL" with an appropriate file parameter
ex.- "zDEL d:\*.tmp"

To remove ZDELCMD from the environment list, type the
following at the DOS prompt:

1. type "set ZDELCMD="
2. type "set" to verify it's deleted


12 Examples Using zDEL
----------------------------

This section is intended to show common uses of zDEL and
what you need to type in the command line to make zDEL
perform the action. This section is not a comprehensive
usage guide for zDEL, but it should get you familiar with
zDEL.

Note: In all of these examples, zDEL is assumed to be
in a directory that is in your PATH environment variable.

Example 1
---------
Lets say you would like to install Microsoft Windows
3.0. You would like to delete all files and subdirectories
under your existing C:\WIN386 directory. You want to
remove the C:\WIN386 directory as well. You could type the
following from anywhere:

zDEL c:\win386

zDEL.TXT page 11 of 12
===========================================================

Example 2
---------
You want to delete all the files off your D: hard drive
partition that have the ".BAK" extension. You could type
the following from anywhere:

zDEL d:\*.bak -Rk

Example 3
---------
Say you're on floppy drive A: and you are just about
ready to install Microsoft C 6.00. You've backed up all
your source code and want to delete all files and
subdirectories in the C:\C510 directory. You don't want to
see any warning messages. You could type the following
from the A: drive:

zDEL c:\c510 -Rp -W

Example 4
---------
You would like to delete several different types of
files (ones that a filespec would not be useful for) from
your current working directory. You could type the
following to browse through your current working directory:

zDEL *.* -Fc

Example 5
---------
If you would like to delete all of the normal, hidden,
system, and read only files from the root directory of the
B: drive without any warning messages, you could type the
following from the B: drive:

zDEL b:\*.* -Ahsr -Q

DANGER: Deleting files that have these attributes could
potentially be dangerous. The above command with
c:\ instead of b:\ would remove the system files
from the c: hard drive that are CRITICAL for
operation of your computer.

zDEL.TXT page 12 of 12
===========================================================

Example 6
---------
You want to delete everything from your ram-drive E:.
You want to confirm the removal of each subdirectory.
Furthermore, you would like all files to be deleted but not
shown on the screen. You could type the following:

zDEL e:\ -Rc -Fh

Example 7
---------
You wish to see the command line syntax and switch
definitions of zDEL. You could type either of the
following:

zDEL
zDEL /?
zDEL -?

Example 8
---------
You have the ZDELCMD environment variable set so that
it reads "ZDELCMD=-Ahsr -Rk -Q" when you type SET at the
DOS prompt. You would now like to make zDEL use this
environment variable. Type the following from anywhere:

zDEL ex.- zDEL \*.bak


13 Acknowledgements
-------------------------

Special thanks goes out to Curt Palmer and Charles
Kindel, Jr. for helping me with various aspects of
engineering zDEL. Without your invaluable critiques, zDEL
would not have been.

zDEL is written in Microsoft C 6.00A.

MS-DOS, and Windows are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation.



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