On Line Help


Available Windows

Before files can be managed, it is important to understand all the main features of the available windows. So first of all, what windows will be visible...

  The application toolbox.

  The main control window.

  A partition window.

All windowa are separate windows, allowing movement and minimisation to suit everyone's taste in desktops. Wach of the window compents will now be explained:

The Application ToolBox.

As the display shows, there are several note-pages available, allowing division of the available applications onto several panels. To start an application, simply <LEFT-CLICK> on the icon for the application.

Please notice that each application is run independently of the FileMan application, so if FileMan is shutdown whilst launched applications are running, they will continue to run without being affected.

The Main Control Window.

The main contol window, which is shown below,basically is separated into three sections.


Moving Files

This is a simple demonstration of moving files. It will outline the few, simple steps that are actually required:

  Making the windows required visable.

  Selecting the required files.

  Copying using file-select.

  Copying using drag-n-drop.

The first thing to do is to actually make sure that the partition directory, either in this window or the current window, or even another partition window...

  This is a typical view of a partition window - notice that the directory details are shown on the left, and the files are available on the right. In this example, we want to copy files from another partittion into the march directory, so the next step is to actually get the other partition on the screen:



  In this partition window, an MSDOS filesystem is shown. If the underlying system supports access to such partitions, it is possible to manage these filesystems alongside other UNIX type filesystems, including NFS.

The bext step is to actually highlighted anbd select the files to copy.As stated in eariler documentation, this is done using the <LEFT-CLICK> button and then the <RIGHT-CLICK>.

After the <RIGHT-CLICK>, the cursor will change to indicate a change in mode. At this point, simply <LEFT-CLICK> on the directory entry for the directory required, in any partition window, up should pop the following requestor:




  This small requestor will allow you to either move or copy the selected files. The options at the base of the men, allow you to ensure that backups are made if required, or whether to confirm an overwrite of an existing file.


Deleting files.

Deleting files is certainly very easy,as the following section will show you...

The first action is to select a series of files which are to be deleted. There are two ways of deleting the files once they have been selected...

  Using the trashcan. When FileMan starts, you may have noticed that there is a small icon at the top of the screen. This represents the trashcan.

  Using the menu option.

Using the Trashcan.

  The trashcan will either be full, (as is the one on the left), or empty. When it is full, it means that there are currently one or more files in it. Either way, by selecting the files, and dragging the cursor holding the left mouse button down until over the trashcan and then releasing is the easiest way to select some files to delete.

Using the menu option.

Alternatively, once a series of files have been hilighted and selected, you can use the menu option to remove a series of files. Below is a typical "File" menu on which the option can be seen...

  The forth option on the menu will allow the selected files to be deleted. Whichever method is chosen,a requester will appear before any files are removed.


Deleting the Files.

Once a series of files are ready to be deleted, the following requester will appear before files are removed:

Each file in turn will be shown in the requester, allowing the files to be deleted, if "YES" is selected, or not, (if "NO" is selected). To cancel the operation, simply click on "CANCEL", whilst to remove all the remaining files that have been selected, simply press "YES-ALL".


Using Applications

There are three basic ways in which an application can be invoked:

  There are many ways in which applications may be invoked. The most common methdd is to simply double click on a file name which the application uses. If the file is recognised the relevant application should be automatically started to use this file. Obviously sometimes additional configuration may need to be done to ensure this is the case (See the section on configuration for more details).

  The other standard method of an application is to select a file which is used with the application, and then choosing the "view" or "edit" menu options on the "File" menu. This should invoke the relevant application. Again, additional configuration may be required if the application is not currently recognised by FileMan.

  Finally, an application may be configured into the "Application Toolbox". This allows an application to be invoked simply by clicking on the relevant icon in the "Application Toolbox". A typical view of this separate window is shown below.