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ANARKEY
User Manual
Version 4.0
Anarchy: A state of being without rulers
Anarkey: A state of being without keystrokes
Steven Calwas
Moderne Software
P.O. Box 3638
Santa Clara, CA 95055-3638
(408)247-0509
Copyright (C) 1988-1992
by Steven Calwas
All rights reserved
Anarkey User Manual
Published by: Moderne Software
P.O. Box 3638
Santa Clara, CA 95055-3638
(408)247-0509
Copyright (C) 1991-1992 by Steven Calwas
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the Publisher.
WARRANTY
THE ANARKEY PRODUCT IS LICENSED "AS IS" WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY
OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE,
PERFORMANCE, OR OTHERWISE. ALL WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY
DISCLAIMED. BY USING THE ANARKEY PRODUCT, YOU AGREE THAT
NEITHER STEVEN CALWAS NOR MODERNE SOFTWARE NOR ANY OFFICERS,
DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, SHAREHOLDERS, AFFILIATES, OWNERS, OR
ANY OTHER RELATED PARTIES WILL BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD
PARTY FOR ANY USE OF (OR INABILITY TO USE) OR PERFORMANCE OF
THIS PRODUCT, OR FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER WHETHER BASED ON
CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE EVEN IF WE ARE NOTIFIED OF SUCH
POSSIBILITY IN ADVANCE. (SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE
EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES, SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.)
Chapter 1
Introduction and Tutorial
Anarkey is an intelligent command-line editor for DOS. With
Anarkey, complete input lines can be entered with two or
three keystrokes. Anarkey is intelligent because there is
no need to tell it what you want to enter on the command
line; simply press the <Tab> key and Anarkey figures out
what you want and does it for you.
Anarkey knows what you want and gives it to you!
Here is a list of the main operations Anarkey provides.
* Line-edit features comparable to those found in word
processors
* Ability to save input lines for later retrieval
* Three methods to retrieve saved command lines
1) Sequentially walk through the list of saved
commands
2) Line completion where you enter a portion of the
line and Anarkey completes the remainder for you
3) Pop-up window which lists all saved commands.
Supports a mouse.
* A text substitution capability called an AKA (also
referred to as an "alias" or "synonym"). The Convert
program is included in the Anarkey package to translate the
alias and synonym definitions of other editors to Anarkey's
format. AKAs can even be executed from a batch file.
* Enter multiple commands on a single input line
* A 255-character input line
* Comprehensive filename completion
* Environment variable editing
* Use expanded memory
* Display a non-blinking cursor
* Pop-up windows with built-in mouse support to retrieve
saved commands, complete filenames and edit environment
variables
* Configurable key assignments
* A MegaKey which analyzes the input line, determines the
type of Anarkey operation you want and does it for you
automatically. The MegaKey is what makes Anarkey an
intelligent command-line editor.
* Write the list of saved commands and AKAs to a disk file
for future restoration
* Comprehensive UNIX switchar support
* Pop-up help window with configurable help text
* Full-support for enhanced 101/102-key keyboards
* Pop-up windows offer your choice between two mouse
interfaces
* Special support for the 386 Enhanced Mode of Microsoft
Windows 3.x
* And much more!
Anarkey is written entirely in assembly language for maximum
efficiency in memory usage and execution speed. When
installed in its default configuration, Anarkey uses about
11K of memory. If expanded memory is available, Anarkey
requires only 1K of conventional memory.
Installation
To install Anarkey onto your system, copy all files from the
distribution disk to your hard disk. If you do not have a
hard disk, copy the ANARKEY.COM program onto your boot disk.
Anarkey makes significant use of the Anarkmd program. To
guarantee that Anarkey work properly at all times, place the
ANARKMD.EXE file in a directory specified in the PATH
environment variable.
To run Anarkey, execute the ANARKEY.COM program from either
the DOS prompt or your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Since you will
probably want Anarkey active whenever you are using your
computer, executing Anarkey from the AUTOEXEC.BAT file makes
the most sense.
When run, Anarkey installs itself into the DOS environment
and terminates, but stays resident. A default configuration
is used, but can be modified via command-line options.
Anarkey options are described in Chapter 11. For the
remainder of this tutorial, we assume the default
configuration is in effect.
Once resident, Anarkey handles all input requests for the
following situations:
* The DOS command line
* Redirected input
* DEBUG, SYMDEB, EDLIN and several third-party programs
* All DOS sessions running under Windows 3.x in 386 enhanced
mode
Notice that Anarkey does not process lines executed from a
batch file. However, the Anarkmd program described in
Chapter 16 provides an indirect method to support batch
files. For now, we will postpone that topic.
The remainder of this chapter is a tutorial on using
Anarkey's basic features. It is intended for people who
want to get started with Anarkey immediately. Subsequent
chapters describe all of Anarkey's functions in complete
detail.
Quick-Start Tutorial
Anarkey supplies a multitude of functions which transforms
the dreary and tedious task of entering DOS commands into a
quick and enjoyable process. It is not necessary to
understand all of Anarkey's powers before using it. This
tutorial gets you started using the basic Anarkey features
immediately. As you become familiar with these functions,
additional information can be found in subsequent chapters
of the manual.
First, install Anarkey by executing the ANARKEY.COM program.
This causes a sign-on message to appear, after which Anarkey
installs itself and terminates. You will be sitting at a
new and empty command prompt where everything appears
normal, however, Anarkey's features are now available for
your use.
The first Anarkey feature we will learn is its line-editing
capability. Anarkey lets you place the cursor anywhere
within the input line and enter or delete characters. If
you have ever used a word processor, Anarkey's line-editing
feature will already be familiar.
To demonstrate, enter the following line at the command
prompt. The underscore character represents the cursor
position.
echo Anarchy knows what you want_
The word "Anarchy" can be changed to "Anarkey" by pressing
the <Left> arrow key to move the cursor until it is beneath
the letter 'c' in "Anarchy." Notice that moving the cursor
within the line does not modify the line in any way.
Similar to the <Left> key, the <Right> arrow key moves the
cursor toward the right, <Home> positions the cursor beneath
the line's first character and <End> moves the cursor to the
end of the line. The input line with the repositioned
cursor now looks like this.
echo Anarchy knows what you want
When a character is typed, it is either inserted into the
line or it overwrites the current character. When a
character is inserted, any characters to the right of the
cursor are shifted to make room for the new character. When
a character is overwritten, the new character replaces the
character at the cursor position; no shift occurs.
Whether a character is inserted or overwritten depends upon
Anarkey's input mode. When in insert mode, typed characters
are inserted into the line; in overwrite mode, character are
overwritten. When first installed, Anarkey is in insert
mode.
You can toggle between insert and overwrite modes by
pressing <Ins>. Notice the cursor shape changes depending
upon the current mode. The insert-mode cursor is an
underscore while overwrite mode uses a block cursor.
Get back into insert mode and type the two characters "ke."
Anarkey inserts them into the line so that it now looks like
that shown below. Notice the cursor has remained under the
letter 'c'.
echo Anarkechy knows what you want
Characters are easily deleted from lines using any of
several functions. The <Del> key removes the character
above the cursor and shifts any trailing characters to fill
the vacated space. The <Backspace> key deletes the
character to the left of the cursor and moves the cursor
left one space. The <Esc> key erases the entire line.
Press the <Del> key twice to remove the unwanted characters
in our sample line. The final edited line looks like this.
echo Anarkey knows what you want
Press the <Enter> key to accept the line and execute it.
Anarkey saves all executed lines. You can view all the
lines Anarkey has saved by pressing <F4>. Execute the
following lines and press <F4> to verify that Anarkey has
saved them.
dir *.*
type read.me
dir \*.bat
Once a line has been saved, it can be retrieved so you won't
have to retype it. Pressing the <Up> and <Down> arrow keys
"walks" you through the list of saved lines. Once
retrieved, a line can be edited using the line-edit
functions.
You can display a full-screen window containing the list of
the saved commands by pressing <Alt-F4>. (Make sure
ANARKMD.EXE is stored somewhere along your PATH variable
before doing this.) Notice that one line in the window is
highlighted in reverse video. This line is called the
current line. Pressing the <Up> and <Down> keys makes other
lines in the window the current line. If the entire list
cannot fit in the window, the <PgUp> and <PgDn> keys scroll
the window's contents. If a mouse is installed, it can also
be used to change the current line and scroll the window's
contents. Pressing the <Enter> key selects the current
line. When a line is selected, the window closes and the
chosen line is entered onto the input line.
Perhaps the fastest way to retrieve a command is to use
Anarkey's command completion feature. Start with an empty
command line and enter the first character of the line you
wish to retrieve. Then press the <Tab> key (also known as
the MegaKey). Anarkey searches the list of saved commands
until it finds one that starts with the same character you
entered. The remainder of the line is then copied onto the
input line. You can try this yourself by entering the 'e'
from our sample input line and pressing <Tab>. Anarkey
retrieves the remainder of the saved "echo" command and
enters it on the input line. If by some chance Anarkey
completed the line in some undesired manner (in other words,
it did not retrieve the desired line), simply press the
<Tab> key again.
Besides completing commands, the <Tab> key can also complete
directory and file names. When you press <Tab>, Anarkey is
intelligent enough to know whether you want to retrieve a
command, as previously described, or complete a file name
and it acts appropriately.
As an example of completing a directory name, say we wish to
enter the command "cd\global." Type the following
characters on the input line and press <Tab>.
cd\g_
Assuming a directory named "global" existed, Anarkey
completes it for us. Similar to command completion, Anarkey
uses the first character of the name when searching for a
completion. Thus, it would look for a directory starting
with the letter 'g.' If more than one directory began with
a 'g,' Anarkey may select the "wrong" name. If so, simply
press <Tab> again to cycle through the list of possible
completions.
So far, all our examples show you entering only the first
character of the item to complete. However, you can enter
as many characters as you wish. Often a single character is
all that will be needed for Anarkey to complete the rest.
However, staying with our directory-completion example, say
a large number of directories happened to begin with the
letter 'g.' Cycling through them all may take more
keystrokes than simply typing the name in manually.
Instead, enter additional characters on the input line to
narrow Anarkey's search to a smaller number of possible
completions. For example, if "gl" is entered on the sample
input line, Anarkey searches only for directories that begin
with the letters "gl." This technique can also be used for
command completions and all the other completion operations
Anarkey provides.
Besides completing directory names, Anarkey also completes
the names of programs and other file types. When completing
a program name which is to be executed, Anarkey does not
enter the file extension (.BAT, .EXE or .COM) on the input
line, just as you would not enter it if typing the name
yourself.
Anarkey can easily retrieve the setting of an environment
variable for you. First type the "SET" command followed one
or more characters of the variable's name. Then press
<Tab>. Anarkey completes the name and enters the variable's
setting on the input line. You can then edit the setting,
for instance, by adding a new directory to the PATH. (You
don't need to type the SET command to retrieve the PATH or
PROMPT settings, but Anarkey cannot complete their names for
you if you don't. Check Chapter 8 for further details on
this topic.)
You may have noticed that much of this tutorial kept
repeating a single lesson. That lesson was: If you want to
enter something on the input line, press the <Tab> key;
Anarkey figures out what you want and does it automatically.
In other words, Anarkey knows what you want and gives it to
you. This capability is what makes Anarkey an intelligent
command-line editor.
Using the basic features outlined in this tutorial, you can
begin to use Anarkey productively right now. But be aware
this section barely touched the surface of Anarkey's full
capabilities. Much more is available and is as easy to
learn and use as the functions just described. If you are
interested, complete details are provided in the forthcoming
chapters.
Chapter 2
The Pop-Up Help Window
Anarkey adds many new features to the standard DOS command
prompt. When you are first learning Anarkey, the provided
functions and key assignments will not yet be committed to
memory. Even after you become comfortable with Anarkey,
there will probably be some operations that you will use
only occasionally and whose keystrokes you will not
immediately remember. To assist you during these times,
Anarkey supports a pop-up help window which lists all of the
supported functions and their respective key assignments.
The help window can be popped-up by pressing <Alt-F1> or
<Alt-H> whenever Anarkey is active, for example, at the DOS
command prompt. Before you pop-up the window, make sure the
Anarkmd program (in the file ANARKMD.EXE) is in either the
current directory or a directory specified in the PATH
environment variable. After pressing the help key, a
full-screen window will be displayed containing a list of
Anarkey functions and their current key assignments.
Note: The reason Anarkmd must be in the current directory or
along the PATH is because it actually performs the entire
pop-up window operation. Anarkey simply executes Anarkmd,
telling it to display the help window. But all this is
performed automatically in the background and you do not
need to worry about it.
The information displayed in the window is actually read
from a standard text file just before the window pops up.
By reading and displaying a separate text file, Anarkey
saves precious DOS memory by not keeping the help
information resident. It also provides great flexibility in
the content and format of the displayed help information.
In other words, you can modify the help text file to your
heart's desire, even include help information about other
programs if you wish. The only restrictions that apply are:
(1) the file cannot exceed 65,000 characters in size and (2)
the file may not contain more than 1000 lines of text.
Since a text file must be loaded to gather the help
information, Anarkey must be informed of the help file's
name. Anarkey first looks for the file name in an
environment variable called "HELP@." If HELP@ is defined,
it should specify the drive, directory and filename of the
help file. For example,
SET HELP@=c:\anarkey\anarkey.hlp
If HELP@ is not defined, Anarkey assumes the helpfile's name
is ANARKEY.SUM and will attempt to locate a file with that
name. ANARKEY.SUM is a text file distributed with Anarkey
which contains a list of Anarkey functions and their default
key assignments. ANARKEY.SUM can also be updated by
Anarked, the Anarkey Keystroke Editor, if you modify any of
the default key assignments. Anarked is explained in
Chapter 13.
Depending upon which version of DOS you are running, Anarkey
will search for the ANARKEY.SUM file in two locations.
First, if running under DOS version 3.0 or later, Anarkey
searches for ANARKEY.SUM in the same directory in which
Anarkmd is located, also called the home directory. Under
versions of DOS prior to 3.0, Anarkey does not check this
location.
If the ANARKEY.SUM file is still not found, Anarkey looks
for it in the current directory.
These search steps and the order in which they are performed
are outlined below:
1) File specified in HELP@ environment variable
2) ANARKEY.SUM in Anarkmd home directory (DOS 3.0+
only)
3) ANARKEY.SUM in current directory
If all attempts to locate the help file fail, Anarkey
displays an error message ("Help file not found") and ends
the help operation. Otherwise, the help file is loaded and
displayed in the pop-up window.
With the help window displayed, the following keystrokes are
recognized and acted upon:
<F1> -- Display help for pop-up window
<Esc> -- Exit the help window
<Enter> -- Same as <Esc> key
<Up> -- Scroll the window contents up one
line
<Down> -- Scroll the window contents down
one line
<PgUp> -- Scroll the window contents up one
page
<PgDn> -- Scroll the window contents down
one page
<Home> -- View top of help file
<End> -- View bottom of help file
In addition to keystroke input, if a mouse is installed on
the computer, it can be used to scroll through the help
window. Anarkey supports the Microsoft and any
Microsoft-compatible mouse.
With the mouse installed, a separate mouse cursor is
displayed in the middle of the window in the form of a solid
block character. By moving the mouse, the mouse cursor can
be moved anywhere on the screen.
Scrolling operations are performed with the mouse by moving
the mouse cursor to specific locations in the window and
clicking (pressing and releasing) the left mouse button.
For example, you can position the mouse cursor anywhere over
the "Press F1 for help" message in the upper right corner of
the window and click the left mouse button. This will have
the same effect as pressing <F1> in that it will display an
additional help screen. Pressing either mouse button will
clear this secondary help window.
On the far right edge of the help window is a scroll bar.
The scroll bar is actually composed of four separate
sections. At the very top of the bar is a single-character
up-arrow. To scroll the window contents up one line,
position the mouse cursor on this arrow and click the mouse
button. A down-arrow is located at the very bottom of the
scroll bar. Click on it to scroll the window contents down
one line. The remainder of the scroll bar is divided into
two equal halves. Click on the top half to scroll the
window up one page; click on the bottom half to scroll down
one page. You can also press and hold the mouse button with
the mouse cursor positioned at any of these locations.
Doing so is the same as repeatedly clicking on the item.
To clear the help window, click the right mouse button.
After exiting the help screen, you will be returned to the
DOS command prompt. Any characters entered at the prompt
when the help window was popped-up will still exist.
The mouse movements described in this chapter are also
applicable to the other pop-up windows that Anarkey
supports. These other windows are discussed in future
chapters.
Anarkey also supports an alternative mouse interface in case
you don't like the interface described in this chapter. The
alternative mouse interface is described in Appendix I.
Chapter 3
Editing the Command Line
Anarkey provides line editing functions commonly found in
word processing programs. These functions include general
editing, cursor movement, character deletion and character
retrieval features.
One note of interest should be mentioned here. Most of the
keystroke assignments listed in the remainder of this manual
are configurable. If you don't like some default key
assignment, Anarked, the Anarkey Keystroke Utility, can be
used to reassign it to a key more to your liking. Anarked
is described in detail in Chapter 13. Refer to it for
complete details. In this manual, only the default key
assignments will be mentioned.
General Editing
Pressing the <Enter> key accepts the input line. This
usually means that the line is passed to the command
processor for execution. The entire line is always
accepted, regardless of the cursor's position in the line.
Before Anarkey passes the line to the command processor, it
performs some checks and optional processing on the line
itself. For example, Anarkey will break the line into
separate commands. (You will see shortly that Anarkey
allows you to specify multiple commands on a single input
line.)
It also checks the length of each command to verify that its
length is within the allowable range. If a command is too
long, Anarkey does not accept the input line. Instead, it
positions the cursor under the first character that extends
beyond the length limit and allows you to modify the line
further. After the line's length has been adjusted, you can
press <Enter> to accept the line again.
Anarkey supports two input modes: insert and overwrite.
When editing in insert mode, typed characters are inserted
into the input line; any characters to the right of the
inserted character are shifted right to make room. In
overwrite mode, typed characters write over any existing
character at the cursor position; no shifting of characters
occurs as in insert mode.
The <Ins> key toggles Anarkey between these two input modes.
By default, Anarkey begins in insert mode. If you prefer
Anarkey to start in overwrite mode, you can specify the -I
option on the Anarkey command line when it is installed.
Refer to Chapter 11 for more information on Anarkey
command-line options.
The current input mode is indicated by the cursor's shape.
The power-up input mode uses an underscore cursor; the
alternate mode uses a block cursor. For example, if Anarkey
begins in its default insert mode, the cursor is an
underscore whenever insert mode is active. On the other
hand, if you use the -I option to change the power-up mode
to overwrite then an underscore cursor is used whenever
Anarkey is in overwrite mode. The relationship between
input mode and cursor shape is further illustrated in the
following table:
Power-up mode = Insert (default and -II option)
Insert mode cursor = Underscore
Overwrite mode cursor = Block
Power-up mode = Overwrite (-IO option)
Insert mode cursor = Block
Overwrite mode cursor = Underscore
If you prefer that Anarkey never alter the cursor's shape,
install it with the -C option. Anarkey can also display a
non-blinking cursor if the -CN option is used. And if the
normal underscore cursor does not show up well on your
monitor, use the -CT option to use a thick underscore
cursor. Refer to Chapter 11 for details on these and other
options.
Anarkey remains in a particular input mode until it is
explicitly told to toggle to the other mode via a press of
the <Ins> key. However, you may prefer that Anarkey always
begin a new input line in a particular mode. Anarkey can be
forced into a particular input mode at the start of each new
line by including the -I option on the installation command
line. Again, refer to Chapter 11 for complete details.
As you will quickly learn, Anarkey supports a lot of
features. Many of these features are invoked by pressing a
key. Situations may occur where you wish to enter a certain
key onto the input line, but pressing the key instead
executes an Anarkey function. For example, say you wish to
enter an ANSI escape sequence onto the input line. As you
may know, this would entail typing an <Esc> character
followed by several other characters. However, pressing
<Esc> normally instructs Anarkey to clear the entire input
line (as will be described shortly). Is there a way to
bypass Anarkey's key processing and enter a keystroke
directly onto the input line?
The answer to the above question is "yes" and you do it by
immediately preceding the key by pressing <Ctrl-U>. The key
pressed immediately after <Ctrl-U> is entered directly onto
the input line. Therefore, to enter an <Esc> onto the input
line, press <Ctrl-U><Esc>. The <Ctrl-U> keystroke tells
Anarkey to enter the next keystroke "unmodified," in other
words, to skip any interpretation it would normally perform
on the key. If you want to enter a <Ctrl-U> on the line,
simply press <Ctrl-U> twice in succession.
In summary, the general editing keystrokes discussed in this
section were:
<Enter> Accept input line
<Ins> Toggle input mode
<Ctrl-U> Enter next keystroke unmodified
Moving the Cursor
Anarkey allows the cursor to be placed anywhere on the input
line. Thus, you can move the cursor to the beginning or
middle of a line and modify just a few characters without
backspacing and deleting any trailing portion.
The cursor is positioned within the line by cursor-movement
keystrokes. Each cursor-movement keystroke is outlined and
described in the following table.
<Home> Move cursor to start of line
<End> Move cursor to end of line
<Right> Move cursor right one character
<Left> Move cursor left one character
<Ctrl-Right> Move cursor right one word
<Ctrl-Left> Move cursor left one word
None of the cursor-movement keys alter the contents of the
input line. After the cursor is positioned to its desired
location, additional modifications, such as inserting or
deleting characters, can be performed.
Deleting Characters
Anarkey also supports functions to remove one or more
characters from an input line. They are all listed in the
table below.
<Backspace> Delete character to left of cursor
<Del> Delete character above cursor
<Ctrl-T> Delete word to right of cursor
<Ctrl-End> Delete to end of line
<Esc> Delete line
If Anarkey is in insert mode, removal of a character causes
any trailing characters on the line to shift over to fill
the vacated space.
The cursor position moves whenever the <Backspace> or <Esc>
keys are pressed. <Backspace> moves the cursor left one
character and <Esc> places the cursor at the start of the
empty line. All the other character-deletion keys have no
effect on the cursor position.
Retrieving Characters
One of Anarkey's strongest features is its ability to
retrieve command lines previously entered. That topic is
discussed in detail in the next chapter. In addition to
that powerful new feature, Anarkey also supports two of the
original DOS functions that retrieve individual characters
and an enhanced version of one of those functions. These
three operations are listed in the following table.
<F1> Retrieve character from previous line
<F3> Retrieve remainder of previous line
<Alt-F3> Retrieve remainder of previous line
and accept line
The <F1> and <F3> keys provide identical services to those
offered in the original DOS editing functions. <Alt-F3> in
an enhanced version of <F3> in that it immediately accepts
the input line following the character retrieval operation.
<Alt-F3> is the equivalent of typing <F3><Enter>.
Summary
The following line-editing functions were described in this
chapter.
<Enter> Accept input line
<Ins> Toggle input mode
<Ctrl-U> Enter next keystroke unmodified
<Home> Move cursor to start of line
<End> Move cursor to end of line
<Right> Move cursor right one character
<Left> Move cursor left one character
<Ctrl-Right> Move cursor right one word
<Ctrl-Left> Move cursor left one word
<Backspace> Delete character to left of cursor
<Del> Delete character above cursor
<Ctrl-T> Delete word to right of cursor
<Ctrl-End> Delete to end of line
<Esc> Delete line
<F1> Retrieve character from previous line
<F3> Retrieve remainder of previous line
<Alt-F3> Retrieve remainder of previous line
and accept line
Chapter 4
The History Buffer
Anarkey saves all entered input lines in a storage area
called the history buffer. Keystroke functions are provided
to retrieve lines from the buffer, saving you from having to
type them again. This is one of Anarkey's most powerful
features. Also provided are functions to manuever through
the buffer and control which lines get saved in it. Each of
these operations are discussed in this chapter.
When Anarkey is first installed, the history buffer is
empty. When the first input line is accepted (i.e. you
press <Enter>), it is stored at the very top of the buffer.
Subsequent input lines are stored in the buffer, one after
the other, from the top of the buffer to the bottom. Empty
lines are not saved in the history buffer. Lines composed
of multiple commands are stored in the history buffer as a
single line. (Entering multiple commands on a line is
discussed in Chapter 7.)
A history buffer with several lines stored in it is depicted
below.
rem This is line one
rem This is line two
rem Here is the third line
rem This is the last line in the buffer
When the history buffer is full and you enter a new input
line, the line stored at the top of the history buffer is
removed to make room for the new line. You can think of
this action as being similar to lines scrolling off the top
of a display screen.
The number of lines the history buffer can hold depends upon
the line length and the buffer size. By default, the
history buffer will hold 500 characters. However, this can
be configured to any value from 255 to 50,000 via the -H
command-line option. (Refer to Chapter 11 for details.)
The lines stored in the history buffer can be viewed at any
time by pressing <F4>. Lines are output to the screen
starting with the first line in the buffer and proceeding
down to the last line. When an entire screen's worth of
lines has been displayed, output pauses. You can press any
key to display the next screenful of lines.
If you prefer to view the history buffer from the bottom to
the top (that is, from the newest line to the oldest), press
the <Alt-F4> key. This is identical to <F4> except the
order in which lines are displayed is from the last line in
the buffer up to the first.
Line Retrieval
At any given time, one line in the history buffer is
designated as the current buffer line or CBL. The CBL is a
very important concept for you to understand. By moving the
CBL through the history buffer, in other words, by making a
different buffer line the current line, is one method
Anarkey provides to retrieve lines from the buffer.
The following diagram depicts a sample history buffer with
the CBL "pointing" to the last line in the buffer. The last
line in the history buffer is always a blank line. When you
begin entering a new line, the CBL is always set to the
last, empty line in the buffer.
copy *.* a:
dir a:
del *.txt
md temp
CBL ->
You can move the CBL, in other words, make a different
buffer line current, by pressing the <Up> or <Down> arrow
keys. If the CBL is at the last line in the buffer and the
<Down> key is press, the CBL circles back up to the top of
the buffer. Similarly, with the CBL at the first line in
the buffer, pressing <Up> will cycle you back to the last,
empty buffer line.
Moving the CBL is extremely useful. When you move the CBL,
the new current buffer line is retrieved from the history
buffer and entered onto the input line. Any characters that
existed on the input line at the time of the <Up> or <Down>
keypress are erased prior to retrieving the buffer line.
For example, pressing the <Up> arrow key with the buffer
status shown above, moves the CBL up to the previous line
("md temp"), retrieves that line from the buffer and places
it on the input line. The new buffer status with updated
CBL is shown in the following diagram.
copy *.* a:
dir a:
del *.txt
CBL -> md temp
The <Up> and <Down> keys can be pressed repeatedly to
sequentially walk through the entire buffer. Once the
desired line is retrieved from the buffer, you can use any
of Anarkey's line-editing functions to modify the line
before accepting it.
After retrieving a line, if you immediately accept it by
pressing <Enter>, Anarkey moves the retrieved line from its
location in the history buffer down to the end of the
buffer. This action prevents the buffer from being filled
with a bunch of duplicate lines.
To demonstrate the move operation, assume the CBL has been
positioned in the history buffer as shown in the following
diagram.
copy *.* a:
CBL -> dir a:
del *.txt
md temp
With the "dir a:" command retrieved, <Enter> is immediately
pressed to accept the line unmodified. This causes the CBL
to be moved to the end of the buffer. At the next input
prompt, the new buffer status will be that shown below.
copy *.* a:
del *.txt
md temp
dir a:
CBL ->
Notice the "dir a:" command was moved from its old location
in the buffer down to the end.
If you prefer that Anarkey maintain a complete log of the
commands you execute in the exact order in which they are
entered, you can turn off this move operation by specifying
the -F option when installing Anarkey. Refer to Chapter 12
for further details.
Situations may occur where you wish to retrieve two or more
lines stored consecutively in the history buffer. For
example, after retrieving the "dir a:" command as we've just
done, say we also want to retrieve the line that followed it
in the buffer, "del *.txt." Of course, we can use the <Up>
and <Down> keys again, but that is not necessary. Also, if
there existed a large number of lines in the history buffer,
it may take a long time to get to the line we want. There
is an easier way.
Anarkey maintains an internal record of the buffer position
of the last retrieved line. The CBL can be moved to this
saved position by pressing the <PgDn> key. Moving the CBL
to the next line in the buffer also retrieves that line and
enters it onto the input line. Thus, continuing with our
previous example, after pressing <PgDn>, the buffer status
will be that shown below.
copy *.* a:
CBL -> del *.txt
md temp
dir a:
The effect is as though you had repeatedly pressed the <Up>
key to move the CBL, however, by using <PgDn> instead you
have entered far fewer keystrokes.
The CBL can be restored to this saved position only one time
per input line. Subsequent <PgDn> keystrokes are equivalent
to pressing the <Down> key.
Line Completion
In actual practice, the number of lines stored in the
history buffer can be quite large. Having to walk past each
line sequentially in order to get to the desired one can be
more work than retyping it.
For such cases, Anarkey provides a command completion
function. Simply type one or more characters on the input
line and press the <F5> or <Ctrl-K> key. Anarkey will
search the history buffer for a saved command that starts
with the same character(s). When it finds one, Anarkey
retrieves the line and enters it on the input line, in
effect completing the command for you. If the completed
command is not the one you want, press <F5> or <Ctrl-K>
again and Anarkey will pick up where it left off and
continue the search.
When Anarkey searches for a command completion, it always
begins the search at the CBL and works up toward the top of
the buffer. When it finds a completion, it sets the CBL to
the matching line and retrieves the line. If the top of the
buffer is reached without finding a completion (or all the
completions have been retrieved), Anarkey beeps the speaker
and sets the CBL to the bottom of the buffer. Pressing <F5>
at this point will begin the completion operation again,
cycling through the history buffer another time.
If the command completion operation is invoked with an empty
input line, Anarkey will retrieve the previous buffer line.
This is identical to pressing the <Up> key.
As an example of how command completion works, assume the
following history buffer:
copy *.* a:
del *.txt
md temp
cd temp
dir a:
xcopy a: b:
mode mono
CBL ->
Say we wish to retrieve the "del *.txt" command using
command completion. Enter into an empty input line the
single character "d" and press <F5> or <Ctrl-K>. Anarkey
will search from the CBL toward the top of the buffer until
it discovers a line that starts with the letter "d." When
it finds the line "dir a:" it will stop searching, set the
CBL to the line and retrieve it by entering it on the input
line. The buffer status is now that shown in the diagram
below.
copy *.* a:
del *.txt
md temp
cd temp
CBL -> dir a:
xcopy a: b:
mode mono
However, we did not want the "dir a:" command. Therefore,
press the <F5> key again to get Anarkey to continue its
search. This time it finds the "del *.txt" command and
retrieves it, completing the desired command for us. We can
now edit the line further or simply accept it by pressing
<Enter>. The final buffer status will be:
copy *.* a:
CBL -> del *.txt
md temp
cd temp
dir a:
xcopy a: b:
mode mono
Alternatively, we could have entered the first two
characters of the desired command, "de," before beginning
the search. If we had, Anarkey would never have matched the
"dir a:" command and, instead would have gone right to the
line we wanted.
At any time during a command completion operation, you can
add more characters to the input line to narrow the search.
Assume that after entering the single character "d" in our
example and found an undesired completion, we realized there
were a large number of lines stored in the buffer that began
with that letter. Rather than retrieve each one, simply
enter one or more additional characters onto the input line.
The command completion operation does not move the cursor
position, therefore, the cursor will still be after the
initial "d" we entered. Type one or more characters onto
the line and continue the search by pressing <F5>. This
will narrow down the number of matching completions and
retrieve the desired line sooner. In most cases, entering
from one to three characters will be enough to narrow the
number of completions to a very small number, allowing quick
retrieval.
The command completion function has a close cousin. The
<F6> and <Ctrl-L> keys perform the same completion operation
as <F5> and <Ctrl-K> except the retrieved line is
immediately accepted. If you are positive the line you wish
completed will be the first (or next) one Anarkey will find,
pressing <F6> or <Ctrl-L> will save you from having to hit
<Enter>. However, if you were wrong, it will be too late;
the retrieved line will already be executing when you
realize your error. The <F6> and <Ctrl-L> keys allow you to
really fly when working at the command prompt, executing
long and complicated lines with a minimal number of
keystrokes. Just be careful you don't crash and burn.
The History-Buffer Window
If neither walking through the history buffer nor command
completion are to your liking, Anarkey provides yet another
method to retrieve lines from the history buffer. Press
<Alt-F5> or <Alt-K> and a full-screen window will pop-up
that contains all the lines stored in the buffer. If one or
more characters are on the input line when you press the
key, the window will contain only those lines from the
buffer that could be used to complete the remainder of the
line.
Note: Before you pop-up the history-buffer window, be sure
the Anarkmd program is available in either the current
directory or a directory specified along the PATH
environment variable. Anarkey actually executes Anarkmd
which then displays the pop-up window. This saves a large
amount of memory since the code to process the window is not
required to be resident.
From the history-buffer window, you can scroll through the
buffer, select a line to retrieve or combine multiple
commands to form a single line to enter on the input line.
Each of these operations will be described, but if you ever
need a reminder, you can always press the <F1> key to
display a help window of recognized keystrokes.
If the history buffer contains more lines than will fit in a
single window, you can scroll through the buffer by using
the keyboard or a mouse. Navigating through the buffer
window is identical to scrolling through the pop-up help
window described in Chapter 2. Refer back to it if you need
to refresh your memory on this topic.
One line in the history buffer window is always displayed in
reverse video (i.e. black characters on a white background).
This is the current line. By using the <Up> or <Down> arrow
keys, you can make the previous or next line in the window
the current line. Press the <Enter> key to select and
retrieve the current line. The pop-up window will clear and
the selected line will be entered onto the input line. A
line can be selected with the mouse by placing the mouse
cursor anywhere on the line and clicking the left button.
If the left mouse button is double-clicked (clicked twice in
rapid succession) the line is selected and immediately
executed.
The pop-up history buffer window provides one function not
found in other Anarkey windows. That function is the
ability to combine two or more lines together to form a
single line. This single line can then be entered onto the
input line automatically. Combining lines saves you from
having to retrieve each one individually; a single retrieval
operation is all that's required.
Entering multiple commands on a line is discussed in detail
in Chapter 7. However, to understand how they are
constructed in the pop-up history window, all you need to
know now is that each command must be separated by a
semicolon(;). For example, the following input line is
composed of two commands, "cd \temp" and "dir."
cd \temp;dir
When combining lines in the history buffer window, the
semicolon character is placed in the line for you
automatically.
The process of combining lines entails selecting a line from
the window. However, before you press <Enter> or the left
mouse button to make the selection, press and hold the
<Ctrl> key (i.e. press either <Ctrl-Enter> or <Ctrl-Left
Mouse Button). This causes the line construction window to
pop-up.
The line construction window consists of one field area
which contains the combined lines you have selected up to
that point. Additionally, there are four buttons along the
bottom of the window.
Each action that may be performed in the line construction
window is represented by one of the buttons. To perform an
action, you select or push its associated button. At all
times, one button is displayed with a double-line frame.
This is the current button. Press the <Tab> or <Right>
arrow key to make the next button current. Press
<Shift-Tab> or <Left> arrow to make the previous button
current. To push a button and perform its associated
action, make it the current button and press <Enter>. A
mouse can also be used to push a button by placing the mouse
cursor over it and clicking the left button. Each button
also has a hot-key character which is displayed in
highlighted video. You can press a button's hot-key to
select or push the button. If you ever need to be reminded
of these keystrokes, press <F1> to display a
context-sensitive help window.
The Abort button terminates the line construction operation.
Any combined line created up to that point will be cleared
and control will return to the history buffer window.
The Continue button returns control back to the history
buffer window. From here, you can select an additional line
to append to the line being constructed. To append a line
to the previously-selected lines, be sure to press
<Ctrl-Enter> or <Ctrl-Left Button> when you select the line.
Pressing <Enter> or the left mouse button without holding
the <Ctrl> key will retrieve that line only and not the
combined line.
The Accept and Edit button accepts the constructed line.
All windows will clear and the line will be entered onto the
input line for your editing edification.
The Accept and Execute button is identical to Accept and
Edit except the line is executed immediately. Pushing the
Accept and Execute button is the same as pressing Accept and
Edit followed by <Enter>.
Miscellaneous Operations
In addition to retrieving lines from the history buffer,
Anarkey provides several miscellaneous functions which
effect the buffer.
To store a line in the history buffer without executing it,
accept the line by pressing <Ctrl-Enter>. Be aware this
function is only available at the DOS prompt and not in the
history buffer window; in the window, <Ctrl-Enter> invokes a
line-construction operation.
Individual lines can be removed from the history buffer by
first retrieving the line and then pressing <Ctrl-Z>. In
effect, the current buffer line (CBL) is deleted from the
buffer. When this occurs, the CBL will move to the next
line in the buffer which is then retrieved and entered onto
the input line. Thus, <Ctrl-Z> can be pressed repeatedly to
delete a group of consecutive lines from the buffer.
The entire history buffer can be cleared by pressing
<Ctrl-X>.
Finally, the contents of the history buffer can be written
to an ASCII text file by pressing <Ctrl-W>. The Load
program, discussed in Chapter 14, can then read this file to
refill the buffer at a later time. This function is useful
for carrying over the history buffer contents from one
computer session to another.
When you press <Ctrl-W>, the history buffer is always
written to a file called ANARKEY.LOG located in the root
directory of the current drive. If the file cannot be
written because of a full disk, Anarkey beeps. If you
prefer the file be written to a different location or under
another name, use the Anarkmd program to create the file.
Refer to Chapter 16 for details on Anarkmd operation.
Summary
The line-retrieval functions discussed in this chapter are
among Anarkey's biggest strengths. If you take the time to
become comfortable with them, you will be rewarded with a
significant time savings.
In summary, the functions and keystrokes discussed in this
chapter are listed below.
<F4> View history buffer (top to bottom)
<Alt-F4> View history buffer (bottom to top)
<Up> Retrieve previous buffer line
<Down> Retrieve next buffer line
<PgDn> Retrieve buffer line following last
retrieved line
<F5> Complete line
<Ctrl-K> Same as <F5>
<F6> Complete line and execute
<Ctrl-L> Same as <F6>
<Alt-F5> Display history-buffer window
<Alt-K> Same as <Alt-F5>
<Ctrl-Enter> Store line in history buffer, do not
execute
<Ctrl-Z> Remove current buffer line from
history buffer
<Ctrl-X> Clear history buffer
<Ctrl-W> Write history buffer
Chapter 5
Anarkey AKAs
There exist certain commands which you probably execute with
great regularity. The retrieval operations discussed in the
previous chapter are extremely useful in reducing the number
of times you have to type such lines. In addition to
retrieval functions, Anarkey provides another powerful
feature called an AKA (pronounced "a-k-a").
AKAs provide a text-substitution capability to Anarkey. You
can assign a long string of characters to a short character
string of one or two characters. Then when you enter the
short string on the input line, Anarkey will replace it with
the long string. This text substitution occurs after the
line has been accepted, but before it has been executed,
therefore, the substitution is transparent to the user.
If you are familiar with another command-line editor, an
Anarkey AKA is analogous to what is sometimes referred to as
an alias or synonym. "AKA" is an acronym for
"Also-Known-As" and "AnarKey Alias."
In Anarkey's default configuration, AKAs are not supported.
This saves DOS memory because none of the code needed to
process AKAs remains resident. If you wish to use Anarkey's
AKA feature, you must specify the -A option when Anarkey is
installed. Immediately following the -A option, specify the
amount of memory Anarkey should reserve to store your AKAs.
For example, to store 200 characters of AKAs, install
Anarkey with the option -A200. The -A option is also
described in Chapter 11 of this manual.
Defining an AKA
An AKA is composed of two parts: an AKA word and a
substitution string. In most cases, the AKA word will be
short and the substitution string fairly long or
complicated. When you type the AKA word onto an input line
and accept the line, Anarkey replaces the word with its
substitution string.
AKAs can be defined on the DOS command line or via the Load
program. (Load is discussed in Chapter 14.) The syntax for
both methods is identical and is shown below.
:AKA_word substitution_string
A colon(:) character marks the start of an AKA definition
and AKA word. AKA words are not case sensitive; "word" is
equivalent to "WORD." The first space or <Tab> character
marks the end of the AKA word. The remainder of the line is
the substitution string.
If the definition's AKA word is identical to an existing
AKA, the existing AKA is replaced with the new definition.
A definition's substitution string can include multiple
commands, provided each command is separated by a
semicolon(;). Entering multiple commands per line is
documented in Chapter 7.
Anarkey performs a length check on each command specified in
the substitution string. If any single command exceeds 127
characters, Anarkey will refuse to accept the definition.
It will beep and position the cursor beneath the first
character that exceeds the limit.
AKAs cannot be nested. In other words, if the substitution
string contains the AKA word from another definition (that
is, the AKA word is "nested" in the substitution string),
when Anarkey performs the substitution operation, the nested
AKA word is not replaced.
The following line defines an AKA called "home" and a
substitution string of "cd \mydir."
:home cd \mydir
If you enter the above AKA definition onto the input line
and press <Enter>, Anarkey will save the AKA in it storage
area. If there is not enough room to save the definition,
Anarkey beeps.
To use an AKA, simply enter its AKA word onto the input
line. Using our example, typing "home" and <Enter> will
execute the command "cd \mydir."
It is important when entering AKAs that they be specified in
the command-portion of the line. The substitution operation
is only performed on commands and program names and not on
program arguments or parameters. This is illustrated in the
following two input lines.
>home Executes "cd \mydir"
>cd home Executes "cd home," not "cd cd \mydir"
Any arguments following the AKA on the input line are
appended to the substituted sting. For example, take the
following AKA definition.
:d dir
Now if you enter "d *.exe" on the input line, Anarkey will
expand it to "dir *.exe" before execution. Notice that the
"*.exe" argument was appended to the substitution string.
Viewing AKAs
The list of defined AKAs can be viewed at any time by
pressing <Alt-F4>. AKAs will be displayed one per line
until the screen is full. Press any key to see the next
screen's worth of AKAs. At the end of the displayed list,
Anarkey will output the amount of space still available to
store further AKA definitions.
If AKAs have not been enabled via the -A command-line
option, the <Alt-F4> key has no effect.
The Anarkmd program also supports saving AKA definitions to
a disk file suitable for processing by the Load program.
This allows you to save your AKA definitions between
computer sessions. The Anarkmd program is discussed in
Chapter 16. Load is explained in Chapter 14.
Undefining an AKA
To undefine an AKA, simply specify the AKA word preceded by
a colon(:). Do not specify a substitution string. For
example, to undefine our sample AKA, enter the following
line.
:home
Additionally, every AKA can be undefined in one fell swoop
by pressing <Alt-X>. This clears the entire AKA storage
area so that no AKAs are defined.
Parameter Fields
All the AKAs shown so far are simple text substitutions
where the AKA word is directly replaced by the substitution
string. However, substitution strings may contain something
called a parameter field. A parameter field is a special
type of designation in the substitution string. Parameter
fields are specified by a leading percent sign(%) followed
by a single-digit number from 1 through 9. For example, %1,
%2, %6 and %9 are all valid parameter fields. The following
is an AKA definition that uses parameter fields.
:test echo %1 %2 %3
When Anarkey is processing an AKA and performing text
substitution (that is, after you have entered and accepted a
line), a parameter field is replaced with the corresponding
argument taken from the input line. For example, the %1
parameter field is replaced with the AKA's first argument,
%2 with the second and so on.
Given our sample AKA above, entering the input line "test
one two three" would result in the command "echo one two
three" being executed. The %1 parameter field in the
substitution string is replaced with the first argument to
"test," that is, "one." The other two parameter fields and
arguments are handled in the same manner.
Now suppose we redefined our "test" AKA to the following.
:test echo %3 %2 %1
Entering the same "test one two three" line would result in
the execution of the command "echo three two one." Notice
the %3 parameter field was substituted with the third
argument to "test," %2 with the second argument and %1 with
the first.
If a substitution string contains a parameter field, but the
input line has no corresponding argument, the parameter
field is replaced with an empty string. In other words, the
parameter field is deleted. Thus, given the previous "test"
AKA, the input line "test one" would execute "echo one."
Notice that since there is no second or third argument, the
%2 and %3 parameter fields are ignored.
Conversely, if the AKA definition contains a parameter
field, but the input line includes additional arguments, the
extra arguments are ignored. Thus, a line of "test one two
three four" converts to "echo three two one" and the extra
"four" argument is ignored. Notice that this is different
than if there were no parameter fields specified in the
definition. Recall that without parameter fields, all
arguments are appended to the end of the substitution string.
Parameter fields provide the advantage of being able to
position an argument in a specific place within the
substitution string. They can be used to create fairly
powerful AKAs which approach the functionality of batch
files, but execute much faster.
Here is an example of an AKA definition that copies files to
a specified drive. The AKA accepts multiple drive
specifications and each can include the DOS wildcard
characters. The syntax of the AKA is:
MCOPY drive file_spec [file_spec ...]
For example, you can enter "mcopy a: *.doc test.* *.com."
The result will be that all files matching the *.doc, test.*
and *.com specifications will be copied to the A: drive.
Here is the AKA definition for this command.
:mcopy for %f in (%2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9) do copy %f %1
As you can see, the substitution string uses the DOS "for"
command. If you are unfamiliar with this command, refer to
your DOS manual for details. The "for" command is usually
used in batch files, however, it can be used on the command
line as well.
When the input line "mcopy a: *.doc test.* *.com" is
entered, the executed line after substitution is shown below.
for %f in (*.doc test.* *.com) do copy %f a:
When DOS executes the "for" command, the effect will be the
same as executing the three commands "copy *.doc a:," "copy
test.* a:" and "copy *.com a:."
Summary
In summary, this chapter documented how to work with AKAs
and the following keystroke operation.
<Alt-F4> View AKAs
Chapter 6
Filename Completion
The average input line often includes a filename. Many
times the filename is prefaced by a path specification. And
all input lines include a program or command to execute.
Because these items are entered so often, Anarkey provides
functions to complete them for you automatically. These
completion operations are similar in concept to the line
completion functions discussed in Chapter 4. As you
continue to learn Anarkey, it will become clear that
entering most items on an input line requires only that you
type one or two characters of the item and then let Anarkey
do the rest.
Completing Names
Anarkey divides the completion of filenames into two
categories: directory names and all other files. The group
"all other files" includes programs and "normal" files, such
as text or data files; in other words, anything that is not
a directory. Although completing a directory name isn't
much different from completing a filename, there are some
minor differences. These differences will be noted where
applicable. Unless stated otherwise, all operations
described in the remainder of this chapter apply to name
completions of all types.
To complete a directory name, press <F7> or <Ctrl-D>. To
complete the name of any other type of file, press <F8> or
<Ctrl-F>. Any non-whitespace characters (e.g. blank or
<Tab>) immediately preceding the cursor position are used to
narrow down the list of possible completions. For example,
if the cursor followed the letter "d," Anarkey would
complete the name using only those files starting with the
letter "d." The case of the letters is not important. If
no or a blank character precedes the cursor, Anarkey will
match all files in the category (directory or otherwise).
If Anarkey finds an existing file that could complete the
filename, it enters it onto the input line. The cursor
position remains unchanged. If the completed name is not
the one you desire, press the appropriate completion key
again and Anarkey will cycle through the list of possible
completions.
Once Anarkey has completed the filename, the cursor will
still be at its original position, that is, somewhere in the
middle of the completed name. If you need to enter
additional characters after the filename, the cursor will
have to be moved. This can be accomplished by pressing the
<End> or <Right> arrow keys, but there is a faster way:
simply type them in! Anarkey will automatically move the
cursor to the first position beyond the completed name if
the first keystroke after a name completion is one of the
following:
Space Backslash(\) Colon(:)
Slash(/) Input redirection(<) Semicolon(;)
Asterisk(*) Output redirection(>) Equal sign(=)
Plus sign(+) Question mark(?) Pipe character(|)
Comma(,) Dash(-)(only if -U active)
After moving the cursor, the typed character is entered onto
the input line.
Note that the dash(-) character moves the cursor only if the
-U option was specified on the Anarkey installation line.
The -U option controls Anarkey's interpretation of the
slash(/) and dash(-) characters as a path separator and
switch (or option) specifier, respectively. This topic is
discussed in detail in Chapter 10 so don't worry about it
for now.
If any other character beside those listed above is typed
following a completion operation, the character in entered
onto the input line at the current cursor position. This is
useful in case you begin a completion operation only to
discover there is a large number of possible completions.
For example, you start completing all the files that start
with the letter "c," but suddenly remember 75 files start
with a "c." Rather then cycle through them all until you
hit upon the desired file, you can enter additional
characters to narrow the completion possibilities down.
When Anarkey completes the name of a program file, it does
not include the file's extension when it enters the name on
the input line. Program names must have the file extension
BAT, COM or EXE.
When Anarkey searches for the completion to a "normal"
filename, in other words, any file other than a program or
directory, it ignores files with certain extensions. A file
using one of the following extensions will not be completed
by Anarkey.
.$$$ .BAK .BIN .COM
.EXE .TMP .HEX .LIB
.OBJ .OVR .SYS
These extensions are ignored because the files which use
them are rarely entered on input lines. Anarkey attempts to
save you the trouble of cycling through these undesired
files by ignoring them. If you prefer that Anarkey not
ignore files using the above extensions, you can specify the
-X\ option on the installation command line. Also, you can
add additional extensions to the ignored list via the -X
option. Complete details will be covered in Chapter 11.
Pop-Up Filename Completion Window
A pop-up window that contains the entire list of completions
can be displayed by pressing <Alt-F8> or <Alt-F>. All file
types, directories and others, are displayed in the window.
From this window you can scroll through the list and select
the desired filename using the keyboard or a mouse. The
file-completion window is identical to the history-buffer
window in the way scrolling and selection are performed.
Refer to the discussion of the history-buffer window in
Chapter 4 or press the <F1> key with the file-completion
window displayed to refresh your memory on the supported
operations.
Summary
The following operations and their assigned keystrokes were
discussed in this chapter.
<F7> Complete directory name
<Ctrl-D> Same as <F7>
<F8> Complete program/file name
<Ctrl-F> Same as <F8>
<Alt-F8> Pop-up filename completion window
<Alt-F> Same as <Alt-F8>
Chapter 7
Multiple Commands per Line
In plain, vanilla DOS, you are allowed to enter only one
command per input line. With Anarkey, multiple commands can
be included on a single input line. Using multiple commands
will reduce the number of line retrieval operations
performed. More importantly, multiple commands are
extremely useful for AKA definitions. An AKA that uses
multiple commands is like a miniature batch file.
Entering Multiple-Command Lines
Multiple commands are separated on the input line by a
semicolon(;). When a line is accepted, Anarkey breaks it
into separate commands and passes each one to the command
processor for execution. The semicolon separators are
"eaten" by Anarkey and are not passed as part of the command.
The following are examples of input lines that contain
multiple commands.
cd \temp;dir
md \newdir;cd \newdir;copy \olddir\*.* \newdir
edit letter.doc;print letter.doc
There are two situations where the semicolon character is
not interpreted as a command separator: (1) the semicolon is
the very last character on the input line and (2) any
semicolon used in a PATH, PROMPT or SET command.
If you wish to include a semicolon in a command, specify two
consecutive semicolons. Anarkey will convert them to a
single semicolon character before passing the command along
for execution.
The following input lines use semicolon characters as part
of the command rather than as separators.
masm anarkey;
path=c:\dos;d:\global;c:\masm
prnt doc1.txt;;doc2.txt
Multiple commands can be disabled on a per-line or permanent
basis. With multiple commands disabled, the semicolon
character is never interpreted as a command separator. To
disable multiple commands on the current input line, press
<F10> or <Ctrl-R>. The -O installation option will disable
multiple commands for the entire Anarkey session. (However,
note that multiple commands are still allowed in AKA
definitions, even with the -O option.)
Length Considerations
Anarkey input lines can be up to 255 characters in length.
However, individual commands within the line are restricted
to the maximum length specified by the command processor in
service. The standard DOS COMMAND.COM program prohibits
commands composed of more than 127 characters.
If you attempt to accept an input line that contains a
command whose length exceeds the maximum allowed by the
command processor, Anarkey will beep and position the cursor
beneath the first character that exceeds the limit.
You can also have Anarkey check the length of your commands
before you accept the line by pressing <F2>. If any
commands exceed the maximum, the cursor will be positioned
at the first character beyond the limit. Anarkey will do
nothing if all commands in the line are within bounds.
Miscellaneous Considerations
There are a few minor characteristics of multiple-command
lines that must be mentioned.
First, if the Load program (discussed in Chapter 14) is
included on a multiple-command input line, it must be the
last command in the line. Any commands following Load will
not be executed.
Second, many programs allow you to temporarily exit the
program and shell to DOS. Normally, Anarkey would process
the input line while in this temporary DOS shell. However,
if the program that was temporarily exited was invoked from
a multiple-command line, Anarkey will disable itself while
in the DOS shell. This is done to prevent any subsequent
commands in the original input line from being executed
while in the temporary shell. The following input line
illustrates this situation.
cd \work;progname;cd \home
Imagine you were to temporarily shell to DOS while executing
"progname." If Anarkey was active, it would execute the
next command in the line, "cd \home." However, that command
should not really be executed until "progname" has
completed. To achieve this, Anarkey disables itself while
the temporary DOS shell is in effect. Once "progname"
terminates, Anarkey automatically enables itself and
executes "cd \home."
Note the automatic disabling is only performed when
processing multiple-command lines. Normally, Anarkey is
active when temporarily exiting a program to DOS.
Summary
In summary, this chapter described the functions assigned to
the following keys.
<F2> Check command lengths
<F10> Disable multiple commands on current
line
<Ctrl-R> Same as <F10>
Chapter 8
Editing Environment Variables
In addition to retrieving past lines from the history
buffer, Anarkey can retrieve environment variables and enter
their values onto the input line. Once retrieved, the value
can be modified using the standard editing facilities. This
is particularly useful for those times when you need to add
a new directory to the end of the PATH setting.
To retrieve the value of an environment variable, enter the
"SET" command followed by at least one space and then zero
or more characters of the desired variable's name. Then
press the <F9> or <Ctrl-E> key. If one or more characters
of the name are entered, Anarkey searches for an environment
variable to complete the name. You can cycle through all
matching completions by repeatedly pressing <F9> or
<Ctrl-E>. If no characters of the name are entered, Anarkey
cycles through all the defined environment variables.
When an environment variable is retrieved, its complete name
is entered on the input line followed by an equal sign and
its value. The cursor is positioned beneath the first
character after the equal sign.
Normally, the PATH and PROMPT environment variables do not
require that they be preceded by the SET command. Anarkey
will still retrieve the values of PATH and PROMPT even if
they are not in an explicit SET command. However, their
complete variable names must be entered on the input line
before pressing <F9> or <Ctrl-E>; Anarkey will not complete
the names of PATH and PROMPT if they are not preceded by the
SET command.
For example, enter the following input line and press <F9>
to retrieve the value of the PATH variable. (The underscore
represents the cursor position.)
>path_
Pop-Up Environment Window
A full-screen pop-up window containing an alphabetized list
of all environment variables can be displayed by pressing
<Alt-F9> or <Alt-E>. Like all the other Anarkey pop-up
windows, Anarkmd actually performs the window operation, so
be sure the Anarkmd program is in either the current
directory or a directory along the PATH.
The environment window is similar to the other windows
discussed to this point. The current variable is displayed
in reverse video. Other variables in the list can be made
current by using the <Up> and <Down> arrow keys. If more
variables are defined than can fit in one window, the window
can be scrolled using the keyboard or mouse. Selecting a
variable for retrieval is performed by making the variable
current and pressing <Enter>. The mouse can also be used to
select the desired variable. If you need help on using the
environment window, press <F1> to display a
context-sensitive help screen. Refer to Chapter 4 and the
discussion of the history-buffer window for complete details
about the recognized window keystrokes and mouse actions.
Summary
In summary, the environment variable functions and
keystrokes described in this chapter are listed below.
<F9> Retrieve environment variable value
<Ctrl-E> Same as <F9>
<Alt-F9> Pop-up environment window
<Alt-E> Same as <Alt-F9>
Chapter 9
The MegaKey and MenuKey
Throughout this manual, you have learned about many
keystrokes that invoke individual Anarkey functions. In
this chapter, you will learn two new keystrokes which
combine the operations of several of those functions. The
MegaKey and MenuKey are two of Anarkey's most potent
strengths. With these two simple keys, you gain access to
all of Anarkey's completion, line-retrieval and window
functions.
The MegaKey
In the previous chapters, you learned about several separate
Anarkey functions which retrieve and complete items on input
lines. Each of those functions and their assigned
keystrokes are listed below.
<F5>, <Ctrl-K> Retrieve line from history
buffer
<F7>, <Ctrl-D> Complete directory name
<F8>, <Ctrl-F> Complete filename
<F9>, <Ctrl-E> Retrieve environment variable
Rather than force you to remember all those keystrokes and
have to think about which one to press at a given time,
Anarkey combines them all into a single MegaKey. By
default, the MegaKey is assigned to <Tab>. When you press
<Tab>, Anarkey determines on its own the type of completion
or retrieval operation you desire and does it for you. Of
course, you can still press any of the keys listed above,
but in most instances, it will be easier to just press <Tab>
and let Anarkey do all the work.
Like all the other retrieval and completion functions, the
MegaKey can be pressed repeatedly to cycle through the list
of possibilities.
The MegaKey will correctly determine the desired type of
operation an amazingly high percentage of the time.
However, you may occasionally have to cycle through some
unwanted completions before getting to the one you want.
The MenuKey
The MenuKey is a close cousin of the MegaKey. Like the
MegaKey, it combines several operations to a single key.
The MenuKey can be thought of as a "front-end" to all of
Anarkey's pop-up window functions listed below.
<Alt-F1>, <Alt-H> Pop-up help window
<Alt-F5>, <Alt-K> Pop-up line retrieval window
<Alt-F8>, <Alt-F> Pop-up filename completion
window
<Alt-F9>, <Alt-E> Pop-up environment window
The MenuKey is assigned to the <Alt-Tab> and <Shift-Tab>
keys. However, be aware that the <Alt-Tab> key is not
normally recognized on DOS systems. If your system has an
enhanced, 101-key keyboard (i.e. a keyboard with <F11> and
<F12> keys), you can use the 101-Keys program to allow DOS
to recognize <Alt-Tab> and many other keystrokes. 101-Keys
is discussed in Chapter 15.
Like all the other Anarkey window functions, be sure the
Anarkmd program is located in either the current directory
or a directory along the PATH before pressing the MenuKey.
The MenuKey displays a pop-up menu. Each of the above
operations is listed in the menu. In addition, the item
"Return to Command Line" is included in the menu. Using the
selection techniques discussed for windows in previous
chapters, you select a menu item via the keyboard or a
mouse. The operation you select is then executed.
For example, if the help window menu item is selected, the
pop-up help window is displayed onscreen. The effect is the
same as if you had pressed the <Alt-F1> key to display the
window, but now you only have to remember a single key, the
MenuKey, to display any of the supported Anarkey windows.
Summary
Despite its brief length, this chapter described Anarkey's
most powerful functions, the MegaKey and MenuKey. These two
functions are great leaps toward a state of total Anarkey, a
state without keystrokes. Learn them and your life at the
command prompt will become a pleasure.
<Tab> MegaKey
<Alt-Tab> MenuKey
<Shift-Tab> Same as <Alt-Tab>
Chapter 10
Unix Switchar Conventions
The Unix operating system separates directory names in a
path specification with a slash(/) character rather than
DOS's backslash(\). Also, a Unix command-line option, often
called a switch, is always preceded by a dash(-) while DOS
uses a slash for switches. The character used by an
operating system to specify program switches is referred to
as the switchar (pronounced "switch-char").
Many people prefer the Unix switchar convention over the DOS
method. Interestingly, early DOS versions supported an
undocumented system function which caused the COMMAND.COM
internal commands, like COPY and DIR, to recognize the Unix
switchar conventions. There are several public domain
programs available that use this undocumented function to
alter the DOS switchar. When run, they allow the user to
enter a dash before each command option and slashes in path
specifications.
Unfortunately, these switchar programs suffer from several
difficulties. First, they only effect internal COMMAND.COM
commands and not external or third-party programs, like
XCOPY. Second, they have some strange side-effects which
can make them an adventure to use at times. And finally,
both the compatibility box of OS/2 and DOS versions since
4.00 do not implement the undocumented switchar function,
making it impossible to change the switch character in these
newer environments.
Anarkey provides complete Unix switchar support with none of
the problems inherent in the switchar programs. All
programs, whether internal to COMMAND.COM or external, will
recognize Unix switchar conventions. Further, Anarkey
implements the switchar support in a consistent manner so
there are no undesirable side effects. Also, Anarkey fills
the void left by the new operating systems which do not
allow modification of the system's switchar.
By default, Anarkey's Unix switchar support is disabled. It
is enabled by including the -U option on Anarkey's
command-line. This causes Anarkey to modify certain
characters entered on an input line. Generally, the
characters used in the Unix switchar convention get
converted to those used in DOS. The result is that a line
entered using the Unix convention is translated to its DOS
equivalent. This translation is invisible to the user.
Only two characters are potentially modified by the switchar
translation. They are shown in the table below along with
the character to which each is converted. Note: The
backslash character is included in the table to emphasize
that it can still be used as a path separator even with Unix
switchar support active. Both slashes and backslashes are
valid path separators.
Character on input line Converted to
----------------------- ------------
/ \
- / (unless used in file name)
\ \ (unchanged)
The character translation Anarkey performs is demonstrated
in the following sample input lines.
Input Line Translated Line
------------------------- -------------------------
dir -p dir /p
copy a:/dos/*.com copy a:\dos\*.com
c:/dos/xcopy a:/*.* c: -s c:\dos\xcopy a:\*.* c: /s
If you wish to type a slash or dash character and not have
it translated, enter the character twice. For example, to
execute the line "dir /p," you can enter "dir //p" (or "dir
-p" as shown in the previous table).
In DOS, the dash character is often used in filenames, as in
"101-Keys." If Anarkey were to translate dashes used in
filenames, the resulting line would be incorrect. For
example, the line "copy 101-keys.com a:" would be converted
to "copy 101/keys.com a:." Fortunately, Anarkey does not
translate dash characters used in filenames. Anarkey
determines the dash character's context by checking the
character that immediately precedes the dash. If the
character is not a blank space, the dash is assumed to be
part of a filename. Otherwise, it is determined the dash is
a switchar and it gets translated to a slash character.
Unix-Type Programs
Some third-party programs already support the Unix switchar
convention. Character translation can cause a problem for
these programs when they receive a line using the DOS syntax
rather than the expected Unix syntax. For example, a
program that recognizes Unix conventions will not understand
an input line such as "sort /dos/text.doc -b" after Anarkey
translates it to "sort \dos\text.doc /b." Such programs
need to receive untranslated input lines.
Since Unix-switchar translation must be applied on a
program-by-program basis, you must tell Anarkey which
programs already recognize the Unix convention. Then when
you execute that program in the future, Anarkey will not
perform a translation on the program's arguments.
To inform Anarkey that a program recognizes the Unix
switchar syntax, enter the program's name on the input line
preceded by an exclamation point(!). For example, to
prevent translations from occurring on the SORT program's
input line, enter the command "!sort."
Depending upon the programs you typically run, you may have
a large number of Unix-type program names to enter. To save
you from having to enter each program every time you run
your computer, you can store the list of program names in a
text file and have the Load program send it to Anarkey upon
program start-up. Additionally, the Anarkmd program can
create the text file of program names for you. These
capabilities of Load and Anarkmd are discussed in Chapters
14 and 16, respectively.
When Anarkey receives the name of a Unix-type program, it
stores the name in its Unix buffer. The Unix buffer is an
area of memory Anarkey allocates during installation. By
default, Anarkey does not support Unix switchar usage and
therefore, no memory is allocated for the Unix buffer. When
the -U option is specified during installation, Anarkey
allocates a 25-character Unix buffer. If more space is
required to hold Unix-type program names, the desired size
of the Unix buffer can be specified by appending it to the
end of the -U option. For example, to enable Unix switchar
translations and allocate a Unix buffer of 100 characters,
include -U100 on the Anarkey installation line. The -U
option is more fully described in Chapter 11.
Note: The Anarkmd program already recognizes Unix switchar
syntax, therefore, it should always be stored in the Unix
buffer. Because Anarkey makes extensive use of Anarkmd
(e.g. to display the various pop-up windows), when the -U
option is specified, Anarkey automatically saves the Anarkmd
program in the Unix buffer. This preloading of the buffer
is done to guarantee Anarkmd's proper execution and save you
the trouble of storing it yourself.
If there is not enough room to store a program's name in the
Unix buffer, Anarkey will beep.
A program can be removed from the Unix buffer by preceding
its name on the input line with two exclamation points. For
example, "!!sort" removes the SORT program from the Unix
buffer.
The entire list of programs stored in the Unix buffer can be
displayed by pressing <Shift-F4>. Each output line will
contain one program name preceded by an exclamation point.
If all programs cannot be displayed on a single screen,
output is paused between screens. Press any key to display
the next screen of names.
Note that when a program is stored in the Unix buffer, only
the program's arguments will remain untranslated; all other
items on the input line, including the program's path
specification, redirected filenames and piped commands, are
still translated. These are all demonstrated in the
following input line and the resulting translated line.
Input line:
c:/bin/sort -b >f:/log.txt | echo -test --the /translations
Translated line:
c:\bin\sort -b >f:\log.txt | echo /test -the \translations
As this example illustrates, Anarkey intelligently parses
the input line and translates only the appropriate
characters.
Summary
This chapter has described Anarkey's Unix switchar support
and the following related function.
<Alt-F4> Display Unix buffer
Chapter 11
Anarkey Installation Options
Anarkey recognizes a large assortment of installation
options which can be used to configure Anarkey to your
preferences.
Options are specified on the Anarkey command-line during
installation. An option must be preceded by a dash(-) or
slash(/) character. Options may be in upper or lowercase
and may appear on the command line in any order. Each
option must be separated by at least one space.
A sample Anarkey installation line is shown below.
anarkey -f -h1000 -io
All of Anarkey's options are described in the remainder of
this chapter.
Enable AKA Support
-An Enable AKA support and allocate memory to
store n characters
By default, AKA support is disabled to save memory. The -A
option enables AKA support. The option also specifies the
amount of memory Anarkey should reserve to store AKA
definitions. This number must be appended to the -A option;
no spaces may separate them. For example, the following
input line enables AKA support and allocates 400 characters
for AKA definitions.
anarkey -a400
The combined memory allocated for AKA definitions, the
history buffer (-H option) and the Unix buffer (-U) may not
exceed 50,000 characters. Anarkey will automatically reduce
the memory allocated, first for Unix definitions and, if
necessary, AKA definitions if this limit is exceeded.
Cursor Options
-C Never change cursor shape
-CN Display non-blinking cursor
-CT Display thick underscore cursor
Anarkey recognizes several options to configure management
of the cursor.
The -C option instructs Anarkey to never alter the cursor's
shape. Normally, Anarkey will set the cursor shape based
upon the input mode.
The -CN option causes Anarkey to display a non-blinking
cursor whenever possible. When the cursor is beneath a
space character, the cursor will not blink. When beneath
any other character, the cursor will still blink.
Some EGA video cards will continue to display a blinking
cursor despite the presence of the -CN option. The only
solution to this is to change video cards (preferably to a
VGA or better).
If you pop-up a resident program when the non-blinking
cursor is active, the cursor may not be visible in the
popped-up program. This is a shortcoming of the resident
program.
The -C and -CN options cannot both be included on the
command line. If they are, the -C option overrides the -CN.
The -CT option instructs Anarkey to display a thick
underscore cursor as opposed to its normal "thin"
underscore. This option may be desired if the thin
underscore is difficult to see on your display monitor.
The -C and -CT options cannot both be included on the
command line. If they are, the -C option overrides the -CN.
Use Expanded Memory
-E Load Anarkey in expanded memory
Anarkey can store most of its code and data, including the
history buffer, AKA definitions and Unix program names, in
expanded memory. When this occurs, Anarkey takes only about
1K of DOS memory. To load Anarkey in expanded memory,
include the -E option on the installation line.
All versions of the Lotus-Intel-Microsoft Expanded Memory
Specification (LIM EMS) are supported, including versions
3.2 and 4.0. If a valid expanded memory manager is not
installed or there is not enough expanded memory available
to load Anarkey, an error message will be displayed and
Anarkey will install itself in conventional memory.
Full History Buffer Disclosure
-F Suppress line movement in history buffer
When a line is retrieved from the history buffer and
immediately accepted, Anarkey normally moves the line to the
end of the buffer to prevent the storage of duplicate lines.
If you prefer to maintain an log of input lines in the exact
order in which they were entered, specify the -F option
during program installation. The -F option suppresses line
movement in the history buffer. Each input line will be
entered at the bottom of the buffer.
History Buffer Size
-Hn Reserve n bytes of memory for history buffer
The default history buffer size is 500 characters. Using
the -H option, the buffer size can be set to any value from
255 through 50,000. The size must be appended to the -H
option with no spaces between them. For example, the
following line allocates 10,000 bytes for the history
buffer. Notice that commas should not be included in the
option.
anarkey -h10000
The combined memory allocated to the history buffer, AKA
definitions (-A option) and the Unix buffer (-U) cannot
exceed 50,000 bytes. If this limit is exceeded, Anarkey
will automatically reduce the Unix buffer size and, if
necessary, the AKA-definition space.
Input Mode Options
-II Start Anarkey in insert mode (default)
-IO Start Anarkey in overwrite mode
F Optional modifier to force input mode at
start of each line
By default, Anarkey first starts up in insert mode. This is
the same as specifying the -II option on the installation
line. Normally, Anarkey remains in the current input mode
until the <Ins> key toggles the mode. If you specify the
-IIF option, Anarkey will force itself into insert mode
every time it begins a new input line.
The -IO option instructs Anarkey to begin operation in
overwrite mode. -IOF forces Anarkey into overwrite mode for
every new input line.
Display Memory Usage
-M Display Anarkey memory usage
The -M installation option instructs Anarkey to calculate
and display the total amount of memory required for the
specified configuration. Anarkey takes into account the
size of any buffers and whether or not expanded memory is to
be used when it performs its calculation.
When -M is specified, Anarkey does not install itself and
remain resident. It only calculates its memory requirement
and displays the information.
Be aware that expanded memory is allocated in 16K chunks.
Even if only a single byte of expanded memory is needed, an
entire 16K block must be reserved. This is a characteristic
of the LIM EMS specification.
To help you use expanded memory wisely, Anarkey displays the
amount of reserved, but unused, expanded memory along with
the amount that is in use. Any unused memory can be
allocated to the history buffer, AKA definitions and/or Unix
buffer without any additional memory allocation occuring.
In effect, this is free memory.
Neither expanded memory nor an expanded memory manager need
be present to include both the -E and -M options on the
installation line.
Note: The memory requirements output by Anarkey indicate
the amount of memory Anarkey will request from DOS before
going resident. In addition to this value, DOS will
allocate a block of memory large enough to store a copy of
every environment variable defined at that moment. You can
reduce the memory requirements of Anarkey (and any TSR
program) by installing it before defining many environment
variables.
The sample installation line shown below instructs Anarkey
to calculate how much memory it will need when configured
with a 1000-character history buffer and 400 characters
allocated for AKA definitions.
anarkey -a400 -h1000 -m
Enable Alternative Mouse Interface
-MA Use alternative mouse interface in pop-up
windows
Anarkey supports two different mouse interfaces when
processing a pop-up window. The default interface has been
described in the earlier chapters of this manual. The
alternative interface is discussed in Appendix I. To enable
the alternative mouse interface, include the -MA option on
Anarkey's command-line during installation.
Disable Multiple-Command Lines
-O Disable multiple-command lines
Anarkey normally allows multiple commands to be entered on a
single input line as documented in Chapter 7. The -O option
disables multiple-command lines entered on the input line.
Multiple commands are still allowed in AKA definitions.
Multiple commands can also be repressed on a per-line basis
by pressing <F10> or <Ctrl-R>. Refer to Chapter 7 for
additional information on multiple-command lines.
Anarkey Process Number
-Pn Set Anarkey process number to n
During installation, Anarkey assigns itself a default
process number. This process number is used to determine
whether or not Anarkey is already resident. This basically
prevents the loading of duplicate copies of Anarkey.
There are two instances when you will want to assign Anarkey
a new process number: (1) when another TSR program uses
Anarkey's default number and (2) when you wish to purposely
load multiple copies of Anarkey. The first scenario is
possible, but highly unlikely. It will make itself known by
Anarkey's failure to install even one copy of itself and
report that it is already resident.
You may wish to purposely install multiple copies of Anarkey
if you use DesqView or Microsoft Windows in their non-386
modes. Instructions on how to use Anarkey in these
environments are included in Chapter 12.
When you assign a new process number to Anarkey, the number
is appended to the -P option with no spaces between them.
Valid process numbers are 0 through 63. By default, Anarkey
uses process number 35.
Be aware that if you change Anarkey's process number, you
will have to specify the new process number on the Load and
Anarkmd program's command lines every time you run them.
This is because those programs require Anarkey to be
installed in order to perform their tasks and the process
number is needed to determine Anarkey installation. The
Load and Anarkmd programs are discussed in Chapters 14 and
16, respectively.
The following line installs Anarkey with the process number
14.
anarkey -p14
Note: Never use the -P option if running the TSR version of
the QEdit text editor from SemWare. QEdit TSR contains
dedicated Anarkey support which requires Anarkey to use its
default process number. This is only applicable to the TSR
version of QEdit and not other QEdit implementations.
Quiet Mode
-Q Run in quiet mode
Anarkey will occasionally sound the system bell, for
instance, after cycling through the list of possible
filename or line completions. To suppress these beeps and
run in quiet mode, include the -Q option on the installation
line. However, even in quiet mode, Anarkey still beeps in
error situations where no other form of notification is
provided. Such situations are when an AKA or Unix program
name is defined, but there is not enough memory left in the
respective buffer to store it.
Suppress Line Redisplay
-R Do not redisplay accepted lines
When an input line is accepted, Anarkey normally redisplays
the line onscreen so as to allow any redirection to the
printer to occur. (Redirection to the printer is
implemented in DOS by pressing <Ctrl-P>. Refer to your DOS
manual for further details.)
This redisplay is annoying when a voicebox is connected to
the system because the user hears each input line twice. To
suppress line redisplay, include the -R option on the
installation line. However, be aware that doing so prevents
input-line printer redirection from occurring.
History Buffer Minimum Line Length
-Sn Save input lines at least n characters in
length to history buffer
By default, Anarkey saves all non-empty lines in the history
buffer. However, very short lines of one or two characters
are probably easier to retype than to retrieve from the
buffer. Rather than clutter the history buffer with these
short lines, they can be excluded from the buffer via the -S
option.
Appended to the -S option must be the input line's minimum
length for Anarkey to store it in the buffer. No spaces can
separate the -S from the length value.
For example, the following line instructs Anarkey to store
only lines of three or more characters in the history buffer.
anarkey -s3
Unix Switchar Support
-U Enable Unix switchar support
-Un Enable Unix switchar support, allocate Unix
buffer of n characters
-US Translate slash character(/) only, leave
dash character(-) unmodified
The various -U options provide levels of support for the
Unix switchar conventions. Details about this topic are
discussed in Chapter 10.
The -U option enables Unix switchar support and allocates a
Unix buffer of 25 characters.
The -Un option also enables Unix switchar support, but the
size of the Unix buffer is specified immediately after the
option. No spaces may separate the -U from the buffer size.
Buffer size is specified in number of characters and can be
any value up to 50,000. Note however, that the combined
memory allocated for the history buffer, AKA definitions and
Unix buffer cannot exceed 50,000 bytes. If it does, Anarkey
will automatically reduce the size of the Unix buffer and,
if necessary, the AKA storage area to meet the limit.
The -US option instructs Anarkey to convert any slash(/)
characters on the input line to backslashes(\). Dash
characters are left unmodified. In effect, this allows
slashes to be used as a path separator in filenames.
The -US option is leftover from earlier versions of Anarkey
that did not provide the extensive Unix switchar support
found in the current version. Even though it is still
supported, the comprehensive Unix support described in
Chapter 10 is preferable to the limited support provided by
the -US option.
The following command line installs Anarkey with a
150-character Unix buffer.
anarkey -u150
Disable Dedicated Windows 3.x Support
-W Disable dedicated Windows 3.x support
When running Windows 3.1 with Anarkey installed, a small
number of machines exhibit problems if Anarkey is loaded in
high memory. Reported problems include not being able to
execute any Windows applications or not being able to start
a DOS session. If you experience these or any other Windows
problems, try installing Anarkey with the -W option. This
disables all of Anarkey's dedicated Windows support and may
eliminate the problem. If the problem persists, do not use
the -W option, but instead load Anarkey in low memory.
With Windows support disabled, you will not be able to safely
run concurrent DOS sessions in 386-enhanced mode. Running a
single DOS session will work without problems. Refer to
Chapter 12, "Microsoft Windows and DesqView" for further
details about running Anarkey with Windows.
Ignored File Extensions
-X\ Do not ignore any file extensions
-Xext Ignore files with ext extension
Anarkey usually ignores files with certain extensions when
it is choosing a filename completion. This operation is
described in Chapter 6.
The -X\ option instructs Anarkey to not ignore any file
extensions when completing a filename. In effect, this
clears the list of ignored file extensions.
Additional extensions can be added to the list of ignored
extensions by specifying them with the -X option. Append
the extension, with no intervening spaces, to the -X option.
The DOS wildcard characters '?' and '*' are allowed in the
extension. The Anarkey installation line may contain up to
six (6) -X options.
The following line adds the extensions .BAT and .Q* to the
ignored-extensions list.
anarkey -xbat -xq*
Both the -X\ and -Xext options may be specified on the same
installation line. The -X\ option clears the default
ignored-extensions list. Any -Xext options after -X\ are
then added to the list.
The next line instructs Anarkey to ignore only files with a
.TXT extension.
anarkey -x\ -xtxt
Chapter 12
Microsoft Windows and DesqView
Anarkey is compatible with the Microsoft Windows and
Quarterdeck DesqView environments. Important considerations
when running each of these programs are discussed in this
chapter.
Microsoft Windows
Anarkey contains dedicated support for Microsoft Windows
v3.0 and later. Anarkey runs in a DOS session with Windows
operating in any of its modes (real, standard and
386-enhanced).
When running Windows in real or standard modes, install
Anarkey in each DOS session AFTER beginning the session.
Anarkey can already be installed when you start Windows, but
that copy of it will be ignored while in Windows, even in a
Windows DOS session. When you terminate a DOS session by
typing "exit," that session's copy of Anarkey is
automatically removed from memory.
Things are quite a bit different when running Windows in its
386-enhanced mode. Anarkey is aware of the Windows 386 mode
and provides special support for each open DOS session.
However, if you are going to run Windows in 386 mode,
Anarkey must not be using expanded memory. This means do
not include the -E option on the Anarkey installation line.
If Anarkey is using expanded memory and you attempt to
execute Windows in 386 mode, Anarkey will terminate the
Windows session and display an error message. Either run
Windows in another mode or reinstall Anarkey without the -E
option.
When running Windows in 386 mode, install Anarkey BEFORE
starting Windows. When Windows begins, a snapshot is taken
of Anarkey's current status, including the history buffer
contents, AKA definitions and Unix program names. Then
every time a new DOS session is opened under Windows, it is
initialized to this saved status. There is no need to
reinstall Anarkey in each DOS session; it is installed and
initialized automatically.
Multiple DOS sessions can be open concurrently and Anarkey
will operate in each one. However, each session maintains
its own separate copy of data, including history buffer and
AKA definitions. For example, if you enter an input line in
one DOS session, attempting to retrieve it from another
session will fail because the line was saved in the other
session's history buffer. This is also true for AKA
definitions and the Unix buffer. Thus, it is a good idea to
perform all buffer initializations and AKA definitions
before starting Windows.
When a DOS session is terminated, its copy of Anarkey is
automatically removed from memory.
The Windows 3.1 installation program identifies Anarkey v4.00
as having problems with Windows. Anarkey versions 4.01 and
later work successfully with Windows 3.x. However, a small
number of machines exhibit problems if Anarkey is loaded into
high memory using DOS 5 or a memory manager. Reported problems
include not being able to execute any Windows applications or
not being able to start a DOS session. If you experience these
problems, load Anarkey in low memory. You may also try loading
Anarkey with the -W installation option to disable all of
Anarkey's dedicated Windows support. Refer to Chapter 11 for
details on the -W option.
DesqView
Anarkey is compatible with DesqView and DesqView 386 and can
run in a DOS window in either environment. As far as Anarkey
is concerned, there is no difference between DesqView and
DesqView 386; the remainder of this discussion applies to both
environments.
When a DesqView DOS window is opened, Anarkey will not be
active within it, even if Anarkey was loaded prior to running
DesqView. A copy of Anarkey must be installed in each DOS
window for it to be active.
If Anarkey was not installed prior to running DesqView, it can
be installed in multiple DOS windows without specifying any
special options. When a DOS window is closed, its copy of
Anarkey is removed from memory automatically.
If you want Anarkey active outside of DesqView *and* in each
DesqView DOS window, a little more work (but only a little) is
necessary. Anarkey stills needs to be installed separately in
each DOS window. In other words, multiple copies of Anarkey
are installed into memory.
It is useful to categorize these multiple copies into two
groups: copies loaded in DesqView DOS windows and the single
copy loaded outside DesqView. One of these groups must use the
-P option when installing Anarkey. The -P option assigns a
process number to Anarkey which allows multiple copies of it to
be installed. Appended to -P must be the assigned process
number, for example, -P1. Refer to Chapter 11, page 38 of the
"Anarkey User Manual" for more information concerning the -P
option.
This is most easily understood by an example. Say the Anarkey
copy outside of DesqView was installed without the -P option.
Then all Anarkey copies loaded within DesqView DOS windows must
be installed with -P. The process number specified with -P can
be the same for each DOS window, for example, you can use -P1
in each window. This is handy because it allows you to use the
same initialization file for each DOS window.
Conversely, say the Anarkey copy outside DesqView was installed
with -P. Then the Anarkey copies loaded within DOS windows do
not need -P options. It all breaks down to the two groups:
Anarkey copies installed outside DesqView and those installed
inside DesqView. One group must use -P options, the other does
not.
Chapter 13
Anarked, the Anarkey Keystroke Editor
Anarked allows you to change Anarkey's default key
assignments. For example, if you want to display the help
window by pressing <F1> instead of the default <Alt-F1>,
Anarked lets you do so. Any Anarkey keystroke, except those
used during processing of a pop-up window, may be reassigned
with Anarked.
Anarked modifies the ANARKEY.COM program file. Therefore,
new key assignments made with Anarked are not active until
you run the modified Anarkey program.
Running Anarked
Execute Anarked from the DOS command prompt. When executed,
Anarked prompts for the specification of the ANARKEY.COM
program to process. If ANARKEY.COM is not in the current
directory, its location must be specified. A default spec
is displayed in [] brackets. To accept the default, press
<Enter>. Otherwise, type the appropriate filename and press
<Enter>.
Anarked verifies that the entered filename is a valid
ANARKEY.COM program file. If it is not, Anarked refuses to
accept it and prompts you for a new file spec.
Anarked recognizes one optional command-line argument, -U.
-U is used if you are upgrading from a previous version of
Anarkey. It allows you to carry over key assignments from
one version to another, saving you from assigning them again.
When -U is specified, Anarked prompts for two file
specifications: (1) the old ANARKEY.COM file and (2) the new
ANARKEY.COM file to receive the transferred key assignments.
Again, Anarked checks both files for validity before
agreeing to process them. If both files are valid Anarkey
programs, the key assignments of the first program spec are
copied to the second spec.
Occasionally, a new release of Anarkey adds new functions
not available in the previous version. When upgrading with
-U, the default key assignments to all new functions are
cleared so the new functions are not assigned to any keys.
This is done to prevent the possibility of conflicting key
assignments between the new version and the modified, older
version. When Anarked begins processing, it displays a list
all new functions added to the new version. You will have
to assign keys to those functions if you wish to use them.
Note: This requirement is only necessary when upgrading with
the -U option.
After all requested input files have been entered, Anarked
prompts for the name of the output file. Any changes made
during the forthcoming Anarked session will be saved in this
output file. A default filename is displayed within []
brackets. Press <Enter> to accept the default or enter
another filename.
With all input and output files specified, Anarked enters
edit mode where Anarkey key assignments are modified.
Anarked Edit Mode
Anarkey key assignments are modified in Anarked's edit mode.
In edit mode, a full-screen window is displayed which lists
several Anarkey functions and their current key assignments.
Each line in the window contains one Anarkey function. The
function's description is displayed on the left half of the
line. Alongside the description are two columns which
display the function's current key assignments. Key
assignments are surrounded by <> brackets, as in <F1>. If
no key is assigned to the function, empty <> brackets are
displayed. Each function may have a maximum of two keys
assigned to it.
Anarkey's functions are spread over several windows. You
can view the next window by pressing <PgDn>. Press <PgUp>
to view the previous window.
One key assignment in the window is displayed in reverse
video (i.e. black characters on a white background) and is
referred to as the current key assignment. Other
assignments in the window can be made current by pressing
the <Up>, <Down>, <Left> and <Right> arrow keys.
Key assignments are modified by first making the assignment
you wish to modify the current key assignment. Then press
the key sequence you wish to assign to the function. For
example, to change the help window's key assignment from
<Alt-F1> to <F1>, use the <PgUp>, <PgDn> and arrow keys to
make the <Alt-F1> field the current key assignment. Then
press <F1>. The new key assignment replaces any previous
assignment.
Nearly any keystroke recognized by DOS can be assigned to an
Anarkey function. This includes the function keys and key
sequences combining one of the <Alt>, <Ctrl> or <Shift>
keys. WordStar-like multiple-character key sequences, such
as <Ctrl-KS>, are not supported.
Because DOS handles the <Ctrl-C> and <Ctrl-P> keystrokes
itself (to abort a program and redirect output to a printer,
respectively), these keys may not be assigned to Anarkey
functions.
Also, a key may not be assigned to more than one function.
If the key being assigned is already assigned to another
function, Anarked displays a window stating the key's
current assignment and asks if you wish to remove it. If
you respond positively, the key is removed from its old
function assignment and assigned to the current function.
A key assignment can be explicitly removed by making it the
current assignment and pressing <Ctrl-@>. Key assignments
can also be removed by going through the Anarked action menu
described in the next section. Note: The TOPS local area
network does not correctly handle <Ctrl-@> keystrokes.
Thus, to remove key assignments, either UNLOAD TOPS or use
the action menu function described in the next section.
The Anarked Action Menu
The Anarked action menu provides operations not available in
edit mode. Press the <Esc> key to display the action menu.
The action menu lists several operations. One operation,
the current item, is displayed in reverse video. A menu
operation is invoked by using the <Up> and <Down> arrow keys
to make it the current item and then pressing <Enter>. Some
operations are executed immediately, while others prompt for
additional input.
The action menu can be exited by pressing <Esc> again.
Save changes and quit
Select this menu item to save your key assignments to the
output file specified upon program startup. The new
assignments will be in effect the next time Anarkey is
installed.
Anarked terminates after saving the key assignments.
Create summary list
This operation creates an ASCII text file listing all the
Anarkey functions and their key assignments. This file is
suitable for printing and can be displayed in Anarkey's
pop-up help window. Refer to Chapter 2 for information
about the help window.
Anarked prompts for the name of the file to create. The
default file name is the output filename specified at
startup with a .SUM extension. Press <Enter> to accept the
default or enter another filename.
Alternatively, the file can be sent directly to the printer
instead of a disk file by entering "PRN" when prompted for
the filename. However, be sure the printer is turned on
before sending the file to it.
Press <F1> to abort the operation without creating a summary
list.
Assign key
Since the <Esc>, <PgUp>, <PgDn> and arrow keys are
intercepted and interpreted by Anarked, assigning them to an
Anarkey function requires that you go through this operation
of the action menu.
Anarked prompts for the key to assign to the
current-key-assignment field. Any key you press, including
<Esc>, <PgUp>, <PgDn> or the arrow keys, is assigned to the
field.
Press <F1> to abort the operation and return to edit mode.
Remove keystroke (<Ctrl-@>)
When this operation is executed, the current-key-assignment
field is cleared. This is identical to pressing <Ctrl-@>.
Quit Anarked without save
This operation terminates Anarked without saving any
modified key assignments.
Keyboard Considerations
Anarked recognizes the same keystrokes the DOS operating
system recognizes. Be aware that even though your keyboard
may include <F11> and <F12> keys does not necessarily mean
you can use them. If DOS does not recognize a keystroke,
neither does Anarked.
This problem can be resolved by running the 101-Keys program
distributed with Anarkey. 101-Keys provides support for
enhanced keyboards. It lets Anarked and other programs
recognize keystrokes DOS does not normally support,
including the <F11> and <F12> keys. 101-Keys is described
in Chapter 15.
Chapter 14
Load, the Anarkey Load Utility
The Load program reads an ASCII text file and processes each
line as if it were entered at the DOS prompt. The
difference is that the lines are not executed; they are only
stored in the history buffer. Thus, Load provides a method
to initialize the history buffer.
Also, if the text file contains AKA definitions or Unix
program names, Load will process and save them in the
appropriate manner. So you don't have to type in your AKA
definitions and Unix programs at the start of every session,
it is a good idea to store them in a text file and then have
Load process the file during AUTOEXEC.BAT initialization.
The Anarkmd program can create these files for you using the
AKAs and Unix programs existing at the time it is executed.
Anarkmd is discussed in Chapter 16. You can also tell Load
to not process AKA definitions and Unix programs by
including the -D option on the command line. Load options
are explained later in this chapter.
Running Load
Anarkey must be installed prior to running Load. The only
exception to this is when Load is executed with the -M
option, explained below. Once Anarkey is installed, Load
can be executed at any time and any number of times. Load
can be executed as part of a multiple-command line, but it
must be the very last command in the line. Any commands
following Load in a multiple-command line are ignored.
Load command-line syntax is shown below.
LOAD [-options] filename [filename...]
If Load is executed with no arguments, a usage message is
displayed.
Load command-line options are not required. When specified,
an option instructs Load to operate in a different manner
than it normally does. Recognized options are described in
the next section.
Load processes all filenames specified on the command line.
Filenames may contain the DOS wildcard characters '*' and
'?'. Each file must be an ASCII text file.
Load ignores all lines in the file which are empty or have a
first word of "REM." The remaining lines are stored in the
history buffer, unexecuted. AKA definitions (identified by
a colon(:) as the line's first character) are processed and
added to the list of AKAs. If there is not enough room to
store the AKA, Load beeps, displays an error message and
continues processing the remainder of the file. Likewise,
Unix program names (specified by an exclamation point(!) as
the line's first character) are saved in the Unix buffer.
Load rejects lines longer than 255 characters or containing
commands of more than 127 characters.
Command-Line Options
Load options modify Load's default operation. Options may
appear anywhere on the command line. Each must be preceded
by a dash(-) character. Options may be in upper- or
lowercase. Recognized options are described below.
Suppress Processing of AKA Definitions and Unix Programs
-D Do not process AKA definitions and Unix
program names
Normally, Load processes an AKA definition or Unix program
name just as if it had been entered on the input line.
However, sometimes the processed file may contain
definitions that were defined temporarily and are no longer
desired. This can occur when the history buffer from a
previous session is saved and then restored.
Such definitions can be ignored during Load processing by
including -D on the command line. With -D specified, AKA
definitions and Unix program names are ignored; they are not
defined or stored in the Unix or history buffers.
Fast-Load Operation
-F Load disk file as quickly as possible,
bypassing any error checking
Load normally performs extensive error checking on each line
it processes. For example, the line's length is checked to
verify it is not too long and sufficient space to store an
AKA definition or Unix program name is checked. If any
errors occur, Load displays a message explaining the problem.
The Load error checking can take a significant amount of
time. If you are confident the processed file contains no
problems, time can be saved by performing a fast-load
operation. Fast-load is activated by specifying the -F
option on the command line. In fast-load, error checking is
bypassed and an optimized Load is performed. Fast-load is
significantly quicker than Load's normal processing.
Calculate Space used by AKA Definitions and Unix Program
Names
-M Display AKA and Unix program space
requirements
When first configuring Anarkey, it is common to create files
containing AKA definitions and Unix program names, install
Anarkey and then have Load process the files. But before
installing Anarkey, it's useful to know how much space to
allocate for AKA definitions and the Unix buffer. Load can
provide this information by processing the files with the -M
option.
With -M on the command line, Load reads the contents of the
file and accumulates the number of characters required for
AKA definitions and Unix program names. It does not process
the file in any other way. In other words, the file is not
loaded into Anarkey's history buffer and AKA definitions and
Unix program names are not saved. When all specified files
have been read, Load displays the total amount of space
Anarkey will need to store the AKA definitions and Unix
program names. These values can then be used in the Anarkey
-A and -U options, respectively, to reserve Anarkey memory
during installation.
Anarkey does not have to be installed prior to running Load
with the -M option.
Anarkey Process Number
-Pn Anarkey's process number is n
The Load -P option is identical to the -P recognized by
Anarkey. This option is only necessary in rare situations.
Refer to the discussion of the Anarkey -P option in Chapter
11 for information on when to use it.
Execute in Quiet Mode
-Q Suppress messages
When -Q is included on Load's command line, informational
messages, such as the name of the file being processed, are
not displayed. However, error messages are still displayed.
Chapter 15
101-Keys, Support for Enhanced Keyboards
Many DOS computers come equipped with an enhanced,
101/102-key keyboard. This is the keyboard with <F11> and
<F12> keys. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, the
DOS operating system does not support the extra keys
available on these enhanced keyboards. The 101-Keys program
solves this problem.
101-Keys is a small resident program. It allows full
recognition of enhanced keys typed at the DOS command prompt
and within application programs that normally do not support
101-key keyboards. With 101-Keys, programs such as Anarkey
and Anarked recognize many new keystrokes, including <F11>,
<F12> and combinations of those keys pressed with <Ctrl>,
<Alt> or the <Shift> keys. Even though 101-Keys is
distributed with Anarkey, it provides enhanced keyboard
support for most application programs that do not normally
support such keyboards.
Installation
To install 101-Keys, execute it from the DOS command prompt
or a batch file, such as AUTOEXEC.BAT. 101-Keys installs
itself and terminates while remaining resident.
An enhanced keyboard must be present on the system. If
101-Keys does not find an enhanced keyboard, it displays an
error message and terminates without remaining resident.
Once installed, no additional action is required. From that
point, Anarkey, Anarked and most application programs will
recognize the new keystrokes supported by enhanced keyboards.
101-Keys can be disabled by executing it again with the
argument "OFF" on the command line. To enable it, run with
a command line of "ON." Temporarily disabling 101-Keys can
be a workaround if a program incompatible with 101-Keys is
discovered (which is unlikely). As an example, if the
program "incomp" does not work with 101-Keys active, the
following AKA definition temporarily disables 101-Keys
whenever it is run.
:incomp 101-keys off ; incomp %1 %2 %3 ; 101-keys on
101-Keys and Other Programs
Some programs need to be specially configured for them to
recognize the additional keys 101-Keys provides. All such
known program configurations are described in this section.
BRIEF Programmer's Text Editor
The BFLAGS environment variable must be defined and include
the string "-D101key." This informs BRIEF to expect and
properly handle the enhanced-keyboard input it may receive.
New 101-Key Keystrokes
The following list details the new keystrokes that programs
recognize with 101-Keys installed.
Stand-Alone Keys Alt-Keys Ctrl-Keys Shift-Keys
---------------- -------- --------- ----------
F11 Alt-F11 Ctrl-F11 Shift-F11
F12 Alt-F12 Ctrl-F12 Shift-F12
Alt-Up Arrow Ctrl-Up Arrow
Alt-Down Arrow Ctrl-Down Arrow
Alt-Left Arrow
Alt-Right Arrow
Alt-Home
Alt-End
Alt-Page Up
Alt-Page Down
Alt-Keypad / Ctrl-Keypad /
Alt-Keypad * Ctrl-Keypad *
Alt-Keypad - Ctrl-Keypad -
Alt-Keypad + Ctrl-Keypad +
Alt-Keypad Enter
Alt-Insert Ctrl-Insert
Alt-Delete Ctrl-Delete
Keypad 5 Ctrl-Keypad 5
Alt-Backspace
Alt-Enter
Alt-Esc
Alt-Tab Ctrl-Tab
Alt-`
Alt-[
Alt-]
Alt-;
Alt-'
Alt-,
Alt-.
Alt-/
Alt-\
Chapter 16
Anarkmd, the Anarkey Command-Line Utility
In previous chapters, all Anarkey functions were executed by
pressing keys. However, some of Anarkey's operations can
also be executed by running the Anarkmd program (pronounced
"anar-command").
There are three advantages gained from this capability: (1)
It makes Anarkey functions available in situations where
they are not normally available, (2) some of the functions
Anarkmd implements are improvements over what Anarkey itself
provides and (3) Anarkmd can provide functions used by
Anarkey, thereby saving Anarkey from having to provide such
functions itself.
To explain the first advantage, recall that Anarkey does not
process batch-file lines, therefore, features such as AKAs
and multiple-command lines cannot be used in them. However,
Anarkmd can be executed from a batch file and thus provides
an indirect way to execute an AKA or multiple-command line.
Also, when Anarkey writes the history buffer to a disk file,
it always saves it in a file called ANARKEY.LOG located in
the current directory of the current drive. (Check Chapter
4 if you need to refresh your memory on this.) Anarkmd adds
the ability to specify the file's drive, directory and/or
name, making it more flexible than the related Anarkey
function.
Finally, all of Anarkey's pop-up window functions, like the
help and history-buffer windows, are actually implemented in
Anarkmd. Anarkey simply executes Anarkmd whenever a window
function is invoked. This saves a large amount of memory
because none of the window-handling code needs to be
resident.
Running Anarkmd
Anarkmd can be executed from the DOS command prompt, a batch
file or an AKA. Anarkmd cannot be run as part of a
multiple-command line unless it is the last command in the
line. If it is not the last command, all trailing commands
on the line are ignored.
Anarkmd accepts two types of arguments: (1) a command-line
option or (2) an input line to execute. Command-line
options are used to indicate the Anarkey function to
execute. Input lines are used to execute an AKA or
multiple-command line from a batch file. Only one type of
argument can be passed to Anarkmd, either an option or a
line to execute.
Command-Line Options
Options are prefaced by a dash(-) character, may be in
upper- or lowercase and may be specified in any order on the
command line. Each Anarkmd option is described in the
remainder of this section.
Invoke an Anarkey Function
-Fx Execute the Anarkey function specified by x
The -F option informs Anarkmd of the Anarkey function to
execute. Only one -F option may be specified on the command
line.
Attached to the -F option is a function name. No spaces may
separate the -F from the function name. Anarkmd recognizes
several function names, but it only looks at the first two
characters of the name to determine its identity. Thus, you
may abbreviate each of the following function names by
specifying only its first two characters. Function name can
be in upper- or lowercase.
Here is a list of recognized function names, followed by a
description of each. Since all of these functions have
already been documented in previous chapters, they are only
outlined here. Refer to previous chapters for complete
details of a particular function.
Bottom_display_history_buffer
Clear_history_buffer
Command_completion_full_screen
Display_history_buffer
Environment_selection_full_screen
Filename_completion_full_screen
Full_screen_menu
Help_screen
List_switchar_programs
Restore_Anarkey
Show_AKAs
Suspend_Anarkey
Toggle_input_mode
Undefine_all_AKAs
Write_history_buffer
Bottom_display_history_buffer
The history buffer is displayed onscreen starting from the
last line in the buffer (i.e. the newest line) and moving
toward the first (the oldest line). This function is
identical to pressing <Ctrl-F4> except the output is not
paused between screens. This nonstop display allows the
output to be redirected to a disk file via the DOS '>'
redirection character.
Use the display_history_buffer option to output the buffer
from first line to last.
The following input lines demonstrate this option.
anarkmd -fbottom_display_history_buffer
anarkmd -fbo
anarkmd -fbo >c:\anarkey\anarkey.log
Clear_history_buffer
All lines in the history buffer are deleted. This function
is identical to pressing <Ctrl-X>.
This function could be useful when placed in an AKA
definition. For example, you may be afraid of accidently
pressing <Ctrl-X> and clearing the history buffer. If so,
use Anarked to remove all key assignments for the
clear-history-buffer function and then define the following
AKA.
:clr_hist anarkmd -fcl
With this setup, you can still clear the buffer when you
enter "clr_hist" and there is no danger of accidently
erasing it by pressing the wrong key. Many of the other
Anarkmd functions can be used for the same purpose.
Command_completion_full_screen
The history-buffer window is displayed and processed. When
the <Alt-F5> or <Alt-K> key is pressed, Anarkey invokes
Anarkmd with this option to activate the window.
Display_history_buffer
The history buffer is displayed onscreen starting from the
first line in the buffer (i.e. the oldest line) and moving
toward the last (the newest line). This function is
identical to pressing <F4> except the output is not paused
between screens. This nonstop display allows the output to
be redirected to a disk file via the DOS '>' redirection
character.
Use the bottom_display_history_buffer option to output the
buffer from last line to first.
Environment_selection_full_screen
The environment variable window is displayed and processed.
When the <Alt-F9> or <Alt-E> key is pressed, Anarkey invokes
Anarkmd with this option to activate the window.
Filename_completion_full_screen
The filename-completion window is displayed and processed.
When the <Alt-F8> or <Alt-F> key is pressed, Anarkey invokes
Anarkmd with this option to activate the window.
Full_screen_menu
This function implements the actions of the MenuKey. When
<Alt-Tab> or <Shift-Tab> is pressed, Anarkey invokes Anarkmd
with this option to activate the window.
Help_screen
Anarkey's pop-up help screen is displayed and processed.
When <Alt-F1> or <Alt-H> is pressed, Anarkey invokes Anarkmd
with this option to activate the window.
List_switchar_programs
The Unix buffer is displayed onscreen. This function is
identical to pressing <Shift-F4> except the output is not
paused between screens. This nonstop display allows the
output to be redirected to a disk file via the DOS '>'
redirection character.
Restore_Anarkey
Restores Anarkey processing after it has been disabled by
the Suspend_Anarkey option. This function has no comparable
Anarkey key; it is only available from Anarkmd.
Show_AKAs
All AKAs are displayed onscreen. This function is identical
to pressing <Alt-F4> except the output is not paused between
screens. This nonstop display allows the output to be
redirected to a disk file via the DOS '>' redirection
character. By redirecting the output, a text file is
created that can be processed by the Load program.
The following line demonstrates an AKA definition that saves
all AKAs to a disk file.
:save_aka anarkmd -fsh >c:\anarkey.aka
Suspend_Anarkey
All Anarkey processing is disabled. Subsequent requests for
input are handled by DOS. Anarkey can be enabled by running
Anarkmd with the Restore_Anarkey option. This function has
no comparable Anarkey key; it is only available from Anarkmd.
Toggle_input_mode
Anarkey's input mode is toggled to either insert or
overwrite mode. This function is identical to pressing
<Ins>.
Undefine_all_AKAs
All AKAs are deleted. This function is identical to
pressing <Alt-X>.
Write_history_buffer
The history buffer is written to a disk file. The file's
name is specified along with the function name. Each is
separated by a colon(:). The filename must be specified;
there is no default filename. The required syntax is shown
below.
wr[ite_history_buffer]:filename
The filename may include a drive and/or path specification.
Sample command lines are shown below.
anarkmd -fwr:history.buf
anarkmd -fwr:c:\anarkey\hist.sav
anarkmd -fwrite_history_buffer:\temp\anarkey.log
This function is similar to pressing <Ctrl-W>, but supports
the specification of the output file.
If you have a batch file you run whenever you power-down
your system, this function can be used to save the history
buffer between sessions. Simply add the appropriate Anarkmd
line to the batch file to write the history buffer and then
place a line in AUTOEXEC which instructs the Load program to
restore it. This is illustrated in the following two files.
LOGOFF.BAT
anarkmd -fwr:c:\anarkey.log
AUTOEXEC.BAT
load c:\anarkey.log
This completes the Anarkey functions which Anarkmd can
execute. The remainder of this section describes additional
options that Anarkmd recognizes.
Enable Alternative Mouse Interface
-MA Use alternative mouse interface in pop-up
windows
Two different mouse interfaces are available when processing
a pop-up window. The default interface has been described
in previous chapters. The alternative interface is
discussed in Appendix I. To enable the alternative
interface, include the -MA option on the Anarkmd command
line.
The Anarkmd -MA option is the same as Anarkey's -MA option.
When Anarkey is installed with -MA and a key is pressed to
display a pop-up window, Anarkey executes Anarkmd with the
-MA and appropriate -Fx options.
The -MA option is ignored if Anarkmd is not processing a
pop-up window.
Anarkey Process Number
-Pn Anarkey's process number is n
The Anarkmd -P option is identical to the -P recognized by
Anarkey. This option is only necessary in rare situations.
Refer to the discussion of the Anarkey -P option in Chapter
11 for information on when to use it.
Executing an Input Line
Anarkmd can execute any valid Anarkey input line passed to
it as an argument. Doing so allows AKAs and
multiple-command lines to be executed from batch files.
This is demonstrated in the following lines. (Assume "aka2"
is a defined AKA.)
anarkmd aka2 file1 file2 file3
anarkmd cd\temp;copy prog.exe a:;dir a:
If the input line contains any DOS redirection characters (
>, >> or < ) or the pipe operator(|), surround the entire
input line with double quotes. Example lines are shown
below.
anarkmd "dir >dir.log"
anarkmd "aka2 file1 | more;aka2 file2"
When Anarkmd executes an input line, it creates a temporary
work file. By default, this file is written to the current
directory of the current drive. The file's location is
configurable by defining an environment variable called
"ANARTMP." Set ANARTMP to the drive and/or path in which to
write the temporary file. Anarkmd execution speed can be
increased by setting ANARTMP to a RAM disk. Anarkmd always
deletes the temporary file before terminating. The
following line instructs Anarkmd to write the temporary file
to the root directory of J: drive.
set anartmp=j:\
Chapter 17
Convert, AKA-Conversion Utility
If you are upgrading to Anarkey from another command-line
editor, you may already have a group of defined AKAs or, as
they are sometimes referred to, aliases or synonyms. To
make the transition from your current editor to Anarkey, the
Convert program is provided to translate your existing AKAs
into their equivalent Anarkey syntax.
Convert translates alias and synonym definitions for the
CED, PCED and DOSEDIT command-line editors. The
command-line syntax is shown below.
convert -type input_file [output_file]
The input_file argument specifies the file to convert. The
type argument indicates the kind of definitions contained in
the input file, in other words, whether they are CED, PCED
or DOSEDIT aliases. Recognized type arguments are shown
below.
-C CED synonyms
-D DOSEDIT aliases
-P PCED synonyms
The optional output_file argument designates the file in
which to save the converted AKA definitions. If output_file
is not specified, Convert writes its output to ANARKEY.AKA
in the current directory of the current drive.
Sample Convert input lines are depicted below.
convert -c syn.def anarkey.cfg
convert -d dosedit.ali
convert -p pced.syn c:\bin\anarkey.aka
When converting DOSEDIT aliases, no additional editing is
required; a 100% translation is performed.
Converted CED and PCED synonyms may need some additional
touch-up before they are fully Anarkey compatible. The
areas requiring attention are discussed in the remainder of
this chapter.
Convert recognizes and processes the CED/PCED commands
CHAINCH, PARAMCH, SYN and USERSYN. Any other commands may
require some manual conversion.
PCALL and PCED's '*' operator is irrelevant in Anarkey
because of its more powerful command-completion functions.
Thus, Convert removes all asterisk characters from processed
names. After conversion, you should check all PCALL and
synonym definitions that used asterisks to see if they are
still useful; they may be unnecessary and obsolete with
Anarkey.
Anarkey does not support nested AKAs and Convert does not
look for nested synonyms in the input file. Any nested
CED/PCED synonym will require manual conversion.
To all users of other command-line editors, welcome to the
wonderful world of Anarkey!
Appendix I
Alternative Mouse Interface
The main chapters in this manual dealt only with Anarkey's
default mouse interface. However, Anarkey supports an
additional interface in its pop-up windows. This
alternative mouse interface is used if Anarkey or Anarkmd
are executed with the -MA option.
The alternative mouse interface does not support a separate
mouse cursor or scroll bar. Instead, mouse movements
emulate presses of the <Up> and <Down> arrow keys. To
change the window's current line (i.e. the highlighted line
displayed in reverse video), move the mouse in an upward or
downward direction. To scroll the window's contents,
attempt to move the current line beyond the top or bottom
edge of the window.
The current line can be selected and entered onto the input
line by clicking the left mouse button. Double-clicking the
left mouse button selects the current line and immediately
accepts it for execution.
To exit the window, click the right mouse button.
Appendix II
Anarkey Internals
This appendix documents some technical aspects of Anarkey's
inner workings.
Anarkey users do not need to read or understand the
information contained in this section. It is provided for
technical people interested in getting a general
under-the-hood view of Anarkey. This discussion assumes the
reader has a basic understanding of DOS functions and TSR
program structure.
Upon installation, Anarkey hooks into two interrupts: (1)
INT 2Fh, also known as the multiplex interrupt, and (2) INT
21h, function 0Ah.
INT 2Fh is used to store Anarkey's program signature. When
Anarkey starts execution, it checks INT 2Fh to see if its
signature, and therefore, a previous instance of the
program, is already installed. Anarkey will not install
multiple copies of itself. If it finds its signature
already installed, Anarkey terminates and does not remain
resident.
INT 2Fh is shared by many programs, for instance, DOS's
PRINT and SHARE programs. Each program is differentiated by
a unique process number. Process numbers 0C0h through 0FFh
are reserved for user programs, such as Anarkey. By
default, Anarkey appropriates process number 0E3h. The -P
option can be included on Anarkey's installation line to
have it use a different process number.
The -P option requires the specification of a value from 0
through 63. Anarkey adds 0C0h to this number to arrive at
its process number.
If Anarkey determines it is not already installed, it hooks
into INT 21h, function 0Ah. This is DOS's buffered-input
routine. The resident portion of Anarkey is a replacement
for this function.
Anarkey then terminates and goes resident. All subsequent
requests for buffered input (most often made by the command
processor) are intercepted and processed by Anarkey.
Appendix III
Miscellaneous Considerations
A few special situations exist that Anarkey must be able to
handle appropriately. These are described in this appendix.
Also included are programs that are incompatible or require
special installation to work with Anarkey.
Redirecting Output to a Serial Terminal
Anarkey supports cursor positioning and many fancy
display-related functions. Unfortunately, serial terminals
have no standard method to perform such operations; each
terminal supplies its own "standard." Because of this,
Anarkey does not support operation on a serial terminal.
In DOS, it is possible to redirect output to a serial
terminal (also called the COM device) by two methods: (1)
the '>' redirection character and (2) the CTTY command. If
output is redirected via '>' redirection, Anarkey detects it
and temporarily disables itself. Anarkey then monitors the
system until output is restored to the video console, at
which point it reenables itself. Note this situation is
handled by Anarkey automatically and no user intervention is
required.
If output is redirected by the CTTY command, Anarkey does
not detect it. If Anarkey is active when the CTTY
redirection occurs, the system may hang. To avoid this,
disable Anarkey before executing CTTY. To disable Anarkey,
run Anarkmd with the -FSU option. After output is restored
to the primary video console, run Anarkmd with the -FRE
option to reenable Anarkey.
Incompatible Programs
Some programs are not 100% compatible with Anarkey. Others
require special installation instructions to work in harmony
with it. Both types of programs are discussed in this
section.
SIDEKICK
Very old versions of Borland's SideKick program do not
correctly execute multiple-command lines. The first command
gets executed, but each subsequent command requires that a
key (any key) be pressed before it will be executed. This
problem can only be solved by upgrading to a newer version
of SideKick.
TOPS Network
Anarkey works with the TOPS local area network provided
Anarkey is installed after TOPSKRNL and TOPSCLNT.
Also, TOPS alters some typed keystroke codes. This can
result in problems when making key assignments with Anarked.
To get around this problem, restrict your key assignments to
keys not altered by TOPS.
Appendix IV
Anarkey Keystroke Summary
The following table lists Anarkey's default keystroke
assignments.
Help window <Alt-F1> or <Alt-H>
Cursor movement:
To start of line <Home>
To end of line <End>
Right one character <Right>
Right one word <Ctrl-Right>
Left one character <Left>
Left one word <Ctrl-Left>
Character deletion:
Character left <Backspace>
Current character <Del>
Word right <Ctrl-T>
To end of line <Ctrl-End> or <Ctrl-Y>
Delete line <Esc>
Character retrieval:
Single char from prev line <F1>
Remainder of prev line <F3>
Remainder of prev line and execute <Alt-F3>
General editing:
Accept line <Enter>
Toggle input mode <Ins>
Accept next keystroke unmodified <Ctrl-U>
MegaKey and MenuKey:
MegaKey <Tab>
MenuKey <Alt-Tab> or <Shift-Tab>
History Buffer Functions
Retrieve previous buffer line <Up>
Retrieve next buffer line <Down>
Complete line <F5> or <Ctrl-K>
Complete line and execute <F6> or <Ctrl-L>
History-buffer window <Alt-F5> or <Alt-K>
Restore CBL, get next line <PgDn>
Display buffer contents <F4>
Display buffer contents from bottom <Ctrl-F4>
Write buffer to \ANARKEY.LOG <Ctrl-W>
Save line in buffer, do not execute <Ctrl-Enter>
(or <Ctrl-J>, same key)
Remove current buffer line <Ctrl-Z>
Clear buffer <Ctrl-X>
AKA Functions
Display AKAs <Alt-F4>
Undefine all AKAs <Alt-X>
Filename Completion Functions
Complete directory name <F7> or <Ctrl-D>
Complete file/program name <F8> or <Ctrl-F>
Filename-completion window <Alt-F8> or <Alt-F>
Environment Variable Retrieval
Retrieve environment variable <F9> or <Ctrl-E>
Environment-variable window <Alt-F9> or <Alt-E>
Unix Switchar Support
Display Unix buffer <Shift-F4>
Miscellaneous Functions
Check command lengths <F2>
Repress multiple-command line <F10> or <Ctrl-R>