Copying Directory Contents ( eg. from Fred Fish Disks)   H.A.Trethowen, Wn
------------------------------------------------------
                                                          March 1988

The command file  "DirCopy" is designed to help one-drive users with copying
grouped files.

It is written to run with a RAM:Disk, to give adequate speed. Whilst you
can do the job with some variation of "Copy All", you might be in for an
evening of disk-swaps( it took me over 70 disk swaps to transfer 14 ONE-WORD
files this way). But COPY ALL does preserve the directory substructure.

It's OK with small files. Even then it is messy opening temporary files,
transferring them, and then cleaning up. 

Two alternative command files to handle this are given below:
   DIRCOPY  uses separate copying of each subdirectory
   DIRQOPY  which is a 'quick' version for smaller jobs, and handles all
              subdirectories automatically

USAGE:
------
(a) DIRQOPY    You set up a RAM:disk, and then call:-

               X DirQopy Dirname

(b) DIRCOPY    You set up a RAM:disk, and then call:-

               X Dircopy Dirname [subdir1] [subdir2] [subdir3]

You then get prompted to insert the 'from' disk. When you signal that you
are ready, the system then lists the files as they are copied to RAM:. It
then asks you to insert the 'to' disk, and when you signal you are ready,
the directories are created on the 'to' disk and the files are again listed
as they are copied to it. Finally the RAM: copies are deleted and the space
released.

DIRQOPY, provided there is enough RAM space, will handle all the
subdirectories with no fuss at all.

With DIRCOPY you can break the job into smaller pieces if RAM isn't big
enough. You have to copy the subdirectories sequentially. First you copy the
main directory contents, and then work your way down through the
subdirectories. You have to follow the hierarchic structure of the directory
(you can't create a subdirectory below a not-yet-existing name). As
indicated, DirCopy provides for up to 4 levels of subdirectory, but this can
be easily extended if you need.

EXAMPLE:
--------
A good example is the "Shanghai" example on FF 55. This has the directory
structure below:-

  Shanghai
         s
            startup-sequence
         fonts
            garnet
               16         9
            gene
                8
            garnet.font   gene.font
         winter
            .info         Disk.info
         Installation  Shanghai
         Shanghai.info

This has 3 levels of subdirectory and to copy it in full, preserving all
the structure, can be done either as:

   (a) X  DIRQOPY ShangHai

        but you must have enough free RAM (over 190k in this case),

   (b) DIRCOPY Shanghai

       This requires the following calls, IN THIS ORDER :-

      x dircopy Shanghai
      x dircopy Shanghai s
      x dircopy Shanghai fonts
      x dircopy Shanghai fonts garnet
      x dircopy Shanghai fonts gene
      x dircopy Shanghai winter

The result of this is to produce an exact copy on your 'to' disk, of the
full structure of Shanghai. You don't have to open any directories. RAM:
is cleared each pass.

Application
-----------
My usage of Dir?opy is principally to compact up the things I want out of
Fred Fish Disks, on to my own collection disks. I think that what is really
desired is to have a system that will find out what subdirectories there
are, and do all the above automatically. But Dir?opy will have to do for now.

The main residual deficiency of Dir?opy, is that it does not handle
gracefully the problem of "RAM: full" or "Disk full" events whilst
copying. Using Workbench 1.1 helps with the former, as it leaves more free
RAM space. Suggestions welcome.