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File Exchange offers users new opportunities
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During the past three years, the Internet has become an important communication tool for optometrists worldwide. Prior to the development of the World Wide Web and quality e-mail tools that have spurred the Internet's growth in optometric circles, other modes of telecommunication existed.
Starting in the mid-1980s, a small but loyal group of optometrists in the United States actively maintained and used a network of bulletin board systems known as OptNet. This network was gradually replaced by Internet technology in the mid-1990s, but was not forgotten.
OptNet offered optometrists a number of services that the Internet, as of yet, has failed to deliver. Foremost was the ability to maintain file libraries where doctors could share programs, data, spreadsheets, office manuals, digital pictures and other files. OptNet's users frequently uploaded files they had developed or located for others to take advantage of. This uploading capability has not been possible for optometrists on the Internet, or at least it has not been very easy.
Easy downloading, uploading
The Optcom Web site (www.optcom.com), sponsored by the Southern Council of Optometrists Inc., recently released a new service that brings OptNet-style file sharing back to the profession. Optcom File Exchange, as the service is known, is a file library where doctors can easily download and upload software in easy fashion.
File Exchange has already gotten off to a healthy start. Contact lens calculators, sample office databases, office manuals, .ZIP file management utilities, digital images and other files have been uploaded for doctors around the world to download. As more optometrists start uploading, this resource should become a focal point of optometric Internet activity.
How to use File Exchange
To find out how to effectively use File Exchange, let's take a look at Web-based downloading, which many Web sites offer. It's simple, but there are a few things worth talking about so you don't have any surprises.
The World Wide Web may look simple upon first inspection. Complicated Internet functions such as file transfer protocol (FTP) are seemingly gone. This isn't exactly true. The Web is really more of an amalgamation or blending of many Internet technologies. The key to successfully using more sophisticated Web services, such as File Exchange, is to have access to a quality Web browser. With a top-notch browser such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, downloading files from File Exchange is simple.
When you enter File Exchange, you'll notice a listing of the software available. You can read the title of the program or data file. The name of the doctor who uploaded the file is visible, as well as a detailed description of the offering. At the bottom of the listing is the actual file name, which is listed in blue and underlined. This indicates the file name is a hyperlink to the file, which currently resides on the Optcom2 server.
How to download
To download the file, all you've got to do is click on the file name. If the file is a recognized MIME type (your browser knows what kind of file it is), the download will begin, and the file will be displayed in the browser. Here's an example: Let's say you click on a file named "detach.gif," which is a .GIF file, a popular digital image file format. Your browser will download the file and display the image inside your browser. The same would be true of a .JPG or .BMP image file.
If the file you select is a .WAV file, such as "anthem.wav," then the browser will play it. All .WAV files are digital sound files. Other types of sound or music files include .AU, .MOD and .MID. If your computer is equipped with a sound card, these files will be played automatically.
If the file is of a type not normally used on Web pages, such as a WORD 7.0 file (.DOC), then your computer will have to take a look at the extension - the .DOC ending - and see if it recognizes the file type. If it does, the browser may be able to invoke an OLE function that will display the file inside the browser.
It can be somewhat disconcerting the first time you see this happen. A Microsoft Word document can actually come up inside Microsoft Explorer with most of the Word menu options "miraculously" merging with the Internet Explorer menus. Are you in Internet Explorer, or Word? Well, both, in a matter of speaking. Once you close the .DOC file down, the Internet Explorer menu will return to normal.
What happens if the browser doesn't recognize the MIME (file) type? In these instances, the browser will display a dialog box asking you to tell it where to put the file and what to call it. This is the most common response browsers will give when downloading popular .ZIP files and .EXE executables.
Some doctors get so accustomed to seeing the dialog box come up when they are downloading they're surprised when a .GIF or .DOC file pops up instead. "How do I save this file to my hard drive?" they will frequently ask. This is straightforward. Once the file has fully loaded, select the FILE menu in the browser and then SAVE AS. When you do this, the familiar dialog box will appear, allowing you to save the file wherever you want, using any name.
These basic download guidelines are true regardless of where you are downloading the file, as long as you're using a browser. File Exchange operates this way, as do all major download Web sites. These include www.stroud.com, www.tucows.com, www.microsoft.com and others.
.ZIP and .EXE files
For .ZIP and .EXE files, when you find a program you want to download, like the latest version of DOOM or Internet Explorer, you'll most likely be downloading a .ZIP or .EXE file. Files ending in .ZIP are compressed containers with one or many files that make up the actual program. Any kind of file can actually be compressed inside a .ZIP. To decompress these files, exposing the contents, you need a .ZIP management utility. WinZip is highly recommended and is available on File Exchange.
Do be aware, when you decompress .ZIP files, you can easily scatter hundreds of the contained files among other files in the directory the .ZIP was downloaded to. To avoid this, place the .ZIP file in its own directory first, or tell WinZip to create a new directory and place the files there.
Files ending in .EXE are executable files. All the programs on your computer use .EXE files. The .EXE files that you see available for download, however, are a bit different. These files are usually compressed files (like .ZIPs) with automatic installation and decompression routines built in. They are executable, but when run will usually fire up an install routine that then proceeds to decompress the contained files and ask you where you want the files installed. These install routines also can create folders, program groups and shortcuts.
To run an .EXE file, find the file with Windows Explorer (go to the START button and click the right mouse button. then choose EXPLORE), then double-click the .EXE file. This will invoke the file and make it run. Just follow the prompts from then on.
Uploading files to File Exchange
The above discussion on downloading files and then figuring out what to do with them is applicable to any download you perform regardless of Web site. Uploading, however, is available on very few Web sites, and when you do find such a service, the method of upload can vary greatly. On File Exchange, the process is very easy, provided your browser meets certain requirements.
The primary way to upload files to File Exchange is through the use of an ActiveX control. When your browser is in the File Exchange upload area, you will see a small graphic of a folder.
This folder is an ActiveX control. To upload, all you have to do is drag-and-drop the file you want to send onto the folder graphic. This will activate the upload function. The easiest way to do this is to run Windows Explorer in a small window on top of your browser and then drag the file from Windows Explorer, dropping it on the folder.
This ActiveX control makes the uploading process very easy. But, as I mentioned earlier, you must have a browser that meets certain requirements. The primary requirement is that the browser can use ActiveX controls at all. Microsoft Internet Explorer can use these controls, but make sure to use version 3.02 with Authenticode 2.0 or later. This powerful browser is free and can be downloaded directly from Microsoft (www.microsoft.com/ie).
Netscape users are left out in the cold, unless they download ScriptActive, a plug-in available from NCompass that makes Netscape compatible with ActiveX and VB-Script. You can learn more about ScriptActive by pointing your browser to www.ncompasslabs.com.
Uploading can also be performed with any FTP client. There is an excellent Windows 3.X and Windows 95 client available for download from File Exchange. Others can be found at www.stroud.com. All the information you will need to connect to the upload area via FTP can be found on File Exchange.
Posting your file description
Uploading to File Exchange is really a two-part exercise. Once you've successfully uploaded your file, you've got to create a library entry so people can find the file. You'll see the hyperlink to the appropriate area right on the upload control page. Once you click the link, you'll see a number of text entry boxes where you'll enter your name, the name of the program or file, the actual file name and extension, a description of the program, the size and your e-mail address.
Once you've filled all of this in properly, click the button at the bottom of the form and your entry is instantly posted to the File Exchange download page.
Make sure to proofread your entries before clicking the button. You won't get a chance to go back and edit. Also, don't click the button more than once, in order to avoid creating duplicate entries.
Sharing resources
The ability for doctors to exchange programs and data files of all types is a fantastic way to share resources. Digital images can be used in PowerPoint presentations. Office manuals can be used as starting points for new manuals. Programs can be shared. Finding just one good utility can save your hours of work, or maybe even heartache if that utility keeps you from losing important data.
Sometimes the use of such file libraries can become less serious. Doctors can exchange digital photos of themselves, their newborns or office renovations. The worldwide nature of the Internet demands some way to exchange nontextual information. File libraries such as File Exchange can tremendously augment the effective text-based communication that chat rooms and mailing lists provide.
For Your Information:
- Walter A. Mayo, OD, is founder of the Optometric Computing home page (http://www.optcom.com/) and a charter member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Primary Care Optometry News. He can be reached at Coastal Eye Group, 400 Marina Drive, PO Drawer L, Georgetown, SC 29442; (803) 546-8421; fax: (803) 546-1173; e-mail: waltmayo@aol.com. Dr. Mayo has no direct financial interest in any of the products mentioned in this article, nor is he a paid consultant for any company mentioned.