Software Vault: The Gold Collection

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█▀▀▀█ █▄▄▄█ ▄ ▄ █ █▀▀█ ▀▀█▀▀ █▄▄█ █ █▀▀█ █ █ █ █▀▀█▀▀█ █ █ █ █▀▀█ █▀▀▀ ▀▀█▀▀ █▀▀▀ █▀▀█ █ █ █ █▀▀█ ▀▀▀█ █ █▀▀▀ █▀█▀ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█ ▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀ │ │ ╒════╕ ╘════╡ │ │ │ │ │ ╛ ╘════╛ *-* The Ultimate Path Utility *-* David Smith, 1993 ============== QUICK START =================================================== Path Master allows you to configure 20 of your favorite paths, then choose them later from a menu. Type: PM to start Path Master. Choose PICK A PATH, and you will immediately pop into an edit screen. Type in a few of your favorite paths, ie: C:\UTILS;C:\DOS;C:\ Press the [F10] key to save and exit. Later, when you want to change your path, instead of typing in the whole thing on the command line, just type: PM The paths you saved will pop up on a colorful menu, and you can choose one. Just press [ENTER] to select your new path. For more information on the DOS PATH, consult your DOS manual. ============================================================================== Path Master 4.0 Usage: PM [path/option] [path] The menu allows you to access Path Master options through a colorful menu. Move around it with the arrow keys, and press ENTER once you have highlighted your desired option. PICK A PATH Choose a path from a menu QUICK EDIT A PATH Edit your current path. SHOW ENVIRONMENT Show current environment beginnings, total available space, and space remaining. Also shows current path, and has a graphical representation of your environment. ADD A DIRECTORY Add a directory onto the end of your current path DELETE A DIRECTORY Delete a directory from your current path. Directories are listed in numerical order. Simply enter the number of the directory you want to delete (press ENTER to abort) HELP Shows three pages of help screens containing all the available switches plus the environment preferences you can set REGISTER Register your copy of PATH MASTER for only $10.00 == OPTIONS: =================================================================== PM Pulls up a option Menu. To choose a path, select PICK A PATH then another menu appears containing your configured paths. Press [ENTER] to set your new path. Press [F1] for a help screen. PM /? Help screen. Shows help about PATH MASTER. PM /E Allows editing Menu paths. You can fill in up to 20 paths to choose from. The usual arrows/insert/ESC editing keys are in effect. Press [F10] to save your paths and exit to DOS. PM /Q Quick edit your path. A window will appear with your current path. Simply edit this path, then press [F10] to save and exit. PM /INFO Advanced path information. This shows several pages of info on the path, stretching the environment, etc. Press [ESC] to exit, PgDn, PgUp, or Arrow keys to scroll through text. PM /SIZE Show environment size and info. This shows a graph of current env. plus more. PM /S Shows current path. This simply shows you what your current path is. PM /LIST Lists all the directories in your path. PM [path] Insert new path into environment. This totally replaces your path with a new one. If you only want to temporarily add a directory, use /TMP instead. PM /AE Add directory to end of path. A window will appear asking you what directory to add. Your directory will be placed as the LAST dir on your path. PM /AB Add directory to beginning of path. A window will appear asking you what directory to add. Your directory will be placed as the FIRST dir on your path. PM /DEL Delete a directory from path. A window will appear asking which dir to delete (press ENTER to abort). PM /TMP [path] Create temporary path. The directory you specify in [path] is added to your current path. To restore your old path, type: OLD. Example: PM /tmp c:\utils temporarily adds c:\utils to your current path. To restore the old path, type: OLD. PM /tmp \dos temporarily adds \dos to your current path. PM /ACT Put path into active environment. For further explanation of ACTIVE vs. MASTER environments, see below. PM [dir] [pos] Add directory at position. This adds a directory [dir] to any position on your path. You can specify the dir to be your first, second, third, ... directory on the path. Example: PM c:\utils 3 makes c:\utils the third dir on your path. PM \dos 5 makes \dos the fifth dir on your path. PM /F:[file] Use alternate config file. PATH MASTER stores your favorite paths in a file called \PATH.CFG. This is stored in your root directory. If you have more than one set of paths, or you want to use another file instead of PATH.CFG, use this option. Example: PM /F:myconfig uses MYCONFIG to store your paths PM /F:path.1 uses PATH.1 to store your paths NOTE: Path configurations are limited only to disk space when using this option. Roomates or office-mates can share the same computer, and both have different configurations for PATH MASTER. Or, if you own a monster hard drive (1 gig) with several hundred directories, you can have unlimited configured paths. PM /E:[file] Obviously, you need to edit any config file you use. If you choose to have a different file other than the default \PATH.CFG, then you must use this option to set up your directories. This is exactly the same as PM /E, but you edit any config file you want. For example: PM /E:path.1 will edit PATH.1 for later use. If you want to pull these new paths for picking, type: PM /F:path.1 PM /PB:new.bat (Pick and Batch) Allows you to pick a path from your menu, then write it to a batch file rather than placing it into the environment. This is good when you have a favorite path, and need a batch file to create it, rather than starting up PATH MASTER every time. Example: PM /PB:mine.bat creates MINE.BAT when you pick a path from the menu. You can later use to change your path. PM /PB:new.bat creates NEW.BAT when you pick a path from the menu. You can later use to change your path. PM /WB:new.bat (Write Batch) Allows placing the current path into a batch file for later use. This is similar to /PB: except you do NOT choose the path from the menu. Instead, PATH MASTER pulls the current path from the environment, then writes it to a batch file. PM /DEFAULT=# Starts the menu, and points to the path number specified. Normally, when PATH MASTER starts, it points to the first path, and allows you to scroll through the list using the arrow keys. If you start PATH MASTER, and always seem to choose the same path, then set the DEFAULT to whatever path number you always choose. This way, you do not have to scroll around the list everytime. PM /BIG [file] Pick from a list of BIGGER paths. 1. Create a text file containing up to 20 paths, using your favorite editor. Each path can be up to 150 characters long. 2. Type: PM /BIG [file] Your new text file is imported into PATH MASTER, and you can choose one to stuff into the environment. 3. For examples of a valid path, consult your DOS manual. If you like paths longer than 80 characters, this is great! If your paths take up more than one screen, scroll right using the RIGHT arrow key to reveal the remainder of the paths. Simply choose a path by highlighting it, then press [ENTER] to save. NOTE: To store a path longer than 127 characters, you must expand your environment. See EXPAND YOUR ENVIRONMENT section below. Also, realize that your normal \PATH.CFG file is different from the file you import here. Your text file CANNOT be imported into any other PATH MASTER functions. If you want to edit these paths, use your own text editor. PM /STACK Pick a path from the menu, and stack it on top of current path. If you like a long path, this is great. Path Master is started, and you choose a path from the menu as usual. The path you choose, however, is added onto the end of your current path. Example: If you current path is: C:\UTILS;C:\DOS and you choose the path: C:\TEMP;D:\ from the menu, then your path becomes: C:\UTILS;C:\DOS;C:\TEMP;D:\ NOTE: If you create a path longer than 127 bytes, you must first expand your environment. See the EXPAND YOUR ENVIRONMENT section below for details. ╓───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╖ ║ THE PATH MASTER "PM" VARIABLE ║ ╙───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╜ The environmental variable PM allows you to set preferences in PATH MASTER. For example, if you have a monochrome screen, then you can type: SET PM=MNO on the command line, which customizes PATH MASTER's operation. It's best to put this line in your autoexec.bat file, to ensure PATH MASTER runs the way you'd like. VALID PREFERENCES ARE: ERR show DOS ERRorlevel on exit This allows you to see how PATH MASTER exited, and find errors in some cases. MNO use MoNOchrome screen writes PATH MASTER normally assumes EGA/VGA, however if you operate a XT or LCD screen, use this option. SPH Show new PatH on exit My favorite preference, so that I can see what PATH MASTER did to the path. SST Show STatistics on exit This is similar to the /SIZE switch, but without the colorful graph. CLR CLeaR screen after exit PATH MASTER normally stores the screen position, writes a window to the screen, then places the cursor back where it was, and include a carriage return. This allows a full screen clear before exiting. DZ1 show DeZign #1 as window background DZ2 show DeZign #2 as window background DZ3 show DeZign #3 as window background NDZ no DeZign in background Skip the designs completely. SND enable SouNDs Turns on the cute little sounds. NEA No check Existence of dir before Adding When you add a directory to your path, PATH MASTER checks the current drive to ensure that directory exists. This turns the checking off. NED No check Existence of dir before Delete When you delete a directory to your path, PATH MASTER checks the current path to ensure that directory exists on the path. This turns the checking off. NMS No MouSe (disable mouse) PRM make OLD.BAT PeRManent (don't delete) When using the /TMP option, PATH MASTER creates a batch file (OLD.BAT) that restores the path back to normal. By default, OLD.BAT deletes itself so that you won't have 100 OLD.BATs running around your hard disk. This preference turns the deleting off. OLD create OLD.BAT every time path is changed Normally, OLD.BAT is only created when using the /TMP option. This tells PATH MASTER to create OLD.BAT every time the path is changed, so that you can easily restore it later. EXP disable EXPiration message If PATH MASTER gets rather old (usually 1.5 years), it displays a message suggesting you get an update. GO AHEAD AND GET THE UPDATE!! Path Master is constantly improving, evolving. You probably have an ancient version, so get the update.... it's free. But if you really want to, this turns that message off. LST LiST paths on exit My other favorite preference. This shows all your directories on your new path once PATH MASTER exits. ACT always use ACTive environment for path This tells PATH MASTER to write your new path to the active environment. For further explanation of active vs. master environments, see below. MAS always use MASter environment for path This tells PATH MASTER to write your new path to the master environment. For further explanation of active vs. master environments, see below. NOM NO Menu at start. This disables the beginning menu that appears when you type: PM. Path Master then automatically assumes you want to PICK A PATH, and warps to that menu. ╒════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕ │ Preferences should be separated by commas. For example: │ │ │ │ SET PM=SND,MAS,EXP │ │ │ │ SET PM=ACT,NEA,LST,NMS │ ╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛ ------- WHAT'S NEW 4.0 ----------------------------------------------- Path Master now searches the PATH for its help file: PM.HLP PM_EXIST.COM searches PATH for a file (good batch file util) PM_CNVRT.COM converts Path Master normal config binary files to text files that can be imported using the /BIG option PM_SAVE.COM saves current environment into a file called MINE.BAT. When MINE.BAT is run, it restores all environmental variables to their original condition. PM__.DOC documentation for the above utilities ----------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT IS PATH MASTER ? Changing your path is a pain. Mainly because you must type the ENTIRE thing in from scratch, or make 20 different batch files that change your path that clutter up your hard drive. PATH MASTER solves this by allowing you to: 1) Choose your path from a menu, even a path longer than 127 CHARACTERS! 2) Totally configure your menu, and change a path quickly and easily. 3) Add or delete a directory from the path. 4) Change your path on the command line. 5) Use your mouse to control PATHMASTER 6) Learn about the PATH, how it works, and how to both expand and locate it. 7) Showing you exactly how much environment you have left, and how much has been used. 8) Allow setting preferences in environmental variable. 9) Place new directory at any position within the path. 10) Create a temporary path, then restore it without re-typing or remembering the original path. 11) Plus many more options and setting your preferences by using a convenient environmental variable. ==== HOW TO OPERATE PATH MASTER =============================================== To begin, you must configure your favorite paths into the configuration file that will be stored in your root directory. Type: PM /E {edit the configurations} You have 20 blanks that you may enter paths into. To move around, press [ENTER] after typing a path, or use the arrow keys. Regular editing keys are valid in EDIT mode: HOME, END, INSERT, DELETE, PgUp, PgDn, ENTER, BACKSPACE Examples of a valid paths: C:\DOS;C:\UTILS;C:\TURBO\BIN\INCLUDE C:\UTILS A:\DOS;C:\PCPLUS;C:\WP51 D:\STACKER;C:\DOS (Notice that a valid path consists of NO SPACES, a semicolon between the directories, and does NOT include the "PATH=" statement.) Fill it up with up to 20 configurations, then press [F10] to save and quit. Press [F1] for a help screen. If you are using a MOUSE, ensure your mouse driver is installed, and move your mouse up and down to choose from the menu or move around the configuration editor. Press the LEFT button to select an item, or press the RIGHT button to escape PathMaster. ==== USING THE MENU INTERFACE ================================================= Once you're configured, just type: PM to pull up the menu. Use UP/DOWN arrows, PgUp, PgDn, Home, End to move around. To choose one of your newly configured paths, select PICK A PATH. Press [F1] for a help screen. ==== USING OTHER OPTIONS ====================================================== On the command line, if you want to remove a directory from your path, type: PM /DEL If you want to add a directory to the END of your current path, type: PM /AE If you want to add a directory to the BEGINNING of your current path, type: PM /AB For a listing of the current path, type: PM /S To place the path in the Active Environment, instead of the Master Environment, type: PM /ACT To create a totally new path, type: PM [path] Press [F1] for a help screen. To see advanced information on the PATH, how it works, how to alter and expand it, etc. use the /INFO switch. This pulls up 15 pages of graphical information. Use up/down arrows or PageUp/PageDown keys to move around the info. When you are done reading, press [ESC] to exit. To see the current environment, how much you have used, how much free, and a bar graph showing this information, use the /SIZE switch. A box will appear containing this stuff, along with the HEX address of the start of your current environment. ==== TEMPORARY PATHS AND POSITIONS ============================================ To create a temporary path, then restore your old path later: PM /TMP directory To restore your old path, type: OLD For example: PM /TMP c:\utils PM /TMP \wp51 A temporary path would be useful for adding a directory to your path that you do not want to be there later. For example, if you want to use Word Perfect, and need to add C:\WP51 to your path. Once you are done with Word Perfect, it would be a pain to LEAVE C:\WP51 in your path, because you're not going to use it anymore. Leaving spare directories in your path will slow down DOS' performance. So how are you going to take it out?? Merely create a "temporary path". To do this, type: PM /TMP c:\wp51 This adds c:\wp51 to your current path, and creates a batch file called "OLD.BAT" in your directory. Now go ahead an run Word Perfect, then type: OLD on the command line to restore your original path. NOTE: OLD.BAT deletes itself (this is for your convenience) To insert a directory in your path at a certain position, type: PM directory position So to make C:\UTILS the fourth directory in your path, you would type: PM C:\UTILS 4 Directory positions is important because DOS looks through each directory in your path one by one for a program. So when you type: MENU.EXE, DOS will look through the first directory of your path for MENU.EXE, then the second, then the third, etc. If you use MENU.EXE a whole lot, you probably want the directory containing it to be the first directory on your path. Otherwise, DOS will search a bunch of needless directories before it finally figures out where MENU.EXE is. ==== WHAT IS A "PATH" ? ======================================================= A path is a list of directories that DOS uses to search for files that are not in the current directory. For example, if I am in the C:\DOS directory, and want to use PKZIP.EXE to compress a couple of files, then PKZIP.EXE would have to be in the current directory. BUT, if I have PKZIP.EXE in my C:\UTILS directory, then I can just type: PATH=C:\UTILS and dos will look in that directory in addition to the current one to find PKZIP.EXE. NOTE: Data files are not included in the search. DOS only searches for executable files (with extension .EXE or .COM). If that executable file needs a data file somewhere other than the current directory, it will NOT FIND IT, because DOS tricks the executable file into thinking it is in your current directory. So Why Not Just Include ALL My Directories In My Path ???? Because DOS looks through all the directories in your path to find a file, it can eat up your hard disk and take forever to run a program. Including all your regular utilities into one MAIN directory reduces the time DOS takes to find files, and saves your hard disk from unnecessary use. == WHY DO I NEED MORE THAN ONE PATH ??? ======================================= When I compile programs, I need my path to include my Turbo C++ directory, and my Turbo Assembler directory, and also my Utilities dir. So when programming, I use: PATH=C:\TURBO\BIN;C:\UTILS;C:\DOS;C:\TASM When I use Turbo Pascal, I need the Toolbox directory, the Turbo Pascal directory, and of course my utils: PATH=C:\UTILS;C:\DOS;C:\TP\TOOLBOX;C:\TP But when downloading a file from the local BBS, I need my Procomm Plus directory, my B: drive (my SCAN program is there), and my downloading directory. PATH=C:\DOS;C:\;B:\;D:\PCPLUS;C:\DOWNLOAD Do you see the conflict ? Without Path Master, I was using 12 batch files to do all the work. ==== WHAT IS THE "ACTIVE" AND "MASTER" ENVIRONMENTS ? ========================= When you first turn on your computer, a line is usually included in your CONFIG.SYS that says: SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM /P or COMSPEC=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM This tells DOS that COMMAND.COM will be used as your command processor. So now, when you type: DIR, the directory command is extracted from COMMAND.COM and run. COMMAND.COM contains a space in itself for the Environment. These are variables set by you to determine your preferences. The Environment holds things like: ■ Your Path ■ Your Prompt ■ Preferences for other programs (like Norton Backup) You set these things by typing: SET [variable]=[your preference] on the command line. The MASTER Environment is the COMMAND.COM space that is run when you first boot up. Sometimes in your PC dealings, you may want to shell out of a program (like Windows). When you do this, you call COMMAND.COM again, and set up a new Environment. This is the ACTIVE environment. When you shell out, COMMAND.COM copies its environmental space into the new COMMAND.COM space. However, if you change a setting (like your Path), the change is only temporary. Because after you exit back into the program your were originally in (Windows), by typing: EXIT, the temporary settings are lost, and the old Environmental space is used again. Try this experiment: 1 Type: SET PATH=C:\DOS;C:\MASTERPATH (be sure to include the DOS directory) You have changed your path to a new one, that includes our key-word MASTERPATH. This will soon dissapear. 2 COMMAND.COM (this won't work unless you include the directory that COMMAND.COM is in on line 1) A new environment has been started. It is a copy of the Master environment, but overlaps the Master one. So that any changes made to your new environment are only temporary. 3 SET Note the PATH= statement at the bottom. 4 SET PATH=ACTIVE_PATH We changed the Path to Active_Path. But this change lasts only as long as our new COMMAND.COM is active. 5 SET See our new Path at the bottom? It is now "ACTIVE_PATH". 6 EXIT We now exited our new COMMAND.COM, and have returned to the Master Environment. All the changes to our Active Environment have dissapeared. 7 SET See our Path? It's now back to the original one we typed at the beginning. We have returned to the Master Environment. ====== EXPANDING YOUR PATH =================================================== You can expand your path in one of the following ways: 1) Add the line: SHELL=COMMAND.COM /E:# /P to your CONFIG.SYS file, whereas the # is how many bytes you want DOS to use for the environment. This tells DOS to reserve a larger amount of space for your environment. If you just want a large path, 512 or so should be fine. 2) Start a new copy of COMMAND.COM, telling it your want a bigger environment. Simply type: COMMAND /E:# where # is the amount of space you want. To return to a normal environment, type: EXIT. Now you are back in your original version of COMMAND.COM. 3) If you use 4DOS or other command.com replacements, consult your manual for directions on EXPANDING YOUR ENVIRONMENT. NOTE: Use the /BIG or /STACK options for paths longer than 80 characters. ====== ATTENTION POWER USERS! ================================================ An expanded PATH is a hassle; Keep your path short! It slows down disk performance and causes you to lose precious conventional memory when expanding your environment. Your best bet is to consolidate a few directories and have three or four directories on each path in PATH MASTER. If you want a LONG path once in a while, though, use the /BIG option, then /WB to write the long path into a batch file. Use your normal, shorter paths on a daily basis, but when you DO need that extra long path, you can use a quick batch file rather than loading PATH MASTER every time. Also, if you have filled up all 20 configs, use the /DEFAULT option. It'll save your life. And if you work in an office, or have other people using your PATH MASTER, use the /F: option. I guarantee someone will end up editing your \PATH.CFG file, and you'll spend quite some time returning it to normal. ====== COMPARISON TO OTHER UTILITIES ========================================== Compared to other path utils, Path Master blows them away! Nothing else loads you up with options like these. Graphical interface, advanced information, totally re-configure a path, choose from 20 configurations and so much more. I looked on 27 BBS' including CompuServe, 14 ShareWare CD Roms and asked around, and only found 3 utils that come close (I had to eliminate the ones that just added and deleted directories): PathTool New World Designs PathUtil ?? PathEditor Ray Dittmeier SetPath Donald E. Ekman Here is a comparison of features: ┌ PATHMASTER │ ┌ PathTool │ │ ┌ PathEditor │ │ │ ┌ SetPath │ │ │ │ ┌─────────────────┬───┬───┬───┬───┐ │Graphical menu │ X │ │ │ │ ├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ │Multiple configs │ X │ │ │ │ ├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ │Both Active and │ X │ X │ │ X │ │Master environ. │ │ │ │ │ ├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ │Mouse support │ X │ │ │ │ ├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ │Add path │ X │ X │ X │ X │ ├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ │Delete path │ X │ X │ X │ X │ ├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ │Add to end/begin │ X │ X │ │ X │ ├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ │Sound effects │ X │ │ │ │ ├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ │Modify config.sys│ X │ │ │ │ ├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ │Stretch environ │ X │ X │ │ │ │if needed │ │ │ │ │ ├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ │Run-time advanced│ X │ │ │ │ │path info. │ │ │ │ │ └─────────────────┴───┴───┴───┴───┘ ===== REGISTRATION ============================================================ There are two registration options: 1) $10.00 registers Path Master, gets you the *special* version including lots of options not available otherwise. This allows unlimited upgrades to Path Master, and free technical support by mail or by CompuServe. 2) $20.00 gets you the Dave Utils disk. See the enclosed CATALOG.COM file for details. This also gets you the updated PathMaster, unlimited upgrades and technical support as described above. You also get over 30 more utils, and unlimited upgrades on those also, new information about other stuff I create, etc. = EXAMPLES ==================================================================== PM /E Edits the current configuration file. PM /AE Pulls up a window and prompts you to add a directory to the current path. It will be added to the END of the path. PM /TMP c:\dos Creates a temporary path with C:\DOS at the end. To restore your original path, just type: OLD.BAT on the command line. OLD.BAT deletes itself. PM C:\WP51 2 Makes c:\wp51 the second directory on your path. PM /AB Pulls up a window and prompts you to add a directory to the current path. It will be added to the BEGINNING of the path. PM /DEL Pulls up a window and prompts you to delete a directory in the current path. PM C:\DOS;A:\TP\TOOLBOX Creates a new path that consists of c:\dos and a:\tp\toolbox directories. PM /? Shows the help screen. PM /S Displays current path on the screen. PM /INFO Shows fifteen pages of useful information concerning the Path and advanced items that allow you to expand your environment and better understand how your computer works. PM /SIZE Displays a bar graph of how much space you have used in your environment, the hex address of the current environment's beginnings, and other useful stuff. PM /ACT Pulls up the path menu as usual, but adds the selected path to the Active Environment (see above details about Active and Master Environments). ===== TECHNICAL NOTES ========================================================= 4DOS: Path Master uses the self-deleting files OLD.BAT and $TMP$.BAT in the current directory. 4DOS seems to have a tantrum when running a self-deleting batch file by saying: "BATCH FILE MISSING! C:\OLD.BAT" This is no concern, since the batch file is NOT missing, it merely deleted itself. When writing the path to your environment, if you HAVE any problems using the Master environment, try the active instead. To accomplish this, use: PM /ACT Occasionally, Path Master does not show a few colons or slashes when DELETING a directory. When printing in the window, the windowing function assumes the colon and slash are control characters. It will look a little funny, but you can easily tell which directories are which. Design #3 HAS BEEN ADDED. It consists of blue lines that look pretty cool. If you specify more than one design in your PM variable, the LAST one will be used. If you really don't want to set the "NOM" preference in the Path Master variable, just type an empty slash after the PM. For example: "PM /" (without the quotes) on the command line will rush you straight to the PICK A PATH portion. Path Master uses a file in your root directory called PATH.CFG, which can be changed using the /F: option. It also uses PATH.HLP (which must be in the current directory) for any help you may want (by pressing [F1]). Also, be VERY CAREFUL when using the /BIG option. Once you have a monster path in your environment, you cannot import it into the /Q option. If so, your path is "cut off" to 80 characters. Realize that your TEXT file in the /BIG option is completely different than the normal config file. Your /PATH.CFG file is actually a C++ Structure of 20 paths, 80 characters each. Attempting to export a HUGE path into the /SIZE option will result in a mess on the screen. And adding a directory with the /TMP option to an already PACKED, 150 character path will cut it off short. I also "clean up" your path of repeated semicolons, extra spaces, etc. So if you type 4 semicolons in a row and wonder where they went.... If you include a ':', ';' or '\' after PM, then Path Master automatically assumes you want to set a new path, and will set it to argument one. This could cause some unexpected results if you're not careful, so please ensure not to stick those after PM. Path Master works by scanning the PSP of COMMAND.COM, locating the environment segment, then altering it. The Active environment is affected by stuffing the keyboard buffer with a batch file that changes the environment. I have tried this technique (with success) on 14 different machines, all of which worked fine. There may, however, be bugs when running with some systems. If you find a bug, or lock up this program, please report it to me by: COMPUSERVE 71441,2723 or by Mail: David Smith 1104 Mason Dr. Hurst TX 76053 ======== QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS =============================================== General Questions: Q: All my paths are 120-150 characters long. Path Master's menu is limited to 80 chars! How do I use my paths? A: Use the /BIG option. Utilize your text editor and create 20 paths up to 150 characters long, then import them by typing: PM /BIG Q: Your editor is real limited. There's no copy/move text functions, and I hate doing all that typing. A: Use your favorite text editor, then import your text file containing your paths using /BIG Q: I have a great config file with my 20 favorite paths, but I recently made some new directories and want to add them to my paths. Do I have to make a new text file and re-type all that stuff to use /BIG option? A: If you like the /BIG option, and would rather use that than the usual Path Master menu, convert your config files using PMCNVRT.EXE. This makes the transition from Path Master's usual screen to Path Master's BIG screen. Q: What's the difference between /PB: and /WB: ? A: /PB stands for "Pick and Batch", where you Pick a path from the menu, then write it to a Batch file. /WB stands for "Write a Batch", where you Write the current path to a batch file. Later, you can just run the batch file and set your favorite path rather than running Path Master. Questions concerning /Q Q: Can I quick edit paths longer than 80 characters? A: No. If you use /STACK or /BIG to create a long path, you cannot edit it with the /Q option. Q: When I type in characters after first entering the edit screen, it erases my path. A: If you have problems with this, press [HOME] before typing characters on the end of the path. Questions concerning /STACK Q: If I "stack" two paths on top of each other (both of which are 80 characters long), DOS cuts off the last few chars. A: You must expand your environment before "stacking" paths. DOS limits your path length to 127 characters, unless you expand it. Q: How many paths can I stack onto each other? A: After you have expanded your environment, you can stack up to 499 characters in your path using Path Master. Just use /STACK over and over until you reach the maximum length. NOTE: If your path is 499 chars long, you have a SERIOUS problem. Q: What happens if I "stack" too many directories my path? A: DOS cuts off the path at the point where it runs out of memory. You'll notice some characters missing from the end. Questions concerning /BIG Q: I don't understand. What's the difference between the usual Path Master menu and the /BIG menu? A: The Path Master menu uses a binary config file. Each path is up to 80 characters long, and your config file holds 20 paths. The /BIG menu uses a text file. Each path is up to 150 characters long, and the text file can hold up to 20 paths. Q: I have a text file with 27 paths, each 300 characters long. Can I import them using /BIG? A: Yes, but only the first 20 lines, and each path will be cut off on the 150th character. Path Master stops loading text once it reaches 150 characters, and cuts off the file when it reads 20 lines. A GREAT DEAL ! See the included CATALOG.COM to order Dave's Disk full of Utilities. For only $20.00, it's a definite bargain ! ███████╗ ██╗ ██╗ ██████╗ ██████╗ ██████╗ ██████╗ ████████╗ ██████╗ ██╔════╝ ██║ ██║ ██╔══██╗ ██╔══██╗ ██╔═══██╗ ██╔══██╗ ╚══██╔══╝ ╚════██╗ ╓──███████╗ ██║ ██║ ██████╔╝ ██████╔╝ ██║ ██║ ██████╔╝ ██║ ▄███╔╨─╖ ║ ╚════██║ ██║ ██║ ██╔═══╝ ██╔═══╝ ██║ ██║ ██╔══██╗ ██║ ▀▀══╝ ║ ║ ███████║ ╚██████╔╝ ██║ ██║ ╚██████╔╝ ██║ ██║ ██║ ██╗ ║ ║ ╚══════╝ ╚═════╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═════╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ Support for this program is available in the following ways: ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╓──┐ ╓──┐ ╓─╥─┐ ╥──┐ ╥ ┬ ╓─┐ ╥──┐ ╥──┐ ╥ ┬ ╥──┐ ║ ║ ║ ║ │ ║ ║ │ ╟──┘ ║ │ ╙─┐ ╟─ ╟─┬┘ ╙╖┌┘ ╟─ ║ ║ ╙──┘ ╙──┘ ╨ ╨ ┴ ╨ ╙──┘ ╙──┘ ╨──┘ ╨ ┴ ╙┘ ╨──┘ ║ ║ User ID: 71441,2723 ║ ║ I usually log on every other day and check my mail. ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ║ ║ █ ▄▄ █▄ █ ▄▄ █▄ █ ▄▄▄▄█ ║ ║ █ ▄▄▄ █ █ ▄▄▄ █ █▄▄▄▄ █ ║ ║ █▄▄▄▄▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ ║ ║ Drop me a line on the MotherBoard II Bulletin Board ║ ║ David Smith (214) 642-1287 ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ▄██▄ ▄██▄ ▄███████▄ ▄█▄ ▄██▄ ║ ║ █████▄█████ ████▀▀▀████ █████ ████ ║ ║ ███████████ ████▄▄▄████ █████ ████ ║ ║ ████ ████ ███████████ █████ ████ ║ ║ ████ ████ ████ ████ █████ ████▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ║ ║ ▀██▀ ▀██▀ ▀██▀ ▀██▀ ▀█▀ ▀████████▀ ║ ║ Write to: ║ ║ ║ ║ David Smith ║ ║ 1104 Mason Dr. ║ ║ Hurst TX 76053 ║ ║ ║ ╙─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╜