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OS/2 Help File | 1997-07-24 | 557.1 KB | 18,023 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. About 4OS2 Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4OS2 Version 3.0 Help System Text by Hardin Brothers, Tom Rawson, and Rex Conn Help Text Copyright 1993 - 1997, JP Software Inc., All Rights Reserved. Software Copyright 1988 - 1997, Rex Conn and JP Software Inc., All Rights Reserved. 4DOS, 4OS2, and 4NT are JP Software Inc.'s trademarks for its family of character-mode command processors. 4DOS and Take Command are registered trademarks of JP Software Inc. JP Software, jpsoft.com, and all JP Software designs and logos are also trademarks of JP Software Inc. Other product and company names are trademarks of their respective owners. [07/97 - 3.00A] ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. The Command Line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4OS2 displays a [c:\] prompt when it is waiting for you to enter a command. (The actual text depends on the current drive and directory as well as your PROMPT settings.) This is called the command line and the prompt is asking you to enter a command, an alias or batch file name, or the instructions necessary to begin an application program. This section explains the features that will help you while you are typing in commands, and how keystrokes are interpreted when you enter them at the command line. The keystrokes discussed here are the ones normally used by 4OS2. If you prefer using different keystrokes to perform these functions, you can assign new ones with key mapping directives in 4OS2.INI. The command line features documented in this section are: Command-Line Editing Command History and Recall Command History Window Filename Completion Automatic Directory Changes Directory History Window Multiple Commands Expanding and Disabling Aliases Command-Line Length Limits Additional command-line features are documented under File Selection and Other Features. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. Command-Line Editing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The command line works like a single-line word processor, allowing you to edit any part of the command at any time before you press Enter to execute it, or Esc to erase it. The command line you enter can be up to 1023 characters long. You can use the following editing keys when you are typing a command (the words Ctrl and Shift mean to press the Ctrl or Shift key together with the other key named): Cursor Movement Keys: Move the cursor left one character. Move the cursor right one character. Ctrl Move the cursor left one word. Ctrl Move the cursor right one word. Home Move the cursor to the beginning of the line. End Move the cursor to the end of the line. Insert and Delete: Ins Toggle between insert and overtype mode. Del Delete the character at the cursor. Backspace Delete the character to the left of the cursor. Ctrl-L Delete the word or partial word to the left of the cursor. Ctrl-R or Ctrl-Bksp Delete the word or partial word to the right of the cursor. Ctrl-Home Delete from the beginning of the line to the cursor. Ctrl-End Delete from the cursor to the end of the line. Esc Delete the entire line. Execution: Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break Cancel the command line. Enter Execute the command line. Most of the command-line editing capabilities are also available when a 4OS2 command prompts you for a line of input. For example, you can use the command-line editing keys when DESCRIBE prompts for a file description, when INPUT prompts for input from an alias or batch file, or when LIST prompts you for a search string. If you want your input at the command line to be in a different color from 4OS2's prompts or output, you can use the Display page of the OPTION dialogs, or the InputColors directive in 4OS2.INI. 4OS2 will prompt for additional command-line text when you include the escape character as the very last character of a typed command line. The default escape character is the caret [^]. For example: [c:\] echo The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy^ More? sleeping dog. > alphabet Sometimes you may want to enter one of the command line editing keystrokes on the command line, instead of performing the key's usual action. For example, suppose you have a program that requires a Ctrl-R character on its command line. Normally you couldn't type this keystroke at the prompt, because it would be interpreted as a "Delete word right" command. To get around this problem, use the special keystroke Alt-255. You enter Alt-255 by holding down the Alt key while you type 255 on the numeric keypad, then releasing the Alt key (you must use the number keys on the numeric pad; the row of keys at the top of your keyboard won't work). This forces 4OS2 to interpret the next keystroke literally and places it on the command line, ignoring any special meaning it would normally have as a command-line editing or history keystroke. You can use Alt-255 to suppress the normal meaning of command-line editing keystrokes even if they have been reassigned with key mapping directives in the .INI file, and Alt-255 itself can be reassigned with the CommandEscape directive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. Command History and Recall ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Command History Keys: Recall the previous (or most recent) command, or the most recent command that matches a partial command line. Recall the next (or oldest) command, or the oldest command that matches a partial command line. F3 Fill in the rest of the command line from the previous command, beginning at the current cursor position. Ctrl-D Delete the currently displayed history list entry, erase the command line, and display the previous (matching) history list entry. Ctrl-E Display the last entry in the history list. Ctrl-K Save the current command line in the history list without executing it, and then clear the command line. Ctrl-Enter Copy the current command line to the end of the history list even it has not been altered, then execute it. @ As the first character in a line: Do not save the current line in the history list when it is executed, and do not store it in the CMDLINE environment variable. Use the key repeatedly to scan back through the history list. When the desired command appears, press Enter to execute it again. After you have found a command, you can edit it before pressing Enter. The history list is normally "circular". If you move to the last command in the list and then press the down arrow one more time, you'll see the first command in the list. Similarly, if you move to the first command in the list and then press the up arrow one more time, you'll see the last command in the list. You can disable this feature and make command history recall stop at the beginning or end of the list by turning off the History Wrap selection on the Command Line 1 page of the OPTION dialogs, or setting Histwrap to No in the .INI file. You can search the command history list to find a previous command quickly using command completion. Just enter the first few characters of the command you want to find and press . You only need to enter enough characters to identify the command that you want to find. If you press the key a second time, you will see the previous command that matches. The system will beep if there are no matching commands. The search process stops as soon as you type one of the editing keys, whether or not the line is changed. At that point, the line you're viewing becomes the new line to match if you press again. You can specify the size of the command history list with the OPTION command, or with the History directive in the .INI file. When the list is full, the oldest commands are discarded to make room for new ones. You can also use the HistMin directive in the .INI file to enable or disable history saves and to specify the shortest command line that will be saved. You can prevent any command line from being saved in the history by beginning it with an at sign [@]. When you execute a command from the history, that command remains in the history list in its original position. The command is not copied to the end of the list (unless you modify it). If you want each command to be copied or moved to the end of the list when it is re- executed, set HistCopy or HistMove to Yes in 4OS2.INI. If you select either of these options, the list entry identified as "current" (the entry from which commands are retrieved when you press ) is also adjusted to refer to the end of the history list after each recalled command is executed. Local and Global Command History The command history can be stored in either a "local" or "global" list. With a local command history list, any changes made to the history will only affect the current copy of 4OS2. They will not be visible in other shells, or other sessions. With a global command history list, all copies of 4OS2 will share the same command history, and any changes made to the history in one copy will affect all other copies. Global lists are the default for 4OS2. You can control the type of command history on the Startup page of the OPTION dialogs, with the LocalHistory directive in the .INI file, or with the /L and /LH options of the START command. There is no fixed rule for deciding whether to use a local or global command history list. Depending on your work style, you may find it most convenient to use one type, or a mixture of types in different sessions or shells. We recommend that you start with the default setting, then modify it if you find a situation where the default is not convenient. If you select a global history list for 4OS2 you can share the history among all copies of 4OS2 running in any session. When you close all 4OS2 sessions, the memory for the global history list is released, and a new, empty history list is created the next time you start 4OS2. If you want the history list to be retained in memory even when no command processor session is running, execute the SHRALIAS command, which loads a program to perform this service for the global command history, directory history, and alias lists. Whenever you start a secondary shell which uses a local history list, it inherits a copy of the command history from the previous shell. However, any changes to the history made in the secondary shell will affect only that shell. If you want changes made in a secondary shell to affect the previous shell, use a global history list in both shells. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.3. Command History Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Command History Window Keys: PgUp (from the command line) Open the command history window. or PgDn Scroll the display up one line. Scroll the display down one line. Scroll the display left 4 columns. Scroll the display right 4 columns. PgUp (inside the window) Scroll the display up one page. PgDn (inside the window) Scroll the display down one page. Ctrl-PgUp Go to the beginning of the history list. or Home Ctrl-PgDn Go to the end of the history list. or End Ctrl-D Delete the selected line from the history list. Enter Execute the selected line. Ctrl-Enter Move the selected line to the command line for editing. You can view the command history in a scrollable command history window, and select the command to modify or re-execute from those displayed in the window. To activate the command history window press PgUp or PgDn at the command line. A window will appear in the upper right corner of the screen, with the command you most recently executed marked with a highlight. (If you just finished re-executing a command from the history, then the next command in sequence will be highlighted.) The display is not circular as it is at the prompt; it has a fixed beginning and end. The Ctrl-D (delete from history) key works within the history window as it does at the command line. Once you have selected a command in the history window, press Enter to execute it immediately, or Ctrl-Enter to move the line to the prompt for editing (you cannot edit the line directly in the history window). You can bring up a "filtered" history window by typing some characters on the command line, then pressing PgUp or PgDn. Only those commands matching the typed characters will be displayed in the window. See Popup Windows for information on customizing window position, size, and color. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.4. Filename Completion ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Filename Completion Keys: F8 Get the previous matching filename. or Shift-Tab F9 Get the next matching filename. or Tab F10 Keep the current matching filename and display the next matching name immediately after the current one. Filename completion can help you by filling in a complete file name on the command line when you only remember or want to type part of the name. For example, if you know the name of a file begins AU but you can't remember the rest of the name, type: [c:\] copy au and then press the Tab key or F9 key. 4OS2 will search the current directory for filenames that begin AU and insert the first one onto the command line in place of the AU that you typed. If this is the file that you want, simply complete the command. If 4OS2 didn't find the file that you were looking for, press Tab or F9 again to substitute the next filename that begins with AU. When there are no more filenames that match your pattern, the system will beep each time you press Tab or F9. If you go past the filename that you want, press Shift-Tab or F8 to back up and return to the previous matching filename. After you back up to the first filename, the system will beep each time you press Shift-Tab or F8. If you want to enter more than one matching filename on the same command line, press F10 when each desired name appears. This will keep that name and place the next matching filename after it on the command line. You can then use Tab (or F9), Shift-Tab (or F8), and F10 to move through the remaining matching files. The pattern you use for matching may contain any valid filename characters, as well as wildcard characters and extended wildcards. For example, you can copy the first matching .TXT file by typing [c:\] copy *.txt and then pressing Tab. If you don't specify part of a filename before pressing Tab, the command processor will match all files. For example, if you enter the above command as "COPY", without the "*.TXT", and then press Tab, the first filename in the current directory is displayed. Each time you press Tab or F9 after that, another name from the current directory is displayed, until all filenames have been displayed. If you type a filename without an extension, 4OS2 will add *.* to the name (* on HPFS drives). It will also place a "*" after a partial extension. If you are typing a group of file names in an include list, the part of the include list at the cursor will be used as the pattern to match. When filename completion is used at the start of the command line, it will only match directories, executable files, and files with executable extensions, since these are the only file names that it makes sense to use at the start of a command. If a directory is found, a "\" will be appended to it to enable an automatic directory change. Appending Backslashes to Directory Names If you set the AppendToDir .INI directive, or the "Add \ ..." option on the Command Line 1 page of the OPTION dialogs, 4OS2 will add a trailing backslash [\] to all directory names. This feature can be especially handy if you use filename completion to specify files that are not in the current directory -- a succession of Tab (or F9) and F10 keystrokes can build a complete path to the file you want to work with. The following example shows the use of this technique to edit the file C:\DATA\FINANCE\MAPS.DAT. The lines which include <F9> show where F9 (or Tab) is pressed; the other lines show how the command line appears after the previous F9 or Tab (the example is displayed on several lines here, but all appears at a single command prompt when you actually perform the steps): 1 [c:\> edit \da <F9> 2 [c:\> edit \data\ 3 [c:\> edit \data\f <F9> 4 [c:\> edit \data\frank.doc <F9> 5 [c:\> edit \data\finance\ 6 [c:\> edit \data\finance\map <F9> 7 [c:\> edit \data\finance\maps.dat Note that F9 was pressed twice in succession on lines 3 and 4, because the file name displayed on line 3 was not what was needed we were looking for the FINANCE directory, which came up the second time F9 was pressed. In this example, filename completion saves about half the keystrokes that would be required to type the name in full. If you are using long file or directory names, the savings can be much greater. Customizing Filename Completion You can customize filename completion for any internal or external command or alias. This allows the command processor to display filenames intelligently based on the command you are entering. For example, you might want to see only .TXT files when you use filename completion in the EDIT command. To customize filename completion you can use the Command Line 1 page of the OPTION dialogs, or set the FileCompletion directive manually in your .INI file. You can also use the FILECOMPLETION environment variable. If you use both, the environment variable will override the settings in your .INI file. You may find it useful to use the environment variable for experimenting, then create permanent settings with the OPTION command or the FileCompletion directive. The format for both the environment variable and the .INI file is: cmd1:ext1 ext2 ...; cmd2: ... where "cmd" is a command name and "ext" is a file extension (which may include wildcards) or one of the following file types: DIRS Directories RDONLY Read-only files HIDDEN Hidden files SYSTEM System files ARCHIVE Files modified since the last backup The command name is the internal command, alias command, or executable file name (without a path). For example, to have file completion return only directories for the CD command and only .C and .ASM files for B (the Boxer editor), you would use this setting for filename completion in the OPTION dialogs: FileCompletion=cd:dirs; b:c asm To set the same values using the environment variable, you would use this line: [c:\] set filecompletion=cd:dirs; b:c asm With this setting in effect, if you type "CD " and then pressed Tab, the command processor will return only directories, not files. If you type "B " and press Tab, you will see only names of .C and .ASM files. 4OS2 does not check your command line for aliases before matching the commands for customized file completion. Instead, they ignore any path or file extension information in the first word of the command, and then search the FILECOMPLETION environment variable and the FileCompletion INI directive to find a match that will limit the files selected for filename completion. Filename Completion Window You can also view filenames in a filename completion window and select the file you want to work with. To activate the window, press F7 or Ctrl-Tab at the command line. You will see a window in the upper-right corner of the screen, with a sorted list of files that match any partial filename you have entered on the command line. If you haven't yet entered a file name, the window will contain the name of all files in the current directory. You can search for a name by typing the first few characters. (Ctrl-Tab will work only if your keyboard and keyboard driver support it. If it does not work on your system, use F7 instead.) See Popup Windows for information on customizing window position, size, and color. Filename Completion Window Keys: F7 (from the command line) Open the filename completion window. or Ctrl-Tab Scroll the display up one line. Scroll the display down one line. Scroll the display left 4 columns. Scroll the display right 4 columns. PgUp Scroll the display up one page. PgDn Scroll the display down one page. Ctrl-PgUp Go to the beginning of the filename list. or Home Ctrl-PgDn Go to the end of the filename list. or End Enter Insert the selected filename into the command line. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.5. Automatic Directory Changes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The automatic directory change feature lets you change directories quickly from the command prompt, without entering an explicit CD or CDD command. To do so, simply type the name of the directory you want to change to at the prompt, with a backslash [\] at the end. For example: [c:\] 4os2\ [c:\4os2] This can make directory changes very simple when it is combined with Extended Directory Searches or CDPATH. If you have enabled either of those features, the command processor will use them in searching for any directory you change to with an automatic directory change. For example, suppose Extended Directory Searches are enabled, and the directory WIN exists on drive E:. You can change to this directory with a single word on the command line: [c:\4os2] win\ [e:\win] (Depending on the way Extended Directory Searches are configured, and the number of subdirectories on your disk whose names contain the string WIN, when you execute such a command you may see an immediate change as shown above, or a popup window which contains a list of subdirectories named WIN to choose from.) The text before the backslash can include a drive letter, a full path, a partial path, or a UNC name. Commands like "....\" can be used to move up the directory tree quickly (see Extended Parent Directory Names). Automatic directory changes save the current directory, so it can be recalled with a "CDD -" or "CD -" command. For example, any of the following are valid automatic directory change entries: [c:\] d:\data\finance\ [c:\] archives\ [c:\] ...\util\os2\ [c:\] \\server\vol1\george\ The first and last examples change to the named directory. The second changes to the ARCHIVES subdirectory of the current directory, and the third changes to the UTIL\OS2 subdirectory of the directory which is two levels "up" from the current directory in the tree. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.6. Directory History Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Directory History Window Keys: Ctrl-PgUp (from the command line) Open the directory history window. or Ctrl-PgDn Scroll the display up one line. Scroll the display down one line. Scroll the display left 4 columns. Scroll the display right 4 columns. PgUp Scroll the display up one page. PgDn Scroll the display down one page. Ctrl-PgUp Go to the beginning of the directory list. or Home Ctrl-PgDn Go to the end of the directory list. or End Ctrl-D Delete the selected line from the directory list. Enter Change to the selected drive and directory. Ctrl-Enter Move the selected line to the command line for editing. The current directory is recorded automatically in the directory history list just before each change to a new directory or drive. You can view the directory history from a directory history window and change to any drive and directory on the list. To activate the directory history window, press Ctrl-PgUp or Ctrl-PgDn at the command line. You can then select a new directory with the Enter key. If the directory history list becomes full, old entries are deleted to make room for new ones. You can set the size of the list with the DirHistory directive in the .INI file. In order to conserve space, each directory name is recorded just once in the directory history, even if you move into and out of that directory several times. The directory history can be stored in either a "local" or "global" list. (See Local and Global Directory History.) When you switch directories the original directory is saved in the directory history list, regardless of whether you change directories at the command line, from within a batch file, or from within an alias. However, directory changes made by external directory navigation utilities or other external programs are not recorded by 4OS2. See Popup Windows for information on customizing window position, size, and color. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.6.1. Local and Global Directory History ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The directory history can be stored in either a "local" or "global" list. With a local directory history list, any changes made to the list will only affect the current copy of the command processor. They will not be visible in other shells, or other sessions. With a global list, all copies of the command processor will share the same directory history, and any changes made to the list in one copy will affect all other copies. You can control the type of directory history list on the Startup page of the OPTION dialogs, with the LocalDirHistory directive in 4OS2.INI, with the /L and /LD startup options, and with the /L and /LD options of the START command. There is no fixed rule for deciding whether to use a local or global directory history list. Depending on your work style, you may find it most convenient to use one type, or a mixture of types in different sessions or shells. We recommend that you start with the default setting, then modify it if you find a situation where the default is not convenient. If you select a global directory list, you can share the list among all copies of the command processor running in any session. When you close all 4OS2 sessions, the memory for the global directory history list is released, and a new, empty list is created the next time you start 4OS2. If you want the list to be retained in memory even when no command processor session is running, you need to execute the SHRALIAS command, which loads a program to perform this service for the global command history, directory history, and alias lists. Whenever you start a secondary shell which uses a local directory history list, it inherits a copy of the directory history from the previous shell. However, any changes to the list made in the secondary shell will affect only that shell. If you want changes made in a secondary shell to affect the previous shell, use a global directory history list in both shells. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.7. Multiple Commands ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ You can type several commands on the same command line, separated by an ampersand [&]. For example, if you know you want to copy all of your .TXT files to drive A: and then run CHKDSK to be sure that drive A's file structure is in good shape, you could enter the following command: [c:\] copy *.txt a: & chkdsk a: You may put as many commands on the command line as you wish, as long as the total length of the command line does not exceed 1023 characters. You can use multiple commands in alias definitions and batch files as well as from the command line. If you don't like using the default command separator, you can pick another character using the SETDOS /C command or the CommandSep directive in the .INI file. If you plan to share aliases or batch files between 4OS2 and 4DOS, 4NT, or Take Command, see Special Character Compatibility for details about choosing compatible command separators for two or more products. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.8. Expanding and Disabling Aliases ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ A few command line options are specifically related to aliases, and are documented briefly here for completeness. You can expand an alias on the command line and view or edit the results by pressing Ctrl-F before the command is executed. Doing so is especially useful when you are developing and debugging a complex alias or if you want to make sure that an alias that you may have forgotten won't change the intent of your command. At times, you may want to temporarily disable an alias that you have defined. To do so, precede the command with an asterisk [*]. For example, if you have an alias for DIR which changes the display format, you can use the following command to bypass the alias and display the directory in the standard format: [c:\] *dir ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.9. Command Line Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ You can start the online help system at the command line by entering HELP or HELP plus a topic, or by pressing the F1 key at any time. If you have already typed part or all of a command on the line, the help system will provide "context-sensitive" help by using the first word on the line as a help topic. If it's a valid topic, you will see help for that topic automatically; if not, you will see a table of contents and you can then pick the topic you want. For example, if you press F1 after entering each of the command lines shown below you will get the display indicated: [c:\] Topic list / table of contents [c:\] copy *.* a: Help on COPY [c:\] c:\util\map Topic list / table of contents For quick help you can type the name of any internal command at the prompt, followed by a slash and a question mark [/?] like this: copy /? This will show you help for the command in a "quick-reference" style (the output can be redirected). The /? option may not work correctly if you have redefined how the command operates with an alias. In this case you may need to add an asterisk to the beginning of the command to disable alias processing: alias copy copy /r *copy /? /? will only access the help system when you use it with an internal command. If you use it with an external command name, the external command will be executed and will interpret the /? parameter according to its own rules. Some external commands, including some external utility programs, do display help when run with a /? parameter, but this a characteristic of these commands and does not depend on the command processor. Many other external commands do not have this feature. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.10. Command-Line Length Limits ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ When you first enter a command at the prompt or in an alias or batch file, it can be up to 1,023 characters long. As 4OS2 scans the command line and substitutes the contents of aliases and environment variables for their names, the line usually gets longer. This expanded line is stored in an internal buffer which allows each individual command to grow to 1,023 characters during the expansion process. In addition, if you have multiple commands on a single line, during expansion the entire line can grow to as much as 2,047 characters. If your use of aliases or environment variables causes the command line to exceed either of these limits as it is expanded, you will see a "Command line too long" error and the remainder of the line will not be executed. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. File Selection ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Most internal commands (like COPY, DIR, etc.) work on a file or a group of files. Besides typing the exact name of the file you want to work with, you can use several shorthand forms for naming or selecting files and the applications associated with them. Most of the features explained in this section apply to 4OS2 commands only, and can not be used to pass file names to external programs unless those programs were specifically written to support these features. The file selection features are: Extended Parent Directory Names Wildcards Date, Time, and Size Ranges File Exclusion Ranges Multiple Filenames Include Lists Executable Extensions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. Extended Parent Directory Names ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4OS2 allows you to extend the traditional syntax for naming the parent directory, by adding additional [.] characters. Each additional [.] represents an additional directory level above the current directory. For example, .\FILE.DAT refers to a file in the current directory, ..\FILE.DAT refers to a file one level up (in the parent directory), and ...\FILE.DAT refers to a file two levels up (in the parent of the parent directory). If you are in the C:\DATA\FINANCE\JANUARY directory and want to copy the file LETTERS.DAT from the directory C:\DATA to drive A: [C:\DATA\FINANCE\JANUARY] copy ...\LETTERS.DAT A: ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2. Wildcards ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Wildcards let you specify a file or group of files by typing a partial filename. The appropriate directory is scanned to find all of the files that match the partial name you have specified. Wildcards are usually used to specify which files should be processed by a command. If you need to specify which files should not be processed see File Exclusion Ranges (for internal commands), or EXCEPT (for external commands). Most internal commands accept filenames with wildcards anywhere that a full filename can be used. There are two wildcard characters, the asterisk [*] and the question mark [?], plus a special method of specifying a range of permissible characters. An asterisk [*] in a filename means "any zero or more characters in this position." For example, this command will display a list of all files in the current directory: [c:\] dir *.* If you want to see all of the files with a .TXT extension, you could type this: [c:\] dir *.txt If you know that the file you are looking for has a base name that begins with ST and an extension that begins with .D, you can find it this way. Filenames such as STATE.DAT, STEVEN.DOC, and ST.D will all be displayed: [c:\] dir st*.d* With 4OS2, you can also use the asterisk to match filenames with specific letters somewhere inside the name. The following example will display any file with a .TXT extension that has the letters AM together anywhere inside its base name. It will, for example, display AMPLE.TXT, STAMP.TXT, CLAM.TXT, and AM.TXT : [c:\] dir *am*.txt A question mark [?] matches any single filename character. You can put the question mark anywhere in a filename and use as many question marks as you need. The following example will display files with names like LETTER.DOC and LATTER.DAT, and LITTER.DU : [c:\] dir l?tter.d?? The use of an asterisk wildcard before other characters, and of the character ranges discussed below, are enhancements to the standard wildcard syntax, and may not work properly with software other than 4OS2 and Take Command. "Extra" question marks in your wildcard specification are ignored if the file name is shorter than the wildcard specification. For example, if you have files called LETTER.DOC, LETTER1.DOC, and LETTERA.DOC, this command will display all three names: [c:\] dir letter?.doc The file LETTER.DOC is included in the display because the "extra" question mark at the end of "LETTER? " is ignored when matching the shorter name LETTER. In some cases, the question mark wildcard may be too general. You can also specify what characters you want to accept (or exclude) in a particular position in the filename by using square brackets. Inside the brackets, you can put the individual acceptable characters or ranges of characters. For example, if you wanted to match LETTER0.DOC through LETTER9.DOC, you could use this command: [c:\] dir letter[0-9].doc You could find all files that have a vowel as the second letter in their name this way. This example also demonstrates how to mix the wildcard characters: [c:\] dir ?[aeiouy]*.* You can exclude a group of characters or a range of characters by using an exclamation mark [!] as the first character inside the brackets. This example displays all filenames that are at least 2 characters long except those which have a vowel as the second letter in their names: [c:\] dir ?[!aeiouy]*.* The next example, which selects files such as AIP, BIP, and TIP but not NIP, demonstrates how you can use multiple ranges inside the brackets. It will accept a file that begins with an A, B, C, D, T, U, or V: [c:\] dir [a-dt-v]ip You may use a question mark character inside the brackets, but its meaning is slightly different than a normal (unbracketed) question mark wildcard. A normal question mark wildcard matches any character, but will be ignored when matching a name shorter than the wildcard specification, as described above. A question mark inside brackets will match any character, but will not be discarded when matching shorter filenames. For example: [c:\] dir letter[?].doc will display LETTER1.DOC and LETTERA.DOC, but not LETTER.DOC. A pair of brackets with no characters between them [], or an exclamation point and question mark together [!?], will match only if there is no character in that position. For example, [c:\] dir letter[].doc will not display LETTER1.DOC or LETTERA.DOC, but will display LETTER.DOC. This is most useful for commands like [c:\] dir /I"[]" *.btm which will display a list of all .BTM files which don't have a description, because the empty brackets match only an empty description string (DIR /I selects files to display based on their descriptions). You can repeat any of the wildcard characters in any combination you desire within a single file name. For example, the following command lists all files which have an A, B, or C as the third character, followed by zero or more additional characters, followed by a D, E, or F, followed optionally by some additional characters, and with an extension beginning with P or Q. You probably won't need to do anything this complex, but we've included it to show you the flexibility of extended wildcards: [c:\] dir ??[abc]*[def]*.[pq]* You can also use the square bracket wildcard syntax to work around a conflict between long filenames containing semicolons [;], and the use of a semicolon to indicate an include list. For example, if you have a file on an HPFS drive named C:\DATA\LETTER1;V2 and you enter this command: [c:\] del \data\letter1;v2 you will not get the results you expect. Instead of deleting the named file, 4OS2 will attempt to delete LETTER1 and then V2, because the semicolon indicates an include list. However if you use square brackets around the semicolon it will be interpreted as a filename character, and not as an include list separator. For example, this command would delete the file named above: [c:\] del \data\letter1[;]v2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3. Ranges ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Date, Time, and Size Ranges File Exclusion Ranges ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3.1. Date, Time, and Size Ranges ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Most internal commands which accept wildcards also allow date, time, and size ranges to further define the files that you wish to work with. 4OS2 will examine each file's size and timestamp (a record of when the file was created, last modified, or last accessed) to determine if the file meets the range criteria you have specified. (4OS2 also supports File Exclusion Ranges to exclude files from a command. These are similar to date, time, and size ranges, but have a slightly different purpose and therefore are documented separately.) A range begins with the switch character (/), followed by a left square bracket ("[") and a character that specifies the range type: "s" for a size range, "d" for a date range, or "t" for a time range. The "s", "d", or "t" is followed by a start value, and an optional comma and end value. The range ends with a right square bracket ("]"). For example, to select files between 100 and 200 bytes long you could use the range /[s100,200]. All ranges are inclusive. For example, a size range which selects files from 10,000 to 20,000 bytes long will match files that are exactly 10,000 bytes and 20,000 bytes long, as well as all sizes in between; a date range that selects files last modified between 10-27-97 and 10-30-97 will include files modified on each of those dates, and on the two days in between. If you reverse range start and end values the command processor will recognize the reversal, and will use the second (lower) value as the start point of the range and the first (higher) value as its end point. For example, the range above for files between 100 and 200 bytes long could also be entered as /[s200,100]. See the individual range types for details on specifying ranges: Date Ranges Time Ranges Size Ranges Using Ranges If you combine two types of ranges, a file must satisfy both ranges to be included. For example, /[d2-8-97,2-9-97] /[s1024,2048] means files last modified between February 8 and February 9, 1997, which are also between 1,024 and 2,048 bytes long. When you use a date, time, or size range in a command, it should immediately follow the command name. Unlike some command switches which apply to only part of the command line, the range usually applies to all file names specified for the command. Any exceptions are noted in the descriptions of individual commands. For example, to get a directory of all the *.C files dated October 1, 1997, you could use this command: [c:\] dir /[d10-1-97,+0] *.c To delete all of the 0-byte files on your hard disk, you could use this command: [c:\] del /[s0,0] *.* /s And to copy all of the non-zero byte files that you changed yesterday or today to your floppy disk, you can use this command: [c:\] copy /[d-1] /[s1] *.* a: The HPFS file system maintains 3 sets of dates and times for each file: creation, last access, and last write. By default, date and time ranges work with the last write time stamp. You can use the "last access" (a) or "created" (c) time stamp in a date or time range with the syntax: /[da...] or /[dc...] or /[ta...] or /[tc...] For example, to select files that were last accessed yesterday or today: /[da-1] Date, time, and size ranges can be used with the ATTRIB, COPY, DEL, DESCRIBE, DIR, EXCEPT, FFIND, FOR, LIST, MOVE, RD, REN, SELECT, and TYPE commands. They cannot be used with filename completion or in filename arguments for variable functions. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3.1.1. Date Ranges ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Date ranges select files that were created or last modified at any time between the two dates. For example, /[d12-1-97,12-5-97] selects files that were last modified between December 1, 1997, and December 5, 1997. The time for the starting date defaults to 00:00:00 and the time for the ending date defaults to 23:59:59. You can alter these defaults, if you wish, by including a start and stop time inside the date range. The time is separated from the date with an at sign [@]. For example, the range /[d7-1-97@8:00a,7-3-97@6:00p] selects files that were modified at any time between 8:00 am on July 1, 1997 and 6:00 pm on July 3, 1997. If you prefer, you can specify the times in 24-hour format (e.g., @18:00 for the end time in the previous example). If you omit the second argument in a date range, 4OS2 substitutes the current date and time. For example, /[d10-1-97] selects files dated between October 1, 1997 and today. You can use an offset value for either the beginning or ending date, or both. An offset begins with a plus sign [+] or a minus sign [-] followed by an integer. If you use an offset for the second value, it is calculated relative to the first. If you use an offset for the first (or only) value, the current date is used as the basis for calculation. For example: Specification Selects Files /[d10-27-97,+3] modified between 10-27-97 and 10-30-97 /[d10-27-97,-3] modified between 10-24-97 and 10-27-97 /[d-0] modified today (from today minus zero days, to today) /[d-1] modified yesterday or today (from today minus one day, to today) /[d-1,+0] modified yesterday (from today minus one day, to zero days after that) As a shorthand way of specifying files modified today, you can also use /[d]; this has the same effect as the /[d-0] example shown above. To select files last modified n days ago or earlier, use /[dn,1/1/80]. For example, to get a directory of all files last modified 3 days or more before today (i.e., those files not modified within the last 3 days), you could use this command: [c:\] dir /[d-3,1/1/80] This reversed date range (with the later date given first) will be handled correctly by 4OS2. It takes advantage of the facts that an offset in the start date is relative to today, and that the base or "zero" point for PC file dates is January 1, 1980. You cannot use offsets in the time portion of a date range (the part after an at sign), but you can combine a time with a date offset. For example, /[d12-8-97@12:00,+2@12:00] selects files that were last modified between noon on December 8 and noon on December 10, 1997. Similarly, /[d-2@15:00,+1] selects files last modified between 3:00 pm the day before yesterday and the end of the day one day after that, i.e., yesterday. The second time defaults to the end of the day because no time is given. The HPFS file system maintains 3 sets of dates and times for each file: creation, last access, and last write. By default, date ranges work with the last write date/time stamp. You can use the "last access" (a) or "created" (c) date/time stamp in a date range with the syntax: /[da...] or /[dc...] For example, to select files that were last accessed yesterday or today: /[da-1] ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3.1.2. Time Ranges ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ A time range specifies a file modification time without reference to the date. For example, to select files modified between noon and 2:00 pm on any date, use /[t12:00p,2:00p]. The times in a time range can either be in 12-hour format, with a trailing "a" for AM or "p" for PM, or in 24-hour format. If you omit the second argument in a time range, you will select files that were modified between the first time and the current time, on any date. You can also use offsets, beginning with a plus sign [+] or a minus sign [-] for either or both of the arguments in a time range. The offset values are interpreted as minutes. Some examples: Specification Selects Files /[t12:00p,+120] modified between noon and 2:00 PM on any date /[t-120,+120] modified between two hours ago and the current time on any date /[t0:00,11:59] modified in the morning on any date The HPFS file system maintains 3 sets of date and time for each file: creation, last access, and last write. By default, time ranges work with the last write time stamp. You can use the "last access" (a) or "created" (c) time stamp in a time range with the syntax: /[ta...] or /[tc...] ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3.1.3. Size Ranges ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Size ranges simply select files whose size is between the limits given. For example, /[s10000,20000] selects files between 10,000 and 20,000 bytes long. Either or both values in a size range can end with "k" to indicate thousands of bytes, "K" to indicate kilobytes (1,024 bytes), "m" to indicate millions of bytes, or "M" to indicate megabytes (1,048,576 bytes). For example, the range above could be rewritten as /[s10k,20k]. All ranges are inclusive. Both examples above will match files that are exactly 10,000 bytes and 20,000 bytes long, as well as all sizes in between. The second argument of a size range is optional. If you use a single argument, like /[s10k], you will select files of that size or larger. You can also precede the second argument with a plus sign [+]; when you do, it is added to the first value to determine the largest file size to include in the search. For example, /[s10k,+1k] select files from 10,000 through 11,000 bytes in size. Some further examples of size ranges: Specification Selects Files /[s0,0] of length zero (empty) /[s1M] 1 megabyte or more in length /[s10k,+200] between 10,000 and 10,200 bytes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3.2. File Exclusion Ranges ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Most internal commands which accept wildcards also accept file exclusion ranges to further define the files that you wish to work with. 4OS2 examines each file name and excludes files that match the names you have specified in a file exclusion range. A file exclusion range begins with the switch character (usually a slash), followed by a left square bracket and an exclamation mark ("[!") The range ends with a right square bracket ("]"). Inside the brackets, you can list one or more filenames to be excluded from the command. The filenames can include wildcards and extended wildcards, but cannot include path names or drive letters. The following example will display all files in the current directory except backup files (files with the extension .BAK or .BKP): [c:\] dir /[!*.bak *.bkp] *.* You can combine file exclusion ranges with date, time, and size ranges This example displays all files that are 10K bytes or larger in size and that were created in the last 7 days, except .C and .H files: [c:\] dir /[s10k] /[d-7] /[!*.c *.h] *.* File exclusion ranges will only work for 4OS2 internal commands. The EXCEPT command can be used to exclude files from processing by many external commands. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4. Multiple Filenames ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Most file processing commands can work with multiple files at one time. To use multiple file names, you simply list the files one after another on the command line, separated by spaces. You can use wildcards in any or all of the filenames. For example, to copy all .TXT and .DOC files from the current directory to drive A, you could use this command: [c:\] copy *.txt *.doc a: If the files you want to work with are not in the default directory, you must include the full path with each filename: [c:\] copy a:\details\file1.txt a:\details\file1.doc c: Multiple filenames are handy when you want to work with a group of files which cannot be defined with a single filename and wildcards. They let you be very specific about which files you want to work with in a command. When you use multiple filenames with a command that expects both a source and a destination, like COPY or MOVE, be sure that you always include a specific destination on the command line. If you don't, the command will assume that the last filename is the destination and may overwrite important files. Like extended wildcards and include lists, multiple filenames will work with internal commands but not with external programs, unless those programs have been written to handle multiple file names on the command line. If you have a list of files to process that's too long to put on the command line or too time-consuming to type, see FOR or SELECT for another way of passing multiple file names to a command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5. Include Lists ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Any internal command that accepts multiple filenames will also accept one or more include lists. An include list is simply a group of filenames, with or without wildcards, separated by semicolons [;]. All files in the include list must be in the same directory. You may not add a space on either side of the semicolon. For example, you can shorten this command which uses multiple file names: [c:\] copy a:\details\file1.txt a:\details\file1.doc c: to this using an include list: [c:\] copy a:\details\file1.txt;file1.doc c: Include lists are similar to multiple filenames, but have three important differences. First, you don't have to repeat the path to your files if you use an include list, because all of the included files must be in the same directory. Second, if you use include lists, you aren't as likely to accidentally overwrite files if you forget a destination path for commands like COPY, because the last name in the list will be part of the include list, and won't be seen as the destination file name. (Include lists can only be used as the source parameter - the location files are coming from - for COPY and other similar commands. They cannot be used to specify a destination for files.) Third, multiple filenames and include lists are processed differently by the DIR and SELECT commands. If you use multiple filenames, all of the files matching the first filename are processed, then all of the files matching the second name, and so on. When you use an include list, all files that match any entry in the include list are processed together, and will appear together in the directory display or SELECT list. You can see this difference clearly if you experiment with both techniques and the DIR command. For example: [c:\] dir *.txt *.doc will list all the .TXT files with a directory header, the file list, and a summary of the total number of files and bytes used. Then it will do the same for the .DOC files. However, [c:\] dir *.txt;*.doc will display all the files in one list. Like extended wildcards and multiple filenames, the include list feature will work with internal commands, but not with external programs (unless they have been programmed especially to support them). The maximum length of an include list is 260 characters. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.6. Executable Extensions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The syntax for creating an executable extension is: set .ext=command [options] This tells 4OS2 to run the specified command whenever you name a file with the extension .ext at the prompt. .EXT is the executable file extension; command is the name of the internal command, external program, alias, or batch file to run; and [options] are any command-line startup options you want to specify for the program, batch file, or alias. Normally, when you type a filename (as opposed to an alias or internal command name) as the first word on the command line, 4OS2 looks for a file with that name to execute. The file's extension may be .EXE or .COM to indicate that it contains a program, it may have a batch file extension like .BTM, or the file's contents may indicate that it is executable. You can add to the default list of extensions, and have 4OS2 take the action you want with files that are not executable programs or batch files. The action taken is always based on the file's extension. For example, you could start your text editor whenever you type the name of a .DOC file, or start your database manager whenever you type the name of a .DAT file. You can use environment variables to define the internal command, external program, batch file, or alias to run for each defined file extension. To create an executable extension, use the SET command to create a new environment variable. An environment variable is recognized as an executable extension if its name begins with a period. For example, if you want to run a word processor called EDITOR whenever you type the name of a file that has an extension of .EDT, you could use this command: [c:\] set .edt=c:\edit\editor.exe If the command specified in an executable extension is a batch file or external program, 4OS2 will search the PATH for it if necessary. However, you can make sure that the correct program or batch file is used, and speed up the executable extension, by specifying the full name including drive, path, filename, and extension. Once an executable extension is defined, any time you name a file with that extension the corresponding program, batch file, or alias is started, with the name of your file passed to it as a parameter. The following example defines B.EXE (the Boxer text editor) as the processor for .MAK files: [c:\] set .mak=c:\boxer\b.exe -s With this definition, if you have a file named INIT.MAK in the current directory and enter the command: [c:\source] init 4OS2 will execute the command: c:\boxer\b.exe -s c:\source\init.mak Notice that the full pathname of INIT.MAK is automatically included. If you enter parameters on the command line, they are appended to the end of the command. For example, if you changed the above entry to: [c:\source] init -w the command processor would execute the command: c:\boxer\b.exe -s c:\source\init.mak -w In order for executable extensions to work, the command, program, batch file, or alias must be able to interpret the command line properly. For example, if a program you want to run doesn't accept a file name on its command line as shown in these examples, then executable extensions won't work with that program. Executable extensions may include wildcards, so you could, for example, run your text editor for any file with an extension beginning with T by defining an executable extension called .T*. Extended wildcards (e.g., DO[CT] for .DOC and .DOT files) may also be used. The search for executable files starts in the current directory, then proceeds to each subdirectory specified by the PATH environment variable (if a "." is used in the PATH the current directory is not searched first; see the PATH command for details). You may need to take this search order into account when using executable extensions. Using the .MAK example above, if you had a file named FORMAT.MAK in the current directory and entered the command FORMAT A:, your command would run the Boxer editor specified by the executable extension, instead of finding the standard OS/2 FORMAT command as you perhaps intended. You can get around this by remembering that the OS/2 FORMAT command is in the file FORMAT.COM. If you entered the command FORMAT.COM A: then the .MAK executable extension would not be checked, and the search would continue until it found the FORMAT.COM file. To remove an executable extension, use the UNSET command to remove the corresponding variable. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Directory Navigation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The operating system and command processor remember both a current or default drive for your system as a whole, and a current or default directory for every drive in your system. The current directory on the current drive is sometimes called the current working directory. With traditional command processors, you change the current drive by typing the new drive letter plus a colon at the prompt, and you change the current working directory with the CD command. 4OS2 supports those standard features, and offer a number of enhancements to make directory navigation much simpler and faster. The 4OS2 directory navigation features are in three groups: features which help the command processor find the directory you want, methods for initiating a directory change with a minimal amount of typing, and methods for returning easily to directories you've recently used. Each group is summarized below. Finding Directories Traditional command processors require you to explicitly type the name of the directory you want to change to. 4OS2 support this method, and also offer two significant enhancements: * Extended Directory Searches allow the command processor to search a "database" of all the directories on your system to find the one you want. * The CDPATH allows you to enter a specific list of directories to be searched, rather than searching a database. Use CDPATH instead of Extended Directory Searches if you find the extended searches too broad, or your hard drive has too many directories for an efficient search. Initiating a Directory Change 4OS2 supports the traditional methods of changing directories, and also offers several more flexible approaches: * Automatic directory changes allow you to type a directory name at the prompt and switch to it automatically, without typing an explicit CD or similar command. * The CD command can change directories on a single drive, and can return to the most recently used directory. * The CDD command changes drive and directory at the same time, and can return to the most recently used drive and directory. * The PUSHD command changes changes the drive and directory like CDD, and records the previous directory in a directory "stack." You can view the stack with DIRS and return to the directory on the top of the stack with POPD. CDD, PUSHD, and automatic directory changes can also change to a network drive and directory mapped to a drive letter or specified with a UNC name (see File Systems for more information about network directories). Returning to a Previous Directory Traditional command processors do not remember previously-used directories, and can only "return" to a directory by changing back to it with a standard drive change or CD command. 4OS2 supports three additional methods for returning to a previous directory: * The CD - and CDD - commands can be used to return to the previous working directory (the one you used immediately before the current directory). Use these commands if you are working in two directories and alternating between them. * The directory history window allows you to select one of several recently-used directories from a popup list and return to it immediately. The window displays the contents of the directory history list. * The POPD command will return to the last directory saved by PUSHD. The directory stack holds 511 characters, enough for 20 to 40 typical drive and directory entries. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. Extended Directory Searches ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ When you change directories with an automatic directory change, CD, CDD, or PUSHD command, 4OS2 must find the directory you want to change to. To do so, the command processor first uses the traditional method to find a new directory: it checks to see whether you have specified either the name of an existing subdirectory below the current directory, or the name of an existing directory with a full path or a drive letter. If you have, the command processor changes to that directory, and does no further searching. This traditional search method requires that you navigate manually through the directory tree, and type the entire name of each directory you want to change to. Extended Directory Searches speed up the navigation process dramatically by allowing the command processor to find the directory you want, even if you only enter a small part of its name. When the traditional search method fails, 4OS2 try to find the directory you requested via the CDPATH, then via an Extended Directory Search. This section covers only Extended Directory Searches, which are more flexible and more commonly used than CDPATH. Extended Directory Searches use a database of directory names to facilitate changing to the correct directory. The database is used only if Extended Directory Searches are enabled, and if the explicit directory search and CDPATH search fail to find the directory you requested. An extended directory search automatically finds the correct path to the requested directory and changes to it if that directory exists in your directory database. If more than one directory in the database matches the name you have typed, a popup window appears and you can choose the directory you want. You can control the color, position and size of the popup directory search window from the Command line 2 page of the OPTION dialogs, or with directives in the .INI file, including CDDWinLeft, CDDWinTop, CDDWinWidth, and CDDWinHeight, and CDDWinColors. You can also change the keys used in the popup window with key mapping directives in 4OS2.INI. To use extended directory searches, you must explicitly enable them and also create the directory database. The Extended Search Database To create or update the database of directory names, use the CDD /S command. When you create the database with CDD /S, you can specify which drives should be included. If you enable Extended Directory Searches and do not create the database, it will be created automatically the first time it is required, and will include all local hard drives. The database is stored in the file JPSTREE.IDX, which is placed in the root directory of drive C: by default. The same tree file is used by all JP Software command processors. You can specify a different location for this file on the Command Line 2 page of the OPTION dialogs, or with the TreePath .INI directive. If you are using 2 or more of our products on your computer and want to have different drives stored in the database for each, use the dialogs or the TreePath directive to place their database directories in different locations. If you use an internal 4OS2 command to create or delete a directory, the directory database is automatically updated to reflect the change to your directory structure. The updates occur if the command processor can find the JPSTREE.IDX file in the root directory of drive C: or in the location specified by the TreePath .INI directive. The internal commands which can modify the directory structure and cause automatic updates of the file are MD, RD, COPY /S, DEL /X, MOVE /S, and REN. The MD /N command can be used to create a directory without updating the directory database. This is useful when creating a temporary directory which you do not want to appear in the database. Enabling Extended Searches To enable extended directory searches and control their operation, you must set the FuzzyCD directive in the .INI file. You can set FuzzyCD with the Search Level option on the Command Line 2 page of the OPTION dialogs, or by editing the .INI file manually. If FuzzyCD = 0, extended searches are disabled, the JPSTREE database is ignored, and CD, CDD, PUSHD, and automatic directory changes search for directories using only explicit names and CDPATH. This is the default. If FuzzyCD = 1 and an extended search is required, then the command processor will search the JPSTREE database for directory names which exactly match the name you specified. If FuzzyCD = 2 and an extended search is required, the command processor will search the database for exact matches first, just as when FuzzyCD = 1. If the requested directory is not found, it will search the database a second time looking for directory names that begin with the name you specified. If FuzzyCD = 3 and an extended search is required, the command processor will search the database for exact matches first, just as when FuzzyCD = 1. If the requested directory is not found, it will search the database a second time looking for directory names that contain the name you specified anywhere within them. For example, suppose that you have a directory called C:\DATA\MYDIR, CDPATH is not set, and C:\DATA is not the current directory on drive C:. The following chart shows what CDD command you might use to change to this directory. FuzzyCD Setting CDD Command 0 [c:\] cdd c:\data\mydir 1 [c:\] cdd mydir 2 [c:\] cdd myd 3 [c:\] cdd yd An extended directory search is not used if you specify a full directory path (one beginning with a backslash [\], or a drive letter and a backslash). If you use a name which begins with a drive letter (e.g. C:MYDIR ), the extended search will examine only directories on that drive. Forcing an Extended Search with Wildcards Normally you type a specific directory name for the command processor to locate, and the search proceeds as described in the preceding sections. However, you can also force the command processor to perform an extended directory search by using wildcard characters in the directory name. If you use a wildcard, an extended search will occur whether or not extended searches have been enabled. When 4OS2 is changing directories and it finds wildcards in the directory name, it skips the explicit search and CDPATH steps and goes directly to the extended search. If a single match is found, the change is made immediately. If more than one match is found, a popup window is displayed with all matching directories. Wildcards can only be used in the final directory name in the path (after the last backslash in the path name). For example you can find COMM\*A*.* (all directories whose parent directory is COMM and which have an A somewhere in their names), but you cannot find CO?M\*A*.* because it uses a wildcard before the last backslash. If you use wildcards in the directory name as described here, and the extended directory search database does not exist, it will be built automatically the first time a wildcard is used. You can update the database at any time with CDD /S. Internally, extended directory searches use wildcards to scan the directory database. If FuzzyCD is set to 2, an extended search looks for the name you typed followed by an asterisk (i.e. DIRNAME*). If FuzzyCD is set to 3, it looks for the name preceded and followed by an asterisk (i.e. *DIRNAME*). These internal wildcards will be used in addition to any wildcards you use in the name. For example if you search for ABC?DEF (ABC followed by any character followed by DEF) and FuzzyCD is set to 3, the command processor will actually search the directory database for *ABC?DEF*. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. CDPATH ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ When you change directories with an automatic directory change, CD, CDD, or PUSHD command, 4OS2 must find the directory you want to change to. To do so, the command processor first uses the traditional method to find a new directory. When the traditional search method fails, 4OS2 tries to find the directory you requested via the CDPATH, then via an Extended Directory Search. This section covers only the CDPATH. Enabling both CDPATH and Extended Directory Searches can yield confusing results, so we recommend that you do not use both features at the same time. If you prefer to explicitly list where the command processor should look for directories, use CDPATH. If you prefer to have the command processor look at all of the directory names on your disk, use Extended Directory Searches. CDPATH is an environment variable, and is similar to the PATH variable used to search for executable files: it contains an explicit list of directories to search when attempting to find a new directory. The command processor appends the specified directory name to each directory in CDPATH and attempts to change to that drive and directory. It stops when it finds a match or when it reaches the end of the CDPATH list. CDPATH is ignored if a complete directory name (one beginning with a backslash [ \]) is specified, or if a drive letter is included in the name. It is only used when a name is given with no drive letter or leading backslash. CDPATH provides a quick way to find commonly used subdirectories in an explicit list of locations. You can create CDPATH with the SET command. The format of CDPATH is similar to that of PATH: a list of directories separated by semicolons [;]. For example, if you want the directory change commands to search the C:\DATA directory, the D:\SOFTWARE directory, and the root directory of drive E:\ for the subdirectories that you name, you should create CDPATH with this command: [c:\] set cdpath=c:\data;d:\software;e:\ Suppose you are currently in the directory C:\WP\LETTERS\JANUARY, and you'd like to change to D:\SOFTWARE\UTIL. You could change directories explicitly with the command: [c:\wp\letters\january] cdd d:\software\util However, because the D:\SOFTWARE directory is listed in your CDPATH variable as shown in the previous example (we'll assume it is the first directory in the list with a UTIL subdirectory), you can simply enter the command [c:\wp\letters\january] cdd util or, using an automatic directory change: [c:\wp\letters\january] util\ to change to D:\SOFTWARE\UTIL. As it handles this request, the command processor looks first in the current directory, and attempts to find the C:\WP\LETTERS\JANUARY\UTIL subdirectory. Then it looks at CDPATH, and appends the name you entered, UTIL, to each entry in the CDPATH variable -- in other words, it tries to change to C:\DATA\UTIL, then to D:\SOFTWARE\UTIL. Because this change succeeds, the search stops and the directory change is complete. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Other Features ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Page and File Prompts Redirection and Piping Using the Keystack Waiting for Applications to Finish Critical Errors Conditional Commands Command Grouping Escape Character ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.1. Page and File Prompts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Several 4OS2 commands can generate prompts, which wait for you to press a key to view a new page or to perform a file activity. When 4OS2 is displaying information in page mode, for example with a DIR /P or SET /P command, it displays the message Press Esc to Quit or any other key to continue... At this prompt, you can press Esc, Ctrl-C, or Ctrl- Break if you want to quit the command. You can press almost any other key to continue with the command and see the next page of information. During file processing, if you have activated prompting with a command like DEL /P, you will see this prompt before processing every file: Y/N/R ? You can answer this prompt by pressing Y for "Yes, process this file;" N for "No, do not process this file;" R for "process the Remainder of the files without further prompting." You can also press Ctrl-C, Ctrl-Break, or Esc at this prompt to cancel the remainder of the command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2. Redirection and Piping ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This section covers redirection and piping. You can use these features to change how 4OS2 and some application programs handle input and output. Internal commands and many external programs get their input from the computer's standard input device and send their output to the standard output device. Some programs also send special messages to the standard error device. Normally, the keyboard is used for standard input and the video screen for both standard output and standard error. Redirection and piping allow you to change these assignments temporarily. Redirection changes the standard input, standard output, or standard error device for a program or command from the default device (the keyboard or screen), to another device or to a file. Piping changes the standard output and / or standard error device so that the output of one command becomes the standard input for another program or command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2.1. Redirection ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Redirection can be used to reassign the standard input, standard output, and standard error devices from their default settings (the keyboard and screen) to another device like the printer or serial port, to a file, or to the clipboard. You must use some discretion when you use redirection with a device; there is no way to get input from the printer, for example. Redirection always applies to a specific command, and lasts only for the duration of that command. When the command is finished, the assignments for standard input, standard output, and standard error revert to whatever they were before the command. In the descriptions below, filename means either the name of a file or of an appropriate device (PRN, LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3 for printers; COM1 to COM4 for serial ports; CON for the keyboard and screen; CLIP: for the clipboard; NUL for the "null" device, etc.). Here are the standard redirection options supported by 4OS2 (see below for additional redirection options using numeric file handles): < filename To get input from a file or device instead of from the keyboard > filename Redirect standard output to a file or device >& filename Redirect standard output and standard error to a file or device >&> filename Redirect standard error only to a file or device If you want to append output to the end of an existing file, rather than creating a new file, replace the first ">" in the last three commands above with ">>" (i.e., use >>, >>&, and >>&>). To use redirection, place the redirection symbol and filename at the end of the command line, after the command name and any parameters. For example, to redirect the output of the DIR command to a file called DIRLIST, you could use a command line like this: [c:\] dir /b *.dat > dirlist You can use both input and output redirection for the same command, if both are appropriate: For example, this command sends input to SORT from the file DIRLIST, and sends output from SORT to the file DIRLIST.SRT: [c:\] sort < dirlist > dirlist.srt You can redirect text to or from the OS/2 clipboard by using the pseudo-device name CLIP: (the colon is required). If you redirect the output of a single internal command like DIR, the redirection ends automatically when that command is done. If you start a batch file with redirection, all of the batch file's output is redirected, and redirection ends when the batch file is done. Similarly, if you use redirection at the end of a command group, all of the output from the command group is redirected, and redirection ends when the command group is done. When output is directed to a file with >, >&, or >&>, if the file already exists, it will be overwritten. You can protect existing files by using the SETDOS /N1 command, the "Protect redirected output files" setting available on the Options 1 page of the OPTION dialogs, or the NoClobber directive in the .INI file. When output is appended to a file with >>, >>&, or >>&>, the file will be created if it doesn't already exist. However, if NoClobber is set as described in the above, append redirection will not create a new file; instead, if the output file does not exist a "File not found" or similar error will be displayed. You can temporarily override the current setting of NoClobber by using an exclamation mark [!] after the redirection symbol. For example, to redirect the output of DIR to the file DIROUT, and allow overwriting of any existing file despite the NoClobber setting: [c:\] dir >! dirout Redirection is fully nestable. For example, you can invoke a batch file and redirect all of its output to a file or device. Output redirection on a command within the batch file will take effect for that command only; when the command is completed, output will revert to the redirected output file or device in use for the batch file as a whole. You can use redirection if you need to create a zero-byte file. To do so, enter >filename as a command, with no actual command before the > character. In addition to the standard redirection options above, 4OS2 also supports the OS/2 CMD.EXE syntax: n>file Redirect handle n to the named file n>&m Redirect handle n to the same place as handle m [n] and [m] are one-digit file handles between 0 and 9. You may not put any spaces between the n and the >, or between the >, &, and m in the second form. OS/2 interprets "0" as standard input, "1" as standard output, and "2" as standard error. Handles 3 to 9 will probably not be useful unless you have an application which uses those handles for a specific, documented purpose, or you have opened a file with the %@FILEOPEN variable function and the file handle is between 3 and 9. The n>file syntax redirects output from handle n to a file. You can use this form to redirect two handles to different places. For example: [c:\] dir > outfile 2> errfil sends normal output to a file called OUTFILE and any error messages to a file called ERRFILE. The n>&m syntax redirects handle n to the same location as the previously assigned handle m. For example, to send standard error to the same file as standard output, you could use this command: [c:\] .dir > outfile 2>&1 Notice that you can perform the same operations by using standard 4OS2 redirection features. The two examples above could be written as [c:\] dir > outfile >&> errfile and [c:\] dir >&outfile ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2.2. Piping ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ You can create a "pipe" to send the standard output of one command to the standard input of another command: command1 | command2 Send the standard output of command1 to the standard input of command2 command1 |& command2 Send the standard output and standard error of command1 to the standard input of command2 For example, to take the output of the SET command (which displays a list of your environment variables and their values) and pipe it to the SORT utility to generate a sorted list, you would use the command: [c:\] set | sort To do the same thing and then pipe the sorted list to the internal LIST command for full-screen viewing: [c:\] set | sort | list The TEE and Y commands are "pipe fittings" which add more flexibility to pipes. Like redirection, pipes are fully nestable. For example, you can invoke a batch file and send all of its output to another command with a pipe. A pipe on a command within the batch file will take effect for that command only; when the command is completed, output will revert to the pipe in use for the batch file as a whole. You may also have 2 or more pipes operating simultaneously if, for example, you have the pipes running in different windows. 4OS2 implements pipes by starting a new process for the receiving program instead of using temporary files. The sending and receiving programs run simultaneously; the sending program writes to the pipe and the receiving program reads from the pipe. When the receiving program finishes reading and processing the piped data, it is ends automatically. When you use pipes with 4OS2 make sure you think about any possible consequences that can occur from using a separate process to run the receiving program. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.3. Using the Keystack ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The Keystack overcomes two weaknesses of input redirection: some programs ignore standard input and read the keyboard directly, and input redirection doesn't end until the program or command terminates. You can't, for example, use redirection to send the opening commands to a program and then type the rest of the commands yourself. But the Keystack lets you do exactly that. The Keystack sends keystrokes to an application program. Once the Keystack is empty, the program will receive the rest of its input from the keyboard. The Keystack is useful when you want a program to take certain actions automatically when it starts. It is most often used in batch files and aliases. The Keystack is invoked with the KEYSTACK command. KEYSTACK depends on a program called KEYSTACK.EXE. This file must be in the same directory as 4OS2.EXE, or in a directory listed in your PATH. You don't have to take any special action to activate KEYSTACK.EXE; 4OS2 will run it automatically when you use the KEYSTACK command. If 4OS2 cannot find KEYSTACK.EXE, the KEYSTACK command will display an error message. To place the letters, digits, and punctuation marks you would normally type for your program into the keystack, enclose them in double quotes: [c:\] keystack "myfile" Many other keys can be entered into the Keystack using their names. This example puts the F1 key followed by the Enter key in the keystack: [c:\] keystack F1 Enter See Keys and Key Names for details on how key names are entered. See the KEYSTACK command for information on using numeric key values along with or instead of key names, and other details about using the Keystack. The following command creates an alias that will run a FoxPro report called TIMEREP (it should be entered on one line): [c:\] alias timerep `keystack "use times index times" Enter "report form timerep to print" Enter "quit" Enter & foxpro` This command creates an alias called timerep which puts the following characters on the keystack: the characters "use times index times" the Enter key's code the characters "report form timerep to print" the Enter key's code the characters "quit" and one more Enter key The alias then runs the program FOXPRO which receives those characters just as if you had typed them. When you use the Keystack, remember that you must put the keystrokes into the Keystack before you run the program that will receive them. The Keystack will hold the keystrokes until the program asks for them. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.4. Waiting for Applications to Finish ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ When you start an OS/2 Presentation Manager application from the prompt, the command processor does not normally wait for the application to finish before returning to the prompt. This default behavior allows you to continue your work at the prompt while the application is running. You can force 4OS2 to wait for applications to finish before continuing by selecting the "Wait for Completion" option on the Options 2 page of the OPTION dialogs, with the ExecWait directive in the .INI file, or with the START command's /WAIT switch (you can also use START to control many other aspects of how your applications are started). Regardless of the ExecWait setting, 4OS2 always waits for applications which are run from batch files before continuing with subsequent commands in the batch file. To start an application from a batch file and continue with the batch file immediately, without waiting for the application to finish, use the START command (without the /WAIT switch). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.5. Critical Errors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ OS/2 watches for physical errors during input and output operations. Physical errors are those due to hardware problems, such as trying to read a floppy disk while the drive door is open. These errors are called critical errors because OS/2, 4OS2, or your application program cannot proceed until the error is resolved. When a critical error occurs, you will see a popup window asking you to choose one of four error handling options. The message comes from OS/2 or 4OS2, and will vary slightly depending on whether you are in full-screen or windowed mode. You can respond with a mouse click or menu selection. The options and their meanings are similar in all cases: Return error code to program. Tell the program that the operation failed. This option returns an error code to 4OS2 or to the application program that was running when the error occurred. 4OS2 generally stops the current command when an operation fails. End program/command/operation. Choose this option to stop the program that was running when the error occurred and abort 4OS2. Retry command or operation. Choose this option if you have corrected the problem. Display help. Display further information on the error. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.6. Conditional Commands ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ When an internal command or external program finished, it returns a result called the exit code. Conditional commands allow you to perform tasks based upon the previous command's exit code. Many programs return a 0 if they are successful and a non-zero value if they encounter an error. If you separate two commands by && (AND), the second command will be executed only if the first returns an exit code of 0. For example, the following command will only erase files if the BACKUP operation succeeds: [c:\] backup c:\ a: && del c:\*.bak;*.lst If you separate two commands by || (OR), the second command will be executed only if the first returns a non-zero exit code. For example, if the following BACKUP operation fails, then ECHO will display a message: [c:\] backup c:\ a: || echo Error in the backup! All internal commands return an exit code, but not all external programs do. Conditional commands will behave unpredictably if you use them with external programs which do not return an explicit exit code. To determine whether a particular external program returns a meaningful exit code use an ECHO %? command immediately after the program is finished. If the program's documentation does not discuss exit codes you may need to experiment with a variety of conditions to see how the exit code changes. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.7. Command Grouping ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Command grouping allows you to logically group a set of commands together by enclosing them in parentheses. The parentheses are similar in function to the BEGIN and END block statements in some programming languages. There are two primary uses for command grouping. One is to execute multiple commands in a place where normally only a single command is allowed. For example, suppose you want to execute two different REN commands in all subdirectories of your hard disk. You could do it like this: [c:\] global ren *.wx1 *.wxo [c:\] global ren *.tx1 *.txo But with command grouping you can do the same thing in one command (enter this on one line): [c:\]global (ren *.wx1 *.wxo & ren *.tx1 *.txo) The two REN commands enclosed in the parentheses appear to GLOBAL as if they were a single command, so both commands are executed for every directory, but the directories are only scanned once, not twice. This kind of command grouping is most useful with the EXCEPT, FOR, GLOBAL, and IF commands. When you use this approach in a batch file you must either place all of the commands in the group on one line, or place the opening parenthesis at the end of a line and place the commands on subsequent lines. For example, the first two of these sequences will work properly, but the third will not: for %f in (1 2 3) (echo hello %f & echo goodbye %f) for %f in (1 2 3) ( echo hello %f echo goodbye %f ) for %f in (1 2 3) (echo hello %f echo goodbye %f) The second common use of command grouping is to redirect input or output for several commands without repeatedly using the redirection symbols. For example, consider the following batch file fragment which uses the ECHO command to create a file (with >), and to append to the file (with >>): echo Data files %_date > filelist dir *.dat >> filelist echo. >> filelist echo Text files %_date >> filelist dir *.txt >> filelist Using command grouping, these commands can be written much more simply. Enter this example on one line: (echo Data files %_date & dir *.dat & echo. & echo Text files %_date & dir *.txt) > filelist The redirection, which appears outside the parentheses, applies to all the commands within the parentheses. Because the redirection is performed only once, the commands will run slightly faster than if each command was entered separately. The same approach can be used for input redirection and for piping. You can also use command grouping in a batch file or at the prompt to split commands over several lines. This last example is like the redirection example above, but is entered at the prompt. Note the "More?" prompt after each incomplete line. None of the commands are executed until the command group is completed with the closing parenthesis. This example does not have to be entered on one line: [c:\] (echo Data files %_date More? dir *.dat More? echo. More? echo Text files %_date More? dir *.txt) > filelist [c:\] A group of commands in parentheses is like a long command line. The total length of the group may not exceed 2,047 characters, whether the commands are entered from the prompt, an alias, or a batch file. The limit includes the space required to expand aliases and environment variables used within the group. In addition, each line you type at the normal prompt or the More? prompt, and each individual command within the line, must meet the usual length limit of 1,023 characters. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.8. Escape Character ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4OS2 recognizes a user-definable escape character. This character gives the following character a special meaning; it is not the same as the ASCII ESC that is often used in ANSI and printer control sequences. The default escape character is a caret [^]. If you don't like using the default escape character, you can pick another character using the SETDOS /E command, the Options 1 page of the OPTION dialogs, or the EscapeChar directive in your .INI file. If you plan to share aliases or batch files between 4OS2 and 4DOS, 4NT, or Take Command, see Special Character Compatibility for details about choosing compatible escape characters for two or more products. Ten special characters are recognized when they are preceded by the escape character. The combination of the escape character and one of these characters is translated to a single character, as shown below. These are primarily useful for redirecting codes to the printer; ^e is also useful to generate ANSI "escape sequences" in your PROMPT, ECHO, or other output commands. The special characters which can follow the escape character are: b backspace c comma e the ASCII ESC character (ASCII 27) f form feed k back quote n line feed q double quote r carriage return s space t tab character If you follow the escape character with any other character, the escape character is removed and the second character is copied directly to the command line. This allows you to suppress the normal meaning of special characters (such as ? * / \ | " ` > < and &). For example, to display a message containing a > symbol, which normally indicates redirection: [c:\] echo 2 is ^> 4 To send a form feed followed by the sequence ESC Y to the printer, you can use this command: [c:\] echos ^f^eY > prn The escape character has an additional use when it is the last character on any line of a .BAT or BTM batch file. 4OS2 recognizes this use of the escape character to signal line continuation: the command processor removes the escape character and appends the next line to the current line before executing it. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Commands ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The best way to learn the 4OS2 commands is to experiment with them. The lists below categorize the available commands by topic and will help you find the ones that you need. System configuration: ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ ΓöéCHCP CLS COLOR DATE DIRHISTORY Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéFREE HISTORY KEYS KEYBD LOG Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéMEMORY OPTION PROMPT REBOOT SETDOS Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéTIME VER VERIFY VOL Γöé ΓööΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÿ File and directory management: ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ ΓöéATTRIB COPY DEL DESCRIBE LIST Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéMOVE REN SELECT TOUCH TREE Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéTYPE Γöé ΓööΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÿ Subdirectory management: ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ ΓöéCD CDD DIR DIRS MD Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéPOPD PUSHD RD Γöé ΓööΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÿ Input and output: ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ ΓöéDRAWBOX DRAWHLINE DRAWVLINE ECHO ECHOSERR Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéECHOS ECHOERR INKEY INPUT KEYSTACK Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéSCREEN SCRPUT TEXT VSCRPUT Γöé ΓööΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÿ Commands primarily for use in or with batch files and aliases: (some work only in batch files; see the individual commands for details) ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ ΓöéALIAS BEEP CALL CANCEL DELAY Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéDO ENDLOCAL FOR GLOBAL GOSUB Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéGOTO IF IFF LOADBTM ON Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéPAUSE QUIT REM RETURN SETLOCAL Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéSHIFT SWITCH UNALIAS Γöé ΓööΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÿ Environment and path commands: ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ ΓöéDPATH ESET PATH SET UNSET Γöé ΓööΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÿ Other commands: ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ Γöé? ACTIVATE DETACH EXCEPT EXIT Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéFFIND HELP SHRALIAS START TEE Γöé Γöé Γöé ΓöéTIMER TITLE WINDOW Y Γöé ΓööΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÿ ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.1. ? - List the internal commands ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display a list of internal commands or, prompt for a command. Format: ? ["prompt " command ] prompt : Prompt text about whether to execute the command. command : Command to be executed if user answers Y Usage ? has two functions. When you use the ? command by itself, it displays a list of internal commands. If you have disabled a command with SETDOS /I, it will not appear in the list. The second function of ? is to prompt the user before executing a specific line in a batch file. If you add a prompt and a command, ? will display the prompt followed by "(Y/N)?" and wait for the user's response. If the user presses "Y" or "y", the command line will be executed. If the user presses "N" or "n", the command line will be ignored. For example, the following command might be used in a batch file: ? Load the network call netstart.btm When this command is executed, you will see the following prompt; if you answer "Y", the CALL command will be executed: Load the network (Y/N)? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.2. ACTIVATE - Activate a window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Activate a window, set its state, or change its title. Format: ACTIVATE "window " [MAX | MIN | RESTORE | CLOSE] window : Current title of window to work with. See also: START, TITLE, and WINDOW. Usage The name of the window must be enclosed in double quotes. If no options are used, the window named in the command will become the active window and be able to receive keystrokes and mouse commands. The MAX option expands the window to its maximum size, the MIN option reduces the window to an icon, and the RESTORE option returns the window to its default size and location on the desktop. The CLOSE option closes the window and ends the session running in the window. This example maximizes and then renames the window called "4OS2": [c:\] activate "4OS2" max [c:\] activate "4OS2" "Command Prompt" You can use wildcards in the window name if you only know the first part of the title. This is useful with applications that change their window title to reflect the file currently in use. ACTIVATE is often used before KEYSTACK to make sure the proper window receives the keystrokes. ACTIVATE works by sending the appropriate messages to the named window. If the window ignores or misinterprets the messages, ACTIVATE may not have the effect you want. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.3. ALIAS - Create or display aliases ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Create new command names that execute one or more commands or redefine default options for existing commands; assign commands to keystrokes; load or display the list of defined alias names. Format: ALIAS [/P /R file ...] [name [=][value ]] file : One or more files to read for alias definitions. name : Name for an alias, or for the key to execute the alias. value : Text to be substituted for the alias name. /P(ause) /R(ead file) See also: UNALIAS. Usage The ALIAS command lets you create new command names or redefine internal commands. It also lets you assign one or more commands to a single keystroke. An alias is often used to execute a complex series of commands with a few keystrokes or to create "in memory batch files" that run much faster than disk-based batch files. For example, to create a single-letter command D to display a wide directory, instead of useing the longer DIR /W, you could use the command: [c:\] alias d = dir /w Now when you type a single d as a command, it will be translated into a DIR /W command. If you define aliases for commonly used application programs, you can often remove the directories they're stored in from the PATH. For example, if you use Quattro Pro and had the C:\QPRO directory in your path, you could define the following alias: [c:\] alias qpro = c:\qpro\q.exe With this alias defined, you can probably remove C:\QPRO from your PATH. Quattro Pro will now load more quickly than it would if 4OS2 had to search the PATH for it. In addition, the PATH can be shorter, which will speed up searches for other programs. If you apply this technique for each application program, you can often reduce your PATH to just two or three directories containing utility programs, and significantly reduce the time it takes to load most software on your system. Before removing a directory from the PATH, you will need to define aliases for all the executable programs you commonly use which are stored in that directory. Aliases are stored in memory, and are not saved automatically when you turn off your computer or end your current session. See below for information on saving and reloading your aliases. Multiple Commands and Special Characters in Aliases An alias can represent more than one command. For example: [c:\] alias letters = `cd \letters & text` creates a new command called LETTERS. The command first uses CD to change to a subdirectory called \LETTERS and then runs a program called TEXT. The ampersand [&] is the command separator and indicates that the two commands are distinct and should be executed sequentially. Aliases make extensive use of the command separator, and the parameter character, and may also use the escape character. These characters differ between 4OS2, 4DOS, 4NT, and Take Command. In the text and examples below, we use the 4OS2 characters. If you want to use the same aliases under different command processors, see Special Character Compatibility. When you type alias commands at the command line or in a batch file, you must use back quotes [`] around the definition if it contains multiple commands, parameters (discussed below), environment variables, redirection, or piping. The back quotes prevent premature expansion of these arguments. You may use back quotes around other definitions, but they are not required. (You do not need back quotes when your aliases are loaded from an ALIAS /R file; see below for details.) The examples above and below include back quotes only when they are required. Nested Aliases Aliases may invoke internal commands, external commands, or other aliases. (However, an alias may not invoke itself, except in special cases where an IF or IFF command is used to prevent an infinite loop.) The two aliases below demonstrate alias nesting (one alias invoking another). The first line defines an alias which runs a program called WP.EXE that is in the E:\WP60\ subdirectory. The second alias changes directories with the PUSHD command, runs the WP alias, and then returns to the original directory with the POPD command: [c:\] alias wp = e:\wp60\wp.exe [c:\] alias w = `pushd c:\wp & wp & popd` The second alias above could have included the full path and name of the WP.EXE program instead of calling the WP alias. However, writing two aliases makes the second one easier to read and understand, and makes the first alias available for independent use. If you rename the WP.EXE program or move it to a new directory, only the first alias needs to be changed. Temporarily Disabling Aliases If you put an asterisk [*] immediately before a command in the value of an alias definition (the part after the equal sign), it tells 4OS2 not to attempt to interpret that command as another (nested) alias. An asterisk used this way must be preceded by a space or the command separator and followed immediately by an internal or external command name. By using an asterisk, you can redefine the default options for any internal or external command. For example, suppose that you always want to use the DIR command with the /2 (two column) and /P (pause at the end of each page) options. The following line will do just that: [c:\] alias dir = *dir /2/p If you didn't include the asterisk, the second DIR on the line would be the name of the alias itself, and 4OS2 would repeatedly re- invoke the DIR alias, rather than running the DIR command. This would cause an "Alias loop" or "Command line too long" error. An asterisk also helps you keep the names of internal commands from conflicting with the names of external programs. For example, suppose you have a program called LIST.COM. Normally, the internal LIST command will run anytime you type LIST. But two simple aliases will give you access to both the LIST.COM program and the LIST command: [c:\] alias list = c:\util\list.com [c:\] alias display = *list The first line above defines LIST as an alias for the LIST.COM program. If you stopped there, the external program would run every time you typed LIST and you would not have easy access to the internal LIST command. The second line renames the internal LIST command as DISPLAY. The asterisk is needed in the second command to indicate that the following word means the internal command LIST, not the LIST alias which runs your external program. Another way to understand the asterisk is to remember that a command is always checked for an alias first, then for an internal or external command, or a batch file. The asterisk at the beginning of a command name simply skips over the usual check for aliases when processing that command, and allows the command processor to go straight to checking for an internal command, external command, or batch file. You can also use an asterisk before a command that you enter at the command line or in a batch file. If you do, that command won't be interpreted as an alias. This can be useful when you want to be sure you are running the true, original command and not an alias with the same name, or temporarily defeat the purpose of an alias which changes the meaning or behavior of a command. You can also disable aliases temporarily with the SETDOS /X command. Partial Alias Names You can also use an asterisk in the name of an alias. When you do, the characters following the asterisk are optional when you invoke the alias command. (Use of an asterisk in the alias name is unrelated to the use of an asterisk in the alias value discussed above.) For example, with this alias: [c:\] alias wher*eis = dir /sp the new command, WHEREIS, can be invoked as WHER, WHERE, WHEREI, or WHEREIS. Now if you type: [c:\] where myfile.txt The WHEREIS alias will be expanded to the command: dir /sp myfile.txt Keystroke Aliases If you want to assign an alias to a keystroke, use the keyname on the left side of the equal sign, preceded by an at sign [@]. For example, to assign the command DIR /W to the F5 key, type [c:\] alias @F5 = dir /w See Keys and Key Names for a complete listing of key names and a description of the key name format. When you define keystroke aliases, the assignments will only be in effect at the command line, not inside application programs. Be careful not to assign aliases to keys that are already used at the command line (like F1 for Help). The command-line meanings take precedence and the keystroke alias will never be invoked. If you want to use one of the command-line keys for an alias instead of its normal meaning, you must first disable its regular use with the NormalKey or NormalEditKey directives in your .INI file. If you define a keystroke alias with a single at sign as shown above, then, when you press the F5 key, the value of the alias (DIR /W above) will be placed on the command line for you. You can type additional parameters if you wish and then press Enter to execute the command. With this particular alias, you can define the files that you want to display after pressing F5 and before pressing Enter to execute the command. If you want the keystroke alias to take action automatically without waiting for you to edit the command line or press Enter, you can begin the definition with two at signs [@@]. 4OS2 will execute the alias "silently," without displaying its text on the command line. For example, this command will assign an alias to the F6 key that uses the CDD command to take you back to the previous default directory: [c:\] alias @@f6 = cdd - When you define keystroke aliases, the assignments will only be in effect at the command line, not inside application programs. Be careful not to assign aliases to keys that are already used at the command line (like F1 for Help). The command-line meanings take precedence and the keystroke alias will never be invoked. If you want to use one of the command-line keys for an alias instead of its normal meaning, you must first disable its regular use with the NormalKey or NormalEditKey directives in your .INI file. You can also define a keystroke alias by using "@" or "@@" plus a scan code for one of the permissible keys (see the Reference Tables for a list of scan codes). In most cases it will be easier to use key names. Scan codes should only be used with unusual keyboards where a key name is not available for the key you are using. Displaying Aliases If you want to see a list of all current ALIAS commands, type: [c:\] alias You can also view the definition of a single alias. For example, if you want to see the definition of the alias LIST, you can type: [c:\] alias list Saving and Reloading Your Aliases You can save your aliases to a file called ALIAS.LST this way: [c:\] alias > alias.lst You can then reload all the alias definitions in the file the next time you boot up with the command: [c:\] alias /r alias.lst This is much faster than defining each alias individually in a batch file. If you keep your alias definitions in a separate file which you load when your system starts, you can edit them with a text editor, reload the edited file with ALIAS /R, and know that the same alias list will be loaded the next time you boot your computer. When you define aliases in a file that will be read with the ALIAS /R command, you do not need back quotes around the value, even if back quotes would normally be required when defining the same alias at the command line or in a batch file. To remove an alias, use the UNALIAS command. Alias Parameters Aliases can use command-line arguments or parameters like those in batch files. The command-line arguments are numbered from %0 to %127. %0 contains the alias name. It is up to the alias to determine the meaning of the other parameters. You can use quotation marks to pass spaces, tabs, commas, and other special characters in an alias parameter; see Argument Quoting for details. Parameters that are referred to in an alias, but which are missing on the command line, appear as empty strings inside the alias. For example, if you put two parameters on the command line, any reference in the alias to %3 or any higher-numbered parameter will be interpreted as an empty string. The parameter %n$ has a special meaning. 4OS2 interprets it to mean "the entire command line, from argument n to the end." If n is not specified, it has a default value of 1, so %$ means "the entire command line after the alias name." The special parameter %# contains the number of command-line arguments. For example, the following alias will change directories, perform a command, and return to the original directory: [c:\] alias in `pushd %1 & %2$ & popd` When this alias is invoked as: [c:\] in c:\comm mycomm /zmodem /56K the first parameter, %1, has the value c:\comm. %2 is mycomm, %3 is /zmodem, and %4 is /56K. The command line expands into these three separate commands: pushd c:\comm mycomm /zmodem /56K popd This next example uses the IFF command to redefine the defaults for SET. It should be entered on one line: [c:\] alias set = `iff %# == 0 then & *set /p & else & *set %& & endiff` This modifies the SET command so that if SET is entered with no arguments, it is replaced by SET /P (pause after displaying each page), but if SET is followed by an argument, it behaves normally. Note the use of asterisks (*set) to prevent alias loops. If an alias uses parameters, command-line arguments will be deleted up to and including the highest referenced argument. For example, if an alias refers only to %1 and %4, then the first and fourth arguments will be used, the second and third arguments will be discarded, and any additional arguments beyond the fourth will be appended to the expanded command (after the value portion of the alias). If an alias uses no parameters, all of the command-line arguments will be appended to the expanded command. Aliases also have full access to all variables in the environment, internal variables, and variable functions. For example, you can create a simple command-line calculator this way: [c:\] alias calc = `echo The answer is: %@eval[%&]` Now, if you enter: [c:\] calc 5 * 6 the alias will display: The answer is: 30 Expanding Aliases at the Prompt You can expand an alias on the command line and view or edit the results by pressing Ctrl-F after typing the alias name, but before the command is executed. This replaces the alias with its contents, and substitutes values for each alias paramter, just as if you had pressed the Enter key. However, the command is not executed; it is simply redisplayed on the command line for additional editing. Ctrl-F is especially useful when you are developing and debugging a complex alias, or if you want to make sure that an alias that you may have forgotten won't change the effect of your command. Local and Global Aliases The aliases can be stored in either a "local" or "global" list. With a local alias list, any changes made to the aliases will only affect the current copy of 4OS2. They will not be visible in other shells or other sessions. With a global alias list, all copies of 4OS2 will share the same alias list, and any changes made to the aliases in one copy will affect all other copies. This is the default. You can control the type of alias list with the LocalAliases directive in the .INI file, and with the /L and /LA options of the START command. Whenever you start a secondary shell which uses a local alias list, it inherits a copy of the aliases from the previous shell. However, any changes to the aliases made in the secondary shell will affect only that shell. If you want changes made in a secondary shell to affect the previous shell, use a global alias list in both shells. Retaining Global Aliases with SHRALIAS If you select a global alias list for 4OS2 you can share the aliases among all copies of 4OS2 running in any session. When you close all 4OS2 sessions, the memory for the global alias list is released, and a new, empty alias list is created the next time you start 4OS2. If you want the alias list to be retained in memory even when no command processor session is running, execute the SHRALIAS command, which loads a program to perform this service for the global alias list, the global command history list, and the global directory history. You may find it convenient to execute SHRALIAS from your 4START file, or from STARTUP.CMD. SHRALIAS retains the alias list in memory, but cannot preserve it when OS/2 itself is shut down. To save your aliases when restarting OS/2, you must store them in a file and reload them after the system restarts. For details on how to do so, see Saving and Reloading Your Aliases (above). The UNKNOWN_CMD Alias If you create an alias with the name UNKNOWN_CMD, it will be executed any time 4OS2 would normally issue an "Unknown command" error message. This allows you to define your own handler for unknown commands. When the UNKNOWN_CMD alias is executed, the command line which generated the error is passed to the alias for possible processing. For example, to display the command that caused the error: alias unknown_cmd `echo Error in command "%&"` If the UNKNOWN_CMD alias contains an unknown command, it will call itself repeatedly. If this occurs, the command processor will loop up to 10 times, then display an "UKNOWN_CMD loop" error. Options /P: (Pause) This option is only effective when ALIAS is used to display existing definitions. It pauses the display after each page and waits for a keystroke before continuing (see Page and File Prompts). /R: (Read file) This option loads an alias list from a file. The format of the file is the same as that of the ALIAS display: name=value where name is the name of the alias and value is its value. You can use an equal sign [=] or space to separate the name and value. Back quotes are not required around the value. You can add comments to the file by starting each comment line with a colon [:]. You can load multiple files with one ALIAS /R command by placing the names on the command line, separated by spaces: [c:\] alias /r alias1.lst alias2.lst Each definition in an ALIAS /R file can be up to 2047 characters long. The definitions can span multiple lines in the file if each line, except the last, is terminated with an escape character. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.4. ATTRIB - Change or view file attributes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Change or view file and subdirectory attributes. Format: ATTRIB [/A:[[-]rhsda] /D /E /P /Q /S] [+|-[AHRS]] file ... file : A file, directory, or list of files or directories on which to operate. /A: (Attribute select) /P(ause) /D(irectories) /Q(uiet) /E (No error messages) /S(ubdirectories) Attribute flags: +A Set the archive attribute -A Clear the archive attribute +H Set the hidden attribute -H Clear the hidden attribute +R Set the read-only attribute -R Clear the read-only attribute +S Set the system attribute -S Clear the system attribute File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Usage Every file and subdirectory has 4 attributes that can be turned on (set) or turned off (cleared): Archive, Hidden, Read- only, and System. The ATTRIB command lets you view, set, or clear attributes for any file, group of files, or subdirectory. You can view file attributes by entering ATTRIB without specifying new attributes (i.e., without the [+|-[AHRS]] part of the format), or with the DIR /T command. You can view file attributes by entering ATTRIB without specifying new attributes (i.e., without the [+|-[AHRS]] part of the format). (You can also view file attributes with the DIR /T command.) The primary use of ATTRIB is to set attributes. For example, you can set the read-only and hidden attributes for the file MEMO: [c:\] attrib +rh memo Attribute options apply to the file(s) that follow the options on the ATTRIB command line. The example below shows how to set different attributes on different files with a single command. It sets the archive attribute for all .TXT files, then sets the system attribute and clears the archive attribute for TEST.COM : [c:\] attrib +a *.txt +s -a test.com When you use ATTRIB on an HPFS drive, you must quote any file names which contain whitespace or special characters. See File Names for additional details. To change directory attributes, use the /D switch. If you give ATTRIB a directory name instead of a file name, and omit /D, it will append "\*.*" to the end of the name and act on all files in that directory, rather than acting on the directory itself. Your operating system also supports "D" (subdirectory) and "V" (volume label) attributes. These attributes cannot be altered with ATTRIB; they are designed to be controlled only by the operating system itself. ATTRIB will ignore underlines in the new attribute (the [+|-[AHRS]] part of the command). For example, ATTRIB sees these two commands as identical: [c:\] attrib +a filename [c:\] attrib +__A_ filename This allows you to use a string of attributes from either the @ATTRIB variable function or from ATTRIB itself (both of which use underscores to represent attributes that are not set) and send that string back to ATTRIB to set attributes for other files. For example, to clear the attributes of FILE2 and then set its attributes to match those of FILE1 (enter this on one line): [c:\] attrib -arhs file2 & attrib +%@attrib[file1] file2 Options /A:: (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the specified attribute(s) set. Preceding the attribute character with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that attribute set. The colon [:] after /A is required. The attributes are: R Read-only H Hidden S System D Subdirectory A Archive If no attributes are listed at all (e.g., ATTRIB /A: ...), ATTRIB will select all files and subdirectories including hidden and system files. If attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a file to be selected. For example, /A:RHS will select only those files with all three attributes set. The /A: switch specifies which files to select, not which attributes to set. For example, to remove the archive attribute from all hidden files, you could use this command: [c:\] attrib /a:h -a *.* /D: (Directories) If you use the /D option, ATTRIB will modify the attributes of subdirectories in addition to files (yes, you can have a hidden subdirectory): [c:\] attrib /d +h c:\mydir If you use a directory name instead of a file name, and omit /D, ATTRIB will append "\*.*" to the end of the name and act on all files in that directory, rather than acting on the directory itself. /E: (No error messages) Suppress all non-fatal error messages, such as "File Not Found." Fatal error messages, such as "Drive not ready," will still be displayed. This option is most useful in batch files and aliases. /P: (Pause) Wait for a key to be pressed after each screen page before continuing the display. Your options at the prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. /Q: (Quiet) This option turns off ATTRIB's normal screen output. It is most useful in batch files. /S: (Subdirectories) If you use the /S option, the ATTRIB command will be applied to all matching files in the current or named directory and all of its subdirectories. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.5. BEEP - Beep the speaker ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Beep the speaker or play simple music. Format: BEEP [frequency duration ...] frequency : The beep frequency in Hertz (cycles per second). duration : The beep length in 1/18th second intervals. Usage BEEP generates a sound through your computer's speaker. It is normally used in batch files to signal that an operation has been completed, or that the computer needs attention. Because BEEP allows you to specify the frequency and duration of the sound, you can also use it to play simple music or to create different kinds of signals for the user. You can include as many frequency and duration pairs as you wish. No sound will be generated for frequencies less than 20 Hz, allowing you to use BEEP as a way to create short delays. The default value for frequency is 440 Hz; the default value for duration is 2. This batch file fragment runs a program called DEMO, then plays a few notes and waits for you to press a key: demo & beep 440 4 600 2 1040 6 pause Finished with the demo - hit a key... The following table gives the frequency values for a five octave range (middle C is 262 Hz): ΓòöΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòñΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòñΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòñΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòñΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòñΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòù Γòæ C Γöé 131 Γöé 262 Γöé 523 Γöé 1046 Γöé 2093 Γòæ Γòæ C#/Db Γöé 139 Γöé 277 Γöé 554 Γöé 1108 Γöé 2217 Γòæ Γòæ D Γöé 147 Γöé 294 Γöé 587 Γöé 1175 Γöé 2349 Γòæ Γòæ D#/Eb Γöé 156 Γöé 311 Γöé 622 Γöé 1244 Γöé 2489 Γòæ Γòæ E Γöé 165 Γöé 330 Γöé 659 Γöé 1318 Γöé 2637 Γòæ Γòæ F Γöé 175 Γöé 349 Γöé 698 Γöé 1397 Γöé 2794 Γòæ Γòæ F#/Gb Γöé 185 Γöé 370 Γöé 740 Γöé 1480 Γöé 2960 Γòæ Γòæ G Γöé 196 Γöé 392 Γöé 784 Γöé 1568 Γöé 3136 Γòæ Γòæ G#/Ab Γöé 208 Γöé 415 Γöé 831 Γöé 1662 Γöé 3322 Γòæ Γòæ A Γöé 220 Γöé 440 Γöé 880 Γöé 1760 Γöé 3520 Γòæ Γòæ A#/Bb Γöé 233 Γöé 466 Γöé 932 Γöé 1866 Γöé 3729 Γòæ Γòæ B Γöé 248 Γöé 494 Γöé 988 Γöé 1973 Γöé 3951 Γòæ ΓòÜΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòºΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòºΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòºΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòºΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòºΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉΓò¥ ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.6. CALL - Execute one batch file from another ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Execute one batch file from within another. Format: CALL [/Q] file file : The batch file to execute. /Q(uiet) See also: CANCEL and QUIT. Usage CALL allows batch files to call other batch files (batch file nesting). The calling batch file is suspended while the called (second) batch file runs. When the second batch file finishes, the original batch file resumes execution at the next command. If you execute a batch file from inside another batch file without using CALL, the first batch file is terminated before the second one starts. The following batch file fragment compares an input line to "wp" and calls another batch file if it matches: input Enter your choice: %%option if "%option" == "wp" call wp.bat 4OS2 supports batch file nesting up to ten levels deep. The current ECHO state is inherited by a called batch file, except when the /Q. The called batch file should always either return (by executing its last line, or using the QUIT command), or terminate batch file processing with CANCEL. Do not restart or CALL the original batch file from within the called file as this may cause an infinite loop or a stack overflow. CALL returns an exit code which matches the batch file return code. You can test this exit code with the %_? or %? environment variable, and use it with conditional commands. Options /Q: (Quiet) Starts the new batch file with echo off, regardless of the current batch file's echo state. This switch is provided for compatibility with OS/2's CMD.EXE. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.7. CANCEL - Terminate batch file processing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Terminate batch file processing. Format: CANCEL [value ] value : The numeric exit code to return to 4OS2. See also: CALL and QUIT. Usage The CANCEL command ends all batch file processing, regardless of the batch file nesting level. Use QUIT to end a nested batch file and return to the previous batch file. You can CANCEL at any point in a batch file. If CANCEL is used from within an alias it will end execution of both the alias and any batch files which are running at the time. The following batch file fragment compares an input line to "end" and terminates all batch file processing if it matches: input Enter your choice: %%option if "%option" == "end" cancel If you specify a value, CANCEL will set the ERRORLEVEL or exit code to that value (see the IF command, and the %? variable). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.8. CD - Change the current directory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display or change the current directory. Format: CD [ path | - ] or CHDIR [ path | - ] path : The directory to change to, including an optional drive name. See also: CDD, MD, PUSHD, RD, CDPATH, and Directory Navigation. Usage CD and CHDIR are synonyms. You can use either one. CD lets you navigate through a drive's structure by changing the current working directory. If you enter CD and a directory name, the named directory becomes the new current directory. For example, to change to the subdirectory C:\FINANCE\MYFILES : [c:\] cd \finance\myfiles [c:\finance\myfiles] Every disk drive on the system has its own current directory. Specifying both a drive and a directory in the CD command will change the current directory on the specified drive, but will not change the default drive. For example, to change the default directory on drive A: [c:\] cd a:\utility [c:\] Notice that this command does not change to drive A:. Use the CDD command to change the current drive and directory at the same time. When you use CD to change to a directory on an HPFS drive, you must quote the path name if it contains whitespace or special characters. See File Names and File Systems for additional details. You can change to the parent directory with CD ..; you can also go up one additional directory level with each additional [.]. For example, CD .... will go up three levels in the directory tree (see Extended Parent Directory Names). You can move to a sibling directory -- one that branches from the same parent directory as the current subdirectory -- with a command like CD ..\newdir. If you enter CD with no argument or with only a disk drive name, it will display the current directory on the default or named drive. If CD cannot change to the directory you have specified it will attempt to search the CDPATH and the extended directory search database in order to find a matching directory and switch to it. You can also use wildcards in the path to force an extended directory search. See the section on Directory Navigation for complete details on these and other directory navigation features. CD saves the current directory before changing to a new directory. You can switch back to the previous directory by entering CD - (there must be a space between the CD command and the hyphen). You can switch back and forth between two directories by repeatedly entering CD -. The saved directory is the same for both the CD and CDD commands. Drive changes and automatic directory changes also modify the saved directory, so you can use CD - to return to a directory that you exited with an automatic directory change. Directory changes made with CD are also recorded in the directory history list and can be displayed in the directory history window, which allows you to return quickly to a recently-used directory. CD never changes the default drive. If you change directories on one drive, switch to another drive, and then enter CD -, the directory will be restored on the first drive but the current drive will not be changed. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.9. CDD - Change the current drive and directory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Change the current disk drive and directory. Format: CDD [/A /S[drive ...]] [path | - ] path : The name of the directory (or drive and directory) to change to. drive : A drive or list of drives to include in the extended directory search database. /A(ll drives) /S(earch tree) See also: CD, MD, PUSHD, RD, CDPATH, and Directory Navigation. Usage CDD is similar to the CD command, except that it also changes the default disk drive if one is specified. CDD will change to the directory and drive you name. To change from the root directory on drive A to the subdirectory C:\WP: [a:\] cdd c:\wp [c:\wp] You can change to the parent directory with CDD ..; you can also go up one additional directory level with each additional [.]. For example, CDD .... will go up three levels in the directory tree (see Extended Parent Directory Names). CDD can also change to a network drive and directory specified with a UNC name (see File Systems for more information about network directories). When you use CDD to change to a directory on an HPFS drive, you must quote the path name if it contains whitespace or special characters. See File Names and File Systems for additional details. If CDD cannot change to the directory you have specified it will attempt to search the CDPATH and the extended directory search database in order to find a matching directory and switch to it. You can also use wildcards in the path to force an extended directory search. See the section on Directory Navigation for complete details on these and other directory navigation features. CDD saves the current drive and directory before changing to a new directory. You can switch back to the previous drive and directory by entering CDD - (there must be a space between the CDD command and the hyphen). You can switch back and forth between two drives and directories by repeatedly entering CDD -. The saved directory is the same for both the CD and CDD commands. Drive changes and automatic directory changes also modify the saved directory, so you can use CDD - to return to a directory that you exited with a drive change or an automatic directory change. Directory changes made with CDD are also recorded in the directory history list and can be displayed in the directory history window, which allows you to return quickly to a recently-used directory. Options /A: (All drives) When CDD is used with this option, it displays the current directory on all drives from C: to the last drive in the system. You cannot move to a new drive and directory and use /A in the same command. /S: (Search tree) Builds or rebuilds the Extended Directory Search database, JPSTREE.IDX. You cannot move to a new drive and directory and use /S in the same command. To include all local hard drives in the database use the command: cdd /s To limit or add to the list of drives included in the database, list the drives and network volume names after the /S switch. For example, to include drives C, D, E, and the network volume \\server\dir1 in the database, use this command: cdd /s cde \\server\dir1 All non-hidden directories on the listed drives will be indexed; you cannot restrict the database to certain directories within a drive. Each time you use /S, everything in the previous directory database is replaced by the new database that is created. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.10. CHCP - Change the current code page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display or change the current system code page. Format: CHCP [n ] n : A system code page number. Usage Code page switching allows you to select different character sets for language support. If you enter CHCP without a number, the current code page is displayed. [c:\] chcp Active code page: 437 If you enter CHCP plus a code page number, the system code page is changed. For example, to set the code page to multilingual: [c:\] chcp 850 CHCP only affects the current 4OS2 session, and any new programs started from within that session; the active code page in other sessions remains unchanged. CHCP accepts one of the prepared system code pages. An error message is displayed if a code page is selected that has not been prepared for the system. See your OS/2 documentation for more information on CHCP. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.11. CLS - Clear the screen ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Clear the video display and move the cursor to the upper left corner; optionally change the default display and border colors. Format: CLS [[BRIght] [BLInk] fg ON [BRIght] bg ] [BORder bc ] fg : The new foreground color bg : The new background color bc : The new border color Usage CLS can be used to clear the screen without changing colors, or to clear the screen and change the screen colors simultaneously. These three examples show how to clear the screen to the default colors, to bright white letters on a blue background, and to bright yellow letters on a magenta background with a blue border: [c:\] cls [c:\] cls bright white on blue [c:\] cls bri yel on mag bor blu CLS is often used in batch files to clear the screen before displaying text. See Colors and Color Names for details about colors and notes on the use of bright background colors. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.12. COLOR - Change the display colors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Change the default display colors. Format: COLOR [BRIght] [BLInk] fg ON [BRIght] bg [BORder bc ] fg : The new foreground color bg : The new background color bc : The new border color See also: CLS, and Colors and Color Names for details about using colors. Usage COLOR is normally used in batch files before displaying text. For example, to set screen colors to bright white on blue, you can use this command: [c:\] color bright white on blue ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.13. COPY - Copy files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Copy data between disks, directories, files, or physical hardware devices (such as your printer or serial port). Format: COPY [/A:[[-]rhsda] /C /E /H /K /M /N /P /Q /R /S /T /U /V /X /Z] source [+] ... [/A /B] destination [/A /B] source : A file or list of files or a device to copy from . destination : A file, directory, or device to copy to . /A(SCII) /P(rompt) /A: (Attribute select) /Q(uiet) /B(inary) /R(eplace) /C(hanged) /S(ubdirectories) /E (no Error messages) /T(otals) /H(idden) /U(pdate) /K(eep attributes) /V(erify) /M(odified) /X (clear archive) /N(othing) /Z (overwrite) See also: ATTRIB, MOVE, and REN. File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Date, time, size, or exclude ranges anywhere on the line apply to all source files. Usage The COPY command accepts all traditional syntax and options and adds many new features. The simplest use of COPY is to make a copy of a file, like this example which makes a copy of a file called FILE1.ABC : [c:\] copy file1.abc file2.def You can also copy a file to another drive and/or directory. The following command copies FILE1 to the \MYDIR directory on drive E: [c:\] copy file1 e:\mydir You can copy several files at once by using wildcards: [c:\] copy *.txt e:\mydir When you COPY files to or from an HPFS drive, you must quote the path name if it contains whitespace or special characters. See File Names and File Systems for additional details. Copying Files You can copy several files at once by using wildcards: [c:\] copy *.txt e:\mydir You can also list several source files in one command. The following command copies 3 files from the current directory to the \MYDIR directory on drive E: [c:\] copy file1 file2 file3 e:\mydir COPY also understands include lists, so you can specify several different kinds of files in the same command. This command copies the .TXT, .DOC, and .BAT files from the E:\MYDIR directory to the root directory of drive A: [c:\] copy e:\mydir\*.txt;*.doc;*.bat a:\ If there is only one argument on the line, COPY assumes it is the source, and uses the current drive and directory as the destination. For example, the following command copies all the .DAT files on drive A to the current directory on drive C: [c:\data] copy a:*.dat If there are two or more arguments on the line, separated by spaces, then COPY assumes that the last argument is the destination and copies all source files to this new location. If the destination is a drive, directory, or device name then the source files are copied individually to the new location. If the destination is a file name, the first source file is copied to the destination, and any additional source files are then appended to the new destination file. For example, the first of these commands copies the .DAT files from the current directory on drive A individually to C:\MYDIR (which must already exist as a directory); the second appends all the .DAT files together into one large file called C:\DATA (assuming C:\DATA is not a directory): [c:\] copy a:*.dat c:\mydir\ [c:\] copy a:*.dat c:\data When you copy to a directory, if you add a backslash [\] to the end of the name as shown in the first example above, COPY will display an error message if the name does not refer to an existing directory. You can use this feature to keep COPY from treating a mistyped destination directory name as a file name and attempting to append all your source files to a destination file, when you really meant to copy them individually to a destination directory. To copy a file to a device such as the printer, use the device name as the destination, for example: [c:\] copy schedule.txt prn To copy text to or from the clipboard use CLIP: as the device name. Using CLIP: with non-text data will produce unpredictable results. See Redirection for additional information on CLIP:. Appending Files A plus [+] tells COPY to append two or more files to a single destination file. If you list several source files separated with [+] and don't specify a destination, COPY will use the name of the first source file as the destination, and append each subsequent file to the first file. For example, the following command will append the contents of C:\MEMO2 and C:\MEMO3 to C:\MEMO1 and leave the combined contents in the file named C:\MEMO1 : [c:\] copy memo1+memo2+memo3 To append the same three files but store the result in BIGMEMO: [c:\] copy memo1+memo2+memo3 bigmemo To append C:\MEM\MEMO2 and C:\MEM\MEMO3 to D:\DATA\MEMO1, and leave the result in C:\MEM\MEMO1 : If no destination is specified, the destination file will always be created in the current directory even if the first source file is in another directory or on another drive. For example, this command will append C:\MEM\MEMO2 and C:\MEM\MEMO3 to D:\DATA\MEMO1, and leave the result in C:\MEM\MEMO1 : [c:\mem] copy d:\data\memo1+memo2+memo3 You cannot append files to a device (such as a printer); if you try to do so, COPY will ignore the [+] signs and copy the files individually. If you attempt to append several source files to a destination directory or disk, COPY will append the files and place the copy in the new location with the same name as the first source file. Advanced Features If your destination has wildcards in it, COPY will attempt to match them with the source names. For example, this command copies the .DAT files from drive A to C:\MYDIR and gives the new copies the extension .DX : [c:\] copy a:*.dat c:\mydir\*.dx This feature can give you unexpected results if you use it with multiple source file names. For example, suppose that drive A contains XYZ.DAT and XYZ.TXT. The command [c:\] copy a:\*.dat a:\*.txt c:\mydir\*.dx will copy A:XYZ.DAT to C:\MYDIR\XYZ.DX. Then it will copy A:XYZ.TXT to C:\MYDIR\XYZ.DX, overwriting the first file it copied. COPY also understands include lists, so you can specify several different kinds of files in the same command. This command copies the .TXT, .DOC, and .BAT files from the E:\MYDIR directory to the root directory of drive A: [c:\] copy e:\mydir\*.txt;*.doc;*.bat a:\ You can use date, time, and size ranges to further define the files that you want to copy. This example copies every file in the E:\MYDIR directory, which was created or modified yesterday, and which is also 10,000 bytes or smaller in size, to the root directory of drive A: [c:\] copy /[d-1] /[s0,10000] e:\mydir\*.* a:\ You can also use file exclusion ranges to restrict the list of files that would normally be selected with wildcards. This example copies every file in the E:\MYDIR directory except backup (.BAK or .BK!) files: [c:\] copy /[!*.bak;*.bk!] e:\mydir\*.* a:\ COPY will normally process source files which do not have the hidden or system attribute, and will ignore the read-only and archive attributes. It will always set the archive attribute and clear the read-only attribute of destination files. In addition, if the destination is an existing file with the read-only attribute, COPY will generate an "Access Denied" error and refuse to overwrite the file. You can alter some of these behaviors with switches: /A: Forces COPY to process source files with the attributes you specify after the ":", or to process all source files regardless of attributes (if /A: is used by itself). /H Forces COPY to process hidden and system source files, as well as normal files. The hidden and system attributes from each source file will be preserved when creating the destination files. /K Retains the read-only attribute from each source file when creating the destinationfile. See /K below for a special note if you are running under Novell Netware. /Z Forces COPY to overwrite an existing read-only destination file. Use caution with /A:, /H, or /K when both the source and destination directories contain file descriptions. If the source file specification matches the description file name (normally DESCRIPT.ION), and you use a switch which tells COPY to process hidden files, the DESCRIPT.ION file itself will be copied, overwriting any existing file descriptions in the destination directory. For example, if the \DATA directory contains file descriptions this command would overwrite any existing descriptions in the \SAVE directory: [c:\data] copy /h d*.* \save\ (If you remove the hidden attribute from the DESCRIPT.ION file the same caution applies even if you do not use /A:, /H, or /K, as DESCRIPT.ION is then treated like any other file.) If you copy a file from a FAT volume to an HPFS volume, and you do not give an explicit destination name (i.e. you are moving the file to the current directory, or your destination name is made up entirely of wildcards), COPY will look for a .LONGNAME extended attribute for the source file. If it finds that attribute, it will use the long filename for the destination file. If it does not, it will use the short name. Similarly, if you COPY files with long filenames from an HPFS volume to a FAT volume, 4OS2 will create the destination files with short, FAT-compatible names and save the long filenames in the .LONGNAME extended attribute. The short name is created by replacing special characters with underscores, adding numeric digits to the filename (if necessary) to make the new name unique, and truncating the name to fit with in the "8.3" FAT name structure. Options The /A(SCII) and /B(inary) options apply to the preceding filename and to all subsequent filenames on the command line until the file name preceding the next /A or /B, if any. The other options (/A:, /C, /E, /H, /K, /M, /N, /P, /Q, /R, /S, /T, /U, /V, /X, /Z) apply to all filenames on the command line, no matter where you put them. For example, either of the following commands could be used to copy a font file to the printer in binary mode: [c:\] copy /b myfont.dat prn [c:\] copy myfont.dat /b prn Some options do not make sense in certain contexts, in which case COPY will ignore them. For example, you cannot prompt before replacing an existing file when the destination is a device such as the printer -- there's no such thing as an "existing file" on the printer. If you use conflicting output options, like /Q and /P, COPY will generally take a "conservative" approach and give priority to the option which generates more prompts or more information. /A: (ASCII) If you use /A with a source filename, the file will be copied up to, but not including, the first Ctrl-Z (Control-Z or ASCII 26) character in the file (some application programs use the Ctrl-Z to mark the end of a file). If you use /A with a destination filename, a Ctrl-Z will be added to the end of the file. /A is the default when appending files, or when the destination is a device like NUL or PRN, rather than a disk file. Also see /B. /A:: (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the specified attribute(s) set. Preceding the attribute character with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that attribute set. The colon [:] after /A is required. The attributes are: R Read-only H Hidden S System D Subdirectory A Archive If no attributes are listed at all (e.g., COPY /A: ...), COPY will select all files and subdirectories including hidden and system files. If attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a file to be selected. For example, /A:RHS will select only those files with all three attributes set. See the cautionary note under Advanced Features above before using /A: when both source and destination directories contain file descriptions. You must include the colon with this option to distinguish it from the /A(SCII) switch, above. /B: (Binary) If you use /B with a source filename, the entire file is copied; Ctrl-Z characters in the file do not affect the copy operation. Using /B with a destination filename prevents addition of a Ctrl-Z to the end of the destination file. /B is the default for normal file copies. Also see /A. /C: (Changed files) Copy files only if the destination file exists and is older than the source (see also /U). This option is useful for updating the files in one directory from those in another without copying any newly created files. /E: (no Error messages) Suppress all non-fatal error messages, such as "File not found." Fatal error messages, such as "Drive not ready," will still be displayed. This option is most useful in batch files and aliases. /H: (Hidden) Copy all matching files including those with the hidden and/or system attribute set. See the cautionary note under Advanced Features above before using /H when both source and destination directories contain file descriptions. /K: (Keep attributes) To maintain compatibility with CMD.EXE, COPY normally maintains the hidden and system attributes, sets the archive attribute, and removes the read-only attribute on the destination file. /K tells COPY to also maintain the read-only attribute on the destination file. However, if the destination is on a Novell Netware volume, this option will fail to maintain the read-only attribute. This is due to the way Netware handles file attributes, and is not a problem in COPY. /M: (Modified) Copy only those files with the archive attribute set, i.e., those which have been modified since the last backup. The archive attribute of the source will not be cleared after copying; to clear it use the /X switch, or use ATTRIB. /N: (Nothing) Do everything except actually perform the copy. This option is useful for testing what the result of a complex COPY command will be. /N does not prevent creation of destination subdirectories when it is used with /s. /P: (Prompt) Ask the user to confirm each source file. Your options at the prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. /Q: (Quiet) Don't display filenames or the total number of files copied. This option is most often used in batch files. See also /T. /R: (Replace) Prompt the user before overwriting an existing file. Your options at the prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. /S: (Subdirectories) Copy the subdirectory tree starting with the files in the source directory plus each subdirectory below that. The destination must be a directory; if it doesn't exist, COPY will attempt to create it. COPY will also attempt to create needed subdirectories on the tree below the destination, including empty source directories. If COPY /S creates one or more destination directories, they will be added automatically to the extended directory search database. If you attempt to use COPY /S to copy a subdirectory tree into part of itself, COPY will detect the resulting infinite loop, display an error message, and exit. /T: (Totals) Turns off the display of filenames, like /Q, but does display the total number of files copied. /U: (Update) Copy each source file only if it is newer than a matching destination file or if a matching destination file does not exist (see also /C). This option is useful for keeping one directory matched with another with a minimum of copying. /V: (Verify) Verify each disk write. This is the same as executing the VERIFY ON command, but is only active during the COPY. /V does not read back the file and compare its contents with what was written; it only verifies that the data written to disk is physically readable. /X: Clears the archive attribute from the source file after a successful copy. This option is most useful if you are using COPY to maintain a set of backup files. /Z: Overwrites read-only destination files. Without this option, COPY will fail with an "Access denied" error if the destination file has its read-only attribute set. This option allows COPY to overwrite read-only files without generating any errors. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.14. DATE - Change the system date ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display and optionally change the system date. Format: DATE [mm -dd -yy ] mm : The month (1 - 12). dd : The day (1 - 31). yy : The year (00 - 99, or a 4- digit year). See also: TIME. Usage If you simply type DATE without any parameters, you will see the current system date and time, and be prompted for a new date. Press ENTER if you don't wish to change the date. If you type a new date, it will become the current system date, which is included in the directory entry for each file as it is created or altered: [c:\] date Mon Dec 22, 1997 9:30:06 Enter new date (mm-dd-yy): You can also enter a new system date by typing the DATE command plus the new date on the command line: [c:\] date 10-16-97 You can use hyphens, slashes, or periods to separate the month, day, and year entries. The year can be entered as a 4-digit or 2-digit value. Two-digit years between 80 and 99 are interpreted as 1980 - 1999; values between 00 and 79 are interpreted as 2000 - 2079. DATE adjusts the format it expects depending on your country settings. When entering the date, use the correct format for the country setting currently in effect on your system. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.15. DEL - Delete one or more files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Erase one file, a group of files, or entire subdirectories. Format: DEL [/A:[[-]rhsda] /E /F /N /P /Q /S /T /W /X /Y /Z] file ... or ERASE [/A:[[-]rhsda] /E /F /N /P /Q /S /T /W /X /Y /Z] file ... file : The file, subdirectory, or list of files or subdirectories to erase. /A: (ttribute select) /S(ubdirectories) /E (no Error messages) /T(otal) /F(orce delete) /W(ipe) /N(othing) /X (remove empty subdirectories) /P(rompt) /Y(es to all prompts) /Q(uiet) /Z(ap hidden and read-only files) File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Usage DEL and ERASE are synonyms, you can use either one. Use the DEL and ERASE commands with caution; the files and subdirectories that you erase may be impossible to recover without specialized utilities and a lot of work. To erase a single file, simply enter the file name: [c:\] del letters.txt You can also erase multiple files in a single command. For example, to erase all the files in the current directory with a .BAK or .PRN extension: [c:\] del *.bak *.prn When you use DEL on an HPFS drive, you must quote any file names which contain whitespace or special characters. See File Names for additional details. To exclude files from a DEL command, use a file exclusion range. For example, to delete all files in the current directory except those whose extension is .TXT, use a command like this: [c:\] del /[!*.TXT] *.* When using exclusion ranges or other more complex options you may want to use the /N switch first, to preview the effects of the DEL without actually deleting any files. If you enter a subdirectory name, or a filename composed only of wildcards (* and/or ?), DEL asks for confirmation (Y or N) unless you specified the /Y option. If you respond with a Y, DEL will delete all the files in that subdirectory (hidden, system, and read-only files are only deleted if you use the /Z option). DEL displays the amount of disk space recovered, unless the /Q option is used (see below). It does so by comparing the amount of free disk space before and after the DEL command is executed. This amount may be incorrect if you are using a deletion tracking system which stores deleted files in a hidden directory, or if, under a multitasking system, another program performs a file operation while the DEL command is executing. Remember that DEL removes file descriptions along with files. Most deletion tracking systems will not be able to save or recover a file's description, even if they can save or recover the data in a file. When a file is deleted, its disk space is returned to the operating system for use by other files. However, the contents of the file remain on the disk until they are overwritten by another file. If you wish to obliterate a file or wipe its contents clean, use DEL /W, which overwrites the file with zeros before deleting it. Use this option with caution -- once a file is obliterated, it is impossible to recover. DEL returns a non-zero exit code if no files are deleted, or if another error occurs. You can test this exit code with the %_? environment variable, and use it with the conditional commands && and ||). Options /A:: (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the specified attribute(s) set. Preceding the attribute character with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that attribute set. The colon [:] after /A is required. The attributes are: R Read-only H Hidden S System D Subdirectory A Archive If no attributes are listed at all (e.g., DEL /A: ...), DEL will select all files and subdirectories including hidden and system files. If attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a file to be selected. For example, /A:RHS will select only those files with all three attributes set. /E: (No error messages) Suppress all non-fatal error messages, such as "File Not Found." Fatal error messages, such as "Drive not ready," will still be displayed. This option is most useful in batch files and aliases. /F: (Force delete) This option forces deletion of the file without saving it to the DELDIR directory (if DELDIR is not in use, /F has no effect). /N: (Nothing) Do everything except actually delete the file(s). This is useful for testing what the result of a DEL would be. /P: (Prompt) Prompt the user to confirm each erasure. Your options at the prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. /Q: (Quiet) Don't display filenames as they are deleted, or the number of files deleted or bytes freed. See also /T. /S: (Subdirectories) Delete the specified files in this directory and all of its subdirectories. This can be used to delete all the files in a subdirectory tree or even a whole disk. It should be used with caution! /T: (Total) Don't display filenames as they are deleted, but display the total number of files deleted plus the amount of free disk space recovered. Unlike /Q, the /T option will not speed up deletions under DOS. /W: (Wipe) Clear the file to zeros before deleting it. Use this option to completely obliterate a file's contents from your disk. Once you have used this option it is impossible to recover the file even if you are using an undelete utility, because the contents of the file are destroyed before it is deleted. /W overwrites the file only once; it does not adhere to security standards which require multiple overwrites with varying data when destroying sensitive information. /X: (Remove empty subdirectories) Remove empty subdirectories after deleting (only useful when used with /S). If DEL deletes one or more directories, they will be removed automatically from the extended directory search database. /Y: (Yes) The reverse of /P -- it assumes a Y response to everything, including deleting an entire subdirectory tree. 4OS2 normally prompts before deleting files when the name consists only of wildcards or a subdirectory name (see above); /Y overrides this protection, and should be used with extreme caution! /Z: (Zap) Delete read-only, hidden, and system files as well as normal files. Files with the read-only, hidden, or system attribute set are normally protected from deletion; /Z overrides this protection, and should be used with caution. Because EXCEPT works by hiding files, /Z will override an EXCEPT command. However, files specified in a file exclusion range will not be deleted by DEL /Z. For example, to delete the entire subdirectory tree starting with C:\UTIL, including hidden and read-only files, without prompting (use this command with CAUTION!): [c:\] del /sxyz c:\util\ ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.16. DELAY - Pause for a specified length of time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Pause for a specified length of time. Format: DELAY [seconds ] seconds : The number of seconds to delay. Usage DELAY is useful in batch file loops while waiting for something to occur. To wait for 10 seconds: delay 10 DELAY is most useful when you need to wait a specific amount of time for an external event, or check a system condition periodically. For example, this batch file checks the battery status (as reported by your Advanced Power Management drivers) every 15 seconds, and gives a warning when battery life falls below 30%: do forever iff %_apmlife lt 30 then beep 440 4 880 4 440 4 880 4 echo Low Battery!! endiff delay 15 enddo The seconds value can be as large as 4 million seconds (49 days). For delays shorter than one second, use the BEEP command with an inaudible frequency (below 20 Hz). 4OS2 uses the minimum possible processor time during a DELAY, in order to allow other applications full use of system resources. You can cancel a delay by pressing Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.17. DESCRIBE - Create or modify file descriptions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Create, modify, or delete file and subdirectory descriptions. Format: DESCRIBE [/A:[[-]rhsda]] file [[/D]"description "] ... file : The file, directory, or list of files and directories to operate on. description : The description to attach to the file. /A: (Attribute select) /D(escription follows) File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Usage DESCRIBE adds descriptions to files and subdirectories. The descriptions can be displayed by DIR in single-column mode and by SELECT. Descriptions let you identify your files in much more meaningful ways than you can in an eight-character filename. You enter a description on the command line by typing the DESCRIBE command, the filename, and the description in quotation marks, like this: [c:\] describe memo.txt "Memo to Bob about party" If you don't put a description on the command line, DESCRIBE will prompt you for it: [c:\] describe memo.txt Describe "memo.txt" : Memo to Bob about party If you use wildcards or multiple filenames with the DESCRIBE command and don't include the description text, you will be prompted to enter a description for each file. If you do include the description on the command line, all matching files will be given the same description. If you use DESCRIBE on an HPFS drive, you must quote the file name if it contains whitespace or special characters. See File Names for additional details. If you enter a quoted description on the command line, and the text matches the name of a file in the current directory, the command processor will treat the string as a quoted file name, not as description text as you intended. To resolve this problem use the /D switch immediately prior to the quoted description (with no intervening spaces). For example, if the current directory contains the files DATA.TST and "Test File", the first of these commands will work as intended, but the second will not (in the second example the string "test file" will be treated as a second file name, when it is intended to be description text): [c:\] describe data.tst /D"test file" [c:\] describe data.tst "test file" On HPFS drives you will not see file descriptions in a normal DIR display, because DIR must leave space for the long filenames. To view the descriptions, use DIR /Z to display the directory in FAT format. Each description can be up to 511 characters long. You can change this limit with the DescriptionMax directive in 4OS2.INI. In order to fit your descriptions on a single line in a standard DIR display, keep them to 4o characters or less (longer descriptions are wrapped in the DIR output). DESCRIBE can edit descriptions longer than DescriptionMax (up to a limit of 511 characters), but will not allow you to lengthen the existing text. The descriptions are stored in each directory in a hidden file called DESCRIPT.ION. Use the ATTRIB command to remove the hidden attribute from this file if you need to copy or delete it. DESCRIPT.ION is always created as a hidden file, but will not be re-hidden by 4OS2 if you remove the hidden attribute. You can change the description file name with the SETDOS /D command, or the DescriptionName directive in 4OS2.INI, and retrieve it with the _DName internal variable. Use caution when changing the description file name, as changing the name from the default will make it difficult to transfer file descriptions to another system. The description file is modified appropriately whenever you perform an internal command which affects it (such as COPY, MOVE, DEL, or RENAME), but not if you use an external program (such as XCOPY or a visual shell). You can disable description processing on the Options 1 page of the OPTION dialogs, with the Descriptions directive in the .INI file, or with SETDOS /D. When you COPY or MOVE files between two directories, both of which have descriptions, and you use switches which enable processing of hidden files (or you have removed the hidden attribute from DESCRIPT.ION), you must use caution to avoid overwriting existing file descriptions in the destination directory with the DESCRIPT.ION file from the source directory. See the notes under the Advanced Features sections of COPY and MOVE for additional details. Options /A:: (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the specified attribute(s) set. Preceding the attribute character with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that attribute set. The colon [:] after /A is required. The attributes are: R Read-only H Hidden S System D Subdirectory A Archive If no attributes are listed at all (e.g., DESCRIBE /A: ...), DESCRIBE will select all files and subdirectories including hidden and system files. If attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a file to be selected. For example, /A:RHS will select only those files with all three attributes set. /D: (Description follows) The quoted string immediately following this switch is a description, not a file name. Use /D to avoid any ambiguity in the meaning of quoted strings. See the Usage section above for details. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.18. DETACH - Start a program in detached mode ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Start an OS/2 program in detached mode. Format: DETACH command command : The name of a command to execute, including an optional drive and path specification. See also: START. Usage When you start a program with DETACH, that program cannot use the keyboard, mouse, or video display. It is "detached" from the normal means of user input and output. However, you can redirect the program's standard I/O to other devices if necessary, using redirection symbols. The command can be an internal command, external command, alias, or batch file. If it is not an external command, 4OS2 will detach a copy of itself to execute the command. For example, the following command will detach a copy of 4OS2 to run the batch file XYZ.BTM : [c:\] detach xyz.btm Once the program has started, 4OS2 returns to the prompt immediately. It does not wait for a detached program to finish. There is no standard way to stop a detached program. If the program does not terminate on its own you must reboot the system or use an appropriate task manager or external utility to stop it. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.19. DIR - Display directories ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display information about files and subdirectories. Format: DIR [/1 /2 /4 /A[[:][-]rhsda] /B /D /E /F /G /H /I"text" /J /K /L /M /N /O[[:][-]adeginrsu] /P /R /S /T[:acw] /U /V /W /Z] [file ...] file : The file, directory, or list of files or directories to display. /1 (one column) /L(ower case) /2 (two columns) /M (suppress footer) /4 (four columns) /N(ew format) /A(ttribute select) /O(rder) /B(are) /P(ause) /D(isable color coding) /R (disable wRap) /E (use upper case) /S(ubdirectories) /F(ull path) /T (aTtribute) or (Time) /G (allocated size) /U (sUmmary information) /H(ide dots) /V(ertical sort) /I (match descriptions) /W(ide) /J(ustify names) /Z (use FAT format) /K (suppress header) See also: ATTRIB, DESCRIBE, SELECT, and SETDOS. File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Usage DIR can be used to display information about files from one or more of your disk directories, in a wide range of formats. Depending on the options chosen, you can display the file name, attributes, and size; the time and date of the last change to the file; the file description; and the file's compression ratio. You can also display information in 1, 2, 4, 5, or more columns, sort the files several different ways, use color to distinguish file types, and pause after each full screen. The various DIR displays are controlled through options or switches. The best way to learn how to use the many options available with the DIR command is to experiment. You will soon know which options you want to use regularly. You can select those options permanently by using the ALIAS command. For example, to display all the files in the current directory, in 2 columns, sorted vertically (down one column then down the next), and with a pause at the end of each page: [c:\] dir /2/p/v To set up this format as the default, using an alias: [c:\] alias dir=*dir /2/p/v When you use DIR on an HPFS drive, you must quote any file names which contain whitespace or special characters. See File Names for additional details. The following sections group DIR's features together in several categories. Many of the sections move from a general discussion to more technical material. If you find some of the information in a category too detailed for your needs, feel free to skip to the beginning of the next section. The sections are: Selecting Files Default DIR Output Format Switching Formats Multiple Column Displays Color-Coded Directories Redirected Output Other Notes Options Selecting Files DIR can display information about a single file or about several, dozens, hundreds, or thousands of files at once. To display information about a single file, just add the name of the file to the DIR command line: [c:\] dir january.wks The simplest way to view information about several files at once is to use wildcards. DIR can work with traditional wildcard characters (* and ?) and the extended wildcards. For example to display all of the .WKS files in the current directory: [c:\] dir *.wks To display all .TXT files whose names begin with A, B, or C: [c:\] dir [abc]*.txt If you don't specify a filename, DIR defaults to *.* on traditional FAT drives, and * on HPFS drives. This default displays all non-hidden files and subdirectories in the current directory. If you link two or more filenames together with spaces, DIR will display all of the files that match the first name and then all of the files that match the second name. You may use a different drive and path for each filename. This example lists all of the .WKS and then all of the .WK1 files in the current directory: [c:\] dir *.wks *.wk1 If you use an include list to link multiple filenames, DIR will display the matching filenames in a single listing. Only the first filename in an include list can have a path; the other files must be in the same path. This example displays the same files as the previous example, but the .WKS and .WK1 files are intermixed: [c:\] dir *.wks;*.wk1 You can include files in the current or named directory plus all of its subdirectories by using the /S option. This example displays all of the .WKS and .WK1 files in the D:\DATA directory and each of its subdirectories: [c:\] dir /s d:\data\*.wks;*.wk1 You can also select files by their attributes by using the /A option. For example, this command displays the names of all of the subdirectories of the current directory: [c:\] dir /a:d Finally, with the /I option, DIR can select files to display based on their descriptions (see the DESCRIBE command for more information on file descriptions). DIR will display a file if its description matches the text after the /I switch. The search is not case sensitive. You can use wildcards and extended wildcards as part of the text. For example, to display any file described as a "Test File" you can use this command: [c:\] dir /i"test file" If you want to display files that include the words "test file" anywhere in their descriptions, use extended wildcards like this: [c:\] dir /i"*test file*" To display only those files which do not have descriptions, use: [c:\] dir /I"[]" In addition, you can use ranges to select or exclude specific sets of files. For example, to display all files modified in the last week, all files except those with a .BAK extension, and all files over 500 KB in size: [c:\] dir /[d-7] [c:\] dir /[!*.bak] [c:\] dir /[s500K] You can, of course, mix any of these file selection techniques in whatever ways suit your needs. Default DIR Output Format DIR's output varies based on the type of volume or drive on which the files are stored. On an HPFS volume, the default DIR format contains 4 columns: the date of the last file modification or write, the time of last write, the file size in bytes, and the file name. The name is displayed as it is stored on the disk, in upper, lower, or mixed case. DIR will wrap filenames from one line to the next if they are too long to fit the width of the display. The standard output format is: Volume in drive C is C - BOOTUP Serial ... Directory of C:\4OS230\*.* 10-24-96 12:17 <DIR> . 10-24-96 12:17 <DIR> .. 10-28-96 7:57 967 4os2 3.txt 10-21-96 18:08 212,854 4OS2.EXE 11-02-96 10:08 45 4OS2.INI (See Switching Formats below for information on changing the standard long filename format to allow room for file descriptions.) On FAT volumes which do not support long file names, the default DIR format contains 5 columns: the file name, the file size in bytes, the date of the last write, the time of the last write, and the file's description. File names are listed in lower-case; directory names in upper case: Volume in drive C is C - BOOTUP Serial ... Directory of C:\4OS230\*.* . <DIR> 10-24-96 12:17 .. <DIR> 10-24-96 12:17 TEST <DIR> 11-01-96 16:21 4os23.txt 967 10-28-96 7:57 4os2.exe 212854 10-21-96 18:08 4OS2 exe ... 4os2.ini 45 11-02-96 10:08 4OS2 conf ... DIR's output is normally sorted by name, with directories listed first. You can change the sort order with the /O option. For example, these two commands sort the output by date -- the first command lists the oldest file first; the second command lists the oldest file last: [c:\] dir /o:d [c:\] dir /o:-d When displaying file descriptions, DIR wraps long lines to fit on the screen. DIR displays a maximum of 40 characters of text in each line of a description, unless your screen width allows a wider display. If you disable description wrapping with the /R option, the description is truncated at the right edge of the screen, and a right arrow [] is added at the end of the line to alert you to the existence of additional description text. Regardless of the volume type, DIR's default output is sorted. It displays directory names first, with "<DIR>" inserted instead of a file size, and then filenames. DIR assumes that sequences of digits should be sorted numerically (for example, the file DRAW2 is listed before DRAW03 because 2 is numerically smaller than 03), rather than strictly alphabetically (where DRAW2 would come second because "2" is after "0" in alphanumeric order). You can change the sort order with the /O option. When DIR displays file names in a multi-column format, it sorts file names horizontally unless you use the /V option to display vertically sorted output. DIR's display can be modified in many ways to meet different needs. Most of the following sections describes the various ways you can change DIR's output format. Switching Formats On HPFS volumes, you can force DIR to use a FAT-like format (file name first, followed by file information) with the /Z option. If necessary, DIR /Z truncates long file names on HPFS drives, and adds a right arrow [] to show that the name contains additional characters. The standard HPFS output format does not provide enough space to show descriptions along with file names. Therefore, if you wish to view file descriptions as part of the DIR listing on an HPFS volume, you must use the /Z option. If you use the /B option, DIR displays just file names and omits the file size, time stamp, and description for each file, for example: [c:\] dir i* /b IBMCOM IBMI18N IBMINST IBMVESA IBMLVL.INI ..... There are several ways to modify the display produced by /B. The /F option is similar to /B, but displays the full path and name of each file, instead of just its name. To view the same information for a directory and its subdirectories use /B /S or /F /S. Multiple Column Displays DIR has three options, /2, /4, and /W, that create multi-column displays. On HPFS drives, all 3 of these options force the use of truncated names. The /2 option creates a 2-column display. On HPFS drives, only the name of each file is displayed, with directory names placed in square brackets to distinguish them from file names. On FAT drives, support long filenames, or when /Z or /X is used (see below), the display includes the name, file size, and time stamp for each file. The /4 option is similar to /2, but displays directory information in 4 columns. On drives which do not support long filenames, or when /Z or /X is used (see below), the display shows the file name and the file size in kilobytes (KB) or megabytes (MB), with "<D>" in the size column for directories. The /W option displays directory information in 5 or more columns, depending on your screen width. Each entry in a DIR /W display contains either the name of a file or the name of a directory. Directory names are placed in square brackets to distinguish them from file names. If you use one of these options on an HPFS drive and do not select an alternate display format with /Z or /X, the actual number of columns will be based on the longest name to be displayed and your screen width, and may be less than the number you requested (for example, you might see only three columns even though you used /4). If the longest name is too long to fit in on a single line the display will be reduced to one column, and each name will be wrapped, with "extra" blank lines added so that each name takes the same number of lines. Color-Coded Directories The DIR command can display each file name and the associated file information in a different color, depending on the file's extension. To choose the display colors, you must either use the SET command to create an environment variable called COLORDIR, or use the Commands page of the OPTION dialogs or a text editor to set the ColorDir directive in your .INI file. If you do not use the COLORDIR variable or the ColorDir directive, DIR will use the default screen colors for all files. If you use both the COLORDIR variable and the ColorDir directive, the environment variable will override the settings in your .INI file. You may find it useful to use the COLORDIR variable for experimenting, then to set permanent directory colors with the ColorDir directive. The format for both the COLORDIR environment variable and the ColorDir directive in the .INI file is: ext ... :ColorName; ... where "ext" is a file extension (which may include wildcards) or one of the following file types: DIRS Directories RDONLY Read-only files HIDDEN Hidden files SYSTEM System files ARCHIVE Files modified since the last backup and "ColorName" is any valid color name (see Colors and Color Names). Unlike most color specifications, the background portion of the color name may be omitted for directory colors. If you don't specify a background color, DIR will use the current screen background color. For example, to display the .COM and .EXE files in red on the current background, the .C and .ASM files in bright cyan on the current background, and the read-only files in blinking green on white (this should be entered on one line): [c:\] set colordir=com exe:red; c asm:bright cyan; rdonly:blink green on white Extended wildcards can be used in directory color specifications. For example, to display .BAK, .BAX, and .BAC files in red: [c:\] set colordir=BA[KXC]:red Redirected Output The output of the DIR command, like that of most other internal commands, can be redirected to a file, printer, serial port, or other device. However, you may need to take certain DIR command options into account when you redirect DIR's output. DIR wraps both long file names and file descriptions at the width of your display. Its redirected output will also wrap at the screen width. Use the /R option if you wish to disable wrapping of long descriptions. If you redirect a color-coded directory to a file, DIR will remove the color data as it sends the directory information to a file. It will usually do the same if you redirect output to a character device such as a printer or serial port. However, it is not always possible for DIR to tell whether or not a device is a character device. If you notice that non-colored lines are being sent to the output device and colored lines are appearing on your screen, you can use the /D option to temporarily disable color-coding when you redirect DIR's output. To redirect DIR output to the clipboard, use CLIP: as the output device name, for example: [c:\] dir *.exe > clip: Other Notes If you have selected a specific country code for your system, DIR will display the date in the format for that country. The default date format is U.S. (mm-dd-yy). The separator character in the file time will also be affected by the country code. Thousands and decimal separators in numeric displays are affected by the country code, and by the ThousandsChar and DecimalChar settings selected on the Options 1 page of the OPTION dialogs or in the .INI file. Options Options on the command line apply only to the filenames which follow the option, and options at the end of the line apply to the preceding filename only. This allows you to specify different options for different groups of files, yet retains compatibility with the traditional DIR command when a single filename is specified. /1: Single column display -- display the filename, size, date, and time; also displays the description on drives which do not support long filenames. This is the default. If /T is used the attributes are displayed instead of the description. This option is most useful if you wish to override a default /2, /4, or /W setting stored in an alias. /2: Two column display -- display just the name (on HPFS drives), or display the filename, size, date, and time on other drives. See Multiple Column Displays above for more details. /4: Four column display -- display just the name (on HPFS drives); or display the filename and size, in K (kilobytes) or M (megabytes), with files between 1 and 9.9 megabytes in size displayed in tenths (i.e. "2.4M"). See Multiple Column Displays above for more details. /A: (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the specified attribute(s) set. Preceding the attribute character with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that attribute set. The colon [:] after /A is optional. The attributes are: R Read-only H Hidden S System D Subdirectory A Archive If no attributes are listed at all (e.g., DIR /A ...), DIR will display all files and subdirectories including hidden and system files. If attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a file to be included in the listing. For example, /A:RHS will display only those files with all three attributes set. /B: (Bare) Suppress the header and summary lines, and display file or subdirectory names only, in a single column. This option is most useful when you want to redirect a list of names to a file or another program. If you use /B with /S, DIR will show the full path of each file (the same display as /F) instead of simply its name and extension. /D: (Disable color coding) Temporarily disable directory color coding. May be required when color-coded directories are used and DIR output is redirected to a character device like the printer (e.g., PRN or LPT1) or serial port (e.g., COM1 or COM2). /D is not required when DIR output is redirected to a file. /E: Display filenames in the traditional upper case; also see SETDOS /U and the UpperCase directive in 4OS2.INI. /F: (Full path) Display each filename with its drive letter and path in a single column, without other information. If you use /F with /X on a volume which supports long filenames, the "short" version of the entire path is displayed. /G: Display the allocated disk space instead of the actual size of each file. /H: (Hide dots) Suppress the display of the "." and ".." directories. /I: Display filenames by matching text in their descriptions. The text can include wildcards and extended wildcards. The search text must be enclosed in quotation marks. You can select all filenames that have a description with /I"[?]*", or all filenames that do not have a description with /I"[]". The /I option may be used to select files even if descriptions are not displayed (for example, if /2 is used). However, /I will be ignored if /O:c is used. /J: (Justify names) Justify (align) filename extensions and display them in the traditional format. /K: Suppress the header (disk and directory name) display. /L: (Lower case) Display file and directory names in lower case; also see SETDOS /U and the UpperCase directive in 4OS2.INI. /M: Suppress the footer (file and byte count totals) display. /N: Use the HPFS display format, even if the files are stored on a volume which does not support long names. See also /Z. /O: (Order) Set the sorting order. You may use any combination of the following sorting options; if multiple options are used, the listing will be sorted with the first sort option as the primary key, the next as the secondary key, and so on: - Reverse the sort order for the next option. a Sort in ASCII order, not numerically, when there are digits in the name. d Sort by date and time (oldest first); for HPFS drives, also see /T. e Sort by extension. g Group subdirectories first, then files. i Sort by file description (ignored if /O:c is used). n Sort by filename (this is the default). r Reverse the sort order for all options. s Sort by size. u Unsorted. /P: (Pause) Wait for a key to be pressed after each screen page before continuing the display. Your options at the prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. /R (disable wRap) Forces long descriptions to be displayed on a single line, rather than wrapped onto two or more lines. Use /R when output is redirected to a character device, such as a serial port or the printer; or when you want descriptions truncated, rather than wrapped, in the on-screen display. /S: (Subdirectories) Display file information from the current directory and all of its subdirectories. DIR will only display headers and summaries for those directories which contain files that match the filename(s), ranges, and attributes that you specify on the command line. /T (aTtribute display) Display the filenames, attributes, and descriptions. The descriptions will be wrapped onto the next line, if necessary, unless you also use the /R (truncate) option. If you use both /T and /R, descriptions are truncated after 34 characters on an 80-column display. The attributes are displayed in the format RHSA, with the following meanings: R Read-only H Hidden D Directory S System A Archive On HPFS drives, if you wish to add another option after /T, you must start the next option with a forward slash. If you don't, 4OS2 will interpret the /T as the time display switch and the following character as a valid or invalid time selector. For example: [c:\] dir /tz incorrect, will display error [c:\] dir /t/z correct /T:acw (Time display) Specify which of the date and time fields on an HPFS drive should be displayed and used for sorting: a Last access date and time. c Creation date and time. w Last write date and time (default). /U (sUmmary information) Only display the number of files, the total file size, and the total amount of disk space used. Information on individual files is not displayed. /V: (Vertical sort) Display the filenames sorted vertically rather than horizontally (use with the /2, /4 or /W options). /W: (Wide) Display filenames only, horizontally across the screen. On FAT drives, /W displays as many columns as it can fit into the command processor window, using 16 characters in each column. Otherwise (i.e., when long filenames are displayed) the number of columns depends on the width of the longest name in the listing. See Multiple Column Displays above for more details. /Z: Display an HPFS directory in the traditional FAT format, with the filename at the left and the description at the right. Long names will be truncated to 12 characters unless /X is also used; if the name is longer than 12 characters, it will be followed by a right arrow [] to show that one or more characters have been truncated. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.20. DIRHISTORY - Display, read, or modify the directory history list ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display, add to, clear, or read the directory history list. Format: DIRHISTORY [/A directory /F /P /R filename ] directory : The name of a directory to be added to the directory history. filename : The name of a file containing entries to be added to the directory history. /A(dd) /P(ause) /F(ree) /R(ead) See also: HISTORY. Usage Every time you change to a new directory or drive, 4OS2 records the current directory in an internal directory history list. See Directory History for information on directory history window, which allows you to use the list to return to a previous directory. Also see Directory Navigation. The DIRHISTORY command lets you view and manipulate the directory history list directly. If no parameters are entered, DIRHISTORY will display the current directory history list: [c:\] dirhistory With the options explained below, you can clear the list, add new directories to the list without changing to them, save the list in a file, or read a new list from a file. The number of directories saved in the directory history list depends on the length of each directory name. The list size can be specified at startup from 256 to 32767 characters by using the DirHistory directive in 4OS2.INI. Your directory history list can be stored either locally (a separate history list for each copy of the command processor) or globally (all copies of the command processor share the same list). See Directory History for the discussion of local and global directory history lists. You can save the directory history list by redirecting the output of DIRHISTORY to a file. This example saves the history to a file called DIRHIST and reads it back again: [c:\] dirhistory > dirhist ..... [c:\] dirhistory /r dirhist Because the directory history stores each name only once, you don't have to delete its contents before reading back the file unless you want to delete the directories that were visited by the intervening commands. If you need to save your directory history at the end of each day's work, you might use commands like this in your 4START.BTM file: if exist c:\dirhist dirhistory /r c:\dirhist alias shut*down `dirhistory > c:\dirhist` This restores the previous history list if it exists, then defines an alias which will allow you to save the history before shutting off the system. Options /A: (Add) Add a directory to the directory history list. /F: (Free) Erase all entries in the directory history list. /P: (Prompt) Wait for a key after displaying each page of the list. Your options at the prompt are explained in Page and File Prompts. /R: (Read) Read the directory history from the specified file and append it to the list currently held in memory. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.21. DIRS - Display the directory stack ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display the current directory stack. Format: DIRS See also: PUSHD, POPD, and Directory Navigation. Usage The PUSHD command adds the current default drive and directory to the directory stack, a list that 4OS2 maintains in memory. The POPD command removes the top entry of the directory stack and makes that drive and directory the new default. The DIRS command displays the contents of the directory stack, with the most recent entries on top (i.e., the next POPD will retrieve the first entry that DIRS displays). The directory stack holds 511 characters, enough for 20 to 40 typical drive and directory entries. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.22. DO - Create loops in batch files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Create loops in batch files. Format: DO [n | FOREVER] or DO varname = start TO end [BY n ] or DO [WHILE | UNTIL] condition DO varname IN [@]set commands [ITERATE] [LEAVE] commands ENDDO varname : The environment variable that will hold the loop counter, filename, or line from a file. n, start, end : Integers between 0 and 2,147,483,647 inclusive, or an internal variables or variable functions that evaluate to such a value. condition : A test to determine if the loop should be executed. set : A set of values for the variable. commands : One or more commands to execute each time through the loop. If you use multiple commands, they must be separated by command separators or be placed on separate lines. File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, and include lists for the set. Usage DO can only be used in batch files. It cannot be used in aliases. DO can be used to create 4 different kinds of loops. The first, introduced by DO n, is a counted loop. The batch file lines between DO and ENDDO are repeated n times. For example: do 5 beep enddo You can also specify "forever" for n if you wish to create an endless loop (you can use LEAVE or GOTO to exit such a loop; see below for details). The second type of loop is similar to a "for loop" in programming languages like BASIC. DO creates an environment variable, varname, and sets it equal to the value start (if varname already exists in the environment, it will be overwritten). DO then begins the loop process by comparing the value of varname with the value of end. If varname is less than or equal to end, DO executes the batch file lines up to the ENDDO. Next, DO adds 1 to the value of varname, or adds the value n if BY n is specified, and repeats the compare and execute process until varname is greater than end. This example displays the even numbers from 2 through 20: do i = 2 to 20 by 2 echo %i enddo DO can also count down, rather than up. If n is negative, varname will decrease by n with each loop, and the loop will stop when varname is less than end. For example, to display the even numbers from 2 through 20 in reverse order, replace the first line of the example above with: do i = 20 to 2 by -2 The third type of loop is called a "while loop" or "until loop." DO evaluates the condition, which can be any of the tests supported by the IF command, and executes the lines between DO and ENDDO as long as the condition is true. The loop ends when the condition becomes false. WHILE tests the condition at the start of the loop. Therefore, if the condition is false when the loop starts, the statements within the loop will never be executed, and the batch file will continue with the statement after the ENDDO. UNTIL tests the condition at the end of the loop. Therefore, if the condition is false when the loop starts, the statements within the loop will still be executed at least once. The fourth type of loop executes the lines between DO and ENDDO once for every member of a set (this is similar to the set used in the FOR command). Normally, the set is a list of files specified with wildcards. For example: do x in *.txt will execute the loop once for every .TXT file in the current directory; each time through the loop the variable x will be set to the name of the next file that matches the file specification. If, between DO and ENDDO, you create a new file that could be included in the list of files, it may or may not appear in an iteration of the DO loop. Whether the new file appears depends on its physical location in the directory structure, a condition over which 4OS2 has no control. You can also execute the loop once for each line of text in a file by placing an [@] in front of the file name. If you have a file called DRIVES.TXT that contains a list of drives on your computer, one drive name per line, you can execute the loop once for each drive this way: do x in @drives.txt To execute the loop once for each line of text in the clipboard, use CLIP: as the file name (e.g. DO X IN @CLIP:). CLIP: will not return any data unless the clipboard contains text. See Redirection for additional information on CLIP:. Two special commands, ITERATE and LEAVE, can only be used inside a DO / ENDDO loop. ITERATE ignores the remaining lines inside the loop and returns to the beginning of loop for another iteration (unless DO determines that the loop is finished). LEAVE exits from the current DO loop and continues with the line following ENDDO. Both ITERATE and LEAVE are most often used in an IF or IFF command: do while "%var" != "%var1" ... if "%var" == "%val2" leave enddo You can nest DO loops up to 15 levels deep. The DO and ENDDO commands must be on separate lines, and cannot be placed within a command group, or on the same line as other commands (this is the reason DO cannot be used in aliases). However, commands within the DO loop can use command groups or the command separator in the normal way. You can exit from all DO / ENDDO loops by using GOTO to a line past the last ENDDO. However, be sure to read the cautionary notes about GOTO and DO under the GOTO command before using a GOTO in any other way inside any DO loop. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.23. DPATH - Set the data search path ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Specify the subdirectories which applications will search to find files that are not in the current directory. Format: DPATH [directory [;directory... ]] directory : The full name of a directory to include in the DPATH (data path) setting. See also: PATH, SET, and ESET. Usage When most OS/2 applications try to open a data file, they look for the file in the current directory first. If they fail to find the file there, they may search each of the directories in the DPATH setting in the order that they are included. Internal commands like TYPE do not search the DPATH directories for files. For example, the following DPATH command directs applications to look for files in this order: the current directory, the INIT directory on C, and the CONFIG directory on D: [c:\] dpath c:\init;d:\config The listing of directories to be searched can be set or viewed with DPATH. The list is stored as an environment string with the variable name DPATH, and can also be set or viewed with the SET command and edited with the ESET command. Directory names in the DPATH must be separated with semicolons [;]. 4OS2 will not shift directory names in the DPATH to upper case as it does with those in the PATH setting. If you want the names in the DPATH to be in upper case you must enter them that way. If you enter DPATH with no parameters, 4OS2 displays the current DPATH search list. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.24. DRAWBOX - Draw a box ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Draw a box on the screen. Format: DRAWBOX ulrow ulcol lrrow lrcol style [BRIght] [BLInk] fg ON [BRIght] bg [FILl [BRIght] bgfill ] [ZOOm] [SHAdow] ulrow : Row for upper left corner ulcol : Column for upper left corner lrrow : Row for lower right corner lrcol : Column for lower right corner style : Box drawing style: 0 No lines (box is drawn with blanks) 1 Single line 2 Double line 3 Single line on top and bottom, double on sides 4 Double line on top and bottom, single on sides fg : Foreground character color bg : Background character color bgfill : Background fill color (for the inside of the box) See also: DRAWHLINE and DRAWVLINE. Usage DRAWBOX is useful for creating attractive screen displays in batch files. For example, to draw a box around the edge of an 80x25 screen with bright white lines on a blue background: drawbox 0 0 24 79 1 bri whi on blu fill blu See Colors and Color Names for details about colors and notes on the use of bright background colors. If you use ZOOM, the box appears to grow in steps to its final size. The speed of the zoom operation depends on the speed of your computer and video system. If you use SHADOW, a drop shadow is created by changing the characters in the row under the box and the 2 columns to the right of the box to normal intensity text with a black background (this will make characters displayed in black disappear entirely). The row and column values are zero-based, so on a standard 25 line by 80 column display, valid rows are 0 - 24 and valid columns are 0 - 79. DRAWBOX checks for valid row and column values, and displays a "Usage" error message if any values are out of range. Unlike DRAWHLINE and DRAWVLINE, DRAWBOX does not automatically connect boxes to existing lines on the screen with the proper connector characters. If you want to draw lines inside a box and have the proper connectors drawn automatically, draw the box first, then use DRAWHLINE and DRAWVLINE to draw the lines. DRAWBOX uses the standard line and box drawing characters in the U.S. English extended ASCII character set. If your system is configured for a different country or language, or a font which does not include these characters, the box may not appear on your screen as you expect. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.25. DRAWHLINE - Draw a horizontal line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Draw a horizontal line on the screen. Format: DRAWHLINE row column len style [BRIght] [BLInk] fg ON [BRIght] bg row : Starting row column : Starting column len : Length of line style : Line drawing style: 1 Single line 2 Double line fg : Foreground character color bg : Background character color See also: DRAWBOX and DRAWVLINE. Usage DRAWHLINE is useful for creating attractive screen displays in batch files. It detects other lines and boxes on the display, and creates the appropriate connector characters when possible (not all types of lines can be connected with the available characters). For example, the following command draws a double line along the top row of the display with green characters on a blue background: drawhline 0 0 80 2 green on blue The row and column values are zero-based, so on a standard 25 line by 80 column display, valid rows are 0 - 24 and valid columns are 0 - 79. DRAWHLINE checks for a valid row and column, and displays a "Usage" error message if either value is out of range. See Colors and Color Names for details about colors and notes on the use of bright background colors. DRAWHLINE uses the standard line and box drawing characters in the U.S. English extended ASCII character set. If your system is configured for a different country or language, or a font which does not include these characters, the box may not appear on your screen as you expect. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.26. DRAWVLINE - Draw a vertical line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Draw a vertical line on the screen. Format: DRAWVLINE row column len style [BRIght][BLInk] fg ON [BRIght] bg row : Starting row column : Starting column len : Length of line style : Line drawing style: 1 Single line 2 Double line fg : Foreground character color bg : Background character color See also: DRAWBOX and DRAWHLINE. Usage DRAWVLINE is useful for creating attractive screen displays in batch files. It detects other lines and boxes on the display, and creates the appropriate connector characters when possible (not all types of lines can be connected with the available characters). For example, to draw a double width line along the left margin of the display with bright red characters on a black background: drawvline 0 0 25 2 bright red on black The row and column values are zero-based, so on a standard 25 line by 80 column display, valid rows are 0 - 24 and valid columns are 0 - 79. DRAWVLINE checks for a valid row and column, and displays a "Usage" error message if either value is out of range. See Colors and Color Names for details about colors and notes on the use of bright background colors. DRAWVLINE uses the standard line and box drawing characters in the U.S. English extended ASCII character set. If your system is configured for a different country or language, or a font which does not include these characters, the box may not appear on your screen as you expect. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.27. ECHO and ECHOERR - Display a message / set echo state ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display a message, enable or disable batch file or command-line echoing, or display the echo status. Format: ECHO [ON | OFF | message ] ECHOERR message message : Text to display. See also: ECHOS, SCREEN, SCRPUT, SETDOS and TEXT. Usage 4OS2 has a separate echo capability for batch files and for the command line. The command-line ECHO state is independent of the batch file ECHO state; changing ECHO in a batch file has no effect on the display at the command prompt, and vice versa. To see the current echo state, use the ECHO command with no arguments. This displays either the batch file or command-line echo state, depending on where the ECHO command is performed. In a batch file, if you turn ECHO on, each line of the file is displayed before it is executed. If you turn ECHO off, each line is executed without being displayed. ECHO can also be used in a batch file to display a message on the screen. Regardless of the ECHO state, a batch file line that begins with the [@] character will not be displayed. To turn off batch file echoing, without displaying the ECHO command, use this line: @echo off ECHO commands in a batch file will send messages to the screen while the batch file executes, even if ECHO is set OFF. For example, this line will display a message in a batch file: echo Processing your print files... If you want to echo a blank line from within a batch file, enter: echo. You cannot use the command separator character [&], or the redirection symbols [| > <] in an ECHO message, unless you enclose them in quotes (see Argument Quoting) or precede them with the escape character. ECHO defaults to ON in batch files. The current ECHO state is inherited by called batch files. You can change the default setting to ECHO OFF with the SETDOS /V0 command, the Options 1 page of the OPTION dialogs, or the BatchEcho directive in the .INI file. If you turn the command-line ECHO on, each command will be displayed before it is executed. This will let you see the command line after expansion of all aliases and variables. The command-line ECHO is most useful when you are learning how to use advanced features. This example will turn command-line echoing on: [c:\] echo on ECHO defaults to OFF at the command line. ECHOERR acts like ECHO but sends its output to the standard error device (usually the screen) instead of the standard output device. If the standard output of a batch file is redirected to a file or another device with >, ECHOERR will still generate a screen message. See Redirection and Piping for more information about the standard output and standard error devices and redirection. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.28. ECHOS and ECHOSERR - Display a message without CR/LF ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display a message without a trailing carriage return and line feed. Format: ECHOS message ECHOSERR message See also: ECHO, SCREEN, SCRPUT, TEXT, and VSCRPUT. Usage ECHOS is useful for text output when you don't want to add a carriage return / linefeed pair at the end of the line. For example, you can use ECHOS when you need to redirect control sequences to your printer; this example sends the sequence Esc P to the printer on LPT1: [c:\] echos ^eP > lpt1: You cannot use the command separator character [&] or the redirection symbols [| > <] in an ECHOS message, unless you enclose them in quotes (see Argument Quoting) or precede them with the escape character. ECHOS does not translate or modify the message text. For example, carriage return characters are not translated to CR/LF pairs. ECHOS sends only the characters you enter (after escape character and back quote processing). The only character you cannot put into an ECHOS message is the NUL character (ASCII 0). ECHOSERR acts like ECHOS but sends its output to the standard error device (usually the screen) instead of the standard output device. If the standard output of a batch file is redirected to a file or another device with >, ECHOSERR will still generate a screen message. See Redirection and Piping for more information about the standard output and standard error devices and redirection. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.29. ENDLOCAL - Restore the saved environment ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Restore the saved disk drive, directory, environment, alias list, and special characters. Format: ENDLOCAL See also: SETLOCAL. Usage The SETLOCAL command in a batch file saves the current disk drive, default directory, all environment variables, the alias list, and the command separator, escape character, parameter character, decimal separator, and thousands separator. ENDLOCAL restores everything that was saved by the previous SETLOCAL command. For example, this batch file fragment saves everything, removes all aliases so that user aliases will not affect batch file commands, changes the disk and directory, changes the command separator, runs a program, and then restores the original values: setlocal unalias * cdd d:\test setdos /c~ program ~ echo Done! endlocal SETLOCAL and ENDLOCAL can only be used in batch files, not in aliases or from the command line. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.30. ESET - Edit environment variables and aliases ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Edit environment variables and aliases. Format: ESET [/A] variable name ... variable name : The name of an environment variable or alias to edit. /A(lias) See also: ALIAS, UNALIAS, SET, and UNSET. Usage ESET allows you to edit environment variables and aliases using line editing commands (see Command-Line Editing). For example, to edit the executable file search path: [c:\] eset path path=c:\;c:\dos;c:\util To create and then edit an alias: [c:\] alias d = dir /d/j/p [c:\] eset d d=dir /d/j/p ESET will search for environment variables first and then aliases. If you have an environment variable and an alias with the same name, ESET will edit the environment variable and ignore the alias unless you use the /A option. Environment variable and alias names are normally limited to 80 characters. Their values are normally limited to 1,023 characters. However, if you use special techniques to create a longer environment variable, ESET will edit it provided the variable contains no more than 2,047 characters of text. If you have enabled global aliases (see ALIAS), any changes made to an alias with ESET will immediately affect all other copies of 4OS2 which are using the same alias list. Options /A: (Alias) Edit the named alias even if an environment variable of the same name exists. If you have an alias and an environment variable with the same name, you must use this switch to be able to edit the alias. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.31. EXCEPT - Exclude files from a command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Perform a command on all available files except those specified. Format: EXCEPT (file ) command file : The file or files to exclude from the command. command : The command to execute, including all appropriate arguments and switches. See also: ATTRIB and File Exclusion Ranges. File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Ranges must appear immediately after the EXCEPT keyword. Usage EXCEPT provides a means of executing a command on a group of files and/or subdirectories, and excluding a subgroup from the operation. The command can be an internal command or alias, an external command, or a batch file. You may use wildcards to specify the files to exclude from the command. The first example erases all the files in the current directory except those beginning with MEMO, and those whose extension is .WKS. The second example copies all the files and subdirectories on drive C to drive D except those in C:\MSC and C:\DOS, using the COPY command: [c:\] except (memo*.* *.wks) erase *.* [c:\] except (c:\msc c:\dos) copy c:\*.* d:\ /s Date, time, and size ranges can be used immediately after the word EXCEPT to further qualify which files should be excluded from the command. If the command is an internal command that supports ranges, an independent range can also be used in the command itself. When you use EXCEPT on an HPFS drive, you must quote any file names inside the parentheses which contain whitespace or special characters. For example, to copy all files except those in the "Program Files" directory to drive E:\: [c:\] except ("Program Files") copy /s *.* e:\ EXCEPT prevents operations on the specified file(s) by setting the hidden attribute, performing the command, and then clearing the hidden attribute. If the command is aborted in an unusual way, you may need to use the ATTRIB command to remove the hidden attribute from the file(s). Caution: EXCEPT will not work with programs or commands that ignore the hidden attribute or which work explicitly with hidden files, including DEL /Z, and the /H (process hidden files) switch available in some 4OS2 file processing commands. File exclusion ranges provide a faster and more flexible method of excluding files from internal commands, and do not manipulate file attributes, as EXCEPT does. However, exclusion ranges can only be used with 4OS2 internal commands; you must use EXCEPT for external commands. Date, time, and size ranges can be used immediately after the word EXCEPT to further qualify which files should be excluded from the command. If the command is an internal command that supports ranges, an independent range can also be used in the command itself. You can also use a file exclusion range within the EXCEPT command; however, this will select files to be excluded from EXCEPT, and therefore included in execution of the command. You can use command grouping to execute multiple commands with a single EXCEPT. For example, the following command copies all files in the current directory whose extensions begin with .DA, except the .DAT files, to the D:\SAVE directory, then changes the first two characters of the extension of the copied files to .SA : [c:\data] except (*.dat) (copy *.da* d:\save & ren *.da* *.sa*) If you use filename completion (see Filename Completion) to enter the filenames inside the parentheses, type a space after the open parenthesis before entering a partial filename or pressing Tab. Otherwise, the command-line editor will treat the open parenthesis as the first character of the filename to be completed. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.32. EXIT - Exit 4OS2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Return from 4OS2. Format: EXIT [value ] value : The numeric exit code to return. Usage EXIT terminates the current copy of 4OS2. Use it to return to an application when you have "shelled out" to work at the prompt, or to end an OS/2 command-line session. To close the session, or to return to the application that started 4OS2, type: [c:\] exit If you specify a value, EXIT will return that value to the program that started 4OS2. For example: [c:\] exit 255 The value is a number you can use to inform the program of some result, such as the success or failure of a batch file. It can range from 0 - 4,294,967,295. This feature is most useful for systems which use batch files to automate their operation, such as bulletin boards, or custom application programs like databases that shell to 4OS2 to perform certain tasks. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.33. FFIND - Search for files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Search for files by name or contents. Format: FFIND [/A[:][[-]rhsda] /B /C /D[list ] /E /I /K /L /M /O[[:][-]acdeginrsu] /P /R /S /T"xx" /V /X["xx xx ..."] file... list : A list of disk drive letters (without colons). file : The file, directory, or list of files or directories to display. /A(ttribute select) /M (no footers) /B(are) /O(rder) /C(ase sensitive) /P(ause) /D(rive) /R(everse) /E (upper case display) /S(ubdirectories) /I(gnore wildcards) /T"xx" (text search string) /K (no headers) /V(erbose) /L(ine numbers) /X["xx"] (hex display/search string) File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Usage FFIND is a flexible search command that looks for files based on their names and their contents. Depending on the options you choose, FFIND can display filenames, matching text, or a combination of both in a variety of formats. If you want to search for files by name, FFIND works much like the DIR command. For example, to generate a list of all the .BTM files in the current directory, you could use the command: [c:\] ffind *.btm The output from this command is a list of full pathnames, followed by the number of files found. If you want to limit the output to a list of *.BTM files which contain the string color, you could use this command instead: [c:\] ffind /t"color" *.btm The output from this command is a list of files that contain the string color along with the first line in each file that contains that string. By default, FFIND uses a case-insensitve search, so the command above will include files that contain COLOR, Color, color, or any other combination of upper-case and lower-case letters. If you would rather see the last line of each file that contains the search string, use the /R option, which forces FFIND to search from the end of each file to the beginning. This option will also speed up searches somewhat if you are looking for text that will normally be at the end of a file, such as a signature line: [c:\] ffind /r /t"Sincerely," *.txt You can use extended wildcards in the search string to increase the flexibility of FFIND's search. For example, the following command will find .TXT files which contain either the string June or July. It will also find Juny and Jule. The /C option makes the search case-sensitive: [c:\] ffind /c /t"Ju[nl][ey]" *.txt If you want to search for text that contains wildcard characters (*, ?, [, or ]), you can use the /I option to force FFIND to interpret these as normal characters instead of wildcards. The following command, for example, finds all .TXT files that contain a question mark: [c:\] ffind /i /t"?" *.txt At times, you may need to search for data that cannot be represented by ASCII characters. You can use FFIND's /X option to represent the search string in hexadecimal format (this option also changes the output to show hexadecimal offsets rather than text lines). With /X, the search must be represented by pairs of hexadecimal digits separated by spaces; a search of this type is always case-sensitive (in the example below, 41 63 65 is the hex code for "Ace"): [c:\] ffind /x"41 63 65" *.txt You can use FFIND's other options to further specify the files for which you are searching and to modify the way in which the output is displayed. Options /A: (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the specified attribute(s) set. Preceding the attribute character with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that attribute set. The colon [:] after /A is optional. The attributes are: R Read-only H Hidden S System D Subdirectory A Archive If no attributes are listed at all (e.g., FFIND /A ...), FFIND will select all files and subdirectories including hidden and system files. If attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a file to be selected. For example, /A:RHS will select only those files with all three attributes set. /B: (Bare) Display file names only and omit the text that matches the search. This option is only useful in combination with /T or /X, which normally force FFIND to display file names and matching text. /C: (Case sensitive) Perform a case-sensitive search. This option is only valid with /T, which defaults to a case-insensitive search. It is not needed with a /X hexadecimal search, which is always case-sensitive. /D: (Drive) Search all files on one or more drives. If you use /D without a list of drives, FFIND will search the drives specified in the list of files. If no drive letters are listed, FFIND will search all of the current drive. You can include a list of drives or a range of drives to search as part of the /D option. For example, to search drives C:, D:, E:, and G:, you can use either of these commands: [c:\] ffind /dcdeg ... [c:\] ffind /dc-eg ... Drive letters listed after /D will be ignored when processing file names which also include a drive letter. For example, this command displays all the .BTM files on C: and E:, but only the .BAT files on D: [c:\] ffind /s /dce *.btm d:\*.bat /E: Display filenames in the traditional upper case; also see SETDOS /U and the UpperCase directive in 4OS2.INI. /I: (Ignore wildcards) Only meaningful when used in conjunction with the /T"text" option. Suppresses the recognition of wildcard characters in the search text. This option is useful if you need to search for characters that would normally be interpreted as wildcards: *, ?, [, and ]. /K: (No headers) Suppress the display of the header or filename for each matching text line. /L: (Line numbers) Include the line number for each text line displayed. /M: (No footers) Suppress the footer (the number of files and number of matches) at the end of FFIND's display. /O: (Order) Set the sorting order. You may use any combination of the following sorting options; if multiple options are used, the listing will be sorted with the first sort option as the primary key, the next as the secondary key, and so on: - Reverse the sort order for the next option. a Sort in ASCII order, not numerically, when there are digits in the name. d Sort by date and time ( oldest first); for HPFS drives, also see /T. e Sort by extension. g Group subdirectories first, then files. i Sort by file description (ignored if /C or /O:c is used). n Sort by filename (this is the default). r Reverse the sort order for all options. s Sort by size. u Unsorted. /P: (Pause) Wait for a key to be pressed after each screen page before continuing the display. Your options at the prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. /R: (Reverse) Only meaningful when used in conjuction with the /T"text" or /X options. Searches each file from the end backwards to the beginning. This option is useful if you want to display the last occurrence of the search string in each file instead of the first (the default). It can also speed up searches for information that is normally at the end of a file, such as a signature. /S: (Subdirectories) Display matches from the current directory and all of its subdirectories. /T"xx": (Text search) Specify the text search string. /T must be followed by a text string in double quotes (e.g., /t"color"). FFIND will perform a case-insensitive search unless you also use the /C option. For a hexadecimal search and/or hexadecimal display of the location where the search string is found, see /X. You can specify a search string with either /T or /X, but not both. /V: (Verbose) Show every matching line. FFIND's default behavior is to show only the first matching line then and then go on to the next file. This option is only valid with /T or /X. /X: (Hexadecimal display / search) Specify hexadecimal display and an optional hexadecimal search string. If /X is followed by one or more pairs of hexadecimal digits in quotes (e.g., /x"44 63 65"), FFIND will search for that exact sequence of characters or data bytes without regard to the meaning of those bytes as text. If those bytes are found, the offset is displayed (in both decimal and hexadecimal). A search of this type will always be case-sensitive. If /X is not followed by a hexadecimal search string it must be used in conjunction with /T, and will change the output format to display offsets (in both decimal and hexadecimal) rather than actual text lines when the search string is found. For example, this command uses /T to display the first line in each .BTM file containing the word hello: [c:\] ffind /t"hello" *.btm ---- c:\test.btm: echo hello 1 line in 1 file If you use the same command with /X, the offset is displayed instead of the text: [c:\] ffind /t"hello" /x *.btm ---- c:\test.btm: Offset: 26 (1Ah) 1 line in 1 file You can specify a search string with either /T or /X, but not both. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.34. FOR - Repeat a command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Repeat a command for several values of a variable. Format: FOR [/A:[[-]rhsda] /D /F ["options "] /H /L /R [path ]] %var IN ([@]set | start, step, end ) [DO] command ... options : Parsing options for a "file parsing" FOR. path : The starting directory for a "recursive" FOR. %var : The variable to be used in the command ("FOR variable"). set : A set of values for the variable. start : The starting increment for a "counted" FOR. step : The increment value for a "counted" FOR. end : The limit value for a "counted" FOR. command : A command or group of commands to be executed for each value of the variable. /A: (Attribute select) /L (counted loop) /F(ile parsing) /R(ecursive) /H(ide dots) File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Ranges must appear immediately after the FOR keyword. Usage FOR begins by creating a set. It then executes a command for every member of the set. The command can be an internal command, an alias, an external command, or a batch file. The members of the set can be a list of file names, text strings, a group of numeric values, or text read from a list of files. When the set is made up of text or several separate file names (not an include list), the elements must be separated by spaces, tabs, commas, or the switch character (normally a slash [/]). FOR includes a large number of options, some of which duplicate functions available in other 4OS2 commands, and/or do not follow conventions you may find in our other commands. Most of these extra options are included for compatibility with Windows NT 4.0's CMD.EXE. However, we make them available in 4OS2, 4DOS, and 4NT so that aliases and batch files which use them can work under all three products. The first three sections below (Working with Files, Working with Text, and Retrieving Text from Files) describe the traditional FOR command and the enhancements to it which are part of 4OS2. The sections on Parsing Text from Files and Counted FOR Loops describe features added for compatibility of our line of text mode products with Windows NT 4.0. The section entitled Other Notes contains information you may need if you use any aspect of the FOR command extensively. Working with Files Normally, the set is a list of files specified with wildcards. For example, if you use this line in a batch file: for %x in (*.txt) do list %x then LIST will be executed once for each file in the current directory with the extension .TXT. The FOR variable %x is set equal to each of the file names in turn, then the LIST command is executed for each file. (You could do the same thing more easily with a simple LIST *.TXT. We used FOR here so you could get a feel for how it operates, using a simple example. Many of the examples in this section are constructed in the same way.) The set can include multiple files or an include list, like this: for %x in (d:\*.txt;*.doc;*.asc) do type %x FOR supports wildcards and extended wildcards, as well as extended parent directory names (e.g., ...\*.txt to process all of the .TXT files that are contained in the directory 2 levels above the current directory). When you use FOR on an HPFS drive, you must quote any file names within the set which contain whitespace or special characters. The same restriction applies to names returned in the FOR variable, if you pass them to 4OS2 internal commands, or other commands which require quoting filenames with whitespace. FOR does not quote returned names automatically, even if you included quotes in the set. See File Names for additional details on file name quoting. If the set includes filenames, the file list can be further refined by using date, time, size and file exclusion ranges. The range or ranges must be placed immediately after the word FOR. Ranges will be ignored if no wildcards are used inside the parentheses. For example, this set is made up of all of the .TXT files that were created or updated on October 4, 1997: for /[d10-4-97,+0] %x in (*.txt) do ... If the command is an internal command that supports ranges, an independent range can also be used in the command itself. You can also refine the list by limiting it with the /A: option to select only files that have specific attributes. By default, FOR works only with files in the current directory or a specified directory. With the /R option, FOR will also search for files in subdirectories. For example, to work with all of the .TXT files in the current directory and its subdirectories: for /r %x in (*.txt) do ... If you specify a directory name immediately after /R, FOR will start in that directory and then search each of its subdirectories. This example works with all of the .BAK files on drive D: for /r d:\ %x in (*.bak) do ... When you use wildcards to specify the set, FOR scans the directory and finds each file which matches the wildcard name(s) you specified. If, during the processing of the FOR command, you create a file that could be included in the set, it may or may not appear in a future interation of the same FOR command. Whether the new file appears depends on its physical location in the directory structure. For example, if you use FOR to execute a command for all .TXT files, and the command also creates one or more new .TXT files, those new files may or may not be processed during the current FOR command, depending on where they are placed in the physical structure of the directory. This is an operating system constraint over which 4OS2 have no control. Therefore, in order to achieve consistent results you should construct FOR commands which do not create files that could become part of the set for the current command. Working with Text The set can also be made up of text instead of file names. For example, to create three files named file1, file2, and file3, each containing a blank line: for %suffix in (1 2 3) do echo. > file%suffix You could also use the names of environment variables as the text. This example displays the name and content of several variables from the environment (see Environment Variables and Functions for details on the use of square brackets when expanding environment variables). Enter this on one line: for %var in (path prompt comspec) do echo %var=%[%var] Retrieving Text from Files FOR can extract text from files in two different ways. The first method extracts each line from each file in the set and places it in the variable. To use this method, place an [@] at the beginning of the set, in front of the file name or names. For example, if you have a file called DRIVES.TXT that contains a list of drives on your computer, one drive name per line (with a ":" after each drive letter), you can print the free space on each drive this way: for %d in (@drives.txt) do free %d > prn Because the [@] is also a valid filename character, FOR first checks to see if the file exists with the [@] in its name (i.e., a file named @DRIVES.TXT ). If so, the filename is treated as a normal argument. If it doesn't exist, FOR uses the filename (without the [@]) as the file from which to retrieve text. If you use @CON as the filename, FOR will read from standard input (a redirected input file) or a pipe; see Redirection and Piping for more information). If you use @CLIP: as the filename, FOR will read any text available from the OS/2 clipboard (see Redirection for details). Parsing Text from Files The second method of working with text from files is to have FOR parse each line of each file for you. To begin a "file-parsing" FOR, you must use the /F option and then include one or more file names in the set. When you use this form of FOR, the variable must be a single letter, for example, %a. This method of parsing, included for compatibility with Windows NT 4.0's CMD.EXE, can be cumbersome and inflexible. For a more powerful method, use FOR with @filename as the set to retrieve each line from the file, as described in the previous section. Then use variable functions like @INSTR, @LEFT, @RIGHT, and @WORD to parse the line. By default, FOR will extract the first word or token from each line and return it in the variable. For example, to display the first word on each line in the file FLIST.TXT: for /f %a in (flist.txt) do echo %a You can control the way FOR /F parses each line by specifying one or more parsing options in a quoted string immediately after the /F. The available options are: skip=n: FOR /F will skip "n" lines at the beginning of each file before parsing the remainder of the file. tokens=n, m, ... :By default, FOR /F returns just the first word or "token" from each parsed line in the variable you named. You can have it return more than one token in the variable, or return tokens in several variables, with this option. This option is followed by a list of numbers separated by commas. The first number tells FOR /F which token to return in the first variable, the second number tells it which to return in the second variable, etc. The variables follow each other alphabetically starting with the variable you name on the FOR command line. This example returns the first word of each line in each text file in %d, the second in %e, and the third in %f: for /f "tokens=1,2,3" %d in (*.txt) do ... You can also indicate a range of tokens by separating the numbers with a hyphen [-]. This example returns the first word of each line in %p, the second through fifth words in %q, and the eighth word in %r: for /f "tokens=1,2-5,8" %p in (*.txt) do ... To return the rest of the line in a variable, use a range that ends with a number higher than the last token in any line, such as 999. This final example returns the first word of each line in %a and the remainder of each line (assuming that no line has more than 999 words!) in %b: for /f "tokens=1,2-999" %a in (*.txt) do ... eol=c : If FOR /F finds the character "c" in the line, it will assume that the character and any text following it are part of a comment and ignore the rest of the line. delims=xxx... :By default, FOR /F sees spaces and tabs as word or token delimiters. This option replaces those delimiters with all of the characters following the equal sign to the end of the string. This option must therefore be the last one used in the quoted options string. You can also use FOR /F to parse a single string instead of each line of a file by using the string, in quotes, as the set. For example, this command will assign variable A to the string "this", B to "is", etc., then display "this" (enter the command on one line): for /f "tokens=1,2,3,4" %a in ("this is a test") do echo %a "Counted" FOR Loop The "counted FOR" loop is included only for compatibility with Windows NT 4.0's CMD.EXE. In most cases, you will find the DO command more useful for performing counted loops. In a counted FOR command, the set is made up of numeric values instead of text or file names. To begin a counted FOR command, you must use the /L option and then include three values, separated by commas, in the set. These are the start, step, and end values. During the first iteration of the FOR loop, the variable is set equal to the start value. Before each iteration, the variable is increased by the step value. The loop ends when the variable exceeds the end value. This example will print the numbers from 1 to 10: for /l %val in (1,1,10) do echo %val This example will print the odd numbers from 1 to 10 (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9): for /l %val in (1,2,10) do echo %val The step value can be negative. If it is, the loop will end when the variable is less than the end value. Other Notes You can use either % or %% in front of the variable name. Either form will work, whether the FOR command is typed from the command line or is part of an alias or batch file (some of the traditional command processors require a single % if FOR is used at the command line, but require %% if FOR is used in a batch file). The variable name can be up to 80 characters long. The word DO is optional. If you use a single-character FOR variable name, that name is given priority over any environment variable which starts with the same letter, in order to maintain compatibility with the traditional FOR command. For example, the following command tries to add a: and b: to the end of the PATH, but will not work as intended: [c:\] for %p in (a: b:) do path %path;%p The "%p" in "%path" will be interpreted as the FOR variable %p followed by the text "ath", which is not what was intended. To get around this, use a different letter or a longer name for the FOR variable, or use square brackets around the variable name (see Environment). The following example uses FOR with variable functions to delete the .BAK files for which a corresponding .TXT file exists in the current directory: [c:\docs] for %file in (*.txt) do del %@name[%file].bak The above command would not work properly on an HPFS drive, because the returned FILE variable might contain whitespace. To correct this problem, you would need two sets of quotes, one for DEL and one for %@NAME: [c:\docs] for %file in (*.txt) do del "%@name["%file"].bak" You can use command grouping to execute multiple commands for each element in the set. For example, the following command copies each .WKQ file in the current directory to the D:\WKSAVE directory, then changes the extension of each file in the current directory to .SAV. This should be entered on one line: [c:\text] for %file in (*.wkq) do (copy "%file" d:\wksave\ & ren "%file" *.sav) In a batch file you can use GOSUB to execute a subroutine for every element in the set. Within the subroutine, the FOR variable can be used just like any environment variable. This is a convenient way to execute a complex sequence of commands for every element in the set without CALLing another batch file. One unusual use of FOR is to execute a collection of batch files or other commands with the same parameter. For example, you might want to have three batch files all operate on the same data file. The FOR command could look like this: [c:\] for %cmd in (filetest fileform fileprnt) do %cmd datafile This line will expand to three separate commands: filetest datafile fileform datafile fileprnt datafile The variable that FOR uses (the %CMD in the example above) is created in the environment and then erased when the FOR command is done. (For compatibility with CMD.EXE, a single-character FOR variable is created in a special way that does not overwrite an existing environment variable with the same name.) When using a multi-character variable name you must be careful not to use the name of one of your environment variables as a FOR variable. For example, a command that begins [c:\] for %path in ... will write over your current path setting, then erase the path variable completely when FOR is done. FOR statements can be nested. Options /A:: (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the specified attribute(s) set. /A: will be used only when processing wildcard file names in the set. It will be ignored for filenames without wildcards or other items in the set. Preceding the attribute character with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that attribute set. The colon [:] after /A is required. The attributes are: R Read-only H Hidden S System D Subdirectory A Archive If no attributes are listed (e.g., FOR /A: ...), FOR will process all files including hidden and system files. If attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a file to be included. For example, /A:RHS will include only those files with all three attributes set. For example, to process only those files with the archive attribute set: for /a:a %f in (*.*) echo %f needs a backup! /F: (File parsing) Return one or more words or tokens from each line of each file in the set. The /F option can be followed by one or more options in a quoted string which control how the parsing is performed. See the details under Parsing Text From Files, above. /H: (Hide dots) Suppress the assignment of the "." and ".." directories to the FOR variable. /L: (counted loop) Interpret the three values in the set as the start, step, and end values of a counted loop. See the details under "Counted" FOR Loop, above. /R: (Recursive) Look in the current directory and all of its subdirectories for files in the set. If the /R is followed by a directory name, look for files in that directory and all of its subdirectories. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.35. FREE - Display total and free disk space ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display the total disk space, total bytes used, and total bytes free on the specified (or default) drive(s). Format: FREE [drive: ...] drive : One or more drives to include in the report. See also: MEMORY. Usage FREE provides the same disk information as the external command CHKDSK, but without the wait, since it does not check the integrity of the file and directory structure of the disk. A colon [:] is required after each drive letter. This example displays the status of drives A and C: [c:\] free a: c: Volume in drive A: is unlabeled Serial number is 213A:15D5 1,213,952 bytes total disk space 1,115,136 bytes used 98,816 bytes free Volume in drive C: is DEVELOPMENT Serial number is 2944:15D9 242,496,000 bytes total disk space 236,851,712 bytes used 5,644,288 bytes free ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.36. GLOBAL - Execute a command all subdirectories ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Execute a command in the current directory and its subdirectories. Format: GLOBAL [/H /I /P /Q] command command : The command to execute, including arguments and switches. /H(idden directories) /P(rompt) /I(gnore exit codes) /Q(uiet) Usage GLOBAL performs the command first in the current directory and then in every subdirectory under the current directory. The command can be an internal command, an alias, an external command, or a batch file. This example copies the files in every directory on drive A to the directory C:\TEMP : [a:\] global copy *.* c:\temp If you use the /P option, GLOBAL will prompt for each subdirectory before performing the command. You can use this option if you want to perform the command in most, but not all subdirectories of the current directory. You can use command grouping to execute multiple commands in each subdirectory. For example, the following command copies each .TXT file in the current directory and all of its subdirectories to drive A. It then changes the extension of each of the copied files to .SAV : [c:\] global (copy *.txt a: & ren *.txt *.sav) Options /H: (Hidden directories) Forces GLOBAL to look for hidden directories. If you don't use this switch, hidden directories are ignored. /I: (Ignore exit codes) If this option is not specified, GLOBAL will terminate if the command returns a non-zero exit code. Use /I if you want the command to continue in additional subdirectories even if it returns an error in one subdirectory. Even if you use /I, GLOBAL will hnormally alt execution if the command processor receives a Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break. /P: (Prompt) Forces GLOBAL to prompt with each directory name before it performs the command. Your options at the prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. /Q: (Quiet) Do not display the directory names as each directory is processed. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.37. GOSUB - Execute a subroutine in a batch file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Execute a subroutine in the current batch file. Format: GOSUB label label : The batch file label at the beginning of the subroutine. See also: CALL, GOTO and RETURN. Usage GOSUB can only be used in batch files. 4OS2 allows subroutines in batch files. A subroutine must start with a label (a colon [:] followed by a one-word label name) which appears on a line by itself. Case differences are ignored when matching labels. Labels may be one or more words long. The subroutine must end with a RETURN statement. The subroutine is invoked with a GOSUB command from another part of the batch file. After the RETURN, processing will continue with the command following the GOSUB command. For example, the following batch file fragment calls a subroutine which displays the directory and returns: echo Calling a subroutine gosub subr1 echo Returned from the subroutine quit :subr1 dir /a/w return 4OS2 begins its search for the label on the next line of the batch file (after the GOSUB command). If the label is not found between the current position and the end of the file, GOSUB will restart the search at the beginning of the file. If the label does not exist, the batch file is terminated with the error message "Label not found." GOSUB saves the IFF and DO states, so IFF and DO statements inside a subroutine won't interfere with statements in the part of the batch file from which the subroutine was called. Subroutines can be nested. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.38. GOTO - Branch within a batch file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Branch to a specified line inside the current batch file. Format: GOTO [/I] label label : The batch file label to branch to. /I(FF and DO continue) See also: GOSUB. Usage GOTO can only be used in batch files. After a GOTO command in a batch file, the next line to be executed will be the one immediately after the label. The label must begin with a colon [:] and appear on a line by itself. The colon is required on the line where the label is defined, but is not required in the GOTO command itself. Case differences are ignored when matching labels. Labels may be one or more words long. This batch file fragment checks for the existence of the file CONFIG.SYS. If the file exists, the batch file jumps to C_EXISTS and copies all the files from the current directory to the root directory on A:. Otherwise, it prints an error message and exits. if exist config.sys goto C_EXISTS echo CONFIG.SYS doesn't exist - exiting. quit :C_EXISTS copy *.* a:\ GOTO begins its search for the label on the next line of the batch file (after the GOTO command). If the label is not found between the current position and the end of the file, GOTO will restart the search at the beginning of the file. If the label does not exist, the batch file is terminated with the error message "Label not found." To avoid errors in the processing of nested statements and loops, GOTO cancels all active IFF statements and DO / ENDDO loops unless you use /I. This means that a normal GOTO (without /I) may not branch to any label that is between an IFF and the corresponding ENDIFF or between a DO and the corresponding ENDDO. For compatibility with Windows NT's CMD.EXE, the command GOTO :EOF will end processing of the current batch file if the label :EOF does not exist. However, this is less efficient than using the QUIT or CANCEL command to end a batch file. Options /I: (IFF and DO continue) Prevents GOTO from canceling IFF statements and DO loops. Use this option only if you are absolutely certain that your GOTO command is branching entirely within any current IFF statement and any active DO / ENDDO block. Using /I under any other conditions will cause an error later in your batch file. You cannot branch into another IFF statement, another DO loop, or a different IFF or DO nesting level, whether you use the /I option or not. If you do, you will eventually receive an "unknown command" error (or execution of the UNKNOWN_CMD alias) on a subsequent ENDDO, ELSE, ELSEIFF, or ENDIFF statement. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.39. HELP - Display help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display help for internal commands. Help for external commands is also available in some cases. Format: HELP [topic ] topic : A help topic, internal command, or external command. See also: The 4OS2 Help System. Usage Online help is available for 4OS2. The 4OS2 help system uses the OS/2 help facility. See the Introduction and Installation Guide for a more thorough explanation of the online help available. If you type the command HELP by itself (or press F1 when the command line is empty), the table of contents is displayed. If you type HELP plus a topic name, that topic is displayed. For example: help copy displays information about the COPY command and its options. You can configure the HELP command to display OS/2's command-line help along with the 4OS2's (the default), display only the 4OS2 help, or display some other combination of help "books". For details, see the HelpBook directive and your Introduction and Installation Guide. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.40. HISTORY - Manage the history list ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display, add to, clear, or read the history list. Format: HISTORY [/A command /F /P /R filename ] command : A command to be added to the history list. filename : The name of a file containing entries to be added to the history list. /A(dd) /P(ause) /F(ree) /R(ead) See also: DIRHISTORY and LOG. Usage 4OS2 keeps a list of the commands you have entered on the command line. See Command History and Recall for information on command recall, which allows you to use the history list to repeat or edit commands you have previously executed. The HISTORY command lets you view and manipulate the command history list directly. If no parameters are entered, HISTORY will display the current command history list: [c:\] history With the options explained below, you can clear the list, add new commands to the list without executing them, save the list in a file, or read a new list from a file. The number of commands saved in the history list depends on the length of each command line. The history list size can be specified at startup from 256 to 32767 characters (see the History directive). The default size is 1024 characters. Your history list can be stored either locally (a separate history list for each copy of 4OS2) or globally (all copies of 4OS2 share the same list). For full details see the discussion of local and global history lists under Command History and Recall. You can use the HISTORY command as an aid in writing batch files by redirecting the HISTORY output to a file and then editing the file appropriately. However, it may be easier to use the LOG /H command for this purpose. You can disable the history list or specify a minimum command-line length to save with on the Command Line 1 page of the OPTION dialogs, or with the HistMin directive in the .INI file. You can save the history list by redirecting the output of HISTORY to a file. This example saves the command history to a file called HISTFILE and reads it back again immediately. If you leave out the HISTORY /F command on the second line, the contents of the file will be appended to the current history list instead of replacing it: [c:\] history > histfile [c:\] history /f [c:\] history /r histfile If you need to save your history at the end of each day's work, you might use commands like this in your AUTOEXEC.BAT or other startup file: if exist c:\histfile history /r c:\histfile alias shut*down `history > c:\histfile` This restores the previous history list if it exists, then defines an alias which will allow you to save the history before shutting off the system. Options /A: (Add) Add a command to the history list. This performs the same function as the Ctrl-K key at the command line (see Command History and Recall). /F: (Free) Erase all entries in the command history list. /P: (Prompt) Wait for a key after displaying each page of the list. Your options at the prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. /R: (Read) Read the command history from the specified file and append it to the history list currently held in memory. Each line in the file must fit within the command-line length limit). If you are creating a HISTORY /R file by hand, and need to create an entry that spans multiple lines in the file, you can do so by terminating each line, except the last, with an escape character. However, you cannot use this method to exceed the command-line length limit. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.41. IF - Execute a command if a condition is true ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Execute a command if a condition or set of conditions is true. Format: IF [NOT] condition [.AND. | .OR. | .XOR. [NOT] condition ...] command condition : A test or set of tests to determine if the command should be executed. command : The command to execute if the condition is true. See also: IFF, @IF. Usage IF is normally used only in aliases and batch files. It is always followed by one or more conditions and then a command. First, the conditions are evaluated. If they are true, the command is executed. Otherwise, the command is ignored. If you add a NOT before a condition, the command is executed only when the condition is false. You can link conditions with .AND., .OR., or .XOR., and you can group conditions with parentheses (see Combining Tests below). You can also nest IF statements. The conditions can test strings, numbers, the existence of a file or subdirectory, the exit code returned by the preceding external command, and the existence of aliases and internal commands. The command can be an alias, an internal command, an external command, or a batch file. The entire IF statement, including all conditions and the command, must fit on one line. Some examples of IF conditions and commands are included below; additional examples can be found in the EXAMPLES.BTM file which came with 4OS2. You can use command grouping to execute multiple commands if the condition is true. For example, the following command tests if any .TXT files exist. If they do, they are copied to drive A: and their extensions are changed to .TXO : if exist *.txt (copy *.txt a: & ren *.txt *.txo) (Note that the IFF command provides a more structured method of executing multiple commands if a condition or set of conditions is true.) When an IF test fails, the remainder of the command is discarded, and the command processor normally continues with the next command on the line, or the next line. This behavior is not compatible with CMD.EXE, which discards all remaining commands on the line when an IF test fails, including those after a command separator or pipe character. To change the behavior so that IF affects all commands on the line, as in CMD.EXE, set DuplicateBugs to Yes in 4OS2.INI. For example, if DuplicateBugs is set to Yes (the default), the following command will display nothing, because the second ECHO command is discarded along with the first when the condition fails. If DuplicateBugs is set to No, it will display "hello": [c:\] if 1 == 2 echo Wrong! & echo hello Conditions The conditional tests listed in the following sections are available in both the IF and IFF commands. They fit into two categories: string and numeric tests, and status tests. The tests can use environment variables, internal variables and variable functions, file names, literal text, and numeric values as their arguments. String and Numeric Tests Six test conditions can be used to test character strings. The same conditions are available for both numeric and normal text strings (see below for details). In each case you enter the test as: string1 operator string2 The operator defines the type of test (equal, greater than or equal, and so on). You should always use spaces on both sides of the operator The operators are: EQ or == string1 equal to string2 NE or != string1 not equal to string2 LT string1 less than string2 LE string1 less than or equal to string2 GE string1 greater than or equal to string2 GT string1 greater than string2 When IF compares two character strings, it will use either a numeric comparison or a string comparison. A numeric comparison treats the strings as numeric values and tests them arithmetically. A string comparison treats the strings as text. The difference between numeric and string comparisons is best explained by looking at the way two values are tested. For example, consider comparing the values 2 and 19. Numerically, 2 is smaller, but as a string it is "larger" because its first digit is larger than the first digit of 19. So the first of these conditions will be true, and the second will be false: if 2 lt 19 ... if "2" lt "19" ... IF determines which kind of test to do by examining the first character of each string. If both strings begin with a numeric character (a digit, sign, or decimal separator), a numeric comparison is used. (If a string begins with a decimal separator it is not considered numeric unless the next character is a digit, and there are no more decimal separators within the string. For example, ".07" is numeric, but ".a" and ".07.01" are not.) If either value is non-numeric, a string comparison is used. To force a string comparison when both values are or may be numeric, use double quotes around the values you are testing, as shown above. Because the double quote is not a numeric character, IF performs a string comparison. Case differences are ignored in string comparisons. If two strings begin with the same text but one is shorter, the shorter string is considered to be "less than" the longer one. For example, "a" is less than "abc", and "hello_there" is greater than "hello". When you compare text strings, you should always enclose the arguments in double quotes in order to avoid syntax errors which may occur if one of the argument values is empty. Numeric comparisons work with both integer and decimal values. The values to be compared must contain only numeric digits, decimal points, and an optional sign (+ or -). The number may contain up to 16 digits to the left of the decimal point, and 8 digits to the right. Internal variables and variable functions are very powerful when combined with string and numeric comparisons. They allow you to test the state of your system, the characteristics of a file, date and time information, or the result of a calculation. You may want to review the variables and variable functions when determining the best way to set up an IF test. This batch file fragment runs a program called MONOPROG if a monochrome monitor is attached to the system: if "%_monitor" == "mono" monoprog This batch file fragment tests for a string value: input "Enter your selection : " %%cmd if "%cmd" == "WP" goto wordproc if "%cmd" NE "GRAPHICS" goto badentry This example calls GO.BTM if the first two characters in the file MYFILE are "GO": if "%@left[2,%@line[myfile,0]]" == "GO" call go.btm Status Tests These conditions test the system or command processor status. You can use internal variables and variable functions to test many other parts of the system status. DEFINED variable If the variable exists in the environment, the condition is true. This is equivalent to testing whether the variable is not empty, for example the following two commands are equivalent: if defined abc echo Hello if "%abc" != "" echo Hello ERRORLEVEL [operator] n This test retrieves the exit code of the preceding external program. By convention, programs return an exit code of 0 when they are successful and a number between 1 and 255 to indicate an error (depending on the program you are running, the maximum return value may be larger). The condition can be any of the operators listed above (EQ, !=, GT, etc.). If no operator is specified, the default is GE. The comparison is done numerically. Not all programs return an explicit exit code. For programs which do not, the behavior of ERRORLEVEL is undefined. EXIST filename If the file exists, the condition is true. You can use wildcards in the filename, in which case the condition is true if any file matching the wildcard name exists. Do not use IF EXIST to test for existence of a directory (use IF ISDIR instead). Due to variations in operating system internals, IF EXIST will not return consistent results when used to test for the existence of a directory. ISALIAS aliasname If the name is defined as an alias, the condition is true. ISDIR | DIREXIST path If the subdirectory exists, the condition is true. ISINTERNAL command If the specified command is an active internal command, the condition is true. Commands can be activated and deactivated with the SETDOS /I command. ISLABEL label If the specified label exists in the current batch file, the condition is true. Labels may be one or more words long. This batch file fragment tests for the existence of A:\JAN.DOC before copying it to drive C (this avoids an error message if the file does not exist): if exist a:\jan.doc copy a:\jan.doc c:\ This example tests the exit code of the previous program and stops all batch file processing if an error occurred: if errorlevel == 0 goto success echo "External Error -- Batch File Ends!" cancel Combining Tests You can negate the result of any test with NOT, and combine tests of any type with .AND., .OR., and .XOR. When two tests are combined with .AND., the result is true if both individual tests are true. When two tests are combined with .OR., the result is true if either (or both) individual tests are true. When two tests are combined with .XOR., the result is true only if one of the tests is true and the other is false. This example runs a program called HIGHRES if either an EGA or VGA video adapter is in use. Enter this on one line: if "%_video" == "EGA" .or. "%_video" == "vga" highres Test conditions are always scanned from left to right there is no implied order of precedence, as there is in some programming languages. You can, however, force a specific order of testing by grouping conditions with parentheses, for example (enter this on one line): if (%a == 1 .or. (%b == 2 .and. %c == 3)) echo something Parentheses can only be used when the portion of the condition inside the parentheses contains at least one ".and.", ".or.", or ".xor.". Parentheses on a simple condition which does not combine two or more tests will be taken as part of the string to be tested, and will probably make the test fail. For example, the first of these IF tests would fail; the second would succeed: if (a == a) ... if (a == a .and. b == b) ... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.42. IFF - IF / THEN / ELSE conditional command execution ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Perform IF / THEN / ELSE conditional execution of commands. Format: IFF [NOT] condition [.AND. | .OR. | .XOR. [NOT] condition ...] THEN & commands [ELSEIFF condition THEN & commands ] ... [ELSE & commands ] & ENDIFF condition : A test to determine if the command(s) should be executed. commands : One or more commands to execute if the condition(s) is true. If you use multiple commands, they must be separated by command separators or be placed on separate lines of a batch file. See also: IF and @IF. Usage IFF is similar to the IF command, except that it can perform one set of commands when a condition or set of conditions is true and different commands when the conditions are false. IFF can also execute multiple commands when the conditions are true or false; IF normally executes only one command. IFF imposes no limit on the number of commands and is generally a "cleaner" and more structured command than IF. IFF is always followed by one or more conditions. If they are true, the commands that follow the word THEN are executed. Additional conditions can be tested with ELSEIFF. If none of these conditions are true, the commands that follow the word ELSE are executed. After the selected commands (if any) are executed, processing continues after the word ENDIFF. If you add a NOT before the condition, the THEN commands are executed only when the condition is false and the ELSE commands are executed only when the condition is true. The commands may be separated by command separators, or may be on separate lines of a batch file. You should include a command separator or a line break after a THEN, before an ELSEIFF, and before and after an ELSE. You can link conditions with .AND., .OR., or .XOR., and you can group conditions with parentheses. You can nest IFF statements up to 15 levels deep. The conditions can test strings or numbers, the existence of a file or subdirectory, the errorlevel returned from the preceding external command, and the existence of alias names and internal commands. See the IF command for a list of the possible conditions, and details on useing .AND., .OR., .XOR., and parentheses. The commands can include any internal command, alias, external command, or batch file. The following batch file fragment tests the monitor type (monochrome or color), and sets the appropriate colors and prompt (enter the "prompt" lines on one line of the batch file): iff "%_monitor" == "color" then color bright white on blue & cls prompt=$e[s$e[1;1f$e[41;1;37m$e[K Path: $p$e[u$e[44;37m$n$g else prompt=$e[s$e[1;1f$e[0;7m$e[K Path: $p$e[u$e[0m$n$g endiff The alias in this second example checks to see if the argument is a subdirectory. If so, the alias deletes the subdirectory's files and removes it (enter this on one line): [c:\] alias prune `iff isdir %1 then & del /sxz %1 & else & echo Not a directory! & endiff` Be sure to read the cautionary notes about GOTO and IFF under the GOTO command before using a GOTO inside an IFF statement. If you pipe data to an IFF, the data will be passed to the command(s) following the IFF, not to IFF itself. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.43. INKEY - Get a character from the keyboard ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Get a single keystroke from the user and store it in an environment variable. Format: INKEY [/C /D /K"keys" /P /Wn /X] [prompt ] %%varname prompt : Optional text that is displayed as a prompt. varname : The variable that will hold the user's keystroke. /C(lear buffer) /P(assword) /D(igits only) /W(ait) /K(valid keystrokes) /X (no carriage return) See also: INPUT. Usage INKEY optionally displays a prompt. Then it waits for a specified time or indefinitely for a keystroke, and places the keystroke into an environment variable. It is normally used in batch files and aliases to get a menu choice or other single-key input. Along with the INPUT command, INKEY allows great flexibility in reading input from within a batch file or alias. If prompt text is included in an INKEY command, it is displayed while INKEY waits for input. The following batch file fragment prompts for a character and stores it in the variable NUM: inkey Enter a number from 1 to 9: %%num INKEY reads standard input for the keystroke, so it will accept keystrokes from a redirected file or from the KEYSTACK. You can supply a list of valid keystrokes with the /K option. Standard keystrokes with ASCII values between 1 and 255 are stored directly in the environment variable. Extended keystrokes (for example, function keys and cursor keys) are stored as a string in decimal format, with a leading @ (for example, the F1 key is @59). The Enter key is stored as an extended keystroke, with the code @28. See the Reference Tables for a list of the ASCII and extended key codes. To test for a non-printing ASCII keystroke returned by INKEY use the @ASCII function to get the numeric value of the key. For example, to test for Esc, which has an ASCII value of 27: inkey Enter a key: %%key if "%@ascii[%key]" == "27" echo Esc pressed If you press Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break while INKEY is waiting for a key, execution of an alias will be terminated, and execution of a batch file will be suspended while you are asked whether to cancel the batch job. A batch file can handle Ctrl-C and Ctrl-Break itself with the ON BREAK command. Options /C: (Clear buffer) Clears the keyboard buffer before INKEY accepts keystrokes. If you use this option, INKEY will ignore any keystrokes which you type, either accidentally or intentionally, before it is ready to accept input. /D: (Digits only) Prevents INKEY from accepting any keystroke except a digit from 0 to 9. /K"keys":Specify the permissible keystrokes. The list of valid keystrokes should be enclosed in double quotes. For alphabetic keys the validity test is not case sensitive. You can specify extended keys by enclosing their names in square brackets (within the quotes), for example: inkey /k"ab[Alt-F10]" Enter A, B, Alt-F10 %%var See Keys and Key Names for a complete listing of the key names you can use within the square brackets, and a description of the key name format. If an invalid keystroke is entered, 4OS2 will echo the keystroke if possible, beep, move the cursor back one character, and wait for another keystroke. /P: (Password) Prevents INKEY from echoing the character. /W: (Wait) Timeout period, in seconds, to wait for a response. If no keystroke is entered by the end of the timeout period, INKEY returns with the variable unchanged. This allows you to continue the batch file if the user does not respond in a given period of time. You can specify /W0 to return immediately if there are no keys waiting in the keyboard buffer. For example, the following batch file fragment waits up to 10 seconds for a character, then tests to see if a "Y" was entered: set net=N inkey /K"YN" /w10 Load network (Y/N)? %%net iff "%net" == "Y" then rem Commands to load the network go here endiff /X: (No carriage return) Prevents INKEY from displaying a carriage return and line feed after the user's entry. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.44. INPUT - Get a string from the keyboard ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Get a string from the keyboard and save it in an environment variable. Format: INPUT [/C /D /E /Ln /N /P /Wn /X] [prompt ] %%varname prompt : Optional text that is displayed as a prompt. varname : The variable that will hold the user's input. /C(lear buffer) /N(o colors) /D(igits only) /P(assword) /E(dit) /W(ait) /L(ength) /X (no carriage return) See also: INKEY. Usage INPUT optionally displays a prompt. Then it waits for a specified time or indefinitely for your entry. It places any characters you type into an environment variable. INPUT is normally used in batch files and aliases to get multi-key input. Along with the INKEY command, INPUT allows great flexibility in reading user input from within a batch file or alias. If prompt text is included in an INPUT command, it is displayed while INPUT waits for input. Standard command-line editing keys may be used to edit the input string as it is entered. If you use the /P password option, INPUT will echo asterisks instead of the keys you type. All characters entered up to, but not including, the carriage return are stored in the variable. The following batch file fragment prompts for a string and stores it in the variable FNAME: input Enter the file name: %%fname INPUT reads standard input, so it will accept text from a redirected file. If you press Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break while INPUT is waiting for input, execution of an alias will be terminated, and execution of a batch file will be suspended while you are asked whether to cancel the batch job. A batch file can handle Ctrl-C and Ctrl-Break itself with the ON BREAK command. You should not pipe text to INPUT. If you do, INPUT will set the variable to the first line it receives, but it will set the variable in the "child" process used to handle the right hand side fo the pipe. This variable will not be available in the original copy of 4OS2 used to start the pipe. Options /C: (Clear buffer) Clears the keyboard buffer before INPUT accepts keystrokes. If you use this option, INPUT will ignore any keystrokes which you type, either accidentally or intentionally, before INPUT is ready. /D: (Digits only) Prevents INKEY from accepting any keystroke except a digit from 0 to 9. /E: (Edit) Allows you to edit an existing value. If there is no existing value for varname, INPUT proceeds as if /E had not been used, and allows you to enter a new value. /Ln: (Length) Sets the maximum number of characters which INPUT will accept to n. If you attempt to enter more than this number of characters, INPUT will beep and prevent further input (you will still be able to edit the characters typed before the limit was reached). /N: (No colors) Disables the use of input colors defined in the InputColors directive in 4OS2.INI, and forces INPUT to use the default display colors. /P: (Password) Tells INPUT to echo asterisks, instead of the characters you type. /Wn: (Wait) Timeout period, in seconds, to wait for a response. If no keystroke is entered by the end of the timeout period, INPUT returns with the variable unchanged. This allows you to continue the batch file if the user does not respond in a given period of time. If you enter a key before the timeout period, INPUT will wait indefinitely for the remainder of the line. You can specify /W0 to return immediately if there are no keys waiting in the keyboard buffer. /X: (No carriage return) Prevents INPUT from displaying a carriage return and line feed after the user's entry. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.45. KEYBD - Set the keyboard toggles ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Set the state of the keyboard toggles: Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock. Format: KEYBD [/Cn /Nn /Sn ] n : 0 to turn off the toggle, or 1 to turn on the toggle. /C(aps lock) /S(croll lock) /N(um lock) Usage Most keyboards have 3 toggle keys, the Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock. The toggle key status is usually displayed by three lights at the top right corner of the keyboard. This command lets you turn any toggle key on or off. It is most useful in batch files and aliases if you want the keys set a particular way before collecting input from the user. For example, to turn off the Num Lock and Caps Lock keys, you can use this command: [c:\] keybd /c0 /n0 If you use the KEYBD command with no switches, it will display the present state of the toggle keys. The toggle key state is typically the same for all sessions, and changes made with KEYBD in one session will therefore affect all other sessions. Options /C: (Caps lock) Turn the Caps Lock key on or off. /N: (Num lock) Turn the Num Lock key on or off. /S: (Scroll lock) Turn the Scroll Lock key on or off. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.46. KEYS - Enable or disable the history list ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Enable, disable, or display the history list. Format: KEYS [ON | OFF | LIST] See also: HISTORY. Usage This command is provided for compatibility with the KEYS command in CMD.EXE, which controls the history list in OS/2. The same functions are available by setting the HistMin directive in the .INI file, and by using the HISTORY command. The history list collects the commands you type for later recall, editing, and viewing. You can view the contents of the list through the history list window or by typing any of the following commands: [c:\] history [c:\] history /p [c:\] keys list The first command displays the entire history list. The second displays the entire list and pauses at the end of each full screen. The third command produces the same output as the first, except that each line is numbered. You can disable the collection and storage of commands in the history list by typing: [c:\] keys off You can turn the history back on with the command: [c:\] keys on If you issue the KEYS command without any parameters, 4OS2 will show you the current status of the history list. KEYS also affects the way 4OS2 reads input from the keyboard. KEYS OFF will force 4OS2 into line input mode; KEYS ON will return input to the usual character by character method. See the LineInput directive, or the /L option of the SETDOS command, for details on line input mode. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.47. KEYSTACK - Feed keystrokes to a program or command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Feed keystrokes to a program or command automatically. Format: KEYSTACK [!] [/Wn] ["abc "] [keyname [n]] ... ! : Signal to clear the Keystack and the keyboard buffer. abc : Literal characters to be placed in the Keystack. keyname : Name or code for a key to be placed in the Keystack. n : Number of times to repeat the named key. /W(ait) See also: Using the Keystack. Usage KEYSTACK takes a series of keystrokes and feeds them to a program or command as if they were typed at the keyboard. When the program has used all of the keystrokes in the keystack buffer, it will begin to read the keyboard for input, as it normally would. KEYSTACK sends the keystrokes to the current active window. If you want to send keystrokes to another program (rather than have them function with 4OS2 itself), you must start the program or ACTIVATE its window so it can receive the keystrokes. The KEYSTACK command must be executed after you start or ACTIVATE the program which is to receive the keystrokes. KEYSTACK is most often used for programs started from batch files. In order for 4OS2's KEYSTACK to work in a batch file, you must start the program with the START command, then use the KEYSTACK command. If you start the program directly - without using START - the batch file will wait for the application to complete before continuing and running the KEYSTACK command, and the keystrokes will be placed in the buffer too late. If you use KEYSTACK in an alias executed from the prompt, the considerations are essentially the same, but depend on whether ExecWait is set. If ExecWait is not set, you can use KEYSTACK immediately after an application is started. However, if ExecWait is set, the KEYSTACK command will not be executed until the program has finished, and the keystrokes will be placed in the buffer too late. You may not be able to use KEYSTACK effectively if you have programs running in the background which change the active window (for example, by popping up a dialog box). If a window pops up in the midst of your KEYSTACK sequence, keystrokes stored in the KEYSTACK buffer may go to that window, and not to the application you intended. KEYSTACK will only work if the program KEYSTACK.EXE is in the same directory 4OS2.EXE, or a directory listed in your PATH. If KEYSTACK.EXE cannot be found, the KEYSTACK command will display an error message. KEYSTACK can send keystrokes to Presentation Manager applications and to OS/2 character-mode applications running in a window. It cannot send keystrokes to DOS applications, or to character-mode applications running in a full-screen session. Characters entered within double quotes ("abc") will be sent "as is" to the application. The only items allowed outside double quotes are key names, the ! and /W options, and a repeat count. See Keys and Key Names for a complete listing of key names and a description of the key name and numeric key code format. If you want to send the same key name or numeric code several times, you can follow it with a repeat count in square brackets. For example, to send the Enter key 4 times, you can use this command: keystack enter [4] The repeat count works only with individual keystrokes, or numeric keystroke or character values. It cannot be used with quoted strings. An exclamation mark [!] will clear all pending keystrokes in the KEYSTACK buffer. For example, to start a program that needs a single space to skip its opening screen you could use the command: [c:\comm] keystack 32 & progname This places a space ( ASCII code 32) in the buffer, then runs the program. When the program looks for a keystroke to end the display of the opening screen the keystroke is already in the buffer, and the opening screen is removed immediately. You can store a maximum of 1023 characters in the 4OS2 KEYSTACK buffer. The count is determined by the number of characters on the KEYSTACK command line, not by the actual number of characters sent to the application. Each time the KEYSTACK command is executed, it will clear any remaining keystrokes stored by a previous KEYSTACK command. You may need to experiment with your programs and insert delays (see the /W option) to find a keystroke sequence that works for a particular program. Advanced Options KEYSTACK treats the number 0 as a special case; it is used with programs that flush the keyboard buffer. When KEYSTACK processes a key value of 0, it tells the program the buffer is clear, so subsequent keystrokes will be accepted normally. Some programs will require several "0"s before they will accept input; you may need to experiment to determine the correct number. For example, the following batch file starts a spreadsheet programand loads the file specified on the command line when the batch file is invoked (the KEYSTACK command should be entered on one line): pushd c:\finance keystack 0 Enter 0 Enter 0 Enter 0 Enter 0 Enter "/FR" 0 "%1" Enter spread popd The sequence of "0 Enter" pairs tells the program that the keyboard buffer is empty, then passes a carriage return, repeating this sequence five times. (You must determine the actual sequence required by your software through experimentation. Few programs require as long a startup sequence as is shown here.) This gets the program to a point where an empty spreadsheet is displayed. The rest of the KEYSTACK line issues a File Retrieve command (/FR), simulates an empty keyboard buffer once more, enters the file name passed on the batch command line (%1), and finally enters a carriage return to end the file name. Here's the same command defined as an alias (enter this on one line): alias sload `pushd c:\finance & keystack 0 Enter 0 Enter 0 Enter 0 Enter 0 Enter "/FR" 0 "%1" Enter & spread & popd` KEYSTACK mimics the BIOS by stacking both an ASCII code and a scan code for each key. It does so by calculating the code for each character, whether it is entered as part of a quoted string, as a key name, or as an ASCII value less than 128. However, if you are stacking keys for a program which distinguishes between keys with the same symbol, like the plus on the keyboard and the gray plus, you will have to calculate the codes for the keys on the numeric keypad yourself. Calculate the value ((256 * scan code) + ASCII code) and enter that numeric value as an argument for KEYSTACK. For example, for the Enter key on the numeric keypad, the scan code is 224 and the ASCII code is 13, so to stack both values use ((256 * 224) + 13) or KEYSTACK 57357. Try this approach if a "normal" KEYSTACK command does not work (for example, if you use "KEYSTACK Enter" for the Enter key and the program doesn't see the correct character). To stack such combined key codes you must use the numeric value, not the key name. See Reference Tables for ASCII and scan codes. Options /W: (Wait) Delay the next keystroke in the KEYSTACK buffer by a specified number of clock "ticks". A clock tick is approximately 1/18 second. The number of clock ticks to delay should be placed immediately after the W, and must be between 1 and 65535 (65535 ticks is about 1 hour). You can use the /W option as many times as desired and at any point in the string of keystrokes except within double quotes. Some programs may need the delays provided by /W in order to receive keystrokes properly from KEYSTACK. The only way to determine what delay is needed is to experiment. Sometimes a combination of a delay and an "empty buffer" signal (a 0) are required. For example, to start the program CADX and send it an F7, a delay of one second, an indication that the keyboard buffer is empty, and a carriage return: [c:\] keystack F7 /W18 0 Enter & cadx ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.48. LIST - Display a file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display a file, with forward and backward paging and scrolling. Format: LIST [/A:[[-]rhsda] /H /I /R /S /T /W /X] file ... file : A file or list of files to display. /A: (Attribute select) /S(tandard input) /H(igh bit off) /T (search for Text) /I(gnore wildcards) /W(rap) /R(everse) /X (heX display mode) See also: TYPE. File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Usage LIST provides a fast and flexible way to view a file, without the overhead of loading and using a text editor. For example, to display a file called MEMO.DOC: [c:\] list memo.doc LIST is most often used for displaying ASCII text files. It can be used for other files which contain non-alphabetic characters, but you may need to use hex mode (see below) to read these files. LIST uses the cursor pad to scroll through the file. The following keys have special meanings: Home Display the first page of the file. End Display the last page of the file. Esc Exit the current file. Ctrl-PgUp Display previous file. Ctrl-PgDn Display next file. Ctrl-C Quit LIST. PgUp Scroll up one page. PgDn or Space Scroll down one page. Scroll up one line. Scroll down one line. Scroll left 8 columns. Scroll right 8 columns. Ctrl Scroll left 40 columns. Ctrl Scroll right 40 columns. F1 Display online help B Go back one file to the previous file in the current group of files. Ctrl-F Prompt and search for a string, searching backward from the end of the file. F Prompt and search for a string. G Go to a specific line, or, in hex mode, to a specific hexadecimal offset. H Toggle the "strip high bit" (/H) option. I Display information on the current file (the full name, size, date, and time). N Find next matching string. Ctrl-N Find previous match in the file. P Print the current page or the entire file. W Toggle the "line wrap" (/W) option. X Toggle the hex-mode display (/X) option. Text searches performed with F, N, Ctrl-F, and Ctrl-N are not case-sensitive. However, if the display is currently in hexadecimal mode and you press F or Ctrl-F, you will be prompted for whether you want to search in hexadecimal mode. If you answer Y, you should then enter the search string as a sequence of 2-digit hexadecimal numbers separated by spaces, for example 41 63 65 (these are the ASCII values for the string "Ace"; see ASCII for a complete list of ASCII codes). Hexadecimal searches are case-sensitive, and search for exactly the string you enter. When the search string is found LIST displays the line containing the string at the top of the screen, and highlights the string it found. Any additional occurrences of the string on the same display page are also highlighted. Highlighting is intended for use with text files; in binary files the search string will be found, but may not be highlighted properly. You can use wildcards in the search string. For example, you can search for the string "to*day" to find the next line which contains the word "to" followed by the word "day" later on the same line, or search for the numbers "101" or "401" with the search string "[14]01". If you begin the search string with a back-quote [`], or enclose it in back-quotes, wildcard characters in the string will be treated as normal text with no special wildcard meaning. LIST saves the search string used by F, N, Ctrl-F, and Ctrl-N so you can LIST multiple files and search for the same string simply by pressing N in each file, or repeat your search the next time you use LIST. You can use the /T switch to specify search text for the first file. When you do so, LIST begins a search as soon as the file is loaded. Use /I to ignore wildcards in the initial search string, and /R to make the initial search go backwards from the end of the file. When you LIST multiple files with a single LIST command, these switches affect only the first file; they are ignored for the second and subsequent files. LIST normally allows long lines in the file to extend past the right edge of the screen. You can use the horizontal scrolling keys (see above) to view text that extends beyond the screen width. If you use the W command or /W switch to wrap the display, each line is wrapped when it reaches the right edge of the screen, and the horizontal scrolling keys are disabled. To view text from the clipboard, use CLIP: as the file to be listed. CLIP: will not return any data unless the clipboard contains text. See Redirection for additional information on CLIP:. If you print the file which LIST is displaying, the print format will match the display format. If you have switched to hexadecimal or wrapped mode, that mode will be used for the printed output as well. If you print in wrapped mode, long lines will be wrapped at the width of the display. If you print in normal display mode without line wrap, long lines will be wrapped or truncated by the printer, not by LIST. Printed output normally goes to device LPT1. If you wish to send the printed output to another device, use the Commands page of the OPTION dialogs, or the Printer directive in 4OS2.INI. If you specify a directory name instead of a filename as an argument, LIST will display each of the files in that directory. Most of the LIST keystrokes can be reassigned with .INI file key mapping directives. You can set the colors used by LIST on the Commands page of the OPTION dialogs, or the ListColors and ListStatBarColors directives in the .INI file. If ListColors is not used, the LIST display will use the current default colors. If ListStatBarColors is not used, the status bar will use the reverse of the LIST display colors. By default, LIST sets tab stops every 8 columns. You can change this behavior on the Display page of the OPTION dialogs, or with the TabStops .INI file directive. Options /A: (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the specified attribute(s) set. Preceding the attribute character with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that attribute set. The colon [:] after /A is required. The attributes are: R Read-only H Hidden S System D Subdirectory A Archive If no attributes are listed at all (e.g., LIST /A: ...), LIST will select all files and subdirectories including hidden and system files. If attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a file to be selected. For example, /A:RHS will select only those files with all three attributes set. /H: (High bit off) Strip the high bit from each character before displaying. This is useful when displaying files created by some word processors that turn on the high bit for formatting purposes. You can toggle this option on and off from within LIST with the H key. /I: (Ignore wildcards) Only meaningful when used in conjunction with the /T "text" option. Directs LIST to interpret characters such as *, ?, [, and ] as literal characters instead of wildcard characters. /I affects only the initial search started by /T, not subsequent searches started from within LIST. /R: (Reverse) Only meaningful when used in conjuction with the /T "text" option. Directs LIST to search for text from the end of the file instead of from the beginning of the file. Using this switch can speed up searches for text that is normally near the end of the file, such as a signature. /R affects only the initial search started by /T, not subsequent searches started from within LIST. /S: (Standard input) Read from standard input rather than a file. This allows you to redirect command output and view it with LIST. Normally, LIST will detect input from a redirected command and adjust automatically. However, you may find circumstances when /S is required. For example, to use LIST to display the output of DIR you could use either of these commands: [c:\] dir | list [c:\] dir | list /s /T: (Text) Search for text in the first file. This option is the same as pressing F, but it allows you to specify the search text on the command line. The text must be contained in quotation marks if it contains spaces, punctuation, or wildcard characters. For example, to search for the string 4OS2 in the file README.DOC, you can use this command: [c:\] list /t4os2 readme.doc The search text may include wildcards and extended wildcards. For example, to search for the words Hello and John on the same line in the file LETTER.DAT: [c:\] list /t"Hello*John" letter.dat When you LIST multiple files with a single LIST command, /T only initiates a search in the first file. It is ignored for the second and subsequent files. Also see /I and /R. /W: (Wrap) Wrap the text at the right edge of the screen. This option is useful when displaying files that don't have a carriage return at the end of each line. The horizontal scrolling keys do not work when the display is wrapped. You can toggle this option on and off from within LIST with the W key. /X (heX mode): Display the file in hexadecimal (hex) mode. This option is useful when displaying executable files and other files that contain non-text characters. Each byte of the file is shown as a pair of hex characters. The corresponding text is displayed to the right of each line of hexadecimal data. You can toggle this mode on and off from within LIST with the X key. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.49. LOADBTM - Switch a batch file's mode ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Switch a batch file to or from BTM mode. Format: LOADBTM [ON | OFF] Usage 4OS2 recognizes two kinds of batch files: .BAT or .CMD, and .BTM. Batch files executing in BTM mode run two to ten times faster than in BAT or CMD mode. Batch files automatically start in the mode indicated by their extension. The LOADBTM command turns BTM mode on and off. It can be used to switch modes in either a .BAT / .CMD, or .BTM file. If you use LOADBTM with no argument, it will display the current batch mode: LOADBTM ON or LOADBTM OFF. Using LOADBTM to repeatedly switch modes within a batch file is not efficient. In most cases the speed gained by running some parts of the file in BTM mode will be more than offset by the speed lost through repeated loading of the file each time BTM mode is invoked. LOADBTM can only be used within a batch file. It is most often used to convert a .BAT or .CMD file to BTM mode without changing its extension. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.50. LOG - Save a log of commands ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Save a log of commands to a disk file. Format: LOG [/H /W file ] [ON | OFF | text ] file : The name of the file to hold the log. text : An optional message that will be added to the log. /H(istory log) /W(rite to). See also: HISTORY. Usage LOG keeps a record of all internal and external commands you use, whether they are executed from the prompt or from a batch file. Each entry includes the current system date and time, along with the actual command after any alias or variable expansion. You can use the log file as a record of your daily activities. LOG with the /H option keeps a similar record called a "history log". The history log records only commands entered at the prompt; it does not record batch file commands. In addition, the history log does not record the date and time for each command, and it records commands before aliases and variables are expanded. The two logging options are independent. You can have both a regular log and a history log enabled simultaneously. By default, LOG writes to the file 4OS2LOG in the root directory of the boot drive. The default file name for the history log is 4OS2HLOG. You can set the default log file names on the Options 2 page of the OPTION dialogs, or with the LogName and HistLogName directives in 4OS2.INI. Entering LOG or LOG /H with no parameters displays the name of the log file and the log status (ON or OFF): [c:\] log LOG (C:\4OS2LOG) is OFF To enable or disable logging, add the word "ON" or "OFF" after the LOG command: [c:\] log on or [c:\] log /h on Entering LOG or LOG /H with text writes a message to the log file, even if logging is set OFF. This allows you to enter headers in the log file: [c:\] log "Started work on the database system" The LOG file format looks like this: [date time] command where the date and time are formatted according to the country code set for your system. The LOG /H output can be used as the basis for writing batch files. Start LOG /H, then execute the commands that you want the batch file to execute. When you are finished, turn LOG /H off. The resulting file can be turned into a batch file that performs the same commands with little or no editing. You can have both a regular log (with time and date stamping) and a history log (without the time stamps) enabled simultaneously. Options /H: (History log) This option makes the other options on the command line (after the /H) apply to the history log. For example, to turn on history logging and write to the file C:\LOG\HLOG : [c:\] log /h /w c:\log\hlog /W: (Write) This switch specifies a different filename for the LOG or LOG /H output. It also automatically performs a LOG ON command. For example, to turn logging on and write the log to C:\LOG\LOGFILE : [c:\] log /w c:\log\logfile Once you select a new file name with the LOG /W or LOG /H/W command, LOG will use that file until you issue another LOG /W or LOG /H/W command, or until you reboot your computer. Turning LOG or LOG /H off or on does not change the file name. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.51. MD - Create a subdirectory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Create a subdirectory. Format: MD [/N /S] path ... or MKDIR [/N /S] path ... path : The name of one or more directories to create. /N(o update) /S(ubdirectories) See also: RD. Usage MD and MKDIR are synonyms. You can use either one. MD creates a subdirectory anywhere in the directory tree. To create a subdirectory from the root, start the path with a backslash [\]. For example, this command creates a subdirectory called MYDIR in the root directory: [c:\] md \mydir If no path is given, the new subdirectory is created in the current directory. This example creates a subdirectory called DIRTWO in the current directory: [c:\mydir] md dirtwo To create a directory from the parent of the current directory (that is, to create a sibling of the current directory), start the pathname with two periods and a backslash [..\]. When creating a directory on an HPFS drive, you must quote any path which contains whitespace or special characters. See File Names for additional details on file name quoting. If MD creates one or more directories, they will be added automatically to the extended directory search database unless the /N option is specified. Options /N: (No Update) Do not update the extended directory search database, JPSTREE.IDX This is useful when creating a temporary directory which you do not want to appear in the extended search database. /S: (Subdirectories) MD creates one directory at a time unless you use the /S option. If you need to create the directory C:\ONE\TWO\THREE and none of the named directories exist, you can use /S to have MD create all of the necessary subdirectories for you in a single command: [c:\] md /s \one\two\three ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.52. MEMORY - Display memory statistics ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display the amount and status of system RAM. Format: MEMORY Usage MEMORY lists the total physical and resident RAM in your system, the largest free block of RAM, the swap file size, the total and free environment and alias space, and the total history space. If you use a non-standard swap file location, the swap file size will be displayed as 0 unless you set the SwapFilePath directive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.53. MOVE - Move files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Move files to a new directory and drive. Format: MOVE [/A:[[-]rhsda] /C /D /E /F /H /M /N /P /Q /R /S /T /U /V] source ... destination source : A file or list of files to move. destination : The new location for the files. /A: (Attribute select) /P(rompt) /C(hanged) /Q(uiet) /D(irectory) /R(eplace) /E (No error messages) /S(ubdirectory tree) /F(orce delete) /T(otal) /H(idden and system) /U(pdate) /M(odified files) /V(erify) /N(othing) See also: COPY and RENAME. File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Date, time, or size ranges anywhere on the line apply to all source files. Usage The MOVE command moves one or more files from one directory to another, whether the directories are on the same drive or not. It has the same effect as copying the files to a new location and then deleting the originals. Like COPY and RENAME, MOVE works with single files, multiple files, and sets of files specified with an include list. The simplest MOVE command moves a single source file to a new location and, optionally, gives it a new name. These two examples both move one file from drive C: to the root directory on drive A: [c:\] move myfile.dat a:\ [c:\] move myfile.dat a:\savefile.dat In both cases, MYFILE.DAT is removed from drive C: after it has been copied to drive A:. If a file called MYFILE.DAT in the first example, or SAVEFILE.DAT in the second example, already existed on drive A:, it would be overwritten. (This demonstrates the difference between MOVE and RENAME. MOVE will move files between drives and will overwrite the destination file if it exists; RENAME will not.) When you move a single file, the destination can be a directory name or a file name. If it is a directory name, and you add a backslash [\] to the end of the name, MOVE will display an error message if the name does not refer to an existing directory. You can use this feature to keep MOVE from treating a mistyped destination directory name as a file name, and attempting to move the source file to that name. If you move multiple files, the destination must be a directory name. MOVE will move each file into the destination directory with its original name. If the destination is not a directory, MOVE will display an error message and exit. For example, if C:\FINANCE\MYFILES is not a directory, this command will display an error; otherwise, the files will be moved to that directory: [c:\] move *.wks *.txt c:\finance\myfiles The /D option can be used for single or multiple file moves; it checks to see whether the destination is a directory, and will prompt to see if you want to create the destination directory if it doesn't exist. If MOVE creates one or more destination directories, they will be added automatically to the extended directory search database. You cannot move a file to a character device like the printer, or to itself. Be careful when you use MOVE with the SELECT command. If you SELECT multiple files and the destination is not a directory (for example, because of a misspelling), MOVE will assume it is a file name. In this case each file will be moved in turn to the destination file, overwriting the previous file, and then the original will be erased before the next file is moved. At the end of the command, all of the original files will have been erased and only the last file will exist as the destination file. You can avoid this problem by using square brackets with SELECT instead of parentheses (be sure that you don't allow the command line to get too long -- watch the character count in the upper left corner while you're selecting files). MOVE will then receive one list of files to move instead of a series of individual filenames, and it will detect the error and halt. You can also add a backslash [\] to the end of the destination name to ensure that it is the name of a subdirectory (see above). Advanced Features and Options MOVE first attempts to rename the file(s), which is the fastest way to move files between subdirectories on the same drive. If that fails (e.g., because the destination is on a different drive or already exists), MOVE will copy the file(s) and then delete the originals. If MOVE must physically copy the files and delete the originals, rather than renaming them (see above), then some disk space may be freed on the source drive. The free space may be the result of moving the files to another drive, or of overwriting a larger destination file with a smaller source file. MOVE displays the amount of disk space recovered unless the /Q option is used (see below). It does so by comparing the amount of free disk space before and after the MOVE command is executed. However, this amount may be incorrect if you are using a deletion tracking system which retains deleted files for later recovery, or if another program performs a file operation while the MOVE command is executed. When physically copying files, MOVE preserves the hidden, system, and read-only attributes of the source files, and sets the archive attribute of the destination files. However, if the files can be renamed, and no copying is required, then the file attributes are not changed. Use caution with the /A: and /H switches (both of which can allow MOVE to process hidden files) when you are physically moving files, and both the source and destination directories contain file descriptions. If the source file specification matches the description file name (normally DESCRIPT.ION), and you tell MOVE to process hidden files, the DESCRIPT.ION file itself will be moved, overwriting any existing file descriptions in the destination directory. For example, if the C:\DATA directory contains file descriptions, this command would overwrite any existing descriptions in the D:\SAVE directory: [c:\data] move /h d*.* d:\save\ (If you remove the hidden attribute from the DESCRIPT.ION file the same caution applies even if you do not use /A: or /H, as DESCRIPT.ION is then treated like any other file.) If you move a file from a FAT volume to an HPFS volume, and you do not give an explicit destination name (i.e. you are moving the file to the current directory, or your destination name is made up entirely of wildcards), MOVE will look for a .LONGNAME extended attribute for the source file. If it finds that attribute, it will use the long filename for the destination file. If it does not, it will use the short name. Similarly, if you MOVE files with long filenames from an HPFS volume to a FAT volume, 4OS2 will create the destination files with short, FAT-compatible names and save the long filenames in the .LONGNAME extended attribute. The short name is created by replacing special characters with underscores, adding numeric digits to the filename (if necessary) to make the new name unique, and truncating the name to fit with in the "8.3" FAT name structure. Options /A:: (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the specified attribute(s) set. Preceding the attribute character with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that attribute set. The colon [:] after /A is required. The attributes are: R Read-only H Hidden S System D Subdirectory A Archive If no attributes are listed at all (e.g., MOVE /A: ...), MOVE will select all files and subdirectories including hidden and system files. If attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a file to be selected. For example, /A:RHS will select only those files with all three attributes set. See the cautionary note under Advanced Features and Options above before using /A: when both source and destination directories contain file descriptions. /C: (Changed files) Move files only if the destination file exists and is older than the source (see also /U). This option is useful for updating the files in one directory from those in another without moving any newly-created files. /D: (Directory) Requires that the destination be a directory. If the destination does not exist, MOVE will prompt to see if you want to create it. If the destination exists as a file, MOVE will fail with an "Access denied" error. Use this option to avoid having MOVE accidentally interpret your destination name as a file name when it's really a mistyped directory name. /E: (No error messages) Suppress all non-fatal error messages, such as "File Not Found." Fatal error messages, such as "Drive not ready," will still be displayed. This option is most useful in batch files and aliases. /F: (Force delete) This option forces deletion of the source file without saving it to the DELDIR directory (if DELDIR is not in use, /F has no effect). /F is only effective when MOVE must copy the source file(s) and delete the originals (i.e., if the destination is on a different drive or the destination file already exists). If the files are simply renamed, /F has no effect. /H: (Hidden) Move all files, including hidden and system files. See the cautionary note under Advanced Features and Options above before using /H when both source and destination directories contain file descriptions. /M: (Modified files) Move only files that have the archive bit set. The archive bit will remain set after the MOVE; to clear it use ATTRIB. /N: (Nothing) Do everything except actually move the file(s). This option is most useful for testing what a complex MOVE command will do. /P: (Prompt) Prompt the user to confirm each move. Your options at the prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. /Q: (Quiet) Don't display filenames, the total number of files moved, or the amount of disk space recovered, if any. This option is most often used in batch files. See also /T. /R: (Replace) Prompt for a Y or N response before overwriting an existing destination file. /S: (Subdirectories) Move an entire subdirectory tree to another location. MOVE will attempt to create the destination directories if they don't exist, and will remove empty subdirectories after the move. When /D is used with /S, you will be prompted if the first destination directory does not exist, but subdirectories below that will be created automatically by MOVE. If MOVE /S creates one or more destination directories, they will be added automatically to the extended directory search database. If you attempt to use /S to move a subdirectory tree into part of itself, MOVE will detect the resulting infinite loop, display an error message, and exit. /T: (Total) Don't display filenames as they are moved, but display the total number of files moved and the amount of free disk space recovered, if any. /U: (Update) Move each source file only if it is newer than a matching destination file or if a matching destination file does not exist (also see /C). This option is useful for moving new or changed files from one directory to another. /V: (Verify) Verify each disk write. This is the same as executing the VERIFY ON command, but is only active during the MOVE. /V does not read back the file and compare its contents with what was written; it only verifies that the data written to disk is physically readable. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.54. ON - Handle Ctrl-Break and errors in batch files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Execute a command in a batch file when a specific condition occurs. Format: ON BREAK [command ] or ON ERROR [command ] or ON ERRORMSG [command ] Usage ON can only by used in batch files. ON sets a "watchdog" that remains in effect for the duration of the current batch file. Whenever a BREAK or ERROR condition occurs after ON has been executed, the corresponding command is automatically executed. ON BREAK will execute the command if the user presses Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break. ON ERROR and ON ERRORMSG will execute the command after any command processor or operating system error (including critical errors). That is, they will detect errors such as a disk write error, and 4OS2 errors such as a COPY command that fails to copy any files, or the use of an unacceptable command option. ON ERROR executes the command immediately after the error occurs, without displaying any command processor error message (operating system errors may still be displayed in some cases). ON ERRORMSG displays the appropriate error message, then executes the command. If both are specified, ON ERROR will take precedence, and the ON ERRORMSG setting will be ignored. The remainder of this section discusses both settings together, using the term "ON ERROR[MSG]". ON BREAK and ON ERROR[MSG] are independent of each other. You can use either one, or both, in any batch file. Each time ON BREAK or ON ERROR[MSG] is used, it defines a new command to be executed for a break or error, and any old command is discarded. If you use ON BREAK or ON ERROR[MSG] with no following command, that type of error handling is disabled. Error handling is also automatically disabled when the batch file exits. ON BREAK and ON ERROR[MSG] only affect the current batch file. If you CALL another batch file, the first batch file's error handling is suspended, and the CALLed file must define its own error handling. When control returns to the first batch file, its error handling is reactivated. The command can be any command that can be used on a batch file line by itself. Frequently, it is a GOTO or GOSUB command. For example, the following fragment traps any user attempt to end the batch file by pressing Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break. It scolds the user for trying to end the batch file and then continues displaying the numbers from 1 to 1000: on break gosub gotabreak do i = 1 to 1000 echo %i enddo quit :gotabreak echo Hey! Stop that!! return You can use a command group as the command if you want to execute multiple commands, for example: on break (echo Oops, got a break! & quit) ON BREAK and ON ERROR[MSG] always assume that you want to continue executing the batch file. After the command is executed, control automatically returns to the next command in the batch file (the command after the one that was interrupted by the break or error). The only way to avoid continuing the batch file after a break or error is for the command to transfer control to another point with GOTO, end the batch file with QUIT or CANCEL, or start another batch file (without CALLing it). When handling an error condition with ON ERROR[MSG], you may find it useful to use internal variables, particularly %_? and %_SYSERR, to help determine the cause of the error. The ON ERROR[MSG] command will not be invoked if an error occurs while reading or writing a redirected input file, output file, or pipe. Caution: If a break or error occurs while the command specified in ON BREAK or ON ERROR[MSG] is executing, the command will be restarted. This means you must use caution to avoid or handle any possible errors in the commands invoked by ON ERROR[MSG], since such errors can cause an infinite loop. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.55. OPTION - Modify the command processor configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Modify the command processor configuration Format: OPTION [//optname =value ...] optname : An INI file directive to set or modify. value : A new value for that directive. See also: 4OS2.INI. Usage OPTION displays a settings notebook which allows you to modify many of the configuration options stored in the file 4OS2.INI. When you exit from the notebook, you can select the Save button to save your changes in 4OS2.INI for use in the current session and all future sessions, select the OK button to use your changes in the current session only, or select the Cancel button to discard the changes. Save saves all changes since the last Save, or since the last time you started the command processor. If you run OPTION and exit with OK, any changes will not be saved in 4OS2.INI at that time. However, if you run OPTION again and exit with Save, any earlier changes will automatically be saved in the .INI file along with any new changes. In most cases, changes you make in the Startup section of the OPTION dialogs or notebook will only take effect when you restart your command processor. Other changes take effect as soon as you exit the dialogs or notebook with Save or OK. However, not all option changes will appear immediately, even if they have taken effect. For example, some color changes will only appear after a CLS command. OPTION handles most standard 4OS2.INI file settings. More advanced settings, including all those listed under Key Mapping Directives and Advanced Directives cannot be modified with the OPTION dialogs or notebook. These settings must be inserted or modified in 4OS2.INI manually. OPTION does not preserve comments when saving modified settings in the 4OS2.INI file. To be sure .INI file comments are preserved, put them on separate lines in the file. See Modifying the .INI File additional details. OPTION runs the external program OPTION.EXE to display the notebook. If the command processor cannot find OPTION.EXE it will display an error message. OPTION.EXE must be run with the OPTION command, and will not work if you invoke it directly. Setting Individual Options If you follow the OPTION command with one or more sequences of a double slash mark [//] followed by an option=value setting, the OPTION notebook will not appear. Instead, the new settings will take effect immediately, and will be in effect for the current session only. This example turns off batch file echo and changes the input colors to bright cyan on black (enter this all on one line): [c:\] option //BatchEcho = No //InputColors = bri cya on bla Option values may contain whitespace. However, you cannot enter an option value which contains the "//" string. This feature is most useful for testing settings quickly, and in aliases or batch files which depend on certain options being in effect. Changes made with // are temporary. They will not be saved in 4OS2.INI, even if you subsequently load the option dialogs and select Save. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.56. PATH - Set the executable file search path ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display or alter the list of directories that 4OS2 will search for executable files, batch files, and files with executable extensions that are not in the current directory. Format: PATH [directory [;directory ...]] directory : The full name of a directory to include in the path setting. See also: ESET and SET. Usage When 4OS2 is asked to execute an external command (a .COM, .EXE, .BTM, .BAT, or .CMD file or executable extension), it first looks for the file in the current directory. If it fails to find an executable file there, it then searches each of the directories specified in the PATH setting. For example, after the following PATH command, 4OS2 will search for an executable file in four directories: the current directory, then the root directory on drive C, then the DOS subdirectory on C, and then the UTIL subdirectory on C: [c:\] path c:\;c:\dos;c:\util The list of directories to search can be set or viewed with the PATH command. The list is stored as an environment string, and can also be set or viewed with SET, and edited with ESET. Directory names in the path must be separated by semicolons [;]. Each directory name is shifted to upper case to maintain compatibility with programs which can only recognize upper case directory names in the path. If you modify your path with the SET or ESET command, you may include directory names in lower case. These may cause trouble with some programs, which assume that all path entries have been shifted to upper case. If you enter PATH with no parameters, the current path is displayed: [c:\] path PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\UTIL Entering PATH and a semicolon clears the search path so that only the current directory is searched for executable files (this is the default at system startup). Some applications also use the PATH to search for their data files. If you include an explicit file extension on a command name (for example, WP.EXE ), the search will find files with that name and extension in the current directory and every directory in the path. It will not locate other executable files with the same base name (e.g., WP.COM). If you have an entry in the path which consists of a single period [.], the current directory will not be searched first, but instead will be searched when 4OS2 reaches the "." in the path. This allows you to delay the search of the current directory for executable files and files with executable extensions. In rare cases, this feature may not be compatible with applications which use the path to find their files; if you experience a problem, you will have to remove the "." from the path while using any such application. To create a path longer than the command-line length limit, use PATH repeatedly to append additional directories to the path: path [first list of directories] path %path;[second list of directories] ... You cannot use this method to extend the path beyond 2042 characters (the internal buffer limit, with room for "PATH "). It is usually more efficient to use aliases to load application programs than to create a long PATH. See ALIAS for details. If you specify an invalid directory in the path, it will be skipped and the search will continue with the next directory in the path. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.57. PAUSE - Suspend batch file or alias execution ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Suspend batch file or alias execution. Format: PAUSE [text ] text : The message to be displayed as a user prompt. Usage A PAUSE command will suspend execution of a batch file or alias, giving you the opportunity to change disks, turn on the printer, etc. PAUSE waits for any key to be pressed and then continues execution. You can specify the text that PAUSE displays while it waits for a keystroke, or let it use the default message: Press any key when ready... For example, the following batch file fragment prompts the user before erasing files: pause Press Ctrl-C to abort, any other key to erase all .LST files erase *.lst If you press Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break while PAUSE is waiting for a key, execution of an alias will be terminated, and execution of a batch file will be suspended while you are asked whether to cancel the batch job. In a batch file you can handle Ctrl-C and Ctrl-Break yourself with the ON BREAK command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.58. POPD - Restore the disk drive and directory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Return to the disk drive and directory at the top of the directory stack.. Format: POPD [*] See also: DIRS, PUSHD, and Directory Navigation. Usage Each time you use the PUSHD command, it saves the current disk drive and directory on the internal directory stack. POPD restores the last drive and directory that was saved with PUSHD and removes that entry from the stack. You can use these commands together to change directories, perform some work, and return to the starting drive and directory. Directory changes made with POPD are recorded in the directory history list and can be displayed in the directory history window. See Directory Navigation for complete details on this and other directory navigation features. This example saves and changes the current disk drive and directory with PUSHD, and then restores it. The current directory is shown in the prompt: [c:\] pushd d:\database\test [d:\database\test] pushd c:\wordp\memos [c:\wordp\memos] pushd a:\123 [a:\123] popd [c:\wordp\memos] popd [d:\database\test] popd [c:\] You can use the DIRS command to see the complete list of saved drives and directories (the directory stack). The POPD command followed by an asterisk [*] clears the directory stack without changing the current drive and directory. If the directory on the top of the stack is not on the current drive, POPD will switch to the drive and directory on the top of the stack without changing the default directory on the current drive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.59. PROMPT - Change the command-line prompt ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Change the command-line prompt. Format: PROMPT [text ] text : Text to be used as the new command-line prompt. Usage You can change and customize the command-line prompt at any time. The prompt can include normal text, and system information such as the current drive and directory, the time and date, and the amount of memory available. You can create an informal "Hello, Bob!" prompt or an official-looking prompt full of impressive information. The prompt text can contain special commands in the form $?, where ? is one of the characters listed below: b The vertical bar character [|]. c The open parenthesis [(]. d Current date, in the format: Fri 2-12-97 (the month, day, and year are formatted according to your current country settings). D Current date, in the format: Fri Dec 12, 1997. e The ASCII ESC character (decimal 27). f The close parenthesis [)]. g The > character. h Backspace over the previous character. i Display the OS/2 prompt header line, which reminds you of how to return to the OS/2 desktop, or get help. l The < character. m Time in hours and minutes using 24-hour format: 16:07 M Time in hours and minutes using the default country format and retaining "a" or "p", e.g. 4:07p. n Current drive letter. p Current directory (lower case). P Current directory (upper case on FAT drives; directory names shown in mixed case as stored on the disk on HPFS drives). q The = character. r The numeric exit code of the last external command. s The space character. t Current 24-hour time, in the format hh:mm:ss. T Current 12-hour time, in the format hh:mm:ss[a|p]. v Operating system version number, in the format 3.10. xd: Current directory on drive d:, in lower case, including the drive letter (uses the actual case of the directory name as stored on the disk for HPFS drives). Xd: Current directory on drive d:, in upper case, including the drive letter. z Current shell nesting level; the primary command processor is shell 0. + Display one + character for each directory on the PUSHD directory stack. $ The $ character. _ CR/LF (go to beginning of a new line). For example, to set the prompt to the current date and time, with a ">" at the end: [c:\] prompt $D $t $g Fri Jun 6, 1997 10:29:19 > To set the prompt to the current date and time, followed by the current drive and directory in upper case on the next line, with a ">" at the end: [c:\] prompt $d $t$_$P$g Fri Dec 2, 1994 10:29:19 [c:\] The 4OS2 prompt can be set in CONFIG.SYS (see below), and the prompt for any command processor can be set in 4START, or in any batch file that runs when 4OS2 starts. The 4OS2 default prompt is [$n] (drive name in square brackets) on floppy drives, and [$p] (current drive and directory in square brackets) on all other drives. When OS/2 is installed, it inserts a SET PROMPT statement in CONFIG.SYS to set the prompt to $i[$p]. This prompt will override the 4OS2 defaults. The $i adds a header line to the default prompt to remind you of certain OS/2 keystrokes. You must delete this statement if you want to use the default 4OS2 prompt. If you enter PROMPT with no arguments, the prompt will be reset to its default value. The PROMPT command sets the environment variable PROMPT, so to view the current prompt setting use the command: [c:\] set prompt (If the prompt is not set at all, the PROMPT environment variable will not be used, in which case the SET command above will give a "Not in environment" error.) Along with literal text, special characters, and ANSI sequences you can include the text of any environment variable, internal variable, or variable function in a prompt. For example, if you want to include the size of the largest free memory block in the command prompt, plus the current drive and directory, you could use this command: [c:\] prompt (%%@dosmem[K]K) $p$g (601K) [c:\data] Notice that the @DOSMEM function is shown with two leading percent signs [%]. If you used only one percent sign, the @DOSMEM function would be expanded once when the PROMPT command was executed, instead of every time the prompt is displayed. As a result, the amount of memory would never change from the value it had when you entered the PROMPT command. You can also use back quotes to delay expanding the variable function until the prompt is displayed: [c:\] prompt `(%@dosmem[K]K) $p$g` You can use this feature along with the @EXEC variable function to create a complex prompt which not only displays information but executes commands. For example, to execute an alias which checks battery status each time the prompt is displayed (enter the alias on one line): [c:\] alias cbatt `if %_apmlife lt 30 beep 440 4 880 4 440 4 880 4` [c:\] prompt `%@exec[@cbatt]$p$g` You can include ANSI escape sequences in the PROMPT text. See ANSI for complete details on ANSI commands. This example uses ANSI sequences to set a prompt that displays the shell level, date, time and path in color on the top line of the screen (enter the command as one line): [c:\] prompt $e[s$e[1;1f$e[41;1;37m$e[K[$z] $d Time: $t$h$h$h Path: $p$e[u$e[0;32m$n$g A few older batch files use the PROMPT command to transmit ANSI.SYS control sequences to the screen (for example, to redefine function keys). This technique will not work with 4OS2, because it doesn't display a prompt within batch files; hence, the characters in the PROMPT string are never sent to ANSI.SYS. To send ANSI sequences in 4OS2, use the ECHO command, substituting an escape character followed by an e for $e in the PROMPT string. You may find it helpful to define a different prompt in secondary shells, perhaps including $z in the prompt to display the shell level. To do so, place a PROMPT command in your 4START file and use IF or IFF statements to set the appropriate prompt for different shells. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.60. PUSHD - Save the disk drive and directory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Save the current disk drive and directory, optionally changing to a new drive and directory. Format: PUSHD [path ] path : The name of the new default drive and directory. See also: DIRS, POPD, and Directory Navigation. Usage PUSHD saves the current drive and directory on a "last in, first out" directory stack. The POPD command returns to the last drive and directory that was saved by PUSHD. You can use these commands together to change directories, perform some work, and return to the starting drive and directory. The DIRS command displays the contents of the directory stack. To save the current drive and directory, without changing directories, use the PUSHD command by itself, with no path. If a path is specified as part of the PUSHD command, the current drive and directory are saved and PUSHD changes to the specified drive and directory. If the path includes a drive letter, PUSHD changes to the specified directory on the new drive without changing the current directory on the original drive. This example saves the current directory and changes to C:\WORDP\MEMOS, then returns to the original directory: [c:\] pushd \wordp\memos [c:\wordp\memos] popd [c:\] When you use PUSHD to change to a directory on an HPFS drive, you must quote the path name if it contains whitespace or special characters. See File Names for additional details. PUSHD can also change to a network drive and directory specified with a UNC name (see File Systems for a description of UNC names). If PUSHD cannot change to the directory you have specified it will attempt to search the CDPATH and the extended directory search database. You can also use wildcards in the path to force an extended directory search. See the Directory Navigation section for complete details on these and other directory navigation features. Directory changes made with PUSHD are also recorded in the directory history list and can be displayed in the directory history window. The directory stack can hold up to 511 characters, or about 20 to 40 entries (depending on the length of the names). If you exceed this limit, the oldest entry is removed before adding a new entry. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.61. QUIT - Terminate a batch file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Terminate the current batch file. Format: QUIT [value ] value : The numeric exit code to return to 4OS2 or to the previous batch file. See also: CANCEL. Usage QUIT provides a simple way to exit a batch file before reaching the end of the file. If you QUIT a batch file called from another batch file, you will be returned to the previous file at the line following the original CALL. QUIT only ends the current batch file. To end all batch file processing, use the CANCEL command. If you specify a value, QUIT will set the ERRORLEVEL or exit code to that value. For information on exit codes see the IF command, and the %? variable. You can also use QUIT to terminate an alias. If you QUIT an alias while inside a batch file, QUIT will end both the alias and the batch file and return you to the command prompt or to the calling batch file. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.62. RD - Remove subdirectories ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Remove one or more subdirectories. Format: RD path ... or RMDIR path ... path : The name of one or more subdirectories to remove. See also: MD. File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Usage RD and RMDIR are synonyms. You can use either one. RD removes directories from the directory tree. For example, to remove the subdirectory MEMOS from the subdirectory WP, you can use this command: [c:\] rd \wp\memos Before using RD, you must delete all files and subdirectories (and their files) in the path you want to remove. Remember to remove hidden and read-only files as well as normal files (you can use DEL /Z to delete hidden and read-only files). You can use wildcards in the path. When removing a directory on an HPFS drive, you must quote any path which contains whitespace or special characters. See File Names for additional details. If RD removes one or more directories, they will be deleted automatically from the extended directory search database. You cannot remove the root directory, the current directory (.), any directory above the current directory in the directory tree, or any directory in use by another process in a multitasking system. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.63. REBOOT - Reboot the system ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Do a system reboot. Format: REBOOT [/S /V] /S(hutdown) /V(erify) Usage REBOOT will log off or shut down the operating system, or completely restart your computer. It normally performs a warm reboot, which is comparable to pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete. A reboot is necessary to activate any changes to your CONFIG.SYS file. The following example prompts you to verify the reboot, then does a warm boot: [c:\] reboot /v REBOOT defaults to performing a warm boot, with no prompting. REBOOT flushes the disk buffers, resets the drives, and waits one second before rebooting, to allow disk caching programs to finish writing any cached data. 4OS2 issues commands to shut down OS/2 before rebooting. REBOOT uses the DOS.SYS device driver to reboot your system. DOS.SYS is loaded via a DEVICE= statement in your CONFIG.SYS file. If DOS.SYS is not loaded, REBOOT will not work. Options /S: (Shutdown) Shut down the system, but do not reboot. This option is equivalent to clicking the "Shutdown" choice on the Workplace Shell popup menu. /V: (Verify) Prompt for confirmation (Y or N) before rebooting or taking the action specified by other REBOOT options. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.64. REM - Put a comment in a batch file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Put a comment in a batch file. Format: REM [comment ] comment : The text to include in the batch file. Usage The REM command lets you place a remark or comment in a batch file. Batch file comments are useful for documenting the purpose of a batch file and the procedures you have used. REM must be followed by a space or tab character and then your comment. Comments can be up to 1023 characters long. 4OS2 will normally ignore everything on the line after the REM command, including quote characters, redirection symbols, and other commands (see below for the exception to this rule). If ECHO is ON, the comment is displayed. Otherwise, it is ignored. If ECHO is ON and you don't want to display the line, preface the REM command with an at sign [@]. You can also place a comment in a batch file by starting the comment line with two colons [::]. In essence this creates a batch file "label" without a valid label name. Such comments are processed slightly faster than those entered with REM, because they do not require the command processor to handle a command. You can use REM to create a zero-byte file if you use a redirection symbol after the REM command. No text is permitted between the REM command and the redirection symbol. For example, to create the zero-byte file C:\FOO : [c:\] rem > foo (This capability is included for compatibility with CMD.EXE. A simpler method for creating a zero-byte file with 4OS2 is to use >filename as a command, with no actual command before the [>] redirection character.) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.65. REN - Rename files or subdirectories ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Rename files or subdirectories. Format: REN [/A:[[-]rhsda] /E /N /P /Q /S /T] old_name ... new_name or RENAME [/A:[[-]rhsda] /E /N /P /Q /S /T] old_name ... new_name old_name : Original name of the file(s) or subdirectory. new_name : New name to use, or new path on the same drive. /A: (Attribute select) /Q(uiet) /E (No error messages) /S(ubdirectory) /N(othing) /T(otal) /P(rompt) See also: COPY and MOVE. File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Usage REN and RENAME are synonyms. You may use either one. REN lets you change the name of a file or a subdirectory, or move one or more files to a new subdirectory on the same drive. (If you want to move files to a different drive, use MOVE.) In its simplest form, you give REN the old_name of an existing file or subdirectory and then a new_name. The new_name must not already exist -- you can't give two files the same name (unless they are in different directories). The first example renames the file MEMO.TXT to MEM.TXT. The second example changes the name of the \WORD directory to \WP : [c:\] rename memo.txt mem.txt [c:\] rename \word \wp If you use REN to rename a directory, the extended directory search database will be automatically updated to reflect the change. When you rename files on an HPFS drive, you must quote any file names which contain whitespace or special characters. See File Names for additional details. You can also use REN to rename a group of files that you specify with wildcards, as multiple files, or in an include list. When you do, the new_name must use one or more wildcards to show what part of each filename to change. Both of the next two examples change the extensions of multiple files to .SAV : [c:\] ren config.sys autoexec.bat 4start.btm *.sav [c:\] ren *.txt *.sav REN can move files to a different subdirectory on the same drive. When it is used for this purpose, REN requires one or more filenames for the old_name and a directory name for the new_name : [c:\] ren memo.txt \wp\memos\ [c:\] ren oct.dat nov.dat \data\save\ The final backslash in the last two examples is optional. If you use it, you force REN to recognize the last argument as the name of a directory, not a file. The advantage of this approach is that if you accidentally mistype the directory name, REN will report an error instead of renaming your files in a way that you didn't intend. Finally, REN can move files to a new directory and change their name at the same time if you specify both a path and file name for new_name. In this example, the files are renamed with an extension of .SAV as they are moved to a new directory: [c:\] ren *.dat \data\save\*.sav You cannot rename a subdirectory to a new location on the directory tree. REN does not change a file's attributes. The new_name file(s) will have the same attributes as old_name. Options /A:: (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the specified attribute(s) set. Preceding the attribute character with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that attribute set. The colon [:] after /A is required. The attributes are: R Read-only H Hidden S System D Subdirectory A Archive If no attributes are listed at all (e.g., REN /A: ...), REN will select all files and subdirectories including hidden and system files. If attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a file to be selected. For example, /A:RHS will select only those files with all three attributes set. /E: (No error messages) Suppress all non-fatal error messages, such as "File Not Found." Fatal error messages, such as "Drive not ready," will still be displayed. This option is most useful in batch files. /N: (Nothing) Do everything except actually rename the file(s). This option is useful for testing what a REN command will actually do. /P: (Prompt) Prompt the user to confirm each rename operation. Your options at the prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. /Q: (Quiet) Don't display filenames or the number of files renamed. This option is most often used in batch files. See also /T. /S: (Subdirectory) Normally, you can rename a subdirectory only if you do not use any wildcards in the new_name. This prevents subdirectories from being renamed inadvertently when a group of files is being renamed with wildcards. /S will let you rename a subdirectory even when you use wildcards. /S does not cause REN to process files in the current directory and all subdirectories as it does in some other file processing commands. To rename files throughout a directory tree, use a GLOBAL REN. /T: (Total) Don't display filenames as they are renamed, but report the number of files renamed. See also /Q. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.66. RETURN - Return from a subroutine in a batch file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Return from a GOSUB (subroutine) in a batch file. Format: RETURN [value ] value : The exit code from 0 to 255 to return to the command processor or to the previous batch file. See also: GOSUB. Usage 4OS2 allows subroutines in batch files. A subroutine begins with a label (a colon followed by a word) and ends with a RETURN command. The subroutine is invoked with a GOSUB command from another part of the batch file. When a RETURN command is encountered the subroutine terminates, and execution of the batch file continues on the line following the original GOSUB. If RETURN is encountered without a GOSUB, the command processor will display a "Missing GOSUB" error. The following batch file fragment calls a subroutine which displays the files in the current directory: echo Calling a subroutine gosub subr1 echo Returned from the subroutine quit :subr1 dir /a/w return If you specify a value, RETURN will set the ERRORLEVEL or exit code to that value. For information on exit codes see the IF command, and the %? variable. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.67. SCREEN - Position the cursor and display text ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Position the cursor on the screen and optionally display a message. Format: SCREEN row column [text ] row : The new row location for the cursor. column : The new column location for the cursor. text : Optional text to display at the new cursor location. See also: ECHO, SCRPUT, TEXT, and VSCRPUT. Usage SCREEN allows you to create attractive screen displays in batch files. You use it to specify where a message will appear on the screen. You can use SCREEN to create menus and other similar displays. The following batch file fragment displays a menu: @echo off cls screen 3 10 Select a number from 1 to 4: screen 6 20 1 - Word Processing screen 7 20 2 - Spreadsheet screen 8 20 3 - Telecommunications screen 9 20 4 - Quit SCREEN does not change the screen colors. To display text in specific colors, use SCRPUT or VSCRPUT. SCREEN always leaves the cursor at the end of the displayed text. The row and column values are zero-based, so on a standard 25 line by 80 column display, valid rows are 0 - 24 and valid columns are 0 - 79. You can also specify the row and column as offsets from the current cursor position. Begin the value with a plus sign [+] to move the cursor down the specified number of rows or to the right the specified number of columns, or with a minus sign [-] to move the cursor up or to the left. This example prints a string 3 lines above the current position, in absolute column 10: screen -3 10 Hello, World! If you specify 999 for the row, SCREEN will center the text vertically on the display. If you specify 999 for the column, SCREEN will center the text horizontally. This example prints a message at the center of the display: screen 999 999 Hello, World SCREEN checks for a valid row and column, and displays a "Usage" error message if either value is out of range. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.68. SCRPUT - Display text in color ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Position text on the screen and display it in color. Format: SCRPUT row col [BRIght] [BLInk] fg ON [BRIght] bg text row : Starting row col : Starting column fg : Foreground character color bg : Background character color text : The text to display See also: ECHO, SCREEN, TEXT, and VSCRPUT. Usage SCRPUT allows you to create attractive screen displays in batch files. You use it to specify where a message will appear on the screen and what colors will be used to display the message text. You can use SCRPUT to create menu displays, logos, etc. SCRPUT works like SCREEN, but requires you to specify the display colors. See Colors and Color Names for details about colors and notes on the use of bright background colors. The row and column are zero-based, so on a standard 25 line by 80 column display, valid rows are 0 - 24 and valid columns are 0 - 79. SCRPUT checks for a valid row and column, and displays a "Usage" error message if either value is out of range. You can also specify the row and column as offsets from the current cursor position. Begin the value with a plus sign [+] to move down the specified number of rows or to the right the specified number of columns, or with a minus sign [-] to move up or to the left. If you specify 999 for the row, SCRPUT will center the text vertically on the display. If you specify 999 for the column, SCRPUT will center the text horizontally. SCRPUT does not move the cursor when it displays the text. The following batch file fragment displays part of a menu, in color: cls white on blue scrput 6 20 bri red on blu 1 - Word Processing scrput 7 20 bri yel on blu 2 - Spreadsheet scrput 8 20 bri gre on blu 3 - Communications scrput 9 20 bri mag on blu 4 - Quit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.69. SELECT - Select files for a command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Interactively select files for a command. Format: SELECT [/A[[:][-][rhsda]] /D /E /H /I"text" /J /L /O[:][-]adeginrsu /T:acw /Z] [command ] ... (files ...)... command : The command to execute with the selected files. files : The files from which to select. File names may be enclosed in either parentheses or square brackets. The difference is explained below. /A(ttribute select) /J(ustify names) /D(isable color coding) /L(ower case) /E (use upper case) /O(rder) /H(ide dots) /T(ime) /I (match descriptions) /Z (use FAT format) File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Ranges must appear immediately after the SELECT keyword. Usage SELECT allows you to select files for internal and external commands by using a full-screen "point and shoot" display. You can have SELECT execute a command once for each file you select, or have it create a list of files for a command to work with. The command can be an internal command, an alias, an external command, or a batch file. If you use parentheses around the files, SELECT executes the command once for each file you have selected. During each execution, one of the selected files is passed to the command as an argument. If you use square brackets around files, the SELECTed files are combined into a single list, separated by spaces. The command is then executed once with the entire list presented as part of its command-line arguments. Using the SELECT File List When you execute the SELECT command, the file list is displayed in a full-screen format which includes a top-line status bar and shows the command to be executed, the number of files marked, and the number of Kbytes in those files. SELECT uses the cursor up, cursor down, PgUp, and PgDn keys to scroll through the file list. You can also use character matching to find specific files, just as you can in any popup window. While the file list is displayed you can enter any of the following keys to select or unselect files, display files, execute the command, or exit: + or space Select a file, or unselect a marked file. - Unselect a marked file. * Reverse all of the current marks (except those on subdirectories). If no files have been marked you can use * to mark all of the files. / Unselect all files. Ctrl-L View the current highlighted file with LIST When you exit from LIST, the SELECT screen will be restored. Enter Execute the command with the marked files, or with the currently highlighted file if no files have been marked. Esc Skip the files in the current display and go on to the next file specification inside the parentheses or brackets (if any). Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break Cancel the current SELECT command entirely. On FAT drives the file list is shown in standard FAT directory format, with names at the left an descriptions at the right. On HPFS drives the format is similar but more space is allowed for the name, and the description is not shown. In this format long names are truncated if they do not fit in the allowable space. For a short-name format (including descriptions) on long filename drives, use the /Z switch. When displaying descriptions in the short filename format, SELECT adds a right arrow [] at the end of the line if the description is too long to fit on the screen. This symbol will alert you to the existence of additional description text. You can use the left and right arrow keys to scroll the description area of the screen horizontally and view the additional text. You can display the filenames in color by using the SET command to create an environment variable called COLORDIR, or using the Commands page of the OPTION dialogs or a text editor to set the ColorDir directive in your 4OS2.INI file. If you do not use the COLORDIR variable or the ColorDir directive, SELECT will use the default screen colors for all files. See the discussion of color-coded directories under DIR for more details. To disable directory color coding within SELECT, use the /D option. You can set the default colors used by SELECT on the Commands page of the OPTION dialogs or with the SelectColors and SelectStatBarColors directives in the .INI file. If SelectColors is not used, the SELECT display will use the current default colors. If SelectStatBarColors is not used, the status bar will use the reverse of the SELECT colors. Creating SELECT Commands In the simplest form of SELECT, you merely specify the command and then the list of files from which you will make your selection(s). For example: [c:\] select copy (*.com *.exe) a:\ will let you select from among the .COM files on the current drive and will then invoke the COPY command to copy each file you select to drive A:. After the .COM files are done, the operations will be repeated for the .EXE files. If you want to select from a list of all the .COM and .EXE files mixed together, create an include list inside the parentheses by inserting a semicolon: [c:\] select copy (*.com;*.exe) a:\ Finally, if you want the SELECT command to send a single list of files to COPY, instead of invoking COPY once for each file you select, put the file names in square brackets instead of parentheses: [c:\] select copy [*.com;*.exe] a:\ If you use brackets, you have to be sure that the resulting command (the word COPY, the list of files, and the destination drive in this example) does not exceed the command line length limit of 1,023 characters. The current line length is displayed by SELECT while you are marking files to help you to conform to this limit. The parentheses or brackets enclosing the file name(s) can appear anywhere within the command; SELECT assumes that the first set of parentheses or brackets it finds is the one containing the list of files from which you wish to make your selection. When you use SELECT on an HPFS drive, you must quote any file names inside the parentheses which contain whitespace or special characters. See File Names for additional details. For example, to copy selected files from the "Program Files" directory to the E:\SAVE directory: [c:\] select copy ("Program Files\*.*") e:\save\ File names passed to the command will be quoted automatically if they contain whitespace or special characters. The list of files from which you wish to select can be further refined by using date, time, size, and file exclusion ranges. The range(s) must be placed immediately after the word SELECT. If the command is an internal command that supports ranges, an independent range can also be used in the command itself. You cannot use command grouping to make SELECT execute several commands, because SELECT will assume that the parentheses are marking the list of files from which to select, and will display an error message or give incorrect results if you try to use parentheses for command grouping instead. (You can use a SELECT command inside command grouping parentheses, you just can't use command grouping to specify a group of commands for SELECT to execute.) Advanced Topics If you don't specify a command, the selected filename(s) will become the command. For example, this command defines an alias called UTILS that selects from the executable files in the directory C:\UTIL, and then executes them in the order marked: [c:\] alias utils select (c:\util\*.com;*.exe;*.btm;*.bat) If you want to use filename completion to enter the filenames inside the parentheses, type a space after the opening parenthesis. Otherwise, the command-line editor will treat the open parenthesis as the first character of the filename. With the /I option, you can select files based on their descriptions. SELECT will display files if their description matches the text after the /I switch. The search is not case sensitive. You can use wildcards and extended wildcards as part of the text. When sorting file names and extensions for the SELECT display, 4OS2 normally assumes that sequences of digits should be sorted numerically (for example, the file DRAW2 would come before DRAW03 because 2 is numerically smaller than 03), rather than strictly alphabetically (where DRAW2 would come second because "2" comes after "0"). You can defeat this behavior and force a strict alphabetic sort with the /O:a option. Options /A: (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the specified attribute(s) set. Preceding the attribute character with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that attribute set. The colon [:] after /A is optional. The attributes are: R Read-only H Hidden S System D Subdirectory A Archive If no attributes are listed at all (e.g., SELECT /A ...), SELECT will display all files and subdirectories including hidden and system files. If attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a file to be included in the listing. For example, /A:RHS will display only those files with all three attributes set. /D: (Disable color coding) Temporarily turn off directory color coding within SELECT. /E (use upper case) Display filenames upper case; also see SETDOS /U and the UpperCase directive in 4OS2.INI. /H (Hide dots) Suppress the display of the "." and ".." directories. /I (match descriptions) Display filenames by matching text in their descriptions. The text can include wildcards and extended wildcards. The search text must be enclosed in quotation marks. You can select all filenames that have a description with /I"[?]*", or all filenames that do not have a description with /I"[]". /J (Justify names) Justify (align) filename extensions and display them in the traditional format. /L (Lower case) Display file and directory names in lower case; also see SETDOS /U and the UpperCase directive in 4OS2.INI. /O: (Order) Set the sort order for the files. The order can be any combination of the following options: - Reverse the sort order for the next option. a Sort in ASCII order, not numerically, when there are digits in the name. d Sort by date and time (oldest first); for HPFS drives also see /T. e Sort by extension. g Group subdirectories first, then files. i Sort by file description. n Sort by filename (this is the default). r Reverse the sort order for all options. s Sort by size. u Unsorted. /T: (Time display) Specify which of the date and time fields on an HPFS drive should be displayed and used for sorting: a last access date and time c creation date and time w last write date and time (default) /Z: Display HPFS filenames in the traditional FAT format, with the filename at the left and the description at the right. Long names will be truncated to 12 characters; if the name is longer than 12 characters, it will be followed by a right arrow [] to show that one or more characters have been truncated. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.70. SET - Create or modify environment variables ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display, create, modify, or delete environment variables. Format: SET [/P /R file ...] [name [=][value ]] file : One or more files containing variable definitions. name : The name of the environment variable to define or modify. value : The new value for the variable. /P(ause) /R(ead from file) See also: ESET and UNSET. Usage Every program and command inherits an environment, which is a list of variable names, each of which is followed by an equal sign and some text. Many programs use entries in the environment to modify their own actions. If you simply type the SET command with no options or arguments, it will display all the names and values currently stored in the environment. Typically, you will see an entry called COMSPEC, an entry called PATH, an entry called CMDLINE, and whatever other environment variables you and your programs have established: [c:\] set COMSPEC=C:\4OS2\$OS2.EXE PATH=C:\;C:\OS2;C:\OS2\SYSTEM;C:\UTIL CMDLINE=C:\4OS2\4START.CMD To add a variable to the environment, type SET, a space, the variable name, an equal sign, and the text: [c:\] set mine=c:\finance\myfiles The variable name is converted to upper case by 4OS2. The text after the equal sign will be left just as you entered it. If the variable already exists, its value will be replaced with the new text that you entered. Normally you should not put a space on either side of the equal sign. A space before the equal sign will become part of the name ; a space after the equal sign will become part of the value. If you use SET to create a variable with the same name as one of the 4OS2 internal variables, you will disable the internal variable. If you later execute a batch file or alias that depends on that internal variable, it may not operate correctly. To display the contents of a single variable, type SET plus the variable name: [c:\] set mine You can edit environment variables with the ESET command. To remove variables from the environment, use UNSET, or type SET plus a variable name and an equal sign: [c:\] set mine= The variable name is limited to a maximum of 80 characters. The name and value together cannot be longer than 1,023 characters. In 4OS2 the size of the environment is set automatically, and increased as necessary as you add variables. 4OS2 supports the "pseudo-variables" BeginLIBPath and EndLIBPath introduced in OS/2 Warp. If you use either of these as a variable name, 4OS2 will pass the library path information from the SET command to the operating system, but the variables will not appear in the environment. See your OS/2 documentation for more information about these "variables". Options /P: (Pause) Wait for a key to be pressed after each screen page before continuing the display. Your options at the prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. /R: (Read) Read environment variables from a file. This is much faster than loading variables from a batch file with multiple SET commands. Each entry in the file must fit within the 1,023-byte command-line length limit for 4OS2. The file is in the same format as the SET display (i.e., name =value ), so SET /R can accept as input a file generated by redirecting SET output. For example, the following commands will save the environment variables to a file, and then reload them from that file: set > varlist set /r varlist You can load variables from multiple files by listing the filenames individually after the /R. You can add comments to a variable file by starting the comment line with a colon [:]. If you are creating a SET /R file by hand, and need to create an entry that spans multiple lines in the file, you can do so by terminating each line, except the last, with an escape character. However, you cannot use this method to exceed the command-line length limit. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.71. SETDOS - Set the 4OS2 configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display or set the 4OS2 configuration. Format: SETDOS [/A? /B? /C? /D? /E? /Fn.n /G?? /I+|- command /L? /M? /N? /P? /R? /S?:? /U? /V? /X[+|-]n /Y?] /B(right background) /N(o clobber) /C(ompound) /P(arameter character) /D(escriptions) /R(ows) /E(scape character) /S(hape of cursor) /F(ormat for @EVAL) /U(pper case) /G (numeric separators) /V(erbose) /I(nternal commands) /X (expansion, special characters) /L(ine) /Y (debug batch file) /M(ode for editing) Usage SETDOS allows you to customize certain aspects of 4OS2 to suit your personal tastes or the configuration of your system. Each of these options is described below. You can display the value of all SETDOS options by entering the SETDOS command with no parameters. Most of the SETDOS options can be initialized when 4OS2 executes the configuration directives in 4OS2.INI, and can also be set on the Command Line 1, Command Line 2, Options 1, or Options 2 pages of the OPTION dialogs. The name of the corresponding directive is listed with each option below; if none is listed, that option cannot be set with OPTION or from the .INI file. You can also define the SETDOS options in your AUTOEXEC.BAT, 4START, or other startup file (see Automatic Batch Files), in aliases, or at the command line. Secondary shells automatically inherit most configuration settings currently in effect in the previous shell. If values have been changed by SETDOS since 4OS2 started, the new values will be passed to the secondary shell. SETDOS /I settings are not inherited by secondary shells. If you want to use SETDOS /I- to disable commands in all shells, place the SETDOS command(s) in your 4START file, which is executed when any shell starts. Options /B: (Bright background) This option determines whether 4OS2 configures your video adapter for blinking text (/B0, the default) or bright background colors (/B1), or leave the video bright / blink configuration unchanged (/B2). See Colors and Color Names for a detailed discussion of this option. Also see the BrightBG directive. /C: (Compound character) This option sets the character used for separating multiple commands on the same line. The default is the ampersand [&]. You cannot use any of the redirection characters (| > <), or the blank, tab, comma, or equal sign as the command separator. The command separator is saved by SETLOCAL and restored by ENDLOCAL. This example changes the separator to a tilde [~]: [c:\] setdos /c~ If you want to share batch files or aliases among 4DOS, 4OS2, 4NT, and Take Command, see the %+ variable, which retrieves the current command separator, and Special Character Compatibility for details on using compatible command separators for all the products you use. Also see the CommandSep directive. /D: (Descriptions) This option controls whether file processing commands like COPY, DEL, MOVE, and REN process file descriptions along with the files they belong to. /D1 turns description processing on, which is the default. /D0 turns description processing off. Also see the Descriptions directive. You can also use /D to set the name of the hidden file in each directory that contains file descriptions. To do so, follow /D with the filename in quotes: [c:\] setdos /d"files.bbs" Use this option with caution because changing the name of the description file will make it difficult to transfer file descriptions to another system. This option is provided for bulletin board system operators and others who have special needs. Also see the DescriptionName directive. /E: (Escape character) This option sets the character used to suppress the normal meaning of the following character. Any character following the escape character will be passed unmodified to the command. The default escape character is a caret [^]. You cannot use any of the redirection characters (| > <) or the blank, tab, comma, or equal sign as the escape character. The escape character is saved by SETLOCAL and restored by ENDLOCAL. Certain characters (b, c, e, f, k, n, q, r, s, and t) have special meanings when immediately preceded by the escape character. If you want to share batch files or aliases among 4DOS, 4OS2, 4NT, and Take Command, see the %= variable, which retrieves the current escape character, and Special Character Compatibility for details on using compatible escape characters for all the products you use. Also see the EscapeChar directive. /F: (Format for @EVAL) This option lets you set default decimal precision for the @EVAL variable function. The maximum precision is 16 digits to the left of the decimal point and 8 digits to the right of the decimal point. The general form of this option is /Fx.y, where x sets the minimum number of digits to the right of the decimal place and y sets the maximum number of digits. You can use =x,y instead of =x.y if the comma is your decimal separator. Both values can range from 0 to 8; if x is greater than y, it is ignored. You can specify either or both values: /F2.5, /F2, and /F.5 are all valid entries. See @EVAL if you want to set the precision for a single computation. Also see the EvalMax and EvalMin directives. /G: (Numeric separators) This option sets the decimal and thousands separator characters. The format is /Gxy where x is the new decimal separator and y is the new thousands separator. Both characters must be included. The only valid settings are /G., (period is the decimal separator, comma is the thousands separator); /G,. (the reverse); or /G0 to remove any custom setting and use the default separators associated with your current country code (this is the default). The decimal separator is used for @EVAL, numeric IF and IFF tests, version numbers, and other similar uses. The thousands separator is used for numeric output, and is skipped when performing calculations in @EVAL. /I: (Internal) This option allows you to disable or enable internal commands. To disable a command, precede the command name with a minus [-]. To re-enable a command, precede it with a plus [+]. For example, to disable the internal LIST command to force 4OS2 to use an external command: [c:\] setdos /i-list /L: (Line) This option controls how 4OS2 gets its input from the command line. /L0 tells 4OS2 to use character input (the default). /L1 tells it to use line input (like CMD.EXE ). /L1 will disable command-line editing, history recall, filename completion, and the directory history window, and will reduce the 4OS2 input length limit from 1023 characters to 255 characters. It should only be used if it is needed for compatibility with a specific program. If you have a program that requires line input, you can use the following line in an alias or batch file to change the line input option just for that single program: setdos /L1 & program %& & setdos /L0 See README.DOC for information on programs which require this option. Also see the LineInput directive. /M: (Mode) This option controls the initial line editing mode. To start in overstrike mode at the beginning of each command line, use /M0 (the default). To start in insert mode, use /M1. Also see the EditMode directive. /N: (No clobber) This option controls output redirection). /N0 means existing files will be overwritten by output redirection (with >) and that appending (with >>) does not require the file to exist already. This is the default. /N1 means existing files may not be overwritten by output redirection, and that when appending the output file must exist. A /N1 setting can be overridden with the [!] character. If you use /N1, you may have problems with a few unusual programs that shell out to run a command with redirection, and expect to be able to overwrite an existing file. Also see the NoClobber directive. /P: (Parameter character) This option sets the character used after a percent sign to specify all or all remaining command-line arguments in a batch file or alias (e.g., %& or %n&. The default is the dollar sign [$]. The parameter character is saved by SETLOCAL and restored by ENDLOCAL. If you want to share batch files or aliases among 4DOS, 4OS2, 4NT, and Take Command, see Special Character Compatibility for details on selecting compatible parameter characters for all the products you use. Also see the ParameterChar directive. /R: (Rows) This option sets the number of screen rows used by the video display. Normally 4OS2 detects the screen size, but if you have a non-standard display you may need to set it explicitly. This option does not affect screen scrolling (which is controlled by your video driver). It also does not set the screen size; it is used only to specify the screen height for LIST, SELECT, paged output options (i.e., TYPE /P), and error checking in the screen output commands. Also see the ScreenRows directive. /S: (Shape) This option sets the cursor shape. The format is /So:i where o is the cursor size for overstrike mode and i is the cursor size for insert mode. The size is entered as a percentage of the total character height. The default values are 10:100 (a 10% underscore cursor for overstrike mode, and a 100% block cursor for insert mode). Because of the way video drivers remap the cursor shape, you may not get a smooth progression in the cursor size from 0% - 100%. To disable the cursor, enter /S0:0. If either value is -1, 4OS2 will not attempt to modify the cursor shape at all. You can use this feature to give another program full control of the cursor shape. You can retrieve the current cursor shape values with the %_CI and %_CO internal variables. Also see the CursorOver and CursorIns directives. /U: (Upper) This option controls the default case (upper or lower) for file and directory names displayed by internal commands like COPY and DIR. /U0 displays file names in lower case (the default). /U1 displays file names in the traditional upper case. The /U setting is ignored for HPFS filenames. HPFS names are always displayed in the case in which they are stored. Also see the UpperCase directive. /V: (Verbose) This option controls the default for command echoing in batch files. /V0 disables echoing of batch file commands unless ECHO is explicitly set ON. /V1, the default setting, enables echoing of batch file commands unless ECHO is explicitly set OFF. Also see the BatchEcho directive. /V2 forces echoing of all batch file commands, even if ECHO is set OFF or the line begins with an "@". This allows you to turn echoing on for a batch file without editing the batch file and removing the ECHO OFF command(s) within it. /V2 is intended for debugging, and can be set with SETDOS, but not with the OPTION command or the BatchEcho directive in 4OS2.INI. For more information on batch file debugging see Debugging Batch Files and /Y below. /X[+|-]n:(eXpansion and special characters) This option enables and disables alias and environment variable expansion, and controls whether special characters have their usual meaning or are treated as text. It is most often used in batch files to process text strings which may contain special characters. The features enabled or disabled by /X are numbered. All features are enabled when 4OS2 starts, and you can re-enable all features at any time by using /X0. To disable a particular feature, use /X-n, where n is the feature number from the list below. To re-enable the feature, use /X+n. To enable or disable multiple individual features, list their numbers in sequence after the + or - (e.g. /X-345 to disable features 3, 4, and 5). The features are: 1 All alias expansion. 2 Nested alias expansion only. 3 All variable expansion (environment variables and batch and alias parameters). 4 Nested variable expansion only. 5 Multiple commands, conditional commands, and piping. 6 Redirection. 7 Quoting (double quotes and back quotes) and square brackets. 8 Escape character. If nested alias expansion is disabled, the first alias of a command is expanded but any aliases it invokes are not expanded. If nested variable expansion is disabled, each variable is expanded once, but variables containing the names of other variables are not expanded further. For example, to disable all features except alias expansion while you are processing a text file containing special characters: setdos /x-35678 ... [perform text processing here] setdos /x0 /Y: (debug batch file) /Y1 enables the built-in batch file debugger. The debuggger allows you to "single-step" through a batch file line by line, with the file displayed in a popup window as it executes. For complete details on using the debugger see Debugging Batch Files (this topic also covers additional debugging techniques which do not require stepping through each line individually). To start the debugger, insert a SETDOS /Y1 command at the beginning of the portion of the batch file you want to debug, and a SETDOS /Y0 command at the end. You cannot use the batch debugger with REXX files or EXTPROC files. It can only be used with normal 4OS2 batch files. You can also invoke SETDOS /Y1 from the prompt, but because the debugger is automatically turned off whenever the command processor returns to the prompt, you must enter the SETDOS command and the batch file name on the same line. For example: [c:\] setdos /y1 & mybatch.btm ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.72. SETLOCAL - Save the environment ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Save a copy of the current disk drive, directory, environment, alias list, and special characters. Format: SETLOCAL See also: ENDLOCAL. Usage SETLOCAL is used in batch files to save the default disk drive and directory, the environment, the alias list, and the command separator, escape character, parameter character, decimal separator, and thousands separator. You can then change their values and later restore the original values with ENDLOCAL. For example, this batch file fragment saves everything, removes all aliases so that user aliases will not affect batch file commands, changes the disk and directory, changes the command separator, runs a program, and then restores the original values: setlocal unalias * cdd d:\test setdos /c~ program ~ echo Done! endlocal SETLOCAL and ENDLOCAL are not nestable within a batch file. However, you can have multiple, separate SETLOCAL / ENDLOCAL pairs within a batch file, and nested batch files can each have their own SETLOCAL / ENDLOCAL. You cannot use SETLOCAL in an alias or at the command line. An ENDLOCAL is performed automatically at the end of a batch file if you forget to do so. If you invoke one batch file from another without using CALL, the first batch file is terminated, and an automatic ENDLOCAL is performed; the second batch file inherits the settings as they were prior to any SETLOCAL. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.73. SHIFT - Shift batch file parameters ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Allows the use of more than 127 parameters in a batch file. Format: SHIFT [n | /n ] n : Number of positions to shift. Usage SHIFT is provided for compatibility with older batch files, where it was used to access more than 10 parameters. 4OS2 supports 128 parameters (%0 to %127), so you may not need to use SHIFT for batch files running exclusively under JP Software command processors. SHIFT moves each of the batch file parameters n positions to the left. The default value for n is 1. SHIFT 1 moves the parameter in %1 to position %0, the parameter in %2 becomes %1, etc. You can reverse a SHIFT by giving a negative value for n (i.e., after SHIFT -1, the former %0 is restored, %0 becomes %1, %1 becomes %2, etc.). SHIFT also affects the parameters %n$. (command-line tail) and %# (number of command arguments). For example, create a batch file called TEST.BAT: echo %1 %2 %3 %4 shift echo %1 %2 %3 %4 shift 2 echo %1 %2 %3 %4 shift -1 echo %1 %2 %3 %4 Executing TEST.BAT produces the following results: [c:\] test one two three four five six seven one two three four two three four five four five six seven three four five six If you add a slash before the value n, the value determines the postion at which to begin the shift. For example: shift /2 leaves parameters %0 and %1 unchanged, and moves the value of %3 to postion %2, %4 to %3, etc. The value after the slash cannot be negative, and shifts performed with the slash cannot be undone later in the batch file. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.74. SHRALIAS - Load or unload SHRALIAS.EXE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Retains global command history, directory history, and alias lists in memory when the command processor is not running. Format: SHRALIAS [/U] /U(nload) Usage When you close all 4OS2 sessions, the memory for the global command history, global directory history, and global alias list is released. If you want the lists to be retained in memory even when no command processor session is running, you need to execute SHRALIAS. The SHRALIAS command starts and initializes SHRALIAS.EXE, a small program which remains active and retains global lists when 4OS2 is not running. In order to start the program, SHRALIAS must be able to find SHRALIAS.EXE either in the same directory as 4OS2, or in a directory in your PATH. You cannot run SHRALIAS.EXE directly, it must be run by the SHRALIAS command. Once SHRALIAS has been executed, the global lists will be retained in memory until you use SHRALIAS /U to unload the lists, or until you shut down your operating system. SHRALIAS will not work unless you have at least one copy of 4OS2 running with global alias, command history, and directory history lists enabled. If the required global lists are not found, SHRALIAS will display an error. If you start SHRALIAS from a temporary 4OS2 session which exits after starting SHRALIAS (for example, by executing SHRALIAS in your OS/2 STARTUP.CMD file), the command processor session may terminate and discard the shared lists before SHRALIAS can attach to them. In this case SHRALIAS.EXE will not be loaded. If you experience this problem, add a short delay with the DELAY command after SHRALIAS is loaded and before your session exits. For more information about global history and alias lists, see Local and Global Command History under Command History and Recall, Local and Global Directory History, and Local and Global Aliases under the ALIAS command. Options /U: (Unload) Shuts down SHRALIAS.EXE. If SHRALIAS is not loaded again, the memory used by global command history, directory history, and alias lists will be released when the last copy of 4OS2 exits. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.75. START - Start a program in another session ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Start a program in another session or window. Format: START ["program title "] [/B[G] /C /DOS[=optfile ] /F[G] /FS /I /ICON=iconfile /INV /K /L /LA /LD /LH /MAX /MIN /N /PGM progname /PM /POS=x,y,width,height /WAIT /WIN /WIN3[=optfile ] /WIN3S[=optfile ]] [command ] program title : Title to appear on title bar. optfile : Option settings file. iconfile : Name of icon (.ICO ) file. progname : Program name (not the session name). path : Startup directory. command : Command to be executed. /B[G] (background session) /LH (local history list) /C(lose when done) /MAX(imized) /DOS (DOS session) /MIN(imized) /F[G] (foreground session) /N(o command processor) /FS (full screen) /PGM (program name) /I(nherit environment) /PM (PM application) /ICON (.ICO file) /POS(ition of window) /INV(isible) /WAIT (for session to finish) /K(eep when done) /WIN(dowed session) /L(ocal lists) /WIN3 (Windows enhanced mode) /LA (local aliases) /WIN3S (Windows standard mode) /LD (local dir history) See also: DETACH. Usage START is used to begin a new OS/2 session, and optionally run a program in that session. If you use START with no parameters, it will begin a new command-line session. If you add a command, START will begin a new session or window and execute that command. The program title, if it is included, will appear on the title bar, and on the Presentation Manager window list. The program title must be enclosed in quotation marks and cannot exceed 60 characters. If the program title is omitted, the program name will be used as the title. START always assumes that the first quoted string on the command line is the program title; if there is a second quoted string it is assumed to be the command. As a result, if the name of the program you are starting is a long filename containing whitespace (and must therefore be quoted), you cannot simply place it on the command line. If you do, as the first quoted string it will be interpreted as the program title, not the command. To address this, use the /PGM switch to indicate explicitly that the quoted string is the program name, or include a title before the program name. For example, to start the program "C:\Program Files\Proc.Exe" you could use either of the first two commands below, but the third command would not work: [c:\] start /PGM "C:\Program Files\Proc.Exe" [c:\] start "test" "C:\Program Files\Proc.Exe" [c:\] start "C:\Program Files\Proc.Exe" START offers a large number of switches to control the session you start. In most cases you need only a few switches to accomplish what you want. The list below summarizes the most commonly used START options, and how you can use them to control the way a session is started: /MAX, /MIN, and /POS allow you to start a character-mode windowed session in a maximized window, a minimized window, or a window with a specified position and size. The default is to let the operating environment choose the position and size of the window. /C allows you to close the session when the command is finished (the default for DOS and OS/2 Presentation Manager sessions); /K allows you to keep the session open and go to a prompt (the default for OS/2 character mode sessions). /BG and /FG allow you to start the session in the background(does not respond to keystrokes until selected) or foreground (responds to keystrokes until deselected). /FG is the default if /DOS, /FS, /WIN, or /PM is used; otherwise, /BG is the default. /FS and /WIN control whether a character-mode session is started in full-screen or windowed mode. The default is to start a session of the same type as the current session, if the application can be run in such a session. START determines the application type automatically and starts the session in the appropriate mode. START gives you some flexibility in determining the session mode. For example, if the command is the name of a batch file (either a .BTM or .CMD file), you can use the /FS or /WIN options to run the batch file as part of a new session in either full-screen or windowed mode. However, you cannot start a session in a mode that is inappropriate for the application type. A DOS application cannot be run as part of a Presentation Manager session, for example, even if you use the /PM switch. Invalid or conflicting options will be ignored. 4OS2 will always attempt to run the command in the appropriate type of session. If the program is a DOS application or .BAT file, 4OS2 will start a new DOS session to run it. The DOS session will close itself automatically as soon as the program or batch file ends, unless /K is used. If you want the session to wait for a keystroke before it closes itself, you can use this syntax (assuming 4DOS is your command processor for OS/2 DOS sessions: [c:\] start /DOS command ^^ pause (Because the caret [^] is the default 4OS2 escape character, two carets must be used in order to pass one on to 4DOS as a command separator.) If you want to start a DOS command-line session in OS/2, you can use the command: [c:\] start /DOS You can specify settings for DOS and Windows sessions by using a settings options file, and loading it with the /DOS=, /WIN3=, or /WIN3S= option. This allows you to start DOS and Windows sessions with specific settings without creating a desktop object and modifying the settings manually. Before using this capability you should read the description of it under /DOS= (below) very carefully, since errors in the settings file can occasionally hang your system. Options /BG: (BackGround session) The session is started as a background session. /BG may be abbreviated to /B. /C: (Close) The session or window is closed when the application ends. /DOS[=filename]:(DOS session) Start a DOS session. If you include the =filename, OS/2 will load DOS settings from the specified file. When you use /DOS you can also alter the DOS settings for a session with environment variables of the form DosSetting.name=value, without using a settings file. Starting a session with specific DOS settings is an undocumented feature which was implemented within OS/2 with little error checking. It is included in START because it substantially eases a complex task, but you must experiment carefully to ensure that the settings you select will work properly on the systems on which you plan to use them. Incorrect settings may be ignored, but they may also hang your session or stop the entire system. Be sure your experiments are not conducted while critical tasks are in process. Each line in the file must have a name, an equal sign [=], and a value. The names are those shown in OS/2's DOS Settings dialog box. Do not use spaces on either side of the equal sign. The names in the DOS Settings dialog box will vary depending on the device drivers and other settings in your CONFIG.SYS file, though many are available on all systems. You must ensure that the names you use are valid for the systems on which you use them. For example, if you replace IBM's COM.SYS and VCOM.SYS with different communications drivers, the COM_ settings will probably not be valid for the new drivers. If you have a settings file which contains settings defined by a particular driver, and use it on a system where the corresponding driver is not loaded, the results are undefined. The values in your settings file must be numeric for settings which show a numeric value under DOS Settings (e.g., DOS_FILES=30), and must be text strings for settings shown with a string (e.g., DOS_SHELL=C:\4DOS.COM C:\4DOS /P). Strings should be entered without trailing blanks. For values shown as multiple choice on the DOS Settings page you must specify a numeric value, typically 0 for Off and 1 for On (e.g., DOS_HIGH=1). Items with choices other than Off and On may use different values, or may not work at all; experimentation is usually required to find out what works. Attempting to use strings for choice items (e.g., DOS_HIGH=ON) will not work, and can hang your system. This is due to the internal operation of OS/2, and is not a problem in 4OS2. A typical DOS settings file might look like this: DOS_FILES=30 DOS_HIGH=1 DOS_SHELL=C:\4DOS\4DOS.COM C:\4DOS /P MOUSE_EXCLUSIVE_ACCESS=0 VIDEO_FASTPASTE=1 You can include comments in a settings file by beginning any line with a colon [:]. When you use /DOS you can also alter the DOS settings for a session with environment variables, without using a DOS settings file. When the =filename portion of the switch is not used, OS/2 will scan the environment looking for variables of the form DosSetting.name=value. Each such variable entry will be used to set the DOS setting with the specified name to the specified value. All of the cautions and restrictions given above for settings stored in a file apply equally to settings stored in environment variables. Settings stored in environment variables are "global" and apply to all sessions started with START /DOS, except when an explicit settings file is specified with =filename. /FG: (ForeGround session) Start the session as the foreground session. /FG may be abbreviated to /F. /FS: (Full Screen) Start the session as a full-screen session. /I: (Inherit environment) Inherit the default environment specified in CONFIG.SYS, if any, rather than the current environment. /ICON=filename :Use the specified icon file. If you don't use /ICON, the displayed icon will be the one found or assigned by OS/2. /INV: (Invisible) Start the session or window as invisible. No icon will appear and the session will only be accessible through the Task Manager or Window List. /K: (Keep session or window at end) The session or window continues after the application program ends. Use the EXIT command to end the session. /L: (Local lists) Start 4OS2 with local alias, history, and directory history lists. This option combines the effects of /LA, /LD, and /LH (below). /LA: (Local Alias list) Start 4OS2 with a local alias list.See ALIAS for information on local and global aliases. /LD: (Local Directory history) Start 4OS2 with a local directory history list. See Local and Global Directory History for more information. /LH: (Local History list) Start 4OS2 with a local history list. See Command History and Recall for information on local and global history lists. /MAX: (Maximized) Start the session or window maximized. /MIN: (Minimized) Start the session or window minimized. /N: (No command processor) Start an OS/2 program directly, without a command processor. The command cannot be an internal command or batch file. This is the default for PM applications. /PGM: (Program name) The string following this option is the program name. If you do not use /PGM, the first quoted string on the line will be used as the session and task list title, and not as the program name. /PM: (Presentation Manager) Start a program in the Presentation Manager session. /POS: (Position) Start the window at the specified screen position. The syntax is /POS=x, y, width, height where the values are specified in pixels or pels. x and y refer to the position of the top left corner of the window relative to the bottom left corner of the screen. /WAIT: Wait for the new session or window to finish before continuing. Cannot be used with /WIN3 or /WIN3S. /WIN: (Windowed) Start the session in a window. /WIN3[=filename]:(Windows enhanced mode) Run the program in an enhanced-mode Windows 3.x session. The session will run seamless (on the OS/2 desktop). To start a Windows application in full-screen mode, use /FS rather than /WIN3. You can include an equal sign and the name of an options file to set options for the specific session and application (see /DOS= above for details). /WIN3S[=filename]:(Windows standard mode) Equivalent to /WIN3, but runs the program in standard mode rather than enhanced mode. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.76. SWITCH - Select commands based on a value ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Select commands to execute based on a value. Format: SWITCH expression CASE value1 [.OR. value2 ] ... commands CASE value3 commands DEFAULT commands ] ENDSWITCH expression : An environment variable, internal variable, variable function, text string, or a combination of these elements, that is used to select a group of commands. value1, value2, etc. : A value to test, or multiple values connected with .OR. commands : One or more commands to execute if the expression matches the value. If you use multiple commands, they must be separated by command separators or placed on separate lines. See also: IF and IFF. Usage SWITCH can only be used in batch files. It allows you to select a command or group of commands to execute based on the possible values of a variable or a combination of variables and text. The SWITCH command is always followed by an expression created from environment variables, internal variables, variable functions, and text strings, and then by a sequence of CASE statements matching the possible values of the expression. If one of the values in a CASE statement matches the expression, the commands following that CASE statement are executed, and all subsequent CASE statements and the commands which follow them are ignored. If no matches are found, the commands following the optional DEFAULT statement are executed. If there are no matches and there is no DEFAULT statement, no commands are executed by SWITCH. After all of the commands following the CASE or DEFAULT statement are executed, the batch file continues with the commands that follow ENDSWITCH. You must include a command separator or new line after the expression, before each CASE or DEFAULT statement, before each command, and before ENDSWITCH. You can link values in a CASE statement with .OR. (but not with .AND. or .XOR.). For example, the following batch file fragment displays one message if the user presses A, another if user presses B or C, and a third if the user presses any other key: inkey Enter a keystroke: %%key switch %key case A echo It's an A case B .or. C echo It's either B or C default echo It's not A, B, or C endswitch In the example above, the value of a single environment variable was used for the expression. You will probably find that this is the best method to use in most situations. However, you can use other kinds of expressions if necessary. The first example below selects a command to execute based on the length of a variable, and the second bases the action on a quoted text string stored in an environment variable: switch %@len[%var1] case 0 echo Missing var1 case 1 echo Single character ... endswitch switch "%string1" case "This is a test" echo Test string case "The quick brown fox" echo It's the fox ... endswitch The SWITCH and ENDSWITCH commands must be on separate lines, and cannot be placed within a command group, or on the same line as other commands (this is the reason SWITCH cannot be used in aliases). However, commands within the SWITCH block can use command groups or the command separator in the normal way. SWITCH commands can be nested. You can exit from all SWITCH / ENDSWITCH processing by using GOTO to a line past the last ENDSWITCH. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.77. TEE - "Tee" pipe fitting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Copy standard input to both standard output and a file. Format: TEE [/A] file ... file : One or more files that will receive the "tee-d" output. /A(ppend) See also: Y and the redirection options. Usage TEE is normally used to "split" the output of a program so that you can see it on the display and also save it in a file. It can also be used to capture intermediate output before the data is altered by another program or command. TEE gets its input from standard input (usually the piped output of another command or program), and sends out two copies: one goes to standard output, the other to the file or files that you specify. TEE is not likely to be useful with programs which do not use standard output, because these programs cannot send output through a pipe. For example, to search the file DOC for any lines containing the string "4OS2", make a copy of the matching lines in 4.DAT, sort the lines, and write them to the output file 4O.DAT : [c:\] find "4OS2" doc | tee 4.dat | sort > 4o.dat If you are typing at the keyboard to produce the input for TEE, you must enter a Ctrl-Z to terminate the input. When using TEE with a pipe under 4OS2, the programs on the two ends of the pipe run simultaneously, not sequentially as in 4DOS. See Piping for more information on pipes. Options /A: (Append) Append the output to the file(s) rather than overwriting them. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.78. TEXT - Display text in a batch file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display a block of text in a batch file. Format: TEXT . . . ENDTEXT See also: ECHO, SCREEN, SCRPUT, and VSCRPUT. Usage TEXT can only be used in batch files. The TEXT command is useful for displaying menus or multi-line messages. TEXT will display all subsequent lines in the batch file until terminated by ENDTEXT. Both TEXT and ENDTEXT must be entered as the only command on the line. To redirect the entire block of text, use redirection on the TEXT command itself, but not on the actual text lines or the ENDTEXT line. No environment variable expansion or other processing is performed on the lines between TEXT and ENDTEXT; they are displayed exactly as they are stored in the batch file. You can change screen colors by inserting ANSI escape sequences anywhere in the text block. You can also use a CLS or COLOR command to set the screen color before executing the TEXT command. The following batch file fragment displays a simple menu: @echo off & cls screen 2 0 text Enter one of the following: 1 - Spreadsheet 2 - Word Processing 3 - Utilities 4 - Exit endtext inkey /k"1243" Enter your selection: %%key ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.79. TIME - Set the system time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display or set the current system time. Format: TIME [hh [:mm [:ss ]]] [AM | PM] hh : The hour (0 - 23). mm : The minute (0 - 59). ss : The second (0 - 59). See also: DATE. Usage If you don't enter any parameters, TIME will display the current system time and prompt you for a new time. Press Enter if you don't wish to change the time; otherwise, enter the new time: [c:\] time Mon Dec 22, 1997 9:30:06 New time (hh:mm:ss): TIME defaults to 24-hour format, but you can optionally enter the time in 12-hour format by appending "a", "am", "p", or "pm" to the time you enter. For example, to enter the time as 9:30 am: [c:\] time 9:30 am OS/2 adds the system time and date to the directory entry for every file you create or modify. If you keep both the time and date accurate, you will have a record of when you last updated each file. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.80. TIMER - Start or stop a stopwatch ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: TIMER is a system stopwatch. Format: TIMER [ON] [/1 /2 /3 /S] ON : Force the stopwatch to restart. /1 (stopwatch #1) /3 (stopwatch #3) /2 (stopwatch #2) /S(plit) Usage The TIMER command turns a system stopwatch on and off. When you first run TIMER, the stopwatch starts: [c:\] timer Timer 1 on: 12:21:46 When you run TIMER again, the stopwatch stops and the elapsed time is displayed: [c:\] timer Timer 1 off: 12:21:58 Elapsed time: 0:00:12.06 There are three stopwatches available (1, 2, and 3) so you can time multiple overlapping events. By default, TIMER uses stopwatch #1. The smallest interval TIMER can measure depends on the operating system you are using, your hardware, and the interaction between the two. However, it should never be greater than .06 second. The largest interval is 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59.99 seconds. Options /1: Use timer #1 (the default). /2: Use timer #2. /3: Use timer #3. /S: (Split) Display a split time without stopping the timer. To display the current elapsed time but leave the timer running: [c:\] timer /s Timer 1 elapsed: 0:06:40.63 ON: Start the timer regardless of its previous state (on or off). Otherwise the TIMER command toggles the timer state (unless /S is used). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.81. TITLE - Window title ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Change the window title. Format: TITLE title title : The new window title. See also: ACTIVATE and WINDOW. Usage TITLE changes the text that appears in the caption bar at the top of the 4OS2 window. The title text should not be enclosed in quotes unless you want the quotes to appear as part of the actual title. To change the title of the current window to "JP Software / 4OS2": [c:\] title JP Software / 4OS2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.82. TOUCH - Change date and time stamps ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Change a file's date and time stamps. Format: TOUCH [/C /D[acw][mm-dd-yy] /E /F /Q /T[acw][hh:mm] file ... file : One or more files whose date and/or time stamps are to be changed. /C(reate file) /F(orce read-only files) /D(ate) /Q(uiet) /E (no Error messages) /T(ime) See also: LIST. File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Usage TOUCH is used to change the date and/or time of a file. You can use it to be sure that particular files are included or excluded from an internal command, backup program, compiler MAKE utility, or other program that selects files based on their time and date stamps, or to set a group of files to the same date and time for consistency. TOUCH should be used with caution, and in most cases should only be used on files you create. Many programs depend on file dates and times to perform their work properly. In addition, many software manufacturers use file dates and times to signify version numbers. Indiscriminate changes to date and time stamps can lead to confusion or incorrect behavior of other software. TOUCH normally works with existing files, and will display an error if the file you specify does not exist, or has the read-only attribute set. To create the file if it does not already exist, use the /C switch. To force a date and time change for read-only files, use the /F switch. TOUCH displays the date, time, and full name of each file whose timestamp is modified. To disable this output, use /Q. If you don't specify a date or a time, TOUCH will default to the current date and time from your system clock. For example, to set the time stamp of all .C files in the current directory to the current date and time: [d:\source] touch *.c 6-12-97 11:13:58 D:\SOURCE\MAIN.C 6-12-97 11:13:58 D:\SOURCE\INIT.C ... If you specify a date but not a time, the time will default to the current time from your system clock. Similarly, if you specify a time but not a date, the date will be obtained from the system clock. On HPFS files, TOUCH sets the "modified" or "last write" date and time by default. By adding the appropriate character to the /D or /T switch, you can set the other date and time stamps that are maintained for each file: a last access date and time. c creation date and time w last write date and time (default) Options /C: (Create file) Create the file (as a zero-byte file) if it does not already exist. You cannot use wildcards with /C, but you can create multiple files by listing them individually on the command line. /D: (Date) Specify the date that will be set for the selected files. If the date is not specified, TOUCH will use the current date. For HPFS files you can use /Da, /Dc, or /Dw, followed by the date, to explicitly specify the last access, creation, or last write date stamp. The date must be entered using the proper format for your current country settings. /E: (No error messages) Suppress all non-fatal error messages, such as "File not found." Fatal error messages, such as "Drive not ready," will still be displayed. This option is most useful in batch files. /F: (Force read-only files) Remove the read-only attribute from each file before changing the date and time, and restore it afterwards. Without /F, attempting to change the date and time on a read-only file will usually cause an error. /Q: (Quiet) Do not dislpy the new date and time and the full name for each file. /T: (Time) Specify the time that will be set for the selected files, in hh:mm format. If the time is not specified, TOUCH will use the current time. For HPFS files you can use /Ta, /Tc, or /Tw, followed by the time, to explicitly specify the last access, creation, or last write time stamp. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.83. TREE - Directory tree ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display a graphical directory tree. Format: TREE [/A /B /F /H /P /S /T[:acw]] dir ... dir : The directory to use as the start of the tree. If more than one directory is specified, TREE will display a directory tree for each. /A:(SCII) /P(ause) /B:(are) /S (file Size) /F:(iles) /T(ime and date) /H:(idden directories) File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Usage The TREE command displays a graphical representation of the directory tree using standard or extended ASCII characters. For example, to display the directory structure on drive C: [c:\] tree c:\ You can print the display, save it in a file, or view it with LIST by using standard redirection symbols. Be sure to review the /A option before attempting to print the TREE output. The options, discussed below, specify the amount of information included in the display. Options /A: (ASCII) Display the tree using standard ASCII characters. You can use this option if you want to save the directory tree in a file for further processing or print the tree on a printer which does not support the graphical symbols that TREE normally uses. /B: (Bare) Display the full pathname of each directory, without any of the line-drawing characters. /F: (Files) Display files as well as directories. If you use this option, the name of each file is displayed beneath the name of the directory in which it resides. /H: (Hidden) Display hidden as well as normal directories. If you combine /H and /F, hidden files are also displayed. /P: (Pause) Wait for a key to be pressed after each screen page before continuing the display. Your options at the prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. /S: (Size) Display the size of each file. This option is only useful when combined with /F. /T: (Time and date) Display the time and date for each directory. If you combine /T and /F, the time and date for each file will also be displayed. For HPFS files, the time and date of the last write will be shown by default. You can select a specific time and date stamp by using the following variations of /T: /T:a last access date and time. /T:c creation date and time. /T:w last write date and time (default). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.84. TYPE - Display file(s) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display the contents of the specified file(s). Format: TYPE [/A:[[-]rhsda] /L /P] file ... file : The file or list of files that you want to display. /A: (Attribute select) /P(ause) /L(ine numbers) See also: LIST. File Selection Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Usage The TYPE command displays a file. It is normally only useful for displaying ASCII text files. Executable files (.COM and .EXE ) and many data files may be unreadable when displayed with TYPE because they include non-alphanumeric characters. To display the files MEMO1 and MEMO2 : [c:\] type /p memo1 memo2 You can press Ctrl-S to pause TYPE's display and then any key to continue. To display text from the clipboard, use CLIP: as the file name. CLIP: will not return any data unless the clipboard contains text. See Redirection for additional information on CLIP:. You will probably find LIST to be more useful for displaying files. However, the TYPE /L command used with redirection is useful if you want to add line numbers to a file, for example: [c:\] type /l myfile > myfile.num Options /A:: (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the specified attribute(s) set. Preceding the attribute character with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that attribute set. The colon [:] after /A is required. The attributes are: R Read-only H Hidden S System D Subdirectory A Archive If no attributes are listed at all (e.g., TYPE /A: ...), TYPE will select all files and subdirectories including hidden and system files. If attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a file to be selected. For example, /A:RHS will select only those files with all three attributes set. /L: (Line numbers) Display a line number preceding each line of text. /P: (Pause) Prompt after displaying each page. Your options at the prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.85. UNALIAS - Remove aliases ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Remove aliases from the alias list. Format: UNALIAS [/Q /R file ] [alias ...] or UNALIAS * alias : One or more aliases to remove from memory. file : One or more files to read for alias definitions. /Q(uiet) /R(ead file) See also: ALIAS and ESET. Usage 4OS2 maintains a list of the aliases that you have defined. The UNALIAS command will remove aliases from that list. You can remove one or more aliases by name, or you can delete the entire alias list by using the command UNALIAS *. For example, to remove the alias DDIR: [c:\] unalias ddir To remove all the aliases: [c:\] unalias * If you keep aliases in a file that can be loaded with the ALIAS /R command, you can remove the aliases by using the UNALIAS /R command with the same file name: [c:\] unalias /r alias.lst This is much faster than removing each alias individually in a batch file, and can be more selective than using UNALIAS *. Options /Q: (Quiet) Prevents UNALIAS from displaying an error message if one or more of the aliases does not exist. This option is most useful in batch files, for removing a group of aliases when some of the aliases may not have been defined. /R: (Read) Read the list of aliases to remove from a file. The file format should be the same format as that used by the ALIAS /R command. You can use multiple files with one UNALIAS /R command by placing the names on the command line, separated by spaces: [c:\] unalias /r alias1.lst alias2.lst ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.86. UNSET - Remove environment variables ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Remove variables from the environment. Format: UNSET [/Q /R file ] name ... or UNSET * name : One or more variables to remove. file : One or more files containing variables definitions. /M(uiet) /R(ead from file) /Q(uiet) See also: ESET and SET. Usage UNSET removes one or more variables from the environment. For example, to remove the variable CMDLINE: [c:\] unset cmdline If you use the command UNSET *, all of the environment variables will be deleted: [c:\] unset * UNSET can be used in a batch file, in conjunction with the SETLOCAL and ENDLOCAL commands, to clear the environment of variables that may cause problems for applications run from that batch file. For more information on environment variables, see the SET command and the general discussion of the environment. Use caution when removing environment variables, and especially when using UNSET *. Many programs will not work properly without certain environment variables; for example, 4OS2 uses PATH and DPATH. Options /Q: (Quiet) Prevents UNSET from displaying an error message if one or more of the variables does not exist. This option is most useful in batch files, for removing a group of variables when some of the variables may not have been defined. /R: (Read) Read environment variables to UNSET from a file. This much faster than using multiple UNSET commands in a batch file, and can be more selective than UNSET *. The file format should be the same format as that used by the SET /R command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.87. VER - Display the 4OS2 and OS/2 version ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display the current command processor and operating system versions. Format: VER [/R] /R(evision level) Usage Version numbers consist of a one-digit major version number, a period, and a one- or two-digit minor version number. Ver uses the default decimal separator defined by the current country information. The VER command displays both version numbers: [c:\] ver 4OS2 3.00A OS/2 Version is 4.00 Options /R: (Revision level) Display the 4OS2 and OS/2 internal revision levels (if any), plus your 4OS2 serial number and registered name. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.88. VERIFY - Enable or disable disk write verification ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Enable or disable disk write verification or display the verification state. Format: VERIFY [ON | OFF] Usage OS/2 maintains an internal verify flag. When the flag is on, OS/2 attempts to verify each disk write by making sure that the data written to the disk can be read back successfully into the computer. It does not compare the data in memory with the data actually placed on disk to fully verify the disk write process. If used without any parameters, VERIFY will display the state of the verify flag: [c:\] verify VERIFY is OFF VERIFY is off when the system boots up. Once it is turned on with the VERIFY ON command, it stays on until you use the VERIFY OFF command or until you reboot. Verification will slow your disk write operations slightly (the effect is not usually noticeable). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.89. VOL - Display disk volume labels ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display disk volume label(s). Format: VOL [drive: ] ... drive : The drive or drives to search for labels. Usage Each disk may have a volume label, created when the disk is formatted or with the external LABEL command. Also, every floppy disk formatted with DOS version 4.0 or above, OS/2, or Windows NT has a volume serial number. The VOL command will display the volume label and, if available, the volume serial number of a disk volume. If the disk doesn't have a volume label, VOL will report that it is "unlabeled." If you don't specify a drive, VOL displays information about the current drive: [c:\] vol Volume in drive C: is MYHARDDISK If available, the volume serial number will appear after the drive label or name. To display the disk labels for drives A and B: [c:\] vol a: b: Volume in drive A: is unlabeled Volume in drive B: is BACKUP_2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.90. VSCRPUT - Display text vertically and in color ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Display text vertically in the specified color. Format: VSCRPUT row col [BRIght] [BLInk] fg ON [BRIght] bg text row : Starting row number. col : Starting column number. fg : Foreground text color. bg : Background text color. text : The text to display. See also: SCRPUT. Usage VSCRPUT writes text vertically on the screen rather than horizontally. Like the SCRPUT command, it uses the colors you specify to write the text. VSCRPUT can be used for simple graphs and charts generated by batch files. VSCRPUT always leaves the cursor at the end of the displayed text. See Colors and Color Names for details about colors and notes on the use of bright background colors. The row and column are zero-based, so on a standard 25 line by 80 column display, valid rows are 0 - 24 and valid columns are 0 - 79. VSCRPUT checks for a valid row and column, and displays a "Usage" error message if either value is out of range. You can also specify the row and column as offsets from the current cursor position. Begin the value with a plus sign [+] to move down the specified number of rows or to the right the specified number of columns before displaying text, or with a minus sign [-] to move up or to the left. If you specify 999 for the row, VSCRPUT will center the text vertically on the display. If you specify 999 for the column, VSCRPUT will center the text horizontally. VSCRPUT does not move the cursor when it displays the text. The following batch file fragment displays an X and Y axis and labels them: cls bright white on blue drawhline 20 10 40 1 bright white on blue drawvline 2 10 19 1 bright white on blue scrput 21 20 bright red on blue X axis vscrput 8 9 bright red on blue Y axis VSCRPUT checks for a valid row and column, and displays a "Usage" error message if either value is out of range. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.91. WINDOW - Change the window state or title ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Minimize or maximize the current window, restore the default window size, or change the window title. Format: WINDOW [MIN | MAX | RESTORE | /POS=x,y,width,height | "title "] title : A new title for the window. /POS(ition) Usage WINDOW is used to control the appearance and title of the current window. WINDOW MIN reduces the window to an icon, WINDOW MAX enlarges it to its maximum size, and WINDOW RESTORE returns the window to its default size and location on the desktop. You can use the /POS option to set the location and size of the window on the desktop. The x and y values of the /POS option select the window's origin while the width and height values determine its size. If you specify a new title, the title text must be enclosed in double quotes. The quotes will not appear as part of the actual title. You can only specify one WINDOW option at a time. The different options cannot be combined in a single WINDOW command. To perform multiple operations, use multiple WINDOW commands. Options /POS: (Position) Set the window position and size on the screen. The syntax is /POS=x, y, width, height where the values are specified in pixels or pels. x and y refer to the position of the top left corner of the window relative to the bottom left corner of the screen. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.92. Y - "Y" pipe fitting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purpose: Copy standard input to standard output, and then copy the specified file(s) to standard output. Format: Y file ... file : The file or list of files to send to standard output. See also: TEE. Usage The Y command copies input from standard input (usually the keyboard) to standard output (usually the screen). Once the input ends, the named files are appended to standard output. For example, to get text from standard input, append the files MEMO1 and MEMO2 to it, and send the output to MEMOS : [c:\] y memo1 memo2 > memos The Y command is most useful if you want to add redirected data to the beginning of a file instead of appending it to the end. For example, this command copies the output of DIR, followed by the contents of the file DIREND, to the file DIRALL: [c:\] dir | y dirend > dirall If you are typing at the keyboard to produce input text for Y, you must enter a Ctrl-Z to terminate the input. When using Y with a pipe you must take into account that the programs on the two ends of the pipe run simultaneously, not sequentially. See Piping for more information. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Aliases ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Much of the power of 4OS2 comes together in aliases, which give you the ability to create your own commands. An alias is a name that you select for a command or group of commands. Simple aliases substitute a new name for an existing command. More complex aliases can redefine the default settings of internal or external commands, operate as very fast in-memory batch files, and perform commands based on the results of other commands. This section will show you some examples of the power of aliases. See the ALIAS command for complete details about writing your own aliases. The simplest type of alias gives a new name to an existing command. For example, you could create a command called ROOT which uses CD to switch to the root directory this way: [c:\] alias root = cd \ After the alias has been defined this way, every time you type the command ROOT, you will actually execute the command CD \. Aliases can also create customized versions of commands. For example, the DIR command can sort a directory in various ways. You can create an alias called DE that means "sort the directory by filename extension, and pause after each page while displaying it" like this: [c:\] alias de = dir /oe /p Aliases can be used to execute sequences of commands as well. The following command creates an alias called W which saves the current drive and directory, changes to the WP directory on drive C, runs the program E:\WP60\WP.EXE, and, when the program terminates, returns to the original drive and directory: [c:\] alias w = `pushd c:\wp & e:\wp60\wp.exe & popd` This alias is enclosed in back-quotes because it contains multiple commands. You must use the back-quotes whenever an alias contains multiple commands, environment variables, parameters (see below), redirection, or piping. See the ALIAS Aliases can be nested, that is, one alias can invoke another. For example, the alias above could also be written as: [c:\] alias wp = e:\wp60\wp.exe [c:\] alias w = `pushd c:\wp & wp & popd` If you enter W as a command, the command processor will execute the PUSHD command, detect that the next command (WP) is another alias, and execute the program E:\WP60\WP.EXE, and - when the program exits - return to the first alias, execute the POPD command, and return to the prompt. You can use aliases to change the default options for both internal commands and external commands. Suppose that you always want the DEL command to prompt before it erases a file: [c:\] alias del = *del /p An asterisk [*] is used in front of the second "del" to show that it is the name of an internal command, not an alias. See ALIAS for more information about this use of the asterisk. You may have a program on your system that has the same name as an internal command. Normally, if you type the command name, you will start the internal command rather than the program you desire, unless you explicitly add its full path on the command line. For example, if you have a program named LIST.COM in the C:\UTIL directory, you could run it with the command C:\UTIL\LIST.COM. However, if you simply type LIST, the internal LIST command will be invoked instead. Aliases give you two ways to get around this problem. First, you could define an alias that runs the program in question, but with a different name: [c:\] alias l = c:\util\list.com Another approach is to rename the internal command and use the original name for the external program. The following example renames the LIST command as DISPLAY and then uses a second alias to run LIST.COM whenever you type LIST: [c:\] alias display = *list [c:\] alias list = c:\util\list.com You can also assign an alias to a key, so that every time you press the key, the command will be invoked. You do so by naming the alias with an at sign [@] followed by a key name. After you enter this next example, you will see a 2-column directory with paging whenever you press Shift-F5, then Enter: [c:\] alias @Shift-F5 = *dir /2/p This alias will put the DIR command on the command line when you press Shift-F5, then wait for you to enter file names or additional switches. You must press Enter when you are ready to execute the command. To execute the command immediately, without displaying it on the command line or waiting for you to press Enter, use two at signs at the start of the alias name: [c:\] alias @@Shift-F5 = *dir /2/p The next example clears the screen whenever you press Alt-F1: [c:\] alias @@Alt-F1 = cls Aliases have many other capabilities as well. This example creates a simple command-line calculator using the @EVAL function. Once you have entered the example, you can type CALC 4*19, for example, and you will see the answer: [c:\] alias calc = `echo The answer is: %@eval[%&]` Our last example in this section creates an alias called IN. It will temporarily change directories, run an internal or external command, and then return to the current directory when the command is finished: [c:\] alias in = `pushd %1 & %2& & popd` Now if you type [c:\] in c:\letters wp letter.txt you will change to the C:\LETTERS subdirectory, execute the command WP LETTER.TXT and then return to the current directory. The above example uses two parameters: %1 means the first argument on the command line, and %2& means the second and all subsequent arguments. Parameters are explained in detail under the ALIAS command. Your copy of 4OS2 includes a sample alias file called ALIASES which contains several useful aliases and demonstrates many alias techniques. See the ALIAS and UNALIAS commands for more information and examples. Also see Using Aliases in Batch Files. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Batch Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ A batch file is a file that contains a list of commands to execute. 4OS2 reads and interprets each line as if it had been typed at the keyboard. Like aliases, batch files are handy for automating computing tasks. Unlike aliases, batch files can be as long as you wish. Batch files take up separate disk space for each file, and can't usually execute quite as quickly as aliases, since they must be read from the disk. The topics included in this section are: .BAT, .CMD, and .BTM Files Echoing in Batch Files Batch File Parameters Using Environment Variables Batch File Commands Interrupting a Batch File Automatic Batch Files (4START & 4EXIT) Detecting 4OS2 Using Aliases in Batch Files Debugging Batch Files Batch File String Processing Batch File Line Continuation Batch File Compression Special Character Compatibility Command Parsing Argument Quoting REXX Support EXTPROC Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. .BAT, .CMD, and .BTM Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ A batch file can run in two different modes. In the first, traditional mode, each line of the batch file is read and executed individually. In the second mode, the entire batch file is read into memory at once. The second mode can be 5 to 10 times faster, especially if most of the commands in the batch file are internal commands. However, only the first mode can be used for self-modifying batch files (which are rare), or for batch files which install memory-resident utilities under DOS. The batch file's extension determines its mode. Files with a .CMD extension are run in the slower, traditional mode. Files with a .BTM extension are run in the faster, more efficient mode. You can change the execution mode inside a batch file with the LOADBTM command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. Echoing in Batch Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ By default, each line in a batch file is displayed or "echoed" as it is executed. You can change this behavior, if you want, in several different ways: Any batch file line that begins with an [@] symbol will not be displayed. The display can be turned off and on within a batch file with the ECHO OFF and ECHO ON commands. The default setting can be changed with the SETDOS /V command, on the Options 1 page of the OPTION dialogs, or the BatchEcho directive in the .INI file. For example, the following line turns off echoing inside a batch file. The [@] symbol keeps the batch file from displaying the ECHO OFF command: @echo off 4OS2 also has a command line echo that is unrelated to the batch file echo setting. See ECHO for details about both settings. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3. Batch File Parameters ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Like aliases and application programs, batch files can examine the command line that is used to invoke them. The command tail (everything on the command line after the batch file name) is separated into individual parameters (also called arguments or batch variables) by scanning for the spaces, tabs, and commas that separate the parameters. A batch file can work with the individual parameters or with the command tail as a whole. These parameters are numbered from %1 to %127. %1 refers to the first parameter on the command line, %2 to the second, and so on. It is up to the batch file to determine the meaning of each parameter. You can use quotation marks to pass spaces, tabs, commas, and other special characters in a batch file parameter; see Argument Quoting for details. Parameters that are referred to in a batch file, but which are missing on the command line, appear as empty strings inside the batch file. For example, if you start a batch file and put two parameters on the command line, any reference in the batch file to %3, or any higher-numbered parameter, will be interpreted as an empty string. A batch file can also work with three special parameters: %0 contains the name of the batch file as it was entered on the command line, %# contains the number of command line arguments, and %n$ contains the complete command-line tail starting with argument number "n" (for example, %3$ means the third parameter and all those after it). The default value of "n" is 1, so %$ contains the entire command tail. The values of these special parameters will change if you use the SHIFT command. By default, 4DOS uses an ampersand [&] instead of a dollar sign [$] to indicate the remainder of the command tail. For example, %& means all the parameters, and %2& means the second parameter and all those after it. If you want to share batch files or aliases between 4DOS and 4OS2, see Special Character Compatibility for information on selecting compatible parameter characters for all products. For example, if your batch file interprets the first argument as a subdirectory name then the following line would move to the specified directory: cd %1 A friendlier batch file would check to make sure the directory exists and take some special action if it doesn't: iff isdir %1 then & cd %1 else & echo Subdirectory %1 does not exist! & quit endiff (see the IF and IFF commands). Batch files can also use environment variables, internal variables, and variable functions. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.4. Using Environment Variables ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Batch files can also use environment variables, internal variables, and variable functions. You can use these variables and functions to determine system status (e.g., the type of CPU in the system), resource levels (e.g., the amount of free disk space), file information (e.g., the date and time a file was last modified), and other information (e.g., the current date and time). You can also perform arithmetic operations (including date and time arithmetic), manipulate strings and substrings, extract parts of a filename, and read and write files. To create temporary variables for use inside a batch file, just use the SET command to store the information you want in an environment variable. Pick a variable name that isn't likely to be in use by some other program (for example, PATH would be a bad choice), and use the UNSET command to remove these variables from the environment at the end of your batch file. You can use SETLOCAL and ENDLOCAL to create a "local" environment so that the original environment will be restored when your batch file is finished. Environment variables used in a batch file may contain either numbers or text. It is up to you to keep track of what's in each variable and use it appropriately; if you don't (for example, if you use %@EVAL to add a number to a text string), you'll get an error message. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5. Batch File Commands ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Several 4OS2 commands are particularly suited to batch file processing. Here is a list of some of the commands you might find most useful: ACTIVATE activates another window. BEEP produces a sound of any pitch and duration through the computer's speaker. CALL executes one batch file from within another. CANCEL terminates all batch file processing. CLS and COLORset the screen display colors. DO starts a loop. The loop can be based on a counter, or on a conditional test like those used in IF and IFF. DRAWBOX draws a box on the screen. DRAWHLINE DRAWVLINEdraw horizontal and vertical lines on the screen. ECHO and ECHOSprint text on the screen (the text can also be redirected to a file or device). ECHOERR and ECHOSERR print text to the standard error device. GOSUB executes a subroutine inside a batch file. The RETURN command terminates the subroutine. GOTO branches to a different location in the batch file. FOR executes commands for each file that matches a set of wildcards, or each entry in a list. IF and IFF execute commands based on a test of string or numeric values, program exit codes, or other conditions. INKEY and INPUTcollect keyboard input from the user and store it in environment variables. KEYSTACK sends keystrokes to applications. LOADBTM changes the batch file operating mode. ON initializes error handling for Ctrl-C / Ctrl-Break, or for program and command errors. PAUSE displays a message and waits for the user to press a key. QUIT ends the current batch file and optionally returns an exit code. REM places a remark in a batch file. SCREEN positions the cursor on the screen and optionally prints a message at the new location. SCRPUT displays a message in color. SETLOCAL saves the current disk drive, default directory, environment, alias list, and special character settings. ENDLOCAL restores the settings that were saved. SHIFT changes the numbering of the batch file parameters. START starts another session or window in certain multitasking environments. SWITCH selects a group of statements to execute based on the value of a variable. TEXT displays a block of text. ENDTEXT ends the block. TIMER starts or reads a stopwatch. TITLE changes the window title. VSCRPUT displays a vertical message in color. These commands, along with the internal variables and variable functions, make the enhanced batch file language extremely powerful. Your copy of 4OS2 includes a sample batch file, in the file EXAMPLES.BTM, that demonstrates some of the things you can do with batch files. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.6. Interrupting a Batch File ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ You can usually interrupt a batch file by pressing Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break. Whether and when these keystrokes are recognized will depend on whether the command processor or an application program is running, how the application (if any) was written, and whether the ON BREAK command is in use. If 4OS2 detects a Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break (and ON BREAK is not in use), it will display a prompt, for example: Cancel batch job C:\CHARGE.BTM ? (Y/N/A) : Enter N to continue, Y to terminate the current batch file and continue with any batch file which called it, or A to end all batch file processing regardless of the batch file nesting level. Answering Y is similar to the QUIT command; answering A is similar to the CANCEL command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.7. Automatic Batch Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4OS2 supports "automatic" batch files, files that run without your intervention, as long as the command processor can find them. Each time 4OS2 starts as either a primary or a secondary shell, it looks for an automatic batch file called 4START.BTM or 4START.CMD. If the 4START batch file is not in the same directory as 4OS2 itself, you should use the Startup page of the OPTION dialogs or the 4StartPath directive in your .INI file to specify its location. 4START is optional, so 4OS2 will not display an error message if it cannot find the file. 4START is a convenient place to change the color or content of the prompt for each shell, LOG the start of a shell, or put other special startup or configuration commands. 4START is also a good place to set aliases and environment variables. The entire startup command line passed to the command processor is available to 4START via batch file parameters (%1, %2, etc.). This can be useful if you want to see the command line passed to a secondary shell by an application. For example, to pause if any parameters are passed to a secondary shell you could include this command in 4START (enter this on one line): if "%1" != "" .and. "%_shell" gt 0 pause Starting shell %_shell with parameters [%$] Whenever a 4OS2 shell ends, it runs an automatic batch file called 4EXIT.BTM, 4EXIT.CMD. This file, if you use it, should be in the same directory as your 4START batch file. Like 4START, 4EXIT is optional. It is not necessary in most circumstances, but it is a convenient place to put commands to save information such as a history list before a shell ends, or LOG the end of the shell. Pipes, Transient Sessions, and 4START When you set up the 4START file, remember that it is executed every time 4OS2 starts, including when running a pipe, or a transient copy of the command processor started with the /C startup option. For example, suppose you enter a command line like this, which uses a pipe: [c:\data] myprog | sort > out.txt Normally this command would create the output file C:\DATA\OUT.TXT. However, if you have a 4START file which changes to a different directory, the output file will be written there -- not in C:\DATA. This is because the command processor starts a second copy of itself to run the commands on the right hand side of the pipe, and that new copy runs 4START before processing the commands from the pipe. If 4START changes directories, the command from the pipe will be executed in the new directory. The same problem can occur if you use a transient session started with /C to run an individual command, then exit -- the session will execute in the directory set by 4START, not the directory in which it was originally started. For example, suppose you set up an OS/2 desktop object with a command line like this, which starts a transient session: Command: d:\4os2\4os2.exe /c list myfile.txt Working Directory: c:\data Normally this command would LIST the file C:\DATA\MYFILE.TXT. However, if 4START changes to a different directory, the command processor will look for MYFILE.TXT there -- not in C:\DATA. Similarly, any changes to environment variables or other settings in 4START will affect all copies of the command processor, including those used for pipes and transient sessions. You can work around these potential problems with the IF or IFF command and the internal variables _PIPE and _TRANSIENT. For example, to skip all 4START processing when running in a pipe or transient session, you could use a command like this at the beginning of 4START: if %_pipe != 0 .or. %_transient != 0 quit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.8. Detecting 4OS2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ From a batch file, you can determine if 4OS2 or Take Command is loaded by testing for the variable function @EVAL, with a test like this: if "%@eval[2+2]" == "4" echo 4OS2 is loaded! This test can never succeed in CMD.EXE. Other variable functions could be used for the same purpose. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9. Using Aliases in Batch Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ One way to simplify batch file programming is to use aliases to hide unnecessary detail inside a batch file. For example, suppose you want a batch file to check for certain errors, and display a message and exit if one is encountered. This example shows one way to do so: setlocal unalias * alias error `echo. & echo ERROR: %$ & goto dispmenu` alias fatalerror `echo. & echo FATAL ERROR: %$ & quit` alias in `pushd %1 & %2$ & popd` if not exist setup.btm fatalerror Missing setup file! call setup.btm cls :dispmenu text 1. Word Processing 2. Spreadsheet 3. Communications 4. Exit endtext echo. inkey Enter your choice: %%userchoice switch %userchoice case 1 input Enter the file name: %%fname if not exist fname error File does not exist in d:\letters c:\wp60\wp.exe case 2 in d:\finance c:\quattro\q.exe case 3 in d:\comm c:\comsw\pcplus.exe case 4 goto done default error Invalid choice, try again endswitch goto dispmenu :done endlocal The first alias, ERROR, simply displays an error message and jumps to the label DISPMENU to redisplay the menu. The "%$" in the second ECHO command displays all the text passed to ERROR as the content of the message. The similar FATALERROR alias displays the message, then exits the batch file. The last alias, IN, expects 2 or more command-line arguments. It uses the first as a new working directory and changes to that directory with a PUSHD command. The rest of the command line is interpreted as another command plus possible command line parameters, which the alias executes. This alias is used here to switch to a directory, run an application, and switch back. It could also be used from the command line. The following lines print a menu on the screen and then get a keystroke from the user and store the keystroke in an environment variable called userchoice. Then the SWITCH command is used to test the user's keystroke and decide what action to take. There's another side to aliases in batch files. If you're going to distribute your batch files to others, you need to remember that they may have aliases defined for the commands you're going to use. For example if the user has aliased CD to CDD and you aren't expecting this, your file may not work as you intended. There are two ways to address this problem. First, you can use SETLOCAL, ENDLOCAL, and UNALIAS to clear out aliases before your batch file starts and restore them at the end, as we did in the previous example. Remember that SETLOCAL and ENDLOCAL will save and restore not only the aliases but also the environment, the current drive and directory, and various special characters. If this method isn't appropriate or necessary for the batch file you're working on, you can also use an asterisk [*] before the name of any command. The asterisk means the command that follows it should not be interpreted as an alias. For example the following command redirects a list of file names to the file FILELIST: dir /b > filelist However, if the user has redefined DIR with an alias this command may not do what you want. To get around this just use: *dir /b > filelist The same can be done for any command in your batch file. If you use the asterisk, it will disable alias processing, and the rest of the command will be processed normally as an internal command, external command, or batch file. Using an asterisk before a command will work whether or not there is actually an alias defined with the same name as the command. If there is no alias with that name, the asterisk will be ignored and the command will be processed as if the asterisk wasn't there. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.10. Debugging Batch Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4OS2 includes a built-in batch file debugger, invoked with the SETDOS /Y1 command. The debugger allows you to "single-step" through a batch file line by line, with the file displayed in a popup window as it executes. You can execute or skip the current line, continue execution with the debugger turned off, view the fully-expanded version of the command line, or exit the batch file. The batch debugger can also pop up a separate window to view current environment variables or aliases so you can check their values during execution, and can pop up the LIST command to display the contents of any file. To start the debugger, insert a SETDOS /Y1 command at the beginning of the portion of the batch file you want to debug, and a SETDOS /Y0 command at the end. You can also invoke SETDOS /Y1 from the prompt, but because the debugger is automatically turned off whenever the command processor returns to the prompt, you must enter the SETDOS command and the batch file name on the same line, for example: [c:\] setdos /y1 & mybatch.btm If you use the debugger regularly you may want to define a simple alias to invoke it, for example: [c:\] alias trace `setdos /y1 & %$` This alias simply enables the debugger, then runs whatever command is passed to it. You can use the alias to debug a batch file with a command like this: [c:\] trace mybatch.btm When the debugger is running you can control its behavior with keystrokes. Debugging continues after each keystroke unless otherwise noted: T(race), Enter, or F8Execute the current command. If it calls a subroutine with GOSUB, or another batch file with CALL, single-step into the called subroutine or batch file. S(tep) or F10 Execute the current command, but execute any subroutine or CALLed batch file without single-stepping. J(ump) Skip the current command and proceed to the next command. X (Expand) Display the next command to be executed, after expansion of aliases and environment variables. L(ist) Prompt for a file name and then view the file with the LIST command. V(ariables) Open a popup window to display the current environment, in alphabetical order. A(liases) Open a popup window to display the current aliases, in alphabetical order. O(ff) or Esc Turn off the debugger and continue with the remainder of the batch file. Q(uit) Quit the debugger and the current batch file, without executing the remainder of the file. The debugger highlights each line of the batch file as it is executed. It executes the commands on the line one at a time, so when a line contains more than one command, the highlight will not move as each command is executed. To see the individual commands, use the X key to expand each command before it is executed. If you use a "prefix" command like EXCEPT, FOR, GLOBAL, or SELECT, the prefix command is considered one command, and each command it invokes is another. For example, this command line executes four commands -- the FOR and three ECHO commands: for %x in (a b c) do echo %x You cannot use the batch debugger with REXX files or EXTPROC files. It can only be used with normal 4OS2 batch files. The debugger gives you a detailed, step-by-step view of batch file execution, and will help solve particularly difficult batch file problems. However, in some cases you will find it easier to diagnose these problems with techniques that allow you to review what is happening at specific points in the batch file without stepping through each line individually. There are several tricks you can use for this purpose. Probably the simplest is to turn ECHO on at the beginning of the file while you're testing it, or use SETDOS /V2 to force ECHO on even if an ECHO OFF command is used in the batch file. This will give you a picture of what is happening as the file is executed, without stopping at each line. It will make your output look messy of course, so just turn it off once things are working. You can also turn ECHO on at the beginning of a group of commands you want to "watch", and off at the end, just by adding ECHO commands at the appropriate spots in your file. If an error occurs in a batch file, the error message will display the name of the file, the number of the line that contained the error, and the error itself. For example: e:\test.bat [3] Invalid parameter "/d" tells you that the file E:\TEST.BAT contains an error on line 3. The first line of the batch file is numbered 1. Another trick, especially useful in a fast-moving batch file or one where the screen is cleared before you can read messages, is to insert PAUSE commands wherever you need them in order to be able to watch what's happening. You can also use an ON ERRORMSG command to pause if an error occurs, then continue with the rest of the file (the first command below), or to quit if an error occurs (the second command): on errormsg pause on errormsg quit If you can't figure out how your aliases and variables are expanded, try turning LOG on at the start of the batch file. LOG keeps track of all commands after alias and variable expansion are completed, and gives you a record in a file that you can examine after the batch file is done. You must use a standard LOG command; LOG /H (the history log) does not work in batch files. You may also want to consider using redirection to capture your batch file output. Simply type the batch file name followed by the redirection symbols, for example: [c:\] mybatch >& testout This records all batch file output, including error messages, in the file TESTOUT, so you can go back and examine it. If you have ECHO ON in the batch file you'll get the batch commands intermingled with the output, which can provide a very useful trace of what's happening. Of course, output from full-screen commands and programs that don't write to the standard output devices can't be recorded, but you can still gain a lot of useful information if your batch file produces any output. If you're using redirection to see the output, remember that any prompts for input will probably go to the output file and not to the screen, so you need to know in advance the sequence of keystrokes required to get through the entire batch file, and enter them by hand or with KEYSTACK. You can also use the TEE command to both view the output while the batch file is running and save it in a file for later examination. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.11. Batch File String Processing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ As you gain experience with batch files, you're likely to find that you need to manipulate text strings. You may need to prompt a user for a name or password, process a list of files, or find a name in a phone list. All of these are examples of string processing the manipulation of lines of readable text. 4OS2 include several features that make string processing easier. For example, you can use the INKEY and INPUT commands for user input; the ECHO, SCREEN, SCRPUT, and VSCRPUT commands for output; and the FOR command or the @FILEREAD function to scan through the lines of a file. In addition, variable functions offer a wide range of string handling capabilities. For example, suppose you need a batch file that will prompt a user for a name, break the name into a first name and a last name, and then run a hypothetical LOGIN program. LOGIN expects the syntax /F:first /L:last with both the first and last names in upper case and neither name longer than 8 characters. Here is one way to write such a program: @echo off setlocal unalias * input Enter your name (no initials): %%name set first=%@word[0,%name] set flen=%@len[%first] set last=%@word[1,%name] set llen=%@len[%last] iff %flen gt 8 .or. %llen gt 8 then echo First or last name too long quit endiff login /F:%@upper[%first] /L:%@upper[%last] endlocal The SETLOCAL command at the beginning of this batch file saves the environment and aliases. Then the UNALIAS * command removes any existing aliases so they won't interfere with the behavior of the commands in the remainder of the batch file. The first block of lines ends with an INPUT command which asks the user to enter a name. The user's input is stored in the environment variable NAME. The second block of lines extracts the user's first and last names from the NAME variable and calculates the length of each. It stores the first and last name, along with the length of each, in additional environment variables. Note that the @WORD function numbers the first word as 0, not as 1. The IFF command in the third block of lines tests the length of both the first and last names. If either is longer than 8 characters, the batch file displays an error message and ends. Finally, in the last block, the batch file executes the LOGIN program with the appropriate parameters, then uses the ENDLOCAL command to restore the original environment and alias list. At the same time, ENDLOCAL discards the temporary variables that the batch file used (NAME, FIRST, FLEN, etc.). When you're processing strings, you also need to avoid some common traps. The biggest one is handling special characters. Suppose you have a batch file with these two commands, which simply accept a string and display it: input Enter a string: %%str echo %str Those lines look safe, but what happens if the user enters the string "some > none" (without the quotes). After the string is placed in the variable STR, the second line becomes: echo some > none The ">" is a redirection symbol, so the line echoes the string "some" and redirects it to a file called NONE - probably not what you expected. You could try using quotation marks to avoid this kind of problem (see Argument Quoting), but that won't quite work. If you use back-quotes (ECHO `%STR`), the command will echo the four-character string %STR. Environment variable names are not expanded when they are inside back-quotes. If you use double quotes (ECHO "%STR"), the string entered by the user will be displayed properly, and so will the quotation marks. With double quotes, the output would look like this: "some > none" As you can imagine, this kind of problem becomes much more difficult if you try to process text from a file. Special characters in the text can cause all kinds of confusion in your batch files. Text containing back-quotes, double quotes, or redirection symbols can be virtually impossible to handle correctly. One way to overcome these potential problems is to use the SETDOS /X command to temporarily disable redirection symbols and other special characters. The two-line batch file above would be a lot more likely to produce the expected results if it were rewritten this way: setdos /x-15678 input Enter a string: %%str echo %str setdos /x0 The first line turns off alias processing and disables several special symbols, including the command separator (see Multiple Commands) and all redirection symbols. Once the string has been processed, the last line re-enables the features that were turned off in the first line. If you need advanced string processing capabilities beyond those provided by 4OS2 you may want to consider using the REXX language. Our products support external REXX programs for this purpose. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.12. Batch File Line Continuation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4OS2 will combine multiple lines in the batch file into a single line for processing when you include the escape character as the very last character of each line to be combined (except the last). The default escape character is the caret [^]. For example: echo The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy^ sleeping^ dog. > alphabet You cannot use this technique to extend a batch file line beyond the normal line length limit of 1,023 characters. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.13. Batch File Compression ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ You can compress your batch files with a program called BATCOMP.EXE, which is distributed with 4OS2. This program condenses batch files by about a third and makes them unreadable with the LIST command and similar utilities. Compressed batch files run at approximately the same speed as regular .BTM files. You may want to consider compressing batch files if you need to distribute them to others and keep your original code secret or prevent your users from altering them. You may also want to consider compressing batch files to save some disk space on the systems where the compressed files are used. The full syntax for the batch compression program is BATCOMP [/O] input file [output file ] You must specify the full name of the input file, including its extension, on the BATCOMP command line. If you do not specify the output file, BATCOMP will use the same base name as the input file and add a .BTM extension. BATCOMP will also add a .BTM extension if you specify a base name for the output file without an extension. For example, to compress MYBATCH.CMD and save the result as MYBATCH.BTM, you can use any of these three commands: [c:\] batcomp mybatch.cmd [c:\] batcomp mybatch.cmd mybatch [c:\] batcomp mybatch.cmd mybatch.btm If the output file (MYBATCH.BTM in the examples above) already exists, BATCOMP will prompt you before overwriting the file. You can disable the prompt by including /O on the BATCOMP command line immediately before the input file name. Even if you use the /O option, BATCOMP will not compress a file into itself. JP Software does not provide a decompression utility to decompress batch files. If you use BATCOMP.EXE, make sure that you also keep a copy of the original batch file for future inspection or modification. BATCOMP is a DOS and OS/2 character-mode application designed to run in any environment where our command processors run. Each of our command processors includes the same version of BATCOMP.EXE, and a batch file compressed with any copy of BATCOMP can be used with any current JP Software command processor. You can adopt one of two strategies for keeping track of your original source files and compressed batch files. First, you may want to create the source files with a traditional .BAT or .CMD extension and reserve the .BTM extension for compressed batch files. The advantage of this approach is that you can modify and test the uncompressed versions at any time, although they will run in the slower, traditional mode unless they begin with a LOADBTM command. If you prefer, you can use a .BTM extension for both the source and compressed files. In this case you will have to use a different directory or a different base name for each file. For example, you might use SOURCE\MYBATCH.BTM for the source file and COMP\MYBATCH.BTM for the compressed version, or use MYBATCHS.BTM for the source file and MYBATCH.BTM for the compressed file (however, the latter approach may make it more difficult to keep track of the correspondence between the source file and the compressed file). Each of our command processors includes its own version of BATCOMP.EXE, set up to run under the corresponding operating system. However, the output produced by each program is the same, so a batch file compressed with any version of BATCOMP can be used with any JP Software command processor. If you plan to distribute batch files to users of different platforms, see Special Character Compatibility. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.14. Special Character Compatibility ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ If you use two or more of our products, or if you want to share aliases and batch files with users of different products, you need to be aware of the differences in three important characters: the Command Separator (see Multiple Commands), the Escape Character (see Escape Character), and the Parameter Character (see Batch File Parameters). The default values of each of these characters in each product is shown in the following chart: Product Separator Escape Parameter 4DOS, Take Command/16 ^ & 4NT, 4OS2, & ^ $ Take Command/32, Take Command for OS/2 The up-arrow [] represents the ASCII Ctrl-X character, numeric value 24.) In your batch files and aliases, and even at the command line, you can smooth over these differences in three ways: * Select a consistent set of characters from the Options 1 page of the OPTION dialogs, or with .INI file configuration directives command. For example, to set the 4OS2 characters to match 4DOS, use these lines in 4OS2.INI: CommandSep = ^ EscapeChar = ParameterChar = & * Use internal variables that contain the current special character, rather than using the character itself (see + and =). For example, this command: if "%1" == "" (echo Argument missing! ^ quit) will only work if the command separator is a caret. However, this version works regardless of the current command separator: if "%1" == "" (echo Argument missing! %+ quit) * In a batch file, use the SETLOCAL command to save the command separator, escape character, and parameter character when the batch file starts. Then use SETDOS as described above to select the characters you want to use within the batch file. Use an ENDLOCAL command at the end of the batch file to restore the previous settings. You can also use the SETDOS command to change special characters on the command line. However, when setting new special character values on the command line you must take into account the possibility that one of your new values will have a current meaning that causes problems with the setting. For example, this command: [c:\] setdos /p& would not set the parameter character to an ampersand [&] in 4OS2 if the standard 4OS2 special characters were currently in effect. The & would be seen as a command separator, and would terminate the SETDOS command before the parameter character was set. To work around this, use the escape character variable %= before each setting to ensure that the following character is not treated with any special meaning. For example, the following sequence of commands in a batch file will always set the special characters correctly to their standard 4DOS values, no matter what their current setting, and will restore them when the batch file is done: setlocal setdos /c%=^ /e%= /p%=& ..... endlocal A similar sequence can be used to select the standard 4OS2 and 4NT characters, regardless of the current settings: setlocal setdos /c%=& /e%=^ /p%=$ ..... endlocal ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.15. Command Parsing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Whenever you type something at the command line and press the Enter key, or include a command in a batch file, you have given a command to 4OS2, which must figure out how to execute your command. If you understand the general process that is used, you will be able to make the best use of the commands. Understanding these steps can be especially helpful when working with complex aliases or batch file commands. To decide what activity to perform, the command processor goes through several steps. Before it starts, it writes the entire command line (which may contain multiple commands) to the history log file if history logging has been enabled with the LOG /H command, and the command did not come from a batch file. Then, if the line contains multiple commands, the first command is isolated for processing. 4OS2 begins by dividing the command into a command name and a command tail. The command name is the first word in the command; the tail is everything that follows the command name. For example, in the command line dir *.txt /2/p/v the command name is "dir", and the command tail is " *.txt /2/p/v". Next 4DOS tries to match the command name against its list of aliases. If it finds a match between the command name and one of the aliases you've defined, it replaces the command name with the contents of the alias. (This substitution is done internally and is not normally visible to you). However, you can view a command line with aliases expanded by pressing Ctrl-F after entering the command at the prompt. If the alias included parameters (%1, %2, etc.), the parameter values are filled in from the text on the command line, and any parameters used in this process are removed from the command line. The process of replacing a command name that refers to an alias with the contents of the alias, and filling in the alias parameters, is called alias expansion. This expansion of an alias creates a new command name: the first word of the alias. This new command name is again tested against the list of aliases, and if a match is found the contents of the new alias is expanded just like the first alias. This process, called nested alias expansion, continues until the command name no longer refers to an alias. Once it has finished with the aliases, 4OS2 next tries to match the command name with its list of internal commands. If it is unsuccessful, the command processor knows that it will have to search for a batch file or external program to execute your command. The next step is to locate any batch file or alias parameters, environment variables, internal variables, or variable functions in the command, and replace each one with its value. This process is called variable expansion. The variable expansion process is modified for certain internal commands, like EXCEPT, IF, and GLOBAL. These commands are always followed by another command, so variable expansion takes place separately for the original command and the command that follows it. Once all of the aliases and environment variables have been expanded, 4OS2 will echo the complete command to the screen (if command-line echo has been enabled) and write it to the log file (if command logging has been turned on). Before it can actually execute your command, the command processor must scan the command tail to see if it includes redirection or piping. If so, the proper internal switches are set to send output to an alternate device or to a file, instead of to the screen. A second process is started at this point, if necessary, to receive any piped output. Finally, it is time to execute the command. If the command name matches an internal command, 4OS2 will perform the activities you have requested. Otherwise, the command processor searches for an executable (.COM or .EXE) file, a batch file, or a file with an executable extension that matches the command name. Once the internal command or external program has terminated, the command processor saves the result or exit code that the command generated, cleans up any redirection that you specified, and then returns to the original command line to retrieve the next command. When all of the commands in a command line are finished, the next line is read from the current batch file, or if no batch file is active, the prompt is displayed. You can disable and re-enable several parts of command parsing (for example alias expansion, variable expansion, and redirection) with the SETDOS /X command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.16. Argument Quoting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ As it parses the command line, 4OS2 looks for the ampersand [&] command separator, conditional commands (|| or &&), white space (spaces, tabs, and commas), percent signs [%] which indicate variables to be expanded, and redirection and piping characters (>, <, or |). Normally, these special characters cannot be passed to a command as part of an argument. However, you can include any of the special characters in an argument by enclosing the entire argument in single back quotes [`] or double quotes ["]. Although both back quotes and double quotes will let you build arguments that include special characters, they do not work the same way. No alias or variable expansion is performed on an argument enclosed in back quotes. Redirection symbols inside the back quotes are ignored. The back quotes are removed from the command line before the command is executed. No alias expansion is performed on expressions enclosed in double quotes. Redirection symbols inside double quotes are ignored. However, variable expansion is performed on expressions inside double quotes. The double quotes themselves will be passed to the command as part of the argument. For example, suppose you have a batch file CHKNAME.BTM which expects a name as its first parameter (%1). Normally the name is a single word. If you need to pass a two-word name with a space in it to this batch file you could use the command: [c:\] chkname `MY NAME` Inside the batch file, %1 will have the value MY NAME, including the space. The back quotes caused 4OS2 to pass the string to the batch file as a single argument. The quotes keep characters together and reduce the number of arguments in the line. For a more complex example, suppose the batch file QUOTES.BAT contains the following commands: @echo off echo Arg1 = %1 echo Arg2 = %2 echo Arg3 = %3 and that the environment variable FORVAR has been defined with this command: [c:\] set FORVAR=for Now, if you enter the command [c:\] quotes `Now is the time %%forvar` all good the output from QUOTES.BAT will look like this: Arg1 = Now is the time %forvar Arg2 = all Arg3 = good But if you enter the command [c:\] quotes "Now is the time %%forvar" all good the output from QUOTES.BAT will look like this: Arg1 = "Now is the time for" Arg2 = all Arg3 = good Notice that in both cases, the quotes keep characters together and reduce the number of arguments in the line. The following example has 7 command-line arguments, while the examples above only have 3: [c:\] quotes Now is the time %%forvar all good (The double percent signs are needed in each case because the argument is parsed twice, once when passed to the batch file and again in the ECHO command.) When an alias is defined in a batch file or from the command line, its argument can be enclosed in back quotes to prevent the expansion of replaceable parameters, variables, and multiple commands until the alias is invoked. See ALIAS for details. You can disable and re-enable back quotes and double quotes with the SETDOS /X command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.17. REXX Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ REXX is a a powerful file and text processing language developed by IBM, and available on many PC and other platforms. REXX is an ideal extension to the 4OS2 batch language, especially if you need advanced string processing capabilities. The REXX language is not built into 4OS2. REXX language support is provided in OS/2 2.0 and above, and you can also purchase add-on REXX software such as Enterprise Alternatives' Enterprise REXX, available for Windows 3.x, Windows 95, and Windows NT; or Quercus's Personal REXX, available for DOS, OS/2, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, and Windows NT. (If you want to learn about or purchase one of these REXX packages, contact JP Software's sales department for more information.) REXX programs are stored in .CMD files. 4OS2 checks to see if the first two characters on the first line of a .CMD file are [/*], the beginning of a REXX comment. If so, it passes the file to OS/2's built-in REXX facility for processing. If Personal REXX for OS/2 is installed, it automatically replaces OS/2's built-in REXX, and handles all REXX commands passed by 4OS2. Both Personal REXX and OS/2's built-in REXX extend the interface between REXX and 4OS2 by allowing you to invoke 4OS2 commands from within a REXX program. When you send a command from a REXX program back to the command processor to be executed (for example, if you execute a DIR command within a REXX script), the REXX software must use the correctaddre for the command processor. In most cases it is best to use the default address of CMD, which is set up automatically by 4OS2. If you choose to use an explicit address via the REXX ADDRESS command, you can use either CMD or 4OS2. For details on communication between REXX and the command processor, or for more information on any aspect of REXX, see your REXX documentation. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.18. EXTPROC Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ For compatiblility with CMD.EXE, 4OS2 offers an external processor (EXTPROC) option for batch files that lets you define an external program to process a particular .CMD file. To identify a .CMD file to be used with an external processor, place the string "EXTPROC" as the first word on the first line of the file, followed by the name of the external program that should be called. 4OS2 will start the program and pass it the name of the .CMD file and any command-line arguments that were entered. For example, suppose GETDATA.CMD contains the following lines: EXTPROC D:\DATAACQ\DATALOAD.EXE OPEN PORT1 READ 4000 DISKWRITE D:\DATAACQ\PORT1\RAW Then if you entered the command: [d:\dataacq] getdata /p17 4OS2 would read the GETDATA.CMD file, determine that it began with an EXTPROC command, read the name of the processor program, and then execute the command: D:\DATAACQ\DATALOAD.EXE D:\DATAACQ\GETDATA.CMD /p17 The hypothetical DATALOAD.EXE program would then be responsible for reopening the GETDATA.CMD file, ignoring the EXTPROC line at the start, and interpreting the other instructions in the file. It would also have to respond appropriately to the command-line parameter entered (/p17). Do not try to use 4OS2 or Take Command as the external processor named on the EXTPROC line in the .CMD file. It will interpret the EXTPROC line as a command to re-open themselves. The result will be an infinite loop that will continue until the computer runs out of resources and locks up. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Environment Variables and Functions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The environment is a collection of information about your computer that every program receives. Each entry in the environment consists of a variable name, followed by an equal sign and a string of text. You can automatically substitute the text for the variable name in any command. To create the substitution, include a percent sign [%] and a variable name on the command line or in an alias or batch file. The following environment variables have special meanings in 4OS2: CDPATH CMDLINE COLORDIR COMSPEC FILECOMPLETION PATH PROMPT 4OS2 also supports two special types of variables. Internal variables are similar to environment variables, but are stored internally within 4OS2, and are not visible in the environment. They provide information about your system for use in batch files and aliases. Variable functions are referenced like environment variables, but perform additional functions like file handling, string manipulation and arithmetic calculations. In 4OS2 the size of the environment is set automatically, and increased as needed when you add variables. The SET command is used to create environment variables. For example, you can create a variable named BACKUP like this: [c:\] set BACKUP=*.bak;*.bk!;*.bk If you then type [c:\] del %BACKUP it is equivalent to the following command: del *.bak;*.bk!;*.bk Environment variable names may contain any alphabetic or numeric characters, the underscore character [_], and the dollar sign [$]. You can force acceptance of other characters by including the full variable name in square brackets, like this: %[AB##2]. You can also "nest" environment variables using square brackets. For example %[%var1] means "the contents of the variable whose name is stored in VAR1". A variable referenced with this technique cannot contain more than 255 characters of information. Nested variable expansion can be disabled with the SETDOS /X command. Environment variables may contain alias names. The command processor will substitute the variable value for the name, then check for any alias name which may have been included within the variable's value. For example, the following commands would generate a 2-column directory of the .TXT files: [c:\] alias d2 dir /2 [c:\] set cmd=d2 [c:\] %cmd *.txt The trailing percent sign that was traditionally required for environment variable names is not usually required in 4OS2, which accept any character that cannot be part of a variable name (including a space) as the terminator. However, the trailing percent can be used to maintain compatibility. The trailing percent sign is needed if you want to join two variable values. The following examples show the possible interactions between variables and literal strings. First, create two environment variables called ONE and TWO this way: [c:\] set ONE=abcd [c:\] set TWO=efgh Now the following combinations produce the output text shown: %ONE%TWO abcdTWO ("%ONE%" + "TWO") %ONE%TWO% abcdTWO ("%ONE%" + "TWO%") %ONE%%TWO abcdefgh ("%ONE%" + "%TWO") %ONE%%TWO% abcdefgh ("%ONE%" + "%TWO%") %ONE%[TWO] abcd[TWO] ("%ONE%" + "[TWO]") %ONE%[TWO]% abcd[TWO] ("%ONE%" + "[TWO]%") %[ONE]%TWO abcdefgh ("%[ONE]" + "%TWO") %[ONE]%TWO% abcdefgh ("%[ONE]" + "%TWO%") If you want to pass a percent sign to a command, or a string which includes a percent sign, you must use two percent signs in a row. Otherwise, the single percent sign will be seen as the beginning of a variable name and will not be passed on to the command. For example, to display the string "We're with you 100%" you would use the command: echo We're with you 100%% You can also use back quotes around the text, rather than a double percent sign. See Argument Quoting for details. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. CDPATH ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ CDPATH ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2. CMDLINE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ CMDLINE is the fully expanded text of the currently executing command line. CMDLINE is set just before invoking any .COM, .EXE, .BTM, .BAT, or .CMD file. If a command line is prefaced with an "@" to prevent echoing, it will not be put in CMDLINE, and any previous CMDLINE variable will be removed from the environment. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.3. COLORDIR ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ COLORDIR controls directory display colors used by DIR and SELECT. See the Color-Coded Directories topic under the DIR command for a complete description of the format of this variable. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4. COMSPEC ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ COMSPEC contains the full path and name of 4OS2. For example, if 4OS2 is stored in the directory C:\4OS2, the COMSPEC variable should be set to C:\4OS2\4OS2.EXE. COMSPEC is used by applications which need to find 4OS2 to implement a "shell to the command prompt" feature. You can set the COMSPEC variable by specifying the COMSPEC path with a SET COMSPEC command in CONFIG.SYS, or including the COMSPEC path on the 4OS2 startup command line. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.5. FILECOMPLETION ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ FILECOMPLETION sets the files made available during filename completion for selected commands. See Customizing Filename Completion in the Filename Completion topic for a complete description of the format of this variable. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.6. PATH ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ PATH is a list of directories that 4OS2 will search for executable files that aren't in the current directory. PATH may also be used by some application programs to find their own files. See the PATH command for a full description of this variable. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.7. PROMPT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ PROMPT defines the command-line prompt. It can be set or changed with the PROMPT command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8. Internal Variables ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Internal variables are special environment variables built into 4OS2 to provide information about your system. They are not actually stored in the environment, but can be used in commands, aliases, and batch files just like any other environment variable. The values of these variables are stored internally in 4OS2, and cannot be changed with the SET, UNSET, or ESET command. However, you can override any of these variables by defining a new variable with the same name. The list below gives a one-line description of each variable, and a cross-reference which selects a full screen help topic on that variable. Most of the variables are simple enough that the one-line description is sufficient. However, for those variables marked with an asterisk [*], the cross-reference topic contains some additional information you may wish to review. You can also obtain help on any variable with a HELP variable name command at the prompt (this is why each variable has its own topic, in addition to its appearance in the list below). See the discussion after the variable list for some additional information, and examples of how these variables can be used. For additional examples, see the EXAMPLES.BTM file which came with 4OS2. The variables are: Hardware status _CPU CPU type (86, 186, 200, 386, 486, 586) _MONITOR Monitor type (mono or color) _NDP Coprocessor type (0, 87, 287, 387) _VIDEO Video board type (mono, cga, ega, vga, xga, 8514, or IA/A) Operating system and software status _ANSI ANSI status (always 1 in 4OS2) _APMAC * APM AC line status _APMBATT * APM battery status _APMLIFE * APM battery life _BOOT Boot drive letter, without a colon _CI Current cursor shape in insert mode _CO Current cursor shape in overstrike mode _CODEPAGE Current code page number _COUNTRY Current country code _DOS * Operating system (DOS, OS2, etc.) _DOSVER * Operating system version (2.1, 3.0, etc.) _KBHIT Keystroke waiting in buffer (0 or 1) _MOUSE Mouse driver flag (always 1 in 4OS2) Command processor status _4VER 4OS2 version (2.5, 2.51, etc.) _BATCH Batch nesting level _BATCHLINE Current line number in current batch file _BATCHNAME Name of current batch file _DNAME Name of file used to store file descriptions _HLOGFILE Current history log file name _LOGFILE Current log file name _PID 4OS2 process ID (numeric) _PIPE Whether running in a pipe _PPID Parent process ID (numeric) _PTYPE OS/2 session type (AVIO, DT, FS, PM) _SHELL Shell level (0, 1, 2, ...) _SID Current OS/2 session ID _TRANSIENT * Transient shell flag (0 or 1) _WINTITLE Current window title Screen and color _BG Background color at cursor position _COLUMN Current cursor column _COLUMNS Screen width _FG Foreground color at cursor position _ROW Current cursor row _ROWS Screen height _XPIXELS Physical screen horizontal size _YPIXELS Physical screen vertical size Drives and directories _CWD Current drive and directory (d:\path) _CWDS Current drive and directory with trailing \ (d:\path\) _CWP Current directory (\path) _CWPS Current directory with trailing \ (\path\) _DISK Current drive (C, D, etc.) _LASTDISK Last possible drive (E, F, etc.) Dates and times _DATE * Current date (mm-dd-yy) _DAY Day of the month (1 - 31) _DOW Day of the week (Mon, Tue, Wed, etc.) _DOWI Integer day of the week (1 = Sunday, 2= Monday, etc.) _DOY Day of the year (1 - 366) _HOUR Hour (0 - 23) _MINUTE Minute (0 - 59) _MONTH Month of the year (1 - 12) _SECOND Second (0 - 59) _TIME * Current time (hh:mm:ss) _YEAR Year (1980 - 2099) Error codes ? * Exit code, last external program _? * Exit code, last internal command _SYSERR * Last OS/2 error code Compatibility = * Substitutes escape character + * Substitutes command separator Additional Notes These internal variables are often used in batch files and aliases to examine system resources and adjust to the current computer settings. You can examine the contents of any internal variable (except %= and %+) from the command line with a command like this: [c:\] echo %variablename On disk volumes which do not support long filenames, variables which return a path or file name will return their result in upper or lower case depending on the value of the SETDOS /U switch or the UpperCase directive in the .INI file. On volumes which do support long filenames, these variables will return names as they are stored on the disk and no case shifting will be performed. Returned filename values which include long filenames are not quoted automatically; you must add quotes yourself if they are required for your use of the variable value (see Argument Quoting). Some variables return values based on information provided by your operating system. These variables will only return correct information if the operating system provides it. For example, _APMBATT will not return accurate results if your operating system and Advanced Power Management drivers do not provide correct information on battery status to the command processor. Examples You can use these variables in a wide variety of ways depending on your needs. Here are just a few examples. For additional examples, see the EXAMPLES.BTM file which came with 4OS2. Some of these examples rely on the IF and IFF commands to test the value of a variable and perform different actions based on that value. In a batch file, set the color based on the video card type: iff "%_video"=="mono" then color bright white on black else color bright white on blue endiff Store the current date and time in a file, then save the output of a DIR command in the same file: echo Directory as of %_date %_time > dirsave dir >> dirsave Set up a prompt for the primary shell which displays the time and current directory, and a different one for secondary shells which includes the shell level rather than the time (see PROMPT for details about setting the prompt). Also set different background colors for the two shells, without changing the foreground color. You might use a sequence like this in your 4START file (see Automatic Batch Files): iff %_shell==0 then prompt $t $p$g color %_fg on blue else prompt [$z] $p$g color %_fg on cyan endiff ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.1. ? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ? contains the exit code of the last external command. Many programs return a "0" to indicate success and a non-zero value to signal an error. However, not all programs return an exit code. If no explicit exit code is returned, the value of %? is undefined. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.2. _? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _? contains the exit code of the last internal command. It is set to "0" if the command was successful, "1" if a usage error occurred, "2" if another command processor error or an operating system error occurred, or "3" if the command was interrupted by Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break. You must use or save this value immediately, because it is set by every internal command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.3. = ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ = returns the current escape character. Use this variable, instead of the actual escape character, if you want your batch files and aliases to work regardless of how the escape character is defined. For example, if the escape character is a caret [^] (the default in 4OS2) both of the commands below will send a form feed to the printer. However, if the escape character has been changed, the first command will send the string "^f" to the printer, while the second command will continue to work as intended. echos ^f > prn echos %=f > prn ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.4. + ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ + returns the current command separator. Use this variable, instead of the actual command separator, if you want your batch files and aliases to work regardless of how the command separator is defined. For example, if the command separator is an ampersand [&] (the default in 4OS2) both of the commands below will display "Hello" on one line and "world" on the next. However, if the command separator has been changed the first command will display "Hello & echo world", while the second command will continue to work as intended. echo Hello & echo world echo Hello %+ echo world ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.5. _4VER ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _4VER is the current 4OS2 version (for example, "3.0"). The current decimal character is used to separate the major and minor version numbers (see DecimalChar) for details. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.6. _ANSI ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _ANSI is always "1" in 4OS2. (4OS2 enables OS/2's ANSI support, and assumes that it remains enabled.) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.7. _APMAC ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _APMAC is the Advanced Power Management AC line status ("on-line", "off-line", or "unknown"). An empty string is returned if APM is not installed on your system. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.8. _APMBATT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _APMBATT is the Advanced Power Management battery status ("high", "low", "critical", "charging", or "unknown"). An empty string is returned if APM is not installed. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.9. _APMLIFE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _APMLIFE is the Advanced Power Management remaining battery life (0 - 100 or "unknown"). An empty string is returned if APM is not installed. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.10. _BATCH ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _BATCH is the current batch nesting level. It is "0" if no batch file is currently being processed. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.11. _BATCHLINE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _BATCHLINE is the current line number in the current batch file. It is "-1" if no batch file is currently being processed. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.12. _BATCHNAME ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _BATCHNAME is the full path and file name of the current batch file. It is an empty string if no batch file is currently being processed. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.13. _BG ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _BG is a string containing the first three characters of the screen background color at the current cursor location (for example, "Bla"). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.14. _BOOT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _BOOT is the boot drive letter, without a colon. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.15. _CI ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _CI is the insert-mode cursor shape, as a percentage (see SETDOS /S and the CursorIns directive). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.16. _CO ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _CO is the overstrike-mode cursor shape, as a percentage (see SETDOS /S and the CursorOver directive). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.17. _CODEPAGE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _CODEPAGE is the current code page number (see CHCP). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.18. _COLUMN ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _COLUMN is the current cursor column (for example, "0" for the left side of the screen). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.19. _COLUMNS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _COLUMNS is the current number of screen columns (for example, "80"). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.20. _COUNTRY ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _COUNTRY is the current country code. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.21. _CPU ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _CPU is the CPU type: 86 8086 and 8088 186 80186 and 80188 200 NEC V20 and V30 286 80286 386 i386 486 i486 586 Pentium 686 Pentium Pro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.22. _CWD ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _CWD is the current working directory in the format d:\pathname. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.23. _CWDS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _CWDS has the same value as CWD, except it ends the pathname with a backslash [\]. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.24. _CWP ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _CWP is the current working directory in the format \pathname. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.25. _CWPS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _CWPS has the same value as CWP, except it ends the pathname with a backslash [\]. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.26. _DATE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _DATE contains the current system date, in the format mm-dd-yy (U.S.), dd-mm-yy (Europe), or yy-mm-dd (Japan). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.27. _DAY ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _DAY is the current day of the month (1 to 31). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.28. _DISK ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _DISK is the current disk drive, without a colon (for example, "C"). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.29. _DNAME ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _DNAME is the name of the file used to store file descriptions. It can be changed with the DescriptionName directive in 4OS2.INI or the SETDOS /D command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.30. _DOS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _DOS is the operating system and command processor type. Each JP Software command processor returns a different value, as follows: Product Returns 4DOS "DOS" 4OS2 "OS2" 4NT "NT" Take Command/16 "WIN" Take Command/32 "WIN95" (under Windows 95) Take Command/32 "WIN32" (under Windows NT) Take Command for OS/2 "PM" (for OS/2 Presentation Manager) This variable is useful if you have batch files running in more than one environment, and need to take different actions depending on the underlying operating environment or command processor. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.31. _DOSVER ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _DOSVER is the current operating system version (for example, "4.00"). The current decimal character is used to separate the major and minor version numbers (see DecimalChar) for details. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.32. _DOW ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _DOW is the first three characters of the current day of the week ("Mon", "Tue", "Wed", etc.). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.33. _DOWI ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _DOWI is the current day of the week as an integer (1 = Sunday, 2 = Monday, etc.). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.34. _DOY ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _DOY is the day of the year (1 to 366). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.35. _FG ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _FG is a string containing the first three letters of the screen foreground color at the current cursor position (for example, "Whi"). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.36. _HLOGFILE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _HLOGFILE returns the name of the current history log file (or an empty string if LOG /H is OFF). See LOG for information on logging. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.37. _HOUR ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _HOUR is the current hour (0 - 23). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.38. _KBHIT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _KBHIT returns 1 if one or more keystrokes are waiting in the keyboard buffer, or 0 if the keyboard buffer is empty. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.39. _LASTDISK ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _LASTDISK is the last valid drive letter, without a colon. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.40. _LOGFILE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _LOGFILE returns the name of the current log file (or an empty string if LOG is OFF). See LOG for information on logging. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.41. _MINUTE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _MINUTE is the current minute (0 - 59). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.42. _MONITOR ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _MONITOR is the monitor type ("mono" or "color"). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.43. _MONTH ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _MONTH is the current month of the year (1 to 12). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.44. _MOUSE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _MOUSE always returns "1" in 4OS2. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.45. _NDP ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _NDP is the coprocessor type: 0 no coprocessor is installed 87 8087 287 80287 387 80387, 80486DX, 80487, Pentium, or Pentium Pro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.46. _PID ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _PID is the current process ID number. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.47. _PIPE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _PIPE returns "1" if the current process is running inside a pipe or "0" otherwise. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.48. _PPID ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _PPID is the process ID number of the parent process. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.49. _PTYPE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _PTYPE is the current OS/2 process type: AVIO Character mode, windowed DT Detached (no screen in use) FS Character mode, full-screen PM Presentation Manager ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.50. _ROW ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _ROW is the current cursor row (for example, "0" for the top of the screen). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.51. _ROWS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _ROWS is the current number of screen rows (for example, "25"). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.52. _SECOND ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _SECOND is the current second (0 - 59). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.53. _SHELL ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _SHELL is the current shell nesting level. The primary shell is level "0", and each subsequent secondary shell increments the level by 1. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.54. _SID ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _SID is the session ID number. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.55. _SYSERR ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _SYSERR is the error code of the last operating system error. You will need a technical or programmer's manual to understand these error values. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.56. _TIME ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _TIME contains the current system time in the format hh:mm:ss. The separator character may vary depending upon your country information. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.57. _TRANSIENT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _TRANSIENT is "1" if the current shell is transient (started with a /C, see Starting 4OS2 for details), or "0" otherwise. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.58. _VIDEO ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _VIDEO is the video card type ("mono", "cga", "ega", "vga", "xga", "8514", or "IA/A" (for the PS/2 Image Adapter/A). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.59. _WINTITLE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _WINTITLE returns the title of the current window. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.60. _XPIXELS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _XPIXELS returns the physical screen horizontal size in pixels. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.61. _YEAR ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _YEAR is the current year (1980 to 2099). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8.62. _YPIXELS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ _YPIXELS returns the physical screen vertical size in pixels. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9. Variable Functions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Variable functions are like internal variables, but they take one or more arguments (which can be environment variables or even other variable functions) and they return a value. The list below gives a one-line description of each function, and a cross-reference which selects a full screen help topic on that function. A few of the variables are simple enough that the one-line description is sufficient, but in most cases you should check for any additional information in the cross-reference topic if you are not already familiar with a function. You can also obtain help on any function with a HELP @functionname command at the prompt. See the discussion after the function list for some additional information, and examples of how the functions can be used. For additional examples, see the EXAMPLES.BTM file which came with 4OS2. The variable functions are: System status @DOSMEM[b|k|m] Size of largest free memory block @READSCR[row,col,len] Read characters from the screen Drives and devices @CDROM[d:] CD-ROM drive detection (0 or 1) @DEVICE[name] Character device detection @DISKFREE[d:,b|k|m] Free disk space @DISKTOTAL[d:,b|k|m] Total disk space @DISKUSED[d:,b|k|m] Used disk space @FSTYPE[d:] File system type (FAT, HPFS, CDFS, etc.) @LABEL[d:] Volume label @READY[d:] Drive ready status (0 or 1) @REMOTE[d:] Remote (network) drive detection (0 or 1) @REMOVABLE[d:] Removable drive detection (0 or 1) Files @ATTRIB[filename [,-nrhsda]] File attribute test (0 or 1) @DESCRIPT[filename] File description @EAREAD[filename,EAname] Read extended attribute @EAWRITE[filename,EAname,value] Write extended attribute @EXETYPE[filename] Executable file type (DOS, PM, WIN, etc.) @FILEAGE[filename] File age (date and time) @FILECLOSE[n] Close a file @FILEDATE[filename] File date @FILEOPEN[filename,mode] Open a file @FILEREAD[n [,length]] Read next line from a file @FILES[filename [,-nrhsda]] Count files matching a wildcard @FILESEEK[n,offset,start] Move a file pointer to an offset @FILESEEKL[n,offset,start] Move a file pointer to a line number @FILESIZE[filename,b|k|m] Size of files matching a wildcard @FILETIME[filename] File time @FILEWRITE[n,text] Write next line to a file @FILEWRITEB[n,length,string] Write bytes from a string to a file @FINDCLOSE[filename] Close the search handle opened by @FINDFIRST @FINDFIRST[filename [,-nrhsda]] Find first matching file @FINDNEXT[filename [,-nrhsda]] Find next matching file @LINE[filename,n] Read a random line from a file @LINES[filename] Count lines in a file @SEARCH[filename] Path search @UNIQUE[d:\path] Create file with unique name File names @EXPAND[filename [,-nrhsda]] Names of all matching files and directories @EXT[filename] File extension @FILENAME[filename] File name and extension @FULL[filename] Full file name with path @NAME[filename] File name without path or extension @PATH[filename] File path without name Strings and characters @ASCII[c] Numeric ASCII value for a character @ CHAR[n] Character value for numeric ASCII @FORMAT[[-][x][.y],string] Formats (justifies) a string @INDEX[string1,string2] Position of one string in another @INSERT[n,string1,string2] Insert one string into another @INSTR[start,length,string] Extract a substring @LEFT[n,string] Leftmost characters of a string @LEN[string] Length of a string @LOWER[string] Convert string to lower case @REPEAT[c,n] Repeat a character @REPLACE[string1,string2,text] Replace all occurrences of one string with another @RIGHT[n,string] Rightmost characters of a string @STRIP[chars,string] Remove characters from string @SUBSTR[string,start,length] Extract a substring @TRIM[string] Remove blanks from a string @UPPER[string] Convert string to upper case @WILD[string1,string2] Wildcard comparison @WORD[["sep",] n,string] Extract a word from a string @WORDS[["sep",] string] Counts number of words in a string Numbers and arithmetic @COMMA[n] Inserts commas in a number @CONVERT[input,output,value] Base conversion @DEC[%var] Decremented value of a variable @EVAL[expression] Arithmetic calculations @INC[%var] Incremented value of a variable @INT[n] Integer part of a number @NUMERIC[string] Test if a string is numeric @RANDOM[min,max] Generate a random integer Dates and times @DATE[mm-dd-yy] Convert date to number of days @DAY[mm-dd-yy] Day of the month @DOW[mm-dd-yy] Day of the week @DOWI[mm-dd-yy] Numeric day of the week @DOY[mm-dd-yy] Numeric day of the year @MAKEAGE[n] Convert date/time to file date/time @MAKEDATE[n] Convert number of days to date @MAKETIME[n] Convert number of seconds to time @MONTH[mm-dd-yy] Month of the year @TIME[hh:mm:ss] Convert time to number of seconds @TIMER[n] Elapsed time of specified timer @YEAR[mm-dd-yy] Year number (2 digits) Utility @ALIAS[name] Value of an alias @CLIP[n] Line from the clipboard @IF[condition,true,false] Evaluates a test condition @EXEC[command] Execute a command @EXECSTR[command] Execute, return string @REXX[expr] Execute a REXX expression @SELECT[file,t,l,b,r,title] Menu selection Additional Notes Like all environment variables, these variable functions must be preceded by a percent sign (%@EVAL, %@LEN, etc.). All variable functions must have square brackets enclosing their argument(s). The argument(s) to a variable function cannot exceed 255 characters in length for all arguments taken as a group. Specific Functions and Arguments Some variable functions, like @DISKFREE, are shown with "b|k|m" as one of their arguments. Those functions return a number of bytes, kilobytes, or megabytes based on the "b|k|m" argument: b return the number of bytes K return the number of kilobytes (bytes / 1,024) k return the number of thousands of bytes (bytes / 1,000) M return the number of megabytes (bytes / 1,048,576) m return the number of millions of bytes (bytes / 1,000,000) You can include commas (or the "thousands separator" character for your system) in the results from a "b|k|m" function by appending a "c" to the argument. For example, to add commas to a "b" or number of bytes result, enter "bc" as the argument. To set the thousands separator see the ThousandsChar directive. Functions which accept a date as an argument use the date format and separators mandated by your country code (for example dd.mm.yy in Germany, or yy-mm-dd in Japan). The year can be entered as a 4-digit or 2-digit value. Two-digit years between 80 and 99 are interpreted as 1980 - 1999; values between 00 and 79 are interpreted as 2000 - 2079. Several functions return filenames or parts of filenames. On an HPFS drive the strings returned by these functions may contain whitespace or other special characters. To avoid problems which could be caused by these characters, quote the returned name before you pass it to other commands, for example (either of these methods would work): set fname="%@findfirst[pro*.*]" echo First PRO file contains: type %fname ..... set fname=%@findfirst[pro*.*] echo First PRO file contains: type "%fname" ..... If you don't use the quotes in the SET or TYPE command in this example, TYPE will not interpret any whitespace or special characters in the name properly. In variable functions which take a drive letter as an argument, like @DISKFREE or @READY, the drive letter must be followed by a colon. The function will not work properly if you use the drive letter without the colon. The @FILEREAD, @FILEWRITE, @FILEWRITEB, @FILESEEK, @FILESEEKL, and @FILECLOSE functions allow you to access files based on their file handle. These functions should only be used with file handles returned by @FILEOPEN! If you use them with any other file handle you may damage other files opened by 4OS2 (or, in a secondary shell, the program which started 4OS2), or hang your system. Many functions return values based on information provided by your operating system. Such functions will only return correct information if the operating system provides it. For example, @READY will not return accurate results if your operating system does not provide correct disk drive status information to the command processor. Examples You can use variable functions in a wide variety of ways depending on your needs. We've included a few examples below to give you an idea of what's possible. For additional examples, see the EXAMPLES.BTM file which came with 4OS2. To set the prompt to show the amount of free memory (see PROMPT for details on including variable functions in your prompt): [c:\] prompt (%%@dosmem[K]K) $p$g Set up a simple command-line calculator. The calculator is used with a command like CALC 3 * (4 + 5): [c:\] alias calc `echo The answer is: %@eval[%&]` The following batch file uses variable functions to implement "once a day" execution of a group of commands. It works by constructing a 6-digit number "yymmdd" from today's date, and comparing that to a number of the same type stored in the file C:\ONCEADAY.DAT. If today's date is numerically larger than the saved date, and the time is after 6:00 AM, then the "once a day" commands are run, and today's date is saved in the file as the new date for comparison. Otherwise, no action is taken. You can make this file simpler using the %@DATE and %@TIME functions instead of using %@INSTR to extract substrings of the %_DATE and %_TIME variables; we used the approach shown to demonstrate the use of %@INSTR. rem Temporary variables used to shorten example lines: rem DD is _date, DY is yymmdd date, TM is _time set dd=%_date set dy=%@instr[6,2,%dd]%@instr[0,2,%dd]%@instr[3,2,%dd] set lastdate=0 iff exist c:\onceaday.dat then set lastdate=%@line[onceaday.dat,0] endiff iff %dy gt %lastdate then set tm=%_time iff "%@instr[0,2,%tm]%@instr[3,2,%tm]" gt "0600" then rem Commands to be executed once a day go here echo %dy > c:\onceaday.dat endiff endiff ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.1. @ALIAS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @ALIAS[name]: Returns the contents of the specified alias as a string, or a null string if the alias doesn't exist. When manipulating strings returned by @ALIAS you may need to disable certain special characters with the SETDOS /X command. Otherwise, command separators, redirection characters, and other similar "punctuation" in the alias may be interpreted as part of the current command, rather than part of a simple text string. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.2. @ASCII ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @ASCII[c]: Returns the numeric value of the specified ASCII character as a string. For example %@ASCII[A] returns 65. You can put an escape character [^] before the actual character to process. This allows quotes and other special characters as the argument (e.g., %@ASCII[^`]). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.3. @ATTRIB ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @ATTRIB[filename,[-nrhsda[,p]]]: Returns a "1" if the specified file has the matching attribute(s); otherwise returns a "0". The attributes are: N Normal (no attributes set) R Read-only H Hidden S System D Directory A Archive The attributes (other than N) can be combined (for example %@ATTRIB[MYFILE,HS]). You can prefix an attribute with "-" to mean "everything except files with this attribute." Without the optional p as a third argument, ATTRIB will only return a 1 if all of the attributes match. With the p, ATTRIB will return a 1 if there is a partial match. For example, if MYFILE.DAT has R, H, and A attributes set: %@attrib[myfile.dat,r] returns 0 because there is not an exact match %@attrib[myfile.dat,r,p] returns 1 because there is a partial match If you do not specify any attributes, ATTRIB will return the attributes of the specified file in the format RHSAD, rather than a "0" or "1". Attributes which are not set will be replaced with an underscore. For example, if SECURE.DAT has the read-only, hidden, and archive attributes set, %@ATTRIB[SECURE.DAT ] would return RH_A_. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.4. @CDROM ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @CDROM[d:]: Returns "1" if the drive is a CD-ROM or "0" otherwise. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.5. @CHAR ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @CHAR[n]: Returns the character corresponding to an ASCII numeric value. For example %@CHAR[65] returns A. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.6. @CLIP ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @CLIP[n]: Returns line n from the clipboard. The first line is numbered 0. "**EOC**" is returned for all line numbers beyond the end of the clipboard. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.7. @COMMA ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @COMMA[n]: Inserts commas, or the "thousands separator" character for your system, into a numeric string. To set the thousands separator see the ThousandsChar directive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.8. @CONVERT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @CONVERT[input, output, value]: Converts a numeric string (value) from one number base (input) to another (output). Valid bases range from 2 to 36. The value must be a positive number between 0 and 2**32-1 (2,147,483,647). No error is returned if value is outside that range. For example, to convert "1010101" from binary to decimal, use this syntax: %@convert[2,10,1010101] ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.9. @DATE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @DATE[mm-dd-yy]: Returns the number of days since January 1, 1980 for the specified date. DATE uses the date format and separators mandated by your country code (for example dd.mm.yy in Germany, or yy-mm-dd in Japan). The year can be entered as a 4-digit or 2-digit value. Two-digit years between 80 and 99 are interpreted as 1980 - 1999; values between 00 and 79 are interpreted as 2000 - 2079. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.10. @DAY ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @DAY[mm-dd-yy]: Returns the numeric day of the month for the specified date. DATE uses the date format and separators mandated by your country code (for example dd.mm.yy in Germany, or yy-mm-dd in Japan). The year can be entered as a 4-digit or 2-digit value. Two-digit years between 80 and 99 are interpreted as 1980 - 1999; values between 00 and 79 are interpreted as 2000 - 2079. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.11. @DEC ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @DEC[%var]: Returns the same value as @EVAL[%var - 1]. That is, it retrieves and decrements the value of a variable. The variable itself is not changed; to do so, use a command like this: set var=%@dec[%var] ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.12. @DESCRIPT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @DESCRIPT[filename]: Returns the file description for the specified filename (see DESCRIBE). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.13. @DEVICE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @DEVICE[name]: Returns "1" if the specified name is a character device (such as a printer or serial port), or "0" if not. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.14. @DISKFREE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @DISKFREE[d:,b|k|m]: Returns the amount of free disk space on the specified drive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.15. @DISKTOTAL ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @DISKTOTAL[d:,b|k|m]: Returns the total disk space on the specified drive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.16. @DISKUSED ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @DISKUSED[d:,b|k|m]: Returns the amount of disk space in use by files and directories on the specified drive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.17. @DOSMEM ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @DOSMEM[b|k|m]: Returns the size of the largest free memory block (either in physical or virtual memory). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.18. @DOW ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @DOW[mm-dd-yy]: Returns the first three characters of the day of the week for the specified date ("Mon", "Tue", "Wed", etc.). DATE uses the date format and separators mandated by your country code (for example dd.mm.yy in Germany, or yy-mm-dd in Japan). The year can be entered as a 4-digit or 2-digit value. Two-digit years between 80 and 99 are interpreted as 1980 - 1999; values between 00 and 79 are interpreted as 2000 - 2079. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.19. @DOWI ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @DOWI[mm-dd-yy]: Returns the day of the week for the specified date as an integer (1 = Sunday, 2 = Monday, etc.). DATE uses the date format and separators mandated by your country code (for example dd.mm.yy in Germany, or yy-mm-dd in Japan). The year can be entered as a 4-digit or 2-digit value. Two-digit years between 80 and 99 are interpreted as 1980 - 1999; values between 00 and 79 are interpreted as 2000 - 2079. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.20. @DOY ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @DOY[mm-dd-yy]: Returns the day of year for the specified date (1-366). DATE uses the date format and separators mandated by your country code (for example dd.mm.yy in Germany, or yy-mm-dd in Japan). The year can be entered as a 4-digit or 2-digit value. Two-digit years between 80 and 99 are interpreted as 1980 - 1999; values between 00 and 79 are interpreted as 2000 - 2079. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.21. @EAREAD ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @EAREAD[filename, EAname]: Returns the specified extended attribute ( EAname) for a file or an empty string if the extended attribute does not exist. This function can only read EAs stored as text; it cannot read binary EAs. Wildcards cannot be used in the file name. For example, to read the .SUBJECT extended attribute for README.TXT: set subject=%@earead[readme.txt,.subject] ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.22. @EAWRITE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @EAWRITE[filename, EAname, value]: Creates or updates the extended attribute named EAname for the specified file. Returns "0" for success or "-1" for failure. This function can only write EAs stored as text; it cannot write binary EAs. Wildcards cannot be used in the file name. For example, to set the .SUBJECT extended attribute for README.TXT (enter this on one line): if %@eawrite[readme.txt,.subject,Installation notes for latest version] != 0 echo EAWRITE failed! ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.23. @EVAL ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @EVAL[expression]: Evaluates an arithmetic expression. @EVAL supports addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), division (/), integer division (\, returns the integer part of the quotient), modulo (%%), and integer exponentiation (**). The expression can contain environment variables and other variable functions. @EVAL also supports parentheses, commas, and decimals. Parentheses can be nested. @EVAL will strip leading and trailing zeros from the result. When evaluating expressions, **, *, /, and %% take precedence over + and -. For example, 3 + 4 * 2 will be interpreted as 3 + 8, not as 7 * 2. To change this order of evaluation, use parentheses to specify the order you want. Also see @DEC and @INC To ensure that your @EVAL expressions are interpreted correctly, spaces should be placed on both sides of an operator. For example: @eval[20 %% 3 + 4] The maximum precision is 16 digits to the left of the decimal point and 8 digits to the right of the decimal point. You can alter the default precision to the right of the decimal point on the Options 2 page of the OPTION dialogs or with the EvalMax and EvalMin directives in 4OS2.INI, and with the SETDOS /F command. You can alter the decimal character from the Options 1 page of the OPTION dialogs, with the DecimalChar directive, or the SETDOS /G command. To ensure that your @EVAL expressions are interpreted correctly, spaces should be placed on both sides of each operator, for example: %@eval[(20 %% 3) + 4] You can alter the precision for a single evaluation with the construct @EVAL[expression=x.y]. The x value specifies the minimum decimal precision (i.e., the minimum number of decimal places displayed); the y value sets the maximum decimal precision. You can use =x,y instead of =x.y if the comma is your decimal separator. If x is greater than y, it is ignored. You can specify either or both arguments, for example: @eval[3/7=2] returns 0.42857143 @eval[3/7=.4] returns 0.4286 @eval[3/6=2.4] returns 0.50 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.24. @EXEC ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @EXEC[[@]command]: Execute the command and return the numeric exit code. The command can be an alias, internal command, external command, or .BTM file, .BAT, or .CMD file. @EXEC is primarily intended for running a program from within the PROMPT. It is a "back door" entry into command processing and should be used with extreme caution. Incorrect or recursive use of @EXEC may hang your system. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.25. @EXECSTR ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @EXECSTR[command]: Runs the specified command and returns the first line written to STDOUT by that command. @EXEC is primarily intended for running a program from within the PROMPT. It is a "back door" entry into command processing and should be used with extreme caution. Incorrect or recursive use of @EXEC may hang your system. @EXECSTR is useful for retrieving a result from an external utility -- for example, if you have an external utility called NETTIME.EXE which retrieves the time of day from your network server and writes it to standard output, you could save it in an environment variable using a command like this: [c:\] set server_time=%@execstr[d:\path\nettime.exe] If the same utility returned a result properly formatted for the TIME command you could also use it to set the time on your system: [c:\] time %@execstr[d:\path\nettime.exe] ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.26. @EXETYPE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @EXETYPE[filename]: Returns the application type as a string: DOS DOS .COM, .EXE, or .BAT AVIO OS/2 Character mode, windowed FS OS/2 Character mode, full-screen PM OS/2 Presentation Manager WIN Windows 3 UNKNOWN Any other file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.27. @EXPAND ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @EXPAND[filename [,-nrhsda]]: Returns, on a single line, the names of all files and directories that match the filename specification, which may contain wildcards and include lists. Returns an empty string if no files match. If the file list is longer than the allowed command line length, it will be truncated without an error message. The second argument, if included, defines the attributes of the files that will be included in the search. The attributes are: N Normal (no attributes set) R Read-only H Hidden S System D Directory A Archive The attributes (other than N) can be combined (for example %@EXPAND[MYFILE,HS]). You can prefix an attribute with "-" to mean "everything except files with this attribute." If the attribute argument is not used, hidden files, system files, and directories will be excluded from the returned list; all other files which match the filename will be included. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.28. @EXT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @EXT[filename]: Returns the extension from a filename, without a leading period. On HPFS drives the extension can be up to 64 characters long. On traditional FAT drives it can be up to 3 characters long. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.29. @FILEAGE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FILEAGE[filename]: Returns the date and time of the file as a single numeric value. The number can be used to compare the relative ages of two or more files, but can not be used for date and time calculations as it is not returned in identifiable units. Also see @MAKEAGE. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.30. @FILECLOSE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FILECLOSE[n]: Closes the file whose handle is n. You cannot close handles 0, 1 or 2. Returns "0" if the file closed OK or "-1" if an error occurred. Be sure to read the cautionary note about file functions under Variable Functions. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.31. @FILEDATE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FILEDATE[filename[,acw]]: Returns the date a file was last modified, in the default country format (mm-dd-yy for the US). The optional second argument selects which date field is returned for files on an HPFS drive: a means the last access date, c means the creation date, and w means the last modification (write) date, which is the default. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.32. @FILENAME ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FILENAME[filename]: Returns the name and extension of a file, without a path. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.33. @FILEOPEN ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FILEOPEN[filename, read | write | append, [b | t]]: Opens the file in the specified mode and returns the file handle as an integer. Returns "-1" if the file cannot be opened. The optional third parameter controls whether the file is opened in binary mode ("b") or text mode ("t"). Text mode (the default) should be used to read text using @FILEREAD without a "length" parameter, and to write text using @FILEWRITE. Binary mode should be used to read binary data with @FILEREAD with a "length" parameter, and to write binary data with @FILEWRITEB. Be sure to read the cautionary note about file functions under Variable Functions. @FILEOPEN can also open named pipes. The pipe name must begin with \pipe\. @FILEOPEN first tries to open an existing pipe; if that fails it tries to create a new pipe. Pipes are opened in blocking mode, duplex access, byte-read mode, and inheritable. For more information on named pipes see your OS/2 documentation. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.34. @FILEREAD ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FILEREAD[n [,length]]: Reads data from the file whose handle is n. Returns "**EOF**" if you attempt to read past the end of the file. If length is not specified @FILEREAD will read until the next CR or LF (end of line) character. If length is specified, @FILEREAD will read length bytes regardless of any end of line characters. If you plan to read text a line at a time, without using length, you should open the file in text mode. If you plan to read binary data using length, you should open the file in binary mode. See @FILEOPEN for details on opening the file in the proper mode. Be sure to read the cautionary note about file functions under Variable Functions. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.35. @FILES ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FILES[filename [,-nrhsda]]: Returns the number of files that match the filename, which may contain wildcards and include lists. Returns "0" if no files match. The filename must refer to a single directory; to check several directories, use @FILES once for each directory, and add the results together with @EVAL. The second argument is a list of file attributes. If it is included, only those files matching all the specified attributes are counted. The attributes are: N Normal (no attributes set) R Read-only H Hidden S System D Directory A Archive The attributes (other than N) can be combined (for example %@FILES[MYFILE,HS]). You can prefix an attribute with - to mean "everything except files with this attribute." ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.36. @FILESEEK ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FILESEEK[n,offset,start]: Moves the file pointer offset bytes in the file whose handle is n. Returns the new position of the pointer, in bytes from the start of the file. Set start to 0 to seek relative to the beginning of the file, 1 to seek relative to the current file pointer, or 2 to seek relative to the end of the file. The offset value may be negative (seek backward), positive (seek forward), or zero (return current position, but do not change it). Be sure to read the cautionary note about file functions under Variable Functions. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.37. @FILESEEKL ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FILESEEKL[n,line]: Moves the file pointer to the specified line in the file whose handle is n. The first line in the file is numbered 0. Returns the new position of the pointer, in bytes from the start of the file. Be sure to read the cautionary note about file functions under Variable Functions. @FILESEEKL must read each line of the file up to the target line in order to position the pointer, and will therefore cause significant delays if used in a long loop or on a large file. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.38. @FILESIZE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FILESIZE[filename,b|k|m[,a]]: Returns the size of a file, or "-1" if the file does not exist. If the filename includes wildcards or an include list, returns the combined size of all matching files. The optional third argument a (allocated), if used, instructs @FILESIZE to return the amount of space allocated for the file(s) on the disk, rather than the amount of data in the file. Network drives and compressed drives may not always report allocated sizes accurately, depending on the way the network or disk compression software is implemented. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.39. @FILETIME ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FILETIME[filename[,acw]]: Returns the time a file was last modified, in hh:mm format. The optional second argument selects which time field is returned for files on an HPFS drive: a means the last access time, c means the creation time, and w means the last modification (write) time, which is the default. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.40. @FILEWRITE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FILEWRITE[n,text]: Writes a line to the file whose handle is n. Returns the number of bytes written, or "-1" if an error occurred. n must be a handle returned by @FILEOPEN; or 1 (for standard output) or 2 (for standard error). Be sure to read the cautionary note about file functions under Variable Functions. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.41. @FILEWRITEB ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FILEWRITEB[n,length,string]: Writes the specified number of bytes from string to the file whose handle is n. Returns the number of bytes written, or "-1" if an error occurred. If you plan to write binary data with @FILEWRITEB, you should open the file in binary mode (see @FILEOPEN). If you want to write text a line at a time you should use @FILEWRITE instead, and open the file in text mode. Be sure to read the cautionary note about file functions under Variable Functions. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.42. @FINDCLOSE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FINDCLOSE[filename]: Signals the end of a @FINDFIRST / @FINDNEXT sequence. You must use this function to release the directory search handle used for @FINDFIRST / @FINDNEXT. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.43. @FINDFIRST ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FINDFIRST[filename [,-nrhsda]]: Returns the name of the first file that matches the filename, which may contain wildcards and "include lists." The second argument, if included, defines the attributes of the files that will be included in the search. Returns an empty string if no files match. The attributes are: N Normal (no attributes set) R Read-only H Hidden S System D Directory A Archive The attributes (other than N) can be combined (for example %@FINDFIRST[MYFILE,HS]). You can prefix an attribute with - to mean "everything except files with this attribute." @FINDFIRST always skips the "." and ".." entries when processing directory names. After @FINDFIRST or the last @FINDNEXT, you must use @FINDCLOSE to avoid running out of directory search handles. See the notes under Variable Functions about quoting returned long filenames. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.44. @FINDNEXT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FINDNEXT[filename [,-nrhsda]]: Returns the name of the next file that matches the filename passed to @FINDFIRST. @FINDNEXT should only be used after a successful call to @FINDFIRST. The first argument is included for compatibility with previous versions, but is ignored; it can be omitted if the second argument is not used (e.g. %@FINDNEXT[]). The second argument, if included, defines the attributes of the files that will be included in the search. Returns an empty string when no more files match. The attributes are: N Normal (no attributes set) R Read-only H Hidden S System D Directory A Archive The attributes (other than N) can be combined (for example %@FINDNEXT[MYFILE,HS]). You can prefix an attribute with - to mean "everything except files with this attribute." @FINDNEXT always skips the "." and ".." entries when processing directory names. After @FINDFIRST or the last @FINDNEXT, you must use @FINDCLOSE to avoid running out of directory search handles. See the notes under Variable Functions about quoting returned long filenames. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.45. @FORMAT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FORMAT[[-][x][.y],string]: Reformats a string, truncating it or padding it with spaces as necessary. If you use the minus [-], the string is left-justified; otherwise, it is right-justified. The x value is the minimum number of characters in the result. The y value is the maximum number of characters in the result. You can combine the options as necessary. For example: %@format[12,JPSoftware] returns " JPSoftware" %@format[.3,JPSoftware] returns "JPS" ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.46. @FSTYPE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FSTYPE[d:]: Returns the file system type for the specified drive. @FSTYPE will return "FAT" for a DOS-compatible drive with a file allocation table, "HPFS" for a drive that uses OS/2's high performance file system, or "CDFS" for a CD-ROM drive. It may return other values if additional file systems have been installed with the IFS= directive in CONFIG.SYS. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.47. @FULL ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @FULL[filename]: Returns the fully qualified path and file name of a file. See the notes under Variable Functions about quoting returned long filenames. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.48. @IF ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @IF[condition,true,false]: Evaluates the condition and returns a string based on the result. The condition can include any of the tests allowed in the IF command. If the condition is true, @IF returns the first result string; if it is false, @IF returns the second string. For example, "echo %@IF[2 == 2,Correct!,Oops!]" displays "Correct!" ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.49. @INC ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @INC[%var]: Returns the same value as %@EVAL[%var + 1]. That is, it retrieves and increments the value of a variable. The variable itself is not changed; to do so, use a command like this: set var=%@inc[%var] ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.50. @INDEX ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @INDEX[string1,string2]: Returns the position of string2 within string1, or "-1" if string2 is not found. The first position in string1 is numbered 0. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.51. @INSERT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @INSERT[n, string1, string2]: Inserts string1 into string2 starting at position n. The first position in the string is postion 0. For example, %@insert[1,arm,wing] returns the string "warming". ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.52. @INSTR ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @INSTR[start, length, string]: Returns a substring, starting at the position start and continuing for length characters. If the length is omitted, it will default to the remainder of the string. If the length is negative, the start is relative to the right side of the string. The first character in the string is numbered 0; if the length is negative, the last character is numbered 0. For example, %@INSTR[0,2,%_TIME] gets the current time and extracts the hour; %@INSTR[1,-2,%_TIME] extracts the seconds. If the string includes commas, it must be quoted with double quotes ["] or back-quotes [`]. The quotes do count in calculating the position of the substring. @SUBSTR is an older version of the same function. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.53. @INT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @INT[n]: Returns the integer part of the number n. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.54. @LABEL ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @LABEL[d:]: Returns the volume label of the specified disk drive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.55. @LEFT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @LEFT[n, string]: Returns the leftmost n characters from the string. If n is greater than the length of the string, returns the entire string. For example, %@left[2,jpsoft] returns the string "jp". ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.56. @LEN ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @LEN[string]: Returns the length of a string. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.57. @LINE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @LINE[filename,n]: Returns line n from the specified file. The first line in the file is numbered 0. "**EOF**" is returned for all line numbers beyond the end of the file. The @LINE function must read each line of the file to find the line you request, and will therefore cause significant delays if used in a long loop or on a large file. For a more effective method of processing each line of a file in sequence use the FOR command, or @FILEOPEN and a sequence of @FILEREADs. You can retrieve input from standard input if you specify CON as the filename. If you are redirecting input to @LINE using this feature, you must use command grouping or the redirection will not work properly (you can pipe to @LINE without a command group; this restriction applies only to input redirection). For example: (echo %@line[con,0]) < myfile.dat ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.58. @LINES ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @LINES[filename]: Returns the line number of the last line in the file, or "-1" if the file is empty. The first line in the file is numbered 0, so (for example) @LINES will return 0 for a file containing one line. To get the actual number of lines, use %@INC[%@LINES[filename]]. @LINES must read each line of the file in order to count it, and will therefore cause significant delays if used in a long loop or on a large file. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.59. @LOWER ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @LOWER[string]: Returns the string converted to lower case. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.60. @MAKEAGE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @MAKEAGE[date[,time]]: Returns the date and time (if included) as a single value in the same format as @FILEAGE. @MAKEAGE can be used to compare the time stamp of a file with a specific date and time, for example: if %@fileage[myfile] lt %@makeage[1/1/85] echo OLD! The value returned by @MAKEAGE can be used for comparisons, but can not be used for date and time calculations because it is not in identifiable units. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.61. @MAKEDATE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @MAKEDATE[n]: Returns a date (formatted according to the current country settings). n is the number of days since 1/1/80. This is the inverse of @DATE. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.62. @MAKETIME ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @MAKETIME[n]: Returns a time (formatted according to the current country settings). n is the number of seconds since midnight. This is the inverse of @TIME. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.63. @MONTH ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @MONTH[mm-dd-yy]: Returns the month number for the specified date (1-12). MONTH uses the date format and separators mandated by your country code (for example dd.mm.yy in Germany, or yy-mm-dd in Japan). The year can be entered as a 4-digit or 2-digit value. Two-digit years between 80 and 99 are interpreted as 1980 - 1999; values between 00 and 79 are interpreted as 2000 - 2079. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.64. @NAME ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @NAME[filename]: Returns the base name of a file, without the path or extension. See the notes under Variable Functions about quoting returned long filenames. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.65. @NUMERIC ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @NUMERIC[string]: Returns "1" if the argument is composed entirely of digits (0 to 9), signs (+ or -), and the thousands and decimal separators. Otherwise, returns "0". If the string begins with a decimal separator it is not considered numeric unless the next character is a digit, and there are no more decimal separators within the string. For example, ".07" is numeric, but ".a" and ".07.01" are not. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.66. @PATH ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @PATH[filename]: Returns the path from a file name, including the drive letter and a trailing backslash but not including the base name or extension. See the notes under Variable Functions about quoting returned long filenames. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.67. @RANDOM ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @RANDOM[min, max]: Returns a "pseudo-random" value between min and max, inclusive. Min, max, and the returned value are all integers. The random number generator is initialized from the system clock the first time it is used after the command processor starts, so it will produce a different sequence of random numbers each time you use it. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.68. @READSCR ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @READSCR[row,col,length]: Returns the text displayed on the screen at the specified location. The upper left corner of the screen is location 0,0. The row and column can be specified as an offset from the current cursor location by preceding either value with a [+] or [-]. For example, %@readscr[-2,+2,10] returns 10 characters from the screen, starting 2 rows above and 2 columns to the right of the current cursor position. You can also specify the row and column as offsets from the current cursor position. Begin the value with a plus sign [+] to read the screen the specified number of rows below (or columns to the right of) the current position, or with a minus sign [-] to read the screen above (or to the left of) the current position. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.69. @READY ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @READY[d:]: Returns "1" if the specified drive is ready; otherwise returns "0". ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.70. @REMOTE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @REMOTE[d:]: Returns "1" if the specified drive is a remote (network) drive; otherwise returns "0". ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.71. @REMOVABLE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @REMOVABLE[d:]: Returns "1" if the specified drive is removable (e.g., a floppy disk or removable hard disk); otherwise returns "0". ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.72. @REPEAT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @REPEAT[c,n]: Returns the character c repeated n times. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.73. @REPLACE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @REPLACE[string1, string2, text]: Replaces all occurrences of string1 in the text string with string2. For example, %@replace[w,ch,warming] returns the string "charming". The search is case-sensitive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.74. @REXX ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @REXX[expr]: Calls the REXX interpreter to execute the expression. Returns the result string from REXX; if the REXX expression does not return a string, @REXX returns the REXX numeric result code. See REXX Support for more information. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.75. @RIGHT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @RIGHT[n,string]: Returns the rightmost n characters from the string. If n is greater than the length of the string, returns the entire string. For example, %@right[4,jpsoft] returns the string "soft." ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.76. @SEARCH ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @SEARCH[filename[,path]]: Searches for the filename using the PATH environment variable or the specified path, appending an extension if one isn't specified. @SEARCH returns the fully-expanded name of the file including drive, path, base name, and extension, or an empty string if a matching file is not found. If wildcards are used in the filename, @SEARCH will search for the first file that matches the wildcard specification, and return the drive and path for that file plus the wildcard filename (e.g., E:\UTIL\*.COM). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.77. @SELECT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @SELECT[filename,top,left,bottom,right,title[,1]]: Pops up a selection window with the lines from the specified file, allowing you to display menus or other selection lists from within a batch file. You can move through the selection window with standard popup window navigation keystrokes, including character matching. @SELECT returns the text of the line the scrollbar is on if you press Enter, or an empty string if you press Esc. The filename must be in quotes if it contains whitespace or special characters. The file size is limited only by available memory. To select from lines passed through input redirection or a pipe, use CON as the filename. If you use the optional 1 argument after the window title, the list will be sorted alphabetically. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.78. @STRIP ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @STRIP[chars,string]: Removes the characters in chars from the string and returns the result. For example, %@STRIP[AaEe,All Good Men] returns "ll Good Mn". The test is case sensitive. To include a comma in the chars string, enclose the entire first argument in double quotes. @STRIP will remove the quotes before processing the string. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.79. @SUBSTR ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @SUBSTR[string,start,length]: This is an older version of @INSTR The string parameter is at the start of the @SUBSTR argument list, and therefore cannot contain commas (because any commas in the string would be taken as argument separators). @INSTR, which has the string argument last, does not have this restriction. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.80. @TIME ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @TIME[hh:mm:ss]: Returns the number of seconds since midnight for the specified time. The time must be in 24-hour format; "am" and "pm" cannot be used. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.81. @TIMER ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @TIMER[n]: Returns the current split time for a stopwatch started with the TIMER command. The value of n specifies the timer to read and can be 1, 2, or 3. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.82. @TRIM ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @TRIM[string]: Returns the string with the leading and trailing white space (space and tab characters) removed. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.83. @UNIQUE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @UNIQUE[d:\path]: Creates a zero-length file with a unique name in the specified directory, and returns the full name and path. If no path is specified, the file will be created in the current directory. The file name will be FAT-compatible (8 character name and 3-character extension) regardless of whether the file is created on a FAT or HPFS drive. This function allows you to create a temporary file without overwriting an existing file. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.84. @UPPER ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @UPPER[string]: Returns the string converted to upper case. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.85. @WILD ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @WILD[string1,string2]: Performs a comparison of the two strings, and returns "1" if they match or "0" if they don't match. The second argument, string2, may contain wildcards or extended wildcards; the first argument, string1, may not. The test is not case sensitive. The following example tests whether the \UTIL directory (or any directory that begins with the characters UTIL) is included in the PATH: if %@wild[%path,*\UTIL*] == 1 command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.86. @WORD ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @WORD[["xxx",]n,string]: Returns the nth word in a string. The first word is numbered 0. If n is negative, words are returned from the end of the string. The first argument is a list of word separators you want to use; if you don't specify it, only spaces, tabs, and commas are considered to be word separators. For example: %@WORD[2,NOW IS THE TIME] returns "THE" %@WORD[-0,NOW IS THE TIME] returns "TIME" %@WORD[-2,NOW IS THE TIME] returns "IS" %@WORD["=",1,2 + 2=4] returns "4" ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.87. @WORDS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @WORDS[["xxx",]string]: Returns the number of words in the string. The optional list of separators follows the same format as @WORD. If the string argument is enclosed in quotation marks, you must enter a list of separators as well. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9.88. @YEAR ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ @YEAR[mm-dd-yy]: Returns the year for the specified date. YEAR uses the date format and separators mandated by your country code (for example dd.mm.yy in Germany, or yy-mm-dd in Japan). The year can be specified as two digits or four digits; @YEAR returns the same number of digits included in its argument. Two-digit years between 80 and 99 are interpreted as 1980 - 1999; values between 00 and 79 are interpreted as 2000 - 2079. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. 4OS2.INI ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Most of the configuration of 4OS2 is controlled through a file of initialization information called 4OS2.INI, which is discussed in the following sections: Modifying the .INI File Using the .INI File .INI File Sections .INI File Directives .INI File Examples We also discuss many ways of configuring 4OS2 in other sections of the help, for example: * With aliases you can set default options for internal commands and create new commands. * With executable extensions you can associate data files with the applications you use to open them. * With the FILECOMPLETION environment variable and the FileCompletion .INI directive you can customize filename completion to match the command you are working with. * With the COLORDIR environment variable and the ColorDir .INI directive you can set the colors used by the DIR and SELECT commands. * With the SETDOS command, you can change some aspects of the command processor's operation "on the fly." ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.1. Modifying the .INI File ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ You can create, add to, and modify the .INI file in 2 ways: with the OPTION command and by editing the file with any ASCII editor. OPTION displays a set of dialogs which allow you to modify the settings that are used most often. When you exit from the dialogs, you can select the Save button to save your changes in the .INI file for use in the current session and all future sessions, select the Use or OK button to use your changes in the current session only, or discard the changes you have made by selecting the Cancel button. See the OPTION command for additional details. Changes you make in the Startup section of the OPTION dialogs will only take effect when you restart the session or window in which 4OS2 is running. OPTION handles most standard .INI file settings. A few more advanced settings, as well as all settings that affect the interpretation of keystrokes, cannot be modified with OPTION and must be inserted or modified manually. For more details see the OPTION command. You can also create, add to, and edit the 4OS2.INI file "manually" with any ASCII text editor. Each command processor reads its .INI file when it starts, and configures itself accordingly. The .INI file is not re-read when you change it manually. For manual changes to take effect, you must restart the session or window in which 4OS2 is running. If you edit the .INI file manually, make sure you save the file in ASCII format. Each item that you can include in the .INI file has a default value. You only need to include entries in the file for settings that you want to change from their default values. Format: Most lines in the .INI file consist of a one-word directive, an equal sign [=], and a value. For example, in the following line, the word "Environment" is the directive and "2048" is the value: Environment = 2048 Any spaces before or after the equal sign are ignored. If you have a long string to enter in the .INI file (for example, for the ColorDir directive), you must enter it all on one line. Strings cannot be "continued" to a second line. Each line may be up to 1023 characters long. The format of the value part of a directive line depends on the individual directive. It may be a numeric value, a single character, a choice (like "Yes" or "No"), a color setting, a key name, a path, a filename, or a text string. The value begins with the first non-blank character after the equal sign and ends at the end of the line or the beginning of a comment. Blank lines are ignored in the .INI file and can be used to separate groups of directives. You can place comments in the file by beginning a line with a semicolon [;]. You can also place comments at the end of any line except one containing a text string value. To do so, enter at least one space or tab after the value, a semicolon, and your comment, like this: Environment = 2048 ;set standard environment size If you try to place a comment at the end of a string value, the comment will become part of the string and will probably cause an error. If you use the OPTION dialogs to modify the .INI file, comments on lines modified from within the dialogs will not be preserved when the new lines are saved. To be sure .INI file comments are preserved, put them on separate lines in the file If you want to include the text of one .INI file within another (for example, if you have a set of common directives used by several JP Software products), see the Include directive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.2. Using the .INI File ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Some settings in the .INI file are initialized when you install 4OS2, so you will probably have a 4OS2.INI file even if you didn't create one yourself. 4OS2 primary shells search for the .INI file in three places: * If there is an "@d:\path\inifile" option on the startup command line, the command processor will use the path and file name specified there, and will not look elsewhere. See Starting 4OS2 for details. * If there is no .INI file name on the startup command line, the search proceeds to the same directory where the command processor program file (4OS2.EXE) is stored. This is the "normal" location for the .INI file. 4OS2 determines this directory automatically. * If the .INI file is not found in the directory where the program file is stored, a final check is made in the root directory of the boot drive. When 4OS2 is loaded as a secondary shell, it does not search for the .INI file. Instead, it retrieves the primary shell's .INI file data, processes the [Secondary] section of the original .INI file if necessary (see .INI File Sections), and then processes any "@d:\path\inifile" option on the secondary shell command line (see Starting 4OS2). You can override this behavior with the NextINIFile directive. Secondary shells automatically inherit the configuration settings currently in effect in the previous shell. If values have been changed by SETDOS since the primary shell started, the current values will be passed to the secondary shell. If the previous shell's .INI file had a [Secondary] section, it will then be read and processed (see .INI File Sections. If not, the previous shell's settings will remain in effect. For example, you might set BatchEcho to Yes in the .INI file, to enable batch file echo. If you then use SETDOS /V0 to turn off batch file echoing in the primary shell, then any secondary shells will inherit the SETDOS setting, rather than the original value from the .INI file; i.e., batch files in the secondary shell will default to no echo. If you want to force secondary shells to start with a specific value for a particular directive, regardless of any changes made with SETDOS in a previous shell, repeat the directive in the [Secondary] section of the .INI file. The SETDOS command can override several of the .INI file directives. For example, the cursor shape used by 4OS2 can be adjusted either with the CursorIns and CursorOver directives or the SETDOS /S command. The correspondence between SETDOS options and .INI directives is noted with each directive, and under each option of the SETDOS command. When the command processor detects an error while processing the .INI file, it displays an error message and prompts you to press a key to continue processing the file. This allows you to note any errors before the startup process continues. The directive in error will retain its previous or default value. Only the most catastrophic errors (like a disk read failure) will terminate processing of the remainder of the .INI file. If you don't want a pause after each error, use a "PauseOnError = No" directive at the beginning of the .INI file. If you need to test different values for an .INI directive without repeatedly editing the .INI file, use the OPTION command or see the INIQuery directive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.3. .INI File Sections ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The .INI file has three possible sections: the first or global section, named [4OS2]; the [Primary] section; and the [Secondary] section. Each section is identified by the section name in square brackets on a line by itself. Directives in the global section are effective in all shells. In most cases, this is the only section you will need. Any changes you make to the .INI file with the OPTION command are stored in the global section. The [Primary] and [Secondary] sections include directives that are used only in primary and secondary shells, respectively. You don't need to set up these sections unless you want different directives for primary and secondary shells. Directives in the [Primary] section are used for the first or primary shell. The values are passed automatically to all secondary shells, unless overridden by a directive with the same name in the [Secondary] section. Directives in the [Secondary] section are used in secondary shells only, and override any corresponding primary shell settings. For example, these lines in the .INI file: [Primary] ScreenRows = 25 [Secondary] ScreenRows = 50 mean to assume that you have 25 rows on the screen in the primary shell and 50 lines in all secondary shells. Sections that begin with any name other than [4OS2], [Primary], or [Secondary] are ignored. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4. .INI File Directives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ For information on specific directives see the separate topic for each type of directive: Initialization Directives Configuration Directives Color Directives Key Mapping Directives Advanced Directives These topics list the directives, with a one-line description of each, and a cross-reference which selects a full screen help topic on that directive. A few of the directives are simple enough that the one-line description is sufficient, but in most cases you should check for any additional information in the cross-reference topic if you are not already familiar with the directive. You can also obtain help on most directives with a HELP directive command at the prompt. There are 8 types of directives in the .INI file. The different types of directives are shown in the descriptions as follows: * Name = nnnn (1234): This directive takes a numeric value which replaces the "nnnn." The default value is shown in parentheses. * Name = c (X): This directive accepts a single character as its value. The default character is shown in parentheses. You must type in the actual character; you cannot use a key name. * Name = CHOICE1 | Choice2 | ... : This directive takes a choice value. The possible choices are listed, separated by vertical bars. The default value is shown in all upper case letters in the directive description, but in your file any of the choices can be entered in upper case or lower case. For example, if the choices were shown as "YES | No" then "YES" is the default. * Name = Color: This directive takes a color specification. See Colors and Color Names. * Name = Key (Default): This directive takes a key specification. See Key Names. * Name = Path: This directive takes a path specification, but not a filename. The value should include both a drive and path (e.g., C:\4OS2) to avoid any possible ambiguities. A trailing backslash [\] at the end of the path name is acceptable but not required. Any default path is described in the text. * Name = File: This directive takes a filename. We recommend that you use a full filename including the drive letter and path to avoid any possible ambiguities. Any default filename is described in the text. * Name = String: This directive takes a string in the format shown. The text describes the default value and any additional requirements for formatting the string correctly. No comments are allowed. 4OS2 contains a fixed-length area for storing strings entered in the .INI file, including file names, paths, and other strings. This area is large and is unlikely to overflow; if it does, you will receive an error message. If this occurs, reduce the complexity of your .INI file or contact our technical support department for assistance. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1. Initialization Directives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The directives in this section control how 4OS2 starts and where it looks for its files. The initialization directives are: 4StartPath Path for 4START and 4EXIT DirHistory Size of directory history list DuplicateBugs Duplicate bugs in CMD.EXE HelpBook Books to load in help system History Size of history list INIQuery Query for each line in 4OS2.INI LocalAliases Local vs. global aliases LocalHistory Local vs. global directory history LocalHistory Local vs. global history PauseOnError Pause on errors in 4OS2.INI SwapFilePath Path to OS/2 swap file TreePath Path for directory database WindowState Initial state for the 4OS2 window WindowX, WindowY, WindowWidth, WindowHeightInitial size and position of the 4OS2 window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.1. 4StartPath ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4StartPath = Path: Sets the drive and directory where the 4START and 4EXIT batch files (if any) are located. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.2. DirHistory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ DirHistory = nnnn (256): Sets the amount of memory allocated to the directory history in bytes. The allowable range of values is 256 to 32767 bytes. If you use a global directory history list the DirHistory value will be ignored in all shells except the shell which first establishes the global list. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.3. DuplicateBugs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ DuplicateBugs = YES | No: Tells the 4OS2 parser to duplicate certain well-known bugs in CMD.EXE. The only bug currently replicated is in the IF command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.4. HelpBook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ HelpBook = String: Sets the names of the "books" to be loaded when 4OS2 help is invoked with the HELP command or the F1 key. The default is 4OS2+CMDREF which loads the 4OS2 help and the OS/2 command reference. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.5. History ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ History = nnnn (1024): Sets the amount of memory allocated to the command history list in bytes. The allowable range of values is 256 to 32767 bytes. If you use a global history list (see Command History and Recall), the History value is ignored in all shells except the shell which first establishes the global list. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.6. INIQuery ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ INIQuery = Yes | NO: If set to Yes, a prompt will be displayed before execution of each subsequent line in the current .INI file. This allows you to modify certain directives when you start 4OS2 in order to test different configurations. INIQuery can be reset to No at any point in the file. Normally INIQuery = Yes is only used during testing of other .INI file directives. The prompt generated by INIQuery = Yes is: [contents of the line] (Y/N/Q/R/E) ? At this prompt, you may enter: Y = Yes: Process this line and go on to the next. N = No: Skip this line and go on to the next. Q = Quit: Skip this line and all subsequent lines. R = Rest: Execute this and all subsequent lines. E = Edit: Edit the value for this entry. If you choose E for Edit, you can enter a new value for the directive, but not a new directive name. For example, if you have found a compatibility problem you think may be related to 4OS2's character (as opposed to line) input mode, you might change your 4OS2.INI file so a part of it read as follows: INIQuery = Yes LineInput = Yes INIQuery = No You could then choose to process, ignore, or edit the LineInput directive each time 4OS2 started. This would allow you to check whether changing the line input mode would resolve the compatibility problem. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.7. LocalAliases ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ LocalAliases = Yes | NO: No forces all copies of 4OS2 to share the same alias list. Yes keeps the lists for each shell separate. See ALIAS for more details on local and global alias lists. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.8. LocalDirHistory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ LocalDirHistory = Yes | NO: No forces all copies of command processor to share the same directory history. Yes keeps the directory histories for each shell separate. See Local and Global Directory History for more details. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.9. LocalHistory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ LocalHistory = Yes | NO: No forces all copies of 4OS2 to share the same history list. Yes keeps the lists for each shell separate. See Command History and Recall for more details on local and global history lists. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.10. PauseOnError ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ PauseOnError = YES | No: Yes forces a pause with the message "Error in filename, press any key to continue processing" after displaying any error message related to a specific line in the .INI file. No continues processing with no pause after an error message is displayed. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.11. SwapFilePath ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ SwapFilePath = Path | File: Specifies the path to the OS/2 swap file so that the MEMORY command can find it. You can either specify a full path and filename for the swap file or just the path. If you specify a path only, 4OS2 assumes that the file is called SWAPPER.DAT. If SwapFilePath is not used, 4OS2 assumes that the file is named SWAPPER.DAT and stored in the \OS2\SYSTEM directory of the boot drive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.12. TreePath ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ TreePath = Path: Sets the location of JPSTREE.IDX, the file used for extended directory searches By default, the file is placed in the root directory of drive C:\. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.13. WindowState ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ WindowState = STANDARD | Maximize | Minimize: Sets the initial state of the 4OS2 window. Standard puts the window in the default position on the OS/2 desktop, and is the default setting. Maximize maximizes the window; Minimize minimizes it. If you use Maximize or Minimize, you may see the 4OS2 window appear briefly in the Standard position as it is created by OS/2, then switch to the new state. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.1.14. WindowX, WindowY, WindowWidth, WindowHeight ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ WindowX = nnnn, WindowY = nnnn, WindowWidth = nnnn, WindowHeight = nnnn: These 4 directives set the initial size and position of the 4OS2 window. The measurements are in pixels or pels. WindowX and WindowY refer to the position of the bottom left corner of the window relative to the bottom left corner of the screen. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2. Configuration Directives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ These directives control the way that 4OS2 operate. Some can be changed with the SETDOS command while 4OS2 is running. Any corresponding SETDOS command is listed in the description of each directive. The configuration directives are: AmPm Time display format AppendToDir "\" on directory names in filename completion BatchEcho Default batch file echo state BeepFreq Default beep frequency BeepLength Default beep length CDDWinLeft, CDDWinTop, CDDWinWidth, CDDWinHeightInitial position and size of the directory change window CommandSep Multiple command separator character CursorIns Cursor shape in insert mode CursorOver Cursor shape in overstrike mode DecimalChar DecimalChar DescriptionMax Maximum length of file descriptions DescriptionName Name of file to hold file descriptions Descriptions Enable / disable description processing EditMode Editing mode (insert / overstrike) EscapeChar 4OS2 escape character EvalMax Max digits after decimal point in @EVAL EvalMin Min digits after decimal point in @EVAL ExecWait Wait for external programs at command line FileCompletion Filename completion by extension FuzzyCD Selects Extended Directory Search mode HistCopy History copy mode HistLogName History log file name HistMin Minimum command length to save HistMove History move mode HistWrap History wrap mode LineInput Enable / disable line input mode LogName Log file name NoClobber Overwrite protection for output redirection ParameterChar Alias / batch file parameter character PopupWinLeft, PopupWinTop, PopupWinWidth, PopupWinHeightInitial position and size of popup windows Printer LIST print device ScreenRows Screen height TabStops Tab width in LIST ThousandsChar Thousands separator UpperCase Force file names to upper case ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.1. AmPm ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ AmPm = Yes | NO | Auto: Yes displays times in 12-hour format with a trailing "a" for AM or "p" for PM. The default of No forces a display in 24-hour time format. Auto formats the time according to the country code set for your system. AmPm controls the time displays used by DIR and SELECT, in LOG files, and the output of the TIMER, DATE, and TIME commands. It has no effect on %_TIME, %@MAKETIME, the $t and $T options of PROMPT, or date and time ranges. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.2. AppendToDir ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ AppendToDir = Yes | NO: Yes appends a trailing "\" to directory names when doing filename completion. The default is No. (Regardless of the setting of this directive, a trailing backslash is always appended to a directory name at the beginning of the command line to enable automatic directory changes.) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.3. BatchEcho ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ BatchEcho = YES | No: Sets the default batch echo mode. Yes enables echoing of all batch file commands unless ECHO is explicitly set off in the batch file. No disables batch file echoing unless ECHO is explicitly set on. Also see SETDOS /V. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.4. BeepFreq ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ BeepFreq = nnnn (440): Sets the default BEEP command frequency in Hz. This is also the frequency for "error" beeps (for example, if you press an illegal key). To disable all error beeps set this or BeepLength to 0. If you do, the BEEP command will still be operable, but will not produce sound unless you explicitly specify the frequency and duration. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.5. BeepLength ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ BeepLength = nnnn (2): Sets the default BEEP length in system clock ticks (approximately 1/18 of a second per tick). BeepLength is also the default length for "error" beeps (for example, if you press an illegal key). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.6. CDDWinLeft, CDDWinTop, CDDWinWidth, CDDWinHeight ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ CDDWinLeft = nnnn, CDDWinTop = nnnn, CDDWinWidth = nnnn, CDDWinHeight = nnnn: These values set the position and size of the popup window used by extended directory searches, in characters, including the border. The defaults are 3, 3, 72, and 16, respectively (i.e., a window beginning in column 3, row 3, 72 columns wide and 16 rows high). The position is relative to the top left corner of the screen. The width and height values include the space required for the window border. The window cannot be smaller than than 10 columns wide by 5 rows high (including the border). The values you enter will be adjusted if necessary to keep a minimum-size window visible on the screen. The window is normally displayed with a shadow, but if you specify a window starting at column 0 and extending to the right margin, the shadow is eliminated; this may be useful to prevent speech software from reading text in the shadow area while viewing the window. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.7. CommandSep ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ CommandSep = c: This is the character used to separate multiple commands on the same line. The default is the ampersand [&]. You cannot use any of the redirection characters (| > < ) or any of the whitespace characters (space, tab, comma, or equal sign). The command separator is saved by SETLOCAL and restored by ENDLOCAL. Also see SETDOS /C, the %+ internal variable, and Special Character Compatibility for information on using compatible command separators for two or more products. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.8. CursorIns ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ CursorIns = nnnn (100): This is the shape of the cursor for insert mode during command-line editing and all commands which accept line input (DESCRIBE, ESET, etc.). The size is a percentage of the total character cell size, between 0% and 100%. Because of the way video drivers map the cursor shape, you may not get a smooth progression in cursor shapes as CursorIns and CursorOver change. If CursorIns or CursorOver is set to -1, 4OS2 will not attempt to modify the cursor shape at all; you can use this feature to give another program full control of the cursor shape. Also see CursorOver and SETDOS /S. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.9. CursorOver ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ CursorOver = nnnn (15): This is the shape of the cursor for overtype mode during command-line editing and all commands which accept line input. The size is a percentage of the total character cell size, between 0% and 100%. For details see CursorIns; also see SETDOS /S. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.10. DecimalChar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ DecimalChar = . | , | AUTO: Sets the character used as the decimal separator for @EVAL, numeric IF and IFF tests, version numbers, and other similar uses. The only valid settings are period [.], comma [,], and Auto (the default). A setting of Auto tells the command processor to use the decimal separator associated with your current country code. If you change the decimal character you must also adjust the thousands character (with ThousandsChar) so that the two characters are different. Also see SETDOS /G. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.11. DescriptionMax ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ DescriptionMax = nnnn (40): Controls the description length limit for DESCRIBE. The allowable range is 20 to 511 characters. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.12. DescriptionName ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ DescriptionName = [File | EA]: Sets the file name in which to store file descriptions. The default file name is DESCRIPT.ION. Use this directive with caution because changing the name from the default will make it difficult to transfer file descriptions to another system. If you set DescriptionName = EA, 4OS2 will use the ".SUBJECT" extended attribute (EA) for file descriptions instead of a separate file. Note that using EAs will slow the DIR and SELECT commands noticeably. On a FAT volume, performance may be substantially slower, depending on whether the system has cached the extended attributes. Also see SETDOS /D. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.13. Descriptions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Descriptions = YES | No: Turns description handling on or off during the file processing commands COPY, DEL, MOVE, and REN. If set to No, 4OS2 will not update the description file when files are moved, copied, deleted or renamed. Also see SETDOS /D. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.14. EditMode ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ EditMode = Insert | OVERSTRIKE: This directive lets you start the command-line editor in either insert or overstrike mode. Also see SETDOS /M. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.15. EscapeChar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ EscapeChar = c : Sets the character used to suppress the normal meaning of the following character. The default is a caret [^]. See Escape Character for a description of special escape sequences. You cannot use any of the redirection characters (|, >, or < ) or the whitespace characters (space, tab, comma, or equal sign) as the escape character. The escape character is saved by SETLOCAL and restored by ENDLOCAL. Also see SETDOS /E, the %= internal variable, and Special Character Compatibility for information on using compatible escape characters for two or more products. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.16. EvalMax ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ EvalMax = nnnn (8): Controls the maximum number of digits after the decimal point in values returned by @EVAL. This setting can be overridden with the construct @EVAL[expression=n.n]. The allowable range is 0 to 8. Also see EvalMin and SETDOS /F. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.17. EvalMin ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ EvalMin = nnnn (8): Controls the minimum number of digits after the decimal point in values returned by @EVAL. This setting can be overridden with the construct @EVAL[expression=n.n]. The allowable range is 0 to 8. The EvalMin value will be ignored if it is larger than EvalMax. Also see SETDOS /F. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.18. ExecWait ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ExecWait = Yes | NO: Controls whether 4OS2 waits for an external program to complete before redisplaying the prompt. See Waiting for Applications to Finish for details on the effects of this directive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.19. FileCompletion ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ FileCompletion = cmd1: ext1 ext2 ...; cmd2: ext3 ext4 ... Sets the files made available during filename completion for selected commands. The format is the same as that used for the FILECOMPLETION environment variable. See Filename Completion for a detailed explanation of selective filename completion. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.20. FuzzyCD ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ FuzzyCD = 0 | 1 | 2 | 3; Enables or disables extended directory searches, and controls their behavior. A setting of 0 (the default) disables extended searches. For complete details on the meaning of the other settings see Extended Directory Searches. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.21. HistCopy ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ HistCopy = Yes | NO: Controls what happens when you re-execute a line from the command history. If this option is set to Yes, the line is appended to the end of the history list. By default, or if this option is set to No, the command is not copied. The original copy of the command is retained at its original position in the list, regardless of the setting of HistCopy. Set this option to No if you want to use HistMove = Yes; otherwise, the HistCopy setting will override HistMove. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.22. HistLogName ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ HistLogName = File: Sets the history log file name and path. Using HistLogName does not turn history logging on; you must use a LOG /H ON command to do so. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.23. HistMin ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ HistMin = nnnn (0): Sets the minimum command-line size to save in the command history list. Any command line whose length is less than this value will not be saved. Legal values range from 0, which saves everything, to 1024, which disables all command history saves. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.24. HistMove ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ HistMove = Yes | NO: If set to Yes, a recalled line is moved to the end of the command history. The difference between this directive and HistCopy, is that HistCopy = Yes copies each recalled line to the end of the history but leaves the original in place. HistMove = Yes places the line at the end of history and removes the original line. This directive has no effect if HistCopy = Yes. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.25. HistWrap ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ HistWrap = YES | No: Controls whether the command history recall "wraps" when you reach the top or bottom of the list. The default setting enables wrapping, so the list appears "circular". If HistWrap is set to No, history recall will stop at the beginning and end of the list rather than wrapping. This setting affects history recall at the prompt only; the command history window never wraps. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.26. LineInput ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ LineInput = Yes | NO: This directive controls how 4OS2 gets its input from the command line. Yes forces 4OS2 to perform line-by-line input, just as CMD.EXE does, instead of character-by-character input. This will disable command-line editing, history recall, the directory history window, and filename completion, and will reduce the 4OS2 input length limit from 1023 characters to 299 characters. It is normally used only for applications which do not work properly unless 4OS2 uses line input. If you have a particular program that requires line input, you can use SETDOS /L to temporarily change modes. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.27. LogName ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ LogName = File: Sets the log file name and path. Using LogName does not turn logging on; you must use a LOG ON command to do so. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.28. NoClobber ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ NoClobber = Yes | NO: If set to Yes, will prevent standard output redirection from overwriting an existing file, and will require that the output file already exist for append redirection. Also see SETDOS /N. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.29. ParameterChar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ParameterChar = c: Sets the character used after a percent sign to specify all or all remaining command-line arguments in a batch file or alias (e.g., %& or %n&; see Batch Files and ALIAS). The default is the ampersand [&]. The parameter character is saved by SETLOCAL and restored by ENDLOCAL. Also see SETDOS /P. See Special Character Compatibility for information on using compatible parameter characters for two or more products. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.30. PopupWinLeft, PopupWinTop, PopupWinWidth, PopupWinHeight ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ PopupWinLeft = nnnn, PopupWinTop = nnnn, PopupWinWidth = nnnn, PopupWinHeight = nnnn: These values set the position and size of the command-line, directory history, and filename completion windows, and most other popup windows (see CDDWinLeft etc. for the extended directory search window). The values are in characters, and include the border. The defaults are 40, 1, 36, and 12, respectively (i.e., a window beginning in column 40, row 1, 36 columns wide and 12 rows high). The position is relative to the top left corner of the screen. The width and height values include the space required for the window border. The window cannot be smaller than than 10 columns wide by 5 rows high (including the border). The values you enter will be adjusted if necessary to keep a minimum-size window visible on the screen. The window is normally displayed with a shadow, but if you specify a window starting at column 0 and extending to the right margin, the shadow is eliminated; this may be useful to prevent speech software from reading text in the shadow area while viewing the window. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.31. Printer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Printer = devicename: Sets the output device that the LIST command will print to. By default, LPT1 is used. The device can be PRN, LPT1 to 3, COM1 to 4, NUL (which will disable printed output) or any other installed character device. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.32. ScreenRows ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ScreenRows = nnnn: Sets the number of screen rows used by the video display. Normally the screen size is determined automatically, but if you have a non-standard display you may need to set it explicitly. This value does not affect screen scrolling, which is controlled by OS/2 and your video driver. ScreenRows is used only by the LIST and SELECT commands, the paged output options of other commands (e.g., TYPE /P), and error checking in the screen output commands. Also see SETDOS /R. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.33. TabStops ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ TabStops = nnnn (8): Sets the tab stops for files displayed with the LIST command. Setting TabStops=3, for example, will place a tab stop in every third column. The allowable range is 1 to 32. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.34. ThousandsChar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ThousandsChar = . | , | AUTO: Sets the character used as the thousands separator for numeric output. The only valid settings are period [.], comma [,], and Auto (the default). A setting of Auto tells the command processor to use the thousands separator associated with your current country code. If you change the thousands character you must also adjust the decimal character (with DecimalChar) so that the two characters are different. Also see SETDOS /G. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.2.35. UpperCase ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ UpperCase = Yes | NO: Yes specifies that file and directory names should be displayed in the traditional upper-case by internal commands like COPY and DIR. No allows the normal 4OS2 lower-case style. This directive does not affect the display of filenames on HPFS drives. Also see SETDOS /U. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.3. Color Directives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ These directives control the colors that 4OS2 use for its displays. Screen border colors can only be set in StdColors. "BORder" color specifications included in other directives will be ignored. For complete details on color names see Colors and Color Names. The color directives are: BrightBG Bright background colors CDDWinColors Directory change window colors ColorDir Directory colors InputColors Input colors ListboxBarColors Light bar color in list boxes ListColors LIST display colors ListStatBarColors LIST status bar colors PopupWinColors Popup window colors SelectColors SELECT display colors SelectStatBarColors SELECT status bar colors StdColors Standard display colors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.3.1. BrightBG ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ BrightBG = Yes | No. If set to Yes, 4OS2 will enable bright background colors in full-screen sessions. If set to No, bright backgrounds will be disabled, but blinking foreground characters will be enabled. If BrightBG is not used, 4OS2 will not adjust the bright background / blinking foreground switch at all. Most color video boards default to a blinking foreground with bright background colors disabled. See also SETDOS /B. Using BrightBG requires careful attention to interactions of display type, mode, and color. For a detailed explanation, see Colors and Color Names. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.3.2. CDDWinColors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ CDDWinColors = Color: Sets the default colors for the popup window used by extended directory searches. If this directive is not used, the colors will be reversed from the current colors on the screen. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.3.3. ColorDir ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ColorDir = ext1 ext2 ...:colora;ext3 ext4 ... :colorb; ...: Sets the directory colors used by DIR and SELECT. The format is the same as that used for the COLORDIR environment variable. See the Color-Coded Directories topic under the DIR command for a complete description of the format of this variable. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.3.4. InputColors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ InputColors = Color: Sets the colors used for command-line input. This setting is useful for making your input stand out from the normal output. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.3.5. ListboxBarColors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ListboxBarColors = Color: Sets the color for the highlight bar in the popup list boxes (i.e., command history window, filename completion window, @SELECT window, etc.). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.3.6. ListColors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ListColors = Color: Sets the colors used by the LIST command. If this directive is not used, LIST will use the current default colors set by the CLS or COLOR command or by the StdColors directive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.3.7. ListStatBarColors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ListStatBarColors = Color: Sets the colors used on the LIST status bar. If this directive is not used, LIST will set the status bar to the reverse of the screen color (the screen color is controlled by ListColors). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.3.8. PopupWinColors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ PopupWinColors = Color: Sets the default colors for the command-line, directory history, and filename completion windows, and most other popup windows (see CDDWinColors for the extended directory search window). If this directive is not used, the colors will be reversed from the current colors on the screen. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.3.9. SelectColors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ SelectColors = Color: Sets the color used by the SELECT command. If this directive is not used, SELECT will use the current default colors set by the CLS or COLOR command or by the StdColors directive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.3.10. SelectStatBarColors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ SelectStatBarColors = Color: Sets the color used on the SELECT status bar. If this directive is not used, SELECT will set the status bar to the reverse of the screen color (the screen color is controlled by SelectColors). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.3.11. StdColors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ StdColors = Color: Sets the standard colors to be used when CLS is used without a color specification, and for LIST and SELECT if ListColors and SelectColors are not used. Using this directive is similar to placing a COLOR command in 4START. StdColors takes effect the first time CLS, LIST, or SELECT is used after 4OS2 starts, but will not affect the color of error or other messages displayed during the loading and initialization process. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4. Key Mapping Directives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ These directives allow you to change the keys used for command-line editing and other internal functions. They are divided into four types, depending on the context in which the keys are used. For a discussion and list of directives for each type see: General Input Keys Command-Line Editing Keys Popup Window Keys LIST Keys Using a key mapping directive allows you to assign a different or additional key to perform the function described. For example, to use function key F3 to invoke the HELP facility (normally invoked with F1): Help = F3 Any directive can be used multiple times to assign multiple keys to the same function. For example: ListFind = F ;F does a find in LIST ListFind = F5 ;F5 also does a find in LIST Use some care when you reassign keystrokes. If you assign a default key to a different function, it will no longer be available for its original use. For example, if you assign F1 to the AddFile directive (a part of filename completion), the F1 key will no longer invoke the help system, so you will probably want to assign a different key to Help. See Keys and Key Names before using the key mapping directives. Key assignments are processed before looking for keystroke aliases. For example, if you assign Shift-F1 to HELP and also assign Shift-F1 to a key alias, the key alias will be ignored. Assigning a new keystroke for a function does not deassign the default keystroke for the same function. If you want to deassign one of the default keys, use the NormalKey directive described below or the corresponding directive for keys in the other key groups (NormalEditKey, NormalPopupKey, or NormalListKey). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1. General Input Keys ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ These directives apply to all input. They are in effect whenever 4OS2 requests input from the keyboard, including during command-line editing and the DESCRIBE, ESET, INPUT, LIST, and SELECT commands. The general input keys are: Backspace Deletes the character to the left of the cursor BeginLine Moves the cursor to the start of the line Del Deletes the character at the cursor DelToBeginning Deletes from the cursor to the start of the line DelToEnd Deletes from the cursor to the end of the line DelWordLeft Deletes the word to the left of the cursor DelWordRight Deletes the word to the right of the cursor Down * Moves the cursor or scrolls the display down EndLine Moves the cursor to the end of the line EraseLine Deletes the entire line ExecLine Executes or accepts a line Ins Toggles insert / overstrike mode Left * Moves the cursor or scrolls the display left NormalKey * Deassigns a key Right * Moves the cursor or scrolls the display right Up * Moves the cursor or scrolls the display up WordLeft Moves the cursor left one word WordRight Moves the cursor right one word ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.1. Backspace ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Backspace = Key (Bksp): Deletes the character to the left of the cursor. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.2. BeginLine ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ BeginLine = Key (Home): Moves the cursor to the beginning of the line. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.3. Del ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Del = Key (Del): Deletes the character at the cursor. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.4. DelToBeginning ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ DelToBeginning = Key (Ctrl-Home): Deletes from the cursor to the start of the line. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.5. DelToEnd ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ DelToEnd = Key (Ctrl-End): Deletes from the cursor to the end of the line. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.6. DelWordLeft ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ DelWordLeft = Key (Ctrl-L): Deletes the word to the left of the cursor. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.7. DelWordRight ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ DelWordRight = Key (Ctrl-R, Ctrl-Bksp): Deletes the word to the right of the cursor. See ClearKeyMap if you need to remove the default mapping of Ctrl-Bksp to this function. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.8. Down ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Down = Key (Down): Scrolls the display down one line in LIST; moves the cursor down one line in SELECT and in the command-line history, directory history, or %@SELECT window. (Scrolling down through the command history at the prompt is controlled by NextHistory, not by this directive.) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.9. EndLine ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ EndLine = Key (End): Moves the cursor to the end of the line. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.10. EraseLine ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ EraseLine = Key (Esc): Deletes the entire line. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.11. ExecLine ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ExecLine = Key (Enter): Executes or accepts a line. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.12. Ins ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Ins = Key (Ins): Toggles insert / overstrike mode during line editing. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.13. Left ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Left = Key (Left): Moves the cursor left one character on the input line; scrolls the display left 8 columns in LIST; scrolls the display left 4 columns in the command-line, directory history, or %@SELECT window. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.14. NormalKey ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ NormalKey = Key: Deassigns a general input key in order to disable the usual meaning of the key within 4OS2 and/or make it available for keystroke aliases. This will make the keystroke operate as a "normal" key with no special function. For example: NormalKey = Ctrl-End will disable Ctrl-End, which is the standard "delete to end of line" key. Ctrl-End could then be assigned to a keystroke alias. Another key could be assigned the "delete to end of line" function with the DelToEnd directive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.15. Right ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Right = Key (Right): Moves the cursor right one character on the input line; scrolls the display right 8 columns in LIST; scrolls the display right 4 columns in the command-line history, directory history, or %@SELECT window. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.16. Up ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Up = Key (Up): Scrolls the display up one line in LIST; moves the cursor up one line in SELECT and in the command-line history, directory history, or %@SELECT window. (Scrolling up through the command history at the prompt is controlled by PrevHistory, not by this directive.) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.17. WordLeft ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ WordLeft = Key (Ctrl-Left): Moves the cursor left one word; scrolls the display left 40 columns in LIST. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.1.18. WordRight ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ WordRight = Key (Ctrl-Right): Moves the cursor right one word; scrolls the display right 40 columns in LIST. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2. Command-Line Editing Keys ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ These directives apply only to command-line editing. They are only effective at the 4OS2 prompt. The command-line editing keys are: AddFile Keeps filename completion entry and adds another AliasExpand Expands aliases without executing them CommandEscape Allows direct entry of a keystroke DelHistory Deletes a history list entry EndHistory Displays the last entry in the history list Help Invokes this help system LineToEnd Copies the current line to the end of the history NextFile Gets the next matching filename NextHistory Recalls the next command from the history NormalEditKey Deassigns a command-line editing key PopFile Opens the filename completion window PrevFile Gets the previous matching filename PrevHistory Recalls the previous command from the history SaveHistory Saves the command line without executing it ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.1. AddFile ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ AddFile = Key (F10): Keeps the current filename completion entry and inserts the next matching name. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.2. AliasExpand ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ AliasExpand = Key (Ctrl-F): Expands all aliases in the current command line without executing them. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.3. CommandEscape ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ CommandEscape = Key (Alt-255): Allows direct entry of a keystroke that would normally be handled by the command line editor (e.g. Tab or Ctrl-D). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.4. DelHistory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ DelHistory = Key (Ctrl-D): Deletes the displayed history list entry and displays the previous entry. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.5. EndHistory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ EndHistory = Key (Ctrl-E): Displays the last entry in the history list. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.6. Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Help = Key (F1): Invokes the HELP facility. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.7. LineToEnd ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ LineToEnd = Key (Ctrl-Enter): Copies the current command line to the end of the history list, then executes it. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.8. NextFile ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ NextFile = Key (F9, Tab): Gets the next matching filename. See ClearKeyMap if you need to remove the default mapping of Tab to this function. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.9. NextHistory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ NextHistory = Key (Down): Recalls the next command from the command history. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.10. NormalEditKey ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ NormalEditKey = Key: Deassigns a command-line editing key in order to disable the usual meaning of the key while editing a command line, and/or make it available for keystroke aliases. For additional details see NormalKey. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.11. PopFile ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ PopFile = Key (F7, Ctrl-Tab): Opens the filename completion window. You may not be able to use Ctrl-Tab, because not all systems recognize it as a keystroke. See ClearKeyMap if you need to remove the default mapping of Ctrl-Tab to this function. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.12. PrevFile ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ PrevFile = Key (F8, Shift-Tab): Gets the previous matching filename. See ClearKeyMap if you need to remove the default mapping of Shift-Tab to this function. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.13. PrevHistory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ PrevHistory = Key (Up): Recalls the previous command from the command history. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.2.14. SaveHistory ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ SaveHistory = Key (Ctrl-K): Saves the command line in the command history list without executing it. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.3. Popup Window Keys ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ These directives apply to popup windows, including the command history window, the directory history window, the filename completion window, the extended directory search window, and the %@SELECT window. The popup window keys are: DirWinOpen Opens the directory history window HistWinOpen Opens the command history window NormalPopupKey Deassigns a popup window key PopupWinBegin Moves to the first line of the popup window PopupWinDel Deletes a line from within the popup window PopupWinEdit Moves a line from the popup window to the prompt PopupWinEnd Moves to the last line of the popup window PopupWinExec Executes the selected line in the popup window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.3.1. DirWinOpen ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ DirWinOpen = Key (Ctrl-PgUp): Opens the directory history window while at the command line. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.3.2. HistWinOpen ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ HistWinOpen = Key (PgUp): Brings up the history window while at the command line. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.3.3. NormalPopupKey ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ NormalPopupKey = Key: Deassigns a popup window key in order to disable the usual meaning of the key within the popup window. For additional details see NormalKey. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.3.4. PopupWinBegin ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ PopupWinBegin = Key (Ctrl-PgUp): Moves to the first item in the list when in the popup window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.3.5. PopupWinDel ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ PopupWinDel = Key (Ctrl-D): Deletes a line from within the command history or directory history window. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.3.6. PopupWinEdit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ PopupWinEdit = Key (Ctrl-Enter): Moves a line from the command history or directory history window to the prompt for editing. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.3.7. PopupWinEnd ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ PopupWinEnd = Key (Ctrl-PgDn): Moves to the last item when in the popup window. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.3.8. PopupWinExec ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ PopupWinExec = Key (Enter): Selects the current item and closes the window. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.4. LIST Keys ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ These directives are effective only inside the LIST command. The LIST keys are: ListExit Exits the current file. ListFind Prompts and searches for a string ListFindReverse Prompts and searches backward for a string ListHex Toggles hexadecimal display mode ListHighBit Toggles LIST's "strip high bit" option ListInfo Displays information about the current file ListNext Finds the next matching string ListPrevious Finds the previous matching string ListPrint Prints the file on LPT1 ListWrap Toggles LIST's wrap option NormalListKey Deassigns a LIST key ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.4.1. ListExit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ListExit = Key (Esc): Exits from the LIST command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.4.2. ListFind ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ListFind = Key (F): Prompts and searches for a string. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.4.3. ListFindReverse ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ListFindReverse = Key (Ctrl-F): Prompts and searches backward for a string. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.4.4. ListHex ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ListHex = Key (X): Toggles hexadecimal display mode. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.4.5. ListHighBit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ListHighBit = Key (H): Toggles LIST's "strip high bit" option, which can aid in displaying files from certain word processors. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.4.6. ListInfo ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ListInfo = Key (I): Displays information about the current file. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.4.7. ListNext ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ListNext = Key (N): Finds the next matching string. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.4.8. ListPrevious ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ListPrevious = Key (Ctrl-N): Finds the previous matching string. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.4.9. ListPrint ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ListPrint = Key (P): Prints the file on LPT1. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.4.10. ListWrap ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ListWrap = Key (W): Toggles LIST's wrap option on and off. The wrap option wraps text at the right margin. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.4.4.11. NormalListKey ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ NormalListKey = Key: Deassigns a LIST key in order to disable the usual meaning of the key within LIST. For additional details see NormalKey. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.5. Advanced Directives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ These directives are generally used for unusual circumstances, or for diagnosing problems. Most often they are not needed in normal use. The advanced directives are: ClearKeyMap Clear default key mappings Debug Set debugging options Include Include a file containing .INI directives NextINIFile Set secondary shell .INI file name ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.5.1. ClearKeyMap ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ ClearKeyMap: Clears all current key mappings. ClearKeyMap is a special directive which has no value or "=" after it. Use ClearKeyMap to make one of the keys in the default map (Tab, Shift-Tab, Ctrl-Tab, or Ctrl-Bksp) available for a keystroke alias, or in the [Secondary] section of the .INI file to clear key mappings inherited from the primary shell. ClearKeyMap should appear before any key mapping directives. If you want to clear some but not all of the default mappings, use ClearKeyMap, then recreate the mappings you want to retain (e.g., with "NextFile=Tab", etc.). If you set DescriptionName = EA, 4OS2 will use the ".SUBJECT" extended attribute (EA) for file descriptions instead of a separate file. Note that using EAs will slow the DIR and SELECT commands noticeably. On a FAT volume, performance may be 10% to 200% slower, depending on whether the system has cached the extended attributes. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.5.2. Debug ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Debug = nnnn (0): Controls certain debugging options which can assist you in tracking down unusual problems. Use the following values for Debug; to select more than one option, add the values together: 1 During the startup process, display the complete command tail passed to 4OS2, then wait for a keystroke. 2 Include the product name with each error message displayed by 4OS2. This may be useful if you are unsure of the origin of a particular error message. Also see the batch file debugger, a separate and unrelated facility for stepping through batch files. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.5.3. Include ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Include = File: Include the text from the named file at this point in the processing of the current .INI file. Use this option to share a file of directives between several products. The text in the named file is processed just as if it were part of the original .INI file. When the include file is finished, processing resumes at the point where it left off in the original file. The included file may contain any valid directive for the current section, but may not contain a section name. Includes may be nested up to three levels deep (counting the original file as level 1). You must maintain include files manually -- the OPTION command modifies the original .INI file only, and does not update included files. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4.5.4. NextINIFile ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ NextINIFile = File. The full path and name of the file must be specified. All subsequent shells will read the specified .INI file, and ignore any [Secondary] section in the original .INI file. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.5. .INI File Examples ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This example configures certain special characters to match 4DOS, and changes other default settings to suit the user's preferences. Note that the comments for the HelpBook and ColorDir directives are on separate lines before the directives themselves, as no comments are allowed in string directives: [4OS2] InstallPath = c:\4OS2300 ;installation directory PauseOnError = No ;don't stop on INI errors CommandSep = ^ ;4DOS command separator ParameterChar = & ;4DOS parameter character BatchEcho = No ;default to ECHO OFF ;show only 4OS2 help for F1 / HELP HelpBook = 4OS2 History = 2048 ;expand history to 2K bytes BeepFreq = 880 ;make beep higher pitch EditMode = Insert ;insert mode for cmd edit CursorOver = 100 ;overstrike cursor 100% CursorIns = 10 ;insert cursor 10% ListFind = F5 ;F5 does a find in LIST ListNext = F6 ;and F6 does a find next StdColors = bri cya on blu ;default colors ListColors = bri whi on blu ;colors for LIST SelectColors = bri whi on blu ;same colors for SELECT ;set directory display colors colordir = DIRS:bri yel;com exe bat btm cmd:bri whi ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. Setup and Troubleshooting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Starting 4OS2 The 4OS2 Help System Error Messages Troubleshooting, Service, and Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.1. Starting 4OS2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Each 4OS2 object on your OS/2 desktop represents a different 4OS2 session. You can configure any of these sessions to run in windowed or full-screen mode, and you can set any necessary command line parameters for 4OS2, by adjusting the properties of the desktop objects. To adjust the properties of an object you need to be familiar with how object properties are set in your version of OS/2. For details see your OS/2 documentation, or the 4OS2 Introduction and Installation Guide. When you configure a 4OS2 object, place an asterisk [*] in the Program Name field, and put any startup options that you want passed to 4OS2 (e.g., @inifile) in the Parameters field. For example: Path and file name: * Parameters: @D:\START\4OS2.INI Working directory: C:\ (If 4OS2 is not set up as your default OS/2 shell in CONFIG.SYS, use the full path and name for 4OS2.EXE as the program name, rather than the asterisk.) To run a startup batch file for a particular 4OS2 session, include its name (with a path, if the batch file is not in the session's startup directory) as the last item in the Parameters field when you configure the desktop object. That batch file will be executed after any 4START file, but before the first prompt is displayed. You can use the batch file to set environment variables and execute any other 4OS2 commands. You can also execute any internal 4OS2 command, external command, or alias by placing its name in the Parameters field. For example: Path and file name: * Parameters: D:\STARTOS2.CMD Working directory: C:\ To execute an internal or external command, an alias, or a batch file and then exit (return to the desktop) when it is done, place /C command (rather than just command) as the last item in the Parameters field. For example: Path and file name: * Parameters: /C COMFILES.BTM Working directory: C:\ The 4OS2 command line does not need to contain any information. When invoked with an empty command line, 4OS2 will configure itself from the 4OS2.INI file, run 4START, and then display a prompt and wait for you to type a command. However, you may add options on the 4OS2 command line to change the way 4OS2 operates. 4OS2 recognizes several optional fields on the command line. All of the options go on one line. If you use more than one of these fields, their order is important. The syntax for the command line is: [d:\path] [@d:\path\inifile] [//iniline]... [/L] [/LA] [/LD] [/LH] [/S] [/C | /K] [command] The options are: d:\path: 4OS2 will use this directory and path to set the COMSPEC environment variable for this session. If this option is not used, COMSPEC is set from the location of 4OS2.EXE. 4OS2 always knows what drive and directory it was started from and can set COMSPEC accordingly. It is included only for compatibility with CMD.EXE. This option cannot be used for secondary shells. @d:\path\inifile: This option sets the path and name of the 4OS2.INI file. You do not need this option if you aren't using a 4OS2.INI file, or if the file is named 4OS2.INI and is stored in the same subdirectory as 4OS2.EXE or in the root directory of the boot drive. This option is most useful if you want to start a 4OS2 session with a specific and unique .INI file. //iniline: This option tells 4OS2 to treat the text appearing between the // and the next space or tab as a 4OS2.INI directive. The directive should be in the same format as a line in 4OS2.INI, but it may not contain spaces, tabs, or comments. This option overrides any corresponding directive in your 4OS2.INI file. It is a convenient way to send 4OS2 one or two simple directives without modifying or creating a new 4OS2.INI file. /L, /LA, /LD, and /LH: These options force 4OS2 to to use a local alias, directory history, and / or command history list. They can be used to override any LocalAliases=No, LocalDirHistory=No, or LocalHistory=No settings in 4OS2.INI. This allows you to use global lists as the default, but start a specific 4OS2 session with local lists. /LA forces local aliases, /LD forces local directory history, /LH forces local history, and /L forces all three. See Command History for details on local and global history, Directory History Window for details on local and global directory history, and ALIAS for details on local and global aliases. /S: This option tells 4OS2 that you do not want it to set up a Ctrl-C / Ctrl-Break handler. It is included for compatibility with CMD.EXE, but it may cause the system to operate incorrectly if you use this option without other software to handle Ctrl-C and Ctrl-Break. [/C | /K] command: This option tells 4OS2 to run a command when it starts. The command will be run after 4START has been executed and before any command prompt is displayed. It can be any valid internal or external command, batch file, or alias; you may include multiple commands by using the command separator. All other startup options must be placed before the command, because 4OS2 will treat characters after the command as part of the command and not as additional startup options. When the command is preceded by a /C, 4OS2 will execute the command and then exit and return to the parent program or the OS/2 desktop without displaying a prompt. The /K switch has no effect; using it is the same as placing the command (without a /C or /K) at the end of the startup command line. It is included only for compatibility with CMD.EXE. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.2. The 4OS2 Help System ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This online help system for 4OS2 covers all 4OS2 features and internal commands. It includes reference information to assist you in using 4OS2 and developing batch files; however it does not include all of the details which are included in the printed 4OS2 manuals. If you type part or all of a command on the line and then press F1, the help system will provide "context-sensitive" help by using the first word on the line as a help topic. If it's a valid topic, you will see help for that topic automatically; if not, you will see the list of all help topics and you can pick the one you want. You can use this feature to obtain help on any topic -- not just on commands. For example, if you enter the command HELP _DISK you will see help for the _DISK internal variable. See the HELP command for more information. If you type the name of any internal command at the prompt, followed by a slash and a question mark [/?] like this: copy /? then you will see help for the command in a "quick-reference" style. Output from a /? display may be redirected with > or >>. The /? option may not work correctly if you have used an alias to redefine how an internal command operates. To view the /? help for such a command you must add an asterisk to the beginning of the command to disable alias processing. For example, if you have defined this alias: alias copy *copy /r then the command COPY /? will be translated to COPY /R /?, which will not work properly. However, if you use *COPY /?, the alias will be ignored and the /? will work as you intended. The 4OS2 help system uses OS/2's VIEW.EXE to display this help text. Once you've started the help system with HELP or F1, you can use VIEW's standard keystrokes to navigate. For more information, click on the Help menu at the top of the VIEW window. Configuring the Help System You can select which help "books" are displayed when you press the F1 key or enter the HELP command. A help book is a single .INF file. This help text is in the file 4OS2.INF. By default, 4OS2 opens this book and the OS/2 command reference file, CMDREF.INF. You can change the default books opened for the 4OS2 help system with the HelpBook directive in 4OS2.INI. The default setting is 4OS2+CMDREF. For example, to load only the 4OS2 help when you press F1 or enter the HELP command: HelpBook = 4OS2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.3. Error Messages ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This section lists error messages generated by 4OS2, and includes a recommended course of action where appropriate. If you are unable to resolve the problem, look through your Introduction and Installation Guide for any additional troubleshooting recommendations, then contact JP Software for technical support. Error messages relating to files are generally reports of errors returned by OS/2. You may find some of these messages (for example, "Access denied") vague enough that they are not always helpful. 4OS2 includes the file name in file error messages, but is often unable to determine a more accurate explanation of these errors. The message shown is the best information available based on the error codes returned by OS/2. The following list includes all error messages, in alphabetical order: Access denied: You tried to write to or erase a read-only file, rename a file or directory to an existing name, create a directory that already exists, remove a read-only directory or a directory with files or subdirectories still in it, or access a file in use by another program in a multitasking system. Alias loop: An alias refers back to itself either directly or indirectly (i.e., a = b = a), or aliases are nested more than 16 levels deep. Correct your alias list. Already excluded files: You used more than one exclude range in a command. Combine the exclusions into a single range. Bad disk unit: Generally caused by a disk drive hardware failure. Batch file missing: 4OS2 can't find the batch (.BTM or .CMD ) file it was running. It was either deleted, renamed, moved, or the disk was changed. Correct the problem and rerun the file. Can't copy file to itself: You cannot COPY or MOVE a file to itself. 4OS2 attempts to perform full path and filename expansion before copying to help ensure that files aren't inadvertently destroyed. Can't create: 4OS2 can't create the specified file. The disk may be full or write protected, or the file already exists and is read-only, or the root directory is full. Can't delete: 4OS2 can't delete the specified file or directory. The disk is probably write protected. Can't get directory: 4OS2 can't read the directory. The disk drive is probably not ready. Can't install hook: 4OS2 cannot install the operating system hooks required to support the KEYSTACK command. The operating system may have been damaged or improperly installed, or there may be too few resources to support KEYSTACK. Can't make directory entry: 4OS2 can't create the filename in the directory. This is usually caused by a full root directory. Create a subdirectory and move some of the files to it. Can't open: 4OS2 can't open the specified file. Either the file doesn't exist or the disk directory or File Allocation Table is damaged. Can't remove current directory: You attempted to remove the current directory, which OS/2 does not allow. Change to the parent directory and try again. CD-ROM door open or CD-ROM not ready: The CD-ROM drive door is open, the power is off, or the drive is disconnected. Correct the problem and try again. CD-ROM not High Sierra or ISO-9660: The CD-ROM is not recognized as a data CD (it may be a music CD). Put the correct CD in the drive and try again. Clipboard is empty or not text format: You tried to retrieve some text from the OS/2 clipboard, but there is no text available. Correct the contents of the clipboard and try again. Clipboard is in use by another program: 4OS2 could not access the OS/2 clipboard because another program was using it. Wait until the clipboard is available, or complete any pending action in the other program, then try again. Command line too long: A single command exceeded 1023 characters, or the entire command line exceeded 2047 characters, during alias and variable expansion. Reduce the complexity of the command or use a batch file. Also check for an alias which refers back to itself either directly or indirectly. Command only valid in batch file: You have tried to use a batch file command, like DO or GOSUB, from the command line or in an alias. A few commands can only be used in batch files (see the individual commands for details). Contents lost before copy: COPY was appending files, and found one of the source files is the same as the destination. That source file is skipped, and appending continues with the next file. Data error: OS/2 can't read or write properly to the device. On a floppy drive, this error is usually caused by a defective floppy disk, dirty disk drive heads, or a misalignment between the heads on your drive and the drive on which the disk was created. On a hard drive, this error may indicate a drive that is too hot or too cold, or a hardware problem. Retry the operation; if it fails again, correct the hardware or diskette problem. Directory stack empty: POPD or DIRS can't find any entries in the directory stack. Disk is write protected: The disk cannot be written to. Check the disk and remove the write-protect tab or close the write- protect window if necessary. Drive not ready -- close door: The removable disk drive door is open. Close the door and try again. Duplicate redirection: You tried to redirect standard input, standard output, or stand error more than once in the same command. Environment already saved: You have already saved the environment with a previous SETLOCAL command. You cannot nest SETLOCAL / ENDLOCAL pairs. Error in command-line directive: You used the //iniline option to place an 4OS2.INI directive on the startup command line, but the directive is in error. Usually a more specific error message follows, and can be looked up in this list. Error on line [nnnn] of [filename]: There is an error in your 4OS2.INI file. The following message explains the error in more detail. Correct the line in error and restart 4OS2 for your change to take effect. Error reading: OS/2 experienced an I/O error when reading from a device. This is usually caused by a bad disk, a device not ready, or a hardware error. Error writing: OS/2 experienced an I/O error when writing to a device. This is usually caused by a full disk, a bad disk, a device not ready, or a hardware error. Exceeded batch nesting limit: You have attempted to nest batch files more than 10 levels deep. File Allocation Table bad: OS/2 can't access the FAT on the specified disk. This can be caused by a bad disk, a hardware error, or an unusual software interaction. File exists: The requested output file already exists, and 4OS2 won't overwrite it. File is empty: You attempted to use an empty file in @SELECT. Correct the file name or contents and try again. File not found: 4OS2 couldn't find the specified file. Check the spelling and path name. General failure: This is usually a hardware problem, particularly a disk drive failure or a device not properly connected to a serial or parallel port. Try to correct the problem, or reboot and try again. Also see Data error above. Include file not found: You used the Include directive in the 4OS2.INI file, but the file you specified was not found or could not be opened. Include files nested too deep: You used the Include directive in the 4OS2.INI file, and attempted to nest include files more than three levels deep. Infinite COPY or MOVE loop: You tried to COPY or MOVE a directory to one of its own subdirectories and used the /S switch, so the command would run forever. Correct the command and try again. Insufficient disk space: COPY or MOVE ran out of room on the destination drive. Remove some files and retry the operation. Invalid character value: You gave an invalid value for a character directive in the 4OS2.INI file. Invalid choice value: You gave an invalid value for a "choice" directive (one that accepts a choice from a list, like "Yes" or "No") in the 4OS2.INI file. Invalid color: You gave an invalid value for a color directive in the 4OS2.INI file. Invalid count: The character repeat count for KEYSTACK is incorrect. Invalid date: An invalid date was entered. Check the syntax and reenter. Invalid directive name: 4OS2 can't recognize the name of a directive in your 4OS2.INI file. Invalid drive: A bad or non-existent disk drive was specified. Invalid key name: You tried to make an invalid key substitution in the 4OS2.INI file, or you used an invalid key name in a keystroke alias or command. Correct the error and retry the operation. Invalid numeric value: You gave an invalid value for a numeric directive in the 4OS2.INI file. Invalid parameter: 4OS2 didn't recognize a parameter. Check the syntax and spelling of the command you entered. Invalid path: The specified path does not exist. Check the disk specification and/or spelling. Invalid path or file name: You used an invalid path or filename in a directive in the 4OS2.INI file. Invalid time: An invalid time was entered. Check the syntax and reenter. Keystroke substitution table full: 4OS2 ran out of room to store keystroke substitutions entered in the 4OS2.INI file. Reduce the number of key substitutions or contact JP Software or your dealer for assistance. Label not found: A GOTO or GOSUB referred to a non-existent label. Check your batch file. Missing ENDTEXT: A TEXT command is missing a matching ENDTEXT. Check the batch file. Missing GOSUB: 4OS2 cannot perform the RETURN command in a batch file. You tried to do a RETURN without a GOSUB, or your batch file has been corrupted. Missing SETLOCAL: An ENDLOCAL was used without a matching SETLOCAL. No aliases defined: You tried to display aliases but no aliases have been defined. No closing quote: 4OS2 couldn't find a second matching back quote [`] or double-quote ["] on the command line. No expression: The expression passed to the @EVAL variable function is empty. Correct the expression and retry the operation. No room for INI file name: 4OS2 does not have enough space to pass the name of your 4OS2.INI file to secondary shells; see String area overflow for more details. Any [Secondary] section in 4OS2.INI will be ignored in secondary shells until the problem is corrected and the system or session is restarted. No shared memory found: The SHRALIAS command could not find any global alias list, history list, or directory history list to retain, because you executed the command from a session with local lists. Start 4OS2 with at least one global list, then invoke SHRALIAS. Not a windowed session: You tried to use the WINDOW command in a full-screen session. WINDOW is valid only in windowed sessions. Not an alias: The specified alias is not in the alias list. Not in environment: The specified variable is not in the environment. Not ready: The specified device can't be accessed. Not same device: This error usually appears in RENAME. You cannot rename a file to a different disk drive. Out of memory: 4OS2 or OS/2 had insufficient memory to execute the last command. Try to free some memory by closing other sessions. If the error persists, contact JP Software for assistance. Out of paper: OS/2 detected an out-of-paper condition on one of the printers. Check your printer and add paper if necessary. Overflow: An arithmetic overflow occurred in the @EVAL variable function. Check the values being passed to @EVAL. @EVAL can handle 16 digits to the left of the decimal point and 8 to the right. Read error: OS/2 encountered a disk read error; usually caused by a bad or unformatted disk. Also see Data error above. Sector not found: Disk error, usually caused by a bad or unformatted disk. Also see Data error above. Seek error: OS/2 can't seek to the proper location on the disk. This is generally caused by a bad disk or drive. Also see Data error above. Sharing violation: You tried to access a file in use by another program in a multitasking system or on a network. Wait for the file to become available, or change your method of operation so that another program does not have the file open while you are trying to use it. SHRALIAS already loaded: You used the SHRALIAS command to load SHRALIAS.EXE, but it was already loaded. This message is informational and generally does not indicate an error condition. SHRALIAS not loaded: You used the SHRALIAS /U command to unload SHRALIAS.EXE, but it was never loaded. This message is informational and may not indicate an error condition. String area overflow: 4OS2 ran out of room to store the text from string directives in the 4OS2.INI file. Reduce the complexity of the 4OS2.INI file or contact JP Software for assistance. Syntax error: A command or variable function was entered in an improper format. Check the syntax and correct the error. Too many open files: OS/2 has run out of file handles. Try increasing the FILES setting in CONFIG.SYS. Unbalanced parentheses: The number of left and right parentheses did not match in an expression passed to the @EVAL variable function. Correct the expression and retry the operation. Unknown command: A command was entered that 4OS2 didn't recognize and couldn't find in the current search path. Check the spelling or PATH specification. You can handle unknown commands with the UNKNOWN_CMD alias (see ALIAS). UNKNOWN_CMD loop: The UNKNOWN_CMD alias (see ALIAS) called itself more than ten times. The alias probably contains an unknown command itself, and is stuck in an infinite loop. Correct the alias. Variable loop: A nested environment variable refers to itself, or variables are nested more than 16 deep. Correct the error and retry the command. Warning: Can't load 4OS2DLL: 4OS2 cannot find 4OS2DLL.DLL, a library used to support the BEGINLIBPATH and ENDLIBPATH "environment variables" under OS/2 Warp. 4OS2DLL.DLL must be in the 4OS2 directory, or on a directory listed in the LIBPATH setting in CONFIG.SYS. If it is not, BEGINLIBPATH and ENDLIBPATH will not be available, but all other 4OS2 functions will operate normally. Write error: OS/2 encountered a disk write error; usually caused by a bad or unformatted disk. Also see Data error above. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.4. Troubleshooting, Service, and Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ If you need help with 4OS2, we encourage you to review our documentation and then contact us for assistance if required. If you need help with sales, ordering, or shipments (including defective disks or other materials which were shipped to you), or with brand codes, please contact our Sales and Customer Service department. See Contacting JP Software for our email address, mail address, and telephone numbers. (The sales and customer service staff cannot assist you with technical problems. However, if you have multiple questions or are unsure of the nature of the problem, feel free to contact us for customer service; the staff will have a support technician contact you if your question turns out to require technical expertise.) If you need technical support for 4OS2, review the Technical Support information section, which tells you what we need to know to provide you with accurate and timely support. Then contact us via one of the methods described there. (The technical support staff cannot assist you with sales, ordering, replacement brand cards, or other administrative matters.) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.4.1. Technical Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Before You Contact Us Before contacting us for support, please check this help file, the Reference Manual and other documentation for answers to your question. If you can't find what you need, try searching this help file. If you're having trouble getting 4OS2 to run properly, review the information on Error Messages, and look through the README.DOC file for any last-minute information. If you do need to contact us for support, we can do a much better job of assisting you if you can give us some basic information, separate from your interpretations of or conclusions about the problem. The first four items listed below are essential for us to be able to understand and assist you with your problem: ╨┐ What environment are you working in? This includes the operating system version are you using, the version of the JP Software product involved, and related information such as network connections and the name and version number of any other software which appears to be involved in the problem. Use the VER /R command to determine the 4OS2 version and operating system version. ╨┐ What exactly did you do? A concise description of what steps you must take to make the problem appear is much more useful than a long analysis of what might be happening. ╨┐ What did you expect to happen? Tell us the result you expected from the command or operation in question, so that we understand what you are trying to do. ╨┐ What actually happened? At what point did the failure occur? If you saw an error message or other important or unusual information on the screen, what exactly did it say? ╨┐ Briefly, what techniques did you use to try to resolve the problem? What results did you get? ╨┐ If the problem seems related to startup and configuration issues, what are the contents of any startup files you use (such as 4START and 4EXIT, and 4OS2.INI), any batch files they call, and any alias or environment variable files they load? ╨┐ Can you repeat the problem or does it occur randomly? If it's random, does it seem related to the programs you're using when the problem occurs? Electronic Support Usually the best way to contact us for support is via CompuServe or the Internet. The most efficient method is to use our CompuServe support conference; if you do not have CompuServe access, contact us via Internet email. See Contacting JP Software or see our web site at http://www.jpsoft.com/ for our addresses. Whenever possible, we also read messages posted on the Usenet comp.os.msdos.4dos newsgroup, and in 4DOS conferences on the RIME, Ilink, and FidoNet BBS networks (these conferences are named for 4DOS, but carry messages related to all JP Software products). These areas offer valuable information and discussions with other users, but are not managed by JP Software, and are not official support channels. To be certain of a direct answer from our support staff use our CompuServe forum or Internet email, or contact us by telephone, fax, or mail. A number of support resources are available from our web site listed above, including error message listings, documentation files, product histories, technical tips and discussions, other technical information, and links to other companies' sites. We update this information regularly, and we encourage you to check the Technical Support area of the web site to see if the information there will address any questions you have. Technical support messages should be sent as standard ASCII text. Please do not transmit attached files, binary files, screen images, or any file over 10K bytes in size to any of our electronic technical support addresses unless asked to do so by our support staff. Telephone Support Technical support by telephone within the US and Canada is handled on a callback basis. To contact our support staff, call the US / Canada Support Line at any time and leave a short voice mail message describing your technical problem (this line can not be used for sales / customer service issues such as pricing, ordering, upgrades, or shipping problems). We check these messages regularly throughout the day and will return your call as quickly as possible. See Contacting JP Software for our phone numbers. We generally return all technical support calls within 24 hours (weekends and holidays excluded), and most are returned much more quickly, usually on the same business day. If your problem is urgent and requires a faster response, please let us know and we will try to accommodate you. If you contact us by telephone and don't receive a reply within 24 hours, please try again. We probably tried to return your call and were unable to reach you. If you are calling from outside the US and Canada, are not sure if your question requires technical support, need other assistance in addition to your technical questions, or find yourself playing "telephone tag" with our support staff, please call our main number listed above. Our office staff will assist you with all of your concerns, and have a technical support representative call you back if necessary. If you have a problem with a batch file or complex alias, please contact us electronically if possible. Include a copy of the batch file or alias in question, preferably as part of the text of your message (not as an attachment). If you do not have electronic access, contact us by fax if possible. Problems of this type are usually very difficult to diagnose over the telephone because we cannot see the material you are working with. For longer batch files (over about 25 lines), do your best to reproduce the problem in a smaller test file. If you need more in-depth assistance with the development of complex batch files or other procedures, please contact us for information on consulting services. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.4.2. Contacting JP Software ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ You can contact JP Software at the following addresses and numbers. Our normal business hours are 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM weekdays, eastern US time (except holidays). Address: JP Software Inc. P.O. Box 1470 East Arlington, MA 02174 USA Main number: (617) 646-3975 ** Fax: (617) 646-0904 ** Order Line: (800) 368-8777 (US / Canada, orders only) Support Line: (617) 646-0798 ** (US / Canada only) [see the Telephone Support topic under Technical Support before using this number] ** Please Note: Our (617) area code will change to (781) effective September 1, 1997 Internet: Sales / Customer Service: sales@jpsoft.com Technical Support: support@jpsoft.com World Wide Web: http://www.jpsoft.com/ File downloads via FTP: For the simplest access to JP Software files use our web site. For direct FTP access connect to ftp.std.com and look in the /vendors/jpsoft directory. CompuServe: Sales / Customer Service: 75020,244 Technical Support and File Downloads: GO JPSOFT or GO PCVENB, section / library 10, User ID 75300,1215. BBS Downloads: Channel 1 BBS, Boston, 617-349-1300 at 2,400 - 28,800 baud, no parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12. What's New? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ There are dozens of new features in this latest release of 4OS2! Check through this section for a comprehensive list of what's changed since our previous release, version 2.52. This topic does not explain how to use each new feature. Instead, where appropriate we have provided links below to the detailed help topics containing additional usage information or other documentation. Some of the descriptions here may be more detailed than you need; if you aren't using a feature, feel free to skip to the next item. If you are new to 4OS2 with version 3.0, you can skip this topic entirely. This topic is divided into the following subtopics: General Features and Enhancements Line Editing and History Command Changes Variables and Variable Functions Startup and Configuration Technical and Compatibility Enhancements Bugs Fixed The major new features in this release include: ╨┐ Extended Directory Searches: allow you to change to a directory anywhere on your system by entering only part of its name. They must be explicitly enabled before you can use them. See Directory Navigation for complete details. ╨┐ New File Exclusion Ranges: provide a convenient way to exclude files from any internal command -- faster and more flexible than using EXCEPT. ╨┐ The new Batch File Debugger can execute each line step by step, process or trace into additional batch files, and display variables, aliases, and expanded commands at each step. ╨┐ New commands include: OPTION: Offers complete configuration adjustment, either through interactive dialogs or on the command line. SWITCH: Provides for "case" statements in batch files. TOUCH: Adjusts file dates and times. TREE: Displays the directory tree, with or without file names, in a variety of formats. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.1. General Features and Enhancements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ What's New - General Features and Enhancements ╨┐ Added a complete batch file debugger. The debugger displays the batch file in a window and allows you to execute each line step by step, process or trace into additional batch files and subroutines, and display variables and aliases at each step. See Batch File Debugging for complete details. ╨┐ Popup windows (for filename completion, command history recall, etc.) now allow you to search for a line within the window contents by typing the first few characters of the line. The search string is displayed in the lower right corner of the window. ╨┐ You can now redirect to and from the clipboard by using the pseudo-device name CLIP:. For example, to redirect DIR to the clipboard: dir *.doc > clip: ╨┐ The online help has been reorganized to make it easier to navigate through the main topics, and includes additional reference information, reference tables, and a glossary. ╨┐ The default maximum file description length is now 511 bytes in all products. ╨┐ Two new characters can now follow the escape character: An escape followed by a 'q' will substitute a double quote; an escape followed by a 'k' will substitute a back quote. ╨┐ The decimal and thousands characters used in @EVAL and in displayed version numbers and other similar locations are now controllable with the DecimalChar and ThousandsChar directives in the .INI file, the corresponding options in the configuration or OPTION dialogs, and the SETDOS /G command. These characters are saved by SETLOCAL and restored by ENDLOCAL. This is intended as an aid to those writing batch files which perform arithmetic operations and which may be used in countries with differing separator characters. ╨┐ The directory stack size used by PUSHD and POPD has been increased from 255 to 511 bytes to leave adequate room for long directory names. ╨┐ .BTM files can now be longer than 64K bytes, though compressed .BTMs still have to be less than 64K. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.2. Command Line Editing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ What's New - Command Line Editing ╨┐ Extended directory searches can be used directly from the command line for quick directory navigation; see Automatic Directory Changes or Directory Navigation for details. ╨┐ Made several ehancements to filename completion, including: * The Ctrl-A key, which toggles between long and short filenames for filename completion, can now be hit at any point during command line entry -- not just during filename completion. For example, if you hit Ctrl-A at the beginning of the command line, all filenames subsequently returned for that line will be short names (until you hit Ctrl-A again). * Filename completion can now be customized for individual commands via the new FileCompletion .INI directive (or environment variable). For example, you can configure 4OS2 to complete only the names of .TXT files when the command line starts with the name of your text editor, or to display only directory names when you are entering a CD command. * The F7 filename completion popup window now sorts the filename list alphabetically. ╨┐ You can now expand aliases immediately while still on the command line with the Ctrl-F key. ╨┐ Command line history recall will now stop at the beginning and end of the history list rather than wrapping around, if you set HistWrap to No in the .INI file or through the configuration dialogs. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.3. Command Changes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ What's New - Command Changes ╨┐ ACTIVATE: This new command switches to another window. ╨┐ ATTRIB: Added the /E switch to disable display of non-fatal errors. Also, ATTRIB now allows underscores in the attribute string, so that you can get a result from the %@ATTRIB variable function and feed it directly to the ATTRIB command. ╨┐ CD and CDD: Now support extended directory searches, which allow you to change to a directory anywhere on your system by entering only part of its name. The CDD /S switch builds the extended directory search database. Extended directory searches mmust be explicitly enabled before you can use them. See Directory Navigation for complete details. ╨┐ CDD: Added the /A switch to display the current directory for all existing and ready drives from C: to Z:. ╨┐ CHCP: Changed to only affect the current process and its children, as in CMD.EXE. ╨┐ COPY: Added several switches: /E Disable display of non-fatal errors. /K Preserve read-only attributes during a COPY. /X Clear the archive bit from the source file after a successful copy. /Z Overwrite read-only target files. ╨┐ COPY: When copying from a FAT drive to an HPFS drive, COPY will now use the .LONGNAME extended attribute of the source file (if available) to determine the long name. When copying from HPFS to FAT, COPY sets the .LONGNAME attribute if possible, to preserve the long name. ╨┐ DEL: Added two switches: /E Disable display of non-fatal errors. /W Clear the file to 0's before deleting it. ╨┐ DIR: Added or modified several of the DIR switches: /2 Now forces the use of truncated names on HPFS drives. /4 Now forces the use of truncated names on HPFS drives, and displays files between 1 and 9.9 Mb in tenths (i.e., "2.4M"). /G (New) Displays the allocated size instead of the file size. /W Now forces the use of truncated names on HPFS drives. ╨┐ DIRHISTORY: This new command has the same syntax as HISTORY, but it modifies the directory history. ╨┐ DO: Added two new DO loop types: * "DO x IN filename" retrieves each matching filename from a wildcard spec and inserts the value into the variable. * "DO x IN @filename" retrieves each line in the file and inserts it into the variable. ╨┐ ECHOERR and ECHOSERR: These new commands are like ECHO and ECHOS, but output goes to the standard error device instead of standard output. ╨┐ ENDLOCAL: To aid in making batch files portable, SETLOCAL and ENDLOCAL now save and restore the command separator, escape character, parameter character, and decimal and thousands separators. ╨┐ FFIND: Added two new switches: /I Do a literal match even if the text search string contains wildcard characters. /R Start searching for text from the end backwards. Also, the /X switch will now display the offset in both hex and decimal. ╨┐ FOR: Added several new switches for compatibility with Windows NT 4.0's CMD.EXE; see the command reference information for complete details. ╨┐ GOTO: Added support for Windows NT 4.0's "GOTO :EOF" -- If there is no ":EOF" label, GOTO ends the current batch file (equivalent to a QUIT). ╨┐ IF / IFF: These commands now support nested conditional tests, with parentheses, e.g.: if (%a == 1 .or. %b == 2) .and. %c == 3 echo something See the command reference information for complete syntax rules. ╨┐ Added a new "IF DEFINED varname" test, which succeeds if the specified variable exists in the environment. This is included for compatibility with Windows NT 4.0's CMD.EXE, and is the same as a test like: if "%varname" ne "" ... ╨┐ Changed the comparison tests to accept a leading decimal separator as a numeric character, provided the remainder of the string is numeric and does not contain additional decimal characters. ╨┐ KEYSTACK: This new command allows you to pass keystrokes to PM and VIO windowed applications (but not to DOS apps or VIO full-screen sessions). ╨┐ LIST: Add a range of enhancements, including: * Ctrl-PgUp and Ctrl-PgDn will go to the previous and next file in the current group, respectively. * Ctrl-F searches backwards for a text string; Ctrl-N repeats the last search, searching backwards. * Matching strings on the first page are now highlighted after a search. * When piping output to LIST in most cases you no longer need the /S switch; for example, to view DIR's output in LIST you can now use: dir | list Also, added three new switches: /I Ignore case in a /T search. /R The search initiated by /T goes backwards from the end of the file. /T Search for text when LIST starts. ╨┐ MD: Added the /N switch to create a directory without updating the extended directory search database (useful for temporary directories). ╨┐ MOVE: Added the /E switch to disable display of non-fatal errors. ╨┐ MOVE: When moving files from a FAT drive to an HPFS drive, MOVE will now use the .LONGNAME extended attribute of the source file (if available) to determine the long name. When moving files from HPFS to FAT, MOVE sets the .LONGNAME attribute if possible, to preserve the long name. ╨┐ OPTION: This new command can be used for two purposes. When invoked without parameters, it loads configuration dialogs which adjust most commonly-used settings in the .INI file. The dialogs provide a convenient method of adjusting configuration without manually editing the .INI file. OPTION can also be used to change specific settings on an individual basis with the OPTION Name=value ... syntax; see the command for complete details. ╨┐ PROMPT: Added the $+ metacharacter, which displays one + for each PUSHD level. ╨┐ REN / RENAME: Added the /E switch to disable display of non-fatal errors. ╨┐ RETURN: Now accepts an optional argument for the errorlevel to return. The errorlevel can be tested with %? or IF ERRORLEVEL. ╨┐ SCREEN, SCRPUT, and VSCRPUT: If you specify 999 for the row, the text will be centered vertically; if you specify 999 for the column, the text will be centered horizontally. ╨┐ SELECT: You can now type characters from the start of a filename and the selection bar will jump to the first matching name. Due to this change, the key to popup LIST on the currently selected file has been changed from L to ^L. Also, added the /T:acw switch to select the date and time to use for display and sorting on HPFS drives. ╨┐ SETLOCAL: To aid in making batch files portable, SETLOCAL now saves the command separator, escape character, parameter character, and decimal and thousands separators; ENDLOCAL restores them. ╨┐ SHIFT: The new "/n" argument will start the shift at the specified argument -- i.e., "shift /2" moves %3 to %2, %4 to %3, etc. ╨┐ START: Added /LD for a local directory history list. ╨┐ START: Added support for the (undocumented) Warp 4 CMD.EXE "DosSetting.xxx=yyy" environment variables to specify settings for DOS sessions. ╨┐ SWITCH: This new command provides a C-like switch construct for batch files. SWITCH scans each CASE statement looking for a matching value; if it finds one it executes the block of code inside that CASE statement, and then jumps to the end of the switch block (ENDSWITCH). If no CASE statement matches, SWITCH will execute the code in the (optional) DEFAULT block. ╨┐ TITLE: This new command changes the 4OS2 window title for windowed sessions (it is not effective in full-screen sessions). ╨┐ TOUCH: This new command changes the date and/or time for a file or files. You can set a specified date and time or use the current system clock, and you can optionally change the last access / creation date and time fields on HPFS drives. ╨┐ TREE: This new command displays a graphical directory tree using either line-drawing or ASCII characters. It can also optionally display file names, dates, times, and sizes. ╨┐ UNALIAS: Added the /R switch to read a file of aliases to remove. ╨┐ UNSET: Added the /R switch to read a file of variables to remove. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.4. Variables and Functions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ What's New - Variables and Functions Added or updated the following internal variables (all variables listed are new unless otherwise noted): ╨┐ _APMAC: Advanced Power Management AC line status. ╨┐ _APMBATT: Advanced Power Management battery status. ╨┐ _APMLIFE: Advanced Power Management remaining battery life. ╨┐ _CPU: Now returns "686" for Pentium Pro. ╨┐ _DOWI: Returns the current day of week as an integer (Sun = 1, Mon = 2, etc.). ╨┐ _XPIXELS: Returns the physical screen horizontal size in pixels. ╨┐ _YPIXELS: Returns the physical screen vertical size in pixels. Added or updated the following variable functions (all functions listed are new unless otherwise noted): ╨┐ @CLIP[n]: Returns line n from the clipboard (base 0). ╨┐ @CONVERT[input,output,value]: Converts a number from one base to another. ╨┐ @DAY[date]: Returns the day for the specified date. ╨┐ @DOW[date]: Returns the day of week for the specified date, as a string (Sun, Mon, etc.) ╨┐ @DOWI[date]: Returns the day of week for the specified date, as an integer (Sun = 1, Mon = 2, etc.). ╨┐ @DOY[date]: Returns the day of year for the specified date (136). ╨┐ @EAREAD[filename,EAname]: Returns the specified text extended attribute for the file. ╨┐ @EAWRITE[filename,EAname,value]: Writes the specified text extended attribute for the file. ╨┐ @EVAL[expression]: Now supports user-definable decimal and thousands characters; see DecimalChar and ThousandsChar, or SETDOS /G for details. ╨┐ @EXEC[command]: This function has been modified; if you preface the command with an '@', @EXEC will return an empty string rather than the result code of the command. ╨┐ @EXECSTR[command]: Returns the first line written to STDOUT by the specified command. (This is intended to provide functionality similar to UNIX back-quoting.) ╨┐ @EXPAND[filename[,attributes]]: Expands a wildcard filename and returns all of the matching filenames / directories on a single line. ╨┐ @FILEDATE[filename[,acw]] / @FILETIME[filename[,acw]]: Added the optional second argument determines which date / time field to return on HPFS drives. ╨┐ @FILESIZE[filename[,bkm[,a]]: Added the optional third argument a(llocated); if specified, the function returns the size actually used on disk, not the amount of data in the file. ╨┐ @INSERT[n,string1,string2]: Inserts string1 into string2 starting at offset n. ╨┐ @LEFT[n,string]: Returns the leftmost n characters of string. ╨┐ @MONTH[date]: Return the month for the specified date. ╨┐ @NUMERIC[string]: Now considers a leading decimal separator as a numeric character, provided the remainder of the string is numeric and does not contain additional decimal characters. ╨┐ @REPLACE[string1,string2,text]: Replaces all occurrences of string1 in text with string2. ╨┐ @RIGHT[n,string]: Returns the rightmost n characters of string. ╨┐ @SEARCH[filename[,path]]: Now accepts an optional second argument for the path to search. ╨┐ @SELECT[filename,top,left,bottom,right,title[,1]]: Has a new optional argument following the title. If it's set to 1, @SELECT will sort the list alphabetically. ╨┐ @STRIP[chars,string]: Return string with the characters in chars removed. ╨┐ @WILD[string1,string2]: Does a wildcard comparison on the two strings and returns 1 if they match; 0 if they don't. ╨┐ @YEAR[date]: Return the year for the specified date. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.5. Startup and Configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ What's New - Startup and Configuration ╨┐ In previous versions the "global" portion of the .INI file (the part prior to any [Primary] or [Secondary] section) did not have a section name. This has been changed; a section name matching the product name is now required, for example: [4OS2] EditMode = Insert ..... [Primary] and [Secondary] section names are still supported as well. Added or modified the following .INI directives (all are new unless otherwise noted): ╨┐ CDDWinLeft, CDDWinTop, CDDWinWidth, CDDWinHeight, and CDDWinColors: These directives set the position, size, and color of the popup window used for extended directory searches. ╨┐ DescriptionName: This directive has a new capability: If set to "EA", 4OS2 will use extended attributes (specifically, the ".SUBJECT" EA) for file descriptions, rather than DESCRIPT.ION or another file. Depending on operating system configuration and cache behavior, this setting can cause a significant reduction in performance, but may be useful when working with other programs that manipulate Extended Attributes. ╨┐ DuplicateBugs = Yes | NO: Tells the parser to duplicate certain CMD.EXE errors which may be important in solving rare compatibility problems. The only bug currently replicated by this command is the IF command. ╨┐ FileCompletion = cmd1:ext1 ext2;cmd2 ...: Sets up command-specific filename completion. ╨┐ FuzzyCD = 0 | 1 | 2 | 3: Enables or disables extended directory searches, and controls their behavior. ╨┐ HistMove = Yes | NO: If set to Yes, a recalled line from the command history is moved to the end of the history list, and removed from its original location. ╨┐ Include = filename: Includes the contents of the named file as if they had appeared at the location of the Include= directive in the current .INI file. ╨┐ ListboxBarColors = Color: Sets the color for the highlight bar in the popup listboxes (command history, filename completion, @SELECT, etc.). ╨┐ TabStops = nnnn (8): This new .INI directive specifies the tab expansion size when displaying a file in LIST. ╨┐ TreePath = Path: Specifies the location of JPSTREE.IDX (the extended directory search database; defaults to C:\). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.6. Technical and Compatibility Enhancements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ What's New - Technical and Compatibility Enhancements ╨┐ Removed the 16-bit version of 4OS2. ╨┐ Replaced the old 4OS2DLL.DLL / TCOS2DLL.DLL with a single file for both 4OS2 and TCOS2, named JPOS2DLL.DLL. Also, JPOS2DLL is now loaded dynamically, so you can start the product without it if necessary (e.g. from a floppy boot). ╨┐ Worked around an OS/2 problem that prevented %_CPU from detecting anything higher than a 486. ╨┐ Updated 4OS2 to remove explicit references to the Presentation Manager DLLs (this should make it easier to use 4OS2 from a floppy disk boot). ╨┐ TYPE NUL now "works" (i.e. it generates no output), for compatibility with batch files which use TYPE NUL > file to generate a 0-byte file. ╨┐ Added debugging options which allow you to view the command "tail" passed to 4OS2, and to "tag" error messages with the product name. See the Debug directive in 4OS2.INI for additional details. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.7. Bugs Fixed ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ What's New - Bugs Fixed ╨┐ Piping the output of a batch file which also contains a pipe will no longer cause problems. ╨┐ ACTIVATE: The CLOSE option now works properly. ╨┐ DESCRIBE: Fixed a problem with quoted long filenames with paths. ╨┐ RENAME: Now works properly when renaming quoted long filenames with embedded wildcards. ╨┐ Fixed a problem with invalid drive change requests -- commands like "1:" would crash 4OS2. ╨┐ Quoted long filenames can now be used in the .INI file. ╨┐ @FILESEEKL[] now always returns to the start of the file before seeking. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13. Reference Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ File Systems and File Name Conventions Colors and Color Names Keys and Key Names Popup Windows Executable Files and File Searches Reference Tables Glossary ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.1. File Systems and File Name Conventions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ You may have dozens, hundreds, or thousands of files stored on your computer's disks. Your operating system is responsible for managing all of these files. In order to do so, it uses a unique name to locate each file in much the same way that the post office assigns a unique address to every residence. The unique name of any file is composed of a drive letter, a directory path, and a filename. Each of these parts of the file's name is case insensitive; you can mix upper and lower case letters in any way you wish. The topics below are roughly divided according to the different parts of a file name, and cover the file system structure and naming conventions: Drives and Volumes File Systems Directories and Subdirectories File Names File Attributes and Time Stamps ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.1.1. Drives and Volumes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ A drive letter designates which drive contains the file. In a file's full name, the drive letter is followed by a colon. Drive letters A: and B: are normally reserved for the floppy disk drives. Normally, drive C: is the first (or only) hard disk drive. Most current operating systems can divide a large hard disk into multiple logical drives or volumes that are usually called C:, D:, E:, etc. Network systems (LANs) give additional drive letters to sections of the network file server drives. Most recent systems also include a CD-ROM drive. The CD-ROM is also assigned a drive letter (or several letters, for CD-ROM changers), typically using letters beyond that used by the last hard disk in the system, but before any network drives. Some systems may have "RAM disks" (sometimes called "virtual disks"), which are areas of memory set aside by software (a "RAM disk driver") for use as fast but temporary storage. Like CD-ROM drives, RAM disks are usually assigned drive letters beyond the last hard disk in the system, but before network drives. For example, on a system with a large hard disk you might have A: and B: as floppy drives, C:, D:, and E: as parts of the hard disk, F: as a CD-ROM drive, G: as a RAM disk, and H: and I: as network drives. Each volume is formatted under a particular file system; see File Systems for details. Additional information about disk files and directories is available under Directories and Subdirectories, File Names, and File Attributes and Time Stamps. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.1.2. File Systems ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Each disk volume is organized according to a file system. The file system determines how files are named and how they are organized on the disk. As hard disk technology and operating systems have evolved, new file systems have been invented to support longer file names, larger drives, and higher disk performance. Several different and incompatible schemes have evolved. Which file systems you can use depends on which operating system you are using, and how the operating system and your hard disk are configured. The operating systems under which 4OS2 runs can support two standard file systems: FAT and HPFS. See File Names for details on the rules for naming files under each file system. * The FAT File System is the traditional file system used by all versions of DOS. Its name comes from the File Allocation Table DOS uses to keep track of the space allocated to each file. Windows 95, Windows NT, and OS/2 also support the FAT file system. * The High Performance File System or HPFS is a file system provided with all versions of OS/2, and is also supported in Windows NT version 3.51 and below. It supports long file names, and offers higher performance and better support for large drives than the FAT system. It also supports "extended attributes" to retain additional information about your files. DOS sessions running under OS/2 can access files on HPFS drives if the files have short, FAT-compatible names. Other operating systems (DOS, Windows 95, and Windows NT 4.0 and above) can not access files on HPFS drives. Additional file systems may be installed under some operating systems to support CD-ROM or network drives. The file system type (FAT or HPFS) is determined when a hard disk volume is formatted and applies to the entire volume. For example, under OS/2 you might have a 2 GB hard disk divided into four 500 MB volumes, with the first three volumes (C:, D:, and E:) formatted for the FAT file system, and the fourth formatted for HPFS. 4OS2 supports any standard file system installed under your operating system. If your operating system can access files on a particular drive, then 4OS2 will be able to access those files as well. Additional information about disk files and directories is available under Drives and Volumes, Directories and Subdirectories, File Names, and File Attributes and Time Stamps. Network File Systems A network file system allows you to access files stored on another computer on a network, rather than on your own system. 4OS2 supports all network file systems which are compatible with the underlying operating system. File and directory names for network file systems depend on both the "server" software running on the system that has the files on it, and the "client" software running on your computer to connect it to the network. However, they usually follow the rules described under File Names. Most network software "maps" unused drive letters on your system to specific locations on the network, and you can then treat the drive as if it were physically part of your local computer. Some networks also support the Universal Naming Convention, which provides a common method for accessing files on a network drive without using a "mapped" drive letter. Names specified this way are called UNC names. They typically appear as \\server\volume\path\filename, where server is the name of the network server where the files reside, volume is the name of a disk volume on that server, and the path\filename portion is a directory name and file name which follow the conventions described in Directories and Subdirectories. 4OS2 supports UNC filenames, and also allows you to use UNC directory names when changing directories (see Directory Navigation for more details). When you use a network file system, remember that the naming conventions for files on the network may not match those on your local system. For example, your local system may support long filenames while the network server or client software does not, or vice versa. 4OS2 will usually handle whatever naming conventions are supported by your network software, as long as the network software accurately reports the types of names it can handle. In rare cases, 4OS2 may not be able to report correct statistics on network drives (such as the number of bytes free on a drive). This is usually because the network file system does not provide complete or accurate information. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.1.3. Directories and Subdirectories ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ A file system is a method of organizing all of the files on an entire disk or hard disk volume. Directories are used to divide the files on a disk into logical groups that are easy to work with. Their purpose is similar to the use of file drawers to contain groups of hanging folders, hanging folders to contain smaller manila folders, and so on. Directories are also sometimes referred to as folders. Every drive has a root or base directory, and many have one or more subdirectories. Subdirectories can also have subdirectories, extending in a branching tree structure from the root directory. The collection of all directories on a drive is often called the directory tree, and a portion of the tree is sometimes called a subtree. The terms directory and subdirectory are typically used interchangeably to mean a single subdirectory within this tree structure. Subdirectory names follow the same rules as file names (see File Names). The drive and subdirectory portion of a file's name are collectively called the file's path. For example, the file name C:\DIR1\DIR2\MYFILE.DAT says to look for the file MYFILE.DAT in the subdirectory DIR2 which is part of the subdirectory DIR1 which is on drive C. The path for MYFILE.DAT is C:\DIR1\DIR2. The backslashes between subdirectory names are required. On HPFS volumes the path and file name must each be 255 characters or less in length, and in addition the total length of the path and file name together cannot exceed 260 characters. The operating system and command processor remember both a current or default drive for your system as a whole, and a current or default directory for every drive in your system. Whenever a program tries to create or access a file without specifying the file's path, the operating system uses the current drive (if no other drive is specified) and the current directory (if no other directory path is specified). The root directory is named using the drive letter and a single backslash. For example, D:\ refers to the root directory of drive D:. Using a drive letter with no directory name at all refers to the current directory on the specified drive. For example, E:README.DOC refers to the file README.DOC in the current directory on drive E:, whereas E:\README.DOC refers to the file README.DOC in the root directory on drive E:. There are also two special subdirectory names that are useful in many situations: a single period by itself [.] means "the current default directory." Two periods together [..] means "the directory which contains the current default directory" (often referred to as the parent directory). These special names can be used wherever a full directory name can be used. 4OS2 allows you to use additional periods to specify directories further "up" the tree (see Extended Parent Directory Names). Additional information about disk files and file systems is available under Drives and Volumes, File Systems, File Names, and File Attributes and Time Stamps. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.1.4. File Names ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Under the FAT file system, the filename consists of a base name of 1 to 8 characters plus an optional extension composed of a period plus 1 to 3 more characters. You can use alphabetic and numeric characters plus the punctuation marks ! # $ % & ' ( ) - @ ^ _ ` { } and ~ in both the base name and the extension of a FAT filename. Because the exclamation point [!], percent sign [%], caret [^], at sign [@], parentheses [()], and back-quote [`] also have other meanings to 4OS2, it is best to avoid using them in filenames. The HPFS file system allows file names with a maximum of 255 characters, including spaces and other characters that are not allowed in a FAT system file name, but excluding some punctuation characters which are allowed in FAT file names. See your operating system documentation for details on the characters allowed. If you use file names which contain semicolons [;], see Wildcards for details on avoiding problems with interpretation of those file names under 4OS2. HPFS file names are stored and displayed exactly as you entered them, and are not automatically shifted to upper or lower case. For example, you could create a file called MYFILE, myfile, or MyFile, and each name would be stored in the directory just as you entered it. However, case is ignored when looking for filenames, so you cannot have two files whose names differ only in case (i.e., the three names given above would all refer to the same file). This behavior is sometimes described as "case-retentive but not case-sensitive" because the case information is retained, but does not affect access to the files. Files stored on HPFS volumes often have "FAT-compatible" names: names which contain only those characters legal on a FAT volume, and which meet the 8-character name / 3-character extension limits. Programs which cannot handle long names generally can access files by using FAT-compatible names. If an HPFS-compatible file name includes spaces or other characters that would not be allowed in a FAT name, you must place double quotes around the name. For example, suppose you have a file named LET3 on a FAT volume, and you want to copy it to the LETTERS directory on drive F:, an HPFS partition, and give it the name Letter To Sara. To do so, use either of these commands: [c:\wp] copy let3 f:\LETTERS\"Letter To Sara" [c:\wp] copy let3 "f:\LETTERS\Letter To Sara" The HPFS file systems do not explicitly define an "extension" for file names which are not FAT-compatible. However, by convention, all characters after the last period in the file name are treated as the extension. For example, the file name "Letter to Sara" has no extension, whereas the name "Letter.to.Sara" has the extension Sara. Additional information about disk files and file systems is available under Drives and Volumes, File Systems, Directories and Subdirectories, and File Attributes and Time Stamps. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.1.5. File Attributes and Time Stamps ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Each file also has attributes, and one or more time stamps. Attributes define characteristics of the file which may be useful to the operating system, to you, or to an application program. Time stamps can record when the file was created, last modified, or last accessed. Most 4OS2 file processing commands allow you to select files for processing based on their attributes and/or time stamp(s). Each file on your system has four standard attributes. Every time a program modifies a file, the operating system sets the Archive attribute, which signals that the file has been modified since it was last backed up. This attribute can be used by 4OS2 to determine which files to COPY, and by backup programs to determine which files to back up. When the Read-only attribute is set, the file can't be changed or erased accidentally; this can be used to help protect important files from damage. The Hidden and System attributes prevent the file from appearing in normal directory listings. (Two additional attributes, Directory and Volume label, are also available. These attributes are controlled by the operating system, and are not modified directly by 4OS2.) Attributes can be set and viewed with the ATTRIB command. The DIR command also has options to select filenames to view based on their attributes, to view the attributes themselves, and to view information about normally "invisible" hidden and system files. When a file is created, and every time it is modified, the operating system records the system time and date in a time stamp in the file's directory entry. Several 4OS2 commands and variable functions, and many backup and utility programs, use this time stamp to determine the relative ages of files. On FAT volumes, only the single time stamp described above is available. Files on HPFS volumes have three sets of time and date stamps. The operating system records when each file was created, when it was last written or modified, and when it was last accessed. The "last write" time stamp matches the single time stamp used on traditional FAT volumes. Several 4OS2 commands and variable functions let you specify which set of time and date stamps you want to view or work with on HPFS volumes. These commands and functions use the letter c to refer to the creation time stamp, w for the last write time stamp, and a for the last access time stamp. Additional information about disk files and file systems is available under Drives and Volumes, File Systems, Directories and Subdirectories, and File Names. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.2. Miscellaneous Reference Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Colors and Color Names Keys and Key Names Popup Windows Executable Files and File Searches ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.2.1. Colors and Color Names ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ You can use color names in several of the directives in the .INI file and in many commands. The general form of a color name is: [BRIght] [BLInk] fg ON [BRIght] bg [BORder bc ] where fg is the foreground or text color, bg is the background color, and bc is the border color. The available colors are: Black Blue Green Red Magenta Cyan Yellow White Color names and the words BRIght, BLInk, and BORder may be shortened to the first 3 letters. You can also specify colors by number instead of by name. The numbers are most useful in potentially long .INI file directives like ColorDir, where using color names may take too much space. The following numbers are recognized: 0 - Black 8 - Gray (bright black) 1 - Blue 9 - Bright blue 2 - Green 10 - Bright green 3 - Cyan 11 - Bright cyan 4 - Red 12 - Bright red 5 - Magenta 13 - Bright magenta 6 - Yellow 14 - Bright yellow 7 - White 15 - Bright white Use one number to substitute for the [BRIght] fg portion of the color name, and a second to substitute for the [BRIght] bg portion. For example, instead of bright cyan on blue you could use 11 on 1 to save space in a ColorDir specification. There are several subtleties that complicate the use of colors and color names. In order to understand them, you will need to read through the restrictions described below. These restrictions are due to the design of your PC video hardware and video drivers, and are not inherent in 4OS2. Some of the restrictions are complex, so feel free to skip over those that do not apply to color combinations you use. Some restrictions depend on the display "mode." 4OS2 can run in either full-screen display mode, where it uses the entire screen and has more direct control over the video hardware; or in windowed display mode, where it appears in a window on the OS/2 desktop. Color Errors A standard color specification allows sixteen foreground and eight background colors (sixteen if bright backgrounds are enabled, see below). However, most video adapters and monitors do not provide true renditions of certain colors. For example, most users see normal "yellow" as brown, and bright yellow as yellow; many also see normal red as red, and "bright red" as pink. Color errors are often much worse when running in windowed mode (see above), because the graphical environment that created the window may not map the text-mode colors the way you expect. These problems are inherent in the monitor, video adapter, and driver software. They cannot be corrected using 4OS2 color specifications. Border Colors In order to use border colors, you must have a color video adapter (monochrome adapters do not support border colors). 4OS2 can only accept border colors in the CLS and COLOR commands, and in the StdColors directive in the .INI file. Border colors will be ignored, or will cause an error, if they are used elsewhere. Border colors do not work in windowed mode, and will be ignored if used in a windowed session under OS/2. Blinking Text and Bright Background Colors The interactions between blinking characters, bright backgrounds, and your display mode can be complex. You will need to understand them if you use either attribute in your color specifications. The effects of blinking and bright background color specifications depend partly on whether you are in full-screen or windowed display mode. Full-Screen Display Mode Full-screen display mode uses the entire screen for your command processor or application. This mode is available as an option for text-mode sessions in OS/2. In full-screen display mode your video hardware can be configured via software commands to display either blinking text, or text with a bright background, but not both. This is due to the design of PC video hardware, and is not a software restriction. The memory on your video adapter includes a "flag" for each character on the screen. The flag controls blinking text and bright background colors. If the flag is off, the character is displayed with a normal background and does not blink. If the flag is "on," the character either blinks or is displayed with a bright background, depending on which way your video adapter is currently configured. In full-screen display mode, the configuration of your video adapter can be controlled by 4OS2 with the BrightBG directive in the 4OS2.INI file or the SETDOS /B command. If you set BrightBG = No or use the SETDOS /B0 command, 4OS2 will configure the video adapter for blinking text, and all characters on the screen with the blink / bright background flag set will blink. If you set BrightBG = Yes or use SETDOS /B1, 4OS2 will configure the video adapter for bright background colors, and the characters will be displayed with a bright background instead of blinking. Because there is only one flag for each character to specify both blinking text and bright background color, it doesn't matter which attribute you use when you specify the color. Whether you specify blinking text or a bright background, you will see the same thing on your screen. For example, these two COLOR commands will always produce the same results: color blink white on blue color white on bright blue If bright backgrounds are enabled, both commands will produce white text on a bright blue background. If blinking text is enabled, both commands will produce blinking white text on a blue background. If you don't use BrightBG or SETDOS /B, or if you use SETDOS /B2, 4OS2 will not attempt to configure your video hardware. Most video adapters default to blinking text in full-screen mode, but this can be changed by application programs. If you use BrightBG or SETDOS /B, 4OS2 will configure the hardware each time it displays the prompt. Windowed Display Mode Windowed display mode uses a window on the screen for your command processor or text-mode application. It is available for command processor sessions and most applications running under OS/2. In windowed mode, 4OS2 cannot control your hardware to select blinking or bright backgrounds. Instead, OS/2 displays bright background colors, regardless of the BrightBG or SETDOS /B setting. It does not provide a way to display blinking characters in windowed mode. As an example, the two commands given above would both display white text on a bright blue background when run in windowed mode. Switching Modes OS/2 allows you to switch any DOS or other text-mode session between full-screen and windowed mode. You cannot switch modes for OS/2 sessions, so 4OS2 is not directly affected by mode switching. However, if you write batch files or aliases which run in both modes, you may need to take into account that OS/2 defaults to displaying blinking text in full-screen mode and bright backgrounds in windowed mode. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.2.2. Keys and Key Names ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Key names are used to define keystroke aliases, and in several 4OS2.INI directives, and with the KEYSTACK command. The format of a key name is the same in all three uses: [Prefix-]Keyname The key prefix can be left out, or it can be any one of the following: Alt followed by A - Z, 0 - 9, F1 - F12, or Bksp Ctrl followed by A - Z, F1 - F12, Tab, Bksp, Enter, Left, Right, Home, End, PgUp, PgDn, Ins, or Del Shift followed by F1 - F12 or Tab. The possible key names are: A - Z Enter PgDn 0 - 9 Up Home F1 - F Down End Esc Left Ins Bksp Right Del Tab PgUp All key names must be spelled as shown. Alphabetic keys can be specified in upper or lower case. You cannot specify a punctuation key. The prefix and key name must be separated by a dash [-]. For example: Alt-F10 This is okay Alt F10 The space will cause an error If you prefer, you can use a numeric value instead of a key name. Use the ASCII code for an ASCII, extended ASCII, or control character. Use the scan code preceded by an at sign [@] for extended key codes like F1 or the cursor keys. For example, use 13 for Enter, or @59 for F1. In general, you will find it easier to use the names described above rather than key numbers. See the Reference Tables for an explanation and list of ASCII and key codes. Some keys are intercepted by OS/2 and are not passed on to 4OS2. For example, Ctrl-S pauses screen output temporarily, and Ctrl-Esc pops up the OS/2 window list. Keys which are intercepted by OS/2 generally cannot be assigned to aliases or with key mapping directives, because 4OS2 never receives these keystrokes and therefore cannot act on them. You also may not be able to use certain keys if your keyboard is not 100% IBM-compatible or your keyboard driver does not support them. For example, on some systems the F11 and F12 keys are not recognized; others may not support unusual combinations like Ctrl-Tab. These problems are rare; when they do occur, they are usually due to OS/2. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.2.3. Popup Windows ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Several features of 4OS2 display popup windows. A popup window may be used to display filenames, recently-executed commands, recently-used directories, the results of an extended directory search, or a list created by the SELECT command or the @SELECT internal function. Popup windows always display a list of choices and a cursor bar. You can move the cursor bar inside the window until you find the choice that you wish to make, then press the Enter key to select that item. Navigation inside any popup window follows the conventions described below. Additional information on each specific type of popup window is provided when that window is introduced in the online help. You can control the color, position and size of most popup windows from the Command Line 2 page of the OPTION dialogs. You can also control these features with directives in the .INI file, including PopupWinLeft, PopupWinTop, PopupWinWidth, and PopupWinHeight, and PopupWinColors. A few popup windows (e.g., the extended directory search window) have their own specific .INI directives, and corresponding separate choices in the OPTION command. You can also change the keys used in most popup windows with key mapping directives in 4OS2.INI. Once a window is open, you can use these navigation keys to find the selection you wish to make: Move the selection bar up one line. Move the selection bar down one line. Scroll the display left 4 columns. Scroll the display right 4 columns. PgUp Scroll the display up one page. PgDn Scroll the display down one page. Ctrl-PgUp Go to the beginning of the list. or Home Ctrl-PgDn Go to the end of the list. or End Esc Close the window without making a selection. Enter Select the current item and close the window. In addition to scrolling through a popup window, you can search the list using character matching. If you press a character, the cursor bar will move to the next entry that begins with that character. If you type multiple characters, the cursor will move to the entry that begins with the search string entered to that point (you can enter a search string up to 32 characters long). If no entry matches the character or string that you have typed, the command processor beeps and does not move the cursor bar. To reset the search string, press Backspace. You can change the keys used in popup windows with key mapping directives in 4OS2.INI file. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.2.4. Executable Files and File Searches ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Once 4OS2 knows that it is supposed to run an external command, it tries to find an executable file (one with a .COM or .EXE extension) whose name matches the command name. It runs the executable file if it finds one. If 4OS2 cannot find an executable program to run, it next looks for a batch file (a file with one or more commands in it) whose name matches the command name. 4OS2 looks first for a .BTM file, then for a .CMD file, then for a .BAT file, and finally for a .REX file. See .BAT, .CMD, and .BTM Files for more information on these different types of batch files. If 4OS2 finds such a file, it then reads each line in the file as a new command. If the search for a batch file fails, 4OS2 checks to see if the command name matches the name of a file with an extension that is associated with a specific application (for example, if you have associated .DOC with your editor or word processor, and you type the name of a .DOC file). If a match is found, 4OS2 runs the program you specified when the association was defined. In searching for the application associated with a file, 4OS2 will first examine any executable extensions you have defined to associate a file extension with a specific program to process that type of file. 4OS2 first searches for an executable program, a batch file, and a file with an executable extension in the current directory. If the command name doesn't match a .COM, .EXE, .BTM, .BAT or .CMD file or an executable extension in the current directory, 4OS2 repeats its search in every directory in your search path. The search path is a list of directories that 4OS2 (and some applications) search for executable files. For example, if you wanted 4OS2 to search the root directory of the C: drive, the \OS2 subdirectory on the C: drive, and the \UTIL directory on the D: drive for executable files, your search path would look like this: PATH=C:\;C:\OS2;D:\UTIL Notice that the directory names in the search path are separated by semicolons. You can create or view the search path with the PATH command. You can use the ESET command to edit the path. Many programs also use the search path to find their own files. The search path is stored in the environment with the name PATH. Remember, 4OS2 always looks for an executable file or a file with an executable extension in the current subdirectory, then in each directory in the search path. (You can change the search order so the current directory is not searched first; see the PATH command for details.) If you include an extension as part of the command name, 4OS2 only searches for a file with that extension. Similarly, if you include a path as part of the command name, the command processor will look only in the directory you specified, and ignore the usual search of the current directory and the PATH. The following table sums up the possible search options (the term "standard search" refers to the search of the current directory and each directory in the search path): Command 4OS2 Search Sequence WP Standard search for any executable file whose base name is WP. WP.EXE Standard search for WP.EXE; will not find files with other extensions. C:\WP7\WP Looks in the C:\WP7 directory for any executable file whose base name is WP. Does not check the standard search directories. C:\WP7\WP.EXE Looks only for the file C:\WP7\WP.EXE. LAB.DOC Standard search for LAB.DOC, if .DOC is defined as an executable extension. Runs the associated application if the file is found. C:\LI\LAB.DOC Looks only for the file C:\LI\LAB.DOC, and only if .DOC is defined as an executable extension. Runs the associated application if the file is found. If 4OS2 cannot find an executable file, batch program, or a file with an executable extension in the current directory or any directory in the search path, it looks for an alias called UNKNOWN_CMD (see the ALIAS command for details). If you have defined an alias with that name, it is executed (this allows you to control error handling for unknown commands). Otherwise, 4OS2 displays an "Unknown command" error message and waits for your next instruction. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.3. Reference Tables ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The reference tables in this section are based on U.S. English conventions. Your system may differ if it is configured for a different country or language, or a character set or display font which does not include the characters shown here. See your operating system documentation for more information about country and language support. To represent the text you type, computers must translate each letter to and from a number. The code used by all PC-compatible computers for this translation is called ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). Function keys, cursor keys, and Alt keys generate scan codes indicating which key was pressed, but not ASCII codes. The tables in this section cover both kinds of codes. For more information, see: ASCII Table Key Codes and Scan Codes Table Key Codes and Scan Codes Explanation ANSI Commands ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.3.1. ASCII Table ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The ASCII tables below include a Char column showing the visual representation of the character, a Dec column showing the decimal numeric value of the character in the ASCII set, and a Hex column showing the hexadecimal (base-16) value. Control Characters Dec Hex Chr Nam Ctl Γöé Dec Hex Chr Nam Ctl --- --- --- --- --- Γöé --- --- --- --- --- 000 00 NUL ^@ Γöé 016 10 DLE ^P 001 01 SOH ^A Γöé 017 11 DC1 ^Q 002 02 STX ^B Γöé 018 12 DC2 ^R 003 03 ETX ^C Γöé 019 13 DC3 ^S 004 04 EOT ^D Γöé 020 14 DC4 ^T 005 05 ENQ ^E Γöé 021 15 NAK ^U 006 06 ACK ^F Γöé 022 16 SYN ^V 007 07 BEL ^G Γöé 023 17 ETB ^W 008 08 BS ^H Γöé 024 18 CAN ^X 009 09 HT ^I Γöé 025 19 EM ^Y 010 0A LF ^J Γöé 026 1A SUB ^Z 011 0B VT ^K Γöé 027 1B ESC ^[ 012 0C FF ^L Γöé 028 1C FS ^\ 013 0D CR ^M Γöé 029 1D GS ^] 014 0E SO ^N Γöé 030 1E RS ^^ 015 0F SI ^O Γöé 031 1F US ^_ Punctuation, Digits, Upper Case Dec Hex Chr Γöé Dec Hex Chr Γöé Dec Hex Chr Γöé Dec Hex Chr --- --- --- Γöé --- --- --- Γöé --- --- --- Γöé --- --- --- 032 20 Γöé 048 30 0 Γöé 064 40 @ Γöé 080 50 P 033 21 ! Γöé 049 31 1 Γöé 065 41 A Γöé 081 51 Q 034 22 " Γöé 050 32 2 Γöé 066 42 B Γöé 082 52 R 035 23 # Γöé 051 33 3 Γöé 067 43 C Γöé 083 53 S 036 24 $ Γöé 052 34 4 Γöé 068 44 D Γöé 084 54 T 037 25 % Γöé 053 35 5 Γöé 069 45 E Γöé 085 55 U 038 26 & Γöé 054 36 6 Γöé 070 46 F Γöé 086 56 V 039 27 ' Γöé 055 37 7 Γöé 071 47 G Γöé 087 57 W 040 28 ( Γöé 056 38 8 Γöé 072 48 H Γöé 088 58 X 041 29 ) Γöé 057 39 9 Γöé 073 49 I Γöé 089 59 Y 042 2A * Γöé 058 3A : Γöé 074 4A J Γöé 090 5A Z 043 2B + Γöé 059 3B ; Γöé 075 4B K Γöé 091 5B [ 044 2C , Γöé 060 3C < Γöé 076 4C L Γöé 092 5C \ 045 2D - Γöé 061 3D = Γöé 077 4D M Γöé 093 5D ] 046 2E . Γöé 062 3E > Γöé 078 4E N Γöé 094 5E ^ 047 2F / Γöé 063 3F ? Γöé 079 4F O Γöé 095 5F _ Lower Case, Miscellaneous Dec Hex Chr Γöé Dec Hex Chr --- --- --- Γöé --- --- --- 096 60 ` Γöé 112 70 p 097 61 a Γöé 113 71 q 098 62 b Γöé 114 72 r 099 63 c Γöé 115 73 s 100 64 d Γöé 116 74 t 101 65 e Γöé 117 75 u 102 66 f Γöé 118 76 v 103 67 g Γöé 119 77 w 104 68 h Γöé 120 78 x 105 69 i Γöé 121 79 y 106 6A j Γöé 122 7A z 107 6B k Γöé 123 7B { 108 6C l Γöé 124 7C | 109 6D m Γöé 125 7D } 110 6E n Γöé 126 7E ~ 111 6F o Γöé 127 7F International; Graphics Characters 1 Dec Hex Chr Γöé Dec Hex Chr Γöé Dec Hex Chr Γöé Dec Hex Chr --- --- --- Γöé --- --- --- Γöé --- --- --- Γöé --- --- --- 128 80 ╨É Γöé 144 90 ╨á Γöé 160 A0 ╨░ Γöé 176 B0 Γûæ 129 81 ╨æ Γöé 145 91 ╨í Γöé 161 A1 ╨▒ Γöé 177 B1 ΓûÆ 130 82 ╨Æ Γöé 146 92 ╨ó Γöé 162 A2 ╨▓ Γöé 178 B2 Γûô 131 83 ╨ô Γöé 147 93 ╨ú Γöé 163 A3 ╨│ Γöé 179 B3 Γöé 132 84 ╨ö Γöé 148 94 ╨ñ Γöé 164 A4 ╨┤ Γöé 180 B4 Γöñ 133 85 ╨ò Γöé 149 95 ╨Ñ Γöé 165 A5 ╨╡ Γöé 181 B5 Γòí 134 86 ╨û Γöé 150 96 ╨ª Γöé 166 A6 ╨╢ Γöé 182 B6 Γòó 135 87 ╨ù Γöé 151 97 ╨º Γöé 167 A7 ╨╖ Γöé 183 B7 Γòû 136 88 ╨ÿ Γöé 152 98 ╨¿ Γöé 168 A8 ╨╕ Γöé 184 B8 Γòò 137 89 ╨Ö Γöé 153 99 ╨⌐ Γöé 169 A9 ╨╣ Γöé 185 B9 Γòú 138 8A ╨Ü Γöé 154 9A ╨¬ Γöé 170 AA ╨║ Γöé 186 BA Γòæ 139 8B ╨¢ Γöé 155 9B ╨½ Γöé 171 AB ╨╗ Γöé 187 BB Γòù 140 8C ╨£ Γöé 156 9C ╨¼ Γöé 172 AC ╨╝ Γöé 188 BC Γò¥ 141 8D ╨¥ Γöé 157 9D ╨¡ Γöé 173 AD ╨╜ Γöé 189 BD Γò£ 142 8E ╨₧ Γöé 158 9E ╨« Γöé 174 AE ╨╛ Γöé 190 BE Γò¢ 143 8F ╨ƒ Γöé 159 9F ╨» Γöé 175 AF ╨┐ Γöé 191 BF ΓöÉ Graphics Characters 2; Symbols Dec Hex Chr Γöé Dec Hex Chr Γöé Dec Hex Chr Γöé Dec Hex Chr --- --- --- Γöé --- --- --- Γöé --- --- --- Γöé --- --- --- 192 C0 Γöö Γöé 208 D0 Γò¿ Γöé 224 E0 ╤Ç Γöé 240 F0 ╨ü 193 C1 Γö┤ Γöé 209 D1 Γòñ Γöé 225 E1 ╤ü Γöé 241 F1 ╤æ 194 C2 Γö¼ Γöé 210 D2 ΓòÑ Γöé 226 E2 ╤é Γöé 242 F2 ╨ä 195 C3 Γö£ Γöé 211 D3 ΓòÖ Γöé 227 E3 ╤â Γöé 243 F3 ╤ö 196 C4 ΓöÇ Γöé 212 D4 Γòÿ Γöé 228 E4 ╤ä Γöé 244 F4 ╨ç 197 C5 Γö╝ Γöé 213 D5 ΓòÆ Γöé 229 E5 ╤à Γöé 245 F5 ╤ù 198 C6 Γò₧ Γöé 214 D6 Γòô Γöé 230 E6 ╤å Γöé 246 F6 ╨Ä 199 C7 Γòƒ Γöé 215 D7 Γò½ Γöé 231 E7 ╤ç Γöé 247 F7 ╤₧ 200 C8 ΓòÜ Γöé 216 D8 Γò¬ Γöé 232 E8 ╤ê Γöé 248 F8 ┬░ 201 C9 Γòö Γöé 217 D9 Γöÿ Γöé 233 E9 ╤ë Γöé 249 F9 ΓêÖ 202 CA Γò⌐ Γöé 218 DA Γöî Γöé 234 EA ╤è Γöé 250 FA ┬╖ 203 CB Γòª Γöé 219 DB Γûê Γöé 235 EB ╤ï Γöé 251 FB ΓêÜ 204 CC Γòá Γöé 220 DC Γûä Γöé 236 EC ╤î Γöé 252 FC Γäû 205 CD ΓòÉ Γöé 221 DD Γûî Γöé 237 ED ╤ì Γöé 253 FD ┬ñ 206 CE Γò¼ Γöé 222 DE ΓûÉ Γöé 238 EE ╤Ä Γöé 254 FE Γûá 207 CF Γòº Γöé 223 DF ΓûÇ Γöé 239 EF ╤Å Γöé 255 FF ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.3.2. Key Codes and Scan Codes Table ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ (For more details on key codes and scan codes, see the Key Codes and Scan Codes Explanation.) The following table lists all of the keys on the 101-key "enhanced" U.S. keyboard. Many non-U.S. keyboards are similar, but will not be exactly the same. The keys are arranged roughly in scan code order, which is generally left to right, moving from the top of the keyboard to the bottom. Column 1 shows the key's keycap symbol or name. Columns 2 and 3 show the scan code, and the ASCII code if the key is unshifted. Columns 4 and 5 contain the codes for the shifted key. Columns 6 and 7 show the codes for Ctrl plus the key. The last column contains the scan code for Alt plus the key (Alt keystrokes have no ASCII code and always generate an ASCII code of 0, which is not shown). Key names prefaced by np are on the numeric keypad. Those prefaced by cp are on the cursor keypad between the main typing keys and the number keypad. The numeric keypad values are valid if Num Lock is turned off. If you need to specify a number key from the numeric keypad when Num Lock is on, use the scan code shown for the keypad and the ASCII code shown for the corresponding typewriter key. For example, the keypad "7" has a scan code of 71 (the np Home scan code) and an ASCII code of 54 (the ASCII code for "7"). The chart is blank for key combinations that do not have scan codes or ASCII codes, like Ctrl-1 or Alt-PgUp. Top Two Keyboard Rows Shift Shift Ctrl Ctrl Alt Scan ASCII Scan ASCII Scan ASCII Scan Key Code Code Code Code Code Code Code Esc 1 27 1 27 1 27 1 1 ! 2 49 2 33 120 2 @ 3 50 3 64 3 0 121 3 # 4 51 4 35 122 4 $ 5 52 5 36 123 5 % 6 53 6 37 124 6 ^ 7 54 7 94 7 30 125 7 & 8 55 8 38 126 8 * 9 56 9 42 127 9 ( 10 57 10 40 128 0 ) 11 48 11 41 129 - _ 12 45 12 95 12 31 130 = + 13 61 13 43 131 Backspace 14 8 14 8 14 127 14 Tab 15 9 15 0 148 0 165 Q 16 113 16 81 16 17 16 W 17 119 17 87 17 23 17 E 18 101 18 69 18 5 18 R 19 114 19 82 19 18 19 T 20 116 20 84 20 20 20 Y 21 121 21 89 21 25 21 U 22 117 22 85 22 21 22 I 23 105 23 73 23 9 23 O 24 111 24 79 24 15 24 P 25 112 25 80 25 16 25 [ { 26 91 26 123 26 27 26 ] } 27 93 27 125 27 29 27 Enter 28 13 28 13 28 10 28 Bottom Two Keyboard Rows Shift Shift Ctrl Ctrl Alt Scan ASCII Scan ASCII Scan ASCII Scan Key Code Code Code Code Code Code Code A 30 97 30 65 30 1 30 S 31 115 31 83 31 19 31 D 32 100 32 68 32 4 32 F 33 102 33 70 33 6 33 G 34 103 34 71 34 7 34 H 35 104 35 72 35 8 35 J 36 106 36 74 36 10 36 K 37 107 37 75 37 11 37 L 38 108 38 76 38 12 38 ; : 39 59 39 58 39 ' " 40 39 40 34 40 ` ~ 41 96 41 126 41 \ | 43 92 43 124 43 28 43 Z 44 122 44 90 44 26 44 X 45 120 45 88 45 24 45 C 46 99 46 67 46 3 46 V 47 118 47 86 47 22 47 B 48 98 48 66 48 2 48 N 49 110 49 78 49 14 49 M 50 109 50 77 50 13 50 , < 51 44 51 60 51 . > 52 46 52 62 52 / ? 53 47 53 63 53 Space 57 32 57 32 57 32 57 Key Pads and Function Keys Shift Shift Ctrl Ctrl Alt Scan ASCII Scan ASCII Scan ASCII Scan Key Code Code Code Code Code Code Code F1 59 0 84 0 94 0 104 F2 60 0 85 0 95 0 105 F3 61 0 86 0 96 0 106 F4 62 0 87 0 97 0 107 F5 63 0 88 0 98 0 108 F6 64 0 89 0 99 0 109 F7 65 0 90 0 100 0 110 F8 66 0 91 0 101 0 111 F9 67 0 92 0 102 0 112 F10 68 0 93 0 103 0 113 F11 133 0 135 0 137 0 139 F12 134 0 136 0 138 0 140 np * 55 42 55 42 150 0 55 np Home 71 0 71 55 119 0 cp Home 71 224 71 224 119 224 151 np Up 72 0 72 56 141 0 cp Up 72 224 72 224 141 224 152 np PgUp 73 0 73 57 132 0 cp PgUp 73 224 73 224 132 224 153 np Minus 74 45 74 45 142 0 74 np Left 75 0 75 52 115 0 cp Left 75 224 75 224 115 224 155 np 5 76 0 76 53 143 0 np Right 77 0 77 54 116 0 cp Right 77 224 77 224 116 224 157 np Plus 78 43 78 43 144 0 78 np End 79 0 79 49 117 0 cp End 79 224 79 224 117 224 159 np Down 80 0 80 50 145 0 cp Down 80 224 80 224 145 224 160 np PgDn 81 0 81 51 118 0 cp PgDn 81 224 81 224 118 224 161 np Ins 82 0 82 48 146 0 cp Ins 82 224 82 224 146 224 162 np Del 83 0 83 46 147 0 cp Del 83 224 83 224 147 224 163 np / 224 47 224 47 149 0 164 np Enter 224 13 224 13 224 10 166 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.3.3. Key Codes and Scan Codes Explanation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ (This section explains how key codes and scan codes work. For a reference chart, see the Key Codes and Scan Codes Table.) When you press a single key or a key combination, OS/2 translates your keystroke into two numbers: a scan code, representing the actual key that was pressed, and an ASCII code, representing the ASCII value for that key. OS/2 returns these numbers the next time a program requests keyboard input. This section explains how key codes work; for information on using them with 4OS2 see the 4OS2.INI file key mapping directives, keystroke aliases, and INKEY. Most 4OS2 commands that use the numeric key codes listed here also use key names, which are usually more convenient to use than the numeric codes. See Keys and Key Names for more information. As PCs have evolved, the structure of keyboard codes has evolved somewhat haphazardly with them, resulting in a bewildering array of possible key codes. We'll give you a basic explanation of how key codes work. For a more in-depth discussion, refer to a BIOS or PC hardware reference manual. The nuances of how your keyboard behaves depends on the keyboard manufacturer, the computer manufacturer who provides the built-in BIOS, and your operating system. As a result, we can't guarantee the accuracy of the information in the tables for every system, but the discussion and reference table should be accurate for most systems. Our discussion is based on the 101-key "enhanced" keyboard commonly used on 286, 386, 486, and Pentium computers, but virtually all of it is applicable to the 84-key keyboards on older systems. The primary difference is that older keyboards lack a separate cursor pad and only have 10 function keys. All keys have a scan code, but not all have an ASCII code. For example, function keys and cursor keys are not part of the ASCII character set and have no ASCII value, but they do have a scan code. Some keys have more than one ASCII code. The A, for example, has ASCII code 97 (lower case "a") if you press it by itself. If you press it along with Shift, the ASCII code changes to 65 (upper case "A"). If you press Ctrl and A the ASCII code changes to 1. In all these cases, the scan code (30) is unchanged because you are pressing the same physical key. Things are different if you press Alt-A. Alt keystrokes have no ASCII code, so OS/2 returns an ASCII code of 0, along with the A key's scan code of 30. This allows a program to detect all the possible variations of A, based on the combination of ASCII code and scan code. Some keys generate more than one scan code depending on whether Shift, Ctrl, or Alt is pressed. This allows a program to differentiate between two different keystrokes on the same key, neither of which has a corresponding ASCII value. For example, F1 has no ASCII value so it returns an ASCII code of 0, and the F1 scan code of 59. Shift-F1 also returns an ASCII code 0; if it also returned a scan code of 59, a program couldn't distinguish it from F1. The operating system translates scan codes for keys like Shift-F1 (and Ctrl-F1 and Alt-F1) so that each variation returns a different scan code along with an ASCII code of 0. On the 101-key keyboard there's one more variation: non-ASCII keys on the cursor keypad (such as up-arrow) return the same scan code as the corresponding key on the numeric keypad, for compatibility reasons. If they also returned an ASCII code of 0, a program couldn't tell which key was pressed. Therefore, these cursor pad keys return an ASCII code of 224 rather than 0. This means that older programs, which only look for an ASCII 0 to indicate a non-ASCII keystroke like up-arrow, may not detect these cursor pad keys properly. The number of different codes returned by any given key varies from one (for the spacebar) to four, depending on the key, the design of your keyboard, and the operating system. Some keys, like Alt, Ctrl, and Shift by themselves or in combination with each other, plus Print Screen, SysReq, Scroll Lock, Pause, Break, Num Lock, and Caps Lock keys, do not have any code representations at all. The same is true of keystrokes with more than one modifying key, like Ctrl-Shift-A. The operating system may perform special actions automatically when you press these keys (for example, it switches into Caps Lock mode when you press Caps Lock), but it does not report the keystrokes to whatever program is running. Programs which detect such keystrokes access the keyboard hardware directly, a subject which is beyond the scope of this manual. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.3.4. ANSI ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This section is a quick-reference to commonly-used ANSI commands. An ANSI command string consists of three parts: ESC[ The ASCII character ESC, followed by a left bracket. These two characters must be present in all ANSI strings. parameters Optional parameters for the command. If there are multiple parameters they are separated by semicolons. cmd A single-letter command. The case of the letter IS meaningful. For example, to position the cursor to row 7, column 12 the ANSI command is: ESC[7;12H To transmit ANSI commands to the screen with 4OS2, you should use the ECHO command. The ESC character can be generated by inserting it into the string directly (if you are putting the string in a batch file and your editor will insert such a character), or by using 4OS2's internal "escape" character (caret, [^]) followed by a lower-case "e". For example, the sequence shown above could be transmitted from a batch file with either of these commands (the first uses an ESC character directly; the second uses ^e): echo 2H echo ^e[7;12H You can also include ANSI commands in your prompt, using $e to transmit the ESC character. You can NOT use PROMPT to transmit ANSI commands to the screen from a batch file (see PROMPT). Commands ESC[rowsA Cursor up ESC[rowsB Cursor down ESC[colsC Cursor right ESC[colsD Cursor left ESC[row;colH Set cursor position (top left is row 1, column 1) ESC[2J Clear screen ESC[K Clear from cursor to end of line ESC[row;colf Set cursor position, same as "H" command ESC[attr;attr;...m Set display attributes; see table of attribute values below ESC[s Save cursor position (may not be nested) ESC[u Restore cursor position after a save Display Attributes 0 All attributes off (normal white on black) 1 High intensity (bold) 2 Normal intensity 4 Underline (usually effective only on monochrome displays) 5 Blinking 7 Reverse Video 8 Invisible 30-37 Set the foreground color: 30=Black 31=Red 32=Green 33=Yellow 34=Blue 35=Magenta 36=Cyan 37=White 40-47 Set the background color, same values as above but substitute 40 for 30 etc. Settings are cumulative, so (for example) to set bright red foreground set all attributes off, then set red, then bold, use: echo ^e[0;31;1m Examples Clear the display attributes, then set the display to bright cyan on blue, and clear the screen: echo ^e[0;44;36;1m^e[2J Set up a prompt which saves the cursor position, displays the 4OS2 shell level, date, and time on the top line in bright white on magenta, and then restores the cursor position and sets the color to bright cyan on blue, and displays the standard prompt: prompt $e[s$e[1;1f$e[0;45;37;1m$e[K($z) $d $t$e[u$e[0;44;36;1m$p$g ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4. Glossary ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The glossary contains over 200 terms, and is divided into sections by the first letter of each term. Select the section you want to review: 4 A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W X ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.1. Glossary - 4 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W X 4EXIT: A batch file which is executed whenever 4OS2 exits. 4START: A batch file which is executed whenever 4OS2 starts. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.2. Glossary - A ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W X Alias Parameter: A numbered variable (e.g. %2) included in an alias definition, allowing a different value to be used in the alias each time it is executed. Alias: A shorthand name for a command or series of commands. AND: A logical combination of two true or false conditions. If both conditions are true, the result is true; if either condition is false, the result is false. ANSI: Usually a reference to ANSI control sequences, standardized sequences of text characters which control colors on the screen, manipulate the cursor, and redefine keys. OS2 includes support for ANSI screen and cursor control sequences. The abbreviation ANSI is for American National Standards Institute, an organization whch sets standards for computer-related systems, including "ANSI" screen control sequences. Append: Concatenation of one file or string onto the end of another (this use is not related to the DOS and OS/2 external command named APPEND). Application: A program run from the command prompt or a batch file. Used broadly to mean any program other than the command processor; and more narrowly to mean a program with a specific purpose such as a spreadsheet or word processing program, as opposed to a utility. Archive: A file attribute indicating that the file has been modified since the last backup (most backup programs clear this attribute). Also sometimes refers to a single file (such as a .ZIP file) which contains a number of other files in compressed form. Argument: See Parameter. ASCII File: A file containing ASCII text, as opposed to a binary file which may contain numbers, or other information that cannot be sensibly interpreted as text. ASCII: The American Standard Code for Information Interchange, which defines numeric values for 128 different characters comprising the English alphabet, numbers, punctuation, and some control characters. Attribute: A characteristic of a file which can be set or cleared. The standard attributes are Read-Only, Hidden, System, and Archive; other attributes include Directory and Volume Label. Automatic Batch Files: See 4START and 4EXIT. Automatic Directory Change: A 4OS2 feature which allows you to change directories by typing the directory name and a backslash [\] at the prompt. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.3. Glossary - B ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W X Base Name: The file name without a drive, path, or extension. For example, in the file name C:\DIR1\LETTER.DAT the base name is LETTER. BAT File: See Batch File. Batch File: A text file containing a sequence of commands for the command processor to execute. Batch files are used to save command sequences so that they can be re-executed at any time, transferred to another system, etc. The extension of a batch file may be .BAT, .CMD, or .BTM, depending on the operating system and command processor you are using. Batch File Parameter: A numbered variable (e.g. %2) used within a batch file, allowing a different value to be used at that spot in the file each time it is executed. Binary File: A file containing information which does not represent or cannot sensibly be interpreted as text. See also ASCII File. BIOS or Basic Input Output System: The software (or "firmware") stored on chips inside PC systems. The BIOS provides basic low-level control of devices required to operate the system, such as the keyboard, floppy disk, and screen; it also handles system self-tests at startup, and intiates loading of the operating system. Block Device: A physical device for input or output which can transmit or receive large blocks of data while the computer is engaged in other activities. Examples include disk, tape, and CD-ROM drives. See also Character Device. Boot Directory: The current directory at the time the system is booted, usually the root directory of the boot drive. Boot Drive: The disk drive that the system is booted from, usually A: (the floppy disk) or C: (the hard disk). Boot: The process of starting the computer and loading the operating system into memory. See also Reboot, Cold Reboot, and Warm Reboot. Break: A signal sent to a program to tell it to halt what it is doing. The Ctrl-C key or Ctrl-Break key is used to send this signal. Some external commands abort when they receive a break signal; others return to a previous screen or menu, or abort the current operation. BTM File: A special type of 4OS2 batch file which is loaded into memory to speed up execution. Buffer: An area of memory set aside for storage. For example, disk buffers are used to save information as it is transferred between your program and the disk, and the keyboard buffer holds keystrokes until a program can use them. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.4. Glossary - C ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W X CDFS or CD-ROM File System: The file system which supports CD-ROM drives. This is typically implemented as a distinct file system in 32-bit operating systems like OS/2 and Windows NT. On other platforms it is implemented as a component of or addition to the underlying general file system for disk drives. Character Device: A physical device for input or output which must communicate with your computer one character at a time. Examples include the console, communications ports, and printers. See also Block Device. Character Mode: A display mode in which output is displayed in a fixed font, typically with 80 columns in a line and 25 lines on the screen (some systems allow you to increase the number of rows and columns to other fixed sizes), and which cannot display graphics or pictures. See also Graphics Mode. CMD File: See Batch File. CMDLINE: An environment variable used to extend the command line passed to another program beyond its normal length limits. Cold Reboot: The process of restarting the computer in a way that physically resets most hardware devices, typically by pressing a reset button, or by turning the power off and back on. See also Warm Reboot. Command Completion: A 4OS2 feature which allows you to recall a previous command by typing the first few letters of the command, then an up-arrow or down-arrow. Command Echoing: A feature which displays commands as they are executed. Echoing can be turned on and off. Command Grouping: A 4OS2 feature which allows you to group several commands with parentheses, and have them treated as a single command for most purposes. Command History Window: A pop-up window used by 4OS2 to display the command history, allowing you to choose a previous command to modify and/or execute. Command History: A 4OS2 feature which retains commands you have executed, so that they can be modified and re-executed later. Command Processor: A program which interprets commands and executes other programs. Sometimes also called a Command Interpreter. Command Recall: See Command History. Command Separator: A character used to separate multiple commands on the same command line. Command Tail: The portion of a command consisting of all the arguments, i.e., everything but the command name itself. Compound Command: See Multiple Commands. Compression: An operating system feature which compresses data as it is stored in a disk file, and decompresses it as it is read back, resulting in more efficient use of disk space (at a slight cost in processor time to perform the compression and decompression). More generally, an approach to data storage which reduces repeated or redundant information to a smaller number of bytes in the compressed version than in the original, in order to minimize the space required to store the information. COMSPEC: An environment variable which defines where to find the character-mode command processor to start a secondary shell. Conditional Commands: A 4OS2 feature allowing commands to be executed or skipped depending on the results of a previous command. See also Exit Code. Console: The PC keyboard and display. Console Mode: See Character Mode. Control Character: A character which is part of the ASCII code, but does not have a normal text representation, and which can usually be generated by pressing the Ctrl key along with another key. Coprocessor: See Numeric Coprocessor. Country Settings: The internal settings which tell the operating system how to interpret keyboard characters which vary from country to country, which character set to use, and how to retrieve and display date, time, and other information in the format appropriate to a particular country. See also Code Page. CPU: The Central Processing Unit which performs all logic and most calculations in a computer. In PC-compatible systems, the CPU is on a single microprocessor chip. CR or Carriage Return: The ASCII character "carriage return" (decimal value 13), generated by pressing the Enter key on the keyboard, and stored in most ASCII files at the end of each line. Critical Error: An error, usually related to a physical or hardware problem with input, output, or network access, which prevents a program from continuing. Current Directory: The directory in which all file operations will take place unless otherwise specified. The current directory is typically displayed as part of the command prompt. Also called the Current Working Directory. Current Drive: The disk drive on which all file operations will take place unless otherwise specified. The current drive is typically displayed as part of the command prompt. Cursor: A movable marker on the screen to show where text will be entered when you type at the keyboard, or which object on the screen will be affected when a mouse button is clicked. In character mode only the text cursor is available; graphical systems typically show both a mouse cursor and, when text can be entered, a separate text cursor. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.5. Glossary - D ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W X Date Range: A 4OS2 feature which allows you to select files based on the date and time they were last modified. Date Stamp: Information stored in a file's directory entry to show the dates on which the file was created, last modified, and last accessed. Creation and last access dates are not available in the FAT file system. See also Time Stamp. Default Directory: See Current Directory Default Drive: See Current Drive. Delete Tracking: An operating system or utility software feature which is designed to allow you to "undelete" or recover files which have recently been deleted. Delete tracking typically works by temporarily retaining the deleted files and/or information about the deleted files in a special area of the disk. Description: A string of characters assigned to describe a file with the 4OS2 DESCRIBE command. Destination: In file processing commands (e.g. COPY or MOVE), the name or directory files should have after any copying or modification has taken place, generally the last specification on the command line. See also Source. Detached Process: A program which is "detached" from the normal means of user input and output, and cannot use the keyboard, mouse, or video display. Device Driver: A program which allows the operating system to communicate with a device, and which is loaded into memory when the system boots. Device drivers are also used to manage memory or for other similar internal functions. Device: A physical device for input or output such as the console, a communications port, or a printer. Sometimes "device" is used to refer to character devices, and excludes block devices. Directive: An individual item in the 4OS2.INI file, used to control the configuration of 4OS2. Directory: A portion of any disk, identified by a name and a relationship to other directories in a "tree" structure, with the tree starting at the root directory. A directory separates files on the disk into logical groups, but does not represent a physical division of the data on the disk. Directory History: A 4OS2 feature which allows you to recall recently-used directory names in a popup window, and choose one to switch to. Directory History Window: See Directory History. Directory Stack: A 4OS2 feature, implemented through the PUSHD and POPD commands, which allows you to save the current directory and return to it later. See also Stack. Directory Tree: The branching structure of directories on a hard disk, starting at the root directory. The root of the tree is usually considered as the "top" of the structure, so the actual structure can be visualized as an upside-down tree with the root at the top and branches going "down". A portion or branch of the directory tree is sometimes called a "subtree". DOS Memory: See Base Memory. DOS Session: See Session. DPMI or DOS Protected Mode Interface: A specification which allows DOS programs to access memory beyond 1 MB in order to manage larger programs or larger amounts of information than will fit in base memory. DPMI support for DOS programs is provided by some DOS memory managers, and by OS/2, Windows 3.1 and above, Windows 95, and Windows NT. Drive Letter: A letter used to designate a specific local disk volume, or part or all of a network server drive. In most cases drive letters range from A - Z, but some network operating systems allow the use of certain punctuation characters as drive letters in order to support more than 26 volumes. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.6. Glossary - E ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W X Echo: See Command Echoing. Environment: An area of memory which contains multiple entries in the form "NAME=value". See also Master Environment and Passed Environment. Environment Variable: The name of a single entry in the environment. Error Level: A numeric value between 0 and 255 returned from an external command to indicate its result (e.g., success, failure, response to a question). See also Exit Code. Escape Character: In some contexts, the 4OS2 escape character, which is used to suppress the normal meaning of or give special meaning to the following character. In other cases, the specific ASCII character ESC. The meaning must be determined from the context. Escape Sequence: A sequence of text characters which has a special meaning and is not treated as normal text. For example, the character sequence <ESC>]K (where <ESC> is the ASCII "escape" character, decimal value 27) will cause an ANSI driver to clear the screen from the cursor to the end of the current line, rather than simply displaying the string "ESC]K" on the screen. Similarly, in 4OS2, the escape sequence ^f on the command line is translated to a form feed, and is not treated as the literal characters "^f". Executable Extensions: A 4OS2 feature which allows you to specify the application to be executed when a file with a particular extension is named at the command prompt. Executable File: A file, usually with the extension .COM or .EXE, which can be loaded into memory and run as a program. Exit Code: The result code returned by an external command or an internal command. 4OS2 internal commands return an exit code of 0 if successful, or non-zero if unsuccessful. See also Errorlevel. Expansion: The process 4OS2 goes through when it scans a command line and substitutes the appropriate actual values for aliases, alias parameters, batch file parameters, and environment variables. See also Parsing. Extended ASCII Character: A character which is not part of the standard set of 128 ASCII characters, but is used on the PC as part of an extended set of 256 characters. These characters include international language symbols, and box and line drawing characters. Extended Attributes: An OS/2 High Performance File System (HPFS) feature which allows storage of additional information about a file, separate from the file itself. Extended attributes are typically used to store icons for executable files, property or settings information, and other information added by the user. Extended Directory Search: A 4OS2 feature which maintains a directory search "database" or list, typically including all directories in your system, and allows you to change quickly to any directory in the list. Extended Key Code: The code for a key on the PC keyboard which has no representation in the standard ASCII character set, such as a function key, cursor key, or Alt plus another key. The extended key code for a key is often the same as the scan code for that key. Extended Memory: Any memory on a computer system with a 286, 386, 486, or Pentium processor which is above the first 1 MB (one megabyte, or 1024*1024 bytes) of memory. See also XMS. Extended Parent Directory Names: A 4OS2 feature which allows you to use additional periods in a directory name to represent directories which are successively higher in the directory tree. Extended Wildcard: A 4OS2 feature which extends the traditional wildcard syntax and allows you to use multiple wildcard characters, and character ranges (e.g. [a-f] for the letters A through F). See also Wildcard. Extension: The final portion of a file name, preceded by a period. For example, in the file name C:\DIR1\LETTER.DAT the extension is .DAT. In a long filename which contains multiple periods, the extension is usually considered to be the portion of the name after the final period. External Command: A program which resides in an executable file, as opposed to an internal command which is part of the command processor. EXTPROC: A command processor feature which allows you to designate a specific external program to run a particular batch file. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.7. Glossary - F ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W X FAT File System: The traditional file system used by DOS to store files on diskettes and hard disks; also supported by OS/2 and Windows NT. Uses a File Allocation Table to keep track of allocated and unallocated space on the disk. FAT-Compatible File Name: See SFN. FF or Form Feed: The ASCII character "form feed" (decimal value 12), which typically causes a printer to skip to a new page. The FF character is not normally entered from the keyboard, but in many cases it can be generated, if necessary, by holding the Alt key, pressing 0-1-2, and releasing the Alt key. File Attribute: See Attribute. File Description: See Description. File Exclusion Range: A 4OS2 feature which allows you to exclude files from processing by internal commands based on their names. Filename Completion: A 4OS2 feature which allows you to type part of a filename on the command line, and have the command processor fill in the rest for you. Free Memory: Usually, the amount of total memory which is unoccupied and available for applications. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.8. Glossary - G ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F H I K L M N O P R S T U V W X Global Aliases: A 4OS2 option which allows you to store aliases in a global area accessible to all copies of 4OS2, so that any change made by one copy is immediately available to all other copies. See also Local Aliases. Global Directory History: An option which allows you to store the directory history in a global area accessible to all copies of 4OS2, so that any change made by one copy is immediately available to all other copies. See also Local Directory History. Global History: A 4OS2 option which allows you to store the command history in a global area accessible to all copies of 4OS2, so that any change made by one copy is immediately available to all other copies. See also Local History. Graphics Mode: A display mode in which output is displayed in any one of a range of fonts, typically in resizable windows with a variable number of text rows and columns, and which supports the display of graphics and pictures along with text. See also Character Mode. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.9. Glossary - H ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F H I K L M N O P R S T U V W X Hidden: A file attribute indicating that the file should not be displayed with a normal DIR command, and should not be made available to programs unless they specifically request access to hidden files. History Window: See Command History Window and Directory History. History: See Command History. HMA or High Memory Area: The area of PC memory located in the first 64K bytes above the 1 megabyte that DOS can address directly. The HMA can be made addressable from DOS programs using special hardware facilities, or an XMS driver. HPFS or High Performance File System: A file system distributed with OS/2 and Windows NT 3.51 and below which allows longer file names, supports larger drives, and provides better performance than the traditional FAT file system. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.10. Glossary - I ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H K L M N O P R S T U V W X IFS or Installable File System: A file system which can be loaded when required to support devices such as CD-ROM or network drives, or non-default disk formats like HPFS (in OS/2) or NTFS (in Windows NT). Installable file systems are primarily supported 32-bit operating systems like OS/2 and Windows NT. Depending on operating system design they may be loaded at boot time, or loaded and unloaded dynamically while the system is running. Include List: A concise method of specifying several files or groups of files in the same directory, for use with all 4OS2 commands which take file names as arguments. Inheritance: A feature which allows one copy of 4OS2 to "inherit" the .INI file data, aliases, command history, and directory history from a previous copy. More generally, a system which allows one program to pass information or settings on to another, often to a second copy of the same program. .INI File: The 4OS2 initialization file containing directives which set the initial configuration of the command processor. Insert Mode: When editing text, a mode in which newly typed characters are inserted into the line at the cursor position, rather than overwriting existing characters on the line. See also Overstrike Mode. Internal Command: A command which is part of the command processor, as opposed to an external command. Internal Variables: Environment variables created by 4OS2 to provide information about your system. Internal variables are evaluated each time they are used, and are not actually stored in the environment. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.11. Glossary - K ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H I L M N O P R S T U V W X Key Code: The code passed to a program when a key is pressed on the keyboard. Depending on the key that is pressed, and the software handling the keyboard, the code can be an ASCII code, a scan code, or an extended key code. Key Mapping: A 4OS2 feature which allows you to assign new keystrokes for command line functions such as manipulating the command history or completing file names. Keyboard Buffer: A buffer which holds keystrokes you have typed that have not yet been used by the currently executing program. Keystroke Alias: An alias assigned to a key, so that it can be invoked or recalled with a single keystroke. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.12. Glossary - L ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H I K M N O P R S T U V W X Label: A marker in a batch file, with the format :name, allowing GOTO and GOSUB commands to "jump" to that point in the file. See also Volume Label. LF or Line Feed: The ASCII character "line feed" (decimal value 10), stored in most ASCII files at the end of each line, after the CR character. The LF character is not normally entered from the keyboard, but in many cases it can be generated, if necessary, by pressing Ctrl-Enter. Local Aliases: A 4OS2 option which allows you to store aliases in a local area only accessible to the current copy of 4OS2, so that a change made in the current copy of 4OS2 does not affect other copies, and vice versa. See also Global Aliases. Local Directory History: A 4OS2 option which allows you to store the directory history in a local area only accessible to the current copy of 4OS2, so that a change made in the current copy of 4OS2 does not affect other copies, and vice versa. See also Global Directory History. Local History: A 4OS2 option which allows you to store the command history in a local area only accessible to the current copy of 4OS2, so that a change made in the current copy of 4OS2 does not affect other copies, and vice versa. See also Global History. Logging: A 4OS2 feature, implemented via the LOG command, which allows you to save a record of the commands you execute. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.13. Glossary - M ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H I K L N O P R S T U V W X Master Environment: The master copy of the environment maintained by the command processor. Modulo: The remainder after an integer division. For example 11 modulo 3 is 2, because when 11 is divided by 3 the remainder is 2. Multiple Commands: A 4OS2 feature which allows multiple commands to be placed on a line, separated by an ampersand [&], or another, user-defined character. Multitasking: A capability of some software (and the related hardware) which allows two or more programs to run apparently simultaneously on the same computer. Multitasking software for PC compatible systems includes operating environments like Windows 3, and complete operating systems like OS/2, Windows 95, and Windows NT. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.14. Glossary - N ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H I K L M O P R S T U V W X Network: A system which allows several computers to be connected together to share files, printers, modems, or other resources, and to pass electronic mail or other information between the systems on the network. Network File System: Software which runs over a network to allow access to files on the server. A network file system may support the same options as the file system used on local drives, or it may be more or less restrictive than the local file system about file names, disk volume capacity, and other similar features. NTFS or New Technology File System: A file system distributed with Windows NT which allows longer file names, supports larger drives, and provides better performance than the traditional FAT file system. Numeric Coprocessor: A chip which works in conjunction with an Intel 8086, 80286, 80386, 80486, or Pentium CPU to perform decimal arithmetic ("floating point") calculations. Some 80486s and the Pentium CPU have the numeric coprocessor built in to the CPU chip; in all other cases it is on a physically separate chip, and is optional (when the coprocessor is not avilable, the CPU performs decimal arithmetic through other, much slower methods). ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.15. Glossary - O ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H I K L M N P R S T U V W X Operating System: A collection of software which loads when the computer is started, provides services to other software, and ensures that programs don't interfere with each other while they are running. Option: See Switch. OR: A logical combination of two true or false conditions. If both conditions are false the result is false; if either condition is true the result is true. Overstrike Mode: When editing text, a mode in which newly typed characters overwrite existing characters on the line, rather than being inserted into the line at the cursor position. See also Insert Mode. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.16. Glossary - P ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H I K L M N O R S T U V W X Parameter: A piece of additional information placed after a command or function name. For example, in the command DIR XYZ, XYZ is a parameter. Also used to refer to an alias parameter or batch file parameter. Parent Directory: The directory in which a particular subdirectory resides, often seen as the directory "above" a subdirectory. Parsing: The process 4OS2 performs to analyze the command line, perform alias and environment variable expansion, and find the appropriate internal command or external command to execute. More generally, the process of breaking down a string or message into its individual components in order to process them properly. Passed Environment: A copy of the master environment created before running an application, so that any changes made by the application will not affect the master environment. Path: A specification of all the directories a file resides in. For example, the path for C:\WPFILES\MYDIR\MEMO.TXT is C:\WPFILES\MYDIR\. Also used to refer to the environment variable PATH, which contains a series of path specifications used when searching for external commands and batch files. Pipe: A method for collecting the standard output of one program and passing it on as the standard input of the next program to be executed, signified by a vertical bar "|" on the command line. See also Redirection. Previous Working Directory: The working directory used most recently, just prior to the current working directory. For example, if C:\DATA is the current working directory and you switch to D:\UTIL, C:\DATA then becomes the previous working directory. Primary Shell: The copy of the character-mode command processor which is loaded by the operating system when the system boots or a session opens. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.17. Glossary - R ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P S T U V W X RAM or Random Access Memory: The physical memory used to store data while a computer is operating. The information in most types of RAM is lost when power is turned off. RAM Disk: A pseudo "disk drive", created by software, which appears like a normal physical disk drive to programs. Sometimes also called a Virtual Disk. Range: See Date Range, Size Range, Time Range, and File Exclusion Range. Read-Only: A file attribute indicating that the file can be read, but not written or deleted by the operating system or the command processor unless special commands are used. Reboot: The process of restarting the computer with software, with the keyboard (e.g. by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del), by pressing a reset button, or by turning the power off and back on. See also Cold Reboot and Warm Reboot. Redirection: A method for collecting output from a program in a file, and/or of providing the input for a program from a file. See also Pipe. REXX: A file and text processing language developed by IBM, and available on many PC and other platforms. ROM or Read Only Memory: A physical memory device used to store information which cannot be readily modified, such as the BIOS built into each PC system. The information in ROM is typically retained when power is turned off. Root Directory: The first directory on any disk, from which all other directories are "descended." The root directory is referenced with a single backslash [\]. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.18. Glossary - S ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R T U V W X Scan Code: The physical code for a key on the PC keyboard. For the original U.S. English keyboard layout the scan code represents the physical position of the key, starting with 1 for the key in the upper left corner (Esc), and increasing from left to right and top to bottom. This order will vary for more recent keyboards or those designed for other countries or languages. Search Path: See PATH. Secondary Shell: A copy of the command processor which is started by another program, rather than by the operating system. Session: A general term for the individual windows or tasks started by a multitasking system. For example, under OS/2 you might run a DOS application in one session, and 4OS2 in another. Shell: See Command Processor. Also used to refer to a program which gives access to operating system functions and commands through a menu- or mouse-driven system, or which replaces the primary user interface of the operating system. Size Range: A 4OS2 feature which allows you to select files based on their size. Source: In file processing commands (e.g. COPY or MOVE), the original files before any copying or modification has taken place, i.e., those specified earlier on the command line. See also Destination. Stack: An area of memory used by any program to store temporary data while the program is running; more generally, any such storage area where the last item stored is normally the first one removed. Standard Error, Standard Input, and Standard Output: The file(s) or character device(s) where a program respectively displays error messages, obtains its normal input, and displays its normal output. Standard error, standard input, and standard output normally refer to the console, unless redirection is used. Subdirectory: Any directory other than the root directory. Subtree: See Directory Tree. Swap File: A disk file created by an operating system or a program to store unused information on disk, and thereby free up memory for other purposes. Switch: A parameter for an internal command or application which specifies a particular behavior or setting. For example, the command "DIR /P" might be referred to as "having the /P switch set". System: A file attribute indicating that the file belongs to the operating system or command processor, and should not be accessed by other programs. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.19. Glossary - T ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S U V W X Target: See Destination. Time Range: A 4OS2 feature which allows you to select files based on the time they were last modified. Time Stamp: Information stored in a file's directory entry to show the times at which the file was created, last modified, and last accessed. Creation time is not available in the FAT file system; last access time is only available in the HPFS and NTFS file systems. See also Date Stamp. Tree: See Directory Tree. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.20. Glossary - U ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T V W X UMB or Upper Memory Block: An XMS Upper Memory Block, whose address is above the end of base memory (normally, above 640K), but within the 1 megabyte of memory that DOS can address directly. UNC or Universal Naming Convention: A common method for accessing files on a network drive without using a "mapped" drive letter. Names specified this way are called UNC names, and typically appear as \\server\volume\path\filename, where server is the name of the network server where the files reside, volume is the name of a disk volume on that server, and the path\filename portion is a directory name and file name. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.21. Glossary - V ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U W X Variable Expansion: The process of scanning a command line and replacing each environment variable name, alias parameter, or batch file parameter with its value. Variable Functions: Functions provided by 4OS2 to manipulate strings, dates, and filenames; perform arithmetic; read and write files; and perform other similar functions. Variable functions are similar to static environment variables or internal variables, but have parameters and can perform actions rather than just returning static information. Variable: See Alias Parameter, Batch File Parameter, and Environment Variable. Virtual Disk: See RAM Disk. Volume Label: A special, hidden file placed on any disk, whose name constitutes a "label" for the entire disk. Volume: See Disk Drive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.22. Glossary - W ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V X Warm Reboot: The process of restarting the computer with software, or with the keyboard (e.g. by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del), typically without physically resetting any hardware devices. See also Cold Reboot. White Space Character: A character used to separate arguments on the command line. The white space characters recognized by 4OS2 are the space, tab, and comma. Wildcard: A character ("*" or "?") used in a filename to specify the possibility that any single character ("?") or sequence of characters ("*") can occur at that point in the actual name. See also Extended Wildcard. Windows NT File System: See NTFS. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.23. Glossary - X ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4 A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W XOR (exclusive OR): A logical combination of two true or false conditions. If both conditions are false or both conditions are true the result is false; if either condition is true and the other is false the result is true.