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@@APPBK.COM APPBK Michael J. Mefford Command 1987/No. 12 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Reminds you of appointments at the times you specify; provides additional optional hourly chime and continuous on-screen date/time display. Format: [d:][path]APPBK or [d:][path]APPBK [f,][b,][s,][h,][a] Remarks: APPBK is a memory-resident utility that is normally loaded through your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. It must be loaded after any system time/date setting routines, and before loading SideKick (if used). Pressing Alt-R opens the on-screen APPBK window, in which you enter your appointments. Enter times as 2:00, not 02:00, and include the A or P before the M in the window. You can edit your appointment list using the F-1 and F-3 keys, by overstriking letters, and with the deleting backspace key. F-2 toggles an hourly chime on and off; F-4 similarly toggles a continuous on-screen display of the time and date. An alarm will sound at the appointment times specified. Additionally, should you be away from your desk and not hear the reminder, your first keystroke following the alarm will pop up the APPBK window. To close the window, press Esc or the Alt-R (default) APPBK trigger key. At the time it is loaded, APPBK may be given alternative parameters for its color (f), border color (b), trigger-key scan code (s), hourly chime frequency (h), and alarm frequency (a). The default values are 7,112,19,2217,2960. Tables of acceptable alternative parameter values are contained on the following pages. In entering parameters, separate each with a comma. Commas alone may be used for initial parameters you do not wish to change. Example: APPBK ,,,1760 would change only the frequency (tone) of the hourly chime (the h parameter). Parameter Tables COLOR CODES (f and b parameters) Color Adapter ------------- fore- back- fore- ground ground color ground color 0 0 Black 8 Gray 1 16 Blue 9 Light Blue 2 32 Green 10 Light Green 3 48 Cyan 11 Light Cyan 4 64 Red 12 Light Red 5 80 Magenta 13 Light Magenta 6 96 Brown 14 Yellow 7 112 White 15 Bright White Monochrome Adapter ------------------ fore- back- ground ground color 0 0 Black 7 112 White 15 NA Bright White Add foreground color to the background color to arrive at parameter number. For example, blue letters on cyan (light blue) would be 48 + 1 = 49. Defaults are 7 (white on black) for the datebook field (foreground) and 112 (black on white) for the frame (border). SCAN CODES FOR ALT-KEY COMBINATIONS (s parameter) Code Key Code Key Code Key Code Key 16 Q 30 A 44 Z 120 1 17 W 31 S 45 X 121 2 18 E 32 D 46 C 122 3 19 R 33 F 47 V 123 4 20 T 34 G 48 B 124 5 21 Y 35 H 49 N 125 6 22 U 36 J 50 M 126 7 23 I 37 K 127 8 24 O 38 L 128 9 25 P 129 0 130 - Default is 19 (Alt R) 131 = TONE/FREQUENCY (h and a parameters) A 55 110 220 440 880 1760 3520 1740 14080 A# 58 117 233 466 932 1857 3714 7428 14856 B 62 123 247 494 988 1976 3952 7904 15808 C 65 131 262 523 1046 2093 4186 8372 16744 C# 69 139 277 554 1109 2217 4434 8868 17736 D 74 149 294 587 1175 2349 4698 9396 18792 D# 78 156 311 622 1245 2489 4978 9956 19912 E 82 165 330 659 1319 2637 5274 10548 21096 F 87 175 349 698 1397 2794 5588 11176 22352 F# 93 185 370 740 1480 2960 5920 11840 23680 G 98 196 392 784 1568 3136 6272 12544 25088 G# 104 208 415 831 1661 3322 6644 13288 26576 Middle C is 262. The defaults are 2217 (C#) for the hourly chime and 2960 (F#) for the alarm chime. Note: 1. While APPBK is compatible with most applications programs and resident utilities, complete compatibility cannot be assured. It cannot, for example, be used with XyWrite. @@ASC.COM ASC Jeff Prosise Command 1987/No. 5 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Provides a pop-up ASCII chart showing decimal, hexadecimal, and character equivalents for the full IBM character set. Format: [d:][path]ASC Remarks: ASC.COM is a memory-resident utility that is normally loaded at boot-up, via your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Once loaded, pressing Alt-A pops up the first page (32 ASCII codes) of the display window over any currently active applications program. The Up- and Down-Arrow, PgUp and PgDn, and Home and End keys access the remaining ASCII display pages. Pressing Esc closes the window, restoring the original screen display. In operation, ASC.COM requires approximately 2.5K of RAM. It is compatible with most applications and TSR (terminate and stay resident) programs that do not themselves require the Alt-A key combination, and it may be used with monochrome, color, or EGA monitors. Notes: 1. Users familiar with using DEBUG can modify the default border, text, and header colors of ASC.COM. These values, initially 0Fh, 1Fh, and 1Eh, respectively, are located at offsets 014D through 014F in the .COM file. For use with a composite monochrome display, the values 70h, 07h, and 07h are suggested. @@CHANGE.COM CHANGE Michael J. Mefford Command 1986/No. 19 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Performs a rapid search-and-replace operation for text strings and/or ASCII decimal codes throughout a file of maximum 40,000-byte length. Format: CHANGE filespec findstring replacestring Remarks: The filespec parameter may include a drive letter and a path in addition to the designated filename. Findstring and replacestring may consist of text characters enclosed within (double) quote marks or ASCII decimal codes whose numbers are separated by commas. Note that the format requires that each parameter be separated by a single space. Text strings in quotes and ASCII values in numerals may be combined in either string if separated by commas. Example: To change all references to Miss Jones to Mrs. Smith in the file NOGOSSIP.ART on the current directory, you would enter CHANGE NOGOSSIP.ART "Miss Jones" "Mrs. Smith" Example: To strip out all carriage return-line feeds (i.e. replace them with a null string) in the file MCI.B16 in the \COMM subdirectory, enter CHANGE \COMM\MCI.B16 13,10 "" Notes: 1. In the second example you might want to use a space between the quote marks rather than a null string to keep the words from running together. Observe that by putting the number of the month in hexadecimal (B=November) you can fit both month and day within the three- character DOS filename extension. @@COPYSAFE.COM COPYSAFE Michael J. Mefford Command 1987/No. 6 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Prevents accidentally over-writing files when using the COPY command. Format: [d:][path]COPYSAFE Remarks: COPYSAFE is a memory-resident utility that displays the filename(s), drive, and directory of any file that will be overwritten if a COPY command is executed. After being warned, you are given the opportunity either to terminate the COPY procedure or to continue, and so overwrite the file(s). COPYSAFE should be loaded only once per session. The best procedure is to include it in an AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Be sure, however, to load COPYSAFE after any commands (such as DATE or TIME) that pause for user input. Notes: 1. Because of the way DOS processes commands in a batch file, COPYSAFE cannot warn against accidental overwriting if you run COPY as part of a .BAT file. Similarly, it is not designed to handle instances in which the COPY command is used to concatenate files. 2. COPYSAFE is highly compatible with other memory-resident programs, but because absolute compatibility among all possible TSR (terminate but stay resident) utilities cannot be guaranteed, you should check its operation on your system thoroughly before you rely on it completely. @@CS.COM CS (EGA Clear Screen) Charles Petzold Command 1986/No. 15 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Clears the screen when using displays of more than 25 lines. Format: [d:][path]CS Remarks: The DOS CLS command is hard-coded for 25-line displays, and so does not fully clear the screen when using 43-line (or similar) EGA displays. CS is a simple replacement for CLS in such cases. @@DIRCOMP.COM DIRCOMP Charles Petzold Command 1987/No. 2 (Lab Notes) ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Permits comparison of the contents of two directories in alphabetical order, with the options of redirecting the screen display either to a file or to a printer. Format: DIRCOMP directory1 directory2 Remarks: The directories to be compared do not need to be on the same drive. Use the normal DOS backslash (\) character in specifying the path to a desired directory. The DOS "wildcard" characters (* and ?) may be used to limit the filenames displayed. Identically-named files are shown side-by- side to facilitate comparison of their size, date, and time. Other filenames are presented alphabetically in their respective directory columns. Use Ctrl-NumLock to halt the display scrolling temporarily; striking any key thereafter causes scrolling to resume. In comparing large directories it is frequently desirable to redirect the output of DIRCOMP either to a file (which you can then call up with your word processor) or to a printer. Example: To create a file called COMPARE.TMP in the root directory of drive C: (your currently active drive) that compares the listings in your \LETTERS subdirectory with the files contained on a floppy disk in drive B: you would enter: DIRCOMP \LETTERS B: > \COMPARE.TMP Example: To print out the same comparison without creating a file, you would enter: DIRCOMP \LETTERS B: > PRN Notes: 1. DIRCOMP does not provide forward/backward scrolling capabilities. If these are desired as an alternative to alphabetical listings, use SCANDIR.COM, which is also contained on this disk. @@DIREX.COM DIREX Steven Holzner Command 1987/No. 1 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Facilitates copying, deleting, protecting, or unprotecting selected files in a directory. Format: DIREX [d:][filespec] Remarks: DIREX displays up to 121 filenames on screen; the ? and * "wildcards" can be used to restrict the number of displayed entries. The cursor arrow keys are used to move a reverse-video highlight bar from one filename to another. When a filename is highlighted it can be selected for further treatment by pressing the spacebar. (A mistakenly marked file can be deselected by pressing the spacebar a second time.) Single-letter commands implement any one of the following actions on any marked files: C Copy (you are prompted for a new path) D Delete P Protect (makes read-only) U Unprotect (makes read-write) N Change to a new directory Q Quit Notes: 1. In handling very large subdirectories, the NO.COM utility (1986 No. 9, and contained on PC Utilities Disk 1) can also be used in conjunction with DIREX to inhibit display of one or more groups of filenames. @@DISKPREP.COM DISKPREP Jeff Prosise Command l986/No. 21 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Permits making a floppy disk self-booting even if the DOS "system" files were omitted when the disk was formatted and program files have subsequently been added to it. Format: DISKPREP [d:] followed by: SYS [d:] (a DOS command) COPY COMMAND.COM [d:] (a DOS command) Remarks: In addition to having a copy of COMMAND.COM, diskettes formatted with the /S (system) option contain the two "hidden" files, IBMBIO.COM and IBMDOS.COM, as the first two entries in the disk directory. (The clusters for IBMBIO.COM must be contiguous.) A non- system disk stores regular files in the areas where the "system" files must reside if the disk is to be self-booting. DISKPREP relocates clusters currently used by non-system files to other areas on the disk, updating the disk directory and file allocation table accordingly. After running DISKPREP, the DOS SYS command can install the hidden system files in their proper locations, and the DOS COPY command can be used to put COMMAND.COM on the disk. DISKPREP does not support high-density (1.2 megabyte) diskettes, 3 1/2-inch disk cartridges, or hard disks. However, provided sufficient room remains on the disk, DISKPREP can be used to upgrade the DOS version on a self-booting disk. Attempting to replace a later DOS version with an earlier (lower numbered) one is not recommended. Notes: 1. DISKPREP should not be used on floppy disks that already contain subdirectories. 2. Since copy-protected disks often employ non-standard sectoring for their own purposes, DISKPREP is not recommended for use on such disks. @@DRAW.COM DRAW Michael J. Mefford Command 1987/No. 9 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Provides low-resolution (320 x 200) color or high-resolution (640 x 200) monochrome drawing capabilities on a color, enhanced color, or (with some MGA boards) a monochrome display, without the need to work in BASIC. Format: [d:][path]DRAW[/K] (Option I) [d:][path]DRAW string[/K] (Option I) [d:][path]DRAW filespec/F[/K] (Option II) Remarks: Entered at the DOS prompt with no arguments on the command line (Option I), DRAW looks in the current directory for a file named DRAW.DAT and executes the commands in that file. A sample DRAW.DAT file is included on this disk. The file can be examined, and similar files created, with a regular ASCII word processor. Alternatively, DRAW can be entered with a string of commands (Option II, for a simple graphic) or with the name of a file consisting of commands (Option III). Any legal DOS filename may be used, and full path support is provided, but a /F terminator must be appended to the filename. An optional /K may be added to prevent a keystroke from halting execution. Example: You can get a feel for how DRAW operates by entering, at the DOS prompt: DRAW X0 C2 BU50 M+40,70 L80 M+40,-70 BD5 P2,2 This will create a red triangle in the middle of your screen. You can trace the specific steps in this command sequence by referring to The DRAW Command Set table, presented on succeeding pages in this manual. The DRAW Command Set Xn Change to low resolution 320X200 color graphics. If X is not found, the default is 640X200 high resolution black and white graphics. X must be the first character of the command line or the first character in a file. The palette will be changed to n, where n can be either zero or one. See C color command below for the color of each palette. K Do not poll the keyboard while drawing. If K is not found, any keystroke terminates the program. Sn Flood the screen color to pattern n. n must be a decimal number in the range 0-255, and represents an eight bit pattern. Normally this command is issued immediately after the X command (if present), to clear the screen with a background color other than black. For example, to clear to color red (2) in low resolution, the command is S170 (binary 10101010). color 320X200 640X200 0 0 0 1 85 255 2 170 NA 3 255 NA Pattern colors may also be used. For example, a pattern of half green and half black would be S58 (binary 01000100). In high resolution, each bit represents a dot, eight dots per byte. This is why only two colors (black or white) are available. In low resolution, there are two bits per dot, so four combinations can be represented. In the example here the sequence is 01 (green), 00 (black), 01 (green), 00 (black). See C (color) command below for complete coding of the colors. U,D,L,R,E,F,G,H These commands, followed by a number, will move in one of the following compass directions: U H | E \ | / \ | / \ | / L -- -- -- + -- -- -- R / | \ / | \ / | \ G | F D Mx,y Move x,y units either relative to the current position or to the absolute coordinates, x,y. If the x coordinate is prefaced with either a plus sign or minus sign, the move is relative. Otherwise, the move is absolute. Note, you do not need to include a plus sign in front of the y coordinate in a positive y move. Pp,b Paint the color p until the border color b is found. The paint originates from the current position. B Blank move. The move following a B will move the desired units without plotting points. The next command will then continue drawing. N No update. The draw command following an N command will plot points, but the position will not be updated. The next draw command will start at the same position as the last. Cn Change the color to n. All draws after a C command will be in color n. n can be 0 (black) or 1 (white) in high resolution and 0 to 3 in low resolution. In low resolution, the color is dependent on the palette. 320X200 640X200 color palette 0 palette 1 0 black black black 1 green cyan white 2 red magenta NA 3 yellow white NA RELATED COMMANDS Four commands, BSAVE.COM, BLOAD.COM, LOWRES.COM, and HIGHRES.COM, are included on this disk to speed the display of pictures created by DRAW. (BSAVE and BLOAD may also be used with text screens for instant presentation.) The command BSAVE filespec saves a byte image of the screen buffer to a file (with optional drive and path specifications), and BLOAD filespec writes the saved image back to the screen buffer. LOWRES and HIGHRES are used in batch files with BLOAD to set the appropriate display resolution. Example: Create the following batch file, SAVE.BAT, using an ASCII word processor, EDLIN, or COPY CON: ECHO OFF DRAW MOVIE.DAT/F BSAVE PICTURE Now, similarly create a second batch file, INSTANT.BAT: ECHO OFF LOWRES BLOAD PICTURE PLAY STING.DAT/F PAUSE > NUL MODE CO80 If you now enter INSTANT at the DOS prompt the picture of two con men will appear, with appropriate musical background. Pressing any keystroke will clear the display. Note: 1. The PAUSE > NUL line in INSTANT.BAT prevents the DOS prompt from intruding on the picture, but will not work on DOS versions prior to DOS 3. @@EGA12.COM EGA12 Charles Petzold Command 1986/No. 15 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Resets number of screen rows to 12 when used with an EGA and a 350-line (Enhanced Color or Monochrome) monitor. Format: [d:][path]EGA12 Remarks: EGA12 can be used in DOS and with "EGA-aware" applications programs such as XyWrite III and Microsoft Word 3.0. Applications that reset the video mode on entry will revert to 25 lines per page. When used together with EGAMODE 1 (a 40- column mode), EGA12 produces a more normal aspect ratio with large-size characters. When entering the 12-line mode the screen may momentarily contract or roll once. This is normal and will cause no harm. You can return to the normal 25-line mode by entering either of the following: EGAMODE 3 (EGAMODE 7 for monochrome) EGA25 These commands are included on this disk. The DOS MODE CO80 (or MODE MONO) commands will also restore normal 25-line operation. To clear the screen in 12-line mode, use the CS command contained on this disk. (The DOS CLS command is hard-coded for 25 lines.) See also the EGAPRTSC entry in this manual for using an EGA-aware Print Screen command. The IBM EGA BIOS loses the cursor (on the Enhanced Color Display) and the underscore (on the Monochrome Display) when it has to recalculate the number of displayable rows, and this bug is normally duplicated by other EGA boards. The bug is fixed in EGA12. Notes: 1. ANSI.SYS should not be used with EGA12. 2. Because EGA12 uses an 8- x 14-pixel character box size, it can show only 7 lines per page when used with a regular, 200-line Color Display. @@EGA25.COM EGA25 Charles Petzold Command 1986/No. 15 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Resets the EGA default font and 25-row display after using programs (several of which are on this disk) that change these conditions when using an EGA and a 350-line (Enhanced Color or Monochrome) monitor. Format: [d:][path]EGA25 Remarks: When re-entering the 25-line mode the screen may momentarily contract or roll once. This is normal and will cause no harm. Alternate ways of returning to the normal 25-line mode include issuing the command EGAMODE 3 (color) or EGAMODE 7 (monochrome). These commands are included on this disk. The DOS MODE CO80 (or MODE MONO) commands will also restore normal 25-line operation. Note: 1. Because EGA25 uses an 8- x 14-pixel character box size, it can show only 14 lines per page when used with a regular 200-line Color Display. @@EGA35.COM EGA35 Charles Petzold Command 1986/No. 15 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Resets number of screen rows to 35 when used with a 350-line (Enhanced Color or Monochrome) monitor and an EGA. Format: [d:][path]EGA35 Remarks: EGA35 can be used in DOS and with "EGA-aware" applications programs such as XyWrite III and Microsoft Word 3.0. Applications that reset the video mode will revert to 25 lines per page; some others may write only to the top 25 of the 35 displayable lines. When entering the 35-line mode the screen may momentarily contract or roll once. This is normal and will cause no harm. You can return to the normal 25-line mode by entering any of the following: EGAMODE 3 (EGAMODE 7 for monochrome) EGA25 These commands are included on this disk. The DOS MODE CO80 (or MODE MONO) commands will also restore normal 25-line operation. To clear the screen in 35-line mode, use the CS command contained on this disk. (The DOS CLS command is hard-coded for 25 lines.) See also the EGAPRTSC entry in this manual for using an EGA-aware Print Screen command. The IBM EGA BIOS loses the cursor (on the Enhanced Color Display) and the underscore (on the Monochrome Display) when it has to recalculate the number of displayable rows, and this bug is normally duplicated by other EGA boards. The bug is fixed in EGA35. Notes: 1. ANSI.SYS should not be used with EGA35. 2. Because EGA35 uses an 8- x 14-pixel character box size, it can show only 20 lines per page when used with a regular, 200-line Color Display. @@EGA43.COM EGA43 Charles Petzold Command 1986/No. 15 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Resets number of screen rows to 43 when used with an EGA and a 350-line (Enhanced Color or Monochrome) monitor. Format: [d:][path]EGA43 Remarks: EGA43 can be used in DOS and with "EGA-aware" applications programs such as XyWrite III and Microsoft Word 3.0. (Details on patching WordStar for a 43-row display are given in the published article.) Applications that reset the video mode on entry will revert to 25 lines per page; some others may write only to the top 25 of the 43 displayable lines. When entering the 43-line mode the screen may momentarily contract or roll once. This is normal and will cause no harm. You can return to the normal 25-line mode by entering any of the following: EGAMODE 3 (EGAMODE 7 for monochrome) EGA25 These commands are included on this disk. The DOS MODE CO80 (or MODE MONO) commands will also restore normal 25-line operation. To clear the screen in 43-line mode, use the CS command contained on this disk. (The DOS CLS command is hard-coded for 25 lines.) See also the EGAPRTSC entry in this manual for using an EGA-aware Print Screen command. The IBM EGA BIOS loses the cursor (on the Enhanced Color Display) and the underscore (on the Monochrome Display) when it recalculates the number of displayable rows, and this bug is normally duplicated by other EGA boards. The bug is fixed in EGA43. Note: 1. ANSI.SYS should not be used with EGA43. Similarly, because EGA43 uses an 8 x 14 pixel character box size, 200-line Color Monitors will show only a 25-line display. @@EGA50.COM EGA50 Charles Petzold Command 1986/No. 15 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Resets number of screen rows to 50 when used with an EGA and a 350-line (Enhanced Color or Monochrome) monitor. Format: [d:][path]EGA50 Remarks: EGA50 can be used in DOS and with "EGA-aware" applications programs such as XyWrite III and Microsoft Word 3.0. Applications that reset the video mode on entry will revert to 25 lines per page; some others may write only to the top 25 of the 50 displayable lines. When entering the 50-line mode the screen may momentarily contract or roll once. This is normal and will cause no harm. You can return to the normal 25-line mode by entering any of the following: EGAMODE 3 (EGAMODE 7 for monochrome) EGA25 These commands are included on this disk. The DOS MODE CO80 (or MODE MONO) commands will also restore normal 25-line operation. To clear the screen in 50-line mode, use the CS command contained on this disk. (The DOS CLS command is hard-coded for 25 lines.) See also the EGAPRTSC entry in this manual for using an EGA-aware Print Screen command. The IBM EGA BIOS loses the cursor (on the Enhanced Color Display) and the underscore (on the Monochrome Display) when it has to recalculate the number of displayable rows, and this bug is normally duplicated by other EGA boards. The bug is fixed in EGA50. Notes: 1. ANSI.SYS should not be used with EGA50. 2. Because EGA50 uses an 8- x 14-pixel character box size, it can show only 28 lines per page when used with a regular, 200-line Color Display. @@EGA12.COM EGA512 Charles Petzold Command 1986/No. 15 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Permits switching between two loaded EGA fonts when used with a 350-line (Enhanced Color or monochrome) monitor and software that supports display of bold characters. Format: [d:][path]EGA512 x y Remarks: The values of x and y may range from 0 through 3, and correspond to the EGA memory blocks into which fonts can be loaded. The x parameter corresponds to the font that will be displayed with normal (low intensity) characters. The y parameter accesses the font that will be displayed with high- intensity (boldface) characters. Example: Load the italic font into EGA memory block 1 with the command EGAITAL 1 Then enter the command EGA512 0 1 If your word processor supports on-screen boldface and does not reset the video mode on entry, regular characters will now appear normally and boldface characters will appear in italics. To restore the normal display, enter EGA512 0 0 Notes: 1. The published article (Volume 6, Nos. 14 and 15) contains suggestions for remapping the EGA palette registers to use other attributes (e.g. blinking, underline) instead of the intensity attribute. @@EGACOLOR.COM EGACOLOR Charles Petzold Command 1986/No. 14 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Permits temporarily remapping any of the 16 default colors displayable on a 200-line CGA monitor to any of the 64 colors displayable on a 350-line Enhanced Color Display connected to an Enhanced Graphics Adapter. Format: EGACOLOR XX YY Remarks: The parameters XX and YY are 2-digit octal (base 8) numbers derived from the table shown below. Values for XX may range from 00 to 17; values for YY may range from 00 to 77. IRGB code Default rgbRGB map ------------------ ------------------- Color binary octal hex binary octal hex ----- ------ ----- --- ------ ----- --- Black 0000 00 00 000000 00 00 Blue 0001 01 00 000001 01 01 Green 0010 02 02 000010 02 02 Cyan 0011 03 03 000011 03 03 Red 0100 04 04 000100 04 04 Magenta 0101 05 05 000101 05 05 Brown 0110 06 06 010100 24 14 White 0111 07 07 000111 07 07 Dark Grey 1000 10 08 111000 70 38 Light Blue 1001 11 09 111001 71 39 Light Green 1010 12 0A 111010 72 3A Light Cyan 1011 13 0B 111011 73 3B Light Red 1100 14 0C 111100 74 3C Light Magenta 1101 15 0D 111101 75 3D Yellow 1110 16 0E 111110 76 3E Bright White 1111 17 0F 111111 77 3F The first digit in the 2-digit octal number represents the 1/3-intensity rgb signal; the second is the 2/3-intensity RGB signal. Example: To change black to blue and white to yellow (yellow letters on a black screen), execute EGACOLOR 00 01 EGACOLOR 07 76 Notes: 1. Changing modes resets the default EGA colors. To create more permanent mappings, use either the EGAPRMOV.COM and EGACOSET.COM utilities or SPECTRUM.COM, all of which are also contained on this disk. @@EGACOSET.COM EGACOSET (and EGAPRMOV) Charles Petzold Commands 1986/No. 14 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Loads a customizable 16 (of 64) color palette that is reloaded each time video mode 3 is set. Format: EGAPRMOV EGACOSET Remarks: EGAPRMOV (parameter move) is a memory- resident program that moves the EGA ROM BIOS parameter table and seven pointers into RAM, where it can be accessed by EGACOSET (color set). EGAPRMOV is run once each session, normally through your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Running EGACOSET maps a color scheme of your choice to each of the 16 EGA registers. These color settings are then activated by entering the EGAMODE 3 command (described elsewhere in this manual) or by issuing the DOS MODE CO80 command. Thus, to bring up your color scheme each time you boot up, you would put the following three lines in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: EGAPRMOV EGACOSET EGAMODE 3 The EGACOSET.COM program on this disk contains the default EGA for a 350-line monitor. These are, sequentially (in hex): Black 00 Dark Grey 38 Blue 01 Light Blue 39 Green 02 Light Green 3A Cyan 03 Light Cyan 3B Red 04 Light Red 3C Magenta 05 Light Magenta 3D Brown 14 Yellow 3E White 07 Bright White 3F Entering DEBUG EGACOSET.COM d<Enter> displays the offsets and hex values of the entire 43-byte program: :0100 FC 29 C0 8E C0 26 C4 3E-A8 04 26 C4 3D BE 1B 01 :0110 81 C7 A3 05 B9 10 00 F3-A4 CD 20 00 01 02 03 04 :0120 05 14 07 38 39 3A 3B 3C-3D 3E 3F Entering e 11b returns the first color value (00), followed by a period (.). Type in the hex value of the desired color after the period and hit Enter. After changing as many values as desired, use the w and q commands, with a carriage return after each, to write the changes to disk and end the DEBUG session. Example: To remap black (00) to blue (01), white (07) to bright yellow (3E), and bright white (3F) to bright green (3A), you would enter: DEBUG EGACOSET.COM e 11b 01 e 122 3E e 12A 3A w q Notes: 1. To use EGACOSET.COM with a regular 200- line color monitor, change the byte (A3) at offset :0112 to E3 and the byte (05) at :0113 to 00. In this configuration, restrict the colors selected to the 16 values from 00 through 0F. 2. SPECTRUM.COM, also contained on this disk, provides an alternate way to provide a customizable 16-color palette for an Enhanced Color Display connected to an EGA. @@EGAPRMOV.COM EGAPRMOV (and EGACOSET) Charles Petzold Commands 1986/No. 14 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Loads a customizable 16 (of 64) color palette that is reloaded each time video mode 3 is set. Format: EGAPRMOV EGACOSET Remarks: EGAPRMOV (parameter move) is a memory- resident program that moves the EGA ROM BIOS parameter table and seven pointers into RAM, where it can be accessed by EGACOSET (color set). EGAPRMOV is run once each session, normally through your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Running EGACOSET maps a color scheme of your choice to each of the 16 EGA registers. These color settings are then activated by entering the EGAMODE 3 command (described elsewhere in this manual) or by issuing the DOS MODE CO80 command. Thus, to bring up your color scheme each time you boot up, you would put the following three lines in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: EGAPRMOV EGACOSET EGAMODE 3 The EGACOSET.COM program on this disk contains the default EGA for a 350-line monitor. These are, sequentially (in hex): Black 00 Dark Grey 38 Blue 01 Light Blue 39 Green 02 Light Green 3A Cyan 03 Light Cyan 3B Red 04 Light Red 3C Magenta 05 Light Magenta 3D Brown 14 Yellow 3E White 07 Bright White 3F Entering DEBUG EGACOSET.COM d<Enter> displays the offsets and hex values of the entire 43-byte program: :0100 FC 29 C0 8E C0 26 C4 3E-A8 04 26 C4 3D BE 1B 01 :0110 81 C7 A3 05 B9 10 00 F3-A4 CD 20 00 01 02 03 04 :0120 05 14 07 38 39 3A 3B 3C-3D 3E 3F Entering e 11b returns the first color value (00), followed by a period (.). Type in the hex value of the desired color after the period and hit Enter. After changing as many values as desired, use the w and q commands, with a carriage return after each, to write the changes to disk and end the DEBUG session. Example: To remap black (00) to blue (01), white (07) to bright yellow (3E), and bright white (3F) to bright green (3A), you would enter: DEBUG EGACOSET.COM e 11b 01 e 122 3E e 12A 3A w q Notes: 1. To use EGACOSET.COM with a regular 200- line color monitor, change the byte (A3) at offset :0112 to E3 and the byte (05) at :0113 to 00. In this configuration, restrict the colors selected to the 16 values from 00 through 0F. 2. SPECTRUM.COM, also contained on this disk, provides an alternate way to provide a customizable 16-color palette for an Enhanced Color Display connected to an EGA. @@EGAITAL.COM EGAITAL Charles Petzold Command 1986/No. 15 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Produces a displayable italic font from the default EGA font when used with a 350-line (Enhanced Color or Monochrome) monitor. Format: [d:][path]EGAITAL or [d:][path]EGAITAL n Remarks: EGAITAL can be executed directly from the DOS prompt. The slanting algorithm employed is similar (but not identical) to that used by Microsoft Word to display italics in graphics mode. The normal character display can be restored by executing one of the DOS MODE commands, by issuing the EGAMODE 3 (color), EGAMODE 7 (monochrome) commands on this disk, or by executing EGA25.COM (also on this disk). The n parameter shown in the second Format above accepts values from 0 (the default) through 3. It specifies the EGA memory block into which the italic font is loaded. An EGA with 256K memory can hold up to 4 fonts simultaneously; a 128K EGA, up to 2 fonts. A 64K EGA board is limited to one font. The EGA512 command, described elsewhere in this manual, allows two fonts to be active simultaneously when using software capable of showing on-screen bold characters. @@EGAMODE.COM EGAMODE Charles Petzold Command 1986/No. 14 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Reports/changes the current video mode. Format: [d:][path]EGAMODE [M] Remarks: Entered without the optional M parameter, EGAMODE displays the current video mode. In text modes, the commands EGAMODE 03 and EGAMODE 07 have the same practical effect as the DOS MODE CO80 and MODE MONO commands, respectively. The table below lists the M (mode) parameters to which EGAMODE can be switched. Mode Type Disp. Resol. Chars Box Colors Pgs. ---- ---- ----- ------- ----- --- ------ --- 0&1 Text CD 200x320 25x40 8x8 16 8 ECD 350x320 25x40 14x8 16/64 8 2&3 Text CD 200x640 25x80 8x8 16 8 ECD 350x640 25x80 14x8 16/64 8 4&5 Graph CD&ECD 200x320 25x40 8x8 4 1 6 Graph CD&ECD 200x640 25x80 14x8 2 1 7 Text MONO 350x720 25x80 14x9 4 8 8,9,10 --- PCjr modes not supported by EGA --- 11&12 --- Used internally by EGA for loading fonts --- 13 Graph CD&ECD 200x320 25x40 8x8 16 2(1) 4(2) 8(3) 14 Graph CD&ECD 200x640 25x80 8x8 16 1(1) 2(2) 4(3) 15 Graph MONO 350x640 25x80 14x8 4 1(1) 2(2) 16 Graph ECD 350x640 25x80 14x8 4/64(1) 1(2) 16/64(2) 2(3) Notes: (1)=64K memory; (2)=128K memory; (3)=256K memory Notes: 1. Users of a Hercules graphics card can activate "page 1" graphics when an EGA is installed with the command sequence: MODE CO80 EGAMODE 16 MODE MONO Use EGAMODE 14 if your EGA is connected to a conventional color monitor. 2. Should you switch to a mode not supported by your monitor, you can recover by blindly entering EGAMODE 3 (color) or EGAMODE 7 (monochrome). 3. By adding 128 to the mode number desired you can change modes without clearing the screen (though the cursor is reset to the upper left). These high numbered modes may confuse some applications programs, however. @@EGAPAGE.COM EGAPAGE Charles Petzold Command 1986/No. 14 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Reports/changes the current video page. Format: [d:][path]EGAPAGE [P] Remarks: Entered without the optional P parameter, EGAPAGE reports which video page is currently active. The chart presented in this manual for EGAMODE.COM shows which video pages (P parameters, beginning with 0) can be used by each EGA mode. EGAPAGE can be useful when you have material on your screen to which you want to return later. Entering EGAPAGE 1 activates a new screen while retaining the contents of the default EGAPAGE 0 in memory. The previous display can subsequently be recalled by issuing the EGAPAGE 0 command. Notes: 1. When using an alternate video page do not change video modes, or the previous display contents will be lost. 2. ANSI.SYS cannot be used with other than video page 0. @@EGAPALET.COM EGAPALET Charles Petzold Command 1986/No. 14 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Displays all 64 EGA colors simultaneously on a 350-line color monitor. Format: [d:][path]EGAPALET Remarks: If a number of the color squares look the same at first glance, adjust the contrast and brightness controls and inspect the screen at close range to confirm that different pixels are being lit. Starting with the upper left square as row 0, column 0, the octal values for each color can be determined directly from the screen. Brown, for example, is octal 24 (row 2, column 4), a value you might enter in the EGACOLOR.COM utility included on this disk. Since the EGA is theoretically limited to simultaneous display of only 16 (of 64) colors, EGAPALET employs the unorthodox technique of remapping eight color registers every 1/430th of a second. A certain amount of jitter and flickering must therefore be accepted on a PC or XT. The display is more stable on an AT, but the bottom row of squares is elongated. If you are using an AT, this can be cured with DEBUG, as follows: DEBUG EGAPALET.COM e 102 The value 22. will appear. After the period, enter 2B and a carriage return. Then write the modified EGAPALET.COM to disk and quit DEBUG by entering the following commands, each terminated by a carriage return: w q EGAPALET.COM is now patched for the PC AT. Notes: 1. Only 16 colors are available on monitors displaying 200 lines. @@EGAPRTSC.COM EGAPRTSC Charles Petzold Command 1986/No. 15 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Replaces the normal Print Screen BIOS routine to permit using the Shift-PrtSc command with EGA displays with more than 25 rows. Format: [d:][path]EGAPRTSC Remarks: Although the EGA BIOS contains a new Print Screen routine usable for screen dumps of displays with 43, 50, 35, or other 25-plus line displays, this routine is not automatically loaded when you boot up with the EGA installed. EGAPRTSC is a memory-resident utility that installs the updated Print Screen routines. If you intend to make more than occasional use of a 43-line display, you should load EGAPRTSC from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Notes: 1. EGAPRTSC should be loaded early in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, before any printer buffers, commands such as PC-DOS GRAPHICS, or other programs that would use interrupt 5. @@FREEZE.COM FREEZE Jeff Prosise Command l986/No. 22 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Ensures confidentiality of in-memory data when it is necessary to leave a PC running without storing the data to a removable medium or encrypting it. FREEZE temporarily suspends program operation, blanks the screen, and disables the Ctrl-Alt-Del reboot sequence until a user-entered password (up to 64 characters) is re-entered. Format: [filespec]FREEZE Remarks: FREEZE is a memory-resident utility, normally loaded by an AUTOEXEC.BAT file. After loading, the machine is "locked" by pressing Alt-NumLock and then entering the passphrase of choice. The passphrase may include any characters except Esc and Enter. Pressing the Esc key aborts password entry, and pressing Enter initiates the lockdown. The Backspace key may be used to correct incidental mistakes, but care must be exercised, as the characters are not echoed on the screen during entry. To unlock the machine, simply re-enter the same password and press Enter. Again, the Backspace and Esc keys can be used to correct or abort password entry. Notes: 1. The password is never stored and may be changed each time FREEZE is invoked with Alt-Numlock. If an attempt is made to load FREEZE.COM more than once, an error message will result. 2. While FREEZE is believed compatible with most other memory-resident programs, because of the importance of data with which it is expected to be used, it should be thoroughly checked out in your specific configuration. In particular, FREEZE should be loaded before SideKick. @@MAKEBAR.COM MAKEBAR Robert L. Hummel Command 1987/No. 10 (Lab Notes) ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Compiles Lotus-style menus for non-Lotus applications programs for use with the SLASHBAR.COM utility contained on this disk. Format: MAKEBAR [path]input_file [path]output_file Remarks: The input_file must contain the keystrokes needed to activate the application program's commands, and it must be constructed using the .BDF format and syntax illustrated by the ASCII-readable DOS.BDF file contained on this disk. The output_file produced by MAKEBAR is a .BAR file suitable for loading as a pop-up window by SLASHBAR. Maximum length of the compiled .BAR file is approximately 46,000 bytes. Constructing a suitable .BDF file for an application is not a trivial undertaking, and a thorough study of the original article is recommended, if at all possible. The first step is to organize the commands needed by the application into a menu-tree arrangement similar to the DOS menu tree shown below on the following page. The categories in the left column will appear on the first line of the first menu screen. CLS is immediately run from that screen, so it has no lower branches. |- COPY |- FILE --|- DIR | |- ERASE | |- RENAME | |- TYPE | | |- ASSIGN | | |- PARENT | |- CHDIR ----|- ROOT | | |- OTHER | |- FORMAT |- DISK --|- LABEL | |- MKDIR | |- RMDIR | |- VOL | | |- DATE |- SYSTEM -|- TIME | |- PROMPT | |- VER | |- CLS The diagram below shows the basic structure of the MENU...MEND blocks from which a .BDF file is constructed. Again, study the DOS.BDF file on this disk. PROGRAM "NAME" ---------- Identification Name MENU NAME -----------------------------------| OPTION NAME,"HELP LINE" --| | COMMANDS -| | | . |-- Commands |-- Option | . | | Block | . -| --| |-- Menu OPTION NAME,"HELP LINE" | Block COMMANDS | . | . | . | MEND ----------------------------------------| MENU NAME----| . | Additional menu . |--block(s) as . | required MEND---------| END -------- End Of File Indicator Precede any comments you may wish to include in a .BDF menu file with a semicolon. MAKEBAR ignores the remainder of any line when it encounters the semicolon character. Use the {c}1 key combination to represent the semicolon in any names or quoted strings your application requires. Two types of text entries are used in menu files. A STRING is an entry surrounded by quotes ("). "DOS 3.1" and "JiffyCalc Spreadsheet" are examples of valid strings. A string may not contain the quote character, but you can use the {c}3 sequence to represent it in a string. A NAME is an entry consisting of a single word, and must contain no spaces. To aid readability, separation characters may be used in names: DO-THIS, DO_THAT, DO$IT$NOW, are all valid. Upper/Lower case is preserved in strings, but names are capitalized in the output file. Strings may contain any character or key combination (except the comment and quote characters) that can be recognized by the BIOS. Key combinations in a BDF that are not recognized by the BIOS will produce an error message. (There may therefore be some commands for a given application that cannot be included in the menu structure.) Alpha-numeric keys are entered by typing them. All special keys, such as the function keys and shift-key combinations are entered in symbolic form as text surrounded by braces. The Shift, Ctrl, and Alt keys affect only the immediately following key. The available special keys and their representation in a .BDF file are: {ESC} Escape {U} Arrow Up {TAB} Tab {D} Arrow Down {ENTER} ENTER {L} Arrow Left {BS} Backspace {R} Arrow Right {HOME} Home {INS} Insert {PGUP} Page Up {DEL} Delete {PGDN} Page Down {C} Control {END} End {S} Shift {A} Alt Function Keys {F1} {F2} {F3} {F4} {F5} {F6} {F7} {F8} {F9} {F10} Redundant key combinations, such as {S}a instead of A, will produce an error message. Example: To block out a paragraph in WordPerfect the sequence would be: "{A}{F4}{ENTER}" To enter the WordStar Ctrl-KD sequence (to end editing and save changes), you would use the string: "{C}KD" To replace the current file in 1-2-3, enter: "/FSR" A .BDF file always begins with the word PROGRAM, followed by a string. The first 10 characters of the string are encoded in the compiled .BAR file for display in the pop-up window. PROGRAM must be the first non-comment line in the program, and it must appear only once. Conversely, END causes processing of the input file to cease and is the last command read. Each .BDF file must include an END. The remainder of the file consists of MENU-MEND blocks, as was diagrammed above. Each block corresponds to one complete set of command choices. In the DOS.BDF example there are five menu blocks: the top-level block; three second level blocks (to represent the FILE, DISK, and SYSTEM submenus); and one third level block (the CHDIR sub-submenu). Note that the CLS option does not require a menu block since that command terminates at the first level. The MENU block that follows the PROGRAM command is assumed to be the top level menu and will be the first one to be executed. Subsequent MENU blocks may be in any order. Each MENU statement takes a NAME as its argument, and no two menus can have the same name. The name is used as a target when control is transferred between menus with the EXECUTE command. Using identical menu names will cause MAKEBAR to report a Bad Menu Reference. The MENU block is divided into one or more OPTION blocks. An OPTION block comprises three separate parts: name, help line, and commands. While, like a menu, each option must have a name, there are no restrictions as to uniqueness. The same option name may be used in different menus with different meanings, though this would not be the best design for a consistent interface. Because options may be selected by pressing their first letter, if two options begin with the same letter, the second option can never be executed by pressing that letter. (It can be invoked by positioning the cursor and pressing ENTER.) This property could be used to prevent accidental use of a command by making it more difficult to invoke. The help string must follow each option name on the same line. This string will be displayed below the option names when that option is selected with the cursor. The length of this string must be less than 78 characters in order to fit within the window created by SLASHBAR. Beginning on the next line, the application program commands to be executed when that option is chosen are entered. Each command must begin on a separate line, and the entire command must be contained on that line. If more keys need to be entered than can fit on a single line, multiple TYPE statements (see below) can be used. The BDF commands, with their syntax, are listed below: PROGRAM "string" END MENU name MEND OPTION name, "string" ASK "string" INPUT TYPE "string" CR Remember that a name is a single word with no separating spaces, and that a "string" is a series of characters surrounded by quotes ("). The quotes symbol itself cannot be used within a string, but it can be represented in a string by the {c}3 sequence. A number of these commands have been discussed above. The five that remain, EXECUTE, ASK, TYPE, INPUT, and CR, may only appear inside an OPTION block. These commands make up a kind of batch language that controls the operation of the SLASHBAR utility. At the end of each menu path is a command string that will accomplish the desired result when fed to the applications program, just as if you typed in the commands directly. The EXECUTE command transfers control down the menu tree. Any option may invoke another menu by executing it. Since menu flow is one-way, lines appearing below an EXECUTE command within the same OPTION block will never be invoked. In addition, since paths in the menu tree may not cross, two option blocks cannot execute the same menu. MAKEBAR checks for this and signals it as an error. This prevents building a circular reference into the tree, where a menu could call itself indefinitely. The ASK command is used to prompt the user for information. The string argument appears on the screen in the upper half of the pop-up window and does not affect the output keystrokes. Because the logical use of the ASK command is to request a reply, it is usually followed by the INPUT command. By using these commands together, it is possible to solicit information to complete a command sequence. The INPUT command accepts input from the keyboard and appends it to the current command string. The input is buffered, and the backspace key can be used to correct the entry. Up to 78 characters may be entered, and input terminates when the Enter key is pressed. The keys are put in the command string as they were typed without the terminating <Enter>. The TYPE command copies the keys in the string argument to the command string. Special keys (i.e., function keys and shift-key combinations) are stored with a special code to indicate that they are extended ASCII. A special case of the TYPE command is the CR command. It is equivalent to the command TYPE "{ENTER}" and is included simply for convenience in closing commands after requesting an input. @@PARSE.COM PARSE Michael J. Mefford Command 1987/No. 2 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Displays the number of characters, words, and sentences in ASCII text files. Format: PARSE [d:][path]filename Remarks: PARSE also calculates and reports the averages of the numbers of characters per word, words per sentence, and "long" words (8 or more characters). It uses these to calculate and display an approximation of the Fog Index grade-level readability rating. The accuracy of the various counts may be affected, though usually not significantly, by the presence of formatting and printing codes included in the file by non-ASCII word processors. PARSE does ignore the "high-bit" codes produced by WordStar and similar programs, but "dot commands" and the like will be counted. Notes: 1. For further information on the Fog Index see Robert Gunning's The Technique of Clear Writing (McGraw-Hill, 1952, 1968). @@PLAY.COM PLAY Michael J. Mefford Command 1987/No. 8 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Provides many of the music-producing functions of the BASIC PLAY statement without the need to work in BASIC. Format: [d:][path]PLAY[/K] (Option I) [d:][path]PLAY string[/K] (Option II) [d:][path]PLAY filespec/F[/K] (Option III) Remarks: Entered at the DOS prompt with no arguments on the command line (Option I), PLAY looks in the current directory for a file named PLAY.DAT and executes the commands in that file. The PLAY.DAT file included on this disk is "Greensleeves." The file can be examined, and similar files created, with a regular ASCII word processor. Alternatively, PLAY can use either a command- line string (Option II) or any legal DOS filename (Option III) to supply the music command arguments. Filenames may include a path designation, but must include the /F terminator. A sample file "score," STING.DAT is contained on this disk. Pressing any key while PLAY is executing will terminate operation unless the /K switch has been added. The command set used with PLAY is shown on the following page and is exemplified in the PLAY.DAT and STING.DAT files. The PLAY Command Set K Keyboard. K will cause PLAY not to poll the keyboard during play. If K is not found, any keystroke will exit. On Octave. n is a decimal number between 0 and 6. Middle C starts 03. The default is 04. Ln Length of time the notes will be played until the next L command is encountered. n is a decimal number between 1 and 64. For example, L4 = quarter-note and L8 = eighth note. Tn Tempo is the pace at which the music is played. n is a decimal number between 32 and 255. The larger the number, the faster the pace. The default is T120. A-G Letter names corresponding to the notes of the scale. The letter name may be followed by either a # or + for a sharp, or a - for a flat. O3C = middle C. Nn Note to be played. n is a decimal number between 1 and 84. Each increment is 1/12 of an octave. N can be used as an alternative to defining a note by a letter and an octave. For example, N37 = middle C. Pn Pause, or rest, for a length defined by n. P works in the same way as the L command above. For example, P2 = a half rest. MN Music Normal. The note is played 7/8 of its specified time, and 1/8 is a rest between notes. This is the default. ML Music Legato. The note is played the full length of time specified. MS Music Staccato. The note is played 3/4 of the time specified, and 1/4 is a rest between notes. . Dot. A dot can follow a letter note or a pause. A dotted note increases play time by half the duration of the note or pause. More than one dot may be used. @@POP-CAL.COM POP-CAL Leo Forrest Command 1986/No. 17 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Pops up a calendar window for any month from January, 1583 to December, 9999. Format: POP-CAL (loads command into memory) Alt-C Toggles calendar on/off Right-Arrow Advance one month Left-Arrow Back one month Up-Arrow Advance one year Down-Arrow Back one year Remarks: POP-CAL is a memory-resident utility and should be loaded into memory before you call up any applications programs. Normally, you would simply enter POP-CAL as one line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. POP-CAL takes the current month and year as its initial value. It subsequently remembers your last-used calendar, facilitating repeated references. Notes: 1. You can use DEBUG to change the default Alt-C toggle key by replacing the Alt-key scan code value at offset :014B. The default value is 2E, which will appear, followed by a period, in response to the E command shown below. Enter only the new scan code, not the 2E. Thus, to change the program to use Alt-Q (scan code 10) you would enter: DEBUG POP-CAL.COM E 14b 10 W Q The hex values for the various scan codes are given in Appendix E of the IBM BASIC manual (3.0) and also in the "Scan Code Value Table" in connection with SLASHBAR.COM, elsewhere in this manual. 2. While POP-CAL has been tested for compatibility with a number of other memory-resident programs, there is always the possibility of a conflict with other TSR (Terminate-Stay-Resident) programs. @@REPEATS.COM REPEATS Michael J. Mefford Command 1987/No. 11 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Checks all directories on a drive and reports all duplicate filenames. Format: REPEATS [d:][/P] Remarks: While not all duplicate files on a disk are unnecessary, most are. If a hard disk has been in use for some time it is astonishing how many outdated versions or outright copies of the same file are currently wasting space. REPEATS lists all identical filenames, together with their directory, size, date, and time information, so you can decide which files to delete. The optional /P switch directs the program output simultaneously to the screen and to a printer. As an alternative, you could redirect output to a file, DUPS.FND, by using the DOS redirection command, thus: REPEATS > DUPS.FND Notes: 1. During the time it operates, REPEATS requires 128K of available memory. The program can be terminated prematurely by pressing Ctrl-Break. @@SCANDIR.COM SCANDIR Michael J. Mefford Command 1987/No. 2 (Lab Notes) ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Permits side-by-side comparison of the contents of two directories using either separately-controllable or synchronized forward/backward scrolling. Format: SCANDIR [d:]directory1 [d:]directory2 Remarks: The directories to be compared do not have to be on the same drive. Use the normal DOS backslash (\) character in specifying the path to a desired directory. The DOS "wildcard" symbols (* and ?) may be used to limit the filenames displayed. The two directory listings are presented in the normal DOS order and format. A status line at the bottom of the screen shows whether the right or the left-hand column will be scrolled. Use the Left- or Right- Arrow keys to set scrolling on for the alternate column, or use the ScrLk key to toggle synchronized movement on or off. The Up- and Down-Arrow keys control forward and backward scrolling of the listing(s) one line at a time. The PgUp and PgDn keys move the listing(s) one full screen (20 filename lines) at a time. In the forward direction, if scrolling continues beyond the last filename in a directory, the listing commences again at the beginning. Notes: 1. SCANDIR is an on-screen program: its display cannot be saved to a file or redirected to a printer. If you require these capabilities, use DIRCOMP.COM, which is also included on this disk. 2. Because SCANDIR.COM loads a secondary command processor, a copy of COMMAND.COM must be available on the boot-up drive (floppy or hard disk). @@SEARCH.COM SEARCH Michael J. Mefford Command 1987/No. 4 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Searches all or specified directories on a disk for either designated filenames or the first occurrence of character strings within files. Format: SEARCH [filespec] [string][/P][/C][/B] Remarks: SEARCH defaults to a diskwide search of all subdirectories on the current disk. You can specify a different drive and/or a pathname as part of the optional filespec parameter. Filename searches support the DOS * and ? wildcards. Character strings within files are identified by putting them in quotation marks. (The strings may themselves include a pair of quotation marks.) Pressing either Ctrl-Break or Ctrl-C terminates SEARCH manually. To redirect the output of the SEARCH command to a printer, add /P to the command line, as shown in the first example below. Adding a similar /C switch will make the search for a character string case-sensitive. When searching for a character string, SEARCH normally ignores .COM and .EXE files. While this saves time, there may be occasions when you want to find copyright notices, error messages, et al. in an executable file. To include binary files in the search, add the /B parameter on the command line. Example: To print out a list all the .COM files in the \PROG subdirectory of your current drive, you would enter SEARCH \PROG\*.COM/P Example: To find which of the file(s) in your \LETTERS subdirectory contained the salutation, Dear Miss Jones, enter SEARCH \LETTERS "Dear Miss Jones" Notes: 1. SEARCH returns a line number, based on the number of previous carriage returns in the file, when it finds a string. It reports only the first occurrence of the string in each file. @@SLASHBAR.COM SLASHBAR Robert L. Hummel Command 1987/No. 10 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Pops up a Lotus-style menu of the commands needed to operate a non-Lotus applications program. Format: [d:][path]SLASHBAR [path]menuname.ext [/n] Remarks: Menuname.ext is a menu (.BAR) file compiled for the application in question with the MAKEBAR.COM program contained on this disk. When first loaded, SLASHBAR becomes memory- resident and uses the /n parameter to reserve sufficient room in memory for the largest .BAR file that will be used during the current session. The default value of n is 4096 bytes. The maximum value of n is approximately 60,000 bytes, which is more than the largest .BAR file that can be produced by the MAKEBAR compiler. The SLASHBAR command can be run many times during a session in order to replace the menu in use with that for a different applications program, but the /n parameter is used only for the first loading. The default "hot key" used by SLASHBAR to pop up the menu in current use is Alt-/ (Alt plus the slashbar key). Instructions for changing this trigger key are given in the Notes. Example: To load the sample DOS.BAR menu supplied on this disk, at the DOS prompt enter SLASHBAR DOS.BAR (DOS.BAR requires less than 1500 bytes, so no n parameter need be given.) Alt-/ brings up the menu, whose commands are activated either by moving the highlight bar to the desired command and pressing Enter, or simply by typing the first letter of the command. The second line of the menu is the explanatory help line for the currently-highlighted command, as in Lotus 1-2-3. Notes: 1. If you are familiar with DEBUG, you can change the "hot key" used by SLASHBAR. The possible Shift-Mask values (MM in the DEBUG session below) are listed in a table on the next page. The default (the Alt key) is 08 at offset 171. 2. Alternate values for the Scan-Code (SS in the DEBUG session below) are similarly listed in the table below. The default (the slash / key) value is 35, and its offset address is 167. After selecting new values for SS and MM, the DEBUG session would be as follows: DEBUG SLASHBAR.COM E 167 SS ;Scan code here E 171 MM ;Shift mask here W Q End each line above with a carriage return and do not type in the semicolons or the words to their right. SHIFT-MASK Value Table ("X" means key is depressed) Value Alt Ctrl L-Shft R-Shft 00 01 X 02 X 03 X X 04 X 05 X X 06 X X 07 X X X 08 X 09 X X 0A X X 0B X X X 0C X X 0D X X X 0E X X X 0F X X X X SCAN-CODE Value Table (in hex) Key Code Key Code Esc 01 |\ 2B !1 02 Z 2C @2 03 X 2D #3 04 C 2E $4 05 V 2F %5 06 B 30 ^6 07 N 31 &7 08 M 32 *8 09 <, 33 (9 0A >. 34 )0 0B ?/ 35 _- 0C R-Shft 36 += 0D PrtSc* 37 Bksp 0E Alt 38 Tab 0F Sp 39 Q 10 CapsLk 3A W 11 F1 3B E 12 F2 3C R 13 F3 3D T 14 F4 3E Y 15 F5 3F U 16 F6 40 I 17 F7 41 O 18 F8 42 P 19 F9 43 {[ 1A F10 44 }] 1B NumLk 45 Enter 1C ScrLk 46 Ctrl 1D 7Home 47 A 1E 8Up 48 S 1F 9PgUp 49 D 20 - 4A F 21 4Left 4B G 22 5 4C H 23 6Right 4D J 24 + 4E K 25 1End 4F L 26 2Down 50 :; 27 3PgDn 51 "' 28 0Ins 52 ~` 29 .Del 53 LShft 2A @@SPECTRUM.COM SPECTRUM Robert L. Hummel Command 1987/No. 12 (Lab Notes) ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Provides existing software with a selectable 16-color palette (from among 64 displayable colors) when used with an Enhanced Graphics Adapter and an Enhanced Graphics (or similar) monitor. Format: [d:][path]SPECTRUM or (see second format, below) [d:][path]SPECTRUM xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx Remarks: SPECTRUM is a memory-resident utility that is normally loaded as part of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Once loaded, pressing Ctrl-` (the Ctrl key and the grave [reverse] accent key) pops up a display of 16 color boxes, each of which may be set, on-screen, to any of the 64 displayable values. The cursor pad keys are then used, as described in the display, to select any of the boxes and their 2-digit color codes. Pressing the End key saves the current color selections and returns you to your application. Home resets the color palette to its default values, and Esc aborts any changes made, restoring your previous color settings. For loading or changing the SPECTRUM palette without using the pop-up window (e.g., as part of a batch file), the second Format above may be used. The values for x may range from 0 through 7 and must be entered in pairs ON A SINGLE LINE (not on two lines, as shown). A single space must separate each of the 16 pairs of digits, and a single space must also separate the number-pairs from the command name. Use the pop-up window to determine the proper number-pairs initially. Notes: 1. Software programs that write directly to the EGA registers will override the SPECTRUM color selections. The SPECTRUM colors may be restored, if lost, by activating the display window (Ctrl-`) and then pressing the Esc key. 2. EGACOSET.COM, also on this disk, is an alternative program to SPECTRUM.COM. @@STATUS.COM STATUS Michael J. Mefford Command 1987/No. 8 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Reads and reports the system configuration information from a machine's switch settings and/or low memory addresses. Format: [d:][path]STATUS Remarks: STATUS is entered at the DOS prompt and produces a single-screen display information that includes: the configuration switch settings of an IBM PC or XT (or the equivalent data contained in the AT equipment byte); number of disk drives installed; presence or absence of a math coprocessor; amount of memory installed on the system board (PC and XT only); number of parallel, serial, and game ports installed; initial video mode; total amount of main memory and amount of currently free memory; amount (if any) of extended and/or expanded memory; DOS version in use; and machine BIOS version. Notes: 1. Readers have reported that on some models of the IBM XT the configuration switch settings are wired upside down with respect to the STATUS graphic display. The basic information presented is correct, however. Also, on some non-IBM "compatibles" some information may not be presented. @@SUGGEST.COM SUGGEST Michael J. Mefford Command 1986/No. 20 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Flashes a message on the screen at selected rates and durations ranging from many minutes to a brevity approaching the limit of subliminal perception. Format: SUGGEST message[/Fn][/Dn] Remarks: The message may be up to 80 characters in length; longer messages are truncated. The optional /F (frequency) and /D (duration) switches accept a user-entered integer n from 1 through 9. (0 is their default value and need not be entered). These correspond to the following approximate timings: /F9=0:05 /D9=0.170 /F8=3:05 /D8=0.153 /F7=6:05 /D7=0.136 /F6=9:05 /D6=0.119 /F5=12:05 /D5=0.102 /F4=15:05 /D4=0.085 /F3=18:05 /D3=0.068 /F2=21:05 /D2=0.051 /F1=24:05 /D1=0.034 /F0=27:05 (default) /D0=0.017 Example: You might enter the following: SUGGEST SAVE YOUR WORK/F6/D9 as a useful reminder. Notes: 1. SUGGEST is a memory-resident utility. You may load several messages, but you must reboot to clear the program. 2. Even at its briefest duration the SUGGEST message is still visible, so the program is not intended for scientific investigation of truly subliminal experimentation. @@TIMEKEY.COM TIMEKEY Jeff Prosise Command 1987/No. 3 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Inserts the date and/or time into documents being created by other applications programs. Format: [d:][path]TIMEKEY Remarks: TIMEKEY is a memory-resident utility and must be loaded after the system date and time have been initialized. Subject to this limitation, it may be loaded either at the command line or as part of an AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Once loaded, TIMEKEY uses the following keystrokes: Alt-L inserts a long-form date (e.g., June 10, 1987) Alt-S inserts a short-form date (e.g., 6-10-87) Alt-T inserts the time (e.g., 12:21 PM) Notes: 1. Once loaded, TIMEKEY keeps track of the time automatically, but it does not change the current date at midnight unless the system is manually rebooted. 2. TIMEKEY is compatible with BASICA (which also uses the timer tick) and with many memory resident utilities (e.g., SideKick), but compatibility with all TSR programs cannot be assured. @@VISITYPE.COM VISITYPE Steven Holzner Command 1986/No. 18 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: Expands the PC's normal 15-character typeahead buffer to 80 characters. Format: [d:][path]VISITYPE Remarks: If you enter a series of commands without waiting until each has finished executing (as during a long directory scroll or disk- searching operation, for example), the PC will beep and discard subsequent keystrokes when you exceed its built-in 15-character keyboard buffer. VISITYPE enlarges the keyboard buffer to 80 characters and temporarily displays the overflow on the top line of the display before they are used. Keystrokes so displayed can be edited, if necessary, by using the Backspace key and then entering the correct keystroke. Notes: 1. VISITYPE is a memory-resident utility that is normally loaded through your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. While it will work with most applications programs, it will not work with those that completely take over the keyboard interrupts for their own purposes. @@XDIR.COM XDIR Jeff Prosise Command 1987/No. 7 ______________________________________________________ Purpose: XDIR.COM is a memory-resident utility that allows you to display the filenames in any drive/directory even when you are running another applications program. Format: [d:][path]XDIR Remarks: Once loaded (normally as an entry in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file), pressing the Alt-. (the Alt and the period key combination) causes a blank window to pop up on the screen. Pressing Enter then displays the first 40 filenames of your current directory in the window. Pressing Esc once clears the display, and pressing it a second time returns you to your previous application. To view other directories, simply enter their appropriate path designation (including drive, if different) before pressing Enter when the window is blank. The PgUp and PgDn keys are used to display files beyond the initial 40 shown in the window. Up to 360 files in any one directory may be displayed. Notes: 1. If you are experienced in using DEBUG, you may wish to change some of the XDIR.COM defaults. Remember always to make changes to a copy of the program, not to your original. After entering DEBUG XDIR.COM, the following addresses and initial values may be of interest: Offset Value Parameter :013C 4F Border color attribute :013D 0F Text color attribute :014D 00 File type (see Note 2) :0186 34 Period key scan code :018E 08 Alt-key shift code 2. By default, XDIR displays only normal filenames (00 at :014D). To show hidden files, the value here should be 02. System files are 04, and subdirectories are 10h. These values are additive. To display subdirectories and files marked both hidden and system (e.g. IBMBIO.COM) you would enter the value 16h at offset :014D in place of the default 00. 3. While no TSR program can be guaranteed compatible with all other memory residents, its special interrupt handling should make XDIR.COM coexist even with most "difficult" TSRs.