Decoding example

To help you learn how to decode files with UUDeview, the distribution ZIP file contains a small sample encoded file called SAMPLE.UUE. This file contains a GIF graphic that's been UU-encoded.

This example will show you how to decode the sample file in a simple step-by-step way. When you start UUDeview, you'll see a window that looks something like this:

Notice that both the left- and right-hand windows are empty. This means that no files have yet been selected for decoding.

Step 1. Adding the file to decode

In this case, we want to decode the example file SAMPLE.UUE. It will be in the same directory as UUDeview. In the example, UUDeview is installed in the directory c:\uudeview.

You need to tell UUDeview that you want to decode this file. There are two ways to do this:

• The first way is to click the "Add" button below the "Decode these files" list. This will bring up a standard Windows "Open File" dialog box. Navigate to the directory where UUDeview is installed; you'll probably see something rather like this (though the drive and path will depend on your system's setup):
  
  
  Click on "sample.uue" in the left window and click OK. This will tell UUDeview that sample.uue is the file you want to decode.

  Tip: If you want to decode more than one file in a particular directory, you can select a group of files by clicking on the first file, holding down the <Shift> key, then clicking on the last file. To select multiple files that are not adjacent, click on the first file, then hold down the <Ctrl> key and click on the other files you want to decode.

  Tip: If the file you need to decode doesn't end in a "standard" extension for encoded data (e.g., .UUE, .MIM, .HQX), change the "List files of type" box to "All Files." This will show you all the files in a particular directory, regardless of the file extension.

   

• The second way to add files is to drag them onto the UUDeview window from the Explorer or File Manager. To do this, examine the directory where UUDeview is installed using Explorer or File Manager. Find sample.uue and click on it with the left mouse button and hold the mouse button down. Next, drag the file from the File Manager / Explorer window over the UUDeview window and release the mouse button.

Whichever way you add sample.uue, you should see a UUDeview window that looks something like this:

Notice that sample.uue now appears in the left-hand window "Decode these files." This window shows the files that UUDeview will examine when you click "Preview."

For the example case, sample.uue is the only file you need to have in the left window. When you decode your own files, you can place as many encoded files as you want in the "Decode these files" list, in any order. UUDeview will automatically figure out which files go together.

Step 2. Preview

Once you've told UUDeview what files you want to decode (just sample.uue in this case), you're ready to perform the Preview step. This tells UUDeview to examine the encoded files and see what binary data they contain.

To perform the preview, click the "Preview" button. UUDeview will examine the encoded file sample.uue and show you what it finds in the right hand window, like this:

If you look at the right window, you can see that the example file sample.uue contains only one binary file, about.gif. The check mark to the left of about.gif indicates that UUDeview thinks the file will decode OK.

Step 3. Set the Output Path

Now you need to tell UUDeview where to write the decoded file: the Output Path. The Output Path is found in the small box above the preview list. In the example, the Output Path is h:\uu\decode.

When you start UUDeview for the first time, it will fill in the Output Path with whatever happens to be the current directory at the time. To decode the file into another directory, fill in its name in the Output Path box. You can also browse for the correct Output Path by clicking the "Path" button next to the Output Path box.

Step 4. Decode the File!

Almost done! Once you've set the Output Path, all you need to do is click the "Go!" button. UUDeview will decode the file it found, about.gif, writing it into the directory in the Output Path box (h:\uu\decode in this case).

After you click the "Go!" button, UUDeview will decode the file, then the window will look something like this:

You'll notice that the check box next to about.gif now has a box around it. This means the file has been decoded successfully. In the example case, you'd now find the decoded file as h:\uu\decode\about.gif.

That's it! You're done!

Last revised: 30 December 2001