contents
VLaunch Help

Directories

Files

View

Launch

Copy

Move

Rename

MkDir

RmDir

Delete

Print

Exit


Directories

Click the drive box to choose a new directory.

Double click the directory box to change directory.

Press right mouse button to refresh file list box and to deselect items.

There is a faster way to navigate between directories. You can set your own default directories in the vlaunch.ini file. Edit this file by clicking the menu bar, which runs notepad for editing [Paths] and other items in vlaunch.ini.  For example:

[Paths]

c:\

c:\util

Save settings by closing the file.

There is two buttons which make the navigation between directories much easier and faster. Press directory selection box with the right mouse button to copy the path to the directory text box. You can write a file path in the directory text box, which is used to copy and move files. Click the left mouse button

+

or press ENTER to add the text to the directory selection box. You can delete one or more items in the directory selection box by clicking with mouse

-

command button. Clicking the panel around the directory selection box with the left mouse button copies the current path to the directory selection box. In addition, pressing > button near drive list box copies the path to directory text box. Clicking  > button with the right mouse button changes directory to the previously chosen directory.

The fastest way to navigate between drives and directories is to double click item in the directory selection box, which changes drive and directory and updates file list box. You can change directory to the directory text box directory by clicking + button over the directory text box with right mouse button.


Files

Clicking file list box  with left mouse updates the file info and text box if view check box is selected. Default value views 180 lines or 12000 bytes (CTL + F) but text box can show either maximum 1024 lines or 32700 bytes (CTL + L) which value is first reached.

Clicking file list box with right mouse button opens an application form. Double clicking an item in the list runs the file list box file associated with the program selected in the list box. Writing the name of the application to the text box and pressing >> runs this program, which does not need to be associated with the [Extensions] list item in Vlaunch.ini file. For example

Zip file1 *.*

compresses all the files in the chosen directory. You can also use a text string of the text box to launch a shell program by selecting the text and pressing CTL + E. Correct the text string or click >> with left mouse button.

Hidden, read-only and archive properties of the selected files in the file list box can be changed by clicking the right mouse button, then choosing new properties and finally clicking the CHANGE button.

Holding CTL and SHIFT keys down and clicking left mouse button in the file list box chooses all items in the filelist box.

Clicking the clock panel shows detailed information of files in the text box.

Double click the left mouse button in the file list box runs the file with the associated program. This program is given in vlaunch.ini file and starts with [Extensions].

[Extensions]

doc=c:\winutil\word\winword.exe

xls=c:\winutil\excel\excel.exe ^.xls

You can change 'run normal' to another setting by pressing right mouse button and choosing normal, minimized or maximized. Press finally Cancel to return to the main form.

Files can be chosen with extensions or with wild cards (* or ?). Write the name or extension in the file selection box and press >> button. File list box is updated, and this file selection is preserved when path or directory is changed. Press  *.* button with the right mouse button to choose all files (*.*). You can copy the [Extensions] section from win.ini and edit it to suit your needs.

In addition, you can seek files with filters. Filtering can be done based on time (year.month) or size of the file (> or <) combined with file extensions. Write = in the file selection box and then time (month, year or year.month), or size < or > and size. Finally press >> button to show the files in the text box. Up to 8 different filters are saved. If view check is off, the files in the file list box are selected. For example

=1994	(year 1994)

>1e5	(size > 100000)

=01	(or =1)	(January)

=1994.2	(1994 February)

=0	(today)

=-1	(yesterday)

=-7	(during last 7 days)

Press *.* command button with the right mouse button to select all files. Clicking this button with the left mouse changes extension in the file list box. You can select your own extensions by editing [Filters] section of vlaunch.ini file.  This file extension is saved unchanged when directory or path is changed. Pressing *.* command button with the right mouse button resets selection back to default *.*. You can write extensions for example as follows

[Filters]

*.EXE

*.DOC;*.DOS

M*.*

C*.DO?

These filters are automatically loaded when Vlaunch is launched. Press ALT and click the *.* button to update the filter list.

Marking Hidden check box shows hidden files in the list box in addition to all other files.

Pressing ESC key changes focus between file list box and text box.


View

Clicking the filelist box shows the first 180 lines of the chosen file if view check is crossed. Leave view check box unmarked when selecting files for copying and moving files in a directory which includes a very large number of files. Text below the text box shows file name, date and size of the file and properties of the file (read-only, hidden if Hidd-check is marked and archive). In addition, free system resources and free memory are shown.

The number of viewed lines can be chosen from Show menu. Fast option shows 180 lines, All option shows maximum 1024 lines or 32700 bytes. Courier New (size 9) was chosen as default font because it is easy to read, but sometimes it is better to choose Arial font (size 9) to display long lines etc. Text box can contain two files, which swap by clicking the text box with right mouse button. The visible text box is overwritten when a new file is viewed or other text is written to the text box.

You can copy part or all of text in text box by marking the text with the mouse. Use Copy from menu to copy the text to clipboard or CTL + C with keyboard. You can append text to clipboard by choosing Append from menu or by holding down CTL key and pressing A key. Note, that CTL + C overwrites clipboard with the selected text.


Launch

Clicking the file list box with right mouse button opens an application form. Double clicking an item in the list runs the filelist box file with the program of list box. First word is a user selected name of the program, which starts with :>. You can add and remove items in this list by editing vlaunch.ini file in the 'settings' in menu. Then edit [AppList] section and update settings. For example:

[AppList]

EMACS	:>mewin

NORTON	:>c:\util\nc\nc.pif

NETPRINT	:>net print  lpt2:

Change 'run normal' to another setting by choosing normal, minimized or maximized.  Double click in list to run the program.

The first row of the [AppList] section is hotkey, which can be lauched by pressing SPACE BAR in the file list box when a file is selected. Use a suitable program for this function key (DragView, notepad  etc.).

Double click runs for example the following shell commands:

mewin document.txt

notepad document.txt

net print document.ps lpt1:

The last command is performed by leaving two spaces between the parts of commands:

net print  lpt1:

Hold ALT key down and press the left mouse button to copy the item in the text list to the text box or hold CTL key down and press the left mouse button to copy items in the file list box to the text box and edit the text. Press right mouse button in the list to copy the item to text box with application. Change 'run normal' to another setting by choosing normal, minimized or maximized.  Finally press >> to launch the application or Cancel to hide the form. This gives you a method to change item list parameters. Up to 8 different most recent different commands are save in the text box.


Copy

You can copy one or more items in the file list box. Use control and shift keys to choose files or and click the left mouse click to choose all files. Press Copy button to copy files.

If destination directory is not chosen in the directory text box, message box asks for the destination directory. Copying asks if to overwrite an existing file.


Move

You can choose one or more items in the file list box. Use control and shift keys to choose files or hold down CTL and SHFT keys and click the left mouse button to choose all files.

If destination directory is not chosen in the directory text box, a message box asks for the destination directory. Moving asks if to overwrite an existing file.


Delete

Choose one or more items in the file list box and click delete button. You can extend selection with control and shift keys. You can choose all files in the directory by holding down CTL and SHIFT keys and clicking the left mouse button in the file list box.


Rename

Rename renames the file to another file in the same directory and then asks to save the original file. If there is a file with the same name, program asks to overwrite it and then to delete the original file.


MkDir

Creates a new directory or subdirectory.


RmDir

Click RmDir button to remove a directory (but not a:\, c:\ etc. to save autoexec.bat, config.sys etc.). This option deletes all files in the directory (including hidden and read-only files) - use with care!


Print

Use mouse to choose one or more files in the file list box and click PRINT button. Text is printed with Courier New font and with size 10. Program prints file name, date and time plus page number as bold. Letter and A4 paper sizes are automatically detected.

You can change printer by pressing CTL + P or from menu bar. Choose a new printer and exit control panel.


Exit

Choose Yes to leave the program.


dirbox
Directory box


 Drive box


fielbox
File list box


dirselbox
Directory selection box


dirtxtbox
Directory text box


fileselbox
File selection box


apprun
Application launch text box


fileinfo
Text box and file information


menu
Menu bar


applnch
Application launch


attrib
File attributes


run
Run as


winini
win.ini

Windows set-up file (fonts, applications,

printers etc.) in windows directory.

Another important file in this directory is

system.ini.


time
Time and read file/hidden files


Text box