========================================================================

                      Random  Copy   Version 1.0.0

                     Copy files in random order

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  [ Software name ]  Random Copy
  [ Version       ]  1.0.0
  [ License type  ]  Freeware (free of charge, no warranty)
  [ Requirements  ]  Windows 10 (version 1607 or later) / Windows 11
                     .NET Desktop Runtime 8.0 (x86) is also required
  [ Author        ]  nocchi
  [ Contact       ]  nocchi225.tv@gmail.com
  [ Copyright     ]  nocchi


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  Table of Contents
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   1. Overview
   2. License
   3. System Requirements
   4. Installation
   5. Uninstallation
   6. Basic Usage
   7. Features
   8. Important Notes
   9. Disclaimer
  10. Third-Party Materials
  11. About Viruses and Malware
  12. Contacting the Author
  13. Version History


========================================================================
 1. Overview
========================================================================

  Random Copy copies the files in a folder to another folder in a
  random order.

  You can preview the copy order in an on-screen list before copying,
  shuffle it again as many times as you like, or rearrange it by hand
  using drag and drop. You can also add a sequence number to the
  beginning of each file name as the files are copied.

  * Typical uses

    - Writing music files to an SD card or USB flash drive in a
      random order
    - Shuffling the play order for devices that play files in
      file-name order, such as car audio systems
    - Arranging files so that tracks by the same artist are not
      played one after another
    - Copying only the files that match certain conditions out of a
      large collection

  * Main features

    - Copies files in a randomized order
    - Preview of the copy order, with manual rearranging
    - Sequence numbers added to the start of file names
      (7 formats to choose from)
    - Ordering that avoids placing files with the same leading word
      next to each other
    - Filtering by file name (include / exclude words)
    - Total size display, including an estimate of the space actually
      used on SD cards and similar media
    - Remembers the folders and settings you used last time
    - Automatic Japanese / English display


========================================================================
 2. License
========================================================================

  * License type

      This software is freeware. You may use it free of charge,
      for both personal and commercial purposes.
      There is no trial period and no feature limitation. All
      features are available at no cost.

  * Price

      Free. There are no payments or charges of any kind.
      The author never asks for payment, so if anything claims to be
      this software and requests money, it is unrelated to this
      software.

  * Redistribution

      You may redistribute this software freely, provided that this
      file (readme_en.txt) is included.

  * Modification

      You are free to modify the software for your own personal use.
      However, the author accepts no responsibility for any problems
      arising from the distribution of modified versions.

  * Copyright

      The copyright of this software belongs to the author (nocchi).


========================================================================
 3. System Requirements
========================================================================

  * Supported operating systems

      Windows 10 (version 1607 or later)
      Windows 11

      Note: Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are NOT supported.

  * Additional software required

      The following software is required in order to run this
      application. If it is not already installed on your computer,
      please install it first.

      ---------------------------------------------------------
        Name    : .NET Desktop Runtime 8.0 (x86 / 32-bit)
        Vendor  : Microsoft Corporation (free of charge)
        Get it  : https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/8.0
      ---------------------------------------------------------

      [ How to obtain it ]
        1. Open the page above in your web browser.
        2. Look for the section labelled "Run desktop apps".
        3. Click [ Windows  x86 ] in that section to download it.
        4. Run the downloaded file and follow the on-screen
           instructions to install it.

      [ *** IMPORTANT *** Be sure to choose the "x86" version ]
        This application is 32-bit, so the "x86" version is required
        even if you are using 64-bit Windows.
        The "x64" version will NOT run this application.

      [ If the runtime is not installed ]
        If you start this application without the runtime installed,
        a dialog asking you to install it will appear. You can open
        the download page from that dialog, but be sure to choose the
        "x86" version there as well.

  * CPU

      Runs on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows.
      (On 64-bit Windows it runs as a 32-bit application.)

  * Disk space

      About 1 MB (for the application itself, not counting the
      runtime above).


========================================================================
 4. Installation
========================================================================

  * If you have the installer version

      1. Run the included setup.exe
         (or RandomCopyInstaller.msi).
      2. Follow the on-screen instructions.
      3. When installation is complete, "RandomCopy" is added to the
         Start menu.

      Note: A message such as "Windows protected your PC" may appear
            during installation. This happens because the software is
            not digitally signed. If you are happy to continue,
            click "More info" and then "Run anyway".

  * If you have the ZIP version (no installer)

      1. Extract the ZIP file into any folder you like.
      2. Run RandomCopy.exe inside the extracted folder to start the
         application.
      3. The software does not use the registry, so you can move the
         folder anywhere and it will still work.


========================================================================
 5. Uninstallation
========================================================================

  * If you installed with the installer

      1. Open Windows "Settings".
      2. Go to "Apps" -> "Installed apps".
         (On Windows 10: "Apps & features")
      3. Find "RandomCopy" in the list and choose "Uninstall".

      You can also uninstall it from "Programs and Features" in the
      Control Panel.

  * If you have the ZIP version (no installer)

      Simply delete the folder you extracted.
      The software does not use the registry, so this removes it
      completely.

  * Removing the settings file

      This software saves your settings (the folders you selected and
      the various options) in the following location.

          %AppData%\RandomCopy\settings.json

      This file may remain after uninstalling. If you want to remove
      it completely, please delete the folder manually.

      [ How to open it ]
        Type %AppData% into the File Explorer address bar and press
        Enter. Then delete the "RandomCopy" folder inside.

      Note: This software never uses the registry. Once the file
            above is deleted, nothing is left behind.


========================================================================
 6. Basic Usage
========================================================================

  (1) Click [Browse...] next to "Source folder" and select the folder
      that contains the files you want to copy.
        -> The files are shuffled immediately and shown in the list.

  (2) Click [Browse...] next to "Destination folder" and select where
      you want the files copied to.

  (3) Check the copy order in the list, and adjust it if you like.

        [Shuffle]        ... Shuffle the order again
        Drag and drop    ... Drag a row to move it anywhere
        [Up] / [Down]    ... Move the selected row by one position
        [Remove]         ... Remove the selected rows from the list
        [Clear all]      ... Empty the list

  (4) Click [Start copy] to begin copying.
      Progress is shown with a bar and a file count.
      You can stop the operation at any time with [Cancel].


========================================================================
 7. Features
========================================================================

  * Random ordering

      When you select a source folder, the files are shuffled
      automatically. The list on screen is exactly the order in which
      the files will be copied. Each press of [Shuffle] produces a
      different order.

  * Include subfolders

      When checked, files inside subfolders of the source folder are
      also included.

      Note: All files are copied directly into the destination
            folder; the original folder structure is not recreated.

  * Overwrite existing

      Checked   ... Existing files with the same name are
                    overwritten.
      Unchecked ... Files are saved under a new name such as
                    "name (2).ext", leaving existing files untouched.

  * Prefix sequence number

      Adds the position in the copy order to the beginning of each
      file name. Use this when you want a device that sorts by file
      name to play the files in this exact order.

      The number of digits is chosen automatically based on how many
      files there are (for example, 001, 002 ... for 120 files).

      "Format" lets you choose how the number is written:

          _ underscore      ->  001_song.mp3
          - hyphen          ->  001-song.mp3
          space             ->  001 song.mp3
          [number]          ->  [001]song.mp3
          [number] +space   ->  [001] song.mp3
          (number)          ->  (001)song.mp3
          (number) +space   ->  (001) song.mp3

      The "File name" column in the list shows the resulting name, so
      you can check the result before copying.

  * Avoid same leading word in a row

      Arranges the files so that those beginning with the same word
      are not placed next to each other. This helps avoid several
      tracks by the same artist, or from the same series, playing
      back to back.

      The leading word is the part before the first space, underscore
      or hyphen. Uppercase and lowercase are treated the same.

          Example: "ArtistA - track1.mp3" -> leading word "ArtistA"

      If files starting with one particular word make up more than
      half of the total, it is mathematically impossible to separate
      them all. In that case the number of remaining adjacent pairs
      is shown at the bottom of the window.

  * Filter (include words / exclude words)

      Narrows down the target files by file name.

          Include words ... Keeps only files containing any of the
                            words you specify
          Exclude words ... Removes files containing any of the words
                            you specify

      To specify several words, separate them with spaces or commas.
      Uppercase and lowercase are treated the same.
      Click [Apply filter] or press Enter to apply.

          Example: Include words: mp3 wav
                   Exclude words: demo

  * Total size display

      Two totals are shown for the target files.

          Total     ... Simple sum of the file sizes
          Effective ... Sum rounded up to whole clusters; an estimate
                        of the space actually used on the destination

      On SD cards and USB drives, even a small file uses a whole
      allocation unit (cluster), so the real usage is larger than the
      simple total. Use this to judge whether there is enough free
      space at the destination.

      You can choose the unit in the "Cluster" box. "Auto
      (destination)" reads the setting from the destination drive
      automatically.

  * Settings are remembered

      Folder selections and all options are saved when you exit, and
      restored the next time you start the application.

  * Display language

      The application is displayed in Japanese when the Windows
      display language is Japanese, and in English otherwise.


========================================================================
 8. Important Notes
========================================================================

  * Source files are never modified

      This application only copies files. It never moves, deletes or
      modifies the files in the source folder.

  * Be careful with overwriting

      When "Overwrite existing" is checked, files with the same name
      in the destination folder are overwritten and cannot be
      recovered. Please double-check the destination folder before
      you start.

  * If copying fails

      If a file cannot be copied - for example because you do not
      have write permission, there is not enough free space, or the
      file is in use by another program - the operation stops at that
      point.
      Files copied up to that moment remain in the destination
      folder. The error message tells you how many files were copied.

  * About free space

      Before copying, please compare the "Effective" size shown on
      screen with the free space on the destination drive.

  * Large numbers of files

      If there are a great many files, the list may take a while to
      appear.

  * Back up important data

      We strongly recommend making a backup before working with
      important data, just in case.


========================================================================
 9. Disclaimer
========================================================================

  - This software is provided "AS IS", without warranty of any kind.
    The author makes no warranty that the software is fit for any
    particular purpose, that it will operate without interruption, or
    that it is free of defects.

  - In no event shall the author be liable for any damages whatsoever
    (including, but not limited to, loss or corruption of data,
    failure of storage media or equipment, or loss of business)
    arising out of the use of or inability to use this software.

  - You use this software entirely at your own risk and
    responsibility.

  - The author may change the specifications, stop distributing the
    software, or end support at any time without prior notice.

  - The author accepts no responsibility for any problems arising
    from the distribution of modified versions of this software.


========================================================================
 10. Third-Party Materials
========================================================================

  This software was created entirely by the author (nocchi).
  The distributed files contain no materials (assets, libraries,
  icons, and so on) copyrighted by any third party.

    - Program       ... created by the author
    - Icon artwork  ... created by the author
    - Documentation ... created by the author

  Please note that running this software requires the ".NET Desktop
  Runtime 8.0" provided by Microsoft Corporation. That runtime is not
  included in the distributed files; you obtain it yourself from
  Microsoft.


========================================================================
 11. About Viruses and Malware
========================================================================

  * Virus checking

      A virus check was performed before distribution.

  * What this software does NOT do

      So that you can use this software with confidence, here is a
      list of things it does not do.

        - It never communicates over the internet
          (no automatic updates, no usage reporting)
        - It never collects or transmits personal information or
          passwords
        - It contains no advertising and no affiliate tools
        - It does not stay resident and does not add itself to
          startup
        - It never modifies the registry
        - It never modifies or deletes the files in the source folder

      This software writes to only two places:

        1. The "destination folder" that you choose
        2. Its settings file
           (%AppData%\RandomCopy\settings.json)

  * Warnings from security software

      This software is not digitally signed, so depending on your
      environment, Windows SmartScreen or your security software may
      show a warning the first time you run it.

      This kind of warning is common for unsigned software with a
      small number of users, and does not mean that a virus was
      detected. If you have any concerns, please scan the files with
      your own security software before using them.


========================================================================
 12. Contacting the Author
========================================================================

      Author  : nocchi
      Contact : nocchi225.tv@gmail.com

  If you have any comments, requests or bug reports, please contact
  the author at the e-mail address above.

  When reporting a problem, it is very helpful if you can include the
  following information, as it makes the cause much easier to find.

      - The version of this software (1.0.0)
      - Your Windows version (Windows 10 / 11, and so on)
      - What you were doing when the problem occurred
      - The text of any error message that was displayed

  Note: This software is developed and maintained by one person, so
        it may take some time to reply, and a reply cannot always be
        guaranteed. Thank you for your understanding.

  Note: Support is provided at the author's discretion and is not
        guaranteed.


========================================================================
 13. Version History
========================================================================

  Version 1.0.0
      - Initial release


========================================================================

  Random Copy   Version 1.0.0
  Copyright (C) nocchi  All Rights Reserved.

  Author  : nocchi
  Contact : nocchi225.tv@gmail.com

========================================================================
