Copyright: WinCat/PRO (c) 1992-1995 Mart Heubel


Help Index
To boldly go where no

cat has gone before !

(Click above to display help topics)


Using WinCat
Using WinCat/PRO

Quick Overview

Volume List Window

File List Window

Directory List Window

WinCat's Windows Explained

Questions and Answers


Registration

About AidWare

Registering WinCat/PRO

Entering your Registration Number

License and Trial Period

Disclaimer of Warranty


General Information

WinCat/PRO Features

Reviews

Hints and Tips

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Your Comments...


Installing WinCat/PRO

System Requirements

Packing List

Installing WinCat/PRO

Uninstalling WinCat/PRO


Version History

WinCat/PRO 4.1

WinCat/PRO 4.0

WinCat/PRO 3.4

Bugs Fixed


Vendor Information
Distribution and Vendor Information

Where To Get WinCat/PRO

Distributing WinCat/PRO

Vendor Information


Utility Programs

WOODLE - Printing Disklabels

WinCat/unZIP - Unpacking Archives

WinCat/DIZ - Reading DIZ Files

WinCat/MC - Searching Multiple Catalogs

WinCat/OS - Developers' Toolkit

Accessories and Titbits


Developers Toolkit
WinCat/PRO Developers' Toolkit

To enable other (Pascal) programmers to create add-on's and utility-programs for use with WinCat/PRO, the author of WinCat/PRO has created the WINCATOS package.

WINCATOS makes it easy to access the information in WinCat/PRO catalogs. In fact, it contains the same 'database engine' as WinCat/PRO uses to read a catalog in storage, to select volumes and files, to perform fast sorting, etc.

A sample program shows how to make use of the available function calls.

WINCATOS is not included in the WinCat/PRO 4.1 package !

You can download it from Compuserve, forum WINSHARE, file WCATOS.ZIP.

You may use the routines from WINCATOS.TPU, the definitions in DEFS.PAS and the sample code in OSTEST.PAS in your own programs under the following conditions :

*	The WINCATOS routines and definitions are supplied 'as is', without any guarantees regarding functionality or compatibility with future WinCat/PRO releases.
*	You may freely distribute your program as either Freeware or Shareware.
*	In your programdocumentation you must add this statement : WINCAT/PRO Disk & CD-Rom Catalog and WINCATOS catalog interface routines (c) 1992-1995 Mart Heubel, Heerlen, The Netherlands.
*	Thou shall not name your program WINCAT or WINCATnn, where nn = 00-99.
*	Using WINCATOS.TPU in commercial products is not allowed without the prior written permisson of the author.
*	Because the author doesn't have all the time in the world : please do not contact the author for additional information or questions regarding the use of WINCATOS. The supplied information is sufficient (with a little figuring out and experimenting) for experienced Pascal programmers to make use of WINCATOS.
*	The routines in WINCATOS.TPU support catalogs created by the current WinCat/PRO 4.1 version and all previous versions.
*	WINCATOS.TPU has been compiled with Borland Turbo Pascal for Windows version 1.5


WinCat/MC

WinCat/MC is a utility which allows you to search for files in multiple WinCat/PRO catalogs, without having to read those catalogs one by one with WinCat/PRO.

It's a free add-on for (and only works in combination with) the WinCat/PRO 4.1 Disk and CDROM Catalog program.

How to install and use WinCat/MC

WINCATMC.EXE needs file WINCATBT.DLL ; this DLL library is distributed with the WinCat/PRO 4.1 package.

The installationprogram installs file WINCATMC.EXE in the same directory as WINCAT.EXE

Before running WinCat/MC, you must first specify the directory which contains your catalog files on WinCat/PRO's 'Configure' window like this :

1.	start WinCat/PRO (so NOT WinCat/MC !)

2.	click the 'Options' menu and select option 'Configure WinCat'.

3.	click the 'Directories' tab

4.	specify the directory which contains your catalog files on the second line marked 'directory initially shown on open catalog window'.

Using WinCat/MC is fairly simple : enter the search-criteria (e.g. filename, description etc.) the same way you do on WinCat/PRO's 'Search Files' window, select one or more catalogs and hit the enter key.

After scanning the selected catalogs, WinCat/MC will display the File List window which works almost the same as WinCat/PRO's File List window.

1. WinCat/MC is slower than WinCat/PRO, because unlike WinCat/PRO WinCat/MC doesn't keep a catalog in memory after it has been read from the disk. Therefore WinCat/MC has to read the selected catalogs from disk every time you perform a file-search.

Activate Microsoft's SMARTDRIVE to speed-up things.

2. WinCat/MC uses display-options and preferences defined with WinCat/PRO ; you cannot alter those with WinCat/MC, but you'll have to run WinCat/PRO in order to change them (by using the 'Configure' window).

3. WinCat/MC cannot search for files in archives !


WinCat/unZIP

WinCat/UnZIP is a utility which unpacks (extracts) ZIP and ARJ archive files.

It's a free add-on for (and only works in combination with) the WinCat/PRO 4.1 Disk and CDROM Catalog program.

Note that WinCat/UnZIP is not intended to be(come) the ultimate unzip tool ; all it does (or tries to do) is to unpack all or selected files from a ZIP or ARJ archive into a specified directory.

Yet it's simple approach makes it an easy-to-use and fast tool in combination with WinCat/PRO.

If you need more features or facilities, you should use a specialized unzip tool, for instance WinZip (copyright Nico Mak Computing, Inc.).

How to install and use WinCat/UnZIP

WINCATUZ.EXE needs file WINCATBT.DLL ; this DLL library is distributed with the WinCat/PRO 4.1 package.

The installationprogram installs files WINCATUZ.EXE and WINCATUZ.WAV in the same directory as WINCAT.EXE

Start WinCat/PRO, open the File List window, and define an association for ZIP and ARJ files like this :

Button	Command

Extract	WINCATUZ.EXE < >

After you have done this, clicking the 'Extract' button on WinCat's 'Restore File' window will run the UnZIP utility.

On WinCat/UnZIP's window you can see the contents of the selected file, it's uncompressed size, and the directory into which it will be unpacked.

Click the OK button to unpack all (or selected) files from the archive, or the Cancel button to end WinCat/UnZIP.

If you click the OK button, this button will disappear and the unpacking will start ; the zipper will gradually open.

You can abort this process by clicking the Cancel button.


WinCat/DIZ

WinCat/DIZ is distributed as a free add-on for (and only works in combination with) the WinCat/PRO 4.1 Disk and CDROM Catalog program.

In ARJ and ZIP archive files you usually find a file called FILE_ID.DIZ.

These DIZ files are used (as a defacto standard) to describe an archive's contents or the function of a particular program.

WinCat/DIZ is a utility which scans a disk for ARJ and ZIP archive files, and extracts all FILE_ID.DIZ file descriptions from those files. These descriptions are copied to a textfile called C:\WCIMPORT.TXT

After you have cataloged a disk or CD with WinCat/PRO, you can use this WCIMPORT.TXT file as input for WinCat/PRO's 'Import' function ; this makes it easy to document the files in your catalog.

How to install and use WinCat/DIZ

WINCATDZ.EXE needs file WINCATBT.DLL ; this DLL library is distributed with the WinCat/PRO 4.1 package.

The installationprogram installs file WINCATDZ.EXE in the same directory as WINCAT.EXE, and defines

WINCATDZ.EXE to the ProgramManager.

When you start WinCat/DIZ, you'll see a small listbox which shows all drives available on your system.

Select the drive/disk which you want to scan for DIZ files ; make sure you first insert a floppydisk or CD-ROM if applicable.

When you click the OK button, WinCat/DIZ will start scanning the disk.

Counters show you how many archive-files have been scanned, and how many of them contained a FILE_ID.DIZ file. You can abort this process by clicking the Cancel button.

After a while (depending on how many archives had to be scanned) WinCat/DIZ will notify you that the WCIMPORT.TXT file has been created.

You can then start WinCat/PRO and open the catalog that contains the disk/CD you've just scanned.

Then click the Utilities menu and select the Import function.

On the Import window select file C:\WCIMPORT.TXT as input and click OK. WinCat will now copy the descriptions from file WCIMPORT.TXT to it's catalog.


 Quick Overview

This Quick Overview tells you briefly how WinCat works :

With WinCat you can create a catalog (or database) of all files that hide on your floppydisks, CD-ROM's, harddisks etc.

WinCat offers powerful functions to quickly find any file you're looking for ; apart from searching for files by filename or description,  you can tell WinCat to show you for instance all graphic files or all document files.

Once you've found the file you were looking for, you can easily work with that file using WinCat's 'Restore File' function. With a single click of the mouse, you can start the Windows (or DOS) application that's associated with the file ; for instance, it will run the PaintBrush application to edit a BMP picture,  NotePad to edit a text-file, or WinZip to handle a ZIP archive-file.

When you are new to WinCat, please read the short tutorial below. It explains WinCat's main windows and functions, enabling you to use WinCat instantly. Click on every button or (green) underlined text to display the windows and additional information.

When you start WinCat you'll see the Volume List window, which shows all the disks in the catalog, and a few actions buttons.

To add a disk to the catalog, click the [image] button. WinCat will then display the Drive Select window, where you can select which disk (from which drive) you want to catalog.

After cataloging a disk, use the [image] button to display the Volume Information window, where you can enter a description for this disk, and optionally assign a group-, location- and/or owner-id to it.

You can display all directories on a disk by selecting it on the Volume List window (just click once on it) and clicking the [image] button. On the Directory List window that will be displayed you can select a specific directory and display all files in it.

Click the [image] button to display all files that are on the selected volume. You can also do this by double-clicking a volume entry.

When you want to search for files, click the [image] button to display the

Search Files window, which enables you to search files by filename, extension, comment etc..


WinCat's Windows Explained

Archive Contents

Associate

Catalog Disk

Change Volume Icon

Compare

Configure

Directory List

Drive Select

Export

File Information

File List

Import

Print Disklabels

Recatalog Disk

Register WinCat

Rename Volume

Restore File

Search Files

Select Volume Group

Statistics

Volume Information

Volume List


Questions and Answers

Q - When cataloging a disk, I get message 'Unable to create file C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT\ARCHIVES\Fxxxxxx.ACT'. How come ?

A - When cataloging a disk, WinCat scans the archive-files (like ARJ and ZIP) on the disk, in order to determine their contents. WinCat wants to save this information in a file named Fxxxxxxx.ACT, in the (default) C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT\ARCHIVES directory. If this directory doesn't exist then WinCat cannot create the file ; hence the message.

You must create the C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT\ARCHIVES directory to enable WinCat to catalog the contents of archive-files.

If you want WinCat to use another directory to store it's ACT files, you must create that directory AND specify it's name on the 'Configure' window as 'Archive contents directory'.

See also Cataloging Archive Contents

Q - When I print labels with WOODLE, they are either too wide or too long.

A - In order to use WOODLE, your printer must be able to print the same amount of Dots-Per-Inch (DPI) horizontally and vertically, eg. 300x300 or 180x180 DPI.

Some matrix-printers (like the Epson LX-8000) offer non-symmetric resolutions like 240x144 DPI ; when you print labels with this resolution they will have the wrong size : instead of 2.75" x 2.75" they will be printed (240/240)*2.75" x (240/144)*2.75" = 2.75" x 4.58".

Q - The File List window's VIEW option has predefined classes like Programs, Archives etc.

Can I customize these or add my own ?

A - Yes. See View

Q - Can I customize which program to run when clicking the FileManager and TaskManager buttons on the Volume List window ?

A - Yes. See File- and TaskManager

Q - I have a disk cataloged, which holds 10,000 files ; yet the File List window only shows 7,999.

A - That's the maximum number of files the File List window can display at a time. But instead of scrolling through a huge list, why not use the 'Directory List' window to display files in each directory ?

See also Program Limitations

Q - When using the Search Files window, I always get an empty File List window.

A - Suppose you want to search for a file named VBRUN100.DLL ; there are several ways to find it :

Filename : VB

Filename : 100

Filename : VB	Extension : DLL

NEVER use DOS wildcard-characters ; if you enter VB* as filename, WinCat won't find anything.

See also Search Files window

Q - Can I let WinCat open a catalog immediately upon startup ?

A - Yes. See Automatically Opening a Catalog

Q - I'm female, between 20 and 30, tall, slim, short hair (yep, I look like a tomboy), have a weird sense of humour, like to ride a motorcycle, I'm single and

A - STOP squeezing your mouse... CALL ME !!!


Volume List window

When you start WinCat you'll see the Volume List window, which shows all the disks in the catalog. Click on any button, menu or field to see a description of it's function :


Icon

As a default, WinCat uses it's built-in icons to distinguish between 3.5" HD, 3.5" DD, 5.25", CD-Rom and hard-disks.

You can change the icon displayed for a particular volume by selecting the Change Volume Icon option on the 'Volume' menu.


Volume-ID

This is the label that's on the disk, or the name you assigned on the Catalog Disk window.

You can change the volume-ID by selecting the Rename button on the Volume List window, or by selecting the 'Rename' option on the 'Volume' menu or the pop-up-menu.

If possible, let WinCat use the disk's label as volume-ID. This enables WinCat to recatalog a disk if you add the same disk again to the catalog.


Contents description

This is a short description of the disk's contents. You can enter or change this description on the Volume Information window.

With the Select Volume Group function on the 'Volume' menu you can limit the volumes displayed to only those that have a certain character-string in this description-field.


Free space

This is the amount of free space left on the disk ; it will be displayed as nnnnK (where K is 1,000 bytes), or as nnnnM (where M = 1,000,000 bytes).

Selecting the 'Sort by Free Space' option on the 'Sort' menu will sort all volumes in ascending or descending free space order.

With the Select Volume Group function on the 'Volume' menu you can limit the volumes displayed to only those that have a minimum of nnnK free space.


Number of files

This is the number of files on the disk.


Group-ID

This is the Group-ID which you can optionally assign to a disk, using the Volume Information window. You can use this field to distinguish between Windows Utility disks, installation disks, DOS disks etc.

Selecting the 'Sort by Group' option on the 'Sort' menu will sort all volumes by group-ID.

With the Select Volume Group function on the 'Volume' menu you can limit the volumes displayed to only those that belong to the selected group.


Archive Icon

This icon will be displayed if you made WinCat catalog the contents of archive files like ARJ and ZIP.

If this icon is displayed, you can have a peek into each archive file on this disk by selecting the Show Archive Contents button or menu-option on the File List window.


Directory Icon

This icon will be displayed if the disk contains (sub)directories.

By clicking the Show Directories button on the Volume List window, or by selecting the 'Show Directories' options on the 'Volume' menu or pop-up-menu, you can display the disk's directory.


Short Help information

When selecting a menu on the Volume List window, or when moving the mouse-pointer on top of one of the buttons, this line will show a short description of the menu's or button's function.

You can make WinCat display this information in either English, French, German or Dutch by selecting the appropriate 'Language' option on the Configure window


Registration Information

If this line shows the text 'Unregistered Evaluation Copy', it means you should take a look at the How To Order section in the Help file...

After you've registered WinCat your name will appear here, making it clear to everyone who peeks over your shoulder that you're a very nice person indeed.


Mouse Functions

Click the left mouse-button once on a disk-entry to select this disk.

Double-click the left mouse-button on a disk-entry to display the File List window, showing all files on the selected disk.

Click the right mouse-button once on a disk entry to select this disk, and to display a pop-up-menu, showing the same options as the 'Volume' menu.


Catalog menu

Used to open or create a catalog, to save the currently open catalog, or to show statistics about the currently open catalog.

Options :

Catalog Statistics

Open/Create Catalog

Save Catalog

Save Catalog As

Save Group As

Exit

1..9


Volume menu

Used to work with the selected volume, to add new disks to the catalog or to limit the volumes displayed to a certain group.

Options :

Show Information

Show Files

Show Directories

Rename Volume

Erase Volume

Add New Volume

Change Volume Icon

Select Volume Group

When clicking the right mouse-button on a volume entry, a pop-up-menu will appear which shows the same options as the Volume menu.


Sort menu

Used to sort the volumes displayed on the Volume List window in a particular order.

Options :

Volume-ID	: sort by Volume-ID

Free Space Asc.: sort by free space, volume with least free space at top

Free Space Dsc.: sort by free space, volume with most free space at top

Group	: sort by group

Location	: sort by location


Files menu

Used to search for files by name, description etc., or to display previously tagged files.

Options :

Search Files

Display Tagged Files

Reset File Tags


Utilities menu

Used to perform special functions, like importing file-descriptions, printing listings or disklabels, etc.

Options :

Compare

Import

Export

Print Report

Print Disklabels


Options menu

Used to configure WinCat ; you can define directories, programs and options using the 'Configure' option, and you can customize the layout of WinCat's windows with the 'Customize...' options.

Options :

Configure


Help menu

WinCat help and ordering information.

Options :

Contents	: displays the Help file

Search for...	: allows you to search for a help topic by keyword

Register

How to Order

About AidWare


Change Volume Icon
Change Volume Icon window

If you select one of the two first options on the 'Customize Volume List' window, the Volume List window will show an icon for each volume in the catalog.

As a default, WinCat will use it's built-in icons, giving a visual clue whether a volume is a 3.5" HD, 3.5" DD, 5.25", CD or harddisk.

To change the icon displayed for a particular volume, select the 'Change Volume Icon' option on the 'Volume' menu.

This will open a small window, showing all icons contained in the WINCATIC.DLL icon library that comes with the WinCat package.

To change a volume's icon, first select that volume on the Volume List window (just click once on it), and then double-click the desired icon on the Icons window. The entry on the Volume List window will then show the new icon.

To retrieve icons from other icon libraries (for instance the Windows' supplied MORICONS.DLL or PROGMAN.EXE), select the 'Open Icon Library' menu option on the Icons window. This will show an 'Open File' dialog, where you can select any EXE, DLL or ICL icon library, or a discrete ICO file.

Only select icons from libraries that reside on your harddisk(s), NOT from removable disks ! Obviously, WinCat will not be able to load an icon from a file residing on a disk which has been removed from the drive. If this situation occurs, WinCat will display the default icon.

Assigning your own icons to volumes will slow down opening a catalog, because WinCat has to load the icons from the icon libraries every time you open the catalog. However, this 'slow down' effect will only be noticeable if you have lots of disks with custom icons in the catalog.


File List window

This window is used to display all files on a volume, files in a particular directory or files that were found by the search function.

Click on any button, menu or field to see a description of it's function :


Icon

WinCat uses a few icons to distinguish between several file-types. Icons used are :

Running file	: executable EXE,COM, BAT and PIF files

Box	: archive files (like ARJ and ZIP)

Pallet	: graphic files (like BMP, GIF and PCX)

Pencil	: document files (like TXT, DOC and WRI)

Speaker	: WAV soundfiles

Click on this field to ' drag'  the file to another application.


Filename and filename-extension

This is the name of the file.


Size

The size of the file in bytes. If it's size is equal to or exceeds 10 megabytes, it will be displayed as nnn.nM.


Date

The date this file was created or last modified.

You can select the format in which the date is displayed (MM-DD-YY or DD-MM-YY) on the Configure window.


Volume-ID

This is the name of the volume that contains the file.


Description

You can optionally assign a description (of up to 500 characters) to each file using the File Information window.

Alternative (and less tedious) ways to enter descriptions are :

- Using the Copy, Edit and Paste functions on the 'Utilities' menu.

- Using the Import function which imports file-descriptions from ASCII textfiles, for instance indexlistings on CD's, BBS AllFiles listings, 4DOS descript.ion files etc.

Clicking the Alternate Display button or menu option will show the directory of this file.


Tag

If you tag (mark) a file using the Tag File button or menu-option, this will be indicated by displaying a red LED.

To remove the tag, click the Tag button once more. To remove tags from all files, select the 'Clear File Tags' option on the Files menu.


Mouse Functions

Click the left mouse-button once on a file-entry to select that file.

Double-click the left mouse-button on a file-entry to display the Restore File window

Click the right mouse-button once on a file entry to select this file, and to display a pop-up-menu, showing the same options as the 'File' menu.


Short Help information

When selecting a menu on the File List window, or when moving the mouse-pointer on top of one of the buttons, this line will show a short description of the menu's or button's function.

You can make WinCat display this information in either English, French, German or Dutch by selecting the appropriate 'Language' option on the Configure window


Status information

This line shows how many files were selected by the 'show all files on volume', 'show all files in directory' or 'search files' functions.

It also tells you what the current sort-order is, and what filetypes are currently being displayed (as selected on the View menu).

If the File List window shows no files at all after a file search, of when you want to display all files in a directory or on a volume, have a look at this line. If it doesn't say 'All entries', the empty display might be caused by the fact that you have selected a function class which filters out all entries.


File Menu

Used to work with the selected file.

Options :

Show Information

Define Association

Restore File

Show Archive Contents

Tag File

Alternate Display

Exit


Sort Menu

Use this menu-option to select how you want the displayed files to be sorted : in filename, extension, directory, volume, date or size (in descending or ascending) order.


View Menu

With these menu-options you can limit the files displayed to those belonging to a certain function class, e.g. programs, documents, sourcefiles etc.

If the File List window shows no files at all after a file search, of when you want to display all files in a directory or on a volume, have a look at the status-line. If it doesn't say 'All entries', the empty display might be caused by the fact that you have selected a function class which filters out all entries.


Utilities Menu

Provides options to copy file-descriptions to, and paste them from, the clipboard and to print the contents of the File List window.

Options :

Copy to ClipBoard, Run Editor, Paste from ClipBoard

Print


Close window

Clicking this button will close the File List window.


Tag file

Click this button to put a 'tag' (displayed as a red LED) on a particular file.

This can be useful when you're searching for a couple of files ; first use the 'Search' function to find the files one by one and tag them. After you've found what you were looking for click 'Display tagged files' on the 'File' menu et voila, there they are.


Alternate display

Clicking this button will alternately display the files with their comment field only, or with volume, creationdate and directory fields.

You can customize the layout of the File List window using the ' Customize File List window'  option on the ' Options'  menu ; apart from color and font you can also select the way you want the files displayed.


Copy, Edit and Paste file descriptions

Copy to clipboard

Selecting this menu-option will copy the filenames and their descriptions from the File List window to the ClipBoard.

Edit

Selecting this menu-option will run NotePad (or the editor you specified on the 'Editor=' statement on the 'Configure' window), where you can paste in and edit the file-descriptions you put on the ClipBoard with COPY.

When you have completed editing, use the editor to copy the data back to the ClipBoard and then use PASTE to retrieve the descriptions from the ClipBoard.

Paste from clipboard

Retrieves file-descriptions from the ClipBoard and stores them in the catalog.

The ClipBoard records must have the format 'Filename.Ext Text'.

The filename may be in upper- or lowercase.


Print file list

Selecting this menu-option will print the contents of the File List window on your printer, or to file WINCAT.LST.


Directory List window

This window shows all directories on the selected disk, together with the number of files and used diskspace per directory.

Click on any button or field to see an explanation of it's function :


Size

This column shows the total size of all files in each directory.


Number of files

This column shows the number of files in each directory.


Directory-name

In this column, you see the name of every directory.

You can customize the layout of the Directory List window using the ' Customize Directory List window'  option on the ' Options'  menu ; apart from color and font you can select the way you want the directories displayed : either as a tree list or with each directories'  full pathname.


Mouse Functions

Click the left mouse-button once on a directory-entry to select that directory.

Double-click the left mouse-button on a directory-entry to display all files in it on the File List window.


Close window

Clicking this button will close the Directory List window.


Print directory-list

By clicking this button you can print a listing (either directly to the printer or to file WINCAT.LST) of the currently displayed directories.


Show files in directory

Click this button to display all files in the selected directory on the File List window.


Select directories

You can limit the directories displayed to those that contain a certain string : enter the string to look for on this field (or select it again from the drop-down list) and click the OK button on the right.

Click the CANCEL button on the right to display all directories again.

If you select directories, the Directory List will always be displayed with full pathnames, because in this situation a tree list cannot be shown.


Status line

This line shows the full pathname of the currently selected directory.


Last modification date

This column shows the last modificationdate of the files in each directory.


Catalog Statistics window

STATISTICS

Click this tab to display statistics regarding volumes and files, the catalog and system resources :

File Statistics :

- the total number of volumes and files;

- the total amount of used and free space.

This information is shown for all disks in the catalog, and for those that are part of the currently selected group.

Catalog Statistics :

- the name, size, creation-date and last update date of the currently open catalog

Memory Statistics :

- the amount of memory WinCat allocated for text-buffers (used to store filedescriptions);

- the total amount of memory Windows has available for applications (in megabytes);

- the free percentage GDI and USER resources.

The History, Classes and FileTypes functions show statistics regarding all files in the catalog, unless you select a group of volumes (with the Select Group function). In this case the statistics apply to only those files that are part of that group.

HISTORY

Click this tab to display a list with the total number of files and occupied space by year.

Double-clicking an entry on this list will display the File List window, showing all files that were created or last modified in the selected year.

CLASSES

Click this tab to display a list with the total number of files and occupied space by function class.

Double-clicking an entry on this list will display the File List window, showing all files that belong to the selected function class.

FILETYPES

Click this tab to display a list of all filetypes (filename-extensions) that occur in the catalog.

Double-clicking an entry on this list will display the File List window, showing all files of the selected type.


Open Catalog
Open or create a catalog

Clicking the 'Open...' option on the 'Catalog' menu will display the 'Open or Create Catalog' dialog, where you can select the catalog you want to use.

To create a new catalog, enter the name of a nonexistent catalog (with extension .CAT) and click OK. WinCat then asks if you want to create a new catalog.

As a default, the 'Open Catalog' dialog initially displays the directory you defined as 'Working Directory' on the Programmanagers' 'Program Item Properties' window.

You can override this default by specifying the directory to display on the 'Catalog Directory' option on the Configure window.

You can also let WinCat open a specific catalog automatically when you start WinCat.


Save catalog

Clicking the 'Save Catalog...' option on the 'Catalog' menu will save all updates you made to the currently open catalog.

WinCat first saves a backup of the original catalog (*.BCK), and then creates a new catalog with extension .CAT.


Save catalog as

Clicking the ''Save Catalog As...' option on the 'Catalog' menu will display the 'Save Catalog As' dialog.

Enter the name of the catalog you want to create (with extension .CAT) on this dialog and click OK.

WinCat will then save all updates you made to the currently open catalog in the new catalog.


Save group as

Clicking the ''Save Group As...' option on the 'Catalog' menu will display the 'Save Group As' dialog.

With this function you can create a new catalog that contains only the volumes that you've selected with the 'Select Group' function.

Enter the name of the catalog you want to create (with extension .CAT) on this dialog and click OK.

WinCat will then save all information regarding the currently selected group of volumes in the new catalog.


End WinCat/PRO

Clicking the 'Exit' button on the Volume List window (or 'Exit' on the 'Catalog' menu, or 'Close' on the system menu) will end WinCat.

If there are any updates in the currently active catalog that haven't been saved yet, WinCat will ask you if these updates should be saved before actually ending WinCat.

Replies :

YES	: all updates will be saved, and WinCat ends.

 NO	: WinCat will end without saving updates.

Cancel	: Ignores the exit command.


Last-used catalogs
Open this catalog

WinCat displays the 9 last catalogs you used on the 'Catalog' menu ; you can immediately open one of these by selecting them on this menu.


Configure WinCat
Configure window

Clicking the 'Configure' option on the 'Options' menu will display the Configure window, where you can specify WinCat's options and default settings.

Click the OK button to activate the selected options, and to save them in file WINCAT.INI.

CATALOGING

Here you can specify options that apply to cataloging disks :

Copy file-descriptions from 4DOS descript.ion files

Specify whether you want WinCat to copy file-comments from 4DOS descript.ion files and/or files.bbs files (if present) when cataloging a disk.

The default is YES

Replace current descriptions with those from .ION and .BBS files

Specify whether you want WinCat to replace existing filecomments with those that are read from the descript.ion and/or files.bbs files.

The default is NO

Catalog contents of ARJ, ZIP, LZH, ZOO, ARC and PAK archives.

Specify whether you want WinCat to catalog the contents of archive-files when cataloging a disk.

The default is NO

Display Recatalog window when recataloging a disk.

When you catalog a disk that's already present in the catalog, you can let WinCat display a Recatalog window that shows the differences between the information in the catalog, and the actual contents of the disk by enabling this option.

The default is YES

Write new volume-label to floppydisk if volume-id changed

When you enter or alter a floppydisk's Volume-ID on the 'Catalog Disk' window, you can let WinCat write this new ID as a volume-label on the disk by checking a checkbox on the 'Catalog Disk' window.

Here you can specify the initial setting of that checkbox.

The default is NO.

Display Volume Information window after cataloging a disk

If you select this option, WinCat will display the Volume Information window when a disk has been cataloged ; on the Volume Information window you can then enter the disk's description and group ID's.

The default is YES.

DIRECTORIES

Here you can specify directories to be used by WinCat :

Directory where .ACT files are saved

Specify where you want WinCat to save it's .ACT files when cataloging the contents of archive-files on a disk.

Enter a full pathname, like C:\WINDOWS\MYDATA or D:\BACKUP\DATA\.

The default is C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT\ARCHIVES

Directory initially shown on ' Open Catalog'  window

This is the directory WinCat initially displays on the 'Open Catalog' window.

The default is the 'working directory' you specify on the Programmanagers 'Program Item Properties' window.

Default target directory for ' Restore File'  function

This is the target directory that WinCat will initially select for restoring files.

Specify the name of an existing directory, like C:\RESTORE or D:\TRASH\.

The default is C:\

PROGRAMS

Here you can specify programs to be used by WinCat :

Editor called by WinCat to edit files

Specify which editor you want WinCat to use, for instance when displaying the output of the Print function.

Enter a full path/filename, like C:\WINDOWS\PROGRAMS\MEGAEDIT.EXE or D:\PFE.EXE.

The default is C:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD.EXE

Windows Unarchive (ARJ unpacker)

Specify which program to run when clicking the WUNA button on the 'Restore File' window.

Enter a full path/programname (and optional parameters), like this :

C:\PROGRAMS\WUNA.EXE -p<

Default : WUNA -p  <  >

WinZip (archive unpacker)

Specify which program to run when clicking the WinZip button on the 'Restore File' window.

Enter a full path/programname (and optional parameters), like this :

C:\PROGRAMS\WINZIP.EXE

Default : WINZIP <

GENERAL

General WinCat options :

Date format

Specify which data format you want WinCat to use when displaying dates.

You can chose between the formats 'DD-MM-YY' (also known as the normal format...) or 'MM-DD-YY' (the American way).

The default is DD-MM-YY.

Auto-save updated catalogs

If this option is set, WinCat will save updated catalogs automatically when opening another catalog, or when ending WinCat.

The default is NO, which means that WinCat will ask if the catalog should be saved.

Note :  use this option with caution !

Display toolbar on Volume- and File-List windows

If set, WinCat will display toolbar-buttons for the most frequently used functions on the Volume List, File List and Archive-file List windows.

The default is YES.

Language

Select in which language you want WinCat's menu's, pop-up-menu and help-messages displayed : English, French, German or Dutch.

The default is English.


Select Volume Group window

With the 'Select Group' function you can limit the volumes displayed on the Volume List window to those belonging to the selected group, location or owner.

You can also select a group of volumes with a minimum amount of free space, volumes of a certain disktype (e.g. all 3.5" 1.44 MB disks) or volumes that have a certain string in their description field.

This can be useful when you have a lot of disks in your catalog : instead of scrolling through a long list of volumes on the Volume List window, you can use the 'Select Group' function to select for instance only those disks that contain Windows programs or games, only those disks that belong to owner John or only those disks that have more then 300K free space.

When you select a group,  ALL(*) WinCat functions (like search, print, import, export etc.) will operate only on (files on) volumes belonging to that group.

This means that if you have selected volume group 'Windows' and want to search for files with string 'driver' in their comment field, WinCat will show only those files that reside on one of the volumes that belong to the selected group 'Windows'.

(*)  Only exception : the 'Save Catalog (As)' function ignores groups ; the catalog will always be saved in it's entity, regardless of whether or not a group is selected.


Display tagged files

Clicking the 'Display Tagged Files' option on the 'Files' menu will display the File List window, showing all files you tagged with the Tag function.


Reset file tags

Clicking the 'Reset File Tags' option on the 'Files' menu will clear all filetags.


Compare window

Clicking the 'Compare' option on the 'Utilities' menu will display the 'Compare' window.

You can use this function to let WinCat compare the contents of a directory on your harddisk, or the contents of a floppy disk, with the information in the catalog.

So you can easily see whether or not files are cataloged, and if so on which volume(s) they reside.

First select the disk or the directory you want to check against the catalog, and click OK.

WinCat will first sort the catalog, and then shows which files from the selected disk or directory are present in the catalog.


Import window

Use this function to import file-descriptions from BBS AllFiles listings, listings from other disk catalog programs, 4DOS descript.ion files, CompuServe *.CAT listings, index-listings on CD-ROMs etc.

SELECT

First you must select the text file which will be used as input for the ' Import'  function.

This must be a 'normal' ASCII text file, that is each line must end with a hex '0D0A' line delimiter.

Next specify the format of this textfile :

Single- or multi-line

This is the most common format for BBS AllFiles listings and index-listings on CD-ROMS ; a line in this textfile starts with a filename, followed by the file's description which can be several lines long.

Example :

PHOLAB18.ARJ  117979 29-05-93  [22] Photolab 1.8.0 Image Processing.

                     Photolab is an Image processing system that allows you

                     to view scanned or digitized images on your PC

WinCat will import the first line, and all continuation-lines as long as they begin with at least 10 spaces.

WinCat will stop importing continuation-lines when

- a blank line is encountered or

- a line doesn't'  begin with at least 10 spaces or

- a total of 500 characters for the current file' s description is reached.

(The filename may be in upper or lowercase, and may be preceded by spaces. )

Let' s look again at the example line :

PHOLAB18.ARJ  117979 29-05-93  [22] Photolab 1.8.0 Image Processing.

Normally you aren't'  interested in details like the file' s size, date and download-count (shown above in red).

You can make WinCat skip these details when importing descriptions : all you have to do is to tell WinCat how many words to drop from the text following the filename.

In the above example, the filename PHOLAB18.ARJ is followed by 3 words (strings delimited by one or more spaces) which should be remove, so the number to specify is 3.

CompuServe *.CAT listing

CompuServe supplies *.CAT listings (in TAPCIS format), where the description for each file looks like this :

[72123,501]     Lib:10

FR.ZIP/Bin      Bytes:  14242, Count:   43, 08-Sep-93

  Title   : Universal Text Find & Replace Utility v1.0

  Keywords: TEXT STRING FIND REPLACE UTILITY EXE COM DLL DOC

  FR is a universal text string Find & Replace utility that works with any

  file sizes, any file types, and any file formats such as; .exe, .com, .dll,

  txt, .doc, .asc, .bmp, .tif, .cdr, etc.. you name it!

WinCat locates every filename in a .CAT listing (FR.ZIP in this example), and imports the description-lines (those following the Title and Keywords lines) to it's catalog.

When you click OK, WinCat will first sort the files in the catalog (or in the current active group), and then scan the selected textfile.

For each filename found in the textfile WinCat will check whether a file with this name exists in the catalog. If so, WinCat will copy the description that follows the filename (in the textfile) to the

corresponding file in the catalog, and set that file's TAG.

After WinCat has finished reading the textfile he'll display the 'Files' window, showing all (TAGged) files that were updated.

If you're not completely happy with the result you can use [COPY], [EDIT] and [PASTE] to change things.

OPTIONS

Several options allow you to customize the importing of file-descriptions :

1. Specify whether or not you want WinCat to take filename-extensions into account when comparing filenames from the textfile with those from the catalog.

If you set this option to 'YES', WinCat will ignore extensions and so will consider file 'SAMPLE.ARJ' to be the same as file 'SAMPLE.ZIP'.

2. Specify whether you want WinCat to replace existing file-descriptions with the imported ones by clicking the appropriate checkbox.

3. You can make WinCat strip all nonstandard characters from the imported text. This can be useful to remove carriage-returns, tabs, graphic characters etc.


Export window

Clicking the 'Export' option on the 'Utilities' menu will display the 'Export' window.

This function exports the information in the catalog (or in the current active group) to a file in DBF format. The .DBF file can be used with database products like dBase, Paradox, Excel etc.

WinCat will create a record in the .DBF file for each file in the catalog or group. Apart from the name of each file (which is always part of a record) you can select additional fields you want included in

each record : volume id, directory, date, size and/or comment.


Printing Reports

Clicking the 'Print Report' option on the 'Utilities' menu will display the Reports window :

REPORTS

Here you can select the type of report to be printed :

Volume Summary

Creates a summary listing of all volumes.

Volume Contents

Creates a listing of all volumes and their contents.

Files sorted by Filename

Creates a sorted listing of all files in the catalog.

Duplicate Files

Creates a listing of files that occur more than once in the catalog.

Archive Contents

Creates a listing of all files in archive files.

FIELDS

Here you can select the fields you want included on the reports to print.

CLASSES

Here you can select one or more function-classes ; as a result, only files belonging to the selected function class(es) will be listed on the report.

When printing a report (either by using the 'Report...' option on WinCat's main menu, or by clicking the 'Print' button on a listbox), WinCat displays a window where you can :

- cancel the print

- select the print destination (either to file WINCAT.LST, or directly to your printer)

- indicate you want to edit the listing (if you select 'File' as destination) after it has been created.


Print Disklabels

Clicking the 'Print Disklabels' option on the 'Utilities' menu will display the 'Print Disklabels' window.

This window doesn't actually print the labels ; it just creates a file (WOODLE.INP) that serves as input for the WOODLE utility.

First select the volumes you want to print a label for ; after doing so, click the 'Create WOODLE.INP' button.

WinCat will then create the input-file file for WOODLE, and will ask you whether you want to run the WOODLE Disklabel Editor to select a label-layout and to print the labels.


How to order WinCat
Registering WinCat/PRO

WinCat/PRO is not free software. If you use this software after the 21 day evaluation period a license (with a registration fee of 15 US dollars) is required.

Paying the registration fee entitles you to use WinCat/PRO version 4.1, and all other subsequent 4.x releases that may be distributed.

Two types of licenses are available : the one for personal use, and the multi-workstation license for company use.

 License for personal use :

This license can be transferred freely from machine to machine as long as there is no chance that it is ever in use on more than one machine.

You are encouraged to share your evaluation copy of WinCat, but you may not distribute registered copies or registration numbers under any circumstance.

The registration number (which disables the AidWare notices that appear when opening a catalog, and when ending WinCat) will be sent to you immediately after I've received the registration-fee.

Please read : How to order a Personal License

 Multi-workstation or site-license :

For companies, public services and other organizations multi-workstation site licenses are available.

The multi-workstation license allows you to install and use the registered copy of WinCat/PRO 4.x on as many workstations as stated on the license-agreement.

If you install WinCat/PRO on a LAN server-station, you're allowed to use it from as many workstations as stated on the license-agreement.

You may not distribute your registered copy of WinCat/PRO to, or use it on, workstations that aren't used by employees of your company.

You can always upgrade your existing license for use on more workstations ; the required fee will be the difference between the normal fee for the new license and the fee you already paid.

Please read : How to order a Site License


How To Order Your Personal License

There are several ways to order your WinCat/PRO license :

1.	directly from the author ;

2.	by creditcard from the American Public software Library ;

3.	from P. & A. Co., Ltd.,  Japan

1. Ordering a WinCat/PRO Personal License from the author :

Send the WinCat orderform (and optionally the questionnaire) plus the required registrationfee to :

Mart Heubel

De Heugden 161

6411 DR  Heerlen

The Netherlands

(Note : orders from outside Europe generally arrive at the author within a week if sent by airmail).

Choose one of these methods to pay :

Money Order	Enclose US$15.00 or HFl. 25,00 in cash (bills, no check) with the orderform.
	US dollars or Dutch Guilders are preferred, but (if the bank charges you an outrageous fee for changing currency) the equivalent amount in any other currency will be accepted too.
Giro	Maak HFl 25,00 over op postgiro-rekening 4086382
	tnv. M.B.M. Heubel in Heerlen, ovv. 'Licentie WinCat/PRO' Bij gebruik van GiroTel uw adres vermelden op de commentaar- regel ! Note : This method is applicable to Dutch users only !
EURO-Check	Enclose an EURO-Check worth HFl 25,00 with the orderform. Please make sure you have signed the check, and don't forget to enter the number on the back of it ! Note : this method is applicable to European users only !
Note 1 :	American, Canadian, Australian etc. checks/cheques are NOT accepted !
	The reason for this is that the transaction-costs charged by the banks to either or both you and me are so outrageous that they are almost ridiculous : they vary from $9 to $30 (yes, thirty !!),  and seem to depend on the mood of the bankemployee and the weather. So, if you are not a European user :  please don't send a check ; all I can do with it is tear it up. Consider sending plain cash (dollar bills), or register using your credit card by calling the Public (software) Library (see below).
Note 2 :	The author can NOT accept registration by credit card !
	If you want to register using your credit card, please call the Public (software) Library (see below).
Note 3 :	All prices include postage to send your license worldwide.
Note 4 :	In order to keep WinCat's price as low as possible and to maximize WinCat's revenue (by reducing overhead-costs to a minimum), the author sends you a license plus registration number only ; a disk, a 4-color glossy manual or other unnecessary stuff is NOT included (and not available) !

2. Ordering a WinCat/PRO Personal License from the Public (software) Library :

You can order your WinCat Personal License from the American Public (software) Library with your Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover credit card by calling:

800-2424-PSL (toll free within the United States) ;

or 713-524-6394 (when calling from outside the USA) ;

or send a FAX to 713-524-6398 ;

or send a message to CompuServe userid 71355,470

- request WinCat/PRO registration, Item Number 10966

- the total registration-fee when ordering by creditcard from PsL is US $20.00

($ 15.00 license-fee plus $5.00 PsL handling-fee).

This price includes postage to send your license worldwide.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CREDIT CARD CUSTOMERS:

Credit card registrations for WinCat/PRO are handled through the Public (software) Library's ShareWare Registration Service.

PsL will notify the author the day of your order. Your license will then be shipped by the author within 24 to 48 hours.

Please note that the numbers listed above are for ORDERING ONLY !

The author can NOT be reached at those numbers ; please read Your Comments Please for information about how to contact the author.

When ordering a WinCat/PRO license from PsL, the same conditions apply as when ordering directly from the author :

* by registering WinCat/PRO you acknowledge and consent to the disclaimer of warranty

* you also acknowledge and accept that your registration-fee will be donated to the Dutch Foster Parents Plan organisation, and therefore under no circumstance, totally nor partially, can nor will be refunded.

* In order to keep WinCat's price as low as possible and to maximize WinCat's revenue (by reducing overhead-costs to a minimum), the author sends you a license plus registration number only ; a disk, a 4-color glossy manual or other unnecessary stuff is NOT included (and not available) !

3. Ordering a WinCat/PRO Personal License from P. & A., Japan :

Japanese customers can order a WinCat/PRO Personal License from P. & A. Co., Ltd., Tokyo.

When registering WinCat/PRO from P. & A., you receive a disk with the latest version of WinCat ;

P. & A. also provides local product support.

Please contact :

P. & A. Co., Ltd.

302 Bellwins 1367-23,  Nakagami, Akishima,

Tokyo 196

JAPAN

Phone :	81 425-46-9141

Fax :	81 425-46-9142

Nifty :	PAF02416


How To Order A Site License

Site licenses can only be ordered directly from the author.

The following prices apply to site licenses for use on...

up to 5 workstations	US$    50.00  (HFl. 100,00)
up to 10 workstations	US$    75.00  (HFl. 150,00)
up to 25 workstations	US$ 125.00  (HFl. 250,00)
up to 50 workstations	US$ 200.00  (HFl. 400,00)
up to 100 workstations	US$ 300.00  (HFl. 600,00)
more than 100 workstations	- please contact the author -

When ordering a site-license you'll receive a registration-number and a disk with the latest version of WinCat/PRO.

Choose one of these methods to pay :

Giro	Betaling door overmaking van de licentie-kosten op de postgiro-rekening van :
	M.B.M. Heubel Rekeningnummer 4086382 O.v.v. 'Site Licentie WinCat/PRO voor ... werkstations'  Note : This method is for Dutch users only !
EURO-Check	Send one or more EURO-Checks that cover the required registration-fee along with your order. Please make sure you have signed the check(s), and don't forget to enter the number on the back of it/them ! Note : this method is for European users only !
Check	Send one or more Checks that cover the required registration-fee plus $9.00 handling fee along with your order.  Check(s) should be made payable to : M. B. M. Heubel  Note : this method is for non-European users only !
Note 1 :	Because of the amounts involved when ordering a site license by sending checks, I strongly advise to send your order as a 'Registered Letter' (aangetekend / lettre recommande) to the author.
Note 2 :	Please contact the author before ordering a 'up to 25 workstations' or up site license, in order to make arrangements for payment.
Note 3 :	Unfortunately, the author cannot accept credit card orders.


WinCat/PRO Orderform
WinCat/PRO 4.1 Orderform

(click the Print Topic option on the File menu to print this form)

YES, I would like to support the AidWare project by registering WinCat/PRO, so I hereby order my own personal license !

The registration-number that I will receive entitles me to use WinCat/PRO version 4.1, and all other subsequent 4.x releases that may be distributed.

I will pay the required registration-fee by/with (please check) :

Money Order	Enclose US$15.00 or HFl. 25,00 in cash (bills, no check) with this orderform.
[   ]	US dollars or Dutch Guilders are preferred, but (if the bank charges you an outrageous fee for changing currency) the equivalent amount in any other currency will be accepted too.
Giro	Maak HFl 25,00 over op postgiro-rekening 4086382
[   ]	tnv. M.B.M. Heubel,  ovv. 'Licentie WinCat/PRO'
	Note : This method is applicable to Dutch users only !
EURO-Check	Enclose an EURO-Check worth HFl 25,00 with this orderform.
[   ]	Please make sure you have signed the check, and don't forget to enter the number on the back of it !
	Note : this method is applicable to European users only !
Note 1 :	American, Canadian, Australian etc. checks/cheques are NOT accepted because of huge transaction costs.
	Consider sending plain cash (dollar bills), or register using your credit card by calling the Public (software) Library.
Note 2 :	All prices include postage to send your license worldwide.
Note 3 :	In order to keep WinCat's price as low as possible and to maximize WinCat's revenue (by reducing overhead-costs to a minimum), the author sends you a license plus registration number only ; a disk, a 4-color glossy manual or other unnecessary stuff is NOT included (and not available) !

Send my license and registrationnumber to :

Name	Mr/Mrs/Ms........................................................................
Address	............................................................................................
	............................................................................................
	............................................................................................
	............................................................................................

By registering WinCat/PRO I acknowledge and consent to the disclaimer of warranty as

stated in WINCAT.HLP.

I also acknowledge and accept that my registration-fee will be donated to the Dutch Foster Parents Plan organisation, and therefore under no circumstance, totally nor partially, can nor will be refunded.

Date   : ...............               Signature : ..................................


WinCat/PRO Questionnaire

(click the Print Topic option on the File menu to print this form)

In order to continue to improve WinCat the author would really like to know a few things about your computer equipment, how you use WinCat and of course what you think of WinCat.

So please take a minute to answer these questions, and send this questionnaire along with the orderform.

What type of CPU do you have ?

O 286-	O 386-	O 486-	O SX	O DX	O 586 (Pentium)

What is the speed of your CPU (in megaHertz) ?

O < 25	O 25	O 33	O 40	O 50	O 66	O 90	O ....

What is the amount of memory in your system (in megabytes) ?

O 1	O 2	O 4	O 6	O 8	O 16	O ....

Which operating system do you use ?

O DOS 5.0	O DOS 6.x	O 4DOS	O DR-DOS	O NDOS	O ...................
and/or

O Windows 3.1	O Windows 95               (Chicago)	O Windows for Workgroups	O Windows NT	O OS/2	O ....................

Which display-mode do you use mostly ?

O EGA	O VGA	O SVGA	O ................................
using display-resolution

O 640x480	O 800x600	O 1024x768	O ................................
colors :

O none	O 16	O 256	O 32768	O TrueColor	O ................................

Which disk-drives do you use ?

O 3.5" floppy	O 5.25" floppy	O CD-ROM	O Magneto-Optical
O Tape	O Bernoulli	O MiniDisk	O ..........................

Can you give an estimate of how many disks/files you're going to catalog with WinCat ?

FloppyDisks	: ______ / ______
CD-ROMS	: ______ / ______
Other	: ______ / ______

Where do you use WinCat ?

O At home	O At work	O Both

Which disk catalog program (if any) were you using previously or have you tried ?

O CatDisk	O SmartCat	O DiskTrak	O DiskMan
O WinCat 2.x	O IntelliCat	O ...................

Where did you get your copy of WinCat ?

O Bulletin Board System	O from a friend	O ShareWare disk/CD : .................................................
O Public (software) Library	O CompuServe	O....................................................................................

Your verdict please : on a scale from 1 (utterly lousy, it stinks etc.) to 10 (excellent, out-of-this-world etc.), how would you rate :

- The overall impression WinCat makes	______
- WinCat's speed	______
- WinCat's features and functions	______
- WinCat's graphic user interface	______
- WinCat's WOODLE disklabel print utility	______
- Ease of use	______
- The WinCat On-line Help	______

What do you like best in WinCat ?

What do you definitely DON'T like in the current WinCat release ?

Which feature(s) or function(s) would you like to see in a new release of WinCat ?


Registering WinCat
Entering Your Registration Number

Clicking the 'Register' option on the 'Help' menu will display the 'Register WinCat' window, where you can enter your name and the registration-number that's listed on your license-agreement.

When you send me WinCat's orderform (plus the money of course...), you'll receive a registration-number that disables the AidWare windows that appear when opening a catalog and when ending WinCat.

This unique registration-number was generated by a fractal generator that takes your name as input and (after 3 minutes calculating on a 486-66), spits out an 8 to 10 digit number (believe me, even I don't know how this actually works).

So, to register WinCat you must enter your name and the registration-number exactly as stated on the license-agreement, because WinCat will check the number against the name (surprisingly, this takes almost no time at all... but then, I don't know how this works either).

If WinCat detects that the name and number don't match, registration will fail.

If you enter the correct name and number, WinCat will say 'thanks for registering !', and your name will appear on the WHOF window.

To enter national language characters like ü, ö and æ you must enter the character's ASCII code. For instance, to enter the character ü you must press the ALT key and enter 0252.

The Windows' Character Map program (CHARMAP.EXE) shows which code corresponds to which character.

WinCat saves your name and the registration-number in file WINCAT.INI. If, for some reason, this file gets accidentally erased you must reenter your registration. So don't throw away the license-agreement once you've registered, as you might need it again in the future !


About AidWare

WinCat/PRO is offered as 'AidWare' : if you use WinCat/PRO, you must register it.

But relax, this won't cost you an arm and a leg : to encourage people to register I offer WinCat at a bargain price, compared to commercial packages that cost at least twice as much (and that don't have even half of WinCat's features...). So, with kind regards to WinCat's competitors :

The registration-fee for a personal WinCat/PRO license is US$ 15.00 / Hfl. 25,00.

ALL THIS FOR A LOUSY FIFTEEN BUCKS ?

Yep. Well, it may be peanuts to you and me, but in some parts of the world 15 bucks can make the difference between life and death. If this fact comes as a shock to you I suggest you watch the evening news once in a while...

That's why I'll donate every received registrationfee to the Dutch Foster Parents Plan (FPP) organization, a member of Plan International.

(Plan International has branches in Australia, Belgium, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Japan, the United States and the Netherlands.)

FPP provides material and financial support to developmentprojects in so-called 3rd-world countries all around the globe. These projects involve children's education, agricultural development, providing medical care etc.

And believe me : it doesn't take billions to do something worthwhile.

For about US$ 4,000 they can build a little school ; with US$ 5,000 they can provide means so threehundred families can have fresh water every day.

One of the planned projects of FPP is to build a medical centre in the Kandi district on Sri Lanka.

Of course a project like this is a bit more expensive : US$ 70,000.

But, believe it or not : although I'll have to sell a -beep- lot of WinCat licenses to raise that kind of money : my goal is to raise enough funds to enable FPP to actually build this 'WinCat' Medical Centre ! (with the cat logo on the front door, of course).

Maybe that's (as somebody once elegantly put it) 'dreaming the impossible dream'.

But then, what would life be without dreams...

And what's more : we're a worldwide community of over 10 million Windows users, and we all have the same (luxury) problem : a stack of floppy-disks and CD's... If I can get 1 of every 1000 of you to use WinCat (no problem I guess) and to pay for it (oops), WinCat Medical Centre becomes reality !

Wouldn't it be just great if we, WinCat users, actually managed to achieve this ? Come on, admit it, you too would be proud of this !

So, why not share the dream and make it come true : register WinCat !

(Hmm, I should consider going into politics writing demagogic stuff like this...)

By the way : in all subsequent WinCat releases I'll display a random selection of the names of people who registered on WinCat's 'Hall of Fame' window !

Imagine... your name on the silver screen... your friends will be AMAZED... your wife/husband/ girlfriend/boyfriend will (finally ?) respect you... and because WinCat is distributed through WIN*NET you'll become instantly worldfamous ! And if they publish WinCat on CD-ROM... IMMORTAL !!!

And all this for a mere 15 bucks... Definitely the best deal since Peter Stuyvesant (Dutch guy too by the way) bought Manhattan from the Indians for 50 dollars and a bottle of gin !

PS.

 If you like WinCat : why not try to convince your boss that you desperately need it at work, and that it's really worthwhile to order a site-license ?

 If you like WinCat and the AidWare concept, and also know a way to get a review of WinCat in a local PC magazine... well, need I say more ?

 If you're not interested in registering WinCat, but like the AidWare idea : donations are accepted with the utmost gratitude also !


About the Author

Mart Heubel popped into this world at a very cold December, 20 in 1961 in Maastricht, The Netherlands. It was 04:20 in the morning and, because his dad forgot to turn on the heating, FREEZING outthere. Ever since, Mart hated to get up early.

Although very intelligent, Mart decided to keep a low profile during his schooldays. Years passed, and nothing remarkable happened.

At the age of seventeen, Mart had his first girlfriend. After a while, she dumped him and Mart went to university to study electronics. After a while, they dumped him and Mart became a successful mainframe systems programmer.

Currently, Mart lives in Heerlen. When not working, he likes to ride his Italian Moto Guzzi motorbike and read Garfield cartoons, from one of which he adopted his motto in life :.

" Some people live exciting lives ; others seek romance and adventure. And the occasional lunatic writes a disk catalog program "


Important Notice
License and Trial Period

When using an unregistered version of WinCat, each catalog you create has it's own evaluation period of 21 days. When this standard evaluation period has ended WinCat still allows you to use that catalog, but you'll receive an 'Evaluation period expiring !' message each time you open that catalog.

After entering your registration-number on WinCat's 'Register...' window, you won't be bothered with AidWare notices and nagging messages ever again.

You should read carefully the following terms and conditions before using or distributing this software. Using or distributing this software indicates acceptance of these terms and conditions.

COPYRIGHT

The shareware evaluation version of WinCat/PRO and it's related programs and documentation (hereafter, "the Software") is Copyright (c) 1992-1995 by Mart Heubel (hereafter, "the Author") and is protected by Dutch copyright laws and international treaty provisions.

The author, as exclusive publisher, is an authorized representative of the copyright holder. Except to the extent expressly licensed, the copyright holder has and reserves the exclusive copyright and other right, title, and interest to  copy and distribute this software, and the right to use the Trademark "WinCat/PRO" in connection with it.

LICENSE

The Author hereby grants you a limited, non-exclusive license to use the Software contained in the shareware distribution package (hereafter called the "Shareware Package") you received.

The Shareware Package consists of copies of the Software received via an electronic transfer mechanism or an electronic storage medium including, but not limited to, diskette, hard disk, removable

disk, tape or optical devices such as CD-ROM or WORM.

You may use the Shareware Package on one or more computers provided there is no chance that it will used simultaneously on more than one computer. If you need to use the Software on more than one computer simultaneously, please contact the Author for information about site licenses.

You are not obtaining title to the Software or any copyright rights.

You may not sublicense, lease, rent, sell, convey, translate, modify, decompile, incorporate into another product, convert to another programming language, reverse engineer or disassemble the Software for any purpose.

TERM AND TRIAL PERIOD

You are permitted to use the Software for a trial period of twentyone (21) days after installation of the Shareware Package. After such time, if you continue to use the Software, you must register your copy.

Failure to register after the Trial Period constitutes termination of this license.

Upon registration, a registration-number will be provided to eliminate the registration reminder screens.

This license is effective until terminated. You may terminate it by destroying the Software, Documentation, and all copies thereof. This license will also terminate if you fail to comply with any of the terms or conditions herein. You agree, upon such termination, to destroy all Software and copies thereof.

See also :

Disclaimer of Warranty

Noncommercial Distribution

Vendor Information


Where to get WinCat
Where to get WinCat/PRO

WinTime BBS

You can always find the latest version of WinCat/PRO at WinCat HQ : the Dutch WinTime BBS. This is

the biggest Windows Bulletin Board in the Netherlands, specialized in providing the newest Windows

ShareWare and Public Domain software.

You can reach WinTime BBS at : +(31)-(0)10-4220280

Connected to	FidoNet   node 2:286/400

WIN*NET

SysOp 	: Mr. Rene van der Gaag

WIN*NET

WinCat/PRO is distributed through the international WIN*NET network, and so should be available on every local Windows BBS that has a connection to WIN*NET.

CompuServe (CIS)

The latest version of WinCat/PRO will also be available on CompuServe : go to forum WINSHARE and look in library Disk Utilities.

America OnLine (AOL)

The latest version of WinCat/PRO will also be available on America OnLine.

Public (software) Library

You can also order a disk with the latest version of WinCat/PRO from Public (software) Library ; please look in their latest ShareWare catalog for details.

P. & A. Co., Ltd.

You can also order a disk with the latest version of WinCat/PRO from P. and A., Japan ; please contact P. and A. at :

302 Bellwins 1367-23,  Nakagami, Akishima, Tokyo 196,  Japan

Phone : 81 425-46-9141   or email to NiftyServe PAF02416

CICA (Internet)

If you have access to the Internet, you can find WinCat/PRO (and do an anonymous filerequest) at ftp.cica.indiana.edu in the directory pub/pc/win3/.

CD-ROM

Good chance you'll find WinCat/PRO on CD-ROMs containing Windows shareware programs, for instance CICA MS-Windows, WinWare, Night Owl Windows, SIMTEL, etc..

Nevertheless, if you can't find WinCat on a shareware CD you bought : get very angry, call the supplier and ask him why the f*ck they didn't include it... ;-)

... and every serious Windows BBS !

But if your local BBS doesn't have the latest version of WinCat/PRO and you do, please do them and your fellow Windows-freaks a favor and upload the WinCat package ; as a reward you'll receive good karma and a LOT of upload-credits ! :-)


Your comments please
Your Comments...

If you discover serious bugs in WinCat, or if you have any "wouldn't it be nice if WinCat ..." ideas, feel free to drop a message in my mailbox at

CompuServe	: Mart Heubel, userid 72066,2116

or

Internet	: wincat@wintime.gds.nl

But : please keep in mind that WinCat isn't a product of a multimillion dollar revenue company that employs an impressive technical staff ; WinCat is just a product of some poor sod (me) who, during times other (normal) people like to go out, eat, have sex, sleep and/or in any other way have a jolly good time, likes (?) to spend his scarce spare time gazing at his PC-screen in order to develop and promote and support and debug and push and market and test and improve and sell and document something that LOOKS like it has been developed by a multimillion dollar revenue company that employs an impressive technical staff...

In other words : WinCat already takes up a lot of my time, so please don't be offended if I don't answer a message, or if it takes a while before you receive an answer.


Distributing WinCat
Distributing WinCat/PRO

The following applies to noncommercial distribution only :

Distribution is noncommercial if it is for free, or by a hobby, user or computer interest group to its members, or by any BBS (including CompuServe, CIX and Internet networks).

For terms and conditions that apply to any other kind of distribution, refer to the Vendor Information section.

The evaluation-copy of WinCat/PRO (i.e. the original WinCat/PRO package without the registration number) may be freely copied and distributed on a noncommercial basis as long as the following conditions are met :

[1] You may not distribute registered copies or registration numbers under any circumstance.

[2] No fee is charged other than a normal time usage fee required by some Bulletin Board Services, or a fee for media- and distribution-costs, not to exceed US$ 4.00 per disk.

[3] The program and it's associated files are distributed in their original, unmodified form.

[4] All document files are included with the executable files without modification.


Vendor Information

This section contains sample descriptions for catalog, library, or BBS use, requirements for commercial distributors, and other information.

Suggested one-line program description :

WinCat/PRO Disk and CDRom Catalog/FileManager

Suggested keywords :

WinCat Windows DiskCatalog Catalog FileManager Disk CDRom Utility AidWare

Suggested description :

WinCat/PRO Disk and CDRom Catalog : to boldly go where no cat has gone before !

WinCat/PRO brings order in your growing collection of files on floppydisks, CDRom's, harddisks etc.

It's easy to use, yet powerful, fast (Turbo Pascal) and offers you splendid graphics.

Because WinCat/PRO interfaces to all DOS/Windows programs (like WinZip), you can easily restore, extract, run, edit etc. any file with a single mouseclick.

WinCat/PRO optionally catalogs the contents of ZIP, ARJ, LZH, PAK, ARC and ZOO archive files.

Features : extensive search/sort/view capabilities, imports file-descriptions from text-files, 4DOS descript.ion files etc., exports to DBF compatible file and various user-configurable reports.

Free utilities included :

*  WOODLE disklabel printer with convenient WYSIWYG editor;

*  WinCat/unZIP, extracts ZIP and ARJ archive files.

Distributed as AidWare : registration-fees will be donated to the Dutch Foster Parents Plan organization, in order to support their activities in development-countries.

System requirements :

Hardware	: at least 4MB RAM, 2MB diskspace

Software	: Microsoft Windows 3.1 or higher

Recommended	: Mouse or other pointing device

: WinZip ((c) Nico Mak Computing, Inc.) for extracting archive files

Optional	: High-quality (Laser-, Jet-, Bubble-) printer for printing disklabels.

Registration :

Registration-fee for a single Personal License is US$ 15.00.

(includes postage to send license worldwide, disk NOT included).

Author :

Mart Heubel, De Heugden 161, 6411 DR  Heerlen, The Netherlands

Commercial Distribution License Agreement :

The terms below outline requirements for commercial distribution. "Commercial distribution" or "commercially distribute" means to distribute for gain (such as, but not limited to, via traditional shareware catalogs, shareware packages, trade shows, or rack vending).

This file will inform the potential commercial distributor as to whether or not they have been automatically granted such a license for their type of distribution (if not, special written authorization is required). Other important information is also presented.

The Distribution License Agreement applies to distribution of the WinCat/PRO shareware evaluation version only ; distribution of registered copies of WinCat/PRO or WinCat/PRO registration-numbers by any vendor, individual, group or entity is explicitly prohibited.

This is an agreement between you (either an individual or an entity) and the author. By commercially distributing copies of the shareware evaluation version of WinCat/PRO, you are agreeing to be bound by the terms of this agreement.

If you do not agree to the terms of this agreement, you may not distribute the shareware evaluation version of WinCat/PRO.

COPYRIGHT : The shareware evaluation version of WinCat/PRO and it's related programs and documentation (hereafter, "the SOFTWARE") is Copyright (c) 1992-1995 by Mart Heubel (hereafter, "the author") and is protected by Dutch copyright laws and international treaty provisions. The author, as exclusive publisher, is an authorized representative of the copyright holder. Except to the extent expressly licensed, the copyright holder has and reserves the exclusive copyright and other right, title, and interest to  copy and distribute this software, and the right to use the Trademark "WinCat/PRO" in connection with it.

DISTRIBUTION VIA CATALOGS : Catalog vendors are automatically granted a license to distribute the SOFTWARE via their catalog for a fee provided they agree to abide by the following terms:

[1]	A copy of the first catalog or listing advertising the distribution of the SOFTWARE will be sent to the author.
[2]	The catalog or listing must contain a statement to the effect that the SOFTWARE is not free, and that additional payment to the author/publisher is required after a stated evaluation period. (The standard statement required by the Association of Shareware Professionals is sufficient.)
[3]	Updated versions of the SOFTWARE sent to the distributor will be reflected in what is distributed and advertised in the catalog or listing as soon as possible.

DISTRIBUTION VIA CD-ROM : CD-ROM vendors are automatically granted a license to include the SOFTWARE on Shareware compilation CD-ROMs to be distributed for a fee, provided they agree to abide by the following terms:

[1]	The CD-ROM package must contain a statement to the effect that the SOFTWARE is not free, and that additional payment to the author/publisher is required after a stated evaluation period. (The standard statement required by the Association of Shareware Professionals is sufficient.)
[2]	Updated versions of the SOFTWARE sent to the distributor will be reflected in what is distributed as soon as possible.

ALL OTHER TYPES OF DISTRIBUTION (RACKS, PACKAGES etc.) :

Distribution of the SOFTWARE using any other method (for example: via rack vending methods, sale in a retail store, sale at a trade show, as part of some more inclusive product or service) requires special written authorization from the author, which may be subject to special licensing terms.

No vendor, individual, group, or entity has a license to distribute the SOFTWARE using any other method without special written authorization from the author.

(NOTE: "as part of some more inclusive product or service" does not refer to distribution via any type of BBS or the practice by certain catalog/CD-Rom vendors of offering several programs on a single diskette/CD-Rom or in a set of multiple diskettes.)

REGISTRATION SERVICES : Without special written authorization from the author, no vendor, individual, group, or entity is authorized to provide a registration service for the SOFTWARE or to handle registrations for the SOFTWARE on behalf of the author.

MODIFICATIONS : The SOFTWARE package may not be abridged or otherwise modified in any way.

(NOTE: This does not refer to the addition of installation, informational, or advertising files by catalog/CD-Rom vendors.)

REVOCATION OF LICENSE : The license to distribute the SOFTWARE can be revoked from any vendor, individual, group, or entity at any time for any reason on 30 days advance written notice.

DAMAGES : Distribution of the SOFTWARE without a license to do so is explicitly prohibited.  Liquidated damages for unauthorized distribution shall not be less than $5.00 (in U.S. funds) for each individual copy of the SOFTWARE that is sold or transferred by the vendor, individual, group, or entity without a license to do so.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY : See Disclaimer of Warranty


General Information
Copyright Notice

WinCat/PRO TM

(c) 1992-1995 by Mart Heubel

WOODLE TM

(c) 1993-1995 by Mart Heubel

All rights reserved

The WinCat/PRO and WOODLE software including related programs and documentation are owned by the author (Mart Heubel, Heerlen, The Netherlands) and are protected by Dutch copyright laws and international treaty provisions. Copies of the WinCat/PRO and/or WOODLE programs and/or any of their associated files remain property of the author. Except to the extent expressly licensed, the copyright holder has and reserves the exclusive copyright and other right, title, and interest to copy and distribute this software, and the right to use the Trademark "WinCat/PRO" in connection with it.


Disclaimer of Warranty

By using and/or registering WinCat/PRO you acknowledge and consent to the following

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY :

WinCat/PRO, including all related programs, texts, and files, is supplied "as is". The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability, compatibility now or in the future with any configuration of computing equipment or software, or of fitness for any purpose.

The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the normal use or abuse of WinCat/PRO and related programs.

The author specifically and categorically disclaims responsibility for damages, direct or consequential, resulting from installation or use of WinCat/PRO or related programs or files which have been distributed after any modification - either deliberate or unwitting - by any party other than the author, or distributed in any fashion that would otherwise violate the terms of this license.

If you do not agree to the terms in this agreement, you must cease using and/or distributing WinCat/PRO immediately.


WinCat Features
WinCat/PRO Features

*	WinCat/PRO is easy to use
*	WinCat/PRO is fast ! (developed with Turbo Pascal for Windows)
*	WinCat/PRO uses state-of-the-art graphics to display data from it's catalog. You can choose from a variety of display modes.
*	Multi-language support : choose from English, French, German and Dutch
*	Full Drag-and-Drop support
*	Ability to restore files or extract files from archives. WinCat/PRO interfaces to all DOS and Windows unarchive utilities (like ARJ, LHA, PKUNZIP, WUNA, WINZIP etc.) and other programs using user-defined associations.
*	WinCat/PRO can play WAV soundfiles
*	Kingsize comment fields (up to 500 characters !) on both file- and volume-entries
*	Reads subdirectories up to 6 levels deep
*	Supports various disktypes (floppydisk, CD-ROM, harddisk, networkdisk etc.)
*	Extensive file-search and -view capabilities, fast SPLLASH sorting
*	ClipBoard interface for easy editing file-descriptions
*	Includes an import/conversion tool that extracts file-descriptions from BBS Allfiles-listings, CompuServe CAT listings or listings from other disk catalog programs
*	Automatically copies file-descriptions from (4DOS) descript.ion files to it's catalog
*	User-definable reports : Volume Summary, Volume Contents, Files sorted by Filename, Duplicate Files and Archive Contents
*	Allows you to create easy-to-work-with groups of volumes
*	Expensive looking '3D metallic' windows
*	Ability to catalog the contents of ARJ, ZIP, LZH, ZOO, PAK and ARC archives
*	Ability to export the catalog to a dBase compatible databasefile.
*	WinCat/PRO can automatically label your floppy-disks

These free utilities are included in the WinCat/PRO package :

*	WOODLE : a graphic disklabel print utility with WYSIWYG layout editor
*	WinCat/unZIP : unpacks (extracts) ZIP and ARJ archive files
*	WinCat/MC : utility to search for files in multiple catalogs
*	WinCat/DIZ : extracts FILE_ID.DIZ filedescriptions from ARJ and ZIP archive files


Hints and Tips

 Disk caching

WinCat's archive-scan functions result in quite a bit of I/O on your disks. Use a disk caching utility like SmartDrive (preferably the one that comes with DOS 6.2, as this one also supports CD-caching) or HyperDisk ; this will improve WinCat's (and any other application's) performance considerably.

 Catalog backups

When you save a catalog, WinCat first renames the original catalog file to *.BCK, and then creates a new *.CAT file that contains all updates.

Please note that, according to Murphy's Law, a backup is something you'll never need unless you don't have it. So never erase the *.BCK files...

If something happens to the *.CAT file, you can simply rename the *.BCK file to *.CAT and continue using that catalog.

 Program limits

Maximum nr. of :
Files on a volume	no limit
Directories on a volume	5,000
Volumes in a catalog	2,000
Files in a catalog	40,000	no hard limit, but a recommended maximum depending on available storage ; see ' Catalog Size Limits'  below
Files displayed on File List window	8,000
Files displayed on Archive List window	2,000
Volumes displayed on Volume List	2,000

 Catalog size limits

WinCat must be able to read an entire catalog into your PC's memory.

This theoretically limits the size of the biggest catalog WinCat can handle to the amount of memory your system has available (you can check that on WinCat's Statistics window).

However, WinCat will never be able to use ALL available memory for it's catalog, as some memory must remain available for displaying windows, the Window's system routines, applications you want to run at the same time as WinCat etc.

My rule of thumb : don't create a catalog that's bigger than half the amount of memory that's available.

WinCat needs approximately 500 KB memory for every 10,000 files in a catalog, so, if your system has 4 MB memory available under Windows, you can let WinCat use 2 MB of it, and create catalogs that contain up to 40,000 files.

You'll notice that, when you're pushing WinCat to the limits, the entire Windows system will slow down because Windows has to perform a lot of memory management (i.e. swapping memory to and from it's swapfile), and that you might get messages like 'Insufficient memory to run application' when starting another program while running WinCat.

Another thing to take into consideration : the bigger a catalog, the longer the reading,saving, searching and especially sorting will take.

The time necessary to read,save or search a catalog increases linear with the size of the catalog.

However, the time that WinCat needs to sort it's catalog increases almost exponentially with the number of entries to sort.

Sorting is being performed by the 'Import', 'Compare', 'Print files sorted' and 'Print duplicate file'  functions.

If you have a rather big catalog, and want to execute one of these functions, consider selecting a group of volumes first ; this limits the number of entries to sort, and therefore speeds up things.

Please note :

WinCat has been tested with catalogs that contained up to 40,000 files ; the author cannot guarantee WinCat's proper operation when using catalogs that exceed this size. The use of catalogs that exceed this size is formally not supported, and at the user's own risk.


Accessories
WinCat/PRO Accessories & Titbits

A few useful Windows programs which work great in combination with WinCat/PRO :

 Programmers'  File Editor (PFE)

Author : Alan Phillips (United Kingdom)

Shareware ; no registration fee, it' s free !

"Programmer's File Editor (PFE) is a large-capacity text file editor for Windows 3.1, Windows For

Workgroups 3.1, and  Windows/NT. It is oriented towards those who use Windows as their program

development environment, and so incorporates many features that make it a convenient work

management system."

Because of all it' s features and it' s ability to handle large files PFE is the perfect editor to use in combination with WinCat/PRO, for instance for viewing output created by the Print Report function.

 WinZip

Author : Nico Mak Computing, Inc. (USA)

Shareware ; registration-fee approx. US$ 20

"WinZip brings the convenience of Windows to the use of ZIP, LZH, ARJ, and ARC files.  It features an

intuitive point and click interface for viewing, running, extracting, adding, deleting, and testing files in

archives.  Optional virus scanning support is included."

WinZip is the perfect de-archiver for use with WinCat/PRO ; you can simply drag an archive file from the File List window to WinZip to unpack it.

 ToolBar

Author : Juan M. Aguirregabiria  (Spain)

Shareware ; no registration fee, it' s free !

You can use Toolbar as a companion to the File List window ; it allows you to define a small window, which shows buttons for the most frequently used applications.

By dragging a file entry from the File List window to one of these buttons, you can instantly start the corresponding application, which opens the selected file.

 Drag and View (DV)

Author : Dan Baumbach, Canyon Software  (USA)

Shareware ; registration-fee approx. US$ 20

"Drag And View can view the files created by popular word processors, databases, spreadsheets and

graphic programs in their native format or a format close enough to your native format that you can easily

see what the file contains without unreadable formatting codes.  You can also view any file in plain ASCII or hexadecimal format.

Drag And View allows you to open multiple windows so you can easily compare files.

You can search for text in any file or a hexadecimal string in the Hex viewer.  You can also go to any cell in a spreadsheet, any record in a database and any address in the hexadecimal view of a file."

Which makes Drag and View a perfect tool in combination with WinCat/PRO ; simply drag a file from the File List window to the Drag and View icon to have a peek at it.

The above programs are available on most Windows BBSes, CompuServe and America Online services and Windows Shareware CD' s.

Please note that these programs are distributed as Shareware, and may require separate payment to their author.


Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments

WinCat/unZIP and WinCat/DIZ make use of unzip- and unarj-code developed by

Christian Ghisler,  Bolligen, Switzerland

For translating WinCat's menus and help-messages into French (at an amazing speed !), the author wishes to thank

Jean-Luc Heusdain,  Bruxelles, Belgium

The cat-icon (see WinCat's built-in icons on the Program Properties window) was created especially and exclusively for WinCat by

Bill Davis,  Meadowbrook, CA

WinCat's 'Reading Catalog' speedometer is an adapted version of a nifty little program called METER.PAS, which was published by the godfather of Windows programming, the one and only Mr.

Doug Overmyer

Code for determining the contents of ZIP, ZOO, PAK and ARC archives is based on sourcecode from the program PIBCAT, which was created by :

Phil Burns

Code for determining the contents of ARJ archives is based on sourcecode from the program ARJDATE, which was created by :

Darren Lyon

Code for determining the contents of LZH archives is based on sourcecode from the program LZHTV10, which was created by :

Samuel H. Smith,  Phoenix, AZ

The little cat with the slight weight-problem and the serious attitude-problem bears a striking resemblance with Garfield, who was created by :

Jim Davis    (copyright United Features Syndicate, Inc.)

WinCat makes use of a virus protection routine developed by

Nick Wallbridge / Trevor Prinn, Babbacombe Computers Ltd.

For making it possible to create WinCat/PRO and to build up a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger (by giving me the Turbo Pascal for Windows Bible, which is about 1000 pages or 25 kg Windows techtalk), the author wishes to thank the Supreme SysOp of ClipBoard BBS, renowned for his *slik*

AAAARRGHH! -hehehehe...- toontalk and his 'briljant' brainwaves, the one and only (thank God for that...)

Peter -The ClipDude- Jansen  ;-)


Reviews
WinCat/PRO vs. Papparazzi

 "Great cataloguer ! "

CT Magazin für Computertechnik, December ' 94

 Shareware of the Month

PC Praxis, October ' 94

 "Far superior to everything else ! "

Bits & PC' s, June '94

 Superior Shareware

US Windows Magazine, May '94

 "Top quality ; simply fantastic !"

Modem Magazine, February '94

 "Like a cheetah : fast and elegant !"

Dutch PD/SW/FW NewsLetter, January '94

 Shareware of the Month

German WIN Magazine, November '93

"Excellent cataloguer !"

UK PC-Plus, October '93

"Organise, find and restore files with ease !"

UK Computer Shopper, August '93 disk


System Requirements

In order to run properly, WinCat/PRO requires

 Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 or Win32S  (*)

 (S)VGA display

 at least 4 MB memory (8 MB or more recommended)

 at least 2 MB space on your harddisk

 at least 1 diskdrive, harddisk or CD-ROM drive

(*) WinCat/PRO has been tested with the Beta-2 version of Microsoft Chicago (Windows 95).

However, because the official version of Chicago was not available when WinCat/PRO 4.1 was released, there's no guarantee that WinCat/PRO 4.1 will work properly when running the final version of Chicago.

Recommended :

 Mouse or other pointing device

 WinZip ((c) Nico Mak Computing, Inc.) for extracting archive files

Optional :

 if you want to print disklabels : a printer capable of printing graphics


Installing WinCat
Installing WinCat/PRO

The easiest (and recommended) way to install WinCat is to run the INSTALL.EXE program.

The installationprogram will ask you in which directory WinCat/PRO should be installed ; as a default this is C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT.

Specify in which directory you want to install WinCat/PRO and click OK ; the installationprogram will proceed with :

1.	creating the specified directory (if it doesn' t exist already)

2.	creating subdirectory \ARCHIVES (See also Cataloging Archive Contents)

3.	installing all WinCat files in the specified directory

4.	installing file CTL3DV2.DLL in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory

Next the installationprogram will ask you if a programgroup for WinCat/PRO should be created.

If you click OK, group WINCAT will be defined to the Windows Programmanager, and the WinCat/PRO and WOODLE programs will be defined in it.

If you do not want to automatically create a programgroup, you must define the WinCat/PRO and WOODLE programs manually to the Programmanager. In this case make sure you specify C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT as the 'working directory' for both programs, else WinCat/PRO and WOODLE can't find the WINCATRS.PIF, WINCATAR.DLL, WOODLE.CFG etc. files.

(see also Automatically Opening a Catalog)

Now the installation is complete.

Open the WINCAT group that has been defined to Programmanager, and start WinCa/PRO by clicking it' s icon.

Click the 'Catalog' menu on WinCat's primary window, and then select 'Open Catalog...'.

The 'Open' dialog will show 1 catalog file, SAMPLE.CAT.

Select file SAMPLE.CAT and click OK. After WinCat has read this file you can have a first look at WinCat/PRO 4.1 !

Once you've tried WinCat you can delete the SAMPLE.CAT, and create your own catalog : click the FILE menu, select 'Open Catalog...' and, on the 'Open Catalog' dialog enter the name of the catalog you want to create, for instance WINDOWS.CAT.

Note that the filename-extension of catalogs must be '.CAT'.

MANUAL INSTALLATION

If you do not want to use the automatic installation procedure, you can install WinCat this way.

1) create directory C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT

2) create directory C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT\ARCHIVES

3) copy the installation files to the C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT directory

4) rename file INSTALL.BIN to INSTALL.ZIP

5) extract INSTALL.ZIP into C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT (using PKUNZIP)

6) move file CTL3DV2.DLL to the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory

7) add WINCAT.EXE and WOODLE.EXE to a Windows program group

   (specify C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT as 'working directory')

8) GO!

OPTIONAL

You can make WinCat' s ' Restore File'  function run DOS unarchive-utilities like PKUNZIP and ARJ.

These programs are defined to WinCat using it' s ' Associate'  function, where you can specify in which directory the DOS utility programs reside.

Another way to do that is to specify this directory in WINCATRS.BAT :

Edit WINCATRS.BAT and change the 'CD\SHEZ' statement to your directory that contains the DOS un-archivers you use, like ARJ.EXE, LHA.EXE and PKUNZIP.EXE .

If these files are accessible through your default PATH, or if you prefer to include the path on the 'association' definitions, simply delete this statement.


Uninstalling WinCat
Uninstalling WinCat/PRO

To remove WinCat/PRO from your system :

- erase all files in directory WINDOWS\WINCAT

- erase all files in directory WINDOWS\WINCAT\ARCHIVES

- remove directories WINDOWS\WINCAT and WINDOWS\WINCAT\ARCHIVES

- erase file WINCAT.INI in the WINDOWS directory

WinCat does not alter or add entries to the Windows configuration files WIN.INI or SYSTEM.INI


What's new in 4.1
What's new in WinCat/PRO 4.1

WinCat/PRO 4.1 is primarily a maintenance release ; a few minor bugs have been resolved and there have been some cosmetic changes in the software and documentation.

The 4.1 package also includes updated versions of Woodle, WinCat/MC, WinCat/DIZ and WinCat/unZIP.

General

* All listboxes that still used the nonproportional Terminal font for displaying text (for instance on the Archive Contents and Statistics windows) have been changed and now use the esthetically more pleasing proportional Arial font.

* In order to avoid out-of-memory problems WinCat now inhibits starting a second copy of the program. And uhhh... lets face it, you only pay for one copy ! ;-)

File List window

* Entries on this window can now also be sorted by description.

Directory List window

* Now also shows the last modification-date of each directory.

* The treelist display has been enhanced to look more like the Windows FileManager display.

Archive Contents window

* Now shows an icon for each file in the archive.

Statistics window

* The FileTypes function (showing statistics on all extensions) has been redesigned and now works a lot faster.


What's new in 4.0
What's new in WinCat/PRO 4.0

General

* WinCat now uses ' tabcard'  displays (like those in for instance Excel 5.0 and Word 6.0).

* WinCat/PRO 4.0 has been tested with the Beta-2 version of Microsoft Chicago (Windows 95).

However, because the official version of Chicago was not available when WinCat/PRO 4.0 was released. there's no guarantee that WinCat/PRO 4.0 will work properly when running Chicago.

* WinCat' s memory-management has been significantly enhanced by implementing VROOMM

(ViRtual Object Oriented Memory Management) routines ; as a result, WinCat uses less memory when loading a catalog. This in turn reduces Windows'  memory-swapping, which enhances WinCat' s performance significantly.

WinCat' s reduced memory requirements also enable you to create bigger catalogs.

* WARNING : if you save a catalog with the new WinCat/PRO 4.0, you cannot load that catalog anymore with a previous release of WinCat !

Volume List window

* The maximum number of volumes that can be displayed on this window has been increased from 1000 to 2000 (this is also the maximum number of volumes in a catalog).

File List window

* Now supports drag&drop ; this means you can ' drag'  an entry from the File List window to another application. For instance, you can drag a ZIP file to an unzip tool, drag a text-file to an editor to edit it, drag a file to a ' trashcan'  to delete it,  etc.

* The maximum number of files that can be displayed on the File List window has been increased from 5000 to 8000.

Archive File List window

* The maximum number of files that can be displayed on this window has been increased from 1000 to 2000.

Directory List window

* You can now also print a disk' s directory list (to a file or directly to the printer) using the Print button on this window.

* The full pathname of the selected directory entry is now displayed at the bottom of this window.

* The maximum number of files that can be displayed on this window has been increased from 3000 to 5000.

Volume Information window

* You can now reset a volume' s icon to the default one using the ' Reset Icon'  button on the Extra' s tab.

File Information window

* Now supports file-descriptions of up to 500 characters in length. When importing file-descriptions (with the IMPORT function, or by reading 4DOS descript.ion files or files.bbs files) WinCat makes use of these extended-length fields.

* Copy, Cut, Select and Paste buttons make it easier to edit file-descriptions.

WARNING : due to the increased size of file-description fields, the structure of the catalog has changed. This means that if you save a catalog with the new WinCat/PRO 4.0, you cannot load that catalog anymore with a previous release of WinCat !

Note : as a result of the new catalog structure, a catalog' s size may decrease by up to 10% when saved with WinCat/PRO 4.0

Search Files window

* You can now search for files that were created or modified within a specific date-range.

* An easy-to-use calendar simplifies selecting search-for dates ; this calendar even understands you when you mumble things like ' from 2 weeks ago until last Tuesday' . !

* In the ongoing effort to boldly go where no cat has gone before, the eggheads which work day and night in the WinCat Research Centre (an Authorized Personnel Only area, deep down in the basement of the WinCat International Inc. building) have once again surpassed modern technology -as we know it- by developing a sophisticated pattern-analyses algorithm (based on Boyer-Moore), which provides text-search capabilities at a speed good enough for a nr. 1 Oscar-nomination (category 'Best Performing Cat') plus a nr. 2 nomination in the category 'Must-Have Pussy'  (nr. 1 nominee being Sharon Stone, of course).

Catalog Disk window

* In addition to scanning 4DOS descript.ion files for file-descriptions, WinCat now also automatically scans FILES.BBS files.

* The maximum number of directories on a volume has been increased from 3000 to 5000.

Statistics window

* Can now display additional statistical information :

History 	: summary of all files by year of creation

Classes 	: summary of all files by function class

Filetypes	: summary of all filetypes (filename-extensions)

Double-clicking an entry on these lists will display the File List window, showing all applicable files.

Import window

* The Import function now supports multiple-line filedescriptions.

* When importing Compuserve *.CAT listings, WinCat now copies the entire file-description (following the Title and Keywords lines) to it' s catalog.

* You can now let WinCat automatically remove all special ASCII characters (i.e. ASCII-codes < 32 and > 165) from the imported text.

* You can optionally limit importing to one or more function-classes.

Export window

* Filenames are now split into a FILE field (the filename) and a TYPE field (filename-extension).

* You can optionally limit exporting to one or more function-classes.

Print Reports window

* The ' Report...'  menu-options have been replaced by a ' Reports'  window ; on this window you can select the type of report to be printed and the fields to be included on the report.

You can also (optionally) limit the files listed on the report to those that belong to one or more function-classes (i.e. only Archives and Programs).

New in WOODLE 2.0 :

* On the ' Label Properties'  window you can specify whether or not a ' write enabled / protected'  icon is to be printed on the labels'  backflap.

* Text in textobjects will be shifted slightly to the right of the objects'  borderline.

* When using precut sheets (like Avery), it can happen that some labels are missing because the sheet has been used before ; to enable you to use these sheets, WOODLE will now display a window where you can define which labels are missing. WOODLE will skip those positions when printing the labels.


What's new in 3.4
What's new in WinCat/PRO 3.4

General

* When starting WinCat 3.4 for the first time, WinCat will check if there's already a WINCAT.INI (made by a prior WinCat release) present in the Windows directory. If so, WinCat will rename this file to WINCAT.OLD, and create a new, restructured WINCAT.INI file.

* WinCat/PRO no longer needs the Turbo Pascal runtime library BWCC.DLL, so this file has been removed from the WinCat package.

* The WinCat 2.x catalog conversion program CONVERT.EXE has been removed from the WinCat package.

* WinCat Help now shows pictures of WinCat's main windows. On these pictures you can click any field to get a description of it's meaning or function.

* The Volume List and File List windows now display a short description of a button's or menu's function if you select it ; these descriptions can be displayed in either the English, French, German or Dutch language.

* New files in the WinCat package :

WINCATBT.DLL	Graphic routines DLL, used by WinCat and WOODLE
WINCATIC.DLL	Sample icons for use with the new 'Change Volume Icon' function
VENDOR.DOC	Information for disk vendors and shareware distributors who wish to distribute WinCat/PRO (see also the Vendor Information section in this help file)
* WARNING : If you make use of the new 'Change Volume Icon' function and save the catalog, you cannot load that catalog anymore with a previous release of WinCat !

Options menu

* Main improvement in the 3.4 release is that WinCat now uses superb 3D graphics to display volumes, files and directories.

You can customize how you want the volume-list, (archive)file-list and directory-list windows displayed, using the new Customize Window options on the Options menu.

For each of these windows you can choose between five display modes, ranging from out-of-this-world-3D to plain dull. Of course you can also customize the font and color used for displaying text, and the window's background color.

* New options on the Configure menu :

- Program to execute when clicking the WUNA button on the Restore File window

- Program to execute when clicking the WinZip button on the Restore File window

* The 'Language' option allows you to select in which language menu's, pop-up-menu's and help-messages should be displayed ; you can choose from English, French, German or Dutch.

Volume menu

* New option : Change Volume Icon ; with this function you can change a volume's icon, to be displayed on the Volume List window.

WARNING : If you make use of this function and save the catalog, you cannot load that catalog anymore with a previous release of WinCat !

Volume List window

* Clicking the right mouse-button will display a pop-up-menu, where you can select a function to perform on the selected volume.

File List window

* The Page-Up and Page-Down menu options have been removed ; WinCat can now show up to 5000 entries at once on this list.

* Clicking the right mouse-button will display a pop-up-menu, where you can select a function to perform on the selected file.

* In the continuous endeavor to boldly go where no cat has gone before, the technofreaks at the R&D department of WinCat International Inc. have crossed the boundaries of modern technology, by developing the amazingly ingenious, highly efficient SPLLASH feature (Single-Pass Linklist LookAside with Secondlevel Hashing) (TM and HEAVY (C)), which provides sorting capabilities at a speed fast enough to catch up with the Starship Enterprise cruising at Warp Factor 11, and while passing it make Dr. McCoy speak the historic words 'Damn it Jim, it's a cat, but NOT as we know it !'.

Directory List window

* WinCat now also retains the position and size of this window.

Catalog Disk window

* Now reads all DESCRIPT.ION files on a disk if you enable the 'Read 4DOS descript.ion file' option on the Configure window ; prior WinCat releases only looked for a descript.ion file in the root directory.

* WinCat now scans subdirectories up to 6 levels deep.

* Now supports PKZIP version 2 archives and multi-volume ZIP and ARJ archives (with filename-extension A01-A09) ; WinCat will catalog the contents of these archives if you enable the 'Catalog Archive Contents' option on the Configure window.

New in WOODLE 1.1 :

* The format of the WOODLE.CFG configuration file has changed ; therefore WOODLE 1.1 cannot use a WOODLE.CFG file created with WOODLE 1.0

* Page-layouts are now specified for each individual label-layout.

* In order to enable you to use Avery #5196 labels, WOODLE can now print labels 3 columns wide on a page.

* Label- and object-borders can now be defined to have rounded corners.

* Labels can now be printed without a border (for instance when using precut labels).

This because some users complained they got depressed by WOODLE's square labels with black borderline...

* You can now also print 4.75" x 1.2" labels for 5.25" disks.

* A label's width and height can now be adjusted, so you can make it fit on precut labels  with a nonstandard size.


Bugs Fixed

Summary of bugs that were reported in WinCat/PRO 3.4.0, and that have been eliminated in WinCat/PRO 4.1 if possible :

PRB0053
Symptom	Runtime error in UNIDRV.DLL when printing labels with WOODLE
Occurs	???
Cause	???
Status	open
PRB0055
Symptom	Runtime error at 0001:6367 in WOODLE when switching applications
Modules	WOODLE.PAS
Status	fixed 12-01-95
PRB0056
Symptom	WOODLE doesn't skip labels on left side of paper
Modules	WOODLE.PAS
Status	fixed 27-01-95
PRB0057
Symptom	WinCat/MC : printbutton on Archive Contents window not working
Status	fixed 27-01-95
PRB0058
Symptom	WinCat/MC : search by 'date after' returns incorrect results
Status	fixed 27-01-95
PRB0059
Symptom	WinCat/unZIP : wrong directory used as target when selecting it from drop-down box
Status	fixed 27-01-95
PRB0060
Symptom	Displaying all files with a particular one- or two-character extension doesn't work right when using the FileTypes option on the Statistics window
Status	fixed 28-01-95

These bugs were fixed in WinCat/PRO 4.0 :

PRB0051	Not all file-descriptions imported when reading 4DOS descript.ion files
PRB0052	WinCat ' hangs'  when scanning 4DOS descript.ion files
PRB0054	' &'  character in comments and filenames displayed as underscore

These bugs were fixed in WinCat/PRO 3.4 :

PRB0041	'Retry/Cancel' message when opening Drive Select window.
PRB0042	WinCat's displays look chaotic ; list headers cover items on listbox, 'used space'-bar on Volume Information window at wrong position, etc.
PRB0043	Volume Information window shows wrong 'used space' value for CD's (always 134.2 MB)
PRB0045	Catalog Statistics window shows negative used and/or free space values.
PRB0046	Pressing 'Select Group' button after an empty group was selected results in message 'First select volume on Volume List window'
PRB0047	After letting WinCat write a volume-label on a disk, it's impossible to catalog another disk ; message 'retry/cancel' appears when clicking drive button on Drive Select window, or info from previous disk shows up again.
PRB0048	Static text fields show gray instead of user-defined window background color.
PRB0049	At times, nothing happens when clicking the 'Open Catalog' option on the 'Catalog' menu.
PRB0050	Invalid function calls when running WinCat and WOODLE.


Search Files window

Allows you to search for files in the catalog (by clicking the FILES button), or for files in archives (by clicking the ARCHIVES button).


Enter string(s) to search for

To search for files in the catalog (or files in archives) you must enter the character-string(s) you want WinCat to look for on the Filename, Extension, Directory and/or Comment fields.

WinCat will compare the strings you enter with the corresponding fields of all file-entries in the catalog, and show the files that match. Examples :

To find all files with characterstring ICO in their filename :

Filename	: ico

To find all files with characterstring ICO in their filename AND string edit in their comment-field :

Filename	: ico

Comment	: edit	(note : this field cannot be used to search for files in archives)

To find all BMP files :

Extension	: bmp

To find all executable files in the Windows directory :

Extension	: Programs	(selected from drop-down list)

Directory	: windows	(note : this field cannot be used to search for files in archives)

WinCat does NOT support DOS-like wildcards ; entering something like *.CAT on the Filename field will result in '0 files found'.


Search for Function Class

By selecting one of the entries displayed on this list, you can search for files that belong to the selected Function Class. For instance, if you select class 'Programs' WinCat will search for files with filename-extensions EXE, COM, BAT or PIF.

You can customize the predefined classes ; see View


Search Files

Click this button to search the catalog for files that match the selection criteria.

Before clicking this button, enter at least one argument on the Filename, Extension, Directory, Comment or Size field, or select Search by Date.


Search Files in Archives

Click this button to search for files within archive-files (like ARJ and ZIP).

Before clicking this button, enter at least one argument on the Filename, Extension or Size field, or select Search by Date.

Note : you cannot search files in archives by Comment or Directory.


Clear Fields

Click this button to clear all search fields.


Cancel

Click this button to close the window.


Status Information

This line shows the number of volumes in the currently selected group (see also Select Volume Group), and the total number of files on those volumes.


Set Date button

Clicking this button will display a calendar, on which you can set the date to search for.

To activate searching by date you must enable either the Before, On or After checkbox.

If you do not want to search for files by date you must set the Ignore Date option.


Search by size

Use this field to search for files that exceed a given size.

If you enter 100, WinCat will display all files that are bigger than 100 KBytes.


Search File by Date

If you want to look for files by date, you must set either the Before, On or After option :

Before	: search for files older than the selected date

On	: search for files that were created or modified on the selected date

After	: search for files newer than the selected date

To set the required date, click the button that's'  located immediately below these checkboxes ; this will cause a calendar to be shown, on which you can set the date.

To disable searching for files by date you must set the Ignore Date option.


Set Date Until

To make WinCat search for files that were modified in a given period of time (e.g. between January 1 and April 30) you must set the Until option ; next define the starting and ending dates using the Date From and Date Until buttons.


Rename Volume window

On this window you can change the ID of a volume in the catalog.

The new ID you enter must be unique ; if there is already a volume cataloged with the new ID, a messagebox appears prompting you to enter a different ID.

Note that WinCat only changes the volume-id in the catalog ; it does NOT change the disklabel on the disk.


Catalog Disk window

When you select a drive on the Select Drive window, WinCat scans the directory of that disk and displays the Catalog Disk window, which shows the contents of the disk.

On this window you must enter a volume-ID for the disk to be cataloged.  This ID may be 1 to 11 characters long, and must comply with the DOS naming conventions ; therefore, you can not use these characters : * ? / | . ; : = [ ] ( ) & ^ < > "

If the disk was labeled, the ID-field will show the label. You're free to change it : WinCat doesn't require that disklabel and (external) volume-ID are equal.

However, the easiest way to work with WinCat is to give every disk a unique label, and then let WinCat use these labels as volume-ID's.

Therefore the Catalog Disk window also has a 'write changed volume-id to disk' option : if you select this option, WinCat will automatically (re)write a floppydisk's label if you alter the volume-id.

When you click OK, WinCat will scan the catalog to see if the volume-ID you entered is already in use. If it isn't, the volume- and file-information will be added to the catalog.

If there IS a volume with the same ID in the catalog, WinCat's action depends on the setting of the 'Display Recatalog Window' option.

If this option is turned on, WinCat will display the Recatalog Disk window where you must either confirm or cancel the recatalog operation ; else WinCat will automatically recatalog the disk.

Recataloging means that WinCat will delete the old volume (and it's files) from the catalog and add the new volume- and file-information to the catalog.  Volume- and file-comments will be copied

from the old to the new volume- and file-records.

After WinCat has added or replaced the volume in the catalog, he will optionally continue with :

1. scanning the DESCRIPT.ION files on the disk

2. scanning the archive-files on the disk

3. displaying the Volume Information window, where you can enter a description for the disk.

Whether or not WinCat performs these actions depends on the the setting of the appropriate options on the 'Catalog Disk' and 'Configure' Configure windows.


Erase Disk

Clicking the 'Erase Disk' button on the Volume List window will delete the selected volume (and all files cataloged on it) from the catalog.

If there is a corresponding archive contents (.ACT) file this will be deleted as well.

Of course you'll receive the inevitable prompt 'are you sure ?'.


Recatalog Disk window

After clicking OK on the Catalog Disk window, WinCat will check whether the Volume-ID you entered is already in use.

If there IS a volume with the same ID in the catalog, WinCat will display the 'Recatalog Disk' window.

This window compares the information that's already in the catalog with the actual contents of the disk to be cataloged and displays the differences between them :

- files that are on the disk, but not yet cataloged

- files that are cataloged, but can't be found on the disk

- files on the disk that are newer than the ones cataloged

- files on the disk that are older than the ones cataloged

If you click the OK button, WinCat will return to the 'Catalog Disk' window and recatalog the disk.

This means that WinCat will delete the old volume (and it's files) from the catalog and add the new volume- and file-information to the catalog.  Volume- and file-comments will be copied

from the old to the new volume- and file-records.

If you click the Cancel button, WinCat will return to the 'Catalog Disk' window, where you can either enter a different volume-id, or cancel the catalog function.

Remember that this window doesn't appear if you have turned the 'Display Recatalog window'

option (on the Catalog Disk window) off. In this case WinCat automatically recatalogs the volume.


Drive Select window

When you click the 'Add Disk' button on the Volume List window to catalog a disk, WinCat first displays the Drive Select window, which shows a button and an icon for each floppydisk-, harddisk- or CD-ROM-drive installed on your PC, and (if your workstation is connected to a LAN) the network-drives that are accessible.

Insert a disk in a drive (if applicable) and then select this drive by clicking the appropriate drive-button.

After scanning the directory of the disk WinCat will continue by displaying the Catalog Disk window, which shows the contents of the disk.


Define Association window

On this window you can define the associations to be used by the Restore File function.

Associations are used by the Restore File function to determine which command to generate, depending on the selected file's filename-extension.

Main purpose in WinCat is to associate archive files (like ARJ) with their unarchive utilities, but if you like you can use them for lots of other purposes.

Unlike the Windows File Manager, where you can associate only one application with an extension, WinCat lets you define up to three different associations, which can be used to :

  - extract files from an archive

  - view the contents of an archive

  - some other function defined by you

To define an association, you must enter one or more commands, like

DOS ARJ E < >	(extract .ARJ files)

DOS C:\TOOLS\PKUNZIP.EXE < >	(extract .ZIP files)

DOS PKUNZIP -v <	(view contents of .ZIP files)

NOTEPAD <	(edit .DOC files)

C:\WINDOWS\WRITE.EXE <	(edit .WRI files)

COPY < >	(copy a file from floppy to harddisk)

The Restore function will replace the '<' with the name of the selected file, and '>' with the selected target directory.

If a command begins with 'DOS ' it will be executed as DOS command in a DOS window, else it will be executed as a true Windows application.

Click OK to save the defined command(s) in file WINCAT.INI and end the 'Associate' window.

Click Cancel to exit this window.


Volume Information window

The Volume Information window displays relevant data about the selected disk.

Click any field or button to get a description of it's function :


Scrollbar

Use the scrollbar to quickly scroll to another volume. If you do this, any updates you made on the Description or Group fields will be saved automatically.


Disk Type

Shows what kind of disk this is (e.g. 3.5" 1.44 MB, CD-Rom, harddisk etc.)


Number of files

This is the total number of files on this disk.


Date

The date this disk was cataloged.


Archive Contents file

The filename of the archive contents file associated with this disk (applicable only if the contents of archive files on this disk were cataloged).


Used and free diskspace

Shows the amount of used and free diskspace on this disk, in nnnK (K=1,000) or nnn.nM (M=1,000,000) bytes.

The 'stuffometer' shows the

- amount of used space in blue

- amount of free space in green

- used space in percent of the disk's storage-capacity


Volume Description

On this field you can enter a description of the disk's contents.

To make it easier to enter a description for a series of related volumes (i.e. Windows Installation Disk 1 of 7, 2 of 7 etc.), you can use the Memorize button. Clicking this button will add the current volume description to the drop-down list ; after scrolling to another volume you can select that description again from the list.


Get/Set default group

To make it easier to enter the same Group, Location and Owner fields for a series of related volumes, you can use these buttons :

Set Default Group : save the current Group, Location and Owner fields.

Get Default Group : retrieves the previously saved Group, Location and Owner fields


Group, Location and Owner fields

Here you can define to which group, location and/or owner a disk belongs.

Each of these fields may be 1 to 8 characters long. You can enter new identifiers in the edit-boxes, or select existing identifiers from the drop-down lists.

Use the Set/Get Default Group buttons to quickly enter these fields for a series of related volumes.


OK button

Clicking this button will save the Description and Group fields in the catalog, and end the Volume Information window. The Volume List window will show the updated Group and Description fields.

Another way to save these fields is to scroll to another volume, using the scrollbar at the left. If you do this, all updates will be saved automatically, i.e. you don't have to click OK.


Cancel button

Clicking this button will end the Volume Information window. Any changes you made on the current disk's Description or Group fields will be discarded.


File Information window

The File Information window shows relevant data about the selected file.

You can use this window to update the file's description.

If you click OK, WinCat will save the updated description in it's catalog.

The scrollbar at the left can be used to quickly scroll to other files. If you do this updates will be automatically saved, so then there's no need to click OK.

Click the [archive info] button to display the contents of an archive file on the Archive Contents window.


Archive Contents window

This window shows the files in a particular archive file.

At the top of this window you can see :

- the size of the archive file itself

- the total uncompressed size of all files in the archive

- the number of files in the archive

- the last date any of the files in the archive was modified

You can print the contents of the selected archive file by clicking the Print button.


Restore File window

This function can be used to restore files from floppy- to harddisk.

The 'Restore File' window shows at the top the command that WinCat will execute if you click OK (you may edit this line).

The command that WinCat generates depends on the combination of (filename-)extension (i.e. the associations you defined for that particular extension), the selected option in the 'action'-box, the selected target directory and the selected source drive.

The 'action'-box has 8 buttons :

Copy file to harddisk	Active for all files
Edit file	Active for all files
Play file	Active for WAV files
Run	Active for EXE, BAT, PIF and COM files
Call WUNA	Only active for ARJ and ZIP files
Call WinZip	Only active for ARJ, ZIP, LZH and ARC files

The following buttons are visible only if there is an association defined ( see 'Associate' ) :

Extract files from archive

View contents of archive

User defined function

If the generated command begins with 'DOS ' WinCat opens a DOS window to execute the (DOS) command through WINCATRS.BAT, else it will be launched as a Windows application.

(see also WUNA and WinZip)


Selecting entries on File List window
View

With the 'View' menu-option on the File List window you can limit the files displayed to those belonging to a certain 'function class', e.g. programs, documents, sourcefiles etc.

Each class represents one or more filename-extensions. For instance, to class 'Programs' belong all files that have extension EXE,COM,BAT or PIF.

WinCat can use up to 9 classes ; 8 of them have been predefined :

1: Archives	ARJ (plus A01 through A09),ZIP,LZH,PAK,ARC,ZOO
2: Programs	EXE,PIF,BAT,COM
3: Documents	DOC,TXT,WRI,INI,RTF
4: Sources	PAS,RES,RC,H,C,ASM,BAS,DLG,FRM,MAK
5: Graphics	BMP,GIF,PCX,TGA,RLE,ICO,FLI
6: Sound/Video	WAV,ROL,VOC,MDI,MOD,SND,MID,AVI,MM,SNG
7: Drivers/DLL	DLL,DRV,SYS.386,VBX,VXD
8: Fonts	FON,FOT,TTF,ATM,PFB,PFM

You can customize these classes by defining them in WINCAT.INI, section [Classes].

A few examples :

- You want to add extension 'TEX' to class 3, Documents :

[Classes]

:

Class_3=Documents,DOC,TXT,WRI,INI,RTF,TEX

- You want to define class 9 as 'Excel', using extensions XLC,XLS,XLM XLA and CHT :

[Classes]

:

Class_9=Excel,XLC,XLS,XLM,XLA,CHT

The extensions you define MUST be separated with ','. Don't enter any other characters in between. For each class you can define up to 10 extensions.


Scanning 4DOS DESCRIPT.ION file

One of the nice features of 4DOS is that you can assign descriptions to your files. 4DOS saves these descriptions in -hidden- file(s) called 'DESCRIPT.ION'.

These are 'plain' ASCII text files, i.e. their contents might look like this :

afile.exe just one of my files

wincat40.arj SPLENDID program : I'm gonna mail the orderform today !

descript.ion This comment describes the volume contents

somefile.arj This is another file

When cataloging a disk, WinCat scans all directories of this disk for 'DESCRIPT.ION' files and, if found, copies the file-descriptions from these files to it's catalog.

If there is an entry 'descript.ion' in the descript.ion file, WinCat will use it's description as a volume-description (get my point ?).

If you don't want WinCat to read the DESCRIPT.ION files, disable the appropriate option on the Configure window.


Cataloging archive contents

You can optionally let WinCat catalog the contents of ARJ,ZIP,LZH,PAK, ZOO and ARC archive files.

When WinCat scans the archive files on a disk, he saves the contents-information in a special directory in a file named Fxxxxxxx.ACT, where xxxxxxx is some generated (timestamp) string.

So, for every volume that WinCat scanned there is a .ACT file in this directory.

On the 'Volume Information' window you can see which .ACT file (if any) belongs to a volume.

Note that there is a one-to-one relationship between a volume and it's associated .ACT file ; therefore you shouldn't rename or delete .ACT files yourself, because then WinCat looses track and instead of the contents of an archive file will show you the message 'Can't find file Fxxxxxxx.ACT'.

If you request WinCat to show the contents of a particular archive file, WinCat locates the .ACT file that's associated with the volume that contains the archive file and extracts the requested information from it.

So, to activate the cataloging of archive contents you must do 2 things :

1. Create the subdirectory where WinCat can store it's .ACT files.

As a default, WinCat uses directory C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT\ARCHIVES.

If you want to use another directory you must specify it's full name on the Configure window (option 'Archive Directory'), e.g. 'D:\USERDATA\' or 'C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT\'

2. Turn on the 'Catalog Archive Contents' option on either the Configure window or the Catalog Disk window.

If an error (CRC check, I/O error or whatever) occurs while scanning an archive file then WinCat aborts processing the current archive and proceeds with the next one.


Cataloging CD-ROMs
Cataloging CD-ROM disks

If you have a CD-ROM drive and the appropriate device-drivers installed on your system you can let WinCat also catalog the contents of your CD-ROM disks.

This isn't any different from cataloging floppy-disks ; WinCat will enable a drive-button on the Drive  Select window, and all you have to do is to click this button.

Because of the large number of files contained on CD-ROMs it can take quite some time to let WinCat catalog a CD, especially if you want WinCat to catalog the contents of archive files too.

You can speedup things considerably if you use Microsoft's new SmartDrive 4.0 disk caching utility (SMARTDRV.EXE) that comes with DOS 6.2.

This new version is able to cache CD-ROM's, with quite impressing results : without SmartDrive, it took about 70 minutes to catalog the CICA 93-11 CD. With SmartDrive, it took just 15 minutes.

If that's still too long for your taste the only option is to buy a double- or quad-speed CD-player...


Running File- and Task-Manager
File Manager and Task Manager

Clicking the File Manager or Task Manager button on the Volume List window will cause WinCat to run or switch to the corresponding Windows application.

As a default, WinCat runs these programs :

Task Manager	: TASKMAN.EXE

File Manager	: WINFILE.EXE

If you want WinCat to execute a different program, specify it's name in WINCAT.INI like this :

[Directories]

FileMan=C:\WINDOWS\PROGRAMS\MYFILE.EXE

TaskMan=C:\WINDOWS\PROGRAMS\MYTASK.EXE

Some non-Microsoft managers (like PC-Tools' File- and Task-managers) do not support this 'switch to' trick ; instead of switching to the already active manager, they'll simply display a message like 'Filemanager already running', or simply start a second application.

Well, apparently not all software is as flexible and well-thought-of as ye ol' WinCat or my friend Bill's goodies... "-)


Catalog Backups

When you save a catalog, WinCat first renames the original catalog file to *.BCK, and then creates a new *.CAT file that contains all updates.

Please note that, according to Murphy's Law, a backup is something you'll never need unless you don't have it. So never erase the *.BCK files...

If something happens to the *.CAT file, you can simply rename the *.BCK file to *.CAT and continue using that catalog.


WinZip and WUNA

You can let WinCat's Restore File function call WUNA (a shareware Windows UnArchive tool by James N. Hughes that can extract ZIP and ARJ files) or WINZIP (a shareware Windows unarchive tool by Nico Mak Computing, Inc. that can create and extract ARJ,ZIP,LZH and ARC files).

As a default, WinCat doesn't specify a path when calling WUNA.EXE or WINZIP.EXE, so if you want to use WUNA and/or WINZIP make sure these files are in your \WINDOWS directory, or specify their location on the Configure window.

(Of course you can also specify the name of another program you want to run when clicking the WinZip or WUNA button).

You can download WUNA and WINZIP from any WINNET BBS.


Contents of WinCat ARJ archive
Contents of WinCat ARJ/ZIP archive

File WINCAT41.ARJ or .ZIP contains these files :

INSTALL.EXE	WinCat/PRO installation program
INSTALL.INF	Configurationfile for installationprogram
INSTALL.BIN	Archive containing WinCat/PRO and utility programs (see below)
CTL3DV2.DLL(1)	Link library required for WinCat's 3D look
FILE_ID.DIZ	Short description of WinCat's features

These files will be installed by the installation program :

WINCAT.EXE	The WinCat program
WINCAT.HLP	WinCat Help file
WINCATBT.DLL	Graphic routines DLL , needed by WinCat and WOODLE
WINCATAR.DLL	WinCat's Archive Scan routines
WINCATIC.DLL	Icon Library, contains icons for use on the Volume List window
WINCATRS.PIF	PIF that WinCat uses to launch WINCATRS.BAT.
WINCATRS.BAT	BAT that WinCat uses to execute DOS unarchive utilities (like ARJ.EXE)
Utilities :
WOODLE.EXE	WOODLE - WinCat Object Oriented Disk Label Editor
WOODLE.CFG	WOODLE's layout definitions file, used to save the layouts you define
WINCATUZ.EXE	WinCat/UnZIP - unpacks ARJ and ZIP files
WINCATUZ.WAV	Soundfile used by WINCATUZ
WINCATMC.EXE	WinCat/MC - utility to search for files in multiple catalogs
WINCATDZ.EXE	WinCat/DIZ - extracts FILE_ID.DIZ descriptions from ARJ and ZIP archives
Additional info :
SAMPLE.CAT	A sample catalog
ORDERFRM.DOC	How to order your WinCat/PRO license
ORDERFRM.WRI	The orderform in Windows Write format
README.DOC	For turbo-installers who never read help files
VENDOR.DOC	Information for disk vendors and shareware distributors, who wish to distribute WinCat.PRO (see also the Vendor Information section in this help file).

(1) Copyright Microsoft


Virus Protection

Both the WINCAT.EXE and WOODLE.EXE programs perform a selftest each time you run them ; they will warn you if the program has been infected by a virus (be it of electronic or human nature) or otherwise damaged by displaying a message and ceasing execution. If this happens, reinstall the original, unmodified WinCat/PRO and WOODLE programs from the WINCAT41.ZIP or WINCAT41.ARJ distribution-package.


Saving options in WINCAT.INI
WINCAT.INI

The WINCAT.INI file (in the \WINDOWS directory) looks like this :

[Directories]

* Commands used to launch unarchive tools, used by Restore File

Wuna=WUNA < -p>

WinZip=WINZIP <

* Programs to run when clicking the File- or Task-manager button

FileMan=WINFILE.EXE

TaskMan=TASKMAN.EXE

* Editor to be used by WinCat

Editor=c:\windows\notepad.exe

* Directories

Archive_Directory=c:\windows\wincat\archives\

Restore_Directory=c:\

Catalog_Directory=c:\windows\wincat

[Options]

Date_Format=DDMMYY

Use_4DOS=YES

Rep_4DOS=NO

Confirm_Recatalog=YES

Scan_Archives=YES

Update_Label=NO

Auto_Save=NO

Disp_VolInfo=YES

Hide_Toolbar=NO

[VL_Display]

* position, color and font information for the Volume List window

[FL_Display]

* position, color and font information for the File List window

[AL_Display]

* position, color and font information for the Archivefile List window

[DL_Display]

* position, color and font information for the Directory List window

[Catalogs]

* These catalogs appear on the 'Catalog' menu

Catalog_1=

Catalog_2=

Catalog_3=

Catalog_4=

Catalog_5=

[Associations}

* Associations used by Restore File

EXTR_ARJ=DOS arj e < >

VIEW_ARJ=DOS arj v <

USER_ARJ=

EXTR_ZIP=DOS pkunzip < >

VIEW_ZIP=DOS pkunzip -v <

USER_ZIP=

EXTR_LZH=DOS lha e < >

VIEW_LZH=DOS lha v <

USER_LZH=

EXTR_LHA=DOS lha e < >

VIEW_LHA=DOS lha v <

USER_LHA=

USER_WRI=write.exe <

USER_BMP=pbrush.exe <

USER_WAV=soundrec.exe <

[Classes]

* Function-classes used by View Files

Class_1=Archives,ARJ,ZIP,LZH,PAK,ARC,ZOO

Class_2=Programs,EXE,PIF,BAT,COM

Class_3=Documents,DOC,TXT,WRI,INI,RTF

Class_4=Sources,PAS,RES,RC,H,C,ASM,BAS,DLG,FRM

Class_5=Graphics,BMP,GIF,PCX,TGA,RLE,ICO,FLI,WPG

Class_6=Soundfiles,WAV,ROL,VOC,MDI,MOD,SND

Class_7=Drivers/DLL,DLL,DRV,SYS

Class_8=Fonts,FON,FOT,TTF,ATM,PFB,PFM


WINCATRS.BAT

echo off

rem    This BAT is used by WinCat when restoring files.

rem    Change the following statement to your directory containing

rem    unarchive utilities like LHA.EXE, ARJ.EXE and PKUNZIP.EXE :

cd\shez  <--- specify directory of unarchive utilities

echo %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7

%1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7

echo press any key to return to WinCat...

pause >nul


About Archive Files

Archives are files that contain other files.  Typically, the files in an archive are compressed.  Archives usually have filenames ending with ZIP, ARJ etc., depending on the program they were created with.

Archives make it easy to group files, make transporting and copying these files easier, and (because the files are compressed) take up less space on your disks.

WinCat can determine and catalog which files there are in these archives : ARJ and  ZIP (currently the most commonly used archive formats) and LZH, PAK, ARC and ZOO (less frequently used formats).

In order to create and extract archives, you need the appropriate DOS utility programs :

ARJ	: ARJ.EXE (by Robert Jung)

ZIP	: PKZIP.EXE and PKUNZIP.EXE (by PKWARE, Inc.)

LZH	: LHA.EXE (by Haruyasu Yoshizaki)

ARC	: ARC.EXE (by System Enhancement Associates)

ZOO	: ZOO.EXE

Note : WinCat uses it's own routines to determine the contents of these archives ; it doesn't need the DOS utility programs to do so.

There are also several Windows programs available that either process archives themselves, or that serve as a 'front end' for (i.e. make use of) the DOS utilities :

WinZip by Nico Mak Computing, Inc.

WinZip can create and extract ARJ, ZIP, LZH and ARC archives.

For handling ZIP files it uses it's own routines ; to handle the other archive formats it needs the appropriate DOS utilities.

Windows UnArchive (WUNA) by James N. Hughes

WUNA can extract ARJ and ZIP archives. It uses it's own routines to do so, so it doesn't make use of the DOS utilities ARJ.EXE and PKUNZIP.EXE

You can download these ShareWare programs from most Bulletin Board Systems.

Note : these programs are not free software. As with all ShareWare, if you use these programs you should register them with the appropriate author.


Automatically Opening a Catalog

Normally, after you've started WinCat ,you must open a catalog by clicking the Catalog menu, and then selecting either the 'Open Catalog...' option, or selecting one of the catalognames at the bottom of this menu.

There are two ways to make WinCat open a catalog immediately upon startup :

The first way is to define filename-extension CAT to the Windows FileManager application and to associate WINCAT.EXE with that extension.

Then, when you double-click a file named *.CAT on the FileManagers' display, WinCat will start and open the selected catalog immediately.

Use the 'Associate...' option from the Filemanagers' File menu to define the CAT association.

The second way to make WinCat open a catalog immediately when starting it, is to include the name of the catalog to open on the Program Managers' Program Item Properties window like this :

if catalog WINDOWS.CAT resides in the same directory as WINCAT.EXE :

Commandline : C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT\WINCAT.EXE  WINDOWS.CAT

if catalog WINDOWS.CAT resides in another directory  :

Commandline : C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT\WINCAT.EXE  D:\DATA\WINDOWS.CAT

So, if you have multiple catalogs, you can define several WinCats to the Program Manager, and let each of them use a different catalog.

Then all you have to do is to click one of the WinCat icons, and the desired catalog will be opened immediately.


Designing and Printing Disklabels using WOODLE
WOODLE : Designing and Printing Disklabels

WinCat/PRO comes with a separate utility with which you can design and print (adhesive) labels for the disks you've cataloged : the WinCat Object-Oriented Disk Label Editor (WOODLE).

With WOODLE's What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get editor you can easily define how you want your labels to look ; the printed labels will look exactly the same as how you design them on the screen.

WOODLE can print labels for 3.5" and 5.25" disks ; you can easily customize the number of labels that WOODLE prints on each page, as well as how they should be positioned on a page ; you can also adjust the size of the labels. This enables you to use use any stock of label paper.

To learn how to design and print your own labels, please read :

General usage notes	Showing objects on labels
Customizing the layout of your labels	Customizing picture objects
Defining the page-layout	Customizing text-objects
Printing the disklabels	Avery Labels
The WOODLE.INP input file


WOODLE : General usage notes

WOODLE prints your disklabels as graphics, not as plain text ; therefore your printer must support printing bitmap graphics in order to be able to use WOODLE.

The best results will be obtained when using a high-resolution printer, capable of printing 300 Dots Per Inch (DPI) or more, for instance a HP DeskJet, HP LaserJet, Canon BubbleJet etc.

Modern matrixprinters usually are also capable of printing graphics, yet with a lower resolution (150 DPI or more), so the quality of the printed disklabels can be a bit disappointing.

Also it can take quite some time for a matrixprinter to print a page of disklabels.

With WOODLE you can create full-color labels, but of course they will be printed in color only if you have a color printer ; else they will be printed in gray-shades.

 WOODLE Installation

1) put file WOODLE.EXE and file WOODLE.CFG in the C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT directory

2) add WOODLE.EXE to a ProgramManager's Group ; make sure to specify directory C:\WINDOWS\WINCAT as the working directory, because else WOODLE will not be able to find and open file WOODLE.CFG.


WOODLE : Showing objects on labels
WOODLE : Label Objects

On each label, you can optionally put one or more of these nine objects :

1.	the disk's volume-ID

2.	the disk's contents description

3.	the disk's group-ID

4.	the disk's location

5.	the disk's owner

6.	freeform text #1

7.	freeform text #2

8.	bitmap graphic #1

9.	bitmap graphic #2

The objects 1 through 5 are 'fixed' text-objects ; you cannot define their contents yourself : WinCat will retrieve them from the WOODLE.INP file when actually printing the labels.

You can however change their appearance (like size and font) and position.

Objects 6 and 7 are 'user-definable' text-objects : you can define their appearance and contents yourself.

Objects 8 and 9 are picture-objects : you can define which BMP graphic they should show, and change their size and position.

You can select which objects to include on a label by clicking the 'Objects' menu, and (de-)selecting one or more of the listed objects. As you do this, they will (dis-)appear on the screen.

There is in fact a tenth (text-)object ; this will always be visible on the label's 'backflap', right next to the WinCat logo. You cannot change it's position or size but, if  you are a registered WinCat/PRO user, you can change it's contents (to for instance your name and address).

If you haven't registered WinCat/PRO, the text 'Unregistered Evaluation Copy' will be shown and printed on the backflap.


WOODLE : Label Properties

WOODLE allows you to create up to six different layouts.

You can select a layout by clicking the 'Label' menu option, and selecting one of the six entries displayed on the menu.

To customize the label's background, select the 'Background' option on the 'Label'  menu.

Size, description, border and other properties of a label can be defined on the 'Label Properties' window :

Description

The description you enter will be displayed on the 'Label' menu. You can use it to easily identify each of the six layouts you can create with WOODLE.

Label Properties

Include cover and backflap

When you check this option, WOODLE will print 70 x 70 millimeter (2.75 x 2.75 inch) labels, which you can fold over a 3.5" disk ; as a result of this the disks' volume-ID and description will show on the edge of it.

By turning off this option, the label will be adjusted in size to 70 x 53 millimeter (2.75 x 2.10 inch) ; then it only covers the front of a 3.5" disk.

Note : this option is valid only for 3.5" disks.

Put backflap on top of label

If you also select this option, the backflap will be shown above instead of below the label ; this has the same effect as turning the label (or your terminal) upside-down.

Note : this option is valid only for 3.5" disks.

Hide border

Enabling this option will cause the label to be printed without a borderline ; on the screen, the border will be displayed in red instead of black.

You probably want to enable this option when using precut labels (like Avery).

Rounded corners

Enabling this option will cause a border with rounded corners to be printed.

Label Format

3.5" diskette

Select this option to create labels for 3.5" disks. WOODLE will reset the label's size to 70x70 millimeter (2.75x2.75").

5.25" diskette

Select this option to create labels for 5.25" disks. WOODLE will reset the label's size to 125x35 millimeter (4.90x1.375").

Adjust Label Size

When using precut labels (like Avery), it can happen that WOODLE's predefined sizes do not exactly match the size of the actual labels.

In this case, you can use the Adjust Label Size option : it allows you to change width and height of a label in 0.01" increments.

See also Avery Labels


WOODLE : Customizing text-objects

You can include up to seven text-objects (selected on the 'Objects' menu) on each label.

Each object can be customized : you can change it's position, size and appearance, and for object #6 and #7 also it's contents.

To reposition a text-object, move the cursor right on top of it so it looks like a hand.

Then hold down the left mousebutton and move the mouse ; you'll see a box that follows the position of the cursor.

Move the box to where you want to position the text-object and release the mousebutton ; the text-object will be drawn at it's new location.

To change the size of a text-object, move the mouse to either the right or bottom line of the box that's drawn around it, so the cursor looks the same like one of the 'resize' icons you see when resizing a window.

Then move the mouse while holding down it's left button ; you'll see a new box that grows and shrinks while you move the mouse.

Make this box the size you want the text-object to be and release the mousebutton. The text-object will then be resized to it's new dimensions.

To change font, color, charactersize or alignment of a text-object, move the cursor right on top of it so it looks like a hand and click the right mousebutton once.

WOODLE then displays a window where you can set horizontal and vertical alignment options and, if you click the 'Font...' button, the font, color and charactersize to be used.

Note : best results will be obtained when using TrueType fonts, as these can be scaled without limitation ; standard fonts will look 'blocky' when printed.

On this window you can also change the contents of a text-object : however, this is only possible for the user-definable objects 6 and 7,  and for object 10 on the backflap.

You can use the backslash \ to split the text up into two or more lines.

Setting the Border option will cause a border to be printed around the selected object ; on the screen the border will be drawn as a black rectangle, instead of the red rectangle drawn around textobjects with no border.

Setting the Rounded corners option makes the object's border have rounded corners.

Setting the Transparent option will cause the object to be merged with it's background. This allows you to merge picture-objects with text-objects.


WOODLE : Customizing picture-objects

You can include up to two picture-objects (selected on the 'Objects' menu) on each label.

Each picture can be customized : you can change it's position and size, and you can define which bitmap graphic it should display.

Changing position or size of a picture-object goes exactly the same as for text-objects : put the cursor on top of it and hold down the left mousebutton to drag it to another position, or move the cursor to it's right or bottom borderline and hold down the left mousebutton to change it's size.

WOODLE will stretch or shrink the picture to fit the area you defined.

To change the contents of a picture-object, move the cursor right on top of it so it looks like a hand and click the right mousebutton once.

WOODLE then displays a window where you can :

- select a bitmap graphic by clicking the 'Open...' button

- edit the currently selected bitmap by clicking the 'Edit...' button. This will run the Windows PaintBrush application.

Setting the Border option will cause a border to be printed around the selected object ; on the screen the border will be drawn as a black rectangle, instead of the red rectangle drawn around picture-objects with no border.

Setting the Allow bitmap stretching option allows you to change the size of a bitmap.

If you turn this option off, WOODLE will print the bitmap in scale 1:1 ; for instance, if you select a 150x150 pixels bitmap, it will be printed as a 1 inch square bitmap on a 150 Dots Per Inch (DPI) printer, and as a 1/2 inch square bitmap on a 300 DPI printer.

Note : WOODLE only supports black&white and 16-color bitmaps.


WOODLE : Printing disklabels
WOODLE : Print Disklabels

When you select the 'Print Disklabels' option on the 'Print...' menu, WOODLE will read the WOODLE.INP file created by WinCat/PRO, and commence printing the labels page by page, using the page layout as you defined it on the Define Page Layout window.

If WOODLE cannot find or open file WOODLE.INP, the Print Disklabel function will terminate with  message 'Unable to open WOODLE.INP file'.

After reading file WOODLE.INP, WOODLE will switch the display to Preview mode and show each  page as it is about to printed, with a message 'WOODLE is ready to print page x of x. Do you want to print this page ?'.

Replies :

YES	- WOODLE will print this page, and show you the next  page to be printed.

NO	- WOODLE will skip printing this page, and show you the next page to be printed

Cancel	- Will terminate the Print Disklabels function.


WOODLE : Define Page Layout

Clicking the 'Define Page Layout' option on the 'Print...' menu will display a window where you can

- define the number of labels that WOODLE should print on each page

- define how the labels should be positioned on each page

You can define how many labels to print on a page by specifying :

Nr. of labels to print horizontal

The number of labels to print next to each other.

Nr. of labels to print vertical

The number of labels to print below each other.

The maximum values you can specify (these depend on the size of the individual labels, the top and left margins, the spacing between labels and the size of the page) are automatically set by WOODLE.

Every time you change one of the margin or spacing values (see below), WOODLE recalculates how many labels will fit on a page, and if necessary decreases the value you entered for <horizontal labels> or <vertical labels>.

You can see how many labels will fit on a page in the 'Current Settings' box (maximum number of labels to print H x V).

In this box you can also see what the usable print-area of the selected paper is ; note that this will always be less than the physical size of a sheet, because your printer uses it's own margin mechanism. Refer to the printer manual for more information on this.

Note that you can select another paper-size using the 'Setup Printer' option on the 'Print' menu.

You can position the labels on a page by specifying :

Top Margin:

The top margin is the distance in millimeters from the top edge of the usable print-area to the top edge of the first row of labels.

Left Margin:

The left margin is the distance in millimeters from the left edge of the usable print-area to the left edge of the first column of labels.

Vertical spacing:

The vertical spacing is the spacing in millimeters between the rows of labels.

Horizontal spacing:

The horizontal spacing is the spacing in millimeters between the columns of labels.

Click the OK button to accept the defined values.

After defining the page layout, you can use the 'View page on screen' or 'Print sample page' options on the 'Print...' menu to see how a page of labels will be printed.


WOODLE : Avery Labels

The Avery company supplies precut labels in various formats. The ones most commonly used for 3.5" diskettes are :

#5196	: 2.75" square labels, 3 rows by 3 columns, Legal sheet

#7664	: 70 mm x 71.9 mm, 4 rows by 2 columns, A4 sheet

When using Avery's #5196 (3x3) sheets, a slight problem occurs : the labels on these sheets start at 3 mm (0.013") from the left edge of the paper, yet virtually no printer is capable of printing that close to the paper's edge... For instance, a HP-4L LaserJet uses a 6 mm (.024") left-edge margin, and there's NOTHING one can do about that (use of a screwdriver or slash-hammer not taken into account).

So, because of the printer margins, it's not possible to print 3 2.75" wide labels next to each other.

The only way to make WOODLE print 3x3 labels is to decrease the horizontal width of the labels ; instead of printing them 2.75" wide, you must print them approx. 2.55" wide.

To print labels 3 columns wide, you must do the following :

1. Select papersize Legal 8" x 11" using the 'Setup Printer' menu-option

2. Specify these values on the Label Properties window :

Label Format	3.5" diskette

Hor. Size	255    <-- decrease the default width from 275 to 255

Vert.Size	275

Hide Border	Yes

Include cover	Yes

Cover on top	- optional -

3. Specify these values on the Page Layout window :

Top margin	5

Left margin	0

Vertical spacing	10

Horizontal spacing	4

Nr. of labels hor.	3

Nr. of labels vert.	3


WOODLE : The WOODLE.INP file
WOODLE : WOODLE.INP file

On a label you can include objects like Volume-ID, Volume Description, Group etc.

When you design a label using WOODLE's editor, these objects are shown with sample text ; you cannot alter their contents.

It's when actually printing the labels that WOODLE will retrieve the text to put in these objects from file WOODLE.INP.

This file will be created for you by WinCat/PRO if you use it's Print Disklabels option, so if you use WinCat /PRO you don't have to worry about this file.

It's only when you want to print disklabels without the help of WinCat/PRO that you should know more about how to create a WOODLE.INP file.

WOODLE.INP must reside in the same directory as WOODLE.EXE (else WOODLE can't find it), and is a normal ASCII text file, which you can create with an ordinary ASCII editor like NotePad.

It contains one line of information for each label that should be printed ; if this file contains 10 lines, 10 labels will be printed by WOODLE.

Each line in WOODLE.INP has this format :

Volume-ID<tab>Description<tab>Group-ID<tab>Location-ID<tab>Owner-ID

<tab> is the standard ASCII TAB character (hex 09).

The maximum length of each field is :

Volume-ID	11 characters
Description	51 characters
Group-ID	8 characters
Location-ID	8 characters
Owner-ID	8 characters

WOODLE will truncate fields that exceed the maximum length.