Media Share 9/MEDIASHARE_09.ISO/os2/4os2b.zip/UPDAT20.DOC

Text File | 1993-12-16 | 20KB | 523 lines

                                  JP Software

                           4OS2 Update Documentation

                       Version 2.0 -- December 16, 1993

   [Copyright 1992 - 1993, JP Software Inc., All Rights Reserved.
   Published by JP Software Inc., P.O. Box 1470, E. Arlington, MA 02174
   USA, [phone].  4OS2, 4OS2/16, and 4OS2/32 are trademarks and 4DOS
   is a registered trademark of JP Software Inc.  OS/2 is a trademark of
   IBM Corporation.  Other product and company names are trademarks of
   their respective owners.]


   There are dozens of new features in this latest release of 4OS2!  Check
   through this file for a comprehensive list of what's changed since
   version 1.1.

   This file does not explain how to use the new features.  Be sure to
   check the Reference Manual or online help for complete details on each
   feature.

   Some of the descriptions below may be more detailed than you need; if
   you aren't using a feature, feel free to skip to the next item.  If you
   are new to 4OS2 with version 2.0, you can skip this file entirely, and
   begin with the 4OS2 Introduction and Installation Guide.

   This file is divided into the following sections:

          General Features and Enhancements
          Startup, Initialization, and 4OS2.INI
          Command Line Editing and History
          Aliases
          Command Changes and Enhancements
          Variables and Variable Functions

   Major new features and those which affect most users are marked with
   "**" in the lists below.  Other items discuss smaller or more technical
   changes.

   This file is formatted at 58 lines per page, and contains form feeds and
   page footers.  It can be viewed with a file viewer such as the 4OS2 LIST
   command, or printed on most PC printers using the command:

                  copy updat20.doc prn

   Printing it with a program that formats the pages is not likely to work
   due to the formatting included in the file.


                                                                  (12/93-A)




   4OS2 2.0  [12-16-93]           UPDAT20.DOC                        page 1



                             4OS2 2.0 Change List


   General Features and Enhancements
   ---------------------------------

   => **  Date, time, and size ranges are now available for all file
          processing commands:  ATTRIB, COPY, DEL, DESCRIBE, DIR, FOR,
          LIST, MOVE, RD, REN, SELECT, and TYPE.  Ranges allow you to
          select files for processing based the date or date and time a
          file was last modified (a date range); the modification time only
          (a time range); the file size (a size range); or a combination of
          these.  This is a powerful feature which substantially expands
          your file selection capabilities.

   => **  .BTM files can now be compressed (and thereby "encrypted") with
          the new BATCOMP utility.  4OS2 reads and processes compressed
          .BTM files just as it they were normal (uncompressed) files.
          This makes it easy for PC and network managers to distribute
          batch files whose contents cannot readily be altered by the end
          user.  (The compression algorithm used is designed for fast,
          simple decompression, not extraordinarily efficient compression
          ratios.  Therefore its primary value is for batch file
          distribution, not reduced disk usage.)

   => **  The maximum file description length has been increased to 200
          characters, and the entire description is now displayed in the
          DIR output.

   => **  The prompt options for COPY, DEL, GLOBAL, MOVE, and REN have a
          third option now:  'R' (Remainder) turns off the Y/N/R prompt and
          performs the operation on the remainder of the matching files.

   =>     Commands that take a /P to pause output at the end of each page
          (ALIAS, DIR, SET, etc.) now accept an Esc as a "quit" character.

   =>     Popup windows for the history lists, @SELECT, and filename
          completion now support horizontal scrolling.  A left or right
          arrow will move the window 4 columns.

   =>     Executable extensions can now call aliases as well as internal
          and external commands.

   =>     The 4OS2 "prefix" commands (EXCEPT, FOR, GLOBAL, IF, and SELECT)
          parse their arguments slightly differently.  This should help
          simplify batch files, and improve compatibility with CMD.EXE.  As
          a general rule, the need for multiple % signs and escape
          characters on the line after such commands has been dramatically
          reduced.  If you have complex prefix commands with multiple %
          signs, back-quotes, or escape characters in the command to be
          executed you may have to edit them slightly to accommodate this change.



   4OS2 2.0  [12-16-93]           UPDAT20.DOC                        page 2



   Startup, Initialization, and 4OS2.INI
   -------------------------------------

   =>     4START is now passed the startup command line as batch file
          arguments.  This allows you to determine what parameters an
          application is passing to a secondary shell.

   =>     There are several new or changed 4OS2.INI directives:

      **      BrightBG = Yes | NO:  Set to Yes to enable bright background
              displays rather than blinking text on EGA and VGA systems.
              See the section on Colors and Color Names in the manual or
              online help before using BrightBG.

              Descriptions = YES | No:  Enables or disables processing of
              file descriptions in COPY, DEL, MOVE, and REN.

              HistCopy = Yes | NO:  If set to YES, 4OS2 will copy a command
              recalled from the history back to the end of the history
              list.

              HistLogName = filename:  Specifies the default name for the
              history log file.

              INIQuery = Yes | NO:  If set to Yes, 4OS2 will display a
              prompt after each subsequent line in the current INI file.

      **      InputColors = Color:  4OS2 will display your command line
              input in the specified color.

              ListStatBarColors = Color:  Sets the LIST status bar colors.

              SelectColors = Color:  Sets the SELECT screen colors.

              SelectStatBarColors = Color:  Sets the SELECT status bar
              colors.

   =>     4OS2 now allows non-4OS2 section names (names other than
          [Primary] or [Secondary] in 4OS2.INI.  Directives in such
          sections are ignored.


   Command Line Editing and History
   --------------------------------

   => **  There is a popup directory history window which shows recent
          directories you've used.  (THis feature was present in 4OS2 1.11,
          but was not documented in the manual.)  To pop up the window,
          press Ctrl-PgUp.  Select a line and press Enter to return to the
          highlighted directory.




   4OS2 2.0  [12-16-93]           UPDAT20.DOC                        page 3


   => **  There is a new filename completion window.  F7 or Ctrl-Tab will
          pop up a pick-list window of all the matching files, and Enter
          will insert the selected filename into the command line.

   => **  You can set the colors for input you type at the prompt with the
          new InputColors directive in 4OS2.INI.

   =>     You can control whether recalled history lines are copied to the
          end of the history with the new HistCopy directive in 4OS2.INI.

   =>     History saves are now case-sensitive.


   Aliases
   -------

   => **  There is a new kind of keystroke alias.  If you preface the key
          name with two @ symbols, 4OS2 will execute the command
          immediately, without echoing the alias.

   => **  If you enter an unknown command, 4OS2 will now look for an alias
          "UNKNOWN_CMD", and will execute that alias after appending the
          command line.  WARNING: If the UNKNOWN_CMD alias contains an
          unknown command, your system will loop forever!

   =>     ALIAS /R files can have lines continued if the line ends in an
          escape character.


   Command Changes and Enhancements
   --------------------------------

   =>     ATTRIB will now append a "\*.*" to a directory name, unless you
          specified the /D option.

   =>     COPY, DEL, MOVE, and REN have a new switch:  /T(otal) to display
          file counts only.  This disables the display of file names (like
          /Q), but still displays the totals.

   =>     DEL displays the disk space freed in the summary line.

   => **  DIR has several changes:

              * Descriptions can be up to 200 characters long.  Those which
              are too long to fit on the screen will be word-wrapped at the
              right edge of the screen.

              * New switches and switch changes:

                  /H:  (New) Do not display "." and "..".





   4OS2 2.0  [12-16-93]           UPDAT20.DOC                        page 4


                  /I:  (New) Display only those files whose descriptions
                  match the specified text.  The text can include any of
                  the 4OS2 extended wildcards; the search is case
                  insensitive.

                  /R:  (New) Disable long description wrapping.  If /R is
                  used for on-screen display the description is truncated
                  with a right arrow.  In redirected output the entire
                  description is sent to the output device as one long
                  line.

   => **  DO is a new loop control command for batch files.  You can use
          several methods to control the loop:

              DO n:  Repeat the loop n times.

              DO FOREVER:  Repeat the loop until you exit with LEAVE or
              GOTO.

              DO var = start TO end [BY n]:  Repeat the loop until the
              variable passes the end value.

              DO WHILE condition:  Repeat the loop while the condition is
              true (the condition can be any of those available in the IF
              and IFF commands).

              DO UNTIL condition:  Repeat the loop until the condition
              becomes true.

          A loop terminates with an ENDDO.  You can use ITERATE to return
          to the start of a loop, and LEAVE to exit a loop.

   =>     DRAWBOX has a new ZOOM option.

   =>     IF and IFF now support decimals in numeric tests.

   =>     INKEY has two new switches:

              /C:  Clears the keyboard buffer before accepting input.
              /P:  Does not echo your input (for passwords).

   =>     INPUT has four new switches:

              /C:  Clears the keyboard buffer before accepting input.
              /E:  Displays and allows you to edit an existing value.
              /L:  Sets the maximum input length.
              /P:  Displays asterisks for your input (for passwords).

   => **  KEYBD is a new command to toggle the state of the Caps Lock, Num
          Lock, and Scroll Lock keys.

   => **  LIST has been completely rewritten and offers many new features:



   4OS2 2.0  [12-16-93]           UPDAT20.DOC                        page 5


              * Line and column numbers are displayed, and you can go to a
              specific line.

              * Hexadecimal display, print, and search are now supported.

              * You can pop up a window with the current fully expanded
              filename, size, date and time.

              * LIST is significantly faster.

   =>     LOG now supports a "history" log, which is independent from the
          regular command log.  The history log saves the original commands
          entered into the history list, without the date and time
          information stored in the normal log file, and before alias and
          variable expansion.  You can use it as an aid in writing batch
          files or creating a history file which can be reloaded later.

   => **  MD has a new switch:  /S builds all necessary intermediate
          directories.  For example, MD /S \DIR1\DIR2\DIR3 will create all
          three directories if necessary.

   =>     MOVE will now display the space freed (if any), like DEL.  MOVE
          also supports the /F(orce delete) option in the 32-bit version of
          4OS2, under OS/2 2.x; a /F will delete the file without saving it
          to the "undelete" directory.

   => **  ON is a new error-handling command for batch files:

              ON BREAK command:  Execute the command when a ^C or ^Break is
              detected.

              ON ERROR command:  Execute the command after an OS/2 or 4OS2
              error.

   =>     REBOOT has a new switch:  /S does a shutdown (without rebooting).

   =>     SCREEN, SCRPUT, and VSCRPUT now accept row and column offsets
          relative to the current cursor position.  To specify a relative
          offset, rather than an absolute row or column, use a + or -
          before the argument.

   =>     SELECT now supports the /CP and /CHP compression switches, and
          the /I switch to select files by description (see DIR for
          details).

   => **  SETDOS has four new options:

              /B:  Sets your video board for blinking text (/B0, the
              default) or bright background colors (/B1).  See the section
              on colors and color names in the manual for details before
              using this option.  Also see the BrightBG directive in
              4OS2.INI.



   4OS2 2.0  [12-16-93]           UPDAT20.DOC                        page 6


              /D:  Enables (/D1, the default) or disables (/D0) description
              processing for COPY, DEL, MOVE, and REN.  Also see the
              Descriptions directive in 4OS2.INI.

              /X:  Controls command parsing.  You can enable or disable
              alias and variable expansion, multiple and conditional
              commands, redirection and pipes, command grouping, quoting,
              and the escape character.  For use in batch files to avoid
              problems with special characters in text strings.

              /Y:  Enables (/Y1) or disables (/Y0) single-step operation in
              batch files.  Use this option for batch file debugging.

   => **  START has a new /WIN3[S] switch to start seamless Windows
          sessions in enhanced or standard mode, with an optional WIN-OS/2
          settings file.  /WIN3S is only available in the 32-bit version of
          4OS2.

   =>     WINDOW can now set the window size and position, as well as the
          title and window state.


   Variables and Variable Functions
   --------------------------------

   (When using variables and variable functions remember that the name must
   be preceded by a "%" sign:  %+, %_DAY, %@FILEOPEN, etc.):

   =>     The _CPU variable now returns "586" for Pentium processors.

   => **  The new internal variables are:

              Variable    Returns
              --------    -----------------------------------------------
              =           the current escape character (can be embedded in
                          commands, but cannot be ECHOed)
              +           the current command separator (can be embedded in
                          commands, but cannot be ECHOed)
              _BG         now includes bright background colors when
                          appropriate
              _COUNTRY    the country code
              _DAY        the day of the month (1 - 31)
              _DOY        the day of the year (1 - 366)
              _HOUR       the hour (0 - 23)
              _HLOGFILE   the name of the current history log file
              _LOGFILE    the name of the current log file
              _MINUTE     the minute (0 - 59)
              _MONTH      the month of the year (1-12)
              _SECOND     the second (0 - 59)
              _SYSERR     the error code for the most recent DOS error
              _WINTITLE   the title of the current session
              _YEAR       the year (1980-2099)



   4OS2 2.0  [12-16-93]           UPDAT20.DOC                        page 7


   =>     You can now include commas in the result of @FILESIZE and other
          similar functions by following the units character (b|B|k|K|m|M)
          with a 'c'.  For example, "@filesize[4os2.exe,bc]" will display
          the size of 4OS2.EXE in bytes, with a comma every three digits.

   =>     @FILESIZE will now return the total size of all matching files if
          you specify wildcards in the filename.

   => **  The new variable functions are:

                  (Be sure to read the manual or online help before using
                  the @FILECLOSE, @FILEOPEN, @FILEREAD, @FILESEEK, or
                  @FILEWRITE functions.)

              @CDROM[d:]:  Returns 1 if the drive is a CD-ROM, 0 if not.

              @DEC[var]:  Returns the decremented value of a variable (the
              same as %@EVAL[var-1]).

              @FILEAGE[fname]:  Returns the date and time as a single
              numeric value (useful for comparing file dates and times).

              @FILECLOSE[n]:  Close the file whose handle is "n".

              @FILENAME[fname]:  returns the name + extension (no path)

              @FILEOPEN[filename,read | write | append]:  Opens the file in
              the specified mode and returns the file handle.

              @FILEREAD[n]:  Reads a line from the file whose handle is
              "n".

              @FILES[filename]:  Returns the number of files matching the
              filename specification.

              @FILESEEK[handle,offset,start]:  Seeks to the specified
              offset in the file whose handle is "n".

              @FILEWRITE[n]:  Writes a line to the file whose handle is
              "n".

              @FINDFIRST[fname,[nrhsa]]:  Find the first matching file and
              return its name.

              @FINDNEXT[fname,[nrhsa]]:  Find the next matching file.

              @INC[var]:  Returns the incremented value of a variable (the
              same as %@EVAL[var+1]).

              @INSTR[start,length,string]:  The same as SUBSTR, but puts
              the start and length at the beginning to avoid problems with
              commas in the string.



   4OS2 2.0  [12-16-93]           UPDAT20.DOC                        page 8


              @NUMERIC[n]:  Returns 1 if the variable is composed entirely
              of numeric digits (0-9), or the thousands or decimal
              separators.

              @RANDOM[min,max]:  Returns a random integer value between min
              and max, inclusive.

              @REPEAT[c,n]:  returns the character repeated 'n' times.

              @TRIM[string]:  Strips leading and trailing whitespace
              (blanks and tabs) from the string.












































   4OS2 2.0  [12-16-93]           UPDAT20.DOC                        page 9