The "Attributes" group shows the standard file attributes, which are the same as under DOS and Windows. From the DOS and OS/2 command lines, you can use the ATTRIB command to set these flags. &xwp; allows you to modify these from the object's context menu also.

  1. The "Archive" bit is a user flag which is set by the operating system any time the file is changed; this is reset by many backup utilities to allow for checking whether the file needs to be archived again, because it has changed since the last backup.

  2. The "Read only" flag can be set for files which must not be written to; write access and attempts to delete the file will then be rejected by DOS and OS/2.

  3. The "System" bit is usually only set for system files which are required for the operating system to work. DOS and OS/2 will then reject write access and deletion as well, and the WPS will not allow moving the file either.

  4. The "Hidden" flag, finally, can be set in order to prevent a file from being displayed in directory listings and folders. That is, the file is not shown with the DIR command (unless the /A switch is specified), and it will not be shown in folders (unless the folder has been configured to display hidden files as well on the "Include" settings page). Be warned though, if you set this flag and close the settings notebook, the file might be hidden from the folder, and you might only be able to unset this flag from the command line, using the ATTRIB command.