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INTRODUCTION File Passage (FP) is a file utility with a twist: filters can be used to screen out file input. FP performs NEW FOLDERS, COPY, BACKUP, MOVE, SET FILE INFO, CATALOG, RENAME, ERASE DISK, FORMAT DISK, REFORMAT DISK, AND DELETE functions. Also, FP allows you to modify how these functions work by adjusting file OPTIONS. See the descriptions on each file function. FP has been thoroughly tested on ProDOS volumes, but not on other volume types such as HFS volumes. BEFORE YOU START Your first move is to make a copy of the File Passage folder. You will not be able to use File Passage to copy itself (you'll experience an error "file is already open"). Use the Finder or other utility. The program does not require any specific file location in order to function. Copy the entire folder, as the documentation (fp.dox) folder is used directly by File Passage's ABOUT window. Locked Program? FP will not work if the program is read or write protected. The program will report several obnoxious errors if you attempt to run FP with the program locked. FILE PASSAGE KEY OBJECTS To truly understand FP, you'll need to be knowledgeable on these key FP objects: volume, device, file, folder, filter, passage, path, and wild card. Volumes have readable media organized under a volume name. Media must be formatted before it becomes readable (ERASE DISK and FORMAT DISK performs formatting). Volumes are identified by a volume name. Every volume resides in a device. Devices provide the means to access data storage media (a volume). A device name is used to identify a device. A device may have removable media, and may or may not have a current volume. Files are how the operating systems store data on a volume as a single entity. Folders are actually a file that the operating system uses to keep track of other files. FP filters treat folders as files except when the folders are needed for keeping track of files as path structure elements (subdirectory or folder). Filters are applied to file attributes as a way of screening out some file input. Files that meet a certain filter criteria and logic state, will pass, otherwise the file will not reach output. Filter use is entirely optional. As each file goes from an input state to an output state, various tests can be performed on the file to determine if a file passes, or in other words, reaches the output state. Filters, source wild card file name matching, and other file status tests can be performed to determine if a file actually passes. Just as filters help keep track of files, paths help locate files amongst multiple volumes and subdirectories (folders). Paths have the following structure on ProDOS volumes: :Volume name:subdirectory[0..n]:file name The colon ":" or the "/" are delimiters that separate entities on the path. Volume names may also be null for the boot volume, be translated from a device name or be a prefix number. There may be zero to many subdirectories before the file name. Paths that lead to a subdirectory most often indicate "process the files in this subdirectory", with SET FILE INFO and RENAME being exceptions. Two critical path description modifiers that FP uses are open folders, and closed folders. Open folders is very similar to a path in that multiple folders are traversed. Open folders describes how folders reside within other folders. Contrast that with a closed folders which describes a single folder, and ignores folder nesting. The wild card character is the question mark "?". It can be used in the source file name, the CONTENT FILTER, and in the FIND text. The wild card character is used to match nonspecific data during a search of some kind. When performing a utility function, the source wild card file name is used to search for matching file names. When applying the CONTENT FILTER, the wild card is used to match a file's content with the CONTENT FILTER. When using the FIND text, the wild card is used to match FIND text with text from the active text edit control. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS System Software File Passage 2.0 or later requires System 6.0 or later. Drives File Passage works best when installed on a hard drive. File Passage cannot perform file transfer functions with disk swapping. Thus two drives are a must for data transfer functions. Memory Requirements At a minimum, your Apple IIGS needs to have 1.25 megabytes of memory. Every Apple IIGS benefits from 2 megabytes or more of memory. Keep fewer windows open at a time if you're experiencing out of memory errors. SOME IDEAS Create A Disk Library File Use APPEND to save your disk catalogs into one disk library file. Catalog this library file with content window to view the file. Use FIND to search your disk compilation. Delete Empty Folders You can use FP to delete all the empty folders on a drive or in a folder: Open the DELETE window. Set the source path as desired. Turn on the USE file type menu item. Set file type filter logic to positive (+). Turn off the other USE (filter) menu items. Open up the file type filter dialog. Turn off all the file types except DIR file type (hex 0F). Exit the file type filter dialog. Set switches to open folders, no selection prompt, and obey file locks. Select BEGIN in the DELETE window. FP will attempt to delete every folder, but only empty folders will actually be removed. Copy Files With Their Backup Bit Clear The ACCESS FILTER can provide you the means to pass files with the backup bit set (on), skipping files with the backup bit clear. Used in this fashion, the backup bit acts like the WRITE TO EARLIER VERSIONS ONLY switch setting, and the BACKUP function, in that, only files that need to be copied are actually copied. What Was I Doing Last Year? From the CATALOG window, set FP's date filters to filter out all files except those with dates from last year. Then catalog and reflect on what you were doing last year! I remember that project now... Confused Backup Disk Library Suppose that you made regular backups of a project, and when it came time to restore a backup, you were unsure of which backup disk was the most recent. You can use FP's WRITE TO EARLIER VERSIONS ONLY option: (1). Copy backup disk A to a new disk. (2). Copy backup disk B to the new disk with the WRITE TO EARLIER VERSIONS ONLY option. (3). Copy anymore backup disks to the new disk with the WRITE TO EARLIER VERSIONS ONLY option. (4). Use the backup function to copy files from the new disk to the master disk with the SKIP EARLIER VERSION CHECK option. You have now restored your master copy to your most recent backup version. A Backup Methodology There's more than one way to catch a fish, and when it comes to making backups FP offers lots of possibilities. One user wrote and parlayed this story: "The purpose of this special backup filtering is to overcome the problem when a backup causes the volume full error. About half of my disk space is used by text, binary and AppleWorks files. When I have more than one disk of backup files, I use the file type filter set to 04, 06, 0F, 19, 1A, 1B, 50, 51, 52. That takes care of text, bin and AppleWorks files. Then I reverse the file type filter but include 0F again for directories. That backups the SYS, etc. on the next disk. If I run out if disk space again, I'll just split the file types more." You might also want to consider using filters to divide your source files into targeted batches. LEARNING FP THE SAFE WAY You can do a couple things to learn FP without fear of losing any data. (1). Use the PREVIEW button before beginning a data transfer. The preview window will show what will actually happen when you select BEGIN. Its always a good idea to use preview before initiating a data transfer. You can always abort a preview by selecting the stop, previously suspend, button. Experiment with OPTIONS and FILTERS while using the preview, to discover more about these elements. (2). Copy some of your files to your ram disk using FP's data transfer functions. Use delete with different options on the ram disk. Use set file info on the ram5 files. For instance, make some files delete disabled, rename disabled. Then try deleting and renaming these files. LEAVING FILE PASSAGE When you exit FP by selecting QUIT, LAUNCH, or SHUTDOWN, FP records its resources. Then the next time you use FP, FP will be like you left it. If you shut your computer off before Quitting FP, then FP will not remember the changes you've made to FP resources.