Copy

Copy and Move Operations

Drag and drop is supported for these file operations.

The common procedure for using the dialogs to Copy or Move files is as follows:

• Select file(s) - Select one or more files from a file window for the operation.

• Select operation - Use popup or pulldown action menus, or accelerator keys.

• Select target path - If the desired target directory is in the current directories window, single click on the desired target directory. If target drive\directory is in the other Files window, single click in that File windows to set that target directory Otherwise, read the desired drive into either Files window, then single click on the desired target directory.

• Initiate operation. - Press action pushbutton in dialog window.

Dialogs

Single File Copy or Clone

Multiple Files Copy

The selected operation dialog appears positioned at its last used position. The dialog is movable and may be resized, in width only, to enhance viewing long paths and filenames. The dialog contains three data fields.

• The upper field contains the full file path and file name of the first selected file and is read only.

• The middle field summarizes the additional files included in the operation and is also read only.

• The lower field, labeled To, contains the target path for the operation. It is initialized to the path of the other file window. The target path may be changed by mouse, keyboard, manual input or any of the Directory Navigation options.

Note: If there is a single file selected in the source window, the target path field will have the source file name appended to the target path. This makes it easy to edit the name and copy the file to the same or a different directory with a different name. However, this is only applicable for a single selected file. If more than one file is selected, any appended name to the path is interpreted by the program as a target directory name.

The Copy and Move dialogs have a check box which may be used to toggle the Verify Write option for the current operation. It may be set to default to either state in the Settings notebook Options.

When the operation dialog appears, the source Files window is locked from further normal user input until the selected operation is complete or cancelled. The ParentDir button at the bottom right of the window is changed to show a locked button. The lock button is disabled to user clicks if more than a single file is selected. However, you may modify the selected file list by holding down the Ctrl key and using the LMB to deselect files from the list or select other files to be added to the list. This is a common feature of the Copy, Move, Delete, Zip and Unzip dialogs.

The target path may be changed by typing the desired target path in the target field. Error checking is performed on edited paths and filenames to ensure that they conform to the drive type (FAT or HPFS) requirements and the dialog title bar will show path errors and other information. You may create a target directory by adding it to the path if there is more than one file selected. However, unless you need to create a new directory, it is generally easier to click the path into the target field by using the point and click method.

If you are copying or moving a single file and change the filename, that file is cloned to the new name. You may clone a file to the same directory as the source.

If an I/O error occurs, the Copy or Move Error dialog will appear. This dialog will indicate the cause of the error as well as provide the options to overwrite existing target files of the same name, rename files that have the same name as existing target files, remove any file attributes that may be the cause of the error or skip the file with the error.

Initiating the Operation

When the desired path is displayed in the target field, click on the desired action button (Copy, Move, etc.) to start the operation. The selection emphasis is removed from the files as they are copied and the file is removed from the window if the operation is a move or delete. If the Update data during File Ops option in the Settings notebook is enabled, the file data in the Data Panel is updated as each file is processed. The window(s) are automatically refreshed at the end of the operation. If a problem is encountered during the process, a error dialog is presented for user guidance.

Pausing or Aborting a Operation Abort Button Abort Option Buttons

A pushbutton labeled Push Bar/ESC to Pause will replace the Last Filter pushbutton at the bottom of the file window during an operation if more than one file is selected:

Click this button with the LMB, or press Esc on the keyboard, to pause the operation. The user then has the option to abort the operation, or continue using a split version of the same button. Because most operations are very fast, there is often not enough time to pause operations involving a limited number of files.