GaugeIt

This utility is dedicated to all good men who made their generous contributions to Internet family.

In this file ...
What’s new

Why I Write This Program

Usage

Installation & Un-installation

Further Features

Registration & Contacting the Author

The Legal Stuff

What’s new

Version 2.1: June 26, 1998

More info: Deep level, file size
Sort ascendant and descendant
Drive info dialogue

Version 2.1: May 22, 1998

Mineral bug fix
Add menu "Gauge folder..."
Add functionality: Refresh
Add functionality: Keyboard hot key

Version 2: December 30, 1997

GaugeIt has a new face now. It uses win95's listview.

Version 1:

Support Shell Extension. Integrated with MS Explorer. See usage for more details.
Bug fixing, now horizontal scroll bar works -- That's my fault, it always is.

Why I Write This Program

Because I need a small & fast program that can calculate my directories size (including sub-directories). So I can tell which directories take too much of my valuable disk space at a glance. So I turned to SimTel and downloaded almost all the programs that seem to do so. But none seems to fit for my purpose. And some of them even require you to pay. Then I was thinking to write one for myself. Later, when browsing the ZD net for the top 100 best shareware of 1996, I found out most of those tools eventually ranked as high as five stars. This gave me a great confidence to kick off my project.

I am proud that my GaugeIt is small, fast and straightforward. Try all such kind of tools from SimTel or ZdNet and you'll find the difference. With 16,241 files (1.21G altogether) spreading in 1,084 directories, my GaugeIt takes roughly 20 seconds on a Pentium 133. It is almost as fast as m$ explorer's native properties sheet. And on a second run, it will only takes 8 seconds. What's more, why pay if you don't have to...

Usage

The usage is simple: After installation, right click on a folder in MS Explorer, and choose "Gauge It". The information for (only) the selected folder will be shown.

The menu for GaugeIt is simple:

Gauge

Folder Change folder

Refresh Refresh data

Export Can export the gauge data to a file

Drives

Drive X: Will make GaugeIt work on the specified drive.

Help

Info Show drive info

About Will show a simple information about the program.

Information shown in GaugeIt is:

Folder Name: Name of this directory.

Deep Level: Deep level of the sub-directory.

Total Size: Sum of all files sizes including all sub-directories.

Total Allocation: Sum of all files space occupied including all sub-directories.

Size: Sum of all files sizes in this directory only.

Allocation: Sum of all space that files occupied in this directory.

Waste: Sum of all space that has been wasted (due to minimum required size for cluster allocation) in this directory.

File#: Count of all files in this directory.

Dir#: Count of all sub- directories in this directory.

Seq#: Sequence number.

That's all GaugeIt can tell us. Rather simple, right? But we can infer much information from it:

If we want to examine how storage are distributed, just look at the result in the sequence it originally comes out. It is the same order if sorted on "Seq#".

If we want to know which folder is the biggest one (with its sub- folders), just sort on the "Total Size" field. When we need *big* space rather urgently, we can choose the right folder to delete/move/zip, that'll far more efficient than to work on many small ones.

If we want to know which folder alone is the biggest one (without its sub- folders), just sort on the "Size" field. It will produce more "accurate" result if you want to analysis sub-folders on a case to case basis rather than consider them as a whole.

If we want to look into the disk space waste status, just sort on the "Waste" field. Believe me or not, it will produce almost the result as sorting on "File#". You would be astonished to find out how inefficient DOS stores your files. I found that one of my tools folder is less than 10M, but it wastes over 3M! You may want to move the most wasted folders into compressed drives, or to lower capacity drives.

If we want to find answer to questions as "which folders have more files", "which folders have more directories"... just sort on the correspondent fields.

And what if you want more than that? One simple example is count how many files or folders there are in the folder. Well, just use the "export" function. It will allow you save the data you want in a file. So you can:

Count how many files or folders there are in the folder.

Know how much space has been wasted by summing up the "Waste" field.

Go even sophisticated to calculate the waste percentage per drive, or per folder or per file.

If you want to get really cool and fancy, you can import the file to your favorite spreadsheet, and get the diagrams and charts you want!

Analysis the disk growth. I'll come to it later.

So you thought my GaugeIt was simple -- I hope you don't think so now. My tools obey the philosophy of the UNIX world: each tool is simple, but has all information you want (and the way you want!). With all kinds of "simple" tools come together, they build up a strong world.

Complain mode on. Can you imagine what if GaugeIt comes from M$? I believe it won't be a "simple" one: Each above possible usage would be bundled in as a "feature". :-) And it will sure show off its charting ability. Throwing in a great deal of features from Excel, bundling all above other "features", M$ will charge you a lot of money now. M$'s philosophy is "Do it the way I restrict you". I always find I was bruising myself when trying to use tools in the way M$ haven't assumed me to do so.

M$ is kind enough to present everything in its boasted GUI way. But I find it is most user unfriendly. For example, have you ever, by any chance, install M$ Exchange many times or on many machines? Have you customized its toolbar and its "inbox assistant" every time for the newly installation? Then, you'll understand those tedious and foolish clicking are just wasting times, Again and AGAIN!

Complain mode off. Let's go back to how we can "analysis disk growth". GaugeIt on the drive, sort on the folder names, export to series of files, periodically. Apply version control on them if you want. Compare them with a visual comparing tool, then you'll get what you want. I bet M$ will neglect such requirements that "abuse" their tools.

The exported file is in SDF format:

Fields Width

Deep level 5

Total Size 15

Total Alloc 15

Size 15

Allocation 15

Waste 15

File# 5

Dir# 5

Seq# 5

Folder Name *

Note: You should really have a look at how much space has been wasted on your disk. You can't believe it. I couldn't at first. Here is the sample from my disk. Please note I sort on the file number and the result is almost the same!

1 240,272 1,343,488 240,272 1,343,488 1,103,216 39 0 0 Temporary Internet Files\cache1\

1 357,119 1,638,400 357,119 1,638,400 1,281,281 47 0 1 Temporary Internet Files\cache2\

1 1,407,832 2,621,440 1,407,832 2,621,440 1,213,608 46 0 2 Temporary Internet Files\cache3\

1 283,917 1,638,400 283,917 1,638,400 1,354,483 48 0 3 Temporary Internet Files\cache4\

0 2,289,207 7,274,496 67 32,768 32,701 1 4 4 Temporary Internet Files

See, some folders' space utilization, especially internet caches, are around 20%. 80% have been wasted!

The version 2 takes much less system resources than I had expected:

Before load: Mem. Load: 86% GDI: 82% User: 74% Virtual Mem.: 28.1M

After load: Mem. Load: 88% GDI: 81% User: 71% Virtual Mem.: 27.8M

So I decided to through away version 1.

Installation & Un-installation

If you have tried my previous version, you will find the installation will no longer as simple as "copy & delete".

Complain mode on. I really hate programs that have to do installation before run ( But that's the way Microsoft like). The reason is my win95 crashes too easily than tools. I have to reinstall every M$ tools -- Office, IE, Exchange…. M$ installation program is really another ugly designed program: When we first install a program, we'll look carefully what we want and don't, and select and deselect respectfully. But we can't preserve our careful selection and tell installation program "do what I've told you" next time. We have to open again, think again, click again, scroll again... what a waste of time! Why not choose "typical installation"? Because I don't believe it at all: a "typical" M$ Word will lack the ability of grammar check (Oh?), save formatted text file (Ah!), and even import popular picture formats like gif (Erh....!)

Complain mode off. Fortunately there are tools that don't have to be reinstalled -- WinZip, Visio, Norton Utilities, perl and of cause DOS tools...

Back to the topic.

Unzip the files into a temporary directory, which you surely have done so. Right click on the file "GaugeIt.inf" in Ms Explorer, and choose "install". This will automatically copy all the necessary files to \WINTOOLS directory and setup the registry. Currently, with such a small installation file, you have no choice of where to install it. But you can move it to anywhere you want by the freeware Coa32 from ZD net. Wait till next version of my BIG installation program please.

You can always un-install it entirely by standard win95's Add-remove software utility. Besides, it won't take up too much disk space. The executable program isn't long. You can delete the unzipped files afterwards.

Further Features

You may have found out that my program is different in appearance from its icon. Yes, I have to admit that coding for windows in VC is rather new to me, despite of my over-10-year programming experiences. And I admit I am found of Borland's product. I use VC not because I feel it of any good, just because I have to -- my new company does not let me freely choose my tools other than Microsoft’s, simply for money.

I wrote this program in C, with a little help of SDK. My version 2, which is still an SDK program with Listview outlook, comes true now.

I planned to implement version 3 in MFC with the assistant of TreeView and CSplitterWnd. Then bring in graphics control to make it version 4. The reason I make so simple work so complicated is I am still wading my way through those winmain programming, SDK16, SDK32, MFC, Customer Controls, TreeView, Graphics . . . Got confused with these jargons, Erh? Well, have I mention OLE, STL, ATL, VWCL and COM (not the regular file extension we are familiar with)? ;-) You got it -- Microsoft is always making the confused Window programming even more confused again and again. Just as PC Tech said, "It's a source of a lot of headaches". (PC Magazine, Dec 3, 96, "ATL: Rx for Your COM Headaches"). I am even afraid that I will be on the false track after I heard that Microsoft put further dilemma to programmers when they try to migrate their MFC codes to ATL. But one thing I know for sure: after using MFC, my program will no longer be small and no longer not throw any "rubbish" to your windows' directory. So, keep a copy of this version, anyhow.

If you absolutely do not understand me and do not feel any sympathetic for our poor situation driven by M$, I kindly suggest that you do not use my program. It's my philosophy: "Take my product after take my idea".

Registration & Contacting the Author

I am sure almost all of you can qualify my strict restriction. Then, congratulations! You become a legal user now. I think most of you would like it. I am sure it can be a five-star freeware and want to prove it. Please tell you friends to download it from ZD net for it is so small. But feel free to distribute this program as much as you like, but you may not make any modifications to the program and this file. You are not required to pay any money to use this program; However as 'payment', I kindly request you to send me an email. I want to know where my program goes. This program is free, but not public domain, and is (c) 1997-98 by SUN Tong.

Email syntax:

To: suntong _at_ geocities -dot- com

Subject: Register GuageIt <Your Country> <Your state>

Body: <Maybe blank, Any comments, bug reports, etc, are

welcome>

Comments:

You are to key in the information that are underlined. Please note that those words do not have to be underlined in your email system. And you should substitute the information in the <>.
Your country: Please use your internet country code. For example, China is CN, America is US.
Your state: Please choose a common used name or Initial.

And you are warmly welcome to my home page, where you may find other kinds of my free stuff.

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/2659

The Legal Stuff

I hate to say so. I am just following all others: The author, SUN Tong, is not responsible for any side effects this program may cause. It has been tested on write-protected floppy disks and CD-ROMs. It will not write anything back to any disks unless required. To the best of my knowledge, this program will not damage any data or hardware that is connected to your computer. However, you the user, by using this program, take full responsibility for any effects that may result.