Category : Utilities for DOS and Windows Machines
Archive   : AM108.ZIP
Filename : AM.DOC

ArcMaster 10.8

Copyright 1987-1995

All Rights Reserved

New-Ware Shareware Products
8050 Camino Kiosco
San Diego, CA 92122
(619) 455-6225












Contents


1 Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 What is ArcMaster? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3 Archive Systems Needed to Operate AM . . . . . . . . . . 2
4 About Shareware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
5 How To Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
6 The New-Ware BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
7 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
8 Prohibition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
9 Version History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
10 Distribution Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
11 ArcMaster Program Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
12 Starting ArcMaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
13 The User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
13.1 Operating from the Main Display . . . . . . . . . . 11
13.2 On-line Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
13.3 Tagging Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
13.4 Dialog Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
13.5 The Mouse Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
13.6 Positioning Windows/Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
14 Keyboard Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
14.1 Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
14.2 Alt+Key Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
14.3 Ctrl+Key Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
14.4 Other Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
15 Configuring ArcMaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
15.1 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
15.2 Anti-virus Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
15.3 Start-up Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
15.4 The ArcMaster Work Directory . . . . . . . . . . . 20
15.5 The Log Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
15.6 The Compression Program Directory . . . . . . . . . 22
15.7 Password Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
15.8 Editor, Browser, and Scan Names . . . . . . . . . . 22
15.9 Setting Editor Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
16 Viewing Archive File Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
16.1 Multiple Compressed File Viewers . . . . . . . . . 24
16.2 Browsing a Compressed File . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
16.3 Editing A Compressed File . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
16.4 Creating/Editing a ZIP File Comment . . . . . . . . 24



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17 ARJ Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
17.1 PKZIP List File Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
17.2 PKZIP Backup Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
18 The AM Internal File Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
19 The AM Internal Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
20 AM Use of the Overlay File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
21 AM Use of Extended/Expanded Memory . . . . . . . . . . . 28
22 Running AM with NDOS or 4DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
23 Search Menu (Alt+S) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
24 Program Menu (Ctrl+X) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
25 Formatting Disks with AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
26 Registering AM (Alt+R) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29







































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1 Disclaimer


New-Ware hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this product,
whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied
warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. New-Ware
cannot and will not be liable for any special, incidental, consequential,
indirect or similar damages due to loss of data or any other reason, even if
New-Ware or an authorized New-Ware agent has been advised of the possibility
of such damages. In no event shall the liability for any damages ever
exceed the price paid for the license to use software, regardless of the
form and/or extent of the claim. The user of this program bears all risk as
to the quality and performance of the software.


2 What is ArcMaster?


The name ArcMaster is short for the term Archive Master where the word
archive means a place where documents and/or records are kept. In the
modern world of personal computing, these documents and records are
maintained in computer files. These files are frequently compressed and
grouped together in archive files by special compression systems such as
ARJ, LHA, UC2, and ZIP. All of these special programs are operated from the
DOS command line and require the entry of numerous and varied command line
switches in order to maximize their utility.

ArcMaster, hereafter known as AM, is an compression system control
system. It provides a powerful, easy to use interface that removes the
burden of remembering all the various command line switches and options that
may be used with archiving programs. In addition, AM is a flexible DOS
shell that provides numerous ways in which the user can maintain and
manipulate his/her DOS directory and file structures.

AM may be used as a stand-alone program in its useful role as a DOS
shell, but in order to manipulate compressed archive files the user must
have present in his/her system at least one of the supported archive
programs. A list of supported compression/decompression archive programs
appears in the next section.


3 Archive Systems Needed to Operate AM


You will need at least one of the following archive systems in order to
utilize the full capabilities of AM.

ARJ from Robert K. Jung - ARJ230.XXX



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Robert Jung
2606 Village Road West
Norwood, Massachusetts 02062

LHA from Haruyasu Yoshizaki - LHA213.XXX
This program is free.

UltraCompressor II from AIP-NL - UCINS.EXE
AIP-NL
P.O. Box 1432
3430 BK Nieuwegein
The Netherlands

ZIP from PKWARE - PKZ204G.XXX
PKWARE Inc.
9025 North Deerwood Drive
Brown Deer, WI 53223-2437

The file names following the program identifiers reflect the current
versions. Please note the .XXX file extension is given because these will
vary from location to location. Many are distributed in compressed
executable (.EXE) format and some are distributed in the PkWare .ZIP format.
You can find these marvelous programs on just about any computer bulletin
board system (BBS) or commercial on-line access system such as Compuserve
Information Service (CIS) or Genie. All of these programs may be accessed
from the New-Ware BBS. Please see the chapter on the New-Ware BBS in this
document.

AM supports several utilities designed for the specific purpose of
compressing executable (EXE) files. These utilities serve to compress an
EXE file but allow the compressed file to be executed normally from DOS.
Their trick is that they insert code into the start of the target EXE file
that decompresses it as it loads into memory for execution. AM supports the
following utilities of that type:

LZEXE from Fabrice Bellard
This program is free

PKLITE from PkWare
PKWARE Inc.
9025 North Deerwood Drive
Brown Deer, WI 53223-2437

DIET from Teddy Matsumoto
This program is free

While not necessary, the user should also have available a file browse
utility as an alternative to the built in AM browser. The browser is used



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to view/browse the contents of normal files and compressed files that reside
inside an archive. AM can be configured to use any file browser that
accepts a file path name on its command line and the internal browser can
handle files of any size.

It is important to note the version numbers given above. AM currently
supports all version numbers listed above. Features in earlier versions are
likely not to be supported and new features in later versions may not be
supported.

It is mandatory that all supported program files reside in a directory
that is identified in the "CompDir:" field in the AM configuration dialog.
If no directory is entered in this field, you will have to ensure that ALL
supported program files reside on the DOS path. If you do not understand
the DOS PATH, please read PATHINFO.TXT.


4 About Shareware


AM is Shareware. ARJ, UC2, ZIP, and LIST are also Shareware.
Shareware is NOT free. It is computer software offered for sale at a set
price and the only real difference between Shareware and other commercial
software products is the method of distribution and the important "try
before you buy" feature. With Shareware you are normally licensed by the
owner/author of the program to operate the Shareware distribution copy on a
trial basis. Then if you like it and make regular use of it, you are bound
to pay for it.

Users are licensed to operate ArcMaster on their personal computers for
the purpose of test and evaluation on a trial basis for a limited trial
period. It is not possible to reasonably define any definitive limits of a
fair and equitable time period for evaluation, therefore it is left to the
user's judgment and sense of fair play as to the time required to make a
decision as to its usefulness. If the user decides the program is not of
sufficient merit to warrant purchase through registration with New-Ware, the
program should be removed from his or her personal computer. Otherwise, if
the program is deemed useful and is in regular use on the user's personal
computer system, registration with New-Ware is required.

Registered users are those users that elect to pay for AM and register
that payment with New-Ware. By virtue of registration and payment for the
program, registered users are granted a license to continue to utilize the
program on their personal computer for as long as they choose. This license
authorizes the user to use the program on any personal computer system he or
she may own so long as the program is operated on only one computer system
at a time.




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Site licenses for use of ArcMaster on multiple computers are available
upon request at a reduced fee that is based on the number of single machines
licensed for use.


5 How To Register


There is no functional difference between the Shareware distribution
version of AM and the registered version save the absence of the opening and
closing Shareware screens in the registered version.

The price of AM is $35.00. You may register AM in one of three ways:

1) By mail with check or money order to:

New-Ware
8050 Camino Kiosco
San Diego, CA 92122-1820

2) By telephone with Visa/Mastercard to:

New-Ware
(619) 455-6225
Business hours ONLY please!
Monday thru Friday 8 am to 5 pm Pacific Time
Saturday 8 am to 1 pm Pacific Time

3) Electronically through the New-Ware BBS:

New-Ware BBS
PC Board
(619) 455-5226
24 Hours per day
7 Days per week

4) French users with no Visa/MasterCard may register via

DP Tool Club
B.P. 745
99 rue Parmentier
59657 Villenueve D'asq
FRANCE
33-20.05.35.66

Special site license rates for licensing multiple copies of ArcMaster
are available. Please contact New-Ware for site license per copy schedule
information.



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Foreign (non-US/Canada) orders must include a $2.00 special handling
fee in addition to the $35.00 registration fee. Also, no checks on banks
located outside the United States will be accepted.

California residents MUST include state sales tax with their order.

The Shareware version of ArcMaster and ONLY the Shareware version may
be freely copied and passed on to other individual users for their
evaluation. Disk vendors and/or distributors that desire to distribute
ArcMaster must adhere to the guidelines presented in VENDOR.DOC.

Press Alt+R to invoke an interactive registration form dialog. All
pertinent information may be entered into the dialog and then sent to the
printed as a registration form.

Upgrades to later versions are available to registered users on the
New-Ware BBS at no cost. Access to the BBS is a privilege granted by New-
Ware that may be revoked at any time for any reason. Those who request
upgrades via telephone or mail must remit a $5.00 charge for an upgrade.


6 The New-Ware BBS


New-Ware Shareware Products BBS

(619) 455-5226 - 1200/2400/9600/14400 PPI 14000FXMT

The New-Ware Shareware Products BSS operates 24 hours per day, 7 days
per week. Node #1 is dedicated to registered users only. Nodes #2 is open
to all callers. Users registering via the BBS receive access to the latest
registered version within 1 day after leaving their credit card data. Users
who register by mail or phone may also access the registered version by BBS,
but you MUST log on and leave a comment to the sysop to the effect that you
are a registered user and desire access. The author can also be contacted
on CIS via PPN 71535,665 (please use EMAIL).

The latest versions of all programs that are supported or used by AM
may be obtained via the BBS. The BBS also serves as an avenue for product
support. You may report problems or ask questions about the operation of AM
via the message facility of the BBS.


7 System Requirements


AM may be operated on any IBM PC/XT/AT/PS2 or compatible running under
DOS 3.0 and above and an 80286 or better CPU is required. The amount of DOS



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memory required to operate AM will vary dynamically and will generally be a
function of the number of files in each of the main windows. AM is very
efficient and should operate with no problems in all but the leanest memory
environment.

All monitor and graphics cards are supported, including "composite" (2
color) monitors and backlit laptop screens. If difficulty with a laptop is
encountered, start AM with the "/M" parameter. When executed, AM will
automatically switch to current screen mode and adjust to the current
vertical screen height and upon exit to DOS it will restore the original
video state. EGA/VGA users may toggle between the normal 25 line and the
43/50 line mode while running AM and AM may be configured to be forced into
the 43/50 line mode at run-time.

Mouse support is automatically provided if a mouse driver is present in
the system. Any dot matrix or laser printer may be used for printing file
directory listings. The printer must be capable of printing IBM line draw
characters if the directory tree is to be legibly printed.

AM is designed primarily for use with one or more hard drives.
Starting and operating AM from a 5 1/4" 360K drive is not recommended
because of the lack of disk space for temporary files, etc. A multiple 3
1/2" 720K/1.4M or 5 1/4" 1.2M system will probably be okay, but a hard drive
is the best way to go.


8 Prohibition


ArcMaster is released as a single-user product. It is PROHIBITED for
ArcMaster to be utilized as a file access program or file retrieval system
for a CD-ROM disk. The Shareware version of ArcMaster may be included in a
CD-ROM Shareware file collection, but it may NOT be used as the means for
the buyer and user of such a CD-ROM disk to access the files on that disk.
This means that the distributor of the CD-ROM must NOT provide any
instructions or directions to the effect that ArcMaster is to be used in
accessing the files on the disk.


9 Version History


Version 10.1

- Fixed command label confusion (Alt+O/C) problem in the compressed
file viewer.
- Added "Print File" command to the internal viewer menu.
- Fixed problem with showing compression ratio when viewing UC2 files.



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- Fixed problem with tag ops showing 0 bytes for all tagged files.
- Fixed problem when using the refreshing command ("*") when operating
on a floppy disk.
- Fixed UC2 typos and added "Incremental" and "Subdirs" options to the
UC2 decompression dialog.
- Fixed disabling of the mask feature when no matching files present.
- Files were not being removed from the temporary directory after
conversion to UC2.
- Fixed a bug that prevented proper manipulation of a file after it
had been renamed in AM.

Version 10.2

- Fixed bug in the "From Top" directory tree option operation.
- Incorporated support for the use of AIP-NL UCRYPT, USEAL, and USAFE
programs for use with UC2 files.
- Added color configuration of the top message line and the bottom
status lines.

Version 10.3

- Added single command (Ctrl+F10) FILE_ID.DIZ search and display.
Will search ARJ/LZH/UC2/ZIP file for FILE_ID.DIZ and display it if
it exists.
- Added support for UUENCODE/UUDECODE the binary file coding
system that is used widely on the Internet.
- The registered version is now supplied with a superb GIF file
viewer (GVIEW.EXE) that may be used with AM.EXE. This viewer
supports just about all video systems and needs no special
configuration. GVIEW can only be used with the registered
version of AM.
- Fixed a bug in compressed file search (LZH) and added wild card
searching to the compressed file search function.
- Added an "All" option to the copy/move/delete query that allows
all remaining files to be processed without individual queries.

Version 10.4

- Added capability (Ctrl+F) to format floppy disks in drive A/B.
- Added capability to create a new destination directory when
using the copy, move, compress, or decompress functions.
- Upgraded the file search function.
- Upgraded UC2 support.
- Upgraded SCAN support.

Version 10.5

- Minor bug fixes and enhancements.



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Version 10.6

- Fixed bug that caused a system crash when calling LHA with
either recursion switch (/r1 or /r2).

Version 10.7

- Fixed a bug that could cause a complete program crash, ususally
a system lock-up or QEMM exception. This bug was intermittent in
that certain parameters such as the number of files in a directory
had to line up in order to cause the crash. And that's what made
this bug so difficult to locate and fix.
- Fixed bug that prevented dynamic editing of the PKLITE
command line parameters.
- The decompression (F10 or UnZip button) function from within the
compressed file viewer would attempt to decompress 0 files (and
fail) when no files were tagged. The decompression function
will now automatically tag all files for decompression if no
files are tagged when the function is initiated.

Version 10.8

- Fixed bugs in the single file copy (Alt+C) and the single file move
(Alt+M) functions that caused a failure of AM to update 4DOS/NDOS
DESCRIPT.ION files.


10 Distribution Files


The following files are included in AM distribution package:

AM.EXE - Main program
AM.OVR - Overlay file
AMHELP.HLP - Help file
AM.DOC - Operating manual
EXECMENU.AM - Sample program menu
AMCOLORS.DOC - Setting program colors
PATHINFO.TXT - DOS PATH information
PROGMENU.DOC - User defined menu info
VENDOR.DOC - Disk vendor info
CDROM.BAN - CD-ROM use restriction
CD-ROM.TXT - Info on CD-ROM disk
WHAT'S.NEW - Latest product info (if needed)

New-Ware prohibits the modification of any of these files in any way,
shape, or form except by the individual evaluator or purchaser.




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11 ArcMaster Program Files


It is important that you place the ArcMaster program files listed below
in the same directory and ensure that directory appears in your DOS path
string:

AM.EXE
AM.OVR
AM.CFG
AMHELP.HLP

AM will not run if it cannot locate its overlay file (AM.OVR). If AM
cannot locate its help file (AMHELP.HLP), there will be no context sensitive
on-line help available in the program and important configuration
information will not be available if AM is unable to locate its
configuration file (AM.CFG).

Other files created by AM include:

AM.HST
AMCOL.SET

Text input line history information is maintained in AM.HST and the
color configuration is maintained in AMCOL.SET.

AM expects to find all the required and optional files in the directory
from which it resides when it is loaded and executed. This will be no
problem if all AM program files are placed in the same directory and that
directory is on the DOS path so that AM will be run from the same directory
no matter where you are in your system when you invoke AM.


12 Starting ArcMaster


AM can be started from the DOS command line by typing AM and pressing
the Enter key. Up to three command line parameters are accepted. There may
be one or two valid DOS path names and there may be one valid DOS file name.
For example, to start AM with the directory D:\FOO\BAR active in the AM
right file window, enter AM D:\FOO\BAR. To start AM with C:\ARCHIVE in the
left window and D:\FOO\BAR in the right window, enter AM C:\ARCHIVE
D:\FOO\BAR.

AM may be run from a DOS batch file or from another DOS shell, but if
it is run from another shell you may have to adjust the configuration so
that AM has sufficient memory to operate.




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If a file name may be placed on the command line when starting AM, the
file will be viewed as soon as loads the main file windows. This means that
the compressed file viewer will be called if the file is a compressed file,
otherwise the default browser will be called.

First time users of the Shareware evaluation version of AM will note
that the first event that occurs after the Shareware delay is complete is
the appearance of the AM configuration dialog. It is important that you
configure at the very least the following two directories:

Work Dir:
Comp Dir:

The work directory is require for the exclusive use of AM. The
compression directory is the single directory where all of your archive
system programs (PKZIP.EXE, PKUNZIP.EXE, LHA.EXE, etc.) reside.

Be sure to save the configuration to disk before proceeding.


13 The User Interface


The AM user interface has been carefully designed to provide a set of
commands and controls that maximize the program's utility for both straight
keyboard and mouse users. The interface employs a "point and shoot" file
manipulation function via file name lists with scrolling cursor bars. All
AM functions are available through a pull-down menu system that may be
activated with the mouse or by pressing either keyboard backslash (\) key.
All functions are also accessible via Alt and Ctrl key combinations. The
program can be exited to DOS via the menu, by pressing Esc key, by pressing
Alt+=, or by pressing Alt+X. Alt+X exits immediately while the Esc key asks
for confirmation.

Most commands result in the appearance of a window or dialog box. For
the purposes of this manual, dialog boxes are windows that contain
specialized controls such as check buttons and push buttons. All windows
can be exited immediately by pressing the Esc key. The same effect will
result from clicking on the small square symbol in the upper left corner of
the window.

13.1 Operating from the Main Display

AM has two main file list windows. Each window is capable of
displaying all the files from a specific DOS directory from any drive in
your system. Only one window can be active at a time and the active window
displays a different frame and file selection indicator from that of the
inactive window.



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The user may change the active window by pressing the Tab key, the
Right/Left Arrow keys, or by clicking in the desired window's area with the
mouse. The cursor pad keys (Home, PgDn, Up Arrow, etc.) always move the
cursor bar in the active window up or down the file list.

The file list in each window consists of a text line that represents
each file retrieved from the active directory. This line displays the file
name, size in bytes, and the date. The line just above the file list frame
contains the sequential number and name of the file under the cursor bar as
well as the file time and the file attribute codes.

AM supports a character-by-character file name speed search. The
search string is built by pressing character keys and it appears just above
the list frame during the search. As the string is built, AM will search
the list for the first file name that matches and move the cursor bar to
that file line if found. For example, if "Q" is pressed and then "Z" is
pressed and there is at least one file name on the list that begins with
"QZ", AM will move the cursor to that file. Moving the cursor bar with any
arrow key will halt the search and the Backspace key may be used to remove
characters from the search string.

Most AM commands act either directly upon the file under the cursor bar
when the command is activated or upon a group of files that have been tagged
(marked) for batch operation. More about tagging files can be found later
in this document. The symbol that indicates that a file is tagged is a
small right triangle located to the left of the file name.

The top bar of the display is a menu bar that may be accessed by
clicking on an item with the mouse, pressing Alt+"key" where k is one of the
menu item shortcut keys (A, F, N, I, P, H & G), or by pressing the "/" or
"\" key. All AM functions can be activated through one of the main menu
items.

A pop-up menu can be activated by pressing the right mouse button with
the mouse in the active window but NOT in the file list box. If the mouse
cursor is in the file list box, the right button serves as a file tagger.
If the mouse is outside of the file list box, a menu containing the most
used AM functions pops up.

A two-line status bar occupies the bottom two lines of the display.
Both lines are divided into sections and each section is responsive to a
mouse click.

AM supports multiple editing windows and multiple archive file viewer
windows. The two main windows and all multiple edit and viewer windows are
numbered in the upper right hand frame corner. The left and right main
windows are numbered #1 and #2, respectively. Non-mouse users may move from




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window to window by pressing Alt+# where # is the number of the window to
make active.

13.2 On-line Help

Textual descriptions of all AM functions are available from the main AM
display and all windows by pressing the F1 key, using the main Help menu, or
by clicking on the Help identifier in the status bar. A window will open
that either presents a list of commands and abbreviated command names or
context sensitive help. Selecting an item from the help list will open
another window that contains a description of the selected command.

Help for a specific item can be located by accessing the main menu,
placing the cursor bar over the desired item, and pressing the F1 key or
clicking with the mouse on the status bar help identifier.

The help system is cross-referenced and cross-referenced items appear
in highlight in the help text window. Use the Tab key to move through
available cross-reference items and press the Enter key (or double click the
mouse) on the desired item to change the help window to text on that
specific item.

Press the F1 key while in the help system to access an alphabetized
menu of AM functions for which textual help is available.

You may send any help topic that is loaded into the help window to your
printer by pressing Alt+P.

Press Alt+F1 to return to the last help topic viewed.

AM provides the capability to use the designated file browser to browse
the associated archive system documentation (DOC) file from the compression
and decompression dialog boxes via Alt+F1. The associated DOC file(s) must
be named as specified below and must reside in the same directory that is
identified in the "CompDir:" field of the AM configuration dialog. This is
the same directory AM expects to find all supported archive system files.

MANUAL.DOC - PKZIP
ARJ.DOC - ARJ
LHA.DOC - LHA

With the exception of LHA, these files are distributed as named above. The
LHA package usually contains LHAxxx.DOC, where xxx denotes a 3 digit version
number. Simply renaming this file to LHA.DOC will suffice.

UC2 is the exception to the above. In this case, AM will call UC.EXE
with no parameters which will bring up UC2 in its command mode. If you
configured it correctly, you will then have access to its various DOC files.



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13.3 Tagging Files

Groups of files appearing in the active file list may be marked for
certain archiving operations by tagging (marking) them. To tag a file, move
the cursor bar to the file and press the space bar or one of the plus (+)
keys. A right triangle symbol appears to the left of the file name to
denote its tagged status. The tag is a toggle operation and therefore files
are untagged the same way they are tagged. All files in an active window
may be tagged at once by pressing Ctrl+T. Ctrl+T is a toggle, so if one or
more files are tagged, all files will be untagged. If no files are tagged
then all files will be untagged. A region on the status line marked "Tags"
may be clicked on to achieve the same result.

The mouse may also be used for tagging. Groups of files may be tagged
by holding down the left mouse button and slowly dragging the mouse cursor
down the active file list. Individual files may be tagged by pressing the
right mouse button when the mouse cursor is inside the file list box.

The current tagged file list can be viewed at any time by pressing
Alt+T. The copy (Alt+C), move (Alt+C), delete (Del), and change attribute
(Ctrl+F3) commands will also invoke the tag list dialog if one or more files
are tagged when the command is issued.

You can use Ctrl+G and then Ctrl+K to mark a block of files. Ctrl+G
marks the first file in the block and Ctrl+K marks the last file. The first
file must be higher on the list than the last file.

A "Keep Tags" option in the AM configuration dialog controls whether
tags are retained or cleared after each batch operation. Obviously, if the
tagged files were removed during the operation the tags cannot be retained
even though the "Keep Tags" option is ON.

13.4 Dialog Boxes

Dialog boxes are used extensively throughout AM to provide the user
with a means to set specific commands and options prior to performing a
particular operation. Dialogs usually include boxed clusters of controls
called radio buttons and check boxes. The user may move from cluster to
cluster with the Tab/Shift-Tab command, Alt+Shortcut, or mouse. The
shortcut character is the highlighted character in the title string of the
cluster box.

Dialog boxes also contain push-button controls that are labeled
according the command function they represent. A push button may be
"pushed" by clicking with the mouse, pressing Alt+Shortcut key, or by moving
to the control and pressing the Enter key.





- 14 -






Many dialogs contain editable text fields and some dialogs have input
fields that are updated dynamically as the user selects specific options or
switches. Pressing the Enter key while in an editing field is the same as
pushing the Okay button for that dialog. The oKay button always signals to
AM to proceed with the operation and the Quit button always exits the dialog
with no further action.

Some dialogs contain list boxes which contain a list of file names. A
prime example is the compressed file contents viewer dialog. If a dialog
box contains an input field for the entry of a file name or other text, the
box should be exited for continuation of the operation by pressing the Enter
key while the cursor is in the text field. If the text field is empty when
the Enter key is pressed, the operation will be aborted. Pressing Esc
anytime while in a dialog box will close the box and abort the operation.
Almost all dialog boxes have a push-button, which is a small box with an
"oKay" inside. Mouse users may move the mouse to the "oKay" and press the
left mouse button to signify proceeding with the indicated operation.

13.5 The Mouse Interface

Mouse users will find the AM mouse interface quite easy and intuitive
to use. Like most mouse interfaces, the mouse cursor may be moved to a
control location on the main display or within a dialog box and the left
mouse button clicked to activate that command or control. For example,
moving the mouse cursor to the pull-down menu line at the top of the main
display and pressing the left mouse button will activate the menu system.
Each window and dialog box has a small square symbol between brackets
in the upper left corner of the frame. Clicking on this symbol will close
the window just as if the Esc key were pressed. Clicking on the "Quit"
button in any dialog will also close the window with no action.

The mouse can be used with scroll bars that appear down the right edge
of any window that contains a file list. You may "drag" the scroll marker
down the bar by moving the cursor to the marker, holding down the left
button, and moving the mouse up or down. Alternatively, you may place the
cursor at a specific location on the vertical bar and click the mouse. This
will move the file list cursor bar to the relative location of the scroll
bar marker. Clicking on either arrow at the top and bottom of the scroll
bar scrolls the file list up and down, respectively.

LIST users please note that AM does not pass the mouse command line
switch ("/M") to LIST. If you desire to have the mouse active when entering
LIST from AM, you must use the LIST clone feature to create a version of
list that will use the mouse. Please see LIST.DOC for further information.
This accommodates those users who wish to use a file browser other than
LIST.





- 15 -






AM saves and restores the mouse state when shelling out to call an
external program. This prevents AM from altering the target program's mouse
defaults. AM also saves the mouse state at program run time and restores it
upon program exit.

13.6 Positioning Windows/Dialogs

The editor and compressed file viewer windows may be moved around the
screen with the mouse or the keyboard. Press the Ctrl+F5 key, move the
window to the desired location with the arrow keys, and then press the Enter
key to exit the move mode. Or you may position the mouse on the top window
frame, hold down the left button, and drag the window to a new location.

Edit windows may be re-sized. Click on the lower right corner of the
edit window and drag the mouse until the desired window width and height are
reached. Or press the F5 key and control the width and height with the
left/right or up/down arrow keys, respectively.


14 Keyboard Commands


In addition to comprehensive mouse support, AM employs the use of Ctrl,
Alt, and function key inputs.

14.1 Function Keys

Each of the ten keyboard function keys are assigned a command and
pressing one of these keys bypasses the menu system and immediately executes
the assigned command. Function key command assignments are:

F1 - Help
F2 - Change active archive system
F3 - Change system drive
F4 - Zoom active window
F5 - Open directory tree display
F6 - Rename file
F7 - Change file mask
F8 - Change file sort
F9 - Compress file(s)
F10 - Decompress file(s)

The following function keys may be used as key "macros" while operating
in any of the compression dialogs:

F8 - Insert file name under active cursor bar
F9 - Insert current date string (mm-dd-yy)
F10 - Insert current directory name



- 16 -






14.2 Alt+Key Commands

Seven Alt+key commands are dedicated to activating one of the pull-down
menus. The are:

Alt+A - Archive commands
Alt+F - File commands
Alt+N - Navigation commands
Alt+I - Miscellaneous commands
Alt+P - Executable program menu
Alt+G - Tag operations menu
Alt+H - Help menu

The following Alt+key commands are assigned to the indicated AM
functions:

Alt+C - Copy file(s)
Alt+D - Tag By Date
Alt+E - Edit file
Alt+J - Compress directory
Alt+K - Calculator
Alt+L - Calendar
Alt+M - Move file(s)
Alt+Q - Toggle video mode
Alt+R - Register ArcMaster
Alt+S - Search for file
Alt+T - Show tagged files
Alt+V - Call virus scanner
Alt+W - Make both windows same
Alt+X - Exit immediately to DOS
Alt+Z - Check for duplicate files
Alt+F1 - Load AM.DOC into the viewer
Alt+F4 - Call 4DOS DESCRIPT.ION Editor
Alt+F3 - Check disk functions
Alt+F10- Convert compressed file(s)
Alt+= - Exit to active directory

14.3 Ctrl+Key Commands

The following Ctrl+key commands are assigned to the indicated AM
functions:

Ctrl+A - Auto-update function
Ctrl+B - Reset file archive bits
Ctrl+C - Configure ArcMaster
Ctrl+D - Update To Latest
Ctrl+E - Edit new file
Ctrl+F - Format floppy disk in drive A/B



- 17 -






Ctrl+G - Start tag block
Ctrl+I - Edit with internal editor
Ctrl+K - Tag from tag block start
Ctrl+L - Pack EXE file function
Ctrl+N - Browse with internal browser
Ctrl+P - Print file/directory listing
Ctrl+Q - Quick directory tree
Ctrl+S - Single Archive function
Ctrl+T - Tag/Untag all files
Ctrl+V - VirusSCAN DOS files
Ctrl+W - Swap main file windows
Ctrl+X - Program Exec Menu
Ctrl+Z - Call PKZIPFIX
Ctrl+F1 - Help for command keys
Ctrl+F2 - Print text file
Ctrl+F3 - Change file attribute
Ctrl+F4 - Call 4DOS DESCRIBE
Ctrl+F5 - Move window/dialog
Ctrl+F6 - Set tagged files date/time stamp
Ctrl+F7 - Set mask like extension
Ctrl+F8 - Tag all like extension
Ctrl+F9 - Multi-update function
Ctrl+Enter - Execute EXE file
Ctrl+PgUp - Go to parent directory

14.4 Other Commands

The PgUp, PgDn, Up/Down Arrow, Home, and End keys are all operative for
moving through any of the file list displays. Other miscellaneous commands
are:

Asterisk - Reset the file mask to *.* and refresh
Slash - Access menu system
Ins Key - Set Archive "Hot Name"
Del Key - Delete single or tagged files
Space Bar - Tag/Untag file

The archive "Hot Name" command will set the hot name to the file name
under the cursor bar. Any time thereafter that you elect to compress files,
AM will insert that name automatically into the archive name field in the
appropriate dialog box. The Ins Key is a toggle so if the hot name is not
set when pressed, it will be set and if it is set, it will be cleared. Note
that the hot name status is always indicated in the bottom display line.








- 18 -






15 Configuring ArcMaster


AM provides the capability to configure various options and to save
those options to a disk file if desired. Selection of the Configure AM item
on the mIsc pull-down menu (Alt+I) or pressing Ctrl+C opens a dialog box in
which the configuration may be set. Keep in mind that the current sort
order, active archive system, active convert option, and all archive system
command options will also be saved in their current states.

If you exit the configuration dialog via the "oKay" button, the changes
you made will be in effect immediately but will not be saved to disk. You
must use the "Save" button (Alt+S) to save the configuration to the file
named AM.CFG.

You may use the "Reset" button to negate any changes you have made and
restore all settings to the state they were in upon entry to the dialog.

The "Load" button can be used to load a configuration that you have
stored in a directory other than the AM host directory.

Help can be attained for any specific configuration item/field by
pressing the F1 key. The help text that appears will be specific to the
focused item/field when the F1 key is pressed.

15.1 Options

There is a check box cluster which can be used to toggle various AM
options as listed below:

Options
[X] Show hidden files - Display hidden/sys/r-only files
[ ] Force 43/50 line mode - Force 43/50 line EGA/VGA mode
[X] Beeps on - Turn sound on/off
[ ] Use password - Use password for compression ops
[X] Prompt for overwrite - Confirm before overwrite during copy
[X] Pause after ops - After comp/decomp/etc.
[X] Sort directory tree - Sort the directory tree
[X] Sort archive by extn - Sort by extension in archive viewer
[X] Pause after prog exec - Pause after executing program
[ ] Erase after conversion - Erase target files after conversion
[ ] Menu acts on 1st click - First mouse click activates menu item
[ ] Keep Tags - Permit tagging from multiple dirs
[ ] Use 24 hour time - Display time in 24 hour "hh:mm" format
[X] Use shadowed windows - All windows/boxes are shadowed

Most of these options are self-explanatory. The "Mouse 1st Click"
option affects how the left mouse button works in the AM menu system. If



- 19 -






turned OFF (unchecked is the default), then AM will move the cursor bar to
an item on the first click and then will select the item on the second
click. This provides a bit of protection against selecting the wrong item.
If "Mouse 1st Click" is ON then AM will immediately select the menu item
under the mouse cursor when the left button is clicked.

"When Sort Arc by Ext" is checked, AM will sort the contents of a
compressed file by file name and extension so that files with common
extensions are grouped together.

If the "Pause After Exec" option is selected then AM will pause
immediately after the target program is exited so you can see any program
results on the screen.

15.2 Anti-virus Scanner

Either the McAfee VIRUScan or Norton Anti-virus program may be
selected. Be sure that the correct file name and path for the selected
scanner is placed into the "Vscan:" field.

15.3 Start-up Directories

A directory path name may be entered for each of the two file windows
for AM to use upon start-up. Each time AM is started, these directory paths
will be used unless overridden by a command line entry. Do not enter a file
mask here. AM will save the file mask active for each window when the
configuration is saved and will used the saved file masks automatically at
start-up. You may also enter the name of a compressed file on the command
line to direct AM to go immediately into the compressed file viewer using
the file name as the target.

15.4 The ArcMaster Work Directory

This is an extremely important configuration item. AM requires
exclusive use of a hard drive directory for use during archive file
conversions and other file operations. AM will also use this directory as a
temporary directory for archiving programs use.

PKZIP fans should note that there are two instances where PKZIP may
need to create a temporary file on a hard drive while manipulating a ZIP
file on a floppy drive. The first is when PKZIP is building a large file on
a floppy disk and the second case is when PKZIP is modifying an existing ZIP
file on a floppy disk. The first case must be handled by placing the
following line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: SET PKTMP=X:\TEMPPATH, where
X:\TEMPPATH is the full path name of the temporary directory you wish PKZIP
to use. PKZIP does NOT use the "-b" switch in this case. The second case
is handled by designating X:\TEMPPATH as the AM temporary directory as




- 20 -






described above. It is recommended, but not required that the same
directory be used for both cases.

15.5 The Log Directory

AM provides a graphical directory tree for navigation and directory
manipulation. If no Log directory is specified, AM will always scan the
current drive whenever the tree needs to be displayed. This can be a
lengthy process, especially on slow hard drives with lots of directories.
AM uses a directory log file strategy to avoid this problem. What this
means is that if a valid Log directory is specified, the first time the tree
is scanned on a given drive AM will store the tree information in a file and
place it in the specified log directory. Then all following calls to access
the tree result in AM reading that file instead of re-scanning the drive,
which is very fast. The file names that AM will place in the Log directory
are NEW-WARE.X, where X is the drive designator.

One important item must be kept in mind when using this strategy. AM
will have no knowledge of any directories that are created, renamed, or
removed outside of AM. You can accomplish each of these operations while in
the tree. If you add a new directory and then bring up AM and call up the
tree, the new directory will not appear on the tree. In this case you will
need to manually re-scan the disk by pressing Ctrl+R from the main display
or invoking the AM directory dialog with F3 or F5 and pressing the "Scan
Drv" button. Directories that are created "on the fly" when copying,
moving, compressing, or decompressing files are NOT automatically
recognized. For example, suppose that you type in the name of a destination
directory that does not exist when copying a group of files. You will have
the option to create that directory and continue the copy operation. If
elect to do that, the new directory is NOT automatically recogized and you
will need to re-scan the disk and rebuild the tree.

Just remember that if you have not entered a valid DOS drive:\directory
path in the log directory field of the configuration dialog, AM will scan
the disk to collect the directory names each time the tree is opened.

This version of AM includes an alternative to the main AM directory
tree. Use Ctrl+Q to activate the Quick Tree function. This function
displays an abbreviated directory tree that does not use the log file
strategy described above.

AM provides special support for CD-ROM drives. When a CD-ROM drive is
accessed the first time, AM will scan the drive to build the directory tree.
This data will then be stored in a file with a name built from the first 8
characters of the CD-ROM disk volume label and an extension of "CDR". If no
volume label exists, AM will name the file "CD-ROM" plus the drive letter.
For example, if you access a CD-ROM drive with a disk whose volume label is
"ATLAS", the log file name will be "ATLAS.CDR" and if you access a CD-ROM



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drive that is drive "M" in your system that has a disk that does not have a
volume label, the log file name will be "CD-ROM.M".

15.6 The Compression Program Directory

This directory (CompDir:) is where AM will expect to find ALL of the
supported archive system programs:

ARJ.EXE
ARCE.COM
LHA.EXE
UC.EXE
PKZIP.EXE
PKZIPFIX.EXE
PKUNZIP.EXE
ZIP2EXE.EXE

If no valid directory is entered here, AM will expect the programs
above to reside in a directory identified in the DOS path. In addition, AM
expects to find the archive system program documentation files in this
directory. The configuration field name is "CompDir:" AM will also look
for the respective archive system .DOC files in this directory.

15.7 Password Operations

ARJ and ZIP each have a provision for password protecting compressed
files. To enable password use, first invoke the AM configuration dialog
(Ctrl+C) and then check the box that is labeled "Use Password". If this box
is checked, a password entry field will appear in the compression dialog
when compressing files. If this field is left blank, AM will not pass the
password switch to the active archive system program. If it is not blank,
whatever appears in this field will be passed as the password.

You may save your password to the AM.CFG file by invoking any archive
system compression dialog, entering a password in the password field and
then saving the configuration. If you have AM configured to use a password
and have a password saved in the .CFG file, you can still compress a batch
of files not using the password by simply clearing the password field and
leaving it that way throughout the session.

15.8 Editor, Browser, and Scan Names

Each of these fields identify to AM the executable file names to call
when editing, browsing, or scanning. Be sure to enter the file name as a
minimum. The full path is optional, but if no path is included with the
file name, AM will expect DOS to find the program on the DOS path. Here is
are some examples of how the browser might be identified:




- 22 -






C:\UTIL\LIST.COM
LIST
LIST.COM
E:\MYUTIL\VIEWER\LIST.COM

AM also supports the Norton Anti-Virus (NAV) program. To use NAV,
insure that the selected scanner program and the "Vscan:" field match.

15.9 Setting Editor Memory

The "Edit Mem:" field controls the amount of memory AM will allocate to
the internal text editing system at start-up. This value must fall between
1024 and 163,840 bytes. The maximum size text file that may be edited is
64,535 bytes.

AM will allocate the amount of memory designated in the "Edit Mem:"
field at program start-up. This pool of memory is used by each editor that
is activated and by the clipboard, which is used for cut and paste
operations. Suppose you have configured AM for 16,384 bytes. Then you load
an 8,433 byte file into one editor and a 5,361 byte file into another
editor. That leaves 3073 bytes for cutting and pasting blocks from one
editor to another. If insufficient memory exists to support loading a text
file into an editor, AM will inform you and abort the operation.


16 Viewing Archive File Contents


The contents of any of the supported archive file types, including
self-extracting EXE files (SXF), may be viewed by moving the active window
cursor bar to the file and pressing the Enter Key. A window will open that
displays a sorted list of the files contained in the target file. This
window operates very much like the active window in that you move through
the file list with keypad cursor keys or with the mouse and scroll bar
except that it is a dialog and has push button controls.

The number that appears in the upper right hand area of the dialog
frame represents a rough estimate of the size of a resultant compressed file
and is based upon the number of bytes tagged at that time.

Files may be tagged for decompression operations in the same manner
that files are tagged on the main file list. Pressing the "UnXXX" button,
where XXX is ZIP, ARJ, etc., proceeds with decompression.

A special symbol is used to mark the end of a line that represents a
file that PKZIP has marked as a text file.





- 23 -






File lines that represent compressed files with the file attribute set
to other than normal will be in a different color.

16.1 Multiple Compressed File Viewers

Two compressed file viewing dialog windows may be active at one time
and it is possible to copy files from one compressed file to another. The
following sequence demonstrates how to accomplish this:

1. In either main file window, move the cursor bar to a compressed
file and press Enter to activate a viewer.
2. Click on either main window with the mouse or press Alt+1 or Alt+2
to go back to a main file window.
3. Move the cursor bar to a different compressed file and press the
Enter key to activate a second viewer.
4. Tag files in one of the viewers and press the Copy button. The
tagged files will be copied to the inactive viewer.

You can move from viewer to viewer with the mouse or the Alt+Number key
where Number is the viewer number.

16.2 Browsing a Compressed File

Compressed files may be viewed with the designated file browser by
moving the cursor bar to the desired file and pressing Enter. If no browser
is specified, the internal AM browser will be used. The file will be
decompressed by AM to the work directory and browsed. When browsing is
complete, AM deletes the file. A compressed file inside another compressed
file will may also be viewed.

16.3 Editing A Compressed File

A compressed text file may be edited with the user-defined external
editor or with the internal AM editor. In both cases the file is extracted
to the AM work directory and edited. After the edited file is saved, it
replaces the original inside the compressed file before being deleted. The
dialog Edit button calls the external editor. To use the AM editor, press
Ctrl+I with the cursor bar over the target file.

16.4 Creating/Editing a ZIP File Comment

The PKWare ZIP system allows the addition of a comment to each ZIP
file. AM provides a means to create and/or edit this comment with the Cmnt
button. Press this button to bring up the comment editor. If a comment
exists, it will be loaded into the editor. If not, you may create a new
comment and save it from the editor.





- 24 -






17 ARJ Considerations


ARJ was the first file compression system to offer a backup mode that
permits spanning of a diskette by a compressed file and New-Ware feels that
the ARJ backup system is superior to that of the PKWare System. You can use
AM to view the contents of an ARJ backup volume and you can even extract
individual files quickly and easily. Just be aware that the first and last
files in an ARJ backup volume may be split across two diskettes and that you
should NOT attempt to view or edit these files. You can use the AM file
list sort toggle to list the contents as they are stored in the ARJ file to
determine which are the first and last files in the volume.

One other note regarding the ARJ backup system. You can create backup
volumes on a hard disk and then check the overall integrity of each volume
before transferring them to diskettes. You can do this by using the ARJ
volume size parameter ("Vol Size:" in AM) and the multi-volume ("-v")
switch. Consult ARJ.DOC for details.

Note that neither ARJ nor UC2 place inane restrictions on the size of
the list file they process.

17.1 PKZIP List File Problems

New-Ware uses the PKZIP list file capability to pass file name lists
for compression. This avoids the severe DOS command line length restriction
but involves some PKZIP restrictions. The list file that AM passes to PKZIP
contains the full DOS path name of each tagged file. Obviously, the longer
the path name, the longer each list file line will be and the larger the
list file will be.

Experimentation has shown that PKZIP will refuse to accept any list
file of this type that is larger than 3700 bytes. If the list file is
greater than 3700 bytes, PKZIP prints a "Insufficient memory" message and
quits. This will happen regardless of the actual amount of EMS/XMS memory
actually available! PKZIP just blindly quits!

To circumvent this inane restriction, AM monitors the size of the list
file as it is being built and when the 3700 byte limit is reached, AM calls
PKZIP to process the file. Then AM continues with a new list file until the
tagged file queue is exhausted or limit is reached again. This works
wonderfully well in all but one important situation. It will NOT work with
the PKZIP backup mode! This is because PKZIP will just start fresh when
called on successive occasions. It is strongly recommended that you use the
AM compress directory function (Alt+J) in conjunction with the backup mode
instead of tagging a large number of files for backup.





- 25 -






17.2 PKZIP Backup Files

Another PKZIP situation to be aware of is that ZIP files that have been
created on multiple diskettes by using the PKZIP backup mode cannot all be
read by the AM compressed file viewer. PKZIP stores the beginning of its
central directory for the entire backup set on the one of the last
diskettes. Other disks contain ZIP files that have no central directory and
AM will not read these ZIP files. In fact, PKZIP will not give you a
listing of such a file and instead will print an error message telling you
to use PKZIPFIX on the file!

When AM reads the ZIP file from a diskette that contains the central
directory record for the backup set, the disk number of the diskette that
contains the ZIP file that actually includes the compressed file data is
listed to the right of the file data line in the viewer. If the files are
not grouped by disk number, use the toggle sort (F3) function to list the
files in unsorted order.

And one last note. If you should happen to lose or damage the one of
the diskettes that contains the central directory in a ZIP backup set, you
can use PKZIP fix to restore the central directory of any ZIP file residing
on any single diskette in the set, but the integrity of the entire set is
lost.


18 The AM Internal File Browser


The AM internal file browser will be used whenever the "Browser:" field
in the configuration dialog is left empty. This browser is not limited by
file size but it is limited to 32,767 lines of text. A text file with an
average line length of 45 characters and 32,767 lines would be 1.4MB bytes.
It is strongly recommended that you give the internal browser a try and to
use it if it suits you because it is so much faster to call the internal
browser than to shell out to LIST.COM or some other external browser.

The browser has a number of useful functions, including fast text
search, text block marking, block write to a file, block print, line number
display, jump to a line number, and more. Consult the on-line help when in
the browser for details on available commands.


19 The AM Internal Editor


AM has a simple yet powerful internal editing system that not only
supports text file editing but supports cut and paste operations between two




- 26 -






text files as well. The AM internal editor is called when Ctrl+I is pressed
or when Alt+E is pressed and there is no external editor defined.

The amount of memory available for the internal editing buffers is
dependent upon the "Edit Mem:" field in the AM configuration dialog.

Editor commands are based upon the well-known WordStar command set.
Consult the on-line help system for editing command key assignments. Note
that the bottom status line contains main editing commands whenever an
editor is active.

Here is an example of how to use multiple editor windows:

1. Move the active file list cursor bar to a text file and press
Ctrl+I. An edit window loaded with the file contents will appear.
2. Activate one of the two main file list windows by pressing Ctrl+1
or Ctrl+2 or by clicking with the mouse.
3. Move the cursor bar to a different text file and press Ctrl+I.
4. Two edit windows are not active. You can select either window by
clicking with the mouse or using the Alt key plus the window
number.
5. Cut & paste and clipboard commands are visible on the bottom status
line and explained in the on-line help file.


20 AM Use of the Overlay File


The AM overlay file, AM.OVR, is used to store program functions that
are not normally needed until invoked by the user. This permits AM to
contain many, many more functions that would ordinarily be tolerated in the
available DOS memory.

In the absence of extended (XMS) or expanded (EMS) memory, AM will read
the code it needs from the disk file (AM.OVR) as required. This operation
is more noticeable on systems with slower disk drives. If there is
sufficient (approximately 200K) XMS or EMS memory available, AM will load
the entire overlay file into memory at runtime and this results in all AM
functions being available directly from memory, a much faster operation that
disk access.

If sufficient XMS memory exists, AM will use that first. If not, and
sufficient EMS memory exists, AM will use that. Finally, AM will resort to
the direct on-demand use of the disk file.

To learn how AM is actually employing overlay memory, access the Memory
Usage dialog from the Help menu.




- 27 -






21 AM Use of Extended/Expanded Memory


When AM "shells out" to DOS to perform some function like calling PKZIP
to ZIP a group of files, AM will check available memory and will swap the
entire DOS memory space out to EMS/XMS memory or a disk file. If you have
an EMS memory manager loaded and sufficient memory can be allocated, AM will
swap to expanded memory. If you have no EMS but do have an extended (XMS)
memory driver loaded, AM will use XMS memory if sufficient memory is
available. If no EMS or XMS memory is available, AM will swap out to a disk
file. Obviously, the swap to EMS/XMS is so fast as to be transparent
whereas the swap to disk will cause a noticeable delay.


22 Running AM with NDOS or 4DOS


AM has been tested while running under the Norton Utilities NDOS from
Symantec Corp. NDOS is quite similar to 4DOS and in fact both programs are
the work of Tom Rawson. When AM shells out out to view the contents of a
compressed file, the command passed to DOS is a call for LIST, which is
intended to call Vern Buerg's LIST.COM. LIST, however, is an internal
command of NDOS and 4DOS. The internal LIST command will work fine with AM
version 6.5 and later, but if you desire to use the more powerful LIST.COM
there are three ways to do so.

The first way is to disable the internal LIST command by issuing the
command SETDOS /I-LIST from the AUTOEXEC.BAT (or NSTART.BAT) file. The
second way is to issue the command ALIAS LIST C:\UTIL\LIST.COM. This also
disables the internal LIST command, but you can use the alias command to use
the internal LIST function under a different name, as in the command ALIAS
SHOW *LIST. The third way is to rename LIST.COM and to configure AM to call
the renamed version of LIST.

AM also provides extensive support for the 4DOS/NDOS DESCRIPT.ION
files. Ctrl+F4 invokes the 4DOS/NDOS DESCRIBE command with the name of the
file under the active cursor bar. The Alt+F4 command calls the editor
defined in the AM configuration "4Dos Ed:" field. You may place a command
line parameter list following the file name entry, if so desired. If no
program is designated in the "4Dos Ed:" field, AM will use the internal
editor. AM will update DESCRIPT.ION files in the source and destination
directories during any rename, copy, move, delete, and archive convert
operations. This includes using the move option with any of supported file
compressors.

4DOS is Copyright by JP Software. NDOS is a version of 4DOS licensed
to the Symantic Corp.




- 28 -






23 Search Menu (Alt+S)


AM provides a fast search for DOS or compressed files on the drive in
the active window. If searching for a DOS file and the target file name is
found (wild cards are okay), AM will issue a notification prompt. You have
the choice of halting the search, continuing the search, or viewing the file
list of the directory in which the file was found. If you elect to view, AM
will change to that directory and position the cursor bar over the target
file name.

Searching for a file inside an archive file operates in the same way
except that AM will go through each directory on the current drive and open
each archive file found and search it for the target file. If found and you
elect to view, AM will open the archive directory view window and position
the cursor bar over the target file name. You may elect to extract, erase,
etc. tagged files in this case but please note that when the operation is
complete that the active directory will have changed to the directory in
which the target archive file was found.


24 Program Menu (Ctrl+X)


This command invokes the special AM user created program menu. Please
read the information in the file named PROGMENU.DOC.


25 Formatting Disks with AM


5¬" (360K or 1.2M) and 3«" disks (720K or 1.4M) may be formatted in
drive A or B. No other disk types or drive designators are supported. The
disk format dialog allows selection of the drive, disk type, and the entry
of an optional volume label. A sliding progress bar indicates formatting
progress and the format may be aborted at any time by pressing the Esc key
or the Cancel button.


26 Registering AM (Alt+R)


The command will open a window that will prompt you for the vital
information needed to print the registration form. You can close the window
with no action at any time by pressing the Esc Key. When all the
information has been entered, you will have the opportunity to print the
form on your printer.




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Note that the registration feature is included in the registered
version of AM so that registered users may order more than one copy of AM
for legitimate use.


Copyright 1987,1995, all rights reserved.
New-Ware
8050 Camino Kiosco
San Diego, CA 92122










































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