Frostbyte's 1980s DOS Shareware Collection/floppyshareware.zip/floppyshareware/LUNACY/DCOMT343.ZIP/CHANGES.DOC

Text File | 1989-12-10 | 16KB | 300 lines

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                 CHANGES.DOC                                │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ This file documents the changes, enhancements, or corrections made to dCOM │
│ since the distribution users manual was published.                         │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

                                 Version 3.42
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.   Macro lines following a GOSUBMF command are now executed upon return to
     the gosub'd macro file.  Since the state of many of the internal macro
     variables can easily be misconstrued across gosub'd macro files, using
     a GOSUBMF inside a DO block should be avoided.  Use of a GOSUBMF command
     inside any other type of loop or block (such as IF blocks, LOOPs, etc...)
     should also be used with caution and at your own risk.

     This now allows a macro to automatically "clean-up" after certain
     conditional actions are performed.  For example, the login macro
     (associated with the activity log) can now be written as follows to
     support automatically logging the user out:

        [F1] Log On
        :LOG1
        GET %1 Enter Your Name:
        IF %1<=@ THEN
         BEEP
         GOTO LOG1
        ENDIF
        ECHO %DT %TI         %1 Logged In>>C:\DCOM\DCOM.LOG
        SET DUSER=%1
        GOSUBMF MAIN
        ECHO %DT %TI         %DUSER% Logged Out>>C:\DCOM\DCOM.LOG
        SET DUSER=

2.   Using quotation marks around the second operand in a macro IF comparison
     now allows comparing against text with embedded spaces.  If quotes are
     used to surround the second operand, DO NOT follow suite and enclose the
     first operand with quotes as well.  Use of the quotation marks is optional
     if the second operand does not contain any spaces.  For example:

        :LOG1
        GET %1 Enter Your Full Name:
        IF %1="John Doe" GOTO LOG2
        IF %1="Jim Smith" GOTO LOG2
        IF %1=Ronald_McDonald GOTO LOG2
        ECHO You Are Not Authorized Access to This System
        BEEP
        GOTO LOG1
        :LOG2
        ECHO Welcome Aboard

3.   A technical hint.  You can test on the extension of a selected file, or
     tagged file, in a macro key by comparing the appropriate variable that
     produces both the filename and its extension against the variable that
     only produces the filename plus a manually specified extension.  For
     example:

        IF %FE<>%FN.ZIP ECHO File is not a .ZIP File.
                    - or -
        IF %FE=%FN.ZIP ECHO File is a .ZIP File.

4.   Any form of copying or moving when the source is the name of a sub-
     directory now also recurses down through all subdirectories in the
     source subdirectory.  You can force dCOM to copy the entire contents of
     a disk by using the visual tree and selecting the root directory as your
     source for a copy (or move) command.  The "feel" for how copying or moving
     subdirectories by name has changed in that its now automatically implied
     that the source directory name will be made in and after the destination
     directory used.

5.   The free disk space is now constantly updated when using the Visual Tree
     to log different drives.

6.   The free disk space on the target drive of a copy action is now shown and
     updated with each file copied.  It will return to reflecting the logged
     drive when the copy action is completed.

7.   Selecting from any of the pop-up menu's (including the filename menu's
     like the macro SELECT command) can now be expedited by pressing the first
     letter of the selection desired.  This will then locate the cursor on the
     next instance of a option starting with that character.  Subsequent key-
     presses of the same character will then advance through any more options
     also starting with that character.  Pressing the Return key would then use
     the option selected.  This could save a lot of time when dealing with a
     large number of selections (usually file select windows) instead of having
     to use the cursor keys to locate and select the filename desired (if you
     don't have a mouse).

8.   Additional error checking has been added to the macro keys to detect
     attempts to change to an invalid drive.  Also, some macro commands which
     used to require a space between the command and its parameters no longer
     do (i.e. "DIR/W" will now work where before it had to be expressed as
     "DIR /W").

9.   A new macro command, GOSUB, has been added which works much in the same
     context as GOTO does to jump to a label within the current macro key,
     except that it saves return information on a gosub stack.  Returning from
     the gosubed procedure is accomplished using the same RETURN command which
     returns from GOSUBMF.  dCOM will automatically differentiate between mixed
     uses of the RETURN command.  Logically the best place to build common
     procedures would be on the end of a macro key, in which case, you must
     ensure that the normal execution of the macro does not fall through and
     begin executing the procedures, by using a EXIT command.

     For Example:

        [F1] EXAMPLE OF GOSUB
        GOSUB TEST                              ;;GOSUB TEST PROCEDURE
        ECHO Returned From TEST                 ;;ECHO WE'RE BACK
        PAUSE                                   ;;PAUSE
        EXIT                                    ;;FORCE EXIT FROM MACRO

        :TEST                                   ;;TEST PROCEDURE
        ECHO In TEST Procedure                  ;;ECHO WE'RE IN TEST
        GOSUB TEST1                             ;;GOSUB TEST1 PROCEDURE
        ECHO Returned From Test1                ;;ECHO WE'RE BACK
        RETURN                                  ;;RETURN TO CALLER

        :TEST1                                  ;;TEST1 PROCEDURE
        ECHO In TEST1 Procedure                 ;;ECHO WE'RE IN TEST1
        RETURN                                  ;;RETURN TO CALLER

10.  You can now use tabs to indent macro lines in the same manner that spaces
     are allowed (mainly for increasing readability within a IF, DO, or LOOP
     block).  One possible use of this would be to tab in the start of all
     macro lines except the title line, to help set-off the start of each key.

11.  Macro GOSUB or GOTO commands can now call or jump to labels in other macro
     keys by prefixing the target label's name with the name of the macro key
     that contains the label, separated with a colon.  For instance, using
     "GOTO F1:TEST" would jump to a label called "TEST", defined in the F1 key.
     Previously, the scope of a search for a target label of one of these two
     commands was limited to just the macro key being executed.  Allowing GOTO
     or GOSUB commands to jump or call labels in other macro keys allows macro
     keys to share significant portions of macro code.

12.  ELSE and ELSEIF commands have been added for macro IF blocks.

     For example:

        [F1] EXAMPLE OF ELSE
        IF 1>3 THEN
         ECHO IF Block is True
        ELSE
         ECHO IF Block is False
        ENDIF

            - or -

        [F1] EXAMPLE OF ELSEIF
        IF 1>2 THEN
         ECHO 1st IF Block is True
        ELSEIF 2>2 THEN
         ECHO 2nd IF Block is True
        ELSEIF 3>2 THEN
         ECHO 3rd IF Block is True
        ELSE
         ECHO No IF Blocks are True
        ENDIF

13.  The text editor now supports a 43 line mode for EGA monitors (50 for VGA),
     which can be enabled in the text editor's configuration menu.

14.  When subdirectories are deleted by name, it will now EVEN delete files
     with the read-only attribute set.  Additionally, if the system password
     is set (using Alt-A), it will be required before allowing a subdirectory
     and all of its contents to be deleted in this fashion.


                                 Version 3.43
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15.  The memory scheme has been modified to include another new overlay which
     contains some of the resident portion's code.  Current benefit is a 10k
     reduction in dCOM's core size (now approx. 40k).  Further integration
     may improve this, further enhancements to the low-level handlers will
     detract from it.  The new overlay's memory is deallocated just prior to
     executing another program, and immediately after returning.  The same
     technique is used as with the transient (utility mode) overlay; if
     expanded (EMS) memory is present, the overlay is stored there (occupying
     a 32k block unless it grows), if EMS is not present, the overlay is
     deallocated and placed in high memory and checksumed upon return from an
     EXEC call, if intact is then just shifted down, otherwise its reloaded
     from disk.  With this addition of yet another overlay, now might be a
     good time to mention that using a disk cache such as Microsoft's
     Smartdrive (SMARTDRV.SYS) or Golden Bow's VCACHE, can make a nice
     improvement in the performance of your computer, both with dCOM and with
     other disk-intensive applications.  In the author's opinion, a disk cache
     is about the best thing you can do with that extra 384k of extended memory
     found in a lot of 1 meg 286 machines.

16.  All of dCOM's overlay files are now integrated into one master overlay
     file, DCOM.OVL, and complemented with a new internal overlay manager.
     No special reason for doing this, just thought it would be "neat"...

17.  Using the Tab key to type MS-Dos commands is now processed almost entirely
     by dCOM.  If dCOM can locate the command typed, it will load and run it
     directly (quicker stuff), or if the command matches an internal Dos
     command or batch file, dCOM will automatically used COMMAND.COM to run
     it.  Furthermore, the text entered also has the same variable expansion
     options that are available in the macro keys.  For example, This could
     help save a lot of typing when needing to temporarily modify the path,
     by typing something like: "SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\DOS", which would add C:\DOS
     to the existing path.  The other macro variables are also available (for
     what its worth), and you could type something like PKUNZIP %FE to unzip
     the currently selected file.

18.  dCOM no longer gives up the mouse interrupt (33h) when the screen saver
     is not set to activate outside of dCOM.  This was just causing too many
     intermittent problems with the mouse.  It's mouse handler however, has
     been modified to appear as the Logitech driver - refer to #26 below.

19.  Another new command has been added to the macro keys, EDIT, and guess
     what it does...  Allows access to dCOM's editor from the macro keys.  The
     calling syntax is:  "EDIT [d:][\path\]filename".  If a complete path is
     not provided, the editor will resolve it so that the editor can be exited
     with Alt-Q, directories changed, and a return to the editor with a sub-
     sequent save command won't loose track of where the file was originally
     read from.

20.  And yet another macro command (the capabilities of this new memory scheme
     are working out nicely), SPOOL, allows you to control the size of the
     print spooler before running certain applications.  The calling syntax
     is:  "SPOOL nnnn", where nnnn represents the desired size in thousands.
     Requests to change the spooler's size are ignored however, if its buffer
     contains any data waiting to be spooled to the printer.

21.  dCOM now automatically picks up on when the pipe character ("|") is used
     in a macro command, and uses COMMAND.COM to execute the command.  This
     eliminates the previous requirement of having to use the ">" macro
     operator to start a macro line when using the pipe character.

22.  Shift-F1 through Shift-F4 now provide a quick method for assigning buffers
     to windows in the text editor.  For instance, if you wanted to assign buf-
     fer 4 to window 2, you can now press F2 (to select window 2), and then
     press sF4 (to assign buffer 4 to it).

23.  Shift-F5 now provides a quick method to toggle the current state of the
     43/50 line mode in the text editor.  The initial state upon entering the
     editor is determined by the current setting in the text editor's confi-
     guration menu.

24.  The macro keys no longer abort during their normal execution if the Escape
     key is pressed.  A Ctrl-C however, will.  This was implemented so that the
     %KB variable can be used to test for Escape and provide a better-behaved
     method for exiting a macro.

     For Example:

        ECHO Press Return To Continue With Backup or Escape To Quit
        :KEYWAIT
        SET %9=%KB
        IF %9=%(27) GOTO EXIT
        IF %9<>%(13) GOTO KEYWAIT
        ECHO Echo Backing up Data Files
        XCOPY C:\DATA\*.* A:
        :EXIT
        CDDO

25.  A new command line switch, /B, has been added which is provided only for
     users encountering problems with their cursor shape (usually because of
     a not so compatible video card).  This switch tells dCOM to use BIOS calls
     to change the cursor shape (from underline to block), instead of directly
     addressing the 6845 CRT controller (more efficient).  Try using it only if
     you are not getting a cursor at all, or if the shape of the cursor is not
     behaving properly.

26.  dCOM's mouse interrupt handler has been modified to fool Logitech's
     LOGIMENU and CLICK programs into thinking it is the actual Logitech mouse
     driver.  This now allows these two programs to work properly even though
     dCOM may be sandwiched between the mouse driver and the menu programs.
     BE SURE HOWEVER, that you initially load LOGIMENU on the same side of
     dCOM that you load the mouse driver - if you load the mouse driver before
     you run dCOM, then you must also initially load LOGIMENU before you run
     dCOM.  More calls to LOGIMENU (from within a batch or macro file) after
     dCOM is loaded, to load a new menu, will work properly and not load
     another copy of LOGIMENU.  If you don't follow this rule, your computer
     will lock-up if you try to remove LOGIMENU as a TSR.  (The two of them
     get into bed somehow...)

27.  dCOM no longer automatically creates a null (empty) macro file when first
     run if the default macro file doesn't exist.  It will however, insert the
     name of the current macro file into the list when using Alt-K to edit
     macro files, even if it doesn't exist.  There were just too many incidents
     of people copying the entire dCOM directory to a floppy disk, and then
     copying that disk into their working dCOM directory and covering a valid
     macro file with the empty one.  If this doesn't make sense - don't worry
     about it.



                                                          Dave Frailey
                                                          December 1989

                                                          DAC Micro Systems
                                                          40941 176th St E
                                                          Lancaster, CA  93535

                                                          Voice: 805/264-1700
                                                          Data:  805/264-1219