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ToolBOX (TBOX) USER MANUAL * * * * * * * The * * * * Binary * * * * Toolshed * * * * * ****** * * * * * * * Version 1.4 * * * November 14, 1993 * * * * * * ******** * TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION......................................................1 1.1 General...........................................................1 1.2 About This Manual.................................................2 1.3 Documentation Conventions.........................................4 1.4 Words You Should Know.............................................4 2.0 QUICK START PROCEDURE.............................................8 3.0 INSTALLATION......................................................9 3.1 System Requirements...............................................9 3.2 Installation Configuration........................................9 4.0 PROGRAM STARTUP..................................................10 4.1 Program Environment..............................................10 4.2 Startup Settings.................................................10 5.0 OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW.............................................18 5.1 Introduction.....................................................18 5.2 The Basics.......................................................18 5.3 Directory/Select Modes...........................................20 5.4 Help Facility....................................................20 5.5 Popup Menu Window................................................20 5.6 Error Reporting..................................................21 5.7 Exit To DOS......................................................22 6.0 DIRECTORY DISPLAY................................................23 6.1 Introduction.....................................................23 6.2 The DIR Command..................................................24 6.3 The CD Command...................................................26 7.0 KEYBOARD COMMAND LINE PROCESSING.................................27 7.1 Introduction.....................................................27 7.2 Editing..........................................................27 7.3 Keyboard Command Stack...........................................27 7.4 DOS/ToolBOX Command Processing...................................28 7.5 Memory Utilization...............................................28 7.6 Command Line Variables...........................................29 7.7 External Command Access..........................................30 8.0 COMMAND SEQUENCING...............................................31 8.1 Introduction.....................................................31 8.2 File Selection...................................................31 8.3 Soft Selection...................................................32 8.4 Basic Point-and-Shoot Operations.................................32 8.5 Command Sequencing...............................................32 8.6 Display Output...................................................33 9.0 ADDITIONAL COMMANDS..............................................34 9.1 Window Control...................................................34 9.2 Directory Control................................................35 9.3 Window Contents..................................................36 9.4 DOS Commands.....................................................37 9.5 Quick Commands...................................................38 9.6 Inferred Batch File Selection....................................39 9.7 Explicit Program Requests........................................41 10.0 INTRINSIC COMMANDS..............................................42 10.1 Typical Usage...................................................42 10.2 Intrinsic DIR command...........................................42 10.3 Intrinsic CD command............................................42 10.4 Intrinsic DEL Command...........................................42 10.5 Intrinsic KILLDIR Command.......................................43 10.6 Intrinsic SEL Command...........................................43 APPENDIX A : ToolBOX COMMAND LINE ARGUMENT SUMMARY...................44 APPENDIX B : DIRECTORY DISPLAY PARAMETERS............................46 APPENDIX C : COMMAND SUMMARY.........................................48 APPENDIX D : INTRINSIC COMMAND SUMMARY...............................52 ToolBOX User Manual Page 1 ____________________________________________________________________________ 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 General Computers are getting bigger, faster, and more complex. It is essent- ial to find a way to simplify the process of accessing and controlling the myriad of data and programs on our systems. The ToolBOX will help in achieving that goal. In simple terms, ToolBOX presents a window showing a directory display of the files in a chosen directory. These files can be selected and involved in copy, delete, or user defined operations - often with only a single keystroke. If the file selected is an application program or one of its data files, such as a word processor document, just one keystroke gets you up and running. Equally applicable to the casual or experienced user, ToolBOX provides an alternate and extended interface to the conventional DOS command line. Your existing knowledge of DOS commands is not wasted as DOS commands are handled directly through ToolBOX. ToolBOX continues after other similar file management systems have exhausted their capabilities. With this highly configurable system you can almost "write" your own version of ToolBOX. A version that will complement your personal or business needs. Virtually everything can be changed: the colors, the sound levels, the operations associated with the keys or the key assignments themselves. All of your favorite and specialized utilities can be incorporated into ToolBOX through its configuration capability. Features include: o an easily manipulated directory display, including control over display format and sort technique. o point-and-shoot operations to invoke programs or change directories. o direct execution of DOS command lines, including the ability to reference files that have been selected within the directory display. o memory requirement can be reduced to less than 2KB. o multiple windows provide simultaneous views of the directory display and DOS command data. o keyboard command stack of most recent command lines. Commands can be recalled for editing or reuse. o stack of most recently entered directories. A single keystroke can be used to cycle through these directories. o designated batch files invoked, for files selected with specific match strings. ToolBOX User Manual Page 2 ____________________________________________________________________________ o configuration capability to change colors, change display format rules, bind multiple command lines to a single keystroke, and much more. There are many reasons for using ToolBOX. Visibility is better than with DOS, repetitious operations are simplified, and EGA and VGA are fully exploited. Perhaps it's just because the month is spelled out in dates or that commas are placed in numeric displays. Maybe it's that elusive warmer feeling; not that we at the Toolshed are in any way biased. Whatever your reason for adopting ToolBOX, enjoy. 1.2 About This Manual This manual describes the operational activities associated with the ToolBOX program. ToolBOX is a highly configurable program. The major configuration capabilities are accomplished through the separate TBOXCFG program as described in detail in the TBOXCFG User Manual. Start with this operational manual to learn how to use ToolBOX with the default settings. Then move on to learn how to personalize your version of ToolBOX. Section 1 Be sure to finish reading Section 1 to familiarize yourself with the terminology peculiar to this manual. Section 2 A "Quick Start" introduction provides the user with sufficient information to experiment and become familiar with ToolBOX before delving into the details of the manual. Section 3 This section describes the installation and system requirements. Section 4 This section describes the ToolBOX command line arguments needed to alter the program operation each time the program is started. The ToolBOX program has three separate types of functions: basic unchangeable functions, functions that can be altered via configurations, and lastly, intrinsic commands that can be entered via the keyboard command line. Section 5 This section provides an overview of ToolBOX's operation. The basic functions that are not configurable are explained. Section 6 This section describes the directory display's default settings and the methods for manipulating the presentation data. ToolBOX User Manual Page 3 ____________________________________________________________________________ Section 7 This section explains the entry of keyboard command lines and related facilities. Section 8 This section describes the point-and-shoot operations which can be modified by the conf- iguration program. Section 9 This section describes additional keystroke commands available. Section 10 This section describes the lower level commands (intrinsics) that are entered as separate command lines. Refer to the TBOXCFG User Manual for additional intrinsic commands that are available during the configuration process. Appendix A Summarizes the command line arguments. Appendix B Summarizes the factory default settings for the directory display format and sort techniques. Appendix C Summarizes the single keystroke commands. Appendix D Summarizes the intrinsic commands. This manual assumes you already have a basic understanding of DOS. That you are familiar with such concepts as batch files, the PATH variable, DOS files and directory structure, and the syntax of DOS commands. If not, refer to your DOS User Manual. It is also assumed you are familiar, at least at the conceptual level, with other programs from The Binary Toolshed. In particular with TBOXCFG, BTSPATCH, VIEW, and TREE which can be used in conjunction with ToolBOX. These programs are briefly described in the glossary contained in Section 1.4, and in detail in the Utilities User Manual. ToolBOX User Manual Page 4 ____________________________________________________________________________ 1.3 Documentation Conventions Conventions employed in examples throughout this manual include: [ | | | ] square brackets enclose optional items, of which one may be selected. case has no significance unless stated otherwise. <KEY STROKE> all keys to be struck simultaneously are enclosed in angle brackets. For example <ALT d>, <PG-DN> and <CTRL c>. the diamond is the prefix character used for variables within a command line. It is created with the CTRL key. For example f is created by <CTRL f>. Note: If this manual has been filtered with the TOASCII utility, the diamond appears as an asterisk - *. - and / while the two are actually interchangeable, this manual uses "-" as the prefix for the initial ToolBOX command line arguments and "/" as the prefix for parameters for keyboard and intrinsic commands. 1.4 Words You Should Know The following definitions are useful as you read this manual. This glossary is a subset of the one contained in the General Product Overview Manual. argument an option field on the ToolBOX command line. Note, the convention used within this manual is that "arguments" refer to the ToolBOX startup command line, while "parameters" (see below) refer to options on command lines within ToolBOX. BTSPATCH.EXE a separate Binary Toolshed (BTS) utility program that allows the user to set their own default startup command line within each of the supplied BTS programs, including ToolBOX. Refer to the Utilities User Manual for more ToolBOX User Manual Page 5 ____________________________________________________________________________ information. command line a single processable line of text. This may be a DOS command line or a ToolBOX intrinsic. command set a collection of ToolBOX command lines. This grouping is created through the TBOXCFG program. DOS Disk Operating System, the control program for IBM Personal Computers. The term refers to both the Microsoft (MS DOS) and the IBM (PC DOS) versions. Refer to your DOS users manual for further explanations of DOS commands such as PATH, COPY, FORMAT, RD, and RENAME, as well as descriptions of wildcard characters, batch files, directories, and so on. environment variables also referred to as set variables, these are user defined DOS names that can be associated with any desired text string. Programs can interrogate these strings and act accordingly. Use the DOS SET command to modify these variables - such as BTS, or PATH. factory defaults the initialization settings contained within the distribution version of The Binary Toolshed products. These default values can be overridden by the BTSPATCH or TBOXCFG programs. intrinsics command lines understood and processed directly by ToolBOX, i.e. they are not passed on to DOS. These command lines consist of a command word (e.g. "sel" or "del") and optionally one or more parameters. key binding the association of a command set with a particular keyboard keystroke. keyboard command a command line (DOS or intrinsic) entered manually through the ToolBOX command line as shown at the bottom of the directory display. ToolBOX User Manual Page 6 ____________________________________________________________________________ keystroke a single identifiable entry through the keyboard. This may be one key or multiple keys. For example <a> or <CTRL ALT F9>. matchlist a file selection specification list that can specify a drive, path, and one or more file specifications. Each file specification can use the DOS wildcard characters and be preceded by "!" to indicate matching files should be removed from the selected list rather than added. For example: c:\dos\*.* !*.com !*.exe parameter separate option field(s) following the command word on a command line. Refer above to "argument". PATH the DOS reserved environment variable which designates alternate directories to be searched for program files. path a DOS directory specification consisting of an optional leading drive indicator and one or more directory names, e.g. d:\dos\5.00\ pathname a DOS file specification consisting of a filename with an optional leading path, e.g. d:\dos\5.00\command.com point-and-shoot the ability to cursor to an object such as a file (hence point) and when <ENTER> is pressed (hence shoot) have a particular operation carried out based on some charac- teristic of the selected object - such as the extension. popup menu a window of menu selections that appears in the "middle" of the current screen. The menu options may initiate actions directly or bring up further menus with more options. ToolBOX User Manual Page 7 ____________________________________________________________________________ quick command line single predefined command lines that may be initiated separately from the command sets bound to particular keystrokes. redirection a DOS capability which allows the normal input or output of a command to be altered to come from or go to a specified file. Redir- ection can be used for the DOS command lines within ToolBOX. toggle to switch between alternatives: ON to OFF, from INSERT to OVERWRITE mode, from the DOS display to the ToolBOX display, etc. TBOX.EXE the main program from The Binary Toolshed, as documented in this manual. While the documentation uses the "ToolBOX" designation, the actual program is abbreviated to "TBOX" to simplify keyboard entry. If you find this confusing, simply rename the program file to the expected "TOOLBOX.EXE". TBOXCFG.EXE a separate BTS configuration program that allows extensive modifications to the basic ToolBOX operational capabilities. Refer to the TBOXCFG User Manual for more details. TREE.EXE a BTS utility program that graphically depicts the directory structure in the form of a tree that can be traversed with the cursor keys. The user can cursor through the structure to change directories or examine files. Refer to the Utilities User Manual for more information. tsr a Transient and Stay Resident program. These programs permanently retain a small portion of memory while they lie dormant waiting for a particular action. These programs must be initiated before ToolBOX is run. verification window A prompt window issued by ToolBOX to ensure the requested operation is really desired. VIEW.EXE a BTS utility program that displays the contents of text files for viewing or browsing. Refer to the Utilities User Manual for more information. ToolBOX User Manual Page 8 ____________________________________________________________________________ 2.0 QUICK START PROCEDURE Chances are, ToolBOX is not the first program of this form that you have used. This means you are familiar with normal keyboard and windowing techniques. If this is the case, you should feel comfortable with ToolBOX without any special training. For most people, the fastest way to learn about a program is to use it. For this reason we suggest you start using ToolBOX right away. This advance familiarity will provide you with a better understanding when you come back and read the balance of this manual. For this sample session, you can bypass the installation and command line argument descriptions in the following sections. Just run the TBOX.EXE executable without arguments. Once started, ToolBOX presents a directory display window. Use the cursor keys to move about the display, <SPACE> to select files (try <ALT SPACE> and <CTRL SPACE> too), and <RETURN> to invoke point-and- shoot operations on selected files. DOS command lines can be entered at any time. For a help screen showing additional features, enter <F1>. Most functions should be obvious. This brief session should introduce you to most of the basic capabil- ities of ToolBOX. Ultimately you will need to return to this manual to take full advantage of the program. Return to learn such things as what the "." to the left of the displayed directory name means, or what to do when <ALT SPACE> won't work under MS Windows, or how to best take advantage of your particular video card, or that you don't need to enter the normal "C:" then "CD \BIN". ToolBOX understands the shorthand equivalent "C:\BIN". With the additional information from this manual at your fingertips, it can only get better. ToolBOX User Manual Page 9 ____________________________________________________________________________ 3.0 INSTALLATION 3.1 System Requirements ToolBOX has minimal system requirements: DOS : 3.0 or higher Memory : Varies with directory size but typically in the order of 80KB. As ToolBOX in turn initiates other programs when requested, the more memory the better. VIDEO : MDA, CGA, EGA, or VGA. DISK : no specific requirements. 3.2 Installation Configuration Installation is straight forward. Place ToolBOX.EXE in the current directory or any directory referenced by the PATH variable. This also applies to all files referenced during ToolBOX's operation, including VIEW.EXE, TREE.EXE and the DOS COMMAND.COM file. Note, it is not sufficient to simply direct COMSPEC to this file. No changes are required to the CONFIG.SYS, however, there may be advantages with using the ANSI.SYS driver. These advantages are discussed in Section 4 of this manual. Refer to your DOS User manual for instructions on adding this driver to your CONFIG.SYS file. If you are using swap facility, you may wish to set the TEMP environment variable to a suitable directory. ToolBOX User Manual Page 10 ____________________________________________________________________________ 4.0 PROGRAM STARTUP 4.1 Program Environment ToolBOX can run with all known programs. ToolBOX has no unique hardware, or software requirements that should cause problems for other programs. The only stipulation is that TSR programs to be run at the same time as ToolBOX must be installed before ToolBOX is started. 4.2 Startup Settings Many of ToolBOX's operational aspects can be adjusted at the time the program is started. Arguments to control these features are specified in any of four ways: o on the DOS command line following the program name. o by a DOS SET command for the "BTS" environment variable. For example in your AUTOEXEC.BAT or at the DOS prompt enter SET BTS=args o saved in the TBOX.EXE executable file by the BTSPATCH program. o set in the configuration file established by the TBOXCFG program. Which technique you use depends on a variety of factors such as desired permanence of the argument or impact on other users or uses. Any or all techniques can be used. The same encoding rules apply to all forms. Arguments are specified by a dash or a slash followed by one or more characters that identify a particular action. For example, to select colors for a gray scale monochrome graphics monitor use: -CG Note: o all arguments are optional, must begin with a dash or slash, and may not contain spaces within the sequence. Spaces between arguments are optional. o case is not important unless specified otherwise. o the order of arguments is important only if there are conflicting options, then the last argument has precedence. o an audible tone sounds if any argument isn't understood. ToolBOX User Manual Page 11 ____________________________________________________________________________ Subsequent arguments are typically still processed. The precedence of the various configuration mechanisms, from lowest to highest level, is: o internal program (factory) defaults. o default settings established by BTSPATCH. o the environment set variable BTS. o command line arguments. o where applicable, requests entered at run-time by the user. When provided, settings for each level supersede settings from the preceding level. Configuration files from the TBOXCFG program expand in place where defined (e.g. in the set variable or command line argument list). In the following argument definitions, enclosing brackets [ ] identify a sequence of options of which one must be used. For example, for the definition -C[ b c g ], the three valid argument sequences are -Cb -Cc and -Cg. All the following arguments are optional; in their absence ToolBOX will select values that are suitable for the current environment. SELECT VIDEO OUTPUT FORM: -V[b m c s e v] [25 43 50] By default, ToolBOX will select a video mode applicable to the hardware(m,c) state at program startup. The -V argument is used to override this selection in order to use a different monitor type (m,c,s,e,v), to use a different output technique (b,s) or to alter the screen resolution (25, 43, 50). b use BIOS output routines. Normally video data is issued directly to the video card. Using the BIOS will slow down the video update rate but may be necessary for some incompatible systems. m assume monochrome text (MDA) video card. c, e, or v assume color graphics (CGA, EGA, or VGA) video card. All 3 settings have the same effect. s assume CGA graphics video card and do processing to remove snow on screen. This option slows down the update rate and should be avoided unless necessary. 25 assume 25 visible lines of text. ToolBOX User Manual Page 12 ____________________________________________________________________________ 43 assume EGA/VGA card and use the 43 line by 80 column mode. 50 assume VGA card and use the 50 line by 80 column mode. DEFAULT COLOR SELECTION: -C[m c g] Selects one of the predefined color tables. If the option is not provided the current video hardware configuration is examined and m or c assumed. Any setting can be used with any monitor. Also, there is no connection between the -C and -V settings. m monochrome text displays. c color displays. g gray scale displays, where LCD or monochrome monitors are driven from color video cards. The color coding is greatly affected by the particular combination of video card and display device. The configuration file facility may produce superior results. SELECT EXECUTION ASPECTS: -X [Hh] [Dd] [Cc] [Xx] [Rr] [Pp] [Tt] [a#] [Mm] The following eXecution arguments are two state settings. Case is important. The uppercase value sets the condition. The default is: -XhdcXrTa7m H/h include hidden and system files in directory displays. D/d perform directory display and exit. Both the C and D options use the screen line count from DOS; any -V## argument is ignored. C/c perform directory display and exit only if the directory display fits within the single screen. If the conditional exit is not taken, ToolBOX starts in DIRECTORY phase. X/x go directly to SELECT phase. R/r restore DOS screen on exit rather than the ToolBOX directory. ToolBOX User Manual Page 13 ____________________________________________________________________________ P/p set the default PAUSE state. Following the execution of DOS commands, the PAUSE state determines whether the DOS output screen should be temporarily held or immediately replaced by the ToolBOX screen. In either case the data of the DOS screen is retained and can be reviewed at a later time. The PAUSE state can also be set through the popup menu (See Section 5.5) or through configuration flags on the individual command sets (see the TBOXCFG User Manual). T/t when in EGA/VGA split screen mode, tell DOS specific- ally about available lines in split area. DOS, as well as many application programs, refer to a BIOS variable to determine if they have 25, 43, or 50 lines available. To work correctly with ToolBOX's split screen mode, DOS must be limited to 25 lines. In most cases it is preferable to let other programs use the full screen which in split mode is the full 43 or 50 lines. If you are using DOS 3 or 4, this can be done if you are using the DOS ANSI screen driver which automatically forces DOS to scroll within the top 25 lines, regardless of the actual screen size. With ANSI.SYS and the "t" option the BIOS variable can reflect the actual physical lines available so programs such as VIEW, LIST, TED, DIRMATCH etc. use the full screen yet DOS is restricted to the top 25 lines. This does not apply to DOS 5.0 or other ANSI drivers such as VANSI, or PC Magazines ANSI.COM. For these systems use the default "T" setting. ToolBOX will operate correctly with or without ANSI.SYS installed. The only possible restriction being that in 43 or 50 line mode without ANSI.SYS, some application programs may be needlessly restricted to 25 lines with DOS 3 or 4. a# select permitted audible tones. Add the numbers for the particular sounds you wish to hear. 1 border violations. Short beeps for attempts to cursor beyond screen borders. 2 syntax. Brief chirp made when ToolBOX is unable to understand a keyboard request. Typically an unexpected character was entered. 4 error. Longer warble made when a requested operation could not be carried out. For example a file could not be deleted because it had read- only attributes . The default is a7 - all sounds are enabled. ToolBOX User Manual Page 14 ____________________________________________________________________________ M/m retain file matchlist specification. If the matchlist specification isn't retained, it is temporary and will revert to *.* the first time the directory display is updated. This has no effect if a matchlist specific- ation argument isn't also present. SELECT MEMORY UTILIZATION OPTIONS FOR SECONDARY PROGRAM INITIATION: -M [Aa] [Pp] [Dd] [Cc] When ToolBOX initiates an external program or application it can optionally reduce its own size to less than 2KB by swapping itself out of memory. This makes more room available for the initiated program/application. Refer to Section 7.5 for an explanation of why this may or may not be an advantage. The following Memory arguments are two state settings. Case is important. The uppercase value sets the condition. The default is: -MaPDc A/a always swap external programs. P/p swap to EMS (Expanded Memory System) memory if pos- sible. Requires EMS 3.2 or better. If both P and D are specified, expanded memory will be tried first - if insufficient EMS room exists, disk space will be used. D/d swap to disk. The directory used will be that indicated by the DOS TEMP environemnt variable. If this does not exist, the DOS PATH string will be searched in order until a directory is found with sufficient room for the temporary file used during the swap process. Normally this file is automatically deleted. However if the initiated program crashes for any reason, ToolBOX may not be able to delete these temporary files. These files show in the directory as SWP###, where ### is a numeric sequence number. These files should be manually deleted if they occur. Swapping to disk is considerably faster if the TEMP variable or the first directory on the PATH corresponds to a ramdisk. C/c use the current directory for these temporary disk files in preference to the PATH directory. ToolBOX User Manual Page 15 ____________________________________________________________________________ MATCH LIST SPECIFICATION FOR DIRECTORY PATH/FILE : [d:][path]matchlist Identifies the directory and/or set of files to be displayed on startup. This is for display purposes only, the current directory remains unchanged. [d:][path]matchlist This is essentially a valid DOS file specification containing one or more of a disk drive, directory path, and any number of filename.ext match specifications. The wildcard characters "*" and "?" may be used within the file specification. Each filename.ext may be prefixed by "!" to indicate files matching this specification are to be removed from the list of previously matched files. If not provided, the parts default to the current drive, the current path, and *.* respectively. This is the only argument for which the leading prefix (-) is not required. Any argument that does not begin with a dash is assumed to be a match-string within the matchlist specification. Although the drive and directory can only be stated once, the file specification field may be repeated any number of times. To permit dashes within filespecs, the specification is assumed to continue until the next blank. If the matchlist specification is provided, only files matching this criteria are displayed. Unless the -xM option was also specified, this will only remain in effect until the directory window is redisplayed for any reason, when it will revert to ".\*.*". If -xM was provided, the specification will remain in effect until a keyboard DIR command with a corresponding /M option is entered. SELECT DIRECTORY DISPLAY FORMAT: -F# Selects one of the pre-configured presentation display formats for the files in the directory window. This is equivalent to the /F# display format parameter of the DIR command, or the format option of the <F2><f> popup menu. These are described in Section 6.2 and Section 5.5 respectively. # single character specification for one of the 8 settings. This is stated as the index 1 through 8 or as the single identification letter used in the option window. The identification letters and the display fields associated with them are shown in Appendix B. ToolBOX User Manual Page 16 ____________________________________________________________________________ The default setting is the 2 column Master format: -F1 SELECT DIRECTORY SORT CRITERIA: -S# Selects one of the pre-configured sort procedures used for file entries in the directory window. This is equivalent to the /S# sort parameter of the DIR command, or the sort option of the <F2><s> popup menu. # single character specification for one of the 8 possible sort criteria. This is stated as the index 1 through 8, or as the single identification letter used in the option window. The identification letter and sort rules associated with each of the 8 indexes are shown in Appendix B. The default sort is first by extension, and then by name: -S1 SPECIFY CONFIGURATION FILE: @cfgfile This argument selects a configuration file that has been established by the TBOXCFG program. Only one configuration file may be referenced. If the file is not in the current directory, the full path must be provided. An extension of ".CFG" is assumed if one is not specified. The contents of the configuration file (which may contain additional command line arguments) are processed immediately at the spot in the command line where the reference occurs. ToolBOX User Manual Page 17 ____________________________________________________________________________ EXAMPLES OF COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS (including equivalent BTS SET variable assignments and BTSPATCH program usage): o the defaults are equivalent to : >SET BTS=-V25 -XshdcXrTa7m *.* -MaPDc -F1 -S1 NOTE: The non-stated video and color defaults are automatically determined on startup. o the typical use: >SET BTS= >TBOX o allocate 43 screen lines for a gray scale monitor, sort by date, display hidden files, don't show .bak or .pag files display only file name and extension information in the directory display, turn off the audio and because we're using ANSI.SYS and not DOS 5, don't tell DOS it must only use 25 lines: >SET BTS=-Vv43-Cg-F4-S4 !*.pag >TBOX -Xa0Ht !*.bak o or, equivalent to the above: >BTSPATCH BTS= -V43 -XH >TBOX -S4-F4 -Xa0 -Cg-Xt !*.bak !*.pag o to setup a simple menu for initiating BASIC files from a different directory: >TBOX -F5 -XM c:\basic\*.bas o our personal favorite here at the Binary Toolshed (for DOS 3.3) >BTSPATCH TBOX=-ve43-Xt ToolBOX User Manual Page 18 ____________________________________________________________________________ 5.0 OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW 5.1 Introduction ToolBOX simultaneously provides directory display operations, point- and-shoot functions, and a direct pass through mechanism for DOS commands. The balance of this manual outlines the basic keyboard commands for performing these functions. In particular, Sections 5 through 9 describe features available through the factory default command settings. The default settings will be sufficient for most users. The TBOXCFG User Manual describes the lower level ToolBOX functions used to implement these operations, as well as the configuration facility for augmenting or altering the basic commands. There are many configuration capabilities that are probably not obvious from reading this manual such as changing the top banner line or the colors, or recognizing particular programs and accordingly altering the program swap, screen swap, or pause state. Refer to the TBOXCFG manual for a complete list of the configuration capabilities. Because of the configurability of ToolBOX, the descriptions in this manual refer to the factory default settings within the program before any possible replacement by user configuration files. Configuration files could alter the function keys or the functions associated with these keys. Refer to the on-line help for the particular commands that are actually available. Unless noted otherwise, commands described in the following sections can be executed at any time the system is in its normal directory display state. 5.2 The Basics The program starts with a directory display. ToolBOX fills the screen window with a display of files in the current directory. See Figure 5.2/1. The header portion of the display identifies global information such as volume, directory name, amount of space used by the displayed directory and the amount of free space on the disk volume. The lower portion displays the actual files organized in serpentine fashion in a varying number of columns across the window. This is the view you will have virtually all the time you are in ToolBOX. The <LEFT>, <RIGHT>, <UP>, <DOWN>, <PG UP>, and <PG DN> keys move the cursor through the directory display. <HOME> and <END> move the cursor to the top and bottom lines of the current display respectively, while <HOME><HOME> and <END><END> move the cursor to the extreme bounds of the file list. <TAB> is similar to the <DOWN> key except that at the end of a column <TAB> will automatically move to the start of the succeeding column. <SPACE> selects the file at the current cursor position. Selected files (or directories) may either be used in point-and-shoot operations or referenced by DOS command lines. Various video attributes indicate ToolBOX User Manual Page 19 ____________________________________________________________________________ the current cursor position and which files are selected. <RETURN> initiates the point-and-shoot operation on selected files. ╒═The Binary Toolshed ══════════ ToolBOX ═════════ Tue Jly14/93 10:34:10═╕ │ . D:\DOS50\*.* Vol: SYS │ │ 521,277 bytes in 33 files 815,104 free (2%) │ ╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡ │\ .. <DIR> FDISK .EXE 57,224 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ ASSIGN .COM 6,399 09Apr91 05:00 LABEL .EXE 9,390 09Apr91 05:00 │ │rCOMMAND .COM 47,845 09Apr91 05:00 MEM .EXE 39,818 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ DISKCOMP.COM 10,652 09Apr91 05:00 REPLACE .EXE 20,226 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ DISKCOPY.COM 11,793 09Apr91 05:00 SETVER .EXE 12,007 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ DOSKEY .COM 5,883 09Apr91 05:00 SHARE .EXE 10,912 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ FORMAT .COM 32,911 09Apr91 05:00 SUBST .EXE 18,478 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ MODE .COM 23,537 09Apr91 05:00 UNDELETE.EXE 13,924 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ MORE .COM 2,618 09Apr91 05:00 XCOPY .EXE 15,804 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ SYS .COM 13,440 09Apr91 05:00 QC .INI 573 10Jly91 22:58 │ │ UNFORMAT.COM 18,576 09Apr91 05:00 ANSI .SYS 9,029 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ APPEND .EXE 10,774 09Apr91 05:00 DRIVER .SYS 5,409 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ ATTRIB .EXE 15,796 09Apr91 05:00 HIMEM .SYS 11,552 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ CHKDSK .EXE 16,200 09Apr91 05:00 PRINTER .SYS 18,804 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ COMP .EXE 14,282 09Apr91 05:00 RAMDRIVE.SYS 5,873 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ EXPAND .EXE 14,563 09Apr91 05:00 SMARTDRV.SYS 8,335 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ FC .EXE 18,650 09Apr91 05:00 │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛ FIGURE 5.2/1 Sample ToolBOX Display of Directory for DOS 5.0 DOS commands are entered at any time simply by typing them in. On the first character entered a command line will appear at the bottom of the screen. Use the cursor keys, <INS>, <DEL>, etc. as required to edit the command line text. Then <ENTER> to have it executed. Use the <UP>/<DOWN> keys to scroll through the text of recently entered command lines. Operations such as deleting files or exiting to DOS generate verification prompt windows. The desired action can be chosen with the <UP>/<DOWN> keys and selected with the <ENTER> key. <ESC> is equivalent to the negative response. Use <ESC> at any time to back out of the current operation, such as the entry of a DOS command line, the current help window, the verification prompt, or simply to exit from ToolBOX. As this indicates, ToolBOX's basic operation is straight forward. If you haven't done so already, try using ToolBOX before reading further sections. Some experimentation at this point may help you in understanding the nuances and features you will read about. ToolBOX User Manual Page 20 ____________________________________________________________________________ «X1»5.3 Directory/Select Modes ToolBOX functions in either of 2 modes: DIRECTORY or SELECT. Normally the program starts and remains in SELECT mode. DIRECTORY mode is a special state optimized for use as a basic directory display. The modes are similar in that both permit DOS command lines and other single key operations, and they both display directory data. However, in SELECT mode the commands may reference and operate on individual files preselected from within the directory display. As there is no need to select individual files in DIRECTORY mode, all the cursor control keys move through the screen display in a slightly different manner than when in SELECT mode. <ALT F10> toggles between DIRECTORY and SELECT mode. The <SPACE> key will also change the state from DIRECTORY to SELECT mode. Again, DIRECTORY mode is provided for use when ToolBOX is essentially a replacement for the DOS DIR command. Unless stated otherwise, the balance of this manual assumes the user is in SELECT mode. 5.4 Help Facility HELP is obtained by entering <F1>. Two levels of help are available: <F1> single line descriptions of each command showing: o selected file match string requirement, or "----" if not applicable. o keyboard key used to initiate the command. o short description. <ALT F1> description lines as above plus the actual command lines (DOS or ToolBOX intrinsics) used to carry out the operation. Within the help screen, commands are listed in command search order. Use <UP>,<DOWN>, <PG UP>, <PG DN>, <HOME>, <END> to scroll within the help screens. Use <ESC> to exit the help mode and return to the directory display. 5.5 Popup Menu Window A popup menu can be invoked with <F2>, or </>. This menu provides an alternative mechanism for entering several of the more commonly used ToolBOX commands. ToolBOX User Manual Page 21 ____________________________________________________________________________ Within the popup window use <UP> and <DOWN> to move the highlighted cursor position to another option. Use <RETURN> to either invoke the option at the current cursor, or if applicable to select the next level of options. <ESC> to exit without making any changes. Where applicable, a diamond appears beside the option corresponding to the current setting. All of the command functions available through the popup menu are available elsewhere, although usually in a less intuitive form. In particular, the functions: . execute a quick command line. Section 9.5 describes how quick command lines are created, executed, or deleted. The popup menu is the only method for displaying the quick command lines. . select one of the 8 possible directory display formats. See Section 6.2. . select one of the 8 possible directory display sort algorithms. See Section 6.2. . set the state of the PAUSE flag. The flag determines what happens to the DOS screen on completion of DOS commands. See Section 9.3. . set the state of the DIRECTION flag. See Section 9.3. 5.6 Error Reporting Four levels of audio tones of increasing significance denote invalid data entry: o Level 1 : signals attempts to move past the extremes of the directory display. o Level 2 : signals a keystroke entry is not understood. o Level 3 : signals a requested operation was not successful, such as a file could not be deleted. o Level 4 : for serious problems that shouldn't have been feasible to fail or for which continued operation is questionable: a TSR program was run after ToolBOX, insufficient memory available, internal errors, etc. The first three levels can be selectively disabled with the -Xa# command line argument. ToolBOX User Manual Page 22 ____________________________________________________________________________ 5.7 Exit To DOS Entering <ESC> in SELECT or DIRECTORY mode will generate a verification window. It asks if you really want to end the ToolBOX program and return to DOS. Usually, when returning to DOS, the directory display will remain on the screen, although the window border will disappear. If using the -XR command line argument when starting ToolBOX (see Section 4.2), the last DOS window is restored rather than retaining the current ToolBOX directory display. ToolBOX User Manual Page 23 ____________________________________________________________________________ 6.0 DIRECTORY DISPLAY 6.1 Introduction As illustrated in Section 5.2/1, the normal ToolBOX display window has two sections: the header area with directory summary information, and the larger bottom area with information on specific files within the directory. Most of the header fields are straight forward: current time, disk drive volume name, total file space used within the displayed directory, and available free space on the drive. The directory path field within the header contains the file matchlist used to determine the files displayed in the lower file section. The default is "*.*" so all files within the directory are displayed. A "." to the left of the directory path indicates that the displayed directory is also the current directory. The bottom portion of the ToolBOX display window is similar to the information provided by the DOS DIR command. Usually this shows files from the current directory. Files are displayed/sorted in balanced vertical columns across the width of the window. Excess file entries exist to the top or bottom of the visible window, not to the sides. The information presented for each file varies with each of the 8 display formats, but contains one or more of the file name, file extension, size in bytes, last modification date, and status character. This status character, in order of precedence from the highest to the lowest, is: s system file h hidden file r read-only file \ subdirectory The status character is blank if none of these conditions are applicable. Alter the display by changing the current directory, or by adjusting the presentation rules. Each time the directory data is updated, a sequence of incrementing numbers appear randomly around the screen. This has no practical purpose other than to fill in the time. Section 7 elaborates on entering command lines. Regarding the commands described in the balance of this section, just accept for the moment that DOS-like command lines can be entered at any time. Also, while the ToolBOX "dir" and "cd" commands are not identical to the DOS equivalents, they are very similar. ToolBOX User Manual Page 24 ____________________________________________________________________________ 6.2 The DIR Command The "dir" command controls the presentation aspects. Neither case (except for the dir itself) nor parameter order (except for the matchlist "!" fields) are significant. dir [ [d:][path][matchlist] ] [/f#] [/s#] [/hH] [/m] [d:][path][matchlist] Identifies directory display drive, path and one or more file match-string specifications. The "?" and "*" wildcard characters are permitted in each of the file match specifications. The "!" character can be used as a prefix to indicate that files matching that specification will be removed from the file list selected by previous selections. Evaluation is always done left to right. If the first field begins with "!", an implied leading "*.*" is assumed. Again note, the drive and path can only occur once, but the file specification with or without the "!" can occur any number of times. /f# Selects one of 8 pre-configured display formats. # may be a numeric index (1 through 8) or the letter corres- ponding to the first capital in the option labels. While summarized here, these labels and the correspond- ing display formats are described in detail in Appendix B. 1 Master 2 filename-Size 3 filename-Date 4 Filename 5 Name 6 mAster (B) 7 siZe-filename 8 filename-sizE (B) The number of columns automatically adjusts to accommodate the varying amounts of information for each selection. Leaving the # field blank restores the program startup setting. /s# Selects one of 8 pre-configured sort algorithms. # may be a numeric index (1 through 8) or the letter corres- ponding to the first capital in the option description label. These labels, used in the <F2> popup window are described in Appendix B. This appendix also explains the specific sort criteria used for each of the 8 selections. ToolBOX User Manual Page 25 ____________________________________________________________________________ 1 eXtension-name 2 Date-name 3 Size-name 4 dOs order 5 Name-extension 6 extension-daTe 8 extension-siZe 8 Reverse-date-name Again, leaving the # field blank restores the program startup setting. /m Locks in the matchlist specification. Without this parameter the matchlist is used for this display update only, with the display reverting back to the prior matchlist specification on the next update. The "/m" makes the matchlist specification permanent until another DIR command with a "/m" parameter is used. /h or /H Setting to exclude or include hidden and system files in the display directory: h do not include hidden and system files. H include hidden and system files. If not stated, the hidden and system files are displayed as per the ToolBOX -X[hH] command line argument The following example displays all the files in c:\DOS directory having an extension starting with c except for .com files, sorted in the natural DOS order, and showing only the size and filename for each file: dir /fs c:\dos\*.c /so !*.com The /f and /s parameters are permanently retained. If the above command is followed by the simple dir d:\bin then /fs and /so remain in effect, but the file matchlist for d:\bin is assumed from what was in place prior to the first example. ToolBOX User Manual Page 26 ____________________________________________________________________________ 6.3 The CD Command The change directory command ( cd ) is similar to the DOS counterpart but has fewer restrictions. [cd] [d:][path] [d:] valid DOS drive. [path] any valid DOS directory specification. Drive changes can be combined with the directory change. Also, the command name itself is optional. It is assumed that if the first command word is a directory, then the only logical operation is to change directories to it. The ToolBOX command: c:\utl is equivalent to the DOS commands: c: cd \utl ToolBOX User Manual Page 27 ____________________________________________________________________________ 7.0 KEYBOARD COMMAND LINE PROCESSING 7.1 Introduction The keyboard command line is used to create text (command) lines that are subsequently processed, either by DOS or directly by ToolBOX. Pressing any printable character on the keyboard (or <CTRL f>, see Section 7.6) will place ToolBOX into command line mode. The command line is on the bottom of the screen with a "CMD>" prefix. Command lines may contain up to 76 characters. In this document, the term command line refers to any text that is subsequently processed as a command, by DOS or ToolBOX. This text may originate from a quick command, be one of many within a command set associated with a function key, or be manually entered through the keyboard line at the bottom of the screen. The actual source is not relevant unless specifically identified. 7.2 Editing Editing keys are available for modifying the keyboard command line prior to pressing the <RETURN> key that starts processing. <LEFT>, <RIGHT>, <HOME>, <END>, <DELETE> and <BACKSPACE> all behave as expected. The <INSERT> key toggles between insert mode (denoted with a lower line cursor) and overstrike mode (denoted with a block cursor). <ESC> aborts the command line entry. The cursor does not need to be at the end of the line when <RETURN> is pressed. Some commands, such as the <ALT f> format key binding discussed in Section 9.4, produce an initial command line that can be altered or completed before <RETURN> is entered. If a portion of this line is displayed in reverse video, this field will be replaced if any printable characters are entered. 7.3 Keyboard Command Stack ToolBOX maintains a command stack of the most recent command lines. When editing a command line, use <UP> or <DOWN> to scroll through previously entered commands. Once recalled, these commands can be edited and modified, as if they were entered directly through the keyboard. Duplicate command lines are not retained in the command stack. The oldest commands are discarded when the 500 character capacity of the command stack is exceeded. When the command line is not visible, pressing <INSERT> will recall the most recent command line from the command stack. ToolBOX User Manual Page 28 ____________________________________________________________________________ 7.4 DOS/ToolBOX Command Processing Excluding the keys used for editing or for manipulating the directory cursor, all keyboard data entry ultimately generates a line of text (command line) that must be processed by ToolBOX. This command text can originate from many sources. Manually entered in the command line at the bottom of the screen or perhaps generated from quick commands or command sets triggered by a single keystroke. Regardless, the resulting command lines are processed in the same way. ToolBOX uses DOS to process some commands and handles others itself. These internal ToolBOX commands (or intrinsics) include dir, del, and cd. Intrinsic commands can be entered as either upper or lower case. If the DOS equivalent is desired, enter the command characters in mixed case. The command line will then be passed to DOS which is case insensitive. For example "dir a:\*.c" will be processed by ToolBOX to update its window, while "Dir a:\*.c" will generate the traditional scrolling column of file information. By default any command line that doesn't start with one of the known intrinsic commands is assumed to be a DOS command line. These reserved intrinsic command words described in the next subsections are cd, d:, dir, del, killdir, sel, tbx, t*x, or a directory name. The non-intrinsic command lines are essentially identical to those you would enter at the DOS prompt and are processed as if entered there. There are a few exceptions. Operations specific to batch files are not supported (e.g. labels, errorLevel, or the GOTO command), nor are commands which modify environment variables (e.g. SET or PATH). Also, you cannot invoke programs that establish TSR segments. These programs should be installed prior to running ToolBOX. If an invoked program does establish a resident TSR segment, ToolBOX will issue a warning of the imminent problem. At best the memory space occupied by ToolBOX will be unusable by DOS on exit; at worst the conflicting memory requirements of ToolBOX and the TSR could cause either to crash. Programs, for which a specific path is not stated, may exist in the current directory or in any directory referenced by the PATH. Programs having .EXE or .COM extensions are executed directly - yielding a marginal speed and memory (about 4 KB) advantage. For the others including programs without extensions, .BAT files, DOS internal commands or any command line with piping or redirection of STDIN or STDOUT, a secondary COMMAND.COM shell is invoked to process the command line. 7.5 Memory Utilization If memory utilization is an issue, ToolBOX is capable of reducing its own memory requirements to less than 2Kb prior to invoking any external program. ToolBOX can be rolled out (or swapped) simply by prefixing the command line with "@". For example @wp whatever.txt ToolBOX User Manual Page 29 ____________________________________________________________________________ will allow WordPerfect to have essentially as much memory as if it had been run without ToolBOX. ToolBOX startup arguments (see Section 4.2) identify whether this rollout occurs automatically or only when the "@" is specified. These arguments also specify whether EMS memory and/or disk is used for the intermediate storage. Most programs neither need nor can take advantage of significant amounts of memory. When using EMS memory or a ram-disk, while admittedly small, there is always a speed penalty for swapping ToolBOX out of active memory. It is suggested that the "@" function be reserved for programs where there is a specific advantage to doing so. 7.6 Command Line Variables Variables, inserted into keyboard command lines by <CTRL letter>, simplify the entry of filenames and related information. The typical command line use for these variables is to reference files selected within the directory display, although not all variables require selected files. The variables and the values they are used to represent are: <CTRL d> display drive letter <CTRL p> display path <CTRL n> 1 to 8 character file name <CTRL x> 0 to 3 character extension <CTRL f> minimized pathname, i.e. sufficient information to uniquely reference the selected file from the current directory <CTRL D> current drive letter <CTRL P> current path Within the keyboard command line, these variables are displayed as a diamond prefix followed by the alphabetic character. If the directory display is for the current directory then the current and display directories coincide, however, this need not be the case. ToolBOX User Manual Page 30 ____________________________________________________________________________ As an example, if the selected file is C:\DOS\XCOPY.COM then the respective variables when C:\DOS is displayed from two alternate directories, are: CURRENT DIR IS C:\DOS CURRENT DIR IS A:\ DISPLAY DIR IS C:\DOS DISPLAY DIR IS C:\DOS ───────────────────── ───────────────────── <CTRL D> C A <CTRL d> C C <CTRL P> \DOS \ <CTRL p> \DOS \DOS <CTRL n> XCOPY XCOPY <CTRL x> COM COM <CTRL f> XCOPY.COM C:\DOS\XCOPY.COM Typically <CTRL f> is used to reference any file from the directory display as it automatically provides all required components and delimeters. For example, to use the DOS COPY command to move the above file to a:\tmp when in a:\, the following are all correct and equivalent: copy c:\dos\xcopy.com a:\tmp copy <CTRL f> a:\tmp copy <CTRL d>:<CTRL p>\<CTRL n>.<CTRL x> <CTRL D>:\tmp Variables are especially useful for commands used with multiple selections from the directory display. For example, to delete any number of selected directory entries, enter: rd <CTRL f> Command lines that contains a variable reference will be executed once for each selected file. Variables also make it easier to re-use command lines in the command stack. There is usually less editing required. 7.7 External Command Access While in keyboard command line mode, it is still possible to execute several of the single key stroke ToolBOX functions. As a simple guideline, any command can be used as long as it does not conflict with characters used for editing the command lines, change the current directory, or reference the currently selected files. The commands that can be used include those that alter the number of screen lines, change the split screen status, change the display sort and format settings, toggle ToolBOX/DOS views etc. If you enter an inappropriate command, an audible tone will sound. ToolBOX User Manual Page 31 ____________________________________________________________________________ 8.0 COMMAND SEQUENCING 8.1 Introduction Commands are initiated in many ways within ToolBOX. They may be manually entered DOS-like command lines, pre-configured sets of command lines or quicklines activated with a single key, a result of a point- and-shoot operation, or options chosen from popup menus. The term point-and-shoot refers to the ability to cursor to a given object, and then have an operation carried out based on a characteristic of the selected item. Regardless of the source, the commands all share the same capabilities: all can access ToolBOX or DOS command facilities and all can optionally incorporate selected display files. This section describes the selection of files, and the determination of the operation to be performed on the selected files. 8.2 File Selection In SELECT MODE files can be selected (or tagged) for inclusion in subsequent command execution. Later sections will detail the actual execution. Move the cursor to a particular file, then use the following commands to select or unselect a file or groups of files: <SPACE> toggle status of file at cursor. <SHIFT SPACE> toggle status of file at cursor and then move cursor to the next file (equivalent to <SPACE> <TAB>). <SHIFT cursor-key> toggles a range of files that can be extended in any direction by the <SHIFT LEFT>, <SHIFT RIGHT>, <SHIFT UP>, or <SHIFT DOWN> keys. <ALT SPACE> toggle status of all files with the same extension as the file at the cursor. <CTRL SPACE> toggle status of all files. All of the select commands toggle the current select state rather than specifically setting or resetting the status. For group selects, the initial status is determined from the file at the cursor. For example to select or reset all files, enter <CTRL SPACE> once or twice. ToolBOX remembers the order of selection. For group selections, this is the file at the cursor followed by the other files in the order they ToolBOX User Manual Page 32 ____________________________________________________________________________ appear in the display. The display uses color combinations (or equivalent) to distinguish the selected files and the cursor position. In addition to the above commands, files can be de-selected by changing directories or by executing a command line which references the selected files. 8.3 Soft Selection With soft selection, the file at the current cursor position is assumed to be selected if and only if no other files are selected. This obviously is only applicable to commands that actually reference selected files. 8.4 Basic Point-and-Shoot Operations Through the TBOXCFG program, it is possible to associate keyboard keys and selected file match strings with a particular operation. When the key and file-match occur together, the operation is initiated - typically this is a specific program or batch file. The default setup supports four standard point-and-shoot functions; all with the <RETURN> key. These are: KEY MATCHSTRING ACTION <RETURN> Directory *.* Change directory <RETURN> *.BAT Execute batch file <RETURN> *.COM Execute .COM program <RETURN> *.EXE Execute .EXE program <RETURN> *.* VIEW *.* As this sequence is searched in order when <RETURN> is entered, VIEW will automatically be invoked to display any file that does not match one of the prior match-strings. Also, refer to Section 9.6 for inferred batch file initiation. The TBOXCFG program can easily extend the list. Then, based on a given match-string, your link program, data base application, editor, word processor, make facility, archive extract utility, spreadsheet, picture viewer, and so on, will automatically be initiated. Use other keys as well. For example ( <RETURN> *.asm ) could be used to edit a file and ( <ALT RETURN> *.asm ) to assemble the file. 8.5 Command Sequencing The point-and-shoot function described above is a practical example of ToolBOX's generalized command system. When an initial keystroke is entered, ToolBOX searches its list of possible commands. Each command ToolBOX User Manual Page 33 ____________________________________________________________________________ in the list has a particular keystroke requirement and optionally a file match specification for a selected file. The action taken by ToolBOX is based on the first definition matching the keystroke and the optional file selection. If the command set (or keyboard command) being executed did not contain a file match reference to a selected file, then the command executes once and only once. Otherwise, the command selection and execution process will be performed once for each selected file. Within ToolBOX, virtually everything, except the cursor commands, is implemented through this command control facility. The <F1> help screens list these commands in the natural search order and, for each, shows the keystroke and the optional file match requirements. If the sequence of operations being performed on the selected files should be aborted for any reason, enter <CTRL c> or <CTRL BREAK>. The effectiveness of this attempted abort will depend on the timing of the entered characters and whether the program(s) being stopped also reads the abort characters. 8.6 Display Output For intrinsic ToolBOX commands, or others that ToolBOX knows about and is aware won't affect the current display, ToolBOX performs the operation transparently without any visible effect on the directory display. For the other commands, ToolBOX first restores the DOS screen as it existed following the most recent ToolBOX initiated command line. A pseudo command line preceded by two diamonds is generated on the DOS screen, followed by the normal command output. On completion of the command, ToolBOX restores its directory display. In many cases this will occur so rapidly it will be difficult to see what happened. There are several mechanisms for retaining these results: o enter the -xP command line argument, /p, or <ALT F2> to set the PAUSE state. Following commands with PAUSE set to ON, ToolBOX will wait until you are ready before erasing the DOS screen. o entering <F10> at any time will toggle between the ToolBOX directory display and the most recent DOS screen. o for those with EGA or VGA, entering <F9> will split the visible window so ToolBOX's directory display and the DOS screen can coexist simultaneously. The control of the window screens is explained in detail in Section 9.1. ToolBOX User Manual Page 34 ____________________________________________________________________________ 9.0 ADDITIONAL COMMANDS 9.1 Window Control The default ToolBOX display is in SELECT mode and contains 25 rows by 80 columns. ADJUST NUMBER OF DISPLAY LINES <ALT 2> Switch to 25 line mode <ALT 4> Switch to 43 line mode <ALT 5> Switch to 50 line mode <ALT 0> Switch to current number of DOS lines To work correctly, these require that you have the proper video adapter. EGA or VGA are required for 43 line mode. VGA is required for 50 line mode. CHANGE WINDOW DISPLAY MODE <F10> Switch between the ToolBOX and DOS window. Use this function after a DOS command has completed and you wish to see the last complete DOS screen. The DOS window is for presentation purposes only. You will be prompted to enter any key to return to the ToolBOX window. <ALT F10> Toggle between SELECT and DIRECTORY modes. While the modes are similar, DIRECTORY mode simplifies the operational use when using ToolBOX as a file directory display program. Visually, identify SELECT mode by the bright border around the directory display. <F9> Toggle DOS/ToolBOX split screen. In this mode the top 25 screen lines are used by DOS with the ToolBOX file window displayed in the balance of the lines at the bottom. As the ToolBOX and DOS screens are visible at the same time, it not necessary to switch back and forth during execution of DOS commands. This requires at least EGA for the 43 line mode; it is not available for MDA or CGA video cards. If the system is in 25 line mode, it will automatically switch to 43 or 50 line mode before performing the split. In split screen mode it may not be obvious when the DOS command has been completed and ToolBOX is again in control. Refer to the clock in the ToolBOX directory header. While the invoked program is in control the seconds field contains "--" rather than the incrementing time. All of the above can be entered directly during the entry of keyboard command lines. ToolBOX User Manual Page 35 ____________________________________________________________________________ 9.2 Directory Control In addition to the commands already mentioned for changing directories, the following keystroke sequences are also available: DIRECTORY DISPLAY ADJUSTMENTS <F8> Refresh directory display. Re-read the directory data and update the display. This may be necessary if the screen is corrupted or if adjustments have been made to the current directory files that ToolBOX is not yet aware of (for example if diskettes are exchanged or on a multiple user network). <ALT F8> Move to display directory. Ensures the current dir- ectory corresponds to the display directory by changing the current directory if required. <CTRL F8> Display current directory. Ensures the directory display corresponds to the current working directory by changing the display directory if required. DIRECTORY STACK <keypad -> Cycle backward through directories in the stack. <keypad +> Cycle forward through directories in the stack. ToolBOX maintains a stack of the most recently entered directories, along with the last known cursor position in each. Entering <keypad +> or <keypad -> is effectively equivalent to issuing a change directory command to the next directory on the stack. While data dependent, the stack typically can maintain the last 20 unique directories entered. DISK DRIVE SHIFTS <CTRL PgDn> Change to the next lower installed drive. <CTRL PgUp> Change to the next higher installed drive. These commands will sequence the current drive through all valid drives, from a: to b: to c: etc. This will cycle around at the end of the sequence. ToolBOX User Manual Page 36 ____________________________________________________________________________ 9.3 Window Contents These commands allow manipulation of the ToolBOX directory display window. FILE DISPLAY <ALT F9> Select next sort criteria. <CTRL F9> Select next file display format. These keys provide single key control of the file display characteristics. Each cycles to the next of the eight possible settings. This is similar to the <F2> popup window or the command line "dir" command. These are accessible during the entry of keyboard commands. CONTROL FEATURES <ALT F2> Toggle pause status. The default state is OFF. If ON, ToolBOX will stay on the DOS screen after executing the DOS command(s). Entering any key will restore the ToolBOX window. The paused screen is identical to the DOS window displayed with the <F10> command. Concluding batch files with the DOS PAUSE command achieves a similar effect. Pause mode is not required in split screen mode. Also try the <F2><p> popup menu command described in Section 5.5. <CTRL F2> Toggle direction flag. Normally <TAB>, <SHIFT SPACE>, <ALT F9>, and <CTRL F9> move forward. Toggling the direction flag will cause them to go in the opposite direction. Also try the <F2><d> popup menu command described in Section 5.5. ToolBOX User Manual Page 37 ____________________________________________________________________________ 9.4 DOS Commands SINGLE KEYSTROKES FOR DOS FUNCTIONS <ALT d> Delete selected file(s). A prompt appears for confirmation before deleting the selected files. The one notable difference between the ToolBOX and DOS implementations is that ToolBOX will not delete subdir- ectories (i.e. the files in the next directory level). This is intentional to prevent the accidental erasure of directories, which is easily done in a point-and-shoot environment. To delete subdirectories, either: o move into the subdirectory itself. o insert at least one capital in the "del" command so the regular DOS version is used. o use the ToolBOX killdir command described in Section 9.7. ToolBOX will beep if it cannot delete one of the selected files. Selected directories are ignored, i.e. if deleting everything it's not necessary to specifically de-select the directories. The delete command is also available as an intrinsic, entered as a keyboard command line: del [d:][path]matchlist This has the same particulars as explained above for <ALT d>. Refer to Section 10.4. <ALT p> Print selected file(s). This uses the DOS copy command to copy selected files to the printer (PRN:). <ALT s> Shell to DOS. This will invoke a second version of the DOS COMMAND.COM shell. Enter DOS commands as required, and then enter the EXIT command to return to ToolBOX. Unlike exiting to DOS via <ESC>, this does not terminate ToolBOX. Shelling to DOS allows ToolBOX to retain its initialization data, command line stack, directory stack, and so on. The current DOS prompt string is prefixed with "TBOX" to serve as a reminder that you must eventually return to ToolBOX. Again, enter "EXIT" to cancel the DOS shell and return to ToolBOX. ToolBOX User Manual Page 38 ____________________________________________________________________________ DOS COMMAND LINE TEMPLATES The following are not conventional commands. Rather, each places a text string into the keyboard command line buffer. This text can be edited as if it were entered through the keyboard. This facility simply provides a quick way of generating standard command lines. Edit the fields in the template as required to produce the desired command line. Some templates produce fields highlighted in reverse video. Enter <RETURN> to accept the highlighted text as is; entering any printable text causes the highlighted text to be deleted and replaced by the newly entered characters. The f parameter field in the following commands will be replaced by the selected file name when the command is actually processed. <ALT c> Template for using the DOS COPY command to copy selected files. To use this template without further editing, move to the target directory and then display the source directory before you select the applicable files. COPY f <ALT f> Template for DOS FORMAT command. FORMAT A: <ALT r> Template for using the DOS RENAME command to rename selected files. RENAME f 9.5 Quick Commands ToolBOX maintains a list of single line commands that can be executed at any time. Use this facility for predefined directory change commands or commands that are used repeatedly. This is the only mechanism available to configure commands from within ToolBOX without the TBOXCFG program. Quick commands can be predefined through the configuration file or created dynamically as explained below with <ALT F7> and <SHIFT F7>. Quick command contents, limited to one line, must be consistent with what ToolBOX can support through its keyboard command line. Each is associated with a single letter designation label. These are not templates that can be edited before being executed. They are processed exactly as defined. The currently defined quick commands can be viewed (or initiated) through the <F2><q> popup window. There are no factory default quick commands defined. All quick commands are 2 keystroke sequences, the command key ( ' ) followed by the label character. There is no visual screen indication ToolBOX User Manual Page 39 ____________________________________________________________________________ that the second label character is expected. Label characters may be any of the 94 printable ASCII characters on the keyboard; i.e. case is significant. COMMANDS FOR MANIPULATING QUICK COMMANDS <F7><x> Execute quick command x. or <'><x> Execute quick command x. These commands are identical. A single letter quick command definition label code (denoted as x) corresponding to an existing quick command definition is expected following this initial command key. ToolBOX will beep if the next char- acter does not correspond to a defined quick command label. Quick lines execute once only; not once for each selected file. Variables within the quick line are assumed to reference the entry at the current cursor position. <SHIFT F7><x> Make the current keyboard command line quick command x. This places the present keyboard command line in quick command x. A single letter quick command definition label is expected following the command key. If the letter you chose for your label is already assigned to an existing quick command, it will automatically be redefined and the old quick command lost. The keyboard command line (which must exist) is cleared following this operation. <ALT F7><x> Create quick command x, which will change to the current directory. This quick command line is equivalent to a <SHIFT F7><x> command if the keyboard command line contains a change directory (CD) command to the current directory. If the label existed previously, the old contents are lost. <CTRL F7><x> Delete quick command x. Deletes the quick command defined by the <x> label character. ToolBOX beeps if no such quick command is defined. 9.6 Inferred Batch File Selection The point-and-shoot operations described in Section 8 executed the currently selected program. While similar, the inferred batch file operation doesn't directly invoke this file. Rather, based on the key- stroke entered, and optionally on the extension of the filename pointed at, ToolBOX composes the name of a corresponding batch file. If it ToolBOX User Manual Page 40 ____________________________________________________________________________ exists, it is invoked, otherwise an alternate procedure is performed. Usually this alternate action is to use the VIEW.EXE utility program to display the selected file. These commands and the corresponding match-strings are: KEY MATCHSTRING ACTION <RETURN> *.xxx Execute TBX--xxx.BAT if accessible, otherwise use VIEW to display *.xxx <CTRL RETURN> *.xxx Execute TBXC-xxx.BAT if accessible, otherwise use VIEW to display *.xxx <ALT RETURN> *.xxx Execute TBXA-xxx.BAT if accessible, otherwise use VIEW to display *.xxx <ALT key-x> --- Execute TBX-ALTx.BAT if accessible. <CTRL key-x> --- Execute TBX-CTLx.BAT if accessible. xxx indicates any file extension of up to 3 characters. These characters are used in the composed file name. --- indicates no file match is required. The - and -- used in the filenames are actual dashes. key-x indicates any keyboard character. The character (denoted by x) is used in the composed file name. ToolBOX searches for the composed batch file name in the current directory and then on each directory referenced within the PATH. If found, the batch file is invoked with variable parameters. For the operations with match-strings, the matched filename is passed as a single filespec and as individual components. For example: TBX--xxx.BAT f d:p\n.x d p n x For the operations that do not require a match-string, only the minimized pathname is passed. For example: TBX-ALTx.BAT f As there is no requirement for a match-string, this command will execute only once per keystroke. It will not be repeated even if multiple files are selected. The first selected file is passed only as a possible convenience. The selected file will remain selected even after completion of the command. Keystrokes such as <ALT c> and <ALT d> are not available for inferred batch files since they are already associated with the higher priority COPY and DELETE functions. ToolBOX User Manual Page 41 ____________________________________________________________________________ 9.7 Explicit Program Requests Other commands available include: KEY MATCHSTRING ACTION <ALT v> *.* VIEW selected file(s). The VIEW program is invoked to display the contents of each selected file. Note that each file is viewed independ- ently. It is not possible within VIEW to request the next or previous file. <ALT k> *.* Killdir - delete directory and its cont- (Directory) ents, including multiple levels. For each selected directory, killdir issues a prompt window allowing the user to select between 3 options for the directory: o delete all files and directories for all levels o delete all files for all levels o delete all files for the first level This operation is sometimes referred to as pruning. ToolBOX User Manual Page 42 ____________________________________________________________________________ 10.0 INTRINSIC COMMANDS 10.1 Typical Usage All ToolBOX commands described up to this point are implemented through a second level of intrinsic commands. These intrinsics are understood and processed directly by ToolBOX. While accessible during normal command line entry, knowledge of them and their operations is not necessary for most ToolBOX activities. Section 10 describes the intrinsics intended for entry through the keyboard command line. Some of these have been discussed before. Additional intrinsic commands, which are more often found in the command sets bound to particular keystrokes, are described in the TBOXCFG User Manual. 10.2 Intrinsic DIR command Section 6.2 explains the features of the dir command: dir [ [d:][path][matchlist] ] [/s[+-!]#] [/f[+-!]#] [/m] [/hH] Further to the specification in Section 6.2, the sort or format select- ion character may also be stated as +, -, or !. Rather than selecting a specific setting, these respectively infer moving one setting up, down, or in the direction of the DIRECTION flag. 10.3 Intrinsic CD command For an explanation of the ToolBOX "cd" command, see Section 6.3. [cd] [d:][path] It emulates the DOS equivalent except as follows: o the path may optionally include the drive specification. o the "cd" command itself is optional. On completion the directory data is read and the display updated, regardless of whether the cd command actually specified a new directory. ToolBOX beeps if the directory is not located. 10.4 Intrinsic DEL Command The ToolBOX del command is essentially equivalent to the internal DOS command. Section 9.4 describes the del command in detail. del [d:][path]matchlist ToolBOX will not delete subdirectories, although they are included in the count for the verification window. ToolBOX will beep if a file ToolBOX User Manual Page 43 ____________________________________________________________________________ cannot be deleted or if nothing was deleted. Be careful with the file specification; ToolBOX assumes that for all specifications without an extension ".*" can be assumed. 10.5 Intrinsic KILLDIR Command The killdir command is used to delete directory trees or branches, hence the occasional use of the term prune. killdir directory The command always prompts to determine how much should be deleted: all files and directories, all files, or just the files in the first directory. For saftey reasons, KILLDIR won't let you delete the ".." parent directory. Using the intrinsic directly, rather than <ALT k>, it is possible to delete the complete contents of a disk with a single command; e.g.: killdir a:\ 10.6 Intrinsic SEL Command The sel command performs the file selection operation based on a matchlist. Each match-string within the matchlist may contain the DOS * and ? wildcard characters. sel [ @ + - ] matchlist The optional character for the first argument is: @ toggle the select state of matched files based on the file at the file cursor. + always set the matching files. - always reset the matching files. Without the optional parameter, the matched files are toggled based on the state of the first matching file. As per the explanation in 6.2, the matchlist can contain any number of file specifications, each optionally with a leading negation "!" character. The searches (which determine the order of selection) are carried out in directory display order from the beginning; i.e. no special consider- ation is given to the file at the cursor location. All files corresponding to the match-string are altered to the same select state. ToolBOX User Manual Page 44 ____________________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX A : ToolBOX COMMAND LINE ARGUMENT SUMMARY TBOX [d:][path]matchlist @cfgfile -F# -S# -V [b m s c e v] [25 43 50] -C[m c g] -X [Hh] [Dd] [Cc] [Xx] [Rr] [Pp] [Tt] [a#] [Mm] -M [Aa] [Pp] [Dd] [Cc] where : [d:][path]matchlist for directory/files to be displayed -@cfgfile configuration data file -display Format # (1 to 8, or letter) -Sort format # (1 to 8, or letter) -Video[bIOS|mONOCHROME|sNOW|cGA|eGA|vGA] [25LINES|43LINES|50LINES] -Color[mONOCHROME|cOLOR|gRAYSCALE] -eXecute hH include Hidden and system files dD do directory and exit cC do directory and conditionally exit xX go directly to select phase rR restore DOS screen on exit pP set pause state following DOS commands tT tell DOS about available lines a# permitted audio tones for different errors: 1 (border) + 2 (syntax) + 4 (execution) mM make Match-list permanent -Memory Aa always swap Pp swap to EMS expanded memory Dd swap to Disk Cc for disk swaps, use current directory ToolBOX User Manual Page 45 ____________________________________________________________________________ NOTE : o all fields are optional o matchlist : [!]file-match-string . . . o default -v25 -XhdcXrTa7m -MaPDc *.* -F1 -S1 ToolBOX User Manual Page 46 ____________________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX B : DIRECTORY DISPLAY PARAMETERS DIRECTORY DISPLAY FORMATS (Factory Defaults) ──────────────────────────────────────────── # OPTION NAME COLS EXAMPLE DISPLAY FORMAT ─ ────────────────── ──── ──────────────────────────────────── 1 Master 2 hSAMPLE .COM 1,234 14Jly93 13:00 2 filename-Size 3 SAMPLE .COM 1,234 3 filename-Date 3 hSAMPLE .COM Jly93 13:00 4 Filename 5 SAMPLE .COM 5 Name 7 SAMPLE 6 mAster (B) 2 1,234 hSAMPLE .COM 14Jly93 13:00 7 siZe-filename 2 1,234 SAMPLE .COM 8 filename-sizE (B) 3 hSAMPLE .COM 1,234 NOTE: - examples are for the hidden file SAMPLE.COM, containing 1,234 bytes, and whose last modification date was 1PM July 14, 1993. - formats 1, 3, 6, and 8 prefix the filename with a special designator character under the following conditions: CHAR DESCRIPTION s system file h hidden file r read only file \ directory If more that one is applicable, only the first is displayed. - formats 4, 5, and 7 prefix the filename with a \ character to denote a directory ToolBOX User Manual Page 47 ____________________________________________________________________________ SORT CRITERIA ───────────── # OPTION NAME SORT CRITERIA (first, second) ─ ────────────────── ────────────────────────────── 1 eXtension-name extension, filename 2 Date-name date, filename 3 Size-name size, filename 4 dOs order none -natural directory order 5 Name-extension filename, extension 6 extension-daTe extension, date 7 extension-siZe extension, size 8 Reverse-date-name inverted : date, filename NOTE : - the second sort field resolves ties remaining from the first sort. ToolBOX User Manual Page 48 ____________________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX C : COMMAND SUMMARY GENERAL INFORMATION: o the COMMAND KEYS section is completely reassignable through the TBOXCFG configuration program. o as a general convention <CTRL letter> keys are reserved for user customizations. ToolBOX uses the function keys and <ALT letter> keys for its own operations. o the <F2> and <F7> keys are duplicated on the ' and / keys respectively for convenience. o refer to Section 4 and 10 for a description of variables and intrinsics. BASIC COMMAND KEYS ══════════════════ CURSOR CONTROL <LEFT> <RIGHT> <UP> <DOWN> <PG UP> <PG DN> <Tab> <HOME> <HOME><HOME> <END> <END><END> Select file at cursor: <Space> Select region: <SHIFT LEFT> <SHIFT RIGHT> <SHIFT UP> <SHIFT DOWN> Cancel current operation: <ESC> ToolBOX User Manual Page 49 ____________________________________________________________________________ CONFIGURABLE COMMAND KEYS USED IN DIRECTORY/SELECT MODE ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── MATCH KEYSTROKE STRING DESCRIPTION ═════════ ══════ ════════════════════════════════════════ <any ASCII> --- Start keyboard command. <INSERT> --- Recall last keyboard command line. <ALT SPACE> *.* Toggle status of all files with the same extension as the file at the cursor. <CTRL SPACE> *.* Toggle selection status of all files. <keypad ─> --- Change directory to the next oldest stack entry. <keypad +> --- Change directory to the next most recent stack entry. <F1> --- Help (Single line descriptions). <ALT F1> --- Help (Incorporates command set information). <F2> or / --- Initiate pop up window for sort/display/quick commands/direction and pause. <CTRL PGDN> --- Change to next lower installed drive. <CTRL PGUP> --- Change to next higher installed drive. <ALT F2> --- Toggle PAUSE status. <CTRL F2> --- Toggle direction flag. <F7><x> or '<x>--- Execute quick command command x. <ALT F7><x> --- Assign the current directory to quick command x. <CTRL F7><x> --- Delete quick command x. <SHIFT F7><x> --- Make keyboard command quick command x. ToolBOX User Manual Page 50 ____________________________________________________________________________ MATCH KEYSTROKE STRING DESCRIPTION ═════════ ══════ ════════════════════════════════════════ <F8> --- Refresh directory display. <ALT F8> --- Move to display directory. <CTRL F8> --- Display current directory. <F9> --- Toggle DOS/ToolBOX screen split. <ALT F9> --- Select next sort criteria. <CTRL F9> --- Select next file display format. <F10> --- Toggle between ToolBOX and DOS window. <ALT F10> --- Toggle between DIRECTORY/SELECT modes. <ALT 2> --- Switch to 25 line mode. <ALT 4> --- Switch to 43 line mode. <ALT 5> --- Switch to 50 line mode. <ALT 0> --- Switch to current number of DOS lines. <ALT c> *.* Template for DOS COPY command. <ALT d> *.* Delete selected files. <ALT f> --- Template for DOS FORMAT command. <ALT k> *.* (dir) Kill selected directories. <ALT p> *.* Print selected file. <ALT r> *.* Template for DOS RENAME command. <ALT s> --- Escape to DOS. <ALT v> *.* Display selected files with the VIEW program. ToolBOX User Manual Page 51 ____________________________________________________________________________ MATCH KEYSTROKE STRING DESCRIPTION ═════════ ══════ ════════════════════════════════════════ <RETURN> *.* (dir) Change directory. <RETURN> *.BAT Execute batch file. <RETURN> *.COM Execute .COM file. <RETURN> *.EXE Execute .EXE file. <RETURN> *.xxx Execute TBX--xxx.BAT if accessible, otherwise use VIEW. <CTRL RETURN> *.xxx Execute TBXC-xxx.BAT if accessible, otherwise use VIEW. <ALT RETURN> *.xxx Execute TBXA-xxx.BAT if accessible, otherwise use VIEW. <ALT key-x> --- Execute TBX-ALTx.BAT if accessible. <CTRL key-x> --- Execute TBXA-CTLx.BAT if accessible. <RETURN> *.* Use VIEW to display the unknown file. ALTERNATE KEYS AVAILABLE (See GENERAL.DOC) ────────────────────────────────────────── STANDARD KEY REPLACEMENT NOTES ════════════ ════════════ ══════════════════════════════════ <SHIFT LEFT> <CTRL LEFT> <SHIFT RIGHT> <CTRL RIGHT> <SHIFT UP> <CTRL HOME> <SHIFT DOWN> <CTRL END> <ALT SPACE> <ALT = > reserved by windows <ALT RETURN> <ALT - > reserved by windows <CTRL RETURN> <ALT _ > ToolBOX User Manual Page 52 ____________________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX D : INTRINSIC COMMAND SUMMARY COMMAND LINE VARIABLES ────────────────────── (where x is created by <CTRL x>) [ + - ! ]d display drive p display path n 8 character file name x 3 character extension D current drive letter P current path f minimized pathname c last character from keyboard single literal character INTRINSIC COMMANDS ────────────────── Change directory: [cd] [d:][path] Update directory display: dir [d:][path][matchlist] [/m] [/hH] [/s[ + - ! ]#] [/f[ + - ! ]#] Delete selected files: del [d:][path]matchlist Delete selected directories and contents: killdir [d:]path Select files: sel [ @ + - ] matchlist Swap out ToolBOX @command-line ToolBOX User Manual Page 53 ____________________________________________________________________________ INTRINSIC COMMANDS (INTERNAL) ───────────────────────────── The following commands are intended for use within configured command sets rather than through the keyboard command line. They are included here for reference purposes only. For further information refer to the TBOXCFG User Manual documentation. Switch to the DOS window: tbx d Initiate Help (1=basic help, 2 = extended/internal command set): tbx h # Toggle current PAUSE status: tbx p Set number of screen lines (25, 43, or 50, otherwise DOS setting): tbx r ## Toggle current DIRECTION status: tbx t Toggle between ToolBOX SELECT and DIRECTORY state: tbx w Change directories to the next entry in the directory stack: tbx N Change directories to the previous entry in the directory stack: tbx P Conditional exit (Use verification window): tbx x UnConditional exit: tbx X ToolBOX User Manual Page 54 ____________________________________________________________________________ Invoke program if locatable, else use default command line: t*x f progname.ext [param1] [param2] . . . Start the keyboard command with newest command stack entry: t*x l Start keyboard command with text provided: t*x p [command-line-text] Equivalent to t*x p except execution cycle is limited to one operation: t*x P [command-line-text] Toggle DOS split screen: t*x s Initiate the popup menu window: t*x w Invoke program if locatable, else sound(error): t*x x progname.ext [param1] [param2] . . . Assign current directory to quick command, get x from keyboard: t*x C Delete quick command, get x from keyboard: t*x D Add the current keyboard command line as quick command, get x from keyboard: t*x K Execute quick command, get x from keyboard: t*x X