home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
RBBS in a Box Volume 1 #2
/
RBBS_vol1_no2.iso
/
014r
/
list61a.zip
/
LIST61A.DOC
< prev
Wrap
Text File
|
1987-01-23
|
38KB
|
961 lines
LIST Version 6.1a
(c) Copyright Vernon D. Buerg 1987
All rights reserved
January 23, 1987
Table of Contents
-----------------
Description of use ............... 1
Keys and commands ................ 3
Positioning to lines ............. 5
Display format ................... 6
Status line .................... 6
Command line ................... 7
Screen colors .................... 8
Cloning procedure ................ 9
DEBUG information .............. 10
Searching for text................ 11
Filtering ........................ 12
Exotic functions ................. 13
File sharing ................... 13
Invoking DOS commands .......... 13
Screen saving .................. 13
Update history ................... 14
Restrictions ..................... 15
LIST Page 1
Description of Use
------------------
Command LIST
-------------
Purpose:
You use LIST to display files on your monitor, line by line
with the aid of scrolling, positioning and filtering commands.
Format:
LIST [d:][path]filename[.ext]
Remarks:
You may rename the program file to any convenient name, such
as L.COM, READ.COM, or LIST.COM.
Using LIST is fairly straight forward. You type the command
LIST at the DOS prompt, followed by the name of the file that
you want to see. For example: LIST CONFIG.SYS would display the
file CONFIG.SYS.
Once the file is displayed on your screen, you may use the
cursor positioning keys to move around and see different parts
of the file. For example, when LIST first starts, you see the
first 23 lines of the file. To see the next 23 lines, or page,
press the PgDn key. The PgUp key moves you back one page and
shows you the previous 23 lines. The up-arrow and down-arrow
keys move it one line at a time. When you are finished, press
the ESCape key and you are returned to the DOS prompt.
The "filename" is optional. If omitted, you are prompted to
to enter a filename. You may include drive, path, and wild
cards in the file name. The first file which matches that name
is displayed. After the file is displayed, the next file which
matches the "filename" may be displayed, too.
You may also use LIST to display piped or redirected files.
If you are unfamiliar with these, you may skip to the next page.
To display a redirected file, use a < (less than symbol) before
the name of the file and add the /S parameter to the LIST
command. For example:
dir a: >xyz
list <xyz /s
To display a piped file, omit the filename, but supply the /S.
dir a: | list /s
LIST Page 2
Description of Use (cont'd)
------------------
Because files contain different kinds of data, there are
several commands to tell LIST how to display the data. The
process that LIST uses to make the file data readable is called
filtering. The filters in LIST can:
o replace non-text and control characters with blanks
o expand TAB characters
o display line drawing characters
o change 8-bit (W*) data to readable 7-bit text
o display the hexidecimal values for each character
o remove "junk", such as control codes and backspaces
LIST was designed to display ASCII files. That is, files
which contain text, and not binary or control codes. Text
characters usually range from a value of 32 to 127. To view
binary files (COM, EXE, etc), the alt-H (hex dump display)
command is available.
Characters below 32 (a blank) are replaced with a funny
character to indicate that a non-displayable character has been
encountered. This character is an upside-down question mark.
Characters above 127 may be valid graphic characters, and may be
displayed if the '8' command is in effect. To insure that
characters above ASCII value 127 are not displayed, use the '7'
command.
The top line of the display gives the file name, current
right scroll offset, and the FILE's creation date and time.
Optionally, a ruler may be displayed on the top line by using
the alt-R keys.
The file is displayed with one logical record on each
80-column display line. A logical record ends in a linefeed.
The maximum logical record may be 256 characters long. If the
record exceeds 80 characters, you may view the portion beyond
the 80 columns by using the scroll right command, or by using
the Wrap feature. The Wrap command toggles ON or OFF the
wrapping of lines longer than 80 characters. With Wrap on,
lines are displayed in their entirety, 80 characters per display
line. The scroll -left and -right functions are disabled when
Wrap is ON.
The file may be PRINTed as it it displayed. The P command
toggles the printer on or off. When first entered, the P
command causes the current screen to be printed. As new lines
are displayed, they too are printed. Printing may be stopped by
entering another P command. The PrtSc key may also be used, but
the title and prompt lines will be printed with the lines of the
file. Empty lines cause a line to be skipped on the printer.
The letter P is displayed in column 80 of the top line while
printing.
LIST Page 3
Key Functions and Commands
--------------------------
Control key Function
----------- -----------------------------------------------
left arrow scroll left 20 columns
right arrow scroll right 20 columns
up arrow up one (previous) line
down arrow down one (next) line
Enter continue to next page
END position to end of file (bottom)
ESCape Display next matching file
HOME restart from first line (top)
PgUp scroll up one page, 23 lines
PgDn scroll down one page, 23 lines
ctl-HOME positions to a specific line number
ctl-PgUp restart from first line (TOP)
ctl-PgDn skip to end of file (BOTTOM)
ctl-left-arrow reset horizontal scroll position to column 1
Letter(s) Default Function
--------- ------- ----------------------------------------
A find next occurance of 'text' (Again)
B skip to end of file (Bottom)
C off toggles Closing of files, also alt-S
D scroll Down one page
F Find 'text' regardless of case
G Get new filename/filespec (also alt-F)
H or ? list commands (Help)
K off toggle Keyboard flush; if on, commands
may be queued up by holding a key down
L scroll Left 20 columns
M on toggle test for display retrace, if on
the display is faster but may flicker;
not applicable to monochrome monitors
N down one (Next) line
P off toggle Printer on or off
Q Quit, display next matching file
R scroll Right 20 columns
S Scan for exact text match, case dependent
T restart from first line (Top)
U scroll Up one page (23 lines)
W off toggle Wrap of lines over 80 chars
X terminate, clear screen and eXit to DOS
7 off turn off high bit (non-graphics only)
8 on leave high bit on (graphics)
* off toggles special * document filtering
+ position a given number of lines forwards
- position a given number of lines backwards
\text Find 'text' regardless of case
/text Scan for exact text match
LIST Page 4
Key functions and Commands (cont.)
--------------------------
Control key Function
----------- ---------------------------------------------------
F1 Help - display summary of commands
F3 Find next occurrance of text after Scan or Find
F9 Find previous occurrance of text after Scan or Find
F10 Exit to DOS with clear screen and cursor last line
F2 change background color for Find/Scan text
F4 change foreground color for Find/Scan text
F5 change background color for main body of display
F6 change foreground color for main body of display
F7 change background color for top and bottom lines
F8 change foreground color for top and bottom lines
alt-A toggle Apxcore(on), DesqView/DoubleDos(off-default) use
alt-C clone LIST.COM, change colors or options permanently,
in a new copy of the LIST.COM program file
alt-E toggle 25/43 line display (does test for EGA). If the
| actual EGA lines is not 25 or 43, don't use alt-E
alt-F prompt for new Filespec or filename to display
entering a leading asterisk (*) may be obscured
by some console enhancers or utilities, so enter
two asterisks, e.g. **.doc
| alt-G Shell to DOS, invoke COMMAND.COM, requires 128K or more.
| Use the DOS EXIT comand to return to LIST.
alt-H toggles hex dump formatted display
| alt-J toggle adding line feed to lone carriage returns
| and remove backspaces, overlaying previous characters
alt-L toggle preloading of files, default is OFF
When the file is pre-loaded, the ending line
line number becomes known.
alt-R toggles display of a ruler on the top line
alt-S toggles file Sharing option, when off
files remain open until program termination
alt-T toggles expansion of TAB control characters, the
tab columns are a multiple of 8, i.e. 1,9,17, etc.
The default is to expand TABs.
alt-W toggles split screen; when ON, the top half of
the screen is frozen. Further scrolling occurs
only in the bottom half of the screen (window)
until the alt-W keys are used again.
alt-X exits to DOS and displays the original screen
| (unless screen saving has been disabled)
LIST Page 5
Positioning to Lines
--------------------
Each displayable line of the file is assigned a line number.
The first line is assigned line number 1. The highest allowable
line number is 65535. In order to determine the last line
number, the entire file must be read. For this reason, the
first time that the END (bottom) command is issued, it will take
longer to process. This is not necessary if the file is
preloaded using the alt-L installation option.
If the Wrap option is in effect, there is one line number
required for each 80 bytes of the file's records.
If the hex dump option is in effect, there is one line number
required for each 16 bytes of the file.
You may position to a specific line number by using the
c-Home, Ctrl key and Home key, or the # key. When c-Home is
entered, you are prompted for the line number. Enter the 1 to 5
digit line number. The display will now begin with that line
number at the top of the screen.
To position forward or backward, you may use the + (plus), or
- (minus) keys. You are prompted to enter the number of lines
to be skipped. The display resumes at the line number shown on
the top (status) line, plus or minus the number of lines that
you specified.
When you change a filter option, such as Wrap, the line
numbering changes. An attempt is made to retain the same file
position.
LIST Page 6
Display Format
--------------
The monitor display is defined in terms of lines and columns.
A typical monitor can display 25 lines of 80 columns each. LIST
attempts to use the number of lines and columns for the monitor
mode in use. For example, if the monitor is in 40 column mode,
LIST displays only 40 characters per line. And, if the monitor
| is set for other than 25 lines, such as 35 or 43, LIST uses that
| number of lines.
The top line of the display is called the Status line. The
bottom line is called the Command line. The remaining lines are
called the primary display window, and are usually lines two
through 24.
Status Line Format
------------------
The Status line has the following format:
LIST lllll nnnnnnn +sss mm/dd/yy hh:mm - filename
where,
'LIST' is the name of this program
'lllllll' is the line number of the first line in the
display window (usually on line 2)
'nnnnnnn' is the line number of the last record, if known
'+sss' if displayed, this is the Scroll amount, in
multiples of 20, corresponding to the number
of columns that the display has been shifted
to the right to view records longer than 80
'mm/dd/yy' is the file's creation date (not today's date)
'hh:mm' is the file's creation time (not today's time)
Note: The date and time shown on the top line is NOT the
current date. It is the date and time that the file was
created.
LIST Page 7
Command Line Format
-------------------
The Command line has the following format:
command message _________ Options: dbkmpswtalj Keys: X=exit ?=Help
where,
'command' indicates the current process:
'Command' you are being asked to enter a command
enter the letter, or press the keys for
the action to perform
'Reading ' the file data is being read
'Filter ' the file data is being formatted for display
'Scanning' the Scan/Find text is being searched for
'Scan ' you are being asked to enter text to locate
'Find ' in the file, up to 31 characters may be entered
'# lines?' you are being asked to enter a 1 to 5 digit
number that is the amount of lines to skip
'Line #? ' you are being asked to enter a 1 to 5 digit
line number to which the display is to be
positioned
'message' may be one of:
'*** Text not found ***'
the Scan/Text was not found in the file
' *** Top of file ***'
the first line of the file is being displayed
' *** End-of-file ***'
the last line of the file is being displayed
St: indicate status of toggles, lower case means off:
'D' indicates that the hex Dump display option is in use
'b' indicates whether the 7-bit, 8-bit, or *-option is
in use
'K' indicates that the Keyboard flush option is in use
'M' indicates that tests for monitor retrace are not made
'P' indicates that Print is in use
'S' indicates that file closing (for sharing) is in use
'W' indicates that the Wrap mode is in effect
'T' indicates that TAB characters are expanded
'A' indicates APXCORE interface, 'a' for TV/DV/DD
'L' indicates that the pre-loading option is on
| 'J' indicates that line feeds are added to lone carriage
| return control characters, and backspaces are handled
LIST Page 8
Screen Colors
-------------
The screen's lines may be in any of three different colors:
o the 'special' color for the top status line and the
bottom command line
o the 'normal' color for the file's text windows
o the 'bright' color for lines with Find/Scan text,
and for the upside-down question mark in 7-bit mode
There is a pair of function keys assigned to each color. You
may use these function keys to change the background and
foreground colors temporarily. To make the color changes
permanent, you may use the cloning command (alt-C), or use DEBUG
to modify the program file.
The colors used for displaying the titles and main body of
text may be changed temporarily or permanently. To make a
permanent change, the cloning command alt-C is used. It
requires that the LIST.COM program file be on the current drive
and in the current directory.
The border is not changed. The foreground color applies to
the characters displayed.
The color attributes may be changed by using these function keys:
For the main body of text:
F5 - background color
F6 - foreground color
For the top and bottom lines:
F7 - background color
F8 - foreground color
For the line with Find/Scan text:
F2 - background color
F4 - foreground
Once you have decided upon the colors, use the alt-C key
combination to change the LIST.COM program file.
LIST Page 9
Cloning Procedure
-----------------
The screen colors, the display retrace testing (M), the file
closing (C) and ruler (alt-R) options may be permanently set in
the program by using the alt-C cloning function.
For cloning to take effect, the program must be called
LIST.COM and it must be on the current drive and in the current
directory. There are two versions of the LIST COM file. One is
the normal program. The other, which contains an 'S' as the
last letter of the file name, is a slightly smaller file that
excludes the Help screen. You may use either COM file for
cloning.
The clonable options (command toggles) are:
M = Mono monitor, affects retrace testing,
C = file(s) are shared,
W = Wrap long lines
8/7/* = display all 256 values, or 7-bit, or special cases
K = flush Keyboard each time a command is read
alt-A = set on if using Apxcore, off if using Double Dos
or TopView, or DesqView
alt-H = hex dump display, like the DEBUG format
alt-J = toggle "junk" filter, add LF to CR, fix backspaces
alt-L = set on to force preloading (reading) of entire file
before any lines are displayed, default is OFF.
alt-R = toggle columnar ruler on top line
alt-T = toggle expansion of TAB characters
Note: Be sure you have no other copies of LIST.COM which are
accessible (because of a filepath type of utility).
LIST Page 10
DEBUG Information
-----------------
An alternative to cloning is to use DEBUG to make permanent
changes. Here is a list of key items and their addresses:
0125 - special lines 1 and 25 colors, default is 01 (blue)
Refer to a technical reference guide for the
attribute values for the colors that you want.
0127 - normal lines 2 thru 24 colors, default is 02 (green)
0129 - bright color for Find/Scan, default is 0C (bright red)
012B - clonable options;
MRSD WHK* M = mono, retrace testing if off, x'01'
R = ruler, x'02'
S = shared, x'04'
D = hex display, x'08'
W = wrap mode, x'10'
H = hi-bit on, x'20'
K = kybd flush, x'40'
* = special document filtering, x'80'
| 012C - more clonable options, not all are indicated:
| .PAT JGV. P = Preload file if on, x'02', default is off
A = Apxcore if on, TV/DD/DV if off, x'04,
default is for Topview/Double DOS use
T = if on (default), expand TABs, x'08'
| J = add LF to lone CR, process backspaces,
| default is off, x'10',
| G = if on, alt-G goto DOS is Disabled, x'20'
| V = if on, screen save/restore is Disabled
| and 9K less memory is used/required, x'40'
By specifying the bit value, the option is enabled. For
example, to enable Shared and Retrace, specify a hex value of
the sum, or 01+04 = 05.
| 012D - row less one at which found text is displayed, 1 byte
| 012F - scroll offset value, default is 20 (x'14'), one byte
| 0153 - maximum paragraphs for the DOS shell, default of 4096
(x'1000') leaves up to 64k for DOS commands
When the Find/Scan command is used, the next line which
contains that text is highlighted using the 'bright' color, and
is placed in row 9 of the screen. You can change the row by
altering the byte at location 12A which is normally '08', one
less than the row.
The letters and command keys may also be changed. There are
two tables involved: WHAT and WHERE. The WHAT table contains a
list of one-byte keyboard codes. The WHERE table contains a
list of two-byte matching addresses. If you really want to
change the codes, here are the DEBUG addresses:
0349 - *WHAT* eye catcher
034F - list of one byte command letters and codes
| 0393 - *WHERE* eye catcher
| 039A - list of two byte addresses of processing routines
LIST Page 11
Scanning for text
-----------------
You may use Find (\) to search for text regardless of the
case, or you may use Scan (/) to find an exact match.
To scan for a character string, type a slash (/) followed by
one or more (up to 31) characters. The scan text, but not the
slash, is displayed on the command line. The scan is case
sensitive. That is, lower case scan text will only match lower
lower case file text.
While the program is searching for the text, the bottom
display line is changed to say "Scanning". Pressing any key
while the search is in progress will terminate the search and
display the message 'Text not found' on the bottom line.
If the text is found, the line containing it is displayed as
a high-intensity line (bright color).
If the text is NOT found, the command line (25) is changed to
say '*** text not found ***', and the display remains unchanged.
To find the next occurrance of the same text, use the A)gain
command, or press the F3 key. To find the previous occurance,
press the F9 key.
If the PCED keyboard enhancement program is installed, the
up/down cursor keys may be used to recall and edit previously
entered Scan/Find text.
In a shared file environment, if the file changes while being
listed, the file position may become invalid. Use the HOME
command to insure proper file synchronization, or use the C
or alt-S command option again.
LIST Page 12
Filtering
---------
Filtering is the term used to describe the process that LIST
uses to format file data for displaying on a monitor. After
data is read from a file, it is filtered. The method of
filtering depends upon the options in effect.
For a typical ASCII text file, the filter removes carriage
return and line feed characters, and expands TAB characters.
Hi-bit Filter
-------------
The 7, 8, and * (asterisk) commands determine whether
characters above ASCII-127 are displayed. If the hi-bit option
is off (7 command), the filter strips the high order bit from
each character. If the hi-bit option is on (8 command), all
characters, including graphic characters above ASCII-127, are
displayed.
Star Filter
-----------
The star (* or asterisk) command displays only ASCII
characters below 128 (x'80'), but treats the special characters
x'8A' and x'8D' as line-feed and carriage-return control
characters. Any other characters above 127 are treated as
spaces, and control codes below ASCII-26 are replaced by blanks.
The Wrap option causes the filtering to insure that no line
exceeds the width of the monitor, e.g. 80 characters.
Junk Filter
-----------
The alt-J command toggles the "junk" filter which insures
that carriage returns in the file also result in a new line.
Also, backspace characters result in "backing up" the display by
one position. This allows more readability of files that use
backspacing to emphasize, or over-write, characters.
Hex Format Filter
-----------------
The hex dump option (alt-H) causes the filtering to reformat
the file data into a DEBUG-like display format. The largest
file that can be "dumped" is 1 million bytes.
An attempt is made to retain the file position when switching
from normal to hex-dump display, but due to filtering changing
record lengths, the hex display may begin before the current
record.
NOTE: The EOF control character is ignored in this version.
LIST Page 13
File Sharing
------------
LIST uses two techniques for allowing you to share files with
other processes.
The first technique is called file closing and is enabled by
the C or alt-S commands. This forces LIST to close the viewed
file unless it needs to read from the file. If enough memory is
available, the entire file may be loaded once and thus leave the
file free for exclusive access by other processes.
The second technique is called file sharing. It is a
function of DOS and requires DOS version 3.0 or later. LIST
opens the viewed files with a DENY NONE request. This allows
other processes to read and write to the file if they do not
request exclusive use of the file. If a file is not available
to LIST because it is locked by another process, you will
receive the error message "File not found" or "Acccess denied".
There is no command to enable or disable this method of file
sharing. It is implicit with the use of DOS version 3.
Invoking DOS Commands
---------------------
If the "goto DOS" option is enabled, you may invoke DOS
commands by using the alt-G command. LIST reserves up to 64k of
memory for use by DOS commands. This increases LIST's memory
requirements to approximately 96k.
After you have finished entering DOS commands, use the DOS
EXIT command to return to LIST.
To disable the "goto DOS" function, you must use DEBUG to
alter the option byte described in the section about cloning.
With it disabled, LIST requires less memory, about 66K.
Screen Saving
-------------
If the screen saving option is enabled, LIST saves the
contents of the current display screen when it starts. You can
restore the original screen by exiting LIST with the alt-X
command.
Screen saving requires approximately 10k more memory. This
is sufficient to save 60 lines of 80 characters (EGA 8x6 mode).
See the section about cloning for information about enabling and
disabling the screen saving feature.
LIST Page 14
Update history
--------------
There is a new version of LIST made available frequently. If
the new features or corrections do not interest you, stay with
the version you have. The complete version history is now kept
in another file.
Lines beginning with | denote changes to the latest version.
Version 6.0a thru 6.0f, August 31, 1986
Version 6.0g, Sept 4, 1986
- cosmetic corrections to Help screen
- increase data buffer to reduce "jumpy" display
- remove some tweaking of the cursor shape
- default to retrace testing off (M on)
- improve readability of binary files in ASCII display mode
by changing handling of EOF character; this also solves
a problem with files whose last record does not contain
a cr/lf. Remember, LIST expects "records" to have CR and/or LF.
Version 6.0h, Sept 17, 1986
- correct alt-F looping when invalid filespec entered
- correct Wrap failing if W ON was cloned
- more fussing with the EGA cursor, nothing can be done
about colors/pallete resetting when changing modes
- correct value of last line number when toggling Wrap
- notes: the default for preload (alt-P) is OFF, alt-P
is a toggle; the default of retrace testing in ON and
may result in snow on some color monitors.
Version 6.0i, Sept 28, 1986
- Added alt-X to exit with original screen displayed
- Added alt-A as A, and alt-L as L in "Options:" line display
- Added F9 command to find previous occurance of text
- Compensated for old Sigma EGA ROM (pre 1.06)
- Changed alt-P to alt-L; preload option toggle
Version 6.0j, Oct 13, 1986
- Added alt-J to toggle the generation of line feeds (LF)
for lone carriage returns (CR). Makes easier viewing of
files which use backspace, or over printing, to emphasize
a line.
- Corrected the handling of ESCape during Scan/Find
| Version 6.1a, Jan 23, 1987
| - Correct strange problems with /S option
| - Correct use of G (alt-F) with piping
| - Correct Help display when using split (alt-W) display
| - Use actual number of EGA screen lines, like 12,25,35,43,50, etc.
| - Improved the star (*) filter, I think
| - Add alt-G command to shell to DOS, leaves max of 64K for DOS
| - Add option flag (use DEBUG) to disable screen saving and
| thus require about 10K less memory
| - Modify alt-J to remove backspaces and overlay previous character
| - Implement DOS 3.x file sharing, but DOS 2.0 still supported.
LIST Page 15
Restrictions
------------
| o The program requires 66K bytes of memory. If more memory is
| available, it is used to store more of the file in memory.
| At least 96K is required to use the DOS shell. Add 9K if
| the screen saving option is enabled.
o The line number is currently limited to 65535.
o The file size is limited to 16 million bytes for ASCII
files, and to 1 million bytes for hex-dump files
| o PC DOS Version 2.0 or later is required. DOS version 3.0
| or later is required for file sharing.
o ANSI.SYS is NOT required.
APX Core, DesqView, TopView, and Double DOS, IBM, Sigma are all
copyrighted, trademarked, and all that.
Written by Vernon Buerg for the IBM PC using DOS 2.0 or later,
through DOS 3.1.
LIST is supplied for personal, private use. Feel free to
distribute LIST given these restrictions:
o the program shall be supplied in its original, unmodified
form, which includes this documentation;
o no fee is charged;
o "commmercial" use without a license is prohibited;
o the program may not be included - or bundled - with other
goods or services. Exceptions may be granted upon written
request only. This applies to clubs and distributors.
If you are using LIST and find it of value, your gift in any
amount ($15 suggested) will be greatly appreciated. Makes
checks payable in U.S. dollars to Vernon D. Buerg. Thank you.
For use by corporations and other institutions, please contact
me at AAI Systems for a site licensing agreement. The source,
customizing, and special licensing are also available upon
written request. Purchase orders and invoicing are acceptable.
Vernon D. Buerg
456 Lakeshire Drive
Daly City, CA 94015
Data: (415) 994-2944 VOR 24-hour bulletin board
Fidonet: 125/4
Compuserve: 70007,1212
