  FCATENG.TXT : Description of file and archive catalog package
  Release 11A, Feb 14, 2000
  J.R. Ferguson, Amsterdam

  e-mail: j.r.ferguson@iname.com
  web   : http://hello.to/ferguson (download the latest version from here)


  CONTENTS
  --------

  0. ABOUT THIS PACKAGE
  1. FILE SUMMARY
  2. INSTALLATION
  3. WHAT IS A FILE CATALOG ?
  4. WHAT IS AN ARCHIVE CATALOG ?
  5. INTERACTIVE PROCESSING
  6. BATCH PROCESSING OF FILE CATALOGS
     6.1  Loading and maintaining file catalogs
     6.2  Viewing file catalogs
     6.3  Merging two or more file catalogs
  7. BATCH PROCESSING OF ARCHIVE CATALOGS
     7.1  Loading and maintaining archive catalogs
     7.2  Viewing archive catalogs
     7.3  Merging two or more archive catalogs
  8. TOOLS
     8.1  ACAUX.COM
     8.2  CHKCMD.EXE
     8.3  LBRLST.COM
  9. HISTORY


  0. ABOUT THIS PACKAGE
  ---------------------

  The software described here (see: 'FILE SUMMARY') may be used and  copied
  without charge, but only for non-commercial purposes. I use it myself and
  I  think  it  is  useful, therefore I published it as freeware. I can not
  give you any guarantee, however, that it will do what you expect it to do
  and I can not be held responsible for any damage that may  be  caused  by
  the  use  of this software. Your remarks and suggestions are welcome (see
  e-mail address  above)  but  I  cannot  guarantee  support  in  case  you
  experience problems.

  The  separate  programs  have  their own version numbers (x.x). The total
  package has its own release number  and  is  distributed  as  FCATnn.ZIP,
  where  nn  is  the  release number (i.e. FCAT01.ZIP, FCAT02.ZIP, etc.). I
  urgently request you to keep the package unaltered, in case you  want  to
  re-distribute it. Of course you can repackage .ZIP to  .ARJ  or  someting
  else,  and  you  may  add  Sysop  notes. In the 'HISTORY' chapter of this
  document you will find some remarks on previous releases.


  1. FILE SUMMARY
  ---------------

  ACAF     BAT    Search all catalogs, starting with archive catalogs
  ACAFIND  EXE    Search a specific archive catalog
  ACAMERGE EXE    Merge two or more archive catalogs
  ACAU     BAT    Update an archive catalog
  ACAUB    BAT    Example: Update archive catalog C:\BACKUP.ACA
  ACAUM    BAT    Example: Update archive catalog C:\MASTER.ACA
  ACAUPD   EXE    (used by ACAU.BAT)
  ACAUPD   DAT    Description of archive listing formats for ACAUPD.EXE
  ACAUPD   TXT    Description of ACAUPD.EXE and ACAUPD.DAT
  ACAUPDB  BAT    (used by ACAU.BAT)
  ACAUPDB2 BAT    (used by ACAU.BAT)
  ACAUX    COM    (used by CATVIEWV.EXE)
  CATF     BAT    Search all catalogs, starting with file catalogs
  CATFIND  EXE    Search a specific file catalog
  CATMERGE EXE    Merge two or more archive catalogs
  CATUB    BAT    Example: Update file catalog C:\BACKUP.CAT 
  CATUM    BAT    Example: Update file catalog C:\MASTER.CAT 
  CATUPD   EXE    Update a file catalog
  CATVIEW  BAT    Batchfile to start CATVIEWV.EXE via RTMRES.EXE
  CATVIEWD EXE    Alternative for CATVIEWV.EXE (DOS real mode)
  CATVIEWV EXE    View and maintain file and archive catalogs interactively
  CHKCMD   EXE    (used by ACAU.BAT)
  DPMI16BI OVL    (used by CATVIEWV.EXE)
  FCATENG  TXT    General description, English
  FCATNL   TXT    General description, Dutch
  LBRLST   COM    (used by ACAU.BAT)
  RTMRES   EXE    (used by CATVIEW.BAT)
  RTM      EXE    (used by CATVIEWV.EXE)


  2. INSTALLATION
  ---------------

  Copy all  files  except  FCATENG.TXT,  FCATNL.TXT  and  ACAUPD.TXT  to  a
  directory  in  your DOS path. If you want to, you can copy the .BAT files
  to a separate directory, as long as it is in your DOS path as well.

  If  you  want  to  maintain  an  archive  catalog,  programs like ARJ and
  PKUNZIP, needed to produced a member listing of  the  archives,  must  be
  available  in  your DOS path as well. You may have to change the contents
  of file ACAUPD.DAT with  a  text  editor.  This  textfile  describes  the
  listing   formats  produced  by  the  archive  utilities  you  use.  More
  information on this topic can be found in ACAUPD.TXT.

  You only  need  one  of  the  files  CATVIEWD.EXE  (DOS  real  mode)  and
  CATVIEWV.EXE  (DOS protected mode). More information on this topic can be
  found in the chapter 'INTERACTIVE PROCESSING'.



  3. WAT IS A FILE CATALOG ?
  --------------------------

  A file catalog is a file that holds  information  about  location,  size,
  date  and  time  of  files.  The information is grouped by directory path
  within  disk  name  (volume  label).  With  the  disk  names  also   goes
  information about the total capacity of that volume in kilobytes as  well
  as the number of kilobytes available.

  To  create  a file catalog you will have to provide a unique name (volume
  label) to your hard disk and each of the diskettes  you  want  cataloged.
  The best way to do this is to use a name that includes a serial number. I
  myself use volume labels of the format xxxxxxxxAnn, where
   xxxxxxxx  A   meaningful  name  of  8  characters,  using  trailing  '-'
             characters if needed (these could be spaces as well).
   A         A  one-letter  code  for  the  type  of  data on the disk (for
             instance D=data, S=source, W=work).
   nn        A serial number, consisting of digits and/or letters.

  Of course you can use another scheme. The essential thing  is  that  each
  disk  name  is  unique, i.e. you must not use the same name for more than
  one disk.

  A file  catalog  can  be  maintained  and  viewed  interactively  with  a
  menu-oriented  program,  but  you  can  also use DOS commands, optionally
  called  from  .BAT  files.  You  can  even  mix  both  methods, which are
  described in more detail later in this text.



  4. WAT IS AN ARCHIVE CATALOG ?
  ------------------------------

  An archive catalog is a file that holds information about the contents of
  archives, holding one or more compressed files as members.

  To maintain the archive catalog, you use the appropriate 'archivers' like
  ARJ and PKZIP (or PKUNZIP) to get a member listing.

  At this moment the following archive formats are supported:

    type     program
    ----     -------
    ARC      PKARC v3.5 and PKPAK v3.61
    ARJ      ARJ v2.21 and v2.41
    LBR      PCLU (of LU) by T. Jennings (15 Jan 84)
    LZH      LHA v2.1
    PAK      PAK v2.51
    RAR      RAR v1.55 and 2.00
    ZIP      PKZIP v2.04g and 2.50

  When  you  use  an  archiver  not listed here you will have to update the
  textfiles ACAU.BAT and/or ACAUPD.DAT with a text editor.  The  format  of
  ACAUPD.DAT  is described in a separate textfile named ACAUPD.TXT. If, now
  or in the future, you use another version of one of  the  archivers,  you
  can  also  edit  ACAUPD.DAT  to  describe the new listing format. In most
  cases this won't even be neccessary.  The  method  chosen  here  is  very
  flexible  and  takes into account that you may use other archivers in the
  future.

  There are, however, two important restrictions:
  - The names of the  archive  files  must  be  unique  within  an  archive
    catalog.  So,  if you have two files with the name PASLIB.ARJ, only one
    can be cataloged in the same archive  catalog,  even  if  they  are  on
    different  disks  and/or directories. You can, however, catalog them in
    different archive catalogs.
  - The inclusion of subdirectories within archive files is not  supported.
    So  you cannot save information about tree structures in the .ARJ, .ZIP
    and other archive files.



  5. INTERACTIVE PROCESSING
  -------------------------

  CATVIEWV.EXE and CATVIEWD.EXE are menu-oriented programs that  allow  you
  to  interactively view and maintain the contents of both file and archive
  catalogs. Although there is not much on-line help text available, I think
  the use is fairly intuitive.

  CATVIEWV.EXE has been compiled as a  Protected  Mode  program  that  uses
  extended  or  expanded  memory  if that is available. It needs a computer
  with at least an Intel 80286 or compatible  CPU.  The  program  uses  the
  Borland   DPMI   (Dos  Protected  Mode  Interface)  server  (RTM.EXE  and
  DPMI16BI.OVL).

  If you get a DPMI error message when you execute  CATVIEWV.EXE  from  the
  DOS  prompt,  this probably means there is a conflict with another memory
  manager that is active in your system. Normally this problem is solved by
  using the command CATVIEW in stead of CATVIEWV. This starts  CATVIEW.BAT,
  which loads CATVIEWV.EXE via Borland's RTMRES.EXE.

  CATVIEWD.EXE  is functionally identical to CATVIEWV.EXE, but was compiled
  as a plain DOS program that doesn't use Protected Mode. For  that  reason
  it  can  be  used  on a computer with an Intel 8086, 8088 or 80186 CPU as
  well. This program however can not use any expanded or extended memory.

  So, which of the programs described above do you have to use?
  - Use  CATVIEWD.EXE  if  your computer doesn't have an Intel 80286 CPU or
    compatible. In that case you will  not  need  the  files  CATVIEWV.EXE,
    CATVIEW.BAT, RTM.EXE, DPMI16BI.OVL and RTMRES.EXE.  You  may  encounter
    memory  problems  if  you  use  big  catalogs, however. You can see for
    yoursef how much memory is left by choosing the 'Memory  Usage'  option
    from the 'Help' menu.
  - Use  CATVIEWV.EXE if you have extended or expanded memory. This program
    uses that memory so you can maintain much  bigger  catalogs.  You  must
    have  an  Intel  80286, 80386 or higher though, or some other processor
    that is compatible with it. In this case you will not  need  the  files
    CATVIEWD.EXE, CATVIEW.BAT and RTMRES.EXE.
  - Use CATBIEW.BAT if the conditions needed  for  using  CATVIEWV.EXE  are
    satisfied, but you get an error message when you start it directly.

  All three versions can be run under MS-Windows as well.

  The  first  time  you  start  the program, you will only see a menu and a
  status line. By choosing 'File catalog' or  'Archive  Catalog'  from  the
  'File' menu you can open one or more catalogs. These can be both existing
  or new catalogs.

  When  leaving the program the catalog names are saved, together with some
  more information, in a 'setting file' named CATVIEWV.CVS or  CATVIEWD.CVS
  by default (CVS is an abbrevation of CatView Settings). The next time you
  start  CATVIEWV.EXE  or  CATVIEWD.EXE,  the  catalogs  are  automatically
  re-opened. The setting file is saved in the same directory  as  the  .EXE
  file,  or  in  a  directory that is named in the DOS environment variable
  SETTING. So, if you  want  your  settings  to  be  saved  in  a  separate
  directory,  include  the  line 'SET SETTING=dirpath' in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
  file,  substituting  the directory path of your choice for 'dirpath' (for
  instance 'SET SETTING=C:\SETTING').

  It is possible to work with several  setting  files  by  using  the  menu
  option 'Options|Save As' and 'Options|Restore from'.  When  starting  the
  program, you can tell it what setting file to use by means of the command
  parameter '/Ssettingfile' or '/settingfile'.

  Examples:
   CATVIEW /SBACKUPS.CVS
   CATVIEW /BACKUPS.CVS
   CATVIEW /MASTER.CVS

  When  a  catalog  file  is opened, not all of its contents is loaded into
  memory, but only the list that is shown to  you.  Whenever  you  look  at
  details or update the catalog, it is re-opened and closed afterwards. For
  this  reason  there  is  no  need  to  'save' changes. All saving is done
  automatically. For the same reason, however, the program must  always  be
  able to reach the catalog file.


  6. BATCH PROCESSING OF FILE CATALOGS
  ------------------------------------

  6.1  Loading and maintaining file catalogs

  You  can  use  the  command  CATUPD and/or batch files like CATUB.BAT and
  CATUM.BAT to initially fill a file catalog,  and  later  to  maintain  it
  whenever  the contents of a cataloged directory has changed. You can also
  do this on a regular base, for instance after making  a  backup  of  your
  hard disk.

  The syntax of the command CATUPD is as follows:
  CATUPD [dirpath [...]] [option [...]]
  Options: /D           Delete: delete specified directories from catalog
           /E           Empty : delete empty directories from catalog
           /F[catfile]  Use the specified file catalog
           /S           Process subdirectories as well
  Default: dirpath      Current directory
           catfile      C:\MASTER.CAT

  Examples:
  CATUPD            Update   C:\MASTER.CAT   with   the  current  directory
                    information
  CATUPD /E         Same a above, but delete the directory from the catalog
                    if it is empty
  CATUPD /D         Delete the current directory from the catalog
  CATUPD /D /S      Same as above, but also delete all subdirectory entries
  CATUPD A:         Update C:\MASTER.CAT  with  the  information  from  the
                    current directory of A:
  CATUPD A:\ /S     Update  C:\MASTER.CAT  with  the  information  from all
                    directories of A:
  CATUPD A:\ /S /E  Same as  above,  but  remove  information  about  empty
                    directories
  CATUPD C:\DOS /Ftest.cat     Update TEST.CAT with  the  information  from
                    directory C:\DOS

  The command 'CATUPD /?' provides you with a short usage summary.

  The  batchfiles CATUB.BAT and CATUM.BAT serve as examples to show how you
  can easily maintain different file catalogs. With CATUB.BAT you  maintain
  the catalog C:\BACKUP.CAT, with CATUM.BAT you maintain C:\MASTER.CAT.

  Examples:
   CATUB A:\    Update C:\BACKUP.CAT with information from directory A:\
   CATUM C:\DOS Update C:\MASTER.CAT with information from directory C:\DOS


  6.2  Viewing file catalogs

  Use CATFIND.EXE or CATF.BAT from the DOS prompt.

  The syntax for the commando CATFIND is:

  CATFIND filespec [/Fcatfile] [>outfile]

  Option : /Fcatfile : Search in file catalog <catfile>
                       default catfile = C:\MASTER.CAT

  Examples:
   CATFIND AUTOEXEC.BAT
   CATFIND CAT*.*

  The command 'CATFIND /?' provides you with a short usage summary.


  6.3  Merging two or more file catalogs

  With CATMERGE.EXE you can merge the contents of two or more file catalogs
  into  a  single  catalog.  The  command 'CATMERGE /?' provides you with a
  short usage summary.



  7. BATCH PROCESSING OF ARCHIVE CATALOGS
  ---------------------------------------


  7.1  Loading and maintaining archive catalogs

  You can use the batch file ACAU.BAT and/or batch files like ACAUB.BAT and
  ACAUM.BAT to initially fill an archive catalog, and later to maintain  it
  whenever the contents of a cataloged archive file has changed.

  The syntax of the commando ACAU is:
    ACAU filespec [typ [acafile]]

    filespec  = archive file(s) you want the members cataloged of.
                Wildcards * and ? are permitted
    typ       = archive file type: ARC,ARJ,LBR,LZH,PAK or ZIP (default ZIP)
    acafile   = archive catalogus file. Default is C:\MASTER.ACA

  Examples:
   ACAU A:FOO.ZIP ZIP
   ACAU *.ARJ ARJ

  The batchfiles ACAUB.BAT and ACAUM.BAT serve as examples to show how  you
  can  easily  maintain  different  archive  catalogs.  With  ACAUB.BAT you
  maintain  the  catalog  C:\BACKUP.ACA,  with   CATUM.BAT   you   maintain
  MASTER.CA.

  Examples:
   ACAUM A:FOO.ZIP ZIP  is the same as   ACAU A:FOO.ZIP ZIP C:\MASTER.ACA
   ACAUB A:*.ARJ ARJ    is the same as   ACAU A:*.ARJ ARJ C:\BACKUP.ACA

  The batchfiles mentioned here all use the program ACAUPD.EXE and the file
  ACAUPD.DAT  that  goes with it. These are disussed is a separate textfile
  named ACAUPD.TXT.


  7.2  Viewing archive catalogs

  You may use ACAFIND.BAT, ACAF.BAT and CATF.BAT from the DOS prompt.

  The command syntax for program ACAFIND is:

  ACAFIND filemask [archmask] [/Fcatfile] [>outfile]
          filemask and archmask may contain * and/or ? windcard characters

  Option: /Fcatfile  Search the archive catalog 'catfile'.
                     Default catfile = C:\MASTER.ACA

  Examples:
   ACAFIND ???LIB.PAS /FC:\BACKUP.ACA
   ACAFIND *.* BATCH.ARC

  The command 'ACAFIND /?' provides you with a short usage summary.


  7.3  Merging two or more archive catalogs


  With ACAMERGE.EXE you can merge the  contents  of  two  or  more  archive
  catalogs  into  a  single catalog. The command 'ACAMERGE /?' provides you
  with a short usage summary.



  8. TOOLS
  --------


  8.1  ACAUX.COM

  ACAUX.COM is used by CATVIEWV.EXE and CATVIEWD.EXE to start the batchfile
  ACAU.BAT   when   you   update   an   archive   catalog   (menu    option
  'Edit|Add/Update').  Apart from that, ACAUX.COM issues the message 'Press
  any key to continue...'  afterwards,  so  you  are  can  read  any  error
  messages, should they be there.


  8.2  LBRLST

  LBRLST  is  there to start PCLU in a way that the batch file ACAU.BAT can
  process. With PCLU you can access .LBR files, an (ancient) library format
  used often with the CP/M operating system. PCLU itself is not distributed
  with  this  package  (neither is PAK, ARJ, PKZIP, etc.) but it used to be
  available in public domain.


  8.3  CHKCMD

  CHKCMD is used in ACAU.BAT to check if the neccessary command  files  are
  present. The command 'CKKCMD /?' provides you with a short usage summary.


  9. HISTORY
  ----------
  2000-02-14: FCAT11A
  FCAT*.TXT     - Changed author's Web address

  1999-04-15: FCAT11
  CATVIEWx.EXE  - File dialogs: directories first, times in 24 hour format.
                - Directory lists: ordered alphabetically.
  ACAUPD.DAT    - Added PKZIP/PKUNZIP 2.50 and RAR/UNRAR 2.00 formats.
  ACAUPD.EXE    - Added support for SkpCol/SkpTxt in ACAUPD.DAT.

  1998-07-30: FCAT10
  CATVIEWD.EXE  - Recompiled with patched CRT unit to prevent runtime error
                  200 with fast CPU's.
  CATVIEWV.EXE  - Same as above.
 
  1996-11-13: FCAT09
  FCATNL.TXT    - Replaces FCAT.TXT. Added author's e-mail and www address.
  FCATENG.TXT   - New: English version of FCATNL.TXT.
  ACAUPD.DAT	- Correction LZH format.
  
  1996-09-28: FCAT08
  ACAUPD.EXE    - Support for '/D catfile' apart from '/Dcatfile'.
                - Scan ZIP listing improved (occasional column bias).
  
  1995-12-26: FCAT07
  ACAUPD.DAT    - Fix: ZIP and LZH format was no longer recognized.
                - Support for ARJ v2.50.
  ACAUPD.EXE    - String comparision in ACAUPD.BAT no longer case sensitive
  
  1995-12-25: FCAT06
  ACAUPD.DAT    - Support for RAR v1.55 and UNRAR v1.05.
  CATVIEWV.EXE  - Added Ins 'button' on status line.
  
  1995-07-26: FCAT05
  CATVIEWV.EXE  - Fix: list position after add/update archive catalog.
  
  1995-07-05: FCAT04
  CATVIEWV.EXE  - Ability to use different setting files.
                - Added type field in add/update archive catalog dialog.
  
  1995-01-07: FCAT03
  CATVIEWV.EXE  - New menu option: 'File|Change directory'.
                - Add/Update archive catalog searches ACAUX.COM in DOS Path
                - After 'abort' Add/Update or Delete, delte the .$$$ file.
  
  1995-01-05: FCAT02
  ACAUPD.DAT    - Correction Lister for PKUNZIP
                - Correction LenCol=01 for PKZIP/PKUNZIP v2.04g
  ACAUPD.EXE    - Option /H: new
                - Option /D: added echo of deleted entries
  CATVIEWV.EXE  - New menu option:
                  'Window|Previous Window'
                  'Edit|Add/Update'
                  'Options|Archive files'
                  'Help|Memory usage'
                - New with 'Delete dir': option 'Delete  empty  directories
                  only'
                - 'Abort' option added for lengthy operations.

  1994-12-03: FCAT01
  First release to Public Domain
