



		    K E Y   S e a r c h (TM)


		  The Fast Windows File Locator

		 Copyright 1993 Nildram Software

		       All Rights Reserved












KEY Search was written by Adrian Mardlin and documented by Colin Swan.

Address:        Nildram Software
		82 Akeman Street
		Tring
		Herts
		HP23 6AF
		United Kingdom

Telephone:      +44 (0)442 891331

Fax:            +44 (0)442 890303

Email:          76004.3436@compuserve.com
		nildram@compulink.co.uk

CIS:            GO UKSHARE, Section 10

FidoNet:        2:254/330 (Address messages to ADRIAN MARDLIN)

BBS:    +44 (0)442 891109/890807

Program and documentation are Copyright 1993 Nildram Software.
All rights reserved.

KEY Search is a trademark of Nildram Software.


			  INTRODUCTION


Overview

KEY Search is a Windows 3.1 application that allows you to
quickly and easily search for files containing a keyword or
combination of keywords that you specify. KEY Search will
produce a list of the files that match your search criteria from
which you can launch associated applications, add descriptions
or manual keywords and drag and drop onto compatible
applications.
In order to achieve such fast keyword searches, KEY Search must
initially log the files that you wish to search and extract the
keywords. These keywords are then placed in a database along
with file details and cross references linking the files with
the keywords. Once this information is in place, KEY Search has
no need to access the files again unless new ones are added or
existing ones changed.  A keyword search is then simply a case
of accessing the database files rather than the files you are
searching , giving a great speed advantage.

Here are some outstanding features of KEY Search:

Fast. The advanced database engine used by KEY Search ensures a
fast keyword search every time, no matter how many files you
have logged.

Multiple Document Interface. KEY Search uses the Windows MDI,
enabling it to display as many file list windows on the screen
as your computer's memory can cope with. This means that you can
carry out one search after another and switch between the
resultant lists of files at will.

Drag And Drop Support. From a KEY Search file list you can drag
and drop your files onto compatible applications, just like you
can in File Manager. You can also launch associated applications
simply by double-clicking on a filename.

Easy To Use. A simple interface with a button bar, comprehensive
on-line and context sensitive help makes KEY Search
straightforward in operation.


What Is Shareware?

Shareware is a distribution method (not a type of software)
which lets users evaluate software before buying. If you try a
shareware program and continue using it, you must register and
pay for it. (If you paid a small duplication and handling fee to
receive a trial copy of a shareware product from a vendor, you
have not paid for the product itself or the right to continue
using it after a reasonable trial period. A separate fee to the
program's owner and developer is required to continue to use the
product after evaluation.) Copyright laws apply to both
shareware and commercial software.

Shareware authors are accomplished programmers just like
commercial authors and the programs are of comparable quality.
In both cases, there are good and bad programs. The main
difference is in the method of distribution.

The shareware system makes fitting your needs easier because you
can try before you buy. Because overheads are low, prices are
low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if
you don't use the product, you don't pay for it.


Terms And Conditions

KEY Search is a shareware program and is provided by Nildram
Software at no charge for evaluation. Feel free to share it with
friends and colleagues for evaluation, but please do not give it
away altered or as part of another system.  The essence of
user-supported software is to provide personal computer users
with quality software without high prices, yet to provide
incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products.

Please encourage others to register their copies if they find it
useful.  All registered users receive a copy of the latest
version of KEY Search.

If you continue to use KEY Search after a reasonable trial
period, you must make a registration payment of #29.00+VAT to
Nildram Software. This registration fee licenses one copy for
use on any one computer at any one time.  You must treat this
software just like a book.  This software may be used by any
number of people and may be freely moved from one computer
location to another provided there is no possibility of it being
used at one location while being used at another, just as a book
cannot be read by two different persons at the same time.

Commercial users of KEY Search must register and pay for their
copies of KEY Search within 30 days of first use or their
license is withdrawn.  Site License arrangements may be made by
contacting Nildram Software.


Registration

If you continue using KEY Search, you must register. To do this,
select "Ordering" from the KEY Search Help menu and follow the
instructions on the help screen that appears. There are options
for various countries there; simply choose the order form
relevant to where you are.


Dealers

Many dealers in your area or country should now be able to
supply KEY Search. Check with your local dealer for details, or
get them to contact us for details of our dealer terms.


Support

Support is provided to registered users in the following ways.
First, any updates of KEY Search will be available to you for a
minimal fee. All registered users will be notified of major
updates. Lifetime support for KEY Search can be obtained by
contacting Nildram Software by writing, telephone or the Email
addresses listed at the front of this manual. Overseas customers
can also obtain support by contacting their local distributor.


Disclaimer

Users of KEY Search must accept this disclaimer of warranty:

"KEY Search is supplied as is.  The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation,
the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any
purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or
consequential, which may result from the use of KEY Search."


The ASP

This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve
a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
does not provide technical support for members' products. Please
write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI
49442, USA or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to
ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.


Installation

To install KEY Search, place the supplied disk in drive A or B
as appropriate for your system. Run Windows and from the Program
Manager menu bar select "File" to pull down the File Menu. From
here select "Run..." and then type "a:\setup" or "b:\setup" in
the dialog box that will appear. Clicking on the OK button in
this box will then install KEY Search.

The installation routine will place all the program files in a
directory called "KEYSRCH" on your C drive unless you specify
otherwise when prompted. A new program group will be created
within Program Manager that will contain the KEY Search icon.
Once the installation is complete, double clicking on this icon
will run KEY Search.


			    TUTORIAL

This tutorial will guide you through the setting up of KEY
Search, the logging of your hard disk(s) and then the actual use
of the various search methods.


Setting Up

Before logging your hard disk(s), there are certain settings
which you must configure so that KEY Search knows what you want
it to log. Select General Setup from the Config Menu and enter
the following information in the General Setup window:

Disk Drive(s) To Log
Simply enter, one after the other, all the hard disk drives and
CD-ROM drives (not floppy drives) that you would like KEY Search
to log. If you only have a C drive, then leave this at its
default setting.

Min Key Length
This defines the minimum length of the keywords that KEY Search
will scan for. The default is four which will be sufficient for
most uses.

Default Launcher
This is set to Windows Notepad which will be launched if a
selected file does not have an associated application. If you
have a preferred file viewer that can view most file formats,
then enter its program name and path, if necessary here.

Keyword Contents
You will only need to change anything here if you are using a
language that contains non-alphabetic characters. Add these
characters to the list and KEY Search will then be able to find
keywords that contain them.

When you are satisfied that the settings here are correct, click
on the OK button and then, from the Config Menu, select Auto
Scan File Specs. In the window that pops up you will be able to
enter up to 36 file extensions. All the files that have
extensions listed here will be added to KEY Search's database
and will also be scanned through for keywords. When entering
file extensions, simply type the extension only, eg., "DOC". If
you wish to log all the files that have no extensions, enter "."
as one of your file extensions. Clicking on the OK button will
close this window and update the specs whereas clicking on the
Cancel button will close the window and ignore the entered
specs.

If you simply want to log files that contain text this is all
the setup that is required. If, however, you have files that do
not contain recognisable text, such as graphics files, but you
still wish KEY Search to log them, select No Scan File Specs
from the Config Menu and enter their file extensions there. This
means that KEY Search will add these files to its database but
not scan them for keywords. You can then, at a later stage, add
keywords manually so that you will be able to search for these
files by keyword.


Logging Your Disk(s)

Once you have completed your setup, select "Log Disk(s)" from
the Maintenance Menu, click on the "Log" button on the Toolbar
or press <CTRL><L> to start the logging process. If you wish to
stop the logging at any time then click on the Cancel button.
KEY Search will finish adding the current file, which may take
some time, before changing the Cancel button to OK. The OK
button also appears when KEY Search has logged all the files and
clicking on it closes the Log Disk(s) window.

If you have lots of files to log, the whole process can take a
long time, especially from scratch. You can either leave KEY
Search logging in the background, overnight or log a little at a
time. Whenever you select Log Disk(s), Key Search will check all
those files that it has previously logged for any changes and
re-scan them if necessary. Thus, regularly logging your disk(s)
will keep KEY Search's database up to date with your new and
changed files.


Using KEY Search

Once KEY Search has logged your disk(s) and built its databases,
you can then carry out various searches of those files as
follows:


Keyword Search
To start a keyword search, select Keyword Search from the Search
Menu, click on the "Key" button on the Toolbar or press
<CTRL><K>. You will then see the Keyword Search dialog box where
you can enter your search criteria as follows:

Keywords To Match
Enter here up to six keywords that you wish to search for.

Logic Type
This can be either "AND" or "OR" but not both. Selecting "AND"
means that KEY Search will search for files containing Keyword1
AND Keyword2 AND Keyword3 etc. That is, each file must contain
all of the keywords that you have specified. Selecting "OR"
means that KEY Search will search for files containing Keyword1
OR Keyword2 OR Keyword3 etc. That is each file contains at least
one of the Keywords that you have specified and maybe more. To
select a Logic Type, click on the radio button in the dialog
box.

Once you have specified your keywords and logic type, click on
the OK button to start the search. As soon as KEY Search has
found all the files that match your criteria, it will open a new
window containing a list of those files.


Wildcard Search

KEY Search allows you to search for files using wildcards in the
same way as you would when using "DIR" in DOS. Please refer to
your DOS documentation if you are unfamiliar with the use of
wildcards. A wildcard search can be slow; certainly slower than
a keyword search which is the preferable method. To carry out
this type of search, select Wildcard Search from the Search
Menu, click on the "*.*" button on the Toolbar or press
<CTRL><W>. The Wildcard Search dialog box will then pop up and
you can enter your wildcards.

Enter the wildcards as you would in DOS, eg., "README.*" or
"*.DOC" etc. and, once you have finished, click on the OK button
to start the search. Note that KEY Search can only search the
files that it has logged, not all those on the hard disk. As
soon as KEY Search has found all the matching files, it will
open a new window containing a list of those files.


KEY Search also allows you to list the files that it has logged
in several different ways as follows:

All Files
Selecting All Files from the Search Menu simply opens a new
window that contains a list of all the files that KEY Search has
logged.

Auto Scan Files
Selecting Auto Scan Files from the Search Menu opens a new
window that contains a list of all the files that KEY Search has
logged and also automatically scanned for keywords. In other
words, those files specified in the Auto Scan File Specs in
General Setup.

No Scan Files
Selecting No Scan Files from the Search Menu opens a new window
that contains a list of all the files that KEY Search has logged
but not automatically scanned for keywords. In other words,
those files specified in the No Scan File Specs in General
Setup.

Files Without Keywords
Selecting Files Without Keywords from the Search Menu opens a
new window that contains a list of files that have neither
automatically scanned or manually entered keywords.

KEY Search supports multiple windows so you can carry out as
many searches as your computer's memory can cope with. You can
then select any of the windows on the screen by clicking on what
you can see of it or selecting that window from the Window Menu
list. You can also select from here whether the windows are
tiled or cascaded within the main KEY Search window. If the
screen becomes too cluttered, each window may be reduced to an
icon which will be labelled with the title of the window that it
represents.

Once you have a list of files, there are several things you can
do with the files in that list as follows:

Add Descriptions And Manual Keywords
To add a description or enter your own keywords, either click on
the desired file with the right mouse key or highlight it using
the cursor keys and press <ENTER>. This will pop up the File
Maintenance window which shows the file details and is where you
can enter a description and up to 6 keywords. The keywords that
you enter here are added to KEY Search's database in the same
way as scanned keywords and can be similarly searched for. Once
you have entered the description and keywords that you require,
click on the OK button to return to the list of files.

Launch Applications
You may launch a file's associated application by double
clicking with the left mouse button on the desired file or
clicking on the Launch button on the File Maintenance dialog
box. If you are using the keyboard, highlight the desired file
using the cursor and/or page keys, press enter to pop up the
File Maintenance dialog box and press <ALT><L>. An associated
application is usually the application that initially created
the file such as a wordprocessor or database program. The
application will normally start with the relevant file loaded.
If a file does not have an associated application then the
program specified as the Default Launcher in General Setup is
started.

Drag And Drop
KEY Search supports dragging and dropping which means that you
can "pick up" a file with the mouse, drag it to another
application that supports drag and drop and drop it there.
Simply position the mouse cursor over the desired file in a KEY
Search window then press and hold the left mouse button. As long
as the button is held, you can drag the file around the screen.
If the cursor is over an application that does not support drag
and drop, or is not over anything, the cursor will be a circle
with a line through it to indicate this. To drop a file,
position it over the desired application or icon and ensure that
the cursor has changed from the no drop symbol, then simply
release the left mouse button. You will then find that the
application will load up the file that you have dropped on
it.


			   REFERENCE


File Menu


Check Indexes
This option runs a check on the database indexes that KEY Search
uses. If you suspect that the indexes may be corrupt, if, for
example, your computer was accidentally switched off during a
search, run this check to verify. The Check Indexes window shows
the following information:

Status
This shows the operation that is currently being performed.
Firstly, "Counting Records In Data Files" appears here as KEY
Search counts the number of records in each data file. Next,
"Checking FILEINFO Index (xxxx records)" appears where xxxx is
the number of records checked. This will be present while KEY
Search is actually checking the index and is followed by similar
messages for XREF and KEYWORD respectively. Finally, when all
indexes are checked, or the Cancel button has been selected,
"Complete" appears here regardless of the outcome of the check.
Click on the OK button at this point to close the window.

FILEINFO File
This shows the number of records contained in the FILEINFO data
file followed by either "Indexes OK" or "Indexes Corrupt -
Rebuild!" depending upon the outcome of the check.

XREF File
This shows the number of records contained in the XREF data file
followed by either "Index OK" or "Index Corrupt - Rebuild!"
depending upon the outcome of the check.

KEYWORD File
This shows the number of records contained in the KEYWORD data
file followed by either "Index OK" or "Index Corrupt - Rebuild!"
depending upon the outcome of the check.


Rebuild Indexes

Selecting this option pops up the Rebuild Indexes dialog box
where you can select, via checkboxes, which indexes to rebuild.
Those with a "x" in their box will be rebuilt when you click on
the OK button.

While an index is being rebuilt, the Rebuilding Index - Please
Wait! window pops up and displays the following information:

Index File
The name of the index file that is currently being rebuilt.
There is one index file for each data file.

Index Name
The name of the index within that index file. There is one index
in the XREF and KEYWORD index files and two in the FILEINFO
index file.

Records Processed
The number of records that have been processed so far during the
rebuild.


Delete All Data

This option will delete all the database files that KEY Search
has created but retain your setup details. When selected, this
option will pop up a window asking whether you are sure that you
want to delete all data. Clicking on the Yes button will then
carry out the deletion.


Config Menu


General Setup

Disk Drive(s) To Log
Enter here the hard disk drives and CD-ROM drives that you would
like KEY Search to log. If you have multiple drives, simply
enter them one after the other, eg., "CDE".

Min Key Length
Enter here the minimum length that you wish to allow for
keywords picked up during automatic scanning. The maximum
setting of this is 10 which is also the maximum length of the
automatically scanned keywords.

Default Launcher
The application entered here, with its path if necessary, will
be launched if the file that you have selected from a file
search window does not have an associated application of its
own. This should be an application capable of displaying most
files such as Windows Notepad, which is the default setting.

Keyword Contents
Enter here all the possible characters that keywords could
consist of. For the UK this would be simply the normal
alphanumeric character set (default) but different language
users may need to add other characters to ensure all keywords
are found.


Auto Scan File Specs

Enter here the file extensions of those files that you wish to
be logged by KEY Search and scanned for keywords.


No Scan File Specs

Enter here the file extensions of those files that you wish to
be logged but not scanned for keywords. You can then add
keywords manually at a later stage. This is useful for files
which contain no text such as graphic files.


Search Menu


Keyword Search

Selecting this option, which you can also do from the "Key"
button on the Toolbar or by pressing <CTRL><K>, pops up the
Keyword Search dialog box where you can specify the following
search criteria:

Keywords To Match
Enter here up to six keywords that you wish to search for.

Logic Type
This can be either "AND" or "OR" but not both. Selecting "AND"
means that KEY Search will search for files containing Keyword1
AND Keyword2 AND Keyword3 etc. That is, each file must contain
all of the keywords that you have specified. Selecting "OR"
means that KEY Search will search for files containing Keyword1
OR Keyword2 OR Keyword3 etc. That is each file contains at least
one of the Keywords that you have specified and maybe more. To
select a Logic Type, click on the radio button in the dialog
box.

Once you have entered the keywords you wish to search for and
selected the logic type, clicking on the "OK" button will start
the search. When KEY Search has found all the files that match
the search criteria, it will open a window that will contain a
list of those files. There are several operations that you can
carry out from this window as follows.

Positioning the mouse cursor over a file and clicking on the
left mouse button simply highlights that file. Double clicking
on a file, however, launches the application that is associated
with that file. If there is no associated application, the
default launcher specified in General Setup is launched and the
file loaded.

Clicking on a file with the right mouse button brings up the
File Maintenance window which shows the File Name, Directory,
Size and Date/Time. You may also enter here a description of the
file of up to 36 characters and up to six user defined keywords.
These keywords may then be specified for searches in the same
way as the scanned keywords. From this window you can then use
the Launch button to launch an associated application.


Wildcard Search

Selecting this option, which you can also do from the "*.*"
button on the Toolbar or by pressing <CTRL><W>, pops up the
Wildcard Search dialog box where you can specify the following
search criteria:

Wildcards To Match
Enter here wildcards that you wish to search for. You can enter
any combination of DOS type wildcards, eg., "FILENAME.*" or
"*.EXT".

Clicking on the OK Button after entering your wildcards starts
the search and opens up a window containing the files found. You
may then launch applications or add descriptions and keywords as
for the files found by a keyword search.


All Files

Selecting All Files from the Search Menu simply opens a new
window that contains a list of all the files that KEY Search has
logged.


Auto Scan Files

Selecting Auto Scan Files from the Search Menu opens a new
window that contains a list of all the files that KEY Search has
logged and also automatically scanned for keywords. In other
words, those files specified in the Auto Scan File Specs in
General Setup.


No Scan Files

Selecting No Scan Files from the Search Menu opens a new window
that contains a list of all the files that KEY Search has logged
but not automatically scanned for keywords. In other words,
those files specified in the No Scan File Specs in General
Setup.


Files Without Keywords

Selecting Files Without Keywords from the Search Menu opens a
new window that contains a list of files that have neither
automatically scanned or manually entered keywords.


Maintenance Menu


Log Disk(s)

Selecting this option will start a search of the files specified
in Setup. KEY Search will log all files specified in both Auto
Scan File Specs and No Scan File Specs and scan those in Auto
Scan File Specs to extract the keywords. This option can also be
selected by clicking on the "Log" button on the Toolbar or by
pressing <CTRL><L>. The Searching Files window will pop up and
display the following information:

Status
Shows what KEY Search is currently doing. "Scanning
Directories..." means that it is searching through the
directories looking for files that have not yet been scanned or
logged. When a file is found that requires logging and/or
scanning, the Status shows "Adding File" whilst this is being
carried out. When all the required files have been logged as
necessary or the search has been manually stopped, the Status
shows "Completed Scan".

File/Directory
Shows the current directory when scanning directories or the
current path and filename when adding files.

Files Checked
This shows the number of files found so far that match the specs
set in both Auto Scan and No Scan File Specs.

Files Added
This shows the number of files so far that have been checked and
added to KEY Search's database, ie., files that have not been
added previously.

XREFs Added
If KEY Search is logging a file that you have specified should
be auto scanned, it will extract the keywords from that file.
Each keyword will have a cross reference that links it to that
particular file along with other cross references should it
appear in any other files. XREFs added shows the total number of
cross references that have been added so far.

Keywords Added
This shows the total number of keywords added so far. Keywords
are only added if they have not previously been added so this
figure will increase rapidly when initially logging files but
slow down as the keyword database gets bigger.

You may click on the Cancel button at any time during the
logging process but KEY Search will finish with the file that it
is currently adding before it changes the Cancel button to an OK
button. Clicking on this OK button will close the File Logging
window. You may continue logging your disk at any time simply by
selecting Log Disk(s) from the Maintenance Menu. KEY Search will
then start logging your disk again but will not add those files
that are already logged. You will see that each file is checked
each time, this is so that any changes are picked up.


Purge Old Data

This option checks through all the data held by KEY Search and
deletes all the files, XREFs and keywords that are no longer
relevant. The Purging Data Files window shows the following
information:

Status
Shows firstly "Erasing Files..." while KEY Search checks for any
files that are no longer relevant and deletes them. A file is
deleted if it is no longer present on the hard disk or if the
file specs have been changed such that it is now excluded from
the files to be logged. Once the files have been erased, KEY
Search then checks through the XREFs and deletes any that
pertain to a deleted file. During this stage, the Status shows
"Erasing XREFs...." A similar operation is carried out on the
keywords and the Status then shows "Erasing Keywords...."

No Checked
This shows the number of Files, XREFs or Keywords that have been
checked so far.

No Erased
This shows the number of Files, XREFs or Keywords that have
actually been erased so far.

You can click on the Cancel button at any time to stop the
purging which will pop up a new window showing the number of
Files, XREFs and Keywords that have been erased. This window
also pops up when the purge completes normally and clicking on
the OK button will close the window.


Window Menu

Along with the options detailed below, this menu contains a list
of all the currently available windows. You can select any of
these windows from this menu which may be useful if any of them
are not visible.


Tile

This option "tiles" multiple KEY Search windows so that you can
see the contents of all the windows without having to move any
of the others. If you open a new window, it will be placed on
top of what is already there and you will have to reselect this
option to tile the new window.


Cascade

This option, which is the default setting, arranges multiple
windows one on top of the other but slightly offset so that a
small part of each window can be seen.


Arrange Icons

This option arranges any minimized icons that you may have in
the main KEY Search window in a neat row at the bottom left hand
corner.


Close All

This option will close all window in the main KEY Search window
even if they have been minimized.


Working With Found Files

Once you have carried out a search or listed files using KEY
Search, you will have one or more windows on your screen each
containing a list of files. The way in which you work with these
files depends upon whether you are using the keyboard or a mouse
although you can do the same with each and use any combination
of the two.


Mouse

If a window contains a list that is too long to display, you can
click on the vertical scroll buttons to scroll up and down it.
Positioning the mouse cursor on a file and clicking the left
button will highlight that file. Double clicking on a file,
however, will launch the application associated with that file.
This is usually the application that created a particular file
such as a word processor and the file will be loaded by the
application when it starts. If a file does not have an
associated applicatio n then the application specified as the
default launcher in General Setup will be launched. Positioning
the mouse cursor on a file and clicking the right button will
pop up the File Maintenance window for that file. This window
contains the following information:
File Name
Directory
Size
Date/Time
You can also enter here a description of the file of up to 36
characters and up to 6 user-defined keywords. The description is
purely for information but the keywords are added to KEY
Search's database and cross referenced to that file in the same
way as the automatically scanned keywords. This is useful if you
have files that contain no text but you would still like to be
able to search for them. This window also has a Launch button
that will launch the associated application or the default
launcher as appropriate.


Keyboard

To scroll the highlight bar up and down the file list, use the
up and down arrow keys to move by one line and the <PG UP> and
<PG DN> keys to move by the number of lines visible in the
window. When the desired file is highlighted, pressing <ENTER>
will pop up the File Maintenance window as described in the
Mouse section. This is where you can launch associated
applications by pressing <ALT><L> or tabbing to the Launch
button and pressing <ENTER>.
