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- Take Command
- for OS/2
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- Introduction and Installation Guide
-
-
-
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- Developed By
- Rex Conn and Tom Rawson
-
- Documentation By
- Hardin Brothers, Tom Rawson, and Rex Conn
-
-
-
- Published By
-
- JP Software Inc.
- P.O. Box 1470
- East Arlington, MA 02174
- U.S.A.
-
- (617) 646-3975
- fax (617) 646-0904
-
-
-
-
-
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
-
-
- We couldn't produce a product like Take Command without the
- dedication and quality work of many people. Our thanks to:
-
- JP Software Staff: Christine Alves, Mike Bessy, Michael
- Hart, Ed Lucas, Ellen Stone.
-
- Beta Test Support: The sysops of CompuServe's CONSULT
- forum.
-
- Online Support: Brian Miller and Tess Heder of Channel 1
- BBS; Don Watkins of CompuServe's IBMNET.
-
- Beta Testers: We can't list all of our beta testers
- here. A special thanks to all of you who helped make
- Take Command for OS/2 elegant, reliable, and friendly!
-
-
-
- The following tools are used in creating and maintaining Take
- Command:
-
- Compilers: IBM C-Set/2, Microsoft Macro Assembler
- Editors: RimStar (RimStar Technology), Brief
- (Borland), Boxer (Boxer Software)
- Version Control: PVCS (Intersolv)
- Documentation: Microsoft Word for Windows with Adobe
- Type Manager
-
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- Copyright 1996, JP Software Inc., All Rights Reserved. "Take
- Command," "4OS2," "JP Software," and the JP Software logo and
- product logos are trademarks and "4DOS" is a registered
- trademark of JP Software Inc. Other product and company names
- are trademarks of their respective owners.
-
- 3-96
- Contents
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- Contents
-
-
- Introduction...............................................1
- How to Use This Manual.................................2
- Customer Service and Technical Support.................3
-
- Chapter 1 / Installation...................................4
- Installing Take Command................................4
- Changes Made During Installation.......................5
- Manual Installation....................................5
- Take Command for OS/2 Files and Directories........7
- Uninstalling Take Command..............................7
-
- Chapter 2 / Configuration..................................9
- Configuring Take Command Objects.......................9
- Take Command Startup Options..........................10
- Configuring Take Command..............................11
- TCSTART, TCEXIT, and Startup Commands.................12
- Take Command Help.....................................13
-
- Chapter 3 / Using Take Command............................15
- Using an OS/2 Command Line............................15
- Take Command and OS/2.................................16
- Character-Mode Applications...........................17
- Take Command, 4OS2, and 4DOS..........................19
- Using Your Batch Files and Aliases................20
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- Index.....................................................23
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- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / i
- INTRODUCTION
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- INTRODUCTION
-
-
- Welcome, and thanks for purchasing Take Command!
-
- We developed Take Command for OS/2 to bring the power and
- convenience of our popular 4DOS and 4OS2 programs to the OS/2
- Desktop. Whether you are a computer novice or an experienced user,
- Take Command for OS/2 will help you get the most out of your
- computer system. To use Take Command for OS/2, you must have OS/2
- version 3.0 (Warp) or later installed on your computer.
-
- You're probably already familiar with graphical applications
- running under OS/2, and with the command line, but you may not be
- used to seeing them combined in one product. Most graphical
- applications offer limited command-line capability at best, and
- most command-line utilities aren't designed for a graphical
- environment like the OS/2 Desktop.
-
- We designed Take Command to give you the best of both worlds.
- You'll probably find it most useful when you need to perform tasks
- like managing your hard disk, scripting a series of steps with an
- alias or batch file, or starting applications. There are graphical
- utilities that perform some of these tasks, but often you may find
- it more convenient or productive to perform them from the command
- line. Unlike a character-mode session, Take Command also looks and
- feels like the other OS/2 programs you use.
-
- Take Command offers a host of features that couldn't exist at all
- in a character-mode command-line utility. For example, you can pop
- up simple dialogs from a batch file, pass keystrokes to OS/2
- applications, use an OS/2-based dialog to find files or text on any
- of your disks, or configure Take Command with notebook pages
- instead of editing an .INI file.
-
- If you are familiar with the traditional command prompt, or with
- 4DOS or 4OS2, you won't have to change your computing habits or
- unlearn anything to use Take Command. If you know how to use
- commands to display a directory, copy a file, or start an
- application program, you already know how to use Take Command. And
- if you are a 4DOS or 4OS2 user, you already know how to use most of
- the advanced features that we have built into Take Command. You
- can even use many of your 4DOS and 4OS2 batch files with Take
- Command (see page 20 or the online help for tips about making batch
- files work properly in both environments).
-
- Once you have Take Command installed, you can learn its new
- features at your own pace. Relax, enjoy Take Command's power, and
- browse through the manuals occasionally. Press the F1 key whenever
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 1
- INTRODUCTION
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- you need help. Take Command will soon become an essential part of
- your computer, and you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.
-
- We are constantly working to improve Take Command. If you have
- suggestions for features or commands that we should include in the
- next version, or any other way we could improve our product, please
- let us know. Many of the features in Take Command were suggested
- by our users. We can't promise to include every suggestion, but we
- really do appreciate and pay attention to your comments.
-
-
- How to Use This Manual
-
- This manual is only one part of the documentation that you
- will need for Take Command. It introduces the product and
- will help you install it correctly on your computer. It will
- also help you understand some of the terms and concepts that
- you need to know to get the most from Take Command.
-
- Take Command for OS/2 includes complete online help for all of
- its built-in commands. The online help provides information
- about the commands and features of Take Command in an
- electronic form which you can access quickly. See page 13 for
- more details about using the online help.
-
- We also offer a separate Reference Manual for Take Command.
- It contains all of the information in the online help, in
- printed form. The Reference Manual is sometimes sold
- separately from Take Command, so you may not find it in your
- package. If that's the case, use this manual to get started,
- and use the online help for reference information. A
- Reference Manual can be purchased from JP Software; contact
- our Customer Service department for pricing.
-
- You should start with this introductory manual to install Take
- Command on your system. Once you have successfully installed
- Take Command, you can move back and forth between this manual
- and the online help and Reference Manual.
-
- For the sake of clarity, we have chosen not to indicate each
- of the dozens of places in this manual where you can refer to
- the Reference Manual or online help for additional
- information. If you see a reference here to a command, the
- initialization file TCMDOS2.INI, or any Take Command feature,
- you can be sure that detailed information on that topic is
- available in the reference material.
-
- Files distributed with Take Command for OS/2 cover important
- additional information beyond what's included in the manuals.
- README.DOC contains general notes, highlights of the latest
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 2
- INTRODUCTION
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
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- release, and brief installation instructions for those
- installing from a downloaded copy, and UPDATxx.DOC contains
- detailed information for users with older versions on what has
- changed in the latest release ("xx" is the version number).
-
- JP Software also offers a version of Take Command for Windows
- 3.1, and another version for Windows 95 and Windows NT.
- Except where we specifically say otherwise, in this manual the
- terms "Take Command" and "Take Command for OS/2" are used
- interchangeably to refer to the version of Take Command for
- the OS/2 operating system.
-
- If you are a 4DOS or 4OS2 user, or you use the OS/2 or DOS
- prompts to do command-line work, be sure to read Chapter 3
- before using Take Command. It will give you a feel for some
- of the differences between a character-mode command processor
- and a Desktop-based one.
-
- You will likely find some parts of the documentation too
- simple or too technical for your tastes. Unless you are
- convinced that one of those sections holds just the
- information you need for a specific task, feel free to skip to
- the next part of the manual that is more to your liking. You
- can use almost every feature of Take Command without having to
- worry about other features or commands.
-
-
- Customer Service and Technical Support
-
- Technical support is available via public electronic support
- conferences, private electronic mail, telephone, fax, and
- mail. For complete details, including a listing of electronic
- support conferences, see the Support topic in the online help,
- or your Reference Manual.
-
- Customer service is always available through the telephone and
- fax numbers listed on the title page of this manual. See your
- Reference Manual or the online help for electronic mail
- addresses for our Sales and Customer Service departments.
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- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 3
- CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION
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- CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION
-
-
-
- Installing Take Command
-
- To install Take Command you must run the INSTALL program on
- your Take Command distribution disk. INSTALL will copy the
- files from the diskette to your hard disk, create a Desktop
- object to run Take Command, and make any other changes
- necessary for Take Command to run properly on your system.
-
- If you're installing a downloaded copy you will not have an
- INSTALL program. Instead, use the appropriate decompression
- program (for example, PKUNZIP) to extract the files from your
- download into a new directory. Then follow the instructions
- on page 5 to complete your installation. If you are updating
- from a previous version, check the README.DOC file for update
- instructions.
-
- To begin the installation process, put the Take Command for
- OS/2 distribution diskette in drive A. (You can use drive B
- if you prefer) Open Drive A by selecting the Drives icon in
- the OS/2 System folder and then select the Install program.
-
- If you prefer, you may use a 4OS2 command prompt, the OS/2
- Full Screen command prompt, or the OS/2 Window command prompt
- to enter the command:
-
- a:install
-
- Once the installation program has started, just follow the
- instructions on the screen to install Take Command on your
- system. Use Express Installation for a quick and simple
- installation with default settings, or use Custom Installation
- for finer control over the installation process.
-
- You can exit from the installation program at any time by
- pressing Esc, then pressing "Y" in response to the next
- prompt.
-
- The Take Command files are contained in a special library file
- on the distribution diskette. You cannot simply copy the
- files from the diskette onto your system. You must use
- INSTALL to extract and decompress the Take Command files even
- if you want to perform a manual installation (see below), or
- if you need to replace a damaged Take Command file on your
- hard disk.
-
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- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 4
- CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION
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-
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- If you also have 4DOS or 4OS2, do not install Take Command in
- the same directory as either product. Some file names (for
- example README.DOC) are the same in all three products, and
- the files should be kept separate to avoid confusion.
-
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- Changes Made During Installation
-
- Some OS/2 installation programs make changes to your system
- which are difficult to find or modify. While the Take Command
- installation program makes few such changes, we know you may
- feel more comfortable knowing exactly what is done to your
- system and OS/2 configuration when you install Take Command.
-
- Take Command's installation program takes the following steps.
- Step (1) is always performed once you select a drive and
- directory. Express Installation performs steps (2) through
- (4) automatically. Custom Installation asks you to confirm
- steps (2) through (4) individually.
-
- 1)Copy all Take Command files to a hard disk directory
- of your choice.
-
- 2)Brand your copy of Take Command with your name and
- serial number.
-
- 3)Create a folder for Take Command, and add objects to
- that folder for Take Command itself and for the online
- documentation.
-
- 4)Modify your CONFIG.SYS file to add the Take Command
- directory to the LIBPATH, BOOKSHELF, and DPATH
- settings, so that Take Command can find its library
- and help files.
-
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- Manual Installation
-
- There is little difference between manual and automated
- installation for Take Command. The Custom Installation option
- will query you before any files are copied or existing files
- are deleted or modified, so there is no real advantage to
- performing these steps manually. However, if you prefer a
- manual installation, you can extract the Take Command files by
- using the Custom Installation option, and choosing No when
- prompted for additional installation steps after the files are
- extracted. Then follow the instructions below to complete the
- installation manually.
-
-
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- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 5
- CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
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- You must use manual installation if you have a downloaded copy
- of Take Command (for downloaded copies, see the README.DOC
- file for any installation or update instructions specific to
- the version you downloaded).
-
- To install Take Command for OS/2 manually, first extract the
- files to a directory on your hard disk. We recommend that you
- use a new directory for Take Command for OS/2. It can be on
- any hard disk drive, and you can use any valid directory name.
- After the files are extracted, use the Esc key to exit from
- the installation program.
-
- Next, create a Take Command object on the Desktop or in a
- folder. To do so, switch to the folder where you want the
- object to appear and either copy an existing object (use the
- Copy or Create Another selection on the object's popup menu)
- or drag a Program Template in from the Templates folder.
-
- To adjust the settings for this new object, you must open its
- Settings notebook. To do so, click the right mouse button in
- the object. When the popup menu appears, select Settings.
- (If you copy an existing object, the Settings notebook may
- open automatically.)
-
- Once the Settings notebook is open, use the Program page to
- set the Path and File name to Take Command. For example, the
- Program page might look like this:
-
- Path and File Name: C:\TCOS210\TCMDOS2.EXE
- Parameters:
- Working Directory: C:\
-
- The possible settings for the Parameter field are discussed in
- detail beginning on page 10. The Working Directory can be set
- to any directory on your system.
-
- Once the object is created, Take Command for OS/2 will start
- when you double-click the corresponding icon on the desktop.
-
- Take Command reads its configuration information from a file
- named TCMDOS2.INI, normally stored in the Take Command
- directory. You can modify the section of this file which
- begins with [TakeCommand] to configure Take Command to meet
- your preferences; see page 11 for details.
-
- In addition to Take Command itself, you will probably want to
- install the Take Command help files. See page 13 for details
- about the help system files and how to install them properly.
-
-
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- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 6
- CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION
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-
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- Take Command for OS/2 Files and Directories
-
- The automated installation procedure places all Take Command
- for OS/2 files in a single directory. You may move the files
- to different directories if you wish, but you must make sure
- that the files can be found by the programs that need to use
- them. The following information will help you set up your
- system correctly if you are performing a manual installation:
-
- TCOS2DLL.DLL is a library used by TCMDOS2.EXE. This file
- must be in a directory which is included in the LIBPATH
- setting in CONFIG.SYS. You can either add the Take
- Command for OS/2 directory to the LIBPATH setting, or
- copy TCOS2DLL.DLL to a standard library directory such as
- \OS2\DLL.
-
- TCMDOS2.INF contains the text for the Take Command help
- system. For the help system to work properly, the
- directory containing this file must be included in the
- SET BOOKSHELF command in CONFIG.SYS. You can either add
- the Take Command for OS/2 directory to the BOOKSHELF
- setting, or copy TCMDOS2.INF to a standard help directory
- such as \OS2\BOOK.
-
- TCMDOS2H.MSG contains the help text for the /? option
- that is available as part of each internal command. For
- this feature to work properly, the directory containing
- this file must be included in the SET DPATH command in
- CONFIG.SYS. You can either add the Take Command for OS/2
- directory to the DPATH setting, or copy TCMDOS2H.MSG to a
- standard DPATH directory such as \OS2.
-
- SHRALIAS.EXE is a small utility that saves the shared
- alias and history list between Take Command sessions. It
- is used by the internal command SHRALIAS (see the online
- help for details). This file should be stored in the
- Take Command directory, or in a directory listed in your
- PATH statement. If it is not, the SHRALIAS command will
- not work.
-
-
- Uninstalling Take Command
-
- We don't expect you to have trouble using Take Command, but we
- know some people feel more comfortable knowing how to
- uninstall a product as well as install it. Or, you may need
- to remove Take Command from one system to move it to another
- system.
-
-
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- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 7
- CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
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- To remove Take Command, just insert the distribution diskette,
- start the INSTALL program as described on page 4, and select
- the Uninstall Take Command option. Uninstall will offer you
- several options which "undo" the corresponding steps in the
- installation procedure. Complete Uninstall will take all of
- the other steps automatically, and remove Take Command
- entirely from your system.
-
- The Uninstall option will attempt to reverse the changes made
- during installation. However, if you have removed files,
- changed folder or object names, or otherwise modified your
- system configuration, then the program may not be able to
- complete all of the steps automatically or successfully. In
- this case you will need to perform some of them manually.
-
- To uninstall Take Command manually, use the Drives icon or a
- 4OS2, OS/2 Full Screen, or OS/2 Window prompt to check the
- Take Command directory for any files you placed there that you
- want to save. Then delete the remaining files from the Take
- Command directory, and remove the directory. Finally, delete
- any desktop objects or folders that you have set up to run
- Take Command.
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- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 8
- CHAPTER 2 / CONFIGURATION
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- CHAPTER 2 / CONFIGURATION
-
-
- This chapter explains how you can tune Take Command to make it as
- efficient and as useful as possible in your computing environment.
- If Take Command works the way you want it to after installation,
- you can skip this chapter. You may, however, want to skim this
- material to see what options are available.
-
- In this chapter, you'll find information about using Take Command's
- startup options and startup batch files, and the basics of
- configuring Take Command. For more details on all of these topics,
- including complete reference information on the configuration
- options and TCMDOS2.INI, see your Reference Manual or online help.
-
-
- Configuring Take Command Objects
-
- You will typically start Take Command for OS/2 from an object
- on the OS/2 desktop or in a folder. Usually a single object is
- sufficient, but if you prefer you can create multiple objects
- to start Take Command with different startup commands or
- options, or to run different batch files or other commands.
- You can use these objects to run commonly-used commands and
- batch files directly from the desktop.
-
- Each object or icon represents a different Take Command
- window. Use the Settings notebook for the object to set any
- command line parameters such as a command to be executed, any
- desired switches, or the name and path for TCMDOS2.INI. More
- information on command line switches and options for Take
- Command is included later in this section.
-
- For general information on creating and configuring desktop
- objects or adding objects to the OS/2 LaunchPad, see your OS/2
- documentation.
-
- When you configure a Take Command object, place the full path
- and name for TCMDOS2.EXE in the Path and File Name field, and
- put any startup options that you want passed to Take Command
- (e.g., the name of a startup batch file) in the Parameters
- field. For example:
-
- Path and File Name: C:\TCOS210\TCMDOS2.EXE
- Parameters: C:\GO.BAT
- Working directory: C:\
-
- When Take Command starts it automatically runs the optional
- TCSTART batch file (see page 12). You can use this file to
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- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 9
- CHAPTER 2 / CONFIGURATION
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- load aliases and environment variables and otherwise
- initialize Take Command.
-
- You can also place the name of a batch file, internal or
- external command, or alias in the Parameters field (as shown
- in the example above). The batch file, command, or alias will
- be executed after TCSTART, but before the first prompt is
- displayed.
-
-
- Take Command Startup Options
-
- When invoked with an empty Parameters field, Take Command will
- configure itself from the TCMDOS2.INI file (see page 11), run
- TCSTART (see page 12), and then display a prompt and wait for
- you to type a command. However, you may add information to
- the Parameters field that will affect the way Take Command
- operates.
-
- Take Command recognizes several options in the Parameters
- field. If you use more than one of these options, their order
- is important. The syntax for the Parameters field is:
-
- [@d:\path\inifile] [//iniline]... [/L] [/LA] [/LD] [/LH]
- [/C | /K] [command]
-
- In the descriptions below, d: means a drive letter and \path
- means a subdirectory name.
-
- @d:\path\inifile: This option sets the path and name of
- the TCMDOS2.INI file. You do not need this option if you
- aren't using a TCMDOS2.INI file, or if the file is named
- TCMDOS2.INI and it is stored either in the same directory
- as TCMDOS2.EXE, or in the root directory of the OS/2 boot
- drive. This option is most useful if you want to start a
- Take Command window with a specific and unique .INI file.
-
- //iniline: This option tells Take Command to treat the
- text appearing between the // and the next space or tab
- as a TCMDOS2.INI directive. The directive should be in
- the same format as a line in the [TakeCommand] section of
- TCMDOS2.INI, but it may not contain spaces, tabs, or
- comments. This option overrides any corresponding
- directive in your TCMDOS2.INI file. It is a convenient
- way to send Take Command one or two simple directives
- without modifying or creating a new TCMDOS2.INI file.
-
- /L, /LA, /LD, and /LH: These options force Take Command
- to use a local alias, directory history, and / or command
- history list. This allows you to use global lists as the
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- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 10
- CHAPTER 2 / CONFIGURATION
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-
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- default, but start a specific Take Command session with
- local aliases or history. See your Reference Manual or
- online help for details on local and global aliases and
- history. /LA forces local aliases, /LD forces local
- directory history, /LH forces local command history, and
- /L forces all three.
-
- [/C | /K] command: This option tells Take Command to run
- a command when it starts. The command will be run after
- TCSTART has been executed and before any command prompt
- is displayed. It can be any valid internal or external
- command, batch file, or alias; you may include multiple
- commands by using the command separator. All other
- startup options must be placed before the command,
- because Take Command will treat characters after the
- command as part of the command and not as additional
- startup options.
-
- When the command is preceded by a /C, Take Command will
- execute the command and then exit and return to the
- parent program or the OS/2 desktop without displaying a
- prompt.
-
- The /K switch has no effect; using it is the same as
- placing the command (without a /C or /K) at the end of
- the startup command line. It is included only for
- compatibility with CMD.EXE.
-
- See page 13 for details on using the command option to
- run a startup batch file.
-
-
- Configuring Take Command
-
- Take Command's configuration is controlled through a file of
- initialization information called TCMDOS2.INI. This file is
- created during installation, and is stored in the same
- directory as TCMDOS2.EXE. (You can move TCMDOS2.INI to the
- root directory of the boot drive if you wish; Take Command
- will find it in either location.)
-
- Take Command reads TCMDOS2.INI each time it starts, and
- configures itself accordingly.
-
- Many of the TCMDOS2.INI options can be set directly from
- within Take Command using its Configuration notebook, which is
- accessible from the Configure Take Command selection on the
- Setup menu. There are several pages of options in the
- Configuration notebook.
-
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- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 11
- CHAPTER 2 / CONFIGURATION
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-
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- When you use the Configuration notebook, be sure to click the
- Save button to save your changes in TCMDOS2.INI. The OK
- button will save the configuration changes for the current
- session, but will not record them in TCMDOS2.INI for use in
- future sessions. The help text available from the notebook's
- Help button explains which specific TCMDOS2.INI directive is
- set by each item on each page.
-
- TCMDOS2.INI is divided into sections like other .INI files.
- Each section begins with a section name in square brackets,
- for example:
-
- [Fonts]
-
- The options you can set in TCMDOS2.INI are all in the
- [TakeCommand] section, which is normally the first one in the
- file. This is the section modified by the Configuration
- notebook. Take Command maintains all other sections of
- TCMDOS2.INI itself; you should not modify them unless you are
- instructed to do so by our support personnel.
-
- See the Reference Manual or the TCMDOS2.INI topic in the
- online help for complete details on the format and meaning of
- the directives used in the [TakeCommand] section of
- TCMDOS2.INI. Advanced Directives and Key Mapping Directives
- must be entered manually. Most other directives are
- accessible from corresponding items in the configuration
- notebook.
-
- If you prefer manual editing, or you want to enter a directive
- which cannot be set from the configuration notebook, you can
- edit TCMDOS2.INI with the OS/2 System Editor or any similar
- ASCII text editor. Be sure to edit only the [TakeCommand]
- section.
-
- Take Command will not automatically re-read TCMDOS2.INI when
- you edit it manually. For manual changes to take effect, you
- must exit Take Command and restart it.
-
-
- TCSTART, TCEXIT, and Startup Commands
-
- Take Command executes two optional batch files automatically:
- TCSTART is run whenever Take Command starts, and TCEXIT is run
- whenever Take Command exits. TCSTART and TCEXIT can be .CMD
- or .BTM files. TCSTART gives you a convenient way to load
- aliases and environment variables, and otherwise initialize
- Take Command.
-
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 12
- CHAPTER 2 / CONFIGURATION
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- If Take Command is started with the [/C] command option (see
- page 10), TCSTART, if it is available, is executed before the
- command.
-
- See the online help or your Reference Manual for more
- information on TCSTART and TCEXIT.
-
- To run a specific startup batch file or other command when a
- particular Take Command object is started, include the batch
- file or command name (with a path, if the file is not in the
- startup directory) as the last item in the Parameters field on
- the Program page of Take Command's Settings notebook. The
- batch file or command will be executed after TCSTART but
- before the first prompt is displayed.
-
- You can use this capability to run a specific batch file or
- command for a particular desktop object (as opposed to
- TCSTART, which is run every time Take Command starts). When
- you set up a batch file or command to run in this way you are
- using the command startup option (see page 10).
-
- For example, to run C:\STARTUP.BTM when the object starts:
-
- Path and File Name: C:\TCOS210\TCMDOS2.EXE
- Parameters: C:\STARTUP.BTM
- Working directory: C:\
-
- To execute an internal or external command, an alias, or a
- batch file and then exit (return to the desktop) when it is
- done, place /C command (rather than just command) as the last
- item in the Parameters field. For example:
-
- Path and File Name: D:\TCOS210\TCMDOS2.EXE
- Parameters: /C TEST.BTM
- Working directory: C:\
-
-
- Take Command Help
-
- Complete online help for all Take Command commands and
- features is provided with your copy of Take Command. Help is
- invoked with the HELP command, the F1 key, or the Help menu on
- the menu bar.
-
- When you start the help system, Take Command opens a new
- window to run the standard OS/2 help program. The help
- program displays the help text and lets you browse through it.
-
- You can keep the help window on the screen and return to the
- Take Command window, switching between the two as needed.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 13
- CHAPTER 2 / CONFIGURATION
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- This may be useful when you are writing a batch file, working
- on a complex command, or experimenting with Take Command.
-
- In order for the Take Command for OS/2 help system to work
- properly, the help text file TCMDOS2.INF must be in a
- directory listed on your BOOKSHELF path in the OS/2 CONFIG.SYS
- file. For additional details see Take Command for OS/2 Files
- and Directories on page 7.
-
- OS/2 includes many other help files -- for example, a complete
- reference to all internal and external commands in the
- reference book named CMDREF.INF. You can specify a set of
- "books" to be opened when HELP or F1 is invoked. To do so,
- use the HelpBook directive in TCMDOS2.INI. For example, to
- set up Take Command for OS/2 so that both the CMDREF book and
- Take Command for OS/2 help are displayed when F1 is pressed,
- include the following directive in TCMDOS2.INI:
-
- HelpBook=TCMDOS2+CMDREF
-
- When more than one book is listed in the HelpBook setting, the
- OS/2 help program will display the combined group as a single
- book. The Table of Contents will include the tables of
- contents from all the listed books, concatenated together as
- one group of topics with no divisions to show where one book
- ends and the next begins.
-
- The Take Command installation program sets up a separate
- object for Take Command help so that you can load the help
- file directly. To create a similar object manually, use
- entries like this on the Program page of the object's Settings
- notebook:
-
- Path and File Name: VIEW.EXE
- Parameters: TCMDOS2
-
- Take Command also supports the /? switch to display help for
- any command. Using /? will display "quick help" for the
- command inside the Take Command window. For example, to
- obtain quick help on the COPY command you would use the
- command:
-
- [c:\] copy /?
-
- The file TCMDOS2H.MSG contains the help text for the /? option
- used to obtain "quick help" on any command. In order for
- quick help to work properly, this file must be in a directory
- listed in your DPATH setting in the OS/2 CONFIG.SYS file. For
- additional details see Take Command for OS/2 Files and
- Directories on page 7.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 14
- CHAPTER 3 / Using Take Command
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- CHAPTER 3 / Using Take Command
-
-
- Take Command works like any other OS/2 application or utility, and
- most of the time you won't need to make any special adjustments for
- it. However, as you learn to use Take Command you may want to
- understand in more detail how it interacts with OS/2, OS/2
- applications, and DOS applications.
-
- The information in this chapter gives you an overview of these
- topics; most are covered in more detail in the Reference Manual or
- online help. This chapter also discusses using 4DOS and 4OS2 batch
- files and aliases under Take Command.
-
-
- Using an OS/2 Command Line
-
- Take Command is a new environment that lets you perform tasks
- easily under OS/2. You can use it to execute commands, start
- applications, and perform other work at the command line.
-
- In the past you may have accomplished some of these tasks with
- 4DOS or 4OS2, JP Software's replacement character-mode command
- processors for DOS and character-mode OS/2 sessions. Or you
- may have used a character mode session to run the default
- command processor (CMD.EXE for OS/2 command line sessions, or
- COMMAND.COM for DOS sessions).
-
- In either case -- and especially if you are an experienced
- user of 4DOS or 4OS2 -- you'll find plenty of familiar
- features in Take Command. You'll also find a lot that's new
- or different.
-
- While Take Command includes most of the command-line, batch
- file, and other capabilities provided by 4DOS and 4OS2, and
- goes well beyond those provided by CMD.EXE, the OS/2
- environment places some limitations on how Take Command
- operates.
-
- These limitations mostly affect the use of external programs,
- especially character-mode OS/2 and DOS programs. This topic
- is covered in detail beginning on page 17.
-
- There are some other minor differences between using Take
- Command and using a 4DOS, 4OS2, or CMD.EXE session (for
- example, some keystrokes are interpreted differently to
- conform more closely to OS/2 conventions). There are also
- some considerations when running 4DOS or 4OS2 batch files or
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 15
- CHAPTER 3 / Using Take Command
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- aliases in Take Command. All of these differences are covered
- in more detail beginning on page 19.
-
- Take Command also offers a wide range of new features which
- are not available in 4DOS, 4OS2, or CMD.EXE sessions,
- including:
-
- * A built-in scrollback buffer that lets you look back
- through the output from past commands.
-
- * A standard OS/2 menu bar for access to many commonly
- used Take Command features.
-
- * A status bar showing date, time, swap file size, and
- keyboard state.
-
- * A customizable tool bar that gives you quick access to
- commands and applications.
-
- * OS/2 dialogs (accessible from the Take Command
- Utilities menu), for editing environment variables,
- aliases, and file descriptions.
-
- * A standard OS/2 notebook (accessible from the Setup
- menu) for changing startup parameters.
-
- * High-speed, dialog-based file and text search (see
- "Search Files / Text" on the Utilities menu). The
- FFIND command gives you the same capabilities at the
- Take Command prompt.
-
- * Commands like ACTIVATE, KEYSTACK, MSGBOX, QUERYBOX,
- and WINDOW that allow you to use OS/2 features and
- control OS/2 applications from your batch files.
-
-
- Take Command and OS/2
-
- Take Command for OS/2 supports OS/2's Clipboard and Drag and
- Drop features to allow it to work smoothly with other
- applications.
-
- You can use the OS/2 clipboard to copy text onto the command
- line, or to transfer text from Take Command to another
- application. OS/2's Drag and Drop feature lets you insert
- file names from other applications onto the command line. For
- more information about these features, see the Reference
- Manual or the topics under the Take Command and OS/2 heading
- in the online help.
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 16
- CHAPTER 3 / Using Take Command
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- Take Command also offers several methods for starting OS/2
- applications, some of which go beyond what you may be used to
- when running programs from the character-mode command line.
- For complete details, see Starting OS/2 Applications in the
- online help.
-
-
- Character-Mode Applications
-
- Take Command for OS/2 starts OS/2 "graphical" applications in
- their own windows, just as if you had started them from the
- desktop. By default, it also creates a separate character-
- mode window to run each DOS or OS/2 character mode application
- you start.
-
- If you prefer, you can run some DOS and OS/2 character-mode
- applications within the Take Command window, using an OS/2
- facility called "named pipes." When you use this option,
- output from the application is displayed in the Take Command
- window, and no separate window is created.
-
- Because not all applications work properly with named pipes,
- you must specify which TTY applications should be run within
- the Take Command window. To do so, use the TTY Applications
- Dialog (accessible from the Setup menu). The dialog lets you
- specify the application name, whether the application is a DOS
- or OS/2 character-mode program, and whether or not the
- application is currently enabled to run within the Take
- Command window. Information entered in this dialog is stored
- in the [TTYApps] section of TCMDOS2.INI.
-
- Your copy of Take Command comes with a list of applications
- which can be run within the Take Command window. The list is
- visible when you open the dialog. However, all applications
- in the list are initially disabled to ensure maximum
- compatibility. This prevents problems if you have a program
- with the same name as one we tested, but which is not the same
- program. To enable any application, select it and check the
- Enable box. Use the Add button to add your own applications
- to the list.
-
- When you include an application name in the dialog, you can
- use an executable file name (e.g., CHKDSK.COM), or a full path
- name (e.g., C:\OS2\CHKDSK.COM). If you use the full path
- name, the entry will apply only to that specific file. If you
- use just the file name, the entry will apply to any file of
- that name, regardless of its location. If you use both, the
- full path name entry will be used when you execute that
- specific file, and the file name entry will be used for other
- files of the same name.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 17
- CHAPTER 3 / Using Take Command
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- As an advanced option, you can also enter a path without a
- filename into the dialog (e.g. C:\OS2UTILS). This will tell
- Take Command to treat all DOS or OS/2 character-mode programs
- in the specified directory as TTY applications. This approach
- is useful if you have many applications of the same type in a
- single directory, but before you use it you should review the
- content of the directory carefully to be sure all the
- character-mode programs stored there are compatible with Take
- Command's TTY appliction support.
-
- If you do choose to configure an entire directory for TTY
- application support, you can create exceptions by entering
- specific filenames from that directory into the dialog as
- well. For example, if you enable the directory C:\OS2UTILS
- for TTY support, you could also add a listing for
- C:\OS2UTILS\MYAPP.EXE (or simply for MYAPP.EXE, with no path),
- and make sure the Enable box in the dialog is not checked for
- the MYAPP entry. This would prevent MYAPP.EXE from being
- treated as a TTY application despite the entry for the
- directory as a whole. If you use this approach, the two
- listings can appear in any order.
-
- Once an application is listed in the dialog and enabled, it
- will run within the Take Command window whenever you start it
- from the command line. However, if you start the application
- with the START command (without the /TTY switch, see below),
- the program will start in its own window.
-
- You can explicitly start any character-mode application within
- the Take Command window by using the START command's /TTY
- switch. For example,
-
- start /tty c:\os2\chkdsk.com
-
- Using this switch is the same as entering the application in
- the TTY Applications dialog and enabling it. Using START /TTY
- is a convenient way to experiment with your DOS and OS/2
- character-mode applications to see if they are compatible with
- Take Command's TTY application support. See the START command
- in the online help or Reference Manual for additional details.
-
- The only character-mode programs which will run properly
- within the Take Command window are those which can handle
- input and output delivered through pipes. In technical terms,
- these are programs which read all input from the DOS or OS/2
- "standard input" device, and write output to the "standard
- output" or "standard error" device. Applications which use
- command-line parameters (rather than typed user input or
- "question and answer" dialogs), and which use simple scrolling
- (TTY-style) output, are the ones most likely to work well.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 18
- CHAPTER 3 / Using Take Command
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- Common applications which run successfully in the Take Command
- window include program development software like compilers and
- linkers, and some command-line utilities. Programs which use
- "direct video" output to write complex screen displays,
- require dialog with the user, or display graphics, must be run
- in their own window.
-
- Many OS/2 character-mode programs meet this test, as do some
- DOS programs. However, some programs -- especially DOS
- programs -- which appear to work this way may in fact use
- internal tricks or contain internal restrictions which are not
- compatible with piped input and output.
-
- For this reason, you will need to experiment to determine
- which of your DOS and OS/2 character-mode applications can run
- successfully within the Take Command window. (If you try an
- application and it does not work, you can close the Take
- Command window with the mouse to clean up the offending
- application, then restart Take Command from your desktop.)
- Applications which do not run properly within the Take Command
- window can still be run from Take Command, but will have to
- use their own window.
-
- TTY application support for DOS programs depends on the
- TCNPDOS.COM file distributed with Take Command. This file
- must be available in the same directory as TCMDOS2.EXE. If it
- is not, Take Command will display an error message if you try
- to run a DOS application within the Take Command window.
-
-
- Take Command, 4OS2, and 4DOS
-
- If you're a 4OS2 or 4DOS user, many of the features in Take
- Command will seem familiar. Because the underlying command
- processing in Take Command is based on 4OS2 and 4DOS, you'll
- find the features of those products readily accessible. All
- the commands and switches you've used in 4OS2 or 4DOS work the
- same way and have the same meaning in Take Command; the only
- exceptions are those that don't make sense in a graphical
- environment.
-
- Other 4OS2 and 4DOS features are included in Take Command as
- well -- you'll find support for command line editing, command
- and directory histories, aliases, .BTM files, and virtually
- all the other features you already know.
-
- Even if you've never used 4OS2 or 4DOS, you'll notice plenty
- of familiar items in Take Command. Like 4OS2 and 4DOS, Take
- Command is compatible with the default OS/2 command processor
- (CMD.EXE), and the default OS/2 DOS-session command processor
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 19
- CHAPTER 3 / Using Take Command
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- (COMMAND.COM), either of which you may have used from the
- Command Prompts folder.
-
- There are a few differences between running 4OS2 or 4DOS (or
- CMD.EXE / COMMAND.COM) and running Take Command. The
- remainder of this section discusses minor differences in the
- way keystrokes are interpreted by 4OS2 and Take Command. It
- also explains some things to look for when using 4OS2 or 4DOS
- batch files and aliases (and CMD.EXE batch files) under Take
- Command.
-
- In order to support the scrollback buffer, some Take Command
- keystrokes are different from what you may be used to. In
- particular, Take Command uses Ctrl-Up Arrow and Ctrl-Down
- Arrow (rather than Up Arrow and Down Arrow) to scroll through
- the command history at the prompt, Ctrl-PgUp (rather than
- PgUp) to open the history window, and F6 (rather than Ctrl-
- PgUp) to open the directory history window. The arrow keys
- and PgUp and PgDn are then used to access the scrollback
- buffer.
-
- If you prefer to reverse this arrangement and use the arrow
- and PgUp keys to access the command history (as they are used
- in 4OS2 and 4DOS), and the Ctrl- keys to access the scrollback
- buffer, use the configuration notebook (accessible from the
- Setup menu) to set the Swap Scrolling Keys option. See
- SwapScrollKeys (in the TCMDOS2.INI Configuration Directives in
- the online help) for additional details.
-
- Some command-line editing defaults have also been changed to
- conform more closely to OS/2 conventions. In Take Command the
- default editing mode is insert, not overtype, and the default
- insert-mode cursor is a line, not a block. You can change
- these defaults via the configuration notebook or with
- statements in TCMDOS2.INI.
-
- For complete details on all of the features listed above, see
- the online help or your Reference Manual (the Take Command for
- 4OS2 Users topic, under Using Take Command in the online help,
- provides links to detailed information on each of these
- topics).
-
-
- Using Your Batch Files and Aliases
-
- As a 4OS2 or 4DOS user, you may want to use your current batch
- files and aliases with Take Command. Or, you may want to run
- batch files developed for CMD.EXE under Take Command. In
- general you can run these batch files under Take Command --
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 20
- CHAPTER 3 / Using Take Command
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- but you need to understand how the batch files and aliases
- operate first.
-
- Take Command and 4OS2 / 4DOS aliases are separate and
- independent; Take Command does not automatically "inherit"
- aliases from a previously loaded copy of 4OS2 or 4DOS, and it
- cannot pass aliases on to a copy of 4OS2 or 4DOS started from
- the Take Command prompt. However, you can load aliases from
- your Take Command startup batch file (see page 12). These can
- be the same aliases you use in 4OS2 or 4DOS, or a set that is
- just for Take Command.
-
- While many of your 4OS2 and 4DOS aliases will work well under
- Take Command, you'll probably want to create a separate set of
- Take Command aliases. This will allow your Take Command
- aliases to take advantage of features which are unavailable in
- 4OS2 or 4DOS.
-
- If you want to write aliases or batch files that are used in
- both Take Command and one of our other products, but that
- behave differently in each environment, use the %_DOS variable
- to make the distinction. For example, this batch file
- fragment uses the INPUT command to accept a string if it is
- run under 4OS2, but uses the QUERYBOX dialog box if it is run
- under Take Command:
-
- iff "%_dos" == "PM" then
- querybox "Enter your name: " %%name
- else
- input "Enter your name: " %%name
- endiff
-
- Aliases and batch files which simply manipulate files or use
- other internal commands should work with little or no change
- under Take Command. However, as a general rule, you should
- test any batch file developed for 4OS2, 4DOS, or CMD.EXE
- before assuming it will do exactly what you want under Take
- Command. Pay particular attention to batch files which run
- complex sequences of external programs.
-
- If you use aliases or batch files to perform a sequence which
- mixes internal commands and character-mode applications, the
- sequence may not work the way you expect under Take Command.
- For example, suppose you have an alias that changes the screen
- color, starts a character-mode application, and then resets
- the color again. Because the character-mode application
- normally will start in a separate window (see page 17) the
- color changes will not affect it -- a contingency you didn't
- have to consider when you wrote the batch file.
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 21
- CHAPTER 3 / Using Take Command
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- You may also want to take advantage of some of the new
- features of Take Command to improve your batch files. For
- example, the START command offers added flexibility in
- starting applications. MSGBOX and QUERYBOX can be used to
- create dialog-box input prompts, and KEYSTACK and ACTIVATE
- will help control your OS/2 applications.
-
- Once you get used to these enhancements and minor differences
- you'll find that you can use Take Command to manage your
- system using the same techniques and features you already know
- from your experience with 4OS2, 4DOS, or CMD.EXE.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 22
- Index
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- Index Configuration, 6, 11
- notebook, 11, 16
-
- Customer Service, 3
- 4OS2 and 4DOS
- aliases and batch files, 20
- and Take Command, 19 Desktop
- keystroke differences, and uninstall, 8
- 20 Take Command objects, 9
-
- Directories, for Take Command
- Alias list, local and global, files, 7
- 10
- Directory history list, local
- Aliases, 20 and global, 10
- enhancing, 22
- DOS applications, see
- Applications Applications
- character-mode, 15, 17
- DOS, 15, 17 Drag and Drop, 16
- OS/2, 17
-
- Help system, 2, 13
- Batch files, 20 /? option, 14
- and OS/2, 16 and OS/2 command reference,
- enhancing, 22 14
- location of files, 7
- Batch files, startup, 13 selecting books to view, 14
-
-
- Clipboard, 16 .INI file, see TCMDOS2.INI
-
- CMD.EXE Installation, 4
- and Take Command, 19 changes to your system, 5
- batch files, 20 manual, 5
- reversing, 7
- Command history
- keystrokes, 20
- local and global, 10 Keystrokes, in 4OS2, 4DOS, and
- Take Command, 20
- Command-line editing, in 4OS2,
- 4DOS and Take Command, 20
- Local and global aliases and
- Commands history, 10
- help on, 13
- reference information, 2
- Take Command startup, 11, Menus, 16
- 13
-
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 23
- Index
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- Options, see Startup Options TCMDOS2H.MSG, location of, 7,
- 14
- OS/2 applications, see
- Applications TCOS2DLL.DLL, location of, 7
-
- OS/2, and Take Command, 15, 16 TCSTART, 9, 12
- and startup command, 11
-
- Quick help, 14 Technical support, 3
-
- Tool bar, 16
- Reference Manual, 2
-
- Uninstalling Take Command, 7
- Scrollback buffer, 16
- keystrokes for, 20
- Windows, Take Command, 9
- SHRALIAS.EXE, location of, 7
-
- Starting applications, see
- Applications
-
- Starting Take Command, 9
-
- Startup
- commands, 9, 11, 13
- options, 9, 10
- //iniline, 10
- /C, 11
- /K, 11
- /L, /LA, /LD, and /LH,
- 10
- @inifile, 10
-
- Status bar, 16
-
- Support, 3
-
-
- Take Command, and OS/2, 15, 16
-
- TCEXIT, 9, 12
-
- TCMDOS2.INF, location of, 7, 14
-
- TCMDOS2.INI, 6, 11
- directives, on startup
- command line, 10
- location of, 10
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
- Copr. 1996 JP Software Inc. TCMD OS/2 Intro / Install Guide / 24