                      Graphic Vision File Manager
                      ===========================

Copyright (c) 1995 - 2001 Jason Burgon
All rights reserved
All rights not expressly licensed to the user are reserved to the developer.

Version 1.33  15:09:2001

Graphic Vision File Manager is an graphical DOS file manager and program 
launcher with long file name and full drag and drop capabilities. It has 
the look, feel and functionality similar to that of MS Windows File 
Manager. GVFM can use any high resolution 256-colour SVGA video mode up to 
1600x1200, or any 16-colour mode up to 800x600. Supports long file names 
when run in a Win9x DOS box or other LFN-capable operating system.

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
===========================

 DOS 3.3
 386 processor (486 or better recommended)
 2MB RAM
 VGA Graphics system (VESA SVGA recommended)
 Mouse 
 Microsoft 7.05 compatible (or better) mouse driver

WARRANTY
========

This software is provided "as is", with no warranty expressly stated or 
implied. The user of this software assumes all risk of use. Jason G Burgon 
will not be held liable for any loss of profit or damages due to claims 
based on consequential, incidental, or other similar damage claims. Please 
note that this is freeware, and while I know of no bugs, there might 
be some, though the actual file/directory copy, move and delete functions 
have proven reliable for a couple of years. 


NETWORKS
========

I have tested this software on both Win9x and OpenDos pier-to-pier networks 
and all works very well for me, so it should be quite happy on any network. 

GVFM loads and stores a configuration file when it loads and exits. This 
file is used to restore the desktop and the users configuration each time 
GVFM loads. 

By default, GVFM looks for a file called GVFM.CFG in the same directory as 
GVFM.EXE. However, if you want to put GVFM.EXE onto a file server, then it 
is far better to have a unique GVFM configuration file each network user.
This can now be acheived because GVFM looks for a DOS enviroment variable 
called "GVFM". If this variable contains a valid [path and] filename then 
GVFM will use this as its configuration file instead.

So all you (the network administrator) has to do is make sure that each 
machine has a GVFM environment variable set so that each network user sees 
his or her correct GVFM configuration file. There are a billion ways to 
acheive this - here is just one suggestion:

Place GVFM.EXE in a directory on the server that all users can see, eg:
put it in
 
   \\SERVER1\SHARE\BIN

This directory will be mapped to a user drive (lets say S:), so all users 
see "\\SERVER1\SHARE\BIN" as "S:\" and "S:\" will be in each users dos PATH. 
This directory can be set for read-only.

Each user has a "private" data directory (with read/write privaliges) on 
SERVER1 that only [s]he can see. Something like:

    \\SERVER1\C:\USER\DATA\JOHN
    \\SERVER1\C:\USER\DATA\PAUL
    \\SERVER1\C:\USER\DATA\GEORGE
    \\SERVER1\C:\USER\DATA\RINGO

etc, and the NET login script for "John" maps \\SERVER1\C:\USER\DATA\JOHN 
to (lets say) his  P:\ drive. the NET login script for "Paul" maps 
\\SERVER1\C:\USER\DATA\PAUL to P:\ and so on.

Now all you have to do is put a "SET GVFM=P:\GVFM.CFG" in each machines
autoexec.bat (or login script file) and each user will get their own unique 
GVFM.CFG file regardless of which machine they log in on.


COPYRIGHT
=========

Copyright (c) 1995 - 2001 Jason Burgon
All rights reserved
All rights not expressly licensed to the user are reserved to the developer.

You may use and distribute this software freely as long as no charge is made 
and you do not add, remove or alter any files in it.

The JPEG code was originally translated to Tubo Pascal by NOMSSI NZALI Jacques 
H. C. His code is based on the Independent JPEG Group's JPEG software release 
6b


INSTALLATION
============

You may already have copies of DPMI16BI.OVL and RTM.EXE on your machine, but I 
strongly recommend you use the versions supplied with GVFM as problems have 
been found with other versions. All you have to do is extract DPMI16BI.OVL and 
RTM.EXE into a directory in your Dos PATH, or into the same directory as 
GVFM.EXE. The *.GVP's are alternative colour schemes for GVFM.

You may want to add the following line to AUTOEXEC.BAT, or issue from the DOS 
prompt or other batch file before running GVFM.EXE:

SET RTM=EXTMAX 8192

The number specifies the amount of RAM (in kilobytes) to use for GVFM. This 
figure can be set as high as you like or as low as about 2024 if you want, but 
will reduce the amount of memory available to GVFM for things like bulk caching 
of files when they are being copied or moved. You will also want to keep this 
value high if you intend to use GVFM as a graphics file browser.

Files being moved are always written to their destination before being 
deleted from their original location for the safeties sake - I've never lost 
a file using GVFM.

If your mouse pointer "jumps" several pixels at a time instead of moving 
smoothly accross the screen in SVGA modes then your mouse driver is buggy. 
Some mouse drivers simply do not report the virtual position of the mouse 
pointer correctly. A good Logictec mouse driver that works with any standard 
PC mouse can be obtained from the SimTel repositary. The directory and filename 
is:

    msdos/mouse/drvr624.zip
 

UNINSTALLATION
==============

GVFM makes no changes to any of your system files (eg CONFIG.SYS and 
AUTOEXEC.BAT), so unistalling simply means deleting GVFM.EXE and the 
GVFM.CFG file that GVFM.EXE creates in the same directory as itself.

If a previously working GVFM suddenly causes a crash when it initializes, 
then you should try deleting the GVFM.CFG file (found in the same dir as 
GVFM.EXE), then re-running GVFM. This will reset the default settings and 
video mode (mode 12h - 640x480x16).

USING GVFM
==========

There is no on-line help for GVFM at the moment, but everything should be 
very intuitive to use. Its operation and look is very similar to MS Windows 
File Manager. The [SHIFT] and [CTRL] keys are effective when selecting and 
dragging and dropping files and directories with the mouse: If the drag-drop 
cursor is showing a "+" symbol then the operation will be to copy the file(s) 
or directory. If no "+" is showing then the operation is a move. All 
operations will ask you for confirmation by default. Selecting 
Options|Confirmations from the main menu will allow you to switch off the 
confirmations you don't want. I recommend you at least leave all the directory 
confirmations enabled.

Some programs, such as ones that use the DOS4/GW 32-bit DPMI server can't be 
launched from GVFM under some DPMI servers such as the supplied DPMI16BI.OVL. 
The reason is that DOS4/GW doesn't like the Borland DPMI server used by GVFM. 
There should be no problem under a Windows 3x/9x DPMI server.

GVFM is very good for really getting rid of, or repairing a Win9x partition, 
since it is capable of displaying and manipulating hidden files and 
directories.

This is the first release of any Graphic Vision application that can use Linear
Frame Buffer video modes, so it's possible it might not work on every machine. 
Please tell me if it doesn't work [properly] on yours! 
 
Long file names are only available when the Operating System provides it: This 
means only when runing a Win9x Dos Box at present. Please report any bugs you 
find.


CONTACTING THE AUTHOR
=====================

Please to tell me what you think of GVFM, good or bad, especially if it 
won't run on your machine. GVFM was originally written purely as an 
example application of my Graphic Vision(tm) Pascal programmers API, and 
this is still its primary function, but it is now turning into a good 
product in itself. This version was built with Graphic Vision 2.13.  By 
the way, the code for GVFM.EXE is only about 330K (including the JPEG 
decompressor). The rest of GVFM.EXE is comprised of resources (bitmaps 
mainly). Please don't hesitate to email me to let me know what problems 
you're having and what you like and don't like about it, and what features 
you would like to see it have.

My aim is to eventually turn it into a powerful "DOS command centre", but 
the first goal is to make it at as powerful as the MS Windows "File Manager" 
program, which it now nearly is. My next job is to then add archive support 
with archives shown as directories, with their own sub-directories if the 
archive contains directory info.

Jason G Burgon

Email address:
  gv@jayman.demon.co.uk

World Wide Web:
  http://www.jayman.demon.co.uk

The above URL will always contain the most recent evaluation versions of 
Graphic Vision, GVFM and Bruce Ruona's Mahjong! game. Mahjong is an 
excellent example of what can be done with Graphic Vision - Like most GV 
applications, you'll find it hard to believe Mahjong is just a DOS program.

-- End of File
