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- !changes
- !new
-
- tbu v3.3.1 - The Batch Utility - Release Notes - 04 Apr 95
- ----------------------------------------------------------
- Fixed a rollover problem with the -w While Increment Loop. For example,
- when rolling in the range of 1 to 999, tBU would go to 1000 then to 1
- without ending the loop with errorlevel 1 or clearing the increment
- symbol.
-
- Note: It has come to my attention that tBU v3.3 will not work correctly
- in a DOS window in Windows/NT from Microsoft. As I do not have NT
- available yet I have not done a port to that operating system. As soon
- as one becomes available I will attempt to get tBU running in the
- NT environment.
-
- tbu v3.3 - The Batch Utility - Release Notes - 15 Jan 94
- --------------------------------------------------------
- Fixed a couple of minor bugs and added the -Z get string size function.
- See the updated TBU.DOC.
-
- tBU v3.2.3 - The Batch Utility - Release Notes - 12 Aug 92
- ----------------------------------------------------------
- Fixed a minor bug in the -C convert_base routine that was not trapping
- errors in the input strings.
-
- tBU v3.2.2 - The Batch Utility - Release Notes - 18 May 92
- ----------------------------------------------------------
- Changed the way -c input_character and -s input_string work. A beep was
- always sounded if the timeout option was used, AND the input did timeout.
- In 3.2.2 the beep is optional. Add a final argument 'B' to enable a beep
- (in either uppercase or lowercase). The TBU.DOC file has been updated
- accordingly.
-
- Example: tbu -c c "What next? " ABC 10
-
- If a timeout occurs no beep will be sounded. However ...
-
- Example: tbu -c c "What next? " ABC 10 b
-
- Will cause a beep on timeout, like the prior versions.
-
- NOTE ! There is one known qwirk when using timeouts. Because the input
- functions have been written to allow reading redirected input from
- files, a timeout represents an end-of-file condition. Any
- subsequent input commands (on the same command line) fail with
- an eof-of-file condition.
-
- SO, if you're doing multiple inputs with timeouts, they must be
- done on separate command lines.
-
-
- tBU v3.2.1 - The Batch Utility - Release Notes - 14 Apr 92
- ----------------------------------------------------------
- Oops ... this one's a bug fixer.
-
- Fixed the -S substitute so characters within the replacement string
- are not themselves replaced. This was a design decision, but we feel
- that it's more useful then having recursive replacements.
-
- Fixed the -r read file so it actually reads up to 128 characters for a
- line, and sets the offset-symbol to account for the CR/LF line
- terminating characters in DOS. If a line is longer than 128 characters
- the first pass returns the first 128, the next returns the next 128,
- and so on. Line termination characters are not counted in the 128
- characters.
-
- Fixed a weird bug in -Q qualify path when handling a nonexistent file
- or directory in the root of a drive only when using backslashes (\)
- and not forward slashes. Anyway, -Q should work 100% now for any
- legal path specification with either type of slash.
-
-
- tBU v3.2 - The Batch Utility - Release Notes - 27 Mar 92
- --------------------------------------------------------
- With this release we're up to 40 functions in tBU !!!!!!
-
- *** Added a NEW 'get path from symbol;path' function:
-
- -g Get path from symbol;path
- Arguments: <sym> <filespec> <path-sym>
- Symbol: Sets symbol to the fully qualified pathname of filespec
- if found in one of the directories found in symbol path-sym.
- Path-sym contains a semi-colon separated list of directories,
- the same as the PATH symbol. The value is uppercased.
- Errorlevel: Length of resulting string.
- Example: tbu -g p tbu.exe path Sets P to C:\TBU.EXE
- See also: -Q, -T, -Y, drive, letter, directory
-
-
- *** Added a NEW 'qualify path' function:
-
- -Q Qualify path
- Arguments: <sym> <path>
- Symbol: Sets sym to the fully qualified path.
- Errorlevel: Length of resulting string.
- Example: tbu -Q s1 .. Sets S1 to the full parent path
- Notes: Does not detect whether the last path segment specified
- actually exists, which allows qualifying new files/dirs.
- The root is returned as drive:\
- See also: -T, -Y, drive, letter, directory
-
- Very handy for commands where fully qualified paths need to be derived from
- possibly relative specifications.
-
-
- *** Added a timeout option to the 'input string' function, due to popular
- demand. It now is:
-
- -s Input string
- Arguments: <sym> [prompt] [timeout]
- Symbol: Sets symbol to the string entered. Prompt is optional.
- Input may be redirected to read a string from a file.
- Optional timeout is in seconds.
- Errorlevel: Length of string entered. 0 = timeout.
- Example: tbu -s s "Your name:" Prompts and sets S to entered string
- tbu -s s "Select: " 10 Prompts with 10 second timeout
- See also: -c -r redirection
-
-
- *** Added a count option to the 'substitute strings' function. It now is:
-
- -S Substitute strings
- Arguments: <sym> <patt> <data> <string> [count]
- Symbol: Sets symbol to the newly replaced string, count times.
- Errorlevel: Length of resulting string.
- Example: tbu -S s "old" "new" "This is old" Sets S to This is new
- tbu -S p // \ %PATH% 99 Changes all /'s to \'s
-
- So replacing all forward slashes (/) with backslashes (\) is easy:
-
- set D=c:/aa/bb/cc/dd
- tbu -U d %D% -S d // \ $D 99
-
- will upper-case the pathname in symbol D, then replace the slashes so DOS
- likes the path better. tBU will perform 'n' substitutions, or until there
- are no more possible substutitions. This particular substition is handy
- for making commands that can use either slash in pathnames. (The doubled
- forward- slashes are necessary because a forward slash can be used as an
- option prefix). When used with a utility like 'sd', which will change
- the drive and/or directory in one command, environment symbols can be
- used instead of hardcoding paths in commands.
-
-
-
- tBU v3.1 - The Batch Utility - Release Notes - 14 Jul 91
- --------------------------------------------------------
- Version 3.1 adds 2 new functions folks have been asking for ...
-
- -P Parse string
- Arguments: <sym> <string> <fieldnum> <delimiters> [compress]
- Symbol: Sets symbol to the field specified by fieldnum. Fieldnum
- starts at 1. Fields are parsed on any delimiter found.
- Optional compressed is Y or N (default N) will compress
- multiple delimiters without incrementing the field count.
- Delimiters should be enclosed in "double quotes" and may
- be multiple characters.
- Errorlevel: Length of field.
- Example: tbu -P s ":tbu::X" 1 ":" N Clears S, field 1 is empty
- tbu -P s ":tbu::X" 1 ":" Y Sets S to tbu
- tbu -P s ":tbu,,X" 4 ":," N Sets S to X
- tbu -P s ":tbu,,X" 2 ":," Y Sets S to X
- See also: -m -p -s string
-
- -r Read file line
- Arguments: <sym> <filename> <offset-symbol>
- Symbol: Sets symbol to the line read from filename at offset.
- Offset-symbol contains the offset, and is set to the
- new offset, or "-1" if end-of-file is encountered.
- Offset is assumed to be 0 if offset-symbol is not set.
- Errorlevel: Length of line read, without newline, or 0.
- See also: -c -s -P -p string
- Notes: By using the -r option in a loop an entire file may
- be read. The maximum line length is 128 characters.
-
-
-
- tBU v3.0 - The Batch Utility - Release Notes - 19 Apr 90
- --------------------------------------------------------
- This new version of tBU is a major enhancement over the prior version.
- It has expanded from 12 to 35 functions, while only growing about 4K in
- size! Many new capabilities are included, and a few option letters
- have been changed. The highlights and changes are listed below.
- !help
-
- -- GETTING HELP --
- tBU v3.0 has a new help facility which may be used for documentation
- other than just itself. To get full documentation or detailed help:
-
- tbu -h Display the entire help file, one screen at a time.
- tbu -h keyword Get help on a specific function or topic.
- tbu -h >prn Print help on the printer (no pauses or !keywords).
- tbu -h h Get help on using -h with other documentation.
-
- Or any combination of the above. NOTE! The keyword may be a tBU case-
- specific option letter WITHOUT the dash or slash option prefix. The
- file TBU.DOC must be in the current directory or in a directory defined
- in the PATH environment symbol. Redirecting the output to a file will
- cause the pagination (pausing) to be disabled.
- !keywords
-
- Keywords for TBU.DOC other than option letters. Partial words are allowed:
- = entering keyboard short
- ? environment letter size
- ansi equate list smileware
- authors exists loop sound
- bases extended lowercase space
- batchmaster extension match speaker
- bbs extention memory string
- beep file multitasker substitute
- boolean filename name substr
- case filesize options symbols
- character find parse timestamp
- compare format path topview
- comparison free portion tricks
- convert functions qualify uppercase
- date help quick usage
- desqview hints redirection use
- directory if read values
- disk increment replace version
- dos indirection revision warnings
- drive input set while
- !readmekeywords
-
- Keywords for README.TBU. Partial words are allowed:
-
- changes highlights library warranty
- dos keywords new
- help license problems
- !highlights
-
- -- HIGHLIGHTS --
- tBU v3.0 has all sorts of goodies built in. Listed here are the options
- available. All options are now case-sensitive (we were running out of
- letters!)
-
- O DESCRIPTION O DESCRIPTION
- - ------------------------- - -------------------------
- ? Print tBU information m Match string in string
- A ANSI loaded check n Parse filename only
- b Beep the speaker o Lowercase string
- C Convert numeric base p Portion of string
- c Input single character q Equate sym to sym2
- D System date/time R DOS major/minor revision
- d Date of file S Substitute strings
- E Maximum environment size s Input string
- e Free environment space T Test if file/dir exists
- F Format a timestamp t Extended keyboard check
- f Parse filename.extension U Uppercase string
- h Print help V DesqView/Topview check
- I If comparison W while v's loop
- K Get disk space w while increment loop
- k Check disk space x Parse extension only
- L Get current drive letter Y Get current directory
- l Parse drive letter only y Parse directory
- M Get free memory in bytes z Get file size
-
- To allow some tBU functions to be used where the environment space is
- too small, we've added the '=' option. An equal sign may be used in
- place of the target environment symbol name to disable setting a new
- variable. Some functions are only useful when the environment can
- be set with the result.
-
- For debugging and simply printing things out, the '?' character may be
- prepended to any target environment symbol.
-
- Also, a dollar sign '$' may be prepended to any environment symbol to
- allow one level of indirection. This allows a symbol's value to be
- used as a new symbol name. If used, the dollar sign MUST appear first
- in the symbol name.
-
- -- CHANGES --
- We changed a few of the option letters from the previous version so
- things would make more sense. ! BE SURE ! to modify your batch files
- when you install this new version.
-
- OLD OPTION: NEW LETTER:
- --------------------------------- ---------------------------------
- -r DOS revision ................ -R
- -d Get system date ............. -D
- -t Get system time ............. Gone, combined in new -D
- -b Substitute pattern for data . -S
- -u Upper-case string ........... -U
- -w Lower-case string ........... -o
- !problems
- !DOS
-
- Since tBU 3.0 was released in 1990 it has been discovered that there's
- a problem operating under MS-DOS and PC-DOS 3.2. tBU seems to run
- correctly, but the environment symbols are never set or altered. It
- doesn't seem to cause any problems or crashes, it just doesn't do what
- it's supposed to do. We've not been able to find this problem, but
- we hope most folks are running MS/PC-DOS 3.3 or better.
-
- ALSO! This version has been tested under DOS 4.0 -AND- DOS 5.0 and
- it works great!
- !license
-
- -- LICENSE --
- tBU may be used by private individuals or educational institutions free of
- charge. Use by commercial organizations, companies, or any governmental
- agency requires a commercial license. Commercial licenses are available for
- $20.00 per computer. Sites licenses are negotiable.
- !warranty
-
- -- WARRANTY --
- tBU has been tested extensively. However, no warranty or guarantee is
- either expressed or implied, including but not limited to merchantability
- or fitness for any particular use. In someone's famous words "if you
- break it, you own both parts". The authors accept no liability for the
- use or misuse of this software.
-
- As with any software, care must be taken to guard against Trojans and
- virus infection. The original release of this software is available
- from the Fidonet bulletin boards listed in the documentation.
-
- Todd Hill can be contacted at:
-
- thill@monkeyboy.com
-
- Todd Hill
- 13034 King Cir.
- Broomfield, CO 80020
-