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JP Software
4DOS Update Documentation
Version 5.5 -- October 12, 1994
Copyright 1988 - 1994, JP Software Inc., All Rights Reserved. Published
by JP Software Inc., P.O. Box 1470, E. Arlington, MA 02174 USA, (617)
646-3975.
There are dozens of new features in this latest release of 4DOS! Check
through this file for a comprehensive list of what's changed since
version 5.0
This file does not explain how to use the new features. Be sure to
check the online help, ASCII Reference Manual, or printed Addendum
Manual for complete details on each new feature.
Some of the descriptions below may be more detailed than you need; if
you aren't using a feature, feel free to skip to the next item. If you
are new to 4DOS with version 5.5, you can skip this file entirely, and
begin with the 4DOS Introduction and Installation Guide.
This file is divided into the following sections:
General Features and Enhancements
Startup, Initialization, and 4DOS.INI
Command Line Editing and History
Aliases
Command Changes and Enhancements
Variables and Variable Functions
Technical and Compatibility Enhancements
Bugs Fixed
Significant new features and those which affect most users are marked
with "**" in the lists below. Other items discuss smaller or more
technical changes.
This file is formatted at 58 lines per page, and contains form feeds and
page footers. It can be viewed with a file viewer such as the 4DOS LIST
command, or printed on most PC printers using the command:
copy updat55.doc prn
Printing it with a program that formats the pages is not likely to work
due to the formatting included in the file.
(10/94-5.5A)
4DOS 5.5 [10-12-94] UPDAT55.DOC page 1
4DOS 5.5 Change List
General Features and Enhancements
---------------------------------
=> ** The maximum file description length (set with the DescriptionMax
directive in the .INI file) has been increased to 511 characters.
=> ** Colors can now be specified as either digits (0-15) or the color
name, i.e. "COLOR 15 on 1" for bright white on blue. This should
help those who are running out of room for ColorDir
specifications. The colors are:
0: Black 8: Gray
1: Blue 9: Bright blue
2: Green 10: Bright green
3: Cyan 11: Bright cyan
4: Red 12: Bright red
5: Magenta 13: Bright magenta
6: Brown 14: Yellow
7: White 15: Bright white
=> @ATTRIB and the /A:xxx switches on all commands will ignore
underlines in the attribute string, for example "/A:R_S" is a
valid switch for the commands which support /A. This allows you
to use the results returned by @ATTRIB in a command or another
call to @ATTRIB.
=> Added more complete support for decimal and negative numbers in
DO and IF / IFF comparisons.
=> Wildcard matching supports "[]" to mean "match only if nothing's
there." This is useful for things like:
dir /i"[]" *.btm
to display only the .BTM files that do NOT have a description.
Startup, Initialization, and 4DOS.INI
-------------------------------------
=> There is a new startup switch, /LD, to force a local directory
history.
=> There are a number of new .INI file directives:
DescriptionName = File: Filename to use for file
descriptions, defaults to DESCRIPT.ION. This is intended
4DOS 5.5 [10-12-94] UPDAT55.DOC page 2
primarily for BBS sysops who want to use FILES.BBS for file
descriptions.
DirHistory = nnnn (256): Size of the directory history in
bytes, from 128 to 2048.
EvalMax = nnnn (8): Maximum number of digits after the
decimal point in values returned by @EVAL (0-8).
EvalMin = nnnn (0): Minimum number of digits after the
decimal point in values returned by @EVAL (0-8). EvalMin
will be ignored if it is larger than EvalMax.
LocalDirHistory = [Yes|No]: Sets local or global directory
history. The default is Yes for 4DOS, No for 4OS2 and
4DOS/NT.
SDFlush = Yes | NO. If set to Yes, 4DOS will instruct
SMARTDRV to flush write-behind buffers to disk before the
4DOS prompt is displayed. Some versions of other cache
programs (e.g. Norton NCACHE) may also respond to
SDFlush = Yes.
UMBDirHistory = Yes | NO | 1 | 2 | ... | 8: Loads the global
directory history into a UMB or a specific UMB region, rather
than into low memory.
Command Line Editing and History
--------------------------------
=> ** Directory histories are inherited, and can be global, like
aliases and command history (also see the new LocalDirHistory
directive in 4DOS.INI).
=> ** A Ctrl-Enter while scrolling through command history at the
prompt will now copy the line to the end of the history list,
even if you don't alter it. This allows you to force lines to
the end of the list for easier recall.
=> You can prefix a command with either @* or *@ to both disable
aliases and prevent the command from being stored in the history
(previously only @* was supported).
Aliases and Batch Files
-----------------------
=> ** Errors in batch files display the batch file name and the line
number where the error occurred. The first line in the file is
numbered 1.
4DOS 5.5 [10-12-94] UPDAT55.DOC page 3
=> Added ESC as a synonym for R(est) when you're single-stepping
through batch files with SETDOS /Y1.
Command Changes and Enhancements
--------------------------------
=> ** ATTRIB, COPY, DEL, DESCRIBE, LIST, MOVE, REN, and TYPE all
support the /A:[[-]rhsda] switch (using same syntax as in DIR).
This allows you to process files in a variety of ways based on
their attributes.
=> ?: If you use arguments with a "?" command, it will prompt for
whether to execute another command.
=> DELAY has been changed so it does not consume significant CPU
time during the delay period when running under a multitasker.
=> DIR has several changes:
* Summary totals for files and directories are now listed
separately.
* /B strips trailing spaces to avoid extra characters in
redirected output files.
* /T will no longer suppress the display of descriptions;
instead, descriptions will be displayed after the attributes.
=> DRAWBOX supports BRIght FILL colors.
=> ** FFIND is a new command for quickly finding files or text within
files. It can search anything from a single directory to all the
disks on your system in a single command, supports wildcards in
the search text, and offers a range of options to customize the
search.
=> FOR has a new /H switch to skip the "." and ".." directory
entries in a wildcard scan.
=> FOR supports use of the "/" to split off the first character of a
string, as COMMAND.COM does. The new /D switch disables this
feature.
=> INKEY and INPUT have two new switches. /X skips printing a CR/LF
after echoing the key or line typed by the user; /D allows only
digits (0-9) in the input.
=> INPUT has a new /N switch to disable the display color specified
by InputColor in the .INI file, and use the default display
colors.
4DOS 5.5 [10-12-94] UPDAT55.DOC page 4
=> KEYSTACK automatically inserts scan codes as well as ASCII codes.
This replaces the cumbersome approach of multiplying the scan
code by 256 and adding it to the ASCII code.
=> ** LIST supports several new options:
* Wildcards can be used in text search strings. For example
you can use "to*day" as a search string to find the next line
with "to" followed by "day" later on the same line, or
"[14]01" to find the next line containing either "101" or
"401". You can disable wildcard searches by prefixing the
search string with a single backquote [`].
* Pressing "B" (for "back") displays the previous file. You
can go all the way back to the first file.
* The file description (if any) is displayed in the "Info"
box brought up with the "I" key.
* The "G" (goto) command in hex mode prompts for a hex offset
rather than a line number.
* The P(rint) option asks if you want to print the entire
file or the current page only.
=> LOG displays the log file name if you don't enter any arguments.
=> MOVE has two new switches: /M only moves files with the archive
attribute bit set; /V checks that the data is physically
accessible after the MOVE (like COPY /V). Also MOVE is slightly
faster in cases where the target file already exists.
=> ON ERROR will no longer display the error message before
executing the specified command.
=> PROMPT has two new prompt characters, $m and $M, to display the
time in hours and minutes only. $m displays in 24-hour format;
$M uses the default country format. These are similar to $t and
$T, but do not display seconds.
=> REM can create an empty file with the syntax "REM > file";
previously this did not work if there was a space after "REM".
=> ** SELECT has three enhancements:
* The L key will call LIST with the current highlighted
filename. This allows you to view a file before deciding
whether to select it. Exiting LIST will return you to the
saved position in SELECT.
* The left and right cursor keys will scroll descriptions
which are longer than the current screen width.
4DOS 5.5 [10-12-94] UPDAT55.DOC page 5
* The new /H switch will hide the "." and ".." directory
entries.
=> SETDOS has three changes:
* /B can be used in a batch file to change the bright/blink
bit. Previously the bright / blink state was only toggled
when the prompt was displayed.
* The new /Fx.y switch sets the minimum and maximum decimal
precision in @EVAL. Also see @EVAL and the new EvalMax and
EvalMin directives in the .INI file.
* You can disable all cursor shape changes normally made by
the command processor by setting either of the /S arguments
to -1. This is primarily intended for those with laptops who
have other programs controlling the cursor shape.
=> TEE has been rewritten and is much faster.
Variables and Variable Functions
--------------------------------
Enhancements to Existing Variable Functions:
=> @ATTRIB: If you only specify the filename, @ATTRIB will now
return the attributes for that file. The format is the same as
that for the ATTRIB and DIR commands: a five-character string of
the form "RHSAD", with any non-existing attribute bits replaced
by an underline (e.g. R__A_).
=> ** @EVAL now supports integer exponentiation with the "**" operator,
and decimal precision and rounding. You can set the precision
for a single calculation with the construct
%@EVAL[expression=x.y], where "x" specifies the minimum number of
decimal digits in the result, and "y" specifies the maximum. To
set the default precision for all calculations see SETDOS /F and
the EvalMin and EvalMax directives in the .INI file.
=> @FILEOPEN has a third parameter; the new syntax is
%@FILEOPEN[filename,read|write|append[,b|t]], where "b" means
open in binary mode, and "t" means open in text mode. Text mode
(the default) should be used to transfer text data with @FILEREAD
(without a read "length", see below) and @FILEWRITE. Binary mode
should be used to transfer binary data with @FILEREAD (with a
read "length") and @FILEWRITEB.
=> @FILEREAD has an optional second parameter to set the number of
bytes to read. The new syntax is @FILEREAD[n[,length]]. If the
length is not given the next line is read, as in the previous
version.
4DOS 5.5 [10-12-94] UPDAT55.DOC page 6
=> @FILES, @FINDFIRST and @FINDNEXT now accept a dash [-] in the
attribute list. The dash reverses the meaning of the following
attribute, for example "-d" means to include all entries except
subdirectories.
=> ** @FINDFIRST / @FINDNEXT have several changes:
* Include lists are now supported.
* The filename passed to @FINDNEXT is ignored, and the name
passed to the last @FINDFIRST is used instead.
* The "." and ".." directories are no longer returned by
these functions.
=> ** @WORD has an optional new first argument; the new syntax is
@WORD[["xxx"],n,string], where "xxx" specifies the delimiters you
wish to use. To include a double quote ["] within the delimiter
string, preface it with an escape character.
New Variable Functions:
=> @COMMA[n]: Inserts commas (or the "thousands separator"
character for your country ID) into a numeric string.
=> @FILESEEKL[handle,line]: Seeks to the specified line, allowing
you to do a subsequent @FILEREAD[] without having to loop through
the lines first.
=> @FILEWRITEB[handle,length,string]: Writes the specified string
to the file; does not append a trailing CR/LF.
=> @FORMAT[[-][n][.n],string]: Formats a string by padding or
truncating it to a specified length, with right or left
justification.
=> @IF[condition,true,false]: Returns the "true" parameter if the
condition is true, or the "false" parameter if it is false. The
conditions are the same as those for the IF command. For
example, %@IF[2==2,Correct!,Oops!] will return "Correct!".
=> @MAKEAGE[date[,time]]: Returns a number in the same format as
the %@FILEAGE function. This allows you to compare the age of a
file to a specific date, for example:
if %@fileage[file1] lt %@makeage[10-1-94,12:00] echo Old!
=> @TIMER[n]: Returns the current split time for the specified
timer started with the TIMER command. "n" can be 1, 2, or 3.
4DOS 5.5 [10-12-94] UPDAT55.DOC page 7
=> @WORDS[["xxx"],string]: Returns the number of words in the
specified string. The optional first argument is a list of
delimiters as in @WORD (see above).
New Internal Variables:
=> _BATCHLINE: Returns the current line number in the current batch
file. The first line is numbered one.
=> _BATCHNAME: Returns the full path name of the current batch
file.
=> _DNAME: Returns the name of the description file. The default
is DESCRIPT.ION; the name can be changed with the DescriptionName
directive in the .INI file.
=> _DPMI: Returns the DPMI version level, or 0 if DPMI isn't
present.
=> _KBHIT: Returns 1 if a keystroke is waiting in the keyboard
buffer; 0 if not.
Technical and Compatibility Enhancements
----------------------------------------
=> F1 will now skip past a leading "*" or "@" on the command line
when looking for the command name. This allows you to use
context-sensitive help even when the command is prefaced with "*"
or "@".
=> Worked around an OS/2 bug to allow improved support for APPEND in
OS/2 DOS sessions.
Bugs Fixed
----------
=> An INKEY /K would disable a wait (/W) once a key had been hit,
regardless of whether the key was in the /K list.
=> Batch file line prompting (SETDOS /Y1 and the new ? "xxx"
command) would prompt even if you were using a pipe and were
unable to respond. Now it only prompts if input is coming from
the console.
=> Fixed a bug in 4DOS which would cause a crash in DIR or SELECT in
a very large directory with many descriptions.
=> Fixed a problem with multiple nested .AND.'s and .OR.'s in an IF
/ IFF statement.
4DOS 5.5 [10-12-94] UPDAT55.DOC page 8
=> SET /R and ALIAS /R line continuation did not always work
properly.
=> CTTY now works with Ctrl-S and Ctrl-C; destructive backspacing
also works; and critical errors come out in the right place.
4DOS 5.5 [10-12-94] UPDAT55.DOC page 9