What Exactly is Dopus?

[carvedeye]

Thanks everyone sounds like a great program so will download and give it a try, are you able to customize the workbench using dopus?

[scuzzb494]

From my website. You can also download a few help programs and files. I use Directory Opus 4.

WHAT IS DIRECTORY OPUS ?

One of the questions I seem to get asked by newcomers to the Amiga scene is just what is this program called Directory Opus. I have to reply that I would find using my Amiga pretty impossible without Dopus. With Dopus you can file manage your whole system and find, move and copy files at the drop of a hat. Also its very useful for launching applications and viewing files such as pictures and text documents.

I find Dopus invaluable when it comes to creating folders, checking system files and checking the status of files in terms of size and date of entry, particulary after file changes and installs.

There is really very little Dopus can`t do.

I will now refer to CUAmiga which had copies of Dopus4 in their issue for Feb 1995.

THE BUTTONS:

ALL: Selects all drawers and files in thesource window - saving you time.
NONE: Deselects all selected files in thesource window.
PARENT: Moves back to the previous drawer you were in.
ROOT: Moves back to the root directory.
COPY: Highlight one or more files in the source window, click on copy and the file(s)
will be copied to the destination.
MOVE: Just like Copy, except the file(s) in the source window are deleted after after
the copy operation.
RENAME: Click on one or more files and then on this button and you`ll be asked to enter
new file names.
DELETE: Highlight files and drawers and click here to delete them. WARNING. You can`t get these back once you have deleted them.
MAKEDIR: Prompts you for a name and then creates a drawer with that name in the source window.
ASSIGN: To be covered in next TUTORIAL
CHECKFIT: Adds up the sizes of all selected FILES/
DRAWERS and sees if they will fit on the drive in the destination window. The result is displayed in the status bar.
GETSIZES: Similar to Checkfit but a quicker approximation.
HUNT: search the selected files and drawers in the source window for a given file name.
SEARCH: Scan through the files and drawers selected for a given file name.
RUN: Executes the selected programs. You`ll be asked to enter parameters, see the individual manual for details of these perameters.
DATESTAMP: Changes the date stamp of the selected files to that entered. For the current date press the space bar and then return.
PROTECT: To be covered next TUTORIAL.
ICONINFO: Changes icon perameters, similar to that given in the REQUESTER when you click on
INFO menu on the WORKBENCH.
ARC EXTRACT: Extracts files from compressed `LHA` archives to the destination path. LHA is a common compression system used by Public Domain software
and BBS systems. Not available on 1.3 Amigas.
ENCRYPT: Adds or removes password protection files. Select a file, click on this and enter password, now you can only access it if you know the password.
To remove the password click on this button and
enter the password with a minus symbol `-` at the front of the password.
READ: Displays the selected TEXT files.
HEX READ: Displays a file using the HEX numbering system, probably only useful to programmers.
SHOW: Displays an IFF, Animation, icon or font file.
PLAY: Highlight an 8SVX sound file and click on this button to hear it.
PRINT: Print
PATH NAMES: These two allow you to type in PATH names rather than clicking on drawers - if you know the full path name this can save you a lot of time.

HELP: Directory Opus has a comprehensive built in help facility. To use this press `HELP` on the keyboard and then click any part on the program, a help screen will then be displayed. You can keep on clicking on things to get help until you press `HELP` again.


Directory Opus: Dopus Library v22.6
Copywright 1990-94 Jonathan Potter
Compiled on Oct 31st 1994.

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz61.htm

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Thanks everyone sounds like a great program so will download and give it a try, are you able to customize the workbench using dopus?

Customize in what way?  I think the later versions act almost like a "Workbench replacement", but it's not in the same terms of customization like what you'd get with Visual Prefs or Birdie, for example.

[golem]

I think it says something about Workbench that Dopus and other file managers are almost essential on an Amiga. I prefer Dopus 4 (it is GPL) and couldn't do without it.

[carvedeye]

Ok so I have downloaded Dopus 5 and extracted it to ram but when I run the installer I get "Please Insert volume Opus55_Install in any drive" ?

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Try assigning whatever it's asking for to whatever location you've downloaded the install files to?

[amigadave]

Funny how DOpus is described as very different things to different users.  I guess that is a credit to how many different things it can do and how differently it can be set up and used, by differing users.

I never used any version of DOpus much, as I bought and preferred the simplicity of DiskMaster2 for almost all of my file management needs.  Like some other software genres, once you learn how to use a file management software application, you tend to stick with it, instead of learning how to use another similar program, because you feel comfortable with what you have already learned to use.  I am like that with CAD software as well.  Even though more people use AutoCAD and it is a widely used CAD program that has almost reached the status of becoming a "Standard", I prefer to keep using the CAD program that I learned on, as the interface is very different (and I think easier to use) than that of AutoCAD.

Like one of the other members mentioned in this thread, I would appreciate a tutorial on how to get the most out of any DOpus version, as I know that I have only used it's most basic functions and there are users who get tons more functionality out of DOpus than I have ever thought about trying to do with it.

[Tenacious]

Like another poster, I never could get comfortable with Dopus 5.x.  I believe it was billed as a Workbench replacement.  Dopus 4.1x, is the classic DIR utility, an assistant to Workbench.  After looking thru the docs, it is simple to tune to your liking and volume arrangement.

Since it is modular, many people have uploaded their customized Dopus config file to Aminet.  After DL'ing some of them, you can temporarily load someone else's config and copy out the best parts for you own use (adjusting for your volume names, paths, assigns, etc).  This is a great way to learn how to do very complex things with the click of a button.

My 2 favorite features:
 1  Clicking the VOLs button lists all available volumes on the system, both real and virtual.
 2  Adding the same file comment (like: "Original OS2.1 file") to every selected file with 1 click.  This is very handy for keeping track of the origin of system files (like libraries) as applications, utilities, and system enhansements (like BetterWB, etc) are installed to the hard drive.

My favorite alternative is Ordering.  Lightning fast because it is mostly written in assembler (Dopus can bog down while reading really large directories).  I use both.

@AmigaDave  What is the other CAD program you prefer?

[paolone]

Hi all, I have seen the thread for the new Dopus release but I have never used Dopus before what exactly is and what does it do?

Dopus (abbr. for DirectoryOpus) is a file manager. It evolved from a 2-container directory manager (version 4.x and earlier) to a complete Workbench replacer which mimics Workbench behavior but extends it to a whole new degree of functionalities and customization. Best of all, you can configure it to act the way you like it, with just a single rule: there's nothing you can't do with your files with Dopus5, if you know how to configure it accordingly.

Dopus5 has recently became open source as well, thanks to a generous donation from the Amiga community and the friendly attitude of its creators. It is now mantained by a group of volounteers and is available for all current post-Amiga platforms (AOS4, MOS, AROS).

AROS distributions AROS Vision and Icaros Desktops use M68K and X86 versions of DirectoryOpus 5. You can see many Dopus screenshots on the web just to scrap the surface of how different it can look when customized by users.

[Yasu]

I also loved DirWorks. You can still download the full 1.62 version on Aminet. If you have a classic Amiga I can recommend it as an alternative to DOpus. It doesn't work well on an NG Amiga, nor look good on a high resolution screen.

[Thorham]

Like another poster, I never could get comfortable with Dopus 5.x.  I believe it was billed as a Workbench replacement.

People keep saying that, but this is an optional mode. In fact...

Dopus 4.1x, is the classic DIR utility, an assistant to Workbench.

... you can configure it to be just that:

Dopus can bog down while reading really large directories.

That's probably Dopus4. It uses a crap sorting algorithm. Dopus5 is MUCH faster for large directories. It's actually the reason I switched from 4 to 5.

[amigadave]

@AmigaDave  What is the other CAD program you prefer?

I couldn't afford AutoCAD when I started drawing Architectural Plans, so I bought and learned how to use TurboCAD and now I really prefer it over any other CAD program I have seen.  I tried Cycas CAD on the Amiga, but it stopped being supported and improved a while ago and I never got used to it, like I am with TurboCAD.

[stefcep2]

DOpus % seems to multi-task better than Workbench.

Its file typing (click on a file jpg, gif, svx, mp3 whatever, and it automatically knows what file it is and what it should do with it) is IMO its most useful feature.  But thats after you have configured it, and thats where it is a pain.

[Ral-Clan]

And here I thought I was the only person still using Disk Master. I use the %&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@! out of DOpus on my Wintel boxes. I bought three licenses for each of my machines. I would be lost without it.

I'm a Disk Master user too!