Using LFNAlias

	LFNAlias Version 1.0

User Guide

Using LFNAlias
This section covers all aspects of using the LFNAlias application.

	8.3 Name Support
	Activating 8.3 Name Support
	Deactivating 8.3 Name Support
	8.3 Names on Remote/Network Drives
	Creating a New Output File
	Selecting or Specifying the Path to Convert
	Converting a Path
	Listing Special Folder Paths
	Listing Environment Variable Paths
	Selecting a Base Path
	Creating Relative Paths
	Opening Folders and Files from the Output Editor
	Opening a Folder in a Command Line (Console) Window
	Opening a Folder in a PowerShell Window
	Searching the Output for Text
	Previewing a Particular Line's Text
	Positioning the Caret in a Particular Line
	Using Line Numbers as Bookmarks
	Saving the Output to a File
	Loading a File
	Printing the Contents of the Output Editor
	Changing the Zoom Factor
	Turning AutoComplete On or Off
	Disable or Enable File System Redirection
	Deleting /Clearing the List of Recently Opened Files
	Deleting/Clearing the List of Recently Converted Paths
	Deleting/Clearing (the List of) Recent Search Texts
	Deleting/Clearing a Line Numbers List
	Deleting/Clearing all Line Numbers Lists
	Customizing LFNAlias
	Obtaining Version Information
	Closing the Application

Opening/Running the LFNAlias Application
LFNAlias can be run like any other application. But, unlike many other applications, it does not require access to the Internet. Therefore, provided it is not prevented by security measures^*1, once installed, the easiest method by which LFNAlias can be opened/run is clicking on either of the two shortcuts/links created during installation. However, to fully utilize all LFNAlias features, including making modifications to the 8.3 name support on the system on which it is running, it is generally necessaryy to run LFNAlias with administrator privliges (see Running LFNAlias as Administrator, below).

Running LFNAlias from the Windows Desktop
1.	Simply double-click on the LFNAlias' icon on your Windows Desktop.

Running LFNAlias from the Windows Start Menu
1.	Open the Windows Start Menu.
2.	In the Windows Start Menu, open the LFNAlias folder.
3.	Click on the LFNAlias icon with the caption "LFNAlias (English)".

Running LFNAlias as Administrator
1.	Open the Windows Start Menu.
2.	In the Windows Start Menu, open the LFNAlias folder.
3.	Right click on the LFNAlias icon with the caption "LFNAlias (English)". This will open a small, context menu, that typically includes the "Run as administrator" menu item under its "More" menu item.
4.	In the More sub-menu opened in the previous step, select/click "Run as administrator".

Running LFNAlias from a Cloud
For detailed instructions on how LFNAlias can be run from a cloud, please see Foreword on Tips #1 & #2 and Tip #1 Running LFNAlias from a Cloud.

Running LFNAlias from Removable Devices/Media
For detailed instructions on how LFNAlias can be run from removable media/devices, please refer to Foreword on Tips #1 & #2 and Tip #2 Running LFNAlias from Removable Storage Devices.

Running Muliple Instances
Although it is possible to run multiple instances, LFNAlias has no built-in mechanism/functionality by which the contents of the various instances can be synchronized. Therefore, when running multiple instances, we recommend not to open the same file in more than one instance.

8.3 Name Support

For various technical and compatibility reasons Microsoft Windows continues to support the creation and maintenance of short, 8.3, DOS names up to and including at least Windows 10. But, the degree of support for these 8.3 names varies from Windows version to Windows version, and possibly, from edition to edition. Furthermore, it can be configured.

Therefore, apart from being able to convert the "standard", long file and folder names into short, DOS, 8.3 names and vice versa, LFNAlias also provides the means to activate and deactivate support for 8.3 names on local, NT File System (NTFS) drives/volumes.

However, this feature is intended for the use of highly experienced IT professionals, such as software developers and system administrators only.

WARNING !

Whereas activating support for short/8.3 names is unlikely to have a noticeable, detrimental effect at all (apart from possibly slowing down file system access on NTFS drives marginally), deactivating support for short/8.3 names, particularly on the drive(s)/volume(s) on which the operating system and the applications are installed, may prevent some applications from functioning correctly. It is also conceivable that the installation of some device drivers may fail and even that the operating system itself may no longer function correctly.

We therefore do not recommend to deactivate support for 8.3 names, unless you are absolutely certain, that neither the operating system, nor applications, require access to the file system by means of short/8.3 names.

Under Windows versions prior to Windows 7 (e.g. Windows Vista and earlier), 8.3 name support should not be deactivated at all.

Although the menu items in the sub-menu of the 8.3 Name Support menu item in the Options Menu of the Main Menu reflect the current configuration of the support for 8.3 names on local NTFS drives, this isn't always quite easy to understand. We have therefore provided the following table that makes interpreting the menu items' states somewhat easier. We recommend referring to this table prior to making any changes.

8.3 Name Support	System Vol. Only	Enable on All Drives	Disable on All Drives
Deactivated on all drives	Enabled, but not checked	Enabled	Disabled
Activated on the system drive only	Enabled and checked	Enabled	Enabled
Only activated on select drives other than the system drive	Enabled, but not checked	Enabled	Enabled
Activated only on select drives, including the system drive	Enabled, but not checked	Enabled	Enabled
Activated on all drives	Enabled, but not checked	Disabled	Enabled

Table 2.1.1.2.2.1.0.105

In the above table,

•

the first column (from the left) gives the current support for 8.3 names on the computer on which LFNAlias is being executed,

•

the second column, the state (en- or disabled and checked or not checked) of the System Vol. Only menu item,

•

the third column, whether the Enable on All Drives menu item is en- or disabled,

•

the fourth and last column (from the left) provides information on the state of the Disable on All Drives menu item.

Activating 8.3 Name Support
1.	Open the Options Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	In the Options menu, open the 8.3 Name Support menu item's sub-menu.
3.	Refer to the table ( Table 2.1.1.2.2.1.0.105 ) above, to determine the current confiugration of the 8.3 name support on your computer. Note, if the Disable on All Drives menu item is disabled and the Enable on All Drives menu item is enabled, you can choose either the System Vol. Only or the Enable on All Drives menu item to activate 8.3 name support. However, as indicated by the menu items' names, the former (System Vol. Only) will activate 8.3 name support on the system volume (typically C:) only, whereas the latter (Enable on All Drives) will activate it on all volumes/drives. Therefore, to be on the safe side, when performing the next step, we reccommend to choose Enable on All Drives.
4.	Provided that the Disable on All Drives menu item is disabled, select/click the System Vol. Only menu item to activate 8.3 name support on the system drive only. Otherwise, select/click Enable on All Drives menu item.

Deactivating 8.3 Name Support
1.	Open the Options Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	In the Options menu, open the 8.3 Name Support menu item's sub-menu.
3.	Refer to Table 2.1.1.2.2.1.0.105, above, to determine the current confiugration of the 8.3 name support on your computer.
4.	Provided that the System Vol. Only menu item is not checked, select/click the System Vol. Only menu item to deactivate 8.3 name support on all volumes except for the the system drive. To deactivate 8.3 name support on all drives, including the system drive, select/click the Disable on All Drives menu item. Unless LFNAlias has been configured to suppress its display, this will display either the Disable 8.3 Names on All Except the System Drive Dialog or the Disable 8.3 Names on All Drives Dialog. At this point you can either confirm or reconsider making the selected changes to the 8.3 name (support) configuration. By closing either dialog by means of its OK Button the changes will be applied. Closing the dialogs by all other means, including their Cancel Buttons , will leave the configuration unchanged.

8.3 Names on Remote/Network Drives
LFNAlias can and will convert 8.3 names on NTFS, network drives, if 8.3 name support is enabled on the remote/network computer to which the drive belongs. However, LFNAlias can not activate and/or deactivate 8.3 name support on remote systems. But, if you have administrator privileges on the remote computer, you could termporarily run LFNAlias on it, in order to activate (or deactivate) 8.3 support on its drives/volumes.

8.3 Names on Remote/Network Drives

LFNAlias can and will convert 8.3 names on NTFS, network drives, if 8.3 name support is enabled on the remote/network computer to which the drive belongs. However, LFNAlias can not activate and/or deactivate 8.3 name support on remote systems. But, if you have administrator privileges on the remote computer, you could termporarily run LFNAlias on it, in order to activate (or deactivate) 8.3 support on its drives/volumes.

Creating a New Output File
1.	Open the File Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	Select/click the New menu item.

Selecting or Specifying the Path to Convert
Apart from entering a path by typing it into the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box's edit field, it can also be entered or selected by several other, often, considerably more convenient and/or reliable means. This includes: Selecting the folder or file, the path of which should be converted, in the Browse for Files or Folders Dialog Selecting a recently converted path from the combo box's drop-down list Entering and selecting a path with the aid of the combo box's AutoComplete functionalit Per copy and paste Per drag and drop
Selecting the Folder or File in the Browse for Files or Folders Dialog::
1.	To open the Browse for Files or Folders Dialog, either click/select the Browse Button in the Convert Panel or the Browse to select ... menu item in the Main Menu's File Menu.
2.	In the Browse for Folder Dialog's Tree View, expand the folders from the root folder on down to the folder that contains the folder or file, the path of which you want to convert. As in the Tree View of Windows Explorer, a folder can be expanded and its sub-folders displayed, by clicking on the symbol (typically, a small plus sign or triangle) to the left of the respective folder's name. However, unlike the Tree View in Windows Explorer, the dialog's Tree View also shows a folder's files and therefore does not list the folder's contents separately.
3.	Once you've located the folder or file, select its caption. This will result in the folder or file's name being displayed in the Browse for Files or Folders Dialog's File/Folder Name Edit Field.
4.	Closing the dialog by means of its OK Button will confirm the selection and enter the file or folder's path, name, and extension in the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box's edit field.

Selecting a recently converted path from the combo box's drop-down list:
1.	Open the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box's drop-down list.
2.	Select the entry that is, or represents, the path that you want to convert.
3.	Don't forget, if the path is a relative path or you want to convert a fully qualified/absolute path into a relatvive path, verify that you've selected the correct base path in the Base Path's sub-menu.

Entering and selecting a path With the aid of AutoComplete:
1.	Verify that AutoComplete is turned on. It is turned on if the On menu item, in the Auto Complete sub-menu of the Options Menu, is checked. Otherwise, it is turned off.
2.	Enter the root of the path of the folder or file you want convert in the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box . This can be either the root of a local drive, such as the drive/volume "C:" (without the quotation marks), on which Windows is typically installed, a remote/network drive, mapped to a local drive (e.g. "X:", "Y:", "Z:"), or the name of a server (e.g. "\\SAMPLESERVER").
3.	Terminate the root path you have just entered by typing in a backslash ("\", without the quotation marks). Once you've entered the backslash that terminates the root path, a drop-down list will appear below the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box.
4.	If the name of the file or folder you want to convert is located in the root of the drive you have entered, it ought to be listed in this drop-down list. If it is, select it from the list by means of the up and down arrows on your keyboard and press Enter. You can also select it by means of the mouse by clicking on the respective path (with the left mouse button). If the name of the file or folder you want to convert is lower down in the folder hierarchy, you can select the top-most folder (that is, the folder immediately below the root) as just described.
5.	To subsequently select the folder in the next, lower, hierarchy level simply reopen and select it from the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box's Autocomplete drop-down list. Provided it isn't already terminated by a backslash, The Autocomplete drop-down list will be reopened and display the contents of the last folder in the path in the combo box's edit field whenever you add a backslash to the end of the text. You can thus descend the folder hierarchy by repeating the just described procedure (i.e. step 5) for every hierarchy level. That is, selecting the desired path from the drop-downlist and subsequently adding a backslash to open the drop-down list again. To move up in the folder hierarchy, simply delete the text in the combo box's edit field to the folder name in the path text from which you want to select a different sub-folder. This can be easily achieved by means of the backspace key on the keyboard.

Copying and Pasting a Path into the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box
1.	Select/highlight the path text in the control of the application from which you want to copy the path.
2.	Open the context menu in the source control. In most cases, controls that contain text also have a context menu which can be opened by clicking the right mouse button, while the respective control has the input focus.
3.	In the context menu opened in the previous step, select the menu item that reads "Copy".
4.	Click on the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box, so that it will receive the input focus.
5.	Open the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box's context menu, by means of a click of the right mouse button.
6.	In the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box's context menu, select/click the "Paste" menu item.

Dragging and Dropping a Path into the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box
1.	As in copy and paste operations, it is necessary to first select/highlight the path text in the source control.
2.	To subsequently drag the selected path it will genereally suffice to move the cursor over the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box while keeping the left button of the mouse pressed. However, depending on the application and control from which you intend to drag the path text, it may also be necessary to keep a key on the keyboard pressed, during the drag operation. For example, to drag the text from the Line Text (Preview) Field in the Go To Panel it is necessary to hold down the shift key to initiate the drag operatioon. This also applies to all other LFNAlias combo boxes and edit fields that only display a single line of text.
3.	Once you've positioned the cursor over the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box, simply release the left mouse button. This will insert the dragged text in the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box's edit field.

Converting a Path
LFNAlias provides two methods by which paths can be converted.

Method 1 for converting paths:
1.	Select or enter the path to convert into the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box by any method described under Selecting or Specifying the Path to Convert.
2.	Select/click the Convert Button in the Convert Panel. Alternatively you could also open the Tools Menu in the Main Menu and select/click the Convert menu item or simply press the F5 button on the keyboard.

Method 2 for converting paths:
1.	In Windows (File) Explorer navigate to the folder that contains the file or folders you want to convert.
2.	Select the files and/or folders you want to convert in the Windows (File) Explorer. Note, you can select multiple files and folders, or a combination of both. However, if the selection includes folders, only the paths of the selected folders will be converted and not those of the files and/or folders they contain.
3.	Keeping the left mouse button pressed, drag the selected file system objects over, and drop them into the Output Editor, by releasing the mouse button.

Listing Special Folder Paths
1.	Open the Tools Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	Select/click the List special folder paths menu item.. This will add all Known Folders and their DOS, 8.3 equivalents to the end of the currently open document in the Output Editor.

Listing Environment Variable Paths
1.	Open the Tools Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	Select/click the List environment var. paths menu item.. This will add all environment variables that represent file system paths to the end of the currently open document in the Output Editor.

Selecting a Base Path
In order to facilitate forming and de-referencing paths relative to folders other than the one LFNAlias is being run from, you can specify an alternative path, referred to as an alternative base path.
To select such an alternative, user defined base path:
1.	Open the Options Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	Select the Base Path menu item.
3.	In the sub-menu displayed as a result of step 2, select/click the Browse to select menu item. This will open the Browse for Folder Dialog.
4.	In the Browse for Folder Dialog's Tree View, expand the folders from the root folder on down to the folder you want to select. As in the Tree View of Windows Explorer, a folder can be expanded and its sub-folders displayed, by clicking on the icon (typically a small plus sign or triangle) to the left of the respective folder's name.
5.	Once the folder relative to which you want LFNAlias to form relative paths is displayed, select the folder's caption. This will result in the folder's name being displayed in the Browse for Folder Dialog's Folder Name Edit Field.
6.	Confirm the selection by closing the Browse for Folder Dialog by mean of selecting/clicking its OK Button. Depending on whether or not you have already selected an alternative base path, this will either replace the existing, or add a new menu item to the Base Path menu item's sub-menu in the Options Menu.
After having performed the above steps, you can switch between the application's path and the alternative, user defined base path, simply by selecting the respective menu item in the Options menu's Base Path sub-menu.

Creating Relative Paths
1.	In the Base Path sub-menu of the Options Menu, select the base path, relative to which the relative path(s) should be created. Note, that the base path and the absolute/fully qualified path in the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box have to be on the same logical drive.
2.	Enter or select the absolute/fully qualified path, you would like to convert into a relative path, in the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box. Note, that the entered or selected "path" may also be any supported and valid representation of a path, such as a GUID, or CSIDL_XXXX name or value. Provided, that they represent a path from the root on down and are located on the same logical drive as the selected base path.
3.	Click/select the Create Relative Paths(s) menu item in the Main Menu's Tools Menu.

Opening Folders and Files from the Output Editor

Both folders and files can be conveniently opened with the default program for the respective type, directly from the Ouput Editor.

Method 1 for opening a folder from the Output Editor:

In the Output Editor, select/highlight the text that is the path of the folder you want to open. Once you've selected a text that is a valid and accessible path to a folder, the selected path will also be shown in the Main Window's Status Bar.

Example 1

The DOS, short, 8.3 file name equivalent of the environment string (%TEMP%) path
"C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Temp" is:
C:\Users\ADMINI~1\AppData\Local\Temp
This is a child folder of the known folder
C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local
with the GUID {F1B32785-6FBA-4FCF-9D55-7B8E7F157091}

Line: 16

Col:43

Path:C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Temp

Now, either select/click the Open menu item in the Main Menu's File Menu or Open in the Output Editor's Context Menu.

A file can be opened with its default program by the exact same procedure.

Method 1 for opening a file from the Output Editor:

In the Output Editor, select/highlight the text that is the path of the file you want to open. Be sure to select the entire path and name, including the file's extension.

Example 2

The DOS, short, 8.3 file name equivalent of the file system path
"C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\SampleFile.txt"
is:
C:\Users\ADMINI~1\DOCUME~1\SAMPLE~1.TXT
This is a child folder of the known folder
C:\Users\Administrator\Documents
with the GUID {FDD39AD0-238F-46AF-ADB4-6C85480369C7}

Line: 9

Col:52

Path:"C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\SampleFile.txt"

As in Example 1, further above, selecting/clicking either the Open menu item in the Main Menu's File Menu or the Output Editor's Context Menu would now open the path marked as selected, using the default program for the file type. In this case, the file C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\SampleFile.txt, which would typically be opened in Windows Notepad.

Method 2 for opening a folder from the Output Editor:

As in method 1, it is necessary to select a path's text in the Output Editor. However, it is not necessary to select the entire (path's) text. It suffices to select only that portion of a text that constitutes an identifiable location (i.e. a folder).

Example 3

Line: 16

Col:33

Path:C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\

Select/click the Open menu item in (either) the Main Menu or the Output Editor's Context Menu.

This will then open the folder that is furthest to the right in the selected/highlighted text (in Example 3, the AppData folder under C:\Users\Administrator\). The method is also applicable to files' paths in the DOS, short, 8.3 format, as is demonstrated in the following example.

Example 4

Line: 10

Col:18

Path:C:\Users\ADMINI~1

Which, would open the folder C:\Users\ADMINI~1 (in the normal, long file name format: C:\Users\Administrator)

Method 2 for opening a file from the Output Editor:

This method for opening files differs from the previously described, in that it allows selecting a particular, non-default application/program with which the file should be opened and that it can not be used to open folders (i.e. it's restricted to files).

In the Output Editor, select/highlight the path and name (including the file extension) of the file you want to open.

Either in the Output Editor's Context Menu or the Main Menu, select/click the Open With ... menu item. This will open the Open With Dialog. This dialog provides a list of installed software applications from which you can choose the program with which the file should be opened.

In the Open With Dialog select/highlight the icon (and/or name) of the application with which the file should be opened. If you don't want your Windows default program settings to be altered for all files of the type selected/highlighted in the Output Editor, be sure to remove the check mark from the dialog's Use Always Check Box.

Close the Open With Dialog by means of selecting/clicking its OK Button.

Opening a Folder in a Command Line (Console) Window
1.	In the Output Editor, select/highlight the path of the folder you want to open. Note, that if a valid and accessible path is selected in the Output Editor, it is also shown in the Main Window's Status Bar.
2.	Either in the Main Menu's File Menu or the Output Editor's Context Menu, select/click the Open in Console menu item. This will open a Windows Command Prompt window and make the folder, of the path selected in the Output Editor, the current working directory of the new Windows Command Processor instance.

Opening a Folder in a PowerShell Window
The procedure for opening a folder in a PowerShell window is essentially identical to that for opening a folder in the default program or a Commmand Prompt window. However, it obviously requires that Windows PowerShell is installed on your computer.
1.	In the Output Editor, select/highlight the path of the folder you want to open. Once you've selected/highlighted a valid/existing and accessible path to a folder its path will be replicated in the Main Window's Status Bar.
2.	Either in the Main Menu's File Menu or the Output Editor's Context Menu, select/click the Open in PowerShell menu item. This will open a Windows Command Prompt window and make the folder, of the path selected in the Output Editor, the current working directory of the newly created Windows PowerShell instance.

Searching the Output for Text
1.	Open the Find Panel, by selecting/clicking the Find menu item in the Edit Menu.
2.	Enter the text you want to search the Output Editor's current contents for in the Find Combo Box's Edit Field.
3.	Select whether you want to find only exact mathces or not, by checking or removing the check mark from the Match Case Check Box.
4.	Intiiate the search by clicking the Find Next or Find Previous Button to locate and highlight/mark the next or previous occurrence of the term in the Find Combo Box's Edit Field.
5.	If necessary, repeat step 4 until you have found the text you're searching for.

Previewing a Particular Line's Text

Open the Go To Panel, by selecting/clicking the Go To menu item in the Edit Menu.

Enter the number of the line you would like preview in the (Go To Panel's) Line Number Combo Box.

Provided that the entered line number is valid (i.e. it does not exceed the number of lines in the Output Editor), the line's text will automatically be displayed in the Line Text Preview Field. If the entered line number is invalid, and you have not opted the notification to be suppressed, a message notifying you of the fact will be displayed in the vicinity of the Line Number Combo Box. It will also cause the Go To Button and menu items to be disabled.

Positioning the Caret in a Particular Line
1.	Open the Go To Panel, by selecting/clicking the Go To menu item in the Edit Menu.
2.	Enter the number of the line you would like to go to in the (Go To Panel's) Line Number Combo Box.
3.	Click the Go To Button. Alternatively you can select/click the either Go To menu item in the Main Menu or the Output Editor's Context Menu. This will select/highlight the entire line, position the caret at the end of it, and, if necessary, scroll the line into view. To subequently position the caret at the beginning of the line and/or de-select the line's text, simply press the Pos 1 key on the keyboard.

Using Line Numbers as Bookmarks
Apart from positioning the caret in a particular line, the Go To Panel can also function as a file specific, bookmark repository. This is how it's done:
To create a bookmark
1.	In the Output Editor, position the caret in the line you want to bookmark. You can use any method you like to do this, including Searching the Output for Text or Positioning the Caret in a Particular Line (both methods are described further above, on this page). However, if the latter method is used, you can skip the next step. If the caret already is in the line you want to bookmark, this step can obviously be skipped.
2.	Once the caret has been positioned in the line you want to bookmark, simply press the Go To Button in the Go To Panel or select/click either the Go To menu item in the Main Menu's Edit Menu or the Output Editor's Context Menu. This will add the respective line number to the Line Number Combo Box's drop down list.

To jump to a bookmark
To subsequently jump to this bookmarked line again, you would normally select the line number from the Go To Combo Box's drop down list and press the Go To Button in the Go To Panel or select/click the Go To menu item in the Edit or Context Menu. Unfortunately, this procedure has one obvious drawback, if you forget which text was in which line number, you would have to select each and every line number from the Go To Combo Box's drop down list and jump to that line in order to locate the sought for text and in the process you would lose your current position in the Output Editor. However, there is a far simpler and much more user friendy method. This being:
1.	Simply set the input focus to the Line Number Combo Box in the Go To Panel, by clicking on it whith the mouse.
2.	Using the wheel on your mouse, all you have to do now is scroll through the line numbers stored in the Line Number Combo Box's drop down list. As each and every line number is brought up into the Line Number Combo Box, the text currently in that line, will be displayed in the Line Text Preview Field.
3.	Once the text you've "bookmarked" is displayed, simply press the Go To Button to jump to the respective line. However, if you don't want to edit the line's text and you are not interested in the text that precedes and/or follows the bookmarked line, you could even skip this step, as it is already displayed, and portions or the entire text can be copied, in/from the Line Text Preview Field.

Saving the Output to a File
1.	Open the Main Menu's File Menu.
2.	Click/select the Save output as ... menu item to open the Save Output Dialog.
3.	Open the Folder Name Drop-Down List and select the folder in which you would like to save the file.
4.	In the dialog's Save as Type Drop-Down List, select the type of file as which the Output Editor's contents should be saved.
5.	Enter the name under which the file should be saved in the dialog's File Name Edit Field. The name of the file has to be unique within the selected folder, unless you want to overwrite/replace a file that already exists, In this case, you can simply select the icon or name of the file to be replacedd, in the dialog's List View, instead of typing it into the File Name Edit Field.
6.	Close the dialog by clicking/selecting its Save Button.

Loading a File

Files can be loaded manually into the Main Window's Output Editor either on the command line, by means of the Load ... command in the File Menu, or in as far as available, the Recent menu items. Alternatively, you can configure LFNAlias to load a particular (output) file automatically during application startup.

To load a file on the command line:

If you haven't already done so, open a Command Prompt window.

In the command prompt window, either open the folder in which LFNAlias was installed (typically/per default C:\Program Files\SST\LFNAlias\), or in which the main (and sole) executable and other LFNAlias files reside (i.e. wherever else you've installed or copied the files). Alternatively you can specify the path to the just referred to folder (as part of the first parameter) on the command line in the following step.

If you've opened the folder in which the LFNAlias files are located in the Windows Command Prompt window, all you need to do now, is type in SSTLFNAlias.exe and the fully qualified or relative path and name of the text file you want to open. If you haven't changed to the folder in which the LFNAlias executable is located you need to type in the full or relative path to SSTLFNAlias.exe, SSTLFNAlias.exe and the fully qualified or relative path and name of the text file you want to open. Optionally, you can also specify the read-only parameter that initially prevents the opened file from being modified.

The following 4 examples all demonstrate the above steps. They assume that the LFNAlias files are in the default installation folder on the local drive C: (C:\Program Files\SST\LFNAlias), that the file to be opened is located in the logged on user's Documents *1 folder and, with the exception of Example 4, is named SampleFileName.txt.

The text (set in a different type) of each example shows the output created by the command interpreter and the user input necessary to produce the following line and ultimately open the specified file in the LFNAlias Main Window. The output, created by the command interpreter, being the text to the left of the prompt (typically, a ">", without the quotation marks). The user input (i.e. the actual command) is the text to the right of the prompt and has to be typed in by the user. It is executed after pressing the Enter/Return key.

Example 1

C:\Users\Administrator>cd Program Files\SST\LFNAlias

C:\Program Files\SST\LFNAlias>

C:\Program Files\SST\LFNAlias>SSTLFNAlias.exe C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\SampleFileName.txt

Example 2

C:\Users\Administrator>cd Program Files\SST\LFNAlias

C:\Program Files\SST\LFNAlias>

C:\Program Files\SST\LFNAlias>SSTLFNAlias.exe -READONLY C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\SampleFileName.txt

Example 3

C:\Users\Administrator>"C:\Program Files\SST\LFNAlias\SSTLFNAlias.exe" C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\SampleFileName.txt

Example 4

C:\Users\Administrator>"C:\Program Files\SST\LFNAlias\SSTLFNAlias.exe" "C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\Sample File Name.txt" /ro

Because Windows PowerShell is based on a wholly different concept, the procedure(s) for opening a particular output file in LFNAlias on the command line differs significantly from the just described.

To load a file in Windows PowerShell:

Open a Windows PowerShell window.

Add the path to the LFALias executable and other files to the Path environment variable. Instead, you could also create a function that opens LFNAlias with the desired parameter(s).

Enter SSTLFNAlias.exe together with the fully qualified/absolute path to the file you want to open.

As in the previous examples the follwoing assume that ... .

Example 5

PS C:\Users\Administrator> $env:path += ";C:\Program Files\SST\LFNAlias"
PS C:\Users\Administrator> SSTLFNAlias.exe C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\SampleFileName.txt

Example 6

PS C:\Users\Administrator> function LFNAlias1 {C:\PROGRA~1\SST\LFNAlias\SSTLFN~3.EXE C:\Users\ADMINI~1\DOCUME~1\SAMPLE~1 .TXT /READONLY}
PS C:\Users\Administrator> LFNAlias1

Loading a File Using the Load ... Menu Item

Open the Main Menu's File Menu.

Click/Select the Load ... command. This will open the Load Output File Dialog.

Select the file types you would like to be displayed in the dialog's List View in the File of Type Drop-Down List. Per default only text files, that is files with the .txt file extension are listed. To show a folder's entire contents, including folders and files that do not have .txt extensions, select All files (*.*) in the File of Type Drop-Down List

Using the dialog's (Look in) Folder Name Drop-Downl List and/or the Navigation Buttons (e.g. Go To Last Folder Button, etc.) navigate to the folder containing the file you want to open.

Select the file you would like to open in the dialog's List View. Alternatively, you can also specify the file's name directly. by typing it into File Name Edit Field.

Close the Load Output File Dialog by means of its OK Button.

Loading a Recently Opened or Saved File

Files you have opened or saved recently are automatically listed, in chronlogical order, as menu items in the Recent sub-menu. Provided that they have not been renamed, deleted, moved, or become otherwise inaccessible (e.g. the network connection is down, the user account under which LFNAlias is running doesn't have adequate access privileges, etc.), the listed files can be loaded into the Output Editor simply by selecting/clicking these menu-items.

Open the File Menu in the Main Menu

Select/highlight the Recent menu item to open its sub-menu.

Select/click the menu item with the path and name of the file you want to open from the list below the Clear menu item.

This will load the selected file into the Output Editor. If the file can't be loaded, LFNAlias displays the Load Recent File Error Dialog and, unless the cause is merely a sharing violation (i.e. the file is in use by another application/process), the respective menu item is disabled. Should the file be avaiable again when LFNAlias is next started, its menu item in the Recent sub-menu will be reenabled, otherwise it will remain disabled until it is loaded by another method or drops out of the list of recently loaded/saved files.

Configuring LFNAlias to Automatically Load a File

Open the Main Menu's Options Menu.

Click/Select the Preferences menu item. This will open the Preferences Dialog.

On the Preferences Dialog click/select the Editor Tab to display the Editor Tab Sheet.

On the Editor Tab Sheet select the file that should be opened per default either from one of the recently opened files (if any) in the ... combo box's drop-down list, or by means of the dialog that is displayed when clicking/pressing the Select Default Output File Button.

Close the Preferences Dialog by (means of) clicking/selecting its OK Button.

The next time a LFNAlias instance is opened, the selected file will be loaded into the Output Editor during application startup.

Printing the Contents of the Output Editor
1.	Open the Main Menu's File Menu.
2.	Click/select the Print ... menu item to open the Print Dialog.
3.	In the Print Dialog select the printer on which the contents of the Output Editor should be printed from the Printers Drop-Down List.
4.	Check and make any adjustmenst necessary to the printer configuration in the dialog opened by the Print Dialog's) Properties Button.
5.	Specifiy/select the number of copies that should be printed in the Number of Copies Edit Field.
5.	Click/select the dialog's OK Button to print the Output Editor's contents on the printer selected in step 3.

Changing the Zoom Factor
The zoom factor, that is the magnification with which the text in the Output Editor is displayed, can be set by two methods. The first method in- or decreases the zoom factor indirectly, step by step, from the current magnification to the max. or min. magnification. By applying the second method the zoom factor will be set directly to the desired magnification.

Changing the Zoom Factor, Method 1
1.	Open the Options Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	Open the Zoom menu item's sub-menu.
3.	In the Zoom menu item's sub-menu, select/click the Zoom in menu item to increase the magnification, select/click the Zoom out menu item to decrease it.
As long as the upper or lower zoom factor limit has not been reached, the above is also achieved simply by simultaneously pressing the Ctrl and + (plus sign) or the Ctrl and - (minus sign/dash) keys on the keyboard. The first of these two keyoard shortcuts will increase the magnification, the second will decrease it.

Changing the Zoom Factor, Method 2
1.	Open the Options Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	Open the Zoom menu item's sub-menu.
3.	In the Zoom menu item's sub-menu select/click the menu item that corresponds to the magnification with which you would like to have the text in the Output Editor displayed. Selecting/clicking the Zoom 150 % menu item will set the mangnification to one and a half times the normal/default size, selecting/clicking the Zoom 75 % menu item will set the mangnification to 3/4 of the normal/default size, and so on.

Setting the Default Zoom Factor
1.	Open the Options Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	Click/select the Preferences ... menu item (at the bottom of the Options Menu).
3.	In the Preferences Dialog opened in the previous step, click on the Editor Tab.
4.	Select the desired default, zoom factor from the Zoom Factor Drop Down List/Selector.
5.	Close the Preferences Dialog by means of its OK Button. When you next open LFNAlias or create a new instance, the text in the Output Editor will be displayed with the magnification set in the previous step. Nonetheless, you will still be able to change the magnification on a per instance basis.

Deleting/Clearing the List of Recently Opened Files
1.	Open the File Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	In the File Menu select/highlight the Recent menu item to open its sub-menu
3	Provided, the Recent menu item's sub-menu contains a list of recently opened file's, in form of of more than one file's path and name, and the Clear menu item is enabled, click/select the Clear menu item. This will remove all menu items below the Clear menu item, and disable the Recent menu item until further files have been opened or saved. It will also delete the corresponding entries in the Windows registry, in which this information was stored. This includes the line numbers from the Line Number Combo Box, of all files in the list.

Turning AutoComplete On or Off
To turn AutoComplete on:
1.	Open the Options Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	Select/highlight the Auto Complete menu item to display its sub-menu.
3.	Unless it is already preceded by a check mark or bullet, click/select the On menu item to activate AutoComplete. Otherwise AutoComplete is already active and clicking/selecting the On menu item has no effect.

To turn AutoComplete off:
1.	Open the Options Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	Select/highlight the Auto Complete menu item to display its sub-menu.
3.	If the On menu item is the menu item preceded by check mark or bullet, click/select the Off menu item to deactivate AutoComplete. Otherwise AutoComplete has already been turned off and this step can be skipped.

Changing the AutoComplete Startup Settings
1.	Open the Options Menu in the Main Menu,
2.	Selecti/click the Preferences ... menu item in the Options Menu, to open the Preferences Dialog.
3.	Use the Autocomplete Drop Down List/Selector on the General Tab Sheet to enable or disable the functionality that automatically completes paths and/or file names in the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box when LFNAlias starts.
4.	Close the Preferences Dialog by means of its OK Button to save the changes to the configuration.

File System Redirection
Note, that this feature is only available when LFNAlias is running under a 64-bit Windows version. Otherwise, this feature is not available and the File System Redirection menu item in the Main Menu's Options Menu is disabled, as in Fig. 2.1.1.2.2.1.0.100.
To disable file system redirection:
1.	Open the Options Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	Select/highlight the File System Redirection menu item to display its sub-menu.
3.	Unless it is already preceded by a check mark or bullet, click/select the Disabled menu item to prevent Windows from redirecting the request for certain files and folders to the 32-bit version of these files and folders. If the Disabled menu item is already preceded by a check mark or bullet, file system redirection has already been disabled, either only for the current, LFNAlias process or as the default for all LFNAlias processes and this step can be skipped.

To enable file system redirection:
1.	Open the Options Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	Select/highlight the File System Redirection menu item to display its sub-menu.
3.	If the Enabled menu item is preceded by a check mark or bullet, file system redirection is already enabled and further action is not necessary. Otherwise, file system redirection can be enabled for the current LFNAlias process, simply by selecting/clicking the Enabled menu item.

Modifying the File System Redirection Startup Configuration
1.	Open the Options Menu in the Main Menu,
2.	Selecti/click the Preferences ... menu item in the Options Menu, to open the Preferences Dialog.
3.	Use the File System Redirection Drop Down List/Selector on the General Tab Sheet to have file system redirection either en- or disabled, when you next open/run or create a new LFNAlias instance.
4.	Close the Preferences Dialog by means of its OK Button to save the changes to the configuration.

Deleting/Clearing the List of Recently Converted Paths
Because the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box is likely to be the most frequently used control, its drop-down list will also tend to get cluttered with rarely or unused entries very fast. We have therefore implemented a second means, in addition to the menu, by which the entries can be deleted. As this method does not require shifting the focus to the History Menu, it helps in avoiding distractions.
Mehtod 1:
1.	Open the History Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	Select/highlight the Converted Paths menu item to display its sub-menu.
3.	In the Converted Paths' sub-menu click/select the Clear List menu item.

Mehtod 2:
1.	Open the Folder/File Path and Name Combo Box 's drop-down list.
2.	Select the <Clear this list> entry, at the bottom of the list.

Both methods will remove all entries from the combo box's drop-down list and, provided no new paths were added to the list in the meantime, it will also delete the corresponding values from the Windows registry when the LFNAlias instance is closed.

Deleting/Clearing (the List of) Recent Search Texts
1.	Open the History Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	Select/highlight the Find menu item to display its sub-menu.
3.	Click/select Clear List.

Deleting/Clearing a Line Numbers List
1.	Load the file, the line numbers of which should be deleted. This step can obviously be skipped if the file is already open in the Output Editor.
2.	Open the History Menu in the Main Menu.
3.	Select/highlight the Line Numbers menu item to display its sub-menu.
4.	Click/select the Clear List menu item. This will delete all line numbers in the Line Number Combo Box's drop-down list and the corresponding entries associated with the file's name in the Windows registry. But, it will not delete the registry values themselves.

Deleting/Clearing all Line Numbers Lists
As all line numbers are stored in the Windows registry in combination with a file's name, they can be deleted, simply by clearing the list of recently opened files.
1.	Perform the steps described under Deleting/Clearing the List of Recently Opened Files. This will delete all line numbers and the registry values in which they were stored. However, it will also delete the history list of files that were last opened or saved.

Customizing LFNAlias

Apart from being set on a per process/instance basis, various features of the LFNAlias application, can also be configured to be en- or disabled when the application starts and/or when a new LFNAlias instance is opened. This is achieved by

opening the Options Menu in the Main Menu.

Selecting/clicking the Preferences ... menu item in the Options Menu, will then open the Preferences Dialog.

Using the controls (e.g. the drop down lists, buttons, check boxes, etc.) on the individual Tab Sheets, make the adjustments to the settings you want to change.

Closing the Preferences Dialog by means of its OK Button will apply the changes made to the startup configuration of LFNAlias.

For more detailed instruction on how to configure various aspects of the LFNAlias startup behaviour please see the following topics, on this and the respective description page(s), listed below.

Using LFNAlias Topic		Description Topic
Configuring LFNAlias to Automatically Load a File		The Editor Tab Sheet
Changing the AutoComplete Startup Settings		The General Tab Sheet
Modifying the File System Redirection Startup Configuration		The General Tab Sheet
Setting the Default Zoom Factor		The Editor Tab Sheet

Obtaining Version Information
1.	Open the Help Menu in the Main Menu.
2.	In the Help Menu select/click the About ... menu item, at the bottom of the menu, to open the Version Info Dialog.
You can now determine the product, application, and/or operating system versions, by referring to the information on the corresponding Tab Sheet. Simply open the tab sheet that contains the desired inofrmation by clicking on the respective Tab at the top of the Version Info Dialog's Tab Sheets.

Copying and/or Saving the Entire Version Informmation
To view, copy, and/or save the entire version information to a file, simply open the Version Info Dialog as already described and, depending on whether you want to copy or save the information to a file, press either the Copy Info or the Save Info As button.

Copying and/or Saving the Application, Windows, or Manufacturer Informmation
To view, copy, and/or save (exclusively) the application or operating system (i.e. Windows) version information, open the Version Details or About Windows tab sheet and press the Copy Info or the Save Info As button. The same procedures can also be applied to the manufacturer information, displayed on the About SST Tab Sheet.

Copying Portions of the Application, About SST, and Windows Information
To copy portions of the information on the Version Details, About SST. or About Windows tab sheets, simply select the text on the respective tab sheet as you would in any editor or desktop publishing application (e.g. the Output Editor or Microsoft Word). For example, by dragging the caret over that part of the text you would like to copy, while holding the left mouse button pressed. Once you have thus highlighted/marked that part of the text you would like to copy, you can now either use a keyboard shortcut (e.g. Ctrl + c) to copy the marked text to the Windows clipboard or simply drag and drop it in another application.

Closing the Application
1.	Close all (if any) dialogs that may be open.
2.	Unless you haven't made any changes to the file currently open in the Output Editor and/or you don't want to save the information in it, save the contents of the Output Editor as described under Saving the Output to a File, above.
3.	Close the application by selecting Exit from the Main Menu's File Menu or by simultaneously pressing the Alt + F4 keys on the keyboard.

Footnotes

Under the supported Windows versions (i.e. Windows 2000 with SP4 and later), nearly all LFNAlias features can be used under normal user, and even under guest, accounts without modifying the default, Windows security settings. That is without granting special privileges to the user accounts or LFNAlias processes. However, in most cases, making changes to 8.3 name support requires administrator privileges.

Topic Hierarchy: LFNAlias • Support • User Guide • Table of Contents • Using LFNAlias.