WELCOME TO COMMAND POST! This disk/archive contains Command Post 8.0h INTRODUCTION Command Post helps you end the drudgery of day-to-day tasks when working in Microsoft Windows. Its FAST text-based interface completely avoids the graphical overhead that often bogs down real productivity in Windows. It is true that Command Post does not support a "glittery" type interface, but then that was not the design goal. Command Post is designed to be part of the key machinery holding up the entire Windows environment. How many times have you tired of changing drives, moving through two subdirectories, finding an executable file from among 43 other filenames, double clicking on it, selecting File/Open, then searching for another directory in the listbox because your document happens to be in a different directory than the program! With Command Post you can automate that knowledge of where to move around the disk, which directories to go to, which files you want to work on, what size you prefer your window to be, and so on. With almost two hundred functions and commands, Command Post can: . Run Windows and DOS programs. . Send keystrokes directly to applications. . Rearrange, resize, hide, and close windows. . Run programs either concurrently or sequentially. . Display information to the user in various formats. . Prompt the user for any needed input. . Present scrollable file and directory lists. . Copy, move, delete, and rename files. . Read and write files directly. . Copy text to and from the Clipboard. . Perform string and arithmetic operations. . Make branching decisions based upon numerous factors. And much, much more. Of course, to take full advantage of the flexibility of Command Post, one must spend some time with either the manual or the help file and become aquainted with the underlying WIL script language. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Command Post requires an IBM PC or compatible with a minimum of 2 megabytes of RAM, running Microsoft Windows version 3.0 or higher. SPECIAL BONUS FOR REGISTERED USERS Registered users receive our new "Dialog Editor" which allows them to graphically construct dialog boxes, (a lot like the Visual Basic dialog editor), and other utilities to help make programming Command Post menu items a tad easier and faster. LATE-BREAKING NEWS Command Post 8.0 is a major update from previous versions. We are sending all registered users update letters. If you are a registered users and did not receive an update letter by Nov 1, 1992, then somehow we missed you. Call (800)-762-8383 and get it straightened out. A lot of the changes have occurred in the menu script language. A number of speed and assorted enhancements have been filtering in since our previous major release (7.0) some time ago. Command Post is now quicker, smarter, and zippier. Command Post menus have undergone some natural evolution. There are more menu files supported (up to 10 now) and our pre-packaged menu files now include the following: CMDPOST1.CPM - Defines the "File" menu CMDPOST2.CPM - Defines the rest of the file manager menus CMDUSER.CPM - A sample user menu to start from CMDGROUP.CPM - The menu item that can rebuild itself from the Program Manager groups. If you have a pre-existing copy of Command Post on the system, the setup program will (optionally) save the new menu files with an extension of NEW rather than overwriting existing menu files. You can then look at the NEW files to see the latest sample menus. *** FOREIGN LANGUAGE SUPPORT *** Command Post now supports some foreign languages. English is built in, and the software attempts to examine your system, and, if you are using German or French, will configure itself to use German or French. More languages on the way. There is also "ValSpeak", which is both a parody on Southern California slang, and an example of how *some* messages may be modified for the end users. To access a non-default langauage do the following: 1) Examine the WWWDLANG.DLL file to determine the languages available. The file has documentation in it that will help you figure this out. (It is not really a DLL, you can look at it. It will probably be in your Windows directory.) 2) Edit the WWWBATCH.INI file and add an item to the MAIN section, something like: WWWBATCH.INI [Main] Language=ValSpeak HOW TO INSTALL COMMAND POST Use our WSETUP.EXE program, which will copy the files for you and install a WINBATCH group in the program manager with various sample files. To use our WSETUP.EXE program... (Manual install instructions below) 1) Close down all extraneous Windows applications. 2) Close down any running copies of Command Post, WinBatch, File Commander, WinEdit, or any other process that uses the WIL language interpreter DLL. (If you forget some, the setup process will tell you something went wrong during the install of the WWWBATxx.DLL). 3) Double-Click on the WSETUP.EXE program 4) When the setup program asks for a directory, specify initial directory, or accept the given default (C:\CMDPOST). PACKING LIST These files comprise the main Command Post package. WSETUP.EXE The setup program WSETUP2.OVL A setup program overlay WSETUP.INF Setup script file CP__VER.xxx Version stamp file. xxx is the version number FILE_ID.DIZ Short description file for BBS type systems README.TXT This file - An initial look at the software README2.TXT More initial info, legalese, other products, order form BROWSER.EXE A copy of our BROWSER file viewer. BROWLANG.DLL Browser language file. CMDPOST.MAN The Command Post manual. WILDOC.MAN The WIL language reference manual (Not always included when we send a printed manual) WIL.HLP The WIL language online help file CMDPOST.EXE The Command Post EXE file CP_TREE.EXE A TREE utility for Command Post TASKMANR.EXE An optional replacement task manager CMDPOST1.CPM Command Post file manager menus - Part 1 CMDPOST2.CPM Command Post file manager menus - Part 2 CMDGROUP.CPM Program Manager group menus CMDUSER.CPM Sample user menu WWWMENUS.DLL Not really a DLL, more menu code used by CPM files WWWCP800.DLL Command Post DLL WWWBAT11.DLL WIL interpreter DLL WWWDLANG.DLL WIL language DLL WWWDOS.BAT BAT file used by WWWDOSC.PIF and WWWDOSP.PIF WWWDOSC.PIF PIF file used to run a DOS command and quit WWWDOSP.PIF PIF file used to run a DOS command and pause WWWVIRT.BAT BAT file example showing PATH modifications for DOS apps WWWZIPLS.EXE ZIP utility used by ZIP menu item *** Please help us out *** If you have received a regular licensed copy of Command Post (what we call the retail version), your 3.5" disk might contain a shareware ZIP file of the latest version of Command Post. Iff so, please help us spread it around - upload it to your favorite local BBS, send it to your company software librarian, or any other place where people who might appreciate Command Post can come across it. Thank you very much. Please see README2.TXT for more information.