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1993-02-21
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╓──────╖ ──╖
║ ║ ╟──╖
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║ ╓──╥ ──╥── ╖ ╓ ║ ║ ║ ╓──╥ ╓── ──╥── ╓── ╓──╖
║ ║ ║ ║ ╟──╢ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╟── ╟─┬╜ 2.7
║ ╙──╨ ╙ ╜ ╙ ╜ ╙ ╙ ╙──╨ ──╜ ╙ ╙── ║ │
────────────────────────────────────────╜ ╘═
*-* The Ultimate Path Utility *-*
David Smith, 1993
------- WHAT'S NEW 2.7 -----------------------------------------------
EXTREMELY Fast execution.
ADVANCED information on the Path ( /INFO )
Graph and statistical data on the current environment,
including how much is used, free, and a bar graph
displaying this info. ( /SIZE )
ENVIRONMENTAL variables:
*-----------------------------------REGISTERED VERSION ONLY------*
| TURBO *Extremely* fast operation |
| REPL Replace one dir with another |
| CONFIG Modify CONFIG.SYS for environment stretching |
| NFILE No configuration file in root directory |
| BOTH Set both the Master and Active Environments |
| DESIGN3 Show Design #3 as Window Background |
| DESIGN4 Show Design #4 as Window Background |
| DESIGN5 Show Design #5 as Window Background |
*----------------------------------------------------------------*
ACTIVE Use Active Environment
MONO Use Monochrome Screen Writes
SHOPATH Show New Path on Exit
SHOSTAT Show Statistics on Exit
CLRSCR Clear Screen After Exit
DESIGN1 Show Design #1 as Window Background
DESIGN2 Show Design #2 as Window Background
SOUND Enable Sounds
NEXIST Don't Check Dir Before Adding
NMOUSE Disable Mouse
Add Directory to end or beginning of Path.
Delete directory with window.
Authenticity check of directory before delete or add.
Put path in active vs. master environment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT IS PATH MASTER ?
Changing your path is a pain. Mainly because you must type
the ENTIRE thing in from scratch, or make 20 different batch files
that change your path that clutter up your hard drive.
PATH MASTER solves this by allowing you to:
1) Choose your path from a menu.
2) Totally configure your menu, and change a path quickly
and easily.
3) Add or delete a directory from the path.
4) Change your path on the command line.
5) Use your mouse to control PATHMASTER
6) Learn about the PATH, how it works, and how
to both expand and locate it.
7) Showing you exactly how much environment you
have left, and how much has been used.
8) Allow setting preferences in environmental
variable.
==== HOW TO OPERATE PATH MASTER ===============================================
To begin, you must configure your favorite paths into the
configuration file that will be stored in your root
directory.
Type: PM /E {edit the configurations}
You have 20 blanks that you may enter paths into. To move around,
press [ENTER] after typing a path, or use the arrow keys.
Regular editing keys are valid in EDIT mode:
HOME, END, INSERT, DELETE, PgUp, PgDn, ENTER, BACKSPACE
Examples of a valid paths:
C:\DOS;C:\UTILS;C:\TURBO\BIN\INCLUDE
C:\UTILS
A:\DOS;C:\PCPLUS;C:\WP51
D:\STACKER;C:\DOS
(Notice that a valid path consists of NO SPACES, a semicolon
between the directories, and does NOT include the "PATH="
statement.)
Fill it up with up to 20 configurations, then press [F10] to
save and quit.
Press [F1] for a help screen.
If you are using a MOUSE, ensure your mouse driver is installed,
and move your mouse up and down to choose from the menu or move
around the configuration editor. Press the LEFT button to select
an item, or press the RIGHT button to escape PathMaster.
==== USING THE MENU INTERFACE =================================================
Once you're configured, just type: PM to pull up the
menu. Use UP/DOWN arrows, PgUp, PgDn, Home, End to move
around, then press [ENTER] to choose a new path.
Press [F1] for a help screen.
==== USING OTHER OPTIONS ======================================================
On the command line, if you want to remove a directory
from your path, type: PM /DEL
If you want to add a directory to the END of your
current path, type: PM /AE
If you want to add a directory to the BEGINNING of your
current path, type: PM /AB
For a listing of the current path, type: PM /S
To place the path in the Active Environment, instead of
the Master Environment, type: PM /ACT
To create a totally new path, type: PM [path]
Press [F1] for a help screen.
To see advanced information on the PATH, how it works,
how to alter and expand it, etc. use the /INFO switch.
This pulls up 15 pages of graphical information.
Use up/down arrows or PageUp/PageDown keys
to move around the info. When you are done
reading, press [ESC] to exit.
To see the current environment, how much you have used,
how much free, and a bar graph showing this information,
use the /SIZE switch. A box will appear containing this
stuff, along with the HEX address of the start of your
current environment.
==== WHAT IS A "PATH" ? =======================================================
A path is a list of directories that DOS uses to search
for files that are not in the current directory.
For example, if I am in the C:\DOS directory, and want to
use PKZIP.EXE to compress a couple of files, then PKZIP.EXE
would have to be in the current directory.
BUT, if I have PKZIP.EXE in my C:\UTILS directory, then I
can just type: PATH=C:\UTILS and dos will look in that
directory in addition to the current one to find PKZIP.EXE.
NOTE: Data files are not included in the search. DOS only searches
for executable files (with extension .EXE or .COM). If that
executable file needs a data file somewhere other than the
current directory, it will NOT FIND IT, because DOS tricks
the executable file into thinking it is in your current directory.
So Why Not Just Include ALL My Directories In My Path ????
Because DOS looks through all the directories in your path
to find a file, it can eat up your hard disk and take forever
to run a program.
Including all your regular utilities into one MAIN directory
reduces the time DOS takes to find files, and saves your hard
disk from unnecessary use.
== Why Do I Need More Than One Path ??? =======================================
When I compile programs, I need my path to include my Turbo C++
directory, and my Turbo Assembler directory, and also my Utilities
dir.
So when programming, I use:
PATH=C:\TURBO\BIN;C:\UTILS;C:\DOS;C:\TASM
When I use Turbo Pascal, I need the Toolbox directory, the Turbo
Pascal directory, and of course my utils:
PATH=C:\UTILS;C:\DOS;C:\TP\TOOLBOX;C:\TP
But when downloading a file from the local BBS, I need my Procomm
Plus directory, my B: drive (my SCAN program is there), and my
downloading directory.
PATH=C:\DOS;C:\;B:\;D:\PCPLUS;C:\DOWNLOAD
Do you see the conflict ? Without Path Master, I was using
12 batch files to do all the work.
==== WHAT IS THE "ACTIVE" AND "MASTER" ENVIRONMENTS ? =========================
When you first turn on your computer, a line is usually included
in your CONFIG.SYS that says:
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM /P
or COMSPEC=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM
This tells DOS that COMMAND.COM will be used as your command
processor. So now, when you type: DIR, the directory command
is extracted from COMMAND.COM and run.
COMMAND.COM contains a space in itself for the Environment.
These are variables set by you to determine your preferences.
The Environment holds things like:
■ Your Path
■ Your Prompt
■ Preferences for other programs (like Norton Backup)
You set these things by typing: SET [variable]=[your preference]
on the command line.
The MASTER Environment is the COMMAND.COM space that is run when
you first boot up. Sometimes in your PC dealings, you may want
to shell out of a program (like Windows). When you do this,
you call COMMAND.COM again, and set up a new Environment.
This is the ACTIVE environment.
When you shell out, COMMAND.COM copies its environmental space
into the new COMMAND.COM space. However, if you change a setting
(like your Path), the change is only temporary.
Because after you exit back into the program your were
originally in (Windows), by typing: EXIT, the temporary settings
are lost, and the old Environmental space is used again.
Try this experiment:
1 Type: SET PATH=C:\DOS;C:\MASTERPATH (be sure to include
the DOS directory)
You have changed your path to a new one, that includes
our key-word MASTERPATH. This will soon dissapear.
2 COMMAND.COM (this won't work unless you
include the directory that
COMMAND.COM is in on line 1)
A new environment has been started. It is a copy of the
Master environment, but overlaps the Master one. So that
any changes made to your new environment are only temporary.
3 SET
Note the PATH= statement at the bottom.
4 PATH=ACTIVE_PATH
We changed the Path to Active_Path. But this change lasts
only as long as our new COMMAND.COM is active.
5 SET
See our new Path at the bottom? It is now "ACTIVE_PATH".
6 EXIT
We now exited our new COMMAND.COM, and have returned to
the Master Environment. All the changes to our Active
Environment have dissapeared.
7 SET
See our Path? It's now back to the original one we
typed at the beginning. We have returned to the
Master Environment.
====== COMPARISON TO OTHER UTILITIES ==========================================
Compared to other path utils, Path Master blows them away!
Nothing else loads you up with options like these. Graphical interface,
advanced information, totally re-configure a path, choose from 20
configurations and so much more.
I looked on 27 BBS' including CompuServe, 14 ShareWare CD Roms
and asked around, and only found 3 utils that come close (I had to
eliminate the ones that just added and deleted directories):
PathTool New World Designs
PathUtil ??
PathEditor Ray Dittmeier
SetPath Donald E. Ekman
Here is a comparison of features:
┌ PATHMASTER
│ ┌ PathTool
│ │ ┌ PathEditor
│ │ │ ┌ SetPath
│ │ │ │
┌─────────────────┬───┬───┬───┬───┐
│Graphical menu │ X │ │ │ │
├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│Multiple configs │ X │ │ │ │
├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│Both Active and │ X │ X │ │ X │
│Master environ. │ │ │ │ │
├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│Mouse support │ X │ │ │ │
├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│Add path │ X │ X │ X │ X │
├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│Delete path │ X │ X │ X │ X │
├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│Add to end/begin │ X │ X │ │ X │
├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│Sound effects │ X │ │ │ │
├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│Modify config.sys│ X │ │ │ │
├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│Stretch environ │ X │ X │ │ │
│if needed │ │ │ │ │
├─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│Run-time advanced│ X │ │ │ │
│path info. │ │ │ │ │
└─────────────────┴───┴───┴───┴───┘
===== REGISTRATION ============================================================
There are two registration options:
1) $10.00 registers Path Master, gets you the *special* version
including lots of options not available otherwise.
This allows unlimited upgrades to Path Master, and free
technical support by mail or by CompuServe.
2) $20.00 gets you the Dave Utils disk. See the enclosed
CATALOG.EXE file for details. This also gets you the updated
PathMaster, unlimited upgrades and technical support as
described above.
You also get over 30 more utils, and unlimited upgrades on
those also, new information about other stuff I create, etc.
= EXAMPLES ====================================================================
PM /E
Edits the current configuration file.
PM /AE
Pulls up a window and prompts you to add a directory
to the current path. It will be added to the END
of the path.
PM /AB
Pulls up a window and prompts you to add a directory
to the current path. It will be added to the BEGINNING
of the path.
PM /DEL
Pulls up a window and prompts you to delete a directory
in the current path.
PM C:\DOS;A:\TP\TOOLBOX
Creates a new path that consists of c:\dos and a:\tp\toolbox
directories.
PM /?
Shows the help screen.
PM /S
Displays current path on the screen.
PM /INFO
Shows fifteen pages of useful information concerning the Path
and advanced items that allow you to expand your environment
and better understand how your computer works.
PM /SIZE
Displays a bar graph of how much space you have used in your
environment, the hex address of the current environment's
beginnings, and other useful stuff.
PM /ACT
Pulls up the path menu as usual, but adds the selected path
to the Active Environment (see above details about Active
and Master Environments).
To use the environmental variable PM, use the following
format:
SET PM= [your preference]
You can put this line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT, or create a
batch file called P.BAT that contains the following
lines:
SET PM= [your preference]
PM.EXE
That way, whenever you start PathMaster, your preferences
will already be set.
USAGE: SET PM=[preference],[preference],[preference], ...
EXAMPLES: SET PM=MONO,SOUND,DESIGN1
Sets monochrome ability, enables sound and uses Design1
as your background for window operation.
SET PM=SOUND,ACTIVE,NMOUSE,SHOPATH
Enables sound, writes new path into Active Environment,
disables mouse, and shows new path on exit.
===== TECHNICAL NOTES =========================================================
Path Master works by scanning the PSP of COMMAND.COM, locating
the environment segment, then altering it.
The Active environment is affected by stuffing the keyboard
buffer with a batch file that changes the environment.
I have tried this technique (with success) on 9 different
machines, all of which worked fine. There may, however,
be bugs when running with some systems.
If you find a bug, or lock up this program, please report
it to me by:
COMPUSERVE 71441,2723
by Mail: David Smith
1104 Mason Dr.
Hurst TX 76053
If you find a verifiable bug, please report it so that I can
fix it.
A GREAT DEAL !
See the included CATALOG.EXE to order Dave's Disk full of
Utilities. For only $20.00, it's a definite bargain !