www.blaunch.us.tt | January 30, 2003 | use menu across top to jump to topic
Note: blaunch.exe will not work until you run blsetup.exe (default at install), which extracts the necessary program dll files. blsetup can also create a Desktop icon, to start blaunch (recommended).
Before running blaunch, manually create an empty backup folder on your system (with Windows Explorer).
When you start blaunch.exe the first time, this message appears ...
When you click OK, you come to the main GUI dialog ...
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Backup Folder: any backup folder must
pre-exist, create it with Windows Explorer. Then select the folder with the
"Backup Folder" button ... |
GUI Dialog FeaturesNumber of backup versions: enter any number (whole integers) to save this many previous backup versions, in the backup folder. Read about backup names, below. File Mask: enter the file name filter
(will not show hidden, or system, files); make launcher: button creates a "power launch" file (.bl9 - bee-el-nine). Read about power launch files, for instructions. zippak: check this box to have blaunch create / update a compressed zip archive, bakpak.zip, in the backup folder, of all previous and current backup files. blaunch does not have an "unzip" feature - there are many shareware, or freeware, utilities to extract files from zip archives. Save Settings: button will save these settings to a file (bl.ini), for use in a future session of blaunch - backup folder, number of backup versions, file mask, current user folder (where you are listing work documents), zippak checkbox. When you restart blaunch, the program will use these settings, which you can change. Settings are always saved when you Exit the program, or launch a document file. File list window: shows the files filtered by the file mask. Select / highlight your document file here. Scroll down this list to change folders or drives (drives near bottom). Folder [..] means move UP one folder toward the root of the drive. Double-click folders/drives to change to that location. The yellow text above the file list window shows your current user folder. Backup/Launch: button backs up the selected
document file (with optional zip), then launches the program associated with
that file type (based on the file extension, such as, *.txt). The working
folder will be the folder where the document resides. View Log: button will open the bl_log.txt file, so you can review a history of backup activity. Exit: button will exit the blaunch program, saving settings. HTML Help: button will open this HTML Help page, in your default web page browser. |
blaunch notesSupport Forum: you can find user-to-user forum support at the Backup Launch web board. You can read and post, without creating a registration account. Backup
names: If your file name is bakpak.zip: compressed archive is always written/updated in the backup folder. No deletions are made to bakpak.zip by blaunch. Files inside the archive may be updated, if the backup name is identical to a name in the archive. To start a new archive, rename, move or delete the current bakpak.zip bl_log.txt: is written/updated in the blaunch system folder (where you installed blaunch). To start a new log file, rename, move or delete the current bl_log.txt. Turn off any wordwrap (in your editor), to view bl_log.txt blsetup.exe: after blsetup has been run once, you can delete this file. Do not delete the .dll files, nor .ini file. blsetup extracts the blaunch system .dll's, and can create a Desktop icon. That's all it does. messages: messages that do not have an OK button may be dismissed, before they time out, by pressing the keyboard spacebar. Any CANCEL button always exit/closes blaunch. uninstall: to remove the blaunch program, delete the blaunch folder (where blaunch.exe exists). Save any log file before deletion. blaunch.wbt: is the Winbatch source file, plain ascii text. Open with any text editor (turn off wordwrap, for proper formatting). Development ...
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Program limitations: while the "Number of Backup Versions" is indefinate, Winbatch (development language/compiler) does have limits on string / list lengths. If you set "Number of Backup Versions" to very large numbers (hundreds, thousands?) you may begin to encounter runtime errors, or program slowdown. The developer has not tested above 10 backup versions. Do you REALLY need more than 100 backup versions? Feel free to "break" the program.
sequence numbers: backup sequence numbers begin at 10 and increment by 1, to 9999. Numbers are right-justified, left padded with 0 (zeroes) in a fixed, 4 digit field (e.g., filename_bak_0015.txt, or filename_bak_0153.txt). blaunch parses the previous backup file names to determine the next backup sequence number. Refrain from renaming backup files, in the backup folder. To use a backup file, copy the backup file to a new work folder, then edit or rename the file, in its new location. When any sequence number reaches 9900, or more, blaunch will notify you that the limit is 9999, and offer to move (not delete) all the current backup files, in the backup folder, into a new archive folder below the current backup folder (e.g., c:\bakup\archive_0010\ ; the same sequence method is used for naming the blaunch archive folders). Whenever you, or blaunch, clear out the specified backup folder, sequence numbers are restarted from 10, and the zip file is restarted. As long as the new file sequence number is equal to, or more, than 9900, you will see this reminder, until you, or blaunch, clear out the backup folder, or select a new, empty backup folder. I recommend when you see this reminder, allow blaunch to move the current backup files to the new archive location, then manually clean up the backup files, later. You may manually clean up the current backup folder any time you like.
file associations (file launch): blaunch relies on Windows file associations to launch any document. The file type (usually the last 3 characters of a file, like, filename.txt) will determine which program will open the document. If no association exists, Windows may prompt you to select a program to handle the document. To change, or create, file associations, please read your online Windows Help file (Start | Help). Search on "associating" in the index field. Many programs create their necessary file associations, at the time you install.
folder/file name length: blaunch supports Windows long file names, but has not been tested with extremely loooooong folder/file name. You may encounter runtime errors with excessively long names (150 - 250 characters, or more?; Win98 has a folder + name length limit of 255 characters; Winbatch may fail before this limit, not tested extensively). The yellow current folder field, on blaunch, may truncate, on the dialog, with excessively long folder/file names (the field allows some word wrap). HINT: keep your folder/file names as short as possible - folder + file name less than 100 characters is probably safe.
file name collisions: if 2 work files, in different folders, have identical names, blaunch will still increment the sequence number based on the previous backup of the same root (work) name. But, in the backup folder, you will not be able to tell which source file was used for the backup. Open the log file, to see the source file folder/name, for any particular backup version. Or avoid identical work file names.
bakpak.zip: the zip file has a limit of 2 gigabytes (Winbatch zip limit). Move, or rename, the zip file to create a new zip file.
power launch files: tired of always launching from the GUI dialog? blaunch supports "power launch" files ( .bl9 ) which will launch any one document without using the GUI dialog! You can create as many launcher files as you like, then place them anywhere on your system. Each will correctly launch a document, located elsewhere on your drives. To create a launcher file ...
- start blaunch normally
- (important) define all your Settings - backup folder, backup versions, zippack, etc.
- navigate to the document file, and highlight it
- now click the "make launcher" button, instead of Backup/Launch
These prompts will appear ...
Choose a name for your launcher file. (1) If you will be making a launcher for several docs in the same folder choose the first name, which is based on the name of your work doc. (2) The second name will always write the same launcher name, regardless of the name of your work doc. (3) The third option allows you to create another name.
If you choose "make other name", this prompt will appear ...
Enter any name you like, or accept what is shown. DO NOT enter .bl9 at the end of the name. CANCEL will exit from blaunch. Note that blaunch does not check if the new name will write over any existing .bl9 file.
Once you accept a name with an OK button, blaunch writes the launcher file in the document folder. [this .bl9 file is really an ini file; you can open any .bl9 file with any text editor, to see the format]. You return to the GUI dialog, after this note ...
Example: if your work document name is thisfilename.doc, and you click "make launcher" (define your settings first!), and you choose the name from the list, of thisfilename.bl9, the launcher file will be written in the document folder.
To backup/launch the document with the "power launch" file, exit the blaunch GUI. Double-click the .bl9 file, and this will run blaunch without the GUI dialog. Your work file will be backed up with the settings you defined when you made the launcher, then your work file will be launched, without seeing, or using, the GUI dialog. You will see the minimal notice messages, telling you what blaunch has done.
You can move any .bl9 launch file to any location on your system, and it will correctly launch the document located somewhere else. You could create a folder on your Desktop, then move launcher files into that Desktop folder, to cosolidate your launchers in one place, so you don't have to navigate across your system, for each different doc. Just open your Desktop folder and double-click on the .bl9 file to backup and launch.
Note that you cannot change settings on the fly, with a .bl9 launch (you never get to the GUI dialog). So if you marked zippak when you made the launcher, blaunch will always do its zip operation when you use the corresponding .bl9 file.
You can always use the GUI dialog anytime to re-create a launcher, with different settings. Remember, blaunch writes launchers in the same folder as the work doc.
The blaunch GUI should not be running when you launch with a .bl9 file.
The .bl9 launch system works because when you installed Backup > Launch, the installer created a Windows file association that tells the system, "when any file has the extension, .bl9, auto-start blaunch.exe and pass the full .bl9 folder and file name to blaunch."
blaunch then detects it was started by a .bl9 file and reads its settings from the .bl9 file. So you don't have to see or use the GUI.
runtime errors: if a runtime error occurs, you will see a message like this ...
You may not see an "Additional Error Info" button, nor "Go to ... Web Page" button.
OK will exit blaunch.To correctly report any runtime error, I need to know the error number (3052) and the text of the line of the statement shown, "On line: ". Also mention what you did just before you see the runtime error. Specify if you were launching with the GUI, or launcher file (.bl9). Report errors to the development email address, or at the Support Forum. Make any recommendations at the Support Forum.
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"Cancel" button
will exit blaunch.
