home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Windows Expert
/
Windows Expert.iso
/
utility
/
inied102.zip
/
INIEDIT.TXT
< prev
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-09-05
|
20KB
|
502 lines
INIEDIT - Version 1.02
Copyright (C) Richard R. Sands CIS 70274,103
All rights reserved
Documentation last updated September 9, 1991
OVERVIEW
--------
If you often find yourself editing your WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, or any
other INI file before you start Windows, then this program is for you!
INIEDIT provides batch file editing of your INI files so you can start up
Windows with mnemonic commands. This program reads a text file of editing
commands that instruct it to modify the various .INI files by section and
keywords. You can change the contents of a line, delete lines, comment,
and uncomment them. You may include several labeled sections in your
INIEDIT script so you can have all of your various Windows configurations
in one text file.
Why did I write this program? I have a portable that, at work, is
connected to a network, at home it's not. When on the network, I have
several utilities I need to load, and although at home, they detect the
lack of the network, I end up having to click a bunch of OK buttons. I have
customized system fonts that I like to use, but as a programmer, I like to
boot windows with the "standard" font to check the dialog box metrics.
Sometimes, I want to just start windows without having to load up all my
favorite utilities - get in quick - get out quick. I use different
"shell" programs depending on what "type" of environment I want to be in.
You get the picture. With INIEDIT all of these actions are easily (read
I-Don't-Have-To-Remember-Anything) written into a menu or batch file.
This program is best used in a batch file, or with your favorite Menuing
Program.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-------------------
Microsoft Windows 3.x
INIEDIT has been tested with all DOS Versions 2.11 through 5.0. It's
memory requirements depend on the size of your largest INI file (but
limited to 4000 lines of text).
STARTING INIEDIT
----------------
IniEdit requires at least 1 parameter: The Script Filename. This is a
normal ascii file that contains the commands you want to be executed.
In addition you may place some Switch Options that modify the way
INIEDIT behaves.
The formal syntax for starting INIEDIT is as follows:
INIEDIT <-- This will display version & help screen
or
INIEDIT filename.ext [labels] [options]
where
filename.ext is the name of the text file that contains your
editing commands.
[labels] are optional. A label designates one or more
sections of your INIEDIT script to be executed.
You may have more than 1 label on the command
line.
[options] are optional, and must be preceded with a "/"
character. The options are:
/? Displays version and help screen.
/B- Disable backup files. Normally, INIEDIT
will always backup your file up before
making any edits.
/D+ Enable "Debug" mode. This will display each
line as it is executed with additional info
so you can track down any errors in your
logic.
/L+ Show a list of all labels found in the
INIEDIT script file. This is useful if your
file requires a user-label entered on the
command line. Your batch file can check
for a parameter, and if not found then issue
this switch. This switch returns a DOS
Errorlevel of 1.
/P- Don't pause for a key when an error occurs.
This is on by default. You can check for
errors in your batch file with the DOS
errorlevel variable.
/W+ Show warnings and wait for a key to proceed.
This is off by default. Warnings are
ususally available only in Debug Mode.
EDITING COMMANDS
----------------
All commands to INIEDIT are entered into a regular ascii text file created
with your favorite TEXT editor (or WP w/Text Out).
There are six basic commands:
COMMENT This will make a keyword entry into a comment.
DELETE This can delete a whole section or just one keyword.
EDIT This will change the contents of a keyword entry.
EXIT Quit processing the script file
INI Opens an .INI file for editing
UNCOMMENT This changes a commented line into a regular line.
Each command is written on it's own line. Lines may not wrap, but may be
up to 255 characters (including leading blanks) long. For each command,
you may write the whole command (eg. COMMENT) or just the first three
letters (eg. COM).
For all commands except EXIT and INI, the syntax is identical. You
include the command, the DOS Ini filename (path & .ext not required), the
section name enclosed in square brackets, and, the keyword/value pair
separated with an equal sign ("=").
For example:
EDIT WIN [Windows] Beep=No
This command will change the BEEP keyword under the [Windows] section of
the WIN.INI file to NO.
Comments are lines starting with a semi-colon. The line does not have
to start in column one. Comments must be on their own line. This is a
remark in the INIEDIT script file:
; This is a valid remark
Labels are used to "tag" sections of the INIEDIT script to be used with
a parameter sent from the command line. This way you can have several
different configurations without having to have them in separate files (as
in INIEDIT Version 1.01). Given a INIEDIT script with these two
sections:
; This is TEST.MOD (the .MOD means MODifications)
:FAST
EDIT Win Load=
EDIT Win Run=
EXIT
:SLOW
EDIT Win Load=C:\AFTERDRK\AD NWSEND EMAIL RESGUAGE BIGDESK
EDIT Win Run=SkeyWin YaClock
EXIT
Then having your batch file (or Menu) give this command:
INIEDIT Test.Mod SLOW
Will execute the section listed under ":SLOW" and this command:
INIEDIT test.mod fast
would execute the section listed under ":FAST". Note the EXIT commands
at the end of each section. If you don't have one, it will "fall"
through to the next section (which could be construed as a feature!).
You can place more than one label on the command line. This has the
effect of executing each section. This command will execute two
sections:
INIEDIT test.mod slow fast
You may also have descriptions attached to your labels. This is very
useful when the Show Labels switch is used (/L+):
:FAST - Don't load any utilities
:SLOW - Load all utilities
There are no flow-control statements. The sequence of execution is
essentially linear. I was tempted to put in a CALL/GOTO command but I
found it -really- wasn't needed. So far, no one has complained. If you
can give me a good situation where you would want one, I'll consider it
for the next release.
A MOMENT OF REFLECTION
----------------------
As I wrote this program, I considered adding commands for creating and
executing some kind of menu system. After some reflection, I decided
that the last thing the world needs is a new menu system. If you really
need one, I can provide a simple DOS Batch File based system with color,
nested menus, etc. with all commands using regular batch file commands
and one small utility. Again, if you think there is an overriding
reason for including these type of commands let me know and I'll consider
it for the next release.
COMMAND ABBREVIATIONS
---------------------
INIEDIT Version 1.01 allowed the first three characters of the command to
be used rather than the whole command (eg. COM for COMMENT). This is
still enabled, but in lieu of future versions, you are encouraged to use
the whole command.
SAMPLE BATCH FILES
------------------
This batch file will start Windows after modifying the various INI files
that I need. It first checks for no parameters, and if none, displays
all the labels in the file. Otherwise it executes the INIEDIT program
and checks for any errors. If no errors then windows is started.
@Echo Off
C:
cd C:\WIN
if %1!==! GOTO Error (check for required parameter)
INIEDIT WinBoot.Mod %1 %2 %3 (allow user to specify labels)
if ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO Done (check for any errors)
Win (start Windows)
GOTO Done (and quit)
:Error
INIEDIT WinBoot.Mod /L+ (display list of labels)
:Done
THE FUTURE OF INIEDIT
---------------------
I don't think INI files are going to go away, so this program should be
useful for the next few versions of Windows.
Some suggestions that I have not implemented (yet) are some control
commands (eg. GOTO or CALL), some substring handling for modifing portions
of a keyword (eg. remove "clock" from LOAD=Calc Clock Bye), some screen
handling commands for creating prompts/menus, and mulitple user label
parameters so you don't have to use SHIFT in your batch files.
I've even had a request for an OS/2 version.
Depending on additional interest, these types of commands, or other
commands could very well appear on future releases of INIEDIT.
COMMAND REFERENCE
-----------------
Manual Conventions
Because the use of the [] symbols to denote sections, I will write
required values in uppercase.
EDIT win [section] KEYWORD=value
All keywords must have an equal sign after them even if nothing
follows.
EDIT Win [Windows] Run=
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMENT
COMMENT ini [section] KEYWORD=value
Changes the section/line containing the keyword to be a comment. This is
a non-destructive way of "deleting" keyword entries. The value entry is
ignored.
If no [section] is provided, then it changes the value of the first
keyword under -any- section that matches. See the EDIT entry.
Keywords not found are "soft" errors and ignored by INIEDIT.
Examples:
COMMENT System [boot.description] network.drv=
COMMENT System [386Enh] network=*vnetbios, vnetware.386, vipx.386
COMMENT Win [Clock]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
DELETE
DELETE ini [SECTION] KEYWORD=value
Deletes a keyword from the active ini file. If the keyword is not given,
then it deletes the whole section from the ini file. Note that you must
supply [section] AND/OR keyword.
NOTE: This is a hold-over from INIEDIT Version 1.01. It is best that you
use COMMENT/UNCOMMENT rather than DELETE.
If no [section] is provided, then it changes the value of the first
keyword under -any- section that matches. See the EDIT entry.
Examples:
DELETE Win [Clock]
DELETE Win [Clock] iFormat=
DELETE Win [Clock] iFormat=1
DELETE Win iFormat=1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDIT
EDIT ini [section] KEYWORD=value
Changes (or adds) the contents of the keyword under the [section] heading.
If no [section] is provided, then it changes the value of the first
keyword under -any- section that matches. You might be safe saying:
EDIT Win Load=Clock
But you might have problems with a command like:
EDIT Win iFormat=0
Because several programs use the iFormat keyword, and you could be -sure-
that the iFormat you meant was changed. It would be better to write a
statement like:
EDIT win [Clock] iFormat=0
While in debug mode (/D+) you may see "warnings" like "keyword not found".
These are "soft" errors, INIEDIT will add the keyword AND section if it
does not exist.
Examples:
EDIT system [boot] shell=msdos.exe
EDIT win [desktop] WallPaper=G:\BITMAPS\MMONROE.BMP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXIT
EXIT
Terminates the execution of the script.
This is typically used when you want only a certain portion of a script to
be executed. Script sections always have a label to designate the section
(except, possibly, for the first section).
EXIT is not required if the section is the last section in the file.
Example:
:Label1
edit win [clock] iformat = 1
EXIT
:Label2
edit win [clock] iformat = 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
INI
INI
Opens an .INI file for editing.
This is typically used at the start of a section. It is an optional
command since you can include the INI file on the line of each command.
Example:
:Label1
INI Win
edit [clock] iformat = 1
edit [desktop] WallPaper = Cube.Bmp
EXIT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNCOMMENT
UNCOMMENT ini [section] KEYWORD=value
Changes the commented line or section containing the section/keyword to be
an active statement. This is the compliment of the COMMENT command. The
value entry is ignored.
If no [section] is provided, then it changes the value of the first
keyword under -any- section that matches. See the EDIT entry.
Keywords not found are "soft" errors and ignored by INIEDIT.
Examples:
UNCOMMENT System [boot.description] network.drv=
UNCOMMENT System [386Enh] network=*vnetbios, vnetware.386, vipx.386
UNCOMMENT Win [Clock]
ERROR MESSAGES
--------------
There are two levels of errors: Soft and Hard. Soft errors are warnings.
Soft errors are (ususally) ignored during normal execution of the program,
they are only reported during Debug Mode (/D+) or if you have the Show
Warnings switch (/W+) active. They do not stop the program. Hard errors
will stop the program and won't make any changes to the current INI file.
If a Hard Error occurs, then the program will wait for a key to be pressed
unless the user has specified No Pause On Error (/P-).
File not found: d:\path\filename.INI
Attempt to open an .INI file that does not exist. Check the path of
the filename and spelling.
File not open: d:\path\filename.INI
An attempt was made to write an INI file that was not opened. Check
the path of the filename and spelling.
Label "xxxx" not found
A label parameter supplied on the command line was not included in
the INIEDIT script file.
No INI file opened!
A command is about to be executed (any command but EXIT) and there
is no INI file opened. Include the INI filename, at least, on the
first statement of each section.
Parameter file not found: d:\path\filename.ext
This means you gave an incorrect filename to be used as the INIEDIT
script. INIEDIT makes no assumptions about the file extension you
used. Also, check the path of the filename.
Too many lines in d:\path\filename.INI
The INI file you have tried to edit has grown too large. INIEDIT
can only edit files up to 4000 lines long. (If you have a INI file
that gets this error, I'd like to see it!)
Too many user parameters
You are allowed 15 "User Parameters" to the INIEDIT program. I think
this should be sufficient for 99% of all uses<g>.
Unknown identifier: xxx
An unknown command has been encountered in the INIEDIT script file.
Check your spelling.
Unknown Switch: /x
You have included a switch that INIEDIT does not understand on the
command line. Check your batch file / Menu.
You must include a filename
You must include a filename on the command line to INIEDIT. INIEDIT
does not make any assumptions about what file extension you have
used.
Runtime Errors 200-203
These are Turbo Pascal errors and generally mean you have run out of
memory for the program's data. This should not happen if you are
going into Windows. If it does, it would me that you really don't
have enough memory to go into Windows. Check and make sure that you
are not "shelled" out of another program.
LEGAL & REGISTRATION STUFF
--------------------------
This program is supplied "As Is". I make no claims about the suitability
of this software on your computer system. I cannot be held liable for
any claims that are not supported (bugs) nor for any misuse of this
program, nor for any damage that may result of using this program.
You may freely distribute the INIEDIT.EXE and INIEDIT.TXT files as long
as INIEDIT.EXE is unregistered (Version 1.02s). You may not modify the
INIEDIT.EXE or INIEDIT.TXT files in any way.
This is User-Supported software. A lot of work went into writing this
package. If you find this program useful, please send us $20.00 per copy
or $100 per 10 copies (other deals can be made!). In return, you will
get the latest copy of the program (with no reminder notices), laser
printed documentation, and notification of new updates. You WILL get
notified - I keep a database of all registered users.
Whether you are registered or not, I am wide open to any enhancements you
might offer, bug reports (not MY programs!), or any comments about
anything at all. Best way to do this is to Mail me via CIS.
Please send check to
Richard Sands
P.O. Box 3917
Portland, Oregon 97208
Please include the following information with your order:
Your Name
Your Address
The Registration Name (eg. Company, Department, or Name)
Where you found the program (BB, CIS, Friend, etc)
Your CIS number if applicable
Thanks for your support!
Rick Sands
<end of doc>