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┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │──┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ I C O N S H E L L │ │ │ │ │ │ Version 2.1 │ │ │ │ │ │ (c) 93/94 D.G. Sureau │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ For AT │ │ │ 80286 - 384 Kb RAM │ │ │ EGA/VGA │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┬───────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ SUMMARY About registration Overview Features of Iconshell Installation Starting up IconShell Description of an icon To select and to view an icon To launch a program To change page of file icons Associating a command with a file To change drive The pull-down menu Showing disk directory To create an icon with the install command To add, modify, delete an icon The command field The program field Options and variables To select files the desktop displays To send directly DOS command Setup and colors To move icons To move or change size of a window Disk commands To quit IconShell Phantom filenames BOARD.EXE How to make a new desktop To read a text file How to create images for icons The BAT files About the graphical interface Annex I: Problems and often asked questions Annex II: Summary of command keys. About registration The registered version as some improvements: + Very fast loading of VGA or EGA screens for background. + A program to convert PCX pictures into this very fast and much com- pressed format for displaying background images. + Using alternate file of images of icons. Several files of icons come with the registered package. + Of course, removing screen and references as a shareware evaluation version. + A printed manual. + Free updates at any user request. An order form may be made by printing the LICENSE.FRM text file. OVERVIEW IconShell is a useful DOS interface that make good use of the power of current computers to a friendlier access to softwares and commands. The keys and mouse usage is close to that of Windows (c), allowing using the two softwares but learning only one user interface. FEATURES OF ICONSHELL - It displays software and command as icons. - Allows automatic installation into icons. - Store options and variables with filenames. - Allows to associate icons together with two clicks, to launch a pro- gram with a file, or to execute a command with files. - File management at the menu: copy, format, and so on. - A directory window and a special added program to easily sail in directories. - Function to search a file on a disk. - Built-in file viewer keyboard or mouse driven. - Displays content of ZIP or LZH archives. - and it remain a very short program with all these features. Iconshell displays the current disk directory either as icons or text, and programs can be executed with the single click of the mouse on the icon or the filename. Automatic installation of the filenames and their path is also al- lowed to run them further without the search in disk sub-directories. Until 30 icons can sit on a desktop and each of them can store in data fields all DOS commands, filenames and following options that are typed to run a software. Complex line commands no longer require to refer at the manual, but once to install them. User can create un- limited number of desktops. Some commands are already installed, that are only examples, you can change them and add so much than you want. Finally, the functions of IconShell, are all these you install in icons, including all DOS commands. This software is shareware, it can be freely copied and distributed by vendors, users, sysops, but using it on his computer more than the 15-DAYS trial requires payment of a user licence. INSTALLATION Copy first the files of the archive on the disk or the hard drive unit. If you want IconShell automatically load at the start-up of the compu- ter, add the following command on the last line of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file: SHELL.EXE C:\SHELL.CFG or SHELLR.BAT C:\SHELL.CFG The second syntax is to have IconShell automatically reloaded when one quits a program that IconShell has load. If a previous version to 1.8 is already installed on the disk, erase first all older files of this version,to avoid compatibility pro- blems. Once installed, change the content of icons to give files their full path with correct drive and dir. You must absolutely set an exact path to the three desktop loading icons: Shell, Disk command, SW tools, and all future desktop you will create. For example, the current content of the "Disk command" icon is: BOARD DISK.CFG Change that to a full path, for example: BOARD C:\DISK.CFG And then, you can move to any sub-directory and apply the disk com- mands to current sub-directory. Program that have their path included in the definition of the PATH variable in AUTOEXEC.BAT does not need for a path definition in the con. For example, all files in the directory DOS are always accessible if AUTOEXEC.BAT has a line as: PATH=C:\DOS; STARTING UP ICONSHELL Type: shell or shellr It's better to specify the path of the desktop file: shellr c:\shell.cfg If installed on the c: drive, type simply SE. SE.BAT returns to the root directory of the c: disk, and load IconShell with the SHELL.CFG desktop file as parameter. DESCRIPTION OF AN ICON To see the data inside an icon, select it with the cursor keys and press the 'v' key. A green window shows the title, the image, the command and program fields. First of all, please to remember the difference between a command icon, that is an installed icon with data fields, and a file icon that is a file displayed as icon on the desktop. When I say only 'icon' that refers to an installed icon. An icon has an image and a title and has two data fields not dis- played on desktop: - the COMMAND field for DOS commands, and - the PROGRAM field for a program with his path and options. The command field gets DOS commands, which has to be executed without to leave IconShell, as for example, a directory change before to run a program. It can also get a batch filename, a COM or EXE program. When one click on an icon, IconShell always first performs the com- mand field, and then the program field. The program field gets the name of a program to run, with EXE or COM extension, and its options. Here are two examples of data fields: Example: Title: Word x.x COMMAND: cd \word PROGRAM: word mytext.doc Example: Title: Unpack COMMAND: PROGRAM: \tools\unpack a: \(file.pak) -x2 TO SELECT AND VIEW AN ICON Use the cursor keys to move the cursor on an icon, then its title be- comes highlighted, press ENTER to execute it, or type a command key to apply a function on this icon. Using a mouse, move the mouse cursor on the image or the title of an icon, and click once to select this icon, click again to execute it. TO LAUNCH A PROGRAM Select an icon and press ENTER or click twice on the icon. If the program needs variables to be entered when one loads it, one be asked to type then by a dialogue box. One may also click on the program name in the directory window to execute it. Another way to give parameters is the association, that is detailed after the following chapter. Before one speaks about association, get clearly in mind the diffe- rence in the two methods: - one clicks the LEFT mouse button or one presses ENTER to run the program displayed as icon. - one clicks the RIGHT mouse button or one presses '+' to run a pro- gram with association of one or more other icons of files as parame- ters. When the program one has launched ends, one returns to DOS or Icon- Shell is reloaded, according to the chosen option. To return to Icon- Shell, two things are necessary: 1) IconShell must to have been loaded with the SHELLR command, either at the prompt line or by the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. 2) The option 'Reload IconShell' must to be set on, it is the first line in the setup window. Sometimes, to return to IconShell is not desirable. Some programs mo- dify the timer of the computer that change the time and date. Others erase the drivers that reside in memory. On must to boot the system after these program, but it is very useful to reload automatically the DOS interface when one runs short programs often used. TO CHANGE PAGE OF FILE ICONS When one move the mouse pointer on the left or right side of the screen, the mouse become an horizontal arrow. One click then to dis- play a previous page of file icons that symbolically is at the left, or the next page that is at the right. The Page Up key to view next files, and Page Down key to view previous file do the same with the keyboard. TO ASSOCIATE A COMMAND AND A FILE Commands in the disk sub-menu are performed on currently selected icon, if a file icon, that is a kind of association. One may also associate an icon that holds a command with variable filenames in pa- renthesis, with file displayed as icon on the desktop. The filename replace the string in parenthesis. One tags first the command icon by a press on '+' key, then one tags one or more file icons by selecting them and pressing again '+'. With the mouse, one clicks once on a command icon with the right but- ton (the mouse pointer become a cross), and then one clicks on the icons of the file icons in order. When one has selected the first icon, its content is displayed at the bottom of the screen. And when on select the following icons, the re- placement of the strings in parenthesis appears simultaneously. If the first icon does not hold variables, the icon is simply selec- ted, nothing appears. When all variables are replaced by filenames, the command is automati- cally performed. Example: To load the program EDIT.EXE with the file TEXT.TXT: The installed icon EDIT must have a variable in parenthesis, as for example: EDIT (file) Select the installed icon EDIT, press '+', then select the file icon TEXT, press '+' again. EDIT (file) is replaced by EDIT TEXT.TXT... and the command is per- formed. Example: An icon holds the command CD \(dir) Selects this icon and press '+', the command will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Then select an icon of a directory, 'my- dir', for example, and press '+' again: CD \mydir will then be dis- played, IconShell and the directory change is processed. TO CHANGE DRIVE At bottom left of the screen, icons figure each available logical unit. Logical unit is all that MS-DOS recognizes as unit, including the pseudo B drive, virtual disks, and SUBST commands. To change the unit click on an icon or press SHIFT and the letter in uppercase. The B unit is always displayed, if here is no physical second disk drive present, MS-DOS creates a logical B unit and redirects the ac- cesses to the physical drive A. You can yourself define logical unit by using the SUBST command. For example: SUBST E: C:\WORK IconShell displays then an E disk icon. THE PULL DOWN MENU To access the menu, hold down the ALT key and press a key among F, I, O, D, U. These letters are underlined on the menu bar. Press ENTER or the down cursor key to display a sub-menu. Use cursor keys to move the selection bar or to change sub-menu. Press ENTER to execute the command. If this command must apply to an icon, it will apply to the currently highlighted one. Each option has a shortcut key, that is either underlined or shown at the right. Press ESC to quit the sub-menu or the menu. Using mouse: Do a mouse click on the menu bar to active it, click on a line of the sub-menu to execute the function. There are three buttons on the title bar. - The leftmost button is for displaying the version number, - the second at left that shows a double arrow toggles between icon or directory display, - the one at right, that shows a diamond, replaces the ESC key for the mouse. Summary of pull-down menu command: Files Directory: Display the current directory. Run: Execute an icon. Board mask: Select files to display on the desktop: EXE, COM, BAT, dir or data (all others). Dos command: Execute directly DOS commands. Save config: Save changes made on display (changes on resident icons are automatically saved). About... Display copyright, current version and date. Exit: Return to DOS. Icons View: Display fields of a resident icon. Install: Create a resident icon from a file icon. Add: Opens a dialog box for resident icon creation. Change: Change fields/image of a resident icon. Delete: Remove an installed icon of the board (not the files). Move: Reorganize the desktop. Options Help: List essential commands. Setup: Change configuration. Colours: Open the window for preferences setting. Std desktop: Retrieve all defaults: colours, window sizes, etc... Disk Lock file Protect a file against deletion. Rename Rename currently selected, highlighted, file or directory of move it on the same disk. Make dir Create a new sub-directory. Del Delete the highlighted file or directory if empty. Copy Copy a file or a directory and sub-directories. Disk copy Copy a disk. Format Format a disk. Utilities Where is Search for a filename or pattern anywhere on a given drive. Read file Display a text file. SHOWING THE DISK DIRECTORY The 'd' command allows a larger disk directory list that is dis- played as text inside a window. Filenames have uppercase black let- ters, and sub-directories red small letters. Files are displayed according to mask specified by the mask setting and this is displayed as gray or yellow squares on the window title bar. When there are yellow the file having this extension are included in the list. Simply click on the squares to change the setting. The shortcut keys are these: - e: for EXE files. - c: for COM files. - b: for BAT files. - t: for all other files. - d: for directories. Other commands in the directory window: - ESC: exits, returns to board of icons. - cursor keys, to select or scroll. - ?: Display more info: show file size and date, press ? again to return to condensed display. - i: install the file into an icon. - r: view the file. - A..F (uppercases) change drive. - CURSOR KEYS: select a filename or scroll. - ENTER: acts on the highlighted entry, > if a directory, performs a change dir. The '..' sub-directory returns to previous level. > if a program (EXE, COM, BAT), runs it. > if an archive (ZIP or LZH), displays it's content. Press ENTER again to return to directory. > otherwise, ENTER calls the file viewer. - ALT-SPACE: open the menu, then use cursor to move or to change the size. Using mouse, click once on an entry to select it, or use the lift at the right of the window, and click twice to replace 'ENTER'. To exit, do a mouse click out of the window. This function shows up to 256 file or directory names. TO CREATE AN ICON WITH THE INSTALL COMMAND Installation avoids to search a program in a sub-directory, and al- lows to put the options at command line if required. Move the cursor on the file icon on the desktop and type 'i'. A dialog box displays the content of the future resident icon when ins- talled: - title, that is the node of the filename, - a change drive and directory command, - the program name. You may edit these data now. Press ESC to cancel. TO ADD, MODIFY, DELETE AN ICON To add a new Icon, press 'a'. A dialog box will appears. This box shows an image of icon that is the first in buffer, you may choose the image with the PAGE UP/DOWN keys. To change line, use the up/down cursor keys. Don't press ENTER when a field is filled. All that is on the screen is also in the memory, and the ENTER key serves to save data and to close the dialog box... One may also click on the 'Get' button to save and quit. O one may press ESC or click on the Cancel button. The title can be 16 letters long, other fields have size limited by the window width, and they are specially described in the two follo- wing paragraphs. The windows can be enlarged by a press on the ALT-SPACE key, or a mouse click on the borders (See later for details of that). To modify an existing icon, the command is: 'c'. Then, there is no difference with the 'add' or 'install' function. To delete an installed icon, press DEL, and confirm by a press on the 'y' key or a mouse click on the Ok button. To cancel, press 'n' or ESC or click on the Cancel button. THE COMMAND FIELD This field gets any DOS command as typed on the DOS line command. Starting MS-DOS version 5, one can chain several commands separated by '|' symbol. If the field remains blank, the program ignores it when the icon is selected. A batch filename (BAT), a program with COM or EXE extension are valid commands. One must verify than the process will not have memory action that can erase IconShell, as it remains in memory when the COMMAND field is performed. The program must run in on remaining memory, that is 400-500k accor- ding to the configuration. If the command uses variable data, put a string in parenthesis for re- placing at the execution time or for association. When one click on the icon with the left mouse button, IconShell opens a dialog box the the replacement of the string, when one clicks with the right button, IconShell wait for one click on an icon of file, and it makes the re- placement of the string by the filename with the path. THE PROGRAM FIELD The program field gets a program name with 'EXE', 'COM' or 'BAT' extension. One may set the path of the file. This field can remain blank if the icon represents only a DOS com- mand. The program name (but BAT file) can be followed by several parameters until a maximum of 7, separated by a space. The first parameter can be separated of the name by '/', if this is a correct syntax for this program. Example, to execute Windows in standard mode: win/s The program field as the command field allows string to replace at the execution time. Including substituting strings the fields can be until 160 characters long. OPTIONS AND VARIABLES Some programs as PKUNZIP, LHA, can have many parameters including fi- lename that change each time, so to avoid often to type their complex syntax, IconShell allows strings to replace that are in parenthesis. When the icon will be performed, IconShell will ask for replacement. a) Example of replacement for the command fields. COMMAND: cd \(directory) When one does a mouse click on this icon a message is displayed: Replace or press ENTER to keep directory..................... If one types for example, 'windows', the string is replaced and paren- thesis are removed, that will produce the following result: cd \windows If one presses only ENTER, the string that is the default remains, and this produces: cd \directory b) Example of replacement for the program field. PROGRAM: unpack -t a:(SOURCE) (DESTINATION) At the click on the icon, IconShell asks: Replace or press ENTER to keep SOURCE........................ Type for example: MEGAPROG.PAK.................. IconShell then asks: replace or press ENTER to keep DESTINATION................... Type for example: c:\temp....................... Substitutions will produce the following result: unpack -d a:MEGAPROG.PAK c:\temp TO SELECT FILES THE DESKTOP DISPLAYS Press the 'b' key to access the dialog box. Press in order 'e', 'c', 'b', 't', 'd' to select/deselect files with EXE, COM, BAT extension, others files or directories. Press ENTER to exit. TO SEND DIRECTLY DOS COMMANDS Press 'o', and type a DOS command in the dialog box. TO MOVE ICONS Press 'm'. The title of the current icon is now displayed with a yel- low background. Move the icon selection bar with the cursor keys to a new location, and press 'm' again or press ENTER, the icon will move to this new location. With the mouse, select an icon and click on the 'move' option in the pull-down menu, and repeat to move, or click on the ESC key at right of the title bar to cancel. SETUP AND COLORS Type 'u' to open the setup dialog box. Following option may be changed: Automatically return to IconShell Type 'a' to switch the selection. The automatic reload work only if IconShell has been load by the SHELLR command. Screen resolution. The desktop may have two screen resolutions: - the medium resolution, or EGA, or VGA 16. - the high resolution or VGA 18, 640 x 480 pixels. Press 's' to change this option. The high resolution allows until 30 installed icon, and one may not switch to the medium resolution if more than 20 icons are created. Background picture The registered version allow display of an VGA or EGA 16 colors pic- ture as background. Press the 'p' key to select/deselect the disof the picture. That can also be done from the desktop. Display of current path and available disk space. Press 'f' to change. Display file icon on the remaining space on the desktop. Press 'i' to change. Display either installed icons or file icons only. Press 'o' to change. From the desktop press SPACE to change. TO CHANGE THE COLORS To change the colors of the desktop, press the F5 key to open the dialog box, then select an item with the TAB key or vertical arrows, and click on a color or use the horizontal arrows cursor to move to the chosen color. To set the background either dark or light, press the 'b' key. Press ENTER to keep the changes and exit. Title bar and background of windows can be changed, when opened, with ALT-b and ALT-h or by opening the window menu with ALT-SPACE, and then with the 'b' or 'h' commands. To restore all defaults press 'z'. All changes relating to display will be cleared and the initial desktop restored. Changes on icons are preserved however. To forget all changes including icons, erase the file SHELL.CFG, it will be rewritten with default icons. TO MOVE OR CHANGE SIZE OF A WINDOW If the window has a button with a 'w' letter in the upper left cor- ner, it has a system menu than holds the 'move' and 'size' options, one presses ALT-SPACE to get the menu. If the window doesn't have the button, to press ALT-SPACE goes directly to the move/size mode and a dotted rectangle appears. With the mouse, if to move is allowed, the mouse cursor becomes four arrows when the mouse stays on the left or top border of the window. If to change the size of a window is allowed, a horizontal arrow replaces the standard arrow when the mouse pointer stays on the right or bottom border. Hold down the left mouse button and drag to do a change. To do the change with the mouse, hold down the left button and drag, then click once the right button to exit. With the keyboard, when selecting specifically either the move or size option is possible, one uses the cursor keys to do the change, exactly as in Windows (c). Otherwise, when it is a dialog box and the ALT-SPACE command sets a global change mode, one uses the cursor keys to move the box, and one holds down the ALT key and presses the cursor keys simultaneously to change the size. There are also alternate keys to change the size: '>' increases width '<' reduces width, '+' increases height, '-' reduces height. Press ESC or ENTER to exit. DISK COMMANDS DOS disk commands are available either within the menu, or on the desktop. Commands in the menu are special improved built-in command or simply those of DOS, as IconShell is a shell to DOS. File and disk copy, format, use the DOS with a graphical interface to make them simple. WHERE (Where is) Locate a filename. Use the command 'w'. Search for a filename or pattern in a whole drive, starting at root directory. ESC can abort the process. Examples: c:*.exe or a:FILENAME.EXE or FILENAME.EXE and so on... MD Make a directory. Use the command 'k'. DEL Delete a file or an empty directory. Use CTRL+d. REN Rename a file or a directory or move a file in another directory. Use 'n' and type the new name, and optionally type a new path. LOCK Protect a file against deletion. Use the command 'l'. Attributes are then displayed as ASHR: A: archive S: system H: hide R: read only Only the 'read only' attribute can be changed here, for any other attribute, use the 'o' command. Press 'l' or '+' to lock the file, 'u' or '-' to unlock it. COPY Copy a file or a directory with its sub-directories. Use 'y' to copy selected file or directory, then a window displays the directories to the user selects the destination path. One moves to the proper path, not only one moves the cursor on a di- rectory name, but changes to it, then presses 'y' again to do the co- py. DISKCOPY Copy a disk. Type '$'. This command run either the DISKCOPY.BAT file if present in the IconShell directory or the MS-DOS diskcopy.com command. DISKCOPY.BAT holds a generic program name 'diskdup' that copies a disk in one pass by storing the disk image on a hard drive. If you don't own a program of this kind, simply erase the DISKCOPY.BAT file and the MS-DOS command will be directly called. Of course, you may edit DISKCOPY.BAT to put another name for the one-pass duplicator, as- suming it requires as first parameter the name of the disk to copy and as second parameter the name of the unit to store the disk image. Some programs use another syntax and you must deal with it to adapt the batch file. On may choose the option 'DOS diskcopy' that is for a standard copy using the MS-DOS diskcopy.com program, or 'Disk image', for a copy with a one-pass duplicator. In both cases one selects with the Source button the disk drive that holds the disk to copy. In the DOS diskcopy case, one selects with the Target button the disk drive that holds the backup disk. In the second case, one selects with the Image button the unit where the disk image is temporary stored. FORMAT Format a disk. Type 'f', then select either the drive A or B, by a press on the 'd' key, and select the DOS format method for a 1.44 disk: - Certify: this is the standard format command. The DOS format the disk and verify each sector. - Quick: this corresponds to the /Q option of MS-DOS than clear only the FAT and directories. For other options or other kind of disk, some examples of icons are provided Disk command desktop. CHKDSK Checks a disk for correct allocation. Use the icon CHECK DISK. MEM Views memory. Use the icon MEM from MS-DOS version 5, of CHKDSK otherwise. All other commands of the DOS manual also can be installed into icons. THE DESKTOP SWTOOLS In the shareware market, there are of new improved useful commands to enhance the DOS. Some examples are already typed on the SWTOOLS desk- top: - Pkunzip (c) PKware. - Arj (c) R.K. Jung. - Lha (c) H. Yoshizaki. - Diskdup (c) R. K. Snyder. - V-Scan (c) McAffee Associates. Many other commands may be installed in the same way, than you may find at shareware distributors and BBS. These programs generally re- quire one pays a licence used them. TO QUIT ICONSHELL Press 'q' to exit and save options of the display (windows, co- lours, ...) as they are not stored in the CFG file until there is change relating to icons or the F2 key is pressed. Press F3 to exit without saving last changes. Alternate keys to F3: ALT-F4, ALT-X. To do a mouse click on the diamond at right of the title bar, is the same than to press the F3 keys. PHANTOM FILENAMES 'Phantom files' are programs integrated to IconShell, that can sit in the command or program field, as programs on disk. There are currently: EXIT.EXE Its action is to return to DOS. QUIT.EXE saves display changes and return to DOS. WAIT.EXE waits for a key press. Useful when a command displays some- thing just before to exit. BOARD.EXE with CFG filename as parameter, allows loading a new desktop. CLOCK.EXE Displays the time. DIRECTORY Shows the current disk directory in a window. CDD Change drive and directory. If by chance one wants to put really program with the same names in fields of icon, or same names with 'COM' extension, one must specify path (for example: C:CDD.COM), and IconShell runs the file from disk rather to execute the phantom programs. BOARD.EXE This integrated program allows multiple desktop. One uses the 'a' command to create a new icon, fills the command field, for example: BOARD.EXE C:\MYBOARD.CFG Then a click on this icon display until 30 new icons. There is no li- mit but the disk size to the number of boards. It is preferable to put the complete path of the config file, as the icon can be selected from another sub-directory. The registered version recognizes a second parameter to a file of icon images and a third parameter to a background picture. HOW TO MAKE A NEW DESKTOP The program comes with some CFG files that contains desktop data. Creating a new CFG file is easy and done with following steps: 1) Add a new icon with these data in the program field: BOARD.EXE C:\MYBOARD.CFG BOARD.EXE is the 'phantom' program that loads an alternate desktop. 2) Click twice on this new icon. An error message is displayed, 'File no found: MYBOARD.CFG' This is normal, the program attempts to load it, does not found it, then restart with default desktop. Note than the name 'MYBOARD', without extension, is now displayed on the title bar. 3) Remove the icons you don't want to keep, and add those you want. That's all! To make a link with the main desktop, you may add an icon with BOARD.EXE C:\SHELL.CFG in the program field. Note than these paths are only for examples, any drive and directory may rather be used. Another simple method to create a new desktop is running IconShell at the DOS prompt with the name of the new board as parameter. A message display "file not found", that you ignore, and the program start with the default board of icons. You further save the desktop with F2, and add an icon to make the links from the main desktop to the new one. TO READ A TEXT FILE To display the content of a file on the desktop, press the 'r' key, or simply ENTER if no a file with the BAT extension. The built-in viewer may read files having 32767 lines, and up to 32 megabytes. However, the more the size increase, the more the speed slow down, it is in fact intended to easily read all these short text files you often find around. Commands are these: - ESC: exit. - Cursor key: scroll up or down a line, or move horizontally the win- dow on the text. - Page up: display previous screen page. - Page down: display next screen page. - HOME: jump to start of file. - END: jump to end of text in memory. By a mouse click on a green button upon the text window one passes these same commands. HOW TO CREATE IMAGES FOR ICONS The SHELL.SPR file holds 33 images that are icons of commercial or shareware softwares for DOS, or symbols of commands, and these icons are loaded or drawn, and stored in a compressed file with the sprite designer MegaSprites, which is a part of VIRTUAL REALITY TOOLS, also available in shareware. ABOUT THE GRAPHICAL INTERFACE IconShell has been written in C and assembly 80286, using a graphical interface that I have also written. This interface is used yet by V. R. Tools, HLIST and programs that are currently in work, including a new graphic development system having a new concept that probably will comes to the market in one or two months. By using specially written graphical functions and with always the search of the simplest algorithm in mind, I write these so short program that do so much as some commercial packages with 1/10 the size. THE BAT FILES SE.BAT Purpose of this program is to go to C: root directory and run SHELLR from any disk and directory. If IconShell is not installed on c: drive, one may edit SE.BAT and change 'c' to the proper drive letter. DISKCOPY.BAT This program serves to load either the DOS diskcopy command or a re- placing one-pass program (not furnished) that stores the disk images on a hard drive unit. You may edit this file to change the name and path of programs it calls. ANNEX I: PROBLEMS AND OFTEN ASKED QUESTIONS 1) Don't put a resident program in the COMMAND field, as it will install itself in the middle of the memory! Use the IconShell reload feature to install resident programs and return to IconShell. 2) If any problem appears in the IconShell display, this probably come from a corrupted CFG file, or a CFG file that is for another software. Installing IconShell config files in a special sub-directory and setting the proper paths in the icons will fix the problem. 3) The version 1.8 and following are not compatible with older ones. An attempt to load older CFG file will blank the screen and the pro- gram will hang (this has no effect on user files). When installing the new version, be careful to erase all previous CFG files of Icon- Shell first. 4) Some programs that are normally launched when one puts their name in the program field, can't be loaded if one calls them within the command field. When it calls a program from the command field, IconShell remains resident and the screen mode remains graphical. The program can use a way to display text than don't work on graphic screen unlike DOS commands. It is also possible it can't fit in the available memory. 5) The "Out of memory" message may occur after you use IconShell, if you are loaded directly a resident program. Look at the 1) paragraph to avoid that. ANNEX II: SUMMARY OF COMMAND KEYS F1 Display the help screen. h Display the copyright, version, date. Cursor keys Select icon, sub-menu, etc... ESCAPE Leave current function, window, menu, etc... ENTER Execute a function. + Launch a program by association with one or more files. SPACE BAR Toggle to installed icons or disk directory on the desktop. HOME Jump to the first file. PG up/down Scroll files on the desktop. v or END Show the content of an icon. i Install currently selected file as icon. a Add an icon. c Change an existing icon. DEL Remove an icon. m Move an icon ('m' to select icon, 'm' again to drop). ALT+key Get sub-menu or changes a color in desktop. o Execute directly DOS command. d Show directory. (+ ENTER to run a program). b Set desktop directory mask. Shift-A..F Change drive. w Find path of a filename. l Lock a file. n Rename a file or a directory. k Create a new directory. y Copy a file, or a directory. $ Copy a disk. f Format a disk. CTRL-d Delete selected file or directory. r Display a file as ASCII. u Open the setup dialog box. F5 Open the dialog box for colors change. F2 Save the preferences. s Change screen resolution. p Set/Reset picture for background (Reg. ver.) ALT-SPACE Change current window. z Restore standard settings. q Save changes and quit. F3 Exit.