The 640 MEG Shareware Studio 2/The 640 Meg Shareware Studio CD-ROM Volume II (Data Express)(1993).ISO/os2/4os295.zip/4OS2.INF

OS/2 Help File | 1992-03-27 | 131KB | 4,662 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. About 4OS2 Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

4OS2 Preliminary On-line Documentation (Version 0.95, 3/27/92)

Text by Rex Conn and Tom Rawson, converted to OS/2 format by Matthew J. Palcic.

Copyright 1992, Rex Conn and JP Software Inc., All Rights Reserved. 4OS2 is a
trademark and 4DOS is a registered trademark of JP Software Inc.  OS/2 is a
registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.  Other
product and company names are trademarks of their respective owners.

This online help system for 4OS2 includes all 4OS2 internal commands.

The help system is fully indexed and cross-indexed.  If you press F1 with a
command already on the command line, the help system will display help for that
command.  If the line is blank, the help topic index is displayed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Using 4OS2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section includes details on the 4OS2 command line editing keys, internal
variables and variable functions, redirection, and command grouping.  See the
individual topics listed under this heading for details.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. 4OS2 and 4DOS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Most 4DOS commands and features work the same way in 4OS2.  However if you're
an experienced 4DOS user or want to use the same batch files and aliases in
both 4OS2 and 4DOS, there are some differences between 4DOS and 4OS2 you should
be aware of:

    *   The default command separator is ^ in 4DOS; in 4OS2 it is & (for
        compatibility with CMD.EXE).  You can change it in 4OS2.INI or with the
        SETDOS /C command.

    *   The default escape separator is  (Control-X) in 4DOS; in 4OS2 it is ^
        (for compatibility with CMD.EXE).  You can change it in 4OS2.INI or
        with the SETDOS /E command.

    *   The alias and variable parameter syntax is %n& in 4DOS; in 4OS2 it is
        %n$ (because & is used in 4OS2 as the command separator).

    *   The following 4DOS commands do not exist in 4OS2: BREAK, CTTY,
        KEYSTACK, LOADHIGH / LH, SWAPPING, and TRUENAME.

    *   The following 4DOS internal variables and variable functions are not
        relevant or cannot be implemented under OS/2 and therefore do not exist
        in 4OS2: %_ALIAS, %_DV, %_ENV, %_WIN, %@EMS[], %@EXTENDED[], %@LPT[],
        %@REMOVABLE[], %@TRUENAME[], and %@XMS[].  There are several new
        internal variables and variable functions available in 4OS2; see 4OS2
        Internal Variables or 4OS2 Variable Functions for more information.

    *   The following 4DOS.INI directives cannot be used in the 4OS2.INI file:
        Alias, ANSI, AutoExecPath, EnvFree, Environment, FineSwap, FullINT2E,
        HelpOptions, HelpPath, LineInput, MessageServer, Reduce, ReserveTPA,
        StackSize, Swapping, SwapReopen, UMBEnvironment, and UMBLoad.  One new
        directive is available in 4OS2.INI which is not available in 4DOS:
        LocalLists. (The alias list size and environment size are set
        automatically by 4OS2; the other directives are not relevant under
        OS/2.)  See 4OS2.INI for more information.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. Editing the Command Line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The 4OS2 command line offers full editing, and can also display the command
history in a window (see below).  The command line accepts up to 299
characters.

The following keys have special meaning when entered at the command line (the
caret ^ means press the Ctrl key together with the specified key):

               Move the cursor left one character.
               Move the cursor right one character.
               Recall the previous command from the history list, or match a
                partial command entry with a history list entry.
               Recall the next command from the history list, or match a
                partial command entry with a history list entry.
 ^             Move the cursor left one word.
 ^             Move the cursor right one word.
 Home           Move the cursor to the beginning of the line.
 ^Home          Delete from the beginning of the line to the character
                preceding the cursor.
 End            Move the cursor to the end of the line.
 ^End           Delete from the cursor to the end of the line.
 Ins            Toggle between insert and overstrike mode.
 Del            Delete the character at the cursor.
 Backspace      Delete the character to the left of the cursor.
 Enter          Execute the command.
 Esc            Erase the entire line.
 ^L             Delete the word to the left of the cursor.
 ^R             or ^Backspace  Delete the word to the right of the cursor.
 ^C             Abort the command.
 ^D             Delete the history list entry, and erase the line.
 ^E             Go to the last entry in the history list.
 ^K             Save the command to the history list without executing it, and
                erase the line.
 F1             Call the on-line help.
 F3             Fill in the rest of the line (beyond any characters that have
                already been typed) from the last line in the history.
 Tab            (or F9), Shift-Tab (or F8), F10  A Tab will scan the filename
                (which may include the wildcard characters at or immediately to
                the left of the cursor position, and replaces it with the first
                matching filename.  Pressing Tab again replaces it with the
                next matching filename; pressing F10 appends the next matching
                filename at the current cursor position.  Pressing Shift-Tab
                will retrieve the previous matching filename.  If you don't
                enter a filename, Tab defaults to *.*.  If you don't enter an
                extension, Tab appends a .*.
 PgUp           Popup a history window, showing those commands that match
                characters already entered on the command line.
 Alt-255        (Hold down the Alt key and enter 255 on the numeric keypad.)
                Accept the next character "as-is" from the keyboard and enter
                it on the command line.  This allows you to enter characters
                normally interpreted as editing keys (for example, Esc). To
                enter the Alt-255 character itself into the line, you must type
                it twice.
 ^ (caret)      "Escape" the next character (the default escape character for
                4OS2 and CMD.EXE is the caret ^; it can be changed in 4OS2 with
                the SETDOS command or in the 4OS2.INI file).  The escape
                character forces the parser to ignore any special meaning of
                the next character (for example, redirection characters).  Note
                that 4OS2 will not recognize the escape character inside double
                quotes (for compatibility with CMD.EXE). Escaping the following
                characters will insert the specified control code:
                  b  bell (ASCII 7)
                  e  escape (ASCII 27)
                  f  form feed (ASCII 12)
                  n  line feed (ASCII 10)
                  r  carriage return (ASCII 13)
                  t  tab (ASCII 9)

 The following keys have special meaning when entered from inside the popup
 history and directory windows.  The history list in a window is not circular
 as it is at the command line; scrolling and paging stop at the beginning or
 end of the history list.

              Move the highlight up one line.
              Move the highlight down one line.
 PgUp          Move up one page.
 PgDn          Move down one page.
 Home          Move to the first line in the list.
 End           Move to the last line in the list.
 Enter         Execute the highlighted command (history window) or change to
               the highlighted directory (directory window).
 ^Enter        Close the window and move the highlighted command to the prompt
               for editing (history window only).
 Esc           Close the window and return to the previous command line at the
               prompt.
 ^C            Close the window, abort any partially entered command line, and
               redisplay the prompt.

 Most of the command line and popup window keys, as well as the popup window
 location and size, can be redefined in the 4OS2.INI initialization file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.3. 4OS2 Internal Variables ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Environment variables are referenced in a command by starting the variable name
with a percent sign (%).  (If you want to enter a percent sign without
referring to a variable, use two percent signs (%%).)  An environment variable
name is terminated by either another percent sign, or by an invalid character
(see below).  To pass a variable name (instead of the value) to a command (for
example, in INKEY or INPUT), you must precede it with two percent signs.

Environment variable names may be composed of any alphanumeric character, plus
the underscore (_), and $ characters.  In addition to the standard variable
name characters, you can force 4OS2 to accept any sequence of characters as a
valid variable name by enclosing them in square brackets. For example, %[AB##1]
refers to an environment variable named AB##1.

Batch file variables are only active inside a batch file.  They are referenced
as %0 to %127, and expand to the matching argument on the command line that
started the batch file.  The parameter %n$ is a special case, and expands to
all arguments in the command line tail, starting at argument number n.  If n is
not specified, it defaults to 1 (so %$ will expand to all arguments in the
command line tail).

There are some variable names that have special meanings in 4OS2.  Only CDPATH,
CMDLINE, and PATH are actually stored in the environment; the remainder are
internal to 4OS2, and cannot be viewed or modified with SET or ESET.  (The
internal variable names are checked after variable expansion, so they can be
overridden by creating an environment variable of the same name.)

 %#  returns the number of command line arguments in a batch file.
 %?  returns the exit code of the previous external command.
 %_? returns the exit code of the previous internal command.  (Save this value
     immediately; it is overwritten by the next internal command.)
 %CDPATH tells 4OS2 where to search for directories names specified by a CD or
     CDD command.  4OS2 will append the specified directory name to each
     directory in CDPATH and attempt to change to that directory. If you have
     already have a CDPATH environment variable, you can use %_CDPATH instead
     for the directory search.
 %CMDLINE is the fully expanded 299-character command line for the external
     command.  You can access it from an external program by searching the
     environment.
 %COLORDIR is the "directory colorization" variable.  See DIR for details on
     the COLORDIR format.
 %PATH tells 4OS2 where to search for executable files: .COM, .EXE, .BTM, and
     .CMD (and .BAT in OS/2 2.0), in that order, not found in the current
     directory.  Some applications also use the PATH variable to find their
     files.
 %_4VER returns the 4OS2 version number (for example, 1.0).
 %_ANSI is 1 if ANSI is active (4OS2 always enables ANSI).
 %_BATCH is the current batch nesting level (0 if not in a batch file).
 %_BG is a string containing the screen background color at the current cursor
     position.
 %_BOOT returns the boot disk (for example, C).
 %_CODEPAGE is the current code page number.
 %_COLUMN is the current cursor column.
 %_COLUMNS is the current number of screen columns.
 %_CPU is the cpu type (286, 386, or 486).
 %_CWD is the current directory in the format d:\pathname.
 %_CWDS has the same value as CWD, except it ensures the pathname ends  in a
     backslash (\).
 %_CWP is the current directory in the format \pathname.
 %_CWPS has the same value as CWP, except it ensures the pathname ends in a
     backslash (\).
 %_DATE contains the current system date, in the format mm-dd-yy (U.S.),
     dd-mm-yy (Europe), or yy-mm-dd (Japan).
 %_DISK is the current disk (for example, C).
 %_DOS is the operating system type (DOS or OS2).  This is useful if you have
     .BTM files running in both modes.
 %_DOSVER is the current OS/2 version (for example, 2.0).
 %_DOW is the current day (Mon, Tue, Wed, etc.).
 %_FG is a string containing the screen foreground color at the current cursor
     position.
 %_LASTDISK returns the last disk on the system (A: - Z:).
 %_MONITOR is the monitor type (MONO or COLOR).
 %_MOUSE returns 1 if a mouse is installed.
 %_NDP is the coprocessor type (0 - no coprocessor; 287 - 80287; 387 - 80387 or
     80486).
 %_PID is the process ID for 4OS2.
 %_PPID is the parent process ID (for the process that started 4OS2).
 %_PTYPE is the process type (FS - full screen; AVIO - Windowed; PM -
     Presentation manager; DT - detached).
 %_ROW is the current cursor row.
 %_ROWS is the current number of screen rows.
 %_SHELL is the current shell nesting level for that session.  The first copy
     of 4OS2 started in a session is shell 0.
 %_SID is the session ID.
 %_TIME contains the current system time in the format hh:mm:ss.  The separator
     character may vary depending upon your country information.
 %_TRANSIENT returns a 1 if the current shell is transient (started with a /C).
 %_VIDEO is the video card type (MONO, CGA, EGA, VGA, XGA, 8514, and IA/A).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.4. 4OS2 Variable Functions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Variable Functions are pseudo-variables that take one or more arguments (which
can themselves be environment variables or variable functions), and return a
value.  The variable function name must be preceded by an %@ (%@eval, %@len,
etc.).  All variable functions must have square brackets enclosing their
argument(s).

Some functions return the number of bytes, kilobytes, or megabytes based on a
"b|k|m" argument:

    b     bytes
    k     bytes / 1000
    K     kilobytes (bytes / 1024)
    m     bytes / 1,000,000
    M     megabytes (bytes / 1,048,576)

 %@ALIAS[name] returns the alias argument for the specified name.
 %@ASCII[c] returns the ASCII value of the specified character.
 %@ATTRIB[filename,attrib] returns a 1 if the specified file has the matching
     attribute(s).  The attributes (other than N) can be combined; ATTRIB will
     only return a 1 if _all_ the attributes match.  The attributes are:
       N  Normal (no attribute bits set)
       R  Read-only
       H  Hidden
       S  System
       D  Directory
       A  Archive
 %@CHAR[n] returns the character for the specified ASCII value.
 %@DATE[mm/dd/yy] returns the number of days since 1/1/80 for the specified
     date.  DATE will use the date format mandated by your country code
     (dd/mm/yy in Europe; yy/mm/dd in Japan).
 %@DESCRIPT[filename] returns the file's description.
 %@DEVICE[name] returns a 1 if the specified name is a character device.
 %@DISKFREE[d:,b|k|m] returns the free disk space for the specified drive, in
     bytes, kilobytes, or megabytes.
 %@DISKTOTAL[d:,b|k|m] returns the total disk space for the specified drive, in
     bytes, kilobytes, or megabytes.
 %@DISKUSED[d:,b|k|m] returns the disk space used on the specified drive, in
     bytes, kilobytes, or megabytes.
 %@DOSMEM[b|k|m] returns the largest free OS/2 memory block in bytes,
     kilobytes, or megabytes.
 %@EVAL[expression] evaluates an arithmetic expression.  It supports addition
     (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), division (/), and modulo (%%).
     The expression can contain environment variables, including other variable
     functions.  EVAL supports commas and decimal places; the maximum size is
     16.8 (16 integer and 8 decimal places).  EVAL strips leading and trailing
     zeros from the result.
 %@EXEC[command] executes the command and returns its exit code.  The command
     can be an alias, an internal 4OS2 command, or an external program or batch
     file.  This is a back door entry to 4OS2 command processing -- use with
     caution!
 %@EXETYPE[filename] returns the file's program type:
     UNKNOWN  Unknown type
     FS  Full-screen OS/2
     AVIO  Windowable OS/2
     PM  Presentation manager OS/2
     DOS  MS-DOS (OS/2 2.0 only)
     WIN  Windows 3 (OS/2 2.0 only)
 %@EXT[filename] returns the file extension (without a leading period).
 %@FILEDATE[filename] returns the last modification date for the file, in the
     default country format (mm-dd-yy for US).
 %@FILESIZE[filename,b|k|m] returns the size of the file in bytes, kilobytes,
     or megabytes, or -1 if the file doesn't exist.
 %@FILETIME[filename] returns the last modification time for the file, in hh:mm
     format.
 %@FULL[filename] returns the fully qualified path name.
 %@FSTYPE[d:] returns the drive's file system type (for example, FAT  or HPFS).
 %@INDEX[string1,string2] returns the position of string2 within string1, or -1
     if string2 is not found.  The first position in string1 is 0.
 %@INT[n] returns the integer part of "n".  See %@EVAL.
 %@LABEL[d:] returns the volume label of the specified disk.
 %@LEN[string] returns the length of the string.
 %@LINE[filename,n] returns line "n" from the specified file.  If you specify
     "CON" for the filename, it will read from standard input.
 %@LINES[filename] returns the number of lines in the specified file, base 0.
     If there are no lines, it returns -1.
 %@LOWER[string] returns the string converted to lower case.
 %@MAKEDATE[n] returns the date given the number of days since 1/1/80.
 %@MAKETIME[n] returns the time given the number of seconds since midnight.
 %@NAME[filename] returns the filename only (no path or extension).
 %@PATH[filename] returns the path only (including the trailing backslash).
 %@READSCR[row,column,length] returns the text on the screen at the specified
     row and column, for the specified length.
 %@READY[d:] returns a 1 if the specified drive is ready.
 %@REMOTE[d:] returns a 1 if the specified drive is remote (LAN).
 %@SEARCH[filename] searches for an executable file using the PATH environment
     variable, appending the extension if one wasn't specified.
 %@SELECT[filename,top,left,bottom,right,title] displays the file as a popup
     selection list.  If you press Enter, it returns the string highlighted by
     the selection bar; if you press Esc it returns an empty string.
 %@SUBSTR[string,start,length] returns a substring, starting at the position
     "start" and continuing for "length" characters.  If the length is
     negative, the start is relative to the right side.  If the length isn't
     specified, SUBSTR will return the remainder of the string.  For example,
     %@SUBSTR[%_time,0,2] gets the current time and extracts the hour.  If the
     string includes commas it must be quoted with double quotes or single
     back-quotes (" or `).
 %@TIME[hh:mm:ss] returns the number of seconds since midnight for the
     specified time.  The time must be in 24-hour format.
 %@UNIQUE[d:\path] returns a unique filename in the specified drive and path.
 %@UPPER[string] returns the string converted to upper case.
 %@WORD[n,string] returns the "nth" word in the string (base 0).  If "n" is
     negative, WORD starts from the end and counts backwards.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.5. Redirection ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

OS/2 assumes input comes from the keyboard and output goes to the display. The
keyboard is referred to as standard input, and the display is referred to as
standard output.  You can change the default standard input and standard output
by using the < and > symbols on the command line.  4OS2 also allows you to
redirect the standard error by appending an & character.

To get standard input from a file instead of the keyboard:

    < filename

To redirect standard output to a file:

    > filename

To redirect standard output and standard error to a file:

    >& filename

To redirect standard error only to a file:

    >&> filename

To append standard output or standard error to a file, use ">>" in place of the
first >.  If NOCLOBBER is set, the file must exist before it can be appended to
(unless overridden by a !).  Otherwise, 4OS2 will create the file.

4OS2 also supports the OS/2 CMD.EXE syntax:

    n>

and

    >n

where n is a digit from 0 to 9.  0, 1, and 2 are predefined by OS/2 standard
input, standard output, and standard error respectively; 3 through 9 can be
defined by applications.

To send the standard output of "cmd1" to the standard input of "cmd2" (a
"pipe"):

    cmd1 | cmd2

To send the standard output and standard error of "cmd1" to the standard input
of "cmd2":

    cmd1 |& cmd2

Unlike 4DOS, which creates a temporary file for pipes, 4OS2 connects a pipe
directly to a secondary process; both processes execute simultaneously.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.6. Command Grouping ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Command grouping allows you to logically group a set of commands together by
enclosing them with parentheses.  For example, this grouping:

    (global /iq echo %_cwd) > dirlist

allows you to redirect all output from GLOBAL to the specified file.  The
following command will take the output of DIR and TYPE, sort the whole mess,
and save it in the file AZ:

    (dir *.com & type autoexec.bat) | sort > AZ

To group commands, the first character of the command must begin with a (  Note
that if you have a close paren ) in a filename, you'll need to escape it to
keep the parser from assuming it's the end of the command group.

You can also use command grouping to split commands over several lines. For
example:

    for %x in (*.c) do (
        echo %x
        dir *.c
    )

If you enter a command group on the command line without a close paren, 4OS2
will prompt you with More? for the remainder of the line.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.7. Wildcards ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Wildcards let you specify a file or group of files by typing a partial
filename.  Most internal commands accept filenames with wildcards anywhere a
full filename can be used.  4OS2 recognizes 3 wildcard types: the asterisk *,
the question mark ?, and the square brackets [ ].  You can combine various
wildcard types in a single filename.  Note that the 4OS2 wildcard extensions
may not be interpreted properly by external programs, so when passing file
names to external programs you should use the traditional wildcard syntax.

A * in a filename means "any zero or more characters in this position."  You
can use both leading and trailing asterisks. For example, to get a directory of
all files beginning with "ab":

    dir ab*.*

To get a directory of all files with an "ab" anywhere in the filename:

    dir *ab*.*

A ? matches any single filename character.  A ? doesn't require that a
character exist if it's at the end of the filename or extension.

A [ ] acts like a ? (match any single character), except it requires a
character to be in that position, and it allows you to specify the acceptable
characters, and/or exclude specific characters.  If you enter a ! as the first
character following the left bracket, the test is reversed (only return names
that DON'T match).  If you specify several characters (i.e., [abc]) only those
filenames will be returned that have any of those characters in the specified
position.  If you separate two characters with a - only those filenames will be
returned that have a character equal to or greater than the first character,
and less than or equal to the second character.

For example, to get a directory of all filenames with either a "p" or "q" as
the first letter of the filename:

    dir [pq]*.*

To get a directory of all filenames beginning with a number from 1 to 6, or the
letters "a" or "b", and ending with a "9":

    dir [1-6ab]*[9].*

To get a directory of all filenames that don't begin with a digit:

    dir [!0-9]*.*


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.8. 4OS2 Initialization File (4OS2.INI) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Format

The 4OS2.INI file is an ASCII file containing directives to control the
configuration of 4OS2 in primary and secondary shells.  Blank lines are ignored
and can be used to separate groups of directives.  You can place comments in
the file by beginning a line with a semicolon (;). You can also place comments
at the end of any line except one containing a text string value by entering at
least one space or tab after the value, a semicolon, and your comment.

The file has two sections, identified by a name in square brackets on a line by
itself.  The section names are:

[Primary]:  Directives in this section will be used when 4OS2 is running as the
primary shell (i.e., when a session is started).

[Secondary]:  Directives in this section are used in secondary shells only
(i.e., a second invocation of 4OS2 within the same session), and override any
corresponding primary shell settings.

Lines before a section name are used in both primary and secondary shells.

Location of 4OS2.INI

When 4OS2 is loaded, whether as the primary or secondary shell, it searches
for:

* The file specified in any "@d:\path\inifile" option in the Parameters field
for the session (specified under Program Properties in OS/2 1.x or in the
Settings window in OS/2 2.0).

* The file 4OS2.INI in the directory where 4OS2.EXE is stored.

* The file 4OS2.INI in the root directory of the drive where 4OS2 is stored.

Directives in 4OS2.INI are divided into  Initialization,  Configuration,
Color,  and Key Mapping directives.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.8.1. Initialization Directives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

These directives control how 4OS2 starts and where it looks for its files.

 4StartPath= Path:  Sets the drive and directory where 4OS2 will look for the
     4START and 4EXIT batch files.
 History= nnnn (1024):  Sets the history list size (in bytes).  The range is
     512 to 8192 bytes.
 LocalLists= Yes | NO:  "Yes" tells 4OS2 to create local alias and history
     lists for this session.  "No" causes 4OS2 to use the global alias and
     history lists shared by all sessions.
 LogName= File (none):  Sets the log file name and/or path.  If only a path is
     given, 4OS2 will use the default log file name (4OS2LOG).  Using LogName
     does not turn logging on, you must still use LOG ON to do so.
 PauseOnError= YES | No:  "Yes" tells 4OS2 to pause with the message "Error in
     4OS2.INI, press any key to continue processing" after displaying any error
     message related to a specific line in the 4OS2.INI file.  "No" continues
     processing with no pause after an error message is displayed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.8.2. Configuration Directives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

These directives control the way that 4OS2 operates.  Some can be changed with
the SETDOS command while 4OS2 is running.

 BatchEcho= YES | No:  Sets the default batch ECHO mode.  Also see SETDOS /V.
 BeepFreq= nnnn (440):  Sets the default BEEP command frequency in Hz. To
     disable all 4OS2 error beeps set this or BeepLength to 0;
 BeepLength= nnnn (2):  Sets the default BEEP length in system clock ticks
     (approximately 1/18 of a second per tick).
 CursorIns= nnnn (100):  Sets the percentage of the character cell filled by
     the 4OS2 cursor in insert mode.  Also see SETDOS /S.
 CursorOver= nnnn (10):  Sets the percentage of the character cell filled by
     the 4OS2 cursor in overtype mode.  Also see SETDOS /S.
 CommandSep= c (&):  This is the character used to separate multiple commands
     on the same line.  Also see SETDOS /C.
 DescriptionMax= nnnn (40):  Sets the maximum description length; the range is
     20 - 120 characters.
 EditMode= Insert | OVERSTRIKE:  Lets you start the command line editor in
     either insert or overstrike mode.  Also see SETDOS /M.
 EscapeChar= c (^):  Sets the character used to suppress the normal meaning of
     the following character.  Also see SETDOS /E.
 HelpBook= String (4OS2+CMDREF):  Tells the internal 4OS2 help command (F1 or
     HELP) which .INF files to use.  Filenames are separated by a +. Files
     should be in one of the directories specified by the BOOKSHELF environment
     variable.
 HistMin= nnnn (0):  Sets the minimum command length to save in the history
     list.  0 saves all commands, 300 disables all history saves.
 HistWinColor= Color:  Sets the default colors for the command line history
     window.
 HistWinHeight= nn (10):  Sets the height of the command line history window in
     lines, including the border.
 HistWinLeft= nn (50):  Sets the horizontal position of the left side of the
     command line history window.  The left edge of the screen is 0.
 HistWinTop= nn (0):  Sets the vertical position of the top of the command line
     history window.  The top of the screen is 0.
 HistWinWidth= nn (30):  Sets the width of the command line history window in
     characters, including the border.
 NoClobber= Yes | NO:  If set to Yes, prevents standard output redirection from
     overwriting an existing file, and requires the output file already exist
     for append redirection.  Also see SETDOS /N.
 ScreenRows= nnnn:  Sets the number of screen rows used by the video display.
     Normally, 4OS2 detects the screen size automatically, but if you have a
     non-standard display you may need to set it explicitly. Also see SETDOS
     /R.
 UpperCase= Yes | NO:  "Yes" specifies filenames should be displayed in the
     traditional upper-case by internal commands like COPY and DIR.  "No"
     allows the normal 4OS2 lower-case style.  Also see SETDOS /U.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.8.3. Color Directives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

These directives control the colors that 4OS2 uses for its displays.  The color
format is:

    [BRIght] [BLInk] fg ON bg [BORder bc]

Where fg is the foreground color, bg is the background color, and bc is the
border color.  The color names are:

    Black         Blue          Green        Red
    Magenta       Cyan          Yellow       White

The color names and the keywords BRIGHT, BLINK, and BORDER can be shortened to
three letters.

 ColorDir= ext1 ext2 ...:colora;ext3 ext4 ... :colorb ... (none):  Sets the
     directory colors.  The format is the same as that used for the COLORDIR
     environment variable (see 4OS2 Internal Variables).
 ListColors= Color:  Sets the colors used by the LIST and SELECT commands.
 StdColors= Color:  Sets the standard colors to be used when CLS is used
     without a color specification, and for LIST and SELECT if ListColors is
     not used.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.8.4. Key Mapping Directives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The directives in this group allow you to change the keys used for 4OS2 command
line editing and other internal functions.  They take effect only inside 4OS2
itself and do not affect other programs (including the help system).  4OS2
processes all command line editing key assignments before looking for keystroke
aliases.  For example, if you assign Shift-F1 to HELP and also assign Shift-F1
to a key alias, the key alias will be ignored.  (Use the "Normal" directives --
NormalKey, NormalEditKey, etc. -- to disable the preassigned function for a key
so it can be used for a keystroke alias.)

The format for a key name is:  [Prefix-]Keyname.  The prefix and key name must
be separated by a dash.  The prefix can be left out, or it can be any of the
following:

    Alt     followed by A - Z, 0 - 9, F1 - F12, or Bksp
    Ctrl    followed by A - Z, F1 - F12, Bksp, Enter,
              Left, Right, Home, End, PgUp, PgDn, Ins, or Del
    Shift   followed by F1 - F12 or Tab.

The possible key names are:

    A - Z       Esc         Up          PgUp
    0 - 9       Bksp        Down        PgDn
    F1 - F12    Tab         Left        Home
    Ins         Enter       Right       End
    Del

General Input Keys

These directives are effective whenever 4OS2 requests input from the keyboard,
including command line editing and the DESCRIBE, ESET, INPUT, LIST, and SELECT
commands. (Scrolling through the command history list is controlled by NextHist
and PrevHist (see below), not by the Up and Down directives below.)

 Backspace= Key (Bksp):  Deletes the character to the left of the cursor.
 BeginLine= Key (Home):  Moves the cursor to the beginning of the line.
 Del = Key (Del):  Deletes the character at the cursor.
 DelToBeginning= Key (Ctrl-Home):  Deletes from the cursor to the start of the
     line.
 DelToEnd= Key (Ctrl-End):  Deletes from the cursor to the end of the line.
 DelWordLeft= Key (Ctrl-L):  Deletes the word to the left of the cursor.
 DelWordRight= Key (Ctrl-R, Ctrl-Bksp):  Deletes the word to the right of the
     cursor.
 Down= Key (Down):  Scrolls the display down one line in LIST; moves the cursor
     down one line in SELECT and in the command history window.
 EndLine= Key (End):  Moves the cursor to the end of the line.
 EraseLine= Key (Esc):  Deletes the entire line.
 ExecLine= Key (Enter):  Executes or accepts a line.
 Ins = Key (Ins):  Toggles insert / overstrike mode during line editing.
 Left= Key (Left):  Moves the cursor left one character; moves the display left
     8 columns in LIST.
 NormalKey= Key (none):  Deassigns a general input key in order to disable the
     usual meaning of the key within 4OS2 and / or make it available for
     keystroke aliases.  This will cause 4OS2 to treat the keystroke as a
     "normal" key with no special function.
 Right= Key (Right):  Moves the cursor right one character; scrolls the display
     right 8 columns in LIST.
 Up  = Key (Up):  Scrolls the display up one line in LIST; moves the cursor up
     one line in SELECT and in the command history window.
 WordLeft= Key (Ctrl-Left):  Moves the cursor left one word; scrolls the
     display left 40 columns in LIST.
 WordRight= Key (Ctrl-Right):  Moves the cursor right one word; scrolls the
     display right 40 columns in LIST.

 Command Line Editing Keys

 The following directives apply only to command line editing (see Command Line
 Editing).  They are only effective at the 4OS2 prompt.

 AddFile= Key (F10):  Keeps the current filename completion entry and inserts
     the next matching name.
 CommandEscape= Key (Alt-255):  Allows direct entry of a keystroke that would
     normally be interpreted as an editor command.
 DelHistory= Key (Ctrl-D):  Deletes the displayed history list entry and
     displays the previous entry.
 EndHistory= Key (Ctrl-E):  Displays the last history list entry.
 Help= Key (F1):  Invokes the 4OS2 HELP facility.
 NextFile= Key (F9, Tab):  Gets the next matching filename.
 NextHistory= Key (Down):  Recalls the next command from the command history.
 NormalEditKey= Key (none):  Deassigns a command line editing key in order to
     disable the usual meaning of the key while editing a command line and / or
     make it available for keystroke aliases.  This will cause 4OS2 to treat
     the keystroke as a "normal" key with no special function.
 PrevFile= Key (F8, Shift-Tab):  Gets the previous matching filename.
 PrevHistory= Key (Up):  Recalls the previous command from the command history.
 SaveHistory= Key (Ctrl-K):  Saves the command line in the history list without
     executing it.

 History Window Keys

 HistWinBegin= Key (Ctrl-PgUp):  Moves to the first line of the history when in
     the history window.
 HistWinEdit= Key (Ctrl-Enter):  Moves a line from the history window to the
     prompt for editing.
 HistWinEnd= Key (Ctrl-PgDn):  Moves to the last line of the history when in
     the history window.
 HistWinExec= Key (Enter):  Executes the selected line in the history window.
 HistWinOpen= Key (PgUp):  Brings up the history window while at the command
     line.
 NormalHWinKey= Key (none):  Deassigns a history window key in order to disable
     the usual meaning of the key within the history window.  This will cause
     4OS2 to treat the keystroke as a "normal" key with no special function.

 LIST Keys

 These directives control the keystrokes used within the LIST command.

 ListFind= Key (F):  Prompts and searches for a string.
 ListHighBit= Key (H):  Toggles LIST's "strip high bit" option, which can aid
     in displaying files from certain word processors.
 ListNext= Key (N):  Finds the next matching string.
 ListPrint= Key (P):  Prints the file on LPT1.
 ListWrap= Key (W):  Toggles LIST's wrap option on and off.  The wrap option
     wraps text at the right margin.
 NormalListKey= Key (none):  Deassigns a LIST key in order to disable the usual
     meaning of the key within LIST.  This will cause 4OS2 to treat the
     keystroke as a "normal" key with no special function.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.8.5. Examples ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The following example gives you an idea of the types of things that can be done
with the 4OS2.INI file.  The comments on each directive explain what it does.

    History = 1024         ; set history size
    BatchEcho = No         ; default is ECHO OFF
    EditMode = Insert      ; editor in insert mode
    CursorO = 100          ; overstrike cursor 100%
    CursorI = 10           ; insert cursor 10%
    ListFind = S           ; use "S" to search in LIST
    ListNext = A           ; use "A" to search again in LIST


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. 4OS2 Commands ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The 4OS2 commands are described in detail in this section.  The commands are
arranged alphabetically, and each includes examples to help you learn to use
the commands.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. 4OS2 - 4OS2 command processor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (External OS/2)

[[d:]path]4OS2 [/C /K /L /Q /S][@inifile][command ...]

PURPOSE

Start a new copy of the 4OS2 command processor.

COMMENTS

4OS2 replaces CMD.EXE, the default command processor provided with OS/2. The
4OS2 options are:

    /C            Execute the command following the /C, and automatically
                  return to the previous command processor.

    /K            Execute the command following the /K, but do not return to
                  the previous command processor.  4OS2 defaults to /K if /C is
                  not specified.

    /L            Use local alias and history lists.  4OS2 normally shares its
                  alias and history lists across all sessions; specifying /L
                  shares them only among processes in the same session.

    /Q            Don't echo redirected standard input.

    /S            Don't install a ^C signal handler (^C will be ignored).

    @inifile      The 4OS2.INI file specification.

    command       The command to execute.

 EXAMPLES

 Start 4OS2 with local alias and history lists, using the 4OS2.INI file in
 D:\4OS2:

      4OS2 @D:\4OS2\4OS2.INI /L


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2. ? - Display internal commands ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

?

PURPOSE

Display the internal commands.  Commands disabled with SETDOS /I will not be
displayed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3. ALIAS - Display/Set aliases ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

ALIAS [/P] [/R [d:][path]filename...] [name[=][value]]

PURPOSE

Load or display the alias list, or define name as a substitute for value.

COMMENTS

Aliases are useful as a means of executing a complex series of commands with a
few keystrokes.  Aliases can also be used as very fast in-memory batch files,
and will run much faster than disk-based batch files.

4OS2 supports two types of aliases; command aliases (where the alias is
substituted for the first argument on the command line), and "keystroke
aliases", where the command line editor will immediately substitute the alias
when the key is pressed.

Keystroke alias names are composed of an @ followed by the key name.  You can
add a carriage return to a key alias by ending the alias with a ^^r (^ is the
4OS2 escape character) if defined at the command line or in a batch file, or ^r
if defined in an ALIAS /R file.  The valid key names are the same as those
listed in the section on Key Mapping Directives in KEYCODES.

If you only specify "name", ALIAS displays the current alias value for "name".
Otherwise, ALIAS assigns the command(s) in "value" to "name". "Name" can now be
used as if it were a built-in or external command.  If you don't specify any
arguments, ALIAS displays the current alias list.

"Name" is limited to no more than 80 characters, and "value" to no more than
255 characters.

The ALIAS options are:

    /P      Pause after displaying each page and wait for a key to be pressed.

    /R      Load an alias list from a file.  This is much faster than loading
            aliases from a batch file.  The file is in the same format as the
            ALIAS display, so ALIAS /R can accept as input a file generated by
            redirecting ALIAS output.  You can add comments to an alias file by
            starting the comment line with a colon (:).

 For example, the following commands will save the aliases to a file, and then
 reload them from that file:

      alias > alist
      alias /r alist

 (You can load aliases from multiple files by listing all the filenames after
 the /R.)

 When defining aliases at the command line, back quotes must be used around the
 alias arguments that contain multiple commands or variable references (%2,
 %2$, etc.) to prevent premature expansion.  Back quotes should NOT be used
 when defining aliases in a file to be read with ALIAS /R.

 Aliases may be nested; i.e., an alias can refer to another alias, but they
 cannot refer back to themselves (a=b=a).  You can stop alias expansion by
 prefacing the alias with an asterisk (*).  This also allows an alias to refer
 to a command of the same name (see below for an example).

 Alias names can be truncated by including an asterisk (*) in the name.

 To edit an alias, use ESET; to remove an alias, use UNALIAS.

 For more information on aliases (including the use of variables), see the
 Aliases section in the printed manual, and the sample file ALIASES distributed
 with 4OS2.

 See also ESET and UNALIAS.

 EXAMPLES

 Define D as an alias for DIR /AP:

      alias d dir /ap

 Rename the LIST command to DISPLAY, and alias LIST to an external program :

      alias display *list
      alias list c:\util\list.com

 The following examples show the use of alias arguments:

      alias zap `erase %$ & chkdsk & dir /w`
      alias reverse `echo %5 %4 %3 %2 %1`

 The following keystroke alias will insert a "dir /2 /v /p " on the command
 line when the Alt-F1 key is pressed:

      alias @Alt-F1 `dir /2 /v /p `

 The same alias set up to execute immediately when Alt-F1 is pressed.

      alias @Alt-F1 `dir /2 /v /p^r`


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4. ATTRIB - Display/Set file attributes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

ATTRIB [/D /Q /S -|+[AHRS]] [d:][path]filename...

PURPOSE

Change the file or subdirectory attributes.

COMMENTS

The ATTRIB options are:

    /D      Also modify subdirectory attributes
    /Q      Quiet mode - don't display filenames
    /S      Modify files in the current directory and its subdirectories
    +A      Set the archive attribute
    -A      Clear the archive attribute
    +H      Set the hidden attribute
    -H      Clear the hidden attribute
    +R      Set the read-only attribute
    -R      Clear the read-only attribute
    +S      Set the system file attribute
    -S      Clear the system file attribute

 If you don't specify the /D option, ATTRIB only modifies file attributes. If
 you don't specify any attributes to change, ATTRIB displays the current file
 attributes.  You can also display the file attributes using the /T option in
 DIR.

 ATTRIB will preserve the previous file attributes and change only the
 specified attributes.  New attribute values are allowed between filenames;
 otherwise ATTRIB uses the same attributes specified for the previous file(s).
 You cannot modify the directory or volume label attributes.

 EXAMPLES

 Set the read-only and hidden attributes for the file MEMO:

      attrib +rh memo

 Set the archive attribute (file has been modified) for MEMO and change
 TEXT.COM to system and not modified:

      attrib +a memo +s -a test.com


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5. BEEP - Beep the speaker ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

BEEP [frequency [duration] ...]

PURPOSE

Beep the speaker.

COMMENTS

BEEP is normally used in batch files to signal that an operation has been
completed, or that the computer needs attention (for example, to change disks).
Because BEEP allows you to specify the frequency and duration, you can use it
to play simple music.  You can specify multiple frequency and duration pairs on
the command line.

The frequency is specified in Hertz, and the duration in 1/18th second
intervals.  No sound will be generated for frequencies less than 20 Hz,
allowing you to insert short delays.  The default value for frequency is 440
Hz; the default value for duration is 2.

The following table gives the frequency values for a five octave range (middle
C is 523 Hz):

    ΓòöΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòñΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòñΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòñΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòñΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòñΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòù
    Γòæ C      Γöé  131  Γöé  262  Γöé  523  Γöé  1046  Γöé  2093 Γòæ
    Γòæ C#/Db  Γöé  139  Γöé  277  Γöé  554  Γöé  1108  Γöé  2217 Γòæ
    Γòæ D      Γöé  147  Γöé  294  Γöé  587  Γöé  1175  Γöé  2349 Γòæ
    Γòæ D#/Eb  Γöé  156  Γöé  311  Γöé  622  Γöé  1244  Γöé  2489 Γòæ
    Γòæ E      Γöé  165  Γöé  330  Γöé  659  Γöé  1318  Γöé  2637 Γòæ
    Γòæ F      Γöé  175  Γöé  349  Γöé  698  Γöé  1397  Γöé  2794 Γòæ
    Γòæ F#/Gb  Γöé  185  Γöé  370  Γöé  740  Γöé  1480  Γöé  2960 Γòæ
    Γòæ G      Γöé  196  Γöé  392  Γöé  784  Γöé  1568  Γöé  3136 Γòæ
    Γòæ G#/Ab  Γöé  208  Γöé  415  Γöé  831  Γöé  1662  Γöé  3322 Γòæ
    Γòæ A      Γöé  220  Γöé  440  Γöé  880  Γöé  1760  Γöé  3520 Γòæ
    Γòæ A#/Bb  Γöé  233  Γöé  466  Γöé  932  Γöé  1866  Γöé  3729 Γòæ
    Γòæ B      Γöé  248  Γöé  494  Γöé  988  Γöé  1973  Γöé  3951 Γòæ
    ΓòÜΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòºΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòºΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòºΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòºΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòºΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓò¥

EXAMPLES

The following batch file fragment runs the program DEMO, plays a few notes, and
waits for you to press a key:

    demo
    beep 440 4 587 2 1040 6
    pause Finished with the demo - press a key to continue


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.6. CALL - Call a batch file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

CALL [d:][path]filename

PURPOSE

Call a secondary batch file.

COMMENTS

CALL allows batch files to call other batch files (batch file nesting) without
invoking a secondary copy of the command processor.  The calling batch file is
suspended while the called batch file runs.  When the called batch file
finishes, the calling batch file resumes execution at the next command.  If you
execute a batch file from another batch file without using CALL, the first
batch file is terminated before the second one starts.

The current ECHO state will be inherited by a called batch file.

See also CANCEL and QUIT.

EXAMPLES

The following batch file fragment compares an input line to "wp" and calls a
secondary batch file if it matches:

    input Enter your choice:  %%option
    if "%option" == "wp" call wp


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.7. CANCEL - Quit all batch files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

CANCEL [value]

PURPOSE

Terminate batch processing.

COMMENTS

The CANCEL command will end all batch file processing, regardless of the batch
nesting level.  (Use QUIT to end a nested batch file and return to the previous
batch file.)  If you enter a value, CANCEL will set the ERRORLEVEL to that
value.  The value also affects the internal variable %_?, and the conditional
command separators && and ||.

You can CANCEL at any point in a batch file.

See also CALL and QUIT.

EXAMPLES

The following batch file fragment compares an input line to "end" and
terminates all batch file processing if it matches:

    input Enter your choice:  %%option
    if "%option" == "end" cancel


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.8. CD or CHDIR - Change directory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

CD [[d:][pathname]
CHDIR [[d:][pathname]

PURPOSE

Display or change the current directory.

COMMENTS

Entering CD with no argument or only a drive name will display the current
directory.  Entering CD and a pathname will change the current directory.

If CD can't change to the specified directory, it will look for the CDPATH (or
_CDPATH) environment variable.  CD will append the specified directory name to
each directory in CDPATH and attempt to change to that directory, until the
first match or the end of the CDPATH argument.

The previous directory is saved on each CD, and you can switch back to it with
"CD -".  You can switch between two directories by repeatedly entering "CD -".
Note that the saved directory is the same for both CD and CDD.

You can change to the parent directory with "CD ..".  You can also go up one
additional directory level with each additional ".".  For example, "CD ...."
will go up three directory levels.

Every disk drive on the system has its own current directory.  Specifying both
a drive and a directory in the CD command will change the current directory on
the specified drive, but will not change the default drive. Use CDD to change
both the drive and directory.

See also %CDPATH, CDD, and PUSHD.

EXAMPLES

Change to the subdirectory C:\FINANCE\MYFILES:

    cd \finance\myfiles

Change the default directory on drive A:

    cd a:\utility

Set the CDPATH environment variable and then CD to a directory called DOCS (CD
will first attempt to change to DOCS in the current directory, then C:\DOCS,
then C:\OS\DOCS, etc.):

    set cdpath=c:\;c:\os;c:\util;c:\wp
    cd docs


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.9. CDD - Change disk and directory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

CDD [d:]pathname

PURPOSE

Change the current disk drive and directory.

COMMENTS

CDD is similar to CD, except it can also change the default disk drive.

To start at the root directory, start the pathname with a backslash (\). To
start at the parent directory, start the pathname with two periods (..). All
other pathnames start at the current directory.

If CDD can't change to the specified directory, it will look for the CDPATH (or
_CDPATH) environment variable.  CDD will append the specified directory name to
each directory in CDPATH and attempt to change to that directory, until the
first match or the end of the CDPATH argument.

The previous directory is saved on each CDD, and you can switch back to it with
"CDD -".  You can switch between two directories by repeatedly entering "CDD
-".  Note that the saved directory is the same for both CDD and CD.

You can change to the parent directory with "CD ..".  You can also go up one
additional directory level with each additional ".".  For example, "CD ...."
will go up three directory levels.

See also %CDPATH, CD and PUSHD.

EXAMPLES

Change to the subdirectory C:\WP:

    cdd c:\wp

Set the CDPATH environment variable and then CDD to a directory called DOCS
(CDD will first attempt to change to DOCS in the current directory, then
C:\DOCS, then C:\OS\DOCS, etc.):

    set cdpath=c:\;c:\os;c:\util;c:\wp
    cdd docs


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.10. CHCP - Change code page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

CHCP [n]

PURPOSE

Display or change the current system code page.

COMMENTS

Code page switching allows you to select different character sets for language
support.

Before using CHCP, you must have DEVINFO= and CODEPAGE= statements in
CONFIG.SYS for the specified code page.

CHCP accepts one of the two prepared system code pages.  An error message is
displayed if a code page is selected that has not been prepared.

Entering CHCP with no argument displays the active code page.

The code pages supported by OS/2 are:

    437     United States
    850     Multilingual (Latin I)
    852     Slavic (Latin II)
    860     Portuguese
    863     Canadian-French
    865     Nordic

See your OS/2 manual for more information on CHCP and code page switching.

EXAMPLES

Display the current code page:

    chcp

Set the code page to multilingual:

    chcp 850


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.11. CLS - Clear screen ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

CLS [[bright] [blink] fg ON bg [BORDER fg]]

PURPOSE

Clear the video display, optionally to the specified colors.

COMMENTS

CLS clears the display and moves the cursor to the upper left corner.  fg is
the foreground color, bg the background color.  Only the first three characters
of the color name and attributes ("bright" and "blink") are required.

The available colors are:

    Black      Blue      Green      Red
    Magenta    Cyan      Yellow     White

CLS is normally used in batch files to clear the screen before displaying text.

See also COLOR, SETDOS, and 4OS2.INI.

EXAMPLES

Clear the display:

    cls

Clear the display to a blue background, and set white characters as the new
default:

    cls white on blue


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.12. COLOR - Set screen colors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

COLOR [[bright] [blink] fg ON bg [BORDER fg]]

PURPOSE

Set the screen display colors.

COMMENTS

fg is the foreground color, bg the background color.  Only the first three
characters of the color name and attributes ("bright" and "blink") are
required.

The available colors are:

    Black      Blue      Green      Red
    Magenta    Cyan      Yellow     White

See also CLS.

EXAMPLES

Set the default screen colors to bright white text on a blue background:

    color bright white on blue


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.13. COPY - Copy files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

COPY [d:][path]filename[+]...[/A /B] [[d:][path]filename]
    [/A /B /C /M /N /P /Q /R /S /U /V]

PURPOSE

Copy or append one or more files.

COMMENTS

4OS2 allows you to copy several unrelated files to a target directory with a
single COPY command.  If there are two or more arguments on the command line,
COPY assumes the last argument is the target.  If there is only one argument,
the target is assumed to be the current directory.

The plus (+) tells COPY to append two or more files to a single target file.
If you don't specify a target, COPY will append each subsequent file to the
first file.

If you specify more than one source file, and the target is NOT a directory,
COPY will automatically append the files to the target.

The /A(SCII) or /B(inary) options apply to the preceding filename and to all
subsequent filenames on the command line until the filename preceding another
/A or /B, if any.  All other options apply to all filenames on the command
line.

The COPY options are:

    /A      If used with a source filename, COPY will copy the file up to, but
            not including, the first ^Z character in the file.  If you use /A
            with a target filename, COPY will add a ^Z to the end of the file.
            COPY defaults to /A when appending files.

    /B      If used with a source filename, COPY will copy the entire file.
            Using /B with a target filename prevents COPY from appending a ^Z
            to the target file.  COPY defaults to /B for normal file copies.

    /C      Copy only those files where the target exists and is older than the
            source (see /U).

    /H      Copy hidden and system files too.

    /M      Copy only those files with the archive bit set (see also ATTRIB).
            The archive bit will NOT be cleared after copying.

    /N      Do everything except actually perform the copy (for testing what
            the result of the COPY would be).

    /P      Confirm each file copy (Y or N).  An N response will skip that
            particular file.

    /Q      Don't display filenames as they are copied.

    /R      Prompt before overwriting an existing file.

    /S      Copy subdirectories - the target must be a directory (COPY will
            create it if it doesn't exist).  COPY will copy each subdirectory
            to a matching subdirectory of the target.

    /U      Copy only those source files that are newer than a matching target
            file, or where a matching target file doesn't exist (see /C).

    /V      Verify each disk write.  This is the same as executing the VERIFY
            ON command, but is only active during the COPY.

 See also MOVE.

 EXAMPLES

 Copy the files MEMO1 and PROJECT8.WKS to the root directory on drive A:

      copy memo1 project8.wks a:\

 Append the files MEMO1, MEMO2, and MEMO3 and store the result in BIGMEMO:

      copy memo1+memo2+memo3 bigmemo

 Copy only those files in the root directory on drive A that are newer than the
 matching files in the current directory, or that don't exist in the current
 directory:

      copy /u a:\*.* c:\*.*

 Copy files from the root directory on drive A to the current directory, but
 prompt before overwriting existing files:

      copy /r a:\*.*

 Copy a downloadable font file to the printer in binary mode:

      copy myfont.dat lpt1: /b


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.14. DATE - Set or display date ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

DATE [mm-dd-yy]

PURPOSE

Display and (optionally) change the system date.

COMMENTS

If you don't enter any parameters, DATE will display the current system date
and time, and prompt for the new date.  Press ENTER if you don't wish to change
the date, otherwise enter the new date.

The format for the date entry depends on the country code defined in CONFIG.SYS
or by the CHCP command.  The default format is U.S. (mm-dd-yy).  The European
format is dd-mm-yy; the Japanese is yy-mm-dd.

The parameters for the DATE command are:

    mm      Month (1 - 12)
    dd      Day (1 - 31)
    yy      Year (80 - 199 or 1980 - 2099)

 You can use hyphens, slashes, or periods to separate the month, day, and year
 entries.

 See also TIME.

 EXAMPLES

 Enter the date from the command line:

      date 12/25/89

 To be prompted for the date:

      date


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.15. DEL or ERASE - Delete files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

DEL [/N /P /Q /S /X /Y /Z] [d:][path]filename...
ERASE [/N /P /Q /S /X /Y /Z] [d:][path]filename...

PURPOSE

Erase the specified file(s) from the disk.

COMMENTS

The DEL options are:

    /N      Do everything except actually delete the file(s) (for testing what
            the result of a DEL would be).

    /P      Confirm file deletion for each file.

    /Q      Don't display filenames as they are deleted.

    /S      Delete matching files in the subdirectories.

    /X      Remove empty subdirectories after deleting (use with /S).

    /Y      The reverse of /P - it assumes a Y response to everything,
            including deleting an entire subdirectory.  Use with caution!

    /Z      Delete read-only, hidden and system files as well as normal files.

 If you enter a subdirectory name, or a filename composed only of wildcards,
 DEL asks for confirmation (Y or N), unless you specified the /Y(es) option. If
 you respond with a Y, DEL will delete all the files in that subdirectory
 (except for hidden, system, and read-only files).

 EXAMPLES

 Erase all the files in the current directory with a .BAK or .PRN extension:

      del *.bak *.prn

 Delete the entire subdirectory tree starting with C:\UTIL, including hidden
 and read-only files:

      del /sxyz c:\util


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.16. DELAY - Pause for specified time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

DELAY [seconds]

PURPOSE

Pause for a specified period of time.

COMMENTS

DELAY is useful in batch file loops while waiting for a condition to occur. The
default value is one second.

If you need a shorter delay, use BEEP with a frequency < 20 Hz.

You can cancel a DELAY loop by pressing ^C.

See also BEEP.

EXAMPLES

Wait for 10 seconds:

    delay 10


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.17. DESCRIBE - Describe files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

DESCRIBE [d:][path]filename... ["description"]

PURPOSE

Create, modify, or delete file and subdirectory descriptions.

COMMENTS

DESCRIBE adds descriptions to filenames and subdirectories.  The descriptions
will be displayed when using DIR with the default single column option, or when
using SELECT.  If you're using 4OS2 on an HPFS volume, descriptions will only
be displayed if you use the DIR /Z (FAT format) option.  The default maximum
description length is 40 characters; if you have a screen capable of displaying
more than 80 columns, you can increase the maximum description length with the
4OS2.INI DescriptionMax option.

File descriptions allow you to identify your files in much more meaningful ways
than an eight character filename.

You can enter a description on the command line by entering the filename
followed by the description enclosed in quotes.  Using wildcards and/or
multiple filenames with a description on the command line will give all
matching files the same description.

Descriptions are stored in each directory in a hidden file called DESCRIPT.ION.
Use the ATTRIB command to "unhide" this file if you need to copy or delete it.

The description file is modified appropriately whenever you perform an internal
command (such as COPY, DEL, MOVE, or RENAME), but not if you use an external
command (such as REPLACE or XCOPY).

See also DIR and SELECT.

EXAMPLES

Create a description for the file MEMO.TXT interactively:

    describe memo.txt

Create the same description in a single command:

    describe memo.txt "Memo to Bob about party"


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.18. DETACH - Start detached process ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

DETACH [d:][filename[.ext]]

PURPOSE

Start an OS/2 program in detached mode.

COMMENTS

A program started with DETACH cannot use the keyboard, mouse, or video display.
You can redirect standard I/O to other devices if necessary.

If you specify an internal command or batch file (.CMD or .BTM), 4OS2 will
detach another copy of 4OS2.EXE to execute the command.

EXAMPLES

Detach a CHKDSK command and redirect its output to the file DIR.DAT:

    detach chkdsk >& dir.dat


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.19. DIR - Display directory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

DIR [/1 /2 /4 /A[:-rhsda] /B /C /D /F /J /K /L /M /N /O:-deginrsu
    /P /S /T /U /V /W] [[d:][path]filename...]

PURPOSE

Display information about files and subdirectories.

COMMENTS

DIR displays information about the files and subdirectories in the specified
directory.  Depending upon the options specified, DIR can show the filename,
file attributes, size, date and time of the most recent change to the file, and
the file description.

The DIR options are:

    /1      Single column display - display the filename, size, date, time, and
            description.  This is the default.

    /2      Two column display - display the filename, size, date, and time.

    /4      Four column display - display the filename and size, in K(ilobytes)
            or M(egabytes).

    /A      Display only those files that have the specified attribute set. A
            /A with no attributes will display all files, including hidden and
            system files.  Preceding the attribute character with a '-' will
            display those files that do not have that attribute set.
            Attributes can also be combined.  The attributes are:
              R  Read only
              H  Hidden
              S  System
              D  Directory
              A  Archive

    /B      Suppress header line and summaries, and display file or
            subdirectory names only, in a single column (useful when
            redirecting output to a file or another program).

    /C      Display FAT filenames in upper case (like CMD.EXE).  See also
            SETDOS /U.

    /D      Disable directory colorization.

    /F      Display fully expanded filenames (including drive & path) in one
            column.

    /J      Justify filenames (same format as CMD.EXE).

    /K      Suppress the header display.

    /L      Display FAT filenames in lower case.  This option will not convert
            extended ASCII characters to lower case.

    /M      Suppress the footer display.

    /N      Display a FAT volume in HPFS format.

    /O      Sort order; any combination of the following options:
              -  Reverse the sort order for the next option
              a  Sort by ASCII value rather than numeric value
              d  Sort by date and time (oldest first)
              e  Sort by extension
              g  Group subdirectories together
              i  Sort by the file description
              n  Sort by the filename (this is the default)
              r  Reverse the sort order for all options
              s  Sort by size
              u  Unsorted

    /P      Pause after each screen page and wait for a key to be pressed
            (useful for displaying long directory listings).

    /S      Display contents of the current directory and all of its
            subdirectories.  DIR will only display headers and summaries for
            those directories with matching filenames.

    /T      Display the filenames and attributes only (see ATTRIB), in the
            format RHSA, where:
              R  Read only
              H  Hidden
              S  System
              A  Archive
            When displaying attributes, DIR cannot display file descriptions.

    /U      Display summary only (number of files & bytes used; both actual
            file size and the disk space used).

    /V      Display filenames sorted vertically rather than horizontally (with
            the /2, /4, or /W option).

    /W      Wide display - display the filenames only, horizontally across the
            screen (5 columns on an 80-character display).

    /Z      Display an HPFS volume in FAT format.  Filenames longer than 12
            characters will be truncated.

 DIR allows wildcard characters in the filename.  If you don't specify a
 filename, DIR defaults to *.* (display all files and subdirectories in the
 current directory).

 If you append filenames with a ; (an "include list"), DIR will display the
 matching filenames in a single directory listing.  Only the first file in an
 include list can have a path.

 You can display the subdirectories and files in color by setting the COLORDIR
 variable.  The format for COLORDIR is:

      ext [...]:[bright][blink] fg [ON bg]; ...

 where "ext" is the file extension, or one of the following file attributes:

      DIRS - directory
      RDONLY - read-only file
      HIDDEN - hidden file
      SYSTEM - system file
      ARCHIVE - file modified since last backup

 For example, to display the .COM and .EXE files in red, the .C and .ASM files
 in bright cyan, and the read-only files in blinking green:

      set colordir=com exe:red; c asm:bright cyan; rdonly:blink green

 If you don't select a background color, DIR will use the current screen
 background color.

 If a country code was defined in the CONFIG.SYS file or by the CHCP command,
 DIR will display the date in the format for that country.  The default date
 format is U.S. (mm-dd-yy).

 Options on the command line apply only to the filenames that follow the
 option, except that options at the end of the line apply to the preceding
 filename only.  This allows you to specify several options for a group of
 files, and retains compatibility with CMD.EXE when a single filename is
 specified.

 See also DESCRIBE and SELECT.

 EXAMPLES

 Display the .WKS files, and then the .WK1 files in the current directory:

      dir *.wks *.wk1

 Display the .WKS and .WK1 files together (an "include list"):

      dir *.wks;*.wk1

 Display the files on drive C, including hidden and system files, pausing after
 each page:

      dir /a/sp c:\*.*


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.20. DIRS - Display directory stack ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

DIRS

PURPOSE

Display the current directory stack.

COMMENTS

DIRS displays the directory stack used by PUSHD and POPD, oldest entries first.
The stack holds 255 characters (about 10 to 20 entries).

See also PUSHD and POPD.

EXAMPLES

Change directories and then display the directory stack:

    pushd c:\database
    pushd d:\wordp\memos
    dirs


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.21. DPATH - Display/Set data search path ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

DPATH [[d:]path][[;[d:]path]...]]
DPATH ;

PURPOSE

Tells applications where to search for their files.

COMMENTS

If you enter DPATH with no parameters, 4OS2 displays the current search path.
If you enter DPATH and a semicolon, 4OS2 clears the search path.

You can edit an existing DPATH with the ESET command.

EXAMPLES

The following DPATH command directs applications to search for their data files
in the following order: the current directory, the root directory on drive C,
the OS2 subdirectory on drive C, and the UTIL subdirectory on drive C:

    dpath c:\;c:\os2;c:\util

Display the current DPATH:

    dpath


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.22. DRAWBOX - Draw a box ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

DRAWBOX ulrow ulcol lrrow lrcol style [bright][blink] fg ON bg
    [FILL bgfill] [SHADOW]

PURPOSE

Draw a box on the screen.

COMMENTS

DRAWBOX is useful for creating attractive screen displays in batch files.
DRAWBOX detects other lines and boxes on the display, and creates the
appropriate connector characters when possible (not all types of lines can be
connected with the available characters).

The row and column numbering is zero-based, so on a standard 25 line by 80
column display, valid rows are 0 - 24 and valid columns are 0 - 79.

The DRAWBOX parameters are:

    ulrow         Row for upper left corner

    ulcol         Column for upper left corner

    lrrow         Row for lower right corner

    lrcol         Column for lower right corner

    style         Box drawing style:
                    0  no line drawing characters (box is drawn with blanks)
                    1  single line
                    2  double line
                    3  single line on top and bottom, double on sides
                    4  double line on top and bottom, single on sides

    fg            Foreground character color

    bg            Background character color

    bgfill        Background fill color (for the inside of the box)

    SHADOW        Include a transparent drop shadow.

 Only the first three characters of the color name and attributes ("bright" and
 "blink") are required.

 The available colors are:

      Black      Blue      Green      Red
      Magenta    Cyan      Yellow     White

 See also DRAWHLINE and DRAWVLINE.

 EXAMPLES

 Draw a single line box around the entire screen with bright white lines on a
 blue background:

      drawbox 0 0 24 79 1 bright white on blue fill blue


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.23. DRAWHLINE - Draw horizontal line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

DRAWHLINE row columns length style [bright] [blink] fg ON bg

PURPOSE

Draw a horizontal line on the screen.

COMMENTS

DRAWHLINE is useful for creating attractive screen displays in batch files.
DRAWHLINE detects other lines and boxes on the display, and creates the
appropriate connector characters when possible (not all types of lines can be
connected with the available characters).

The row and column numbering is zero-based, so on a standard 25 line by 80
column display, valid rows are 0 - 24 and valid columns are 0 - 79.

The DRAWHLINE parameters are:

    row         Start row

    column      Start column

    length      Length of line

    style       Line drawing style:
                  1  Single line
                  2  Double line

    fg          Foreground character color

    bg          Background character color

 Only the first three characters of the color name and attributes ("bright" and
 "blink") are required.

 The available colors are:

      Black      Blue      Green      Red
      Magenta    Cyan      Yellow     White

 See also DRAWBOX, DRAWVLINE and SCRPUT.

 EXAMPLES

 Draw a double line along the top row of the display with green characters on a
 blue background:

      drawhline 0 0 79 2 green on blue


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.24. DRAWVLINE - Draw vertical line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

DRAWVLINE row columns length style [bright] [blink] fg ON bg

PURPOSE

Draw a vertical line on the screen.

COMMENTS

DRAWVLINE is useful for creating attractive screen displays in batch files.
DRAWVLINE detects other lines and boxes on the display, and creates the
appropriate connector characters when possible (not all types of lines can be
connected with the available characters).

The row and column numbering is zero-based, so on a standard 25 line by 80
column display, valid rows are 0 - 24 and valid columns are 0 - 79.

The DRAWVLINE parameters are:

    row         Start row

    column      Start column

    length      Length of line

    style       Line drawing style:
                  1  Single line
                  2  Double line

    fg          Foreground character color

    bg          Background character color

 Only the first three characters of the color name and attributes ("bright" and
 "blink") are required.

 The available colors are:

      Black      Blue      Green      Red
      Magenta    Cyan      Yellow     White

 See also DRAWBOX, DRAWHLINE, and VSCRPUT.

 EXAMPLES

 Draw a double line along the left margin of the display with bright red
 characters on a black background:

      drawvline 0 0 24 2 bright red on black


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.25. ECHO - Display a message ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

ECHO [on | off | message]

PURPOSE

Display the echo status, enable or disable batch file or command line echoing,
or display a message.

COMMENTS

ECHO defaults to ON in batch files.  To prevent a line from being echoed,
preface it with the @ symbol.  You can default to ECHO OFF by setting the
SETDOS /V option to 0.  (Setting SETDOS /V to 2 will echo all lines, regardless
of the echo state or @ symbols.)  The current ECHO state is inherited by called
batch files.

ECHO defaults to OFF during keyboard input.  If you set ECHO ON from the
command line, the fully parsed and expanded commands (including aliases and
variables) will be displayed before they are executed.  The keyboard ECHO state
is independent of the batch file ECHO state; changing ECHO in a batch file has
no effect on the display at the command prompt, and vice versa.

If no arguments are entered, ECHO displays the current echo state.

ECHO commands in a batch file will send messages to the screen while the batch
file executes, even if ECHO is set OFF.  You cannot use the command separator
character or the redirection symbols (|><) in an ECHO message, unless you
enclose them in quotes or precede them with the escape character.  If you want
to echo a blank line, enter:

    echo.

See also ECHOS, SETDOS, SCREEN, SCRPUT, TEXT and VSCRPUT.

EXAMPLES

Enable command line echoing:

    echo on

Display a message in a batch file:

    echo Processing your print files...

Turn off batch file echoing, without displaying the ECHO command itself:

    @echo off


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.26. ECHOS - Display a message with no CR/LF ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

ECHOS message

PURPOSE

Display a message, without printing a trailing CR/LF.

COMMENTS

ECHOS is useful for outputting text when you don't want ECHO to add a carriage
return / linefeed pair (for example, when redirecting control sequences to a
printer).  You cannot use the command separator character or the redirection
symbols (|><) in an ECHOS message, unless you enclose them in quotes or precede
them with the escape character.

See also ECHO.

EXAMPLES

Send a control sequence (an Esc+H) to the printer.

    echos ^eH > lpt1:


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.27. ENDLOCAL - Restore saved environment ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

ENDLOCAL

PURPOSE

Restore the saved disk drive, directory, and environment.

COMMENTS

ENDLOCAL restores the disk drive, directory, and environment variables saved by
the previous SETLOCAL command.  SETLOCAL and ENDLOCAL can only be used in batch
files, not in aliases.

See also SETLOCAL.

EXAMPLES

This batch file fragment saves the aliases, environment, drive, and current
working directory, changes the drive and directory, modifies some environment
variables, runs the program TEST1, and then restores the original values:

    setlocal
    cdd d:\test
    set path=c:\;c:\dos;c:\util
    set lib=d:\lib
    test1
    endlocal


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.28. ESET - Edit variable or alias ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

ESET [/A] varname...

PURPOSE

Edit environment variables and/or aliases.

COMMENTS

ESET allows you to edit your environment variables and aliases using the line
editing commands.  The cursor will be positioned at the first character of the
variable or alias.

The ESET options are:

    /A      Assume the argument is an alias.  This allows you to edit an alias
            with the same name as an environment variable.

 ESET will search for environment variables first, and then aliases.

 Environment variable and alias names are limited to 80 characters, and their
 arguments to 255 characters.

 See also Command line editing, ALIAS, UNALIAS, SET, and UNSET.

 EXAMPLES

 Edit the executable file search path:

      eset path

 Create and then edit an alias:

      alias d dir /djp
      eset d


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.29. EXCEPT - Exclude files from command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

EXCEPT ([d:][path]filename...) command

PURPOSE

Perform a command, except on the file(s) specified.

COMMENTS

EXCEPT provides a means of executing a command on a group of files and/or
subdirectories, except those enclosed within the parentheses.

The command can be an internal command or alias, an external command, or a
batch file.

You may use wildcard characters in a filename.

When using filename completion (TAB or F9) to get the filenames inside the
parentheses, type a space after the open parenthesis before entering a partial
filename or pressing TAB. Otherwise the command line editor will treat the open
parenthesis as the first character of the filename to be completed.

EXCEPT prevents operations on the specified file(s) by setting the hidden
attribute, performing the command, and then clearing the hidden attribute. If
EXCEPT is aborted in an unusual way, you may need to use the ATTRIB command to
"unhide" (-H) the file(s).

EXCEPT will not work with programs or commands that ignore the hidden
attribute.

See also ATTRIB.

EXAMPLES

Erase all but the files beginning with MEMO and those ending in .WKS:

    except (memo*.* *.wks) del *.*


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.30. EXIT - Exit secondary processor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

EXIT [value]

PURPOSE

Exit the current command processor.

COMMENTS

Some application programs will start a secondary copy of the command processor
to allow you execute commands.  To return to the application again, type EXIT.

If you EXIT from a primary command processor, you will be returned to PM.

If you specify a value, EXIT will return that value to the parent process.

EXAMPLES

Return to the parent process:

    exit


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.31. FOR - Repeat a command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

FOR [/A[:-RHSDA]] %%var IN (set) [DO] command

PURPOSE

Repeat a command for several variables.

COMMENTS

FOR sets var sequentially to each member of (set), and then evaluates and
executes command for every argument in (set). If an argument in (set) contains
wildcard characters, var will be set sequentially to each matching filename on
the disk.  If a filename in (set) begins with an @, var will be set
sequentially to each line in the file.

The only option for FOR is:

    /A      Retrieve only those files with the specified attribute.  A /A with
            no attributes will retrieve all files, including hidden and system
            files, and subdirectories.  Preceding the attribute character with
            a '-' will retrieve those files that DON'T have that attribute set.
            Attributes can also be combined.  The attributes are:
              R  Read only
              H  Hidden
              S  System
              D  Directory
              A  Archive

 The command can be an internal command or alias, an external command, or a
 batch file.

 In CMD.EXE you must use a single % for the variable name from the command
 line, and %% when in a batch file.  4OS2 will accept either % or %% in either
 case.

 CMD.EXE requires the variable name to be a single character; 4OS2 supports
 variable names up to 80 characters.

 CMD.EXE requires the word DO on the command line; it is optional in 4OS2.

 Note that 4OS2 supports nested FOR statements; CMD.EXE does not.

 EXAMPLES

 The following example compiles the C programs in the current directory that
 have a "2" or a "3" somewhere in their name:

      for %a in (*2*.c *3*.c) do cl %a ;

 The following example uses variable functions to delete the .BAK files for
 which a corresponding .TXT file exists in the current directory:

      for %a in (*.txt) if exist %@name[%a].bak del %@name[%a].bak


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.32. FREE - Display disk utilization ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

FREE [d:] ...

PURPOSE

Display the total disk space, total bytes used, and total bytes free on the
specified (or default) drive(s).

COMMENTS

FREE provides the same disk information as the external command CHKDSK, but
without the wait.

EXAMPLES

Display the status of drives A, B, and C:

    free a: b: c:


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.33. GLOBAL - Execute command in all subdirectories ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

GLOBAL [/H /I /P /Q] command

PURPOSE

Execute a command in the current directory and its subdirectories.

COMMENTS

GLOBAL performs the specified command first in the current directory, and then
in every subdirectory under the current directory.

The command can be an internal command or alias, an external command, or a
batch file.

The GLOBAL options are:

    /H      Process hidden subdirectories.

    /I      Ignore exit codes.  If this option is not specified, GLOBAL will
            terminate if the command returns a non-zero exit code.

    /P      Prompt for a Y/N whether to execute the command in each directory.

    /Q      Do not display the directory names as each directory is accessed.

 EXAMPLES

 Copy the files in every directory on drive A to the directory C:\TEMP:

      cd a:\ & global copy a:*.* c:\temp


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.34. GOSUB - Call batch subroutine ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

GOSUB label

PURPOSE

Call a subroutine in a batch file.

COMMENTS

GOSUB calls the specified label as a subroutine.  The subroutine must end with
a RETURN statement.  After the RETURN, the batch file continues with the
command following the GOSUB command.

GOSUB searches for the label starting at the first line of the batch file. If
the label doesn't exist, the batch file is terminated with the error message
"Label not found."

The label must begin with a colon (:), and appear by itself on the line. GOSUB
ignores case differences when matching labels.

See also GOTO and RETURN.

EXAMPLES

The following batch file fragment calls a subroutine that displays the
directory and returns:

    echo Calling a subroutine
    gosub subr1
    echo Returned from the subroutine
    quit
    :subr1
    dir /hw
    return


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.35. GOTO - Jump to batch label ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

GOTO [/I] label

PURPOSE

Continue batch file processing at the line following the label.

COMMENTS

GOTO changes the current position in the batch file to the line immediately
following the label.

The search for the label starts at the first line of the batch file. If the
label doesn't exist, the batch file is terminated with the error message "Label
not found."

The label must begin with a colon (:), and appear by itself on the line. GOTO
ignores case differences when matching labels.

A GOTO will cancel all IFF nesting, unless you specify the /I option.

See also GOSUB.

EXAMPLES

The following batch file fragment checks for the existence of the file
CONFIG.SYS.  If CONFIG.SYS exists, GOTO jumps to C_EXISTS and copies all the
files from the current directory to the root directory on A.  If CONFIG.SYS
doesn't exist, the batch file prints an error message and exits.

    if exist config.sys goto C_EXISTS
    echo CONFIG.SYS doesn't exist - exiting
    quit
    :c_exists
    copy *.* a:\


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.36. HELP - Display 4OS2 online help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

HELP [command]

PURPOSE

Display the 4OS2 help file.

COMMENTS

HELP uses the PM VIEW.EXE program to display help for 4OS2 (4OS2.INF) and OS/2
in general (CMDREF.INF).  You can change the default .INF files with the
HelpBook directive in 4OS2.INI.

EXAMPLES

Display the HELP table of contents:

    help

Display help for the DIR command:

    help dir


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.37. HISTORY - Display/Set command history ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

HISTORY [/A command] [/F /P] [/R [d:][path]filename]

PURPOSE

Display, read, or clear the history list.

COMMENTS

If no parameters are entered, HISTORY displays the current history list.

The HISTORY options are:

    /A      Add the specified command to the history list.

    /F      Clear the command history list.

    /P      Prompt for a key after displaying each page.

    /R      Read the command history from the specified file. You can save the
            history list by redirecting the output of HISTORY to a file.

 The number of commands saved in the history list depends on the length of each
 command line.  The history list size can be specified at startup from 256 to
 8192 characters.  The default size is 1024 characters.

 You can disable saving commands to the history list, or specify a minimum
 command line length to save, with the HistMin directive in 4OS2.INI.

 EXAMPLES

 Display the history list:

      history

 Clear the history entries:

      history /f

 Save the history list to the file HISTFILE, and then read it in again:

      history > histfile
      history /r histfile


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.38. IF - Conditional command execution ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

IF [NOT] condition [.AND. | .OR. | .XOR. [NOT] ...] command

PURPOSE

Allow conditional execution of commands.

COMMENTS

IF first tests the given condition.  If the condition is true, IF executes the
specified command, otherwise the command will be ignored.  If you use the NOT
option, the command is executed only when the condition is false.  IF
statements can be nested.

The command can be an internal command or alias, an external command, or a
batch file.

For the string tests, case differences are ignored.  When comparing strings,
you should enclose them in double quotes (see examples).  The use of double
quotes reduces problems when the strings being compared contain characters that
may have another meaning to the parser.  If the strings begin with a digit, IF
will do a numeric comparison. Otherwise, IF does an ASCII comparison.

The .AND., .OR., and .XOR. tests allow you to combine tests in an IF statement.
The expressions are scanned from left to right.

The condition can be any of the following:

    string1 == string2   or   string1 EQ string2
        If string1 is equal to string2, the condition is true.

    string1 != string2   or   string1 NE string2
        If string1 is not equal to string2, the condition is true.

    string1 LT string2
        If string1 is < string2, the condition is true.

    string1 LE string2
        If string1 is <= string2, the condition is true.

    string1 GE string2
        If string1 is >= string2, the condition is true.

    string1 GT string2
        If string1 is > string2, the condition is true.

 In the tests below, the term "condition" refers to one of the relational
 operators described for the string tests above (==, EQ, NE, LT, etc.).

    ERRORLEVEL [condition] number
        Test the exit code of the preceding external program.  If no relational
        operator (EQ, GT, etc.) is specified, the default is GE. NOTE:  Not all
        programs return an explicit exit code.  In those cases, the behavior of
        ERRORLEVEL is undefined.

    EXIST [d:][path]filename
        If the file exists, the condition is true.  You can use wildcard
        characters in the filename, in which case the condition is true if any
        file matching the wildcards exists.

    ISALIAS aliasname
        If the specified name is an alias, the condition is true.

    ISDIR [d:]path
        If the subdirectory exists, the condition is true.

    ISINTERNAL command
        If the specified command is an internal command, the condition is true.

    ISLABEL labelname
        If the specified label exists in the current batch file, the condition
        is true.

 See also IFF.

 EXAMPLES

 Test for the presence of A:\JAN.DOC and copy it to the root directory on drive
 C if it exists:

      if exist a:\jan.doc copy a:\jan.doc c:\

 This batch file fragment tests for a string value:

      if "%cmd" == "wp" goto wordproc
      if "%cmd" NE "graphics" goto badentry

 Test for more than 500K of free disk space on drive A:

      if %@diskfree[a:] gt 500 echo More than 500K free

 Run the program MONOPROG if the monitor type is monochrome:

      if %_monitor == mono monoprog


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.39. IFF - Conditional command execution ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

IFF [NOT] condition [.AND. | .OR. | .XOR. [NOT] ...]
    THEN & ... & ELSE[[IFF] ... THEN] & ... & ENDIFF

PURPOSE

Allow IF/THEN/ELSE conditional execution of commands.

COMMENTS

IFF first tests the given condition.  If the condition is true, IFF executes
the specified command(s) until the next ELSE, ELSEIFF, or ENDIFF; otherwise the
command(s) will be ignored and parsing will continue at the next ELSE, ELSEIFF,
or ENDIFF.  If you use the NOT option, commands are executed only when the
condition is false.  IFF statements can be nested up to 15 levels deep.

The .AND., .OR., and .XOR. tests allow you to combine tests in an IFF
statement.  The expressions are scanned from left to right; each new .AND.,
.OR., or .XOR. tests the combination of all preceding tests.

The command can be an internal command or alias, an external command, or a
batch file.

If you do a GOTO inside an IFF, GOTO assumes you are jumping outside the IFF
statement.  You cannot GOTO another part of the same IFF, or inside another IFF
statement.

See the IF command for a list of the tests available.

EXAMPLES

The following batch file fragment tests the monitor type (monochrome or color),
and sets the appropriate colors and prompt:

    iff %_monitor == color then
      color bright white on blue & cls
      prompt=$e[s$e[1;1f$e[41;1;37m$e[K  Path: $p$e[u$e[44;37m$n$g
    else
      prompt=$e[s$e[1;1f$e[0;7m$e[K  Path: $p$e[u$e[0m$n$g
    endiff

The following alias checks to see if the argument is a subdirectory.  If so,
the alias deletes the subdirectory's files and removes it (enter this on one
line):

    alias zap `iff isdir %1 then & del /s/x/z %1 & else &
       echo Not a directory! & endiff`


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.40. INKEY - Enter environment variable ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

INKEY [/K"..." /Wn] [text] %%varname

PURPOSE

Get a single keystroke environment variable from standard input.

COMMENTS

You can optionally display prompt text before the variable name.

The INKEY options are:

    /K      The allowable keystrokes, enclosed in double quotes.  If you want
            to read a control or function key, you must enclose it in square
            brackets (for example, INKEY /K"ab[F1][F10]"). The valid key names
            are the same as those listed in the section on Key Mapping
            Directives in KEYCODES.

    /W      Timeout period, where "n" is the number of seconds to wait for a
            response.  If no keystroke is entered by the end of the timeout
            period, INKEY returns with the variable unchanged.  You can specify
            /W0 to check if a keystroke is waiting, and return immediately.

 ASCII values from 1 to 255 are stored as a character.  Extended characters
 (for example, function keys & cursor keys) are stored as a string in decimal
 format, with a leading @ (for example, the F1 key is stored as @59).  See
 KEYCODES for the common extended keystrokes.

 INKEY and INPUT are normally used as batch file commands, allowing you great
 flexibility in entering or changing batch variables.

 If you press ^C or ^BREAK while INKEY is waiting for a key, execution of an
 alias will be terminated, and execution of a batch file will be suspended
 while you are prompted whether to cancel the batch job.

 See also INPUT.

 EXAMPLES

 Prompt for a number and store it in the variable NUM:

      inkey /K"123456789" Enter a number from 1 to 9:  %%num

 The following batch file fragment waits up to 10 seconds for a character, then
 tests to see if a "Y" was entered:

      set net=N
      inkey /w10 Do you want to load the network (Y/N)? %%net
      if "%net"=="Y" goto load_net


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.41. INPUT - Enter environment variable ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

INPUT [/Wn] [text] %%varname

PURPOSE

Enter an environment variable from the standard input.

COMMENTS

You can optionally display prompt text before the variable name.

The only INPUT option is:

    /W      Specify a timeout period, where "n" is the number of seconds to
            wait for a response.  If no keystroke is entered by the end of the
            timeout period, INPUT returns with the variable unchanged.  If you
            enter a key before the timeout period, INPUT will wait indefinitely
            for the remainder of the line.  You can specify /W0 to check if a
            key is already in the buffer, and return immediately.

 All characters entered up to, but not including, the carriage return are
 stored in the variable.

 INPUT and INKEY are normally used as batch file commands, allowing you great
 flexibility in entering or changing batch variables.

 See also INKEY.

 EXAMPLES

 The following batch file fragment prompts for a string and stores it in the
 variable FNAME:

      input Enter the file name:  %%fname


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.42. KEYS - Display command history ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

KEYS [ON | OFF | LIST]

PURPOSE

Display the history list, or enable/disable the command line editing keys.

COMMENTS

4OS2 includes this command for compatibility with CMD.EXE; for 4OS2 you should
use the HISTORY command instead.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.43. LIST - Display files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

LIST [/H /S /W] [d:][path]filename...

PURPOSE

Display a file with forward and backward paging and scrolling.

COMMENTS

LIST provides a much faster and more flexible way to view a file than TYPE,
without the overhead of using a text editor.

The LIST options are:

    /H        Strip the high bit from each character before displaying.  This
              is useful when displaying files created by some word processors
              that turn on the high bit for formatting purposes.

    /S        Read from the standard input rather than a file.  This allows you
              to redirect command output and view it with LIST.

    /W        Wrap the text at the right margin.  This option is useful when
              displaying non-text files.

 LIST uses the cursor pad to scroll through the file.  The LIST commands are
 (the caret ^ means press the Ctrl key together with the specified key):

    HOME      Display the first page of the file
    END       Display the last page of the file
    PgUp      Scroll back one page
    PgDn      Scroll forwards one page
    Esc       Exit the current file
    ^C        Quit LIST
             Scroll up one line
             Scroll down one line
             Scroll left 8 columns
             Scroll right 8 columns
    ^        Scroll left 40 columns
    ^        Scroll right 40 columns
    F1        Call the on-line help
    F         Prompt and search for a string (case is ignored)
    H         Toggle the "strip high bit" (/H) option
    N         Find next matching string (case is ignored).  LIST saves the
              search string, so you can LIST multiple files and search for the
              same string by pressing N in each file.
    P         Print the file on LPT1
    W         Toggle the "line wrap" (/W) option

 LIST is normally only useful for displaying ASCII text files; executable files
 (.COM and .EXE) and many data files will be unreadable due to the presence of
 non-alphanumeric characters.

 See also TYPE.

 EXAMPLES

 Display the file MEMO.DOC:

      list memo.doc

 Display the output from a DIR command:

      dir | list /s


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.44. LOADBTM - Change batch file mode ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

LOADBTM [on | off]

PURPOSE

Switch a batch file to or from .BTM mode.

COMMENTS

LOADBTM switches a batch file (.CMD or .BTM) to and from .BTM mode. If no
argument is given, it displays the current LOADBTM status.

.BTM mode runs from two to five times faster than normal batch mode, but should
not be used for self-modifying batch files.

LOADBTM can only be used within a .CMD or .BTM file.

See the 4OS2 / 4DOS manual for more information on .BTM files.

EXAMPLES

The following .CMD batch file fragment tests if 4OS2 is the current command
processor; if so, it switches to BTM mode:

    Rem The initial default state is LOADBTM OFF
    if "%@eval[2+2]" == "4" loadbtm on


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.45. LOG - Log commands to file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

LOG [/W [d:]pathname] [ON | OFF | "text"]

PURPOSE

Save a log of commands to a disk file.

COMMENTS

The default 4OS2 LOG filename is 4OS2LOG in the root directory of the boot
drive.  The LOG status and log filename will be passed to secondary shells.

Entering LOG with no parameters displays the log status (ON or OFF). Entering
LOG with text writes the text to the log file, even if LOG is set OFF.  This
allows you to enter headers in the log file.

You can specify a different filename with the /W(rite) option.  /W
automatically enables command logging.

The commands are stored in the log file as they are executed, after performing
any alias or variable expansion.

The LOG file format looks like:

    [mm/dd/yy  hh:mm:ss] command.

EXAMPLES

Display the LOG status:

    log

Enable command logging:

    log on

Enable command logging to the file C:\LOG\LOGFILE and insert a header:

    log /w c:\log\logfile
    log "Started work on the database system"


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.46. MD or MKDIR - Create subdirectory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

MD [d:]pathname...
MKDIR [d:]pathname...

PURPOSE

Create subdirectories.

COMMENTS

To start at the root directory, start the pathname with a backslash (\). To
start at the parent directory, start the pathname with two periods (..). All
other pathnames start at the current directory.

See also RD.

EXAMPLES

Create a subdirectory called MYDIR in the root directory:

    md \mydir


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.47. MEMORY - Display system memory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

MEMORY

PURPOSE

Display the system RAM status.

COMMENTS

MEMORY displays the free RAM, the total and free environment space, the total
and free alias list space, and the total command history space.

EXAMPLES

Display your RAM totals:

    memory


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.48. MOVE - Move files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

MOVE [d:][path]filename... [d:][path][filename]
    [/C /D /H /N /P /Q /R /S /U]

PURPOSE

Move files to other directories and drives.

COMMENTS

The MOVE command moves the specified file(s) to the last filename specified,
which is designated as the target.  If the target already exists, it is deleted
when the file is moved.  You cannot move a file to itself.

If there is more than one source file specification, the target must be a
directory, and the files are moved to the directory with their original
filenames.  If the target is not a directory, MOVE will display an error
message and exit.

Use caution when using MOVE commands with commands like SELECT.  If multiple
files are selected and the target is not a subdirectory, each file will be
moved in turn to the target, overwriting the previous file. The net result is
that all files but the last will be deleted.  If SELECT is invoked using square
brackets instead of parentheses, the MOVE will be done in a single command and
MOVE will detect the error.

The MOVE options are:

    /C      Move only files that exist in the target directory, and where the
            source file is newer than the target.

    /D      The target must be a directory.  If it doesn't exist, you will be
            prompted whether to create it.

    /H      Move all files, including hidden & system.

    /N      Do everything except actually move the file(s) (for testing what
            the result of a MOVE would be).

    /P      Prompt for a Y or N response to confirm each move.

    /Q      Don't display filenames as they are moved.

    /R      Prompt for a Y or N response before overwriting an existing file.

    /S      Move an entire subdirectory tree to another location.  The target
            directories will be created if they don't exist (except for the
            first target, which must already exist).  MOVE will remove empty
            subdirectories after the move.

    /U      Move only those files that either don't exist in the target
            directory, or where the source file is newer than the target.

 MOVE first attempts to rename the file(s).  If that fails (the target is on a
 different drive, or the target already exists), MOVE will copy the file(s) and
 then delete the originals.  If MOVE cannot delete the original (for example, a
 read-only file), it will display an error message, but the target file is
 still created.

 See also COPY and REN.

 EXAMPLES

 Move some files to a different directory:

      move *.wks *.txt c:\finance\myfiles

 Move all the files in the current directory to A:\, prompting before
 overwriting any existing files:

      move /r *.* a:\


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.49. PATH - Set executable file search path ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

PATH [[d:]path][[;[d:]path]...]]
PATH ;

PURPOSE

Tells 4OS2 where to search for executable and batch files not in the current
directory.

COMMENTS

When searching for an external command (.COM, .EXE, .BTM, and .CMD, in that
order), 4OS2 searches the current directory first, then the directories you
specify in the PATH, in the order you list them. The directory names are
separated by semicolons (; ).

In OS/2 2.0, 4OS2 will also search for MS-DOS .BAT files (following .CMD in the
search order), for compatibility with CMD.EXE.

If you enter PATH with no parameters, PATH displays the current search path.
If you enter PATH and a semicolon, PATH clears the search path and will search
only the current directory (this is the default at system startup).

If you specify an invalid directory, 4OS2 will skip that directory and continue
searching with the next directory in the path.

If you have a directory '.' in the PATH, 4OS2 will not search the current
directory first, but will wait to do so until it reaches that point in the
PATH.

Some applications also use the PATH variable to search for their files.

You can edit an existing path with the ESET command.

EXAMPLES

The following PATH command sets the search path to the following order: the
current directory, the root directory on drive C, the OS2 subdirectory on drive
C, and the UTIL subdirectory on drive C:

    path c:\;c:\os2;c:\util

Display the current search path:

    path


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.50. PAUSE - Wait for keystroke ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

PAUSE [message]

PURPOSE

Suspend alias or batch file execution.

COMMENTS

A PAUSE command will suspend execution, giving you the opportunity to perform
activities such as changing disks, turning on the printer, etc.

PAUSE waits for any key (except ^C or ^BREAK) to be pressed and then continues
executing.  If a prompt message is specified, PAUSE will display the message
and wait for a keystroke.  Otherwise, PAUSE will prompt:

    Press a key when ready...

If you press a ^C or ^BREAK while PAUSE is waiting for a key, execution of an
alias will be terminated, and execution of a batch file will be suspended while
you are prompted whether to cancel the batch file.

EXAMPLES

The following batch file fragment prompts the user before erasing files:

    pause ^C aborts, any other key erases the .LST files:
    erase *.lst


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.51. POPD - Restore saved directory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

POPD [*]

PURPOSE

Change to the disk drive and directory at the top of the directory stack.

COMMENTS

POPD restores the disk and directory saved using PUSHD (most recent first).

The * option clears the directory stack, without changing the current drive and
directory.

Use the DIRS command to display the directory stack.

See also DIRS and PUSHD.

EXAMPLES

Save and change your disk drive with PUSHD, and then restore it:

    pushd d:\database\test
    popd

Clear the directory stack:

    popd *


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.52. PROMPT - Change command prompt ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

PROMPT [text]

PURPOSE

Change the command line prompt.

COMMENTS

If you enter PROMPT with no parameters, PROMPT sets the prompt on drives A and
B to $n$g (display current disk only), and on all other drives to $p$g (display
current disk and directory).

The prompt text can contain special strings of the form $?, where ? is one of
the following:

    b      The | character
    c      The open parenthesis (
    D      Current date, in the format:  Fri  Dec 25, 1992
    d      Current date, in the format:  Fri  12-25-92
    e      The ASCII ESC character (decimal 27)
    f      The close parenthesis )
    g      The > character
    h      BACKSPACE over the previous character
    i      The default OS/2 line 0 prompt
    l      The < character
    n      Default drive letter
    P      Current disk and directory (upper case)
    p      Current disk and directory (lower case)
    q      The = character
    s      The space character
    t      Current time, in the format hh:mm:ss
    v      OS/2 version number, in the format:  2.0
    Xd:    Current disk and directory (upper case) where d: is the drive
           specification
    xd:    Current disk and directory (lower case) where d: is the drive
           specification
    z      Display the current shell nesting level (you must be running 4OS2 as
           the primary shell in swapping mode).  The primary command processor
           is 0.
    $      The $ character
    _      CR/LF (go to beginning of new line)

 You can embed any environment variable, internal variable, or variable
 function in your PROMPT string to view system status or resources.  When
 defining the PROMPT to include variables of this type, use two % signs before
 the variable name, or enclose the prompt string in back-quotes [`] (if you
 don't, the prompt display will show the value the variable had when the prompt
 was defined, not the value at the moment the prompt is displayed).  For
 example, to show free RAM to the left of the standard $p$g prompt:

      prompt [%%@dosmem[K]K] $p$g
        or
      prompt `[%@dosmem[K]K] $p$g`

 See 4OS2 Internal Variables and 4OS2 Variable Functions for lists of the
 available variables and functions.

 See also ANSI.

 EXAMPLES

 Set the prompt to the current date and time:

      prompt $d $t $g


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.53. PUSHD - Save & change directory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

PUSHD [[d:]pathname]

PURPOSE

Save the current disk and directory.

COMMENTS

PUSHD saves the current directory on the directory stack, and if a pathname is
specified on the command line, changes the disk drive and directory. The
directory stack can hold up to 255 characters (about 10 to 20 entries). If you
exceed the directory stack size, the oldest directory is removed before adding
the current directory.

The saved directory is restored on a "last in, first out" basis by the POPD
command.  The directory stack can be displayed with the DIRS command.

See also DIRS and POPD.

EXAMPLES

Save the current directory and change to C:\WORDP\MEMOS:

    pushd c:\wordp\memos


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.54. QUIT - Quit batch file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

QUIT [value]

PURPOSE

Terminate the current batch file.

COMMENTS

You can QUIT at any point in a batch file, not just the end.  If you QUIT a
batch file called from another batch file, you will be returned to the previous
file at the command following the original call.  To end all batch file
processing, use CANCEL.  If you specify a value, QUIT will set the ERRORLEVEL
to that value.  The value also affects the internal variable %_?, and the
conditional command separators && and ||.

You can also use QUIT in an alias.  If you QUIT an alias while inside a batch
file, QUIT will end both the alias and the batch file.

See also CANCEL.

EXAMPLES

Check to see if the user entered "quit" and exit if true:

    input Enter your choice:  %%option
    if "%option" == "quit" quit


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.55. RD or RMDIR - Remove subdirectory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

RD [d:]path...
RMDIR [d:]path...

PURPOSE

Remove one or more directories.

COMMENTS

Before removing a subdirectory, you must delete all the files and
subdirectories (and their files) in that directory (including any hidden or
read-only files).

You can use wildcard characters in the directory names.

You cannot remove the root directory (\), the current directory (.), or the
parent directory (..).

See also MD.

EXAMPLES

Remove the subdirectory MEMOS from the directory WP on the current drive:

    rmdir \wp\memos


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.56. REBOOT - Reboot system ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

REBOOT [/V]

PURPOSE

Do a warm or cold reboot.

COMMENTS

REBOOT defaults to performing a warm boot, without any prompting.  The options
are:

    /V      Prompt for confirmation (Y or N) before rebooting.

 REBOOT flushes the disk buffers, resets the drives, and waits one second
 before rebooting the system, to allow disk caching programs to finish writing
 any cached data.

 EXAMPLES

 The following command prompts you to verify the reboot, then does a cold boot:

      reboot /v /c


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.57. REM - Batch file comment ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

REM [comment]

PURPOSE

Put a comment in a batch file.

COMMENTS

If ECHO is ON, or the SETDOS /V option is set, REM will echo the comment.
Otherwise, REM will ignore it. If you don't want to echo the line, preface REM
with the @ character. (Setting SETDOS /V to 2 will echo all lines, regardless
of the echo state or @ symbols.)  The current ECHO state is inherited by called
batch files.

Enter your comment following the REM, separated by a space or tab. Comments can
be up to 295 characters.  Everything following a REM will be ignored, including
quote characters, the redirection symbols (|><) and the command separator
character.  An alternate way to put a comment in a batch file is to begin the
line with a colon (:). The line will be interpreted as a label and ignored.
(Make sure you don't have any actual labels beginning with the same word!)

Batch file comments are useful for documenting the purpose for a batch file and
the procedures used.

EXAMPLES

Enter comments in a batch file:

    rem This batch file provides a menu-based system
    rem   for accessing the rem word processing utilities.
    rem Clear the screen and get a selection
    cls


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.58. REN or RENAME - Rename files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

REN [/N /P /Q] [d:][path]filename... [d:][path]filename
RENAME [/N /P /Q] [d:][path]filename... [d:][path]filename

PURPOSE

Rename files or subdirectories.

COMMENTS

The last filename is the new name; preceding names are the files or directories
to be renamed.  You can use wildcard characters in the filenames.  The new
filename must not already exist.  You cannot rename a subdirectory to a new
path!

The REN options are:

    /N      Do everything except actually rename the file(s) (for testing what
            the result of a REN would be).

    /P      Confirm each rename (Y or N).

    /Q      Don't display filenames as they are renamed.

 REN in CMD.EXE only allows a path to be specified with the first file name;
 the path for the target is always the same as the source.  4OS2 allows you to
 optionally select the target path, renaming the source file to a new directory
 on the same disk drive.  If you don't specify a path for the target, REN will
 assume a "CMD.EXE compatible RENAME" and will rename the source file to the
 new name without moving it to another directory.

 If you want to rename to a different drive, use MOVE.

 See also MOVE.

 EXAMPLES

 Rename the file MEMO.TXT to OFFICE.TXT:

      ren memo.txt office.txt

 Rename the directory \WORDPROC to \WP:

      ren \wordproc \wp


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.59. RETURN - Return from batch subroutine ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

RETURN

PURPOSE

Return from a GOSUB (subroutine) call in a batch file.

COMMENTS

The RETURN command returns from a GOSUB call to the command following the
original GOSUB.

See also GOSUB.

EXAMPLES

The following batch file fragment calls a subroutine that displays the current
directory:

    echo Calling a subroutine
    gosub subr1
    echo Returned from the subroutine
    quit
    :subr1
    dir /hw
    return


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.60. SCREEN - Position cursor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

SCREEN row column [message]

PURPOSE

Position the cursor on the screen, and optionally display a message.

COMMENTS

The row and column numbering is zero-based, so on a standard 25 line by 80
column display, valid rows are 0 - 24 and valid columns are 0 - 79.

SCREEN does not change the default screen colors.  To display text in specific
colors, use SCRPUT.

SCREEN checks for a valid row and column, and displays an error message if
either value is out of range.

See also ECHO, SCRPUT, TEXT, and VSCRPUT.

EXAMPLES

The following batch file fragment displays a menu:

    @echo off
    cls
    screen 3 10 Select a number from 1 to 4:
    screen 6 20 1 - Word Processing
    screen 7 20 2 - Spreadsheet
    screen 8 20 3 - Telecommunications
    screen 9 20 4 - Quit


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.61. SCRPUT - Display text in color ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

SCRPUT row column [bright] [blink] fg ON bg text

PURPOSE

Display text in color.

COMMENTS

The row and column numbering is zero-based, so on a standard 25 line by 80
column display, valid rows are 0 - 24 and valid columns are 0 - 79.

SCRPUT is similar to SCREEN, but allows you to specify the display colors, and
writes directly to the screen.

The parameters are:

    row         Start row

    column      Start column

    fg          Foreground character color

    bg          Background character color

    text        The text to display

 Only the first three characters of the color name and attributes ("bright" and
 "blink") are required.

 The available colors are:

      Black      Blue      Green      Red
      Magenta    Cyan      Yellow     White

 See also ECHO, SCREEN, TEXT, and VSCRPUT.

 EXAMPLES

 The following batch file fragment displays a menu in color:

      @echo off & cls white on blue
      scrput 3 10 bri white on blue Select a number from 1 to 4:
      scrput 6 20 bri red on blue 1 - Word Processing
      scrput 7 20 bri yellow on blue 2 - Spreadsheet
      scrput 8 20 bri green on blue 3 - Telecommunications
      scrput 9 20 bri magenta on blue 4 - Quit


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.62. SELECT - Select files for command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

SELECT [/A[:-rhsda] /C /D /O:-deginrsu] command ([path]filename)

PURPOSE

Execute a command on the specified files.

COMMENTS

SELECT allows you to select command line file arguments by marking the files
using a full-screen "point-and-shoot" display.  SELECT substitutes the selected
files for the argument enclosed in parentheses, and executes the command for
each marked file.  If you specify multiple arguments in the parentheses, SELECT
will display the matching files for the first argument, prompt you to mark the
files, execute the command for each marked file, and then continue the same
procedure with the next argument.

The SELECT options are:

    /A      Display only those files that have the specified attribute set.
            Preceding the attribute character with a '-' will display those
            files that DON'T  have that attribute set.  Attributes can also be
            combined.  The attributes are:
              R  Read only
              H  Hidden
              S  System
              D  Directory
              A  Archive

    /C      Display filenames in upper case.

    /D      Disable directory colorization.

    /O      Sort sequence, where ? can be any combination of the following:
              -  Reverse the sort order for the next option
              a  Sort by ASCII value rather than numeric value
              d  Sort by date and time (oldest first)
              e  Sort by extension
              g  Group subdirectories together
              i  Sort by the file description
              n  Sort by the filename (this is the default)
              r  Reverse the sort order for all options
              s  Sort by size
              u  Unsorted

 If you append filenames with a ; (an "include list"), SELECT will display the
 matching filenames in a single listing.  Only the first filename in an include
 list can have a path.

 You can display the file and subdirectory names in color by setting the
 COLORDIR variable.  The format for COLORDIR is:

      ext [...]:[bright][blink] fg [ON bg]; ...

 where "ext" is the file extension, or one of the following file attributes:

      DIRS - directory
      RDONLY - read-only file
      HIDDEN - hidden file
      SYSTEM - system file
      ARCHIVE - file modified since last backup

 For example, to display the .COM and .EXE files in red, the .C and .ASM files
 in bright cyan, and the read-only files in blinking green:

      set colordir=com exe:red; c asm:bright cyan; rdonly:blink green

 If you don't select a background color, SELECT will use the current screen
 background color.

 If you enclose the arguments in square brackets [ ] rather than parentheses,
 SELECT will insert all of the arguments into the command line and only execute
 the command once.  You must be careful not to exceed the maximum line length
 (299 characters).

 SELECT uses the cursor up, cursor down, PgUp, and PgDn keys to scroll through
 the files matching the argument(s).  Use the + key to select a file, and the -
 key to unselect a file.  The * key will reverse all of the current marks
 (excluding subdirectories), and the / key will unmark everything.  After
 marking the files, press ENTER to execute the command. You can select a single
 file by moving the scroll bar to the filename and pressing ENTER.

 To  cancel the SELECT command, type an Escape, ^C, or ^BREAK.

 EXAMPLES

 Select from the files in the current directory with the extension .COM, and
 then from the files with the extension .EXE to copy to the root directory on
 drive A:

      select copy (*.com *.exe) a:\

 Select and run an executable program (.COM or .EXE) from files in the C:\UTIL
 directory (an "include list"):

      select (c:\util\*.com;*.exe)


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.63. SET - Display/Set environment variables ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

SET [/P] [/R [d:][path]filename...] [variable=[value]]

PURPOSE

Display, create, modify, or delete environment variables.

COMMENTS

Entering SET with no variable or value displays the entire environment.  If you
don't enter a value, SET will display the value of that variable. Otherwise,
the variable and value are placed in the environment.  If the variable already
exists, its old contents are replaced by the new value. Variable names are
limited to a maximum of 80 characters, and the value to a maximum of 255
characters.  The variable names are shifted to upper case before being stored
in the environment; the value is stored exactly as entered.

The SET options are:

    /P      Pause after displaying a page of environment entries. Press ^C to
            quit, or any other key to display the next page.

    /R      Read environment variables from a file.  This is much faster than
            loading variables in a batch file.  The file is in the same format
            as the SET display, so SET /R can accept as input a file generated
            by redirecting SET output.

 For example, the following commands will save the environment variables to a
 file, and then reload them from that file:

      set > varlist
      set /r varlist

 You can load variables from multiple files by listing the filenames
 individually after the /R.

 You can add comments to a variable file by starting the comment line with a
 colon (:).

 You can remove multiple environment variables with the UNSET command, and edit
 environment variables with the ESET command.

 See also ESET and UNSET.

 EXAMPLES

 Display the current environment:

      set

 Add a variable to the environment:

      set mine=c:\finance\myfiles

 Remove a variable from the environment:

      set mine=


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.64. SETDOS - Display/set configuration variables ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

SETDOS [/C? /E? /I+|-command /M? /N? /R? /S?:? /U? /V?]

PURPOSE

Display or set 4OS2 configuration variables.

COMMENTS

These options can also be set in the initialization file (4OS2.INI).  Use
SETDOS rather than the .INI file when you need to make temporary changes.

The SETDOS options are:

    /C      The COMPOUND variable is the character used for separating multiple
            commands on the same line.  The default character is the ampersand
            (&).  You cannot use any of the redirection characters (|><), or
            the whitespace characters (blank, tab, comma, semicolon, or equal)
            as the command separator.

    /E      The ESCAPE variable is the character used to suppress the normal
            meaning of the following character.  Any character following the
            escape character will be passed unmodified to the command line.
            The default escape character is the caret (^).  You cannot use any
            of the redirection characters (|><) or the whitespace characters
            (blank, tab, comma, semicolon, or equal) as the escape character.

    /I      The INTERNAL variable allows you to disable or enable internal 4OS2
            commands.  To disable a command, precede the command name with a
            minus (-).  To reenable a command, precede it with a plus (+).

    /M      The MODE variable controls the line editing mode. The default is
            overstrike mode (/M0).  If MODE is set to 1, the default is insert
            mode.

    /N      The NOCLOBBER variable controls output redirection.  If NOCLOBBER
            is set to 1, existing files may not be destroyed by output
            redirection, and when appending with >>, the output file must
            exist.  NOCLOBBER can be overridden with the ! character.  The
            default value is 0.

    /R      The ROWS variable determines the number of screen rows used by the
            video display.  Normally 4OS2 detects the screen size, but if you
            have a non-standard display you may need to set it explicitly.  The
            ROWS variable does not affect screen scrolling (that is controlled
            by your video BIOS and OS/2); it is used only for LIST, SELECT, the
            paged output options (i.e., TYPE /P), and error checking in the
            screen output commands.

    /S      The SHAPE variable sets the default cursor shape.  The format is
            /So:i, where "o" is the cursor size for overstrike mode, and "i"
            the cursor size for insert mode.  The size is entered as a
            percentage of the total character cell size.  The default values
            are 10:100 (a thin underscore cursor for overstrike mode, and a
            block cursor for insert mode).  Because of the way video BIOSes
            remap the cursor, you may not get a smooth progression in the
            cursor size from 0 - 100%. To disable the cursor, use /S0:0.

    /U      The UPPER variable controls the way filenames are displayed for the
            internal commands (COPY, DIR, etc.).  If UPPER is 1, filenames will
            be displayed in upper case.  The default is /U0 (filenames will be
            displayed in lower case).

    /V      The VERBOSE variable controls command echoing in batch files.  If
            VERBOSE is set to 0, batch files will NOT be echoed unless ECHO is
            set ON.  The default is 1 (batch file commands WILL be echoed).  If
            VERBOSE is set to 2, all batch file lines will be echoed, including
            those prefaced by a '@', and when ECHO is OFF.

 EXAMPLES

 Change the COMPOUND character to a ~ (tilde):

      setdos /c~

 Change MODE to insert, VERBOSE to off, and set NOCLOBBER on:

      setdos /m1 /v0 /n1

 Disable the internal LIST command:

      setdos /i-list


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.65. SETLOCAL - Save environment ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

SETLOCAL

PURPOSE

Save a copy of the current disk drive, directory, and environment variables.

COMMENTS

SETLOCAL is used in batch files to save the disk drive, directory, and
environment variables to a reserved block of memory.  You can then change their
values, and later restore the original values with ENDLOCAL.  You cannot use
SETLOCAL in an alias.

SETLOCAL and ENDLOCAL are not nestable within the same batch file. However, you
can have multiple SETLOCAL / ENDLOCAL pairs within a batch file, and nested
batch files can each have their own SETLOCAL / ENDLOCAL. An ENDLOCAL will be
automatically performed at the end of a batch file.

Note that if you invoke a batch from another without using CALL, the first
batch file is implicitly terminated, and an automatic ENDLOCAL performed. The
second batch file will inherit the drive, directory, and environment variables
as they were prior to the SETLOCAL.

See also ENDLOCAL.

EXAMPLES

This batch file fragment saves the disk drive, directory, and environment
variables, changes the disk and directory, modifies some variables, runs a
program, and then restores the original values:

    setlocal
    cdd d:\test & set path=c:\;c:\os;c:\util & set lib=d:\lib
    rem run some program here
    endlocal


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.66. SHIFT - Shift batch arguments ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

SHIFT [n]

PURPOSE

Allow the use of more than 10 variables in a batch file.

COMMENT

SHIFT is provided for compatibility with CMD.EXE. It only supports 10
parameters (%0 through %9); 4OS2 supports 128 (%0 to %127), so you may not need
to use SHIFT for batch files running exclusively under 4OS2.

SHIFT moves each batch file parameter n positions (i.e., if n is 1, then %1
becomes %0, %2 becomes %1, etc.).  The default value for n is 1.  You can also
reverse a SHIFT by giving a negative value for n (i.e., if n is -1, the former
value for %0 is restored, %1 becomes %1, %1 becomes %2, etc.).

SHIFT also affects the %$ (command line tail) and %# (number of command
arguments) batch variables.

EXAMPLES

Create a batch file called TEST.BTM:

    echo %1 %2 %3 %4
    shift
    echo %1 %2 %3 %4
    shift 2
    echo %1 %2 %3 %4
    shift -1
    echo %1 %2 %3 %4

Executing TEST.BTM with the arguments "zero one two three four five six"
produces the following results:

    zero one two three
    one two three four
    three four five six
    two three four five


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.67. START - Start new session ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

START ["title"] [/BG /C /DOS /F /FS /I /ICON=name /INV /K /L /MAX
    /MIN /N /PGM /PM /POS=x,y,x1,y1 /WIN] [command ...]

PURPOSE

Start a program in a new OS/2 session.

COMMENTS

Entering START with no program name starts another 4OS2 session.

START determines the application type automatically and starts it in the
appropriate mode (full-screen, windowed, or PM).  If the program is a DOS app
or Windows 3.x app, 4OS2 will either return an error message (in OS/2 1.3), or
start the program in a VDM (in OS/2 2.0).

You cannot start a batch file (.CMD or .BTM) with /PM; use /FS or /WIN.

The START options are:

    "title"     Specify the title to appear on the title bar and in the PM task
                list.  The title must be enclosed in double quotes and cannot
                exceed 60 characters.  If you don't specify a title, the
                program name is used.

    /BG         Start as a background session.

    /C          Start the application in a 4OS2 session, and end the session
                when the application finishes.

    /DOS        (OS/2 2.0 only) Start a foreground DOS session.

    /F          Start the session in the foreground.  The default is to start
                in the background, unless you specify /DOS, /FS, /WIN, or /PM.

    /FS         Start a foreground full-screen session.

    /I          Inherit the environment specified by the SET statements in
                CONFIG.SYS, rather than the current 4OS2 environment.

    /ICON       Use the specified icon file.

    /INV        Start the session as invisible (no icon; only accessible
                through the Task Manager or Window List).

    /K          Start the application in a 4OS2 session, and keep the session
                when the application finishes.  This is the default for all
                non-PM applications.

    /L          Start 4OS2 with local alias and history lists.

    /MAX        Start the session maximized.

    /MIN        Start the session minimized.

    /N          Start the program directly without using 4OS2.EXE.  The command
                cannot be a batch file or internal command.  This is the
                default value for PM applications.

    /PGM        The next argument is the program name, not a session name.

    /PM         Start a foreground PM application.

    /POS        Specify the start position (x,y), and the window size (x1,y1)
                in pels (the lower left corner is 0,0).

    /WIN        Start a foreground windowed session.

 If you specify a session type incompatible with the program (for example, a
 /PM with a .CMD file), START will start the session in the default mode for
 that program.

 See also DETACH

 EXAMPLES

 Start a full-screen 4OS2 session:

      start /fs

 Start 4DOS in a windowed DOS session (OS/2 2.0 only):

      start /dos /win 4DOS.COM

 The "4DOS.COM" in this example is optional.  4OS2 will start 4DOS
 automatically if no program name is given in a START /DOS command.

 Start CHKDSK in a minimized background window session, without using 4OS2, and
 with the title "Analyzing the disk":

      start "Analyzing the disk" /bg /min /win /n chkdsk


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.68. TEE - Tee pipe fitting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

TEE [/A] [d:][path]filename...

PURPOSE

Copy standard input to standard output, and save a copy in the specified
file(s).

COMMENTS

The only option for TEE is:

    /A      Append output to the file(s) rather than overwriting it.

 If you are typing at the keyboard, enter a ^Z to terminate the input.

 TEE is often used to save the intermediate output of a pipe.

 See also Y.

 EXAMPLES

 Search the file DOC for any lines containing the string "486", make a copy of
 the matching lines in 4.DAT, and write them to the output file 486.DAT:

      find "486" doc | tee 4.dat | sort > 486.dat


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.69. TEXT - Display text block ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

TEXT
 .
 .
 .
ENDTEXT

PURPOSE

Display a block of text in a batch file.

COMMENTS

The TEXT command is useful for displaying menus or multiple-line messages. TEXT
will display subsequent lines in the text until terminated by ENDTEXT. Both
TEXT and ENDTEXT must be entered as the only command on that line.

You can change screen colors by inserting ANSI escape sequences into the text
block.

See also ECHO, SCREEN, SCRPUT, and VSCRPUT.

EXAMPLES

The following batch file fragment displays a simple menu:

    @echo off & cls & screen 2 0
    text
    Enter one of the following:

        1 - Spreadsheet
        2 - Word Processing
        3 - DOS Utilities

    Enter your selection:
    endtext


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.70. TIME - Set/Display time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

TIME [hh:mm:ss]

PURPOSE

Display or set the current system time.

COMMENTS

If you don't enter any parameters, TIME will display the current system time
and prompt you for a new time.  Press ENTER if you don't wish to change the
time, otherwise enter the new time.

The parameters for the TIME command are:

    hh      Hour (0 - 23)
    mm      Minute (0 - 59)
    ss      Second (0 - 59)

 TIME defaults to 24-hour format; you can optionally enter the time in 12-hour
 format by appending an "am" or "pm".

 Whenever you create or modify a file, the system time is recorded in the
 directory entry.

 See also DATE, and TIMER.

 EXAMPLES

 Enter the time (9:30 am):

      time 9:30

 To be prompted for the time:

      time


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.71. TIMER - System stopwatch ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

TIMER [/1 /2 /3 /S] [ON]

PURPOSE

System stopwatch.

COMMENTS

The TIMER command turns an internal stopwatch on and off.  The first time you
run TIMER, the stopwatch starts.  When you run TIMER again, the stopwatch stops
and the elapsed time is displayed.  There are three timers available (1, 2, and
3), so you can time multiple overlapping events.  The default timer is #1.

The options for TIMER are:

    ON      Force the timer to restart

    /1      Use timer #1

    /2      Use timer #2

    /3      Use timer #3

    /S      Display split time without stopping the timer

 TIMER is particularly useful for timing events in batch files.

 The smallest interval TIMER can measure 0.03 seconds; the largest interval is
 23:59:59.99.

 See also TIME.

 EXAMPLES

 Start or stop the timer:

      timer

 Display a split time:

      timer /s


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.72. TYPE - Display files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

TYPE [/L /P] [d:][pathname]filename...

PURPOSE

Display the contents of the specified file(s).

COMMENTS

The TYPE command displays a file.  Press ^S to suspend the display, and any
character key to continue the display.

The TYPE options are:

    /L      Print line numbers preceding each line of text.

    /P      Pause after each page.  Press ^C to quit, or any other key to
            display the next page.

 TYPE is normally only useful for displaying ASCII text files; executable files
 (.COM and .EXE) and many data files will be unreadable due to the presence of
 non-alphanumeric characters.

 You will probably find LIST to be more useful for displaying files.

 See also LIST.

 EXAMPLES

 Display the files MEMO1 and MEMO2, pausing at the end of each page:

      type /p memo1 memo2


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.73. UNALIAS - Remove aliases ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

UNALIAS alias...
UNALIAS *

PURPOSE

Remove aliases from the alias list.

COMMENTS

UNALIAS also accepts the wildcard character * to delete all aliases.

See also ALIAS and ESET.

EXAMPLES

Remove the alias DDIR:

    unalias ddir

Remove the aliases DDIR and ZAP:

    unalias ddir zap

Remove all the aliases:

    unalias *


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.74. UNSET - Remove environment variables ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

UNSET name...
UNSET *

PURPOSE

Remove variables from the environment.

COMMENTS

UNSET also accepts the wildcard character * to delete all environment
variables.  Use caution with UNSET *; many programs are dependent on
environment variables.  (4OS2 relies on PATH and COMSPEC.)

UNSET is often used in conjunction with SETLOCAL / ENDLOCAL in order to clear
the environment of variables that may cause problems for some applications.

See also ESET and SET.

EXAMPLES

Remove the variable CMDLINE:

    unset cmdline

Remove the variables CMDLINE and PATH:

    unset cmdline path

Remove all the environment variables:

    unset *


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.75. VER - Display 4OS2 and OS/2 versions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

VER [/R]

PURPOSE

Display the current 4OS2 and OS/2 versions.

COMMENTS

The 4OS2 and OS/2 versions consist of a one digit major version number, a
period, and a one or two digit minor version number.

The only option for VER is:

    /R      Display the OS/2 and 4OS2 revision levels.

 EXAMPLES

 Get the current version of 4OS2 and OS/2:

      ver


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.76. VERIFY - Set disk write verification ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

VERIFY [on | off]

PURPOSE

Display, enable, or disable disk write verification.

COMMENTS

When VERIFY is ON, the system will verify that no error occurred during each
disk write operation.  It does NOT compare the data actually written to the
disk.  VERIFY will remain ON until you set it OFF.

Entering VERIFY with no parameters will display the current VERIFY state.

Verification will slow your disk write operations slightly.

At system startup, VERIFY is OFF.

EXAMPLES

Check the current verify status:

    verify

Enable disk write verification:

    verify on


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.77. VOL - Display volume labels ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

VOL [d:] ...

PURPOSE

Display the disk volume label(s).

COMMENTS

If you don't enter a drive name, VOL displays the disk label and the volume
serial number for the current drive.

If the disk doesn't have a volume name, VOL will report it as "unlabeled."

Volume labels can be created, changed or deleted with the LABEL command.

EXAMPLES

Display the disk labels for drives A and B:

    vol a: b:


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.78. VSCRPUT - Write vertical text ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

VSCRPUT row column [bright] [blink] fg ON bg text

PURPOSE

Display text in color in a vertical column.

COMMENTS

The row and column numbering is zero-based, so on a standard 25 row by 80
column display, valid rows are 0 - 24 and valid columns are 0 - 79.

VSCRPUT works like SCRPUT, but writes the text vertically.

The parameters are:

    row         Start row

    column      Start column

    fg          Foreground character color

    bg          Background character color

    text        The text to display

 Only the first three characters of the color name and attributes ("bright" and
 "blink") are required.

 The available colors are:

      Black      Blue      Green      Red
      Magenta    Cyan      Yellow     White

 See also ECHO, SCREEN, SCRPUT, and TEXT.

 EXAMPLES

 The following batch file fragment displays an X and Y axis and labels them:

      drawhline 20 10 40 1 bright white on blue
      drawvline 2 10 18 1 bright white on blue
      scrput 21 20 bright red on blue X axis
      vcrput 8 9 bright red on blue Y axis


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.79. Y - Y pipe fitting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SYNTAX     (Internal 4OS2)

Y [d:][path]filename...

PURPOSE

Copy standard input to standard output, and then copy the specified file(s) to
standard output.

COMMENTS

Standard input from the console is terminated by a ^Z.

See also TEE.

EXAMPLES

Get text from standard input, append the files MEMO1 and MEMO2 to it, and send
the output to MEMOS:

    y memo1 memo2 > memos


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. 4OS2 Reference tables ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section includes an ASCII character table, an ANSI command reference, and
a list of the keycodes used by INKEY.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. ASCII table ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

                      Control Characters

    Dec  Hex  Chr  Nam  Ctl   Γöé   Dec  Hex  Chr  Nam  Ctl
    ---  ---  ---  ---  ---   Γöé   ---  ---  ---  ---  ---
    000   00       NUL   ^@   Γöé   016   10      DLE   ^P
    001   01   
   SOH   ^A   Γöé   017   11      DC1   ^Q
    002   02      STX   ^B   Γöé   018   12      DC2   ^R
    003   03      ETX   ^C   Γöé   019   13      DC3   ^S
    004   04      EOT   ^D   Γöé   020   14      DC4   ^T
    005   05      ENQ   ^E   Γöé   021   15      NAK   ^U
    006   06      ACK   ^F   Γöé   022   16      SYN   ^V
    007   07       BEL   ^G   Γöé   023   17      ETB   ^W
    008   08      BS    ^H   Γöé   024   18      CAN   ^X
    009   09       HT    ^I   Γöé   025   19      EM    ^Y
    010   0A       LF    ^J   Γöé   026   1A      SUB   ^Z
    011   0B      VT    ^K   Γöé   027   1B      ESC   ^[
    012   0C      FF    ^L   Γöé   028   1C      FS    ^\
    013   0D       CR    ^M   Γöé   029   1D      GS    ^]
    014   0E      SO    ^N   Γöé   030   1E      RS    ^^
    015   0F      SI    ^O   Γöé   031   1F      US    ^_

                  Punctuation, Digits, Upper Case

  Dec  Hex  Chr Γöé  Dec  Hex  Chr Γöé  Dec  Hex  Chr Γöé  Dec  Hex  Chr
  ---  ---  --- Γöé  ---  ---  --- Γöé  ---  ---  --- Γöé  ---  ---  ---
  032   20      Γöé  048   30   0  Γöé  064   40   @  Γöé  080   50   P
  033   21   !  Γöé  049   31   1  Γöé  065   41   A  Γöé  081   51   Q
  034   22   "  Γöé  050   32   2  Γöé  066   42   B  Γöé  082   52   R
  035   23   #  Γöé  051   33   3  Γöé  067   43   C  Γöé  083   53   S
  036   24   $  Γöé  052   34   4  Γöé  068   44   D  Γöé  084   54   T
  037   25   %  Γöé  053   35   5  Γöé  069   45   E  Γöé  085   55   U
  038   26   &  Γöé  054   36   6  Γöé  070   46   F  Γöé  086   56   V
  039   27   '  Γöé  055   37   7  Γöé  071   47   G  Γöé  087   57   W
  040   28   (  Γöé  056   38   8  Γöé  072   48   H  Γöé  088   58   X
  041   29   )  Γöé  057   39   9  Γöé  073   49   I  Γöé  089   59   Y
  042   2A   *  Γöé  058   3A   :  Γöé  074   4A   J  Γöé  090   5A   Z
  043   2B   +  Γöé  059   3B   ;  Γöé  075   4B   K  Γöé  091   5B   [
  044   2C   ,  Γöé  060   3C   <  Γöé  076   4C   L  Γöé  092   5C   \
  045   2D   -  Γöé  061   3D   =  Γöé  077   4D   M  Γöé  093   5D   ]
  046   2E   .  Γöé  062   3E   >  Γöé  078   4E   N  Γöé  094   5E   ^
  047   2F   /  Γöé  063   3F   ?  Γöé  079   4F   O  Γöé  095   5F   _

                   Lower Case, Miscellaneous

                 Dec  Hex  Chr Γöé  Dec  Hex  Chr
                 ---  ---  --- Γöé  ---  ---  ---
                 096   60   `  Γöé  112   70   p
                 097   61   a  Γöé  113   71   q
                 098   62   b  Γöé  114   72   r
                 099   63   c  Γöé  115   73   s
                 100   64   d  Γöé  116   74   t
                 101   65   e  Γöé  117   75   u
                 102   66   f  Γöé  118   76   v
                 103   67   g  Γöé  119   77   w
                 104   68   h  Γöé  120   78   x
                 105   69   i  Γöé  121   79   y
                 106   6A   j  Γöé  122   7A   z
                 107   6B   k  Γöé  123   7B   {
                 108   6C   l  Γöé  124   7C   |
                 109   6D   m  Γöé  125   7D   }
                 110   6E   n  Γöé  126   7E   ~
                 111   6F   o  Γöé  127   7F   

                International; Graphics Characters 1

  Dec  Hex  Chr Γöé  Dec  Hex  Chr Γöé  Dec  Hex  Chr Γöé  Dec  Hex  Chr
  ---  ---  --- Γöé  ---  ---  --- Γöé  ---  ---  --- Γöé  ---  ---  ---
  128   80   А  │  144   90   Р  │  160   A0   а  │  176   B0   ░
  129   81   Б  │  145   91   С  │  161   A1   б  │  177   B1   ▒
  130   82   В  │  146   92   Т  │  162   A2   в  │  178   B2   ▓
  131   83   Г  │  147   93   У  │  163   A3   г  │  179   B3   │
  132   84   Д  │  148   94   Ф  │  164   A4   д  │  180   B4   ┤
  133   85   Е  │  149   95   Х  │  165   A5   е  │  181   B5   ╡
  134   86   Ж  │  150   96   Ц  │  166   A6   ж  │  182   B6   ╢
  135   87   З  │  151   97   Ч  │  167   A7   з  │  183   B7   ╖
  136   88   И  │  152   98   Ш  │  168   A8   и  │  184   B8   ╕
  137   89   Й  │  153   99   Щ  │  169   A9   й  │  185   B9   ╣
  138   8A   К  │  154   9A   Ъ  │  170   AA   к  │  186   BA   ║
  139   8B   Л  │  155   9B   Ы  │  171   AB   л  │  187   BB   ╗
  140   8C   М  │  156   9C   Ь  │  172   AC   м  │  188   BC   ╝
  141   8D   Н  │  157   9D   Э  │  173   AD   н  │  189   BD   ╜
  142   8E   О  │  158   9E   Ю  │  174   AE   о  │  190   BE   ╛
  143   8F   П  │  159   9F   Я  │  175   AF   п  │  191   BF   ┐

                  Graphics Characters 2; Symbols

  Dec  Hex  Chr Γöé  Dec  Hex  Chr Γöé  Dec  Hex  Chr Γöé  Dec  Hex  Chr
  ---  ---  --- Γöé  ---  ---  --- Γöé  ---  ---  --- Γöé  ---  ---  ---
  192   C0   └  │  208   D0   ╨  │  224   E0   р  │  240   F0   Ё
  193   C1   ┴  │  209   D1   ╤  │  225   E1   с  │  241   F1   ё
  194   C2   ┬  │  210   D2   ╥  │  226   E2   т  │  242   F2   Є
  195   C3   ├  │  211   D3   ╙  │  227   E3   у  │  243   F3   є
  196   C4   ─  │  212   D4   ╘  │  228   E4   ф  │  244   F4   Ї
  197   C5   ┼  │  213   D5   ╒  │  229   E5   х  │  245   F5   ї
  198   C6   ╞  │  214   D6   ╓  │  230   E6   ц  │  246   F6   Ў
  199   C7   ╟  │  215   D7   ╫  │  231   E7   ч  │  247   F7   ў
  200   C8   ╚  │  216   D8   ╪  │  232   E8   ш  │  248   F8   °
  201   C9   ╔  │  217   D9   ┘  │  233   E9   щ  │  249   F9   ∙
  202   CA   ╩  │  218   DA   ┌  │  234   EA   ъ  │  250   FA   ·
  203   CB   ╦  │  219   DB   █  │  235   EB   ы  │  251   FB   √
  204   CC   ╠  │  220   DC   ▄  │  236   EC   ь  │  252   FC   №
  205   CD   ═  │  221   DD   ▌  │  237   ED   э  │  253   FD   ¤
  206   CE   ╬  │  222   DE   ▐  │  238   EE   ю  │  254   FE   ■
  207   CF   ╧  │  223   DF   ▀  │  239   EF   я  │  255   FF


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. ANSI reference ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section is a quick-reference to commonly-used ANSI commands.  This
information is generally applicable to OS/2 and the DOS ANSI drivers.

An ANSI command string consists of three parts:

    ESC[            The ASCII character ESC, followed by a left bracket. These
                    two characters must be present in all ANSI strings.
    parameters      Optional parameters for the command.  If there are multiple
                    parameters they are separated by semicolons.
    cmd             A single-letter command.  The case of the letter IS
                    meaningful.

 For example, to position the cursor to row 7, column 12 the ANSI command is:

      ESC[7;12H

 To transmit ANSI commands to the screen with 4OS2, you should use the ECHO
 command.  The ESC character can be generated by inserting it into the string
 directly (if you are putting the string in a batch file and your editor will
 insert such a character), or by using the internal "escape" character (the
 4OS2 default escape character is the caret ^) followed by a lower-case "e".

 You can also include ANSI commands in your prompt, using $e to transmit the
 ESC character.  You can NOT use PROMPT to transmit ANSI commands to the screen
 from a batch file.

 Commands

    ESC[rowsA               Cursor up
    ESC[rowsB               Cursor down
    ESC[colsC               Cursor right
    ESC[colsD               Cursor left
    ESC[row;colH            Set cursor position (top left is row 1, column 1)
    ESC[2J                  Clear screen
    ESC[K                   Clear from cursor to end of line
    ESC[row;colf            Set cursor position, same as "H" command
    ESC[=modeh              Set display mode; see table of mode values below
    ESC[=model              Set display mode; see table of mode values below
    ESC[attr;attr;...m      Set display attributes; see table of attribute
                            values below
    ESC[key;string;...p     Substitute "string" for the specified key; see key
                            substitutions section below.
    ESC[s                   Save cursor position (may not be nested)
    ESC[u                   Restore cursor position after a save

 Display Attributes

    0         All attributes off (normal white on black)
    1         High intensity (bold)
    2         Normal intensity
    4         Underline (usually effective only on monochrome displays)
    5         Blinking
    7         Reverse Video
    8         Invisible
    30-37     Set the foreground color:
                30=Black   31=Red    32=Green  33=Yellow
                34=Blue    35=Magenta  36=Cyan   37=White
    40-47     Set the background color, same values as above but substitute 40
              for 30 etc.

 Settings are cumulative, so (for example) to set a bright red foreground,
 first set all attributes off, then set red, then bold:

      echo ^e[0;31;1m

 Display Modes

    0       Text 40x25 monochrome
    1       Text 40x25 color
    2       Text 80x25 monochrome
    3       Text 80x25 color
    4       Graphics 320x200 4-color
    5       Graphics 320x200 4-color
    6       Graphics 640x200 2-color
    7       (cursor wrap kludge)

 Mode  7 is an unfortunate kludge; Setting mode 7 with an "h" command tells
 ANSI to wrap text to the next line when it passes the end of a line; setting
 mode 7 with an "l" (lower-case L) command tells ANSI not to wrap text.  For
 all other modes the "h" and "l" commands are equivalent.

 Key Substitutions

 The key substitutions ("p") command causes ANSI to substitute the text in
 "string" when the specified key is pressed.  The key code can be a single
 character in quotes, a numeric ASCII value, or an extended code for a non
 ASCII key (e.g. function or cursor keys) in the form 0;n, where n is the scan
 code for the key.

 The string to be substituted can be a single character or character string in
 quotes, a numeric ASCII value, or an extended key code.

 For a list of numeric ASCII values, see ASCII.

 To clear a key substitution, "substitute" the original key for itself (see
 examples).

 Examples

 Clear the display attributes, then set the display to bright cyan on blue, and
 clear the screen:

      echo ^e[0;44;36;1m^e[2J

 Substitute "dir"<cr> for F4:

      echo ^e[0;62;"dir";13p

 Undo the above substitution:

      echo ^e[0;62;0;62p

 Set up a prompt that saves the cursor position, displays the 4OS2 shell level,
 date, and time on the top line in bright white on magenta, and then restores
 the cursor position and sets the color to bright cyan on blue, and displays
 the standard prompt:

      prompt $e[s$e[1;1f$e[0;45;37;1m$e[K($z)   $d   $t$e[u$e[0;44;36;1m$p$g


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.3. Extended Key Codes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Key Mapping Directives

The format for a key name is:  [Prefix-]Keyname.  The prefix and key name must
be separated by a dash.  The prefix can be left out, or it can be any of the
following:

    Alt     followed by A - Z, 0 - 9, F1 - F12, or Bksp
    Ctrl    followed by A - Z, F1 - F12, Bksp, Enter,
              Left, Right, Home, End, PgUp, PgDn, Ins, or Del
    Shift   followed by F1 - F12 or Tab.

The possible key names are:

    A - Z       Esc         Up          PgUp
    0 - 9       Bksp        Down        PgDn
    F1 - F12    Tab         Left        Home
    Ins         Enter       Right       End
    Del

The following table lists the common extended key codes used by INKEY:

    F1  @59   Alt-F1  @104   Ctl-F1  @94    Shift-F1  @84
    F2  @60   Alt-F2  @105   Ctl-F2  @95    Shift-F2  @85
    F3  @61   Alt-F3  @106   Ctl-F3  @96    Shift-F3  @86
    F4  @62   Alt-F4  @107   Ctl-F4  @97    Shift-F4  @87
    F5  @63   Alt-F5  @108   Ctl-F5  @98    Shift-F5  @88
    F6  @64   Alt-F6  @109   Ctl-F6  @99    Shift-F6  @89
    F7  @65   Alt-F7  @110   Ctl-F7  @100   Shift-F7  @90
    F8  @66   Alt-F8  @111   Ctl-F8  @101   Shift-F8  @91
    F9  @67   Alt-F9  @112   Ctl-F9  @102   Shift-F9  @92
    F10 @68   Alt-F10 @113   Ctl-F10 @103   Shift-F10 @93

    Home  @71     Up    @72     PgUp   @73
    Left  @75                   Right  @77
    End   @79     Down  @80     PgDn   @81
    Ins   @82     Del   @83

    Ctl-Home  @119     Ctl-PgUp   @132
    Ctl-Left  @115     Ctl-Right  @116
    Ctl-End   @117     Ctl-PgDn   @118

    Ctl-A  1    Ctl-N  14
    Ctl-B  2    Ctl-O  15
    Ctl-C  3    Ctl-P  16
    Ctl-D  4    Ctl-Q  17
    Ctl-E  5    Ctl-R  18
    Ctl-F  6    Ctl-S  19
    Ctl-G  7    Ctl-T  20
    Ctl-H  8    Ctl-U  21
    Ctl-I  9    Ctl-V  22
    Ctl-J  10   Ctl-W  23
    Ctl-K  11   Ctl-X  24
    Ctl-L  12   Ctl-Y  25
    Ctl-M  13   Ctl-Z  26

    Alt-A  @30   Alt-N  @49   Alt-1  @120
    Alt-B  @48   Alt-O  @24   Alt-2  @121
    Alt-C  @46   Alt-P  @25   Alt-3  @122
    Alt-D  @32   Alt-Q  @16   Alt-4  @123
    Alt-E  @18   Alt-R  @19   Alt-5  @124
    Alt-F  @33   Alt-S  @31   Alt-6  @125
    Alt-G  @34   Alt-T  @20   Alt-7  @126
    Alt-H  @35   Alt-U  @22   Alt-8  @127
    Alt-I  @23   Alt-V  @47   Alt-9  @128
    Alt-J  @36   Alt-W  @17   Alt-0  @129
    Alt-K  @37   Alt-X  @45
    Alt-L  @38   Alt-Y  @21
    Alt-M  @50   Alt-Z  @44