ftp.barnyard.co.uk/2015.02.ftp.barnyard.co.uk.tar/ftp.barnyard.co.uk/cpm/walnut-creek-CDROM/CPM/STARTKIT/LU300.DOC

Text File | 2000-06-30 | 35KB | 925 lines

   Documentation for LU.COM and LRUN.COM


|  This  document applies to version 3.00 of LU.COM and version
   2.0 of LRUN.COM.

   Copyright (c) 1982, 1983 by Gary P. Novosielski
   All rights reserved.

   Permission  is  hereby  granted  to copy and distribute this
   document  for  any  non-commercial  purpose. Any use of this
   material  for  commercial  advantage  without  prior written
   consent of the author is prohibited.



                           INTRODUCTION

   Library  Utility  (LU)  is  a  program to allow combining of
   multilple  files  into  one  larger  file.  It requires CP/M
   version 2.0 or higher to run.

|  Version 3.00 replaces  version 2.11. The major revisions are
|  the  addition  of the -b, and -n operators, and the addition
|  of  CRC  calculation  and  checking  to improve reliability.
|  Error  reporting has also been improved. Major revisions are
|  marked with a vertical bar (|) in the left margin.

        The  directory  information  in  an LU style library is
   contained  in  the  same file as the data files, or members.
   The amount of space to be allocated to the directory must be
   specified by the user when a new library is created, but can
   be  changed  when  the file is reorganized. The size of each
   directory entry is 32 bytes, which means each four directory
   entries  take  up  one sector of the library file. Currently
|  only  18  bytes  of each entry are used, with 14 bytes being
   reserved  for  use  with  possible  future enhancements. The
   directory  itself uses one entry for control information, so
   the  number  of  directory sectors needed for a library of m
   members is (m + 1) / 4, rounded up to the next whole number.
        The user need not be concerned with this discussion, as
   directory  size  is calculated by the program. All directory
   sizes  are  input and output in terms of entries, each entry
   being a potential member file. The program adjusts directory
   size to an integral number of sectors.

        LRUN.COM is a small program which allows running a .COM
   (object code) file member directly from any library, without
   having to extract it to a separate disk file.












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                        WHY USE LIBRARIES?

        First,  a library file usually takes up less space than
   the total of the individual member files which went into it.
   The  reason  for  this  is that CP/M allocates disk space in
   fixed  blocks  or groups, typically 2k bytes each. Any space
   after  the  last  sector  of  a file up to the next 2k block
   boundary is wasted. The same files in a library use only the
   number of sectors they actually need, and though the library
   itself  may  have  a  partially wasted block at the end, and
   requires   some  space  for  directory  information  at  the
   beginning,  the  net  effect  is  usually  a saving of total
   space.  The  best results are seen when many small files are
   combined into one library.
        Second,  a library file makes most efficient use of the
   CP/M disk directory, since it is treated as only one file by
   CP/M regardless of how many members it contains.
        Third,  libraries  can  aid in transferring packages of
   software  from  one system to another using XMODEM. Only one
   file  is transferred, eliminating the need to run the XMODEM
   transfer  program several times, the chance of overlooking a
   needed  file, and the problems of naming conflicts, (such as
   READ.ME files) among unrelated packages.



                      WHY NOT USE LIBRARIES?

        There   are  some  very  good  reasons  for  not  using
   libraries.
        For one thing, files within a library are not available
   to  most "normal" programs. If a frequently accessed file is
   placed  in  a library, it will have to be extracted from the
   library  to  its  free-standing counterpart before it can be
   used  by  most programs. (.COM files are a notable exception
   to  this,  because  of the availability of the LRUN command,
   covered later.)
        Libraries  can  actually  waste disk space. When a disk
   file  is erased, CP/M returns the space formerly used by the
   file  to  the  free  space pool for use by new files. When a
   member  file  is  deleted  from a library however, the space
   previously  occupied by the file is not useable. The library
   must  be  reorganized  to make this space available to CP/M.
   While  this  is  easy  to  do with the LU program, it is not
   automatic,  and  if the situation is ignored, large areas of
   disk can be tied up as unproductive "dead space".












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                  HOW TO USE THE LIBRARY UTILITY

        LU  has two main methods of operation: interactive, and
   parameter  driven.  In  parameter  driven  mode, the program
   takes  its  command  inputs from the command line when it is
   first  invoked, and when the entire line has been processed,
   execution ends.
        In  interactive  mode,  the  program  takes its command
   inputs  from one or more input lines from the standard input
   device  (typically the console). When all the command inputs
   have  been  processed,  the program reads another line. This
   process can be repeated as long as necessary.
        Input  from disk files, C program "pipes", and the XSUB
   facility are also supported for more advanced applications.
        Interactive  mode  is  probably  the best way to get to
   know  the  program, because the effect of each action can be
   immediatley seen.
        To  start  an  interactive library maintenance session,
   just  type  LU  on the command line with no parameters after
   it.
        All the methods make use of similar syntax:
        Each  input  line, regardless of its source, is scanned
   left  to  right.  All alphabetic characters are converted to
   upper  case. If the line contains any blanks it is separated
   into multiple individual input strings.
        These  input  strings  are  divided  into  two classes:
   operators (sometimes called tags, or options) and operands.
        An  operator  is  defined  as  any two character string
   where  the  first  character is a minus sign. Operators tell
   the  program what to do. Valid operators are -a, -b, -c, -d,
   -e,  -l  -n,  -o, -r, -u and -x. Anything else with the same
   form is an operator too, but an invalid one.
        Operands are any other input string.
|       The  most  common  operand  strings  are names of files
|  which  are  to  be  acted upon by the previous operator, for
|  instance,  added  to or extracted from a library file. These
|  are called filespec operands, and have the following general
|  form:

        [u/][d:][filename][.[ext]]

        where  u   is  an  optional  user  area prefix. It is a
   decimal  number  from  0  to  31,  and  if  present, must be
   followed  by  a slash (/) character. User areas greater than
   15  should  be used with care, as they cannot be accessed by
   any of the resident CCP (Console Command Processor) commands
   of CP/M, such as USER, TYPE or ERA.

               d   is  an  optional  drive  designator. It is a
   single  character  in  the  range of A to P, and if present,
   must be followed by a colon (:).

               filename  is  a  string  of  0  to 8 characters,
   following the standard CP/M conventions for filenames

               ext   is   a   string  of  0  to  3  characters,


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   following  the standard CP/M naming conventions for filetype
   extensions.

   The  period  (.)  after  filename  is  manditory  if  ext is
   specified,  and  optional  otherwise.  The  names  "xyz" and
   "xyz." are equivalent.

   Ambiguous  operands  are  those which contain the characters
   "*"  or "?" in the filename or extension fields. Examples of
|  valid filespec operands are:

    foo.bar
    3/b:test.fil
    3/test.fil
    b:test.*
    test.fil
    test.
    test
    z
    -z.
    comm?nd
    0/
    b:
    5/a:

   Note in the example "-z." the period, though not required by
   the  syntax  of  a  filename,  is  essential  to prevent the
   operand from being mistaken as the invalid operator "-z".
        What  action  is  taken  upon  the operand depends upon
   which operator most recently preceded it. If no operator was
   entered, or an invalid one, or one that expects no operands,
   the  operand  will draw an error message, but will otherwise
   be ignored.
        When   running   interactively,   LU  prompts  for  the
   operators  and operands. You can type as many inputs as will
   fit  on the line, separating them with spaces. The end of an
   input  line  has  no  special  significance. The most recent
   operator remains in effect, and the next line can begin with
   additional operands for it.

        The prompt displayed for each input line has this form:

        -m u/d:>

        where  m  is the current operator in effect
               u  is the current user number in effect
               d  is the current default drive

        For  example  the  prompt  might  be  "-E  0/A:>". This
   indicates  that the -e operator is in still in effect; if an
   operand  is  entered it will be interpreted as the name of a
   member  file to be Extracted from the library. It also shows
   that  the current user number is 0, and the current drive is
   A:.  Any operands which are entered without an explicit user
   or  drive  will  use  these  defaults.  The  defaults can be
   changed at any time with the -u operator, discussed below.


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        When  the  program  first  starts up, the prompt begins
   with  "-?",  which means no operator is currently in effect.
   In  this  case,  the  only  valid  input is an operator. Any
   operand will be rejected.






















































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                       SUMMARY OF OPERATORS
   In this discussion, the "open library" refers to the library
   name  specified  as  the  current  library  by  using the -o
   operator  discussed  below.  The default name LIBRARY.LBR is
   used whenever an operator needs an open library, but none is
   currently open.

        -a   add   files   to  library.  -a  causes  subsequent
   operands  to be treated as the names of files to be added to
   the  open  library.  Ambiguous operands match all disk files
   which   qualify   according   to   normal   CP/M   wild-card
   conventions,  except those with a filetype of .LBR. Explicit
   user  or  drive specification on an operand causes that area
   to be searched for the file(s) instead of the defaults.

|       -b   Buffer  size set. -b reads the subsequent operator
|  as the size (in sectors) to allocate  for a disk I/O buffer.
|  Normally,  this  operator  need  never  be  used, since a 64
|  sector buffer is assumed if not specified. A full discussion
|  of  buffer  size  considerations, and their relation to disk
|  access   speed   is  beyond  the  scope  of  this  document.
|  Generally,  a  larger  buffer  will  increase  the  speed of
|  adding,   extracting   and  reorganizing,  but  this  widely
|  variable with different hardware.
|       Bear  in mind that a large I/O buffer will decrease the
|  size of the largest library directory which can be processed
|  by  the  program,  since  the  directory buffer competes for
|  system  memory  with the I/O buffer. Conversely, setting the
|  buffer  to  a  value  less than 64 will increase the maximum
|  directory  size.  This  operator can only be used at program
|  startup,  before the first library is open. Its operands are
|  not  filespec  operands,  but  simple integer numbers in the
|  range 1...255.

        -c   close  the  open  library.  If  a library has been
   opened  with  the  -o  operator,  or  if the default library
   LIBRARY.LBR  has  been  opened  by  some  other operator, -c
   causes  it  to  be  closed.  Otherwise,  it  has  no effect.
   Normally this operator need never be entered, since any open
   library is automatically closed at the end of the session or
   when  another  one  is opened. It is provided for situations
   where  it  is  desired to change disk volumes without ending
   the  LU  program.  Before  removing  the disk containing the
   library  file,  it  must  be  closed.  After  mounting a new
   volume,  the  -U operator (see below) should be used. The -c
   operator expects no operands.

        -d   delete  files  from  library. -d causes subsequent
   operands to be treated as the names of members to be deleted
   from  the  open  library.  Ambiguous names match all members
   which qualify. User and drive specifications on operands are
   ignored,   since   the  library  members  are  obviously  in
   whichever area contains the open library.

        -e   extract  files  from library. -e causes subsequent
   operands  to  be treated as the names of members in the open


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   library  to be extracted to normal free-standing CP/M files.
   The  original  copy  is  not  deleted,  and  remains  in the
   library.

   Ambiguous  operands  extract all members which qualify. User
   or  drive  specifications  on  member names cause the output
   file(s)  to  be placed in the specified area rather than the
   default.  Any  existing  file  with  the  same  name will be
   overwritten  unless  it is protected by having its Read/Only
   attribute set on.

        -l   list  current library map. -l causes the directory
   of  the open library to be listed on the console. The member
   names are displayed, along with their index (starting record
   within   the   library)  their  size  in  sectors,  and  the
|  internally calculated CRC value.
     Also, information is displayed about the number of sectors
   in  the  library,  and  how  much  space is used and  unused
   (wasted).  The  number  of  active  entries (members) in the
   directory  is  also  displayed,  as well the number deleted,
   free  for  future  use,  and  the  total  number. This helps
   determine  whether  the  library needs to be re-organized to
   free  unused  space  and  deleted  entries.  The operator -l
   expects  no  operands,  so  the next input should be another
   operator.

|       -n   Name  a  member. -n causes each subsequent operand
|  to be treated as a request to change the name of a member in
|  the  open  library.  Since both the new and old names of the
|  member  must  be  given,  a special double operand format is
|  used.   It  is  essentially  two  filespec  operands  "glued
|  together" with an equals sign. For example:
|                      newname.typ=oldname.typ
|  would  cause the member OLDNAME.TYP to have its name changed
|  to  NEWNAME.TYP.  If  the  old name is not found in the open
|  library,  or  if the new name is that of an existing member,
|  no  rename  takes  place,  and  an  appropriate  message  is
|  displayed.  Operands  which  do  not  conform to the special
|  <new>=<old> syntax will also draw an error message.



        -o   open a library. -o causes the following operand to
   be  treated  as  the name of a library file to be opened for
   use  with  subsequent operators. If there is already an open
   library,  it is first closed, and the new one opened. If the
   new  library  does not exist, it is created with no members.
   Ambiguous   names   are   not   allowed.   User   and  drive
   specification can be used to override the current area.
        The  file  type  may  be specified, but if not entered,
   defaults  to  .LBR  which  is strongly suggested as the file
   type  for  all  library files. You will recall that files of
   type  .LBR  are  ignored  by the wildcard matching of the -a
   (add)   operator.   This   prevents   libraries  from  being
   accidentally  added  to other libraries, or to themselves; a
   situation  not  unlike  trying  to  drive a truck up its own


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   tailpipe.
        If  for  some  reason  you  want  to add one library to
   another,  be my guest, but you will have to specify the name
   without * or ? characters when adding it.

        -r   reorganize  library.  -r causes the currently open
   library  to  be  reorganized. First, the directory is sorted
   into  alphabetical  order,  and  then all active members are
   copied  to  a  work  library  which is opened on the default
   user/drive. The size of the directory may be changed at this
   point  by  specifying a greater or smaller number of entries
   than were present the old library. The directory will always
   be  made  large  enough to contain all the active members of
   the  old  library,  so  it is safe to enter a size of "1" to
   make  the  directory  as  small as possible. (See Specifying
   Directory Sizes below.)
        When  reorganization  is  complete,  the old library is
   deleted  from  its  user/drive area, and the work library in
   the  default area is renamed to the name of the old library.
   No  backup  copy  is retained. The newly reorganized library
   remains open for use with subsequent operations.
|       Note that although the newly reorganized library always
|  ends up in the default area, the default area can be changed
|  with  the  -u  operator.  (Do  this first, before using -o.)
|  Also,  the  old  library can be opened in any area, by using
|  explicit  user/drive  specifications. The net result is that
|  it is possible to reorganize a library from any desired area
|  to  any  other  area.  Reorganizing a library to a different
|  drive  is  usually a much faster operation, and is manditory
|  if  the  current disk does not contain enough free space for
|  the old and work libraries at the same time.


        -u   Use new default area. The -u can be used to change
   the  default  value  for user number or drive. It causes the
   user  prefix  and  drive spec of the following operand to be
   used  as  the new default area. If the following operand has
   no  user prefix, or no drive spec, the corresponding default
   is  not  changed.  (The  filename  and  ext  sections of the
   operand  must  be  absent.)  If  a  change is made, any open
   library  is first closed, and the disk system is reset. Thus
   feature allows newly mounted disk volumes to be accessed for
   writing;  CP/M  causes new volumes to be Read Only until the
   program  performs  a disk system reset. The -u operator also
   affects  which area will be used for the work library during
   reorganization. See the -r operator above.
        Note:  If directed I/O is active (See advanced features
   below)  the  -u  operator is treated as invalid. Due to some
   unfortunate  assumptions  in  the  C  run-time  package, the
   default  drive  cannot  be safely changed while directed I/O
   files are open, and the BDOS gets confused by the disk reset
   under these conditions.

        -x   eXit program. -x causes the interactive mode to be
   turned  off,  which  means that the input line containing it
   will  be  the  last line scanned by the program. It does not


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   cause   immediate  program  termination,  and  if  any  more
   operators follow it on the same line, they will be processed
   normally. The program terminates only after the current line
   is fully processed. Any open library is then closed, and the
   user  number  and default drive are reset to the values they
   had  when  the  program  was originally invoked. To preserve
   compatability  with  earlier versions, the program will also
   end if an empty input line (carriage return alone) is typed.

                    SPECIFYING DIRECTORY SIZE

        Whenever  an  old library is opened, the directory size
   is displayed as follows:

    Old library LIBRARY.LBR has 32 entries, 5 free.

        This  means that 5 more members may be added before the
   directory  becomes  full.  When  the  directory  is full, -a
   becomes  an  invalid  operator,  and  the  library  must  be
   reorganized to add any more members.
        When  a library is created for the first time, the user
   is prompted like this:

    New library COMMAND.LBR. Allow how many entries?_

        Any number from 1 to 65535 is valid. The actual maximum
   is  determined by the amount of free memory available on the
   system in use. Directory size will be rounded up to the next
   whole  sector  necessary  to  contain  the number of entries
   requested.  This  number  will  remain  in  effect until the
   library is reorganized. Since the directory itself counts as
   an  entry,  one  entry  is added to your response before the
   size  is calculated. Therefore just enter the maximum number
   of  member  files  you  want  the  library  to be capable of
   holding.
        The  maximum number of member files is also constrained
   by  the  amount  of  available disk space. If the disk space
   runs  out  during  an  add,  the  name  is  not added to the
   directory.  If  a  multiple  add  is  in progress, due to an
   ambiguous  operand, the remaining qualifying files are still
   added  if possible. If any of them is small enough to fit in
   the  remaining  disk space, it will be added. If any sectors
   were  written  by  a  failed  add  attempt,  and  then never
   utilized,  they  remain  as  unused sectors, and the library
   should be reorganized.



                     PARAMETER DRIVEN METHOD

        All of the information needed for a maintenance run may
   be specified on the command line. The operators and operands
   are  entered, separated by spaces, after the LU command, and
   the operations will take place without console intervention,
   except  in  the  case  where  the  directory  size for a new
   library is requested. The syntax is:


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    LU <opr> [<opd> [<opd> ...]] [<opr> [<opd> ...]...

    where square brackets indicate optional parameters, and:
        <opr> is any operator.
        <opd> is any operand.
        ...   indicates  that the preceding parameter may occur
   multiple times.
        Any  names  occurring  prior  to the first operator, or
   following  an  operator  which does not expect operands, are
   ignored.

|                          CRC CHECKING
|
|       Whenever  a  new  member is added to a library, a value
|  called  the CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) word is calculated
|  and  stored in the member's directory entry. When the member
|  is  extracted  from  the  library,  the  calculation is done
|  again,  and compared with the saved value. If the two values
|  do  not  match,  it  is  an  indication  that the member was
|  damaged in some way while it was in the library. The extract
|  will  still  be  performed,  but  a message warning that the
|  extracted copy is questionable will be displayed.
|       This feature is especially valuable for libraries which
|  have been created on another system and transmitted by phone
|  (possibly  several  times) before you receive them. It helps
|  insure  that  the extracted files are faithful reproductions
|  of   the  files  originally  inserted  before  transmission.
|  Members  added  by LU versions prior to 2.20 do not have CRC
|  words.  The  CRC check will be bypassed when one of these is
|  extracted.
|       The  CRC  word  of the directory itself is checked when
|  the library is opened. A message warning of a CRC error will
|  be displayed at that time. Libraries modified by LU versions
|  prior  to 2.20 have no directory CRC word, and the CRC check
|  will  usually  be bypassed. If a warning does occur, it will
|  not adversely affect operation.
|       When  a library is reorganized, CRC words will be added
|  to  all  members,  if  not  present.  CRC errors which occur
|  during  reorganization  will cause the program to abort. The
|  damaged  member  must  be  deleted before the library can be
|  reorganized.
|       Libraries  created by this version of LU can be read by
|  all  previous  versions. The CRC values inserted will simply
|  be ignored by early versions of the program.













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                        ADVANCED FEATURES

        Input  from  BDS C "pipes" or ordinary sequential files
   is  also  possible. The filename is specified on the command
   line  preceded  by a "<" character and no intervening blank.
   Example:

    LU <CONSOL.DUP
        reads the contents of the file CONSOL.DUP and uses each
   line  of  the  file  as  if  it had been typed at the normal
   console   by  the  interactive  method.  In  this  case,  no
   operators  or  operands  may  be present. Console output may
   also  be  redirected  by  specifying  an  output file on the
   command  line  after  the  character  ">".  This  applies to
   parameter  driven as well as interactive (including "piped")
   input. Examples:

    LU -O 3/SPECIAL -A B:ZOT.COM >20/C:LOGFILE.OUT
        would  add  the file zot.com from drive b, current user
   area,  to  the  library  special.lbr,  in user area 3 on the
   default  drive.  Console  output  would be written to a file
   called logfile.out in user area 20 on drive c. The placement
   of  the  output  name on the line does not matter and except
   for  turning  on  redirected  output,  it  is ignored by all
   operators.

    LU <BATCH.IN >B:RECORD.DOC
        would  take interactive commands from the file batch.in
   and  write  console  output  to  a file called record.doc on
   drive B.

        Normally,  console  file  output  is also echoed on the
   real  console,  except  when input is also redirected, as in
   the  last example. To force visible console output when both
   an  input  and  output  file  are  used,  the  ">" character
   preceding  the output file name may be changed to a "+" like
   this:

   LU +RECORD.DOC <BATCH.IN
        This  would  have  the  same  effect  as  the  previous
   example, except that message output would also be visible on
   the console.




                             CAUTIONS

       The  importance  of  keeping  backup  copies of all disk
   files,  and  especially libraries, cannot be overemphasized.
   By  using  library files, the user is exposed to the dreaded
   all-the-eggs-in-one-basket  syndrome.  That is, if something
   happens  to the library file, particularly the directory, it
   may  be  beyond  the  capabilities  of even a CP/M wizard to
   restore the member files. The situation is made particularly
   sticky by the fact that the the directory must be updated in


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   place as members are added or deleted.
        Precautions  have been taken to minimize this risk. For
   one  thing,  the  directory  is  read  into  memory when the
   library  is  first  opened,  and  is only written back if it
   differs  from  the copy on the disk. Operations which change
   the  directory  are:  adds,  deletes, and the sort operation
   which  is  done  before reorganization. If only extracts (or
   LRUN executions) are done, the directory is never rewritten,
   and  the  .LBR  file  may  be write protected if desired, by
   using  the  CP/M  STAT  command. When a read-only library is
|  open, all LU operators except -l, -b, and -e become invalid.
        As  another  precaution, the entire empty directory  is
   allocated  and  written  to disk when a new library is first
   created. This insures that there will always be enough space
   on disk for the number of directory entries requested at the
   time  of  creation.  The disk space may run out while adding
   member  files,  but there will always be enough room on disk
   to update the directory once it is successfully created.
        The  fact that only the memory copy of the directory is
   modified  until the file is closed may come in very handy if
   you  mistakenly  delete a member file and recognize it right
   away.
        For example, suppose you make the mistake of typing "-d
   *.*". Briefly, your heart sinks, as the "Deleting:" messages
   are  displayed  and  all the member names zip into oblivion.
   Don't  panic. Only the memory copy of the directory has been
   modified.  When  the  -D  0/A:>  prompt  returns, do not hit
   RETURN. Instead, abort the program with Control-C. This will
   cancel  the  program without updating the directory, and the
   original members will still be present.
        Here  is  another  caution.  Since the entire directory
   must  fit in memory for a library to be successfully opened,
   it  is  possible  that  a  huge  directory created on a your
   system will be too large to fit in memory if read on another
   system will less memory. This should not be a problem with a
   library of under a hundred entries.
        To  give  you an idea of how much elbowroom you have to
   work with, LU displays the highest memory location used each
|  time  it terminates. This will vary depending on the size of
|  the  disk  I/O buffer, as well as the largest directory used
|  during operation, and will be slightly higher if interactive
   operation   was   used,  since  a  console  buffer  must  be
   allocated.
     It  does not include the stack, which grows down from high
   memory,  and  is allowed about a thousand bytes of space for
   subroutine parameters and temporary work areas.












   Page 12 of 14   83-08-16




   Documentation for LU.COM and LRUN.COM


                         THE LRUN COMMAND

        The  LRUN  command was created for those of us who have
   lots  of command files we like to keep on line all the time.
   We  all  have some favorite little .COM files are very small
   programs,  but  having  a  lot  of them on disk eats up file
   space  at an alarming rate due to the fixed CP/M block size.
   Put them all into a library called COMMAND.LBR using LU. You
   can  then  run  any  .COM  file directly from the library by
   saying:
    LRUN <followed by normal command line just like always>
       The full syntax of LRUN is:

    LRUN [-<lbrfile>] <commember> [<parameters>]

   Where:

        <lbrfile>  is  the  library  to be searched. The square
   brackets  around  -<lbrfile>  indicate it is optional. The -
   character tells LRUN that what follows is a library name. It
   is not an actual part of the name. Don't leave a space after
   the  -. If the first parameter doesn't begin with - then the
   default  library  COMMAND.LBR  is  used.  If a drive spec is
   given,  such as B:, then only that drive is searched for the
   library.  If  no  drive  spec  is given, the current area is
   searched first, and if no library of that name is found, the
   default  area is searched before giving up. The default area
   is set to 0/A: in the distribution object code, but this can
   be  changed to something more appropriate for your system by
   changing two equates in the source program and reassembling.
   LRUN  does  not otherwise support user numbers, and will not
   recognize the "u/" syntax on its parameters.
        If a name, but no type is entered, .LBR is assumed.

        <commember>  is  the  name of the command to be run. No
   drive  spec is used here. The type defaults to .COM and need
   not be entered.

        <parameters>  is  a the normal (possibly empty) list of
   parameters  which  the  .COM  file  expects  to  find on the
   command  line  when  it  is  run. This list is parsed to the
   required  file  control  blocks and command line area before
   execution  begins,  so  the  program  will not be aware that
   anything  cute  is  going  on.  (Thanks  to  Ron  Fowler for
   supplying the code which makes this possible.)



                          LRUN EXAMPLES

    LRUN ED FOO.BAR
        the  file  ED.COM is searched for in COMMAND.LBR on the
   current  drive,  or the A: drive. If found, ED.COM is loaded
   from  the  library,  and  FOO.BAR  is  passed  to  it  as  a
   parameter.



   Page 13 of 14   83-08-16




   Documentation for LU.COM and LRUN.COM


    LRUN -C:SPECIAL LU -O COMMAND -A A:*.COM
        the file LU.COM is searched for in SPECIAL.LBR on the C
   drive.  If  found,  LU.COM  is  loaded,  and the strings -O,
   COMMAND, -A, and *.COM are passed to it as parameters.

    LRUN - -ZIP
        the file -ZIP.COM is searched for in COMMAND.LBR on the
   current drive, or the A: drive. If found, -ZIP.COM is loaded
   and  executed  with  a  blank parameter list. Since -ZIP.COM
   begins  with a -, the extra - followed by a space was needed
   to act as a place-holder for the library name. Compare with:

    LRUN -ZIP
        the  library  -ZIP.LBR  is looked for, but nothing else
   happens, because no command was specified.

    LRUN
        with  no  parameters  at  all,  causes a screen of help
   information to be displayed as a memory refresher.



        Please   report   any   problems   or  suggestions  for
   enhancement  to  me  via  CompuServe  CP-MIG  or EMAIL, user
   number  70160,120;  or  by  phone  at [phone], voice,
   evenings (eastern time) or weekends.

                       Gary P. Novosielski






























   Page 14 of 14   83-08-16