

        ********************************************************************
        *                              CDIR                                *
        *                 The Commented Directory Program                  *
        *              Copyright, 1988, by C. Kenneth Curtis               *
        *          Box 539 RD 2 Woodland Drive, Califon, NJ 07830          *
        ********************************************************************

             CDIR is a valuable information program for IBM PC or compatible
        computers.  Users can read and write comments about files and
        sub-directories eliminating the uncertainty of cryptic names
        reported by the DOS DIR command.

             CDIR also contains powerful features to view, print, copy,
        change attributes, rename or delete files.

             CDIR has a maximum capacity of 256 files per directory.  The
        program will work with directories containing more than 256;
        however, the additional files can not be commented or manipulated
        using CDIR.

        *******************************************************************
        *                        PUBLIC NOTIFICATION                      *
        *******************************************************************

             CDIR.EXE, CDIR_CLR.EXE and HOW2CDIR.TXT files MUST be
        distributed as a set in their original unmodified form.  Compacting
        for up/down-loading to/from bulletin board services is permissible
        if the uncompacting process produces the files in their original
        unmodified form.

             Feel free to share CDIR with others and to use it where you
        work.  I have made CDIR available as a public service without any
        charge for its use.  In return I would appreciate your sending a
        postcard to me at the above address with the following information:

             Write "CDIR" at the top of the card.

             Where you obtained CDIR - bulletin board, friend, work,
                  software-distribution company, etc.  Be specific about
                  bulletin board and company names.

             City, State or Province, and Country where you live.

             Your name, address and comments are optional.

             Selling or modification of the CDIR.EXE, CDIR_CLR.EXE or
        HOW2CDIR.TXT files is strictly prohibited without my expressed
        written permission.

                                 C. Kenneth Curtis


        ********************************************************************
        *              Before using CDIR you should know                   *
        ********************************************************************

             CDIR can open several files at the same time; therefore, it may
        be necessary to have a FILES = 7 ( more are ok ) statement in a
        CONFIG.SYS file.  See your DOS manual for information on creating or
        changing this file.

             CDIR will be called frequently.  If you have a hard disk, it is
        recommended to keep CDIR.EXE in a directory referenced by your PATH
        chain.  For example, if you have a directory of utilities and a path
        similar to C:\;C:\UTILITY;C:\WORDPROC, put the CDIR.EXE file in the
        C:\UTILITY subdirectory.

             CDIR will maintain a file's comment when the file is renamed by
        CDIR to be within the same directory, but be warned that comments
        will be lost by renaming files with the DOS REN command or other
        programs.  Moving a file to another directory with any program
        including CDIR will lose the comment; however, CDIR does have a
        means to transfer comments from one directory to another.

             CDIR colors can be changed from within the program or for those
        individuals with other preferences, by executing the CDIR_CLR
        program explained at the end of this document.

        ********************************************************************
        *                      How to use CDIR                             *
        ********************************************************************

             Start the program by typing "CDIR" followed by [Return].  The
        default directory will be displayed first.  You can tell the program
        to start and display any directory by typing "CDIR", space, the name
        of a directory and then [Return].  In this case the drive letter,
        colon, a backslash and path portions of the directory must be
        specified.

             The following are examples of starting commands:

                  CDIR[Return]
                  CDIR A:\[Return]
                  CDIR c:\123files\checks[Return]

             A moment after starting, CDIR will display the files and
        sub-directories, their size, creation dates and times and comments.
        Sub-directories are denoted by the letter S in the left-hand column.

             Quit the program with [^Q] or [^X].  (See control keys below.)



             To write or edit a comment, just use the cursor movement keys
        to position the highlighted bar over the desired file and begin
        typing.  Press [Return] to enter the comment.  If you start to type,
        and then realize that the characters are going into the wrong row,
        press [Esc], and the original comment will be restored.

             The control keys are used for various functions.  They are
        activated by holding down the [Ctrl] key and depressing one of the
        other keys; this is denoted in the text by a caret followed by a
        letter or word.   Examples:  [^N] or [^Home]  .

             The cursor movement keys move the highlighted bar or scroll the
        screen as follows:

             [Cur Up] and [Cur Dn] keys:
                  Moves the highlighted bar up or down 1 row.
             [Page Up] or [Page Dn] keys:
                  Scrolls 8 files.
             [^Page Up] or [^Page Dn] keys:
                  Scrolls 32 files.
             [Home] or [End] keys:
                  Moves to top or bottom of screen.
             [^Home] or [^End] keys:
                  Moves to begining or end of file.

             The control key functions are:

        [^A] ( Attribute ) key:

             Displays the file attribute on the third screen row.  The
             attributes displayed are interpreted

                  "R/O" means it is a read-only file.  It can not be written
                  or erased until its attribute is changed to remove the
                  read-only restriction.

                  "Arc" means the file has been modified since it was last
                  backed up (via the DOS backup command).

                  "Sub-directory" means the file is a sub-directory.

             The read-only attribute status, of non-sub-directory files, can
             be toggled to the opposite state by pressing the [R] key when
             asked; otherwise [Esc] allows you to continue.



        [^C] ( Copy ) key:

             Copies tagged or highlighted file(s).

             After pressing [^C] you are asked to press [T], [O] or [Esc].
             If you press [T] all of the tagged files will be copied, but if
             [O] is depressed, only the highlighted file will be copied.
             [Esc] is used to abort the operation.

             Next, you will be asked to where the file(s) should be copied.
             In general, use the same format for the destination as you
             would if you were using the DOS Copy command.  You may give a
             directory only, in which case the files will be copied with the
             same name and extension to that directory.  You may specify
             filename(s) or extension(s) for the new file(s), or the wild
             card characters * and ? described by DOS may be used.

             If files are to be copied to another disk, a typical response
             might be  B:\  .  If you tag all the files with an extension of
             .ABC  , and want them copied to the same directory, but with
             the extension of .XYZ , then your response should be  *.XYZ  .

             If the [Esc] key is pressed while tagged files are being
             copied, the process will be aborted as soon as CDIR is finished
             with the file it was copying when the key was pushed.

        [^D] ( Delete ) key:

             Deletes tagged or highlighted file(s).

             After pressing [^D] you are asked to press [T], [O] or [Esc].
             If you press [T] all of the tagged files will be deleted, but
             if [O] is depressed, only the highlighted file will be erased.
             [Esc] is used to abort the operation.

             Sub-directories ( other than the "single-dot" and "double-dot"
             directories ) can be removed using the [O] option but only if
             they contain no files.



        [^K] ( Color ) key:

             Provides better contrast for color systems which use a
             monochrome monitor.  This function does not operate in a
             monochrome system.  See the description of CDIR_CLR at the end
             of this document for reconfiguring the standard colors.

             Press [^K], and you will be asked to press [D], [T] or [Esc].
             If you press [D] the colors presently on the screen will be
             those which will be the default colors the next time the
             program starts.  The current directory must contain the
             CDIR.EXE program.  If [T] is pressed, then the colors are
             changed temporarily until you quit the program.  [Esc] is used
             to abort the operation.

        [^L] ( Locate ) key:

             Moves the highlighted bar to the requested file if it exists in
             the directory.

             After pressing [^L] you are asked to enter which file to find.
             Enter the filename and extension.  Do not use a drive or path
             specifier.     Example:  MYFILE.DOC   .

        [^N] ( New directory ) key:

             Changes the current directory.

             The current directory is always displayed at the top of the
             screen.  Press [^N] to change it.  You will be asked to enter
             the new directory.  Enter a drive letter, colon, backslash and
             path.  Examples: are  A:\  or  C:\MEMOS\SALES   .  [Esc] is
             used to abort the operation.

             There is an alternative which will save typing if the new
             directory appears with the letter S in the left column of the
             currently displayed directory.  Prior to entering [^N], move
             the highlighted bar over that sub-directory.  When asked to
             type the sub-directory name, instead just press [Return].

                  Selecting either the single-dot or double-dot
                  sub-directory with the highlighted bar and pressing
                  [Return] causes CDIR to go to the parent ( moves back
                  towards the root directory ).  Selecting any other
                  sub-directory tells CDIR to go to a child ( moves away
                  from the root directory ).

             Pressing [^N] automatically saves the comments in a file named
             CMTD-DIR.-%- to be located in the current directory.  The size
             of CMTD-DIR.-%- will depend upon the number of files in that
             directory.



             After you have entered the new directory, the program will
             change to it.  First, CDIR will load the file information data
             ( 256 files maximum ) and then look for a CMTD-DIR.-%- file in
             that directory.  If it is found, the comments will be matched
             to the file names just loaded.

             It is perfectly acceptable for new files to have been written
             into the new directory, or old ones to have been changed or
             deleted since the last time CDIR accessed the directory.  These
             actions do not affect CDIR's operation.

        [^P] ( Print ) key:

             Prints either the commented directory or the contents of tagged
             or highlighted file(s).

             After pressing [^P] you will be asked to press [T], [O], [D] or
             [Esc].  If your answer is [D] then a listing of all the files
             in the current directory, along with their comments, will be
             printed.  If your answer is [O], only the highlighted file will
             be printed, but if you press [T], then the contents of all the
             tagged files will be printed.

             Printing can be aborted before selecting [T], [O] or [D] or
             while it is in process by pressing the [Esc] key.

        [^Q] ( Quit ) key:

             Causes the CDIR program to quit and return to DOS.

             The comments of the current directory are saved before
             terminating.  See the discussion about CMTD-DIR,-%- under the
             [^N] key.  Also see the [^X] key description.

        [^R] ( Rename ) key:

             Allows files to be renamed and/or moved to another directory.

             After depressing [^R] you will be asked for the new name.  The
             wild card characters * and ? may be used to simplify typing.
             The file name and extension must be specified.

             Typing an optional drive and path will move the file to that
             directory.  If it is different than the current directory, the
             comments will be lost.  ( See [^Y] for suggestions. )

             [Esc] is used to abort the operation.



        [^S] ( Sub-directory ) key:

             Creates a new sub-directory.

             When this option is selected, you will be asked to enter a
             sub-directory name.  If a name is entered without a Drive:\
             Path prefix, the sub-directory will be placed in the current
             directory as shown at the top of the screen.

        [^T] ( Tag toggle ) key:

             Toggles the tag mark on and off.

             The highlighted file may be tagged in preparation for the other
             control key functions.  A heart-shaped figure appears in the
             left column on the screen for each tagged file.  Press [^T] to
             turn the heart on or off.

        [^U] ( Untag ) key:

             Untags all files.

             When [^U] is pressed, every tagged file is untagged, and its
             heart symbol turned off.

        [^V] ( View ) key:

             Allows the highlighted file to be viewed.

             Pressing [^V] causes the contents of the highlighted file to be
             displayed a page at-a-time on the screen.  Carriage-return
             characters ( ASCII 13 ) are ignored, and Line-feed characters
             ( ASCII 10 ) cause a jump to the next line on the screen but
             are also not displayed.  Other print control characters such as
             Page-eject or tab cause no action; their symbol is displayed on
             the screen.

             Pressing [Page Dn] displays the next screen.  [Esc] removes the
             display and returns you to normal operation.



        [^W] ( 2nd directory ) key:

             Lets the contents of another directory be displayed without
             leaving the current directory.  This useful feature allows you
             to preview the second directory for determining whether a file
             already exists or if it has the same date and time as a file in
             the current directory.

             After pressing [^W], you will be asked to enter the second
             directory.  Enter a drive letter, colon, backslash and path.
             Examples: are  B:\  or  C:\DOCS\STATUS   .  [Esc] is used to
             abort the operation.

             There is an alternative which will save typing if the second
             directory appears with the letter S in the left column of the
             currently displayed directory.  Prior to entering [^W], move
             the highlighted bar over that sub-directory.  When asked to
             type the sub-directory name, instead just press [Return].

                  Selecting either the single-dot or double-dot
                  sub-directory with the highlighted bar and pressing
                  [Return] causes CDIR to go to the parent ( moves back
                  towards the root directory ).  Selecting any other
                  sub-directory tells CDIR to go to a child ( moves away
                  from the root directory ).

             The [Page Up] and [Page Dn] keys cause the display to scroll 8
             files at a time.  The [Esc] key removes the second directory
             display.

        [^X] ( Exit ) key:

             Causes the CDIR program to quit and immediately return to DOS
             without saving the comments ( CMTD-DIR.-%- file is not saved ).

             See [^Q] description.



        [^Y] ( Copy comments ) key:

             Copies tagged or highlighted comments(s) to another directory.
             This is useful, for example, to transfer the comments about
             files which have just been copied to a floppy disk.

             A prerequisite is having a CMTD-DIR.-%- file already in the
             other directory to where the comments will be copied.

             After pressing [^Y] you are asked to press [T], [O] or [Esc].
             If you press [T] all of the tagged comments will be copied, but
             if [O] is depressed, only the highlighted comment will be
             copied.  [Esc] is used to abort the operation.

             Next, you will be asked to where the comment(s) should be
             copied.  Enter a drive letter, colon, backslash and path.
             Examples: are  A:\  or  C:\BUYERS   .  [Esc] is used to abort
             the operation.

             The following steps are suggested for moving the comments about
             files which you intend to rename ( move ) to another directory:

                  1.  Make sure there is a CMTD-DIR.-%- file in the other
                  directory.  If one is not there already, change to it with
                  the [^N] key and then change back with [^N] key.

                  2.  If the filenames or extensions will be changed when
                  they are moved, use the [^R] key and rename the files in
                  the current directory; do not rename ( move ) them to the
                  other directory yet.

                  3.  Copy the comments to the other directory with the [^Y]
                  key.

                  4.  Use the [^R] to rename ( move ) the file(s) to the
                  other directory.

        ********************************************************************
        *                    How to use CDIR_CLR                           *
        ********************************************************************

             Users with color systems can easily change the screen colors
        used in CDIR from the standard colors to monochrome with CDIR's [^K]
        key option.  However, you may have a preference for another set of
        colors.  The CDIR_CLR program can be used to alter the standard
        colors in both color and monochrome systems.

             To use CDIR_CLR make sure that both the CDIR.EXE and the
        CDIR_CLR.EXE files are in the default directory.  At the DOS prompt
        type CDIR_CLR [Return] and then follow the directions in the top box
        on the screen.  The bottom box contains information explaining how
        the color pairs are used in the CDIR program.



             Each color has two attributes, the foreground color (such as
        the letters you are currently reading) and a background color, which
        is as the name suggests, the area behind the characters.  These two
        attributes are called color pairs.  A color sample is displayed for
        each color pair.

             The foreground attribute can have one of sixteen different
        values identified 0 thru 9 and A thru F.  The background can have
        one of eight values numbered 0 thru 7.  Depressing the [F5] or [F6]
        keys changes the foreground or background attribute of the boxed
        color pair.  The attribute numbers are displayed in the center of
        the screen.  Pressing the left and right cursor movement keys, moves
        the box to another color pair.

             Finally, the [F1] and [F2] keys are used to save the new colors
        or leave them unchanged.

             The pre-chosen standard colors are listed in the table below.

             Pair   Color System   Mono System
              No.    Fgnd  Bgnd    Fgnd  Bgnd
             ----   ----- ------   ---- ------
              1       1      7       7     0
              2       F      2       F     0
              3       E      1       0     7
              4       D      0       F     0
              5       B      5       7     0
              6       4      7       0     7
              7       F      4       F     0
              8       E      0       F     0
              9       B      1       7     0
