FileAgent Version 1.5

FileAgent is a tool to view and change system properties of files or directories.

License

Before using the software you must agree to the terms stated in the License.txt file!

Contact

For questions about this software feel free to write me at mail@heelana.com or visit http://www.heelana.com.

Select files and directories

There are two alternative ways to select items:

• Click the Browse button and select one or more files in the upcoming dialog. Note that this way you can't select directories, though.
• Open Windows Explorer, place it next to the FileAgent window, select one or more files in Explorer and drag them onto FileAgents drag panel.

File Size

When a single file is selected the File Size textbox displays the size of the file in either byte, kilobyte or megabyte units. When multiple files are selected FileAgent sums up the size of all files. For directories the File Size is always zero.

Opens With

The Opens With textbox displays the application that is registered to open the selected file when double-clicked. This association is stored in the Windows Registry which you can edit with the regedit.exe tool. From Windows 2000 on you can change the associated application via the file properties dialog which you can invoke by either pressing the Properties button or right-clicking the file in Windows Explorer and choosing properties.

File Dates

The system stores three dates for each file or directory. FileAgent displays each of the three dates split up into date, time and milliseconds:

• Creation Date: the date when the file was created
• Last Write Date: indicates the last change to the file
• Last Access Date: gives information about the last access either read or write

• You may experience that the last write date is older than the creation date. This is usually the case when a file or directory was copied. Until you have made any changes to the copy the creation date indicates the creation of the copy while last write date refers to the last write operation to the original.
  
  
• Windows Explorer and other tools monitor the file system and sometimes need to access files or directories, especially when file properties changed. When you need to manipulate the last access date this sometimes leads to the strange result that you change the last access date and right after Windows Explorer or some other tool accesses the file, thereby resetting the date. The best way to set the last access date is to close any open Windows Explorer window and use the Browse button to select the file or directory instead of dragging it from an Explorer window. Then change the date.
  Note that the Properties button invokes Windows Explorers file properties dialog which changes the last access date too!
  
  
• Not all file systems can record creation and last access dates and not all file systems record them in the same manner. For example, on NT FAT, the create date has a resolution of 10 milliseconds, last write date has a resolution of 2 seconds, and last access date has a resolution of 1 day. On NTFS, last access date has a resolution of 1 hour. Thus changes to these dates may leave the file or directory properties unaffected on some systems

File attributes

The following file attributes are available:

• Archive: the file or directory can be archived
• Hidden: the file or directory is hidden. It is not included in an ordinary directory listing
• Read Only: the file or directory is read-only. You can read the file but not write to it.
• System: the file or directory is part of the operating system or is used exclusively by the operating system

Properties button

The Properties button opens the Windows Explorer file properties dialog. Use this to view changes as they appear in Windows Explorer. Note, however, that any changes you make in this dialog will not appear in FileAgent until you reload the current file!

Changing properties of multiple files or directories in one step

You can use FileAgent to change the properties of multiple files or directories simultaneously. Suppose, for example, that you need to set the last write date of 100 files to the current date. It would be very cumbersome to change every single file. Instead you can select multiple files at once. The file dates and attributes sections are then initially disabled. Check the Change check boxes to enable the sections you want to change. By default the proposed dates match the current date and no file attribute is initially set. Change the values as needed.