Bruce Henry Updates
File Freedom to 2.0


Photo above shows File Freedom running in Warp 4.0 of @Macarlo, Inc.

Developer Bruce Henry, from Red Paint Software, just updates his file manager File Freedom to version 2.0. The archive (filefr20.zip, 148.5k) was uploaded on Hobbes.

File Freedom 2.0 June 1998 distribution

File Freedom is distributed electronically in a 30 Day Demo form that can be upgraded to a registered form with the addition of a registration number. During the Demo period, File Freedom functions fully without reminders or limitations.

Program description

File Freedom is a fast, very inexpensive, PM file manager with an uncluttered, easy-to-use interface. It is designed to be a quick and efficient utility that excels in file management and is also easy to use. Yet, it does not skimp on features. In fact, you will find in File Freedom advanced features not found in other file managers. It also provides two harmonious, yet distinct methods of file management: Drag and Drop for those who prefer it, and its native method which is quite fast and easy.

To make it easy for you to decide if this is the file manager you need, it comes in a completely functional Demo form, without reminders or limitations, that works for a period of
30 days. An Install Program puts File Freedom on your desktop quickly and easily. If it suits your needs, this Demo form can be upgraded to a Registered form with the addition of
a registration code available via Email, Fax or mail. If you try File Freedom and it just doesn't suit your needs, an Uninstall Program is also included to make the test drive painless.

In addition to the basic file operations such as copy, move, rename, delete and changing attributes, File Freedom also supports advanced features such as the capability to look
inside a zip file WITHIN a zip file, and configurable timers to automatically refresh the drive table and file folders if you are using File Freedom on a network. Other recent
features include a system of Directory Bookmarks that allow quick access to frequently used directories, an Auto-Scroll implementation that speeds selecting or unmarking of files
with the mouse, and an Append operation that allows text files to be joined together.

A list of features is presented here:

* Configurable Timers to allow automatic refresh of Drive Table and File Folders
* Append text files to a master file.
* Pop-up Menu
* Dynamic display and writing of Volume Labels.
* Create directories 'on the fly' with copy/move operations
* Copy or Delete complete directory trees that contain files/sub-directories
* Tree size in bytes at the press of a button
* Auto-Scroll while selecting files with mouse
* Create Desktop Objects from program files with single keystroke
* Directory Bookmarks for quick access to frequently used directories.
* Sliding windows
* Toolbar - Verical/Horizontal/Hide
* Dynamic Pushbutton descriptions on status bar
* Pushbutton support for search tool (PMSeek or User-Defined)
* Unlimited Third-Party Viewer support
* Support for eight User-Defined programs - OS/2-Windows-Dos
* Support for Rexx scripts with Viewers and User programs
* File Filters
* Four different file views including detailed
* Sort files by Age, Name, Date or Extension in Ascending or Decending order
* Drag and drop colors and fonts
* a Pushbutton for your favorite Editor - OS/2-Windows-Dos
* Hot-Keys (Accelerator Keys)
* Drag and Drop file management and a fast native alternative
* Menu bar
* Dynamic display of Total Files and Bytes Selected,
Total Bytes Free on Source and Destination, File count
* An internal Settings Notebook for configurable options
* Context Sensitive Help
* Integrated support for Info-Zip's Zip and Unzip utilities
* One button Zipping of Files, Directory Trees and Drives
* One button Unzipping
* Unzip to New Directory created automatically with same name as zip
* Built in Zip Viewer
* even more

Update instructions

If you are currently a registered user of File Freedom, or currently trying out the Demo version, use File Freedom to Unzip the zip package to a temporary directory. After the files are unzipped, shut down File Freedom and then run the supplied UPDATE.CMD file which will prompt for the home directory and then copy over the pertinent files for you.
The FILEFRDM.INI file will not be changed in this process.

Installation instructions

First, from an OS/2 command line, change to the directory that contains the unzipped files. File Freedom can be installed in Demo mode simply by running the program from it's home directory, but in that case a Desktop Object will have to be created manually from a template. Using the installation program however, will copy the necessary files to the directory of your choice and create a Desktop Object, all in one easy step. No changes are made to the CONFIG.SYS file. If the directory does not exist, it will be created during installation. Installing the registration number also requires the use of the installation program. If registering, choose the directory of your choice for installation. If the directory is the same as the directory a demo was installed in, all program settings will be preserved.
Once the program is installed, double-click on the program Icon to start the program and press F1 once started. A Help screen is displayed and an overview of File Freedom is the
first item in the Online Help. Links to all areas of Help can be accessed from there or from the Help Menu. Context-Sensitive Help is also displayed during any task by pressing F1.

Uninstalling File Freedom

In the event that, for whatever reason, it is desirable to remove File Freedom from your system, this is very easy. Simply run the UNINSTAL.EXE program from the directory that
File Freedom has been installed into. It will remove the program related files, remove the Desktop Object and clean all references to itself from the OS2.INI file. At the end of this operation, the uninstall program itself must be deleted manually.

Getting Info-Zip's Zip 2.1 and Unzip 5.2

File Freedom will only support versions of Info-Zip's compression /decompression set later than Zip 2.1 and Unzip 5.2. These can be found at various ftp sites (zip21x2.zip and unz520x2.exe) but the latest versions are always available at: ftp.uu.net/pub/archiving/zip

Viewers

By default, File Freedom is set to use the OS/2 multimedia viewers for examining multimedia files. Some may prefer other, more capable, viewers however. A very capable and fast freeware graphic viewer is GBMV written by Andy Key. It is available on Hobbes (hobbes.nmsu.edu) as "os2/graphics/gbm.zip". Many other freeware and shareware
file viewers can also be found there.

Acknowlegements

Thanks to Gordon Haff for writing Directory Freedom, a great file manager for Dos. Much of File Freedom's design was inspired by DF's power and ease of use.


CONTACT AUTHOR

Bruce Henry
brhenry@kw.igs.net
Red Paint Software
425 Hespeler Rd.
Suite #209
Cambridge, ON
Canada N1R 8J6
@Macarlo, Inc.
@Macarlo's Shareware & Web
OS/2
Java Lobby Member
Java Site Accredited

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