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PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #2081)
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Information about “SEBFU AND QUICK DIRECTORY”
Create professional, powerful batch files with SEBFU. SEBFU permits you
to improve your batch file menus by giving you the option to control
the position of text and colors (or monochrome intensity), create
windows and boxes and to scroll text across the screen. SEBFU increases
the potential of your batch files by allowing you to make decisions
based upon your system configuration. Error levels are returned which
indicate configurations such as presence of ANSI.SYS, disk drives,
memory usage, mouse driver, printer status, cursor location, keyboard
type and much more! SEBFU is a must for software developers or those
who want to greatly improve the efficiency and power of their batch
files.
SEBFU also includes the Business Control System (BCS), a simple
telephone log database/telecommunications program. BCS dials your
number, records who you called, the time and date, as well as any
messages. BCS is easy to learn and is a handy organizational tool.
SEBFU includes 51 batch utilities, plus BCS. You can receive an
additional 49 batch utilities with registration.
QUICK DIRECTORY makes the chore of cleaning up your disk storage space
easy and fun. File commands such as copy, erase, make directory,
locate, compare, rename and sort on date, size, name or extension are
available at the touch of a key. Handle multiple files with one
command. The commands are loaded with conformations and messages that
makes them almost foolproof.
The copy command can accept two different targets or copy to the same
target repeatedly. By using the mark and copy commands, selective
backup is available. If you want to backup only changed files, you can
do so with one copy command. Copy will even skip a file too big to fit
on the disk and copy another, smaller file already marked for backup.
The QUICK DIRECTORY display can show time and date, summarize disk
information, provide help for the function keys, and display different
directories on the left and right sides of the screen. The typical
directory entry is altered to indicate file attributes such as
read-only, archive, system, or hidden files. Files that have been
copied or erased are identified, allowing for easier tracking during
the session.
The instruction manual is complete and includes examples for easier
learning. QUICK DIRECTORY assumes the user possesses a familiarity
with DOS file maintenance commands.
BCS.DOC
B C S (Business Contact System)
(C) 1989 Scanlon Enterprises
This is our Beta version of BCS. If you register the SEBFU
program, you will automatically be placed on our list for
announcements concerning this program. If you don't want to
register SEBFU, but are interested in BCS, just write us,
including your name and address, and any comments about BCS that
may strike your fancy.
If you don't register SEBFU and don't include any comments or
suggestions about BCS, we will not send you a product notice !
BCS is basically a database dialing system, whereby you enter
data relating to businesses, then use the data base to make
calls and take messages. This version is limited to 999
messages (you must purge old messages), but the business data
base may contain an unlimited number of entries.
Why would you want to write us about this product ? Well, we
will be improving the data base by allowing more than 999
messages, allowing up to 4 COM ports instead of 2, the ability
to create mail labels and index cards, better message system,
multiple phone dialing indexes, and much more.
How do you use this system ? Just enter BCS at the DOS prompt,
then just select your menu choice, for adding an account,
deleting an account, viewing or calling clients, etc...
To be placed on our mailing list, write us at :
Scanlon Enterprises
38354 17th St. E #C
Palmdale, CA 93550
CHKSUM.DOC
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
B A T C H F I L E U T I L I T I E S
Version 1.9.5 (SEBFU)
CHECKSUM AND FILE SIZE CROSS REFERENCE
FILENAME CHKSUM SIZE FILENAME CHKSUM SIZE
------------------------------------------------------------
BEEP 764 258 CDCK 371 121
CHGLOCK 715 230 CHKSUM 1731 568
CK101 360 118 CKCLK 359 117
CLR 983 328 COFF 362 121
COLOR 961 335 CR 395 129
CT 461 158 CUON 391 127
DAYOFMO 334 110 DAYOFWK 1100 347
DETANSI 448 149 DRVCK 508 164
DSKRDY 452 148 ENVSIZE 2376 748
GALF 466 149 GCURS 1413 447
GDRIVE 327 108 GETCC 1276 389
GETCR 1280 389 GETMCB 1775 575
GETNUM 595 190 GETPG 346 112
GETVER 1472 439 GMODE 327 108
LIMCK 434 140 LOCATE 688 227
SWAPPRN 355 120 LST 1802 558
MOUSECK 357 118 PFF 343 113
PRDY 441 153 PRINT 483 162
SCROLL 919 305 SNGLBOX 1441 447
WAIT 803 253 WAITM 467 162
WHATDAY 337 110 WHATHR 334 110
WHATMIN 333 110 WHATMO 335 110
WHATYR 349 114 WRITE 1684 527
WRITEF 1280 477 XMSCK 359 119
YN 707 225 YRSINCE 700 222
YRSTILL 699 221
FILE2081.TXT
Disk No: 2081
Disk Title: SEBFU and Quick Directory
PC-SIG Version: S1
Program Title: SEBFU
Author Version: 1.9.5
Author Registration: $19.95
Special Requirements: None.
Create professional, powerful batch files with SEBFU. SEBFU permits you
to improve your batch file menus by giving you the option to control
position of text and colors (or monochrome intensity), create windows
and boxes and to scroll text across the screen. SEBFU increases the
potential of your batch files by allowing you to make decisions based
upon your system configuration. Errorlevels are returned which indicate
configurations such as presence of ANSI.SYS, disk drives, memory usage,
mouse driver, printer status, cursor location, keyboard type and much
more! SEBFU is a must for software developers or those who want to
greatly improve the efficiency and power of their batch files.
SEBFU also includes the Business Control System (BCS), a simple
telephone log database/telecommunications program. BCS dials your
number, records who you called, the time and date, as well as any
messages. BCS is easy to learn and is a handy organizational tool.
SEBFU includes 51 batch utilities, plus BCS. You can receive an
additional 49 batch utilities with registration.
Program Title: Quick Directory
Author Version: 11/88
Author Registration: $30.00
Special Requirements: Hard Drive.
QUICK DIRECTORY makes the chore of cleaning up your disk storage space
easy and fun. File commands such as Copy, Erase, Make Directory,
Locate, Compare, Rename and Sort on date, size, name or extension are
available at the touch of a key. These commands can handle multiple
files with one command and are loaded with conformations and messages
that makes them almost foolproof.
The Copy command can accept two different targets or copy to the same
target repeatedly. By using the Mark and Copy commands, selective
backup is available. If you want to backup only changed files, you can
do so with one Copy command. Copy will even skip a file too big to fit
on the disk and copy another, smaller file already marked for Backup.
The QUICK DIRECTORY display can show time/date, summarize disk informa-
tion, provide help for the function keys and display different
directories on the left and right sides of the screen. The typical
directory entry is altered to indicate file attributes such as
Read-Only, Archive, System or Hidden files. Files that have been copied
or erased are identified, allowing for easier tracking during the
session.
The instruction manual is complete and includes examples for easier
learning. QUICK DIRECTORY assumes the user possess a familiarity with
DOS file maintenance commands.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< Disk #2081 SEBFU AND QUICK DIRECTORY >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ To start SEBFU, type: GO (press enter) ║
║ To start QUICK DIRECTORY, type: QD (press enter) ║
║ ║
║ To print SEBFU documentation, type: COPY TUTR.DOC PRN ║
║ To print QUICK DIRECTORY documentation, type: COPY QUIK.DOC PRN ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
QUIK.DOC
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
SEBFU Version 1.9.5 Quick Reference Guide
This is NOT a user manual, but only a quick reference guide. The
user manual and a better demo are included with the registered
version of this software. To register, print the REG.DOC file.
This can be done at your Dos prompt by entering :
COPY REG.DOC PRN
These utilities are NOT Public Domain, nor are they free. These
utilities are being distributed on the Shareware concept, that
is, that if you continue using them, you should pay for them.
What incentive do you have to register, other than just to
appease your conscience ? Well, you get the full set of 100
utilities, a complete manual (on disk), a very good demo and
tutorial on usage (also on disk), and a terrific discount on the
next version, as well as announcements of new or improved
products and 1 year free phone support. This shareware version of
the utilities is only has this document, and has only 51 of the
total 100 utilities. Only the utilities prefixed with an asterisk
appear on this disk , all others are available only to those
purchasing the full set of 100 for $19.95 . The complete set is
on 1 5.25 inch floppy disks.
NOTE : All utilities in this shareware version must have the Dos
redirector supplied at the end to send my shareware announcement
to the NUL device. The non-shareware version does NOT require
this. Example : to use LOCATE, enter LOCATE r c > NUL , where
'r' is the row and 'c' the column.
Distributors may use any or all of these utilities to help
create help batch files, as long as the following information is
contained in the batch file running the utilities.
SEBFU by Scanlon Enterprises
38354 17th St. E #D
Palmdale, CA 93550
(805) 272-4827
Page 1
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
SEBFU Version 1.9.5 Quick Reference Guide
ADD vname amt digits
Adds a selected or default value to a Dos variable.
Where 'vname' is any legal Dos variable, 'amt' is the value to
add to the variable and 'digits' is the maximum number of digits
allowed.
*BEEP n[P[R]]
Beeps the speaker 1 or more times.
Where 'n' is the number of times to beep, 'P'will pause between
beeps for 1 second and 'R' will beep every second untill any key
is pressed.
BIGLTR message
Displays up to 10 characters from 'message' at the current cursor
location in an 8row by 8column format.
*CDCK
Returns an errorlevel of 1 if the CD-Rom driver is present, else
will return an errorlevel of 0 .
CDD
Moves toward the root directory by 2 levels or a selected value.
CHGC sr sc er ec bc fc
Changes the screen colors.
Where 'sr' & 'sc' is the starting row and column, 'er' & 'ec' the
ending row and column and 'bc' and 'fc' the background and
foreground colors.
*CHGLOCK
Toggles the selected lock key (numlock, capslock and scroll-lock)
to the opposite value.
Page 2
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
SEBFU Version 1.9.5 Quick Reference Guide
*CHKSUM fname n [/R]
Generates a checksum, or compares a checksum.
Where 'fname' is the file to obtain a checksum (or checksum
comparison of), 'n' is the checksum value to match against and
the '/R' allows redirection.
*CK101
Returns an errorlevel of 1 if a 101 type keyboard is being used.
*CKCLK
Returns an errorlevel of 0 if the Dos clock appears to be set.
*CLR sr sc er ec bc fc p
Clears a selected area on the display.
Where 'sr' is the start row, 'sc' the starting column, 'er' the
ending row, 'ec' the ending column, 'bc' the background color,
'fc' the foreground color and 'p' the video page.
CLRKEY
Clears the typeahead buffer.
*COFF
Hides the cursor (may not work on all systems).
*COLOR bc fc
Sets the Ansi background and foreground colors.
Where 'bc' is the background color and 'fc' the foreground color.
*CR
Waits untill the enter key is pressed.
*CT [1/0]
Toggles the cursor on or off.
Where the optional value 1 turns the cursor on and 0 turns it off
Page 3
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
SEBFU Version 1.9.5 Quick Reference Guide
*CUON
Unhides the cursor
CURKEY
Returns an errorlevel of 1 thru 4 for the cursor keys.
*DAYOFMO
Returns an errorlevel for the day of month.
*DAYOFWK
Returns an errorlevel for the day of week
DBLBOX sr sc er ec bc fc Pn
Draws a box using double line graphics.
Where 'sr'=starting row, 'sc' the starting column, 'er' the
ending row, 'ec' the ending column, 'bc' the background color,
'fc' the foreground color and 'Pn' the video page.
*DETANSI
Returns an errorlevel of 0 for no, 1 for yes and 2 for graphics.
DFREE
Returns an errorlevel equal to the number of Kbytes available on
a selected drive.
DLINE r c l bc fc p [S]
Draws a line of a specified length using double line graphics
Where 'r'=row, 'c'=column, 'bc'=background color, 'fc' the
foreground color and 'p' the video page.
Page 4
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
SEBFU Version 1.9.5 Quick Reference Guide
DLST ftype /Ln /Rn /Bn /Tn /E list.. /I list.. /X /D /Z
Displays a directory list.
Where 'ftype' is the file type specifier, '/Ln' the left margin,
'/Rn' the right margin, '/Bn' the bottom most line, '/Tn' the top
line, '/E list...' a list of file types to exclude, '/I list..' a
list of file types to include, '/X' to exclude file extensions on
display, '/D' to show directories and '/Z' to stop after filling
the selected screen area.
*DRVCK
Tests for the existence of a specified drive, returning an
errorlevel of 0 if the drive exists.
*DSKRDY d:
Returns an errorlevel of 0 if the selected drive is ready, and
has a formatted disk, a 1 if not ready, a 2 if the drive is ready
but the disk is not formatted and a 3 if the drive is not there.
*ENVSIZE [TL] [L] [T] [TS] [TK] [B] [V[R]]
Returns an errorlevel of 0 to 255 for the number of bytes
remaining in the Dos environment space. See the manual for switch
settings.
FCHR
Fills a selected area of the screen with a selected character.
FILES ftype vname /e list /i list
Sets the variable 'vname' to the number of files of 'ftype'.
FSIZE fname
Returns an errorlevel in Kbytes of the selected file.
FUNKEY
Returns an errorlevel from 1 to 10 for the 10 function keys.
Page 5
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
SEBFU Version 1.9.5 Quick Reference Guide
*GALF
Returns an errorlevel of 1 to 26, representative of the
keystrokes A thru Z.
*GCURS [R[v]] [C[v]] [V]
Returns an error level for the cursor location.
GDIR
Sets the Dos variable DIR to the current path.
*GDRIVE
Sets an errorlevel equal to the current drive.
*GETCC
Sets an errorlevel equal to the cursor column
GETCOLR
Returns an errorlevel for either the background or foreground
color at the current cursor location.
*GETCR
Sets an errorlevel equal to the cursor row
*GETMCB
Displays a list of memory usage.
*GETNUM
Sets the errorlevel for numeric key strokes only, to 0 - 9.
*GETPG
Sets an errorlevel equal to the active video page.
Page 6
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
SEBFU Version 1.9.5 Quick Reference Guide
*GETVER
Sets an errorlevel equal to the major Dos version.
GMEM
Sets an errorlevel equal to the number of K bytes of ram
available.
*GMODE
Sets an errorlevel equal to the video mode.
INKEY
Sets an errorlevel equal to the ascii value of the key pressed.
INSTR
Finds the selected character position in a Dos variable,
returning the position as an errorlevel or as a Dos variable.
INVERT
Reverses the background and foreground colors.
KEYSTAT
Returns an errorlevel for each of the lock keys that are on.
Where 1=scroll lock, 2=numlock and 4=capslock (0=none are on).
LEN vname
Sets the errorlevel equal to the length of the Dos variable
'vname'.
*LIMCK
Returns an errorlevel of 1 if a LIM memory manager driver is
installed, else returns a 0 .
Page 7
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
SEBFU Version 1.9.5 Quick Reference Guide
LINE r c l bc fc p [S]
Draws a line of a specified length using single line graphics
Where 'r'=row, 'c'=column, 'bc'=background color, 'fc' the
foreground color and 'p' the video page.
*LOCATE r c p
Positions the cursor at row 'r' and column 'c' on page 'p'.
LOGON
Saves logon and off information in a file consisting of name,
login date and time and logout date and time.
*LST fname
Displays the file 'fname' 1 page at a time.
MIDSTR
Sets a selected Dos variable equal to the selected portion of
another Dos variable.
*MOUSECK
Returns an errorlevel of 1 if a mouse driver has been installed,
else returns a 0 .
MOVCUR [U D L R v]
Moves the cursor in the specified direction the specified amount.
Where 'U' is up, 'D' is down, 'L' is left, 'R' is right and 'v'
the number of positions to move.
PAGE p
Sets the active video page to page 'p'. Altenately returns an
errorlevel equal to the active page.
Page 8
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
SEBFU Version 1.9.5 Quick Reference Guide
PASSWORD
Recovers keystrokes untill enter is pressed, (no characters are
displayed). If the correct password is entered, the program ends
else you are given a second try, if that is incorrect, then the
system must be rebooted to proceed.
PATHCK
Checks for the existence of a specified directory name in the
current directory. If a match is found , an errorlevel of 1 is
returned, else a 0 .
*PFF
Issues a form feed to the PRN device.
*PRDY
Sets the errorlevel to 0 if the PRN device is ready, a 1 if there
is a time out, 2 if a general failure, 3 for no paper, 4 if it's
busy and 5 if not on line.
*PRINT message
Sends the 'message' to the PRN device.
PRINTC n n ...
Sends the decimal value (or multiple values) to the PRN device.
PRINTF fname
Sends the file 'fname' to the PRN device.
PRNSET
Issues a hardware reset to the PRN device.
Page 9
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
SEBFU Version 1.9.5 Quick Reference Guide
RESPONSE vname bc fc l N
Puts keystrokes into the Dos variable 'vname' untill enter is
detected. Echos the keystrokes using the background color 'bc'
and the foreground color 'fc'. The maximum number of keystrokes
may be set with 'l', and echo mode may be turned off with the 'N'
SAVEKEY
Places selected keystrokes into the typeahead buffer.
*SCROLL sr sc er ec bc fc D
Scrolls the screen either up (default) or down (specify D).
Where 'sr' is the starting row, 'sc' the starting column, 'er'
the ending row and 'ec' the ending column of the window to scroll
while 'bc' is the background and 'fc' the foreground color of the
last line in the window.
SCROLMSG \bc fc l message
Scrolls the 'message' across line 25 using the selected
background 'bc' and foreground 'fc' colors or at line 'l'.
SETCUR s e
Sets the cursor to the desired starting 's' and ending 'e' scan
lines. (Changes the shape of the cursor)
SETDATE dd-mm-yyyy
Sets the Dos date to the desired value.
SETERR n
Sets the errorlevel to value 'n'
SETIME hh:mm:ss
Sets the Dos time to the desired value.
Page 10
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
SEBFU Version 1.9.5 Quick Reference Guide
SETMODE n
Sets the video mode to value 'n'.
SETPG p
Sets the video page to 'p'.
SHOWVAR vname /XNPpLcRrCbc fc
Displays the dos variable 'vname' at the specified line and page,
using the specified colors or will center the variable.
SKEY
Returns an errorlevel 0 if no key has been pressed, otherwise
will return a 1.
*SNGLBOX sr sc er ec bc fc Pn
Draws a box using single line graphics.
Where 'sr'=starting row, 'sc' the starting column, 'er' the
ending row, 'ec' the ending column, 'bc' the background color,
'fc' the foreground color and 'Pn' the video page.
SOUND d t
Sounds the speaker for duration 'd' and tone 't'.
SROWS
Returns an errorlevel equal to the number of rows on the display
STRING r c bc fc p
Displays 'r' number of 'c' characters using the background 'bc'
and foreground 'fc' on page 'p'.
SUB vname amt digits
Subtracts a selected or default value to a Dos variable.
Where 'vname' is any legal Dos variable, 'amt' is the value to
add to the variable and 'digits' is the maximum number of digits
allowed.
Page 11
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
SEBFU Version 1.9.5 Quick Reference Guide
*SWAPPRN
Swaps the printer port assigns LPT1 and LPT2.
SWIDTH
Returns an errorlevel equal to the number of columns on the
display.
*WAIT n
Pauses batch file execution for 'n' seconds.
WAITILL hh:mm:ss
Pauses batch file execution till time 'hh:mm:ss'.
*WAITM n
Pauses batch file execution for 'n' minutes.
*WHATDAY
Returns an errorlevel of 1 thru 7 for the day of week.
*WHATHR
Returns an errorlevel for the hour of day.
*WHATMIN
Returns an errorlevel for the minute of the hour.
*WHATMO
Returns an errorlevel for the current month.
*WHATYR
Returns an errorlevel for the number of years since 1980.
Page 12
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
SEBFU Version 1.9.5 Quick Reference Guide
*WRITE message /LcRrXNCbc fc
Displays a message, like echo.
Where 'message' is the message to display, 'Rr' the line to
display the message on, 'Lc' the left margin, 'X' to center the
message, 'N' for no line feed at the right margin and 'C' for
background 'bc' and foreground 'fc' colors.
*WRITEF fname /PpRrLl
Displays the file 'fname', must not be larger than 2K bytes !
Or use the optional switches P,R and L for setting the video page
to page 'p' or row to 'r' or left margin to 'l'.
*XMSCK
Returns an errorlevel of 1 if the extended memory driver (XMS)
has been installed, else returns a zero.
*YN message
Displays an optional 'message' and pauses till either 'y' or 'n'
key is pressed. Errorlevel of 0 is Y and 1 is N.
*YRSINCE yy
Sets the errorlevel to years since 'yy'
*YRSTILL yy
Sets the errorlevel to years till 'yy'
Page 13
REG.DOC
S E B F U Ver. 1.9.5
by Scanlon Enterprises
R E G I S T R A T I O N
Send your check or money order to :
Scanlon Enterprises, 38354 17th St E. #D
Palmdale, CA 93550 Quanity:
Registration of Shareware utilities (you have them) $3.00 ______
(You are entitled to phone support and announcements of new
products and enhancements)
Registration plus latest version - 2.1 (all 100 utilities and
extensive documentation, includes phone support and announcements
of new products and upgrades.)
$19.95 ______
Additional copies of the Share ware version $5.00 ______
(includes registration)
Additional copies of version 2.1 $12.95 ______
For bulk purchases of 25 or more please call or write for quotes.
Source code or custom versions available, call or write for quote
Non-Profit charitable and religious organizations may register
for for only $1.00 or purchase version 2.1 (all 100 utilities)
for only $10.00 .
$1.00 ______
$10.00 ______
Countries outside the U.S. please add $5 for postage or shipping.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Ship this order to : ___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Phone : ____________________________________
TUTR.DOC
S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
B A T C H F I L E U T I L I T I E S
Version 1.9.5 (SEBFU)
B A T C H F I L E T U T O R I A L
This document and the SEBFU utilities may be freely copied and
distributed so long as the following rules are followed.
1) All files must be distributed together.
2) No fee other than shipping and handling may be charged.
3) Use of these utilities other than for personal use or for
trial is strictly prohibited.
4) Distributors may use any or all of these utilities to help
create help batch files, as long as the following information is
contained in the batch file running the utilities.
SEBFU by Scanlon Enterprises
38354 17th St. E #D
Palmdale, CA 93550
(805) 272-4827
N O T E S :
When we use the word Dos, we are implying the use of MS or PC Dos
All of our utilities have been tested to run under both MS and PC
Dos, version 2.1 thru 3.3 . Should you experience problems
running these utilities under any Dos version covered by the
above limits, please write us, stating the type of machine, and
the Dos version being run.
These utilities have been tested on Monochrome and CGA systems.
These utilities have been tested on PC, XT and AT machines and
clones which can run PC or MS Dos.
S E B F U Version 1.9.5
Batch File Tutorial
Batch files are files which contain a sequence of Dos commands.
These files may be created using most text editors. One good
example of a batch file, is the AUTOEXEC batch file, which runs
each time your system is booted. A batch file command may be any
one of the built in commands, or any file name ending in COM, EXE
and BAT . A batch file is executed starting with the very first
command (line one) and ending at the last line in the batch file.
There are exceptions to this sequence, which will be discussed
later, so for the time being, assume that each command in the
batch file will be executed.
Dos has 30 built in commands (version 3.3 has an additional 4). A
built in command is a command which does NOT require an external
file to execute. These are the built in commands :
BREAK CALL (Dos 3.3 only)
CD CHCP (Dos 3.3 only)
CLS COPY
CTTY (Dos 3.3 only) DATE
DEL DIR
ECHO ERRORLEVEL
EXIST EXIT
FOR GOTO
IF IN
DO MD
NOT PATH
PAUSE PROMPT
RD REM
REN SET
SHIFT TIME
TYPE VER
VOL @ (Dos 3.3 only)
All other commands require an external file to execute. For our
purposes, we will refer to built in commands as functions, and
external commands as commands. Since built in commands
(functions) are internal, and do NOT require an external file to
be loaded, they generally execute faster than external commands.
An example of an external command is FORMAT, one of the most
used, and possibly the most destructive. Many users have
accidentally formatted a disk and destroyed many hours (and even
days) worth of work.
How can a batch file help you ? Let's take the AUTOEXEC batch
file. This file is automatically executed at boot time, and
performs many tasks which you might other wise have to perform.
One of the simplest AUTOEXEC batch files might be :
CD\WP
WP
Page 2
S E B F U Version 1.9.5
Batch File Tutorial
The above two lines would start up your word processor every time
your system was booted. Let's take a look at the two lines. The
first line changes the directory to one called WP, which is one
up from the root directory, while line 2 starts up your
wordprocessor (assuming that your wordprocessor was in the
directory named WP and was itself named WP.COM or WP.EXE). Just
with these two lines, you've saved yourself a lot of time,
because as soon as you turn the power on, your word processor
will start !
Most of us have more to do than run a word processor, such as a
checkbook program, spreadsheet or database program. By the way,
these programs are really nothing more than Dos commands ! Yes,
any application is really just a command. If you don't believe
it, just try to run your application without Dos ! This now
brings us to the next phase of our discussion, what is Dos ?
Dos is the operating system which allows our other software to
execute. Dos performs all of the operations which our programs
require to run properly. These operations include, disk access,
keyboard access, display access, printer access and more.
Without Dos, your favorite program would not know where to save
files on the disk, and thus might delete one file while saving
another. Dos keeps track of each and every file on each and
every disk, by maintaining a directory and FAT on each disk.
Each directory entry references the FAT, which points to where
each file is actually stored on the disk. This is why, when you
here your system dealer say, the FAT is damaged, you can shudder.
Once the FAT is damaged, it is hard to fix, and that is why you
should take care and run the utilities like NORTOR, MACE and
others, to prevent the FAT from being damaged, thus causing Dos
to loose track of where every thing is.
You may ask, how can the FAT get damaged ? Well, that's a whole
story in itself, and not the purpose of this document, so let's
get back to batch files.
What else can our AUTOEXEC batch file do for us ? Well, it can
set the Dos PATH function. For example, if you have placed all
of the Dos commands (from your Dos master) onto your hard disk,
in a directory called DOS, then the following line could be
placed in your AUTOEXEC batch file :
PATH=C:\DOS
This would allow Dos to find any of the Dos commands (like
FORMAT), no matter which directory or drive we may be on.
Example, if we are in our WP directory, and needed to format a
disk, we would enter the command FORMAT at the Dos prompt. If we
hadn't set the path as above, and FORMAT.EXE was NOT in the WP
directory, then we would get an error message.
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When we are NOT running an application (or menu system), we are
at the Dos prompt. Just what is the Dos prompt ? When you see
the standard Dos prompt, you are really looking at a special
application, called COMMAND.COM . This is the application that
is loaded automatically at boot time, and is automatically
returned to when we are done with another application. What does
COMMAND.COM do ? Well, this is the program which interprets what
we enter at the Dos prompt (commonly 'A:>_'). Without this
program, we would have to create something else to load and
execute other programs for us. For example, you enter FORMAT at
the Dos prompt, then COMMAND.COM passes that name to Dos and
starts the execution of FORMAT !
Normally, the prompt we see is something like this :
A:>_
Where our underline representing a cursor, which blinks. The
only thing this type of prompt tells us, is that we are on drive
A . If we were in the directory WP instead of the root, we
certainly wouldn't know it. How do we get the prompt to tell us
more ? Well, the built in Dos function PROMPT allows us to
change the Dos prompt to just about anything we wish. For
instance, we could enter :
PROMPT Your Command? :
And then the Dos prompt would look something like this :
Your Command? : _
A better prompt might be :
PROMPT $P$G
Which produces the following
A:\>_
for the root directory, and
A:\WP>_
if we are in the WP directory. This way, we know exactly where
we are at all times. In other words. the prompt gives us the
drive name and directory name.
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We are at an end as to the use of the AUTOEXEC batch file, except
to mention that the AUTOEXEC can load in all of your TSR programs
like SIDEKICK, for those of you who have it. Also, for those of
you with real time clocks, you probably have some line which sets
the Dos time and date for you. For those of you without real time
clocks, you could put these lines into your AUTOEXEC batch file :
TIME
DATE
Then each time your system is booted, you will be prompted for
the time and date. Remember, without these two commands in your
AUTOEXEC batch file, you would NOT be prompted for the time and
date. For those of you who boot from floppies, and don't have
the AUTOEXEC batch file installed, you will automatically be
prompted for the time and date.
So, what kind of batch file can you create which will be useful
to you ? Well, we'll make a batch file which will help in
formatting disks, while maintaining some level of security in
preventing accidental disk formatting.
First, rename your format program FORMAT.EXE to FMT.EXE , this
will keep anyone from using it by accident. Now, create the
batch file FORMAT.BAT with these lines :
ECHO OFF
CLS
IF *%1==* GOTO NOPARM
IF %1==A: GOTO DFMT
IF %1==B: GOTO DFMT
ECHO You can NOT format drive %1 !
GOTO XIT
:DFMT
ECHO Please place disk to be formatted into %1
PAUSE
FMT %1 %2
GOTO XIT
:NOPARM
ECHO You didn't specify the drive !
:XIT
{BLANK LINE}
How it works : Line one prevents each line of the batch file from
being displayed. You will see this often in batch files as the
first line, followed by the second line which clears the screen.
Do NOT use the @ on the first line, as this command is only
available in version 3.3 and above, thus may NOT be available on
the system you are writing the batch file for. The 2nd line
clears the display, thus avoiding screen clutter.
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Line three begins the check for the drive we specified. This line
jumps (via the GOTO) to the line :NOPARM if the user does NOT
specify a drive upon entering. The two lines below this line,
check to make sure the user didn't specify the hard drive or ram
disk. IE.. we check to make sure that the drive specified was
either A or B, and branch to the line :DFMT if either is
specified, otherwise the ECHO Can't format drive %1 is reached,
and then the batch file is terminated by the GOTO XIT line.
Finally we reach the line :DFMT which is the label which starts
the actual format process. The line directly below this one is
the prompt to make sure that a disk is in the specified drive.
The line PAUSE, causes Dos to halt the batch file and wait for
you to press any key to continue (after making sure the disk is
in the specified drive. The next line formats the disk using the
renamed FORMAT.EXE program, with %1 being the drive, and %2 any
additional switches you may specify (such as the /S to make a
system disk). Next is a line which branches to the exit line,
then comes the label for when the batch file is entered without
any parameters. Finally we get to the end (:XIT) followed by a
blank line (required). To use the utility, simply enter :
FMT %1 %2
Where %1 is the drive you want formatted (not a hard disk or ram
disk) and %2 is the list of parameters you would normally pass to
the FORMAT program. This batch file is on this disk, and can be
modified (easily) to include other disk drives as formattable,
such as ASSIGNED drives when using a 3.5 inch or 5.25 inch drive
as multiple formats.
USING ERRORLEVEL
One of the most under used Dos functions is the ERRORLEVEL
function. It is this function that most of our batch file
utilities (SEBFU) takes advantage of. What is ERRORLEVEL ?
The errorlevel is set by a program upon exiting when completing
the assigned task (or failing). Usually this ERRORLEVEL is set
to 0 (task performed successfully), but sometimes, it will be set
to 1 or higher (up to a maximum of 255). By using the Dos IF
function followed by ERRORLEVEL (as we did in the FORMAT.BAT
program), we can test the success or failure of a previously
executed program, but only from a batch file. The ERRORLEVEL is
NOT available directly from the command line.
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With our utilities, like GETNUM, we can set this ERRORLEVEL upon
exiting the program, which then can be tested from a batch file,
and acted upon. Example : Using GETNUM, we can set the
ERRORLEVEL from 0 thru 9 (for each of the numeric keys). To use,
we would display a menu (of up to 10 selections), then execute
GETKEY, which waits untill one of the numeric keys are pressed,
then exits, setting the ERRORLEVEL equal to the numeric value of
the key pressed. This is great for creating small menus, like
the following :
(1) Enter word processor
(2) Enter data base
(3) Enter spreadsheet
(4) Format disk
(5) Enter check book maintenance
(6) Billing system
(7) Game
(8) Print something
(9) Graphics
(0) Exit to Dos
A batch file could be made to display these lines, using the echo
command, then execute GETNUM to wait for a keyboard response,
returning an errorlevel to be tested by the batch file, then
acted upon. So, just by introducing one new command (GETNUM), we
are able to create menus !
This concludes this tutorial, if this tutorial has been helpful,
and you would like to know more, just register these utilities,
and you will be sent the two disk set (version 2.1) of SEBFU
which includes a 50 page tutorial, expanding what we covered
here, plus explaining more uses of our utilities.
To order your copy of SEBFU, just print the file REG.DOC, or send
$19.95 to Scanlon Enterprises, 38354 17th St. E., Palmdale, CA
93550 , and your copy will be returned by first class mail.
Thank you for trying SEBFU
Happy Computing !
Page 7
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #2081
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
BADCK 512 11-08-89 8:53a
BADENV 384 7-26-89 2:48p
BCS DOC 1792 11-05-89 1:16p
BCS EXE 109927 11-05-89 1:26p
BEEP COM 258 7-19-89 11:40a
CDCK COM 121 7-19-89 11:35a
CGA BAT 7424 11-08-89 9:18a
CGA1 896 11-08-89 8:54a
CGA2 896 11-08-89 8:55a
CGA3 395 11-05-89 8:20a
CGA4 384 7-26-89 2:50p
CHGLOCK COM 230 7-19-89 11:38a
CHKSUM COM 568 7-20-89 7:35p
CHKSUM DOC 2048 11-08-89 8:56a
CK101 COM 118 8-02-89 8:06p
CKCLK COM 117 7-19-89 11:44a
CLOSING 512 11-08-89 8:57a
CLR COM 328 7-19-89 11:45a
COFF COM 121 7-19-89 11:45a
COLOR COM 335 7-19-89 11:46a
CR COM 129 7-19-89 11:47a
CT COM 158 7-19-89 11:47a
CUON COM 127 7-19-89 11:48a
DAYOFMO COM 110 7-19-89 11:48a
DAYOFWK COM 347 7-19-89 11:50a
DETANSI COM 149 7-19-89 11:50a
DRVCK COM 164 7-19-89 11:51a
DSKRDY COM 148 7-19-89 11:52a
ENVSIZE COM 748 7-19-89 11:52a
FILE2081 TXT 4589 1-29-90 4:14p
FORMATX BAT 512 7-21-89 2:31p
GALF COM 149 7-19-89 11:53a
GCURS COM 447 7-19-89 11:53a
GDRIVE COM 108 7-20-89 10:01a
GETCC COM 389 7-19-89 11:54a
GETCR COM 389 7-19-89 11:55a
GETMCB COM 575 8-04-89 3:43p
GETNUM COM 190 7-20-89 2:14p
GETPG COM 112 7-19-89 11:56a
GETVER COM 439 7-20-89 2:16p
GMODE COM 108 7-19-89 11:58a
GMOUSE 256 7-26-89 2:52p
GO BAT 512 11-18-89 3:21p
GO TXT 694 1-30-90 10:57a
GO1 BAT 38 1-01-80 1:37a
INTRO 896 11-08-89 8:58a
LATENEWS DOC 1024 11-18-89 3:19p
LIMCK COM 140 7-19-89 11:59a
LOCATE COM 227 7-19-89 11:59a
LST COM 558 7-19-89 12:02p
MENU 512 11-08-89 8:59a
MGA BAT 7552 11-08-89 9:19a
MGA1 896 11-08-89 9:01a
MGA2 896 11-08-89 9:02a
MGA3 395 11-05-89 8:20a
MGA4 384 7-26-89 2:55p
MOUSECK COM 118 7-19-89 12:03p
PFF COM 113 7-19-89 12:03p
PRDY COM 153 7-19-89 12:04p
PRINT COM 162 7-20-89 2:18p
QD DOC 41632 11-08-88 4:37p
QD EXE 43602 11-09-88 8:41a
QDOPT EXE 16145 10-12-88 6:34p
QUIK DOC 18560 11-08-89 9:05a
REG DOC 2048 11-08-89 9:07a
SCROLL COM 305 7-19-89 12:05p
SNGLBOX COM 447 7-19-89 12:06p
SUMCHK BAT 5248 8-06-89 8:28a
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TUTR DOC 17792 11-08-89 9:09a
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WHATDAY COM 110 7-19-89 12:07p
WHATHR COM 110 7-19-89 12:09p
WHATMIN COM 110 7-19-89 12:10p
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WHATYR COM 114 7-19-89 12:11p
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WRITEF COM 577 11-08-89 9:13a
XMSCK COM 119 7-19-89 12:12p
YN COM 225 7-19-89 5:13p
YRSINCE COM 222 7-19-89 12:13p
YRSTILL COM 221 7-19-89 12:14p
83 file(s) 301752 bytes
6144 bytes free