Here is the text file included in the download of FileCat version 1.0 for Access 2000.
The text file for the Access 97 version is similar, with Access/Office 97 references
instead of Access/Office 2000.
FileCat - Access 2000 File Catalog Manager Version 1.0
Created By Steve Nyberg, October 1999
http://www.stevenyberg.com
stevenyberg@yahoo.com
Overview:
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FileCat is a free Access 2000 database for creating catalogs of storage media, such as
CD-R, Zip, or other media. It is best-suited for archival media, such as CD-R, where the
contents will not change again. However, it can be used with other media like floppy
disks, standard hard-drives, and network drives - any file structure visible to Windows
Explorer. With FileCat, you can easily make a catalog of all files on the media, add
useful descriptions, and quickly find the files when you need them later. You can also
print or output the catalogs to Excel.
Requirements:
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FileCat requires Access 2000 AND Office 2000.
Screen resolution of at least 800x600 is recommended.
General skills in Access are recommended (record navigation, filtering, sorting, etc.)
Using FileCat:
--------------
Setting Up:
FileCat 1.0 is a stand-alone Access 2000 database. After extracting the downloaded zip
file, double click the .mdb file to open it. It will open the Main Menu. From here, you
can open menus for creating, reviewing, searching, and printing catalogs and files.
To create a new catalog:
From the main menu, click the "New" button. Enter the "Root" of the
search, such as D:\ or E:\, whatever represents your drive letters. You can also type in
any sub-directories or other paths that are visible to Windows Explorer. Next, choose the
default "File Filter" of *.* to catalog all files. Multiple filters are allowed
with pipe characters (example *.zip|*.exe ). Enter a description of the Catalog (required)
and any other Notes (optional) each up to 255 characters long. The "V" button on
the right will append the Volume name to your description (optional). When ready, click
the "Create Catalog" button to begin the process. You will be prompted to begin,
then given a file count, which may take a few minutes, depending on the criteria of the
Catalog, the speed of the media, network speed, and number of files. After the count, the
file information will be inserted into the new Catalog. A final message will indicate when
it is complete. If you want to immediately create another Catalog, click the button
"Another New Catalog" to move to a new record.
Reviewing the new Catalog:
After creating a Catalog, it is useful to enter "File Descriptions" to help find
the files later. There are two ways to review the catalog and enter these optional
descriptions. If you have just finished creating the Catalog, click the "View
Results" button on the Create menu. Or, from the Main Menu, choose your Catalog from
the dropdown list and click the "Review" button. This will open the main Catalog
form, with the files visible in the subform. The File Descriptions can be directly keyed
into the subform in its column.
Searching for a file:
To find a catalogued file, open the "Search" Menu from the Main Menu. You have
different choices for finding the file: you can search by File Description, by part of the
file name or path, and by the Catalog Description. Wildcard characters are not required. A
dropdown list shows all File Descriptions used so far, and another dropdown list shows all
Catalog Descriptions. By entering multiple criteria, your search will be narrowed down. To
reset, click the "Clear Criteria" button. When your criteria is ready, click
"Search For Files". If there are matches, the "File Search Results"
screen will open to show just those files. If there are no matches, a message will tell
you. Try a different criteria or no criteria until the "File Search Results"
screen is opened.
Viewing the Search Results:
This results screen has been filtered down to show only those records matching your search
criteria. The form is displayed in a continous format, with a scroll bar and record
navigation bar to move between records. All of the key information on your files is
displayed here - File Descriptions, file names, paths, Catalog Descriptions, file size,
date, time, etc. With this information, its easy to find these files on your archived
media.
(Notes: Some fields are locked and can't be edited; others are unlocked, although you
should edit this screen with caution. Like all forms in Access, you can apply sorting,
advanced filters, Edit-Finds, Filter-By-Selection, and other techniques. This document
does not go into detail on these techniques - see Access Help or other Access guide
books.)
Outputting Data (Reports and Exporting):
FileCat has two built-in options for outputting your Catalog and File data. From the Main
Menu, click the "Output" button. From this "File/Catalog Output" Menu,
choose criteria for which Catalog, and for all files or just those with File Descriptions.
Then, specify how to see the data - either as an Access report preview, or exported to an
Excel spreadsheet.
Deleting Catalogs:
Catalogs can be deleted from the main menu. Choose the Catalog from the dropdown list and
click the red "Delete" button off to the right. To delete all Catalogs, select
"(All Catalogs)" from the dropdown. You will have additional prompt messages
before it will delete every record. There is no "Undo" if you delete Catalogs!
Re-Creating a Catalog:
If you want to keep the basic Catalog information, but rebuild all of its file
information, follow these steps. This process will delete all file and File Descriptions
you may already have for the Catalog, and regenerate the file list from the media source.
(this is a rebuild, NOT a refresh process..) From the Main Menu, choose the Catalog from
the dropdown list, and open the "Review" screen. At the top of the Review screen
is a "Re-Create" button; click this and it will take you to the Create menu.
Follow the steps listed above for creating a catalog - note there will be extra messages
when re-creating the catalog.
Tips and Tricks:
----------------
Its not necessary to enter File Descriptions for every file to have a searchable archive.
Just enter it for one of the related files, such as the main executable or largest file. A
search for the File Description will return that main file location, and you can search by
that path or look on the physical media to find the related files.
You can sort and resize the columns in the Catalog Review subform. To change sort orders,
click anywhere in a column, then choose Record-Sort-Ascending/Descending from the menubar,
or click the sort buttons on the toolbar, or choose a command in the right click menu. To
resize a column, just drag the column edge like in Excel or other programs. Note: these
changes will be saved automatically when the form is closed. The recommended sort order is
by Path then File - to set this, highlight those two columns and choose the Sort buttons
or Menubar command listed above. Other useful sort orders are FileSize descending and File
Description descending.
Multiple file filters: as mentioned earlier, you can catalog multiple file types, not just
*.* which returns all files. Enter each wildcard segment separated with a "pipe"
character ("|"). An example is *.gif|*.jpg to catalog all gif and jpeg files.
If you want a different list of drives to be displayed in the "Root" dropdown
list, simply change the RowSource property to your list. I've included just a few common
ones here. A good developer could also add API calls for folder browsing to get the Root.
I chose to keep it simple in this version.
Limitations of FileCat:
-----------------------
Certain files cannot be catalogued by FileCat, including some odd types of PIF files and
DOS shortcuts, internet hyperlink files, and other Microsoft and Windows shortcuts.
FileCat will skip these automatically. Some of these odd files that can be read may return
unusual paths or filenames. Also, FileCat 1.0 is not designed for http or ftp use on
intranets.
Use caution when cataloging very large archives or network drives - if there are thousands
and thousands of matching files, there may be performance or network impact issues to
consider. This utility and Access 2000 in general can handle tens or hundreds of thousands
of records, depending on your PC or network. There are also the standard SQL Server
upgrade options allowing millions of records, so scalability of the data tables is
reasonably high. But note that FileCat is not specifically designed for multiple users,
and there will likely be performance and security issues in that usage.
FileCat has only limited output and export features built in - an intermediate Access
developer should have no problem adding other reports or options, since the application is
not locked in any way.
This version has not been designed for or tested in: Runtime, Secure, Network, Multi-user,
or Client/Server Back-end arrangements or environments. It is a stand-alone database, not
an add-in or wizard. It is fairly standard, and should function like any other Access
database in these situations.
FileCat uses a "reference" to the "Microsoft Office 9.0 Object
Library" in order to use the simple FileSearch method. This reference is not normally
included in new Access databases. Although FileCat can be imported into another Access
database, this reference is required for its code to compile correctly, and the reference
would have to be added manually.
Thanks for trying FileCat - please email me at stevenyberg@yahoo.com if you questions or
comments.
Steve Nyberg, October 21, 1999