# Microsoft Delta README.TXT File

ID: Q111824

1.00 WINDOWS kbreadme

The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Delta for Windows, version 1.0

## SUMMARY

The following information is taken from the Microsoft Delta 1.0 README file.

## MORE INFORMATION

                     Microsoft Delta Version 1.0 README File
                                 August 11, 1993

                    (C) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1993

This document provides complementary or late-breaking information as a supplement to the standard Microsoft Delta documentation.

### How to Use This Document

To view README on screen in Windows Notepad, maximize the Notepad window.

To print README, open it in Windows Write, Microsoft Word, or another word processor. Then select the entire document and format the text in 10-point Courier before printing.

### Contents

Don't install Delta on the server Documentation errata and additions Configuring your system TimerCriticalSection explanation Networks supported Changing the volume label Changing the Windows for Workgroups computer name Don't create project files or directories named LOCAL.SCR Merging files that include a CTRL+Z character Running Microsoft Delta from the Visual C++ Menu Limitations for international characters How Delta connects to a network server LOCALDRIVES variable Setting the Microsoft Delta Viewer tab stops If Delta appears to stop in Windows for Workgroups Using the "in" command from makefiles How Delta determines file type (text or binary) Add project files from a local directory Resolving merge conflicts in Visual Basic Working with Visual Basic forms (.FRM and .FRX files)

### Don't Install Delta on the Server

Delta must be installed on each user's local computer, and not on the network server.

### Documentation Errata and Additions

### Pages 63 and 64, Retrieve Previous Version command

The first paragraph should read as follows:

       Use this command to recover a previous version of a file. You can write
       the file to the screen or to an output directory of your choice. If you
       write the previous version of a file to the current directory, you will
       overwrite the current version. If you write it to a different directory,
       that directory is not a part of the project.

In the Options section, the Directory for Output Files paragraph should read:

       If you want to write to a directory instead of to the screen, type the
       path. If the output directory does not exist, Microsoft Delta creates
       it.

### Page 72, View Change History command

In the Options section, under File Name, delete the sentence, "Use spaces to separate multiple filenames."

### Page 115, log command

Add the following switch definition:

       /v     Verbose; includes more information in the log listing.

### Configuring Your System

If you instructed Microsoft Delta NOT to change your AUTOEXEC.BAT and SYSTEM.INI files during the setup operation, be sure to make the change yourself before running Microsoft Delta. The changes you need to make are as follows:

       AUTOEXEC.BAT file

Add the directory in which you located the Microsoft Delta files to the path statement. The default path is C:\DELTA.

       SYSTEM.INI file

Add the following lines to the section labeled [386Enh]:

       device=C:\delta\msdelta.386
       TimerCriticalSection=5000

If you loaded the Microsoft Delta files into a different directory, change the device path accordingly.

       CONFIG.SYS file

It is also recommended that you ensure that the number of files specified in the CONFIG.SYS file be at least 40. Check that your CONFIG.SYS file contains the following line:

       Files=40

### TimerCriticalSection explanation

Microsoft Delta Setup adds the line

       TimerCriticalSection=5000

to your SYSTEM.INI file to eliminate a timing problem that can occur on some systems.

### Networks Supported

Microsoft Delta operates on the following networks:

       Windows for Workgroups version 3.1 or later
       Microsoft LAN Manager version 2.1 or later
       Artisoft LANtastic versions 4.1 and 5.0
       Novell NetWare version 3.11

### Changing the Volume Label

Do not change the volume label for any drive on which a Microsoft Delta project is located unless absolutely necessary. If necessary, see information on changing the volume label in Tips and Troubleshooting in online Help.

### Changing the Windows for Workgroups Computer Name

In Windows for Workgroups, do not change your computer name unless absolutely necessary. (The computer name is in the ComputerName variable in your SYSTEM.INI file.) Microsoft Delta uses this name to locate your project. If you must change your computer name, you need to leave the project, change the computer name, and then rejoin the project as described under "Changing a Volume Label" in Tips and Troubleshooting in online Help.

### Don't Create Project Files or Directories Named LOCAL.SCR

When executing commands, Microsoft Delta creates a temporary batch (script) file named LOCAL.SCR. Do not use this as a file or directory name within a project directory.

### Merging Files that Include a CTRL+Z Character

In some cases, Microsoft Delta removes the CTRL+Z character at the end of a file when you perform a merge. If that occurs, a file comparison would indicate a one byte difference between the two versions.

### Running Microsoft Delta from the Visual C++ Menu

If you are writing code with Microsoft Visual C++, you can add Microsoft Delta commands to the Visual Workbench Tools menu. For example, you could add Check In and Check Out commands to the menu, enabling you to check in and out files without starting Microsoft Delta.

To add Microsoft Delta commands to the Visual C++ menu:

1. From the Options menu in Visual C++, choose Tools. 2. Choose the Add button. 3. Type or select the path for the file MVM.EXE and choose OK. This file is

       located in the same directory as your other Microsoft Delta application
       files.

4. Fill in the options in the dialog box, as shown in the example below.

For example, to add the Check In command to Visual Workbench where the Microsoft Delta application files are located in C:\DELTA, enter the following information in the dialog box.

      Command Line          c:\delta\mvm.exe
      Menu Text             Check &In
      Arguments          in $Filename
      Initial Directory     $FILEDIR

To add other commands, change the Menu Text and Arguments information as required, but enter the same information for Command Line and Initial Directory.

By default these commands will be run in a full-screen DOS session. If you prefer to execute the commands in a windowed session, you must:

1. Copy _DEFAULT.PIF to MVM.PIF. The _DEFAULT.PIF file is located in your

       Windows directory.

2. Change the Program Filename setting of the MVM.PIF file from

       _DEFAULT.BAT to MVM.EXE.

3. Change the Display Usage setting of the MVM.PIF file from Full Screen to

       Windowed.

4. Deselect the Close Window on Exit check box so that the window will stay

       open until you close it, allowing you to see the results of the
       commands.

To add a command to run Microsoft Delta itself, enter the following information:

      Command Line          c:\delta\delta.exe
      Menu Text             &Delta
      Arguments
      Initial Directory     $FILEDIR

Note: See your Visual C++ documentation for more information on customizing the menu.

### Limitations for International Characters

International characters cannot be used in project version names.

### How Delta Connects to a Network Server

While Delta is running, you may sometimes see references to local drive letters that you didn't specify. It is important that you not disconnect any of these drives. Delta is using them and will disconnect as soon as it has finished processing a command.

When Delta connects to a network server to execute a command (such as "in" or "log"), it uses the first unmapped local drive. It doesn't use any network connections that have already been established, because those connections might be broken before Delta completes its processing. (For example, you might disconnect from a server or another application might finish its processing and disconnect. If Delta had used the same local drive connection, it would then be unable to access its files.)

### LOCALDRIVES Variable

Delta checks drives to see whether they are network or local. If it recognizes a network drive, it connects using an available local drive as described above in "How Delta connects to a network server." Devices such as Bernoulli drives may appear to MS-DOS as network drives in one situation and as local drives in another.

The LOCALDRIVES variable lets you force Delta to recognize specified drive letters as local. In the case of the Bernoulli drive, you should use LOCALDRIVES with the Bernoulli's local drive letter before you run any Delta commands. This will ensure that Delta treats it as a local drive under all conditions, and can always locate the files on that drive.

To specify local drives, at the MS-DOS prompt, type

       SET LOCALDRIVES=D,E,F

where D, E, and F are drives you want Delta to classify as local. (The separator can be a comma or any non-alpha character.)

### Setting the Microsoft Delta Viewer Tab Stops

The tab stops for the Microsoft Delta Viewer are set to 8 in the DELTAV.INI file. You can change the setting by editing the line

       Tab Stops=8

in DELTAV.INI, which is located in your Windows directory.

### If Delta appears to Stop in Windows for Workgroups

When running under Windows for Workgroups, Delta may appear to stop while executing a command. (The output window title changes to "running" but nothing happens.)

To allow Delta to continue executing the current command:

1. Open the Windows Control Panel from Program Manager. 2. Open "386 Enhanced." 3. In the "Scheduling" section, change the "Windows in Foreground" value to

       100 (the default).

4. Choose the OK button.

To fix the problem permanently:

1. Open the Windows Control Panel from Program Manager. 2. Open "Network." 3. In the "Performance Priority" section, position the slider bar closer to

       the "Applications Run Fastest" end.

4. Choose the OK button. 5. Exit Windows and restart.

### Using the "in" Command from Makefiles

If you are running under Windows for Workgroups 3.1, DO NOT execute the "in" command from within a makefile. If you do, the diff information will be corrupted for the file you are trying to check in.

### How Delta Determines File Type (Text or Binary)

To determine file type, Microsoft Delta examines the first 1024 bytes of a file.

If you are using the standard U.S. character set (code page 437):

       If there are any characters (not including carriage return, line feed,
       tab, form feed, or backspace) with hexadecimal values less than 20 or
       greater than 7F, then the file is binary. If no such characters are
       found, it is text.

If you are using a code page other than 437:

       The file is considered binary only if there are characters with
       hexadecimal values less than 20 (excluding the five characters listed
       above). All other files are assumed to be text. This allows for non-U.S.
       characters in a text file.

You can assign a file type to override these defaults.

### Add Project Files from a Local Directory

When you create a project using the New Project command, you must specify a Local Project Directory which is on your computer and not on the network server. If you are creating a project using files that reside on the server, copy the files to your local directory. Then specify the directory to which you copied them as the Local Project Directory in the New Project dialog box.

### Resolving Merge Conflicts in Visual Basic

If you have a merge conflict in a Visual Basic file, you need to resolve the conflict within Notepad or a text editor of your choice.

### Working with Visual Basic Forms (.FRM and .FRX Files)

When you check out a Visual Basic form file (.FRM), be sure you also check out the associated binary (.FRX) file. If the .FRX file is left read-only (not checked out), Visual Basic truncates the .FRM file.

Additional reference words: 1.00 KBCategory: kbreadme KBSubcategory: Delta

Last Reviewed: October 10, 1997 © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.