@DATABASE
@REM $VER: Dir2HTML_english.guide 26/7/99
@NODE main "Contents"
@{u}Dir2HTML © David McMinn 1999@{uu}
@{" Disclaimer " LINK "disk-lamer"}
@{" Introduction " LINK "intro"}
@{" Requirements " LINK "require"}
@{" Usage " LINK "usage"}
@{" History/Future " LINK "history"}
@{" Author " LINK "author"}
@{" Thanks to... " LINK "thanks"}
@{i}v1.1 - 26th July 1999 @{ui}
@ENDNODE
@NODE disk-lamer "Disclaimer"
David McMinn is not responsible for any damage or loss of data caused
by the use of Dir2HTML, be it to hardware, software, mental health or
anything else.
You use this software at your own risk. However, it has been tested
without problems on the following configurations:
- A1260@50 34Mb 2Gb HDD 16xCD 56k MODEM
- A1200@14 2Mb 2Gb HDD
@ENDNODE
@NODE intro "Introduction to Dir2HTML"
@{u}What is Dir2HTML?@{uu}
Dir2HTML is a program which creates indices of directories or directory
trees (either one index for the whole tree or one index file per directory).
It also has a number of different sorting options and can also put different
images for drawers or files beside the text.
All files are linked from the HTML and if multiple indices are created,
the index files are linked together so that the entire tree can be traversed.
If you have a website you can create index files for it, by either using
a local copy of the website and then uploading the index files, or by using
an FTP client which works like a standard Amiga device, such as DOpus FTP or
FTPMount (available on Aminet as comm/tcp/FTPMount#?). This program has been
tested with FTPMount and works, so I would hope it works with DOpus FTP as well.
The GUI is fully font sensitive and re-sizable, and online help is available.
If you are asking me why didn't I create a CLI / ARexx script to do this,
it is because I didn't want to, kind of a pet project. If you want an ARexx
script to do this, there is one on Aminet in comm/www called (surprisingly)
dir2html.lha.
@{u}Installation@{uu}
Currently, there is no Installer script, but to install Dir2HTML, just copy
the entire directory (including sub-directories) to a location on your hard
disk. If you decide you hate this program, you can just delete the drawer,
no files will be created anywhere else (except the HTML index files :).
@{u}Source code@{uu}
The Blitz Basic 2 source code for Dir2HTML is included in this archive,
as an ASCII file. If you want to use some of it in a program feel free
to do so, but give me a mention somewhere. If you improve the code, please
send me a copy of it. Don't just recompile the code and pass it off as
your own work.
@{u}Useless info about the HTML created@{uu}
There is a small head section created for every index file, which sets a
META tag with name="generator" and contents="Dir2HTML". The title of the
page is set to "Contents of" plus the drawer name.
The list is created from style lists with - as each file or drawer
in the list. All links are relative, and can optionally also have an IMG as
part of the link which is space 6 pixels away from the text. The source for
single index files is pretty messy as
- tags are not indented, making
the code a bit difficult to read.
At the end of each index file, a
tag is written, and then the date
that the index was created.
@ENDNODE
@NODE require "Requirements for Dir2HTML"
@{u}Requirements for using the program@{uu}
The minimum requirements are any Amiga with OS2 or above and some standard
Workbench libraries.
Users with a newer OS can expect automatic enhancements such as localisation,
quick help, and err, that's it sorry.
Online help requires amigaguide.library.
Localisation requires locale.library.
Quickhelp requires OS3 or above.
@{u}Requirements for using the source code@{uu}
Again, you'll need an Amiga with a copy of Blitz Basic 2. Additionally,
you will need to use the amigalibs.res and bb2objtype.res files as residents
in the Compiler Options.
The code uses OS functions rather than Blitz commands, in a useless attempt
to make it easier to port to C if I ever wanted to do that, so its not for
the faint hearted.
@ENDNODE
@NODE history "The future and development history"
@{u}Plans for the future@{uu}
User definable HTML.
Installer script.
Need to implement the code for either using page titles or file names when
showing files in the index files.
Any other suggestions should be emailed to the @{"author" LINK "author"}.
@{u}History@{uu}
v1.1 + Entire code changed to use OS functions wherever possible
26th July 1999 + GUI enhanced
+ Works with FTPMount (possibly also DOpus FTP)
+ New sorting options
+ Also use images as part of links to files and drawers
+ Online help
+ Faster
+ Proper documentation
+ Writes a full set of HTML
v1.0 + First release
1st January 1999 - Only basics of program present
- Only the list parts of HTML written
@ENDNODE
@NODE author "About the author / contacts"
David McMinn is currently a student at the Robert Gordon University,
studying artificial nervous systems for a PhD. So I'm very busy.
You can contact me at
email - dmcminn@house-of-mojo.freeserve.co.uk
ICQ - 16827694
And visit my webpage at http://members.xoom.com/David_McMinn
@ENDNODE
@NODE thanks "Thank you to these people"
Andre Beer - for asking if a program like this existed, prompting me
to write it. Even though he doesn't use it ;)
Mark Sibly - for Blitz Basic 2
@ENDNODE
@NODE usage "How to use Dir2HTML"
@{u}Running Dir2HTML@{uu}
Double click on the Dir2HTML icon, or run it from the CLI.
You should be presented with a small @{"window" LINK "help0"}. If this
did not appear, then there are a number of possible problems:
1) You need a minimum of OS2. Dir2HTML will not run on anything less.
2) Not having enough free memory. Dir2HTML uses about 100k of memory
when it has been run. It will need more than this to create the lists
of files.
3) Unable to open a library. You can use Snoopdos to find out if it is
this causing a problem. All the required libraries can be found on the
Workbench disks.
4) If your screen is too small. Again this is unlikely as if it does
not fit on using your chosen screen font, it will drop back to Topaz
8 (yuck). If it is still too big, then a requester should tell you this.
5) Error message "Could not create gadgets". Probably lack of memory.
6) Error message "Could not open window". Probably lack of memory
@ENDNODE
@NODE help0 "Dir2HTML window"
The main Dir2HTML window looks like this:
@{"Path [ ]?" LINK help2} @{"O Strictly alphabetical" LINK help12}
@{"Extra [__________]" LINK help5} @{"O Drawers on top" LINK help12}
@{"Filename [__________]" LINK help7} @{"O Drawers at bottom" LINK help12}
@{"O Single index file" LINK help1} @{"# Reverse alphabetical" LINK help13}
@{"O Multiple index files" LINK help1} @{"# Case insensitive" LINK help15}
@{"# Recurse directories" LINK help16} @{"# Show .info files" LINK help4}
@{"Drawer image [ ]" LINK help8}
@{"File image [ ]" LINK help9}
@{"O Page titles" LINK help14}
@{"O File names" LINK help14}
@{"Start" LINK help6}
Click on something for a further explanation.
@ENDNODE
@NODE help1 ""
This gadget allows you to select whether you create one index file
per directory or one index file for the whole directory tree.
When you create one index and you are only scanning one directory
the drawers in the index will not be linked to any possible index
files in those drawers.
@ENDNODE
@NODE help2 ""
@NEXT help4
This gadget lets you enter the starting directory for the scan.
This can be either the only directory to scan or the topmost directory
in a tree that is to be scanned.
Clicking the "?" gadget brings up a standard ASL requester to select
the path with.
@ENDNODE
@NODE help3 ""
@PREV help1
This gadget lets you enter the starting directory for the scan.
This can be either the only directory to scan or the topmost directory
in a tree that is to be scanned.
Clicking the "?" gadget brings up a standard ASL requester to select
the path with.
@ENDNODE
@NODE help4 ""
@PREV help2
When this checkbox is selected, any file which ends in ".info"
will be written to the index files. If the checkbox is not ticked
then files ending in ".info" will not be written to the index files.
@ENDNODE
@NODE help5 ""
This gadget allows you to enter anything you want, which will then
appear as a relative path in the links to files and directories. For
example, if you scan "RAM:" and within that there is a drawer called
"test". Normally the links would be things like "test/abc.txt", but
the string from this gadget would be put in front of it so that it
would appear as "extra/test/abc.txt".
The index files will still be written to the actual directories which
are scanned (i.e. test, not extra/test).
@ENDNODE
@NODE help6 ""
Clicking on this gadget starts the scanning process.
@ENDNODE
@NODE help7 ""
This specifies the name of the index files. If you leave this
blank, it defaults to d2h_index.html.
Please just enter a filename here. It is possible to specify a
full path, but this will cause problems when it tries to write
the file. In the future, some intelligent handling of full paths
may be added.
@ENDNODE
@NODE help8 ""
If you enter something in this gadget, it will be used as the link
to an image which is placed to the left of the directory names in the
index files. This should be a standard HTML type link, such as
"http://www.blahblah.com/drawer.gif".
It is also part of the hypertext link to that directory.
@ENDNODE
@NODE help9 ""
@NEXT help 12
If you enter something in this gadget, it will be used as the link
to an image which is placed to the left of the filenames in the index
files. This should be a standard HTML type link, such as
"http://www.house-of-mojo.freeserve.co.uk/realsmall.gif".
It is also part of the hypertext link to that file.
@ENDNODE
@NODE help10 ""
Future use.
@ENDNODE
@NODE help11 ""
Future use.
@ENDNODE
@NODE help12 ""
@PREV help10
This gadget allows you to select from one of three ways to sort
the items in the index files:
Strictly alphabetical - Items will be sorted on name, with
directories and files mixed together
Drawers on top - Drawers will be first in the index,
files second. Both will be sorted
alphabetically in their own group.
Drawers on bottom - Drawers will be second in the index,
files first. Both will be sorted
alphabetically in their own group.
@ENDNODE
@NODE help13 ""
This checkbox allows you to select the sorting direction of the
alphabetical sort of items in the index file. If the gadget is
ticked, then the items will be sorted in descending order (z->A).
If the gadget is not ticked then the items will be sorted in
ascending order (A->z).
@ENDNODE
@NODE help14 ""
Hopefully in the future, I will have implemented the ability to
use page titles (as specified in HTML files as the text between
the and tags in the HEAD section) instead of
filenames, if a page title could be found.
Currently this gadget has no effect.
@ENDNODE
@NODE help15 ""
This checkbox allows you to select whether the alphabetical sort
of items should be case sensitive or not. The case of the files
and directories in the links are not changed (so it will still
be possible to use the index files on Unix-like servers), but
the items position in the index file will be.
If it is ticked, the sort will be case insensitive (A = a) and
if it is not ticked, the sort will be case sensitive (A <> a).
@ENDNODE
@NODE help16
When this gadget is ticked, the directory scan will recurse into
sub-directories. If the gadget is not ticked, only the directory
specified in the @{"Path" LINK "help2"} gadget will be scanned.
@ENDNODE