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PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #413)
[PCjs Machine "ibm5160"]
Waiting for machine "ibm5160" to load....
Information about “DOS UTILITIES #19”
This disk is chock full of very useful sets of utility programs and
systems that enhance and simplify the sometimes obscure MS/PC-DOS oper-
ating system command structure. There are also utility programs that
provide functions that are not available in 'plain vanilla' DOS.
System Requirements: 64K memory and one disk drive (some programs
require color graphics).
How to Start: Type: FILENAME (press enter) to start a program. FILENAME
is equal to the name of the program that you want to run, for
example: to start the program 1DIR, type: 1DIR (press enter).
Suggested Registration: Various amounts.
File Descriptions:
1DIR COM A sample of this 'Wonder' DOS shell program
BWVID ASM Source code of the BWVID.COM program
BWVID COM A program that stops a composite monitor from putting out
colors, displaying shades of grey instead
BWVID DOC Documentation of the BWVID.COM program
CED COM Command EDitor (expanded DOSEDIT) - command line editing
facility - many useful functions
CED DOC Documentation for the CED.COM program
COMMENT DOC Documentation for the COMMENT.SYS device driver
COMMENT SYS An MS/PC-DOS 2.0(+) device driver whose function is simply
to echo strings to the standard output device
DW COM DiskWipe - totally erases a diskette to its virgin state
DW DOC Documentation for DW.COM program
FASTFMT LBR Fast format utility system - formats diskettes using both
disk drives; has safety features; auto labelling sequence
FASTFMT TXT Text file explaining how to unscramble FASTFMT.LBR into a
usable system - the process is completely automated
LU EXE A Library unscramble program - used by the FASTFMT and
SCREN2 systems
MEMINIT EXE Sets memory switches; speed up power on
PARTNER COM RAM resident utility program which provides a set of disk
and directory maintenance facilities available from inside
running application programs at the touch of a key.
Requires a color graphics adapter.
PARTNER DOC Documentation for the PARTNER.COM program
PC-STAT COM Diplays system status - both hardware & software config.
PCPF COM A session manager - replaces bare DOS prompt with a
friendly display panel
PCPF DOC Documentation for the PCPF.COM program
SCREN2 LBR Screen Image Editor and utility; program DOS menus;
graphics control
SCREN2 TXT Text file explaining how to unscramble SCREN2.LBR into a
usable system - the process is completely automated
SETBW40 COM Used with BWVID.COM-does the same thing as DOS's MODE BW40
SETBW80 COM Used with BWVID.COM-does the same thing as DOS's MODE BW80
UNSQ COM Unsqeeze utility. Restores sqeezed files. Used by SCREN2
and FASTFMT systems above
Please note: the POPALARM program, which is listed as being on this
disk in the 4th edition of the PC-SIG Library Directory, has been
withdrawn from the author.
BWVID.ASM
;**************************************************************************
; The following is an Interrupt/Stay resident program that intercepts all
; BIOS video calls involving color and maps them to black and white calls.
; It will eliminate many of the fuzzy screens that arise from having
; a BW monitor hooked up to a color graphics board.
; THIS PROGRAM IS ONLY USEFUL IF YOU HAVE A BLACK AND WHITE HIGH RESOLUTION
; MONITOR CONNECTED TO YOUR GRAPHICS CARD.
;
; PROBLEMS THAT THIS ROUTINE SOLVES:
; This program, when installed will remove all the fuzzy displays that
; result when color display instructions are sent to BW monitor through
; the BIOS system. The VAST MAJORITY of available code does go through
; BIOS so this will catch most of those problems. This program works
; as follows:
; Force mode to 40x25 BW if BIOS call is for 40x25 color
; Force mode to 80x25 BW if BIOS call is for 80x25 color
; Force mode to 320x200 BW if BIOS call is for 320x200 color
; Intercepts BIOS calls to write attributes and characters and changes
; them in such a way that:
; * If forground is any color except black then it is forced to white
; * If background is any color except white then it is forced to black
; Intercepts BIOS graphic calls to set the palette and changes them such that:
; * Background is always black
; * Forground is always white
; The "Write Dot" and "Write Teletype" intercept functions both map fore-
; ground to white, regardless of the intended color.
;
; PROBLEMS THAT THIS ROUTINE CREATES:
; When information is transmitted to the view SOLELY through color
; information, then that information is lost in this transformation.
; (naturally!). So if, for example, a game has a color bar that switches
; from green to red to signify danger, that information will be lost.
; This is because generally all forground colors are forced to white and
; all background colors are forced to black. This is not so much a
; problem created by this program as it is a problem with Black and White
; monitors not conveying as much information as Color Monitors.
;
; PROBLEMS THAT THIS ROUTINE DOES NOTHING ABOUT:
; Any video calls that go straight to the hardware instead of going
; through BIOS. It is unfortunately the case that some VERY sophisticated
; programs that really have snazzy graphics do go to the hardware directly
; because of the speed benefits.
;
; After installing this program, all of the IBM Diagnostic tests look
; reasonable.
;
; When loaded this program uses 226 Decimal bytes of memory (It relocates
; itself down into the unused portion of the Program Segment Prefix
; to save memory)
;
; Written 5/02/85 by:
; Scott W. Killen
; P.O Box 27012
; Austin Texas 78705
; CIS ID: 76703,734
;
; This program is GiveAware! The only payment I ask is your comments and
; bug reports.
;**************************************************************************
white MACRO reg ; Force register to have white color code
LOCAL continue ; if not backgound.
MOV AH,0FCH ; Get ready for masking high bits
AND AH,reg ; Save High order bits
AND reg,03H ; test for foreground or background
JZ continue ; If background then we are finished
OR reg,03H ; Force to white forground
continue: OR reg,AH ; Recombine the two parts
ENDM
CSEG SEGMENT
ASSUME CS:CSEG
ORG 100H
CODESTART EQU 5CH
BWVID PROC NEAR
JMP initialize
entry_point:
test0: CMP AH,00H ; Is this set mode?
JNE test11 ; If not then try other test
CMP AL, 03H ; Check if Alpha Mode
JG test0a ; Jump if not Alpha mode
AND AL, 02H ; Force black and white display
JMP continue0 ;
test0a: CMP AL, 05H ; Check for Medium Res Graphics
JG continue0 ; Jump if not Medium Res Graphics
MOV AL, 05H ; Force black and white graphics
EXTRN DOS_RETURN:FAR
continue0: JMP DOS_RETURN ; This code is modified in line!
; Go to normal bios handling.
test11: CMP AH,0BH ; Is this the Set Palatte instruction
JNE test9 ; if not, then continue
CMP BH, 0 ; Is background color being set?
JNZ test11a ; if not go to set forground color set
MOV BL, 0 ; Background color is always black
JMP continue11
test11a: MOV BL,01H ; Foreground color should include set with White
continue11: JMP DOS_RETURN ; This code is modified in line!
test9: CMP AH,09H ; Is this a Write Character and Attribute
JNE test14 ; if not then try next test
MOV AH,BL ; Use the AH register for a minute
AND BL,07H ; Test for some foreground color
JZ test9a ; Jump if foreground is black
OR AH,07H ; Force foreground to white
test9a: MOV BL,AH ; Restore BL to old value with appropriate foreground
AND BL,70H ; Test for background color
XOR BL,70H ; Is it white?
JZ test9b ; Jump if background color is white
AND AH,8FH ; Force background to black
test9b: MOV BL,AH ; Ok set BL to corrected value
MOV AH,09H ; Restore AH and return to BIOS
continue9: JMP DOS_RETURN ; This code is modified in line!
test14: CMP AH,0EH ; Test for write teletype routine
JNE test12 ; Ok, proceed
WHITE BL ; Force forground (if any) to white
MOV AH,0EH ; Restore function code
continue14: JMP DOS_RETURN
test12: CMP AH,0CH ; Is this the write dot routine?
JNE continue12 ; if not then continue
WHITE AL ; Force the color (if any) to white
MOV AH,0CH ; Now restore function code
continue12: JMP DOS_RETURN
initialize:
PUSH DS ; Save DS for later use
XOR AX,AX ; Clear AX
MOV DS,AX ; Prepare to save original interrupt
MOV AX,40H
;
MOV SI,AX ; Source for INT 10h as provided for in the interrupt table
MOV DI, offset [continue0+1] ; Destination in the code segment for moving this pointer
MOVSW ; Move the two word address
MOVSW
MOV SI,AX ; Source for INT 10h as provided for in the interrupt table
MOV DI, offset [continue9+1] ; Destination in the code segment for moving this pointer
MOVSW ; Move the two word address
MOVSW
MOV SI,AX ; Source for INT 10h as provided for in the interrupt table
MOV DI, offset [continue11+1] ; Destination in the code segment for moving this pointer
MOVSW ; Move the two word address
MOVSW
MOV SI,AX ; Source for INT 10h as provided for in the interrupt table
MOV DI, offset [continue12+1] ; Destination in the code segment for moving this pointer
MOVSW ; Move the two word address
MOVSW
MOV SI,AX ; Source for INT 10h as provided for in the interrupt table
MOV DI, offset [continue14+1] ; Destination in the code segment for moving this pointer
MOVSW ; Move the two word address
MOVSW
;
MOV AX,CODESTART ; Fill AX with starting point
MOV [SI-04H],AX ; Move offset in line
MOV [SI-02H],CS ; Move segment value in line
;
POP DS ; Restore the data segment
MOV CX, offset initialize ; These lines relocate the interrupt
SUB CX, offset entry_point ; handler down into the unused
MOV DI, CODESTART ; portion of the Program Segment
MOV SI, offset entry_point ; Prefix (to save memory)!
REP MOVSB ;
;
MOV DX, offset initialize ; Top of code address
SUB DX, offset entry_point ; Width of code
ADD DX, CODESTART ; Bias by starting address
INT 27H ; Terminate but stay resident
BWVID ENDP
CSEG ENDS
END BWVID
BWVID.DOC
BWVID - See the Assembler program for detailed documentation.
SETBW40 - When executed this sets system in BW 40x25 mode
SETBW80 - When executed this sets system in BW 80x25 mode
SETBW40 does the same thing as MODE BW40
SETBW80 does the same thing as MODE BW80
If you are using a Black and White Monitor on a color graphics card,
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file should include either SETBW40 or SETBW80 followed
by BWVID. Example:
SETBW80
BWVID
DATE
TIME
If you make changes to the assembler file and then try to reassemble and
relink the program, your link and load sequence should look like:
MASM bwvid;
LINK bwvid;
EXE2BIN bwvid.exe bwvid.com
Please note that you should expect a Stack error and an unsatisfied external
reference at the link stage. The stack is not needed and the unsatisfied
external is resolved at install time.
CED.DOC
ced 1.0 User's Guide
Table of Contents
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
System Requirements . . . . . . . . 1
Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Command line editor . . . . . . . . 2
DOS command stack . . . . . . . . . 3
Application command stack . . . . . 5
Pcall function . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Synonyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Command chaining . . . . . . . . . . 7
Command parameters . . . . . . . . . 9
Ignoring commands . . . . . . . . . 10
Ignoring individual commands . . . . 11
Clearing ced objects . . . . . . . . 11
Configuration files . . . . . . . . 12
Changing default buffer sizes . . . 13
Status display . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Multiple definitions . . . . . . . . 15
User Commands . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Subfunction 0: Enqueue . . . . 16
Subfunction 1: Dequeue . . . . 17
Return registers . . . . . . . 17
Command processor . . . . . . . 17
Problem reporting . . . . . . . . . 18
Copyright and Disclaimer . . . . . . 19
Appendix A: Command summary . . . . 20
Appendix B: Order of Processing . . 22
Appendix C: Limitations . . . . . . 23
Appendix D: User Command Demo . . . 24
1
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
Purpose
-------
Ced (which stands for Command EDitor) provides the following
functions at the DOS prompt, or from within certain applications
programs:
-- Complete command line editing facility.
-- Recall of previously issued commands for re-entry.
-- Command synonyms, which may include "chaining" of a
series of commands.
-- Parameterization of synonym commands.
-- Recall of parameters for previously issued commands.
-- User-settable buffer sizes for all functions.
-- For programmers, a facility to add new "resident"
commands to the DOS shell.
Ced is an evolutionary development of two earlier programs by
another author: DOSEDIT, and RETRIEVE (an IBM copyrighted
product). It performs all of the functions of both programs, and
has a number of enhancements. Both DOSEDIT and RETRIEVE were
written by Jack Gersbach.
System Requirements
-------------------
Ced was written for an IBM PC/XT/AT or compatible machine.
However, it uses no hardware-specific functions, so it will
probably work with any MS-DOS machine.
Ced requires DOS Version 2.00 or later. It increases the size of
resident DOS by about 14K bytes after installation with default
buffer sizes (this can be reduced).
Terminology
-----------
This document will usually refer to "commands" or "DOS commands"
as ced targets; you should take this to mean either (a) actual
DOS commands, or (b) input to ced-compatible programs (for
example, DEBUG commands).
Key names are as follows:
2
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
<Up> The up-arrow key on the numeric keypad.
<Down> The down-arrow key on the numeric keypad.
<Left> The left-arrow key on the numeric keypad.
<Right> The right-arrow key on the numeric keypad.
<Backspace> The large left-arrow key, next to NumLock.
A carat (^) means to press the Ctrl key in conjunction with a
named key; for example, <^End> means "press and hold the Ctrl
key, then press <End>".
Words in CAPS are ced keywords and must be typed exactly as shown
(they need not be capitalized when you use them).
Words in [brackets] are optional elements of a command.
Installation
------------
Installation (in its simplest form) is accomplished by typing
"ced" at the DOS prompt, or including the statement "ced" in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file. There are optional parameters when installing
ced; these will be covered later.
After ced is installed, everything will appear to be normal, but
you now have many new features when entering DOS commands. The
remainder of this document will describe these features.
Ced is active either at the DOS prompt, or when an application
program requests buffered keyboard input from DOS (DOS function
0AH). There are a few such programs (DEBUG and EDLIN are two);
but the main use of ced is at the DOS prompt.
Once ced has been installed, the command "CED" becomes an
internal DOS command. Thus, when you want to issue ced commands
(as explained below), you will type "CED <command>", but the
program file (CED.COM) need NOT be available on disk. Ced
becomes fully memory resident and is an extension to DOS after
installation. In particular, this means that you should NOT
include a drive or path in issuing CED commands after initial
installation. A command like "C:CED SYN d dir" will reload ced,
which is probably not what you intend.
Command line editor
-------------------
Ced provides a new "editor" for DOS commands. The DOS editing
keys (F3 for copy-to-end-of-line, for example) are no longer
available. Instead, the following keys may be used:
<Home> Cursor to home position (first character).
3
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
<End> Cursor to end position (following last
character displayed).
<Left> Cursor left one character position. This
does not erase any characters, it simply
moves the cursor.
<Right> Cursor right one position.
<^Left> Cursor left one word.
<^Right> Cursor right one word.
<Ins> Enter/exit Insert mode. When Insert is on,
new characters will be inserted at the
current cursor position. When Insert is off,
new characters will type over the character
at the cursor position.
<Del> Delete the character at the cursor position.
<Backspace> Delete the character to the left of the
cursor position (destructive backspace).
<^End> Delete all characters from cursor position to
end of line.
<Esc> Cancel: erase all data and start over.
When you have completed entering and editing the command, press
<Enter> as usual to execute.
DOS command stack
-----------------
Ced keeps a record of each command you enter. You can retrieve
and re-enter these commands by using the <Up> and <Down> keys to
display the old commands, then pressing <Enter> when the desired
command is displayed (the command can be edited, of course).
You can visualize the stored data as a "stack" of commands.
Ced keeps a pointer to somewhere in this stack. The pointer
always points to a location "between" two commands; when you
press <Up>, ced displays the command "above" the pointer, then
moves the pointer up one command. When you press <Down>, ced
displays the command "below" the pointer, then moves the pointer
down one command.
For example, suppose you have entered commands A, B, and C. The
stack will appear as follows:
4
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
+-------------+
| A |
+-------------+
| B |
+-------------+
| C |
+-------------+ <-- pointer
The stack is circular in nature; thus, if the pointer points
"below" the last command in the stack (as it does above), it is
actually between the last command (C) and the first command
(A). In the situation above, pressing <Up> will display command
C and leave the pointer between B and C. Pressing <Down> will
display command A, and leave the pointer between A and B.
When you recall an old command and re-enter it without editing,
the re-entered command is not added to the stack, and the pointer
will drop one level. Suppose, for example, that you press <Up>
twice from the position above (pointer below C): B is displayed,
and the stack looks like this:
+-------------+
| A |
+-------------+ <-- pointer
| B |
+-------------+
| C |
+-------------+
If you now press <Enter> (without editing the command), command B
will be sent to DOS, and the pointer will drop to point between B
and C. From there, <Up> will display B again, and <Down> will
display C. Thus you can "recycle" a series of commands by
pressing <Up> until you see the first command, <Enter> to execute
it, then a series of <Down><Enter> sequences to re-execute the
commands in the original order.
If you retrieve an old command and edit it before execution, the
newly edited command is added to the bottom of the stack, and the
pointer will point just below it.
Ced will not stack any commands of two characters or less (the
theory being that it's easier to retype than to go searching
through the stack).
This is one of those computer gizmos that's easier to use than it
is to explain. Just play with <Up> and <Down>; you'll get the
idea.
5
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
You can remove a command from the stack by displaying it and
pressing <PgDn>, and you can clear the entire stack by pressing
<PgUp>.
The actual number of commands which will be held in the stack is
a function of the length of the commands and the size of the
stack (which can be increased; see below for details).
Application command stack
-------------------------
Ced actually keeps two complete command stacks: one is for DOS
commands, the other for commands entered into compatible appli-
cations programs (DEBUG, et al). Thus, DOS commands will not
appear in the command stack while in DEBUG, and vice versa.
Pcall function
--------------
"Pcall" stands for parameter recall; this is a second way to
quickly retrieve old commands. Pcall simply remembers old
parameters to specific commands. For example, suppose you have
an editor called "edit", and the last time you executed it, you
used "edit c:\util\foo.doc". If you now enter "edit" without any
parameters, ced will assume that you want to edit the same file
and will supply the "c:\util\foo.doc" for you.
You could, of course, scroll back through the command buffer to
find the old command, but it might take a while to find it (and
the command might be missing if it was too long ago).
Because many commands are best used WITHOUT parameter recall
(FORMAT and ERASE are good examples), ced will only use pcall on
commands that you specify. To make a command "pcallable", type
CED PCALL <command>
at the DOS prompt. For example, if you want to make "edit" a
pcall command, type
CED PCALL edit
(Remember that the ced diskette need not be available).
If you wish to issue a command for which pcall is enabled, but
you do not want it to have parameters, add a space after the
command. For example, suppose you have issued a "CED PCALL dir"
command and your last dir was a "dir *.exe". If you now type
"dir", ced will add the "*.exe" automatically. However, if you
type "dir " (note the space), ced will not add the "*.exe", and
you'll get a full directory.
6
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
You may also bypass pcall processing through the use of the
ignore character; see below, under "Ignoring Individual
Commands".
Synonyms
--------
The synonym function allows you to define brief "synonyms" for
frequently used commands. For example, suppose you invoke your
communications package by typing "talk rbbs /c63". Ced allows
you to abbreviate this to a shorter command, say, "bb", by
typing at the DOS prompt:
CED SYN bb talk rbbs /c63
The exact syntax is:
CED SYN <synonym> <command>
The <synonym> is the command abbreviation (which you will type at
the DOS prompt), and <command> is the word or phrase which ced
will substitute when it sees <synonym>. The synonym is always
the first word after the keyword "syn", and <command> is always
all of the remaining words.
For example, "ced syn d dir" allows you to type "d" instead of
"dir". You may add parameters: "d *.exe" becomes equivalent to
"dir *.exe".
Many people define very short synonyms for frequently used
commands:
CED SYN d dir
CED SYN e edit
CED SYN g debug
CED SYN l link
CED SYN rbbs talk rbbs /c63
CED SYN cc1 cc1 -bpe
Note in the last example that you can use a synonym which is
identical to its associated phrase and simply use it to automat-
ically add parameters.
Also note that synonym processing takes place AFTER pcall
processing; thus if you use a command synonym and wish the
command to be "pcallable", use the synonym in the pcall command.
For example:
CED SYN e edit
CED PCALL e (not PCALL edit)
7
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
User program synonyms
---------------------
Because ced "knows" whether it is being used from the DOS prompt
or from an application program such as DEBUG, it is possible to
define separate sets of synonyms for DOS commands and for user
programs. The syntax for a "user synonym" is
CED USERSYN <synonym> <command>
This is identical to the SYN command except for the new keyword
USERSYN. For example, if you need to frequently type the DEBUG
command "d ds:1010 1200", you might use
CED USERSYN d1 d es:1010 1200
(Remember that DEBUG is a ced-compatible program; thus you can
type ced commands at the DEBUG prompt.) Then you could simply
type "d1" to dump memory from the specified address. Note
that a "d1" USERSYN is separate from a "d1" SYN; at the DOS
prompt you'd get the SYN, in DEBUG or EDLIN you'd get the
USERSYN.
Command chaining
----------------
The command chaining feature allows you to place more than one
command in a SYN or USERSYN. These commands would be passed to
DOS or to the user program one at a time, as input is requested.
Suppose, for example, that in order to run your communications
package, you always type:
cd \talk
talk cis /c63
cd \
You could put this sequence into one synonym by typing
CED SYN cis cd \talk^talk cis /c63^cd \
The ^ character serves as a command separator. When you type CIS
at the prompt, ced will output everything up to the ^ (in this
case, "cd \talk") and then simulate an <Enter>. The next time
DOS requests input, it will get "talk cis /c63<Enter>", and so
on.
Note that ced will not pass DOS-chained commands to user
programs; thus, in
8
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
CED SYN bug cd \util^debug^cd \
DEBUG would not see the trailing "cd \", which would still be
held up until you return to the DOS prompt.
The first of the chained commands (e.g., the first 'cd \' above)
cannot itself be a synonym, but the remaining commands can. That
is, if 'f' and 'g' are synonyms, the command
CED SYN h dir^f^g
will work as you expect. Be careful, though. A command like
CED syn f dir^f
will put the computer into a loop from which there is no retreat.
If one of the chained commands is a synonym which itself defines
more chain commands, the unused portions of the first chain will
be lost. If, for example, you have defined:
CED SYN f a^b^c
CED SYN b x^y
and you then execute "f", the commands actually executed will be
a, x, and y. Command c will be not be executed.
You may alter the chain character (command separator) via the ced
command
CED CHAINCH <char>
So, for example, "CED CHAINCH &" would replace ^ with & as the
command separator. The chain character can, but probably should
not, be a control character. If you are typing the command
directly into ced, you can just type the control character:
CED CHAINCH <Ctrl-A>
However, if you are setting the chain character via configuration
files (below), it may not be possible to type in the control
character directly. For this reason, you can also specify a
control character by typing the carat (^) and a letter key.
Thus, if you wanted to use ^Y as the chain character, you
would use '^' and 'Y':
CED CHAINCH ^Y
Certain control characters should not be used as for this
purpose, because they are used for other functions by DOS; among
these are ^C (cancel), ^G (bell), ^H (backspace), ^I (tab),
9
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
^L (linefeed), ^M (carriage return), ^P (printer on), and ^S
(stop).
The use of control characters as described has more meaningful
use in setting the "ignore" and "status request" characters
(below).
Command parameters
------------------
This section describes how synonyms and command chaining interact
with command line parameters.
The simplest case is a single word synonym like
CED SYN d dir
which specifies no special parameter handling. In this case, any
command line parameters are simply tacked on after the synonym
substitution: "d *.exe /w" becomes "dir *.exe /w".
If the synonym itself contains parameters:
CED SYN dw dir /w
a similar situation holds. For example, "dw *.asm" becomes "dir
/w *.asm". You might think of these simple nonchained synonyms
as just substitutions: when ced sees the synonym, it will simply
substitute the replacement text, leaving the rest of the command
line alone.
This simple substitution, however, means that your command line
parameters must always be the last text of the synonym. There
would be no way, for example, to define a synonym that would
obtain a directory of <name>.exe, where <name> is some filename
entered on the command line and ".exe" is part of the synonym.
That is, it would not be possible to define a synonym "d" such
that the command
d foo
would result in a "dir foo.exe" command.
However, ced does provide a way to substitute parameters into the
middle of a synonym. Ced recognizes the "%n" dummy parameter
format used by DOS batch files. %1 represents the first command
line parameter, %2 is the second, and so on, up to %9. Refer to
your DOS documentation (batch file section) if this is unclear.
Thus, a synonym which would provide the example function is:
10
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
CED SYN d dir %1.exe
When "d foo" is executed, "foo" (the first command line
parameter) is substituted for the %1, resulting in the desired
command "dir foo.exe".
When a synonym contains chained commands, all parameter
substitution is performed at one time, before the chain is
started. Thus,
CED SYN f a %1^b %2^c %3
when executed "f one two three" will result in three commands:
a one
b two
c three
If a chain-command synonym contains no dummy parameters (no %'s)
the command line parameters will be appended to the end of the
chain, i.e., as parameters to the last command. So,
CED SYN f a^b^c
when executed "f foo" will result in the three commands:
a
b
c foo
Ignoring commands
-----------------
There may be certain commands that you do not want ced to
process; for example, you might not want the ERASE command
stacked. To instruct ced to ignore a command, use the ced
command
CED IGNORE <command>
For example:
CED IGNORE erase
When a command is set to IGNORE, ced will not place it in the
command stack, check for aliases, or perform any pcall processing
(even if you have set PCALL for that command).
11
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
Ignoring individual commands
----------------------------
You may sometimes want ced to ignore processing of a specific
command. For example, you may have "dir" defined as a synonym
for an external program which will display a sorted directory,
but on occasion want to display a standard DOS directory. To
force ced to suspend all processing of a command, precede it with
^N (Ctrl-N). If the first character of input is ^N, ced will
not stack the command, check for aliases, or perform any pcall
processing (just as if it were IGNOREd). The Ctrl-N, of course,
is not passed to DOS or to the application program. For example:
^Ndir
If you find ^N inconvenient, you can change the ignore character
to a different character by using the IGNORECH command:
CED IGNORECH ^T
CED IGNORECH !
See the section on command chaining (above) for more information
on how to enter control characters in this command.
Clearing ced objects
--------------------
From time to time it may be useful to clear a ced "object": a
pcall command, a synonym, or an ignore command. The CLEAR
command allows you to do this. The formal syntax is:
CED CLEAR <function> [[FROM] <name>]
This looks more complex than it is. The <function> is one of
SYN, USERSYN, PCALL, and IGNORE. Since the [[FROM] <name>] is
optional, the simplest form of the clear command is exemplified
by:
CED CLEAR SYN
which will clear all synonyms. Similarly,
CED CLEAR PCALL
clears all pcall commands.
You may clear an individual item by including its name. For
example:
CED CLEAR USERSYN foo
12
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
clears the user synonym "foo", leaving all others synonyms
undisturbed.
Finally, you can clear all items FROM a specified item through
the end of the list with the FROM option. For example:
CED CLEAR USERSYN FROM foo
would clear the user synonym "foo" and all synonyms listed after
"foo". This command is particularly useful if you have loaded a
temporary set of synonyms for some special purpose. Suppose, for
example, that you have a set of synonyms already in memory, then
you load an additional set to be used temporarily. When you are
done, the command
CED CLEAR SYN FROM foo
would delete all of the "temporary" synonyms, assuming that the
first of these was "foo".
Note that SYN and USERSYN objects share storage. Thus, a
CLEAR SYN FROM <item> or CLEAR USERSYN FROM <item> will clear all
synonyms (of either type) FROM the named item. Similarly, CLEAR
SYN and CLEAR USERSYN are functionally identical: all synonyms of
either type will be cleared.
Configuration files
-------------------
Obviously it would be inconvenient to have to type in all of
these commands every time you use your computer. However, you
may put any ced command into a special ced configuration file,
and have them loaded all at once.
The configuration file is simply an ASCII text file (created by
your text editor, EDLIN, or word processor in nondocument mode)
which contains a series of ced commands. Just leave out the
keyword "CED", but include the rest of the command:
Rem Remarks are OK if preceded by "REM"
Rem
Rem Set chain char to '&'
Chainch &
Rem Set ignore char to '!'
Ignorech !
Rem Set a few synonyms
Syn d dir
Syn e edit
Syn cis cd \talk & talk cis & cd \
Usersyn dd d ds:1017 L40
Rem And a few pcall commands
13
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
Pcall e
Pcall debug
Rem Ignore all DEL, ERASE, and FORMAT commands
Ignore erase
Ignore format
Ignore del
To read in your file, use the CED -f command line switch:
CED -F<filename>
For example, if your configuration file is call CED.CFG, you'd
use
CED -Fced.cfg
If you load new configuration files during one computer session,
the PCALL, SYN, USERSYN, and IGNORE commands are added to those
already stored, without regard to duplication (see "Multiple
definitions" below).
Note that if you have several commands that you want to enter
into ced (but don't have them in a file), you can use
CED -Fcon
(which specifies CON: as the configuration file name) and then
type a series of ced commands from the keyboard. Type ^Z when
you are done.
Changing default buffer sizes
-----------------------------
Ced maintains six separate internal buffers (regions of memory
where data is stored). Each buffer is initially set to a default
size. The buffers and their default sizes are:
1. DOS command stack (2048 bytes)
2. Application program command stack (1024)
3. Synonym list (2048)
4. Pcall list (1024)
5. Ignore command list (1024)
6. User command list (described below) (1024)
You may make these buffers larger or smaller by including a list
of buffer sizes the FIRST time you load ced during a session
(i.e., when you turn on the computer, or after a Ctrl-Alt-Del
reboot). Use a -B switch as the FIRST ced command:
CED -Bn1,n2,n3,n4,n5,n6
14
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
where n1 is the desired size for buffer 1 (DOS command stack), n2
is the size for buffer 2 (App program command stack), etc. You
need not specify all sizes, but if you skip one or more sizes
(telling ced to use the default) you must include the separating
commas. Examples:
CED -B1000,2000,3000,4000,5000,6000 (Set all sizes)
CED -B1000,,3000 (Set sizes 1 and 3)
CED -B,,,,,6000 (Set size 6 only)
You cannot set any individual size less than 128 bytes, and the
total of all sizes must be not exceed 52K (53248) bytes.
Remember that the -B command must be the FIRST command used the
FIRST time you run ced during each session. It is not valid any
other time. If you wish to set sizes and read a configuration
file during autoexec, the syntax would be:
CED -Bn1,n2,n3,n4,n5,n6 -F<filename>
For your general information, here is what is stored in each of
the buffers, and what happens when it fills:
1. DOS Command stack: all non-ignored commands of 3 or more
characters entered at the DOS prompt. The command is stored
before alias and pcall processing. Each stored command requires
one byte more than the length of the command. When the buffer
fills, the oldest command is deleted.
2. Application program command stack: same as above, except
commands entered at participating program prompts are stored
here.
3. Synonym list: the full list of synonyms (both DOS and user
synonyms) plus their meanings. Each entry requires the combined
length of the synonym and its associated command plus three
bytes. When the synonym list fills, no new synonyms will be
accepted unless a CLEAR is performed first.
4. Pcall command list: the list of all pcall commands plus the
most recent parameter list for each. Each entry requires the
combined length of the command and its parameters (including
leading separators) plus two bytes. If the buffer is full when a
"CED PCALL" command is entered, the new pcall command will not be
accepted. If the buffer is full when a pcallable command is
entered, its parameters will not be remembered.
5. Ignore command list: the list of all IGNORE commands. Each
entry requires the command length plus one byte. If the buffer
is full when a new "CED IGNORE" command is entered, the new
command will be rejected.
15
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
6. User command list: the list of all user-installed commands.
Requires the command length plus six bytes of storage for each.
New commands will be rejected if the buffer is full. Ced itself
uses ten bytes of this buffer.
Status display
--------------
You may obtain a partial display of ced status any time CED is
active (i.e., at the DOS prompt or in a compatible program
awaiting input). Do this by hitting ^T (Ctrl-T). Ced will first
display all synonyms (preceded by [S] for SYN or [U] for
USERSYN), then a list of all buffers. For each buffer ced will
show the total bytes allocated and the number of bytes free.
When the display is complete, ced will redisplay any partial
input that you typed before ^T, and you may continue data entry.
If ^T is not convenient, you can change the status request
character by using the ced command
CED STATCH <character>
as in "CED STATCH ^A" or "CED STATCH %". See the section on
command chaining for more information on using control characters
in this command.
Multiple definitions
--------------------
It is possible to duplicate a definition within one of the ced
lists (SYN, USERSYN, PCALL, IGNORE). For example, you may create
more than one synonym for "d". In the event of multiple
definitions, ced will always use the newest.
Suppose, for example, that you have "d" defined as a SYN for
"dir". If you subsequently issue the command "CED SYN d debug",
you will have two synonyms for "d". When you enter "d", ced will
use the latest definition: "debug". If you then issue a "CLEAR
SYN d", ced will again use the latest definition and clear the
"debug" synonym, at which point the "dir" definition again
becomes effective.
Multiple definitions have no real meaning for PCALL and IGNORE,
but they are supported nonetheless.
16
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
User Commands
-------------
This section describes how to add new resident commands to DOS
using ced. It is an advanced topic, and is intended for
programmers only; you don't need to read this section to use ced.
Ced provides a means to enqueue new DOS commands, that is, to add
internal commands to DOS. Once enqueued, ced will call a routine
that you specify whenever the user types the new command (at
the DOS prompt, or in a "participating" program).
Access to ced service is provided via a bogus DOS function,
0FFH. This function behaves as a normal DOS function; that is,
you must set up the registers as needed by the call, place a 0FFH
in register AH, and execute an INT 21H. The two subfunctions are
described below; the subfunction code is placed in register
AL.
SUBFUNCTION 0: ENQUEUE
This subfunction allows you to enqueue a new command. Input
register use is as follows:
AH = 0FFH (ced service)
AL = 0 (ENQUEUE)
BL = MODE
This is a bit flag which tells ced when to call your
routine. You have the option of being called if your
command is typed at the DOS prompt, at a user program
prompt, or both. Bit 0, if set, specifies that you are
to be called at the DOS prompt; Bit 1, if set,
specifies that you are to be called at a user program
prompt.
DS:SI = command name
This is a dword pointer to your command (i.e., you are
to be called when the user types this string). The
command must be from one to eight characters,
terminated by a carriage return. Ced is not case
sensitive.
ES:DI = command processor entry point
This is a dword pointer to the routine which is to be
executed when the new command is entered.
17
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
SUBFUNCTION 1: DEQUEUE
This subfunction allows you to dequeue a user command; after a
command has been dequeued, ced will no longer call you if the
user types your command. Input register use is:
AH = 0FFH (ced service)
AL = 1 (DEQUEUE)
DS:SI = command name
A dword pointer to the name of the command to be
dequeued (i.e., the same DS:SI as was used to enqueue
the command).
RETURN REGISTERS
On return from ced service (DOS function 0FFH), all registers are
preserved except AX. The carry flag, if set, indicates that an
error occurred; AX has the error code, which will be one of:
1: Invalid function. At present, only subfunctions 0
and 1 are supported. Subfunction 2 is reserved.
2: Command not found (DEQUEUE only).
8: Insufficient memory (ENQUEUE only).
13: Invalid data. (ENQUEUE only; bad MODE flag, or invalid
command length).
NOTE: In current versions of DOS, AH returns 0FFH if function
0FFH is requested and ced is not installed. You may use the
reserved subfunction (2), at your own risk, to test for ced
installation. If AH returns any value other than 0FFH, ced is
probably installed.
COMMAND PROCESSOR
Your command processor is entered via a far call from ced. Entry
registers are as follows:
BL = MODE
This is the same bit flag as is used in the ENQUEUE
subfunction. You may use it to test "where you are".
CL = MAXLEN
This is the maximum allowed length of the user input
string (i.e., the value of byte 0 of the DOS function
0AH input buffer) less one.
18
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
DS:DX = Command tail pointer
This is a dword pointer to the command tail of the
user's input. For example, if your command is "hello"
and the user types "hello sam", DS:DX will point to the
space after "hello".
DS:DI = Command pointer
This is a dword pointer to the first byte of the actual
user input.
Note that DS:DI and DS:DX point to buffer space within ced, not
to the actual DOS function 0AH input buffer. There are no
length attribute bytes preceding the buffer; DS:SI points to the
first byte of the buffer, not the third. Ced will copy the final
buffer, after all processing, to the actual input buffer.
You may manipulate the buffer to your heart's content. It is 255
characters long, but ced will truncate the string if necessary
(if the final command is longer than the maximum allowed by the
function 0AH request). In particular, note two things about the
ced buffer:
1. The string MUST be terminated by a carriage return
ASCII 13).
2. If you null out the buffer (by putting a carriage
return in relative byte 0) ced will return a null
string to DOS or the user program. This is probably
what you will want to do.
There are few restrictions on what you can do within your service
routine. You may request other DOS service (but you may NOT
request more buffered input via function 0AH!!), and you need not
preserve any registers except SS:SP. The stack in effect on
entry will have about 200 bytes free; switch to a larger internal
stack if necessary.
Return to ced via a far RET.
Appendix D contains a sample MASM program to enqueue a trivial
command.
Problem reporting
-----------------
If you find any problems with ced, please report them to me,
preferably at CompuServe ID 76703,2002. Before reporting
problems, however, please take the following steps:
1. Reread the documentation!
19
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
2. Install ced in a "clean" environment, i.e., without any
other resident utilities. Temporarily rename your
AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files to other names; reboot,
reinstall ced, and test. If it works correctly, there is a
conflict with some other program. Isolate the conflict by
reinstalling your other programs one by one and by varying
the load order. If you locate the conflict, let me know
about it. I cannot guarantee that the conflict will be
resolved, but I will make an attempt when time permits.
It would not be necessary to rename CONFIG.SYS if it only
contains FILE, BUFFER, COUNTRY, FCBS, and ANSI.SYS
statements.
If the problem persists, please report the problem as accurately
and completely as possible. Include the ced version number
(obtained by the command CED VER), and a listing of your
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files if you think that might have
some bearing.
Copyright and Disclaimer
------------------------
Ced is hereby placed in the public domain. Both ced and this
documentation are, however, copyrighted by the author. Ced is
intended for your private, noncommercial use only. You may make
copies of the ced program and documentation files for your own
use, and you may copy the files for others. You may not,
however, charge for such copies, or in any other way sell the
program or otherwise attempt to make money from it or any
modified version of it.
However, recognized user's groups are hereby authorized to charge
an amount not more than $6.00 for materials, postage, etc.
I do not warrant that the documentation is accurate, or that the
program operates as designed. I will not be liable for any
damages of any kind sustained through the use of the program. By
using the program, you agree to this.
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines
Corporation. MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Both ced and this document are:
Copyright (c) 1985 by
Christopher J. Dunford
10057-2 Windstream Drive
Columbia, Maryland 21044
CompuServe ID 76703,2002
20
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
Appendix A: Command summary
---------------------------
The following is a complete summary of all ced commands. These
commands may be included in a ced configuration file (with the
exception of -F and -B), or they may be typed in directly by
prefixing them with "CED ".
-Bn1,n2,n3,n4,n5,n6 Sets the sizes of the six internal
buffers. Valid ONLY as first command
when installing ced after boot or
reboot.
-F<Filename> Loads a ced configuration file. Not a
valid command within a config file.
SYN <synonym> <command> Defines a synonym. The first word is
the synonym, all remaining words are
substituted for the synonym.
USERSYN <synonym> <command> Defines a user synonym. Identical
to SYN, except that the synonym is
available within user programs rather
than at the DOS prompt.
PCALL <command> Defines a command subject to pcall
processing.
IGNORE <command> Defines a command to be ignored--ced
will not perform any processing on this
command at all.
CHAINCH <char> Defines the command chaining character,
which is the character used to separate
commands in a multi-command synonym.
IGNORECH <char> Defines the keyboard-ignore character;
when this character is typed as the
first character of keyboard input, ced
will perform no further processing on
it.
STATCH <char> Defines the status request character.
When you type this character while ced
is active, ced will display its status.
CLEAR <function> [[FROM] <name>] Clears all or part of a
list of ced objects. <function> is one
of SYN, USERSYN, PCALL, or IGNORE.
Without arguments, clears all of the
specified list. With a <name>, clears
that item only. With a FROM <name>,
21
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
clears that item and all subsequent
items.
VER Display ced version number and copyright
notice.
Commands may be abbreviated as follows:
USERSYN USYN
PCALL PC
IGNORE IG
CHAINCH CC
IGNORECH IC
STATCH SC
CLEAR CL
Note, however, that the arguments to CLEAR may NOT be
abbreviated; CLEAR USYN or CLEAR PC are not valid.
22
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
Appendix B: Order of Processing
-------------------------------
Ced performs its basic processing in the following order:
1. Obtain input. If there is a chained command pending, obtain
input from the chain; otherwise from keyboard.
2. Check for "ignore". If command is an "ignore" command or if
the first character of input is the ignore character, suspend all
further processing.
3. Stack the command (if longer than two characters) in the
appropriate command stack.
4. Perform pcall (parameter recall) processing and store the
result for pcall processing next time the same command is
entered.
5. Perform synonym processing and parameter substitution. If the
synonym contains chained commands, set up for chaining of
subsequent input requests.
6. Examine the resulting command and see if it's a user-installed
command or a CED command. If so, call CED or user command
processor.
23
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
Appendix C: Limitations
-----------------------
There is a limit of 255 characters on any input line from a ced
configuration file. DOS will limit you to 127 characters at the
DOS prompt.
For PCALL, SYN, USERSYN, and IGNORE to be effective, their
commands must begin in the first column of input and must be
separated from any parameters by one of the following characters:
; , < > | = + [ ] / <Tab> <Space>
Thus, if you have "cd" defined for pcall processing, "cd\" will
not work correctly. However, "cd \" will be OK. Similarly, if
you have a synonym "d" for "debug", the command "c:\util\d" will
not work, nor will " d" (note leading space).
Programs which allow you to execute DOS commands or other
programs as subtasks generally do not use DOS function 0AH to
input the name of the subtask or command; thus, ced is not
active, and synonyms are usually not effective.
24
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
Appendix D: User Command Demo
-----------------------------
Comment *
userdemo.com - demo of ced user command enqueuing
Assembly: (M)ASM userdemo;
LINK userdemo; (ignore NO STACK message)
EXE2BIN userdemo userdemo.com
Use: Just type 'userdemo'. You now have
a new DOS command, "hello"
Author: CJDunford
05/28/85
*
CED equ 0FFH ; Special "DOS" fn for CED service
ENQUEUE equ 0 ; Subfunction: enqueue
DEQUEUE equ 1 ; Subfunction: dequeue
DOS equ 1 ; Cmd to be active at DOS prompt
USER equ 2 ; Cmd to be active at user prompt
CR equ 13
LF equ 10
code segment
assume cs:code,ds:code
org 100H
main proc far
jmp Install ; Go to installation
; -----------------------------------------------------
; This is the command processor. It will be called
; whenever the user types "hello" at the DOS prompt.
; The routine simply prints the string "Hi there, ace".
;
; On entry:
; BL: mode flag
; 1 = at DOS prompt
; 2 = at user program prompt
; CL: max length of input
; DS:SI => user command
; DS:DX => user command tail
;
; Remember to null out the user string so that
; it is not passed on to DOS, then exit via a far
25
=== ced 1.0 User's Guide ===
; return to ced. Not necessary to preserve any
; registers.
; ------------------------------------------------------
Hello proc far ; Must be a far procedure
mov byte ptr [si],CR ; Null out the user's input
mov ax,cs ; Set up local addressing
mov ds,ax
mov dx,offset HiThere$ ; Display our message
mov ah,9
int 21H
ret ; No need to restore any regs
Hello endp
HiThere$ db 'Hi there, ace',CR,LF,'$' ; Message to be displayed
; -----------------------------------------------
; This is the installation routine. It sets up
; the regs for a call to the ced command enqueing
; service, enqueues the command, and terminates,
; leaving the command service routine resident
; ------------------------------------------------
Install:
mov ah,CED ; CED service request
mov al,ENQUEUE ; Enqueue a new command
mov bl,DOS ; To be active at DOS prompt
mov si,offset Hello$ ; DS:SI => command ("Hello")
mov di,offset Hello ; ES:DI => service routine
int 21H ; Enqueue new command
jnc OK ; No carry, no error
mov dx,offset Error$ ; Only 1 error possible here
mov ah,9 ; Print string
int 21H
int 20H ; Return to DOS
OK:
mov dx,offset Install ; OK: terminate/resident
int 27H
main endp
Hello$ db 'hello',CR ; New command
Error$ db 'ced user command list full',CR,LF,'$'
code ends
end main
COMMENT.DOC
DOCUMENTATION FOR COMMENT.SYS
05/19/85
COMMENT.SYS is an MSDOS 2.0(+) device driver whose function is simply to echo
a string to the standard output device. The driver code is not actually
installed by dos, so no memory is wasted, and the driver can be referenced
in CONFIG.SYS as often as desired.
COMMENT.SYS is invoked by including a line like the following in your
CONFIG.SYS file:
DEVICE=COMMENT.SYS T\his is a \COMMENT.SYS \comment using '\\' escapes.
Since DOS converts all characters on the CONFIG.SYS line to upper-case,
it's necessary to use a special 'escape' character to preserve lower-case
input, and the backslash ('\') character was chosen for this purpose.
When COMMENT.SYS sees a single backslash character, it starts converting
characters to lower-case; the conversion continues until another single
backslash character is encountered. To make an actual '\' character appear
in the output without toggling the lower-case conversion, just use two
backslash characters together ('\\').
As an illustration, the CONFIG.SYS line above would be echoed as follows:
This is a COMMENT.SYS comment using '\' escapes.
The maximum length of the input string is 255 characters. The count starts
immediately after the 'DEVICE=' string, and includes '\' escape characters,
so the actual maximum length of the echoed string will be somewhat shorter.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMENT.SYS can be used to send ANSI graphics commands to the console
(assuming, of course, that ANSI.SYS has been installed by a previous
CONFIG.SYS line). The following line, for instance (adapted from an example
in the DOS 3.0 Technical Reference Manual), would reassign the F10 key to a
DIR command followed by a carriage return:
DEVICE=COMMENT.SYS <ESC>[0;68;"DIR";13\p
The '<ESC>' refers to an ASCII 'ESC' character (27 decimal, 1B hex), which
can be entered using many text editors. The '\' preceeding the 'p' is
necessary since the 'p' must remain in lower-case for the command to
work.
I'll leave other potential uses for COMMENT.SYS to your imagination.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMENT.SYS has been tested under PC-DOS 2.0, 2.1, and 3.0. It seems free
of bugs or side-effects, but while I would like to be informed of any problems
you may encounter, I can't be responsible for any possible damage and/or
loss of data that may result from the use of COMMENT.SYS.
The program was written at the suggestion of Walter Kennamer (CompuServe
74025,514).
Skip Gilbrech
90 Lexington Ave. #10-G
New York, NY 10016
CompuServe 71445,534
please leave messages on PCS-131)
DW.DOC
DISKWIPE (DW.COM) PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS
To use DISKWIPE, type the following from the DOS prompt ( A> ).
DISKWIPE [?:] [/B]
?: = The drive in which you will put the disk to be wiped.
/B = If you wish to wipe both sides (preferable) enter this operand.
The default is side 0 only. You will notice additional prompts
when doing a two-sided wipe.
WARNING: THIS PROCEDURE WILL TOTALLY ERASE THE DISK , INCLUDING FORMATTING.
NOTE: DISKWIPE will work on an AT but only on the 320/360K disc drive.
FASTFMT.TXT
Fastfmt is provided on this disk in a library form in order
to keep the files separate from the others so you can organize
your hard disk better.
In order to use fastfmt you should:
1) md\fastfmt create a fastfmt subdirectory
2) cd\fastfmt
3) copy a:fastfmt.lbr move in the fastfmt library
4) lu a fastfmt.lbr disperse the files in the fastfmt library
5) type ff.doc this file will tell you everything else
you need to know.
FILES413.TXT
Disk No 413
Program Title: DOS Utilities
PC-SIG version 1.2
This disk is chock full of very useful sets of utility programs and
systems that enhance and simplify the sometimes obscure MS/PC-DOS oper-
ating system command structure. There are also utility programs that
provide functions that are not available in 'plain vanilla' DOS.
Usage: DOS Utilities
System Requirements: 64K memory and one disk drive (some programs require
color graphics).
How to Start: Type: FILENAME (press enter) to start a program. FILENAME is
equal to the name of the program that you want to run, for example: to
start the program 1DIR, type: 1DIR (press enter).
Suggested Registration: Various amounts.
File Descriptions:
1DIR COM A sample of this 'Wonder' DOS shell program
BWVID ASM Source code of the BWVID.COM program
BWVID COM A program that stops a composite monitor from putting out
colors, displaying shades of grey instead
BWVID DOC Documentation of the BWVID.COM program
CED COM Command EDitor (expanded DOSEDIT) - command line editing
facility - many useful functions
CED DOC Documentation for the CED.COM program
COMMENT DOC Documentation for the COMMENT.SYS device driver
COMMENT SYS An MS/PC-DOS 2.0(+) device driver whose function is simply
to echo strings to the standard output device
DW COM DiskWipe - totally erases a diskette to its virgin state
DW DOC Documentation for DW.COM program
FASTFMT LBR Fast format utility system - formats diskettes using both
disk drives; has safety features; auto labelling sequence
FASTFMT TXT Text file explaining how to unscramble FASTFMT.LBR into a
usable system - the process is completely automated
LU EXE A Library unscramble program - used by the FASTFMT and
SCREN2 systems
MEMINIT EXE Sets memory switches; speed up power on
PARTNER COM RAM resident utility program which provides a set of disk
and directory maintenance facilities available from inside
running application programs at the touch of a key.
Requires a color graphics adapter.
PARTNER DOC Documentation for the PARTNER.COM program
PC-STAT COM Diplays system status - both hardware & software config.
PCPF COM A session manager - replaces bare DOS prompt with a
friendly display panel
PCPF DOC Documentation for the PCPF.COM program
SCREN2 LBR Screen Image Editor and utility; program DOS menus;
graphics control
SCREN2 TXT Text file explaining how to unscramble SCREN2.LBR into a
usable system - the process is completely automated
SETBW40 COM Used with BWVID.COM-does the same thing as DOS's MODE BW40
SETBW80 COM Used with BWVID.COM-does the same thing as DOS's MODE BW80
UNSQ COM Unsqeeze utility. Restores sqeezed files. Used by SCREN2
and FASTFMT systems above
Please note: the POPALARM program, which is listed as being on this disk in
the 4th edition of the PC-SIG Library Directory, has been withdrawn from
the author.
PC-SIG
1030D E Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1986,87,88 PC-SIG, Inc.
PARTNER.DOC
________________________________
P A R T N E R Version 1.1
________________________________
C o m p u C a m
45 Parklea Drive
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
M4G 2J7
(416)421-9430
(evenings after 7:00 EDT)
PARTNER is distributed as a freeware program. That is, you may use it,
copy it and distribute it. You may not, however, sell it. PARTNER, and
the original ideas behind it, remain the property of Jim Camelford and
CompuCam. If you have found the program useful, we would appreciate a
donation of $15.00 us. Please send us your personal cheque, a bank
draft or your VISA card number and card expiry date.
PARTNER's source code and documentation (in machine-readable form) are
available at a nominal cost to cover handling charges. If you are
interested, please contact the author at the above address. PARTNER
is written in TURBO (tm) Pascal. You may wish to obtain the source code
if you want to see how it's done, modify the program's operation to add
features of your own or generate different versions that use less memory.
This version of Partner, (1.1), is available as FreeWare but the current
version (3.2) is available only as a commercial product directly from
CompuCam. The total price of the package is $49.95 US + $3.00 S/H. PC-Sig
users that have forwarded a $15.00 donation may acquire the package for
$34.95 + s/h. Version 3.2 has many exciting new features, including:
. fixes to some bugs in this release - including some hang-up
problems
. a ram-resident, ASCII file editor
. a ream-resident, file catalogging system
. ability to invoke DOS for commands from within most any application
. capability to interrupt graphics applications and properly restore
their screens
. ability to 'un-load' Partner if you tire of having it ram-resident
. improved access to sub-directories
. double-protection to prevent accidentally erasing files
. 2 diskettes of software, including object and full source code
. 70-page user manual
. TIPS - Tehnical Information Points explaining how Partner is
implemented, how to write ram-resident programs in Turbo Pascal
and how to extend and modify Partner
. and because of the program's size, CompuCam's own program listing
and cross-reference analysis tool is included free !
This on-line documentation, however, only describes release 1.1 of the
program.
CompuCam accepts phone orders with your VISA card (sorry, we are not setup
for either MasterCard or American Express). Please leave your name,
address, phone number, VISA card number and your card's expiry date, and,
please mention PC-Sig when ordering.
Of course, we would be delighted to hear your comments and will attempt to
fix any reported bugs in either the documentation or the program. English
isn't exactly free of glitches either! Write us!
PARTNER is not, however, warranted in any way nor are any claims made as to
the suitability of the program for your application.
PARTNER Copyright (c) 1985, 1986, 1987 James R. Camelford and CompuCam
________________________________________________________________________
PARTNER - What is It ?
======================
PARTNER is a useful utility program that resides permanently in your
system's memory yet is available at any time with the touch of a key.
It provides a set of useful diskette and directory maintenance facilities
that can enhance most programs running on your PC.
For example, it provides:
o multiple-window access to the directories on your diskettes or
hard disk;
o an ability to remove, copy and rename files;
o a technique to move files from one sub-directory to another on
the same volume without copying and removing;
o a capability for displaying (ie: typing) text files on your screen;
o reports of space usage for individual files and for the volume as
a whole;
What it Doesn't Do
==================
Because PARTNER uses colour extensively, it requires a colour/graphics
adapter. In its conventional form, it requires about 52kb of permanent
memory. PARTNER could easily be modified to sense which type of display
it's using and to use only monochrome. It is not currently compatible
with 40-column or graphics display modes. It's been tested on true IBM PC's,
PC's with hard disks, AT's and the Advanced Colour/Graphics adapter and
found to work well.
PARTNER works well with a variety of programs. However, it is known to
be incompatible with some. A list and technical description is provided
at the end of this document.
How you Start the Program
=========================
You invoke PARTNER from the DOS command prompt using the following command.
(The square brackets indicate optional parameters just like in the DOS
manual.)
PARTNER [/load] [/nnn]
/load causes PARTNER to be permanently retained in memory as
an extension to DOS. If you do not use the /load
option, then PARTNER runs as a utility program and
exits normally when you are done. When PARTNER is run
as a utility, it waits for 5 seconds to display its
logo before allowing you to enter a command).
/nnn the scancode of the keystroke you want to use to invoke
PARTNER once it is loaded, either from the DOS command
prompt or from within a running program. By default,
PARTNER uses shift-F9 (that is: 92). You can set the
signalling keystroke to any convenient key.
PARTNER - How to Use it
=======================
PARTNER is pretty simple to use! (Of course that may be construed as
literary license on my part ... but the approach we will take for teaching
you how to use it is by taking you through a step-by-step sequence ...)
Bring PARTNER up as a utility program first. That is, just run it from
the DOS command prompt using the command:
PARTNER
Do not specify any options. PARTNER will display its logo, wait 5 seconds
and then offer you a small window in the upper left corner of your screen.
(Yes, you can change its shape and location but let's leave that until
later ...)
PARTNER prompts you for a Directory Name. Enter a directory name using
the same syntax as you would for DOS' DIR command. In this state,
PARTNER understands drive letters, wildcard constructs using * and ?
and sub-directories -- so use them if you like. Alternatively, you can
simply strike the RETURN key (without typing anything) if you want a
display of all filenames on the default directory on the default drive.
PARTNER displays a list of filenames on the volume until either it fills
the window (ie: runs out of space) or runs out of filenames. At this point,
it pauses and highlights the filename in the upper left corner of the
window. You can "operate" on this file using the features described below.
Now the fun starts, since now all the options are available to you ... and
there are lots of them. But first, look at the bottom line of the window.
This is know as the Help line. It lists some of the functions now
available (eg: Remove, Rename, Change Directory ...). Watch the help
line from time to time as it will contain additional, explanatory
information to assist you when entering a command.
The functions now available are briefly listed below; more detail follows
later:
Enter Specify a different wildcard sequence, drive,
filename or sub-directory
F2 Remove this file
F4 Copy this file somewhere
F6 Rename this file
F8 Change the default sub-directory for this window
to something else
F10 Display additional information about this file
(ie: creation timestamp, file size, file attributes etc).
F9 Display (ie: type) this file on the screen now
F1, F3 Shrink or grow the window's horizontal size
F5, F7 Shrink or grow the window's vertical size
You can move about the window, selecting different files, using the normal
cursor movement keys. That is:
-> <- Moves the "file pointer cursor" right or left
^ | Moves up or down
| v
home Moves to the upper left corner
PgUp Starts the display of filenames all over again
from the first file in the directory (that is,
it's a "start over" key rather than "display the
previous page" key).
PgDn Displays the next window-full of file names
End Returns to the previous window or DOS.
Hold it ... ! What's that, returns to the previous window? How did we
get to another. Ah Ah, you say! Multiple windows? Yes indeed ...
To bring up another window, strike shift-F9 again. A second (third,
fourth) window will spring up on the screen. You can carry out all the
same manoeuvres here that you did on the preceeding window and then, when
you're done, depress End to return to the "invoking window".
The windows "stack" ... that is, when you invoke a new window and return,
everything will be absolutely as you left it.
(Special note: when shift-F9 is used as the invoking keystroke, the \
key carries out the same function for convenience allowing you to bring
up subsequent windows with just 1 keystroke).
Accessing PARTNER from Within Another Program
=============================================
First you must load PARTNER as a permanent part of DOS; you do this using
the following DOS command. (This command can be included in an AUTOEXEC
batch file so that it is done each time you start your system.)
PARTNER/load
Then you can invoke PARTNER from within another program by just depressing
shift + F9.
PARTNER opens a window in the upper left corner of the screen and you
carry on exactly as described before. When you depress End for the last
time, PARTNER returns to where you invoked it - leaving the screen and
operating environment exactly as you left it.
There are, however, two known exceptions. PARTNER does not work with:
o screens in graphics mode
o screens in 40-column text mode
The window position, size and sub-directory settings are remembered so you
won't have to re-specify them the next time you enter PARTNER.
Moving the Windows About
========================
Ctrl + one of the cursor movement keys (Home, End, left-arrow, right-arrow,
PgUp or PgDn) causes the window to move about the screen in the direction
you designate.
(Literary license again: Ctrl+PgUp and Ctrl+PgDn are used in place of the
more obvious Ctrl+up/down arrow because the keys in the middle, vertical
row of the numeric keypad on this machine (@#$%^) don't register through
the normal BIOS calls).
You can place the windows virtually anywhere on the screen and change their
size using the F1, F3, F5 and F7 keys. The settings are remembered from one
use to the next. You can overlap them ... or not ... as you desire.
By default, windows 1-3 don't overlap and windows 1-2 leave the bottom of
the screen un-obstructed. But, the choice is ultimately yours.
Just the Enter Key
==================
The Enter Key is powerful. When the "file pointer cursor" is highlighting
a filename, you indicate that you want to examine a new set of files by
just depressing the Enter key. The top of the window is opened, allowing
you to type a new directory search specification.
You can enter a new drive, sub-directory or filename in conjunction with
any wildcard pattern (ie: ? and *) and that will be used as the target for
the next directory display.
If you have "logged" this window into a particular sub-directory using
the F8-Change Directory key, then you may temporarily override this by
specifying a different drive or sub-directory. All actions like Removing,
Displaying (ie: typing) and Renaming are now relevant to this directory
and not the one you specified using the F8-Change Directory command.
Of course, the default assigned to the window is used when you don't
specify a "path" in the request line.
That's just like in DOS, where you can CD to a particular sub-directory,
yet operate on files outside that directory by using the appropriate
syntax on a Del command. Here, the override "sticks" until you depress
the Enter key again to request a new directory display. The override
most definitely "sticks" while using the PgUp, PgDn and "window
invocation" keys (ie: Shift-F9) ... would you really want it to work any
other way?
If you want to display the contents of a sub-directory, then the directory
request must terminate with a \. For example:
e:\wv\correspondance\
displays the contents of the files in that sub-directory (the trailing *.*
is assumed), whereas
e:\wv\correspondance
only tests e:\wv for the presence of the sub-directory "correspondance".
If you do not specify a drive or pathname then the search is assumed to
occur in the current, default sub-directory on the default drive.
F2 - Remove a File
==================
Touching F2 removes the file. Be careful out there! If you slip you'll
need some assistance from Mr. Norton.
F4 - Copy a File
================
Touching F4 will copy the file. You are prompted for the name of the
destination -- enter a new filename. The filename can contain a drive
letter but no sub-directory or pathname. You can specify a drive letter
alone (leaving the filename blank) and the file will be copied to the
destination drive retaining its name.
Now this copy isn't exactly the same as the DOS copy and there are some
restrictions.
o the output filename cannot specify a sub-directory; you
can only specify an optional drive letter (ie: A:, B: etc)
o you can specify a whole new filename or leave the filename
blank. You cannot use any form of DOS wildcard construct
with * and ?. If the filename is left blank, then of course
it is copied to the output drive using the same name.
If you want to copy a file from one sub-directory to another on the same
drive then use F6-Rename, instead.
If you want to copy a file from one sub-directory to another on different
drives then use the following procedure.
o "Log" this window onto the desired, destination drive
and sub-directory using the F8-Change Directory function
You will obtain a list of filenames on that drive.
o Now, strike the Enter key to request the display of a new directory.
o Enter the name of the directory containing your desired
source file or the specific source filename. Press
Enter to display the contents of that directory and
then move the cursor on top of the source filename.
o Press F4-copy. Enter the drive letter and, optionally,
a new name for the file you want to copy.
Because you have set the default directory on this
window for the desired destination drive and sub-
directory the output will be directed there.
If you are only working with drive names (that is, you don't use sub-
directories) then the above isn't necessary since you can use any drive
letter in the destination filname and select any drive letter using the
Enter key request display.
Yes, this is a bit complicated! A bit you say ... !!! Well, we'll fix it
when we receive the 3.0 version of Turbo. In the meantime, think of all
the fun you'll have moving files about from within 1-2-3 (tm) that you
could never access before!
F6 - Rename a File
==================
PARTNER makes it easy. Touch F6, you will be prompted for a new name.
Type any name you wish, including a sub-directory that may be different
from the one you are displaying. The file will be renamed and, possibly,
moved from one sub-directory to another in the process.
You must type a full filename. No wildcard constructs are allowed.
F8 - "Log into a new Sub-Directory"
===================================
Each window refers to a default drive and sub-directory. When you access
a window for the first time, the directory and drive default to the one
in use in the "invoking window".
This makes it easy for you to set up some defaults to quickly obtain
directories and perform file maintenance work for sub-directories without
having to type-in the whole tree-structured name for most accesses.
You change the default value for a window using the F8-Change Directory
command. When you press F8, PARTNER prompts you for the name of a new
directory. You enter a new directory and optional drive designator in
the usual DOS format, eg:
d:\sub1\sub2\sub3
Now all directory requests made in this window will, by default, refer
to this "path". But, you can override this at any time when providing
a new search request after striking the Enter key.
For example, suppose you had entered this in response to the F8-Change
Directory prompt:
d:\wv\correspondance
All further requests in this window that do not specify a drive-
letter and path will revert to d:\wv\correspondance. But, you
can enter any other drive, path and filename to temporarily
override this when requesting a directory display by striking
the Enter key.
If you think about it, that's exactly the way DOS operates too. You can
specify a default path and drive and yet always override it on DIR requests.
Getting a bit technical, remember that if you specify
d:
and not
d:\
the d: request indicates the sub-directory now in default effect and not
the root directory on the volume.
Of course, if all this is complicated and you really don't use a lot of
sub-directories you can ignore all of this and just stick to using drive
letters. Remember that a window can have a particular drive letter as
its default if you just respond with d: to the F8-Change Directory prompt.
The default directory and drive are always shown on the 25th line of the
display. You are referring to this when you do not specify an override.
F10 - More Information
======================
F10 - More displays detailed information about the file's size,
timestamp and attributes.
F9 - Display (Type) the File
============================
A handy feature ... a quick touch of the F9 key will open a window and
display the ASCII contents on the screen. If you use this on non-text
files it could send your display awry.
PARTNER - Some Technical Notes
==============================
PARTNER was written to demonstrate how to use Turbo Pascal's interrupt,
BIOS and MS-DOS access facilities. Principally,
o PARTNER attaches the keyboard interrupt, when permanently
loaded as part of DOS, and watches for the shift-F9 keystroke.
o It saves the registers and manipulates the stack so
that the CPU can run in "Turbo space".
o It carefully ensures that the external environment
including the registers, screen and Disk Transfer Area
(DTA) are left un-altered when control is finally
returned to the interrupted program. Of course, files
may have been removed, re-named or copied.
o PARTNER sometimes terminates if you get a device timeout on
a non-ready disk drive. This can occur if you do a directory
on a drive letter that is defined but not ready (eg:
non-existant RamDisk). If you reply "I" to ignore the
error several times you may clear it. Responding "A" to abort
will return you to the DOS command prompt terminating your
application too! We don't like it either but we thought
we'd be honest and warn you. We'd welcome any thoughts on
how to easily improve this.
PARTNER intercepts the keyboard interrupt vector (vector[$09]). However,
it must "call" the BIOS keyboard handler each time a keystroke occurs
so that the BIOS can decode the input ScanCodes and place the character
into the DOS keyboard buffer. To perform the "call", the original contents
of vector[$09] are stored in vector[111] and accessed via an Int 111
instruction. If the use of vector[111] conflicts with some hardware or
other software you have installed, you can obtain the program source and
change this to some other un-used location.
PARTNER could have a lot of extra bells and whistles. In fact you might
want to obtain the program's Turbo (tm) source code and try adding them
yourself. We kept it as small as we could since we wanted to run it most
of the time yet not have PARTNER be the dominant application in the machine.
PARTNER requires some 52k of memory by default. Actually, the maximum it
can use for the time being is 64k since that is the limit imposed by the
DOS $27 lock-program-in-core interrupt service. Each window invocation
requires about 5k (equivalent to $138, 16-byte paragraphs in 8088
terminology). Therefore, memory use can be summarized as follows:
Turbo runtime routines 11k
PARTNER program code 16k
Stack / Heap space 25k
-----
Total 52k approx
You can reduce this by re-compiling the program using Borland's
version 2.0 Pascal compiler and specifying a smaller Stack /
Heap space. That is, use the following series of keystrokes to
set the Options:
Key Stroke Means
O options
C COM file
I0 Stack is minimum of 0 bytes
A620 Stack is maximum of 25k bytes
Q Quit options
C Compile to floppy
By specifying the A option as a smaller multiple of $138, you can generate
a system capable of displaying at most 1, 2 or 3 windows. Remember that
the F10-More and F9-Display commands require a full 5k stack-frame
to operate within as well.
Techniques you might try to reduce memory, at the expense of execution
speed, (if you're adventurous) would be to:
o write the screen images to a diskfile rather than hold
them within the program stack (at a saving of 5000 bytes per panel)
o turn some of the procedures into overlays allowing you
to write gallons more code at negligible memory cost
Both of these techniques would require you to ensure that the original
disk was always available (ie: not a floppy) so that it would not
overwrite data or load improperly.
For those interested in studying the interrupt invocation code: you will
notice that Borland's Turbo manual leaves a bit to be desired in terms
of completeness in this area. In short, the instructions in Borland's
manual flatly don't work! Much more code is needed and the Inline
statements incorporated within PARTNER provide a proper, "cookbook"
solution. See the March-June '85 issues of Tug Lines for a description
or contact the author.
Incompatibilities
=================
PARTNER was written as an educational exercise ... and that it was.
We found lots of areas where additional sophisticated programming would
be required to make it work perfectly in all cases.
PARTNER works by replacing the DOS keyboard interrupt vector with the
address of its own code. Early during execution of the interrupt
procedure, PARTNER calls the "original vector" to ensure that whatever
was supposed to happen before happens too. That's why keyboard I/O
works at all with PARTNER running. In this way, PARTNER acts as an
interceder ... getting into the middle of the action but not taking
part unless it specifically sees the shift-F9 sequence.
Consequently, it is comptatable with lots of programs. However, we
know of the following problems:
1. Bruce and James' WordVision and SmartTerm 100 also choose
to execute when a keyboard interrupt occurs ... but they,
unlike PARTNER, don't act as interceders - they take the
interrupt for keeps and do not pass control to other
programs that may have intercepted the interrupt vector.
Consequently PARTNER never gets a chance to see the
interrupt and is locked out until the programs terminate
and restore the vector's contents.
You can use PARTNER with these programs but it won't be
accessible again until you terminate them.
2. Prokey(tm) (from RoseSoft) is a little more consistent in
that it too acts as an interceder. The two work together
... for a while. Finally one or the other seems to mix up
the "true" contents of the keyboard's interrupt vector,
causing a loop and a re-boot is required.
Don't use PARTNER in conjunction with ProKey.
3. SideKick from Borland is a truly interesting case.
Sidekick handles the problem posed in case 1 since it
periodically examines the contents of the keyboard vector
(presumably from within the timer interrupt) and forcibly
restores its own address over anything else that was there
(in vector[$09]) if some other program has possessed the
audaucity to change it ! Sidekick, having thus ensured it
will always control the keyboard, kindly passes control
down the keyboard interrupt chain if it doesn't want to
react to the keys pressed. Great, SideKick works from
within WordVision ! However the bad news is that the
wholesale confusion over exactly who own the hardware
vector address, what its contents really should be when
various programs terminate and what to restore it to at
any given time when returning from the interrupt handler
causes the machine to lock up in a series of mysterious
ways after operating for a while.
Don't use PARTNER in conjunction with SideKick and
especially don't use it in conjuction with SideKick +
WordVision + ProKey.
4. PARTNER seems to work fine with DOSEDIT ... that little guy
obeys the rules. (DOSEDIT is a bulletin board program that
provides enhanced editing capabilities on the DOS command
prompt line).
You can use PARTNER with DOSEDIT.
5. No problems from within:
BASIC watch out for 40-column screens
1-2-3 watch out for the graphics screen
Turbo that's why we wrote it because Turbo,
excellent environment that it is, can't do
this stuff when you really, really need it.
SCREN2.TXT
Scren2 is provided on this disk in a library form in order
to keep the files separate from the others so you can organize
your hard disk better.
In order to use Scren2 you should:
1) md\scren2 create a fastfmt subdirectory
2) cd\scren2
3) copy a:scren2.lbr move in the fastfmt library
4) lu a scren2.lbr disperse the files in the fastfmt library
5) unsq scr.tqt unsqueeze the documentation
6) type scr.txt this file will tell you everything else
you need to know.
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #0413
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
1DIR COM 9728 5-10-85 9:58p
BWVID ASM 9344 5-17-85 2:04a
BWVID COM 256 5-17-85 2:04a
BWVID DOC 896 5-17-85 2:04a
CED COM 6016 6-04-85 9:16p
CED DOC 58863 6-04-85 9:16p
COMMENT DOC 2816 5-24-85 10:28p
COMMENT SYS 384 5-24-85 10:28p
DW COM 3456 5-17-85 12:15a
DW DOC 640 5-17-85 12:15a
FASTFMT LBR 30720 5-16-85 8:46a
FASTFMT TXT 507 5-17-85 11:09p
FILES413 TXT 3294 4-26-88 3:24p
LU EXE 22656 7-25-84 1:16p
MEMINIT EXE 1136 1-01-80 12:04a
PARTNER COM 26240 5-08-85 5:10p
PARTNER DOC 27771 1-15-87 2:30a
PC-STAT COM 16256 5-21-85 11:55a
PCPF COM 35456 6-04-85 11:00a
PCPF DOC 16896 6-04-85 11:03a
SCREN2 LBR 45440 7-10-85 2:10p
SCREN2 TXT 555 8-20-85 10:00p
SETBW40 COM 128 5-17-85 2:04a
SETBW80 COM 128 5-17-85 2:04a
UNSQ COM 8064 3-17-85 2:53p
25 file(s) 327646 bytes
21504 bytes free