FileTools 5.8  
 

FileTools 5.8 is a small program for batch editing file and folder names, printing file and folder lists and changing file dates. The program also includes a fairly comprehensive facility for writing and editing image legends for use with the all-round JavaScript JaS for running slideshows.

The JaS JavaScript is created and generously made available free of charge by Robert Nyman.


WARNING:   Please note that this program is intended only for people with a high level of expertise in computer management. It is possible to completely ruin your personal computer in a few seconds if you, for example by mistake rename important system files - which will completely and irreversibly destroy the operating system - and thus your computer.

So DO NOT USE FILETOOLS PROGRAM unless you are an expert in computer maintenance and operating systems. Using FileTools is entirely your own risk and responsibility. If you fuck up your computer, don't expect any help from the author of this program. If you don't know what you are doing then: DON'T DO IT !!!


PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WARNING IS NOT THE USUAL DISCLAIMER, BUT A SERIOUS WARNING TO PEOPLE WITHOUT A PROFOUND KNOWLEDGE OF COMPUTER SOFTWARE AND OPERATING SYSTEMS


The main form for managing image legends with the JaS JavaScript

This part of the manual deals with the facilities for editing and managing image legends for JaS slideshows. The main form is shown below and consists of navigation options allowing you to open the content of the folder containing the files necessary for running a JaS slideshow: a php file which is the file to link to from other pages of your website and a js-file which includes the javascript code with a "legend block" containing the text to be associated with each image. Finally the slideshow folder contains the image files to be displayed in the slideshow.

The right part of the main form contains two list boxes: The left listbox lists all image files in the folder and the right listbox the file names of image files extracted from the legend-block of the js-file. Double-clicking a file name in either of the two list boxes retrieves the selected image. For the image files extracted from the js-file, the displayed image also includes the legend associated with the image.


The three command buttons labeled: Clear, File Thumbnails and Java Thumbnails controls the display of image files as thumbnails for the selected image(s) in either of the two listboxes - or closes all the displayed thumbnails.


Editing image legends

Clicking a thumbnail enlarges the image. If the thumbnail is from an extracted JavaScript image including a legend, the enlarged image includes a text field below the image which contains the current legend for the image.


In the text field you can edit the legend, add links and apply different font attributes. You can inspect the legend as HTML by clicking the Webbrowser command button (see next paragraph) or run the slideshow by clicking the Run Slideshow command button. When you are satisfied, click the Accept & Close command button to save the changes.

The legend for the image can be formatted as html (in a separate form) as shown below to enable you to test links and font attributes during editing the legend.


Editing the php-file

This form displays some of the php-file parameters such as: Page Title, Page Sub-Title, Copyright Information, CSS File Name, JS File Name, Character Set and Back Option Status.

The first three parameters can be edited by the user. The number of thumbnail columns (CSS File Title) in the slideshow can be set by the user with the aid of the drop-down list. The same is the case for the background color and the color of subtitle and copyright information. The legend text above the image is always white with strong yellow links.

The rest of the parameters are listed for you information only and can only be modified manually by editing the php file in a text editor.


In addition the form includes a function to: Remove Temporary System Files which clears the slideshow folder of the backup and temporary files created during editing image legends and the php-file. Every time you save changes to the slideshow, the old files is retained as a safety precaution. This implies that a large number of backup copies of edited files accumulate in the slideshow folder. Clicking the Remove Temporary Syatem Files command button deletes all safety copies in the folder.

The second option: Accept Changes and Close command button implements the changes you have made to the slideshow by making the specified corrections to the php and JavaScript files in the slideshow folder and modifying the css files and the background color jpg file controlling background color of the all the individual slideshows in your slideshows folder.

This method for making changes to the layout of your slideshows has the advantage that all your lideshows will have the same text colors and background color gradient, whereas the number of thumbnail columns, subtitle and the copyright information will be different for the individual slideshows in your slideshows folder.

The standard css-files, backgound color files are installed during setup and are located in the css folder of the program folder. The css files can be edited with any text editor before they are used to replace the current css files in your slideshow folder.


Thumbnails of images extracted from the JavaScript file

An example of the image legend editor in action: All the image files extracted from the JavaScript are displayed on the screen. One of the top-row thumbnails has been clicked and the image is displayed in the form for editing the legend. The image can be reduced - without saving any changes - to a thumbnail again simply by clicking the image.


A detailed 'Step-By-Step' instruction

If you want to include a JaS slideshow in your website proceed as follows:

    A. Preconditions

  1. Note that this description specifically applies to webservers running php. Without support for php, the slideshow will not work. It can, however, quite easily be modified to run without php support, but this modification you will have to carry out yourself
  2. Also be aware that FileTools is a Windows (XP and 7) program, which will not run on a Mac pc
  3. If you have an Apache server with a php 5 interpreter running on your pc, it is possible to test run the slideshow on you pc to check that everything is working as expected.
  4. If you do not have an Apache server with php installed on your pc, you can find information on how to install these components in a number of places on the internet. A fairly good link is this: How to install and configure php5 to run with Apache on Windows
  5. If you have no experience with Apache and/or php you may find the installation and configuration a bit complicated. But remember that you are not the only/the first person trying to this. You will find extensive help if you search the internet

    B. Getting ready

  1. Create a folder named "slideshows"" in the root of your website
  2. Create a subfolder named "_css"" in "slideshows"
  3. Create a folder named "slideshow_01" in the "slideshow" folder
  4. Copy the jas.php and the jas.js files from the program folder to the "slideshow_01" folder
  5. Prepare the image files for example in Photoshop and adjust the image sizes to max 720px x 540px
  6. Copy all the images you want to include in the slideshow to the "slideshow_01" folder

    C. Edit the jas.php and the legend block in jas.js

  1. In FileTools navigate to the slideshows/slideshow_01 folder
  2. Right-click the listbox to the right and Import Image Legends From JavaScript

    3. at this point, the default JavaScript does not contain any image files. The left listbox on the other hand contains all the image files you copied to the slideshow_01 folder

  3. Right-click the right listbox and Import Image Legends From JavaScript
  4. To view the images you copied to the slideshow_01 folder, highlight all files in the right listbox and click the File Thumbnails command button
  5. To add an image to the slideshow, double-click the image file (one-by-one) and click the blue Add This Image To JavaScript command button

    6. Proceed until you have added all the images you want to include in your slideshow. When you are done, it is a good idea to save the project: Click Functions/Save PHP and JS Files - ISO 8859-1 (no sorting) to save the two JaS system files. Then you are ready to begin writing legends to the images in your slideshow

    D. Writing legends to the images

  1. Start by selecting all the files in the right listbox and click the: Java Thumbnails command button
  2. Then click the thumbnails one-by-one to enlarge the each image and to expose the text field for writing/editing the image legend
  3. When you are done with this, remember to save the project again (see the comment above)
  4. If you wish to change the position of a particular image in the slideshow, then close the thumbnail display, highlight the file you wish to shift in the right listbox and use the up/down command buttons to move the image file up or down

    5. Now you only have to edit the php file to complete the process. The default name of the php file is: jas.php but the file can have any name you choose as long as it has the extension: php

    E. Editing the PHP file

  1. To edit the php file simply click the menu item: PHP-File
  2. The form for editing the php file allows you to enter Title, SubTitle and Copyright Information for the slideshow. In addition you can how many thumbnail columns you want to have in the slideshow. You select this parameter from the drop-down list at the bottom of the form. The options are from one to six columns
  3. It is a good idea to leave the file name of the js files (jas_1-col.css, jas_2-col.css, jas_3-col.css, jas_4-col.css, jas_5-col.css, jas_6-col.css) as they are
  4. Remember to save the changes to the php file before closing the form. If you click the Cancel command button, the form is closed without storing the changes
  5. To be sure that everything is saved, save the entire project again (see the comment above)

    F. Running the slideshow

  1. You are now ready to run a test of your slideshow: click the Run Slideshow with Saved Data command button to launch the slideshow
  2. Note that the document root setting in the Apache configuration file httpd.conf should match the path of you new slideshow. For example if your Apache document root is: C:/WEB_DESIGN the url to your new slideshow should look like this: http://localserver:443/mywebsite/slideshows/slideshow_01/jas.php
  3. To link to the slideshow from other pages on your website, the link should have this form: ../slideshows/slideshow_01/jas.php
  4. If you don't like the bluish-grey background gradient, you can create a new gradient file: background_gradient.gif, 1 pixel wide and 2048 pixes high. The gradient file is located in the css folder - and should remain there.


The FileTools program is free-ware and can be downloaded here: FileTools 5.8 setup file