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Xlist DISK MANAGER USERS GUIDE for the MS-DOS & OS/2 by GARY W. WOOD *** READ CAREFULLY BEFORE USING XLIST *** PROGRAM LICENSE AGREEMENT Xlist is NOT "Public Domain" and it is NOT "Freeware". Xlist is a copyrighted software product developed and owned by Gary W. Wood. Xlist is distributed under the shareware concept. You are free to copy and use the software for personal use and shareware distribution in its original, unmodified form provided no fee beyond reasonable media and/or shipping charges is levied. If you are using the software for personal use, your required to license the software after a 21 day evaluation period for $25 and become a Xlist supporter. Xlist supporters will receive the next major release free of charge and be keep informed of major developments for one (1) year. A license is required for use of Xlist by corporations and institutions, and for its commercial distribution. You may obtain a license for the use of Xlist by writing to me. The license is for perpetual, non-exclusive use of any version. Purchase orders and invoicing are acceptable. If you have special requirements, such as licensing for an unlimited number of copies, local area networks, site licenses, or customization, please feel free to submit them in writing. You may request a license for: o an unlimited number of end user copies at a single site; o customization of messages and documentation, an additional fee may be required depending on the extent of changes; o permission to distribute within your organization; o permission to include with your company's commercial products; The fee for a license depends on the estimated number of copies of the program that you will use. If you wish to distribute Xlist with your own programs or hardware, write for a "Marketing License". To use the discount schedule below, estimate the total number of copies that you may eventually use. 2 to 9 computers ..... at $20 each 10 to 24 computers ..... at $16 each 25 to 49 computers ..... at $13 each 50 to 99 computers ..... at $10 each 100 or more computers .. $1000 one time fee Regardless of the quantity, only one set of materials will be sent to you. You may then make as many copies of it that are licensed. Maintenance is free. Upgrades will be made available upon request. Technical support is available via mail, or through the Compuserve bulletin board systems (76156,317), at no charge. Copyright (C) 1985-1992 Gary W. Wood If you use Xlist after the 21 day evaluation period a license fee of $25 will register you to receive a current version of Xlist. Please state the current version of Xlist that you have. Send contributions to: Gary Wood 5401 Lakeview Road North Little Rock, Arkansas 72116 All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission from Gary W. Wood, 5401 Lakeview Road, North Little Rock, Arkansas, 72116. DISCLAIMER The author has taken due care in the preparation of this document and the associated program. Insofar as specific mention of program features, the author believes the information to be true. No warranty is made regarding the suitability of the program to be compatible with your computer. Incidental and consequential damages caused by malfunction, defect, or otherwise are not the responsibility of Gary W. Wood, and to the extent permitted by law, and hereby excluded both for the property and, to the extent not unconscionable, for personal injury damage. (Some states or jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.) Gary W. Wood also reserves the right to make amendments to the contents of this document from time to time, to reflect changes made to the specification of the Xlist system or for any other reason. Xlist is a Trademark of Gary W. Wood. IBM, IBM-PC, PC-XT, PC-AT, PS/2, DOS, OS/2, VM/CMS, FLIST, and PC-DOS are Trademarks of International Business Machines Corp. MS-DOS is a Trademark of Microsoft Corporation.CHAPTERS 1. Introduction 5 2. Getting Started 6 3. Invoking the Xlist Command 8 4. Using the Keyboard 9 5. Increasing background performance (OS/2) 10 6. Mouse Support 11 7. Tagging Files 12 8. Use of the Xlist.CNF File 14 9. Maintaining the Xlist.PRO Profile 15 10. Command Line Commands 26 INTRODUCTION WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF DISK MANAGEMENT USING Xlist - DISK UTILITY If you are new to PC-DOS, you have realized that commands provided by PC-DOS are designed to be short and sweet. This program is designed as a tool to effectively provide the user a friendly way to view files contained in sub-directories and be able to execute programs and PC-DOS commands. Xlist was written in 1985 modelled after IBM's VM/CMS mini-disk manager called FLIST. FLIST is a full-screen utility that runs under CMS that allows professional programmers using IBM 370 architecture VM machines to view a structured list of available files and launch applications and commands by just entering the command next to the corresponding file. Xlist provides a greatly enhanced version of FLIST providing a powerful platform for executing MS-DOS commands, hard disk management and launching applications. Much time has been used to make sure Xlist respects the current video mode and tries to provide a natural feel that is easy to master. GETTING STARTED WHAT KIND OF HARDWARE & SOFTWARE DO I NEED? To use Xlist you need the following: An IBM-PC with hard disk, PC-AT, PS/2, or a very closely compatible microcomputer. A color/graphics adapter, monochrome adapter, EGA, or VGA adapter 640K of RAM memory for best results. The program requires at least 135K of memory. One diskette drive DOS 2.1+ or OS/2 1.2+ (Note: OS/2 1.0 version available on request.) Will use Extended, XMS ,EMS or DOS 5.0 high memory when available. WHAT DO I DO NOW Installing Xlist to operate on your system is a simple process. You should start by copying the distribution diskette and putting the original away in a safe place. Now, copy the files on the diskette or unarchive the application to a directory on your hard disk searched by the DOS PATH. The PC-DOS "PATH" command specifies a directory search order for commands and/or batch files that are not in the current drive/directory. For best performance of Xlist when utilizing the capability to page Xlist to a temporary file, set the following environment parameter. (See the *OVERLAY option in Chapter 7 for more information.) SET TMP=D:\ <--- Point to RAM disk. You are now ready! INVOKING THE Xlist COMMAND WHAT ARE THE INVOKING PARAMETERS? First, no parameters are mandatory, but under some conditions you may want to specify them to limit or expand the directory entries displayed. To invoke the program enter: Xlist [[d:][path][filename[.ext]] /L /A The optional parameters have the following definitions: [[d:][path][filename[.ext]] to specify the file and/or files that will be initially be displayed by the Xlist screen. [/L] is used to tell Xlist to display license information. [/A] will instruct Xlist to display every file on the drive. [/*] is used to provide override "Xlist.PRO" profile commands. Examples: Execute Xlist loading the directory from the default drive directory and the root directory of the C: drive. Xlist *.* c:\*.* Activate the performance options for Xlist OS/2 to wait 10 seconds before going into idle mode. Xlist /*KEYWAIT=10 /*SLEEP=1000 Execute Xlist and redefine hotkey to press alt & right shift key and disable the mouse functions. Xlist /*hotkey=alt=rightshift /*mouse=offUSING THE KEYBOARD WHAT KEYS ON THE KEYBOARD DOES Xlist USE? Xlist uses the keyboard for communicating instructions from you to Xlist. The keyboard is used to enter commands, scroll the display, and to invoke user-defined function keys. These are the keystroke commands used by Xlist. You may change command keys by using the "Alt-k" key. Defaults are defined as follows: Keystroke Definition Home Position the cursor to the first character or entry. End Position the cursor to the last character or entry. Ctrl-End Erase data in the command line from the cursor to the end-of-line. Alt-a Change file attributes. Alt-c Change screen colors. Alt-e EGA/VGA video mode toggle switch. Alt-f Toggle to set Xlist to flush unexecuted commands when an error or CNTL-BREAK is encountered. Alt-k Change keyboard definitions. Alt-s Toggle between displaying filesize in K's or in total number of bytes. Alt-t Tag multiple files. Alt-x Exclude entry. Esc Exit Xlist. Enter Pass control to Xlist to process the command lines. Ctrl-Enter Pass control to Xlist to process one command line. Ctrl-PgUp Goto top of directory. Will position to the first tagged entry. Ctrl-PgDn Goto bottom of directory. PgUp Scroll up one screen. PgDn Scroll down one screen. Shift-Shift Popup the menu. ` Tag single entry toggle. (Key above TAB to left of "1") INCREASING BACKGROUND PERFORMANCE When you use Xlist for OS/2 in the foreground and have another application running in the background, OS/2 scheduling conventions give the majority of the processing power to the foreground application. This can sometimes cause a dramatic decrease in background processing performance. Xlist of OS/2 avoids this possible decrease in performance by providing two profile options that let you enhance your background processing speed. These profile commands are: *KEYWAIT and *SLEEP. Why is there sometimes a decrease in background performance? Xlist for OS/2 must continuously check for mouse movements and keyboard shift status. This is necessary for Xlist to display shifted function key definitions and to sense mouse movements. Because Xlist is always trying to gather this information, the program is never really "idle" even when it appears to be. HOW THE PERFORMANCE OPTIONS WORK When you use the *KEYWAIT and *SLEEP options, Xlist for OS/2 operates as explained in the example below. Example: You are running Xlist in the foreground, another application in the background, and you're using the defaults for the *KEYWAIT (15 seconds) and *SLEEP (100 milliseconds). When using Xlist, if you do not make an entry for 15 seconds, Xlist will become idle for 1/10 of a seconds (100 milliseconds). When Xlist is idle, the background application is given increased processing power resulting in an improved processing speed. At the end of the idle time Xlist checks for user input. If none is found, Xlist goes back into idle mode for another 1/10 of a second. Xlist continues the idle/check loop until it detects user input. How does Xlist idle time affect you? When Xlist is idle the response to you input is delayed by the number of milliseconds specified. This means that your first couple of keystrokes will not appear on the screen for a fraction of a second. However, after you begin typing, Xlist comes out of the idle mode and normal typing speed is resumed.MOUSE SUPPORT HOW DOES THE MOUSE INTERFACE WITH Xlist? Xlist will use a mouse device when available. The mouse is capable of scrolling the screen, executing function keys, moving between directories, tagging & untagging entries, and bring up a series of menus. A mouse will have anywhere from 2 to 3 buttons. For the purpose of this discussion, we will call the buttons the left, center and right buttons. Scrolling: You may scroll the display by positioning the mouse pointer to the top or bottom right most position and pressing either the right or left button. The left button will scroll a full screen while the right button will scroll continuously one entry at a time. Function Key: Position the mouse pointer over the function key definition on the last row of the display and press the left button. Directories: Position the mouse pointer on the first row and press the right button to move from the current directory to the directories parent. Position the mouse pointer to a directory entry on the main screen area and double click the left button to move to the corresponding directory. Tagging: Position the mouse pointer to the first entry to tag and press the center button or both the left and right buttons at the same time an drag the mouse pointer to tag multiple entries. Use the right button to untag already tagged entries. Menus: Position the mouse pointer to the first row and click the left button. TAGGING FILES When using Xlist you normally view the directory structure and process a series of MS-DOS commands against corresponding directory entries. This is normally executed by positioning the highlighted line with the cursor keys to the directory entry and entering a MS-DOS command beside the entry. If you would like to perform the same command to a series of files you should navigate from page to page and tag files you would like to execute the same command using the designated "tag" key or using the alt-t command to globally tag multiple files. After pressing the <ENTER> key, Xlist will process commands starting with the first command located adjacent to a directory entry. Subsequent tagged entries will have that command processed against that entry as if you had entered the command over and over adjacent to each tagged directory entry. LVL 1 - C:\ ( 8K) 158,447 PAGE 1 OF 15 DELETE <DIR> 12-17-91 7:20p .... NOWHERE <DIR> 12-17-91 7:21p .... OS2 <DIR> 12-17-91 6:49p .... ANIMATE EXE erase 19152 05-07-90 9:18p A... ASTEROID EXE 23936 06-22-90 11:47a A... AUTOEXEC BAT copy / a: 1048 12-22-91 3:58p .... CONFIG SYS 417 12-22-91 8:11p .... DASDDRVR SYS 1170 03-02-90 12:00p .... IMAGE BAK /a-r~erase 50688 12-23-91 8:21p .R.. KTCCACHE EXE 3344 04-11-91 12:02p A... OS2LDR MSG 7928 10-09-91 2:20p .... SPOOL cd <DIR> 12-17-91 7:21p .... STARTUP CMD 76 12-22-91 4:32p .... IMAGE DAT 50688 12-23-91 8:21p .... In the example specified above we have tagged entries from ANIMATE.EXE through KTCCACHE.EXE using the "tag" key causing Xlist to highlight the tagged lines. Then, we positioned the cursor to "ANIMATE.EXE" and entered "erase", skipped to "AUTOEXEC.BAT" and entered "copy / a:", skipped to "IMAGE.BAK", entered "/a-r~erase" and changed directory to C:\SPOOL. What happens??? Xlist will execute the MS-DOS "erase" command following by "ANIMATE.EXE" causing the file to be deleted by MS-DOS...because the following line is also tagged, Xlist will erase "ASTEROID.EXE"...the command is changed to "copy / a:" causing Xlist to execute "copy AUTOEXEC.BAT a:"...then "copy CONFIG.SYS a:"...then "copy DASDDRVR.SYS a:"...the command is changed to "/a-r~erase" causing Xlist to remove the read-only file attribute and erase "IMAGE.BAK"...then will erase the last tagged file "KTCCACHE.EXE"...then will change directory to C:\SPOOL. You should note that the "~" character is used for logical command end used to stack commands and the "/a-r" is an internal Xlist command used to change file attributes. You will see discussions of these commands later within the documentation. USE OF THE Xlist.CNF FILE WHAT PARAMETERS ARE IN THE CONFIGURATION FILE? The 'Xlist.CNF' file contains the initial keyboard and color settings. You may modify these using the "Alt-c" for color changes and the "Alt-k" for keyboard changes. If by some chance this file is corrupted, erase the file and Xlist will recreate it to it's default values. This file is maintained by Xlist and cannot be edited by a text editor. If you corrupt the keyboard or color settings, Xlist will recreate the file if you will erase the file. It will be recreate in the current drive/directory if Xlist.EXE is located in the directory or in the first path specified by the MS-DOS PATH command. MAINTAINING THE Xlist.PRO PROFILE WHAT PARAMETERS ARE IN THE PROFILE? The 'Xlist.PRO' file is used to communicate a multitude of parameters to Xlist that allow it to be tailored to your individual needs. Use a text editor, such as BRIEF, KEDIT, or EDLIN to modify the profile parameters based on the following parameter descriptions. There is no way the provided profile will suit your needs and you should modify at least the *PFKEYS and *EXECUTE parameters. The profile is found by Xlist by first checking the default drive/directory, then by following the paths set by the MS-DOS "PATH" command. All Xlist options are identified by preceding keyword that start with an asterisk "*". When the first character is not an asterisk the command line is treated as a comment. Following is description of the parameters specified in the Xlist.PRO file. Optional parameters are designated by separation using the "|" and parameters that need a numeric value specified use "n" to designate a numeric value. The default value is the first parameter specified or underlined. Xlist.PRO PROFILE PARAMETERS *ALLATTR OFF | ON | DISABLE The *ALLATTR is used in conjunction with changing the attributes of a MS- DOS directory using the /A command. OFF Only files under the specific directory will be changed. ON All files under the sub-directory will be changed. DISABLE Will not function on sub-directories. *BUFSIZE 30422 | nnnnn Use the *BUFSIZE command to assign the size reserved for "Xlist" to use as a "COPY" Input / Output buffer. The buffer is allocated the first time the "COPY" command is used. The size may be decreased down to 1024 characters. By decreasing the buffer size, performance of the "COPY" command will be impaired. (Maximum 60844) *DIRATTR n+r+d+a | n+r+h+s+v+d+a The *DIRATTR command is used to define what attribute is used to search the DOS directory. This is used to setup a mask used during the search of the directory to select what entries are included when displaying directory entries on the Xlist screen. The attribute byte is mapped as follows: Value Description n Normal file r Read-only file h Hidden file s System file *v Volume label d Directory a Archival file * Volume is not available on OS/2 operating systems.*DISABLE [command] Xlist will intercept some MS-DOS commands, this gives greater control to Xlist when monitoring the directory and keeps MS-DOS from writing over Xlist's screen. The MS-DOS "Copy" & "Rename" command executed by Xlist are not fully compatible with MS-DOS's "Copy" & "Rename" in that Xlist won't allow wild cards in the source parameter. Also, note that Xlist will get a up to a 32K buffer, this will increase the size of Xlist and this space won't be given back. If you wish to use wild cards, either disable the command or use the "DOS" command to use MS-DOS. Profile parameter *DISABLE command is used to disable MS-DOS commands that Xlist will intercept. The following commands can be disabled: *DISABLE COPY *DISABLE DEL *DISABLE ERASE *DISABLE RENAME *DISABLE REN *DISABLE CHDIR *DISABLE CD *DISABLE MKDIR *DISABLE MD *DISABLE RMDIR *DISABLE RD *DISABLE MOVE It is to your advantage not to disable the above commands unless they fail to perform to your expectations. By allowing Xlist to intercept these commands, it is better able to keep the command line up to date as changes are made to the current directory. *ENTRIES 500 | nnn The *ENTRIES command is used to provide a method for the user to specify how much memory is used by Xlist to hold directory entry information. Each directory is held in memory by Xlist to be displayed on the screen. The maximum number of entries Xlist can load is 5900. Whenever there are more entries than set by the *ENTRIES command, the excess entries are bypassed. *EXECUTE [pattern] [commands......] *EXECUTE-ARC [pattern] [commands......] *EXECUTE-LZH [pattern] [commands......] *EXECUTE-ZIP [pattern] [commands......] *EXECUTE-ZOO [pattern] [commands......] The *EXECUTE command is used to associate a series of commands to be entered when the ENTER key is pressed. This can be used to invoke a browser, editor, Lotus 1-2-3, DBASEIII, or any other series of commands. You can set up multiple *EXECUTE commands within the Xlist.PRO profile. They are scanned sequential each time the ENTER key is pressed to see if any commands should be entered if the pattern matches the name of the active file. Example: To have a program called "LIST" invoked whenever the ENTER key is pressed for all files that start with either an A, B, or C and the extension is "DOC". *EXECUTE [ABC]*.DOC LIST To execute the Wordperfect word processor when ENTER key is pressed beside all files having the .WP5 extension. *EXECUTE *.WP5 WP *HOTKEY RIGHTSHIFT | LEFTSHIFT | ALT | CONTROL The *HOTKEY command is used to redefine the menu keyboard hotkey combination used to bring up the menus. The default is by pressing both shift keys at the same time. You must specify two of the four possible values. The default is pressing both the shift keys at the same time. This is the same combination as the IRMA's 3270 emulator and should be changed in that instance. Example: To define the alt & control combination to envoke the menus. *HOTKEY ALT CONTROL *KEYWAIT 15 | nn The *KEYWAIT command is used to tell Xlist for OS/2 the number of seconds to wait before going into idle mode. Where nn is the number of seconds (between 1 and 99) to wait. The default is 15. (See *SLEEP command) *LINEEND ~ | c The *LINEEND command is used to define the logical line end character. For entering multiple commands on the same line for execution. The default character is the '~'. This character may be put on the command line or used within the *PFKEYS or *EXECUTE profile commands. *LOGO ON | OFF The *LOGO command is used to disable the presentation of the initial copyright screen. This presentation delays Xlist execution for 3 seconds. *MOUSE ON | OFF The *MOUSE command is used to disable the interface to the mouse pointer. This can be used to keep Xlist from continuously checking for mouse movements. Initialization of the Microsoft PS/2 mouse causes a noticable startup delay. This is normal for Microsoft's PS/2 mouse interface. *OVERLAY ON | OFF SWAP_ANY | SWAP_XMS | SWAP_EMS | SWAP_DISK The *OVERLAY command is used to maximize the amount of memory available for commands invoked from within Xlist. Xlist reduces the resident portion of Xlist while another command is executed by temporarily storing the Xlist program to either XMS, EMS memory or to a disk file. After the invoked command is finished, Xlist is read back in memory and execution resumes. This will effectively reduce the memory requirements of Xlist down to only 7K. The feature can be toggled on and off by using the "/s" option on the command line. *PATHSZ 200 | nnn The *PATHSZ command is used to define the amount of memory reserved for saving the DOS paths that have been previously been displayed during a Xlist session. This memory is automatically managed in conjunction with use of the /BD command. *PFKEYS Xnn (btd) function *PFKEYS-ARC Xnn (btd) function *PFKEYS-LZH Xnn (btd) function *PFKEYS-ZIP Xnn (btd) function *PFKEYS-ZOO Xnn (btd) function This command provides the user with a method of defining the function keys F1-F12 in order to execute commands using the function keys rather than entering the command. The function may be more than one command each separated by the logical line end character (See *LINEEND for more information). When viewing a ARC, LZH, ZOO or ZIP directory structure by utilizing the /EXP, /ZIP, /LZH, /ZOO or /ARC commands, Xlist has the ability to load another set of function key definitions. These are specified by appending "-ZIP", "-LZH", "ZOO" or "-ARC" upon the *PFKEYS keyword. The format for the command is as follows: *PFKEYS Xnn (btd) function X = Shift key indicator. blank = unshifted. S = right or left shift pressed. C = CTRL pressed. A = ALT pressed. nn = Function key number (1 through 12). btd = Abbreviation for display (optional). function = Text inserted into Xlist command line. Examples: Set function key (F1) to compile a program using the Lattice C compiler. *PFKEYS 1 (lcs) lc -ms /c Set function key (F2) to link-edit a program and cancel execution of Xlist. *PFKEYS 2 (lnk) link @xlistlk.lnk /o/c~/can Set function key (F3) to execute F1 & F2 commands. *PFKEYS 3 (all) /F1~/F2 Set function key (F3) to un-zip active file using PKUNZIP to the drive/directory specified by the TMP environment variable; execute a program called "LIST" passing the name of the file as the first parameter; erase the un-zipped file after execution of LIST. *PFKEYS-ZIP 3 (LIS) /cPKUNZIP -o $A %TMP% $F~LIST %TMP%$~ERASE %TMP%$ Same as last example with LHA for a LZH archive entry with the TMPDRV environment variable set to "D:" for a RAM drive. *PFKEYS-LZH 3 (LIS) /c%TMPDRV%~LHA -o $A %TMP% $F~LIST %TMP%$~ERASE %TMP%$~/RESET *PFREF OFF | ON The *PFREF command is used to tell Xlist to refresh the function key definitions from the Xlist.PRO profile found in the current directory. When Xlist senses that a drive or sub-directory change has occurred a search is made in the current directory for the Xlist.PRO profile. This can be used to refresh the function key definitions between drives and/or directories. *RETRACE OFF | ON Profile parameter *RETRACE is used for IBM Personal Computers with IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapters (CGA). They require special programming to prevent "snow" from appearing on the screen when a program changes the contents of the screen buffer. The required programming will slow down screen updating and is not necessary for many other display adapters. *RETRACE ON Setting *RETRACE OFF on an IBM PC with an IBM color adapter will cause "snow" on the screen in some instantaneous. *SLEEP 100 | nnnnn This command controls idle mode. It tells Xlist for OS/2 the number of milliseconds to remain idle before checking for user input (keystrokes or mouse movement). Where nnnnn is the number of milliseconds (between 100 and 32000) to remain idle. Any input cancels idle mode (after the *SLEEP milliseconds expire). The default is 100. *SORT [A | S | B | N | D | E | T][-] Profile parameter *SORT will cause Xlist to sort the directory before it is displayed. This will allow you to specify the order the entries are arranged. The parameter definitions are: A by attribute S by size B by blocksize (same as S) N by name D by date E by extension T by type (same as E, except sub-directories go to the top) - descending order *TOPVIEW OFF | ON The *TOPVIEW command is used to disable the access of the TOPVIEW video buffer address. Some video adapters have conflicts with the interrupts used to access the TOPVIEW video buffer. Setting this to the OFF setting will make for faster screen access. *TREE OFF | ON The *TREE command when set to "ON" will automatically load the directory tree during startup of the Xlist program. This will cause the startup of Xlist to take a little longer. *TREEDATE OFF | ON The *TREEDATE command is used to determine if the Xlist_x.LOG file internal timestamp is to be used. Xlist will create the file when scanning directories. The file is used when changing back to the drive in order to save time. You can instruct Xlist to use the file even if it was created by a prior execution of Xlist by setting this option to the OFF position. Xlist will execute faster, but, the directory tree may not reflect all directories or show non-existent directories from previous executions of Xlist. You should reload the directory tree using the /RTREE command when this occurs. *TREESCAN OFF | ON The *TREESCAN command when set to "ON" will automatically preview files within the directory. *VGAMODE "Menu Title", "Font Filename" The *VGAMODE command is used in conjunction with EGA/VGA display adapters that allows you to specify an optional character display table (ie. FONT) to be loaded inplace of the resident fonts. *VGAMODE commands contain two pieces of information separated by a comma. The first parameter contains the heading contained in the menu within Xlist corresponding to the specified FONT. The heading must be contained within double quotes, have two leading spaces and not exceed 40 characters in length. The second parameter contains the MS-DOS file name of the FONT. This file is composed of 256 entrys between 8 to 14 characters in width. These are the bitmaps for each possible character from decimal 0 thru decimal 256. You can create your own fonts by using font editors that create normal MS-DOS character definition tables that contain 256 entrys. If the *VGAMODE command isn't provided, Xlist will allow you to shift between 25 line and 43 line modes using the alt-e keystoke or corresponding menu commands. Some examples of font files are provided with Xlist which have the extension of ".FNT". COMMAND LINE COMMANDS HOW TO USE THE COMMAND LINE Xlist will present the directory vertically down the screen with a input line next to each entry, this is the "COMMAND LINE". The user can use the cursor keys to navigate up and down the directory entering commands. When the ENTER key is depressed, Xlist will process the commands from top-to-bottom. All commands entered are first examined by Xlist to find special commands used by Xlist. These commands are from logical line end characters to special commands used to sort the directory into another order. Then Xlist will pass the commands to MS-DOS for execution. Based on a 80-column display, there are 33 characters that can be presented to Xlist on the command line at any one time. But, by continued typing up to 63 characters can be entered. After the command is entered Xlist will append the filename and extension name to the command unless told otherwise by the /o line command. GENERAL NOTES: 1. Do not rename or erase files from a BAT file or with a "ERASE *.*" sequence. These situations cannot be detected by Xlist and may result in random displayed filenames or Xlist termination. If you do the above, by entering the "/RD" command, the directory is refreshed. $ - SUBSTITUTE FILENAME & EXTENSION There are a series of characters using the '$' as a prefix that can be used to imbed parameters into the command line automatically. / --> Substitute the DOS filename & extension. // --> Will pass on one /. $ --> Substitute the DOS filename & extension. $$ --> Will pass on one $. $A --> Substitute archive filename. $P --> Substitute DOS pathname without trailing slash. $N --> Substitute DOS filename without extension. $E --> Substitute DOS extension. $F --> Substitute DOS pathname, filename & extension. $D --> Substitute DOS drive letter without trailing colon. $T --> Substitute list of tagged entries (full pathname). $t --> Substitute list of tagged entries (just filename). $S --> Substitute ZIP archive password (always prompt). $s --> Substitute ZIP archive password (prompt once). /A - CHANGE THE FILE ATTRIBUTES This command is used to modify the file attributes. The attribute maybe marked read-only, hidden, made a system file, or have the archive flag turned on. When this is placed on a sub-directory, Xlist will change the attributes of all the files within the directory. (See *ALLATTR profile command for more information.) The format is: /A[+/-][attribute] [+/-] the plus(+) is used to denote adding the attribute and the negative(-) is used to remove an attribute. [attribute] is the one-character representation of the attribute to be added or removed from the file. A - Archive R - Read-only H - Hidden file S - System file D - Subdirectory /AD - APPEND TO THE Xlist DIRECTORY The /AD command is used to append to the internal directory. This can be used to load additional entries from other drives or sub-directories. Examples: Set Xlist to only append the files with an extension of "EXE": /AD=*.EXE Append data from the root directory: /AD=C:\*.* /ARC - EXPAND AN "ARC" FILE DIRECTORY Same function as the /EXP command for archive files with the ".ARC" extension. See the /EXP command for further details. /BD - GO BACK TO PRIOR DIRECTORY This command is used to proceed back to previous sub-directory. Whenever a sub-directory or drive change is made by entering the MS-DOS CHDIR commands, Xlist will save the current directory in the path area reserved by the *PATHSZ profile command. By entering /BD the program will automatically navigate back to the previous directory. /BOT - BOTTOM OF LIST This command will bring you to the bottom of the list. /C - CLEAR SCREEN BEFORE EXECUTING COMMAND When the /C is found in the command line it is extracted from the command line and before the entered command is passed to the DOS command processor the screen is cleared. The video mode and character definition table (font) is reset to MS-DOS's normal settings. When a function key is defined to invoke a program it is sometimes more appealing to have Xlist clear the screen before invoking the program using the "/C" option. This also causes Xlist to clear and re-display the entire Xlist screen when control is passed back from the program executed. /CAN - CANCEL Xlist This command will exit Xlist and stay in the current directory and not reset the video mode and character definition table (font) back to MS- DOS's normal settings. /CLS - CLEAR COMMAND LINE AREA This command will clear the Xlist command line area. DOS - INVOKE SECONDARY COMMAND PROCESSOR Use the DOS command to pass control to the secondary DOS command processor. This command will load a copy of DOS and pass control to it. You will remain in DOS until you return to Xlist by entering the EXIT command. You should not execute any commands while in the secondary command processor that will make them permanently resident. /DSPF - DISPLAY USER-DEFINED FUNCTION KEYS You can use the /DSPF function to display the function keys currently defined. /END - END Xlist This command will exit Xlist and return to the drive and directory where Xlist was initially envoked. This is the well-behaved ending of Xlist. /EXE - EXECUTE SPECIFIED PROGRAM The /EXE command is designed to be used in conjunction with the *EXECUTE profile command to specify the ".EXE", ".COM" and ".BAT" to be launched when the ENTER key is pressed next to the application executable program name. This method presents a user-friendly window where you can specify additional parameters. /EXP - EXPAND AN "ARC", "LZH", "ZIP" or "ZOO" FILE DIRECTORY This command will read the directory contained within the specified archive file. It will then display it using the Xlist directory display features. Be aware that the /UD & /A sub-commands will be deactivated. To re-display the normal directory either press the ESC key or enter the /RD command. NOTE: You can use the /ZIP command to expand a ZIP file or /ARC to expand a ARC file or /LZH for LHA files. The /EXP command determines whether it's a ZIP, LZH or ARC file from the file extension. /F[x]nn - EXECUTE FUNCTION KEY This command can be used to invoke function keys from the command line. As a matter of fact, when a function key is depressed Xlist will insert into the command line the above command. The [x] position can either be blank, 'A' for Alt, 'S' for shift or 'C' for ctrl followed by the function key value from 1 through 10. Example: To invoke the F4 function key you would enter "/F4". To invoke the alternate F4 function key you would enter "/FA4". /FIND - FIND FILES ON CURRENT DRIVE The /FIND command will search the current drive locating all files that match the selection criteria specified with the /FIND command. The results are displayed as if the files are all contained on the same drive/directory. To re-display the normal directory either press the ESC key or enter the /RD command. Examples: Find all batch files that start with either a "A" or "B". The right and left bracket is used to specify optional characters in a specified location within the name. The normal "*" and "?" wildcard characters can also be used. /FIND=[AB]*.BAT Find all files with the extension of WK1. /FIND=*.WK1 /LZH - EXPAND AN "LZH" FILE DIRECTORY Same function as the /EXP command for archive files with the ".LZH" extension. See the /EXP command for further details. MOVE - MOVE FILE Use the MOVE command to move a file from one directory to another directory on the same drive. This program uses a feature of the DOS RENAME function that will logically move a file from on directory to another. This command will also change the name of the file during the move if you wish. /O - OMIT THE FILENAME & EXTENSION FROM COMMAND When the /O is found in the command line it is extracted from the command line and before the entered command is passed to the DOS command processor the screen is cleared. This command is used to keep Xlist from appending the filename and extension to the end of the command entered on the command line. This can be useful when entering DOS commands from the command line, since in most cases the filename shouldn't follow the command. /P - PAUSE AFTER EXECUTING COMMAND When the /P is found in the command line it is extracted from the command line and before the entered command is passed to the DOS command processor the screen is cleared. The /P command is used to cause Xlist to pause after executing the command entered on the command line. This can be used in conjunction with the /C command to allow the screen to be viewed before Xlist takes control and refreshes the screen./RD - RELOAD THE Xlist DIRECTORY AND RESET MASK The /RD command is used to reload the Xlist internal directory. This can be used to refresh the current directory when modules are added or when directory clean-up is necessary. At this time a optional parameter can be entered resetting the mask used to select the entries to reload. Examples: Set Xlist to only load the files with an extension of "EXE": /RD=*.EXE Reload the directory with the default mask: /RD /RESET - RESET TO CURRENT DRIVE & DIRECTORY You may stack a series of commands that take you to another drive or directory. When returning to Xlist from executing all commands, Xlist will sense the drive or directory change and reload the directory list. Normally, you what Xlist to execute in this fashion. But, in special cases where you would like to stay in the current drive and directory then execute this as the last command to reset to the current drive and directory. Example: An example is provided extracting an entry from a LZH archive file to a temporary drive and directory, view the file and delete the file. Without the /reset command Xlist would sense the drive/directory change and reload from the temporary drive. E:~LHA e $A $F~LIST $~ERASE $~/reset The command above would switch to the E: drive, extract the current LZH entry to the E: drive, view the entry with the LIST program, erase the file then return to the previous drive/directory./RF - RE-FRESH THE Xlist FUNCTION KEYS The /RF command is used to refresh the Xlist function definitions. This is useful when the "Xlist.PRO" file is changed and you want the changes to take effect. /S - TOGGLE *OVERLAY OPTION ON or OFF The /S command is used when launching a application to toggle the use of the *OVERLAY profile command on or off. If the *OVERLAY profile command is disabled, the use of /S will temporarily enable the option for this execution of one application. /Sx[-] - SORTING DIRECTORY The following methods maybe used to sort the directory: /SA Sort by file attribute /SE Sort by extension /SB Sort by filesize /SN Sort by name /SD Sort by file maintenance date /ST Sort by extension, directories to top /SP Sort by full pathname and filename The command maybe optionally followed by a "-" to denote a reverse sort sequence. /SET - SET FUNCTION KEYS This command provides the user with a method of defining the function keys F1-F12 interactively while Xlist is currently executing. This command follows the same rules under which the *PFKEYS profile command follow. The format for the command is as follows: /SET Xnn (btd) function X = Shift key indicator blank = unshifted S = right or left shift depressed C = CTRL depressed A = ALT depressed nn = Function key number (1 through 12) btd = Abbreviation for display (optional) function = Text of command line /START - START AN OS/2 SESSION (OS/2 ONLY) This command will allow you to start a new session using the capabilities of the DosStartSession OS/2 function. The command will search the PATH when the full full qualified name is not provided. If a ICON is located in the same path as the program with the extension of .ICO, it will be used as the ICON. The syntax of the command is: /START [-TIT:title] [-NOC] [-BG] [-FS | -PM | -WIN] [-I] [-MIN | -MAX] {program name} [program arguments] Parameters: title Specify the title to assign to the session which is displayed on the Presentation Manager menu and session window. -NOC Specify not to close the window when the program ends. -BG Start the program in the background. -FS Start the program as a full screen session. (NOTWINDOWCOMPAT) -PM Start the program as a PM session. (WINDOWAPI) -WIN Start the program as PM compatible. (WINDOWCOMPAT) -I Pass current environment settings to the starting session. -MIN Set window state as MINIMIZED. -MAX Set window state as MAXIMIZED. -CMD Invoke the program session using CMD.EXE. -K Invoke the program session using CMD.EXE with the /k option that keeps the session when terminated. /TOP - GOTO THE TOP This command will bring you to the top of the directory list. /TREE - Xlist DIRECTORY STRUCTURE This command will load a graphic directory tree of the current drive. From within the directory tree, you can navigate to other sub-directories, create directories, and delete directories. To reload a directory tree use the /RTREE command. /UD - UPDATE DIRECTORY ENTRY WITH CURRENT DATE & TIME The /UD command is used to modify a directory entries date and time. When the command is entered with no operands the corresponding directory entries date is set to the currently set DOS date and time. The /UD command can optionally be followed be either a date or a time which is recognize by Xlist by the dash for date and the colon for time. These separator characters are specified by MS-DOS using the COUNTRY command in CONFIG.SYS. Example: Set date to current date & time: /UD Set date to July 2, 1985: /UD=07-2-85 Set time to 12:00 noon: /UD=12:00:00 /V - VERIFY ON ERASE or VERBOSE ON COPY When the /V is found in the command line it is extracted from the command line and before the entered command is passed to the DOS command processor the screen is cleared. The /V command in conjunction with the ERASE command will prompt the user to erase the file or not. With the COPY command, Xlist will display the entry being copied. /ZIP - EXPAND AN "ZIP" FILE DIRECTORY Same function as the /EXP command for archive files with the ".ZIP" extension. See the /EXP command for further details. /ZOO - EXPAND AN "ZOO" FILE DIRECTORY Same function as the /EXP command for archive files with the ".ZOO" extension. See the /EXP command for further details. /nnn - DISPLAY DIRECTORY STARTING WITH nnn ENTRY The /nnn command is used to make Xlist display the current screen starting with the nth directory entry. You can use the +- signs to position an offset from the current position. Examples: /80 Position to the 80th entry in the list. /+1 Position to next entry. /-1 Position to previous entry. /999 If the number is greater than the number of entries, Xlist will position to the last entry. /1 Position to the 1st entry. ? - REDISPLAY LAST COMMAND ENTERED The ? command will cause Xlist to display the last command entered on the command line. = - REPEAT THE LAST COMMAND ENTERED The = command will cause Xlist to execute the last command entered for the directory entry adjacent to the command line where the = command is entered.