CWAC
==================
CWAC 3.02
Documentation
===================
CWAC is (c)1993 Cool Wave Computing
CWAC is a shareware release. Details at end of docs.
Programming by Lee Offenberger
Beta Testers are listed in the copyright screen
of CWAC's main menu. Please check it out.
Please read CWACUPD.DOC for a detailed chart of the growth of
CWAC from 3.00 to present.
� CWAC, or Cool Wave Archive Converter, is a tool that
automates the conversion of archive files from one format to the
other. Why do this? For several reasons, the most important
being to save space on your drive.
There are several different archive formats used on the ST
series of computers. With the varied formats available, no two
will compress the same file to the same size on a consistent
basis. The result of this situation is to have to continually
convert your archive files from each format into your favorite
format.
This can involve running four different programs to do the
extraction of the archives, along with running your favorite
compactor. CWAC steps in and does all this for you. You simply
tell CWAC what types of conversions to perform, and on what
directories, and your work is done. Then, CWAC can perform these
conversions over and over again, because the conversions you
select are stored until you delete them.
There are help screens within CWAC to guide you along, but
should something be confusing, you can refer to the following
documentation as a guide.
Getting Started:
----------------
Getting started with CWAC was made as easy as possible. It
is suggested that you create a folder, called CWAC, to use for
this installation. You may name the folder what you wish, but
naming it CWAC will make your setup match that described below.
First, copy CWAC3_02.PRG and CWAC3_02.CWI into your CWAC
folder. (If you use LZH in path-inclusion mode, the CWAC folder
will be created for you.) These files must be present at all
times for CWAC to operate properly. You may set them to read-
only status so that you do not remove them accidentally. You may
NOT rename them unless instructed to do during a future update.
Second, if you received the PACKERS.TOS file, place it where
you want to have the archivers/extractors placed and run it. It
will make a folder called CWACPACK and place the necessary
archives inside it. If you did not receive the PACKERS.TOS file,
it contains the most recent version of ARC.TTP, LHARC.TTP,
STZIP.PRG, UNARJ.TTP, and ZOO.TTP. You must possess the
appropriate archiver/extractor because CWAC has command lines
designed for use with these particular packages.
Finally, run CWAC3_02.PRG. On your first run, an additional
data file, CWAC3_02.DAT will be created using the default data
settings. It is now up to you to set up CWAC as you wish.
�Setting Up The System:
----------------------
From the main menu, click on Setup. You will be given the
option of editing the system data or the conversion data. It
will do you no good to work on conversion data until your system
is setup, so let's enter the system section first.
You will notice that you have a box for each archiver that
CWAC is designed to utilize. Simply click on each box and locate
the appropriate file. If you do not wish to use a particular
format, then do not select that box. After you have successfully
located the appropriate file, CWAC will indicate your success by
placing a check-mark in the box to the left of the filename.
Now, you need to decide where CWAC will extract files to,
and where they will be rebuilt in the new format. When you
select an extract path, CWAC will place a folder there called
CWAC_EX and extractions will occur there. It is important that
you do not place files in this folder that you wish to keep,
because it is wiped clean several times during the execution of
CWAC.
It is not necessary for you to have an empty folder for the
rebuild path, as this is simply where the new archives will be
created.
After setting those two paths, your setup is complete unless
you are running a registered version. If you are running a
registered version, refer to REG.DOC for complete details on how
to complete installation.
You have the option of setting the maximum size for your log
file. The default maximum is 20,000 bytes. CWAC will trim the
file once it reaches a size that is greater than 2,500 bytes more
than your set maximum. You can set the maximum size between
10,000 and 50,000 bytes. Settings can be in increments of 5,000
bytes.
Adding Conversions:
-------------------
After selecting setup from the main menu, select to work
with the conversion data. You will now be entering the heart of
CWAC and telling it how to beat.
The basic questions you need to be able to answer are:
1) What format will the archives be in that I want to
convert?
2) What format do I wish to convert them to?
3) What path do I wish to perform this conversion on?
4) Do I want to over-write the original files with the
newly converted ones?
5) Do I wish to have the new archive have the same
date and time as the original archive?
The first thing to do is to select the format that you wish
to convert your archives to. This is done in the center column.
You can select ARC, LZH, ZIP, or ZOO, as these are the only ones
that the ST can create.
The next thing to do is select the formats that you want
converted to that format. i.e. If I wanted to convert all ARC,
ZIP, and ZOO files to LZH format, I would select ARC, ZIP, and
ZOO from the columns on the left.
Notice that you have an additional box available for custom
extension. This is a very powerful selection. With it, you can
convert a file with any extension to your destination format.
If, for example, you had a directory that contained files named
ATARI.TXT, DRIVE.TXT, MODEM.TXT, and README.TXT. You could enter
TXT in the custom extension box and the result would be to have
ATARI.LZH, DRIVE.LZH, MODEM.LZH, and README.LZH (assuming you
converted to LZH format). As you can tell, this gives you
amazing flexibility in your conversions, because you can add as
many custom extensions as you wish!
You may only add one custom extension per addition, so if
you have 5 custom extensions that you want to convert, you will
simply have to do 5 separate additions to do so.
Here is an example:
I want to perform the following conversions:
A) ARC, LZH, and ZIP to ZOO in D:\STORAGE\
B) TXT, DOC, and PI1 to LZH in E:\ART\
C) ARC, LZH, NEO, TXT, and ZOO to ZIP in C:\BACKUP\
The ones listed in A) can be entered on one page. Simply
click on ARC, LZH, ZIP, and ZOO in the From selections, and ZOO
in the To selections. Then, set the source directory to
D:\STORAGE\ and click on Add.
The conversion in B) will take a bit more work. You will
have to do three screens of additions to complete these. First,
type in TXT in the custom box. Select LZH in the To selections,
set your source directory to E:\ART\ and click on ADD. Then
repeat these steps to add DOC and PI1 as custom extensions.
You should be able to figure out how to do C) now. Select
ARC, LZH, ZOO, and type in NEO in the custom extension. Set the
source directory to C:\BACKUP\ and click on add. You will then
have to enter TXT in custom extension, set the source directory,
and click on add again.
�Time & Date:
------------
Highlight the Time/Date button if you wish to have the newly
converted archive receive the same date and time as the original
archive file. This is very useful for BBS operators, and those
who wish to always know when they received the original archive
file.
Express:
--------
If you are running in Express mode, to set the path to
perform the conversions on, just click on the Sigs button. Click
on the sigs you want to convert and a check-mark will appear
beside each one you select. Select Done when you are finished.
When you click on Add, you will be asked to confirm your
selections, if you wish to have the converted files overwrite the
originals, and they will be added to your data file.
Note that if you do not indicate to have the originals
overwritten, then your description files will NOT be updated, and
the converted files will remain in your rebuild path. It is not
wise to do this, as it is a wasted conversion. It is best to
always select to have the originals overwritten when performing
an Express conversion. CWAC will rename the description file, if
one exists, delete the old file, and put the newly converted one
back where the old one was. It is also wise to have the time and
date maintained on all Express conversions, so that the newly
converted files do not show up as new files to your users.
Hopefully this will show you how to get all of your desired
conversions entered.
Editing Conversions:
--------------------
Editing conversions is simple. Simply click on View from
the Add Conversion page and you will be shown the conversions
that you have entered. You can go forward and backward through
pages by clicking on the arrows.
Once you have found the conversion you wish to edit, simply
click on that line and you will be presented a blown up view of
that conversion. Click on the item you wish to change and the
options available will be shown to you. Once you have changed to
what you wish, click on save.
If you wish to remove that conversion totally, click on
kill.
�Over-write?
-----------
Each time you enter a conversion, CWAC will ask if you wish
to overwrite the originals. Answering no will mean that each
file converted will remain in the rebuild path you have setup.
Answering yes will mean that the original will be deleted and the
new archive will be copied in its place. There is no real
advantage to saying no to an overwrite, unless you want to take
care of the removal of the old archives yourself.
Converting:
-----------
You will now have completed adding your conversion settings
and are ready to convert. Simply click on the convert icon on
the main menu and watch CWAC do your conversions for you.
You may abort the conversion after the file it is currently
converting. Simply hold down the ESC key and CWAC will abort as
soon as it is finishes the current file.
Word From Author:
-----------------
I wrote CWAC to be fully functional with the exception of
the BBS operations. The basic point of this is to give you a
full chance to see how CWAC operates.
CWAC is shareware, and if you are using it in unregistered
form, please register it with me. The fee is highly reasonable.
If you are a GEnie user, registering can be quite painless. Just
send me a Gift-Of-Time for the amount shown on the form below,
and fmail me the completed form. Without the form, I will not
mail you a registered version.
Simply print out this form, fill it out and mail it to me at
the address indicated at the bottom of the form. Include $10
(US), cashiers check, money order, or cash only! and a 3.5 inch
double-sided/double-density disk. Your registered version will
be sent to you as soon as I receive your registration.
�--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CWAC 3.00 Registration Form
Name ________________________________________ (No Handles)
Address ________________________________________ (No PO Box)
________________________________________
City _____________________________ ST _____ ZIP __________
Phone Number ______________________ (Include Area Code)
Machine that CWAC will be used on __________________________________
How much memory ____________________________
Hard drive? Yes No If yes, size _____________
Are you a SysOp? Yes No If yes, BBS name ____________________________
BBS # _______________________________
Your Handle _____________________________
Max Baud ___________________
Comments/Suggestions
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
How do you rate CWAC for ease of installation
Poor Fair Average Good Excellent
Complete this form and mail, complete with $10 and a disk, to:
Cool Wave Computing
1672 Ringfield Drive
Galloway, OH 43119
You may also issue me a Gift-Of-Time on GEnie for $12, fmail me this
completed form at mail address OFFY, and upon receipt of the Gift-Of-Time, I
will mail you a registered version. I will NOT fmail a registered version,
this is merely an option for your registration fee.
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