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DOSview (tm) "A DOS Extension" Written and (C)Copyright 1992-1993 by Skip Bremer Version 1.10 4/13/93 TABLE OF CONTENTS ============================================================================== Topic Section ----- ------- Introduction ...................................................... 1 Miscellaneous ..................................................... 2 Requirements Limits Startup Options Startup Warnings Renaming DOSview Stopping Commands Files ............................................................. 3 Required Supporting Commands .......................................................... 4 General Normal Function Keys Alternate Function Keys Shift Function Keys Control Function Keys Miscellaneous Keys DOSview Menu ...................................................... 5 Swapping .......................................................... 6 Setup ............................................................. 7 Normal Defaults Viewing Defaults Notes Editor ............................................................ 8 Internal Editor Internal Viewer Panel Mode ........................................................ 9 Wide Mode Snake Mode Command Line DOS Mode .......................................................... 10 Normal Function Keys Control Function Keys Miscellaneous Keys Command Line Tree Mode ......................................................... 11 Function Keys Command Line Notes DOS Menu Mode ..................................................... 12 Function Keys Notes Tagging ........................................................... 13 Batch Mode ........................................................ 14 Network Operation ................................................. 15 Credits ........................................................... 16 Shareware ......................................................... 17 Shareware Distribution Registration Disclaimer INTRODUCTION (1) ============================================================================== DOSview (tm) was designed to be a shell for MS-DOS (tm) that meets the real needs of computer professionals (and to some extent, casual users alike). Whenever we faced a choice between enhancing the program's usefulness as a true programming tool as opposed to simply a DOS helper, the programming tool choice won out. This is because we work in an environment that demands a quick, useful tool to help us do our job. We support a large Netware 386 (tm) wide area network domain spanning Texas. Our environment demands a tool that is always available with a useful and powerful command set to ease our job and thereby help us to support our users in a more professional manner. Quite simply, DOSview, more than any other single product we know of, does just that. There are many other shells available to the professional for the asking, and we have access to nearly all of them. With the exception of Norton Commander (tm), however, we know of no shell that comes close to meeting our needs. As such, it should become obvious to you that DOSview was initially patterned after Norton Commander. It's always-available command line and dual-directory panel displays have become famous to those who do serious DOS-level work. After using Norton Commander for some time, many full-time users become aware of certain capabilities that are missing from an otherwise outstanding package. We believe the Norton Commander programmers did a fantastic job in their own right, and as much as DOSview tries to build on their program, some items are still only available in the Norton Commander package. Nevertheless, we have found that DOSview's tool set make it an even more practical approach to DOS-level work. If you agree, then you are probably getting your job done better, as we are. Please use DOSview as you see fit, but if you continue to use it, please abide with the Shareware section of this documentation. This documentation is minimal. It explains what is available in DOSview and how to use its features. It is by no means a tutorial on anything. If you do not know DOS (or networking, if you are in such an environment) then DOSview will, on its own, still make your life easier. If you do have a reasonable understanding of DOS (and, where applicable, networking) then DOSview will expand your capabilities by providing you with many of the "necessities" you normally reach for in a multitude of other packages and separate tools. Please note that DOSview was also coded in a "minimal" fashion. By that we mean that when the choice came between a more robust interface and a sparse command that was simply strong and to-the-point (perhaps lacking in the user interface area), we always chose the latter. One of our overriding goals in writing DOSview was to keep it as small and quick as possible -- at all costs (the menu system is an exception). There are many things that we put into DOSview and then took back out again as we tried to balance its size against its functionality. We are not unhappy with the overall result. We hope it will satisfy you as well. We wrote the code in Borland's Turbo Pascal (tm) 7.0 (real mode) with assembly code where needed. DOSview is actually faster than Norton Commander in some areas, while slightly slower in others. MISCELLANEOUS (2) ============================================================================== Requirements ------------ DOSview's only requirement is that it must run under DOS 3.1 or higher. Limits ------ Maximum files in each panel: 2175 files Maximum directories in the directory tree (Tree Mode): 2325 directories Maximum size of file in the internal editor: 65519 bytes (63.99 kbytes) Startup Options --------------- Normally DOSview is started by typing DV (or whatever you have decided to call it). However, DOSview does have one useful startup option: you can specify what drive each of the two DOSview panels uses as their initial domain. For example, starting DOSview with the command DV C F will start DOSview and then attempt to point the current panel to drive C and its current directory and the other panel to drive F and its current directory. If you had typed DV only, then DOSview would have pointed the current panel to the current drive (and directory) and the other panel to the root of the current drive. Startup Warnings ---------------- When starting DOSview, it checks to see it the help file (normally DV.HLP) is available. If not, DOSview will issue a warning message to you on the startup DOS screen. DOSview also checks all of the defined external viewers, editors and programs found in the INI file, and similarly reports to you any of those files that cannot be found. If you get one of these messages, you should correct the problem by either copying DV.HLP to DV.EXE's home directory or going to setup and redefining the offending external programs. Renaming DOSview ---------------- For your convenience, especially in a shared network environment, you may rename DOSview is you wish. If you do, then all of the supporting files DOSview uses and makes must be and will be renamed along with it. You only need to rename DV.EXE and DV.HLP to another name, like MY.EXE and MY.HLP. DOSview will take care of renaming the INI, TRE and MNU files accordingly. Stopping Commands ----------------- Some commands are very powerful, particularly XCOPY, YMOVE and WIPE; some copy, move, and erase commands. If you find you have made a mistake while performing a lengthy command, press Esc. The next opportunity DOSview has to stop it will ask you if you wish to stop the current process. Answer Yes to halt the current process. Remember, however, that it will only stop the command; it will _not_ reverse any actions that have already taken place. FILES (3) ============================================================================== Required -------- The following files are necessary to run DOSview: DV.EXE The main program. It can be renamed. DV.HLP The help file. If DV.EXE is renamed, then this file must be renamed also. This file must reside in DV.EXE's home directory. That is, if DV.EXE is in C:\TOOLS, then DV.HLP must be there also (or you won't get help). Supporting ---------- The following files are made by DOSview: DV.INI The setup file. This file is placed into DV.EXE's home directory when you save the setup options screen or quick save panel setups with ^F10. If DV.EXE is renamed, then this file will automatically be renamed upon creation. DV.MNU The menu file. This file is placed into DV.EXE's home directory when you edit and save a menu specification. If DV.EXE is renamed, then this file will automatically be renamed upon creation. DV.TRE The tree file. This file be placed into the root of DV.EXE's home drive when you build a tree. If DV.EXE is renamed, then this file will automatically be renamed upon creation. COMMANDS (4) ============================================================================== General ------- DOSview is mostly function key driven. There is an alternate menu system that is especially useful for getting to know DOSview. But for quick work, we find the function key set most useful. For that reason, the function key line at the bottom of the panel windows is "live". In other words, whatever state the keyboard is in, this line reflects it by showing the proper function key set. For example, if you hold the Ctrl key down, then DOSview shows you the control function keys. If only one panel is displayed, the function key line is half size but still helpful. Additionally, a quick F1 press will always show all of the function keys and shortcut keys on one compact screen. Note that function key commands are also dimmed when their commands are not applicable. Many of the most commonly used commands have a shortcut key. Most shortcut keys are control keys. For example, pressing ^O (which is the same as F2) will toggle between Panel Mode and DOS Mode. Some shortcut keys are normal keyboard keys, like '/' for Tree Mode, and only work when the command line cursor is at the beginning of the command line. All shortcut keys are listed as part of the discussion of their normal function key equivalents below and on DOSview's pull down menu windows. Normal Function Keys -------------------- F1 HELP DOSview contains context sensitive help. Anytime you are about to commit to a command, you may press F1 to learn more about it. Some commands take place immediately, and you will need to consult this documentation for them. F2 PANES Toggles between panels, or a single panel, (Panel Mode) display and a no panels display (DOS Mode). You have instant access to DOS in either Panel Mode or DOS Mode, but DOS Mode is sometimes more convenient. See the Panel Mode and DOS Mode appendices for a further explanation of these modes. (Shortcut key = ^O) F3 VIEW Views the highlighted file. See the Setup section for more on viewing. F4 EDIT Edits the highlighted file. See the Setup section for more on editing. F5 COPY Copies the highlighted file or a group of tagged files. The default target is the other panel's domain, or if both panels are the same, nothing. It is important to note that all copy and move sequences carried out by DOSview _always_ carry the source file's attributes to the target copy of the file. This is what we call an "exact copy". You always get exactly what you had (not true with DOS). When copying over readonly files, you will be asked to confirm each copy. When copying over files that already exist, you will be asked to confirm. In this case you may answer O)verwrite to overwrite that one file or A)ll to overwrite that one file and any others that may come up (if copying multiple files). F6 REN Moves the highlighted file or a group of tagged files or -or- MOVE renames one file or directory. If moving, the default target -or- RENMV will be the other panel's domain, or if both panels are the same, nothing. If renaming, the default is the current name. It is important to note that all copy and move sequences carried out by DOSview _always_ carry the source file's attributes to the target copy of the file. This is what we call an "exact copy". You always get exactly what you had (not true with DOS). When moving to files that already exist, you will be asked to confirm. In this case you may answer O)verwrite to overwrite that one file or A)ll to overwrite that one file and any others that may come up (if moving multiple files). F7 MKDIR This command makes a directory that you name within the current panel's domain. F8 ERASE Erases the highlighted file or a group of tagged files. When erasing groups of files, you will be asked to confirm the erasures. When erasing readonly files, you will be asked to confirm each readonly file. This command will also remove empty directories. -or- F8 WIPE When you press F8 on a directory name that contains additional files and/or directories below it, you will be asked twice if you wish to remove the underlying structure. If you answer Yes, _all_ structure below the directory you are pointing at will be deleted, no matter what the attributes of files within that structure are. This is a quick and final "wipe" of the entire directory structure. Be careful! The deletions are actually a combination of file deletes and directory removes, nothing cosmic. But the effect is a thorough bulk cleaning of the structure - all at once. (Most unerase tools can bring back the files deleted with this command). F9 MENU Brings up the DOSview menu system, an alternate to this function key command set interface. Once you learn the function keys (and shortcut keys) you will find that they are faster for getting the job done. F10 QUIT Use this command to quit DOSview (from either Panel Mode or DOS Mode). You will be asked to confirm. Alternate Function Keys ----------------------- F1 DRIVE < Allows you to choose another drive for the left panel. Only on-line drives are shown. You can always simply type a drive letter and a colon and press Enter at the command line for the current panel, as well. F2 DRIVE > Just like DRIVE < except this command is for the right panel. F3 VIEW2 An alternate way of viewing the highlighted file. See the Setup section for more on viewing. F4 EDIT An alternate way of editing the highlighted file. See the Setup section for more on editing. F5 XCOPY This command copies the entire highlighted directory and all of the structure below it to the other panel's domain. As with all copy commands, all of the attributes are carried with all of the files (but not non-dos like network attributes), so you get an exact DOS-level file keeping all file attributes intact. You will be asked to confirm. This is called pruning and grafting by some other utilities. F6 YMOVE This command is just like the XCOPY command except that a move is performed instead of a copy. Again, it is called pruning and grafting in some other utilities. F7 FIND Allows you to search for any file or file specification within the current panel's domain. The file specification should only have trailing wild cards in the filename or the file extension, like: DV.*. After finding a file, you have the choice of continuing the search or "going" directly to the found file. Going means that DOSview will change directories and then point to the found file. (Shortcut key = ^Z) F8 TOTAL Totals all of the files in the underlying structure of the highlighted directory and then displays the total in the same place individual file totals are shown. F9 LINES Switches the display from normal 25 line mode to 43/50 line EGA/VGA mode (if so equipped) and back. F10 DATA Controls what data is displayed for each file in the current panel. See Panel Mode and DOS mode appendices for more on this subject. (Shortcut key = ^D) The default is: FILENAME EXT SIZE (in Bytes) DATE TIME. The alternative is FILENAME EXT SIZE (in KBytes) DATE ATTRIBUTES. Shift Function Keys ------------------- F1 SORT < Sorts the left panel's files by one of the following choices: FILENAME EXT SIZE DATE&TIME ATTRIBUTES The shortcut key ^S conveniently switches back and forth between filename and extension sorts in the current panel. F2 SORT > Sorts the right panel's files by one of the following choices: FILENAME EXT SIZE DATE&TIME ATTRIBUTES The shortcut key ^S conveniently switches back and forth between filename and extension sorts in the current panel. F3 VIEW1 Another way to view the highlighted file. See the Setup section for more on viewing. F4 EDIT? Allows editing of a new file or any file on the system. See the Setup section for more on editing. F5 ATTR Allows you to change one of the attributes for the highlighted file or all tagged files in the current panel. Note that directory attributes, though shown, cannot be changed. A network directory's hidden attribute must be changed using a network utility. (Shortcut key = ^A) F6 GHOST In Snake Mode, DOSview normally shows all files and directories having a hidden attribute in a soft color (a "ghost" color). You can toggle this trait to show all files with a readonly attribute instead. This is great for network management. (Shortcut key = ^G) F7 FILTER Allows you to filter what files are displayed in the current panel. You provide an extension and only those files will be shown. The extension can be less than three characters, but _no_ wild cards may be used. For example, TXT and SC are ok, but SC? is not. (Shortcut key = ^F) F8 BATCH Allows you to write on-the-fly batch files or text files based on tagged files in the current panel. See the Batch Mode section for more on Batch Mode Operations. (Shortcut key = ^B) F9 HEIGHT Toggles the panel heights of both panels from short to tall and back. Combined with a 50-line screen and Snake Mode, you can see a lot of files at once! (135 total files versus 78 files in short mode) (Shortcut key = ^Q) F10 SETUP The main way to set up DOSview's defaults and other items. See the large section on Setup for a full description. Control Function Keys --------------------- F1 PANEL < Turns the left panel on or off. (Also ^P or ShiftTab) F2 PANEL > Turns the right panel on or off. (Also ^P or ShiftTab) F3 VIEWER Turns the other panel into a quick viewer. Works great for text files. Press F3 or F4 (etc) to enhance this mode on any particular file. (Shortcut key = ^V) F4 EDITL Edits the last file edited with the last editor used (internal or external), no matter where you are on your system. F5 STATS Shows the complete memory and disk stats for the host machine. All memory types are shown. The total disk space will be inaccurate if you are spanning drives on a network. (Shortcut key = ^L) F6 COMP Highlights files in both panels newer than the same file in the other panel. If a file does not exist in the other panel, it will also be highlighted. ^K finds duplicate files by name only. (Shortcut key = ^C {compare} or ^K {duplicates}) F7 SWAP Swaps both panel's domains. What was previously displayed in the right panel is now in the left panel and vice versa. The Snake/Wide Modes are not swapped, however. If only one panel is being displayed, then this command will bring the other panel's domain into the current panel, and vice versa. (Shortcut key = ^U) F8 RESCAN Refreshes the current panel (not often needed). (Shortcut key = ^R) F9 WIDTH Toggles the current panel between Wide Mode and Snake Mode. See the Panel Mode section for more about these two modes. (Shortcut key =^W) F10 SAVE Saves both panel's states. A list of what is saved can be found in the Setup section (which also saves panel states). Miscellaneous Keys ------------------ ENTER Runs the highlighted program or changes to the highlighted directory. If not on an EXE, COM or BAT file and not on a directory, then views the current file. See the Setup section for more on viewing. (Also ^M) ^ENTER Copies the current file or directory name to the DOS command line. (Also ^J) TAB Moves from the current panel to the other. If the other panel is not active (not visible), then TAB moves the other panel's domain into the current panel, and vice versa (just like SWAP). (Also ^I) INS Tags or untags the current file and moves to the next file. ^\ A quick way to get to the root directory. Of course, you may also type CD\ at DOSview's DOS prompt. / DOSview provides a complete hard disk tree facility for quickly moving to a particular directory (great for networks). See the Tree Mode section for more. (The DOS command line must be empty to perform this command.) = DOSview provides a built in menu for DOS commands that is completely definable by you. See the Menu Mode section for more. (The DOS command line must be empty to perform this command.) +/- Tags or untags groups of files, the specification you give will act exactly like the normal DOS * and ? specifications. When there are a lot of files in the current directory, this process can take a few seconds because it rereads the directory to get an exact match. (The DOS command line must be empty to perform this command.) * After tagging a set of files (through a panel COMPARE command for example), this command allows you to immediately reverse all of the attributes in the current panel. (The DOS command line must be empty to perform this command.) AltA..Z, Moves the highlight cursor to the next file starting with the Alt0..9, Alt- character you pressed. To continue the search, continue pressing letters. Any letters pressed after the first one do not have to be Alt characters. DOSVIEW MENU (5) ============================================================================= DOSview employs a menu system as an alternative interface provides an intuitive way for new users to learn the somewhat extensive function key interface. Each menu item shows its corresponding function key command in order to help you learn the function key set. Dimmed items on the menus are not available because of the current panel states (tagged or untagged files, highligting a file or directory, etc.). You may either use the Arrow Keys to move to an item and press Enter or simply press the highlighted character for the choice you wish to run. SWAPPING (6) ============================================================================== DOSview employs a swap algorithm in order to provide a reasonable amount of memory for DOS applications that are run from DOSview (either from the command line, point and shoot, or from the DOS menu). DOSview takes about 7K of memory away from applications to remember its shell duties. This amount includes the approximate 3K overhead used by DOS. DOSview gives an abundance of choices on where you would like to have it swap: o Extended memory controlled by HIMEM.SYS, QEMM.SYS, 386MAX.SYS, etc (XMS). o Expanded memory version 4.0 (EMS). o Hard disk (local or network). o RAMdrive defined in EMS memory (/E). o RAMdrive defined in XMS memory (/A). You choose which way you want to go with the setup function. See the Setup section for more. If you allow DOSview to swap anywhere, it will try to swap in this order: EMS, XMS, and then the root of the drive you specified. You have the flexibility in setup to disallow any of the two memory swapping options. Additionally, you may specify the drive that DOSview will use if it can't swap to memory. We like to default DOSview to look for both EMS and XMS and then, if needed, swap to a privately mapped drive letter on the network (that we all have). Your needs may dictate that you negate one or both of the memory options depending upon what applications you are running. DOSview has no problems running in a DOS window under Windows 3.1. You can even run Windows _from_ DOSview if you feel a quick need. When running on a network, you should keep the following in mind: Do not try to run batch files that have mapping commands in them. The maps will be for a child DOS process and the program you are trying to run will not run. This is true of any shell program. Of course, whether on a network or not, do not run memory resident software from DOSview. This also is true of any shell program. If DOSview cannot find a place to swap, then it will put a message under the DOS prompt before it runs the program to remind you of such. You should correct the problem if this occurs because a lot of memory is used in this case. The message is: (unable to swap). CONFIG.SYS DOS command to provide XMS swapping memory: DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS (or QEMM.. or 386MAX.., etc) {If you are not running HIMEM.SYS - you probably ought to be...} CONFIG.SYS DOS commands to provide EMS swapping memory: DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS DEVICE=EMM386.EXE 160 RAM CONFIG.SYS DOS commands to provide a RAMdrive swapping drive: DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS DEVICE=RAMDRIVE.SYS 160 /E -or- /A The /E is for XMS (extended) and the /A is for EMS (expanded). You should make sure your RAMdrive has at least 160,768 bytes available for the swap. RAMDRIVE.SYS will take a little bit when creating the 160K (143,840 bytes) drive. Don't be confused! Normally only DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS is needed to perform memory swapping. Note that the shareware version of DOSview swaps a little more code than the registered version. The above figures are for the registered version. It should be noted that when viewing programs with the F3 key, or editing files with the F4 key, those external programs run without any swapping in order to provide super-fast viewing capability. See the Setup section for more. SETUP (7) ============================================================================== The setup facility is accessed with the ShiftF10 key and is the main way you configure DOSview to work the way you want it to work. This discussion will talk about the setup items as they appear on the setup screen. The Tab and ShiftTab keys will quickly move around the Setup Mode screen. Then use the Down and Up arrow keys. Ins toggles insert/overtype. NORMAL DEFAULTS =============== Swap Drive ---------- This is where you tell DOSview what drive to use for its swapping algorithm. You can only enter any drive letter that exists on your system except floppys. It will only swap to the root of this drive if the next two memory swapping choices are both turned off or if DOSview cannot find any EMS or XMS memory to swap to. On a network, we recommend that this drive be a privately mapped drive letter that is unique for each user. See the Swapping section for more. Novell example: MAP ROOT H:=SYS:USERS\%LOGIN_NAME Allow EMS Swaps --------------- If Yes, then this is always the first place DOSview looks to swap to. 160K of EMS will be used for the swap (10 16K pages). See the Swapping section for more. Allow XMS Swaps --------------- If Yes, then this is always the second place DOSview looks to swap to. It will swap to EMS first if available and you have that option turned on. If swapping to XMS, then a little less then 160K will be allocated to DOSview for the swap. See the Swapping section for more. Color Set --------- You choose the color set you wish DOSview to use here. This only affects the actual color schemes, not the video memory addresses (it figures that out all by itself). Show File Colors ---------------- If Yes, then DOSview will show certain file extensions in color (see the A B C D .. section below) and will show either hidden or readonly files in a "ghost" color. Show Volume Label ----------------- If Yes, then DOSview will show the drive or volume's volume label just before the current directory at the top of each panel. This can be especially nice for networks with more than one volume. F4-Internal Editor ---------------------- This determines whether the internal or external editor is called when you press F4. The other editor will run when you press AltF3. User Name for Net Prompt ------------------------ The name to be shown in the DOSview prompt when on a network. See the Network Operations section. A B C D .. (File Colors) ---------- This portion of the setup screen is where you may define different display colors for certain file types. For example, enter 'EXE' and 'E' to show executable files on bright white on a color system. Trailing wild cards only are allowed here. Examples: TXT TX TX* T* VIEWING DEFAULTS ================ The following setup choices define how DOSview will interact with your files when viewing and editing them. In all cases, either the complete path name of the program or a shortcut defined as '&' before the program name is required. '&' means the program's path is the same as DV.EXE's home directory. This is convenient when you wish to move DOSview around along with your defined support viewers. The complete path (or '&') is needed to ensure that DOSview run the viewing program as quickly as possible (without DOS search support) for better integration. The file extension must also be included. Examples: c:\dos\edit.com &edit.com (with DV.EXE being in the same directory as EDIT.COM) External Viewer1 ---------------- This program will normally call the highlighted file whenever you press F3, unless you have defined an 'ext' program for the highlighted file type. Even if you have defined an 'ext' program, pressing ^F3 will force this program to run anyway, bypassing the 'ext' program. External Viewer2 ---------------- This program will call the highlighted file whenever you press AltF3, no matter what else is defined. External Editor --------------- Even though DOSview has a reasonable internal editor, you may wish to use your own. You define that program here. 'Ext' Programs -------------- In addition to the viewing choices above, you may define specific 'ext' programs for various file types here. They will run when F3 (or Enter for a few) is pressed. To bypass one of these viewers for the External Viewer1, press ^F3 instead. Trailing wild cards are allowed here. Examples: ZIP &pkzip.exe -vbmn WK* c:\lotus\123.exe W* &123.exe If you pressed Enter on an 'ext' program file type, but one was not defined, then DOSview will look for an F3 'ext' program and then for External Viewer1. The main difference between these 'ext' programs is that DOSview gives you the swapping choice for each program (viewer1/2 and the external editor do not swap in oder to maintain speed). Some 'ext' programs require swapping due to their internal memory requirements. Here is something we use these 'ext' program categories (F3 and Enter) for: Ext S 'Ext' Programs (F3) ZIP Y &zv.exe - our third party program that show a pick list of zip files for further viewing without actually unzipping zip file. (Enter) ZIP N &pkzip.exe -vbmn - simply lists the zip file names to the screen. NOTES ===== Do not define EXE, COM or BAT files. DOSview already knows exactly what to do with them. When you press F2 to save your setup choices, the states of the two directory panels are also saved. The same items are saved whenever you press ^F10 (SAVE) from a panel. The saved panel items are: Active panel (Tab) Other panel visibility (^F9) Panels height (ShiftF9) Left panel Wide/Snake Mode (F9) Right panel Wide/Snake Mode (F9) Left panel sort key type (ShiftF1) Right panel sort key type (ShiftF2) Left panel data display (AltF10) Right panel data display (AltF10) The setup file, DV.INI, is always kept in DV.EXE's home directory. EDITOR (8) ============================================================================== INTERNAL EDITOR =============== DOSview comes with its own internal editor. This means that any time you press F4, by default, DOSview will instantly edit the file with its editor. Although the DOSview editor has its limitations, it also has some handy characteristics. We'll try to list the advantages and disadvantages next: Advantages ---------- o Instantly available and always there when you need it (not necessarily true of add-on external editors). o Line oriented blocking (many external editors, however, if they offer blocking, will have more sophisticated blocking than line only). o Instant cut and paste line operation (F3 and F4). o Built-in ascii chart. o Rudimentary printing capability. o Word wrap, justification, case ops, shift ops, tab options, and white space display options. o Secondary WordStar commands key set. o Automatic editing of readonly files, restoring that attribute upon completion of editing. o Clean editing format, i.e., closes the file while it is being edited to make life easier on a network. Disadvantages ------------- o Text file editing only. o Files of 65519 bytes or less. o Line length of 127 characters or less. What's nice about the internal editor is that you can have it when you want it and still use your own favorite external editor when you wish. See more about editing choices in the Setup section. We think the DOSview internal editor is quite useful. As meager as this documentation is -- it was done in its entirety with the DOSview editor. Here are the internal editor commands by keys: Normal Function Keys -------------------- F1 HELP Context-sensitive help. F2 SAVE Saves the file being edited and continues editing. (^KS) F3 CUTB≈L Cut either the current line or the current block (if a block is highlighted) for later pasting. F4 PUTB≈L Pastes the last line or block that was cut. F5 COPYB Copies the marked block to the cursor position. (^KC) F6 MOVEB Moves the marked block to the cursor position. (^KV) F7 BEGINB Defines the beginning of a block. (^KB) F8 ENDB Defines the end of a block. (^KK) F9 HIDEB Toggles showing and hiding a marked block. (^KH) F10 QUIT Quits editing the file. Alternate, Shift and Control Function Keys ------------------------------------------ F1 CHART Displays an ascii chart. F2 PRNTB≈F Prints the highlighted block or the entire file to LPT 1, 2 or 3. (^KP) F3 DELEB≈L Deletes the current block or line. (^KY) F4 CASEB≈L Cases the current block or line to upper or lower case or toggle the case. (AltU, I, O) F5 WRITEB Writes the current block to a file. (^KW) F6 READB Reads a file into a block. (^KR) F7 JUSTB≈L Justifies the current block or line left, right or center with the current margins. (AltL, C, R) F8 SHFTB≈L Shifts the current block one character space to the left or right. (Alt-, =) F9 TABB≈L Entabs (adds tabs) or detabs (deletes tabs) to or from the current block or line. Entabbing makes tab characters out of every eight space string. Detabbing makes eight spaces out of every tab. (AltD, E) F10 DISPLAY Shows all file parts separate from non-file parts. Great way to find extra spaces at the end of lines. Also toggles between showing actual control characters and an easier-to-identify representation of them. (^OD) Miscellaneous Keys ------------------ Ins Toggles insert/overtype modes. (^V) Del Deletes character at the cursor. (^G) ^T Deletes word. ^BkSp Deletes word left. (^H) ^Y Deletes current line. ^QY Deletes line right. (AltK) ^QL Restores current line. (^U) ^OR Sets right margin. ^OI Toggles auto indent mode. ^OT Toggles tab size between 8 and 5 characters. ^OW Toggles word wrap mode. ^B Reformats the current paragraph from the cursor position to the end of the paragraph. ^OB Reformats the entire document from the cursor position. ^P Enters a control character with the next character typed. To enter an Escape character, press ^P and then Escape. ^QF Finds case insensitive. (^Z) ^QA Finds and replaces. The replace string is always case sensitive. (^A) ^L Does the next find or replace. (AltZ or ShiftTab) ^QQ Enter the current date and time. (AltQ) ^K1..3 Define a text marker. ^Q1..3 Go to a text marker. Movement Keys ------------- Arrows One place in arrow direction. Home To beginning of line. End To end of line. PgUp Up one screen. PgDn Down one screen. ^Home To top of screen. ^End To bottom of screen. ^PgUp To top of file. ^PgDn To bottom of file. Status Line Symbols ------------------- The status line at the top of the editing screen is defined like this: *FILENAME.EXT XX% Blk Ins Ind Tab:X Wrp:XX Row:XXXX Col:XXX Chr:XXX KB:XXX HH:MM * File has been modified and not yet saved. FILENAME.EXT The name of the file being edited. XX% Cursor placement in the file as a percentage of 100%. Blk A block is marked and showing. Ins Insert mode selected (vs overtype mode). Ind Auto indent mode selected. Tab:X Tab size is X (5, 8). Wrp:XX Right margin is XX (28 - 78). Row:XXXX Row is XXXX (1 - 9999). Col:XXX Column is XXX (1 - 127). Chr:XXX Character at cursor is code XXX (0 - 255). Bytes:XXXXX File is XXXXX Bytes in size (0 - 65519). Editor Notes ------------ All switches and states (word wrap, last find string, etc) are remembered between editing sessions as long as DOSview remains active. The F3 and F4 keys (cut and paste) actually write, read and erase a temporary block on disk. Most commands move the cursor down one line after completion to make repetitive editing operations easier. The word wrap function offers an extra feature not found in a lot of editors or word processors. When wrapping a paragraph, it respects the correctness of two following spaces after sentence endings. A sentence ending is defined by a '.', '?', '!' or ':'. In fact, it checks lines to make sure this is the case, and if it finds an incorrect instance, it corrects it during the wrap. INTERNAL VIEWER =============== DOSview comes with its own internal viewer. This means that any time you press F3, by default, DOSview will instantly view the file with its viewer, unless, of course, an 'ext' program has been defined. The DOSview viewer is quite weak and is only available in case a defined external viewer is not available. It is only meant for text files and is actually a read-only implementation of the editor. Advantages ---------- o The viewer is available in case you have nothing else to use. Disadvantages ------------- o Text file viewing only. o Files larger than 64K will only display the first 64K. o Line length of 254 characters or less. See more about viewing choices in the Setup section. Here are the internal viewer commands by keys: Normal Function Keys -------------------- F1 HELP Context-sensitive help. F10 QUIT Quits editing the file. Alternate, Shift and Control Function Keys ------------------------------------------ F10 DISPLAY Shows all file parts separate from non-file parts. Great way to find extra spaces at the end of lines. Also toggles between showing actual control characters and an easier-to-identify representation of them. (^OD) Miscellaneous Keys ------------------ ^QF Finds case insensitive. (^Z) ^L Does the next find. (AltZ or ShiftTab) Movement Keys ------------- Arrows One place in arrow direction. Home To beginning of line. End To end of line. PgUp Up one screen. PgDn Down one screen. ^Home To top of screen. ^End To bottom of screen. ^PgUp To top of file. ^PgDn To bottom of file. Status Line Symbols ------------------- The status line at the top of the editing screen is defined like this: FILENAME.EXT Row:XXXX Col:XXX Chr:XXX View HH:MM FILENAME.EXT The name of the file being viewed. Row:XXXX Row is XXXX (1 - 9999). Col:XXX Column is XXX (1 - 254). Chr:XXX Character at cursor is code XXX (0 - 255). ViewOnly Signifies read-only mode. PANEL MODE (9) ============================================================================== Panel Mode is the normal DOSview interface. Normally two panels are visible, left and right. They are also referred to as the current panel and the other panel. A panel shows a portion of the current drive for that panel. It follows that the current panel shows the current drive (and directory) while the other panel shows its drive and directory (which may not be the current place unless both panels show the same thing). Where a panel resides is called its domain. In other words, if the current panel (the panel that has the wide bar highlight cursor) is showing the TOOLS directory contents on drive C, then that panel's domain is C:\TOOLS (the current directory if you were really in DOS). It's really very intuitive. The top of each panel shows its domain name. The current panel shows its domain name in reverse colors, while the other panel shows its domain name in the normal panel window frame color. Within each panel are listed the directories (first) and the files (second) that are in that domain. They may be sorted in almost any fashion. They may or may not be filtered. A big difference is whether the panel is in Wide Mode or Snake Mode. Wide Mode --------- This is the alternate "picture" for a panel. In this mode, each line includes a file or directory name and certain information about that file or directory. The wide bar cursor covers the width of the panel. The top line in the panel shows the titles for each field in the panel. One of the field's titles is always off-color, denoting the current sort column. The bottom line in the panel shows the totals for files, file sizes and directories within the panel's domain. Note that when files are tagged, the file and size totals change to the totals for the tagged files only (the color changes to that of a tagged file to help you remember this). Also available on this line is a 'H' or 'R' denoting whether all hidden or readonly files or shown in a "ghost" color via the ShiftF6 GHOST command toggle. Additionally, files may be colored differently if file colors are active (see the Setup section for more on this). The size column may be in bytes or kilobytes, depending on the status of the AltF10 DATA command toggle. The same is true for the last column, which will show either the file time or the file attributes. (This is true to an extent in both Wide and Snake Modes). Snake Mode ---------- This is the default "picture" for a panel. In this mode, each column (there are three of them here) shows a continuing list of directory and file names only from the previous column. The information for each file is now shown on the top line in the panel. One of the information items will still be off-color to denote the current panel sort key. The bottom line in the panel is the same as when in Wide Mode. Command Line ------------ These keys will manipulate the command line while in Panel Mode: ^Left/^Right Move left/right ONE character on the command line (Left/Right are used to move the wide bar cursor). ^Home/^End Move to the next WORD on the command line (Home/End are used to move the wide bar cursor). ^E/^X Use these keys to load the previous/next issued DOS command onto the command line (Up/Down are used to move the wide bar cursor). ^BkSp/^T Delete the previous/next word on the command line. DOS MODE (10) ============================================================================== DOS Mode is the alternate DOSview interface. When in Panel Mode, pressing F2 takes you to DOS Mode (removes the panels from view). The purpose of DOS Mode is really just to view the full DOS screen. But while in this mode, the command line is a little easier to use. If you change directories and then later change to Panel Mode with F2, the new current directory will become the current panel's domain, as you would expect. We use F2 a lot to see the DOS screen and to sometimes enter complicated DOS commands and then press Up Arrow to repeat or edit them. That's why the toggle command is on such a choice function key. In DOS Mode these keystrokes are available: Normal Function Keys -------------------- F1 HELP Mini-help. F2 PANELS Returns to Panel Mode. F9 MENU Brings up the DOSview menu. F10 QUIT Quits DOSview. Control Function Keys --------------------- F1 PANEL < Turns on the left panel. F2 PANEL > Turns on the right panel. F4 STATUS Shows the currnet machine status. Miscellaneous Keys ------------------ / DOSview provides a complete hard disk tree facility for quickly moving to a particular directory (great for networks). See the Tree Mode section for more. (The DOS command line must be empty to perform this command.) = DOSview provides a built in menu for DOS commands that is completely definable by you. See the Menu Mode section for more. (The DOS command line must be empty to perform this command.) Command Line ------------ Up/Down Use these keys to load the previous/next issued DOS command onto the command line. Left/Right Moves left/right on the command line. ^Left/^Right Moves left or right one word on the command line. Home/End Moves to the beginning/end of the command line. ^BkSp/^T Deletes the previous/next word on the command line. Ins Toggle insert/overtype modes. Esc Restores and edited command line to its original form or deletes a command line. TREE MODE (11) ============================================================================== DOSview has a Tree Mode that has one singular purpose, to find and go to directories quickly. Our system has over 1700 directories on the main Novell (tm) volume. Trying to navigate to many or these directories, even from within a DOSview panel, can be tedious. However, a quick '/' press and a quick F2 for find and then Enter works wonders. All of the intermediary directory reads needed to get to some deep directories is passed when using the tree to go to the directory. Once you try it, you'll see what we mean. The Tree Mode commands are: Function Keys ------------- F1 HELP Tree Mode help. F2 FIND This command brings up a dialog box asking for the name of the directory you are searching for. F3 NEXT After moving to a directory on the tree's pick list, press F3 to move to the next occurrence of the directory name you are trying to find. F5 BUILD This command rebuilds the tree after you have changed your directory structure. F10 CANCEL This command quits Tree Mode. Pressing Enter on a directory will do the same thing, of course. Notes ----- After bringing up the tree, you can press the character keys to start an incremental search. For example, if you are looking for a directory named TEMP, just start typing it: T E M P. DOSview will take you to that directory name (if it is in the list) and then just press Enter to go to the directory TEMP. The tree file, DV.TRE, is always kept in the root directory of DV.EXE's home drive in readonly, hidden status (DOSview's internal editor can edit readonly files). When attempting to build the tree file, DOSview always checks to see if it is possible (you have rights to that root directory, etc.) before actually starting the rebuild. If you select a subdirectory starting with the same name as a sibling subdirectory under the same parent directory, DOSview may be unable to locate it. For example, in this tree segment: ├PARENT │├SUB │└SUB2 if you select SUB2, DOSview will probably report it as missing. DOS MENU MODE (12) ============================================================================== DOSview has a built-in menuing capability. Probably the easiest way to describe this is make a menu item and run it. So.. press '=' to bring up the menu. At first their will be nothing on the list. Press F2 to edit the list. Then, as an example, enter D on the first line. Then press the Space Bar once. Then enter Dir on the first line. Then tab once and enter the '|' (pipe) symbol. Then enter DIR/W. Then press Enter to go to the next line. Now press F2 to save the menu file. Then press F10 to quit the editing mode (the menu is simply a text file held in the internal editor). Now press Enter while pointing to your Dir menu command. That's all there is to it. You can have a near unlimited number of items in this list. Any typeable character can be used as the menu character (case is sensitive here). If you wish for DOSview to prompt you for input, place a '?' after the command. Then, when running that command, DOSview will ask you for optional parameters. You may type in the parameter or press ^Enter to insert either the highlighted file or all of the tagged files (if less than 127 characters) into the DOS command. When editing the menu file, press F1 for a reasonable display of how to enter a menu item (as we just did above). Placing a '!' after the command will cause DOSview to automatically use the highlighted file as the parameter. Function Keys (when using the menu) ------------- F1 HELP Help. F2 EDIT Edits the menu file. F10 CANCEL Quits Menu Mode. Function Keys (when editing the menu) ------------- F1 HELP Help (same as editor help). F2 SAVE Saves the menu file. F3 CUTLN Cuts the current line to a buffer. F4 PUTLN Puts the line from the buffer to the cursor position. F10 QUIT Quits editing. Notes ----- The menu file, DV.MNU, is always kept in DV.EXE's home directory in readonly, hidden status (DOSview's internal editor can edit readonly files). Note that when editing the menu file, you are actually in DOSview's internal editor with a different window size. All internal editor functions work normally. Also, F1 gives a good example of how to enter a new menu item. Menu editing is only allowed when you are in Panel Mode. TAGGING (13) ============================================================================== There is more than one way to tag a file or group of files in DOSview. The quickest and most used way is to use the Ins key to toggle the tag on the currently highlighted file to on or off. Note that when you tag files, the bottom line in the panel window changes to the tagged color and now displays file and size totals for the tagged files only. Another way to tag files is to use the '+' key (either one) for tagging and the '-' key for untagging. When using either of these keys, you will be asked for a file specification. You may use any true DOS wild card spec here (unlike some other areas of DOSview) to determine which files are to be tagged or untagged. When tagging a large set of files, this process can take a few seconds or sometimes moments (unless the spec is *.*) as DOSview rereads the domain and matches the appropriate file names. This +, - tagging is progressive. In other words you may decide to tag *.EXE files and then tag *.COM files. The *.EXE set will remain tagged as the *.COM files become tagged. The reverse (untagging) works the same way. BATCH MODE (14) ============================================================================== The ShiftF8 BATCH command is available to help you perform batch operations on defined groups of files in the current panel's domain. After tagging the files you wish to manipulate, press this command key and a dialog box will appear. Here are the dialog questions: File name Enter the name of the batch file you wish to make or run here. --------- The default is always ~DV.BAT. If you do not change this name, then when you are ready to execute the information you have entered into the dialog box, DOSview will immediately run this batch file but will _not_ save it. This is to keep you from trashing up your hard disk with many temporary batch files. You will need to rename this default name to something else, like MY.BAT, in order to save it. Then DOSview will immediately save the file but not run it. You must then point to it and run it or enter its name on the command line. This is so you can review and perhaps edit the batch file before executing it. You can also name the file by an ordinary name like MYLIST as opposed to a batch file name (.BAT). This can be extremely useful for those programs (like PKZIP (tm)) that can use a list file full of file names derivatives. Text before Enter any text you wish to place before each file listed (the ----------- tagged files) in the batch/list file. Format For Here, you have three choices on how DOSview will actually write ---------- the tagged file names to the file. P = the full pathname, like C:\TOOLS\MY.EXE; F = the filename and extension only, like MY.EXE; and N = the filename only, like MY. Text after Enter any text you wish to place after each file listed (tagged ---------- files) in the batch/list file. Note that the bottom line in the dialog box always shows you exactly the line you are building with the above entries. BATCH FILE example: If you enter MY.BAT copy N B: /v then DOSview would make this batch file: copy FILEX.EXT B: /v copy FILEXX.EXT B: /v copy FILEXXX.EXT B: /v etc.. where FILEX.EXT represents the files you have tagged prior to entering the dialog box. LIST FILE example: If you enter MYLIST F then DOSview would make this list file: FILEX.EXT FILEXX.EXT FILEXXX.EXT etc.. Here, you could then issue this command on the DOS command line: PKZIP -U @MYLIST instead of PKZIP -U FILE1.EXT FILE2.EXT FILE3.EXT etc. NETWORK OPERATIONS (15) ============================================================================== Operating DOSview on a network is exactly like operating it on a standalone machine with the following exception. You _may_ configure DOSview so that each user gets their own DV.INI file. Simply make a file that resides in DV.EXE's home directory called DV.NET (or NEWNAME.NET if you renamed DV.EXE). Place the path for users' ini files on the first line of this file, like H:\. All users must have acess rights to this path and it must be a place that is physically distinct for all users. A "privately" mapped "home" drive is perfect in this case, like mapping F:\USER\%USERNAME% to H:\. In the above case, when a user starts DOSview for the first time, DOSview will copy a DV.INI file from DV.EXE's home to the path defined in DV.NET. It will only do that if DV.INI is not already there. From then on, the user has his own INI file. CREDITS (16) ============================================================================== Norton Commander and Norton Utilities are trademarks of Symantec Corporation. Turbo Pascal is a trademark of Borland International. PKZIP is a registered trademark of PKWARE, Inc. MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Netware and Novell are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. Trademarks of other companies mentioned in this file are the property of their respective companies. SHAREWARE (17) ============================================================================== Shareware --------- THIS IS NOT FREE SOFTWARE! You may evaluate and use this product, but if you decide to make use of it on a regular basis, you should register your copy. Note: Businesses, government agencies and institutions are required to register this software package before extended use. We offer several inducements to you for registering. First of all, you will receive the most up-to-date copy of the program that we have -- and we update the program on a regular basis. Also, we have a few utilities that work quite nicely with DOSview (multi-windowed editor, Norton Utilites (tm) -like mini clone, etc.) not included in this package that we will ship to you upon registration. Third, you will never see the shareware message again. Make no mistake, however -- this is a fully functional version of DOSview that is not "crippled" in any way (other than the shareware notice when requesting help). Distribution ------------ This is "user-supported" software. You are hereby granted permission to distribute this evaluation copy of DOSview and its documentation, subject to the following conditions: 1. DOSview may be distributed freely without charge in evaluation form only. 2. DOSview may not be sold, licensed, or a fee charged for its use. If a fee is charged in connection with DOSview, it must cover the cost of copying or dissemination only. Such charges must be clearly identified as such by the originating party. Under no circumstances may the purchaser be given the impression that he is buying DOSview itself. 3. DOSview must be presented as a complete unit, including this documentation. Neither DOSview nor its documentation may be amended or altered in any way. 4. By granting you the right to distribute the evaluation form of DOSview, you do not become the owner of DOSview in any form. Any other use, distribution or representation of DOSview is expressly forbidden without the written consent from the author. Registration ------------ The non-commercial single-user registration fee for DOSview is $25.00 US. The commercial/government and multi-system site fee for DOSview is $100.00 US. Send a check, money order or company P.O. for the appropriate amount to: Skip Bremer - DOSview 3401 Cactus Wren Way Austin, Texas 78746 Thank you. Disclaimer ---------- The author does not warrant that the functions contained in this program will meet your requirements or that the program operation will be uninterrupted or error free. The author specifically disclaims all other warranties, expressed or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of fitness for any particular purpose and of merchantability. In no event will the author be liable to you for any damages, including but not limited to any lost profits, lost savings, commercial damage or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use this program, or for any claim by any other party.