⟦1f6122caf⟧

TextFile

(THIS IS FILE CATALOG.DOC AS OF 3/13/78)

CP/M DISK CATALOGING SYSTEM FOR COMPUTER HOBBYISTS
                BY WARD CHRISTENSEN

                -----OVERVIEW-----

I have always wanted to be able to keep track of
where files are on my CP/M diskettes.  The first
step was to make a 'DIR' listings with the printer on.

Next I wrote a command called 'MAP' which printed the
disk extent information also (but not any extent past
the first).  Then I wrote 'SMAP' which produces a sorted
directory listing.  This made finding files in the listings
easier.  At this time I also adopted the convention of
editing a 'dummy' file on each disk, called '-DISK.nnn'
where nnn is the disk's serial number.  Later I changed
the word 'DISK' to any more meaningful name, such as
'-WORK.023' or '-CBIOS.019', etc.  The important
thing was that each started with a '-' which meant it
would sort to the top of the sorted listing.

Eventually, I wrote 'FMAP' which creates a sorted
directory listing, but also, if 'FMAP *.* F' is typed,
writes 'NAMES.SUB' to disk with the names of all the
files on the disk.

This file of names then got me thinking about having
a master file of names, or a 'master catalog'.

That is what I did.  I now have 1 disk file which
contains the file names and disk names for every
pertinent file I have.  I also wrote a command
which behaves like 'DIR' but scans the master catalog.

                -----PROGRAMS-----

UCAT.ASM/COM  Maintains 'MAST.CAT'

CAT.ASM/COM   Allows 'DIR' search of 'MAST.CAT'

FMAP.ASM      Creates a file of the names on a diskette
              as input to 'UCAT.COM' along with 'MAST.CAT'
              FMAP is on CP/M library volume 8 as program
              number 8.14


        -----INSTALLING THE CATALOGING SYSTEM-----

1)      Edit 'MAST.CAT' in order to place entries
in it for the file names you don't want to be placed in
the catalog.  I already have ASM.COM, STAT.COM, PIP.COM,
and others in the sample MAST.CAT.  Since these are on nearly
every disk, I therefore don't want them to take room in the
catalog.  N-O-T-E you don't have to edit the file -
you may type it and decide to take my defaults.
NOTE The format of the 'empty' MAST.CAT is simply
a list of names which you don't want put in the catalog.
This may be 1 or more file names.  It cannot be zero names.
If you want everything cataloged, put a name such as
'DUMMY.FIL' in the catalog.  The format is as follows:
Each name is on a separate line.  The first name is pre-
ceeded by a '('.  The last is followed by ')'. thus:
(ASM.COM
PIP.COM
STAT.COM)

2)      Pick a disk which will contain the master
catalog 'MAST.CAT'.  You m-u-s-t serial number (3 digits)
all your diskettes, placing a file '-anyname.nnn' on
each disk.  The UCAT routine then takes this as the name
of the disk.

3)      Put the following files on this master disk:
        MAST.CAT
        FMAP.COM
        UCAT.COM
        CAT.COM
        -anyname.nnn

4)      Type: FMAP A: Q
This will creates NAMES.SUB, which has the names of
the files on this disk.  The 'q' means to write the file
to disk 'quietly'.  If you want to see the listing, type:
        FMAP A: F
Which will write the file, but also print the sorted
directory listing.

5)      Type: UCAT
This will merge the file names in 'NAMES.SUB' (created by
FMAP) with the names in MAST.CAT.  It will report the names
of any files which are added to, or deleted from, the
catalog.

        -----USING THE CATALOGING SYSTEM-----

1)      Whenever you put a new diskette into service
you must place a '-anyname.nnn' entry in the directory.
nnn should be the disk's unique serial number.  The easiest
way to place an entry in the directory, with 0 data as-
sociated with it is to 'ED -anyname.nnn' then when
'NEW FILE' types, type control-c.  This will leave the
entry in the catalog, but will not take any data space.
Then type:ERA *.$$$ (or ERA B:*.$$$) to erase the temporary
file which was created by the editor.

2)      Assuming the disk with the catalog programs is
on drive a, whenever you want to catalog the disk on
drive b, type:
        FMAP B: Q
 then type:
        UCAT
This results in the disk being added to the catalog. 
This can be done whenever you want, as the entries for the
disk are deleted from MAST.CAT and the new ones added. 
This means the cataloging system properly keeps track of
erased files also (i.e. erases them from the catalog when
it no longer finds them on the disk being cataloged). If
you want to re-catalog the 'A' disk, type:
        FMAP A: Q
then type:
        UCAT

3)      Use the 'CAT' command to scan the catalog
as you use 'DIR' to scan the directory of the current
disk.  The operands of 'CAT' are just like 'DIR' except
that there is a second filename.type - namely the disk's name
and serial.  N-O-T-E that UCAT deletes the leading '-'
when it places a disk name in the directory.  Therefore
you don't use the '-' when asking for a particular disk.


Examples of 'CAT' command requests:

CAT                     lists entire catalog
CAT *.* *.002           lists entries for disk 002
CAT *.asm               lists all asm files
CAT A*.*                lists all files starting with 'A'
CAT *.BAS WORK.*        lists all 'BAS' files on any
                        disk with name 'WORK' (any serial)

Note that what you type following the CAT command appears
as the title of the resultant listing.  This is particularly
useful for keeping hard copy listings of your catalog, such
as by typing:

        CAT *.* *.* AS OF 02/17/78

this will result in the title:

        FILES: *.* *.* AS OF 12/17/77

appearing on each page of the catalog listing.

4)      If you want to erase something from MAST.CAT
you do so by erasing the file from the diskette it is
on, then cataloging that disk.  If you crash a disk and
want to erase all it's entries from the catalog, you have
to edit a dummy 'NAMES.SUB' with just the disk name in it,
then execute 'UCAT' which will be faked into thinking you
are cataloging an empty disk.  This will cause all entries
for the disk to be erased.

                EXAMPLE:
Suppose disk '-WORK.023' crashed, and you want to delete
all references to it from MAST.CAT.  (you might first want
to do 'CAT *.* *.023 to see what was lost).  Edit NAMES.SUB
and place the following single line in it:
-WORK.023
then run UCAT.  This will result in all files referring to
-WORK.023 being erased.

-------------------------------------------------
                N O T E S
-------------------------------------------------

The UCAT program creates a file 'NEW.CAT', and ONLY
when the update appears to be successful, does it do
the following functions internally:

        ERA MAST.BAK
        REN MAST.BAK=MAST.CAT
        REN MAST.CAT=NEW.CAT

Thus, there are 3 versions of the catalog on your disk at
one time:  MAST.BAK, MAST.CAT, AND NEW.CAT, so if your disk
is low on space, you may sacrifice this integrity, and manually
ERA MAST.BAK before running UCAT.  The program could
also be modified, to do the erase first.




-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------


QCAT was submitted subsequently, with the following comments:

QCAT allows cataloging disks on a 1 disk system.
You type QCAT, and the program asks you to mount the
disk to be cataloged, and press a D.  You do so.  It
then tells you to mount the catalog disk, and press return.
You do that.  This causes a "NAMES.SUB" file to be written
to the catalog disk.  Type: UCAT which will then execute the
catalog updating program, which alphabetically merges
NAMES.SUB with the file MAST.CAT, then erases the NAMES.SUB
file.

NOTE that each disk to be cataloged must have a file
"-diskname.serial" (such as "-MAC.005").  When the list
of names on the disk is sorted, the leading "-" on this
filename causes it to be sorted first.  It is then taken
as the disk name and serial, and is written to the master
catalog next to each filename on the disk.

You are referred to the previous documentation on the
cataloging system for more details.

------
«eof»
DataMuseum.dk

CP/M

⟦1f6122caf⟧ TextFile

Derivation

TextFile
