Hi..
I started writing File As File Is (FaFi) in mid ’96. Initially all I wanted
to achieve was to get real world programming experience for the Win32
platform. Suffice to say, I’ve gotten a little carried away and what you see
attached with this file is the result of that effort.
At this point I need to make an important point. At no stage did I have any
intention of competing with or replacing the standard Windows Explorer. What
I can say is that I came from the good ol’ days of Xtree Gold and Norton
Commander. When I first started working with the new Explorer interface it
was hate at first sight. This lead to the first requirement for FaFi, a
screen layout that may be configured for either a tree view or a list view,
the latter to allow for displaying two folder locations side by side.
The second requirement was for a MDI window style. This allows the user to
have multiple windows open, each configurable to one’s own preference. Like
so many things the best way to learn about these options is simply to play
with the different layouts.
The list-list view combination is also used when comparing folders and
other options present on the ‘File’ and ‘Tools’ menu. These options are
grayed out when the layout is not appropriate for the task.
The third requirement was the fun stuff – remote data transfer and file
handling. A great excuse for digging into all things tcp/ip and RS232. With
every man and his dog (mine’s a Border Collie named Jade) doing Internet
stuff acquiring a greater knowledge of socket communication is also very
important for the CV.
All this talk of the Internet reminds me – Normally FaFi is used in a
‘point to point’ mode i.e. you need to be able to ping the remote machine to
allow a FaFi to FaFi connection. If you’re stuck behind a company firewall or
proxy server you’ll need ‘Foxy’ to connect to another machine on the internet.
This is a small utility application that acts a router for the FaFi protocol.
I had considered including modem dialup for FaFi, but Windows ships with dialup
networking and RAS support. When configured appropriately it allows for
remote dialup and inclusion into the local network. Select the option that
statically allocates the machine dialing in an IP address and then simply use
the TCP/IP facility as before.
Function Keys
Miscellaneous
Control Keys
list view – tree view combination and will ensure that the one
follows the other.
when child windows are maximised
Shift Keys
Alt keys
Drag and Drop
Note : For left handed mouse configuration the reverse applies
a – Speed concerns ? Remember that List Views are a lot faster than tree views.
b – Configure child windows with any combination of Tree Views and list views
to your taste. My favourite is to have 3 maximised child windows – one
list view only, on list view – tree View combination and one tree view only.
Remember to use Ctrl+Tab to switch between windows.
c – All settings (paths, windows sizes, bookmarks etc) are stored in the
registry at HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareSorryWareFile As File Is. Should
something go wrong with the startup process delete this entry. Alternatively
to avoid losing preconfigured bookmarks delete all but the bookmark entry.
This has the same effect.
d – The default server socket port number may be changed with a commandline
argument of -Number (ex. swFileM -4343)
e – If Notepad is not your favourite editor (just kidding) : FaFi will attempt
to launch an editor called “Editor.exe” located within the same folder as the
FaFi executable before selecting “Notepad”.
f – Tired of selecting Yes, yes… when deleting or copying files. When
dropping files onto the delete cross (main toolbar) or the drive icons
(drive toolbar) NO confirmation dialogs are displayed.
Have fun.
Call me… (especially if you have some code to stick in !)
Leonard
Ps. Please, no hate mail if there’s bugs. A stern word will suffice…
Date Last Updated: May 17, 1999
