Copyright: DisKing ®1995 BirdBrain Systems
Citation: Copyright 1995 BirdBrain Systems.  All Rights Reserved.


DisKing

Version 0.5.0 (alpha)

How to contact BirdBrain Systems:

e-mail:

kathey@birdbrain.com

physical:

BirdBrain Systems

2448 A Street

San Diego, CA  92102


Table of Contents

DisKing

Title Page

Table of Contents

Introduction

Vision

Registration Information

Registration Form

Technical Support

"How To" Guide

Viewing files

Moving and copying files

Searching files

Reference

Navigation

Common Keystrokes

Directory Tree Keystrokes

File List Keystrokes

View Text Keystrokes

View Binary Keystrokes

View Formatted Graphic Keystrokes

Dialogs

File Filter

History

The Future (Planned Features and Enhancements)

Acknowledgements


INTRODUCTION

Welcome to DisKing.  This is a file manager replacement which allows you to conduct nearly every kind of disk based task from the keyboard.  This includes viewing, editing, running, executing applications on, copying, moving, renaming, deleting, and searching directories, files and, of course disks.

Hot Hint

The Manual

This help file is the manual.  The reference section towards the end is used for context sensitive help.  If you use the browse keys (<< and >>), you can navigate through this manual from beginning to end.


Press Alt-F1 at any screen to activate the keyboard hints at the bottom of the screen.


Vision

Why DisKing?

Warning: The mouse based interface on this product is nearly non-existent.

You may be asking yourself the question, "Why would I possibly be interested in yet another file manager type product, especially one which doesn't allow you to use the mouse?"  You may have noticed that as you have become more proficient at other programs you use, that you begin to learn the keystrokes because you can navigate more quickly.  This entire product is based on that principle.  If you go to the effort to learn a few of the keyboard commands within this program, I guarantee that you will amaze your friends and fellow workers with how fast you can manipulate your disk and its files and directories.  I have had people think that my machine has a higher clock speed because I can navigate so quickly using the keyboard in this program and its DOS grand-father.

You may or may not recognize the interface.  It was my intention and inspiration that you might recognize the interface.  There is a great DOS product which can do nearly, if not more, all this program can.  It is unfortunate that the effort was never made to bring that program to Windows and preserve its powerful and fast keyboard interface.

Try this program for a week and see if it doesn't improve the accuracy and speed with which you do things.  You won't be dragging things around anymore searching for the right place to drop them.  Holding down the Control key to select files is a thing of the past.  Just tag the files you are interested in.  Applying a file filter is easy, just press the 'f' key in the directory or file display, and type in your filter.  The most overlooked feature of any file manager is the ability to search through files for text.  Tag the files you want to search and then search them and the ones which have hits are the only ones left tagged.  Press Ctrl-V to view the files which had hits and jump right to the hit.  There is lots more, so just explore.


Registration Information

Registration Form

How to register?

Mail in our handy registration form and include your $25.00 registration fee.  Please include $5.00 shipping and handling, if you want your registered copy sent on a disk.

Why register? (Benefits of registration)

1.  The first official non-alpha, non-beta release delivered electronically or by mail.

2.  Registered version includes ability to view many more graphic formats.

3.  Technical support.  Although it is only available through electronic mail, I guarantee you will receive it if you are registered.

4.  No irritating About Box popping up, every time the program starts.

5.  Your suggestions for improvements and bug reports will be seriously considered.

6.  I continue work on this project, and make it better and better by including your suggestions.


Registration Form

Mail your check or money order for $25.00 to:

Kevin Athey

2448 A Street

San Diego, CA  92102

DisKing Version:

Name:

Registration Password:

e-mail address:

Address:

City:                                                                 State:                                        Zip:

Delivery method:   [ ] electronic mail     [ ] physical mail ($5.00 extra) (3½" disk)

Questionaire

Where did you acquire this copy of the software?

Which operating system(s) are you using this software on?

[ ] Windows NT Version:

[ ] Windows 95

Are you interested in a Window 3.1x version of DisKing?

Are you interested in an OS/2 version of DisKing?

Bugs and / or suggestions:


Technical Support

Technical Support is provided, if you send your question or problem to one of two places:

e-mail:

kathey@birdbrain.com

physical:

BirdBrain Systems

2448 A Street

San Diego, CA  92102

When submitting a request, please include all of the following:

1.  Give the problem or request a clear and concise treatment.  Clearly enumerate exactly what process yields the problem.

2.  Indicate where I should send a reply.

3.  Indicate what version of DisKing you are currently using.

4.  Include your registration number, which is found in the About Box (Alt-A), and your registration password.

Support is guaranteed only for those who register.

Support will be provided to unregistered users as time and expense allows.  In other words, if it doesn't cost me anything to send you a reply and if I have given support to everyone who is registered, then I will help you.


"How To" Guide

This guide of "how to" examples should help you get started doing things, that you used to do from the command line or by combining a number of other applications.


Reference

This section attempts to document every screen found in DisKing.  It lists every keystroke available on the screen.  The action explanation is longer than that which is found on the hint screen at the bottom of the screen (activated by pressing Alt-F1).


Common Keystrokes

Note

Keystroke	Action
F1	Activate context sensitive Help.
Alt-A	Bring up the about box.
Alt-F1	Show or hide keystroke hint screen.
Alt-F10	Access the DisKing setup screen.


These keystrokes are generally available from nearly all screens.  There may be a few exceptions to this rule (for example, when you are in a dialog).


Directory Tree Keystrokes

Keystroke	Action
b	Show all files logged in the current directory and all logged sub-directories.
d	Delete the current directory, if it is empty.
f	Set the file specification, which determines the files which are visible.
l	Log another disk and bring it into the current window.
m	Make a new directory as a child of the current directory.
t	Tag all files in the current directory which match the current file specification
u	Untag all files in the current directory which match the current file specification.
F8	Split or Unsplit screen to allow viewing two directory trees simultaneously.
Capital Letters	Jump to the next directory which begins with this character.
0-9	Jump to the next directory which begins with this number.


File List Keystrokes

Keystroke	Action
a	Change the attributes on the current file.
c	Copy the current file.
d	Delete the current file.
f	Set the file filter, which determines the files which are visible.
l	Log a different disk.
m	Move the current file.
r	Rename a file.  Change the name of the file.
t	Tag a file.
u	Untag a file.
v	View the current file.
Ctrl-A	Change attributes on all visible tagged files.
Ctrl-C	Copy all visible tagged files.
Ctrl-D	Delete all visible tagged files.
Ctrl-F	Apply the previous file filter.
Ctrl-M	Move all visible tagged files.
Ctrl-T	Tag all visible files.
Ctrl-U	Untag all visible files.
Ctrl-V	View all visible tagged files.
F8	Split or Unsplit screen to allow viewing two file lists simultaneously.
Capital Letters	Jump to the next file which begins with this character.
0-9	Jump to the next file which begins with this number.


View Text Keystrokes

Keystroke	Action
b	View the current file in Binary mode.
f	View the current file in Formatted Graphics mode.
n	Go to the next file which was loaded into the viewer via CTRL-V in the File List view.
p	Go to the previous file which was loaded into the viewer via CTRL-V from the File List view.
s	Conduct search for a regular expression or text string or binary byte sequence.
SPACE	Bring the next search hit into view.
BACKSPACE	Bring the previous search hit into view.
TAB	Change tab size between 4 and 8 spaces.


View Binary Keystrokes

Keystroke	Action
f	View the current file in Formatted Graphics mode.
n	Go to the next file which was loaded into the viewer via CTRL-V in the File List view.
p	Go to the previous file which was loaded into the viewer via CTRL-V from the File List view.
s	Conduct search for a binary byte sequence orregular expression or text string.
t	View the current file in Text mode.
SPACE	Bring the next search hit into view.
BACKSPACE	Bring the previous search hit into view.


View Formatted Graphic Keystrokes

Keystroke	Action
b	View the current file in Binary mode.
h	When showing a cursor, this either shows or hides red line cross hairs indicating the hot spot.
n	Go to the next file which was loaded into the viewer via CTRL-V in the File List view.
p	Go to the previous file which was loaded into the viewer via CTRL-V from the File List view.
t	View the current file in Text mode.
HOME	View the upper left hand corner of the graphic.
END	View the lower left hand corner of the graphic.
PAGEUP	View the upper right hand corner of the graphic.
PAGEDOWN	View the lower right hand corner of the graphic.
NUMPAD-5	Center graphic.
Arrow Keys	Slide the graphic around in small intervals.


File Filter Dialog

This dialog allows you to specify which files actually get displayed.  You can use standard wildcards for file names.

Examples

Filter	Result
*.cpp	All files ending in ".cpp" will be displayed.
ab?.c	All files beginning with "ab" and ending in ".c" and having exactly one character which may be any character following the "ab".


Volume Label Dialog

This dialog allows you to set the name of the disk.


Set Destination Dialog

This dialog helps you set the destination for file moves and copies.


Pick Directory Dialog

Select a directory by making a selection in the list box using the arrow keys and lower case letters or change disks by using the upper case letters.  When you find a directory you like then hit return and your new selection will appear where you were given the opportunity to choose.


Compare Dialog

Used for selecting the directory file which is to be compared against the current directory or file.


Compare Directory Parameter Dialog

Select parameters for directory comparison.


History

Version	Date	Description and New Features
0.50	23 Apr 1995	First Release (Alpha).


The Future (Planned Features and Enhancements)
The Future

Planned Features and Enhancements

This list is NOT presented in the order that it will be implemented.

-  Support viewing of animated cursors.

-  Zip support (as well as other compression formats)

-  Automatic document format detection for viewing.

-  Bookmarks, to allow quick jumping between different views on different files.

-  In-line binary editor.

-  Info window, which elaborates on statistics, including slack space.

-  Line wrap in text view.

-  Copy lines from text view to clipboard.

-  Copy graphics to clipboard.

-  Invert tags.

-  Invert file filters.

-  Release logged disks.

-  Format disks.

-  Batch processing of tagged files.

-  Automatic updating, when other programs change the disk.

-  Progress dialogs for all features which require more than a few seconds.

-  Ability to cancel processes which take a long time.

-  Editing files with the editor of choice.

-  Set a new date for a file or all tagged files.

-  Rename a directory.

-  Execute a program on the currently selected file.

-  Run a program. Very similar to File|Run from the Program Manager, except it will have a history.

-  Menu of favorite programs which contain a script of how to pass the current file to them.

-  Tagging based on file attributes.

-  Printing.

-  Complete documentation of all screens and dialogs.

-  Complete "How To" section of on line help.


Acknowledgements

for GIF viewing

Copyright 1989, 1990 Kirk L. Johnson

for Most Other Graphic Formats

ImgLib version 1.2

ImgLib Copyright © 1994, 1995, SimSoft

Xli Copyright © 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 Jim Frost, Graeme Gill and others

TIFF Library © 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Sam Leffler

Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Silicon Graphics, Inc.

for Numerous Hours Apart

My beautiful and patient wife

for Untold Support and Encouragement

Mark Bubien

David Kadansky

Kristian Kvilekval

John LaPlante