PCjs Machines
Home of the original IBM PC emulator for browsers.
PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #2425)
[PCjs Machine "ibm5170"]
Waiting for machine "ibm5170" to load....
Information about “POWERBATCH”
POWERBATCH creates standalone (.EXE) compiled batch files. POWERBATCH
has all of the functionality of standard DOS batch files plus 40
additional commands to perform functions not available in a standard
batch file. Executes any .COM, .EXE (including other POWERBATCH
programs), or DOS intrinsic commands entered as a POWERBATCH source
statement. Control screen colors, draw boxes, get input from the
keyboard, access system information, string manipulation and
comparison, and much more.
FILE2425.TXT
Disk No: 2425
Disk Title: PowerBatch
PC-SIG Version: S1
Program Title: PowerBatch
Author Version: 1.4
Author Registration: $30.00
Special Requirements: None.
POWERBATCH is a utility that creates standalone (.EXE) compiled batch
files. POWERBATCH contains all the functionality of standard DOS batch
files plus 40 additional commands to perform functions not available in
a standard batch file. Executes any .COM, .EXE(including other
POWERBATCH programs), or DOS intrinsic commands entered as a POWERBATCH
source statement. Control screen colors, draw boxes, get input from
keyboard, access system info, string manipulation and comparision, and
much more.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< PC-SIG Disk #2425 POWERBATCH >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ To read a note from the author, type: TYPE README.1ST (press Enter) ║
║ ║
║ To print documentation and installation instructions, type: ║
║ COPY POWERBAT.DOC PRN (press Enter) ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ Copyright 1990, PC-SIG, Inc. ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
POWERBAT.DOC
PowerBatch
Version 1.4
COMPUTING SYSTEMS DESIGN, INC.
P.O. Box 566484
Atlanta, Georgia 30356-6009
_______
____|__ | (tm)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
CSD, Inc. is a member of The Association of Shareware
Professionals and subscribes to all the policies and standards of
this organization.
Copyright (c) 1989,1990 by CSD, Inc.
All Rights Reserved Worldwide
This documentation was produced on September 19, 1990
Table Of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Registration Fees And What You Get . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Software Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Concept Of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Constructing A PowerBatch Source File . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
PowerBatch Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Command Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Compilation Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Removing PowerBatch From Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
DEMO1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
MOVE1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
MOVE2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
MENU1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
BOXDEMO2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Page 1 PowerBatch Page 1
Introduction
PowerBatch is a Shareware product. Shareware is a distribution
method, not a type of software. With Shareware you get the
ultimate money-back guarantee...if you don't use the product, you
don't pay for it.
Shareware is not free software. Copyright laws apply to both
Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder
retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated in
this document. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers,
just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable
quality. (In both cases, you will find good programs and bad
ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The
author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the
EVALUATION VERSION of the software to anyone as long as no
remuneration is received for the distribution of the software
unless permission is granted in writing by the author.
Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software
before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue
using it, you are expected to register the software with the
author. With registration, you will receive the latest version of
the software without the evaluation titles and messages. With
shareware you are able to try the software on your computer with
your own set of peripherals, the only way to know if it will
function in your own environment. After deciding that PowerBatch
is a software product that you will use, then and only then do
you pay for it. The ultimate trust from the author! When you do
pay for the software, you pay only for the software, not for
advertisement for the software which can cost many times what the
software actually costs.
CSD, Inc. is a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware
principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware
-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member
directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you
resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not
provide technical support for members' products. Please write to
the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a
Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.
While CSD has no immediate plans to move, businesses do move from
time to time. Since shareware tends to remain on some bulletin
boards without update for many years, if the shareware author
does move, you may experience a problem in contacting the author.
You may also contact ASP to learn of the current address of any
ASP member if you experience this problem.
Page 2 PowerBatch Page 2
Trademarks
----------
PowerBatch is a trademark of Computing Systems Design, Inc.
MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
IBM and PC-DOS are trademarks of IBM Corporation.
ASP, Association of Shareware Professionals, and the ASP logo are
registered trademarks of the Association of Shareware
Professionals.
Liscense Agreement
------------------
By installing PowerBatch on your system, you indicate your
agreement to the following terms and conditions. If you do not
agree to these conditions, you should not install and use the
PowerBatch System. POWERMAK, SMLMODEL, and the accompanying
supporting programs and documentation will be collectively
referred to as PowerBatch.
Users of PowerBatch must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
"PowerBatch is supplied as is. The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation,
the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose.
The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or
consequential, which may result from the use of PowerBatch."
PowerBatch is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge
to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share the EVALUATION
COPY with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or
as part of another system. The essence of "user-supported"
software is to provide personal computer users with quality
software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for
programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find
this program useful and find that you are using PowerBatch and
continue to use PowerBatch after a 30 day trial period, you must
make a registration payment to Computing Systems Design, Inc.
(CSD, Inc.). The registration fee will license one copy for use
on any one computer at any one time. You must treat this
software just like a book. An example is that this software may
be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one
computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility
of it being used at one location while it's being used at
another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons
at the same time.
Commercial users (every user except personal users) of PowerBatch
must register and pay for their copies of PowerBatch within 30
days of first use or their license is withdrawn. Site-License
arrangements may be made by contacting Computing Systems Design,
Inc. (CSD, Inc.).
Page 3 PowerBatch Page 3
Anyone distributing PowerBatch for any kind of remuneration must
first contact Computing Systems Design, Inc. (CSD, Inc.) at the
address on the title page for authorization. This authorization
will be automatically granted to distributors recognized by the
(ASP) as adhering to its guidelines for shareware distributors,
and such distributors may begin offering PowerBatch immediately
(However Computing Systems Design, Inc. (CSD, Inc.) must still be
advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to-date with the
latest version of PowerBatch.).
You are encouraged to pass an EVALUATION COPY of PowerBatch along
to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to
register their copy if they find that they can use it. All
registered users will receive a copy of the latest version of
PowerBatch. Distribution of registered copies of PowerBatch is a
violation of copyright laws.
To register your copy of PowerBatch, print the file REGISTER.FRM,
complete this form, and send along with your registration fee to
CSD, Inc. You will receive the latest version of the program
along with the latest documentation. The fully registered version
of the program removes all references to evaluation. Registered
users will receive notice of all updates made to the program and
these updates will be supplied to registered users for a nominal
charge. Every effort will be made to supply updates to registered
users at the lowest possible cost.
If you need to submit an invoice to your accounts payable
department, print the form INVOICE.FRM and fill in the
appropriate blanks.
Registration Fees And What You Get
The evaluation version of PowerBatch contains 100% of the
capabilities of the registered version. Those who register
PowerBatch will receive the latest release of the software and
documentation and will receive update offers in the mail at a
minimal cost as they become available. CSD maintains copies of
innovative batch files submitted by users and will include the
best of these batch files along with the registered software.
The registration fee for PowerBatch is US $30. Price is subject
to change without notice but will be guaranteed through December
1990. If payment is by check, these funds must be drawn on a US
bank. Unfortunately the processing of non-US checks can be as
much as $20 and we cannot afford this type of transaction. We are
continually looking for innovative ways to serve non-US
customers.
Page 4 PowerBatch Page 4
Software Support
----------------
Support for PowerBatch may be obtained by contacting CSD,Inc. on
Compuserve using Compuserve Mail (EasyPlex). Address inquiries to
Compuserve ID 72701,155. If you are not a Compuserve member, you
may obtain support by writing to:
Computing Systems Design, Inc.
P.O. Box 566484
Atlanta, Georgia 30356-6009
If you feel you have a question that needs immediate attention
and you are a registered user, CSD's office hours are 8AM until
5PM CST. We will be happy to discuss any problems or suggestions
for PowerBatch but time does not permit us to help you debug your
PowerBatch source problems.
Page 5 PowerBatch Page 5
Concept Of Operation
PowerBatch is a compiler for batch file "type" commands. At the
present time there are 35 PowerBatch commands which will work
only in a PowerBatch source file (they will not execute in a
standard DOS batch file). Any valid executable command (.EXE &
.COM) as well as any of the DOS intrinsic commands are valid
within a PowerBatch source file and will be "compiled". These
.EXE, .COM and DOS intrinsic commands will be executed via a
shell and the PowerBatch .EXE program will continue execution
with the next compiled statement following the shelled command.
There are two main modules supplied with PowerBatch;
1)POWERMAK.EXE and 2)SMLMODEL.MDL. PowerMak reads, parses the
source file, and compiles the source extracting routines from
SmlModel. The result is a completely standalone .EXE file that
executes without SmlModel or PowerMak. The increase in speed
comes from the use of the PowerBatch commands as the DOS and
executable modules will not be executed any faster. Most notable
is the increase in speed dealing with screen writes. Many
capabilities are provided in PowerBatch commands that simply are
not available with standard DOS commands.
Why Use PowerBatch
There are four major reasons for using a compiled PowerBatch
program:
1) The resulting program will almost certainly execute
considerably faster. While it might be possible to
construct a compiled PowerBatch program that does not
execute faster, it would have to consist entirely of pre-
existing executable modules.
2) PowerBatch commands provide a considerable increase in
flexibility and power over conventional batch files.
3) PowerBatch programs cannot be changed without making
machine code modifications. This means additional
security for distributed batch files.
4) PowerBatch programs can be created quickly for the
PowerBatch command set is a very high level language.
PowerBatch commands fall into 5 classes of commands;
1) Commands which provide systems information. These commands
provide the current color settings, the current date, the
current time, check for the existance of a valid drive
letter, and commands which check for the existance of a
directory or a file.
2) Commands which control the flow of the batch program.
Execute different portions of the batch program based on
existance or non-existance of directories or files. Compare
the contents of one variable with the contents of another
variable or a constant and execute different portions of the
batch program based on the results of the compare.
Page 6 PowerBatch Page 6
3) Commands which control the way text is printed on the
screen. Change any portion of the screen to any valid screen
color, cause a message to blink on the screen, or highlight
a message in reverse video.
4) Commands which provide string manipulation. Change a string
to all upper case characters, or all lower case characters.
Extract a portion of a string such as the first three
characters or the last four characters. Build a new string
from two existing strings by concatenation of the two
strings.
5) Commands which deal with screen writing and input from the
keyboard. These commands are the main power in the
PowerBatch system. Directly address any position on the
screen and move the cursor to that position to read or write
text. Automatically center a message or title on any line.
Draw boxes around portions of the screen to enhance screen
appearance. Read a single key from the keyboard, read the
response to a query that only accepts a yes or no response,
read a string of characters from the keyboard with a
specified maximum length, and read keys from the keyboard
automatically changing the characters to upper case.
Page 7 PowerBatch Page 7
Installation
Installation is accomplished by executing the PBInstal program.
It seemed only fitting that this install program be a compiled
PowerBatch program. I believe this to be the epitome of self-
installing software. The two main modules POWERMAK.EXE and
SMLMODEL.MDL must be located in the DOS path to allow you to
compile PowerBatch programs from any directory on your system.
PowerBatch may be run on a system as small as a single floppy
drive system with 128K. There will be some limit to the number of
source statements that may be compiled on a system this small as
memory is dynamically allocated as compilation progresses. A
source file of several hundred statements can be compiled on a
small machine.
PowerBatch may be installed from either drive A, B, or a hard
drive.
If the PowerBatch source is on a floppy disk, you may execute the
install procedure by:
1) If your current drive is the A: (or B:) drive then enter
PBInstal <enter>.
2) If you current drive is other than A: (or B:) then enter
A:PBInstal <enter> (or B:PBInstal <enter>).
If you are installing PowerBatch from a fixed disk drive such as
C:, then make the directory which contains the PowerBatch source
the current default directory. For example if you have the
PowerBatch source in a directory named C:\TEMP, then at a DOS
prompt enter
CD \TEMP <enter>
PBInstal <enter>
You will first be asked to enter the directory name which
contains the PowerBatch source. Next you will be asked to enter a
directory name on your DOS path where the PowerBatch compiler
will be placed. POWERMAK.EXE and SMLMODEL.MDL will be placed in
this directory. Before you begin the installation process, know
the name of a directory which is on the DOS search path where you
will place these two files. The install program will not allow
you to place the compiler in a directory that is not on the
search path.
Now you will be asked to enter a directory name where you would
like the documentation, informational, and example files to be
placed. This directory does not have to be on your DOS path. If
this directory does not exist, PowerBatch will create this
directory for you if you desire. The documentation and
information files will be placed in this directory.
Page 8 PowerBatch Page 8
The first time that you run the PowerBatch compiler, it will
customize itself for the computer on which you are running. This
process takes about a minute and will not run again. Take this
opportunity to learn about the shareware distribution process and
how to register PowerBatch if after taking it for a test drive,
you feel you would like to add it to your collection of
utilities.
We at CSD would like to share innovative batch file creations
with our customer base. If you have created such a PowerBatch
program and would like to share it with other PowerBatch users,
send it to us and if we agree with you we will include it on our
registration disk to our customers. You may mail us a disk
containing the PowerBatch source or you may send it via
CompuServe EasyPlex.
Our address is:
CSD, Inc.
P.O. Box 566484
Atlanta, Georgia 30356-6009
Our CompuServe ID is 72701,155.
Page 9 PowerBatch Page 9
Constructing A PowerBatch Source File
Use your favorite text editor to create a printable ascii file
containing PowerBatch source commands and DOS executable
commands. A printable ascii file is one that may be typed to the
screen (ie type myfile.pwr <enter>) and the results printed on
the screen contain only the file contents. Most files created
with a word processor are not printable ascii files unless you
specify an ascii file output option.
Compile your source statements to create a .EXE executable
module. This is done using the POWERMAK compiler. The syntax is:
POWERMAK MyFile [OutFile] [+M]
PowerMake assumes the extension of the input file to be .PWR (ie
MYFILE.PWR) and will create an output file of MYFILE.EXE if no
OutFile parameter is specified. The input source file may be any
DOS name of your choice(including the extension). You may also
specify an output file name of your choice but the extension will
always be .EXE. If you do not enter the input file name on the
command line, the program will prompt you for the name. You must
at this time enter the complete name including the extension.
If you wish to generate a list of all literals, variables, and
labels used in your PowerBatch program, add +M to the end of the
command line. This variable map will be written to the
POWERBAT.ERR file.
If the compiler finds no compilation errors, the compiled version
of your source file will be generated. For an explanation of
compilation errors, see the section entitled "Compilation
Errors". Compilation errors appear on your screen as they are
encountered and they are written to a file named POWERBAT.ERR.
The entire source code is scanned each time you compile a
PowerBatch program (ie the compiler does not stop when an error
is found, but attempts to identify all errors on each pass). This
means that some errors will be the result of previous errors
found in the source.
Page 10 PowerBatch Page 10
PowerBatch Commands
Commands, Variable Names, and Labels are not case sensitive.
Everything on the command source line is converted to upper case
except a literal which is enclosed within quotes. Either single
quotes(') or double quotes(") may be used to denote a literal.
Literals which are numeric such as color values, variable
lengths, etc. should not be enclosed in quotes. The compiler does
evaluate each literal (both alpha and numeric) in the same
manner. The evaluation process is 1) remove leading and trailing
quotes if any, 2) attempt to convert literal to numeric, 3) if
numeric conversion is successful, consider it a number, 4) if
numeric conversion is unsuccessful, consider it alpha numeric.
This means that internally an operand of 3 and "3" will both be
numeric.
A semicolon which is not enclosed within quotes or a part of a
command is used to denote a comment. Semicolons which are part of
a command must not be preceded by a space. A comment begins with
a semicolon which follows a space not within quotes. Comments may
appear anywhere on the command line, but everything after a
semicolon on a command line is ignored. A comment may begin in
column 1 by placing the semicolon in column 1. The following are
NOT comments:
path=d:\;c:\util;c:\wp
path "d:\;c:\util;c:\wp"
WriteLine "Punctuation may be used within quotes;"
These ARE comments:
Variable ColorSave,3 ;save the original color
SetVar Msg, ErrMsg ;set Msg to "Invalid input; re-enter"
The starting location on the command line of the command and the
operands is not important and tabs and spaces may be freely used
for readability.
Variable names and command labels may be any length in the source
command but are significant only through the first eight
positions.
Variables, Literals, and Labels
A variable is a location in memory that you allocate and give a
name and a maximum length. Anytime you refer to the "name" of the
variable, you are referencing the memory locations set aside for
this variable. Variable names give you an easy way to manipulate
data internally within the computer. The following are examples
of variables:
Variable CharIn,1
This variable gives the name "CharIn" to one memory
Page 11 PowerBatch Page 11
position. It will be used to hold one character responses
from the keyboard by the user.
Variable PBDir,79
This variable appears in the PBInstal program and holds
the name of the directory where the PowerBatch compiler
will be placed. It is composed of the drive letter and
directory entered by the user in response to two
questions during the installation process.
Variable CompName,35,"The ABC Company"
This variable reserves 35 positions in memory and gives
these locations the name CompName. The PowerBatch
compiler also places the initial value "The ABC Company"
in the first 15 positions of the variable. The value of
this variable may be changed by later processing in the
program.
Variable MsgClear,20," "
This variable contains 20 spaces and is named MsgClear.
It will be used to "clear" or overwrite with spaces an
error message in your program. Once you have displayed a
message to the user, it should be cleared as you continue
with the program. This is done by overwriting with
spaces. Having a variable with the correct number of
spaces makes this task easier.
There are two predefined variables in each PowerBatch program;
ERRORLEVEL and DOSERROR. The ErrorLevel variable and the DOSError
variable are updated each time an external command is executed.
If you execute a program which sets an error code on exit, this
error code will be in ERRORLEVEL. The use of ERRORLEVEL in
PowerBatch is equivalent to the use of ERRORLEVEL in a standard
DOS batch file. If you execute an external command(program) and
that command does not terminate normally, the variable DOSERROR
will be set to the DOS error code assigned by the operating
system. It is good practice to examine the DOSERROR variable
after executing an external command.
Literals are very much like variables which have a value but no
name. Literals are used in PowerBatch commands when you wish to
pass an actual value to the command instead of a variable. Note
in the following examples that literals containing numbers only
are not enclosed in quotes and literals containing any non-
numeric characters are enclosed in quotes. If you specify a
number as a literal either convention is acceptable (3 or "3").
If you specify alphabetic characters, the quotes are required.
For readability, and ease of entry, numeric literals usually do
not contains quotes. Examine the following examples of literals:
Center "Installation Program",1
This command will center the literal "Installation
Page 12 PowerBatch Page 12
Program" on line 1 of the screen. The text "Installation
Program" must appear somewhere in the program and it
appears as a literal. It will occupy memory positions and
will have a value but you may not reference this value by
name. By instructing the compiler to write this literal,
the compiler automatically creates the memory locations
and initial value but gives it no name. The 1 is also a
literal in this command.
WriteAt 12,3,Msg1
There are two literals in this command. The numbers 12
and 3 are both created as literals. In this command they
specify the column and row location where the string Msg1
will be written. Again, the compiler creates the memory
locations and values for these literals, but no names. If
you were to write another command such as the Beep
command which specifies that the system speaker will beep
at a certain frequency for 3 times, the compiler will
find the previously defined literal "3" and use this
value instead of creating another literal.
Beep ErrTone,8,3
This is the Beep command referenced in the previous
example. The beep command will cause the speaker to sound
at a frequency of ErrTone for .8 second and repeat 3
times. The "3" literal will use the same memory location
reference as the WriteAt command used in the previous
command (ie another literal will not be created).
Labels are names of a particular place in your PowerBatch program
that you will go to without executing the previous command. You
go directly to this location in the program from another location
in the program based on a decision you have made in the program.
Examples will help explain:
ReadYN "Do you wish to continue [Y/N] ",InChar
Compare InChar,"Y",,,GetDrive
Halt 999
;end the program if user enters "N"
Label GetDrive
This group of commands writes the message on the screen
and asks the user to input either Y or N (the command
will only accept these two characters). A comparision is
then made to a literal "Y" and the compare command will
jump to the location in the program named GetDrive if a
"Y" was entered or will execute the next command if "N"
was entered.
GoTo NextCmd
.
.
.
Page 13 PowerBatch Page 13
Label NextCmd
In this most straightforward use of the label, the user
simply uses the GoTo command and jumps unconditionally to
another point in the program.
External commands are entered just as PowerBatch commands are
entered. If you enter an external command and this command uses
command line parameters, these parameters may be passed as either
variables or literals. Remember that if the parameter is not
numeric, it must be enclosed in quotes or it will be treated as a
variable. Examples:
Variable InChar,1
ReadYN "Do you wish a directory ",InChar
Compare InChar,"Y",NextSec,NextSec
DIR "/W"
Variable PgmName,12
Write "Enter the name of the program to compile "
ReadStr PgmName
TPC PgmName, "/ddebug"
This third example of external commands show the use of the two
predefined variables, ERRORLEVEL and DOSERROR. After the
execution of "TestPgm", we examine DOSError to find if the
program executed OK (Possibly there was not enough memory or the
program could not be found on the DOS path). After determining
that the program executed OK, we examine the exit code set by
"TestPgm" to determine the flow of the remainder of our batch
file. This exit code will be found in the variable ERRORLEVEL.
Variable MsgLine,80
.
.
TestPgm "Parm1 Parm2"
Compare DOSError,0,,,RanOK
WriteLine "TestPgm did not execute properly...terminating"
Halt DOSError
Label RanOK
Compare ErrorLevel,1,Chk2,,Option1
Concat MsgLine,"Unexpected return code of ",ErrorLevel
Halt
Label Option1
Note: PowerBatch programs may be executed by other PowerBatch
programs as external commands. An option of the PowerBatch Halt
command is to set the DOS errorlevel. You could then "pass
parameters" from one PowerBatch program to another via the
ERRORLEVEL variable.
Page 14 PowerBatch Page 14
Command line parameters may be passed to a compiled PowerBatch
program. These command line parameters must be defined at compile
time and have special variable names. Up to 16 parameters may be
passed to a PowerBatch program and their names are CLP%1 -
CLP%16.
If you wish to pass parameters on the command line to your
PowerBatch program, define the variables in your source and when
you run the compiled program, any parameters entered on the
command line will be in the defined variable. Example:
Source for SMARTCPY.PWR
Variable CLP%1,79 ;source file
Variable CLP%2,79 ;target file
Variable InChar,1
ReadYN "Shall I copy the files for you [Y/N] ",InChar
Compare InChar,"Y",NoCopy,NoCopy
COPY CLP%1, CLP%2
SMARTCPY FILE1 FILE2 will execute the DOS copy command and copy
FILE1 to FILE2 if the user responds Y to the question.
Changes To Your Computer's Environment Area
Your computer memory contains a special area of memory called the
"Environment Area". This special area of memory contains the
values assigned to variables that are available to the DOS
operating system or to any application program running in your
computer. These values remain unchanged until DOS or an
application program changes them as long as the power is on to
your computer. DOS maintains special values in this area which
the operating system uses. Your current path and current prompt
configuration are two of these values. These values are normally
set with the DOS PROMPT or PATH command. If an application
program like a compiled PowerBatch program executes a DOS
command, it is done via a "shell" or another copy of your command
processor (normally COMMAND.COM) which is started to handle the
execution of these DOS commands. When a shell is started, DOS
creates a copy of the environment area for this new shell and
makes the environment values available to the shell.
Unfortunately, when the shell is terminated (when the DOS command
is complete) this copy of the environment is erased from memory.
If you execute a PROMPT, PATH or SET [Variable] command, the copy
of the environment created for the shell to run the PROMPT, PATH,
or SET command is updated and immediately erased when the command
is finished. PowerBatch provides you a means to update the
permanent copy of the environment area with the commands SETPATH,
SETENV, PROMPT.
Command Notation
In the description of the commands which follow, that which
appears within brackets [ ] is optional and all other operands
are required. Any time a screen color may be specified in a
Page 15 PowerBatch Page 15
command such as
CLEARLINE LineNumber,ForegroundColor,BackgroundColor
the single attribute which is used in many color conventions may
be substituted for the pair of color attributes. For example,
foreground color 4 (red), background color 1 (blue), is identical
to color attribute 20 and the CLEARLINE command may be specified
EITHER as
CLEARLINE 14,4,1
or
CLEARLINE 14,20
to clear line 14 on the screen to red foreground on blue
background. For this reason anytime that the operand pair of
foreground color, background color is required, the single color
attribute may be substituted for the pair. The compiler will not
detect missing background color attributes but will assume that
the foreground is the composite value.
Command Syntax
The number which is immediately under the command name is the
line number in the DEMO1 file (printed in the examples section)
which uses this command.
?COLOR VarName1, VarName2, VarName3
(25) Retrieve the current color attributes from the system and
place the current foreground color in VarName1, the
current background color in VarName2, and the composite
attribute in VarName3.
Ex: Variable ForeColor,3
Variable BackColor,3
Variable ColorAttr,3
?Color ForeColor,BackColor,ColorAttr
Retrieve the current foreground, background and composite
color values and place in the variables ForeColor,
BackColor, and ColorAttr repectively.
?CURRDIR VarName1, VarName2
Retrieve the current drive and directory from the system and
place the current drive in VarName1 and the current
directory in VarName2. The contents of VarName1 prior to
execution of this command control which currently logged
drive is searched for the currently logged directory. If
?CurrDir finds a valid drive letter in the first position
of VarName1, then the contents of VarName2 will be the
currently logged directory of that drive. If the first
position of VarName1 does not contain a valid drive
letter, then VarName2 will contain the currently logged
Page 16 PowerBatch Page 16
directory of the current drive. In either case VarName1
will contain the drive and VarName2 will contain the
directory.
Ex: Variable CurrDrive,2
Variable CurrDir,79
Set CurrDrive,"A"
?CurrDir CurrDrive,CurrDir
Set CurrDrive,""
?CurrDir CurrDrive,CurrDir
In the first usage of ?CurrDir, assuming that the currently
logged directory on the A drive is the root directory,
CurrDrive will contain "A" and CurrDir will contain "\"
after the execution of ?CurrDir. In the second usage,
assuming that the currently logged drive is D: and the
currently logged directory on the D: drive is
"\UTIL\EXEC", CurrDrive will contain "D" and CurrDir will
contain "\UTIL\EXEC" after the execution of ?CurrDir.
?DATE VarName1, VarName2, VarName3, VarName4
(26) Retrieve the current date from the system and place the day
of the week in VarName1, the month in VarName2, the day
in VarName3, and the year in VarName4. VarName1 should be
defined as 9 long, VarName2 and VarName3 as 2 long, and
VarName4 as 4 long.
Ex: Variable DOW,9
Variable Mo,2
Variable Da,2
Variable Yr,4
?Date DOW,Mo,Da,Yr
Retrieve the current date and place the component parts
in their respective variables. Place the day of the
week in DOW (ie Saturday), the month number in Mo (ie
06), the day of the month in Da (ie 29), and the year
in Yr (ie 1990).
Page 17 PowerBatch Page 17
?DIREXIST VarName1, Label1 [,Label2]
(159) Literal1,Label1 [,Label2]
Check the system for the existance of the directory whose
name appears in VarName1 or in Literal1. If the directory
exists jump to the command immediately following Label1,
if the directory does not exist, jump to the command
immediately following Label2.
Ex: ?DirExist InpStr,DirOk,BadDir
?DirExist "C:\",DirOK,BadDir
?DirExist InpStr,,BadDir (next command if exists)
?DirExist InpStr,DirOk (next command if not exist)
In the first example if the contents of the variable InpStr
exists then goto label DirOK, if it does not exist go to
the label BadDir. In the second example we check for the
existance of a literal with a value of "C:\". In the
third example, if the contents of InpStr exist we "fall
through" to the next instruction, if the directory does
not exist we jump to the label BadDir. In the fourth
example, if the directory name in InpStr exists, we jump
to the label DirOK, if it does not exist we fall through
to the next command.
?DISKSPACE VarName1, VarName2, VarName3
(184) Literal1, VarName1, VarName2
Query the disk Drive specified by the first character of
Varname1 and place the total disk capacity in bytes in
VarName2 and the unused bytes in VarName3. Since the
command looks at only the first character of VarName1 (or
Literal1), VarName1 may contains strings such as
"C:\UTIL".
Ex: Variable DirName,79
ReadStr DirName (user enters "c:\util")
Upper DirName (changes to "C:\UTIL")
?DiskSpace DirName,TotSpace,FreSpace
?DiskSpace "A",TotSpace,FreSpace
?DRIVEEXIST VarName1, Label1 [,Label2]
(145) Literal1, Label1 [,Label2]
Check the system for VarName1 as a valid drive letter. If
the drive is valid, jump to the command immediately
following Label1, if the drive is not valid jump to the
command immediately following Label2.
Ex: ?DriveExist DrvNum,GoodDrv,BadDrv
?DriveExist "A",GoodDrv,BadDrv
?DriveExist DrvNum,,BadDrv
?DriveExist DrvNum,GoodDrv
Page 18 PowerBatch Page 18
?ENVSTR VarName1, VarName2
Literal1, VarName2
Retrieve the contents of any environment variable from the
system environment area. The name of the environment
variable is placed in VarName1 or entered as a literal
and the contents of the environment variable will be
placed in VarName2. Ensure that VarName2 has been defined
sufficiently long enough to contain the contents of the
environment variable. If VarName2 is not long enough, the
environment variable will be truncated.
Ex: Variable EnvValue,255
Variable EnvName,4,"path"
?EnvStr "prompt", EnvValue
?EnvStr EnvName, EnvValue
?FILEEXIST VarName1, Label1 [,Label2]
(172) Literal, Label1 [,Label2]
Check the system for the specified file name. If the file
exists, jump to the command immediately following Label1,
if the file does not exist, jump to the command
immediately following Label2.
Ex: ?FileExist FileName, Label1, Label2
?FileExist "C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT",StartOK,NoStart
?FileExist FileName,,Label2
?FileExist FileName,Label1
?INPATH VarName1, Label1 [,Label2]
Literal1, Label2 [,Label2]
Compare the contents of VarName1 to the system search path.
If VarName1 is contained within the path jump to the
command immediately following Label1, if the file does
not exist jump to the command immediately following
Label2. Use this command to determine if a directory is
specified in the DOS search path.
Ex: DOS search path contains "C:\UTIL;C:\WORDPROC;D:\"
Variable InString,79
Write "Enter your directory name "
ReadStr InString (user enters "c:\wordproc")
Upper InString (change to "C:\WORDPROC")
?InPath InString,PathOK,BadPath
?InPath "C:\UTIL",,BadPath (compare literal)
?TIME VarName1
(27) Retrieve the current time from the system and place in
VarName1. The format of the time is hh:mm:ss xm. VarName1
should be defined as 11 long.
Ex: Variable CurrTime,11
?Time CurrTime (now contains 11:24:14 am)
Page 19 PowerBatch Page 19
BEEP VarName1, VarName2, VarName3
(149) Literal1, Literal2, Literal3
Sound the system speaker with a tone of VarName1 frequency,
for a length of VarName2 tenths of a second, and repeat
VarName3 times.
Ex: Beep 800,5,3
Beep ErrFreq,BeepLen,ErrTimes
The first example sound the system speaker at a frequency
of 800 hz for half a second (.5) and repeats twice for
a total of 3 times. The second example will sound the
system speaker at a frequency equal to the contents of
the variable ErrFreq for BeepLen tenths of a second(s)
for a total of ErrTimes.
BLINK
(82)
Cause all text that is written to the screen to blink using
the current color attributes last defined in the
processing of the batch program. This command in "undone"
by using NORMAL.
Ex: Variable MsgClear,25." "
Blink
WriteAt 15,4,"Not a valid entry"
Normal
Wait 35
WriteAt 15,4,MsgClear
Write the message "Not a valid entry" at column 15 on row
4 using the current color definition. Reset the text
color to the value it contained before specifying
blinking text. Wait 3.5 seconds and clear the message.
BOX1 VarNm1, VarNm2, VarNm3, VarNm4, VarNm5 [,VarNm6]
(36) Lit1, Lit2, Lit3, Lit4, Lit5 [,Lit6]
Draw a box (frame) on the screen whose upper left co-
ordinates (X,Y) are VarNm1, VarNm2, and whose lower right
co_ordinates (X,Y) are VarNm3, VarNm4. Draw the box using
a line in foreground color VarNm5 on background color
VarNm6.
Ex: Variable ULX,2,5 ;upper left col value
Variable ULY,2,3 ;upper left row value
Variable LRX,2,75 ;lower right col value
Variable LRY,2,20 ;lower right row value
Variable BoxFore,2,4 ;foreground color red
Variable BoxBack,2,0 ;background color black
Box1 ULX, ULY, LRX, LRY, BoxFore, BoxBack
Box1 5,3,75,20,7,0
Box1 5,3,75,20,112
Page 20 PowerBatch Page 20
The first example draws a box whose upper left co-
ordinates are the contents of the variables ULX and
ULY and whose lower left co-ordinates are the contents
of the variables LRX and LRY. The box border will be
the contents of BoxFore (red) on a background of
BoxBack (black). The interior of the box will be
unchanged (ie it is not cleared nor is the color
changed). The second example draws a box whose upper
left co-ordinates are 5,3 and whose lower right co-
ordinates are 75,20. The box border is drawn in white
on black. The third example draws a box with the same
co-ordinates and uses the composite color attribute of
112 (white on black). See ClearBox command.
BREAKON
Provides a capability to exit from a PowerBatch program by
pressing the combination of keys (Ctrl - Break) or
(Ctrl - C). The default value set at the beginning of any
PowerBatch program is BreakON. To keep a user from
exiting a running PowerBatch program, execute the
BreakOFF command. If sections of the program are to be
protected and other sections not, surround the sections
with pairs of BreakON...BreakOFF commands.
BREAKOFF
Disables the ability to stop a PowerBatch program by
pressing the (Ctrl - Break) or (Ctrl - C) key
combinations. The default value set at the beginning of
any PowerBatch program is BreakON.
CENTER VarName1, VarName2
(42) Literal1, Literal2
Center the text in VarName1 on line VarName2.
Ex: Variable InpStr,25,"PowerBatch"
Center "PowerBatch",2
Center InpStr,2
Both versions of this example will center the name
"PowerBatch" on line 2 of the screen.
CLEAR VarName1 [,VarName2]
(28) Literal1 [,Literal2]
Clear the entire screen to foreground color VarName1 and
background color VarName2.
Ex: Variable ColorAttr,3,112 ;define white on black
Clear 4,1
Clear 112
Clear ColorAttr
The first example clears the screen to red on blue. The
second and third examples clear the screen to white on
Page 21 PowerBatch Page 21
black.
CLEARBOX VarNm1, VarNm2, VarNm3, VarNm4, VarNm5 [,VarNm6]
(37) Lit1, Lit2, Lit3, Lit4, Lit5 [,Lit6]
Clear the interior of the box whose upper left co-ordinates
(X,Y) are VarNm1, VarNm2 and whose lower right co-
ordinates (X,Y) are VarNm3, VarNm4. Clear the interior of
the box to foreground color VarNm5 and background color
VarNm6. This command clears the "inside" of the box, not
the lines which describe the box.
Ex: Variable ULX,2,5 ;upper left col value
Variable ULY,2,3 ;upper left row value
Variable LRX,2,75 ;lower right col value
Variable LRY,2,20 ;lower right row value
Variable BoxFore,2,4 ;foreground color red
Variable BoxBack,2,0 ;background color black
Box1 ULX, ULY, LRX, LRY, BoxFore, BoxBack
ClearBox 5,3,75,20,112
In this example we define the upper right and lower left
co-ordinates of the box as well as the colors BoxFore
and BoxBack. We draw the box with a red line on a
black background. The ClearBox command clears the
interior of the box to white on black.
CLEARLINE VarName1, VarName2 [,VarName3]
Literal1, literal2 [,Literal3]
Clear the line number specified by VarName1 to a foreground
color of VarName2 and a background color of VarName3.
Ex: Variable Red,1,4
Variable Blue,1,1
Variable RedOnBlue,2,20
Variable CurrLine,2,12
ClearLine 12,Red,Blue
ClearLine CurrLine,RedOnBlue
Both examples of the ClearLine command clear line 12 on
the screen to red foreground color and blue background
color.
COLOR VarName1 [,VarName2]
(38) Literal1 [,Literal2]
Set the default color to foreground color VarName1 and
background color VarName2 or optionally set the default
color attribute to VarName1.
Ex: Variable RedOnBlue,2,20
Color 4,1
Color MenuClr
Both examples set the default color to red on blue for
any text written to the screen without specific color
Page 22 PowerBatch Page 22
instructions.
COMPARE VarName1, VarName2, Label1 [,Label2] [,Label3]
(30) Literal1, Literal2, Label1 [,Label2] [,Label3]
Compare the contents of VarName1 to the contents of
VarName2. If VarName1 greater than VarName2 jump to the
statement following Label1. If VarName1 less than
VarName2 jump to the statement following Label2. If
VarName1 equal VarName2 jump to the statement following
Label3. If the contents of the first two operands
(VarName1, VarName2, Literal1, or Literal2) are numeric
then a numeric compare is performed otherwise an
alphabetic compare is made. (If 19 is compared
alphabetically to 2, then 2 is greater than 19; if it is
compared numerically, 19 is greater than 2.)
Ex: Variable InChar,1
Variable Yes,1,"Y"
Variable No,1,"N"
GoToXY 4,23
ReadYN "Incorrect entry...Continue [Y/N] "
Compare InChar,"Y",NoIn,NoIn,YesIn
Compare InChar,Yes,,,YesIn (Not Y falls thru)
Compare InChar,"Y",NoIn,NoIn (Y falls thru)
In the first example of the Compare command, variable
InChar is compared to literal "Y". If InChar is
greater than "Y" then the program will jump to the
label NoIn; if InChar is less than "Y", the program
also jumps to the label NoIn; if InChar is equal to
"Y", the program will continue processing at the label
named YesIn. In the second compare command, the
variable InChar is compared to the variable Yes which
has an assigned value of "Y". If the variable InChar
contains anything but "Y", the program continues with
the next instruction after the compare command (it is
said to fall through); if InChar contains "Y", the
program will jump to the label YesIn. In the third
compare command, variable InChar is compared to the
literal "Y". If the variable InChar contains "N"
(ReadYN prevents any entry but Y or N) the program
jumps to the label NoIn otherwise it continues with
the instruction after the compare command.
Page 23 PowerBatch Page 23
CONCAT VarName1, VarName2 [,VarName3]
(116) VarName1, Literal1 [,Literal2]
Concatenate the string in VarName2 with the string in
VarName3 and place the result in VarName1. If VarName3 is
not present then concatenate the string in VarName1 with
the string in VarName2 and place the result in VarName1.
Ex: Variable OutMsg,78
Variable ErrMsg," is not a valid Drive letter."
Variable DriveLtr,1
WriteAt 6,17,"Enter your source drive letter "
ReadUpKey DriveLtr
?DriveExist DriveLtr,DriveOK
Concat OutMsg, "[19] ", DriveLtr
Concat OutMsg, " is not a valid Drive letter."
WriteAt 5,23,OutMsg
In this example we ask the user to input a valid drive
letter and verify this drive with the ?DriveExist
command. If the drive is not valid we concatenate
"[19]" (the error number) plus the drive letter
entered by the user into the variable OutMsg. We then
concatenate the error message (" is not a valid Drive
letter.") onto the contents of OutMsg. The result
would be something like "[19] L is not a valid Drive
letter."
GOTO Label1
(152)
Jump to the statement identified as command label Label1.
Ex: GoTo Error
GoTo EndOfPgm
GOTOXY VarName1, VarName2
(57) Literal1, Literal2
Move the cursor to the column (X) specified in VarName1 and
row (Y) specified in VarName2.
Ex: Variable CurrX,2
Variable CurrY,2
GoToXY CurrX, CurrY
GoToXY 12,6
In the first example the cursor is moved to the location
specified by the contents of variable CurrX and CurrY.
In the second example, the cursor is moved to the
location specified by two literals "12" and "6".
Page 24 PowerBatch Page 24
HALT VarName1
Literal1
Halt the batch file processing and set DOS errorlevel to
VarName1.
Ex: Variable Error14,2,14 ;define Error14 as "14"
Halt 99
Halt Error14
In the first usage of the Halt command, the PowerBatch
program is halted and the DOS errorlevel is set to 99.
In the second usage the program is halted and the DOS
errorlevel is set to the contents of variable Error14
("14").
LABEL LabelName
(34) Define a location in the list of commands that will enable
execution to begin immediately following this command
without necessarily having executed the command
immediately prior to the Label. Jump immediately to this
location in the command stream. See the discussion on
labels at the beginning of this section.
Ex: Label MatchErr
Label EndOfPgm
LENGTH VarName1, VarName2
(129) VarName1, Literal1
Calculate the length of the string in variable VarName2 and
place the result in VarName1.
Ex: Variable InString
Variable StrLen
WriteAt 12,14,"Enter your current directory "
ReadStr InString (user enters c:\util)
Length StrLen, InString (StrLen will contain 7)
LOWER VarName1
(104)
Change the alphabetic characters in VarName1 to lower case.
Ex: Variable InString,25
ReadStr InString (user enters C:\UTIL)
Lower InString (now contains c:\util)
MIDSTRING VarName1, VarName2, VarName3, VarName4
(114) VarName1, Literal1, Literal2, Literal3
Extract a substring of VarName2 beginning at offset VarName3
into VarName2 for a length of VarName4 and place this
substring in VarName1.
Ex: Variable Path,79
WriteAt 1,2,"Enter Drive and Directory name "
ReadStr Path (user enters C:\UTIL)
MidString Drive,Path,1,2 (extract C: from C:\UTIL)
Page 25 PowerBatch Page 25
NORMAL
(84) Change the current color attribute(s) back to the definition
prior to the execution of a BLINK or REVERSE command.
Ex: Color 20 ;set default color to red on blue
Blink ;changes to blinking red on blue (148)
WriteAt 2,24,"Incorrect...re-enter!"
Normal ;resets color to 20
Beep 800,8
Wait 35 ;pause 3.5 seconds
WriteAt 2,24," " ;clear error
msg
This is an example of a typical error routine. The color
attribute is changed to blinking with the Blink
command. The error message is written and the color
attribute is changed back to its original value with
the Normal command. The speaker is "beeped" and after
a wait of 3.5 seconds, the error message is removed
from the screen.
PROMPT VarName1
Literal1
Change the current value of the prompt to the value
specified in VarName1 or in Literal1.
Ex: Prompt "$p$g"
READKEY VarName1
(59) Read a single key from the keyboard and place the result in
VarName1.
Ex: Variable CharIn,1
GoToXY 1,14
Write "Enter the drive letter for output ",4,1
ReadKey CharIn
READSTR VarName1
(109)
Read a string of characters from the keyboard until the user
presses the enter key. Any number of characters may be
read up to the maximum length specified for VarName1 in
the Variable statement.
Ex: Variable InString,12
ReadStr InString (12 chars max will be read)
Page 26 PowerBatch Page 26
READUPKEY VarName1
(144)
Read a single character from the keyboard, changing the case
of any alphabetic character to upper case and place this
upper case character in VarName1.
Ex: ReadUpKey CharIn
READYN VarName1, VarName2
(29) Literal1, VarName2
Write the message found in VarName1 at the current cursor
location and wait for a single key to be entered from the
keyboard. Force the user to enter either a "Y" or "N" and
place the upper case "Y" or "N" in VarName2.
Ex: Variable Msg4,35,"Invalid filename...Continue [Y/N]
"
ReadYN "Invalid filename...Continue [Y/N]
",CharIn
ReadYN Msg4,CharIn
In both usages of the ReadYN command, the message "Invalid
filename...Continue [Y/N] " will be displayed and the
program will wait for a response from the user. If the
user enters any characters other than "Y", "y", "N", or
"n" the system speaker will sound and the user is
prompted again for input. At the completion of this
command, the variable CharIn will contain either "Y" or
"N" (always upper case).
REVERSE
Change the text attributes to "reverse video". This is
accomplished by swapping the foreground and background
attributes. This command is "undone" by using NORMAL.
Ex: Color 20 ;red on black
Reverse ;color is changed to black on red
WriteAt 1,15,"Press Escape To Continue"
Normal ;color is now red on black
SETENV VarName1, VarName2
Literal1, Literal2
Set the value of the environment variable specified in
VarName1 or Literal1 to the value specified in VarName2
or Literal2.
Ex: Variable VarName,7,"MONITOR"
Variable VarValue,5,"color"
SetEnv VarName, VarValue
SetEnv "Monitor","color"
Page 27 PowerBatch Page 27
SETPATH VarName1
Literal1
Set the current path to the value specified in VarName1 or
the value specified in Literal1.
Ex: Variable NewPath,40,"d:\;c:\util\exec;c:\dos"
SetPath NewPath
SetPath "d:\;c:\;"
SETVAR VarName1, VarName2
(31) VarName1, Literal1
Set the value of VarName1 to the contents of VarName2.
Ex: Variable ErrCode,3
Variable FileName,79
SetVar ErrCode,99
SetVar FileName,"C:\CONFIG.SYS"
In the first usage of the SetVar command, the variable
ErrCode is set to "99" and the second usage sets the
variable FileName to "C:\CONFIG.SYS"
UPPER VarName1
(101)
Change the alphabetic characters in VarName1 to upper case.
Ex: Variable InString,25
WriteAt 14,25,"Enter your directory name "
ReadStr InString (user enters c:\util)
Upper InString (changed to C:\UTIL)
?InPath InString,GoodDir (path is always upper case)
In this example, the user is prompted for a path name to
be entered. The path name is to be compared to the
system path for validity. Since the contents of the
system path are always in upper case, we change the
InString variable to upper case prior to comparision.
VARIABLE VariableName, MaxLength [,InitialValue]
(1) Define a variable to PowerBatch. All variables used in a
PowerBatch program must have been defined with a VARIABLE
command. VariableName is the name which you give to this
variable and the means by which you refer to the variable
in other PowerBatch statements. This variable may contain
any number of characters up to MaxLength and is set to
the initial value of InitialValue. See the discussion on
variables at the beginning of this section.
Command line parameters passed to a compiled PowerBatch
program must be defined as variables. Up to 16 command
line variables may be passed to a compiled PowerBatch
program and they are defined as CLP%1..CLP%16. See the
example MOVE1 or MOVE2.
Page 28 PowerBatch Page 28
Ex: Variable DayOfWeek,9
Variable ErrMsg1,25,"Invalid directory name."
Variable InString,80,""
Variable PauseTime,2,50
Variable CLP%1,12 (command line parameter %1)
WAIT VarName1
(119) Literal1
Cause the execution of a PowerBatch program to pause for
VarName1 tenths of a second(s).
Ex: Wait 5 (pause half a second)
Wait PauseTime (pause 5 seconds)
WRITE VarName1, VarName2 [,VarName3]
(58) Literal1, Literal2 [,Literal3]
Write the string contained in VarName1 at the current cursor
location using color attributes foreground VarName2 and
background VarName3. In the absence of VarName2 and
VarName3 use the current color attributes. The string is
not followed by a carriage return, line feed pair (ie the
cursor is not moved to the first position of the next
line).
Ex: Write "Enter your password ",0,7
Variable ErrMsg1,25,"Invalid directory name."
Variable ErrClr,3,112
Write ErrMsg1,ErrClr
WRITEAT VarName1, VarName2, VarName3 [,VarName4] [,VarName5]
(46) Literal1, Literal2, Literal3 [,Literal4] [,Literal5]
Write the string contained in VarName3 at column (X)
contained in VarName1 and row (Y) contained in VarName2
using the foreground color attribute contained in
VarName4 and the background color attribute contained in
VarName5. In the absence of VarName4 and VarName5, use
the current color attributes. The string is not followed
by a carriage return, line feed pair (ie the cursor is
not moved to the first position of the next line).
Ex: Variable TitleClr,3,112
Variable CurrX,2
Variable CurrY,2
Variable CompName,25,"The ABC Company"
WriteAt 15,3,"The ABC Company",TitleClr
WriteAt CurrX,CurrY,CompName
In the first usage of the WriteAt command the literal
"The ABC Company" is written at column 15, row 3. In
the second usage, the contents of the variable
CompName ("The ABC Company") is written at the column
location specified by the contents of variable CurrX
Page 29 PowerBatch Page 29
and at the row location specified by the contents of
variable CurrY.
WRITELINE VarName1 [,VarName2]
(195)
Write the string contained in VarName1 beginning in location
1 of the line number specified in VarName2. Follow the
string with a carriage return line feed pair (ie move the
cursor to the first position of the next line). In the
absence of VarName2 write the string at the current
cursor location.
Ex: WriteLine "Please read these instructions ",7
WriteLine Msg5
In the first usage of WriteLine the message "Please read
these instructions " is written beginning in column 1
of row 7. In the second usage the contents of the
variable Msg5 is written beginning at the current
cursor location. In both cases a carriage return, line
feed (position cursor at the first position of the
next line) is written.
Page 30 PowerBatch Page 30
Command Summary
?COLOR Var1, Var2, Var3
?CURRDIR Var1, Var2
?DATE Var1, Var2, Var3, Var4
?DIREXIST Var1, Lab1 [,Lab2] or Lit1, Lab1 [,Lab2]
?DISKSPACE Var1, Var2, Var3
?DRIVEEXIST Var1, Lab1 [,Lab2] or Lit1, Lab1 [,Lab2]
?ENVSTR Var1, Var2 or Lit1, Var2
?FILEEXIST Var1, Lab1 [,Lab2] or Lit1, Lab1 [,Lab2]
?INPATH Var1, Lab1 [,Lab2] or Lit1, Lab1 [,Lab2]
?TIME Var1
BEEP Var1, Var2, Var3 or Lit1, Lit2, Lit3
BLINK
BOX1 Var1, Var2, Var3, Var4, Var5 [,V6] or Lit1, Lit2,
Lit3, Lit4, Lit5, [,Lit6]
BREAKON
BREAKOFF
CENTER Var1, Var2 or Lit1, Lit2
CLEAR Var1 [,Var2] or Lit1 [,Lit2]
CLEARBOX Var1, Var2, Var3, Var4, Var5 [,V6] or Lit1, Lit2,
Lit3, Lit4, Lit5 [,Lit6]
CLEARLINE Var1, Var2 [,Var3] or Lit1, Lit2, Lit3
COLOR Var1 [,Var2] or Lit1 [,Lit2]
COMPARE Var1, Var2, Lab1 [,Lab2] [,Lab3] or Lit1, Lit2,
Lab1 [,Lab2] [,Lab3]
CONCAT Var1, Var2 [,Var3] or Var1, Lit2 [,Lit3]
GOTO Lab1
LENGTH Var1, Var2 or Var1, Lit1
LOWER Var1
MIDSTRING Var1, Var2, Var3, Var4 or Var1, Var2, Lit1, Lit2
NORMAL
PROMPT Var1 or Lit1
READKEY Var1
READSTR Var1
READUPKEY Var1
READYN Var1, Var2 or Lit1, Var1
REVERSE
SETENV Var1, Var2 or Lit1, Lit2
SETPATH Var1 or Lit1
SETVAR Var1, Var2 or Var1, Lit1
UPPER Var1
VARIABLE VariableName, MaxLength [,InitialValue]
WAIT Var1 or Lit1
WRITE Var1, Var2 [,Var3] or Lit1, Lit2 [,Lit2]
WRITEAT Var1, Var2, Var3 [,Var4] [,Var5] or Lit1, Lit2,
Lit3, [,Lit4] [,Lit5]
WRITELINE Var1 [,Var2] or Lit1 [,Lit2]
Page 31 PowerBatch Page 31
ERRORLEVEL Predefined variable containing the value of the
exit code set by the previous program or command.
DOSERROR Predefined variable containing the last set value
of the operating system error code.
Page 32 PowerBatch Page 32
Compilation Errors
Compilation errors are printed on the screen and also written in
a file named POWERBAT.ERR (If you have a split screen editor,
view the source in one screen part and the errors in the other
part). If the source line is available, the source line is
printed above the error preceded by the line number count. Source
lines are not available during the second pass of the compiler
which may generate "Label not defined" and "Variable not defined"
errors.
"Not a valid command" - This error is generated when the first
word on the command line is not a PowerBatch command and
contains more than 8 characters.
Example:
13 Directory name checked here.
[DIRECTORY] Not a valid command
Probably should be ;Directory name checked here
"Missing variable" - A command contains less than the required
number of operands.
Example:
21 ?Color ForeColor,BackColor
[] Missing variable
Variable for the composite color byte is missing.
"Expected a variable Name" - A string was found in an operand
that may contain only a variable name.
Example:
10 ?Time "Current Time"
[Current Time] Expected a variable name
The current time may only be placed in a variable.
"Quoted literal not terminated" - A single quote was
encountered within a source line.
Example:
9 Center "Move Command,5
[] Quoted literal not terminated
Closing quote should precede comma.
Page 33 PowerBatch Page 33
"Invalid max length specified" - The second operand of a
variable definition should specify the maximum length of the
variable. The value found was not numeric.
Example:
3 Variable CompName,"The ABC Company"
[The ABC Company] Invalid max length specified
"Variable not defined" - A reference to a variable was made in
the source file but the variable was not defined with the
Variable command.
Example:
[CURRDATE] Variable not defined
"Duplicate variable" - The same variable name has appeared 2 or
more times in a Variable definition statement.
Example:
7 Variable CompName,25
[COMPNAME] Duplicate variable
"Duplicate label" - The same label name has appeared 2 or more
times in a Label definition statement.
Example:
16 Label Step2
[STEP2] Duplicate label
"External command >" - This is not an error message, but is a
check to alert you to each command found in a PowerBatch
source file that will be treated as an external command.
External commands are DOS intrinsic commands, .COM, and .EXE
commands or programs (even PowerBatch compiled programs) and
.BAT (standard DOS batch files) that are to be executed by
PowerBatch.
Example:
External command > 12 DIR (DOS directory command)
External command > 29 MYPROG (Executable module MYPROG)
Page 34 PowerBatch Page 34
Removing PowerBatch From Your System
While we believe that PowerBatch is a batch compiler that
everyone should own, we recognize that there are some who feel it
is not a program they will use on a regular basis. For those of
you in that minority, we have provided a program to easily remove
all PowerBatch modules from your system. To remove all modules
from your system that were supplied on the PowerBatch install
disk, enter
DELETEPB <enter>
You will be asked if you wish to remove all PowerBatch modules
from the currently logged disk. If this is the correct disk,
enter Y. If it is not the correct disk, enter N and the program
will terminate. (You should move to the disk containing the
PowerBatch modules.) You will next be asked if you wish to
confirm each deletion. If you reply (Y)es, each time a PowerBatch
module is found, you will be asked if you wish to delete this
module. If you reply (N)o, the modules will be deleted as they
are found without your intervention.
Page 35 PowerBatch Page 35
Examples
The source for these examples is contained on your installation
disk. These examples may be compiled using the POWERMAK command.
Example: POWERMAK DEMO1 <enter>
DEMO1
This listing for DEMO1 contains line numbers preceding the
PowerBatch command. These line numbers are for reference purposes
within the documentation and are not contained in the source.
Line numbers are in fact not allowed in any PowerBat source file.
1 Variable Fore,1 ;save area for initial
colors
2 Variable Back,1
3 Variable ColorAttr,1
4 Variable CharIn,1 ;for user responses
5 Variable RedOnGray,3,116
6 Variable RedOnBlack,3,4
7 Variable YelOnBlue,3,30
8 Variable YelOnGray,3,126
9 Variable BlueOnGray,3,113
10 Variable DOW,9 ;for date command
11 Variable Mo,2
12 Variable Da,2
13 Variable Yr,4
14 Variable CurrTime,11 ;for current time
15 Variable DirName,78 ;for user entered dir name
16 Variable FileName,78 ;for user entered file name
17 Variable Space35,35,"
"
18 Variable Space76,76,"
"
19 Variable TotSpace,10
20 Variable AvailSpace,10
21 Variable Msg,78
22 Variable Msg2,78
23 Variable FName,35
24 Variable LName,35
25 ?Color Fore,Back,ColorAttr ;initial color
26 ?Date DOW,Mo,Da,Yr ;get system date
27 ?Time CurrTime ;get system time
28 Clear
29 ReadYN "Do you have a color monitor? [Y/N]
",CharIn
30 Compare CharIn,"Y",,,ColorMon
31 SetVar RedOnGray,112
32 SetVar YelOnBlue,7
33 SetVar BlueOnGray,7
34 Label ColorMon
Page 36 PowerBatch Page 36
35 Clear BlueOnGray ;clear to my color
36 Box1 2,10,79,25,YelOnGray ;info box border
37 ClearBox 2,10,79,25,YelOnBlue ; interior
38 Color RedOnGray
39 Box1 24,1,56,5,RedOnGray ;title box
40 ClearBox 24,1,56,5,RedOnBlack
41 Color RedOnBlack
42 Center "POWERBATCH",2
43 Center "By",3
44 Center "Computing Systems Design, Inc.",4
45 Color YelOnBlue
46 WriteAt 3,11,"PowerBatch is a power batch utility
that produces COMPILED batch files."
47 WriteAt 3,12,"With PowerBatch you can perform all
standard DOS batch functions, plus"
48 WriteAt 3,13,"use the 35 additional PowerBatch
commands to create batch files with POWER."
49 WriteAt 3,15,"PowerBatch compiles your batch
commands and produces a standalone .EXE"
50 WriteAt 3,16,"module that executes at the top
speed of your computer. This information"
51 WriteAt 3,17,"and demonstration program you are
now running is a compiled PowerBatch"
52 WriteAt 3,18,"program (the included source is
DEMO1.PWR). PowerBatch is especially"
53 WriteAt 3,19,"powerful for screen related
functions. Draw boxes, write to the screen with"
54 WriteAt 3,20,"blazing speed, control text colors
with ease, get input from the user, make"
55 WriteAt 3,21,"data comparisions and logic
branches, and access system information with"
56 WriteAt 3,22,"single commands. Follow this tour
of the power in PowerBatch."
57 GoToXY 26,24
58 Write "Press any key to continue...",RedOnGray
59 ReadKey CharIn
60 ClearBox 2,10,79,25,YelOnBlue
61 WriteAt 3,11,"PowerBatch gives you access to the
system date and time and makes these"
62 WriteAt 3,12,"available as variables for your use
in screen writes."
63 WriteAt 3,14,"The system date is returned in four
variables of your choice. In these"
64 GoToXY 3,15
65 Write "variables are placed Day of the week ("
66 Write DOW
67 Write ") Month number ("
68 Write Mo
69 Write "),"
70 GoToXY 3,16
71 Write "Day number ("
72 Write Da
Page 37 PowerBatch Page 37
73 Write "), and Year number ("
74 Write Yr
75 Write ")."
76 WriteAt 3,18,"In a like manner the current time
may be retrieved into a variable of your"
77 WriteAt 3,19,"choice, and used any way you wish."
78 WriteAt 3,21,"Current time is "
79 WriteAt 19,21,CurrTime
80 GoToXY 26,24
81 Color YelOnBlue
82 Blink
83 Write "Press any key to continue..."
84 Normal
85 ReadKey CharIn
86 ClearBox 2,10,79,25,YelOnBlue
87 WriteAt 3,11,"PowerBatch also provides you with
several input commands to retrieve both"
88 WriteAt 3,12,"data and question responses from
the user. Commands are provided to retrieve"
89 WriteAt 3,13,"one key (and one key only), read
one key in upper case, read either Y or N"
90 WriteAt 3,14,"for Yes/No responses, and to read a
string of a specified length."
91 GoToXY 3,15
92 Write "Enter one character in lower case [ ]"
93 GoToXY 38,15
94 ReadKey CharIn
95 GoToXY 41,15
96 Write "You can manipulate the case "
97 GoToXY 3,16
98 Write "of the data entered changing from lower
["
99 Write CharIn
100 Write "] to upper ["
101 Upper CharIn
102 Write CharIn
103 Write "] to lower ["
104 Lower CharIn
105 Write CharIn
106 Write "]."
107 WriteAt 3,18,"PowerBatch also contains strong
string manipulation commands."
108 WriteAt 3,19,"Enter your last name "
109 ReadStr LName
110 WriteAt 14,19,Space35
111 WriteAt 14,19,"first name "
112 ReadStr FName
113 WriteAt 3,19,Space35
114 Midstring Msg,FName,1,3
115 Midstring Msg2,LName,1,3
116 Concat Msg," "
117 Concat Msg,Msg2
Page 38 PowerBatch Page 38
118 WriteAt 3,20,Msg
119 Wait 10
120 Midstring Msg,FName,1,6
121 Midstring Msg2,LName,1,6
122 Concat Msg," "
123 Concat Msg,Msg2
124 WriteAt 3,20,Msg
125 Wait 10
126 Concat Msg,FName," "
127 Concat Msg,LName
128 WriteAt 3,20,Msg
129 Length Msg2,Msg
130 Concat Msg,"The length of this name field is
",Msg2
131 WriteAt 3,21,Msg
132 GoToXY 26,24
133 Write "Press any key to continue...",RedOnGray
134 ReadKey CharIn
135 ClearBox 2,10,79,25,YelOnBlue
136 WriteAt 3,11,"PowerBatch gives you the capability
to verify drives, directories, or file"
137 WriteAt 3,12,"names entered by the user. You may
execute selected portions of the batch"
138 WriteAt 3,13,"file based on the existance or
non-existance of these entries."
139 Label ChekDrive
140 GoToXY 3,15
141 Write "Enter a drive letter to be verified"
142 Write Space35
143 GoToXY 39,15
144 ReadUpKey CharIn
145 ?DriveExist CharIn,GoodDrive
146 Blink
147 WriteAt 3,24,"That is not a valid drive in your
system. Please re-enter."
148 Normal
149 Beep 750,8
150 Wait 30
151 WriteAt 3,24,Space76
152 GoTo ChekDrive
153 Label GoodDrive
154 GoToXY 3,16
155 Write "Enter a directory name to be verified"
156 Write Space35
157 GoToXY 41,16
158 ReadStr DirName
159 ?DirExist DirName,GoodDir
160 Blink
161 WriteAt 3,24,"That is not a valid directory in
your system. Please re-enter."
162 Normal
163 Wait 30
Page 39 PowerBatch Page 39
164 WriteAt 3,24,Space76
165 GoTo GoodDrive
166 Label GoodDir
167 GoToXY 3,17
168 Write "Enter a file name to be verified"
169 Write Space35
170 GoToXY 36,17
171 ReadStr FileName
172 ?FileExist FileName,GoodFile
173 Blink
174 WriteAt 3,24,"That is not a valid filename in
your system. Please re-enter."
175 Normal
176 Wait 30
177 WriteAt 3,24,Space76
178 GoTo GoodDir
179 Label GoodFile
180 WriteAt 3,18,"PowerBatch can query your disk for
total space and available space"
181 WriteAt 3,19,"Drive [ ] capacities are (enter
drive letter)"
182 GoToXy 10,19
183 ReadUpKey CharIn
184 ?DiskSpace CharIn,TotSpace,AvailSpace
185 Concat Msg,CharIn," has "
186 Concat Msg,AvailSpace
187 Concat Msg," bytes available of the total "
188 Concat Msg,TotSpace
189 Concat Msg," bytes"
190 WriteAt 9,19,Msg
191 GoToXY 26,24
192 Write "Press any key to continue...",RedOnGray
193 ReadKey CharIn
194 Clear
195 WriteLine "PowerBatch can run any valid DOS command
that may be inserted in a batch file."
196 WriteLine "For example, here is a listing of your
current directory..."
197 Wait 30
198 Clear ColorAttr ;clear to default color
199 Dir "/w"
200 Wait 30
201 Color YelOnBlue
202 Clear
203 WriteLine "PowerBatch can also run (and return)
other PowerBatch programs, giving you a "
204 WriteLine "subroutine capability. It has the
capability to re-boot the system (which I"
205 WriteLine "will NOT demonstrate here."
206 GoToXY 1,5
207 WriteLine "The purpose of this demonstration is to
not only show you the capabilities"
Page 40 PowerBatch Page 40
208 WriteLine "of PowerBatch, but to let you compare
the source with the running version"
209 WriteLine "of this program and aid you in the
development of your own PowerBatch"
210 WriteLine "programs."
211 GoToXY 1,10
212 Write "Press any key to continue..."
213 ReadKey CharIn
214 Color ColorAttr ;reset original colors
215 Clear
216 Box1 24,1,56,5,ColorAttr
217 Center "POWERBATCH",2
218 Center "By",3
219 Center "Computing Systems Design, Inc.",4
220 GoToXy 1,24
Page 41 PowerBatch Page 41
MOVE1
Variable CLP%1,79,"a" ;command line parm %1
Variable CLP%2,79,"a" ;%2
Variable InChar,1 ;for keyboard responses
Compare CLP%1,"a",,,Syntax ;show syntax
Compare CLP%2,"a",,,Syntax
Clear ;clear the screen
Upper CLP%1 ;make CLP%1 upper case
Upper CLP%2 ;make CLP%2 upper case
Write "Move " ;build initial msg
Write CLP%1
Write " to "
WriteLine CLP%2
?FileExist CLP%1,File1OK ;does source file exist
Write CLP%1 ;write error msg
WriteLine " not found."
GoTo BadCopy
Label File1OK
?FileExist CLP%2,,File2OK ;does destination file
exist
Write CLP%2 ;write error msg
WriteLine " exists!"
ReadYN "Overwrite? [Y/N] ",InChar
WriteLine ""
Compare InChar,"N",,,BadCopy
Label File2OK
Compare CLP%1,CLP%2,,,DupFiles ;cannot copy to itself
Copy CLP%1 CLP%2 ;DOS copy command
?FileExist CLP%2,,BadCopy ;did output file make it
OK
Write "Erasing " ;tell user erasing source
WriteLine CLP%1
Erase CLP%1 ;DOS erase command
WriteLine "Move successful" ;msg to user
Halt
Label DupFiles
WriteLine "Cannot move a file to itself"
Label BadCopy ;unsuccessful comes to
here
WriteLine "Move unsuccessful"
Halt
Label Syntax
WriteLine "Syntax is Move1 SourceFileName TargetFileName"
Page 42 PowerBatch Page 42
MOVE2
Variable CLP%1,79,"a" ;command line parm %1
Variable CLP%2,79,"a" ;%2
Variable InChar,1 ;for keyboard responses
Compare CLP%1,"a",,,Syntax ;show syntax
Compare CLP%2,"a",,,Syntax
Clear ;clear the screen
Upper CLP%1 ;make CLP%1 upper case
Upper CLP%2 ;make CLP%2 upper case
Write "Move " ;build initial msg
Write CLP%1
Write " to "
WriteLine CLP%2
Label ChkFile1
?FileExist CLP%1,File1OK ;does source file exist
Blink ;if not make screen text
blink
Write CLP%1 ;write error msg
WriteLine " not found."
Normal ;set text to normal
Write "Enter source file name : " ;prompt user for name
ReadStr CLP%1
GoTo ChkFile1
Label File1OK ;check new name for exists
?FileExist CLP%2,,File2OK ;does destination file
exist
Blink ;if not then text to blink
Write CLP%2 ;write error message
WriteLine " exists!"
Normal ;set text to normal
ReadYN "Overwrite? [Y/N] ",InChar ;query user
WriteLine ""
Compare InChar,"N",,,BadCopy ;if user entered "Y" exit
Label File2OK ;come here if all OK
Compare CLP%1,CLP%2,,,DupFiles ;cannot copy to itself
Copy CLP%1 CLP%2 ;DOS copy command
?FileExist CLP%2,,BadCopy ;is output file OK
Reverse ;make text reverse video
Write "Erasing " ;write erase message
WriteLine CLP%1
Normal ;set text back to normal
Erase CLP%1 ;DOS erase command
WriteLine "Move successful" ;tell user all is OK
Halt
Label DupFiles
WriteLine "Cannot move a file to itself"
Label BadCopy
WriteLine "Move unsuccessful"
Label Syntax
WriteLine "Syntax is Move1 SourceFileName TargetFileName"
Page 43 PowerBatch Page 43
MENU1
Variable FColor,1 ;store the current screen
colors
Variable BColor,1
Variable ColorAttr,1
Variable MenuSel,1
?Color FColor,BColor,ColorAttr
Label ShowMenu
Clear 112 ;clear screen to a new color
Center "Demonstration Menu",2 ;center on line 2
WriteAt 10,4,"A. Run a directory and return"
WriteAt 10,6,"B. Run BoxDemo and return (DOS batch +
PowerBatch + return)"
WriteAt 10,8,"C. Reboot your system"
WriteAt 10,10,"E. Exit this menu and return to DOS"
Label GetInp
WriteAt 15,13,"Enter your choice :"
GoToXY 34,13
ReadUpKey MenuSel ;get users selection
Compare MenuSel,"A",ChekB,Error ;compare selection to A
Clear 7,0 ;clear screen to fore 7, back
0
dir "/w" ;run DOS dir cmd with /w parm
Wait 30 ;wait 3 secs for show
GoTo ShowMenu ;redisplay menu
Label ChekB
Compare MenuSel,"B",ChekC,Error ;compare selection to B
Clear 15 ;clear screen to attribute 15
DOSEX1 ;run a DOS batch file &
PowerBatch program
Wait 30 ;wait 3 secs
GoTo ShowMenu ;redisplay menu
Label ChekC
Compare MenuSel,"C",ChekE,Error ;compare selection to C
Boot ;perform a warm boot
Label ChekE
Compare MenuSel,"E",Error,Error ;compare selection to E
Clear ColorAttr ;restore original color
Halt ;end the PowerBatch
program
Label Error ;come here for errors
Blink ;reverse the colors
WriteAt 5,20,"InCorrect menu selection...Try again."
Beep 750,5 ;beep at 750 hz for half sec
Wait 30 ;wait 3 secs to see msg
Normal ;restore text attributes
ClearLine 20 ;clear the message line
GoToXY 34,13 ;erase the wrong entry
Write " "
GoTo GetInp ;get new menu selection
Page 44 PowerBatch Page 44
BOXDEMO2
Variable FColor,1
Variable BColor,1
Variable ColorAttr,1
Variable Clr1,3,30
Variable Clr2,3,46
Variable Clr3,3,62
Variable Clr4,3,78
Variable Clr5,3,94
Variable Clr6,3,110
Variable InChar,1
?Color FColor,BColor,ColorAttr ;save curr colors
Clear Clr1 ;clear screen to color 1
Label MonType
GoToXY 1,20
ReadYN "Do you have a color monitor? [Y/N] ",InChar
Compare InChar,"N",ColorsOK
SetVar Clr1,7 ;reset colors for mono
SetVar Clr2,112
SetVar Clr3,112
SetVar Clr4,112
SetVar Clr5,112
SetVar Clr6,112
Label ColorsOK
Clear Clr1 ;clear screen
Box1 15,7,66,18,Clr1 ;draw center box, color
1
WriteAt 16,8,"Drawing boxes (or frames) around screen
displays"
WriteAt 17,9,"seems to add a finishing touch to menus,
messages"
WriteAt 17,10,"or any other information conveyed to the
user."
WriteAt 16,12,"With a batch file, not only is it time
consuming,"
WriteAt 17,13,"but painfully slow. Most of the time it
simply"
WriteAt 17,14,"is not worth the trouble."
WriteAt 16,16,"With PowerBatch, you draw your frame with one"
WriteAt 17,17,"command. And it is a little faster..."
Box1 2,1,14,6,Clr1 ;draw boxes around perif
Box1 2,7,14,12,Clr1
Box1 2,13,14,18,Clr1
Box1 2,19,14,24,Clr1
Box1 15,19,27,24,Clr1
Box1 28,19,40,24,Clr1
Box1 41,19,53,24,Clr1
Box1 54,19,66,24,Clr1
Box1 67,19,79,24,Clr1
Box1 67,13,79,18,Clr1
Box1 67,7,79,12,Clr1
Page 45 PowerBatch Page 45
Box1 67,1,79,6,Clr1
Box1 54,1,66,6,Clr1
Box1 41,1,53,6,Clr1
Box1 28,1,40,6,Clr1
Box1 15,1,27,6,Clr1
wait 30 ;wait 3 secs
ClearBox 2,1,14,6,Clr6 ;clear boxes to diff colors
ClearBox 2,7,14,12,Clr2
ClearBox 2,13,14,18,Clr3
ClearBox 2,19,14,24,Clr4
ClearBox 15,19,27,24,Clr5
ClearBox 28,19,40,24,Clr6
ClearBox 41,19,53,24,Clr2
ClearBox 54,19,66,24,Clr3
ClearBox 67,19,79,24,Clr4
ClearBox 67,13,79,18,Clr5
ClearBox 67,7,79,12,Clr6
ClearBox 67,1,79,6,Clr2
ClearBox 54,1,66,6,Clr3
ClearBox 41,1,53,6,Clr4
ClearBox 28,1,40,6,Clr5
ClearBox 15,1,27,6,Clr6
Wait 30
ClearBox 28,19,40,24,Clr1
ClearBox 28,1,40,6,Clr1
ClearBox 2,19,14,24,Clr1
ClearBox 54,1,66,6,Clr1
ClearBox 67,1,79,6,Clr1
ClearBox 67,7,79,12,Clr1
ClearBox 67,13,79,18,Clr1
ClearBox 67,19,79,24,Clr1
ClearBox 54,19,66,24,Clr1
ClearBox 15,19,27,24,Clr1
ClearBox 15,1,27,6,Clr1
ClearBox 2,13,14,18,Clr1
ClearBox 2,7,14,12,Clr1
ClearBox 41,1,53,6,Clr1
ClearBox 41,19,53,24,Clr1
ClearBox 2,1,14,6,Clr1 ;clear boxes to diff
colors
WriteAt 1,25,"Press any key to exit"
GoToXY 23,25 ;position cursor after msg
ReadKey InChar ;wait for user to press
key
Clear ColorAttr ;clear screen to orig
color
Page 46 PowerBatch Page 46
Index
ASP 1 ?INPATH 18
Box 19 ?TIME 18
Case BEEP 19
lower 24 BLINK 19
upper 26, 27 BOX 19
Color attribute 15, 25 BREAKOFF 20
Command line parameters 27 BREAKON 20
Command Summary 30 CENTER 20
Command Syntax 15 CLEAR 20
Comments 10 CLEARBOX 21
Compare CLEARLINE 21
alphabetic 22 COLOR 21
numeric 22 COMPARE 22
Compilation Errors 32 CONCAT 23
Concatenate 23 GOTO 23
Concept Of Operation 5 GOTOXY 23
Copyright 1 HALT 24
Ctrl - Break 20 LABEL 24
Current date 16 LENGTH 24
Current time 18 LOWER 24
Cursor 23 MIDSTRING 24
Directory 17 NORMAL 25
Disk capacity 17 PROMPT 25
Disk free space 17 READKEY 25
DOS errorlevel 24 READSTR 25
DOS search path 18 READUPKEY 26
DOSERROR 11, 13 READYN 26
Environment variable 18 REVERSE 26
ERRORLEVEL 11, 13, 24 SETENV 26
External command 13, 33 SETPATH 27
Field length SETVAR 27
maximum 25, 27 UPPER 27
File exists 18 VARIABLE 27
Frame 19 WAIT 28
Installation 7 WRITE 28
Interior of a box 21 WRITEAT 28
Introduction 1 WRITELINE 29
Line numbers 35 POWERMAK 9
Literals 10, 11 Registration 1
Pause 28 Registration Fees 3
POWERBAT.ERR 32 Removing PowerBatch From Your
PowerBatch Commands 10 System 34
?COLOR 15 Screen clear 20
?CURRDIR 15 Shareware 1
?DATE 15 Software Support 4
?DIREXIST 16 String length 24
?DISKSPACE 17 Substring 24
?DRIVEEXIST 17 System speaker 19
?ENVSTR 18 Valid drive 17
?FILEEXIST 18 Value
Page 47 PowerBatch Page 47
initial 27
Variable 10
value 27
Variable map 9
Warranty 2
What You Get 3
SYSOP.DOC
BBS SysOp INFORMATION
PowerBatch
Computing Systems Design, Inc.
This file provides information for bulletin board SysOps who wish to
distribute the evaluation version of PowerBatch via their BBS system.
Permission is hereby granted to upload the evaluation version of PowerBatch
software to a bulletin board system for the purpose of downloading to callers
of the bulletin board. Under no circumstances shall any registered version of
PowerBatch be uploaded to a bulletin board. Evaluation versions of the
software are prominently identified with an opening shareware informational
screen. Any software other than evaluation versions should be discarded. If
any registered version of the software is uploaded to your bulletin board, CSD
would appreciate notification of the upload and receipt of the copy of the
registered software.
If you are associated with any group which distributes software for a fee,
permission of distribution for a fee must be obtained from CSD, Inc. See the
file VENDOR.DOC. Association does not preclude you from loading PowerBatch to
your bulletin board, but distribution for a fee requires written permission.
PowerBatch must be made available only as a complete package containing the
following files:
1) README.1ST Initial start-up instructions
2) PBINSTAL.EXE PowerBatch install program
3) POWERMAK.EXE PowerBatch compiler
4) SMLMODEL.MDL PowerBatch routines
5) POWERBAT.DOC PowerBatch documentation
6) DOSEX1.BAT Sample DOS batch file
7) DEMO1.PWR Example PowerBatch Source file
8) MENU1.PWR Example PowerBatch Source file
9) MOVE1.PWR Example PowerBatch Source file
10) MOVE2.PWR Example PowerBatch Source file
11) BOXDEMO1.PWR Example PowerBatch Source file
12) PBINSTAL.PWR Source for PowerBatch install
13) PBCLONE.PWR Source for cloning PowerBatch
14) MOVESUB.PWR Subroutine used by PBCLONE
15) DELETEPB.EXE Delete all PowerBatch files
16) REGISTER.FRM Registeration form
17) INVOICE.FRM Pre-printed invoice for company use
18) VENDOR.DOC Information for software vendors
19) SYSOP.DOC Information for BBS SysOps
If any of the above files are missing, contact CSD for a complete set of
files.
PRODUCT NAME AND DESCRIPTIONS
The archived file containing the 19 PowerBatch files should be named
PWRxx.yyy
where xx is the version of the software and yyy identifies the type of
archival.
Short Description:
PWRxx.yyy Batch Command File Compiler (ASP)
Long Description:
PowerBatch is a utility that creates standalone (.EXE) compiled batch files.
PowerBatch contains all the functionality of standard DOS batch files plus 40
additional commands to perform functions not available in a standard batch
file. Executes any .COM, .EXE(including other PowerBatch programs), or DOS
intrinsic commands entered as a PowerBatch source statement. Control screen
colors, draw boxes, get input from keyboard, access system info, string
manipulation and comparision, and much more.
Keywords:
BATCH FILE COMPILER UTILITY SHAREWARE ASP
PowerBatch
C.S.D. Inc.
P.O. Box 566484
Atlanta, GA 30356-6009
CompuServe ID 72701,155
VENDOR.DOC
Vendor Information
PowerBatch
Computing Systems Design, Inc.
The copying restrictions listed in this file apply to any individual,
organization, user group, or business that charges any fee for the
distribution of the ShareWare version of PowerBatch produced by Computing
Systems Design, Inc. (CSD, Inc). PowerBatch is a ShareWare product and is a
copyrighted product by CSD, Inc.
No organization who receives remuneration for the distribution of software
products may sell or distribute CSD products without prior written permission
from CSD. Any ASP member vendor will be granted the right to distribute
PowerBatch. ASP member vendors may receive written permission by contacting
CSD via CompuServe EasyPlex, CID 72701,155 or by writing to the address below.
Non-ASP vendors may request permission by writing
CSD, Inc.
P.O. Box 566484
Atlanta, GA 30356-6009
furnishing COMPANY NAME, OWNER'S NAME, COMPANY ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER, AND
METHOD OF DISTRIBUTION (floppy disk, CD, etc).
PowerBatch software may not be distributed on any magnetic media containing
any software produced by any company other than CSD, unless written permission
is specifically granted to do so.
Permission is granted to distribute only the evaluation version of PowerBatch.
Registered versions of the software differ from the evaluation version only in
title screens and ShareWare registration information.
The Registration Fee for PowerBatch is ....................$30 US
>>> PAYMENT MUST BE IN U.S. FUNDS, DRAWN ON A U.S. BANK. <<<
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
Add power to your batch files with PowerBatch. Create batch files that execute
with the speed only a compiled program can deliver.
Standard batch functions plus over 40 additional commands provide you with the
capability to create professional screen displays with boxes, colors, direct
cursor positioning, and keyboard input capability.
Validate drives, directories, files, and paths before your batch file attempts
to copy or use data. Retrieve environment variables, current date, current
time, disk capabilities, and free space and make intelligent decisions within
your batch files using the string and numeric comparison commands.
Create variables and constants to be used in any of the PowerBatch commands,
even DOS commands!
Need to create a batch file that cannot be exited by pressing break (or any
key)? PowerBatch gives you an option at compile time to create a batch file
that cannot be exited by pressing the break key. Great for consultants who
need to create for clients batch files that cannot be modified or misused.
PowerBatch gives you:
1) Commands which provide systems information. These commands provide the
current color settings, the current date, the current time, check for
the existance of a valid drive letter, and commands which check for
the existance of a directory or a file.
2) Commands which control the flow of the batch program. Execute different
portions of the batch program based on existance or non-existance of
directories or files. Compare the contents of one variable with the
contents of another variable or a constant and execute different
portions of the batch program based on the results of the compare.
3) Commands which control the way text is printed on the screen. Change
any portion of the screen to any valid screen color, cause a message
to blink on the screen, or highlight a message in reverse video.
4) Commands which provide string manipulation. Change a string to all
upper case characters, or all lower case characters. Extract a
portion of a string such as the first three characters or the last
four characters. Build a new string from two existing strings by
concatenation of the two strings.
5) Commands which deal with screen writing and input from the keyboard.
These commands are the main strength in the PowerBatch system.
Directly address any position on the screen and move the cursor to
that position to read or write text. Automatically center a message
or title on any line. Box commands draw borders around portions of
the screen to enhance screen appearance. Read a single key from the
keyboard, read the response to a query that only accepts a yes or no
response, read a string of characters from the keyboard with a
specified maximum length, and read keys from the keyboard
automatically changing the characters to upper case.
UPDATES
Updates will be furnished automatically to any vendor to whom registrations
can be traced.
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #2425
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
README 1ST 2201 9-19-90 1:41a
PBINSTAL EXE 36109 9-19-90 1:41a
SMLMODEL MDL 29328 9-19-90 1:41a
POWERMAK EXE 38960 9-19-90 1:41a
POWERBAT DOC 123117 9-19-90 1:41a
DEMO1 PWR 9268 9-19-90 1:41a
MENU1 PWR 2324 9-19-90 1:41a
MOVE1 PWR 1903 9-19-90 1:41a
MOVE2 PWR 2558 9-19-90 1:41a
BOXDEMO1 PWR 3447 9-19-90 1:41a
PBINSTAL PWR 10360 9-19-90 1:41a
PBCLONE PWR 4057 9-19-90 1:41a
MOVESUB PWR 3771 9-19-90 1:41a
DOSEX1 BAT 1059 9-19-90 1:41a
DELETEPB EXE 6288 9-19-90 1:41a
INVOICE FRM 1396 9-19-90 1:41a
REGISTER FRM 2038 9-19-90 1:41a
SYSOP DOC 3612 9-19-90 1:41a
VENDOR DOC 4950 9-19-90 1:41a
GO BAT 40 1-01-80 6:00a
FILE2425 TXT 1703 10-18-90 5:27p
GO TXT 848 10-18-90 9:42a
22 file(s) 289337 bytes
20480 bytes free