DOS Wares/doswares.zip/doswares/UTILS/TOOLS/AS_PB110.ZIP/POWERBAT.DOC

Text File | 1994-03-12 | 113.2 KB | 3,284 lines

                                   PowerBatch
                                  Version 2.0



                         COMPUTING SYSTEMS DESIGN, INC.
                               4437 Ormond Trace
                               Marietta, GA 30066
                               FAX [phone]




                               _______
                          ____|__     |               (tm)
                       --|       |    |-------------------
                         |   ____|__  |  Association of
                         |  |       |_|  Shareware
                         |__|   o   |    Professionals
                       -----|   |   |---------------------
                            |___|___|    MEMBER


        CSD, Inc. is a member of The Association of Shareware Professionals
        and subscribes to all the policies and standards of this organization.

                         Copyright (c) 1990-1994 by CSD, Inc.
                            All Rights Reserved Worldwide

                 This documentation was produced on December 31, 1993





                               Table Of Contents



     Introduction   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1


     Software Support   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2


     Concept Of Operation   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3


     Installation   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5


     Constructing A PowerBatch Source File  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6


     PowerBatch Commands  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7


     Command Summary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43


     Compilation Errors   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45


     Examples   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47




                                  Introduction

        PowerBatch is a Shareware product. Shareware is a distribution method,
        not a type of software. With Shareware you get the ultimate money-back
        guarantee...if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it.

        Shareware is not free software. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware
        and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights,
        with a few specific exceptions as stated in this document. Shareware
        authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors,
        and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, you will
        find good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method
        of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and
        distribute the EVALUATION VERSION of the software to anyone as long as
        no remuneration is received for the distribution of the software
        unless permission is granted in writing by the author.

        Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before
        buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you
        are expected to register the software with the author. With
        registration, you will receive the latest version of the software
        without the evaluation titles and messages. With shareware you are
        able to try the software on your computer with your own set of
        peripherals, the only way to know if it will function in your own
        environment. After deciding that PowerBatch is a software product that
        you will use, then and only then do you pay for it. The ultimate trust
        from the author! When you do pay for the software, you pay only for
        the software, not for advertisement for the software which can cost
        many times what the software actually costs.

        CSD, Inc. is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals
        (ASP).  ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for
        you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an
        ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help.
        The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an
        ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members'
        products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786,
        Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP
        Ombudsman 70007,3536.

        While CSD has no immediate plans to move, businesses do move from time
        to time. Since shareware tends to remain on some bulletin boards
        without update for many years, if the shareware author does move, you
        may experience a problem in contacting the author. You may also
        contact ASP to learn of the current address of any ASP member if you
        experience this problem.

        This product was originally written to provide the user an alternative
        to the standard DOS batch files, an alternative that produced
        standalone executable .EXE programs. The original command set was
        aimed primarily at providing capabilities that solved the classic
        "batch" type application.

        Requests from current users of the product and a desire to provide
        additional capabilities beyond these requests have driven the product
        far beyond original expectations. This product has become not only a
        replacement for solving the classic batch application, but a very high
        level language capable of creating sophisticated applications.

                                        Page 1




        PowerBatch compiled programs create all the details that are necessary
        to create a professional microcomputer program. This product is
        intended to provide a novice or beginning programmer the capability of
        producing non-trivial programs with a high success rate AND providing
        the experienced programmer with a tool which makes quick work of the
        task of prototyping new applications.

        Trademarks
        ==========
        PowerBatch is a trademark of Computing Systems Design(CSD), Inc.
        MS-DOS is a trademark of MicroSoft Corporation.
        IBM and PC-DOS are trademarks of IBM Corporation.




        Software Support
        ================
        Support for PowerBatch may be obtained by contacting CSD, Inc. on
        Compuserve using Compuserve Mail (EasyPlex). Address inquiries to
        Compuserve ID 72701,155. If you are not a Compuserve member, you may
        obtain support by writing to:

                            Computing Systems Design, Inc.
                                  4437 Ormond Trace
                               Marietta, Georgia 30066

































                                        Page 2




                              Concept Of Operation

        PowerBatch is a compiler for a very high level language. A high level
        language is one which requires a small number of commands to generate
        code to perform a task. This is at the opposite end of the spectrum
        from a low level language which requires a large number of commands to
        perform a specified task. Low level languages allow the programmer to
        operate at the "bits and bytes" level but generally requires a high
        level of familiarity with both the computer and the language itself.
        Low level languages generally produce code segments that are of
        minimum size and maximum speed. High level languages produce solutions
        that are easier and quicker to develop with some compromise in size
        and speed.

        PowerBatch has attempted to make development of executable modules as
        easy as possible and produce modules that are fast in execution.
        PowerBatch is a development tool that will allow experienced
        programmers to develop applications in a minimum of time. It is
        designed to introduce non-programmers to the creative world of
        programming. Error checking and all the details that the experienced
        programmer builds into a professional program are included
        automatically in every PowerBatch compiled module.

        In addition to the more than 100 commands in the PowerBatch language,
        any valid executable command (.EXE & .COM) as well as any of the DOS
        intrinsic commands are valid within a PowerBatch source file and will
        be "compiled". These .EXE, .COM and DOS intrinsic commands will be
        executed via a shell and the PowerBatch .EXE program will continue
        execution with the next compiled statement following the shelled
        command. There are two main modules supplied with PowerBatch;
        1)PowerBatch.EXE and 2)SMLMODEL.MDL. PowerBatch reads, parses the
        source file, and compiles the source code extracting routines from
        SMLMODEL. The result is a completely standalone .EXE file that
        executes without SMLMODEL or PowerBatch.

        PowerBatch commands fall into 4 classes of commands;


           1) Commands which provide systems information. These commands
              provide the current color settings, the current date, the
              current time, check for the existence of a valid drive letter,
              and commands which check for the existence of a directory or a
              file.


           2) Commands which control the flow of the program. Execute
              different portions of the program based on existence or non-
              existence of directories or files. Compare the contents of one
              variable with the contents of another variable or a constant
              and execute different portions of the batch program based on
              the results of the compare.



           3) Commands which provide string manipulation. Change a string to
              all upper case characters, or all lower case characters.
              Extract a portion of a string such as the first three
              characters or the last four characters. Build a new string from
              two existing strings by concatenation of the two strings.



                                        Page 3






             4) Commands which deal with screen writing and input from the
              keyboard. These commands are the main power in the PowerBatch
              system. Directly address any position on the screen and move
              the cursor to that position to read or write text.
              Automatically center a message or title on any line. Draw boxes
              around portions of the screen to enhance screen appearance.
              Read a single key from the keyboard, read the response to a
              query that only accepts a yes or no response, read a string of
              characters from the keyboard with a specified maximum length,
              and read keys from the keyboard automatically changing the
              characters to upper case.
















































                                        Page 4




                                     Installation

        Installation is accomplished by executing the PBInstal program. It
        seemed only fitting that this install program be a compiled PowerBatch
        program.  The two main modules PowerBatch.EXE and SMLMODEL.MDL must be
        located in the DOS path to allow you to compile PowerBatch programs
        from any directory on your system. PowerBatch may be run on a system
        as small as a single floppy drive system with 128K. There will be some
        limit to the number of source statements that may be compiled on a
        system this small as memory is dynamically allocated as compilation
        progresses. A source file of several hundred statements can be
        compiled on a small machine. The PBInstal program is strictly a file
        copy program. It will ask you where you wish to place the PowerBatch
        files and copy them to the specified directory. You may copy your own
        files to various directories if you desire. You may even copy
        PowerBatch.EXE and SMLMODEL.MDL to a directory not on your path if you
        desire. If you do so, you may compile only from the directory
        containing these two files.

        PowerBatch may be installed from any drive.

        Place your PowerBatch installation disk in any drive. Change to the
        drive which contains the install disk by typing
           A: <Enter>
        or
           B: <Enter>
        If you downloaded PowerBatch from a bulletin board and it is now on
        your hard drive then make the hard drive the default drive and change
        to the directory where the PowerBatch programs reside. For Example:
           C: <Enter>
           CD \DOWNLOAD\LIBS

        Run the installation program by entering

           PBINSTAL <Enter>

        Follow the onscreen instructions to copy both the compiler and the
        example files to your disk. Remember that you must copy both
        PowerBatch.EXE  and  SMLMODEL.MDL to a directory defined to be in the
        DOS search path in order to compile programs from any directory. If
        you do not place these programs in a directory on the search path, you
        will be able to compile from only the directory where they reside.

















                                        Page 5




                        Constructing A PowerBatch Source File

        Use your favorite text editor to create a printable ASCII file
        containing PowerBatch source commands and DOS executable commands. A
        printable ASCII file is one that may be typed to the screen (i.e. type
        myfile.pwr <enter>) and the results printed on the screen contain only
        the file contents. Most files created with a word processor are not
        printable ASCII files unless you specify an ASCII file output option.

        Compile your source statements to create a .EXE executable module.
        This is done using the PowerBatch compiler. The syntax is:

           PowerBatch MyFile [OutFile] [+M] [+D2] [+O]

        PowerBatch assumes the extension of the input file to be .PWR (i.e.
        MYFILE.PWR) and will create an output file of MYFILE.EXE if no OutFile
        parameter is specified. The input source file may be any DOS name of
        your choice (including the extension). You may also specify an output
        file name of your choice but the extension will always be .EXE. If you
        do not enter the input file name on the command line, the program will
        prompt you for the name. You must at this time enter the complete name
        including the extension.

        If you wish to generate a list of all literals, variables, and labels
        used in your PowerBatch program, add +M to the end of the command
        line. This variable map will be written to the [FileName].MAP file.

        If you will be running the output from the compilation on any computer
        that is operating under a version of DOS that is earlier than DOS
        version 3.0, you must enter the compiler directive +D2. This directive
        will cause the compilation to be much slower but the resulting .EXE
        file will execute on computers running on DOS 3.0 and up at the SAME
        SPEED as compilations made without the +D2 directive. If in doubt, use
        +D2. A minute of compile time will eliminate future problems. If you
        compile a program that has been compiled before and has generated an
        .EXE file, you will be asked if you wish to replace this EXE file. To
        compile in batch mode or to bypass this message use the overwrite parm
        +O.

        If the compiler finds no compilation errors, the compiled version of
        your source file will be generated. For an explanation of compilation
        errors, see the section entitled "Compilation Errors". Compilation
        errors appear on your screen as they are encountered and they are
        written to a file named [FileName].MAP (i.e. if your input file name
        is MYFILE.PWR, the error and map file will be MYFILE.MAP). The entire
        source code is scanned each time you compile a PowerBatch program
        (i.e. the compiler does not stop when an error is found, but attempts
        to identify all errors on each pass). This means that some errors will
        be the result of previous errors found in the source.

        If there are no compilation errors, the [FileName].MAP file will not
        be created.







                                        Page 6




                                 PowerBatch Commands

        Commands, Variable Names, and Labels are not case sensitive.
        Everything on the command source line is converted to upper case
        except a literal which is enclosed within quotes. Either single
        quotes(') or double quotes(") may be used to denote a literal.
        Literals which are numeric such as color values, variable lengths,
        etc. should not be enclosed in quotes. The compiler does evaluate each
        literal (both alpha and numeric) in the same manner. The evaluation
        process is 1) remove leading and trailing quotes if any, 2) attempt to
        convert literal to numeric, 3) if numeric conversion is successful,
        consider it a number, 4) if numeric conversion is unsuccessful,
        consider it alpha numeric. This means that internally an operand of 3
        and "3" will both be numeric.

        A semicolon which is not enclosed within quotes or a part of a command
        is used to denote a comment. Semicolons which are part of a command
        must not be preceded by a space. A comment begins with a semicolon
        which follows a space not within quotes. Comments may appear anywhere
        on the command line, but everything after a semicolon on a command
        line is ignored. A comment may begin in column 1 by placing the
        semicolon in column 1. The following are NOT comments:

           path=d:\;c:\util;c:\wp
           path   "d:\;c:\util;c:\wp"
           WriteLine   "Punctuation may be used within quotes;"

        These ARE comments:

           Variable ColorSave,3 ;save the original color
           SetVar   Msg, ErrMsg ;set Msg to "Invalid input"

        The starting location on the command line of the command and the
        operands is not important and tabs and spaces may be freely used for
        readability.

        Variable names and command labels may be any length in the source but
        are significant only through the first eight positions. This means
        that any variable name or label that is equal in the first 8 positions
        will be considered the same.

        Variables, Literals, and Labels
        ===============================

        Variables
        =========
        A variable is a location in memory that you allocate and give a name
        and a maximum length. Anytime you refer to the "name" of the variable,
        you are referencing the memory locations set aside for this variable.
        Variable names give you an easy way to manipulate data internally
        within the computer. The following are examples of variables:

           Variable    CharIn,1

        This variable gives the name "CharIn" to one memory position. It might
        be used to hold one character responses from the keyboard by the user.



                                        Page 7





             Variable    PBDir,79

        This variable appears in the PBInstal program and holds the name of
        the directory where the PowerBatch compiler will be placed. It is
        composed of the drive letter and directory entered by the user in
        response to two questions during the installation process.

           Variable    CompName,35,"The ABC Company"

        This variable reserves 35 positions in memory and gives these
        locations the name CompName. The PowerBatch compiler also places the
        initial value "The ABC Company" in the first 15 positions of the
        variable. The value of this variable may be changed by later
        processing in the program. When this variable is referenced in the
        program it will contain only 15 characters (The ABC Company) with no
        leading or trailing spaces, assuming the program has not assigned a
        new value.

           Variable    MsgClear,20,"                    "

        This variable contains 20 spaces and is named MsgClear. It will be
        used to "clear" or overwrite with spaces an error message in your
        program. Once you have displayed a message to the user, it should be
        cleared as you continue with the program. This is done by overwriting
        with spaces. Having a variable with the correct number of spaces makes
        this task easier.



        Literals
        ========
        Literals are very much like variables which have a value but no name.
        Literals are used in PowerBatch commands when you wish to pass an
        actual value to the command instead of a variable. Note in the
        following examples that literals containing numbers only are not
        enclosed in quotes and literals containing any non-numeric characters
        are enclosed in quotes. If you specify a number as a literal, either
        convention is acceptable (3 or "3"). If you specify alphabetic
        characters, the quotes are required. For readability, and ease of
        entry, numeric literals usually do not contain quotes. Examine the
        following examples of literals:

           Center      "Installation Program",1

        This command will center the literal "Installation Program" on line 1
        of the screen. The text "Installation Program" must appear somewhere
        in the program and it appears as a literal. It will occupy memory
        positions and will have a value but you may not reference this value
        by name. By instructing the compiler to write this literal, the
        compiler automatically creates the memory locations and initial value
        but gives it no name. The 1 is also a literal in this command. Each
        time you use a literal in a PowerBatch program, the previously
        assigned literals are checked for duplication and if the literal has
        been previously assigned, the prior assignment will be used (i.e.
        literal values will appear only one time regardless of the number of
        times used).



                                        Page 8





             WriteAt     12,3,Msg1

        There are two literals in this command. The numbers 12 and 3 are both
        created as literals. In this command they specify the column and row
        location where the string Msg1 will be written. Again, the compiler
        creates the memory locations and values for these literals, but no
        names. If you were to write another command such as the Beep command
        which specifies that the system speaker will beep at a certain
        frequency for 3 times, the compiler will find the previously defined
        literal "3" and use this value instead of creating another literal.

           Beep        ErrTone,8,3

        This is the Beep command referenced in the previous example. The beep
        command will cause the speaker to sound at a frequency of ErrTone for
        .8 second and repeat 3 times. The "3" literal will use the same memory
        location reference as the WriteAt command used in the previous command
        (i.e. another literal will not be created).

        Labels
        ======
        Labels are names of a particular place in your PowerBatch program that
        you will go to without executing the previous command. You go directly
        to this location in the program from another location in the program
        based on a decision you have made in the code flow. Examples will help
        explain:

           ReadYN      "Do you wish to continue [Y/N] ",InChar
           Compare     InChar,"Y",,,GetDrive
           Halt        999      ;end the program if "N"

           Label       GetDrive

        This group of commands writes the message on the screen and asks the
        user to input either Y or N (the command will only accept these two
        characters). A comparison is then made to a literal "Y" and the
        compare command will jump to the location in the program named
        GetDrive if a "Y" was entered or will execute the next command if "N"
        was entered.
           GoTo        NextCmd
           .
           .
           .
           Label       NextCmd

        In this most straightforward use of the label, the user simply uses
        the GoTo command and jumps unconditionally to another point in the
        program.

        External Commands
        =================
        External commands are entered just as PowerBatch commands are entered.
        If you enter an external command and this command uses command line
        parameters, these parameters may be passed as either variables or
        literals. Remember that if the parameter is not numeric, it must be
        enclosed in quotes or it will be treated as a variable. Any PowerBatch
        statement which is an external command may contain a maximum of 7
        command line variables. That is not to say that you may not pass more

                                        Page 9




        than 7 command line parameters to an external program but that these
        command line variables may not be contained in more that 7 PowerBatch
        variables.

        For example:
           Variable Parm1,5,"one"
           Variable Parm2,5,"two"
           Variable Parm3,5,"three"
           Variable Parm4,5,"four"
           Variable Parm5,5,"five"
           Variable Parm6,5,"six"
           Variable Parm7,5,"seven"
           Variable Parm8,5,"eight"
           Variable BigParm,80

           ExtPgm   (Name of an external program)

        A valid method for passing these parms in one PowerBatch parameter.

           Extpgm   "one two three four five six seven eight"

        Accomplishing the same thing with variables using 6 PowerBatch parms.

           Concat   BigParm,Parm1," "
           Concat   BigParm,Parm2
           Concat   BigParm," "
           Concat   BigParm,Parm3
           ExtPgm   BigParm,Parm4,Parm5,Parm6,Parm7,Parm8

        Examples of external programs as PowerBatch commands:

           Variable    InChar,1
           ReadYN      "Do you wish a directory ",InChar
           Compare     InChar,"Y",NextSec,NextSec
           DIR         "/W"
           SETUP       "> null"    ;printer redirection

           Variable    PgmName,12
           Write       "Enter program name to compile "
           ReadStr     PgmName
           TPC         PgmName, "/ddebug"

        This third example of external commands show the use of two predefined
        variables, ERRORLEVEL and DOSERROR. After the execution of "TestPgm",
        we examine DOSError to find if the program executed OK (Possibly there
        was not enough memory or the program could not be found on the DOS
        path). After determining that the program executed OK, we examine the
        exit code set by "TestPgm" to determine the flow of the remainder of
        our program. This exit code will be found in the variable ERRORLEVEL.

           Variable    MsgLine,80
           .
           .
           TestPgm     "Parm1 Parm2"
           Compare     DOSError,0,,,RanOK
           WriteLine      "TestPgm did not execute properly"
           Halt        DOSError
           Label    RanOK

                                        Page 10





             Compare     ErrorLevel,1,Chk2,,Option1
           Concat      MsgLine,"Unexpected code : ",ErrorLevel
           Halt
           Label       Option1

        Note: PowerBatch programs may be executed by other PowerBatch programs
        as external commands. An option of the PowerBatch Halt command is to
        set the DOS errorlevel. You could then "pass parameters" from one
        PowerBatch program to another via the ERRORLEVEL variable.

        Command Line Parameters
        =======================
        Command line parameters may be passed to a compiled PowerBatch
        program. These command line parameters must be defined at compile time
        and have special variable names. Up to 16 parameters may be passed to
        a PowerBatch program. These parameters are named CLP%1 - CLP%16.
        If you wish to pass parameters on the command line to your PowerBatch
        program, define the command line parameter variables (CLP%1 - CLP%16)
        in your PowerBatch source prior to compilation and when you run the
        compiled program, any parameters entered on the command line will be
        in the defined variable. Example:

           Source for SMARTCPY.PWR

           Variable    CLP%1,79    ;source file
           Variable    CLP%2,79    ;target file
           Variable    InChar,1
           ReadYN      "Ready to copy the files [Y/N] ",InChar
           Compare     InChar,"Y",NoCopy,NoCopy
           COPY        CLP%1, CLP%2

        SMARTCPY FILE1 FILE2 will execute the DOS copy command and copy FILE1
        to FILE2 if the user responds Y to the question.

        Changing Environment Variables
        ==============================
        Your computer memory contains a special area of memory called the
        "Environment Area". This special area of memory contains the values
        assigned to variables that are available to the DOS operating system
        or to any application program running in your computer. These values
        remain unchanged until DOS or an application program changes them. DOS
        maintains special values in this area which the operating system uses.
        Your current path and current prompt configuration are two of these
        values. These values are normally set with the DOS PROMPT or PATH
        command. If an application program like a compiled PowerBatch program
        executes a DOS command, it is done via a "shell" or another copy of
        your command processor (normally COMMAND.COM) which is started to
        handle the execution of these DOS commands. When a shell is started,
        DOS creates a copy of the environment area for this new shell and
        makes the environment values available to the shell. Unfortunately,
        when the shell is terminated (when the DOS command is complete) this
        copy of the environment is erased from memory. If you execute a
        PROMPT, PATH or SET [Variable] command, the copy of the environment
        created for the shell to run the PROMPT, PATH, or SET command is
        updated and immediately erased when the PowerBatch program is
        finished. PowerBatch however, provides you a means to update both the
        permanent copy and the current copy of the environment area with the
        commands SETPATH, SETENV, and PROMPT.

                                        Page 11




        Unfortunately, problems dealing with the environment area do not end
        here. When DOS runs a program (like a PowerBatch compiled program), a
        copy of the permanent environment is made and is the "active"
        environment area in use during the running of the program. If you only
        read the values of existing environment variables, there is no
        problem. If you attempt to add new environment values, the amount of
        free environment space is very limited. IT IS NOT THE AMOUNT OF SPACE
        ALLOCATED BY YOU IN YOUR CONFIG.SYS FILE (or the default) MINUS THE
        AMOUNT OF USED SPACE! The amount of "free" space appears to be only
        the amount left after rounding up the amount of used space to the
        nearest paragraph of memory (16 bytes).
        The problem of allocating environment free space can be circumvented
        by updating the permanent environment area with dummy values prior to
        the execution of your PowerBatch file. This could be done with a small
        PowerBatch program such as ENV-INIT.PWR as follows:

           SetEnv   Env1,'dummy value dummy value'
           SetEnv   Env2,'dummy value dummy value'
           .
           .
           .
        When ENV-INIT terminates, the environment variables Env1 and Env2 will
        have the dummy values and will now be a part of any environment area
        copy passed to a running program. You could of course use the DOS SET
        command from the DOS command line or initialize the environment
        variables with dummy values in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

        Command Notation
        ================
        In the description of the commands which follow, that which appears
        within brackets [ ] is optional and all other operands are required.
        Any time a screen color may be specified in a command such as

           CLEARLINE LineNum,ForegrClr,BackgrClr

        the single attribute which is used in many color conventions may be
        substituted for the pair of color attributes. For example, foreground
        color 4 (red), background color 1 (blue), is identical to color
        attribute 20 and the CLEARLINE command may be specified EITHER as

           CLEARLINE 14,4,1
        or
           CLEARLINE 14,20

        to clear line 14 on the screen to red foreground on blue background.
        For this reason anytime that the operand pair of foreground color,
        background color is required, the single color attribute may be
        substituted for the pair. The compiler will not detect missing
        background color attributes but will assume that the foreground is the
        composite value.

        How do I calculate this color attribute? The composite color attribute
        is the DOS shorthand method of keeping both the foreground and
        background colors in one byte of memory. It may be calculated by
        multiplying the background color by 16 and adding the foreground
        color. See Appendix B for a complete list of composite color
        attributes.


                                        Page 12




        Color Attribute = (Backgrnd X 16) + Foregrnd
        RedOnBlue = (1 X 16) + 4 = 20
        WhiteOnBlack = (0 X 16) + 7 = 7
        YellowOnRed = (4 X 16) + 14 = 78
        DOS uses the ASCII values 0 through 127 for all the colors available.
        To make any color blink, add 128 to the color value.

        YellowOnRed,Blinking = 78 + 128 = 206.

        Command Syntax
        ==============
        Several examples are available on the distribution disk. All source
        code examples have a file extension of .PWR. These examples may be
        edited with your favorite text editor and printed by "copying" the
        file to the printer such as COPY PBINSTAL.PWR LPT1.












































                                        Page 13




                       ?COLOR Foreground, Background, Composite

        Retrieve the current color attributes from the system and place the
        current foreground color in ForeGround, the current background color
        in BackGround, and the composite attribute in Composite. The
        relationship is Composite = (BackGround * 16) + ForeGround. See
        Appendix B for complete list of composite color attributes.

              Variable ForeColor,3
              Variable BackColor,3
              Variable ColorAttr,3
              ?Color   ForeColor,BackColor,ColorAttr

        Retrieve the current foreground, background and composite color values
        and place in the variables ForeColor, BackColor, and ColorAttr
        respectively. To create professional programs it is a good idea to
        retrieve the current color setting as the first command in the program
        and reset these values and clear the screen at the end of your
        program. This restores the users computer to the same color state that
        you found when your PowerBatch program was executed.







































                                        Page 14




                          ?CURRDIR CurrDrive, CurrDirectory

        Retrieve the current drive and directory from the system and place the
        current drive in CurrDrive and the current directory in CurrDirectory.
        The contents of CurrDrive prior to execution of this command control
        which drive is searched for the currently logged directory. If
        ?CurrDir finds a valid drive letter in the first position of
        CurrDrive, then the contents of CurrDirectory will be the currently
        logged directory of that drive. If the first position of CurrDrive
        does not contain a valid drive letter, then CurrDirectory will contain
        the currently logged directory of the current drive. In either case
        CurrDrive will contain the drive and CurrDirectory will contain the
        directory.

           Variable    CurrDrive,2
           Variable    CurrDir,79
           SetVar      CurrDrive,"A"
           ?CurrDir    CurrDrive,CurrDir
           SetVar      CurrDrive,""
           ?CurrDir    CurrDrive,CurrDir

        In the first usage of ?CurrDir, assuming that the currently logged
        directory on the A drive is the root directory, CurrDrive will contain
        "A" and CurrDir will contain "\" after the execution of ?CurrDir. In
        the second usage, assuming that the currently logged drive is D: and
        the currently logged directory on the D: drive is "\UTIL\EXEC",
        CurrDrive will contain "D" and CurrDir will contain "\UTIL\EXEC" after
        the execution of ?CurrDir.

                                 ====================

                          ?DATE DayOfWeek, Month, Day, Year

        Retrieve the current date from the system and place the day of the
        week in DayOfWeek, the month in Month, the day in Day, and the 4 digit
        year in Year. DayOfWeek should be defined as 9 long, Month and Day as
        2 long, and Year as 4 long.

           Variable DOW,9
           Variable Mo,2
           Variable Da,2
           Variable Yr,4
           ?Date DOW,Mo,Da,Yr

        Retrieve the current date and place the component parts in their
        respective variables. Place the day of the week in DOW (i.e.
        Saturday), the month number in Mo (i.e. 06), the day of the month in
        Da (i.e. 29), and the year in Yr (i.e. 1993).











                                        Page 15





                                       ====================

                      ?DIREXIST DirName, FoundLbl [,NotFoundLbl]

        Check the system for the existence of the directory whose name appears
        in DirName. If the directory exists go directly to the label FoundLbl,
        if the directory does not exist, go directly to the label NotFoundLbl.
        DirName may either be a variable or a literal. If NotFoundLbl is not
        specified, execution will continue with the next instruction
        immediately following the ?DirExist command.

           ?DirExist   InpStr,DirOk,BadDir
           ?DirExist   "C:\",DirOK,BadDir
           ?DirExist   InpStr,,BadDir  (next command if exists)
           ?DirExist   InpStr,DirOk    (next command if not exist)

        In the first example if the contents of the variable InpStr exists
        then goto label DirOK, if it does not exist go to the label BadDir. In
        the second example we check for the existence of a directory contained
        in the literal whose value is "C:\". In the third example, if the
        contents of InpStr exist we "fall through" to the next instruction, if
        the directory does not exist we jump to the label BadDir. In the
        fourth example, if the directory name in InpStr exists, we jump to the
        label DirOK, if it does not exist we fall through to the next command.

                                 ====================

                       ?DISKINFO DriveLetter, VolID, DriveType

        The volume ID is retrieved from the DriveLetter drive and the type of
        drive is determined and placed in DriveType. Volume ID may be a string
        of up to 12 characters. All disk media is not required to contain a
        Volume ID and in this case VolID will contain "No Label". The
        DriveType will be one of the following values:
           "360 Floppy"      "720 Floppy"      "1.2 Floppy"
           "1.4 Floppy"      "Other Floppy"    "Bernoulli"
           "HardDisk"        "RamDisk"         "SubDrive"
           "Unknown"         "Invalid"

           Variable Drive,1,'D'
           Variable VolumeID,12
           Variable DriveType,12

           ?DiskInfo   Drive,VolumeID,DriveType
           Compare  DriveType,'RamDisk',,,RamOK
           Write Drive
           WriteLine   ' is not a RAM drive!'
           Halt

           Label RamOK









                                        Page 16





                                       ====================

                    ?DISKSPACE DriveLetter, TotalSpace, FreeSpace

        Query the disk Drive specified by the first character of DriveLetter
        and place the total disk capacity in bytes in TotalSpace and the
        unused bytes in FreeSpace. Since the command looks at only the first
        character of DriveLetter, this parameter may contains strings such as
        "C:\UTIL". DriveLetter may be either a Variable or a Literal.

           Variable    DirName,79
           Write       'Enter your full pathname'
           ReadStr     DirName  (user enters "c:\util")
           ?DiskSpace  DirName,TotSpace,FreeSpace

        This will place the total capacity of drive C: in the variable
        TotSpace and the amount of this space that is unused in the variable
        FreeSpace.

           ?DiskSpace  "A",TotSpace,FreeSpace

        This retrieves the total capacity and free space for drive A:  using a
        literal of "A".

                                 ====================

                 ?DRIVEEXIST DriveLetter, ValidLabel [,InvalidLabel]

        Check the system for DriveLetter as a valid drive. If the drive is
        valid, jump to Label1, if the drive is not valid, jump to Label2. If
        InvalidLabel is not specified, execution will continue with the next
        command immediately following the ?DriveExist command. DriveLetter may
        be either a variable or a literal.

           ?DriveExist DrvNum,GoodDrv,BadDrv
           ?DriveExist "A",GoodDrv,BadDrv
           ?DriveExist DrvNum,,BadDrv (falls thru if drive ok)
           ?DriveExist DrvNum,GoodDrv (falls thru if drive bad)





















                                        Page 17





                                       ====================

                       ?ENVSTR EnvironName, EnvironNameContents

        Retrieve the contents of any environment variable from the system
        environment area. The name of the environment variable is placed in
        EnvironName or entered as a literal and the contents of the
        environment variable will be placed in EnvironNameContents. Ensure
        that EnvironNameContents has been defined long enough to contain the
        contents of the environment variable. If EnvironNameContents is not
        long enough, the environment variable will be truncated. To display
        the currently defined environment variables, use the DOS "SET" command
        at a DOS prompt. (i.e. C:>SET <enter>) You should receive at least two
        environment variables (assuming you have set a path) with the format
        NAME=VALUE. The location of your command processor is in an
        environment variable named COMSPEC and should look something like
        this: COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM.

           Variable    EnvValue,255
           Variable    EnvName,4,"path"
           ?EnvStr     "prompt", EnvValue
           ?EnvStr     EnvName, EnvValue



                                 ====================

                   ?FILEEXIST FileName, FoundLabel [,NotFoundLabel]

        Check the system for the specified file name. If the file exists, jump
        to the label FoundLabel, if the file does not exist, jump to the label
        NotFoundLabel. If NotFoundLabel is not entered, execution will
        continue with the next command immediately following the ?FileExist
        command. If only a file name is entered (i.e. CONFIG.SYS), then only
        the current directory will be searched. If a fully qualified filename
        is entered (i.e. C:\CONFIG.SYS), then only the specified directory
        will be searched. FileName may be either a variable or a literal. See
        ?FileExpand.

           ?FileExist  FileName, Label1, Label2
           ?FileExist  "C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT",StartOK,NoStart
           ?FileExist  FileName,,NotFound
           ?FileExist  FileName,Found

        The two commands ?FileExist and ?FileExpand are identical with the
        exception that ?FileExist gives you the capability to limit your
        search to the current directory while ?FileExpand will attempt to find
        the file anywhere on the disk and tell you exactly where the file was
        found.










                                        Page 18





                                       ====================

                  ?FILEEXPAND FileName, FoundLabel [,NotFoundLabel]

        Check the system for the specified file name. If the file exists, jump
        to the label FoundLabel, if the file does not exist, jump to the label
        NotFoundLabel. If NotFoundLabel is not entered, execution will
        continue with the next command immediately following the ?FileExist
        command. If FileName contains a drive and/or path in addition to the
        filename (i.e. C:\CONFIG.SYS or \CONFIG.SYS), the specified drive and
        directory is searched. If only a filename is placed in FileName, then
        the search contains the following: 1) the current directory, 2) the
        directory from which the compiled PowerBatch program was run, 3) all
        directories on the search path. (I try to find it in any directory on
        the disk which I know exists). If the file was found, the full path
        name\filename is placed in FileName. For this reason FileName must be
        a variable. Ensure that FileName is long enough to handle this full
        pathname!

           SetVar      FileName,'MYFILE.LTR'
           ?FileExpand FileName, Label1, Label2

        Assuming that MYFILE.DAT was located in "\WP60\LETTERS", the contents
        of FileName will be "C:\WP60\LETTERS\MYFILE.LTR".

           ?FileExpand "C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT",StartOK,NoStart

        ERROR! FileName cannot be a literal.

        The two commands ?FileExist and ?FileExpand are identical with the
        exception that ?FileExist gives you the capability to limit your
        search to the current directory while ?FileExpand will attempt to find
        the file anywhere on the disk and tell you exactly where the file was
        found.

                                 ====================

                             ?FILESIZE FileSize, FileName

        The size in bytes of FileName is placed in FileSize. FileName may be
        either a variable or a literal. FileSize must be a variable.

           Variable FileSize,11
           Variable FileName,'AUTOEXEC.BAT'

           CD    'C:\'       ;change drive and dir
           ?FileSize   FileSize, FileName   ;find the filesize
           ?FileSize   FileSize, 'AUTOEXEC.BAT' ;same results











                                        Page 19





                                       ====================

                    ?INPATH DirName, FoundLabel, [,NotFoundLabel]

        Compare the contents of DirName to the system search path. If DirName
        is contained within the path, jump to the label FoundLabel, if DirName
        is not contained within the path, jump to the label NotFoundLabel. If
        NotFoundLabel is not specified, execution will continue with the
        command immediately following the ?InPath command. Use this command to
        determine if a directory is located in the DOS search path.

           DOS search path contains "C:\UTIL;C:\WORDPROC;D:\"
           Variable    InString,79
           Write    "Enter your directory name "
           ReadStr     InString (user enters "c:\wordproc")
           Upper    InString (change to "C:\WORDPROC")
           ?InPath     InString,PathOK,BadPath

           ?InPath     "C:\UTIL",,BadPath   (compare literal)

                                 ====================

                                  ?TIME CurrentTime

        Retrieve the current time from the system and place in CurrentTime.
        The format of the time is hh:mm:ss xm. CurrentTime should be defined
        as 11 long.

           Variable CurrTime,11
           ?Time CurrTime (now contains 11:24:14 am)

                                 ====================

                                   ADD Sum, Number

        Add the contents of Number to Sum and place the result in Sum.

           Variable    YLoc,2
           SetVar      YLoc,6
           Label    LoopCtr
           ClearLine      YLoc,Blue
           Add         YLoc,1
           Compare     YLoc,11,LoopCtr

        This small code segment will clear lines 6 through 10 on your screen
        by incrementing the line number variable used by the ClearLine
        command.












                                        Page 20





                                       ====================

                          BEEP Frequency, Duration [,Repeat]

        Sound the system speaker with a tone of Frequency, for a length of
        Duration tenths of a second, and repeat Repeat times.

           Beep  800,5,3
           Beep  ErrFreq,BeepLen,ErrTimes

        The first example sounds the system speaker at a frequency of 800 hz
        for half a second (.5) and repeats twice for a total of 3 times. The
        second example will sound the system speaker at a frequency equal to
        the contents of the variable ErrFreq for BeepLen tenths of a second(s)
        for a total of ErrTimes.

                                 ====================

                                        BLINK

        Cause all text that is written to the screen to blink using the
        current color attributes last defined in the processing of the your
        program. This command in "undone" by using NORMAL.

           Variable MsgClear,25."                         "
           Blink
           WriteAt  15,4,"Not a valid entry"
           Normal
           Wait     35
           WriteAt  15,4,MsgClear

        Write the message "Not a valid entry" at column 15 on row 4 using the
        current color definition. Reset the text color to the value it
        contained before specifying blinking text. Wait 3.5 seconds and clear
        the message.

                                 ====================

                                         BOOT

        This command will cause the computer to perform a "warm" boot. This
        emulates the pressing of the Alt-Ctrl-Del key combination.

           ReadYN   'Press Y to REBOOT your machine (Y/N) ',YNInput
           Compare  YNInput,'Y',NoBoot,NoBoot
           Boot
           Label NoBoot












                                        Page 21





                                       ====================

                       BOXx UX, UY, LX, LY, ForeClr [,BackClr]

        Where Boxx is Box0 thru Box3. Draw a box (frame) on the screen whose
        upper left coordinates (X,Y) are UX,UY, and whose lower right
        coordinates (X,Y) are LX,LY. Draw the box using a line in foreground
        color ForeClr on background color BackClr. The border line for the box
        is:
           Box0 - No border
           Box1 - Single line
           Box2 - Double line
           Box3 - Heavy solid line.
        The interior of the box is cleared to the background color whether
        specified explicitly by the background color parameter or as a part of
        the composite color parameter. The cursor is positioned at UX+1, UY+1.

           Variable ULX,2,5     ;upper left col value
           Variable ULY,2,3     ;upper left row value
           Variable LRX,2,75    ;lower right col value
           Variable LRY,2,20    ;lower right row value
           Variable BoxFore,2,4 ;foreground color red
           Variable BoxBack,2,0 ;background color black
           Box1     ULX, ULY, LRX, LRY, BoxFore, BoxBack
           Box1     5,3,75,20,7,0
           Box1     5,3,75,20,112

        The first example draws a box whose upper left coordinates are the
        contents of the variables ULX and ULY and whose lower left coordinates
        are the contents of the variables LRX and LRY. The box border will be
        the contents of BoxFore (red) on a background of BoxBack (black).  The
        second example draws a box whose upper left coordinates are 5,3 and
        whose lower right coordinates are 75,20. The box border is drawn in
        white on black. The third example draws a box with the same
        coordinates and uses the composite color attribute of 112 (white on
        black). See ClearBox command.























                                        Page 22





                                       ====================

                 BOX4 UX, UY, LX, LY, ForeClr [,BackClr] [,ShadowClr]

        Draw a box (frame) on the screen whose upper left coordinates (X,Y)
        are UX,UY, and whose lower right coordinates (X,Y) are LX,LY. Draw the
        box using a line in foreground color ForeClr on background color
        BackClr. The border line for the box is single line with a transparent
        shadow. The shadow color is ShadowClr.

        The interior of the box is cleared to the background color whether
        specified explicitly by the background color parameter or as a part of
        the composite color parameter. The cursor is positioned at UX+1, UY+1.

           Variable ULX,2,5     ;upper left col value
           Variable ULY,2,3     ;upper left row value
           Variable LRX,2,75    ;lower right col value
           Variable LRY,2,20    ;lower right row value
           Variable BoxFore,2,4 ;foreground color red
           Variable BoxBack,2,0 ;background color black
           Variable Shadow,2,8  ;shadow color
           Box1     ULX,ULY,LRX,LRY,BoxFore,BoxBack,Shadow


        This example draws a box whose upper left coordinates are the contents
        of the variables ULX and ULY and whose lower left coordinates are the
        contents of the variables LRX and LRY. The box border will be the
        contents of BoxFore (red) on a background of BoxBack (black). The
        shadow color is the contents of the variable Shadow. See ClearBox
        command.

                                 ====================

                                       BREAKON


        Provides a capability to exit from a PowerBatch program by pressing
        the combination of keys (Ctrl - Break) or (Ctrl - C). The default
        value set at the beginning of any PowerBatch program is BreakON. To
        keep a user from exiting a running PowerBatch program, execute the
        BreakOFF command. If sections of the program are to be protected and
        other sections not protected, surround the sections with pairs of
        BreakON...BreakOFF commands. See BreakOff command.

                                 ====================

                                       BREAKOFF

        Disables the ability to stop a PowerBatch program by pressing the
        (Ctrl - Break) or (Ctrl - C) key combinations. The default value set
        at the beginning of any PowerBatch program is BreakON. See BreakOn
        command.







                                        Page 23





                                       ====================

                             CENTER TextToCenter, LineNum

        TextToCenter is centered on LineNum. If LineNum is omitted, the
        current line is assumed. If imbedded color commands are present in
        TextToCenter, they are processed.

           Variable InpStr,25,"PowerBatch"
           Variable MenuLine,19,"@004M@007enu Line 1"
           Center   "PowerBatch",2
           Center   InpStr,2
           Center   MenuLine,14

        Both of the first two examples will center the text "PowerBatch" on
        line 2. The third example will center the text "Menu Line 1" on line
        14. The value of the variable MenuLine contains imbedded colors
        commands. Note that the character,"@" is used to signify ASCII 001, a
        non-printable character. Refer to the notes on imbedded color
        commands.

                                 ====================

                                    CHDIR DirName

        DirName is made to be the current directory. If DirName contains a
        drive designation (i.e. C:\NEWDIR), a change will be made to the new
        drive prior to changing to the new directory.

           Variable Drive,3
           Variable Directory,79
           Write 'Enter new drive letter >'
           ReadKey  Drive
           Concat   Drive,':\'
           Write 'Enter new directory >'
           ReadStr  Directory
           Concat   Directory,Drive,Directory
           ChDir Directory

        The user is asked to enter a new drive and a new directory. These are
        then concatenated into the variable Directory. If the resulting value
        in Directory is "C:\NEWDIR", the ChDir command will change the logged
        (current default) drive to "C" and the logged directory to "\NEWDIR".
















                                        Page 24





                                       ====================

                 CLEAR FGrndClr, [,BGrndClr] [,ClearChar] [BorderClr]

        The current defined screen will be cleared. This may have been altered
        with a Window command, if so, only the defined window will be cleared.
        The screen will be cleared to FGrndClr, BGrndClr. If ClearChar is
        specified, the screen will be cleared to this character, else it will
        be cleared to spaces. If the current defined screen is 1,1,80,25; the
        border will be set to BorderClr. The border may be "cleared" to normal
        with a clear command with BorderClr set to black.

           Variable ColorAttr,3,112 ;define wht on black
           Clear ColorAttr         ;clear to composite color 112
           Clear 7,0,'░'           ;clear to white on black using
                                ; the char ░ to create a
                                   ; pattern
           Clear 4,0,,4            ;clear to red on black with
                                   ; red border, no pattern


                                 ====================

                  CLEARBOX UX,XY,LX,LY, FgClr, [BkgClr] [,ClearChar]


        Clear the interior of the box whose upper left coordinates (X,Y) are
        UX,UY and whose lower right coordinates (X,Y) are LX,LY. Clear the
        interior of the box to foreground color FgClr and background color
        BkgClr. This command clears the "inside" of the box, not the lines
        which describe the box. If ClearChar is specified, the interior of the
        box is propagated with the clear character.

           Variable ULX,2,5     ;upper left col value
           Variable ULY,2,3     ;upper left row value
           Variable LRX,2,75    ;lower right col value
           Variable LRY,2,20    ;lower right row value
           Variable BoxFore,2,4 ;foreground color red
           Variable BoxBack,2,0 ;background color black
           Box1     ULX, ULY, LRX, LRY, BoxFore, BoxBack
           ClearBox 5,3,75,20,112

        In this example we define the upper right and lower left coordinates
        of the box as well as the colors BoxFore and BoxBack. We draw the box
        with a red line on a black background. The ClearBox command clears the
        interior of the box to white on black.

           ClearBox ULX,ULY,LRX,LRY,BoxFore,BoxBack,'▓'

        This command clears the box to red on black and completely fills the
        box with the character "▓".








                                        Page 25





                                       ====================

                    CLEARLINE LineNum, ForeGrndClr [,BackGrndClr]

        Clear the line number specified by LineNum to a foreground color of
        ForeGrndClr and a background color of BackGrndClr. The line number is
        relative to the top of the current window. If you have defined a
        window with one of the PowerBatch window commands, the ClearLine
        command will be relative to the top left of this current window.

           Variable    Red,1,4
           Variable    Blue,1,1
           Variable    RedOnBlue,2,20
           Variable    CurrLine,2,12
           ClearLine      12,Red,Blue
           ClearLine      CurrLine,RedOnBlue

        Both examples of the ClearLine command clear line 12 on the screen to
        red foreground color and blue background color.

           Window1     20,5,60,10,32
           ClearLine      3,26

        This command will clear the third line of the defined window (the
        eighth absolute line on the physical screen), i.e. the third line down
        from the top of the window.

                                 ====================

                         COLOR ForeGroundClr [,BackgroundClr]

        Set the default system color to a foreground color of ForeGroundClr
        and to a background color of BackgroundClr or optionally set the
        system color to the composite color attribute ForeGroundClr.

           Variable RedOnBlue,2,20
           Color 4,1
           Color MenuClr

        Both examples set the default color to red on blue for any text
        written to the screen without specific color instructions.


















                                        Page 26





                                       ====================

                     COMPARE Value1, Value2, 1GR2,  1Less2, 1EQ2

        Compare the contents of Value1 to the contents of Value2. If Value1 is
        greater than Value2 jump to the Label 1GR2. If Value1 is less than
        Value2 jump to the label 1Less2. If Value1 is equal Value2 jump to the
        label 1EQ2. If the contents of the first two operands (Value1, Value2)
        are numeric then a numeric compare is performed otherwise an
        alphabetic compare is made. (If 19 is compared alphabetically to 2,
        then 2 is greater than 19; if it is compared numerically, 19 is
        greater than 2.)

           Variable InChar,1
           Variable Yes,1,"Y"
           Variable No,1,"N"
           GoToXY   4,23
           ReadYN   "Incorrect entry...Continue [Y/N] "
           Compare  InChar,"Y",NoIn,NoIn,YesIn
           Compare  InChar,Yes,,,YesIn   (Not Y falls through)
           Compare  InChar,"Y",NoIn,NoIn (Y falls through)

        In the first example, variable InChar is compared to literal "Y". If
        InChar is greater than "Y" then the program will jump to the label
        NoIn; if InChar is less than "Y", the program also jumps to the label
        NoIn; if InChar is equal to "Y", the program will continue processing
        at the label named YesIn. In the second compare, the variable InChar
        is compared to the variable Yes which has an assigned value of "Y". If
        InChar contains anything but "Y", the program continues with the next
        instruction after the compare command (it is said to fall through); if
        InChar contains "Y", the program will jump to the label YesIn. In the
        third compare command, variable InChar is compared to the literal "Y".
        If the variable InChar contains "N" (ReadYN prevents any entry but Y
        or N) the program jumps to the label NoIn otherwise it continues with
        the instruction after the compare command.
























                                        Page 27





                                       ====================

                          CONCAT Target, String1 [,String2]

        If String2 is omitted, String1 is appended to Target. If String2 is
        present, String2 is appended to String1 and the result replaces
        Target.

           Variable    OutMsg,78
           Variable    ErrMsg," is not a valid Drive letter."
           Variable    DriveLtr,1
           WriteAt     6,17,"Enter your source drive letter "
           ReadUpKey      DriveLtr
           ?DriveExist DriveLtr,DriveOK
           Concat      OutMsg, "[19] ", DriveLtr
           Concat      OutMsg, " is not a valid Drive letter."
           WriteAt     5,23,OutMsg

        In this example we ask the user to input a valid drive letter and
        verify this drive with the ?DriveExist command. If the drive is not
        valid we concatenate "[19]" (the error number) plus the drive letter
        entered by the user into the variable OutMsg. We then concatenate the
        error message (" is not a valid Drive letter.") onto the contents of
        OutMsg. The result would be something like "[19] L is not a valid
        Drive letter."

                                 ====================

                                  CURSOR CursorType

        CursorType may be 1,2, 3 or 4. 1 = normal cursor; 2 = cursor off; 3 =
        fat cursor; 4 = block cursor. A "fat" cursor is the cursor shape
        normally seen when text is to be inserted. The block cursor fills the
        entire screen position. Remember to set the cursor back to normal at
        the end of a program if you have set the cursor off during the
        processing of your program. This is not automatically set back to
        normal when the program terminates.

           Variable Normal,1,1
           Variable Off,1,2
           Variable Fat,1,3
           Variable Block,1,4

           Cursor   Off
           Cursor   2
           Cursor   Fat,1
           Cursor   3
           Cursor   Block
           Cursor   4
           Cursor   Normal
           Cursor   1

        Each preceding pair of commands will have the same results. Off has a
        value of 2, Fat has a value of 3, etc.





                                        Page 28





                                       ====================

                         DIVIDE Result, Divisor [,Remainder]

        If the divisor is less than 1 then Result is set to zero. Result is
        divided by Divisor (integer division) and the result of the division
        is placed in Result. Any Remainder from the division is placed in
        Remainder if this parameter is specified.

           Variable Result,11
           Variable Remainder,3
           Variable Integer1,11,25
           Variable Integer2,11,84

           SetVar   Result,17
           Divide   Result,3,Remainder

        Divide 17 by 3 and place any remainder in Remainder. After division,
        Result will contain 5 and Remainder will contain 2.

           Subtract Integer1,Integer2
           Divide   Result,Integer1

        The result of the subtraction of Integer2 from Integer1 is -59.
        Division by a negative number is not allowed and the Result will be
        set to 0.

                                 ====================

                                       FLUSHKEY

        Removes all characters from the system keyboard buffer. After
        execution of this command, there will be no more characters waiting to
        be retrieved from the keyboard buffer. Use this command to eliminate
        the possibility of any "type ahead" characters being present in the
        buffer when you ask for input from the user.

           WriteLine   'CAUTION, You will now format your hard disk'
           FlushKey
           ReadYN      'Format hard Disk (Y/N)? ',InputChar

                                 ====================

                                     GOTO Label1

        Jump to the statement identified as command label Label1. Program
        processing will go directly from this GoTo command to Label1 and
        continue with the command immediately following the label (since the
        label command is simply a placemarker).

           GoTo     Error
           GoTo  EndOfPgm







                                        Page 29





                                       ====================

                               GOTOXY XCo-ord, YCo-ord

        Move the cursor to the column (X) specified in XCo-ord and row (Y)
        specified in YCo-ord.

           Variable CurrX,2
           Variable CurrY,2
           GoToXY   CurrX, CurrY
           GoToXY   12,6

        In the first example the cursor is moved to the location specified by
        the contents of variable CurrX and CurrY. In the second example, the
        cursor is moved to the location specified by two literals "12" and
        "6".

                                 ====================

                                  HALT [ErrorLevel]

        Halt your PowerBatch program and set DOS errorlevel to ErrorLevel.

           Variable Error14,2,14   ;define Error14 as "14"
           Halt     99
           Halt     Error14

        In the first usage of the Halt command, the PowerBatch program is
        halted and the DOS errorlevel is set to 99. In the second usage the
        program is halted and the DOS errorlevel is set to the contents of
        variable Error14 ("14").

                                 ====================

                                   LABEL LabelName

        Define a location in your source that will enable execution to begin
        immediately following the Label command without necessarily having
        executed the command immediately prior to the label. Jump immediately
        to this location in the command stream. See the discussion on labels
        at the beginning of this section.

           Label    MatchErr
           Label    EndOfPgm















                                        Page 30





                                       ====================

                             LENGTH StringLength, String

        Calculate the length of the string in variable String and place the
        result in StringLength.

           Variable InString
           Variable StrLen

           WriteAt  12,14,"Enter your current directory "
           ReadStr  InString

        User enters c:\util.

           Length   StrLen, InString

        StrLen will contain 7, the length of "c:\util".

                                 ====================

                                     LOWER String

        Change the alphabetic characters in the variable String to lower case.

           Variable InString,25
           ReadStr  InString

        User enters C:\UTIL.

           Lower InString

        Now contains c:\util.

                                 ====================

                    MIDSTRING NewString, OldString, Offset, Length

        Create a NewString by extracting characters from OldString. Beginning
        with the Offset character of OldString, extract Length characters and
        create the new string.

           Variable Path,79
           WriteAt  1,2,"Enter Drive and Directory name "
           ReadStr  Path

        User enters C:\UTIL.

           MidString   Drive,Path,1,2

        Extract C: from C:\UTIL, making the newstring C:.








                                        Page 31





                                       ====================

                               MULTIPLY Result, Number

        Result is multiplied by Number and the result of the multiplication is
        placed in Result.

           Variable Total,11
           Variable Units,4
           Variable Quantity,3

           SetVar   Total,Units
           Multiply Total,Quantity
           Write 'Your total quantity is '
           WriteLine   Total

                                 ====================

                                        NORMAL

        Change the current color attribute(s) back to the definition prior to
        the execution of a BLINK or REVERSE command.

           Color 20    ;set default color to red on blue
           Blink       ;changes to blinking red on blue
           WriteAt  2,24,"Incorrect...re-enter!"
           Normal         ;resets color to 20
           Beep     800,8
           Wait     35    ;pause 3.5 seconds
           WriteAt  2,24,"                    "   ;clear msg

        This is an example of a typical error routine. The color attribute is
        changed to blinking with the Blink command. The error message is
        written and the color attribute is changed back to its original value
        with the Normal command. The speaker is "beeped" and after a wait of
        3.5 seconds, the error message is removed from the screen.

                                 ====================

                                       PRINTSCR

        The entire contents of the current screen is sent to the system
        printer. A page eject is automatically appended to the last character
        to cause the printer to eject the printed page.

                                 ====================

                                 PROMPT NewPromptVal

        Change the current value of the prompt to the value specified in
        NewPromptVal.

           Prompt   "$P$G"






                                        Page 32





                                       ====================

                              RANDOM UpperLimit, Result

        A random number is generated from (and including) zero through the
        UpperLimit. The random number is placed in Result.

           Variable RandNum,3

           Random   200,RandNum

        A random number between 0 and 200 inclusive will be generated.

           Label NewNumb
           Random   200,RandNum
           Compare  RandNum,100,,NewNumb

        This will generate a random number between 100 and 200.









































                                        Page 33





                                       ====================

               READKEY Target [,SpecInd] [,Tmeout] [,NoPrt] [,CtlChar]

        Read a single key from the keyboard and place the result in Target. If
        SpecInd contains a "1" after reading the key from the keyboard, then a
        "special key" has been returned in Target. Special keys are function
        keys, Page Up/Down, cursor movement keys, etc. If you are in doubt
        about a particular key, run the program "KEYID" (furnished on the
        install disk). Each key you press will be identified as either a
        regular key or a special key and the value that will be returned in
        Target when this key is pressed (remember that SpecInd will contain a
        "1" for special keys).

         The TmeOut parameter is used when you want to wait for a key from the
        keyboard, but continue processing without receiving the key after a
        specified number of seconds. Placing the number of seconds to wait in
        TmeOut will allow your program to "fall through" the ReadKey
        instruction if the timeout value is exceeded. If no input is received
        within TmeOut seconds, the null character (ASCII 0) is placed in
        Target and zero is placed in SpecInd.

        The NoPrt parameter gives you the option to have the entered character
        printed or not. The default is to print the character. If you wish to
        have the character not printed to the screen, place a one (1) in the
        NoPrt parameter.

        ReadKey gives you the capability to check for Non-ASCII keys (i.e.
        NumLock, Scroll Lock, etc.). Place one of the characters from the
        following table in the CtlChar parameter. If the requested key is
        pressed on the keyboard (or toggled on in the case of NumLock, Scroll
        Lock, and Caps Lock), ReadKey will return with SpecInd set to 2. No
        key will be returned in Target. Select one of these values to be
        placed in CtlChar:
           Right Shift #1       Left Shift     #2
           Ctrl        #4       Alt            #8
           Scroll Lock #16      Num Lock       #32
           Caps Lock   #64      Insert         #128

           Variable InKey,1
           Variable Spec,1
           Variable F10,1,#68
           Variable Caps,1,#64

           ReadKey  InKey                ;read a single key

           ReadKey  InKey,Spec
           Compare  Spec,1,Reg,Reg       ;fall thru if Spec=1
           Compare  InKey,F10,NotF10,NotF10 ;fall thru if F10

           ReadKey  InKey,Spec,10        ;wait 10 secs
           Compare  InKey,'',,,NoKey     ;InKey=null, timedout

           ReadKey  InKey,,,1            ;dont print the input

           ReadKey  InKey,Spec,,,Caps
           Compare  Spec,2,,,CapsOn      ;Spec=2, caps lock on
           Write 'Caps Lock is off'

                                        Page 34





                                       ====================

                              READSTR Target [,TimeOut]

        Read a string of characters from the keyboard until the user presses
        the enter key. Any number of characters may be read up to the maximum
        length specified for Target in the Variable statement. If the TimeOut
        parameter is specified, wait the specified number of seconds before
        continuing without having received a key.

           Variable InString,12
           ReadStr  InString    ;12 chars max will be read

           Label ReadPass
           ReadStr  InString,10 ;Only wait 10 secs for input
           Compare  InString,'',InputOK
           WriteAt  12,24,'Please enter your password'
           GoTo     ReadPass

           Label InputOK

                                 ====================

                             READUPKEY Target [,TimeOut]

        Read a single character from the keyboard, changing the case of any
        alphabetic character to upper case and place this upper case character
        in Target. If the TimeOut parameter is present, continue with the
        execution of the program after TimeOut seconds even if no character is
        entered.

           ReadUpKey      CharIn      ;read a single char in upper case

           WriteAt        16,24,'Enter your drive letter'
           ReadUpKey      CharIn,10   ;wait 10 seconds for a key
           Compare        CharIn,'',GotDrive,GotDrive
           SetVar         CharIn,'C'  ;supply default drive letter

           Label GotDrive




















                                        Page 35





                                       ====================

                     READYN Message, Target [,TimeOut][,NoPrint]

        Write the message found in Message at the current cursor location and
        wait for a single key to be entered from the keyboard. Force the user
        to enter either a "Y" or "N" and place the upper case "Y" or "N" in
        Target. If TimeOut is specified, wait only the specified number of
        seconds before continuing with the program without input. If the
        character entered is not to be printed, place a one (1) in NoPrint.

           Variable Msg4,35,"Invalid name...Continue [Y/N] "
           ReadYN   "Invalid name...Continue [Y/N] ",CharIn

           ReadYN   Msg4,CharIn

        In both usages of the ReadYN command, the message "Invalid
        filename...Continue [Y/N] " will be displayed and the program will
        wait for a response from the user. If the user enters any characters
        other than "Y", "y", "N", or "n" the system speaker will sound and the
        user is prompted again for input. At the completion of this command,
        the variable CharIn will contain either "Y" or "N" (always upper
        case).

           Label ErrMsg
           ReadYN   Msg4,CharIn,8
           Compare  CharIn,'',GotChar
           Beep     800,8
           GoTo     ErrMsg

        If the user does not enter a character within 8 seconds, the system
        speaker will be sounded and the user asked again for input.

                                 ====================

                                       REVERSE

        Change the text attributes to "reverse video". This is accomplished by
        swapping the foreground and background attributes. This command is
        "undone" by using NORMAL.

           Color 20    ;red on black
           Reverse        ;color is changed to black on red
           WriteAt  1,15,"Press Escape To Continue"
           Normal         ;color is now red on black














                                        Page 36





                                       ====================

                                     SCRMODE Mode

        Used for changing the screen mode to 43/50 lines per screen on
        monitors that have the capability to display in these modes. The mode
        shift will automatically detect either 43 or 50 lines and change to
        the proper mode. Mode 0 will switch from 43/50 to 25 lines per screen.
        Mode 1 will switch from 25 lines to 43/50 lines per screen.

           Variable 25Lines,1,0 ;define a var with value 0
           Variable 43Lines,1,1 ;define a var with value 1

           Mode     43Lines
           Perform  DisplayParms   ;display a file
           Mode     25Lines     ;return to normal screen display

                                 ====================

                           SETENV EnvironName EnvironValue

        The environment variable named EnvironName will have its value changed
        to EnvironValue. Error messages will occur if the size of the new
        value minus the size of the old value is greater than the number of
        free bytes of environment space available.

           Variable    VarName,7,"MONITOR"
           Variable VarValue,5,"color"

           SetEnv   VarName, VarValue
           SetEnv   "Monitor","color"

        Both examples will change the environment variable "Monitor" to have a
        value of "color".

                                 ====================

                                   SETPATH NewPath

        The current PATH environment variable will have its value changed to
        NewPath. Error messages will occur if the size of the new path value
        minus the size of the old value is greater than the number of free
        bytes of environment space available.

           Variable NewPath,40,"d:\;c:\util\exec;c:\wp\letters"

           SetPath  NewPath
           SetPath  "d:\;c:\;"











                                        Page 37





                                       ====================

                              SETVAR VariableName, Value

        Set the value of VariableName to the contents of Value. A variable
        cannot be set to a value greater in length than the  maximum length
        parameter in the Variable definition.

           Variable ErrCode,3
           Variable FileName,79

           SetVar   ErrCode,99
           SetVar   FileName,"C:\CONFIG.SYS"

        In the first usage of the SetVar command, the variable ErrCode is set
        to "99" and the second usage sets the variable FileName to
        "C:\CONFIG.SYS".

                                 ====================

                                SUBTRACT Total, Number

        Subtract the contents of Number from the contents of Total and place
        the result in Total.

           Variable TotalLines,2,25

           Subtract TotalLines,1

        Subtract the constant "1" from the variable "TotalLines" and place the
        result in TotalLines.

                                 ====================

                                  UPPER VariableName

        Change all the alphabetic characters in VariableName to upper case.

           Variable InString,25
           WriteAt  14,25,"Enter your directory name "
           ReadStr  InString          (user enters c:\util)
           Upper    InString          (changed to C:\UTIL)
           ?InPath  InString,GoodDir  (path is always upper case)

        In this example, the user is prompted for a path name to be entered.
        The path name is to be compared to the system path for validity. Since
        the contents of the system path are always in upper case, we change
        the InString variable to upper case prior to comparison.











                                        Page 38





                                       ====================

                   VARIABLE VariableName, MaxLength [,InitialValue]

        Define a variable to be used in a PowerBatch program. The variable
        will have a maximum length of MaxLength and an initial value of
        InitialValue. The initial value may be either an alphabetic value, a
        numeric value, or an ASCII value. An initial value which is alphabetic
        must be enclosed in either single or double quotes. A numeric initial
        value may be defined with or without quote delimiters but a convention
        of no quotes is a recommended technique. An  ASCII value is expressed
        as #nnn where nnn is the decimal value of the ASCII character. A
        variable may be of any length from 1 through 255. The initial value
        may be of any length from 1 through the MaxLength. VariableName is the
        name which you give to this variable and the means by which you refer
        to the variable in other PowerBatch commands.  See the discussion on
        variables at the beginning of this section.

        The special variables CLP%1 - CLP%16 are used to receive Command line
        parameters passed to a compiled PowerBatch program. Any command line
        parameters will be found in these  special parameters only.  Any
        number of parameters up to the max of 16 may be passed.

        Define a variable with no initial value.
           Variable DayOfWeek,9

        Define an alpha variable with an initial value.
           Variable ErrMsg1,25,"Invalid directory name."

        Define a variable with an initial numeric value of 50.
           Variable PauseTime,2,50

        Define a variable as a single ASCII value.
           Variable RightArrow,1,#26

        Define a variable as a string of ASCII values.
           Variable DblLine,5,#205#205#205#205#205

        Define a variable to receive a command line parameter.
           Variable CLP%1,12

                                 ====================

                                   WAIT TimeToWait

        Cause the execution of a PowerBatch program to pause for a specified
        amount of time. TimeToWait is expressed in tenths of a second.

           Variable PauseTime,2,50
           Wait     5           (pause half a second)
           Wait     PauseTime   (pause 5 seconds)
           Wait     35          (pause 3.5 seconds)







                                        Page 39





                                       ====================

                 WINDOW0-3 UpX,UpY,LoX,LoY,FGClr [,BKClr]
                  WINDOW4 UpX,UpY,LoX,LoY,FGClr [,BKClr] [,ShadClr]

        A virtual screen is defined with the boundaries UpX, UpY, LoX, LoY.
        The color attributes for this new screen are set to FGClr, BKClr. The
        area enclosed within this new screen is not cleared. Each window type
        has a different frame drawn around the window.

           Window0     No frame
           Window1     Single line
           Window2     Double line
           Window3     Heavy line
           Window4     Single line with shadow

        The cursor is positioned in the upper left corner of the window
        (location 1,1 for the new screen). This virtual screen will wrap at
        the new column boundaries and scroll at the new row boundaries. This
        screen appears in every way to DOS as the full size of the screen.

                                 ====================

                      WRITE StringToWrite [,ForeClr] [,BackClr]

        Write the string contained in StringToWrite at the current cursor
        location using foreground color attribute ForeClr and background color
        attribute BackClr. In the absence of ForeClr and BackClr use the
        current color attributes. If the string contains imbedded color
        attributes, change the colors in the string according to these values.
        (See Imbedded Color Commands). The string is not followed by a
        carriage return, line feed pair (i.e. the cursor is not moved to the
        first position of the next line).

        Write the string "Enter your password" in black on white.
           Write "Enter your password ",0,7

        Write "Invalid directory name" contained in a variable using the
        composite color 112, also contained in a variable.
           Variable ErrMsg1,25,"Invalid directory name."
           Variable ErrClr,3,112
           Write ErrMsg1,ErrClr

        Write the string "Menu of choices" with the "M" in Menu written in
        color 112 and the remainder of the string written in  color 31.
           Variable MenuTitle,23,'@112M@031enu of choices'
           Write MenuTitle












                                        Page 40





                                       ====================

                 WRITEAT XLoc, YLoc, StringVal [,ForeClr] [,BackClr]

        Write the value contained in StringVal at column location contained in
        XLoc and at row location contained in YLoc using the foreground color
        attribute contained in ForeClr and the background color attribute
        contained in BackClr. In the absence of ForeClr and BackClr, use the
        current color attributes. The string is not followed by a carriage
        return, line feed pair (i.e. the cursor is not moved to the first
        position of the next line).

           Variable TitleClr,3,112
           Variable CurrX,2
           Variable CurrY,2
           Variable CompName,25,"The ABC Company"
           WriteAt  15,3,"The ABC Company",TitleClr
           WriteAt  CurrX,CurrY,CompName

        In the first usage of the WriteAt command, the literal "The ABC
        Company" is written at column 15, row 3. In the second usage, the
        contents of the variable CompName ("The ABC Company") is written at
        the column location specified by the contents of variable CurrX and at
        the row location specified by the contents of variable CurrY.

                                 ====================

                        WRITELINE StringToWrite [,LineNumber]

        Write the string contained in StringToWrite beginning at position 1 of
        the line number specified in LineNumber. Follow the string with a
        carriage return line feed pair (i.e. move the cursor to the first
        position of the next line). In the absence of LineNumber write the
        string at the current cursor location. Expand any imbedded color
        commands in the string. (See note below on imbedded color commands).

           WriteLine "Please read these instructions ",7

        The message "Please read these instructions " is written beginning in
        column 1 of row 7. Follow the string with a CR/LF.

           WriteLine Msg5

        Write the contents of the variable Msg5 beginning at the current
        cursor location. Follow the string with a CR/LF.

           Write "Enter the letter of the selected drive > "
           ReadKey  InKey
           WriteLine   ""

        Write the string "Enter the letter of the selected drive > ", leaving
        the cursor positioned at the end of this message (the Write command
        does not supply a CR/LF. After receiving the entry from the user,
        position the cursor at the beginning of the next line by "writing" to
        the screen a null string (two quote marks without any character
        between) using the WriteLine command. This will write to the screen
        only a CR/LF.


                                        Page 41





                                         STANDARD VARIABLES

        There are several variables which are in every PowerBatch program.
        These Standard Variables may be referenced without having to define
        them with a Variable command.


     DispAdapter - This 4 character variable will contain a code describing
           the type of display controller card located in your system. If the
           first character contains "M", the adapter is a monochrome adapter.
           If the first character contains "C", the adapter is a color
           adapter. The remaining 3 characters may contain:
                 MDA-Monochrome Display Adapter
                 CGA-Color Graphics Adapter
                 EGA-Extended Graphics Adapter
                 VGA-Video Graphics Array
                 MGA-Multi-color Graphics Array
              If no video adapter is found the field will contain "NONE".


     DOSError - If the external program which you execute sets a DOS error
           code, the error code will be placed in this variable.


     DOSVer - This field will contain a 4 character code for the version of
           DOS installed. The first two characters are the major version and
           the last two the minor version. DOS 6.0 will be reported as 0600.


     ErrorLevel - If the external program which you execute sets an
           ErrorLevel and that ErrorLevel is returned to PowerBatch by DOS,
           it will be placed in this variable.


     ParallelPorts - This variable will contain the number of parallel ports
           supported by your hardware.


     SerialPorts - This variable will contain the number of serial ports
           supported by your hardware.
























                                        Page 42





                                          Command Summary

        ?Color      Foreground Background Composite
        ?CurrDir    CurrDrive CurrDirectory
        ?Date       DayOfWeek Month Day Year
        ?DirExist   DirName FoundLbl [NotFoundLbl]
        ?DiskInfo   DriveLetter VolID DriveType
        ?DiskSpace  DriveLetter TotalSpace FreeSpace
        ?DriveExist DriveLetter ValidLabel [InvalidLabel]
        ?EnvStr     EnvironName EnvironNameContents
        ?FileExist  FileName FoundLabel [NotFoundLabel]
        ?FileExpan  FileName FoundLabel [NotFoundLabel]
        ?FileSize   FileSize FileName
        ?Inpath     DirName FoundLabel [NotFoundLabel]
        ?Time       CurrentTime
        Add         Sum Number
        AppendFile  FileName FileRecord
        Blink
        Boot
        Box0-3      Ux Uy Lx Ly ForeClr [BackClr]
        Box4        Ux Uy Lx Ly ForeClr [BackClr] [ShadowClr]
        BreakOn
        BreakOff
        Center      TextToCenter LineNum
        ChDir       DirName
        Clear       FgrndClr [BgrndClr] [ClearChar] [BorderClr]
        ClearBox    Ux Uy Lx Ly FgClr [BkgClr] [ClearChar]
        ClearLine   LineNum ForeGrndClr [BackgrndClr]
        Color       ForeGroundClr [BackGroundClr]
        Compare     Value1 Value2 1GR2 [1Less2] [1Eq2]
        Concat      Target String1 [String2]
        Cursor      CursorType (1=Normal,2=Off,3=Fat,4=Block)
        Divide      Result Divisor [Remainder]
        FlushKey
        GoTo        Label
        GoToXY      XCo-ord YCo-ord
        Halt        [ErrorLevel]
        Label       LabelName
        Length      StringLength String
        Lower       String
        MidString   NewString OldString Offset Length
        Multiply    Result Number
        Normal
        PrintScr
        Prompt      NewPromptVal
        Random      UpperLimit Result
        ReadKey     Target [SpecInd] [Timeout] [NoPrt] [CtlChar]
        ReadStr     Target [Timeout]
        ReadUpKey   Target [Timeout]
        ReadYN      Message Target [Timeout] [NoPrt]
        Reverse
        ScrMode     Mode
        SetEnv      EnvironName EnvironValue
        SetPath     NewPath
        SetVar      VariableName Value
        Subtract    Total Number
        Upper       VariableName
        Variable    VariableName MaxLength [InitialValue]

                                        Page 43




        Wait        TimeToWait (in tenths of a second)
        Window0-3   UpX UpY LoX LoY FgClr [BkClr]
        Window4     UpX UpY LoX LoY FgClr [BkClr] [ShadClr]
        Write       StringToWrite [ForeClr] [BackClr]
        WriteAt     XLoc YLoc StringVal [ForeClr] [BackClr]
        WriteLine   StringToWrite [LineNumber]

        Standard Variables
        ==================
        DispAdapter    Current display adapter
        DOSError       Last DOS error code
        DOSVer            Running DOS version
        ErrorLevel     Last DOS errorlevel
        ParallelPorts  Num of parallel ports in running machine
        SerialPorts    Num of serial ports in running machine












































                                        Page 44





                                         Compilation Errors

        Compilation errors are printed on the screen and also written in a
        file named ProgName.MAP where ProgName is the name of the program you
        have just compiled (If you have a split screen editor, view the source
        in one screen part and the errors in the other part). If the source
        line is available, the source line is printed above the error preceded
        by the line number count. Source lines are not available during the
        second pass of the compiler which may generate "Label not defined" and
        "Variable not defined" errors.


           "Not a valid command" - This error is generated when the first
              word on the command line is not a PowerBatch command and
              contains more than 8 characters.

              Example:
              13 Directory name checked here.
              [DIRECTORY] Not a valid command


              Probably should be
              ;Directory name checked here


           "Missing variable" - A command contains less than the required
              number of operands.

              Example:
              21 ?Color   ForeColor,BackColor
              [] Missing variable

              Variable for the composite color byte is missing.


           "Expected a variable Name" - A string was found in an operand that
              may contain only a variable name.

              Example:
              10 ?Time "Current Time"
              [Current Time] Expected a variable name

              The current time may only be placed in a variable.


           "Quoted literal not terminated" - A single quote was encountered
              within a source line.

              Example:
              9 Center "Move Command,5
              [] Quoted literal not terminated

              Closing quote should precede comma.


           "Invalid max length specified" - The second operand of a variable
              definition should specify the maximum length of the variable.
              The value found was not numeric.

              Example:
              3 Variable  CompName,"The ABC Company"

              [The ABC Company] Invalid max length specified


           "Variable not defined" - A reference to a variable was made in the

                                        Page 45




              source file but the variable was not defined with the Variable
              command.

              Example:
              [CURRDATE] Variable not defined


           "Duplicate variable" - The same variable name has appeared 2 or
              more times in a Variable definition statement.

              Example:
              7 Variable  CompName,25
              [COMPNAME] Duplicate variable


           "Duplicate label" - The same label name has appeared 2 or more
              times in a Label definition statement.

              Example:
              16 Label    Step2
              [STEP2] Duplicate label


           "Invalid hex definition in variable" - A variable definition
              contained a # not enclosed in quotes signifying a value
              definition by ASCII value. The characters following this # were
              not numeric or did not equate to an ASCII character.

              Example:
              Variable Return,2,#J#219

                 #J is not valid


           "External command >" - This is not an error message, but is a
              check to alert you to each command found in a PowerBatch source
              file that will be treated as an external command. External
              commands are DOS intrinsic commands, .COM, and .EXE commands or
              programs (even PowerBatch compiled programs) and .BAT (standard
              DOS batch files) that are to be executed by PowerBatch.

              Example:
              External command > 12 DIR  (DOS directory command)
              External command > 29 MYPROG (Exe module MYPROG)



















                                        Page 46





                                               Examples

        The source for several examples is contained on your installation
        disk. You may print these examples by entering:

           COPY INQUIRE.PWR LPT1

        These examples may be compiled using the PowerBatch command by
        entering a command similar to:

           PowerBatch INQUIRE <enter>

        This compiles the source for INQUIRE.














































                                        Page 47




                               IMBEDDED COLOR COMMANDS

        A literal or a variable may be defined which has color commands
        imbedded in the text of the literal allowing you to change the color
        in the middle of the string to be printed. If you were creating a
        tutorial and wanted a menu at the bottom of the screen that gave the
        user several command choices and you wanted this menu to have the
        first character of each command in reverse video, PowerBatch provides
        a means to accomplish this easily. Suppose the command line is:

           Next Prev Load ........

        and the N, P, and L were to be in reverse video you would define the
        variable (or literal) as:

           Variable Cmd,75,"@112N@007ext @112P@007rev @112L@007oad"

        IN THIS EXAMPLE THE @ REPRESENTS CTRL-A BECAUSE OUR PRINTER WILL NOT
        PRINT A CTRL-A!

        The syntax for imbedded color commands is Ctrl-A followed by the THREE
        digit color attribute. Thus @112 means change the color to 112 and
        continue printing in this color until another change is made. Further
        examining the line...@112N@007ext means change to color 112, print N,
        change to color 007, print ext (Next).

        The ASCII value of Ctrl-A is 001. Most text editors will allow you to
        enter an ASCII character by entering the actual ASCII value by
        pressing the Alt key and entering the ASCII value on the numeric
        keypad (not the numbers above the character keyboard). Thus entering
        Ctrl-A becomes as simple as pressing Alt-1.




























                                        Page 48





                                      Composite Color Values

                             Color Names And Their Values
                             ============================
        Black (Blk)    0     Dk. Gray (DGy)    8
        Blue (Blu)     1     Lt. Blue (LBl)    9
        Green (Grn)    2     Lt. Green(LGr)    10
        Cyan (Cyn)     3     Lt. Cyan (LCy)    11
        Red (Red)      4     Lt. Red (Lrd)     12
        Magenta (Mag)  5     Lt. Magenta (LMg) 13
        Brown (Brn)    6     Yellow (Yel)      14
        Lt. Gray (LGy) 7     White (Wht)       15

        On the following page is two tables which give the ASCII value for the
        composite color byte (the single byte DOS uses to identify the current
        color). This single value is a composite of the two values for the
        background and foreground color values.  To arrive at the composite
        value multiply the background color value by 16 and add the foreground
        color value. Some examples will help explain:
           Red on Blue
           (Blue * 16) + Red = 20        (001 * 16) + 4 = 20

           White on Red
           (Red * 16) + White = 79       (004 * 16) + 15 = 79

        Verify these composite calculations by finding the corresponding
        values in the tables on the next page. To find Red on Blue, find the
        background color down the left side of the table and the foreground
        color across the top. Blue is the second color down and Red the fifth
        color across; at this intersection you will find the value 020.
        (Remember the color values begin with zero). Red is the fifth color
        down and White is the 16 color across; at this intersection is value
        079.


























                                        Page 49




                                  Normal (non-blinking) Colors

         Blk Blu Grn Cyn Red Mag Brn LGy DGy LBl LGr LCy Lrd LMg Yel Wht
         === === === === === === === === === === === === === === === ===
     Blk|000|001|002|003|004|005|006|007|008|009|010|011|012|013|014|015|
        |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     Blu|016|017|018|019|020|021|022|023|024|025|026|027|028|029|030|031|
        |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     Grn|032|033|034|035|036|037|038|039|040|041|042|043|044|045|046|047|
        |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     Cyn|048|049|050|051|052|053|054|055|056|057|058|059|060|061|062|063|
        |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     Red|064|065|066|067|068|069|070|071|072|073|074|075|076|077|078|079|
        |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     Mag|080|081|082|083|084|085|086|087|088|089|090|091|092|093|094|095|
        |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     Brn|096|097|098|099|100|101|102|103|104|105|106|107|108|109|110|111|
        |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     Gry|112|113|114|115|116|117|118|119|120|121|122|123|124|125|126|127|
        |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |

                                  Color Which Blink

     To make any color blink, add 128 to the value in the table above. For
     example; to have a red blinking character on a blue background the value
     would be (20 + 128) = 148.

































                                        Page 50




     ASP 1                             Flush Keyboard 29
     Border Color 25                   Frame 22, 23
     Box 22, 23                        Imbedded Colors 48
     Box With Shadow 23                Installation 5
     Case                              Interior of a box 25
        Lower 31                       Introduction 1
        upper 35, 38                   Keyboard Input
     CD, ChDir 24                         ReadKey 33
     Center A Line Of Text 24             ReadStr 35
     Color attribute 12, 14, 32           ReadUpKey 35
     Command Line Parameters 11, 39       ReadYN 36
     Command Notation 12               Labels 9
     Command Summary 43                License Agreement 2
     Command Syntax 13                 Literals 7, 8
     Comments 7                        Monitor Type 42
     Compare                           ParallelPorts 42
        alphabetic 27                  Passing Parameters
        numeric 27                           11
     Compilation Errors 45             PATH 11
     Composite Color Values 49         Is Dir In 20
     Concatenate Strings 28            SetPath 37
     Concept Of Operation 3            Pause 39
     Copyright 1                       Pause A Program 39
     Ctrl - Break 23                   PowerBatch Commands
     Current Date 15                      ?Color 14
     Current Directory 15                 ?CurrDir 15
     Current Drive 15                     ?Date 15
     Current Time 20                      ?DirExist 16
     Cursor Postion 30                    ?DiskInfo 16
     Directory 16                         ?DiskSpace 17
     Directory Exists 16                  ?DriveExist 17
     Directory, Change to new 24          ?EnvStr 18
     Disk capacity 17                     ?FileExist 18
     Disk Drive                           ?FileExpand 19
        Valid Letter 17                   ?FileSize 19
     Disk Space                           ?InPath 20
        Free 17                           ?Time 20
        Total 17                          Add 20
     DOS errorlevel 30                    Beep 21
     DOS search path 20                   Blink 21
     DOS Version 42                       Boot 21
     DOSERROR 10, 42                      Box 22, 23
     Drive Type 16                        BreakOff 23
     Drive, Change to new 24              BreakOn 23
     Environment Variables 11             Center 24
        Contents 18                       ChDir 24
        SetEnv 37                         Clear 25
        SetVar 38                         ClearBox 25
     ERRORLEVEL 10, 30, 42                ClearLine 26
     External Commands 9, 46              Color 26
     Field length                         Compare 27
        maximum 35                        Concat 28
     File exists 18, 19                   Cursor 28
     File Size 19                         Divide 29
     FileName                             FlushKey 29
        Does It Exist 18                  GoTo 29
        Full Path Name 19                 GoToXY 30


                                        Page 51




        Halt 30                           Window 40
        Label 30
        Length 31
        Lower 31
        MidString 31
        Multiply 32
        Normal 32
        PrintScr 32
        Prompt 32
        Random 33
        ReadKey 33
        ReadStr 35
        ReadUpKey 35
        ReadYN 36
        Reverse 36
        ScrMode 37
        SetEnv 37
        SetPath 37
        SetVar 38
        Subtract 38
        Upper 38
        Variable 39
        Wait 39
        Window 40
        Write 40
        WriteAt 41
        WriteLine 41
     PROMPT 11
     Random Numbers 33
     Registration 1
     Screen
        Clear 25
        Color 26
     Screen Window 40
     SerialPorts 42
     SETENV 11
     SETPATH 11
     Shareware 1
     Software Support 2
     Standard Variables
        DispAdapter 42
        DOSError 42
        DOSVer 42
        ErrorLevel 42
        ParallelPorts 42
        SerialPorts 42
     String length 31
     Syntax
        Compilation 6
     System speaker 21
     Time, Current 20
     Trademarks 2
     Variable map 6
     Variables 7
        Value Of 38
     Virtual Window 40
     Volume ID 16


                                        Page 52