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PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #592)
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Information about “TSHELL”
TSHELL is a powerful visual shell for the PC which provides an
efficient environment for the user to manage DOS. This version is a
working demonstration of a larger, more powerful version (2.0).
Complete with callable help screens, installation and customization
files, and a manual, this could be a solid enhancement for your system.
System Requirements: DOS 2.0 or greater, 256K, hard disk
recommended, monochrome monitor.
How to Start: Read the README.1ST and then TSH.DOC for instructions and
documentation. To run TSHELL, just type TSH.
Suggested Registration: Version 2.0 available for $37.50.
File Descriptions:
TSH HLP This file contains help screens
SETUP TSH The customizing routine for Tshell
TSH DOC Documentation manual
USQ EXE Expands (unsqueezes) compressed Tshell files
TSH EXE The main Tshell program file.
INSTALL BAT Batch file to install Tshell on a designated disk
README 1ST Contains comments on installation and operation of Tshell
FILES592.TXT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disk No 592 TSHELL v1 DS2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tshell is a powerful visual shell for the PC which provides an efficient envi-
ronment for the user to manage DOS. Version 1.1 is a working demonstration of
a larger, more powerful version (2.0).
TSH HLP This file contains help screens
TSH DOC Documentation manual
SETUP TSH The customizing routine for Tshell
README 1ST Contains comments on installation and operation of Tshell
INSTALL BAT Batch file to install Tshell on a designated disk
TSH EXE The main Tshell program file.
USQ EXE Expands (unsqueezes) compressed Tshell files
PC-SIG (Software Interest Group)
1030 D East Duane Ave.
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
PH# 408-730-9291
NOTES592.TXT
Program name: TSHELL Version 1.1
Author name: Josiah C. Hoskins
Address: BTM Software, Inc.
P.O. Box 49356
Austin, Texas 78765
Telephone Number: (512) 459-6026
Suggested Donation: $37.50. This gets you TSHELL 2.0, complete laser printed
manual, and notice of updates.
Program Description:
Tshell is a powerful visual shell for the PC which provides an efficient envi-
ronment for the user to manage DOS. Version 1.1 is a working demonstration of
a larger, more powerful version (2.0). It acts as an interface between the
user and Operating System, interpreting and executing commands entered by the
user, thus providing a much friendlier environment in which to work. It helps
issue commands by providing a menu of command options and aids the user in the
construction of those commands. Tshell also makes extended use of the screen
to graphically display important information and provide on-line help. It pro-
vides a visual means to travel through the hierarchical directories of DOS.
The user actually sees the tree structure represented on the screen, and can
walk through the tree with the cursor, which is manipulated with the arrow keys.
Tshell is written in "C" and 8086 assembly. It is most effective on systems
that have a fixed disk and requires at least 256KB of memory and DOS 2.0 or
higher. Tshell displays the amount of free RAM memory available, allowing the
user to compare this to an application before running it. It also supports a
color monitor and allows the redefinition of the default color scheme.
TSH.DOC
Tshell
"A powerful visual shell for the IBM Personal Computer Series"
Version 1.1
Notice of Copyright
Software (c) Copyright 1985 Josiah C. Hoskins
Manual (c) Copyright 1985 BTM Software, Inc.
Licensed Material distributed by BTM Software, Inc.
This manual was written by Michael R. Duncan.
All rights reserved.
Notice of Disclaimer
Neither Josiah C. Hoskins nor BTM Software, Inc. make any
representations, claims or warranties with respect to the
contents of this manual or the software which it describes,
and specifically disclaims any implied warranties, including
but not limited to those of merchantability or fitness for a
particular purpose. BTM Software, Inc. reserves the right
to change the contents of the manual and/or the software at
any time without notice to anyone. However, BTM Software,
Inc. will attempt to inform registered owners when updates
become available.
BTM Software, Inc.
P.O. Box 49365
Austin, Texas 78765
(512) 459-6026
Tshell Page i
PREFACE
Tshell is a powerful visual shell for the IBM
Personal Computer Series. It provides you with a user
friendly shell environment in which you can manage DOS
2.0+ (for the purpose of this manual, PC-DOS will be
referred to as DOS. PC-DOS is a registered trademark of
International Business Machines) and your disk directory
structure more effectively. The diskette from which this
manual came also includes Version 1.1 of Tshell. Please
help by copying and sharing this diskette with your
friends.
Tshell 1.1 is a working demonstration version of a
larger, more powerful version 2.0. In addition to the
features of 1.1, version 2.0 offers utilities not
provided by DOS. The user can reNAME a directory, ERASE
an entire directory (with verification), PROTECT files
against unauthorized access (file encryption), MOVE
files, SORT files by filename, extension, size, or
date/time, EDIT files with your favorite editor or
wordprocessor with one keystroke, find a misplaced file
with the WHERE command, and execute the RUN command with
parameters.
We anticipate future versions to include an
applications MENU utility which will allow you to execute
application programs with only two keystrokes. We are
also working on a memory management scheme to reduce the
amount of memory Tshell uses at any one time.
After you or your friends try Tshell 1.1, each of
you may contact BTM Software directly to purchase Version
2.0 which comes with a printed manual and the right to
purchase updates at a minimal cost. The purchase price
for Version 2.0 is only $37.50. We accept checks, money
orders, Master Card, and Visa.
Tshell is most effective on systems that have a
fixed disk and requires at least 256KB of memory and DOS
2.0 or higher. If you are not sure if you have enough
memory, you may check the amount of free RAM memory as
shown by Tshell. Be sure to check this total against the
amount of memory required by your largest application
program. Tshell supports a color monitor and allows you
to redefine the default color scheme.
You will notice that we have included discussions
about features in version 2.0 in this manual. We did
this to show you what is available if you register for
the full implementation (version 2.0). We have made
every attempt to make a note of this situation in the
manual, wherever it occurs.
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page ii
We have made a special effort to make Tshell
function properly with two other popular public domain
software programs SCRNSAVE.COM and SCROLLK.COM. If you
experience any difficulties with Tshell or any other
programs you use within Tshell, please let us know. Our
goal is to make Tshell "the" visual shell for the IBM PC
family of computers.
Again, feel free to copy and share Tshell with your
friends. However, do not modify any of the associated
files. It is possible to render Tshell unusable if
anyone tampers with the files. We hope you enjoy Tshell
as much as we do!
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to acknowledge the developers of the
compiler, assembler, and libraries used to write Tshell.
Tshell is written in the "C" programming language and
8086 assembly language. The breakdown is roughly 85% "C"
and 15% assembly code. Most of the assembly code was
used to control the video aspects of Tshell and was
assembled with IBM's Macro Assembler version 2.0. Our "C"
compiler is Computer Innovation's CI-C86 version 2.01G.
In addition, we used Creative Solution's "Windows for C"
version 2.2 to create and maintain our different
windows. During the course of developing a major product
such as Tshell, programmers test the limits of the tools
available to them. We found only a few problems in both
the compiler and the windows package. We found that both
Computer Innovations and Creative Solutions were more
than willing to help us resolve the problems we
encountered and would like to thank them for their
support. We strongly recommend these products to anyone
considering programming in "C". We would also like to
thank all of those who spent countless hours testing and
trying out the earlier versions of Tshell. Without their
help and constructive criticisms, Tshell would not have
been possible.
Lastly, we would like to thank John Otken of Soft
Advances for his collaboration. He convinced us that a
little assembly can go a long way in providing almost
unbelievable speed (as demonstrated by the fileinfo
formatting routine which he coded). John is also the
author of DSD86 an excellent debugger for the IBM PC
which was most helpful in ferreting out some of those
elusive bugs.
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page iv
LIST OF Tshell FILES
The following files must be on your distribution
diskette in order for you to install Tshell properly.
TSH.EXE or This is the main Tshell program file.
TSH.EQE TSH.EQE is the squeezed version of TSH.EXE.
TSH.HLP or This file contains the help screens. If
TSH.HQP this file is not in the root directory with
TSH.EXE when you press F1 for help, Tshell
will crash. TSH.HQP is the squeezed version.
TSH.DOC or Contains this manual. It DOES NOT have to
TSH.DQC be on your working diskette in order for
Tshell to function properly. TSH.DQC is the
squeezed version.
SETUP.TSH or SETUP.TSH is the customizing routine for
SETUP.TQH Tshell. It is separate from TSH.EXE to
prevent the unnecessary use of memory while
running Tshell. To execute this routine,
you must be running Tshell and press the F8
function key. This file must be in the root
directory with TSH.EXE in order for it to
function properly. SETUP.TQH is the
squeezed version.
README.1ST This is the initial "read me" file. It
contains the latest comments concerning the
installation and operation of Tshell. If you
have not read this file, do so at this time.
INSTALL.BAT This is a batch file which installs Tshell
on a designated disk. To execute this batch
file, issue the following command form:
A> install <d:>
Where <d:> is the desired drive. For example,
A> install c:
will install Tshell on the disk in drive C.
USQ.EXE Your need for this file depends on the state
of TSH.EXE, TSH.HLP and TSH.DOC. If the
second letter of the extension is the letter
"Q" (for example TSH.EQE), the files are
in a squeezed format and must be unsqueezed
before they can be used. INSTALL.BAT will
execute this program and unsqueeze any files
which have been squeezed. See the file
README.1ST on how to install Tshell.
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE.............................................. i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..................................... iii
LIST OF Tshell FILES................................. iv
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 What is a Hierarchical Directory? ............ 1
1.2 What is a Shell Program?...................... 3
CHAPTER 2 GETTING STARTED
2.1 Introduction.................................. 4
2.2 Function Key F1Help........................... 4
2.3 Function Key F10Exit.......................... 4
2.4 Setting Up.................................... 5
2.5 A first look at Tshell........................ 10
CHAPTER 3 DIRECTORY TASKS
3.1 Cursor Movements.............................. 12
3.2 Function Key F2Directory...................... 13
3.2.1 Make..................................... 13
3.2.2 Remove................................... 14
3.2.3 Name..................................... 14
3.2.4 Copy..................................... 14
3.2.5 Erase.................................... 15
3.2.6 Tree..................................... 15
3.3 Function Key F5Date........................... 16
3.4 Function Key F6Time........................... 16
CHAPTER 4 FILE TASKS
4.1 Cursor Movements.............................. 17
4.2 Function Key F2Filetasks...................... 17
4.2.1 Marking Files............................ 18
4.2.2 Copy..................................... 18
4.2.3 Erase.................................... 18
4.2.4 Move..................................... 19
4.2.5 Protect.................................. 19
4.2.6 Rename................................... 20
4.2.7 Type..................................... 20
4.2.8 Sort..................................... 20
4.2.9 Where.................................... 21
4.3 Function Key F5Run............................ 21
4.4 Function Key F6Edit........................... 21
CHAPTER 5 SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE
5.1 Function Key F3Drive.......................... 22
5.2 Function Key F4Path........................... 22
5.3 Function Key F7Compose........................ 23
5.4 Function Key F9Menu........................... 23
APPENDIX 1 SHORTCUTS AND HINTS....................... 24
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page 1
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
If you feel comfortable with the concepts of
hierarchical directories and shell programs, you may wish
to skip to CHAPTER 2 GETTING STARTED. For those of you
who have stayed with us, we hope this chapter provides
some insight to these concepts.
1.1 What is a Hierarchical Directory?
Hierarchical structured directories are also
referred to as tree structured directories. "Tree" is a
descriptive word that may be somewhat misleading. When
you think of a tree, you think of certain attributes
being in specific places, such as, the root of the tree
being at the bottom and limbs growing sideways from the
trunk. However, when speaking in terms of a directory
tree, the root directory is conceptually at the top or on
the left and the limbs, or subdirectories, grow down or
to the right. "Climbing the directory tree" means
climbing to the root directory and "descending the
directory tree" means moving down to another subdirectory
level away from the root.
A tree structured directory can be thought of as an
imaginary filing cabinet. Our imaginary filing cabinet
can have drawers which contain files or drawers within
drawers. Each directory in a tree structured directory
can be considered a label to a drawer in our imaginary
filing cabinet. Think about how you would tell a friend
where to find a certain file in your filing cabinet.
Let's use FIGURE 1 on page 2 as an example of a tree
structured directory.
Suppose you wanted to tell your friend to retrieve
the SETUP.EXE file. Remember that we can use the terms
directory and drawer interchangeably. First, you would
tell your friend to open the USR directory. When he or
she opens this directory, he or she would find that there
are four more directories inside the USR directory: BAS,
GAMES, UTIL and EDITORS. You would instruct your friend
to open the UTIL directory. Inside the UTIL directory,
he or she would find the SETUP.EXE file. What you have
described to your friend is a path to the file
SETUP.EXE. The path written out would be
\USR\UTIL\SETUP.EXE. You will notice that each file has
a unique path that describes where to find it.
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page 2
\ -|-AUTOEXEC.BAT
|-BIN <dir>---|-DEBUG .COM
| |-CHKDSK .EXE
| |-PRINT .COM
|
|-COMMAND .COM
|-SPRDSHT<dir>---|-BLOSSOM .EXE
| |-FILE01 .WKS
| |-CALC .EXE
|
|-USR <dir>---|-BAS <dir>---|-MUSIC .BAS
|
|-GAMES <dir>---|-PLANETS .EXE
| |-ATTACK .EXE
|
|-UTIL <dir>---|-FIND .EXE
| |-SETUP .EXE
| |-TOOLS <dir>
|
|-EDITORS<dir>---|-EDLIN .EXE
|-MYED .EXE
|-MYED .HLP
FIGURE 1
Now that you have a conceptual idea of how a tree
structured directory is organized, let's discuss some
terminology. The root directory can be identified by the
"\" character in the upper left-hand corner of FIGURE 1;
it exists on every disk. In our example, the USR
directory is a subdirectory of the root and the root is
the parent directory of USR. When you put a diskette in
a drive and issue the DOS command "DIR" you will be given
the contents of the root directory because the root is
the current directory. If your disk contains the
directory structure outlined in FIGURE 1 and you issued
the DOS command "CD USR", then the USR directory would
become the current directory and BAS, GAMES, UTIL and
EDITORS would be the subdirectories. If you issued the
DOS command "CD UTIL", then UTIL would become the current
directory, USR the parent directory, and TOOLS the
subdirectory. As you can see, current, parent, and
subdirectory are relative terms which depend on where you
are in your directory structure.
The key concepts are the current directory and the
path to a file. The term current directory will be used
many times throughout this manual and it describes a
window through which you can see only those files and
subdirectories that are in the current directory. To
gain access to a file deep within your directory
structure, you can describe the path that uniquely
defines the location of that file. With these two
concepts under your belt, you should have no trouble
using Tshell.
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page 3
1.2 What is a Shell Program?
The simplest definition of a shell program is a
program which acts as an interface between you, the user,
and the Operating System. It interprets and executes
commands entered by the user. DOS has a limited shell
that performs these activities however, it can be very
cryptic and provides little or no on-line help.
A visual shell, such as Tshell, provides the user
with a much friendlier environment in which to work. Not
only does it interpret your commands, but it helps you
issue them by providing a menu of command options and
aids you in constructing the command. A visual shell
also makes extended use of the screen to graphically
display important information and provide on-line help.
DOS is a collection of system utilities that control your
computer system. Tshell is a program that helps you
control DOS.
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page 4
CHAPTER 2 GETTING STARTED
2.1 Introduction
We will assume at this point that you have figured
out how to install Tshell and print out this manual. If
not, we refer you to the files README.1ST and INSTALL.BAT
which should have been included on your distribution
diskette.
Having installed Tshell, you should now find the
following files: TSH.EXE, TSH.HLP, SETUP.EXE, and
TSH.DOC. TSH.EXE is the main Tshell program. TSH.HLP
contains the online help screens. SETUP.EXE is the
customizing program which sets up Tshell for your
particular environment and TSH.DOC contains this manual.
To start Tshell, change the current drive to the
bootup drive (on a floppy based system, Drive A,
otherwise change the current drive to your Fixed Disk
drive). Now, issue the following command (NOTE: the
"C>" is the DOS prompt for a Fixed Disk and is provided
by the computer, you do not type this in):
C> tsh
The rest of this chapter is dedicated to telling you
how to get help from within Tshell, how to exit Tshell,
and how to customize Tshell for you specific
environment. The last section (2.5) is a "first look"
guide through Tshells' screens, modes, and information.
If you only read part of this manual, BE SURE TO READ
SECTION 2.5.
2.2 Function Key F1Help
If you should need help using Tshell, all you need
to do is press the F1 function key and a help window will
appear on the right half of the screen. There will be
one or more screens which you can control with the PgUp,
PgDn, Home, and End keys. Once you have the information
you need, press the ESC key and you will return to
Tshell.
2.3 Function Key F10Exit
If you wish to exit Tshell, make sure that the
function key definitions are displayed across the bottom
of the screen. All you have to do is press the F10
function key and then confirm that you wish to exit
Tshell. You can respond by moving the cursor to the
desired choice and press ENTER, or you may respond with
"Y", "y", "N", or "n".
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page 5
2.4 Setting Up
Many characteristics of Tshell may be defined to
suit your particular needs. In this section, we will
show you how to personalize Tshell. To begin customizing
Tshell, insert your backup copy of Tshell into Drive A:
and start up Tshell.
An introductory screen will appear on your monitor
and you will be prompted to press the space bar. In
Section 2.5, we will discuss more about this introductory
screen and the main screen that follows. For now, bear
with us and press the space bar. You will see the main
screen with a list of function key definitions across the
bottom of the screen. You will notice the F8 function
key is defined as F8Setup. Press the F8 function key at
this time. The main screen will be replaced by the Setup
Menu. The menu selections are:
1. Set user definable options
2. Set display colors
3. Setup application programs menu
4. Save Setup file (TSH.DEF) & Exit
5. Return to "Tshell" (no save)
In the case of menu items 1 and 2, Tshell has been
given a set of internal default values. In Setup, you
may change any of these values and save them in a file
called TSH.DEF by pressing the 4 key at the top of your
keyboard. If you press the 5 key, you will be prompted
to confirm that you wish to exit Setup without saving
your changes. If you answer no, you will return to the
Setup Menu and be given the chance to save the changes.
Once you have saved your changes, you must exit Tshell
and restart it in order for the changes to take effect.
Menu item 3 (not implemented in version 1.1) enables you
to define a personal application programs menu which
allows you to execute an application program with only
two keystrokes. There are no initial default values for
this since it depends entirely on your own library of
application programs. You may execute the Setup portion
of Tshell as many times as you wish. Now we will look at
each item in more detail.
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page 6
1. Set user definable options
To set the user definable options, press the 1 key
at the upper left corner of your keyboard (just to the
right of the ESC key). Another screen will appear with a
list of options you can define. The lower portion of the
screen contains instructions on how move the cursor and
how to make changes to this screen. Below the box is the
definition of the function keys. As we stated in Section
2.2, press the F1 function key if you need help. Since
Setup is a separate program from Tshell, when you press
the F10 function key you will leave Setup and return to
Tshell.
The values listed on the right side of the window
are the default values stored internally or in the file
TSH.DEF. There are two ways to change these values. If
there are only a few distinct choices to be made, Tshell
allows you to simply toggle through the choices using the
space bar. The value of the option is changed as you
press the space bar. If a specific value is required
such as a path to a file, the function key menu will be
replaced with two lines. The upper line will contain the
current value for the option highlighted by the cursor.
The lower line is the where you will enter the new
information. If you enter new data on the lower line, it
will not actually be changed until you press the ENTER
key. If you move the cursor, press the ESC key, or exit
Tshell before you press the ENTER key, the new
information will be cancelled.
The options
1. Set number of available drives
2. Set hidden file display option
3. Set file sort option
4. Set for pause after program is run
5. Set default directory on exit from Tshell
6. Does your editor accept a filename argument
have distinct responses and therefore you need only to
toggle through the choices. You will notice that the
numbers to the left of the options listed above do not
appear on the screen and are used here only for
convenience. Item 1 requires that you tell Tshell how
many drives your system is configured for. If you are
not sure how many drives you have, check your system
switch settings and refer to the Guide to Operations
Manual that came with you system. The range of values
for this option is 1 through 9. If you have more than
nine drives, call us and we will provide you with a means
to increase this number. The possible values for item 2
are displayed/not displayed. If you select the displayed
option, all hidden files will be shown. An example of
some hidden files are IBMBIO.COM and IBMDOS.COM. Item 3
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page 7
allows you to select one of several attributes with which
to sort the files. The attributes are: Name, Extension,
Size, and Date/Time. All sorting is done in ascending
order (smallest to largest, A - Z). If you select the
Date/Time attribute, the files will first be sorted by
the date and then by the time (this item is not
implemented in version 1.1). Item 4 is a simple yes/no
option. If you want Tshell to pause after it has
completed the execution of a program, select the yes
option. You might like to experiment with this one to
find what is most comfortable for you. When you exit
from Tshell, you have a choice of which directory you
will be in when you return to DOS. Item 5 allows you to
select either the root directory of the current drive or
the current directory of the current drive. Item 6 is a
simple yes/no option (not implemented in version 1.1).
If you call your editor with the name of the file you
wish to edit, the correct value for this option is yes.
The options
7. Give the name of your editor to be used for F6
8. Set drive and path for your editor
9. Set drive and path for helpfile (tsh.hlp)
must have specific responses and therefore you must
supply this information. Item 7 must be the command you
issue to start your editor (not implemented in version
1.1). The default is EDLIN but we suspect that you have
your own editor. For item 8, you must supply the
complete path to your editor and must include the drive
(not implemented in version 1.1). For example, if EDLIN
is always in the root directory of the diskette in drive
A, the path would be A:\. Item 9 is the path to the
Tshell help file TSH.HLP and must be specified in the
same manner as the path to your editor. The initial
default value is Drive A:. The only reason you should
have to change these is if you have moved these files to
a different location on your disk or if you run Tshell
from a different drive.
When you have completed entering the new values for
this portion of Setup, press the ESC key and you will
return to the main Setup Menu.
2. Set display colors
If you have a monochrome monitor, Tshell will
recognize this and ignore any color changes.
If your system has a color monitor, you can set the
display colors to suit your taste. To set the display
colors, press the 2 key. The main Setup Menu will be
replaced with a Color Options Screen. The lower portion
of the screen contains instructions on how to move the
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page 8
cursor and how to change the values of each display
attribute. The color value for each attribute can be
changed by simply toggling (pressing the space bar)
through the range of choices. You are free to change the
colors to any combination you wish, however, you should
not make any attribute the same color as the background
color, for obvious reasons. If you accidentally make
this mistake, you can do one of two things. If you can
remember the attributes involved, you can simply run
setup again and make the necessary changes. If you
cannot remember what you did, then you can erase TSH.DEF
and do Setup again. This will give you a fresh start
with the initial default color values. If you must erase
TSH.DEF, remember you must run Setup again to restore the
rest of the attributes of your environment.
When you have made your changes, press the ESC key
and you will return to the main Setup Menu.
3. Setup application program menu
This item is described here to let you know what
this option will do, but it is not implemented in version
1.1. To define your application menu, press the 3 key.
The main Setup Menu will be replace with a copy of the
applications menu. Initially this screen will not
contain any information. To start, type the letter of
the application line you wish to define, edit or remove.
An information form will appear. If it is does not
contain any information about one of your applications,
then it is a blank form and may be used to enter
information about a new application program. Across the
bottom of the form you will notice some function key
definitions. As always, F1 is for help. The F2 function
key allows you to edit the form or to define a new form.
The F3 function key allows you to remove a form. If you
press F3 key when the form is blank, there is no action.
If you press the F3 key when the form is not blank, you
will be asked to confirm the action before the form is
remove. The F10 function key is used to exit Setup.
If you wish to define or edit an application program
form, press the F2 function key. The function key menu
will be replaced by a list of items that can be edited or
defined. You may select an item by placing the cursor on
the item (using the cursor keys) or you may press the
letter that corresponds to the first letter of the item.
Once you have made your selection, the list of items will
be replaced by two lines. The upper line will contain
the previous information and the lower line will be where
you will enter the new information. When you have
finished typing in the new information, press the ENTER
key and the information will be saved. If you do not
wish to save the new information, press the ESC key and
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the request will be cancelled. Let's take each item and
discuss it in more detail.
Name
To enter the name of the application program, select the
Name item. Type in the name of the application program as
you want it to appear in the Application Menu. This is
just an information string and can be any descriptive
statement. For example, if you had an application
program called WonderCalc, you would type in the string
WonderCalc.
Path
To enter the path to the application program, select the
Path item. Type in the full path to the application
program including the drive but not the actual program
name. On a floppy disk system, you must put the
application diskette in the proper drive. If you use our
hypothetical tree structured directory in FIGURE 1 and
the WonderCalc program is CALC.EXE and you place the
WonderCalc diskette into drive B, the path to CALC.EXE
would be B:\SPRDSHT.
Filename
To enter the filename for the application program, select
the Filename item. This item is the character string you
use to execute the application program. In the our
example, CALC is the file name.
Argument
Whether or not you use this item depends on your
application program. If your application program will
accept an argument when you execute it, you may specify
it here. You may specify a literal or a macro argument.
A literal argument is a constant string and will cause
the application program to be executed with the same
argument every time you run the program. For example, if
you typed in the string file01.wks, the application
program would always be called with this argument. A
macro argument allows you to specify a general file
argument format and select the actual argument at the
time you execute the application program. If the
application programs' argument must include the complete
file specification, you may type in the following macro
argument
@D@P@N@E
where the @D specifies the drive, @P the path, @N the
filename, and @E the extension. Or you may type in a
short hand macro @C that is equivalent to the above. In
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order to use a macro argument, you must first highlight
the desired file argument and then press the F9 function
key which is the way to execute an application program
(see Section 5.4 for more information about the F9
function key).
2.5 A first look at Tshell
In this section we want to familiarize you with
Tshell and introduce some terms which will be used
throughout this manual. To begin, follow the same
procedure as outlined in Section 2.1 and issue the
following commands (NOTE: the current drive is Drive C:
and the C> is provided by the computer):
C> cd \
C> tsh
The first screen you see is the title screen. It
explains how to purchase version 2.0 and receive your
laser printed copy of this manual.
Press the space bar to continue. The next screen
you see is the main Tshell screen. There is a lot of
information on this screen, so let's take a few minutes
and look at each attribute individually. Let's start
with the two smaller boxes in the lower left and right
hand corners. The box on the left contains three pieces
of information: the Date, the Time, and the RAM Memory
installed. Do not be alarmed if the date and time are
incorrect; we will tell you how to change this in
Sections 3.3 and 3.4. At first glance, it may appear
that the memory information is incorrect. However, you
must remember that one K is equal to 1024 bytes. So, if
you have 384K memory, it will be displayed here as 393216
(384 x 1024). The box on the right contains two pieces
of information, the Drive Status and the Current Dir
Status. The Drive Status tells you what the current
drive is and the total capacity of the disk in the
current drive. For example, if you have installed Tshell
on a floppy diskette, then the total number of bytes is
362496. In addition, Tshell tells you how much memory
you have used and the amount left on the diskette in the
current drive. The Current Dir Status tells you how much
memory you are using, how many files there are, and how
many subdirectories there are in the current directory.
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The large box in the center of the screen is called
the file box. Inside this box is a list of all of the
files in the current directory, the number of bytes for
each file, and the date and the time of the last update.
Tshell has a limit of 200 files in any one current
directory. Notice that there are the same number of
files listed here as indicated by the number of files in
the Current Dir Status box.
Above the center box is a branch of the tree with
six limbs. If you have any subdirectories in the current
directory, they will be listed here. Just above the
branch and to the right, you will notice a message. If
there are no subdirectories in the current directory it
will read "no subdirectories". However, if there are
some, then it will read "branch x of y", where x and y
are numbers and x is the current branch and y is the
total number of branches. Tshell allows up to 30
subdirectories in any one current directory.
Just above the lower left-hand box is a message that
reads Level 1. This message tells you how many
subdirectories you are down from the root. Level 1 is
the root directory.
And finally, across the bottom is a list of function
key definitions. This is called the function key menu.
Now you know all about the Tshell screen, but we
still need to talk about two important concepts, the
directory mode and the file mode. First, let us show you
how you can recognize the current mode. You will notice
that the "\", or root symbol, is highlighted. Whenever
this or any other subdirectory is highlighted, you are in
the directory mode. Another clue is the F2 function key
description is "F2Directory". Now, press the cursor
arrow down key on the cursor control pad of your
keyboard. What happened? The cursor moved into the file
box. This is your first clue that you are now in the
file mode. Notice the message "File x of y" over the
lower right-hand box. This tells you the relative
position of the cursor in the list of files. Press the
cursor arrow down key and the cursor arrow up key and
watch the message change. The second clue that you are
now in the file box is the F2 function key description.
It now reads F2Filetasks. Also notice that the F5 and F6
key definitions changed. Now, press the ESC key, the key
just to the right of the F2 function key on your
keyboard, and see how these key definitions change.
These keys were redefined in an effort to reduce the
number of keystrokes necessary to issue a command.
At this point, you should be able to read the rest
of this manual and understand the terms and concepts used
to instruct you how to use Tshell.
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CHAPTER 3 DIRECTORY TASKS
In this chapter, we will discuss the cursor
movements in the directory mode and the function keys
F2Directory, F5Date, and F6Time. For a review of the
directory mode, current directory, branches,
subdirectories, and parent directory, see Section 1.1
"What is a Hierarchical Directory?" and Section 2.5 "A
First Look at Tshell". Remember, you may press the F1
function key for help with the directory task commands.
3.1 Cursor Movements
When you are in the directory mode, indicated by the
F2Directory in the function key menu and a highlighted
directory, the keystrokes described below are active.
The results of any given keystroke is dependent on
whether or not it is logical for the action to take
place. For example, if there are not any subdirectories,
then it is not logical to allow any cursor movements
among the subdirectories.
Cur Lt If the cursor is at the current directory, the
cursor left key moves the cursor to the left most
subdirectory. If the cursor is already on a
subdirectory, this keystroke will move the cursor
one subdirectory to the left.
Cur Rt If the cursor is at the current directory, the
cursor right key moves the cursor to the right
most subdirectory. If the cursor is already on a
subdirectory, this keystroke will move the cursor
one subdirectory to the right.
Cur Up If the cursor is at the current directory, then
the cursor up key opens and displays the parent
directory information. If the cursor is not at
the current directory, the then cursor up key
returns the cursor to the current directory.
Cur Dn The cursor down key can be pressed from anywhere
in the directory mode. The cursor will be moved
to the file box, highlighting the first filename
and the program will be in the file mode. See
Chapter 4 for more information about the
activities associated with the file mode.
Home If there is more than one branch, then the Home
key will return you to the first branch.
End If there is more than one branch, then the End
key will send you to the last branch.
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PgUp If there is more than one branch and you are not
at the first branch, the PgUp key will send you
to the previous branch. For example, if you are
on Branch 3 of 4, then the PgUp key will send you
to Branch 2 of 4.
PgDn If there is more than one branch and you are not
at the last branch, the PgDn key will send you to
the next branch. For example, if you are on
Branch 2 of 4, then the PgDn key will send you to
Branch 3 of 4.
ESC The ESC key can be pressed from anywhere within
the directory mode and returns you to the root
directory.
ENTER If the cursor is on a subdirectory, pressing the
ENTER key will open and display the information
for the selected subdirectory.
3.2 The Function Key F2Directory
When you press the F2 key the function key menu is
replaced by a list of directory commands. You can select
a command by cursoring left or right or you can simply
enter the first letter of the command in upper or lower
case. Under the list of commands is a brief description
of the command pointed to by the cursor. If at any time
prior to pressing the ENTER key, you decide that you do
not wish to execute a selected command, press the ESC key
and you will return to the function key menu.
The following is a description of how to use each of
the commands:
3.2.1 Make
This command is the same as the DOS command mkdir
and creates a new subdirectory in the current
directory. To execute this command, first you must
be in the desired current directory. Next, press
the function key F2 and select the Make command.
The program will respond by asking you to enter the
new subdirectory name. Enter the name of the new
directory and press ENTER. If DOS can create the
new directory, it will. Otherwise, an error message
will be issued. Check to see if another file exist
with that name. If not, check to make sure that you
used valid characters. DOS will not accept names
with special characters in it (i.e. <, >, ?, and
*). Remember that the directories are listed in
alphabetic order, so you may not see the new
directory in the current branch on the screen.
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3.2.2 Remove
This command is the same as the DOS command rmdir
and removes a subdirectory from the current
directory. To execute this command, first the
cursor must be on the desired subdirectory and the
subdirectory must be empty (must not contain
subdirectories or files). Next, press the function
key F2 and select the Remove command. The selected
subdirectory will be removed, the remaining
subdirectories will be resorted and the screen will
be redisplayed with the new information. The
important thing to remember here is that you must
select the desired subdirectory before pressing the
F2 function key. The program will not allow you to
remove the current directory or a subdirectory that
is not empty.
3.2.3 Name (Not implemented in Version 1.1)
This command is not implemented under DOS, but it is
equivalent to the rename file command, however it
renames a directory. To execute this command, first
place the cursor on the desired subdirectory. Next,
press the function key F2 and select the Name
command. You will be prompted to enter the new
directory name. After you have entered the new
name, press the ENTER key and the subdirectory name
will be changed and the directories will be resorted
and redisplayed.
3.2.4 Copy
This command is not directly implemented in DOS but
it is equivalent to copy *.* <destination>. This
command copies all of the files of the selected
subdirectory to a specified destination. To execute
this command, first place the cursor on the desired
subdirectory, then press the F2 function key and
select the Copy command. The program will prompt
you for a destination as a Drive or a Path. If you
select the Drive option, all of the files will be
copied to the root directory of the desired drive.
If the destination is a subdirectory, you have two
choices. You may choose the Path option and type in
the path to the destination. If the destination is
a subdirectory on a drive other than the current
drive, you MUST use the Path option. If the path to
a subdirectory in the current drive is too long to
type in (or remember), you may select the Tree
option and use the cursor keys to select the
destination directory. Once you have chosen the
desired subdirectory, press the ENTER key. Tshell
will determine the path and copy all of the files to
that subdirectory.
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3.2.5 Erase (Not implemented in Version 1.1)
This command is not directly implemented in DOS but
it is equivalent to erase *.*. This command erases
all of the files of the selected subdirectory. To
execute this command, first place the cursor on the
desired subdirectory, then press the F2 function key
and select the Erase command. The program will ask
you to verify that you wish to erase all of the
files in the selected subdirectory. If you respond
with y , then the files will be erased. If you
respond with n, then you will return to the function
key menu.
3.2.6 Tree
This command is a variation of the DOS tree
command. The major difference between our command
and the one in DOS is that ours provides you with a
graphic display of your complete directory structure
and allows you to place the cursor on any
subdirectory and open it. To execute this command
press the F2 function key and select the Tree
command. If the file TSHTREE.DAT exists on the
diskette in the current drive, then Tshell will read
it and display the information. Otherwise, Tshell
will create and display the tree information and
save it in the file TSHTREE.DAT. If you
accidentally erase TSHTREE.DAT, it will only cause a
slight delay while Tshell recreates the file. If
you make any changes to your tree structure, such as
making or removing one or more directories, you MUST
erase TSHTREE.DAT in order to force Tshell to
recreate the most current tree structure.
It is possible to display up to 5 levels (columns)
of subdirectories with up to 5 screens of 20 lines
per screen. If the structure is longer than the
screen, you may cursor up and down within the window
as necessary. You may move the cursor among the
directories with the cursor arrow keys. The cursor
up and down keys move the cursor up and down in a
column. The cursor left and right keys move the
cursor between columns, however, you may only change
columns when the cursor is highlighting a directory
which has a subdirectory or a parent directory. The
Home key returns the cursor to the root directory
and the End key sends the cursor to the bottom of
the current column. The PgUp displays the previous
window and the PgDn key displays the next window.
When you have highlighted the desired subdirectory,
press the ENTER key and you will return to the main
Tshell screen with the selected subdirectory as the
current directory. If you do not wish to change the
current directory, press the ESC key.
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3.3 The Function Key F5Date
This keystroke allows you to reset the system date
and is analogous to the DOS Date command. To execute
this command, simply press the F5 function key, enter the
new date and press the ENTER key. Notice that Tshell
does the formatting for you and only valid dates will be
accepted. We have defined valid dates to be 1-12 for the
month, 1-31 for the day and 80-99 for the year. Also
note that the program watches for valid days in any given
month. For example you will not be allowed to set the
date to 2-31-85, since February does not have 31 days.
3.4 The Function Key F6Time
This keystroke allows you to reset the system clock
and is analogous to the DOS Time command. To execute
this command, simply press the F6 function key, enter the
new time, and press the ENTER key. Notice that Tshell
does the formatting for you and only valid times will be
accepted. We have defined valid times to be 0-23 for the
hour, 0-59 for the minutes and 0-59 for the seconds. Also
note that the time display will indicate am or pm
depending on whether or not the time was set to 0-11
hours or 12-23 hours.
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CHAPTER 4 FILE TASKS
In this chapter, we will discuss the cursor
movements in the file mode and the function keys
F2Filetasks, F5Run, and F6Edit. For a review of the term
file mode, see Section 2.5 "A first look at Tshell".
Remember, you may press the F1 function key for help with
the file task commands.
4.1 Cursor Movements
When you are in the file mode, indicated by the
F2Filetasks in the function key menu, the keystrokes
described below are active. The results of any given
keystroke is dependent on whether or not it is logical
for the action to take place. For example, if there is
only one file in the file box, it is not logical to allow
any cursor movements among the files.
Cur Up If the cursor is not at the first file in the
list, the cursor up key will move the cursor up
one file.
Cur Dn If the cursor is not at the last file in the
list, the cursor down key will move the cursor
down one file.
Home The Home key moves the cursor to the first file
in the current directory list.
End The End key moves the cursor to the last file in
the current directory list.
PgUp The PgUp key displays the previous 13 files. When
there are less than 13 files above those seen,
the first file in the list is at the top of the
window.
PgDn The PgDn key displays the next 13 files. When
there are less than 13 files left in the list the
last file is at the bottom of the window.
ESC The ESC key returns you to the directory mode and
places the cursor on the current directory.
4.2 The Function Key F2Filetasks
When you press the F2 function key, the function key
menu is replaced by a list of commands. You can select a
command by cursoring left or right or you can simply
enter the first letter of the command in upper or lower
case. Under the list of commands is a brief description
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of the command pointed to by the cursor. If at any time
prior to pressing the ENTER key, you decide that you do
not wish to execute a selected command, press the ESC key
and you will return to the function key menu.
4.2.1 Marking Files
To use some of these commands, you will be
instructed to mark a file(s). Marking files informs
Tshell which files you wish to operate on. This allows
you to operate on unrelated files, unlike the DOS wild
card character "?" and "*" which require that the
filenames match a specific pattern. To mark a file, place
the cursor on the desired file and press the space bar.
A solid triangle will appear between the index letter and
the first character of the file name to identify which
files have been marked. The space bar is a toggle and
the mark can be removed in the same manner as it was
created.
The following is a description of how to use each of
the commands:
4.2.2 Copy
This command is analogous to the DOS copy command
and copies a file, or files, to a new location. To
execute this command first press the F2 function key
and select the Copy command. Then mark the desired
files (see the paragraph above on marking files).
After marking the files, press the ENTER key and the
program will prompt you for a destination as a Drive
or a Path. If you select the Drive option, the
file(s) will be copied to the root directory of the
desired drive. If the destination is a
subdirectory, you have two choices. You may choose
the Path option and type in the path to the
destination. If the destination is a subdirectory
on a drive other than the current drive, you MUST
use the Path option. If the path to a subdirectory
in the current drive is too long to type in (or
remember), you may select the Tree option and use
the cursor keys to select the destination
directory. Once you have chosen the desired
subdirectory, press the ENTER key. Tshell will
determine the path and copy the file(s) to that
subdirectory.
4.2.3 Erase
This command is analogous to the DOS erase command
and removes a file, or files, from the directory.
To execute this command, first press the F2 function
key and select the Erase command. Then mark the
desired files (see the paragraph above on marking
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files). Then press the ENTER key and the program
will ask you to verify the Erase action. If you
answer Yes to the prompt, the files will be erased.
If you answer No, the request will be cancelled.
4.2.4 Move (Not implemented in Version 1.1)
This command is not implemented by DOS and moves a
file or collection of files to a new subdirectory.
To do this under DOS you would first have to copy
the files to the new directory and then erase them
from the old directory. If the disk is almost full,
this process can be tedious. Tshell executes this
function directly and does not require any addition
disk space. To execute this command, first press
the F2 function key and select the Move command.
Then mark the desired files (see the paragraph above
on marking files). After marking the file(s), press
the ENTER key and the program will prompt you for a
destination as a Drive or a Path. If you select the
Drive option, the file(s) will be moved to the root
directory of the desired drive. If the destination
is a subdirectory, you have two choices. You may
choose the Path option and type in the path to the
destination. If the destination is a subdirectory
on a drive other than the current drive, you MUST
use the Path option. If the path to a subdirectory
in the current drive is too long to type in (or
remember), you may select the Tree option and use
the cursor keys to select the destination
directory. Once you have chosen the desired
subdirectory, press the ENTER key. Tshell will
determine the path and move the file(s) to that
subdirectory.
4.2.5 Protect (Not implemented in Version 1.1)
This command is not implemented in DOS and allows
you to protect sensitive files by encrypting them
with a password known only to you. To execute this
command, first place the cursor on the desired file
and press the F2 function key and select the Protect
command. The program will ask you if you want to
encrypt or decrypt the file. Make your selection
and the program will prompt you to enter the
password. The password may be up to eight
characters in length. Valid password characters
include any character you can create from the
keyboard and they are case sensitive. In other
words, a "B" is different from a "b". The same
password that was used to encrypt the file must be
used to decrypt the file. Remember those
passwords! If you forget the password(s) for an
encrypted file, the file is lost. For added
protection, you may encrypt a file more than once
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with different passwords. To decrypt a file that
has been encrypted more than once, simply decrypt
with each password in order, and the file will be
returned to its original state.
Notice to the user: Neither Josiah C. Hoskins nor
BTM Software, Inc. will accept any liability for
lost or misused information due to, but not limited
to: 1) the user forgetting the password(s) used to
encrypt the file or, 2) a third party breaking the
encryption scheme and misusing the protected
information. The user accepts all responsibility
for his, or her own information and any methods used
to protect such information. Using this command
signifies that you have agreed to these terms.
4.2.6 Rename
This command is analogous to the DOS rename command
and changes a file name to a new file name. To
execute this command, first place the cursor on the
desired file. Then press the F2 function key and
select the Rename command. You will be prompted to
enter the new file name. Press the ENTER key to
execute or if you should change your mind, you may
press the ESC key and cancel the request.
4.2.7 Type
This command is analogous to the DOS type command
and types a file to the standard output (generally
the screen). To execute this command, first place
the cursor on the desired file. Then press the F2
function key and select the Type command. Press the
ENTER key to have the file typed out or press ESC to
cancel the request.
4.2.8 Sort (Not implemented in Version 1.1)
This command is not implemented in DOS and allows
you to define how to sort and display your file box
information. When you issue this command you are
only defining the type of file sort for the current
session in Tshell. See Section 2.4 "Setting Up" on
how to make this change permanent. To execute this
command, press the F2 function key and select the
Sort command. You will be given a menu of file
attributes on which to base the sort. You may chose
to sort by the file Name (the initial default),
Extension, Size, or Date. The Date option will be
sorted first by the date and then by the time.
Select the Sort attribute by placing the cursor on
your choice and pressing ENTER or type in the first
letter of the attribute. The current file box
information will be resorted and redisplayed.
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4.2.9 Where (Not implemented in Version 1.1)
This command is not implemented in DOS and allows
you to find a misplaced file in the current drive.
If you know a certain file exists but cannot
remember which directory it is in, this command will
display the path to it. To execute this command,
press the F2 function key and select the Where
command. You will be prompted to type in the
desired filename and extension. After pressing
ENTER, Tshell will search the entire directory
structure for the first occurrence of the file in
the structure. If the file exists, Tshell will
display the path to the file. You will then be
asked if you want to continue searching for other
occurrences of the same file. If you respond with
Yes, the search will continue, otherwise you will
return to the file mode.
4.3 The Function Key F5Run
This keystroke allows you to run or execute a
program (file) from within Tshell. To execute this
command, first place the cursor on the desired program
(file). Then press the F5 function key and the program
will be run. When the program is finished, you will
return to Tshell. There are several important points that
you must take into consideration when using this
keystroke:
1) The program (file) must have a .BAT, .COM or
.EXE extension.
2) In version 1.1, the program will not function
properly if it requires an argument, such as a
file name. Use the Function Key F7Compose or
F9Menu to execute any programs that require an
argument (see Chapter 5 for a description on
how to use the F7 and F9 function keys).
Version 2.0 will allow you to provide arguments
to executable files.
4.4 The Function Key F6Edit (not in Ver. 1.1)
This keystroke allows you to edit a file with only
one keystroke. When you initially setup and customized
Tshell for your environment you told Tshell where to find
your favorite editor and whether or not it takes a file
name for an argument. Unless you have changed the
location of your editor, Tshell remembers and does all of
the work for you. To execute this command simply place
the cursor on the desired file you wish to edit and press
the F6 function key. Tshell will place you in your
editor. When you end your editing session you will return
to Tshell.
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CHAPTER 5 SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE
You have noticed by now that we have reused a few of
the function keys. At times this may confuse you, but we
feel that the changes are logical and make effective use
of the function keys. If you are ever confused about
what mode you are in, look at the function key F2
description. If the F2 has Directory beside it, you are
in the directory mode. If the F2 has Filetasks beside it,
you are in the file mode. You can also press the F1
function key for help in determining which commands are
available to you.
As the title of this chapter indicates, there are a
few function key definitions that never change and they
are the F1Help, F3Drive, F4Path, F7Compose, F8Setup,
F9Menu, and F10Exit function keys. We have already
talked about the F1Help, F8Setup and F10Exit function
keys in Chapter 2. If you need help with these keys
refer to Chapter 2. We will discuss the remaining
function keys here.
5.1 The Function Key F3Drive
The function key F3 allows you to change the current
drive and is analogous to the DOS "X:" command, where X
is the new current drive. To execute this command,
simply press the F3 function key. You will be prompted
for the desired drive from a list of drives labeled A
through some letter of the alphabet. The highest letter
will depend on how many drives you told Tshell you have
in your system during the setup of your environment. For
example, if you have three drives then your selections
for F3 would be "A B C". You can move the cursor to the
desired drive by using the left and right cursor keys, or
you can enter the letter of the desired drive. Tshell
examines the disk in the selected drive and if there are
no errors, Tshell will display the root directory
information for the selected drive.
5.2 The Function Key F4Path
This function key allows you to examine your current
path and is analogous to the DOS cd command without any
arguments. To execute this command, simply press the F4
function key and the current path will be displayed where
the function key menu was. Press the space bar to return
to Tshell.
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page 23
5.3 The Function Key F7Compose
This function key allows you to compose your own DOS
command or execute a program that requires arguments.
Once the command has been executed you will return to
Tshell and the current file information is read from the
disk to make sure that you have the most current
information on the screen.
5.4 The Function Key F9Menu (not in Ver. 1.1)
This function key allows you to execute one of your
own application programs. To execute this command,
simply press the function key F9Menu. The program will
respond with a menu of application programs that you
defined during Setup. To execute an application program,
simply press the key corresponding to the index of the
desired program. See Setup for an explanation on how to
define this key to your satisfaction. If you have
defined an application program to take a macro argument,
highlight the desired file argument before you press the
F9 function key. During the time you have used Tshell,
you may have noticed a file called TSHMENU.DAT. This
file contains your application menu definitions and must
not be erased.
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Tshell Page 24
APPENDIX 1 SHORTCUTS AND HINTS
One of the most important concepts of user-friendly
software is that it must have features that are friendly
to a wide range of users. In the beginning, a user is
not familiar with a program and needs some guidance, but
the user who has mastered a program becomes annoyed with
the tutorial type commands. So we have included several
shortcuts to increase the speed at which you can enter a
command.
We have discussed how you can move the cursor among
the subdirectories with the cursor keys. You probably
have noticed the vertical lines numbered one through
six. Believe it or not there is a reason for these
numbers. By combining the keystrokes of ALT-1...6, you
can go directly to the desired subdirectory without
having to watch the cursor move around the screen. The
important thing here is to hold down the ALT key while
pressing the numbered key across the top of your
keyboard.
This same concept will work inside the file box.
You will notice that to the left of each filename there
is a letter from a to n. If you combine the ALT key with
one of these letters, the cursor will move directly to
the desired file. These indexes are fixed so the desired
file must be in the current file window where you can see
it. You can also make this combination keystroke from
the directory mode and the cursor will be placed in the
file box, on the desired file, and you will be in the
file mode.
And finally, whenever you press a function key and
you are presented a list of options, instead of cursoring
over to the desired option, you can simply press the
first letter of the option.
BTM Software, Inc., P.O. Box 49365, Austin, Texas 78765
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #0592
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
FILES592 TXT 908 8-25-86 5:39p
GO BAT 524 1-03-80 3:04a
INSTALL BAT 2756 10-31-85 11:33a
NOTES592 TXT 1633 1-03-80 2:38a
README 1ST 4981 1-03-86 12:52p
SETUP TSH 30387 11-30-85 11:20a
TSH DOC 84570 11-12-85 10:20p
TSH EXE 60363 1-03-86 12:47p
TSH HLP 41079 11-13-85 8:22p
USQ EXE 16512 9-26-85 9:34p
10 file(s) 243713 bytes
74752 bytes free