Best of Big Blue Disk/bbdbest.zip/HISTORY.TXT

Text File | 1987-09-18 | 6KB | 110 lines

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|D║ |5The Happy Hacker |D║════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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^C^1DOS COMMAND HISTORY
^Cby
^CBryan Higgins

   DOS COMMAND HISTORY (referred to as HISTORY in the rest of this
documentation) is a program for PC-DOS 2.0 and later which allows the user to
recall, edit, and reissue previously-typed DOS commands.  If a mistake is made
on the command currently being entered but is not noticed until after several
more characters have been typed, the mistake may be fixed without deleting the
intervening characters.

   The user steps back and forth through old commands using the up- and down-
arrow keys.  The left- and right-arrow keys may be used to move within a line.
Home moves to the beginning of the line, while End moves back to the end.  The
Delete key deletes the character to the left of the cursor and the Remove key
deletes the character under the cursor.  Normal characters are inserted into
the line.  When the user types Return, the entire line is sent regardless of
the position of the cursor.

   A line may be recalled by content by typing F9; the user is then prompted
for a search string.  The history list is searched backwards for the line
beginning with the specified string.  To search for the next-most recent
occurrence of the string, the user merely hits the F8.  As a shorthand for F9,
F10 prompts for a single-character search string without a carriage return;
the selected string is automatically sent.  The string seleted by F9 or F10 is
remembered between HISTORY invocations.  Subsequent uses of the Find key use
this string until another is chosen.

   Multiple DOS commands may be entered on one line by separating them with a
semicolon.  The commands will be sent one at a time to DOS.  A semicolon as
the last character on the line will be sent along (hello, MicroSoft).  To
enter a semicolon mid-command, type two (one will be sent).

   Other commands are summarized below.


^CInstallation

   HISTORY is enabled by executing HISTORY.EXE once per boot, typically from
AUTOEXEC.BAT.  It requires about 5K of dedicated memory.  It cannot be run
from the BIG BLUE DISK menu; you must type HISTORY from the DOS command level.

   HISTORY works by trapping DOS function 0AH.  Since programs other than
COMMAND.COM also use function 0AH, HISTORY must dis-tinguish COMMAND.COM from
the crowd.  It does this by remembering the address of the very first program
to call it after it's been loaded; to insure that COMMAND.COM is the first
caller, make HISTORY the last command in AUTOEXEC.BAT or invoke it manually.


                                Command Summary

           Up-arrow or        Move back through commands
           PgUp
           Down-arrow or      Move forward through commands
           PgDn
           Left-arrow         Move the cursor left one character
           Right-arrow        Move the cursor right one character
           Home               Move the cursor to the beginning of line
           End                Move the cursor to the end of the line
           Cntrl-left-arrow   Move the cursor left one word
           Cntrl-right-arrow  Move the cursor right one word
           Backspace          Delete the character before the cursor
           Delete             Delete the character under the cursor
           Ctrl-Home          Delete from the beginning of the line to the
                              cursor
           Ctrl-End           Delete from the cursor to the end of the line
           Insert             Toggle insert/overstrike mode (starts each
                              time in insert mode).
           Return             Send the line
           F9                 Select and find search string
           F8                 Find next occurrence of string (remembered
                              between commands)
           F10                Select and find one-character search string;
                              send the line
           F7                 Same as typing "EXIT"; useful for leaving
                              secondary COMMAND.COM's.
           F6                 Lists the contents of the history buffer,
                              oldest to most recent.
           F5                 Turns HISTORY off; commands are parsed via
                              normal DOS code until Control-Z followed by
                              Return is typed.
           ;                  If not the last character on the line, splits
                              DOS commands.  They are handed one at a time
                              to COMMAND.COM.  If last on the line, it is
                              sent along as part of the command.  To send a
                              semicolon mid-command, type two semicolons.

                             Printer Considerations

   When printing a file using the standard DOS print spooler PRINT.COM, lines
are sent to the printer only when awaiting DOS input; since HISTORY bypasses
DOS input when awaiting command input, the printer will stop until a command
is run.

   Similarly, Control-P (printer toggle) will not be recognized in HISTORY.  The
solution to both problems is to use F5 to turn HISTORY off long enough for the
file to print or to type Control-P (once toggled on you may turn HISTORY back
on; printing will take place in this case).

   To turn HISTORY back on, type Control-Z followed by Return.

                   Copyright (c) 1985, 1986 by Bryan Higgins.

DISK FILES THIS PROGRAM USES:
^FHISTORY.EXE