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Information about “DIRECTORY EXTENDED”
Give yourself more power and freedom in managing your files operating
totally from the DOS command line.
DIRECTORY EXTENDED (DX) allows you to easily select one file or
multiple files, including hidden and system files if desired, which you
may then copy, move, delete, rename, compare or append with
another file. You can change a file's attribute or its date, and check
if a group of files can fit on a disk.
Normal DOS files, as well as those within an archive (.ARC) file, can be
directly sorted by name, extension, size, date, or file attributes. DX
can perform a CRC or checksum test on your files to detect defects or
alterations in files. DX commands can be incorporated into batch files.
DX.DOC
DDDDDDD
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DD DD I R R E C C T O O R R Y Y
DD DD I R R E C T O O R R Y Y
DD DD I RRRR EEEE C T O O RRRR Y
DD DD I R R E C T O O R R Y
DDDDDDDD I R R E C C T O O R R Y
DDDDDDD IIIII R R EEEEE CCC T OOO R R Y
XX XX
XX XX
EEEEE XX XX TTTTT EEEEE N N DDDD EEEEE DDDD
E XXXX T E NN N D D E D D
E XX T E N N N D D E D D
EEEE XXXX T EEEE N NN D D EEEE D D
E XX XX T E N N D D E D D
E XX XX T E N N D D E D D
EEEEE XX XX T EEEEE N N DDDD EEEEE DDDD (TM)
Version 2.0 of December 1988
Robert K. Blaine / ECONO-SOFT
P.O. Box 181030
Austin, TX 78718-1030
800-367-7590, 512-832-1675
CompuServe [73267,1664]
GEnie [ROB.BLAINE]
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
THIS SOFTWARE AND MANUAL ARE SOLD "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS
TO PERFORMANCE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. IN NO EVENT SHALL ECONO-SOFT OR ROBERT K.
BLAINE BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT OR ANY OTHER
COMMERCIAL DAMAGE RESULTING FROM THE USE OR MISUSE OF THIS PRODUCT,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR
OTHER DAMAGES.
BECAUSE OF THE VARIOUS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENTS INTO
WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE PUT, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED. THE USER MUST ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK
OF USING THE PROGRAM. ANY LIABILITY OF THE SELLER WILL BE LIMITED
EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF PURCHASE PRICE.
Throughout this document, references are made to the following
trademarks:
- ARC is a trademark of System Enhancement Associates.
- DESQview is a trademark of Quarterdeck Office Systems.
- DX and Directory eXtended are trademarks of Robert K.
Blaine/ECONO-SOFT.
- DoubleDOS is a trademark of SoftLogic Solutions, Inc.
- Epson is a trademark of Epson Corporation.
- IBM, PC-DOS, and TopView are trademarks of International
Business Machines Corporation.
- LIST is Copyrighted by Vernon D. Buerg.
- MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
- PCED is a trademark of Cove Software Group, Inc.
- Turbo Pascal are trademarks of Borland International, Inc.
C O N T E N T S
1.0 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.1 Feature Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 The ShareWare Concept -- DX IS NOT FREE! . . . . . . . 4
1.3 A Sample Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.4 General Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.5 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.0 Formatting Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.1 /Pause -- A Screenful at a Time . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2 /Wide -- A Quick Look . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.3 /SINGle -- One File Per Line . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.4 /Totals -- Statistics Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.5 /HEader -- Setting the Header Level . . . . . . . . 11
2.6 /STats -- Setting the Statistics Level . . . . . . . 11
2.7 /CAse -- Setting the Output Case . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.8 /12 -- Setting the Time Format . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.9 Color Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.9.1 /BColor -- Background Color . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.9.2 /FColor -- Foreground Color . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.9.3 /DColor -- Directory Color . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.9.4 /ANSI -- xANSI Driver Support . . . . . . . . . 13
2.10 /Output -- Where to Send the Directory . . . . . . 14
2.11 /PRint -- Formatting for the Printer . . . . . . . 14
2.11.1 /PRMode -- Establishing the Print Mode . . . . 15
2.11.2 /PRMArg -- Setting Print Margins . . . . . . . 15
2.12 /FSBlink -- Causing /FSize Message to Blink . . . . 15
2.13 /Quiet -- Inhibit Informative Messages . . . . . . 16
2.14 /NLines -- Specify Output Height . . . . . . . . . 16
2.15 /ALign -- Aligning Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.16 /ANgle -- Angle Bracket Directory Indicator . . . . 16
2.17 /DOTstar -- Automatic ".*" . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.0 File Matching Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.1 /Command -- Finding Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.2 Extended Pattern Matching . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.3 File attribute Matching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.3.1 /Full -- All Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.3.2 /ATtr -- Select File Attributes . . . . . . . . 21
3.4 /SIze -- Setting a Size Range . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.5 /SINce and /BEfore -- Date/Time Ranges . . . . . . . 23
3.6 Viewing ARChive and LiBRary Directories . . . . . . 25
3.6.1 /ARCDT -- Validating ARC/LBR Timestamps . . . . 26
4.0 Utility Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4.1 /SOrt -- Sorting Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4.2 /FFind -- Searching Multiple Directories . . . . . . 28
4.3 /FSize -- Testing if File Transfer Possible . . . . 29
4.4 /Ldir -- Listing Directory Names . . . . . . . . . . 29
i
4.5 /CKsum -- Checksumming Files . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
4.6 /CRC -- Cyclic Redundancy Checks . . . . . . . . . . 30
5.0 Special Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
5.1 Target File Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
5.2 /MOve and /COPy -- Moving/Copying Files . . . . . . 33
5.2.1 /APpend -- Append Files . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
5.2.2 /MDir -- Create Missing Directories . . . . . . 36
5.2.3 /RDir -- Remove Empty Directory . . . . . . . . 36
5.2.4 /TDate -- Set Target File's Date/Time . . . . . 36
5.2.5 /TAttr -- Set Target File Attributes . . . . . 37
5.2.6 /VLevel -- Verify Level . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
5.3 /COMPare -- Comparing Files . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
5.4 /REName -- Renaming Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
5.5 /GOBak -- Reverting to Previous Versions . . . . . . 40
5.6 /FDate -- Changing File Date/Time Stamps . . . . . . 40
5.7 /FAttr -- Changing File Attributes . . . . . . . . . 41
5.8 /DELete -- Deleting Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
5.9 /VIew -- View FIles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.10 /RUn -- Immediate Command Execution . . . . . . . . 43
5.11 Verifying Special Processing . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.11.1 Answering the Questions . . . . . . . . . . . 44
5.11.2 /Verify -- Normal Verification . . . . . . . . 44
5.11.3 /OVerwrite -- Verifying File Overwrites . . . 45
5.11.4 /ROnly -- Read-only File Handling . . . . . . 46
5.12 /LIst - Defining the LIST Processor . . . . . . . . 47
5.13 /DEfer -- Deferred Special Processing . . . . . . . 47
5.14 /MSP -- Multi-pass Special Processing . . . . . . . 48
6.0 Batch File Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
6.1 /Batch -- Specifying the Batch Template . . . . . . 50
6.2 /EXec -- Controlling Automatic Execution . . . . . . 53
6.3 /CDir -- Automatic CHDIR Commands . . . . . . . . . 55
6.4 Preview a Batch File / Create a List of Files . . . 55
6.5 Matching Directories in Batch Files . . . . . . . . 56
7.0 Customizing DX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
8.0 Using DX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
8.1 Testing Termination Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . 60
8.2 Compatibility and Performance Considerations . . . . 61
8.2.1 /VIDeo -- Controlling Direct Screen Access . . 61
8.2.2 /NONstd -- Handling Non-standard Environments . 61
8.2.3 /NETaccess -- Handling Network Conflicts . . . 62
8.2.4 Enhancing DOS Performance . . . . . . . . . . . 62
8.3 Using DX with PCED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
8.4 /ALTernate Pattern Separators . . . . . . . . . . . 63
8.5 /INfo -- A Quick Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
8.6 Memory Utilization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
8.7 Aborting and Escaping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
8.8 /SWatch -- Execution Time and ERRORLEVEL . . . . . . 65
Appendix A. Quick Reference 66
Appendix B. Registration Form 69
Index 71
ii
Directory eXtended Version 2.0
1.0 Introduction
DX was born out of the desire to have a double column directory
display. It has grown into a very powerful disk and file management
tool. Even if you never use the advanced features of DX, you will
find the output much more informative than that of DOS's DIR
command. There are two major distinctions between DX and the
plethora of other file managers in the world:
1. DX has a very powerful and versatile file-matching engine.
You can search an entire disk and select a group of files
based on very sophisticated criteria -- unsurpassed by any
other DOS program! Most DOS users are familiar with
directory wildcards -- the '?' being used to match any
single character and the '*' to match zero or more
characters. DX takes this concept one step further by
allowing any number of '*'s and additional characters
between and after the '*'s. Multiple patterns may be
included and excluded. Files may be selected or excluded
based on file attributes, sizes, and creation date/time
ranges.
2. DX is not menu or mouse oriented. DX is aimed at a
significant portion of DOS users who prefer to use a quick,
command-line oriented utility to do their file management. A
full-screen version of DX is under development for those who
want the power of DX but prefer that environment.
Using the matching engine to display your directory is only the
beginning. DX can perform just about any function you can imagine
on these files starting with enhanced versions of COPY, APPEND,
COMPARE, MOVE, DELETE, and RENAME and continuing on to setting a
file's attributes or creation date/time or determining it's
checksum or CRC. If none of DX's built-in functions fit the bill,
you can have DX write a batch file to process your files any way
you like! The possibilities are endless!
Don't let the size of DX scare you -- it will take the place of
many disk/file utilities that you now use -- standardizing their
usage and making your work easier. There are many examples and
suggestions in this manual -- these are just the beginning; you
will undoubtedly think of many more!
1.1 Feature Summary
- Full path and hard disk support.
Page 2 1.0 Introduction
Version 2.0 Directory eXtended
- A very powerful and flexible file-matching engine
allowing multiple wildcards and additional characters
following and between the wildcard characters. For
example, "DX *TEST" will match files named "FILETEST",
"XTEST", and "TEST" while "DX ?*TEST" would only match
files "FILETEST" and "XTEST".
- Multiple file specifications can be given -- both as
inclusion and exclusion. For example, "DX .BAS+.PAS;*T"
will match files with extensions of ".BAS" and ".PAS"
only if their names do not end with a "T".
- DX can search all directories, list all directory
names, and test whether a set of files can fit on a
different disk.
- DX can search any and all ARChives and LiBRaries using
full pattern matching; compare files within an ARChive
to files outside; rename and change the date/time of
files within ARChives.
- You can specify exactly which file attributes to
display. See any hidden or system files.
- You can select files between (or outside) of a
specified range of file sizes and/or dates/times.
- Have you ever received a new disk and wanted to know
immediately what commands are available? An option on
DX will display all ".COM", ".EXE", and ".BAT" files.
- DX suppresses the annoying "." and ".." entries that
are always present in directories.
- DX can sort files by any combination of filename,
extension, size, date/time, or file attributes --
ascending or descending. Sort files within archives and
libraries. The sorted output may be across the screen
or columnar.
- Move, copy, compare, delete, and rename files across
disks and directories. Append files to pre-existing
files. Change file attributes and date/time stamp.
- All of DX's special processing may be verified on a
file-by-file basis (default) or performed
automatically.
- Produce either a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) or
checksum of your files for data integrity checking --
useful in detecting Trojan horses!
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 3
Directory eXtended Version 2.0
- You can carry all of the extensive pattern matching
capabilities into any task you need to perform by
having DX generate (and optionally internally execute)
DOS batch files for you. Couple this with the ability
to search all directories, archives, and libraries and
you can build batch files to process your entire hard
disk.
- DX has an extensive set of output formatting options --
including colors, printer formatting, UPPER, lower or
Initial Caps cases, 12 or 24 hour time formats, and
screen width, height, and screen-handling options.
- DX is fully customizable -- set your favorite options
once and they will always be used.
- Make decisions in batch files based on the ERRORLEVEL
set by DX -- i.e. if files or disks exist or don't
exist; if files compare; if a copy, move, rename,
delete, etc. was successful or not.
1.2 The ShareWare Concept -- DX IS NOT FREE!
DX is released as ShareWare and, as such, is dependent upon
your support for ongoing development. You are encouraged to
freely copy and distribute this product (DX.EXE and DX.DOC) to
friends, business associates, and user groups. It is expected
that DX will only be available commercially at some time in
the future. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT FREE! You have an evaluation
period of two weeks. If you decide not to use DX, simply pass
the disk along to someone else. If you are still using DX
after two weeks of evaluation, you are obligated to send a
minimum donation of $25 ($35 includes a printed manual). If
the future of low-cost, quality software is to continue, we
all must support this concept.
Send any comments, suggestions, questions, or problem reports
to the address below. Customized versions are available.
Dealer inquiries are welcome. Corporate discounts are
available. (Please quote your version number -- from the
program, not the documentation -- on all correspondence.)
Texas residents please add 8% sales tax.
Appendix B has a convenient form to use for registration and
ordering. Please address all donations and correspondence to:
ECONO-SOFT CompuServe [73267,1664]
P.O. Box 181030 GEnie [ROB.BLAINE]
Austin, TX 78718-1030 800-367-7590, 512-832-1675
Page 4 1.1 Feature Summary
Version 2.0 Directory eXtended
Mastercard and VISA are accepted. Our policy includes a 30
day, no questions asked guarantee.
1.3 A Sample Display
DX's default output mode is a two column display which gives
much more information about a disk and directory than DOS's
DIR command. While reading this information, why not simply
type "DX" and compare the display with the following
discussion. A sample output is shown here:
Volume [E:RAM Disk] created: 88-Dec-16 18:33:14; Directory of [E:\]
Temp --dir-- 88dec16 21:30 | Dx.Exe 71216 r 88dec12 8:04
List.Com 8191 r 88jul08 3:53 | Path.Bat 103 a 88dec16 18:33
Sk1.Swp 378880 a 88dec16 21:13 | Sk4.Swp 301104 a 88dec16 18:32
St.Exe 11152 r 88may12 1:19 | Xx.Spr 981 a 88dec16 21:20
771,627 bytes in 8 files. 774,144 bytes allocated (1% slack).
516,096 bytes free (40%). 1,024 byte minimum allocation.
1,291,264 bytes total on: RAM Disk. Attributes hidden: none.
The first line contains the volume name, creation date/time,
if present, and the file specification given for file-
matching.
For each file, its name, extension, size in bytes, file
attributes, and date/time of last modification are shown. An
'a' appears in the attribute field if the 'Archive' attribute
is set for this file. This attribute indicates that the file
has been created or modified since the last disk BACKUP (this
is of primary interest to hard disk users). An 'r' appears if
the file has been marked as 'Read-only'. This attribute
indicates that DOS will not allow the file to be deleted or
written over. An 'h' appears if the file is 'Hidden' and an
's' appears if the file is a 'System' file. (These last two
attributes are not displayed by default -- see section 3.3 for
more information.) The designation '--dir--' indicates a
directory.
The statistics printed at the end contain the following
information: the number of files matched and the total number
of bytes in those files; the actual amount of space allocated;
the percentage of "slack" or wasted space (or percentage saved
in an archive); the number of bytes free on the device and
what percentage of total disk space that represents; the size
of an allocation unit (DOS allocates disk space in multiples
of this amount); the total disk space and type of the disk;
and an indication of which file attributes were not displayed.
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 5
Directory eXtended Version 2.0
(Other information may be displayed if certain options are
selected.)
The type of disk will be one of the following:
Disk Type Sides Sectors/Track Size Ref
SS/8s Floppy 1 8 160 KB DOS 1
SS/9s Floppy 1 9 180 KB DOS 2+
DS/8s Floppy 2 8 320 KB DOS 1
DS/9s Floppy 2 9 360 KB DOS 2+
QD/15s or 3.5"/9s 2 15 1.2 MB PC/AT
2 9 740 KB PS/2
3.5"/18s Floppy 2 18 1.44 MB PS/2
Hard Disk Hard (fixed) Disk.
RAM Disk RAM or virtual disk.
NET Disk Network (remote) drive.
The "Attributes hidden" indicator will either display "none"
-- which indicates that all files were considered for file-
matching -- or a list of attributes that were not selected.
For example, if the disk were bootable, the designation
"Attributes hidden: HS" would be displayed indicating that in
order to see the hidden and system files present in the
directory, it is necessary to include the H and S flags on the
/ATtr switch. By default, hidden and system are not displayed
-- remember any of these options may be customized to your
taste (see section 3.3).
1.4 General Syntax
DX's command format complies with the original DOS standard --
i.e. the standard that DOS was modeled after. The problem in
the PC community is that everyone has a better idea for syntax
so there really are no standards. This syntax conforms to all
DOS utilities. The format is shown below and then explained.
Items within square brackets are optional, items within curly
braces may be repeated any number of times, and a vertical bar
indicates that you should pick one of them (believe it or not,
some people actually like to see this format):
DX [/switch {/switch}] [filespec] [/switch {/switch}]
The syntax for a file specification is as follows:
filespec ::= [d:][path][[;]pattern{+pattern|;pattern}]
The syntax for a switch designation is as follows:
switch ::= /name[-|:[-]value[:value]|=[-]value[:value]]
Page 6 1.3 A Sample Display
Version 2.0 Directory eXtended
Now what does that mean to the average user? There are three
major parts to the command line. The first is the name (and
possibly the drive and path) where DOS should load DX from.
The second part is the file specification and the third part
consists of option selection. This is done via switches.
The file specification defaults to "*.*" -- that is all files
with all extensions in the current directory of the currently
logged disk. A drive and/or path specification may be given.
If a path starts with a back-slash ("\") the path starts from
the root of the directory tree, otherwise the path starts from
the current directory level. If the file specification ends in
a directory name, all files in that directory are selected
implicitly. Currently, wildcards are not allowed in the drive
or path portions of the file specification and this portion
cannot be repeated.
The last name in the "path" specification may be an archive or
library name -- thus allowing archives and libraries to become
a logical extension to the DOS path. This is described in
detail in section 3.6.
After the drive and path, any number of optional file patterns
may be given. Refer to section 3.2 for detailed information on
pattern matching.
Throughout this document, switch names are shown in mixed
upper/lower case. The portion in upper case represents the
minimum abbreviation. For example, the "/SINce" switch may be
given as "/SINCE", "/SINC", and "/SIN", but not "/SI" since
that is a valid abbreviation for the "/SIze" switch.
Switches may be specified either after the command name or
after the file specification. There may be spaces between
switches, after the command name, and between a switch and the
file specification. There may not be any spaces between the
'/' that starts the switch, the name of the switch, or any
values associated with that switch.
In general a switch is either on or off, and may have one or
two values associated with it. Let's use "SW" as the name of a
sample switch. The notation "/SW" will turn the switch on, and
"/SW-" will turn the switch off. "/SW:value" supplies a value
to the switch and "/SW:value:value" supplies two values. A
switch value may be a single character option, a string, a
number, a keyword, or a complete file specification. For each
switch discussed in this documentation, the types of values
and their defaults are given. The '=' may be used instead of
':' to assign values to a switch as in "/SW=value" or
"/SW=value:value" (this format is not possible on DOS
environment variables -- see section 7).
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 7
Directory eXtended Version 2.0
DOS limits the length of a command line to 127 characters. If
you need more room to enter your commands to DX, simply end
the current line with a comma (','); DX will then solicit
continuation lines. DX limits the total file specification
pattern and the total switch specification to 255 characters
each -- of course, they can be intermixed.
1.5 System Requirements
- Any IBM PC family or PS/2 or compatible.
- About 88k above that used by DOS and any resident
software. (Special and Batch processing require more
memory).
- Color or monochrome monitor.
- MS/PC-DOS 2.x, 3.x, or 4.x.
- DX runs under Topview, DesqView, DoubleDos, and the
OS/2 Compatibility Option (see section 8.2.1) and is
compatible with most networks.
Page 8 1.5 System Requirements
Version 2.0 Directory eXtended
2.0 Formatting Options
This section describes switches that modify how the directory is
displayed. Keep in mind that when you decide what format you like
best, you can customize DX to always use that format (see section
7).
2.1 /Pause -- A Screenful at a Time
The /Pause option is used to cause DX to stop when the screen
fills and wait for any key to be struck. Examples:
dx /p => list full directory; pause
when screen fills
This switch is automatically turned off by /Output and /Batch
and the use of special processing.
The /Pause switch may take the keyword values 'Screen' or
'Directory'. The default is 'Screen'; 'Directory' will cause
DX to pause between directories, archives, and libraries (when
used with the /FFind option):
dx /p:d /ffind => search the entire disk pausing
whenever the screen fills or a
new directory is entered
When DX has paused, you may type a "G" to prevent further
pausing.
2.2 /Wide -- A Quick Look
The /Wide option is used to display 5 entries across the
screen when operating in normal mode. When used with the List
Directory option ("/Ldir"), as many directories as possible
are displayed across the screen. Examples:
dx /w => list all files in the current
directory in a wide format
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 9
Directory eXtended Version 2.0
2.3 /SINGle -- One File Per Line
The /SINGle option is used to display one file per line with
some more information than is otherwise displayed. Some extra
spaces are inserted for increased readability, the file
modification time is displayed with seconds, and the amount of
space actually allocated to the file is shown in parentheses.
(The seconds field is only accurate to within two seconds
because of the way DOS stores packed times.)
DX /single => list all files in the current
directory one file per line
DX \*.pas/sing/ff => starting in the root, search
the entire disk for any pascal
files and list them one file
per line
2.4 /Totals -- Statistics Only
The /Totals option causes DX to output the file totals only.
The body of the display -- filenames, sizes, attributes, and
date/times are not displayed. If used with the File Find
option ("/FFind"), you may want to specify only the directory
subtotals, or only the grand totals. These are selected with
the 'Subtotals' or 'Global' qualifiers as shown:
dx /t => list the totals for all files
in the current directory
dx test.*/ffind/t:s => starting from the current
directory, list the subtotals
by directory for all files
matching test.* in the current
directory and all
subdirectories
dx \*b/ff/totals:global => starting at the root, search
the entire disk for files that
end in "b" and print only the
grand total
("/Totals:Off" is equivalent to "/Totals-" and is the default
-- i.e. directories are listed along with totals.)
Page 10 2.3 /SINGle -- One File Per Line
Version 2.0 Directory eXtended
2.5 /HEader -- Setting the Header Level
The /HEader option determines how many lines of heading are
output. This switch takes a numeric value between 0 and 2. If
the switch is not specified, the value defaults to 2 which
gives all heading lines. A value of 1 will suppress the
Copyright line. A value of 0 will suppress all headers.
dx /he:1 => list all files in the current
directory; omit the copyright
headline
dx files /header:0 => list all files matching
"files.*" with no heading
2.6 /STats -- Setting the Statistics Level
The /STats option determines how many lines of statistics are
displayed at the end of the directory. This switch takes a
numeric argument between 0 and 4. The default value of 4
selects all statistics. A value of 3 will suppress the last
line which contains the total size of the disk, the type of
disk, and what attributes were not selected. A value of 2 will
also suppress the total space allocated by the selected files,
the percentage of wasted space, and the minimum allocation. A
value of 1 will only display the number of files and number of
bytes matched -- this avoids the "Free space" determination
which can be time consuming on a hard disk. A value of 1 also
shows how many directories were scanned via the File Find
(/FFind) or List Directory (/Ldir) options. A value of 0 will
suppress all statistics including those generated by special
processing.
dx /stat:0 => turn off all statistics
dx files/st=1 => list all files matching
"files.*" listing the number
of files and number of bytes
matched
Two values may be given in which case the second value is used
on hard disks only which may be used to prevent the time
consuming free space computation on large hard disks:
dx /st:4:1 => level 1 statistics on hard
disks; full statistics on all
other disks
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 11
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2.7 /CAse -- Setting the Output Case
The /CAse switch selects whether the output should be
displayed in all upper case, all lower case, or with initial
caps (the first character of each word capitalized). Initial
caps ("/CAse:Initial") is the default; specify "/CAse:Lower"
for lower case and "/CAse:Upper" for upper case:
dx /ca:u => desplay the directory in upper
case
dx *.asm /case:low => display all "*.asm" files in
lower case
2.8 /12 -- Setting the Time Format
The /12 switch selects 12 hour format when displaying times.
The default is 24 hour format:
dx /12 => use 12-hour format
2.9 Color Configuration
If no colors are specified, DX will set its colors to match
the current on-screen colors of the left-most character of the
line above the cursor position when DX is loaded. This means
that DX will blend in with whatever screen colors you have
selected for DOS. If you want DX to come up with specific
colors, use the following three switches (to make them the
default, see section 7). Each switch takes a color keyword
(they may be abbreviated as shown in capital letters):
Keyword Color Keyword Color
Black ................ Black GRAy ............. Dark Gray
BLUe .................. Blue LBlue ........... Light Blue
Green ................ Green LGReen ......... Light Green
Cyan .................. Cyan LCyan ........... Light Cyan
Red .................... Red LRed ............ Bright Red
Magenta ............ Magenta LMagenta .... Bright Magenta
BRown ................ Brown Yellow ....... Bright Yellow
Lgray ........... Light Gray White ......... Bright White
Some color displays, the 3270-PC for example, cannot accept
the high-intensity colors (the second column). If a high-
intensity color is used on one of these displays, the
corresponding low-intensity color will appear instead.
Page 12 2.7 /CAse -- Setting the Output Case
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2.9.1 /BColor -- Background Color
The background color may be selected via the /BColor
switch. Only colors on the left side of the above table
(Black .. Lgray -- low intensity) should be used. If a
high intensity color is selected, the low intensity color
will actually display and the foreground display will
blink. The default is determined by the current colors at
the cursor position when DX is started:
dx /bcolor:bl => set background black
dx /bc:cyan => set background cyan
2.9.2 /FColor -- Foreground Color
The foreground color may be selected via the /FColor
switch. Any of the colors in the above table may be
specified. The default is determined by the current
colors at the cursor position when DX is started:
dx /fc=gr => set foreground gray
dx /fcolor:black => set foreground black
2.9.3 /DColor -- Directory Color
DX highlights certain parts of it's display using the
color specified by /DColor (this includes the Diretory
name, volume name, and verification questions). Any color
in the above table may be specified. The default for this
color is based on the foreground color and is determined
by toggling the high intensity screen attribute. This
means that if the foreground color is brown, the default
directory color is bright yellow, and if the foreground
color is light blue, the default directory color is blue.
(If run on a display that does not support high-
intensity, directories will not be high-lighted unless
you specify this switch.) This color may be specified by:
dx /dc:blu => set directories blue
dx /dcol:yellow => set directories yellow
2.9.4 /ANSI -- xANSI Driver Support
Colors are normally set through the system BIOS. The
/ANSI switch when used in conjunction with screen output
through DOS (see /Output, section 2.10) will set colors
via standard ANSI escape sequences.
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 13
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dx /fc:bl /bc:cy /out /ansi
=> set black on cyan; send
ANSI sequences to DOS
2.10 /Output -- Where to Send the Directory
The /Output switch is used to specify an output file. DOS is
not normally used for screen output at all (this means that
the DOS RAW mode setting has no effect). This allows colors to
be used and speeds up the screen display. Specifying /Output
causes output to go through DOS in one of two ways. If the
switch is given without a value, then DOS standard output is
used. This allows redirection (via '>') and piping ('|').
Redirection allows you to route the output to any device or
file -- including 'NUL' which discards all output. Piping
allows you to send the output of DX to another program as
input to that program. A file specification may be given to
/Output which is the preferred method of output to disk as it
will run significantly faster than redirecting to a disk file.
Examples:
dx /output:a:\misc\fred => output to "a:\misc\fred"
dx file1.?xx/o | myprog => pipe output to "myprog"
dx /o:nul => discard output entirely
dx /out >a:fred => redirect output to a:fred
("/out:a:fred" is more
efficient)
2.11 /PRint -- Formatting for the Printer
The /PRint switch is used to format the output for a printer.
This switch automatically selects "/Output:PRN" but the
/Output switch may be explicitly specified. A printer type may
be given as a value to the switch but currently the only
printers that may be specified are 'Epson' and 'Ibm' and they
do the same thing! 'Epson' is the default so there is no
reason to specify them at all. Other printers may be added in
the future. If this switch does not work well on your printer,
please write.
The print formatting consists of setting skip over perforation
to 6, not starting a new directory in the last 12 lines of the
page, and highlighting directory names by double-striking.
Page 14 2.10 /Output -- Where to Send the Directory
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dx a:/print => send printer formatted output
to "prn"
dx .pas /pr /out:lpt3: => send printer formatted output
to "lpt3:"
dx /pr/out:b:myfile => format for IBM printer and
send output to "b:myfile"
2.11.1 /PRMode -- Establishing the Print Mode
The /PRMode switch selects the type size (font) to be
used when printing. The default is 'Normal', but
'Compressed' and 'Tiny' may be used. 'Compressed' and
'Tiny' both allow more columns across the page; 'Tiny'
allows more lines on the page.
dx /pr/prm:c => format compressed output
and send to "prn"
dx /pr/prmode:tiny => format tiny output and send
to "prn"
2.11.2 /PRMArg -- Setting Print Margins
The /PRMArg switch allows you to specify the left and
right print margins. If you give only the left margin,
the right margin is set to 80 (normal) or 121 (compressed
and tiny) columns past the left margin. Specifying a
larger right margin assumes that you have a printer that
can handle the increased width.
dx /pr/prma:5 => use print margins 5:80;
send output to "prn"
dx /pr/prm:comp/prmarg:10:240
=> use print margins 10 and
240; format compressed
output and send to "prn"
2.12 /FSBlink -- Causing /FSize Message to Blink
The /FSBlink switch will cause the "SUFFICIENT" or "NOT
SUFFICIENT" message from /FSize to blink. See section 4.3 for
information on /FSize.
dx /fs:b/fsb => message will blink
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2.13 /Quiet -- Inhibit Informative Messages
The /Quiet switch will inhibit the flashing informative
"quick" messages -- the ones that tell you what directory DX
is scanning or sorting or what file is being checksummed, etc.
This may be useful in batch files where you may not want to
see them.
dx /q => inhibit all informative
"quick" messages
2.14 /NLines -- Specify Output Height
The /NLines switch may be used to specify the height of your
screen or printer page. If this switch is not specified, the
screen height is taken from the system BIOS (usually 25 lines)
and the printed page is assumed to be 66 lines tall. This
switch may be useful when running DX under a windowed
environment.
dx /nl=15 => set screen height to 15
NOTE that since DX takes the screen height and width from the
BIOS, the EGA/VGA screen heights of 43 and 50 lines (in 8x8
modes) and widths of 132 characters will be supported. DX will
not set these modes directly but will format output correctly
for them if you use them.
2.15 /ALign -- Aligning Extensions
The /ALign switch will cause DX to align file extensions
similar to the way DOS's DIR does.
dx /al => align extensions
2.16 /ANgle -- Angle Bracket Directory Indicator
The /ANgle switch will cause DX to indicate a directory with
"<DIR>" as DOS's DIR does instead of "--dir--".
dx /an => use "<DIR>" instead of "--
dir--"
Page 16 2.13 /Quiet -- Inhibit Informative Messages
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2.17 /DOTstar -- Automatic ".*"
DX normally appends ".*" to any directory specification that
does not include a "." -- you can turn this off by:
dx /dot- => do not assume ".*"
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 17
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3.0 File Matching Options
The heart of DX is a very powerful file-matching engine. Many
possibilities exist for selecting and excluding files.
3.1 /Command -- Finding Commands
The /Command switch is used to match only files with an
extension of ".COM", ".EXE", and ".BAT". This is useful in
answering the question: "I just got this disk from Joe; what
am I supposed to type to start the program?"
dx /c b: => show all commands on "b:"
This is exactly equivalent to (this pattern is described
below):
dx b:*.com+*.exe+*.bat
3.2 Extended Pattern Matching
The file-matching mechanism allows for multiple inclusion and
exclusion patterns. A space or plus separate patterns that are
to be selected. For example:
dx .dbf abc*.bas+ralph. => selects all files with an
extension of ".DBF"; all files
that start with "ABC" and have
an extension of ".BAS"; and
the file "RALPH" (with no
extension).
Note that if a file or extension is missing, '*' is assumed.
"FILE1" and "FILE1.*" are equivalent and ".COM" and "*.COM"
are equivalent. "FILE1." or "*." explicitly specifies no
extension -- this can be turned off via /DOTstar- (see section
2.17).
A semi-colon is used to separate patterns where the subsequent
pattern is to be excluded from the search. For example:
Page 18 3.0 File Matching Options
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dx .bas+.asm;goodfile => selects all files with an
extension of ".BAS" and ".ASM"
except "GOODFILE.BAS" and
"GOODFILE.ASM".
dx ;test*;.com => selects all files except those
starting with "TEST" or having
an extension of ".COM".
See section 8.4 for information on setting alternate
characters for '+' and ';'.
Within each pattern, multiple wildcards may be given. The DOS
wildcard characters are used but greatly expanded upon. A '?'
matches any single character and a '*' matches 0 or more
characters ('?*', therefore, matches 1 or more characters).
DOS allows any number of '?'s but only one '*'. DX allows
multiple '*'s with characters between and after the '*'.
Examples:
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 19
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A*Z => selects any file that starts
with an "A" and ends in a "Z".
"AFILEZ" and "AZ" both fit,
but "AFILE" does not.
.*S => select any extension that ends
in an "S". "TEST.PAS",
"MYFILE.BAS", and "TEST.S" all
fit.
*TEMP*+.TMP => selects any files that have
"TEMP" anywhere in their names
or ".TMP" for extensions.
"TEMP.X", "TEMP12", "XTEMP.C",
"XTEMP12" and "FILE.TMP" all
fit.
;T*F?;.EXE => selects all files except those
that start with a "T" and have
an "F" as the second to last
letter or have an extension of
".EXE". "TFA", "TESTFL", and
"DX.EXE" are examples of files
that will not match. "TF" and
"TESTF" will match.
DX.EXE+DX.DOC => selects the two files that you
might want to give to your
buddy.
*. => select all files with no
extensions.
. => select all files in the
current directory (equivalent
to ".\*.*").
3.3 File attribute Matching
You may select any set of file attributes to include or
exclude. By default, DX is set to include all files except
hidden and system files. DX will tell you (unless you limit
output with the /STats option) what file attributes were found
and not displayed.
3.3.1 /Full -- All Files
The /Full switch specifies all file attributes. This is
the simplest way to see the entire directory:
dx /f => display all files
Page 20 3.3 File attribute Matching
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NOTE that this option will override the /ATtr switch and
is exactly equivalent to "/ATtr:F".
3.3.2 /ATtr -- Select File Attributes
The /ATtr switch modifies or selects the group of file
attributes to display. By default, DX includes all files
except those that have the hidden or system attributes
set -- this is referred to as the base set. The /ATtr
switch takes a set of characters indicating which
attributes should be added or removed from the base set.
The letters used are "A" for archive, "D" for directory,
"H" for hidden, "N" for normal, "R" for read-only, and
"S" for system. A letter by itself or followed by a "+"
will be added to the set. A letter followed by a "-" will
be removed from the set. The letter "F" will select the
full set of attributes. To "wipe out" the base set and
specify all attributes explicitly, begin the switch value
with a "!".
DX defines a "normal" file to be one that has no
attributes set. To see system and hidden files, it is
often necessary to specify both (or use /Full or "F"):
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dx /at:!a => only files with archive set
dx /at:a- => Exclude files with archive
set
dx /at:fa- => All files except archive --
i.e. those that have been
backed up
dx /at:!d => display only directories
dx /at:d- => exclude directories
dx /at:fd- => all files except
directories
dx /at:!n => display only "normal" files
--i.e. those that have no
attributes set
dx /at:n- => exclude "normal" files
dx /at:fn- => all files except "normal"
files
dx /at:!r => display only read-only
files
dx /at:r- => exclude read-only files
dx /at:fr- => all files except read-only
files
dx /at:!h => display only hidden files
dx /at:h => include hidden files
dx /at:!s => display only system files.
dx /at:s => include system files
dx /at:hs => all files (same as /Full)
dx /at:f => all files (same as /Full)
NOTE that DX will not proceed into or display the name of
any directory that has been marked as hidden unless the
directory name is explicitly given as part of the file
specification or the hidden attribute is turned on.
Page 22 3.3 /ATtr -- Select File Attributes
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3.4 /SIze -- Setting a Size Range
The /SIze switch specifies a range of file sizes to include or
exclude from the selection. Two values may be given. If a
minus sign precedes the first value, the range is considered
an exclusion range. If only one value is given, an exact match
or exact exclusion is selected. The letter 'K' or 'M' may
follow either value and specifies a number of kilo-bytes
(1024) or mega-bytes (1024*1024):
dx /si:1000:10000 => files between 1000 and 10000
bytes (inclusive) only
dx /si:-500:25000 => files less than 500 bytes or
larger than 25000 bytes
dx /si:2345 => only files exactly 2345 bytes
dx /si:-45 => only files that are not 45
bytes
dx /si:100k:5m => files between 102400 and
5242880
dx /si:0 /del => delete all zero length files
3.5 /SINce and /BEfore -- Date/Time Ranges
Files may be included or excluded based on a range of dates
and times specified by the /SINce and /BEfore switches. This
affords a much more flexible method of specifying a date and
time. Those of you familiar with Digital Equipment's line of
mini-computers, will have no trouble with the new format... it
is very similar and expands on DEC's format in some areas.
The general format is:
/SINce:date:time /BEfore:date:time
If "date" is omitted, TODAY is assumed; if "time" is omitted,
midnight is used. The following formats may be used (keywords
may be abbreviated):
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Date Example Description
+nn +5 5 days from now
-nn -3 3 days ago
dd- 15- 15th day of this month
dd-month[-yy[yy]] 3-may-88 May 3, 1988
mm-dd[-yy[yy]] 5-3-1988 May 3, 1988
yymmdd 880503 May 3, 1988
Today tod today's date
TOmorrow tomorrow tomorrow's date
Yesterday y yesterday's date
dayofweek tuesday last tuesday
Next_dayofweek next_wednesday next wednesday
Time Example
hh:mm[:ss][Pm] 12:34, 12:34:56, 8:34pm, 4:34:45a
hh[mm][Pm] 12, 1234, 5p, 714pm
+hh[mm]] +4, -3
-hh:mm[:ss] +2:34, -3:12:34
It may seem odd to include keywords that represent date/times
in the future, but these same formats are supported on the
/FDate and /TDate switches.
In addition, the keyword "NOW" is defined as "TODAY:+0" --
i.e. the current date and time.
NOTE that if you only specify a time, DX will normally
correctly interpret the value and assume TODAY for the date.
There is one case where DX cannot tell the difference. If you
want to specify a plus/minus number of hours without giving a
date, you must use two colons -- i.e. a null date -- see the
example below.
A date/time may also be given by reference to another file by
using the "@filename" format illustrated below. This
specification may include simple DOS-style wildcards (not DX-
style) in which case, the first file that matches, will be
used.
Page 24 3.5 /SINce and /BEfore -- Date/Time Ranges
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/since:2-feb-87 /before:2-feb-87:23:59:59
=> all files created on February
2, 1987
/sin:1-jan-87 /be:31-dec-87:23:59:59
=> all files created in 1987
/before:monday => before Monday at midnight
/sin:3-mar:7p => since the 3rd of March at 7pm
/sin:y:1200 => since yesterday at noon
/sin:-2:5pm => since 2 days ago at 5pm
/sin:-5 => since 5 days ago
/sin:y:-1 => since yesterday, 1 hour before
now
/sin::-1 => since 1 hour ago (note two
colons)
/sin:851004 => 10/4/85 -- for backward
compatibility
/sin:@dump.dir => since date/time on "dump.dir"
Note that /Since is defined as on or after and /BEfore is
defined as on or before.
3.6 Viewing ARChive and LiBRary Directories
DX has the capability to display the directories of archives
and libraries and perform limited processing within them.
ARChives conform to the format produced by the ARC program by
System Enhancement Associates and other shareware and public
domain programs. This format is a powerful tool for
compressing and combining files so that they take up less disk
space -- it has become the standard in file compression.
LiBRaries have been in the public domain for many, many years
and are the "old" standard in combining multiple files into a
single file. These files are not necessarily compressed. DX
considers any file that has an extension of ".ARC" to be a
potential archive and any file with an extension of ".LBR" to
be a potential library. DX will not look in any other files
for internal directories.
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 25
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DX treats archives and libraries as logical extensions to the
DOS directory structure. To obtain the directory of a single
archive or library, simply give its name (with an optional
drive and path specification) and a backslash -- it is not
necessary to specify the extension (.ARC or .LBR) unless a
normal DOS subdirectory with the same name exists in the same
directory. Any DX pattern specification may follow the
backslash -- if no pattern follows, "*.*" is assumed. The
backslash is required -- without it, DX will simply report the
directory of the archive or library file and not the files
within it! Examples:
dx source\ => all files in "source.arc" or
"source.lbr".
dx a:\save\.pas;file => all "*.pas" files except
"file.pas" in "a:\save.arc" or
"a:\save.lbr".
dx \misc\85.arc\t*.* => all "t*.*" files in
"\misc\85.arc".
3.6.1 /ARCDT -- Validating ARC/LBR Timestamps
The original ARC program always maintained the archive's
date/time as that of the most recent file within it. This
is obviously useful. Some archive utilities do not
correctly maintain date/time. In addition, if you
download an archive from a bulletin board system, it will
get the current date/time which is not representative of
the files you received.
The /ARCDT switch insures that an .ARC or .LBR's
date/time is correct -- i.e. that it is equal to the
date/time of the most recent file within it. This switch
only applies to .ARC/.LBRs that DX looks in and is not
verifiable -- i.e. if you don't actually select the
contents of the .ARC/.LBR (with "arcname\" or "/FF:A"),
DX will not detect an incorrect date/time and will not
correct it. The switch may take the value "/ARCDT:Log"
(default) or "/ARCDT:Nolog" to determine whether an
informative message is displayed. The switch is intended
to be set on in your environment and forgotten (the
default is /ARCDT-):
dx /arcdt => correct ARC/LBR
date/timestamps
dx /arcdt:nolog => do it quietly (no message)
Page 26 3.6 Viewing ARChive and LiBRary Directories
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4.0 Utility Options
4.1 /SOrt -- Sorting Files
DX can sort files in any order. Sorting is off by default. The
/SOrt switch without a value selects directories before files
and then name and then extension in ascending order. The
sorting criteria consists of: "N" for name, "E" for extension,
"S" for size, "D" for date/time, "A" for attribute, and "*"
for directory vs. file. Specifying a letter by itself or with
a '+' suffix indicates ascending order; specifying a '-'
suffix indicates descending order. (For backward
compatibility, "T" is accepted as equivalent to "D".)
The "*" is a special type of sorting -- it splits the display
showing directories first and then files or vice versa ("*-").
If the letter "C" appears anywhere in the sort criteria,
column sorting is enabled -- DX will display the output in
columns ("C" by itself is undefined).
The sort criteria may be up to 16 characters long. Note that
you can sort files within ARChives and LiBRaries.
dx /so => directories before files; sort
by name and extension (same as
"*ne")
dx /so:*-ne => files before directories; sort
by name and extension
dx /so:ne => sort by name and extension
dx/so:e-n- => sort files descending by
extension first and then by
descending name
dx /so:snd- => sort files by ascending size,
ascending name, and then
descending date
dx /so:*nec => directories before files; sort
by name and extension; display
in columns
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4.2 /FFind -- Searching Multiple Directories
The "File Find" (/FFind) option searches the entire disk
directory for files that match. This is primarily intended for
hard disk users but may be used on floppies as well. The
search starts in the current directory. If you want the search
to start at the root or in a different directory, you must
specify that in the path:
dx \ /ff => display all files in all
directories on the default
disk
dx .pas/ff => find all files ending in
".pas" in this directory and
any sub- directories of this
directory
dx d:\foo.bar/ff => search the entire D: disk for
the file "foo.bar"
Normally only directories are searched ("/FFind:Directory").
You can expand the search to include any archives or libraries
encountered by use of the following keywords: 'All' searches
directories, archives, and libraries; 'ARchive' searches only
archives found in the current directory; and 'Library'
searches only libraries found in the current directory:
dx \.pas /ff:a => find all "*.pas" files in
every directory, archive, and
library
dx /ff:all => display all files in every
directory, archive, and
library starting with the
current directory
dx .doc /ff:l => find all "*.doc" files in the
current directory and any
libraries in the current
directory
NOTE that DX will not proceed into a hidden directory unless
the hidden attribute is turned on via /ATtr (see section 3.3).
Page 28 4.2 /FFind -- Searching Multiple Directories
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4.3 /FSize -- Testing if File Transfer Possible
The "File Size" (/FSize) option is used to determine whether a
set of files (matching all other criteria) can be transferred
to a specified disk. This option does not transfer any files.
/FSize takes into account the differences in allocation units
on different disk drives and tells you how many bytes the
files will occupy on the destination drive (along with how
much free space there exists on that drive). You can request
that the sufficient/not sufficient message blink by specifying
the /FSBlink parameter. The value specified with /FSize must
be a valid disk drive or the minimum allocation (cluster) size
of a disk drive:
dx *.pas/fs:a: => determine if all ".pas" files
may be transferred to the disk
in A:
dx b:\*test/fs:d/ff => determine if all files ending
in "test" anywhere on the B:
drive can be transferred to
disk D:
dx xxx./fs:512/fsb => determine how much space is
required to transfer the file
"xxx" to a disk with 512 byte
minimum allocations. The
message will blink
When used with /COPy or /MOve, the drive may be omitted and
will be taken from the target given to /COPy or /MOve. In
addition, the /COPy or /MOve will not be done if the /FSize
test fails.
dx files/cop:a:/fs => copy to a: if room is
available
NOTE: DX does not detect the case where a file is being
overwritten -- thus resulting in it's previous allocation
being reclaimed; nor will it detect the case where directories
may have to be created or expanded -- taking up additional
allocation units.
4.4 /Ldir -- Listing Directory Names
The "List Directories" (/Ldir) option displays the directory
names, number of files and size of the files in each directory
for all directories found on the disk. The search begins in
the current directory unless a path is specified:
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dx c:/ld => list the default directory on
C: and all of its sub-
directories.
dx /ld/ff:a => list ARChive and LiBRary
directories too.
dx \/ld/w => starting at the root, list all
directories on the logged
drive in a wide format.
4.5 /CKsum -- Checksumming Files
A checksum is a method of "folding" all of the data in a file
into a single value. This value can then be compared to the
checksum of a file that should be a copy of the original. If
the checksums match, you have a high probability (estimated at
99.6%) that the files are identical. It, therefore, can be
used as a quick check to see if files have changed. Checksums
are printed as 4 hexadecimal digits -- the value is not
important; only that it matches the original.
dx newfile /cksum => compute newfile's checksum.
4.6 /CRC -- Cyclic Redundancy Checks
A Cyclic Redundancy Check is very similar to a checksum except
that the summation is constantly rotated logically (it's a
little more complicated than that.) CRCs were developed
because a simple checksum is not always accurate enough for
high speed tele-communications where an error may occur for a
few characters in a row and end up cancelling themselves out.
In other words, the checksum may match but the files don't.
The CRC algorithm takes almost twice as long as the simple
checksum but it is estimated to be 99.9969% effective. The
algorithm used for the CRC computation is exactly the same as
that used in the ARC program by System Enhancement Associates
and comes from an article in PC Tech Journal of April 1985 by
W. David Schwaderer. Since the algorithm is the same, DX uses
the CRC to compare files inside an archive to those outside of
an archive (see section 5.3).
CRCs (or checksums) may be compared over the phone or
electronically with another user -- if the values match you
have a 99.9969% (or 99.6%) probability that the files are
identical.
dx .bas /crc => compute the CRC of all "*.bas"
files.
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CRCs are displayed within curly braces. When DX displays the
subtotal and total CRC summations at the end of the display,
these values are a summation of the actual CRCs and,
therefore, are not true CRCs.
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5.0 Special Processing
Special processing is the term used to collectively refer to all
the little extras that DX can do to your files as it finds them.
There are currently 10 functions that constitute special
processing: /VIew, /RUn, /MOve, /COPy, /COMPare, /REName, /GOBak,
/FDate, /FAttr, and /DELete. Special processing is done in the
order just given -- this is important because if any error occurs
in any step, all subsequent steps are skipped for that file. The
decision to skip is performed separately for each file that matches
the directory specification. In addition, if you use the /FSize
switch with /COPy or /MOve, special processing is completely
bypassed for all matched files if the /FSize test fails (see
section 4.3). This allows you to /MOve or /COPy a group of files to
another disk only if sufficient room exists. In order to make the
decision based on the /FSize test, the /DEfer switch is
automatically turned on -- this defers all special processing until
the entire directory is scanned and is necessary so that the total
space required is known before any transfers begin. DX will not
perform any special processing on directory names -- it will, of
course, proceed deeper into the directory structure if /FFind is
on.
By default, DX asks for verification before it does anything. Many
options exist when DX is asking for verification (see section
5.11).
5.1 Target File Specifications
Several special processing options accept a target file
specification -- /COPy, /MOve, /COMPare, /REName, and /GOBak.
The target specification may contain a sophisticated
replacement pattern as detailed below. If the target is a DOS
character device (like "PRN"), this discussion does not apply.
Only one target specification may be given -- despite the
number of the above switches selected. If no target is given,
the current drive/directory and the source filename and
extension are the default (".\*.*").
If the drive/or directory are not specified, they are filled
in from the current defaults -- just like the main file
specification. The target filename and extension are replaced
separately on a file-by-file basis and follow these rules:
- If the filename or extension is not specified in the
replacement option, "*" or ".*" is used (this is NOT
affected by the /DOTstar switch).
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- A "*" copies 0 or more characters; no more than one "*"
may be present in the pattern (that is, no more than
one in the filename and one in the extension) --
characters may preceed and succeed the "*".
- Characters from the beginning of the string up to a "*"
are test/copied first; characters from the end of the
string back to a "*" are test/copied next -- backwards;
any leftover characters "in the middle" match the "*".
Test/copied means that if the character is explicitly
specified in the replacement pattern, it will override
the character in the source pattern; if a '?' is used
in the replacement pattern, the corresponding source
character will be used; if a '/' is used in the
replacement pattern, the source character will be
deleted with no replacement.
If this seems complicated, just try it! Chances are that it's
going to work the way you'd like it to and, with verfication
on, you'll see just what DX will do and get to say "Yes" or
"No" before it does it!
In the following example table, "Source" is the filename or
extension as matched by the normal file matching mechanisms;
"Replacement" is the pattern as given to one of the target
switches; and "Target" is the generated target name as a
result of the combination. Remember that the replacement
procedure is performed on the filename and extension
individually.
Source Replacement Target
myfile * myfile
hisfile her* herfile
yourfile *list yourlist
myfile ??te?? mytele
xxxy xxx?z xxxyz
yyxxyyyy "//*////" xx
xxxxxxyy "zz////??" zzyy
NOTE that the use of "/"s in your patterns require that the
target file specification be quoted.
5.2 /MOve and /COPy -- Moving/Copying Files
/MOve and /COPy are two very powerful ways to move or copy
files from one disk/directory to another. /MOve will first
attempt to rename the file across the DOS directory structure
-- this will only work if the source and target are the same
physical disk (SUBST'd disks are the same physical disk as
their root directory and move-rename will work). If move-
rename is successful, the file is not actually copied -- its
directory entry is simply removed from one directory and
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placed in another. If the rename process fails, /MOve will
then attempt to perform a copy, optional compare, and delete
to move the file(s).
/COPy always makes a physical copy of the file. It may be
followed by an optional compare.
From here on in the discussion, "move-rename" refers to the
renaming of a file across the directory structure and "copy-
operation" refers to both /COPy and to /MOve when move-rename
fails.
If not enough disk space is available during a copy-operation,
the partial copy will be deleted and the original will not be
touched.
If the destination directory does not exist, you will be
prompted for permission to create it (this is on by default --
see section 5.2.2). If an empty directory results, it may be
removed (this is off by default -- see section 5.2.3). There
are a variety of verification options (including automatic
compare after copy) discused under /VLevel (section 5.2.6.
Pattern replacement may take place to change the name of the
files as they are moved. For instance.
dx *.wrk /move:\temp\*.hld
=> move all "*.wrk" files to the
"\temp" directory and give
them extensions of ".hld".
dx t*.doc+t*.txt /copy:b:
=> copy all "t*.doc" and "t*.txt"
to b:
dx .doc;text /cop:e:*.hld
=> copy all "*.doc" except
"text.doc" to e:*.hld
dx ;myfile /cop:\temp => copy all files except
"myfile.*" to \temp
dx ;my* /cop:\temp\new\ => copy all files except "my*.*"
to newly created directory
\temp\new
dx .pas /move:b: /fsize => move all "*.pas" files to B:
only if enough room exists.
dx t*.bas /move:\basic => move any files "t*.bas" to
"\basic" -- see note on
ambiguity below if "\basic"
does not exist.
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NOTE: Be careful when specifying pattern replacement because
it is easy to end up with more than one source file being
mapped to the same target file. In the first example above,
all "t*.bas" files are being moved to "\basic". If "\basic" is
indeed an existing directory, DX will figure it out and map
the files implicitly to "\basic\t*.bas". If "\basic" is not a
directory, all the files will map to "\basic.bas" -- probably
NOT what you had in mind! If you want DX to interpret this as
a request to create a directory, you must end the
specification with a "\". (One protection here is that DX will
not overwrite an existing file, so the second file transfer
will pause with an overwrite question.) It is always safest to
end a directory with a "\":
dx t*.bas /move:\basic\ => move any files "t*.bas" to a
new directory "\basic\t*.bas".
Care must be taken when using /MOve or /COPy with /FFind --
see the discussion in section 5.13.
DX will not allow a file to be moved or copied over itself
(this test can be confused by the DOS ASSIGN or SUBST
commands). Neither the source nor the target of /MOve or /COPy
may be within an archive or library.
The final statistics will reflect the number of bytes copied
for all copy-operations (not for move-renames) -- this is the
total of the actual sizes of the files and not their
allocations.
NOTE that the target of a /COPy or /MOve may be a character
device:
dx myfile /copy:prn => copy file to system printer
5.2.1 /APpend -- Append Files
/APpend is equivalent to using /COpy /OVerwrite:Append
and will only affect a copy-operation where the target
exists: the source file will be appended to the target.
If the file did not previously exist, the first file
copied to it will create it (unless combined with
/OVerwrite:Mustexist; see section 5.11.3). If the last
character of the existing file is a ^Z, the file is
assumed to be a text file and the ^Z is overwritten:
dx .pas /ap:b:all.pas => combine all "*.pas" files
into "all.pas".
NOTE: If you use /VLevel:Compare (see section 5.2.6), a
compare of an appended file is currently not possible, so
the DOS VERIFY switch will be turned on as the "next best
thing".
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5.2.2 /MDir -- Create Missing Directories
The /MDir option is normally on. It permits DX to create
directories needed to place a file in a path that does
not currently exist (subject to verification -- see
section 5.11). Turning this switch off will prevent DX
from trying to create directories. This switch may take a
keyword value of 'Log' (default) or 'Nolog' which
determines whether you get an informative message when
directories are created:
dx /mdir- => never create directories
dx /md:n => create them quietly
5.2.3 /RDir -- Remove Empty Directory
The /RDir option, when combined with /DELete or /MOve,
will cause DX to attempt to remove a directory after
removing files. This switch may take a keyword value of
'Log' (default) or 'Nolog' which determines whether you
get an informative message when directories are removed:
dx \mydir/del/rd => remove empty directories
dx a:/move:b: /rdir:n => no informative message
DX will remove the current directory, if it is empty, by
"backing" out of all empty directories -- you will be
left in the first non-empty directory. Note that DX, like
DOS, cannot remove a directory if a DOS 3.x (or above)
SUBST has been designated for this directory.
5.2.4 /TDate -- Set Target File's Date/Time
The /TDate switch may be used to set the date/time of the
target file or files AFTER a /MOve or /COpy has been
performed -- this switch does NOT affect the source file;
use /FDate for that. All the formats discussed under
section 3.5 may be used here. The default action is to
copy the date/time of the source file to the target:
dx /move:xx /td:1-may => set target file's date to
May 1.
dx /mo:b:/td:@foo.bar => set target file's date to
that of "foo.bar".
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5.2.5 /TAttr -- Set Target File Attributes
The /TAttr switch may be used to set the target file
attributes AFTER a /MOve or /COPy has been performed --
this switch does NOT affect the source file; use /FAttr
for that. The letters used are "A" for archive, "H" for
hidden, "N" for normal, "R" for read-only, and "S" for
system. A special form of /TAttr ("/TA:*") is on by
default: it sets the target's attributes as follows: if a
file overwrite is performed, the "new" target is set to
the "old" target's attributes; otherwise, the source
file's attributes are copied to the target; in either
case, if a physical copy is performed, the archive
attribute is turned on. Any explicit use of /TAttr will
override this action. It is an error to use "+" or "-" on
/TAttr.
The "@" format may be used to copy attributes from
another file (see section 3.5).
dx /cop:xxx /ta:r => set read-only on copied
file.
dx /ta:* => copy attributes as outlined
above (default).
dx /ta:n => target set to normal.
dx /ta- => don't touch the file
attributes (DOS sets "a").
dx /ta:r-a+ => ERROR: '+'/'-' illegal on
/TA.
dx /tattr:hrs => set hidden, read-only, and
system; but not archive.
dx /ta:@sample => set the target attributes
to "sample"s attributes.
5.2.6 /VLevel -- Verify Level
DX allows five choices in how verification is performed
during a copy-operation. The /VLevel option controls how
DX manipulates the DOS VERIFY setting and whether an
automatic compare-after-copy should occur. For those of
you not familiar with DOS VERIFY, DOS maintains an
internal flag to determine whether a read-after-write
verify should be performed after every disk write. This
is established by the DOS command "VERIFY ON" or by using
DOS COPY's /V switch. Many users run with "VERIFY ON" all
the time and it is a good idea. Personally, I don't think
that level of verification on a copy is adequate -- being
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a skeptic, I prefer the separate compare cycle following
the copy which causes data to be reread from the source
-- thus eliminating the situation where the data read
from the source was read in error before being written to
and verified from the target.
Before we get into the individual options, be aware that
if DX changes your DOS VERIFY setting, it will reset it
to whatever it previously was.
You can tell DX to use the DOS VERIFY switch by setting
"/VLevel:ON" or not to by setting "/VLevel:Off" or not to
touch it at all (leave it the way you have "VERIFY" set)
by "/VLevel:Default". Another option is 'Ifcompare' which
says that if you specify /COMPare with /COPy or /MOve,
turn the DOS verify off, otherwise leave it alone -- this
is the released default. (The philosophy here is that if
you're doing a compare, there's no reason to use VERIFY
as well since VERIFY does slow down disk I/O.)
By far the safest option is an automatic compare after
copy. This is the recommended setting to make your
default by placing "/VL:Compare" in your environment
string (see section 7). Setting "/VL:C" will also turn
off the DOS VERIFY setting for the same reason stated
above.
dx.pas /copy:a: /vl:c => copy and compare files to
a: -- DOS VERIFY is turned
off.
dx abc /move:a: /vl:on => use DOS VERIFY on move.
dx /copy:d: /comp /vl:if
=> turn off DOS VERIFY and
compare after copy.
dx /copy:d: /vl:off => fastest copy -- without any
verification.
5.3 /COMPare -- Comparing Files
The /COMPare switch will cause DX to compare files matched
with other files:
dx .pas /comp:a: => compare all "*.pas" files with
matching files on a:
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This compare is significantly faster than DOS's COMP and
reports the total number of mismatched bytes -- it doesn't
stop at 10. If the files differ in size, the compare is not
performed and a message indicates that they differ in size. If
the last character in both files is a ^Z, DX will report an
EOF found -- this tells you the files are probably text files.
dx \ibm*.com+command.com /full /comp:b:
=> compare the version of DOS on two disks (note
the use of /Full since IBMBIO.COM and
IBMDOS.COM are not usually matched).
It is possible to compare the CRC of file(s) within an ARChive
with file(s) outside of the ARChive. (Remember to add a '\' to
the archive name to cause DX to look inside it!) This gives a
fairly reliable indication that the files within and outside
the ARChive are identical. NOTE that while the CRCs of the
outside files are computed, the CRC of the files within the
ARChive are simply taken from the ARChive header (this is why
comparing files within a LiBRary is not supported):
dx source.arc\ /comp:b:\source
=> compare files in archives to
corresponding files outside.
DX will perform a DOS Disk Reset function if a compare follows
a copy (either explicitly with /COMPare or implicitly with
/VLevel:Compare) thus flushing any DOS or supplemental cache
buffers. If this were not done, the compare might simply
compare data in the cache buffers and not reread the disk.
Note that some public domain cache programs do not detect the
DOS Disk Reset and do not flush their cache -- compare-after-
copy may not be able to reread the disk with this type of
cache program.
5.4 /REName -- Renaming Files
The /REName switch will cause DX to rename the matched files:
dx *.bak /ren:*.hld => rename all "*.bak" files to
"*.hld".
DX now has the ability to rename files within ARChives and
LiBRaries! In the past, it was necessary to extract the files,
delete the files (or the entire ARC/LBR), rename them, and
then add them again -- a very slow process. DX now makes it
painless:
dx myarc\old /ren:new => rename the file "old" within
"myarc.arc" (or "myarc.lbr")
to "new".
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NOTE that some ARChive utilities, like SEA's original ARC
program, assume that the ARChive directory is always in
alphabetical order and may have trouble if the rename
operation distorts that order.
NOTE that DX cannot currently rename files within .LBR's if
they are squeezed -- i.e. DX will refuse to rename files in an
.LBR where a 'Q' is the second letter of the extension.
NOTE that DX will add the archive attribute to the archive or
library but will otherwise leave all other file attributes and
the DOS date and time the same.
5.5 /GOBak -- Reverting to Previous Versions
A very common operation, when using editors and word
processors that create backup files, is to decide that you
wish to discard all changes to a file and revert to a previous
version. How many times have you found yourself deleting a
file and renaming it's .BAK file? DX has the ability to do
this for you -- SAFELY! You can even specify the backup
extension:
dx goof.pas /gobak => go back to "goof.bak".
dx spread.wkz /gob:.baq => go back to "spread.baq".
NOTE that if the backup file does not exist, DX will not touch
the source file.
5.6 /FDate -- Changing File Date/Time Stamps
The /FDate switch may be used to set the date/time stamp of a
file or files. All of the date/time forms discussed under
section 3.5 may be used. In addition, you may change the
date/time stamps of files within ARChives. (Setting the
date/time within an .LBR was considered but it resulted in a
lot of potentially never used code since .LBR's do not use the
DOS standard date/time format.)
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dx /fd:now => set all matching files to the
current date/time -- ala
Unix's "touch".
dx /fd:tuesday:1500 => set all matching files to last
Tuesday at 1500.
dx myarc\file.ext /fd:yesterday:3pm
=> set "file.ext" within "myarc"
to yesterday 3pm.
dx /fdate:@file.ext => set matching files to the
date/time of "file.ext".
5.7 /FAttr -- Changing File Attributes
The /FAttr switch can be used to cause DX to change the file
attributes on all files that match. By default, DX will ask
for verification on each file. The value of this switch
corresponds to a set of attributes to add to or remove from
the file. The letters used are "A" for archive, "H" for
hidden, "N" for normal, "R" for read-only, and "S" for system.
If a letter is specified (or followed by a "+") the attribute
will be added; if the letter is followed by a "-" the
attribute will removed.
The special case "!" (as the first character) clears all
current attributes. If the "!" is followed by any other
letters, those become the only new attributes. The file
attribute switches take precedence so you must specify "/Full"
or "/ATtr:HS" in order to change hidden and/or system files
(see section 3.3). "F" is not defined.
The "@" format may be used to copy attributes from another
file (see section 3.5).
NOTE: For backward compatibility, the "N" is treated as
equivalent to the "!". This is true on /FAttr only; the other
attribute switches (/ATtr and /TAttr) interpret "N"
differently. To avoid confusion, use "!" in all cases to clear
current attributes.
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dx \dira/fa:a => add the archive attribute to
all files in "dira".
dx \dir\/fa:!a => set archive only.
dx b:/fattr:r => add read-only to all files in
the default directory of B:.
dx b:/fattr:!r => set only read-only.
dx /fa:! => clear all attributes.
dx /fa:hs => add hidden and system.
dx /fa:!hs => set hidden and system only.
dx \/at:!a/ffind/fa:a- => turn the archive attribute off
on any file that has it set.
dx ibm*.com/full/fa:! => change the operating system
files to normal.
dx /at:!a/cop:a:/fa:a- => copy any files that have
changed (archive bit set) to
a: -- and then clear the
archive bit if the copy
succeeded!
dx xx /fa:@file.ext => set attributes to those on
"file.ext".
5.8 /DELete -- Deleting Files
The /DELete option specifies that DX will delete all matching
files. By default, DX will ask for verification before
deleting each file. If any previous special processing failed,
the delete will not be performed. Be careful, you can instruct
DX to delete every file on your hard disk if you combine this
option with /FFind.
dx b:/del => perform a verified delete on
all files on the B: drive (DX
will ask permission for each
file individually).
dx \.bak+.tmp /ff/del/v- => delete all "*.bak" and "*.tmp"
files on an entire disk
without verification.
The final statistics will reflect the number of bytes freed
(i.e. the number of bytes that were allocated) by the files
deleted and not their actual sizes.
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5.9 /VIew -- View FIles
The simplest of all special processing options, /VIew allows
you the ability to call your /LIst processor (see section
5.12) for all files that match your criteria allowing you to
bring the full power of DX's file matching to your list
processor or editor which may expect a single file or perhaps
may understand DOS wildcards.
dx .pas /view /list:d:\list.com
=> use "d:\list.com" to
selectively view all "*.pas"
files.
5.10 /RUn -- Immediate Command Execution
The /RUn switch allows you to execute a given command string
for any or all files matched. The format of this command
string is similar to batch file processing but simpler -- you
can specify only a single line as the template:
dx .pas;badfile.pas /run:'arc a source $n'
=> place all "*.pas" files except
"badfile.pas" into an archive
by the name "source.arc".
Single or double quotes may delimit the string and are
required if spaces or special characters are embedded in the
string.
By default, DX will prompt for verification including the
command about to be executed (see section 5.11).
If you are not familiar with the concepts behind batch file
generation and template variables, refer to section 6 for more
information.
5.11 Verifying Special Processing
DX asks for permission before doing any special processing.
There are three "levels" of verification. Most verify
questions are controlled by the /Verify switch which is on by
default; an overwrite question from /COPy or /MOve is
controlled by the /OVerwrite switch which is off by default;
and the handling of read-only (and system files) is controlled
by the /ROnly switch which is set to "ask" by default.
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5.11.1 Answering the Questions
When presented with a question during special processing,
you have a number of options available...
Option Action
Y Acknowledge a VERIFY question.
O Acknowledge an OVERWRITE question.
R Acknowledge a READ-ONLY question.
N Negative acknowledgement.
G Go! This turns off the associated class of
verification (see below).
D View the directory of the file(s) in
question (may not be an archive or library).
L Invoke the /LIst processor to view the file
(see section 5.12).
T Invoke the /LIst processor to view the
target file (i.e. on overwrite).
S Shell a copy of the command processor
(COMMAND.COM); type EXIT to return.
I If... this option presents a sub-menu
allowing you to choose "if newer", "if
older", "if larger", and "if smaller"
(OVERWRITE only).
^C Abort DX.
? Any other key presents a short menu.
Many messages displayed while asking a question will
remain on the screen for a few seconds. Hitting any key
(especially the answer) will get you back to the question
quicker.
The reason that there are three classes of verification
is for safety -- too many people simply got in the habit
of always answering "Y" without reading the question.
Answering "G" to any question will turn off that class of
question -- i.e. answering "G" to an overwrite question
is the same as having specified /OV on the command line.
5.11.2 /Verify -- Normal Verification
The /Verify switch controls the action DX takes for most
verifications:
dx /v => ask verify questions
(default).
dx /v- => do not ask verify
questions.
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5.11.3 /OVerwrite -- Verifying File Overwrites
/OVerwrite controls the action DX takes for questions
involving file overwriting. Valid options are shown below
with their minimum abbreviations in capital letters:
/ov => do not ask overwrite
questions.
/ov:Yes => same as "/ov".
/ov- => ask overwrite questions
(default).
/ov:Ask => same as "/ov-".
/ov:Newer => overwrite if source is
newer.
/ov:Older => overwrite if source is
older.
/ov:Larger => overwrite if source is
larger.
/ov:Smaller => overwrite if source is
smaller.
/ov:Mustexist => target must exist!
/ov:Append => append to existing file.
/ov:NO => never overwrite a file.
"Ask", "Append", and "Mustexist" may be combined with
other options to create more powerful overwrite
conditions -- specifying "/ov:newer:larger" is illegal.
dx /mo:e: /ov:new:must => move files to E: -- if
newer and file exists.
dx /mov:b: /ov:l:ap:a => copy files to B: -- if
larger, ask, then append.
dx file/cop:\save\ /v-/ov
=> copy "file" to another
subdirectory, without
verification and without
asking for overwrite
permission.
NOTE: /OV:Append is equivalent to /APPEND and is
discussed in detail in section 5.2.1.
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If any options are specified on /OVerwrite, "ask" is
turned off... but it may be turned back on by naming it
explicitly -- the following will overwrite files if they
are newer with and without asking:
dx t* /copy:b: /ov:n => copy "t*.*" to b:;
overwrite if newer
dx t* /copy:b: /ov:n:a => copy "t*.*" to b:; ask
whether to overwrite only
if newer
dx files /move:\save /ov:must
=> do not create a new file;
overwrite an existing file
only
dx myfile /mov:log /ov:mu:ap:a
=> ask permission to append
"myfile" to "log" only if
it exists; "myfile" will be
deleted after the append
5.11.4 /ROnly -- Read-only File Handling
/ROnly determines the action to take when deleting or
overwriting a read-only or system file:
/ro:Ask => ask permission on read-only
files (default).
/ro:Never => never touch a read-only
file.
/ro:Ignore => ignore the read-only
attribute (BE CAREFUL!)
To convert a system disk to a normal disk (one that can
no longer be booted) without verification:
dx b:\ibm*.com+command.com /full /ro:i /del /v-
=>
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5.12 /LIst - Defining the LIST Processor
The /LIst switch may specify a program to be used during
verification to display a file's contents (via the "L" or "T"
responses) and for use with /VIew. It must be a full file
specification including drive, path, filename, and extension.
This switch is intended to be set in your environment and
forgotten (see section 7). DX will load your program to be run
with the name of the file as its only parameter:
dx /list:d:\list.com /del
=> use "d:\list.com" for viewing
files.
The /LIst switch may take a complete template (like /Batch and
/RUn) to allow more flexibility in calling a browsing utility
(see section 6). For example, if your editor has a "read-only"
switch, "/r", you might specify it as your browse utility as
follows:
/list:'\path\myedit.com $s /r'
=> full filespec will be
substituted for "$s".
If no /LIst processor has been selected, DX uses COMMAND.COM's
TYPE command to copy the file to the screen... poor, but
effective.
5.13 /DEfer -- Deferred Special Processing
The /DEfer option is primarily used internally. If the /FSize
option and any special processing options are selected at the
same time, the special processing needs to be deferred until
the decision can be made if enough space exists to proceed.
This switch may be used manually if it is ever desired to view
the entire directory before allowing special processing to
commence.
Another case where /DEfer may be useful is when /MOve or /COPy
are being used with /FFind. If files are moved to a directory
that has not yet been scanned, they may be matched a second
time! This probably is not a desired effect. The use of /DEfer
would allow the entire directory structure to be scanned
before any files are moved thereby eliminating that
possibility.
This switch also takes a value to determine whether actions
performed during deferred special processing are displayed or
not. A value of 'Log' (default) or 'Nolog' determines whether
an informative message is printed or not.
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dx /copy:a: /defer => defer file copies until the
end.
dx /del /de:nolog => defer file deletions until the
end; no messages when deleting
files.
5.14 /MSP -- Multi-pass Special Processing
The /MSP switch may be used to allow DX to make several passes
through special processing -- asking the set of questions
about the selected file(s) again. This automatically turns
/DEfer on.
dx *.bas /del/msp => view the directory of all
"*.bas" files; then make
repeated passes querying
whether to delete.
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6.0 Batch File Generation
One of the more powerful features of DX is its ability to generate
batch files. This allows you to apply all of DX's file- matching
capabilities to any task you need to perform.
The process consists of supplying a file which acts as a template
to create the batch file. This file can reside on disk, it can be
entered from the keyboard, it can be redirected from a file, or it
can be piped from another program. Within this file, various two
character "variables" get replaced by the information about each
file in the directory. The template file does not have a specified
size limit (see section 8.6 on Memory Utilization).
In the following table, the examples show what would be substituted
for each template variable if the file "C:\Utility\Misc\Myfile.Ext"
were matched:
$D => the drive id ("C:").
$F => the filename only ("Myfile").
$E => the extension only (".Ext").
$N => the filename and extension ("Myfile.Ext").
$P => the file's path ("\Utility\Misc").
$S => the entire file specification
("C:\Utility\Misc\Myfile.Ext").
Note that if a file within an archive or library were being
matched, $P would contain the path and name of the archive and $n
would be the name and extension of the file within the archive --
this is of value in building batch files to add or delete files
from archives or libraries. These variables allow you to "build"
filenames from separate parts of files.
copy $n b:$f.hld => template copies all matching
files to the B: drive giving
them an extension of ".HLD"
In building a batch file, most lines in the batch template are
generated once for each file processed. This allows you to execute
more than one program for each file matched. It may be desirable to
execute certain lines only once -- either at the beginning of the
batch file or at the end. DX will generate lines that start with
"${" only once at the beginning and lines that start with "$}" only
once at the end. Now, suppose we wanted to copy all matching files
to B: and then compare them. (Note the use of a DOS pipe ('|') to
answer "COMP"'s "Compare more files ?" question.) We also want to
issue a pause at the beginning and end and turn echo off:
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${echo off
${echo Insert archive disk in B: and strike any key ...
${pause
copy $n b:
echo n | comp $n b:
$}echo Copy and compare complete ...
$}pause
NOTE that most template variables are recognized anywhere on the
line -- the exceptions are "${" and "$}" which are only recognized
if they are the first two characters on the line.
Two more exceptions are '$(' and '$)' which also match only if they
are the first two characters on a line. They are used similarly to
'${' and '$}' but '$(' and '$)' match the beginning and end of each
directory that contains files that match the directory
specification (useful with /FFind).
Often, it is necessary to generate labels or unique numbers within
batch files. This is accomplished by using "$%" and "$#". DX
maintains an internal counter and will generate unique numbers each
time "$%" is referenced. "$#" refers to the last number generated.
Thus you could generate "GOTO"s within batch files:
myprog $s
if not errorlevel 1 goto L$%
pause Error in MYPROG for file: $s
:L$#
NOTE that two of the above examples and some that follow can be
done far more efficiently via DX's Special Processing switches.
These examples pre-date DX's ability to do these functions but they
were left as is, rather than changed to made-up program names,
because they are easier to relate to when visualizing how batch
generation works.
6.1 /Batch -- Specifying the Batch Template
The /Batch switch turns batch processing on and tells DX where
to read the "template" file. If no file specification is
supplied, DOS Standard Input is read. This allows input from
the keyboard, input redirection, or piping.
The /EXec- switch may be used to inhibit execution until
you've tested the command (see section 6.2).
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For simple one line batch generations, DOS's "echo" command
can be piped into DX. One line batch files are by far the most
common -- the /RUn switch was added to make them easier. In
the long run, /RUn is slower than "echo" because it executes
the command for each file immediately instead of processing
them as a "batch". Many of the examples here can be done with
"echo" or /RUn:
echo ren $n $f.hld | dx *xx.tmp/b
=> rename all files that end in
"XX" with the extension ".TMP"
to ".HLD".
dx *xx.tmp /run:'ren $n $f.hld'
=> same idea using /RUn.
Notice, here, the use of "$F" with a different extension to
"build" a filename. The "|" character between the "echo"
command and the call to DX is called a pipe. DOS will pass the
output of "echo" to DX via a temporary disk file. For this
reason, you cannot use this method if the currently logged
disk is full or write protected. Certain characters cannot be
passed via "echo" or /RUn to DX because they are interpreted
immediately by DOS. To overcome this restriction, several
other template variables are available:
$_ => carriage return/line feed -- this allows
multiple line generation via "echo" (this
template variable cannot be used with /RUn).
$( => '<' -- this allows input redirection within the
batch file.
$) => '>' -- this allows output redirection within
the batch file overwriting an existing file.
$] => '>>' -- this allows output redirection within
the batch file appending to an existing file.
$! => '|' -- this allows piping within the batch
file.
$$ => '$' -- to actually generate a dollar sign two
successive dollar signs are needed.
For example:
echo prog1 $n $_ prog2 $n $_ print $f.prn | dx *.in/b
=> generate a batch file that runs the programs
"PROG1", "PROG2", and then prints an output
file -- for each file that matches "*.IN".
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One caution has to be observed. If any commands within the
batch file will read from DOS Standard In (like DOS's COMP or
EDLIN), you cannot use this mechanism unless its input is
redirected or piped in. When the program attempts to read
Standard In, there won't be anything left for it and it's time
to re-boot. You can overcome this by either supplying a batch
template on disk and giving its name on the /Batch switch (the
default extension is ".TPL"):
dx myfile.*/bat:sample => read the batch template from
the file "sample.tpl".
or by generating the batch file and not executing it
immediately (see the /EXec switch below), or by supplying the
input needed to that program. For instance, in the above
example back at the beginning of this chapter we COPY'd and
COMP'd a set of files. Input to COMP could be piped from ECHO:
echo copy $n b: $_ echo n $! comp $n b: | dx files/b
=> generate two lines per matched file; the first
line copies the matched file to B:; the "$_"
creates a carriage return/line feed thus
separating the two lines; the second line
contains "$!" -- this will be expanded to "|"
and cause the "n" to be piped from ECHO to COMP
and, thus, will answer the question "Compare
more files?". (Note that you cannot use "|"
between ECHO and COMP or it will create a pipe
immediately, before DX ever sees the input!)
If any error conditions occur, batch file execution is
inhibited. This includes the cases where no files match the
file specification and no room exists for a transfer as tested
by /FSize.
Note that if you enter input directly from the keyboard, the
input must be terminated by a line containing only a Control-Z
and a Carriage Return.
It is perfectly legitimate for a batch file generated by DX to
call DX again and again ... you are only limited by the amount
of memory you have. One thing to be careful of, however, if DX
is called in a batch file being executed by DX, a different
output file must be specified (see the discussion in the next
section). In addition, if DOS Standard Input or Output is
redirected, the internal call to DX (and all programs within
the batch file) will have the same redirection. It is best in
these cases, to specify all files explicitly.
As another example of batch file generation, consider a case
where a user may wish to copy the complete directory
structure, with all subdirectories in place, from one disk to
another (C: to D: in the following example):
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echo $(dx c:$p /copy:d:$p\ /v- | dx c:\ /ff /b
=> for every directory on c: (template starts with
'$('); build a batch file that calls DX to copy
that entire directory without verification
(unless the files already exist on D:) to the
D: disk -- creating the corresponding path if
necessary (note the trailing '\' in the target
path).
6.2 /EXec -- Controlling Automatic Execution
The /EXec switch determines whether execution of a generated
batch file (via /Batch) should begin immediately. The default
for this switch is on. To turn it off, use:
dx myfiles.* /batch:template /ex-
=> build a batch file to process
all "myfiles.*" but don't
automatically execute it.
Even when DX executes the batch file internally, it has to
write (and then later, delete) a disk file -- this is not true
of the /RUn switch. The file name on the /Output switch
determines where this disk file is written. If /EXec is on
(the default), the default name for this disk file is
"$$$$DX.BAT". If an environment variable, "TEMP=" is defined,
this variable determines the drive to write this file to; if
not, this file is created on the default drive and in the
default directory. If /EXec is turned off, DOS Standard Output
becomes the default. This means the output can be redirected
or piped. If you have a RAM disk, this file can be routed to
that device to make processing faster. For example, suppose D:
is a RAM disk:
dx /b:my_tpl/ex-/out:d:$$$$dx
=> build a batch file using the
template in "my_tpl"; write it
to "d:$$$$dx; but don't
execute it.
set temp=d: => define D: as the default drive
for batch files.
If no extension is given on this file, ".BAT" will be
supplied. The output file name can include a drive and path.
Note that under DOS 2.x, if you use immediate execution, you
cannot include a path in this file specification; under DOS
3.x (and above) you can. Also note that in order to use the
immediate execution feature, you must have sufficient system
memory to hold DX (about 88k), another copy of the command
processor (COMMAND.COM), and the applications you want to run.
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There may also be reasons to generate the batch file and not
execute it immediately. For floppy-based users, internal
execution will require the current disk (or a RAM disk) to
have a copy of the command processor.
Another reason applies to hard disk users. Let's examine the
following scenario. Everyone knows that it's a good practice
to backup their hard disk to floppies but how should one do
it? Doing a full backup can take hours -- especially if you,
like me, want two complete sets. Ok, the solution is to do
full backups once every couple of weeks and do "incremental"
or "change" dumps daily. This is convenient because you only
back up what has been changed or newly created. The problem
here is that you end up with a ton of incremental dump disks.
In addition, if disaster should strike, you have to go through
all of those disks to reload everything!
The solution? The best plan is to dump all files that have
changed since the last full dump. This gives four sets of
disks (or two if you only make one set of backups) -- two full
dump sets and two incremental dump sets. If you had a disaster
you simply reload the two sets. The problem, though, is how do
you get your favorite backup utility to do this little trick
for you. The answer is: before doing your incremental backup,
use DX to generate a batch file that can turn the archive
attribute back on after dumping the files! This means that
tomorrow when you run your backup again, the same files plus
newly changed files will be dumped to the same set of
incremental backup diskettes!
The following batch file performs an incremental dump using
DOS's BACKUP utility -- but could easily work with any backup
utility. It generates calls to DX to set the archive attribute
back on for all files that had the archive bit set prior to
the dump. This batch file is generated once and then executed
after each call to BACKUP. (The batch file is executed
externally via the "COMMAND/C" command. This is actually the
same way that DX executes the batch file internally.) I am
assuming, here, that your hard disk is drive C:
echo dx $s/fa:a/v- | dx c:\/at:!a/ff/b/ex-/o:$$dx
pause Ready to create primary Incremental Dump ...
backup c:\ a:/s/m
command/c $$dx
pause Ready to create secondary Incremental Dump ...
backup c:\ a:/s/m
command/c $$dx
del $$dx.bat
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Reading from the pipe again, this instructs DX to start with
the root of C:, process all files which have the archive
attribute set, search the entire directory tree, and generate
a batch file in the file "$$DX.BAT" without executing it. Each
line in the batch file will call DX passing the complete file
specification and requesting that the archive attribute be
set. DOS BACKUP is then called to dump all changed files on
the disk. The next step is to execute the batch file created.
When the process is repeated, the exact same set of files will
be dumped because their archive attributes will have been
turned back on. In addition, tomorrow, when you run this
again, all files dumped today plus any newly modified files
will be dumped. This means that the size of the dump will grow
somewhat from day to day -- when it gets too big, simply do
another full dump and start from scratch.
6.3 /CDir -- Automatic CHDIR Commands
The above discussions of batch processing (/Batch) work well
with utilities that understand path specifications. What
happens when you want to run utilities that do not understand
paths? Use the /CDir switch to instruct DX to automatically
generate change directory commands ("CHDIR" or "CD") in the
batch file. At the end of the batch file, a change directory
will be issued back to the directory in effect when DX was
run:
dx \t*.pas /ffind /b:skel /cd
=> issue automatic change
directories to process all
"t*.pas" files on the disk.
6.4 Preview a Batch File / Create a List of Files
If you are not sure of how a batch file will turn out, preview
it before actually letting it run by adding "/EXec-" to the
command (see section 6.2). This will cause the output to be
written to DOS Standard Output (unless an /Output switch was
used) which allows you to view the output. If you like it,
simply recall the line with F3 (or whatever your command
processor requires) and erase the "/EX-" -- or modify it as
needed.
A natural consequence of batch file creation is simply
creating a list of files that may be processed by another
program. Use a template file of simply "$n" or "$s" or
whatever your program expects (perhaps "file=$n; path=$p" ?)
and either pipe this to your program or write it to a file
that your program will read. Don't forget to use the "/EX-"
switch to inhibit execution. Examples:
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echo $s | dx *.pas/b/ex- | myprog
=> create a file containing the
complete filespec of all
"*.pas" files and pipe it into
"myprog".
echo drive=$d; path=$p; name=$n | dx files/b/ex-/o:d:xx
=> create one line per file and
write it to "d:xx".
6.5 Matching Directories in Batch Files
Normally, DX will not match directory names when generating
batch files. In most cases, you would not want this to happen.
dx .../b/at:d => match directory names as well
as filenames.
dx .../b/at:!d => match only directory names.
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7.0 Customizing DX
DX has a veritable plethora of switches and options available but
it sure would be inconvenient to have to type them every time. The
convenience options -- like /Pause, /CAse, /FColor, and /12 -- just
wouldn't seem very convenient. You may set default switch settings
for DX by using DOS "environment variables". Your DOS environment
consists of strings that specify things like where to reload
COMMAND.COM from (COMSPEC), your PATH, and your PROMPT (if you
change it). DX will recognize two strings in the environment --
"DX0" and "DX". The reason for two is that you will probably want
to place one string in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that it will be in
effect every time you start your computer. The other string is then
available to use as a temporary in case you want to use a set of
parameters for a few calls to DX and then get rid of them.
To set environment variables, you simply type:
set dx0=/switch:value/switch:value...
- or -
set dx=/switch:value/switch:value...
DX first scans the "DX0" variable, then the "DX" variable, and then
options on the command line. For this reason, "DX0" should be used
in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file and "DX" should be the temporary. For
example, you might put the following in your AUTOEXEC.BAT (the line
is split for readability; it cannot be split in the AUTOEXEC.BAT
file but it can be longer than 80 characters):
set dx0=/he:1/p:d/ca:l/fc:black/bc:cyan/so:nes-...
/vl:c/li:d:\list.com/rd/arcdt
This has the effect of setting the header level to 1 (no Copyright
notice); pausing on directory boundaries; selecting lower case
output; setting colors to black on cyan; sort criteria of ascending
name, ascending extension, and then descending size; the verify
level is set to automatic compare after copy; the list processor is
specified; and permission to remove empty directories and update an
ARChive's date/time is given.
To see what your environment variables are currently set to, simply
type the DOS command "SET".
You can change these environment variables simply by retyping them
and you can delete them by setting them to nothing:
set dx=
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NOTE: There is an undocumented "feature" in DOS of which you should
be aware. If you type any spaces between the keyword and the equal
sign, they will be recorded with the keyword. This is not a problem
to DX but if you are not consistent, you will create two versions
of the same variable. For example:
set dx =/Pause => DOS sets the environment
variable name to "DX ".
set dx=/Wide => DOS sets the environment
variable name to "DX".
will set two environment variables -- DX will only "see" the first.
The rule is to be consistent.
If you set a switch on or off in an environment variable and then
decide you don't want it set for a specific call to DX, you can
still change it temporarily. Environment variables only change a
switch's default:
set dx0=/pause/exec- => set /Pause on and /EXec off by
default.
dx/p-/ex => override default: don't pause
and execute automatically.
In addition, you can decide that for an individual call to DX, all
environment settings should be ignored. This is done by starting
the switch string on the command line with a double slash ('//')
optionally followed by actual switches. Examples:
dx // a: => ignore all default switches.
dx //w test.fil => ignore all defaults; display
wide output.
Similarly, if the DX environment variable starts with '//', the DX0
variable will be ignored. In actuality, any time a double slash is
encountered, all previous switches are discarded.
Again, the "TEMP=" environment variable may be used to set the
default drive for batch files:
set temp=d: => use drive "D:" as the default
for generated batch files.
NOTE that while DX normally allows switch values to be equated by
either a ':' or an '=', most versions of DOS will not allow the use
of more than one '=' on the SET directive:
set dx0=/bcolor=yellow => DOS ERROR!!
set dx0=/bcolor:yellow => no problem.
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NOTE that the use of environment variables ties up a small amount
of DOS system memory. This is usually not a concern, but a copy of
the environment is allocated with each Terminate and Stay Resident
(TSR) utility. For this reason, it is considered good practice to
set your environment variables AFTER any TSR's are loaded.
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8.0 Using DX
8.1 Testing Termination Conditions
DX will set DOS's ERRORLEVEL variable to indicate various
termination conditions. This can be helpful in a batch file to
detect errors, determine if a drive exists or if any files
match a given specification. (We are now referring to a batch
file containing a call to DX, not one that DX generates.) The
following values are returned under the following conditions:
0 => Normal termination, no problems.
10 => No files matched the specification.
12 => Directory path not found.
20 => No room for transfer (/FSize failure).
22 => Files did not compare.
30 => User abort: Terminated by a ^C or ^Break.
40 => A syntax error was detected.
50 => An access error. This includes referencing a
disk that does not exist and not being able to
open a file.
100 => An internal runtime error. This could mean
running out of managed memory (see section 8.6)
or a program bug.
As an example, you might want to test if any hidden files
exist in the current directory (note that DOS allows a maximum
of 8-character labels, longer labels are used here for
illustration only):
dx /at:!h/out:nul
if errorlevel 10 goto no-hidden
Notice the use of "/out:nul" throwing the output away. You
might want to determine if a disk exists on a given system:
dx d:/out:nul
if errorlevel 50 goto no-d-disk
Remember, when checking ERRORLEVEL, DOS considers the test to
be a greater than or equal to test. In the example above, when
testing ERRORLEVEL against the value 10, any value 10 or
greater will match. For this reason, the checks have to be
done in reverse order. If you ever wanted to test all possible
conditions:
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dx ...
if errorlevel 100 goto runtime-error
if errorlevel 50 goto access-error
if errorlevel 40 goto syntax-error
if errorlevel 30 goto control-c
if errorlevel 22 goto bad-compare
if errorlevel 20 goto no-room
if errorlevel 12 goto no-path
if errorlevel 10 goto no-files
rem No problems here.
8.2 Compatibility and Performance Considerations
8.2.1 /VIDeo -- Controlling Direct Screen Access
DX has three options to determine how screen output is
performed. By far the fastest output is produced by
writing directly to your display memory. This opens up a
number of hardware and software compatibility questions.
Hardware compatibility because your display adapter may
or may not create "snow" when directly addressed;
software compatibility because many multi-tasking
programs and even some screen drivers may not be able to
handle programs that directly address the screen.
dx /vid:Direct => fastest I/O, no snow
prevention
dx /video:DIRECTSnow => direct screen I/O with snow
prevention (default)
dx /vid:Bios => use the system BIOS
dx /output => output through DOS
NOTE: You can select DOS Standard Output through the use
of the /Output switch (see section 2.10) -- this only
affects the main display. Informative messages never go
through DOS so you may have to use both options.
8.2.2 /NONstd -- Handling Non-standard Environments
DX makes one non-documented DOS function call to obtain
certain disk parameters without incurring a free space
computation which can be very time-consuming on large
hard disks. This function request has historically caused
problems for network users and users with less than 100%
compatible systems. This function call is no longer used
on network drives but at least one system, the Toshiba
3200 running Toshiba-DOS 3.2, hangs when this function is
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issued. A "/NONstd" switch has been added to defeat this
request on such systems:
set dx0=.../nonstd => inhibit the non-standard
DOS function request.
8.2.3 /NETaccess -- Handling Network Conflicts
The /NETaccess switch may be used to determine how DX
will handle a Local Area Network conflict ("Sharing
Violation" or "Lock Violation"):
The default (/NET:Criterr) puts the standard flashing
critical error message at the top of the screen and
allows you to select 'A'bort, 'R'etry, 'I'gnore, or
'F'ail. In addition, selecting 'W'ait switches to the
/NET:Wait mode.
Selecting /NET:Fail will not give a flashing message at
all, the critical error handler will automatically return
a fail to DOS resulting in an appropriate message.
Selecting /NET:Wait, you'll get a flashing message that
includes "waiting for network access". In a couple of
seconds, the message will disappear and DX will initiate
a retry. When the message is blinking onscreen, you can
answer 'A'bort, 'I'gnore, or 'F'ail yourself (if you get
tired of waiting).
/NETaccess:Criterr => default error handler.
/NETacc:Fail => automatic fail.
/NET:Wait => wait for file.
8.2.4 Enhancing DOS Performance
DX runs best from a RAM Disk; loading from a hard disk is
slightly slower; and loading from a floppy disk is
unreasonable.
How many software products do you have that recommend you
create a CONFIG.SYS file specifying FILES and BUFFERS
statements? The truth is, they really do make an
incredible difference and they don't cost very much in
terms of memory. DX and every program you run will run
faster with more buffers available and the default of 8
files when DOS uses 5 only leaves 3 for your programs.
The CONFIG.SYS file must be present on the boot disk. I
recommend creating a CONFIG.SYS file with at least the
following lines (you may already have one that loads
Page 62 8.2 /NONstd -- Handling Non-standard Environments
Version 2.0 Directory eXtended
various drivers -- make sure these lines are present as
well):
FILES=20
BUFFERS=24
8.3 Using DX with PCED
In case you haven't found it yet, there is an excellent
product called the Professional Command Editor (PCED) which
features, among other things, command stacking (scrolling and
editing of previous commands) and synonym processing. The use
of synonyms greatly enhances DX's usability. PCED is available
from:
The Cove Software Group
P.O Box 1072
Columbia, Maryland 21044
If you use PCED, please check the file DX.CED on the
distribution disk for a fully-commented, sample initialization
file with over xxx synonyms for using DX.
8.4 /ALTernate Pattern Separators
The '+' and ';' were chosen to separate inclusion and
exclusion patterns because they are considered as separators
by DOS's COMMAND.COM. Some command processors, most notably
PCED have trouble with these characters. You may choose
alternate separators with the /ALTernate switch. This switch
takes exactly two characters where the first is taken as a
substitute for '+' and the second is a substitute for ';'. Any
ASCII character may be used (including most control
characters) but the selection should be made carefully as it
may conflict with other uses for various characters. You
should avoid using characters that might be present within
filenames. The following works well with PCED:
set dx0=/alt:%~ => use '%' instead of '+' and '~'
instead of ';'
dx file.*%*test*~test.com
=> match "file.*" and "*test*"
but not "test.com".
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 63
Directory eXtended Version 2.0
8.5 /INfo -- A Quick Reminder
The decision was made not to include help information in the
DX program because of the size of the program now and the
probability that it will get bigger. There is, however, a
small amount of help available with the /INfo switch. All of
the switch names are shown in mixed upper/lower case showing
you the minimum abbreviation for each switch. This is not
intended to be a complete help system, but it may serve to jog
your memory.
/INfo => display switch names.
8.6 Memory Utilization
DX is set up to allocate 15k of memory for internal usage --
this is called the "heap" and is used for sorting files,
searching directories, archives, and libraries (with /FFind),
storing a batch template file, and storing the various file-
matching patterns. This memory is sufficient to use sort and
file find together on a 30 Megabyte disk with about 1500
files. DX is usually very memory efficient and re-uses memory
as soon as it's not needed any longer. One option that will
defeat that is the use of /DEfer (or /FSize which uses /DEfer)
-- this causes DX to keep every matching filename until the
end of it's run. If you are matching "*.*" on a large disk
combined with /FFind... you may run out of memory. If DX
should run out of memory, it will inform you. You probably
will never see this message but, if you do, the DX_HEAP
program included on the DX distribution diskette may be used
to inspect and change the amount of memory allocated to the
heap.
DX_HEAP will search the current directory and DOS path to find
DX.EXE -- or you may supply the full file specification as a
command-line parameter. The second command-line parameter to
DX_HEAP may be the size to set the heap to -- or DX_HEAP will
prompt you for the value. (Actually, DX_HEAP may be used to
modify the heap in any program created with Borland's Turbo
Pascal v5.0.)
You may want to create a "large-memory" version of DX for
those tasks that need it (by large-memory, 40k of heap is
probably more than you would ever need!).
The next question, then, is why allocate only 15k? Why not
make use of all of my system's memory? The main reason for
this is that DX has many options for executing other programs
from within it. In order for these programs to have as much
memory as possible, the size of DX is kept small. Another,
less important reason, is that limiting memory protects the
transient portion of COMMAND.COM from being over-written --
Page 64 8.5 /INfo -- A Quick Reminder
Version 2.0 Directory eXtended
which avoids the reload delay (and the annoying "Insert
COMMAND.COM disk" message on a floppy-based system).
NOTE that when DX performs special processing (/COPy,
/COMPare, /CRC, etc.), it quite often needs larger blocks of
memory -- these are requested of DOS for only the time
required and then returned. This also maximizes memory
available for other programs. (Previous versions of DX
reserved an internal 64k buffer for these operations.)
8.7 Aborting and Escaping
At any time during DX's execution, you may type ^C or ^Break
to abort the program. In addition, hitting the ESCape key
while the directory is being displaying will cause DX to skip
to the statistics portion of the output as if the /Totals
switch had been used (hitting ESCape a second time will cause
DX to skip to global statistics as if /Totals:Global had been
used).
A ^S may be typed at any time and will force an immediate
pause.
NOTE that if you have typed ahead, DX will not "see" any of
these characters... a ^Break will be your only option.
8.8 /SWatch -- Execution Time and ERRORLEVEL
The /SWatch switch will cause DX to display the elapsed time
and the DOS ERRORLEVEL set on termination:
dx /sw => display the elapsed time and
DOS ERRORLEVEL.
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 65
Directory eXtended Version 2.0
Appendix A. Quick Reference
Formatting and Preference Options:
/Pause => Pause when screen full.
/Pause:Directory => Pause on directory boundaries as well.
/Wide => List names only across the screen.
/SINGle => One file per line with extra info.
/Totals => Sub and Grand totals only.
/Totals:Global => Grand totals only.
/Totals:Subtotals => Subtotals only.
/Header:n => Header level n: 0 .. 2.
/STats:n => Statistics level n: 0 .. 4.
/STats:f:h => Statistic levels for floppy:hard disks.
/CAse:option => Select Upper/Lower/Initial(default) caps.
/12 => Select 12 hour time format.
/Output => Output to DOS Standard Output allowing
redirection and piping.
/Output:filespec => Output to filespec (batch processing
default extension is ".BAT").
/PRint:printer => Format for printer (sets /Output:PRN).
/PRMode:mode => Print mode: Normal, Compressed, or Tiny.
/PRMArg:left:right => Set left or left and right margins.
/BColor:color => Background color: Black, BLUe, Green,
Cyan, Red, Magenta, BRown, Lgray, GRAy,
LBlue, LGReen, LCyan, LRed, LMagenta,
Yellow, White.
/FColor:color => Foreground color (as above).
/DColor:color => Directory color (as above).
/ANSI => Color support through xANSI.SYS
/Quiet => Inhibit informative messages.
/NLines:n => Set screen or page height.
/ALign => Align extensions.
/ANgle => Use "<DIR>" instead of "--dir--".
/ARCDT:Log/Nolog => Validate ARC/LBR timestamps.
/ALTernate:xy => Use 'x' for '+' and 'y' for ';'.
File Matching Options:
/Full => Display all files.
/ATtr:!fadhnrs+- => Select file attributes.
/Command => Match .COM/.EXE/.BAT files.
/SIze:low:high => Range of size (inclusive).
/SIze:-low:high => Range of size (exclusive).
/SINce:datetime => Start of date/time range.
/BEfore:datetime => End of date/time range.
/DOTstar- => Turn automatic ".*" addition off.
Page 66 0.0 Quick Reference
Version 2.0 Directory eXtended
Utility Options:
/SOrt:nesdac*- => Sort files according to "NESDTAC*-".
/FFind => Search multiple directories.
/FFind:option => Search: All/Directory/ARchive/Library.
/FSize:d => Test for room to transfer to drive "d".
/FSize:nnnn => Test for room needed to transfer to a
drive with cluster size "nnnn".
/FSBlink => Cause /FSize message to blink.
/Ldir => List directory names only.
/CKsum => Checksum files.
/CRC => Cyclic Redundancy Checks.
/SWatch => Show runtime and DOS ERRORLEVEL.
/INfo => Report switch names and abbreviations.
Special Processing:
/MOve:target => Move files.
/COPy:target => Copy files.
/APpend:target => Append files.
/COMPare:target => Compare files.
/REName:target => Rename files.
/GOBak:.ext => Go back to backup file.
/FDate:datetime => Set a file's date/time.
/FAttr:!ahnrs+- => Change file attributes.
/TDate:datetime => Set target file's date/time.
/TAttr:*!ahnrs => Set target file's attributes.
/DELete => Delete files.
/RUn:'command' => Single-line batch-like commands.
/VIew => View files.
/Verify- => Turn off special processing verification.
/OVerwrite:option => Overwrite options: Yes, NO, Ask, Newer,
Older, Larger, Smaller, Mustexist,
APPend.
/ROnly:option => Read-only handling: Ask, Never, Ignore.
/LIst:filespec => List utility for /Verify and /VIew.
/VLevel:option => Verify level: Default, Compare,
Ifcompare, Off, ON.
/RDir:Log/Nolog => Remove empty directories.
/MDir:Log/Nolog => Create missing directories.
/DEfer:Log/Nolog => Force deferred special processing.
/MSP => Multi-pass Special Processing.
Compatibility Options:
/VIDeo:mode => Screen I/O: Direct, DIRECTSnow, or Bios.
/NONSTD => Prevent non-documented DOS function call.
/NETaccess:mode => Action to take on network conflict:
Criterr, Wait, Fail
Batch File Generation:
/Batch => Read template from DOS Standard Input
allowing redirection and piping.
/Batch:filespec => Read template from filespec (the default
extension is ".TPL").
/EXec- => Inhibit automatic execution.
/CDir => Generate CHDIR commands.
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 67
Directory eXtended Version 2.0
Template File Variables (/Batch and /RUn):
$D => Drive id (A:).
$F => Filename only (FILE).
$E => Extension only (.EXT).
$N => Filename and extension (FILE.EXT).
$P => File's path (\SUB1\MISC).
$S => Full spec (A:\SUB1\MISC\FILE.EXT).
$_ => New Line (Carriage Return/Line Feed).
$( => "<" -- input redirection.
$) => ">" -- output redirection (overwrite).
$] => ">>" -- output redirection (append).
$! => "|" -- piping.
$$ => "$" -- to actually output a "$".
$% => Unique number.
$# => Last unique number.
Template File Variables -- Beginning of Line Only (/Batch):
${ => Generate as batch file header only.
$} => Generate as batch file trailer only.
$( => Beginning of directory only.
$) => End of directory only.
Remember that file specifications may contain multiple patterns
separated by '+' or spaces to include multiple patterns and
separated by ';' to exclude patterns:
Include.fil+Include.fil;Exclude.fil
Also remember that patterns may have characters between and after
the '*'s and any number of '*'s:
*TEST*.*X* F*TE*LF F*?*X
The following may be typed anytime:
^C or ^Break => Abort DX immediately.
ESC => Skip to statistics.
^S => Force a pause.
Use a comma at the end of a command for continuation.
Page 68 0.0 Quick Reference
Version 2.0 Directory eXtended
Appendix B. Registration Form
If you find DX useful, a donation will be appreciated. This
donation is the only incentive to continue to produce quality
software at affordable prices. Please support the ShareWare concept
and send a minimum donation of $25 ($35 includes a printed manual).
Also, whether you use DX or not, please pass DX.EXE and DX.DOC on
to as many people or bulletin boards as possible. Dealer inquiries
welcome. Corporate licenses available. ECONO-SOFT offers a 30 day,
no questions asked, money-back guarantee.
Name: __________________________________ Date: ____/____/____
Address: ________________________________________________________
City: _________________________ State: _____ Zip: __________
Version: ________ My Copy From: ________________________________
Computer: _________________ DOS Version: PC-DOS ____; MS-DOS ____
E-Mail: _______________ Manual preference: _______
(Printed ($35), Postscript, Epson FX80, FX85, simple text)
I am enclosing $______ ($25 minimum; $35 includes a printed manual)
to help support DX. Texas residents please add 8% sales tax. Please
send my personally registered copy of DX. Please add my name to
your mailing list for information on updates and other products.
Please charge my credit card as indicated:
Master Card or Visa # _____________________________ Exp ___/___/___
Signature ________________________________________________________
Please address all correspondence to:
ECONO-SOFT CompuServe [73267,1664]
P.O. Box 181030 GEnie [ROB.BLAINE]
Austin, TX 78718-1030 800-367-7590, 512-832-1675
Please use the back to give any comments you can think of about DX.
What do you think its best/worst features are? Do you have any
suggestions? Complaints? (use the back if necessary)
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 69
Directory eXtended Version 2.0
Page 70 0.0 Registration Form
Version 2.0 Directory eXtended
Index
/12 12 /LIst 43, 44, 47
/ALign 16 /MDir 36
/ALTernate 63 /MOve 29, 32, 33, 36,
/ANgle 16 37, 38, 47
/ANSI 13 /MSP 48
/APpend 35 /NETaccess 62
.ARC See: /NLines 16
ARChive/LiBRary /NONstd 61
/ARCDT 26 /Output 9, 13, 14, 53,
/ATtr 6, 21, 41 55
.BAK files 40 /OVerwrite 35, 43, 45
/Batch 9, 50, 53, 55 /Pause 9, 65
/BColor 13 /PRint 14
/BEfore 23 /PRMArg 15
^Break 65 /PRMode 15
^C 65 /Quiet 16
/CAse 12 /RDir 36
/CDir 55 /REName 32, 39
/CKsum 30 /ROnly 43, 46
/Command 18 /RUn 32, 43, 51, 53
/COMPare 32, 38 ^S 65
/COPy 29, 32, 33, 37, /SINce 23
38, 47 /SINGle 10
/COpy 35, 36 /SIze 23
/CRC 30 /SOrt 27
/DColor 13 /STats 11, 20
/DEfer 32, 47, 48 /SWatch 65
/DELete 32, 42 /TAttr 37
/DOTstar 17, 18, 32 /TDate 24, 36
/EXec 50, 53, 55 /Totals 10, 65
/FAttr 32, 41 /Verify 43, 44
/FColor 13 /Video 61
/FDate 24, 32, 40 /VIew 32, 43, 47
/FFind 9, 10, 11, 28, /VLevel 34, 35, 37
32, 35, 47, 50 /Wide 9
/FSBlink 15, 29
/FSize 15, 29, 32, 47, A
52 abort 65
/Full 20, 41 All 28
/GOBak 32, 40 ANSI 13
/HEader 11 Append 45
/INfo 64 append files 35
.LBR See: ARC See: ARChive/LiBRary
ARChive/LiBRary ARchive 28
/Ldir 9, 11, 29
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 71
Directory eXtended Version 2.0
archive See: append ".*" 17
ARChive/LiBRary ARChive/LiBRary
archive attribute See: date/time 26
file attributes colors 12, 13
ARChive/LiBRary compatibility 61, 62
comparing members 30, create missing
39 directories 36
date/time 26, 40 display format 9, 10,
directory 5, 7, 25 16
renaming members 39 environment variables
searching 28, 29 57
sorting 27 header lines 11
template variables 49 memory utilization 64
Ask 45, 46 number of lines 16
AUTOEXEC.BAT 57 pattern separators 63
pausing the display 9
B print margins 15
BAKup files 40 print mode 15
batch 43, 50, 53, 55, 60 remove empty
directories 56 directories 36
preview 55 sorting 27
batch generation 49 statistics lines 11
Bios 61 upper/lower case 12
verify level 37
C verify options 43,
CD 55 44, 45, 46
CHDIR 55 video handling 61
checksum 30 Cyclic Redundancy Check
cluster size See: disk 30
allocation
colors 12 D
background 13 date/time
directory 13 12-hour format 12
foreground 13 ARChive/LiBRary 26
highlight 13 current 24
column sorting 27 display 5, 10
Compare 38 indirect reference
compare files 38 24, 36, 40
compatibility matching files 23
disk drives 61 setting file 40
network 62 setting target 36
video 61 sorting 27
Compressed 15 specification 23
CONFIG.SYS 62 Default 38
configuration See: defaults See:
customization customization
copy files 33 defer special processing
create missing 47
directories 36 deleting files 42
Criterr 62 DIR 5, 16
critical error 62 Direct 61
customization Directory 9, 28
12-hour format 12 directory attribute See:
/LIst processor 47 file attributes
Page 72 0.0 Index
Version 2.0 Directory eXtended
DIRECTSnow 61 L
disk allocation 5, 10, Larger 45
11, 29, 35, 42 LBR See: ARChive/LiBRary
display 5 Library 28
display format 5, 9, 10, library See:
11, 16, 29 ARChive/LiBRary
DOS VERIFY See: VERIFY LIST.COM 47
list directories 29
E list of files 55
EGA 16 list processor 47
environment variables 57 lock violation 62
Epson 14 Log 26, 36, 47
ERRORLEVEL 60, 65 Lower 12
lower-case 12
F
Fail 62 M
feature summary 2 memory 64
file attributes move files 33
batch generation 56 multi-pass special
display format 5, 6, processing 48
10, 11 Mustexist 45
hidden directories
22, 28 N
indirect reference network conflicts 62
37, 41 Never 46
matching 20, 21 Newer 45
read-only handling NO 45
44, 46 Nolog 26, 36, 47
setting file 41 Normal 15
setting target 37 normal attribute See:
sorting 27 file attributes
file find 28
file-matching 5, 6, 7, O
18, 23, 28, 29, 56 Off 10, 38
file size 29 Older 45
file size range 23 ON 38
overwriting 45
G
Global 10 P
pattern matching See:
H file-matching
help 64 pattern replacement 33
hidden attribute See: PCED 63
file attributes performance 62
piping 14, 49, 50, 51,
I 53, 54
Ibm 14 print
Ifcompare 38 compressed 15
Ignore 46 formatting 14
Initial 12 margins 15
initial caps 12 mode 15
installation See: number of lines 16
customization tiny 15
Copyright (C) 1985-1989, Robert K. Blaine/ECONO-SOFT Page 73
Directory eXtended Version 2.0
R T
read-only attribute See: target 32, 33, 35, 36
file attributes target attributes 37
read-only handling 46 target date 36
redirection 14, 49, 50, template 43, 47, 49, 50,
51, 52, 53 52, 55
remove empty directories template variables 49,
36 51
rename files 39 time See: date/time
running files 43 execution 65
Tiny 15
S
Screen 9 U
screen size 16 Upper 12
searching 28 upper-case 12
setting date/time 40
setting file attributes V
41 verification 37, 44
ShareWare 4 VERIFY 35, 37
sharing violation 62 verify options 43
size range 23 verify questions 44
Smaller 45 VGA 16
sorting 27 viewing files 43
special processing 32,
47, 48 W
defer 47 Wait 62
multi-pass 48
statistics 65 Y
Subtotals 10 Yes 45
system attribute See:
file attributes
Page 74 0.0 Index
FILE1605.TXT
Disk No: 1605
Disk Title: Directory eXtended
PC-SIG Version: S1
Program Title: Directory eXtended
Author Version: 2.0
Author Registration: $25.00
Special Requirements: None.
Give yourself more power and freedom in managing your files operating
totally from the DOS command line.
DX allows you to easily select one file or multiple files, including
hidden and system files if desired, which you may then copy, move,
delete, rename, compare or append with another file. You can change a
file's attribute or its date, and check if a group of files can fit on
a disk.
Normal DOS files, as well as those within an archive (ARC) file,
can be directly sorted by name, extension, size, date, or file
attributes. DX can perform a CRC or checksum test on your files to
detect defects or alterations in files. DX commands can be
incorporated into batch files.
File Descriptions:
DX CED Sample PCED file for use with DX.
DX DOC Documentation.
DX EXE Main program.
DX_HEAP EXE Program file.
DX_QUICK REF Quick reference guide.
READ ME Program introduction.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1988 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< Disk #1605 Directory eXtended >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ To start Directory eXtended, type: DX (press enter) ║
║ ║
║ To print documentation, type: COPY DX.DOC PRN (press enter) ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #1605
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
DX CED 7690 2-01-89 2:09a
DX DOC 202739 2-01-89 2:09a
DX EXE 68320 2-01-89 2:09a
DX_HEAP EXE 9296 2-01-89 2:09a
DX_QUICK REF 8436 2-01-89 2:09a
FILE1605 TXT 2812 10-18-89 7:12p
GO BAT 38 1-01-80 1:56a
GO TXT 542 10-18-89 7:15p
READ ME 8895 2-01-89 2:09a
9 file(s) 308768 bytes
9216 bytes free