Cat version 0.06 launched

Just updated the ‘Cat’ application to version 0.06. This is now available from !Store.

It will provide a graphical image of the contents of a directory and allow this to be saved as a Draw file or for a listing of the contents to be saved as a text file.

Example (the RC8 disc structure) below – click here for a pdf.

Now at version 0.08 with more efficient memory usage.

It can now list up to 15000 files (with a 16M WimpSlot) and up to 150000 files (with a 172M WimpSlot). However, large directories will produce a large Draw file, if saved. A directory containing 68000 files produced a 952Mbyte draw file which would be 117 yards high (draw coordinates of &0BA3342F) – this is (not surprisingly) beyond !Draw’s capability to display. Hopefully noone will now complain that it won’t work with large directories…

Now at version 0.09. Can list (for example) all files on a drive dated after a particular time. Can list a complete dump of a disc before and after a particular operation (complete with datestamp and CRC of each file) so that a ‘fc’ of the two files will identify all changes, deletions, additions etc.

A dump file can also be manually edited to make the tree structure just how you want it – see example:

After the first boot of RC8 for example, then setting up networking makes the following changes:
datestamp changed but contents unchanged:
67: .!Boot.Choices.Boot.PreDesk.Configure.Monitor,FFFFEB53,373310E8,CRC:0891
datestamp changed and contents changed:
76: .!Boot.Choices.Boot.PreDesk.SetupNet,FFFFEB53,3733C1BF,CRC:9F52
114: .!Boot.Choices.Internet.Startup,FFFFEB53,3733C1B5,CRC:9395
167: .!Boot.Loader.RISCOS/IMG,FFFFE453,38351BD8,CRC:A300

Perhaps this facility would be useful to track down odd bugs?

The Quit option doesn’t seem to work. Has to be done from Tasks.

Oops! Now fixed in version 0.10. That’s it hopefully as it now has the features I wanted…

Actually now at version 0.14. Will display image filing systems and their contents.

!Cat is now at version 0.16-3. It installs under !PackMan now, as well as under !Store.

Although PackMan installs it into a sub-directory of Apps, it is now added to Resources:$.Apps and so can be seen in that window by default.

The same method is used by !CountDown, now at version 0.09-2, whuch is installed by !PackMan into $.Apps.Games.

Both Apps have a depedency on !MakeDraw, which is installed into $.Apps directly if either is downloaded.

I’ll test tomorrow once they appear.

I’ll test tomorrow once they appear.

It all works (apart from a few error messages from PackMan which can be ignored).

(Apart from Cat’s dependency on MakeDraw which now seems to be overlooked – Cat will be at version 0.16-4 by tomorrow which will hopefully overcome this. The dependency is there in the Control file but that’ll teach me not to edit the zip file manually rather than use !PackIt.)

A more elegant bodge, now works with no error messages. Cat is at version 0.16-4, CountDown 0.09-3 and MakeDraw 2.51-1. Ignore the final hypenated number – that is simply housekeeping for PackMan, the apps themselves didn’t change. The effect is that although the apps are loaded into a subdirectory of $.Apps they will appear in Resources:$.Apps with no action by the user.

Now at version 0.18. Archives and image fiking systems are now handled correctly (treating them as directories if the filer has seen the app that handles the image filing system, such as !SparkFS, and as files if not). Handles corrupt archives tidily, reporting them to the user as corrupt. Many extra options added, including re-import of saved (and edited) CSV files. Interactive help (using !Help) much improved including for menu options. RISC OS 2 compatability (such as it was) now abandoned.

Help file is now in StrongHelp format. Files are also now sorted alphabetically (when output as a CSV file) as they were, in fact, read from each directory in the order in which they were laid down. The ARMsort module is included to achieve this. For those with 20/20 vision, the icon bar icon is now correctly transparent! Many thanks to Martin Avison for identifying several bugs, now corrected. No doubt there will be more!

Updated to version 0.21 in response to comments from Jim Nagel. Available both from !Store and via PackMan. A few small tweaks such as opening the window when clicking on the icon bar icon, rather than make you select ‘Open Window’ from the iconbar menu. Also SHIFT-drag of a directory includes other directories at the same level. Also dragging an item that is both a file and a directory is now not ignored.

StrongHelp manual and interactive help messages (from the !Help application) updated to suit.

Version 0.21 now uploaded to PackMan (due to an oversight wasn’t done before).

Version 0.24 now uploaded to plingstore and packman, should appear tomorrow.

This version now allows you to display one ‘DiscCat’ file containing a snapshot of the contents of a drive or directory (as before) and then to SHIFT-drag another ‘DiscCat’ file with an earlier or later snapshot of a drive or directory with similar contents. All matching content in the displayed view is then hidden. This allows you to show just the changed files. As it is optional whether you capture the CRC of each file and whether file datestamps are ignored or not, the comparision can ignore the file contents and/or file datestamp when making the comparison. Hence only changed or deleted files will be displayed. Do the comparison the other way round to show changed and added files.

This therefore provides a method of looking at the nightly builds and seeing what files have changed in content, ignoring their file datestamp.